Strategic Management Discussion Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Management Discussion Paper - Essay Example supposed to save time since tasks would not have to be passed from one team to another if a cross functional team is used to handle the entire production cycle. The idea is also helped by the emergence of business information systems which allow the sharing of information between departments making cross functional teams more powerful than departmental teams alone. There are some situations where reengineering is not only a good point on the agenda, it becomes a necessity for survival. The emerging e-business environment and the world of online sales means that not only the business models followed by companies but also the methods of doing business have to be changed (Rayport and Jaworski, 2000). The case of Apple is a prime example where the business process as well as the way sales were made by the company were changed and reengineered due to the availability of technology and the presence of a new business process (Smith, 2006). Of course there can be situations where a reengineering of a process may not be viable such as the operations of a hospital where health of the patient may be more important than simple profits or an airport where safety is often more important than efficiency. A high level of turnover at a company can be sign of many different things but given the other situations which are present at the company, it seems that there are quite a few problems at Milinder Recycling which are leading to the present situation of high turnover amongst new employees. While it is heartening to know that most of the older employees have been retained, the lack of new hires sticking it out shows that there is a significant problem with the recruitment and retention process for junior members (Welch, 2005). The company needs to establish an orientation program as well as provide some on the job training for new recruits who can be shown why Milinder is a good company to work for. Since the company has noticed that older employees are easier to retain they can

How Aerial Travel and Cabin Pressure Adversely Affects the Human Body Essay Example for Free

How Aerial Travel and Cabin Pressure Adversely Affects the Human Body Essay The idea of humans traveling to the Moon or other areas out side of the Earths orbit is mostly scientific. However, when astronauts remain in space, having to re-balance the body to suit less or no gravity compared to the Earth could bring about many changes to the body. Scientists have found that the time required for recovery depends on the time spent in zero-gravity conditions. The longer one stays off of the Earths surface, the more damage can be caused. Strictly speaking, even a trip in an Airplane would require safety precautions to minimize damage to the body of this. For example, cabin pressure increased to maintain balance and prevent feeling different to a lower pressure. This essay will consist of two sections. The first will be of flight effects within the Earths hemisphere, and how to perhaps prevent damage to the body. The second, and longer section deals with space travel through Zero-gravity and effects of weightlessness on the body and the counter-measures to prevent damage to the body. Section 1, flight effects on the passengers, specifically dealing with cabin pressure: Airplanes fly at the cruising altitude of around 33000 feet, or approximately 10000 meters. Because the cruising altitude has a cabin pressure lower than air pressure on ground or even under sea-level, the oxygen availability is less and gases within the body expand. This causes the oxygen saturation level of the blood to reduce, which can lead to mild hypoxia, the reduced supply of oxygen to the tissues around the body. Due to the effects of hypoxia, alcohol consumption would affect the brain much more than it would on Earth. As the aircraft makes its decent back to Earth, air must be allowed to flow into the middle of the ear to equalize pressure differences. Passengers often can feel this change in air pressure. People with ear, nose and sinus infections are usually advised to avoid flying because of these changes in air pressure. Air travel in airplanes has less thank 20% humidity. This causes discomfort to the eyes, mouth and nose but does not risk the passengers health. This discomfort can be prevented by drinking liquids (water recommended) before and during the flight, and using skin moisturizers. Also passengers with short-sightedness or long-sightedness are advised to wear eye-glasses rather than contact lenses during flight as the contact lenses may dry out. In order to avoid de-hydration, passengers should drink non- alcoholic beverages. Section 2, how traveling through space affects humans Astronauts often experience Zero- Gravity during their travels through space. This zero gravity or micro gravity can bring about health concern to the body if astronauts remain in space for a long period of time. It would be much healthier for crews to live under artificial gravity. In order to prevent any biological changes in the body when experiencing zero gravity, scientists recommend a force of artificial gravity equal to a third of the Earths level of gravity. However, scientists still havent research affects of artificial gravity on humans but they know for a fact and there is an imbalance in the body due to the shifts of gravity levels. Artificial gravity prevents physiological changes from occurring. In zero-gravity, the body deteriorates. It takes less muscle to move around, so after a long period of time in space, muscles weaken so the body bends. Because there is no tension in space, muscles relax and after a while they atrophy as a result of disuse and eventually disappear. To prevent the fracture of bones, limbs and muscles, all space shuttles give the opportunity for astronauts to do rigorous exercise everyday to keep the muscles strong. Staying in Zero-gravity for months causes bones to lose mass and get thinner, as they are not carrying any weight. This means astronauts must go through rigorous trainings in the spacecraft everyday in order to keep muscle and bone strength. When a great deal of the crews precious time in space is spent exercising rather than doing science, money and potential knowledge are being squandered for the sake of health. It is a sacrifice, but a necessary one1 In space, receptors in the inner ear allow humans to sense direction. In space, ear receptors dont receive the same cues and the mind gets used to ignoring the inner ears feelings about balance. Hand-eye coordination, posture and balance are all affected by the disorientation of the mind. When astronauts return to earth, they are often overwhelmed by dizziness and have difficulty in maintaining balance. An example of the mind adapting to the new gravity less surroundings would be with Shannon Lucid, who was on board the Russian space Station MIR for six months. The astronaut said You just sort of get used to floating around but we also know that floating around is not all that astronauts do- they must resist the effects of micro gravity on the body. Also, no gravity means no resistance from growing, so some astronauts return to earth some 6 inches taller than when they left. It is only after a few months that they grow down/ shrink back to normal height. This is because of the unloading of spinal discs- because of lack of gravity, the discs in the spine are not holding up or don anything, so they tend to stretch rather than contract. Traveling through micro gravity causes bodily fluids to shift from the lower body to the cephalic area (head), and so peoples faces tend to swell and become rounder than they are on earth. When the brain senses a higher amount of blood than usual, it interprets the situation that there is now an overall increase in the total volume of fluids in the body. The brain responds by triggering the excretion of fluids, making astronauts prone to dehydration. Also, the fluid redistribution can shrink legs as the bones are weaker. These fluids pass through the kidneys, causing kidney filtration rate to increase, bone loss can cause Kidney stones. Fluids that leave the body include calcium loss and bone demineralization. The loss of blood plasma causes temporary Anemia upon the return to Earth. Some crew members get space anemia. Scientists are concerned about the affects of catching this disease on over all crew performance. Blood volume may decrease by 10 percent. The increase of fluids in the head causes the same feeling as when one has a cold and feels blocked in. in space astronauts begin to lose their sense of taste, causing the craving for strong flavorings in the food such as horseradish, mustard and taco sauce. Fluid loss, lack of exercise and diminished appetite cause weight loss as astronauts tend not to eat as much as they would on earth. Meals and exercise are planned to prevent excessive loss. Zero-gravity affects the cardio-vascular system. On earth we must cope with gravity, which sustains or slows down the blood-flow. In zero gravity, there is no gravity force, causing the heart to slow down due to the decreased demands of blood as it travels more freely. The immune system in the body is also affected by weightlessness. In space, one is exposed to illness as the immune response lowers and numbers of anti-bodies decrease after a long exposure to micro gravity. Approximately half of all astronauts are affected by this unpleasant syndrome which affects nausea, headache, lethargy and sweating (taken from NASA sources). Also, minor effects of weightlessness on the body include puffiness in the face, flatulence, weight loss, nasal congestion and often sleeping disturbances. Upon returning to earth, recovery time depends on the duration of stay in space. Muscles are weak and the body is not used to gravity forces, (causing them to feel dizzy) and so some astronauts are taken back in stretchers. This shows why astronauts need to be at the peak of fitness. If in the near future the human race would build space stations as tourist resorts, some would prefer hotels with zero-gravity and some would want partial gravity, which would bring about competition like hotels on earth, which would drive prices low. As gravity affects all biological, physical and chemical processes on earth, building an International Space Station gives new opportunity to study a world without gravity and its affect on animals and other living organisms. Observing the weightlessness effect on these living organisms could teach scientists about biological processes on earth, such as aging and osteoporosis. In the end, we can see that human travel through space is safer under artificial gravity when compared to astronauts being exposed to weightlessness, micro gravity or zero gravity (all three mean the same). Most of the problems mentioned such as fluid loss and muscle deterioration would not cause problems as long as the crew remained in a weightless environment. Remaining in a zero-gravity environment for over a long period of time could cause problems, however. In 1987, in the later stages of his 326-day mission, Russian Yuri Romanenko was fatigued both physically and mentally due to traveling through space. The majority of his day was spent sleeping regaining strength, in the meantime his bones were deteriorating. Some say if many like Romanenko stayed in space for much longer, he may not have survived re-entry to the Earth. Returning to Earth could cause problems as the body is much weaker due to demineralization and atrophy of the bones and shortage of red blood cells. Ones balan ce must now again be readjusted causing many astronauts to feel dizzy when back to a strong g force gravity on earth. Whether or not the large amount of time and money spent on keeping astronauts fit during space flight is worth the scientific findings is debatable. Physiological effects need to be prevented as much a possible. Again, this is usually prevented by rigorous exercise and micro gravity could still be a danger to the astronauts health. Many scientists believe that the benefits of transporting/sending out machines (robots) and humans to space, despite the health issues, are nothing compared to the huge benefit that society will receive. Humans will not be perfectly suited to living in a weightless environment, but that wont stop Astrobiologists and many other research firms like NASA from exploring space. The many benefits of space exploration such as technological knowledge and inspiration easily outweigh the negative aspects. Bibliography: Sources were from Newspapers, CDs, web sites and a large extract of a book in one of the web-pages. Most web sites accessed on the 11th December 2003 and 9th January 2004. 1) http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php?page=adapt02 2) www.permanent.com/s-nograv.htm 3) http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php%3fpage=adapt02 4) www.spacefuture.com/habitat/zerog.shtml 5) http://mos.org/cst/article/77/6.html 6) http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/spacestation/basics/why.html 7) www.relaxincomfort.com/zerogravity_benefits.html 8) http://experts.about.com/q/2540/2677459.htm 9) www.uclas.ac.uk/facs/science/physastr/courses/space/ssyear1/sc1201.htm 10) http://www.who.int/ith/chapter02_01.html 11) Definitions from Microsoft Encarta 2003 Premium Suite CD 12) http://library.thinkquest.org/2606/Environmental_problems/water_pollution_-_effects.html (used for first idea of project) 1 http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php%3fpage=adapt02

