The demographic transition model Essay Example

The demographic transition model Paper The Demographic transition model (DTM) is a model used to explain the process of shift from high birth rates and high death rates to low birth rates and low death rates as part of the economic development of a country from a pre-industrial to an industrialized economy. It is based on an interpretation begun in 1929 by the American demographer Warren Thompson of prior observed changes, or transitions, in birth and death rates in industrialized societies over the past two hundred years. Most developed countries are beyond stage three of the model; the majority of developing countries are in stage 2 or stage 3. The model was based on the changes seen in Europe so these countries follow the DTM relatively well. Many developing countries have moved into stage 3. The major exceptions are poor countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and some Middle Eastern countries, or countries affected by government policy or civil strife, notably Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Yemen and Afghanistan. Strengths of the DTM The DTM has many good factors. For example, it is universal in concept. It can be applied to all countries in the world. You are able to see, that many other countries in Europe and North America went through similar stages as they industrialised. Some newly industrialised countries (NICs) such as Singapore and South Korea also seemed to go through similar stages, but faster than countries like Britain had done, which I will examine in my essay later. The model helps to explain what has happened and why it has happened in that particular sequence, because it is also easy to understand. Furthermore it enables comparisons to be made demographically between countries. In addition, it provides a starting point for the study of demographically change over time. We will write a custom essay sample on The demographic transition model specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The demographic transition model specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The demographic transition model specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The model’s timescales are flexible and to sum up, it is very dynamic, showing changes through time. The DTM of the UK The UK went in the last 300 years through five stages of the DTM. Reliable estimates and census returns go back further for the UK than for any other country. I want to explain those stages now a little bit further: Stage 1: The death rates fluctuated up until about 1740. In years of plenty the death rate fell, rising again in periods of scarcity, missing hygiene and cheap gin drinking. It also rose when epidemics of illness struck and no medical science was there. In addition there was uncertain food supply. The birth rate stayed high to compensate for the high death rate. There was no birth control or family planning, and many children were needed to work on the land and support their parents in old age. But there was also such a high birth rate, because so many children died in infancy that parents tend Tanja Dordelmann Geography Year 12 Page 2 to produce more in the hope that several will survive. Both rates were about 35 per 1000. Stage 2: The UK went through the second stage from 1760 till 1880. The birth rates remained high, but death rates fall rapidly to about 20 per 1000 people. The medical care were improved, there were now vaccinations, hospitals and doctors. The supply of improves sanitation, water and food production improved in quality and quantity. Transports to move to the doctors and to the foods were also provided. Furthermore the child mortality decreased between 1770 and 1870. In the 1870s Anne Besant published brochures advocating birth control. Compulsory education and factory reforms after 1870 made employment of children much more difficult. All this resulted in a big population growth. Stage 3: The late expanding in the UK of the third stage happened from 1880 till 1940. The birth rates fall rapidly to perhaps 16 per 1000 people. This may due to the different family planning, there was now contraceptives, sterilisation, abortion and government incentives. The fall of the infant mortality rate lead to less pressure to have so many children. The increased industry and mechanism meaning fewer labourers are needed. All in all the desire for material possessions and less desire for large families grew up. Another important factor was the emancipation of the women, which enabled the women to follow their own careers rather than just bearing children. While this, the death rate continued falling slightly, means to 12 per 1000 people. Therefore the population had a slowly increase. Stage 4: By 1940, the birth rate had fallen again to 14 per 1000, partly due to the uncertainties of war. After the war the birth rate rose immediately for a short while, which is called the post-war baby boom. But at 1980 birth rates fallen again and remained at the same level. There was also the introduction of the antibaby-pill and more use of condoms. This is also a result of the rise in the importance of women in the employment structure of the UK. Whereas the death rate remained low at 10 – 12 per 1000. This resulted in a steady population. The UK has not achieved the fifth stage yet, like many other countries, either. Actually this fifth stage is just a conjecture and only Hungary passed this stage. Weaknesses of the DTM The DTM doe not only have good factors, even though it is universal in concept, it is Eurocentric and assumes that all countries in the world will follow the European sequence of socioeconomic changes. It is based on the experience of industrialisation and does not originally include the fifth stage. Also you cannot read why all this happened. It does not include the factor of Aids, the role of the government and the impact of migration, although it is a very important part of studying population change. Conclusion – My opinion of the DTM The DTM is, in my eyes, a very good way of compare countries in their population change over the years. Unfortunately it does not include all countries in their development. But all in all I think using the DTM is very useful.

The Black Death Essays

The Black Death Essays The Black Death Essay The Black Death Essay The black death The Black Death, also called the â€Å"Bubonic Plague† was one of the worst natural disasters in history. In 1347, a plague came over Europe and killed many people. One third of Europ’s population died. The plague was carried by fleas, having a high potential to spread dangerous diseases to humans and other animals. It was said that the flea that carried the disease first was born in Africa and travelled by boat on the back of a rat to other countries of the world. The Black Death first began in the desert of Gobi in the late 1320’s and went in Europe’s direction. The first country affected by the plague was Cyprus in 1347 and then went to Sicily and to all over Italy. In January of 1348, the plague spread to France and to England in September. Because the disease tended to follow trade routes, and to concentrate in cities, the cities of the south near the sea were first infected, and then later to northern Europe and finally to Russia. In the beginning, the plague came from wild black rats. Fleas are blood sucking parasites; so when a flea drinks the infected rat blood, it is now infected itself. The bacteria in the flea’s gut multiply and when the flea bites a human or other animal in an open wound, it is now also infected. An infected person can be recognized by black bubbles or boils on the body, a high fever, and vomiting blood. The swellings continue to expand until they eventually burst, with death following soon after. Although the government had medical workers trying to prevent the plague, it still persisted. Most medical workers quit because they were afraid to get the plague themselves. In conclusion, the Black Death was a very world changing disaster that affected many. It is known as the worst natural disaster of all time in the middle ages. Statistics say that 60% of Florence’s population died in one year. Venice also lost 60% of its population in one and a half year.

Conflicts and disputes on commercial projects Essay

Conflicts and disputes on commercial projects - Essay Example The business deal is characterised by a choice to close the deal or walk away from it and on the other side a contractual agreement is entered into out of shear necessity. Contractual agreements have no option of walking away from hence senior managers should be aware of this fact before appending their signatures on the dotted lines. Even if a project and its distribution of work is better defined and the parties are better prepared and even if the contract is better drafted there still will be changes that give rise to disagreements between parties. In any commercial project, there will be unforeseeable changes that will require to be handled by the parties in a commercial manner. Hence there is need for an effective way of handling such disagreements for the project to be completed on time and with satisfactory results for the parties involved (Altfeld, 2010, p. 3-7). The presence of attitudes and aspects such as confrontation, problem solving, compromising, smoothing and withdraw al could all be applied by a strong facilitator to solve conflicts between team members. Leaders need to understand that most conflicts, in fact, contribute enormously to the experience and well performance of a team and for that reason must be regarded as constructive elements of multi-framework as long as the conflict is managed properly and channelled by a facilitator. Facilitation helps others to voice their views comfortably and avoid power and personality conflicts, (Spiess & Felding, 2008, p.407) According to Lowe and Leiringer, (2006, p.264) disputes and conflicts on projects or contracts are unpleasant and unavoidable at the same time as they divert valuable resources from the overall aim, which must be completion on time, on budget and to the quality specified to other unnecessary tasks such as dispute or conflict negotiations. In addition, they generally cost money and take time to solve, and they can destroy relationships which may have taken years to develop. Conflict i n part of western societies and idioms; to use the academic jargon, there is a western dialect argument idiom. Conflict can be said to be a part of dynamic capitalism and an integral part of commercialism conflict in the current commercial world. It can as well be seen as the functional and necessary part and its management is seen where the emphasis is on the axiom that it must be in the interest of all the parties to avoid disputes by managing conflict in such a way that disputes do not arise as this is sometimes described as dispute avoidance. The understanding of a dispute on the other hand it is important as it can be said to only develop when conflict is not or cannot be managed. A dispute can be described as the unnecessary or dysfunctional element that brings about a diversion of resources from the real goal in terms of settling unnecessary scores. During dispute resolution, there must be occasions where the parties have legitimate disputes and that the techniques of dispute resolution are employed to bring about the conclusion or resolution of the dispute. Commercial management needs to recognise both conflict management and dispute resolution and hence have a different approach in addressing each of them. There has been strong evidence for the ability of commercial banks to signal their strong conflicts through their organisational structure. Contrary to the impression in the congressional hearings, the potential for conflict of interest was not something that was discovered among commercial banks the day after the 1929 crash of the stock market. Some bankers were well aware of the problem even in the middle decade, before the market heated up. The farmers’

