US-South Korean Relations: A New Era of Cooperation

President Carter stated in a secret memorandum at the beginning of his administration that â€Å"U. S. – Korean relations as determined by Congress and American people are at an all time low. † This statement, coupled with his iron determination to withdraw forces from South Korea, reflected the end of what is often known as the â€Å"Golden Age† of Korean-American relations. During Park Chung Hee†s 18-year authoritarian reign over South Korea, the late 1970s portray a complex web of alliance relations and tumultuous security commitment that threatened the overall strength of the two allies. Constant U. S. intervention and attempts to influence Korea†s political process were met with massive resistance and did not deter then president Park from steadfastly continuing his Yushin system of authoritarian rule until his sudden assassination in 1979 (Gleysteen 4). However, the decades following the 1970s portray yet another shift in Korean-American relations. Once opposed to Western style democracy, the government of the 1990s (namely, Kim Dae Jung) has shed its authoritarian foundation and now supports a policy that reflects the ideals of Western democracy. South Korea has effectively put into place a system of democracy that will now be difficult to overturn, if anyone should ever again try. Although unsuccessful in the 1970s, the U. S. has finally realized its primary goal of political liberalization in South Korea. In this paper, I will discuss the relations between Korea and the U. S. in the late 1970s and the factors that led to tensions in alliance; mainly, differing political ideologies. Then, I will elaborate on the great strides Korea has made in achieving democracy, therefore lessening the political gap between Korea and the Western nations. I will do so by presenting Kim Dae Jung†s strongly democratic vision of Korea among opposing viewpoints. By analyzing his response to Lew Kwan Yew†s generally anti-Western democracy stance, one is able to discern the similarities in political thought that bridged the seemingly irreparable gap rendered during the Park Chung Hee rule. The differences in these two political leaders effectively portray the opposite ends of the political spectrum and show the changes in government Korea has made during the governments of Park and Kim. Upon Park Chung Hee†s rise to power following the military coup of 1961, it was inevitable that Korea would not follow a trend towards democracy. Given Park†s military background, Confucian heritage and Japanese education, there was nothing in his history to suggest that he would embrace democracy American-style. In fact, he considered this practice to be â€Å"inconvenient and unproductive† (Oberdorfer 32). A U. S. military assessment noted: From the time he led the 1961 coup, it has been evident that President Park had little admiration for or interest in the craft of politics. His approach to his stewardship as ROK head of state has remained that of a general who desires that his orders be carried out without being subjected to the process of political debate (Oberdorfer 33). Although heavy U. S. ressure influenced Park to return to nominal civilian rule following his coup, one can see that from the beginning there were prominent factors that foreshadowed the clash of ideologies to come. Park began his most anti-democratic line of rule in 1972 with the advent of his â€Å"Yushin† system that disbanded the National Assembly, declared martial law, discarded the existing Constitution and prepared for indirect election of the president. To silence opposition, Park arrested many of the senior political leaders of the country. He justified this radical line of rule by declaring that they were â€Å"revitalizing reforms† that were necessary to strengthen and unify the nation to prepare for possible Northern invasion and maintain national independence (Oberdorfer 38). All pretense of a civilian government was thus ended by this blatant grab for complete authoritarian power. Following a policy that encouraged gradually lower levels of U. S. engagement with Korea, the U. S. responded to this maneuver by stating that they had not been consulted or involved in Park†s actions and would seek to avoid involvement in Korea†s internal affairs (Oberdorfer 41). In effect, the U. S. was attempting to not endorse the Yushin plan as a whole by following a policy of disassociation that diminished the role of the U. S. in Korea†s political system. U. S. involvement, while always present, became significantly more intrusive with President Carter†s rise to office in 1976. At this time, America†s reaction against military commitments abroad were seen for the first time since the Vietnam disaster when President Carter advocated the withdrawal of U. S. troops from Korea almost immediately following his inception into office. Korea was, of course, adamantly against this maneuver and Carter†s own government displayed opposition to such a drastic move. However, for undetermined reasons, Carter remained steadfast in this course of action for almost the entire duration of his office. Although the administration and Congress opposed the immediate withdrawal of U. S. forces, they were not against the idea of using the issue to induce a process of liberalization. However, they had to be careful in their suggestions so as to not provoke a nationalist and regressive reaction. The U. S. ought to do this by attempting to recover strained relations with Park, hoping it would lead to gradual democratization by a friendly and understated counsel. Park too hoped to end the awkward relations with the U. S. but sought to maintain U. S. support without changing his ruling style. He proposed a summit with Carter in January 1979 but rejected Western style democracy as unsuitable to Korea. Although both sides wanted to return to the friendly relations of the past, misperceptions regarding the other†s government led to escalating tensions (Gleysteen 6). The political interplay was such that Park