M&S’s Business and Economic Environment

M&S’s aims and objectives are to make money for shareholder and to improve their profit margins where and when ever possible. Their approach to reaching the aims and objectives are to design extremely attractive and inactive products for their customers that are of a high quality. As these products are of high of high quality not everyone can afford these products and are targeted at a slightly niche market (upper middle to upper class citizens).M&S also have a commitment called Plan A, in which they are devoted to environmental issues such as refusing to send waste to landfills and using alternatives methods of waste disposable such as recycling within the business where possible and also externally, as well as lowering carbon emissions when possible. These things will help them save money, however the main reasoning for these policies M&S have issued are to increase the their appeal in the eyes of the public, therefore making people think that they are helping the environmen t if they shop with them. Which they are but only to a certain extent.These policies are in force as the government have fiscal and monetary policies that effect all businesses and the way they operate, including M&S. An example of a fiscal policy would be direct taxation, this can come in the form of corporation tax which is currently set at 20%. The level of which corporation tax is set at can effect a business hugely, as if they are set low it means that M&S won’t have to pay as much interest on their profit and will have more money to re-invest into the business. This could be into for example, hiring more staff as a result of an increase in demand. This means if M&S carried out hiring more staff alongside other businesses throughout the UK as a result of an increase of stimulation in the economy then the unemployment rate would drop.Giving people more disposable income to spend on higher quality goods in such places at M&S, and further stimulating the economy. On the oth er hand if the corporation tax was set at a high level the businesses, including M&S, would have to pay out more of their profits to the government in order for them to keep the economy running. This would then lead to M&S having less money to re-invest. Meaning it will be harder to expand maybe as much as they’d planned to. However if businesses are paying more in corporation tax then the government will most likely be needing it to stimulate the economy to encourage people to start spending.And will in turn increase the amount of business and sales that M&S will receive. So if the corporation tax is high it will be better for all businesses in the long run. The government also have a capital allowance which means that businesses can buy expensive machinery and are eligible to claim the tax back from those machines. This is so that because the tax on these machines will be at a relatively high price and will encourage businesses to buy them and spend money. This would apply to M&S as they have the self-service machines that customer can scan and bag their own shopping if time is of the essence.The amount of tax on all of the machines that M&S have bought throughout all of their stores will add up to a large sum. So if they can get that money back it means that they will have more money to reinvest back into the business, creating more opportunities to make money and therefore generating more profit in order to meet their never-ending goal which is to make as much money as they can to keep the shareholder happy. This will also heavily apply to cavies, where M&S get all their ready meals from. As they are a factory with countless machines they will be able to get a bursary from the government for the tax which they paid on the machines. This means that they will be able to sell their ready meals for a cheaper price which means M&S will save money (and will be hitting their aims and objectives) alongside with their customers.Then as they are cheaper it wi ll attract more sales resulting in more ready meals bought from cavies giving a win win win situation to cavies and both M&S and their customers. The government also have monetary policies that will affect all businesses, and these include such things as interest rates. This is because the interest rate doesn’t just affect businesses but every citizen of the UK. And this effects businesses in a big way because it has a direct link to how much money people and businesses receive back from the bank in return of banking with them. Currently the interest rate is at an all-time low of 0.5%, and has been stuck at this rate since 2009 because of the recession.The interest rate has been set this low so that it encourages people to take out loans and mortgages, as it means that people wont have to pay as much money back on their loan. This then has a ripple effect and will increase the amount of first time buyers to join the property ladder alongside other buyers that will sell and bu y a more expensive house. This will have a huge affect on the housing industry and therefore also M&S as they have a large  home wares section that people will purchase new goods from to furnish their new homes with.However, on the other hand a low interest rate is very bad for people who are wanting to save and earn interest on their savings. Because if the interest is at 0.5 and someone has  £10,000 in a savings account which will be no more than 1.2% at best then in a year they would only make  £120 profit. This means that people won’t have as much disposable income compared to if the interest rate was at its average 5 – 6% and people would be saving about five times as much. And if the interest rates are low then large businesses like M&S won’t invest their money into the banks that are in England, they will put them in offshore accounts in such places like China, which has an interest rate of 6%, or India with a rate of 7.25%.These countries have a hi gh interest rate as they are up and coming countries ((NEDCs, (newly economically developed countries)) and have a high growth rate and show a promising return upon investment. Another monetary policy that would affect businesses would be the amount of capital allowance they allowed each citizen to have. This is currently set at  £10,000, and if you earn under that amount you be taxed so that you can meet the national minimum standard of living. This then links back to more disposable income people have, as the more they have the more they are likely to spend, and the more chance that money will end up in M&S.It could go as far as someone who saved  £200 in taxes and buying a new game console of someone second hand and they could then repay a debt to someone, then they could spend that same  £200 on a weekly shop at M&S. So no matter who saves money for what reason the direction of money is too unpredictable to even guess so saved up money will just as easily end up at M&S as anywhere else.

Communication and Professional Relationships with Children, Young People and Adults

Effective communication is important in developing positive relationships with children, young people and adultsEffective communication creates positive relationships. You have to model excellent communication skills with the children and adults you work with on a daily basis. You should always think about how you approach people and how you respond back, doing so in a positive manner will help you achieve more information and communication in the long run because you are beginning to build a positive relationship with that child/person and this benefits them.We must always think about how we communicate and always make sure it is for the good of the pupil and the school. Always set a good example by behaving the way you would expect your pupil to. If you do not communicate effectively it can break down and that’s where misunderstandings occur and this can lead to negative feeling.When you use effective communication this creates a strong and positive relationship and your pup ils will benefit fully from that given situation.Explain the principles of relationship building with children, young people and adultsThe main principle of relationship building is to make others feel comfortable and at ease, if they are, they are more likely to communicate effectively. It is very important to be respectful and courteous and to listen to what they have to say. Always respect the views of others, especially if they have different cultural beliefs or values.Take the time to listen to others, this is not always easy when you are so busy but it is extremely important to build a positive relationship, always show that you are interested in what they have to say, they may need to confide in you.Have a good sense of humour, when appropriate this lightens peoples perception of you and can help people who are feeling stressed, laughter is a good way of relaxing.Always be clear on the reason you are communicating, giving people mixed messages does not create a good working r elationship, a good way of making sure people have received clear information is by asking them to repeat what is expected of them.Being considerate is a must as you may be working with a child or adult who is under strain due to work or home matters. If you are being considerate in that situation this will help you understand if they respond out of character and you may be able to help.Explain how different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicateIt is important that you adapt your communication in different situations and always consider the context in which you are working. It is extremely important how we dress and present ourselves to others, if you are going into a formal meeting with managers and parents wearing jeans and trainers for example, this would not give a professional image of you or the school you work for.It is important if you say to either a child or an adult that you are going to get back to them with an answer, you do so as efficiently as you can, this also applies to how we respond to letters and messages and always make sure you check your spelling and grammar.Try to increase your knowledge of different cultures, as the way they behave or respond maybe different to you for example it is not polite to look another person in the eye when speaking to them in some cultures.Explain the skills needed to communicate with children and young peopleThere are certain skills needed and these skills must be used everyday in order to communicate effectively and to make the child/adult feel valued.Always make eye contact when a child is speaking to you, if you say you are listening but continue to write or look at something else it shows you are not really interested in what they have to say, giving your full attention shows that you are engaged and listening.Bring yourself to the level of the child this is less intimidating than towering over them. Always smile and react positively, use posit ive body language, don’t sit there with your arms tightly folded or your shoulders tense this can create tension, express your face when responding to what they have said this shows you are listening.A good way of showing that you are listening is to repeat what they have said and this can extend their communication by telling you more or you may need to comment on incorrect use of words to help them for next time.Always give a child an opportunity to speak this will help with their confidence and their need to express themselves and encourage them to ask questions, this will help them build conversation skills.Explain how to adapt communication with children and young peopleThe age of the child or young personDifferent ages require different levels of attention. You may need to use more physical contact to reassure very young children then as the children become older you can help talk through their concerns, you will always listen and react positively choosing correct vocab ulary.The context of the communicationDepending on the situation you need to be aware that you may need to change your verbal communication accordingly, always make sure the children are focused and pre-empt any distractions and get ready to deal with them with as little interruption as possible or if you are having general chit chat in the playground, use humour to respond to difficult questions such as Where do you live, What is your first name etc..Communication differencesMake yourself aware of the children with communication issues and always be sensitive to them by giving them more time so they do not feel pressured when speaking or signing. Some children can be very anxious so it is important to make them feel comfortable in the setting. It is important if a child has a stammer or speech impediment you do not speak for them, you cannot guess or assume you know what they wanted to say and this can create anger and stress. Do not be afraid of asking for additional training if y ou are working alongside children who use signing to communicate, for example – Makaton.Explain the main differences between communicating with adults and communicating with children and young peopleAlways remember that certain things stay the same such as being courteous and respectful and showing that you are interested, however, you must remember that if you are in a school setting and you are dealing with a child or young person you maintain that carer/child relationship and responsibility. You should not offer physical contact with children. Always be clear in what you say and what is expected of them and adapt your vocabulary accordingly.Explain how to adapt communication to meet different communication needs of adults.You must be sensitive when communicating with other adults, try and find out as much as you can beforehand, you may find they have communication difficulties, they maybe hearing impaired so always make sure you are facing them and speak clearly so they ca n lip read or the person may speak another language or very little English, make sure you have plans in place if required.Explain how to manage disagreements with children, young people and adultsA lot of the time disagreements are due to a lack of communication in the first instance and the best thing to do is to sort things out very carefully so the bad feelings do not persist. You must always respond with a positive attitude and polite manner and be sensitive to the other person’s feelings, if you feel the disagreement is spiralling out of control you may need to call in a mediator this being another member of staff who can maybe help sort things out, but hopefully if you are using the correct communication this should not be required unless you were somehow in a disagreement with a child, always seek advice from your line manager if this is the case.The best way to resolve disagreements is to find the cause and then decide on a course of action together. Offer encourageme nt and support.Summarise the main points of legislation and procedures covering confidentiality, data protection and the disclosure of informationData protection act 1998 – To provide a safe environment for our children we as a school are able to obtain certain information which is relevant such as, health and medical information, records from previous schools, records for children who have special educational needs. All this information is confidential. Parental consent would be required if this information was requested by another source.Every child matters (England 2003) – stresses the importance of sharing information between professionals, communication between us, is the key to help prevent tragic cases.You should not pass on information about the school or the children without being 110% certain you can, do not feel pressured to do so, always seek advice from your line manager if you are unsure.Explain the importance of reassuring children, young people and adul ts of the confidentiality of shared information and the limits of thisIt is extremely important that you communicate and explain fully your reasons for requiring the confidential information, you would make sure that you followed correct procedures and ask for consent if required, you also need to promote a professional image so people trust you to deal with the confidential information with the utmost respect that is needed. By doing this the children, young people and adults feel reassured their confidential information is handled appropriately and used effectively.Justify the kinds of situation when confidentiality protocols must be breached.If a child, young person or adult confides in you and you suspect child abuse or they are at risk or danger of someone or something never promise to keep it a secret you would have to tell the child, young person or adult that you are unable to keep it confidential for this reason and then you must tell and seek advice from your safeguarding point of contact.

