An organisations process

An organisations process Introduction Strategic planning is an organisations process of defining its corporate strategy, making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue its strategy, including its capital and human resources. In this modern and competitive era growing business, means taking timely, quick and accurate decisions about the way we want to grow our business. As an organisation grows, it becomes more and more complex for management to control. In this case, strategic planning is the key component for all type of organisations, which help them to keep on track. All organisations depend on strategic plan to keep the long-term focus synced up with day-to-day decision-making. From Board level to front line staff, everyone is aligned with the organisations strategy and vision. Because it is a road map to lead organisation from where it is now to where it would like to be in future. It is very important for management that they make sure, that all those who involved in any activity are clear about what that o rganisation is looking to achieve and how they are planning to do it. The main source of information is included from official websites and reports published by companies. Moreover, references from different books, published journals articles, research reports and internet have been used to support the arguments. Critical Analysis of Strategic Planning of Primark Company profile Primark is an Irish clothing retailer. It opened its first store in Dublin in 1969 under the name of Penneys. The company head office is based In Dublin, and operates 193 stores in Ireland, UK and other European countries. Primark is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods Plc (ABF) and positions itself as marketing (selling) fashionable clothing at cheap prices, targeting women, men, children and supply home decoration goods. Primark aim is to focus on latest fashions and sell to its customers with the variety of design at affordable prices. Primark mission statement is to provide customers with high quality, fashion basis at value for money prices (Primark 2009). Critical Analysis of Primark According to clothing market review 2008, the United Kingdom retail clothing market was worth  £42.45 billions in 2007. It account for almost 6% of total consumer spending which is lowest proportion in the history of UK. The reasons for decline in market were the declining prices and intense competition in the industry. Survey also shows that the cheap clothing market consumers will increase in the future and there is no sign of growth in market value over the next five years (Market Report 2008). Primark face intense competition due to number of competitors (Appendix 1). According to Bowmans Strategic Clock (1996), Primark is position itself in competitive environment at low price in his strategic clock (Appendix 2). This strategy helps Primark to analysis it competitive position in other competitors. Primark is fashion conscious targeting under 35s with the slogan Look good pay less at Primark. It offers good quality fashion clothes at very competitive prices. According to Porter Generic Strategies (1980) Primark is following cost leadership Strategy in retail clothing market. The success of this strategy is based on access to cheap resources and buying in bulk. Michael Porters Five Forces (1979) Model of competitive position helps Primark to analyse its competitive position in the industry. Cost leadership strategy helps Primark to create barrier for new entrant to sell same products at lower price. Primark imports from Asian countries where cost of production is very low and buying in bulks help Primark to improve its Bargaining power. On the other hands, bargaining power of the customers is not very strong because no other retailer is selling trendy and fashionable products at such a low price. So all this help and provide a platform to Primark for expansion both gaining market share and entering into new markets. PEST analysis can be used to examine the factors affecting on Primarks external Environment. All four factors have a considerable impact on Primarks environment. Political factors such as labour law, environmental, trade restrictions, tariffs, tax policy restrict Primark to operate within the limits. Economic factors such as interest rate, inflation rate, exchange rate, economic growth and disposal income affect Primark business operation and day-to-day decision-making. Social and cultural factors help Primark to take into account trends, fashion, growth rate in population, age, gender etc. Finally, technological factors helped Primark to reduce cost, improve quality and lead to innovation. In UK, clothing market is very competitive and credit crunch made it worse. Primark is the only clothing retailer who gets benefit from credit crunch. According to Igor Ansoff (1957), Primark is penetrating the clothing market to targeting competitors customers and retaining existing customers. Sean Poulter (2008) report says, Primark sales rose over 25% in 2008 and gave Primark overall 10% market share of UK clothing industry. It made second biggest seller after MS (12% Market Share). Primark has a very clear market positioning at the cheap end of the market. For Primark internal environmental analysis, SWOT analysis is used to assess Primarks internal capabilities, core competences while threats and opportunities assess external environmental factors. Primark SWOT analysis is shown in appendix 3. Critical Analysis of Strategic Planning