Pretty Babies, Child Beauty Pageants Essay

Many of us first learned about the world of child beauty pageants when a 5  ½ year old beauty queen named JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered the day after Christmas in 1996. The child was murdered in her Boulder Colorado home and found in the basement with her hands tied, her mouth duct taped, and her throat garroted. Her death was ruled strangulation but there was also blunt force trauma to her head as well as vaginal injury (Auge, Karen, par. 13-15). Her death brought these pageants into our minds, conversations and living rooms and many people were shocked to see a child of that age made up like an adult woman, some even said like a prostitute and accused the pageants of sexualizing her and the other children. Images and videos of JonBenet with her hair curled, teased, and sprayed, wearing heavy make-up and glamorous outfits were splattered across the newsstands and she pranced across our televisions winking, flirting and dancing. Any link of her death to the pageants is speculative since the murder remains unsolved, but many people could not help but wonder how safe it was for a child to be made a spectacle of in such a fashion. This past Monday would have been JonBenets 22nd birthday. Perhaps it is time that we as a society take a good look at child beauty pageants and decide what place if any they have in the future for our daughters. JonBenet was the daughter of a wealthy businessman named John Ramsey and his wife, a former Miss West Virginia 1977, Patsy. Patsy has since passed away but John Ramsey has written a book titled â€Å"The Other Side of Suffering† and in an interview with Nightline, John has expressed his regret that JonBenet participated in the pageants. He states in the interview â€Å"Only because- that possibly (the pageants) might have drawn attention to us. † â€Å"I don’t know. But- I think for- for advice to parents is just recognize that- regardless of where you live, there could be evil around you. And don’t be naive about it. And keep your kids protected† (Chang, par. 0). He wonders now about some of the public appearances JonBenet made and if the murderer was maybe in the audience. He says â€Å"Patsy had her sitting atop a friend’s convertible in the Christmas parade waving at people lining the streets. † â€Å"Patsy’s mother later told me that a strange man approached the car during the parade and it made her uncomfortable. I think about these things now and it makes me cringe. We were so naive. I now believe with all my heart that it is not a good idea to put your child on public display. (Chang, par. 7). His words give weight to the issue at hand and initially, it seems, many people felt the same way as child pageants took a financial hit as less people wanted to be associated with the â€Å"publicly tainted industry† (Friedman, par. 5). Fifteen years after the tragic death of JonBenet the pageants have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity (Friedman, par. 6) thanks in large part to the hit show on The Learning Channel, Toddlers & Tiaras. The show is immensely popular and is now in its fourth season (IMDB, 2012). Understanding, of course that this is a television show and not a documentary, that it has been edited for drama and to create what is commonly called â€Å"good television†, the show nonetheless gives a viewer a look inside this somewhat alien world. In his interview John Ramsey stated that he had never watched the show but had caught snippets that he finds disturbing. â€Å"It is very bizarre† he states â€Å"And, it certainly- Patsy and JonBenet didn’t approach it that way. We-they just did it for fun. †(Chang, par. 5). Will the parents or the pageant officials take heed? Or will the allure of glamour and profit make them justify their actions? Watching the television show you are immediately struck by one fact; this is a southern thing. To the people who do this, none of it is strange. In fact many of the parents were overjoyed to learn they were pregnant with girls and began to buy gowns before their babies were even born. One mother who has a boy and a girl stated that she had been very upset when she found out that she was pregnant with the boy until she found out that boys could participate in pageants as well. She even stated, on television, that she had only had children so she could put them in pageants. This would seem very strange to many people, but if you watch the show you will hear statements like this over and over, often in front of the children and always on camera (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). What is apparent is that this is truly a culture. They call themselves â€Å"Pageant People† (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) and this encompasses not only the contestants and their families but also the judges, pageant directors and announcers and the many, many service people used by the contestants from dress designers to make-up artists and hairstylists to spray tanners and waxers and many of the girls even get facials before a pageants even though their skin cannot possibly look much younger. The popularity of this television show is evident, anyone using a search engine that types in the name of the show will be directed to literally thousands of articles, opinion pieces and fan based websites as well as many spoofs of the show starring big names like Ashley Tisdale and Tom Hanks and has enjoyed the pinnacle of success in the eyes of many, satire on Saturday Night Live. But what about the tiny stars of the show? How safe are they? Is all of this good for them? Watching the show you will see a few kids and moms that seem almost normal, of course these people never get to be the stars. The stars are the children who are bratty, who throw temper tantrums, hit their parents, try to bite other kids and just generally misbehave. The mothers who get the most airtime are of course the ones who say the meanest and most bizarre things. Who treat their children like performing monkeys and seemingly will do anything to get their small progeny to perform on stage. It is remarkable to watch a child transform in just moments from a sparkling banshee into a sweetly smiling and composed young lady, or gentleman on stage. The majority of the children featured on Toddlers & Tiaras are little girls but there are a few boys featured as well. It seems unfortunate that the more poorly behaved the people on the show are the more they are rewarded with fame. One strange family has even got their own spin-off show called, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo (IMDB, 2012). The children often throw fits because they are being forced to do something they do not want to do. Over and over, in almost every episode the children state that they hate doing the beauty portion of the competition. For those unfamiliar with how things work it important to know that the beauty portion is the most important piece of the pageant where girls are judged on their poise, their attire, hair and make-up, and most of all their facial beauty. They are not really expected to perform at this stage of the pageant but only to walk slowly from mark to mark on the stage stopping briefly at each mark to spin and smile sweetly at the judges and the audience and slowly turn from side to side so that all spectators can take in their appearance. One little girl who was seven was criticized by a female judge for â€Å"having too much personality for beauty† although of the same girl a male judge stated that he â€Å"could not take my eyes off her†( Toddlers & Tiaras, season 4, 2012). The girl went on to win the biggest crown in the pageant and a contract with an agent. The judges of the pageants can often seem harsh and mark the children down for seemingly acceptable things for the contestants to do, given that most of the girls featured on the show are only between the ages of four and nine. A six year old was marked down because her ankle rolled. She was wearing high heels. A four year old was marked down because her fake teeth or â€Å"flipper† fell out during the beauty portion. Another girl was marked down for being too â€Å"fake†(?! ). And in one episode the little girls were competing for ten thousand dollars and some former contestants came out of retirement to compete. They were as old as twenty-one and some were doing very sexy dances; the male judge was obviously captivated and would not stop talking about the older contestants. A 20 year old won. Against little girls. (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) You will see some moments on the show where the parents are caring and the children seem to be keeping the whole thing in perspective. One of the fathers, who has 3 children in the pageants does not allow his kids to be tanned or wear fake teeth and lashes and says some of it is â€Å"too far†. He also keeps the bills for the pageants a little lower by renting the dresses and says he preferred the natural pageants. Another one of the parents, this one a mother, laughed when her nine year old daughter’s hair fell down during the pageant, she told her she did â€Å"so good† and reassured her when she began to cry that it was okay. Then said she was just glad she got a crown (in many of the pageants every contestant gets some type of crown) and that she did not need to win the ultimate title and the little girl stated after she calmed down â€Å"win graciously, lose humbly†. Another little girl who won a high title stated that the title she had gotten was really good because â€Å"There’s a lot of girls here†¦ and they tried hard too†. One mother who had seemed very extreme during the beginning of the pageant seemed to have an epiphany at some point during the pageant and said that this would be her seven year old daughter’s last pageant and that her daughter was â€Å"beautiful on her own†. (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). In one touching episode, a mother had only boys and it seemed that her six year old son and her had a very special relationship based on the pageants. The father, in spite of being supportive, was done with his son being in the pageants and wanted this to be his last one. The boy seemed happy to do the pageants and seemed to have a very special relationship with his mother. At the end of the show they were crying and hugging each other and it was actually hard not to be sad for them (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) Most of the other parents are not like those ones and the majority of the scenes shown depict these women as bitter and jealous. The way they speak of the other children is disgraceful. They say mean things in front of their own kids about the other children, especially if the other children win and their daughter did not, like that the girl who won did not deserve it and often say that the pageant was unfair or rigged. One mom on the sidelines said about a girl on the stage â€Å"If she wins, she better go get some cellulite treatment done†(Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). The little girls definitely pick up this cattiness from their mothers. Many times over these children say that they are better or prettier than the other girls. One six year old girl knew from her mother that one of the other girls was her biggest competition at the pageant. The other girl was well known for her continuing pacifier dependency and first girl said that she had a secret weapon for her opponent so she could beat her and held up a gag pacifier that had funny looking teeth on the front of it and then snickered. In one sad scene there were sister aged ten and eight who were competing in the same pageant, the eight year old stated that she was going to beat her sister and if her sister started crying she would â€Å"beat her to he ground†. When the older sister started to cry and said that it was because she was being mean the younger one told her to â€Å"Stop crying, you’re embarrassing me! † (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). If you think the â€Å"tiger moms† would be less cruel to their own offspring you would learn that often that is not the case. Over and over when the children cry because they are hungry, tired, something being done to them hurts or they lost they are told not to cry because they are on camera or that the pageant is not over and their make-up will be ruined. One mom talking about her daughter said that she, the mom, had been better at cheerleading and that her daughter just can’t â€Å"get it† like her. Her daughter was nine. One child was forced to stop doing gymnastics because it was making her muscles too big for her costumes and her mother told her â€Å"that was sucky† when she came off stage. Over and over the children are cruelly disregarded or ignored when they state that they are in pain, feeling sick, hungry or tired. In a heart stopping scene a nine year old girl went missing in full hair and make-up and was no longer in the hotel. In every scene shown by the television show the mom was worried about her being late for her age line up and not concerned for her safety. Luckily, she was found in time, and her standing in the pageant was unaffected. That the girls often cry when they lose is no surprise when you take in that the mothers often cry or state they are going to throw up and berate their daughters for blowing on stage by forgetting to smile at the judges or forgetting part of their routine. The moms let their daughters know that they lost too if their crown is not big enough and does not come with a high title attached to it. The moms will tell their daughters who are smiling and holding a crown that they lost and the crown they have is for losers. One mom while sitting in the audience was â€Å"pissed† and going to cry and listed what the other little girls got and that her daughter didn’t get anything. No wonder the little girl had a tantrum and screamed that she wanted a crown (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) Many of these mothers are, like Patsy Ramsey, former beauty queens themselves and will stop and nothing to ensure their daughters success in the pageant world. Sometimes it becomes so extreme that it makes the news. In 2011 ABC News did a story on a mom who gave her 8 year old daughter Botox injections because she had wrinkles (Hagan, Kunin and Ghebremedhin, par. 5). The mother was not a doctor but an esthetician, which is basically a beautician for the skin. She claims her daughter wanted to try it herself because her wrinkles bothered her. This is hopefully a rare case but more commonly these young children have their eyebrows waxed, they receive spray tans, even if they are African American or bi-racial. They have acrylic nails put on, they are fitted for fake teeth to go over their own teeth called flippers, they have hair extensions put in because often their baby fine hair either is not thick enough for the large hair-dos or not strong enough to take the heat and styling. Some of the girls have their hair bleached before a pageant. Sometimes these things hurt or are uncomfortable and the children complain. There seems to be a particular hatred amongst the little girls for the false eyelashes. Many of the girls scream and cry and beg to not have to wear them to no avail. These are typically services reserved for very high maintenance women and many adult women would not have the patience for them. The FDA has not done studies on the safety of these chemicals for use on children either. How does it feel to sit in make-up and hair for two hours for a child of say four? On pageant day the real magic begins. The girls are up early in the morning in their hotel rooms. They are fed breakfast and then the beauty regime begins. The pageants last all day and usually include several outfit changes and the performance of practiced routines. The girls, some very young, are not allowed to eat or nap so their hair and make-up do not become ruined. To make up for this, the moms have found some magic. On pageant day the girls have sugar cubes and Pixie Stix poured into their mouths all day long and are fed through a straw high caffeine and sugar drinks like Mountain Dew and some†¦ Red Bull energy drinks. There is some serious concern over the safety of these drinks (Ostrow, 2011). One mother asked her daughter before the pageant if she wanted to quit doing them. The girl nodded yes and the mom said â€Å" Let’s look at your crowns! Doesn’t that make you feel better? † (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). One of the reasons many of the parents say they do it is often for the prizes, money, bonds and scholarships. Indeed, some of the pageants featured on the television show do boast some large prizes. But most of the parents admit that they have spent many times over what their child has received. Several of the moms admit to lying to their husbands about how much they spend and one single mom has moved in with her parents so they could continue to pay for pageants and it is common for the mothers to take a â€Å"pageant job† (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) to cover some of the expenses. Some of the parents spend lavishly on the pageants. Many of the pageants have a top prize of only several hundred dollars yet the girls will show up in 2500$ dresses. In one episode two sisters have their very own trailer for pageant accessories that have their pictures emblazoned on the sides. One very enterprising mother has published a pageant book about her daughter, recorded a song and had a doll made in her daughters image. In an episode where they went to the Tonight Show she was saying how she was planning to get her daughter and agent and a two million dollar contract so she could quit her job and move to Hollywood. It seems as if the parents either have delusions about some pay off that will eventually come if they keep plugging away or they really have just found a very expensive habit that they justify for other reasons.