National drug control treatment strategy critical analysis

Drug abuse is a serious health problem causing illnesses or injuries affecting every community in every major social problem of crime, violence, and child abuse. Both pharmacological and environmental factors play a vital role in the treatment of drug abuse and correlated disorders focusing on the structure and dynamics of the total personality. Focus on the three areas of health care, criminology, and education were recently emphasized on the policy created by the President’s National Drug Control Strategy based on the core principles of: stopping drug abuse before it starts, healing America’s drug users, and disrupting the market. (ONCDP 2007). The programs efficiency on the first two principles most likely will lessen the population with little injections on enhancements of culture change. Is there a relationship with the drug abuse and American culture? Looking on their idea of disrupting the market, I fear it will disrupt not the market but the modesty and integrity of the marginal police workforce involved in the trade. Trade means money. Operations cannot account to the last centavo. Trading means gain from deal. It could set precedence for corruption. Can Americans endure both drug trafficking, corruption and terrorism at the same time? How does one label the three wars now? The ongoing intelligence collection and interagency review of counterdrug-intelligence missions determined how federal, state, and local drug control efforts were misled on the third principle. This does not stop newcomers becoming drug traffickers where intercepted illegal substances appraised drug’s black market value. Raising the prices generates higher income for drug traffickers and for the network of accomplices created for the disruption. (Riley 1996). This will ultimately result to corruption in terms of network integrity that may hold contempt to the existing policy in particular. Trust is very unmanageable if one works with the other side. It is between good and evil now. Human personality is usually disrupted by the evil one’s surroundings bring. It will eat you like a disease. Although the population of drug abusers will lessen temporarily due to the inflation, they will see to work with the alternative of prostitution and other forms of choice of slavery to get what they wanted. It will give rise to two criminal acts: prostitution and government corruption. The leadership and direction to state and local governments must not be limited to the relationship between drugs and cost. It must be focused on the reduction of the availability of illegal drugs by prohibition of its entrance and manufacture within the country itself. Maybe there should be a review on the policy dedicated to this type of arrest. War on drugs does not mean alliance and allegiance on the ones whom you wage war. Integrity is very important. Stop the entrance and the manufacture, you will lessen the abuse. The government shall not hide their inability to find resolution to the entrance and manufacture by legally trading with the illegal traffickers. It does not make sense pulling your state to damnation. The first two principles are correlated: the beginning and the end of drug abuse. Heal the abuser when it starts, a rosebud, and heal the ones considered as hard core, a full bloom rose. Observed what becomes of a full bloom rose, it withers and dies! Drug treatment being integrated with the national health care program is a very good move indeed. It expands access to abuse treatment, its choices, and awareness through massive education. The approach raises drug addiction as a public health issue by the availability of abuse prevention and treatment services before reaching the criminal justice system. The cornerstone of the policy does not implicate any change in the culture system of the Americans including programs for a new climate of belongingness and lesser independence. If you want to control your family, don’t make policies and acts that will make the stand of the youth stronger. Independence is very personal. It contains a lot of meaning and a lot of action. Why can’t the government take a look on their policies for families? What are the basic psychological reasons of adapting drugs? Is it not support and belongingness? If they can’t find that relationship within the scope and context of their respective family then they will continue to seek external factors that can satisfy what they need no matter how comprehensive the treatment and the programs of the government for drug abuse. (Brannen & O’Brien 1996).For me the plan is not that realistic. The President has to consider listening to the voice of the American people like when he led them to war in the Middle East for conducts of terrorism. We are not just talking about functions, economy, and egos here. We are talking about lives: Lives of the American people. Violence can never be a cure for peace. Revenge will always be there. We have to find a way to resolve these wars without producing more body bags. The goals are simply not achievable. He got to listen to the voice of the American people and the voice of his inner conscience. References Brannen, J. & O’Brien, M. (1996). Children in families: Research and Policy. Routledge. p. 117. ONCDP. (2007). The President’s national drug control strategy February 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007. Riley, K.J. (1996). Snow job?: The war against international cocaine trafficking. Transaction Publishing. pp. 40. Â  

Cognition, language, and brain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cognition, language, and brain - Essay Example As the brain develops, language skills are modified to a significant degree depending on particular outside influences. Therefore, â€Å"both genetic and environmental influences may contribute in varying degrees to the final shaping of the dyslexic brain† (Lishman, 2003). Dyslexia cannot be diagnosed or understood as a specific disorder which has led to misunderstandings within the scientific community and the public regarding the condition which this discussion attempts to clarify. An example of the non-specific nature of dyslexia centers on an argument regarding which part of the brain most affects the condition. Though it is widely accepted that the left hemisphere of the brain controls verbal functions and positron emission tomography scans have confirmed this assessment, others, such as Price et al (1998) hypothesize that â€Å"reading aloud involves a large number of cognitive processes including, at a minimum, visual and orthographic analysis, phonological retrieval, articulation, and hearing the sound of the spoken word† (Price et al, 1998, p. 305). Price went on to say deficits associated with dyslexia â€Å"might be the hallmarks of exclusive reliance on a right-hemisphere†¦the reading of dyslexics rely exclusively on a right-hemisphere† (Price et al, 1998, p. 305). Some type of right-hemisphere mechanism involving reading comprehension is necessary to be able to read aloud if any one of the left-sided functions such as processing s tages, orthographic, semantic or phonological functions is not capable of operating normally. That the emotional and creative side of the brain plays some type of role in reading comprehension can hardly be disputed. For example, if a child is upset or they prefer to draw animal figures from letters instead of pronouncing them, the ability to read coherently may be slowed somewhat as compared to classmates. Dyslexia concerns many facets of brain function. However, it

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

Company - Essay Example Laws on incorporation and existence of business entities, and interaction between persons are other elements of the legal system that the company must identify before entering to a market. Political stability and political goodwill to foster economic growth are the elements of political systems that the company must consider before venturing into a market (Butterworth-Heinemann n.p.). Egypt’s political system identifies a powerful executive arm of the government that has authority over local government and the legislature. The president makes major appointments and has power to dissolve the parliament. The legal system identifies an independent judiciary (International Business Publications 32, 33). Unlike Egypt, Mexico has a decentralized political system in which other levels of the government and local and international private stakeholders participates in decision making processes. The legal system also has a formal structure that identifies consistency and effectiveness (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 94). Vietnam has a similar monopolistic political system to Egypt and a highly regulated legal system that aims at protecting the political system (Gillespie and Chen 17). The political and legal system in Egypt and Vietnam would require Spyder Active Sports to research on trends in the governments’ control of the economy a nd the government’s injustices to business organizations before venturing into the markets. This will derail plans to venture into the two economies while the political and legal system in Mexico identifies strong legal system and a democratic political system that safeguards interests of private stakeholders and would facilitate faster venture into the

International Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Finance - Essay Example Furthermore, the models have been estimated with Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates of the output gap in relation to the unemployment gap and use these two figures of the same period along with one-year-ahead forecasts for determining the inflation level in order to compare with the real economic activity. Thus, the article provides an assessment of four models with specified Taylor rule. Moreover, the performances of conventional monetary, Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), and interest rate differential model have been evaluated for comparing each of the four models (Molodtsova & Papell, 2010). Due to the unavailability of euro or dollar exchange rates till 1999 when the euro had been introduced, rolling regressions methods have been used to predict the exchange rate changing from the year 1999 along with 26 observations for each regression. However, the number of observations has been kept constant while deriving the results from the year ending 20 07 with 37 predictions, all the way through to 2010, with 45 predictions. The results have further been represented through three test statistics, namely, ‘ratio of the mean squared prediction errors (MSPE) of the linear and random walk models, DMW test of Diebold and Marino (1995) along with West (1996) and the CW test of Clark and West (2006)’ with the significant values of McCracken (Molodtsova & Papell, 2010). The results derived from the Taylor rule fundamentals model reveal an attractive apparent pattern. It has been observed that along with the variables of that period and rising inflation, MSPE of the Taylor rule model is lesser compared to MSPE of the random walk model. Furthermore, utilizing the CW and DMW tests at 5% or higher level for the early predictions of year ended 2007, it has been noted that the random walk null can be discarded in favor of the Taylor rule model. Therefore, following the number of predictions increase, the strength of the rejections increased which hit the highest level in 2008. However, from the next quarter of 2008, the strength of the rejections started to decline and thus, climbed to the extreme level of financial crisis thereby, favoring the Taylor rule specifications sharply. In 2009, the ‘phoenix’ Taylor rule forecasting evolved which was discarded in favor of Taylor rule models at 1% implication level for all specifications between 2009 and 2010. Although the pattern of results has similarities with the inflation level in the beginning of 2008, the strength of the rejections is weaker. Furthermore, the results derived from forecasted variables are weaker than actual variables from that period (Molodtsova & Papell, 2010). Mark (1995) theories focused on obtaining a set of long-run fundamentals from the different models which helped in evaluating out-of-sample forecasts on the basis of the difference between the present exchange rate and its value in the long run. Another part of the theory u ses the interest rate obscured by Taylor rule whereas, Molodtsova and Papell (2009) uses the variables that are utilized in Taylor rules to estimate the exchange rate predictions. Furthermore, the Taylor rule fundamentals model helps to evaluate the correlation between the exchange rate and a number of variables that

Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Starbucks - Essay Example The paper talks us the story of Starbucks from very begining. By 1992, Starbucks had its initial public offering with 165 outlets. Today, Starbucks has almost 17,000 stores in over 50 countries. It has also taken over several companies including Seattle Coffee Company, Seattle's Best Coffee, Diedrich Coffee and Coffee People. Starbucks has also reduced product cost and waste but at the same time improved customer satisfaction. The profitability of their international business continues to improve through supply chain efficiencies. The primary market risk that Starbucks will face in the coming year is the commodity price risk of coffee and dairy products. Foreign exchange currency risk is also a concern because of its international operations. After an analysis of the financials of Starbucks, we can say that it is very good investment for the future because of its growth potential. Although its US market may already be saturated, its overseas market is not yet saturated. Its 40-year history of providing exceptional coffee, world-class customer experience, commitment to its partners (employees) and dedication as a responsible corporate citizen is more than enough reason to invest in the company. We are sure we can go wrong with Starbucks! Go to the store and try a good cup of coffee!

Industry Assignment #2 Volkswagen AG Group Essay

Industry Assignment #2 Volkswagen AG Group - Essay Example Volkswagen with it's headquarter in Wolfsburg is one of the world's leading automobile manufacturers and the largest car producer in Europe. It operates 44 manufacturing facilities in 12 countries in Europe and in a further six countries in America, Asia and Africa. While the Company operates in two divisions, Automotive and Financial Services, our research is focused on its car manufacturing division. Volkswagen AG ('Company') is engaged in the manufacture and sale of automobiles worldwide. The Company's brands cut across different vehicle classes, from the top luxury class occupied by the Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini models, down to the bottom class where Skoda, Seat and Volkswagen are positioned. But the Volkswagen and Audi brands in particular cut right across the vertical class range. Each brand has maintained its own individual character and operates independently in the market. Its diverse range of brands gives the Company a critical competitive advantage. While it is difficult to track consumer habits in a rapidly evolving automobile market, price competitiveness will certainly remain a critical success factor. The mass-market consumers are likely to make product selections based on the price competitiveness, fuel efficiency and liberal credit availability. Valued-added features, more lucrative sales incentives to dealers, extended warranty coverage will emerge as some of the means to retain and increase market share in this extremely price sensitive market segment. Strategies of Volkswagen For many decades, Volkswagen was a classical single product mass manufacturer of Beetle brand; thus achieving a high level of inflexible and dedicated automation. In the late nineties, while the Company continued to focus on scale economies it changed its strategy from being a single product manufacture to a modern volume manufacturer offering a range of vehicles for different section of the market. A multi-brand strategy gives a clear market positioning. Volkswagen keeps adjusting its structure and strategies to cope up with the dynamics of car manufacturing industry. As per the Porter's 5 force model, the profit potential of an industry depends on the combined strength of the following five basic competitive forces: 1. Rivalry among existing firms 2. Threat to new entrants 3. Pressure from substitute products 4. Bargaining power of buyers 5. Bargaining powers of sellers According to Michael Porter, any company in any industry can achieve a competitive advantage through cost leadership, product differentiation and market segmentation. Volkswagen is a good example of proving Porter's theory. The Company has followed the strategy of product differentiation and market segmentation to achieve the competitive advantage. The following section highlights the strategies followed by Volkswagen to achieve its competitive advantage in the dynamic car manufacturing industry. Multi-Brand Strategy Volkswagen's brands cut across different vehicle classes, from the top luxury class occupied by the Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini models, down to the bottom class where Skoda, Seat and Volkswagen are positioned. However, each brand has maintained its own individual character and operates independently in the market. This multi-brand strategy enables the Company to generate economies of scale and to fill up price gaps and quality gaps

Assignment as an essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

As an essay - Assignment Example ntesting states, international custom practices considered as law, and judicial decisions and teachings of qualified publicists in the different nations. The norms surrounding international laws are the principles and rules that apply to international law. This term is not common in international court systems though it can still be used to refer to principles and rules. There are seven principles of international law. They are borrowed from domestic law because international law is not developed and is mostly patchy (Aust 6). In reference to international law, the US violated the sixth principle. According to the principle, it is unlawful any person to plan, prepare, initiate, or wage a war in aggression in international agreements, treaties, or insurances. Subordination as applies to law is a situation where one principle overrides the other and nullifies the outcomes set by the principle seen to be weaker. Such a scenario is not legible in international law as all principles are w ell phrased to defend themselves in all situations (Aust 9). Territory acquisition in international law is achieved through a number of ways, which were set initially by ancient traditional laws (Aust 33). The first way is discovery. In this case, a country must be the first one to identify a territory that is not owned by any other state and it should perform symbolic acts like planting a flag to show official acquisition. Another method is conquest and annexation (Aust 36). It involves a forceful invasion of a state into a territory that is not theirs and demand ownership. It might include war and struggles and if the invading country wins, it takes over the territory. Another method used in acquisition is cession. It involves the voluntary giving up of a territory by a country. In such a case, another country can easily take over the territory. Another way of territory acquisition is occupation and prescription. This is where a sovereign state is already in ownership or control of a

The strategic partnership for the delivery of Excellent Waste services Essay

The strategic partnership for the delivery of Excellent Waste services for the Somerset County Council (SCC) - Essay Example Wyvem needs to adhere to correct business procedures and procedures as failure to do so may lead to cancellation of the contract. Of much importance is the nature of the contract as it touches on a key service delivery area of the Somerset County Council. In the event Wyvem fails to observe the set standard in executing its duties in cycling of waste, environmental degradation in the form of pollution will occur. This can be a barrier to the success of the partnership. Customer focus is important in this contract because the customer is the final consumer. Wyvem cannot realise profits with out maximizing on sales from its products. The Household waste recycling centres will need proper and professional management, which will ensure customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction largely depends on how customers are treated when they visit the centres, how their views and concerns are responded and acted upon and whether they perceive the management of the centres to value them. For the partnership to succeed Wyvem will need to restrict its operations and practice within the standard limits set in the contract. For instance, it can only obtain waste with in the rules set by Somerset County Council. The incentives offered by Wyvem must fall within the agreement just as the penalties Wyvem introduces to defaulters in the process of execution of its tasks must be within acceptable limits. The payment mechanism between the parties will hold as stipulated for in the contract / agreement and no matter the amount of profit Wyvem realises from recycling business, Somerset County Council is not entitled to claim extra benefits from Wyvem. Therefore adherence to the rules and regulations entered in the contract is necessary for the success of the partnership contract. The future of the contract largely depends on how keenly senior compliance officer plays his/ her role. As a senior compliance

