Monday, September 30, 2019

History & stories of success Essay

History is shaped by stories of success and failure in foreign policy. What we however fail, as the public, to really perceive is the cause behind the success or failure of an operation. The reason behind either situation lies in the investigative work thousands of agents, analysts and governmental officials conduct. Intelligence is a very essential source of valuable information for the governments who base their actions mainly on these reports. But what happens if the intelligence and analytical work is wrong? What are the possible consequences of conducting a foreign policy operation based on wrong intelligence? Is it possible that intelligence can be in this way intentionally misrepresented to serve the goals of a policy that would otherwise not have been approved of by the public as some conspiracies claim? And what kind of real life intelligence failure events has history known as a direct result of false information? Intelligence failure can have disastrous consequences on large numbers of people and hurt both the image and well-doing of a nation. The most renowned cases of intelligence failure in recent history are the WMD false reports in Iraq, the 9/11 intelligence failure to prevent the event and the famous war of Vietnam whose failure has and continues to brand the American foreign policy as doubtful. Each of these events has had its impacts on the regular lives of millions of people both in the United States and in places as far as Afghanistan and Iraq. And each of these events has lead to the death of thousands of American citizens, soldiers and millions of foreign citizens. Could this have been avoidable if the intelligence did not fail? Intelligence in its broadest definition is information and in the case of politics it means information that sheds light on the field of national security threats. It follows therefore that intelligence gathering is essential to the functioning of any country and in the case of the United States as a world super power, it is critical and existential. But as stated before intelligence failure has damaged the image of the United States in an almost un-repairable manner. The wrong reports about the presence of WMD in Iraq for instance lead to the killing of hundreds of thousands and the destabilization of a region that has become as a result the hotbed of terroristic activity. Failing to gather the intelligence needed to know beforehand about 9/11 and be able to prevent it lead also to the death of thousands of Americans and the invasion of Afghanistan; an action whose consequences is too detailed to go into now. Vietnam is an older case but remains nevertheless interesting to look closely at since the consequences of the intelligence failure in this case lead to the death of millions and a war that went on for twenty five years. It is ironic to reflect on the fact that this started with a wrong report from the intelligence agency, something that has lead the conspiracies to target the United States for creating cheap excuses to invade other countries and thereby damaged it international reputation. The Vietnam War was fought between the communist North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam that was supported by the USA. The war was a war between capitalism and communism. It was a war between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was a struggle for world wide power between two superpowers engaged in a heated competition that has come to be characterized and termed as the era of the Cold War. The USA declared to have entered the war to prevent communism from taking over the south of Vietnam but historians and political analysts have since then come up with critical arguments on how the war initially started based on wrong intelligence. President Johnson was officially granted permission to attack the Vietcong after the intelligence received about a supposed second attack on U. S naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin. The attacks actually never happened and the war was thus based on a false report. The Tonkin incident lead to major US involvement in the region that would continue for another quarter of a century. The intelligence reports were simply misinterpreted. The intercept that apparently proved the second attack was wrongly translated according to recently published records of the account. The Vietnamese word â€Å"military operations† can also mean â€Å"long movement† and what the intercept actually refers to is not a second attack on U. S naval vessels but just the presence of two North Vietnamese patrol boats at a distance. What remains critically confusing in the aftermath of such an explanation is the government’s response to the event. Johnson moved the USA into a war that lasted for years and cost billions of dollars and thousands of American and Vietnamese lives on the foundation of a wrong and unverified intelligence report that has come to be one of the most embarrassing intelligence failures in U. S history. The question is how could this happen? How does intelligence failure occur? Intelligence failures can be categorized into several groups. Overestimation of information is the first case. The exaggeration of a report can lead to wrong conclusions and thus an intelligence failure. This happened in the Tonkin. The opposite case of underestimation of intelligence where the governmental agencies misinterpret the information and therefore give the enemy an opportunity to stay a step ahead is also possible. Over-confidence is the third case. The USA displayed too much confidence in the perfection of its intelligence system and its ability to win the war quickly. Overestimation and over-confidence lead to the disastrous war of Vietnam that could all have been preventable if the intelligence was verified accurately. Intelligence failure can be caused by several factors all affected by the political atmosphere and sentiments regarding the target of the intelligence. Prejudice and fear can obstruct the judgment and bring about an underestimation or overestimation of the enemy’s potential and intentions. This is how intelligence failure occurs and its consequences are the best exemplified in the case of Vietnam, Iraq and 9/11. The results of misinterpreted or missed intelligence can cause a lot of damage to a country and the United States as a world power needs to pay extra attention to the effectiveness of its intelligence regarding the effects a wrong foreign policy move can have on its status and power. References Grier, P. (2008). Declassified study puts Vietnam events in new light. Retrieved July 1,2009, from http://www. csmonitor. com/2008/0109/p04s01-usmi. html Goodman, MA. (2008). Failure of intelligence: the decline and fall of the CIA. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. Reynolds, P. (2004). Long History of intelligence failures. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/middle_east/3883605. stm

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Culture Intervention in the School Essay

In (PLEASE PUT THE NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL HERE), students coming from different races and ethnicities are accepted. Thus, this creates a student body which is culturally diverse and different in terms of the beliefs, values, languages, and other aspects related to culture. People coming from different cultures are not expected to have a harmonious relationship right away especially with regard to their young age. However, there may be some forms of intervention that can reduce the friction, tension, and conflict due to cultural differences. Before delving into the details of intervention for culture, it is necessary to define culture to be able to target the right elements. Culture is defined â€Å"in anthropology, the patterns of behavior and thinking that people living in social groups learn, create, and share† (Bodley, 2005). This is comprised of the â€Å"beliefs, rules of behavior, language, rituals, art, technology, style of dress, ways of producing and cooking food, religion, and political and economic systems† (Bodley, 2005). Thus, the term culture encompasses a wide range of factors that paves the way for more differences among the students. There are several intervention measures that can be put into application in the school. First, it is important that there is an atmosphere in existent in the school that clearly sets a zero tolerance for bullying and by-standing within the premises of the school. Bullying and by-standing are common consequences of variations in culture. More often than not, the students belonging to the majority culture teases the students who are members of the cultural minority groups. This could lead to bullying and constant fear and inferiority for those who become the victims of the bullies and by-standers. With the foregoing statement, the school administration, in cooperation with the parents, should be able to make a concerted effort to make and agree on policies that will lead to harmonious relationships between the culturally-varied students. Corresponding sanctions should be placed upon the violations and their degrees should be identified. Moreover, rewards for those students who help in creating a stable environment and who makes a way to accept cultural differences in the school should be given a rewards in terms of academic and recognition factors. This is a long and tedious process and there are a lot of factors and minute details to be considered in making the policies. Also, through the cooperation of the parents, there will be reinforcement measures even when the children go back to their homes. It will not simply be a school responsibility for them but hopefully, will become a way of life and a part of their values. Second, there is a need for adult mentors to become visible to the students. However, they should not see these adult mentors as someone who would always pinpoint their mistakes and become an authoritative figure that will constrict their movements. Rather, these adult mentors should be perceived as persons who will be a help within their reach for any problem they have. Adult mentors will be based on a schedule formulated for each break period to patrol on places where the children mostly are and in places that become a favorable place for bullying. The procedures for this should be discusses together with the first culture intervention. Lastly, the students should also be involved in the efforts to have an environment which accepts cultural differences. This can be done by having one class period devoted to an open discussion regarding the different cultures of students and to highlight the exciting and new information about each culture. This way, the students will become aware that it is not only their culture that is in existent but there are a lot of colorful things to look forward to in the treasure box of another student’s culture. Also, the homeroom adviser or teacher could serve as a facilitator for discussion that will dwell on the different problems of culture they have in the school right now. The children are expected to understand this with a proper explanation from the facilitator. The facilitators of the group discussions will have to undergo training for this subject. References Bodley, J. H. 2005. â€Å"Culture. † Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Different Country, Different Culture Essay

A country is just like an onion; the innermost skin is Culture. Culture is like the soul of a country. All countries have their own unique cultures to live by, which means that people who have grown up in different places will have different ways of behaving, different ways of thinking about things and different ways of expressing themselves. Each country has its own culture, and there are many differences between different countries in culture. Those differences make our world a more colorful and exciting place to live. We can have a better understanding of it if we compare the big cultural differences between America and China. According to my two years of study in America and Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks by LaRay M. Barna, which talked about the difference between different cultures, I find two big differences in friendship and education. First difference is friendship. Time is often the best way to test friendship and friends. For the Chinese, to know each other for a long time, the communication needs to be at a certain depth, finding out each other’s habits, temperament, similar interests and the common experience of â€Å"suffering†. Then they will make the recognition of each other as a friend in the heart, and they will value this friendship. Once friendship is established, it will be lifelong, and hard to break. Chinese can share almost everything with their friends, for example, when you are in China, at restaurant, you can actually see people fight for the bill. It’s not about showing off to their friends or someone else. It’s just because they want to show their appreciation for their friendship. On the other hand, for most Chinese, we think Americans are â€Å"superficial,† like what Barna said â€Å"They talk and smile too much† (67) and â€Å"Their friendship are, most of the time, so ephemeral compared to the friendship we have at home. Americans make friends very easily and leave their friends almost as quickly† (67). For Americans, in general it seems to them that Chinese and some other people from different countries are â€Å"not necessarily snobs but are very unfriendly,† (67) Because we don’t talk and smile a lot. The reason why Chinese and Americans have a different opinion on friendship is because  our cultures are different. We can’t tell which kind of friendship is right or wrong because there is no such a thing as wrong culture. There are all just different cultures. The second difference is in education.† What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.† says a Chinese proverb. As we all know, American and Chinese education systems are different, which creates different culture in turn. American education focuses on the students’ creativity and practical ability. In their classes, the teachers just play a role as leaders. Students do lab homework, group work to find out the answer by themselves. However in China, the school is more like a concert hall. This means that students are completely listeners. Students all focus on the textbook, try to memorize everything from the book, and then get a good score. They hardly come up with their own ideas. That’s why Barna says, â€Å"U.S. students often complain that the international members of a discussion or project seem uncooperative or uninterested†. (66) But both of those two educations’ intentions are good. In my view, we should learn the academic knowledge well, but we should also take part in the school activities, improve our interpersonal skills, and creative thinking, so that, we can prepare well for the future challenges. In one word, each country has its own culture. Although there are many differences between different countries, we should respect them and learn from each other. Especially, in the modern century, each country has to communicate with other countries more than ever. So, we must understand the differences in different countries’ culture well, only in this way, we can get along with each other in peace.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Past and current trends of the use and abuse of substances in the Essay - 1