SBTV - Company History and Key Executives Speech or Presentation

SBTV - Company History and Key Executives - Speech or Presentation Example It has a working connection with musicians from the United States with more and more people-taking note of them. Its headquarters is 145-157 St John Street, London, United Kingdom (Solovic, 2011, 204). Jamal Edwards who was a fifteen year old at the time founded SBTV in 2006. He started filming amateur videos of underground rappers then proceeded to post them on YouTube. He shared the videos with friends and within a short time, it became the go-to channel for up and coming musicians and rappers. Majority of musicians in the United Kingdom can attribute their entry and subsequent success to the company because it propelled them to stardom (Kerr, 2012, 16). The company aired its first video in February of 2007 and from then on, it became a huge success and after some time, it started to offer lifestyle interviews and events coverage. Following the success of the company within such a short time, it was decided that, to make it more successful, they had to incorporate other genres of music to attract more followers Such as, acoustic and jazz music. The company offers three main services. They include production, production and editorial services. Since the company is internet based, this makes its work easier because it has a platform to reach as many people as possible. The company broadcasts its content be it interviews, music or videos on its YouTube channel while the increased interest in social media platforms such as facebook and twitter have enabled it connect with many people across the world. The company prints several urban publications that have penetrated the market due to their knowledge on how to relate to a younger audience. The company also boasts of experienced staff equipped with the knowledge concerning the latest news in the entertainment industry. For example, the new releases of new music, movies and

Business in a Competitive Environment -technology Article

Business in a Competitive Environment -technology - Article Example There are a number of factors that influence the market’s preference of one technology over another and these include innovation and lock-in forces. Innovation has been defined differently by different people but the one thing that is common in all its definitions is the need to complete the exploitation and development aspects of new knowledge or technology, not just its invention. Innovation is often confused with invention but the later is the first step of the lengthy process of developing a good idea into wide spread and effective use by consumers. A good invention does not guarantee market preference and therefore market success. Once a good technological invention has been created, innovation tools such as market development, project management, organizational behaviour and financial management, just to mention a few, have to be employed in order to make the invented technology successful in the market. For instance, when consumers or markets are faced with the decision to select a technology among many available technologies, the consumers will find it necessary to base their decision on several innovative aspects such a s the technology that gives a richer user experience, is easily accessible, has evolving capabilities, is secure, and best serves the need of the business, among other aspects. The direction of technological innovation is a major determinant of the technology that gets preference in a market. Technological innovation can either be sustaining or disruptive. Sustaining innovations are those that seek to improve an already existing technology in order to increase its value to the market while disruptive innovations aim to introduce entirely new technology to the market in order to replace the old technology. Disruptive technological innovations often overlap with radical breakthroughs but sometimes represent advances in business models. Leading companies and governments in tend to be very successful at implementing sustaining

