Definition and Examples of the Bandwagon Fallacy

Bandwagon is a  fallacy based on the assumption that the opinion of the majority is always valid: that is, everyone believes it, so you should too. It is also called an appeal to popularity, the authority of the many, and argumentum ad populum  (Latin for appeal to the people).  Argumentum  ad populum proves only that a belief is popular, not that its true. The fallacy occurs, says Alex Michalos in  Principles of Logic, when the appeal is offered in place of a convincing argument for the view in question. Examples Carling Lager, Britains Number One Lager (advertising slogan)The Steak Escape. Americas Favorite Cheesesteak (advertising slogan)[Margaret] Mitchell enhanced the GWTW [Gone With the Wind] mystique by never publishing another novel. But who would be so churlish as to want more? Read it. Ten million (and counting) Americans cant be wrong, can they? (John Sutherland, How to be Well Read. Random House, 2014) Hasty Conclusions Appeals to popularity are basically hasty conclusion fallacies. The data concerning the popularity of the belief are simply not sufficient to warrant accepting the belief. The logical error in an appeal to popularity lies in its inflating the value of popularity as evidence. (James Freeman [1995), quoted by Douglas Walton in  Appeal to Popular Opinion. Penn State Press, 1999) Majority Rules The majority opinion is valid most of the time. Most people believe that tigers do not make good household pets and that toddlers shouldnt drive...Nonetheless, there are times when the majority opinion is not valid, and following the majority will set one off track. There was a time when everyone believed the world was flat and a more recent time when the majority condoned slavery. As we gather new information and our cultural values change, so too does the majority opinion. Therefore, even though the majority is often right, the fluctuation of the majority opinion implies that a logically valid conclusion cannot be based on the majority alone. Thus, even if the majority of the country did support going to war with Iraq, the majority opinion is not sufficient for determining whether the decision was correct. (Robert J. Sternberg, Henry L. Roediger, and Diane F. Halpern, Critical Thinking in Psychology, Cambridge University Press, 2007) Everyones Doing It The fact that Everyones doing it is frequently appealed to as a reason why people feel morally justified in acting in less than ideal ways. This is particularly true in business matters, where competitive pressures often conspire to make perfectly upright conduct seem difficult if not impossible. The Everyones doing it claim usually arises when we encounter a more or less prevalent form of behavior that is morally undesirable because it involves a practice that, on balance, causes harm people would like to avoid. Although it is rare that literally everyone else is engaged in this behavior, the Everyones doing it claim is meaningfully made whenever a practice is widespread enough to make ones own forbearing from this conduct seem pointless or needlessly self-destructive. (Ronald M Green, When Is Everybodys Doing It a Moral Justification? ​Moral Issues in Business, 13th ed., edited by William H Shaw and Vincent Barry, Cengage, 2016)​ Presidents and Polls As George Stephanopoulos wrote in his memoir, Mr. [Dick] Morris lived by a 60 percent rule: If 6 out of 10 Americans were in favor of something, Bill Clinton had to be, too... The nadir of Bill Clintons presidency was when he asked Dick Morris to poll on whether he should tell the truth about Monica Lewinsky. But by that point he had already turned the ideal of the presidency upside down, letting arithmetic trump integrity as he painted his policies, principles and even his family vacations by the numbers. (Maureen Dowd, Addiction to Addition, The New York Times, April 3, 2002)

Customer Service Representative For Manufacturing 2014 Essay

I am seeking the position of Production Supervisor for Stark Corporation in San Antonio, TX - listed on Indeed.com Objective Statement With 20 years’ experience and dedication within Production, Product Assembly, Customer Service, and Engineering as a Manufacturing - Quality Engineer and Supervisor I am capable and determined to use my Talents, Accountability, Teamwork, Management Skills and Engineering Abilities to deliver business results and to continuously improve the Manufacturing Quality Processes and Customer Satisfaction. Skills Workflow Analysis ISO 9001, 13485 FDA Regulations Operations Management Customer Relations GMP, Quality Assurance Audits Six Sigma, TQM Lean Manufacturing Supply Chain Strategies - Management Performance Optimization Analytical Creative Problem Solving Work Experience Xytronics – San Antonio, TX Customer Service Representative for Manufacturing 2014 - 2015 †¢ Provided quotes for electronic assemblies using pricing structures that allowed for greater profit. †¢ Encouraged cross -functional team leadership with manufacturing, engineering and customers to overcome difficulties with supply, production and quality of electronic assemblies eliminating downtime consequently increasing â€Å"on time† shipments by 10%. YOH LLC Contractor for Boeing – San Antonio, TX Operations Analyst for Manufacturing 2011 - 2013 †¢ Evaluated production needs and performance standards by providingShow MoreRelatedAssignment 1 send 29 09 2014863 Words   |  4 Pages   Assignment-1 Cost Concept-29-09-2014 Question 1: Cost drivers and functions: The list of representative cost drivers in the right column below are randomized with respect to the list of functions in the left column. That is, they do not match. Function Representative Cost Driver 1. 2. 3. 4. A. Number of invoices sent B. Number of purchase orders C. Number of Research scientists D. Hours of computer processing unit (CPU) E. Number of new hires F. Number of transaction processed Accounting PersonnelRead MoreThe Strategies Of Jasper Group On Marketing And Community Outreach989 Words   |  4 Pagescommunity outreach. Marketing is the action of promoting and selling of products and or services, including market research and advertising (Oxford Dictionary, 2016). 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A companyRead MoreThe Strategies Of Jasper Group On Marketing And Community Outreach1126 Words   |  5 Pagescommunity outreach. Marketing is the action of promoting and selling of products and or services, including market research and advertising (Oxford Dictionary, 2016). Marketing functions are critical to business success. If marketing is not taken seriously a business will fail even if they have a great product or service. The promoting of a business and its products or services is how the busin ess attracts customers and gets sales and that keeps a business viable. Community outreach is an aspect ofRead MoreStrategic Role of Operations in Ecolab’s Corporate Strategy Essay1428 Words   |  6 Pagesprospects and development objectives. It also includes organization’s business strategy as a main choice of means and methods of competition (Griffin, Pustay, 2005). This may be production of standardized products or delivery-on-order products/service, competition based on lower prices or rapid delivery of products. Corporate strategy provides overall direction, which provides the framework to perform functions throughout the organization. Strategy is a clear vision of the outcomes to be reachedRead MoreGlobalization : Operations Management And Globalization991 Words   |  4 Pagesthey have organized a sales package, may hire a representative to exemplify the product in that market. A representative will work rather closely with you to ensure that your product or ideas stay intact throughout the entire process. They represent your company at the forefront, making it extremely important that whomever you choose to represent you in the market handles it in much the same way you would yourself. (The Challenge of Globalization, 2014) Licensing. Licensing is a somewhat cultured agreement