Past and current trends of the use and abuse of substances in the United States - Essay Example Cocaine is another of the principal drugs which Latin America is the main producer particularly the nation of Columbia. This paper discusses the past and current trends in drug consumption in the American society. During the 20th century the American society went through various wars that brought instability to this community. Warfare is variable the influences drug consumption by increase its usage especially among the soldiers involved in the ordeal. After the Vietnam War thousands of soldiers came back to the states extremely addictive to heroin, cocaine and methaphinimines. During this time in the 1960’s a group of young people commonly referred to as hippies were highly involved in drug consumption and trade which increased the usage of drugs especially marijuana in the US. A hippie is a person who opposes and rejects many of the conventional products and society, especially one who advocates extreme liberalism in sociopolitical attitudes and society (Answers, 2008). In the 1980’s the drug trade of cocaine and overall consumption of this drug increase drastically among the middle and high class in the United States. The price of a kilo of cocaine was much higher than it is now and the drug lords invented a new product to capitalize on the addictive nature of the substance and have a cheap product that could be used to target the lower middle class and Americans living in poverty. This new devil was called crack cocaine. Crack is derivative of cocaine which is more hazardous, cheaper to produce and much more addictive than cocaine in itself. The bigger victims of the crack epidemic were the poor Afro-American and Latino communities living in poverty low income communities commonly referred to as hoods. Marijuana a natural drug that is actually a flower is the most popular drug in America. Over 94 million American or approximately 30% of the American population has used marijuana at some point in

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Demand for Bonds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Demand for Bonds - Essay Example Thus there will be a windfall loss if bonds are purchased. Thus, bond demand will be low. This also implies that if expected future bond prices are high, then the demand for bonds will rise and vice-versa. iv) Expected inflation: Expected inflation has an adverse impact on bond demand. If there is an increase in expected inflation, bond demand will fall and vice versa. v) Relative risk: If the risk associated with a bond increases relative to other assets the demand for that bond will fall. Analogously if there is a decline in the relative riskiness of a bond, its demand will increase. vi) Relative liquidity: If there is an increase in the relative liquidity of a bond, i.e., if converting the bond into cash becomes relatively easier, the demand for it shall rise if other things remain the same and vice versa. vi) Business-cycle movements: If the economy is undergoing a boom, there will be an increase in the demand for bonds. Similarly, the demand for bonds will fall if the economy is suffering a recessionary period. b) Analyse the following statement:   â€Å"This week, the yield on the US Treasury note closed below 3%, a level not seen in 50 years. In the UK, the 10-year Gilt yield sits below 4% for the first time since 1961, according to UBS. Germany’s Bund yield is closing in on 3%. ... This time, the threat of delfation is being taken more seriously. Should policymakers again avert that fate, bond yiels may be primed for an explosive rise as fiscal spending plans and the expansion in money supply suggest inflation is the likely outcome†. [Source: Financial times 28-Nov-2008] Before commenting on the report it will be useful to note that as mentioned above bond demands (and thus investment) are induced by business cycle booms and dissuaded during recessions. However, during booms since the threat of inflation looms large, it is a natural counteracting force to the possibility of overinvestment. Similarly, during recessions, the adverse effect on the demand for bonds can be countered by the threat of deflation. Now, let's turn to the report. The first and foremost point to note in this context is the date of the report. It is dated November, 2008. Thus the US, UK and the German economies were in recession, arguably the worst one since the great depression (This was during the heart of the global financial crisis). Thus, one should expect expansionary monetary policies during this time. Lower interest rates ideally stimulated investment demand and thus increase the effective demand which leads to an expansion in real aggregate output with a multiplier effect and thus employment as well. What is reported seems to be along the same lines of intention. The current yields on US Treasury note fell to a level that was a precedent in 50 years. Similarly there was a decline in long term yields in the UK economy (gilt) and Germany (bund yields). However, in order for this policy to work, the falling bond yields

Where do toll road fees go Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Where do toll road fees go - Essay Example gh state law states that it is up to the county attorney to decide what to do with the funds collected, it is only common sense to suggest that the funds are put back into the local county transportation system. Stafford suggested that the law does not provide any provisions for having to use it all on the toll road. Yes, that is correct, but the fact remains that not a single cent is put back into the toll road. Where the money actually goes is to provide parties for county events and also to pay employees of the local county. I believe that there should be more accountability on the part of the county attorney. What he is currently doing is almost stealing because he is using taxpayer dollars to fund something that the taxpayers have not been consulted about. Not all of the toll road fines fund needs to be put back into the toll road, but a significant portion of it needs to be used so there is

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Final project Public health Unit2 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final project Public health Unit2 - Term Paper Example alth doctors, assess the health of a population, diagnose community problems, seeks the causes of those problems, and devises strategies to cure them (Schneider, 2011, p. 5-6). Public Health improves every time, being attributed to the historically famous faces behind the improvement of Public Health Unit. John Snow is one of the legendary people that contributed in Public Health. John Snow is an English physician and a leader in the adoption of  anesthesia  and medical  hygiene. Snow was born on March 15, 1813 in York, England and was the first of nine children born from William and Frances Snow in their North Street home. Snow studied in York until the age of 14 and became the apprentice of William Hardcastle, a surgeon in  Newcastle-upon-Tyne  and physician to  George Stephenson  and family. John Snow is considered as one of the Fathers of Epidemiology because of his work in tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, England, in 1854 (Vinten-Johansen, 2011, n.p.). In line with this, Epidemiology is a discipline that describes, quantifies, and postulates causal mechanisms, for health phenomena in populations. Using the results of epidemiologic studies, public health practitioners are aided in their quest to control health problems, such as disease outbreaks. Epidemiology is derived from epidemica, a term that provides an immediate clue to its subject matter. It is concerned with the distribution and determinants of health and diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability, mortality in populations (Friis and Sellers, 2009, p. 5-6). In 1854, Snow demonstrated that cholera rates were linked with water pump use in London. Snow investigated the area around Golden Square in London and arrived at the conclusion that cholera was not carried by bad air, or necessarily by direct contact. He formed the opinion that diarrhea, unwashed hands, and shared food somehow played a large part in spreading the disease. Snow, for the first time, linked the sources of drinking

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Analyzing the Ways the Media Represent the American Economy Essay

Analyzing the Ways the Media Represent the American Economy - Essay Example This is even worsened by the declaration that "central bankers grappled with the growing uncertainty about which direction the economy is headed" (3). The second article expresses the gloomy projection of the International Monetary Fund when it cuts its forecast for economic growth in the United States this year to 2.2 percent (IMF Cuts 1). It can be recalled that during 2006, the nation's economy grew by 3.3 percent (3). The slowdown is attributed to the expected weak performance of the nation's housing market. It is projected that this deceleration will cause the United States to lag behind other economic giants including Britain, Canada, and Japan. This will be the first time that US will not lead the Group of Seven nations in terms of economic growth (6). Generally, the media portrays the American economy in a downslide. The nation's struggle in keeping its inflation stable and sustain economic growth appears to be in vain. It should be noted that the media uses a rather pessimistic tone in describing the US economy. Downbeat news article titles like "Greenspan: Recession 'possible' by end of year" and "The American Economy is Destroying Itself" loudly communicates the media's pessimism coupled with some sensationalism.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Part 2 report Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Part 2 report - Speech or Presentation Example The linear function of the equation is can be given by. The second equation describes the exponential growth of the payroll. It can be given by . Both the linear and exponential equations describe the relationship between the two variables in question. If the general form of the equation for the variables is given by, then the equation for the exponential growth will be given by. When the value of x is 6 in 2004, the linear function. The exponential equation 40.546277. In the form of, the value of N becomes -335544.32 in both cases. The growth factor in this scenario becomes 1.0475 and the growth rate is therefore 4.75%. The graph below shows both the linear and exponential models for the average NHL team payroll. To help in getting a more insightful understanding of both the linear and exponential trend are the trend lines. For the linear functionthe value of while for the exponential function the value of The next step in the analysis will require the application of both the linear and exponential models to predict the average NHL team payroll between the years 2012 and 2020. This data is shown in the table below. Comparing the values obtained using the two models; the NHL team should use the exponential model for economic planning as it offers lower values as compared to the linear model. From the analysis above, the both the linear and exponential models can be used to estimate the trend and the rate of growth of a certain dynamic product. Using these mathematical concepts, it becomes easier to plan for the future as it has been shown by the prediction of the expected payroll between 2012 and