The CIA created Osama bin Laden Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The CIA created Osama bin Laden - Research Paper Example Accordingly, the following analysis will seek to engage with this very topic. As such, it would be necessary to delve deeply into storable roots of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden and determine whether or not a clear and determinant level of group exists with respect to the way in which this potential â€Å"asset† was handled. In accordance with the basic premise of investigative reporting, the discussion will be concentric upon those alleged and proven aspects of cooperation that exist between the Central Intelligence Agency and Osama bin Laden. Is the hope of this particular author that such a level of discussion will be beneficial in shedding further level of light on what can only be described as an increasingly murky and seemingly undecipherable relationship. As with many of the assets and informants that the Central Intelligence Agency seeks to develop around the globe, Osama bin Laden was of little importance to the agency prior to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Recognizing that fellow Muslims were being oppressed by an atheist regime, Osama bin Laden, and indeed many others throughout the Islamic world, set out to provide moral, material, and direct support to the forces that were fighting against the Soviet occupation. As such, Osama bin Laden left what many individuals would describe as a comfortable life and began to utilize this fortune, time, and energy as a means of funneling money and material to the mujahedin. Although it is true that Osama bin Laden began to play a more active role as the 1980s progressed, it was this initial activity that placed him on the radar for Pakistani ISI, Saudi intelligence, and the Central Intelligence Agency. Further, as it was the United States’ direct and implicit goal to see the Soviet Union fail in its attempted invasion of Afghanistan, coordinating with anti-Soviet actions and supplying these individuals with the required material and

Homeless essay Essay Example for Free

Homeless essay Essay Most homeless people are responsible for their own problems. Do you agree? In this essay I will be pointed out facts about the homeless people in London and I will be analysing if it is there fault for being homeless or our fault. There are thousands of people who roam around the streets of London looking for a patch to sleep and somewhere to eat. Children and adults leave there houses because of family problems and many more scenarios. There are many people living around the streets of London and the world. They face problems that force them to leave there home and the majority of the time it is because of money problems and family problems. They leave houses to travel the streets and live in alleyways and face the whether which can turn bad in the winter. The question that I will investigate is it their fault that there homeless. The majority of homeless people are homeless because it has been their fault. Their problems that they have faced have pushed them to leave home and loose any luxuries they had. Any homeless people do not even try to gain a job to support them in any way. Many people think that they should get a job as many do have some qualifications that can help them. This is a sign of being lazy which cannot benefit them in any way and they deserve to be homeless if they act in this way. They clanger ways to get moneys from people by begging in crowded areas and doing an act to endure people to give money. This is the easy route out and if homeless people do this then no simperfy should be given. More than three hundred thousand was given to beggars over a period of two months n London and was spent on drugs and alcohol. This is a good example of why no money should be given to beggars, as they will only harm themselves and people around them. Many homeless people by the drugs because they fell that they have nothing and drugs might be a way to get a boost to survive day-to-day life on the streets. Many homeless people refuse shelter because they think that they can get by without them. This is a sign of being shellfish and people shouldn’t tolerate it. Many immigrants flee to the UK because they think that it is their escape route out of their country because of poverty or war. They come into this country and such onto our money that has been give. They stay homeless for a while and as soon as a chance comes they will take it. They should get out and get a job because it will help them and maybe their future family. Many homeless people who have no options available to them do drastic things to gain some money to support them for the day or week. Many professional all beggars get eighty pounds a day, which is tax-free. This is ridiculous as it is more than people get in a day for going out and doing work. This is a prime example as to why money shouldn’t be given to them. Some homeless people who want to get out of the situation cannot because they are too lazy to find out information about numbers to call for help such as childline and social services. There is an magazine that can help the homeless it is called the big issue and it aim to help the homeless by telling them what to do and numbers to call. It is a big help for people who want to get out of the situation. It is a free paper and could get homeless people back on a property. I think that some homeless people are to blame themselves, as they do not want help of any sort. In this part of the investigation I will be analysing the support side to this argument. There is another side to which I think that is to be announced about homeless people. The things that have happened to them are not their fault. This problem could of happened to anyone. This is why there are many charities open to help the homeless who will provide food and a shelter for them to sleep in. the big issue is a big help. Keith smith at thebig issue agrees that it is not fair to tell people that they mustn’t give money to beggars. The government has made a good contribution to this case, as ninety two per cent of families are now living in tempary accommodation in a good maintained house with a bath, bedrooms and living room. The government hopes to get as many homeless people into homes by 2010. This is a great achievement for the people who want to move home. There are many groups that go into the streets and provide food and shelter to the homeless. People should give money to charities because it will have more of an effect as if you give it to the homeless in person they could just by drugs or alcohol with it. I think in my judgement that homeless people are not to blame, as they cannot help was has happened to them. They need help, which is provided by different services. A small amount of money is all that is needed to support them. With a new priminister in power I think that he will tackle the problem in a quick way. He could bring the time from 2010 to now which could help the homeless even more.

