Malcolm X in Mecca and His Conversion to True Islam

On April 13, 1964, Malcolm X left the United States on a personal and spiritual journey through the Middle East and West Africa. By the time he returned on May 21, he’d visited Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, and Algeria. In Saudi Arabia, he’d experienced what amounted to his second life-changing epiphany as he accomplished the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, and discovered an authentic Islam of universal respect and brotherhood. The experience changed Malcolm’s worldview. Gone was the belief in whites as exclusively evil. Gone was the call for black separatism. His voyage to Mecca helped him discover the atoning power of Islam as a means to unity as well as self-respect: â€Å"In my thirty-nine years on this earth,† he would write in his autobiography, â€Å"the Holy City of Mecca had been the first time I had ever stood before the Creator of All and felt like a complete human being.† It had been a long journey in a brief life. Before Mecca: The Nation of Islam Malcolm’s first epiphany occurred 12 years earlier when he converted to Islam while serving an eight-to-10-year prison sentence for robbery. But back then it was Islam according to Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam—an odd cult whose principles of racial hatred and separatism, and whose strange beliefs about whites being a genetically engineered race of â€Å"devils,† stood it in contrast with Islam’s more orthodox teachings. Malcolm X bought in and rapidly rose in the ranks of the organization, which was more like a neighborhood guild, albeit a disciplined and enthusiastic one, than a â€Å"nation† when Malcolm arrived. Malcolm’s charisma and eventual celebrity built the Nation of Islam into the mass movement and political force it became in the early 1960s. Disillusion and Independence The Nation of Islam’s Elijah Muhammad turned out to be much less than the upstanding moral paragon he pretended to be. He was a hypocritical, serial womanizer who fathered numerous children out of wedlock with his secretaries, a jealous man who resented Malcolm’s stardom, and a violent man who never hesitated to silence or intimidate his critics (through thuggish emissaries). His knowledge of Islam was also relatively slight. â€Å"Imagine, being a Muslim minister, a leader in Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam,† Malcolm wrote, â€Å"and not knowing the prayer ritual.† Elijah Muhammad had never taught it. It took Malcolm’s disillusionment with Muhammad and the Nation finally to break away from the organization and set out on his own, literally and metaphorically, to the authentic heart of Islam. Rediscovering Brotherhood and Equality First in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, then in Jeddah, the Saudi city, Malcolm witnessed what he claims he never saw in the United States: men of all color and nationalities treating each other equally. â€Å"Throngs of people, obviously Muslims from everywhere, bound for the pilgrimage,† he’d begun to notice at the airport terminal before boarding the plane for Cairo in Frankfurt, â€Å"were hugging and embracing. They were of all complexions, the whole atmosphere was of warmth and friendliness. The feeling hit me that there really wasn’t any color problem here. The effect was as though I had just stepped out of a prison.† To enter the state of ihram required of all pilgrims heading for Mecca, Malcolm abandoned his trademark black suit and dark tie for the two-piece white garment pilgrims must drape over their upper and lower bodies. â€Å"Every one of the thousands at the airport, about to leave for Jedda, was dressed this way,† Malcolm wrote. â₠¬Å"You could be a king or a peasant and no one would know.† That, of course, is the point of ihram. As Islam interprets it, it reflects the equality of man before God. Preaching in Saudi Arabia In Saudi Arabia, Malcolm’s journey was held up a few days until authorities could be sure his papers, and his religion, were in order (no non-Muslim is allowed to enter the Grand Mosque in Mecca). As he waited, he learned various Muslim rituals and spoke to men of vastly different backgrounds, most of whom were as star struck with Malcolm as Americans were back home. They knew Malcolm X as the â€Å"Muslim from America.† They plied him with questions; he obliged them with sermons for answers. In everything he said to them, â€Å"they were aware,† in Malcolm’s words, â€Å"of the yardstick that I was using to measure everything—that to me the earth’s most explosive and pernicious evil is racism, the inability of God’s creatures to live as One, especially in the Western world.† Malcolm in Mecca Finally, the actual pilgrimage: â€Å"My vocabulary cannot describe the new mosque [in Mecca] that was being built around the Ka’aba,† he wrote, describing the sacred site as â€Å"a huge black stone house in the middle of the Grand Mosque. It was being circumambulated by thousands upon thousands of praying pilgrims, both sexes, and every size, shape, color, and race in the world. [†¦] My feeling here in the House of God was numbness. My mutawwif (religious guide) led me in the crowd of praying, chanting pilgrims, moving seven times around the Ka’aba. Some were bent and wizened with age; it was a sight that stamped itself on the brain. It was that sight that inspired his famous â€Å"Letters from Abroad†Ã¢â‚¬â€three letters, one from Saudi Arabia, one from Nigeria and one from Ghana—that began redefining Malcolm X’s philosophy. â€Å"America,† he wrote from Saudi Arabia on April 20, 1964, â€Å"needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases the race problem from its society.† He would later concede that â€Å"the white man is not inherently evil, but America’s racist society influences him to act evilly. A Work in Progress, Cut Down It’s easy to overly romanticize Malcolm’s last period of his life, to misinterpret it as gentler, more amenable to white tastes then (and to some extent still now) so hostile to Malcolm. In reality, he returned to the United States as fiery as ever. His philosophy was taking a new direction. But his critique of liberalism went on unabated. He was willing to take the help of â€Å"sincere whites,† but he was under no illusion that the solution for black Americans would not begin with whites. It would begin and end with blacks. In that regard, whites were better off busying themselves with confronting their own pathological racism. â€Å"Let sincere whites go and teach non-violence to white people,† he said. Malcolm never had the chance to evolve his new philosophy fully. â€Å"I never have felt that I would live to be an old man,† he told Alex Haley, his biographer. On Feb. 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, he was shot by three men as he was preparing to speak to an audience of several hundred. Source X, Malcolm. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley. Alex Haley, Attallah Shabazz, Paperback, Reissue edition, Ballantine Books, November 1992.