The Concept of the Political Free Essays

As a counterterrorism officer my moral duty is to protect the residents of my state from terrorism attacks and the national security of US. Therefore, I am under no obligation but to ensure I fulfill the role that I have been assigned. I am the senior counterterrorism officer in California State where there is a high percentage of Arab American citizens and immigrants. We will write a custom essay sample on The Concept of the Political or any similar topic only for you Order Now Thus over the last couple of decades it has been difficult to detect terrorists. Furthermore, infiltrating such a community has proved to be difficult thereby providing a loophole for the increase in terrorist activities. Infiltrating the Arab American Community To curb this demise I will commission FBI agents to act as my spies by posing as Muslim worshippers in the California mosques. This decision may be perceived as a violation of human rights and the freedom of privacy enjoyed by other citizens. However, in the actual fact this initiative is among the criminal responsibilities that are bestowed on counterterrorism officer. Moreover, it is a counterintelligence activity that ensures protection of the US national security by providing important information to the FBI body and the government. The rights to perform counterintelligence activities have been governed by the National security of 1947 which was amended in 2004 by the establishment of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act. Furthermore, the commissioned FBI agents will not commit any wrong doing offences (Uwe, 2007). I will also employ informant to live amongst the community. The informant will mainly be ex-US military officers whose credentials are remarkable and stimulate the required standards. I prefer using ex-military officers because they are competent, trained to serve the nation thus will thoroughly understand the importance of their assignment and the need for them to keep their identity in discretion. The agents will regularly be monitored to prevent the development of discrepancy behaviors against ethical and moral norms. I will also make use of biometric fingerprint procedure for all travelers leaving and entering the California state. It may be argued that this tactic will detain people unnecessarily thereby wasting their time and subjecting them to measures and challenges that are unjustifiable. However, the initiative will enable the California Homeland Security Department to prevent identity theft, use of fraudulent documents and terrorists from gaining access to the state thus enhancing the national security and safety of California residents (Schmitt, 2007). The Status, Rights and Protections offered to Culprits of Terrorism In an attempt of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of counterterrorism an executive order authorizing the interrogation and trial of foreign terrorist suspects and illegal combatants by a special military tribunal was passed in 2001. Therefore, an ex-American citizen captured in the United States in the act of terrorism should be considered as an illegal enemy combatant. Thus I would not hesitate to hand the culprit to the jurisdiction of the military commission of the United States, an act that will be in accordance with the (Military Commissions Act (MCA) of 2006 that was passed by the Congress introducing the concept of illegal combatant into US legislation. Furthermore, the concept of illegal combatant enemies has been accepted by other nations who have willingly handed over their sovereignty in this context to the US (Gill Sliedregt, 2005). The establishment of the above legislations withdrew all the protections that were accorded to ex-American citizens. The same applies to foreign nationals caught engaging in terrorism in US, American citizens fighting American forces abroad and foreign nationals that are non-military officials fighting American forces abroad. The above are all illegal combatant enemies of the state and thus also deserve to be tried before the jurisdiction of the military commission without the provision of Habeas corpus rights. The Habeas Corpus is a provision given to detained culprits to appeal for their release incase of being detained unlawfully. The above subjects are liable to torture in the event of collecting information that would increase the efficiency of the government and military to provide the US state national security. Therefore, I would fully support the idea of implementing torture as a method of extracting useful information to such culprits in an attempt of protecting the California residents (US Congress Joint Resolution, 2001). Perspectives Concerning Just War Just war is perpetuated by states in an attempt of protecting themselves from aggressive attack from other nations. However, for just war to be justifiable it should be used as a last resort problem of solving the conflict that exists that is after all non-violent mechanisms of resolving conflicts are exhausted. Just wars should only be perpetuated by bodies that are recognized by the society as legitimate. A just war should be initiated if the presumed end results are beneficial where its success is guaranteed to prevent death and suffering of innocent people in accordance to moral vices. The death of civilians can only be justified if they were accidentally killed by being in the vicinity of the military targets. Therefore, just wars should initiate long lasting peace between the nations that were under conflict. Furthermore, states are not supposed to use force when initiating just wars and in instances where such force must be implemented it should not exceed the injury or suffering caused. The war on terrorism can thus be classified as a just war because it adheres to the above principles. However, it can cease to be a just war if its goal is to spread terror, subject war on a non-state organization and if it aims at killing and hurting civilians (Fotion, 2007). Anti Americanism involves the negative aspect that individuals and state have over the political, economic, social and cultural values of US. Anti Americanism has adversely affected the national security of US due to introduction of foreign hostility towards the US state for instance terrorism, thus curbing the effective attainment of stipulated US policy goals. Anti Americanism also affects the ability of US to conduct businesses abroad. This is unethical and thus not justifiable therefore individuals that perpetuate the stimulation of violent acts against the American state should be held accountable for their actions and thus are liable to stand trial before the military commission. The US government has a right to protect the national security of the country by dealing with schools, mosques and charities that indirectly support terrorism while actually not directly engaging in the terrorism activities. The government prosecutes such individuals or organization with the aim of eliminating the terrorism concept and support that the individuals and organizations offer (US Congress Joint Resolution, 2001). USA PATRIOT Act The enactment of the USA PATRIOTIC ACT after the 9/11 attack has substantially reduced terrorism in United States because the surveillance and investigating powers of the US law enforcement officers was increased especially with respect to internet use. However, if I were in Congress I would vote for the renewal of the Act to amend it. This is because the Act was enacted in haste without being subjected to Congress debate and house report to declare the consent of Senators. This fact resulted to the omission of a balance between civil liberty and stipulated legislations (US Congress Joint Resolution, 2001). Word Count: 1190 Reference List Fotion, N. (2007). War and Ethics: Just War Theory. New York: Continuum. Gill, T. Sliedregt, E. (2005). Guantanamo Bay: A Reflection on the Legal Status and Rights of Unlawful Enemy Combatants. The Utrecht Law Review, 1 (1). Retrieved on July, 6th, 2009 from http://www. utrechtlawreview. org. Schmitt, C. (2007). The Concept of the Political. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. U. S. Congress Joint Resolution (2001). Authorization for Use of Military Force. Public Law, 107(40), 115 Stat. 224. Uwe. S. (2007). On the Ethics of War and Terrorism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. How to cite The Concept of the Political, Papers

Talent Management †a Buzzword in Corporate Hr Today free essay sample

Not surprising to know, 60-70% of the Indian CEOs spend their time in strategising talent recruitment and retention (according to a BTI study). The next obvious question that our mind poses is â€Å"Why? † The scope of corporate HR has much widened since the 1990s, from the mundane activities of just hiring and paying the workmen, to the ‘strategic HR’ activities like training the recruitees as well. Restructuring the organisation (e. g. , some companies moved from centralised to decentralised organisational structure) has led to the restructuring of the job roles and concentrating on compensation management too, with equal importance. The learning management systems to manage the learning and keeping track of competency paths of all the employees in the organisation is one such advancement, typical to the strategic HR function, alongwith the Applicant Tracking System, and Compensation system in the list. Having entered an intriguing area as this, the question that pricks is â€Å"Are we still in the strategic HR function days? † Today the recruiters are not bothered on how to acquire talent; they are bothered to make a cost effective and more efficient ‘competency based recruitment system’. We will write a custom essay sample on Talent Management – a Buzzword in Corporate Hr Today or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Acquiring talent is easier today than retaining the talent. Today the Learning and Development department is not bothered on how to train the employees; they are bothered about filling the competency needs of their employees for the future needs as well, in addition to the present. The CEOs are concerned about succession planning and finding ways to hone and up-bring the existing talent pool, laying greener pastures for the organisation tomorrow. Thus we own all rights to say that today we are in the â€Å"Talent Management era† and that strategic management perspective has just become old. HR function has moved all the way from a ‘Business function’ to ‘Business partner’, to what is called ‘Business integration’ today. Process improvements for efficiency and effectiveness, competency management, performance management, and succession planning top the priority list of activities in organisations in this era. Effectiveness and efficiency comes only when we have appropriate talent pool at place, hence managing the talent is becoming very vital activity. Walking on the paths of Mr. Jack Welch, to be #1 or #2 in the industry, every organisation is trying to knock out the other in every aspect from ‘product’ to ‘people’. Competition has increased tremendously and hence the demand for right talent! The industry has thus turned a hot cake for employees, where they have numerous avenues to go (unlike in the past), if they do not receive the â€Å"asset like treatment† in the existing organisation. It has become two- sided, wherein the employee is benefitted in terms of â€Å"growth in career and competencies† and the organisation gets his services in return. If not taken care of appropriately, then he walks out. Talent retention is thus, one very important motive of talent management, apart from the core objective of taming the talent for surviving in the industry. Last but not the unimportant, in today’s context the organisations brand image goes the way it treats and nurtures its people. From the business perspective, its seems apt to conclude with what Mr. Tufan Ghosh, the CEO of Columbia Asia Hospitals, says – â€Å"If you do not get your people right, chances are you wont get anything else right†!

