National economic policy

On the issue of the global war on terror there are various effects which come along with the paying for the long-term war on terror. The huge amounts spent on this kind of war are spent through the government, through the private and other indirect means in the economy and these costs will need to be paid in the years to come.The policy or programs recommended addressing the likely effects of paying for the war on terrorWorld trade organization The world trade organization as an international organization promotes liberalization by encouraging all the nations to lower their existing trade barriers. In addressing the issue of the global war on terror the world trade organization has a mechanism by which it settles and also resolves various disputes without the result of any costly trade wars. Since the United States is a member of the world trade organization the country’s markets have been liberalized (William D. Orpheus 2002)Social securityThe social security program is highl y recommended in addressing the likely effects of war on terror. This ensures that the country has provided its citizens with the security that is needed against the attacks from the country’s enemies. Through the social security program the American citizens are given internal as well as the external security and they are also made to feel very safe in their own country.This is achieved by the continual; manning of the country’s entry points such as the airports and the sea. Ports. On the other hand there is lot of surveillance in the country and this prevents any possible attacks from the terrorists. The social security fund similarly ensures that the social welfare of the country’s citizen is well catered for and the citizens are well aware of their social security in terms of their social welfare. (U.S. Department of Justice 2002)Medicare and Medicaid spendingThe Medicare and also the medic aid spending are also recommended in addressing the likely effects o f paying for the long term war on terror. This provides the soldiers and also those who are involved in the war on terrorism a cover on their medical spending.The long-term financial strategy and the unique fiscal challenges of paying for the long term war on terrorThe American national security highly depends on the country’s financial security. There has been a revolutionary war debt in America and this and this has been a very huge threat to the nation’s creditworthiness and also its very existence. There has been an establishment of various financial principles in order to further secure the country. The country has been borrowing a lot so that it can pay for the war in Iraq as well as the short sighted tax cuts in the face of the long term war on terror which has been running against the American tradition thus placing the country into a security peril. (Daniel McGinnis with Suzanne Smalley 2003)This has led the American government to further realign its economic policies on the country’s taxes, the social security, Medicare, and also the country’s oil dependency so as to safeguard the American liberty as well as its future. The need to pay for the war on terror in America has driven the country to a financial innovation the American common duties for instance have often fallen off with the existing hostilities and this has further led to the increased reliance on the consumption and also the excise taxes.This has highly cut the civilians demand and freeing up the war resources but it has been very burdensome on the poor Americans. On the other hand the taxes on the businesses in America and also the wealthy people are very popular however they do not this do not reduce the consumption in the country and they also discourage an energetic investment in the country’s war industries. If it is broad based the financial debt can cement the support on the war but if it is not then it could lead to a class of creditors who have excessive political power.The shortsighted fiscal policyThe forging of the American fiscal policy has not been very simple since most of the American president’s have been frequently facing the congressional resistance to the country’s massive tax and its borrowing requests on several occasions. It has been found that the fiscal policy can not be only about the raising of very huge sums of money even though this is very important for the country as it addresses the issue of war on terror. But the fiscal policy could also be about finding several ways in resolving the country’s internal differences so as to unite the country behind the war effort as well as maximizing the productive output in the country’s economy.The American fiscal policy is short sighted since it is viewed by large portions of the country’s populations as unfair since the methods employed by the political leaders for securing funds for the war are also not fair. This will howeve r make the efforts for the support for the war to greatly suffer. On the other hand the methods used to raise money for the war on terror have weakened the country’s economy and also the country’s foundation of the military power.America has been faced with a major challenge of financing the war on terrorism since the long war has been fought is being fought in parallel with the ground wars which are prolonged in Iraq and also Afghanistan. The fiscal policy will limit and also prevent the government’s ability to pay for the threats of the catastrophic attacks from the country’s unknown enemies. This is because the policy has led to the elimination, postponement or even the reduction of funding for the low priority domestic projects so that there can be room for the high priority military spending in the budget.How to successfully prosecute the global war on terror while at the same time meeting the growing cost of retirement and the healthcare benefitsThe American leaders can successfully prosecute the global war on terror while at the same time meet the growing cost of the population’s retirements and the healthcare benefits of all the Americans. This could be achieved by finding ways which meet the crucial security needs while at the same time addressing the country’s healthcare costs of the aging population and the escalating retirement benefits.The country’s administration should adapt a long-term fiscal strategy which will allow for such needs to be met. The country’s budget on the other hand should encompass and also as set aside some amounts of money which will cater for the social security demands, together with the healthcare benefits and the growing costs of retirement for the aging population in America. Similarly the strategy should include more thorough prioritization on the allocation of the country’s resources.This will allow the curbing of the non essential spending in the country. On the other hand there should be a tax policy which will help in the avoidance of the country’s chronic deficits. Similarly the American government should adapt fiscal policies and strategies which will match the payouts in the prerogative programs at a closer look to the money which is flowing into the country. (Robert D. Hormat. 2007)The country should also reduce its dependence on the on the foreign capitals as this aggravate s the financial threat which is facing America as a nation. So that there could be a successful prosecution on both the war on terrorism and at the same time meeting the growing cost of retirement and the healthcare benefits the fiscal policy should be consistent and not in any way undermine the American national security.Reference:William D. Orpheus (2002): Iraq, The Economic Consequences of the War.   New YorkReview of Books, December 5,U.S. Department of Justice. (2002):   Explanation of the Process for Computing Presumed Economic Loss. Retrie ved fromAccessed on 12th December 2007Daniel McGinnis with Suzanne Smalley (2003): Now Families Face the Cost of War.Newsweek, April 21, 2003, p. 11..Robert D. Hormat. (2007): The Price of Liberty: Paying for Americas Wars. Published by Henry and Holt Company

