Islam in indonesia - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 11 Words: 3405 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Islam in Indonesia Modern Indonesia is known for having the largest Muslim population by percentage of any country in the world.   Coming to Indonesia in the 13th century A.D., Islam has continued to spread, and approximately 90 % of the current population considers itself to be Muslim.Nevertheless, many forms of Islam practiced there combine animist, Hindu, and Buddhist elements from the countrys rich and varied religious past, creating an Islamic faith that looks different from that of the Orthodox Islam of the Middle East.   With over 17,000 islands spanning 3,000 miles along the equator, Indonesias Islamic variations differ significantly not only from other countries but also from one part of its own land to another. Still, while Islam dominates the political and social structure of Indonesia, the country still maintains its other religious roots; as one critic notes, Indonesias civilization is like a marbled layer cake.. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Islam in indonesia" essay for you Create order Convergence of Religions Before the introduction of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam into the country, early Indonesians were prominently animists who practiced ancestor and spirit worship. This form of religion, generally described as superstitious and ritualistic, believes that plants and animals, all living things, have a soul.   For instance, many Indonesians consider the waringin tree as sacred and a symbol of the vital essence. Thus they often bury animal sacrifices at the roots of the tree and no one is permitted to cut down the tree or its branches, otherwise severe punishment or even death ensues.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   As another example of animism, many Indonesians still believe hair to have a magic quality called mana.   Young men, therefore, are encouraged to send girls a lock of their hair in order to seduce them. Furthermore, the Indonesians hold many rituals regarding life and death; some very important for appeasing the dead souls or assisting them through the underworld.   Alth ough this dedication to the god and spirit of nature changed somewhat with the arrival of other religions, the natives usually just incorporated elements of their animist culture and superstitions into the new religions. In 1,500 A.D., the Hindu and Buddhist faiths came to Indonesia and meshed with the primitive animism of the country. The Indonesians accepted and accommodated these new beliefs by mixing them with each other, as well as with their own culture.   In fact, in many parts of Indonesia, the natives combined all three religions to create something of a new Hindu-Buddhist animism.   A great relic from the ninth century called the Borobudur temple on the island of Java evidences this unique blending of faiths.   As the largest Buddhist monument in the world, this great structure holds almost fourhundred images of Buddha, while simultaneously displaying many Hindu, Hindu-Buddhist, and animist sculptures.   With its conglomeration of different deities in one temple, Borobudur manifests the Indonesians unique combination of separate religions. As one example of a specifically Hindu-Buddhist convergence, Shiva, a Hindu god, was transformed into something of a Buddha i mage, while still keeping the Hindu name of Shiva.   As seen later, the Shiva god eventually adopts the Islam faith as well. The Shiva-Buddhist cult poignantly reflects the Indonesian mindset toward the variety of religions offered.   Despite these convergences, some places, such as the island of Bali, became solely Hindu and remain so to this day.Following the fusion of Hindu, Buddhist, and native religions, Islam appeared and lay yet another brick on the religious structure, which was held together by a mortar of deep cultural roots. Introduction of Islam Traveling to Indonesia by way of the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, Muslim traders and mystical literary figures first brought Islam to the country in the thirteenth century. Coming from India, this was the mainstream Sunni variant, which was initially founded in Arabia. Scholars speculate that the mystical Sufi tradition influenced this Islam, which could have been easily fused with the native Indonesian culture.   Sufi holy men are described as devout Muslim mystics renowned for the beauty of their music, poetryand their internal spiritual focus, rather than for seeking to impose their religion on their surroundings or onto politics.   As one scholar notes, although no evidence of Sufi communities from early centuries in Indonesia exists, Indonesians would have been more likely to accept the more mystical form of Islam than the strict, law-bound versions. One similarity between the Sufi and Indonesian cultures was the idea of having a teacher who formed around him a sm all group of disciples to pass on higher wisdom.   Also, the Indonesian and the Muslim both seemed to focus more on the correct ways in which to communicate to god instead rather than on the nature of god.   Furthermore, Indonesian tantric mantras were means of meditation similar to that of the Muslims, as the Muslims often recited the Koran or other Arabic texts. This form of Islam, therefore, could be easily incorporated into the native culture.   Because of the traders traveling routes, Islam spread most rapidly in the northern parts of Sumatra, Java, and the eastern archipelago.   Evidence of this beginning Islamization comes from Marco Polo.   In 1292 he landed in Sumatra where he found an Islamic town named Perlak.   Although Perlak was already Islamic with a Sunni monarch, Islam was not found within its surrounding towns.   One of the larger cities, Melaka, was a major impetus for the spread of Islam.   This rich port city controlled the Strait of Malacca and much of the archipelagos trade throughout the fifteenth century.   Iskandar Syah, a prince converted to Islam, founded Melaka, and through his rule, his successors, and the trading fleet he extended the religion to various parts of the archipelago.   Islam not only offered a simple message of personal faith and hope, but it could also give one favor and therefore success in trade or nobility; thus Indonesians had a dou ble incentive for conversion.   