of Woolworths Group Plc Company Profile F.W. Woolworths Company founded Woolworths in UK in 1909. In 1982 it was acquired by Paternoster Stores ltd, the subsidiary of Kingfisher Plc. Woolworths Group Plc was formed by the demerger of Kingfisher and began trading as listed company in August 2001. It inherited a mountain of  £200 million debts, and costly lease agreements. Right from the beginning, it sold a variety of goods such as childrens clothes, toys, stationery, electronic goods and confectionery. Pic n mix sweets and Woolworths have always gone together until went into administration. In first four years company really took off but after 2005 it faced constant decline in business and finally it went into administration on 27 January 2009 (Times Online 2008). This company was one of the biggest victims of recession. Mission and Vision Woolworths mission was to be at the heart of the community and the best loved retailer for kids, home and family leisure. Vision was to provide quality products and services to customer all the time through price strategies Elrico (2002). Critical Analysis of Woolworths Group Plc My aim is to analyse strategic planning process of Woolworths to analyse past seven years performance by using various strategic tools. Woolworths performance has been variable over the past few years and in 2005 private equity group Apax made a takeover bid, which was rejected by the board, and four weeks later they received another offer and it made Woolies future uncertain in retail sector. Strategic planning is usually begins with external environmental analysis of the organisation. Competitors are the primary external consideration for strategic planning. For Woolworths Porter Five Forces (1979) can be used to analyse external environment. Woolworths failed to respond the threats of it competitors. They never made any strategy to build barrier for competitors such as ASDA, Tesco, Argos, Discount Stores etc. Its management always depend upon advertisement and customers loyalty. Perfect competition brought more choices for customers and due to intense competition (Rivalry) in the industry, profit squeezed and market demand saturated. Woolworths customers switched to its competitors. Woolworths faced huge problems with suppliers in last couple of year of trading and they forced to pay cash at the time of purchases because of lack of security. According to Michael porters (1980) Generic Strategies to obtain competitive advantages, organisation must have one of the following strategies: Cost Leadership strategy Differentiation strategy Focus strategy Woolworth get stuck in the middle without having any competitive strategy as a result competitors (ASDA, Argos etc) took advantages of that and stole all customers form it. They never released the importance of competitive strategy and had growth strategy to compete with competitors by opening new stores in different parts of the country. According to Igor Ansoff (1957), Woolworths had Market development strategy to target new customers. Woolworths internal environmental analysis, SWOT analysis is the best tool, which can be use measure internal and external factors that affected on its strategic planning. Internal analysis examines Woolworths capabilities and external analysis examines factors that bring opportunities and threats (Appendix 4). Comparison of Strategic Planning of both organisations In the highly competitive environment in which all UK retailers are in war to sustain their position against competitors in this recession, Primark is doing remarkably well. The key of success in based on its well-planned strategies that evaluate internal and external factors that affect on it environment. On the other hands, Woolworths group Plc failed because, they were never thought about any strategy that gave them competitive advantages over any of its competitor. People and media said that Woolworths was the victim of recession but I would say it was the victim of bad management. My aim is to compare and contrast the strategic planning of both organisations. For this purpose, I have discussed few strategic planning models in critical analysis and now I am going to compare them and find out the reasons of success and failure. Pricing (Competitive) Strategy According to Michael Porter (1980) to get competitive advantages organisation must follow one of its generic strategies. Primark slogan is look good pay less, means cost leadership strategy. Cost leadership strategy does not mean low prices but it lead to emphasize on efficiency by reducing cost in all departments. This strategy gave competitive edge to Primark over it competitors. According to Jonathan Prynn (2009), Primark has boomed in the recession with the British biggest discount clothes chain unveiled big increase in revenue and profits. Primark revenues increased from  £1.17bn in 2007 to  £1.6bn in 2008 and it jumped to  £2.31bn in 2009. On the other hand, Woolworths was trading without having any competitive strategy, which help its management to focus on the ways in which it can achieve the competitive position in the retail industry. Its revenue declined since 2004 and in final year of trading, Woolworths announced pre-tax loss of  £99.7m for the first six months. This is just because of Woolworths was stuck in the middle of competitive strategies for long time and management was not sure what price they charge to customers for particular products. Woolworths products were comparatively expensive than its competitors and customers realised