Four

Introduction In the contemporary world, the importance of the employees in determining the success of an organisation has significantly increased. For instance, the employees’ level of productivity and ability determines the overall cost of production per unit. Therefore, it is necessary to have employee motivation measures in order to maximize the level of their performance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Four-drive theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Discussion The four drive theory attempts to explain employee motivation basing the argument on a set of dynamic interacting needs that are important in the make up of the human being (Latham, 2007). These needs evolve from the past experience that man has come across in life. They are also intrinsic. The main drives include; acquire, bond, comprehend, and defend. These four drives are the major factors that play a pivotal role in determining the intera ctions as well as the outcome of such interactions among the employees. The drives in this case include acquisition of the status as well as the material gains. It is important to note that these drives can either lead to good performance and also to deterioration in the level of their performance. On the other hand, the Maslow’s hierarchy theory is a theory on human motivation that was proposed by Abraham Maslow. This theory categorizes human needs into different levels. There are some levels where some are more fundamental than others. The satisfaction of these needs can significantly affect the performance of an individual. The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be presented in a form of a pyramid. Maslow identified four needs, which are usually referred to as deficiency needs. These include security, friendship and love, esteem and the physical needs. Maslow insisted on satisfaction of the basic level of needs in order for an individual to be motivated. Later, the Ald erfer modified and reduced Maslow’s five levels of need to three categories; Existence, Relatedness, and growth (Kondalkar, 2007). The above analysis reveals some differences and similarities between the four-drive theory and the Maslow’s needs in employee motivation. According to the Maslow’s explanation, there is a need to satisfy the lower level needs in order to access the upper level needs. On the other hand, the four drives described in the four drive theory are not stepped.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the four drive theory, each of the stated drives can vary from an individual to another (Articlebase, 2009). Therefore, we expect to get variations from one individual to another depending on other factors. In the Maslow’s theory of needs, there is a certain order of the need. This is unlike in the case of the four drive theory. In the four driv en theory, the need to acquire represents the rewards which determines your performance. This is comparable with the Maslow’s need; belonging. A reward gives employees a sense of belonging and therefore motivates them to work harder. The dives of bond are the drive to relate with others in a relationship of mutual caring. For instance, people tend to relate with the people in similar demographics (Latham, 2007). This is similar to the need of esteem which is all about respect for and by others, which significantly contributes in employee motivation. The drive to learn and comprehend refers to the extent to which the employee is interested in their specific positions and duties. It also seeks to reveal whether the employee has the opportunity to learn new things. This can be compared with the Maslow’s need for self-actualization. Employees can only reach their targets through learning which facilitates their creativity. The drive to defend is all about whether the firm is using the just rating procedures, whether there is fairness or whether the people are treated fairly the way they deserve. Again, this can be seen as the need for love or belonging. Reference List Articlebase. (2009). The Four Drive Theory in the Workplace. Web. Kondalkar. (2007). Organization Effectiveness and Change Management. New Delhi: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Four-drive theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Latham, G. (2007). Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: SAGE. This essay on Four-drive theory was written and submitted by user Wyatt Gibson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

To analyse and review the fall’s pathway that is used by an ambulance service in the North of England. The WritePass Journal

