Essay about U.S. Economy - 963 Words

The United States economy is currently not looking very good. Over the past couple of months the economy has taken a turn for the worst and we could be headed into a recession in the coming months or years. The biggest problems are in the real estate and mortgage markets. In 1999, housing prices rose at huge rates and lenders began offering riskier mortgages, which caused homeowners to keep piling up huge debts. People were taking out loans and balloon mortgage payments that they really could not afford. The problem began in late 2007, when housing prices began to fall and the system fell apart causing huge numbers of defaults on home loans and foreclosures. Currently, 5.6% of mortgages are delinquent, the highest rate in 21 years, and†¦show more content†¦The housing crisis that I mentioned earlier and resulting backlash through the entire economy has been building for awhile now but it has just came into the forefront in the past couple of weeks. We really havenâ€℠¢t faced a downturn like this since the Depression. Last Tuesday, January 22, the Dow Jones industrial average fell almost 600 points and was already down 9% in 2008 (Gross 1). Immediately the Federal Reserve took action and cut the interest rates three-quarters of a percentage point, the biggest cut in 24 years. Today, not even a week later, the Fed again cut interest rates, this time by a half-point (Aversa 1). This move is an effort to keep the economy out of a recession by getting money back into the banks and encouraging them to keep lending credit to turn the economy upward. Whether or not it will work remains to be seen in the coming months. The government also announced another move to a couple weeks ago to help get the economy going again and avoid or slow down a recession. President Bush and the House are currently developing a $145 billion stimulus plan that would give tax relief to citizens by sending them individual checks for $300 and up. The plan would put over $100 billion into the hands of consumers and the government hopes that money would be spent and put back into the economy (Wolf 1). While all these things are good news for the struggling economy, most economic experts believe that a recession of some kind may be impossible to avoidShow MoreRelatedU.s. Economy s Economy1330 Words   |  6 Pages1 U.S. ECONOMY U.S. ECONOMY CRISIS Sheryle Leonard Colorado Christian University 2 U.S. ECONOMY Abstract The state of the U.S. economy has an impact on every American. There has been economic depression in this country since the collapse of the housing market in 2007, that has seen widespread unemployment and home foreclosure combined with conservative consumer spending. Research conducted through financial new websites, government reports and survey provided information on where the economy standsRead MoreU.s. Economy s Economy8463 Words   |  34 PagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY Macro Economy The U.S. economy was stagnant during the last decade primarily due to the two recessions that occurred from March to November 2001 and from December 2007 to June 2009. The two recessions resulted in weak GDP growth, zero net job growth and a decrease in household wealth that eradicated any gains in household wealth accumulated during expansionary periods. Over the next year the unemployment rate is expected to decline at a slow pace keeping consumer confidence lowRead MoreU.s. Trade And Economy1293 Words   |  6 Pages US TRADE AND ECONOMY Then and Now Oshin Nandal 1001111637 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As we know US went from being a net exporter to a net importer in a short span of time. Currently US economy is strong but with lots of debt. These changes in trade gap and debt were caused basically due to other developing nations coming up with low cost manufacturing system and thus US ended importing products from other countries. Also many US manufacturers moved their factories abroad due to cheap laborRead MoreIllegal Immigration, the Drain on the U.S. Economy1528 Words   |  7 PagesIllegal Immigration, the Drain on the U.S. Economy Peter Fern COM/150 02-12-2012 Shelli Meade Illegal Immigration, the Drain on the U.S. Economy The amount of money that comes out of your pocket for schooling, incarceration, jobs lost, and maintaining the medical system in the United States because of illegal immigrants may be more than people know. During the past few decades, the influx of illegal immigrants has risen dramatically. Illegal immigrants put a huge strainRead MoreCurrent State Of The U.s. Economy1342 Words   |  6 PagesCurrent State of the U.S. Economy A nation’s economy plays a vital role in how a nation operates. The United States economy faces a large variety of problems in this paper; we will focus on 4 major economic problems, unemployment, inequality, federal debt, and the financial/credit market. All four issues are interconnected in some way with deep social and economic implications. These issues were emphasized during the Great Recession that hit the U.S. economy in 2007.In the following paper, we willRead MoreAmerican Manufacturing and the U.S Economy Essay702 Words   |  3 Pagesand Ford became widely known and promoted. American manufacturing became synonymous with quality, greatness, and reliability. However, manufacturing in the U.S has started to plummet as the economy has begun this recession. It may seem as if the country that used to make everything is really on the edge of making virtually nothing. U.S. jobs in manufacturing have been vanishing at a fast rate and unemployment percent is on the rise, but despite the vanishing jobs Americans’ productivityRead MoreMacroeconomic Outlook of U.S. Economy Essay1835 Words   |  8 PagesMacroeconomic outlook of U.S. economy For every four to six years U.S economy faces an economic slowdown. Thus the current market is now in forth year. The root of U.S. crisis and its economy can be traced backed to 2007, when U.S housing bubble burst which yields a financial meltdown in 2008. In average, the American trying to make ends meet in 2014, a market and a recession will probably look and feel the same. In early 2008, when the financial crisis began, then the U.S. national debt stood atRead MoreOutsourcing American Jobs Hurt U.s. Economy Essay1672 Words   |  7 PagesOutsourcing American Jobs Hurt U.S. Economy The dawn of the outsourcing era. Many large U.S. corporations cultivates outsourcing faster than we can imagine. The trend that began in the late 1970 and picked up speed in the 1900s with the opening trade with China, India, and Eastern Europe (â€Å"Outsourcing: What’s the true Impact†). In its broadest sense, outsourcing is simply contracting out functions that had been done in-house—a longtime U.S. practice (â€Å"Globalization: Threat or Opportunity†). SubsequentlyRead MoreOutsourcing American Jobs Hurt U.s. Economy1560 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican Jobs Hurt U.S. Economy Globalization is the integration of markets through the cooperation of internalization, federal, and state governments with corporate companies to provide low-cost products. Subsequently, outsourcing is an essential part of this globalization. However, what exactly is outsourcing? In its broadest sense, outsourcing is simply contracting out functions that had been done in-house—a longtime U.S. practice (â€Å"Globalization: Threat or Opportunity†). When a U.S. manufacture productRead MorePositive and Negative Impacts of the U.S. Economy on the World943 Words   |  4 PagesWhat are the positive and negative impacts of the U.S. economy on the world? Introduction: The USA is the leader of the earthly concern economy. It has the largest and strongest economy in the world, because United States has GDP per capita $49,800 (The World Factbook). The USA is an engine of world economy, the reason of changing and permutation of economic situation. The United States of America very strongly influences world economy. Many international and world transactions pass in US dollar

Historical Report on Paul Lauterbur Free Essays

Historical Report on Paul Lauterbur Paul Lauterbur was born right here in Sidney, Ohio in 1929. He attended Case Institute of Technology where he majored in chemistry. After graduating with his Bachelor’s degree, he started working for Dow Corning Corporation in their Mellon Institute Laboratories. We will write a custom essay sample on Historical Report on Paul Lauterbur or any similar topic only for you Order Now While working he took graduate courses at the University of Pittsburgh for free where he later received his PhD degree in 1962. During his studies, he learned about nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Then he was drafted into the Army from 1954-1955 then left to work at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He realized new images could be made from NMR. Lauterbur’s breakthrough idea was to vary the strength of the magnetic field over the object which in turn emitted various radio waves that could be turned into images . Then he turned to using these variances on clams and green peppers in the beginning. This displayed different types of tissues in the images which later was used to distinguish between healthy tissue and tumors. In 2003, he received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Not only did he have breakthroughs in imaging NMR, but in non-imaging NMR spectroscopy proving a method for the investigation of matter. Paul received many more awards during his life including the Gold Medal of the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, US National Medal of Technology, US National Medal of Science, and Roentgen Medal. Sources http://nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2003/lauterbur-cv. html http://nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2003/lauterbur. html http://www. rsc. org/chemistryworld/issues/2007/May/PaulLauterbur. asp How to cite Historical Report on Paul Lauterbur, Essay examples