believed that the U. S. policy toward Korea would shift from human rights and democratization to security, whereas the Carter administration gradually adopted a flexible status quo policy linked to a strategy of offensive intervention. These exchanges in misperceived intentions and mutual suspicions spiraled into political turmoil that culminated in the shocking assassination of Park in 1979. There can be no doubt that although the U. S. pparently had not direct involvement in the assassination, its public statements and support of the opposition helped to fuel and enhance the struggle for Park†s demise. The fall of the Park regime and the â€Å"Carter Chill† are interdependent, and the decline of the Triangular Alliance Security System (TASS) is apparent as Korean politics continued to deviate from U. S. interests. There is a fundamental lack of compromise and miscommunication between the Carter and Park administrations that led to the detrimental effect of unsteady alliance. With this level of tension and uncertainty, relations can only be strained and self-defeating, for they are only encouraging instability in the very region that both are trying to maintain peace in. Judging by the transition of Korean-American relations and the dismal conclusion in 1979, neither side was entirely successful in securing their interests and maintaining a cohesive alliance management. However, the shift to democracy (and consequently, united Korean-American interests) came in 1987 when Korea held its first popular ballot since Park Chung Hee†s narrow victory in 1971. Since then, Korea has been on a sometimes shaky but determined road to continue democracy that appears to have no end. We see this commitment to democracy in current President Kim Dae Jung, who has had a long and remarkable history in advocating democracy. Throughout his long and volatile political career, Kim has remained staunchly dedicated to his belief in democracy despite constant threat and repression. Kim came very close to winning the popular ballot in 1971 against Park Chung Hee and it was no secret that Park despised and feared him. He was abducted by Park†s KCIA in Tokyo and brought back to Seoul bound and gagged, after which he was placed under house arrests and later imprisoned. After Park, Chun continued the vengeance by having Kim arrested and sentenced to death. It was only with the influence of the Reagan administration that Chun reluctantly allowed Kim to live. Prior to 1987, there had been only 2 months since his kidnapping fourteen years earlier when he had been free of house arrest, prison, exile, or some other serious official restriction. In these years of adversity, Kim has had the opportunity to strengthen his convictions and answer major questions facing Korea (Oberdorfer 177). When Kim Dae Jung assumed power as President in 1997, many thought finally. After a political career that has spanned more than 4 decades, Kim was finally able to implement his democratic ideals. Kim was also a U. S. favorite for the presidency for it meant that Korea would strengthen its democratic government and Korea would have a president that the U. S. ould relate to – unlike Park Chung Hee in the 1970s. Overall, Kim†s ascension into the presidency signified increasingly harmonious Korean-American relations into the 21st century. There is perhaps no better assurance of Korean-American political compatibility in the 1990s than Kim Dae Jung†s article that appeared in Foreign Affairs magazine in late 1994. In order to understand Kim Dae Jung†s adamantly pro-democracy article titled, â€Å"Is Culture Destiny? † one must first understand the Lee Kwan Yew interview that provoked it. In his interview with Foreign Affairs in early 1994, Lee Kwan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore, stated his belief that the primary reason that Asian countries cannot adopt Western democracy is due to the inherent differences in culture. In response, Korean President Kim Dae Jung argues that Asian culture does not oppose the ideals of democracy, but rather, enhances it. He believes that Asian culture in no way hinders the progress of democracy and the resistance of authoritarian leaders and their supporters only obstructs incorporation of such a culture into democracy. And above all, Kim supports the ideals of democracy and promotes it fully throughout his article. Kim asserts that though Lee stresses cultural values throughout his interview, that alone does not determine a country†s fate. Furthermore, he believes that Lee†s view is not only unsupportable but also self-serving. Throughout the article, Kim disputes Lee†s arguments of incompatibility and implies that Lee†s â€Å"democracy is incompatible with Eastern culture† argument is only used to justify his personal anti-democratic beliefs. The effects of Kim†s history of political oppression and opposition against authoritarianism can be seen throughout this response. In reply to Lee†s view that an individual exists within the context of the family, Kim points out that industrialization has brought the inevitable consequence of self-centered individualism. Also, Lee†s statement that â€Å"the ruler or government does not try to provide for a person what the family best provides,† rejects what he perceives as the intrusive nature of Western governments. In it, Lee claims that this intrusiveness is not suited for family-oriented East Asia. However, Kim argues that this is not true, for East Asian government are much more intrusive than Western governments into the daily affairs of their people. Whereas Western people exercise much more individual liberties than Eastern people, the Eastern governments tend to limit individual behavior. Singapore, for example, strictly regulates activities such as gum chewing, spitting, and littering. Lee even dislikes the â€Å"one man, one vote† principle that Kim states is a fundamental part of democracy, saying that he is not â€Å"intellectually convinced† that it is best (Kim 190). Kim goes on to argue that though he cannot disagree with