Australian Transportation Industry

Table of Contents Introduction Background of the market Client Background Myki Onyx Recommendations and conclusion References Introduction This report is about the Australian Transportation Industry, which has several transit partners, including Onyx that endeavors to transform transportation in Melbourne.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Australian Transportation Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The report is divided into various segments, with detailed information about the technology and how to achieve the intended goal in the transport industry in Australia. Moreover, the status of the industry will be analyzed to ascertain the opportunities of the market. Background of the market Like most cities in the world, Melbourne has continued to improve its transport system in order to meet the needs of its people and address emerging challenges in the transport industry. Besides other factors about Melb ourne’s transport system, it is known to be the home of the largest tram network around the globe. The city is well-connected with hundreds of routes, and no other city in the country has a freeway network like the one in Melbourne (Wheeler 2008, p. 344). The city is mainly served by buses and trains, which are considered to be more effective in facilitating the movement of people within the city and connecting to other destinations in the country. The rural areas are also connected to the metropolitan through railway networks. Surveys have revealed that less than 20% of Melbourne’s population receives timely and suitable services. Even though the system has tremendously changed, Melbourne’s transportation has remained car-oriented, a trait, which continues to discourage commuters (Battellino 1997, p. 5). It is also important to note that the transport sector is partly privatized, even though the idea received immense criticism after the public found it more exp ensive to run the private system as compared to the way it had been publicly managed.Advertising Looking for report on transportation? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Based on the changing times and advancing technology, most Australians wish to see an automated system, to avoid long queues, which are common in ticketing stations. This is mainly attributed to the high population that requires efficient electronic services in most of the departments including transport. Even though the ticketing system is becoming digital, many Australians prefer a simplified system, which doesn’t require travelling cards for convenience (Explore Melbourne: Public transport information 2012). Client Background The metropolitan transport company aims at facilitating transport in Melbourne by meeting the needs of its clients. Its activities include regulation of the system, by ensuring that the people of Melbourne are served with the best transport services. Additionally, the company listens to the complaints made by commuters and makes necessary changes in order to remain relevant in the market (Wheeler 2008, p. 344). With regard to fares and ticketing, the company has been on the frontline in advocating for a payment system that is efficient and convenient to customers. This has led to the developing of ticketing systems, say Myki and Metcard. Myki is an electronic card, which is used by commuters when they are using the public transport system. The metropolitan transport company plays a major role in Melbourne, through networks, which connect the city and facilitates the movement of people from one destination to another. There is no doubt that it is a major player in the strengthening of the country’s economy (Public Transport in Melbourne 2012).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Australian Transportation Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Le arn More Based on the role the company plays in promoting movement of people within the city, it is doubtless that the company is in a position to accommodate an idea that promises better services. For the metropolitan transport company, Onyx would guarantee an improved ticketing system, which promotes efficiency and convenience. Myki Myki is a system used for ticketing in Melbourne and other cities in the country. Importantly, the introduction of Myki in Australia was aimed at improving the ticketing process by replacing the Metcard with a more effective system, which addresses the needs of the city. The card can be used anywhere when one is paying for public transport bills, since it stores value, and is recharged upon depletion. Unlike Metcard, Myki has a wide range of advantages (ABC News 2008). For instance, it is considered to be convenient in estimating the fare paid with regard to the distance covered and the zone of operation. By having the Myki card, one can travel aroun d the city using public transport without necessarily carrying money or purchasing fare tickets every day. In fact, the system allows auto top-ups by customers for the sake of convenience while travelling (MYKI: Myki benefits 2012). Additionally, Myki cards do not get worn out daily; they are made of plastic to allow them last long. The system also charges minimum amount of fare and is flexible in the sense that commuters decide what to spend since there are several payment modes, like â€Å"pay as you go† and the prepaid method. Some of the issues facing Myki include privacy of information, where concerns have been raised over the security of information. Additionally, the plan has taken too long to be rolled out across the city (Summers Smith 2010).Advertising Looking for report on transportation? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Onyx Onyx is determined to bring change in the lives of Australians through an improved payment system when using the public transport system, through the use of smart phone applications. This is based on the fact that Melbourne is concentrated with people who mainly use the public transport system. Moreover, this group of commuters comprises of employees, students, and visitors touring the city, who spend a lot of money in paying fare. Unlike the current and previous payment systems, Onyx will embrace today’s technology by allowing commuters to pay their transport bills using iPhones and other smart phones. This will mean that nobody will be required to carry along cards, since the payment will be made using an application on the phone, downloadable from the internet. The technology will be integrated with Myki in partnership with Google to ensure that its services are effective. The relevance of Onyx is the based on the current status of the industry and advancement in tech nology. For instance, Melbourne has the largest tram system in the world, with millions of trips and journeys being made annually (Dodson et al. 2012). As a result, Onyx aims at eliminating delays, which have been witnessed recently by the Metcard system and Myki. Additionally, no queues are expected since no payment will require the use of a common paying point, as seen with card readers used by Myki. Based on the challenges, there is no doubt that the product will be highly acceptable. Recommendations and conclusion From the above analysis, it is evident that Melbourne transport system needs a more advanced ticketing system, in order to address its current challenges. Nevertheless, Onyx has to be well marketed so that commuters can visualize the benefits of the system. This can be achieved by use of the 4 P’s of marketing in meeting the needs of the industry. The idea is feasible based on the technological advancements, which have been realized in the 21st century and the o pportunities in the Australian transport system. References Battellino, H. 1997, Mode choice for non-work trips. 21st Australasian Transport Research Forum, University of South Australia, Adelaide. Dodson et al. 2012, Transport Disadvantage in the Australian Metropolis: Towards new concepts and methods. Web. Wheeler, D. 2008, Lonley Planet Melbourne Victoria City Guide, Lonely Planet, Melbourne. Explore Melbourne: Public transport information 2012. Web. Summers, J. Smith, B. 2010, Communication Skills Handbook, John Wiley Sons, Queensland. ABC News: Myki ticket system delayed again. 2008. Web. MYKI: Myki benefits 2012. Web. Public Transport in Melbourne. 2012. Web. This report on Australian Transportation Industry was written and submitted by user Maxim Casey to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

George Calvert essays

George Calvert essays George Calvert was the first Lord of Baltimore. His oldest son, Cecil Calvert, was the second Lord Baltimore. George Calvert, after a visit to Virginia, petitioned King Charles I of England to grant him permission to colonize the land north of the Potomac. He died in 1632, at age 52, just 66 days before the colony's official charter was issued, but his son Cecil Calvert carried out his father's dream. Cecil Calvert had the difficult task of planning and carrying out the colonization of Maryland. He recruited settlers and arranged for the Ark and the Dove to take them to Maryland. Cecil Calvert spent a great deal of money on that first voyage. The two ships arrived at Maryland in early March 1634. Cecil Calvert supported his father's idea of making Maryland a haven for all types of Christians. He was responsible for the Act Concerning Religion, a law that tried to eliminate religious prejudice among Christian Marylanders. Because England's monarchs could not be trusted to leave the American colonies alone, Cecil Calvert spent the remaining years of his life in England protecting his ownership of Maryland. Despite a couple of interruptions, Maryland remained a Calvert possession for well over a century. Maryland's Cecil County was named for him, and Anne Arundel County was named for his wife. When Europeans arrived in the 1600's about 3,000 Indian people lived on the land that is now called Maryland. No one is certain when they met the Europeans for the first time. Some historians think that french traders ben to buy furs from the Indians that lived along Chesapeake Bay in the early 1500s. During the 1660s many land disputes arose because of settlers farming land which was close to other state=s borders. Consequently, disputes came about as to border lines. These disputes involved the states of Virginia and Pennsylvania. Over the next 100 years Maryland lost many thousand acres of land to these states. The F...

In the United States, we do not need to plan for retirement. Social Essay

In the United States, we do not need to plan for retirement. Social Security will cover our needs when we are retired - Essay Example People at large now believe that the social security funds are not enough to provide financial shelter to the retired people and one should plan for his retirement without expecting that he will get enough from the national social security fund to fulfil all of his needs of the retired life (Brown et al, p83). The national social security program relies upon the taxes of the existing working force. The danger of the fiscal imbalance always remain associated with the social security funds because the number of retired people eligible to draw the funds anytime exceed the number of the workers paying to the system. This imbalance will cause the social security funds to run in deficit and the retired people will no longer be able to draw the desired amount of funds from the funds. The economic instability drawn by the financial recession and increase in the unemployment within the country has also increased the probabilities that the national security funds will run out few years before it has been projected by the financial experts (Stephen, p1). On average, the social security funds provide $1,076 per month to over 54 million Americans (Brown et al, p83). ... ts of the social security are more than the tax payers and in the coming years it is expected to record more imbalance in the ratio of retired and tax payer people. The government fiscal deficit has been increased to $1.5 trillion in 2011 due to which the funds available to pay the retirees are also expected to shrink in the coming years (Brown et al, p83). The issue of running out of the social security fund is great point of concern for the people in United States because the generally people use to reply upon these funds to meet their needs of the retired life. The social security funds could be deem as source of getting enough for the retired life but as the economy of the country is witnessing transformational changes due to number of factors it could no longer be a wise decision to reply upon the social security funds for the retired life. The people should now focus upon their individual planning so that they could spend their retired life with peace and financial security (Br own et al, p83). When the social security program was initiated in 1980s the fund reached the level of $2.5 trillion surplus within few years and it was expected that it will sufficiently pay out the benefits to the people until 2037. The projected year of running out in deficit is still not much close but the funds are already drained and the social security funds are now not enough to pay funds to all the eligible people until and unless the fund is provided from any other source. The danger of the collapse of the national security funds could not be overlook in the current situation where there is high level of economic uncertainty, instability and unemployment in the country (Megan, p1). It has been reported by most of the credible news sources like Associated Press, BBC and CNCB that

Managing Change by Managing Risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Change by Managing Risk - Essay Example Technological development means keeping the technology up to date for the company in order to remain competitive in the market. Competitive environment forces the companies to retain good quality of the products and services in order to improve customer satisfaction. 3.2 Internal Forces of Change Internal forces of organizational change include such forces, which force the change to occur inside the company. These changes are very significant in order to increase employee satisfaction and employee commitment towards their job responsibilities. The changes include change in the working atmosphere, change in employment rules and regulations, and change regarding employee retention strategies. 4. Risk Management Harrison (n.d.) states, â€Å"Change is inherently ambiguous, and those who deal creatively with change will have a high tolerance for uncertainty†. In case of organizational change, we can say that organizational change needs proper management of risks in order to be suc cessful. Francois (n.d.) states, â€Å"A change management process is a series of business practices used to control and manage change within a large system or organization†. Risk management is one of those business practices that are needed to implement organizational change. â€Å"Much of risk management work is focused on the management of risk in a 'business as usual' and relatively stable environment† (Anderson 2004). Risk management is a process, which is used to identify and measure the risks being faced by a company or a firm. Risk management refers to the concept of keeping the risks under control so that they do not create any kind of dangerous situation for the company. This process of... According to the research there are two types of organizational change, which include external and internal forces of change. External and internal forces of change not only result in altering organizational policies concerning various business activities but also influence major functions of management. The external forces of change include competitive business environment, technological development, and political and social environment of an organization. Technological development means keeping the technology up to date for the company in order to remain competitive in the market. Competitive environment forces the companies to retain good quality of the products and services in order to improve customer satisfaction. Internal forces of organizational change include such forces, which force the change to occur inside the company. These changes are very significant in order to increase employee satisfaction and employee commitment towards their job responsibilities. The changes incl ude change in the working atmosphere, change in employment rules and regulations, and change regarding employee retention strategies. Changes are inevitable in every company or organization whether it belongs top construction industry or some other industry. Managers need to consider several issues related to different business activities before planning to bring some change to the organizational policies. Risk management also plays a key role in change management. Some of the risks related to construction companies include design assumption risk, structural development procedures, fire risk, and environment uncertainty risks.