Political Science for ABJ

Question: Discuss the following points..Mahans arguments of factors that affect seapower.Chinas emergence against maritime power US. Answer: Mahans arguments of factors that affect seapower Mahan viewed that geographical position of the country not only allows a strong concentration on forces rather it stands for a strategic advantage for operation against its enemies. However, currently United States maritime strategy is purely based on its geographical position; extensive coastlines in both Pacific and Atlantic Ocean (Holmes and Toshi 2005). However, Mahan was much concerned on the fact that a maritime power has no bases abroad and the geographical position is actually disadvantage for carrying commercial activity. The time has changed and now the maritime powers maintain a series of naval base throughout the water bodies. For example, US maintains navy bases across Asia and Africa region both for protecting the commercial transport and deterring any hostile activities. Another condition stated by Mahan is physical confirmation that reflects upon the nations ability to interact beyond its region. The time when Mahan wrote the piece, US was noted as the superpower beca use other countries had not access to international commodity market. The situation has changed and countries such as China, Indonesia, and Singapore can easily access to market commodity. As opined by Mahan and Mahan (1980), the extension of territory that is the length of the coastline against the size of the country is a determinant of sea power. While looking at US or England, the evidence is clear because the countries are having a long-standing coastline against size of the country. Though, the factor has not changed much, rise of China as another maritime power negates the theoretical assumptions of Mahans study. Chinas expansion in maritime power reflects its massive global presence. Mahan considered population as the determinant not in terms of total numbers of citizens rather the numbers of people readily available to go into sea or going for naval activities. The factors has not changed much as more numbers of candidates are going to naval activities from emerging maritime powers China, Indonesia or India. The other factor national character of the country remains more or less similar because the merging sea powers are interested in commercial activities als o. Finally, governments character is the determinant of a sea power and it stands for the extent of retaliation a government wishes to make on its hostiles (Russell 2006). Chinas emergence against maritime power US America is facing one of the most important security challenges since the beginning of American history. The biggest security threat of America is maintaining the position in global maritime power and preserving the powerful maritime influence of America. However, U.S navy is already facing power crisis. America's navy system has been cut short since 1980s, as it shrunken from 594 ships to 280 ships until date. It is estimated that the next president of America will be able to regain Americas maritime position as from since the Bush administration, with huge Pentagon budget, fleet amount has been lessen by 60 ships. However, the American naval fleet is still larger from most of the countries in this world. America being a superpower has unbelievable global reach and super endurance system (Tracy 2013). American Navy was keeping an eye on the growing navel power of China. However, as tension and heat is increasing between these two countries, it is estimated that though Americas maritime power will remain supreme but with the advent of Chinas power, it will not be unchallenged (Sumida 2001). Since the Second World War, America developed and maintained a constant hegemonic power for constant access to the global maritime way. Sea power of both the countries naval kind and softer kinds, which is associated with trade and exploitation of sea resources is very crucial and important for security purpose. However, China is by far most strong naval challenger of Americas maritime. China started very slowly but from an average beginning, china has developed a navy system that has emerged from a basic coastal system to a potent power source in the close radius of its sea border, which means the first island line from Japan until Philippines. Chinas maritime is evolving which is aiming for so mething more big and powerful. Over time, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is becoming more constant and more demanding technically. References Holmes, James R. and Toshi Yoshihara. 2005. "The Influence Of Mahan Upon China's Maritime Strategy". Comparative Strategy 24 (1): 23-51. doi:10.1080/01495930590929663. Mahan, A. T and A. T Mahan. 1980. The Influence Of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1805. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. Russell, Greg. 2006. "Alfred Thayer Mahan And American Geopolitics: The Conservatism And Realism Of An Imperialist". Geopolitics 11 (1): 119-140. doi:10.1080/14650040500524137. Sumida, Jon. "New insights from old books: The case of Alfred Thayer Mahan." Naval War College Review 54, no. 3 (2001): 100. Tracy, N. 2013. "Book Review: Twenty-First Century Seapower: Cooperation And Conflict At Sea".International Journal Of Maritime History 25 (1): 427-429. doi:10.1177/084387141302500177.

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky Essays - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky Tchaikovsky is not only one of the corner stones of Russian musical culture and world music?. It's at the same time creative and technical encyclopedia to which every Russian has reference in the course of his own work (Cross and Ewen, 1025), said Dimitri Shostakovich. Peter Iltich Tchaikovsky is considered one of the best composers of all time. In this paper you will see how Tchaikovsky's life was difficult and memorable. Peter Tchaikovsky was born in Votinsk, in the district of Viatka, Russia on May 1, 1840. His father, Lieutenant colonel Ilya Petrovich Tchaikovsky (a well-to-do engineer who was the principle inspector of Government Mines and Metallurgical works), and mother, Alexandra Andreuevna (of French ancestry) had seven children, of whom Peter was third (Cross and Ewen, 1027). Peter's first musical expression came whine he was three, upon hearing one of Mozart's great aria's, Don Giovanni. He demonstrated extaordinary sensitivity for music early in life. As a child he was fascinated y a little mechanical instrument called an orchestrion. When he was five he took piano lessons form Kundnges. Life passed and when he was ten he and his family moved to St. Petersburg where he was enrolled in preparatory classes for the school of jurisprudence. Nicholas Zaremba was a big inspiration, helping him to over come his natural tendencies toward indolence. And he worked hard and well. Another of Tchaikovsk y's teachers was Gabriel Lomankin. Tchaikovsky's mother died of cholera when he was 14. He finished school when he was 19. For a year he worked as a clerk in the Ministry of Justice a job he hated, but devoted himself to completely. Tchaikovsky's first 20 years were very hard. Working to survive in a world was there is no help. (Scionti, 375, Cross and Ewen, 1027-1028, Ewen, 375). Tchaikovsky's early works were technically sound, but unappreciated. I always thought that his music was always greatly appreciated in his time along with ours. He started composing in 1860 and completed an Italian Song, which was published. He soon met the Rubinstein brothers, Anton and Nickolai; both were composers, and Anton was a pianist second only to France Liszt in technical brilliance and fame. In 1862 Anton opened Russia's first conservatory, under the sponsorship of the Imperial Russian Music Society (I.R.M.S.); in St. Petersburg, and Tchaikovsky was its first composition student (Ewen, 375). In 1862, Tchaikovsky left the government service and enrolled in the then Newly founded Conservatory. He combined his studies with Zaremba, a member of the Conservatory Faculty, and Anton Rubinstein with lessons in harmony, counterpoint, and orchestration. Do not for one moment think that I expected to be a great artist.' He wrote to his sister. 'Whether I become a famous composer or a poor music teacher is a matter of indifference to me. At all events, my conscience will be clear and I shall no longer have thought to complain about my lot (Cross and Ewen, 1028). Now when he was writing full time and some of his music was getting performed. Characteristic Dances, for orchestra, was introduced by Johann Strauss II during the summer season in Povlovsky in 1865 a String Quartet and an Overture in F, for orchestra, where heard at students concerts at the Conservatory in 1865 and in 1866 respectively. A Cantata, ode to Joy (written-as a graduating exercise to Schiller's words, the same text used by Beethoven in the Ninth Symphony), won for him a silver medal and inspired his young friend Hermann Laroche, later a famous critic, to say You are the greatest music talent of contemporary Russia, more powerful than Balakirev, more creative than Serov, infinite more cultivated that Rimsky-Korsakov. In you I see the greatest, or rather the one hope of our musical future (Cros s and Ewen, 1028-1029). Upon graduating in 1865, Tchaikovsky had the problem of supporting himself. However, in 1866 Nickolai Rubinstein, brother of Anton, invited him to Moscow to be a professor of harmony; despite the meager salary of fifty rubles a month, Tchaikovsky accepted. Gradually, he became accustom to his new teaching duties at the conservatory. Much to my surprise,' he wrote to his sister on February 19, 1866, 'my course is very successful. My nervousness has completely

Sustaining effective staff training and development in the workplace The WritePass Journal

