Balanced score card Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Balanced score card - Assignment Example While some people assert that the balanced score card is an effective method, others tend to contradict this, presenting evidence to support their claims. Among the corporations that have adopted this concept are the Boom-Bust Construction Ltd (BBCL) and The El Nino Conglomerate Group / El Dorado civil engineering Division. This study will thus analyse, interpret and evaluate the balanced score card concept and its effects on the two companies. The balanced score card Stewart, W. E 2001, ‘Balanced Scorecard for Projects’, Project Management Journal, Vol. 32, no.1, pp. 38-53. Stewart (2001), gives a holistic view about balanced scorecards. He asserts that a close look at many organizations reveals they have many things in common. First, organizations are unpredictable. Each day is unique, making it hard to determine the outcome based on the decisions made. Third, organizations are deceptive, as they try to hide outcomes if they are contrary to shareholders’ expecta tions. This not only brings more complications but also prevents the companies from making future decisions based on facts (Stewart 2001). The use of a balanced score card emerged to offer solutions concerning the progress of companies in a competitive environment. As the name implies, a balanced score card tries to balance theories of a strategy with the methods used in its execution (Nair 2004). In other words, it tries to balance the internal and external factors in order to win the competencies of tomorrow. In this regard, it tries to look at an organization from all dimensions, develop metrics and collect data for analysis in relation to all the dimensions. Four major perspectives have been identified namely; the business process perspective, the customer perspective, the financial perspective, and the learning and growth perspective. These perspectives offer an interpretation of the overall vision of the company and the approaches the organization follows to fulfil its agendas and culture (Stewart 2001). Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. 1996, ‘Using the Balances Scorecard as a Strategic Management System’, Harvard Business Review, pp. 75-85. In their article titled ‘Using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system’, Kaplan and Norton explain how designing and implementing a balanced scorecard can be of great benefit to the organization. They agree that, balanced scorecards are different from one organization to another. This also makes their designs to be different as well as the time taken to implement them. However, there are common steps that the management needs to follow in order to design an effective balanced scorecard. Using a sample of a successful balanced scorecard, the following are the steps every company needs to follow. First, the organization needs to clarify its vision by stipulating what it wants to achieve with the scorecard. Then, the organization should communicate with middle managers on the new development. Middle managers are the best communication channels in an organization, as they link the top management and the line workers. The organization should then develop business units, which translate their strategies into their own scorecards. The other step is to review the business unit scorecards so that the management may be able to align the strategies with the organizational goals (Kaplan & Norton, 1996). Once the unit scorecards are reviewed, the organization moves forward to

Chinese Economic Development Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Chinese Economic Development - Coursework Example The large scale of foreign direct investment which has entered into Chinese markets, could improve the economic development of eastern coastal areas through accelerating the formation and centralization of capital, Technology Overflows, upgrading of the industrials structure and the human capital formation. On the contrary, the fast speed of the economic development of eastern parts would also increase the earning of the local residents, enlarging the demand of the market, improving the Total Factor Productivity, promoting the external environment and reducing costs, which could possibly bring into being a cluster economic effect, accordingly, there would be more foreign direct investment entry into the market. From all the industrials, the most distinct industrial is the high-tech industrial, which has recently influenced Chinese economic development the most. In this proposal, we will write about how the FDI brought an impact into the Chinese economy, which would mainly focus on th e high-tech industries, and give the result and some suggestions after the particular analysis. (Since the beginning of the far-reaching economic reforms of 1978, China's economy has been growing at a breakneck pace of 9.5 percent a year1. If it were now to grow at 8 percent per year, doubling every nine years, income per person in 2031 for China's projected population of 1.45 billion would reach $38,000. (At a more conservative 6 percent annual growth rate, the economy would double every 12 years, overtaking the current U.S. income per person in 2040.))how have you got these figures Rest of it is simple calculation. After more than twenty years' reform and opening-up, China is gradually integrating into the global economy. The degree of internationalization has also improved to a great extent, as well. It's been the first in developing countries and the second in the world country attracting the most foreign capital during many years. The level of investments by Multi-National Enterprises in the Chinese market has increased over a period of time. As is presented in Table-1 Table1: Directly investment from 1995-2002 Year Increased Foreign Enterprises (Number) Agreed Foreign Investment (Billion US dollars) Actual Foreign Investment (Billion US dollars) 1995 4056 12.97 4.78 1996 2737 9.83 5.07 1997 2108 9.27 5.79 1998 1843 7.57 6.65 1999 1936 6.98 6.4 2000 2648 10.61 6.42 2001 3581 15.1 7.12 2002 5801 19.67 10.37 MNEs direct investment has become an important power in Chinese economy which cannot be neglected and which could obviously impact on Chinese fixed investment and capital stock. As figure 2 shows: Table 2:The proportion of Actual Usage of investment from Multinational to permanent assets Year 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Proportion 12.13 17.08 15.65 15.1 14.79 13.23 11.17 10.32 10.51 10.1 ----where is this table from This table was in your original write up! FDI has become a most important element of Chinese economic development, which has introduced advanced technologies, facilities and management experience and so

