Land Power Versus Sea Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Land Power Versus Sea Power - Essay Example This dichotomy has not been limited to the perspectives of the Anglo-Americans on hegemonic power. Alexander Dugin, the geopolitical theorist from Russia, argued that this was core to international conflict, contending that these positions are the basis of cultural differences that will be in conflict all the time. This paper aims to discuss the two concepts and show whether they are relevant or obsolete in international relations. Mahan’s idea contends that the potency of a nation is dependent on unobstructed access to the sea in order to conduct trade. His interpretation of sea power was the total of factors and forces, geographical circumstances and tools, operated to attain sea command and secure it from enemies (Gray, 2009). In Mahan’s formulation, sea power included colonies, shipping, and domestic production. America, he said, had to build and maintain a massive combat navy to be fuelled by coal stations in the colonies. His argument was on the basis that the Uni ted States should become internationally competitive for the protection of itself. Mahan articulated ideas on sea power importance and the desire to see an expansionist philosophy for the American nation. Mackinder, on the other hand, extended his land power theory. He said the land surface could be subdivided into various parts. One was the world island that included Africa, Asia, and Europe interlinked together. This combination was the richest, most populous, and largest of them all (Kennedy, 2004). Another part was the offshore islands which included the Japanese and British Islands. Finally, he identified the outlying islands such as Australia, South America, and North America. It was the heartland which he saw as lying at the centre of the island of the world, extending from the arctic to the Himalayas and from the Yangtze to the Volga. During his era, the heartland was that controlled by the empire of Russia, later by the Soviets without the Vladivostok and the area around it . Mackinder predicted that the rimlands, as he called them, would become less relevant as industrialization caught on in the heartlands and as the inland became more accessible by the railway system. This would make land an asset rather than a barrier to communication. Eventually, Russia would tap the massive natural resources and manpower it had and overshadow its fellow powers in the west. Mahan’s theory remains relevant to date especially as far as its logic goes. America’s power in the sea has now turned on the ability of the navy to preserve access to the Eastern part of Asia, as well as the Middle East, which are the theatres of American maritime operations. The strategic gaze of the Americans now lies on Asia as its maritime target. However, costs for such projects are increasing while budget acquisition becomes stagnant. This, in turn, has led to downward pressure on the fleet size of the American Navy. The ability of the Sea Services to carry out the maritime strategy of 2007 is now becoming a doubt. The Chinese Navy, on the other hand, is on a quite different trajectory (Gilboy & Higginbotham, 2012). It now has new aircraft, submarines, and new ships. While these assets may not be equal to the American assets, their fleet is more focused on Asia. With the US placing more focus on a global scale, they could not apply adequate force at a theatre. An ASBM under construction

RUNNING HEAD TEAM DYNAMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RUNNING HEAD TEAM DYNAMICS - Essay Example So, effective and efficient groups work provides security and social satisfaction for customers and organization supporting individual needs and promoting communication, formally or informally. Recent trends underline the important of client-oriented relations and high level of cohesiveness in working groups which ensures clients satisfaction and improve service level. (Buchholz and Roth 1987). The advantage and benefits of working in teams are joined actions of all team members and an opportunity to work on complex problems and solutions. For this reason, team work plays a crucial role as it is concerned with provision of services for the diverse client population. Design of a team and effective leader can be seen only as tools for providing effective support. Neither a group work nor a leader in isolation cannot secure effective work of modern organizations. Group work is a complex notion which depends upon different strategies and methods. Modern organizations deal socially and economically with diverse settings. The class-based approach has a tendency to foster autonomy of client population. ... (Dickson and Hargie 2003). The main challenge of team work is effective communication and coordination of all team members, motivation and rewards. In general, a work team can be defined as a group of individuals working interdependently to solve problems or accomplish tasks. Teams are a powerful design option for organizations that hope to meet the challenges of increased global competition, improve output quality, and address the social needs of the ever-changing global workforce. However, the success or failure of work teams in multinational organizations will depend largely on communication. Effective communication requires that HR practitioners adapt key assumptions about motivation, structure, and accountability. Adapted assumptions must support lateral thinking, collaboration, interdependence, a focus on process, permeable boundaries, and mutual responsibility. Following LaFasto and Larsen (2001) the "key ingredients" for successful teamwork are "openness, supportiveness, action orientation and personal style" (p. 5). Work teams are most effective when there is high task interdependence or a high degree of coordination and collaboration required between team members to accomplish tasks. Thus, a group of insurance sales agents who are geographically dispersed and have little interaction with one another to carry out their tasks would most likely be an inappropriate context in which to implement teams. The agents would probably see such an effort as an empty, poorly developed strategy designed to capitalize on a management fad. Work teams are also more appropriate when the tasks that their members carry out are complex and well designed (Dickson and