Lee†s objection to forcing an alien system indiscriminately upon societies in which it will not work, he questions the extent to which democracy is alien to Asian cultures. Contrary to Lee, Kim believes that Asian culture in fact enhances democracy and even contains underlying foundations that are essentially democratic in nature. Similar to the Lockean foundation of modern democracy that gives sovereign right to the people and leaders a mandate to govern through a social contract that the people can withdraw, Asia also has a similar philosophy. Chinese philosopher Meng-tzu preached that the king is the Son of Heaven and is given a Mandate of Heaven to provide government for the good of the people. If he did not do so, the people had the right to rebel and overthrow the government in the name of heaven. A native religion of Korea further advocated that â€Å"man is heaven† and one must serve man as he does heaven (Kim 190). Kim also describes the ancient political systems of China and Korea in which the government practiced the rule of law and saw to it that all citizens were treated fairly. Powerful boards of censors supported freedom of speech by checking imperial misrule and abuses by government officials. Therefore, he says, the fundamental ideas and traditions necessary for democracy exist in both Europe and Asia. Many Asian countries, including Singapore, became prosperous after they adopted a Western style of free-market economy, which is also an integral part of democracy. In countries where economic prosperity preceded political advancement, it was only a matter of time before democracy followed. The best proof that democracy can work in East Asia, Kim says, can be seen in the fact that despite the resistance of authoritarian leaders, Asia has achieved the most remarkable record of democratization of any region since 1974. This achievement has only been overshadowed by Asia†s tremendous economic success. Kim uses the finding of experts who claim that the new economic world order requires guaranteed freedom of information and creativity, things that are only possible within a democracy. Thus, Kim maintains, Asia has no alternative to democracy because it is also a matter of survival in an increasingly competitive world (Kim 192-193). Much to the U. S. â€Å"s pleasure, Kim suggests that Asia look towards the models of the democracy in the West and learn from their successes and failures. He advocates a â€Å"rebirth of democracy that promotes freedom, prosperity, and justice both within each country and among nations, (193)† and using the traditional strengths of Asian society to better the implementation of democracy. Kim says, â€Å"such a democracy is the only true expression of a people, but it requires the full participation of all elements of society. Only then will it have legitimacy and reflect a country†s vision. † Policies which strive to protect people from the negative effects of economic and social change will never be effective if imposed without consent, but those same policies will have the strength of Asia†s people if decided through public debate. Furthermore, Kim advocates the need to strive towards a new democracy that guarantees the right of personal development for all human beings and the wholesome existence of all living this. As a whole, Asia should firmly establish democracy and strengthen human rights. The biggest obstacle to democracy, Kim asserts, lies not within culture but within authoritarian governments. Coming at the brink of a political comeback, Kim†s article was in many ways pivotally timed to gain the support of the international community as well as the majority desiring Korean democracy. Through his support of public voice, direct elections, and humanitarian policies, one can clearly see the enormous change in Korean-American political interplay during the course of two decades. Judging by the strength of Korean-American relations in the 1990s in comparison to the faltering one of the late 1970s, one can reasonably conclude that similar principles (rule of law, popular elections, freedom of press and speech) prove successful in stabilizing alliance management. The more positive image of Korea to Americans as the Koreans democratize versus all the scandals (Koreagate) and human rights violations of the 1970s have also served to improve the image of Korea to Americans. Parallel trains of political thought and an enhanced Korean image in America have helped to make the Korean-American alliance far more beneficial and reliable than it was before Park†s demise, when it was feared that relations were irreparably deteriorated. More than any other president in Korea†s history, Kim Dae Jung personifies the ideals of Western style democracy. In direct contrast to Park Chung Hee†s rule in the 1970s, Kim Dae Jung supports a political policy that embraces Western ideology. The fundamental points within his argument are in line with primary U. S. interests of democratization, so it is easy to see why Americans would welcome Kim as Korea†s leader. Twice in his political history the U. S. intervened to save Kim†s life and they further showed their support more recently when they pledged economic aid and support for Kim†s reforms. Thus, the 1990s have seen the vast improvement and strengthening of Korean-American relations while Korea progresses to become independent of the U. S. Democratization is well on its way and unlikely to regress, and Korean-American relations steadily continue to improve. No longer is their alliance merely one in which Korea is a junior ally unable to exert much influence – Korea has gradually been able to test the limits of their alliance and exercise more power than ever before. An alliance that started as a U. S. security interest has evolved to become a more interdependent one in which both states will reap the benefits. Kim Dae Jung†s parting comment, if followed, will forever bind the U. S. and Korea as allies with the same political vison – â€Å"Culture is not necessarily our destiny. Democracy is† (194).

