Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Challenges of restaurant operations in new Jersey Essay
Challenges of restaurant operations in new Jersey - Essay Example New Jersey is one of major tourist destinations in wildwood, Ocean City, Point Pleasant beach, fishing villages, beautiful barrier islands and scenic views. With all these we expect local and foreign tourists in these areas. To accommodate foreign tourists, there are several restaurants which serve as dining and accommodation avenues (Wilkerson, 2008). We shall look into details management of these restaurants and the overall effects of internal administration challenges, external factors and come up with possible mitigation strategies to these challenges. Management of restaurants is associated with several challenges due to the need of the industry to incorporate varied client needs and preference, develop and maintain the company image and to stand relevant businesswise. Managers of these restaurants and relevant stakeholders have to make decisions from administrative point of view and try to incorporate other factors such as state laws and provided statutes, demographic and geogr aphic factors to enhance operations of the restaurant. In the administration perspective managers are faced by several challenges which include; training of the staff, they should be trained to understand the menu items, how to respond to customers and overall organization flow within the restaurant. For instance, training of the front office employees may be different from those of the kitchen section otherwise known as back house operations. Training of front office employees who may include cashiers, waiters/waitresses and customer care requires diligence as they are the face of the restaurant. They need to understand different languages, be resilient to different attitudes of customers and the general customer-friendly attitude. Training of the back office staff has challenges in that they need to meet varied tastes and preferences of different customers because the kitchen section is the heart of the restaurant. To address this, employees need to be trained and attached to thei r areas of specialization. This is to bring the competitive aspect of the business in terms of quality services to the customer which is a necessity for image and brand development. Another challenge in restaurant management is cultural integration. Most restaurants employees are either immigrants from other states or from different regions with different cultures and incorporating these cultures in a single work force is a challenge. To address this challenge training and integration of cultural heterogeneity will be of paramount benefit to the restaurant and customers. Unpredictability is another challenge in a service industry where you cannot tell who is visiting today, what they will order and what is in stock. There could be a crisis if the operations for instance were expecting a thousand visitors, then the number increases and there are no radical measures to meet the increased demand. To address this, I would stand-by employees in case of an influx, gather reliable informat ion on tourist trends so as to enable procurement procedures and be flexible on duty allocation to the employees. Social concerns are another challenge facing restaurant industry in terms of amenities such as hygiene, security and incorporation of varied tastes and preferences of different visitors. These challenges can be addressed by understanding particular needs and want of the visiting clients and coming up with measures to
Monday, October 28, 2019
The role of Intelligence in the formulation of government policies Essay Example for Free
The role of Intelligence in the formulation of government policies Essay Introduction Espionage is the secret collection of information, or intelligence, that the source of such information wishes to protect from disclosure. Intelligence refers to evaluated and processed information needed to make decisions. The term can be used with reference to business, military, economic, or political decisions, but it most commonly relates to governmental foreign and defense policy. Intelligence generally has a national security connotation and therefore exists in an aura of secrecy.            Espionage, or spying, is illegal according to national laws. Spying proceeds against the attempts of counter-espionage (or counter-intelligence) agencies to protect the secrecy of the information desired.            International espionage methods and operations have few boundaries. They have been romanticized in popular fiction and the mass media, but in reality, espionage exists in a secret world of deception, fraud, and sometimes violence. Espionage involves the recruiting of agents in foreign nations; efforts to encourage the disloyalty of those possessing significant information; and audio surveillance as well as the use of a full range of modern photographic, sensing, and detection devices and other techniques of eliciting secret information (see C. S. Trahair, Richard. Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies and Secret Operations, 2004).            The intents of this paper are to: (1) trace how espionage started; (2) know the justification and international sanction of intelligence; (3) know the recruitment agents; (4) be aware how espionages are gathered; (5) be acquainted espionage agencies and networks; (6) be informed how espionage during the 19th century and early 20th century; (7) know the role of espionage during World War II and Modern Era; (8) realized how is espionage in politics and industry; (9) learn about the Espionage Act of 1917; (10) know about Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as one of the agencies of intelligence and; (11) know about its implications of modern technology. Background How espionage started?            Intelligence was early recognized as a vital tool of statecraftâ€â€of diplomacy or war. Writing almost 2,500 years ago, the Chinese military theorist Sunzi stressed the importance of intelligence. His book The Art of War (c. 500 BC) gave detailed instructions for organizing an espionage system that would include double agents and defectors. Intelligence, however, was haphazardly organized by rulers and military chiefs until the rise of nationalism in the 18th century and the growth of standing armies and diplomacy (see T. Richelson, Jeffrey. A Century of Spies: Intelligence in the Twentieth Century. 1999). III. Discussion Justification and International Sanction of Intelligence            In order to adopt and implement foreign policy, plan military strategy and organize armed forces, conduct diplomacy, negotiate arms control agreements, or participate in international organization activities, nations have vast information requirements. Not surprisingly, many governments maintain some kind of intelligence capability as a matter of survival in a world where dangers and uncertainties still exist. The cold war may have ended, but hostilities continue in parts of Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Indeed, the collapse of old political blocs in the late 1980s has even increased international uncertainty and consequent need for information (see Carney, Ralph M. Citizen Espionage: Studies in Trust and Betrayal. 2001).            All nations have laws against espionage, but most sponsor spies in other lands. Because of the clandestine nature of espionage, no reliable count exists of how many intelligence officersâ€â€only a small percentage of whom are actually spiesâ€â€there are in the world. A common estimate is that the United States today still employs some 200,000 intelligence personnel. The number that was generally ascribed to the Soviet intelligence establishment in the 1980s was 400,000, a figure that included border guards and internal security police (see T. Richelson, Jeffrey. A Century of Spies: Intelligence in the Twentieth Century. 1999). The recruitment agents            Today, scores of developed nations have efficient intelligence organizations with systematic programmes for recruiting new agents. Agents come from three main sources: the university world, where students are sought and trained for intelligence careers; the armed services and police forces, where some degree of intelligence proficiency may already have been attained; and the underground world of espionage, which produces an assortment of people, including criminal informers, with relevant experience (see Bungert, Heike Et Al. Secret Intelligence in the Twentieth Century. 2003).            Those who do the actual spying, which may involve stealing information or performing disloyal acts of disclosure, are led to this work by various motivations. Greed or financial need is a leading incentive in many cases, but other motivations, such as ambition, political ideology, or nationalistic idealism, can figure importantly: Oleg Vladimirovich Penkovsky, a highly placed Soviet officer, provided valuable information to Western intelligence services in the belief that the West must be warned of danger. H. A. R. (â€Å"Kim†) Philby, the notorious English spy, worked for the Soviet Union on ideological grounds.            Some spies must be carefully recruited and enticed into cooperation; others volunteer. The latter must be handled with extreme caution, as it is common for double agents to be among the volunteers. Double agents are spies who pretend to be defecting, but in reality maintain their original loyalty. Counter-intelligence staffs are always sceptical of volunteers or defectors and restrict their use for positive espionage purposes. In some cases, the most valuable spy of all is the â€Å"agent-in-place†, the person who remains in a position of trust with access to highly secret information, but who has been recruited by a foreign intelligence service; such a spy is known as a â€Å"mole†(see Herrington, Stuart A. Traitors among Us: Inside the Spy Catchers World, 1999).            A high-priority espionage target is the penetration of the various international terrorist organizations. If the leadership of such units can be infiltrated by spies, advance knowledge can be obtained of the location and identity of intended victims, the nature of the disguises being used by the hit team, and the secret sources of weapons. Such information could be used to foil terrorist operations. International drug trafficking, it has been asserted, can similarly be thwarted by effective espionage, but the problem is complex, and only limited success has been achieved. How espionages are gathered?            Intelligence work, including spying, proceeds in a five-step process. Initially, what the decision makers need to know is considered, and requirements are set. The second step is collecting the desired information, which requires knowing where the information is located and who can best obtain it. The information may be available in a foreign newspaper, radio broadcast, or other open source; or it may be obtained only by the most sophisticated electronic means, or by planting an agent within the decision-making system of the target area. The third step is intelligence production, in which the collected raw data are assembled, evaluated, and collated into the best possible answer to the question initially asked. The fourth step is communicating the processed information to the decision maker. To be useful, information must be presented in a timely, accurate, and understandable form. The fifth and crucial step is the use of intelligence. The decision maker may choose to ignore the information conveyed, thus possibly courting disaster; on the other hand, a judgment may be made on the basis of information that proves inaccurate (see Hulnick, Arthur S. and Valcourt, Richard R. Fixing the Spy Machine: Preparing American Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century, 1999).The point is that the decision maker must make the final crucial judgment about whether, or how, to use the information supplied. The intelligence process can fail at each or any of these five basic steps. Espionage Agencies and Networks            The worlds intelligence, espionage, counter-intelligence, and covert action programmes may be said to follow three distinct organizational patterns: the American, the totalitarian (exemplified by the Communist regimes), and the British (parliamentary) systems. Similarities exist among them, yet distinctions are sharp.            