Impact of the Media in the Vietnam War

Impact of the Media in the Vietnam War By the spring of 1975, the Vietnam War had ended in victory for the enemies of the United States and ever since this, historians have been preoccupied with explaining why America failed in Vietnam. In the most part, the Vietnam War has been portrayed as a military failure, and whilst this is true it ignores the highly decisive role of the media. Hanson recognises that there is a distinctive lack of theoretical assessment of the impact of the media on foreign policy. Therefore I am to prove amongst other facts that it was the role of the media which inevitably led to American failure in the Vietnam War. As James Reston concluded; Maybe historians will agree that the reporters and the cameras were decisive in the endand forced the withdrawal of American power from Vietnam. Firstly it will assess why the American press stopped supporting American intervention in Vietnam. The Tet offensive in 1968 is often pin pointed by historians as the event from which the perception of the wars success changed. I will then assess how the media affected American withdrawal and how much influence the media had on policy making of the American government. Another key question that this dissertation will address is what and how other deciding factors caused American failure. Many historians have focused on the military failures and I will assess how this is an accurate assessment of American involvement. By addressing these questions I will, furthermore, be able to argue whether or not American failure in Vietnam was inevitable which has become the argument for many historians. However further research on the subject highlights that domestic issues such as the growing anti-war movement affected withdrawal. From this I would like to assess the nature in which the press reported on such groups and if the media influenced their growth. Many primary and secondary sources have been used to research this dissertation. I have focused my attention to The New York Times as it is a liberal broadsheet published across America and is considered to be a paper which was highly critical of the war. During my research into secondary sources I have noticed that particular articles have often been selected from this newspaper by various historians. I will use some of these articles alongside others that have not previously been included in research to deepen the understanding of the medias role. By using a variety of these articles I will be able to support or disprove current historical thought on the subject. The positive of using newspapers in my research, is that I easily uncover patterns in reporting styles and can map the changes of opinions. Negatively however, newspapers are generally as biased; reporters can often use their articles to air their own personal opinions and may not reflect their audiences beliefs. They may also be bias as they are producing an opinion that will have been dictated from the papers editors and will follow their policy on the war. I have also used the Museum of Broadcast Communication, which is an online archive that has stored radio and television broadcasts from America. Current research into Vietnam focuses on newspaper articles and by using these broadcasts I hope to find a greater understanding into the role the whole media played. Hallin believes that using television in assessing the role of the media is vital as it made Vietnam politically unique. The advantage of using these broadcasts is that the tone used by the reporters indicates how they perceived the war at that time and mean that there may be less misinterpretation of their view. Again, like the newspapers, there will be a degree of bias and this does not always reflect the American publics opinions. In some cases the television reports are often accused of enforcing particular views of the war on the public. One criticism of American intervention in Vietnam is that America failed to learn from its mistakes in the Korean War. The hindsight that we have after such conflicts can make it seem as though a particular decision was gravely needed or acted as a catalyst. However, as historians, it is vital that whilst studying the Vietnam War, we do not assess the war in a modern day context but from the position at that time. Therefore I shall assess how the conflict is placed on the global scene during the Cold War, and how it places within American society at the time. The development of the media is also an issue I had to consider in my research due to the technological advancements that it has faced. The nature in which media is used is also subject to change, and therefore its role must be effectively defined and evaluated. McCormick argues that the role of the media did not begin after the cold war but that it expanded within it, with coverage reaching into peoples homes. Another example would be from the First World War, when photography was used for reconnaissance purposes and data collection. The army later used photography as a form of propaganda to recruit men for the war. This example shows the changing nature of photography and the Vietnam War was no exception. Photography takes on a new role and Susan Moellers study on the effects of three iconic images highlights that photographs begin to sum up entire wars and that they make war comprehensible to American civilians and the wider world. Photography and other media forms are always used for a particular purpose and it is important to consider their purpose in the interpretation of the sources. America had prospered greatly in the World Wars; industry had grown significantly and as a consequence Americas economy was achieving new heights. This therefore shows that America had much to lose if it no longer controlled the markets of the world. The ideological subtext of the Cold War is imperative in understanding the failures of America in Vietnam. This helps to explain how it was perceived that if communism was to gain power, that the economy of said country would be hostile to the free market system; and so a policy to protect Americas interests was needed. Walli believes that the hysteria and myths created by Truman were necessary for the American and global public to support America in its actions. Truman is said to have used the media to create this hysteria in the first place and shows how the government manipulated the media. In which case, this statement may explain why the government resented the media during the conflict as they were unable to control and manipulate it so easily. As Smith states, the Vietnam War was a product of a global pattern of conflict and must be discussed in the context of global developments for information to be correctly used. So, the Vietnam War must be assessed as one of a number of conflicts after the Second World War. America played a leading role in several of these cold war conflicts, such as, Korea, Cuba, Laos, Greece and the Berlin. As literature of the time reflects, America was portrayed as the guardian angel of these countries freedoms against the evil of Communism. This echoes the position of the elites like Nixon, who pleaded for anti-communist faith, Communism is evil because it denies God and defies man. However real the threat of Communist expansionism actually was, to the people of America it posed a serious threat to the freedoms that they had become accustomed to. When, in reality, the Soviet Union was far from being in a position to begin colonising and spreading the Communist ideology. It is also naà ¯ve of Ame rica to have believed that every revolutionary group was a puppet of the Kremlin. This dissertation will examine the role of the media as the agent of American failure. It would be naive to blame the media alone and the dissertation will also look at other factors that contributed to American failure and assess which ultimately led to American withdrawal. Historiography: The Vietnam War has drawn the attention of many scholars since Americas intervention in the war. Caprini believed that this is because where lines between consensus, legitimate controversy and deviance become blurred, such as in the Vietnam War, that debate expands. As Herring points out many of the issues still contested today are the issues that Americans debated during the war. There are many questions which are regularly debated between historians on this topic such as why did America involve itself in Vietnam? Did America fail in Vietnam and was American intervention doomed to failure? Most importantly for this study is the question, why did America fail in Vietnam? Previous studies on the Vietnam War have often made assumptions and judgements on American intervention. This has therefore led to two different schools of interpretation on the nature of the war and Cohen believes that a historians judgement on the nature of the war will determine the tone of their research. For example revisionists believe that the war in Vietnam was that the war was an act of aggression by the North Vietnamese on the South. This would therefore lead to the historians such as Smith, who justifies American escalation of the war in Vietnam. However other historians believe that America were not justified in their actions and that it was in fact a revolutionary war and that the Vietnamese where fighting for their independence against the French and then the Americans. Historians such as Kolko and Kahin have heavily criticised American intervention in the Vietnam War as immoral and that America was trying to preserve economic interests. These different interpretations will therefore influence how they view successes and failures of America, or even if the same event is a success or a failure. Devine believes that more recent analysis of the Vietnam War has lead to a growth of resentment for American involvement in the Vietnam War and consequent failures. Historians such as Lens and Kolko seek to evaluate Americas motives and efficiency. However, Lens is overly critical of the American motives within the war and the methods that they use in the wider global context. This therefore reflects Devines statement of growing resentment for American involvement, but also demonstrates that literature on the Cold War in general has growing resentment for America. Schreckers investigation into McCarthyism in the United States can similarly be seen as overly critical. However, after reflecting this book, many can sympathise with her well constructed argument. Nonetheless, there is literature on the subject of resentment of American involvement evident in the emotively written book, Vietnam North, by Burchett. This is a written documentary constructed during the period focusing on the experiences and opinions of the North Vietnamese. Whilst extremely useful to historians for its insight into an area which previously lacked much attention, if looked at in isolation, it can paint a very bleak image of American involvement. Pieces such as these most definitely influence the works of modern day historians as they reach to new sources for information. The sources which historians use will also effect of they construct their arguments. Research into Vietnam has become more enlightened in recent years with the release of more sources. However there are still many sources still unavailable or insufficiently used, whilst historians have begun to use more Vietnamese sources Kiernan highlights that this is an area which needs much more attention and will contribute the most to historical understanding. It is also important to consider that interpretations of sources can be widely different according to historians perspective on the war generally. Therefore it is important to remain neutral in the analysis of primary sources and to consider them within the context of the cold war period. Hallins work focuses on the use of media sources, he clearly recognises that media was not the same all over America, and the provenances of the source can change how and why they were written. The Vietnam War can not be analysed in a simplistic form as there are many different dimensions to it. Fisher highlights that America was not fighting one enemy; surface level analysis by historians has led to a basic review of cold war ideology. The war in Vietnam is not a clear cut battle between capitalism and communism because there is also a strong nationalist movement, the fight for independence being strong feature in the Vietnamese war. Some historians believe that the war actually stems from a civil war within South Vietnam, between southern rebels and a Saigon government with far heavier foreign backing. Therefore the assessment has been made that America failed in Vietnam because they assumed that dividing Vietnam in half would automatically make the South all obey Diems regime without question. Whilst this may be an important dimension to consider, the division of Vietnam is not why America failed. The importance of Diem and Americas failure to hold elections in Vietnam i s a plausible beginning to American failure. Most importantly, current studies on the subject ignore the medias influence on America with regard to the Diem regime. Hammond recognises that American reporters were disliked by Diems regime because they reported freely about their opinions of the war and often criticised the role the South Vietnamese were playing. Where many historians have ignored this dimension Hammond explores it and concludes that these negative reports acted as catalyst to disenchant the war with the American people. This assessment does not mean that the reports were a hate campaign against Diem but that reports were not complimentary to the South Vietnamese forces, and instead fully supported the American troops. Caprini reiterates this point with the example of the Buddhist crisis in May 1963 which questions Diems regime but not the overall goal of American involvement. Kleins collection of essays in, The Vietnam Era; Media and popular culture in the US and Vietnam take an orthodox and post-revisionist view of the war in Vietnam. This is evident from the outset of the book as Klein criticises the American government for creating the atmosphere of anti-communism to lure the American people into conflicts. The book assesses the importance of the role of the media and how the anti-war movement grew. There does seem to be little attempt to address the military failures or strategic decisions which would have ultimately led to the reports of the press and protests of the anti-war movement. However, Klein does recognise that the popular culture was influenced and flooded by material from novelists who tend to stereotype the Vietnamese as dehumanised others and criticises their stance as ignorant. Again such statements as these led to criticism of American government involvement in the war as imperialistic and non-accidental. The in depth study of non pres s material by Klein has greatly added to the knowledge on the debate of the effects of media materials on American perceptions of the war. He assesses more the creation of those images and perceptions before the book focuses on the development of anti-war movements. A key question raised by Caprini in a following essay in Kleins book reveals that the lack of anti-war movement may be because the media did not consider Vietnam news worthy until 1961. Therefore there is less coverage to convince people to stop supporting the war effort. This may reveal why the media had no influence in American withdrawal earlier in the war or as Caprini states that coverage before 1961 was limited to propaganda style film segments. Hammond seeks to examine the relationship between the media and military during the Vietnam War. The main argument in these books are that it was the militarys strategic decisions which led to American failure, but it is the press who were seen as responsible for making the American public aware of these issues. This reflects many of the military leaders opinions of the time as well as the governments and as another historian, Hallin points out even the enlisted men where beginning to resent the press and view them as their enemy. Hammond seems to be aiming to highlight relationship problems between the press and the government to prevent future conflicts. In contrast Hallin examines the changing role that the media played in the Vietnam War and does recognise that the media played a vital role in the changing of American policy in Vietnam. However instead of blaming the failure on the strategic decisions of the military as Hammond does, Hallin believes that it was the presidential a dministrations fault for not creating restrictions for the media in the form of censorship. Although these historians both vary on what they believe to be most important in the medias role and effect, there are points of agreement. For example, Hammond also believes that there were some attempts to censor information released to the press, that this had little affect, but that America ultimately did not set into place any system of censorship in the media. Many historians have laid the blame of American failure to different presidents. For example, Hammond asserts Kennedys importance as he was preoccupied in Europe and Cuba, and he postponed decisions through compromise and didnt efficiently quash mid-level officers from airing their views to the press about American policies. Smith, although not really assessing why America failed in Vietnam, does begin to discuss how each president led to escalation of the war. Beginning with justifying Kennedys actions Smith believes that it was ultimately Johnsons fault for his inappropriate approach to the war which did not contribute to American success. There is a great deal of discussion over this issue and another perspective is that Truman planted the seeds of failure with his policies. Even earlier though is the presidency of Eisenhower, and Gardener and Anderson believe that it was Eisenhower who created the ideological approach which constantly dictated American policies of the post second world war period which created problems for following administrations. How Did the Media Cause American Failure?