their products are not good quality compare to the prices Woolworths charged. Affects of competition Competitors are the real enemies for all organisations. Successful organisation always makes plans ahead to avoid the consequence of any threat from its competitors. Both organisations operate in highly competitive environment. Competitor analysis is very important for both organisations strategic planning. Sometimes organisations think that they are doing well and it is best to carry on with their plans and other become obsessed with monitoring every action of competitors. Woolworths Group Plc was well aware about competition. In Woolworths financial reports 2008, directors mentioned competition is a big risk for Woolworths but they did not come up with any strategy (carry on their own plans) that help Woolworths to maintain and improve it competitive position in the market. They lost most of there business to competitors. In clothing retail industry, Primark is also facing intense competition. Most of Primarks competitors hold same percentage of market share as Primark have. Nowada ys fashion has become disposable and to avoid competition Primark has led fast fashion revolution at lowest prices taking the fast fashion retail industry into new era. I would say Primark has emerged as the McDonalds of the fast fashion retail industry. Customers Analysis Customers analysis is an operative tool, which helps organisations to understand the specific customers demand, preferences and loyalty to the organisation. To keep competitive in todays environment, organisations need to take an in depth look at customers to explore and identify opportunities and threats. I would say Primark is the market leader to understand customers demand and response quickly to the fast fashion requirements of customers. Primarks time-to-market has been very fast, both in terms of copying designs rapidly after they come out in terms of getting the new stock into their stores while items are still hot' (R. M Grant, Blackwell 2009). New style, quality and low prices keep customers coming in and encourage them to come back again. All these help Primark to increase its market share and revenue. On the other side of the picture, Woolworths failed to focus on what they were good at, to sell to there customers and failed to identify their core products and customers. From customers point of view, Woolworths was a complete mish mash with hundreds different types of products, but low product ranges. As a result, Woolworths did not have enough selection of any product to attract customers (John McMillan 2008). All these factors forced customers to switch to Woolworths competitors. Marketing issues Organisations used marketing tools to create, keep and satisfy customers needs and demands. To get competitive advantages in the target market organisations use segmentation, targeting and positioning tools. These tools help organisations to differentiate there goods and services from their competitors. Market Segmentation and targeting Market segmentation help organisation to split customers or potential customers into different groups. Primark segments it customers on socio-economic (disposable income) and demographic (age, gender, lifestyle) bases. Robert Stockdill (2007) says in his report, Primarks target customer is young, fashion conscious and under 35 years old. So like many other retailers chasing that demographic or the broader value end of the market, Primark is now targeting a four to six week turnaround from design to shelf, sourcing primarily from Asia. Primark also target low-income group who have less disposable income to spend on latest fashion. Woolworths was also segmented its customers on demographic bases but there aim was to target all customer in the market. They never identified their target customer, market and which income group they were targeting. Market Positioning In market positioning, my aim is to create an image in the target market for both organisations, their products, and brands. Primark is known as cost leadership retailer in the market, which has over fifteen own brands (Appendix 5). Customers think that Primarks products are good value for money. Woolworths also had very rich and successful long history with the number of brands such as Chad Valley, Ladybird, Winfield and Worthit etc. Form customers point of view both organisations market-positioning image can be mapped in the following Bowmans Strategic Clock (1996); Business Seasonality Most organisations are affected by the fluctuation in business activity at different part of the year. According to directors 2008 report, Woolworths was highly seasonal business. Most of its revenue, profit, and cash flow have been come from Christmas season. Lower than expected performance in the Christmas period may have adverse impact on overall Woolworths results. It happened continuously after 2004 with Woolworths and it performance was very unstable un-till it went into administration. Woolworths never made any strategy to avoid adverse affects of Christmas sales. Primark business is all four seasons. Although most of its sales come from Christmas season but other three seasons of the year its make good profit. According to (James Hall 2009) report, Primark total revenue reaches it highest level of  £1 billion in first six months of trading, which is 18 % more than last year. Primark is the only largest fashion retailers around the world, who produce solid performance in cre dit crisis due to strong strategic planning. Conclusion