Disadvantages of a Limited Company Essay

Cost – Some people will have you believe that a Limited Company is expensive to set-up. Not so! Our Company Formation packages start from as little as FREE! And include many related services and products that would cost you highly elsewhere. Complex Accounts – There are more complex and restrictive rules governing the accounts and bookkeeping of Limited Companies than sole traders (for example). The Company is expected to produce years accounts incorporating a double entry format, balance sheets and other notes. With the (generally) larger nature of a Limited Companies business this can be a time consuming and costly undertaking. The Company Warehouses accountancy service is custom made to ease the burden on Limited Companies. Our low-cost, competitively priced service will take hold of the accounting reigns and allow you to remain free to concentrate on the running of the business. Restricted Capital Raising – For Private Limited Companies, there is a restriction on the raising of capital via sale of shares. As mentioned, PLCs can gain further funding by the sale of shares, but this ability is lost to Private Limited Companies whose shares are restricted. Dilution of Powers – Due to the nature of Public Limited Companies, sometimes disputes will arise between Directors and Shareholders as their ideas of what is best for the company vary. Sale of shares to increase company funds will further dilute the management, as more and more people have a say in how the company is run. There is also a risk (since Companies can buy shares) that a takeover might occur this way. As you can easily see, the advantages of a Limited Company, far outweigh the disadvantages. So if you are looking to set-up a company, why not let www.TheCompanyWarehouse.co.uk help you? Our expert team have been helping entrepreneurs from all over the Country form successful businesses for years. Our Company Formation Services are the lowest priced around and as you can see from the table below we provide a wealth of extras included to help you on your way to success.