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 31

Reflection - Essay Example Diversity also offers a rich mix of characters in a diversified community to promote interactions of people’s strengths and weakness in an organization. A multi-cultured community therefore has an advantage of effectiveness and efficiency in generating solutions to problems, especially if the differences are managed effectively. The interview also established that the benefits of diversity apply across different fields. The interview changed my thinking over superiority issues across diversity. I previously focused on major traits across cultures and believed that people’s potentials depend on their cultural orientations but the interview changed my thinking. I, however, know understand that each culture is rich in potentials and that diversity is not the basis to determining an individual’s ability. Learning of the advantage of integrating cultural features in a multi-cultured community for effectiveness has also informed me that diversity is important and organizations should promote it. I appreciate cultural differences and try to learn more about each culture because of my change in thinking. I interact with people from different culture, with honesty, and even try to incorporate their traits in my life and activities. My attention has therefore shifted to developing diverse relationships that I currently work on. The important information that I learnt about diversity, from the cultural immersion, is the role of diversity decision making. While different cultures have different approaches to decision making, each approach is not perfect but integration of positive elements from each culture improves decision-making process, leading to informed decisions. The knowledge has developed a new perspective in me and I will in future incorporate perspectives from different cultures while making decisions. I will identify individuals from each

Location Privacy in Wireless Networks

Location Privacy in Wireless Networks ARUN TEJA KANUKOLU Introduction: In the past decade we have an enormous development of different wireless technologies a lot of wireless technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth are being implemented. With the development of wireless technologies and the convenience they provide in the aspects of space and time they are being widely used and there comes numerous security issues. A lot of work has been done in the areas of wireless network security but all of which has done only on securing the content or data that is being transferred between devices. The Location privacy has been ignored from the initial stages of development of wireless networks. If the location privacy has been ignored, the users of the wireless networks has to face serious problems. The attacker may not steal data because we use a lot of security techniques like encryption to protect the data but the user and the physical location of the user is always in danger. The attacker may take advantage of this and may threaten him physically or mentally. In order to preserve the location privacy of the user, here I propose a transactional based model in which all the send and receive operations performed from an user are not related to each other hence the location privacy is preserved. TRACKING THE USERS LOCATION: Many localization algorithms have been implemented and are in use which can be used to trace the approximate location of the user based on the packets sent and received. A users many transmissions will simply be correlated if all the transmissions come from an equivalent supply address, and therefore the aggressor will read the supply addresses from every packet. During this section, we have a tendency to demonstrate another supply of knowledge by assumptive that associate degree aggressor cannot decode a users packets, however still needs to be ready to track users around the network. For instance, a user could use sturdy coding, or the aggressor could have insufficient sophistication to create custom Hardware for packet secret writing, however will live the signal and noise levels at a spread of locations. Existing localization algorithms permit every transmission to be narrowed right down to a specific location. These individual transmissions will then be correlate using a quality model, as we have a tendency to describe below. Here I discuss some of the existing algorithms. LOCALIZATION USING RSS (received signal strength): Received signal strength is the reliable and free of cost way of tracking the user’s location. Where, PT Transmitted power calculated in dB RSS is the received signal strength in dB P(d0) is the Path loss in dBm at a distance of d0 N is the Path loss exponent There are several other ways of tracking the user location. Many of the previous researchers used the probability functions to find the location of the user. Although the exact location cannot be found using these probability models an almost approximate location can be easily found. Suppose we trace a location and there are 10 suspects, we can filter them to find the original wireless user that is being attacked. Controlling access at base stations: Since the readying of base stations has an associated price, the network operator should be stipendiary for the employment of the network. One way of achieving this results to want every licensed network node to carry a bit of secure hardware with a isosceles key shared by all network users. A network of affordable size cannot utterly believe on this mechanism to stay a determined aggressor from collaborating in the network. As a result, we have a tendency to explore techniques for confirmative that a user is a component of the network. We use blind signatures in an exceedingly manner that parallels their use in electronic cash: a legitimate user generates variety of public keys, each of that we have a tendency to decision Associate in Nursing identity. The user blinds them (so the network supplier will sign them while not seeing them), and presents them to the network supplier. The network supplier signs these keys and returns them to the user, United Nations agency unblinds them. every key signed in this manner could be a kind of certificate that proves that the identity corresponds to a legitimate user, although the actual user cannot be determined. Secured routing: In order to forestall a malicious node from disrupting routing, the ad hoc networking analysis community continues to explore secure routing protocols Any of those protocols might be slightly modied to figure inside our spec. Depending on user necessities, AN anonymous routing protocol, such as ANODR, might give additional fascinating properties. To show however wed adapt a secure routing protocol to our design, we must take into account AN on-demand routing protocol. We must allow a base station to reply to any Route Discovery; but, because there are a restricted range of base stations and their keys are easily pre-distributed, they will simply send and demonstrate RREPs. We should additionally adapt the prevailing protocols to settle on routes which will traverse  a base station; in hop-by-hop routing, one technique is to own  a node forward the packet to the nearer of the destination node or the  nearest base station, unless the packet is distributed by a base station, in  which case we tend to neer route it to a base station. once a base station receives  a packet, it forwards it to the suitable base station supported  the destinations geographical address. the bottom station with that  the destination is associated then encapsulates the packet so forwarding  nodes apprehend that the packet has already traversed the bottom  station. Periodic protocols will use constant forwarding logic. UNLINKABLE WRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS: In this section I propose a transaction based model in which any send and receive functions are not co-related to each other which preserves the location privacy of the user hence our goal is accomplished. Location can only be tracked if the senders address is the same for a period of time. We create a phenomena called random silent period for a node. In that time the sender will not send any thing. The mobile node keep on changing its addresses between different transactions it performs. It can be in synchronization with the base station and mobile station. When a user starts data exchange between other node, it keep on updating the change of address for every send and receive operation and it also makes aware of the new change in address with the receiver. For this system implementation, we should make changes in everything like user registration with the base station and addressing and giving the access to the mobile users. For addressing these nodes we completely change our ip addressing scheme from ipv4 to ipv6. If we use the ipv4 addresses, they are limited in number and hence they may cause collisions. These ipv6 addresses comprised of base station addresses and a reference variable to the users identity. A legitimate user generates variety of public keys, each of that we have a tendency to decision AN identity. The user blinds them so the network supplier will sign them while not seeing them, and presents them to the network supplier. The network supplier signs these keys and returns them to the user, UN agency unblinds them. Every key signed in this method could be a certificate that proves that the identity corresponds to a legitimate user, although the actual user cant be determined. REFERENCES: http://www.comm.toronto.edu/~kostas/Publications2008/pub/proceed/133.pdf http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~wouyang/Received%20Signal%20Strength-Based%20Wireless%20Localization%20via%20Semidefinite%20Programming.pdf http://www.ee.washington.edu/research/nsl/Imote/vanderstoep_thesis.pdf http://jeroendoggen.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/ecumict2010presentation.pdf

the presidency :: essays research papers

The Presidency - The powers of the presidency are described very briefly in Article II of the Constitution. Specific powers include: - Chief Administrator - Commander-in-Chief - Chief Lawmaker - Chief Diplomat - Chief of State - In addition to those enumerated powers, presidents have claimed they have certain inherent powers to do whatever has to be done to fulfill their responsibilities as leaders. - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln all expanded on their enumerated powers, setting a precedent for later presidents to do likewise. - Because the U.S. has become such a powerful nation, presidents have become more powerful people. They are now considered world leaders as well as national leaders. - They have also become party leaders,have to be strong communicators in the age of mass media, and serve as lobbyists for their legislative goals. - One explanation for expansion of presidential powers is that sometimes Congress lets a president take responsibility for unpopular actions, such as going to war. - America's strongest, most powerful presidents have emerged during periods of crisis, such as a war or depression. Lincoln and FDR are examples. - Popular presidents are also likely to become more powerful, because citizens trust them with power. - President Lyndon Johnson was a strong president because he believed that government should play a strong role in alleviated the nation's problems. - President Reagan, on the other hand, advocated a smaller role for government so didn't encourage national government involvement in problem solving. He was, however, known as a great communicator. - A successful candidate for the presidency must put together a winning coalition of supporters and must win 270 electoral college votes, which means winning the popular vote especially in large, highly populated states with large electoral college votes. - Although American presidents have huge responsibilities, they also have many resources to help them carry out those responsibilities. These include: - The Executive Branch establishment, which includes the White House staff, key aids (such as the chief of staff and national security advisor), and the Executive Office of the President, which consists of the OMB, Council of Economic Advisors, etc. - The Vice-President, who has only become a real resource since Jimmy Carter started using his V-P, Walter Mondale, more than any previous president. - The Cabinet, consisting of the heads of the major executive branch departments. - First Ladies sometimes serve as advisors to the president.