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Failure of America in the Vietnam War can be accredited to the medias portrayal of the conflict. Current discussions on America intervention and what caused the failure can all be linked with the media explosion during the period of critical and investigative journalism, which forced American withdrawal and changes in policy making. Within Powlick and Katzs reviews of literature on this subject they believe that it was in fact the elites with in government that argued what the media articulated to the public and that foreign policy was not affected by public opinion. Previously investigated factors such as the role of the South Vietnamese and American governments and the military strategies employed in the failure of America in Vietnam can all be attributed to the media coverage which surrounded the conflict. This chapter will critically assess each of these factors in relation to media primary sources and which will pro duce the conclusion that the media did have play an important role in American failure. How did the media cover the war? As previously stated, the nature of media coverage was ever changing and during the Vietnam War these changes increased the impact that the reports. The coverage of the Vietnam War was not always at the same intensity throughout the conflict and may explain why America failed as intensity grew the prospect of failure grew. There is a consensus among historians that press coverage of the Vietnam War only began to grow after 1961 and reached its height in 1968. However, Edmond notes that after 1968 coverage of the Vietnam War by the press and television had greatly declined. Parallel to the rise of media attention to the war between 1961 and 1968, was the rise in more critical reports about American policies and South Vietnamese forces impact in the conflict. The reports were not wholly positive or wholly negative regarding Vietnam, but there was a rise in criticism as the war progresses. However, before 1965 most of the coverage was mainly positive which may coincide with the fact tha t only after the summer of 1964 did American foreign policy change in Vietnam. At this point Johnson begins escalation by introducing retaliatory air strikes against the North Vietnamese. Interestingly, during the early stages of the conflict, reports that were deemed too controversial were edited to suit the papers stance on the war. H. D. S. Greenway, a reporter for Time magazine and The Washington Post from 1967 to 1975, felt that before the Tet offensive that we would write something and the magazine would ignore it if it wasnt upbeat. This shows that the papers were fuelling the deluded optimism, which in effect when removed in the Tet offensive, led to huge disillusionment of the American public. It also displays how in the most part press, television and radio all followed the official line. It is recognised by John Shaw that Many American editors ignored what their correspondents in Vietnam were telling them in favour of the Washington version. Cleary this statement by Shaw is sustained by comments like that of Greenwoods and other reporters who testify that their stories are not being published. This hesitancy within the media to report the negatives as well as the positives in the earlier stages may have been the reason for prolonged American involvement as since the level of criticism increase more pressure is asserted onto the government for policy changes. In this case it is not the reporters who are to blame for American failure in the war but their editors. This is because had the American public realised the truth behind Vietnam earlier then government policy may have changed and consequently America may not have failed. It is still believed today that the press will reflect the norms and accepted thoughts in society. It will rarely go against popular assumptions for fear of damaging business. As a consequence of these theories, one would assume that it would also affect the way in which articles were written and determine how the television and radio represented their stories. For example Chomsky and Herman believed that the anti-communist ideology provided the media with a framework to report within. If you were seen to question the reports, you may be accused of being unpatriotic and so you would be socially excluded whilst McCarthyism was at its height. This is best illustrated in the earlier articles on the Vietnam War by supporting the war effort and that following articles retain the a half hearted optimism. Due to the heightened fear of Communism through McCarthyism any questioning of the American policy in Vietnam would have been greatly disapproved of. An interpretation of this information would show that the media propped up American success due to the social conditioning of the period. The tone of the reports were also generally optimistic during the early stages of the war because the majority of the information that they were given was from the government. Another reason for the positive reporting may be due to the fact there were no permanent reporters based in Saigon initially, so they were unable to report everything as they saw it, and instead had to rely on official reports. The only daily newspaper with a full-time correspondent at the time was the New York Times, whilst other papers had to rely on news agencies. This may explain why this paper took a particularly critical line on Vietnam as they were able to see the escalation of American involvement in the war first hand. The article by Jacques Nevard in the New York Times in July 1962 displays this official line of optimism coupled with some questioning. The article remains positive about the success of the helicopter mission, reported to have swept about twenty miles. Reporting at this time largely focuses on a quantative method to measure success, and the large area covered here praises the American forces. These figurers were widely accepted when published whilst later on in the war there is a criticism of the figures used in these reports. This positive and supportive tone continues through to 1965 where Mohr reports that the United States is still in a defensive position, although a strong one. This consistency shows that the illusion that America could still win the war was still believed by most of America. Therefore, the media could be blamed for pursuing information and a line which would ultimately lead to great resentment from American public on the war in Vietnam, particularly after the T et offensive as victory becomes unlikely. The Media and South Vietnamese Government: The medias relationship with the South Vietnamese Government also undergoes rapid changes during the Vietnam War. For example the Diems regime treats the media with suspicion and there are many restrictions in place to prevent reporting on the conflict by internal press and external press. However this does not remain the same as the war progresses, with the removal of Diem, the new government is weary of losing the support of its press and lifts restrictions. These two approaches to the media have had many consequences and caused the failure in Vietnam for America. Nevards article shows the freedom of reporting before Diem imposed his restrictions in its releasing of military mission details and shows early criticism of South Vietnamese forces. Typically, the report is mainly positive about American involvement, following the official line of optimism, but does criticise the South Vietnamese forces; Some United States officers here are alarmed over the growing dependence of Vietnamese army shows the criticism of the army whilst referring to the American army as sophisticated support. The article also shows how the media would release what Diem believed to be important strategic information relating to numbers of troops and new missions, e.g. 1,000 Government troops were landed yesterday and Forty-one Air Force helicopters were used in the operation, which if intercepted by the North Vietnamese could be used to plan attacks and strategies. This could therefore lead to the military defeat of American and South Vietnamese military forces. Reports lacking in success stories for the South Vietnamese or American troops may also be as used as propaganda pieces of the enemy. This psychologically would give the North Vietnamese insurgent forces an advantage which would lead to American failure. Johnson for example recognises doom and gloom dont win wars, which reiterates the importance psychology in fighting the war in an interview with Cronkite. Moreover the gallop polls construct a narrative of American support for the war which corresponds to how American intervention is going. Diems request that America censor their media becomes an issue as historian Hallin concludes that if the Kennedy administration had censored the media, it could be interpreted that America was running a war and which would contradict its public relations strategy. However three months later in the New York Times, Halberstam reports that Diem is enforcing his own measures to create censorship. Some historians believe that these measures acted as an irritant and actually increased more critical reporting in Vietnam as the reporters felt that their freedoms were being removed. The torrent of articles criticising Diems regime are best illustrated in Halberstams article, feel they are being muzzled by the South Vietnamese Government. The choices of words such as muzzled in this report are fundamental in the understanding of the stance of the reporter, as they are emotive. Therefore the animosity of the reporter to Diem can be seen whilst representing the idea through the military opinions. The entire negative reporting surrounding Diems regime eventually leads to the American government having to distance itself as the American public begin to see that the South Vietnamese government is corrupt and prejudice. Furthermore this is all brought to a head during the Buddhist crisis in which reporters are heavily criticised for their role and two reporters are expelled. The South Vietnamese governments reaction simply demonstrates how the media are obviously an effective force in the creation of public opinion. This also highlights Americas inability to have created and sustained a new government in South Vietnam, which can be measured as a failure caused by media coverage. The affect of the media in this situation also creates numerous discussions by the Kennedy administration in building up anti-Diem forces in Saigon and consequently implementing the coup to remove Diem from office. The new government in Vietnam took on a very different approach to the media and wished not to come under heavy criticism from the press. In a memorandum from Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Special Assistant to the Under Secretary in 1963, it highlighted the South Vietnamese government has: In part, fear of criticism in the foreign press has inclined the new government to lean over backwards as regards press freedom. Also, there is some suspicion that those with power over the press are using it selectively against preferred targets. In any case, the performance of the press has not improved matters greatly and some better balance between freedom and license is urgently needed. This would highlight that the media has directly affected policies of the South Vietnamese government. The fact that this is reported within the Kennedy administration could show that this concern may have effected communications with the American government and South Vietnamese government. The Media and United States Government:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There appears to be great tension between the government officials and the media during the Vietnam War, McMahon stresses that the President Nixon, Johnson and Kennedy all believed that the press was their worse enemy. Herring and Robinson equally refer to how the media was opposed to the American Government. This is due to the growing criticism of the media on the Government which is at its height between 1968 and 1972. Although it is argued by Edmonds that the media had no effect on the policy making of American administration, it is clear from a memorandum from the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Special Assistant to the Under Secretary in 1963, that the press do have an effect on morale, The N.Y Times editorial and Reston and Lippmann columns on the subject were a body blow to morale in Saigon. This therefore shows that the government are aware that the media do have an effect on opinions on the war, a nd consequently this would be addressed in future policies in the Vietnam War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Further evidence that the media have an effect on the American and Vietnamese public can also be found in the notes of a meeting in 1968 between Secretary McNamara, President Johnson, General Wheeler, Clark Clifford, CIA Director Helms and Walt Rostow on the topic of proposed action beyond the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) into North Vietnam. The comments made in the discussion reveal that decisions would consider how the press would report on the matter and how best to release the information into the press. Therefore this would indicate that the American government were definitely affected by the press coverage and that the press could easily control the success or failures of the war. CIA Director Helms is quoted to have said; It is a great thing if you can keep it out of the hands of the press, which would reinforce this theory. Kovach recognises that new technological advances pose new problems for the elite, as each new technology has allowed untrained voices to comment on discussions, which he believes should only be debated by elites. Resentment from the media towards the government would have become much more erratic had the government prevented their coverage of the Vietnam War, and possibly cre