Gussing the Fiscal Cliff's Fate Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gussing the Fiscal Cliff's Fate - Article Example As stated by the then presidential candidates, the White House, Federal Reserve Chairman and Congress Members, the event of going over the cliff would have been destructive and irresponsible. This paper will give a brief of the guessing of the fate of the fiscal cliff. The guessing of the fiscal cliff’s fate was centered on who between the two presidential candidates would make it to the Office. Questions were rife whether the Congress would push the financial system over the economic cliff. The functionality of Washington was questioned in light of speculation that the president to be elected, and the Congress would allow taxes to shoot up and government spending to be reduced, all with the risk of a renewed recession. It will be remembered that, in August 2011, it was agreed between President Obama and the Congress that annual federal spending would be reduced by $900 billion spread over a 10 year period (Wall, 2012). That was approximately a 33 percent cut of the total fede ral budget. In a bid to accomplish more, President Obama signed into law a bill passed by the Congress that required spending cuts in all sectors from 31st December 2012. That was unless an agreement was reached on an amalgamation of tax increases and benefit cuts that would save another $1.2 trillion in 10 years. It was gambled on Wall Street that the Congress would get a way out of the quagmire after the election by making an arrears deal or calling off the whole thing. Some Democrats ironically argued that if the nation went over the fiscal cliff, it would give them a better chance to negotiate with the Republicans, come 2013. Some Republicans, too, had the same opinion. However, it was difficult at that time to differentiate between genuine convictions and bargaining rants (Wall, 2012). Those who believed that Mitt Romney would win the elections also believed that Congress would suspend the whole issue up to mid-2013 in order to allow him time to design a budget. On the other ha nd, President Obama’s supporters believed that if he won, the dynamics would depend on whether the victory was strong enough or by a trivial margin. Further, the fate would also be determined by the number of Senate seats won or lost by Republicans in the House. As presidential elections drew nearer, polls indicated that incumbent President Obama would retain his seat, and the Congress would remain much as it was. In that case, sympathetic senators and administration optimists from both parties foresaw a situation where the president would offer a new plan that would curb increases in benefits, especially Medicare, than the previous proposals. Bipartisan negotiations would also be seen, in which instant down payment, albeit small, would be availed towards reduction of the federal deficit on items that enjoyed bipartisan support. From the negotiations, instructions would be issued to appropriate congressional committees requiring them to sketch tax reform laws (Wall, 2012). Th e draft laws would be expected to raise revenue amounts decided upon and also find another amount agreed on for savings from benefit agendas within 2013 through procedures that require 51 senate votes for approval. Finally, the negotiations were expected to offer a contingency plan that both the president and Congress could live with, not like the previous one. The plan was expected to materialize from among the several bipartisan anti-deficit strategies proposed. However, all the assumption was

RUNNING HEAD TEAM DYNAMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RUNNING HEAD TEAM DYNAMICS - Essay Example So, effective and efficient groups work provides security and social satisfaction for customers and organization supporting individual needs and promoting communication, formally or informally. Recent trends underline the important of client-oriented relations and high level of cohesiveness in working groups which ensures clients satisfaction and improve service level. (Buchholz and Roth 1987). The advantage and benefits of working in teams are joined actions of all team members and an opportunity to work on complex problems and solutions. For this reason, team work plays a crucial role as it is concerned with provision of services for the diverse client population. Design of a team and effective leader can be seen only as tools for providing effective support. Neither a group work nor a leader in isolation cannot secure effective work of modern organizations. Group work is a complex notion which depends upon different strategies and methods. Modern organizations deal socially and economically with diverse settings. The class-based approach has a tendency to foster autonomy of client population. ... (Dickson and Hargie 2003). The main challenge of team work is effective communication and coordination of all team members, motivation and rewards. In general, a work team can be defined as a group of individuals working interdependently to solve problems or accomplish tasks. Teams are a powerful design option for organizations that hope to meet the challenges of increased global competition, improve output quality, and address the social needs of the ever-changing global workforce. However, the success or failure of work teams in multinational organizations will depend largely on communication. Effective communication requires that HR practitioners adapt key assumptions about motivation, structure, and accountability. Adapted assumptions must support lateral thinking, collaboration, interdependence, a focus on process, permeable boundaries, and mutual responsibility. Following LaFasto and Larsen (2001) the "key ingredients" for successful teamwork are "openness, supportiveness, action orientation and personal style" (p. 5). Work teams are most effective when there is high task interdependence or a high degree of coordination and collaboration required between team members to accomplish tasks. Thus, a group of insurance sales agents who are geographically dispersed and have little interaction with one another to carry out their tasks would most likely be an inappropriate context in which to implement teams. The agents would probably see such an effort as an empty, poorly developed strategy designed to capitalize on a management fad. Work teams are also more appropriate when the tasks that their members carry out are complex and well designed (Dickson and