Strategic planning is directional map, key instrument for strategic management for deciding where their company is headed and how they are planning to get there. Strategic planning is known as a process of defining strategy and making decisions on allocation of organisation resources to pursue strategy. It is a dynamic tool of continuously looking at organisational current position, examine and plotting future move. All this need in-depth knowledge and understanding about organisation and its internal and external environment in that operates in. the best organisations like Primark always engaged in some form of strategic planning to keep themselves update about internal and external environmental factors. Based on my detailed strategic planning analysis of Primark, i would say that Primark has comprehensive strategy planning, which considers all-important factors that affects on its business environment. From my above research, I conclude that, there are number of reasons behind Primark success. Firstly, they understand customers specific requirements and always come up with the solution of latest fashion at low price. Secondly, Primark has a very clear market position at the cheap end of the market and target customers who have low disposal income and fashion conscious. All this gave Primark competitive advantage over its competitors. Third, Primark has access to cheap resources and has very tight control over costs, which help them to increase profitability. Many people say Woolworths was the victim of credit crises. Other says Woolworths faced financial pressures (received over  £200 million debts in inherent and seasonal business crises) and severe competition from day one, so that is why it failed to survive. From my above discussion and analysis, I conclude that Woolworths was the victim of bad management and poor strategy planning. From my above discussion, I have mentioned several reasons of Woolworths failure. Woolworths completely failed to respond the threats of competitors, new technologies, customers buying patterns and target market. The world change very fast in 21st century and strategy worked in 1990s does not work today. Woolworths was keeping the old fashion strategy and planning to run business successfully in 21st century, where yesterdays strategy could be out date today. World has become global village and customers have many choices to buy products from any were in the world through internet. Ignorance of all thes e external factors have leads Woolies to lose their business to competitors. Finally I would say the key of success is to do few things right like Primark, not 100s things badly like Woolworths, keep ears and eyes open, monitor your internal and external environment, and response best to the threats and convert into opportunities. Financial analysis References ASX Announcement (2009), Primark, 3Q Holdings Limited 2009, [Online], http://www.threeq.com.au/announce/AnnouncementPrimark.pdf Bowmans Strategic Clock (1996), Strategic Business Planning, Strategies for leaders, followers, challenger and nichers, International Financial Publishing 2006, Surrey UK Elrico (2002), Woolworths Group Plc, Advfn III (2002), [online], http://www.advfn.com/stocks/buy-woolworths-as-they-are-a-good-shop-with-many-varieties_2527942.html Igor Ansoff (1957), Strategic Business Planning and Development, Strategy Development, International Financial publishing Ltd 2006. James Hall (2009), Primark Overtakes ASDA as Biggest Low Price Clothing Retailers, Telegraph 20th Jan 2009, [Online], http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/4299950/Primark-overtakes-Asda-as-biggest-low-price-clothing-retailer.html John McMillan (2008), Learn From Woolworths, Academy, [online] http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=118215 Jonathan Prynn (2009), London Evening Standard, Primarks recession fashion boom, [online], http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23763781-primarks-recession-fashion-boom.do Primark 2009, Primarks History, Primark Stores limited 2009, [Online], http://www.primark.co.uk/page.aspx?pointerid=eb44df4565934edca627dac6ec12145a Market Report 2008, Clothing Industry Report, Key Note publication Ltd Feb. 2008, Online, http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/594454 Michael Porter (1979), Strategic Business Planning and Development, The Competitive Environment, international Financial publishing Ltd 2006. Michael Porter (1980), Generic Strategies, Marketing Teaches Ltd (2000 2009), [Online], [Cited 14th November 2009], R. M Grant, Blackwell (2009), Shedding The Frills; Making A success, open2.net, [online], http://www.open2.net/moneyandmanagement/management_organisation/briefs_20051206_primark.html Robert Stockdill (2007), Primarks fast fashion revolution, Inside Retailing Magazine Oct 2007. [online], http://www.insideretailing.com. au/Latest/tabid/53/ID/1552/Primarks-fast-fashion-revolution.aspx Sean Poulter (2008), Primark now Britains 2nd Biggest Clothing Retailer, Mail Online (2008), http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-561270/Primark-Britains-second-biggest-clothes-store-thanks-rise-disposable-fashion.html Times Online (2008), History of Woolies, By Rosie Lavan, [Online], Witchalls, C (2007) Flexibility and speed key to new revenue streams http://www.computingbusiness.co.uk/computing business/analysis/2183247/case-study-bt

Jewish Philosophers on Reason and Revelation Essay -- Research Essays