Constructions of Gender and the Treatment of PTSD within the U.S. Milit

Constructions of Gender and the Treatment of PTSD within the U.S. Military The U.S. military shows a surprising sensitivity and openness to the emotional difficulties of being stationed abroad, especially in a conflict zone, and it is making great efforts towards preventing/easing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among its members (although it varies by branch). Group therapy is made available at Veteran's Administration hospitals and the Department of Veteran Affairs is connected to the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, which provides many helpful resources including literature that speaks openly about "private," "domestic," and "relational" issues. This is in shocking contrast with the predominant military culture which is hyper-masculine and hierarchical. The question of whether or not you have "been in" is not asked to determine your understanding of military lingo and procedure; what is being asked is: Are you one of us? Romantic, and even realistic, accounts of combat almost always include stories about the particular love and selfless dedication that develops between soldiers and their buddies. Servicemembers frequently describe their units as families. "Basically, this was their family for the last thirteen months," said First Sergeant Dana Morgan, describing the 140 th Quartermaster company just returned from Iraq. He was attending their welcome home ceremony at Fort Totten in New York. The 128 reservists of the 140 th spent thirteen months (March 2003 - April 2004) in Iraq providing laundry and bath services to other troops. Pacifists often drudge up the dirty details in order to de-mystify, and thus de-glorify, war. It is difficult to deny, howeve... ...sonal interview: April 4, 2004, Fort Totten, New York. Katz, Lori S., Sexual Trauma Education and Assessment for the Primary Care Provider , Veterans' Association Healthcare System. Morgan, Dana. First Sergeant, U.S. Army. Personal interview: April 4, 2004, Fort Totten, New York. Newland, Miriam. Women Veterans Coordinator, Military Order of the Purple Heart. Personal interview: March 24, 2004, New York Harbor Veterans' Administration, New York City. Ignatieff, Michael. The Warriors Honor: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience , Henry Holt and Company, New York: 1997 Sadler, Anne, et al. "Factors Associated with Women's Risk of Rape in the Military Environment," American Journal of Industrial Medicine , 2003. Scotti, Mike. Former First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps. Personal interview: April 13 and April 26, 2004, New York City.

Manchester Product

Manchester Products: A Brand Transition Challenge Recommendation: Here are two companies namely Manchester Products and Paul Logan Furniture Division, both offer furniture in different sectors. Indeed, Manchester Products has been known for office furniture while Paul Logan Furniture Division is selling high-Â ­? end fashionable home furniture. Manchester should co-Â ­? brand the Paul Logan Furniture Division line by using a strategy that makes Manchester an endorser brand (Aaker D. , 2004). In this way the existing product line could now be called Manchester Paul Logan Furniture Division and after two years, Manchester should introduce a new household furniture brand. Problem statement: The problem that Manchester faces is that of transitioning from one customer segment, which is the office furniture segment to another segment which is the segment of household customers. If we have a look at the exhibit 4, the table highlights clearly the strengths of Paul Logan Furniture Division which are different than the Manchester Products. While the core product is the same, the marketing, branding and distribution techniques will differ. The choice of these strategies and the alternates present problems to the company. As ar as the next issues regarding the different distribution strategies of both the brands are concerned, Manchester follows a push strategy where it manufactures the furniture and sells it online, through retailers, specialty stores as well as through the direct sales force. As far as Paul Logan Furniture Division is concerned, it too follows a push strategy as it designs its pro ducts and manufactures them, without addressing specific consumer requirements. Assumptions: The future for Manchester, as a household and an office retailer brand will need to keep in mind that the Paul Logan Furniture Division name annot be used after three years. Another assumption is that furniture chain stores concerns will be satisfied, as Manchester will be able to provide them with products with the endorsed Paul Logan Furniture Division name. This will enable them to have a comfort level developed with Manchester so that once two years have lapsed and the new Manchester brand is introduced, these stores will be willing to carry them, based on a good relationship (Aaker D. A. , 2004). Discussion and analysis: The solution that needs to be undertaken in order to resolve the challenge of brand transition, considering that the company an only use the brand name for three years and the fact that it cannot use it to brand new products indicates that adoption of the Paul Logan Fur niture Division brand name is not a sustainable strategy. Therefore, the suggestion given by Lisa regarding delaying the name change is not feasible and would only serve to confuse consumers (Davis, 2000). The suggestion where Gary recommends that all products should be rebranded to Manchester immediately ignores the core reason for the acquisition of Paul Logan Furniture Division. The acquisition was carried out to help Manchester enter the household furniture market nd if the name is not used then the acquisition would, in essence, waste the power of the Paul Logan Furniture Division brand in the consumer market. In so far as the last recommendation is concerned, the gradual change in one or two categories will help in registering the fact that Manchester has the same quality products as Paul Logan Furniture Division, and will help to leverage the acquired brand name better. However, this will be against the core principles as stated by Al and Laura Ries as an immutable law of bra nding (Ries & Ries, 1998). The law of singularity states that the brand should stand for ne particular image in the mind of the consumer. In as far as the case goes, it has been stated that Manchester has an image of a conservative furniture brand that is mainly ‘corporate’ in its approach, using conservative and elegant designs. Paul Logan Furniture Division has a completely different positioning, and is meant to be a contemporary outstanding furniture brand that is preferred by consumers who are trend setters in way. This target market serves to be a completely different brand persona which is bold and trendy as compared to Manchester’s persona which is serious and elegant. Therefore, none of hese strategies would have worked in the market place, and there was a need for a more comprehensive, and focused strategy that could harness the positive goodwill generated by Paul Logan Furniture Division so that Manchester cold sustain the advantage in the longer run, e ven after the three years had passed. That is the reason why the fourth strategy of endorsing the Paul Logan Furniture Division brand had to be considered. The marketing communications campaign that is used will need to focus on this endorsement, so that the brand name becomes so entrenched in the consumer’s mind, that even when three years nd and Manchester is relived of the right to use the Paul Logan Furniture Division name, Paul Logan Furniture Division is subconsciously perceived as a Manchester brand (Davis, 2000). As far as pull and push strategies are concerned, the company in case of the Paul Logan Furniture Division brand line should continue to follow a push strategy, with promotional offers and designs that can enhance sales as well as market recognition. However as far as the office furniture division is concerned, the company should also introduce a pull strategy whereby orders are taken from corporate buyers and are customized ccordingly. Implementation: The pr oposed recommendations have two phases. The first is endorsed product lines while the second is a new product line at the end of two years. In the first scenario the action plan would entail as an immediate step, a board and then a company-Â ­? wide meeting where all employees are brought onto the same page with reference to the strategy proposed of endorsing the brand. The employees need to be reminded that they are brand ambassadors. As far as the sales force is concerned, Paul Logan Furniture Division sales team will have to be instructed to consciously endeavour and call Paul Logan Furniture Division as Manchester Paul Logan Furniture Division in all verbal, written and online communications. The sales force will have to be briefed and trained in following the company policy. Moreover, some sales people will be permanently placed at larger retail stores to help answer and queries regarding the corporate endorsed brand. Secondly, retailers and distributors will be brought on board, and all their concerns and issues should be answered proactively. Ad and communications campaigns also need to be worked on focusing on Manchester Paul Logan Furniture Division. Once the endorsement trategy ceases to exist, the company will have to have a contingency plan in catering to the situation Moreover as new products cannot bear the Paul Logan Furniture Division name, the company will have to come up with a new brand of household furniture, after two years of using the Paul Logan Furniture Division name. The implementation procedures in this case will include promot ional strategies for retailers and wholesalers who will be encouraged to push the product more than the competitor’s products. Implementation is the key to executing a successful brand strategy and these measures will aid in just that.