Argumentative Writing on the Good Effects of Advanced Technology Essay e

The first reason why technology is useful because it helps students have an increased ability to learn. This is because it is an easy way to reach a database that contains information that you would never imagine existed. In the articles that I read it mentioned how technology now allows children to observe things in a classroom in a whole new way, which allows them to be able to understand what they are learning even better than before. why technology is good in the educational field is because it is helping children learn that have a disability. â€Å"Meanwhile, Autism Speaks has launched an initiative titled Hacking Autism, where programmers and developers are invited to work on technology-based ideas to aid kids on the spectrum with learning and social skills.† This is stating how the advanced technology that we hryday lives to be easier and more advanced in a way that nobody could’ve ever imagine, anywhere from an increased ability to educate children and recordi ng data in a computer to saving lives in the hospital using a robotic arm. Works Cited Braiker/Parenting.com, Brian. "Technology in the Classroom: The Good and Bad." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Hornof, Michelle. "The Bellingham Herald." INSIDE OUR SCHOOLS: Technology and Discussions Drive Student Work Classroom. The Bellingham Herald, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Lytle, Ryan. "Study: Emerging Technology Has Positive Impact in Classroom." US News. U.S.News World Report, 14 July 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Woodley, Robyn. "The Slate Online Is Technology Good or Bad?" The Slate Online Is Technology Good or Bad? The Slate, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Using social media in classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Using social media in classroom - Essay Example Social media allows all kinds of students to interact and participate. This brings forward those students who are relatively shy and less interactive otherwise. Since the students find a platform and medium through which they can co relate, participate and express their views, it is therefore that the social media makes it possible interacting more actively and overcoming the shyness and other obstacles that are otherwise felt by the students in the normal routine activities. The second advantage of social media is its helping hand towards increasing communication and means of interacting in the class. Since the communication over social media is more organized and formal, it allows more opportunity towards expressing the views and presenting the points that are otherwise difficult to express. Social media provides various platforms which in turn makes the communication means and concept more mechanized. This in turn leads to more improved opportunities and platform of extracting knowledge. The third aspect and benefit of social media is its usage in class has made the overall process of learning and teaching a more interactive one. It has led to the more colorful interaction and representation of facts, information and figures. The second most important element is the fact that since social media is directly associated with the internet and other online sources, it leads to more updated and more detailed view of the facts or a particular case which may not find as relevant and as updated versions in the textual forms or the standard text books which are published and updated at the end of the year or session. Each of these has various platforms in the form of groups, pages, walls and other communities which makes sharing of the information common, collective and easy to reach. The colorful presence of technology along with the platform availability makes it an eye catching source towards learning and interactive process. The

The Use of Force and Wars on Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Use of Force and Wars on Terrorism - Essay Example The Charter’s Article 51 stipulates (Dinstein 2001, 161): â€Å"Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.† Hence, a country can respond in self-defence or self-preservation against a terrorist assault, but not unless the Security Council has performed steps needed to uphold security, peace, and order. The immunity for self-defence stated in Article 51 is the single clear omission to the prohibition of Article 2(4). This Article, according to Dinstein (2001), presumes that international law currently necessitates at least the possibility of a forthcoming armed attack before a nation may react forcefully or violently against the political independence or territorial integrity of another nation. Nevertheless, even as the terrorists have perpetrate d an armed assault, the right to wield force against the attackers positioned in a state is anomalous except if the terrorist activities can be attributed to the state (Kittrich 2008). Hence, an important question is when can terrorism be attributed to the state where in it manoeuvres? Since an assault against terrorism breaches the host state’s territorial integrity, the terrorists’ armed assault should be ascribed to that particular state (Kittrich 2008). It would then be legally acceptable to wield force against the terrorists positioned in that state. This paper tries to address this primary question: Do terrorists’ acts constitute a violation of Article 2(4), which justifies wars on terrorism as an act of self-defence under the UN Charter? Use of Force against Terrorism The impact of the UN Charter on a state’s innate right to embark on traditional self-preservation has long been a point of contention. Nevertheless, nowadays, many think that the trad itional international law authority to self-protection is unchanged by the Charter’s Article 51 and that this natural right to self-preservation involves a right to defensive self-protection (Boethe 2003). Others claim that Article 51 in fact removed preventative self-defence as a lawful rationale for the exercise of armed or violent force, and, without an armed attack, a nation should restrict itself to mobilizations to defend against such an assault, even despite of clear assault mobilizations being carried out by another nation (Penna 1991). This Article reinforces the argument of those who claim that states sustain the traditional natural right to defensive self-protection. Threats of international terrorism currently take place in the form of anachronistic groups that embody majority of the features of a state: organisation, preparation, training, disposed forces, resources, and possible possession of weapons of mass destruction. Nevertheless, dissimilar from states, the se terrorist groups are headed by people who are ready to use suicide operations routinely and who show a complete disrespect to the authority of law and human life (Dinstein 2001). Certainly, the success of such assaults relies on a state unaware of how or when these assaults will subsequently take place. Hence, a state may legally respond on the supposition that, due to the constantly displayed unusual characteristic and operational strategies of particular transnational terrorist groups, an assault by such