Determination of Man?s Role in Latin America Essay -- essays research

Determination of Man’s Role in Latin America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How society describes what is meant by a man’s role is an important definition in every culture. What is right or wrong for men to do in terms of behavior depends on each community, and on people’s own perceptions. Latin American culture has a strict set of values on sexual issues, reflecting a man’s role in society. For all of the communities in Latin America there exists a relation between a man’s role and machismo. The exaggerated sense of manliness that machismo stands for is evident by parents when raising their male children, and by communities and their expectations. Machismo represents a culture of traditions indeed, but how does machismo define the role of a man in his society? XY is the chromosome formula for a male. Providing these two chromosomes will give the sexual differentiation that causes a man to be a man instead of a woman. However, psychological, social, and cultural factors that have nothing to do with genetics are important to determine man’s role, and to cultivate the sense of masculinity. Masculinity is a process of learning. No child is born a man, so children learn to become men. One example of this are the â€Å"wild children† of the nineteenth century whose sexual preference was ambiguous. Victor de l’Aveyron and Gaspar Hauser grew up without any human contact. For them there was no difference between men and women. A simple definition for masculinity could be the opposite of femininity. What is meant by this simple definition expresses what is demanded for being a man. It must be proof of that sense of masculinity, it â€Å"must be acquired, and at a high price† (Badinter 2). Characteristics such as success, power, control and strength are demanded for masculinity. Masculinity in Latin America goes further than just demanding it. The symbol of masculinity and male sexuality comes from the definition of machismo. Labels and categories are used in order to understand masculinity. Christian Krohn-Hasen in his essay Masculinity and the Political among Dominicans describes masculinity as â€Å"that of the hombre valiente, the spirited, courageous, and brave man† (112). The symbol of a brave man for many is also considered the symbol of masculinity. Another idea involves man showing his masculinity in public. Physical movements represent his capacity for being a man. The m... ... lower class populations. There might be exceptions in which machismo also affects the upper class population, but the percentage is minimal. In fact, when referring to machismo, it’s more likely to influence low income inhabitants. Machismo is the heritage of Latin communities, and it’s inherited through the culture in every Hispanic man. How machismo influences a man’s role; however, depends on each individual. Bibliography Baca Zinn, Maxine. â€Å"Chicano Men and Masculinity.† Men’s Lives. Ed. Michael Kimmel. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001. Badinter, Elisabeth. XY on Masculine Identity. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995. Berryman-Fink, Cynthia. â€Å"Communication and Sex-Role Socialization.† New York: Garland Publishing, 1993. Krohn-Hansen, Christian. â€Å"Masculinity and the Political among Dominicans: ‘The Dominican Tiger’.† Machos, Mistresses, Madonnas. Ed. Marit Melhuus. New York: Verso, 1996. â€Å"Physical abuse against women by an intimate partner.† United Nations Statistics Division. 2003. United Nations. Nov 27 2004. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/indwm/table6c2x.htm Random House Webster’s Electronic Dictionary and Thesaurus, College Edition. 1994.

Hofstede’s Model Of Organisational Culture

ABSTRACT Organizational culture has become the buzzword in popular management with many experts suggesting it as an important determinant for organizational success. Management researchers have been quick to point out the impact that organizational culture may have on the effectiveness of the organization and have called for an increase in the attention paid to organizational culture. With more emphasis being placed on organizational culture, it becomes important to understand the appeal of this concept and examine its impact on management within the organization This paper thus explores on the concept of â€Å"organizational culture† and examines its impact on behaviours and management of the organization. This will involve identifying one associated mode or theory and evaluating or determining the extent to which the chosen model plays a part in defining the style of management. A case study of Sony Ericsson will also be employed to help illustrate the application of hofstede’s model of organizational culture. The study will also identify limitations of this model and the strengths that have enabled it to be used as a basis for most research analyses. INTRODUCTION Organizational culture has become the buzzword in popular management with many experts suggesting it as an important determinant for organizational success (Schein 1999). While the association between organizational culture and organizational success is far from certain, it is obvious that each organization has its own unique social structure which drives much of the individual behavior within that organization. Management researchers have been quick to point out the impact that organizational culture may have on the effectiveness of the organization and have called for an increase in the attention paid to organizational culture (Siehl & Martin 1998). With more emphasis being placed on organizational culture, it is important to understand the appeal of this concept and examine its impact on management within the organization. This study thus explores on the concept of organizational culture and examines its impact on management style. This will involve identifying one associated mode or theory and evaluating or determining the extent to which the chosen model plays a part in defining the style of management. In this regard, Hofstede’s ideas will form the basis of our analysis of organizational culture. WHAT IS..â€Å"CULTURE†? The term culture has been given varied set of definitions by various scholars. Kroeber & Kluckholn (1952), for example, defined culture as consisting of patterns of behaviour acquired and transmitted through symbols, and which constitute distinctive achievement of human groups including their embodiment in artifacts. Hofstede (1980), on the other hand, defined culture as the collective programming of the mind which differentiates members of one human group in the society from the rest. While Symington (1983) defined it as a complex whole which include belief, knowledge, morals, art, customs, capabilities and habits acquired in the society. These definitions suggest culture to consist of a set of value systems that are shared equally by members in the society and which binds people together. With the above conceptualization of culture, we can now define what we mean by organizational culture. ORGANIZAITONAL CULTURE Organizational culture can simply be defined as a set of values, assumptions and beliefs that define the behaviours and style of management in an organization (O’Reilly et.al, 1991). There are three main sources of influence believed to interact to create organizational culture. These are the beliefs and values held by the leaders of the organization, the characteristics of the industry in which the organization is within, and the broader society in which the organization operates (O’Reilly et.al, 1991). The most influential model used by management researchers and which has formed the basis of most analyses of organizational culture is Hofstede’s model. While most noted for his groundbreaking work on dimensions of national culture, Hofstede also identified six dimensions of organizational culture which can be used in defining the style of management in an organization.Process oriented vs goal orientedThe process oriented vs result oriented dimension is concerned with the effectiveness of the organization. A key feature of a process oriented culture is the means or rather the way in which work has to be conducted. While in a result oriented culture, emphasis is placed on the goals of the organization. That is, employees are primarily out to achieve specific organizational goals even if the risks involved are substantial (Hofstede 2001).Parochial vs professionalThis dimension reflects the internal and external frame of the organization (Hofstede 2001). In a local culture the id entity of the employees is with the immediate manager. Hence employees within this culture are internally focused and directed and there is also a strong social control. The converse is true in a professional culture where the identity of the employees is largely determined by the profession and content of the job.Open system vs closed systemThe open system vs closed system dimension reflects the communication climate of the organization (Hofstede 2001). For an open system, new employees are welcomed and there is the belief that everyone fits well in the organization. While for a closed system, it is difficult to join and it is believed that only a certain kind of individuals may fit in the organization.Employee oriented vs job orientedThis dimension relates to the management philosophy in the organization. In an employee oriented organizational culture, concern is mainly on employee satisfaction. The staff members feel that their own personal problems and welfare is taken into acco unt by the organization. While for a job oriented organizational culture, work is characterized by heavy pressure to perform the specific task at the expense of the employee (Hofstede 2001).Tighter control vs loose controlThis dimension relates to structuring, control and discipline in the organization. A tight control culture is characterized by seriousness and punctuality while the features of a loose control culture are casual and improvisation (Hofstede 2001). Examples of organizations that are often found within tighter controls are banks and pharmaceutical companies while those found in loose control are research laboratories and advertising agencies (Hofstede 2001).Normative vs pragmaticThis dimension reflects on the methods employed by organizations when dealing with the environment in general and customers in particular. It describes the level of â€Å"customer oreintation†. Pragmatic cultures are flexible and more market driven while normative cultures are rigid and often emphasize on following applicable laws and rules (Hofstede 2001). Hofstede labeled organizations involved in the sale of services as pragmatic while those engaged in application of laws and rules as normative. CRITICISMS OF HOFSTEDE’S MODEL Hofstede’s ground breaking work on culture has indeed provided valuable insights into the management styles and dynamics of cross cultural relationships. However, his highly influential findings have not been without criticisms. A number of academics have discredited his work in part or whole. Critics have argued that survey was not an important instrument that could be used in accurately determining and measuring the culture of organizations (Jones 2007). A survey of a set of limited questions certainly cannot adequately and comprehensively provide an in-depth understanding of culture of an organization. In response to this criticism, Hofstede argued that survey was one method and certainly not the only method that was used. Hofstede’s model has also been criticized on the basis that the five or six dimensions did not provide sufficient information about cultural differences (Jones 2007). In this regard, Hofstede agreed that his analysis was too narrow to credibly argue for the universal validity and sufficiency of the six dimensions of organizational culture that he identified. And in fact, suggested for additional dimensions to his original work. He also noted that some of the six dimensions that he identified may be less useful when analyzing other types of organizations in other countries (Jones 2007). A third criticism is that Hofstede’s work is seen as outdated, especially with the rapid changes in the global environment (Jones 2007). This critique has further been put forward by Holden (2002) who points out that the data used by Hofstede in his dimensions of organizational culture seem to have been gathered over 30 years ago and is therefore no longer applicable to the modern day world. In response to this criticism, Hofstede (1998) pointed out that a number of recent replications had confirmed his findings. Hofstede’s model is also criticized on grounds of his one company approach. Hofstede’s analysis supposed that a single IBM organizational culture could be used to make inferences about the entire world wide organizational cultures (Jones 2007). A study fixated on one company certainly cannot be used to make inferences about the entire world wide organizational cultures. The validity of his dimensions of organizational culture has thus been questioned and his model considered to be non-comprehensive as the study was based on data collected from a single company using questionnaires that lacked academic foundation. Critics have also argued that Hofstede failed to recognize the diversity in his analysis of IBM culture (Jones 2007). He ignored extensive literature which suggested that there were multiple, dissenting and emergent cultures in an organization. If we are to ignore the assumption of a single culture in IBM and acknowledge the diversity in culture at IBM, then his analysis is likely to collapse. After years of publication of his analysis on organizational culture based on the IBM survey data, Hofstede begun to acknowledge the presence of cultural diversity within and between units in the same organization. However, despite recognizing flaws in his work, Hofstede fails to admit error or weakness in his analysis. Accepting that organizations had multiple cultures as opposed to his assumption of a single culture would seem to undermine a crucial part of his analysis. ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF HOFSTEDE’S MODEL Despite these criticisms, Hofstedes work is widely acknowledged and used by many scholars and practictioners due to its mainly appealing attributes. Sondergaard (1994) noted that hofstede’s analysis on corporate culture received 1,036 citations in comparison with another highly regarded study by Miles & Snow (1978) which only received 200 citations. Moreover, a number of researchers have replicated Hofstede’s study including Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner (1997). Some of the strengths that have enabled it to be used as the basis of most research analyses include: Relevance: – Hofstede’s discoveries came at a time when there was very little known about culture and businesses were just globalizing and were in need of advice (Jones 2007). Hofstede’s framework exceeded this demand and became widely accepted by many scholars and practitioners. His work offered guidance to managers who were expanding their businesses as cultures were clashing and creating difficulties (Jones 2007). Rigour – Hofstede model is based on a rigorous research design with systematic data and is built on a coherent theory (Jones 2007). Simplicity: – Knudsen & Loloma (2007) argues that hofstede’s model has remained influential and successful due to its simplicity of appliance. His analysis of culture offered a simple way of understanding organizational culture. The six dimensions that define organizational culture put forth by Hofstede made it easier for managers and researchers to understand corporate culture without the need of ex pert knowledge. Relative accuracy: – strength of Hofstede’s model is also reflected in its level of accuracy. Majority of the replications conducted by other researchers have confirmed Hofstede’s findings. Four replications have concurred fully with Hofstede’s findings while fifteen showed partial confirmation (Jones 2007). Moreover, Hofstede’s framework has become very influential in management studies and is most widely cited in social sciences. His work remains instrumental in the implementation of various business systems in organizations including entrepreneurial behaviour, workgroup performance and dynamics, leadership styles, participative management and management control systems among many others (Jones 2007). A CASE STUDY OF SONY ERICSSON In order to explore on the extent to which hofstede model plays a part in defining management style, we will conduct a case study of Sony Ericsson, a joint venture between Sony and Ericsson. Sony Ericsson has its headquarters and all of its management based in the UK. The firm aims at becoming the most innovative and attractive mobile brand globally (Cooper & Ross 2007). ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE IN SONY ERICSSON Organizational culture has long been acknowledged as an important factor for driving behaviour, decision making and shaping management style at Sony Ericsson. With regard to the rules and procedures, Sony Ericson follows a certain procedure laid down by the firm (Cooper & Ross 2007). While it is not a requirement for employees to follow strict dress code and office timings, it is mandatory for employees at Sony Ericsson to abide by the business ethics and code of conduct (Cooper & Ross 2007). Since the firm does not follow a strict dress code and office timings, it can be concluded that the organization employs a loose control culture. With regard to employee evaluation and performance, the staffs at Sony Ericsson are not differentiated on their individual performance and are allowed to participate in decision making except at the higher level which requires the executive management team only (Cooper & Ross 2007). Sony Ericsson’s corporate culture is also more employee oriented with managers more concerned on the welfare and employee satisfaction. Sony Ericson’s organizational culture is also very professional as employees are subjected to scrutiny checks prior to their appointment to ensure that individuals hired are competent and have a certain level of experience deemed necessary for the position (Tayeb 2001). With regard to normative and pragmatic approach, the firm is seen in between, as its organizational culture is both normative and pragmatic oriented. While Sony Ericsson focuses on meeting customer and market needs, the firm also adheres to certain rules and guidelines in meeting these needs (Tayeb 2001). Clearly, Hofstede’s model plays a significant part in defining the management style and organizational behaviour at Sony Ericsson. CONCLUSION There is no doubt that Hofstede’s model is one of the most widely acknowledged and used piece of research. His ground breaking work on culture has indeed provided valuable insights into the management styles and dynamics of cross cultural relationships as evident in Sony Ericsson. A number of academics have however discredited his work in part or whole. Although Hofstede’s work on culture has been heavily criticized on grounds of his one company approach, survey methodological approach, and for fewer dimensions and his assumption of a single organizational culture; majority of his findings have had remarkable effect on practitioners and researchers and continue to guide multi-national practitioners into the â€Å"global† future. While there is a high level of controversy in his analysis of culture, there is no doubt that his study is one of the most influential in the analysis of organizational culture. REFERENCE Hofstede, G., 2001. Culture’s consequences. 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage publications Hofstede, G., 1998. â€Å"Attitudes, Values and Organizational Culture: Disentangling the concepts.† Organization Studies 19(3): 477. Hofstede, G., 1980. Culture’s Consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. Hofstede, G., Neuijen, B., Ohayv, D. D., and G. Sanders, 1990. â€Å"Measuring Organizational Cultures: A Qualitative and Quantitative Study across Twenty Cases†. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(2), 286-316. Holden, N., 2002. Cross-Cultural Management – A Knowledge Management Perspective. Harlow: Prentice Hall. Jones, M.L., 2007. Hofstede – culturally questionableOxford, UK. Kroeber, A. L. and C. Kluckhohn, 1952. Culture: A critical review of concepts and definitions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University press Knudsen & Loloma, 2007. The consequences of â€Å"culture’s consequences†. A critical approach to culture as collective programming applied to cross-cultural crews. Journal of Maritime Affairs. Vol . 8 (2), pp.105 -121 Miles, R and C. Snow, 1978. Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. O’Reilly, C., Chatman, J., and D. Caldwell, 1991. â€Å"People and organizational culture: A profile comparison approach to assessing person-organization fit†. Academy of Management Journal, 34:487-516. Rose, R., 2008. Organizational culture as a root of performance improvement: research and recommendations. Contemporary management research. Vol.4, p. 43-46 Schein, E., 1999. The corporate culture survival guide. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Schwartz, S.H., 1994. â€Å"Beyond individualism/collectivism†. In: Kim, U., Triandis, H.C. et al. (eds) Individualism and Collectivism: Theory, Method, and Applications: Vol. 18, Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Siehl, C. & J. Martin, 1998. â€Å"Measuring Organizational Culture: Mixing Qualitative and Quantitative Methods†. In: Jones, M.O, et al. (eds), Inside Organizations: Understanding the Human Dimension, Newbury Park, CA, Sage Publications, pp.79-103. Sinha, 2000. Patterns of work culture. Sage publications Sondergaard, M., 1994. â€Å"Hofstede’s consequences: A study of reviews, citations and replications.† Organization Studies 15(3): 447. Symington, J. W., 1983. Learn Latin America’s Culture. New York Times. Tayeb, M. H., 2001. International Business Partnership. New York: Palgrave. Trompenaars, F. and C. Hampden-Turner, 1997. Riding the waves of culture: understanding cultural diversity in business. London, Nicholas Brearley.