Still some regions were resistant to Islam, such as Bali and parts of Java that kept a more strictly Hindu culture. Islamic Expansion Islam branched out further in the sixteenth century, when Muslims began establishing Islamic kingdoms.   The Aceh kingdom, formed on the western part of Sumatra, was a region of major Islamic allegiance in the early sixteenth century and today is a part of Sumatra where Islamic character of population is most pronounced.   Also in the early 1500s the Portuguese came to Indonesia; although they intentionally brought Catholicism with them to Christianize the islands, their efforts inadvertently aided Islamization.By closing off the central ports to Indian Muslims, they pushed the Muslims with their Islam faith to smaller ports across the islands.   Islam, then, was taken to some of the more remote pockets of the widespread country. Nevertheless, Java still did not easily accept the faith. There, Majapahit was the last and greatest of the Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms that predominantly controlled the archipelago and surrounding regions in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The Islamic port towns conflicted with Majapahit power, however, and under the challenge of Islamization Hindu Javanese leaders fled to the small island of Bali to keep their faith alive.   Bali, as an exception in Indonesia, remains untouched by Islam to this day.   Those inland on Java eventually accepted Islam but only as a formal legal and religious context for Javanese spiritual culture.   In Java, Islam was allowed to exist only on Javanese cultural terms.    That is, only as in a form mixed with previously held religious beliefs.   Although most early conversions were peaceful, one scholar says that converted Islamic states sometimes waged war against traditional Hindu-Buddhist regions.   The same scholar also recognizes that because of inadequate historical records and evidence, the process of Islamization in Indonesia is somewhat unclear.Although some believe Hindu princes converted to Islam because of their desire for power, commerce, and riches, the legend of Sunan Kalidjaga offers a different perspective on the eventual conversion of inland Java. Kalidjaga was a prince in Java who grew up in the traditional Hindu-Buddhist culture of the Majapahit kingdom.   In a conversion experience similar to that of the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, Kalidjaga had a vision of a Muslim religious leader who instructed him to spread the doctrine of Islam.   Consequently, the prince converted to Islam and began peacefully sharing the faith throughout Java.   He was thus able to bridge the two religions; for the Javanese, his life is the meaningful link between a world of god-kings, ritual priests, and declamatory shrines and one of pious sultans, Koranic scholars, and austere mosques.   Kalidjaga is considered, therefore, to be one of the wali sanga, or nine apostles, who helped bring peaceful conversions to Islam in Java. Because of the differences between Indonesian culture and the Islam of Mecca, however, conversion usually meant an acceptance of Islam wherein the faith would be combined with traditional and indigenous beliefs. Versions of Islam Most Indonesians, when converting to Islam, synchronized the new religion with their personal mixture of one or more of Hindu, Buddhist, or, animist religions, while a minority switched completely to Orthodox Islam.   Therefore, like the many diverse cultures of the islands, Islam began to take on different shapes across the country.   The two distinct versions of Islam, Orthodox and the blended , were in tension with one another.   A believer in Indonesia who became exclusively Muslim and adhered strictly to Mecca-oriented Islam and the laws of the Koran is called santri.   Santri can also signify a person who removes himself from the secular surroundings to devote himself to Islamic schools called pesantren, which translates literally as the place of the santri.   The second form of Islam commonly identified is called kebatinin.   This version is a mixture of Hindu-Buddhist beliefs, animism and Islam practices.   Kebatinin is also c alled kejawen, agama Jawa, Javanism, or abangan.One case of this blend of religions was described earlier in the Hindu god Shiva who adopted Buddhist characteristics.   As Islam spread through the culture, the Javanese claimed Shiva went to Mecca and also embraced Islam, thus creating a god of three faiths combined. Because Hinduism never completely reached the eastern islands, a more pure, orthodox form of Islam formed in the east, while the western part of Indonesia tended to more often combine Islam with its Hinduism or other ancient belief systems. Political History By the end of the sixteenth century both the Dutch and British had gained interest in the Spice Islands (Indonesia) and its wealth of trade.   The Dutch East India Company was formed in 1602, which attempted to take over all trade control with Indonesia from other European countries, thus creating a commercial monopoly.   This monopoly served to shape the foundation of the Dutch territorial empire.   Historians mark this time, which is disputed to be either 1511 or 1600, as the commencement of European control and influence that would last up to the twentieth century.   The time between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries has been generalized as an age of commerce both for Indonesians and foreign traders.   The Dutch East India Companys involvement did not remain limited to trade, however, but instead it became a political force among the islands.   Although opposed by certain Islamic leaders in Java, such as Sultan Agung and his successo r Amangkurat II, the Dutch eventually dominated all of Java and then spread its empire into Sumatra and other surrounding areas.With this Dutch influence extending into Indonesia, the face of Islam underwent various changes.   For instance, the native trading peoples were forced further inland.   Holding a strong Islam faith, they brought their beliefs with them and began to rely more and more on the pilgrimage to Mecca as their connection with the larger Muslim world.   