Constructivism Theory of International Relations Essay

Constructivism Theory of International Relations - Essay Example Based on these articles, I would like to point out that these scholars conducted a well organized and extensive research. They had to choose to carry out a research on this theory in order to create more awareness and inform their respective audiences on all the contributions, controversies and the gaps in this theory which need more researchers to study. In the choice of their methodology, I would like to recommend that it was properly done. It seems that they knew about the main objective of their research. Thus, they identified and used the most appropriate variables which would help them in answering their research questions and the hypotheses. Both of these scholars knew about the predictions that would determine their findings. This explains why there was no failure in the whole of their research. After identifying the research topic/issue, they settled on literature review in which they conducted several documentary analyses in order to get more information about this theory. They did this by choosing the most appropriate and relevant set of documents to use. Thus, their work became more credible and authoritative to be relied upon by other scholars for carrying out their future researches (Rodney, B.H., 2009). This area or f research is quite important for these scholars. Although several scholars have researched on it, because, as Richard and Christian suggest, a lot still need to be done in order to fill up the missing links. Based on their findings that this theory is valuable for the contemporary society.

Applying Learning Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Applying Learning Theories - Essay Example The Behavioral Theory or behaviorism stresses on the learning of facts and skills as stated by the authorities. For example, school board and the teachers. Behaviorist believes the environment is a great influencing factor in the process of learning. The theory of behavioral learning also contends that contiguity and reinforcement, whether positive or negative, are essential to the learning process. Characteristics Behavior, which is positively reinforced, will occur again; discontinuous reinforcement is particularly successful. Information must be presented in small proportions so that responses can be reinforced ("shaping") Reinforcements arouse similar stimuli ("stimulus generalization") producing secondary conditioning. Principles Practice takes in the form of question (stimulus) - answer (response) frames which expose the student to the subject in gradual steps The learner must make a response for every frame and receive immediate feedback There is a gradual introduction of diff icult questions to get positive response and thus leading to positive reinforcement. The good responses must be followed with the positive reinforces such as verbal praise, good grades etc. 2 B.F.Skinner’s Behaviorist theory works on the similar grounds of conditioning theory as proposed by Pavlov and Watson. They observed that the formation of behavior is essentially related to the external environment .Pavlov established the classical conditioning paradigm. Watson studied overt behavior and concentrated on the conditioning of emotions. Skinner model of behavior is based on observation, he studied environment control on the behavior and explained operant behavior rather than respondent behavior played greater role in life. An Operant conditioning can become a means for behavior modification. â€Å"When a particular Stimulus-Response (S-R) pattern is reinforced (rewarded), the individual is conditioned to respond. The distinctive characteristic of operant conditioning relati ve to previous forms of behaviorism is that the organism can emit responses instead of only eliciting response due to an external stimulus.† (B.F Skinner) Reinforcement is main constituent in the Skinners S-R Theory and a rein forcer is anything that strengthens a response. Good grades, a verbal praise, feeling of accomplishment are all positive rein forcers. There are negative rein forcers that refer to adverse stimulus or response. A great deal of attention is given to schedules of reinforcement and their effects on establishing and maintaining behavior. Behaviorist theory and Instruction Design The Behaviorist theory is involved in the following. Behavioral objectives movement; the teaching machine phase; the programmed instruction movement; individualized instructional approaches, computer-assisted learning and the systems approach to instruction. Based on operant conditioning Skinner's teaching machine required the learner to complete or answer a question and then receive feedback on the correctness of the response. Skinner demonstrated his machine in 1954.Programmed instructions concentrated on the hardware than on the course development. Individualized instructions are used in reading science, math .Computer assisted learning is much a drill, and practice controlled by program me developer rather by the learner. The system approach is employed in the language laboratories, teaching machines, multimedia presentations etc. Most systems approaches are similar to computer flow charts