Response to the book “The Body’s Memory” Essay Example for Free

Response to the book â€Å"The Body’s Memory† Essay The recollection made by a person with disability or PWD of the most painful things which her body felt and experienced was explicitly depicted in the 1993 book of Jean Stewart entitled â€Å"The Body’s Memory. † The most notable aside from the clear presentation of the true condition and emotions of PWD, however, is the remarkable realization exemplified by the character. The character’s clear yet flexible and uncomplaining reminiscence of the pains and sacrifices of her body which was afflicted and removed with tumor was the ultimate significance of the book. This is because a PWD’s acceptance of the undeniable or irreversible state of her body strongly manifests that indeed the physical condition serves as the lasting reminder of disability. However, it is the will and the desire to overcome such disability which will ultimately allow a PWD to continue living. Stewart’s first appearance in the literary world showcased the character of a 30-year-old woman named Kate Meredith who recounted her body’s management and survival three years after a tumor was removed from her hip. Through the course of the recollection, Meredith’s body was faced with and most importantly reminded of its inevitable limitations resulting from the surgery which eventually made her a disabled person for the rest of her life (Stewart, 1989). The preface alone already hinted both the disposition and worth of this journal of one’s battle against her disability and ultimate triumph over the physical condition. As the journal went on, the author’s invitation led the readers into the painful yet struggling efforts of a lively and strong-willed English professor Meredith (Stewart, 1989). Through the words of the author, the readers came in contact and had a peek of the kind of life that Meredith has lived following her tumor removal. Stewart allowed the public to be acquainted with the people around Meredith, to feel and sympathize with her physical and emotional sufferings and above all, witness her understanding or acceptance and eventual rise above her permanent physical condition (Stewart, 1989). It is worthy to consider that the author has effectively presented the strong character of Meredith whose memory or precise account of her body’s pain caused by disability surprisingly paved the way for the meeting of two worlds, that of the normal people and persons with disability. In order to thoroughly feel the personal battle fought by Meredith, the author’s use of the journal type as the writing structure has succeeded for the character to vividly recall the pains suffered by her body. Additionally, the said literary form has efficiently conveyed the essence of the story, which is the acceptance of the body’s memory of disability suffering as well as the eventual realization of the existing disability and improvement towards the reality of living independently. The Meredith journal, as written by Stewart, is a concrete proof of a triumphant tale of a PWD whose body will definitely always remember the pain. However, she used such memory as a tool to overcome her limitation and started living on her own. The book is an ideal chronicle from the point of view of a previously normal person who was faced with the reality of never to walk once more. It is one of the best works that depicted a different perspective about the everyday happenings in the life of a person with disability. Utilizing the vehicle of journal writing, the author invited the readers to the world of a PWD and succeeded in making both her main character and the public experience all the emotional confusions, physical battle, disappointments, bravery, apprehension, self-pity and rejection. In doing so, Meredith’s eventual realization of herself and her new-found liberty has turned the book into a remarkable literary work. An ultimate response to the book is that it is a well recommended story for both normal people and persons with disability because of its generalized reminder that life has to continue beyond the event of a disability. Reference Stewart, J. (1989). The Body’s Memory. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