Consequently, they formed and spread an Islam somewhat orthodox but still mixed with the deep traditions of Java culture. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Dutch decided to try to make its governed lands at least self-sufficient, but they met some unexpected challenges.   In 1825 the Java War began, due in part to protest of Dutch rule on the island.   The war was supported by many Muslim leaders in Indonesia who also recognized the Korans promise of a coming Madhi, a messiah or Just Ruler that would bring peace and harmony to the territory.   In the years of 1826-30, a man who was overthrown from Javanese rule by the Dutch claimed himself to be the Madhi of Islam and he began a jihad, or Holy War, against the government. During the Java War, another battle began in Sumatra called the Padri-War.   This conflict began between the traditional leaders of the community, called the adat, and the revivalist Muslim leaders; some of the orthodox revivalists killed a royal family of the more Indocized Islam.   As a result of the battle, Dutch authorities called for a military inva sion, which served to strengthen Dutch administration in the area. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Dutch were able to make the islands into a unified colonial dependency, which formed the basis for the future republic of Indonesia. By this time, western thought began to pervade Islamic circles, forming a modernist strain of Islam.   Furthermore, Indonesian nationalism began to develop, and with it, an organization called the Islamic Association or Sakerat Islam, the largest nationalist party of the time.   After World War I, many more of these types of associations were formed, most of which were aimed toward nationalism.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Inner conflicts between the conservative and communist leaders in 1921 caused the decline of Sakerat Islam, and a new nationalist movement rose to prominence: the Indonesian Nationalist Party, formed under the leadership of Sukarno, the rising president of Indonesia.   As a result of World War II, Indonesia fell from the clasp of Dutch rule and into the hands of Japan.   The J apanese allowed the rise of both Muslim and nationalist leaders, including Sukarno, who began establishing himself as the leader of the nation.   After an Indonesian revolution, Japan gave Indonesia its independence in the year of 1945. Role of Islam in Politics After gaining independence, the Indonesians needed to decide on the role of Islam in the nations government.   After heated disputes, the leaders agreed to keep religious freedom and to create a civic code instead of an Islamic one.At the same time, one current of Kebatinin, the more indigenous-type of Islam, became legitimized by the government.   Sukarno then became the first Indonesian president of the Republic.   Because he disliked the divisions among Muslims and other religions (specifically Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian) of the nation he propagated a somewhat disguised, authoritarian form of government called the Guided Democracy.   His successor, Suharto, introduced a similar type of rule named The New Order.   Some scholars say both of these rulers showed their Javanese religious-cultural bias against Islamand made sure that Islams political influence was limited by various forces, including the military.   Both Sukarno and Suharto, therefore, restricted political freedom throughout the nation.   In response to the bias against Islam, Islamic and nationalist organizations united to create parties against Suhartos government.   The red-green alliance, in existence today as the Wahid-Megawati administration, was one political coalition of the nationalist- Islam that helped to defeat the dictatorship of Suharto.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Suharto, upon realizing the threat to his rule, turned to a militant form of Islam.   This led to much violence across the nation, and religious groups who had formerly lived in peace, such as Muslims and Christians, began to fight against one another.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   This more militant, violent form of Islam instigated by Suharto became a lasting part of Indonesias various branches of Islam. Branches of Islam Today The two most influential Muslim organizations of Indonesia society today are the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), made up of the traditionalists, and the Muhammadiyah, or, the modernists.   The traditionalists tend to be organized around Muslim boarding schools (the pesantren) while they preserve traditional Islamic education.In fact, the name of the organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, literally translates as renaissance of Islamic scholars, and the thirty-five million involved with this Islamic orientation follow charismatic religious scholars. The Muhammidiyah, on the other hand, embrace modern thought and culture while keeping to orthodox Islamic theology.   Founded in 1912, this modernist organization was aimed to create social institutions, such as orphanages and hospitals, in order to compensate the Protestant and Catholic efforts.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   With about twenty-five million followers, it has less participation than the NU Modern Muslim Culture According to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 210 million inhabitants of Indonesia today consider themselves Muslim.   Many of these believers, however, practice Islam in profoundly different ways.   The Unreached Peoples Prayer Profiles provides information on various modern Muslim groups in Indonesia.   The profiles show an incredibly diversified Islam with many lasting effects of animism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.   For instance, ninety-nine percent of the 800,000 Komering who live in Sumatra today claim Islamic faith, yet they mix their beliefs strongly with animism and superstitions.   In order to keep evil spirits away, for example, many Komering wear good luck charms that contain verses of the Koran.   Also, some believe that whistling indoors at night entertains demons, or that walking around on your birthday will bring bad luck. Thus, although Islam remains prevalent and maintains a strong influence on the culture, the Komering still incorporate old religious beliefs. The Sekayu is another tribe of mixed religion.   