Information System of Retail Shop

Information System of Retail Shop Prepared by: Travis McEachron Shakil Kamran Muhammad Tanvir Hasan Fabrice Hecdivert Rhea Farrell The objective of the class project is to investigate and evaluate an information system of GAP Inc. GAP Inc. is a retail organization that is comprised of stores nationwide as well as being internationally based. They are mainly branded as Athleta, GAP, Old Navy, Intermix and Banana Republic. Its first store opened in the year 1969 and now spans across the United States of America and many other countries. Over the years, the organization has grown into large businesses with numbers of franchises. In addition to its onsite stores, it provides an e-commerce platform for its large customer base. The information system we decided to base our project on is GAPs Supply Chain Management System. Our team looked at the Supply Chain Management System used by GAP. Throughout, this report shows the findings, summary and recommendations for GAPs organization. The main goal of this research is to identify how GAP operates and how does the Supply Chain Management System play a role in this. It goes into further details about competing with its competitors, and identify how GAP is performing in the apparel market. According to Thomas Wailgum (2007), Supply chain management (SCM) is the combination of art and science that goes into improving the way your company finds the raw components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to customers. The Global Supply Chain at Gap Inc. is employed with thousands of individuals around the world whereby creating the right product, made well and delivered at the right time. Gap praise its size and scale, as it continues to change the retail industry, its Global Supply Chain is the instrument of innovativeness.- Gap Inc. Careers. GAP Inc. is one of the largest for pr1ofit, American specialty retail corporations. GAP was first started by Donald and Doris F. Fisher in 1969. Art Peck is currently the President and CEO of GAP Inc. Their headquarters is located in San Francisco, California. GAP specializes in selling apparel: clothing, shoes and accessories.  The company has about 40 franchise suppliers, and also has over 3,700 stores worldwide. It operates in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and several locations in Europe. GAP has a hybrid organizational structure. GAP started as a single store in San Francisco, California and now has a chain of companies, including Old Navy, GAP, Banana Republic, and many more. The company offers products such as clothing, accessories, and care products for men, women, and children. GAP offers its services worldwide. Its Omni-channel supply chain allows GAPs many branches to stay interconnected. It also provides an e-commerce division, known as Growth Innovation Digital (GID), thus being able to expand its market over the years. GAPs main shipping carriers include FedEx, United States Postal Service, and United Parcel Service. In addition, GAP sales revenue for 2016 was 15.8Billion; however, there was a decrease in sales growth at -3.88%. GAP Inc. competes with other large retailers, such as Macys, Wal-Mart, Target and other major stores. Unlike some companies, GAP only provides apparel, where companies like Wal-Mart sell apparel, furniture, house appliances and so forth. Mission Statement GAP Inc. is a brand-builder. We create emotional connections with customers around the world through inspiring product design, unique store experience compelling marketing.   Ã‚   Organizational Structure Information Systems Gap Inc. is large business that does business which includes retailers, such as Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta, Intermix, etc. Therefore Gap Inc. uses a cloud computing infrastructure in order to support their global business. Gap Inc. uses an omni- channel technology which allows and ensures customers get the products they when and where they want it. Gap Inc. also developed a Business Intelligence Group which allows the organizations to stay on a unified platform data which makes Big Data accessible supporting the companys strategic decision making. With this knowledge, I was able to decipher that this organization uses a decision support system (DSS) mainly because Gap Inc. has an automatic loop systems that fits customers needs with any other concerns. There is a 24hrs (automated) customer service operator unless the concern is urgent, customers will then be transferred over to customer relations specialist that best fits that category of the customers concern. This company d oes have an IT support team that is only accessible to Gap Inc. employees. Technical Information Any companies software and Hardware they buy depends so much on the size, sophistication, and budget of the retailer. The applications include merchandising systems, demand forecasting, replenishment, allocation, price management, price optimization, sourcing, product lifecycle management, inventory control, point of sale, sales analysis, merchandise planning, location planning, markdown optimization, store operations, e-commerce, analytics and business intelligence, customer relationship management, and so on. GAP Inc. is a retail chains company, so they usually used apparel retailers software. Apparel retailers tend to have different systems needs from hardlines retailers or grocery retailers. GAP also use Dressing Room apps. Its available in Apple and Android both. This app was created to assist customers virtually. This tool came with a try on clothing capability and can be performed using smartphone, Augmented Reality experience. The Dressing Room by GAP app was created in association with Avametric