Referencing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Referencing - Essay Example 2015]. Kinsella, P., 2013, Manchester – Britain’s ‘Second City’ Reports Bumper Tourist Numbers, [online] Knight Knox International, Available at: http://www.knightknox.com/news/article/manchester-britains-second-city-reports-bumper-tourist-numbers [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Manchester City Council, 2014, A1 Manchester Factsheet-November 2014, [online] Available at: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.manchester.gov.uk%2Fdownload%2Fdownloads%2Fid%2F22534%2Fa01_manchester_factsheet_updated_november_2014&ei=8n_zVKejMo3JPa3AgJgG&usg=AFQjCNGtnHYf_83aFaM15b5gchWiKMEP0g&bvm=bv.87269000,d.ZWU this is Manchester factsheet 2013 [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Manchester City Council, 2015, Introduction | Whitworth Street Conservation Area | Manchester City Council, [online] Available at: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/511/conservation_areas/970/whitworth_street_conservation_area [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Manchester Evening News, 2010, Citys new vision in angled glass, [online] Available at: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/citys-new-vision-in-angled-glass-1000706 [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Marketing Manchester, 2014, Hotel Occupancy in Greater Manchester, [online] Available at: http://www.marketingmanchester.com/media/80938/hotel%20occupancy%20dec%202014%20final.pdf [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Marketing Manchester, 2014, Conference Value & Volume, [online] Available at: http://www.marketingmanchester.com/media/76001/conference%20value%20and%20volume%202014%20-%20reporting%20summary.pdf [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Marketing Manchester, n.d., The Greater Manchester Destination Management Plan 2014-2017, [online] Available at: http://www.marketingmanchester.com/media/72887/dmp%20final%20version%20-%20july%202014.pdf [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Marketing Manchester, n.d., The Greater

Puberty Blues Essay Example for Free

Puberty Blues Essay The TV show I have chosen to talk to you about today is Puberty Blues. It is aired at 8:30pm, Wednesday on channel 10. It doesnt have a specific genre, but more like a mixture. I would classify it as a teen drama. Puberty Blues doesnt work in plot twists but offers a suprising reality. The best part about the TV drama for me is how we get a glimpse into the life of a 1970s teenager. Puberty Blues is set in Cronulla, Sydney, in the late 1970s. Majority of the time, Debbie and Sues houses are used, but the greenhill gang are also featured hanging around by the beach. Puberty Blues tells the story Debbie Vickers and Sue Knights. They are both very clever but somewhat unpopular high school girls who wants to raise their social standings in order to go out with boys. Through out the episodes we get to know the girls parents- Judy and Martin who are closed off and dont interact with each other much and Pam and Roger who have a far more open relationship. The sixth episode was directed by Glendyn Ivin and written by Fiona Seresis. The main plot is when the greenhill gang including Debbie and Sue, get wasted, go driving and flip the car, killing the driver. Any other show would have sent the characters into an instant panic but the writers of Puberty Blues understand that the shock combined with drugs would have caused everyone to burst into disbelieving laughter. The car crash wasnt the only plot in the episode though. Debbies parents, Judy and Martin, got to couples councilling because Martin has strong feelings for a women at his work. Cheryl, a member of the green hills gang, is flirting with her mums boyfriend to prove she is more desirable than her mother, who resents. The social issue pressented in the show was definitely driving under the influence. This message is easily interpreted in the car crash scene were the driver and passengers are drunk and stoned. This wasnt my favourite episode from Puberty Blues but it was still solid like we have come to expect from this series. I would recommend the show to high school students and older as there are some mature themes and sexual references. I love this show because it takes awkward and serious situations and brings out their bright side.

How ICT has Impacted My Life :: ICT Essays

How ICT has Impacted My Life When I was planning how to investigate how ICT has had an impact on the way I do things at home and at school I decided to write everything I did down in my rough book for two days. I then analysed if ICT had any part to play in the various events. Below is a report on my findings: SOCIAL/PERSONAL ICT USE SMS SENDING TEXT MESSAGES TO MATES MOBILE RINGING PARENTS FOR LIFT HOME TELETEXT FINDING CINEMA TIMES DVD WATCHING/INTERACTING WITH A FILM TV WATCHING DIGITAL TV COMPUTER PLAYING GAMES ON THE INTERNET COMPUTER SENDING EMAILS DIGITAL CLOCK/RADIO WAKING UP IN THE MORNINGSCOMPUTER EMAILING WORK TO SCHOOL FOR TOMORROW DIGITAL CAMERA TOOK PHOTOS OF MY DOG AND SENT THEM VIA EMAIL TO MY SISTER AT UNIVERSITY GAMES CONSOLE PLAYED FIFA 2002 WITH LITTLE BROTHER TOUCHSCREEN AT ARGOS TO CHECK IF THEY HAD AN ITEM IN STOCK COMPUTER RECORD MP3 FILES FOR MY MINIDISC PLAYER MINIDISC PLAYED MP3 FILES WAP PHONE SENT PHOTOS TO MY MATES INTERACTIVE GAMES PLAYED GAMES AT THE ARCADE IN SKEGNESS WITH MATES DIGITAL TV SENT E-MAILS SCHOOL USE OF ICT MILLING MACHINE DT PROJECT COMPUTER RECORDING MEASUREMENTS IN SCIENCE

Diction and storytelling in Death by Landscape by Margaret Atwood

Rather than an exaggerated hyperbole, â€Å"scarred for life† is a very accurate description of Lois from the short story â€Å"Death by Landscape’s† state of mind. Margaret Atwood depicts a character haunted by her childhood and solidifies that past experiences do a great deal in shaping the future of children into adulthood. Through diction by an older and younger Lois: symbolism, setting and characterization are distinguished. Firstly, strong symbolism is expressed through the landscape paintings that Lois collects while at the same time she avoids the wilderness altogether. The readers are left wondering why Lois would collect these painting if she â€Å"does not find them peaceful in the least† but instead they â€Å"fill her with a world of unease† (2). It is revealed at the end of the short story that these paintings are representative of the tie Lois still has been unable to sever with her deceased best friend from childhood. A friend who in Lois’ mind completely vanished off the face of the earth; her body was never recovered. A young Lois recalled, â€Å"Lucy did not care about things she did not know, whereas Lois did†, from this it can assumed that Lois is a character of strong need for closure and she never got it. In her mind there was no way Lucy could just disappear like this, she had to be somewhere. With this mindset taken into her adulthood an older Lois had rebirthed Lucy through these landscape paintings symbolic of her death. â€Å"A dead person is a body, a dead body occupies space it exists somewhere†(9), with this mindset Lois preserved Lucy’s existence through these landscape paintings. In this case symbolism is key in understanding Lois’ fear of the wild. Secondly, setting and imagery play a key role in shaping Lois’ views of the wilderness in adulthood and childhood. As a child it’s made clear that Lois has hostility towards the camp and its atmosphere but then eventually she gets used to it. But Lois in adulthood is seen to have a traumatic fear of anything remotely to do with the wilderness. At first glance it just seems as though she just doesn’t care for gardening by her â€Å"[relief] not to have to worry about the lawn, or about the ivy pushing its muscular little suckers into the brickwork† (4). However after further insight it is seen that there is a reason behind her disdain for wildlife. The only thing signifying wildlife present in Lois’ life is the landscape paintings in which she believes Lucy resides. With these she is able to not have to let go of Lucy at the comfort of her closed-off and artificial world. The imagery of the canoe trip in Lois’ childhood is also seen to be particularly frightening and provides understanding of her complete disdain for nature. While going canoeing Lois feels the â€Å"lake go down, deeper and colder than it was a minute before† (6), this exemplifies the sheer power, terror and unpredictability that comes with the association of the wilderness. Lois’ diction in this passage also foreshadows the complete disappearance of Lucy in a matter of moments, after being swallowed up by nature. Thus, imagery and setting provide insight in Lois’ anxiety for the wilderness. Lastly, characterization is used to depict Lois’ disdain for wildlife and much is revealed about her through the narration of her private thoughts and feelings within her childhood and adulthood. Lois and Lucy grow to become best friends despite them having almost nothing in common. At the age of 13 they live completely different lives and Lois recalls even feeling a bit, jealous of Lucy’s life. The reader is left to think why Lois would have such a central sense of guilt from this childhood experience and why â€Å"she felt terrible-guilty and dismayed, as if she had done something very bad, by mistake†(8). The way that Lois went about her life following this incident was that of a convicted criminal. With the amount and remorse Lois felt, could it be possible that maybe she did subconsciously wish that something would happen to Lucy? After repeatedly having to feel inferior when listening to her stories. Lois ends up feeling so remorseful for Lucy’s death she is completely paralyzed of living her own life. When she marries and has children she finds herself unfocused in life and careless in social gatherings. Randy, her deceased husband’s face does not even resonate with her and neither do the memories of the birth and the raising of her children. . She feels drained and â€Å"as if she was living not one life but two: her own and another shadowy life that hovered†(8). The intense feelings of guilt would only resurface themselves if she were ever to return to the camp in which Lucy had her tragic fall. Therefore Atwood’s use of diction through a young and older Lois provides strong insights for her fear of the wilderness. All in all Lois’ disdain for the wild can be distinguished through: symbolism, characterization, imagery and setting by using the diction of an older and younger Lois. Her complete inability to overcome this grief and loss goes to show to that past experiences play a key role in shaping children into adulthood.