In the United States the Central Intelligence Agency continues to sit at the corner of an elaborate complex of some dozen separate intelligence organizations. Each has a specific role and a carefully guarded area of operations. The director of central intelligence is both head of the CIA and the presidents principal intelligence adviser. In the latter job the director theoretically coordinates all the separate intelligence units, setting their requirements, budgets, and operational assignments. In reality, many of the major units in the systemâ€â€such as the Defense Intelligence Agency and the huge National Security Agency/Central Security Service, both part of the Department of Defenseâ€â€operate in quasi-independence. The National Security Agency, which engages in code making and code breaking, the science of cryptography, is much larger in staff size and budget than the CIA (see Marchetti, Victor and Marks, John D. The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence, 2001). The military also maintains a major tactical intelligence capability to assist field commanders in making on-the-spot decisions. Other major units in the US intelligence system include the State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration of the Department of Justice. The US model influenced the intelligence structures of those countries where the United States was dominant at the end of World War II, such as West Germany (now part of the united Federal Republic of Germany), Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.            In contrast to the federated American intelligence structure, the typical totalitarian setup is highly centralized. In the Soviet Union, the power of the KGB pervaded every aspect of national life. Its director was generally a powerful member of the Politburo (the governing political committee of the USSR). The KGB had two chief directorates. The most important was the First Directorate, which was responsible for foreign intelligence gathering. The Second Directorates principal responsibilities involved providing counter-espionage protection to the regime and recruiting foreign agents within the Soviet Union. Its targets included diplomats and journalists stationed in the USSR, foreign students, business people, tourists, and visiting delegations (see Macpherson, Nelson. American Intelligence in War-Time London: The Story of the Oss, 2003).Most Eastern European governments followed the KGB model in their intelligence operations. China, Cuba, and other Communist nations still do.            The third model of intelligence systems is the British, a confederation of agencies coordinated by a Cabinet subcommittee and accountable to the Cabinet and prime minister. The two principal units are the Secret Intelligence Service (often called MI6, signifying â€Å"military intelligence†) and the Security Service (popularly called MI5). These labels reflect the military origins of these services, which are now in the civilian sector. MI6 is similar to the CIA and the KGB in that it carries out espionage, counter-espionage, and covert action overseas. MI5 is charged with domestic counter-intelligence and internal security. Scotland Yard maintains a â€Å"special branch†, which operates as the overt arm of the security service; it makes arrests and offers evidence in espionage cases while MI5 agents remain in the background. A number of specialized units also operate within the British intelligence community. These include the Government Communications Centre (for code making and breaking), the Ministry of Defense intelligence sections, and various Foreign Office intelligence groups. With some national variations, the intelligence services of France, Italy, Israel, and the Commonwealth of Nations countries follow the general British pattern of organization (see Macpherson, Nelson. American Intelligence in War-Time London: The Story of the Oss, 2003). During the 19th century            Political espionage is thought to have first been used systematically by Joseph Fouchà ©, duc dOtrante, minister of police during the French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon. Under Fouchà ©s direction, a network of police agents and professional spies uncovered conspiracies to seize power organized by the Jacobins and by Bourbon Royalist à ©migrà ©s. The Austrian statesman Prince von Metternich also established an efficient organization of political and military spies early in the 19th century. Better known than either of these organizations was the dreaded Okhrana (Department for Defence of Public Security and Order) of the Russian tsars, created in 1825 to uncover opposition to the regime.            During the mid-19th century the secret police of Prussia was reorganized and invested with the duty of safeguarding the external as well as the internal security of the country. The Prussian espionage system played an important part in preparations to unify the German states in the German Empire. It also covered France with a network of about 30,000 agents whose work contributed to the German victory in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Not until the latter part of the 19th century, however, were permanent intelligence bureaux created by modern states (see T. Richelson, Jeffrey. A Century of Spies: Intelligence in the Twentieth Century. 1999). Early 20th century            Systematic espionage aided the Japanese in defeating the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. In preparing for World War I the Germans again flooded France with a host of agents, some of whom were disguised as trade representatives, teachers, agricultural labourers, or domestics. The most famous of these agents was Mata Hari, who posed as an Indian dancer in Paris. German agents also engaged in attempts to sabotage American national defense both before and after the US entry into World War I.            Most nations, however, entered World War I with inadequate espionage staffs, and the war was frequently fought on the basis of poor intelligence. The lessons of that war, along with rapid advances in technology, especially in communications and aviation, spurred a major growth in intelligence agencies. This was further stimulated by the advent of Fascist governments in Europe and a military dictatorship in Japan, all of which had expansionist foreign policies and the creation of counter-espionage agencies such as the Gestapo in Nazi Germany. These developments led other, democratic countries to establish counter-espionage systems as well (see Hulnick, Arthur S. and Valcourt, Richard R. Fixing the Spy Machine: Preparing American Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century. 1999). Espionage during World War II            World War II was the great stimulus to intelligence services worldwide. Modern military and communications technology put a premium on accurate and quick information, as well as on efforts to protect the security of sensitive information. Some of the great battles of World War II were actually intelligence and counter-intelligence battles. Only in recent years have some of the exploits, and failures, in this secret war been disclosed. Notable is Operation Double Cross, in which the British captured practically all the German spies in Great Britain during the war and turned them into double agents who sent false information back to Germany. Also, the British and their allies were able to break the German secret code, providing access to many of the enemys secret transmissions (see Sexton Jr., Donal J. Signals Intelligence in World War II: A Research Guide. 1999).            The surprise attack by Japan on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was a great intelligence success for the Japanese and an intelligence failure for the Americans. That failure stimulated the post-war growth of a massive intelligence apparatus in the United States. Before World War II the United States had virtually no intelligence system; after the war the CIA became world famous for its pervasive international surveillance, joining the MI6, the KGB, the Service de Documentation Extà ©rieure et de Contre-Espionage of France, Israels foreign intelligence agency Mossad, Chinas Social Affairs Department, and numerous other intelligence agencies in a massive network of espionage and counter-espionage efforts (see Sexton Jr., Donal J. Signals Intelligence in World War II: A Research Guide. 1999). Modern Era            In the mid-1970s, as a result of disillusionment with the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and the policies of dà ©tente, many Americans began to question the role of the CIA. Mass-media disclosures of intelligence agency abuses and failures were followed by investigations by presidential commissions and congressional committees, which resulted in new guidelines for secret operations and a new structure for executive and legislative supervision. Controversy over the CIAs role and control remains, however. One result is an ever-increasing amount of public information about intelligence services around the world (see â€Å"Espionage†. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, pp. 342-347, vol. 5). In Britain, MI5 remained unrecognized by statute until 1989, and MI6 until 1994. Espionage in Politics and Industry            Intelligence and espionage are terms most commonly associated with national foreign policies, yet secret information is needed to make decisions in politics, commerce, and industry. Political parties have always been interested in the strategic plans of their opponents or in any information that might discredit them.            Most large corporate enterprises today have divisions for strategic planning that require intelligence reports. Competitive enterprises are undeniably interested in the plans of their competitors; despite laws against such practices, industrial espionage is difficult to detect and control and is known to be an active tool for gaining such foreknowledge. Many of the tools of government intelligence work are used, including electronic surveillance and aerial photographic reconnaissance, and attempts are even made to recruit defectors (see â€Å"Espionage†. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, pp. 342-347, vol. 5). Espionage Act of 1917            Espionage Act of 1917 is a principal United States legislation prohibiting espionage for a foreign country and providing heavy penalties for such activity. As amended in 1940 and 1970, it is still in force.            The 1917 law provided steep fines and imprisonment for collecting and transmitting to foreign power information related to US national defense and for interfering with the recruitment or loyalty of the armed forces. Use of the US mail for material urging treason or resistance to US laws was prohibited; sabotage, especially of trading ships, was subjected to severe penalties; the movement of neutral ships in US waters was regulated (in order to stop such vessels from shipping arms or supplies to an enemy country); and the fraudulent use of passports as well as the unauthorized representation of a foreign government were prohibited. An important amendment to the law, usually called the Sedition Act, was passed in 1918 but repealed in 1921; it forbade spoken or printed attacks on the US government, Constitution, or flag (see â€Å"Intelligence†. New Standard Encyclopedia, pp. 431-437, vol. 7).            During the outbreak of public hysteria following the US entry into World War I, the 1917 and 1918 laws permitted about 1,500 trials and prison sentences; freedom of the press was curtailed. In 1919 this led US Supreme Court justices Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and Louis Brandeis to state the principle, later much cited, that unpatriotic speech and publications were illegal only if they constituted a â€Å"clear and present danger†to national security.            The 1940 revision of the Espionage Act increased its penalties. The application of the law to propaganda was limited by a Supreme Court decision in 1944. During World War II about 160 people were convicted under the Espionage Act. Also under this act, the American Communists Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of spying and executed in 1953 (see â€Å"Intelligence†. New Standard Encyclopedia, pp. 431-437, vol. 7). Central Intelligence Agency            Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), agency of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, created in 1947, together with the National Security Council. The CIA is Americas first permanent peacetime intelligence agency responsible for keeping the government informed of foreign actions affecting the nations interests. It was established by the National Security Act of 1947 and is charged with coordinating all US intelligence activities, as well as such functions and duties related to intelligence as directed by the National Security Council (see Darling, Arthur B. The Central Intelligence Agency: An Instrument of Government, to 1950. 