The World Trade Organization ( Wto ) Within The Advancing...

1. Introduction: In this report I’ll be explaining, the different kinds of trades also as explaining the role of the world trade organisation (WTO) within the advancing and regulation of international trade. Furthermore, I will assess the trade agreements operate and their impact on international trade. 2. Types of Trade: Here are two sorts of trade that consists of invisible and visual trade. Invisible trade is the exchange of a business transaction that happens with no exchange of tangible product. Copyrights, customer service and intellectual property are some samples of invisible trade. Visible trade, on the other hand, is the exchange of physical tangible goods between countries. This will embrace exports, imports and reports at any†¦show more content†¦Members of the WTO have tailored these rules considerably as services since the 1980’s has currently become one of the foremost necessary economic sectors. This has resulted in members of the WTO making rules to govern international exchange services. There are four sorts of ways in which the World Trade Organization may act. This would be as a conductor, tribunal, monitor and trainer. While countries trade with one another they have to forever be cautious as they need to use all the foundations properly set by the World Trade Organization. One of the roles during which the WTO acts as is Associate in Nursing orchestra conductor. This is to form sure all the foundations and rules set ar revered. Another main way the World Trade Organization conducts itself is as a assembly. This is where you d get members filling complaints against each other WHO fail to follow the principles set by international trade. Dispute settlements consist of three stages. Firstly, countries try to settle their dissimilarities singly. Whereby, if that fail then the settlement would go to the panel and this is often made from 3 specialists. These experts would then issue a ruling that could be appealed. The losing party would then be forced to comply with t he choice set and if not followed with the definitive ruling the losing party would then be prone to sanctions. Monitoring is another manner during whichShow MoreRelatedRole Of The World Trade Organization ( Wto )1416 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction 2. Types of trade 3. The role of WTO a. Comparative Advantage b. Trading blocs 4. Trade Agreements a. NAFTA b. The European Single Market 5. Conclusion â€Æ' â€Æ' 1. Introduction: In this report I will be explaining, international trade and explain the role of the world trade organisation (WTO) in the advancing and regulation of international trade, furthermore, I will assess trade agreements and their impact on international trade. 2. Types of Trade: There are two sorts of trade that consists ofRead MoreIntroduction. Global Governance Is The Most Significant2684 Words   |  11 Pagesmediates and provides leadership to issues that affect member states and has huge impacts on world trade. In the last few decades, various communities in the world have become increasingly interconnected due to economic integration and increasing change in technology (Ikenberry, 2015). Global governance constitutes organizing, administering and supervision of global affairs and processes without a prescribed world government. Correspondingly, it offers real and accommodate problem-solving engagementsRead MoreInternational Organizations And The Humanitarian Efforts Of The United Nations2063 Words   |  9 Pages International organizations have continually been praised for their contributions in less developing countries. One of the main assumptions about international organizations is that they have a large influence on developments and advancements made within developing countries. 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It would overwhelm attempts by nations to defend living standards and the ability of unions to fight for wages and health and safety laws—and it wouldRead More The Need for International Labor Standards Essay3617 Words   |  15 PagesThe Need for International Labor Standards The statesman, who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals, would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted, not only to no single person, but to no single council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it (Smith, 1776:Read MoreGlobal Governance Is The Most Significant Undertaking Towards Political Collaboration2827 Words   |  12 Pagesmediates and provides leadership to issues that affect member states and has huge impacts on world trade. In the last few decades, various communities in the world have become increasingly interconnected due to economic integration and increasing change in technology (Ikenberry, 2015). Global governance constitutes organizing, administering and supervision of global affairs and processes without a prescribed world gov ernment. Correspondingly, it offers real and accommodative problem-solving engagementsRead More Americas Role in the World Trade Organization Debate Over China4571 Words   |  19 PagesRole in the World Trade Organization Debate Over China The open question on Chinese accession, both in the WTO and in China itself, is whether China is more likely to adopt and sustain economic reforms if it is granted early membership or if membership is delayed until policy reforms are undertaken. (Schott 40, 1996) I. Introduction This observation from Jeffery Schott of the Institute for International Economics captures the essence of the China-World Trade Organization debate inRead MoreImpact of Global Health Actors on Health Policies of Ghana1967 Words   |  8 PagesINTRODUCTION This essay would inquire in to the impact of global health actors on Health Policies in the Republic of Ghana highlighting the World Trade Organization, The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as reference points. Policy issues have emerged from both constructive and unconstructive effects of various global processes associated with development in the trans-national movement of funds, commodities, services, a rise in multinational corporations, widening inequalities, diseasesRead MoreInternational Business Study Guide5732 Words   |  23 PagesBachelor of Business (Management) BUSM1227 – International Business International Business: Course Review Jan 2013 Appealed From Miss. Janice Tan – Program Manager HE 6 (RMIT Programs) 1. Sign-Up For The SIM-RMIT Business Plan Competition (Top Prize – A$25,000) 2. End Of Course Evaluation – Although NOT Mandatory; SIM Would Appreciate Your Constructive Feedback To Improve On: ïÆ' ¼ ïÆ' ¼ ïÆ' ¼ ïÆ' ¼ ïÆ' ¼ Subject Content, Lecturer Effectiveness, IT Facilities, Library, and Programme Management. School/Department/AreaRead More Brazil World Trade Essay3993 Words   |  16 PagesBrazil World Trade From the 1500’s to the 1930’s the Brazilian economy relied on the production of primary products for exports. For three centuries Brazil’s economy was heavily curbed because since Portugal discovered Brazil, they subjected it’s economy to an imperial mercantile policy or a strictly enforced colonial pact. Even though Brazil received its independence in 1822, Portugal’s phase of decisions left a lasting, powerful imprint on Brazil’s economy and society. In the late

The Relationship Between Ethnicities And Obesity - 1506 Words

Many studies have conducted significant research on the relationship between ethnicities and obesity. However, only a few studies have done research on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) population and the increasing rates of obesity amongst these indigenous communities. Numerous studies have grouped the NHPI population with the â€Å"Asian† population in most demographic and health surveys, which fabricates the health status from these studies to portray NHPI’s as a healthy population. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Minority Health (2011), NHPI’s were almost four times more likely to be obese than the Asian American population (Office of Minority Health, 2011). This paper will examine†¦show more content†¦Through the physical tasks of hunting and gathering of food to the rhythms of traditional dances in which involve discipline and skills to move in unison with the beats of the drums. Active lifestyles were essential to maintaining optimal health on the islands, colonization of these prideful cultures is still affecting the lives of NHPI’s today. Judith Fitzpatrick-Nietschman (1983) reports the physical activity level of NHPI before influences of western civilization, were high in all cultures in the pacific and accounted for healthy lifestyles of its people (Fitzpatrick-Nietschman, 1983). Lack of exercise across all ethnicities contribute to prevalence of obesity to increase, but is furthermore disabling among cultures who mainly exhibit physical activity through the gathering of food through traditional practices. The current status of obesity in the Pacific islands are staggering according to the World Health Organization (2010), obesity prevalence ranges from more than 30% in Fiji to 80% among women in American Samoa (World Health Organization, 2010). A literature review by Davis et al. (2004) reports that on the Islands of Hawaii, more than 75% of Pacific Islanders that live on the island are obese as compared to 52% of Caucasian, 46% of Japanese, and 45%

Essential Questions Free Essays

While the North veered toward a mechanical future of efficiency and invention the Southern dependence on their cotton industry kept them at a stand still. By 1877 prior t o the compromise which ended Southern Reconstruction the Southern economic system was in a steady decline as emend for cotton slowly shifted while the North’s demand for manufactured goods continued its steady incline. Peopling: How did the growth of mass migration to the United States and the railroad a effect settlement patterns in the cities in the west? The growth of mass migration to the United States caused massive population n changes which tended to slow as immigrants settled into large towns and cities near or center red around the growing railroads which promised life and fortune to the prospective America Politics and Power: Why did the attempts at compromise before the war fail to prevent the inflict? To what extent and in what ways, did the Civil War and reconstruction n transform American political and social relationships? The attempts at compromise failed because no politician was ever able to full y address the issues of slavery in a way that would last forever. We will write a custom essay sample on Essential Questions or any similar topic only for you Order Now Plus the fact that no Southern nerd was willing to give up their way of life because of a northerner who did not know t he value of slavery. America in the World: How was the American conflict over slavery part of larger global events? As the European powers grew and left slavery for industry America was the la SST of the powers to attain a patch of slavery slowing the turn towards industry. With growing ball Zionist movements the views of the world focused on slavery in the south. Environment and Geography: How did the end of slavery and technology and military developments transform the environment and settlement patterns in the so the and the west? At the end of the civil war with the end of slavery and the introduction of milt ray rule to the south there was a massive change in settlement as freed slaves began travels Eng throughout the south to find lost loved ones. Introduction of â€Å"modernized military tactics and other technologies lowed the flow of populations within the American South. Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture: How did the doctrine of manifest destiny affect debates over territorial expansion and the Mexican war? How did the Civil War struggle shah pep Americans beliefs about equality, democracy, and national destiny? The doctrine of Manifest Destiny caused a lot of debates concerning the right of American expansions in the west while all other countries could no longer claim any of t he land. The results of the civil war molded and enforced American belief in the divinity of their actions of spreading democracy from ocean to ocean. How to cite Essential Questions, Papers Essential Questions Free Essays Europeans even knew about the Americas, Native American tribes were the first inhabitants. These first inhabitants were a people group united by kinship and called Pale-Indians and they settled in the Americas between twelve and fifteen thousand years ago. Large mammals and an abundance of plants drew hunter- gatherers to the Americas, which provided the sustenance necessary for survival. We will write a custom essay sample on Essential Questions or any similar topic only for you Order Now Agriculture takes hold in a portion of the Americas between 1000 to 1200 AD, but spreads further and more extensively by 500 AD. Agriculture in the Americas was much different than in Europe and other countries. In the Americas, crops such as corn, beans, and squash were grown and there were no animals involved. Early fifteenth century, Europe was a patchwork of small kingdoms and principalities, and Europe began to expand Into Muslim country and acquired a desire to trade goods with Asia, so they went about exploration of other than previous forms and ended up In America, without knowing It. Soon after Columbus arrived, Spanish explorers took an interest and also began to Lonnie, and proceeded to slaughter large numbers of Indians in get rich quick attempt. Also missionaries took an interest in converting the Indians to Christianity, which resulted in blended versions of Catholicism that exist today. Conquistadors, Spanish colonists under a man named Cortez, conquered the Aztec and began Indian labor system. Because of the scarcity of laborers in the Americas, Portuguese and Spanish colonists looked to Africa for black slaves. Spanish colonization and exploitation of Indians resulted in the Pueblo revolt against the Spanish. Europe soon followed their explorer Columbus to the Americas, bringing diseases and sickly pigs, this event Is now called the Great Dying. The Indians began to resist the power of the Spanish and soon coexisted with them, adopting their cultures and learning the Spanish language. Coming to America: Portrait of Colonial Life The New World, the Americas, became a magnet for all ethnic groups. People had such a desire to go to the Americas that they would indenture themselves so that they could pay for their passage to the Americas. Voyages to the New World were ungenerous and many died on the voyage, while the youngest and healthiest were sold on shipboard. In New England, family relationships were of a great deal of importance. A marriage ceremony was created by the Puritans who also established obligations that were to be fulfilled by the male and female In each relationship. Divorce also became a right If a spouse broke the rules. The head of the house was to have moral order and correctional order and emotional stability. Men were expected to work in the fields and women joined them during harvest time, but made soaps, How to cite Essential Questions, Papers