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Views of Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama Essay Example for Free

The Views of Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama Essay Hilary Clinton and barrack Obama are the two Democrat presidential candidates who are on the race to the White House. They latest reports indicate a tightly held contest and an equally intense campaign to clinch the Democratic Party nominations. Both hold almost similar views as far as how the economy should be and issues about war and mostly on terrorism. They also hold different opinions in health matters. The candidate that musters more delegates is the one that will be the Democrat presidential candidate facing Mc Cain, the Republican presidential candidate in the 2008 election. My main interest in this essay is to analyze on their views on the economy, war and health issue. The two candidates have tried to portray themselves as different from each other, they are however both protectionists when it comes to the trade agreements. Clinton is sounding to be more anti-trade than how Obama sounds. Already Clinton is opposed to the proposed economic terms on trade on Colombia, Panama and South Korea. There are times where both agree on some points, for example they are both opposed to the idea of having a free trade with the Dominican Republic and the Central America in 2005. Obama is for the idea of America doing business with other nations. He believes that this is the only way through which the American economy would be strengthened . He promised that if he were elected as the president of U.S.A. he would try his best to provide and protect the free trade. He will open up more job opportunities by creating foreign markets. He will also set proper job and environmental standards for all nations in the world to follow and resist the idea of free trade that is being advanced by the Central American nations. Obama also promised to review the North American Free Trade Agreement if he will be elected the US president. He is not opposed to the idea of making Mexico and Canada to cooperate with American workers. This will address the issue of workers so that they could adapt to the dynamics of the economy. He will also make amendments to the trade adjustments assistance if elected the president come this 2008 presidential election so that workers would have refresher courses to live up to the times, giving them a competitive edge and job security. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton pledged to strengthen the small enterprises that she believes are the economy’s growth engine. She will dedicate her efforts towards creation of jobs for Americans. Hillary Clinton said that if elected the president, she would strengthen the manufacturing industries as the country is dependent on them and by doing this, Americans will have better living standards. She said that she would fully utilize the nation’s innovation and capital investment to widen economic base for the country. Clinton also pledges to strengthen the rural economy to reverse the trend of urban migration as these areas also contribute to the economy. To achieve this she said she would initiate programs that would enhance the rural economic growth. She also pledged to increase research and technology funding. She would ensure schools; homes and libraries will be equipped with the latest technologies so that they would be competitive in the global market. She criticized Bush’s administration of mismanaging the economy making the gap between the rich and the poor to widen but she promised to solve this problem once elected. She will also help the middle class Americans to stabilize in the economy. On the issues of health care both have similar opinions although in some issues they differ. According to Hillary Clinton she will ensure that every American will be entitled to health insurance but Barrack Obama does not share the same sentiment, as he believes the focus should be on children who should be provided with free insurance. He will also extend health care for the adults who are currently uninsured. Clinton estimates that the cost of implementing her plans would be a hundred and ten billion U.S dollars while Obama’s proposal ranges from 50 to 65 billion U.S dollars. The truth of the mater is that neither of them will provide full insurance cover for every American but both aspire to make this work. While attacking Obama, Clinton criticized his plan saying it is only targeting fifteen million Americans while hers will ensure most of the Americans have free health care. She said most Americans die because they cannot afford quality health care. In her plan, all drivers will be required by law to have auto insurance and promised that all families will be given tax credits so that they would meet their health insurance. If she will be voted in, all households would be able to meet the required health premium. The federal government according to Clinton will subsidize the health insurance for all those families that cannot afford it while businesses and organizations will be required to provide their workers with health insurance. She is quick to add that this plan will not affect small businesses but what will be required is that they will provide these businesses with tax credits to motivate them to do so. The health care providers will be required to pay for those people with huge bills without asking them for more money. Americans, according to Clinton, will be provided with similar private health care that the congress receives and this will be provided to citizens through the employees benefit program that will be a public program similar to that of Medicare. Obama on the other hand pledged to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid so that they would continue taking care of the vulnerable members of the society. These programs mostly target those citizens that are poor and uninsured. He pledged to amend the National Medic Act so that patients who are injured as a result of medical negligence would be compensated. He will also increase funds on research and development so that HIV/AIDS would be contained both in USA as well as in other parts. Both Clinton and Obama have taken issues with the Iraq war. Clinton is currently accusing Obama of not being consistent with opposing the Iraq War, as he was when he assumed the post of a senator. Obama has promised to withdraw American troops from Iraq if he becomes the next president in 2008 election. Obama was not opposed to all wars but was particularly opposed to the Iraq war. He accused president Bush of starting another war instead of finishing that on Osama but Clinton supported Bush to resort to military action if other methods such as diplomatic means failed to restore order in the nation. Currently, she is also advocating for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. We have seen that the two Democrat presidential candidates do agree and disagree on some issues. For example, they both agree that health care for all Americans would be vital but they differ in how the program would be implemented. They both promised to strengthen and widen the country’s economic base so that the quality of life of the Americans would improve and to end the war on Iraq and they both promised to end it once they will assume power. Work Cited. Associated Press. Hillary Clinton blasts Bush economy. May 29, 2007.Accessed at http://www.politics.com/news/stories/0507/4230.html on March 25, 2008 Friel et al. Obama: Most liberal senator in 2007. National Journal 31st Jan 2008; 16 Accessed at http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings on March 25, 2008 Kelly P. Politics. New York Times. January 22, 2008.Retrieved an http://www.nytimes.com/2008/0122/us/politics/22clinton.html on 25 March 2008 Johnson G. Obama-Clinton politics of Health Mandate now playing in mass. Associated Press. Insurance Journal. 2008. Sklar R. Micro Debate: Clinton and Obama on Health care. Huffington Post

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Effects Of Climate Change On Vietnamese Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay

Effects Of Climate Change On Vietnamese Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay In the last decade, an overwhelming consensus has emerged among the worlds most reputable climate scientists that the world has entered a period of rapid global climate change, much of which is accountable to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (NSAC 2009). The agreement is demonstrated in the 1996 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international body of leading natural and social scientists sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. According to the panels report, an equivalent doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration will force a rise in global average surface temperature of 1.0 to 3.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. It will result in an increase of sea level by 19 to 59 cm. Because a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, average precipitation also will go up as much 10 to 15 percent (IPCC 2007). Agriculture is highly sensitive to climate variability and weather extremes, such as droughts, floods and severe storms. Even warmer climate may give positive effects on food production, the increased potential for droughts, floods and heat waves will pose challenges for farmers. Global climate change is also expected to impact agriculture by causing shifts in precipitation, soil quality, pest regimes, and seasonal growth patterns (NSAC 2009). The exact nature and degree of these changes for any given region will be difficult to predict. CASE OF VIETNAM Situated in South East Asia in the Indochinese Peninsula, Vietnam territory is lasting from 8Â °15 to 23Â °22 latitude and between 102Â °8 to 109Â °30 longitude (ADPC 2003). It has 329,314 sq. km of natural area, in which 7,348.5 thousand hectares (22.2 percent) is arable land, with population about 83 millions (WHO). Viet Nam lies in the region of tropical monsoon climate with a high temperature. The average temperature varies between 21Â °C and 27Â °C, rainfall volume of 1800-2000 mm/year and is not evenly distributed among the months of the year (Tran 2009). Versatile and various climates of the regions create a variety of vegetation and domestic animals which originated in the temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions. Being an agricultural country, 75 percent of Vietnamese labor-force is engaged in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. This sector contributes roughly 20 percent to the GDP. The output value structure of agriculture, forestry and fisheries was 77 percent, 4 percent and 19 percent, respectively (Tran 2009). Vietnam is likely one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, because of its geographical location (Oxfam 2008). During the last 50 years, Viet Nams annual average surface temperature has increased by approximately 0.50 0.70 C, while the sea level along its coastline has risen by approximately 20 cm (ISPONRE 2009). The El-Nino and La-Nina phenomena have caused increasingly adverse impacts to Viet Nam. Changes in climate can have serious implications for economic development, especially in the agricultural sector, due to its direct exposure to and dependence on weather and other natural conditions. Studies for the Southeast Asian region show that climate change could lower agricultural productivity 2-15 percent in Vietnam (Bingxin et al. 2009). It is very likely that global warming is leading to an increase in weather extremes like heat waves and heavy rainfall. Droughts will occur more often, and that tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes) will become more intense. Vietnam has always been suffering from extreme weather events and is struck by typhoons annually. Strong winds and sea surges cause death and destruction along the narrow and low-lying coastal area, while heavy rains hit the mountainous hinterland and river deltas with floods and landslides (Vietnam Red Cross 2007). For example, the river flood in Mekong Delta in 2000 killed 548 people; it flooded and damaged 401,342 ha of rice fields. An estimated loss of this flood is about 250 million USD (Chaudhry Ruysschaert 2007). The peak occurrence for typhoon landfalls has been during the month of October in the Central region and November in the South. A partial explanation of this lies in the sea surface temperatures (SSTs), which decrease later in the season. T yphoons are generated where SSTs are 26 Â °C or above, and by September, this is only found in those ocean areas further south where the SST remains around 25-28 Â °C throughout the year (ADPC 2003). Climate change may lead to an increase in sea surface temperatures in higher latitudes and a resulting increase of typhoon activity in North Vietnam. An increase of extreme events, both in intensity and duration, will be the most catastrophic preventing the agriculture development. Flood damage is expected to be aggravated because of a predicted increase in daily rainfall of 12 19% by 2070. In other times of the year, an increase in evaporation and the variation in rainfall will intensify drought problems about 3 percent in coastal zones and 8 percent in inland areas by 2070 (Chaudhry Ruysschaert 2007). Climate change impacts on agriculture are also channeled through changes in temperature. According to the third assessment report of IPCC, the temperature in this century will increase by 4-50 C. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) modeler determined that, as a general rule, yield of rice will decrease by 0.5 ton per hectare for every 10C increase in growing seasonal minimum temperature (Javellana 2007). According to the medium emissions scenario, the average temperature is expected to increase by nearly 2Â °C in the southern regions of Viet Nam and up to 2.8Â °C in the northern regions by 2100. However, in the high emissions scenario this could be as much as 3.6Â °C in the North Central Coast region (United Nation 2009). So, it is predicted that yields of summer rice will decrease by 3 6% by 2070 when compared to the 1960-1998 period. The impact on spring rice may be more serious, especially in the north where yields are expected to decrease by 17% (Chaudhry Ruyssc haert 2007). The evapotranspiration rate will also increase due to increasing temperature, depicted in figure 1 2. Rainfall in the dry season will decrease by 2070 in Central parts of Viet Nam and droughts would occur more frequently, because rainfall would be concentrated in the rainy season (WHO). Figure 1: The projected change of mean daily maximum temperature since 1980s to 2070s (Le 2010) Figure 2: The projected change of mean daily minimum temperature since 1980s to 2070s (Le 2010) Climate also creates a shift in amount and pattern of precipitation. It will affect hydrology and runoff, which will alter the availability of water for irrigation and other uses. The projected runoff changes for the two major rivers from three organizations show different trends. In the Red River, the IPSL scenarios show decreased wet-season flow. GISS and MONRE projections show increased dry season flow. In Mekong River, major flow reduces under IPSL projection, depicted in figure 3 (Ringler 2010). Significant rice yield decline is observed in all scenarios, ranging from 4.2 percent in MONRE-2030 to 12.5 percent in IPSL-2030. The impact is especially large in the Central Highlands and the northern zones, highlighting the enlarged gaps in food supply in these regions. Although the impact of climate change is relatively moderate in the major rice-producing region of the Mekong River Delta, the average rice yield is projected to drop by 1.4-8.3 percent by 2030 (Bingxin et al. 2010). Figure 3: Percentage of Basin Runoff Changes (Ringler 2010) Besides increasing average temperature, global warming also raises the sea water level which has resulted in salt-water-invasion and land loss. A recent study on the potential impacts of sea level rise in 84 developing countries suggested that Vietnam would rank among the top 5 affected countries. About 43 million Vietnamese or about 55% of the countrys population are living in vulnerable low elevation coastal zones (LECZ) (38 % of Vietnams urban population) (Waibel 2008). In Vietnam, the sea level has risen between 2.5 to 3.0 cm per decade in the last 50 years, but with regional variations (Oxfam 2008). According to ADPC report, sea levels may increase by 9 cm in 2010, 33 cm in 2050, 45 cm in 2070, and 1 meter in 2100 (ADPC 2003). If sea level rises 1 meter, a national potential land loss is predicted of 12% which will expose about 17.1 million people or 23.1 % of the population (Schaefer 2002). The Mekong River Delta will be the most affected region with 1.77 million ha of saline l and, accounting for 45 percent of the land (Chaudhry Ruysschaert 2007). Land loss and sea water invasion in the Mekong River Delta and parts of the Red River Delta, which are the most important agricultural areas in Vietnam, will cause serious risks to farmers as well as agricultural exports, and possibly to national food security. In summary, climate change is a very real threat to Vietnamese socio-economical development. Higher temperatures, the rising of sea water level and extreme weather events will all have significant impacts across the nation. However, the concept of climate change and its effects are just well known by experts and management agencies. Dealing with the serious implications of climate change will be a major challenge for Vietnam in the next decades.

Friday, September 20, 2019

REPORT ON MISSOURI :: essays papers

REPORT ON MISSOURI GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS Missouri has had four constitutions: 1820, prior to statehood; 1865 and 1875, in the aftermath of the Civil War; and 1945. Amendments to the constitution may be proposed by a majority of the legislature or by petition signed by 8% of the voters in two-thirds of the state's congressional districts. Proposed amendments must be approved by a majority of the voters in a statewide election. A constitutional convention must be called every 20 years to review the constitution for possible changes. The Missouri general assembly is composed of the senate of 34 members, half of whom are elected every 2 years for 4-year terms, and the house of representatives, with 163 members, all of whom are elected every 2 years. The general assembly meets annually. The governor is elected for 4 years and may succeed himself once. The chief judicial officers are the 7 supreme court judges. The Missouri Plan for selecting judges, adopted in 1945, has become a nationwide model for the nonpartisan assignment of judges. Each of Missouri's 114 counties is governed by a 3-member elected county commission. St. Louis functions as an independent city with county status. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have considerable electoral strength in Missouri, but since World War II the Democrats, strongest in the cities and the Bootheel, have more often controlled the legislature. Elected state offices and Missouri's representation in the U.S. Congress have been rather equally divided between the two parties. Missouri's Democrats tend to have a more conservative political philosophy than Democrats nationally. Republicans retain strength in suburban regions and in the southwestern part of the state. STATE SYMBOLS The state flower is the Hawthorn. The state bird is the Eastern Bluebird. And the state tree is the Dogwood. Government Configuration Missouri has had four constitutions: 1820, prior to statehood; 1865 and 1875, in the aftermath of the Civil War; and 1945. Amendments to the constitution may be proposed by a majority of the legislature or by petition signed by 8% of the voters in two-thirds of the state's congressional districts. Proposed amendments must be approved by a majority of the voters in a statewide election. A constitutional convention must be called every 20 years to review the constitution for possible changes. The Missouri general assembly is composed of the senate of 34 members, half of whom are elected every 2 years for 4-year terms, and the house of representatives, with 163 members, all of whom are elected every 2 years.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Meditation and the Brain Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Meditation and the Brain When discussing the relationship of brain and behavior, the materialist view of human experience runs into conflict with the historically dominant religious accounts. Recent studies, however, suggests that there may be a "middle view" between the two world-views. Religions, especially Buddhism, stress the role of meditation in one's spiritual growth. Meditation has tangible psychological and physiological benefits, though, which can be explained strictly in neurobiological terms. Understanding of how meditation affects the brain, and, by extension, human behavior, also gives insight into consciousness, the role of feedback loops, and the nature of the I-function. The goal of Buddhist meditation is to detach oneself from desires and objects which are the cause of suffering. Other forms of meditation, while differing in terms of their metaphysical grounding (1), effectively separate the individual from the transitory nature of the world. In prayer, the effort is largely mental, but Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Zen meditation also involve the body. Body positioning is important to the meditation, and in Zen, the object is to have as little tension as possible in the body. "The body has a way of communicating outwardly to the world and inwardly to oneself. How you position your body has a lot to do with what happens with your mind and your breath . . . Although [Zen meditation] looks very disciplined, the muscles should be soft. There should be no tension in the body" (2). The correlation of physical states with mental states in meditation reinforces the correspondence between neural functions and behavior. Zen practice also has a revealing theory about the nature of the self, namely that it ... ...n." http://www.zen-mtn.org/zmm/zazen.shtml 3)"Buddhist Meditation and Personal Construct Psychology" by Phouttasone Thirakoul. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/Pilou.html 4)"Physiological Functioning." http://info.miu.edu/tm_research/tm_charts/1Phys.html 5)"Addiction and Zen." http://viacorp.com/addiction.html 6)"Psychotherapy, Meditation, & Spirituality." http://www.buddhanet.net/psyspir3.htm 7)"Grief and the Mindfulness Approach." http://www.buddhanet.net/psygrief.htm 8)" Wallis, Claudia. "Faith & Healing." Time. June 24, 1998. Vol. 147, no.26." http://www.hope.edu/academic/religion/bandstra/REL100/TIME960624.HTM 9)"God on the Brain," by Jeremy Creedon. http://www.utne.com/lens98/spirit/god.html 10) "Zen and the Brain (Review)," by Kimford O. Meadov." http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/jama/vol_281/no_4/review_2.htm

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Market for Coors in South Delaware Essay -- Business Market Analysis