Medical Marijuana Essay

â€Å"Marijuana is the finest anti-nausea medication known to science, and our leaders have lied about this consistently. [Arresting people for] medical marijuana is the most hideous example of government interference in the private lives of individuals. It’s an outrage within an outrage within an outrage†. Peter McWilliams Author and Advocate for Medical Marijuana Medical Marijuana has found its place once again as the medical plant that is recognized for its healing potential and properties. How the Government has suppressed its positive potential and healing powers for over 25 years. With the help from many patients, loved ones, research departments and advocate groups to get the Government’s attention to see and understand that the terminally ill and the sick should not be treated as common criminals. They are only trying to find some peace and serenity in their last days. The struggle and fight that has been going on for the last 25 years against the Government. The people were finally heard, with the legalization of Medical Marijuana. The Government wants to regulate everything for their own best interest, the positive effect of decriminalizing marijuana for the terminally ill and the positive economic benefits for our community. Cannabis Sativa, Marijuana, Weed, Herb, Mary Jane these are just a few names that this little 5 leaf plant goes by. How could this life saving and healing plant get such a bad reputation? When clearly it has nothing but positive powers, people all over the world have been using marijuana for thousands of years. Cannabis has been around since the Garden of Eden, it is even mentioned in the Bible. Yes in the Bible, in Exodus (30:22-23) â€Å"Holy anointing oil, as described in the original Hebrew version of the  recipe in Exodus (30:22-23), contained over six pounds of kaneh-bosem, a substance identified by respected etymologists, linguists, anthropologists, botanists and other researchers as cannabis, extracted into about six quarts of olive oil, along with a variety of other fragrant herbs. The ancient anointed ones were literally drenched in this potent mixture† (Bennett, 2010). â€Å"Marijuana proponents suggest that the recipe for the anointing oil passed from God to Mos es included Cannabis, or kaneh-bosem in Hebrew. They point to versions calling for fragrant cane, which they say was mistakenly changed to the plant calamus in the King James Version of the Bible† (Kari, 2011). Cannabis was good enough for God and Moses, then how come it is not good enough for us now? The United States Government wants to be in control and regulate everything we do as a United State Citizens. Marijuana was once considered a pharmaceutical medication used for a wide verity of reasons. In fact cannabis has a deep rooted history in what is now known as the United States of America. â€Å"Christopher Columbus brought Cannabis Sativa to America in 1492† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). â€Å"From 1000 to 1500, the use of marijuana spread further. In 1619, a law passed in Jamestown Virginia Colony, which required farmers to grow hemp. The French and British grew hemp in Colonies of Port Royal, Virginia, and Plymouth. Marijuana also became a major trade item between Central and South Asia during this time† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). The United States also had Presidents’ who grew cannabis. Yes Presidents’, â€Å"in Mount Vernon, George Washington grew hemp as his primary crop in 1797. Also Thomas Jefferson grew hemp as a secondary crop at Monticello. In 1840, medicines with a cannabis base were available in U.S. pharmacies. Hashish was available in Persian pharmacies† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). Therefore when did it become a crime to cultivate, possess, consume, and dispense marijuana? â€Å"In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in the U.S. and the Food and Drug Administration was formed. This was the first time drugs had any government oversight† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). â€Å"In 1930, The Federal Government gave control of illegal drugs to the Treasury Department, they created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Harry Anslinger a prohibitionist became the first commissioner  in 1930, he held that position until 1962. Anslinger declared war on drugs and effectively shaped America’s view’s and thought’s about marijuana† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). â€Å"October 2, 1937, Anslinger got Congress to enact the â€Å"Marihuana Tax Act†, which is to imposed registration and reporting requirements and a tax on the growers, sellers, and buyers of marijuana† (Eddy, 2010 p.2). In Eddy’s report he also writes that â€Å"Dr. William C. Woodward, legislative counsel of the American Medical Association (AMA), opposed the measure. In oral testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee, he stated that â€Å"there are evidently potentialities in the drug that should not be shut off by adverse legislation. The medical profession and pharmacologists should be left to develop the use of this drug as they see fit. Two Months later, in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, he again argued against the act: â€Å"That there is no evidence, however, that the medicinal use of these drugs [cannabis and its preparations and derivatives] has caused or is causing cannabis addiction. As remedial agents they are used to an inconsiderable extent, and the obvious purpose and effect of this bill isto impose so many restrictions on their medicinal use as to prevent such use altogether. Since the medicinal use of cannabis has not caused and is not causing addiction, the prevention of the use of the drug for medicinal purposes can accomplish no good end whatsoever. How far it may serve to deprive the public of the benefits of a drug that on further research may prove to be of substantial value, it is important to foresee†. â€Å"Despite the AMA’s opposition, the â€Å"Marihuana Tax Act† was approved, causing all medicinal products containing marijuana to be withdrawn from the market and leading to marijuana’s removal† (Eddy, 2010 p.2). October 2, 1937, â€Å"On the very day the â€Å"Marihuana Tax Stamp Act† was passed; the FBI and Denver police raided the Lexington Hotel and arrested two people: Samuel R. Caldwell and Moses Baca. Three days later, Caldwell, a 58 year old unemployed laborer, became the first person in the U.S. to be convicted of selling of marijuana without a tax stamp. He was sentence to four years oof hard labor in Leavenworth Penitentiary. Presiding Judge J  Foster Symes, had previously stated that he considered Marijuana to be the worst of all narcotics and vowed to impose harsh sentences for violations of the â€Å"Marihuana Tax Act†. Caldwell was also fined $1,000 for the two marijuana cigarettes that were found in his possession. Baca, who was his customer, was found guilty of possession of Marijuana and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Both men served their full sentences. Caldwell died a year after his release† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). This is why that â€Å"we the people† stood up, banded together, and formed  Organizations. People became spokespersons, advocates, â€Å"a voice for the cause†. Take for example, Peter McWilliams. He is the man I quoted in the beginning. â€Å"Peter was a self-help author, who advocated for the legalization of marijuana. He wrote over 40 books including â€Å"How to survive the loss of love†, â€Å"Ain’t nobody’s business if I do†. Along with poetry and how to use microcomputers. In 1996, he was diagnosed with AIDS and non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Like so many patients suffering from cancer or AIDS, he had extreme difficulty on keeping down the drugs that controlled his illnesses. He began to smoke marijuana to control the drug-induced nausea. It saved his life† (US: The Life and Death of Peter McWilliams, 2002). â€Å"NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, was founded in 1970, as a nonprofit public-interest advocacy group whose mission is to end marijuana Prohibition† (Historical Timeline Medical Marijuana, (n.d.), 2011). â€Å"In 1971, President Nixon declared war on drugs. In 1972,†The bipartisan Shafer Commission [National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse], appointed by President Nixon at the direction of Congress [and chaired by former Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer], considered laws regarding marijuana and determined that personal use of marijuana should be decriminalized. Nixon rejected the recommendation, but over the  course of the 1970s, eleven states decriminalized marijuana and most others reduced their penalties† (Busted: â€Å"America’s War on Marijuana.†, 2010). â€Å"Possession of marihuana for personal use would no longer be an offense, but marihuana possessed in public would remain contraband subject to summary seizure and forfeiture. Casual distribution of small amounts of marihuana for no remuneration, or insignificant remuneration not involving profit would no longer be an offense† (Busted: â€Å"America’s War on Marijuana.†, 2010). 1973,â€Å"The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNND) and the Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (ODALE) are merged to form the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)† (420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.), 2010). â€Å"In November, 1976, a Washington, DC man [Robert Randall] afflicted by glaucoma employed the little-used Common Law Doctrine of Necessity to defend himself against criminal charges of marijuana cultivation† (US v. Randall). â€Å"On November 24, 1976, federal Judge James Washington ruled Randall’s use of Marijuana constituted a medical necessity, Judge Washington dismissed criminal charges against Randall. Concurrent with this judicial determination, federal agencies responding to a May, 1976 petition filed by Randall, began providing this patient with licit, FDA-approved access to government supplies of medical marijuana. Randall was the first American to receive marijuana for the treatment of a medical disorder† (National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] 1998).  1978, â€Å"New Mexico passed the first state law recognizing the medical value of marijuana  [Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research Act]. Over the next few years, more than 30 states  passed similar legislation.† (Scott, 1994). â€Å"Voters in California [pass] a state medical  marijuana initiative in 1996. Known as Proposition 215(45 KB), it permits  patients and their primary caregivers, with a physicianâ €™s recommendation, to possess and cultivate marijuana for the treatment of AIDS, cancer, muscular spasticity, migraines, and several other disorders; it also protects them from punishment if they recommend marijuana to their patients† (Joy, PhD. & Mack, 2011) The New England Journal of Medicine publishes an editorial written by Jerome P. Kassirer, MD, titled â€Å"Federal Foolishness and Marijuana.† The article states: â€Å"Federal authorities should rescind their prohibition of the medicinal use of marijuana for seriously ill patients and allow physicians to decide which patients to treat. The government should change marijuana’s status from that of a Schedule I drug (considered to be potentially addictive and with no current medical use) to that of a Schedule II drug (potentially addictive but with some accepted medical use) and regulate it accordingly† (Kassier, 1997). In January 2004, California passed SB 420, which states the guidelines for growing marijuana. Yes this bill also went through the court system. In May 2008, second district court of appeals ruling in Kelley case that the possession limits set by SB 420 violate the California Constitution because the voters approved Prop 215 can only be amended by the voters. With Prop 215 you can legally be in possession of marijuana and with SB 420 you can legally grow. This has drastically reduce crime in our cities and form a more productive society through its positive uses. In 2013, medical marijuana is a thriving and growing business for all those involved from the growers, to the â€Å"caregivers clubs† with their green cross symbols above their doors (yes like the Red Cross, but green) making it possible for the medical community, and the consumer to know they have found the right place. As of this date there is a total of 18 states and DC now known as Medical Marijuana States. With 11 more states pending legalization to legalize medical marijuana. Now legal for others to seek and receive this healing and lifesaving plant. Since the Government has allowed each state to listen to its people, and as it stands today marijuana is legal and available for all those who have a recommendation card. Now it is not a crime for the terminally ill and sick to gain access to the medication that they so greatly need to function on day-to-day bases. You might wonder, â€Å"How do I know so much or even care  about marijuana being legal†? I am also a member, because I have a recommendation card. I have had mine for about a year now. My doctor prescribed it for me when I told him I was depressed (over the death of my baby boy Marshall) and I did not want to take any manufactured manmade pill and have to worry about the side effects. Medical marijuana has done the trick for me, I take as need by my doctors’ direction. I have to say, that it has saved me. Also The Government, State and City get to collect the taxes and the dispensaries make their money and the clients get their much need lifesaving medication. Crime is down and people are employed, and the Government gets to have their say, but in the end â€Å"We the People† were finally heard, and this little plant is finally back where it belongs. To quote one of my favorite comedians: ~It’s not a war on drugs, it’s a war on personal freedom it’s what it is ok, Keep that in mind at all times. Thank you†~ ~ Bill Hicks~ References Bennett, C. (2010). Historical Timeline Medical Marijuana. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceid=000143 Eddy, M. (2010). Medical Marijuana: Review and Analysis of Federal and State Policies.. Retrieved from Federation of American Scientist/Congressional Research and State Service Reports: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33211.pdf Hicks, B. (1996). Lateralus (Album). Retrieved from Tool (Group) Joy, PhD., J., & Mack, A. (2011). Marijuana as Medicine Beyond Controversy, 200. Retrieved from http://www.brainz.org/420-milestone-history-marijuana Kari, S. (2011). Historical Timeline Medical Marijuana. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceid=000143 Kassier, J. P. (1997). Federal Foolishness and Marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.brainz.org/420-milestone-history-marijuana McWilliams, P. (1996). Quotes by Peter McWilliams: Finest Quotes. Retrieved from http://www.finestquotes.com/author_quotes_authors-Peter+McWilliams-page-0.html Scott, E. (1994). Marional: The Little Synthetic That Couldn’t. Retrieved from http://www.druglibrary.org/significate-legal-cases.htlm 420 Milestone History Marijuana, (n.d.). (2010). Retrieved from http://www.braniz.org/420-milestone-history-marijuana Busted: â€Å"America’s War on Marijuana. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org Historical Timeline Medical Marijuana, (n.d.). (2011). Retrieved from http://www.medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceid=000143 National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA]. (1998). Retrieved from Provision of Marijuana and Other Compound for Scientific Research – Recommendations of the National Institute on Drug Abuse National Advisory Council, NIDA website US: The Life and Death of Peter McWilliams. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n948/a03.html