Pfizer Company: A Presentation of Strategic Context

Pfizer is the number two largest biomedical and pharmaceutical research and development company in the world, boasting in excess of fifty Billion dollars per year in gross revenues. While the recession has hit many companies, the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals sector has remained not only relatively insulated, but in addition to that the forecasting models for growth predict a profitable future. Pfizer has had its share of growing pains, a cause for reduction in gross revenues comes primarily from a growth strategy to acquire another large biopharmaceutical company, yet net retained earnings have continued to increase at a rate of six percent annual average each year over the last three years. After Pfizer’s acquisitions of Wyeth they saw a substantial increase in operating profit margins due to increased efficiencies between the two companies. Pfizer has recently acquired a biopharmaceutical company named Wyeth. By purchasing Wyeth which specializes in vaccines, Pfizer has broadened their customer base by expanding their product line. This business practice aligns with Pfizer’s current pro-growth Strategy. It is clear, in most part; Pfizer’s business Strategy aligns with the wild wild west model of Industry Ecosystems. Pfizer if a relatively fast growing company, in an industry that thrives on making fast and furious technological discoveries, and they have a very high rate of customer retention due to patent protection. Pfizer has many competing technologies in the market place for such diseases as cardiac health, mental health, and infectious disease treatments. Their drug Lipitor is by far the highest grossing drug the company currently has on the market. Cardiac disease is the most common and fatal disease that Americans face. Lipitor functions by lowering low density lipids (or fats) in the blood stream thus promoting cardiac and circulatory efficiency and health. Pfizer’s patent on Lipitor is set to expire in November of this year which would potentially result in reducing their total revenues for that drug significantly because other companies could then introduce a generic substitute. The net effect of Lipitor’s patent expiration on Pfizer’s bottom line could be a reduction as large as ten percent of total gross revenues. Pfizer would be expected to retain approximately twenty percent of users which equals four percent of Pfizer’s total Gross Revenues. Some customers ill continue to use Lipitor, for example: those patients whose insurance does cover name brand medicines or patience of physicians that reject writing prescriptions for generic substitutes. This problem is a perfect example of one of Porters Key strategy principals that Pfizer follows, analyzing and protecting a threat of substitute products. How Pfizer addresses the problem is how they exercise his strategy. The current estimated retail cost of Lipitor is around one hundred and seventy dollars per month depending on the prescribed dosage. After November of this year it is very possible that we could see a generic substitute on the Wal-Mart four dollar list. Part of Pfizer’s Business strategy has been to launch legal battles for patent protections and extensions longer than the November 2011 date, which would result in a prolonged period of increased earnings and profits. To continue with an analysis of strategy, Pfizer uses both a combination of the resource based view in conjunction with the industry investment prospective. An example of this would be Pfizer’s acquisition of Wyeth which catered to a much broader and diverse section of the drug market. The resource prospective would say that Pfizer already has massive research and development capabilities, drug production and manufacturing systems, and well established distribution channels for its already long list of products, making Wyeth a fit for the company’s growth and expansion strategies. What is different from the resource based view and supports the industry investment strategy is that Wyeth is a leading researcher, developer, and provider of vaccines, which is a very lucrative industry in and of its self. The numbers of users for vaccines are much larger than for a specialized product such as Lipitor, yet vaccines still have patent protections that help drug companies keep prices high. These two companies merged together have much greater and sustainable competitive advantages than either one by itself. One of the resources that will help to fend off threats to their product lines is their pooling of resources for their in house legal team. As new products emerge from the research and development scientists, their joint capacity to protect their drug assets and keep products in the hands of the end users will inevitably eep other drug companies from capitalizing on the opportunities to produce generics. Some of the more rare and inimitable products are the ability to produce huge financial gains for Pfizer if they pass through all the stages of FDA screening protocol. Some areas Pfizer is currently investing research and development dollars are, DNA specific drugs, new small molecule compounds, Stem Cell therapies, Amino Acid therapies. DNA specific drugs have huge potential for Pfizer because many side effects can be prevented, allergies can be detected, and a shorter time line for approval to the FDA can result from better drugs. New small molecule compounds are useful because they tend to have fewer side effects which equal fewer liabilities and risk for the producer, and can be easier to develop and manufacture. Stem cell research also opens up a great deal of opportunity for drugs that work well on the cellular and molecular level, but can even be toxic or fatal in the human body. The method of drug delivery is many times the largest hurdle in getting an effective drug to the reaction site to produce the desired effect. Finally, and quite possibly most interestingly there are over three hundred and twenty know amino acids. Our human bodies produce or utilize only twenty four of them. Many of the reaction mechanisms on the molecular level can be imitated or recreated by unnatural amino acids meaning that we may see a huge increase in effective drugs with decreased side effects by utilizing these products. In conclusion Pfizer has acquired a great addition to its company with Wyeth as part of its pro-growth business strategy. It is clear that they have used a combination of both resourced based and industry based strategy. By tapping into a broad mass market via a new product by a new company Pfizer will have a clear competitive advantage over companies like Merk and Novartis. Pfizer is definitely leveraging their human resource assets to prevent substitute products from entering the markets. I believe that by exercising these strategies Pfizer can prevent slipping into the creative destruction life stage of a company.