A Modern Modest Proposal free essay sample

A Modest Proposal for Disposing Homelessness in the United States Every city or town I have ever visited is affected by the plague of homeless people. The most apparent places where the severity of homelessness is displayed are major cities in the United States, such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Although the official number of homeless people in the United States is unknown, everyone can attest to the volume of homeless people that they have encountered in their lifetimes. It is a sad fact that our incredible country is subjected to such eyesores inhaling our hard-earned money, and I believe that this must be stopped. Not only are homeless people taking our resources, but they are also putting a strain on all of our hearts and minds, as we feel bad for these individuals’ circumstances. As American citizens, it is our duty to protect the integrity of our nation and always work towards a better life; this is why we must enact my plan to use homeless people to our advantage. My solution to our homeless problem is a simple one; we shall auction off all homeless people to wealthy Americans as slaves. To enact this plan, we will collect the homeless people off the street either willingly or by force, since this plan will be truly beneficial to them. After collecting all homeless people, we shall have auction houses setup in soup kitchens and shelters, seeing as they will no longer be used for their original purposes. We shall primarily auction the homeless people to the wealthy Americans, but if needed, we may sell the individuals to people from civilized countries. When homeless families are brought to the auction houses, they will be sold as a unit; however, only immediate relatives will be sold together, such as parents or guardians with their children. Any children that are auctioned will be required to attend school during the week and work twenty hours for their masters and work full –time on weekends. This law is essential for it will ensure that the children will be educated so that they may better themselves. Anyone that is auctioned when he or she is older than eighteen will be a slave until his or her master dies; slaves will not be passed down to relatives. If these slaves return to the streets, they shall be re-auctioned to a different wealthy master. Young slaves will be auctioned for more money than slaves who are over forty years old. The benefits that come along with this plan will not only improve the quality of life homeless people have, but it will improve our nation. First, homeless people will reap the greatest benefits from this plan. By becoming slaves, the homeless people will always have a place to sleep. Homeless people will sleep either in their master’s home or in a special lodge of their own. In addition, the homeless people will be provided with food and water every day; something they would not have if they continued to live on the streets. Clothing will also be provided to slaves if needed along with bathing opportunities. For the children, they will now have the ability to go to school and get an education when they would not have been able to otherwise. These provisions of basic needs and other necessities as masters see fit will improve these peoples’ lives immensely. Another benefit of this plan is that with the money we collect from auctioning off the homeless people, we will be able to reduce our national debt. As of February 2013, America’s national debt is $16,649,703,459,968 (U. S. ). Our national debt is projected to reach over seventy trillion dollars in ten years and close to two-hundred trillion dollars in twenty years (U. S. ). This debt is growing exponentially, and my plan will help slow this increase in debt. In New York City alone there are over 50,000 people each night sleeping in shelters and one in every 2,688 people is homeless (Bosman). Selling each homeless person for an upwards of 5,000 dollars will help start our journey towards a decreased debt. In the year 2012, Americans pitched in nearly eight million dollars of their own money to help reduce the national debt, but they barely made a dent (Smith). With this added donation, we will be able to make a significant impact. Along with this, selling the homeless people will allow us to shut down all shelters and food kitchens since there will be no need for them. In these spaces, we will hold the auctions so we will have to pay rent; however, we will no longer have to supply food, clothing, or any other item to the homeless. Around four billion dollars is spent annually on homeless individuals and families by state governments and private groups (Fahy). Adding to this, the federal government spends around 2. 9 billion dollars for  federal homeless programs every year (Fahy). Not spending this money will help our state governments save money and our federal government save money every year. Another great benefit of selling homeless people is we will no longer have dirty people littering our streets and taking our money. Anytime someone visits a major city in the United States, this person is pestered by countless homeless people beg ging for his or her hard-earned money (Jurkiewicz). In these situations, people feel scared by the unclean individual and dread this interaction (Jurkiewicz). For the people that breeze by the homeless, they tend to feel bad for their action while those who do give money to the homeless are left with the fear that they will buy alcohol or drugs; either way, this is a lose-lose situation (Jurkiewicz). Selling these homeless people will rid our society of these feelings and awkward encounters, ideally improving our lives. Relocating our homeless will not only solve our homelessness problem, it will help reduce the number of illegal immigrants in our country. In the United States, there are over four million illegal immigrants trying to steal our jobs (McClellan). Using the homeless people as slaves for wealthy people will deter them from hiring illegal immigrants to do their housework. Buying a slave will in turn be cheaper than paying an illegal immigrant, and therefore people will turn to purchasing a homeless person. In addition, these homeless people will most likely speak English, which will allow communication between masters and slaves much easier. This plan I have developed is simply for the good of our great nation, and I know that it will prove to be advantageous. Lowering our national debt, making our lives easier, and ensuring a safe environment will allow the United States to flourish.