Rachel Carson Bio

Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ April 14, 1964) was a Marine Biologist. Her accomplishments included: Writing the books The Edge Of The Sea, bestsellers Under The Sea Wind, The Sea Around Us, and her most popular Silent Spring, and she was also the founder of the Environmental Movement. Her most famous book, Silent Spring, documented effects of harmful pesticides and pollution on the environment, especially on birds. The book helped launch Carson’s Environmental Movement. The movement was a political group to address and shine a light on important environmental issues.It set out to change public policy towards the environment and also individual’s behavior. The movement recognized humanity as an ally and not an enemy of ecosystems. The movement focused on  ecology,  health, and  human rights in order to maintain the environment. Rachel Carson joined the Bureau of Fisheries as a host of the radio station, â€Å"Romance Under the Waters,† which she wo uld explore and discover the life underwater and then tell about her adventures on the station.Rachel Carson received many awards including: National Book Award and the John Burroughs Medal for her book The Sea Around Us, and she was also the second woman to be elected into the National Institute of Arts and Letters. The Bureau of Fisheries hired her as a junior biologist, and over a long time of many years, she was finally promoted to the chief editor of publications for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Rachel Carson was the first woman to take and pass the civil service test.Rachel Carson is not like Mr. Rezendes because she is a women and Mr. Rezendes is a man. She is also not pink. I found the information about Rachel Carson online on Wikipedia and some other educational websites. It was fairly easy to find information about Rachel Carson because she is a really important scientist in the Marine Biology field. I just tried to be specific in the Google search engine so I coul d find important information.I am really jubilant that I was able to easily find a lot of information on Rachel Carson because it shows how important Marine Biology is in the field of science. Also it shows that women, too, make many important accomplishments just like men do in the world of science. Rachel Carson was not discriminated against during her life, which was surprising because women normally are. Instead, it seems like she was respected in her line of work which is cool.In conclusion, Rachel Carson contributed greatly in the world of Marine Biology and she was given many awards for her achievements and contributions. She is an example of a special scientist because unlike most, she is a woman, and she wasn’t even disrespected or segregated for being a woman, which is great that by the time she was a scientist, people were not blinded by racism or sexism. Bibliography http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Rachel_Carson http://castle. eiu. edu/~wow/carsachieve. html http:/ /www. lkwdpl. org/wihohio/cars-rac. htm