Food Poisoning Essay

Introduction: Every year millions of people suffer from food poisoning due to uncontrolled application of agricultural chemicals, environmental contamination, use of illegal additives , microbiological hazards and others but as a result of increasing awareness of consumers and their demands to provide them with safe, wholesome and high quality food have force many food premises to carry out a broad assessment and re-organize their systems of food control in turn to improve efficiency , rationalization of human resources and harmonizing approaches. This assessment of food control system has resulted to shift from the traditional approach which depends mainly on the final product sampling and inspection and move forward toward the implementation of a preventative safety and quality approach based on risk analysis. (FAO, 1998) Risk based approaches has been developed by World health organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and it is called risk analysis .(WHO,2011)-website Moreover, risk analysis is a combination of three interconnected elements which are Risk management, Risk assessment and Risk communication. (FAO/WHO training manual, 2006) Risk assessment is a scientific evaluation of risk associated with hazard either qualitatively or quantitatively .Risk management is the process where the relevant information of risk including risk assessment results are used to make decisions on how they will control the risk and implementing proper options. Finally risk communication which may define as the process by which exchange of information occur between risk assessors, managers and concerned parties. (http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/ae922e/ae922e04.htm) Government officials: In order to prepare a food products that is safe for human consumption and trade within the country or worldwide as well as maintain public confidence the government officials has a major role in this issue, yet it is clear that the government has no role in the production of food and cannot by itself to make safe or unsafe food. However, the government does play two important roles to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The first major role is to create food standards and implement it through laws, regulations, inspection, and compliance procedures. These standards range from setting legislation to prevent food adulteration toward defining limits on the levels of pesticides residues as well as levels of pathogenic bacteria, food labelling, preparation and packaging of food. As a consequence, USDAs in recent times implemented HACCP system for meat and poultry to reduce harmful contamination and the risk of food borne illness. The second role is to address food safety problems that are beyond the control of any person participating in the food chain, which require more than a regulatory solution like for example E.coli O157:H7 pathogen which originates in the gut of cattle and is spread through the environment to contaminate water, fresh produce, and beef during the slaughtering process causing a considerable hazard when present in food. Address these and many other food safety problems need a strong research base, and to develop an effective control measures not to mention the cooperation between farmers, livestock producers, food processors, retailers and consumers. Therefore, government officials play a leading role in promoting basic research and cooperation in such cases to reduce the risk of food borne diseases. (Taylor &ump; Hoffmann, 2001) In fact, applying risk analysis provides many benefits to all food safety stakeholders including government. In this term it can help food safety regulators to obtain more evidence and information they require to make an effective decision and to identify and apply suitable measures to control the risk in addition to evaluate these measures for example it can be used to assess the maximum level of pesticide residue in food supplies ,increasing the rate of tests ,provide advice to a certain population subgroup, review labelling requirements, and issue a ban and/or recall for the suspected food product in response. Risk analysis can be applied to support and improve food standards such as regulation (EC) no.1829/2003 on genetically modified foods and feed (EU, 2003) and many others standards. It allows the potential costs of compliance for comparison with the expected benefits, and supports setting priorities among the various problems related to food safety. (FAO 87, 2006) In addition to the above advantages, since in article2 (2) from SPS agreement indicates the need of scientific evidence in establishing sanitary and pytosanitary measures. (SPS) though, applying risk analysis will assist the government to meet their commitments and strengthen the basis for the food trade at the international level by increasing access to new market. (FAO 87, 2006) Moreover, gaps and uncertainties in scientific knowledge can be identified using risk analysis approach, which will lead to improve food safety and a better understanding of food related impacts on consumer health. (FAO 87, 2006) In general, risk analysis is used mostly for chemical hazards but recently FAO and WHO expand the scope to cover microbiological hazards as well. (FAO 76) As a result, microbial risk assessment has been used to assess the risk posed by Listeria in a wide range of food commodities and regulatory involvements to control pathogens. (Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 27, 2001 / Proposed Rules) Thus, through risk analysis the government officials can make out opportunities to reduce risk by using it to establish risk based inspection program, development and application of food standards, collaborate efforts with food processors, and consumer awareness. (Taylor &ump; Hoffmann, 2001) However, since not all countries have the capabilities and resources to conduct risk assessment ,so they must make use of international data and expertise available besides data that is internationally accepted such as codex standards which accepted as scientifically valid under SPS agreement .(FAO,76) Food processors: On the other hand, food processors as discussed earlier has the main role to produce safe ,wholesome and high quality food to meet customer demands. While world health organisation (WHO) has briefly indicated that food safety is a shared responsibility from farm to fork, http://www.eufic.org/article/en/artid/processing-food-safety-quality-1/ governments and intergovernmental organisation like Codex Alimentarius commission (CAC) has a major responsibility in creating food standards and so it is important to involve food manufacturers in the process of setting standards at the national and international levels. This participation is beneficial to all stakeholders, and government indeed should assist this exchange of information to help ensure supplying safe products. http://www.fao.org/docrep/v2890t/v2890t05.htm Achieving this requires implementing science based systems derived from risk analysis and associated risk management approaches like HACCP for industry. (Hobbs, 2007) However, to carry out a HACCP plan, hazard analysis is required, as it considers as the first of the seven HACCP principles, it is used to assess the probable hazards that could occur through food processing, gathering data regarding those hazards and their severity to the consumer besides the possibility of their occurrence. Once established a hazard analysis using risk analysis, it must be considered throughout the HACCP plan development. (Peter warring book, food quality assurance book) In addition to the above, there are a number of authors who have suggested the use of risk based systems in HACCP plan (Baird-Parker, 1994, 1995;Buchanan, 1995; Notermans and Jouve, 1995; Elliott,1996; Notermans and Mead, 1996). Thus demands to include some aspects of risk into HACCP system are increasing. (T.Mayeres,97) Burden or benefits) (Mayers, 1997) on the other hand stated that the HACCP system is functioning effectively without the need of risk assessment approach, bearing on mind that HACCP has been internationally considered as an effective way to control food borne hazards. However, some elements of risk analysis can be useful in HACCP by increasing the scientific basis of hazard analysis, can help in identification of critical limits, as well as increasing transparency in decision making.( (T.Mayeres,97) Burden or benefits) Part B/i: Owing to the increasing demands of the global market for sea food products, exposure to food borne illness may increase as a consequence. (Book of Iso and HACCP) For instance,