Fast Food Restaurants Essay

Fast Food restaurants are great for the price at which one can obtain the food you want at a fast pace. With so many different food choices there are many opinions about the different varieties of food places and which one is the best. Chickfila, according to Business Insider’s, won the â€Å"best overall† category in the Business Insider’s fast food Reader’s choice awards over restaurants like Chipotle and McDonalds. I believe that Chickfila’s quality of food, their company, and the employees in the company is what makes Chickfila the best in the fast food industry. Chickfila is known for their quality of food. Compared to most fast food restaurants who used processed meat and sometimes their â€Å"meat† does not actually contain real beef or chicken. For example, Chickfila’s nuggets are whole meant and the chicken sandwiches are boneless, hand-breaded, and cooked in 100% peanut oil. Their waffle fries are different from other fast food restaurant which makes them unique and better. Also, their milkshakes make them stand out because of the homemade, handspun ice-dream, ice-cream; and Chickfila also offers seasonal flavors. Compared to most restaurants that have condiments like ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, BBQ, etc. Chickfila has an even wider variety of different condiments like honey BBQ, buffalo, Chickfila sauce, honey mustard, spicy mustard, and many different salad dressings. Lastly, food wise, another major thing Chickfila promotes is a healthier option. Though fast food in general isn’t healthy Chickfila offers a more specific menu to tend to a healthier diet. McDonalds for example, their Big Mac and Salad are no different in their healthiness. Chickfila over the past few years made healthy, healthier; they spent over $50 million dollars perfecting the grilled chicken recipe. Not only is the quality of food excellent compared to other fast food franchises but the company and their policies exceed great expectations. One  unique thing about Chickfila is they are closed on Sundays for rest and worship. Though people that run Chickfila do not have to be Christian but they are required to have: humility, passion for service, compassion, and geniuses. Chickfila exemplifies great character and has an â€Å"everyone welcome† policy which occurred because of a comment Dan Cathy, the CEO of Chickfila made, about gay/homosexuality, but he apologized for these comments and said that everyone is welcome. Chickfila is known for its high quality food, great company values and lastly the employees that work there. Most fast food restaurants are about speed but Chickfila is all about being swift and assertive. There manners are exquisite and make you feel helped and welcomed when they say â€Å"my pleasure† after you have been helped. Another reason their people and company are better than most fast food places is because they spend around $1million dollars every year evaluation service and do quarterly phone survives with customers in exchange for a free chicken sandwich. Though I assume most restaurants also do these kinds of surveys, Chickfila is really the only one I have seen effort and change and promotion of what people are saying. The employee’s standards are held higher standard which focuses on â€Å"servant leadership†. Chickfila is the best fast food restaurant in the fast food enterprises because of their high quality fresh and healthy food choices. Their company demonstrates great qualities and good moral standards and is consistent throughout each restaurant chain. Also, their employees are held to a higher standard than most employees at other restaurants. There company exemplifies true respect, leadership, and high quality food that in my opinion make Chickfila the best fast food restaurant chain in the business.

Reading Comprehension for Presidential Elections

Reading Comprehension for Presidential Elections This reading comprehension focuses on Presidential elections. Its followed by key vocabulary relating to the US elections system. Presidential Elections Americans elect a new president on the first Tuesday in November. Its an important event that happens once every four years. Currently, the president is always elected from one of the two main parties in the United States: the Republicans and the Democrats. There are other presidential candidates. However, it is unlikely that any of these third party candidates will win. It certainly hasnt happened in the last one hundred years. In order to become the presidential nominee of a party, the candidate must win the primary election. Primary elections are held throughout each state in the United States in the first half of an election year. Then, the delegates attend their party convention in order to nominate their chosen candidate. Usually, as in this election, its clear who will be the nominee. However, in the past parties have been divided and choosing a nominee has been a difficult process. Once the nominees have been selected, they campaign throughout the country. A number of debates are usually held in order to better understand the candidates points of view. These points of view often reflect their partys platform. A party platform is best described as the general beliefs and policies a party holds. Candidates travel the country by plane, bus, train or by car giving speeches. These speeches are often called stump speeches. In the 19th century, candidates would stand on tree stumps to deliver their speeches. These stump speeches repeat the candidates basic views and aspirations for the country. They are repeated many hundreds of times by each candidate. Many people believe that campaigns in the United States have become too negative. Each night you can see many attack ads on the television. These short ads contain sound bites which often distort the truth  or something the other candidate has said or done. Another recent problem has been voter turnout. There is often less than 60% turnout for national elections. Some people dont register to vote, and some registered voters dont show up at the voting booths. This angers many citizens who feel that voting is the most important responsibility of any citizen. Others point out that not voting is expressing an opinion that the system is broken. The United States maintains an extremely old, and some say inefficient, voting system. This system is called the Electoral College. Each state is assigned electoral votes based on the number of senators and representatives that state has in Congress. Each state has two Senators. The number of representatives is determined by the states population but is never less than one. The electoral votes are decided by the popular vote in each state. One candidate wins all of the electoral votes in a state. In other words, Oregon has 8 electoral votes. If 1 million people vote for the Republican candidate and one million and ten people vote for the Democratic candidate all 8 electoral votes go to the Democratic candidate. Many people feel that this system should be abandoned. Key Vocabulary to electpolitical partyRepublicanDemocratthird partycandidatepresidential nomineeprimary electiondelegateto attendparty conventionto nominatedebateparty platformstump speechattack adssound biteto distort the truthvoter turnoutregistered votervoting boothElectoral CollegeCongresssenatorrepresentativeelectoral votepopular vote

Book Review Freakonomics

Book Review Freakonomics Introduction When one hears of a winner of the John Bates Clark Medal, the first thought that comes to mind is that of someone that came up with a new economics theory or a formulae that has helps economists solve a problem that has been in great economist minds long enough to make him deserve the medal.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Book Review: Freakonomics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Contrary to this, and unexpected of such a decorated economist, Steven Levitt represents a new form of economist. Though armed with economics honors in form of an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a Doctorate of Philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Levitt admits to knowing very little as far as economic theories and monetary equations are concerned. The only thing that has propelled him to such a status in the economics world is the fact that he does not look at the world from the same perspective as everyone else. Levitt’s third eye has allowed him to spot economic anomalies and strategize from such experiences. This third eye of his led to his getting requests from economically established individuals to solve anomalies, and even from non-economic individuals and groups that know they are missing a certain view of the duties they claim responsibility for. The Excellent Science that is Economics Economics is the science that defines the sequential processes involved from the production of utility goods and services to the end consumer. â€Å"Levitt considers economics a science with excellent tools for gaining answers, but has a shortage of interesting questions† (Levitt Dubner 6). The whole economics fraternity is more than glad to have him present all the interesting questions entailed in economics. Economics as a science breaks down market phenomenon in order to explain what triggers certain reactions in the market, and how to get the best out of these reactio ns. Economists do not need all the interesting questions in the world, as even simple questions can help solve the biggest of problems (52). The Hidden Side of Everything Steven Levitt has used this phrase to refer to the basic things that go on around people, but ignorance or a bad situation has redirected their view to things that seem to be the bigger picture, but are insignificant to their causes. They find themselves looking away and slowly letting go of their dreams as they brace themselves to survive the reality that is life. This leads the reader to a short story narrated by the author. Consider Paul Feldman, a successful agricultural economist who always wanted to liberate the world from hunger, but ended up working for the US Navy (51). Mr. Feldman had a very well paying job but ended up quitting it to follow his ‘destiny’; and it paid off. His brand new supply chain around Washington DC ended up with him earning as much as he made during his tenure at the whi te-collar job that he was not supposed to quit.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The book could therefore be advocating for all those with their inner voices pointing towards a different direction in life to go against all odds and engage in what they think will reveal the best of their abilities. Like Paul Feldman, they should be cautious and take their time to analyze the venture they are going to undertake, identify challenges and strategies that will manage them before giving up what they have, lest they find themselves chasing after the wind. Skepticism Freakonomics as a guide was a book designed to encourage skepticism in economics as a whole. This, backed by claim that it is human nature to cheat, raises questions on the integrity of economics, the science. The author goes ahead to give the example of sumo-wrestlers, schoolteachers and day-care parents who e ngage in cheating as a day-to-day vice (51). Sadly, the rest of the world does not follow with this. The algorithm used to detect this cheating, though perfect, did not result in likewise ‘perfect’ outcomes (DiNardo 30). If everyone turns into a skeptic of all concepts that run the procedures involved in economics, arts or even in medicine, the world would then run out of the individuals that take passion in the work they do. There would be no more believers left of the earth as everyone will be positioned to ask questions instead of addressing the faults they see in humanity. Enron presents another form of skepticism in form of white-collar crime. According to Levitt Dubner, this is a form of silent crime with no direct victim, and hence the reason why the day ends with a richer employee, but no suspect (53). Yet another form of cheating that goes overlooked if left unchecked. The problem here is that the system becomes a victim of its own perfection as the experts wh o design it and run it reap off its loopholes in broad daylight. Incentives It is true that incentives play a major role in motivation. The new generation presents with it major and unique economic constraints. These new breed of challenges have led to people stretching every available opportunity of making an extra buck. This involves coming up with new forms of business, hence the taking root of such services as mortgage and stock brokerage, real estate agents and even escort services. These individuals have specialized and mastered the relevant activities involved in the industries in that they know how to maximize the value for your money so to speak (13). Unfortunately, Levitt does not share the sentiment. He goes ahead to tag them as humans like everyone else who respond to incentives (14). This may be true, though their expertise has helped in saving time taken in the hustle of looking for a buyer and without experience in the field.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Book Review: Freakonomics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It plays out as a strategy that catches two fish with single bait. This is because the owner goes ahead to conduct his/her other side business, while the broker/agent finds the buyer. Realistically, compared to that made within the same period by the seller, the money used to pay up the agent/broker may be significantly low. Economists, among other experts should, and in fact do recognize and appreciate the challenges brokers and agents go through in order to come to terms with clients who already have in them the mindset that all brokers are just out to rip them off of their money. Levitt actually does acknowledge that these experts are human (14). The authors should give the reasons why they expected to respond in a different style to the same challenges faced by other workers in other fields. Freakonomics versus Economics The author clearly lacks the scholarly ent husiasm associated with the products of the higher education institutions he attended. For a graduate from Harvard and a doctor of Philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he does not represent the honors as expected. He views the economic world of economics with utter skepticism and his wish is for the world to follow behind his steps loyally. In a world rigged with, among other economic forces, inflation and diversity from competition, it demands a keen view of the trends the market takes on every product. It may be unclear to him when he points out that the economic boom in the late 1990s did not help in reducing the rate of murders being committed across the States (11). As much as it reduced the number of potential criminals being born, abortion also reduced the number of great achievers and potential leaders who would have influenced positively and jolted this world to greater heights in all fields. As much as Levitt views this as a success as much as crimino logy is concerned, it has done more harm than good as compared to crime retention and the good that is humanity. Conclusion After a complete analysis of the ideology behind the book, a reasonable and crucial point to be noted, is that â€Å"Levitt’s only real message is to encourage confrontational questions† (Berg 2005) as these nee d not economist answers, but endless arguments that lead to outright criticism of what economics stands for as a science. It has reached a point that whether we embrace it or not, economics and everything that it comes with plays a major role in the everyday life of the average citizen, regardless of social class or age.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Berg, Chris. Why do drug dealers live with their mums? IPA (Institute of Public Affairs) Review, June 2005, 57 2): 46. Print. DiNardo, John. A Review of Freakonomics. New York: New York Times, 2005. Print. Levitt, Steven. Dubner, Stephen. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2005. Print.