Poverty in America Essay

Poverty is a disturbing but significant global concern. Just as it is for millions of other people all over the globe, poverty is occurring in America. Over the past decades, income disparity is ascending, in addition to the number of communities that failed to keep up with the national economic standard. Although poverty is present everywhere, it is more serious in developing countries, wherein one in every five person lives on not more than $1 for each day, which is the threshold being applied by the World Bank to classify poverty. The unrelenting problem of poverty is a multifaceted one that embraces individuals and communities who, without their fault, find themselves powerless to manage in this information-intensive and constantly developing world. For the majority Americans, poverty implies destitution, or the lack of ability to provide the family with reasonable shelter, clothing, and nutritious food. Despite the fact that material destitution does exist in America, it is relatively confined in severity and scope. To be aware of poverty in America, it is necessary to observe several statistics, as well as to observe the actual living conditions of the persons that are considered poor by the government. Overview of Poverty in America A large numbers of the country’s population live at or below the threshold of poverty, which means payment of bills every month and financing for the essentials, consisting of shelter, clothing, and food, not counting access to health care and a number of simple comforts is a constant struggle. According to estimates in 2003, roughly 25 percent of counties in the United States had low rates of workforce participation, soaring rates of unemployment, high reliance on government transfer expenditures, and incomes that is lower than one-half of the national average or less for each person. The Census Bureau classifies poverty as a family of three earning not more than $14,680, and not more than $9,393 for a worker without any dependent (Blanco, 2004). According to the 2003 statistics of the Census Bureau, almost 36 million Americans lived in poverty, which is 1.3 million more in 2002. Since 2000, the country has experienced an increase of 4.4 million people who lives in poverty (Blanco, 2004). According to a survey, the present American families are experiencing worse living conditions than they have in the previous years, as 10 percent of all families or approximately 7.6 million families in 2003 lived in poverty, which is an enormous ascend from the previous years (Blanco, 2004). In 2005, the registration of the United States Census Bureau of poor individuals in the country totaled to approximately 37 million poor Americans (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Therefore, there is one in every eight Americans that is struggling with inconceivable poverty. These millions of Americans are asserted to be deficient of the necessary clothing, shelter, and enough money for the food, as well as being forced to live in unpleasant conditions (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Common Factors of Poverty In the concluding half of the 20th century, the three factors that are generally offered to explain movements of poverty in the United States are changes in family structure, economic inequality, and income growth. If the average per-capita incomes are increased, such as increasing wages and employment, then it is expected that poverty will generally decline. Nevertheless, economic inequality can take the edge off the overall constructive impact of income growth if lower-income workforce and unemployed citizens do not benefit from the fruits of such development. On the other hand, changes in the family structure, primarily the ever-increasing number of families headed by female may be linked with higher rates of poverty for the reason that such families are more expected to be poor and are more economically vulnerable. I. Economic Equality Certainly, the country has made several enhancements over the intervening decades in terms of the overall minimum living standard as measured through material conditions. Yet the living conditions of the poor individuals are severely different from that of families and individuals who take advantage of various degree of economic security as measured through income levels that provide unstressed and comfortable situations. The escalation in the number of poor individuals and families in the country ought to provide the government various apprehension, but even more upsetting is the increasing difference between the underprivileged and wealthy in America. In the previous decades, compensation for more affluent Americans has considerably ascended, stimulated by increase in stock options, bonuses, salaries and other rewards. However, the compensation provided for millions of lower-wage workforces dropped off; and in fact, a number of them have even lost their jobs (Blanco, 2004). Therefore, this factor has prevented the advantages of economic growth from being equally drawn out. Moreover, in 2005, non-Hispanic white men, not less than 25 years of age, holding only high-school qualification have $35,679 median income; whereas women within the same age group, need a degree in college in order to obtain a comparable median income (Spriggs, 2007). The outcome is that the households headed by female are harmed by the major earnings gap, which has a poverty rate of 31.1 percent in contrast to their male-headed household counterparts, which only had a 13.4 percent poverty rate (Spriggs, 2007). In 2005, poverty for women is excessively elevated than men, which is14.1 percent in contrast to 11.1 (Spriggs, 2007). The disparity reflects unrelenting gaps in earnings between male and female workers. At the same time, since 1959 the median income of white males with a family of five has been higher than the poverty line, but for women with a family of three, it was only in 1990 that their median income broke beyond the poverty line (Spriggs, 2007). Further, notwithstanding the progressive structure of benefit procedure in Social Security benefits, the constant gap is best reflected in disparities in poverty among the elderly, where the lifetime earnings of women suggest they have lower assets than men. II. Family Structure Higher rates of poverty among women have generally been contributed to the changes in family structure. The percentage of families headed by single female with children rapidly rose over the previous decades of the 20th century, which reached 26.5 percent in 1995 from only 11.5 percent of all families with children in 1970; with higher rates for Hispanics and blacks. At the start of year 2003, roughly 26.1 percent of the entire families with children in the country were headed by single woman. A number of such families do not obtain any or adequate child support from the absent fathers of the children. It is suggested in one study that if fathers married the destitute mothers of their children, approximately three-quarters of the single-parents would instantly be elevated outside poverty status (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Obviously, two parents in a household generally earn more than single-parent. The burden of receiving enough income to raise dependent children outside poverty additionally confronts women who are the single head of the family, as well as getting and paying for child care concurrently with their work and management of the household without help. Since this hazard confronted by women of serving non-working dependents as well as their efforts in looking after their elderly parents is not distributed by society, women who head such families are expected to obtain lower levels of education, therefore, resulting to their lower earnings. Aside from the fact that women are more expected to earn significantly less than men with similar qualifications, mothers have a tendency to accumulate less experience than other workers. III. Income Growth Poverty is associated with the lack of sufficient income, so the core problem therefore is the compensation for the workers. Among the poor, only 11.4 percent or 2.9 million jobs around the clock is available for the whole year (Spriggs, 2007). This sector of the population is further directly impaired by minimum-wage laws that have hindered costs of living. This setback is particularly severe for poverty stricken American-Hispanics and American-Asians, where 18 percent of them worked year-round for full time (Spriggs, 2007). There are several reasons why numerous people lack the income to overcome poverty. For instance, people do not work or if they work, they do not earn sufficient amount of money. Whether in good or bad economic times, the ordinary poor family with children exerts only 800 hours of work throughout a year or 16 hours of work for each week (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Evidently, almost 75 percent of poor children would be lifted outside certified poverty status if work is provided in every family, that would increase the work hours to 2,000 for every year or comparable to 40 hours for each week all through the year (Rector & Johnson, 2004). In 2005, approximately 61 percent underprivileged families have no less than one worker; and of twice-poor families, 71 percent have no less than one worker. In view of the 1990s record job creation, the number of poor but working people declined to 8.5 million in 2000 from 10.1 million in 1993. In short, America is capable of dealing with poverty. But there have been vast stubborn concerns that have lodged the face of poverty. Mounting disparity in the labor market has increased the share of the working age poor citizens, and the unsympathetic federal minimum-wage laws that have amplified the numbers of poor people working year-round for full-time. In a country with a per capita Gross Domestic Product is exceeding the poverty line for a family of four, it is atrocious that there are still more than 12 million poverty stricken American children, and nearly 3 million people work around the clock, for one whole year who are still finding it hard to make ends meet. Facts Concerning the American Poor Sector Based on the American’s accepted definition of poverty, only a small number of the 37 million individuals fit the poor description, contrary to what the Census Bureau classified. Despite the fact that real material destitution undoubtedly does take place, it is limited in severity and scope. A number of America’s underprivileged lives in material conditions that would be considered as well-off or comfortable some generations ago. The following are information obtained from different government reports regarding people classified as poor by the Census Bureau: 1. Roughly 46 percent of the entire poor households actually own their individual houses (Rector & Johnson, 2004). The typical house owned by persons identified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with a garage, one-and-a-half baths, with at least a patio or porch. 2. About 76 percent of underprivileged families have air conditioning in their houses (Rector & Johnson, 2004). By comparison, merely 36 percent of the entire population of the United States benefited from air conditioning 3 decades ago. 3. Only 6 percent of the underprivileged families are considered overcrowded, and not less than two-thirds of them have extra two rooms for every person (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 4. The typical poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Athens, Vienna, London, Paris, and other cities all over Europe (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 5. Practically three-quarters of poor families own an automobile, while 30 percent own at least two automobiles (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 6. Approximately 97 percent of poor households own at least one colored television, while half of the said percentage has at least two colored televisions (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 7. Roughly 78 percent own DVD or VCR players, while 62 percent have satellite or cable television reception (Rector & Johnson, 2004). 8. Around 73 percent of the poor households have microwave ovens, one-third owns an automatic dishwasher, and over half own a stereo system (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Further, as a group, America’s poor are far from being constantly malnourished. In fact poor children have usual protein intakes of 100 percent beyond the medically suggested levels and consume more meat than children of higher-income do (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Nevertheless, despite the fact that in general the poor are well-nourished, there are still several poor families who experience short-term distress due to food deficiencies. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, although most of the time the hunger is temporary, still 2.6 percent of poor children and 13 percent of poor families experience food shortage sometime during the year (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Approximately 89 percent of the poor account sufficient food to eat to their families, at the same time only 2 percent says they often do not have adequate food to eat (Rector & Johnson, 2004). Conclusion / Recommendations Following the United States government classification of poverty, the typical poor American people have a living standard far superior as compared to what the public envisions. Nevertheless, the typical poor person’s living conditions should not be taken to suggest that every poor American lives devoid of hardship. Millions of Americans are still continually struggling to hang on, making tough choices between housing, hunger and health care for their families. Economic inequality, income growth, and changes in family structure without doubt affected poverty trends over the latter half of the 20th century. Poverty in America can be readily reduced, if parents are provided with sufficient hours of work and if fathers are at all times present with their families. Although marriage and work are unyielding ladders away from poverty, the country’s welfare system uncooperatively continues to be unsympathetic to both. Foremost programs such as Medicaid, public housing, and food stamps keep on reprimanding marriage and rewarding idleness. Therefore, if welfare could be turned around to uphold marriage and work, the remaining number of poor family would quickly decrease. Further, as a matter of course, the United States has employed over the years job creation and economic growth to trim down poverty, but at present situation the courses are consequential only to the extent that inequality on wages is reduced. Poor people are generally not victims of themselves, but of appalling economic policies along with obstructions to opportunity. Since work generates income, it is important therefore that the government must provide a great increase in available working hours in different labor sectors for the poor. Along with the work opportunities, it is also important to eliminate economic inequalities based on gender, age, economic status, and many others in order to provide higher wages and higher incomes to the underprivileged sectors of the country. America is a nation with one of the most productive and strongest economies in the world. As such, the country must exert a continuing effort to fully utilize the abundance and therefore eliminate the country ’s alarming poverty rate.

