First Persian Gulf War: 1990-1991 Essay -- history

First Persian Gulf War: 1990-1991 The First Persian Gulf War between 1990 and 1991 was the most militarily efficient campaign in US history where comparatively few lives were lost. This war accomplished many goals, including that it secured the economic advantages for the â€Å"Western World†. It encouraged a free flow of natural resources, established the value of air power and superiority, and verified that a free alliance for justice will prevail over armed aggression. In the end, the United State’s goals were accomplished: Kuwait was liberated from Saddam and peace settled into the Middle East (Rayment). The Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan on December 27, 1979. This posed a threat on the United States because of their oil ties in this area. On January 23, 1980 President Jimmy Carter responded with a statement called the Carter Doctrine. In this, Carter stated that, â€Å"An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.† (Richie, 25). Ten years later, United States officials were reminded of the Doctrine as signs of an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein began to appear. With a portion of the world’s oil of eleven percent, this invasion would add another nine percent. Not only was this dangerous but if Iraq continued a southern advance, he would gain the oil of Saudi Arabia. Saddam could possibly control forty-six percent of the world’s oil supply and manipulate the global economy (Richie, 25). On July 17, 1990, photos from a KH-11 spy satellite showed that Iraqi military equipment was being positioned near the Kuwait border .General Colin Powell was not concerned with this advancement because the lineup did not include necessary equipment such as fuel trucks and artillery that would be needed for an invasion. Powell believed that this was just a practice exercise or a bluff because Saddam had been pressing Kuwait to lower the oil production in order to keep the prices high (Richie, 26). Kuwait was a small country that had once been part of the Ottoman Empire like Iraq. Then Kuwait had become a British Protectorate from which it had been granted its independence. Its borders had been set in a subjective manner causing it to be difficult to de... ...s pride, and possibly his life. Saddam and his troops were not the only ones to have made faults (Marshel). Had the United States carried out their task, Saddam would not have repressed his own people, violated peace agreements and worked on weapons of mass destruction (Rayment). The United States was able to keep Saddam from succeeding in his attempt to conquer the Middle East eight years ago, but they stopped when they should have pursued the most (Marshel). Without the errors that both sides had made, the present day world would have been affected in a completely different way. Works Cited Allen, Thomas B., et al. War in the Gulf. Atlanta, Georgia: Turner Pub., 1991. Bush, George. â€Å"Persian Gulf War.† Annals of American History. 3 Mar. 2004 "Desert Storm 1: 1990-1991." Gulf War. 2003. 3 Mar. 2004 . Lee, Roger A. â€Å"The Persian Gulf War (1990-1991).† The History Guy. 14 Aug. 2001. 3 Mar. 2004 Marshel, Jim. "Mistakes of the Gulf War." Unpublished essay, 13 Mar. 1998. 3 Mar. 2004 . Rayment, W. J. The Gulf War. 2004. 3 Mar. 2004 . Richie, Jason. â€Å"Persian Gulf War, 1991.† Iraq and the Fall of Saddam Hussein. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Oliver Press, 2003.