Colin Powell Leadership Characteristics

Introduction â€Å"I consider myself a moderate Republican. I have very, very moderate social views, and I am pretty strong on, on defense matters† (BookRags Media Network, 2011, p. 23).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Colin Powell Leadership Characteristics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was Powell’s assertion of his life as a leader. Powell has been admired and loathed by many, perhaps because of his involvement in the American-Iraq conflict or his ability to play â€Å"fair† in the Bush administration. Powell’s nature as a moderate republican influenced the perception republicans and democrats (alike) because both parties had similar views about him (Waxman, 2005, p. 1). Considered a high-ranking member of the Bush administration, Powell was a â€Å"fair† leader. Many people may agree or differ with this view, but this paper acknowledges that, Powell’s leadership characteristics were participative and democratic. Participative and democratic leadership has always been assumed to be the inclusion of all stakeholders in the decision-making process. In the organizational setup, the participative style of leadership would mainly include the inclusion of employees in the decision-making processes of the organization. However, in the context of this study, the participative style of leadership will be understood within the context of an informed and multifaceted leadership style. In contrast, this leadership style can be compared to the authoritarian and the free-reign styles of leadership. This paper explores different dynamics of Powell’s leadership characteristics. However, there is a strong focus on the extent Powell exhibited ethical behavior, political acumen, emotional intelligence, charismatic behavior, transformational leadership, and overall leadership effectiveness. These leadership dynamics will comprehensively be use d to support the arguments of this paper, but before this analogy is undertaken, an analysis of Powell’s life and accomplishments will be done. This analysis provides a thorough understanding of Powell’s transitions from an ordinary citizen to a position of enormous responsibility in the American government. Background Summary Colin Powell is known to be the first African-American personality to serve in the position of the Secretary of State for the US government (Waxman, 2005, p. 1). Powell was born from immigrant parents (who came from Jamaica). Certain reports however say that, Powell also has a Scottish ancestry.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Powell studied at Morris high school where he graduated with a high school diploma (in 1954) and later joined the City College of New York where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Science (Waxman, 2005, p. 3). He later pursued his postgraduate studies at the George Washington University where he graduated with a master’s degree in Business Administration. Powell joined the US army at a cadet level (in the Reserve Officers Training Corps). In June, 1958, Powell was promoted to be a second lieutenant in the US army (Waxman, 2005). This promotion kicked of a series of other promotions which saw him scale up the ranks of the US army, through the positions of: first lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant-colonel, colonel, brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, and general (respectively). These promotions occurred between 1959 and 1989 (Waxman, 2005). Nonetheless, Powel’s influence in government started when he was appointed to be a Whitehouse fellowship under the presidency of Richard Nixon. In the early 1980s, Powell was appointed to be a senior advisor to the US department of defense, and in 1989, George W. Bush appointed him to be a Joint Chief of Staff (Wa xman, 2005, p. 11). During Powell’s service as the Joint Chief of Staff, he was involved in the decision-making process that saw the US take part in the invasion of Panama, and the Persian Gulf War. Considering Powell’s stand in these wars, he was branded the infamous name, â€Å"the reluctant warrior† (Waxman, 2005, p. 24). Powell was branded â€Å"the reluctant warrior† because he never advocated for military intervention as the first remedy to solving international conflicts. Powell instead opted for diplomacy and containment as the primary modes of problem solving. For instance, Powell was on record to advise the US against supporting the Chilean coup d’à ©tat (in 1971) because he opted for a more inclusionary style of leadership (Waxman, 2005, p. 89). Generally, Powell perceived his military strategy to be guided by the principles of minimizing tragedies and maximizing successes (as was seen from the Gulf war, where the war was generally perc eived to be guided by the â€Å"Powell doctrine†) (Finlayson, 2003). Powell’s somewhat lukewarm approach to aggressive force forms the framework for subsequent sections of this paper because we observe that, Powell’s doctrines were largely participative and democratic. Political Acumen Powell’s political acumen was strongly evident in his advice to the US government about invading Iraq. At first, Powel was hesitant in supporting US’s recourse to invade Iraq because he was wary of the repercussion of invading an American country.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Colin Powell Leadership Characteristics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In an interview cited in ABC (2005), Powell is quoted to have advised the former US president, George Bush, about the consequences of invading Iraq and being the â€Å"occupiers†. In the same interview, Powell is said to have advised the US government to follow the diplomatic channel (first) before they resorted to military actions against Iraq. Powell also admitted that, he was ready to support the war on Iraq if the president saw that the diplomatic channel of dispute resolution would not solve the Iraqi problem. It is from this argument that Powell exudes political acumen because he is conscious of the repercussion of invading Iraq by advised the US government against doing so. Resolving disputes through diplomacy is a better way of solving international conflicts. Powell clearly understood so. Though wars may be waged on countries, it was Powell’s philosophy that this channel be the last recourse because it is very costly to wage war on another nation. Powell’s political acumen was also seen in the hurricane Katrina disaster where he offered a voice of reason to all the accusations surrounding the federal government’s response to the disaster. Generally, there was a strong perception amo ng Americans (and more so, the African-American population) that the federal government’s slow response to facilitating evacuation efforts was racially motivated (ABC, 2005, p. 3). Powell however said that, the slow response of the federal government was occasioned by the economic struggles plaguing the people of New Orleans. He further said that, the victims of New Orleans failed to act decisively (to warnings about hurricane Katrina) because they were not economically empowered to do so. He even stated that, for certain regions in New Orleans, one in ten families owned a car (ABC, 2005, p. 3). It was therefore impossible for such families to vacate their homes because they either lacked the means to do so, or had nowhere else to go. Comprehensively, Powell rubbished accusations that the severity of Hurricane Katrina was caused by slow government response. Indeed, Powell’s analogy shows how he soberly assessed the Katrina disaster by laying blame where it did. Though he also hailed from the African-American descent, he never joined the call for government condemnation against the Bush administration. He assessed the disaster from a very rational point of view.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Emotional Intelligence Powell’s emotional intelligence was seen in his admission that, he made a wrong judgment on Iraq by informing the US government and the United Nations that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Since this information turned out to be false, Powell decided to take the blame for misguiding the UN and the US government that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. He did not blame his junior staff or the intelligence system for misleading him because he defended the CIA director, George Tenet, for giving him such information because he did not think it was Tenet’s intention to lie to him. In an interview cited in ABC (2005) Powell said, he believes his wrong advise to the UN and the US tarnished his reputation because it went on record that, he made a wrong judgment of Iraq. He admitted that, â€Å"Of course it will. It’s a blot. I am the one who presented it for the United States to the world, and [it] will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It’s painful now† (ABC, 2005, p. 3). This admission exudes Powell’s emotional intelligence Ethical Behavior Powell’s ethical behavior was put to the test when there were accusations that he supported the Iraq war, based on his loyalty to the Bush administration (and not because of his personal ethics). During the time, there were calls for him to resign because the Iraq war turned out to be very messy and costly (ABC, 2005, p. 3). However, Powell did not heed to these calls because he did not want to be seen as a coward (ABC, 2005, p. 3). He admitted to the ABC news network that he did not want to be thought as a coward for supporting a war; whereby, if things got messy, he backed out (ABC, 2005, p. 3). The moral dilemma here was his resignation, because of the extent of the damages that the Iraq war caused, but he decided to stay the course because he knew he the going would be rough. Powell’s decision to retain his position was un ethical because he decided to support the Iraq war, though the support for the war was increasingly unpopular among the American public. Moreover, the war caused a lot of damages, including the loss of lives and a deficit on the US federal budget. It was unethical for Powell to retain his position as the secretary of state when the Iraq war had accrued a lot of damages since it was his responsibility as a leader to take political responsibility for the war (especially considering he had guided the government to take action against Iraq because it possessed weapons of mass destruction). As mentioned in earlier sections of this study, this turned out not to be true. Nonetheless, Powell’s ethical stand regarding the Iraq war emphasizes the thesis of this paper because his decision shows that, though Powell was largely perceived to be reluctant and â€Å"passive†, he was also quite adamant and aggressive in wading off attempts to make him resign. This level of persistence shows Powell’s ability to withstand negative pressures that often surround leaders. More importantly, it shows another side of Powell that negatively contrasted with his critics’ opinion that he was a passive leader (or one who could not rise up to the occasion when he was challenged to). However, his action (to stay in office) reinforces the view that, Powell was a reluctant warrior; only that, his reluctance was evident in his hesitation to step down. Charismatic Leadership and Powell’s Effectiveness Powell’s charisma in the US politics and in international diplomacy stretches across various domestic and international issues. However, in the US, Powell’s charisma was strongly evident in his ability to garner support from republicans and democrats (Finlayson, 2003). The democrats liked him because they believed he had a moderate political view on various national issues, including military matters. The republicans liked him because he was one of t heir own and because he was an asset to the success of various republican administrations (Finlayson, 2003). His ability to secure the support of both democrats and republicans emanated from his charisma in the political field. His charisma was greatly admired from both political factions, and as history would judge, it is not easy to secure the support of both democrats and republicans (at the same time). However, Powell was successful in doing so. In fact, in 1992, Powell was voiced as a potential candidate for the democrat vice president nominee (Finlayson, 2003, p. 45). This support (from the democratic side) set him to replace Dan Quayle as the potential vice president nominee for the 1992 presidential election. However, Powell declined to take up the challenge and instead declared his support for the republican wing of government, which saw him support John McCain as the republican nominee. The former president, George Bush, however won the republican nomination and Powell shi fted his support to Bush. This drastic shift in allegiance shift shows Powell’s flexibility in politics because he was able to shift his allegiance in a moment’s notice. Nonetheless, Powell’s aggressive participation in the republican elections (through his support for republican nominees) shows his participative leadership style. His allegiance to the Republican Party and his support for Bush resulted in his appointment as the secretary of state. Through Powell’s declared support for the Republican Party; his charisma and moderate stance on political issues pleased many republicans, thereby prompting some legislators to suggest his election as the 1996 republican presidential candidate. His election would have seen former president Clinton lose his opportunity to be the US president. The possibility of Powell defeating Bush was very real because hypothetical elections done in New Hampshire (and some states in the US) showed that, he beat Clinton 50-38 (F inlayson, 2003). This hypothetical election was a mirror to the New Hampshire vote which saw Powell win the vice-presidential primaries. However, Powell declined to take up the challenge and declared that, he lacked a passion for politics. His reluctance to participate in the 1996 elections reinforces the assumption that, Powell was a very reluctant leader because his odds of winning the vice president’s ticket, or even standing up as a good opponent to former president, Bill Clinton, was high. With a strong political support from his republican nominees and the split conservative vote that prevailed in Iowa (then) would have seen Powell stand a good chance of winning the vice president’s nomination, if not the presidential elections of 1996. As the secretary of state, Powell’s role in the US government was very important because of the war on terrorism and the importance of the US in forging international partnerships to fight the war against terrorism. Though Powell’s term as the secretary of state saw him travel less frequently than other individuals who had been in the same position (for the last 30 years); Powell’s influence in the Bush administration was very effective. In fact, his influence in the Bush administration is attributed to be the main factor that saw America look for international partners to wage the war against terrorism (Finlayson, 2003, p. 23). Powell is attributed to be the main force behind Bush’s attempt to push America’s agenda through the UN (to fight terrorism). Powell was opposed to the idea of America’s invasion of the Middle-east (from a unilateral approach). Considering America pursued a comprehensive approach to fight terrorism (that included the inclusion of NATO forces such as Britain), we can agree that, Powell’s leadership style was very effective. Furthermore, Powell’s strong charisma in the United Nations (UN) saw him convince the UN that a military ac tion was appropriate for the Iraq case. Powell’s ability to prevail on the UN (to grant military action against Iraq) was recorded in a plenary session of the UN (in 2003), where he successfully convinced the UN that Saddam was producing nuclear weapons which could destabilize global security (Finlayson, 2003). UN’s acceptance of the military action was attributed to Powell’s oratory speech, though some sections of the UK press faulted his speech because some of its sections were based on unreliable sources. Nonetheless, the US government highly relied on Powell’s charisma to sell US’s agenda to the UN, which he successfully managed to do. Powell’s charisma was his main tool for convincing the UN that the US needed to go to war. To further strengthen the argument that Powell was a â€Å"reluctant/moderate† leader; he was spared from all the condemnation that the Bush administration received for taking the decision to go to war with Ir aq. The American public (and critics) allocated more blame to other officials in the Bush administration (compared to Powell) because they believed Powell adopted a moderate stand on the war. Also, his commitment to pursue diplomatic partnership in the war painted Powell in a positive light because his ideology was less aggressive than many critics would believe. Powell’s push to pursue an international approach to the Iraqi conflict also affirms the perception that Powell’s leadership style was participatory. Leaders who pursue the participatory style of leadership always observe respect and the engagement of all stakeholders involved in an issue. In this regard, Powell was able to build more diversity in the Iraq war and equally, he was able to create a sense of shared responsibility among all members of the alliance forces who took part in the Iraq war. From this understanding, Powell’s leadership style seemed more advanced and sustainable because it was more democratic than other leadership styles (and it was also able to capitalize on human-to-human relationships). Transformational Leadership Despite the fact that, Powell served in a regime which was mainly perceived to be composed of members of the â€Å"old guard†; Powell was largely a transformational leader. Powell’s inclination to transformational leadership was evident on two fronts. The first front was his participation in the Iraq war. Though he admitted that he made a wrong judgment of Saddam Hussein (and his weapons of mass destruction); Powell was never remorseful of the fact that, America was able to topple the Saddam regime (Finlayson, 2003). He identified that, the Saddam regime was repressive and authoritarian to the Iraqi people and Saddam needed to go. His support for a change of regime and ideology in Iraq is an indication of Powell’s support for transformational leadership. Moreover, his support for the ousting of Saddam’s regime reinforc es the notion that, he was a moderate leader because on one hand, he never advocated for the aggressive removal of Saddam (through military power), but on the other hand, he supported the removal of Saddam’s regime (all the same). Powell’s leadership style is very tactical in this context because he adopted a multi-faceted approach to the Iraqi war. This approach was similar to his ability to appeal to both democrats and republicans. The second front where Powell’s element of transformational leadership shows was in his support for president Barrack Obama (though he was a strong republican follower). In fact, there were reports suggesting that, Powell was going to be to be McCain’s running mate (ABC, 2005). In an interview cited in ABC (2005), Powell said that, he admired McCain but he thought Obama was more of a transformational leader than McCain. He agreed with many observers that Obama was very inspirational, and he represented a new spirit in America that McCain did not. Powell cited Obama’s inclusive campaigns which sought to appeal to all members of the economic divide and across all races in America. This style of leadership was similar to Powell’s participatory leadership style. Powell also faulted Mc Cain’s choice for Sarah Palin as his running mate because he thought it was an error of judgment on the part of Mc Cain because people knew very little of Sarah. Comprehensively, he stated that, his support for Obama was largely because he believed America needed a transformational leader. Conclusion Weighing Powell’s ideologies on leadership, we can agree that, Powell’s infamous attribute as a â€Å"reluctant† leader was true. Powell’s leadership style was very dynamic and inclusionary because he was able to appeal to opposing parties (such as the appeal to democrats and republicans). Powell’s leadership style was dynamic because he supported the goals of the American go vernment in realizing domestic and international peace but he often differed on the methodologies of doing so. His advocacy for an inclusionary approach to the Iraq war is one such instance where he supported the ousting of Saddam but disagreed with Bush on pursuing a unilateral military approach. Powell should therefore be perceived to be a democratic leader who was reluctant in pursuing aggressive approaches to solving international and domestic conflicts. He should also be perceived as a transformational leader who advocated for change, regardless of if it was in his favor (such as the support of Barrack Obama who was a democratic candidate). Powell also had a lot of respect for all stakeholders (involved in various political issues) and he always had the interests of everybody at heart. These qualities made him appeal to many people (enemies and foes alike). Comprehensively, we can see that Powell was a democratic and fair leader. References ABC. (2005). Colin Powell on Iraq, Ra ce, and Hurricane Relief. Retrieved from: https://abcnews.go.com/ BookRags Media Network. (2011). Colin Powell Quotes. Retrieved from: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/colin_powell Finlayson, R. (2003). Colin Powell. New York: Twenty-First Century Books. Waxman, L. (2005). Colin Powell. Washington: Lerner Publications. This research paper on Colin Powell Leadership Characteristics was written and submitted by user Charleigh Guthrie to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The reasons why between 1937 to 1939 many European nations became involved in conflict and how this conflict spread quickly into war mby 1941. essays

