Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depression - 719 Words

Bipolar disorder is also known by many as manic depression. It is a serious mental disorder that is associated by sever changes in a person’s mood, the mood changes range from feeling low and depressed to being manic, these changes are the typical symptoms of Bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and can be managed with therapy and medication. The episodes can last for days, hours or can be very short. Bipolar disorder affects both women and men. There is no known cause, but the symptoms start between the ages of 15-25, and mainly occur in people who have family members with Bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder has been around for a long time .Bipolar disorder can be traced to earliest recorded history to present day. Thousands of years ago, the Greeks recognized the vacillation between elation and depression. It wasn’t until the end of the 20th century that the disease was legitimized by congress. Bipolar comes from Julies Falret, in 1854 used the phrase â€Å"folie circulaire† which means â€Å"circular insanity† (A Brief History paragraph 2). Mr. Falret was the one who made the connection between suicide, depression and the bouts of mania. He also found out that Bipolar disorder was common in families and believed it to be genetic. Mr. Falert’s findings were finally accepted as a psychiatric disorder, it was labeled as Manic-Depressive Psychosis about 21 years later. Around the same time people thought that schizophreniaShow MoreRelatedBipolar Disorder And Manic Depression2377 Words   |  10 PagesBipolar Disorder, formally known as Manic De pression, is a mental disorder where an individual suffers from abnormal mood swings, experiencing both highs and lows (Hockenbury others, 2015, pg. 585). Severe depression with bouts of irrational happiness, and ecstasy are all symptoms an individual with bipolar disorder may experience (Hockenbury others, 2015, pg 585). DSM-5, 2013 states, â€Å"a small percentage of Bipolar disorder experience only manic episodes†. When someone is in mania they feel likeRead MoreBipolar Disorder And Dogs : Manic Depression1443 Words   |  6 PagesBipolar Disorder and Dogs Manic depression also known as Bipolar Disorder is not your normal up and down mood change; it’s not like what most people experience, getting a little sad and getting over it. Instead it is extreme mood swing that â€Å"usually going from EXTREMLY happy to EXTREMLY angry† also include emotional highs and lows such as, depression and mania. Mood changes can happen as little as a few times a year or as often as several times a week; it depends on the person and their environmentRead MoreBipolar Disorder, Formerly Known As Manic-Depression, Is1359 Words   |  6 PagesBipolar disorder, formerly known as manic-depression, is a mental disorder. This disorder causes the individual to experience severe mood swings, from elation to depression. Individuals with bipolar disorder can experience serious changes in thinking, energy and behaviour. The different states of those with bipolar experience are referred to as ‘episodes’. These episodes can last days, weeks or months, depending on the severity of the episode. There are three main types of episodes, they are maniaRead MoreTalk Therapy For Depression Or Bipolar Disorder ( Manic Depression )1256 Words   |  6 Pages Psychotherapy (also known as talk therapy) can be an important part of treatment for depression or bipolar disorder (manic depression). A good therapist can help you cope with feelings and symptoms, and change behavior patterns that may contribute to your illness. Talk therapy is not just â€Å"talking about your problems†; it is also working toward solutions. Some therapy may involve homework, such as tracking your moods, writing about your thoughts, or participating in social activities that haveRead MoreBipolar Disorder : Symptoms And Symptoms1493 Words   |  6 PagesRorman Ms. Chrisman English 10 30 November 2016 Bipolar Disorder If people don’t get enough sleep and miss a meeting, they are just upset, but for people with bipolar disorder, it can trigger another episode to their week. Bipolar Disorder is a brain disorder that can cause shifts in people s mood that are more unusual. Signs and symptoms can be different depending on if the person has manic or depressive episodes. A person with the disorder can also give their family and friends struggles, asideRead MoreBipolar Disorder1485 Words   |  6 PagesBipolar Disorder HCA/240 Toni Black Andrew Bertrand 11/21/2010 What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar disorder, is also known as manic-depressive illness, this is a brain disorder that causes unusual mood swings, energy levels are either up or down and your ability to function a normal everyday life would be a challenge to these individuals with this mental illness. The normal ups and downs that people experience who doesn’t have bipolar disorder is relatively different because withRead MoreBipolar Disorder ( Bipolar )1536 Words   |  7 PagesBipolar disorder has been gaining more and more attention over the last few years. With shootings on the rise, or at least the publicity of them, people are often pointing their fingers at mental diseases including bipolar disorder. An ongoing issue regarding mental illnesses, however, is the population has failed to fully understand what they truly are, the symptoms, and how to treat them. Bipolar disorder, which is commonly referred to as manic-depressive illness, is a disorder within the brainRead MoreManic Depression : An Effective Disorder952 Words   |  4 PagesIn this research paper, mood disorder is known as an effective disorder. This Mood disorder has another name or title that is psychiatrically labeled as Manic Depression. Sometimes individuals have good days or bad days, or just simply feel depressed. This manic depression concept reaches way beyond the trivial aspects of life. Sometimes life itself throws a curve, to the point, where an individual becomes unhappy about things that may lead them to a state of being emotionally depressed, but thisRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder1285 Words   |  6 PagesBipolar Disorder This paper will contain information on what bipolar disorder in early and late adolescence is, causes and symptoms, medical along with therapeutic interventions and how important it really is to get treatment. Bipolar disorder is a disease that affects approximately 2.6% Americans in the United States in a given year. There is limited data on the rate of bipolar in adolescents, although, it does tend to affect older teens more often and may be related to substance abuse. A lotRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder Essay1323 Words   |  6 Pageswere told you suffered from a Bipolar Disorder, would you know what that meant? Bipolar disorders affect about three million people a year. Here is some background information on the different types of bipolar disorders, the possible symptoms, along with some treatment options. While bipolar disorders are not curable, they are treatable. Steve Bressert states, â€Å"Bipolar Disorder is a mental disorder that is characterized by constantly changing moods between depression and mania. The mood swings are

Managing And Designing Value Chain Networks - 1575 Words

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY SCRIPT NO. LATE DAYS Leeds University Business School Assessed Coursework Coversheet For use with individual assessed work 2 0 0 9 8 0 9 8 1 Student Identification Number: Module Code: LUBS 5242 M Module Title: Managing and Designing Value Chain Networks Module Leader: Dr. Nicky Shaw Declared Word Count: 1499 Introduction The value chain theory was initially developed by Michael Porter (1985) to describe a chain of value-adding activities/functions within an organisation that perform distinctively from competitors to achieve competitive advantage. However, several researchers posit that disaggregation of functions could also be implemented to an inter-firm system (e,g., Christopher, 2005;†¦show more content†¦- Direct sales to customers Dell has a distinct distribution strategy that disintermediating any middlemen as finished goods are delivered directly from plants to end customers by third-party logistics partners (figure 1) Figure 1. Direct distribution model of Dell vs Indirect (Source: Manataki 2007 p. 11) - Full visibility and partnerships with suppliers Utilisation of internet and integrated real-time system is essential for Dell to communicate directly with customers and examine their purchasing behaviour. Dell implemented ERP system to align sales, production, and supply that linked directly to suppliers (Lawton and Michaels, 2001). This allows just-in-time strategy for suppliers to the production line of Dell. Figure 2 explained that there are numerous suppliers in computer industry which must be carefully maintained. Figure 2 Typical Value Chain Network of Computer Industry (Source: Kothandaraman and Wilson 2001 p. 386) - Focused manufacturing Dell is the pioneer of the adoption of postponed manufacturing in electronic industry where margins are tight and demand fluctuates. Dell’s value chain network is able to delay product customisation until closer to the time the

A Lessoned Learned the Hard Way Free Essays

Throughout my high school career I was dependent on my parents and friends for a ride to school and it was a little embarrassing. I couldn’t wait to get my first car. I was nineteen a college woman with a steady job, and it was finally time for me to get the car I deserved. We will write a custom essay sample on A Lessoned Learned the Hard Way or any similar topic only for you Order Now After a couple of very generous paychecks and a lot of penny pinching, I was ready to hit the lots and get some test driving under my belt. After a few agonizing days of financing, credit approvals and signing dotted lines, I was the happy owner of a new shiny, blue Nissan Altima coupe. Although my car was supposed to be used for work and school, other plans came first. I immediately had fun in mind! Driving was my new favorite thing to do even when there was nowhere to go, there was somewhere to go. Needed a ride? I was there. Wanted to go out? I’d be there in a heartbeat. It was Starbucks every night during the week with my girlfriends, and the endless club nights during the weekend. When I was behind the wheel I felt like â€Å"speed racer†. The windows defiantly had to be down with the sunroof open because I just loved the wind hitting my face and blowing my hair back. Everyone new I was coming a mile away with nothing but Britney Spears blasting out of my speakers. Although I should have focused on school and work, having a new car to take me where I wanted only made me carefree. Little did I know I was writing my own recipe for disaster? I had started hanging out with acquaintances that liked partying more, and one of my â€Å"party† friends Karla invited me to a bar and grill called Wings N Rings on a Tuesday night. When I arrived a good friend of mine was playing that night in his band, Holly Madison. It was open bar for the band and their friends, including me. A good time was all I had planned for and I saw no harm in having a drink or two, but shortly thereafter it led to a shot or two or three. I had no idea what I was drinking but I drank it. Being that I’m not a big drinker, the alcohol hit me, and it hit me bad. I thought I’d be okay since I went home after work and had a big dinner with my family. As I sat at the bar with my friends I slowly felt a burning sensation in my stomach and my body composure was basically â€Å"loosey gossey†. People started o notice that I was feeling â€Å"tipsy† when I began slurring my words. Oh man, I couldn’t talk right for the life of me! I remember everyone just thinking it was the funniest thing they ever heard, and it probably was. In the middle of cracking up with everyone, the room slowly started to have a domino effect. It was then when I realized that I had way too much to drink. I was 2:00am and the bartender announced â€Å"You don’t have to go home, but you have to get the heck out of here! † I tried convincing myself that I was okay to drive, didn’t say bye to anyone and walked to my car. As soon as I sat in the drivers seat I threw up chunks of chicken and red hot cheetos. I thought I felt better after threw up so I left the Wings N Rings parking lot. I was so sure I’d make it home since it was only one exit way from the bar. I put my car on cruise control after I left so I wouldn’t get pulled over for speeding. While I was on the expressway I started feeling drowsy, my eyelids became heavy and I started â€Å"bobble heading† because I was doing nothing but steering. The next thing I new I was waking up to deployed airbags, blood running down my left shoulder and a burn on my forearm. The smell of gasoline made me picture explosion and I opened the drivers’ door without hesitation. I fell to the ground, looked around and couldn’t believe what I had just done. My new car was completely totaled under the expressway. It wasn’t the time to think it was a time to act. â€Å"What the hell do I do now? † I asked myself. I quickly pushed up with both my arms to get up from the floor when my left arm gave out. My arm was dislocated, but since I was so upset I popped it back in without thinking twice and didn’t feel a thing. I walked to the Stripes gas station on the other side of the expressway and asked if I can use the phone. She handed me the phone and the first person I called was my mom that was just three blocks away. She answered in a groggy voice I told her what had happened and she hung up scared for my life. I had just made the biggest mistake of my young life and stared crying. Instead of staying put I walked back to the scene of the accident and while I was crossing back I saw flashing red and blue lights heading my way. A police car pulled up next to me under the expressway and asked, â€Å"Where are you heading miss? † I gave him a blank stare back and said nothing. He then noticed the mascara running down my face from crying and the blood on my arm and figured I was involved in the car wreck up the road. I noticed my mom’s truck on the other side of the road and ran to her. I had never seen her so upset. She shouted â€Å"Que chingados estabas haciendo mija? † meaning what the hell have you been doing daughter? My answer to her was â€Å"I fell asleep mom! I’m sorry! † as tears came flowing down my cheek. It was at this time that the officer made his way over to me ask me to blow into a gadget I had never seen before, that just so happened to be a breathalyzer. As soon as he told me what it was I pretended to blow as hard as I could, but blew down so it wouldn’t go straight into the breathalyzer. I never in my right mind thought this would work, but the officer was fooled and thought the breathalyzer wasn’t functioning right. Right after that he asked me if I had been drinking and I told him I hadn’t. He read me my rights, handcuffed me and put me in the back seat of the police car. Everything was so surreal. How to cite A Lessoned Learned the Hard Way, Essay examples

Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Question: Discuss about the Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Answer: Type 1 diabetes is considered as a progressive autoimmune disorder. It initiateswhen the immune system misguidedly attacks and destroys healthy tissues. In T1D, an infection and other triggers leads the body to misguidedly attack the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin (Gan et al. 2012). Due to the damage of beta cells, pancreas stops insulin production. Insulin causes liver cells, fat tissues and skeletal muscle cells to absorb glucose from the blood (Atkinson et al. 2014). Without sufficient amount of insulin blood glucose level progressively increases. It eventually gives rise to severe health issues. In T1D, the insulin generating beta cells of pancreas are gradually destroyed by means of an autoimmune response to viral infection, genetic causes, chemicals drugs and environmental effects. According to Atkinson et al. (2014), theautoimmune responseconcerningbeta cells including growth of autoreactive CD4 and CD8 cells, T helper cells,autoantibody generatingB cellsand stimu lation of theinnate immune system leads to Type 1 diabetes. After initiating treatment with external insulin, a patients own insulin levels may temporarily improves. This happens due to altered immunity. Immunological therapies and beta cell replacement strategy are the most effective treatment methods for T1D (Gan et al. 2012). References Atkinson, M.A., Eisenbarth, G.S. and Michels, A.W., 2014. Type 1 diabetes. The Lancet,383(9911), pp.69-82. Gan, M.J., Albanese-ONeill, A. and Haller, M.J., 2012. Type 1 diabetes: current concepts in epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical care, and research.Current problems in paediatric and adolescent health care,42(10), pp.269-291.

How to Generate Ideas Like Crazy Lessons from Creative Geniuses

Creativity is the intellectual ability to make creations, inventions, and discoveries that brings novel relations, entities, and/or unexpected solutions into existence. Its a gifted ability of humans in thinking, inference, problem-solving, and product development. Yingxu WangOh, please, dont say you have any desire to be creative!The question is, can you cultivate this quality? Or, you are doomed to remain a realistic and analytical individual with no proclivity for creativity?First things first.We bet most of you saw this pic.Creative concept of the human brain with light bulb ideasAnd now, forget it.That right/left brain distinction where the left brain is practical and logical while the right brain is creative, colorful, and poetic doesnt work anymore. (Though it will, probably, never die!) According to the latest findings from cognitive neuroscientists, such distinction doesnt give the full picture of how creativity appears.The fact is, it doesnt involve a single side of our br ain.Instead, the creative process consists of many interacting cognitive processes and emotions. And depending on the task we implement, different brain regions will be responsible for that, both conscious and unconscious ones.It means that creativity comes not only from nature but nurture as well, and its high time for you to stop saying Im not a creative person every time you are stuck with new ideas.Everyone can learn to be creative to some degree, though some research would disagree:2009. Kenneth Heilman from Cornell University claims that the brains of artistically creative people have particular characteristics enhancing creativity.2013. Researchers from the University of Helsinki find that musical creativity depends on a particular cluster of genes.Oops!Does it mean you are not creative if those genes are absent in your organism?Nope, it doesnt. Far from everyone is an artist, after all. Engineers, businessmen, marketers, directors, bloggers, doctors do those researchers wan t to say all these people are non creative?Is Everyone Born Creative?The interesting fact is, mental disorders influence creativity, too:Many artistically creative people suffered from traumas, whether psychological or physical ones, says Szabolcs Keri from the National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictions (Budapest). Some researchers documented that those abuses influenced the brains and affected the genes and networks participating in creativity.Scientists at the Karolinska Institute (Stockholm) found that individuals with bipolar disorder chose professions where creativity was crucial. Churchill, Beethoven, and Hemingway showed bipolar-like patterns, characterized by divergent thinking, never-ending energy, increased self-esteem, and motivation to create.Also, people with ADHD tend to be creative because their low latent inhibition doesnt let them filter seemingly irrelevant information around, allowing to interpret it in different, more creative ways. As the author of Where Ne w Ideas Come From Steven Johnson says,Creativity happens when seemingly unrelated existing ideas collide to form new ideas.It doesnt mean we should become mentally disordered in order to generate ideas like crazy. Having the right genetic makeup is great, but the truth is we all are born creative. The problem is, it was educated out of us at school; and now, some of us have to learn to be creative again.How To Know If Youre CreativeA leading neuroscientist at the University of Iowa, Nancy Andreasen has been studying the creative mind for decades already. Examining both artists and scientists, she explains the roles of nature vs. nurture in creativity:To make a long story short, here come her conclusions that help you understand if your brain is creative:Creativity level doesnt depend on your IQ: if you are smart, it doesnt mean you are highly creative.Creative people work harder than average persons: thats because they do love their work.Creative people are adventurous: they take ri sks and are ready to explore new frontiers.Creative people strongly believe in what they do, so they have to confront rejections and doubts all the time, which might lead to pain, depression, or anxiety.Many creatives are autodidacts and polymaths.Creative people are persistent, even when others are skeptical of their work.In her article at Forbes, CEO of meQuilibrium Jan Bruce refers to Cade Miless thoughts on why creativity matters for entrepreneurs and writes about how to find out if your creative genius doesnt sleep:You are creative if you implement the right kind of structure.Stress and deadlines can inspire you to work.You work for the purpose, not just desire to win.You are not afraid of changes.You are not afraid to be a newbie.See yourself here?Given that we can learn to be creative, multiple studies suggest different ways to help us:Coffee shop noises enhance creativity.Daydreaming increases creativity.Freestyle rapping encourages creativity.Dim lighting increases creativi ty.Alcohol influences creativity.According to the above facts, we need to limit the logic to become creative. All they describe ways to detach from reality and defeat the force known as the lizard brain (Seth Godin), critical for our survival in this world.Lull your logic, and creativity will become your shadow. As CEO at Ideasicle Will Burns says,Creativity is what happens when we successfully limit the logic force in our brains.Does it work? Let the greats talk!Ideation Processes of Famous Creative PeopleHow do famous people describe the creative process, and what techniques do they use to generate ideas?Stephen King, writerFrom Kings book On WritingDavid Lynch, filmmaker, visual artist, musicianSalvador Dali, surrealist painterFrom 50 Secrets of Magic CraftsmanshipGary Vaynerchuk, entrepreneurIf Twitter didn’t have the restriction of 140 characters, Twitter would be blogging. It would be like everything else. I’m a very big fan of restrictions and think they matter for creative processes.From the interview for LoloSeth Godin, marketer and public speakerMore thoughts from Seth: Where do ideas come from?Bob Dylan, songwriter and singerFrom Paul Zollo’s 1991 interview.In 2010, designer and musician Alex Cornell tried to overcome creative block and asked famous thinkers to help him by sharing their thoughts on idea generation. This project turned into the book Breakthrough!: 90 Proven Strategies to Overcome Creative Block and Spark Your Imagination, a compendium of approved insight on optimizing the creative process.They include ideas fromSam Potts, designer:Have your heart broken. It worked for Rei Kawakubo. You’ll realize the work you’d been doing wasn’t anywhere near your potential.Marc Johns, illustrator:â€Å"Stop thinking like a designer or writer or whatever you are for a minute. Pretend you’re a pastry chef. Pretend you’re an elevator repair contractor. A pilot. A hot dog vendor. How do these peop le look at the world?†Daniel Dennett, philosopher:My strategy for getting myself out of a rut is to sit at my desk reminding myself of what the problem is, reviewing my notes, generally filling my head with the issues and terms, and then I just get up and go do something relatively mindless and repetitive.Camm Rowland, executive creative director:Drink coffee before going to bed.Many famous writers have a habit of drinking coffee, by the way: it encourages positive thinking and stimulates memory, boosting spirits and motivating us to create.We decided to follow the lead of Alex and asked two questions to several educators and creative professionals: â€Å"How would you define creativity? Do you have any tips for students on generating ideas?†Thats what they think.Olly Richards, a tutor at I Will Teach You a Language:For me, creativity is about using your imagination to find unique and original ways of doing things. For me, the best way to spark creativity is to put away all electronics, and get out a blank piece of paper and a pen. Works every time!Oliver Antosch, a tutor at Learn With Oliver, agrees:Creative thoughts happen at the most unexpected times. Always keep a pen or smartphone with you to take note!Hannah Son, a head of content and social media marketing at ProSky, defines creativity as follows:I would define creativity in 2 parts: the ability to generate and/or recognize ideas and the ability to produce results from these ideas. In 2017, it is almost impossible to have a unique idea. A creative individual is a copycatbut an innovative and motivated one.For idea generation, my number one tip is to be open to any and all ideas. Ideas are formed by making a connection between unexpected concepts. And although it can be random, the more ideas, the more connections.Bryan Collins, a writing coach at Become a Writer Today, says:Creativity is the combination of old and new ideas in a way that readers, viewers, and listeners dont expect. But how to find these ideas? Well look through the works of past creative masters like Seneca, Mozart and Steve Jobs and ask yourself where did they get their ideas from? Then combine what you find with your voice. Tell brave and honest stories about these ideas and share your perspective in a way that your readers, listeners or fans love.Helen Williams, a community director at Holstee.com, adds:Creativity is pay attention. Its that simple. Its watching the world and stepping in when something catches your eye, when it grabs you so much that you cant help but dive in. Its a dance and an urge and a tide. As for generating ideas, I think you have to do a lot of work on a lot of bad and so-so ideas to find one good one. It can take years of digging and uncovering, but its the only way in.That’s all well and fine but†¦How You Can Generate IdeasAll above mentioned and cited guys are awesome, experienced, and mature. They have examined all possible idea generation techniques and chose n those working best. Its easy for them to discuss and give advice on the topic.But what can you, a student in college or newbie in industry, do to become more creative? What tips and tricks can you try for generating great ideas that would help you succeed in studies, career, and life?First of all, try to understand that idea generation is a process.As A Technique for Producing Ideas author James Webb Young writes,The production of ideas runs on an assembly line; that in this production the mind follows an operative technique which can be learned and controlled; and that its effective use is just as much a matter of practice in the technique as is the effective use of any tool.†With that said, three idea generation models exist today:IR3 model from the University of Illinois, consisting of three stages such as Research, Represent, and Refine.Borrowing Brilliance model from David Kord Murray, outlining six stages of idea generation, which are Defining, Borrowing, Combining, In cubating, Judging, and Enhancing.The technique from above cited James Webb Young describing idea generation as simple to state but hard to follow because it requires a hard intellectual work.The third one appears to be the best fit for students. Its five steps to producing ideas will strike a blow for writing essays that work, writing for critical thinking, and reading for better knowledge, analysis, and grades.Let’s check.ResearchYour college life presupposes work with high volume of information, which doesnt seem creative, right? However, brilliant ideas have to come from somewhere.To generate them, you need to perform research, collect information, look for relationships between resources, and analyze. Also, you can borrow ideas from resources with similar problems and generate fresh ideas based on them.So, your first step to idea generation: do research and gain resources.CombineNow its time to work with the material youve collected. To help an idea form, do the following :narrow down the best resources from what youve found;specify connections between them;think of new connections;brainstorm.So, your second step to idea generation: look for relationships between the material you have.Reveal the SubconsciousHere come the most creative part of your idea generation process: while brainstorming, forget about the subject and let your subconsciousness work.Techniques to try:brainstorming in a group with your peers;mind mapping: use graphics to draw connections between ideas and pieces of information you have;free writing: just pick up a pen and write the streamline of thoughts, that helps to express your subconscious ideas.So, your third step to idea generation: step away from the subject and let your subconscious genius work.Reach Your A-Ha Momentâ€Å"Just think about it, deeply, and then forget it. An idea will†¦jump up in your face.† Don DraperThats what James Webb Young calls the a-ha moment when your brilliant idea appears out of nowher e. Once you forget about the core subject and change perspective, you might be surprised.How to change perspective?Imagine yourself an opossum. Or pencil. Or Madonna. What would they say on the topic?Run in the park, take a shower, take a seat in front of some picture and stare at it for a while, whatever.Enjoy the process, dont be in a hurry. (Now you understand why you should plan your academic writing well in advance, dont you?)So, your fourth step to idea generation: dont miss your a-ha moment!EvaluateOnce the idea strikes you, work on its evaluation and improvement.Make sure that:its raw concepts fit your core subject;your presentation of the idea wont look like a plagiarism;it fits your academic performance. (But no one forbids to improve it, after all.)So, your final step to idea generation: evaluate and improve it.More great stuff to read and start generating great ideas right now:18 Killer Idea Generation Techniques10 Great Ways to Generate Ideas15 Ideas on How to Generate New IdeasFinal wordsThese come from your humble narrators of . We hope they’ll boost your spirits and motivate you to not be afraid of challenges, learn new things, and be creative in college, work, and personal life.Mike Hanski:Lesley Vos:Written by Lesley Vos.