Pick the most suitable and easiest to you Term Paper

Pick the most suitable and easiest to you - Term Paper Example Lastly, there needs to be justification that supports p. such justification could be some kind of evidence or reasons. The lack of such support would make p only to be correct but not knowledge. These sets of conditions greatly rely on the necessity and sufficiency relationship that argues that one set of condition has to be true for the other to be true. A necessary condition makes a statement to be true while a sufficient condition links the truth within a statement to its ultimate consequent. A condition can be necessary or sufficient or both. The Gettier problem refers to a philosophical reasoning that questions whether something that is held to be true but is based on invalid reasons counts as true knowledge (Pollock and Cruz, 12). Initially put forward by Edmund Gettier, it is used to refer to all major thought experiments that repute the definition of Justified True Belief. Gettier argued that there were beliefs and statements that were true and justified, hence necessary and sufficient, but were not valid pieces of

The Cold War Doctrines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Cold War Doctrines - Essay Example It was caused by political and economic differences between the United States and the USSR (Posen 98). President Harry S. Truman reigned in the United States during the cold war. He faced a lot of internal challenges during the cold war. The United States faced severe shortages in housing and consumer products, many strikes and widespread dissatisfaction with the level of inflation. Turman used certain tactics to dominate the United States during the cold war. He signed the National Security Act 1947 as part of the world war strategy. He also reorganized armed forces by merging the state of war and the department of the navy into the National Military Establishment. He also created the United States Air Force, CIA and the National Security Council (Bostdorff 28). He used administrative commands to stop ethnic prejudice in the military forces. He dismissed a bunch of communists’ supporters from office by the creation of loyalty checks. He bitterly fought the republican leaders on foreign policy. Through his belief against communism, he protected Turkey, Greece and Iran by making a peaceful solution, not sending United States troops to war, and prevention of soviet penetration. He came up with the Fair Deal program which involved anti-union Taft-Hartley Act and vigorous civil rights program (Bostdorff 14). He also made a commitment to recognize the institution of the state of Israel. This was made to sustain the formation of a motherland for the Jewish people. Turman’s presidency was extremely active in foreign policy, which was containment of Soviet expansion as the cold war unfolded. It is necessary to note that Turman authorized the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs which killed thousands of people in Japan. He used nuclear weapons against Japan as the Japanese government refused the terms of Potsdam Declaration (Bostdorff 160). This made the Japanese surrender on the 14th of August; 1945. The atomic bomb scene was revisited in the cold war and was recognized to have rendered convectional forces largely irrelevant to the modern battlefield. Corruption was a key issue in Turman’s government which runs through individual members of the cabinet and the senior white house staff. He relied distinctly on his cabinet and popularized such phrases as ‘The buck stops here’. Turman initiated the Berlin Airlift. This was a strategy that delivered meals and other supplies using military airplanes to people. Turman also used the strategy of rapid demobilization, which involved sending the veterans home. This policy was primarily financial since it involved funding domestic spending requirements. President Eisenhower was the thirty fourth president of the United States. His presidency was dominated by the cold war which begun during Turman’s reign. He was popular for ending the Korean War and presiding over eight years of peace. He signed peace treaties with South Korea and the republic of China. He expanded t he National Security Council which was initiated by president Turman. He was the first president to conduct televised press conferences. Just like Turman he was an anti-communist, and through this, he developed a marketing and armed coalition with the Spain through the Pact of Madrid. Signing the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization alliance, was another strategy to prevent communism. He accepted the principle of containment which sought