The reasons why between 1937 to 1939 many European nations became involved in conflict and how this conflict spread quickly into war mby 1941. essays During the period 1937 to 1939 many European nations became involved in war. This was because of many reasons, namely: The Failure of the Munich Agreement, the policy of Lebensraum, the Invasion of Poland s plan of Isolationism, The Italian Campaigns, the attack on Pearl Harbour By 1938 Hitler had decided to begin his plan to add living space (Lebensraum) to Germany. His first target was Austria, as he himself was of Austrian birth Germany invaded. Two days later Austria was made a province of Germany. One month following, Hitler claimed that 99% of the Austrian people had voted in favour of Anschluss in the April plebiscite. These events angered the European nations, but once again, a policy of appeasement was adopted. The failure of the Munich Agreement (1938) stirred up even more problems in Europe. The agreement signed between Italy, Germany, Britain and France aimed to hand over the disputed Sudetenland to Hitler in an act of appeas...

Games and its Benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Games and its Benefits - Essay Example According to (Bowlby et al., 1983) gaming should involve physical body movements which are a very essential part of enjoying life in the right manner. Therefore, it is imperative that a physical and social entertainment system be put in place so that family members could connect with each other even while they are away from home. In this respect, a new and novel concept called ‘Age Invaders’ (AI) has made its presence felt and has served to bridge the generation gap by ushering in, an interactive social - physical game. In this scenario of gaming, it allows the elderly to play harmoniously with children in a physical place, while parents can take part in the game through the Internet in real time. Such interaction between the different family members not only helps to decrease the ever widening generation gap, but also serves to connect family members and bring them closer to each other. Quite unlike the regular computer games ‘Age Invaders’ help to bring ga ming to a physical platform, where physical body movements are needed. The game involves a floor display that gives the user direct access to the virtual game, by using their body as an interface. According to (Price and Rogers, 2004) it would engage the players physically and encourages them to interact actively, thereby decreasing the generation gap.

The Impact of Woodland Management Practices on Biodiversity Essay

The Impact of Woodland Management Practices on Biodiversity - Essay Example For humans, woodlands provide a valuable resource in terms of the wood from cutting down trees, and in some cases the use of cleared land for farmland. Both of these uses of woodland significant disrupt the species living within it, often displacing them or causing local extinction. The purpose of this essay is to examining practices of woodland management and to consider what impact these have on biodiversity and what the long-term outcomes of these approaches are likely to be. In addition, alternative approaches to current woodland management practices will be considered, as well as the underlying drivers that influence what woodland management practices are prevalent. It is argued that current woodland management practices place the biodiversity within the woodland environment at significant risk, and in the long-term will result in an unrecoverable loss of species, ultimately decreasing the usefulness of woodland as a resource. Importance of Biodiversity Biodiversity has become a buzzword of the modern political environment, and is a prominent topic among many different people and areas, including universities, politicians, schools and broadcasters. The current age is often referred to as having a biodiversity crisis, or that there are many threats to biodiversity which must be properly handled in order to conserve biodiversity. The term has become highly popular and politically centred in recent years, and humankind attempts to find ways of preserving biodiversity without compromising growth and human life. However, biodiversity itself is difficult to define, as the term is used by a wide range of people, many of whom do not define what they mean by the phrase. Throughout literature there are more than 80 different definitions of the term, which vary slightly or significantly from one another (Spicer, 2009). The definition of biodiversity that is arguably the most correct is that which was derived as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which wa s signed by 150 nations in 1992. This definition considers biodiversity to be variability among living organisms from all areas of the world, including diversity that occurs within ecosystems, between species and within species. Defining the term however, is only one aspect. To effectively address the problems surrounding biodiversity, there needs to be an effective method of measuring it. Finding consensus approaches to measuring biodiversity is an important approach to solving problems of biodiversity; however, this is not an easy task. For example, a forest ecosystem has a large amount of different species including the easily visible plants, animals and birds, the smaller organisms such as insects, and then microorganisms, which cannot be seen with the naked eye. Counting all of these species would be a large task, and does not take into account another important aspect of biodiversity, specifically , how many of each species are present (Spicer, 2009). Because of these problems , different researchers make use of different approaches to attempt to provide an indication of the measure of biodiversity within an area, such as the number of species that are present or their abundance. Often, a specific type of species may be focused on, such as studies that examine the biodiversity of birds within forest communities (Aleixo, 1999). Other indicators

The Salem Witchcraft Trials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Salem Witchcraft Trials - Essay Example One of the ways in which the Salem Witch Trials influenced the interactions between religion and the US legal system is by strengthening the US legal and court system. According to Wilson (1994), â€Å"Because of the changes that followed the Salem Witch Trials, prosecution came to involve the subtraction of religious institutions from participating in legal processes, so that religious institutions do not act as the jury. Instead, the need to adduce evidence before the court of law as the basis upon which a court case is to be sustained and the verdict is to be issued was made inevitable.† Again the need to have a competent jury to preside over cases became more perceptible. Initially, judges who presided over the Salem Witch Trials were untrained. Particularly, the idea above can be said to be true, given that during the Salem Witch Trials, a number of teenage girls leveled accusations of witchcraft against 200 people, without producing any evidence to validate their claims. Instead, the teenage girls only made unverifiable claims that they were attacked by ghosts or evil spirits. It is against this backdrop that the right to defend oneself, the right to free trial and the right to not have to present any form of incriminating testimony became necessary and can thus be traced back to the Salem Witch Trials. According to Smith (2012), â€Å"This is because, when the Massachusetts Colonial Governor, Sir William Phips saw the alarming hanging of 19 suspects and the crushing of 1 suspect to death and consequently disbanded the court presiding over the Salem Witch Trials, the need for a fairer judicial system became inevitable.† Another way in which the trials became the spring board for an independent system (devoid of purely religious claims) is through the myriad of relentless protests that ensued. Smith (2012) contends that, â€Å"The protests followed the fact that even after the convention of the second court to preside over 23 other cases, spectral evidence