technology, to deliver accurate shoes and texture of each clothing. GAP Inc. top priorities is continuing to improve their technical knowledge around how the fabric stretch, drape and feel impact the sensation of fit. Technology gives customers incredible autonomy around the shopping experience and its companys opportunity to explore new ways to make customers shopping experience effortless and find different solutions that will add value to a customers experience. The Dressing Room by GAP pilot app is just one element of our longer-term strategic plan in this space. The GAP Inc. is taking advantage of software-defined (SD) networking, which is used to connect its several stores through the internet in the corporate network. It can now route traffic through the public Internet using encrypted connections. The company is installing new software-defined routers from Viptela Inc. at each store to build a more cost-effective WAN to connect store branches. Network upgrades or changes can all be done remotely, which makes GAP work easier. The routers allow GAP to segment its network as security technique. GAP Inc. is currently using the SCMS PO application to manage purchased orders. In loyalty marketing, data and technical infrastructure are critical. At GAP Inc., marketing owns the customer database, which offers a true 360-degree view of the customer. GAP Inc. uses third party service providers to manage the site and assist with business needs. Gap Inc. may share personal information with service providers in order to deliver the site and services as described in this Privacy Statement. These third parties include Taleo. Third party providers who are receiving personal information are expected to apply the same level of privacy protection as contained in this Global Privacy Statement. Also, they are required to keep personal information confidential for any purpose other than as originally intended. Global-Technology Platform GAP Technology uses the DevOps principle. The DevOps principle refer to a set of practices which emphasize the collaboration and communication of both software developers and information technology professionals. The DevOps tool uses Holistic system thinking, no silos, Rapid and useful feedback and automate drudgery away. Ecommerce Technology GAP is comprised of 5 different e-commerce sites GAP, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athlete and Intermix. With serving customers on a global customer base the E-commerce technology is needed. Growth Innovation Digital (GID) is the award-winning e-commerce division of GAP Inc. The Multi-brand shopping platform drives the web and mobile experience and multi-channel capabilities. Open source technology such as chef and OpenStack also plays a large role the online based websites to manage large jobs. Open Source Technology GAP uses Open Source technology such as chef which is used for writing system configurations. With many plugins and features at a low-cost savings is key for large businesses such as GAP. Chef is used to streamline the task of configuring and maintaining a companys servers and can integrate with cloud-based platforms such as Chef OpenStack, Amazon EC2 etc., Chef is able to manage large jobs on any infrastructure no matter the size. They enable services and features to deployed and update more frequently with small chances of down time. All at a respectable price range. Openstack is a free and open source software platform for cloud computing. The platform is made up of related components which control diverse, multi-vendor hardware pools for processing, storage and network resources through a data center. Omni-Channel Technology Logistics Omni-channel technology and logistics uses a Global-Technology Platform. An Omni-channel supply chain uses a central stock pool to control a number of factors such as pricing, fulfilment, sales, stock management and ordering. These orders are fulfilled from numerous retail channels such as concessions, franchises, catalogue, web, stores and mobile. The central stock pool is the heart of all these operations. The supply chain is now on the front line thanks to Omni-channel. Omni-Channel interrelates everything from sales to your connected. The online store connects to the mobile store which connect to a retailor store. Such as you creating an order online and being able to go get that product from the store. It creates an interlock of transactions which is smarter and give the customer multiple choices of how to interact and get the required products they need. Enterprise Platforms GAP uses a custom J2EE enterprise ecommerce platform. J2EE stands for Java 2 Enterprise Edition. The Java Centric environment with a set of services, API, and protocols that provide the functionality for developing multitude, web based applications. Security being implemented and Privacy and Ethical concerns with current laws GAP was founded on doing business honestly, responsibly and ethically so corporate compliance is critical and taken very seriously. GAP has developed a Code of Business Conduct (COBC) where it gives employees an overview on what is acceptable use of GAP Inc. data and what is not tolerated. Each employee and director is responsible for complying with GAP Inc. COBC. GAP Inc. has created Global Integrity Department to implant the companys existing compliance infrastructure. The Global Integrity Department works with Human Resources, Global Corporate Affairs, Internal Audit, Loss Prevention and Corporate Security to raise code awareness within the company, to monitor and audit Code compliance and to investigate all suspected code violations. For customers GAP Inc., has implemented a Customer Bill of Rights which is a basic customer