discuss why some skin disorder essays

discuss why some skin disorder essays Discuss why some skin disorders can show a mosaic pattern of expression and others do not? In May 1998, an international symposium was held in Marburg, Germany, to discuss the growing research interest in Mosaicism in Human Skin. At this symposium, the work of Alfred Blaschko and Rudolf Happle was recognized for its contribution to the field [2]. In 1901, Blaschko wrote his seminal paper on what became known as Blaschko lines, a set of fountain-like patterns on the back, whorls on the abdomen and linear stripes on the limbs. He proposed that these lines had their origins in embryonic development and in 1977, Happle linked these lines to a dateable embryonic event; X-inactivation. [9] The last 30 years has seen an increasing interest in this field, with proposed theories of X-linked skin diseases and the definition of the term mosaicism to categorize them. A genetic mosaic is an organism composed of two or more genetically different populations of cells that originate from one genetically homogenous zygote. The incredible diversity of cutaneous patterns have been classified into four categories; the line of Blaschko, the checkerboard pattern, the phylloid pattern and a patchy pattern without midline separation. The causes of these forms of mosaic expression have two major classes indicative of their genetic mechanism. Functional mosaicism results from the Lyon effect of X-inactivation. Genomic mosaicism is a product of autosomal mutations that may be lethal or non-lethal. [3] Table 1 from Moss summarises many of the mosaic linear dermatoses. [7] Some X-linked skin diseases are found predominantly in females as the mutation exerts a lethal effect on hemizygous male embryos. [8] Such diseases, like incontinentia pigmenti, focal dermal hypoplasia, X-linked dominant chondrodysplasia punctata, oral-facial-digital syndrome type I and CHILD syndrome are a few examples of X-linked male-lethal mutations. Females are usually carriers and sh...

Egypt and Mummification essays

Egypt and Mummification essays Ancient Egypt Ancient civilizations are studied today to help us understand more about our worlds past and what has brought us to where we are today. Our findings have not only answered questions, but also brought us to ask questions. Perhaps one of the most studied and yet least understood civilizations ever were the Ancient Egyptians. Located in northern Africa, Egypt is a country unlike any other that is situated on the vast continent. Ancient towns that once thrived have now been reduced to mostly rubble. Intriguing artifacts have been discovered over time that help us to understand what it was like to have lived back then. One of the keys to understanding the ancient civilization is the Rosetta stone. This artifact was discovered in 1799 and helps us even today to interpret the writings of the ancient hieroglyphics. Egypts history, religion, and beliefs were left on these hieroglyphics. Some of the writings included stories of the kings that ruled during the different dynasties. Gods were also very prominent during this time and played a major role in the way people lived their lives. Not everyone was able to read or write, so people who were able to read or write hieroglyphics were held highly in the community. Children whose families were considered important were able to attend a special school in which they were taught how to read and write. These children would then grow up to become scribes. Scribes seemed to lead a better life than most people because they had power over them. The actual power to read and write was more valuable than food, water, and clothing. Scribes were considered so powerful because they were able to copy sacred texts onto royal books, that were carved into the tomb walls of the kings and queens of Egypt. As in todays society woman had to struggle for equality among men. There is little evidence that women knew how to read or write. It is believe...

Alcohol Abuse in America

Alcohol abuse in the United States has a long history of boys drinking. European businessmen and colonists initially introduced alcohol to the United States. Most of us soon fell in love with this new drink. 150 years from the colonial period to the revolutionary war was an era where alcohol was truly popular. Alcohol is considered to be a good creature of God. It is used as a medicine and is considered a tool for relaxation and good fellowship. This alcohol concept changed dramatically in the mid 1800 's. Alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug in the USA. Alcoholism is a national epidemic affecting 80% of the population. A nationwide household survey conducted in the mid-1990s concluded that 103 million people are currently drinking and 11 million people are heavy drinkers. Approximately 10% of the US population is alcoholic, with 5 to 7 affected by poisoning. In the United States, alcohol-related crime accounts for 54% of murder and attempted attempts, 68% mansion assault, 52% rape and / or sexual violence, and 48% robbery. According to a survey on drinking at university, university students aged 18 to 24 drink alcohol and cause about 1,400 deaths, 500,000 injured people, and 70,000 sexual assaults or sexual assaults each year . The social cost of alcoholism causes annual losses of 100 billion dollars of productivity and associated health costs. Alcohol abuse in the United States has a long history of boys drinking. European businessmen and colonists initially introduced alcohol to the United States. Most of us soon fell in love with this new drink. 150 years from the colonial period to the revolutionary war was an era where alcohol was truly popular. Alcohol is considered to be a good creature of God. It is used as a medicine and is considered a tool for relaxation and good fellowship. - Media perception of puberty, alcohol and driving is very obvious. Almost all articles, reports, or documentaries (especially if they are combined) on these things a re indicative of irresponsibility, danger and / or violence and aggression

America at War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

America at War - Essay Example Eisenhower said that "a vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment". The two factors - peace and military might - are naturally at odds with each other and as such it is strange to find that the terms are so often promoted in conjunction with one another. Indeed, America continues along this line of logic still today, albeit in a different way than the former President had imagined. Eisenhower truly believed that the best way to secure peace for his nation was to become impenetrable; he thought that building one of the strongest military forces in the world would dissuade any potential enemies from acting out in a violent manner and taking American lives. Certainly it can be said that no other nation has waged war on America in the years following the Farewell Address, however the crucial difference between Eisenhower's vision and current American military exploits is the use of force upon other nations like Afghanistan and Iraq. Modern America pursues enemies t hat it perceives as ideological and terrorist threats; in the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq the United States has sought to retaliate for calculated attacks on American soil. The very presence of terrorism in the modern United States can show both how Eisenhower was justified in his belief of military might for peace, and how despite this proven ideology enemies find ways to strike. America's military strength means that no other nation in the world would seek open combat; therefore opposing views and enemy forces will not be represented by other states but as smaller, dynamic organizations. The President also stressed his belief that America should not rely on the emergency weaponry that could be created by its own individual citizens at short notice; this was the military history of Eisenhower and he was concerned that in the future America should be able to count on its own federal arms reserve. The President had seen the world thrown into war as Nazi Germany and Japan tried to conquer foreign nations and eradicate entire groups of people they considered expendable. Stopping the German forces became one of the most difficult tasks the Allied forces would ever face, and as a result it is understandable that President Eisenhower worried about the future state of his country's military. Certainly in the face of international advancements in terms of arms, the United States could not afford to sit back and hope it would have no need for its military forces to be well-equipped. At the point of the Farewell Address, American federal funding had been vastly increased to its military and Eisenhower expressed his hope that this would continue to be increased as the country invested in scientific research that could change the face of the military completely. The President does not seem to have taken into consideration the fact that at the cue of the United States, other developed nations would decide to bulk up their own military forces in response. Specifically, take the Cold War into consideration and it is easy to see how this idea of an impenetrable nation is inextricable linked to the perception of a dangerous nation. In advancing further and

Ebola Virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ebola Virus - Essay Example Accordingly, there exists up to five Ebola virus species. Out of the five, only four can be accountable for causing diseases in humans. The Ebola virus disease is known to affect West and Central African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Guinea. In recent times, there have been plentiful reports of the illness finding its way to Asian countries and the United States a fact that has been made possible through the global travel of the infected persons out of Africa. Ebola virus was initially revealed in the year 1976 in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo near River Ebola, where the disease borrows its name (Peters and LeDuc ix). The illness was initially disregarded as a threat; consequently, no vaccine was developed. In addition, the earlier cases of the disease could be contained easily and in the event of fatalities, fewer deaths were reported. It took the attention of the United States military to study the possibilities of weaponizing the virus that made the disease widespread. However, the idea was dropped, and the current outbreaks are said to have originated from fruit bats. The virus was initially thought to be airborne; however, studies conducted by the University of Sussex revealed that it is transmitted through body fluids. Also, the virus finds its way into the human body through cuts on the skin and mucous membranes. The Ebola virus has also been found to be transmitted through sexual intercourse, physical contact by the infected persons and ingestion of breast milk. The disease incapacitates the immune system of the host victim. Persons infected with Ebola virus bear symptoms such as mild nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pains, and bleeding from the eyes. The disease also halts the body from clotting blood resulting in gastrointestinal bleeding. This result to increased wear out of the intestinal mucous membranes and any cuts on the body will ooze blood endlessly (Brooks 32). The

