Effects of the second war Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Effects of the second war - Research Paper Example Such a policy revealed ?an eagerness, a desire, not to hinder the ag- gressors in their nefarious work.? The western powers allowed Germany to have Austria, ?despite the undertaking to defend her independence; they let her have the Sudeten region; they abandoned Czechoslovakia to her fate.? Finally, Stalin enunciated Soviet policy towards its neighbors: We stand for peaceful, close and friendly relations with all neighboring countries which have common frontiers with the U.S.S.R. That is our position; and we shall adhere to this position as long as these countries maintain like relations with the Soviet Union, and as long as they make no attempt to trespass, directly or indirectly, on the integrity and inviola- bility of the frontiers of the Soviet state. He concluded with a warning to the Party ?to be cautious and not to allow our country to be drawn into conflicts by war- mongers who are accustomed to have others pull the chestnuts out of the fire for them.?11 Was Stalin's statemen t a revolution in Soviet foreign policy or was he restating an old hope, agreement with Germany over Eastern Europe? He was probably attempting to warn Britain and France not to leave the Soviet Union to face Germany alone. From Berlin there was silence. Although Ribbentrop brought the speech to Hitler's attention suggesting that he be authorized to learn more about Stalin's intentions, Hitler was uninterested. Alexei Merekalov, the Soviet ambassador, brought a message from the Kremlin to the German Foreign Ministry on April 17. Ostensibly the reason for his visit was the matter of Soviet con- tracts with the Skoda works in Czechoslovakia for war materi- als. However, Merekalov proceeded to lead Ernst von Weizsaecker, the state secretary, into a discussion of German-Polish relations and finally came around to the subject of Russo-German affairs. At last Merekalov got to the point: ideological differences, he suggested, need not be a ?stumbling block? to friendly relations. ?Russia h ad not exploited the present friction between Germany and the western democracies against us [Germany], nor did she wish to do that.?12 There was no reason for Russia and Germany not to enjoy normal relations. In contrast to Weizsaecker's account, according to Soviet doc- uments released in 1990 and 1992, the meeting was not the occasion of a Soviet hint at a possible rapprochement. The signal of detente was coming from the Germans. Merekalov was merely following instructions in presenting Soviet complaints concern- ing Germany's failure to fulfill contracts of the former Czecho- slovak Skoda factories. Merekalov made no plea for improved Russo-German relations. It is quite possible that Weizsaecker's account is the more accurate. Meanwhile, Britain and France embarked on tortuous nego- tiations with the Soviet government. On April 14, the British gov- ernment pressed the Soviet Union to make a public declaration promising to assist any European neighbor of the Soviet Union who resi sted aggression if such assistance was desired. Britain would not be involved in this declaration. France, however, made a different proposal involving France going to war against Germany if Poland or Romania were to be attacked. France would aid the Soviet Union if it were at war as a result of aid- ing Poland or Romania. Litvinov replied on April 17 with a proposal for a triple al- liance in which Britain, France, and the Soviet Union would aid each other in case of aggression against

Technology in Sports Essay Example for Free

Technology in Sports Essay Technology in sports has been a calling topic for sometime. When will the technology get us at our least expected moment? With the resources we have today supporting each and every game why can’t the process be sped up. Technology in sports is essential to the day and age of performance for athletes. With it making the game easier to play for some individuals with disabilities is huge help. With making the People perform as well as others. Without technology in sports, the games wouldn’t be enjoyed as well as they are. Technology in most professional sports has been using instant replay to assist the referees and umpires. Football has been using instant replay for any certain occasion and basketball referees use the instant replays to make sure the time is right for each game. Disputed plays in professional sports have made fans go insane for yeas. Now with the technology, different sports are engaging in the instant replay such as soccer with the goal line technology. When getting the wrong decision by the referees they need something to determine the right factor. Some people have there other side to instant replay; HD replay serves as a judge to the most of the sports referees such as baseball and basketball. With more television coverage to capture more images to overturn a certain play, people will be enjoying more of the game rather than arguing with each other. Now with YouTube and other video websites, it makes it easier for fans to criticize the league or umpires, an embarrassing fact. â€Å"Bad Calls don’t blow games, only bad plays† (Sharp 2009) coming from Drew Sharp a sports writer for the USA Today. He is saying that pointing the finger at someone else not on the playing field will not help out any of the sports. The public harping on the referees to make better calls is just at its own judgment for the leagues. â€Å"Ask any coach and he’ll tell you–never put yourself at the mercy of an official’s error† (Sharp 2009). Replays blow a lot of games and makes life or death for any sports team (Sharp 2009). Sports technology is getting factored into so many different sports and one of the biggest sporting events every two years is the Olympics. Advances in the each one of the sports that is held in the Olympics, like how the tennis racket is constructed or in 2016 when golf will debut in the Olympics they will either have to decide if the USGA or R and A will be determining the clubs allowed to be used or what type of golf balls will be used, each golf brand has over twenty different specs for each ball or club, some legal and some not. This could be a cause for some athletes to get a head of the other competitors. The Olympic committee is investigating on weather to allow the technological advances that the modern amateur player is getting (Tenaska 2013). When the new athletes are coming from the bottom with the highest technological advanced gear and not being able to use it in the Olympics, such as a new bike frame will be 25% percent lighter than the older one. How will the Olympic committee determine it? (Tenaska 2013) Testing in sports has always been looked at for statistics and features not seen by the average person. Putting athletes on a computer and showing their results on a computer screen rather than a field changes a lot of perspectives toward an individual. The IT process of technology with sports determines the tests and the essential element of resources demanded for the technology to rise. Computer technology has dealt with change for any sport that’s looking for a technological advance. With out computers the sports industry would have a hard time developing new ideas and equipment to make the sport either easier or harder to play. (IT Sports Journal) With involving computers in technology, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are picking up on the technology end. They are not taking break on or off the practice field. The organization purchased iPads to use instead of their standard playbook. They no longer to need luge around a paper binder or DVDs to practice or home since the iPad has all of the software on it. While the NFL still has restrictions on how tablets can be use, these devices are changing the way the pro teams practice and communicate. General Manager Mark Dominik says â€Å"It was a smashing success for our players. They Loved it,† â€Å"We’re going green† While the technology is evolving for professional sports team. The Bucs and Ravens are the only teams with this technology in the NFL to have these capabilities with computer tablets. The coaches from the Bucs say they believe it has helped their study habits for learning plays, plus the overall motivation shown just by giving them a little of technology (Couwels 2011). The Australian race has always a top-performing nation around the world. Despite having a smaller population, Australians love to be outdoors and can be set up to be great athletes and dominate their favorite sports. The coaches trained Australian athletes in the later part of the 20th century, now athletes can be put on a computer and given an analysis to show how well they are performing. With technology advancing, the coach’s job is getting very easy as in goes on. Besides giving the mental game back to the athlete the coaching is just by analyzing stats. Each study is designed to look at different aspects of the athlete and give them feedback on how well they are performing. (James) Through out the history of sports technology it has been an aspect to the athletes. A few historical events in sports history have made the outcomes of todays sports a lot easier to judge and easier to participate in. In 1888 the first photo finish was introduced and changed the judging of the finish line in a race or any sporting event dealing with time (Boston Globe 2013). Electric Scoring in 1936 was an automated officiating for fencing judges and detecting the most accurate touches by a split second (Boston Globe 2013). A huge interesting fact was in 1957 a Michigan physics professor developed touch pads for swimming used for times and lapping. The most accurate technology ever to be put in swimming and still used today (Boston Globe 2013). These types of technology have been an impact on everyone in the sports world. Including more and more technological advances to be determined by the future of our society. Athletes today are getting the full research and statistics for their lives as high performing athlete. With eating better and the right workouts they’re getting stronger and performing at a higher rate of fire. The gear the athlete’s use is constantly getting better and the old records that were set back in the day is getting broken. Cycling, tennis and swimming are a top three where technology is advancing. Cycling, includes lighter bikes and easier to get up tougher terrain in the mountains that professional bikers are competing on. Swimmers are using computer forensics and getting better feedback on how they are performing in the pool. Tennis is the biggest aspect of technology advancing with the racket or the ball getting lighter to get it moving at higher speeds. The average for the tennis ball speed at the ATP is over 120 mph (Bulchadani 2011). This comes from a long way from the early days with out research or technology to make tennis more fun to watch and perform at a higher level. (Bulchadani 2011) In the 1970’s wood bats were getting out dated, and the baseball world wanted more action out of it. Showing how technology was advancing and more people were interested in the research of the baseball bat. The aluminum baseball bat averaged 3. 85 mph faster. The study was conducted from six highly skilled college baseball players. They hit more than a dozen batting practice sessions. Each individual hit five balls and switched bats. The average ball speed for line drives was 56. 6 mph. (Russell 2006) Each player collected 30 line drives and the line average line drive speed for wood bat was 88. 7 and the aluminum bat was 92. 5 mph. (Russell 2006) The performance metric from the each of these tests was shown that it is a four mph difference between the bats. A study was done in 1989 with a stationary test (no swing) and it showed that wood and aluminum bats were the same, but did not bring into the effect of the velocity of the hitter swinging the bat (Russell 2006). With the results generated from these two studies it shows that metal bats do out perform wood bats. Though with the controversy the Major League Baseball has kept the wood bats in order to keep the safety protocol. With injuries and players breaking records to easily they will protect the game for a long period of time (Russell 2006) (Crisco-Greenwald Batting Cage study 2002). Sports technology shows that we are in another world for sports revolution, not just on professional athletes and trainers but on the technology used in equipment, facilities, judging and recording devices (Smith 2012). The new technology includes golf balls and clubs, soccer balls, shoes, racecars and many more. Technology also uses a different in approach of training, tests that determine muscle fibers and the strengths and weaknesses of the body all put on one little computer screen. The diet of an athlete is carefully examined and the nature of the game is still kept in tact. Giving thanks to technology more and more people are enabled to play many sports than ever before. Technology involves a lot of research and time. With out sports technology some sports may have never been evolved such as golf with the evolving clubs and baseball with the research of metal bats. With the resources given to use we should se more technological advances in this day and age. Sports Technology has been constantly getting better and knowing the differences between each sport and how they perform will distinguish the manner it will be investigated in. The technology advanced into research will become a higher part of the resources used to make sports better.