Indoor Air Quality ( Iaq ) - 1466 Words

Indoor Air Quality: 1. Introduction: Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants. People spend about 90% of their time indoors. Many people spend their entire working day inside an office, shop, factory, or other facility. In some indoor environments, poor air quality has been blamed for physical symptoms and complaints such as headaches, eye irritation, and coughs. These physical symptoms and complaints can affect people’s health, comfort, job satisfaction, and work performance. In recent years, people have become more aware of potential health and comfort problems that may be associated with poor indoor air quality. This is partly due to the move to more tightly sealed buildings, the implementation of energy conservation programs, and the growing use of laser printers, photocopiers, and other sources of indoor air contamination. A greater general awareness of environmenta l issues may also play a part. Indoor air pollution is a serious problem in many developing societies. In homes where open fires burn, especially when the climate is cold, the pollution from the fires accumulates and exposes the inhabitants, especially women, to the risks associated with smoke inhalation. The result can be serious lung disease and an increased risk of cancer, as occurs in some parts of China, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan etc among women who tend fires in homesShow MoreRelatedIndoor Air Quality ( Iaq )3184 Words   |  13 Pages Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) as a causal factor in disease propagation Introduction: A healthy indoor environment is an essence for a comfortable, healthy and productive life. 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Additionally, for people with asthma, which includes over 30 million Americans, pollutants can aggravate respiratory problemsRead MoreSafety Aesthetic Effects, Contingent Liability And Health Issues1681 Words   |  7 Pagesvisit to those areas. The first problem, which was diagnosed by us, was ventilation: The purpose of proper ventilation is to provide high indoor air quality, pleasant temperature, maintaining oxygen level, removal of mosquitoes, odour, carbon dioxide and air bone bacteria’s. Ventilation exchanges the indoor foul air with the outdoor fresh air and also maintains air circulation within the building. During the visit of the property we found problem of ventilation is very common in many areas of the buildingRead MoreSafety Aesthetic Effects, Contingent Liability And Health Issues4010 Words   |  17 Pagesto those areas. The first problem, which was diagnosed by us, was ventilation: The purpose of proper ventilation is to provide high indoor air quality, pleasant temperature, maintaining oxygen level, removal of mosquitoes, odour, carbon dioxide and air bone bacteria’s. Ventilation exchanges the indoor foul air with the outdoor fresh air and also maintains air circulation within the building. During the visit of the property we found problem of ventilation is very common in many areas of theRead MoreEffects of Poor Indoor Air Quality2161 Words   |  9 Pagescommon that air that we breather within various indoor environments have different particles and gaseous contaminants. Upon these contaminants affecting human health and performance they change to be known as indoor pollutants, for example school setting commonly experience this environment. Health and performance in school is also affected by indoor temperature and relative humidity on influence of the airborne level of molds as well as bacteria. Effects of Poor Indoor Air Quality There areRead MoreSources of Air Pollution In general, the air pollution sources are categorized into mobile sources800 Words   |  4 Pagesof Air Pollution In general, the air pollution sources are categorized into mobile sources and stationary sources. Stationary sources are mostly industrial complexes such as factories and electric generating plants. Mobile sources are vehicles, on- road, off-road. The quality of the indoor air also plays a significant role as far as health is concerned. However, the awareness among the public in this aspect is increasing, and they have started realizing the issues that arise with poor indoor air

George Zimmerman Trial And Trayvon Martin Case - 980 Words

Synopsis: George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, shot and killed 17 year old Trayvon Marin in Sampson, Florida on March 25th, 2012.In the police report, Zimmerman claimed to have followed Martin out of the convenience store because he looked suspicious and that is when the altercation between the two began. Some words were shared between the two that led Zimmerman to step out of his car despite the police’s order to remain inside the vehicle. Zimmerman also told police that Trayvon knocked him down when he punched him in the nose and repeatedly slammed his head on the ground and that he had only reached for his gun because he feared for his life. The incident ended when 13 year old Austin Brown saw Zimmerman lying in the grass moaning and crying for help. Police soon arrived after a 911 call about hearing gunshots in the distance from another neighbor (Gutman, 2012). Fine details from that eventful night that would later be used in the investigation and trial are still lef t unanswered. The George Zimmerman trial and Trayvon Martin case was probably one of the controversial and confusing cases in Florida history. One of the key elements used in the case was that of the Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law. The Stand Your Ground Law states that â€Å"if reasonable you believe that you face imminent death, serious bodily injury, rape, kidnapping or (in most states) robbery, you can use deadly force against the assailant even if you have a perfectly safe avenue or retreat,†Show MoreRelatedThe Death Of The United States1249 Words   |  5 Pages28-year-old mixed Hispanic George Zimmerman, calls 911 to report a suspicious person. â€Å"This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about† (Genius). That suspicious person was 17-year-old African American Trayvon Martin returning home after stopping by a local convenience store to purchase, the now infamous, Arizona Ice tea and Skittles. When the 911 dispatcher asked Zimmerman if he was following Martin he replied â€Å"yeah.