PI2 Example

PI2 Example PI2 – Essay Example PART A Question 2005 = 11,933 – 11,062 * 100 = 7.874% increase 11,062 2006 = 9,181 – 11,933 * 100 = 2.306% decrease 11,933 2007 = 6,141 – 9,181 * 100 = 3.311% decrease 9,181 2008 = 8,334 – 6,141 * 100 = 3.571% increase 6,141 Question 2 Using the current trend for Micro Chip Computer Corporation as a basis, I do not think that the company achieved its sales target of 10% growth in 2009. This is because in 2008, the company only had a 3.571% increase and the previous years prior to that had recorded a decrease in sales. Therefore, there is no indication of a constant growth in sales over the years and so it would be difficult for the company to make a 10% increase in sales in 2009. The actual sales figure for 2009had the company made a 10% increase would be: 110% * 8,334 = $ 9,167 It would be quite difficult for the company to hit this target in 2009 since there is no indication of such a significant growth in sales over the prior years. Therefore, my view is that, at the very best the company can only improve on 2008’s sales growth from a 3.571% increase to probably 5% or 6%. This would be the best case scenario given the information on previous years. PART B Question 1 Percentage of sales (%) Sales increase by 20% Sales $8,334.00 100 10,000 Cost of Sales $5,458.00 65.5 6,549 Gross Margin $2,876.00 34.5 3,451 Operating expenses: R & D $525.00 6.3 630 Selling, General, and Administrative $691.00 8.3 829 In†process R & D †Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬  Restructuring costs †Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬  2 200 Total Operating Expenses $1,216.00 1,659 Operating income $1,660.00 1,792 Total interest and other Income net $194.00 2.3 233 Income before provision for Income taxes $1,854.00 2,025 Provision for income Taxes (15%) $278.10 303.75 Net income $1,575.90 1,721.25 Question 2 The results in question 1 show that a 20% increase in sales consequently leads to an increase in net income. This is true since increase in sales revenue produces more income for a company and therefore the net income would also increase. The assumption for question 1 is that the 20% increase in sales leaves all other factors constant, therefore resulting in a proportionate change in all other items in the Statement of Operations with respect to sales. This assumption is however not reasonable since if the sales revenue for a company increases by 20%, it mean that there are other costs that were incurred in order to increase this sales revenue. For example advertising, sales and marketing costs should probably have been incurred so as to improve the sales figure over the next year. References Drur.y C, (1998). Costing an Introduction 4th Edition, Thomson Learning. Drury C, (2008). Management and Cost Accounting, Chapman and Hall 7th Edition. Horngren, CT, Foster, G and Datar S.M (2001). Cost Accounting:A Managerial Emphasis 10th Edition Prentice Hall of India; New Delhi, Robert Kaplan & A A Atkinson (2004). Advanced Management Accounting, 2nd Edition Prentice-Hall

Military service for 18 year olds essays

Military service for 18 year olds essays The September 11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent War in Iraq has focused attention on the all-volunteer nature of the United States Armed Forces. The United States Army is suffering from a drought of junior officers, such as lieutenants and captains. This decrease is happening precisely at a time when the United States is increasing its military commitments all over the world, such as Iraq, Afghanistan and in other Various solutions have been offered towards beefing up the United States armed forces. Some suggest allowing women to serve in combat duty. Others have proposed increasing education and other benefits for enlisted soldiers. Still others suggest returning to the military draft. In the face of the strong need for more personnel, however, many have called for raising the age of required military registration for young men This paper argues that military registration needs to be a choice open to all young men, starting at age 18. After all, at this age, young men are legally recognized as adults. They have generally graduated from high school, are allowed to vote and could legally be tried as adults. It stands to reason that they could make an informed decision regarding The current system of conscription in the United States is dubbed the "Selective Service System" (SSS). The current system is an offshoot of the Military Selective Service Act of 1967, which established a draft lottery. Men were required to register with the SSS boards within 30 days before and after they turn 18 ("Selective Service"). By 1973, by abolishing conscription, the United States Congress effectively abolished the draft, creating the "all-volunteer" military. Though the current system of registration was reinstated for 18-year-old males, serving in the military remains voluntary ("Selective Service"). Though voluntary in nature, many groups con...

Ration Analysis in Decision Making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ration Analysis in Decision Making - Assignment Example The healthcare company that is going to be evaluated in this report is Cameron Memorial Community Hospital. The financial statements of Cameron Memorial Community Hospital are illustrated in Appendix A and B. The tool that is going to be used to analyze the financial statements of the company is ratio analysis. The Cameron Memorial Hospital was founded in 1926 by Don F. Cameron. The hospital is a 25 bed Critical Access Community Hospital. â€Å"CMCH is a comprehensive healthcare system that services the Tri-State Area of Northeast Indiana, South Central Michigan and Northwest Ohio† (Cameronmch). Some of the services offered at Cameron Memorial Community Hospital include radiology, sleep center, surgical services, occupational health, and hospice care. There are over 100 doctors working at Cameron Memorial Community Hospital. In order to comply with its civic duties and social responsibility the hospital created the Cameron Hospital Foundation. The 2010 fiscal year of Cameron M emorial Community Hospital started September 30, 2009 and ended September 30, 2010. In 2010 Cameron Memorial Community Hospital generated total revenues of $41.94 million (In). The company’s revenues increase by 4.98% in comparison with fiscal year 2009. The total expenses of the hospital in 2010 were $41.10 million. The net margin of the company in 2010 was 4.51%. The net margin is an absolute measure of profitability. It is calculated by dividing net income by total revenues. In order to determine whether the net margin of Cameron Memorial Community Hospital is good or not we must compare it to the industry standard. A good database that has information regarding the industry standards across different industries is the Dun & Bradstreet database. The health care industry net margin industry standard is 4.2% (Dun & Bradstreet). The net margin of Cameron Memorial Community Hospital was above the industry standard by 0.31%. The table below illustrated a ratio analysis of Camer on Memorial Community Hospital in 2010. Cameron Memorial Community Hospital 2010 Net Margin 4.52% Return on Equity 7.30% Return on Assets 4.12% Debt Ratio 2.29 Current Ratio 1.97 Working Capital $4380419 Debt to 'Equity 0.77 The return on equity of Cameron Memorial Community Hospital in 2010 was 7.30%. The return on equity metric measures how effective a company was at generating profits from its total equity. The formula to calculate return on equity is dividing net income by total equity. The industry standard return on equity is 9.2% (Dun & Bradstreet). The return on equity of Cameron Memorial Community Hospital in 2010 was 1.90% below the industry standard. The return on assets of the company in 2010 was 4.12%. The return on assets metric can be calculated by dividing net income by total assets. The industry standard return on assets is 4.30% (Dun & Bradstreet). The return on assets ratio measures how effective a company was at generating profits from its total assets. The retur n on assets of Cameron Memorial Community Hospital was 0.18% below the industry standard. The debt ratio measures a company’s ability to pay off its long term debt. The debt ratio is calculated dividing total assets by total liabilities. The debt ratio of Cameron Memorial Community Hospital in 2010 was 2.29. The general rule for a debt ratio is that a debt