How to Cheat the Reaper ::

How to Cheat the Reaper George Brams shivered, despite the warmth of his new car. But George never felt completely warm these days - eighty years had taken their toll on his body, and his tissue-thin flesh provided no barrier against the malevolence of a chilly December night. While locked into familiar routine of driving country lanes, George's mind drifted back to the events of the previous day, and even of the past year. Just when he thought he could safely assume that his old body held no more unpleasant surprises for him, such as his cancer scare a few years ago, strange things had begun to happen. First, there were the voices. They had started about two years ago. At first, he had assumed that an insect had become trapped in his ear, yet he quickly realized that there was not an insect in existence that made this kind of unearthly noise. They seemed to whisper to him from a great distance, yet they sounded remarkably close to his ear. He couldn't quite make out what the voices said, although he had strained his weak ears in the hope of recognizing a stray word. But the voices seemed to slither through the air, continually changing, yet always present. George even thought he recognized some of the voices - of late, they had seemed to increase in volume and urgency, which let the voices spark a fleeting recognition from him - but his memory was old and tired, and the recollection of a familiar voice was swamped in grey and disappeared from his mind. George's heart skipped a beat as he was pulled from his memories by a cat jumping into his car's path, its life saved only by George's still impressively quick reaction. After a few minutes the adrenaline began to leak from George's blood and his breathing slowed. Again the hypnotic nature of the cat's eyes studded along the black road drew George into his memories. He remembered what had happened after he had seen the doctor about the voices - the nightmares. Terrible things that waited until his mind was asleep and open to suggestion, and then dived in, filling the old man's head with such terror that he often awoke himself with his pitiful screams. Before, his wife would wake him before the nightmare reached its surreal and horrifying conclusion, but now Rose was†¦ gone.

Hades vs. Demons :: Ancient Greece Greek History

Hades vs. Demons Greek Mythology and Religion Mythology is the study and explanation of myth of a particular culture. Myth, is a cultural phenomenon that can have many different point of views. Mythology and religion in the past still influence today. It is difficult to imagine that ancient myth and history has had a tremendous impact not only in today's culture but also in lifestyle and religious beliefs. To some extend, people rather believe that there is no consequence in your sins in the afterlife. Mythic stories, for example, show how the world began, how humans and animals were created, and how certain manners, and specific human activities originated. Ancient Greek religion has been the main stream of investigation and research from classic times to the modern day. In Greek mythology, Hades, also known as Pluto, is the god and ruler of the underworld, which is the kingdom of the dead. He is an egotistic god, who is greatly concerned with expanding his society. Often Hades is severely cautious and selective on permitting any of his people to leave. It's unquestionable that even the commander of the underworld had fallen in love with Persephone. Although the relationship between Hades and Persephone appears to have established badly, their union was peaceful. For most, life in the underworld was not enjoyable. It's more like a tormented and miserable dream, full of shadows, without sunlight or hope, a joyless place where the dead slowly fade into nonexistence. It's a realm not only for the sinners but also for the saints. When we speak of demons we immediatelymagine of a red evil spirit with an extended pointy tail. But many of us ask ourselves, Demons? Where and how did demons come about? The word demon is derived from the Greek daimon, which in ancient times signified various kinds of spirits or semi-gods, which particularly weren't evil. The term "demons" was not always understood to have the absolutely negative indication that it does today. Our current use of the term "Demon" is a malignant spirit, which usually from the New Testament. However there is still great indecision as to whether or not demons are considered to be distinct and separate from the devil and his fallen angels. It is mentioned in the New Testament, chapter 5, verse 12, by Josepheus a method of exorcism which is prescribed by Solomon. "Prevailed or succeeded greatly among them down to the present time" .

Contribution and Marginal Costing Essay

This is an important business concept and must never be confused with profit. The contribution of a product refers to how much it contributes to the fixed costs and profit of the business once variable costs have been covered. It can be calculated either per unit of output or in terms of total contribution of all units produced. Contribution ignores fixed costs and only considers any surplus left once variable costs have been subtracted from revenue. Hence, contribution is what a product contributes towards the fixed costs of the business and, once these are paid, the profits of the business. Managers need to know, as accurately as possible, the cost of each product or service produced by the firm. One reason for this is the need to make a pricing decision. In fact, buyers of many products will want an estimated price or a quotation before they agree to purchase. Managers may also need to decide whether production should be stopped, stepped up or switched to new methods or new materials. Managers also need to compare actual product costs with original budgets and to compare the current period with past time periods. In calculating the cost of a product, both direct labor and direct materials are often easy to identify and allocate to each product. For instance, the materials used in making product X are allocated directly to the cost of that product. These are not the only costs involved. Overheads, or indirect costs, cannot be allocated directly to each product but must be ‘shared’ between all of the items produced by a business. There is more than one costing method that can be used to apportion these costs and, therefore, there may be more than one answer to the question: ‘How much does a product cost to produce?’ contribution costing method that only allocates direct costs to cost/profit centers not overhead costs. This approach to costing solves the problem of how to apportion or divide overhead costs between products – it does not apportion them at all. Instead, the method concentrates on two very important accounting concepts: †¢Marginal cost is the cost of producing an extra unit. This extra cost will clearly be a variable direct cost. For example, if the total cost of producing 100 units is $400 000 and the total cost of producing 101 units is $400 050, the marginal cost is $50. †¢The contribution to fixed costs and profit. This is the revenue gained from selling a product less its variable direct costs. This is not the same as profit, which can only be calculated after overheads have also been deducted. For example, if that 101st unit with a variable (marginal) cost of $50 is sold for $70, it has made a contribution towards fixed costs of $20. The unit contribution is found as the difference between the sale price ($70) and the extra variable cost ($50), that is $20.

International Marketing Ch 1 Essay Example

International Marketing Ch 1 Essay Example International Marketing Ch 1 Essay International Marketing Ch 1 Essay Discussion Questions for Chapter 1 The Scope and Challenge of International Marketing Discussion Questions |1. Define: | | | |International marketing |Foreign uncontrollables | | |Controllable elements |Marketing relativism | | |Uncontrollable elements |Self-reference criterion (SRC) | | |Domestic uncontrollables |Global awareness | 2. â€Å". . . the marketer’s task is the same whether applied in Dime Box, Texas, or Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. † Discuss. The only difference between domestic marketing and international marketing is that the activities take place in more than one country. Therefore, the marketing task is the same throughout the world. 3. How can the increased interest in international marketing on the part of the U. S. firms be explained? Increased interest has been brought about because of changing competitive structures, coupled with shifts in demand characteristics throughout the world. The U. S. market has reached saturation levels for many products, and increasing numbers of firms are faced with surpluses which must be sold. Also, many firms find that return on investment may be higher in foreign markets than in domestic markets. Finally, more and more firms realize that tomorrow’s markets will be world markets and it is imperative that they establish world market positions early. 4. Discuss the four phases of international marketing involvement. The first phase includes those domestic firms which have no foreign business activity except those sales made to foreign customers who come directly to the firm. The second phase includes domestic firms which have temporary surpluses which are sold abroad. Therefore, sales are made on an availability basis with little or no intention for continuing market representation. The third phase includes the domestic firms that have permanent productive capacity which is utilized to produce goods which are sold on a continuing basis in foreign markets. The fourth phase includes the international company that produces a product for the world market. 5. Discuss the conditions that have led to the development of global markets. According to the Professor Levitt and others who suggest that there is a global market for goods, this phenomenon has resulted from new communications technology, travel and other factors which have led to the markets of the world being more aware of different products and processes. As a result of this awareness, there are segments in each market who have had similar experiences and thus have common needs. These common needs are described as a demand for high quality, reasonably priced, standardized products. There is a strong feeling that within each country’s market there is a growing segment that has been exposed to ideas from around the world and thus have had their tastes and perceived needs affected. There is a strong feeling that world markets are being driven toward a converging commonality of taste and needs leading toward global markets. 6. Differentiate between a global company and a multinational company. The main distinction between a global and a multinational company is that a global company assumes there are segments across countries which have the same needs and wants and designs a standardized, high quality, reasonably priced product for those segments and markets it as if there are no differences among the country markets. On the other hand, a multinational ompany operates in a number of countries and adjusts its products and marketing practices for each market. The multinational company has a specific marketing plan and adapts products for each country market. T he philosophy for the multinational company is that there are cultural differences among countries that require specific adaptations for those markets. This is contrasted with the global company which sees the entire world, or major regions of it, as a single entity requiring no specialized adjustments. This distinction may be more myth than fact and reflects Professor Levitt’s opinion. 7. Differentiate among the three international marketing concepts. Companies can be described by one of three orientations to international marketing management: 1. Domestic Market Expansion Concept 2. Multi-Domestic Market Concept 3. Global Marketing Concept It is expected that differences in the complexity and sophistication of a company’s marketing activity depend on which of these orientations guides its operations. The Domestic Market Extension Concept. The domestic company that seeks sales extension of its domestic products into foreign markets illustrates this orientation to international marketing. It views its international operations as secondary to and an extension of its domestic operations. The primary motive is to dispose of excess domestic production. Domestic business is its priority and foreign sales are seen as a profitable extension of domestic operations. While foreign markets may be vigorously pursued, the orientation remains basically domestic. Its attitude toward international sales is typified by the belief that if it sells in Peoria it will sell anywhere else in the world. Minimal, if any, efforts are made to adapt the marketing mix to foreign markets. The firm’s orientation is to market to foreign customers in the same manner the company markets to domestic customers. It seeks markets where demand is similar to the home market and its domestic product will be acceptable. This Domestic Market Expansion Strategy can be very profitable. Large and small exporting companies approach international marketing from this perspective. Multi-Domestic Market Concept. Once a company recognizes the importance of differences in overseas markets and the importance of offshore business to their organization, its orientation toward international business may shift to a Multi-Domestic Market Strategy. A company guided by this concept has a strong sense that country markets are vastly different (and they may be, depending on the product) and that market success requires an almost independent program for each country. Firms with this orientation market on a country-by-country basis with separate marketing strategies for each country. Subsidiaries operate independently of one another in establishing marketing objectives and plans. The domestic market and each of the country markets have separate marketing mixes with little interaction among them. Products are adapted for each market with minimum coordination with other country markets, advertising campaigns are localized as are the pricing and distribution decisions. A company with this concept does not look for similarity among elements of the marketing mix that might respond to standardization. Rather, it aims for adaptation to local country markets. Control is typically decentralized to reflect the belief that the uniqueness of each market requires local marketing input and control. Global Marketing Concept. A company guided by this new orientation or philosophy is generally referred to as a global company, its marketing activity is global marketing, and its market coverage is the world. A company employing a Global Marketing Strategy strives for efficiencies of scale by developing a standardized product, of dependable quality, to be sold at a reasonable price to a global market (that is, the same country market set throughout the world). Important to the Global Marketing Concept is the premise that world markets are being â€Å"driven toward a converging commonalty† that seek much the same ways to satisfy their needs and desires and thus, constitute significant market segments with similar demands for the same product the world over. With this orientation a company attempts to tandardize as much of the company effort as is practical on a world-wide basis. Some decisions are viewed as applicable worldwide, while others require consideration of local influences. The world as a whol e is viewed as the market and the firm develops a global marketing strategy. 8. Prepare your lifelong plan to be globally aware. Student exercise. A minimum would be a reading list plus some commitment to study different countries. 9. Discuss the three factors necessary to achieve global awareness. The three factors necessary to achieve global awareness are: 1) objectivity; objective in assessing opportunities, evaluating potential, and responding to problems. Too often mistakes are made because companies are swept away with generalities and make investments only later to find out that their commitment or abilities were not sufficient to succeed, 2) tolerance toward cultural differences; tolerance is understanding cultural differences and accepting and working with others whose behavior may be different from yours, 3) knowledgeable; knowledgeable about cultures, history, world market potentials, and global economy and social trends is critical for a person to be culturally aware. To be successfully in international business and globally aware, a person needs to keep abreast of the enormous changes occurring throughout the world. The 21st century will usher in great change and opportunities. The knowledgeable marketer will identify those opportunities long before it becomes evident to others. 10. Define and discuss the idea of global orientation. A global orientation means operating as if all the country markets in a company’s scope of operations (including domestic market) are approachable as a single global market and to standardize the marketing mix where culturally feasible and cost effective or to adapt the marketing mix where culturally required and cost effective. A global orientation does not mean to follow a single strategy of standardization without regard for cultural ifferences nor does it imply that the marketing effort must be adapted to every cultural difference. Instead, it means looking for market segments with similar demands that can be satisfied with the same product, standardizing the components of the marketing mix that can be standardized, and, where there are significant cultura l differences that require parts of the marketing mix to be culturally adapted, adapting. 11. Visit the Bureau of Economic Analysis homepage www. bea. doc. gov/. Select the section, Inter-national articles, and find the most recent information on Foreign Direct Investments in the United States. Which country has the highest dollar amount of investment in the United States? Second highest? This exercise is designed to familiarize the student with the Internet and the data available from the BEA. At the time this was written (1998), the following was found at the address above. U. S. Direct Investment Abroad Direct Investment Positions for 1996 Country and Industry Detail By Sylvia E. Bargas The U. S. direct investment position abroad valued at historical cost- the book value of U. S. direct investors’ equity in, and net outstanding loans to, their foreign affiliates- was $796. 5 billion at yearend 1996. The largest positions by far remained those in the United Kingdom ($142. 6 billion, or 18 percent of the total) and in Canada ($91. 6 billion, or 11 percent of the total).