buy custom Technology PowerPoint Presentation essay

buy custom Technology PowerPoint Presentation essay Technology PowerPoint Presentation Introduction Innovative technologies can useful in enhancing communication in the criminal justice field. The technologies are useful tools in areas like court testimonies during trials, interviews, and interrogation. Indico system, for instance, can record and store both audio and video information. The software that is obtained in this way assist in reducing time and increasing quality in the criminal justice process from the time of arrest to trials. It also helps in obtaining evidence. Videoconferencing is useful in Danish courts, since it helps in the interviewing of detainees who are in distant places. Discussion Use of Logica and Indico System in Interviews Interrogation Logica and Indico Systems together allow the judiciary to increase the investment's value in communications, conferencing, and recording. The two systems combined, allow institutions to provide customers with a high degree of reliability, safety, and administration of services of solutions that they invest in. The Danish police have found out that the Indico system is a new technique for interviewing, which produces a lot of information. The police force can now record interviews from witnesses and suspects in rape, homicide, and other crime-related cases. The combination of the two systems makes the interviewee to speak freely and uninterrupted about any recollection of events. Traditionally, the interview involves interruptions and pauses. According to the police, such cases lead to the inaccuracy of recorded and documented information. The interruptions can be due to a police officer trying to fill his or her report at the interview time. Now, the department of police at Roskilde (Denmark), has introduced a new technique, where there is an interview room having a sitting area. The interview area has microphones and video cameras, which are used to record video and audio sources. The system assists the investigator to obtain a lot of investigative material, since it makes both parties focus on the interview. The cognitive interview technique is an improvement, which is different from the traditional technque. In this technique, the interviewees are directed to go back to the event scene, then talk on their experiences in own words and timing. Inspector Jens Mller believes that the approach provides a more objective and broader interview. The method now is a pilot since it has managed to facilitate a limited number of interviews in a specific interrogation room. This technique is efficient because it can save the investigation time, only if the details and information are available at the beginning of the case. Use of Video Conferencing in Court Testimony It is now outdated for the police service to travel on Danish roads for case hearings. The videoconferencing in the courtroom enables the interviewing of detainees who are in the Jutland, and may not want to be present physically during the hearing. The year 2010 saw the inauguration of the new technology by the Esbjerg city court. The court administration Prison and Probation service, the prosecutor General, and the national police through collaboration equipped the Esbjerg and Snderborg court with videoconferencing and Indico Audio equipments, which are vital in recording of cases. This has made possible the hearing of certain cases by videoconferencing where participants are hailing from about four locations. Previously, police were transporting prisoners for distances as long as 100 kilometers to the court for the hearing of their cases, but the new equipment now enables this hearing to take place by video conference between the remand centre and the court. This curbs a situation where a prisoner may attempt to escape during transportation to court. Videoconferencing equipment can also serve as evidence of police surveillance videos during the hearing and for securing audio recordings, which securely records the trials. Surette (2010) described the positive and negative effects of new technologies in criminal justice system. Overall positive effect due to new technologies Innovative technologies in the criminal justice field are vital because: 1. They increase case output by using computer-based systems to record and monitor proggress on court cases. 2. They help in rapid transfer of the case details by use of computer communication systems. 3. They positively identify other prosecutions, which are pending on individuals by enabling access to registers of other courts or prosecutors. 4. They enable a high, successful rate of cases by analyzing case details and allowing rapid access to case law and statutes. 5. They assist with decision making, especially in selecting charges, by use of computer systems to look into charges and pleas. Overall negative effect due to new technologies 1. No technology gives a magic tool for solving complicated issue like crimes. Overreliance on innovative technologies may not solve some detailed criminal cases. 2. In a country or area where the technology is not advance, the use of innovative technologies in criminal justice becomes challenging. 3. The innovative technologies discourage the use of paperwork in the criminal justice system; hence, if there is a technical breakdown in the system the prosecutions will halt. Conclusion Innovative technologies are powerful tools in the system of criminal justice. They are crucial in the interviews, interrogations, and court testimonies. Logica and Indico Systems assist the courts to increase communications in case related issues like conferencing and recording. The Danish police use the Indico system for interviews in order to produce enough information. This concerns the use of audio and video sources. Videoconferencing is also useful for conducting court hearings instead of transporting prisoners over a long distance, which in can even provide them with an opportunity to escape. Although the technologies present some challenges, they have many positive effects like speeding up the case hearings and increasing the success rate of court cases. Buy custom Technology PowerPoint Presentation essay

Napoleon and the Siege of Toulon 1793

Napoleon and the Siege of Toulon 1793 The siege of Toulon in 1793 might have blended into the many other actions of the French Revolutionary War were it not for the later career of one man, as the siege marked the first notable military action of Napoleon Bonaparte, later French Emperor and one of the greatest generals in history. France in Rebellion The French Revolution transformed almost every aspect of French public life and grew more radical as the years passed (turning into terror). However, these changes were far from universally popular, and as many French citizens fled revolutionary areas, others decided to rebel against a revolution they saw as increasingly Parisian and extreme. By 1793 these rebellions had turned into widespread, open and violent revolt, with a revolutionary army/militia sent out to crush these enemies within. France was, in effect, engaging in a civil war at the same time as countries surrounding France looked to intervene and force a counter-revolution. The situation was, at times, desperate. Toulon The site of one such rebellion was Toulon, a port on the south coast of France. Here the situation was critical to the revolutionary government, as not only was Toulon an important naval base – France was engaged in wars against many of the monarchist states of Europe – but the rebels had invited in British ships and handed over control to their commanders. Toulon had some of the thickest and most advanced defenses, not just in France, but in Europe, and would have to be retaken by the revolutionary forces to help secure the nation. It was no easy task but had to be done quickly. The Siege and the Rise of Napoleon Command of the revolutionary army assigned to Toulon was given to General Carteaux, and he was accompanied by a ‘representative on mission’, basically a political officer designed to make sure he was being sufficiently ‘patriotic’. Carteaux began a siege of the port in 1793. The effects of the revolution on the army had been severe, as many of the officers had been nobility and as they were persecuted they fled the country. Consequently, there were many open spaces and plenty of promotion from lower ranks based on ability rather than birth rank. Even so, when the commander of Carteaux’s artillery was wounded and had to leave in September, it wasn’t purely skill that got a young officer called Napoleon Bonaparte appointed as his replacement, as both he and the representative on a mission who promoted him – Saliceti – were from Corsica. Carteaux had no say in the matter. Major Bonaparte now showed great skill in increasing and deploying his resources, using a keen understanding of terrain to slowly take key areas and undermine the British hold on Toulon. While who played the key role in the final act is debated, but Napoleon definitely played a vital role, and he was able to take full credit when the port fell on December 19th, 1793. His name was now known by key figures in the revolutionary government, and he was both promoted to Brigadier General and given command of the artillery in the Army of Italy. He would soon leverage this early fame into greater command, and use that opportunity to take power in France. He would use the military to establish his name in history, and it began at Toulon.

How to Solve Marketing Fire Drills with Kyle DeWeerdt from Apprenda [PODCAST]

How to Solve Marketing Fire Drills with Kyle DeWeerdt from Apprenda [PODCAST] Marketing fire drills: Can you learn to take care of them before they turn into bona fide emergencies? It can be stressful and overwhelming when projects crop up with little to no notice. Planning where you can and having good communication with your team can help you get through it with no negative ramifications. Today’s guest is Kyle DeWeerdt, marketing programs manager at Apprenda. He has come up with a simple system to help his team prioritize their time to complete their work, nipping stressful emergencies in the bud. He’s going to help us learn how to resolve issues before they even start. Some of the topics you’ll hear about today include: Some information about Apprenda and the types of content that Kyle works with, as well as Kyle’s background. An explanation of â€Å"marketing fire drills†: What are they, and what can you do about them? An explanation of buffer time, and how it can help you handle these emergencies that come up. How to break down a project to define a deadline and a publish date for content. How Kyle manages the process behind the scenes with multiple teams to make sure every task is completed on time. Kyle’s best tips for marketers who want to manage their projects more efficiently.

Examining the alleged barriers to acceptance of credit cards Essay

Examining the alleged barriers to acceptance of credit cards - Essay Example However, in order to understand whether this is accurate, one must examine the characteristics of the cash-carry banking culture and also investigate how consumers determine risk in this area. It is somewhat of a bold statement to contribute the aforementioned factors as being legitimate barriers to credit card acceptance. Why is this? Schmith (2008) provides statistics of the explosive growth in credit card penetration across the world. In some countries, credit card usage has outpaced total national growth (i.e. GDP) and the trend in consumer credit card usage continues to escalate significantly (Schmith 2008). There is more evidence, rather, that disruptive innovations in the market place, such as mobile payment systems, are providing a new incentive for consumers to reject credit cards in favour of more modern technologies associated with payment and banking. A disruptive innovation is one defined as a product or service capable of supplanting or transforming an established marke t (Christensen and Raynor 2003). Hence, evolutions in payment systems, such as electronic banking or mobile banking, are transforming available options, making switching costs very low for consumers to select alternatives to credit cards. Do, then, risk perception and cultural characteristics of the cash-carry banking culture actually serve as barriers to credit card adoption? Research indicates that there are far too many explanatory factors for why consumers might reject acceptance of credit cards that are aligned with specific market beliefs and market needs. These factors include the appropriate design of advertising communications by a marketing business, competition...This is aligned properly with many consumer behavioural models that illustrate the processes of selection, organisation and interpretation that involves much psycho-social influence both inherent and stemming from the external environment. Thus, particular segments that do see risk associated with involvement in credit cards, either social, economic, or perhaps privacy related would have different motives from other markets that find trust and reliability in the rather mature credit card industry. The cash and carry consumer, one that values traditionalism in the financial services industry, might be adaptable to accepting credit cards if their evaluative criteria finds an appropriate match with the messages and other related stimuli provided by marketing entities. At least theory would seem to dictate this, but again without knowing exacting market characteristics, a well-justified hypothesis would be difficult to produce. However, there is ample evidence that credit card usage continues to explode and research did not uncover any legitimised data that cash and carry cultures and risk establish barriers to credit card adoption.

Problems in Total Quality in Workplace Assignment

Problems in Total Quality in Workplace - Assignment Example As such, organizations look for appropriate ways to manage such dynamic turbulent conditions and win over. One of the ways to do this would be through improving quality, which Narasimhan and Kannan observe that when organizations start â€Å"improving quality, it improves everything† which in the long run makes them â€Å"stay in business† (2011, p.445). The researchers define quality as a continuous process where organizations build and sustain relationships through assessments, anticipation and fulfillment of stated and implied needs. Over time, organizations have grown towards Total Quality, a concept that has shaped itself into a critical concept in strategic management. Total Quality refers to the attitude, culture and organization of a business entity striving to provide its customers with services and products satisfying their needs. This requires quality in all the operations of an organization with processes being executed right first time and waste and defects reduced from operations. Together with quality tools, management tools - cumulatively referred to as Total Quality Management - play a critical role in the reduction of wasteful practices and increasing business. Morfaw (2009) defines Total Quality Management as a philosophy or approach aimed at meeting the needs of customers and their expectations involving employees and managers through the application of quantitative methods that would continuously improve the products, services and processes in an organization. This combines the elements involved in both strategic management and sustainability on a single platform so as to ensure organizations survive longer. The nature of total quality makes it strategic: aims at organization’s long-term survival; perceives organizations as open systems with change as the only constant; and it is also futuristic by  nature (Narasimhan & Kannan, 2011).