Jewish Philosophers on Reason and Revelation Footnotes are Misssing ABSTRACT: Are reason and revelation different sources of truth? Do they contradict or complement each other? The present essay tries to give an answer to these ancient questions from a Jewish pluralistic point of view. I describe the essential views of the most important representatives of the two main schools of Jewish thought: the rationalists Maimonides, Moses Mendelssohn, and Hermann Cohen, and the antirationalists Judah Halevi and Solomon Levi Steinheim. I show that even the antirationalists use the tools of rationalism, by which Talmudic-rabbinic thought is characterized, in an attempt to show that they are not irrationalists. The comparison of this attitude with the general philosophic tradition shows that Aristotle’s notion of potential knowledge is closer to Jewish thought than Plato’s view of recollection. Introduction Throughout the history of philosophy and theology the question of the relation between reason and revelation as the two ways of leading to the recognition of truth has always been discussed. Is human reason capable of recognizing and understanding the phenomena of the physical world? Can it make any statements about the metaphysical realm (provided that it exists at all)? Or may be man has to depend on religious truth, as in Christianity e.g., which claims to be based on the concept of incarnation as truth? What is the relation between reason and belief, between philosophy and theology? Does one exclude the other, or do both have a function with a common concern? If so, perhaps one way is only of an instrumental character while the other is actually expressing the aim itself? Many answers have been given during the long histor... ...th the general philosophical tradition, I would say that it contradicts Plato's view as expressed in "Meno" according to which enquiry and learning are impossible; they only are, or remembering. Aristotle's notion of potential knowledge, on the other hand, is very close to the rational character of Jewish thought. I have tried to outline in a few words some contributions of the Jewish tradition which might serve for the promotion of advanced educational research. I am aware of the fact that the task that this general philosophical-historical outline has suggested, still has to be spelled out. I wish it only to serve as a theoretical base on which educational projects can be built, provided that they take into consideration the biblical view that man should use and develop his rational faculty, both to "conquer"(29) the world and to be aware of his being created.

Double Entry Journal Example

â€Å"Moushumi wonders how long she will live her life in trappings of student hood in spite of the fact that she is a married woman that she’s as far along in her studies as she is that Nikhil has a respectable if not terribly lucrative job. It would have been different with Graham-he’d made more than enough for both of them† (Lahiri 254)| One of the main themes in this story is pressure. Throughout the story Gogol feels pressured by his parents to follow the Bengali culture, to marry a Bengali girl, to eat Bengali food and to live the Bengali lifestyle. Myself being of the South Asian decent, I can relate to Gogol as well. My parents expect me to marry a Sri Lankan boy because they believe a Sri Lankan boy can make me happy. They also want to continue to pass down our culture to newer generations. This quote foreshadows the breakup that is going to happen between Gogol and Moushumi because you can tell Moushumi isn’t happy with the life she lives with Gogol. Gogol is pressured by his mother to ask out Moushumi a Bengali girl. They end up getting married but as they spend more and more days together through individuation Moushumi realises that she is not happy and this is because she was pressured into marrying a Bengali. She made herself believe her and Gogol had a lot in common and that they had a good time with each other, but deep down inside she only married him because it was what her parents wished for (her to marry a Bengali man). It develops the plot because as she begins to compare Gogol to Graham she realises she isn’t satisfied and starts to cheat on her husband. Bengali parents ideology is that culture guides you in life, it helps find your place. Throughout the story Moushumi puts on a persona of being a happy wife, who is loyal to her husband. But she is really sad about her relationship with Gogol and she transgresses by cheating on him with a former friend. Cheating on Gogol was a good move for Moushumi because this is what helps her realise that she is not happy and in love with Gogol. Gogol is a proletariat who worked hard to become an architect but Moushumi seems to be more interested in men in the bourgeoisie class. She cheated on Gogol with a very rich man (Dimitri) who inherited his wealth through his grandma. Moushumi cheating on Gogol was good for Gogol because he becomes aware of his life and what he believes in. He slowly begins to realise that his parents had gone through the trouble of learning different customs such as Christmas dinners and other celebrations all for him. This relates to peoples everyday life because a lot of people come to Canada as immigrants but they slowly adapt to the country and it’s traditions such as Canada Day. Gogol realises that all the events that happened in his life have shaped him and determined who he is. Moushumi and Gogol lived in patriarchy because Gogol had more power over Moushumi. She turned down a grant offer that she had applied for even before she met Gogol. She