How the family changed over time Essay

How the family has changed over time? The institution of the family has changed dramatically over last 50 years and the main sociological perspectives, functionalism, Marxism, feminism and interactionism have described this changes in terms of family structure, divorce rates, marriage rate and gender roles. Defining family in Britain is problematic as until 1960’s few sociologists questioned the importance of the benefits of the family. Family is a group of people living together related by blood or marriage who support themselves economically and emotionally. It was assumed that the family was evolving with the change in Britain. From the 1960’s , with increasing divorce rates, living together before marriage, single parent families, one person households , separation and migration, family traditionally seen as nuclear (based on two adults and children) became harder to define. Sociologists have concluded that the family has become harder to define in the more traditional sense. A family can now consist of any group of people living together and/or bringing up children. This could separate due to divorce and another family created through remarriage or cohabitation, with the introduction of step children or children born to the new parentage resulting in another family unit although the first one still technically exists. There are two basic types of family structure: extended and nuclear. Functionalists say industrialization changed the function of the family. In pre-industrial society the extended family was most prevalent. Families lived and collaborated in engendering goods and crops to live from, taking the surplus to market. In industrial society, the nuclear family becomes ascendant. Status for an individual in pre-industrial society was ascribed. Talcott Parsons (1956) presumed that in industrial society an individual’s status is achieved by their prosperity. The nuclear family is the best way to achieve prosperity as individuals. Family structure adapts to the changing circumstances. Changes in economic, political, and moral approach led to the transformation of the family structure. Postmodern times in which we live in a time of tolerance, emancipation of women, legalization and acceptance of homosexual relationships. All these changes meant that more and more people moved away from the traditional model of the family, universal fifty years ago. Statistics indicate an increasing number of households about 9. 2 million since 1961 but that is due to the increase amount of the divorce, migration, remarried people, single people and increase in length of life. At the same time the increase amount of households decreased their size and the average number of children due to widespread access to the contraception, abortion, aging population and costs associated with children’s maintenance. More women are also delaying having children because they focusing on work and education seeing role of the mother as a barrier. It is related to ‘child centric’ model of the family, which learn society to treat children’s as the most ‘precious’ , whom one must completely conform their lives to them . Most mothers deciding to give a birth at age 30-34. Although, life style changes have also caused decrease in married couples amount which is also related to religious approach, because from 1981, when only 49% of all marriages were civil marriages, at 2010, already 68,2 % of all marriages where civil marriages. However, married couple are still the most common type of the family. The functionalist view of the role of the family in society is that it maintains social order for benefits of all. The family is a tool for primary socialization and a key social institution in sustaining the value consensus (Harambolos 2008).Murdock (1949) claimed that family was universal. It is defined as a social group characterised by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. A family lives in the same home, has economic co-operation usually through the division of labour where the man will take on the instrumental role and provide for the family while the woman will adopt the expressive role and take care of the home and family members. Unfortunately, that’s the most common image of division of labour for as much, men, are more likely to help at housework or child care presently, it still seen as a responsibility of women. Marxists would contest this viewpoint, arguing that the division of labour is capitalist dogma used to control the labour force and stop them from developing class consciousness. Marxism looks at the methods of control of the ruling class (bourgeoisie) in determining the way society is organised. The family is seen as part of the structure of society and is one of a number of social institutions which helps maintain the capitalists system. Marxists state that it is the requirements of the system that has come to shape the family in modern societies. From this perspective view, society revolves around the infrastructure and social superstructure. The family helps to maintain this system. Friedrich Engels (1884) provides a basis for the Marxist view of the family were strongly linked to the evolution of the capitalist system. He also explored the concept of monogamy and argued that the monogamous nuclear family developed with the emergence of private ownership of the ‘means of production’. Engels stated that this system is maintained by the socialisation of capitalist social norms and values. Marxists do not see this as benefitting the family at all, only the system, and therefore this helps support their theory that family exists as a largely negative institution. Both of these sociological perspective see the role of the family in the opposite way, but in the meantime both of them describing family as a unit of socialization. On the other hand functionalists assume that the family is a positive and beneficial institution in which family members receive nurturing, care and unconditional love which helps keep society functioning well. However, this is not always the case, when it comes to domestic violence, divorce and child abuse. All couples and families who were nuclear families or had potential to be were being ruined each day, providing that the functionalist’s view of a beneficial family was much overestimated. In comparison, Marxists state that family helps to maintain class differences in society as the rich can afford to give their children a better start in life than the poor, such as. pay for a better education, and get them a good job either in their own business or their friends business. Marxists believe the family socializes the working class to accept that it is fair that the classes are unequal. A different view on the family, presented by Feminists, focuses also on socialization but sees its effects in division of labour and gender role stereotyping. They states that family is bad for women. Girls and boys learn their different gender roles within the family through socialization. Girls copy their mothers, doing housework, whilst boys copy their fathers, doing DIY. They then learn that this is how male and female roles should be. Feminists believe that the family is male dominated- the term for this is patriarchal. Their theory is still relevant nowadays, because although more women are having careers it’s still expected from them to take care of children’s and home. Perceptions of roles is so deeply rooted in society that, despising the false image of a woman liberated, having range of capabilities which can freely pursue her dreams when in the end ,is still required from her to perform, in the meantime, the role of housewife. In contrast, interactionist state that the family assists in the construction of the identity for the social individual and looks at the society at a micro scale. In this perspective the family, through interaction helps the social individual to understand ‘self’ when feminists could argue that vision of how one should look like and behave originates from socialization. They also believe that family helps the social individual identify her/his social role without considering how institutions, class conflict and gender stereotyping influence on creation of those roles. In Great Britain the family is built on the concept of marriage with children had a very well-established position but during last century divorce rates increased 200%. Which is also reflected in the number of separations reported annually by 150,000 to 200,000 pairs per year. Some researchers place the cause of increased divorce on higher expectations (Fletcher, 1966). And given the rates of remarriage it is not the institution of marriage, or the ideology picturing lifelong happiness that is rejected, but an insufficient partner. (Denny1984) regards western style marriages based on romantic love as fragile because they are only held together by emotional ties. Another reason why divorce rates increased is that now considerably less social stigma and blame is attached to divorce. One of the main reasons for this phenomenon are changes in divorce law making it much easier to divorce now then for example 50 years ago. Statistics show that the number of children in divorcing couples declined from 153,000 to 104,000. However, this data does not take into account cohabitating couples whose separation is not recorded. The amount of cohabiting couples has increased significantly in recent years. In the majority of relationships still the most important are children’s. The average time spent with children nowadays by mothers is 2h 32 minutes and by fathers 2h 16 minutes when 50 years ago that that was only 25 minutes per day for both parent. Currently fathers are more involved in bringing up children, and the belief in the society that children are an extension of us and their success is our success modernized power image of the families. Is widely spread on the increasing number of single fathers to 178,000 from  60,000 from 1670. This shows how evolved the role of the father in the family. Increasingly, we find also reconstituted families where the connection partners cohabitation or marriage jointly raise children from a previous relationship. That happens because of the increased amounts of divorce and remarriage trends. Humans as far didn’t create any more successful structure t han family. But is nowadays family a well-functioning institution ? Very big influence on how present family looks like has mass media which are creating image how does family should look like which society is fallowing. Traditional family model become a consumption unit which glorifies children and parents are responsibility to make them happy and fulfill their all desires. All values and norms changed dramatically over time and people lost respect to institution like marriage. In conclusion family is still a basic part of the society but it evolved creating new forms of it. References: Haramolos, M & Holborn, M (2008) 7th Ed. Sociology, themes and perspectives, Harper Collins: London Scott,J. & Marshall, G (2009) Oxford dictionary of sociology , Oxford University Press: Oxford

Internal Controls Essay

Introduction It has come to the attention of the president of LJB Company that an evaluation is needed to determine the reliability and level of compliance of the company’s internal controls. It is imperative if the company is going public that it follow the regulations set forth by governing bodies. The punishment for violation of these regulations can be up to 20 years in prison. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 helps to ensure that shareholder investments and the general public are protected from fraudulent practices within accounting. According to SOX there are five components: 1) Assessment of Internal Control- An internal control report must be included in the company’s annual report. 2) No Altering of Financial Documents- If anyone falsifies or alters financial documents they are subject to criminal penalties that includes up to 20 year in prison. 3) Must Disclose Periodic Reports- Financial statements are required to be accurate as any items off-balance could be used in a fraudulent manner. 4) Data in a timely manner- Financial data must be presented within a reasonable timely manner. The information must be written in a way that any investor could make an educated decision about investing. 5) Types of disclosure controls- Each company or organization must have policies and procedures set forth that explains guidelines that will ensure proper finan cial disclosure. Internal Controls-Strengths The LJB Company does show some strengths in their internal controls including: 1) Using pre-numbered invoices- This allows for the company to account for all purchases and aide in making sure all purchases are recorded properly. This also enables the company to track any fraudulent cash disbursement in the event that invoices are missing. 2) Retaining employees- It reduces turnover time and the conflicts associated with being under staffed. LJB appears to have long standing commitments with their employees which is great for staff morale. 3) The suggestion of the use of an indelible ink machine for printing checks is a great idea as the ink cannot be erased or altered in any way. This aides in keeping fraudulent activities to a minimum and is a great way to incorporate more checks and balances to ensure compliance. Internal Controls- Opportunities for Improvement There are a few opportunities for improvement that a plan of correction should be put into place quickly to correct. 1) Segregation of Duties: The Treasurer and Controller should have separate duties. There should be at least one more employee to work alongside the account who has specific supervision over the accounts receivables and accounts payable functions. 2) Physical controls- It is required that companies keep physical controls such as documentation related to assets. From a risk management perspective it would be beneficial for the company to immediately place the printed payroll checks in the safe instead of them being left in someone’s office. IT should also set up specific employee log-in and passwords in order to be able to track what is being viewed by each employee and IT guidelines should be given to staff to ensure clarity of what is required of them. It is also recommended that there is a procedure for properly handling petty cash. Employees should not be able to just leave notes but have to request and justify the need for petty cash. A proper tracking mechanism should be put into place- a recommendation would be to use employee numbers to log the expense. 3) Human Resource controls- It is recommended that a thorough background check be completed on all eligible applicants. This will provide and verify information regarding the applicant, as well as confirm/deny any criminal activities. This should be implemented as soon as possible as this is a great way to aide in protecting the company’s assets. In conclusion,  if these recommendations are adhered to and all issues addressed appropriately it is very likely that the LJB Company will be less prone to fraud and reduce errors and mistakes. References Harrison, W.T., Horngren, C.T., Thomas, W. (2013). Financial Accounting, 9th Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. (2006). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002. In A Guide to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Retrieved June 3, 2014 from www.soxlaw.com.