Study of chemical vapor deposition CVD grown transparent conducting Dissertation

Study of chemical vapor deposition CVD grown transparent conducting oxides (TCO) - Dissertation Example The results show that samples AGC-U and TEC 8 are both fit for use as semiconductor materials though the electrical conductivity of TEC 8 is better than that for AGC-U. Moreover when it comes to samples 198-219 the electrical properties (such as sheet resistance, mobility, resistivity and carrier concentration) tend to change as the doping levels are varied. The best electrical properties can be attributed to Sample 200 (with a doping level of 0.6 M) as it has the highest conductivity. It was also found out that fluorine doped samples had higher resistivity and that the mean transmission and mean reflection change as the doping levels of fluorine are changed. The mean transmission varies between 46.95% and 63.21% while the mean reflection varies between 2.21% and 4.25%. Sample 198 had the highest transmission while Sample 213 had the lowest transmission and reflection. It was also found out that the peak position did not vary as the levels of fluorine doping were changed. However the intensity (Lin count) tends to change as fluorine doping levels are changed. Sample 213 (0 M) had the lowest intensities while Sample 198 (0.4 M) had the highest peak.

You are the judge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

You are the judge - Essay Example Elaine has sued to recover her occupant. The plaintiff is supported by facts and legal rules that include written Promises whereby all employees at-will employees included are guarded by law in the case of unlawful termination. Elaine by her employer wrote the job offer letter; Jerry can be produced in court. The letter stated that Elaine would receive an annual salary of $30,000 and instead she was fired within the stated period. Availability of indirect promises could deter the employer from firing an employee. The court to determine whether the promise exist checks on assurances which could have been made by your employer that there was job continuity, the employment period in question and furthermore if your employer violated a legal practice while firing process in this case jerry did not offer Elaine a warning and reason for termination (Henry 67). In case the employer breached the good faith and fair dealing the termination would definitely be illegal. In situations where an employer terminates and employer so that he/she cannot claim the commission or if an employee is fired then be replaced by another employee who will earn less than the former employee. Elaine was fired and replaced by Kramer, who was less experienced and had low education level than Elaine and definitely, Kramer will work for low pay. An employee must not be fired in case he/she discloses a company’s illegal practice like failure to pay its workers or if he/she becomes a whistleblower discloses the harmful deeds of the company like environmental pollution. Finally, an employer must never fire an employee due to his gender, race, nationality, religion or age. In case of discrimination, an employee can sue the company if he/she if these claims are true (Henry 45). Facts and legal rules that support defendant argument include giving out warning letters and in case of no improvement then termination is justified. The employer must document all corrective records,

The impact of socioeconomic inequalities on mother-child HIV Thesis

The impact of socioeconomic inequalities on mother-child HIV transmission and the therapeutic intervention in South Africa - Thesis Example Absolute poverty in this case is the inability for one to meet basic need while relative poverty is whereby individuals and the community lag behind in welfare. According to Mail Guardian (2011), almost half of South Africa population lives below the poverty line, surviving on just over R500 a month. Though poverty levels have been decreasing over time, the country still lags behind due to the high level of unemployment. It is estimated that only 41% of adults are employed (Mail Guardian 2011). According to Cox (2008), poverty has caused a significant effect on the financial power of the affected women than men. According to Rosenweig et al. (1998), lack of adequate finance, affordable housing, and skills have exposed single parents to engage in dangerous promiscuity like prostitution hence increasing their risk of contracting HIV and Aids. In South Africa, women accounts for more than 57% of individuals living with HIV (Henry 2005). Moreover, majority of women living with HIV are within 25 to 35 years (Henry 2005). This is a childbearing age hence; there is a very high likelihood of having mother-to-child HIV transmission. In response to the effect of HIV and mother-to-child transmission, the government of South Africa has come up with various intervention strategies. Among them is public health education, advocating for Caesarean section during delivery, substituting breastfeeding after delivery, use of antiretroviral drugs for the infected mothers and tax waive on antiretroviral drugs (Haarmann 2000). However, Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) are the most popular of all the interventions on mother-to-child HIV transmission (Chigwedere et al. 2008). It increases child survival and decreases HIV related morbidity and mortality. For a pregnant mother to be able to use ARVs, the person goes through several phases with screening for pregnancy being the first stage. Upon

Personal Ethical Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Ethical Statement - Essay Example The rights of an individual must be protected. Therefore autonomy is at the core of my value system along with sensibility. Every situation is different and the actors in each are different. Hence, a rational tailor made solution to every situation would be completely wrong. Each situation must be viewed according to its own merits and a solution must be designed that best suits the situation and results in the greatest good for everyone involved. My strength is that I am optimistic about every situation and have the skills and mind of an entrepreneur. I am also very imaginative and this is a quality I am very proud of. I fall back on my experience to analyse the situation at hand and then use my intuition and imagination to solve problems. This has helped me solve a lot of problems and is the best approach to use. My value system allows me to view the situation from different perspectives through which I am able at analyse what is best for everyone involved. Another one of my strengths is that I believe in free will and everybody must do what is best for them and brings them joy. It is fine to want good things for you and everybody must have the freedom to decide that. There are a few weaknesses of mine that I have found from the Ethical Lens Inventory. One is that I assume that everyone has a clear sense of their own values. This has not been the case always and has resulted in me making some wrong decisions. Sometimes I tend go overboard exercising free will and fail to be accountable to those who are dependent on me. This is not right as I need to be accountable to people who people and act accordingly. This, even if not intentional, creates problems for those involved. My blind spot, as I have now learnt, is that I can be satisfied with too little good. That is, if I am satisfied with my own needs I might become complacent. But the right thing to do is to ensure that everybody is satisfied. As mentioned earlier, my core values are

The impact of socioeconomic inequalities on mother-child HIV Thesis

The impact of socioeconomic inequalities on mother-child HIV transmission and the therapeutic intervention in South Africa - Thesis Example Absolute poverty in this case is the inability for one to meet basic need while relative poverty is whereby individuals and the community lag behind in welfare. According to Mail Guardian (2011), almost half of South Africa population lives below the poverty line, surviving on just over R500 a month. Though poverty levels have been decreasing over time, the country still lags behind due to the high level of unemployment. It is estimated that only 41% of adults are employed (Mail Guardian 2011). According to Cox (2008), poverty has caused a significant effect on the financial power of the affected women than men. According to Rosenweig et al. (1998), lack of adequate finance, affordable housing, and skills have exposed single parents to engage in dangerous promiscuity like prostitution hence increasing their risk of contracting HIV and Aids. In South Africa, women accounts for more than 57% of individuals living with HIV (Henry 2005). Moreover, majority of women living with HIV are within 25 to 35 years (Henry 2005). This is a childbearing age hence; there is a very high likelihood of having mother-to-child HIV transmission. In response to the effect of HIV and mother-to-child transmission, the government of South Africa has come up with various intervention strategies. Among them is public health education, advocating for Caesarean section during delivery, substituting breastfeeding after delivery, use of antiretroviral drugs for the infected mothers and tax waive on antiretroviral drugs (Haarmann 2000). However, Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) are the most popular of all the interventions on mother-to-child HIV transmission (Chigwedere et al. 2008). It increases child survival and decreases HIV related morbidity and mortality. For a pregnant mother to be able to use ARVs, the person goes through several phases with screening for pregnancy being the first stage. Upon

Assessment of the State of Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Essay

Assessment of the State of Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Eastern Europe - Essay Example The end of Communism unleashed a brief springtime of ethnicity in Eastern Europe, and a tentative ethnic, cultural, and political revival followed the collapse of Soviet power. In 2004 the European Union voted to incorporate ten Eastern European nations known to value democratic principles into its association: the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. All Slavic languages derive from the Proto-Slavic, which itself is believed to have divided off from the Proto-Indo-European precursor of members of the Indo-European family of languages as far back as 2000 B.C. (Ruhlenn, 28). In the 1st century B.C. Proto-Slavic was most likely still native to all Slavs and may have remained so as late as the 8th or 9th century A.D. The individual Slavic languages and their related cultures definitely began to surface by the 10th century A.D (Gordon, 357). In the aftermath of the westward advance of the German tribes, the Slavic peoples had expanded throughout eastern and central Europe and had virtually assimilated most of the earlier peoples of the vicinity by the close of the 10th century. The absorption of these inhabitants created the subsequent diversity of languages and cultures that comprise present-day Central and Eastern Europe as well as the western section of the Soviet Union (Barraclough, 35). In comparison to the prosperity and erudition of the Byzantines, the Slavic culture was as much economically disadvantaged as its political affairs and defensive structures were decidedly tenuous. Over time Byzantine, German, Magyar, Mongol, or Turkish foreigners invaded the region by turns (Dornberg, 40). Each foreign element imposed a distinct set of ethnic, financial, political, and societal characteristics that were at times resisted and at others assimilated in an ethno-linguistic synthesis. Religion typically afforded the vita l means by which outside ethnic customs and languages were adapted. By adopting western influences the Slav princes consolidated their influence abroad, acquired self-government and successfully unified the Slav tribes in official states (Barraclough, 57). From the 9th to the 13th century A.D. Christians from Rome and Byzantium vied to win northern and eastern Europe over to their view of Christianity (Dornberg, 134). Early in the 9th century the influx of Hungarians in Pannonia had interjected non-Slavic speakers between southern and western Slavs (Barraclough, 73). A sketchy demarcation subsequently emerged along that 9th Century rift, running between Rome and Constantinople, marking an implicit dividing line between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, with Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbs, Romanians, Ukrainians and Russians being largely Orthodox and Croats, Slovenes, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, and Poles principally Catholic. According to linguists, all Slavs conversed in the same tongue across the region, with distinct local dialects, probably well into the12th century (Turnock, 2). However, in spite of a compelling linguistic link to Russia and to Orthodox Christianity, the Eastern European nations did not partake significantly in the specific