Q1). Currently, there is an opportunity for owning a Coors Distributorship in the southern Delaware counties of Sussex and Kent. Coors is a well-known brand name nationally, and retailers in the targeted area are willing to carry the product, which is an indication of pre-existing brand awareness and demand for Coors. It was necessary to obtain a feasibility study to project a possible profit or loss and $800,000 dollars will be needed for the initial investment. We believe the following decision criteria should be embraced by Larry to make his decision. Market Share - Since Coors will enter this market area for the first time, it is believed that market share will continue to grow as the brand becomes established over time and market share percentage should meet or surpass company market share percentage of 8.7% - 8.9% in the next three years. Larry Brownlow -Although Larry has many alternatives, (conduct no research, continue graduate school, invest trust money, conduct own research following completion of MBA, hold off on MBA to do research presently), obtaining his degree seems to be of utmost importance, as well as achieving success, sooner rather than later, in a self-owned business. Purchasing Research – Purchasing research may be costly, but the knowledge and insight it will provide is paramount. While Larry could surely conduct his own secondary data research for less than $15,000, a busy schedule and time constrain him. See research purchased in Q3. SWOT Analysis - The review of internal and external information provided by a SWOT analysis would provide Larry with information needed to make his decision. Strengths †¢ Owner has an MBA. .. ...market he only has to acquire a 6.31% market share to break even. We feel that making the investment is the best option for his future. Overall Evaluation The investment is an excellent option because the probability of profit is very high. Based on our Pro-forma Income statement, profit will be substantial and will increase each year even after losing .2% of market share. Pessimistically, the market share to break even is very generous making 2.5% room for error if needed when tapping into a brand new market. The ability to make a high market share in the southern part of Delaware would be very substantial. Because it is a beer perceived to be higher class (study H) than its competitors, it will be introduced into a brand new market. See link below for all Exhibits: https://courses.jonesinternational.edu/private/jiu/media/pdf/bba431/bba431m1_coors.pdf