Found spread throughout southern Sumatra, they consider themselves devout Muslims.   Indeed, they pray five times a day toward Mecca and reject common sacrificial rituals, believing only Allah gives true redemption.   Nevertheless, they still maintain some of their ancient animistic beliefs.   For example, many Sekayu visit a soothsayer, or dukun, in order to contact the dead spirits or have their fortune told.   They claim, however, that they do not pray to the dead spirits, as others do, but instead they pray to Allah for the benefit of their ancestors.The Sekayu, therefore, practice dedication to Allah while still sustaining animistic beliefs.   The Alas-Kluet Batak people of the Aceh province in northern Sumatra, on the other hand, have very little concern for or devotion to Orthodox Islam even though they have been considered Muslims since the 1600s.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   This tribe directs their religious practices toward what they consider good and bad ghosts who must be appeased through cult rituals and exorcist healings.   For instance, at a childs birth, the parents shave the childs head, leaving only a small lock of hair.   If the child then becomes ill, they cut the remaining lock of hair believing that bad luck will also be removed.   The people of Alas-Kluet Batak, then, remain Muslim only in name, not in practice. The Bajau, as another example, are mostly Sunni Muslims who live mainly in the coastal districts and islands of Sulawesi.   These Sea Gypsies consist mostly of nomadic boat dwellers who often lack mosques for worship. Consequently, they rely on different communities on shore to visit a mosque.   Islamic religious status is very important to the Bajau.   For instance, they show special honor to descendants of Mohammed, or salip, and variations of Islamic practices are associated with the relative status of different groups.Although the Bajau uphold Islamic religious piety and learning for individual prestige, they continue to practice traditional forms of spirit worship.   At least once a year, they hold a public sÃÆ' ©ance and nightly trance dancingwhile the spirit mediums assemble to contact the spirits.   The Bajau call on the spirit mediums particularly in times of illness to remove evil spirits from the community.   They accomplish thi s by putting a spirit boat adrift in the ocean.This people group, therefore, does not hold to a pure worship of Allah, but instead also looks to other supernatural powers. A Country of Mixed Islam Since the 13th century, Islam has filtered into the corners and remote pockets of Indonesian civilization.   Coming into a religiously mixed world of animism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, Islam began taking on forms different than that of Middle Eastern orthodoxy.   The majority of Indonesian Muslims today shape the Islamic religion to fit their traditional superstitions and other religious beliefs, while the minority strives for orthodoxy.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   These various forms of Islam combine to dominate both the cultural and political aspects of the nation and give Indonesia the largest Muslim population of the world.   Yet in reality, rather than being unified under a pure Islam, this population truly is a marble layered cake of mixed religious belief.

Racial Bias in the United States due to Mass Media Essay

The United States of America has been called a â€Å"mixing pot† since the birth of the nation. Everyone, especially politicians and educators, will proudly declare that the U.S. is a land of unmatched diversity. The U.S. seems to always be portrayed as a highly cultural territory, harboring a vast population of many races. Admittedly, the United States has come a long in terms of eliminating racial barriers and pursuing equality. All around the world, America is seen as a country of colors, yet mass media does not recognize that fact. Racial bias is a prevalent trend in today’s media, and white people are favored in comparison to any other race. Seemingly every aspect of mass media is soaked in bias. Oftentimes, this leaves out minorities†¦show more content†¦Merriam-Webster fully defines racism as â€Å"a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race †. In his article, Balkaran points out that racial discourse can be inferred to be aversive, academic, scientific, legalistic, bureaucratic, economic, cultural, linguistic, religion, mythical, or ideological. He states that racial discourse and expressions have been prevalent towards African-Americans. â€Å"Race matters exist in different places and at different times under widely varying conditions,† he writes. This pushes into the understanding of racism in the history of the United States. Society has been significantly revolutionized since the beginnings of the United States. The very history of the country has been cursed with racism and the harsh oppression of minorities. In fact, America’s power and economy were founded on a Marxist theory of a two-class system. On the top of that system were the slave owners, and at the very bottom were the slaves themselves (Balkaran, 1999). Slavery and segregation used to be huge components in the lives of Americans. During those times, â€Å"Americans† were white, landowning men; obviously that principle has been altered a great deal. People of color, women, and the poor actually have been given suffrage by amendments in the Constitution. Although the United States’ culture and societyShow MoreRelatedThe Biases Of The Unconscious Mind1681 Words   |  7 Pagesthe difficulty of understanding the unconscious motivations of students was the major bias in this study, which reflects multiple motivations as a contradiction to the narrow focus on academic performance. Certainly, this shows a bias on the part of the clinical study on the part of the clinicians’ aka. Weyandt et al (2016) to adequately understand the motives for drug usage in this peered groups. This shows a bias of a priori presumptions in the study that were projected onto the clinical study asRead MoreMinority Attitudes Towards the Police and Public Perceptions Essay1179 Words   |  5 Pagesexperience and mass media. 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Goals Problem Solving and Population Reference Bureau Free Essays