To analyse and review the fall’s pathway that is used by an ambulance service in the North of England. Introduction To analyse and review the fall’s pathway that is used by an ambulance service in the North of England. IntroductionConclusionReferenceRelated Introduction For the purpose of this assignment I have chosen to analyse and review the fall’s pathway that is used by an ambulance service in the North of England. The aim of any care pathway is to enhance the quality of care by the improvement of patient outcomes, promoting patient safety, increasing patient satisfaction, and by optimizing the use of resources available at that present time. (Zander K.2002). I will look at the referral process of a patient that has fallen in their home wither it be their first fall or have a history of multiple falls with the multiagency falls team which are available to the ambulance service. In February 2006, the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) published a report entitled ‘SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS IN HOSPITAL’. This report recommended ways of identifying and acting on reversible risk factors that may cause a person to fall, from this research there is clear evidence that the number of falls and the negative impact of their consequences can be reduced by 30% if health and social care communities work together effectively to address falls and their impact on elderly people. It also suggested ways of improving the care of patients that are vulnerable to falls and evidence on preventing falls, such as practical ways of implementing effective interventions that could reduce the risk of repeated falls. This was done by reviewing medication associated with falls detecting and treating eyesight problems physiotherapy access to walking aids and providing safer footwear. A fall may be defined as an event whereby an individual comes to rest on the ground or another lower level with or without consciousness (British Geriatric Society 2001) Falls can have a serious impact on both the quality of life of older people and on health and social care costs. Age UK (2010), states up to one in three people over 65 have a fall each year in the UK, which is around 3.4million adults.   New research and calculations puts the daily cost to the health service at more than  £4.6 million and the cost of treating osteoporotic fractures in the UK is  £1.8 billion of which  £1.5 million is estimated per PCT (Torgerson 2000) Falls can cause distress, pain, injury and loss of confidence and independence of older people, which causes multiple AE attendances, inpatient stays and increase the level and cost, of social care services provided. Ambulance services are often called as an emergency to assist older people who have fallen (Mark P.et al 2002). The after effects of even the most minor falls can be catastrophic for an older person’s physical and mental health. Falls may be caused by the person’s poor health or frailty, or by environmental factors, such as trip hazards inside and outside their home Elderly fallers account for approx 10% of all 999 calls to the Ambulance Service and more than 60,000 people fell and fractured their hip in England in 2007/8. In the England upto 14,000 people die a year as a result of an osteoporotic hip fracture. Falls pathways have been developed to improve the treatment of people over 65 years old who have fallen within their home and to prevent unnecessary admissions to hospitals. Almost half of the fallers can be safely treated at home by the attending ambulance crew. According to NICE recommendations, people at risk who require referral to a falls service include all those who have received medical attention for a fall or have fallen more than once in a year. The development of a falls prevention pathway is a requirement of both the National Service Framework (Standard Six) for Older People and NICE clinical guideline on the assessment and prevention of falls. (DoH 2003) The falls pathway aim to reduce harm to elderly people who have fallen by putting measures in place to reduce the risk of further falls and their admittance to hospital. The pathways are also aimed at improving communication between health professionals such as ambulance staffs, GP’s and falls teams. Falls in older people is a significant health and social care issue and fall prevention services are being implemented across the north of England, local fast response teams have worked to make service improvement across health and social care. Services are based around comprehensive falls pathways, which proactively identify those at highest risk of falling and carry out an assessment of internal health and social care and external environmental risk factors. The service is supported by dedicated falls practitioners, who ensure an individual care plan is in place and manage risk through onward referral, including for strength and balance training, home hazard intervention, physiotherapy therapy, visual or hearing specialist and medication review When the ambulance service are called to a patient who has fallen within their home the call is often put through to NHS direct for assessment by doing this they try to assess the patient over the telephone by asking a number of question. This can result in patients being left on the floor for a number of hours if in their opinion the patient does not have any injuries an ambulance will not be sent straight away which can cause distress to the patient. Over 1 in 5 people were not confident at all about getting up from the floor and or to summoning help. This is important given the well documented evidence of the risks associated with a ‘long lie’ (being on the floor longer than 1 hour). (The Royal College of Physicians 2009) As the patient cannot get themselves up off the floor the ambulance crew is still called to help the patient up off the floor. In this case if there are no injuries a full set of baseline observation including an Electrocardiograph (ECG) are taken on the patient and again a number of question asked to why the patient has fallen. A full medical history and a list of medication are also needed. This information is then placed onto a patient report form and a non transport form is completed and signed by the patient this is time consuming and prevents the ambulance from attending other more serious incidents. If the patient has injuries then between the patient and the ambulance crew a decision on which is the best treatment and actions for the patient will take place this could be that the injuries could be treated in the home by an emergency care practitioner or a district nurse for wound care. For an older person a fall can have serious effects on confidence and independence (Salkeld et al, 2000 Pg 341-346). Where possible all elderly patients who fall at home with their consent should be referred to a specialist fall’s service team. The Ambulance Service has developed a pathway allowing a paramedic to make a clinical decision to directly refer the patient to the Fast Response Team for further management and then onto the falls prevention service. On consent of the patient to be referred a phone call to the clinical hub is made information on the patient is provided including date of birth, GP details and patient baseline observations are past referral team also answers to parameters of assessment questions. â€Å"Is there a history of falls in the previous year? How many? Is the person on four or more medications per day? Does the person have fear of falling? Does the person report any problems with gait and/or balance? Does the person have dementia or confusion? Do they have a long term medical diagnosis (e.g. Parkinson’s/arthritis/stroke?)† (Yorkshire Ambulance Service Jan 2010) This information is then past onto the local Fast Response Team who will aim to contact the patient within 2 hours. However not all area have a 24/7 service so some patient may not be assessed straight away. All the paperwork for the patient including ECG strip should be left with the patient to that when the team arrives to assess the patient they will have all the information they need. Also with the consent of the patient they should be advised to contact their own GP for a medication review and follow up if any minor injuries are caused and to inform relatives of the fact they have had a fall and been seen by the ambulance service.. Critically analyse role of the multi disciplinary team Multidisciplinary fall assessment teams are working to develop within the National Health Service (NHS). These teams make up the building blocks of health care and every team is composed of different professionals, such as Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Podiatrist and Nurse Practitioners all of which provide assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation to patients who have fallen or who are at risk of falling. Their work consists of environmental assessment, provision of equipment to maintain independence and safety in mobility and daily living skills, gait and balance work and advice on footwear and foot care. The overall aim of the falls teams are to provide a timely and responsive service to help maintain people in the community and help prevent avoidable hospital admissions and to identify patients at risk of falling and those who have fallen and to help prevent and reduce further falls. By the reviewing and discussions with multidisciplinary teams their findings from the individual patient assessment can be used to develop an individual plan of care to prevent further falls (UIGN.2004). Due to many falls fast response team not working 24/7 and only working weekdays many elderly people are left in their home over night or the weekend without being assessed. This could lead to further falls and injuries. Falls Prevention Services should provide adequate verbal and written communication about treatment with both patients and their family where appropriate and healthcare and other professionals involved in their care. This includes following up the results of investigations this often does not happen as the ambulance service has no follow up in communication with the fast response fall teams this leads to poor communication between different healthcare professionals and between healthcare professionals and patient. In the Department of Health Next Stage Review (2008), Lord Darzi announced the introduction of several new measures for improving quality such as â€Å"Quality Accounts† to include patients’ views on the quality of their experiences Older people who have fallen currently receive crisis intervention to address immediate risks. The missing link is access to a coordinated integrated falls pathway that is consistent, effective, offers active rehabilitation and places an emphasis on falls prevention Falls Prevention Services should recognise that effective communication takes time, but if achieved this is likely to increase satisfaction with the Service and improve compliance with any recommendations made for reducing the risk of falls and reducing injuries from falls. This is likely to reduce the number of patients seen in a busy clinic for example. The Patient and Public Engagement Support Programme (DH, 2009) plan to use patient experience to improve service quality by engaging and empowering users of services Early intervention and preventative advice can delay reliance on more intense interventions at a later stage. If staff groups are working effectively together and follow a common pathway. This should raise standards and promote more effective use of resources. Raising public awareness and highlighting falls prevention can help to reduce or delay the consequences of a fall. Conclusion Preventing falls in older people will save lives and decrease disability and by using a fall pathways this will achieve the following outcomes, it will help to reduce repeated falls and associated injuries and fractures it will also make a reduction in the number of falls related admissions into accident and emergency departments and calls made to the ambulance service. The widespread use of an effective falls risk assessment tool with better standards for effective prevention and rehabilitation services increased patient satisfaction and wellbeing for patients with a reduction in acute, community, rehabilitation and social care costs. The uses of risk assessment tools are important but equally having identified contributing risk factors does not in itself lead to interventions (Oliver, D., et al (2004). Preventing falls in older people depends on identifying those most at risk of falling but many old people who fall do not seek medical help, but can be identified as being at risk by being identified as having a history of falls by family members or carers. This is an effective integrated care pathway which is universally adopted between health care professional which improved partnership working between multiagency teams. Help to maintain the person independence and to prevent further falls and injuries from falls. Using patients’ experiences can help to develop such services (Kings Fund, 2009, NHSI 2009). Reference Age UK (2010) Falls in the over 65s ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/archive/cost-of-falls.(Accessed DATE HERE) British Geriatric Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Panel on Falls Prevention (2001). Guidance for the Prevention of Falls in Older persons, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Volume 49 pg 664 672. Clinical practice guideline for the assessment and prevention of falls in older people NICE clinical guideline nice.org.uk (accessed DATE HERE) Department of Health. National Service Framework for Older People. 2001. dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance (Accessed DATE HERE) Department of Health. High Quality Care for All: NHS Next Stage Review final report, 2008. dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH (Accessed DATE HERE) Marks P, Daniel T, Afolabi O, Spiers G, Nguyen-Van-Tam J. Emergency (999) calls to the ambulance service that do not result in the patients being transported to hospital: an epidemiological study. Emerg Med J2002;19:Pg 449. National Patient Safety Agency (2006) slips, trips and falls in hospital npsa.nhs.uk (Accessed DATE HERE) Oliver, D., et al (2004). Risk factors and risk assessment tools for falls in hospital inpatients: a systematic review. Age and Aging   Volume 33 pg 122-130. Salkeld, G., Cameron, I D., Cumming, R G., Easter, S., Seymour, J., Kurrle, S E., Qunie, S., Ameratunga, S N., and Brown, P M. Quality of life related to fear of falling and hip fracture in older women: a time trade off study. British Medical Journal. 2000; 320: Pg 341-346. The Kings Fund Point of Care Programme. Measures of patients experience in hospital: purpose, methods and uses. (Coulter, A., Fitzpatrick, R., and Cornwell, J.) 2009. The Royal College of Physicians National Audit of Services for Falls and Bone Health of Older People (2009) rcplondon.ac.uk/resources/national-audit-falls-and-bone-health-older-people (accessed DATE HERE) Torgerson D. J. and P. Dolan, ‘The Cost of Treating Osteoporotic Fractures in the United Kingdom Female Population’ (letter), Osteoporosis International (2000) Volume 11 pg 551 University of Iowa Gerontological Nursing Interventions Research Center (UIGN). (2004). Fall prevention for older adults. University of Iowa Gerontological Nursing Interventions Research Center, Research Dissemination Core. nursing.uiowa.edu/consumerspatients/evidencebased.htm.(Accessed DATE HERE) Yorkshire Ambulance Service (Jan 2010) Referral of Patients Fast Response Pathway York and North Yorkshire Primary Care Trust area Attachment 3 Zander K. Integrated Care Pathways: eleven international trends. Journal of Integrated Care Pathways 2002 Volume 6 pg 101-107