policy on the rights you are entitled to as a GAP Inc. customer such as profiling being prohibited with any GAP Inc. facility, as well as unreasonable searche s of customers by any employee. However the policy also includes rules on how GAP Inc. will react in case of any serious matters as stated A person may be detained only in a reasonable manner and for not more than a reasonable time to permit investigation or questioning, provided an authorized employee has reasonable grounds to believe that the person so detained was guilty of criminal possession of an anti-security item or was committing or attempting to commit shoplifting on the premises (New York State General Business Law, Section 218). Security is also implemented physically by the presence of security guards to assure the safety of employees as well as shoppers within every GAP Inc. facility. Business Information The business aspect of GAP Inc. is focused on three major stages: creation, integration and impact. Creation is when they first act or develop an innovative approach to creating social or environmental change. Once they demonstrate that the efforts bring benefits both to the people and communities they serve, as well as to their business, they move on to integration. Integration leads them away from a model in which sustainability is a separate function and toward one in which a much broader group of actors drives change. The result of this strategy is impact on a bigger scale and in a way, that is sustainable for the long term. A prime example of how business integration can help the company move forward involves their efforts to improve working conditions for the people who make their clothes. They have been expanding these efforts for more than two decades and have played a leading role in multi-stakeholder innovations such as the Better Work program, a collaborative approach to monitoring factories. While they have made significant progress through the work of our sustainability team, they recognize that to create lasting, widespread change, their sourcing team and brands also need to play active roles. These teams are finding new ways to collaborate every day, including the setting of shared sustainability goals. They are also taking an integrated approach to measuring the performance of our suppliers across all dimensions that are important to them, from working conditions to environmental performance. The technology is integrated through the use of machinery that stitches together the fabrics to make a certain piece of cloth. Nowadays its more computerized than before so when a layer of fabric is done the other departments can see the status of the job as they can have an expected ETA of when the clothing would be boxed, packaged and ready to go. They see the retail brick n mortar as costly, and Gap sees it actually as a way to connect the two areas of physical and non-physical stores. Reserving in store for quicker pick up is helpful, but it also drives foot traffic. Having the reverse ability to limit in-store products drives people online. Having it done through one seamless inventory makes sense. GAP must have a global assortment. So far, Old Navy, the outlets and GAP are all global ass ortment, and Banana Republic is mostly a global assortment with some changes. The assortment then goes to universal fit, so Old Navy is a universal fit, outlets are a universal fit. The retailer can now ship a unit from a store to satisfy an online customer and that process will become seamless. The Information System and Competition GAP Inc. is one of the many businesses in the retail market, which include a number of competitors such as Aeropostale, Macys, J.C Penney and many more. All of the aforementioned stores sells clothing, shoes and many different products. They all compete to sell the best quality of designer outfits all priced differently. As businesses continue to compete for a larger customer base and target groups, branding and pricing are two major factors for its growth. The advantages are providing better customer service, providing longer training periods for new employees and providing incentive programs. A well-known company as GAP faces little threat to new retail businesses just entering the market. These businesses will initially have a hard time competing with Gaps larger customer base, global presence, their ability to sell their apparel at a lower cost, their multimedia advertising, and their large-scale production market, which are parts of the Supply Chain Management. Competing on a Global Scale GAP Inc. is one of the leading international retail companies with five different brands in the United States of America, France, Canada, United Kingdom and so forth. Their supply chain franchise spans across 40 countries, in Asia, Australia, South America and Africa. Its employees play a huge role in sourcing, making, and delivering these many products. It also combines stores, outlets and multiple franchises. This allows it to compete with many retailers on a global scale. With its international presence on six continents. GAP Inc. has a huge advantage in attracting customers and making its large presence around the world known. Over the years, GAP Inc. through its many stores has provided its customers with an e commerce online market to buy products. Competing on Quality and Design GAP Inc. has a large customer base and has to create up-to-date trends for its customers. To reiterate, GAP Inc. is franchised in many places around the world. It provides high quality designs at reasonable prices. It has managed to add an abundance of stores to differentiate its brand from other retailers: Intermix and Banana Republic are just a few. They have also expanded their markets to