Concentric Circle Approach To Defence And Foreign Policy Politics Essay

Concentric Circle Approach To Defence And Foreign Policy Politics Essay Security perspective after Cold War has changed tremendously. Not only that state has to deal with external military aggression, it also has to go through overwhelming challenges of non-traditional security issues. Among the issues are terrorism, ethnic conflict, sea piracy, smuggling of illegal weapon and drug trafficking  [1]  . In this case, Indonesia is not an exceptional. Although Indonesia has been cautious to any action taken by any states within its geostrategic area since 1945 (after independent today), the concentration given by Indonesia government since mid-1990s is more on the non-traditional issues that impede states domestic political stability, unity, territorial integrity and thus to its sovereignty. This is partly due to the region where it is located, that is (to a certain extent) stable and less prone to the state-to-state conflict. In this case, the traditional threat of aggression from other countries is very unlikely to happen in this region  [2]  , its military preparedness has to be intact to overcome all mentioned non-traditional security issues that it is currently confront with  [3]  . For Indonesia, the dynamic shift of threat from non-taditional to traditional security may manifest themselves in the form of invasion or aggression from other countries  [4]  especially when considering the case of 9/11 terrorist attack and the reaction taken by United States and its allies in their mission on the global war on terror in Afghanistan as an instance. Concious with the challenges that impede Indonesia lately particularly when we look at terrorist Bali bombing in 2002 and J.W. Marriott bombings in 2003  [5]  , the twin-suicide bombing at the J.W Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in 2009, as well as its unresolve issues of armed separatist movement imposed by Free Papua Movement (OPM)  [6]  , has made Indonesia aware that if the government did not overcome such non-traditional security issues effectively, it would cause more political, economic and social instability than what Indonesia is currently facing with. Thus, in order to overcome such situations, Indonesia through its defence and foreign policy has been used as a guideline to maintain states order as well as its national interest or national security. The question is what is Indonesias defence and foreign policy? How does Indonesia utilise its resources to overcome the traditional and the non-traditional security threat considering the challenges that it has to face especially when domestic instability is eminent. Apart from that, how does Indonesia synergise its defence and foreign policy to overcome the problem? What kind of approach that Indonesia use to preserve its own national interest? And what exactly is Indonesia national interest? By considering its security threats this paper argues that i) on one hand, Indonesia mobilises or use its armed forces to tackle the problems that occur, in which the preservation of states sovereignty and territorial integrity is its primary goal. ii) Indonesia, on the other hand utilises its foreign policy as a synergy in maintaining and achieving states national interest through different type of strategies. iii) This paper will conclude that, as in the case of Indonesia; foreign and defence policy cannot be separated especially when discussing states security perceptions and the strategy that it use to overcome it. In this case, state (Indonesia) uses its two statecrafts (state strategies) through the use of force as well as diplomacy as its major instrument in preserving and maitaining its national interest. Therefore, this paper will highlight, first, Indonesia internal and external security threats. Second, Indonesia defence policy in addition to its strategic national interest and third, this paper will focus on its foreign policy and approach taken by Indonesia in synergising its defence and foreign policy as a method of preserving and maintaing its national interest. 2.0 INDONESIA INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SECURITY THREAT As the Republic of Indonesia enters the year of 2010, and celebrates its 65th Independence Day in August of the same year, it is evident that the security concern of the state will continue to be dominated by the same issues that it faced a decade ago. In fact the major concern of Indonesian government is unlikely from external threat of aggression rather their internal or domestic political instability. It was stated in the white paper issued in 2003 when Indonesian government acknowledged for the first time on the persistence of non-traditional security issues that occurs in the country  [7]  . A glance at Indonesias security perceptions, internally; despite a relative improvement in the economic development as well as its political situation, Indonesia faces tremendous difficulty in overcoming at least three [3] key security issues or challenges: i) the threat of terrorism, ii) protracted secessionist movements, and iii) the return of communal violence. Externally, the war on terrorism both at the regional and global levels continues to place Indonesia at the centre of regional and global attention. In this case, the nature of Indonesian government responses to the problem of terrorism, in which the government is constrained with its domestics capabilities in pertaining to the communication network level and its locals sensitivity to curb terrorism within the country, is putting the Indonesian government in a state of strain particularly on its relations with the outside world; regionally ASEAN as the whole, its close neighbour Australia as well the United States. The security environment of Indonesia remains volatile since it retains independent status in 1945. In this case, the most security challenges faced by the government of Indonesia now remain the threat of terrorism  [8]  910. Being the world largest archipelago with the biggest Muslim and multicultural population in the world, Indonesia certainly has a multi-diverse complexity in maintaining order and security. In this particular context, terrorism has become the threat to the safety of the nation, even a threat to democracy and civil society  [11]  . Despite the successes of arresting and prosecuting hundreds of terrorism suspects, radical groups were still active in recruiting new members. Since the bombing of Toserba Ramayana, Jakarta on January 2nd 1999 until the twin-suicide bombing at the J.W Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in 2009, terrorism threat in Indonesia has increased tremendously  [12]  . Ten years of receiving consistence terrorisation from the terrorist group, there has been a serious doubt, if not pessimism, in the country whether the government has the ability to find and deal with the impact in a swift and firm manner. The government faced a difficult task of balancing the need to crack down terrorist networks and the imperative of taking into account terrorist group activities  [13]  . Apart from terrorism, Indonesia at the same time faces major threats from armed separatist movement  [14]  . In fact, the armed separatist movements were not new to Indonesian government. As early as 1950s (during the tenure of Sukarno until today; President Bambang Yudhoyono), the primary objective given by Indonesia government are still the same which is maintaining order at the domestic level especially to the case that derived from armed separatist movements which happened in East Timor  [15]  (now Timor Leste), West Papua  [16]  (still happening), and even in Aceh  [17]  province  [18]  19. In other words, its main task is safeguarding Indonesias territorial integrity. Aside from territorial integrity comes national economic strategic interest and states sovereignty. All these interest embedded in the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution. Among others, State has to safeguard and protect the sovereignty of the state, territorial integrity of the Republic of Indon esia, the nations safety and pride, and at the same time involve actively in efforts to create world peace  [20]  . Communal conflicts that happened in Maluku, South Sulawesi (Poso), in Kalimantan (Sanggau Ledo, Sampit, Sambas) was also considered as one of the major security threat facing by Indonesia from within  [21]  . So much so, it requires serious attention from the central government. Indonesia is a heterogeneous state. With a vast number of ethnic residing in a country as well as the geographical characteristic as an island nation; makes it easy for communal conflicts to occur. The issue that triggered the conflict was mainly due to a religious (Maluku and Poso, Sulawesi) and racial (West Kalimantan) background  [22]  . In fact, to some extent it was also triggered by an intergroup exclusivity and the socio-economic gap. According to Jones  [23]  , in her report says, one of the things we see is how changing population balances among different ethnic and religious groups has led to certain kinds of tensions, often with one group feeling that it is under siege by another. The l oss caused by communal conflict is enormous; it causes waves of evacuation, tremendous suffering of people, casualties and large material loss. In fact, the biggest communal conflict is ruined national solidarity and the bond of unity as a nation. Indonesias external threat perceptions on the other hand remain shaped primarily by internal sources of instability and conflict and suspicious of involvement of foreign actors in those internal conflicts. Indonesias elite, both civilian and military, continue to express concern over the possible involvement of foreign countries not only in the regional rebellions such as Aceh and Irian Jaya (Papua) but also in the spate of terrorist attacks across in the country, especially the Bali bombings. Some Indonesians believe that there is an international conspiracy (especially by the West) to undermine Indonesias stability and security through the issue of terrorism  [24]  . Many also recent the fact the international community, especially the United States, has come to see Indonesia as a hotbed of terrorism. These sensitivities among government officials, political, community leaders, and the public at large have in turn brought about a degree of uneasiness for Indonesia in both its r elationship with neighbouring countries in the regional war on terrorism and its relations with the United States  [25]  . 3.0 INDONESIA DEFENCE POLICY AND ITS STRATEGIC NATIONAL INTEREST In analysing Indonesias defence policy and its strategic interest, this paper will highlight few important things. First, this paper will look at its defence policy, the nature of its national interest as well as its strategic interest in overcoming states security challenges. The map of Indonesia. Source: http://www.electricscotland.com/thomson/reflections10.htm. Date of Accessed: 1 October 2010. The primary legal documents bearing on defence policy are the 1945 Constitution and the Defence Act (Law No.20) of 1982  [26]  . Constituted under article 30 of the Constitution, it is stated clearly that the duty of the state government is to protect all Indonesians (citizens) in every aspect from any threat. The notion to protect Indonesias citizens, however, is part and parcel of Indonesias national interest that is; to safeguard and to protect the sovereignty of the state, the territorial integrity, the nations safety as well as its pride  [27]  . The foci of Indonesias defence and security are thus, represented in conventional term as a series of concentric cirle emanating from Jakarta. In providing a clear picture of this defence and security strategy, the main area that covers the most or hot area of Indonesias security is its land and maritime borders (strecting up to its Zone Economy Exclusive, ZEE). The second circle, on the other hand covers the area of its neighbouring countries as well as the region where it is located. In this particular context, what ever happens in the region will directly or indirectly gives impact on the security aspect of Indonesia especially when it is located at one of the most important trade sea-lane that connect the West and the East; streching from Indian Ocean to the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. Thus, on account of its strategic position, it is important for Indonesian Armed Forces to maintain its national jurusdiction especially when almost all countries in the world rely heavily on Indonesias stability and security as well as its self-defence capacity for its own national resilience  [28]  . In other words, the development of a strong and flexible state apparatus, political and social cohesion and a ruboust economic infrastructure which enables Indonesia to defend itself and contribute to the defence of the region. Defence Act 1982, on the other hand provides a basic provisions of the defence and security of the Republic of Indonesia. It is a notable document that mentioned the social and political functions of Indonesian Armed Forces. Lowry  [29]  stated that; The act states that national defence and security includes defence against both external and internal threats amd that these threats may be directed against national freedom, sovereignty, national unity and solidarity, the integrity of the nation and national jurisdiction, and the values of the national idealogy; Pancasila as well as the constitution. The Act also explained that the threat can be overcome by total peoples resistance within a system of total peoples defence (Sishankamrata). It was designed to marshal and mobilise the nations physical, moral and material resources. In order to attain the desired goals, Indonesia has highlghted few startegies. Among them are permanent strategic interest, urgent strategic interest and the international cooperation in defence which underlies in future strategic interest. All of these embedded in Indonesias Strategic Defence Interest  [30]  . The permanent strategic defence interest of Indonesia is the administration of defence to guard and protect the countrys sovereignty and the unityof Indonesia and the countrys honour from every threat, either from outside or from inside of the country. In order to protect all these interests, it is important to be prepared to defend the country without regard for the argument as to whether or not a concrete threat exists. In carrying out permanent defence interest, Indonesia will always maintain a love for peace, independence and sovereignty. Thus, in resolving every conflicts and dispute, Indonesias will always first put forward diplomatic efforts and the use of force wil l be mobilised if the diplomatic means fail. Therefore, the Indonesia chooses an active defensive strategy in its defences. Indonesias urgent strategic interest on the other hand is directed to overcome actual security issues, which action could undermine and distrupt indonesias sovereignty and unity. In line with this, there are few security threats that Indonesia has to overcome with. The security issues, nonetheless, are heavily concentrated on the non-traditional security issues that emerge within the country. This includes fighting and overcoming the international threat at home and abroad, overcome the disturbances of armed separatist movements, counter radicalism and solve communal conflicts, overcome international crime as well assisting the government in handling natural disaster or any humanitarian activity  [31]  . As part of the international community, Indonesias pursue its third form of direct defence strategy based on international cooperation interest. In this case, Indonesia realise that other than the use of force as part of its statecraft strategy, Indonesia is committed to create a peace and good relations with other countries especially with its neighbour, the regional context and the world based on trust and cooperation. In fact, it cannot release itself from any connection with the world in the effort to achieve its desired goals. For Indonesia, this is the best strategy that could protect the nation from any external aggression especially in a form of state-to-state war. It is ecapstulated as part of Indonesias regional resilience. As a former secretary general of the Department of Defence and Security put it: we must defend further forward by befriending our neighbours and even by possesing the same threat perceptions (Quoted in Lowry  [32]  ). Recognising the limitations of i ts resources, Indonesia thus seeks a balance of interest rather than a balance of power  [33]  . In order to fulfil the requirement in upholding states national interest, Indonesia defence policy has come out with a strategic defence in which it should ensure the accomplishment of its national interest and its international cooperation. 4.0 INDONESIA FOREIGN POLICY AND THE LINGKAGES TO ITS DEFENCE POLICY IN PRESERVING ITS NATIONAL INTEREST Although Indonesian government recognises and stressing oftenly on the need to maintain internal order or domestic political stability as well as territorial integrity as a primary objective for its defence strategy, this does not mean that other form of strategy is neglected. Indonesia, like other country in the world, pursue diplomatic statecraft as its first agenda especially at the international level. In this case, Indonesia apply active defensive approach or as what Lowry  [34]  coined as forward defence. As its defence policy, Indonesias foreign policy is also uniquely influenced by its domestic events. Indonesias foreign and defence policy has always been a reflection of the beliefs and the actions of policymakers who are influenced, in varying degrees and ways by the society and the international system in which it operates. Although Indonesia has withnessed different kind of leadership and approach that has been taken on its foreign policy, there has been no major changes being made by the Indonesian leaders except for some concentrations at the substantial issues like, the issuence of stabilising political order and combating terrorism by President Megawati and diliberating and extending economic resilience during the tenure of Abdul Rahman Awahid and B.J. Habibie. All of these could be said as the extraneous variables that has influnced Indonesias foreign policy. Over all, the domestic imperatives such as commitment on the need to stabilise domestic politics, to preserve states territorial integrity and sovereignty as well to maintain states economic development has dominantly influence Indonesia foreign policy until today. What kind of approach that has been taken is rather different from one leader to another. As mentioned ealier, Indonesia foreign policy is a synergy to Indonesias defence policy. In this case, it requires extensive participation at the regional level as well as at the global level. For instance, under the tenure of President Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia is currently focusing on a new foreign policy outlook claimed as securing Thousand friends and Zero Enemies  [35]  . Under this policy Indonesia is moving towards attaining and trying to emerge as a responsible power (Middle Power) in the Southeast Asia region. It is carefully articulated as to improve relations with every nation in the region through bilateral and multilateral means. This includes promoting justice and order at the international arena, better investment policy for economic development, democracy and consolidation in regional integration as well as maintaining national unity. All of these strategies are important for Indonesia as one of the method that could improve Indonesias image at the internatioal fora esecially against all allegations of human rights abuses conducted against armed separatist movements in Aceh and Papua. For that, Indonesia is pursuing an active and independent approach  [36]  37 The necessity in conducting its foreign policy in constructivist approach is to denotes the ability to turn adversary into friend and to turn friend into partner. All of these are important as to provide a conducive environement in the region for the better future development based on thrust, confidence building  [38]  . With such sitiation, all disputes and conflicts could be settle at the table of discussion through a diplomatic approach rather than aggressiveness. In this case, Indonesia will therefore not to use its forces as a method of finding solution. To prove this kind of things as important as it is, Indonesia, as of to this date, has not engaged in any military alliance with a foreign policy especially in securing its own capacity to influence world order or international relations. For that, Indonesia advocates that all Southeast Asian states develop their full economic, political and social potential while cooperating extensively with each other. This is the hope tha t could boster external aggression or challenges. At one level, this could be a security buffer for Indonesia if the region could be persuaded to act in unison to twart the incursion of hegemonic influence. However, no other nations are enthusiastic to serve as security buffer for Indonesia  [39]  . Indonesias contributions to international security remain limited and focused on the regional level, especially in the war against terrorism. Indonesia has signed a number of antiterrorism agreements with some regional states. The Bali bombings and the Marriott bombing have not persuaded Jakarta to publicly-support the involvement of external powers in regional problems in which Indonesia continues to prefer regional solutions to regional problems. Apart from that, Indonesias foreign policy goal is to emerge as a responsible power in the Southeast Asian region. It is a unique amalgamation of the two schools of thought and policy of adaptation to the changing geopolitical and geostrategic compulsions. Being the world largest archipelago with the biggest Muslim population is again trying to gain leadership position in the region through a constructive and cooperative gestures and balanced bargaining between major powers. In fact, Indonesias foreign policy is based upon a number of cherished principles that reflect the countrys sense of national identity, how it wishes to protect and pursue its national interests vis-à  -vis other countries, and the shape of the desirable world order. On 19 September 1999, President B.J. Habibie signed Act no. 37 of 1999 on Foreign Relations, which was actually the first such Act on foreign policy, signed since trigger Indonesias independence. This Act formally stipulates key principles of Indone sias foreign policy that had been practiced for most of the countrys existence. In that context, Indonesia consistently expresses the hope that the ASEAN will continue to serve as the main vehicle for regional countries to cope with security challenges in the region, especially non-traditional threats such as terrorism. During the 2003, ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia obtained agreement from other ASEAN members to transform the organisation into a security community by 2020. Indonesia has also called for an increase in intra-ASEAN maritime cooperation to provide more and more security aspect of the region as well as to its own country. 5.0 CONCLUSION Being the world largest archipelago with the biggest Muslim and multicultural population, Indonesia is trying it best to play a leadership role and at the same time struggling to maintain order mainly from its domestic instability as well as external security threats. Overseeing its defence, security as well as its foreign relations has proven complex in sense considering its size, location, economic underdevelopment, geographical fragmentation and ethnic and religious diversity. However, since its Independence, Indonesian leaders have managed to manoeuvre the state and provide cohesion and national identity under a unitary state. Looking at its foreign affairs, Indonesia has become a major political force in Southeast Asia. With its power resources mainly from its population, huge area of territory, vast number of natural resources and its potential market makes it important at the international arena especially in the region of rapid economic growth. Indonesia has taken a traditional-middle power role or approach in encouraging continued US engagement in the region as a stabilising force during the current period of transition (referring to Indonesias domestic politics from guided democracy with vast amount of military involvement in the administration to civilian control). Moreover, the encouragement is also due to the fact of uncertainty especially with the rising of Chinas power in the future regional order. Nonetheless, it also need China to participate into the regional community is some form of cooperative or common security arrangement to prevent the formation of competing power blocs. Indonesia sought to change the pattern of its external relations. The pattern usually occurred in terms of partnership as well the type of activity that it involves. At home, Indonesias traditional defence strategy has been one of national self-reliance based on total peoples defence with the armed force as the core of the nations arms. However, there are some challenges that it has to overcome with. Indonesia in this case acknowledged that their major difficulties are to cope with the vast number of islands as well as with the vast number of ethnic residing in the country. All of these could be tackled through an active participation from the population to help maintain order. However, globalisation is somehow another and big challenge to Indonesia as more and more population becoming more political democratic, appreciate interdependence economic development based on open market, there is no way that it could avoid for the population to become more individualistic than ever. It has somehow deteriorating the nationalism of the population. ENDNOTES