Strategic Analysis (PESTEL, Porter and SWOT) of BMW The WritePass Journal

Strategic Analysis (PESTEL, Porter and SWOT) of BMW Introduction Strategic Analysis (PESTEL, Porter and SWOT) of BMW IntroductionPolitical factorsEconomical factorsSocial factorsTechnological factorsEnvironmental factors Legal factorsPORTER’S FIVE FORCES ANALYSISThreats of new entrants:Threats of substitutes:Bargaining power of buyers:Bargaining power of suppliers:Competitive rivalryKEY DRIVERS OF CHANGE  CYCLE OF COMPETITIONSTRATEGIC DRIFT  RESOURCES  Supply costEconomic scaleProduct/process designExperienceSWOT ANALYSIS OF BMWStrength:WeaknessOpportunityThreats KEY SUCCESS FACTORS OF BMWFACTORS THAT MAY CAUSE ULTIMATE DAMAGE DEMISE OF FIRMProbable strategies BMW can restore to redirect profits and to retain endurance for the future are:  REFERENCESRelated Introduction When there prevails high level if dubiety due to intricacy or brisk changes, it becomes difficult to predict the external environmental that might affective the firm’s strategies. Thus scenario analysis is done to evaluate the likely views to predict the organizations future business environment (Heijiden, 2006). In order to reach this conclusion PESTEL analysis is done to identity the key drivers of change that can be used to predict the scenarios for the future. PESTEL stands for political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal and forms of analysis of the macro-environment of the organization (Thomas, 2007). Political factors Political factors highlight the probable government   laws and regulations, security measures and restrictions that can apply to the industry as a whole. The probable factors that affect the automobile industry are: Laws and regulations had affected the automobile industry since its outburst. These laws generally revolved around the environmental norms that were to be fulfilled by any car industry. Thus the car manufacturers had to take care of the environmental issues during manufacturing of cars. Taxes and government foreign policies are critical for the automobile industry. The foreign policies help to us decide the probability of success in the global market. Introduction of new schemes in the US and Europe automobile industry wherein regulations led to produce high mileage cars along with increase in automobile sales and production (Hill, 2008). Economical factors Economical factors related to the exchange rates, economic growth globally and the business setting prevailing in the industry. Economic factors for the industry are: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There was excess capacity of cars produced thus giving rise to high amount of revenue in marketing and new product designs. Thus there was lot of revenue withheld even though demand was less than supply. For example the UK auto market had excess 80% capacity in 2003 which freeze 1.3 billion euro of the automobile industry (autofacts, 2004). b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Total increase in the GDP globally from 2.0% to 3.1% in the year 2008 (statistics, 2008). c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Decrease in the exchange rate if euro has hampered the European car makers in a big way (Allen, 2006). d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Economic downturn in the US market (Copper, 2008) e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Surplus capital and buying power in the developing economies like India and China and their personal emergence in the global market place. Social factors Social factors include the changes in cultures and demo graphics globally apart from change in buying pattern and capacity of the consumer. Social factors having an impact on the auto industry are: Changes in the customer predilection from car being a status symbol to fuel efficiency and low emission cars. Changes in buying pattern of the consumers due to recession in mature markets. Environmental issues and awareness of the harmful emissions through automobiles Technological factors Increase in use of technology to gain a clear competitive ad vantage Use of new and sophisticated design to overcome the decreased margins in the industry. Modifications or restriction on technology causing environmental pollution Environmental factors Increasing effect if awareness of global warning, greenhouse effect and burnout among patrons (organization, 2008) Shift in consumer’s tastes and preferences towards use of more eco-friendly cars, hybrid cars, fuel cell cars etc. Stern application of the EURO norms set up to curb pollution in developing countries. Legal factors Restrictions and strict pollution norms set up in European and US markets Strict implications of the EURO norms in developing countries e,g, formation of BHARAT norms on the lines of EURO norms in India(CEN, 2006)   PORTER’S FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Threats of new entrants: Threat of new entrant is dependent on   the challenges faces during entry into the industry or entry barriers. The threat of new entrants in case of automobile industry is less as large capital cost is required to set up a manufacturing plant and assembly liner. Also it takes time for new entrants to get a place and the reputation in the minds of the consumers. Threats of substitutes: BMW has a brand image of being powerful and luxurious. It is positioned in the exclusive car range where there exist many substitutes for BMW like mercedes, GM and Toyoto. Thus the threat of substitutes for BMW is high. Bargaining power of buyers: BMW and its competitors are positioned as in exclusive product range. Here the bargaining power of buyers is high because the consumers can decide the product according to the price range and buy the products accordingly. Also with environmental issues hovering over the industry the buyers have the last say with sample substitutes available. Bargaining power of suppliers: BMW has good supply chain management system and had long relationship with suppliers. The bargaining power of suppliers is high in this industry as the suppliers can dedicate the price tag for the raw materials. Though long time associations with suppliers can prove fruitful, the final word lies more or less with the suppliers. Competitive rivalry Industry has cut thoat comptetion for its products, with its products targeting the segment and postioned in a similar way. Competitive rivalry was high in the industry with the dominant US and European markets facing stiff competition   from the Asian market. KEY DRIVERS OF CHANGE   From the PESTEL analysis and the five forces analysis, the key drivers of change are: Huge deployment of infrastructure and manpower concentrated on automobile industry after the dusk of the second world war Consumer preferences for product excellence and cost of ownership Use of design as a chief asset Technological advancements Environmental issues Increase in the implication an brand management rather than product excellence PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE The implications of the five forces analysis varies with the industry life cycle. The elements that underline the industry life cycle are development stage, growth stage, shake-out stage, maturity stage and decline stage. During start up the company is the development stage with high differentiation and innovation as its assets followed by growth stage where the firm experiences high growth with low bargaining power of buyers and less threat of new entrants. In the shakeout stage the growth is slower and the key assets for the firm are its managerial and financial activities. In the maturity stage the growth is almost stagnant with high entry barriers, high competition but less unit costs and higher market share. Finally in the decline stage the firm is likely to face extreme rivalry with the rational and emotional approach key for the firm. BMW was in the maturity stage of the industry life cycle. The growth of BMW was stagnant but its products like the 1, 3, 5, 7 series having huge market share   and brand identity in mature as well as developing markets. There were high entry barriers in comparison with BMW. But BMW had considerable market share and reputation for being an engineering excellence, an asset of BMW in the maturity stage. CYCLE OF COMPETITION Cycle of competition underlines the various drifts between competitors with time. BMW, the German carmaker had a consistent increase in its annual sales and had the technology at its behest to counter its competitors in the market. BMW’s competitive advantage lies in its integral processes and its designs. The use of scientific technology that BMW restores to, can be implemented to gaining higher economies of scale. In terms of competition BMW has Lexus, Mercedes, Toyoto, GM, Volvo group etc. as its rivals in the automobile industry. BMW has its product range from a MINI to a Rolls Royce. Thus its product range varies from a luxury segment to a premium segment in the auto industry. In the cycle of competition any core competencies or competitive advantage is temporary and in this scenario the closest competitor or BMW is the Toyota group. Toyota group has technology, production capacity; profit margins and product range that can give BMW run for their money. It is also a proved product in immature market territory. Thus BMW can strive in the cycle of competition through its core competencies and competitive advantage. STRATEGIC DRIFT   Drift is trying to go towards a direction however fail to do