An Observation of the Concert Beethovens Seventh at the Rhode Island Philharmonic

An Observation of the Concert Beethoven's Seventh at the Rhode Island Philharmonic I attended the Rhode Island Philharmonic on March 16, to see the concert Beethoven’s Seventh. The concert was nearly full attendance, so probably around 1700 people were there, out of the 2000 possible seats at The Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Most, if not all, of whom seemed to be enjoying it. Samuel Barber’s Second Essay for Orchestra, Op. 17, as well as Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, Op. 92 in A major, were both conducted by Victor Yampolsky. Yampolsky was born in the Soviet Union, to a world-renowned pianist of a father, Vladimir Yampolsky. Before leaving The Soviet Union, Victor studied violin at The Moscow Conservatory, was a member of the Moscow Philharmonic, and earned Bachelor’s Degrees in both conducting and violin performance. Since his emigration in 1973, Victor has held positions at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Boston University School of Music, The National Symphony Orchestra on Johannesburg, and the Chicago Civic Orchestra. The Second Essay for Orchestra was finished on March 15, 1942 by Samuel Barber. It premiered around a month later, April 16, at Carnegie Hall. Barber was born in Westchester Pennsylvania in 1910. Studying piano from the age of six, Barber had written his first composition by the age of seven. He composed a myriad of pieces over his many years composing, dying at the age of 71 in 1981. Though short, The Second Essay was quite enjoyable to hear performed. The rhythm of the piece was consistently dramatic, or grand. On the other hand, The Seventh Symphony, Op. 92 in A major was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven between 1811 and 1812 and consists of four movements. Born in 1770, Beethoven studied music from an early age, moving to Vienna at age twenty-one to study composition. Forty-one years of age at the start of its composition, Beethoven was suffering from headaches and high fevers. Prior to its composition, Beethoven had recently given up conducting in public due to his declining hea lth. The piece itself premiered in December 8, 1813, with Beethoven himself conducting it in Vienna. It was very well received, with the audience demanding an encore for the Allegretto part and Beethoven himself calling it possibly one of his best works. The drama and grandness of the Seventh Symphony often leave an impact on listeners. Allegretto is the favorite of the piece’s four movements, according to popular opinion or a count of demanded encores. That being said, my favorite movements of the performance was the first, Poco Sostenuto Vivace. While it begins slower in the ‘poco sostenuto’ part, it quickly transitions into what is called the ‘vivace’ part. This part of the movement is specifically what I enjoyed, its dancing, progressive rhythms and changes of key were pleasing to listen to.

Autism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Autism - Essay Example st provided by the DSM-IV is quite comprehensive since the primary symptoms include qualitative difficulty in social interaction shown by things like impairments in the use of nonverbal behavior. This is particularly true if the child attempts their simultaneous use, a failure to develop relationships with peers, a lack of interest in different objects and a failure to show emotional reciprocity (Autistics, 2002). Additionally, a person with autism may show qualitative impairments in developing language skills, difficulties in maintaining conversations, idiosyncratic language and a lack of make believe play (Wikipedia, 2006). There are also minor criteria listed in the DSM-IV but the major symptoms are far more important for a diagnosis of autism which needs a physiological and neurological evaluation (Autistics, 2002). As a disorder, autism may present it self in a wide variety of ways, since people with autism may be nearly dysfunctional and appear to be mentally disabled to those whose symptoms are mild or remedied enough to appear normal to others (Wikipedia, 2006). Even though the actual causes of autism are not known, there has been some evidence found which links genetics to autism. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have also linked autism to abnormal blood vessel function and oxidative stress. The majority of individuals with autism also have increased brain size but the link between the two is not clearly established as of yet. As the understanding of the causes of the disorder is improved with time, the methods of treatment and diagnosis should also improve (Wikipedia, 2006). The methods of treatment and handling of the disorder depend on early detection and intervention. The mitigation of the disorder requires intensive therapies such as applied behavioral analysis, parental and caregiver training, practice with the individual, and in many cases, special schooling. It must be noted that a complete cure of autism is often impossible since

Children today waste too much time playing video games Essay

Children today waste too much time playing video games - Essay Example Children virtually spend their summer vacations playing these games. About half of all children have a video game player or a computer on which to play the video game and parents do not restrict the types of game the children play. AskDr.Sears.com reports eighty percent of most popular video games feature violence and aggressiveness. Surveys also suggest, by the time a typical American child reaches the age of eighteen, he has seen 200,000 acts of violence and 40,000 murders on screen. According to Maney (2005) video games might be the best things that children can do to ensure their future success. Maney quotes Steve Johnson, who says that at every point while playing the video games one has to make decisions. One has to think about patterns, long-term goals, and resources. These help to take a decision and depending upon the feedback from the game one again has to adjust the decision. Maney confirms that games like Halo 2, EverQuest or the lurid Grand Theft Auto hone the kind of decision-making abilities that define a successful person. Parents often insist that children should spend time reading books rather than playing video games. Johnson disagrees saying whatever the benefits of reading, you are following someone else’s decision. Video games have been linked to violence and aggressive behavior. Others believe that video games provide an outlet for aggression and frustration. According to the journal American Family Physician, studies have not been able to show concrete evidence of behaviour being affected due to violent video games. This argument can be countered by the violence and blood bath that children are exposed to, in books like King Lear and Lord of the Flies. They challenge the belief that books are automatically better than video games. Dr. John C Beck, author of Got Games, believes video games foster team skills (cited by Powell S, 2005). He refutes the view that it

The Great Gatsby Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Great Gatsby - Essay Example Nick is arguably the most important character in the novel. Nick plays a key role in The Great Gatsby, he can be trusted as a narrator because whatever he says seems very genuine, this paper will shed more light upon this novel. The Great Gatsby is an intriguing novel which was first published in the year 1925, the First World War was fought between 1914 to 1918 and the novel reflects the happenings of the First World War in more ways than one. The Americans were well ahead of all their counterparts once the war came to an end, they were economically very sound and also had better infrastructure than most other countries, the same gave them an air of invincibility and they walked with their noses in the air. The Americans also believed that everything could be purchased because it was boom time for the economy, the booming economy also instilled a lot of confidence in the Americans and they started purchasing goods on credit. On the other hand the war had also taken a toll on the Ame ricans, the country had just started to recover from a major setback and everything was in real chaos. â€Å"Honesty is does not seem to determine which characters are sympathetic and which are not in this novel in quite the same way that it does in others. Nick is able to admire Gatsby despite his knowledge of the man's illegal dealings and bootlegging. Ironically, it is the corrupt Daisy who takes pause at Gatsby's sordid past. Her indignation at his "dishonesty," however, is less moral than class-based. Her sense of why Gatsby should not behave in an immoral manner is based on what she expects from members of her milieu, rather than what she believes to be intrinsically right.† (The Great Gatsby)   During the First World War the Americans helped each other by several ways but all this changed once the war was over, the author has tried to portray greed, cynicism and indifference towards other people through his novel the Great Gatsby, it is not about just one man loving a woman, the novel has much more to it than just that. â€Å"I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.† (The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1) These lines were spoken by Daisy in chapter 1, she is talking to Nick and Jordan and this is what she hopes to do for her infant daughter. This goes to show that intelligence in women was not valued at all back then. The older generation wanted women to be docile and the younger generation wanted to derive physical pleasure out of females back then. Empty pursuit of pleasure is perhaps the highlight of this novel, the American dream becomes corrupt beyond imagination because of the parties thrown by Gatsby every Saturday. The Americans who had fought the war became very disillusioned and money-minded, they started believing that money could buy anything and everything and this also marked the start of something which would prevail for several years and the same is al so prevalent, there are many people who firmly believe that money would buy them happiness but the truth is much different from this. The Stock market started recovering and this resulted in people having access to a lot of money which they would blindly blowup on unnecessary things, the spending power had increased but the same also caused

Acquisition of Skype Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Acquisition of Skype - Essay Example In case of a merger, firms come together for combining and sharing their resources with the purpose of attaining the common objectives. On the other side, in an acquisition one corporation purchases the shares or assets of another corporation. Shareholders of the acquired firm lose their ownership (Sudarsanam, 2003). They have been taking place in the business world over the past century. It is one of the most effective strategies in the present intensely competitive business scenario. Details related to the source of finance, risk related to this acquisition and various tactics regarding defense are also provided in this paper. eBay is one of the most successful companies in the world of e-commerce. It has changed the definition of e-commerce business with its popular websites like eBay Marketplace, Kijiji, Paypal, Shopping.com, and Rent.com. Every day these websites bring millions of sellers and buyers together. The company was founded in 1995. It is a company that is inspired by opportunity and sustained by the trust (eBay, 2005). Skype, on the other hand, is renowned as a leading name in the arena of global internet communications. With its high end peer-to-peer innovative software, Skype allows people to make unlimited, superior quality, free voice calls. Its award-winning software can be used in different platforms like Windows, Linux, Pocket PC platforms and Mac OSX. It was launched in 2003 and within two years it was downloaded over 182 million times throughout the world. There are 27 languages in which Skype is available (eBay, 2005). Â  

International marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 4

International marketing - Essay Example Coming up with novel, more competitive products and continuously improving its offer strengthens Asseco Group position while opening new market and client opportunities. As of January 2010 the Asseco Group employed over 8500 people. Asseco Poland SA is in the process of trying to introduce its Customer Care Integration and Operation system in to renowned big banks and financial institutions in the UK, but without much success at the moment (Bennett, & Blythe, 2002). This is a system that aims to integrate customer care operations of the bank in to the main functions of the bank –that is seamless integration. That is if a customer calls the bank, their calls will be automatically recognized by the system and routed to the proper area of the bank. Asseco Poland SA is interested in targeting the UK market, London in particular as it’s the number one financial center in the world, as there are a number of small and medium scale banks and financial institutions. It is aiming to target these medium and small scale banks and financial institutions in UK. Product placement strategy related opportunities. Company can place the product in well researched market segments like small and medium scale banks and financial institutions in cities such as London. The current UK legislation may have a negative impact due to increase in taxes. If taxes increase this increase may have to be passed down to the customer. Thus price of the product will increase. This will affect the business of the company. The threat of new software companies coming to the market is mitigated to a great extent by the fact that investing in the software industry is an expensive deal. Developing sophisticated software is expensive, thus this is a barrier against new companies entering the market. While many stakeholders – internal and external – would show an equally great amount of interest in the successful outcome of the event, there can

Strategic management Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic management - Article Example This presence can further intensify the competition as more and more niches within the market are developed. There can be opportunities specially in terms of offering comprehensive services under one roof because most of the players are focused on providing specialist services and are not clearly focused on universal medical services under one roof. 2) Due to lack of more sophisticated hospitals in non-urban areas, the overall bargaining power of consumers may be low. However, due to overall size of the healthcare suppliers, there is relatively higher bargaining power available to suppliers i.e. physicians, medical professionals, healthcare supplies etc. The fact that RRMC was not able to procure some of the supplies required for essential procedures therefore outline that due to demand and supply dynamics of medical supplies suppliers, they are yielding more power. The overall competitiveness and the lower concentration of high quality services providers in the non-urban areas there fore make it relatively more lucrative for new players to enter into the market. The chances for the substitute products to dominate the market are relatively low because alternative medicine is not common yet and therefore may not take place of the traditional services offered. The overall rivalry in the industry therefore is relatively high due to the fact that more and more players may enter into the market and serving different niches of the market. 3) One of the key competitive advantages of RRMC is its ability to offer different services under one roof. Started as an acute services provider, RRMC developed itself into a larger healthcare services provider by including innovative services such as heartburn treatment center, chest pain treatment, and diagnostic services along with other general services. This therefore can serve as one of the key competitive advantages for RRMC and can distinguish it from other players in the market which are mostly focused on providing selectiv e services. This competitive advantage could be sustainable if RRMC is able to continuously upgrade its operations and bring in more innovativeness in its operations. An expanded base of services coupled with latest technology therefore can surely help RRMC to maintain its competitive advantage and sustain it for longer period of time. 4) A closer analysis of the facts provided in the case study suggests that RRMC’s inbound logistics may have minimum impact on its competitiveness. However, the operations of the hospital are really critical and are probably the major source through which it generates its competitive advantage. The network of different departments and services including outpatient departments therefore can serve as the outbound logistics of the firm. Outbound logistics of the firm coupled with operations of the firm work in tandem to offer RRMC a unique advantage in the market. The use of membership incentives through MedKey program can also serve as one of the key sources for competitive advantage of the firm. Through this, hospital has been able to achieve both the retail i.e. individual as well as local businesses as customers and offered them bundled services. The use of internet for the purpose of market can also be considered as key part of the overall marketing campaign of the hospital to maintain its competitive advantage. Since the essential nature of the hospital is to provide healthcare servic

Prelab for Calibration of Volumetric Glassware Essay Example for Free

Prelab for Calibration of Volumetric Glassware Essay 1). Weigh a 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask. Make sure the glassware is clean and free of any cracks or stars. Also, take note of the temperature of water, as volume varies with temperature 2). Transfer a portion of the water to flask with a pipette and record the mass of flask with the water. Use this data to calculate how much water was transferred from the pipette to the flask. 3). Repeat step two 4 times, ensuring the remaining results are similar to the first trial. Use this data to calculate the mean amount of water transferred and the standard deviation between the data points. Calibration of a 50 mL Buret: 1). Fill the buret with 50 mL of the temperature-equilibrated water. Be as precise as possible in order to obtain reliable data. If the volume changes over a period of a few minutes, obtain a new buret. Be sure to obtain the temperature of the water as well. 2). Weigh a 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask with its stopper. Again, make sure the flask is sanitary and has no cracks or stars. 3). At a rate of 20 mL/min, open the buret stopper and allow 10.00 mL of water to submerge into the flask. Remember to seal off the flask as soon as the water stops in order to minimize evaporation. 4). Using the technique of reading meniscus’s, record the volume reading for the buret to the hundreds place. The last significant digit may be an approximation. 5). Weigh of the stopped Erlenmeyer flask with the water on a scale. Determine the quantity of water transferred from the buret by finding the mass difference from the flask with no water vs. the new weight. 6). Repeat the steps from three to five four more times for the remaining volume of the buret and repeat the whole procedure again with a new 50 mL volume. Remember to record all data. Also, make sure to repeat data that is not duplicated correctly to ensure accurate and precise results. 7). Use the correction data from table one in order to find the true volume of water transferred based on the temperature. Create tables of the recorded data as well as a plot of the correction data with the apparent volume with labeled axis. Perform Calculations 8). Dispose of all glassware and materials accordingly and clean up the lab area. Hazards: No harmful chemicals will be dealt with in this lab. The only safety hazard is to be cautious of broken or chipped glassware that may cut one’s skin. Make sure to report any mutilated glassware to TA and accidents in the lab must be handled properly.

An overview of the Bank of Maldives

An overview of the Bank of Maldives On 23rd May 1982, Bank of Maldives was registered (Company Registry No. C-22/1982) with Ministry of Home Affairs as a company. On 10 November 1982 BML was registered at Maldives Monetary Authority and was given license to provide banking business in the Maldives. Joint venture with IFCI Bank of Maldives Plc was inaugurated on November 11, 1982 and started commercial operation as a joint venture bank with 60% shares held by the Government of the Maldives (including its Agencies and Maldivian Companies) and 40% shares owned by International Finance Investment Company Limited (later IFIC Bank Limited), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Until 31st December 1992, the Bank was managed by the professionals of IFIC Bank Limited and they were paid 10% of the Banks profit. During the tenth year of the Bank, the Government of Maldives decided to re-structure the Bank of Maldives as such requested the IFIC Bank Ltd to reduce the share holding and also the number of representation in the Board. Consequently IFIC Bank Ltd decided to dispose off its entire shares in the Bank of Maldives and terminate its relations with the Bank with the expiry of the Management Contract on December 31, 1992. Bank of Maldives Become Public Limited Company On 14 November 1992, Government of Maldives purchased 40 per cent shares held by IFIC Bank Ltd. As a result, 80 per cent of the share capital of the Bank of Maldives was owned by the Government while the remaining 20 per cent of the share capital was sold equally to the State Trading Organization and Maldives Transport and Contracting Company respectively. Company Shares In December 1992, the Government decided, to sell Banks shares to the general public, with a view to expand the Banks capital. From January 1, 1993, Bank of Maldives Plc has become, and since then remained, a bank fully owned by the people and the Government of the Maldives. The Bank of Maldives Plc issued shares during 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2007. In 2007, Memorandum and Articles of Association of the bank was revised, shares were split and bonus shares were given to the existing shareholders. As a result the authorised caiptal of the bank was increased from Rf 300 million to Rf 800 million. The face value of BML shares stand at Rf 50/-. Bank of Maldives Branches Presently the Bank of Maldives Plc has 25 branches. Three out of 25 branches are in Male, the capital, 01 in Male International Airport (Hulhule Island) and 01 each in both Villingili ward and Hulhumale. The other branches are distributed amongst the atolls of the country, each with a designated command area. Hence, the Bank of Maldives Plc is able to serve the whole nation. Strategies for businesses The main business of the Bank is retail banking in addition to handling development banking activities in all the atolls of the Republic, Bank of Maldives PLC extends a variety of modern banking services online in a fully computerized environment and is proud to be serving  the nation as the leading bank in the Maldives. A business strategy is a pattern of decision and actions that are taken by the business to achieve its objectives. Business planning involves deciding what is to be done, setting objectives and developing polices to achieve them. There is a number of stages involve in the planning process. These include Identifying the objectives Analalysing the positions of the business Deciding on suitable strategy Implementing a suitable strategy Evaluating its effectiveness Strategic Planning Process Mission We will lead the way through quality of service and dedication of our staff. We will serve all our communities to the best of our ability, strive always to listen to your needs and so build total customer confidence and satisfaction Vision To be the leader in the financial industry in Maldives, spreading its presence in all key economic geographies in Maldives To be the leader in the financial industry in Maldives, inculcating a long term saving culture in the nation and promoting a cashless society To be one of the most Efficient, Profitable and Respected financial institutions in Maldives. Values Strategic analysis This is all about the analysing the strength of businesses position and understanding the important external factors that may influence that position. The process of Strategic Analysis can be assisted by a number of tools, including: SWOT Analysis: a useful summary technique for summarising the key issues arising from an assessment of a businesses internal position and external environmental influences. PEST Analysis: a technique for understanding the environment in which a business operates Scenario Planning: a technique that builds various plausible views of possible futures for a business Five Forces Analysis: a technique for identifying the forces which affect the level of competition in an industry Market Segmentation: a technique which seeks to identify similarities and differences between groups of customers or users Directional Policy Matrix: a technique which summarises the competitive strength of a businesses operations in specific markets Competitor Analysis: a wide range of techniques and analysis that seeks to summarise a businesses overall competitive position Critical Success Factor Analysis: a technique to identify those areas in which a business must outperform the competition in order to succeed SWOT Analysis A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is a tool used to provide a general or detailed snapshot of a Companies health. Think of your SWOT as a tune-up that every business needs periodically to diagnose and fix whats a bit worn, whats on the verge of breaking down, or whats already broken and needs replacementso that you can keep the business humming-even better than it has in the past. Strength Financial stability and bank is well capitalised and this has enabled it to perform relatively well Highest market shares Government helps since it has their share power Most effective recruitment and selection process Awarded for 3 years about their customer satisfaction methods. Easy transections for its customers Updated technology Nations most trusted company with the highest transections Oldest bank in the market and well branded in the country Weakness Less number of employees to deal with their daily transections and customers problems. Limited dollar providing Difficult to get loans compare to their competitors Opportunities Since they have got a good financial stability they can expand their business to other islands Sell more shares to the public market. It will increase their customers and also will be able to have a better capital to provide a good service To deal with their daily transections and to get experience from developed banks like Swiss bank they can ask from the government talk about it with them. Threats Recently have stopped providing any types of card to the customers Economic crises Competitors The strengths of the company can be assessed as companys resources and also the company capabilities which can be used as a root to achieve its objectives and goals and also for developing a competitive advantage. Maintain the strength and try to readuse the weakness such as Forgn currency prob PESTLE It is very important that an organization considers its environment before beginning the marketing process. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed all aspects of planning. Political In Maldives government doesnt influence most of the business. But Bank of Maldives is a government company so they take decisions according to their political decisions. Most of the business in this country are private business. Government helps to their business to carry it with the highest level they can and to expend it. However they have recently announced that they will make new rules to the tertiary sector business. Economical After the tsunami the country is developing rapidly their business and starting new business. In the market they have got so many new competitors like HSBC and Bank of Ceylon. Most of the people still trusts Bank of Maldives because of being the oldest Bank in the country and also its under the control of government. Most of the transection are done in the capital city. So economically they will face much troubles from their business. Because HSBC can be a competitor who will be able to get market share. They have the best dollar providing service. When looking in to the people perspective, most of the people have bank accounts. And all most all the people are aware about the modern world. Business cycle Social Maldives economy is based on about the social could be their spending is higher and less saving. This way happens mostly with the youngsters. Everything for them is fun and enjoying. And each every of them has their own bank account. Thats why it increase the bank transection. Technological Business operates with new technology à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Organizational hierarchy Technology is vital to gain competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. Changes in technology have also become mainly weighty in the post-millennium world. This is particularly true in terms of modern communication technologies. The creation of databases and electronic communications have enabled huge quantities of information to be shared and quickly distributed in a modern company enabling vast cost reductions, and often improvements in service and product. Organizations need to be aware of the latest relevant technologies for their business and due to high competition in the market. The most important changes brought by the human in the 21st century were the Technology. The technology has brought the people together with the best, comfortable and convenient life. Also technology is one of the biggest issues in modern world. Bank of Maldives use the latest technology to serve its customers Porters Fives Forces Supplier : Having a good pricing strategy and a good customer care will enhance Bank of Maldives to catch up the marker easily and maximize the profit. BCG Matrix Directional policy Matrix GE Matrix Market force and Bank of Maldives Communication Human Resource Of the organization Hirchy of company