Radioactive Frequency Identification: A Threat to Privacy :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument

Radioactive Frequency Identification: A Threat to Privacy As technology advances and the government continues to attempt to control us, an idea that was once thought ridiculous is now coming back with full force. The idea of RFID chips (Radioactive Frequency Identification) has already been put into place by many large companies and businesses however most civilians don’t even know they probably own products or clothing with RFID chip implanted in them. The government has not effectively publicized and made the information as available as they should have to educate people about this new technology. Radioactive frequency identification tags are very similar to barcodes in that they both scan onto computers to read information about a specific product. Experts say that eventually RFID chips will take over barcodes and be used in every store worldwide. RFID chips are also manufactured to use a certain frequency range. â€Å"Early RFID pilots have shown that other radio-frequency-based technologies often clash with RFID readers when frequency ranges overlap. As a result, companies have experienced difficulties during RFID pilots with bar-code scanners, cordless phones, push-to-talk devices, wireless networks, security systems, and other RF-based technologies† (Smart 4). As technology advances, we will see how RFID chips will take control of the market take the place of bar codes. Since the idea of RFID chips are new and haven’t been explored much, we have limited examples and uses available to us. However, we have to accept that RFID is going to take effect because large companies have already begun putting them to use in the products they sell. Eventually almost every product you own, wear or see will be implanted with an RFID chip. Sounds easy and helpful right? It is only going allow the government and monopolies to control customers and take away the little privacy we have. Granneman agrees that †by implanting RFID chips into everything we buy, the government will be able to track everything we do from which products we bought to where we went and what we did with them† (17) The concern here is that. â€Å"Whatever direction the industry at large takes, your business must operate on the Spider-Man principle: With great power comes great responsibility. Where privacy and data collection are concerned, privacy professionals understand that with more data comes greater responsibility and legal risks. If the industry reaches a point where it can somehow use RFID tags to track a product all the way into consumers' homes and beyond, the industry also must ensure that it's protecting the privacy rights of the individuals who buy that product.