Admission Essay

I would like to get an admission in a dental school so that I can pursue a career that has always been my dream. I must say that I have had a vast experience and exposure on this profession dating back to my old days as a dental student in India. During that time, I worked in various government hospitals for a year. This enabled me get sufficient exposure on some of the dental ailments like tooth fractures, gingivitis and temporo mandibular disorders and how to treat them. Consequently I was exposed to the principles and ethics of dentistry that includes confidentiality, competence, being compassionate and portraying a high level of professionalism. These factors make me suitable for the career. In addition, I have worked with a re-knowned dentist, Dr. Swalan thus gaining more knowledge about dental surgery. I have worked with various people and I well understand the dentist-patient relationship and how this can be enhanced. It is important to note that am very conversant with the American Dental Association code of ethics that outlines the dos and don’ts of the profession. I have learnt quite a lot of things to date as for as dental surgery is concerned. I not only know about administering oral care, but also reconstructive and cosmetic services. I have also learnt that patience pays because many are times when dental patients endure pain for so long only for a Doctor to clear it in seconds. I was motivated into joining dentistry by my brother who was himself a dental student. His encouragement together with the invaluable support of Dr. Salwan made me develop a lot of interest in the profession. In my early childhood, I used to frequent dental clinics. This earlier exposure of this environment and the kind approach with which doctors exercised their duty thrilled me into making it a career dream. I was also made to understand that dentistry is an absolutely good income job that would enable me make ends meet in my life. In my present job as a dental assistant, I handle quite a number of tasks. These range from preparing the patients on behalf of the doctor to taking of X-rays for the patients. In addition, I clean patient’s teeth, receive payments and make bills. My goal is to learn more about dentistry and to become a professional dentist that one can reckon with. I do not want a case whereby am only referring patients to other doctors as a result of incompetence. I would rather look forward into learning all dental aliments and their treatment procedures/processes. As I sit besides the Doctor while administering treatment, I aspire to induce as many students as possible into joining this profession. I also dream of becoming a professional Dental surgeon myself, offering consultation services to other medics. If my admission is guaranteed I would be contented as my other goal of pursuing a practical job of which I am good at, shall have been accomplished. References Please use the references I had given you earlier.

Importance of Parental Involvement in Education Research Paper

Importance of Parental Involvement in Education - Research Paper Example A significant proportion of parents is unable to display a keen interest in the education of the children; consequently, children not only put aside their responsibilities related to studies but also turn out to be unable to complete their primary education even. Additionally, lack of parental support and guidance leads the children towards choosing the subjects that are not appropriate ones according to their innate skills, tendencies, aptitudes and inclinations; as a result, they feel themselves entirely misfit for the professions their qualification offers to them. Hence, parental support is vehemently essential for the educational, moral and professional growth and uplift of the children. Parents are not only source of inspiration, security and affection for the children, but also serve as the regularity authority to keep the children away from getting indulged into the activities that are strictly forbidden, prohibited, indecent, immoral and come under the definition of deviancy and perversion. Consequently, the children having influence and check of parents, are often in a position to escape perversion, drug addiction, chemical dependency, offences and crimes because of the fear of the punishment would be inflicted upon them on breaking the prevailing social norms, moral values and statutes of law as well. The same is applied to the education sector, which looks for the attention and interest of the parents for the successful completion of primary and middle level education of the children. Since mother’s lap is undoubtedly the first source of learning for a child, both mother and father are well aware of the nature and habits of the children. They are well acquainted with the needs and desires of their children, and hence can guide them in the light of their liking, disliking and propensities. It is therefore, there participation in the educational matters of children will certainly enhance the potential and proficiency of the students. â€Å"It is widely recognized that if pupils are to maximize their potential from schooling they will need the full support of their parents. Attempts to enhance parental involvement in education occupy governments, administrators, educators and parents’ organizations across North America, Australasia, continental Europe, Scandinavia and the UK. (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003:7) Adolescence is the era where a child’s mind is clean slate, and he can learn almost everything quickly that is being taught to him. Additionally, the innocent minds are unable to differentiate between right and wrong as well as about their responsibilities towards education and learning. Moreover, cognitive development is also at its peak, which seeks moral support from the parents for comprehending with man’s relation with family, friends, teachers and natural and social environment. â€Å"Early adolescence and entry into middle school reflect change on multiple levels. The middle school years co incide with key changes in adolescent development, including biological and cognitive growth, social development, and renegotiations of family relationships, especially the parent-adolescent relationship.† (Grolnick et al., 2007: 993) Hence, parents can play vital role in teaching the child all about his social and natural environment, which has direct relationship with the subjects he is learning.

The Economics of Crime. The Determinants of Rates of Crime in England Essay

The Economics of Crime. The Determinants of Rates of Crime in England and Wales - Essay Example Crime has been taken as a social issue and discussion on economics of crime follows. The crime incidence of England and Wales has been taken as the real world scenario. The market model of crime determines the expectations of the participants on probability of getting victimized. It has been found out that the elasticity of the supply and demand curve have a major role to play. In order to deal with the effect of crimes, the public enforcement laws can be made more stringent as that will reduce the opportunity cost of committing crimes and pay-off will get reduced. Aims and objectives of the study The overall aim of the project is to show the relevance of the economic analysis to real world scenario. The micro or the macro theory is used by the policy makers. There is no simple solution to the major social issues and the aim of the project is not to provide readymade remedies. The aim is not to take into account the fine details of the different policies of the government that relate s to social issues but the concrete aim of the study is to witness the way economists analyze problems relating to social issues. The aim is to show the use of economics in the vast fields and economics cannot be encircled only in business. Economics of crime The aim of the project is to determine the determinants of rates of crime in England and Wales. Some researchers put out their views by providing a framework in which they provide an economic analysis of crime. They assumed that the offenders are economically rational as well as utility maximizing. They predicted crime can be kept in check through stringent law enforcement polices as high prices for crime commitment would act as the disincentive for the offenders to participate in illegal activities (Winter, 2008). On the other hand if the labour market does not provide job opportunities the potential offenders would get involved in criminal activities as it reduces the opportunity cost of doing such activities. Following the i nferences many scholars were interested in empirically testing the predicted relationship between crime and variables which can influence the offender’s decision by affecting the costs and benefits of crime commitment (Eide, Rubin, Mehlop, 2006). The analysis has distinct implications for the purpose of policy analysis. The response towards crime is one of the priorities for governments. It is necessary to understand the effective control of crime and the interaction between crime and the various social factors. Crime can be reduced by increasing the income level of the offenders and if the empirical tests on the crime rates in England and Wales can confirm the validity of the predictions, it can be stated that economic growth can act as the effective way to reduce the frequency of crime (Peltzman, and Fiorentini, 1997). Effective control of crime through economic growth will be less costly for the government as economic prosperity is indeed the aim of the government (Freeman , 1999). The reduction of the rates of crime is a positive side effect of good conditions within the economy (Benson, 2010). The decision of committing crime is analyzed on the basis of cost. According to BBC Magazine the average cost of keeping an offender in prison for a year sums up to 50,000 pounds. The champions of community punishment point their effectiveness stating the reoffending crime rates to be at 36% compared to 60% among those released after short term punishments. Decision to commit crime: An individual can earn 100 pounds in legal

How has the smoking area in Regent's Business School changed the Essay

How has the smoking area in Regent's Business School changed the smoking habits of the students - Essay Example Regents Business School takes its responsibility to offer harmless, healthy surroundings for the entire community members as well as visitors. The school accepts and supports the view that tobacco use in whatever form, â€Å"active and/or passive† (Noland, 2005, p. 87), is a major health risk. Moreover, the institution believes that environmental tobacco smoke has been categorizes as a â€Å"Class-A carcinogen† (Noland, 2005, p. 89), and that there is no protected level of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Regardless of declines in smoking levels during the last 20 years, tobacco use stays a major public health issue. In accordance with latest estimates, smoking is the primary source of avertable fatality in UK. Cigarette use by college students is of special concern since they have a significantly higher occurrence of smoking compared with the common adult population (Sussman et al, 1995, p. 111). Where designated smoking areas are made, consideration is given to lessening the risks linked with smoke-drift into access spots as well as internal workplaces. Threat reducing plans for designated smoking areas take account of (1) restricting the amount of designated smoking areas; (2) guaranteeing that the area is far from cross-traffic, entrances or pathways, air conditioning gear, as well as building doorways. Thirdly, giving containers to throw away cigarette butts; (4) placing understandable signs mentioning that designated smoking areas are just for smoking, and that smoking is not allowed at any another place on campus; and (5) assessing these smoking areas as part of a policy evaluation (Fibkins, 2000, p. 102). Designated smoking areas are available at the campus where students can smoke without damaging other non-smoker students wellbeing. Second hand smoke is at the top of list of safety issues about smoking on college campuses. More or less 25,000 deaths per year in UK are