U.S. intervention in Iraq

U.S. intervention in Iraq Introduction There are people that are opposed to the U.S. intervention in Iraq, as they believe that it will not lead to stability and democracy. These people, find similarities to Americas Vietnam intervention. For them, America has once more involved in a prolonged and indecisive political and military struggle, from which it will extricate with human and economic loses. On the other had, there are people that are in favour of the Iraq War and they believe that there is no comparison to the Vietnam War. They claim that it is the annihilation of Nazi Germany and its transformation to a democratic ally, that should be used as an analogy.[1] But, the comparison to the Vietnam War and its consequences was unavoidable, as it still influences the publics attitude towards foreign military intervention and was an event that is still in memories of todays American leaders. The question is whether there are any lessons from the American disaster in the Vietnam War that could be applied in Iraqs case. The differences between the two wars are very important: First of all, Vietnam in 1960 was a country with a long national history and a distinct national identity that was created after centuries of fighting against foreign domination. On the contrary, Iraq is a young state with many ethnicities and religions, that make unity difficult. Moreover, in Vietnam the enemy was skilled and experience with important external aid and international legitimacy. In Iraq the enemy had no martial ability and was politically isolated. Besides that, in Vietnam at first the war had the form of an insurgency that changed into a conventional conflict , whereas in Iraq happened exactly the opposite. The nature of the insurgency in the two cases was different, too. In Vietnam there were peasants that were centrally directed by the Communists, that had a clear politico-economic and social agenda. In Iraq, the insurgents were members of small groups that their methods consisted partly of car bombings and sabotage against U.S. forces and the war objectives werent very clear. Moreover, the U.S. was more restricted in military action in Vietnam that in Iraq, by the Chinese and the Soviet threat and they only cared about protecting South Vietnam. Nowadays, the U.S. with its military primacy is aiming at a regime change in Iraq. In Vietnam, the U.S. reached the 500,000 men and left the country after 8 years of bloodshed. In Iraq, the cost in human lives was much smaller and 3 weeks were enough to succumb the military resistance.[2] The comparison is becoming valuable by a political perspective: the lessons and the warnings that may come out of the Vietnam War for policymakers in Iraq War, especially on legitimacy and sustainability. The U.S. that failed to create and sustain a government and political order in South Vietnam, is now trying to do the same in Iraq. The Republic of Vietnam was a Cold War creation of the U.S. and it depended totally for its viability on America. In the end, most of the South Vietnamese didnt have the willingness to fight and even die for its maintenance. The sustainability failed mostly because the Americans abandoned South Vietnam, mainly because of the fall of public support on this war, as time was passing by with increasing American human and economic loses and no remarkable progress. State-building in Iraq is still in progress, so a critic on U.S. policy on this matter would be unfounded. This essay tries to recognize and analyze the comparisons between the American intervention in Vietnam and in Iraq. I believe that the differences are equally important with the similarities for providing political insights. This essay tries to evaluate similarities and differences on: relative U.S. military power, war aims, nature, duration and scale of the war, U.S. manpower lose rates, the enemy, military operations, role of allies, challenges of state-building, and challenges of sustaining political support. It ends with conclusions and recommendations. Relative U.S. Military Power From a military perspective, the international and regional balances were different during the Vietnam and Iraq wars. During the Cold War, the United States relied on allied military support, so its military intervention that took place in Vietnam (1965) had restrains. On the other hand, United States intervention in Iraq (2003) was characterized by freedom of action, as the United States was the only superpower and its military supremacy was globally uncontested. During the Cold War, China and the Soviet Union had under their influence many communist areas in Europe and Asia, including Vietnam, so the U.S. had to be careful regarding its military action in the region. Americans were trying not to provoke directly the Chinese and the Soviet intervention, so they were using their military power with restrictions.[3] But even then, China and the Soviet Union were helping the Vietnamese Communists by providing them with weapons of technological advance. On Iraqs case, Saddam Husseins military strength had almost disappeared by 1991 and in 2003 he couldnt find military support by external actors. For the Iraqi soldiers, training was not a priority, that is why in 2003 the Americans didnt face great difficulties in crushing Iraqi military resistance, taking over Baghdad and overthrowing Saddam Hussein. War Aims The political objectives between the Iraq and Vietnam wars were different. In the 1960s the United States was trying to preserve the non-communist status quo in South Vietnam. In 2003, the United States expressed their intention to democratize Iraq in order to create a model for the rest of the countries in the Middle East. In South Vietnam, as long as the policies that were followed were in agreement with the U.S. interests in the Cold War, the absence of democracy was not an issue.[4] In the Vietnam War, the U.S. wanted to preserve the regime, by forcing North Vietnam to cease its military intervention in South Vietnam. For this purpose, a massive and well-organized military effort was necessary against a determined and skilled enemy. In contrast, in Iraq the U.S. wanted to change the regime and for doing so, less effort and time was needed, although the collapse of Saddam Husseins regime, gave the opportunity to anti-occupation groups to mount insurgent attacks on U.S. forces and reconstruction targets. Another difference was that one of the basic objectives in Iraq was the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, while in Vietnam there was not such an issue but a struggle over territory. Moreover, the war on Iraq was justified as a part of the war against terrorism, led by al-Qaeda, which attacked the U.S. in September 11, 2001. In Vietnam War, the Americans didnt feel threatened by some kind of terrorism back in their homeland, despite the fact that Vietnamese Communist forces conducted terrorist attacks against South Vietnamese officials and U.S. civilian personnel. But, these attacks were restricted in the region.[5] The main American war aim in Vietnam was to safeguard the credibility of U.S. defense commitments throughout the world. Dean Rusk, the Secretary of State had stated: We have a commitment to assist the South Vietnamese to resist aggression from North. If the U.S. commitment in peace becomes unreliable, the communists would draw conclusions that would lead to our ruin. Indeed, failure to defend South Vietnam would lead American allies to question their credibility and communist advances would be encouraged in the Third World. The credibility of U.S. defense commitments was not an issue in the Iraq war. The Communist threat did not exist anymore and the American operations were not a response to Iraqi aggression. On the contrary, it was a war in order to prevent Iraqis acquisition of nuclear weapons and to stop the expansion of their biological weapons capability. This war depicted the U.S. willingness to use force against states that were seeking nuclear weapons and that could threaten them in the future. Nature, and Scale of the War The American intervention in Vietnam began as a materially self-sustaining, peasant-based communist insurgency in the South, against the South Vietnamese security forces that were supported by the U.S., and it ended up as a conventional military war between the U.S. and the North Vietnamese regular forces.[6] In contrast, U.S. military operation in Iraq began as conventional and quickly crushed Iraqs regular forces and ended up as a counterinsurgent campaign against terrorists. In Vietnam the Communists motivated a centrally-directed, perfect strategically revolutionary war, with a detailed political and economic program in order to mobilize the support of the peasants. Moreover, the communists in Vietnam had external support. The insurgency in Iraq was nothing like it. The Iraqi insurgents were former Baathist regime operatives, Sunni Arabs, al-Qaeda and other Islamist suicide bombers, hired gunmen and anti-American Shiites. So, the insurgency was not centrally directed. Moreover, it has no declared agenda, though it seems that their goal is to get the U.S. out of the country and cause instability on behalf of the restoration of Sunni Arab rule. Until recently the Iraqi insurgency rested mainly on the Sunni Arab community that consisted the 20% of the population. Now the insurgency has expanded but it cannot be compared to Vietnams situation where the peasants (80% of the population) formed the communist insurgency forces. When it comes to scale, the differences are many. In terms of the forces committed the U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam they reached 543,000 in 1969. Allied forces coming from other countries were 65,000 in 1968 and the South Vietnamese armed forced reached 820,000 soldiers. Communist troops numbered 700,000 in 1966.[7] By comparison, insurgent Sunni Arab fighters were no more than 5,000.[8] Militant Shiites, associated with the Muqtada al-Sadr movement and his Mahdi Army, may on the other hand number up to at least a few thousand fighters. The Vietnam War, unlike the Iraq War, had a huge and protracted aerial bombing component. In terms of bomb tonnage dropped, it was the largest air war in history. During the 1962-73 period, 8,000,000 tons dropped through Indochina.[9] U.S. aircraft losses due to hostile action were also numerous, as North Vietnam was supported by the Soviets who supplied them with technologically advanced air defenses. During 1962-73 period the U.S. aircraft loses totalled 8,500, 2,700 airmen were killed and 1,800 were captured and became prisoners.[10] In Iraq, U.S. air power comprised a large component of major operations and had one advantages over U.S. operations in Vietnam: the enemy didnt have effective air defenses. However, as in Vietnam, the helicopters proved vulnerable to hand-held missiles and to machine guns. During March 20-May 1, the Iraqis downed 30 helicopters.[11] U.S. manpower loss rates During the 1965-1972 period in the Vietnam War, the U.S. numbered 55,700 dead and 290,000 wounded, which is translated as 19 dead and 100 wounded per day. These rates are well above than in the Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, which records 2 deaths per day. By April 2004, U.S. casualties had reached 685 dead and more than 3,000 wounded.[12] The Enemy The number of the enemys forces was impressive in the Vietnam War, but so was the number of the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces, which combined to third-country allied forces, outnumbered the communist forces. U.S. forces in both cases had a fire power advantage over the enemy. Despite that fact, in the end the U.S. left South Vietnam to the Communists. One explanation would be because of the anti-war movement back in America and the hostility of the media[13]. Another, would be the outstanding performance of the enemy, based on the asymmetry of stakes. The Vietnamese conflict was a limited war for the United States but a total war for the Vietnamese Communists. The Americans underestimated the enemys ability and most importantly their desire to win even if that meant that they had to die over trying. For the Vietnamese Communists this war was about national reunification, independence and taking over the power in Vietnam.[14] The Communist forces losses during the American period of the Vietnam War had reached 1,100,000 dead and 2,000,000 civilian dead. In the 20th century, it is the highest military death toll proportional to its population (5%).[15] The enemy in Iraq is smaller in number, less ideologically and organizationally cohesive and has no external assistance. During the first period of the Iraqi insurgency, the most dangerous enemy elements were Baathist regime remnants that were trying to restore the old Saddamist order. The characteristics of the enemy since then seem to be changing with the constant appearance of anti-American Islamic militants in the struggle.[16] Religious extremists and foreign fighters begun to supplant Baathist remnants as the primary members of the insurgency, using suicide as an insurgent method and other types of bombings..[17] Additionally, an unknown number of criminals and unemployed former soldiers have been hired by the Baathists to engage in attacks on coalition forces for pay. Saddam Husseins capture brought into Iraq a number of foreign terrorists that now had the kind of freedom of movement that previously didnt have.[18] While Saddam was in charge, an effective internal security prevented any kind of insurgent activity. Moreover, terrorism against his regime was something that Saddam was fighting against. Moreover, al Qaeda takes advantage of the vacuum in the political system that Saddams regime fall created. Members of al Qaeda are considered as leaders of the major suicide bombings that have been taken place in the country, such as the attacks at the UN headquarters, the Jordanian embassy and Kurdish political parties.[19] Another part of the insurgents is people who seek revenge against the Americans for previous actions against their families and friends.[20] But, it is clear that Iraqi soldiers are not as capable as the Vietnamese Communists were. The Communists were organized into divisional-size units, whereas Iraqi fighters operate in squads. The Vietnamese Communists had external access to technological advanced weapons, whereas the Iraqis did not. But the Iraqi insurgents are better armed today, than the Vietnamese Communists in 1960, who relied on stolen and home-made weapons.[21] Iraq starting from Saddam Husseins era, has been a heavily-armed society. Last but not least, the Iraqis have no common ideology, strategy or vision for Iraqs future, while the Vietnamese Communists had. Iraqi insurgents operations are uncoordinated, even though all of them agree on the objective of Americans being thrown out of the country, they have not agreed on a strategy for doing so. Maybe their thought is to kill as much U.S. troops as they can in order to undercut domestic American political support? Military Operations In Vietnam the U.S. got involved in two wars at the same time: one on the ground in the South and an air war in the North. Both of them failed. In the South, the U.S. military forces believed that they could cause huge casualties, because of their fire power, on the Communists and that they would have the initiative in the war field.[22] But, they ignored the Communists readiness to sacrifice and their substantial manpower. Moreover, in fact, the Communists started most of the fire fights, which meant that they could control their losses by refusing combat when it suited them to do so. The enemy managed to keep losses within his capacity to replace them.