The Medici; Heroes of the Rennaissance

The Medici; Heroes of the Renaissance In the year 2004, PBS broadcasted the series, â€Å"Medici; Godfathers of the Renaissance†. This four-part documentary, in attempt to gain viewer interest, compared the Medici to the mobsters found in Francis Ford’s â€Å"The Godfather†. The relation of the Medici to Italian mobsters in the PBS Medici series is in no way accurate, for they were not villains of the renaissance, but heroes. The Medici were very connected with the church, and used their extensive wealth to promote religion. The Medici became powerful as a result of being the official Papal bankers. They used a lot of their power and wealth to give back to the church throughout their lives. Throughout the Medici timeline there were a total of four Medici Popes. The family was very much intertwined with the church. The Medici patronized the sculpture of David by Michelangelo as a gift to publicly show the beauty their religion. The Medici found and sponsored an architect named Brunelleschi to successfully complete the a dome for the Sistine Chapel. The building of the dome was an on-going problem and embarrassment for the church for many years, and the Medici had solved it. The Sistine Chapel was now a pride for the people of Florence. The Sistine Chapel was also flooded with famous paintings from Medici artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli. These painting connected the church with modern society because the Medici artists were used, and they were very popular to the people of Florence. The Medici contributed to the church’s beauty, and connection with society throughout the renaissance. Art and architecture was a crucial part of the renaissance. It was the celebration of humanism, the competition between cities, and the start of new ideas. The Medicis were patrons of the most talented and radical people. The people the Medici supported all contributed greatly to the renaissance outlook on life and human pride. Art was so important to the Medici family that Lorenzo di Medici created a Flourentine School of Art. It was at this school Michelangelo was discovered, and brought in as part of the family. Michelangelo under the name of the Medici completed many inspiring pieces of art that would uplift the feel to society. He created the towering statue of David, which became a proud symbol of the city of Florence. Another Medici sponsored artist, Botticelli was famous for a different kind of art. Botticelli’s artwork was sensual , and contained many mythical gods and godesses. In his painting ‘The Birth of Venus’ this is seen the most clear. Venus is known as ‘the goddess of love’ , and in this painting she is naked emerging from the sea. This type of artwork was popular because it radically celebrated humanism, and portrayed ‘the perfect humans’. This type of art inspired people, and were uplifting. However, it was controversial because although society accepted it, the church did not approve. This was only one of many Medici artists’ artworks that was frowned upon by the church during the renaissance. Architecture played a big role in the uplifting of society as well. Architecture, like art, was another chance to out-do other cities, and win the title as most beautiful city. The Medici were patrons of the most famous architecture of the renaissance–Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi was the architect responsible for the completion of many Florentine buildings such as The Orphan’s Hospital, the Chapel of the Pazzi family, and most memorably; the Sistine Chapel’s dome. Brunelleschi’s architectural success brought forth a feeling of accomplishment, pride, and happiness for the people of Florence. These feelings were common characteristics of the renaissance era, brought forth by the Medici family. By supporting a questioning society, proving their power through patronizing, and discovering their own ways of gaining power, the Medici changed the political ways of the renaissance. Before the renaissance, the church was the most powerful and controlling leader. However, it only had power as long as their followers remained loyal. The Medici were household members with, and big supporters of ,the very intelligent, church-defying Galileo Galilei. Galileo’s completely valid discovery that the Earth travels around the Sun defied the teachings of the Old Testament. Galileo published a book of his discoveries disguised as a fiction novel. This was not the first scientific discovery to defy Bible teachings, however it was the most publicised. This caused society to begin to question the teachings of the Bible, and everything they had been taught. This theme of questioning lead to less loyal followers of the church, and more loyal followers of non-religion based rulers. The Medici also introduced power through patronage. Rather than fighting to prove power like in the past, the Medici found creating the most beautiful city was just as rewarding. Their rise to the very top after completing the dome of the Sistine Chapel proved this theory completely. Most of the Medici valued public involvement, modesty, and connections, for that was how they gained power. According to Pope Puis II Cosimo di Medici was â€Å"not so much a citizen, as master of his city†¦he was king in all but name and state. †The more people they befriended, the more loyal followers they would have. Cosimo Medici I however, ran Tuscany based on fear. He felt a powerful military and security would produce better results and less threats. Both forms of government worked for the Medici, and were continued to be used throughout the renaissance, and into today. The Medici positively contributed to the Renaissance through religion, art, architecture, and politics. For this, the Medici should be honoured as heroes of the renaissance. Through their constant contributions to the church, unique taste in art, and daring bold choices, it is not questionable how the Medici kept power and influence throughout the renaissance. Countries in today’s society should aim for well-rounded leaders like the Medici.

Why Teens Do Drugs essays

Why Teens Do Drugs essays Todays teens have many decisions to face that other generations never had to face. Their peers, their family, and the media have the biggest influence on their lives. They have to make decisions that could end or hurt their life the first time they do it. I am going to tell you why teens do drugs, what drugs are the most common, what effects the drugs have on their bodys, and how many teens are actually doing drugs. There are many reasons why teens chose to turn to drugs as an option. It could be because they have a bad home life and need a way out. Another reason could be because they think that it is cool, but it isnt and some people look down on it. They might not know the effects that it has on your body and how it could kill you with one usage. They could just do it to get in with the so-called popular group and think that it will get more people to think that they are cool. The number one reason why teens chose to do drugs is because one of their friends is doing it and they offer it to them, this is called peer pressure and it is the number one reason why teens do drugs. Those are a few reasons why teens chose to do drugs in modern society. Marijuana is the first drug that I am going to talk about. This drug is the most common drug that is abused in the United States. (Source: national institute on drug abuse (nida). Most teens think that this drug is harmless but actually it isnt, this drug can result in loss of memory and difficulty to learn or concentrate. The number one thing that is misleading is that it is good for you when actually it has more cancer causing ingredients than tobacco has. ...

How to Write an Impressive Speech

How to Write an Impressive Speech Apart from studies, extracurricular activities are an essential part of academics. They help to shape the students up for real life. Activities like debates, quizzes, questionnaires, speeches and essay competitions are a colorful part of academics. Speeches especially pave the way for sequels of many great orators and even leaders. Nevertheless, many great orators cannot take part in such competitions because they are not as good writers as they are speakers. The following points will help you write a good speech yourself: Make sure you understand the topic of the speech thoroughly. It is always a good idea to discuss the problem with someone first, preferably someone who is knowledgeable but is not taking part in the competition himself. Make points that you would like to add to your speech. Start by gathering material from books, websites, etc. After gathering solid content, go for quotations. Look up the speeches and letters of great people, preferably good orators, e.g., Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and Helen Keller, to name a few. You can add as many quotations as you want, but keep in mind that the speech is to be based on your own opinion, not others’. Write the statement while imagining yourself speaking it. Practice in front of the mirror, or if you want to overcome stage shyness, in front of friends during breaks to polish the final thing. Once the speech is written, try to practice it as much as possible. Some language tips to be used while writing speeches are: Do not use flowery expressions that may sound too spurious during formal speeches. Never use the expression like wanna, ain’t, gotcha, gonna, etc. in your speech. Always use language that is advanced yet easy to understand. Try to use minimum passive sentences. Do not use phrases that are too long as they may become complicated to understand by the listeners. Your speech should address the audience directly. There should be parts of the speech to jerk up the audience when it starts feeling bored. Humor is always appreciated in speeches, but it should be decent and relevant to the topic of discussion. Add pauses in between paragraphs to avoid mingling of concepts together. It will also help you remember which paragraph starts after which one. It will make flow in your thoughts visible. For more information about writing speeches including persuasive speeches and  informative speeches, you can find at our custom speech writing service.

A report which describes a business scenario which will benefit from Essay

A report which describes a business scenario which will benefit from investment in the web - Essay Example The application of eCommerce facilitates a business for collection of data, analysing customer base and nature of industry, electronic fund transfer, supply chain and inventory management, online transactions as well as sales and marketing activities very swiftly. The system also allows consumers from any corner of the global village to derive benefits arising out of the products and services introduced by the company applying eCommerce in its business. In this paper, application of eCommerce will be incorporated to a real business in order to monitor how the business can be benefitted from increasing utilization of internet based, web-facing information technology system. For the purpose of analysis, a hypothetical company â€Å"XL Learning Solutions† has been selected for evaluating how the company’s business standards transform through application of web, more specifically eCommerce in its business process. XL Learning Solutions is a famous tutorial and private educational institution situated at Southampton, United Kingdom. The tutorial is run by a group of 5 eminent professors of the city and is well known for its application oriented learning approaches. Apart from dealing with educational curriculum, it also strives to enhance behavioural skills and personality development lessons in order to ensure overall development of the students. Basic technical skills such as application MS Office and other relevant software are also trained in order to enable the students to have a fundamental idea on computer applications so that the students’ foundation of knowledge can be strengthened. The tutorial is so popular in the city that its wide ranged student base has been generated only through referral system, without any promotional activities or any other efforts from the management of the organization. However, the management is noticing since long that many students from other part s of the country are longing to take services provided by

The Internet Speed and Wi-Fi Coverage at Camps and Dormitory Research Proposal

The Internet Speed and Wi-Fi Coverage at Camps and Dormitory - Research Proposal Example For instance, when some users are browsing the internet while others are downloading files such as music, movie or game, the internet connection becomes slow. Time of day also contributes to slowing down the overall speed of the internet. It is notable that when many users are online, internet connections as well as access points could become overloaded leading to delays in the response (Underdahl, 2009). Generally, when everyone is using the internet simultaneously, there would be a decrease in internet speed. The internet could also be slow because of malware/spyware infection in the machines which might be secretly utilizing the internet bandwidth. Spyware could slow the system by way of interfering with the browser and monopolizing the internet connection. Spyware essentially monitors the users’ internet usage and keystrokes, and this adds delays. This problem could be amplified whenever there are several programs of spyware which run simultaneously. The internet connectiv ity could be lost completely if the spyware/malware problem turns out to be severe enough (Purdy, 2010). Computer viruses could also result in poor internet connectivity. ... Other than slow speed of internet, weak Wi-Fi coverage is also an issue. Wi-Fi is simply a technology which enables an electronic gadget to connect to the internet or to exchange data wirelessly with the use of radio waves. Wi-Fi essentially offers wireless high-speed internet as well as network connections. Wi-Fi uses radio frequency (RF) technology, that is, a frequency that is in the electromagnetic spectrum related to radio wave propagation (Kazmeyer, 2011). It is notable that the foundation of any wireless network is an access point (AP); a device that broadcasts a wireless signal which computers could detect and then tune into. It is necessary for devices and computers to be equipped with wireless network adapters so as to connect to an AP and join a wireless network. In our dormitory and camps, there are various devices and applications which are supported by Wi-Fi including mobile phones, video game consoles, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops and operating systems s uch as Android, Windows 7 and Vista. Although there are Wi-Fi enabled devices at our dormitory and camps, there is weak Wi-Fi coverage. The devices can only connect to the internet when within a limited and short range of a wireless network. The coverage of interconnected APs, or hotspots, extends on an area of just 10 square miles – this is a very small area to meet the wireless needs of everyone residing in the camps and dormitories. Routers which integrate a cable modem or a digital subscriber line (DSL) and a Wi-Fi access point was set up at our dormitory and camps in order to provide internet access as well as internet working to every device that is connected to them, either through cable or