virtual society essays

virtual society essays For thousands of years, maybe since the beginning of time, people search for better ways to improve the quality of life. And for the past hundred of years, computers eventually took stand in the world. Today, computers are generally used as a productive, educational, communication, and entertainment tool . With its wide use and almost everyone in the world has access to it; people begin to forget the effects in had on us. Coinciding with the ever changing and fast-paced society we have, we never get the chance to analyze our current situation regarding our use with computers. This paper will try to dig deeper in our society and decipher what the computer really means to us. The principal purpose of the paper is to analyze how computers are being used by the Philippine society. Furthermore, this paper intends to explore upon analyzing, the effect or the implication of whats going on and whats going to happen in the future as new ways of the use of computers are continually emerging. The paper will first show a brief history of computers specifically how it all began and still continues to begin a new generation as new and innovative ways are being discovered almost everyday ever since. Second, this paper will try to differentiate the different uses of computers from different social status of the people in the Philippines. Moreover, this paper will try to analyze how literate Filipinos are in dealing with computers. Im going to do this by differentiating a literate from an illiterate user. In doing this, I may be able to discover the differences between literacy of different social classes and also define the unequal access between them. Next t hing this paper intends to do is to study the effects of the use of computer; what is a computer for us and what it implies to the ever-changing behavior of the people. What new terms and hobbies are born and what different concepts arise that is dif...

Managing Organisational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing Organisational Change - Essay Example A very important factor to note however is that, organizational changes should not affect the successful running of organizations in any way. In situations where a major organizational change causes adverse effect on the successful running of an organization, we say the organizational change was not well managed (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2008). This brings then to discussion, the issue of managing organizational change. Management of organizational change concerns the factors that organizational leaders put in place in the event of the implementation of any organizational change. Building on this, organizational change has been â€Å"defined as change that has significant effects on the way work is performed† (University of Western Australia, 2010). This means that in the event of putting in place any change that will have significant effect on the way work is performed, organizational leaders involved must be in the position to put in place factors that will ensure the succes sful implementation of these changes. Three major forms of organizational change have been identified by Koduah (2009). According to Koduah (2006), organizational change may be human, technical or financial. Human changes concerns all forms of change that involve the movement, placement or replacement of human resource. This means that organizational activities such as promotion, recruitment, dismissal and retirement all constitute human organizational changes. Human organizational changes may involve massive shake ups, where almost every person in the organization may be affected. It could also be mild whereby only few people get affected at a time. Technical changes involve changes that affect facilities and infrastructure. This does not call for the change in portfolios but may influence how work is done in the organization. If an organization purchases and fixes a new generator plant,

Choose the topic based on the description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Choose the topic based on the description - Essay Example The official website of the project emphasizes on the economic opportunity that the project can bring about. It says the British Columbians, Albertans, Canadians, aboriginals, communities and landowners are benefited from it. It provides with education and training opportunities and also improves the safety and integrity of gas transport and operations in the country (Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeilines, n.d). An in-depth analysis will show that the claims made by the government and the company behind the pipeline are nowhere near facts. A vast portion in the proposed route of the pipeline is passing through the traditional lands of many aboriginal groups like Yinka Dene. This also turns out as a menace for the natural habitat of wild salmon. Enbridge is trying to tackle the situation by offering a 10 percent equity stake for aboriginal groups in 80 kilometres of the line. But this can only be regarded as a business minded approach to secure the first nations’ support. Such an offering cannot make up for the loss that the proposed project can bring about. Robyn Allan, an economist and CEO of former Insurance Corporation of BC, in a report specifies that the proposed pipeline can adversely affect non-oil industries. Continual increments in oil prices are inevitable for the success of the project, and therefore it will be a blow for the common man in the country. Family purchasing power will decline; production cost in oil based industries will increase, and the eventual outcome will be abatement in GDP. Enbridge’s history in installation and maintenance of gas pipelines is not worth in giving it a ‘trustworthy’ label. Many NGOs (as cited in Financial Post, 2012) point out incidents of gas leakages and oil spills in pipelines built by them; and 190,000 litres of oil spilled in Wisconsin in July, 2012. As per reports (Financial Post, 2012), there was a 230,000

Critically evaluate the claim that Marxism offers a coherent account Essay

Critically evaluate the claim that Marxism offers a coherent account of the modern international political system - Essay Example The most notable example of its failure to build up a fruitful political system is the Soviet Union whose eventual collapse was engendered by the flaws and paradoxes lying at its heart. In the first place, Marxism fails to perceive the corruption of absolute power. Secondly, it fails to perceive that ruling proletariats in the power of a socialist state are bound to assume the behaviors of capitalist elite class. The third flaw lies in its attempt to impose equality and to steal away freedom in the name of a classless society. Such socialist attempt to maintain equality by robbing a man’s freedom is essentially Totalitarianism which inspires corruption and discourages people’s protest against this corruption. Further the paradox of an equal society does not permit a congenially productive economic system. When the equal distribution of wealth among the citizens theoretically seems to contribute to an equal and just society, this distribution ultimately discourages the i ndividual to involve in production activities. Thus a socialist economy goes futile. Again, a Marxist state continually aims at establishing the working class at the power of a country. Therefore, a socialist political system poses threat to other states which do not hold a socialist view. A Brief Overview of Marxism and a Marxist State Being commissioned by the Communist League, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels jointly wrote the book, â€Å"The Communist Manifesto†, in 1848, which is often accepted as one of the most influential political documents around the world. Indeed, Marxism is regarded as a social theory which foretells and philosophizes about the future of modern capitalist society as well as human history. But it is also true that the Communist Manifesto can be considered as the political guidance for those who are involved in the production system of the modern capitalist society. For these authors, modern society is essentially the latest one of those changes in th e mode of production throughout the evolution of human society. At the same time, since Marx and Engels envisaged that the stage of human society, next to Capitalism, is a world of the working class people, in Marx and Engel’s word the proletariats, that is based on the socialist modes of labor as well as production, the proletariat or the working class people of the world should unite themselves to take the society to this stage. Theory of Class-struggle and Marx’s View of a Socialist Political System Marx and Engels have assumed that the Capitalist society has evolved from the breakdown of the previous feudalist society through the conflicts between the feudal landowners and their subjects. Through this dissolution of the feudal society two more incompatible classes emerged: the bourgeoisie and the working class. While the bourgeoisies, occupying a country’s political system, control the instruments of production, the working-class are economically subjugated by those in a capitalist political system. These bourgeoisies are exclusively profit-driven. Though they lack any morals, they continue to support any moral system which is congenial to