Has The Federal Emergency Response Improved 9 11 Criminology Essay

Has The Federal Emergency Response Improved 9 11 Criminology Essay The United States is confronted by many kinds of emergencies every day, emergencies which require prompt actions from emergency responders. These responders may come from different parts of the same local authorities or may come from other authorities. They may come from State or Federal agencies. Nevertheless, despite having come from different authorities and agencies, they need to effectively communicate and work together to get their desired results. The failures of the Federal government during the 9/11 attack serves as an awakening call to all. The 9/11 attack which has struck the whole country emphasizes that there is a need to continuously improve incident management. The history of Federal response procedures indicates that Federal planning concentrates too much on how Federal agencies communicate to one another during such emergencies. However, it did not completely concentrate on incorporating the different levels of government to manage incidents. It did not plan on appro priate working relationships prior to, subsequent to, and all throughout the crisis. Subsequent to the 9/11 attack, endeavoring to provide better incident responses, incident management principles must be revisited to develop a better response framework. This paper will provide a review on how the Federal Response Framework was implemented during the 9/11 attack. In doing so, the paper will explore the history of Federal response procedures, the Federal response to terrorism and the National Response Framework. This paper will also discuss the lessons learned from the 9/11 attack and the improvements made since the terrorist attack. History of Federal Response Procedures The current National Response Framework is a product of a long history of natural and man-made disasters, where existing response procedures were revisited and reassessed consequently following a disaster. The federal governments role in emergency response dates back following the event in 1802 when a Portsmouth, New Hampshire was raged by a large uncontrolled fire. Immediately in 1803, the federal government launched the federal role with The Congressional Act of 1803 (Foster, 2005). A century followed characterized by many natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods, to which the federal government attended to. During the 1960s to the early 1970s, United States faced massive disasters which required major federal response and recovery operations. Thus, legislation were increased to address the concerns that natural disasters bring forth, such as the National Flood Insurance Act in 1968 and the Disaster Relief Act in 1974, to name a few (FEMA, 2009). At this point, however, emergency response procedures were still fragmented. There were more than a hundred federal agencies involved in providing assistance to state to local governments in the event of a disaster. Moreover, many programs and policies within the state and local level were too similar resulting to redundancy as well as compounding the complexity of the federal governments efforts in responding to disasters. The National Governors Association considered cutting the number of agencies to which the state and local government needed to coordinate with. They approached President Jimmy Carter to centralize federal emergency functions (Foster, 2005). With an attempt to improve and streamline federal emergency functions, President Carter signed an Executive Order that created the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA became responsible for coordinat[ing] the federal governments role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror (FEMA, 2009). In 1988, the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act was passed, which launched a system wherein a Presidential disaster declaration of an emergency prompted federal financial and material assistance to be released to state and local governments. This act became known as the Federal Response Plan and FEMA has t he primary responsibility of coordinating at least 25 government and non-government agencies. The first few years of FEMA emphasized the complexity of emergency management as FEMA faced many unusual disasters and emergencies such as the contamination of Love Canal, Cuban refugee crisis and disaster at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant (FEMA, 2009). Other disasters it faced were the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. When James Witt became the new FEMA director in 1993, Witt instigated reforms within the agency that reorganized disaster relief and recovery operations to an all-hazards model to make it more efficient, emphasizing on preparedness and mitigation and customer service. After the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, Homeland Security Act of 2002 was passed, which required the consolidation of existing federal government emergency response plans into a single, coordinated national response plan (U.S. Congress, Cited from Lindsay, 2008, p. 3). The act also created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) merging at least 20 agencies into a single department, including FEMA. FEMA, despite being under DHS, still maintained its authority to administer the provisions of the Stafford Act as well as its designation as the forefront agency for the countrys response plan. In December 2004, DHS issued a successor to the Federal Response Plan, entitled the National Response Plan (NRP). The NRP attempts to incorporate all levels of government in a common incident management framework (US Government Printing Office, 2009). Implemented during Hurricane Katrina, the NRP still proved to be inadequate. Nine months after Katrinas landfall, several changes were made to the NRP, which integrated the preliminary lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina. In 2008, DHS published the National Response Framework (NRF) as a guide to how the nation conducts emergency and disaster responses. The NRF replaces the 2004 NRP and revised 2006 NRP (US Government Printing Office, 2009). Federal Response to Terrorism Responding to a terrorist act, whether it involves a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agent or weapon, entails a wide array of complexities to state and local responders. The current system requires that local police, fire and emergency personnel first respond to the disaster (Haddow, Bullock Coppola, 2006). If the incident overpowers the capabilities of the local responders, they may turn to the state government for assistance and when it becomes too immense for the local and state responders, eventually, they turn to the federal government for assistance. Accordingly, federal agencies may assist through deployment of various teams (GAO, 2000). Figure 1: Relationship between crisis management and consequence management (Larson and Peters, 2001, p. 258) The Federal Response Plan and Terrorism Incident Annex states that the Terrorism Incident Annex endeavors to improve the nations ability to respond rapidly and decisively to terrorism directed against Americans wherever it occurs, arrest or defeat the perpetrators using all appropriate instruments against the sponsoring organizations and governments, and provide recovery relief to victims, as permitted by law (Larson Peters, 2001, p. 259) The Terrorism Incident Annex visualizes a possible flow from crisis management activities to consequence management (See figure 1). Larson and Peters (2001) indicated that the difference between crisis management and consequence management is that crisis management involves measures to identify, acquire, and plan the use of resources needed to anticipate, prevent, and/or resolve a threat or act of terrorism whereas consequence management, on the other hand, includes measures to protect public health and safety, restore essential government services , and provide emergency relief to governments, businesses, and individuals affected by the consequences of terrorism (Larson Peters, 2001, p. 257). National Response Framework Effective March 22, 2008, the National Response Framework superseded the National Response Plan. The NRF lays out the guiding principles which facilitate all response associates to prepare for and provide an integrated emergency response towards disasters and other emergencies. It institutes an all-inclusive, national, all-hazards approach to domestic incident response. The NRF defines the key principles, roles and structures that systematize how the country responds as one nation. The NRF is built upon the National Incident Management System (NIMS) which provides a standard command and management structure that directly applies to response activities. Accordingly, this system presents a reliable, national template that allows Federal, State, tribal and local governments as well as the private sector and NGOs to collaborate in the preparation, prevention, response, recovery and mitigation of the effects of the incidents regardless of its size, cause, location and/or complexity (US Go vernment Printing Office, 2009). This NRF is needed by, and incorporates under, the larger National Strategy for Homeland Security or Strategy which serves to lead, systematize and unite the countrys homeland security efforts. This strategy mirrors an improved understanding of the threats and challenges facing the United States. It integrates the different lessons learned from exercises and actual disasters. In addition, it expresses how our nation can ensure enduring success through strengthening homeland security. Furthermore, it presents a general framework through which the entire nation should direct its homeland security efforts in achieving the following goals: Prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks. Protect the American people and our critical infrastructure and key resources. Respond to and recover from incidents that do occur. Continue to strengthen the foundation to ensure our long-term success (US Government Printing Office, 2009, p. 12). The NRF is primarily concerned with the third goal which aims to respond to and recover from incidents that do occur. The Strategy necessitates an NRF that facilitates the strengthening of the foundation built for an effective national response, which swiftly evaluate rising incidents, take preliminary actions, develop operations as needed and instigate recovery actions in stabilizing the area. Furthermore, the Strategy also necessitates that the NRF be clearly written, easy to understand and designed to encompass a national scope as it meets the needs of State, local, and tribal governments and the private sector and NGOs, as well as the Federal Government. The Framework is designed to answer and support the Strategy, which must work together impeccably to national, State, tribal, and local preparedness activities. The 9/11 Attack and Emergency Procedures Implemented According to the 9/11 Commission Report (2004), the emergency response at the Pentagon was, in general, effective. The response constituted a combination of local, state and federal jurisdictions. The Arlington County Fire Department served as the incident commander, for obvious reasons on the nature of the event, whereas other agencies involved had different roles. The Department of Justice, on the other hand, became the lead federal agency in charge. Moreover, Arlington County and all bordering and surrounding jurisdictions became involved one way or another during the response procedure. The series of events of the terrorist attack started around 9:37 am when the west wall of the Pentagon was hit by a hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757. Immediately, the building and the airplane was damaged, killing all 64 people in the plane and 125 people inside the Pentagon. Additionally, there were six people also seriously injured and mobilized to area hospitals. The 9/11 Commission Report justifies the success of the emergency response for three reasons. Firstly, emergency responders were able to build strong professional relationships with one another. Secondly, the Incident Command System was appropriately implemented. And lastly, there was a pursuit of a regional approach to response. Accordingly, many of the fire and police agencies involved had extensive previous experience when it came to