that. This could be good or bad. Strategic drift is when a company fails to work in line with environmental changes however incremental development is evidenced but there is a strong influence of the cultural and historical factors. BMW and its emphasis on brand development incrementally with the changes in the environment when it outsmarted competition. However the path way dependency paved way for the acquisition of Rover an English brand. This could be due to the companies need for huge production and the consideration happened during that time. This would be the strategic drift. The company beaded with the English brand when it was in the flux phase of the strategic drift. But when the new CEO was appointed BMW went for transformation and Rover was sold to Ford. After this BMW started to working in tandem with the changes in the environment and developed incrementally. RESOURCES   Every organization or a firm need and possess certain resources and competences required to endure and thrive globally. In other words every firm has its own strategic capability to survive against all odds (Gerry Jonhson, Kewan Scholes, Richard Whittington, 2008). The resources consist of- Tangible resources   underlining the physical chattels like plant, people and finance of the organization Intangible resources underlining non-physical chattels like information, reputation and knowledge (Gerry Johnson, Kevin Scholes, Richard Whittington, 2008) Resources based analysis of BMW: SOURCES OF COST EFFICIENCY Supply cost Supply cost play in important role and can influence the firm in the bigger way. Supply costs revolves around the raw material supply, production units efficiency etc. supply costs can prove to be an important asset where input cost prove to be critically important for success (Gerry Johnson, Kevin Scholes, Richard Whittington, 2008). BMW managed its supply costs by setting up manufacturing units at various locations round the globe namely Germany, USA, South Africa, UK and China wherein they employed 104000 workers (Gerry Johnson, Kevin Scholes, Richard Whittington, 2008). This ensured that the supply costs are reduced with assembly units operating more flexibly and reducing the transportation costs of raw materials. Economic scale Economies of scale play a big part in manufacturing organizations or firms since the need is to recover the high capital costs through high volume of output. BMW achieves economies of scale by increasing its production capacity. BMW had the capability to swing its operations for 60 hours a week during limp demand and whooping 140 hours a week when the demand is at its peak. BMW also had produced an impressive 1.1 million cars in fiscal year 2003 (Gerry Johnson, Kevin Scholes, Richard Whittington, 2008), thus demoing economies to scale to gel with its manufacturing units worldwide. Product/process design Product/process design is also a key costs driver. Product design meliorations can help in labour productivity, better yield and maximum utilization of working capital. Product design can also be used to gain competitive advantage over its rivals with simple use of marketing intelligence. BMW was considered to be the best when it came to product/process design and was tipped as an engineering excellence. It was highly dependable, influential and lavish. BMW also restored new and modern technology for its products thus marketing maximum utilization of the working capital available. Experience Experience must prove to the key asset of control costs and attaining cost efficiency. Through experience the firm should generate competitive advantage through the collective understanding attained by the firm and its unit costs. The experience curve for BMW is as shown: The unit costs of BMW are supposed to decline due to the gain of cumulative experience (Gerry Johnson, Kevin Scholes, Richard Whittington, 2008). BMW has been in the automobile sector since the dusk of the Second World War. With the number if units produced increasing per year with the setup of new assembly units, there needs to happen continental reduction of costs in the competitive market situation. This may not provide the necessary competitive advantage, but is proves to be a threshold capability for survival.    Value of network It is difficult for a single organization to manage all the value based activities right from the design of the product to delivering the final product or service to customer. This process is generally carried out with the help of a value network. A value network can be termed as a combination of inter-organizational process that proves beneficial to create a product or a service (Timmers, 2008). The value of network of is as shown. BMW has various assembly locations as well as manufacturing units with each assembly unit having its own supplier of raw materials needed to create a product. Also there exist an internal value chain of the assembly liners themselves. The finished product is again reciprocated to the suppliers and collectively it gives rise to the organizations or the firm’s own value chain. The organization has its own channel value chain. The channel value chain for BMW offers its potential customers products ranging from a â€Å"MINI† to the higher end â€Å"Rolls Royce†. These products are priced differently and segmented effectively in response to the target market. BMW also has price variations according to the locations it is striving in. For example BMW is priced in a slight lower side in the Asian markets as compared to the UK or US market. The consumer value chain is based on the channel value chain BMW offers namely price, design an d location. SWOT ANALYSIS OF BMW Strength: BMW is a renowned company with a high position in terms of branding and gratitude factor. BMW is able to sustain its market position lucratively with its hub of exclusive cars. BMW had exceedingly qualified labour force(Gerry Johnson, Kevin Scholes, Richard Whittington, 2008) that could qualify as a source for gaining competitive advantage BMW used advanced technology for its products that embarked its products design, quality and price BMW had strong relationship with its suppliers which propagated BMW in maintaining a brawny supply chain management. Weakness BMW’s overall image was too serious and conventional in comparison with its competitors Low cost products of its competitors Overdependence on US and Europe market Opportunity The increase in number of products sold in spite of the economic downturn Use of advanced technology for the products Popularity in developing countries like India and china Flexibility in development and manufacturing Low interest rates Threats Strong competition in the luxury segment of cars Economic downturn New entrants in the automobile industry Increase in fuel costs Rising supply costs e.g. steel    Critical success factor of BMW: The above graph is used to identify the critical success factors of BMW. The y-axis represents the value and the x-axis represents the elements of critical success factor. According to the graph, the critical success factors for BMW are: Product quality Cost of product that justifies product quality Experience Product quality is an inevitable and distinguishing factor for customer satisfaction. The brand is identified by its product excellence and cost of ownership. BMW has a status of being number when it comes to qualify, and thus it is one of the critical success factors for BMW. Though the cost of the product i.e. BMW automobile is high it evidently justifies this through its product quality. The experience of BMW in the industry also is a critical success factor for BMW. With its years of experience it has developed a brand identity for its products and very integrated and sophisticated supply chain that ensures its products are delivered at the right time and right place. KEY SUCCESS FACTORS OF BMW    The key success factors thus of BMW can be summarized as Business model of BMW Technology Brand image Sustainability Helmut Panke, CEO of BMW FACTORS THAT MAY CAUSE ULTIMATE DAMAGE DEMISE OF FIRM Rising raw material prices and high fuel prices Change in customer tastes and preferences Decrease in economies of scale Extreme rivalry and price wars in the maturity stage Stagnation of technology Unfavourable currency effects Stricter regulatory norms paving way for alternatives like hybrid cars, fuel-cell cars. Electric cars etc. Mobility precincts emergent urban areas Probable strategies BMW can restore to redirect profits and to retain endurance for the future are:   1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Market development 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Market penetration 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Product development 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Restructuring 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrenchment 6)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Liquidation 7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vertical integration This may help BMW achieve a safer tomorrow and help to sustain its BMW’ness for years to come. REFERENCES Allen, T. (2006, October 17).Retrieved june 7, 2009, from Euro area annual inflation down to 1.7%: http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:1fhKosuEvHsJ:europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do% 3Freference%3DSTAT/06/137%26format%3DPDF%26aged%3D1%26language%3DEN%26gui Language%3Den+average+rate+of+inflation+of+EU+in+2006cd=2hl=enct=clnkgl=in