Special Advertizing Campaigns Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Special Advertizing Campaigns - Research Paper Example According to research conducted by the prestigious consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Interactive Advertising Bureau Poland Internet is still a dominant communication channel, it has even achieved a 12.9% increase year to year. In the research 29 entities took part and they presented data related to sales executed by external firms. The most dynamic segment has been search engine marketing which has increased by 3% compared to 2008 and in 2009 constituted 26% of total advertising expenses. The segment of advertisements and yellow pages noted a 5% value increase, whereas taking into consideration the share in the advertising types it has experienced a slight decline – 1%. E-mail marketing maintained its position of advertising expenses, that just like in 2008 amounted to 6%. In the research report, with the help of 14 entities: interactive agencies or interactive departments of advertising agencies took part , sum of net revenues of advertising agencies without medi a increased by 6.3% year to year (6.9% including media i.e. planned purchase and service of media by mediation of interactive agencies). ... The number of long-term projects lasting from 3 to 6 months has increased, whereas the number of projects executed within a month has halved. In total sales in 2009 there is a distinct share increase in motorization, transport, alcoholic beverages and telecommunication. While the following sectors: finances, commerce, hygiene, pharmacy, computers, fashion and books, DVD, food, tourism have reported a decline. According to 29% of researched agencies the interactive sector expects a 21-40% increase in sales in 2010; according to 21% of the researched the increase will amount to 5-10% and according to 14% of the researched the level of sales increase may exceed 61%. This report also reports that year 2009 has been the period of development of social portals engaging internauts. Social marketing has been the fastest developing segment in the US market. Among communities significant presence of business could be observed. Mobile segment turned out to be particularly strong. It is estimate d that in 2010 mobile advertising in Great Britain will increase by 38%. We would like to wish to the Internet sector next success in 2010. The Report has been divided into 8 chapters. Chapter 1 focused manily on Polish Internet market survey results. According to the InternetWorldStats data for December 2009, 27% people across world uses Internet. 42% Asians of all Internet users dominate among internauts. Whereas almost every fourth Internet user (24%) lives in Europe. According to GUS research of April 2009, 57% of Polish households used Internet. Next 2% did have access; remaining 41% did not have access to Internet due to lack of skills, lack of need & too much expense. According to the NetTrack research (Millward Brown SMG/KRC commissioned by