International Joint Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

International Joint Venture - Essay Example Problems are majorly experienced in development, organization and management; these make the IJV to fail to achieve its projected goals. These challenges are a result of diverse objectives and motivations of the partner companies, making the art of balancing their operations an issue. Further, management will have to problems in planning and when trying to balance the mutual benefits for the partners. Inefficiency in the human resource management majorly contributes to failures of IJV (Faulkner and Geringer 2000; Desai, Foley and Hinles 2004). Additionally, political systems, economic state, legal system, difference in partners and conflicting contracts have an upper hand in determining the performance of management. The human resource issues are challenges faced by management of the IJV in its day-to-day activities and solution will be attained once an efficient human resource manager with expertise on international collaboration is employed. The politics also pose some challenge as they can come up with policies that may threaten the success of the collaboration. Management should make reasonable political judgment since political appraisal that is present in some is something to avoid. The two partners may enter into a merger with a view of eliminating duplication of resources and processes thus fostering greater efficiencies in management. Culture differences pose another challenge to IJV. For instance, collaboration between Pirelli and Dunlop failed in the 1980’s due to differences in the English and Italian cultures (Barkema, Bell, Shenkar & Vermeulen 1997). Strong Charter Establishment of a strong charter to aid in securing partners with the necessary attributes required to enhance success... International Joint Venture Collaboration has had several impacts on the sustenance of businesses in the market as well as their extinction. Market volatility brought about by changes in customers’ expectations, new entry of competitors in the market, dynamics in economic climate have posed great damage to many businesses. Management should employ strategic corporate policies in managing the venture in areas of human resource, supply chain, innovation, production and customer service. The management of IJV should recognize innovation as the major drive in growth of companies and their prosperity. Together with economic dynamics and globalization, technological change has favoured the growth of IJV’s. Despite the challenges facing the success of IJV, companies should engage in efficiency management system as this will help in combating all the challenges and enhance performance and productivity of the firm. Furthermore, companies should use collaboration as stepping stones to innovation and creativity as this will aid in coming up with ideas that will make the companies to be the leader in the market and enjoy the advantages of large scale operations. For companies to be successful when they enter into collaborations, they should first have a clear understanding of the strategic objective of the relationship they intent to create before focussing on the risks and benefits to be obtained. Collaboration is geared at enhancing business growth.