US Use of EMF Weapons Devices on humans

US Use of EMF Weapons Devices on humans Introduction In the modern world, the US has the capability of utilizing electromagnetic (EMF) devices to harass, terrorize and execute human life. There is an ongoing government funded research to strength the use of such weapons, which raises concerns of human rights and freedom. The project was set up in 1950s by the CIA to influence human cognition, feeling and conduct.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on US Use of EMF Weapons Devices on humans specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More By applying psychological understanding of individuals as social animal, the government of US has been funding studies aiming at controlling human behavior in the best ways possible. Human behavior can be maneuvered through segregation, drugs and hypnosis. The government has been funding researches such as application of wireless controlled electromagnetic energy. Such strategies are termed as information fighting and Non-lethal arma ments. The new technology aims at manipulating human feelings, interrupting thought and presenting agonizing twinge using magnetic fields. The government therefore has at its disposal some of the dangerous weapons that have already been used in suppressing human life. The weapons are usually used in quelling violence that could cause mass destruction, as well as lose life and property. The issue of human rights is an all-inclusive concept that every person in society must be granted. The use of such weapons violates the rights of some individuals because other means of solving conflicts in society exist. By signing the Military Commission Act of 2006, the US government through the congress aimed at denying people their rights and freedoms. The 2006 Act elucidates that the state has the authority and power to utilize electromagnetic weapons in torturing an individual perceived by the president to be a terrorist or associated with terrorism. The provision actually violates the constit utional right of an individual provided in the independence constitution. This paper analyses the effectiveness of the policy by looking at its strengths and weaknesses. The paper finally evaluates the rationale behind the use of the new technology in the US. Human Rights Individual rights are usually incompatible with state sovereignty but the constitution at independence identified that some rights are innate in an individual and that they could not be separated from an individual. Such rights include the right to liberty, life and the right to pursue pleasure. The state should therefore strive to offer these rights without compromise. In 1948, the United Nations declared the universal rights contained in chapter ten and five. The US government endorsed the rights and further incorporated them into the national laws. The charter provides that human beings have inherent rights that should always be given without concession. Such rights include various fundamental freedoms, justice and worldwide tranquility.Advertising Looking for critical writing on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The laws have been in operation for over six decades meaning that the US should respect them or consider them whenever designing national laws. Article ten of the UN constitution on human rights asserts that each individual is entitled to full egalitarianism and reasonable public trial by a sovereign and unbiased court in the deliberation of his/her rights and duties (Ignatieff 34). Furthermore, article five proscribes torment or unkind, brutal or humiliating treatment or castigation. The 2006 Military Commissions Act goes against all these provisions. The US government allowed the passage of the bill meaning that individual liberty and freedoms are no longer recognized in the state. On the other hand, the Universal Declaration of Human rights continue to assert that each individual has the right to freed om of thinking and freedom of expression, as well as attitude. This implies that each person has the right of giving his or her views voluntarily that is, without intimidation or being forced. The introduction and application of EMF weapons endangers this fundamental right. Freedom of thinking or cognitive independence is the natural right of each individual. This implies that an individual should perceive the world in his/her best understanding that is, without external interruption or influence. Each person has his/her own way of reasoning. We all have different orientations and perceptions to the world. The use of EMF weapons is a threat to human life and freedoms according to human rights groups. Use of EMF in extracting information from an individual is egregious human rights felony. Forceful extraction of information is illegal and in most cases inaccurate. An individual may be forced to give false information just because he/she is in pain. Such information is not useful at a ll because it does not have any theoretical grounding. Voluntary data is usually accurate and more applicable because it is usually ordered in a logical way. Human rights activists argue that EMF weapons are not used to fulfill the interests of Americans. Military elites set out to dominate the world after the Second World War without considering the interests and wishes of the majority in the state. The new technology is used to safeguard the interests of the ruling elites in many ways. Demonstrating workers and other aggrieved parties in the labor market are usually subjected to unnecessary torture only to satisfy the bourgeoisie (Landman 89). Those suspected to have engaged in property crime are also taken through pain in order to make them agree with the rules and regulations set by the ruling class. Furthermore, the activists continue to observe that victims of torture are people from particular races and social classes.Advertising We will write a custom critical writin g sample on US Use of EMF Weapons Devices on humans specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The bill serves to deny some people their right to equality. Individuals from the Middle East have no peace in the US because their movements are trailed always. They are usually suspected to be having hidden agendas, which exposes them to torture and unfair treatment. The state must come up with a different way or technique of identifying criminals instead of relying on cultural background of individuals. State Sovereignty As noted earlier, state sovereignty is incompatible with individual sovereignty. The interests of the state are superior to the desires and wishes of an individual because the state aims at fulfilling the public good. In this way, use of EMF weapons is justified and allowed because of state security and the nature of the international system. Terrorism and the rise of fundamentalism call for extra ordinary measures in case the state is to maintain its sovereignty (Paleri 115). The existence of the law frustrates the activities of extremist groups because relevant information is easily obtained through torture. All through history, there are times that the only language a man understands is violence. The use of brutal techniques in solving conflicts is valid due to the intrinsic nature of a human being. Man is inherently brutal, anarchic and self-centered. The existence of the central authority serves to control the individual self-interests. Such interests are always controversial and may pose a threat to life. As noted by early scholars, the society was on fire implying that life was short lived and indecent before the invention of the state. This forced individuals to sign a contract that would guarantee peace and harmony. The contract gave powers to one central authority, referred to as the state. The central authority or Leviathan as Hobbes could document, would have powers to exercise authority over individuals . Individuals on their part surrendered power to the Leviathan mainly to achieve greatness (Haftendorn 519). The state has a prime role of protecting the interests of the society because it is the custodian of the public welfare. Therefore, the state is authorized to use techniques such as trickery, negotiation, murder and any other available method, whether good or bad to maintain peace. It is not surprising for the state to use EMF weapons to execute its duties. In other words, it means that the Leviathan cannot share its powers with any other entity in society. Furthermore, it has powers granted to it by the majority to control life and property Conclusion The use of EMF weapons is justifiable and the state should come up with ways of strengthening its application. The existing international system is anarchic and tension full implying that the state must explore all possibilities and arrive at the best solution.Advertising Looking for critical writing on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This would require neglecting individual sovereignty because it is incompatible with state sovereignty in real practice. It is also established that man is intrinsically brutal and full of conflicts hence application of one technique in extracting important information from him would not function. The state would lose its hegemonic powers in the international system in case human rights considerations are taken seriously. Treating criminals or suspects softly would comprise state security meaning that force is the only viable technique. Strategists in the military borrow from psychology the idea that pain forces the brain to expose everything in it. Overall, much needs to be done to improve the use of EMF weapons in maintaining state security. Haftendorn, Helga. The Security Puzzle: Theory-Building and Discipline-Building in International Security. International Studies Quarterly, 35.1, 1991. Ignatieff, Michael. Human rights as politics and idolatry. 3rd ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeto n University Press, 2001. Landman, Todd. Studying Human Rights. London: Routledge, 2006. Paleri, Prabhakaran. National Security: Imperatives and Challenges. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2008.

The Language of Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

The Language of Reality - Essay Example Beyond elementary semantic structures numerous sub-layers of meaning and communication exist to both enrich and complicate the way in which we interact and express our ideas and emotions. It is not what we say, but how we say it. The world of artificial intelligence and its struggle to embrace the complexities of everyday communication shows just how interdependent language, external cultural foces and the personal realm of experience can be. A simple de-coding or patterning of linguistic structures as we understand them is barely enough to compose the bare bones of the seemingly simple ways in which we communicate. The gap between intention and reception can create a crossfire of miscommunication - where meaning becomes alienated from form and the most intangible aspects of speech are cast into the spotlight. In the theoretical space between intention and reception - where communication can either prosper or become fragmented - lie determinants such as perception and recognition. We therefore largely depend upon these two elements to formulate successful interactions, and to form the fabric of what we perceive as reality - in the sense that we depend upon information to guide, instruct, elucidate and define the world around us. Sayre (1965, p. 177), examines the distinction between perception and recognition - and the roles they play in our understanding and interpretation of the world around us: "According to the theory outlined in Plato "Meno" and Phaedo, acquisition of knowledge is a matter of recollection or recognition. As someone comes to know that about which he has been ignorant, he "cognizes again" .... If I have never seen, been told about, read about or in some other way come to know about gooseberries, then upon seeing a gooseberry for the first time I scarcely could be said to recognize it. The next time I see a gooseberry I probably will recognize it, if not by name then at least as an object of the sort I had seen some time previously. But if the first time one perceives an object is the first time one has ever been cognitively aware of such an object, perforce at that time one does not recognize it. It is commonplace, on the other hand, that we perceive objects which we have never perceived before, nor learned about in any other way." In this understanding of recognition and perception, the act of recognition is, by definition, rooted in the realm of memory and past experience. Memory, it is generally accepted, tends towards subjectivity, embellishment and is often powerfully influenced by the emotions or mindset that were in force at the time when the incident occured. It follows that recognition is unreliable as an objective conduit for accurately conveying intended meaning - as it will always be influenced by a recipient's internalised framework of understanding. In this way, the eventual meaning conveyed by a piece of information is outside of the control of the speaker or communicator from the moment the idea leaves their immediate sphere and enters a communication channel - whether that channel be through the medium of speech, or through a technological pathway such as the internet. Once a piece of information is liberated from the person in possession of its intended meaning - it immediately falls prey to the co-authorship of social context and recipient subjectivity. Caught in a fragmented point of juncture between initial source, external influences and final perception and recognition - a message is defined and understood by a melange of often contradictory 'realities'1 which - by way of their very merger and interconnectedness -

Technology for the Disabled Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology for the Disabled - Essay Example Obtaining information on the Internet, making online reservations to obtain discounts, making a friend is imposable for those who are blind or visually impaired. Adaptive technology can provide a means for those with little or no visions to access online tools and basic computer programs. Computer software can read screens and Braille printers and keyboards and make information usable for the visually impaired. Self-service kiosks are becoming a convenience in the service industries particularly in hotels and airports. Despite the convenience to the customer, self-service kiosks exclude the disabled and are less then convenient for the mobility, visually, and hearing impaired. Technology has made great strides over the centuries but had left out a large portion of the population in the process. Adaptive technology can make self-service kiosks friendlier and accessible for the disabled, however, the expense of such technology is extensive. â€Å"For example, to make check in kiosks w ork for travelers with visual impairments, the machines would have to undergo a costly retrofit to add a Braille reader or audio prompts†.These adaptations are very expensive and would cut into the companies profit margin extensively causing many companies to fight legislation that could force them to include adaptive technology. Technology makes information more accessible for everyone except the disabled. Web designers fail to consider low-resolution monitors and adaptive technology when designing web sites creating a problem for disabled users. â€Å"Web sites that are not carefully coded can be rendered useless to blind travelers who are using special screen readers to get access†

Cross-cultural management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cross-cultural management - Essay Example Then and only then the cultural importance demanded a better understanding of the market forces. Another factor that contributed to nonchalance was the fact that the markets really lay elsewhere. The real market was always back at home for which the trading primarily took place. Obvious examples are the markets in Great Britain and Europe for whom the Eastern delicacies and materials were procured and either sold or manufactured for mostly local consumption. Here the targeted segment of the market was the affluent British or the Europeans populations. Hence the need to develop management practices for the overseas suppliers like India was never really felt or needed. India was basically considered a supplier of resources which were needed elsewhere and in those days this supply chain needed no managerial input except to get hold of materials at the lowest possible cost. All management skills of marketing and competition were practiced in UK and Europe. That is not to say that back then there was no market in India. While it is true that the products manufactured in UK were in demand in India, yet the market was highly concentrated with only the rich who could afford these goods and they lapped it all up with need to market the same as these were rarities for them and their dominated minds were already in favour of these products over local wares. Little or no management skills were required to organise this effort. Times however changed. Countries like India grew in affluence and capabilities, they out grew the Worldwide Empire and local Maharaja Modes and became independent and largely democratic. The local population became more educated and aware of themselves as well as the world around them. Above all, they became consumers and large enough to deserve attention resulting in need for better management practices by the same western companies who earlier felt no need for the same. As a result