Social Medias Impact On Youth Marketing Media Essay

Social Medias Impact On Youth Marketing Media Essay This Literature review discusses published information that are reveling to our topic and this information obtained from the others work which has already been done by researchers and published in articles, books, journal and websites. SOCIAL MEDIA Recent trend clearly shows a shift of business users and youth from traditional communication advertising such as television, radio, newspaper and magazines are no longer appealing to them. Social media refers to web based service that allows individuals for sharing, collaborating and taking insight to each other without any geographic barriers and with the help of new media tool of internet. Elliot (2012) DIGITAL MARKETING MARKETING: The growing importance of social media websites particularly YouTube, Face book and LinkedIn and their penetration in the country cannot be ignored by corporate managers who for the most part do not have a effective social media team. A host of local as well as multinational companies operating in Pakistan now see social media as an important marketing tool to promote their brands Baloch (2012) In 2010, business professionals took social media seriously, Social media growth immensely increase by personal users and businesses adoptability. In this year Face book has 600 million users and they are heading towards one billion mark. 20 million people become fan of pages per day, 60 million status updates per day, The average time for users spend is more than 55 minutes. Over 2 billion videos are uploaded in YouTube and 46% of internet users are interact with social media on daily basic. Schrum (2011) As our chosen topic depends on exploratory research so these articles encourage us to determine how social media are effective to target youth of Karachi. Social media uniqueness is to target mass audience by individually and looking to meet new potential consumer. In social media Face book, YouTube and LinkedIn have major growth and it reaches mass audience and youth as well. SOCIAL MEDIA, YOUTH AND PAKISTAN: In the last 10 years Pakistan social media sector growth increase unexpectedly. With the population exceeding over 180 million there is 20 million users connected to internet which is 12% of its population which are much bigger then India 5% of internet users in total population. In Face book there is over 5 million Pakistani users which is 15% of Face book total users and more than half of them lies age between 18 to 24. In 2010 Flood strike in Pakistan than with the help of social media youth of Pakistan utilize social media platform by minute to minute updates in stricken area and motivate the whole population to contribute in relief efforts so there is a huge revelation and impact on social media in the youth of Pakistan. Inam (2011) Social medias impact on youth marketing: Now social media plays an important role in youth life style and companies targeting youth by social networking because it becomes culture in youth to use Face book, YouTube and LinkedIn on daily bases. Usage of Smartphone is also very common in youth to reach social networking because in universities and colleges there is a policy to limit social networking within class timing or working hours so youth now have a Smartphone to reach social websites easily by their pocket phones. In Face book and LinkedIn companies develop pages and put advertisement on it and it has options of like and comment which gives them insight of youth liking and disliking and they collaborating each others as a result of that companies create huge brand image even before its product launch. Blogging is also very effective social media tool to target youth in which companies create discussion section in order to get opinions about brands and services and platform become the source of research, marketing stra tegies and development. Misa (2011) RESEARCHERS THOUGHTS Social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn come with unbelievable techniques to communicate with family, colleges, friends and also market your product in that effective manner that the users of that sites can like your product. All the previous researches that have been done on social media as an effective medium to target the youth has come on that conclusions that social media can be a very handful tool for the companies to market their product. Murdough (2009) have positively agreed on the potential of social media but ike any other marketing tool it is difficult to gauge the kind of impact that it lays on the masses. Through many research surveys the results that came out that identifies that many young peoples age group (18-25) are the more users of networking sites (facebook, twitter, linkdin) then any other age group and due to that these social networking sites are experiencing dramatic world wide growth. Moreover, researchers have contented that the perceived benefit of use of social networking sites achieve network externalities in which positive feedback produces more and more users, thereby increasing its social platform (Powell 2009). Most of the researchers have agreed on Facebook as its statistics indicates that its members are swiftly increasing day by day because its provides a new method of communicating employing computers as a collaborative tool to accelerate group formation and escalate group scope and influence allowing users to present themselves, connect to a social network, and develop and maintain relationship with others. Facebook is being widely used all over the world as it stats tells as compare to the other social networking sites so many researches are giving positive comments about Facebook. As the social media marketing is increasing day by day as many researches have identified in their research so the companies are likely to be taking social media component for their product promotion and marketing very seriously because enhanced engagement in social media has features such as increased speed with which information can be gathered and transmitted, greater volume of information that is easily accessible, more flexibility in how and when information is accessed and much great opportunity to interact with others I a range of context using text, audio or video. However in my opinion social media have has altered the media marketing paradigm by defining the new set of relationships between young people and organizations in which marketing and organizations have become pervasive, creating new hybrid forms that blend communications, content and commerce. Common Theories: Well there are most of the things that are common in every previous research that has been done on social media marketing as an effective medium to target the youth. As social media being a very popular medium among the youth so it has an influence on the purchasing decision. In todays digital-focused marketing environment, the internet as a communication and transaction channel adds two more inputs and influencers of buying behavior to the model. The first one is online marketing mix, which basically represents the controllable online experiences provided by the corporate. The second one is the social media experiences which are by and large beyond the marketers control. In my opinion the social media has a very good impact on the purchasing decision of the users because due to various techniques that many companies are using to promote their product on social media can attract users and they like d that product and ultimately buy it. Various researches have established framework s for social issues that have been discussed by most of the researches in their respective research. Social issues like In (health, education, environment, politics, safetyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..e.t.c). Many researchers have described in their social marketing campaigns however, the model of communication for social change describes this interactive process best where by a social change in a community improves the health and welfare of all its members, driven by dialogue and collective action. Current scenario: According to the researchers Pakistan is a developing nation where digital networked technologies and new media platforms are just emerging (Yusuf 2008). Although many concluded that that availability of digital technologies and social media platforms facilitates democratic practices and participatory behavior, whether this is equally true for developing countries like Pakistan, is debatable. Most of the researches agues that the ability to use digital technologies and new media meaningfully, impacts participatory behavior and civic action, which is often overcome through the combined use of different technologies and concludes that new media platforms are increasingly effective as tools for community organizing and information dissemination. According to the different stats Pakistan has quit significant numbers of the users of social media that have an active account on different social networking site so they can be targeted through that medium. Our study is based on the topic social media as an effective medium to target the youth of Karachi as Pakistan has quit significant of users on social networking sites and especially Karachi has been amoung the largest city in Pakistan and majority of users resides in Karachi according to the study more then half of the users lie between the age group of 18-24 can be targeted through social media and most of the companies are now working on that. In many previous researches most of the researchers used Exploratory research approach because this is an develop theory we just have to identified whether it is effective or not we just have to testify that so exploratory approach can be used and in my opinion it us the correct approach that is being used. Qualitative methodology being used commonly in previous researches. This is survey research so the Questionnaire being used as an instrument to collect the data because in this type of study you have to gather the thoughts of different users who use the social media network sites so in my opinion this is the best instrument for collecting the data because on the basis of the users opinions you can improve your promoting techniques to promote your product on social media. Conclusion: Analysis of the previous researches and related articles have indicates that social media is a very important tool for networking among youngsters. As they are using these websites and their numbers are increasing day by day. In Pakistan the users are also increasing day by day and these are the good signs for the company who are working in Pakistan. These websites are helping the users to build their professional contacts and provides the users with various networking applications that make them hooked on to these social media websites. There is also an increasing trend among youngsters to buy products online through these websites so thats makes marketers to realized the importance of social media website as an essential component of integrated marketing communications. So many companies are driving different research methods to target the youth effectively on social media. Promotion on social media can actually encourage constant interaction with the customers, gaining an insight on their like and preferences and problems associated with the products. So through analysis of all the previous evidence it assures that social media marketing is an effective tool to target the youth.

The Breedloves in Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye Essay -- American Lit

In the third chapter of The Bluest Eye, entitled "Autumn", Toni Morrison focuses on Pecola's family, the Breedloves. Morrison goes in depth about the family dynamic of the Breedloves and how it affects Pecola and her self-image. The passage starts after one of many arguments between Cholly and Mrs. Breedlove, Pecola's parents, turns violent. Mrs. Breedlove wants Cholly to fetch some coal from the outside shed. Cholly spent the last night drinking and does not want to get out of bed. The passage begins with the children becoming aware of the argument. Mrs. Breedlove starts to hit him with cooking pans while Cholly mostly used his feet and teeth. After the fight is over Mrs. Breedlove just lets Cholly lie on the ground and she goes about her business like nothing happened. Pecola starts off this passage with a sick feeling as she relaxes and stops feigning sleep during her parents' argument. It seems that these arguments happen a lot, for while "she had tried to prevent [the sick feeling] by holding in her stomach, [the sick feeling] came quickly in spite of her precaution" (Morris...