† TheRead MoreXBCOM 275 Debate Paper1638 Words   |  7 Pages Dr. Jim Burrescia The issue that is the subject of my debate paper is the George Zimmerman trial. George Zimmerman, 28 years old at the time, shot and killed 17 year old Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch patrolman and Martin was visiting his father who lived in the gated community where the shooting occurred. Zimmerman called the non-emergency number to report a suspicious male walking in the neighborhood. He was toldRead MoreTrayvon Martin Case Essay1268 Words   |  6 Pagesinnocent minor, Trayvon Martin, was shot to his death in a gated neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. The shooter, George Zimmerman, still has not faced any serious consequence for the murder. Many people in the Sanford community, and even around the country, believe that there is no question that Zimmerman should be convicted and sent to jail, but, unfortunately, it is not up to the people; it is up to the justice system. With the consideration of Florida’s state l aws, this is a difficult case to foreseeRead MoreTrayvon Martin vs George Zimmerman1415 Words   |  6 PagesTrayvon Martin was killed by a neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman. He says that it was self defense, but after the tragic phone call was released to the media everything took a huge turn questioning if it was a hate crime. If Zimmerman would have stayed in his car that night then Trayvon would still be alive. It could not be self-defense if all Travon had in his hand were skittles and some tea. The whole thing blew up right after it was released to the news. Then when it was time for the trialRead MoreStand Your Ground Laws Essay1590 Words   |  7 Pagesthey believed that doing so would prevent significant bodily damage or death. The purpose of creating laws such as the Stand Your Ground Laws was to obliterate any confusion about when an individual can protect themselves and to eradicate certain trials where people who lawfully used self-defense even though they firs t had not attempted to retreat from the threat. However, in my opinion the Stand Your Ground law is a dangerous alternative compared to the safe concept known as duty to retreat. AllRead MoreThe Justice System Is Not Truly Provide Justice For All839 Words   |  4 PagesStates has evolved after the Trayvon Martin case and Freddie Gray’s case? The American legal system does not truly provide justice for all. The first reason that many see as proof of how the justice system has failed is because of racial profiling. For example, Trayvon Martin, a black 17 year old with a pack of Skittles and Arizona tea was shot by a white male. Nadra Kareem Nittle from About.com states that â€Å"On Feb. 26, 2012, a neighborhood watchman named George Zimmerman gunned down the 17-year-oldRead MoreBlack Lives Matter Of America Essay1563 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican culture is supposed to be described as one that is built on the ideals of freedom, human equality, tolerance, and the respect for each other’s differences; all of this is what is suppose to make our nation so significant, sadly this is not the case for our nation. Throughout our American history we have learned about racial discrimination events that have taken place against African-Americans like slavery, the Civil War, the lynching and race riots caused by the Ku Klux Klan, the Jim Crow LawsRead MoreThe Shooting of Trayvon Martin: George Zimmerman Essay1489 Words   |  6 PagesOn the night of his death, February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin was in Sanford, Florida on a visit to his fathers fiancee and her son at The Retreat at Twin Lakes. As Zimmerman noticed him he called the police non-emergency number to report a suspicious person in community, describing Martin as a very suspicious guy reporting that he had his hand in waistband and was walking around looking at homes. Also, Zimmerman is quoted saying that â€Å"he is just walking around looking about in the rain†, and â€Å"ThisRead MoreGeorge Zimmerman Trial2843 Words   |  12 PagesState of Florida v. George Zimmerman Abstract Our group chose to do the highly debatable case regarding George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. Based on the various parts from group members, it would seem we have both sides of the case so there will be discussion from either point of view. Our paper is not going to sway the reader in either direction, but simply state the facts for each side and give an overview of the case from our perspective. Introduction Within the last year, our countryRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Trayvon Martin Shooting : Voice Experts Claim Cries Heard On 911 Call Essay1199 Words   |  5 PagesZimmerman was not charged with any crime due to Florida Statutes Title XLVI Chapter 776 – Justifiable Use of Force, also known as Stand Your Ground, which states, â€Å"A person is presumed to have held a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another when using or threatening to use defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another†¦Ã¢â‚¬  With this law the â€Å"fear of death† only has to be imagined in order for use of deadly

Tobacco The Original Addictive Substance - 1898 Words