First Viewing of a Horror Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

First Viewing of a Horror Film - Essay Example There is no emotion other than fear, which has such a lasting impact on our minds. We are not able to come out of it. We just cannot help it. Horror films are one genre of movies that invoke negative emotions in the viewers by manipulating their most imaginative fears. They create such an aura of fright and dreadfulness that we become friends with sleepless nights and eerie feelings for many days to come.   Scream (1996) was the first horror movie I ever saw. It was directed by Wes Craven; and, it starred my favorite heroine at that time, Drew Barrymore. It was one fine evening that my friend and I decided to watch Scream. I was at my friend’s house for a slumber party. We fetched some popcorn after dinner and seated ourselves in front of the television. Back then, we used video cassette players since DVD players had not been invented. My friend inserted a video cassette inside the player, and the movie began on the television screen. The story was about a pair of psychic fr iends who killed young nubile girls for fun’s sake. Casey was a young girl alone in the house. She received a call which she thought of as a prank call. She flirted a little when the caller had already sneaked into her house. Wearing a white mask, the killer chased her, and then stabbed her to death when her parents were just entering the house.  

European Union Essay Example for Free

European Union Essay The European Union of today is the result of a process that began half a century ago with the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. After the two world wars the overall situation of Europe was so pathetic especially in economic terms and peace and prosperity was far away. In order to bring peace and to lead Europe to the path of progress it was necessary to unite it under one roof. For this purpose the European leaders started thinking about it in late 1940’s and finally Robert Schuman the French Foreign Minister proposed the union of Europe which ended up in the merging of coal and steel industries and the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up . â€Å"The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to put together other parts of the countries economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since. In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to todays supranational organization of 27 countries across the European continent stands as an unmatched occurrence in the records of history. Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has many of the attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy in its dealings with other nations.  In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded†. (European Union Facts and Map – Yahoo! Education) Motive Lets unite. And the world will listen to us Pro-European ad campaign, September 1992 Government: European Union Union Name and Member States â€Å"Conventional long form: European Union abbreviation: EU . Political structure: a mixture of supranational organizations . Capital: name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg. 27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK; note Canary Islands (Spain), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion (France) are sometimes listed separately even though they are legally a part of Spain, Portugal, and France; candidate countries: Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey†. CIA The World Factbook European Union) Independence 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force). National holiday Europe Day 9 May (1950); note a Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community to achieve an organized Europe Impact of EU on International Trade The worlds largest trader and a strong block in the international political economy, is not an easy bargainer to deal with. The fact that the EU speaks with an influence in trade has enabled it to affect the distributional outcomes of international trade negotiations and shape the global political economy. Trade being the only forum in which the EU speaks to the United States with an equal voice, The EU is currently the worlds largest trader and one of the main players. Trade Relations between EU and US The steady increase in the breadth and depth of transatlantic foreign policy cooperation has been one of the most striking developments in recent years. Enhanced EU–US communication has been essential in developing a closer understanding of our respective policy positions and the better coordination of our activities. The EU and the USA are each other’s main trading partners (taking goods and services together) and account for the largest bilateral trade relationship in the world: together, they account for almost 40 % of world trade. Every day, about EUR 1. 