Sustaining effective staff training and development in the workplace I Introduction Sustaining effective staff training and development in the workplace CIPD in EWCO (2009). ‘Impact of recession on workplace training’. Available from: eurofound.europa.eu/ewco/2009/09/UK0909039I.htm. Last Accessed on 13th Dec. 2012 3.Deal, T.E., Kennedy, A.A., (1982) :Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life, Harmondsworth, Penguin Books 4.Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T., (2003) :E-Learning in the 21st Century, RoutledgeFalmer, Taylor Francis Group Hall, D. T., Moss, J. E. (1998). ‘The new protean career contract: Helping organizations and employees adapt’.Organizational Dynamics, 26, 22–37. Herzberg, F. (1966) :Work and the Nature of Man, Staples Press Holbeche, L. (2006), Understanding Change: Theory, Implementation and Success, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann Hung, H. Wong Y. (2007), The relationship between employer endorsement of continuing education and training and work and study performance’: A Hong Kong case study. International Journal of Training Development, 11, 4, pp. 295-313. Irving, P. G., and Meyer, J. P. (1999). ‘On Using Residual Difference Scores in the Measurement of Congruence: The Case of Met Expectation Research. A Longitudinal Analysis’, Personnel Psychology, 52(1), pp. 85-95. Jerling K. (1996). Education, Training, and Development in Organisation. Pearson: South Africa Keeney, M. J., Svyantek, D. J. (2000). ‘A review of psychological contract theory and research: Promise nothing and they still may get angry’. Current Trends in Management, 5, 65–94. Kimberly, W. 2009, Value Initiatives Improving Performance in the Workplace. NY:GRIN Verlag 9.Lamb, R., (1984) Competitive Strategic Management, Prentice Hall 10.Lambin, J.J., (2000) Market-Driven Management: Strategic Operational Marketing, MacMillan Business Landale A. (1999). Gower handbook of training and development. 3rd ed., Gower Publishing: UK 11.Maslow, A.H. (1943), ‘A theory of human motivation’, Psychological Review, Vol. 50 No. 4, pp. 370 396. 12.McConnell, C. R. 2004, Managing Employee Performance, Health Care Manager, Vol. 23, No. 3, p. 273, Supplemental Index. 13.Pedler, M., Burgoyne, J., Boydell, T., (2003) A Manager’s Guide to Leadership, McGraw-Hill Phillips, J.J., Pulliam Phillips, P., (2002) Retaining Your Best Employees: In Action Case Study Series, American Society for Training and Development Rabey, G., (2003) The Paradox of Teamwork, Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 158 – 162 Robinson, S. L. (1996). ‘Trust and breach of the psychological contract’. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41:574–599. Robinson, S. L., Morrison, E.W. (1995a). ‘Psychological contracts and OCB: The effect of unfulfilled obligations on civic virtue behavior’. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16: 289–298 Roughton, J. Mercurio, J. 2002, Developing an effective safety culture: A Leadership Approach. NY: Butterworth-Heinemann 17.Schein, E.H. (2004): Organizational Culture and Leadership, Jossey-Bass 18.Thompson, J.L., Martin, F., (2005) Strategic Management: Awareness and Change, 5th Edition, Thomson Learning 19.Smith, M. K., (2001) ‘Peter Senge and the learning organisation’, the encyclopaedia of informal education, available online at www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm Turnley, W. H., Feldman, D. C. (1999a). ‘The impact of psychological contract violations on exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect’. Human Relations, 52, 895–922. Van den Bossche, P., Segers, M., Jansen, N., (2010) Transfer of Training: The Role of Feedback in Supportive Social Networks, International Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 14, Iss. 2, pp. 81 – 94 van Dam, N. (2002). E-learning by design: Can a better-designed course help you learn more? e-learning. 3(1), 38-39. Venkatesh, V. and Goyal, S.(2010). ‘Expectation Disconfirmation and Technology Adoption: Polynomial Modeling and Response Surface Analysis,’MIS Quarterly 34, (2), 281-303 Vroom, V.H. (1964), Work and Motivation, John Wiley Sustaining effective staff training and development in the workplace Introduction Sustaining effective staff training and development in the workplace IntroductionPsychological contract theoryExpectancy disconfirmation theoryConclusionReferencesRelated Introduction Having effective employees is instrumental to the success of any business organisation. This is the case because of the high employee turnover rates and high unemployment rates evident in most countries. Since the 2008 recession in the U.S, other countries of the world have experienced the ripple effects as the world largest economy struggles to recover. The European nations have suffered under the current debt crisis that has shrunk economies in Europe. Other countries in African and Asia have also felt the impact, as their economies are most dependent on both the U.S and European markets for trade. The subject of having effective employees has therefore, gained relevance as employers look for ways to sustain their workers. In an effort to keep their most important asset, organisations are heavily involved in the training and development of employees (Hung Hing 2007). Training and development has been a tool used by organisations to mitigate the risks of losing employee to other or ganisations. It has also been used to groom future leaders of the company, as well as assist organisations in saving time and money. This paper shall discuss two theories that discuss employer support and training, as well as the impacts of employee performance in relation to training and development of employees. Humphry Hung and Yiu Wong have come up with two theories that discuss the relationship between the employer and the workers when it comes to training, continuing education and work study performance. The theories were introduced because of a case study of Hong Kong students who were in school and worked at the same time. The authors then came up with the theories to help explain the student or employee’s performance in relations to their employees and employer relationship. The first theory was the psychological contract theory while the second one was the expectancy disconfirmation theory. The researchers realised the need for employees to have an education so that they are able to move up the ladder as far as the work force is concerned. The researchers used the employee and employer relations as the subject of research, and came up with a model to explain how training and development can be effectively used in the workplace (Hung Hing 2007). Psychological contract theory According to the psychological theory, the employer and the employee have a set of beliefs, promises and obligations that go beyond the formal contract between the two. In other words, once an employer hires an employee, the employee has to abide by certain rules while the employer is obligated to behave professionally. This means that the employees expect to exchange their loyalty and productivity for wages and other forms of compensation (Kimberly 2009). In the psychological contract, there are two kinds of contents, transactional and relational. Transactional content involves measurable economic exchanges between the two parties. For instance, an employee works 40 hours a week for a paycheck at the end of the week. Relational contents are based on trust and long-term relationships. In such a case, an employee can delegate a certain role to the employee based on trust (McConnell 2004). In the study, three principles came emerged. First, there is interaction at an individual level, mutual relationship between the two parties and finally tactical exchanges. Most people believe that the relationship between the employee and the employer is based on personal ties because the employer is an embodiment of the organisation, and the experience of their interaction dictates the success of an organisation (Hung Hing 2007). On the other hand, some believe that there has to be a mutual relationship between the employer and the employee for organisations to succeed. The mutual obligation is based on the belief that the employer is obliged to the employee in return for a commitment. Finally, the tactical exchanges occur between the workers in which case the employee insists on a mental connection between the two parties (Kimberly 2009). The significance of the psychological contract theory is that it attempts to explain the employee’s behavior in regards to how he is treated by the employer. In other words, the employee relationship to the employer is imperative to matters regarding how employees react when subjected to training by organisations. The development of the employee dictates the performance of the employee in the continuing work-study. The research found that students who had a good working relationship with their employer performed well in their training and education compared to those who had a bad relationship (Hung Hing 2007). Expectancy disconfirmation theory The expectancy disconfirmation theory is similar to that of consumer dissonance. Only that in this case, it deals with the employee, as opposed to the consumer. The theory was brought about from the comparison of a worker and a consumer when dealing with their products. An employee is believed to have positively disconfirmed their role in the organisation when their perceived performance exceeds their expected performance (Roughton Mercurio 2002). The opposite is true and referred to as negative disconfirmation. Negative disconfirmation occurs when an employee believes that their expectations exceed their perceived performance. The expectancy theory was a catalyst to the employee’s job satisfaction and was believed to be a key element in explaining employees moral. Employees that surpassed their expectations felt more satisfied with their role and were more motivated compared to their counterparts who experienced negative disconfirmation. The subject was also duplicated in tr aining of the workers and played a major role in the development of employees in the organisation (Hung Hing 2007). Employee evaluation was also a subject of discussion in regards to employee training and development. Managers who engaged in employee appraisals realised good results as compared to those who did not carry out employee evaluations. Employee evaluation is a tool that if used efficiently can yield positive results on employees especially when it comes to training (Roughton Mercurio 2002). Evaluations are a tool used by management to give their workers a sense of directions in relation to the company’s goals. During evaluations, the managers usually explain the organisations goals and try to align them with the employee’s goals. This way, the employer and the employee are in a win-win situation. A constant feedback or communication with the employees also makes them feel valued and helps them know what the organisation expects of them. Well-executed performance evaluations have been used to not only sustain efficient employees but also groom future leaders. Evaluation sc hedules usually assist employees to become more efficient in the organisation (McConnell 2004). Conclusion In essence, employee’s behavior and performance at work depends on the relationship with the employer. Workers feel valued when other roles are delegated to them because it gives the perception that their employers trust them. In addition, perception and expected performance also plays a huge role in satisfying a worker’s performance. Workers feel more satisfied when they exceed their expectations at work. Finally, evaluations have to be conducted at work because employees need to have feedback on their impact to their company. Employees who get a feedback usually work hard to achieve their organisational goals. References Hung, H. Yiu Hing, W. 2007, The relationship between employer endorsement of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   continuing education and training and work and study performance: a Hong Kong  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   case study. International Journal of Training Development, 11, 4, pp. 295-313. Kimberly, W. 2009, Value Initiatives Improving Performance in the Workplace. NY:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   GRIN Verlag McConnell, C. R. 2004, Managing Employee Performance, Health Care Manager, 23,    3, p. 273, Supplemental Index. Roughton, J. Mercurio, J. 2002, Developing an Effective Safety Culture: A Leadership   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Approach. NY: Butterworth-Heinemann