attract teens, while keeping their existing customers. For example, Old Navy has added a baby department. Competing on Business Processes GAP works to reorganize and redesign its organizational structure of its business to help expand its company and increase its customer base. Big data plays a huge role in this goal. Companies such as GAP collect huge amounts of information to see what customers want and need. With this, large data is analyzed based on consumer trends on a day-to-day basis. This allows them to change their market strategy and increase productivity in order to deliver more value to its large customer base. Also, GAP keeps track of what its competitors are doing to see how it can improve service. Furthermore, GAP is focused on providing quality products to the market by changing its planning and allocation processes, its operation, and its process design. GAP continues to improve its global growth, customer relationships and speed. The company is using the Business Process Redesign (BPR) to exploit technologies to reconstruct its organization, two of these technologies are Omni-channel technology and e- commerce. Porters Five Competitive Forces When addressing how GAP competes with other businesses, it is essential to refer to Porters five competitive forces. The following shows an analysis of Porters five competitive forces based on GAP Inc. and highlights the view of a competitive retail industry. When looking at GAPs competitive analysis differentiation, operational effectiveness, innovation and customer orientation strategy is essential to GAPs goals and approach to compete with other businesses. The threat of entry of new competitors The threat of entry of new competitors is low. There is an abundance of retail stores worldwide who compete with GAP on a daily basis. These stores often sell substitute apparel to GAP and at a lower cost. However, advertising and the promotion of a brand name are risky for new competitors and gives GAP an advantage when new competitors are trying to enter. New customers will find it hard to compete with GAPs large customer base located in over 3,700 countries worldwide, including the United States and England. The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is low. GAP purchase its products from factories in almost 40 countries, including Asia and South America. The fact GAP does not dependent on a single supply makes it easier for them to bargain with its franchises. It is equally important for suppliers to kept businesses with GAP because of its high demand of orders. The bargaining power of customers (buyers) The bargaining power of customers is high. GAP provides to a huge customer base in countries, such as Canada, Japan, North America and the United Kingdom. With the large retail market customers have the ability to choose from an abundance of retail stores worldwide, including HM, American Eagle and Aeropostale. However, some customers look at brand image and choose to buy at a particular store. This gives GAP an advantage because of advertisement and its many locations. The threat of substitute products and services The threat of substitute products and services is high. Gaps multiple brands have become some of the most recognizable labels within the apparel industry. Many retail stores sell the same apparel as GAP, including clothing, accessories and shoes. GAP Inc. is able to compete with other companies because it is large and has the ability to sell products at a low cost. However, because GAPs brand name it makes it easier for them to perform with companies who sells the same products. The rivalry among existing firms in the industry The rivalry among existing firms in the industry is high. As it relates to this competitive force GAPs main competitors include business such as JCPenney, Aeropostale and American Eagle Outfitters. However, despites GAPs presence in the apparel market, it holds just about 5% in market share, when compared with Macys and Wal-Mart who holds 9% and 7% respectively. GAP competes with companies on a national and international scale. Over the years, GAP has been able to expand its market to reach a larger customer base, for example, adding its e-commerce market. Also, it has been able to sell its products at a lower cost to compete with other businesses. It was found that, GAP does not have a large market share, however, GAP has the ability to maintain its competitive status. In addition, GAP is using Porters five competitive forces to strategically compete with other businesses. Statistics also shows that GAP has been decreasing with sales, in 2016 it showed that there was a decrease in sales growth of -3.88%. Also, GAP has been able to keep its a large customer base. With GAPs geographic presence and the help of its e-commerce market, the company has been able to expand over the years. GAP offer customers the opportunity to shop online from anywhere in the world. Customers are able to return products bought online directly to the store. GAP e-commerce presence allows for its continued growth, increase customer base and increase productivity. Furthermore, GAP has been able to compete with new and existing businesses. Since GAP is not the only company who sells apparel, they are often challenged to fluctuate prices, and maintain a quality brand name. Using Omni-channel technology has also helped GAP significantly. This has allowed the corporation to connect its branches with a single supply chain management system to improve efficiency. There are many recommendations unheard of by the public or consumer side of the market by GAP. Inc. Ways to make a such highly praised company such as GAP increase profit and gain more loyal customers who see more than just