2002). A director and deputy director of the agency are appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate (see Hulnick, Arthur S. and Valcourt, Richard R. Fixing the Spy Machine: Preparing American Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century, 1999). History            The CIAs original mission was primarily intelligence gathering, but after Communist takeovers in Eastern Europe and mainland China, the National Security Council directed that the agency engage in political, covert psychological, paramilitary, and economic operations. United States participation in the Korean War (1950-1953) placed additional requirements on the CIA to support the combat forces.            In the period from 1953 to 1961 the CIA was at the height of its cold war activities, carrying out continuous foreign intelligence, counter-intelligence, political action, and propaganda operations. In late 1961 the CIA was reorganized to put more emphasis on science, technology, and internal management. The agency was heavily committed in the war in South East Asia. In 1963 an Office of National Intelligence Programs Evaluation was established to coordinate community activities; this was replaced in 1972 by an Intelligence Community Staff (see Lowenthal, Mark M. U.S. Intelligence: Evolution and Anatomy, 1999). Activities            The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is divided into four main directorates, or branches. The Directorate of Operations conducts covert activities around the world. The Directorate of Science and Technology interprets data gathered from electronic transmissions, spy satellites, and other sources. The Directorate of Intelligence produces analyses for policy makers by synthesizing information from the CIA and other federal agencies. The Directorate of Administration oversees the agencys finances and personnel and monitors internal security.            The activities of the CIA are many and varied. Clandestine collection of vital information that cannot be obtained by any overt means requires recruiting agents who can obtain the needed intelligence without detection. Intelligence reports from all sources are reviewed by analysts who produce studies ranging from basic surveys to estimates of future developments. Current intelligence of major importance is detailed in daily, weekly, or monthly bulletins. Periodic projections concerning key nations are presented as national intelligence estimates (see Lowenthal, Mark M. U.S. Intelligence: Evolution and Anatomy, 1999).            The CIA is also responsible for counter-espionage activities. Its mission is to prevent the placement of foreign agents in sensitive US agencies; domestically this work is coordinated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).            Covert political operations have ranged from subsidizing friendly foreign politicians, parties, or pressure groups to providing assistance in combating subversion. Paramilitary operations support certain exile forces with training and equipment; one example was the CIAs support of Cuban exiles before and during the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.            Modern technology has increased the capabilities of intelligence collection. In the 1960s high-altitude aircraft introduced a new era of aerial photography; this was quickly followed by transmissions from space satellites. Similarly, underseas intelligence work was advanced by vessels capable of raising a submarine from great depths (see Lowenthal, Mark M. U.S. Intelligence: Evolution and Anatomy, 1999). Controversy and investigations            All clandestine activities are considered abhorrent by some people. Many, however, recognize secret intelligence collection necessary to protect national security. Generally, people support covert political activities in times of crisis.            The role of the CIA director as the principal US intelligence officer and coordinator of activities of the other agencies has often been in dispute. Over the years frequent proposals have been made to divest the head of the CIA of the coordinating role and assign that function to a member of the White House staff.            The CIA has been investigated a number of times by various task force groups, one of which in 1949 recommended major reorganization of CIA operations. Following the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed a group to analyze the failure.            In 1975 the CIA came under extensive Congressional and White House examination. It was found that the agency had been engaged in â€Å"unlawful†domestic spying activities and had been implicated in assassination attempts abroad. As a result of these investigations, permanent Congressional committees were established to oversee CIA operations. By 1980 these committees had exclusive jurisdiction over review of CIA activities (see Marchetti, Victor and Marks, John D. The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence, 2001).            By 1986, however, the agency was involved in a new controversy concerning the secret sale of arms to Iran and the disbursement of monies from the sale to the rebels (known as the Contras) fighting the government of Nicaragua. The late CIA director William J. Casey, among others, was suspected of being implicated in the arms scandal. As the 1990s began, the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the dissolution of the USSR led the CIA to revise its mission and organization to meet changing world conditions.            The United States government released the first of three batches of classified documents expected to shed light on relations between Chile and the United States during the 1970s in June 1999. These documents included reports by the Central Intelligence Agency referring to covert operations intended to promote a military coup and overturn the government of President Allende.            There was further criticism for the CIA after the terrorist attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, when it was accused of not having done enough to warn of, and possibly prevent, the impending disaster. Over the following months the organization was subsequently given extra powers and resources to conduct increased covert operations as part of the war on terrorism; it also began to develop closer ties with the FBI (see T. Richelson, Jeffrey. A Century of Spies: Intelligence in the Twentieth Century. 1999). Conclusion Implications of Modern Technology            All forms and techniques of intelligence are now aided by an accelerating technology of communications and a variety of computing and measuring devices. Miniaturized cameras and microfilm have made it easier for people engaged in all forms of espionage to photograph secret documents and conceal the films. Artificial satellites also have an espionage functionâ€â€that of aerial photography for such purposes as detecting secret military installations. Information held or programmes running on computers are vulnerable to penetration by hackers, whether acting independently or for other bodies. The vanguard of these developments is highly secret, but it is known that telephones can be tapped without wires, rooms can be bugged (planted with electronic listening and recording devices) without entry, and photographs can be made in the dark. Of course this same technology is used in countermeasures, and the competition escalates between those seeking secret information and those trying to protect it.            In foreign embassies in sensitive areas, confidential discussions routinely take place in plastic bubbles encasing secure rooms, to protect the confidentiality of information. Intelligence agencies have long been known to be staffed with expert lip readers. Privacy of communications remains under constant assault by technological developments that offer threats to, but perhaps also promises for, human progress. References C. S. Trahair, Richard. Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies and Secret Operations, 2004. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT. T. Richelson, Jeffrey. A Century of Spies: Intelligence in the Twentieth Century. 1999. Oxford University Press, New York. Carney, Ralph M. Citizen Espionage: Studies in Trust and Betrayal. 2001. Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT. Bungert, Heike Et Al. Secret Intelligence in the Twentieth Century. 2003. Frank Cass. London. Herrington, Stuart A. Traitors among Us: Inside the Spy Catchers World, 1999. Presidio Press, Novato, CA. Marchetti, Victor and Marks, John D. The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence, 2001. Dell, New York. Hulnick, Arthur S. and Valcourt, Richard R. Fixing the Spy Machine: Preparing American Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century, 1999. Praeger, Westport, CT. Sexton Jr., Donal J. Signals Intelligence in World War II: A Research Guide. 1999. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT. Darling, Arthur B. The Central Intelligence Agency: An Instrument of Government, to 1950. 2002. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, PA. Macpherson, Nelson. American Intelligence in War-Time London: The Story of the Oss, 2003. Frank Cass, London. Hulnick, Arthur S. and Valcourt, Richard R. Fixing the Spy Machine: Preparing American Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century, 1999. Praeger, Westport, CT. â€Å"Espionage†. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, pp. 342-347, vol. 5. â€Å"Intelligence†. New Standard Encyclopedia, pp. 431-437, vol. 7. Lowenthal, Mark M. U.S. Intelligence: Evolution and Anatomy, 1999. Praeger, Westport, CT.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Scarlet letter :: essays research papers
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel about three individuals whose lives are forever changed. The story takes place in a Puritan village in Boston, in the 1600's. A woman named Hester Prynne has committed adultery and is subject to wear a letter "A" on her dress, representing adulteress. Her secret lover, Dimmesdale, does not come forth, and she does not reveal his identity. Hester's husband, Chillingworth, becomes a sick man, living off other people's sufferings. The act of adultery has weakened each character, and isolated them from the community. The three characters find it harder and harder to live each day. Hester Prynne is a strong character, but she also gives in to weakness. She moves to the outskirts of town because she does not want her life to be observed by every town's person. Although she carries herself proudly, inside she feels sorrow for herself and her child, Pearl. Hester wears the scarlet letter even though she can take it off and refuse to wear it. Hester feels every isolated from the world, because she is an outcast in the village. Villagers look at her as a bad example and a bad person. As time goes on, Hester feels like she has to give back to the world. She feels like she has done damage to the community, and therefore Hester helps the sick and makes clothing for the less fortunate. Hester tries to deal with her situation the best she possibly can. Dimmesdale is the weakest character in the novel. Dimmesdale keeps his guilt and sin inside of his self, and by doing so it tears him apart. He does not want the village to know of his sin, because as a minister, he feels he must be looked up to. Dimmesdale keeps to himself and little by little his health fades. He fasts and fasts until he faints and he whips himself on the back as punishment. He has so much guilt built up inside of him after years and years that he decides he must confess to the village upon the scaffold. "For thee and Pearl, be it as God shall order, and God is merciful! Let me now do the will which he hath made plain before my sight. For, Hester I am a dying man. So let me make haste to take my shame upon me!" Dimmesdale is saying that he deserves the punishment that God will give him, and he is ashamed of his sin.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Fences: Black People and Wilson Essay