U.S. foreign policy in Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U.S. foreign policy in Iraq - Essay Example The expression â€Å"the first casualty of war is the truth† would probably be appropriately applied to all of the wars between nations throughout the entire history of warfare. The Iraq war will always be branded as the only war that was based completely on lies.The truth died several deaths prior to the human deaths that occurred due to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq (March 2003 – August, 2010). As the war progressed following the 2003 invasion, the American public progressively lost confidence in the Bush administration’s war policy as they grew to understand more and more what the majority of the rest of the world had realized since the first nights bombing of Baghdad. The war is undeniably illegal as defined by the United Nations (UN) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), the two most paramount legal bodies in the world. Iraq had no link to terrorism, no weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and no legal rationale to attack. Despite this, Bush dec ided to invade the Republic of Iraq for causes deemed objectionable to the majority of other countries so he frequently relied on and utilized false information to rationalize it. He lied. This discussion will examine how the truth was a casualty early and often during the lead up to the war and outlines some of the consequences brought about by these far-reaching and deadly deceptions. Bush voiced his disagreement to the concept of ‘nation building’ during the 2000 presidential election debates but as president waged an undeclared war against a sovereign country that had neither attacked first nor threatened to. Immediately following and as a reactionary reply to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Bush stated the county’s intention to begin a ‘War on Terrorism’ which he portrayed as a protracted battle against those that would use terrorist actions in addition to the countries that enabled them. The eventual culmination of the selective le gal reasoning and rhetoric concerning the ‘War on Terror’ was Bush’s order of the military to invade both Afghanistan and Iraq, an illegal action on many fronts. Bush had constantly claimed that these actions were legal. First, he argued, due to language existing within the UN Security Council Resolution 1441 regarding Iraq and secondly, the invasions were an act of self-defense which is permitted by international law. Conversely, according to Richard Perle, advisor to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and official of the U.S. Defense Policy Board, â€Å"international law ... would have required us to leave Saddam Hussein alone.† (Burkeman & Borger, 2003). However, this option would have been â€Å"morally unacceptable† according to the Bush administration. Bush chose to solicit then followed the advice of biased, self serving legal opinion from a low-level Justice Dept. employee despite strong disagreement by higher level personnel within the Dept. in addition to and the U.S. State Department which cautioned against ignoring international law and U.N. laws in addition to covenants of the Geneva Convention. The Bush administration was determined in its careless use of military force and disregard for laws established to by the world’s community of nations. The initial foreign incursion of the U.S. military along with the ‘coalition of the willing’ in its ‘War on Terror’ was Afghanistan, more specifically the Taliban terrorist faction based in that country. The U.S. claimed to possess ‘clear and compelling evidence,’ that the State of Afghanistan was giving refuge to terrorists, as did Iraq. However, if this assertion were true, why then didn’t the Bush administration divulge this information to the UN Security Council so as to obtain legal grounds to invade? The U.S. defended its invasion and occupation of Iraq to the countries of the world by announce, if not substanti ating, that it was a undertaking to remove WMD which endangered not only the U.S. but all other countries as

Global Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Global Operations Management - Essay Example As manufactured products are tangible, customer demand can be anticipated and products may often be produced, transported, and held win inventory until customers need them. This allows manufacturers flexibility in deciding when to produce products. Inventory can be used as a buffer between a stable production capacity and a highly variable customer demand. This means that when production levels are held constant, in periods of low demand inventory levels of finished goods will climb, and in periods of peak demand inventory levels of finished goods will fall. This is not to say that all manufacturers inventory finished goods, because some manufacturers choose to wait until products are demanded, then produce the products and ship them directly to customers. Services cannot ordinarily be produced in advance of customer demand and must be delivered to customers at the time of demand or later. This means that service operations must ordinarily plan production levels to approximately equa l customer demand. With manufactured products, customers do not ordinarily intrude into the manufacturing process. In fact, customers have little contact with the manufacturing system in most cases. In service operations, however, customers are routinely involved in the production process. In such service operations such as hospitals, restaurants, and banks, the customers enter the production process, are routed to the necessary service operations, and exit from the service system. In almost all services, operations personnel need training in people skills because the key element of quality control is the way in which operations personnel conduct their transactions with customers. Service characteristics include: Intangible outputs Outputs cannot by inventoried Extensive customer contact Short Lead times Labor intensive Services quality subjectively determined Manufactured product characteristics include: Tangible products Products can be inventoried Little customer contact Long lead times Capital intensive Product quality objectively determined 2. The six major components of operations strategy include: 1 Positioning the production system 2 Product/service plans 3 Outsourcing plans 4 Process and technology plans 5 Strategic allocation of resources 6 Facility plans Operations strategy is a long-range game plan for the production of a company's products/services and provides a road map for what the production or operations function must do if business strategies are to be achieved. Operations strategies include decisions on such issues as what new products or services must be developed and when they must be introduced into production, what new facilities are required and when they are needed, what new technologies and processes must be developed and when they are needed, and what production schemes will be followed to produce products/services. 3. Competitive priorities can be thought of as the things that customers want from products/services; thus, they can be used s tools to capture market share. But, all of these competitive priorities cannot ordinarily be used for a single product. Once the competitive priorities are set for a product or service, operations strategy must then determine the required production system needed to provide the priorities for the product or service. The