Sports vs Video Games

To reduce the growing population of obese children in the world the parents need to encourage sports and outside play over video games. Kids in the world today know little about sports and the rules. But spend more time playing video games then outside being active. What happened to neighborhood hide and seek, or pick-up basketball games with other neighborhood kids. Today children are more interested in video games, computers and television, and parents are afraid of letting their children run around the streets because of kidnappings.When I was a kid I had video games but I spent most of my time outside playing. Being outside with the fresh air and the sunshine was the best thing for me. In this year today there are a lot of kids who don’t know how to play sports or are too obese to play sports. Take basketball for instants I personally think it’s one of the easiest sports besides football. The rules are simple in basketball, dribble the ball one hand at a time, and d on’t carry the ball. Also in basketball it’s up to you and your team to score as many points as you can.But in the game of basketball like any other sport you have to work as a team. One of the major benefits you get from playing sports is understanding how to work really good with other people. In my mind TEAM means Together Everyone Achieves More, which means if you try to do everything by yourself you won’t get very far. Video games don’t teach you how to work with others. Also most of the video games today prompt violence and use profanity. (Gump, 3) The majority of kids are no longer interested in physical activity.There are a certain percentage of kids today that are addicted to video games. I believe that at a youth age kids shouldn’t be addicted to anything. Video games in today’s society have a negative influence on kids because it separates them from reality. Besides working together basketball also benefits you in other ways like it will keep you healthy and moving like other kids. I played basketball for 7 years. I maintained a body weight of 145 lbs. With my body being and looking the way it did, it made me feel extremely good and confident.There is so much that comes with playing basketball the constant practicing and working out in the weight room. From all the extra running and lifting weights that you have to do keeps the body healthy and muscular. Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart and lungs. Not only does exercise help the internal organs but it also increases strength and stamina. Sports do not only help you physically but mentally as well. There is no match to the happiness that sports bring. Playing sports is energy put to good use.Sports are a form of exercise which generates happiness in your body, thus restoring your mental health. Video games don’t help lose weight it helps gain weight. Also video games can mess up a kid mentally instead of making you happy it makes you violent or s ad. Sports improve you physical and psychological health; physical because sports involve exercise and psychological because playing is something you enjoy, it’s something that relaxes your mind. The lack of encouragement from parents when it comes to sports needs to be cut down. As many parents there are in this world that have played sports.There should be twice as many kids playing these sports. I believe if parents get more involved in their child’s physical life there will be less obese children. What these kids need most is love and supporting parents teaching them the benefits of sports and a healthy life. So by parents being active with their children this would also cut down on the violence in the world today. Work Cited http://www. tribtoday. com/page/content. detail/id/565582/BOYS–VIDEO-GAMES-VS–STUDYING. html? nav=5059-By LAUREN GUMP – Warren G. Harding High School

Child Centered Approach Essays

Child Centered Approach Essays Child Centered Approach Essay Child Centered Approach Essay Child Centered Learning The student knows more than the teacher about what he has learnt even if he knows less about what was taught. (Peter Elbow) It is also referred as L] child centered pedagogy, CLC child centered education, C] child centered teaching 0 student centered teaching CLC or student centre learning. Child centered learning approach is a philosophy, not a methodology which is why there are so many different approaches and no two classrooms applying it will look the same. Child centered learning: The teacher challenges the children in a safe and respectful manner to develop (together and individually) their own lotions to problems given, thus encouraging cooperation, the development of life skills, their analyzing power, their capacity to organize themselves. From the definition: C]The children feel safe, encouraged, happy and empowered in school, and have more fun; their performances rise significantly and the drop out rates decline even more. L]Child centered learning approach is empathetically problem and process oriented Lot focuses on the needs of the students, rather than those of others involved in the educational process, such as teachers and administrators. Learning theories and theorists (This approach is influenced):

Free Essays on Role Models In Society

Typically we associate roll models as perfect members of society. A role model is the type of person that you would take home to meet the parents. A role model can be someone who fights corruption, helps society, or follows in the footsteps of religious figures. And most colleges hear of role models that tell them to achieve theirs goals they way they did by studying hard, making the right choices, and always putting school first. But my role model didn’t never went to school. In fact he didn’t make it past freshmen year in high school. But my roll model has done things that I can even being to imagine. From the time he was fifteen he has done everything from build race cars to work for NASA and even helped design and build the rides at Disneyland. He is my boss, Chief, which is a fitting name for one of the leaders in my life. I first met chief after 9 months of trying to get a job at a local stereo shop. I had only come into contact with his son, Jean, the manager. My goal was to just learn how to install stereos in exchange for doing odd jobs around the shop so eventually I was have the skill to have the job that most teenagers would die for. After 9 months of practically begging every Friday for work Jean let me have my chance. So I started my apprenticeship with chief was my mentor. It was and still to this day is one of the biggest challenges of my life. For chief it was him passing down his knowledge in a way to be sure that I do things right the first time. Many night we would be up until 1 or 2 am working until I understood the â€Å"lesson for the day† whether it be installing mobile video, doing layout design and production in the machine shop, or working on the dragster for one of his race teams. His teachings and discipline put me in a position that I wouldn’t even have i magined before I started working at the shop. After 1 year when I was 17 I was al of a sudden working on $70,000 hummers, $250,00... Free Essays on Role Models In Society Free Essays on Role Models In Society Typically we associate roll models as perfect members of society. A role model is the type of person that you would take home to meet the parents. A role model can be someone who fights corruption, helps society, or follows in the footsteps of religious figures. And most colleges hear of role models that tell them to achieve theirs goals they way they did by studying hard, making the right choices, and always putting school first. But my role model didn’t never went to school. In fact he didn’t make it past freshmen year in high school. But my roll model has done things that I can even being to imagine. From the time he was fifteen he has done everything from build race cars to work for NASA and even helped design and build the rides at Disneyland. He is my boss, Chief, which is a fitting name for one of the leaders in my life. I first met chief after 9 months of trying to get a job at a local stereo shop. I had only come into contact with his son, Jean, the manager. My goal was to just learn how to install stereos in exchange for doing odd jobs around the shop so eventually I was have the skill to have the job that most teenagers would die for. After 9 months of practically begging every Friday for work Jean let me have my chance. So I started my apprenticeship with chief was my mentor. It was and still to this day is one of the biggest challenges of my life. For chief it was him passing down his knowledge in a way to be sure that I do things right the first time. Many night we would be up until 1 or 2 am working until I understood the â€Å"lesson for the day† whether it be installing mobile video, doing layout design and production in the machine shop, or working on the dragster for one of his race teams. His teachings and discipline put me in a position that I wouldn’t even have i magined before I started working at the shop. After 1 year when I was 17 I was al of a sudden working on $70,000 hummers, $250,00...

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management Essay - 4

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management - Essay Example Yankee Clippers is a revolutionary innovation in men’s grooming, providing a variety of beauty services and products to the male clientele. The target market is the youthful male consumer, between ages 16 and 35, a market segment with the most revenue earnings potential for this business concept due to specific market characteristics, socio-economic demographics, and lifestyle relevancy associated with this brand concept. Outside of the traditional hairstyling service dimension, Yankee Clippers will offer consultation services, skin peeling and bleaching, and provide in-house merchandising talent as part of the sales model to generate more direct salesmanship and higher profitability through product sales commitments achieved with in-store patrons. Consultation services for men seeking beauty enhancement will generally occur via appointment in which 30-minute or 60-minute consultations will be contracted. The essential brand philosophy of Yankee Clippers (the organisational mi ssion) is that men will benefit from taking more proactive responsibility for grooming and beauty, offering consumers social competitive advantage through Yankee Clippers expert beauty systems operational model. Yankee Clippers will offer top-quality beauty and grooming products along a moderate pricing structure, procured from a variety of top-known beauty brands catering to the male consumer. The main branding goal of the organisation is establishment of service quality and product quality, which will ultimately provide justification for a premium service and sales model for the discriminating client in which beauty and grooming are significant lifestyle attributes and needs. Unlike other competition in this market, Yankee Clippers will differentiate through talent management modelling internally, exclusivity, and choice related to the premium positioning strategy. The beauty industry for men is growing explosively, providing excellent market opportunity so long as Yankee Clippers develops a strong emphasis on the marketing and promotional functions. In 1998, 42 billion USD were spent in salons (Hairstyles-7.com 2004). By 2004, nearly seven billion USD were spent on colouring treatments, hairsprays, shampoos, conditioners, and other relevant grooming products (Hairstyles-7.com 2004). This represents a significant market opportunity that continues to expand as more men become cognizant of the importance of grooming for social and professional growth. In 2010, as one example, L’Oreal experienced a 30 percent increase in sales revenue stemming from male grooming product sales (CBS Chicago 2011). The international and domestic sales markets for male grooming products continues to predict ongoing sales growth, in which Yankee Clippers believes it will be able to successfully capitalise to gain a prominent male-oriented, consumer-centric beauty business brand with superior competitive advantage in the local market. 2. Description of the business Brand recog nition and the pursuit of establishing brand loyalty and brand equity are the primary drivers of the Yankee Clippers marketing and sales model. In the UK, Yankee Clippers maintains minimal competition for male-centric beauty services, thus giving the business a competitive advantage immediately after launch. Marketing theory provides research-supported knowledge that brand loyalty is a product of companies that are

The Forced Marriage Legislation in the UK Research Paper - 1

The Forced Marriage Legislation in the UK - Research Paper Example â€Å"Marriage, whether civil or religious, is a contract, formally entered into. It confers on the parties the status of husband and wife, the essence of the contract being an agreement between a man and a woman to live together, and to love one another as husband and wife, to the exclusion of all others†. This is the universal and perhaps most comprehensive characterization of marriage. Among the most controversial aspects of this is the element of consent. This is encapsulated in the concept of a contract. In a contract consent that is not tainted by force or coercion is essential to its validity. Consequently, it is also a major of controversy for marriage. This is compounded by the fact that marriages as a social phenomenon are diverse and multi-faceted.The forces governing present society in the present have imposed significant challenges upon marriage. These adverse forces have given rise to a wide array of problems. The government today struggle tot to protect and uphold family and marriages by finding means to deal with the various problems that undermine them.This also challenges the state to uphold society’s many concepts of marriage while also containing negative elements attributed to it. Furthermore, it has to strike the balance between its power to regulate societ y, society’s right to culture and the welfare of its citizens. This is not a mundane task given the complexity involved and the magnitude of the harms involved society today.Among the malign realities faced by society today are â€Å"forced marriages.† This kind of marriage â€Å"is a marriage conducted without the valid consent of both parties, where duress is a factor. Duress can range from emotional pressure from family members to threatening behavior, abduction or imprisonment, and physical violence†.