Insolvency Law and Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Insolvency Law and Capitalism - Essay Example Capitalism is a form of economic organization, whose main goal is to make profits. In order to achieve this, and sustain the capitalist system, capitalists must carry on the entrepreneurial spirit and continuously involve themselves in investing and re-investing capital into the economy (Schumpeter, 405-6). However, with limited capital, they must resort to other ways of financing their endeavors. One such way is through borrowed money. As Joseph Schumpeter writes, " . . . [C]apitalism is that form of private property economy in which innovations are carried out by means of borrowed money . . . " (179). Consequently, most business endeavors begin with debts. However, with the existence of risks and uncertainties present in investments such as competition, accidents, or even problems caused by financial crises, business failures and bankruptcies, which are usually followed by disputes over a company or individual's financial arrangements, become commonplace. Such occurrences threaten the very fuel that drives capitalism: it threatens the value of a business' much needed capital and it threatens the smooth flow of economic activity. In order to avoid such problems, institutions were built in the form of insolvency laws. Insolvency laws facilitate the liquidation of assets or possible reorganization of a bankrupt firm. It is meant to ensure that the process is smoothly executed, avoiding and solving conflicts, salvaging the company's capital, ensuring that all involved parties are treated fairly, and avoiding as much distortions in the economy as possible (Industry Canada). Thus, insolvency laws play a crucial role in the capitalist economy - it keeps valuable capital safe and it resolves conflicts, which are detrimental to continuous economic activity. Aside from its role in the liquidation of assets, insolvency laws also provide capitalism a crucial benefit - it keeps the "entrepreneurial spirit" alive. According to Schumpeter, entrepreneurs are crucial to a capitalist society because "without entrepreneurial achievement, no capitalist returns . . . " (405-6), and consequently, no capitalism. However, the possibility of bankruptcy, or the legal and economic burdens that plague bankrupt businessmen, poses a great deterrent for entrepreneurs to engage in economic activity because of the high risks involved. Insolvency laws solve this problem by providing not only protection for entrepreneurs in the face of bankruptcy, but also the possibility of "economic rebirth" - freedom from the clutches of bankruptcy and c chance to start anew - for bankrupt proprietors. Hence, in sustaining the capitalist system, insolvency laws become a necessary institution among capitalist societies. Unfortunately, it became a necessary evil as well because while sustaining capitalism, it created further problems that complicate the economic and social conditions within a society. As Edward J. Balleisen writes in his book "Navigating Failure," the American response to bankruptcy, in the form of insolvency law, has created two opposing elements in American capitalist society - the risk taking culture of capital entrepreneurs and the reluctant attitude of wage-earning laborers towards them (21). Before the existence of insolvency laws, entrepreneurs

Case Presentation Write Up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Presentation Write Up - Essay Example oundation saying that he does not think there is any restaurant chain in the US that has successfully created a culture on how they treat their staff and employees. The restaurants are operated with low advertising budgets and instead, they have decided to let their services advertise them. The business is also known for use of biblical principles in their operations. The incorporation of these principles might be the reason behind its success making it the second largest chain or restaurant in America. According to Blackaby and Blackaby (142) the top management at Chick-fil-A is strongly rooted to Christianity. Truett Cathy, the founder of the franchise, was a very spiritual man who built his personal life and business operations on Biblical principles. The restaurants are never opened on Sundays as the management believes that their employees deserve a day off with their families and friends. The history of Chick-fil-A can be traced back to 1946 with establishment of The Dwarf Grill. The restaurant was founded by Samuel Truett Cathy who was greatly inspired by family business. The launch of Chick-fil-A in 1967 was highly marked by the invention of chicken breast sandwich. This became Chick-fil-A trade mark. After the first restaurant in the food court of the Greenbrier Mall, the chain focused on opening more franchises in more food courts. In 1986, the company opened its first freestanding franchise. The success of this franchise made the chain switch from food courts and worked more on independent franchises. Since then, the chain has continuously made progress in expanding all over the US though majority of its franchise is found in the Southern parts. The Franchise can also be found in major airports, hospitals and some universities. This happens through agreements with the concerned authorities in these institutions. The chain is known to have very strong religious culture. The operations in the chain incorporate both business principles and Biblical

What Duration of Ultraviolet Exposure Kills Bacteria Lab Report

What Duration of Ultraviolet Exposure Kills Bacteria - Lab Report Example This has lead to modification of the law by replacing the speed of reaction constant by the growth rate constant. The modification proved not to be ideal since the graph s obtained after plotting the logarithm growth rate constant against reciprocal absolute temperature results into curves instead of a straight line. It is good to note that the same relationship is applicable to the breakdown of nucleotide and the growth of yeasts and mould (Pommerville, 2007). Ultra violet light is an electromagnetic radiation whose wavelength is less than that of visible light but more than that of X-rays and falls within the range of 10 nm to 400nm with energies of between3eV and 124Ev.My study Hypothesis is that; any amount of UV light exposure will kill bacteria in culture media. Numerous for both. Numerous for both Numerous for both 30 and 23 137 and None Numerous for both Numerous for both Numerous for both 110 and 178 159 and 240 Line chart with the breakdown of the results obtained from the experiment. LINE GRAPH Figure; Showing number of counted bacteria against time. Discussion A change in the DNA base sequence can be referred to as mutation. This change can be beneficial or of neutrality to an organism but in most cases it does turn out to be harmful due to the fact that it results into loss of useful function of a cell. Mutation in the case of bacteria is natural and does happen at a speed of 107-108/base pair in one round of replication. This speed increases in the presence of mutagens. These mutagens can be in the form of chemicals likes nicotine or also in the form of electromagnetic radiation. For the electromagnetic radiations considered as mutagen, they are broadly divided into two types; ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation. Ionizing ones carry a lot of energy that can remove electrons from molecules in a cell like DNA or RNA. They include x-rays or gamma radiations. Ultra-violet (UV) radiations on the other hand form part of the non-ionizing radiat ion. Its mutagenic effect comes by it exciting the electrons in the DNA molecules leading to the formation of an extra bond between adjacent pyramidine bonds and for this reason, it is called pyrimidine dimer (Pommerville,2007)UV light is invisible to the naked yes and has high energy than the normal light. The light is absorbed by the double in pyrimidine base, opening the bond and allows it to react with the surrounding molecules. In case the next molecules are a pyrimidine, the two reacts to form a direct covalent bond. The sole reason for wrapping with aluminum foil is to protect the bacterial DNA from the effect of ultra-violet highlighted above. The exposure time which led to visible realization of death was after 48 Hrs 10 Minutes. At this time the number of the remaining bacteria could be counted, meaning that most of them had succumbed due to the effect of the UV on them. It was evident that not all the bacteria died as a result of exposure to the UV radiation. Like any oth er microorganism, bacteria can sense and is capable of adapting to the changes in its immediate environment. Bacteria forms endospores (proteinaceous coat surrounding the spore and provides resistance to harsh external conditions).With this the bacteria is capable of surviving harsh environmental conditions that would kill them. The stress of which UV radiation is part of can therefore be overcome through endospore formation which was the case for those that survived after the massive death. According to (Pommerville,2007)Spores lacking the

Network Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Network Design - Essay Example It will also have T3 of 10 Mb/s for connection to the internet; including remote connection to the engineering department through the ATM. The design will use IPSec Virtual Private Network to create connections between different sites and the subsidiaries of SHFL in Vienna. The available options for accounting executives include: IP Sec Virtual Private Network Secure Socket Layer The cost of all equipment required is about US $500000. Core Switch This will act as the access point to the internet or to the WAN. It will link through servers, and will be able to connect switches to collect the workstations of the network and other items. It is the center to the LAN networks in SHFL, through which most of the A great deal of SHFL’s business operations will be conducted over the local area network, such as document processing, file sharing, e-mail, customer relations management, and much more. Therefore, SHFL’s core switch will need to be fast and efficient in order to suppo rt SHFL’s operations. The recommended Cisco catalyst is 6506-E switch, priced at US $ 22967.99. We preferred to choose this switch because of its wide bandwidths and the size of its port, being 20 GB – E ports. ... One of the Cisco Catalysts will be put in the IDF, first floor of the building (Raza and Turner, 2002). The second one will be put at the MDF office, second floor. This design is expected to improve the consistency of network connectivity and eradicate network downtime and failures. The core switch controls the problem of power outages. Loops are avoided by connecting and disconnection at the switches. Connectivity to Core Switch The recommendation for connection at the core switches is done through the router and other network switches. The mode of connection is through fiber optic cables, to strengthen the network. Fiber Optic is able to transmit data faster and with minimal error rates. The Fiber optic channels will be able to support multiple applications for SHFL workers. The cables are safe from the interference by electromagnetic signals, because its signals pass through a glass cable, which is a non-magnetic material. The electromagnetic interferences do not create noise (Ear nhardt, 2006). The transmission through fiber optics goes through very long distances. The budget for expanding network will be about US$10,131.99. Connectivity between Workstations We will have switches to link to the PCs in the SHFL’s LAN. This is because switches as opposed to hubs, allow the LANS for the SHFL to operate effectively by overcoming network congestion. We recommend a network design with 9 switches, to boost the network connectivity speed. Instead of using, fewer switches congested with the traffic. Each of the switches costs US $ 1,588.99. Each LAN in SHFL network will have at least 2 switches through which all PCs and Network devices are connected. The connection can use either RJ cables or Fiber Optics. Internet Connectivity We

Strategies and Plans Adopted by Businesses in the Recession Essay Example for Free