7 billion of transatlantic trade (in goods and services) takes place. The transatlantic relationship defines the shape of the global economy as a whole as either the EU or the USA is also the largest trade and investment partner for almost all other countries. Contribution towards Human Rights and Democracy â€Å"I want to emphasize our shared commitment to promoting democracy, freedom all over the world. The very enlargement of European Union has been one of the greatest achievements in terms of promotion of democracy from Southern Europe, West Europe, to Eastern Europe, North Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Baltic countries, now most recently; European Union is a great success story in terms of promoting democracy. And we want to do it also globally, and we are doing it globally. And thats one of the fields where I see that the United States and European Union can do, and should do, even more together. † President Barroso, EU-US Summit Press conference, 21 June 2006, Vienna. Most Important Economic Relation in the World This is the most important economic relation in the world, the relation between the United States of America and the European Union. And we believe we can achieve more if we look at it in a comprehensive manner. And I hope that now there will be some concrete work so that in our regular institutional summit between the European Union and the United States we can achieve some more complete results†. President Barroso, Visit to the White House 8 January 2007, Washington DC Quick Facts The EU and the USA jointly represent 10 % of the world’s population and account for roughly 40 % of world trade and over 60 % of world GDP. Worlds’ Strongest Relationship â€Å"The relationship between the United States and Europe constitutes the world’s strongest, most comprehensive and strategically most important partnership. † European Commission President Barroso Brussels, 9 February 2005. Trade Conflict between EU-US: Since its beginning in 1995, more than 330 disputes have been raised under the WTO Dispute Settlement System. The major disputes between the EU and the USA (mini trade wars) are analyzed with GTAP5: the Hormones, the Bananas, the FSC and the Steel cases. 1. The use of biotechnology in food production has emerged as the central issue in a trade conflict that has been between the U. S. and the European Union for years 2. The use of hormones in beef cattle is another issue . They promotes growth and produces a leaner shell that is more appealing to health-conscious consumers. However, the European Union refuses to import such meat, suggesting that there are insufficient studies to prove its safety for human consumption. Some think that economic motives, not genuine concern for the health of consumers, lie behind this decision. In addition to above mention major conflicts in trade between EU and US is the EU’s conversion of their currency of each member countries to a single form of money that is the EURO (Except UK and Denmark). Since these two countries have very strong trade relations and the exchange of money in the money market shows a higher value of EURO against Dollar this is something which is disliked by some of the corporations in the US. While doing transactions by importing goods from Europe, US have to pay more in terms of Dollars to the EU. Conclusion Still there are some problems which Americans and Europeans agree in seeing as critical. While there are obvious drawbacks in having a bad relationship to the US . Along with major disputes taken place between US and EU as a result I draw conclusion that some US corporations are pleased with its work while others are upset, this is in my point of view due to two reasons first the EU being independent, united and a big challenge for US which is a super power and second is of the currency value of EU which is higher in the money market than the dollar which displeases some corporations while doing transactions. Today, security and justice and prosperity for our world depend on America and Europe working in common purpose. That makes our transatlantic ties as vital as they have ever been. † US President Bush, 19 February 2005.