Mark Dawson Shares His Secret Facebook Ads Strategy

Mark Dawson Shares His Secret Facebook Ads Strategy Facebook Ads for Authors (with Mark Dawson) Last updated: 04/11/2018Most authors in the self-publishing game will know Mark Dawson’s name. As the author of the highly successful John Milton thrillers, Mark has become one of the most successful indie novelists working today - in large part thanks to his keen understanding of book marketing and Facebook Advertising in particular.Based on an interview with Reedsy (that you can watch below), this post will show you how Mark has used Facebook ads as a tool to build his career as a novelist (as well as his mailing list) - and how you can do the same. What is Facebook Advertising?Facebook Advertising is the core business of the world’s most popular social network. Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t make any money when you post pictures of your cat. He does, however, make a fortune allowing advertisers to target audiences in a very focused way, thanks to the enormous amount of data they have on their users.How can authors best use Facebook Ads?At the most basic level, authors can use Facebook ads to find readers who have an interest in books similar to theirs. Finding and leveraging comparable authors has long been at the center of Mark’s strategy.â€Å"My books are often compared in their genre to Lee Child, so one of the things that I do on Facebook is to serve ads just to people who know or like Lee Child - fans of his fan page, fans of the Jack Reacher fan page, and so on.â€Å"You want to find a similar author in your genre like that who you can use to make sure that your ads are shown to people who are likely to like your books.†One of the benefits of using Facebook ads is the ability to test audience sets. For as little as $5 a day, you can deliver your ads to different ‘sets’ of audiences so you can see whether your ad appeals more to readers of Robin Hobb or Terry Brooks; to followers of Tony Robbins, or Gary Vaynerchuk. â€Å"I can typically make most days a 100% return on investment (ROI). I’m spending around $300-$350 in Facebook ads every day, and I make around $600-$700 a day from it.†Naturally, your ability to continually reach new readers this way is limited by the size of the audience your targeting.â€Å"There are some authors in other genres - romance is particularly good for this, as it is for just about everything else - who are also encountering huge success with this. There’s one author in particular who was selling $200 worth of her box set every month, and last month sold $1500. Obviously, you’ve got to invest in the ads, but she is making a 500% ROI: pay $1 get $5.†But beyond creating a simple ad that urges readers to buy your product, Mark uses a couple of ‘intermediate’ techniques for boosting direct sales with Facebook ads:1. Generate a ‘lookalike’ audienceâ€Å"For those who don’t know what one is, you can im port your mailing list into Facebook and then tell them: ‘please, generate a lookalike audience based on this mailing list.’ Facebook will then try to assess what the people have in common in your mailing list, and algorithmically search for people matching the same interests, demographics, etc.â€Å"The results of these ‘lookalike’ campaigns are sometimes better than the ones based on audiences with a shared interest. My best sales ad for one of the boxed sets I have on sale is a 2.2M list of people based in the United States defined as a ‘lookalike’ of my mailing list. I optimize the ads for clicks and typically generate a 50-100% ROI every day.†2. Advertise to people on your mailing listOne thing that Facebook allows you to do is to import the email addresses from your mailing list and match these email addresses with Facebook accounts (provided that these people have one). You can then serve ads to these people as well.â€Å"Some pe ople might ask why I’m saying the same thing twice. ‘You’re already sending them an email asking them to buy the book.’â€Å"Well, not all emails are opened (50% is already a very high open rate), and it’s a standard advertising theory that it takes more than one touch for someone to make a buying decision. So that kind of joined-up campaign is going to be more effective than just an email blast or just a Facebook campaign.Some marketers reckon that ‘effective frequency’ - or number of times a customer has to see an advertising message for it to take hold - can be as high as 10 (or more). So instead of emailing subscribers ten times and getting dumped in the spam folder, you can ensure that your book rises to the top of their mind.†These are some of the techniques Mark has used to become a publishing titan - but their execution requires a bit of finesse and self-education. You can join the waiting list for Mark Dawson’s Advertising for Authors, a paid course that is the best on offer, in our opinion. Or as an alternative, check out Reedsy Learning’s Facebook Ads for Authors course - which is free. (Disclosure: if you end up registering for any of Mark's courses, Reedsy may receive a small affiliate payment.)If you have any questions or thoughts on using Facebook ads to market your book, drop us a message in the comments below.

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada Research Paper - 1

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada - Research Paper Example In 50 years from now, the organization wants to accommodate the Southern Nevada region demands of the overall population. The vision shows the way the cultural and strategic organizational values will combine to create the future. The strategic and the cultural values communicate a performance target to the employees. The employees have to work hard to achieve this vision. The company vision initiates implementation strategies; this process builds on values and initiates action to accomplish the vision. The strategies cover numerous factors from developing the organization design to recruiting and training employees who share the values and who carries them out. RTC mission is to identify transportation challenges and explore and implement both short and long-term resolutions while promoting sustainability, improved mobility, air quality improvement, and increased quality of life in Southern Nevada. The mission statement impacts on organizational behavior because it encourages the em ployees and the organization to put it to work. There has to be commitment to the mission statement for the company to be successful. The company has to turn the mission statement into a reality by ensuring that the actual behaviors of the organization match with the mission statement. ... e air quality; researching and developing transit options that are fully-integrated: integrate transit system maps into the regular geographic details; securing funding for operation, expansion and maintenance of routes and systems and; increasing public awareness and support of the organization system. The company’s seeks to maintain long-term, supportive and comprehensive (3-C) transportation planning process. This ensures that transit programs and plans involve public participation and recommendations and conform to the set air quality standards. This strategy influences organizational behavior by creating a competitive environment and putting forward actions to compete successfully. It details the kind of contributions the organization intends to make to the large society. The strategy also involves all individual at all levels of the organization to ensure that there is a recognizable, consistent pattern, which yields a superior capacity over competitors up and down the f irm and across all its activities. The employees normally adopt work behaviors that are consistent with and support the organizations strategy. Strategies usually communicate the priorities that are very significant so that the organization can focus on them–these are priorities that assist the firm to make substantive advancement towards accomplishment of its mission and help the institution in rising from its current position to the place it needs to go over a period of time (Allison & Kaye, 2005). The organization runs the federally authorized planning process for the region and plans the Valley’s roadways and transit infrastructure. The organization offers mass transit that connects throughout Southern Nevada and oversees programs that encourage sustainability. The organization has a

Discrimination Against Obese People In Their Workplace Essay

Discrimination Against Obese People In Their Workplace - Essay Example   The work place is one of the social set up that brings people of different cultural backgrounds together. This makes it one of the complete replicas of the society which appreciates socio-cultural diversity. The overriding debate on obesity is an issue of wide media coverage and this makes it admissible even in the workplace as parents and couples make efforts to contain it. It is in this respect that those who happen to be obese are seen as abnormal and face unfavorable consideration for job position in the labor market. This is attributed to many factors that range from the company policy to the type of business dealt in. One fundamental requirement in any workplace is clean bill of physical health. This captures many factors including average body weight for flexible movement and swift response towards discharge of various duties in the office. The currently demanding global business that is operating under competitive pressure has redefined even the type of human capital fitn ess description which has all of a sudden taken physical wellbeing as a pivotal player in employee performance. With this idea, the Human resource management has over time developed the negative attitude towards overweight people with fear of future underperformance from other health-related challenges associated with obesity which will cost the organization in terms of money and time. On this ground, the managers opt to absorb them as second best alternative if the other preferable group is not attainable.   This has actually amounted to social injustice for the obese in the society (Newman, 2010). The image of the firm is a very important factor in management concepts and this constitute the entire organization framework extending to presentable employees. Most firms are preaching slim body that promotes appearance and pose. This is an idea that has greatly influenced the problem the obese people have in the organization. It is not hard to find some organizations posting weight limit as a requisite requirement for some employment opportunities (Hegar, 2012). This is an outright elimination of the obese people who may have the skills but beat the weight threshold, an idea that presents the best example of the discrimination that this group faces in the job market. The most psychologically torturing situation is when one is already absorbed in the job where he/she will face various