Economic impact of WTC attacks Essays -- essays papers

Economic impact of WTC attacks Terrorism is an increasing global threat that was illustrated by the recent attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York. It was a highly organized attack and investigations have shown that besides the United States, planning also took place in different countries of Europe and Asia. These attacks are set to affect far more people than the American government it was intended to harm. Over five thousand people are believed to have died as a direct result of the attacks and many more deaths are expected due to the various consequences of this tragedy. In this essay I shall attempt to cover the far-reaching consequences of this terrorist attack, focusing mainly on the cultural, social and economic aspects. I shall begin by covering the economic consequences that in my opinion far outweigh any of the others. In the wake of the September 11 attacks close to 250,000 job cuts have been announced, and a nine-year record high of unemployment claims have been reported in America. This number could have been even higher had it not been for the luxury of variable pay . By some estimates cuts in variable pay saved some 1.4 million jobs , that is 1 percent of the working population of America. Another study has found that these cutbacks will result in as much as a $30 billion drop in income for the first quarter of 2002 . This in turn will likely lead to a reduction in consumer spending that would have an adverse effect on the American economy. According to the Commerce Department retail sales fell 2.4 percent in September, much to the shock of Economists who did not expect a drop of this magnitude. Equally surprising to them is the apparent change in consumer attitude in October, which has shown an increased willingness to spend money and has reduced pressure on the economy. Aside from the above-mentioned costs of the attacks there is also the cost of renovating the damaged areas of the pentagon which is estimated at between $700 and $800 million. The collapse of the World Trade Center towers caused damage to surrounding buildings and the developer who leases the site has plans to rebuild the towers which will be an extremely expensive endeavor. The government of the United States has also promised compensation for the victims and their families in return for not suing the Federal government or the airlines. Some peop... ...ed political or patriotic messages. Johnnie Hargis who had been working in the library for 22 years said he had never heard of the policy and that he was the only one punished. In conclusion, although a tragic event, the overreaction of many people has only worsened the situation. In a time when people should join together to fight ignorance and be more understanding of different cultures a handful of people are only making things worse by their warped sense of justice. It is the year 2001, anti-Muslim sentiment in the west and anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world should not be tolerated if we are to be a true global community. Bibliography Daniel Eisenberg; Paying To Keep Your Job; Time magazine; October 15, 2001; Vol. 158 No. 17. Geoff Hiscock; World Bank warns of poverty, child deaths; www.cnn.com; October 2, 2001. Federal deal ensures victims' compensation; www.cnn.com; September 24, 2001. Lisa Barron; Global airlines losses could top $10 billion; www.cnn.com; October 9, 2001. This research paper also includes some information from various other articles at CNN.com that although helpful were not significant in the composition of this assignment.

“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan Essay

Amy Tan begins by announcing, â€Å"I am not a scholar of English†¦I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the English language and its variations in this country and others.