English Colonial Policy Essay Example for Free

English Colonial Policy Essay England first set out for the New World as a response to the Spanish example. Spain had been the first European power to explore this new land, and upon their return showed how valuable a venture it was. England’s first objective in exploring the New World was to find a North-West Passage to open up trade with China. They were highly unsuccessful, and shifted their focus south toward New Spain. Their attempts to settle and establish colonies failed on many occasions, until the establishment of Jamestown. The settlers quickly adapted to the Native American process of cultivating tobacco and grew it in massive quantities, much of which was exported back to England. England’s main objective in establishing North American colonies was to seek fortune for the monarchy. They had been witness to the Spanish endeavors that proved highly valuable. They also wished to spread Christianity in the new land. The English monarchy saw many opportunities as Spanish power was declining. The first method employed by England to gain power oversees was privateering, in which gold and slaves were stolen from Spanish trade ships. Tobacco became their most useful tool in developing more and more massive settlements. Tobacco could be exported to England for a very high price, enabling colonists to use profits to expand their towns and inhabit much of the coast. Much of England’s population was in poverty seeking new opportunities. Most could not afford the cost of transportation to the New World. In hopes of creating better lives for themselves, thousands of people signed indentures to go work in the New World. This fueled colonists and tobacco planters to expand and further the spread of English colonialism. The Virginia Company had governance over Virginia in the beginning of its colonization. They formed a House of Burgesses to make laws and govern their inhabitants. In 1624, King James named Virginia a royal colony, in which the laws passed by the Burgesses had to be approved by the King’s bureaucrats rather than the Virginia Company. He appointed the colony’s governor and his council. The government of the colonies strictly enforced social distinction between classes. In the New England colonies Puritans dominated the government, and fought for Puritan values. The free man had much more influence on his government than he would in Spanish or French colonies. The government in the English colonies was in many ways Democratic in the sense that it had much focus on the voice of the governed. The English relationship with the Native Americans was very much back and forth. The English had an entitlement that they were superior to the Native Americans. There were times when the colonists depended on the Natives for food and survival during winter. Some tribes cut off the colonists food supply in hopes that they would leave, but the English instead raided their villages and stole their food. An uprising of Natives on March 22, 1622 ended in the death of 347 colonists, which was â€Å"almost one-third† of the population in the settlement (Roark 54). This event may very well have landed the Native Americans on the enemies-list of the English colonists. Works Consulted Eden, Jason, and Naomi Eden. Views Of Older Native American Adults In Colonial New England. Journal Of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 25.3 (2010): 285-298. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. Roark, James L. The American Promise: A Compact History Volume 1: To 1877. 4 ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. Print.

Monopolized Water Industry Advantages and Disadvantages

Monopolized Water Industry Advantages and Disadvantages Background and Development Under the Constitutions of Malaysia, water is the state matter and is one of the human needs to survive. The source of water usually comes from river, lake, wetland, oceans, ground water etc, but without a good filter or water quality controller, we cannot drink water which is unfiltered from the source of water. Every country or state has its own water industry to help in water quality control and water supply to all the resident area, industrials area etc. By 1950s, Malaya (Malaysia) had 100 treatments plants which produced 195 million litres of water to supply the population of 1.15 million daily. Demand for water had increased sharply during the years after independence in 1957, especially in the capital city. To cope with the rising demand for water, Malaya decided to build Klang Gates Dam and the Bukit Nanas Treatments plant in 1959 to end the water rationing and the long period of water shortage. Water development had since figured in Malaysia plans. During the period, the foc us was put on urban and suburban supplies. By implementing the 3rd Malaysia Plan (1976-1980), which was to redress the inequalities of policies, the water supply received a much needed boost. The number of household in Peninsular Malaysia received treated water in urban and rural areas, and the figure of household raised sharply from 23% in 1950 to 85% in 1990. By the mid of 1980s, due to the rising of the demand for water, there was not only a raising in household area, but also a new demand for water in a new sector – industries. The water industry called for water transfer from state on the other side of range, which was from Pahang to Selangor. At the end of 1999, there were a total of 69 dams in Malaysia. 35 dams have been developed for water supply usage. Dam in the Pedu, Kedah and Terengganu, which had combined storage capacity exceeds more than 20,000 million cubic metres. Terengganu corporatized its water supply industry in 1995, while Selangor, Kuantan and Johor cho ose to privatize its water supply. Looking through the current 8th Malaysia Plan, the development of water resources as in Water Resources Master Plan for the country will be up to 2050 which involves 62 major water projects such as raising the existing dams, build new dams, inter-state water transfer, new treatments plans, and identifying or exploring area for development (cited in A Glimpse at water supply in Malaysia (n.d.)). In Selangor and the Federal territories of Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur, water supply distribution has been privatized. Selangor water supply is control by Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas). Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor has officially taken over operation and management of Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor, and Syabas is responsible for the water supply distribution and service in Selangor. On July 8th 1996, Syabas was incorporated under the Malaysian Companies 1965 to agree with the privatization of water supply services in the state of Selangor. Syabas is ever since responsible on the supply or distribution of water to over 7.8 million people and 1.9 million out of it are domestic consumers, commercials, factories, and industrial buildings in Selangor. Syabas operates have a stretch of about 26,705.79KM water pipes which were made by ductile iron, mild steel, cement, HDPE, asbestos, cast iron and UPVC ranging around from 100mm – 2200mm diameter. Besides, according to its offi cial website, Syabas owns 1528 of tower reservoirs, suction tank and service reservoirs. Syabas also owns about 589 booster pump stations in Selangor and 121,871 valves. The developments of Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) are Development Plan Submission which is eDPLAS System. Syabas as the water industry in Selangor is responsible to supply clean and high quality water to all the Selangor citizens. After the approval of Syabas to be a monopoly, Syabas proceeded with the development plan. All the applications submitted by developers and consultants were managed and monitored by eDPLAS system according to Syabas official website. It centralized the database where Syabas can district offices to view the same information. Besides, Syabas introduced Migration as an option for the apartment or condominium to migrate to individual water supply on certain conditions. Consumer can enjoy the tiered domestic rates of water charge which is RM0.57 for the first 20 cubic metres, RM1.38 per cubic metre for condominium and RM0.80 per cubic metre for low cost apartment. Characteristics SYABAS is the only water supply firm to households in Klang valley. The reason is because it has acquired a license from the government which is a legal barrier for it to function as a monopoly. SYABAS also invested a huge amount of money for its capital to start off as a monopoly. For this reason, there have been a lot of water companies trying to develop a business like how SYABAS does but they fail. Besides, the patents and licenses owned by SYABAS and were also the reasons why Syabas remains strong as the only water industry in Selangor. (Yuan, 2013) In this case, the monopolized water industry could use the power of economic profit to get the approval from politician. Politicians’ preference will lead to the problem of inequity for the consumers. (World of Economies , 2013) Since SYABAS is the only water supply firm in Klang valley, this will make it function as the price maker. SYABAS increased water tariffs up to 72% off the normal rate because there has no close substitutes for it. From here, it is making a good profit because they will only keep on providing enough water supply to be a steady profit producers and be the leader of this industry. (Selangor Kini, 2013) Besides, price discrimination is likely to occur when there is a monopoly such as SYABAS. The monopolized company targets and segments group into, for example, low class and high class. In this case, SYABAS charge different price according to different class to maximize it’s total revenue. It will charge RM0.80 per cubic metre for low cost apartment which is low class segment and RM1.38 per cubic metre for condominium which is high class segment. This is also a pricing strategy from SYABAS because there is no close water substitute for the consumers in Klang valley. (Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor) Benefits There are several benefits of having a monopoly in the water industry in Selangor, as they are highly motivated and publicly spirited as much as competitive industry. First, let us look at the economics of scale.( (Tejvan R Pettinger) When comparing a monopoly company such as Syabas with other water supply firms, Syabas has the advantage over firms due to their larger market territory and infrastructures. Example, if a smaller firm tries to compete with Syabas, it will have to invest in capital and infrastructures which will lead to heavy investment. By the time these firms start selling their water, the cost will be very high due to the repayment of the initial investment. Most household or office industry will avoid it, since there is an alternative to Syabas which will provide them with a cheaper price since the infrastructure has already been there. In the long run, these companies will face difficulties and may start making losses. It would be best to leave Syabas to monopolize the market, to avoid wasteful duplication of infrastructure. The second benefit that can be seen for monopoly is privatization , it was better off for the water supply to be manage by private companies such as Syabas rather than being handled by the Selangor state chief minister. Before Syabas was created in the year 1996, the Selangor state government was handling the water supply for the state very poorly as there were many issues such as fiscal constraints, inefficient administration, poor standard quality of water and inconsistency supply of water. Nevertheless, both the Selangor state government and federal for Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya granted Syabas to operate, manage, and distribution on clean water for a period on thirty years. Since then, Syabas has been responsible for distribution water supply over 7 million consumers in the federal territory and Selangor state. The third benefit of a monopoly is being a successful firm, though being inefficient and dynamic. (Tejvan R Pettinger) Syabas has delivered quality water by complying with government regulatory during the Concession Agreement in 2004. Moreover, Syabas has put in place a mechanism that respond to customer’s criticisms of poor quality water within the hour. The firm is also trying to change the public perception of water into instils public that the water is safe for consumption and is clean though its Water Quality Improvement Master Plan. Beside, that Syabas has put a mechanism called Standard Operating Procedures, which they improve their respond to pipe burst, leaks and monitoring and inspection of the Mains and Reservoirs. By following this sequence, Syabas has fewer breakdowns a, water supply distribution and it shows that Syabas is capable in handling any water crisis. Drawbacks While having a monopolized water industry— Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (SYABAS) brings a couple of benefits to us, there are also a few drawbacks of having a monopolized water industry in our state Selangor. First of all, when SYABAS is the only permitted water industry to supply water to areas around our region Selangor, it functions as the price maker and charges at a price above its marginal cost. For that, those whose willingness to pay is below the increased price wouldn’t value the change. Consequently, these people may choose to use lesser water to cut the cost. Therefore, the quantity produced and sold is allocatively inefficient at the monopoly price. In the context of Economics, when the inefficiency of allocation is presented in a graph, there will be a triangle region which is the surplus consumers and produces would’ve enjoyed if the allocation is efficient. This triangle region is called the deadweight loss. Besides of the occurrence of deadweight loss, the inefficient allocation of a monopoly would cause a part of the consumer surplus to become the producers’ surplus. That being said, the producers of a monopoly will always enjoy more surplus than the consumers do, theoretically. Furthermore, SYABAS knows well that since they are the only water industry in Selangor, the Selangor citizens wouldn’t be able to get any other close substitute (another water supply). Therefore, the company can easily exploit their consumers as the majority of the people would still buy their product (water) regardless of the price. A good example for the exploitation of consumers by SYABAS functioning as the monopolized water industry was the imposing of 72 percent increased water charges off the normal rate upon the residents of Pangsapuri Cendana (flat in Shah Alam, Selangor) on 21st January 2013. According to Selangor Kini (2013), the water charges were supposed to be RM0.80 per cubic metre for flats, but SYABAS had charged the residents of Pangsapuri Cendana at RM1.38 per cubic metre which seemed to be the water charges for apartments or condominiums. SYABAS tried to get away from the issue and refused to address any statement even after the residents involved made a few attempts to contact the SYABAS Officials. Moreover, a monopolized company usually has less incentive when it is the only firm and doesn’t have any competition in its market. SYABAS had been receiving tons of complaint calls from the consumers since the start of year 2013 according to Malaymail Online (2013). It was accused of being ‘unprofessional’ and ‘doesn’t give a proper answer’ by many consumers as Kishven Sirinezan, one of the consumers, claimed that the call operators of SYABAS had given him the reason of â€Å"burst pipes† when he had no water supply for three consecutive weeks. Besides, when a company is a monopoly, there is always a tendency of not taking the consumers’ welfare into account. For example, there has been a lot of water crisis happening in Selangor every year. As a monopolized water industry, it is SYABAS’ responsibility to make sure there’s always enough water supply for every household or industry in Selangor. However, SYABAS doesnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t seem to be focused on solving the problem nor does it try to cut down its cost and charge the consumers at a lower price. In addition, a monopoly can bring negative effects to households. In SYABAS’ case, when the monopolized water industry cannot afford to supply enough water and causes a water crisis at a certain period of time, the daily routines and budgets of people would be severely affected because we cannot drink, cook, and shower without water. Water crisis also brings inconvenience to the people affected. Besides, those who happen to run out of water have to spend extra money on buying mineral water and laundry service throughout the water rationing period. Last but not least, SYABAS as the only water industry in Selangor can also affect businesses in terms of their productions and profits during a water crisis. When the water supply is in shortage, some affected industries such as food processing industries might not have sufficient water to make enough productions during the time period. Therefore, they make losses. According to MySinChew (2014), 30 companies in Selangor such as Nestle, Monin Asia, and Panasonic (to name a few) suffered from huge losses due to the water crisis earlier this year. Among these 30 companies, Nestle was arguably facing the worst as the company made losses of RM15 million daily from the crisis. Conclusion As a conclusion, a monopoly is a single firm functions as the sole seller in its market without any competition. When it comes down to monopoly, different people have different opinions whether a single firm taking over the market is good or bad to the society. Based on the research that we did on Syabas, there are more drawbacks than benefits from the monopolized water industry. According to our research, it was reported that Syabas tried to exploit its consumers, has less incentive to improve its quality of product and services, and brings negative effects to households and businesses during a water crisis due to its inefficiency. For that, there are a few solutions suggested to solve these issues. First of all, since Syabas as the only water industry in Selangor is experiencing an economics of scale, the company should consider on improving the quality of its products and services. The monopolized water industry shouldn’t be using low quality materials to build the pipes wh ich distribute the water to us because these low-quality pipes will eventually be broken and cause leakage. When this happens, Syabas has to fix the broken pipes, and this subsequently leads to high-cost repairing. Furthermore, Syabas should frequently monitor the water dam level by investing in proper research and development. By doing so, they can prevent water crisis from happening and take a proper counter-measurement. Lastly, since Syabas is the only water contractor, it is highly unfair and unjustified for the company to exploit its consumer by charging them at an irrational price. For that, Syabas has to review its business strategy by making a proper budget arrangement and take the welfare of Selangor residence into account. Reference list 30 companies in Selangor suffer huge losses due to water crisis Mahdzir News Selangor water issue My Sinchew. (2014, November 10). Retrieved from http://www.mysinchew.com/node/103228 A glimpse of the water supply in Malaysia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.jba.gov.my/files/Semenanjung%20Malaysia.pdf Asset Management  » Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (1-800-88-5252). (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.syabas.com.my/corporate/about-us-asset-management#0 Development Plan Submission (eDPLAS System)  » Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (1-800-88-5252). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.syabas.com.my/e-services/edplas-system Flat Residents Protest Against Syabas Increasing Water Charges By 72 Percent | Selangorku English. (2013, January 22). Retrieved from http://en.selangorku.com/3049/flat-residents-protest-against-syabas-increasing-water-charges-by-72-percent/ Ghani, A. (2014, April 21). 7 Things Malaysians Are Spending On This Water Rationing Period | CompareHero Yahoo News Malaysia. Retrieved from https://my.news.yahoo.com/blogs/comparehero/7-things-malaysians-spending-water-rationing-period-104011679.html Migration  » Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (1-800-88-5252). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.syabas.com.my/highlight/migration-intro Monopoly | features, advantages, disadvantages. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dineshbakshi.com/igcse-gcse-economics/private-firm-as-producer-and-employer/revision-notes/1306-monopoly Murthy, A. (2013, July 2). Consumers hit out at Syabas complaints services | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online. Retrieved from http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/consumers-hit-out-at-syabas-complaints-services Operations  » Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (1-800-88-5252). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.syabas.com.my/corporate/about-us-syabas-operation#0 Our Mission Vision  » Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (1-800-88-5252). (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.syabas.com.my/corporate/about-us-our-mission-vision#0 R Pettinger, T. (n.d.). Advantages of monopoly. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.economicshelp.org/microessays/markets/advantages-monopoly/ SMS Data Logger  » Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (1-800-88-5252). (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.syabas.com.my/consumer/sms-data-logger# Water Quality Improvement Programme  » Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (1-800-88-5252). (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.syabas.com.my/consumer/water-quality-improvement-programme Water Quality  » Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (1-800-88-5252). (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.syabas.com.my/corporate/about-us-water-quality#0 World Of Economics: SYABAS a NATURAL MONOPOLY. (2013, July 8). Retrieved from http://worldofeconomics.blogspot.com/2013/07/is-syabas-monopoly.html