The Middle East During The Cold War

The Middle East During The Cold War The impact of the rivalry between Soviet Union and United States in the Cold War distorted internal politics and exacerbated or complicated regional conflicts. Indeed, the grafting of the USA/USSR competition over pre-existing Middle Eastern rivalries in several cases intensified them. At the same time, though, and in some cases, the Middle Eastern political à ©lites themselves made use of the Cold War to pursue their own interests of hegemony, security or colonial emancipation. Following Khalidi (2009) in assuming that during the Cold War the level of penetration of the Soviet and American influence was proportional to the degree of the strategic importance of the region, I will first discuss the strategic and geopolitical features of the Middle East. Secondly, I will describe some significant historical events, in order to show how the Cold War logic affected the area and how it shaped the regions political reality, both from a regional and a domestic point of view. The cold War and the Middle East The Cold War dominated world politics from the end of the WW2 to the collapse of Soviet Union. On 5 March 1946, when Churchill pronounced its famous speech at Westminster University, in Fulton, Missouri, describing Europe as divided by an iron curtain, with eastern Europe subjected to the Soviet sphere and the West under American influence, the Cold War was already on going. For more than forty years, superpowers competed ideologically, militarily, technologically and diplomatically. The effects of the rivalry extended all over the World, generating high degree of polarization and aggravating pre-existing conflicts. Although there were no wars fought directly by the two superpowers, proxy confrontations occurred in Southeast Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. The Middle East was a primary area of contention (Khalidi, 2009). Since WWII, superpowers were aware of its importance, in terms of its strategic geographic location and its vast oilfields and gas deposits. In fact, from a geopolitical point of view, the region lays at the junction of three continents, immediately south to the border of Russia and the Caucasus and it is surrounded by four major seas, namely the Mediterranean, the Black and the Caspian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Before the end of the war, both United States and Soviet Union were already strategically interested in the Middle Easts oil reserve. In fact, not only at the time were the great powers the Worlds major oil producers (Khalidi, 2009), but also the war made them increasingly aware of the strategic role oil had acquired in warfare. Their motorised forces, in fact, were crucially dependent on oil for their propulsion, as were their navies and air forces (Khalidi, 2009). Consequentially, they become intensely concer ned about the risk of their supplies being denied by their enemies and about preserving them. Nonetheless, the regions importance in terms of military strategy and oil supply further established throughout the Cold War. In the late 1950s and until the Cuban missiles crisis of 1962, American missiles launching submarines were based in Turkey; in the 1960s and for about a decade, when a longer range missiles technology became available, American submarines were in Spain, with Soviet antisubmarine naval forces and air units based in Egypt and Turkey. During the 1970s, the military and strategic territorial concern of both powers moved to the Arab Peninsula and the region bordering the Indian Ocean, where the new generation American missiles launching submarines were positioned (Khalid, 2009). Anyway, in the aftermath of the WWII, United States and Soviet Union were already militarily and diplomatically engaged in the region, respectively in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Iranian Azerbaijan and Kurdistan. The Middle East, thus, became a major theatre of bitter rivalries between the great powers, the effects of which would deeply influence and shape its politics and historical dynamics. Conflicts, alliances, nuclear threats and the complex events which occurred in the Middle East during the Cold War were determined by the following underlying forces: fear of the superpowers of being excluded from the control over the region; their attempt to replace Britains power in the Middle East; anti-colonialism and the struggle of Middle Eastern states for the emancipation, which led to their alliances with the superpowers; the emergence of Arab nationalism and the diffusion of the communist ideology. Ideology, indeed, played a fundamental role. It was adopted both in terms of appeal made to potential allies and in terms of economic, political and social models they offered to them (Halliday in Sayigh and Shlaim, 1997). One of the events which reveal the pervasive effects of the international competition in the Region is The Arab cold war of 1958-1970, as Malcolm H. Kerr (1965) has called it. In the aftermath of the Suez crisis, in which both superpowers have supported Egypt and the Arab states against Israel, French and Britain, the pre-war Saudi-American relationship was cemented by the Eisenhower Doctrine and Saudi adherence to it. In his famous speech of January 1957, Eisenhower admitted the strategic importance of the area and denounced the Communist threat in the Middle East and Soviet Unions interest in power politics, which have become clearer with its involvement in the Suez crisis. Soviet political, economic and military aids were depicted by President Eisenhower as International Communisms instruments of domination (Eisenhower, 1957), apparently harmless means to manipulate local instability for Soviet power-purpose. Thus, he authorized the employment of the armed forces of the United Sta tes to secure and protect the territorial integrity and political independence of such nations, requesting such aid, against overt armed aggression from any nation controlled by International Communism (Eisenhower, 1957). The Saudi-American relation exacerbated Saudi relations with Nassers Egypt, a former non-aligned state which was moving closer to the Soviet Union. At the same time a heterogeneous agglomerate of political forces supported by the Soviet Union was formed, including not only communist and radical parties, but also nationalist, pan-Arab, anti-colonialist and bourgeois-democratic groups. In order to balance the secular and radical wave of Arab regimes, as Khalidi (2009) pointed out, Saudi Arabia and its ally United States adopted Islam and religious propaganda as ideological counter-weapon. In this way, Islam became a crucial tool of the American intelligence during the Cold War. The result was a high degree of polarization in the Region, with the Soviet Union aligned with authoritarian nationalist regimes and USA supporting absolute monarchies in Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Arab Gulf States and authoritative regimes in Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco. Another instance of the superpowers influence over regional politics in the Middle East is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although the origin of the conflict has little to do with superpowers rivalry (Halliday, the Cold War competition generated polarization around the issue, fuelling arms race and leading several times to the risk of a nuclear strike. In the first phase of Israel life, namely from its birth in 1948 to the Suez Crisis of 1956, superpowers competed in supporting Israel. Polarization occurred after 1956, with USA supporting Israel and Soviet Union supporting Arab States. The competition took place in terms of armaments supply and economic aids, with the stakes escalating and culminating with the 1968-1970 and the 1973 wars, when Washington declared nuclear alert for the last time in the history of the Cold War. Internally, cold war rivalries distorted economic decisions, domestic policies, social, military and political balances, with the superpowers being responsible of or supporting coups and internal rebellions (Khalidi, 2009). Religion and ideology have been instrumentalised in order to pursuit the Cold War logic of balance of power, with some impacts also on the growth of democracy. Indeed, there was no stress by the United States to promote democracy or Human rights in the area. USA itself covered or supported actions to subvert Middle Eastern democracies such as the American-Britishs coup in Iran, which brought down the elected Mossadeq government and reinstalled the autocratic Mohammad Reza Shah in 1953. This behaviour was coherent with the American security tasks to preserve the Middle East from Communism and export the capitalist logic of free market; tasks which could be effectively pursued by aligning with the wealthy and conservative local elites. Soviet Union, instead, work ed attentively to encourage the development of socialism and distributive logic in the area, trying to appeal to the working classes and local communist parties (Khalidi, 2009). An instance of the pervasive effect of rivalry at the domestic level is the case of Iran. Due to geographical contiguity, Iran felt continuously menaced by the Soviet Union. In the aftermath of the war, though, communism was not perceived by the à ©lites as good option for the development of the country. Thus, at the beginning of the Cold War, United States security interests, coincided with the Iranian ones (). US supported Shah, whose conservative government led to absolutism, corruption and to political stagnation, which, combined with fast modernization and social disruption, contributed to the rise of the Islamic Revolution. USSR also played a role in undermining the power of the Shah. As Rubinstein tells us, although Soviet Union did not directly interfere in the fall of the Shah, communist agents played an important role in spreading discontent in the Iranian oilfields, contributing to the economic paralysis, which undermined the pro-American government. However, concerning the case of Iran, two considerations must be done, which, to different extents, could be applied to several other cases in the region. First, the Cold War did not represent the first case of influence and penetration by a hegemonic power in Persia. In fact, for example, both Russia and Britain had great security and economic interest in the Persian Gulf and intervened several times in the country, both militarily and not. In 1907, in order to balance their influence, the two states agreed to divide Iran; 1942, unsatisfied of its neutrality, they agreed to invade it. Secondly, not only the rivalry logic diverted Iranian domestic policy, but also Iranian (and not only) à ©lites made use of the Cold War and of USA support in order to pursue their security goals and keep itself independent from the Soviet threat, which, as previous events show, had worried them long before the beginning of the USA/USSR competition. Finally, as Halliday (1997) pointed out, the Cold War competition had also another role in the region. It worked as a distraction, diverting attention from domestic problems, which could otherwise be earlier observed and solved. What emerged from the end of the competition and the victory of the West, thus, is just a not distorted and more grasping picture of the region and its pre-existent complexities. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1957eisenhowerdoctrine.html (Eisenhower doctrine)