Abstract â€Å"To prepare for solving a problem, we must first acknowledge that the problem exists. Then, we must accept it, and clearly define or identify it. Finally, we must commit to solving the problem. We will write a custom essay sample on Goals: Problem Solving and Population Reference Bureau or any similar topic only for you Order Now Without some degree of personal commitment, the problems that we acknowledge, accept, and identify might never be resolved. 1. using a current local or international newspaper, identify an important local, national, or international concern that needs to be solved. Use the Library and Information Resources Network (LIRN) link by clicking here to locate two or more credible articles that provide background information and an analysis of the problem. You can also access LIRN in your online course by clicking on Course Home tab, then the Online Resources link. Contact your Campus for your LIRN password. 3. Using the articles you found as a resource, explain the concern using the five â€Å"Problem Solving Methods† found on page 104 of your textbook. Use Microsoft Word to respond to your problem. Your response should consist of 1-2 pages. Cite your articles using APA guidelines. Visit the APA Guide for assistance with APA formatting. † Week Two Individual Work (1) Introduction Using the articles I found as a resource, I am going to explain the concern using the five â€Å"Problem Solving Methods†. This is a big issue and I think we should all be actively trying to solve this issue. Environmental Problems I am going to be discussing environmental problems. I will use the problem solving methods as they are outlined in our text. â€Å"Problem- Solving Method (Advanced) Step 1: What is the problem? a. What do I know about the situation? b. What results am I aiming for in this situation? c. How can I define the problem? Step 2: What are the alternatives? a. What are the boundaries of the problem situation? b. What alternatives are possible within these boundaries? Step 3: What are the advantages and/ or disadvantages of each alternative? a. What are the advantages of each alternative? b. What are the disadvantages of each alternative? c. What additional information do I need to evaluate each alternative? Step 4: What is the solution? a. Which alternative(s) will I pursue? b. What steps can I take to act on the alternative(s) chosen? Step 5: How well is the solution working? a. What is my evaluation? b. What adjustments are necessary? †(Chafee) The problem is environmental problems, such as we have been polluting our planet’s air, water, and land; depleting its resources; and accumulating a lot of waste for which we need to find places to store. I know this situation needs to be suppressed on some level; because if we continue at this rate, then our environment will not be fit to live in. We have 6. 8 billion people on Earth today (Population Reference Bureau, 2009) and all of these people need food, water, clothing, and shelter. In addition to these minimal needs to survive, millions of people in developed nations have cars, large homes, air conditioning, heated houses, washers, dryers, heated water for bathing, refrigerators, stoves, and so on. Hence, having nearly 7 billion people on Earth, compared to 5.2 billion people just 20 years ago (Population Reference Bureau, 1990), and having many people with a high standard of living, means that we humans will pollute a lot, deplete a lot, and build up huge amounts of waste that need to be stored. A second major reason why we have a big problem of polluting, depleting, and storing of waste is that during the past 200 years, we have gone from an agricultural way of life to an industrial way of life. Instead of â€Å"living off the land,† â€Å"growing grain to eat, and tending to farm animals, we built  factories and machines and created a new status called the factory worker to produce all kinds of products to consume—as a stroll through a typical shopping mall will show. To create these products, we have used a lot of resources and polluted the air and rivers. One of the most dangerous consequences of our polluting the environment is that we add huge amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as the result of burning fossil fuels, such as oil and gas, by industries and automobiles.† The result is the warming of our planet and the possible change of Earth’s climate, which could wreak havoc for the growing seasons. What can we do about this? More and more people are coming to the realization that we must consider the long term, what is good for the global community, and what is good for future generations if we want to survive as a species. This will require us to think, plan, sacrifice, and change our ways of living. Many people in our country, and throughout the world, do not realize the seriousness of our environmental problem. Hence, part of the solution is to make Americans more aware of the problem and to educate them about the problem. We must find ways to give these Americans incentives so that they want to address the environmental problem or at least accept the notion that we must address this problem, regardless of their vested interests. The environmental problem will not go away by denying its existence or by denying that it is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. The oceans and the air are common property that we all share. If air and water pollution stayed only in the country that produced it, the nation producing this pollution could take the initiative and responsibility to clean up the pollution it produced. But air and water pollution does not stop at state boundaries; rather it spreads throughout the world. We as citizens of this world, not just citizens of a nation, will need to work together to clean up our oceans and air. Probably, we will eventually need to agree on some worldwide goals for the planet. We have been moving in this direction by attempting to decrease carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbon emissions. We will probably need to make saving our environment one of the main goals of our world community. Within this goal, we will need to agree on more specific goals such as decreasing carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and