FIN 300 - Principles of Finance for the Private Sector 1-8 Essay

FIN 300 - Principles of Finance for the Private Sector 1-8 - Essay Example 2009). Current ratio is obtained by dividing current assets by current liabilities while quick ratio is obtained the same way only that inventory is eliminated from current assets since it takes time to convert to cash. The two ratios indicate the level of liquidity and hence they help to maintain the required liquidity for retailers (Phillips et al. 2009). The higher the ratios the stronger liquidity is. Phillips, M. D., Volker, J. X., Anderson, S. J. (2009). A behavioral comparison of financial ratios for different size privately-held retail and service businesses. Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business, 1(1), 1-7. Residual value estimated is normally the amount that can be realized if the asset was to be sold after its useful life. However, most organizations take the estimated residual value to be zero. This method allocates equal amount to each year. Present value is the current value of a given future value of money or cash flow streams (Chiu2010). Compounding is process of finding the future value when the present value is given while discounting if the process of finding the present value when the future value is given. Gollier (2010) discusses the following differences. Future value of a lump sum is higher than future value of an annuity given similar factors. This is because the lump sum amount earns interest in all the periods while not all the annuities earn interest for the entire period. Long term bonds are those ones that have a longer maturity period. Interest rates are used as discounting rates in calculating the value of a bond. An increase in interest rate therefore reduces the value of a bond and this is a risk called interest rate risk. Short term bonds have a shorter maturity period and a fluctuation in interest affects income hence reinvestment risk. The value of a corporate bond is determined through the fundamental theory, where the value is the present value of the

Aeromedical Factors Essay Example for Free

Aeromedical Factors Essay One philosophy that some persons question, including a few of our own aviation medical examiners, relates to our greater flexibility in granting special issuances to private pilots as opposed to air carrier and other commercial pilots. The arguments against such flexibility rotate around the thought that, in the event of a medical incapacitation, an air carrier or commercial pilot usually has another pilot on board who can take control of the aircraft and safely land. In contrast, the private pilot often has no such safety net and, therefore, a medical incapacitation is likely to have severe safety consequences. In the case of the private pilot, I think we can be more flexible and allow that pilot to assume some risks for him or herself that we would not permit in air carrier or other commercial operations. This philosophy is frequently challenged regarding the safety of persons who fly as invitees of the private pilot. The risk derives not only from the medical status of the pilot, but the pilots proficiency and experience as well as the airworthiness of the aircraft. One might suggest that our approach, allowing greater flexibility in the medical certification of private pilots, constitutes experimentation with safety in private operations. This suggestion might have some validity if private pilots who are granted special issuances experience a significant number of medically related accidents. Humans regard vision as their most valuable sense, yet they fail to appreciate what a remarkable and complicated organ the human eye is. The rods are concentrated in a ring around the cones. Both the cones and the rods are used for vision during daylight and bright moonlight. The pilot should consciously practice this scanning procedure to improve night vision. It is important for the pilot to maintain good physical condition. While dim red lighting has the least adverse effect on night vision, it severely distorts colors. Older pilots may experience extreme difficulty in focusing the eyes on objects inside the cockpit. In addition to night vision, the pilot should also be aware of how to cope with illusions encountered during night flight. Refer to Advisory Circulars 61-23B, Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, and 61 21A, Flight Training Handbook, and the Aeronautical Information Manual for further information on the above subjects. The term hearing describes the process, function, or power of perceiving sound. The sense of hearing makes it possible to perceive, process, and identify among the myriad of sounds from the surrounding environment. Anatomy and Physiology of the Auditory System The auditory system consists of the external ear, ear canal, eardrum, auditory ossicles, cochlea (which resembles a snail shell and is filled with fluid), and the auditory nerve. Ambient sound waves are collected by the external ear, conducted through the ear canal, and cause the eardrum to vibrate. Sound waves are variations in air pressures above and below the ambient pressure. All sounds have three distinctive variables: frequency, intensity, and duration. Frequency is the physical property of sound that gives it a pitch. Since sound energy propagates in a wave-form, it can be measured in terms of wave oscillations or wave cycles per second, known as hertz (Hz). Sounds that are audible to the human ear fall in the frequency range of about 20-20,000 Hz, and the highest sensitivity is between 500 and 4,000 Hz. Sounds below 20 Hz and above 20,000 Hz cannot be perceived by the human ear. The decibel (dB) is the unit used to measure sound intensity. The range of normal hearing sensitivity of the human ear is between -10 to +25 dB. Sounds below -10dB are generally imperceptible. A pilot who cannot hear a sound unless its intensity is higher than 25 dB (at any frequency) is already experiencing hearing loss. Duration determines the quality of the perception and discrimination of a sound, as well as the potential risk of hearing impairment when exposed to high intensity sounds. The adverse consequences of a short-duration exposure to a loud sound can be as bad as a long-duration exposure to a less intense sound. Noise The term noise refers to a sound, especially one which lacks agreeable musical quality, is noticeably unpleasant, or is too loud. In other words, noise is any unwanted or annoying sound. Categorizing a sound as noise can be very subjective. The aviation environment is characterized by multiple sources of noise, both on the ground and in the air. Noise is produced by aircraft equipment-powerplants, transmission systems, jet efflux, propellers, rotors, hydraulic and electrical actuators, cabin conditioning and pressurization systems, cockpit advisory and alert systems, communications equipment, etc. All pilots know the sounds of a normal- functioning aircraft. The effects of pre-flight exposure to noise can adversely affect pilot in-flight performance. Types of Noise Examples: aircraft powerplant noise, propeller noise, and pressurization system noise. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the maximum permissible continuous exposure level to steady noise in a working environment is 90 dB for eight hours. The eardrum may be ruptured by intense levels (140 dB) of impulse/blast noise. Effects of Noise Exposure Physiological Ear discomfort may occur during exposure to a 120 dB noise. Ear pain may occur during exposure to a 130 dB noise. Eardrum rupture may occur during exposure to a 140 dB noise. Temporary hearing impairment. Unprotected exposure to loud, steady noise over 90 dB for a short time, even several hours, may cause hearing impairment. This effect is usually temporary and hearing returns to normal within several hours following cessation of the noise exposure. Permanent hearing impairment. Unprotected exposure to loud noise (higher than 90 dB) for eight or more hours per day for several years, may cause a permanent hearing loss. Subjective Effects: Annoying high-intensity noise can cause distraction, fatigue, irritability, startle responses, sudden awakening and poor sleep quality, loss of appetite, headache, vertigo, nausea, and impair concentration and memory. Speech Interference: Loud noise can interfere with or mask normal speech, making it difficult to understand. Tasks that require vigilance, concentration, calculations, and making judgments about time can be adversely affected by exposure to loud no ise higher than 100 dB. How to Protect Your Hearing Limiting Duration of Exposure to Noise: OSHA-established permissible noise exposure limits for the workplace(Fiugure 2) (including the cockpit of an aircraft). Use Hearing Protection Equipment. If the ambient noise level exceeds OSHAs permissible noise exposure limits, you should use hearing protection devices-earplugs, earmuffs, communication headsets, or active noise reduction headsets. Even if an individual already has some level of permanent hearing loss, using hearing protection equipment should prevent further hearing damage. These protection devices attenuate noise waves before they reach the eardrum, and most of them are effective at reducing high-frequency noise levels above 1,000 Hz and/or for reducing noise levels to, or below, 50 dB. Earplugs. Insertable-type earplugs offer a very popular, inexpensive, effective, and comfortable approach to provide hearing protection. Communication Headsets. Active Noise Reduction Headsets. This type of headset uses active noise reduction technology that allows the manipulation of sound and signal waves to reduce noise, improve signal-to-noise ratios, and enhance sound quality. Active noise reduction provides effective protection against low-frequency noise. The electronic coupling of a low-frequency noise wave with its exact mirror image cancels this noise. * Combinations of Protection Devices. The combination of earplugs with earmuffs or communication headsets is recommended when ambient noise levels are above 115 dB. Earplugs, combined with active noise reduction headsets, provide the maximum level of individual hearing protection that can be achieved with current technology. [Editors Note: Be careful you dont muffle too much engine noise when you combine ear protection devices. Bibliography Aeromedical factors. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/aeromedical.html Aeromedical factors. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ntc.cap.af.mil/ops/dot/school/CAPF5_Course/aeromedical.htm Aeromedical factors: cfi lesson plan. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cfi-lesson-plans.com/aeromedical-factors/ Aerospace medicine human factors. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://aeromedical.org/avmed_home.php Office of aerospace medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/aam/cami/