August Wilson’s Fences is a play about life, and an extended metaphor Wilson uses to show the crumbling relationships between Troy and Cory and Troy and Rose. Troy Maxson represents the dreams of black America in a majorly white world, a world where these dreams were not possible because of the racism and attitudes that prevailed. Troy Maxson is representative of many blacks and their â€Å"attitudes and behavior†¦ within the social flux of the late fifties, in their individual and collective struggles to hew a niche for themselves in the rocky social terrain of postwar America†(Pereria, 37). Much of the tension in the play comes from Troy Maxson, and his inability to change, his, â€Å"refusal to accept the fact that social conditions are changing for the black man†(Pereria, 37). Troy’s wife, Rose, recognizes this early on, saying to him, â€Å"Times have changed from when you was young, Troy. People change. The world’s changing around you and you can’t even see it†(Wilson, 40). This inability to change diversely affects Troy’s relationship with his second son, Cory, who is a promising athlete. Sports provide the arena for the continuing conflict and foreshadows the characteristic that will eventually lead to Troy’s downfall. There is a constant struggle between Troy and Cory because Troy will not allow his son to pursue his athletic dreams, telling him instead to keep his after-school job. This comes from Troy’s past, when he was a promising baseball player who was prevented from playing because he was black. Troy’s fears carry into the new generation when he prevents his son from pursuing a football scholarship because of his past, even though the world was changing at this time, and colored people were expanding into new areas. Troy admits to Rose that his decision regarding Cory’s future comes from his past when he states, â€Å"I decided seventeen years ago that boy wasn’t getting involved in no sports. Not after what they did to me in the sports†(Wilson, 39). Troy, unable to change with the times, is, â€Å"convinced of no professional future for black athletes, he is determined to direct his son into a more practical career†(Pereira, 37). The title of the work, Fences, acts as an extended metaphor throughout the play. Troy builds fences between himself and virtually everyone in the play, isolating himself further and further as he clings to the past and refuses to adapt to a world changing around him. He builds a fence between himself and his friend Bono when he takes a promotion at work, and then puts a fence between he and Rose when he goes outside of the confines of their marriage with Alberta. He also builds a fence between himself and Cory by his refusal to acknowledge his son’s dreams. As Bogumil states, â€Å"By drawing a strict boundary around himself regarding familial relations, Troy loses virtually every sense of affection and bond between himself and his son, causing Cory to conclude that his father does not even like him†(48). When Cory alludes to the question of his father liking him, Troy responds, â€Å"†¦. cause I like you? You about the biggest fool I ever saw. †He continues with, â€Å"You my flesh and blood. Not ’cause I like you! Cause it’s my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you! (Wilson, 38). Later in the play, in the end of Act Two, Scene Four, Troy and Cory fight physically, and after Troy tells Cory to leave his house, and Cory says he will return for his things, Troy tells him, â€Å"They’ll be on the other side of that fence†(Wilson, 89). Troy has not only put Cory out physically, but has metaphorically put his son on the other side of the fence, away from him. Troy Maxson builds a fence so strong he thought he could keep death himself out. In the end of Act Two, Scene Two he tells Death, â€Å"See now†¦. I’m gonna tell you what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna take and build me a fence around this yard. See? I’m gonna build me a fence around what belongs to me. And then I want you to stay on the other side†¦ You stay on the other side of that fence until you ready for me (Wilson, 77). There is also the literal fence in the play, which Rose wants Troy to build around their yard. Troy wonders why Rose would want a fence when they have virtually nothing of value to steal. Bogumil believes that, â€Å"A fence to Rose has spiritual significance, solace to comfort her during the times she must intervene in the dysfunctional relationship between her son Cory and husband Troy†¦ (48). The beginning of Act One, Scene Two begins with Rose singing to herself, â€Å"Jesus, be a fence around me every day†¦. †(Wilson, 21). While Troy is building fences to keep people out, Rose builds a fence to keep them in, as she, â€Å"dearly desires to preserve the family she has never had†(Bogumil, 48). Rose herself says to Troy, â€Å"†¦ you know I ain’t never wanted no half nothing in my family. My whole family is half†¦.. Can’t hardly tell who’s who (Wilson, 68). Alan Nadel believes that Wilson is making a political statement with the metaphor of a fence. He sets up his argument with the assertion that. â€Å"the idea of a fence is inextricable from the idea of property†(86). He continues in this vein, linking property to humans, linking humans as a form of property to the days of slaveholding. He then says that one of the human ideals of freedom was in ownership; ownership of property. He states that in previous times, â€Å"Race or skin color was just such a fence. It served to separate blacks from humans, denying blacks the properties of humans and giving to humans property rights over blacks†(87). He claims that in the North, â€Å"The boundaries were less clear, the fences less sturdy†(87). Nadel believes that legally, the Dred Scott decision and the Fugitive Slave Law decided that property rights were universal while human rights were local. The Mason Dixon line resulted from the Missouri Compromise and was in violation of the fifth amendment. Because of this, Nadel states that, â€Å"these laws and decisions mandated that the humanity of blacks be treated as a metaphor, while their non-humanity-their condition as property-be treated as literal†(87). The fence then, in August Wilson’s Fences, according to Nadel, was the opposing attitudes held towards blacks during these times, that their freedom was, â€Å"not literal but figurative†and that. †The Mason-Dixon line†¦ became the universal metaphoric fence that marked the properties of race as criteria for inhumane treatment†(88). Nadel relates this to Fences by saying that Troy Maxson’s struggle to build a fence around his property, making it human, is really Wilson’s way of showing the internalization of the metaphoric Mason-Dixon line. He also believes the name Maxson, â€Å"suggests a shortened Mason-Dixon†and that Troy’s â€Å"character similarly embodies the personal divisions that come from living in a world where the Mason-Dixon line exists as the ubiquitous circumscription of black American claims to civil rights. †(89). The vital element to keep in mind while reading Fences is that while Troy Maxson is a tragic character who ultimately alienates himself from family and friends because of his inability to adapt with the changing world, he has good intentions and actually believes he is doing the right thing for his family. Peter Wolfe categorizes Troy’s character perfectly when he claims that, â€Å"his greatest enemy remains himself†(65). Responsibility plays a large role in Troy’s beliefs. This is reflected when Cory asks Troy if he likes him. Troy’s response is violent, and heartfelt, when he exclaims, â€Å"It’s my job. It’s my responsibility! You understand that? A man got to take care of his family†(Wilson,38). It is important to Troy to instill this sense of responsibility in his sons. When he is speaking to Rose about this outburst he explains, â€Å"He’s got to make his own way. I made mine†(Wilson, 39). Troy also wants his sons to have opportunities he did not. He does not want Cory to get his hopes up, and then dashed down as he did when he tried to enter the athletic arena. Again, he tells this to Rose when he says,†I don’t want him to be like me! I want him to get as far away from my life as he can get†(Wilson, 39). When Bono confronts Troy about his increasing interest in Alberta, Troy defends himself with the words, â€Å"I ain’t ducking the responsibility of it†(Wilson, 63). And when he tells Rose of his infidelity he says, â€Å"Rose, you ain’t the blame†¦. I’m responsible for it’ (Wilson, 69). Although Troy does not always do what is right, as Elkins states, â€Å"With both his sons, Troy tries to promote responsibility to family over responsibility to personal pursuits†(Elkins, 167). This is his reasoning for not allowing Cory to try for the football scholarship, for wanting him to keep working at the A&P, as this is his reasoning for offering Lyons a job working with him at the garbage company. Wolfe claims that, â€Å"Duty for him always outranks love†(Wolfe, 66). Troy values work more than personal pursuits because his own dream of being a major league baseball player was denied him. He is looking out for the best interests of his children, hoping they do not choose the wrong path as he did, out of genuine care, and a sense of responsibility and duty to his family. Wilson himself defends Troy’s resolution regarding his decision of not allowing Cory to play football, stating, that, †When blacks went to universities on athletic scholarships, they were in fact exploited. Very few got an education. Troy is correct when he tells the kid that the white man ain’t gon’ let you get nowhere with that football. As a man born in 1904 and illiterate he’s telling his son to get a job so he won’t have to carry garbage†(Elkins, interview with Wilson, 168). Fences is a masterpiece! An extended metaphor about a black family. A black family trying to find a place for themselves in the late fifties and early sixties It is a play about Troy Maxson, who builds so many ‘fences’ around himself that he succeeds in alienating himself from everyone he cares about and from the world that is rapidly changing around him. Wilson shows this more specifically by Troy’s disintegrating relationship with his son, Cory, and his wife, Rose. As Bono said, â€Å"Some people build fences to keep people out†¦ and other people build fences to keep people in†(Wilson, 61). Troy Maxson built them to isolate himself and to keep out the people he loved the most. Works Cited Bogumil, Mary L. Understanding August Wilson. University of South Carolina Press, Colombia:1999. Elkins, Marilyn. August Wilson: A Casebook. Garland Publishing Inc. , New York: 2000. Nadel, Alan. May All Your Fences Have Gates: Essays on the Drama of August Wilson. University of Iowa Press, U. S. :1994. Pereira, Kim. August Wilson and the African American Odyssey. University Of Illinois Press, Chicago:1995. Wilson, August. Fences. Penguin Books U. S. A. Inc. , New York:1986. Wolfe, Peter. August Wilson: Twayne’s United States Authors Series. Ed. Frank Day. Twayne Publishers, New York:1999.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Diamond Necklace
â€Å"Maupassant uses the symbol of the necklace to represent various stations in Victorian society. However, this theme may be lost to readers that are not versed in Victorian culture. In the story, the necklace is more than an object of desire. It symbolizes something that is out of reach for the heroine of the story. It is used to explain the pitfalls of what can happen when desire overrides all other elements of one's life. However, the necklace also has another meaning that is often overlooked. â€Å"One will recall that there are two necklaces in the story.The first one is the more expensive one. It represents the true upper class of society, those that can truly afford to possess such an object. Madame Forestier feels comfortable allowing Madame Loisel to borrow the necklace. She is not afraid to let go of it. This suggests that her life savings are not tied up in it. She does not guard it so carefully that she is unwilling to let it out of her sight. She is comfortable taki ng a small risk with it. â€Å"However, Madame Forestier is less than amicable when the necklace is returned a week late.This indicates that although, she was not devastated by the loss of the necklace, it still held a considerable value to her. Her reactions indicate that it was still an uncomfortable loss and held some value in her life. To the wealthy, class of Victorian France, their finery was s symbol of not only their wealth, but their power in society as well. This necklace was important to Madame Forestier as a symbol of her station in French society. We do not know how many pieces such as this that she owned, but this may have been an important piece to her. â€Å"