knew that Gogol wouldn’t like her going to another country for a few months so she declined the offer. The other reason she dropped the offer was because she needed to take care of the house now that she was a wife. The story follows the stereotype of women cleaning the house and looking after the husband. Moushumi is portrayed as an object who listens to what Gogol says, but she slowly gains power as she begins to cheat and at the end she becomes the subject because she has the power and ends the relationship. | â€Å"†¦read the book he had once forsaken, has abandoned until now. Until moments ago it was destined to disappear from his life altogether, but he salvaged it by chance, as his father was pulled from a crushed train forty years agoâ€Å" (Lahiri 290)| Another main theme is identities. Throughout the story Gogol only wants an American life, he decides to rebel against his culture by changing is name from Gogol to Nikhil. This quote develops the plot because it shows that by the end of the story Gogol gains more knowledge about his culture and slowly begins to accept it. When Gogol finally decides to read the book he is in the setting of his home specifically his room. This shows that throughout his journey (highschool/university) Gogol rebelled against his culture and it did nothing but brought him back to his own bed. The book Gogol`s father gives him is an anima symbol because it represents the feminine side of both Gogol and his father. Books are known to give information and to express ones feelings, this is also what females are known to do. By giving his son this book Gogol`s father is sharing his life story and how he felt about the train crash with his son. The train crash is a metaphor for life and death because the train represents how quick life really is and the crash represents the end of it. The symbol of the book developed the plot because without the book there wouldn’t be anything to symbolise Gogol`s fathers journey. After Gogol`s fathers passing Gogol becomes the subject in his house. Ashima and Sonia live under patriarchy because Gogol tells them what to do and what not to do. The story also follows the universal unconscious of men being the one to protect their families. As soon as Mr. Ganguli a hard working proletariat passes away everyone expects the son to step up and protect the family. Ashima doesn’t mind this because she is use to having a man protect her. This follows the stereotype of men leading the household and women just being objects and following. Women are represented as weak people in this story because they cannot do things for themselves and they always rely on men. In my household both my mom and dad have an equal say in everything that goes on, they both contribute there ideas. Also in the world today you definitely don’t always find men leading. Women are becoming leaders and filling many positions that are usually occupied by men. For example many women today are working in construction sites and are accountants or doctors. If I was Ashima I would learn to become more independent and not rely on men to do everything, this would give me a sense of pride because I would realise I can live my life without a husband. Ashima`s persona throughout the story is a caring mother who tries her very best to make her family happy. One key ideology in this story is education makes you a better person because it instils positive values. Gogol studied hard throughout university and finally became an architect. Throughout his education he gained positive values such as being very hardworking and intelligent and this helps him throughout his journey.

Hinduism And Buddhism Diversity And World Cultures

Analyzing Religions Stephanie Bates Argosy University Diversity and World Cultures | HUM215 G02 Gerald Willis 8/12/2015 Introduction I have chosen Hinduism and Buddhism as the two religions for this assignment. With religion being such an intricate part of many cultures, I found these religions most interesting due to their similarity. Both of these religions originated in the subcontinent of India, these religions have had an awkward relationship that can be compared to Christianity and Judaism. The belief is that Buddhism is an off shoot of the Hindu religion. My goal is to address the questions in this assignment and to take a look at how close these two religions truly are and what role do these religions play in the lives of those who practice them. Hinduism and Buddhism affect one another from numerous points of view. The Buddhist idea of preservation and love toward every single living thing found it’s begins in India, while Mahayana Buddhism took its customs from Indian practices for reverential love. Buddhism also had a hand in influencing the development of the art and architecture of the Hindu religion and also contributed to the art of mediation and higher conditions of awareness. Yet the Hindu tantra impacted the inception and advancement of Vajrayana Buddhism. Buddhism got its start around 2500 years ago, a ruler named Siddhartha Gautama started question the meaning of his life. AfterShow MoreRelatedIs India A Country Of Ethnic Religious And Linguistic Pluralism Par Excellence?1364 Words   |  6 Pagesday. It ethnically-diverse population has affiliations with Aryans, Greeks, Mongols, Arabs, Turks, Afghans and others as well as peoples of Central Asia. This ethnic diversity is clearly reflected on the characteristics of Indians and the culture, as a whole, in the region. 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