Geology Week 9 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Geology Week 9 questions - Essay Example In the beginning, the shortages would cause inconveniences. Gas stations would run out of fuel. When gas was available, the prices would be outrageous. Plastic products would become rarer. A change would occur, but not easily. Green powered energy would become the new business. In the end, Americans would produce the energy needed as history has shown. 2. Investigate how geophysicist M. King Hubbert predicted in 1956 that annual U.S. oil production would peak in the early 1970s (the actual peak occurred in 1971). Also, investigate the debate over whether the same predictive technique can be applied to world oil supplies. When do you think world oil production will reach its peak—or has it done so already? Hubbert was a geologist. He predicted that oil would peak. His (Hubbert 1958) rationalization was it took 500 million years for the oil reserve to be formed. The reserve was limited. Oil would peak and then decline depending on usage. He also based his prediction on coal. The figures of coal production, peaking, and finally declining was a basis of part of his prediction. Hubbert (1958) used the following calculations with t standing for time is t=0 at the beginning and at first t equals a finite limit to reserves that are in a specific amount. The t will peak and eventually go back to 0. Using a complicated calculus formula that only a true mathematician could understand, he came up with the following chart: Hubbert was scoffed at for this prediction. Short term people would laugh and say oil would run out far in the future. Hubbert did not base his predication on feelings or emotions, he used a formula. He could prove what he was saying. It is looking like Hubbert was the only smart one that could face reality. 3. Many hydrothermal mineral deposits of copper, gold, silver, and other metals have been found in the countries bordering the Pacific Ocean. Can you offer an explanation for this remarkable concentration? If you were

An introduction to John Miller Chernoff's book on Africa Rhythm , Essay

An introduction to John Miller Chernoff's book on Africa Rhythm , discuss the Dundun ' hour glass' or 'tension' drum - Essay Example The book talks about varied aspects of African music are it political, spiritual or social. In the book Chernoff tries to convey a sense of the African music from an exclusively African point of view. In that sense the writer had been extremely successful in conveying to the Western readers the varied unfamiliar concepts of the African music by using the terms that aptly facilitate understanding without giving up or losing anything pertaining to the distinct uniqueness and individuality of the African music. Chernoff delves on this both personal and universal dilemma by saying that â€Å"How can we bring something of a different order into our world of understanding and at the same time recognize and appreciate it on its own terms (3).† The writer not only tries to communicate to its readers what the West African music is, but also tries to elaborately and in and interesting way explain to them as to why it is so. Chernoff successfully relates the varied and multifarious inter actions and trends in the African music to the essential multiplicity and diversity of the social forces pervading the African cultural landscape. The beauty of Chernoff’s approach is that it explains the African music as it is, without trying to correlate or link it to the similar trends existing in the Western music.

Moral duties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Moral duties - Essay Example Categorical imperative requires reason to dictate the act we are morally obligated to do, one which is motivated by adherence to the consistent principle which could be applied to all and any rational agent. This deontological ethical distinguishes between the moral doctrines of right from that of virtue. Where the first is driven externally to the actor, the other is internal and concerned with ends. Circumscribing what end is - Kant required of a rational human being that he makes the object of his elective will his end. Kant is very much concerned with ends which at the same time are duties and not with ends due to impulses of the senses or subjective/technical ends. The former are for him objective/moral ends and rests on a priori principles. For Kant, a rational human being is a moral person, fully conscious of his moral duty or duties and deriving deliberate decisions using the metaphysical moral framework. The mere possession of capacity for rationality is nothing compared to its exercise and fulfillment in action. All of this is built upon the foundation of good will or universal good or good unqualified/unconditional and autonomous which he laid down in Groundwork. The Kantian moral system emphasize the performance of moral duty motivated by a priori principle recognized by reason and not from desire of expected consequence or emotional attachment or aversion because duty or end based on sensual inclinations is conditional. It is the role of reason to give fruition to a good will.1 Duty and right are the motivations of good will; aspects of good will, if you may. Groundwork portrays the search for the supreme principle of morality. It sets aside matters that are recognizable by the reader from everyday experience and conceives its subject to be a priori and metaphysical. I think Kant expect the reader to do the exercise of applying the test and criteria he laid down. Kant's recognition of will as separate from reason shows his recognition of actions and ends which are derived from will alone or that derived from a conjunction of will and reason. Reason alone cannot achieve the intended result. Obviously, "will" alone can only get conditional results unlike a real concurrence of will and reason or the good will. Groundwork does not really explain the manner and contents Kant conceives an a priori principles system to have. He takes this matter for granted and leaves too much room for the reader to speculate. Nothing in it describes what metaphysical structure duties should have. The universality test as a method of weighing duties is Kant's significant contribution to moral reasoning but Kant barely seemed to use it in his writings. Kant's method is to determine the universal law of morality applicable to all rational beings at all cases.2 He must have conceived of his writings as a workbook with which readers must work and apply as they go along; a veritable inter-active philosophical work for that matter. For Kant, the duties to perfect one's self and to promote the happiness of others are moral motives and ends in themselves, including that to avoid suicide and self-mutilation. The supreme moral index of autonomous good will identified in Groundwork is broken down in MetaMorals into specific moral duties. For Kant, doing one's duty is its own incentive, even for wide obligations such

Report to your line manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Report to your line manager - Essay Example To begin with, training can involve the case-study methods whereby employees solve hypothetical scenarios. In addition, trainees can participate in role-playing. Besides, training can involve self-instruction methods. These training methodologies are beneficial in terms of customization, feedback, and self-discipline. Introduction Training and development entails the continuing efforts of entities to improve the delivery of employees. In the modern organization environment, these activities entail a broad range of elements such as regular instruction giving and continuing professional development. As a formal business function, it is vital for an organization to develop highly effective training programs. There are notable objectives in this research. To begin with, it is essential to determine whether all training programs are beneficial to the trainee. In addition, it is vital to establish whether training can be directed towards individual needs. Lastly, it is crucial to determine the effectiveness of training programs that occur according to individual needs of employees. Main body Responsibility for choosing the training method In assessing the authority that is responsible for choosing the training method, it is crucial to examine this issue in terms of on-job training and off-job training. On-job training occurs while the employee is carrying out one’s duties. On-job training mostly relates to the job. In this sense, an employee gains the skills while carrying out one’s regular assignments (Nicholson, P. 2005, 133). The employees, therefore, receive training in the real-work environment. In the end, employees gain experience by dealing with specific tasks and facing challenges that come with such duties. This means that supervisors are the key players in choosing the right kinds of training methods. The supervisor, in this perspective, is the immediate senior employee to the trainee. The supervisor is an employee in the same department who possesses a higher experience and skills that are necessary for passing down onto the junior employee. This suggests that the supervisor is highly likely to have passed through the same experience and faced similar challenges (Kerzner, H. 2013, 90). These supervisors are responsible for the choice of training method because of notable reasons. To begin with, these individuals possess knowledge of the organization’s policy on training. This is because they had the same experience. A supervisor will tend to hand down the skills and anecdotes that one received from an earlier training. In this view, the supervisor becomes a tool of bequeathing the company’s policy onto the new employees. In addition, the supervisor understands the clients’ requirement. In this sense, the supervisor chooses a training method that suits the needs of the clients. In addition, the supervisor chooses a training method that suits one’s experience in terms of challenges. This means that the supervisor offers training that addresses the daily demands of the job. The daily demands are the duties that an employee should perform on regular basis. In turn, the supervisor offers the real-time skills in carrying out given duties. The supervisors are aware of the special skills that are effective in efficiently handling duties. In addition, the organization is responsible for choosing the training method. The organization, in this

Moral duties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Moral duties - Essay Example Categorical imperative requires reason to dictate the act we are morally obligated to do, one which is motivated by adherence to the consistent principle which could be applied to all and any rational agent. This deontological ethical distinguishes between the moral doctrines of right from that of virtue. Where the first is driven externally to the actor, the other is internal and concerned with ends. Circumscribing what end is - Kant required of a rational human being that he makes the object of his elective will his end. Kant is very much concerned with ends which at the same time are duties and not with ends due to impulses of the senses or subjective/technical ends. The former are for him objective/moral ends and rests on a priori principles. For Kant, a rational human being is a moral person, fully conscious of his moral duty or duties and deriving deliberate decisions using the metaphysical moral framework. The mere possession of capacity for rationality is nothing compared to its exercise and fulfillment in action. All of this is built upon the foundation of good will or universal good or good unqualified/unconditional and autonomous which he laid down in Groundwork. The Kantian moral system emphasize the performance of moral duty motivated by a priori principle recognized by reason and not from desire of expected consequence or emotional attachment or aversion because duty or end based on sensual inclinations is conditional. It is the role of reason to give fruition to a good will.1 Duty and right are the motivations of good will; aspects of good will, if you may. Groundwork portrays the search for the supreme principle of morality. It sets aside matters that are recognizable by the reader from everyday experience and conceives its subject to be a priori and metaphysical. I think Kant expect the reader to do the exercise of applying the test and criteria he laid down. Kant's recognition of will as separate from reason shows his recognition of actions and ends which are derived from will alone or that derived from a conjunction of will and reason. Reason alone cannot achieve the intended result. Obviously, "will" alone can only get conditional results unlike a real concurrence of will and reason or the good will. Groundwork does not really explain the manner and contents Kant conceives an a priori principles system to have. He takes this matter for granted and leaves too much room for the reader to speculate. Nothing in it describes what metaphysical structure duties should have. The universality test as a method of weighing duties is Kant's significant contribution to moral reasoning but Kant barely seemed to use it in his writings. Kant's method is to determine the universal law of morality applicable to all rational beings at all cases.2 He must have conceived of his writings as a workbook with which readers must work and apply as they go along; a veritable inter-active philosophical work for that matter. For Kant, the duties to perfect one's self and to promote the happiness of others are moral motives and ends in themselves, including that to avoid suicide and self-mutilation. The supreme moral index of autonomous good will identified in Groundwork is broken down in MetaMorals into specific moral duties. For Kant, doing one's duty is its own incentive, even for wide obligations such