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Conceptual Skills

Conceptualizing Organizational Change This paper focuses on conceptualising organisational change as a planned and manageable process. Different theoretical assumptions are presented in order to support the argument of change as a planned and manageable process in contemporary organisations. The paper utilises examples from two Nigerian companies, Access Bank Plc and Unilever Nigeria Plc. The main conclusion is that Access Bank Plc indicates that change can be a planned process, while Unilever Nigeria Plc shows the case of change as a manageable process. However, it is indicated that change may not succeed as a planned and manageable process especially in the context of Nigerian public education and the food and beverage industry. The paper also contributes to understanding change as a flexible and innovative process occurring in global companies. Introduction It has been suggested that organisational commitment may lead to the proper implementation of change. Managers tend to rely on employees while planning or managing organisational change, but organisational commitment may decrease as a direct response to such change (Grieves 2010). Manifesting positive employee attitudes towards change has been linked with successful change initiatives in organisations. It has been argued that change can be both a planned and manageable process (Caldwell 2006). At the same time, it may appear that change as a planned and manageable process may fail, as it will be shown in the case of Nigerian public education and the food and beverage industry. The objective of this paper is to explore the dimensions of change as a planned and manageable process, with focus on the performance of two Nigerian organisations, Access Bank Plc and Unilever Nigeria Plc. Change as a Planned Process: Access Bank Plc, Nigeria This section provides evidence on change as a planned process as applied in Access Bank Plc, Nigeria. There is an argument outlined in the change management literature suggesting that employee attitudes towards change might be affected by the perceptions employees demonstrate towards organisational change (Olufemi 2009). Employees play an important role in forming specific attitudes towards organisational change as a planned and manageable process (Caldwell 2006). They may either show positive or negative evaluative judgments of the change model. Change as a planned process indicates the presence of two dimensions, change readiness and change resistance. These dimensions reflect the presence of strategic planning within organisations that are ready to embrace the innovative concept of change. Change readiness has been associated with employees’ behavioural responses to change (Hughes 2010). Resistance to change may not take place in case employees strongly believe that they ha ve the capacities to cope with such projected change. Even though resistance to change may take place, it may be perceived in a positive way considering that it would force companies to implement new and more effective strategies to address the issue of change. Change can be a planned process, which managers aim to link with change-oriented activities. It can be argued that planned change occurs when some stakeholders manifest a desire to change, enhance their personal introspection, and modify their behavioural patterns in relevant ways (Hughes 2011). However, it would be unrealistic to state that planned change reflects the idea that everyone decides it is useful. Change as a planned process indicates the presence of solid changing forces in both the internal and external environment of organisations. Kotter’s 8-step model of change indicates that change can be a planned process involving eight proposed steps from creating the urgency for change to managing it accordingly in the organisational context (Hughes 2010). Jarrett (2003) has argued that planned change seems to increase an organisation’s effectiveness. Approaches to change as a planned process may reflect the relevance of different theories and concepts that tend t o describe the stages and procedures of implementing change. The integrative model of organisational change suggests that change can be a planned process through a strong focus on exploration, planning, action and integration (Jarrett 2003). In addition, emergent theories of change present an argument that managers who aim at developing change as a planned process show an in-depth understanding of the organisation, its culture, assets and readiness to change. Researchers have argued that change projects utilising process orientation and learning are more expected to succeed than those manifesting expert planning at all stages of organisational change in contemporary business (Nistelrooij and Sminia 2010). Change planning and management have identified change as an essential competency for the majority of organisational leaders. Planning change in the context of certainty has become a necessary aspect in organisations which openly promotes flexible communication based on change and innovation. Since some individuals may perceive change as an i ntegral part of organisational life, it would be relevant to focus on developing effective strategies to monitor and sustain such change (Hughes 2010). Planning in relation to change refers to a consideration of the current and future needs of organisations. Companies illustrating that change can be a planned process focus on planning as a goal-directed activity, in which emphasis is put on organisational goals while trying to maintain change. This may result in better coordination and easy implementation of change in companies (Carnell 2007). An exploration of the Nigerian banking industry reveals a close relationship between planned organisational change and HRM interventions. New banking management practices in Nigeria require the implementation of planned change that may contribute to improved organisational commitment, performance and compliance with important regulatory standards (Olufemi 2009). The acquisition of Intercontinental Bank by Access Bank Plc, Nigeria, has resulted in the necessity of redefining organisational change as a planned process to reflect the needs of the new workforce and the objectives of the banking organisation (Paton and MacCalman 2008). It has been suggested that successful change planning and management in organisations depends on staffing, alleviating fears, effective communication and planning, and integrating human resource systems (Hughes 2011). In the case of Access Bank Plc, planned organisational change has resulted in creating the need for the human resource department to focus on staffing (Olufemi 2009). The expansion of the bank’s recruiting base has been associated with perceptions of change as a planned process, in which the institution is focused on attracting more talented employees. Even though organisational change may create fear and uncertainty, managers considering change as a planned process may alleviate those fears (Hayes 2010). The acquisition initiated by the Nigerian bank shows that employees have learned to adapt to new processes and procedures within the institution (Olufemi 2009). The case of Access Bank Plc indicates that organisational change can be a planned process due to the interventionist strategies employed by HR managers of the organisation. The creation of new job structures by the bank reflected the necessity to relate organisational change to employees’ roles and expectations (Olufemi 2009). This was done in order to accommodate employees working in both companies considering the acquisition process that took place. The existing human resource systems in the bank showed the trend of planned organisational change which further reflected employees’ commitment to the bank’s long-term objectives. Moreover, Access Bank Plc needed to adjust its HRM policies to achieve its initially determined strategic goals which represent the process of planned change within the institution (Hayes 2010). The model found in the bank presents the existence of convergence among HRM interventionist strategies that were consistent with the perceptions o f change as a planned process. Variables such as fear, planning and development as well as integrated human resources indicate a strong focus on organisational change which has been adequately planned at Access Bank Plc. The bank’s managers have ensured understanding of the planned change process which is fundamental for change implementation (Nistelrooij and Sminia 2010). The interests of various stakeholders are considered as part of such ongoing planning process. As a result of the acquisition, Access Bank Plc tried to alleviate employees’ uncertainty through setting clear corporate objectives and effective communication (Paton and McCalman 2008). Flexibility has been associated with planned organisational change in this Nigerian organisation. Taking various perceptions into consideration was important in encouraging employees’ commitment and planning change. Despite the occurrence of certain conflicts in the institution, the managers demonstrated strong leadership skills while planning and managing change. Another significant aspect of the planned change process in Access Bank Plc is the formation of a change team for better articulation of the stages expected during organisational change. The Nigerian bank has demonstrated readiness of its employees to accept change as it has been linked with improved organisational performance (Olufemi 2009). The organisation’s managers encouraged integration between processes and implementation of new organisational methods to cope with the process of planned change. Strong corporate culture, strategy, structure and relevant organisational priorities emerged as a result of the Nigerian bank’s focus on organisational change as a planned process. The process of planned change tries to incorporate potential situations of crisis that may occur in the organisation (Caldwell 2006). Therefore, the planned approach to change incorporates unpredictable events that may result from different organisational conflicts. The Nigerian bank ensures constant adaptations to changing organisational situations. Considering that organisational change is unpredictable is important in perceiving such process as comprising of different organisational factors and flexible learning (Hughes 2010). Lessons learned from the case of Access Bank Plc involve both practical and theoretical considerations, such as identifying sources of change resistance, involvement of employees on a regular basis and developing proper communication plans (Olufemi 2009). The idea is to help the bank’s employees perceive themselves as part of the ongoing organisational change which reflected elements of a planned process. They need to understand that organisational change may influence them to a significant extent in terms of becoming more confident and competent in accomplishing their roles and responsibilities (Nistelrooij and Sminia 2010). It has been demonstrated that all levels of management of Access Bank Plc were aligned w ith organisational change and thus prevented the formation of negative attitudes among employees. In conclusion, the progress of change in the Nigerian bank was significant due to the role played by HR managers and leaders who placed importance on communication to achieve the planned process of change. Failure of Change as a Planned Process: Nigerian Public Sector This section describes the failure of change as a planned process in the Nigerian public sector. In a study conducted by Abdulraheem et al. (2013), it has been found that government reform agenda in Nigeria failed to achieve proper results in improving the quality of education in the country despite adopting the model of change as a planned process. In-depth interviews were conducted as the results showed that cultural differences are a significant indicator of adherence to organisational values (Abdulraheem et al. 2013). It has been suggested that despite the easy formulation of theories and models of change as planned, such aspects of change were difficult to implement in practice. Employees’ resistance to change was indicated across the Nigerian public sector. Cultural differences in terms of change prevented the successful implementation of change. Different education programmes have been introduced in the context of the Nigerian public sector, but they failed to achieve the objectives of meaningful change in education they initially presented. Abdulraheem et al. (2013) pointed out that change as a planned process was counterproductive to some educational programmes. The divergence of organisational values in Nigeria reflected the unsuccessful adoption of change as a planned process in public education. Despite change efforts, the level of educational development was failed to be comprehended properly. Change as a Manageable Process: Unilever Nigeria Plc This section covers the implications of change as a manageable process in the case of Unilever Nigeria Plc. The business environment in general has created a fast pace of change in the workplaceVarious acquisitions, advanced technological tools, reformation, cutbacks and economic recession are all aspects that contribute to a quite unstable business climate (Hayes 2010). The capability to adjust to the demands of the evolving workplace is considered an essential element for individuals and organisational existence. Organisational change is constantly present at Unilever and individuals are shown ato manage, control and guide it. Such change refers not only to accepting human factors, but also to an ability to organise and manage change factors efficiently, considering that change may be predictable (Grieves 2010). Organisational change taking place in the Nigerian organisation is at a transitory stage in a direction of stabilising its future position in the industry. The process of o rganisational change at Unilever can be managed as the procedure of planning, controlling and executing change in organisations in such a way is to reduce employee confrontation/resistance and cost to the organisation. In turn increasing the usefulness of the change effort becomes a priority to managers. Change is both predictable and attractive for the Nigerian company embracing the idea of innovation (Carnell 2007). The current business environment indicates signs of rapid competitiveness which results from the application of change initiatives that target the development of companies in a relevant direction Aspects of globalised markets and swiftly evolving technology influence businesses to adopt change in order to strengthen their performance in the market (Hughes 2010). For instance, such changes may reflect the introduction of a new software programme, or refocusing a marketing strategy. Companies, it has been suggestsed, must accept the force of change simply because their business environments require constant changes to take place (Jarrett 2003). Different external and internal organisational factors guide companies to consider the importance of change. Internal demands for change are derived from senior management and lower-level employees who drive the urgency for implementing change. External demands reflect changes in the PESTLE business environment (Burnes 2005). In practice, the management of change as presented in the case study of Unilever Nigeria Plc reflects common aspects of change observed in other Nigerian manufacturing organisations. . Observing the level of accepting organisational change among employees of Unilever Nigeria Plc may allow managers to structure the process of change in a manner to reflect employees’ different perceptions and expectations of change (Anthonia et al. 2013). This example also focuses on drawing lessons that can be functional and useful to other companies operating in the business environment of Nigeria. Approving and implementing organisational change indicate Unilever employees’ eagerness and willingness, support and assurance to the organisation which is important during the phase of major shifts in the structure of the organisation (Jarrett 2003). It has been suggested that senior managers are usually not in a rush in introducing change. They adhere to the belief that such procedure must be slow, balanced and systematic, particularly in large manufacturing companies like Unilever Nigeria Plc. Results from the survey conducted among employees of the Nigerian organisation revealed that the mean acceptance of change for all participants was reasonable. It has been indicated that characteristics of work settings do not represent any barriers to adopting change by Unilever employees. Acceptance of change by Unilever employees indicates the enthusiasm and confidence of the involved parties to hold and operate in a flexible business environment dominated by stakeholders’ assurance to influence and execute the changes (Anthonia et al. 2013). As highlighted by different scholars (Caldwell 2006; Jarrett 2003), the process of change can be both planned and managed especially if all stakeholders accept the desired outcomes by such organisational change. Researchers have argued that change should be established, executed and managed in such a way that draws the dedication from the affected parties like employees to accomplish the desired goals (Burnes 2004; Carnell 2007; Hayes 2010). The idea is that change is obligatory and predictable for organisations, as in the case of Unilever. It has been argued that to productively promote innovation in Unilever Nigeria Plc, it is not possible for senior management to have the ability and expertise needed for recognising th e necessity to manage change. Managers needed to widen their understanding of the major factors that may encourage or obstruct employees’ support for change initiatives in the organisation (Hughes 2010). This is significant because employees are considered the main stakeholders as well as the executers of change in the organisation. In the case of Unilever, it has been indicated that older employees and management staff were less receptive to the concept of change in comparison to younger employees working in the organisation. From the perspective of Unilever Nigeria Plc, employees were expected to hold and manage the execution of innovation through recognising the importance of innovative organisational culture. Unilever is a manufacturing company, in which the success of innovations is closely associated with support and encouragement from both senior management and non-managerial personnel (Anthonia et al. 2013). Additionally, innovations in Unilever Nigeria require strategic policies representing the company’s vision, goals, priorities and ways of action. In order to contribute to successful management of change within the organisation, senior managers combined effort and interpersonal reliance of all employees from all organisational departments and levels comprising the organisation’s hierarchical structure (Olufemi 2009). Unilever Nigerian Plc indicates an objective to deliver sufficient dividend on stakeholder investments. Yet the company is not resistant to most problems faced by oth er Nigerian companies. Similarly to most organisations operating in Nigeria, Unilever faced different internal challenges that weakened its competence to accomplish its mission thus pursuing to reinvent itself and manage the change process. Unilever Nigeria Plc has achieved solutions through innovations in order to implement change which has been recognised as a manageable process. The organisation is dedicated to innovation in various dimensions of its business, such as products, change policies, marketing initiatives and change mechanism strategies. It has been demonstrated that Unilever should reconsider the way in which it carries out its business activities in the economic Nigerian environment (Anthonia et al. 2013). The Nigerian organisation provides a practical example of how companies embrace the idea of change and manage it accordingly, with the idea to guarantee that the change process is executed effectively (Hayes 2010). Employees’ support, motivation, encouragement and commitment to change is fundamental. For example, results from surveying employees at Unilever revealed that most employees accept innovations, as non-managerial staff was more ready to accept change. Unilever Nigeria Plc tries to achieve the goals outlined in its vision of being a leading manufacturing organisation in Nigeria. However, the changes (or innovations) used to direct the company in that direction must be suitable to all stakeholders as well as properly executed (Burnes 2005). However, the successful execution of change and implementing other alteration measures in Unilever Nigeria Plc represents the relevance of two functional categories of human resources, that is management and non-management employees. Employees’ commitment to accomplish the various stages of change is a necessary requirement for the transformation of the company into an innovative enterprise because it would reflect strong indications of a company’s dynamic tempo of development (Hughes 2011). It has been found, through administering surveys to a sample of 720 senior/management staff and junior/non-managerial staff, that employees of Unilever Nigeria Plc demonstrated a positive attitu de towards change. This indicates a high level of recognition of change on the behalf of stakeholders (Anthonia et al. 2013). The findings recommended that senior management of Unilever Nigeria Plc indicated effective practices of uniting employees in order to sustain and manage the change process. The findings further implied that since employees at the company are likely to assess change completely, they are not opposed to it and thus any resistance is not expected to take place. In other words, employees would accept change and oppose it only if it increases legal concerns that may emerge in the workplace (Hughes 2011). This is consistent with the views shared in the organisational change management literature in the sense that negative attitudes of change may be an indicator for growing anxiety among employees. These findings are consistent with claims presented in existing literature, which shows that individuals may resist change or innovations because of uncertainty, misunderstanding, peer pressure, personal conflict and inaccurate perceptions of the change process (Anthonia et al. 2013; Hughes 2011; Paton and McCalman 2008). In particular, participative management, quality control management and trust in management emerged as important determinants of accepting the vali dity of the organisational change process by turning it into manageable and acceptable among employees of Unilever Nigeria Plc (Anthonia et al. 2013). The change initiated by senior management of Unilever Nigeria Plc was supported by employees, indicating that the organisation has adequately communicated the necessity to embrace and manage change (Anthonia et al. 2013). The major objective of the case study was to describe the organisational management of change at Unilever Nigeria Plc, which provided evidence that the change process can be manageable. The outcome that can be illustrated from this case study is that the corporate strategic model implied above does not seem to fit in with the assumptions of change demonstrated by senior managers (Hughes 2010). This may result in damaging the execution of necessary change at the organisation. This can apply to all manufacturing companies in Nigeria, as the majority of Nigerian organisations face interrelated challenges across different industry sectors. Failure of Change as a Manageable Process: The Food and Beverage Industry in Nigeria This section demonstrates findings that change has failed as a manageable process in some companies operating in the food and beverage industry in Nigeria. Olarewaju and Folarin (2012) aimed at exploring the impact of economic and political environment changes on organisational performance. Respondents from three companies operating in this industry filled questionnaires, as the results indicated that change failed as a manageable process. It has been suggested that managers should demonstrate greater concerns regarding organisational change and performance in terms of employing regular scanning of programmes introduced in organisations. It has been concluded that the influence of the external business environment, which involves persistent change, on organisational performance in the food and beverage industry in Nigeria was inadequate (Olarewaju and Folarin 2012). Understanding change as a manageable process was not effective across this industry because some food and beverage companies did not succeed in maintaining their performance measurement system properly. Forces shaping competition in the industry were irrelevant, pointing out that change initiatives were inadequate in this business context. Conclusion This paper presented arguments that change can be a planned and manageable process in contemporary organisations. The focus was on discussing the implications of change in the context of Nigerian companies, respectively Access Bank Plc and Unilever Nigeria Plc. It has been concluded that Access Bank Plc demonstrates a change structured process that is planned, whereas Unilever Nigeria Plc illustrates a manageable change process (Caldwell 2006). In addition, details of the failure of change as a planned and manageable process were included with regards to Nigerian public education and the food and beverage industry. The paper also illustrated the argument that change is linked with innovative organisational culture, which indicates a strong focus on the expected innovative performance of companies (Burnes 2004). The implications of conceptualising change as a planned and manageable process may help individuals and practitioners in the field recognise important characteristics and stag es of organisational change. References Abdulraheem, I., Mordi, C., Ojo, Y. and Ajonbadi, H. (2013) ‘Outcomes of Planned Organisational Change in the Nigerian Public Sector: Insights from the Nigerian Higher Education Institutions’, Economic Insights-Trends and Challenges, Vol. 2(1) pp26-37 Anthonia, A., Adewale, O. and Joachim, A. (2013) ‘Organisational Change and Human Resource Management Interventions: An Investigation of the Nigerian Banking Industry’, Serbian Journal of Management, Vol. 8(2) pp139-153 Burnes, B. (2004) Managing Change, London, Prentice Hall Burnes, B. (2005) ‘Complexity Theories and Organizational Change’, International Journal of Management Reviews, Vol. 7(2) pp73-90 Caldwell, R. (2006) Agency and Change, London, Routledge Carnell, C. (2007) Managing Change in Organisations, London, Prentice Hall Grieves, J. (2010) Organisational Change: Themes and Issues, Oxford, Oxford University Press Hayes, J. (2010) The Theory and Practice of Change Management, London, Palgrave Hughes, M. (2010) Managing Change: A Critical Perspective, London, CIPD Hughes, M. (2011) ‘Do 70 Per cent of All Organizational Change Initiatives Really Fail?’, Journal of Change Management, Vol. 11(4) pp451-464 Jarrett, M. (2003) ‘The Seven Myths of Change Management’, Business Strategy Review, Vol. 14(4) pp22-29 Olarewaju, A. A. and Folarin, E. A. (2012) ‘Impacts of External Business Environment on Organisational Performance in the Food and Beverage Industry in Nigeria’, British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, Vol. 6(2) pp194-201 Olufemi, A. J. (2009) ‘Managing Organisational Change in Nigeria Manufacturing Enterprises: Lessons from the Unilever Nigeria Plc’, International Business Management, Vol. 3(2) pp15-21 Paton, R. A. and McCalman, J. (2008) Change Management: A Guide to Effective Implementation, London, Sage Van Nistelrooij, A. and Sminia, H. (2010) ‘Organization Development: What’s Actually Happening?’, Journal of Change Management, Vol. 10(4) pp 407-420