Strategies and Plans Adopted by Businesses in the Recession Essay The long-term strategies and short-term plans adopted by businesses in the recession The recession has different impacts/effects on businesses/organizations as all businesses do not operate in the same market/sector. This causes the need for businesses to come up with strategies and plans for business survival. Strategies and plans adopted by businesses are tactics developed by businesses to aid them reach a particular goal/target. Plans adopted by businesses help them look ahead, focus on key points and prepare for opportunities and problems. Then strategies are developed to assist the aim of the plan to eliminate or reduce flaws to make sure the plan is carried out successfully. Burger King (BK) and McDonald’s (McD’s) although both operating in the restaurant/fast food market, they both dealt with the recession differently. BK planned to increase sales by drawing in more customers and survive through a pricing strategy change and investments. They sold some of their products at a loss in order to cope with the recession as consumers were looking for cheaper value meals. I think the purpose of this plan was to increase the profitability of the business. This forced competitors to sell their products at a loss to try and increase sales and stop BK from benefiting from the current recession as it has a well-known brand name which spelt trouble for smaller competitor businesses. BK’s low price strategy was heavily skewed towards poorer economic groups in the US who have been hit particularly badly by unemployment this made their prices reasonable and affordable by all income groups. Focusing on customers from the poorer economic group might have helped boost sales as they and other customers not hit by unemployment would be able to make purchases without great concern. As BK’s sales during the 2006 trading period was weak, they invested $3m to strengthen its UK operation and a marketing push has since paid off. Part of the investment was put towards the development of products which as a result Angus Burgers and the spiced up Angry Whopper were created. A spokesman said these products have played well which means their strategy worked and the investment wasn’t in vain as they achieved a 13% rise in quarterly profits to $50. 2m (? 31. 7m) as stated by guardian. co. uk. BK’s menu remains unchanged centred on burgers, fries and fizzy drinks trying to gain more sales from repeat customers. Being narrowly focused in the recession is not such a good idea as the whole economy is affected by the recession even though it has a greater impact on some groups. BK’s strategy is a dangerous strategy because they are relying heavily on old repeat customers. If those customers changed their taste, it would have a huge impact on BK’s sales and solutions to their situation could be being used by McDonalds leaving BK with no room to improve their performance. The best way to go about a situation like this is to focus on a strategy that would benefit and target everyone bearing in mind the areas which have been heavily affected to assist in controlling price levels. Using the full potential of the business/extension strategies could help save a business from a recession. This could create a loss in the short run but the business can recoup its costs in the long run if successful. However, McD’s approach to the current recession is different compared to the plans and strategies adopted by BK. BK is narrowly focused compared to McD’s as McD’s provides a variety of menus like the breakfast and the kids meal menu. McDs has diversified into salads, Panini’s and cappuccinos in the hope of satisfying so-called soccer mums which is a strategy to attracts more customers. By diversifying its products, McD’s is able to attract different types of customers like healthy eaters and regular caffeine takers. This expansion of product range strategy widens their target customers range allowing them to increase sales and market share. British Airways (BA) operating in the airline market tackles the recession completely different from McD’s and BK. During the recession, according to BA’s first half (April September) pre-tax profit and loss chart, their profits dropped dramatically from roughly ? 610m to ? 50m according to the chart given in the period 07/08 to 08/09 which is around the time the recession begun. They went on to make a further loss of ? 292 Million in the 09/10 period. This sparked a cause for concern. BAA adopted a short-term plan which was heavily centred on the workforce as the airport’s operator was believed to be overstaffed. They decided to reduce the number of staffs and advice some workers to work for free in order to cut labour cost expenditure (inc. Bonuses and allowances) to reduce the loss their making to stay in the competition. Chief executive Willie Walsh and 800 workers agreed to work for nothing voluntary in the month of July to help the company survive and reduce expenditure. This strategy although would help, it brings disadvantages. From this plan, their employer name brand will be affected as a lot of the staff will be unsatisfied causing the union to get involve and also affecting BAA’s operations which in turn affects their customers as the airline will not be operating effectively and running smoothly causing disturbances and leaving customers displeased. The recession causes businesses to come up with plans and strategies in order to survive and stay in the competition. BK, McD’s and BA all adapted different plans and strategies to survive. BK remained firmly rooted in their burgers, fries and fizzy drinks menu, reduced their pricing levels, invested in the launch of new products and marketing and also, targeted those hugely affected by the recession to gain sales by reducing their prices for some products for the population with a low income; charging both high and low prices in other words their pricing strategy was universal pricing (appealing to everyone upper, middle and lower class). Their rivals adopted a different strategy and plan although they both operate in the same market. McDonald’s diversified their products – introducing new products to target other types of consumers i. e. â€Å"soccer mums† as it already has menu’s which targets other consumers like children and healthy eaters. Also, they ran plenty of bargains and distributed gazillions of coupons which played a good part in their survival. BA was making a huge loss so they reduced the amount of employees as a means of cutting expenditure to help them survive. This strategy caused complications for their operations which left customers dissatisfied during the crisis and also the trade union decided to get involved as some of BA’s staff disagreed to the changes that was to take place.

Step Brothers (2008) Analysis

Step Brothers (2008) Analysis Step Brothers (2008), directed by Adam McKay, is a raunchy, funny film for comedy audiences. It stars Will Ferrell and Jon C. Reilly as Brenan and Dale. These two single, and very juvenile, forty something, guys lives change once their parents, played by Oscar winning. Mary Steenbuge and Richard Jenkins, fall in love and get married. These two men become best of friends and brothers, as well as experience for the first time their struggles as adults for the first time. In this comedy though it is raunchy and stupid, offers a true message of unconditional love. Many critiques have both negative and positive feedback concerning this film. However, I think that this film is inappropriately hilarious and embraces the goof in all of us, in every charter in this story. In this movie, two middle -aged men in their forties, Dale, and Brenan, live together by force upon their parents marriage union. This takes place in present time in a normal American suburban family situation. These men are like overgrown teenagers eating cereal and nachos for breakfast, video games, no jobs and sponging off the benefit of each single parent. After becoming comfortable with the living arrangement and each other, Dale and Brenan become the best of friends. The plot twists as their adventures dont always take them in the same direction. Their parents want them to grow up and get jobs and move out so they can live their lives and travel on the boat. Dale becomes a talented chef and Brenan begins working for his younger brother, Derek and falling in love with his therapist. Brenans brother Derek is a jerk. He is spoiled and selfish and is mean to his wife, who also has a cheesy, dramatic affair with Dale in the movie. Ultimately in the end everything does work out for e veryone. I found this movie to be very funny and well worth the watch. It offers a level of adult humor on a juvenile twist for those audience members who can appreciate its silly raunchy humor. The epic scenes between the two brothers allows those of us with siblings to identify with some of the disagreements between the brothers. From the I am going to mess up your stuff aspect to the Ill kill you, I hate you situations, and all the hilarious sleep walking in between, the critics are somewhat divided about its overall ratings. Calvin Wilson (2008) from the St Louis Post Dispatch states, why result to gross-out tactics when your premise is strong enough to allow for a more sophisticated approach (para. 2). I feel he has a point but this was not the approach for this film. Wilson states that this is Bottom line, a crude but hilarious comedy (headline). Roger Ebert (2008) stated he did not agree on the critic websites. He said that the movie left him feeling unclean because of the raunchy humo r and adult situations and violence. His overall response was dont watch it on an airplane, dont check it out on cable, dont walk past the bargain basement bin where it is sold (para. 4). I can understand how both the critic and the website can feel this way as this kind of humor is not for every ones eyes and ears. The adult scene in the bathroom where the affair between Dereks wife and Dale is not very tasteful and does kind of leaving you feeling gross. I think it could have been left out. Quite frankly, the violence factor in the film is mild. The men are portrayed as overgrown teens and in my opinion do not behave any more violent to one another than teen brothers would be. The film just dramatized it and made it more on an adult level of humorous violence. Likewise, David Marchese (2014) for Rolling Stone Magazine shares common ground with his article titled, Finding the Dinosaur: A Step Brothers Appreciation. Marchese starts his piece by saying, Step Brothers, more and truer laughs than any other Ferrell and McKay movie (para.7). Whereas, Peter Bradshaw ( ), from the Guardian.com, doesnt feel the same, stating that this is another unashamedly juvenile comedy from the awe-inspired busy Judd Apatow production line (para. ). I agree the plot has a few flaws, because the audience doesnt know how these two men became the way they are while everyone seems to be normal functioning adults leaving some of the films elements farfetched, such as the affair with Dale and Dereks wife and the relationship with Brenan and his therapist in the end. The acting in Step Brothers is great and the critics do agree. Kyle Smith (2008) from the New York Post, agrees with my opinion saying There is too much funny here for a movie and further elaborates Step Brothers should be a TV show (review 1). The chemistry between Ferrell and Reilly is amazing. Will Ferrell plays Brenan whose mother is the one who married Dales father. Brenan is like a spoiled fourteen-year-old and John C Reilly plays Dale, another likeminded man acting like an overgrown fourteen-year-old. They are grown men and have the whole sibling rivalry scene to the point. When they get into the argument over whether or not Brenan touched Dales drum set leading to the scene where they try to bury each other alive in the yard and the face off in the front yard leaving each other knocked out while the mother is spraying them with the hose. You are left with a lot of laughter. If in fact, this movie could be constructed into a television show, many people will watch it. When Fer rell and Reilly do the sleepwalking scene, you can really believe the character. Putting couch pillows in the oven, dumping coffee all over and throwing coffee cups, walking around saying weird things like Hi Im Carol, and Carols on fire, I laugh still. Mary Steenburg who plays Brenans mother, Nancy Huff, is a tired woman. She gives the impression she is getting too old to be babysitting and really wants to get on with her life before time runs out. Richard Jenkins who plays Dales father, Robert Doback, is a professional doctor, who just wants to sail around the world with his wife and retire. Neither one of these two can do that because of their sons. This makes a big problem in the marriage and they start considering divorcing, but all is well in the end. The director chose to present the story in a way that most people in a mixed family would be able to relate to. I like the choice of angles the director used to capture the exact image of the funnier moments in the film. This allowed the audience to be right there in the scene. In the sleep walking scene for example, the lighting is set perfectly to show it is night time and it is late while everyone is sleeping. The angles and lighting capture the details that make these scenes funny by showing expression on the face[AW1], for example when they are sleeping after the sleep walking scene, dale is shown with mustard on his face and a piece of bread in his hand. Another way the characters were walking or jumping around, the camera shows emphasis on their legs when running or when talking you can see their facial expressions close up like the camera zoom, clearly to match the scene. Adam McKay is an American film director and producer. He was also head writer for Saturday Night Live for two seasons, Winston Cook-Wilson (2016), states in an article for Spin Magazine. that Step Brothers is, dramatically, and politically charged, Oscar worthy fare (Cook-Wilson). The costumes, lighting, and sets were enjoyable and amusing. In the beginning when Brenan and Dale met the scene is set at the afternoon in the front yard and they were both dressed like two fourteen-year-old kids with some old graphic t-shirts on and stupid haircuts. Other examples are when Dale and Brenan do the video of their new company Prestige Worldwide. It is a nice sunny day and they are on Dales fathers boat dressed in jackets and scarfs like wealthy people flaunting around like they are famous also, when they are shown being responsible adults at their jobs. Dale dressed in a professional chef uniform and Brenan in business clothes. These different scenes and sets are important to the movie. The good weather and sunshine keeps the atmosphere pleasant and happy for the audience. The different costumes allow you to visualize the scene and characters as intended. The music in the film has some catchy tunes and familiar with most American people. From Bonnie Rait, Guns N Roses, Hall and Oates, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones there is a song everyone is going to know and sing along. The beginning tune kind of amps you up to laugh and gets you excited to watch the film. You just know it is going to be good. Guns N Roses and Bonnie Rait to very good playing musicians are used in this film. People are drawn to artists that they know. When Derek performed, the talent show scene with Ice Ice Baby, my friend knew it as soon as it came on and laughed. It was very popular in America in the 90s. In conclusion to my review I will admit that Step Brothers is not intended for all audiences. I would recommend Step Brothers to anyone needing a good laugh. This story will help you laugh at the funny stories of you and your own siblings or mixed family mergers. If you are a Ferrell and Reilly fan and appreciate the comedy from them, like the sleep walking scene or the music video for Prestige Worldwide, or havent had the opportunity you will want to see this film. If you dont find sibling rivalry like when they fight over the drum set or goofy and gross humor like licking the dog poop, that exceeds adult humor on a juvenile maturity level, then I would not suggest this film for you. References K. (2016,May 27). [Review of the film Step Brothers]. Cinemablend. Retired January 31, 2017. From http:// Step Brothers. Metacritic. Columbia Pictures, 25 July 2008. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. Ebert, Roger. Step Brothers Movie Review Film Summary (2008) | Roger Ebert. All Content. N.p., 23 July 2008. Travers, Peter. Step Brothers. Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 07 Aug. 2008. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.Web. 30 Jan. 2017. McKay, A. (Director(. (2008). Step Brothers [DVD]. New York: Sony. 22, 2016 Winston Cook-Wilson// November, and Winston Cook-Wilson. Big Short Director Adam McKay Is Writing and Directing a Dick Cheney Movie. Spin. N.p., 22 Nov. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. Wilson, Calvin. Step Brothers: B. Stltoday.com. N.p., 25 July 2008. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. Bradshaw, Peter. Film Review: Step Brothers. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 28 Aug. 2008. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. [AW1]