collaborating on regional events and training exercises (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). Several local, regional, state and federal agencies immediately responded to the incident. Along with the county fire, police and sheriffs departments, there was the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Fire Department, Fort Myer Fire Department, the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the FBI, FEMA, National Medical Response Team, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and a number of military personnel from the Military District of Washington. Arlington County Emergency Communications Center also communicated with other fire departments from Fairfax County, Alexandria and the District of Columbia for further assistance with the incident. By 9:41, command was already established and the incident command post has already presented a clear picture of the crash site and how to access it. By 9:55, there was an evacuation order of the Pentagon by the incident commander because of the preliminary assessment of a collapse of the building. By 9:57, the building partially collapsed; nevertheless, no first responders were injured. By 10:15, the incident commander ordered a full evacuation of the command post because of warning that another hijacked plane is fast-approaching to the site. The 9/11 Commission Report (2004) noted that the evacuation order was well communicated and well coordinated. In fact, the 9/11 Commission Report stated that a vast number of civilians below the impact zone were able to evacuate the towers. This evacuation was facilitated significantly by the amendments made by the Port Authority in response to the 1993 bombing as well as the training of both Authority personnel and civilians after that incident. The stairwells of unaffected floors remained lighted, whereas other stairwells had glow strips to the handrails and stairs. General evacuation time was approximately less than one hour on September 11 for those who were not trapped or suffering physical disabilities, compared to almost four hours during the 1993 bombing. Nevertheless, there were many problems that arose from the incident. Challenges to which are considered as failures and lessons learned during the 9/11 attack are outlined in the succeeding section: The Challenge of Incident Command The Incident Commander is responsible for the management of the Citys response to emergency; If the incident is so multifaceted that no one agency immediately stands out as the Incident Commander, OEM will assign the role of Incident Commander to an agency as the situation demands (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004, p. 319). To some extent, the Mayors directive for incident command was implemented during the incident response as the FDNY became the lead response agency during the incident. However, the problem was that response operations lacked the type of integrated communications and unified command contemplated in the directive. According to one of the experiences of the first responders to the 9/11 attack, Almost all aspects of communication continue to be problematic, from initial notification to tactical operations. Cellular telephones were of little valueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Radio channels were initially oversaturatedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ pagers seemed to be the most reliable means of notification when available and used, but most firefighters are not issued pagers (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004, p. 314). Command and Control within First Responder Agencies In any kind of unified incident management system, all participants must possess command and control over its own units and sufficient internal communications. However, during the 9/11 incident, first responder agencies lacked command and control over its own unit and adequate internal communications. FDNY, for example, lacked the experience in responding to an incident like the 9/11 terrorist attack. FDNY was incompetent in organizing the number of units dispatch within the complex (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). This may be partly caused by the breakdown of internal communications wherein their radios had limited capabilities in a high-rise environment such as that of the WTC. Moreover, there was confusion over the assignation of the different frequencies to the personnel involved. Finally, the FDNY command post died down when the South Tower collapsed, compromising the departments capability to comprehend the status of the incident response. Another example is the Port Authoritys insufficient standard operating procedures and efficient radios to facilitate multiple commands to respond effectively. Many officials while under the tunnels and airports reported that they were not able to understand instructions issued. Moreover, command and control was further complicated when senior Port Authority Police officials decided to participate in frontline rescue operations (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). NYPD also faced some, although relatively fewer, command and control and communication issues. The department, with its extensive experience in mobilizing thousands of officers during key events necessitating crowd control, was able to adapt more easily to an immense devastating event such as that of the 9/11. However, it is unclear whether NYPD officers were fully well coordinated (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). Lack of Coordination and Collaboration among First Responder Agencies The Commission reported that there was insufficient comprehensive coordination between NYPD, FDNY and PAPD personnel as they ascended the towers. Information sharing became a critical issue during the 9/11 attack. FDNY officials reported their difficulties in their decision-making due to insufficient information given by the NYPD aviation. NYPD aviation, prior to the collapse of the tower, had already warned at 9:51 that large pieces from the South Tower seemed to fall, which could pose considerable danger to people below. It was only after the towers collapse where FDNY received this message due to internal breakdowns in commnication. This lack of real-time intelligence resulted to more lives lost. The lack of coordination between NYPD, FDNY and PAPD was also evident in terms of searching the complex for civilians as there was redundancy in searching specific floors and areas. Radio Communication Challenges Mentioned earlier, FDNY had significant deficiencies in terms of radio communication. Three factors attributed to the ineffectiveness of communication. First, the effectiveness of communication through the radios were significantly reduced due to the high-rise environment. Second, too many units attempted to communicate to tactical channel 1 at 10:00, overwhelming the frequency. Lastly, many firefigters were on the wrong frequency whereas others simply lacked radios in general (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). Protective Technologies The experiences of the first responders during the 9/11 rescue operation illustrated the significant deficit in terms of protection. The responders reported that their personal protective equipments (PPE) hindered their ability to do their jobs. Their overall PPE proved to be incapable of protecting them such that other equipments performed better than others. Head protection as well as high-visibility suits performed well, whereas protective clothing and respirators were not very effective. Protective clothing did not provide enough protection against biological and infectious disease hazards, heat from the fire and demanding physical environment. Moreover, the material used was not light and flexible enough to move through and fro confined spaces. Eye protection, although offering protection against direct impact, did not provide any protection to persistent dust at the site (Jackson, et al., 2002). Improvements since 9/11 Attack Perhaps one of the most significant improvements made since the 9/11 terrorist attack is the issue on airport security which involves preparation to mitigate the risks of terrorism. Airport security has become much tighter than ever (Dempsey, 2007). Travelling has become more secured as access has now been rigorously restricted. One can no longer go straight to the gates and fly. Passengers have to wait in long lines before one can actually go in, whether flying domestically or internationally. Appropriate documents must be presented and authenticated as well (i.e. passports, government issued IDs, and plane tickets). Aside from documents, people as well as their belongings have to undergo vigorous scrutiny and inspection through security screeners and X-ray machines. Dangerous items such as guns, knives, corkscrews and other sharp objects are no longer allowed to be brought inside the airports. Baggages are more frequently searched in random, whereas passengers are performed pat dow ns (Dempsey, 2007). Airplanes are also made more secure than ever, with their hardened cockpits and federal air marshals to ensure the safety of the passengers and guard terrorist acts. Endeavoring to identify possible terrorists and smugglers and prevent them and their baggage from entering the secured parts of the airport and the airplanes, airport officials conduct profiling of passengers. This system develops a personality profile of the traits of terrorists and smugglers and attempts to match the passengers to the profile. Once a passenger matched a certain terrorist or smuggler profile, he or she is detained and subjected to appropriate search and questioning (Dempsey, 2007). Furthermore, all passengers now undergo explosive detections through conducting profiling, visual and physical inspections and canine inspection wherein trained dogs are used in recognizing explosive vapors. Airports now also use different kinds of state-of-the-art x-ray machines and explosive-odor detection devices (Dempsey, 2007). Assessment of the Federal Response Framework after the 9/11 One of the major disasters that hit the country, subsequent to the 9/11 attack, was Hurricane Katrina during 2005. Four years after the terrorist attack of 9/11, the country was hit by a major hurricane. Despite efforts made on equipping the country to minimize the risks of terrorist plots, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina illustrated how unprepared the country still is. Federal response procedures at the time, even after the 9/11 attack still proved to be inadequate and ineffective. There was lack of preparation within all levels of government (Sellnow, Ulmer, Seeger, Littlefield, 2008). In addition, there was also a lack of coordination and collaboration among the different agencies involved in the incident (Sellnow, et al., 2008). During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA was incapable to streamlining the agencies involved and produce timely response and results (Sellnow, et al., 2008). Furthermore, there was a lack of communications and situational awareness (Sellnow, et al., 2008). Farber and Chen (2006) asserted that the problems encountered during the Hurricane Katrina response were not born and/or ended during and after Hurricane Katrina. The failures during the incident response indicate that local, state and federal government still need to work together to continuously improve the system. Conclusions The challenges of different kinds of disasters confront our country every now and then. These challenges continue to test the character and perseverance of American people. History illustrates a long line of failures in emergency management. Nevertheless, as we fail to respond appropriately towards it, we constantly learn from our mistakes and attempt to continuously improve. The 9/11 attack and Hurricane Katrina was an awakening call telling the country to be more prepared to incidents such as these. To answer whether the federal response procedures have improved since the 9/11 attack, there are certainly improvements especially in terms of securing the country from terrorist attacks. Significant changes in airport security proved to be effective in mitigating the risks of terrorism within the country. However, it should be noted that this is not enough. Further planning and training still need to be done for the country to be fully prepared.