Monday, September 16, 2019

Foreign Literature Essay

We are committed to a cosmopolitan and multicultural syllabus. As part of this commitment, all our single-subject students take one module in a foreign literature, studied at least partly in the original language. Modules are normally available in modern Arabic, Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Latin, as well as French, German, Italian and Spanish literature. A detailed description of the available foreign literature pathways and modules is sent to new entrants in August. If you’re a combined course student, you don’t have to take a foreign literature pathway, though you will be welcome to do so. Pathways We offer two distinct pathways, leading either to a Literature and Language module (in the second year) or to a Foreign Literature module (in the second and third year). You can choose your pathway based on a combination of your own interests and your prior language learning, either improving your skills in a language you already know or learning a new one. Each pathway offers formal teaching in both language and literature in the second year of study, and the Foreign Literature module extends into the third year. Why study foreign literature? Investigating foreign literature will offer you a different sense of the contexts in which English literature has been produced and studied. Although foreign literatures can (and, on occasion, will) be fruitfully studied in translation, there is no substitute for engaging with a text in its original language. You’ll gain a richer understanding of the text and a particular awareness of the politics of translation, and your understanding of grammar, and developing alertness to vocabulary and ambiguity, will be essential critical skills that will inform your study of English as well. Employers look positively on the language skills our students have added to their CVs, and external examiners have praised their cosmopolitan and sophisticated literary sensibilities. The training provided by the department was fantastic and it really is a major feat being able to read foreign literature in its original language. Steve, English.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Twilight Book Report

Twilight is a series of four vampire-themed fantasy romance novels written by American author Stephenie Meyerv and the first novel is called Twilight with the same article as the series. It is about a love story of a girl and a vampire. Bella Swan moves to the cloudy town of Forks to live with her father, Charlie. For the first day of school, she finds herself on friendly terms with a few of the kids. She has lunch together with her new friends and meets Edward Cullen for the first time.She is transfixed by the beautiful Edward Cullen and gets to know more about him after she is saved with Edward’s supernatural speed and strength from an accident. They sonly fall in love with each other. With the protection of the Cullen family, she escapes from James, who tries to kill her. Unfortunately, she is seriously wounded, but Edward rescues her. Twilight is an original story which interested me a lot because it tells about a love story between two ‘people’ from a human w orld and a vampire world whose relationship is a typical and special one.The story line goes in a clear way and it lures me a lot to know about how the next step goes to. My favourite part of the book is the chapter ‘hide and seek’ which its article has already got my attention from my first sight. The chapter talks about how James tries to trick Bella to the dance studio that he has got her mother and attacks her. The description makes an atmosphere with suspense and mystery to excite readers and lead them to guess the plot. I would like to meet Edward the most. As a vampire, I believe he has a tough life to live in a human’s world and follow others’ living habit.I am so impressed with the power and the special gifts he received that he can read others’ mind. I would like to ask him questions about vampire’s history and what kinds of innate technique do other vampires get cause I am very interested it them. Lastly, I would ask if he ever thi nk that being a human is better than transforming into vampire. For common people, we feel cool to be a vampire but we can never know how it really feels for a true vampire to go through the experience. That’s what I am curious about the most about Edward.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Discuss ‘sensibility’ in the poetry of Felicia Hemans: The Grave of a Poetess