The evolution of strategic intelligence analysis beginning in WWII Essay

The evolution of strategic intelligence analysis beginning in WWII trhough the Korean war - Essay Example Strategic intelligence involves acquiring information pertaining to military strategy and operation plans at the national level. In strategy intelligence, more focus is shifted on factors such as geography of foreign countries, long-term future planning trends and tactics. According to the DIA, strategic intelligence is a crucial implement in anticipation of future threats globally (Andrew 45). The World War II made America to realize the need for military intelligence in particular in terms of strategy. According to the Defense Intelligence Strategy (DIA), the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japans came as a huge surprise to the U.S presumably as result of inability or total failure by the government to predict the attack (Defense intelligence Agency). This is considered as one of the most noteworthy intelligence letdowns that subsequently led to the evolution of strategic intelligence. In the awakening of the Second World War, Andrew points out that the U.S. faced what he termed as a re volution in intelligence. In his opinion, both former presidents Truman and Roosevelt were incapable of grasping the full repercussions of the revolution. Roosevelt was, however, interested in human intelligence that was more spy-based instead of signal intelligence such as radio transmitter (Defense intelligence Agency). ... to an American and British Treaty that saw to the authorization and subsequent commencement of the development of the covert operations that were to gather relevant military information (Andrew). This also set up the foundation for the formation of government intelligence units such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as well as National Intelligence Agency (NSA). This was further augmented by Eisenhower who greatly contributed towards the development of strategic intelligence especially imagery satellites in an era where space explorations had not been launched. To do this, through the CIA Eisenhower deployed U-2 panes that surveyed the U.S. borders as well as some parts of the enemies’ territories (Prouty and Ventura 42). According to Prouty and Ventura, these steps marked a significant evolution of intelligence as the CIA started to invade areas that it was familiar with and in which it could establish its operations without being seen or observed by other parties with in the U.S. government as well as other enemies. Prouty and Ventura describes the CIA’s activities as a water spillage that spread quite fast. By the late fortes, the U.S. Air Intelligence Force was established by General Vandenberg that consisted of a number of units that was well equipped with military weaponry ranging from flight machineries to printing correspondents and leaflets distribution units. Upon their establishment, they were taken through a rigorous during training exercise, before being deployed to various parts of the world such as Japan. Some aspects of these units were greatly incorporated in the Korean War with some of the specialized sections made to work with the CIA in Asia, the Middle East and Europe as well (Johnson 163). Strategic intelligence was further boosted by

Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Coursework - Essay Example This paper presents results from a research project aiming at developing an architecture supporting local mobility within hospital. The architecture is based on fieldwork and mostly on the knowledge derived from a large number of reliable sources. The fieldwork has emphasized the differences between remote mobility, where users travel over long distances, and local mobility, where users walk around within a fixed set of building. Based on an in depth study, I conclude that local mobility puts up three requirements for computer support;(i) it should integrate into the existing infrastructure (ii) it should support the use of various heterogeneous devices, and (iii) it should enable seamless application roaming between these devices. The paper describes how these requirements were realized in an architecture for local mobility, and how the architecture can be implemented in the health care domain and the costs involved in it and the various benefits gained from it.

Examining Economic Differences Between Nations As Caused by the Essay

Examining Economic Differences Between Nations As Caused by the Presence of Education and Higher Learning - Essay Example Although there is an enormous difference in economic/educational knowledge between an American who has a degree in finance or education, and an American who had to struggle to complete a high school diploma, nevertheless the two would most likely still be able to agree upon a fairly straightforward idea: formal education indubitably enhances one's ability to become a valuable employee, and therefore a contributor to our comparatively wealthy nation. Money is on our minds, and education is almost universally accepted within this country as the means by which to build our fortunes. Within the next few pages, the aim of this paper is to illustrate with facts and figures more of the mechanics of the answer to the question above. The focus will be upon politics and the history of one particular developing nation, Liberia. First of all, let's look at the evidence that Americans see education as the key to opportunity. On a typical day, it is almost guaranteed that msn.com will tout at least three new articles from one, if not all of the following topics: "finding the best college" "the best college for your money," "how to save for your child's education," "finding the most lucrative major," "where to find baby's first SAT guide to ensure that he is able to get a 1600 before other kids can walk." The article dujour for April 12 is somewhat subdued, and we see only a few articles on money and/or education: "Tax-day Aftermath in 19 Cities," "Saving Family Fortunes," and last but not least, "Preparing for a High-Paying Job." We are focused on finding both the best education for ourselves AND for our children. Can any of us really deny the powerful, but mixed feelings (awe, admiration, maybe a little bit of envy or self-consciousness) we would have upon meeting someone who non-chalantly declares that he o r she recently completed a master's degree for some convoluted area of study (we're not even sure what a person with such a degree will do with it) from a very sexy, name-brand college "Certainly," we think to ourselves, "this person has it made when it comes to finding a job." The Black Collegian states, "we launched this magazine with the conviction that earning a higher education was among the most important, transformative and uplifting opportunitites in a young person's life-and the most challenging. This remains as true today as in 1970." (The Black Collegian, 4) Although, as with everything, there are exceptions to the following statement, it cannot be denied that the majority of Americans will agree that it is wise to pursue a quality education, if one desires to attain a certain level of comfort, and the career necessary for achieving that lifestyle. It can be said that although atypical of every single citizen of the United States, there are also those who see education as more than a means to a financial end, who hold academia dear to their hearts not only for the monetary rewards that it holds, but also for the sake of learning itself, and who will argue strongly against anything they see as threatening to their education: "Intellectual freedom-the freedom to ask questions, to uncover facts, to speak independently without fear-is the foundation of our democracy and remains of critical importance, especially in a time of crisis,"