† How does this opening set up your expectations for the rest of the essay? Why do you think she chose to begin by denying her own authority? The introduction Tan decided to use presents the reader with a strong sense of the kind of individual she is. By saying â€Å"I am not a scholar of English†, Tan is revealing how humble she is. Amy Tan has written many novels and essays (some of which have been nationally recognized). Yet, she starts off her essay by stating that this is just a product of her opinion and that it is in no way superior to any others opinion. This manner of denying her own authority shows her strong belief that everyone can have their own interpretation of the value of the English language, much like she does. Her opening draws the reader in; it intrigues us. We are pleased with the idea that Tan is going to bring a new perspective to the â€Å"personal opinions on the English language†. Her opening also causes to reader to have a moment of self-reflection. We start to wonder what our opinion on the English language has been, momentarily stunned because, truly, we have never thought about this in-depth before. Therefore, our expectations for the rest of the essay increase. Tan writes about the different â€Å"Englishes† she speaks. What categories does she divide English into? Why are these divisions important to Tan? How does she say they affect her as a writer? At the beginning of the essay, Tan herself questions how to put a label on the complex â€Å"Englishes† that she has grown up with. To Tan, these â€Å"Englishes† do not just represent a way of speaking; they are multi-dimensional and a big part of her journey to find out who she truly is. Through self-reflection, at the end of her essay, she is able to come up with four categories of the English she uses: the kind of English she speaks to her mother (considered a â€Å"simple English†), the English her mother uses with her (considered a â€Å"broken English†), her translation of her mother’s Chinese (considered a â€Å"watered down† version), and the kind of English Tan aspires to capture (her mother’s internal language- the translation of Chinese if her mother could speak English  perfectly.) These divisions matter to Tan because each of these â€Å"Englishes† uniquely contribute in forming who Tan is. As a writer, this exposure to all of these â€Å"Englishes† has affected her greatly. She no longer focuses on writing to the readers who can understand English perfectly. Tan’s understanding of the multifaceted â€Å"Englishes† present in our nation allow her to get her message across to a larger audience. How does writing for a literary audience affect the language Tan primarily uses in the essay? What kind of English do you think she believes her audience speaks? Why? Support your answer with quotations from the text. Tan is aware that the literary audience will have a higher expectation of her writing. Therefore, she does not write in the manner in which her mother would speak (â€Å"broken English†). However, throughout her essay, any reader, whether an English scholar or student would easily be able to understand what Tan is trying to convey through her writing. In her essay Tan states: â€Å"Fortunately, for reasons I won’t get into today, I later decided I should envision a reader for the stories I would write. And the reader I decided upon was my mother.† Tan’s writing fully expresses the nature of her thoughts and ideas, but she writes in a way that will allow anyone to read her essay. Tan knows that there are people full of thoughts and emotions as complex as hers but are hindered by their lack of knowing English perfectly. She does not want her complex English phrasing to stop them from being able to gain something from her writing. How does Tan’s title – â€Å"Mother Tongue† – affect the way you read her argument? What other titles might she have chosen? Tan’s choice of title-â€Å"Mother Tongue†- allows the reader to understand Tan’s relationship with her mother. Although at some points, Tan was critical and embarrassed of her mother’s English, she has grown to understand and accept the idea that everyone can have their own kind of English. As a reader, the title allows you to have an open mind to the concept that â€Å"broken English† is not necessarily broken. People may not be able to speak English perfectly, but that does not mean you can label them as uneducated nor does it mean you are superior. Tan could have used a title that was patronizing or condescending. Her title could have swayed the reader to let go of whatever English they use and to start using â€Å"proper†/†formal† English. But as Tan said in her essay: â€Å"Fortunately, I happen to be rebellious in nature and enjoy the challenge of disproving assumptions..† Tan embraces the kind of English her mother uses because it plays a big part in who she is and how she speaks her own English and the title â€Å"Mother Tongue† is a testimony of that.