Yuan as a Dominant Currency

Yuan as a Dominant Currency This essay expresses my humble opinion on the idea of the displacement of the U.S. dollar by the Chinese currency, Yuan as the dominant currency in the global financial system, the possibilities of it occurring, reasons of why Yuan should displace the U.S dollar which include the benefits of internationalisation of Yuan to the Chinese onshore and offshore companies, foreign companies, global importers, investors, China, and of course to the rest of the world. Although it remains uncertain and questionable, I believe that China could displace the U.S. as the worlds strongest economy, and that the Yuan, Chinese currency may become the world’s global currency, or even replace the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency. It could even happen in our lifetimes. But, it will be a slow and long process that may result in a U.S. dollar decline, not a collapse. Also, I do believe that the Yuan should replace the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency in the global financial system, as the internationalisation of Yuan can bring numerous benefits not only to individuals, but corporations and governments worldwide as well. In the aftermath of the GFC (global financial crisis), the status of the U.S. dollar as the worlds reserve currency has gradually come into question. Heady money printing practices by the Fed of the United States has weakened the value of the U.S. dollar as many countries have considered in diversifying their assets into other currencies in order to diversify their currency risk, causing the reliability of the U.S. dollar to be questionable. The question then remains in which other currency is strong enough to substitute the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency in the global financial system. In spite of the crippling debt and undermine fundamentals in the United States, one of the main reasons why the U.S. dollar still continues to dominate is due to the fact that other countries have their own share of issues as well. And thus, the dollars strength is more relative. But recently, there have been â€Å"rumours† and talks that the Yuan/ Renminbi, the Chinese currency has the ability to supersede U.S. dollar as dominant currency in the global financial system and being the top reserve currency around the globe.   China is currently the world’s biggest manufacturer and exporter as well as its second largest economy according to ChinaDailyhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-03/02/content_17315230.htm. Yet its currency, Yuan, which is still cautiously managed by the Chinese government, only has a small percentage of market shares which is substantially behind the U.S. dollar, and is hardly being traded on foreign exchange markets. However, the trading volumes are gradually increasing. During the last quarter of year 2013, the Yuan overtook the euro and became the second most used currency in the global trade finance after the U.S. dollar, based on the Society of Worldwide Inter-bank Financial Telecommunication. Since then, it became the 9th most traded international currency around the globe, according to a financial report created by the Bank of International Settlements. Some economists and analysts forecast that the Chinese currency will continue to rise in the next few decades. Al l the signs mentioned above indicate that the Yuan is gaining greater stature to be a more stable and suitable dominant currency. One of the great reasons why the Yuan should replace U.S. dollar as the dominant currency is the stability of Yuan. The steady economy growth of China for the past few years has almost proven its currency, Yuan a steady and safe currency to invest in. People may argue that the euro, yen, British pound could serve as a strong currency that can be the dominant currency as well; however, most of these economies have not been doing great since 2008. This is especially clear in Europe, where a sovereign debt crisis is brewing, and Japan, where a robust recovery from the last two decades has been put on hold by a combination of several incidents like nuclear power disasters, the spill over from the weak European economies and the 2007 U.S. financial crisis. The internationalisation of Yuan will occur before Yuan becomes the dominant currency. Therefore, the benefits of globalised Yuan can be solid arguments in why should Yuan replace the U.S dollar as dominant currency. There are many benefits when Yuan is internationalized. China has started to loosen its control for its financial markets recently and slowly opening up access to the onshore markets. In the year of 2007, the Chinese government started to issue RMB-denominated bonds, notes, and funds, which are named as â€Å"dim-sum bonds† in Hong Kong. Since year 2009, companies located in Mainland China have been able to perform cross-border trade in Yuan. This enables any onshore companies in China to reduce their transaction costs, speed up payments, and ensure for a better management of foreign exchange risks. â€Å"In the longer term, this will and can obtain wider benefits.† says Professor Yeh, associate professor of the Department of Finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. For instance, this will enable the companies to lower down the price of their products or services, and pass on the cost savings to the customers. On the other hand, the use of Yuan undoubtedly benefits foreign companies including the U.S. companies as well. Many U.S. companies such as McDonald’s, have taken advantage to issue RMB-denominated bonds in China and Hong Kong to save companies a fortune in terms of interest and transaction costs. Moreover, issuing RMB-denominated bonds is a great way to hedge currency risks as well. Given the slow economy growth in the western countries, holding a RMB-bond can diversify the currency risk imposed by the U.S dollar and euro. RMB- denominated bonds are a good financial instrument for companies to conduct business in China in protecting them from any fluctuations in currency values in the future. More advantage in using Yuan in conducting business with the Chinese is the discounts that Chinese business leaders may provide if a business transaction is deal in Yuan. According to the HSBC’s research, 56 per cent of Chinese business leaders would offer discounts to their trading partners for transactions performed in Yuan for up to three to five per cent. U.S. multinationals with business operations in China can also benefit when they perform transactions in Yuan, as it enables them to centralize their management of foreign exchange. Instead of managing their foreign exchange exposure in China, they could centrally manage it in a regional or global centre in New York, Singapore or even Hong Kong, for instance. Next, China is a top import and export market for many countries around the world including the U.S., according to ChinaDaily USA http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2014-05/08/content_17493372.htm. It was also the biggest recipient of foreign direct investment in the first six months of year 2012, based on HSBC research. According to http://www.cfr.org/china/uneasy-us-chinese-trade-relationship/p10482, the trade between China and the U.S. is healthy. As a matter of fact, 77 per cent of U.S. business leaders claimed that they do import from China and 49 per cent claimed that they have export partners in China, according to a survey performed by HSBC. Since the U.S. has the largest percentage of international trading activities with China, the U.S. could benefit from the use of Yuan in conducting their trading business with China. For the benefits of importers, performing trade activities with the Chinese trading partners in Yuan relates to pricing. When U.S. dollar is accepted as payment in trading transactions, the Chinese companies usually factor in the foreign exchange risk by adjusting their price. By completing the payment in Yuan, the importers stand a better chance to negotiate for a lower price or even obtaining better trade terms. Moreover, invoicing in Yuan helps to increase the supplier base in China importers too, as the Chinese companies appreciate this practice a lot. With a bigger supplier base from which to choose, the importers obtain a bigger bargaining power in negotiating price and terms. On the same hand, a globalised Yuan brings several advantages to international investors as well. International investors could diversify their investment and currency risk by investing into other currency like Yuan, rather than just the U.S. dollar or euro. The modern portfolio theory states that the more unrelated assets you have, the less impact of currency risk will be encountered through diversification (http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/assetallocation.htm). Just like any democracy, at least two parties are needed to achieve balance. The same goes to international currencies, with an extra option to invest in, investors could enjoy the diversification advantage. Today, U.S. dollar is the dominant currency; therefore, U.S. domestic fiscal and monetary policy has significant effect outside and inside the United States. If there is more international currency, then there would be more choices and investors will be less susceptible to U.S. policy decisions. While the impact caused by the 2007 global economic crisis did not affect a huge number of Chinese investors, but the fallout has been serious, as values of the savings around the world have plummeted. The 2007 financial crisis has a great impact on the mind-set of international investors, especially, about the safeness of the dollar. National banks, China’s included, have experienced the fall of the value of their foreign currency reserves significantly, as the dollar and euro weakened during the crisis period. Therefore, more choices of international reserve currencies can provide better checks and balances, which are very essential to monetary policy makers around the world, showing the benefits of Yuan being internationalised and as a dominant currency. Furthermore, if Yuan ever became the dominant currency, it would allow China, which holds substantial amount of money reserves, to be less dependent on foreign currency reserves, and therefore less affected by the currency fluctuations. Moreover, a globalised Yuan could bring direct financial benefits to China in the form of seigniorage as well. Seigniorage is the profit made by a government by issuing their currency with the difference between the fair value of the money and the cost of producing it, explained by (investopedia) http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/seigniorage.asp. So if the fair value of the money is greater than the cost of producing it, the money, then China will enjoy a financial gain. Some economists even estimate this could amount up to USD of 2.5 billion a year. Other than seigniorage, if Yuan became the dominant currency, China could also enjoys further benefits, including prestige, lower borrowing costs for the government, corporations, and households, and a much lower if not zero probability of a debt and financial crisis. The dominance of Yuan would bring obvious benefits to China, which includes a lower risk of capital loss triggered by a depreciation of the U.S. dollar or euro. What about the effects to the Europe, United States, and other countries? Firstly, since the Western economy is not performing well recently, if the benefits from the dominance of the Yuan helps to convince the Chinese to buy more of their debt, it could aid to hold down their borrowing cost, indirectly billing them out from the poor economy. Secondly, with a greater Yuan flexibility, China will worry less about the capital loss on its foreign exchange holdings. As such, China would be more willing to hold on to their fixed exchange rate regime. This could benefits not only to China, but to all the countries that perform trading activities with China as well. During the 2008 GFC, China decided to change back to a fixed exchange rate regime after implementing a semi-floated currency regime for a short couple of years http://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex/08/pegged-vs-floating-currencies.asp. This decision aided the Chinese economy to emerge 2 years later relatively well. Since then, China has been trying to control its economy from growing too fast. If afloating exchange rate regime is used by China, American demand for Chinese goods would definitely force up the exchange rate and inflate the price of the Chinese goods, causing the Chinese goods less desirable eventually http://www.netplaces.com/economics/foreign-exch ange-and-the-balance-of-payments/to-fix-or-float-that-is-the-question.htm. This is undoubtedly important to the Western governments. Thus this should be considered worth facilitating. However, some might believe that the United States would never tolerate the humiliation with its government debt denominated in a foreign currency. But if the U.S. does, it certainly would not be the first country to do so. Most countries denominated their debt in foreign currency whenever they need to make borrowings from the international capital market. Furthermore, history reveals that the U.S. is very pragmatic. History also shows that the U.S. has denominated part of its government debt in foreign currency before, mostly the deutsche mark, a German currency before the adoption of euro, in the 1970s. In any case, everyone has to weigh the benefits and the costs for doing everything. In my opinion, the benefits outweigh the costs in this case. To a certain extent, an international role for the Yuan seems inevitable. How often and widely a currency is used and traded around the globe is generally a function of how significant and important its home country is to the world economy. In the 19th century, while the British Empire reigned supreme, the British currency, Pound was recognised as the top international currency. Ever since World War II, the role of Pound has been substituted by the U.S. dollar, as the U.S. is currently the worlds largest economy. Now that China is catching up rapidly with a stable economy growth that placed itself second after the U.S., the potential of its currency may progress to a point where it substitutes U.S. dollar as a global currency. If the growth continues at its current pace, it is possible that China’s economy could surpass the United States within the next two decades. Therefore, there is a strong reason to believe that Yuan could replace the U.S. dollar and dash into the big lea gue of international currencies. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-16/china-economy-passes-japan-s-in-second-quarter-capping-three-decade-rise.html However, the Yuan is still currently far from that league. As a matter of fact, it can hardly be found in the world currency markets. The chief reason is cause by the Chinese policy. The Chinese Government restrictions restrain the Yuan from being traded freely around the globe or being fully convertible into other currencies in almost all financial transactions. The Chinese currency value is pegged to a basket full of currencies which are most probably dominated by the U.S. dollar and is only permitted to adjust each day within an allowed and narrow band. With such limitations, the potential of Yuan cannot progress very far. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1911671,00.html Nevertheless, it is believed that the Yuan could be one of the world’s top currencies and may be able to fully convertible sometime in the future. Therefore, I believe that the Yuan could serve as a potential hedge against the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency to the world. In conclusion there are numerous advantages as for Yuan to be the dominant currency, including the stability of Yuan compared to the U.S. dollar, benefits of globalisation of Yuan to the Chinese companies, foreign companies, international importers, investors, China, Europe, United State and other country around the world. Thus, I do believe that the Yuan should replace the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency in the global financial system.