Monster.com Essay -- E-commerce Business Monster Jobs Essays

Monster.com Background:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Monster.com is an internet site that is offered as an opportunity for job seekers to examine the market for available positions that will match their requirements. This way job seekers can shop around for a job that will be most appealing to them. The site also offers employers to shop around for the best suited employee since there is availability to post rà ©sumà ©s on the site. This site can be accessed by registering with a user id and have password so regular visits to the site can be established. Monster.com was an idea that came to life under the supervision of its creator, Jeff Taylor. Its road to success was ingenious and in the next couple of pages, we will examine the idea behind the success. Statement of the Problem:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea started forming when the creator was put under pressure caused by the situation after the mid 1990’s recession. Jeff Taylor had started ADION, a niche advertising company the specialized in designing traditional recruitment advertisements for high-tech clients. When the economy started recovering after the recession, the clients were hungry for new material that would offer solution for their problems. Taylor was stuck trying to figure a solution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second problem was at the time that the idea formed in Taylor’s head, internet was just staring out. It was not known and the possibilities it offered was definitely not as wide as it is today. Many were skeptical of the idea and ADION’s clients were getting cold feet and wanted to withdraw. â€Å"Consensus was that I had lost focus; in their eyes I was doing ‘computer crap’.†, Taylor said about the general opinion about him at the time he was trying to launch his new idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Third problem occurred once the site was being launched. There weren’t enough people believing in it and the site did not draw the attention that was counted on. Measures had to be taken to get the site to attract response to the site.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fourth problem was launching the site globally. Definition of key players and explanation of why they are key players:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most important key player is Jeff Taylor who is the creator of monster.com. Taylor came up with the idea of the monster idea by pure brain storming and he pursued it to the successful position it reached when TMP worldwide bought it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another key player is ADION, the advertising desig... ... might be regarded upon as international, is the fact that job seekers and employers looking for suitable employees, can be found all over the world. The desions however are positively international. Once an internet site is established, there is no limit to where it could be used from. The problem with that is what country does the site offer it services to. When the monster board was established, it dealt solely with the American market. It was the job seekers in America looking for at jobs offered by different companies located in the 50 states of the US.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But once the acquisition was completed, the site was then formed to suit each one of the countries that TMP was offering it services in. monster.com has already established itself as the number one career helper in many countries, and it yet has plans to enter many more.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The AOL deal is another aspect of monster.com internationality. Since Monster.com became the exclusive career search site for all AOL properties, the penetration into foreign markets has continued. Through AOL, monster.com is able to access people and markets that would not have been possible if they had remained an American private company.

Virginia: State and National Science Standards :: Essays Papers

Virginia: State and National Science Standards Across the field of education, standards have become both a guideline for teacher lesson plans and a measuring device for students’ achievement. In recent years several subject-based standards have been put in place by national organizations of scientists, mathematicians, and other professionals. Simultaneously, states have been developing their own set of standards, many of which may or may not correspond with offerings such as the National Science Education Standards (NSES). One example we will focus on in this paper is the State of Virginia’s Standards of Learning (SOLs). As a result, the VA SOLs received a rather poor grade on a national scale, measured by the Thomas B. Ford Foundation in March 1998. Much of the criticism lies in the VA SOLs’ lack of broad ideas and theoretical structure. Educators across the state have differing opinions concerning the VA Science Standards. Many educators have expressed disagreement over the value and the implementation of the SOLs. With regard to the VA Science SOLs, one elementary school teacher stated, "I don’t find the science SOLs controversial at all. I really enjoy teaching science and can find many ways to include the SOLs in all my academic areas." Not all teachers feel so positively about the standards. A Northern Virginia elementary principal expressed this viewpoint when he said, "Your feeling about the science SOLs will depend on your philosophical point of view about a fact vs. experiential science curriculum†¦Teachers who like open-ended, experiential-thinking based curriculum will not like them [VA SOLs], teachers who like sequential, fact-rich curriculum will." One criticism of the VA SOLs points towards its lack of exploratory learning due to its fact-based nature. Many believe that the extensive content needed to be covered handicaps teachers in such a way that they are unable to teach anything else but the SOLs and therefore can not delve deeply into any one area of study. On the contrary, VA SOLs can be a valuable resource for lesson plans. Since all teachers on a certain grade level must hold their students responsible for the same information, they can easily share lessons and materials. This lends itself to collaborative teaching. The NSES also have both positive and negative aspects. The National Science Education Standards appeal to those who appreciate an inquiry-based, constructivist approach. As stated in Catherine Kelly’s article, Reaching to the Standards (2000), "The Standards [NSES] have also encouraged constructivism and rallied support for a developmental curriculum in which students are more process oriented than product oriented.