Economic Class

Economic â€Å"Class† † What barriers make it difficult for the poor to change their economic class? † There are several examples that can be given and this paper will outline some of the reasoning. Barriers can be anything from inherited social standings, to birth wealth, or even geographical locations, even to the amount of funding for extracurricular activity, racial and gender domination are also a barrier. There are many different things causing there to be barriers causing it hard for people to change the barrier of economic class.Keeping a good social standard is sometimes difficult to sustain, making it hard to change. Author Gregory Mantsios â€Å"Class in America† in 2003, has many different ideas on the way economic class is. Social standings and consequently life chances are largely determined at birth. Individuals who have gone from rags to riches abound in the mass media, statistics on class mobility show these leaps to be extremely rare (Mants ios711). Most economic success is because of the wealth that these individuals receive at birth. Over 66 percent of the consumer units with incomes of $100,000 or more have inherited assets (Mantsios711).In the stories that are read in most cases there is more wealth due to being born into it than earning it by hard work. Most people do not choose to be put into an economic class; rather it happens on its own. If someone grows up knowing only low income or having very little as a child, they seem to carry that on with them as they get older. It is hard to go from something you’re used to all your life to something so different. Poverty is a very difficult barrier to overcome, no matter where someone is from or where they now live. Author Diana George â€Å"Changing the Faces of Poverty: Nonprofits and the Problem of Representation†. 001 writes, â€Å"You don’t have to leave your own country to find third-world poverty. † (George623). Most groups that are asking for money to help the starving children are usually in a different country. As people see Children, Inc. showing photos of children that make people feel helplessness for. People want to help solve the hunger issues by sending money but sometimes feel uneasy with doing it because we are afraid that the money is not always going for what these people think it is. Habitat for Humanity helps individuals here in the United States to get back on their feet and try to overcome a barrier of no food or places to live.Habitat for Humanity aims to eliminate poverty housing from the globe (George 625). Being in small cities is also sometimes a barrier to overcome because there are not as many jobs or access to jobs. There are run down houses that people without jobs, find it hard to find the funding to do upkeep on them. Poverty condemns millions of people throughout the world to live in deplorable and inhuman conditions. These people are trapped in a cycle of poverty, living in places offering little protection from the rain, wind and cold (George 626). Living in run down houses causes many different illnesses and can cause death as well.It is hard seeing young people living in this situation as well as older people. Finding better housing is something most people strive for. It is just more difficult when not living in a better neighborhood with better housing. Author Peter Singer â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Poverty†, writes, an American household with an income of $50,000 spends around $30,000 annually on necessities, according to the Conference Board, a nonprofit economic research organization, (Singer 879). Therefore, for a household bringing in $50,000 a year, donations to help the world’s poor should be as close as possible to $20,000 (Singer 879).When living in run down areas, and communities with having no means to improve, makes it very hard to change. For some people seeing others doing things they would love to do and know they can not, makes some people feel hopeless and gives them thoughts of never being able to change. Approximately 12 percent of American population-that is, nearly one of every eight people in this country-live below the official poverty line (calculated in 2001 at $9,214 for an individual and $17,960 for a family of four). Among the poor are over 2. million homeless, including nearly 1 million homeless children (Mantsios 701). At last count, nearly 33 million Americans across the nation lived in unrelenting poverty (Mantsios 703). Having extracurricular activities make it hard for poorer people than more wealthy. Some people go to private schools, where they have many options for fun and activities after school. Having options like taking different language classes after, going to sleep away camps, some with sons of ambassadors and children of doctors. Going on family vacations regularly, two or three times a year is more than likely.They know ahead of time that they will most definitely g et into a very good college with or without scholarships with ambitions to be president. As for others, go to a small to medium public school where most options are very little. Going to a YMCA day camp is the most camping experience a lot of poorer people get to experience. They are children of hard working individuals in factory’s and school employees. This is how several of them get to do sports as well. They have ambitions to be presidents as well as school teachers.Racial and gender issues stop people from going farther in life than they would like as well. Racial and gender domination are other forces that hold people down (Mantsios 712). Women experience the effects of sexism whether they are well-paid professional or poorly paid clerks. As women, they face discrimination and male domination, as well as catcalls and stereotyping (Mantsios 712). Similarly, a wealthy black man faces racial oppression, is subjected to racial slurs, and is denied opportunities because of h is color (Mantsios 712). The experience of women and minorities are differentiated along class lines.Although they are subordinate positions vis-a-vis white men, the particular issues that confront women and minorities maybe quite different depending on their position in the class structure (Mansios 712-713). Class -oppressed men, whether they are white or black, have privileges afforded them as men in a sexist society. Similarly, class-oppressed whites, whether they are men or women, benefit from white privilege in a racist society. In today’s society, people would think that this would not be an issue anymore, but it seems to still be problems with it.Oppression is cumulative, and those who are poor, black, and female are often subject to all of the forces of class, race and gender discrimination simultaneously (Mantsios 713). It seems that if you are a black woman that you would be in a lower class than a white female. Being female and of ethnic race you would be considere d in the lower class and that causes many issues for someone to succeed. Being in a society that does goes by classes has caused many issues for several classes to succeed in a position that is very wanted.Americans judge too many people, and it does show that it can be a major barrier for someone to get past. No one likes for others to know their situations, people try to hide things from others so that no one know if they are in the lower class. Trying to fit in is something that most Americans allow themselves to do. Everyone wants to be considered in the same category of class. Why do people judge so much and why do they say and do hurtful things to people that are in a lower class than themselves? It is just how the human race is and more than likely will always be.It has been this way for many years and will continue to do so. Some people are raised in many different levels of human nature, and it grows with each individual as they become adults, but looking down on someone an d belittling them, all because they are not as rich as them, or have as many material things as they do needs to come to a stop. That causes too many people to stop trying to overcome obstacles in their way to make a better life for themselves and their families. Getting out of a rut is a hard thing to accomplish. This is a major barrier to overcome. Works Cited George, Diana. Changing the Face of Poverty: Nonprofits and the Problem of Representation. † 2001. The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Ed. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. 622-33. Print. Mantsios, Gregory. â€Å"Class in America-2003. † 2004. The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Ed. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. 697-717. Print. Singer, Peter. â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Poverty. † 2009. The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. Ed. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. 2nd ed. New Y ork: Norton, 2010. 873-80. Print.