chlorofluorocarbons; increasing the amount of rainforest; finding new, better, and safer ways of storing hazardous waste; and producing more energy without polluting more, depleting more, and creating more waste. Conclusion This is an issue we must all face together. We must realize that there is a problem and work on long term goals to correct this problem. Eventually, we may be able to turn this around. However, we must think long term, not only think about the here and now. Probably, a key factor, if not the key factor, in solving our environmental problem is time. Can we, as a world community, act soon enough to head off environmental trends that could be difficult, if not impossible, to reverse—for example, rising carbon dioxide emissions leading to rising temperatures, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and changing cli- mate patterns throughout the world? We must face this with a sense of urgency. How to cite Goals: Problem Solving and Population Reference Bureau, Papers

Global Market Strategic Decision-Making Process

Question: Describe about the Global market by concentrating towards the strategic decision-making process? Answer: Introduction Importance and Scope of this Assignment To be a professional manager, it is essential to concentrate towards designing, operations and improvement related aspects for a company, which may ensure the clarity of the management operations. At the same time, appropriate operation management may also enhance the business competencies for a company within the competitive business environment. On the other hand, the strategic decision is also one of the most crucial constituents, which usually assist a company to make better decisions for future. In this context, Tomar and Reeves (2009) argued that outsourcing is one of the most essential aspects which usually assist an organisation to enhance its business performance. The term outsourcing signifies a specific process through which global organisations may transfer their goods and/ or services to the external country/ party for providing administrative services for that specific goods and/ services (Troaca and Bodislav, 2012). Overview of the Company British Petroleum (BP) is one of the renowned oil and gas manufacturing companies amid the globe. The company was established in the year 1908 and it has renamed as a BP plc in the year 2001. Over the years, the company has provided its estimated services in the global oil and gas industry. In this context, more specifically it can be claimed that BP has emphasised towards exploration as well as production, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum, with an aim of enhancing the market share amid the operating market. At the same time, during the production of renewable energy the company also has remained conscious regarding the environment with an intention of ensuring its command among the competitive marketplace. According to the annual report of BP plc (2015), the company has enlisted its name in the London Stock Exchange' market as a constituent of FTSE 100 Index'. Currently, more than 162,000 people are engaged in the operation of Royal Mail. According to the recent fin ancial report, it is witnessed that the company has gained $3.8bn revenue during the financial year 2013-14. Moreover, the company has traded 1.7 million barrels refined oil/ day in the financial year 2013-14. Additionally, it can be also mentioned that approximately more than 85,000 people usually employed under the BP in around the globe. Over the years, for ensuring and enhancing the business performance the company has established varied strategic alliances with the other foreign companies. Additionally the company also has concentrated and investigated on certain aspects such as costs, pricing power and logistic as well as supply chain management for ensuring its future growth and profitability prospects (BP plc, 2015). Objectives of the Assignment In this particular assignment, the aim is to identify the factors that may influence the decision of the company in case of outsourcing and kept in-house. In this context, the study will aim to identify the five performance objectives of the BP. Simultaneously, the study will evaluate the risk involvement i.e. strategic decision making on the basis of evidence. Review of Literature Strategic Analysis The strategy is one of the most crucial constituents for a company. The concept of strategy has been introduced in the business in the year 1960s, with an aim of enhancing the business performance and it has been also emerged in the business context as an intention of ensuring the long-term sustainability for an organisation. On the other hand, principles of operations management are considered as one of essential aspects for a company, which may influence internal and external aspects of a company. At the same time, it also may influence a company to meet the needs and expectations of the stakeholders. Thus, it can be stated that operations management is an integral part of an organisation's strategy, which may assist a company to make better decisions for future (Tomar and Reeves, 2009). Corporate Level Strategy The corporate level strategy is recognised as the chief level of strategy, which is usually used by the company with an aim of ensuring the long-term direction in the business context. More specifically, it can be also stated that through emphasising towards corporate level strategy an organisation may ensure the utmost utilisation of its resources in the operating marketplace. Moreover, the corporate level strategy is also used when a company comprises more than one business. In this regard, more specifically it can be stated that BP has more than one business unit such as bio fuel, crude, Air BP, franchising, gas trading and industrial lubricants. Thus, through using corporate level strategy BP may ensure a positive relationship between varied domestic as well as an international corporate centre and business unit. At the same time, through incorporating corporate level strategy, BP may also ensure the mission and vision of the organisation (Pearlstein, 2010). Business Level Strategy Similarly, the business level strategy is also considered as one of the essential aspects, which usually assists a company to reduce its internal as well as external challenges. At the same