Reverend Hale Essay -- essays research papers

Reverend Hale The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a play that takes place in the sixteen nineties during the famous but tragic witch trials. Reverend Hale who is a minister and an expert of the demonic arts and witchcraft is sent from East Hanover to Salem where there is a spreading fear of witchcraft. When Hale arrives in Salem he finds the entire town in total chaos. At the beginning Hale is adamant in believing that they’re where witches and that nothing but good could come of his being there. Near the end when the truth has been exposed, Hale with so much blood on his head pleads : ‘‘ I come to do the Devil’s work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!’’ (Miller,131). For Reverend Hale the witch hunt in Salem is the scene of a moral journey as he eventually makes a complete turn around in thoughts and beliefs as he is forced to see certain realities. At the start of Reverend Hale’s metamorphosis he is so sure of himself and of his belief, in witches, that he even inadvertently eases their lying. At this point when he meets Parris and the girls who have been ‘‘ bewitched’’ he encourages them to talk about their being bewitched, and puts some words into their mouths, but he only does this because he really believes in witches, and believes the girls’ stories. This back fires however, and helps the girls with their lies. Soon after the trials begin Hale begins to have doubts in the...

The Roman Empire :: essays research papers

The remains of the Western Roman state had been ruled since 476 by Odovacar, as supposed viceroy in the West to Eastern Emperor Zeno. The latter was uncomfortable with this arrangement, as Odovacar had presented him with a fait accompli. At the same time, in the mid 480s, Zeno was facing repeated invasions into Eastern Roman lands by the Ostrogoths under Theodoric. After the uprising against and defeat of the Huns in the 450s, the Ostrogoths had settled on the Byzantine side of the Danube en masse through foederati agreements by Byzantine Emperor Leo I. At his death in 474, they left their reservations based on hospitalitas, criss-crossing Thrace and the Balkans in search of food and in general warfare. By the late 470s, Theodoric had gained prominence as an Ostrogothic leader. Alternately supporting Leo II against rebels such as the general Illus and the Germanic-roman officer Theodoric Strabo, and revolting in search of food and better office in the Roman system, the Ostrogoths sp ent the greater part of the 480s raiding up and down the Balkans. At the same time, Odovacar in the West had heard of Zeno's plans to oust him, so launched a preemptive strike into Pannonia, the Western Balkans, hitting the Rugians hard. In 488, Zeno thus offered Theodoric the position of Master of Soldiers in Italy, in return for unseating Odovacar. Tired of a seventeen-year trek through Byzantine lands, Theodoric agreed. Passing through Pannonia, he acquired Rugian and Gepid troops through 489, then moved into Northern Italy, attracting Burgundians and Visigoths to the fight. He quickly reduced Odovacar to Ravenna, which was put under siege until 493. Then, in a banquet called to signal reconciliation, Theodoric and his servants murdered their opponent. Thus from 493, Theodoric established the first post-Roman kingdom in the West. By the 510s his lands included all of Italy, stretching past Milan in the north to the Alpine regions, where the kingdom abutted the Franks as well as the Burgundians in the northwest. Provence was also included in southeastern France, after Frankish defeats of the Visigoths in the region. Finally, Pannonian and Dalmatian lands along the Adriatic were incorporated into Ostrogothic dominions. Legally, he presented himself to Italian Latins as the Emperor Zeno's Master of Soldiers for the region, and maintained as thoroughly as possible Roman urban and rural administration, including the Senate. To the Germanics, however, he was a king. In

Church and State :: essays research papers

The Catholic Church, while she is militant on earth, is compelled to wage an incessant conflict, both for the preservation of the purity of her doctrines and for her own liberty in proclaiming them. The political disputes are a part and a consequence of the dogmatic controversy, and the mission of the Church resides in both alike. All modern history is filled with this double contest; on the one hand with her successive victories over new forms of error, and on the other with her gradual emancipation from every earthly influence. The latter aspect of ecclesiastical history is chiefly exhibited in the vicissitudes of the Papacy as a temporal power--in the growth and settlement of the Roman States. The conservation of the independence of the Holy See through the integrity of its territory has been an object of such importance as frequently to engage nearly the whole of Europe in the contests it has occasioned. Empires have risen and fallen in its behalf, and it has been the paramount interest and motive in most of the greatest changes in the political arrangement of Europe. It was a glorious spectacle for mankind, that, through all the shocks and changes of our history, through barbarous and civilized ages, in spite of the temptations of ambition and of the instigation of religious hatred, during centuries of boundless covetousness and violence, the Church, whilst surrounded by heretical and infidel powers, should have continued in possession of her dominions, recovering them whenever they were attacked, and gradually increasing them for nearly a thousand years, although guarded by nothing but the awe of an unseen protector, and the dread of the mysterious avenger who watched over her.