Personality Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personality Development - Essay Example While some psychologists believe that cognition is the only way to explain or predict personality differences within people, others believe that our personalities develop in differing ways. Whichever theorist you side with, however, it remains that cognition does play a part in the development of the personality, how big a part depends on your views. Cognition, being the mental process of knowing, and dealing with such things as awareness, perception, and reasoning, among others, is an important part of who we are and how we develop. Our personalities come from this perception of our world, what we think, what we feel, how we cope; it all stems from our awareness and how we put this awareness to use. Environmental factors, such as where you live, what you eat, the quality of the air that you breathe, etc, and biological factors, such as your genetic makeup and your pre-natal development play a part in how you process your environment and therefore play a part in the makeup of your personality development. If you happen to have been born prematurely, for example, and your parents both carried a lot of recessive genes and they were passed on to you, and you lived in an area of town close to smokestacks or a lot of overhead wires, your development, and that of your personality would differ from someone born at full term, with no genetic problems, living out in the fresh country air. How you are raised and where you are raised, and your genetic blueprint all have a bearing on how you perceive your world, and hence, how your personality has formed. Evolutionary, biological and environmental factors can result in the development of an aggressive personality. In the study of evolutionary psychology, we learn that it is a combination of a lot of

Socioautobiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Socioautobiography - Essay Example I had to know how to protect myself, but part of that protection meant keeping interest off of me when it came to possible threats. In Queens, in the middle of New York City and surrounded by millions of people, there was never enough space for me to go off and have any time to myself. I had to learn to make my own privacy even when surrounded by other people. I believe this quality has benefited me well in improving my ability to focus in distracting situations. I always lived in a two-parent household. I always knew that my parents loved me, my two brothers, and each other very much. These positive memories from my childhood have given me a stable foundation on which to build the rest of my life. My parents' example of a healthy marriage gave me the guidance I needed in my life to understand how stable relationships and happy families are built. I plan to take this knowledge and pass this on to my own children someday, whenever I decide it is time to take that next step forward wit h my life. My mother worked as a social worker and my father was a police officer. They raised me and my siblings in an extremely value-oriented household. I was taught from an early age to respect others and also to respect authority. My parents also raised me with a deeply-held belief in social responsibility. It was not enough for my family and for me to live in the world without actively causing harm to anyone. I also needed to do something that bettered my community and improved the world around me. As a result of these teachings from my parents, my two brothers followed in my father’s footsteps and became police officers for the city of New York. However, I wanted to do something different with my life and my career than the rest of my family. I had just enough of a rebellious streak in me that I felt it was necessary to leave home and try something new. However, this rebellious tendency was not enough for me to let go of the values my parents had taught me. As a result , my career choice was to join the military, which is a value-oriented career but one that was very different from anything my parents or siblings had ever done. I thought the military was a perfect choice for me, since I could expand on my existing skills and beliefs while seeing new places and experiencing all kinds of new things. For my first year after basic training, however, I felt that joining the military had been a huge mistake, possibly the biggest mistake I had ever made in my life. I was a child of the urban environment where I had grown up. Being sent to places like the farming community out in rural Texas, the location to which I was originally deployed after training, was a major shock. I missed being surrounded by all the activity and the bustle of the city. I felt like there was nothing for me out there, surrounded by nothing but mountains and empty desert all the way to the horizon. I also missed my family members and the closeness I had shared with them during my childhood. My parents and siblings all still lived in New York City. In fact, most of them still live in the neighborhood where I was born. I rarely had a chance to see them. At that time, joining up with the military seemed like the worst thing that had ever happened to me. Unsurprisingly, during my time in the military I was sent overseas to serve in Iraq. I completed two tours of duty there. It was an experience that I will never be able