Standardized Testing Is Counterproductive Essay -- Problems With High

Excessive testing has been integrated in the public school system to measure student intelligence, observe teacher proficiency, and distribute federal funds since the passage of the No Child Left behind Act (NCLBA) of 2001. The (NCLBA) ‘‘called for 100% of the nation’s public school students to become proficient in mathematics and reading by 2014’’ through the usage of standardized testing (Hanson 3). Since the inception of this policy there have been numerous issues involved in these tests. ‘‘Instead of providing equal access for all children, the frenetic use of mandated testing in schools and in teacher education is having the opposite effect’’ (Richardson 34). Standardized testing is an ineffective and outdated tool that creates a counterproductive learning environment; testing enforced by the state should be altered to better accommodate the students needs. The primary function of standardized testing is to provide an accurate measure of student and teacher performance; they fall short of meeting this standard. Test scores don’t accurately reflect a child’s intelligence. One reason for this is that a single test cannot properly show the extent of a child’s knowledge. Language barriers are a determining factor as well, if English is not the primary language of a student they will have a harder time understanding questions and in turn procure lower scores. More problems arise when students enter high school; students don’t try as hard since standardized tests do not affect class grades. Moreover, scores are influenced by external factors. A child’s emotional or mental state during testing is detrimental to their results. Living conditions along with social status affect testing data as well. If a student is upset or living... ... ERIC. Print. Longo, Christopher. ‘‘Fostering Creativity or Teaching to the Test? Implications of State Testing on the Delivery of Science Instruction.’’ Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 2010. ERIC. Print. Phelps, Richard P. ‘‘Characteristics of an Effective Student Testing System.’’ Educational Horizons, 2006. ERIC. Print. Reddell, Samantha. ‘‘High Stakes Testing: Our Children at Risk.’’ Online Submission, 2010. ERIC. Print. Richardson, Brian; Wheeless, Lawrence R. ‘‘Teachers Tattling on Teachers: Policy Attitude and Tenure's Influence on Peer Reporting of Unethical Behavior.’’ International Journal of Educational Reform, 2009. ERIC. Print. Ryan, Katherine E., Allison M. Ryan, Keena Arbuthnot, Maurice Samuels. ‘‘Students' Motivation for Standardized Math Exams.’’ Educational Researcher, 2007. EIRC. Print.