Broadcast commission

Children in Jamaica and the world at large are surrounded by opportunities to develop and use emergent literacy skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Based on a research conducted by the Sesame Street Media, â€Å"Once children get to 7 and 8 years, they are able to focus on activities for longer stretches of time. Their memory, logical reasoning, and problem-solving skills sharpen. Children at this age are also starting to form stronger, more complex relationships outside the family, especially with same-sex peers. The power of media on the society is taken as a axis that media representations are not simply a mirror of society but rather, they are highly selective and merely an example. Therefore, active decisions should be taken at every stage of the process of producing and transmitting media material, regarding what should be included and what should be omitted and how and when a content should be presented. Possible effects such as such as violent or aggres sive behavior, substance use, sexual activity and decreased school performance are major issues.In an aid to prevent this, necessary measures need to be taken in order to mitigate these potential problems. In Jamaica there are directives that electronic media, broadcast radio and television, as well as subscriber television has to follow from the Broadcasting Commission. The Broadcasting Commission role is to monitor and regulate these industries, balancing the interests of consumers, the industries and the creative community in implementing public policy and law. Ender the Broadcasting Law and Regulation Code, there is the Children's Code for Programming. This code sets out standards for the media to rate and schedule or filter programming and provide advisories. This will assist parents and guardians to determine the types of material to which their children are exposed. The procedures in the code arise from the general principles for dealing with child audiences are detailed in t he Children's Charter for programming.According to the code, rating is an assessment of the nature of problematic material in all programming. For the broadcast, media rating will be done of all programming including newscasts, broadcasts of sporting events, music videos, programmer trailers, songs and advertisements where as for the subscriber television services rating will be carried out on each channel. Scheduling or filtering Is ensuring that programming Is only transmitted to the appropriate audience for the type of problematic material it contains.Therefore, the broadcast media programmer are scheduled so that potentially harmful material is not transmitted at times when children can reasonably be expected to be a significant part of the radio or television audiences. Subscriber television services material is filtered so that programming channels rated A or X are only available to subscribers who specifically choose to have that material in their homes. In an effort to do so they provide what is called a Watershed,' established at pm daily.This is a time each day, after which a programming might become increasingly adult oriented. Advisories are information about the nature and make informed choices about what type of programming children in their care are exposed to. For example: According to the Broadcasting Commission, on radio aired between 7:mama and 8:1 Sam, material reviewed song, â€Å"All my ladies if you got it let me know, she thick in her hips, colder than a month licking her lips; a bad ‘matchlocks'. Apple looking so right. She makes me want a piece. I give it to her all night, she doesn't want to leave†.They found this as being offensive sounding words, as it presents a distasteful language, sexual content and it is in Breach of Watershed, (February 6&20 2009 Directives and Children Code). Therefore, it is in the best interest of the Broadcasting Commission that obscene and indecent programming is constitutional, because of t he compelling societal interests in protecting children from potentially harmful programming and supporting parent's ability to determine the programming to which their children will be exposed to at home.In a speech presented by Chairman of the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, Hope S. Dunn on July 14, 2010 at the Pegasus Hotel, he stated that, â€Å"Regarding the enforcement of the Children's Code for Programming, there has been significant progress in the quality of the output on electronic media nationally. This is evident from the Commission's Complaints record for the period April 2009 to March 2010, the Commission received sixty-nine (69) complaints. This was a decrease of forty-seven percent (47%) when compared to the previous period.On the other hand the Media Association of Jamaica in partnership with the Press Association of Jamaica has reduced a Code of Ethics for Journalists to create a higher basic standard of journalism across the industry and to improve transparen cy and redress by media houses in the public interest. There is always that time in a media practitioner's career, when he or she would end up at a crossroads where an ethical decision has to be made between right and wrong.Often times, ethical choices are hard to make, but at the end of the day a decision has to be made. Professionals in various fields make choices not Just in a systematic way but most importantly in an ethical manner. With that being said, the press association of Jamaica code of practice, provides requirements for media practitioners to abide by, it also deals with matters of common concern among citizen as it relates to morality and the protection of fairness.Under the provision of the code media practitioners should not identify children under the age of 18 who are involved in cases concerning sexual offences, whether as victims or as witnesses or defendants in a trial. In any news report of a case involving a sexual offence by an adult against a child, the chi ld should not be identified. The adult may be identified if such identification would not cause the identity of the child to be revealed. In cases of incest, for the purposes of the protection of the identification the child, the term ‘incest', where applicable, should never be used.

Zychol Chemicals Case Study Answers

Although concerns are seemingly simple, they consist of essential effects for further analysis. If you do not knowingly ask these concerns, you will deprive on your own of some of one of the most essential proof there is for understanding records. Train yourself to highlight or highlight the info that will allow you to answer the adhering to concerns. You should recognize exactly how this Glycol Chemicals Case Study Answers record came to be produced. Composed historical documents were produced y Individuals In a particular historic setting for a particular function.Till you know who produced the Glycol Chemicals Case Study Answers document you have reviewed, you can not know why it was produced or just what meanings its author intended to give by producing it. Nor is it enough to merely discover the name of the author; it is similarly vital to find out concerning authors as folks, what social background they came form, what position they held, to exactly what group they belonged. Al though you will certainly discover the identity of the writer from the introductory notes, you will learn such regarding that person or group from the Glycol Chemicals Case Study Answers paper.The final inquiry has to do with the content of the Glycol Chemicals Case Study Answers record. You now recognize enough regarding it in a general method to observe exactly what it actually says. To discover the plot, you have to take some notes while you are reading and also highlight or highlight crucial areas in your message. The a lot more usually you ask on your own, What is taking place here? The simpler it will certainly be to learn. No matter how unknown Glycol Chemicals Case Study Answers paper shows p at first, purposeful focus on the plot will enable you to focus your reading.

Incident Analysis and Development Plan Essay

In my previous assignments I have attempted to shed some light on the 3 capabilities which I have identified; which were namely the Leadership skills, Knowledge skills and the Interpersonal Management skills. Each of these 3 skills is crucial for a good manager and each holds its own significance in the building of a solid character. For the purpose of this research paper, I will be concentrating on the Leadership and Interpersonal Management skills upon which I have already talked about before. Harnessing these two characteristics would help growth on the individual level and gives an insight into a person’s overall character as viewed from some external source. Incident Analysis Leadership is a value arousing skill (Heifetz, 1994). Recalling any such moment where I have taken the mantle of leadership I would most definitely have to quote of my academic experiences. Groups and teams are a fact of life during one’s academic years and in said groups and teams there are often conflicts arising which without the presence of a team leader, lead to failed deadlines, substandard work quality and overall unpleasantness among team members (Maister, 2002). I can clearly recall the last time I was part of a group and it was in said group that I got a chance to play the role of the team leader. The decision of me being team leader arose due to my past experience in the topic and when the time came to choose the leader from amongst the team-mates I had the expertise in the subject. Even though I was not experienced much in any leadership position, I was able to do a sufficient job as the group leader and it made me appreciate the tough job that it is to lead people towards a single goal so as to make the achievement a shared vision (Purpose of Leadership, 1997). However, one thing I learned was that Leadership is never static as the role of a leader keeps changing in modern times and anybody who has a proficiency in some skill would take on the leader role when work related to his area of specialization arose. Without any leadership there would hardly be any sense of where the team was headed and it would be meaningless progressing further (Kelly, 2007). Interpersonal skills are also very important in recent times as people of every walk of life have to interact with others to get their jobs done. Previously it was the belief that some jobs required very little interaction with other individuals, such as finance related jobs and other desk jobs where the employees would have minimal socializing (Hayes, 2002). But now the field has changed with people interacting with others for the exchange of knowledge, and for socializing purposes. An incident regarding where I had to demonstrate my interpersonal skills arose when while arranging for a charity event for which friends needed help, I had to visit different markets and deal with numerous people over getting sponsors and getting arrangements done. Through the course of this excursion I had to interact with numerous people and demonstrate communication skills which involved interacting with people at all levels, such as common laborers and store owners. This feature of interacting with people at all levels is beneficial in the sense that it helps later to impress employers (Seneca, 2001). Through the course of interacting with people I was able to get some good contacts that would come in fruitful for future use while also overcoming my dread of speaking to strangers and becoming more comfortable talking to people (Hargie & Dickson, 2003). Self Assessment Measuring one’s leadership skills, one must first recognize the types of leaders that exist. There is some argument as to whether there are 6 types or 7 types of leaders but personally I prefer to side with the 7 types argument. Based on 5 criteria leaders are placed into the types of the transformational leader, the enforcer, the deal maker, the administrator, the visionary, the serial entrepreneur and the spin doctor (Taffinder). The five factors upon which leaders are determined are: impose context, have conviction, generate critical mass, challenge and change and they make and take risks. With respect to the definitions provided, I would rank myself as an Enforcer. This is due to the fact that I am risk averse when groups are concerned and tend to stick to tested and tried guidelines. I am highly confident when taking actions and try to motivate team members in a manner that they have the feeling to achieve something (Brill & Barth, 2008). Â  I avoid taking unnecessary risks since the responsibility of leading a team in my opinion does not permit one the opportunity to take risks. If the risk pays off that’s well and good, but if the risk does not, then the leader is responsible for the outcome of events. This responsibility I believe takes away the liberty that a leader should have and should make him more serious towards leading his followers to attaining the goal (Ball, 2003). Judging anyone’s interpersonal skills is not so easy as it involves feedback from external sources. When others tell one how well they are performing, then one can be any statement regarding the success or failure of it. I would say that I am sufficiently endowed with my interpersonal skills. I would come to the conclusion taking into account the success rate when dealing with others. I have often had to conduct affairs with other external groups and so far I would say that I have done a very good job in carrying out interpersonal dealings. Researchers suggested that self analyzing when related to interpersonal skills should be avoided by researchers since the judgement would always be biased and the answer would be uninfluenced in very rare case (Rubin, Palmgreen, Sypher, & Beatty, 2004). This goes back to the point mentioned that since people are unaware as to most of what they do, determining the efficiency of their success in Interpersonal Communication is very hard to do. A concept known as Self Monitoring usually leads to greater success in determining a person’s interpersonal skills. Self Monitoring is a trait exhibited by famous good public speakers, as they were very receptive of their audiences and could adapt their presentation as per the response from the audience. Many politicians such as Bill Clinton for example have been reported to have strong Self Monitoring skills. Viewing myself through outside eyes I have surmised that in the short time that I have become more pro active in interacting with others, I would say that I am quite successful in interacting with people and can easily carry forward a conversation and can entertain and communicate with others effortlessly (Corbin, Corbin, & Lindsey, 2007). Â  If compared to the extent required in the managerial world and professional world, I would have to say that the skills I possess are somewhere between acceptable and need slightly more improvement. Since leadership is a situational issue, with leadership sometimes being given and other times not, only time can tell how well one has performed. Some situations require more insight and expertise whereas others are relatively simple as all you have to do is inspire your team and it successfully finishes the task on its own (Drucker, 1995)I have usually encountered the former as I haven’t yet witnessed any intense leadership role where I’d have to make decisions which would lead to greater consequences. Interpersonal skills are essential for any business activity and comparing it to the market levels I would say that some improvement, or refinement, is needed. Even though I am not hopeless with my interpersonal skills, it is still a far away from being absolutely perfect. I believe I possess enough skills to at least get the basic jobs done. Development Plans To improve upon my interpersonal skills, I have decided to listen to the suggestions stated. Smiling more often when talking to others, being more appreciative of others comments, paying more attention to others, practicing active listening (applying stuff that I have learnt through listening to others), bringing people together, trying to resolve conflicts, communicating early, and in a humorous manner, trying to see other people’s perspectives and avoiding complaining are some measures that I plan to adopt in order to improve my interpersonal skills (All Business). Following these tips I plan to become more popular in crowds and become more receptive to others when interacting with them. These tips would help me in making a more favorable impression in front of others and become a popular and pleasurable person to talk to. And that in turn would make communicating with others more easier for me and more often. Currently what I’m lacking due to inexperience with interacting with others would be resolved if I strictly follow these mentioned tips. To develop my leadership style I must first note where I fall behind other successful leaders, and in this case, I have identified that I am highly risk averse and in return wind up hindering group from reaching its full potential. Taking more risks, but with the consent and full information being provided to the group so that they can give their feedback as well, I will try to move towards becoming a Transformational Leader who not only gets the job done, but inspires the followers to think of the goals as their goals as well and have a combined motivation towards the job as well. Conclusion Leadership and interpersonal skills are very important for today’s managers as it is the manager’s job to get the tasks done while keeping a strong healthy relationship between all levels of the employees (Koellner, 2002). Currently I am more than capable of handling the simple situations which may arise on a day to day basis, but to actually handle situations which may affect a larger scale, I need to work harder to build my skills so as to become a Transformational leader (Argyris, 1976), who is the best type of flexible leader, and to have good links which can only be forged if the interpersonal relations I have with others are good. Without strong interpersonal skills, no one can actually get the full whole hearted support from others. A person should seek external opinions to actually gauge where he is standing since these are inherent qualities and people are not qualified enough to correctly identify their skills. References All Business. (n.d.). Ten Ways to Improve Your Interpersonal Skills. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from All Business: http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/careers-career-development/11134-1.html Argyris, C. (1976). Increasing leadership effectiveness. R.E Krieger. Ball, J. (2003). Managing People. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from http://www.accountancy.com.pk/articles.asp?id=54 Brill, F. S., & Barth, R. (. (2008). Leading and Learning. Stenhouse Publishers. Corbin, C., Corbin, C. B., & Lindsey, R. (2007). Fitness for Life. Human Kinetics. Drucker, P. F. (1995). The Practice of Management. Harper Collins. Hargie, O., & Dickson, D. (2003). Skilled interpersonal communication. Routledge. Hayes, J. (2002). Interpersonal skills at work. Routledge.