time, through incorporating business level strategy an organisation also may enhance its business efficiency as well competencies within the operating market place. In this context, more specifically it can be stated that BP has a variety range of products and/ or services within its operating marketplace. Thus, the organisation may reduce its internal as well as external challenges through incorporating business level strategies. At the same time, appropriate utilisation of business level strategy may also ensure long-term sustainability for the organisation (Borowik, 2010). Functional Level Strategy Consequently, functional level strategy is also considered as one of the most essential aspects of a company, through which it is possible to ensure the operations of a company in a significant manner such as marketing, finance and production among others. At the same time, it can be stated that through concentrating on functional strategy, a company may meet its predetermined strategic objectives. In this context, more specifically it can be claimed that BP has emphasised towards its functional level strategy with an aim of ensuring its operational efficiency, which may assist the company to extend its business performance in an extensive manner (Chevalier, 2010). Operations and Strategy According to the report of ACCA (2015), operations and strategy are essential aspects for a company through which a company may ensure its survival in a competitive marketplace for a long-term period. At the same time, it also may ensure growth for the company. In this context, more specifically it can be mentioned that operations and strategy are the most crucial constituents, which is usually helping a company to make better decisions to improve the business performance. Apart from this, through emphasising towards operations and strategy, a company may utilise its resources and may produce a significant outcome. In this context, more specifically it can be stated that five operations performance objectives usually help a company to secure its position in the operating marketplace (Hauglie, 2010). Those five operations performance objectives are discussed below: Cost In order to analyse the operations performance objectives, it can be stated that cost is one of essential aspects, which is usually helping a company to ensure its current position as well as future prospects in an effective manner. Thus, most of the global companies usually emphasise towards manufacturing cost of its products as well as services for enhancing the ability of the company in the operating marketplace. In this context, more specifically it can be argued that BP has highly emphasised towards its manufacturing/ production cost for enhancing its business competencies in the operating marketplace. At the same time, through reducing the cost involvement during the oil and gas manufacturing the company has also enhanced its competitive advantages within the operating market (Kim and Hahn, 2010). Quality Simultaneously, quality is also considered as one of the most crucial aspects for a company that is also helping a company to attract the attention of the consumers. At the same time, it can be stated that through emphasising towards quality related aspects a company also may enhance its market share within the operating marketplace. Moreover, better quality products may enhance brand recognition for a company. In this regard, more specifically it can be stated that during the manufacturing of crude oil and petroleum, BP has highly emphasised towards the specification of the products. At the same time, BP has highly concentrated towards its quality related aspects with an aim of developing error-free products. Thus, it can be stated that quality assurance related decisions help a company to gain better competitive advantage in the operating marketplace (Langdon, 2010). Speed For ensuring the growth of a company, it is highly essential for an organisation to concentrate towards the operation process, which may enhance operational efficiency for the company. At the same time, it may also enhance customer demands towards the product, which will ensure the long-term success for the company. In this regard, more specifically it can be stated that BP always has provided its highest attention towards the speed of the business process along with its operations, for making better strategic decisions. At the same time, quick response of the company may reduce challenges for the organisation by enhancing customer demands and it also has led the company towards better success in future (Liu and Mance, 2009). Dependability Dependability is also considered as one of essential aspects for a company, which usually helps an organisation to fulfil the needs and expectations of the customers. In this context, more specifically it can be stated that through emphasising towards dependability organisations also may enhance the ability to deliver products as well as services amid the customers. In this context, it can be mentioned that BP has enhanced its dependability on the customers by extending its overall range of product and services. At the same time, for ensuring the dependability amid the consumers, BP has always concentrated on its strategic decision-making approaches, which has influenced the dependability of the organisation in an extensive manner (Marques, 2008). Flexibility Additionally, it can be mentioned that flexibility is also considered as one of the essential aspects in the case of making business decisions. In this context, more specifically it can be stated that through emphasising towards the flexibility a company may enhance the quality of its operations. Moreover, the terms flexibility denotes changing the ability of a company. In this regard, more specifically it can be stated that flexibility denotes the ability of a company to change its production, procedure, services and decisions of a company. In this context, more accurately, it can be argued that BP has always emphasised towards its flexibility related aspects with an intention of extending its business performance in around the globe. At the same time, for enhancing competitive advantages, BP also has concentrated towards its business flexibility (Pearlstein, 2010). Thus, to analyse the operations performance objectives, it can be