Essay about play Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

About play - Essay Example In the beginning of the play, the conditions of living, as described by the house is striking. In addition to this, Walter Lee’s irresponsible nature makes a reader anticipate some kind of change, to alter the balance. Moreover, when Joseph Asagai visits the Youngers’ house, they are in the midst of cleaning up. This point is the fulcrum, since after this point, the ‘process of cleaning’ is geared up towards change. At the end of the play, we see that the family is all set to move into a new house in Clybourne Park, which is symbolic of a change in the physical environment. In addition to this, Beneatha’s life undergoes a change, since she chooses Asagai over Murchison, though it was an expected action. Moreover, the biggest change is seen in Walter Lee’s character, which becomes a round character by the end of the play. The character undergoes an internal change and this is evident when Walter Lee stands up for his family and their principles. Consider the following dialogue spoken by Mama, â€Å"Oh—So now its life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now its money. I guess the world really do change .† Thus, Change can rightly be called one of the themes of the play. Another major theme of the play is the concept of ‘dream’. It is closely related to, and can be called a critique of the American Dream, wherein it is believed that every individual must be provided with the opportunities to earn and own a piece of land and lead a luxurious life. All through the play, the concept of ‘dreams’ plays a strong undercurrent. Each member has a particular dream. Mama’s dream is to buy a comfortable house in an all-white locality, while Walter Lee’s dream is to get into business. Ruth is an independent intelligent girl, who wants to steer clear of all the Americanisation, and get in touch with her African roots. Mama is scheduled to get the pension

Essay on Artistic Appropriation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

On Artistic Appropriation - Essay Example I focused on the historical background of the origin of appropriation practice and the methods of doing it in a way that it formed collage work. My work has a premise that is similar to the work of other scholars, nonetheless, it is unique in the way I have approached it. In order to develop my argument and to strengthen it along the way, I took help from the various literature that were available on the electronic journals and periodicals. These researches provided a strong base to this research and developed the initial path for this research to reach its destination. The culture of artistic appropriation in the historical times was compared with the modern to shed light on the differences that have arisen in terms of law, perspective and practice. My strong focus was on the legal history of copyright law. I surveyed the treaties and agreements that govern copyright law, domestically and internationally to develop an international view point instead of remaining limited to one aspe ct only. Significantly, my research is based on the United Kingdom’s copyright laws along with the international treaties. The study of the UK laws provided time and space to develop a strong analysis of the modern copyright law application. In case, the scope of study was spread over various countries, it would have become impracticable as well as less effective. The data collection from other countries would be time consuming, costly as well as of low quality. Therefore, I focused on the practice of copyright laws in UK and their impact on the UK artists only. I relied on the recent and landmark judgements related to the artistic appropriation cases both involving artist Jeff Knoos. The cases dealt with the act of copyright infringement through artistic appropriation and the related judgements which affected such cases in the future. Furthermore, I discussed the concept of fair dealing and fair use as perceived and practiced in UK. The study is purely legal and provides an argument that the modern copyright law has provided the artists with the method to get protected and at the same time continue with the artistic work under the fair use or fair dealing clause. Thus, providing an effective method to investigate the argument that the modern copyright law has not provided protection to the artists when they appropriate other artist’s copyright work. The research method adopted acted as a means of examining a myth from the legal perspective and from the perspective of the artists. The primary units of analysis are the artists, creators, sculptors, painters and intellectual property stakeholders having interest in the appropriation of artistic works. These stakeholders are the primary effected persons who have undergone the adverse effects of appropriation. Furthermore, the global bodies like World Intellectual Property Organization was also taken into consideration to answer the research questions and to achieve its objectives. The process of dat a collection is based on various processes like Sampling Frame. It provides the researcher with the option to collect data for the research expeditiously whilst remaining within budget to achieve effective and efficient results. A proper sampling frame includes age, color and location of the units that are analyzed. The sampling frame for artistic appropriation research design has the sample of Artists, Painters, Sculptors and International Bodies and

Human Sexuality Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Sexuality Reflection Paper - Essay Example My concentrations in Professor Fanelli’s lectures and reading course material, has challenged my intellectual capabilities, thus shifting me to the best level of understanding my own values and attitudes in relation to human sexuality. Learning about sexual development is fun because by finding parts played by both stereotypes and gender roles in a society is not only of great importance, but also of very great influential despite of how someone may categorize and identify themselves. Boys identify themselves as being boys by acting and dressing like ones as well as liking a variety of things that boy likes. Those expectations offered to both men and women with regard to sexual behavior and gender role, seems to be very intriguing because it questions cultural expectations that is held for each sex. For instance men and women are not only differentiated by their sex organism but also by their different occupations in the society like a man taking care of the cattle while women taking care of the house and children. Furthermore, getting knowledge from psychological and biological perspectives provides me with a range of better understanding of how distinctive people can be and how they feel as well. After covering the topic called sexuality in young adulthood, I had really gained a wide knowledge involving solitary sex, sexual fantasies of people containing distinct sexualities, sex with other such as touching, kissing, foreplay among others, various techniques and positions constituted in sexual intercourse and the three R,s, that is reflect, review and recite. Each of the aspects mentioned above is both fun to explore and interesting to learn about and that is why this topic on sexuality in young adulthood was my favorite one in class. However, it was considered weird if boys did things that girls could do comfortable and vice versa. It was comfortable

Windows Vulnerability Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Windows Vulnerability - Research Paper Example This report highlights the details of attacks conducted using this vulnerability, the systems that are vulnerable to this attack, the consequences and effects of the attacks, document some cases where such attacks have taken place and finally explore the fixes that exist so far. As stated above, such an attack takes advantage of the design flaws in transport layer, such that the attacker is able to intercept secure traffic from the target computer. In this way, the attacker could make use of an enticing website to attract a user within the organization. Any processing handled on that website, could trigger sensitive information to flow to the attackers website. A successful attack would be possible if the attacker is able to decrypt the traffic from the target systems, which is normally encrypted. However, the vulnerability will not be extended to users of SharePoint 2010 and Microsoft internet information services (IIS7). These systems will function normally with no fear of remote attacks unless they are deployed on machines with the above named operating systems. The uncontrolled and unauthorized access to target systems creates a channel that the attacker can use to acquire the organization’s sensitive data or plan future attacks. This means, sensitive information could be leaked to competitors; thus, diminishing any competitive advantages that may have existed. Currently, there are no reported cases of attacks conducted by exploiting this vulnerability. According to a vulnerability alert, this exploit has been unproven (Cisco). However, this does not belittle the fact that the vulnerability still exists and measures should be taken to ensure that the organization’s data is safe. Given the fact that this vulnerability can be exploited through remote means, it is important to ensure that the filters and checks are put in place to control

Human Sexuality Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Sexuality Reflection Paper - Essay Example My concentrations in Professor Fanelli’s lectures and reading course material, has challenged my intellectual capabilities, thus shifting me to the best level of understanding my own values and attitudes in relation to human sexuality. Learning about sexual development is fun because by finding parts played by both stereotypes and gender roles in a society is not only of great importance, but also of very great influential despite of how someone may categorize and identify themselves. Boys identify themselves as being boys by acting and dressing like ones as well as liking a variety of things that boy likes. Those expectations offered to both men and women with regard to sexual behavior and gender role, seems to be very intriguing because it questions cultural expectations that is held for each sex. For instance men and women are not only differentiated by their sex organism but also by their different occupations in the society like a man taking care of the cattle while women taking care of the house and children. Furthermore, getting knowledge from psychological and biological perspectives provides me with a range of better understanding of how distinctive people can be and how they feel as well. After covering the topic called sexuality in young adulthood, I had really gained a wide knowledge involving solitary sex, sexual fantasies of people containing distinct sexualities, sex with other such as touching, kissing, foreplay among others, various techniques and positions constituted in sexual intercourse and the three R,s, that is reflect, review and recite. Each of the aspects mentioned above is both fun to explore and interesting to learn about and that is why this topic on sexuality in young adulthood was my favorite one in class. However, it was considered weird if boys did things that girls could do comfortable and vice versa. It was comfortable