What Is NATO A Short Introduction

What Is NATO A Short Introduction SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re thinking about taking the AP U.S. History or AP World History exams, it’s important that you have a good understanding of the major events and organizations that have shaped the nation- and the world. One critical topic that you should know about is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. If you’ve watched the news (or listened in history class!), you’ve probably heard the term NATO mentioned quite a bit. But what is NATO, exactly? And why is NATO important? In this short but sweet guide, we’ll give you all the need-to-know information about NATO, like NATO’s definition, an overview of NATO history, and a look into how NATO works today. We’ll also give you a short list of additional resources that you can check out for evenmoreinformation. So let’s get started! What Is NATO: Definition and Overview So what is NATO, exactly? The general purpose of NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, starts with NATO’s definition: NATO a multi-national political and military alliance dedicated to the collective security and defense of its member nations. NATO operates on the belief that a strong international alliance is critical to maintaining peace. Beyond helping member nations with issues of security and stability, NATO also provides support to the United Nations help with international peacekeeping operations, including missions that combat terrorism, protect civilians, and promote world peace. Originally founded on April 4th, 1949 when its 12 founding members signed the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO is now comprised of 29 members from around the world and has political partnerships with 21 other nations. Together, all of the NATO countries work together to â€Å"guarantee the freedom and security† of its member nations through a combination of international diplomacy, conflict prevention, and- if necessary- military intervention. This picture was taken outside of NATO's second headquarters in Paris, France in the 1950s A Glimpse Into NATO History: NATO’s Formation To fully answer the question â€Å"What is NATO?†, it’s important to understand the historical and political context behind NATO’s formation. The End of World War II and the Rise of the American Superpower World War II was perhaps the most defining moment of the 20th century. The Second World War pitted the world’s greatest powers against one another through two opposing military alliances: the Axis and the Allies. The United States- along with France, Poland, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and 21 other nations- banded together to fight against the Axis powers and Hitler’s plan to create a new world order. The war, which started on September 1, 1939, would rage for six long and bloody years before its conclusion on September 2, 1945. Historians estimate that the war resulted in 85 million casualties, including the 6 million Jews who were killed during the Holocaust. The end of World War II caused the global political winds to shift overnight. Most of Europe, which was already struggling after World War I, ended World War II economically devastated. Not only was the population decimated, 70 percent of Europe’s industrial infrastructure had been destroyed during the conflict. This caused Europe’s economy- including the economies of the world’s biggest political empires- to collapse. As a result, the United States suddenly found itself positioned as one of the world’s leading economic and political superpowers for three major reasons. First, the country’s late entry into the theater limited World War II’s economic toll. In fact, quite the opposite happened. Because the United States supplied the Allied forces with food, weapons, and military equipment, World War II created a booming wartime economy for the States. The Second World War was such a boon to the American economy that it actually ended the Great Depression! Second, the United States saw almost no action on its own soil (with the exception of the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941). That meant that America didn’t have to undertake the massive, and expensive, rebuilding effort of its Western European allies. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the United States bankrolled the reconstruction of Europe...for a profit, of course. American Corporations involved in the war effort saw ballooning profits because of the reconstruction efforts, which were bolstered by The 1946 Marshall Plan, which pledged an additional $13 billion dollars to Europe in aid. So while the United States was committed to helping their fellow Allied powers rebuild, it wasn’t afraid to build its own economy at the same time. The Soviet Union, the Cold War, and Communism But the United States wasn’t the only emerging world power after the Second World War. Despite fighting alongside one another during World War II, the alliance between the Soviet Union (or USSR) and the United States started to deteriorate during the post-war reconstruction period. As World War II began winding down, the communist Soviet Union- led by Joseph Stalin- began its own imperialist expansion. The Soviet Union had managed the eastern front of the World War II battle theater, and as the Red Army beat back Germany, set up its own occupation of formerly German-occupied states like Poland and Czechoslovakia. And rather than relinquish these nations at the close of the war, the Soviet Union maintained control and installed pro-communist regimes. The Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe, along with the USSR’s blockade of West Berlin in an attempt to gain political control of post-war Germany, convinced the United States that the Soviet Union had become a threat to democracy on par with the now-defeated Nazi Germany. Thus, the U.S. government adopted a policy of containment in order to halt the spread of communism into Western Europe. Additionally, the U.S. revealed the Truman Doctrine in 1947, which was a foreign policy that promised American aid to any democratic country that was threatened by outside totalitarian regimes. While the United States and its allies started to view the Soviet Union as an emerging communist threat, the Soviets had also soured on their alliance with the West. The USSR had suffered catastrophic casualties during World War II. The country had lost 11 million soldiers and suffered between 7 million and 20 million civilian casualties. The Soviet economy was also struggling. Beyond spending $125 billion on wartime efforts, the USSR’s economy had simultaneously shrunk by 20 percent between 1941 and 1945. The USSR had sacrificed both manpower and resources to defeat Nazi Germany, and it was sorely in need of financial assistance during post-war reconstruction. The United States was willing to offer the Soviets financial aid under The Marshall Plan, but the USSR wasn’t happy with the stipulations. First, the plan offered aid to Germany, which Russia disagreed with. The USSR, which now occupied Eastern Germany, wanted total control over whatever funds Germany received as part of The Marshall Plan. Second, The Marshall Plan required countries that accepted aid to adopt elements of democratic governance, including instituting principles of a free market economy. Stalin suspected- and rightly so- that The Marshall Plan was designed to weaken the USSR’s hold on the newly-acquired Eastern Bloc countries and, in turn, stymie communist expansion. As a consequence, Stalin required the Eastern Bloc nations, which were devastated by the war, to reject The Marshall Plan and instead instituted The Molotov Plan, which pledged to rebuild Eastern Europe. This tension led to both sides drawing a line in the sand. The Soviets and the United States positioned themselves on opposite sides of an ideological battle between communism and democracy, which marked the beginning of The Cold War. This is the NATO Authentication certificate that allsignatoriesreceivedafter signing the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949.Archive/U.S. Diplomacy Center Signing the North Atlantic Treaty The writing was on the wall: the Allied powers had defeated one totalitarian enemy only to suspect that another in the form of Soviet Russia was waiting on their doorstep. The United States feared the outbreak of another major war as tensions with the USSR escalated, and President Harry S. Truman believed that a strong political alliance was critical in containing the Soviet threat. As a result, Truman called for the formation of a defensive alliance of countries bordering the North Atlantic. The foundational idea behind this alliance was to serve as a deterrent against the USSR’s expansion into Western Europe. To do this, the signing nations agreed to a system of mutual defense. If one country was attacked by an outside power (like the USSR), it would be perceived as an attack against all of the alliance’s member nations. That would allow the United States to step in and help its democratic allies beat back a Soviet incursion, which in turn would prevent the encroachment of communism into Western Europe. This alliance was formalized with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington D.C. on April 4, 1949. These 12 originating countries, all of which were part of the Allied forces during World War II, created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. Master Sgt. Scott Wagers/Defense Department NATO’s Requirements for Membership In 1949, NATO limited its membership to 12 allied nations that shared a border with the Atlantic Ocean. But as the world became more connected politically and economically, NATO recognized the need to expand its membership. As of today, NATO membership is now open â€Å"any other European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.† As a result, NATO membership as more than doubled since the alliance’s inception and now includes 29 member nations. (You can find a complete list of member countries a little later in this article!) NATO has expanded over the past 70 years, but membership criteria remains strict. Admission into NATO is outlined in Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Here’s what it says: The Parties may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area to accede to this Treaty. Any State so invited may become a Party to the Treaty by depositing its instrument of accession with the Government of the United States of America. The Government of the United States of America will inform each of the Parties of the deposit of each such instrument of accession. Article 10 puts three stipulations on aspiring member states. First, new members must agree to all the elements of the North Atlantic Treaty, including its commitment to democracy and collective defense. Second, only European states can become members. And third, in order to join an aspiring nation must meet all the criteria set forth by current member states, which is summarized in a Membership Action Plan (MAP). NATO’s Membership Action Plan The MAP is the backbone of NATO’s admissions process and while it’s customized to fit each potential country, the MAP also requires each applying nation to report on its progress in each of five areas each year (until admission is granted or denied). These five areas are: Democracy: Willingness to settle international, ethnic or external territorial disputes by peaceful means, commitment to the rule of law and human rights, and democratic control of armed forces Finances: Ability to contribute to the organization's defense and missions Cooperation: Devotion of sufficient resources to armed forces to be able to meet the commitments of membership Security: Security of sensitive information, and safeguards ensuring it Compatibility: Compatibility of domestic legislation with NATO cooperation In addition to these general areas, each member nation is allowed to present additional criteria member nations must meet to gain admission. That means that each MAP is tailor-fit to each applying country; no two membership plans are alike! When a country receives a MAP, NATO provides feedback and advice to petitioning countries and evaluates their progress after their annual presentation. Once a country has met all the admissions criteria outlined in its MAP, NATO gives it an invitation to begin accession talks. NATO is selective about countries it gives a MAP to; in fact, countries must be nominated for admission into NATO by a current member nation before a MAP is ever considered! As of 2019, two countries- Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia- have a Membership Action Plan in place. Beyond being selective, NATO’s admissions process is a long one. How long, exactly? The three countries most recently admitted into NATO (Albania, Croatia, and Montenegro) took seven to eight years to complete their Membership Action Plans! Colin Watts/Unsplash Funding NATO Since NATO is a collective, each member nation is expected to contribute to the alliance financially. There are two ways member nations do this: through indirect and direct contributions. Indirect Contributions These are the largest pool of contributions and come when member countries volunteer resources to help NATO enact a policy or support a mission. For example, an indirect contribution would be a country contributing troops, equipment, or supplies to support one of NATO’s crisis management missions. Additionally, the country- not NATO- bears the cost for this donation. (In other words, countries donate these things at their own expense!) Direct Contributions Unlike indirect contributions, direct contributions are made financially. In other words, these are liquid funds that are used to support projects that benefit all member nations collectively. Each member nation is required to meet some form of its funding requirements through direct contributions. This is because there are some missions, like diplomatic or aid endeavors, that are best handled through immediate spending. How Much Do Countries Donate? So, how much is each country expected to pay into the collective NATO pool? Well, that depends. NATO uses a cost-sharing formula that accounts for each nation’s Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. This is calculated by percentage. In 2014, in an effort to increase NATO’s defense efforts, the NAC agreed to require each country to donate two percent of their GDP to NATO’s operating budget through indirect and direct contributions. This helps keep things fair. If NATO set a specific dollar amount that each country had to meet, smaller countries might struggle to meet their financial obligations. This way, each country can contribute based on how their economy is performing, which helps keep the financial burden of NATO membership equal. European NATO member nations are in navy blue Current NATO Member Nations NATO was originally founded by twelve nations that shared borders with the Atlantic Ocean, NATO membership has grown to include 29 nations from all around the world. Here’s a list of every nation currently in NATO along with their entrance date. (We’ve bolded the names of the founding 12 nations for easy reference, too.) Albania (2009) Greece (1952) Poland (1999) Belgium (1949) Hungary (1999) Portugal (1949) Bulgaria (2004) Iceland (1949) Romania (2004) Canada (1949) Italy (1949) Slovakia (2004) Croatia (1949) Latvia (2004) Slovenia (2004) Czech Republic (1999) Lithuania (2004) Spain (1982) Denmark (1949) Luxembourg (1949) Turkey (1952) Estonia (2004) Montenegro (2017) The United