evidently stated that BP may enhance its competitive advantages within the operating marketplace by considering above stated aspects. However, through considering these factors BP may also identify appropriate strategic decisions for its outsourced as well as kept in-house products, which may ensure customer requirements and also may ensure business excellence around the globe (Phillips and Phillips, 2010). Simultaneously, based on the report of Langdon (2010), it is identified that outsourcing is one of the most essential constituents for a business organisation, which is usually assist an organisation to maximize its business performance by increasing overall outcome of the business process. In this context, more specifically it can be argued that an organisation may witness better competitive advantages among its operating marketplace due to incorporation of outsourcing mechanism. In relation to this, it can be mentioned that outsourcing may benefit an organisation to accrue maximum workforce and it may also enhance operational efficiency for the specific business process, which may influence changes in the business performance in appositive manner. Thus, it can be asserted that outsourcing may benefit an organisation to enhance its efficiency. On the other hand, outsourcing procedure may influence the cost involvement for an organisation, which may influence changes on a business pr ocess in a diversified manner (Troaca and Bodislav, 2012). Consequently, it can be stated that involvement of kept in-house service may assist an organisation to ensure the supervision and monitoring on the business process in an effective manner. At the same time, it may also reduce cost involvement for the organisation, which is usually assisting an organisation to maintain its competitive position in the operating marketplace. On the contrary, kept in-house service may reduce the business efficiency for an organisation due to high involvement of unskilled and lack of knowledgeable workforce within the macroeconomic level. Thus, an organisation should need to incorporate outsourcing and kept in-house service related decisions by considering certain factors of the business process more carefully (Troaca and Bodislav, 2012). Analysis of Outsourced and Kept in-house Services of BP In order to highlight the outsourced and kept in-house services it can be stated that BP should outsourced its marine fuel, motor oil and lubricants in the abroad market, whereas the company may keep in-house its petrochemicals and bio fuels in the domestic market for ensuring the growth and long-term sustainability of the company for a long-term period (Tomar and Reeves, 2009). In this regard, rationally it can be stated that BP has to understand that Marin fuel and motor oil as well as lubricants demand is very high in the global market. At the same time, technological involvement is very moderate for both these above mentioned commodities. Thus, it can be evidently mentioned that outsource of those commodity may enhance the efficiency for the organisation. On the contrary, it can be mentioned that in case of petrochemical and bio fuel management, the organisation need to highly emphasise towards the project development, service management and human resources related aspects more carefully as both petrochemical and bio fuel is recognised as most essential and expensive commodity among the oil and gas industry. Thus, in can be evidently argued that BP should emphasise/ consider towards its kept in-house services related phenomenon for identifying appropriate managerial decisions, which may enhance or influence the business performance in appositive manner (Troaca and Bodislav, 2012). A diagram is depicted below for better understanding: Logic Mapping Figure 1: Logic Mapping for BP Evaluation of Risk Involvement Based on the evidence of the research, it is identified that the company has witnessed several challenges with an aim of ensuring the growth of the company has highly emphasised towards its strategic decision-making process. Thus, to highlight those strategic involvements, it can be asserted that the company may ensure its sustainability and profitability through emphasising towards cost leverage and efficiency along with innovation-related aspects. Moreover, the company also may ensure its growth, by concentrating towards outsourcing as well as kept in-house services. Additionally, paying attention towards its supply chain management may also ensure the significance of operations of the company (Villachica and Stepich, 2010). Recommendation for Mitigate Risk Involvement With an aim of mitigating risk involvement during the outsourcing as well as kept in-house process, BP will need to emphasise towards certain aspects, which will ensure the efficient and appropriate procurement of its outsourcing as well as kept in-house process. In this regard, in order to recommend the organisation more specifically it can be mentioned that BP should incorporate knowledgeable and experience workforce, which may enhance the efficiency of the operational process of the organisation. At the same time, through emphasising towards business consulting as well as internal auditing process, BP may also mitigate the risk involvement during the outsourcing as well as kept in-house process. Apart from this, through incorporation of modern techniques and tools, BP may ensure the supply chain as well as procurement of its manufactured products and/ or services. Moreover, based on the above stated discussion, it can be evidently asserted that through incorporating legal as well as ethical consideration, BP also may mitigate its risk involvement and it may enhance capabilities of the organisation by ensuring superior business outcome in case of outsourcing as well as kept in-house process. Conclusion: Based on the above discussion, it is identified that BP has been maintaining its competitive advantages in the global market by concentrating towards the strategic decision-making process. At the same time, the company has also practiced its operations by considering five performance objective based principles, which has influenced overall business performance of the company in a positive manner and it has also fulfilled the expectations of the global customers. 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