[23] In the air war against North Vietnam the Americans also underestimated the enemys will to win. North Vietnam was a pre-industrial totalitarian area, so it was difficult to be defeated through air power. Moreover, the Soviets provided them with military means that imposed significant loses on American aircrafts.[24] North Vietnam had a powerful air defense system and the capacity of bomb damage repair, whereas Iraq in 2003 had not. The U.S. air losses in North Vietnam were significant. Apart from the enemys capacity and political restrictions in the use of force, there were other factors that influenced Americas military performance. There was no joint warfare in Vietnam.[25] On the contrary, inter-service rivalry dominated, producing disunity of command and precluding the provision of timely and useful military advice to civilian authority.[26] On the ground things werent any better. Rotational tours of duty of 1 year for enlisted personnel and 3-6 months for officers lead to small unit cohesion under fire and compromised the ability of officers and men alike to accumulate and sustain knowledge and skill in fighting. As a result, only the 15% of the U.S. military personnel in Vietnam were available for sustained ground combat operations, by 1968.[27] Communist forces were leaner because they relied more on stealth and cunning than firepower, and because they recruited hundreds of thousands of peasants to perform logistical tasks. Moreover, they lived in the field, unlike Americans. Vietnamese revolutionary war, combined mass political mobilization and a reliance of guerrilla tactics that deprived a firepower superior conventional foe of decisive targets to shoot at.[28] They relied on camouflage and night operations, hit-and-run attacks and use of terrain and populations as means of concealment. The purpose of Communists military operations was to weaken enemys will through protraction of hostilities. It was the only way for them as a swift victory over the Americans was impossible.[29] Insurgents in Iraq have different targets: U.S. and coalition troops, American civilian contractors, Iraqis working with Americans, oil and electrical power infrastructure. Moreover, Iraqi politicians, police stations and officers and members of the New Iraqi Army.[30] Their methods have evolved through time as the various groups have engaged in trial. They mainly include rocket-propelled grenades and use of improvised explosive devises. Iraqi police officers and other security forces are targets because they are considered to take over the power as soon as the U.S. forces leave the country. In addition, they are more vulnerable because their weapons are not as lethal as U.S. forces and they receive limited training in force protection.[31] Role of Allies In 1965 the United States did not bother to seek U.N. authorization for intervention in Vietnam because of the certainty of a Soviet veto.[32] In 2003, the United States sought an authorizing resolution but failed to garner even a majority among the U.N. Security Councils membership.[33] Indeed, in both cases, much of the rest of the world, including key allies, regarded U.S. military intervention as illegitimate. Not a single NATO ally joined the United States in Vietnam; on the contrary, only five other states aside from South Vietnam itself (Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand) contributed combat troops.[34] If Americas allies in the Vietnam War were few, the opposite was true for the Vietnamese Communists. Unlike Saddam Husseins Iraq in 2003, the Communists in Vietnam had powerful and decisive allies. Behind the NLF in the South stood North Vietnam, and behind North Vietnam stood the Soviet Union and China. Deliveries included fighter aircraft, antiaircraft guns, tanks and helicopters. The Chinese, provided the Vietnamese Communists with huge quantities of weapons. Unlike the Russians, however, the Chinese provided over 300,000 antiaircraft and engineer troops who, in the face of escalating U.S. bombing, manned air defense systems and constructed, reconstructed, maintained, and defended North Vietnams transportation network, especially its railroad system.[35] In Iraq, as in Vietnam, the United States has sought international support both to reduce its military burden and to enhance the legitimacy of its policy, although it strongly resisted giving the United Nations a major voice in post-war Iraq policy. In Iraq, as in Vietnam, this effort produced disappointing results, although the number of countries contributing forces to Iraqs postwar stabilization is much more impressive than those that sent troops to Vietnam. In both cases, the United States bore the primary burden of the fighting, although in Vietnam, unlike Iraq, a large indigenous force performed important static defense and other military tasks. In Iraq, the most notable contribution came from the United Kingdom, which contributed 26,000 troops. Since the termination of major combat operations in May 1, 2003, a number of other countries, for a variety of motives, some of them having little to do with support for U.S. policy in Iraq, have committed limited force contingents to assist Iraqs post-war stabilization.[36] Additionally, the more Americanized the already heavily American foreign presence in Iraq becomes, the more likely it is that it will provoke Iraqi nationalist opposition. Some Iraqi nationalists may be drawn to the insurgent cause by what they view as a prolonged U.S. troop withdrawal and the continued absence of a new U.N. effort to take over the establishment of a new Iraq.[37] Challenges of State-Building The Vietnam War ended as a war between two states, the northern Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and the southern Republic of Vietnam (RVN). The former established in 1945 and the latter in 1954. The U.S. supported the RVN against further Communist expansion. If it werent the U.S. political, military and economic support, the anti-communist regime could not have been created and sustained.[38] The U.S. helped with the state-building in South Vietnam for two decades. It founded governmental institutions, it armed and trained the RVN armed forces, it subsidized South Vietnams economy and it tried to direct the RVN toward democratization. Despite these efforts, state-building failed, first of all because of the RVNs military defeat in 1975. The RVN was defeated so quickly that made an impression even to Communists.[39] The U.S. were to blame for it partially. It reduced its principal goal from securing an independent, non-Communist Vietnam to looking for a withdrawal and when the final Communist offensive was launched in 1975, they couldnt re-enter the war or provide the RVN with materials.[40] The RVN was to blame for the failure, too. Their weaknesses were: professional military inferiority, corruption and lack of political legitimacy. Moral disintegration explains why their three times bigger in size army, with larger equipment was that rapidly defeated.[41] Important RVNAF units didnt go to combat because they were to protect the government from potential threats of a coup detat, and generals that were very skilful were considered as political threats. In addition, military promotions were given with no meritocratic methods.[42] Moreover, many South Vietnamese started stealing American military and economic aid in order to get profit. They didnt care about going to war as for them the Americans were responsible for this task. Black market operations were one of the major components of RVNAF corruption.[43] The Communists fighting power was superior as first of all their political program was very clear: kick out the Americans, give land to the peasants and unite the nation. In addition, they had a totalitarian political system that controlled and directed the society more effectively than in South Vietnam. On the contrary, the RVNAF lacked in discipline and patriotism that would lead soldiers to sacrifice their lives.[44] Unlike the RVN, the Communists succeeded in persuading the majority of Vietnamese in both South and North that it was the only legitimate political representative of national independence. The RVN failed to obtain the necessary legitimacy in order to survive without the American support.[45] In Iraq, as in South Vietnam, the political success will come after the creation of a government that will be legitimized by the majority of people and after the creation of security forces that will be in position to protect this new political order. South Vietnam had a corrupted government and large but incompetent security forces. Its enemy, however, was very capable. On the other hand, in Iraq there is no government and no worth-mentioned security forces. Moreover, any government that the U.S. will try to create must be likeable from the Iraqis and must be secured by U.S. military power.[46] The main threat to state-building in Iraq lies not in the insurgency in central Iraq, but in the potential for the recent uprising of Shiite militants to reignite, expand, and include large elements of that community or the development of the kind of sectarian civil war that plunged Lebanon into near anarchy for almost 2 decades.[47] The creation of a stable and democratic Iraq is difficult. The U.S. does not have the time with their side. Most of the Iraqis and their Arab neighbours look Americas presence there suspiciously and question its motives. So the Iraqi governmental institutions are erected under political pressure and under the objections of Iraqi sectarian leaders.[48] The U.S. with its military presence undermine the constructed governments legitimacy. U.S. withdrawal will reassure nationalists and provide governmental institutions with some space in order to develop.[49] One the other hand, a premature withdrawal a security vacuum may cause disorder that could lead to a civil war. Iraq has met in the past tyranny and authoritarian regimes, so a democracy in order to work needs institutions that can be trusted to deliver representative government, while protecting minorities. In addition, the development of a political society where groups will have the opportunity to be elected without provoking fears to the losers, is necessary. Otherwise, the losers may try to ensure their safety by resisting to national institutions.[50] The institutions need to be protected by security and gradually the U.S. intents to pass this responsibility on Iraqis. This action may lead to the legitimacy of the new Iraq government, provided that the new forces will not operate with visible support from the U.S. . [51] Challenges of Sustaining Domestic Political Support The American intervention in Vietnam failed because citizens back home stopped supporting it. Communists had more to loose from a bad ending of this war than the U.S, so their political will was much stronger. The majorities and opinions of liberal newspapers, such as the Washington Post and New York Times supported the Vietnam war in the first place, as long as it didnt last long, there werent many casualties and it didnt influence much their economy.[52] People trusted the U.S. Government and supported its decisions. But as war went on, this support started to decrease. By March 1969, 66% of the citizens were opposed to the continuation of this war. From April 1969 to December 1972 the U.S. military personnel dropped from 543,000 to 24,000. Public opinion made Nixon pullout the American soldiers even though he knew that this would favour the Communists.[53] In Iraqs case, public support may decreased because of the inability to find any relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda. Moreover, the costs of the Iraq War are extravagant and they are to blame partially for the cumulative national debt.[54] Operation IRAQI FREEDOM was a war of choice and as such, like Vietnam, publics tolerance in deaths was limited. Before the war started, .U.S. Government assured people that the hole world would consider them as liberators of Iraq. Effects on public opinion between expectations and realities needs to be seen. However, polls taken in March 2004 by CNN/USA Today showed a decline in public support. Only 49% was in favour of the Iraq War. Moreover, the 43% believed that their government mislead them about whether Iraq has nuclear weapons.[55] Conclusions These two historical situations are not identical. Operation IRAQI FREEDOM achieved its goal, that is eliminating a regime that could be a threat to the U.S. . Despite that fact, the U.S. had to face the costly results of state-building while insurgent violence is still on, that resembles the Vietnam situation. Many academics believe that establishing democracy in Iraq is beyond Americas power and that another regime type must be approached, such as a benign authoritarian regime type along the lines of Kemal Ataturks Turkey, as a transition to more representative governance.[56] However, the U.S. must not abandon Iraq as it did with South Vietnam in 1975. It is possible that such an action would lead to civil war. In my opinion the differences between the two cases are more than the similarities, especially in the military aspects. But underestimating the Iraqi insurgents would be a mistake that the U.S. did with the Vietnamese Communists in Vietnam. After all, even the appearance of the insurgency after U.S. operations surprised many. In addition, even though the appeal of the Iraqi insurgency cannot be compared to the Vietnamese Communists, the Iraqi insurgency has attacked key targets to Iraqs reconstruction. Policymakers need to be careful with the two aspects that are similar in both wars. The challenges of state-building and the need to maintain domestic political support. State-building in Iraq could fail for the same reasons that failed in Vietnam: inability to create a political order that gets legitimacy by the citizens. Moreover, the domestic political support cannot be taken for granted, especially now that people have in their memories the consequences of the Vietnam War. In addition, the absence of a North Vietnam in Iraq could change, with a hostile external state intervention. For instance, Iran, which has strong state interests in Iraq that have so far been served by the U.S. destruction of the Saddam Hussein regime may try to cause chaos in Iraq. Iran has no interest in the resurrection of a powerful Iraq, and certainly not a democratic Iraq, and it has the means to get thousands of Iraqi Shiites on the streets to protest the U.S. occupation. To conclude with, it is important to mention the greatest difference between the two wars. The Vietnam War is a finished event, whereas Iraq War is still in progress. We know what happened in Vietnam, but we do not know what Iraqs fate will be. Robert L. Bartley, Iraq: Another Vietnam? Wall Street Journal, November 3, 2003 Harry G. Summers, Jr., Vietnam War Almanac, New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985, p. 113. See John W, Garver, The Chinese Threat and the Vietnam War, Parameters, Spring 1992, pp. 73-85. Larry Berman, Planning a Tragedy: The Americanization of the War in Vietnam, New York: W. W. Norton, 1982, p. 92. Larry Berman, Planning a Tragedy: The Americanization of the War in Vietnam, New York: W. W. Norton, 1982, p. 94. Shelby Stanton, Vietnam Order of Battle, Washington, DC: U.S. News Books, 1981, p. 333 James J. Wirtz, The Tet Offensive: Intelligence Failure and War, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991, pp. 247-251 David L. Anderson, The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War, New York: Columbia University Press, 2002, pp. 286, 287, 288. Phillip S. Meilinger, Air Power: Myths and Facts, Maxwell AFB, AL; Air University Press, December 2003, p. 78. Anthony H. Cordes