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
The 3 Best Recipes for How to Make Slime
The 3 Best Recipes for How to Make Slime SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It’s alliiiiiiiveeee! Slime is a fun and interactive way to teach kids about chemistry. There are hundreds of slime recipes out there, which produce slimes with different qualities. In this article, we’re talking all about slime: what it is, how to make it, and what you absolutely need to know to make the best slime of all time. We promise, we won’t do that rhyme again. What Is Slime? Slime is a sticky, gooey substance that’s fun to touch and great to use for teaching about viscosity and chemical reactions. When kids make slime, they can learn about how different chemicals react with each other to create something new. They can also learn about how adding different amounts of different ingredients affects the viscosity (thickness) of a material. There are hundreds of slime-based toys out there, but the best way to really get the most out of your slime is to make it yourself! How to Make Slime Learning how to make slime is simple! You can make slime with tons of different ingredients: glue, borax, yogurt, water, cornstarch. Even shaving cream! Whatever recipe you choose to go with, make sure you have a mixing bowl and spoon on hand. You may also need some paper towels or cloth towels on hand to mop up spills. But don’t be afraid to get messy! That’s part of the fun. Without further ado, here are our three favorite slime recipes. Recipe #1: How to Make Slime Without Borax This recipe makes about two cups of slime. INGREDIENTS 2 (4-ounce) bottles washable school glue, such as Elmer's (see note for variations) 1 to 2 drops liquid food coloring (optional for adding some fun) 1/4 cup glitter (optional for adding some fun) 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 to 3 tablespoons saline solution (i.e., contact lens solution), divided Color the glue (optional): Pour the glue into a medium bowl and stir in the food coloring and glitter, if you want your slime to be extra exciting. Add the baking soda: Add the baking soda to the glue mixture and stir until smooth. Add the contact lens solution: Pour in 2 tablespoons of the contact lens solution and stir slowly. The mixture should begin to harden, becoming stringy. Mix until a ball of slime forms. Pick up the slime and knead between your two hands, until smooth. If the slime is particularly slimy, work in another 1/2 tablespoon of contact lens solution as needed. Source Recipe #2: How to Make Slime Without Glue Want to make some nice and sticky slime but don’t have glue on hand? No worries! This recipe uses guar gum, which can be found in the specialty foods aisle of your grocery store. INGREDIENTS 1/2 tsp of Guar Gum 1 cup of warm water 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp of saline solution Food Coloring (optional) Start with your warm water. Stir in the guar gum until there are no lumps. Add your food coloring if you’d like. Stir! Add in your baking soda and saline. Stir away and watch the slime form! Source Recipe #3: How to Make Super Slime Ready for the real-deal, gooey kind of slime that you see in movies? Look no further than this slime recipe! INGREDIENTS Â ½ cup Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) 2 tsps Borax (Sodium tetraborate) Food coloring (optional) Pour the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution into your bowl. If you want colored slime, add food coloring to the PVA solution and stir with a stir stick. Add 2 teaspoons of the Sodium Tetraborate (Borax) Solution into the PVA solution and stir slowly. Try lifting some of the solution with the stir stick and note what happens. Once the slime has formed, it’s time to touch! Just don’t eat it. Source It's Slime Time! (We had to). Now that you've got three great recipes, it's time to make some slime! Have fun, get messy, and let us know in the comments if we missed your favorite slime recipe. What’s Next? Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa). Are you learning about logarithms and natural logs in math class?We have a guide on all the natural log rules you need to know. Did you know that water has a very special density? Check out our guide to learn what the density of water is and how the density can change.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Characteristics of a 21st-Century Teacher
Characteristics of a 21st-Century Teacher What does a 21st-century teacher look like to you? You may have heard this popular buzzword thrown around your school or on the news, but do you know what a modern-day educator really looks like? Beyond the obvious of being up-to-date on the latest in technology, they can have the characteristics of a facilitator, a contributor, or even an integrator. Here are six more key characteristics of a 21st-century educator. Theyre Adaptive They are able to adapt to whatever comes there way. Being a teacher in todays world means that you have to adapt to the ever-changing tools and changes that are being implemented in the schools. Smartboards are replacing chalkboards and tablets are replacing textbooks and a 21st-century teacher needs to be okay with that. Lifelong Learners These educators dont just expect their students to be a lifelong learner, but they are as well. They stay up-to-date with current educational trends and technology and know how to tweak their old lesson plans from years before to make them more current. Are Tech Savvy Technology is changing at a rapid pace and that means that a 21st-century teacher is right along for the ride. The latest technology, whether its for lessons or grading, will allow the teacher and student to be able to learn better and faster. An effective teacher knows that learning about the latest gadget can truly transform their students education, so they are not just current on the new trends, but really know how to master them. Know How to Collaborate An effective 21st-century educator must be able to collaborate and work well within a team. Over the past decade, this important skill has grown quite rapidly in schools. Learning is deemed to be more effective when you can share your ideas and knowledge with others. Sharing your expertise and experience, and communicating and learning from others is an important part of the learning and teaching process. Are Forward Thinking An effective 21st-century educator thinks about their students future and is aware of the career opportunities that may arise from them. They are always planning to ensure that no child gets left behind so they focus on preparing todays children for whats to come in the future. Are Advocates for the Profession They are an advocate not only for their students but their profession. Todays teachers are being watched with a close eye because of all of the changes in curriculum and the Common Core. Instead of sitting back, a 21st-century teacher takes a stand for their themselves and their profession. They pay close attention to what is going on in education and they address these issues head-on. They also advocate for their students. Todays classrooms are filled with children who need someone to look out for them, give them advice, encouragement, and a listening ear. Effective teachers share their knowledge and expertise and act as a role model for their students. 21st-century teaching means teaching as you have always taught but with todays tools and technology. It means utilizing everything that is important in todays world so that students will be able to live and prosper in todays economy, as well as having the ability to guide students and to prepare them for the future.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Educational Philosophy
Educational Philosophy An educational philosophy is a personal statement of a teachers guiding principles about big picture education-related issues, such as how student learning and potential are most effectively maximized, as well as the role of educators in the classroom, school, community, and society Each teacher comes to the classroom with a unique set of principles and ideals that affects student performance. A statement of educational philosophy sums up these tenets for self-reflection, professional growth, and sometimes sharing with the larger school community. An example of the opening statement for an educational philosophy is, I believe that a teacher should have the highest of expectations for each of her students. This maximizes the positive benefits that come naturally with any self-fulfilling prophecy. With dedication, perseverance, and hard work, her students will rise to the occasion. Designing Your Educational Philosophy Statement Writing an educational philosophy statement is often part of degree courses for teachers. Once you write one, it can be used to guide your answers in job interviews, included in your teaching portfolio, and distributed to your students and their parents. You can modify it over the course of your teaching career. It begins with an introductory paragraph summarizing the teachers point of view on education and the teaching style you will use. It can be a vision of your perfect classroom. The statement usually contains two or more paragraphs and a conclusion. The second paragraph can discuss your teaching style and how you will motivate your students to learn. The third paragraph can explain how you plan to assess your students and encourage their progress. The last paragraph summarizes the statement again. Educational Philosophy Examples As with your students, you may be able to learn best by seeing samples that can help inspire you. You can modify these examples, using their structure but rewording them to reflect your own viewpoint, teaching style, and ideal classroom. Teaching Philosophy Statement Examples: These four examples of the first paragraph of an educational philosophy statement can help you when you are developing your own.Educational Philosophy Sample: This full sample shows the structure of four paragraphs for an educational philosophy statement. Using Your Educational Philosophy Statement An educational philosophy statement is not just a one-and-done exercise. You can use it at many points in your teaching career and you should revisit it annually to review and refresh it. Your Teacher Application and Interview: When you apply for a teaching job, you can expect that one of the questions will be about your teaching philosophy. Review your educational philosophy statement and be prepared to discuss it at the interview or provide it in your job application.Preparing for the New School Year or a Classroom Change: How has your experience in the classroom changed your educational philosophy? Before the start of each year, or when changing classrooms, set aside time to reflect on your philosophy statement. Update it and add it to your portfolio.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Personal Financial Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Personal Financial Plan - Assignment Example The main advantage of the plan is that it encourages investment culture. The disadvantage is lack of flexibility on the side of the employee. The employees have no option of investing in other areas apart from the pre-tax and post-tax basis. The following is a description of Amgen retirement plan description: 401(K) retirement and saving plan Provide a core contribution of 5% as well as a company matching contribution of 100% of staff contributions up to a 5% of eligible pay. Professional, customized financial advisory services to help staff make informed investing decisions specific to their retirement planning strategy at no cost to staff members. The main advantage of the plan is that it provides free investing decisions to employees to allow them to make well-informed investing decisions. The disadvantage of the plan is that some employees may not be eligible thus blocking them out of the plan. The plan gives staff an opportunity to buy Amgen stock at a discount. The plan encoura ges and facilitates employees’ to invest in securities. On the contrary, it may not be flexible enough to facilitate employees’ diverse investment options. Retirement medical saving account Provides staff an opportunity to save for eligible health care expenses after retirement. The main advantage of the plan is that it hedges employees’ medical expenses after retiring. On the other hand, the disadvantage may arise in case the employee does not want to subscribe the plan in case of the existence of another medical plan.