Understanding The Russian Sphere Of Influence Politics Essay

Understanding The Russian Sphere Of Influence Politics Essay The aim of this chapter is to bring out the elements behind Russias quest to maintain a sphere of influence around itself. In doing this, one should not just look at present Russian politics and recent attempts by Russia to restore its former sphere of influence. One has to look briefly into the history of Russia from the time of the Tsars and during the Communist regime. The Tsars had always desired to create a sphere of influence which would act as a belt of protection for Russia. One has to look at Russias geography to understand this key element in Russian foreign policymaking throughout the centuries. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia lost various regions which were the ex-Soviet Republics. Since then, Russia has retreated progressively. NATO expanded eastward in Europe since 1994 causing Russia to be suspicious and resentful. After the September 11 attacks, the USA established military bases in Central Asian countries to support its military operations against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and initially Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his support, though he would resent long-term American military presence in what Russia perceives its sphere of influence. In the Far East, Russia faces a rapidly rising China as a potential superpower. So, it is understandable that Russian foreign policymakers have to counterbalance all these factors. Russia is not just a European power but also an Asian power. All these factors contribute to the multivector characteristic in Russian foreign policymaking. One must not forget that Russia also has its economic interests i n the Central Asian region and not just military and political interests. The setting-up of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) show how Russia is trying to adapt to its loss of empire. One must not forget that the collapse of the Soviet Union took place twenty years ago and that Russia is still going through what is called its imperial syndrome. This chapter has the aim of demonstrating the change and continuity in Russian foreign policy through its history to the present day. 2.1 The Tsarist roots When Russia began to expand as an empire, the Tsars always had the intention to use to newly conquered lands as belts of protection around Russia. This can be traced back to the time of Ivan III, also known as Ivan the Great. He started by what historian call the collecting of the Russian lands which was followed by wars with Poland in the West (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 18). Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible, conquered lands from the Tatars and Russia reached the Caspian Sea (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 19). In 1613, Mikhail Romanov was elected Tsar, hence starting the 304-year Romanov dynasty. Under his reign and his sons reign, Russia fought eight wars with Poland and it retook Kiev, which had the capital city of the first Russian state, the Kievan Rus (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 19). So, in this time frame, one can see Muscovy expanding its territory and sphere of influence. The ascension of Peter I, known as Peter the Great and his subsequent reign (1689-1725) had a lasting effect on Russian foreign policy. He is known for his secularization and modernization of the Russian Empire along European lines (Hosking, pg 76). He too focused on expanding Russian territory and had one of his first successes when he captured the fort of Azov from the Turks, thus giving Russia access to the Black Sea (Hosking, pg 76). He then proceeded to war with Sweden and the victories he attained there such as the capture of the river Neva in 1703, Narva and Dorpat in 1704, gave Russia access to the Baltic (Freeze, pg 114). The Treaty of Nystad with Sweden in 1721 crowned Russias achievements in the Baltic and Sweden lost its place as a European great power to Russia (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20). With these conquests, Peter the Great brought Russia closer to Europe as he had always desired and Russian foreign policy took a new dimension from then on. In 1689, there was the Nerchinsk Treaty between the Russian Empire and China where the two powers agreed to divide their spheres of influence which led to China keeping Mongolia under its dominion and Russia keeping land north of the Amur river (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20). After the death of Peter the Great, there was the Kyakhta where Russia and China agreed to set up formal diplomatic relations and paved the way for trade between the two powers (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20). Under Catherine the Great, Russia continued to expand its territory and this is seen in the partitions of Poland which brought Belarus (White Russia), Lithuania and Western Ukraine under the Russian realm (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20). Russias military forays southwards resulted in two wars with Turkey and these culminated in the treaties of Kutchuk Kainardji (1774) and the Treaty of Jassy (1792) which gave Russia control of the north Black sea coastline from Azov to Odessa (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20). After the victory against Napoleon in 1815 and the Congress, Russias Tsar Alexander I was able to demonstrate Russian power to Europe (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 21) and Russia added Finland and lands in the south and Central Asia to its dominion. Nicholas Is reign (1825-1855) saw Russia turning its attention on the Ottoman Empire which was referred to as the sick man of Europe and this is seen in the Russian ambition to take Constantinople and get naval access to the Mediterranean Sea and the base at Sevastopol (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 21). However, one can see the role of ideology behind Russias expansionism such using the protection of Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire to justify its wars with Turkey, which one of them resulted in the independence of Greece (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 21). In the second half of the 19th century, Russia began looking eastwards again and started to violate the Treaty of Nerchinsk by penetrating deeper into Chinas territory. In 1860, Vladivostok was founded and in 1860, the two powers signed the Treaty of Peking where Russias new gains in the Amur region (legalized since 1858) were consolidated and China and Russia agreed on the new border along the Ussuri river (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 24). In Central Asia, Russia took Tashkent in Uzbekistan in 1865 and Merv in Turkmenistan in 1884 (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 24). To reassure Britain that it was not going to pursue its conquests south to India, Russia signed an agreement with Britain that it was going to limit itself to northern borders of Afghanistan (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 24). One must not exclude the ideology of Pan-Slavism from Russian foreign policymaking during the time of the Tsars which had considered Moscow as the Third Rome and the Tsar as the protector of all Orthodox Christians (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 25). This led to tensions with the Ottoman Empire resulting in a war in 1878. In the early twentieth century, Russia had tension with Japan over territories in the Far East and this culminated in a Russo-Japanese war in 1904-1905, which to Russias humiliation, Japan won (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 27). So, Russias ambitions in the Far East were limited to the northern part of Manchuria, the northern half of Sakhalin island and had to accept Koreas incorporation in the Japanese sphere of influence (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 27). What was the motivation behind the Tsars aim of expanding their realm? Robert H. Donaldson and Joseph L. Nogee give a variety of reasons. The geography of Eurasia may be one of the explanations for Tsarist Russia to acquire all those land to create a protective barrier around itself. Russia also wanted ice-free harbours which led to its ambitions to take harbours in the Black Sea and the Baltic as well as Pusan in modern South Korea culminating in the war with Japan in 1904-1905 (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 29). The autocratic ideology of the Tsarist system is also listed as a reason. The Tsars expressed their autocratic character by pushing for conquering of new lands and military expeditions (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 30). Even Henry Kissinger, in his book, Diplomacy, agrees with the view that Tsarist autocracy led Russia to behave in that way in the international relations of the time (Kissinger, pg 140) 2.2 Continuity under the USSR The continuity with the Tsars thinking was most clear under Joseph Stalins rule. In August 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed an agreement known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact where they agreed to share Eastern Europe between their spheres of influence. Through the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, Russia regained those lands such as Eastern Poland, the Baltic states, Bessarabia and northern Bukovina (Kenez, pg 135). The motivation to expand Russias territory could not be clearer. In October1944, there was the Percentage Agreement between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to divide spheres of influences of their states in Eastern Europe (Dunbabin, pg 87). The element of continuity with the Tsars thinking of expansionism is clear. After the Second World War, the USSR did not make it a secret that it wanted to keep Eastern Europe under its orbit as well as export its Communist ideology throughout the world. The USSR was using the banner of Communism and proletarian internationalism to spread its influence around the globe. The West responded by the enactment of the Truman Doctrine which had the intention of containment (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 220). In June 1947, the European Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan was launched in order to help Europe recover and stem the tide of Communism (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 222). This was part of the containment policy. On the 4th of April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was set up to challenge Soviet hegemony (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 223-224). The Soviet response was to create the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance, COMECON in 1949 to create sociaist planned economies in Eastern Europe (Best, Hanh imaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 219). In 1948, the USSR expelled Yugoslavia of Jozip Broz Tito because Tito did not want to have Stalin dictating to him how to govern the country (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 219). In May 1955, the USSR set up the Warsaw Pact as a response to NATO as Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev said we wanted to make an impression on the West (Dunbabin, pg 221). In 1956, Hungary under Imre Nagy rebelled because it did not want to remain under Soviet domination and left the Warsaw and the Soviets response was to send tanks to crush the uprising (McCauley, pg 340). In 1968, Czechoslavakia, under the leadership of Alexander Dubcek, attempted to create socialism with a human face, unlike the rigid Soviet communism which is known as the Prague Spring. Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev was alarmed by this since he feared it could spread and create a domino effect and the USSR would lose its sphere of influence in East-Central Europe. The USSR tried to exert pressure on Dubcek (Dunbabin, pg 568) but when it saw that it was not enough, it launched a military invasion on 20th August 1968 to crush the Prague Spring and remove Dubcek from power (Dunbabin, pg 569). This showed that the Sov iet Union feared that different interpretations of Marxism among its satellites would lead to collapse of Communism and lose its strategic sphere of influence. Due to the upheavals that took place, the Brezhnev leadership came up with the Brezhnev Doctrine which claimed that it was the sole right of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact to take action against socialist countries which deviated from Soviet Communism (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 274). The message the USSR sent to the rest of the world was that it will not tolerate any changes to the political-economic system it had created in East Europe, its sphere of influence. This was because it felt highly threatened by those changes. The West gave its response in the Helsinki Final Act in 1975 where it accepted the Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe but the USSR agreed to accept the human rights basket, which would have serious consequences for the USSR in the 1980s (Dunbabin, pg 571). 2.3 Post-Communist Russia and Sphere of Influence Thinking in Current Russian Foreign Policy At the collapse of the Soviet Union, many former Soviet Republics which were also part of the Tsarist Empire became independent. Russia had lost those lands which had provided a belt of protection for Russia for centuries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991and up to the late 1990s, the newly constituted Russia began to use the term near abroad for its former Soviet republics (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 163). In this part, the setting up of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Russias participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and their usefulness to Russia in maintaining its sphere of influence will be analyzed. This part aims to put under focus Russias aims and aspirations behind the setup of these organisations. The interests Russia has in keeping Central Asian states, Ukraine, Belarus and other ex-Soviet states will be analyzed. Russia has and still claims that it uses multilateralism to achieve its aims of maintaining its sphere of influence and checking other powers such as China in the East. To analyze this in more detail, the focus will be on Russias behavior both in the institutions it is part of and leads and its behavior towards the smaller ex-Soviet republics. Russias activities in the CSTO and SCO will also be analyzed as well as its successes and failures in preserving its sphere of influence. 