a brand name. Innovations that can create an unstoppable marketing and ecommerce business to bring them all the way to the top. All the competitors of GAP are thinking of new ways to beat out the company by making their market on top of the rest. Which is why clothing retail being such a hotspot due to the constant demand for clothing. A new business based Omni-channel where they adding such devices and application to technology such as smart TVs, Smartwatches and even a new device that allows to you order distinctly from their retailers such as Banana Republic, Athleta, Old Navy, and Intermix would be nothing but genius. This device would also include for those who shop at these of branches coupons, giveaways, discounts etc. The device would be free but would require you to be a valued customer with a GAP account for a certain number of months, years etc. This is a new idea seeing that not many retailers within the clothing company own their own device to do such a thing. It is a concept in the making and just an idea but an innovating idea at that. New innovative ideas can help GAP tremendously. GAP has the ability to sell new products that is not offered by other and improve its original brand. I recommend that GAP provides its on customer on a high level of professional development by offering their customers extreme value, for instance, keeping up with the latest trends. In addition, the organization should provide customers with high quality product in order to distinguish itself from its competitors. GAP has begun productivity improvement whereby they will a number of their locations worldwide and expand its brand to North America. Also, GAP must be focused on its customer base. This means that it should us collected data to see what customers are buying on daily basis. GAP is using a cloud based optimization system to focus on its inventory. This will allow GAP to strategical positon its many businesses. GAP certainly has the ability to improve the business operations. The company can improve their e-commerce market by integrating their e-commerce platform and physical store. Overall, the GAP must improve productivity along with its profit margin. GAP Inc. Logo  GAP Inc. Market Share   GAP Inc. Many Locations Worldwide  Ã‚  Omni-channel Logistics References Ahmed, R. R. (2014). Case Study Report: GAP Inc. Supply Chain Managment. Retrieved February 20, 2017, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.academia.edu/7583705/Case_Study_Report_GAP_Inc._-  Supply_Chain_Managment Corporate Compliance. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2017, from http://www.gapinc.com/content/gapinc/html/investors/corporate_compliance.ht  ml Customer Bill of Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://www.gapinc.com/content/gapinc/html/aboutus/customer_rights.html Gap Inc Careers. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from https://jobs.gapinc.com/global-supply Gap Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/gps/financials Gap Inc. (2017, March 15). Retrieved March 5, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gap_Inc. Gap Inc. Porters Five Forces Analysis: A Highly Competitive Industry with Immense   Buyer Bargaining Power. (2016, October 23). Retrieved March 7, 2017, from   http://research-methodology.net/gap-inc-porters-five-forces-analysis-a-highly-  competitive-industry-with-immense-buyer-bargaining-power/ Osmanay, A. (n.d.). Gap Inc.: Marketing Strategy Analysis of the Company. Retrieved   Ã‚  February 21, 2017, from   Ã‚  http://www.academia.edu/19985431/Gap_Inc._Marketing_Strategy_Analysis_of_  Ã‚  the_Company Our Sustainability Strategy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2017, from http://www.gapincsustainability.com/strategy/our-sustainability-strategy Shop By Department. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2017, from http://www.gap.com/browse/info.do?cid=80004 The worlds favorite for American style. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2017, from http://www.gapinc.com/content/gapinc/html/aboutus.html Wailgum, T. (2007, March 19). Supply Chain Management Definition and Solutions.   Retrieved February 21, 2017, from http://www.cio.com/article/2439493/supply-  chain-management/supply-chain-management-definition-and-solutions.html !company_name! | Company Profile from Hoovers. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2017, from   http://www.hoovers.com/company-  information/cs/companyprofile.the_gap_inc.5b8839480138c8d6.html

The Changing Definition of Jihad Essay -- Jihad, Terrorism, Terrorists

Jihad and the Crusades Every great historical moment, leader and religion is focused around a uniting influence. Saladin, a great Kurdish Muslim warrior during the time of the Crusades, and the Muslim armies employed the lesser, or violent jihad to fortify support and power in the Holy Lands. Throughout the eleventh and twelfth centuries the term â€Å"jihad† was used in several different contexts with varying meanings and intentions. Saladin used a favorable definition and interpretation of Jihad in order to unite the Muslims and create a massive army to defend Islam from the Christian Crusaders. In order to completely understand the word, its origins, and its uses, the original passages from the Qur’an must be analyzed and interpreted. Islam, as a faith, is supposed to be peaceful and preaches inner strength. Violence of any kind is in direct contradiction to the teachings of Mohammad and the Islamic faith. The only exception in using violence is in the case of a declared jihad, or holy war for the protection of Islam. The reasons for this exception for violence and its proper uses are controversial in that there is little reassurance that Allah