Dostoevsky was an Anti-Semite Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

Dostoevsky was an Anti-Semite Literary anti-Semitism is as old as Western culture itself. A full listing of writers who have expressed hostility toward Jews and/or Judaism--from Shakespeare to T.S. Eliot, from Pushkin to Pasternak, etc.--would add up to a Who's Who of Western literature.1 Undoubtedly, Dostoevsky follows in this tradition. It is disparaging, however, that as the true novelist of ideas and Christian love, Dostoevsky could harbor such ill will towards the Jews. Does this not discredit everything he has written? This paper will address Dostoevsky's anti-Semitism through an examination of Isay Fomitch Bumstein in The House of the Dead, the Messianic idea in The Devils, and 'the little demon' in The Brothers Karamazov. Furthermore, this paper will question the moral implications of Dostoevsky's Christian message given his anti-Semitic posture. It will suggest that while he was indeed an anti-Semite, one can continue to read Dostoevsky's work without feeling that his message was a complete sham.2 Until The House of the Dead, Jews were practically absent from Dostoevsky's writings.3 But beginning with this book in 1862, the Jew and the Jewish question assume a place of growing importance in Dostoevsky's thought. The eight years of military and penal servitude in Siberia expose Dostoevsky to both criminals and Jews alike. Unlike Gogol, who in his native Ukraine had observed firsthand the hostility between the Ukrainians and Jews, Dostoevsky did not have any direct experience with Jews, because there were few Jews living in St. Petersburg.4 It is in the House of the Dead that Dostoevsky, for the first time, depicts a Jewish character: Isay Fomitch Bumstein (IV, 61). Dostoevsky pays considerable attention to ... ...id., pg. 30. 8 Goldstein, pg. 50. 9 Ibid., pg. 55. 10 Ibid, pg. 50. 11 Goldstein, pg. 56. 12 Ibid., pg. 51. 13 Goldstein, pg. 155. 14 Goldstein, pg. 156. 15 Joseph Frank, xi. 16 David Singer, pg. 21. 17 Joseph Frank, xii. 18 Ibid., pg. xiv. Bibliography: 1. Dostoevsky, Fyodor, The Brothers Karamazov. The Garnnet Translation, revised by Ralph E. Matlaw. W.W. Norton & Company, New York. 1976. 2.Dostoevsky, Fyodor, Devils. New translation by Michael R. Katz. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 1992. 3. Dostoevsky, Fyodor, The House of the Dead. The Garnet Translation. The MacMillan Company, New York, 1950. 4. Goldstein, David I. Dostoevsky and the Jews, with forward by Joseph Frank. University of Texas Press, Austin. 1981. 5. Singer, David, "An Anti-Semitic Genius." Book Review in The New Leader. May 18, 1991, volume 64.

Case: Lufthansa Cargo Ag †Capacity Reservation

Question 1 ? How does air cargo differ from the passenger business in terms of revenue management? Which areas are more complex, which areas can be managed more easily? There are noted differences between air cargo and the passenger business. For example, unlike passengers, cargo shippers did not book round trips and therefore cargo flows were unpaired. Furthermore, cargo was classified according to multiple dimensions like volume and weight resulting in different pallet space requirements, while passengers were each assigned a single seat.Concerning manageability it was identified that with regard to network planning and capacity allocation, cargo carriers had more degrees of freedom and hence faced additional challenges compared to passenger airlines. However, while passengers purchased tickets for specific flights and routes, cargo airlines could transport goods flexibly with regard to time and route through their network, the only constraint being the promised time of availabilit y at the destination. Moreover, the load could be balanced and optimized by mixing shipments with different specific weights i. e. volume-to-weight relations. In this regard, space could be sold twice, e. g. to one customer with voluminous and another with heavy-weight high-density goods. Question 2 ? What is the purpose of selling long-term capacity contracts? The purposes of selling long-term capacity contracts was to model demand and maximize the airlines yield by ensuring that a fixed amount of capacity was purchased, thus optimizing the aircraft’s cargo capacity utilization while at the same time reducing the risk of deviation from customers because of the fixed commitment and non-refundable policy.It also helped to determine how much capacity the airline maintained as a safeguard for demand for general cargo. Question 4 ? Does Lufthansa Cargo effectively reach its business and risk-sharing objectives? Lufthansa does not effectively reach its business and risk sharing ob jectives as they were unable to strictly enforce some of their cancellation fee policies due to the market power of some forwarding companies.Moreover, forwarders freedom to cancel contracted capacity up to 72 hours before departure was not adequately reflected by the rates the airline charged for the GCA freight. In addition, if cancellation was received three days before departure, there was no guarantee that LCAG will find other buyers to make up for the forgone revenue. LCAG also had problems with no shows. Question 5 ? How could current reservation and pricing practices at Lufthansa Group be improved? Compensating for cancellations and no-shows by overbooking, †¢Limiting sales to low-revenue forwarders to preserve space for higher-revenue forwarders, †¢Accepting low-revenue forwarders when higher revenue demand is less than aircraft cargo capacity, †¢Redirecting low-revenue customers to flights with lower load factors, thereby minimizing spilled cargo Question 6 ? How does the introduction of dynamic pricing affect capacity byers, i. e. freight forwarders?The introduction of dynamic pricing can generally shrink the size of capacity buyers on the one hand but can also enable forwarders to have considerable influence with airlines. Since forwarders make their money on the difference between the price they receive from the consignee and the cost of cargo space paid to airlines, they might play one airline against the other for the lowest price. Thus dynamic pricing can actually give forwarders the edge in extracting low price rates from airlines.

Articles of Confederation Essay

When the Revolutionary War was over and the Americans had won their independence, the revolutionists and republicans leading the new country were quite convinced that their government should differ from that of Britain and have a limited amount of power. Clearly, these men took these ideals more seriously than they should have. They created a constitution for the 13 states known as the Articles of Confederation, which put the majority of power in the hands of these individual states. They were adopted in 1777 after the war and enacted in 1781. The Articles of Confederation were quite a success pertaining to western lands, but proved unbeneficial for the economy of our new country. Once the war was over, many Americans hoped to expand in the west, and they could successfully do so under the Articles of Confederation through the Northwest Ordinances and the Treaty of Paris, which tripled the size of the new country. For example, the Ordinance of 1784 divided the Western territory into self-governing districts that could each make a constitution and petition Congress for statehood after certain requirements were completed. The Ordinance of 1785 that followed created a system that allowed the land to be surveyed and sold to the public. The greatest accomplishment pertaining to western lands and the Articles of Confederation was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, as it created one Northwest Territory and solved the problem caused by the ordinance of 1785, land speculation. This ordinance also brought stability and organization to the process of western settlement and built the framework for settlement in the Northwest Territory. These enactments also proved beneficial to the ideal citizen of the time, the yeomen farmer. In the area of western lands and settlement, the Articles of Confederation were quite successful. When politicians gathered to create the Articles, it is quite evident how afraid both they and the American people were of the government having too much power like that which they suffered under Great Britain. So, they made sure this wouldn’t happen by giving the government very little power over the citizens, also giving the states the power to create their own constitutions, have their own forms of executive and legislature, and coin  their own money. This proved terrible for the economy of the new country, for it was already in an enormous post-war debt. Congress could not enforce laws, regulate interstate trade (resulting in various tariffs between the states), or tax people directly, and the only way to change any of these rules was if all states approved of such a change. Each state had its own currency, causing havoc for trade in a country that was already forced to borrow money from others. Some states such as Massachusetts issued very high taxes, trying to collect specie even from the war veterans and farmers who could not be paid due to Congress’s inability to tax people directly, ending up in tragedy such as Shays’ Rebellion. This led to fears of anarchy and a â€Å"mobocracy.† The state governments and Congress were forced to print a huge amount of paper money, leading to the worst inflation in U.S. history between 1778 and 1783. America’s trade deficit was also astoundingly high during this period of time. It is very evident that the U.S. economy suffered under the Articles of Confederation. It is also safe to say that the Articles had both their successes and failures in each of their aspects. For example, the Ordinance of 1785 resulted in the problem known as land speculation, which occurred when the land of people such as yeomen farmers was foreclosed, benefitting merchants and the rest of the gentry as they bought the land to make their own profits. Although this problem was eliminated through the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, this newer enactment caused a big problem with the Native Americans living in the Western lands, even though the law specified that their land would not be taken from them and they would be treated with â€Å"the upmost, good faith.† And, throughout all of this the British were still residing in the Ohio River Valley, causing more havoc. Although there were no shorthand benefits in the economic status of the country under the Articles of Confederation, the only benefit overall was the tragedy itself! The repeated economic failures under the Articles heavily impacted the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the need for a new Constitution. Though the Articles of Confederation can be called a failure, they were very commendable. The Americans were a new people who fought for their freedom and created a new government from scratch with both its successes and  failures, just like any other country. Throughout their creation of the Articles and even the later modified version, the U.S. Constitution, the Americans stuck with their belief that the majority of power belonged to the people even though they learned that the government needs power as well in order to regulate and ensure the success of America. The Articles led to what would be the Northwest part of the nation, and can be forgiven for their failure on the economic conditions as they enticed people such as James Madison to gather and improve the constitution.