Common Core is Failing Our Education System

Common Core is Failing Our Education System I feel very connected to the issue of national testing and standards. I went to public school K-8 and private school 9-12 so I was able to see the issue and how classroom learning can go on both sides. My audience is Betsy DeVos. My research went well, there were a lot of topics on the issue so I didnt have a hard time finding a plethora of information from both sides. It took a while to find some really good articles though. My purpose is to try and get a state centered hand in standards and testing and to repeal Common Core. My only constraints are a series of mental health issues that popped up last year, (which is why I am writing my quest essay on that) but it isnt an excuse, just some background I suppose. I feel as if it isnt my best work, but I feel that way a lot because I have never really enjoyed my writing or been able to get into the process. My peer editors were Leo and Nils and they were both helpful to me. I was able to also get a lot of help at the writing center. Ryan ConnerCourtney BrognoEnglish 1453/16/2017 Common Core is Failing Our Education System In 2001, when the No Child Left Behind Act was passed, emphasis on standardized testing took the spotlight. No Child Left Behind and its successor, Common Core, created the phrase teaching to test. It implies that educators in K-12 classes are no longer trying to foster learning and critical thinking, but instead making sure their students are able to pass a test, deemed by the nation to be comprehensive of the knowledge they should have. Its intentions may have been to help keep students on a path to success but instead has only hindered the ability of students, myself included, as a whole. I, along with many other millennials, experienced the impact of these standards firsthand. Luckily, from early childhood my family and friends gave me the opportunity grow and develop my mind outside the classroom. I was pushed to excel in all aspects whether it be math, social studies, or art. It is something I deeply cherish and respect, but had it not been for these outside influences I wouldn t be where I am today. Going to public elementary and middle school and later a private high school allowed me to gain insight into the toll the creation of a national standard took on my education. The focus of my early education with standardized testing was heavily influenced by teachers focused on making sure we were prepared solely for the test given to each student at the end of the year. Classes were mundane and cookie cutter, no matter the topic. They all seemed to be teaching similar material in a similar fashion, with no room for students who fell behind. It was as if those who didnt succeed in class were further behind each year, with no way out. My idea of education and classroom dynamic changed when I switched to private high school. There were no national standards imposed on us, no standardized tests to take at the end of the year, and room for individuality when it came to your own education. The school decided where the bar of achievement, for every student, was to be set and helped achieve it by focusing on strengths and weaknesses on a case by case basis, truly allowing us to grow. Those students who were left behind in elementary and middle school were no longer left in a hole impossible to dig out of. These experiences allowed me to see that Common Core is detrimental to the education of students for a plethora of reasons, but primarily because of the students who are behind are in a rut, which is hard to dig out of. Instead, if we repeal Common Core while replacing it with more effective state and locally created standards then we would allow students from all situations and backgrounds to learn and be involved in their own education. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) took away funding from certain programs that had been federally supported and introduced standardized testing for most grades K-12, the scores of these tests to be made public all the way from school to state. Those same scores often determined not only how students were performing based on the standards, but also if instructors and staff would hold their jobs at the end of the year. Although this wasnt the first step towards standardized testing it is arguably the first major stepping stone towards what we have today, Common Core. Common Core can be viewed as a refinement of the NCLB. Common Core takes the issues of unclear and differing standards and boils it down to allow schools to understand where improvement can be made. It sounds great on paper, but in actuality faces many of the same problems NCLB created. It takes the local control and understanding out of the equation and punishes under-performing schools that arent able to teach the material eff ectively due to socio-economic issues in communities across the nation. (Bidwell) In the Sacramento region, 30 percent of economically disadvantaged students met English standards on the latest Common Core tests, compared with 63 percent of wealthier students. About 23 percent of economically disadvantaged students met math standards, compared with 53 percent of wealthier students. (Lambert) Nancy DeVos, I urge you to repeal Common Core, which as you state on your website you are not a supporter-period. Instead of repealing with no replacement, instead, find a new system in which the state governments gain control while the federal system is still involved. You would allow communities to nurture students on an individual level so that they can develop the skills and the mental ability they need to think critically instead of the teaching to the test that Common Core still holds. The article, The Common Core Brake Job And The Need For A National Standards Discussion by Alan Singer, states that Common Core as a whole is failing the nations students by its inability to prepare and teach students in an effective way. Although Singer states that he is an opponent of Common Core, there needs to be an education curriculum in place. Common Core was muddled with corporations and individuals who wanted to profit from education instead of creating, and later refining, a system that would be adopted by 45 of the states. There must be more done before a new system is made to truly try to understand how a childs mind develops and how to create goals that cater towards it. Singer advocates that during his time teaching he was able to learn that Teaching means engaging student interest, not handing out scripted activity sheets with text selected by highly paid consultants using computer algorithms. He believes teaching is successful when you are truthful and cater towards t he real level of your students so that you can challenge them more and they can become invested in their education, not just a score on a test. The idea of replacing Common Core with a different program is thought to be near impossible to supporters. The article, How hard would it be to replace the Common Core with something better? by Valerie Strauss, goes into detail about how changing the standards from Common Core to a different program would not just be possible, but beneficial. She adds a piece to her article by Sandra Stotsky, a professor of academic reform and previous commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Education. Massachusetts standards before Common Core had nothing in common with the program in place today. Yet, they were able to create such a strong education system of standards and teaching that Almost all the students at the Advanced level and about 80 percent of the students at the Proficient level who had enrolled in four-year public colleges and universities in the Bay State in 2005 needed no remediation in mathematics or reading. (Stotsky). Their programs, starting back in 1993, were based around bringing students of all backgrounds to the same level. They overhauled school funding and specifically put a majority of it towards districts with low-income children. The money was used to update textbooks, hire and train teachers, and create new classes among the many other aspects they were able to improve. And with these changes, student test scores and graduation rates slowly improved. Today, the district says nearly 90 percent of its high school graduates go on to some form of post-secondary education up from 70 percent before. (Carapezza) Stotsky believes that their programs and standards allowed minorities to excel and that Common Core does the exact opposite. In her experience, the standards they created were, in fact, easy to implement, contrary to opposing beliefs. Her closing suggestion is to ask each Department of Education to send out an anonymous survey to English, math, and science teachers for information on how to revise the states standards. A more recent example is that Missouri recently replaced Common Core standards. The article Missouri education officials replace Common Core standards by Summer Ballentine explains the changes. The State Board of Education passed a new set of goals for K-12 in four areas. The areas covered are English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, the first two were already covered by Common Core but the last two are new additions. They want to have a more comprehensive education goal while allowing the local schools to plan how to reach them. (Ballentine) They are in the process of creating their own tests to match the learning goals set by the state. This initiative is similar to what Massachusetts did in their public school system to reach the level of proficiency and success they are known for today. Although, it differs slightly in that Missouri is taking what Common Core does and is trying to improve upon it, instead of scrapping the idea as a whole. This seems to be the best of both worl ds, having a standard set of goals for the state as a whole while allowing schools to take control of how the students they teach will be able to reach said goals. In Jennifer Marshall and Lindsey Burkes article Why National Standards Wont Fix American Education: Misalignment of Power and Incentives they go into great detail about the root issue behind national standards and testing. A misconception about national standards is the idea that national standards are necessary for parents to be able to gauge the performance of their child compared to others across the country. Found on the Common Core State Standards Initiatives website, the common core state standards will enable participating states to work together to make expectations clear to parents, teachers, and the general public. Their answer as to why national involvement is the better option fails to address why or how national standards and testing is improving the country. The information parents need is already available through programs such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Student and school performance is in existence, and has been since NCLB, but there can be a lack of transparency in some states. Marshall states If access to information has been inadequate, that does not justify a national standards and testing regime. Rather, policies should insist on clear reporting of the essential data to parents and other taxpayers. In the same article the authors created a list of what state policymakers should do. Strengthening state standards and tests would challenge students while also being able to have the control to raise the challenge as the years went on, like Massachusetts. Marshall believes States with outstanding standards and tests have taken great pains to ensure proper and precise learning sequencing. This is appropriate at the state level, where teacher certification and other integrated factors of a quality education system are determined. Allowing states control of their standards would foster a better curriculum and higher achieving students, as seen by Massachusetts. Another initiative to be taken is state publishing of school test scores readily available to parents. This would enable transparency and accountability within the state so that schools would push towards the standards outlined by the state. Common Core is failing our students, but if it were to be repealed and replaced with a state centered curriculum and testing we would prosper, not only as a nation, but as individuals. Teaching the test is detrimental to all students but it especially hurts those who dont have the initial drive, internal or external, and fall behind. The promise from my high school was that each and every one of us were to be ready for the daily rigor higher education fosters upon graduation. I firmly believe getting an education based around an individual set of standards, state-made and locally carried out, will help them reach goals they didnt think was possible, no matter the background they come from. Works Cited Ballentine, Summer. Missouri Education Officials Replace Common Core Standards. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 20 Apr. 2016. Web. 26 Feb. 2017. . Bidwell, Allie. The History of Common Core State Standards. U.S. News. U.S. News, 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 3 Mar. 16. . Carapezza, Kirk. How Massachusetts Schools Went From The Middle Of The Pack To First Place. On Campus. WGBH.org, 24 Apr. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . Frequently Asked Questions. Common Core State Standards Initiative. Corestandards.org, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . Lambert, Diana. Poor Students Lose Ground with Common Core Testing. The Sacramento Bee. Sacbee.com, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . Marshall, Jennifer A. Why National Standards Wont Fix American Education: Misalignment of Power and Incentives. The Heritage Foundation. Heritage.org, 21 May 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . McCluskey, Neal. Behind the Curtain: Assessing the Case for National Curriculum Standards. Cato Institute. Cato.org, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . Singer, Alan. The Common Core Brake Job And The Need For A National Standards Discussion. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Jan. 2017. Web. 6 Mar. 2017. .

Teaching Philosophy Essay -- Education Teaching Teacher Essays

Teaching Philosophy "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing. And in knowing that you know nothing, that makes you the smartest of all." — Socrates I believe that every person is a student. Whether in a high school classroom or on a city street, there is always something new that can be learned. However, it is sometimes easier to gain knowledge in the structured environment of a school. A school is more than a building, though. A school is a structure of teachers and pupils engaged in the task of learning. As a teacher, it will be my responsibility to guide my students through their learning. I will point them in the direction of a new fact and help them find it on their own. I will do my best not to stand in front of the classroom everyday simply stating theorems and examples for my students to memorize. Instead, I will observe them to learn when they need to be instructed and when they need to discover on their own; when they need more structure and when they need more independence; when they need discipline and when they need reward. I will do my best to meet these needs and assist my students with any other obstacles they may encounter. I will treat my students with respect and will expect my students to treat me with respect. Everyday I will learn something new from my students, just as they will learn from me. I believe that every student deserves the opportunity to learn in safe, comfortable sur...

The Crucible of War by Fred Anderson :: Civil War Slavery American History Essays

The Crucible of War by Fred Anderson An account of ex-slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass opens this chapter. When news arrived of the Confederacy firing on Fort Sumter, Douglass cheered the outbreak of the fighting and Lincoln's vow to maintain the Union. Douglass recognized that the Union was fighting solely to uphold the Constitution and preserve the nation, not to end slavery; but he also understood, much earlier than most, that a war to save the Union would inevitably become a war to end slavery. "And the War Came" President Lincoln was determined to stop the spread of secession and to take no action that would push the still undecided Upper South into seceding. He sought to reassure the Deep South of the safety of slavery, giving Unionists there the possibility of reasserting themselves and overturning the secession decision, but at the same time he made it clear that he was determined to uphold the Union. His Confederate counterpart, Jefferson Davis, was equally resolved to see an independent Confederate States of America. While neither man sought war, both knew one side would provoke it sooner or later, and the war would come. The Surrender of Fort Sumter Fort Sumter, a federally manned fort inside Charleston harbor, was a hateful symbol to the Confederacy of the nation it had abandoned. Union forces at the fort were running short of supplies and, unless they were reprovisioned, would have to evacuate. Lincoln knew that to surrender Sumter would be to abandon his commitment to preserving the Union, so he sent a relief expedition, telling Confederates that there would be no attempt to send troops or munitions unless the supply ships were attacked. The Confederates faced a dilemma: If they allowed the ships through, they would be submitting to federal authority, but taking the fort would make them the aggressors. The decision was made on April 12. When Fort Sumter's Union commander refused the southern order to surrender, Confederate shore batteries began shelling the fort, which surrendered on April 14, 1861. The Civil War had begun. The Upper South Chooses Sides Lincoln's proclamation calling for the loyal states to muster 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion forced the other slave states to choose sides. Over the next five weeks, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina seceded. The Confederacy now contained eleven of the fifteen slave states. In the border slave states of Kentucky, Delaware, Maryland, and Missouri, secession was thwarted by a combination of local Unionism and federal intervention, including the use of martial law to suppress Confederate sympathizers.