Advantages and disadvantages of WAN

Advantages and disadvantages of WAN Assumption. The company consist of 4 buildings, one as headquarter which located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and three as branches which located in Jakarta Indonesia, Bangkok Thailand and Manila Filipina. The company consists of 4 departments that are admin staff, IT department, marketing department and human resources department, which have total 40 employees in every office. Each department has 10 employees, which mean every departments room consist of 10 personal computers. LAN architecture will be the same between headquarter and branches. Every building Consist of 3 floors, 1st floors for administrator staff and human resources staff, 2nd floor for IT department and server room and the 3rd floor for marketing and meeting room. Every department has its own peripherals such as printer, scanner, and Photostat machine. Projector will be in meeting room. Have connection to the Internet and connection to each office. Headquarter office has external backup which located in Malaysia nearby headquarter office approximately 2 km, its provide backup for the database. Problem identification. The company does not have network yet. The company does not have DBMS (Database Management System). The company does not have backup yet. Security issues. WAN explanation. There are five sites in the WAN diagram, consist of headquarter office which is located in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, three branches offices which is located in Thailand Filipina and Indonesia and one external backup which is located nearby headquarter office. The function of external backup is to keep the data as the original data. WAN topology. Basically WAN topology is almost similar with the LAN topology consist of point-to-point topology, ring topology and star topology. There are several advantages and disadvantages for every topology. The advantages and disadvantages of each topology will be shown in table bellow. For this company we suggest to use star topology because it is more scalable, provides shorter data paths between two sites and easy to add new nodes, if someday the company will expand the business by adding new branches in the other country it will easy to add to the existing WAN, the disadvantages of star topology is it has single point of failure at the concentrator routers. To overcome this problem network administrator tend to add some alternatives links between sites. WAN transmission technology. For WAN technologies we will do comparison between three technologies that are leased line, frame relay, X.25 and PPP. For WAN technologies we suggest to use frame relay because it can provide performance similar with the lease line with significantly less cost over long distance. Another reason is reduce internetworking cost because with frame relay required fewer port to access other network, increase performance with reduce complexity and definitely it is cheaper than leased line. Lower cost over long distance makes frame relay is good for this company because the branches office located across the country. Technology. For WAN technology we suggest to use VPN (virtual private network). VPN is alternatives technology to replace the more expensive WAN technology. The advantages of VPN that available online on: (http://www.universitydissertations.com/Communications/using-VPN.php) are, provide well security method, less expensive when compare with the WAN technology, reduce setup times, fast network link, simple network topology and productivity improved due to less constraints when compared with other networking methods. And the disadvantage of VPN is limited security for wireless users. According to the comparison above, we suggest to use star topology to each department. It is because star topology is more robustness, when one link fails only that link is affected and not the entire networks, and also it is easy to add new devices into the network if someday the company will expand the network. The major disadvantages of this topology is dependants on the hub or switch, if central hub or switch fails the entire network will be affected, but sometimes this dependency will becomes another advantages of star topology, because it make easy to troubleshoot the errors, if the entire network is not working it will be problems in the hub or switch. And for connecting each floor, we use backbones cable. So overall LAN topology for each office is using tree topology that combines BUS topology and STAR topology. It will combine the advantages of both topologies, which is easy installation, expandable, combine between multipoint and point-to-point. Transmission media. According Michael Palmer and Robert Bruce Sinclair (2003), when choosing the best medium for LAN or WAN, it is important to consider the capabilities and limitations of each type, including factors such as: data transfer speed, use in specific network topologies, distances requirement, cable and cable component cost, additional network equipment that might be required, flexibility and ease of installation, immunity to interference form outside source, and upgrade options. For LAN transmission media is using UTP and fiber optic. UTP or Unshielded Twisted Pair also known as 10BaseT is one of twisted pair type. There are several category of UTP, namely, cat3 has a maximum transmission rate16 Mbps, cat4 maximum rate up to 20 Mbps, cat5 has transmission rate 100Mbps, cat5e transmission rate up to 1000Mbps and cat6 has a transmission rate up to1000Mbps. For cat5e and cat6 is support for using gigabyte Ethernet. For UTP cable in this LAN we use cat5e and cat6. Cat5e is using to connect workstations and peripherals to the switch and switch to the backbones in each departments room. The reason why we select the UTP cat5e because it has high-speed networking capabilities of up to 1000 Mbps. Another UTP that we use is cat 6 to connect between backbones cable and server. This cable can carry twice the bandwidth of cat5 and has less crosstalk than cat5e. Whereas for backbone cables we suggest for using fiber optic, no doubt about it that now a days fiber optic is the best cable. Why we suggest using fiber optic, it is because highest bandwidth than other cable, resistance to electromagnetic interference and Radio frequency interference, secure transmission and early detection of cable damage. The main disadvantage of this cable is very high cost. LAN protocol. We use TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet protocol) for protocol. The reason why we use TCP/IP because: according Michael Palmer and Robert Bruce Sinclair (2003), it has many advantages includes: It is used on most networks and Internet, which makes it the international language of translation. There is a wide range of network device designed compatible with TCP/IP. Most computer operating system now uses TCP/IP as their main protocol. There is a larger body of network professionals who understand TCP/IP. There are several protocol and application of the TCP/IP suite. In our network we only use application that we need such as FTP, DNS, STMP, Telnet, HTTP. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) There is three transfer protocol that support with TCP/IP: FTP, TFTP and NFS. For our network we use FTP because it is the file transfer protocol options preferred by Internet users. FTP is an application that enables to transfer data from one remote device to another, its very useful application in our network because the user in branches office can log in into the headquarter office and download one or more data files, the user have an authorized user ID and password on the host. DNS (Domain name system) DNS is used to converts a computer or domain name to an IP address or that converts form IP address to a computer or domain name. STMP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) STMP is used for sending email. SMTP can only send text files, so files in other format must be converted into text files before sending through STMP. By using this application the staff can send and receive the email. Telnet (telecommunication network) Telnet is used to communicate with host computer usually mainframes minicomputer and to ensure that all network devices connect properly. HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) HTTP is used World Wide Web communication. Using this application protocol the staffs can use internet properly in their workstations. Security. Proxy server. Proxy servers are devices that operate as intermediary agents on behalf of clients that are on a private or protected network. Clients on the protected network send connection requests to the application proxy in order to transfer data to the unprotected network or the Internet. Consequently, the application proxy sends the request on behalf of the internal client. (Jazeb Frahim and Omar Santos, 2005). According to Michael Dance in (http://www.ehow.com/facts_5016663_functions-proxy-server.html) the functions of proxy server are, caching: proxy server will save frequently accessed resources to save the bandwidth and faster loading, content filtering: it will filter the accessed web, by blocking certain web, security: when accessing the website proxy servers send Internet requests through a proxy before reach website destination. The proxy will encrypt the information, such as a password, before passing it onto the website. DMZ (Demilitarized zone) Basically DMZ is separate between public server and the LAN to allow external user to access into public server without access the internal server. Benefit of using DMZ is, by separating the public server with the private servers if someone hacks into one of public server does not mean that he can hacks into the private servers and also does not afford any easy route to the LAN. Multimedia devices.