Friday, October 18, 2019
African American Religion Hoodoo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
African American Religion Hoodoo - Essay Example Although most of its adherents are black, contrary to popular opinion, it has always been practiced by both whites and blacks in America. Other regionally popular names for hoodoo in the black community include "con-juration," "conjure," "witchcraft," "rootwork," and "tricking." The hoodoo tradition places emphasis on personal magical power and thus it lacks strong links to any spe-cific form of theology and can be adapted to any one of several forms of outward reli-gious worship. Although an individual practitioner may take on students, hoodoo is not an obviously hierarchical system. Teachings and rituals are handed down from a one practitioner to another, but there are no priests or priestesses and no division be-tween initiates and laity (Haskins, 1978, p. 13, 124). Like the folk magic of many other cultures, hoodoo attributes magical properties to herbs, roots, minerals (especially the lodestone), animal parts, and the personal pos-sessions and bodily effluvia of people. The African origins of hoodoo can clearly be seen in such non-European magical customs as jinxing, hot footing, foot track magic, crossing, and crossroads magic, in which are embedded remnants of the folkloric be-liefs of various African tribes.
Total Quality Managment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Total Quality Managment - Research Paper Example The increased pace of technological development, complex customer demand as well as local and global market competition have turned out to be more sophisticated and intense, complicating the overall business activities. To counter the ever increasing contemporary business challenges, a good number of modern global organizations have embarked on utilizing TQM, which presents numerous opportunities. Using resources in the expansion and technologically oriented approaches in their daily business undertakings. This contributed to numerous quality management standards such as Total Quality Management. This paper explores issues regarding TQM and its benefits as a management approach for organizations. Total quality management has numerous advantages. TQM is an effectual and variable management system restrained not only in the quality assurance department, but also in the entire organization businesses. Therefore, Total Quality Management can be implicated to be an incredibly influential intervention mechanism that can last for an extended period of time if properly managed and modified to lime with emerging technology and demands (Evans, 2011). Total Quality Management is based on four major philosophical assumptions. For a starter, Total Quality Management is presumed to be cheap compared to the other conventional mechanism and it is incredibly decisive for long term development of an organization. Secondly, employees are always concerned about their responsibility in improving the quality of the product and service delivery. Therefore, employees only require to be provided with the necessary tools, skills, and maximum respect from the management to improve their performance. Thirdly, the entire organizational system is composed of highly independent sections. For this reason, the crisis in one section affects extensively
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Sykes Enterprises Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Sykes Enterprises - Case Study Example His primary focus has been financial return and he has used finances as the basis for expansion, retraction and other strategies. However, it is necessary for the top management to reconsider some of the strategies from a financial point-of-view so that it can streamline its current operations. It may not be necessary that a call center should require closure if it is not doing well. There can be consolidation of operations as well as optimization of activities that would result in cost-reduction. Initiative by the top management will be the only reason why call center managers would want to look at their operations and search for cost-minimization strategies. The change should come from the top management to the bottom and this would be the driving factor amongst call center managers for cost reduction. Convergys is the largest market holder in the call center and order processing business. Sykes Enterprises scale of operations is only a fraction of the two market leaders in this business. However, this cannot be attributed to any exceptional strategy on the part of Sykes' competitors. Sykes' aggressive strategy has been in terms of the number of call centers and its cost competitiveness. Sykes Enterprises did not see order processing and bill processing as a major industry and thus its corporate clients were always looking for Sykes when they needed a cost-effective solution. Reliability is one of the key features that is missing from the brand positioning of Sykes in the industry. Thus, Sykes needs to re-consider its position in the industry and work towards improving it from just another low-cost solution to a reliable and smart solutions company - that would work at lower costs not just because of low quality but because it has found the key to strategically reducing costs of its operations. Review of Mission and Objectives Sykes' existing mission and objectives are not very much suited to its operational strategy. Instead of focusing on the low-cost attractions to the corporate world, Sykes should focus on a moderate strategy on using its services and quality of operations as the focal point of attracting corporate customers. It should revise its mission and objectives to incorporate these ideas in its mission and objectives. Further, it should make sure that its strategies reflect this mission. 4.0 Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy Strategic Alternatives It is obvious that Sykes can take more than one action to improve its revenues and build a profitable business. The closure of its operations in India have resulted in consolidation of its costs in the United States. The competitors of Sykes have resorted to opening up call centers in South East Asian nations such as the Philippines to counter the high turnover costs and possible wage rises in Indian cities due to growing economies. It is important for Sykes to focus on its costs and revenues. Sykes needs to increase its revenues and reduce its costs. Sykes can focus on increasing the number of services that it offers from its existing call centers so that the costs of the services do not rise, however, there will be a rise in the revenues for the services. Another recommended
Digital communication schemes + AWGN channel Research Paper
Digital communication schemes + AWGN channel - Research Paper Example In digital modulation, an analog transporter signal is adjusted with a digital information flow. Digital modulation techniques can be enumerated as digital-to-analog conversion, and the corresponding demodulation or detection as analog-to-digital conversion. The most essential digital modulation schemes are found on keying, that are PSK, FSK, ASK and QAM. In the subject of PSK; acronym of phase-shift keying, a finite number of phases are used. In the matter of FSK; short form of frequency-shift keying; a finite number of frequencies are used. In the topic of ASK; abbreviation of amplitude-shift keying, a finite number of amplitudes are used. In the area of QAM; meaning Quadrature amplitude modulation; a finite number of at least two phases and at least two amplitudes are used. An instrument that executes modulation is recognized as a modulator and an appliance that executes the converse process of modulation is identified as a demodulator, at times it is also called as detector. An e lectronic tool that can do both processes is a modem; ‘mod’ means modulator and ‘dem’ means demodulator. 1. Quadrature Phase Shift Key Modulation (QPSK) Phase-shift keying is a digital modulation method that transmits information by altering the phase of an oriented signal called as the carrier wave. QPSK is recognized in different notations as quaternary PSK also as quadriphase PSK or 4-PSK. QPSK utilizes four spots on the assemblage figure, at equal arc interval around a circle. With quadrangle points, QPSK can program twice bits per symbol, as revealed in the figure with gray convention to lessen the bit inaccuracy or error rate also known as BER. The numerical investigation demonstrates that QPSK can be utilized also to make twice the information flow rate evaluated with a Binary phase-shift keying (BPSK scheme, a type of PSK) while preserving the identical bandwidth of the pulses. In other words it can be said that QPSK, in order to keep up with the in formation flow rate of BPSK, reduces half the bandwidth requirement as in the case of BPSK. In this issue of QPSK, the BER (bit inaccuracy rate) of QPSK is precisely alike as the BER of BPSK modulation scheme. The numeric execution of QPSK is further wide-ranging as compare to BPSK and also specifies the execution of advanced order PSK. In scripting the mathematical code in the group drawing in language of the sine and cosine waves utilized to broadcast them is as under: The above equation will convey the quadrangle points, as it is desirable in QPSK, the phases will be at one forth ‘?’ at corresponding value of n = 1, three by forth ‘?’ at corresponding value of n = 2, five by forth ‘?’ at corresponding value of n = 3, and seven by forth ‘?’ at corresponding value of n = 4. Where ‘fc’ is the carrier frequency and ‘n’ is the phase value. 2. Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) Quadrature amplitude modulat ion abbreviated as QAM is mutually an analog plus a digital modulation method. It communicates two analog communication pulses, or in an analogous approach two digital bits flow. QAM does so by altering the amplitudes of two transporter
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Sykes Enterprises Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Sykes Enterprises - Case Study Example His primary focus has been financial return and he has used finances as the basis for expansion, retraction and other strategies. However, it is necessary for the top management to reconsider some of the strategies from a financial point-of-view so that it can streamline its current operations. It may not be necessary that a call center should require closure if it is not doing well. There can be consolidation of operations as well as optimization of activities that would result in cost-reduction. Initiative by the top management will be the only reason why call center managers would want to look at their operations and search for cost-minimization strategies. The change should come from the top management to the bottom and this would be the driving factor amongst call center managers for cost reduction. Convergys is the largest market holder in the call center and order processing business. Sykes Enterprises scale of operations is only a fraction of the two market leaders in this business. However, this cannot be attributed to any exceptional strategy on the part of Sykes' competitors. Sykes' aggressive strategy has been in terms of the number of call centers and its cost competitiveness. Sykes Enterprises did not see order processing and bill processing as a major industry and thus its corporate clients were always looking for Sykes when they needed a cost-effective solution. Reliability is one of the key features that is missing from the brand positioning of Sykes in the industry. Thus, Sykes needs to re-consider its position in the industry and work towards improving it from just another low-cost solution to a reliable and smart solutions company - that would work at lower costs not just because of low quality but because it has found the key to strategically reducing costs of its operations. Review of Mission and Objectives Sykes' existing mission and objectives are not very much suited to its operational strategy. Instead of focusing on the low-cost attractions to the corporate world, Sykes should focus on a moderate strategy on using its services and quality of operations as the focal point of attracting corporate customers. It should revise its mission and objectives to incorporate these ideas in its mission and objectives. Further, it should make sure that its strategies reflect this mission. 4.0 Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy Strategic Alternatives It is obvious that Sykes can take more than one action to improve its revenues and build a profitable business. The closure of its operations in India have resulted in consolidation of its costs in the United States. The competitors of Sykes have resorted to opening up call centers in South East Asian nations such as the Philippines to counter the high turnover costs and possible wage rises in Indian cities due to growing economies. It is important for Sykes to focus on its costs and revenues. Sykes needs to increase its revenues and reduce its costs. Sykes can focus on increasing the number of services that it offers from its existing call centers so that the costs of the services do not rise, however, there will be a rise in the revenues for the services. Another recommended