The Use of the Second Life Virtual Environment and Other Social Media Essay

The Use of the Second Life Virtual Environment and Other Social Media for Teamwork - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the continuous development of technology worldwide has led businesses to invest a significant amount of money in order to keep their IT to a high standard. Moreover, it seems that technology has become a necessary tool for developing a wide range of organizational activities, particularly in regard to the communication of each business with its customers. The potentials of the Second Life as a tool for the development of team meetings and activities are examined and analyzed in this paper. A comparison is also made with other forms of social media used by organizations in various industries. The risks and challenges of social media as tools for organizing team meetings and activities are mostly related to the failures in the management of the relevant IT systems, i.e. this is an issue of faults in the organizational structure and control. The use of IT systems for organizing business activities has been a common practice in markets wor ldwide. In order to understand the role of Second Life virtual environment for specific business tasks, including the development of team meetings and activities, it would be necessary to describe the context of such environment. In accordance with Lehmann-Grube, the virtual environment (known also as the virtual world) is ‘asynchronous, persistent network of people, represented as avatars, facilitated by networked computers’. The Second Life is a virtual world incorporating most of the facilities available in real worlds, such as ‘businesses, recreation, buildings, and services’. The Second Life virtual environment has become particularly popular among businesses, especially regarding its potentials to offer a cost-effective and well-organized platform for training and team working.

Komodo dragons and their behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Komodo dragons and their behaviour - Essay Example Reptiles, belong to the class referred to as Reptilia, can be described as the evolutionary grade of those animals that comprise today’s snakes, tuatara, lizards, and crocodilians among others. It examines the life of their extinct relatives as well as the long-gone ancestors of the present-day mammals. Because of their diversity and evolutionary history, it is important to realize that the level of validity in this class has not been supported universally in various scientific circles. However, the practice has remained to be used by many laymen and biologists especially those in the media. Herpetology is the kind of study that specializes in reptiles, examining their history and evolutionary trends. It also examines the life of amphibians with the same motive as that highlighted above, for reptiles (Ariefiandy et al.67). Some of the earliest known reptiles originate from around 315M years. This happened, especially in the Carboniferous times. Some of the early examples of amphibians include Westlothiana and Hylonomus, Casineria, which according to history may be some of the only known land-dwelling amphibians (Ariefiandy et al. 70). Besides existing amphibians, many diverse groups have now become extinct due to many reasons including mass extinctions. However, the point of interest is to understand how the present day reptiles behave in their natural habitats, something that can help in the development of effective management and conservation approaches and strategies.

Should drivers of automobiles be prohibited from using cellular phones Essay - 4

Should drivers of automobiles be prohibited from using cellular phones - Essay Example Most of the countries have banned the use of cellular phones during drive in order to curtail accidents. Purpose now is to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of using cellular while driving, with a view to reach at a common understanding of phone usage by automobile drivers during drive. Cell phone is the best available mean of communication especially in case of emergency or when some urgent decisions related to business, social gathering and community are desired. At the same time use of cell phone is major reason of distraction while driving. While driving, driver is supposed to be vigilant about traffic, signals, pedestrians and road conditions (Strayer & William 462). Concentration is the most difficult thing to achieve while driving if driver is using cell phone. This tendency has caused numerous accidents in the past. Therefore, use of cell phone while driving should be prohibited in order to safeguard the lives of innocent people. It is obvious that one cannot be vigilant about surroundings while talking on the cell phone. Cell phone conversation attracts more attention than driving. Diversion of attention during drive is simply unaffordable even for a second (Strayer & William 465). If, driver is little inattentive than he may face the dire circumstances in the shape of an accident. This is what has happened to people in the recent past and same is happening at present also. University of Utah psychology department carried out study in 2003 for determination of risks posed by cell phone usage during driving. Different teams of people were made for analyzing their performances in different situations. One team drove simulator while taking on the cell phone. Another team got drunk for the reasons of comparison between drunk drivers and drivers taking on cell phones. Another team comprised of people who were fully focused on the driving. It was found that people who were talking on the cell phone were more dangerous than drunk drivers at few

Komodo dragons and their behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Komodo dragons and their behaviour - Essay Example Reptiles, belong to the class referred to as Reptilia, can be described as the evolutionary grade of those animals that comprise today’s snakes, tuatara, lizards, and crocodilians among others. It examines the life of their extinct relatives as well as the long-gone ancestors of the present-day mammals. Because of their diversity and evolutionary history, it is important to realize that the level of validity in this class has not been supported universally in various scientific circles. However, the practice has remained to be used by many laymen and biologists especially those in the media. Herpetology is the kind of study that specializes in reptiles, examining their history and evolutionary trends. It also examines the life of amphibians with the same motive as that highlighted above, for reptiles (Ariefiandy et al.67). Some of the earliest known reptiles originate from around 315M years. This happened, especially in the Carboniferous times. Some of the early examples of amphibians include Westlothiana and Hylonomus, Casineria, which according to history may be some of the only known land-dwelling amphibians (Ariefiandy et al. 70). Besides existing amphibians, many diverse groups have now become extinct due to many reasons including mass extinctions. However, the point of interest is to understand how the present day reptiles behave in their natural habitats, something that can help in the development of effective management and conservation approaches and strategies.

Roles of Chinese Navy and Maritime, and Ming Treasure Ship Voyages Term Paper

Roles of Chinese Navy and Maritime, and Ming Treasure Ship Voyages - Term Paper Example China has had an extensive and storied marine heritage. The Chinese geography and its coastlines could not lend itself as a protected area where saltwater sailing could be practiced. The eastern part of the Chinese coastlines fairly considered sailing except during the typhoon season and the Taiwan Strait stays as the most hazardous water stretch in the globe for purposes further than that of defense. The Chinese coast has most of its parts jagged and rocky to allow mooring, and natural port are little and distant between. Ancient China was chiefly a sedimentary, seamanship and agricultural society was restricted to navigation. In 1135, the Nomadic people of the north subjugated several regional capitals and launched a fresh capital at Hangzhou on the southern part of the Chinese coast at the Yangtze River. This became the initial chief seaport of China. Despite, its reputation as both port city and imperial capital, the shift, to Hangzhou never created new values; it formed no new l ocate of attitudes regarding the ocean. 2 In 13th century, during the reign of Mongol, several seaborne attacks were started against Vietnam, Japan and Java. The number of the solders involved in these attacks was significant; the attack on Japan involved to 250,000 soldiers and close to 900 ships; the subsequent attack in 1281 included 4400 ships. Nevertheless, the scheme of a strong navy never took in majestic China.3 Some most tremendous achievements of the dynasty of Ming, controlled by Admiral Zheng, were not sufficient to warrant sustained exploration. The navy of the Chinese, therefore, assisted