Kingdom (1949) France (1949) Netherlands (1949) The United States (1949) Germany (1955) Norway (1949) NATO's official flag NATO’s Purpose Today Although NATO was formed as a deterrent for the USSR’s expansion and the spread of communism, NATO didn’t disband when the USSR collapsed in 1991. Instead, NATO continues to fulfill the NATO definition of defending its members and supporting democracy to this day. In a 2010 Strategic Concept agreement, NATO states its three core tasks as collective defense, crisis management, and cooperative security. These three goals form the backbone of NATO and steer its decisions. In the next section, we’ll take a look at each of these three pillars more closely. Collective Defense First and foremost, NATO serves as a defensive alliance founded on upholding democratic values and principles. Its primary purpose is creating a network of collective defense, which means that member nations work together to ensure that all countries in the alliance are secure from outside threats. NATO does this by sharing knowledge, financial, and personnel resources with member nations. This includes sharing intelligence, but it also involves more practical tactics like bringing countries’ military technology up to date. While NATO’s first goal is to resolve international conflicts diplomatically, the alliance is also set up to use military force to defend allied nations when necessary. This aspect of collective defense (also known as NATO’s Article 5) and was the major reason NATO was founded in 1949. This principle states that if one nation is attacked by an outside force, the alliance will view it as an attack on every member nation. In other words, attacking one member of NATO means that all the countries in the alliance will respond. This allows bigger, more powerful countries in the alliance to protect its smaller NATO allies. In turn, smaller nations give NATO better tactical positioning in relationship to potentially adversarial global powers (like Russia and China). By essentially surrounding potential adversaries with allied nations, NATO disincentivises territorial expansion. Crisis Management Because NATO is committed to maintaining global peace by promoting security, the organization is also committed to responding to global crises before, during, and after they arise. This includes a mix of military and non-military tactics which are tailored to each crisis, which in turn dictates the scope and scale of NATO’s response. NATO is also positioned to help other political allies, like the United Nations, in their responses to global crises. Most recently, NATO implemented the UN’s resolution to protect civilians in Libya during its civil war. Finally, because crisis management supports NATO’s commitment to security, NATO helps its member nations and political allies train in crisis management techniques. This ensures that NATO can respond quickly with an international effort whenever an international crisis arises. Cooperative Security NATO’s last, and newest, core task is cooperative security. Introduced in 2010, this task focuses on creating an extended network of cooperation between member and non-member countries to tackle global problems quickly and efficiently. To do this, NATO focuses on strengthening its relationships with partner nations. These are countries who aren’t part of NATO but work with NATO to tackle security problems in their region and across the world. As of 2019, NATO works with 40 other nations in some capacity. The goal of these partnerships is to share information, knowledge, and other resources in order to create more stability and security across the globe. Additionally, NATO makes sure that all of its member nations have fairly equal military and technological capabilities. This also includes training: all member nations have access to NATO trainers to make sure countries have the knowledge and skills they need to respond to security threats. By making sure all member nations are capable partners, NATO as a whole becomes stronger. A meeting of the North Atlantic Council in 2010Wikimedia NATO’s Command Structure NATO nations are committed to working together as part of the alliance and work together on a daily basis. In terms of the alliance’s operational structure, NATO is split into two major categories: the NATO diplomatic delegations and the military representatives. Let’s take a closer look at both to see how NATO nations work together to make decisions and work together toward their common goals. NATO Diplomatic Delegations and the North Atlantic Council The diplomatic delegations represent the political arm of NATO. Each NATO member nation sends a delegation to represent their country to NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. These representatives attend around 6,000 meetings a year! The most important element of NATO’s political arm is the North Atlantic Council, or the NAC. This council oversees the political and military processes that affect the alliance. To this end, the NAC serves as the political decision-making body of NATO. In other words, any NATO decision- whether that’s an initiative, resolution, or military action- is voted on by the NAC. To keep representation equal, each member nation has one seat on the NAC, which meets once a week. And just like collective defense, the NAC operates through collective decision making. Unlike the U.S. legislature, where decisions are approved by majority vote, the NAC only implements policies that are â€Å"agreed upon on the basis of unanimity and common accord.† In other words, the NAC makes decisions through consensus, and those decisions represent the will of every member country on the council. The diplomatic branch of NATO has one other notable subcommittee called the Nuclear Planning Group (NPG). Like the NAC, every NATO member nation (with the exception of France, which decided not to participate) has representation within the committee whether they have nuclear capabilities or not. The group’s goal is to monitor nuclear forces around the globe while shaping NATO’s own nuclear policies in regards to arms control and nuclear proliferation. Thus, the NPG deals specifically with nuclear issues and reports to the NAC, who makes the final decision on anything the Nuclear Planning Group puts forward. The NATO Military Committee delivers remarks to the press Dominique A. Piniero/U.S. Department of Defense Military Representatives and the Military Committee Because NATO is a defense alliance, NATO has a military branch of operation, too. This branch is comprised of three operational groups: the Military Committee (MC), Allied Command Operations (ACO), and Allied Command Transformation (ACT). Let’s take a look at all three groups and their unique responsibilities. The Military Committee This committee advises the NAC on military policy and strategy and is charged with enacting all of NAC’s military-based decisions. Its main job is to oversee NATO’s military operations and translate the NAC’s decisions into military direction. Similar to the NAC, each nation has one representative that sits on the Military Committee. These seats are held by each member state’s Chief of Defense (or their proxy) and meet at least once a week to discuss ongoing operations and ongoing security concerns. Additionally, the Military Committee oversees the other two groups of the military branch: Allied Command Operations and Allied Command Transformation. Allied Command Operations NATO’s ACO is headquartered in Mons, Belgium at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), and it’s run by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The ACO is responsible for the planning and execution of all Alliance operations and reports to the Military Committee. So once the NAC decides to use military force for crisis management, the control of the operation is turned over to the ACO, which runs the operation from beginning to end. To do this, ACO has three overlapping operational levels: strategic, operational, and tactical. This allows ACO to run complete military operations, including the command of both NATO and joint military forces (which are military forces â€Å"donated† to NATO by member nations for use in NATO-sanctioned operations). But as the world changes, so has the ACO’s role in NATO. The newest responsibility of ACO was assigned by the North Atlantic Council in 2018. After their meeting in Brussels, the NAC decided to establish a Cyberspace Operations Centre dedicated to defending member nations against cyber attacks from outside forces, too. Allied Command Transformation NATO’s ACT is the second branch of military command in NATO and was formed in 2003 to help NATO address future threats. It is located in Norfolk, Virginia and is run by the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, or SACT. Like the ACO, the SACT reports to the Military Committee and is responsible for making sure that ACT and NATO are preparing for modern and future threats to the security of its member nations. Put another way, the goal of ACT is to plan for the future. Its job is to lay the groundwork for NATO’s military forces to adapt quickly to changing threats and prepare for security issues looming on the horizon. This includes reporting to the Military Committee and advising them on current tactics and future problems. Additionally,ACT is charged with bringing all member nations up to speed in terms of their military capabilities. Not only do they provide training to member nations’ military forces, they serve as a sort of lobby group to persuade member nations’ governments to invest in security and military preparedness, too. A Spanish F-18 takes off on aNATO bombing run during the Bosnian War Dixie Trawick/U.S. National Archives Key Moments in NATO History Ever since its founding in 1949, NATO has been a key actor in global political, military, and peacekeeping efforts. Here are some of the most pivotal moments in NATO’s seventy-year history. 1991: Collapse of the USSR In 1991, the USSR officially disbanded, granting each of its formerly-sovereign nations back their independence. This brought NATO’s original operating mission (and The Cold War) to an end; after all, NATO was originally created to stop the USSR and the spread of communism. Instead of disbanding, NATO nations decided to continue NATO’s mission of promoting peace, freedom, and collective security. 1995: The Bosnian War The Bosnian War began in 1992 with the breakup of Yugoslavia. As the situation deteriorated, the United Nations called for a no-fly zone to be set up over Bosnia and Herzegovina. NATO stepped in to manage the operation on behalf of the UN and took its first military action when NATO shot down four Bosnian Serb aircraft that were violating the no-fly zone. 1999: Kosovo Intervention The Kosovo War began in 1998, and soon after the fighting began, reports began to trickle in about the displacement of more than 250,000 Albanians. The United Nations responded with a resolution calling for a ceasefire. When the resolution failed to stop the conflict, NATO issued an â€Å"activation warning,† which meant NATO was prepared to use military force to mitigate the conflict. When peace talks deteriorated, NATO launched an air campaign that included bombing of key targets. NATO also played a key role in negotiating the end of the war and helping restore stability by stationing 30,000 troops in Kosovo. 2001: September 11th, 2001 The terrorist attacks that brought down the Twin Towers in New York were the first foreign attack on U.S. soil since the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II. The attacks led NATO to invoke Article 5- which states that an attack on one ally is an attack on all- within 24 hours. In doing so, â€Å"NATO members showed their solidarity toward the United States and condemned, in the strongest possible way, the terrorist attacks against the United States.† 2003: War in Afghanistan As a result of Article 5, NATO nations rallied to support the United States’ conflict in Afghanistan. NATO agreed to eight official actions/missions, which included the deployment of troops, military support, and supplies to the region. In 2003, NATO also agrees to take command of the ISAF, or International Security Assistance Force, in Afghanistan, which marks the first NATO crisis management mission outside of the North Atlantic region. 2011: Libya Intervention The Libyan Civil War begins when Libyan protests against their totalitarian government bubble over into a full-blown revolution. The United Nations called for a ceasefire and authorized military measures to protect Libyan civilians. NATO began enforcing the UN’s resolution in March 2011, which included creating a no-fly zone over the country and 9,500 air strikes. After the rebel’s victory, NATO agreed to provide training for the new Libyan government and consult on security issues. Mahendra Kumar/Unsplash Resources for Further Reading Want to learn even more about the Cold War and NATO history? We’ve found four super helpful resources just for you! NATO’s Official Website NATO’s official website offers a thorough overview of NATO’s history along with its current policies, operations, and strategic missions. This is a great place to start if you want up-to-the-minute news about NATO’s current actions and international positions. (Don’t forget to check out NATO’s official Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter accounts, too.) It also has a fantastic chart that explains NATO’s operating structure! The U.S. State Department’s NATO Overview The U.S State Department’s overview of America’s involvement with NATO offers a more U.S. centered view on NATO’s formation, including the signing of the North American Treaty. For a short NATO history overview with a more American focus, this is a good place to start! Defense of the West by Stanley Sloan If you’re wanting a more comprehensive, in-depth look at the history of NATO from its formation to modern day, Stanley Sloan’s book should be your first stop. Sloan, a Senior Fellow in the Scowcroft Center at the Atlantic Council of the United States, dives into NATO’s definition, founding principles, and continued role on the world stage. He also discusses NATO’s future, especially as its member nations face new and complicated challenges to their security. Understanding NATO in the 21st Century edited by Graeme P. Herd and John Kriendler If you really want to dig deeper into NATO’s role in the 21st century, look no further than Graeme P. Herd and John Kriendler’s book. This book compilesessays from many different academics and historians to give readers a better, more thorough sense of NATO’s current role in global politics and the current challenges facing the organization. This is definitely an academic book, but the essays offer interesting new insights into NATO’s evolving role on the global stage. What’s Next? NATO is just one pivotal part of modern history...and it’s just one topic you might find on an AP History exam. To get a better understanding of U.S. history, check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. Of course, one of the best ways to learn more about U.S. history is to make sure you’re taking history classes. Most high schools offer a variety of history classes, so make sure you’re taking the right ones for you. AP exams aren’t the only specialized tests available for college-bound high school students hoping to earn some college credit. Did you know that the SAT offers subject exams, too? This article will teach you more about the SAT subject tests and help you decide whether you should take them.