Jazz Dance :: essays research papers

Afterreading the article on jazz dance, I had found out a number of interestingthings that I hadnt known before. I thought it was a dance form that wasfairly new, starting in the early 1900s. I then found out that it actually pre-dates all the way back to theseventeenth century. I also thought itcame from the United States, when it really originated in Africa and wasbrought here by the slaves. The dancingand drumming was such a part of their lives; it was eventually continued by theslaves on the plantations with dancing and the clapping of their hands forrhythm. It was used as a form ofentertainment, as well as enjoyment, and sometimes, even for competition. It wasaround the 1830s when the song and dance of the Africans began being performedin theaters, called Minstrel shows,but the dancers were actually white. Then in the 1860s, blacks were finally aloud to perform in these shows. They became very popular and then diedout in the early 1900s, which lead the way for new shows. The most popular of these being the Vaudeville show. The Vaudeville show, presented a numberof different acts with all different cultures of people and dance, whichencouraged diversity. It served as aprofessional school, a training ground and an experimental station for dancersdestined for Broadway, nightclubs and film.-Richard Kislan. The Vaudevilleera began the emergence of jazz music, which mixed ragtime and blues. The dancers would then begin to connect tothe condensed rhythms of jazz music. Nowjazz incorporates a gathering of styles and movement, which can mean a lot ofdifferent things to different people. When welearned jazz dance in class, I found it hard to keep up at first. I liked the way it looked, when someone whoknew what they were doing, was dancing. I remember changing directions a lot. I also noticed while dancing that you use pretty much every part of yourbody. I thought I would be good at it,considering I am an athlete, and I am tune with my body. But I wasnt, I just felt like so manydifferent things to remember. Maybe if Ipracticed it more, I could pick it up. What I didlike about jazz dance, is how free it is. It really gives you the opportunity to express yourself. Even the guy who came in to instruct us wastelling everyone to perform the moves in your own style. Since we didnt really have any jazz music, Ifound it hard to keep rhythm.

Payroll Accounting Chap. 3 Matching and Questions for Review

CHAPTER 3 Matching Quiz E1. Employee’s FICA Tax Rates D2. Form SS-4 H3. Semi Weekly Depositor J4. Taxable for FICA A5. Non Taxable for FICA I6. Self-Employed’s FICA Tax Rates C7. Form 941 B8. Monthly Depositor G9. Taxable Wage Base F10. Form SS-5 CHAPTER 3 Review Questions 1. If the person employs 1 or more individuals for performances of services in the US unless such services or employment are specifically exempt by law. 2. Defined by the common-law relationship of employer/employee 3. If the business has the right to tell a worker how, when, and where to work 4. a person who follows an independent trade, business, or profession.Where they offer their services to the public the following is the â€Å"test†: Hire, supervise, & pay assistants Determine the sequence of their work Set their own hours Work for as many employers as they wish Are paid by the job Make their services available to the public Have an option for profit or loss Furnish their own tools Have a substantial investment in their trade May be dismissed only under terms of a contract 5a. They must collect the employee’s FICA tax on tips that each employee reports. Then deduct the FICA taxes from other wages due to the employee 5b.Employers are liable for their share of the FICA tax on any tips subject to the employees FICA tax 6. After 6 months of consecutive calendar months the sick pay is not taxed. Period off work MUST be consecutive any return to work restarts the 6 month count. 7. They are subject to FICA tax but the employer’s match portion is tax free. 8. YES!!!! The amount of over payment is credited against the employee’s federal income tax for the year. Instructions are given on the Individual Income Tax Return (Form 1040) that explain how the over payment should be treated. So file your taxes John!!! 9a. 3. 3 % 2013-Projected 10. 4% for OASDI 2. 9% for HI b. Usually the net business income of individual as shown in their income tax returns make up their net earnings from self employment for the purpose of the social security act. The max taxable income for an individual is $110,100 for OASDI but for HI the total income is taxable 10. The EIN’s can be obtained directly from the IRS website. No registration is required and the EIN is recognized by the IRS immediately or they can call the IRS or mail or fax the SS-4 (Application for EIN) 11. The requirements are based on the â€Å"lookback† period.The amount of employment tax the employer reported on the quarterly returns for the 4 quarters in the lookback period determines if they are a monthly or semi monthly depositors. Each Nov. the IRS notifies employers weather they will be monthly or semimonthly depositors. 12. Pretty much all employers except those with a $2,500 or less in ? tax liabilities that pay when they file their returns. 13. Generally by touch tone phone, personal computer, or online 14. Generally 3 months of each calendar year 15a. A certain % of the amount of tax required to be reported will be added to the tax. . 5% of the undeposited taxes c. 2% of the amount (if less than $1,250 then penalty is $25 or the amount of the check, whichever is less) Practical Problems A (please see the Excel file for the rest of the problems and then I am mailing in the forms used for problems 3-11A, 3-12A, 3-13A, 3-14A, & 3-15A) 3-15A LO4,5 b. 1. Jan. 182. Feb. 63. Feb. 204. Mar. 65. Mar. 20 6. Apr. 3 3-16A LO5 1. Apr. 15 2. a250. 52505 * 10% = 250. 50 b. 12. 532505 * ? % = 12. 53 c. 3. 712505 * 3% * (18/365) = 3. 7118 days late d. 266. 74 Total Penalty Imposed