The tobacco of the south has shaped the United States in history and today. The tobacco plant was discovered by Christopher Columbus, and he then brought it back to England when he returned from his voyage. England began to be addicted to tobacco. Its residents spent more than 200,000 euros on the crop a year in the 1600’s (â€Å"History 1492-1762†). Since the discovery of the tobacco plant, it has been well sought after and a large cash crop. Big tobacco companies attempt to hide the real effects of smoking their products, and aim their campaigns toward teenagers. Tobacco had been present since the discovery of the western hemisphere; it has shaped history with its addictive nature and was one of the first addictive substances. While†¦show more content†¦With the need to operate farms, the newly appointed farmers needed help tending to the land. The best and most cost effective plan was to ship people from Africa (â€Å"History 1492-1762†). This is th e first time that slaves were brought to the colonies to work on plantations, originally to aide tobacco farmers. This started an epidemic of people wanting slaves of their own to work on their farms, so they could make more money by planting more land and having them maintain it (â€Å"History 1492-1762†). This is how America got its’ start in big league tobacco producing and the capitalism of the substance. The production would grow rapidly for hundreds of years while capitalistism was strong in many farmer’s minds. Tobacco has evolved so much from the standards of the sixteenth century to the twenty-first. Big tobacco companies have taken what used to be a very sought after crop and made it into a commercialized product. The companies that did this cut corners along the way to make an even larger profit on the good that was once used for medical use in some countries (CNN). While cutting corners and using the cheapest tobacco that they could get in bulk, the companies had to then put additives into the mixture to make the smoke taste better. This was mainly done in cigarettes, because it is crushed tobacco leaves and therefore much easier to put additives in it, other than attempting to roll them into cigars. Many doctors have proven that cigarettes areShow MoreRelatedSaving Lives By Illegalizing Tobacco1465 Words   |  6 PagesIllegalizing Tobacco As soon as the door opens to any store, most of the time there will be a tobacco related product nearby. In today’s society there is controversy on whether drugs should be sold to the public, but most of these controversies do not involve tobacco related products. Tobacco products are widely used, but these tobacco are not safe. Cigarettes and other tobacco products should be illegal because tobacco is composed of many harmful chemicals. Anybody who comes in contact with a tobacco substanceRead MoreShould Cigarettes Be Banned in the U.S.?1400 Words   |  6 PagesShould Cigarettes Be Banned in the U.S.? Tobacco has been around in the world for over 2.5 million years. It was not until a few hundred years ago when the tobacco industry decided to put these crops into use and conjure up tobacco products for the community. A popular tobacco product in society is cigarettes, as they are cheap and simple to use. As long as one is over eighteen, acquiring cigarettes is a straightforward process for a reasonable price, albeit the sin tax. It was not until recentlyRead MoreShould Cigarettes Be Banned in the U.S.?1444 Words   |  6 Pages Tobacco has been around in the world for over 2.5 million years. It was not until a few hundred years ago when the tobacco industry decided to put these crops into use and conjure up tobacco products for the community. A popular tobacco product in society is cigarettes, as they are cheap and simple to use. As long as one is over eighteen, acquiring cigarettes is a straightforward process for a reasonable price, albeit the sin tax. It was not until recently when cigarettes became widely controversialRead MoreChapter 4 Was A Great Read, I Feel As Though This World1099 Words   |  5 Pagesemotionally damage a person and cause them to have these behaviors. The three major causes of sexual compulsive behaviors are trauma during childhood, insecure personal relationships, and improper or undeveloped coping mechanisms. Which tie into Substance abuse and also Alcohol abuse within the youth. When an individual has had some trauma in their life they will more than likely turn to some type of drug addiction to ease the pain. Some of my clients deal with that till this day. They always resultRead MoreMarijuana Is A Highly Misunderstood Substance917 Words   |  4 Pagesmashable.com mashable.com Marijuana is a highly misunderstood substance, for which people have developed an array of diverse opinions and predilections. The drug remains to be illegal in the majority of America and has received a lot of controversy lately for its growing possibility of nationwide legality. Unlike many of the analysts for this matter, we have decided to provide an unbiased list of simple facts you should know about marijuana. No matter your current position, these facts on the issueRead MoreDrug Use in America Essay1212 Words   |  5 Pagesthe dangerous drugs. Unlike drug dealers houses that may also cocaine or heroin, the â€Å"coffee shops† only have marijuana (John Stossel). Before one can begin to explore why marijuana should be made legal, the factors going into the original ban on marijuana must first be known. Since the early 1900’s a great number Mexicans began to move across the border and find a new home in many of the southwestern states. Unfortunately, the American citizens at the time were not very welcomingRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1675 Words   |  7 Pagesreliever (Carruthers). How did marijuana become illegal in the first place by Dr. Malik Burnett and Amanda Reiman explains why marijuana was outlawed in the