British Columbia

British Columbia is Canada’s western border province. At its north are Yukon and the Northwest Territories while its northwestern border is the U.S. State of Alaska.On its eastern border is another province, Alberta, and on the southern border are the U.S. States of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. It is the third largest province in Canada and encompasses 9.5 percent of the country’s total land area, which makes it around four times the size of Great Britain or more than twice as large as Japan. (Information on BC, 2006, par. 1)Physical geographyTopography. British Columbia boasts of great mountains.   Its highest peak is Fairweather Mountain which is 4,663 meters high and its lowest is Hallam Peak which is just 3,205 meters high.   (Statistics Canada, 2002) Volcanoes also abound in British Columbia although most are dormant. The largest of the seventeen volcanoes is Ruby Mountain and the smallest is called Mount Garibaldi.Water Forms. The Fraser River is one of the most important means of transportation in British Columbia because it directly flows to the Pacific Ocean nest. The province’s Columbia River is the location of 14 hydroelectric dams which is a major power source for its population. Other rivers that lead to the Pacific Ocean are Skeena and Kootenay while the Peace River drains toward the Arctic Ocean.   British Columbia is also the host of many large natural lakes including the Babine, Atlin, Kootenay, Ootsa and Okanagan. (British Columbia, 2007, p. 1)Climate. The climate in British Columbia can vary depending on the area’s location from the Pacific Ocean and the mountain ranges but the province is known for its mild temperature. Snow rarely falls on the coast even during winter but the interior lands can experience very cold temperatures and snow between the months of November to March.The warmest days in summer can be experienced in the interior lands, most especially in the south with temperatures that can go fu rther than 30 ºC while the coast enjoys a temperature range of about 22 to 28 ºC. (Climate and Weather, n.d., par. 1-4)Government and MunicipalitiesBritish Columbia espouses the parliamentary form of government headed by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the Canadian Governor-General. However, executive power truly emanates from the Premier who comes from the legislature branch because it is the position that appoints 20 ministers to the cabinet that maintains and makes the policies for the province.British Columbia has athe Legislative Assembly (unicameral legislature) which has 79 elected members with five-year terms.   British Columbia is also represented by 36 members in Canada’s House of Commons and has 6 senators all of whom are appointed by the Governor-General.

The history of Egypt and the Fertile Crescent

The history of Egypt and the Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia’s history during the 1st 2nd and 3rd Millenniums BC Mesopotamia has been referred to as the cradle for civilization and has been home most of the important ancient civilizations. The first millennium BC in Mesopotamia was epitomized by imperial dominance. There was dominance by the Neo Assyrian kingdom in the first half of this particular millennium.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The history of Egypt and the Fertile Crescent specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The rise and fall of the Neo- Babylonian Empire led by Nebuchadnezzar characterizes the latter half of this millennium. This was later on followed by the conquest from the East by Cyrus the Great who led the Persians. Hellenism was also an important element that characterized Mesopotamian history. This was followed by the downfall of Alexander the Great around 330BC. It is also important to note that the Minoan period took place in the 2nd mil lennium BC which was between 1900-1300 BC. The legal code was also wrote in this era by Hammurabi and went ahead to conquer Mesopotamia. In the 3rd Millennium BC, there was the building of the great pyramids. Some of the most important pyramids were those of Cheops of Giza (Craig, 2008, p.225) Egypt’s history during the new, old and middle kingdoms It was around 6000 BC when a community of hunter – gathers started settling along the Nile River as they practiced farming. Over time, this community grew and came to be known as the Egyptian Dynasty. Right after Egypt’s unification, the Manetho’s 4th Dynasty began to develop. It was at this particular time that the Egyptian old kingdom was established. The first Egyptian dynasty in this period of time enjoyed the advantages of writing which later on led to the development of the calendar. More so, around 2600BC there was the building of the first pyramid which was known as the Zoser’s monument built at Saqqara (Craig, 2008, p. 65). The middle kingdom period ranged between the 11th and 12th dynasties. This period in time is important because there was a lot of effort by the Egyptian dynasties as they tried to colonize Nubia. Its strategic importance to Egypt is that it was meant to be the Egypt’s trade center in luxurious items. Given that, it was also rich in Gold, Ivory as well as ebony among other items. Due to high demand for manufactured goods and weapons, the Nubians went ahead and established a market place at the second cataract. This place was used by the Egyptians to purchase the very much needed slaves in exchange for the manufactured products.Advertising Looking for essay on ancient history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The new kingdom in Egypt was roughly the last part of the second millennium. That is between (1550-1060). The eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth Dynasties composed this new ki ngdom after the Hyksos were expelled and the country got reunified again by Ahmose. The powers and wealth of the kings in the new kingdom seemed to have been elevated. There was massive construction of buildings, religious centers and mortuary temples all over Thebes. A good number of Egyptian kings led campaigns in areas where they wanted to gain control for instance Palestine. Religion in the history of Mesopotamia and Egypt Religion was an integral part of both Mesopotamia and Egypt. In Early Mesopotamia, the natural happenings were normally attributed to the actions of divine of divine forces which led them to having many gods and goddesses. However, they zeroed down on four creator gods. Egyptians on the other hand relied on religion to guide every aspect of their lives. Egyptians practiced pure polytheism and did not however concentrate on a few specific gods. They apparently had over two thousand gods and goddesses. There were those that were worshiped all over the country su ch as Amun. The Egyptian religion was rather optimistic. This is because it upheld that there would be a rather positive afterlife no matter what one goes through in their earthly lives. Osiris, the most famous god known as the one who gives the law was also considered the guardian for the dead in the other world. On the other hand, Mesopotamian religion was rather dreary and gloomy. The ancient prayers illustrated the need for an establishment of relationships with the gods as well as the goddesses. This is basically because it was assumed that the gods and goddesses viewed humans with not only suspicion. Hence, they would often send catastrophes to act as a reminder to every individual in society of their humanity (Rivstvet, 2006,p.97). Both religions however have one thing in common. They are associated with nature as well as the environment. Most of the gods and goddesses names were for instance derived from nature. More so, most of the natural events were what gave birth to som e gods. For example when there are good rains which lead to a good harvest, the Egyptians in this situation found would give such an event a name. Therefore, whenever they would need a good harvest they would call on the rain god.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The history of Egypt and the Fertile Crescent specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Hebrew historical events in the lush crescent The Hebrews began their journey in Mesopotamia in the 1900s BC travelling through eventually stopping in Egypt in 1500BC. The make up of the Hebrew society consisted of several tribes. During the time with which they were travelling, one of the tribes began considering themselves the chosen ones. Hence they went ahead to use the title, â€Å"soldiers of God† It is sad to note that the Egyptian pharaohs went ahead to enslave them until around 1250BC when Moses their chosen leader led them into freedom. By the 10th century, th e Israelite Kingdom was well established and was economically prosperous. The influence of river valley cultures to their history The ancient Hebrew culture was to some extent suppressed. This was due to the Egyptian imperialism hence many Hebrew generations lived under slavery. Given the situation they could not practice most of their values and beliefs and those who dared to were severely punished. However around 800BC a new culture arose that was more powerful than the Egyptian culture. This was the Greek culture. After the liberation of the Hebrews from slavery the Hebrew and Greek culture were the dominant ones. The dominance of these two cultures gave birth to some sort of conflict between the two as they sort for supremacy. However the Greek were able to win the battle hence the suppression of the Hebrew culture. In spite of all this the unity amongst the Hebrews strengthened and the Hebrew culture was able to influence other cultures such as the European and the Roman (The B ritish Museum, 2011). In short, this paper explains the undertakings of the ancient civilizations. It explains how important contemporary practices such as writing and more so arithmetic’s came into play. The different cultures involved have also been discussed to facilitate better understanding. References Craig, A., et al. (2009). Heritage of world Civilizations (8th Ed.). Prentice Hall: New YorkAdvertising Looking for essay on ancient history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rivstvet,L. (2006). Legal and archeological territory of the second millennium BC in Northern Mesopotamia. Web. The British Museum. (2011). Ancient Egypt: the new kingdom. Web. Web.