Bpo Attrition- the Problem and Its Solution

Human Resources In Indian Business Process Outsourcing Organizations- Attrition. Is there any solution? Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is likely to be the next big thing for services in this decade. The industry is very diverse, with several sub-segments, each displaying its own unique characteristics. The BPO players need to be excellent in every facet of operations as the market is highly competitive at every level and re-defining itself every day. Being a People-Centric industry what are the people issues that, the HR will have to handle? What are the challenges faced by HR in dealing with them? HI Before this, one needs to gain an understanding about BPOs and what businesses are Indian companies doing in this segment? BPO is based on the premise that whatever competencies are not very important for an organization   (not their core competencies); outsource or ask somebody else who is adept at doing it, to do it for the organization. In this way the organization can concentrate on its core competencies and not worry about on trivial issues, which are not strategic in nature. But these days we even find organizations outsourcing their core competencies or the core business aspects to BPOs to gain the advantage of cost cutting and quality issues. Typically, BPO would include call centers, problem solving in insurance sector to other sophisticated activities like research and other back office dealings. India has the advantage of low cost, highly qualified English speaking labour, thus most of the BPO ventures in India are call centers, although of late, companies are entering into high-end areas like research. But for sometime at least we can assume that most of the companies would be doing the call center kind of business. Most of these kinds of jobs get done in the night in India to account for the 12-hour time lag between US and India. Over a period of time the biological rhythm of the employee changes, causing various kind of disorders like indigestion, fatigue, headaches etc. so the health of the employee is a major concern for the HR, more so because most of them are graduates in their early twenties. In addition the jobs are monotonous, often nerve wracking. So it is a challenge for HR to adequately rotate the jobs of employees and provide them with enough time to refresh, so that they are able to deliver service of highest quality. Although many companies are targeting fresh graduates, they are not able to retain them. Attrition continues to be high 35%. HR has to ensure that a proper career path is chalked out so that graduates increasingly see this area as a potential career for them. Clients in US, UK and other European Countries are very quality conscious and as increasingly complex jobs get outsourced, it becomes important that HR ensures right quality people are selected and the right quality of training is provided to them. This ensures that later they do not face embarrassing time from their clients. There has been enormous requirement in this sector for manpower and huge salaries are up for taking. The times are good for this industry, but one has to keep in mind that this industry is still in its way to figure out in the growth stage. One cannot predict the future so easily and the sour experience of software companies is still fresh in minds. So a little bit of caution is to be exercised in this matter and proper trends have to be forecast by the HR to ensure that they do not go the software way when ultimately the industry stabilizes. Attrition †¦ A major problem rocking the Industry. Some Facts to Ponder about†¦ * 95% companies in the industry have Attrition problems * The small-sized and medium-sized companies loose more people * Turnover rates are as high as 30% in some reputed BPOs and over all around 35% in the Industry. Employees move to smaller companies for exciting opportunities and greater identity and move to large companies for defined roles, clearer career paths and better HR systems. Loyalty towards their employer or towards the organization has slowly seems to have disappeared. Executives know that fast-moving markets require fast-moving organizations that are continually refreshed with new talent, and they have become quite adept to outside hiring. Even companies are quite comfortable with bringing in talent; they remain distinctly uncomfortable about seeing talent leave. The competition to headhunt employees with good performance ratings of other organizations is an open ploy. The mediators (so called Consultants) make this job easy for the organizations by gaining the data bases of employees and they lure the employees by offering huge pay packages finally making them to move from their job. One of the biggest assets of the BPO Industry is manpower. So, the biggest challenge in this industry is to attract and retain knowledgeable manpower. Today, BPO companies are facing a shortage of knowledge workers because the rate at which they lose employees is almost ouble the rate at which they hire. A major proportion of the turnover issue is attributed to the movement of manpower to the Companies who lure them by offering either better pay or higher designation. The average stay of an employee in bpo companies has dropped to one year. In such a scenario where companies are fighting to combat global business competition, and struggling to survive, employee turnover comes as a double blow. And the issue of managing employee separation often gets ignored. Just because a business is dependent on Communication skills, for instance, doesnt mean that it has to go to great lengths to retain its employees. If theres a large pool of people with good communication skills available, it might want to focus on recruitment rather than retention. Moreover, since new hires have lower salaries than long-term employees, the company is able to keep a lid on compensation levels. Cooperating with competitors is another way of dealing with retention. Because of the intensity of talent-war, companies instinctively view retention and recruitment as competitive exercises. But history shows that cooperation, even among competitors, can be one of the most effective ways of dealing with talent shortages. A New concept called Anti Poaching agreement between BPO organizations is on the Move. According to this agreement, the parties getting in to the agreement will share their employee databases with each other and so will restrain employees to shift in to each other companies. Lets hope that this works good for the BPOs. Frequent job-hopping of employees is not good for any one, neither for the company nor for the employee in terms of Growth.