United States in the first place. Marijuana was made illegal in the United States in 1937. The original negative connotation for marijuana sprouted from when Mexican immigrants flooded Texas and Louisiana. The Mexicans brought with them customs and one of those customs was the smoking of cannabis or, marihuana, as the Mexicans called it. This termRead MoreCigarettes are Killing Us1489 Words   |  6 Pagesbenefit the public in a positive way. Cigarettes are filled with thousands of chemicals and are highly addictive. Cigarettes have caused numerous mental and physical problems for smokers and the people who surround them, impacting families, communities and society. Cigarettes and tobacco should become an illegal drug in North America. The negative traits of smoking outweigh the positive traits; tobacco should not be accessible to the public. â€Å"Smoking kills† these two words should be very familiar. TheRead MoreMarijuana Is The Safest Of All Recreational Drugs1600 Words   |  7 PagesCannabis, also commonly known as marijuana, is the most widely used illegal recreational drug. Recreational drugs are used to alter states of consciousness and heighten mood. Out of all recreational drugs, marijuana use ranks among alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine use. Marijuana refers to dried leaves and flowers from the Cannabis sativa plant. When smoked or ingested, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is absorbed through the bloodstream and carried to the brain and other organs. THC is a mind-alteringRead MoreThe Origins of Tobacco1898 Words   |  8 PagesTobacco The Spanish and Portuguese word tobacco comes from Tiano, the Awakan language of the Caribbean. The N.Tabacum plant is no longer grown in the wild because it has been so long cultivated. Tobacco originated in Virginia but is now mainly grown in Russia, India and Turkey. The usage of Tobacco is actively practised by approximately 1.1 billion people and up to one third of the adult population. Statistics of smoking show that the use of tobacco has either levelled off or declined in developed

Financial Analysis of 3M - 1876 Words

1. The first issue before all others is to clarify what is meant by 12-15% organic growth is that revenues or profits? Thats rather important to know. After that has been settled, there are several issues that 3M needs to address. The first is the companys small share of MRO business. The industry only has a about a dozen players, and 3M does not have a major presence with any of them While 3M has products it can sell through this channel, it has long ignored the channel because of structural issues such as lack of control and lack of brand loyalty. This market, however, is currently experiencing the sort of double-digit growth that 3M is pursuing with its new mandate. Therefore, the company has to figure out how best to approach this market, in order to gain access to what looks like a fairly valuable channel. The second issue that needs to be addressed is the decline in competitiveness in low margin businesses like most of the OEM lines. The dip in the CAD in the late-1990s/early 2000s was actually out of line with historical norms, so if the company thought that was a new normal, such a view was very much mistaken. Now that the dollar has regained some strength, it is worth considering that the days of the 65-cent loonie are gone forever. The loonie is a petrocurrency, and the US is dependent on foreign oil. That fundamental fact alone means that as oil prices continue their long-term upward trend, the loonie will go higher and stay higher. This affects the abilityShow MoreRelated3M Company’s Liquidity Essay1377 Words   |  6 Pagessuggest a firm’s capacity for debt-satisfying capabilities into the future (Gibson, 2011). This paper will use financial statement data as cited in Gibson (2011) from 3M Company (3M) to better understand liquidity measures to evaluate a firmâ €™s total liquidity position. The following paper will focus on various liquidity calculations, their meaning, and their interpretation relative to 3M. 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Manzano MM 240 Six Sigma at 3M, Inc. Brief Summary of the Case: When James McNerndy was announced the Chairman and Chief Executive of 3M, Inc. his top priority is to implement Six Sigma in the company as he envision this as the solution to the lagging profit of the company. His first step is to training hundreds of his senior executives to lead the implementation and train the middle management as well. The current Director of Six Sigma Operations, Jeanne O’Connell had mentioned four

Potential Even Work On Place Of Humans †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Potential Even Work On Place Of Humans? Answer: Introduction With the vast technological innovations, there is great threat to the humans or the working individuals. Man made technology is replacing humans from several jobs and work areas as these continuous updates and innovations are of high potential that can even work on the place of humans. The biggest threat imposed is from the robotic technology and artificial intelligence (AI) as several organisations are replacing human by these robots and have started taking extensive use of the robotic technology and artificial intelligence for managing the business operations and activities (Pressreader, 2017). From the article, it has also been analyzed that even for the purpose of greeting there are robots. The article highlights that there is a significant trend that soon there will be driverless cars and there will be soon robotic availability of smart and cheap robots for managing maximum of the business function by decreasing the dependency upon the humans (Latar, 2015). The paper will presen t the analysis of the case with several ethical lenses using various ethical