Classical and Behavioural Approaches

Classical and Behavioural Approaches Outline This is an essay which compares the classical approach to the management and behavioral approach to the management. The paper is designed in such a way that first, there is an introduction followed by the body of the paper. The body of the paper discusses the two approaches in brief along with stating their criticism. Then a conclusion is made from the said discussion.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Classical and Behavioural Approaches specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Introduction The concept of management of people as an organized group must have existed ever since human beings started living in organized societies. History shows us that there have been many great empires and civilizations that have developed, grown, and decayed over a period of time. For an organized activity to be successful there should exist, elements of leadership and management. It can be said that some form of management might have e xisted over the years. But it is only during the later half of the nineteenth century that established principles and theories of management began to emerge. The early theories of management, often referred to as scientific were based on increasing productivity in a competitive economy fuelled by the industrial revolution. This approach in most cases treated people as machines without consideration of their feelings or not taking into account the fact that humans are complex beings. But ever since the shortcomings of a scientific approach became apparent a more human centric outlook developed. This viewpoint is referred to as the behavioral approaches, began to take into account that employees are motivated by factors other than money. Due to the importance of management with regard to an organization’s growth and success, it is important to understand the history of management theories. Growing levels of communication, travel, globalization, and free trade have made the mark et highly competitive and mangers should be aware of the complexities of management. They should be able to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches mentioned above. This paper is an attempt at explaining the two approaches followed by a comparative analysis of the same. The first section will discuss scientific management theories followed by behavioral approaches. A comparative analysis will be done next before concluding the paper. Classical approach to management Management principles as they exist today have been evolved over a period of time. Its emergence is not a phenomenon of the twentieth century only. Management, in one form, or other existed in the other social, political and economic life of mankind throughout the ages. It has grown along with other social, political and economic institutions.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In olden days it existed in the form of personal leadership. When trade developed, with increasing out put of artisans, management of some type developed. However, the problems of management in those days were simple and capable of easy solution. Henry Fayol, F.W. Taylor and Max Weber contributed much classical approach of management. The classical period 1890- 1930 is considered as the classical period. This period is called as scientific management period because only during this period the contributions of F.W. Taylor and Henry Fayol furthered the causes of scientific management. Till then management was concerned only in terms of privileges, authority and obligations of ownership. However this period witnessed a great advance in the management practice and also the introduction of better and faster methods of production. The salient features of this period can be outlined as follows. Various methods were devised for utilizing human effort intelligently with a view to maximize the output with minimum waste. Work was planned and controlled. The organizational structure was thoroughly overhauled. Wage payment systems were made incentive-oriented so as to provide maximum motivation to workers. Contribution by different theorists The classical approach of management is enriched with the contribution by different theorists on different aspects of classical approach. They are explained below. F.W. Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth F.W. Taylor was considered as one of the greatest classical theorists of management and he is the father of scientific management movement. Taylor was one of the first theorists to introduce scientific management principles in management. According to Taylor, scientific management is the discovery of best method of performing a particular work under the existing conditions of knowledge and organizing ability. He also tried to develop the best and fruitful method of productivity in a given situation. The implementation of scientific man agement can increase the productivity as it uses the standardized tools and methods. The scientific management approaches focuses on the group efforts rather than individual efforts. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth also contributed much scientific management approach of classical theories of management. They helped Taylor in the development of scientific management principles. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth contributed much in designing the principles related to time study and motion study (Historical perspective on productivity improvement, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Classical and Behavioural Approaches specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Henri Fayol and Mary Parker Follet Henry Fayol developed certain principles which could be used in all management situations. The main contribution by Fayol includes he introduced the concept of division of industrial activities. He also contributed some essential qualities of an effective manager. He is the management expert who classified the management process in to different functions like planning, organizing†¦etc. He was the developer of 14 principles of managenet (What are the 14 Principles of Management, 2009). Mary Parker Follet attempted to interpret classical management principles in terms of human factors. She gave solution for managing the conflicts in the organizations. She also suggested that the managers should be ready to recognize the importance of group work and the manager should be a good co-coordinator. Max Weber – Bureaucracy Max Weber is another expert in classical approach of management. Weber was of the opinion that well established principles and practices were the best option for growth and productivity. Once the best practices are indentified they should be implemented and practiced without fail. He was also in favor of a high hierarchical structure with clear cut directions which should be followed to the letter. Cri ticism However in the development of management, scientific management stressed the application of methodology of science rather than individual wisdom and ability in the running of an industry. Critics of scientific management state that those who follow the scientific management viewed the business organization from extremely mechanical view and treated the worker as a rational profit maximizing element of the system. Thus scientific management, which is considered as the greatest among the classical approach is suffering from this kinds of criticism. Behavioral approach to management The industrial revolution and the growth of job opportunities resulted in a mass migration of rural population to the cities. The appalling working conditions brought about by scientific management and the general changes and liberalization in societies resulted in an approach that is more attuned toward the needs of workers other than their salaries and wages. â€Å"Several prominent theorists bega n to direct their attention to the human element in the workplace. Elton Mayo, Mary Parker Follett, Douglas McGregor, Chris Argyris, and Abraham Maslow were writers who addressed this issue by contending that increased worker satisfaction would lead to better performance† (Behavioral management theory, n.d.). The above list is not comprehensive and only illustrative of the change in approach. This section will focus on theories that had a strong impact in shift of approaches from a scientific one to a more humanistic approach.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Studies by Roethlisberger Dickson It could be said that the above two theorists were one of the earliest ones to view employees as humans rather than as workers. Their work is primarily a detailed chronicle of an earlier study, now known as the famous Hawthorne experiment. Their work does not have an individuality of their own, but is based on other studies including the one mentioned above. But what stands out is their identification of a factor they term as sentiments. The Hawthorne studies identified the concept of informal organizations to which the concept of ‘sentiment’ was added by the two theorists. According to Organ et al, sentiment is actually the attitude of the employee and if the sentiments are looked after well, productivity will increase. It can be said that â€Å"sentiments are the underlying dimensions of attitudes, values, and feelings that shape the informal organization† Organ, Podsakoff Bradley, p. 48). This study is not original in that s ense, but is a contribution to the humanistic approach present in behavioral theories. Elton Mayo and the Western Electric Hawthorne Works It is interesting to note that this study was done primarily to understand the effect of lighting (in the workplace) on productivity and not for non-financial motivation. The surprising result was that â€Å"those experiments showed no clear connection between productivity and the amount of illumination but researchers began to wonder what kind of changes would influence output† (Elton Mayo’s Hawthorne experiments, 2008). The validity of the study cannot be questioned because it was done over a period of five years starting in 1927. Six employees of the company were selected to participate in the experiment and they were provided with different working conditions that included better/poorer lighting, rest, lesser working hours and practically no supervision. The person in charge (supervisor) acted mainly as an observer rather than a taskmaster. Different combinations were tried out and most resulted in increased productivity. The surprising result was that productivity increased even after the girls were sent back to their normal working conditions. It became obvious that lighting was not a major factor in improving productivity. Mayo and his team at Harvard came to the conclusion that freedom (lack of coercion) and a sense of participation or belonging were the primary factors responsible for the state of affairs. Moreover, the girls had developed their own style of working rather than being forced to follow one as seen in the scientific approaches. The end result was that the world of management began to appreciate the human side of management as better when compared to a coercive approach. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow observed that workers are motivated by needs that are hierarchical in nature. He developed a standard set of needs where one fulfilled need will then lead to the next one. The hierarchy of needs are physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. Once the basic needs like food, shelter, and source of livelihood are obtained, the employee will seek job security and safety. Then comes social needs like companionship, sense of belonging, and a feeling to be needed in the organization. any aspect that enhances the ego like recognition and praise comes next (esteem needs). Once all these are achieved, the employee will look at the higher values like truth and meaning of life and existence. He will also be looking for contributing more towards society more than receiving from it. McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y â€Å"Douglas McGregor’s Theory X/ Theory Y (first espoused in the early 1960s) is based to a great extent of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory from the mid 1950s† (Leonard, 2002, p.192). McGregor theorized two distinct worker attitudes that determine productivity namely X and Y. In the former scena rio, work is seen as a bother and hence the employee needs strict supervision and clear cut directions. They also tend to avoid responsibility, but are attracted towards the concept of job security. Observations about Theory Y are based on modern management principles. They welcome responsibility, do not like to be coerced, and are more attuned towards self-directed work. The concept of job satisfaction is also important. McGregor’s preferred model was Theory Y, but felt that it is more practical in small scale operations. Large scale operations (for example assembly lines) would be much better off using Theory X. Criticism Even behavioral approaches are not faultless. For example, they appear to be too rigid and cannot fully explain the complexity of human behavior. All the factors are pre-determined and it is assumed that all human emotions and needs fall within these parameters. Comparative study It can be seen that the behavioral approach is more advantageous and even pra ctical when the human element is involved. The scientific approach is fine when dealing with machines, but where employees are concerned, it is important to take into consideration factors distinct from compensation and income. Today’s managers need to understand both these concepts because elements from the two are present in management practices. For example, McDonald’s have a highly standardized set of work practices aimed at mass and efficient production. But they also have policies where worker motivation and job satisfaction is given importance. Moreover, concepts like lean manufacturing and just-in-time have their basis in scientific management principles. The concept of Kaizen or continuous improvement is an offshoot of the principles found in the scientific approach (Best, 2001, p. 113). Conclusion It can be seen that both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. The principles of lean production, continuous improvement, and just-in-time have their roots in the scientific approach. The importance of human resources management and department in organizations illustrate the importance of the behavioral or humanistic approach to management. It is essential that the diverse needs that motivate employees and bring about job satisfaction need to be considered in today’s management scenario. But workers also need to be controlled and an element of standardization be present in many processes. It can be concluded that elements of both approaches need to be present in today’s management practices. The factor that should be given more importance is the behavioral or humanistic approach to management. References Behavioral management theory. (n.d.). ArticlesGratuits.com. Web. Best, M. H. (2001). The new competitive advantage (p. 113). Oxford University Press. Elton Mayo’s Hawthorne experiments. (2008). Accel team development. Web. Historical perspective on productivity improvement. (2008). Accel team development. Web . Leonard, D. C. (2002). Learning theories, A to Z (p. 192). Greenwood Publishing Group. Organ, D. W., Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B. (2006). Organizational citizenship behavior (p. 48). SAGE. What are the 14 Principles of Management. (2009). 12Manage – The executive fast track. Web.