Economic, Social And Political Economy Essay Example for Free

Economic, Social And Political Economy Essay Introduction In 1920, the independent kingdom of Korea was forcibly annexed to Japan, it lasted until the end of the second World War. After World War II, the United States (US) decided to occupy the southern half of Korea to prevent the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from taking control of the entire peninsula. USSR was helping North Korea’s fight against the Japanese forces. The US divided Korea at the 38th parallel to keep Seoul within the American-occupied area. USSR did not oppose the division. (Korean War, 2006) Both the USSR and the United States started to organize the governments in their half of Korea. When they did so, the political factions that used to be united against Japan started to emerge again. These factions represent the left-wing and right-wing views. The left-wing wanted an overhaul of Koreas land ownership laws, which unduly favored rich landowners. And the right wing vehemently refused the reform. (Korean War, 2006) From 1945 to1948, the US suppressed the widespread leftist movement and backed Syngman Rhee. Rhee had lived for decades in the United States and has a solid anti-Communist credentials. He was also popular with the right. (Korean War, 2006) The USSR, on the other hand, supported the left and Kim Il Sung. Kim II Sung received support from North Koreans and China. Kim fought with Chinese Communist forces against the Japanese in Manchuria in the 1930s. Kim forced a radical redistribution of land when he first came into power. By the end of 1946 the regimes of both North and South Korea were in place. The division of Korea was formalized until 1948. The South established the Republic of Korea while the North established the People’s Republic of Korea.   (Korean War, 2006) The regime was barely in placed South Korea when it had to contend with a rebellion in the south from the left-wing, particularly in its southernmost province. North Korea supported the rebellion. It was South Korea that first provoked North Korea into a war, but and Kim II Sung was willing to fight the war, too, with the help of USSR and China. In 1949, fighting in the 38th parallel broke out between the North and the South. In 1950, the army of North Korea crossed the dividing line. The Korean War reached its height from 1950 to 1953. In 1953, a cease fire agreement was signed. It ended the fighting but the Korean peninsula remained divided. (Korean War, 2006) The Korean War was considered as one of the most destructive of the 20th century. There was an estimated death of 2.4 to 4 million Korean, mostly civilians. The other countries who supporter either side also experienced casualties. China, who supported the North, lost almost 1 million soldiers. The US, who sided with the South, lost a little more than 36 thousands. The economic and social damage to the Korea Peninsula was incalculable. In the North Korea, the three years of bombing destroyed most of the modern buildings. (Korean War, 2006) Because of the Korean War, the US and Japanese economy received a much needed boost after World War II.   Japan became the source of materials for the war. Meanwhile, defense spending in the US nearly quadrupled in the last half of 1950. (Korean War, 2006) The North Korean Economy after the War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because North Korea endured 3 years of US bombing, a new capital had to be rebuilt after the war in North Korea. By 1960, the discipline and forced-labor policies of the Kim II Sung’s regime resulted in recovery and development. The general standard of living of the people remained low.   There was an emphasis to heavy industrial growth but not production of economic goods. (North Korea, 2006) In 1995, there was a nationwide food crisis. In 1996, it became a widespread famine. USSR and China withdrawal of its food subsidies, the government’s agricultural policies, and a series of floods and droughts are factors that contributed to the food crisis. International humanitarian relief agencies provided food aid and other relief efforts. In 1998, an estimated 1 million people had died of starvation and famine-related illnesses. The food crisis continued into the early 2000s. (North Korea, 2006)   The Juche Idea Juche is the official state ideology of North Korea. It is also the basis for its political system. Juche literally means main body or subject. In North Korean sources, it had been translated as independent stand and the spirit of self-reliance. The core principle of the Juche ideology has been that man is the master of everything and decides everything. (Juche, 2006, para. 1) It was Kim Il-sung which advanced Juche as a slogan in speech titled On Eliminating Dogmatism and Formalism and Establishing Juche in Ideological Work. It was made in rejection of the policy of de-Stalinization in the Soviet Union. It became a systematic ideological doctrine in the 1960s. Kim Il-sung outlined the three fundamental principles which are as follows: (1) independence in politics, (2) self-sustenance in the economy, and (3) self-defense in national defense. (Juche, 2006, para. 2) In 1982, Kim Jong-il authored a document titled â€Å"On the Juche Idea†. An article in Wikipedia said: According to Kim Jong-ils On the Juche Idea, the application of Juche in state policy entails the following: 1) The people must have independence (chajusong) in thought and politics, economic self-sufficiency, and self-reliance in defense; 2) Policy must reflect the will and aspirations of the masses and employ them fully in revolution and construction; 3) Methods of revolution and construction must be suitable to the situation of the country; and 4) The most important work of revolution and construction is molding people ideologically as communists and mobilizing them to constructive action. (Juche, 2006, para. 3) One of the first application of the Juche idea in North Korea was the Five-Year Plan known as the Chollima Movement. The Five-Year Plan involved rapid economic development, with a focus on heavy industry. This is to ensure independence from the USSR and China. (Juche, 2006, para. 4) But the reality of the Juche Idea is its economic program of self-reliance has resulted in economic dependence. North Korea has been an aid-dependent regime. From 1953 to1976 it depended considerably on Soviet industrial aid. The USSR remained North Koreas greatest economic benefactor until its 1991 collapse. It experienced a food crisis in the early part of its regime which later developed in to a famine. It has accepted aid from China, South Korea and the international community. In 2005, the country was the second largest recipient of international food aid. In 1998, Juche made pragmatic adaptations to capitalism. (Juche, 2006, para. 5) The state ideology has been an alternative to traditional religion. Juche have incorporated religious ideas into the state ideology. Juche is considered the largest political religion in North Korea. Practice of all other religions is overseen and subject to heavy surveillance by the state. (Juche, 2006, para. 6) Improving Relationship with the South After the Korean War, North Korea developed a hard stance against the South. In the 1960’s, an assassination team nearly succeeded in killing Park Chung Hee, the South Korean president at that time. In 1968, North Korean gun boats seized a US intelligence gathering vessel and subjected its crew to extreme circumstances for a year. In 1969, a US reconnaissance plane was shot down. There were guerrilla raids launched against the South. These attacks made the South even more dedicated in renewing their defense measures and influenced the formation of a harder political order in South Korea. (North Korea, 2006) Through the 1970s and 1980’s, there were efforts to affect the unification of the North and South Korea, but these efforts failed. In June 2000, the leaders of North and South Korea, agreed to promote reconciliation and economic cooperation between the two countries. This was the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the two countries since the country was divided. (North Korea, 2006) The meeting of the leaders of these two countries led to the first cross-border visits of family members separated since the Korean War which was officially authorized by both states. The agreement also led to many favorable consequences for both countries. Trade and investment increase. There was a more relaxed military tension. It also partially reopened road and rail links severed by the Korean War. There was also a start of mail service between the two countries. (North Korea, 2006) During the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, the athletes from North Korea and South Korea paraded together under one flag, the neutral flag of the Korea Peninsula. But the athletes still competed separately in the different events. (North Korea, 2006) In October of 2000, Kim Dae Jung was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two countries. (North Korea, 2006) South Korea, together with China, is instrumental in bringing almost 1 billion dollars in aid and investment to North Korea. South Korea’s help prevent the collapse of the North Korean economy (Fajola Fan, 2006). However, recent political developments may trigger old hostilities in the region. The insistence of North Korea to develop and test nuclear weapons may bring war in Northeast Asia again (Fajola Fan, 2006). South Korea, despite its own pressing need, offered to supply North Korea energy if it would cease the production of nuclear weapons (David 2006). There is still no news whether North Korea has accepted its offer. Politics and International Relations Before the Korean War, The Workers’ Party of Korea was established. Kim Il Sung emerged as the leader of North Korea. He enjoyed the military support of the USSR until the soviet troops withdrew in 1948. Under the Workers’ Party leadership, political and economic changes had been made. The egalitarian land reforms were enforced. There was a radical redistribution of land from the land owners to laborer and tenant farmers. The landless labor and tenant farmers supported these reforms. Because of these reforms, there was massive confiscation of land and wealth from the Japanese or to enemies of the regime. Aside from the reforms, there was also party-directed economic planning and development. (North Korea 2006) Kim II Sung fought against the Japanese and, in 1949, welcome the war against South Korea. When North Korean forces crossed the dividing line to the South, the US joined the fighting with the approval of the UN. There was also a small contingent from Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and Turkey to help with the Americans. USSR, an ally of North Korea refused to vote during the deliberations in the UN. In October 1950, China supported North Korea in the War. When cease fire was finally agreed upon, thousands of lives where lost on both sides. Millions worth of infrastructure were also destroyed, particularly in the North which experienced massive bombing operations from the US. (North Korea 2006). In the political front, North Korean leadership began to veer away from USSR influenced. The intensifying conflict between China and the USSR, allowed North Korea even more independent action. (North Korea, 2006) North Korea actions after the Korean War seemed to be geared towards building of nuclear might. When both North and South Korea joined the UN in 1991, they signed agreements regarding nuclear and conventional arms control and reconciliation. In 1992, North Korea signed an agreement allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the country’s nuclear facilities. In 1993 the North Korean government refused the inspection of nuclear waste sites which is believed to contain undeclared nuclear material for nuclear weapons. This resistance continued until the first half of 1994. (North Korea, 2006) South Korea suspended its formal acceptance of the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) which it signed in 1985. In 1993, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) suspected North Korea of building at least one atomic weapon from plutonium extracted from fuel rods at a nuclear power plant. (North Korea, 2006) In 1994, the US and North Korea reached an agreement called Agreed Framework. In this agreement, North Korea will suspend the operation of designated nuclear facilities capable of producing and reprocessing weapons-grade plutonium and allow IAEA inspectors to verify the suspension. The agreement called for annual deliveries of heavy fuel oil to North Korea. The U.S. agreed to take steps to end economic sanctions against North Korea, sanctions in placed since the Korean War. (North Korea, 2006) The 1994 Agreed Framework is also a step towards normal diplomatic relations between the US and North Korea. North Korea agreed to suspend operation of the nuclear facilities in return for two new reactors that will be built by US, South Korea and Japan. In 1995, the construction of the two reactors started. In 2002, US abrogated the agreement. It charged North Korea of violating the agreement by initiating a secret weapons-grade uranium-enrichment program. North Korea denied that it had such a program. Because the US abrogated in 2002, North Korea resumed plutonium production. In February 2005, it issued a statement that it was now a â€Å"nuclear weapons state.† (North Korea, 2006) While relations between the two Koreas are improving, the relations between the US and North Korea became even more strained because of the issue of nuclear weapons. The US had placed North Korea on a list of countries supporting terrorism and had characterized North Korea as being part of an â€Å"axis of evil†. China attempted to act as a mediator between North Korea and the US, but the US refused to meet in one-on-one negotiations. To compromise, China fashioned a series of negotiations which would take place among China, Japan, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, and the US. The talks were held in Beijing, China. (North Korea, 2006) Without reaching an agreement, the six-party talks recessed in early August 2005. When the talks resumed in September 2005, North Korea pledged to abandon all nuclear weapons and programs in exchange for economic aid and security guarantees. The talks stalled. Early of July 2006 North Korea launched seven test missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 missile, which fell into the Sea of Japan. Even if the test were considered successful, these raised tensions in the area. Concerned international community, through the UN Security Council, called for economic sanctions against North Korea. (North Korea, 2006) The 2006 Nuclear Testing Analysts are saying that North Korea’s gaining bragging rights as a nuclear power may have political and economic fallout. Many fears that the nuclear tests being done by North Korea can trigger instability in Northeast Asia. China, which had been a supporter of North Korea, is reconsidering its support for the Kim Jong II. China, with the help of South Korea, had given billions of dollars in aid and investment to North Korea. Both countries helped prevent the collapse of the economy for fear that such will send refugees pouring into their own borders. An Asia Times Online writer said that South Korea offered to supply North Korea’s energy needs if the latter will abandon its nuclear arms. China’s foreign minister, Li Zhaoxing expressed the Chinese government opposition to the nuclear test. (Fajola and Fan, 2006) Because of the tests, South Korea stopped the delivery of emergency assistance to help the North deal with recent floods. President Roh Moo Hyun said, The South Korean government at this point cannot continue to say that this engagement policy [sunshine policy] is effective. Ultimately, it is not something we should give up on, but objectively speaking, the situation has changed. Being patient and accepting whatever North Korea does is no longer acceptable, (qtd. in Fajola and Fan, 2006, para. 7). Analysts say that the shift in position of China or South Korea is partly based on the possible reaction of Japan, the nation most threatened by North Koreas ballistic missiles. A nuclear-armed North Korea could lead Japan arm itself more aggressively. A U.S. congressional report may lead Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to develop their own nuclear weapons. It would start an arms race in the region and feed regional disputes. (Fajola and Fan, 2006) Japan has already said that it would impose harder measures against North Korea. The measures can include a ban on the remittances sent home by North Koreans working in Japan. (Fajola and Fan, 2006) Another motivation for China’s position is its failed attempt to mediate between US and North Korea in the series of negotiations in Beijing. To save face and to meet international pressure, China may impose tougher economic sanctions and reduce aid to North Korea to force the latter to stop production and testing of its missiles. (Fajola and Fan, 2006) Seung Joo Baek, an analyst from the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Defense Analyses also said: North Koreas message is that no matter how hard South Korea, Japan, the United States gang up on them, they wont budge. They want to be recognized as a nuclear power. They are assuming that it is the only thing that will keep them safe. We will have to wait and see if they are right. â€Å"(qtd. in Fajola Fan, 2006, conclusion)       References    Korean War. (2006). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved November  30,  2006, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9046072. Korean War (2006). In Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2006. Retrieved November  30,  2006 from http://encarta.msn.com. North Korea (2006). In Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2006. Retrieved November  30,  2006 from http://encarta.msn.com. Nguyen, D. â€Å"South Korea Enters the Great Game.† May 13, 2006.   Retrieved November  30,  2006 from http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/HJ10Dg02.html. Juche (2006). In Wikipedia 2006. Retrieved November  30,  2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juche Fajola, A. Fan M. â€Å"North Korea’s Political and Economic Gamble.† October 10, 2006. Retrieved November  30,  2006 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/08/AR2006100801169_2.html