theories. Utilitarianism Theory The first theoretical aspect which can explain the ethicality or un-ethically of the case highlighted in the article is the Utilitarian Ethical Theory. According to this theory, the decisions and they actions of the organisations or the individuals must be in relevance with the approach of offering high level of advantages to the maximum number of masses. But the use of robotic technology and artificial intelligence has a contradictory perspective as these activities are primarily undertaken for benefitting few sections of the society. There is violation of the Utilitarian theory as there is only a limited set of people who are getting positive outcomes from the use of robots such as the involved organisations, investors, etc. (Shafer-Landau, 2012). But there are negative impacts upon the human as they are losing their significance and jobs due to artificial technologies and increasing the rate of unemployment in the society which is overall hampering the success of the masses and th e governments too (Komlos, 2016). There is also a negative impact upon the environment in terms of taking sue of high power technologies and positing harmful impact upon the sustainability of the environment. Secondly the robots and AI will take away the jobs of thousands of people which will affect them and their livelihood in the most in-depth negative sense (Veruggio, Operto and Bekey, 2013). Thus, from the overall analysis, such technological innovations are against the approach and ethical aspect of the Utilitarian ethical theory. Deontology Theory The second theoretical aspect which can explain the ethicality or un-ethically of the case highlighted in the article is the Deontological theory. According to this theory, it is obligatory that the organisations at the time of decision making must have a strict follow up of their responsibilities. It is necessary to remain ethical and concerning in respect with the other individuals and society while developing any kind of product or service so that those individuals do not have to suffer consequences as its aftermath. Thus being conscious about ones own action is must as per the deontological based ethical theory (Broad, 2014). The individuals and the organisations following the aspects of deontological theory have a probability of making more ethical decisions which are beneficial both for the societies and the individuals. In respect with the article, the use of robots and AI by several organisations is termed as unethical because of the reason that such technological innovations are hampering the livelihood of the humans as they are going jobless due to the extended use of such technologies by the organisations by replacing humans (Ford, 2015). Being aware of the negative consequences imposed upon the society and the earning source of the individuals, the organizations are taking use of the technology which is a direct violation of the ethical aspects of the deontological theory. Thus, it can be analyzed that such activities are self-centric and are unethical and threatening to the livelihood and the earning of the individuals (Rotman, 2013). Virtue Theory The third theoretical aspect which can explain the ethicality or un-ethically of the case highlighted in the article is the Virtue theory. As per this theory, it is necessary that the operational and business functions of the organisations must be reliable, true and ethical in nature. There are few character related inherent aspects of the individuals that explain the appropriate and correct behavior of the individuals making any decision (LaFollette and Persson, 2013). In the article, the use of the robotic technology and artificial intelligence is the key decisions of the higher authorities of the organisations and thus they have complete involvement in the decision making process of replacing human with robots and stealing their jobs. The key executive and administrative department has a complete knowledge of the consequences of such actions but then also instead of taking corrective actions to save the jobs of the individuals with the use of robots and AI, they are replacing huma ns and thus it is an unethical practice of the organizations which deteriorate the aspects of the virtue theory (Pannu, 2015). Thus, the use of technology is not unethical but the intention and the replacing of humans as well as taking their jobs is highly unethical which are against the ethical virtues. To have a successful implementation, it is essential that such actions must not take place and all the acts of the organisations must be ethically upright (Anderson, 2016). Contract Theory The next theoretical aspect which can explain the ethicality or un-ethically of the case highlighted in the article is the Contract theory. It is a theory which is a combined theoretical of utilitarian, deontological and virtue theory. As per this theory, there is a social-contract aspect where there are contractual agreements which are governed by the aspects of virtue i.e. good behavior and the organisations are required to work as per these agreement or contract (LaFollette and Persson, 2013). The theory offers a motivation for being moral and ethical while involving in any kind of operation or activity. In respect with the article, the decision of taking use of the robots by several organisations is termed as unethical as from such actions of the organisations there is a social contract of offering a secured and responsible living to the individuals but as these robots and AI will replace the humans thus, the social contract will be violated. And thus, from the view point and eth ical aspects of the social-contract theory also the replacing of human by robots resulting in loss of job by the individuals is against the ethical perspectives (Bostrom and Yudkowsky, 2014). Conclusion