Influence on the General Motors Corporation Essay Example for Free

Influence on the General Motors Corporation Essay This report analyzes the primary internal and external influence on the General Motors Corporation and the influence of changing political environment on policy making and response of the corporation. Then the report discusses the changing political environment in and its influence. The influences of political environment on policies and decision making to the corporation are analyzed. The corporation response to the political environment changing is critically evaluated. At last, some improvement suggestion for the corporation in the response of the changing political environment is demonstrated. IntroductionGeneral Motors Corporation is the largest automobile manufactures in the world. The corporation, which is located in Detroit, employs more than 260 millions people and sells cars and trucks in about 35 countries. The corporation has a dominant influence in automobile market in the United States and other developed market such as the United Kingdom, Canada and so on. The corporation also enjoys a large market share in the rapid growing market of developing countries such as China and Brazil. However, the corporation is in face of changing internal and external environment. Discussion and AnalysisIn the first part of the report, the primary internal and external influence is analyzed following the SWOT Matrix, which is a modern tool for analysis of internal and external environment. In the SWOT Matrix, the S stands for strengths, W for weaknesses, O for opportunities, and T for threats. The strengths and weaknesses are the analysis of internal influence while the opportunities and threats stand for the influence of external environments. In the following part of the report, the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats that have influence of the organization is discussed one by one. Internal influence: Strengths This section analyzes the internal strengths of the corporation. The General Motors are rich in brands and product lines. The General Motors Corporation acquired and mergers many brands and auto companies in the early stage of its history. The General Motors Corporation acquired Buick and Oldsmobile after it is founded. Then it brought Cadillac, Elmore and Oakland and so on. As a result, the corporation owns many brands  which are fit for different segmented markets. Comparing to Fords only providing black Model T cars in the early years the General Motors Corporation provides various models, colors and brands for different markets. For example, the practical and economical Chevrolet are designed for entry level consumers, the Buick are make for middle class buyer and luxury Cadillac for high end consumers. (Warell, 2008) The advantage of multi brands strategy is to satisfy the needs and wants of different group of consumers to enter more segmented markets. The multi brands make GM a giant automaker and enjoys large market share. The General Motors Corporation has the strength that it governs the advance technology and has an influencing power in the distribution channel. The General Motors Corporation has developed for a century since it is founded in 1908. During the time, the technology and channel influence is accumulating and increasing. The technology is of great importance in the motor industry, but the technology accumulating needs a long period. The General Motors Corporation now governs the advanced technology that it can make more sophisticated automobiles which are more durable, more safety, and have a rapider speed. On the other hand, the General Motors Corporation has a dominant power in the distribution channel. The General Motors Corporation has been the top automobile manufacturer for a long time accordingly it has a strong bargaining power in the distribution channel. The corporation can distribute it product in the United States and all around the world. The technology and distribution chan nel can be a great assistant in the further development of the organization. Internal influence: Weaknesses This section analyzes the internal weaknesses of the corporation. One of the most significant weaknesses is that the cost of production is too high. The Japanese automakers such as Toyota are dangerous competitors for the General Motors Corporation and the have scrambled for quite a large part of market shares if the GM in America and the global markets. The Japanese competitors cut down the cost tremendously by lean production. However, the production cost is still high in the General Motors Corporation. And the inefficiency of production cause the high price of its automobiles and the market share shrinks accordingly.  (Coffey, 2005) Especially in face of the financial crisis, the General Motors Corporation has much to learn form lean production to cut down its production prices. The bureaucratic culture is another weakness in the corporation. The General Motors Corporation employs more than 260 millions staff, which composes a huge and complex organization. The General Motors Corporation had taken the lead in organization. For example, the corporation had injected into matrix organization that combined the functional and project patterns of department in the same corporation in early years. The General Motors Corporation also organized with strategic business unit that classified products and product lines in the same independent business department in ahead of other corporations. The decentralization makes each department a profit centre. However, after ages of development the departments and business units concerns more on their own benefits and become bureaucratic. The well defined division of departments and united became deficiency and resistance to change. Formal and informal networks formed in the corporation. The bureaucratic culture is accumulating and hander the further development of the corporation. External influence: Opportunities This section analyzes the external opportunities of the corporation. The emerging markets of developing countries provide a great opportunity for the General Motors Corporation. The market of developed countries is fully covered and closed to saturation in the modern days. For example, in the United States there are two cars in a family in average so the market can not keep a rapid growing rate. On the country, market in developing countries shows their potential. The sales volume in China and Brazil is second only to the market of the United States. Many international automaker groups are scrambling for these markets. The large and potential markets of developing countries will provide opportunities for the corporation. The achievement in technology is a great opportunities for the General Motors Corporation. The technology makes breakthrough achievement in fields of information, manufacturing, fuel and so on. The advance of information  technology and implementation of management information system make it possible to collect and analysis accurate data and information all around the huge organization. The computers and instant communication tool help the corporation to organize and manage the supply chain. The new methods in manufacturing, such as lean production, can increase the efficiency of production while cutting down the cost. The leading edge achievement on fuel and new energy engine can promote the upgrade of automobiles. The General Motors Corporation is huge enough to afford the cost of RD center and the implement of new technology, which in turn can raise the competency of the corporation. (Sengi et al, 2004) External influence: Threats This section analyzes the external threats of the corporation. The increasingly growing price of petroleum is a threat to the General Motors Corporation. On the one hand, consumers turn to other transport tools when they can not afford the high petro price. On the other hand, they want to purchase energy saving automobiles. Many products of the General Motors Corporation are large in size and heavy in weight and they are high fuel consumption motors. The fluctuation of oil price has a negative effect on the sales volume of the automobile of the General Motors Corporation. Some political affaires such as wars and conflictions in the Middle East, the oil shock caused by OPEC with economic and political purpose, the environment protection organizations anti-automobile movement and so on, enhance the threats of oil price turbulence. The competition, both in the United States and the global market, is a vital threat to the General Motors Corporation. There are three automaker giants in the United States. They are the General Motors, Ford, and Daimler Chrysler. They compete fierce in the United States and in global market. In the Europe, there are strong competitors such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Peugeot etc. In the 1970s, with the raising of oil price, some Japanese automakers gradually seized the automobile market shares. The low cost and energy saving cars, such as Toyota, Honda and so on became world famous brands. More and more automobile brands enter into the United States and they also scramble the global automobile market. (Loomis, 2006) They compete and try to meet consumers different needs and wants with lower production cost. The competition in and abroad America is fierce and threats the  survival of the General Motors Corporation. The following is the second part of the report. This section of the report discusses the changing environment in and aboard the United States. First, the influences of political environment on policies and decision making to the General Motors Corporation will be analyzed. Second, the corporation response to the political environment changing will be critically evaluated. At last, some improvement suggestion for the corporation in the response of the changing political environment will be demonstrated. Influence on policies and decision makingThis section analyzes the influence of political environment change on the policies and decision making of the corporation. The political environment has great influence on the operation of the General Motors Corporation. One of the key political influences of the General Motors Corporation and automobile industry is the increased protectionism for fear of the decline of employment in the industry. The major automakers employ so many employees that the decline of automobile sales volume will cause the significant increase of unemployment in a country. As a result, many governments tend to support the automobile industry, no matter in the form of fund assistant, protective tariff or quota. The government of the United States has a tradition of protecting its automobile industry. For example, the America government used high protective tariff to protect the automakers from the competitors from Europe and Japan in the last century. The government also gave financial assistant to the automaker that is at the verge of bankruptcy such as Chrysler. In the modern time, the automakers fall into trap again and the financial crisis enhance the tendency. The America government aims to give a large quantity of money to the automakers and use other protection methods to protect the automobile industry. It can be seem that the changing of political environment has significant influence on the policy and decision making of the General Motors Corporation. (Bowler et al, 1996) However, different presents and its government in the United States may have different attitudes on the protectionism of the Automobile industry. The General Motors Corporation should take serious consideration on the change of political environment and make full use of it. The Country Alliances and Economic Blocs and other regional cooperation organizations are another main tendency of the political environment. The competition extends form national to blocs, even global. (Cho, 1998) The North American Free Trade Agreement, which including the United States, Canada, and Mexico, formed in 1994 with the purpose of freeing the trade, eliminating tax barriers and promoting fair trade in the North America. The NAFTA also extended to Free Trade Area of the Americas, which including country in the North America, Latin America and Caribbean countries. Many European countries ally with each other to form the European Union. After years of development, the union own 27 membership countries and creates a common economic area, in which people move and trade freely. There are many other Country Alliances and Economic Blocs such as Association of Southeast Asian and so on. The political tendency of regional cooperation requires the top managers of the General Motors Corporation to consider and resolve the benefit conflicts between one power countries blogs and another