Career as a Forensic Specialist Essay

My future career as a Forensic Specialist Everest University Online Strategies for success My future career as a Forensic Specialist When I look into the future, after finishing college, I see myself as a Forensic Specialist. Why do I see myself as a Forensic Specialist you may ask? Well I will tell you why, Forensics has been something I have found astonishing and amazing since I was a kid because it can be fascinating on some of the things they find and inspect. The things a Forensic Specialist does is hard work but it is science so it is fun to learn, and I myself can’t wait to get my hands involved with some of the things they do. Another reason why I choose to go into Forensics is because it is good money, and I am able to help solve crimes and maybe hopefully one day put an end to some of the stuff that goes on in the world. In the next few paragraphs I will go on to explain some of these and much more. Due to the advances in scientific technology in examining, crime scenes have turned the Forensic Specialist/Forensic Science jobs into very high demand. One of the very vast growing career fields in the world today is Forensic Specialist/Science field. To add to its popularity, Forensic Specialist jobs also include TV shows like CSI, or Crime Scene Investigators. The Forensic Specialist job field also has many subcategories which consist of forensic science consultants, fingerprint technicians and examiners, evidence technicians and forensic investigators. When it comes to schooling, In order to become a Forensic Specialist, several factors come into play. So just because you or someone else you may know, have a 4 year bachelors degree doesn’t always get you the job. Other factors that come into the play of this matter are training programs one may have taken, and or certificates or other degrees that a person may have obtained. The schooling usually only takes 2 years for an associates degree and 4 years for a bachelors. The pay of all science technicians, forensic specialist/scientists currently earn the second highest annual salary. In 2002 that pay was about $19. 73 an hour or approximately $41,000 but that isn’t the highest nor the lowest pay of a specialist. Depending on your rank, you could make as much as $31. 49 an hour or $65,000 annually and as low as $12. 06 an hour and $25,100 annually. The pay of a Forensic Specialist is determined on factors like the type of specialist you are, the rank in which you uphold, years of experience and the type of employment and its location. In 2012 the pay for a Forensic Specialist field will increase its pay by 19% with 360 job positions opening up each year. In conclusion to my research of becoming a Forensic specialist, I have came to make a choice to be one myself. For one I love investigating crime scenes, the pay sounds very good, and being as how I won’t graduate until 2013 or 2014 the pay that is suppose in 2012 will be even more once I start looking for a job in the field. Schooling to become such an expert isn’t all that bad, I mean 2 to 4 years isn’t a bad time limit for taking classes to get the degree I need to become a Forensic Specialist and to me will be well worth the money. Being as how the demand is so high for Forensic Specialist/Scientist I am sure there will be so many job openings when it comes time for me to go to work.

Was Mandela a Freedom Fighter or Terroist?

Was Mandela a exemption paladin or a terrorist? Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in the Eastern Cape of South Africa (Williams and Hermann, 2012). aft(prenominal) hearing the stories of his ancestors bravery, he was inspired and he dreamed of fashioning his own impact to his passel for freedom. (Venter, 2012). I believe that Nelson Mandela was a freedom virtuoso and not a terrorist. Some measures the definitions of those deuce words may get commingle up and it is quite hard to line the difference between the 2, especi tout ensembley in this case.A terrorist deliberately targets the lives of innocent people for g everyplacenmental reasons whereas a freedom fighter takes let on in a violent clamber to achieve freedom, they do not beat back at the lives of the public. If you were to look at the devil definitions, I believe that Nelson Mandela should be classified advertisement as a freedom fighter as he did not target the lives of people he fought for the freedom of the people of South Africa. In 1944 he join the African National Congress (A semipolitical checky make to unite every(prenominal) African people and give everyone satisfactory human rights) (Unwembi, 2011) and was the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the rebellious part of ANC.Even though Umkhonto we Sizwe set up a series of attacks, they were fighting for equal rights and freedom against apartheid as apartheid had dived South Africa into races and eventually had stipulation the White South Africa control over the whole of South Africa. They also made new laws to create segregation. (Brain, 2011) Umkhonto we Sizwe said The time comes in the life of any realm when there remain only two choices remove or fight. That time has at present come to South Africa.We shall not submit and we have no choice scarcely to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our people, our future, and our freedom. This quote shows that they were fighting for freedom they had sacrificed eve rything, knowing the consequences that could occur they still fought for the rights for their people. Bibliography Unwembi (2011) African National Congress, universal resource locator http//www. anc. org. za/show. php? id=172 Accessed 18/11/12 -Marshall Brain(2011) August 5 Mandela Was Arrested, URL http//history. howstuffworks. com/african-history/nelson-mandela. htm Accessed 18/11/12 By Becky Jones

God in Nature Essay

aspect at two different definitions of the word nature, I gained a better ground of what the phrase, idol in record, means. The first said that it was, the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized (www. wordnetweb. princeton. edu), and the separate described it as, The substantial world and its phenomena (www. answers. com). The earth, and everything in it, is theology in Nature, it has the very nature of god Himself, good as it is the nature of a flower to bloom. Nature is just one of the ship canal that God speaks to compositionkind. So, in other words, God is in nature, and nature is in God.Curtis Questions slightly things are intimate, and some things come inhering to you, you preceptort crawl in how or when they became a plane section of you, plainly you just somehow know how to do them. I believe if well listen in a diminished harder we can hear the voice of God instructing us on how to do things a secondary simpler, and a litt le better. Just like the sodbuster in Isaiah, I too oblige go by dint of God enabling me to do things I was never taught. I am a singer/ nervous strainwriter, and thither are times I come up with things musically, and I know it is from God because I by all odds wouldnt have normally thought to do it that way. ecumenical revelation involves Gods aver through and through creation itself. General revelation is coarse to all who provide receive it, for it is all near us. One thing that I have learned through frequent revelation is that, visit may non always be the best teacher, tho it is necessary to gain wisdom in sure things, like how to discipline your children the right way. Art has compete the leading role in most of my life, fragmentiseicularly the art of music. There are times when I am feeling down, but a song will come from within, or from someone else, and it will lift my spirit. Most Christians are omfortable using general revelation to build a house or ev aluate nutrition.They are often far little comfortable using information from disciplines like psychological science or anthropology (also general revelation). (Curtis 1996) I believe it is concentrated for most Christians to assent the studies of psychology and anthropology, because it is more(prenominal) personal, transaction with the clement mind, and behavior. Christians believe we are to be develop in our minds by gaining the mind of Christ through His Word, and if we study too blockheaded into our emotions and feelings (which are natural), we omit the mark.Sometimes our human emotions can cause us to bet twice nigh the Word of God. I used to think that people who were mentally disable had some form of demon possession, because of stories from the scripture, but as I got older and learned more close chemical imbalances in the brain etcmy opinion about that was changed. The Bible says For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord F or as the heavens are high than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 558-9).This is why, as Christians, we cannot solely depend on studies of the human mind and behavior. Some people refuse to accept God for who He is because of their human experiences. I knew a man once who hated God or that thought of Him because he had lost his mother at a very early age. He became acidulent and began to believe God had killed his mother, so God could not be all good. Theologians with nature & Guthrie arguments Theologians argue that mans universal correspondence that there is a divine being stands as an indication for his existence. (Wead).Shirley Guthrie (Guthrie, Christian Doctrine, Revised Edition, pages 41-42), lists six arguments used by philosophers and theologians through the centuries (1) the world is not self-explanatory, (2) the populace displays purpose, (3) world history and personal experience point to Gods existence, (4 ) conscience bears witness to the existence of God, (5) we have spiritual awareness of a divine presence deep within, and (6) the world seems to function in a judicious way. Two areas general revelation is useful as well as mans ability to agent that there is a God, general revelation is often assiduous in two other areas.First, it is used to reason that there is a basic set of honourable values that all men reason to be true. (Wead) It is always said that you dont have to teach a child how to lie, it just comes natural for them to do it, and it is the adults responsibility to make up that behavior. I believe we are just innate(p) with a set of moral standards built in our conscience. The child lies to begin with, because most likely they did something wrong, and are afraid of the possible consequences. Second, we reason that general revelation provides us with insight into the nature of God that we could not appreciate through circumscribed revelation alone. (Wead).For exa mple, our universe bears the mark of intelligent design and purpose. God speaks to us through His creation and it is not for lack of license that people reject God it is because they refuse to see. General revelation is open to anyone who will open their eyeball and see. General and Special Revelation General revelation, I believe was meant to be discovered through our senses, for it is in the world around us.Some things are more apparent, and other things you have to churn a little deeper to find out. Like the body and the way that it functions, we know we have a brain that sends messages to our bodies, keeping things going, but since we dont see those brains, we must dig a little deeper to learn from it. For it too, is a start up of the world around us. Nothing about deoxyribonucleic acid or nuclear fusion is found in Scripture, yet few would deny that those constitute part of reality. (Curtis 1996). Special Revelation is the Scriptures. In the past God spoke to our forefath ers through the prophets, at many times and in various ways. (Hebrews 11).The writers were led by the Holy Spirit to communicate exactly what God was saying. Curtis sees general revelation as an interpreter of special revelation. In other words, when we read the Scriptures we use our experience of nature to validate what we read in Scripture. (Wead). analysis I have gained a better understanding of how useful general revelation is to the believer. I think sometimes we as Christians, get so spiritually minded that we forget there is a completely world around us, which may not of necessity be mention in the Bible, but is meant to mates with scripture to get a better understanding of the Bigger Picture, so to speak.