Being ethical and morally upright is the one of the essentials of any business organisation and its operations. In present scenario, it is extremely required that every business action must be ethical; if analyzed by the ethical lenses such as by comparing with the ethical theories of Utilitarianism, deontology, virtue and social contract theory. All these theories explained the aspects on which the actions or the decisions of the individuals are evaluated that whether these actions are beneficial for the maximum number of the individuals or not and what all other impacts are posing upon the society and the environment. Thus, from the paper and several discussion, it can be concluded that from the technological and organisational point of view, the use of robots and artificial intelligence is ethical but from the ethical perspective in context with the human and the societies, it is unethical and before implementing such practices, the organisations must take initiatives to save the jobs of the individuals and offer them adequate working opportunities. Thus, after such initiatives there can be attained ethicality in the business operations. References Anderson, S. L. (2016). Are we ready to replace humans with machines. Bostrom, N., Yudkowsky, E. (2014). The ethics of artificial intelligence.The Cambridge handbook of artificial intelligence, 316-334. Broad, C. D. (2014).Five types of ethical theory(Vol. 2). Routledge. Ford, M. (2015).The rise of the robots: Technology and the threat of mass unemployment. Oneworld Publications. Komlos, J. (2016). Has Creative Destruction Become More Destructive?.The BE Journal of Economic Analysis Policy,16(4). LaFollette, H., Persson, I. (Eds.). (2013).The Blackwell guide to ethical theory. John Wiley Sons. Latar, N. L. (2015). The robot journalist in the age of social physics: the end of human journalism?. InThe New World of Transitioned Media(pp. 65-80). Springer International Publishing. Pannu, A. (2015). Artificial intelligence and its application in different areas.Artificial Intelligence,4(10). Pressreader, (2017). What if robots and AI takes our jobs? Retrieved on: 13th September, 2017, Retrieved from: https://www.pressreader.com/canada/waterloo-region-record/20170422/281758449172066 Rotman, D. (2013). How technology is destroying jobs.Technology Review,16(4), 28-35. Shafer-Landau, R. (Ed.). (2012).Ethical theory: an anthology(Vol. 13). John Wiley Sons. Veruggio, G., Operto, F., Bekey, G. (2016). Roboethics: Social and ethical implications. InSpringer handbook of robotics(pp. 2135-2160). Springer International Publishing.

Credit Risk Management Lending Disasters

Question: Discuss about the Credit Risk Management for Lending Disasters. Answer: Introduction As a senior auditor in the firm of EA Partners, I would like to select Barclays Plc. in order to prepare a risk assessment report. Barclays is a banking firm that operates in the credit cards, retail, wholesale, mortgage lending, wealth management and investment banking sectors (Barclays PLC ADR. 2016). Along with this, the report would be helpful to represent the broad scope of risk in an effective way. The report would also be helpful to illustrate main financial risks faced by the firm. Moreover, the report would also be beneficial to develop control elements to mitigate the impact of risks in an effective way. Overall, this report will provide a complete assessment of risk exposure of Barclays Plc. Inherent Key Financial Risks The current business environment is very risky due to the increased volatility, unpredictability, and complexities. Moreover, business risks are increasing on the regular basis. The major inherent financial risks of Barclays are as below: Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that generates due to the failure of business debtors to fulfill their contractual obligations and to pay the credit. Barclays also faces credit risk because of its clients, customers, debtors, and market counterparties are not succeed to honor their financial obligations in a specific time period. On the other hand, it should be noted down that Barclays provide advanced credit facilities to its customers (Amiti Weinstein, 2011). On the basis of the financial data of the firm, it should be noted down that, in the financial year 2015, the firm has provided loan of 2.11 billion to its customers. This may create credit risk to the organization (Barclays PLC ADR. 2016). On the other hand, the firm is also obliged to monitor that advanced credit provided by Barclays will not be defaulted by its clients. Moreover, loans and advance credit provided by Barclays are the major source of credit risk to the business. Apart from this, debt securities, inter-bank loans, reverse repurchase loans, loan commitments and settlement balances with parties are also considered the major sources of credit risk to the company. Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk is a risk that occurs when a corporation faces trouble to sell its assets to offer capital in order to meet its short-term financial obligations in an effective and a significant way. Along with this, Barclays also faces liquidity risk because of the cash provided by the firm defaulted by its customers as well as counterparties. Moreover, it should also be noted down that, Barclays provides advanced credit to its clients and this excessive cash outflow becomes the major reason of illiquidity risk to the company (Johnstone, Gramling Rittenberg, 2015). On the basis of the financial data of the firm, it should be noted down that, in the financial year 2015, Barclays has 1.06 trillion as liabilities to pay, that may create liability risk to the organization (Barclays PLC ADR. 2016). On the other hand, asset sales as well as high costs of raising funds also make a reduction in the balance sheet of the firm