Speed Quality in Apparent Motion Essay Example for Free

Speed Quality in Apparent Motion Essay ABSTRACT Seven participants each viewed two flipbooks of slow and fast speeds of hand-drawn dots and stick figures. By counterbalancing the conditions, each participant watched the flipbooks according to the sequential order. After viewing either the slow or fast flipbooks, a questionnaire was used to collect and calculate raw data of the experience; which concerned realness, enjoy ability, smoothness, and speed quality. Hypothesizing how speed affects the quality of a flipbook supports Gestalt’s theory and dynamic case of apparent motion perceived. However, contradicting and compromising with the low-speed assumption and case first reported by Wallach. Introduction A popular and thorough explanation for brain and visual functioning, perception, and sensation is known as ‘Gestalt Theory.’ Gestalt theory explains that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Individual parts alone cannot conclude to be as great or effective as the whole entirely. This is important to recognize because a better understanding of why and how the world is viewed as a whole picture can be related to real world instances. Such as in motion pictures and in flipbooks, which helps to differentiate between perceiving apparent motion and actual, real motion. For instance, we involuntarily blink our eyes everyday, and although this is an action of real motion, apparent motion plays its part by filling in the blanks of blackness or darkness when blinking occurs. Furthermore, the theory then can translate to: the whole experience of sensation and perception is greater than the sum of individual parts of sensation and perception. The theories of Gestalt help to explain extraordinary circumstances and phenomena’s of perception that are experienced in life, whether that may be visual or auditory illusions as well. In particular,  apparent motion is a more specific area of study in Gestalt theory which touches upon this psychological and perceptual experience. Apparent motion previously studied suggests that it â€Å"may result when stationary stimuli are presented sequentially to different retinal locations. Apparent motion is inferred from information about change in position. (Green, 1983).†The successive presentation elicits an impression of motion (Sato, 1989).† â€Å"The perception of motion depends on the integration of visual information over space and time.(Snowden, 1990).† This information subsequently leads to the research question to pursue of: does speed effect the quality of apparent motion perceived in a flipbook? It may seem like a simple question to ask, but also factoring in a questionnaire, participant feelings, two flipbooks of with two speed settings of slow and fast, and different colored pages can lead to possible, unsuspecting findings about the phenomena of apparent motion; which has mostly been individually considered in previous studies. There has been many studies on dot patterns, biological factors, vision, sound perception, and real motion in relation to apparent motion. So, this experiment is quite different than the usual, although it may be as simple as using a flipbook and participants. However, previous studies helped strengthen the answers of the research question and hypothesis. Therefore, supporting studies reported by Gepshstein and Kubovy (2007) suggest that: for every speed, there â€Å"exists a condition for which contrast sensitivity is maximal.† They also found results that determined speed concludes the regime of motion; which can strengthen the hypothesis of speed effecting apparent motion being perceived. Method Participants. Seven participants from Connecticut participated in an independent research project concerning a class of psychological sensation and perception. There were four males and three females who had normal to corrected vision. Participants ranged from 21 to 52 years of age. Materials. Two hand drawn flipbooks were created by using bamboo paper and binder clips. A Likert rating scale was used as the method of answering questions. Design and Analysis. The experiment was a 2 (sequence: flipbook A and flipbook B or flipbook B and flipbook A) X 2(speed: fast or slow) design with four questions manipulated between subjects. There were two  independent variables in this study, which were the flipbooks and the questions. The flipbooks had two levels of fast and slow; the fast flipbook (A) consisted of all the same colored paper and an image of a ball in different locations on the ascending pages. The slow flipbook (B) had different colored pages of paper on every other page, on every other page there was not any image drawn on it. This flipbook had a drawing of a stick figure walking and bumping into a wall. The dependent variable was the effect of speed quality through the obtained scores from participants from the questionnaire. Since there were not many participants available for this experiment, it was necessary to counterbalance the conditions. The first participant seen the fast flipbook first, then took the Likert scale questionnaire; secondly, the slow flipbook was shown to the first participant afterwards and then answering the questionnaire. The second participant was shown the slow flipbook first, then took the questionnaire, following that the fast flipbook was shown second and then the questionnaire was answered. The questionnaire was made up of four questions. This would continuously go on from participant to participant until the last, seventh participant. From these factors, a two-way, within-subjects ANOVA of within-subjects was the design Procedure Participants were seated at a table and were informed that they would be participating in an experiment and to answer all questions honestly. Then, the first flipbook was presented to the participant by the experimenter whom operated both of the flip books which accurately set the speeds. This happened continuously until the last participant. There were two trials of this experiment, which consisted of showing a fast flipbook (A) and slow flipbook (B). Upon completion of watching each flipbook, participants were questioned about their experience by using the Likert Scale rating. The responses were collected and recorded in Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS 20. The experiment lasted about 35 minutes. Results The main effect of flipbook responses for flipbook A (fast) had a mean of M=3.36. The responses for flipbook B (slow) had a mean of M=2.14 (see table 1 and figure 1). A two-way, within-subjects ANOVA illustrated that the  difference between the mean of flip book A and flipbook B was statistically significant; F(1,6)=12.892, p0.05. The error bars represent the standard error of means (SEM) and flipbook A SEM=0.31 and flipbook B SEM=0.51.The main effect of flipbook was significant due to speed manipulation. Flipbook A had the highest score of the two, which made it the fastest and flipbook B the slowest. The main effect of questions (see table 2 and figure 2) response for question 1 had a mean of M=2.43. Question 2 had a mean of M=2.57, question 3 had a mean of M=2.07, and question 4 had a mean of M=3.93. Based on a two-way, within-subjects ANOVA, the results showed the questions were a statistically significant factor of the experiment; F(3,18)=3.627, p0.05. However, the questions as well differed irrespective of speed quality (Q4A/B). This showed the differences among the four question conditions were impactful in determining other factors such as animation realness (Q1A/B), enjoyment (Q2A/B), and smoothness (Q3A/B). | Table 2: main effect of questions| | | | Q1 Mean| Q2 Mean| Q3 Mean| Q4 Mean| Mean| 2.43| 2.57| 2.07| 3.93| SD| 2.31| 1.87| 2.27| 2.13| SEM| 0.62| 0.50| 0.61| 0.57| The interaction effect between the flipbooks (shown in figure below) and the questions showed that in flipbook A the mean values for the questions were as the following: Question 1 mean M=2.57, question 2 mean M=1.71, question 3 mean M=4.14, question 4 mean M=5.00. In flipbook B the mean values for are as follows: Question 1 mean M=2.29, question 2 mean M=3.43, question 3 mean M=0.00, and question 4 mean M=2.86. This shows that the interaction between the flipbooks and questions were highly significant and falls on a boundary as reported by the two-way, within-subjects ANOVA; F(3,18)=8.144, p=0.001. However, the questions differed irrespective of the speed. The questions received different scores, however not too different to make it insignificant. It had nothing to do with the speed manipulation; rather it showed the differences among the four question conditions were impactful in determining other factors such as realness (Q1A/B), enjoyment (Q2A/B), and smoothness (Q3A/B). Q1 asked about the realness of the animations and they were perceived as real regarding both. The scores show that flipbook A was a little more real than flipbook B by a 0.28 difference of interaction. Q2 asked about the enjoyment of the flipbook and showed that flipbook B was more enjoyable than flipbook A by a 1.72 difference of interaction. Q3 showed that flipbook A was most smooth than flipbook B, and that flipbook B had no perceived smoothness. Q4 showed that speed mattered and affected the quality most in flipbook A, and flipbook B had the slowest speed of the two. The impact of experimental manipulation has shown to be significant between the two independent variables of flipbooks and questions. Discussion The hypothesis in question was to discover if speed affects the quality of apparent motion perceived in a flipbook through research and experimentation. Results indicate that the hypothesis was supported because speed did matter according to the findings. Gepshtein Kubovy (2007) indicated that motion was not always seen along the slower path. It was interesting to find out that the slower flipbook was determined to be most enjoyable in this experiment when interactions were looked at (see figure 3). In Gepshtein Kubovy’s study, they challenged Wallach’s previous study about low-speed assumption, which viewed low speed as prevailing when in competition with faster speeds. However, the results of their existing theory and experiments that challenged Wallach’s found that the ratio of two speeds were always less than unified. Which means motion was not always seen along the slower path. These results may be different because of altering procedures between the two studies, but the most current  research conducted by them indicates what is most rationale when deterring speed effectiveness. In flipbook B, every other page was a different color. The pages that had different colors also did not have any drawings or images on them This was a technique used to find out more through speed manipulation. In a previous study, Giaschi and Anstis (1989) reported that â€Å"apparent motion created by two spots illuminated in alternation looks faster when there is a dark temporal interval between the offset of one spot and the onset of the other than when spots are presented immediately after one another, even though the temporal frequency and spatial seperation spots are held constant.† This helped to support the added feature of flipbook B, which had alternating, darker colored pages. This can be a potential reason as to why the flipbook was most enjoyable than the fast flipbook A; this finding can be a contributing factor for the real world because it can often be assumed that if things move fast (er), then it is better or more enjoyable. On the contrary, it can be more desirable for things to be slowed down, even if by a few seconds, so to give an audience more time to process and comprehend what is happening. It can also aid in exposing people to pay more attention to detail and to be more particular in such a fast paced society. Although slow motion may often be seen as less effective, this does not mean it is less important. Gephstein Kubovy’s study contrasted with Wallach’s theory, but Wallach’s findings occurred between the 1930’s and 1970’s, so in more earlier and previous times his participants may have been more accustomed to slower occurrences; compared to the 21st century’s faster moving conditions. Although the hypothesis was supported by the findings and other scholarly studies, it can as well be assumed that the results could be better and stronger if there were not any major limitations of the experiment. Limitations such as not having a not having the desired facilities and equipment; for instance, in a laboratory designated only for participants or equipment such as MRI machines to factor in brain functioning and perception. It would have also been nice to have more time to conduct this study over months or even years. The use of mathematical equations and  theories might have been important. Being able to have a wide range of participants would be of importance so to look at education level, gender, race, and age to see if those factors bring about any disadvantages, advantages, patterns and/or similarities. Having multiple speeds would have been interesting to add into the experiment. Taking into consideration the amount of pages and certain colors which could effect perception further. Lastly, having considered the son and mother used in the experiment would be interesting to learn if there is some sort of similarities and/or differences between parents and their children. In the future these can be improved so to come across more findings, unsuspecting conditions and/or disregarding current information for a more updated viewpoint. The experiment may have been effected by error, such as by participant misunderstanding or misleading answers that may have been more desirable than another. It may have been an error to counterbalance conditions and control the experiment in that way by manipulating speed and sequence of the flipbooks. There was not much mathematics involved so there were no errors of numbers and data, but the procedure as mentioned potentially could have been. Cumulatively, Gestalt’s theory ties all of this information in to help better understand why we perceive the way we do and how we perceive this, as mentioned in the Introduction. When we see the world as one entire picture rather than one individual part, it assists in humans having an overall pleasurable experience when viewing, perceiving, and sensing the world. Apparent motion strengthens our abilities to think fast and fill in all of the blanks necessary to cumulatively understand any myriad of circumstances. As mentioned in the Introduction, blinking can fill in the blanks that our visual system processes in order to elude an illusionary, motion picture so to view the world as a whole, and not by just parts. This is a concept important to understand and cherish when applied to daily lives because it can help to be appreciative that we view the world so concisely and promptly, when in reality it is not as fast paced as assumed. Concerning flipbook B (slow), it could be advantageous to notice individual parts leading to better comprehension, when noticing entireties. All in all,  there are interrelated factors which tie speed, space, time, apparent motion, real motion, perception, and sensation into many theories of Gestalt. One without the other would not be as effective as when all used wholly. References 1. Gepshtein, S., Kubovy, M. (2007). The lawful perception of apparent motion. Journal of Vision, 7(8), 1-15. 2. Giaschi, D., Anstis, S. (1989). The less you see it, the faster it moves: Shortening the â€Å"on-time† speeds up apparent motion, Vision Research, Volume 29, Issue 3. 3. Green, Marc. Inhibition and facilitation of apparent motion by real motion, Vision Research, Volume 23, Issue 9, 1983, Pages 861-865. 4. Sato, Takao. Reversed apparent motion with random dot patterns, Vision Research, Volume 29, Issue 12, 1989, Pages 1749-1758, ISSN 0042-6989, 10.1016/0042-6989(89)90157-0. 5. Snowden, R. J., Braddick, O., J. (1990) Differences in the processing of short-range apparent motion at small and large displacements, Vision Research, 1211-1222. Volume 30, Issue 8.