Theoretical Studies in Fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theoretical Studies in Fashion - Essay Example The essay "Theoretical Studies in Fashion" concerns the Fashion Theoretical Studies. After visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum, we visited the shoe exhibition called ‘Shoes and Pleasure Pain’ where I learned about different types of shoes that reflect social construction for gender. In the shoe exhibition I chose to focus on Men’s Clubbing Boots which were produced between 1992 and 1996 in England. This type of shoe is a high heeled leather shoe designed for men. These shoes are long with tall laces from the feet up to the legs. They are sexy, and can be used by men to demonstrate sexiness in the English culture. The men’s clubbing boots fall under the category of seduction in the exhibition because they are considered as sexy shoes. They influence the movement of the body. These high heeled shows which affect body movements have been considered in most societies to be suitable for the female gender. However, in this specific exhibition men have also be en portrayed as a group that can titillate the audience and develop sensual feeling. However, the shoe also has several characteristics that reflect the male gender through social construction. For instance, the men’s clubbing boots are look big and heavy, indicating masculine aspects of the wearer. The bigness and heaviness of the men’s clubbing boots shows the distinct appearance of men and women in terms of social construction. In social perspective, men and women have different levels of social power. The power of women is manifested in their appearance.

CATFISH - APPLYING A METHOD OF RHETORICAL CRITICISM Research Paper

CATFISH - APPLYING A METHOD OF RHETORICAL CRITICISM - Research Paper Example When evaluating the movie in these terms, it is one which can be seen as the accepted and rejected ideologies of structure that are currently within society. Justification The popularity of â€Å"Catfish† is one which continues to grow in society, specifically because of the initial responses which occurred from the audience and critics within society. The movie is important for two reasons. The first is that it shows today’s culture and the way in which it is constructed in terms of relationships, identity and technology. The second is from the reaction which occurred in society, specifically which led to widespread popularity not for the movie, but instead because of the majority of individuals which would not believe that the movie was realistic. These two constructs show that there is an important rhetoric which links to the movie and which provides an understanding of how identity is currently formed within society. A majority of Catfish’s audience were angr y with the filmmakers and with the film’s advertisement campaign. Critics were saying this is the type of film Alfred Hitchcock would direct, but this is clearly not the type of movie he would be involved in. Trailers for the film â€Å"hinted of Blair Witch Project-like-shaky-hand horror.† (Tech Cocktail). Many people questioned the documentary’s credibility as well calling it a hoax and believing it was set-up, as opposed to being a genuine documentary. Most stated that they would not be able to admit or believe that the outcome from the movie could be true or whether it was another deception from the filmmakers. Many believed that, since the film was about deception, the filmmakers also had the same deceiving commentary with the documentary. The strong debates which came out of the movie, as well as the power which this particular film had are the important elements to look at with the rhetorical criticism as well as the understanding of society and culture i n reaction to the movie. The attention which â€Å"Catfish† has brought proves that the topic remains relevant to study at this particular cultural moment because it encompasses many aspects of our use of the Internet and how it has changed not only how we communicate, but how it has changed our lives completely. With the advent of social media, sites such as Facebook have changed the world and the ways in which we communicate with others on a global scale. Catfish draws in on how the Internet, Google, Facebook and etc. can impact our lives in so many different ways. It speaks volume about our current times, specifically in regards to online dating and how it can have a negative impact on our lives. We never really stop to think about its downsides and its dangers. The Internet has made our lives so much easier and we have access to infinite amounts of information at the tips of our fingers. There is little reason for any to question the tool, specifically because it is now b elieved to be revolutionary making many blind about some of the realities which come with the use of the tool.    The Internet, online dating, and social media networks are things that a majority of the world’s population uses on a daily basis for just about everything and anything. The urgency; however, is the way in which it is

Merit Pay Essay Example for Free

Merit Pay Essay Merit pay is any salary increase in an employee pay based on the performance of the employee . A bonus is not considered to be merit pay because this is a one time thing and merit pay becomes a part of the employees salary. I think this award is a great idea, this allows the employee to know their efforts of achieving their companys goals has not gone unnoticed. This gives employees the incentive to want to learn more and continue to perform well in order to keep receiving their pay raise. In today’s workplace there are numerous reasons for low productivity. Employee conflicts are one of the main culprits to this problem in the workplace. Employee conflicts not only affect productivity, it also affects coworker’s attitudes, customer service, and it changes the work environment for coworkers that are caught in the backlash of the conflict. Employee conflicts were not as complex three decades ago as they are now. If the boss did not want to deal with the conflict he or she would fire the employee, my way or the highway. Now employee conflicts are more complex than not eating lunch with a coworker because she did greet the group this morning. We now have workplace violence, sexual harassment, and competition for limited resources, and dealing with difficult employees. Now there are laws in place that protect employees from being fired because their boss did not want to solve the conflict. . I have enlisted the help of two people to help me see different aspect of employee conflicts within their work environment. Their background deals with the retail industry and the food industry. Both of these environments deal with employees being knowledgeable of the product they are selling, team work and customer service. I spoke with them about employee conflicts in their workplace and how they overcame the issues. After listening to the situations and their solutions, I noticed some of the solutions for resolving their conflict were sensible and other resolutions should have been handled differently.