How to Get a 30 (or Higher!) on the ACT 9 Key Tips

How to Get a 30 (or Higher!) on the ACT 9 Key Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips A 30 ACT score is a solid goal to have for test day. But how difficult is it to get a 30? How many questions can you miss? And what kinds of schools can you get into with a 30? In this guide, we teach you how to get a 30 on the ACT with our nine top tips, covering everything from starting your prep through picking answers on test day. In fact, the tips in this article will help you even if you're shooting for a higher or lower score, like a 32 or a 29. But first, what are the benefits of getting a 30? Can You Get a 30 on the ACT? Why Aim for a 30? In short, yes, you can get a 30 on the ACT- as long as you're willing to dedicate a lot of effort to your prep. Be aware, though:getting a 30 will be easier for some students than it will be for others. How easy (or difficult) it is for you ultimately depends on where you're currently scoring and how much time you can commit to studying. But why 30?Is 30 a good ACT score? According topercentiles,an ACT score of 30is quite high. Data collected by ACT, Inc., shows that a 30corresponds to the 94th percentile. In other words, very few test takers- only 6 percent- score 30 or higher on the ACT, making it a great score to aim for on test day. Getting a 30 offers a couple of benefits to test takers. One isthat it can help make up for less impressive parts of your college application. For example, if you had a lower GPA, an ACT score of 30 could make your application more impressive to schools by showcasing your test-taking skills and proficiency in ACT topics. Another benefit is thatyou’ll have a better shot at getting accepted to competitive schools. With a score of 30, you’ll be just around average for admitted students to many selective private schools, such as Boston University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.You’ll also be in the 75th percentile (that is, at a very good advantage!) for numerous public universities, including UMass Amherst and UC Santa Barbara. On the other hand, a 30 is low for extremely competitive schools. For Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Princeton, a 30 places you below the 25th percentile, meaning you’ll have a very small chance of getting accepted. Too bad the ACT doesn't test how proficient you are in hitting people in Mario Kart. (Giancarlo Marseglia Ceccoli/Flickr) What’s Needed to Get a 30 ACT Score? A 30 ACT score means scoring highly on all sections of the exam (excluding Writing, as this optional section score does not affect your composite score). Because your composite score is the average of your four section scores (English, Math, Reading, and Science), you must aim for at least a composite ACT score of 29.5- or around 30 on each section. These section scores can vary. For example, you could aim for scores in the upper 30s on your stronger sections and scores in the upper 20s on your weaker sections and still get a composite score of 30. To do this, however, you'll always need to score at least 30 on two or more sections of the exam. Here are some ways you could get a composite ACT score of 30: 30s on all four sections. 30s on two sections and 29s on the other two. 32s on two sections and 28s on the other two. 32, 31, 29, and 28 on the four sections. (And so on.) So how many correct answers do you need to get a 30 on the ACT? In truth, the answer varies depending on what test you take. Since all ACTs differ slightly in difficulty,the number of questions you must answer correctly to get a 30 also varies slightly with each test. Below, we’ve analyzed five score conversion tables from official ACT practice tests to calculate approximately how many questions you must get right to get a 30 on each section of the exam. (Remember, you don’t necessarily need to get 30s on all four sections, but you will need to get 30s on at least two sections.) After averaging the conversions, here's what we discovered: To get a 30 on ... You’ll need an average raw score of ... Meaning you can miss around ... English 67 8 questions Math 51 9 questions Reading 34 6 questions Science 36 4 questions Once again, these numbers are allapproximations based on the average number of raw points you'd need to get 30s on five different ACT practice tests. The chart above indicates that you can miss the most raw points on Math and the least on Science. You can also miss several questions on English and slightly fewer on Reading to get a 30. Here is an example of anACT scoring chart, with score conversions to 30 highlighted: Overall, you can’t miss more than a small handful of questions on each section of the ACT if you’re hoping to score a 30. To avoid missing too many questions, you must ultimately learn what to expect on test day and how to study effectively for each ACT section. We teach you how to do this next. Tip #0: don't build a pillow fort to try to hide from the ACT. How to Get a 30 on the ACT: 9 Key Tips Getting a 30 isn’t easy, but it’s certainly not impossible- you just need to know how to prepare. Our top nine tips below teach you how to get a 30 on the ACT and give you the confidence you'll need for test day. #1: Create a Study Plan When aiming for a 30 on the ACT, you'll definitely want to use a study plan to guide your prep, ideally one that specifically prepares you for getting a 30. Start by taking an official ACT practice testto get your baseline score.This is the score you start out with before beginning any ACT prep. As you take the test, try to recreate real testing conditions to give yourself a more accurate indicator of your scoring ability. This means you'll need to minimize potential distractions, take the test in a quiet room, and time yourself using the official time limits. Once finished, use your test’s scoring guide to calculate your section and composite scores. The composite score (out of 36) you get will be your baseline score. Next, subtract your baseline score from your goal score (in this case, 30) to see how many points you'll need to improve by to hit your goal score. Match this difference to one of the point ranges below to see the approximate number of hours you’ll need to study: 0-1 point improvement: 10 hours 1-2 point improvement: 20 hours 2-4 point improvement: 40 hours 4-6 point improvement: 80 hours 6-9 point improvement: 150 hours+ For example, if I scored 26 on a practice test, I’d need 4 points to hit my goal score of 30. Using the list above, we can see that this difference corresponds roughly to 40-80 hours of prep time. Once you’ve figured out the number of study hours you'll need to do, draft a study schedule that works well for you. You should try to study consistently every week until test day, so make sure to divide up your time appropriately. In addition, try to plan around any obligations you have in the time leading up to your test. #2: Use High-Quality Study Materials To get a 30 ACT score, you’ll need to use the best ACT resources currently available. This means no low-quality prep books, no sketchy websites, and no inefficient apps. By far the best resources to use are official ACT materials, many of which are completely free! Popular options include official ACT practice tests, sample questions, and The Official ACT Prep Guide, which currently sells for around $25 on Amazon. Be pickier when choosing unofficial ACT materials. I recommend only opting for those that are highly rated and contain realistic practice questions with comprehensive answer explanations. (Bonus if it includes helpful test-taking tips!) Our guides to the best ACT prep books, apps, websites, and vocabulary listscan give you more info on what unofficial resources to use. In short, always remember that quality beats quantity. There’s no point in getting tons of ACT resources if they’re not going to actually help you understand the test and get the 30 you want, so only get whatever you think will be most useful. #3: Track Your Progress Using Practice Tests An ACT study plan not only helps you space out your prep sessions but also allows you to track your progress. Throughout your studies, it's important to take occasional full-length practice tests to see whether your score is improving. How many tests you take and how often you take them depends on the amount of time you have left before test day. Generally, it’s helpful to take a test every few weeks (but never right before test day!). Once you’ve calculated your score for a practice test, use this to see whether your score is, on average, rising or staying the same. If it’s not rising as quickly as you want it to, consider what kinds of concepts or topics you can focus on more to help raise your score on another attempt. My biggest mistake? Eating eight boxes of Girl Scout cookies within a week. (brian/Flickr) #4: Analyze Your Mistakes When aiming high on the ACT, you’ll need to understand exactly what you’re getting wrong and what you can do to fix your mistakes. As you review your answers to ACT practice questions and tests, don’t just mark the correct answer and move on- take a few minutes to think deeply about why you might’ve missed a certain problem. I recommend doing this before you look at the answer explanation as a way to sharpen your problem-solving skills. After,re-solve the problem and usethe correct answer to guide your thinking. For example, if you thought the answer to a math question was 13 but it was really 36, go through the entire problem again, this time using a different approach to see whether you can find the correct answer on your own. #5: Drill Your Weaknesses Weaknesses will keep you from getting an ACT score of 30. They prevent you from getting certain questions right, even when you’ve studied the concepts. So how do you overcome your weak spots? First, by simply understanding what they are. To see what concepts you struggle the most with, go over all of the ACT practice tests and questions you've completed and try to look forpatterns in the questions you got wrong. For example, are you always missing geometry questions? Do you spend too much time on big-picture questions? Once you know what’s bringing down your score, you can then focus on drilling these weak spots in your prep. This means you’ll need to practice the questions you get wrong, review relevant strategies, and monitor your performance through practice tests to ensure you’re improving. #6: Get Key Strategies Down Pat No matter what score you're aiming for, you should always familiarize yourself with the most useful ACT strategies before taking the test. By "strategies," I mean test-taking approaches and tricks you can use to increase your chances of getting a high score (ideally, a 30!). Some ACT strategies target certain sections of the exam, whereas others apply to the entire test. Not all strategies will necessarily suit you (for example, it's best to pick just one passage-reading strategy that works well for you), but you should always try out all major approaches before choosing one to stick with. Before we dive into section-specific strategies, here are the three general ACT strategies you should be using on test day: Answer every question. There's no penalty for incorrect answers on the ACT, so try to answer every question, even if you have to guess. Because each question is multiple choice with four or five answer choices (only Math questions have five answer choices- everything else has four), you’ll always have at least a 20-25 percent chance of getting it right. Skip hard questions and return to them later. If you come across a question you can’t solve within a reasonable amount of time (see #7), mark the question and proceed to the next one. Then, once you finish the section, go back to any marked questions and try to approach them with a fresh perspective. Use the process of elimination. Not sure which answer choice is correct? Narrowing down your choices can dramatically raise your chance of getting the question right. For example, by eliminating three answer choices for a math question, your possibility of answering it correctly rises from 20 to 50 percent! For additional ACT tips and strategies, check out our individual section guides: English The Top 9 ACT English Strategies You Must Use The Best Way to Approach ACT English Passages How to Get 36 on ACT English: 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer Math Plugging in Numbers: a Critical SAT/ACT Math Strategy Plugging in Answers: a Critical SAT Math/ACT Math Strategy How to Guess Strategically on ACT Math How to Get 36 on ACT Math: 8 Strategies by a Perfect Scorer Reading The #1 Critical, Fundamental Strategy of ACT Reading The Best Way to Approach the ACT Reading Passage How to Answer ACT Reading Questions: 5-Step Guide How to Get 36 on ACT Reading: Strategies From a Perfect Scorer Science The 5 Best Strategies for Reading ACT Science Passages The ACT Science Strategies You Must Be Using The Hardest ACT Science Questions and Strategies to Solve Them How to Get 36 on ACT Science: 13 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer Writing ACT Writing Rubric: Full Analysis and Essay Strategies ACT Writing Tips: 15 Strategies to Raise Your Essay Score Why You Shouldn’t Copy Skeleton Templates for the SAT/ACT Essay How to Get a Perfect 12 on the ACT Writing Essay The #1 strategy for Monopoly? Flip the board into the air and play Sorry! instead. #7: Use Your Time Wisely Another key strategy we didn't mention above is to use your time wisely on each section of the ACT.Being able to allocate your time appropriately means you won't be spending too much (or too little) time on certain questions. The chart below shows how much time you have per question on each ACT section. These limits are estimates in that they assume you'll spend the same amount of time on every question. ACT Section Time Per Question English 36 seconds Math 60 seconds Reading 53 seconds Science 53 seconds As you can see, you’ll have the least amount of time per question on English and the most on Math. But even a whole minute can fly by on a math question, so you'll need to know how to approach ACT problems fast yet effectively.For tips on how to pace yourself, check out our time management guides for ACT Math, Reading, and Science. As I mentioned in tip #6, it's a good idea to answer every question since there's no penalty for incorrect answers. But thetime crunch is one of the most challenging parts of the ACT, often making it difficult to finish certain sections in time or get lengthier, more complicated questions correct. Therefore, if you're aiming for a 30, it may be better for you tospend a little more time trying to get questions rightthan to worry about trying to solve every question. You know you'll be missing a few points anyway, so use the time you would've spent answering tougher questions on solving the questions you're absolutely certain youcan get right with a little extra time. Then, just guess on the few you don't have time for. #8: Avoid Careless Errors and Double-Check Your Answers High scorers on the ACT primarily miss questions due to careless errors- that is, questions you misread or misinterpreted, answer choices you didn't fill in correctly, or answer choices you didn't confirm were correct before moving on to the next question. These types of errors, though frustrating, are entirely avoidable. The good news is that these errors mean you’re not struggling with the content of the exam, but the bad news is that you’re losing points on questions as a result of mere hastiness. The best way to avoid making careless errors is to double-check your answers.This means you'll look over each answer before proceeding to the next question. So on a math question, you could quickly double-check your answer choice by plugging it back in and re-solving. Or on an English question, you could reread the sentence you’ve corrected to ensure it sounds accurate. If you have extra time at the end of a section, goback through each question to check that you’ve answered all of them and have marked the appropriate answers on your answer sheet. Here are some additional tricks you can use to prevent careless errors: Read all questions carefully. If you skim, you might misunderstand what the question is asking you to do. For example, on Math, this could mean you accidentally solve for the wrong algebraic expression. Therefore, always read every word in a question. Reread any part of a question you don’t understand.You can't expect to get a question right if you don't get what it's asking you to do. If there's any phrase or word throwing you off, reread the question until you're pretty sure you know what it means. Read all of the answer choices before choosing one.Don't just go straight for the answer choice you think is right- often, what sounds correct isn't actually correct, as many plausible answer choices are included in order to mislead you. Read through all of the answer choices so that you can be certain you know which is right. Write neatly.If your notes are sloppy or confusing (especially when solving for math problems), you'll likely struggle to make sense of what you've written and might even choose the wrong answer as a result. Always write cleanly and coherently so that you don't accidentally foil your own efforts on test day. #9: Don’t Psych Yourself Out Last but not least, don’t let the pressure of the ACT freak you out. Getting a 30 takes hard work, but you shouldn't overwhelm yourself or feel as though your future depends on an ACT score. As long as you’ve got a solid study plan and quality ACT resources, you’re well on your way to getting a great score. Additionally, try to remain calm on test day. A little anxiety is expected, but letting your nerves get to you can make you lose both your concentration and confidence. If you don’t get a 30, remind yourself that it’s not the end of the world; you can always retake the exam or work on improving other parts of your college application. Your chances of college acceptance aren't determined solely by your ACT score, so don’t assume you’re doomed with anything below a 30! Don't look like this after you take the ACT. Seriously. Don't magically turn into a dog. Conclusion: How to Get a 30 on the ACT Many students aim for a 30 on the ACT, but is 30 a good ACT score? Absolutely! In fact,a 30 ACT score is very competitive- in the top 4 percent of test takers, to be exact.This score gives you a solid shot at getting into many moderately competitive universities, such as UC Santa Barbara and Boston University. To get a 30, you mustscore highly on all four sections of the exam (excluding Writing). Specifically, you’ll need to get at least a 30 on two sections and a composite score of 29.5 (which rounds to 30) or higher. This means you can only miss a handful of questions on each section. Above, we taught you how to get a 30 on the ACT using our top nine tips. As a reminder, here are our tips again: Come up with a foolproof study plan Obtain high-quality resources (official ones are a great place to start) Track your progress with practice tests Analyze your mistakes on tests and questions Drill your weak spots so that they don’t bring down your score Learn and practice all major ACT strategies Use your time wisely Avoid making careless errors by double-checking your answers andreading more closely Focus on doing well without psyching yourself out Armed with these tips, you'll be on your way to getting a 30 in no time! What’s Next? Want to aim even higher- say, for a perfect 36?Then check out our in-depth guide to getting a perfect ACT score, written by a real full scorer. What's considered a good ACT score?Our expert guide goes over what ACT scores and percentiles you'll need to aim for in order to be considered a competitive applicant for your schools. What about bad ACT scores? How low is too low?If you're not sure where your score stands, read our guide to low ACT scoresto learn what's considered a poor ACT score. Then, get tips on how to improve. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