Memo Week

We have more than fifteen years of experience In the Puerco Rican market helping successful entrepreneurs establish or expand their operations in the Island. Our expert team has made a thorough analysis based of the information you gave us and is ready to present you the knowledge needed to make an informed decision. I am sure this data will be of great value to you and your partners. Puerco Rice is ranked 40 by the World Bank Group in the list of â€Å"Ease of Doing Business† out of 1 89 in 2014. The same organization ranked the Island number 18 In the starting a business category.There are SIX procedures that need to be fulfilled in order to establish a new enterprise in Puerco Rice as a Corporation: 1 . Check online the uniqueness of the company name and register online at the PR Department of State to obtain a business certificate. 2. Apply for an employer identification number (NINE) with the US Internal Revenue Service and the PR Department of Treasury (Department De Hac ienda). 3. Apply for a municipal business license. 4. Request unemployment and disability account numbers from the PR Department of Labor and Human Resources. 5.Subscribe to a workmen's insurance policy (Fond del Secure del Estate). 6. File an application with the Treasury Department to get the Merchant certificate. These six basic steps will help you begin the process of establishing your operation in Puerco Rice lawfully. There are several other processes you must take care of to ensure that the business will run smoothly. In Puerco Rice all companies are required to provide a yearly financial statement. If the company Is incorporated outside of the Island or if It has a turnover of more than Sum must also include an audited balance sheet.Also, companies must present CPA certified accounting report and a financial statement. Like the United States, companies unction as Spa's that provide public attestation services must be registered with the Public Accounting Oversight Board. Ent ities registered in Puerco Rice are required to prepare and file several statutory reports with different governmental agencies. There are four basic returns that apply to almost every entity: 1 . Income tax return – Entities doing business in Puerco Rice are subject to income taxes that range from 20% to 30%.A return must be filed with the Secretary of Treasury by corporations on or before the 15th day of the month following the end of the taxable year. A foreign entity is subject to Puerco Rice income taxes on its Puerco Rice sourced income and on its Income effectively connected with the Puerco Rice operations. They are allowed to deduct expenses related to the Puerco RICE operations, such as depreciation, also allowed. 2. Estimated income tax payments – Payment of the tax must be done in four installments on or before the 1 5th day of the fourth, sixth, ninth, and twelfth month of the taxable year. . Personal property tax return – All personal property is su bject to a tax that ranges from 5. 80% to 8. 83% depending of the municipality in which is located. This return and payment is due on or before May 15 with the Municipal Revenue Collection Center (CRIME). 4. Volume of business declaration – All businesses are required to pay a license tax based on gross revenues generated. The tax rate varies depending on the municipality but ranges from . 002 to . 005 in the case of non-financial businesses.Also, all corporations registered with the Department of State of Puerco Rice must file an annual corporation on or before April 15 of every year. Puerco Rice has a developed banking industry with 19 commercial banks, most of them local corporations. The FIDE a federal agency that oversees Nanking operations regulates all local commercial banks. Locally the COIF (Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerco Rice) regulate, supervise and oversee the financial institutions operating in Puerco Rice.This gives your operation the assurance that all your banking transactions will be made safely in the Island. Credit transactions are held by banks and most of them offer opportunities to entrepreneurs that are establishing business in Puerco Rice. In MEG'S specific area of business, which is mental counseling, Puerco Rice has local laws that apply to foreign counselors who want to establish offices. Being your company originally from Massachusetts, you must present evidence that you passed the NBC national exam.Also you must present evidence that your curriculum complies with certain specific competences in counseling. After all your accreditations have been evaluated by the Professional Counselors Review Board of PR Mount Regenerator De Consenters Professionals De PR) they will issue a provisional license that will allow you to make business as a professional counselor. After that license is provided, you will have three years to comply with 500 mentoring hours given by a board certified mentor hat will award your perm anent license.The license must be renewed every three years and comply with 45 hours of continuing education. We are confident that the information provided in this communication will be useful in the decision of you and your partners. It is very important that MEG Inc. Complies with all local laws and avoids problems that can slow the expansion process. LIMP recommends that MEG Inc. Continue with the expansion plans in Puerco Rice as soon as possible. We look forward to meet with your executive team and continue forward with the plans. It will be a pleasure doing business together.

Financial planning

Investment is not as simple as it seems. For, many people often wonder which of the different types of investment processes will yield more money in the shortest possible time(Weston, 1996). People often equate the viability of investments in terms of many factors including safety, risk, income, growth, and liquidity. The following paragraphs explain these decision making factors in detail. BODY Stock or Equity Financing. The investor will feel safe if he invests in a company that has a historical trend of generating profits(Gapenski, 1997). For, he gets a share of the income if the company makes money. On the other hand, the investor will have a high probability   of   squandering his or her money if the company he or she invests in has been generating losses for the past year or years of operation. To reiterate, he will generate income if the company generates income. Also, he or she will find his or her investment money decrease if the company generates losses. For, his or her investment in stocks or equity financing will grow if the company generates profits in its generating activities. Thus, if the company generates losses, the company will stop growing in terms of net assets. If the assets of the company are liquid, then this is a good investment. Liquidity is how very near the assets like inventory, accounts receivable and the remaining other assets can be easily converted into cash. Cash is the most liquid asset. The investor is the stockholder or owner of a certain percentage of the company. Surely, future income is unpredictable. Corporate and Goverment Bonds.  Ã‚   The investor will feel safe if the company he lends his money has been generating income for the past year or years of operations for there is strong probability that the company will have enough money to pay the bond investor. Evidently, this is a lender (investor) & borrower (loaner) relationship. Likewise, if the company is generating profits for the past years, then there a miniscule risk that the creditor will be paid when the due date for loan payment arrives. The income of the investor here is based on a pre –agreed interest rate. Thus, future interest income can be predicted. The growth is predictably fixed based on the periodic interest income rate agreed by the parties. Investment here is very liquid because the investor received fixed interest income on the money he lent to the company. Definitely, investment here is very predictably fixed. Mutual Funds.   Here, money from a group of investors is collected and invested in bonds, stocks and other short term money market securities and instruments. This is a safe investment because the mutual funds are invested by an expert third party in stocks, bonds or cash options such as Euro dollar, and other foreign currencies in what we call forward contracts. Thus, investments here are safe and the risk is very minimal. The income is very assured because money is invested in several income -generating companies. The mutual fund representatives are generally experts in giving advice on which funds to invest money in. The mutual fund advisor gathers data and analyzes the peculiarities of each fund and determines the optimal mix of securities and communicates this to the investor. Consequently, money invested here will grow fast because of the expert management of the mutual fund advisors. Finally, liquidity is reassured because the money invested in the different funds can be easily divested and the cash investment withdrawn.   Clearly, future income here is unpredictably in the investor’s favor. Real Estate.   Investment in real estate is very safe because the market value of land continues to escalate upward. Thus, there is a very small risk in real estate investments. Investment in land is very reassured because land prices continue to rise each year. Furthermore, growth will undoubtedly unfold each year. This investment is very liquid because, land can easily be sold and converted to cash anytime of the day. Investment here is very lucratively predictable. CONCLUSION: Four of the more popular investment methods are   1) Stock or Equity Financing 2)Corporate and Government Bonds 3) Mutual Funds 4) Real Estate. The bottom line here is that   the investor in interested to know if he or she will make money from investing his or her hard earned cash and cash equivalents. In conclusion, each investor will often choose the method which he or she is very comfortable with. REFERENCES: Weston et. Al., Essentials of Managerial Finance, Dryden Press, New York, 1996 Gapenski, L., Brigham, E., Financial Management, Dryden Press, New York, 1997    Financial planning Investment is not as simple as it seems. For, many people often wonder which of the different types of investment processes will yield more money in the shortest possible time(Weston, 1996). People often equate the viability of investments in terms of many factors including safety, risk, income, growth, and liquidity. The following paragraphs explain these decision making factors in detail. BODY Stock or Equity Financing. The investor will feel safe if he invests in a company that has a historical trend of generating profits(Gapenski, 1997). For, he gets a share of the income if the company makes money. On the other hand, the investor will have a high probability   of   squandering his or her money if the company he or she invests in has been generating losses for the past year or years of operation. To reiterate, he will generate income if the company generates income. Also, he or she will find his or her investment money decrease if the company generates losses. For, his or her investment in stocks or equity financing will grow if the company generates profits in its generating activities. Thus, if the company generates losses, the company will stop growing in terms of net assets. If the assets of the company are liquid, then this is a good investment. Liquidity is how very near the assets like inventory, accounts receivable and the remaining other assets can be easily converted into cash. Cash is the most liquid asset. The investor is the stockholder or owner of a certain percentage of the company. Surely, future income is unpredictable. Corporate and Goverment Bonds.  Ã‚   The investor will feel safe if the company he lends his money has been generating income for the past year or years of operations for there is strong probability that the company will have enough money to pay the bond investor. Evidently, this is a lender (investor) & borrower (loaner) relationship. Likewise, if the company is generating profits for the past years, then there a miniscule risk that the creditor will be paid when the due date for loan payment arrives. The income of the investor here is based on a pre –agreed interest rate. Thus, future interest income can be predicted. The growth is predictably fixed based on the periodic interest income rate agreed by the parties. Investment here is very liquid because the investor received fixed interest income on the money he lent to the company. Definitely, investment here is very predictably fixed. Mutual Funds.   Here, money from a group of investors is collected and invested in bonds, stocks and other short term money market securities and instruments. This is a safe investment because the mutual funds are invested by an expert third party in stocks, bonds or cash options such as Euro dollar, and other foreign currencies in what we call forward contracts. Thus, investments here are safe and the risk is very minimal. The income is very assured because money is invested in several income -generating companies. The mutual fund representatives are generally experts in giving advice on which funds to invest money in. The mutual fund advisor gathers data and analyzes the peculiarities of each fund and determines the optimal mix of securities and communicates this to the investor. Consequently, money invested here will grow fast because of the expert management of the mutual fund advisors. Finally, liquidity is reassured because the money invested in the different funds can be easily divested and the cash investment withdrawn.   Clearly, future income here is unpredictably in the investor’s favor. Real Estate.   Investment in real estate is very safe because the market value of land continues to escalate upward. Thus, there is a very small risk in real estate investments. Investment in land is very reassured because land prices continue to rise each year. Furthermore, growth will undoubtedly unfold each year. This investment is very liquid because, land can easily be sold and converted to cash anytime of the day. Investment here is very lucratively predictable. CONCLUSION: Four of the more popular investment methods are   1) Stock or Equity Financing 2)Corporate and Government Bonds 3) Mutual Funds 4) Real Estate. The bottom line here is that   the investor in interested to know if he or she will make money from investing his or her hard earned cash and cash equivalents. In conclusion, each investor will often choose the method which he or she is very comfortable with. REFERENCES: Weston et. Al., Essentials of Managerial Finance, Dryden Press, New York, 1996 Gapenski, L., Brigham, E., Financial Management, Dryden Press, New York, 1997   