The Un and Peacekeeping

CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION INTRODUCTION Since its inception in 1945, the United Nations has been involved in peacekeeping operations and conflict resolutions in the international system. According to Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations, the UN is expected â€Å"to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by lawful means, and in conformity with the principle of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace. The United Nations has been charged with vast responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security. Two organs were created for this purpose: the Security Council (which consists of fifteen members, five permanent members with veto power and ten non permanent members) and the General Assembly (which consist of representatives from all member states). This essay seeks to examine and analyze the role of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security using the Korean War as a case study. THE UN AND PEACEKEEPING Peacekeeping is defined by the United Nations as â€Å"a unique and dynamic instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict, create the conditions for lasting peace. The Security Council of United Nations has been given the responsibility to take collective action to maintain international peace and security. The â€Å"Uniting for Peace† resolution adopted by the General Assembly in 1954 imposes the responsibility of maintenance of international peace and security on the General Assembly under certain conditions. The United Nations, after the approval by the Security Council sends peacekeepers to regions where armed conflict has recently ceased or paused to enforce the terms of peace agreements and to discourage combatants from resuming hostilities. Since the United Nations does not maintain its own military, peacekeeping forces are voluntarily provided by member states of the United Nations. The founders of the United Nations envisaged that the organization would help to prevent conflicts between states and in the process, prevent outbreak of another major war in the future. The United Nations would have been able to achieve this successfully if not for the outbreak of the Cold War. The outbreak of the Cold War made it extremely difficult for the United Nations to successfully resolve issues and conflicts because of the division of the world into hostile camps. The United States and Western Europe on one side and the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and part of Asia on the other side. This caused a stalemate in decision making in the Security Council as both powers (United States and Soviet Union) used their veto power to check each other. The United Nations found it extremely difficult to come to a resolution on issues where both super powers had national interests. In such case as the Korean War where after the Soviet Union used her veto power to reject resolutions and left the Security Council completely paralyzed, the General Assembly through the â€Å"Uniting for Peace† resolution assumed the responsibility of making decisions. In spite of the various obstacles the United Nations faced during the Cold War era in conflict resolution, it was however to an extent successful in maintaining international peace and security and most importantly, the outbreak of another World War. THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE KOREAN WARThe Korean War from 1950 to 1953 was the most severe test the United Nations had to face since its inception in 1945. As part of the Cold War scenario, the Korean War was a complicated issue with which the United Nations had to successfully deal with or lose credibility just five years after it had come into being. The Korean experience tested the United Nations ability and credibility in maintaining international peace and security. In some ways the Korean episode could be regarded as the United Nations finest hour. Here for the first and only time in its history, the Security Council called on its members to go to the defense of a state under armed attack1. It also marked the first attempt by an international organization to check an act of aggression, and it stands as the only occasion on which enforcement action had been taken against aggressor states or other authorities2. Here in consequences the forces of a number of countries fought under the United Nations flag to defend the principle that aggression should not be allowed to succeed3. But the concept of collective security was not upheld as only a quarter of the membership of he United Nations sent military assistance to South Korea and the sixteen states which did so were all Western countries. This was an example of alliance strategy than of enforcement action by an international organization; of collective defence rather than collective security. The fact that a great majority of the United Nation membership though pro- western were u nwilling to send significant armed support to the country whose existence was threatened showed that the action would scarcely be said whole heartedly to fulfill the ideals enshrined in the Charter of the UN4. The dominance exercised by the United States over the entire operation in the Korean crisis deprived it of the name of the genuine collective security. This was demonstrated in the early stages by the fact that most of the Security Council initiatives and resolutions were really in origin United States proposals. At the onset of North Korea attack on South Korea, the United States was the first state to send assistance both financially and militarily to South Korea even before the United Nations had taken a decision on the matter. The military operation was headed by a United States commander and decision that were taken originated directly from the White House and not from the UN secretariat. This defeated the purpose of collective security by placing the responsibility of a peacekeeping mission in the hands of a super power. This contrasted radically with the subsequent practice of the UN in organizing peace-keeping forces from 1956 onward. In these cases the super power were normally excluded from participation altogether. And no single power or even a group of powers was able to dominate policy in the way the United States was allowed to do in Korea5. This gave a clear indication that the UN was dominated by the United States. Nearly 90% of all army personnel, 93% of all air power and 80% of all naval power for the Korean War had come from the United States. The Chinese got involved in the war (this escalated and prolonged the war) on the basis that they viewed the whole operation not as an United Nations peacekeeping mission but an effort by the United States to gain control of Asia using the United Nation as a cover to invade both Koreas and China. The decision of the United Nations Forces to cross the 38th parallel also originated from the United States. The United States brought the proposal for the United Nations forces to cross the 38th parallel and enter North Korea before the General Assembly even though most of the participating states were against it. Even though there were other states that participated in the peace keeping operations, their opinion were barely considered by the United States. Major of the decision making processes was held in Washington rather than New York. While the success of the United Nations in repelling aggression in Korea had been in large part due to the contribution of the United States, the dominant role of the United States weakened the collective character of the operation6. Throughout the whole episode, the United Nations failed to institute or even attempt to institute any effective negotiations among the parties concerned as in the case of South Korea and North Korea and also the United States and the Soviet Union after the division of Korea. The United Nations also failed before 1950 to bring the two parties (North and South Korea) into discussion to as to bring about a resolution or involve the use of a mediator or good office to help along with negotiations; instead the United Nations held on to its demands for all Korean – election under the UN auspices. The Korean experience has shown that the Charter provision and machinery for which the Charter provides can be adapted and utilized under certain conditions to defeat aggression and to discourage aggression in advance7. Since the decline of the Cold War, the UN however, has been more effective and efficient in maintaining international peace and security. The Korean experienced questioned the UN as a useful and promising means of dealing with threats to and breaches of the peace by collective measures and its limitations. The â€Å"Uniting for Peace† resolution which was passed by the General Assembly during the Korean War created a whole new dynamic. The veto power of the permanent members of the Security Council sometimes cripples the Council as it make decision making harder and slower in cases where the super powers have different contrasting interest as could be seen in the Korea conflict where the Soviet Union used her veto power to cripple the resolution passed by the other members of the council. The â€Å"Uniting for Peace† resolution gave the General Assembly the power and responsibility to make decisions under such circumstances where the Security Council is crippled and in capable of making decisions concerning the security matters. The Korean experience served as an important lesson for the UN in its pursuit of international peace and security. It has also shown that the purpose of collective security is to restore international peace and security and not do justice, particularly if the doing of justice, which often is highly controversial and in practice requires some accommodation of conflicting interests involves a serious risk of extending the war. Furthermore there is the additional danger where one member has disproportionate share in the direction of the operation that the member will seek to use the operation for implementation of its own national policies, policies which may not be in harmony with the interests and policies of other members of the United Nations. The United Nations could justifiably hold that it had fought a successful war to defend a nation under attack what it could not claim, after eight years of discussion, was that it had brought any nearer a resolution of the Korean problem. CONCLUSION The Korean War served as an important lesson to UN. In spite of the various obstacles it has faced the United Nations had been able to improve and make amendment. Since the decline of the Cold War which was a major factor in the outcome of the Korean War has also strengthened the United Nations in the area of conflict resolution and peace keeping operation. ENDNOTES 1. Evan Luard, A History of the United Nations Volume 1: The Years of Western Domination 1945-1955 (Macmillan 1982), p. 71-272. 2. D. W. Bowett, United Nations Forces. A Legal Study of United Nations Practice (London, Sterens and Sons, 1984), p. 30 3. Evan Luard, A History of the United Nations Volume 1: The Years of Western Domination 1945-1955 (Macmillan 1982), p. 272. 4. Ibid, p. 272-273. 5. Ibid, p. 273. 6. Leland M. Goodrich, â€Å"The United Nations and the Korean War: A Case Study†, Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, Vol. 25. No. 2. United Nations: Success or Failure p. 103. 7. Ibid, p. 102.