The Economic Growth in the US Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Economic Growth in the US - Term Paper Example Roubini claims that the current account deficits may be related to the appreciation or depreciation of a currency (2005). A national currency weakens when the inflow of capital in the country cannot fully finance a current account deficit, that is, the supply of financing from the capital account is low (Roubini 2005). As it is seen, capital inflows and outflows play an important role in this relation. Short-term and long-term interest rates, political risk factors, the GDP growth rate, and other economic factors determine the capital flows and are the direct causes of the currency fluctuations. Roubini calls all these â€Å"the law of gravity† for a currency (2005).   Still, as it was mentioned above, sometimes the laws of gravity are defied (Roubini 2005). The current account deficit worsens so much that the trajectory of its falling recoils reversely on the national currency. In 2005, the US dollar appreciated despite all dooming predictions. Which were the factors responsible for such a turn? According to Roubini’s opinion, there are three major factors that made it possible for the US dollar to maintain its status quo: 1/ The US short-term interest rates were kept tightened as compared to Europe and Japan, where they were on hold;   2/ The economic growth rate in the US was higher than in the European Union and Japan; 3/ The US Government adopted the Homeland Investment Act as of October 2004, which was meant to allow companies to repatriate offshore cash balances at a reduced tax rate (Roubini 2005). In 2006 the US current account deficit sloped down even more dramatically than during the previous year. According to the latest data, it increased to $218.4 billion in the second quarter of 2006 (Weinberg 2006). Economists do not cease to debate about the real and hypothetical explanations as to the causes worsening the overall picture of the US economy, in general, and the current account deficit, in particular. To generalize different standpoints, all debating boils down to two groups of explanations: domestic and exterior causes.

Interface's Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interface's - Research Paper Example Practical application of GUI includes their significant role in solving problems in computing and the generation, design and development of programs during the processes of programming. Interfaces An Interface In information and communication technology the word interface or user interface is a concept that refers to a set of tools which facilitate the interaction between the user and a computer system (Takouachet, Couture, Reuter, Joyot, Riviere & Verdon, 2012). There are two main types of user interfaces. These are software and software user interfaces. These interfaces use a specific protocol which contains a framework of rules that define the manner in which users interact with computer systems (Su, Mavroidis, Shi, Ferreira & Papanikolaou, 2010). Browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer are good examples of software interfaces. In this regard, software user interfaces are software applications. These applications are written with the use of Java programming language and as a result they are supportive of internet applications and online communications through the World Wide Web (Liqiong & Poole, 2010). On the other hand, hardware interfaces represents the physical components of a computer such as a graphic card which enhance the visualization of the software user interfaces and hence make them robust in their application (Sperling, 2007). The Role of Interfaces in GUI Applications Graphic user interface (GUI) is a form of user interface which is characterized with graphical representation of icons and menus to facilitate the interaction of the users with computer systems (Su, Mavroidis, Shi, Ferreira & Papanikolaou, 2010). The GUI was designed to overcome the problem of manual entry of commands in orthodox computing such as DOS OS. Therefore GUI allows users of computer systems use the mouse for efficient dragging of objects by simply clicking on them (Takouachet, Couture, Reuter, Joyot, Riviere & Verdon, 2012). Unlike the DOS OS which is comm and based, Mac and Windows OS are the most common forms of GUI. The application of GUI in contemporary computing demonstrates the roles of interfaces in computing. Interfaces within GUI applications play a significant role of making computing easy to learn and apply. This makes even novice users of computers to operate GUI applications such as browsers with ease (Liqiong & Poole, 2010). The various computer application such as copying and moving files within computer storage or memory locations are made easier through the use of GUI as opposed to entering commands manually (Kroeker, 2011). In addition, the GUI allows an interactive communication between the user and computer system. This is demonstrated by the responses that the interface displays for the user such as confirmation of dilatations (Liqiong & Poole, 2010). For example Microsoft applications are designed to provide users with immediate feedback during their interaction with the user including error messages and help fac ilities. In this regard, interfaces provide users with possible errors and problems in computing with consequent suggestion of solutions (Su, Mavroidis, Shi, Ferreira & Papanikolaou, 2010). Mozilla Firefox Mozilla Firefox is a common example of browser software which provides an effective GUI. This browser is likable because of its user friendliness. This is achieved through the use of