when making decisions and policies. The Country Alliances and Economic Blocs and other regional cooperation organizations provide opportunities for the automobile manufacturers but the organizations in other area also became threat to the United States. The decisions and policies makers of the General Motors Corporation have to make strategy to cope with the tariff and nontariff barriers within and between the Country Alliances and Economic Blocs. The corporation should rethink its strategy. (Tay, 2007) The structure of the corporation according to different regional cooperation organizations should be considered when making decisions and policies. (Sastry, 1997) The new staffing and leading methods to deal with culture diversity also influence the policy and decision making of the Genera l Motors Corporation. The labor union, environmental organization and other political groups are gaining more and more power. The United Auto Workers is a key labor union in the automobile manufacturing industry. The union fights for the benefits of workers such as less working hours, more salaries, health insurance and pensions and so on. The labor union cause the high cost of the General Motors Corporation. The total expense on employees is almost twice as much as the workers in other industry in the United States, and much more than  the employees in competitors factories, such as Honda and Toyota. (Benders and Morita, 2004) The union is blamed as the reason of the uncompetitive of the General Motors Corporation and the crisis of the automobile industry. However, the methods to deal with the strong political power are the problem to the policies and decisions makers of the General Motors Corporation. In 2007, the United Auto Workers went on a strike against the General Motors Corporation, which causes tremendously negative effects on the General Motors Corporation. So the policies and decisions of the corporation should balance the interest of the employees. The environmental organizations are gaining more and more power. With the increasingly dangerous environment problems, many green groups, which become independent and influencing political power, claim for the protection of the earth. Motor vehicle exhaust is considered as the main effects of the greenhouse effect. Some green groups are against the using of automobiles, which cause the decline of the automobile sales volume. As the increasing of environment protection power and the widely acceptance of the green opinion, the managers should make new policies and decisions such as designing alternative fuels vehicles. Evaluation of GMs responseThis section critically evaluates the corporations response to the changing political environment. In face of the dynamic changing political environment, the General Motors Corporation makes some responses accordingly. The General Motors Corporation makes full use of the protectionism policies and financial assistance of the government to maximize its benefits. In order to be more influence in political, the General Motors Corporation spends a lot of money on political contributions. Statistics shows that the General Motors Corporation spent quite a lot of money as the political contribution for both the Democrats and the Republicans. The spending on lobbying the members of parliament is also quite large. Besides the political contributions, the General Motors Corporation also spends plenty of money on charities. For example, the General Motors Corporation is the exclusive financial source of Safe Kids Buckle Up program, which protect the children through ed ucation and inspection. The political and charitable contributions are positive and active response to the changing political environment. On the one hand, the General Motors Corporation strengthens its influence and enhances the  connection with the government. On the other hand, the corporation undertaken its social responsibility, which wins the corporation positive reputation so the General Motors Corporation can easily get the support when in crisis and consumers tend to purchase automobiles of the corporation. In the behavior of giving political and charitable contribution, the General Motors Corporation well response to the political change and gain more political influence, which helps the corporation get protection from the government. The Country Alliances and Economic Blocs and other regional cooperation organizations are a main political change these decades. In order to minimize the hindrance and the conflict between different Economic Blocs, the General Motors Corporation makes trade strategy, ally with other automaker group, and establish joint venture in some countries. For example, the United States and China have different ideologies and economic situations and they belong to different Country Alliances and Economic Blocs. The Chinese government forbids the wholly foreign owned subsidiary in the automobile industry. The China customs also charge tariff on the automobiles. In order to enter the market of other Country Alliances and Economic Blocs, the General Motors Corporation establishes joint venture with Chinese company. The Shanghai GM joint venture is created by the General Motors Corporation and a Chinese company, in which the automobiles of Chinas market were manufactured. The General Motors Corporation brings advance technology, operation experience to the venture. The joint venture employs local workers whose salaries are quite low comparing with the workers of the United Auto Union. The joint venture brings profits for both sides and the General Motors Corporation avoids the high tariff and nontariff protection between different countries and different Economic Blocs. The General Motors Corporation makes an effective response to cover the gap between the Country Alliances and Economic Blocs. The labor union and environmental organization become increasingly influencing political powers. The General Motors Corporation tries hard to response properly to the increasingly strong power of the labor union. The United Auto Union is blame as the cause of uncompetitive of the General Motors Corporation for the members salaries in the union are much higher than its foreign competitors. The General Motors Corporation tries to cut down costs of the workforces in face of the financial crisis and problem of the automobile industry. The General Motors Corporation makes a policy of eliminating the lifetime health benefits of the white collar retirees. It is a hard decision after negotiation to response the political environment change and the automobile industry crisis. The General Motors Corporation has a long way to go, but it has taken a constructive step to response to the changing of political environment. In response to the political force of green groups, the General Motors Corporation designs energy saving vehicles which implement alternative fuels and electric. The corporation researches and designs some alternative technology vehicles and some flex fuel burning vehicles. The General Motors Corporation also builds an automotive battery laboratory to research on battery for the electric vehicles. The hybrid electric vehicles are a more practicable automobile in the future. The General Motors Corporation introduced the hybrid concept vehicle in 2005. Up to now, the corporation owes several hybrid electric automobile models and even all electric vehicles. The General Motors Corporation does a good job in developing alternative fuels and electric vehicles in response to the environment protection political power. Areas for improvementThis section demonstrates some areas for improvement of the corporation. The General Motors Corporation does well in response to the challenge of changing political environment. However, there are still some areas for improvement for the corporation. The most important improvement area is to raise the manufacturing efficiency. The average cost of manufacturing in the General Motors Corporation is high comparing with its main competitors such as Toyota. The Toyota is scrambling the market share of the GM little by little in the United States and all around the world. The competitiveness of Toyota come form the low cost caused from lean production. The core spirit of lean product is more value with less work. The purpose of production is to provide value to the final consumers. The expense for other goals is considered as a waste, by which the waste of resource is eliminated and the manufacturing efficiency promoted. It can introduce advance assembly line and reorg anize the logistic department,  through which the supply chain is organized. (Kochan, 2003) The lean production and be combined with six sigma quality and total quality management to maximize the efficiency and cut down the cost. (Dahlgaard and Dahlgaard-Park, 2006)The General Motors Corporation can make a reform on culture. It can build a harmonious culture as in Japanese automobile manufacturing factories to coordinate the relationship and benefits between managers and workers. On the one hand, the harm of the Union Auto Workers can be minimized and the cost of manufacture can be cut down. On the other hand, the harmonious culture can promote the efficiency of manufacturing. The General Motors Corporation also needs to fight against the bureaucratic culture. The organization structure can be reformed and reconstructed break out the barriers between different departments and stimulate the cooperation of different profit centers. Different methods can also be implemented to motivate confidence, communicate and collaborate between staff in different level. ConclusionThis report analyzes the internal and external environment of the General Motors Corporation in the first paragraph and then discusses the changing political environment of the corporation. In analysis, the strengths of branding strategy and advantage in technology and channel, the weaknesses of high production cost and bureaucratic culture, the opportunities of emerging markets and achievement of technology, and the threats of petroleum price fluctuation and strong competitors are analyzed with the SWOT model. In the second part of the report, the influence of political environment change is discussed in three perspectives. They are the protectionism from government, the tendency of Country Alliances and Economic Blocs, and the growing in strength of labor union, green groups and other political groups. Their influence on policies and decision making and the response of the corporation are analyzed and critically evaluated. Then some suggestions are given on several areas for improvement of the corporation. Recommendations As is analyzed in above, the General Motors Corporation can improve in two ways. First, the corporation can introduce new manufacturing methods, such as the lean production, the six sigma quality and total  quality management and so on. By implementing advanced manufacture methods, the corporation can promote its efficiency in manufacturing while reducing the cost. Second, the corporation can build a harmonious culture and fight against the bureaucratic culture, through which the barriers between different departments are broken while the staff in the corporation is motivated. Reference: Benders, J. and Morita, M. (2004), Changes in Toyota Motors operations management, International Journal of Production Research, 42(3), pp: 433-45. Bowler, S. et al. (1996), The growth of the political marketing industry and the California initiative proces European Journal of Marketing, 30(10/11), pp: 166-78. Cho, D.S. (1998), From national competitiveness to bloc and global competitiveness Competitiveness Review, 8(1), pp: 11-23. Coffey, D. (2005), Delineating comparative flexibility in car assembly: the problem of wide selection International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 5(1), pp: 18-31. Dahlgaard, J.J. and Dahlgaard-Park, S.M. (2006), Lean production, six sigma quality, TQM and company culture The TQM Magazine, 18(3), pp: 263-81. Kochan, A. (2003), GM creates flexible assembly line at its Ellesmere Port plant in the UK Assembly Automation, 23(1), pp: 32-5. Loomis, C.J. (2006), The tragedy of General Motors, Fortune, 153 (3), pp: 31-45. Sastry, M.A. (1997), Problems and paradoxes in a model of punctuated organizational change, Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(2), pp: 237-75. Sengir, G.H. et al (2004), Modeling relationship dynamics in GMs research-institution partnerships, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 15(7), pp: 541-59. Tay, H.K. (2007), Rethinking competition in the world auto market: cultural determinants, strategic Strategy Leadership, 35(4), pp: 31-7. Warell, A. (2008), Multi-modal visual experience of brand-specific automobile design The TQM Journal, 20(4), pp: 356-71.

