Sufism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Sufism - Essay Example Sufism shows the influence of other major religions such as Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism (Isfahan Web site). While the underlying precept of Sufism is renunciation of the worldly life and a repudiation of conflict and strife, history shows that Sufism often transcended its’ spiritual mandate to function as a political or even a military power. The emphasis of Sufism is on Unity with God: Tawhid, through an allegorical interpretation of the Qur’an. The orthodox conformity to the religious laws of the Shari’ah is but an external guide to repudiate the worldly life. The crucial step is the achievement of an inner, personal experience of the Divine, in which the self becomes one with God. This can be achieved by tariqa, or mediation, and dhikr, or remembrance of God. Sufism encourages self-denial and ascetism and centers round the love of God: mahabbah, through the subjugation of the ego, or nafs (Univ. of Calgary Web site). Sufism includes many orders or mystical brotherhoods: Tariqas, organized on a structure developed by Al-Ghazali (1058-1111), who is credited with bringing Sufism firmly within the ambit of orthodox Islam theology, making it a more popular, inclusive movement. Each order is headed by a spiritual leader, or Shaykh, and follows a distinctive path. The disciples, faqirs or mudirs, live communally. Their mystical practices include chanting of divine phrases, breath control, communal chanting and ecstatic dancing (the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey). The main Sufi brotherhoods are the Qadiriya, Chistiya, Shadhilya, Naqshbandiya, Ni’matallahiya and Meleviye, although many others, each with its’ own emphasis regarding practice and observances, are found in various parts of the world (Godlas, Sufism). In what may be viewed as a contradiction in terms, Sufism has been associated with movements of political and historical significance over the ages. The Safavid Empire in Persia, one

Use of IT in supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Use of IT in supply chain management - Essay Example Planning for the overtime labor was also irregular, since the organization did not have an effective information gathering system that would predict the demand and the supply changes effectively. The initial spreadsheet system that was paper-based had proven to be ineffective in supplying such information. The problems that Sunsweet Growers encounter due to these constraints included the fact that its operational costs were high, since the company had to hire overtime labor on irregular basis so as to meet the demand processing needs. Secondly, following the initial use of a paper-based spreadsheet system by the organization as its information source, the organization relied on outdated data since this system could not process information in good time. The use of the paper-based spread sheet system also limited the collaboration between different departments of the organizations, while the time spent to process simple information such as demand or supply forecast would take too much time. The adoption of the S&OP software helped the organization to manage its supply chain better, through making it possible for different departments of the organization to come to the monthly meeting with collaborative information, which made it easier to identify the relevant areas of problem for departments and enhanced efficient projections for the future demand and supply changes. This made it possible for the different departments to cooperate and streamline their goals, so that they reflected the overall organizational objective. The software also helped the organization to produce demand plans routinely, which in turn ensured that the organization was now able to balance its demand forecasts with operational plans. Therefore, the cost of overtime labor was markedly reduced, while the time taken to generate important market forecast and supply projection information also declined. The inventory management of the organization also benefited through the