Marketing as a concept in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing as a concept in business - Essay Example Mass media as a tool of advertising has a number of advantages over other forms of brand promotions key among which is the fact that mass media overcomes the geographical barriers some of which prevent accessibility of certain regions. Mass media communicates spontaneously; this implies that the information communicated reaches its consumers equally provided they have the ability to access it. Furthermore, some forms of mass media provide details and are stored for future references. Such mass media as newspapers and magazines have longer lifespans and therefore provide exhaustive information about a product in case of an advert. The above features coupled with the possibilities of the internet as a mass media makes the media the most powerful tool for entrepreneurs to increase the visibility of their products and possibly the sales. Richard Ohmann evaluated these among other possibilities of the media in constructing his thesis statement, which is adequately accurate. Capitalism is a form socioeconomic system based on the abstraction of resources into privately owned. Capitalist, therefore, aims at increasing their sales and possibly the profitability of their goods and services. Capitalists are aggressive in their production, service delivery and marketing strategies, they attempt to use progressively smaller amount of money in the production and conducting business to yield an abnormally huge profits. They are profit oriented and rarely consider the needs of either the consumers or the society. Ohmann therefore postulates that capitalists will employ the media in increasing their product visibility with an aim of improving profitability (Bogomolova, 2011). Tom & Jacqueline, (2003) explains that the modern day society consists of marketers who desire to increase their product presence by using the least amount of money possible. However, the cost of advertising is progressively increasing in accordance to the quality of advertising services as most entreprene urs express preference for the established media thereby resulting in competition. So while the established capitalists scramble for the prime time the other less established capitalists parade their products and services in the off peak hours of the media. These activities by marketers result in a media fraternity filled with advertisements for products and services all day. Ohmann describes such a scenario in his hypothesis by claiming that capitalists will eventually saturate the market with their goods and products. The modern day market is literally saturated with products and services. The internet provides yet another advanced platform currently packed with entrepreneurs and marketers all of who have resorted to the cheaper social networking sites to advertise their products (Stewart, 1976). Question 2 Advertisement just as defined earlier is a means to improving the visibility of products and services thereby improving the sales. Products and services have an aspect of sex a ppeal to them thereby validating the use of women and sexuality in advertisement. The development of