would support or deny support for a war. However it is clear that the meaning and use of jihad was manipulated during the Crusades for the benefit of Islam, as it can be argued that Saladin fought not for Allah, but out of anger towards the Christians and to protect and grow his own wealth and lands. In the present day the term jihad is used more and more in the press however the meaning of the word has gained an increasingly violent connotation over time. While jihad has been bastardized over time it’s origins appear to be pure and devout to the Islamic faith. The history and origins of jihad are found in the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad who died in 632 AD. Throughout the Qur’an there are several references to jihad as a personal and inner struggle to become a better person. The Islamic faith is based upon striving for a life that is worthy in God’s eyes. A personal jihad is basically the struggle to avoid temptations and stay on the right path to salvation and for God, which is what the prophet Mohammed preached throughout his life. One scholar writes, â€Å"Muslims for centuries have engaged themselves and the world in pursuit of inner jihad. This has been their way of ... ...an inner struggle to follow the teachings of Islam remains a core value in Muslim faith. While Saladin’s interpretation of Jihad changed the religion of Islam, it was not nearly as radical as the present day alterations. Works Cited Gabrieli, Francesco and E. J. Costello, trans. Arab Historians of the Crusades. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969. "History of Jihad." News on Terror. News on Terror, 04/15/2010. Web. 15 Apr 2010. . Ibn Al-Qalanisi. The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades. Trans. H. A. R. Gibb. London: University of London Historical Series V, 1932. "Inner Jihad". The Canadian Society of Muslims. 3/29/10 canada.org/jihadshahid.html>. "Jihad: Holy Struggle or Holy War". CARM. 3/29/10 holy-war>. The Hoy Bible. Revised Standard Version. New York, NY: Meridian, 1962. The Qur'an (Oxford World's Edition, revised 2008 paperback edition) Usamah ibn Munqidh. An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades. Trans. P. K. Hitti. New York: Columbia University Press, 1929. The Changing Definition of Jihad Essay -- Jihad, Terrorism, Terrorists Jihad and the Crusades Every great historical moment, leader and religion is focused around a uniting influence. Saladin, a great Kurdish Muslim warrior during the time of the Crusades, and the Muslim armies employed the lesser, or violent jihad to fortify support and power in the Holy Lands. Throughout the eleventh and twelfth centuries the term â€Å"jihad† was used in several different contexts with varying meanings and intentions. Saladin used a favorable definition and interpretation of Jihad in order to unite the Muslims and create a massive army to defend Islam from the Christian Crusaders. In order to completely understand the word, its origins, and its uses, the original passages from the Qur’an must be analyzed and interpreted. Islam, as a faith, is supposed to be peaceful and preaches inner strength. Violence of any kind is in direct contradiction to the teachings of Mohammad and the Islamic faith. The only exception in using violence is in the case of a declared jihad, or holy war for the protection of Islam. The reasons for this exception for violence and its proper uses are controversial in that there is little reassurance that Allah would support or deny support for a war. However it is clear that the meaning and use of jihad was manipulated during the Crusades for the benefit of Islam, as it can be argued that Saladin fought not for Allah, but out of anger towards the Christians and to protect and grow his own wealth and lands. In the present day the term jihad is used more and more in the press however the meaning of the word has gained an increasingly violent connotation over time. While jihad has been bastardized over time it’s origins appear to be pure and devout to the Islamic faith. The history and origins of jihad are found in the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad who died in 632 AD. Throughout the Qur’an there are several references to jihad as a personal and inner struggle to become a better person. The Islamic faith is based upon striving for a life that is worthy in God’s eyes. A personal jihad is basically the struggle to avoid temptations and stay on the right path to salvation and for God, which is what the prophet Mohammed preached throughout his life. One scholar writes, â€Å"Muslims for centuries have engaged themselves and the world in pursuit of inner jihad. This has been their way of ... ...an inner struggle to follow the teachings of Islam remains a core value in Muslim faith. While Saladin’s interpretation of Jihad changed the religion of Islam, it was not nearly as radical as the present day alterations. Works Cited Gabrieli, Francesco and E. J. Costello, trans. Arab Historians of the Crusades. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969. "History of Jihad." News on Terror. News on Terror, 04/15/2010. Web. 15 Apr 2010. . Ibn Al-Qalanisi. The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades. Trans. H. A. R. Gibb. London: University of London Historical Series V, 1932. "Inner Jihad". The Canadian Society of Muslims. 3/29/10 canada.org/jihadshahid.html>. "Jihad: Holy Struggle or Holy War". CARM. 3/29/10 holy-war>. The Hoy Bible. Revised Standard Version. New York, NY: Meridian, 1962. The Qur'an (Oxford World's Edition, revised 2008 paperback edition) Usamah ibn Munqidh. An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades. Trans. P. K. Hitti. New York: Columbia University Press, 1929.