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Impact of Dizzy Gillespie or Bill Evans (select one) Essay
Impact of Dizzy Gillespie or Bill Evans (select one) - Essay Example Worth noting is the fact that Bill Evans is a great brilliant pianist, who worked to the best of his capabilities in the United States of America to lift the jazz industry into greater heights by taking the opportunity of his talent into consideration in improving the piano trio and its democratization (Cankaya, 35). This paper analyses the various musical techniques of Bill Evans in the development of modern jazz music. Many jazz musicians have adopted his techniques, a factor that makes Bill Evans highly influential in the development of the modern jazz style, as will be highlighted in this paper. Bill Evans was born in 1929, and started building his talent right from his mother’s church in Russia at an age of 6 years. His motive to grow in the industry grew, and he developed a school labelled Bill Evans style where he became influential in the industry and encouraged, gave hope and helped colleagues pursue their talents. For instance, he inspired and mentored Petrucciani and Andy Laverine. Research indicates that Bill Evans indulged in heroin abuse; a habit that he opined would boost his energy. Bill Evans faced the compulsion of selecting a favourable career. Since he had an outstanding talent in playing the piano, and opted to pursue it. He ventured into the music industry and due to his reformed chord; he exhibited remarkable growth in the industry. A critical review of history indentifies Bill Evans as a pianist of jazz music (Schachter, et al 42). However, heroin taking was not a merit because it accrued his death in 1980, and led to the breakage of his two-marriages. Bill Evans received five grammy awards as a recognition for his exemplary work of art. Some examples of the most appreciated Bill’s songs include, ‘Beautiful Love,’ produced in 1961 and ‘Are you all things’ created in the year 1975. Bill Evans had a reformed chord that was specifically a gift in him, but he always exerted efforts to ensure that all his songs
Monday, October 14, 2019
Macroeconomic Performance of the Ten Countries Essay Example for Free
Macroeconomic Performance of the Ten Countries Essay What was Expected from the Governments and Central Banks of These New Entrants? On May 1, 2004, ten Central European and Mediterranean countries joined the EU and their names are as follows: Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia. This raised the enlargement to 25 countries that comprise of 450 million people, which is more than the population of the U.S. and Japan combined. [1] This accession will compel the new member states governments to utilize the EU legislation without much exception and will enable them to enjoy all the advantages that go with it, and once they go through a certain period and show improvements, they will be included in Schengen area and the euro zone. In addition, from the year 2004 to 2006 they are entitled to receive a payment of 45 billion euros in a form of a community aid and 30.7 billion euros in a form of payment appropriations. As a result, according to two treaties that were signed in Amsterdam and Nice that were the basis through which the enlargement was conducted, the intent of the whole arrangement was to make the enlarged Europe more democratic, transparent, and effective calling on all governments to work on these areas. The end result of the enlargement had been labeled as a historical precedence that will change the dimensions of the continent and it is believed to put the division of the past behind ushering in democracy, freedom, and stability to the whole region. At the same time it is believed that it creates opportunities for all involved where the early 15 nations business share and economical activity had increased, while the new entrants have also reaped economic advantage that was not available for them before the assesstion. What had come into existence is a union of 450 million people and had already represented at the time the union was effected one-fourth of the world wealth, giving the region a new leading economic power. In addition, the role the continent is playing in the international scene had gotten enhancement, especially in security and defense policy. [2] The new states and their governments that are joining the Union will have to adhere to the Copenhagen Criteria and it has three components. The first component is any of the nations that are joining the union should reach a certain level of stability and should have establishments that oversee and guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and the observing of the rights of minorities. Then the second one which is an economic criteria stipulates that the nations adhere to the principle of the market economy and have a mechanism that enables them to deal with competitive pressure and market forces that will be directed at them after joining the EU. What is called acquis communautaire adoption criterion anticipates that the candidates should put themselves in a position to shoulder the membership’s obligations, as well as a strict adherence to the principles of the political, economic, and monetary union. Through all this process the Union is responsible for evaluating, recommending, and approving of the states’ performance and it will evaluate the capacity of the Union to absorb more members without affecting the normal functioning of the existing Union members. The process starts when European countries apply to join the Union and that will be evaluated based on how the applicant nations with the guidance of their respective governments meet the Copenhagen political and economic criteria, and the accession is granted only when the requirements are met. The nations through their governments will have to agree to apply the EU legislation that is over 80,000 pages from day one, even if there are a few exceptions that will allow the new entrants a leeway as long as it is not going to intervene with the smooth operation of the activities of the other members. When the EU is convinced that the applying nations meet all the requirements of the Copenhagen criteria the next phase will kick in, which is the signing of the accession treaty. [3] The ten Central European and Mediterranean states, through macroeconomic plans that were introduced and carried out by their respective governments had gone through this process before getting permission to join the Union. And once they joined the Union there are more questions arising because it is difficult to say what currency they should be using and as long as they meet the Maastricht criteria they are expected to the join the euro zone by abandoning their own currency. Here the various central banks play a leading role because it is known that it will take them some time to meet the requirements and while working to meet the requirements they will have to focus on their structural and economic reforms so that they will manage to have a better convergence in both nominal and real terms. Since the other requirement before joining the euro is entering the Exchange Rate Mechanism of the European Monetary System, the ERM II will require them to abandon their own monetary policy. It does not necessarily mean this route fits everyone since the rigorous stability requirement applied by the exchange rate could derail the existing stand of their current account, simply because when there is appreciation in their currency it will affect their competitiveness, because of the high price they will be forced to charge. The other worry is joining the ERM II should not result in overvaluing their currency whereby they will be obligated to devalue their currency in the two years test period. From what had been witnessed most of the nations had an open economy that was heavily reliant on trade with EU countries and if they can eliminate the transaction cost in any way, which would include currency exchange, they will embrace it. [4] The final outcome was from the ten countries that joined the Union Slovenia, Lithuania, and Estonia were able to enter the ERM II and were expected to join the euro zone on January 1st, 2007, simply because they had met most of the criteria. But the only nation that managed to join the euro was Slovenia showing that the others did not meet some of the requirements, they need more time to make the adjustments, and might be able to join the euro by the year 2008. The other three nations Latvia, Cyprus, and Malta had also joined ERM II and could join the euro in 2008. The remaining members Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland are deemed to wait longer to better meet the criteria. [5] The Macroeconomic Policy These Nations had been Following After Joining the Union. To address this question starting from the Central European nation that just joined the euro zone in January 1, 2007 might shed light on the areas that the nation did right while the other two nations Lithuania and Estonia will have to wait at least up to 2008 to be evaluated if they would meet the requirement of the ERM II. The nation had $17,290 per capita income in 2005, it had a population of two million people, and it was among the most successful transition economies. The nation’s GDP per capita in 2005 was 81% of the other EU members, which must have helped it to get a high score, since it is the only nation that has such a high percentage. According to the report the prosperity of Slovenia is due to its gradual and consensual approach to reform, which has made it different from the other nine countries.   It has worked hard to attain this position although lately its competitiveness is eroding. Another area that had lagged was foreign direct investment (FDI) due to the slower pace and the general reluctance to interact with foreign sources resulting the FDI to be 1.2% of GDP between 1997-2005. Even if it had reached once to 7% of GDP it had gone back to .02% of GDP in 2005 and this falling behind is curtailing the advancement the nation could have attained, yet it did not prevent it from joining the euro, simply because the possibility is within reach. [6] As far as economic growth is concerned the nation has averaged 3.9% it the mentioned period and had managed to fend off macroeconomic imbalances that were commonplace with the other transitional economies and its tight fiscal and monetary policy had resulted in allowing it to have a near balanced budget with a 1.7% budget and 1.1% current deficit, another good performance that was coupled with an enhanced foreign trade. The country also had managed to bring inflation under control and it had it at a single-digit since 1996. Another advantage the nation had was it had a strong performance where the GDP growth was at 3.9% fueled by a rise in foreign demand. In all this, inflation was under control at 2.5% and that was attained by allowing wage to lag behind productivity growth, by making up for oil price increase by introducing excise tax, and by attaining a stable exchange rate. [7] The next nation to look at is Lithuania which was among the three nation that were slated to join the eruo in 2007, but has not made it and looking at its performance might shade light on how it fared. The first glaring difference between the two countries is the per capita income where in Lithuania it was $7,210 in 2005 even if the population in Slovenia was only 1.4 million, whereas the population in Lithuania is 3.4 million. Other than that the GDP growth of 7.5% was much higher and it was the fastest growing economy in the region. It also had much more to export, which included refined oil, machinery and equipment, and textile. It is not different than the other countries that are heavily dependant on the euro zone for their exports, the average being 60%. The other advantage it had over Slovenia was it had enjoyed a peak GDP growth of 10% in 2003 since it was in a better position to create wage growth by bringing down unemployment from 17% down to 6% and in doing that it had got help from the EU fund that it was entitled for joining the Union in 2004. At the same time, it had a much better domestic demand that is enabling it to drive its economy. Yet, there is a sign of heating of the economy as there is shortage of workers since they are migrating to the UK and Ireland. After joining ERM II it had shown an impressive commitment to adopt the euro and was able to liberalize its pricing and most of its trades had been directed to the EU zone.  