The Potential Of The Kalabagh Dam Environmental Sciences Essay

The Potential Of The Kalabagh Dam Environmental Sciences Essay Should the government commence the construction of Kalabagh Dam or should the project be abandoned? Kalabagh Dam, one of the largest projects pending in Pakistan, is to be located on river Indus at a site about 100 miles away from the capital city of Pakistan, Islamabad. The project was first conjured by the Government of Pakistan under the regime of Ghulam Muhammad in 1953. However, its project report which intended to inform and convince everyone about its economic and technical feasibility was completed by 1984 during the rule of the military leader Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. The Kalabagh Dam project was designed with the support of the United Nations Development Program under the supervision of the World Bank. Having a live storage capacity of 6.1 million acre feet of water and producing 2400MW of electricity, Kalabagh Dam appears like the only solution to the water related issues facing Pakistan. Since the inception of this project till today, all four provinces continue to argue abou t the projects potential disadvantages and advantages. The benefits of building and running this dam which include obtaining cheap energy and increasing crop yield are tempting; however, after conducting an unbiased cost benefit analysis, it appears that the projects harmful effects like the displacement of people, damage to the environment, high cost, and no significant control over flood water flow outweigh the few advantages that might be achieved through its construction. The first and foremost important purpose for the Kalabagh Dam is considered to be the filling up of the huge gap in the demand and supply of electricity. According to PEPCO, Pakistan Electric Power Company, the total electricity shortfall in Pakistan is 3000 to 4000 MWs; supply from various sources being 11,815 MWs and the demand being 14,904 MWs. Pakistans population suffers greatly due to this deficit because it has to face long hours of load shedding also in areas which face unbearably hot summers. Electricity shortage to industries is detrimental to the economy, reducing exports in a country which already faces an alarming negative balance of payments. Not only is industrial load shedding disconcerting, threatening to destabilize the economy drastically if supply is not urgently met, or programs are not put into action immediately, but household shortage of electricity is also upsetting the social and economic infrastructure of the country. A study carried out by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on the development of the power sector found that presently only 65 to 70 percent of 172 million people have access to electricity. The dire need for the demand of electricity to be met, then, cannot be ignored. The study by the Competition Commission of Pakistan also detailed that the country can generate a total of 40,000 MWs from Hydel resources, but owing to lesser exploitation, only 6500 MWs have been utilized from this energy source. The Kalagbagh Dam can hence be seen as a project that is immediately required in order to extract electricity from Pakistans natural resources. However, alternative, less controversial and hence more readily implementable plans to meet energy demands are also prevalent. Various small plans that cater to meeting the demand for electricity cannot be ignored; for instance wind energy projects, nuclear power reactors, coal power projects as well as solar energy utilization projects are also present. Solar energy panels covering several rural areas of Pakistan are under construction right now, with some of them near completion. These projects as a whole are expected to generate electric power of at least 3500 MWs together. Similarly Pakistan has a total of abou t 185,000 metric ton reserves of coal, while only 3300 metric tons have been exploited as yet for power generation. China has agreed to build several other power plants in Pakistan which are set to complete in the coming years; these plants, including Nandipur (425 MWs, Thermal), Guddu(800 MWs, Thermal) and Neelam-Jhelum(1000 MWs, Hydro), Chashma (1200 MWs, Nuclear) will add more than 3000 MWs of power generating capacity. Therefore Kalabagh dams importance as the only source for filling in the energy shortage is diluted; furthermore the heightened debate over it which has been stretching over for many years now stalls the process of implementing more energy generating programs. At the same time, the Kalabagh Dam project is considered to act as a cheap alternative source of energy. However, this cheap energy advantage in the production of electricity conversely will not benefit the population because WAPDA (Water And Power Development Authority) and KESC (Karachi Electric Supply Company) are both under debt incurring losses of 28% and 40% respectively.(Forex) This means that any cost advantage earned by both of these bodies due to using a relatively cheaper hydro-electric energy source will not be passed down to the customers. Additionally, Pakistan has abundant coal in the Thar reservoir in Sindh from where coal can be extracted and used to produce cheap electricity; foreign investment has been attracted over the years to exploit such reserves providing a feasible alternative to the much disputed Karbala Dam. The problem posed by diminishing storage capacities of dams due to silting which occurs over the years must be taken into account as well. A study carried out by TAMS-Wallingford in March 1998 explains that the capacity lost in Tarbela and Mangla Dams is approximately equal to the proposed capacity of Kalabagh Dam. The study says that a de-silted Tarbela Dam will yield the same benefit as the Kalabagh Dam; however the cost incurred would be one seventh of that than in the case of the construction of a new dam in net present value terms. Therefore, the Kalabagh Dam will only be a more expensive replacement providing storage capacity that is equal to that provided by the construction of new outlets at Tarbela dam which will enable sediments to flush out from the reservoir and will be far more beneficial as indicated by the study as well. Thus it appears that Kalabagh Dam is merely amongst one of the many options available when it comes to filling the energy gap and not the only solutio n possible, and certainly not the most viable one. Additionally, the proposed Kalabagh Dam Project is an expensive one. Pakistan, being the 54th poorest country in the world has recently been struck with a devastating flood which has exacerbated the prevalent poverty among the populace.(Aneki) The total expected cost of the Kalabagh Dam project was estimated to be about 6 billion dollars in 2000.(Khan) Pakistan expects to meet this cost by private funding, government funding, and foreign aid, the latter forming the major portion. However, Pakistans lower credibility and high rate of corruption makes it unlikely to be a candidate for private funding. Additionally, 6 billion dollars invested in Kalabagh Dam can rather be spent on the development of smaller projects costing lesser and directed at uplifting and benefiting the poverty struck masses. However, proponents of the Kalabagh Dam argue that Pakistan is facing an acute water shortage which is negatively affecting its agro-based industries. Pakistan relies heavily on rain water for irrigation and due to irregularity in the rain pattern agriculture output is suffering. Water is not only needed for irrigation purposes but also to increase crop production; the NCS report states: at present 12.2 million hectares of land are available for double cropping, as against the 4.38 million hectares that are double cropped clearly water is the constraining factor. This report tells us about the significance of the water shortage faced in Pakistan. However it needs to be assessed whether the shortage of water really is the problem or if the inefficient use of available water is the actual cause of reduced output. Excess water seepage in Pakistan has resulted in the issues of water logging and salinity which renders fertile land unusable. Rather than building a new dam, if the emphasis is laid on a more efficient use of the available water, the chances for water logging and salinity will lessen, resulting in a more cost efficient and beneficial course of action. The World Commission on Dams reported that lower irrigation efficiency than expected resulted after the construction of the Tarbela Dam, one of the largest dams in Pakistan; it seems unlikely that a new dam can cater to the irrigation problems being faced currently when the efficiency level of the existing dam is poor. Money should instead be spent on devising efficient ways of water distribution to the agricultural land. A widespread notion amongst the masses is that dams help to prevent floods. It is commonly held to believe that if the Kalabagh dam had been constructed and was running at the time when the flood hit Pakistan, it would have helped in reducing the extent of damage that occurred. This thought was further reinforced when the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gilani, gave a statement in Multan after visiting a flood affected area that deaths and destruction in the floods could have been averted if the Kalabagh Dam had been built.(Daily Times). However, a former chairman of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), Fatehullah Khan Gandapur, who headed IRSA from 1993 to 1998 said, The dams effect on floods would have been contrary to what the prime minister claimed. Gandapur elaborated on how he thought that Kalabagh dam would have resulted in increased flooding; he also claimed that the dams construction would have caused reverse flow in Kabul River, water logging in the entire Pesha war valley and the submersion of the Nowshera district. His statement shows how the idea that the Kalabagh dam could have prevented or reduced the damage of the flood may not be entirely true. Politically driven statements can lead the general public to form an uninformed and uneducated opinion. The flood which began in July 2010 and resulted at one point in one-fifth of Pakistan being under water was estimated to have floodwater of volume approximately equal to 100 Million Acre Feet whereas Kalabagh dam has a capacity to hold just 6 Million Acre Feet of water. It may be indeed troubling to see how the Prime Minister of Pakistan thought that Kalabagh dam with capacity almost 17 times less than the floodwater would have considerably averted the damage caused by the flood. Moving on to the environmental aspect, the construction of the Kalabagh dam would disrupt the Delta ecology and the Mangrove forest. Environmentalist Muhammad Tanveer warns that large dams have depleted wetlands in the Indus Delta and destroyed marine life; the effects spread over 300 square kilometers. Mangrove forestation is also suffering; mangroves are salt tolerant trees that grow on river deltas and in coastal areas and are important economically and environmentally. They help clean the soil and water containing excess salt by taking it up through the roots and later excreting it by shedding its leaves. Also Mangroves are a natural habitat to a large number of insects, birds, micro organisms, different mammals as well as snakes; further advantages include protection of coastal areas from cyclones and hurricanes, reducing sedimentation in the sea and acting as a breeding ground for fish and crabs. Mangrove forests have reduced to 100,000 hectares from 3 million hectares and the primary reason Tanveer quotes is the impediment upstream in Indus delta. He goes further and claims that Riverine forests on the banks of the Indus also face extinction. If another large dam is built, forests will have to face the consequences which will eventually upset the balance of the whole ecosystem. Reduced water flow in the River Indus which will result if the Kalabagh dam is constructed will also adversely affect forests and the ecosystem they support. The cost of land acquisition and resettlement of the displaced people is also necessary in deciding about the construction of the Kalabagh Dam. The newspaper Dawn reported in 2008 that the dam would take up 110,200 acres of land and displace about 120,000 people; the land acquisition and resettlement cost had been estimated to be 68 billion rupees. According to the World Commission on Dams, the Tarbela Dam directly affected 96,000 people from 120 villages while those people indirectly affected were not quantified. Out of those 96,000 people displaced in 1953 with the promise of land at another place, many affectees hold valid allotment letters but have not been given land due to non-availability. If all the affectees of 1953 have not been given lands by now, guaranteeing land for 120,000 more people seems like a flimsy commitment, and would result in greatly increasing the number of the homeless. In any case, even if all the harmful effects of the project are ignored, the project cannot be carried out without the consent of all the provinces. Without political agreement over this controversial topic, this project will turn into a disastrous one in the history of Pakistan. Building a dam at the cost of national unity does not seem like a reasonable course of action. Although China and India when faced with similar problems went ahead with the projects and did benefit from them, unparalleled political instability is at stake in the case of Pakistan. Since 1953, all four provinces are at a conflict over its construction with Punjab being in its favour while the other three rejecting it, Sindh being the strongest opponent. Officials in other provinces have blamed Punjab of only being concerned in its own water requirement at the cost of harming other provinces. About 11 members of Jiye Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) went on a hunger strike demanding the immediate shutdown of the Kalaba gh project over which chairman Bashir Qureshi said that his movement is backed by the 40 million people of Sindh. The Sindh assembly and all political, religious and nationalist parties, irrespective of ideology, have given the thumbs-down to the controversial water projects. (OneWorld South Asia). This shows that going ahead with the Kalabagh Dam project will jeopardize national unity and thus abandoning the project in favour of another hydro-electric dam or other alternative energy source seems like a much viable option. Kalabagh Dam projects cost benefit analysis shows that it is not economically and environmentally feasible. If the project is carried out, not only will national unity be threatened but agricultural land, mangrove forests and in turn the eco system will also be harmed; additionally 120,000 people will be at risk of becoming homeless. Furthermore, the advantages of the Kalabagh Dam can be obtained in other ways which do not have significant costs attached to them. The benefit of increased water storage capacity can be obtained by de-silting the Tarbela and Mangla dams, increased crop yield can be achieved by improving the efficiency with which water is utilized and the energy gap can be filled by completing and starting new small projects and making use of abundant coal reservoir in Thar. The Kalabagh Dam project is not a necessity, it is just one proposal, formed during the process of finding solutions to the problems Pakistan faces, which seems to have taken the shape of an irresolv able dispute. As such then, it is evident that this dam rather than being a viable solution to the energy crisis has instead stalled the urgently required process of exploring Pakistans natural resources.