Phase Definition and Examples

Phase Definition and Examples In chemistry and physics, a phase is  a physically distinctive form of matter, such as a solid, liquid, gas, or plasma. A phase of matter is characterized by having relatively uniform chemical and physical properties. Phases are different from states of matter. The states of matter (e.g., liquid, solid, gas) are phases, but matter can exist in different phases yet remain in the same state of matter. For example, liquid mixtures can exist in multiple phases, such as an oil phase and an aqueous phase. The term phase may also be used to describe equilibrium states on a phase diagram. When phase is used in this context, its typically synonymous with a state of matter because the qualities that describe the phase include the organization of matter as well as variables such as temperature and pressure. Phases of Matter The distinct phases used to describe states of matter include: Solid: Closely packed particles with a fixed volume and shapeLiquid: Fluid particles with a fixed volume but variable shapeGas: Fluid particles with neither a fixed volume nor shapePlasma: Charged particles with no fixed volume or shapeBose-Einstein condensate: A diluted, cold boson gasMesophases: Intermediate phases between solid and liquid There may be multiple phases within a single state of matter. For example, a bar of solid iron may contain multiple phases (e.g., martensite, austenite). An oil and water mixture is a liquid that will separate into two phases. Interface At equilibrium, there is a narrow space between two phases where the matter doesnt exhibit properties of either phase. This region, known as interface, may be very thin, yet can exert significant effects.

Environmental science lab Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Environmental science lab - Assignment Example Driving my car has made it possible for me to keep my appointments since I usually arrive at my destinations on time. It is easy to travel by road because I follow the roads, which do not have a lot of traffic. Through road transportation, I am able to reach remote areas, which cannot be accessed by other forms of transportation. It is also economical to buy gas for my car. Road transport has saved a lot of lives; drivers are licensed and they maintain speed limits when driving (Reggiani & Schintler 312). There is a little chance of me to change my mode of transportation since the other modes of transportation such as water or air are not convenient for me. For instance, there are areas, which I frequently visit that do not have water or air transportation. Additionally, travelling by air or water does not guarantee me the privacy I need whenever I am travelling. It is not necessary also for me to change my mode of transport, since the other alternatives are either not readily available and they are extremely expensive (Reggiani & Schintler

The United States Move to IFRS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The United States Move to IFRS - Essay Example One positive aspect of the IFRS is it allows the management of companies to have more desertion when it comes to asset valuation, which in turn can increase company income. In fact European companies, who made the switch from the GAAP to the IFRS in 2002, reported that eighty two percent of their companies had higher income under the IFRS than under the GAAP (Briginshaw, 2008). Due to this fact most would assume that investors would be for the switch, there are some other aspects to consider, however. One aspect is that the reports of higher incomes of these European companies came from the same year. So the companies actually had the same profits and expenditures, yet the IFRS reported a higher income yield than that of the GAAP which leaves some investors wondering how accurate the IFRS reports really are. This means that a dollar profit calculated under the IFRS will hold less meaning that one calculated under the GAAP so investors will have to change there way of thinking as far as profits are concerned. Also because the IFRS reports are not quiet as current as the GAAP are they will show less association between reported earnings and stock prices. Overall this means that investors are going to have to relearn and rethink how they read the reports they are given. This knowledge will in turn, however, give them more expertise in investing in companies outside the U.S. Multinational Companies For multinational companies who have long been dealing with converging the two sets of standards, this is a long awaited change. The switch to IFRS will allow them to coordinate all of their accounting systems under one set of guidelines whether the branch is located in the U.S. or another country. This will also be of use... The United States’ Move to IFRS The United States’ Move to IFRS The world of accounting seems to be on the precipice of undergoing a dramatic change in the United States. For more than seventy years the United States accounting system has relied on a set of generally accepted accounting principles known as the GAAP. These principles set out by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), guide accountants in preparing, presenting, and reporting financial statements for various entities, including: publicly-traded and privately-held companies, non-profit organizations, and governments. They are implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The globalization of business and finance has led to over twelve thousand companies in more than one hundred nations to adopt an internationally recognized set of accounting principles known as the International Financial Reporting System (IFRS) (â€Å"International Financial Reporting,† 2010). With many of the United States’ companies expan ding overseas, and foreign corporations now purchasing companies in the United States, there has been a huge push for the United States to forgo there use of the GAAP and adopt the new IFRS standards. So on August 27, 2008 the SEC set out a road map for all U.S. companies to adopt the IFRS by 2014 and some of the large companies started adopting them as early as 2009. If the SEC calls for a higher standard in the IFRS before and while adapting it, then it seems to be a win for all countries and companies involved.