Middle Eastern Terroists Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Middle Eastern Terroists - Assignment Example parison comes about with the comprehension that their respective intentions are inherently different and they would like to make sure that their aspirations and values are fulfilled more than anything else. The Middle Eastern terrorist organizations have funding from proper measures which fuel the wave of terrorism in varied parts of the world. This is not the case with the domestic groups which need to find their funding regimes from scattered places and are often disbanded once their aims and objectives have been achieved3. The Middle Eastern terrorist organizations keep on becoming stronger even though the crackdown has been coming all along, and more so after the 9/11 attacks on the United States of America4. The Middle Eastern terrorist organizations are therefore playing their negative role in more ways than one and can sometimes be compared directly with aliens invading the face of this earth with completely opposite perspectives than the inmates of this world5. Hence the comparison is not up to a discussion because of their respective working methodologies, funding mechanisms and so on and so

Summary of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Essay Example for Free

Summary of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Essay lIn â€Å"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,† Stephen Covey helps people become more effective when dealing with the significant challenges of life. In details, Stephen Covey provides guidelines for managing time and balancing studies, social life, job, and other priorities. The first three habits are focused on personal victories. They teach how to develop self-mastery and dependence. Those three habits are: Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, and Put First Things First. Habits four, five, and six address interdependence, the success in working with others. Habit four: Think Win-Win, habit five: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, and habit six: Synergize. The seventh habit: Sharpen the Saw, talks about building one’s personal production capability through self-renewal and continual improvement. After reading this book, I was encouraged to think about what I can do to develop myself and become the best of me. Therefore, I have decided to take the following steps to improve myself: improve my communication and teamwork skills; keep myself focused on what matters the most; be being proactive; and take the time to renew myself and nurture my body, mind, heart, and spirit. My first recommendation to myself is to improve my communication and teamwork skills. Habit four: Think Win-Win and habit six: Synergize, made me realize the importance of teamwork. Habit four taught me that teamwork and long-term relationships require cooperation by seeking mutual benefit. For every problem, there exists a solution that allows everyone to succeed. According to the book, most people learn to base their self-esteem on comparisons and competition with others. They regard their success as the failure of someone else. If they win, others lose. Other people are the opposite. They think if they lose, others win. They accept loss just to make other people happy. People with such mentalities, find it hard to share the recognition and power of others. They cannot be happy for the successes of others even those closest to them. However, a person with win-win mentality is respectful and assertive at the same time. â€Å"It’s not you or me. It’s both of us. It’s not a matter of who gets the biggest piece of the pie. There’s more than enough for everyone. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. The other habit that encouraged me to improve my communication and teamwork skills is habit six. It showed me how people produce more together than the sum of what they could produce separately. This habit mainly says teamwork and trust should be built by creatively cooperating with other people and identifying the contributions of them which is synergizing. There are several examples of the synergetic situations . Stephen Covey gives a couple of them. One example is about two politicians being able to get 1 million votes each, but when working together they are able to get 2. 5 million votes. This example represents the classic 1+1 = 2. 5 equation. Another example is about two people who are too short to pick apples from a tree. But when working as a team with one on the shoulders of the other, they can pick many apples. Stephen Covey also illustrates how to create a synergetic model. To produce a synergetic climate one needs to assess three specific habits: have a win-win attitude (habit 4), seek to understand before to be understood (habit 5), and believe you can achieve more together than alone (habit 6). Moreover, valuing the differences is the essence of synergy. To synergize, one needs to acknowledge and appreciate the differences between people. To believe that those differences are not annoying, but they are precious and there is much to gain from accepting them. After realizing how important teamwork is, habit 5 teaches how to develop a powerful communication skill: listening. Habit 5: Seek to Understand, Then to Be Understood, helped me to understand the concept of listening. Seeking first to understand requires getting inside the talking person’s frame and see the situation the way she/he sees it. You need to understand his/her point of view but not necessarily agree with them. When listening to other people, you should not be thinking about what you are going to say next when the other person stops talking. Instead, you should really listen to what they are saying without interrupting them. You need to try to understand them which will build a bridge between your paradigms and the paradigms of them. This way you will more likely have a stronger influence. My second recommendation to myself is to stay focused on what matters the most to me. This recommendation came in to my mind after reading the second habit: Begin With the End in Mind. This habit taught me how to live with a purpose. It is based on the principle that things need to be created mentally before they are physically created. For example, a plane is first created in someone’s mind before it is actually built. Effective people determine their own futures. First, they mentally plan it according to their values and principles. Second, they physically create it through their positive actions and behaviors. During my college life, I have always had busy weeks in which I had to deal with lots of exams, home woks, quizzes, and projects. In such weeks, I tend to spend all my time only doing my school responsibilities. However, as Stephen Covey says in the second habit, â€Å"most people on their death beds don’t wish they had spent more time at the office! † By the end of each semester, I see myself getting good grades but still not satisfied because deep in my heart school is not my only priority. In order to stay focused on what matters most, I will first determine what matters most to me. In his book, Stephen Covey lists various questions that I will explore when I try to discover myself. After I find out my sense of purpose and meaning in life, I will begin to write my personal mission statement. It will act as a leading constitution by which I will evaluate my daily decisions. Moreover, when trying to keep my focus on the task at hand, I will use Stephen Covey’s life-management quadrants. In the third habit: Put First Things First, he uses a chart with four quadrants that are the result of two axes: urgent and important. Urgent activities call for immediate attention. Important activities are valuable and add to the personal mission, values, and high priority goals. To put first things first is to organize and manage time and events according to the values and vision the person defined in his/her personal mission statement. I always get caught up in day to day crisis, which represent the urgent and important things, and I get distracted from what it is important to me. What I need to do is to spend more time in the important but not urgent quadarant. I will also use a planner to schedule my tasks and activities each week. I will always re-valuate my plans based on my personal mission statement. Those two habits also reminded me that I need to start planning my career path. I will go to my advisor to discuss my career opportunities. I will also take an aptitude test to help me evaluate my talents, abilities, and interests so I can use that information when choosing my career path. I will also write down a list of the most important skills I need to be successful in college and work to improve each one of them. Another thing I want to develop in myself is to increase my proactivity. A lot of times it happened that I receive a grade that I think is unfair and I get upset, which gets me nowhere. Habit one: Be Proactive taught me that whenever I get a grade that I think I do not deserve, I should make an appointment with my professor to discuss it and see what I can learn. To be proactive is to have a choice and control over the situations. A company can be proactive rather than to be under the mercy of the industry. For example, if an industry is facing a downturn, a company can be proactive by developing a plan to cut down the costs and use the industry downturn to its benefit by increasing the market share. Proactive people do not blame other people or circumstances for their own mistakes. They understand whatever they do is what they have chosen to do. They accept responsibility for their choices. When facing a stimulus, they stop and allow themselves to choose a response based on their personal values. In contrast, reactive people do not choose how to respond to stimuli; instead they react immediately without thinking and based on their feelings at that moment. â€Å"There is a gap between stimulus and response, and the key to both our growth and happiness is how we use that space. In the book, Stephen Covey advises his readers to divide events and circumstances into two categories: circumstances they can influence through choices and circumstances they cannot influence at all. Proactive people focus their effort on the things they can control which Stephen Covey calls the Circle of Influence. They do not worry about the things they do not have influence on which he calls the Circle of Concern. By doing so, they increase their control on more and more of those things that are in their Circle of Concern. Reactive people focus on their Circle of Concern. They blame other people or circumstances which both are beyond their influence, for their failures. To be more proactive, I plan to do the following things. I will write down a list of the things in my Circle of Concern that I am always worrying about then I will work on letting go of them one by one. I will pay more attention to my behavior and language and identify the reactive ones. For example, whenever I say â€Å"I can’t do it† I will change that to â€Å"I will try. † Also, from now on I will not let other people’s bad mood rub off on me and ruin my day. This is my choice† will be the attitude I will always adopt. My last recommendation to myself is to take care of my body, mind, heart, and soul. The seventh habit says to be effective one should balance between the production and the production capacity. I will not be able to effectively do the previous recommendations without renewing myself and nurturing my body, mind, heart, and soul. Steph en Covey clarifies this point with the example of the goose and the golden eggs. A poor farmer had a goose. The goose suddenly started to lay a solid golden egg every day and the farmer soon became very rich. The farmer also became very greedy and began to think the goose must have all the golden eggs within it. In order to get all the golden eggs immediately, he killed the goose. As soon as he did that, he discovered there were not golden eggs within it. The moral of the story is that the need of the balance between production and production capability is critical. If one tries to increase the immediate output without considering the production capacity, this capability will be lost. The need for balance between production and production capability applies in physical, financial, and human asset. For example, a person in charge in a factory can increase the output of a machine by stopping the scheduled maintenance and using that time operating the machine and maximizing the production. However, in the future, more maintenance will need to be performed on the machine and the future production will be greatly minimized. That person may be blamed for causing such a mess. The production and production capability applies to customer loyalty as well. A restaurant may have a good reputation for serving great food. If the owner decides to cut down the costs and lower the quality of the served food, the profits will rise immediately. However, as soon as the customers sense the change in the food quality, their trust will be lost. The profits will definitely decline. The need for this kind of balance also applies to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual assets. One should take the time for self-renewal; to preserve and enhance the four human assets. Renewal increases the person’s capacity to undertake the challenges of daily living. It creates growth and change in that person’s life. Without this renewal, the body becomes feeble, the mind mechanical, the emotions dead, and the spirit insensitive. Therefore, I plan on doing the following activities. To preserve my body, I will start an exercise program and I will choose something I really enjoy like badminton. I will also make sure to get at least seven hours of sleep every day. Lastly, I will continue to eat my balanced diet. To nurture my mind, I will start to read more books and solve at least one puzzle every day. To take care of my heart, I will try to build new friendships and have meaningful connections with others.