Goals of the monetary policy :: essays papers

Goals of the monetary policy Goals of monetary policy are to "promote maximum employment, inflation (stabilizing prices), and economic growth." If economists believe it's possible to achieve all the goals at once, the goals are inconsistent. There are limitations to monetary policy. The term "maximum employment" means that we should try to hold the unemployment rate as low as possible without pushing it below what economists call the natural rate or the full- employment rate. Pushing unemployment below that level would cause inflation to rise and thereby ruin the other objective--stable prices, economic growth, which is our objectives in the long run. Overall financial stability will lead to a better balance between consumption and saving that will make resources available for investment purposes, reduce changes in the economy created by the inflation in the past, and by the reactions of savers, as well as fostering high and sustainable economic growth; and contribute towards an investor friendly environment that will attract foreign investors to the country. Evidence has suggested that economies perform better, in terms of growth, employment and living standards, in low inflation environments than they do when inflation is persistently high. This evidence is a comparison across countries over long periods. The association between economic performance, measured by growth of output or growth of productivity, and inflation. This indicates a negative relation; that is, the higher the inflation, the lower the rate of real growth. Evidence suggesting that low inflation promotes growth has motivated recent decisions by a number of central banks and governments, most notably Goals of the monetary policy :: essays papers Goals of the monetary policy Goals of monetary policy are to "promote maximum employment, inflation (stabilizing prices), and economic growth." If economists believe it's possible to achieve all the goals at once, the goals are inconsistent. There are limitations to monetary policy. The term "maximum employment" means that we should try to hold the unemployment rate as low as possible without pushing it below what economists call the natural rate or the full- employment rate. Pushing unemployment below that level would cause inflation to rise and thereby ruin the other objective--stable prices, economic growth, which is our objectives in the long run. Overall financial stability will lead to a better balance between consumption and saving that will make resources available for investment purposes, reduce changes in the economy created by the inflation in the past, and by the reactions of savers, as well as fostering high and sustainable economic growth; and contribute towards an investor friendly environment that will attract foreign investors to the country. Evidence has suggested that economies perform better, in terms of growth, employment and living standards, in low inflation environments than they do when inflation is persistently high. This evidence is a comparison across countries over long periods. The association between economic performance, measured by growth of output or growth of productivity, and inflation. This indicates a negative relation; that is, the higher the inflation, the lower the rate of real growth. Evidence suggesting that low inflation promotes growth has motivated recent decisions by a number of central banks and governments, most notably

Organisational Behaviour Case Study

Organisational behaviour investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on behaviour within organisations for the purpose of applying, such knowledge towards improving organisations effectiveness. (Robbins et. All, 2004, p. 9) Individuals shape organisations. Individual’s values, attitudes, perceptions and motivations shape what each individual brings into an organisation, therefore shaping an organisation. Chua Sock Koong is a Singaporean, University graduate, who is tech-savvy and personable. Sock-Koong is a prime example of how values help shape an organisation. Singapore is a fast moving modernizing city.Chua is a product of that. Chua has leadership, communication roles and has adapted to her role. Chinese bus drivers for Singaporean Mass Transit are there purely for the money and how much money they can send back to China for their families. When the Chinese drivers communicate with other workers, in the same industry, they get an insight into what c onditions and wage the others are experiencing. With this perception they see others much better off than them, this is when they rebel. They know that in China they protest and strike so with the feeling of being poor treated, they rebel in Singapore, which is not custom in Singapore.The migrant bus drivers do not have the same values, customs and believes that Chua Sock Koong has. Comparing Chua and the migrant bus drivers in regard to the joy and sorrows of work are complete opposites. When in a leadership role, like Chua, it is easy to find joy and satisfaction within work. Money is a big factor in finding joy within work and how and why people engage in work. Chinese migrant workers work purely for the money and for money to send back to their families, where as Chua is a university graduate with values, beliefs and personality. University graduates usually go to university to get a better job and earn better money.Being a CEO is a highly paid career. People’s values, be liefs and personality are a major factor in how people engage in work. Values shape who people are and how they act. How people engage in work are shaped by what personal values they have installed in their personality. How people behave why they do at work is directly linked to money, personality, values, and beliefs. Electronic communications such as texts, emails, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are a major part of today’s society. The best of friends communicate through these channels of communication.With these means of communication the way people communicate at work has changed dramatically. Before these means of communication were in place people would actually have to talk face-to-face or over telephone. Now days emails, text messages, twitter messages and Facebook posts are the norm now in regards to how people communicate at work. These differences in values, beliefs and personality are what make Organisational behaviour so interesting. What shapes the way people i nteract, communicate, why they come to work, how they are when they are at work are directly shaped by values, beliefs and personality.

History & stories of success Essay

History is shaped by stories of success and failure in foreign policy. What we however fail, as the public, to really perceive is the cause behind the success or failure of an operation. The reason behind either situation lies in the investigative work thousands of agents, analysts and governmental officials conduct. Intelligence is a very essential source of valuable information for the governments who base their actions mainly on these reports. But what happens if the intelligence and analytical work is wrong? What are the possible consequences of conducting a foreign policy operation based on wrong intelligence? Is it possible that intelligence can be in this way intentionally misrepresented to serve the goals of a policy that would otherwise not have been approved of by the public as some conspiracies claim? And what kind of real life intelligence failure events has history known as a direct result of false information? Intelligence failure can have disastrous consequences on large numbers of people and hurt both the image and well-doing of a nation. The most renowned cases of intelligence failure in recent history are the WMD false reports in Iraq, the 9/11 intelligence failure to prevent the event and the famous war of Vietnam whose failure has and continues to brand the American foreign policy as doubtful. Each of these events has had its impacts on the regular lives of millions of people both in the United States and in places as far as Afghanistan and Iraq. And each of these events has lead to the death of thousands of American citizens, soldiers and millions of foreign citizens. Could this have been avoidable if the intelligence did not fail? Intelligence in its broadest definition is information and in the case of politics it means information that sheds light on the field of national security threats. It follows therefore that intelligence gathering is essential to the functioning of any country and in the case of the United States as a world super power, it is critical and existential. But as stated before intelligence failure has damaged the image of the United States in an almost un-repairable manner. The wrong reports about the presence of WMD in Iraq for instance lead to the killing of hundreds of thousands and the destabilization of a region that has become as a result the hotbed of terroristic activity. Failing to gather the intelligence needed to know beforehand about 9/11 and be able to prevent it lead also to the death of thousands of Americans and the invasion of Afghanistan; an action whose consequences is too detailed to go into now. Vietnam is an older case but remains nevertheless interesting to look closely at since the consequences of the intelligence failure in this case lead to the death of millions and a war that went on for twenty five years. It is ironic to reflect on the fact that this started with a wrong report from the intelligence agency, something that has lead the conspiracies to target the United States for creating cheap excuses to invade other countries and thereby damaged it international reputation. The Vietnam War was fought between the communist North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam that was supported by the USA. The war was a war between capitalism and communism. It was a war between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was a struggle for world wide power between two superpowers engaged in a heated competition that has come to be characterized and termed as the era of the Cold War. The USA declared to have entered the war to prevent communism from taking over the south of Vietnam but historians and political analysts have since then come up with critical arguments on how the war initially started based on wrong intelligence. President Johnson was officially granted permission to attack the Vietcong after the intelligence received about a supposed second attack on U. S naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin. The attacks actually never happened and the war was thus based on a false report. The Tonkin incident lead to major US involvement in the region that would continue for another quarter of a century. The intelligence reports were simply misinterpreted. The intercept that apparently proved the second attack was wrongly translated according to recently published records of the account. The Vietnamese word â€Å"military operations† can also mean â€Å"long movement† and what the intercept actually refers to is not a second attack on U. S naval vessels but just the presence of two North Vietnamese patrol boats at a distance. What remains critically confusing in the aftermath of such an explanation is the government’s response to the event. Johnson moved the USA into a war that lasted for years and cost billions of dollars and thousands of American and Vietnamese lives on the foundation of a wrong and unverified intelligence report that has come to be one of the most embarrassing intelligence failures in U. S history. The question is how could this happen? How does intelligence failure occur? Intelligence failures can be categorized into several groups. Overestimation of information is the first case. The exaggeration of a report can lead to wrong conclusions and thus an intelligence failure. This happened in the Tonkin. The opposite case of underestimation of intelligence where the governmental agencies misinterpret the information and therefore give the enemy an opportunity to stay a step ahead is also possible. Over-confidence is the third case. The USA displayed too much confidence in the perfection of its intelligence system and its ability to win the war quickly. Overestimation and over-confidence lead to the disastrous war of Vietnam that could all have been preventable if the intelligence was verified accurately. Intelligence failure can be caused by several factors all affected by the political atmosphere and sentiments regarding the target of the intelligence. Prejudice and fear can obstruct the judgment and bring about an underestimation or overestimation of the enemy’s potential and intentions. This is how intelligence failure occurs and its consequences are the best exemplified in the case of Vietnam, Iraq and 9/11. The results of misinterpreted or missed intelligence can cause a lot of damage to a country and the United States as a world power needs to pay extra attention to the effectiveness of its intelligence regarding the effects a wrong foreign policy move can have on its status and power. References Grier, P. (2008). Declassified study puts Vietnam events in new light. Retrieved July 1,2009, from http://www. csmonitor. com/2008/0109/p04s01-usmi. html Goodman, MA. (2008). Failure of intelligence: the decline and fall of the CIA. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. Reynolds, P. (2004). Long History of intelligence failures. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/middle_east/3883605. stm