Principles of war

Principles of war CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study. Principles of war are key considerations that commanders use as an academic start point when contemplating combat operations. They range from strategic, and operational, to tactical factors which serve as guiding rules which must not be violated in order to ensure success in any operation. The Principles of war range from; selection and maintenance of the aim, offensive action, flexibility, sustainability, concentration of force, cooperation, economy of effort, surprise and security. A new fundamental principle of war which though yet to be acknowledged as such in tactical manual books, has been born. This birth resulted from the rapid advancement in technology coupled with the proliferation and growth of television and radio new in the 1960s.[1] For the first time in history, the gruesome reality of warfare was brought into American living rooms on nightly newscasts. This powerful visual medium altered the entire interplay between the news media and government policy making. In part icular, it would no longer be possible to wield the military instrument of national power without first considering how it would play in the news media.[2] The media in todays society serve the role of an informant, especially in the cases of distant violence in times of war. They provide the eyes and context through which the public view events and the formulation of policy. The agendas of the media often reflect that of the government and the corporate interests that control them. While freedom of the press gives journalist free reign to criticize or provide alternative views to government activities, there is evidence that reliance on official sources and competition censors the resultant news product (Kracke,2004). The independence of the media from the government exists in principle but does not manifest itself in practice. Given this perspective and the understanding that the media serve as the primary conduit of information from the battlefield to the public, and often the po licy makers, facilitating a relationship with the media has been a challenge for the military. An examination of the relationship between the military and the media may provide a valuable perspective on how to capitalize on this relationship and provide greater input into framing the news that reaches the public and policy makers.[3] Military commanders could never again afford to ignore the way combat operations would be portrayed in the news media. This essential consideration for any would-be combat commander constitutes the new principle of war. 1.2 Statement of the Problem. Ghana has after half a century of independence experienced intermittent military intervention which brought in its wake limiting roles of the media in accessing military related information. The cumulative effect of this has been an extended gap between the military and the media as both parties seem to lack the basic understanding of a reasonable coexistence through realistic collaboration. The study will attempt to answer the following questions such as; What are the principal roles of the military in accounting to the wider population?, how well positioned is the military in addressing their obligations to the wider population? and what measures dictate the media environment that has made the media so powerful as to be regarded as the Forth arm of Government? The research will also seek to determine what are the contemporary challenges in military- media relationship? and lastly, how can the Ghana Armed Forces contribute to the development of a viable military à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ media relationship? 1.3 Objectives of the Study The objectives of this study are to provide information that may lead to a better understanding of the nature of military à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ media relations that should exist in a democratic Ghana as well as to determine how military-media relations in Ghana can be enhanced. 1.4 Research Methodology A combination of primary and secondary sources of data collection is used in the study. Primary data was sourced from personal interview of both serving and retired military officers as well as civil servants and journalists. Data was also sourced from books, journals, official government documents, conference papers, news-magazines and newspapers. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively using logical arguments and sequential presentation of points. 1.5 Significance of the Study The study will contribute to existing knowledge and current discussions on military-media relations. It will also assist the Ghana Armed Forces in adopting training strategies for the reorientation of the Public Relations Department to deal with the media. 1.6 Limitations of the Study The limitation faced in this study is the paucity of written material on the Ghanaian situation. The lack of adequate time for proper research will also affect the quality. However, the research will try and authenticate all documents assessed to remove all inconsistencies. 1.7 Literature Review In searching for material to support this study it was anticipated that limited amounts of printed literature would be available on this topic particularly with reference to the Principles of War. This was assumed because Principles of War is a relatively tactical doctrine that can be found mostly in military training manuals. Upon filtering the questions for each area of research this study will address, the literature is grouped into two to deal with the media perspective and the tactical perspective. Distorting Defense by Stephen P. Aubin[4] and General Ferdinand Fochs book The Principles of War [5]will be reviewed. In the book Distorting Defense, Stephen P. Aubin arouses ones interest in the medias coverage of defense issues. Even though Aubins book does not address the military media relationship specifically, however, it delves into how the media has covered defense-related issues. Aubin presents a content analysis of evening broadcasts of major media networks as NBC and CBS on defence related issues during the Reagan, Bush and Clinton administrations. He posits that the American People and their media have since colonial times been very suspicious and even to some extent hostile to defence related issues. Aubin highlights that the Americans would rather opt for cheaper routes in achieving the nations security.[6] Aubins content analysis revealed that about 32 percent of the evening news coverage on defence issues were problematic.[7] Aubin defined problematic coverage as; overemphasis on drama or bad news at the expense of substance and context, lack of knowledge on the part of the correspo ndent, lack of context as a result of brevity, general lack of balance or context, loaded labelling or advocacy; and bad news judgment. Aubin presents a historical review of an American people who he finds difficult to convince about the need for new weapon systems, an increase in defense spending or the deployment of US troops into a conflict.[8] Juxtaposing his historical review with the content analysis on problematic coverage of defense issues, one observes that the US military public affairs need to do a lot to tell the military story the right way. This is not limited to the US alone as such hurdles permeate wider societies especially young democracies such as in Ghana. The media will continue to be very critical of military operations because they are the agents of collecting, interpreting and transmitting information to worldwide audiences and therefore have tremendous power to affect the outcome of military operations. Aubin however was unable to capture this vital relation ship between the media and the military. This is the aspect that this study seeks to reveal by drawing on some of the characteristics of the media environment as put forward by Aubin. Fochs book The Principles of War is an excellent starting point when reviewing what factors and guidelines that men in arms must take into consideration when planning for and executing wars. Foch, who was a Commander of the Allied Armies on the Western Front during the final campaigns of World War I presents the picture that War is so important that it must be studied in detail and it is for this reason that nations have War Colleges. Foch emphasises on theories that one needs to understand and execute in order to be victorious in war. These include having large numbers, better armament, bases of supplies and the advantage of terrain. Foch enumerated a number of principles such as economy of power, freedom of action, protection, intellectual discipline, strategic surprise and strategic discipline. These he stated, must not be violated in order to be successful. Foch related his principles mostly to the Napoleonic wars in the organisation and disposition of forces. In modern battles, Foch opined that the decisive attack in the battle of today is not to be sought indifferently on any point yet it can be imposed on us, or as an opportunity suddenly arise, in spite of all that theory may teach.[9] Fochs principles amongst others have over time been reframed into modern day principles of war as is contained in present day military manuals and aide memoires. Foch however fails to highlight the fluidity of the operational environment as directed by political interference and the demands of accountability by the people through the media. These are very relevant and actually do affect the modern day battle environment. This study takes advantage of the Fochs principles of war as it relates to contemporary times and the relevance of other factors of the modern day battle environment. 1.8 Organisation of the Study The scope of the study will cover four chapters. Chapter one will present a background to the study and a statement of the research problem as well as a literature review and the methodology of the research. Chapter two will highlight on the mission and role of the military as well as strategies employed in achieving its goal. It will also cover the media environment and activities of the media. Chapter three will dwell on the challenges of the military-media relationship and the role of the Ghana Armed Forces in building a healthy relationship between the media and the Armed Forces. Chapter four expounds on the conclusion and recommendations. References Mac D Felman The Military/Media Clash and the New Principle of War: Media Spin, (Air University USAF, 1992) Tina S. Kracke Mass Media: The Ether Pervading the Clausewitzian Trinity, (USACGSC,2004) Stephen P. Aubin, Distorting Defense (Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1998). JB Synder Seeing Through The Conflict: Military-Media Relations, (USAWC, 2003). Ferdinad Foch, The Principles of War, (AMS PRESS,1970). RESTRICTED [1] Mac D Felman The Military/Media Clash and the New Principle of War: Media Spin, (Air University USAF, 1992). [2] Ibid. [3] Tina S. Kracke Mass Media: The Ether Pervading the Clausewitzian Trinity, (USACGSC,2004) [4] Stephen P. Aubin, Distorting Defense (Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1998) 6. [5] Ferdinad Foch, The Principles of War, (AMS PRESS,1970). [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] JB Synder Seeing Through The Conflict: Military-Media Relations, (USAWC, 2003). [9] Ibid,372.