Management Accounting - The 'Raw Material' cost as a 'Variable Cost' Essay

Management Accounting - The 'Raw Material' cost as a 'Variable Cost' - Essay Example The job responsibilities of financial accountants is to ensure that all financial transactions are recorded into the books of accounts, are valued appropriately, and all transactions are reflected in the statements. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are used by financial accountants as a benchmark standard to develop financial statements (Wikipedia, 2007). Public companies are legally required to develop and publish financial statements. In contrast, Managerial Accounting focuses on the internal issues which are required by management to make informed decisions about business processes. These also provide the management with an insight into business functions' efficiency and effectiveness and provide valuable information about operations of the system of internal controls. The managerial accounting information is not required to be disclosed to public in contrast to the financial accounting reports; rather the reports produced by managerial accounting function are normally classified as 'confidential' and are for internal use only (Wikipedia, 2007). A few reports developed by managerial accounting function include inventory reports, product costi

Impressions of what life was like for the colonists Essay Example for Free

Impressions of what life was like for the colonists Essay Life in the new world for the colonists was like nothing that individuals in today’s society can understand. After taking the Would You Have Survived the Colony quiz on the website, it is easy to see that surviving the colonial atmosphere might have been one of the most difficult tasks on earth. This is because of the differences in culture, in food, in work load, and with other important aspects of life that would take an awful lot of adjusting. When the Europeans came across the pond to colonize America, they had a lot of adjusting to do, as well. The first way that they had to adjust to the new world was with the environmental changes. Life in America was rough because of all of the elements. Europe was a flat area with a lot of rain and average weather. When they came to America, they had to put up with mountains, with rivers, and with lots of other elements. There was also the animals that they had to adjust to. Because the United States was just being colonized and modernized, lots of wild animals were running around where people were living. Among them were predators like bears and big cats. When people went out to find food or to cut wood, they had to put up with this nuisance. This was how life was so difficult and it was something that people of today’s culture would struggle with. When taking that quiz, I thought about the clothes that people would wear if they had to go back to that time. I like to be in nice clothes. Though I do not have to have the latest in fashion, I do like to keep up with the times. Back then, the clothes had to last a long time and they had to be able to stand up to the elements. People had to track through the woods, so the clothes had to be able to put up with that challenge. Since there was no air conditioning or heating at the time, the clothes also had to be much more of an insulator in the difficult times. This would be a difficult adjustment for someone like myself if I were to go back in time. The last and most important thing is the overall work ethic and lifestyle that would have to be employed. Every time those people wanted something, they had to work hard for it. If they wanted a fire, they had to cut down some wood and start the fire. If they wanted to eat something, they had to go kill it and cook it. There were no fast food restaurants to go grab food at. Today, people go to work in order to make money to buy nice things. Those people had to go to work in order to keep themselves and their families alive. That was in addition to actually protecting themselves from the elements and the things in the environment that were so difficult. Overall, life in the colonial period was difficult and it would definitely be an adjustment for anyone who had to go back in time and face it. The differences in the economy and with the environment are so profound that people had to go through a whole lot each and every day. The main difference is that there were no days off if you felt bad or simply needed some rest.

The Effects of Scandinavian Immigration on Culture and Economy in Washi

Through research this document will examine how Scandinavians have affected the economy and culture of Washington. Exploration will explain why Scandinavian immigrants sought out life in the Northwest, particularly Washington. This paper will take in hand integration of the Scandinavian culture into the existing one. Research will show how the government and especially the railroad worked to endorse the influx of Scandinavian immigrants. They did this by using newspapers, promoters, and even return passage. Furthermore, this essay will look into some of the issues deriving from the loss of culture and language even though it was minimal and how it affected the success of integration. This essay will look into Scandinavian culture, letters from Scandinavian immigrants from around the Pacific Northwest. This paper will touch on Skiing, Fishing, Crabbing, and Dancing. Finally it will address how even immigrants arriving in Washington the late 1950’s have had an effect on th e culture of Washington today. The principal groups of immigrants into Washington State during the time period of 1895 to 1910 were Scandinavian immigrants, which includes Swedish, Danish and Norwegian people. Washington State by 1910 had greater numbers of immigrants than any other state of the union during 1910. At this time Washington had more immigrants than any other state; fifty percent of the state at that time was Scandinavian immigrants. The Scandinavians that came to Washington wanted to become Americanized. They worked hard at combining the best of their culture with the new culture. This also made the transition and culture shock that many emigrants experience was very minimal. (Dahlie, 1980) Washington from 1895 to 1910 had received more S... ...thers have been because it in the immigrants own words. The weakness is also that it is in their own words so the opinions may be biased. One can learn through these letters of the events that helped shaped the culture and economy of the PNW. Forssblad, M. (2001, August 15). HistoryLink.org- the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History. HistoryLink.org- the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=3476 This essay discusses the influx of Norwegian immigrants as well as their role is skiing logging boating and fishing. This resource is based on the archives in the Nordic Heritage Museum. The weakness with this resource is that it is just a short easy although it strength is it covers many aspects of how Norwegians helped develop Seattle.