Shakespeare Greatest Playwright of All

William Shakespeare: Greatest Playwright of All William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a British poet and playwright, he was well known as the greatest writer of all time, he was often called the â€Å"Bard of Avon†. Although many facts of his life remain unknown, his poems and plays are unique and have timeless theme that touch everyone’s heart, and are still widely studied and performed in today’s society. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, England enjoyed a time of prosperity and stability that led to a new era for England.Shakespeare’s works epitomize arts of the Elizabethan Epoch; through his uses of beautiful and poetic language, iambic pentameter is nearly always used in his style of poetry. Shakespeare wrote about timeless themes about the human nature surrounded themes of true love, revenge, power-lust, ambition, anger, war, etc, they are not only appealed to the people of Elizabethan England, but also provide a reference for life in his time for us to view the contemporary society. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon Avon in Warwickshire and was baptized on April 26, 1564.His father was a wool merchant and his mother was the daughter of a landowner. The next documented event was his marriage when he was 18 years old to Anne Hathaway who was 26 years old at that time, and they had three children. There was another gap where some scholars referred to as â€Å"the lost years†, then he was working in a theatre in London in 1592. Shakespeare wrote his very first play, Henry VI, Part One in 1589-90, and in  1590-91, Shakespeare wrote Henry VI, Part Two and Henry VI, Part III. Shakespeare's poetry appeared before his plays, his narrative poems Venus and Adonis as his first ever publication in 1593.Then Shakespeare wrote plays began to be noticed by the public, and sooner became popular. During the Renaissance in Europe there was a great innovation of science; the Church had lost some of the corruptive power that once held over Europe, and people were again free to look back upon the pagan scholars and writers of Greece and Rome. Plays by playwrights such as Euripides, Plautus, and Seneca which were once banned by the Church were once again being read and performed. Likewise, the cultural stories of the people were once again being told in public, and playwrights, including Shakespeare, were widely performed.An good example would be Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare used ancient Celtic and Greek mythological figures such as Puck, Oberon, Theseus and placed them in a different time and place, but with their original characteristics. Other plays, such as Romeo and Juliet make references to popular mythological figures like Queen Mab to make the story fit better into their world. Since people of all classes attended plays, playwrights needed to use stories, characters and words that would appeal to everyone.England in the time before the reign of Elizabeth I was under a state of religious turmoil . When Elizabeth I ascended to the throne, she banned the performances all religious plays and stories (except in Church) to help stop the violence over religion. Popular plays were   not longer be performed, and playwrights were now free to concentrate on secular stories. They still contained some elements of religion, as did everyday life in Elizabethan England, but it was not the primary focus, nor did it play a particularly important part of the story.Conventions from Medieval religious theatre found its way into Elizabethan Theatre, however, and Shakespeare made good use of them during their performances, such as using the trap door for the gravediggers’ scene in Hamlet. The Hellmouth and trapdoor, which had been a staple of Medieval Theatres continued to be used, and were built into the permanent theatre structures used in the performances of Elizabethan plays. Shakespeare’s histories, such as Henry V, were a tribute to the Monarch and to the country.Many playw rights and other artists paid homage to their patrons, including Shakespeare. By writing about the glories of England and her former rulers he was paying homage to Queen Elizabeth and England. Since the arts were kept alive by patrons, it was best not to anger one and lose your support. Shakespeare sometimes, such as in Hamlet, criticized the Monarchy, but in a way that would not be obvious or outwardly treasonous. He spoke his mind, but also paid lip service to keep money coming from his patron. Shakespeare was a very prolific writer, because his writings are not totally original.He had help with many of his plays from other writers and actors, such as Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), resulted people doubting that he himself wrote his plays. King Lear is based on a Celtic myth, and Hamlet is a retelling of earlier versions of the same story. Elizabethan plays use stock-type characters like those found in Comedia Del’Arte and Roman