Korean Players in Major League Baseball Essay -- Major League Baseball

Even though Chan-Ho Park’s case proved that Korean players could compete in Major League Baseball, none of other Koreans successfully settled in U.S.A. after Park. Approximately after ten years, a similar case with Park’s debut came out with Shin-Soo Choo. Shin-Soo Choo, who did not make a debut in Korean Baseball Championship before debuting in Major League Baseball, made debut with Seattle Mariners on 21 April 2005. Choo dreamed about Major League Baseball, which led him into a Rookie contract with Seattle mariners after his graduation from high school in 2000. Therefore, he made up to Seattle Mariners’s Minor League and even up to Major League (â€Å"Choo Shin Soo†). Nonetheless, his debut in the Major League did not lead him into running for full season, and he mostly spent time in the minor league. Finally, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 2006. As soon as he was traded to Indians, he ironically hit a home run against the Seattle Ma riners, and he recorded a 0.295 Batting Average and a 0.373 OBP (On Base Percentage) in 2006 season with the Cleveland. A similar quality of plays was continued until the season 2008. In 2008, Choo finished the season with a 0.309 Batting Average and a 0.397 OBP. Even more, during September, he pushed up his Batting Average up to a 0.40 with thirty-four hits and five home runs. Hence, Shin-Soo Choo was selected as the American League Player of the Month. In 2009, Choo made contract with Indians for only one year, and during the one-year contract, he broke his records and joined 20-20 club (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases). Choo was the first Asian to earn the title in the Major Leagues and became the only player in the American League with a 0.30 Batting Average, 20 home runs, and 20... ....com." Baseball-Reference.com. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. "Korean Baseball History." Naver Encyclopedia. NHN, Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Minami, Craig. "2013 Dodgers Review: Hyun-jin Ryu - True Blue LA." True Blue LA. 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Rosenbaum, Mike. "Why the Los Angeles Dodgers Will Overpay for South Korean LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu." Bleacher Report. 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. "Shin-Soo Choo." Baseball Reference- BR Bullpen. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. "Shin-Soo Choo Batting Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com." Baseball-Reference.com. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Swaine, Rick. "Jackie Robinson." SABR. Society for American Baseball Research. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Wells, Adam. "Ryu Hyun-Jin: Dodgers' Foolish Investment in Korean Star Will End Badly." Bleacher Report. 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. "What Is Moneyball?" SportingCharts.com. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Domestic Terrorism