Performance Management Essay Example for Free

Performance Management Essay William Hill employee workers in order to help the company to contribute its services. The efforts of Human Resources are directed towards improving the performance of employees and thereby enabling the business to achieve its objectives. Every business has to measure the performance of their company, this is to ensure efficiency and therefore they need their staff to perform effectively. William Hill always tries there best to recognise areas that are unsatisfactory for workers and find the aspects of weakness in the organization and do provide relevant training for individuals in order to develop this skills. They also realise that hard work has to paid off well so William Hill promote and reward good performance of employees with the use of bonus and this ensures workers tend to work better because they know that if they work well the organisation does better and further increase in pay will be awarded. Due to different hierarchical structures in companies, you will find that there are several methods to monitor performance, which do benefit these companies, and the system, which is commonly found, is the appraisal system. This is a one to one meeting with employee and manager to discuss the individuals performance between a certain periods. It is a rather good way in which to gain feedback from workers, discussing their performance to improve for the next meeting, identify what training is required if needed also to classify the potential for promotion and finally to reward performance related pay. William Hill does not find this method rather approachable due to the decentralisation of power of each subsidiary and some workers dont have a based shop but it can be used to encourage their employees to perform better because in appraisals you set targets which one would strive to meet in order to gain better financial gains. This relates with Hezbergs theory of motivator factors, one is given recognition of their efforts, which then enables a chance of improvement such as promotion due to the motivation the employee has also gained job satisfaction. Douglas McGregors theory Y can also be linked to appraisals if they met the targets that are set in the appraisal meeting then there is a good chance of promotion, this means that there is chance that workers can start enjoying work and be motivated by the job itself. McGregors theory X concurrent also that a pay increase, as he assumed that those in X are motivated by money. Abraham Maslows theory correlates with employees gaining job security by performing well, and if promotion is acknowledgeable then promotion will allow them to reach self- actualisation because their full potential has been realised. Businesses can use observation, which is when the manger watches the worker while they are working to ensure they are working efficiently and fault analysis, which is when the work is checked after it, has been finished to check for mistakes. In both incidents training can be identified and check for good performances and it indicates to the individual where they are going wrong and what needs to be done better. Training enables workers to be very familiarise with their job and will perform it to their best which according to Maslow will gain self-esteem to workers due to the confidence given by performing well. Performance through profit is when a business compares profit form previous years or to rivals to show how well they are performing. William Hill can use this in enabling them to see which area needs more work to increase workers routine such as training in needed areas to ensure that they perform rather more competitively with rivals also so that employees can be awarded dep ending how well the company does. This links with Taylor and McGregor theory Y as they all presume people are only motivated by money. Performance through productivity is when a company measures its workers output, this is done through William Hill by how much betting slips are taken by each Cashier and if targets are met then bonuses are rewarded monthly with your pay. This links with Maslow stating that rewarding workers gives them esteem as well as receiving recognition for their good performance. Performance related pay is when workers are paid according to their performance at work. William Hill can increase pay according to productivity or give the workers a bonus. This can be linked into the same theories as performance through productivity as they will be rewarded in the same way because it is financial gains that workers are gaining. Through various achievements within the organisation reward can also be given for instance when new employees go through the whole stage of induction program, William Hill will issue a certificate nicely presented to the worker, also a sense of achievement means more responsibility so they have moved from the trainee section which is related to promotion also so an increase of pay due to this. Through all of this William Hill are recognising their employees effort within the organisation which relates to Maslow theory of gaining once again esteem needs due to an increase of responsibility and Herzbergs motivator factors of achievement and recognition because the have ascertained to this level in William Hill PLC. Employees tend to be rewarded with good sales performance in William Hill through the way they demonstrate their skills, knowledge, behaviour and attitude towards customers. They are rewarded with promotion, job enlargement, job enrichment and fringe benefits that should keep them motivated to perform better at their position in William Hill. Theorists such as Taylor, Maslow and theory X believe those economic sorts of rewards are good for those who only work for the love money and this will motivate them to perform well whereas theory Y, Herzbergs motivators states that the job enrichment, enlargement and promotion are giving them more responsibility which should motivate but at the end of the day they want do the extra job with less pay that what is deserved. Long service to William Hill is also an achievement made because you have gained various skills and abilities also knowledge of William Hill to apply and allow new employees to imitate. This loyalty is rewarded with extra paid holiday allowance greater bonus at the end of each year to acknowledge also. This allows workers to feel respected and recognised by the company also part of the family. Gaining the bonus is a financial incentive and Taylor believes that is what motivates workers but Herzberg sees this as only causing job satisfaction not a motivator, the real motivator is that sense of achievement and reorganisation and this also relates to Maslow because esteem is given through respect and effort due to the loyalty the worker has given to William Hill.