2.3.1 What are Russias interests and motivations, and how does it view itself and the countries surrounding it? The best way to start the subject is to look into Russias interests. Historically, the ex-Soviet republics were part of the USSR and before the October Revolution of 1917. It is not restricted to this reason though. Russia has economic interests as well as competing new powers for influence. This is most felt in the Central Asian region. For Russian political analyst Dmitri Trenin, this is sphere of interest rather than sphere of influence, as he points out in his article in The Washington Quarterly. Trenin outlines three types of interests that Russia has the ex-Soviet states. The first includes the military and security reasons, secondly, Russias economic interests and thirdly, the cultural aspect. Regarding Russias security and military interests, Trenin mentions the CSTO as a way for Russia to maintain its influence and dominance in most of the ex-Soviet republics and also to combat Islamic extremist movements (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). Trenin goes on to refer to t he fact Russia would like the CSTO to on the same level with NATO and that this would create the new European security architecture thus leading to the legitimization of the primacy of Russia in its former Imperial and Soviet subjects (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). Trenin maintains that Russias intention is halt US and NATO encroachment in its perceived zone of responsibility and he refers to the August 2008 war with Georgia. By taking a heavy-handed attitude towards Georgia, Trenin suggests, Russia was sending a clear message to NATO that it would accept anymore intrusion in the ex-Soviet space (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). So, the real reason behind the war was Mikhail Saakashvilis explicit intention to get NATO membership for Georgia. Russia also thinks that the USA is using democracy encouragement in order to draw the ex-Soviet states away from Russias influence (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). The second reason, the economic interests of Russia, also cannot be ignored. Russia has millions of foreign workers who come from the CIS member states, a factor which gives Russia an upper hand in dealing with its neighbours (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). Another important economic factor is energy. The ex-Soviet states around the Caspian Sea are rich in energy resources and Russian energy companies such as Gazprom, the Russian state-owned gas corporation, would like to be the ones that have control over these resources especially oil and natural gas (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). Russia has also worked towards economic integration in Eurasia and this is seen in the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and Russia has made no secret of its wish to have a customs union with Kazakhstan and Belarus (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). So Russia also uses economic means to preserve its influence and its interests. In the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis, Russia has forked out billions in funds to help the economies of the former Soviet Republics to recover (The Washington Quarterly). Thirdly, there is the cultural aspect. Dmitri Trenin makes a reference towards the presence of millions of Russian inhabitants in post-Soviet countries and how the Kremlin tries to use the case of Russian minorities for its political advantage. This has been listed as one of the objectives of Russian foreign policy in the Russian Foreign Policy Concept of 2008 signed by President Dmitri Medvedev (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, 12th July 2008). This objective of Russia protecting ethnic Russians in the neighboring countries has also one been one of the first objectives of Vladimir Putin since he first came to power as Russian President in 2000, as outlined by Ingmar Oldberg in his article for the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (The Swedish Institute of International Affairs, 2010). Russia has been taking advantage of its cultural predominance to use the Russian minoriti es in the neighboring countries to preserve its influence and has used many methods to try to achieve its objective such as the media, issuing of passports and backing pro-Russian political parties in these states (The Swedish Institute of International Affairs, 2010). One has to appreciate the fact that Russian culture, especially the language is a very strong factor. 2.3.2 Organisations which Russia uses as part of its objective of preserving its sphere of influence In this section, the focus is on organisations such as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The aim of this part of the chapter is to give a short history of each of these organisations and more importantly, Russias role in them and what Russia hopes to achieve by being active in these organisations. Is Russia using these organisations as a new way to portray itself as upholding the principles of multilateralism while at the same times keeping the post-Soviet republics under its influence? Does Russia behave as an equal partner or is it the dominant member due to its military strength? The best way to answer these questions is to analyse these organisations and Russias role in them. 2.3.2.1 Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was born out of the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union collapsed, 15 newly independent states emerged. Russia wanted to use the CIS in order for it to be able to maintain its influence in the newly independent states (Nogee and Donaldson, pg 165). It wanted to create The Baltic states kept away from joining and Georgia left the organisation after its August 2008 war with Russia. Ukraine, which in the early 1990s was under the leadership of Leonid Kravchuk did not want much integration in the CIS in order to preserve Ukraines independence (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 166). As a sign of continuity with the Tsarist and Soviet foreign policy thinking, Russia placed huge importance to the CIS as way of protecting itself with friendly countries, and this was mentioned in the 1993 Russian Foreign Policy Concept (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 154). With the establishment of the CIS, Russia was aiming for a common econ omic space, a common market, co-ordinated customs policies, cooperation in the environmental protection, developing communication and transport systems and combating organized crime (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 154). Much of these ambitions aims were not achieved and in 2005, President Vladimir Putin himself complained that the CIS did not achieve what Russia envisioned a decade earlier (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 154). Stina Torjesen, in a contribution to the book The Multilateral Dimension of Russian Foreign Policy, lists some reasons why Russia did not achieve as much as it hoped for in the 1990s regarding the CIS and CIS integration. Torjesen mentions reasons such as that coordination was not executed well, that when it came to implementing policies, Russia was either slow or didnt implement them at all, causing the other partners to be irritated, Russia in the 1990s was going through economic hardship which led to difficulty in implementing proposals and that Russias behavio r was still zero-sum instead of being a multilateral partner (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 155). Russia still sought to be the dominating party and sought primacy over other partners. So Russia deserves part of the blame for the failure to achieve the earlier objectives behind the creation of the CIS. Lilia Shevtsova, in her book Lonely Power, believes that Russia does not treat its neighbours as equals and cares about its primacy (Shevtsova, pg 90). Shevtsova makes a reference to a speech by President Dmitry Medvedev at the Council of Foreign Relations where the Russian President stated that Russia had a sphere of privileged interests (Shevtsova, pg 89). There were attempts by some post-Soviet republics to try to lessen their dependence on Russia and this is seen in organisations they set up such as GU(U)AM (Mankoff, pg 247). This consisted of Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan (which left the organisation), Azerbaijan and Moldova. GUAM as organisation was first set up in October 1997 (Tsygankov, pg 126). Uzbekistan left the organisation in May 2005 (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 173). After the summit in Kiev on 23rd May 2006, GUAM had a new name: Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development GUAM (Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development GUAM). The August 2008 war with Georgia also spoke volumes about Russias efforts to preserve its sphere of influence. Moreover in May 2009, Russia sent in extra 1,800 troops into Abkhazia and South Ossetia which inflamed suspicions in the West that Russia was up to its tricks again, that pursuing its domination of its neighbours as well as punishing Georgia for the pro-Western path it had taken (The Jamestown Foundation, 6th May 2009). After all, President Medvedev had made no secret of Russia wanting to be responsible for what he described as Russias privileged sphere of influence (The New York Times, 31st August 2008). US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US President Barack Obama did not agree with Dmitry Medvedevs position (OpenDemocracy, 20th April 2009). Russias cutting of the gas supply due to a crisis with Ukraine was interpreted as Russia using its energy resources to punish those countries which took positions against Russia such as Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, claims which Russia denied and Russia counter-attacked by claiming it was a quarrel over payments (Valdai Club, 13th January 2009). Lately, Russia has had problems over gas with Belaruss President Alexander Lukashenko but analysts claim that Russia uses its position of energy supplier to bend its neighbours to its will. This was the case with Belarus in June 2010 since Russia had been very irritated with Lukashenkos lack of recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and retaliated by banning milk from Belarus (The Economist, 24th June 2010). 2.3.2.2 Collective Security Treaty Organisation The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) is the military organisation Russia uses in order to maintain its influence in the post-Soviet states. One has to remember that out of all the former Soviet states, Russia is the most militarily and economically powerful and these factors do give it primacy in the CSTO. From the beginning, Russia intended that the CSTO will be used to create protection and security for Russia by having an organisation which included the former Soviet states (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 182). Before the CSTO was established in 2002, there was an agreement, the Collective Security Treaty (CST), signed in May 1992 at Tashkent by Russia, Armenia and the former Central Asian Soviet republics but Turkmenistan remained out (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183). After the fall of the USSR, Russia and the former Soviet states began discussing how to have a single military space under the CIS (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183). So the CST, and later the CSTO, was to work under the CIS. The objective of a creating one military structure was not achieved because each state chose to have its national army but the CST helped to bring the new states armies to cooperate when a threat emerged (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183). Throughout the 1990s, there were discussions on what type of military organisation the CST members national armies were going to set up (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183). The discussions were between whether there should be a decision-making structure similar to the one of NATO, which the majority of CST members wanted, or having a hierarchical structure, as Russia and Uzbekistan wanted (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183-184). In the end a mixture of both was chosen. One can remark that the fact that Russia wanted a hierarchical structure tells much about what its role in the CST was going to be. It sought to be the leader and not an equal with the other partners. By the mid-1990s, the CST had been successful in dealing with many challenges and Russia, through its military advantage, played a central role in helping Central Asian states to safeguard their borders and training their armies (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 184). But there was still no proper organisation of a supranational nature and this was seen in the civil war in Tajikistan in 1992, when the CST members did not work together and Russia and Uzbekistan helped the Tajik government (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 184). In 1993, peacekeeping troops from CST and CIS states Russia, Kazak hstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan did come to Tajikistan aid, but Russia was the dominant partner and its actions, such as supporting militarily the Tajik government of the day, were not multilateral (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 185). In this incident, one can see Russia acting as the dominant partner and this is something which the other states took note of. So Russia had some part of the blame for the failure to develop a fully-fledged multilateral military organisation. Its actions contradicted its objective of collective action. The maintenance of its sphere of influence was what mattered most. However, in the late 1990s, there was military cooperation between the CST members which was led by Russia such as military exercises in 1999 and 2000 (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 185). In October 2000, the CST members proceeded to cooperate on the issue of terrorism and this culminated in an agreement in Bishkek between Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to create an anti-terrorist center where they could share intelligence on terrorists (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 185). On May 25th 2001, cooperation increased and this led to the creation of the Rapid Deployment Forces to deal with security in the region (Eurasianet, 25th May 2001). This increase in cooperation led to the creation of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in May 2002 with Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia being the members (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 185). In October 2002, the Charter of the CSTO was signed and it came into effect from the 18th September 2003 (CSTO Official Website). In 2003, Russia began to improve on the already existing facilities at the airbase at Kant in Kyrgyzstan, and in 2006 added more personnel at the base (Mankoff, pg 268). After the 2005 Tulip revolution, the USA had to pay $200,000,000 yearly to keep its airbase at Manas while Russia did not have pay any rent, though it did provide military hardware to Kyrgyzstan (Mankoff, pg 268). In August 2008, after the war with Georgia, Russia asked the CSTO members to recognize South Ossetia (The Times, 30th August 2008) after China and four Central Asian countries had refused to recognize South Ossetia. This is another proof of how Russia wants to use the CSTO to be on par with NATO and trying to stop NATO from encroaching in its neighbourhood. In 2009, the Kyrgyz government announced to the USA that it was going to close down Manas airbase and this was soon after Russia promised more than $2 billion in aid to Kyrgyzstan on condition that the Kyrgyz government tells the US to leave the Manas Airbase (San Francisco Chronicle, 22nd February 2009). The Russia aim to keep Kyrgyzstan under its sphere of influence could not be clearer. On February 4th 2009, at a CSTO summit in Moscow, Russia and the other member states set up the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (CRRF) and it must be pointed out that Russia was once again the dominant player because it had the greater military power and it provided all the weapons, as Aleksei Malashenko from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Moscow) argued (Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, 4th February 2009). This shows again how Russia uses the CSTO for its central objective of maintaining its sphere of influence. It claims that the CSTO is there to fight terrorism but Russia uses the war on terrorism to make the CSTO one of its foreign policy tools. In fact, one can see this when in the same summit, Uzbekistan demanded special concessions for itself as a condition to join the CSTO (RIA Novosti, 4th February 2009). In May 2010, Belarus decided to contribute over 2,000 personnel to the CRRF after its ratification of the Moscow agreement (RIA Novosti, 26th May 2010). Si nce then, the CRRF members have practiced military exercises in October 2010 (RIA Novosti, 22nd October 2010). However, there were some disappointments and the latest one has been during the political upheaval in Kyrgyzstan when President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was overthrown. Russia did not send peacekeeping troops as Medvedev said that Russia and the CSTO would not participate in Kyrgyzstans domestic unrest (Global Post, 15th June 2010). Russia caused disappointment by its behavior because it showed a lack of consistency and did not act with its CSTO partners to send a peacekeeping mission to Kyrgyzstan. This shows that Russia uses organisations such as the CSTO to give an image that it is working multilaterally with its partners, but in reality it does the opposite. 2.3.2.3 Using economic means to protect interests and maintain sphere of influence The Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) Russia does not only create military organisations to preserve its sphere of influence, but it also uses economic means. Since the collapse of the USSR, Russia has tried hard to create customs union and foster economic integration in the CIS and recently it seems to have had some successes. Russia wants to follow the example of European integration and apply it to the CIS. The Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) is Russias tool to achieve this objective. Some of the objectives behind creating the CIS were to create a common economic space and a common market and deepening cooperat