Computer Technician Essay Example for Free

Computer Technician Essay Memory: Your memory does not store everything forever. The computer memory refers to computer components, devices and recording media that retain digital information. The computer data storage provides one of the core functions of a computer that of information retention. How a Computer Remembers: A computer has two memories, called RAM and ROM. ROM stands for Read Only Memory. It carries the information. The computer needs to carry out, it’s task, and it cannot be altered. It stays there even when the computer switch off. RAM stands for Random Access Memory or Read and Write Memory. This contains the information the computer needs to carry out the particular task you want. When you switch off the computer, RAM empties itself. You can save your work on CD-ROM, DVD ROM Disk, Floppy Disk, Flash Drives, etc. Storing Information: Each memory cells stores binary digits. It is easy to see that the size of computers RAM is important because the computer can only do the amount of work that it has room for. Computer Memory Memory Imagine that you are going to the park to play with your friends. You know the way because you have been there before. The route is stored in your memory. On the way, you meet someone and stop for a chat. If it’s not about anything important, you will probably soon forget. Your memory does not store everything forever. The computer memory refers to computer components, devices and recording media that retain digital information used for computing for some interval of time. The computer data storage provides one of the core functions of a computer, that of information retention. How a Computer Remembers A computer’s memory works in similar way. There are some pieces of information that need to be stored away. Others can be forgotten once the computer has worked on them. To separate the two types of information, a computer has two memories called ROM and RAM. ROM stands for Read Only Memory. ROM carries the information the computer needs to carry out its task. This information is built into the computer and cannot be altered. It stays there even when the computer is switched off, just as your memory of how to get to the park stays with you until you need it again. RAM stands for Random Access Memory, or read and write memory. This contains the information the computer needs to carry out the particular task you want it to do now. When you switch off the computer, RAM empties itself. You can save your work on CD-ROM. DVD ROM disks, floppy disks, flash drives, etc. Storing Information ROM and RAM are both made up of memory cells, Each memory cell stores binary digits. A chip may be able to store millions of bits. It is easy to see that the size of the computer’s RAM is important because RAM has room for it. With some computers, it is possible to add extra memory chips to increase the RAM.

Arguments Against Nuclear Weapons

Arguments Against Nuclear Weapons Nuclear weapons. Without a doubt, the deadliest form of weapon man has ever invented, capable of killing millions of people and annihilating entire cities. They are inhumane weapons that carry catastrophic effects when used which are present for many years after the explosion. Despite this, there are thousands of nuclear weapons in possession of several nations around the world. Even if these weapons of mass destruction were never actually used for the purpose of causing harm, their very existence still carries significant consequences. I firmly believe that the only way to bring an end to the needlessly harmful effects that such weapons carry is a ban on both their use and possession or at least a reduction in countries nuclear arsenal and in this essay I will be explaining why. Obviously, one of the main arguments against the possession and use of nuclear weapons is their devastating effect on both the people and the environment. So far, the only use of nuclear weapons for the purpose of warfare was the USAs use of atomic bombs in Japan during the events of World War 2. These bombs were relatively small compared to the weapons possessed by some nations today, but their use still had catastrophic effects. After the bomb ironically named Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima, 5 square miles of the city was destroyed, 70,000 80,000 people were immediately and mercilessly killed by the blast. Others died either from the collapsing buildings or from the intense radiation exposure. The suffering did not end there, the increased radiation levels in the area caused a massive increase in the cancer occurrences in people and birth deformities. The environment was also inevitably affected; the radioactive fallout caused plants and wildlife to be affected. While this ma y seem bad, the technological advances in society today has spawned even more destructive and dangerous nuclear weapons that, if used would have effects far worse than what was seen during World War 2. In addition, some scientists hypothesise that a small scale nuclear war between India and Pakistan would result in megatons of black carbon being released into the atmosphere, causing what scientists call a Nuclear Winter. This would lead to global temperatures falling and we would receive 9% less rain every year. This would ultimately cause crop failure worldwide and an estimated 2 billion people would starve. Chemical reactions would also occur in the atmosphere which would thin the Earths ozone layer, which protects us from the suns ultraviolet rays. In a couple of years after the nuclear exchange, the ozone layer would be approximately 20 to 25 percent thinner. The decreased protection from UV radiation from the sun would lead to an increased occurrence of skin cancer in people and a further amount of crop failure. Furthermore, possessing and maintaining nuclear weapons is also very costly, the scientists have high salaries and the materials are expensive. The weapons need to be continuously maintained and money also needs to be spent on waste management. The UK spends an enormous  £2 billion each year on running and maintaining Trident (the UKs nuclear weapon arsenal). That is around the amount spent on the NHS each week. There are also discussions on whether the Trident submarines should be replaced. This would cost around  £100 billion. That is a massive amount of money which could be much better spent on essential services such as healthcare and education. This is especially important considering the financial crisis that the NHS is in which may force them to abandon free healthcare for the public unless they get more funding. Needless to say, this would have a very undesirable effect on the public. One of the most popular arguments for the possession of nuclear weapons is that they are very useful as deterrents and help to maintain peace between nations. In order for the idea of nuclear deterrence to be effective, we must assume that all nation leaders think the best interest of the people of their country. However, it is well known that some nations do not play by this very delicate ruleset. These include terrorist organisations. This is a gamble on millions of human lives that is not worth taking. Because most nuclear threats come from dictatorships and terrorist organisations instead of genuine governments, it would be morally wrong to cold-bloodedly kill tens of thousands of civilians because of the actions of a select few. There is also the risk of accidental firings because of mistakes, errors in calculations or moments of panic. The fact that just one single mistake or irrational decision can take the lives of millions of people is yet another reason why it is wrong for anyone to possess such weaponry. The possession of nuclear weapons also brings about the risk of loss or theft. With the growing nuclear arsenal of nations such as Russia, other nations may find it necessary to upgrade their nuclear arsenal to counteract the possible threat. An increased number of nuclear weapons means a greater risk of them being stolen, lost or even worse, detonated. This issue is becoming increasingly more important with the new president of the United States Donald Trump wanting his countrys nuclear arsenal to be above all else. This nuclear superiority the US desires will surely increase the tension between nations and amplify the risk of a nuclear attack or accident. In conclusion, the possession of nuclear weapons will continue to bring its vast array of disadvantages, whether that be the catastrophic effects that a nuclear weapon explosion could bring. Using valuable money that could be much better spent elsewhere such as in healthcare or education. Or by being the cause of many conflicts and suffering across the world. As long as nations possess nuclear weaponry, they will most likely be used again, either on purpose or by accident. The only way to prevent this would be for nuclear weapons to follow the same fate as chemical and biological weapons and receive a worldwide ban on both their possession and use.

Can I Be You Dracula? Essay -- essays research papers

Can I Be You Dracula?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever caught yourself amidst a fantasy? One where you hold all the power? Where you are the epitome of everything and anything everyone around you want to be? Where these very same people who revere you, feare you because you are what they want to be? In this fantasy, you have no conscious, no morals, no ethics, and no values- you are carefree. You do as you please when you deem it so, and no one will say a word, because you are you, and they all want to be you. Do you recall thinking this†¦ever? Welcome to the wonderful world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you were to equate the scenario I depicted to the book, you’d be Dracula, Satan’s little protà ©gà ©. In Bram Stoker’s book, all of the protagonists subconsciously yearn to be like the infamous Count Dracula. However, it is a two way street, for Dracula does want something that these men have- a relationship, of any kind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jonathan Harker, the first of the band of protagonists introduced, subconsciously envies Dracula. The Count lives in a massive castle, is known to be the culmination of â€Å"class† in the East, and has a mesmerizing sort of power over Mr. Harker. Ideally, Dracula could provide for a thousand of Jonathan’s Minas, and still have funds to spare- something Jonathan is conscious he doesn’t have, and worries about. Later on, when the women find Jonathan, and begin to seduce him, he wishes he didn’t feel compelled to be disgusted by their forthright sexuality. He yearns to be like the Count, to have the ability to be surrounded by beautiful women, who hold the phallus, and feel no guilt for betraying a loved one, even if it were only a mental betrayal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mina Murray-Harker, Jonathan’s eventual wife, dislikes the Count because he takes Jonathan away from her, nearly forever. She also sees that Dracula is very willing to share the phallus with everyone except her, until the very end, and she never benefits from it, because by then she is too strong willed of a character. She envies Dracula’s constant benefit from the world surrounding him- be it the blood he is sustained from or the fear he produces in humans that he feeds off of.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It makes a lot of sense that Lucy Westerna was the Count’s first victim in the book of which we are fu... ...forced stay at the castle Dracula. The Count takes away Lucy from Arthur, Dr. Seward, and Quincy, and towards the end of the book almost manages to take away Mina from all of them, but is unsuccessful. Dracula is a lonely immortal, who reminds me to a certain extent of Lenny from Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. He yearns for companionship, but destroys everything he picks for a companion, turning it into something dark and evil. Dracula’s ultimate demise is momentous for all characters involved. To the protagonist band, it restores Mina to them, as well as gives them a sense of closure. It also puts Satan’s little protà ©gà © out of his eternal (or not so eternal) misery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next time you catch yourself fantasizing about being an immoral, unethical, valueless, careless fool, who people revere and fear, remember the pain and horror of Dracula’s tale, and think about whether you really want that life, or if you’d be willing to settle for a human existence, filled with painful decisions, love, loss, and the rest of whatever we come in contact with in our lives. Seriously contemplate that the next time you ask, â€Å"Can I be you Dracula?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