Domestic Terrorism in the United States Thomas A. Salisbury HSM 305 Survey of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Professor Erick Stone January 22, 2012 Domestic Terrorism in the United States Domestic terrorism is a real threat to this country. This type of attack is nothing new to this country but until the threat of international terrorism became prominent, there was not a large focus on domestic terrorism. With a look at history, domestic terrorists are a greater threat to security than international terrorists. Some of these threats are easily preventable and others are more difficult to see coming.The Department of Homeland Security needs to focus on domestic terrorist threats with the same effort as they do for international threats. The official definition of terrorism according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation is â€Å"the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social goals†. (Smith, 1994 p6). This definition guides how the FBI takes defines possible terrorist organizations and takes action against them.Terrorists may be left or right wing, from any religious background or any race. This is what makes identifying these groups of people very difficult. While law enforcement would like to say that a typical terrorist is a young, affluent, white male, for example, it is impossible to make that distinction. There is no profile that would fit terrorists in their entirety. It is possible for a terrorist from a certain group to fit a certain profile. A white supremacist group would have a certain type of person as a member. A black militant group would have a totally different type of person.With this being the case, it is important to identify the group of people rather than the individual. Some groups focus on a single issue such as anti-nuclear power or anti-fur trade while others call for greater changes in politics or ideology. A single, lone terrorist or small cell is the most difficult to detect and stop. In the history of this country, there have been numerous cases of domestic terrorism. Most people were unfamiliar with domestic terrorism until the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995. This is because most cases of domestic terrorism do not involve such a large loss of life.In many cases, the loss was financial and casualties were low, if any at all. Animal-rights groups have targeted fur dealers by setting fires in vehicles and buildings to destroy these businesses. The Ku Klux Klan may have killed people but the tended to do so one at a time. This does not create as much of a media buzz as a bombing that kills dozens. By doing this, some of these groups may stay out of the spotlight but in reality, they are more deadly than a single bomber. When unions were forming early in the twentieth century, there were incidences of terrorism on both sides.Strikers were attacked and fac tories were sabotaged. Some of these incidents resulted in the loss of life and almost all involved financial losses. Sometimes, these conflicts are taking place today. Political change is the aim of some of these groups. Communist organizations wanted to make the United States a Marxist country. Organizations also united under a common cause such as in 1981 when the Weather Underground (WU), the Black Liberation Army (BLA) and the Black Panther party united to form the May 19th Communist Organization (M19CO). (Smith, 1994).This group robbed armored cars to fund operations that resulted in the deaths of security officers. A crime that is in the headlines may actually be a terrorist attack used to gain money. Law enforcement must investigate fully to find out why the crime took place. A look back in history may show that terrorists were active even during the Revolution. The Boston Tea Party was staged by colonists who were protesting taxes imposed by the English. (Les Benedict, 2006 ). This incident, along with others, like the burning of a revenue ship in Rhode Island, was done to effect a change in English policy towards the colonies.The English would have viewed these acts as terrorism by today’s standards. Terrorism has also taken place during the Atlanta Olympics and at an abortion clinic when Eric Rudolph planted bombs that killed and injured people. Only an alert security guard at the Olympics prevented a tragedy. A current threat of terrorism is through the use of gangs by international organizations. Al-Qaeda has been closely working with the gang Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13. MS-13 has many ways of passing security at the Mexican border and wants to make money.Al-Qaeda can use them to provide resources and people to use. (Starita, 2009). MS-13 also wishes to have an international presence and a cooperation would give them prestige. Gangs in general present a threat to homeland security and this gang is one of the largest. According to some sources , there are as many as 96,000 members and many sympathizers. (Starita, 2009). This presents a large threat with the potential of many operatives and resources in place already. As with other terrorist groups, these gangs can come together if there is a common cause that suits all of them.Responsibility for preventing terrorist incidents starts with the average citizen. Law enforcement agencies have many types of incidents to respond to and anti-terrorism is only one of them. If a person notices something suspicious such as a person buying many weapons and ammunition, looking for information on bomb-making and materials or becoming radical in their ideology, it would be extremely helpful to notify an agency for an investigation. Many times the first signs of an impending attack would be noticed by a civilian. This could be a friend, family member, coworker or a store clerk.A bystander may also notice an unattended package or suspicious person in an area. This may be just enough to wa rd off the attack if the police are notified promptly. A major difficulty facing law enforcement in the prevention of these incidents is working within the justice system of the United States. The police have to follow procedures and rule laid out in the Bill of Rights and subsequent laws. These laws restrict the rights of law enforcement and protect the rights of the citizens. The First Amendment gives the freedom of religion and speech and of the press.A person can go to a mosque or church that may be radical in their teachings. They may voice their radical opinions as long as it is not an outright threat. Even printed materials about their views are legal. According to the Second Amendment, a person can buy arms and ammunition legally. In order for police to obtain a search warrant, probable cause must be present. (Les Benedict, 2006). Just because a person goes to a radical mosque, a search for bomb-making materials cannot be obtained without probable cause that the materials ar e there. A person cannot be persecuted based on loose suspicions.Therefore, a tip has to be followed up by an investigation to see if the person is doing something illegally. Only if reliable information is present can the police obtain the warrant and execute it. The warrant can be very specific on what can be searched instead of being broad. This may hamper the police from finding evidence as well. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, President George Bush, along with Congress, passed the USA-PATRIOT Act. The Act is an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. Del Carmen, 2009). While the act was passed as a reaction to an international terrorist incident, it applies to domestic terrorism as well. This act provided new rules for electronic surveillance such as wiretaps and using technology to gain evidence. These new rules relaxed the requirements for obtaining these types of surveillance. Access to personal information was gained by using fusion centers for intelligence on suspects. The use of these centers has been criticized as being a violation of civil rights by some people. (Del Carmen, 2009).Some provisions of the act have been declared invalid by some courts and the fight against the act will continue into the future. With the provisions of the act, law enforcement has broader authority in investigating individuals and organizations that are suspected of planning terrorist acts. This authority has to be used with good police work like investigations in order to prosecute the right people. Another difficulty law enforcement has is that the process of stopping domestic terrorists is not just intelligence work and conducting a military-style operation to eliminate the threat.Criminal procedure has to be followed. Evidence must be collected in order to prosecute the offenders at a later date. This means the rules of evidence must be followed to in clude chain of custody, proper collection techniques, and documentation. Care must be taken to protect evidence during operations and after the operation is conducted. Multiple agencies may be involved and coordination is necessary between those agencies. A simple incident of a white powder coming from an envelope in the mail involves many agencies. A Hazardous Materials Team would test the powder and most likely take evidence from the scene.Not only would local police be involved but possibly state police and definitely federal law enforcement such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Postal Service Inspectors. Due to many state and federal laws being involved, there has to be coordination between these agencies as to who gets control of the evidence, suspects, and is the prosecuting agency. These difficulties have to be managed in order to prosecute properly. By prosecuting properly, this may deter future incidents. Without this determent, the terrorist may fee l that they can make future attacks without penalty.Response to an incident of domestic terrorism is a multifaceted operation. In most cases, many agencies will be involved. The type of incident that takes place and its location will determine what agencies become involved. All of these agencies have to be prepared to respond and also to cooperate with other agencies on the scene of the incident. Agencies not on the scene may also have a stake in the response and they have to be included as well. The National Incident Management System was created by a Homeland Security Presidential Directive in 2004 in order to provide for a national Incident Command System. Bullock, 2013). The ICS had been used by many agencies in the past but had not been used on a national scale. ICS was created to deal with California wildfires in the nineteen-seventies and was adopted by many fire departments to manage their incidents effectively. (Bullock, 2013). The system uses a single Incident Commander or Unified Command in a leadership position to manage the whole incident. The IC can call on other functions such as command, operations, logistics and finance as the management if the incident progresses. (Bullock, 2013). Use of this system is critical to a good response and recovery.The first agencies to respond will most likely be local fire and police departments. They are the agencies with the most resources close to the scene at the outset. The fire department and emergency medical services will primarily deal with life safety and mitigating hazards that are potentially life threatening. The local police will be the first to gather witnesses and evidence. It is important for these agencies to notify other agencies when the incident requires it. Arson may turn out to be a terrorist incident even though not readily apparent at the outset.A bombing will probably be more apparent. Recognizing an incident for what it is will help an agency bring in the appropriate resources quickly. Some other agencies that may need to be involved include the National Guard, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, FBI and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If the incident involves radioactive material or biological hazards, the Department of Energy or the Center for Disease Control may be needed. Private companies may be needed for equipment or expertise. All of these entities have to be managed by an Incident Commander.Recognizing the hazards and the incident nature quickly is important. During the 1995 bombing of the Alfred Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, first responders noticed the crater left by the bomb and immediately consulted the FBI. (Cook, 2009). Originally the incident was thought to be a natural gas explosion. By recognizing the incident as terrorism, the proper agencies were then brought in to protect and handle evidence as well as provide some protection to the first responders. In the case of a mass casualty incident, a critical incident stress team may be needed as well.It is important for first responders to protect themselves during a terrorist incident. A secondary device may be present to kill or injure them in order to hamper rescue and recovery efforts. Eric Rudolph planted a secondary device during a bombing at an abortion clinic. This device was planted where the incident command center would be set up. (Ostrow, 1998). Rudolph has observed first responders during multiple false alarms and noticed where command was set up. All Hazards Response was a system that came about after the attacks of 9/11.The Nation Response Plan was created to facilitate an efficient response to a major incident. (Bullock, 2013). This framework helps agencies responding to an incident to integrate with other agencies and pool resources to mitigate the incident. Many agencies may be responding to an incident and a plan to handle the response was necessary. By using NIMS, ICS and the National Response Plan, agencies are coordinated the same way acr oss the country. No matter where the incident takes place, agencies can know what to expect for a system in place before their arrival on the scene.Exercises like Vigilant Guard take agencies such as the National Guard, first responders, state and federal agencies and put them together to practice a response to an incident. In order to become better at responding, these exercises must be held, and agencies willing to take part, to be successful. Domestic terrorism is a real threat to the country. The history of this country shows that this is nothing new and it can be expected to be a threat in the future. Proper planning and the use of exercises are needed to practice the coordination of various agencies.Intelligence and prosecution of offenders has to be a priority to prevent future attacks. The public has to be vigilant and notify the authorities of any suspicions. Prevention of domestic terrorism is a real threat and it is the responsibility of the whole country to prevent attac ks as well as respond properly to them. References: Bullock, J. , Haddow, G. , & Coppola, D. (2013). Introduction to homeland security: Principles of all-hazards risk management (4th Ed. ). Waltham, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann. Starita, Cynthia. (2009).Mounting Threat of Domestic Terrorism: Al-Qaeda and the Salvadoran Gang MS-13. El Paso, TX: LFB Publishing. Retrieved from http://site. ebrary. com/lib/ashford Cook, Alethia. (2009). Emergency Response to Domestic Terrorism: How Bureaucracies Reacted to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. New York, NY: Continuum International Publishing. Retrieved from http://site. ebrary. com/lib/ashford Cordesman, A. H. (2002). Terrorism, Asymmetric Warfare, and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Defending the U. S. Homeland. Praeger. From: http://web. ebscohost. com Smith, B. L. (1994).Terrorism in America: Pipe Bombs and Pipe Dreams. State University of New York Press. From: http://web. ebscohost. com Kamien, D. (2010). The McGraw-Hill Homeland Security Handb ook. (1st Ed. ). USA: McGraw-Hill Les Benedict, M. (2006). The Blessings of Liberty. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning Del Carmen, R. (2009). Criminal Procedures. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning Ostrow, R. (1998, October 15). Survivalist Charged in Olympic, Other Atlanta Blasts. Los Angeles Times. p 20. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com. proxy/library. ashford. edu/docview/421436549? accountid=32521