that also creates liquidity risk to the organization. Apart from this, illiquid markets force the firm to hold its financial assets because of this would be beneficial for the firm in order to reduce liquidity risks in an effective and a more comprehensive manner. Foreign Exchange Risk/Market Risk: Foreign exchange risk or market risk is a type of risk that occurs due to adverse movements in foreign exchange markets or rates. Along with this, this type of risk confiscates the potential profits as well as asset value of a firm that operates in the international market. This is also an inherent risk to Barclays. It is because of interest rates, inflation rates, foreign exchange levels, commodity prices, and equity bond prices influence the business as well as operational activities of the organization (Huang, Zhou Zhu, 2009). In this way, it can be said that, the above discussed are the major inherent risks that have an impact on the overall performance, productivity, profitability, market position and market share of the organization. Control Elements/Strategies to Mitigation Risk It is true that each and every business firm has some inherent risks that are dangerous for the growth and success of the organizations. Moreover, business firms adopt and implement numerous effective strategies in order to reduce the negative impacts of these inherent risks in an effective way (Colquitt, 2007). Along with this, the major control elements or strategies that Barclays may adopt and implement to mitigate the impact of inherent risks are described as below: Credit Risk Credit default swaps and credit linked note are two major strategies that are helpful to mitigate credit risk to the company. Credit Default Swaps: This strategy permits a customer to acquire a contract and to make regular payments to the seller. The CDS strategy also works as a speculative strategy. As per this strategy, the buyer is obliged to pay to the seller (Chaumont, 2013). The buyer would also be unable to hold the payment of the seller. Credit Linked Note: This strategy is helpful to reduce credit risk exposures to the corporation. The CLN strategy also permits investors to accept higher returns if there is a situation of any risk (Pickett, 2006). Moreover, the CLN presents a hedge for borrowers in opposition to explicit risks. Liquidity Risk The major strategies that are helpful to mitigate liquidity risk are internal pricing incentives and liquidity limits. Internal Pricing Incentives: Barclays can manage its liabilities by transferring the liquidity premiums in the internal business units in a direct way (Gray Manson, 2007). Moreover, these types of transfers are helpful to make sure that liquidity risk management framework of the firm is well designed to reduce the liquidity risk of the firm in an effective way. Liquidity Limits: The firm must develop a liquidity risk management framework in order to set liquidity limits of the firms. This framework takes help of assets and liabilities to set the liquidity limits in an effective and an appropriate manner (Mistrulli, 2011). Foreign Exchange/Market Risk Barclays may adopt and implement the below given strategies to mitigate the market risk/foreign exchange risk in an effective way. Forward Rate Agreements: The FRA permits a party to forfeit a fixed interest rate and also get a floating rate that is equal to the pre-determined date of contract (Huang, Zhou Zhu, 2009). Forwards Contract: Barclays would be able to determine the value of transaction, the exercise exchange date, and payment procedure in advance. Money Market Operation: Barclays should perform all its business and operational activities as per the pre-determined rules regulations of the money market. Moreover, if Barclays will follow all the guidelines then it will be able to reduce the market risk or foreign risk in a proper way (Pritchard, 2010). Interest Rate Swaps: This is an agreement between parties to swap a set of future cash flows. Moreover, with the help of this, Barclays may make agreements with its counterparties in order to escape itself from the interest rate exposures. Conclusion The above risk assessment report of the firm has demonstrated the major areas in which Barclays have need of effective risk management. Along with this, the risk assessment report of firm has described different components of risk assessment process as well as risks exposures. For that reason, it is suggested that Barclays should develop effective risk management to mitigate the risks in an appropriate way. References Amiti, M., Weinstein, D. E. (2011). Exports and financial shocks. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 126 (4), 1841-1877. Barclays PLC ADR. (2016). Annual Financials for Barclays PLC ADR. Retrieved From: https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/bcs/financials/balance-sheet Chaumont, M. (2013). The risk-based audit approach: Auditing. Germany: GRIN Verlag. Colquitt, J. (2007). Credit Risk Management: How to Avoid Lending Disasters and Maximize Earnings. New York: McGraw-Hill. Gray, I., Manson, S. (2007). The Audit Process: Principles, Practice and Cases. Australia: Cengage Learning EMEA. Huang, X., Zhou, H., Zhu, H. (2009). A framework for assessing the systemic risk of major financial institutions. Journal of Banking Finance, 33(11), 2036-2049. Johnstone, K., Gramling, A., Rittenberg, L.E. (2015). Auditing: A Risk Based-Approach to Conducting a Quality Audit. USA: Cengage Learning. Mistrulli, P. E. (2011). Assessing financial contagion in the interbank market: Maximum entropy versus observed interbank lending patterns. Journal of Banking Finance, 35 (5), 1114-1127. Pickett, K.H.S. (2006). Audit Planning: A Risk-Based Approach. USA: John Wiley Sons. Pritchard, C. L. (2010). Risk Management: Concepts and Guidance 4th edition. Australia: Taylor Francis.