Community Cohesion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Community Cohesion - Essay Example Some Major Housing Policies and Their Role in Community Cohesion: Choice based lettings or CBL is a social housing allotment system. Social housing allocations give individuals the right to practice their own discretion while choosing a social housing property. To apply for getting a house in a comfortable society is the main thing that strengthens the attachment between a person and the community to which he belongs. The policy is based on the idea of making the community more comprehensive, practicable and firm. Moreover, it aims at achieving a nationwide success by the year 2010. People belonging to every community have their certain choices and Choice Based Lettings is such a policy that enables them to choose property according to their tastes. For that reason the system automatically brings like-minded people together to a certain area establishing effective community cohesion among them. Currently, CBL makes the opportunity of choosing property not only available to the rich, but also to the lower middle class families. Houses are to be rent ed that have been brought under the coverage of CBL and this scrupulous step has been very constructive for people belonging to the above-mentioned group. For that reason, this policy has been able to bring people with equal affordability jointly resulting in the establishment of community cohesion from the perspective of economy. (Cantle, 2005) A number of the most underprivileged regions in UK have always made community cohesion a difficult task for the government. Therefore, it has always been the UK government's look out to solve their problems in an organized and intensive way. The main focus was to bring the complementary neighbourhoods as one. New Deal for Communities is an approach of UK government to tackle this...A call for community cohesion as a part of UK housing policy was felt soon after Bradford, Oldham and Burnley was beset by a series of ethnic disturbances in 2001. These localities have failed to establish Britain as a successful multicultural state in the eyes of the common man. The urban unrest in Bradford, Oldham and Burnley questioned the efficacy of housing departments and local councils in maintaining social and economic equality. The segregation of the traditional ethnic groups from the deprived communities indicated a ‘lack of community cohesion’. Soon after the London Bombings of July, 2005, the need for community cohesion to combat fundamentalism and terrorism became all the more indispensable. The Institute for Community Cohesion did not agree to the idea of fighting extremism as the only possible measure to promote community consciousness, as this overlooked the other divisive forces in society. (Wetherell, Laflà ¨che, Berkeley, 2007) The initial initiatives of the government to build community cohesion were looked upon as a measure to wipe out racial tensions and strife in the ethnically estranged communities, borne out of deprivation and lack of scope for spatial communication. While the authorities in favour of community cohesion to fight ethnic differences contend that expanding its scope would constrain its effectiveness in dealing with racial differences, there are others, who support the broader scope of community cohesion, argued that a variety of community differences required to be addressed, both within and beyond the community.

Art Fund Proposal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Art Fund Proposal - Research Paper Example Painting is one among them. The paint market sector can be divided into two major categories, industrial coatings and decorative paints based on the end-use of the particular products. Besides segmentation based on the end use of the particular painting product, markets can also be divided based on the quality and price of the product. Paints are generally divided into three price and quality categories: medium, premium and economy. The size of each group differs by market area and country, depending on the local painting traditions, standard of living, styles of construction and available materials, the general construction and decorating trends as well as industrial activity and renovation. Art market is a network of worldwide fiscal activity in major world cities: London, Berlin, New York, Geneva, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Milan. Art market subsists only in cities with cultural and financial capital that attracts continuing concentration of marketplace activity. The US guides the world marketplace for modern art with 50% of sales level. Aggregate sales volume and pricing across the art market from every source (sales, dealers, galleries, private and auctions) are presently impossible to quantify, but at the same time there are obvious indicators and trends. Using international prices and auction sales as an indicator of rising market activity, it can be seen that modern art prices were up 22% in 2003. Contemporary art market is being driven by the arrival of a new demographic of younger collectors and buyers. â€Å"Modern art is currently the heart of the global art market. It is the densest and most profitable segment. 2011 was the best of the decade for the sale of modern works with particularly strong demand and an outstanding revenue total of $6.067B, representing 52.4% of total global art auction. In 2011, the revenue from Modern art was up $1.218 billion versus 2010 which was itself a record year† (Art Market Trends 2011

Difficulties in cross cultural communication Case Study

Difficulties in cross cultural communication - Case Study Example 2001). As such, this paper is mainly concerned with analysing a case study that is related to difficulties experienced in a situation that deals with cross cultural communication. The paper starts by analysing the case and this will be followed by problem identification and presentation. The main part of the paper will analyse the measures that can be implemented in order to deal with the problem in an amicable way that is not likely to create more problems. A summary of the major points discussed will be drawn at the end of the paper. Case analysis Leary is the manager of a thriving financial company, Merrill Lynch, and she uses people oriented strategies to manage the company. She prefers to engage the employees in their work so as to try to get the best out of them. She also closely monitors the performance of the employees so as to be in a position to effectively manage them so that the goals of the organization can be achieved. There are about 45 financial consultants who carry out the work in the company. Of notable concern is the fact that the company has an employee, Ted Chung whose primary origin is Taiwan. Chung is specifically meant to target Taiwanese people since this segment is comprised of affluent people who can bring meaningful business to the company. Indeed, Chung brought a whopping account worth $6 million, one of the highest in the history of the company. Chung states that he has to use the Taiwanese tradition in order to attract these targeted people and there is no other financial consultant with the exquisite skills to perform this particular task. Problem identification For quite some time, Leary has noticed certain behaviour in Chung which she thinks is a cause for concern. For instance, Chung is a self centred person and he does not like to interact with others. He does not want to share his things with others and he is also short tempered. All these factors worry Leary. The other problem is that Chung has requested a private office b ut regardless of the fact that he brought one of the largest accounts to the company and he is performing well, he is still too junior to get a private office. Of the 45 financial consultants, only eight have private offices. Therefore, the problem in this case is twofold: if Leary gives in and try to appease Chung, this is likely to attract the wrath of other senior financial consultants who can also demand the same favour. This will certainly impact on the morale of other employees as well as their performance. It can also be seen that the problem is culture based. By virtue of being Taiwanese, Chung thinks that he deserves special treatment since he is dealing with a niche group of customers that has potential to bring a lot of business to the company. As such, a holistic approach ought to be taken when dealing with this case since it can negatively affect the whole organization if care is not taken. Measures that can be taken to resolve the problem identified According to Korac- Kakabadse et al (2001), the difficulties that arise in cross-cultural face-to-face encounters may be addressed with a better understanding of communication styles utilised by different cultures. In this case, it is imperative for Leary to understand the culture of Chung before taking a decisive step. People who come from different cultural backgrounds have different communication skills and this fact impacts on the way they interact with others. It can be noted that Chung is a sort of withdrawn person but this may not be his fault as may be thought by other people within the company. A closer reading of the case study shows that

Overview of the Israel-Palestine conflict Essay

Overview of the Israel-Palestine conflict - Essay Example The conditions got exacerbated due to violent tradeoffs between both sides in their short span of history. Right from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, to the 1967 six-day war, and recent spate of suicide bombings from Palestinian side, in response to Israeli disregard to basic human rights needs of Arabs in the country. In this whole uncharacteristic mess, if there is light at the end of the tunnel, it is due to the number of peace treaties signed between the two sides, at the mediation of third parties like the United States and EU. The United Nations, on the other hand, has been the most important stabilizing force and this addresses the central question raised in the essay: What are the different sister organizations of the UN, instituted specifically for the Palestine problem What are their roles in relation to providing aid, relief and succor to bedraggled Palestinian civilians due to the never-ending nature of the problem What should be the future course of action, for the UN, and its sister organizations, in the era of changing global geopolitics, particularly the change in Government in Iraq, US stand-off with Iran, and the general climate in the Middle East The United Nations influence, however, has often been sidelined by major powers in the Security Council, especially the United States from time to time. A chapter in the UN peacekeeping guidelines handbook, contains harsh provisions with respect to "threats to the peace, breaches to peace, and acts of aggression", but often drastic measures taken by the UN are subjected to Veto disapproval (Zacarias, 1999). Under these provisions, the UN established its first UN Emergency Force (UNEF I) in 1956, and in 1965 again, a framework of peacekeeping was formed (Zacarias, 1999). But, a bipolar world then, and reverse ideologies made it impossible for the UN to act at its own discretion, as a peacekeeper in the Palestine problem (Zacarias, 1999). Whenever the strategic interest of a superpower was at stake, it was easy to ignore the UN mandate (Zacarias, 1999). However, since the end of the Cold War, there has been a resurgence in the UN's actual "powers" vis--vis International disputes resolution. It was the UN that facilitated Soviet troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, led to a peace agreement in Central America, led to political transition in Namibia, and undertook aid and peacekeeping efforts in many other places such as Gulf War Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq in recent times (Zacarias, 1999).