The other factors such as privatization had been taken care of to the point where all factors of production are in the private hands, and it had also been working in the area of FDI that is seeing a steep increase.  If there is another aspect that is holding it back it could the unparalleled poverty level in the nation and it is at 52% purchasing power parity compared to 81% enjoyed by Slovenia. And one of the reasons that it did not qualify might be at least 16% of its population lives under the poverty line and poverty is widespread in the rural area where it is considered to be up to 57% of the poor are living. That area might be the reason that contributed to its being held back for a while since all the indicators including health and education are going badly lacking in these regions. [6] Estonia that was in the list to join the euro in January 1, 2007 with the other two nations is a relatively smaller country with a population of 1.35 million and its per capita income is $9,100. This nation has fewer natural resources and it depends on trade for the most part. Its main specialty export is telecom. Its GDP growth performance was not bad at 7.5%. The country had been a main gateways for trade between the Soviet Union and the West that is said to have given it some advantage and because of that the education level and the standard of living of the people was higher that other member countries. In 2005 its GDP growth had reached 9.8% resulting in the heating up of the economy as the unemployment rate had gone down, while at the same time workers are migrating to the other EU countries. What is driving its economy is the domestic demand that is expanding due to income growth and credit expansion that is also taking export higher. If there is any problem highlighted it is the overheating of the economy and the current account defect that is at 11% of GDP in 2005 and was at 13% in 2004, which would mean this could be one of the reasons why its plan to join the euro in 2007 had been postponed. [8] The other three nations slated for 2008 to join the euro are Latvia, Cyprus, and Malta. Latvia has a per capita income of $6,750 and has 2.3 million people where one-third of them are living in the capital city. The nation has few natural resources and is an importer for the most part and the import includes natural gas, oil, and electricity. The source of GDP for 2005 was 23% industry, 73% service, and the remaining 4% was from agriculture. The country had some difficulty adjusting after it left the Soviet Union and the situation was turned around by the fiscal discipline the government introduced, where a cap was put to the subsidies enterprises were getting.  The government’s early liberalization effort had enabled the nation to join WTO in 1999. Overall, the nation had converted itself into a market economy, which enabled it to join the EU in 2004.  Market and price liberalization, privatization, restriction on foreign transaction all are in the right perspective and the result had been positive where privatization is almost complete. Other areas overhauled were the legal system, institutions, and the social safety net.  The GDP growth had made it to 10.2% in 2005 and the unemployment rate was at 8.7% in the same year. Some of the malice that is affecting the other nations such as low-income level, which was at 47% of the EU average had not spared this nation either. Because of that labor migration had been escalating after joining the Union which is feared to create a problem in the long run while at the same time the population is aging. Because of this there is a fear of overheating and the deficit has reached 12.4% while inflation is at 6%, which has contributed to the holding back of the nation from joining the euro and that might be possible in 2010. [6] Cyprus on the other hand has a highly developed infrastructure with a population of 784,000 and with a per capita of $7135. The macroeconomic policy of the government had focused on meeting the requirement of joining the EU. There was oil discovery in the sea south of Cyprus and negotiations had gone underway with the neighboring Egypt how to exploit the finding. The overall market structure is based on a free-market basis and is heavily dependant on the service sector, yet there is lack of investment from government and private sector, while at the same time the high cost of freight had been scaring business away, and all this had been worsened by the lack of skilled labor. In spite of this handicap, the GDP growth rate had made it to 11.4 in 2004 and yet it is lagging behind in attracting FDI. Even if there is a political problem between the north and south, this particular nation might be among the nations that would join the EU in 2008. [9] Malta is also another island with a population of 404,000, which had transformed itself into a freight transshipment and a financial center as well as a tourist destination. In addition, it has some limestone and a better productive labor force than Cyprus where the economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing, and tourism. Its per capita income is much higher than most countries at $20,300 and the unemployment rate for 2006 was at 6.8%. The island has liberalized its market and privatized some government-controlled firms and the possibility that it might join the euro zone is there. [9] The other nations Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, are much bigger nations and there is Slovakia also that are slated to join the euro gradually after meeting the criteria, which might prove to be difficult to them because of their size. If we take the case of the Czech Republic, it has a population of 10.2 million and a per capita income of $11,110 making it among the highest income earning countries. After joining the EU in 2004 the process of transforming the economy from centrally planned to a market driven economy is almost complete. There had been a considerable fiscal consolidation, and the inflation is low at 1.8%, while at the same time it had no problem with its balance of payments. Foreign direct investment is 50% of the GDP making it the only nation that enjoys such inflows of investment, yet, in spite of it, it had a high unemployment rate of more than 8% and is persisting, which might have been because of its high population that is not affected much by the migration of labor. The GDP growth for 2005 was 6%, attained mainly through export created through FDI in the automotive sector. The fiscal deficit for 2005 was at 3% whereas the current account deficit fell to 2.3% for 2005. Because of the high unemployment, which is the outcome of sluggish economic performance it might have to stay a bit longer before joining the euro, although the expectation is it will meet the requirement eventually. [10] More or less, the same is applicable to the other three countries Hungary, Poland, Slovakia whose population is 10 million, 38 million, 5.4 million respectively, making Poland the highest populated country among the EU-10 countries. While Hungry had $10,050 per capita income, Poland had $7,110, and Slovakia had $8,130 in 2005. Poland had to deal with structural reforms to consolidate public finance, tackle unemployment and poverty, work on making the nation attractive for business by introducing a more efficient government. The fact that up to seven million people live in poverty does not make it look as a good candidate for the euro yet and the unemployment rate is the highest at 16%. However, the situation is a bit changing after joining the EU in 2004 and there was a growth of 5.3% in GDP in 2004, which created high consumption level, investment opportunity, and a better exporting level, and eventually it will make it a proper candidate to join the euro as it is working to meet that goal. Its FDI is at 5% of GDP and that is low for such a large country although its inflation rate is low at 2.1% and its current account defect is also under control. [6] On the other hand, Hungary is in a much better position since it was able to attract FDI that is enabling it to build a robust private exporting sector. If there is a problem, the budget deficit is at 8% due to higher public spending and tax reduction, which could affect the economy in the long run. Inflation had slowed down to 3.5% for 2005 which was due to regulated prices and a decrease on indirect taxes. The unemployment rate stood at 7.2% in 2006. Even if the government had introduced a fiscal consolidation program what might be needed to change the situation is a long term structural reform. Hungary is moving steadily to join the euro gradually, and is better situated than the rest of the countries that are in line to join the euro in the coming years. [6] Slovakia is also in a similar situation with the others where it had a 6% GDP growth in 2005 and had unemployment rate of 16.2%. In recent years, especially after joining the EU in 2004 it had undertaken major steps to decentralize its economy. The government had introduced reform in many areas including welfare, pension, health care, labor market, and public finance. Its GDP for 2005 grew by around 6% and inflation was at 2.7%. The fiscal deficit was at 3.3% while the current account deficit had been 7.8% of GDP for 2005 and it had FDI rate 2.7% of GDP. Overall, it is working toward meeting the EU’s criteria to join the euro although it is difficult to say when it will meet all the requirements. [6] The conclusion is, there are requirements these nations will have to meet and the major ones are to tackle high level of inflation, a budget deficit below 3% of GDP, the public debt has to be at a manageable level, and maintaining a long term low interest rate in parallel to other central banks. If these are in place side by the side with the Maastricht and the Copenhagen Treaty criteria the time it will take them to join the euro will be shorter. Otherwise, their participation could affect the smooth operation of the whole Union, as well as it will put them at a disadvantage offsetting their whole fiscal and monetary policy. [11] REFERENCE The Union Welcomes Ten New Countries [Online]. Available:     http://www.delnam.cec.eu.int/OurNewsletter/2004/ECNewsMay04.pdf. March 14, 2007. European Parliament Fact Sheet. [Online]. Available:    www.europal.europa.eu/facts/2_3_0_en.htm. March 14, 2007. The Challenge of European Economy in 2004. [Online]. Available:     www.ecb.int/press/key/date/2004/html/sp040129.en.html. March 14, 2007. Euro in a Wider Circle. [Online]. Available:    www.ece.int/press/key/date/2004/html/sp041119.en.html. March 14, 2007. Redefining Europe. [Online]. Available:   www.inter-dicpilanry.net/AUD/AUD2/s10.htm. March 14, 2007. World Bank. [Online]. Available:      www.worldbank.com (countries). March 14, 2007. ECB Panel Intervention at the Euro Conference. [Online]. Available:    www.ecb.int/press/date/2007/html/sp07115_1.en.html. March 14, 2007. Commission Assessment of Estonia Convergence. [Online]. Available:  http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/about/activities/sgp/country/commass/ee/ass_ee20032004.    March 14, 2007. CIA The World Fact Book. [Online]. Available:     https://cia.gov (countries). March 14, 2007. Macroeconomic. [Online]. Available:      http://www.cerge-ei.cz/pdf/books/pdf_0304/III.pdf. March 14, 2007. The European Union and Its Expanding Economy. [Online]. Available:      http://jpn.cec.eu.int.home/speech_en_speech%2009/2005.php. March 14, 2007
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