Cultural Change in International Markets Essay -- essays research pape

Competitive pressures caused by globalization, deregulation, and discontinuous technological changes seem to have forced many organizations into considering radical change as a way of surviving and growing. A big part of this radical change has to do with accepting and handling cultural differences among other nations. Organizations pursue change to enhance their competitive positions and to grow. Cultural Change Culture changes over time, despite the fact that one of the more important attributes of culture is that it is conservative and resistant to change. When marketing a new innovation to a foreign country, the marketer must possess a thorough knowledge of that country’s culture in order to be successful there, as new innovations can be fail or even cause offence if not marketed or designed in a manner appropriate to that particular culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are six rules of thumb when doing business across cultures: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Be prepared. Whether traveling or selling from home, you should never approach a foreign market with first researching the area. Some of the things to learn would include social and business etiquette, history, current affairs, the culture’s values, geography, religion, political structure, and practical matter such as currency and hours of business. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slow down. In America â€Å"Time is money.† Americans always seem to be in a rush and can seem unfriendly or arrogant. In other countries, patience is the key. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Establish trust. Having crisp business relationships will get the salesperson nowhere. Product quality, pricing, and clear contracts are not as important as the personal relationship and trust that are developed over time. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Understand the language. Languages differ in parts of the world one must have a vocabulary that is sensitive to nuance and connotation. An interpreter could also be helpful if needed. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Respect the culture. Manner are important. The traveling person is a guest and must respect the hosts’ rules. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Understand components of culture. There are two types: surface culture (fads, styles, foods, etc.) and deep culture (attitudes, beliefs, values). Importance of cultural unders... ...t be aware of this, as there can be serious repercussions for them and their company if there are adverse reactions to the new innovation regardless of the fact it may have been accidental.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Knowledge about other cultures and how they affect the way people do business may show business-people working in a culture different from their own that their solutions are not always the appropriate ones for a given task. Understanding this is the first step in learning how to use cultural differences to gain a strategic advantage. Mishandling or ignoring cultural differences can cause numerous problems, such as lost sales, the departure of competent employees, and low morale that contributes to low productivity. How can international businesspeople learn to live with other cultures? The first step is to realize that there are cultures different from their own. Then they must go and learn the characteristics of those cultures so that they can adapt to them. Traveling to this country and staying a while or undergoing an extensive, training program would be helpful to cover the main characteristics of the culture, including the language.