Motorcycle Safety

About 3,000 people die everyday on roads around the world with another 30,000 more surviving but are severely disabled.   At this rate, road traffic accidents may become the third leading cause of death worldwide by the year 2010 (Wells, Mullin, Norton, Langley, Connor, Lay-Yee, R. & Jackson, 2004).   Because of the severity of this issue, the authors have conducted a study to determine the causes of road traffic accidents among motorcycle drivers.   The study was focused to determine if the ability of motorcyclists to be seen on the road to be a vital cause for motorcycle accidents on the road (Wells, et al., 2004). The study was conducted over a period of three years in Auckland, New Zealand where the authors selected 150 survey sites on major motorways.   The study was conducted on random times between six in the morning and midnight on different days of the week and different directions of travel. The participants of the survey were randomly selected on the road and were interviewed as to whether they use their headlights during the daytime, if the driver uses reflective or fluorescent clothing materials while on the road, the color of the motorcycle vehicle, the color of the clothing of the driver and the helmet color used by the driver.   Based on their findings, they were able to conclude that the use of headlights during the daytime, reflective or fluorescent clothing and light color helmets greatly reduced the chances of the driver from being involved in a motorcycle accident that may result to severe injuries or death (Wells, et al., 2004). Although the article was informative as to what precautions a motorcycle driver can take in order to avoid getting involved into a major road accident that could kill the driver or leave the driver permanently disabled, the study is very limited in that they only concentrated on how the visibility of the motorcycle driver is on the road.   It did not take into consideration other factors such as alcohol consumption on the part of the motorcycle driver or other motor vehicles, speeding and drowsiness. References Wells, S., Mullin, B., Norton, R., Langley, J., Connor, J., Lay-Yee, R. & Jackson, R.   (2004, February 2).   Motorcycle rider conspicuity and crash related injury: case-control study. BMJ. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.      

Avid Essay Essays

Avid Essay Essays Avid Essay Paper Avid Essay Paper Katerin Leal Period 6th AVID Are Students Risking Their Futures? In Christine Baron’s essay, Apathetic Students Risk Their Futures, is stated that students aren’t taking advantage of the opportunities they have by going to school because they are making up excuses and are better off socializing with others. I agree with Christine Baron, some students have become lazy for their school work. However, not all students are being lazy and not doing their work, there are some students that actually care and want to succeed in life therefore they are the ones that are being motivated and have been doing the assignments and homework that the teachers have asked them. But how do we get the other students to be do their work as well? High school is a big change to most students. While some are working after school others are playing sports, and other even have responsibilities at their home. However, that doesn’t give students an excuse to not do the work that has been assigned to them. â€Å"I had to work until 11 p. m. both nights†, â€Å"I had baseball practice†, â€Å"I was absent again the day you assigned this†, this are some of the excuses that students use when Christine Baron asked her students if had read the reading assignment that was assigned to her class. Sure working until 11 p. m. at night is tiring but students should learn how to manage their time, school should be their number one priority. Also, just because you’re absent from school doesn’t mean that your excused from the assignments that you missed, it’s your responsibility to email your teacher and/or ask your teacher what you missed when you come back to school the next day. In Barons case what had frustrated her was that her students choose â€Å"to give up on homework that’s the least bit challenging†. Other factors that have gotten in the way with students schoolwork is the social network. Student with their cellphones, laptops, iPods, etc. are choosing to socialize rather than actually take advantage of their spare time. I started reading it, but the phone rang†, was one of the other excuses given to Baron. These students are in high school already and its time that they take some responsibility and think about the opportunities they have by going to school. Instead of making up excuses students should just do the work. The challenge that has been presented to some teach ers is â€Å"How can we encourage a lot more kids to care about their education†. In the essay that Baron wrote he states that parents can help with their kids caring of school. With that being said teachers should get together with the parents of those students who are having a hard time to stay focused on their school work. Parents can be a great influence and a lot of help with getting their kids to do the assignment that is being assigned by the teachers. High school is a big change for students, they run into a lot of pressure sometimes even skipping classes which later on leads to skipping school more often than expected, but what these students need to know is that â€Å"caring about their education will benefit them in ways they might not even imagine†. The one thing that teacher cannot do is â€Å"dumb down† the curriculum, because in the end the students aren’t receiving any challenging work. Teacher should push the students on challenging work so they can exceed their expectations. Everyone is capable of succeeding but you have to apply some effort into your work. The students that are caring and doing the work that is being asked by their teachers have a greater chance of becoming the person they really want in life, by working in the job field of their choice, and being financially secured.

#2 Religion Reflection Assignment on a reading by Scarboro and Luck Essay

#2 Religion Reflection Assignment on a reading by Scarboro and Luck called The Goddess and Power (Reading material is uploaded) - Essay Example While thinking about the first question the researcher discovered that the exposition of the paper makes a reader indulge into reflective mode since the reader is compelled to question what the real objective of the authors could be in writing this paper. It appears as if the author would discuss the emergence of religious diversity in order to show the accommodative, liberal and diverse nature of the American religious arena. However, the terms â€Å"religious plethora† â€Å"pagan ceremonies† and â€Å"radical† (Scarboro and Luck, 69) used in the second paragraph bear negative connotation for beliefs like Wicca and Witchcraft and seem to belittle the value of these beliefs in the very onset. This implies that the authors consider all such religious practices somewhat alien to the mainstream America belief systems. The research questions brought forward by the authors – â€Å"What is the appeal of witchcraft to contemporary Americans?† and â€Å" What does Wicca offer to the wider American religious tradition?† (69) – also implicate alienation, separation and distancing of these religious beliefs form the authors’ own beliefs. The wording and terminology used here could look more convincing if the authors had used more neutral language. The discussion also implies that the attributes of Wicca religion and the Witches’ attack on Christian beliefs make the readers assume that Wicca Witches are insolently bold and believe in personal and communal freedom. The words like â€Å"distant, stern, judging, vengeful [....] standing over against the human† (71) used by the Witches for the Christian God implicate that the Witches believe in a belief system which does not have any threat of judgement or punishment. Likewise, the gender inclusive nature of divinity in Wicca culture also sounds striking and imply that the practitioners of this religion believe in human rights and, more specifically speaking, women rights. The male

Article Presentation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Article Presentation - Assignment Example In addition, they should establish the ability to implement EBP in the day-to-day operations of a mental institution. The study focuses on the integration of the most effective measures available in current research. The methodology employs research evidence that is backed by clinical expertise and patient values in order to facilitate the clinical decision making process. The study is based on the ideologies that customs, norms, expert opinions and established rituals are no longer acceptable practices in the decision making process. Instead, there is a need for a deliberate process that takes the values and preferences of patients into account. The article argues that, this perception demonstrates that EBP is a clinical strategy that can aid problem solving. Consequently, emphasis is placed on identifying the best research evidence and integrating it in the decision making process. The process will ensure that clinicians are providing the best care that fulfills the needs of their patients. Increasing interest in mental health issues has prompted researchers to increase the body of knowledge available on the topic. As a result, mental health nurses can refer to a growing EBP base. However, many researches are done in a controlled environment. Consequently, effectiveness may be inappropriate in a real world setting where there are limitations such as limited organizational resources, workforce issues, lack of sufficient staff education and training. Many psychiatric mental health (PMH) issues have not been addressed. The failure to research or define them can be attributed to ethical issues. In this instance, the best recourse for mental health professionals is to hold discussions on the recommended intervention measures. They should also highlight the potential risks and benefits involved. In addition, they should study the available alternatives before settling on one course of action. In spite of the increasing application of