plays, and actors would specialize in specif ic types of roles. The English Renaissance Theatre played a significant part of Elizabethan theatre and Shakespeare's playwright career. The theatre has a proscenium-arch stage, and seatings on hree tiers (stalls, circle and balcony). Shakespeare first worked for Lord Strange's Men in The Rose, it is London’s most historic Elizabethan Theatre on Bankside and a home to many of Shakespeare’s and Marlowe’s first production. When the Globe was built, He worked for the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was also part owner of the Globe itself. People in Elizabethan England were very concerned with the humour, which was a form of medicine and psychology. Shakespeare makes references to them all over in his plays. Hamlet is portrayed as being to Melancholic, with his humours out of balance, and one was dominant over the others.This is not psychology as we know it today, and was why the people from Elizabethan Era believed people were the way they were. Shakespeare used this b elief to make his characters not only believable, but also understandable to his audience. Shakespeare’s works are the greatest representation of art from Elizabethan England politically, economically, and socially. No other art form, including painting, could provide so much information about life in Elizabethan England, we can see the ideas, thoughts, languages, customs, etc throughout his plays. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets and 37 plays in total, including tragedy, comedy, and history.The Four Great Tragedies were his greatest achievement as a playwright, and are greatly studied in English literature, performed in theatre, and made into several films; include Romeo and Juliet (1594), the timeless tale of young lovers whose names were synonymous with star-crossed romance; Hamlet (1600), the revenge drama centering on the introspective Prince of Denmark; Othello (1604), a story of gallant soldier and loving husband was undone by jealousy ; and Macbeth (1605), known as †Å"The Scottish Play†, concerning a nobleman's overweening ambition.These plays focused on powerful central characters with outstanding personal qualities, and the antagonists were their own strengths,   their family, and the society, which would not allow then to get what they wanted. For example, Romeo and Juliet sought for true love, but they were forbidden to love each other because their families were  mortal enemies, and the story ended tragically where Romeo drugged himself and Juliet stabbed herself with a dagger.Audience of all times are   appalled at this paradox and at the inexorability of his characters' fate in which because part of our human nature and the cruelty of our society, we don't always get what we desired deeply. Other tragedies include Julius Caesar (1599), King Lear (1604), Timon of Athens (1607), etc. Comedies include  Merchant of Venice (1596),  Midsummer Night's Dream 1595),  Twelfth Night (1599),  Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594), etc.H istory includes  Henry IV, Part I (1597),  Henry IV, Part II (1597),  Henry V (1598),  Henry VI, Part I (1591),  Henry VI, Part II (1590),  Henry VI, Part III (1590),  Henry VIII (1612),  Richard II (1595),  Richard III (1592), King John, etc. Iambic pentameter is meter that Shakespeare nearly used when writing in verse. The reason why Shakespeare's works are always extraordinary is because most of his plays were written in iambic pentameter, except for lower-class characters who speak in prose.Iambic Pentameter has ten syllables in each line, five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables. Some examples of Shakespearean Iambic Pentameter is â€Å"Two households, both alike in dignity. â€Å", â€Å"In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. â€Å", â€Å"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? â€Å", etc. Shakespeare's influence continued to impact the society today, his  plays are being performed constantly throughout the world.Ever y day, one of his plays is being performed somewhere, and probably more than one place. More than 410 feature-length film and TV versions of Shakespeare's plays or adaption, have been produced, making Shakespeare the most filmed author ever in any language, including Romeo and Juliet (1968), Romeo+Juliet (1996), West Side Story (1961), Gnomeo and Juliet (2011), Othello (1965), Othello (1995), Macbeth (1948), The Tragedy of Macbeth (1971), etc.Some films used Shakespeare as a character, such as  Shakespeare in Love (1998) is a fictional love story about Shakespeare's romance with a noblewoman, at the time of writing Romeo and Juliet. Many universities offer courses on Shakespeare, such as Shakespeare Studies MA from University of Birmingham, Shakespeare special subject courses from University of Cambridge, Shakespeare and Films from University of Notre Dame, Shakespeare Studies from Boston College, etc.

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