In this essay I will define the meaning of ‘sensibility' in the poetry that I have encountered in this course. Then, I will discuss the gender writing, women's poetry and whether ‘sensibility' is a characteristic of women's poetry alone. In poetry, sensibility could be defined as a mental responsiveness and awareness, which refine sensitivity to pleasurable or painful impressions. It also, considered as a cult of feeling, which arose in the eighteenth century in response to philosophical theories. Those theories investigate the power of feeling to communicate directly between people. In the eighteenth century, sensibility celebrated the man feeling, presented with the feelings of sympathy and pity in response to the suffering of others. Sensibility takes us into an internal world of psychology. Curran argues that the link is a crucial one to understanding Romanticism when he writes that the ‘poetry of sensibility is at base a literature of psychological exploration, and it is the foundation on which Romanticism was reread' (Romantic Writing, p. 113). The images of woman on the eighteenth century, was one source of the figure of the domestic woman. Within the culture of the Romantic period, the main role for woman was taking care of children, house and husband. Literature in that era, was influenced by sensibility, and seems to celebrate feeling and femininity. Although sensibility appears among males' poems, most of them refuse sensibility and consider it as a type of feminine. Many of Wordsworth's poems return to the literature of sensibility, such as the distress suffered by a young woman and meeting an old man on the roadside. Wordsworth accepted sensibility as a male sensibility, but Blake refuse completely the sensibility, which represented in his perspective woman femininity. Sensibility meaning was different in the point of view of some women writers. Some of them take their literary identity from it, such as Williams. Whereas, others consider it as an aspect of femininity at best, and at worst, as a means to celebrate all that is most false and decadent in the contemporary emergence of male romantic poetry. No one can deny that romanticism periods' writers, such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Byron and Shelley, had borrowed significantly from female authors and feminine types of literature. Hence, we have to admit that there is a shared culture between men and women throughout the period of romanticism. Wollstonecraft argues that to deny women the opportunities of education and an active role in society is to transform them into domestic slaves. What connects women and slaves, for Wollstonecraft, is that they are both seen and treated as commodities. The revolutionary period gave fresh movement to debate and concern about femininity and women's role in society. James Fordyce's Sermons to Young Women (1765) was One of the most frequently republished volumes. In that volume, writer expresses strong views on the dangers to women of too much novel reading. According to Fordyce, female intellect is limited, whereas, most of life activities which need human intelligence such as ‘war, commerce, politics, exercises of strength and dexterity, abstract philosophy, and all the abstruser sciences, are more properly the province of men. In thinking about the relation between gender and writing in the romantic period, we should note the Polwhele claims an inherited masculine perspective, locating his contemporary readers in the context of their fathers' experience. According to Polwhele, women's writing is an affront to God-given, ‘natural' gender roles. In this masculine way of seeing, women are objects of the male gaze, they are defined by their appearance and behaviour. It follows that if women engage in certain types of writing, this will involve the loss of the ‘softer charms' that are bound up with these ideals of femininity. (Romantic Writing, p. 180). Nevertheless There were influential poets in the beginning of the nineteenth century, such as Anna Barbauld, Anna Seward, Charlotte Smith and Mary Robinson. The work of those women writers were going through many editions, but they have subsequently been erased from literary history or pushed to its margins. Women writers were very popular, and women readers gained a new economic visibility through the rise of fashionable magazine.. the beginning of women entrance to literary marketplace was in significant numbers during the 18th and 19th centuries, but in the historical context in which they wrote, they could not easily claim to speak with authority. To write as a woman was to be transgressive: entering the literary marketplace and competing with male authors for readership challenged conventional gender boundaries. As a result, many women authors adopted authorial personae that fit, rather than challenged, conventional gender definitions. Since women were generally understood to be emotional rather than rational, women authors often wrote about feelings, emotions, and, especially, love. They often adopted styles that fit their subject matter: to seem more feminine, they employed highly emotional language. By so doing, they could find an audience yet not risk being perceived as excessively ambitious. But this created a double-bind: to speak as a woman was to play the part of an emotionally sensitive and irrational human being. And whereas male authors could cite an infinite number of literary ancestors to establish their authority, female authors had just a handful of literary antecedents. Male poets were increasingly forced to respond to women writers such as Joanna Baillie, a Scottish poet and successful dramatist, who published a 72 page polemic arguing for naturalness in poetic language two years before Wordsworth wrote his ‘Preface† to the second edition of Lyrical Ballads, in which he makes the same plea. Women Poets such as Baillie and other preceded Wordsworth and brought the vigour of common life and language to their writings. Many of the most popular poets, such as Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L.E.L), published their poems in annuals and ornamental giftbooks, which were directed towards a largely female readership. L.E.L. edited and wrote most of Health's Book of Beauty, and contributed to countless other. They promoted, particularly through their illustrations, an ideology of feminine beauty, providing models for women to emulate and confirming that the ideal woman was the object, not the subject, of the gaze. In this sense, we will represent Felicia Hemans: â€Å"The Grave of a Poetess†. Sensibility is appear obviously in this poem which succeed in transferring the human suffer among its verses. In such a poem which written by woman, the death seems strangely bound up with expression, and it show how might this bundling affect the poem's agenda. In the final stanza of The Grave of a Poetess, Felicia Hemans completes the turn of her poem from one of melancholy lament at the passing of fellow poet Mary Tighe to one instead celebrating the apparent freedom of expression that follows a poet's earthly death. In closing, Hemans writes to Tighe, â€Å"Where couldst thou fix on mortal ground / Thy tender thoughts and high? / Now peace the woman's heart hath found, / And joy the poet's eye†. The Grave of a Poetess, ends up carrying a fair amount of dramatic potency, as it both points to repression of the female voice, and implies the loss this creates for all of humanity. An effective tension is thus lent to Hemans poem through the direct and indirect of injection of her frustrated Romantic yearnings for the attainment of full expression for her and her fellow poetesses, the denial of which leads her to resort to the Christian-like notion of a vindicating afterlife seen in this poem. Charlotte Smith was born in London. Her mother Anne died when she was only three, and at the age of six Charlotte was sent by her Aunt to a school in Chichester and later a school in Kingston. At the age of sixteen she was the subject of an arranged marriage to Benjamin Smith, with whom she was to have twelve children. There life together was far from straightforward, and the couple had many financial difficulties which led to her husband being imprisoned in debtors prison for seven months. Despite all her problems she was however a talented translator, and prolific writer of prose, plays and poetry. Including the Elegaic Sonnets in 1784 of which the Glow Worm was sonnet 58. She died in 1806 and is buried in Stoke. In Charlotte Smith's sonnet, she showed a high power of sensibility and she used a power of nature to represent her feeling among the sonnet. â€Å"I love to listen to the hollow sighs/ Through the half-leafless wood that breathes the gale;/ for at such hours the shadowy phantom pale†: in these lines she express her sadness and feelings through the use of nature elements. She used the expression â€Å"half-leafless† to show that the leaves had fallen down. Also she use the expression â€Å"shadowy phantom† to show that it is as a shadow, and this expression is a kind of mystery. Dorothy Wordsworth: â€Å"Floating Island† is another example of woman poetry, which represent sensibility among her writing. Dorothy start her poem with a force of nature: â€Å"Harmonious Powers with Nature work/ on sky, earth, river, lake, and sea:/ Sunshine and storm, whirlwind and breeze/ All in one duteous task agree†. In this poem the poet employed the nature to express the feeling of security in the preface of the poem. Although common poets refused to accept feminine sensibility, their work was influenced by sensibility in getting to the mind of human feeling and describing suffering and emotion. Wordsworth show sensibility in his famous poems, such as â€Å"Lucy†. In that poem, Wordsworth describe a story of a woman and express her beauty and shy. Then he ended his poem by telling his audience that Lucy had dead and no one know where she had lived: â€Å"She lived unknown, and few could know/ But she is in her grave, and oh†. All these emotions considered as a type of sensibility. In contrasting with William Blake: â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†, we find that the poet interest in showing a political and social suffering among his poem. In this poem the Blake is suggesting that it is a state of affairs which cannot be changed, and all we could do would be to accept our earthly fate and expect our reward in the afterlife: â€Å"And so Tome awoke, and we rose in the dark,/ So if all do their duty they need not fear harm†. Although men such as Wordsworth, Blake, Keats and Shelley refused to admit that they use sensibility in their poems, no one can deny that there is a considerable amount of shared culture between men and women throughout the period of romanticism. In comparing with women sensibility, Wordsworth, Blake, Keats and Shelley express their sensibility among their poems in their poetry, and mainly they concern in human existence and the political situation. Sensibility was appeared more in Blake poems, as he was more sensitive and involved in human and political suffering and he was considered as a radical member during the revolution. On the other hand women sensibility interest in domestic matters and social and family sadness and women suffering. Further more they interest in the story of love and families and they use gothic elements in their poetry. In conclusion, we defined sensibility as a matter of sensitivity and expression of emotions which arose in eighteenth century poetry. Both of men and women used sensibility in their poetry, but each of them employ it in a different way. The work of Wordsworth and Coleridge, Keats Byron and Shelley borrows significantly from female authors and ‘feminine' types of literature, such as sensibility, even though it seeks to mark its own works as masculine and to sever the association with female writers and readers. Sensibility arose in men's poetry as a matter of expressing the refusal to the political situation and the social suffering. Whereas, it arose in women sensibility among their awareness of domestic needs and women suffering. In men's perspective the woman is a poem not a poet, and that was what we notice in Wordsworth poem â€Å"Lucy† as he used Lucy as a passive character, he interest in describing her beauty, but there were no considered to her intelligence.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Woody Case Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Woody Case - Research Paper Example They will also put in place measures on how they install the new semi-automatic production training. This will include install ling air conditioning machines, using dust free paint and making room for extra compressor. Then, the team will proceed and assemble the material they need to actualize the designs. Here, they we buy the paint, air conditioners, cement, ballast, and additional equipments to meet the construction. In case, of shortage of manpower, they will hire more workers. These acquisitions will be passed by the management team of Woody 2000. Work breakdown structure From here the actual work will commence the team will put the design into action. Most of the work will be construction of the floor and the walls. Then there will be installation of the air conditioners. The work will be divided into phases depending on the agency and the chronological order. Construction work will be divided in phase one, two and three. Phase one will be broad, covering all issues of the plan two will be a breakdown of phase one, the secondary works of construction. Finally, phase three will involve finishing. Phase one will include floor construction, wall construction and roof construction. Phase two will be selecting and fixings the finishes that are roofing materials, windows frames and windows, doors, screens, exterior wall finishes and interior wall and ceiling cladding. Finally, phase three will be installation of the air conditioners, compressor and electricity. This is a horizontal bar chart that gives a graphical schedule that helps to coordinate, plan and track tasks in a project. The team will come up with this chart to help them to be able to stick to the tasks at hand. In the horizontal axis, they will indicate the time and the vertical axis will be the activity for the day. In this case, the team will have a maximum of eighteen months to complete the expansion. The team will be

Thursday, September 12, 2019

What was the watergate scandal and what was its effect on American Essay

What was the watergate scandal and what was its effect on American politics - Essay Example The idea of pursuing re-election through draconian means seemed attractive to him and his consultants. However, their approach to re-election campaign turned out to be an illegal act. As revealed in May 1972 evidence following the NDC’s office break-in, it emerged that the members of the re-election committee of President Nixon were the culprits of the Watergate burglary. Many intruders, who were linked to the reelection campaign of Nixon, were caught trying to wiretap phones and filch confidential documents (Vaughn 579). Owing to the failure of the wiretaps, the burglars would soon return to the Watergate office on June 17, 1972 to rectify the fault. Unfortunately, a security guard detected when they tapped the locks to Watergate building using a microphone. The guard informed the police of the incident and it was fortunate that the police wasted no time and caught the burglars red-handed (Vaughn 579). Despite the fact that the link between the burglars and President Nixon initially remained oblivious, the link would later be established when detectives identified white house contact of the president’s re-election committee in the baggage of the intruders. President Nixon gave a public speech on August 1972 distancing himself and his office from the burglary. Consequently, he won the trust of most voters, which handed him a landslide victory in November election (Vaughn 579). Nixon later planned financial reward for the burglars to cover up for the crime. However, the plan failed when some of his confidants yielded to the cover-up pressure revealing that the president orchestrated the burglary. Some of his aides were incarcerated in 1973. Nixon was pressured to produce the Oval Office’s taped conversation, which he allegedly possessed. When he finally handed over some of the tapes, the cover up began to blow apart in early 1974. In July 1974, the House of Representatives