Puritan ideals in colonial America reflected the cultural attitude and Essay

Puritan ideals in colonial America reflected the cultural attitude and defined the role of women in their society - Essay Example Choosing to be a single woman was considered by the Puritans to be disregarding ‘God’s will.’ These women were looked upon suspiciously and this choice heightened the chance that they would be accused of being a witch. This discussion will examine the role of women in colonial America and how the religious Puritanical system of the time defined women’s rights and duties within that society. Puritan women were prevented from owning property; they could not negotiate their own contracts or even keep any of their own wages. â€Å"Before the middle of the nineteenth century, the property rights of American married women followed the dictates of common law, under which everything a woman owned became her husband’s property upon her marriage† (â€Å"Married Women’s Property Acts†, n.d.). These restrictions on what a woman could do or own were partly due to the fact that most women were not considered intelligent enough to consider all the consequences involved in managing business or political situations. Women also played the subordinate role in defining the family’s religious beliefs. The observed religious traditions that guided the patriarchal family order allowed wives only a small authoritative role within the family unit. For instance, mothers were trusted and expected to pass along the teachings of the Puritans and Christianity to the children. Husbands could, and often did, entrust their wives to handle various legal and financial matters of the household or family farm but the extent of power the wife possessed always remained at her husband’s discretion. Wives that happily accepted their role and conformed to Puritan societal standards were openly referred to and addressed as ‘goodwife.’ However, the authoritative figure in the family and throughout all facets of Puritan society was clearly the man. The only role that wives served in the male dominated public psyche

Travel industry in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Travel industry in Europe - Essay Example This essay tells that the popularity of British Airways was since the year 1974 after the combination of British overseas airways corporation and the British European Airways Corporation. Since its formation it has been one of the primary airlines in UK and Europe. Since its inception it has been the largest airline based on the fleet size and in respect of the number of passengers in UK as well. It serves a massive number of 150 destinations. The organization has been able to perform consistently over the years and has been one of the major profit making organizations in the airline industry. The operational excellence of the British airways can be linked to the fact that it has successfully implemented the 24 hour IT system. Besides this it has gained significant achievement within its community, market place and workplace. Other than being the largest airline in Britain it has contributed significantly in donations and has devised proper training strategies for noise reductions in the flights. British airways have also developed a lot with respect to the infrastructure. The new terminal 5 has been delivering fantastic service for the airlines and has benefitted the passengers as well. The overall organizational efficiency gained by the organization can be contributed to variety of factors. The general study in management reflects that there are various factors which lead to the operational efficiency of an organization.... Besides this it has gained significant achievement within its community, market place and workplace. Other than being the largest airline in Britain it has contributed significantly in donations and has devised proper training strategies for noise reductions in the flights. British airways have also developed a lot with respect to the infrastructure. The new terminal 5 has been delivering fantastic service for the airlines and has benefitted the passengers as well. (Overview – achievements, n. d) The overall organizational efficiency gained by the organization can be contributed to variety of factors. The general study in management reflects that there are various factors which lead to the operational efficiency of an organization. Research studies reflect that the prime factors leading to operational effectiveness are organization culture, organization operation, and organizational leadership. The paper analyzes each of the above mentioned factors with respect to the British airways. Leadership: The theory of leadership deals with managing a team of people for attaining a common set of goals. In British airways the organization opts for various leadership development programs. The leadership development program focuses on various issues like leaders will skill and commitment. The leaders will helps to identify the willingness of the leader to deliver according to reach the business benefits. The skill assessment measures the current level of skill the leader’s posses and the styles adopted by them to make it an effective learning process. Management ways of the organization emphasizes upon the manager’s response to obeying of