Internationalising Porters Diamond Essay Example for Free

Internationalising Porters Diamond Essay This article Internationalising Porters Diamond argues that Porter underestimates the significance of the globalization of production and markets in his work about competitive advantage of nations. Dunning says that there is increasing interaction and networking cross-borders. He argues that the cross-border value added activities by multinational companies have influence indirectly and directly on each of the components of the diamond of national competitive advantage. In the article Dunning tries to analyse how globalization of economic activity affects the competitive advantages of individual nation. The article also explores the nature and form of networking and how recent technological developments and regional interactions have increased the interdependence of economic activity between the leading industrial nations in the world. Dunning thinks that the significance of globalization for individual country will depend on how important international transactions are (compared to national transactions), the kinds of assets and products are traded and the modality of international economic involvement. He distinguishes six features of the global economy, which are the following: 1. In global economy value generating assets are increasingly taking the form of created assets (e. g. human capital). The competitive advantages of countries are coming to depend on the countries ability to effectively use and increase these assets. 2. These assets are intangible and firm or ownership specific and do not belong to country. 3. The role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) is increasing. This is because it is in the interest of domestic domicile firms to use the created assets and to generate new assets in a foreign country, or to acquire assets e. g. by acquisition or alliance, by using foreign domiciled firms. 4. Increasing part of the assets of firms of a particular country is either acquired from or are located in another country. The crowing cross-border networking through strategic alliances, international subcontracting and other cooperative arrangements is further undermining the concept of national firm specific diamonds. 5. The role of government needs to be re-evaluated as a result of globalization of the world economy. 6. Increasing competition between countries over the same resources and markets. Considering these points almost all the factors in on Porters domestic diamond have to be reconsidered. The pattern of the diamonds of countries will differ according to the extent and form of the involvement of the country in question in the global economy. Dunning argues that Porter put too little emphasise on the international influence and underestimated the influence of the MNEs. Dunning suggests that the national diamond should be replaced with supernational diamond because of the increasing integration between countries. In this case, national political borders become meaningless and the competitive advantage of a country can be influenced by factors outside a countrys home diamond. The principle is the same, but the geographical constituency has to be established on different criteria when taking about the supernational diamond. 2. 4 The Double Diamond Model of International Competitiveness: The Canadian Experience by Alan Rugman and Joseph DCruz The point of view in this article is that Porters diamond framework explains the success of US, Japanese, and EC-based multinational corporations, but it is not applicable to small, open, trading economies. Rugman and DCruz show that Porters home country diamond does not explain Canadas international competitiveness. Also some other researchers have noticed this problem when trying to apply Porters model to e. g. New Zealand, and Korea. Rugman and DCruz argue that the over 90 % of the worlds nations potentially cannot be modelled by the Porter diamond. The authors suggest that substantial modifications of the Porter framework are required to analyze the nature of Canadas successful resource-based multinationals, foreign subsidiaries and institutional arrangements, such as the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement. In order to do this Rugman and DCruz present a new double diamond framework. In this model Rugman and DCruz propose that since Canada in already economically highly integrated with U. S. , it should use The North American diamond when trying to determine or improve Canadas international competitiveness. This means that Canadians should view the U. S. market as a home market, not just an export market. Canadian owned multinationals have competitive advantages derived from attributes of the U. S. or other foreign diamonds, rather than the Canadian diamond alone. It is also said in the article that each country needs to set its own home-country diamond against the relevant triad diamond. In general, most Asia-Pacific nations will set theirs against Japan. Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and most Caribbean countries will consider theirs against the US diamond. European nations outside of the EC will set theirs against the EC. The authors also criticise that the elements used in Porter model are hardly new or unexpected. The only contribution is bringing them together. Rugman and DCruz criticise the data and how it is presented. The main points were Porter flaws according to Rugman and DCruz is the narrow definition that he applies to foreign direct investments (FDI) and the flawed understanding of the nature of two way FDI (ignoring the role of inbound foreign direct investment). They also criticise how Porter handles imports and exports and multinational activities. According to them their double diamond framework would treat these above-mentioned attributes more correctly. 2. 5 Porters Competitive Advantage revisited by Nicholas J.   Shaughnessy The article, Porters Competitive Advantage revisited, written by Nicholas J. Shaughnessy gives new views to Porters book Competitive Advantage of Nations. The author agrees on some issues with Porter but he also presents criticism. According to  Shaughnessy, the key criticism of Porter is his inattention to the cultural dimension, which the author sees as a significant omission. The author argues that Porter i s work is overly facile in its willingness to fall in with the national stereotypes without the type of empirical support necessary for statistical generalization. In the article Oi Shaughnessy sarcastically says that Porter views national culture as changeless artifact. He continues by saying that even though Porter credit national culture with certain amount of explanatory power; Porter tends to avoid discussing it in any depth. Shaughnessy also discovers that the role of history in a specific country is neglected. The second significant criticism covers developing countries. Oi Shaughnessy says in the article that Porters arguments are formed almost entirely with reference to developed countries. The author argues that, for instance, university education is not very significant factor in countries where most of the population is illiterate. He continues by addressing that the real problems in developing countries are located in politics and culture. The third point of criticism is the role of government. The author argues that in the Porters work lacks of specificity. While some contributors to competitive advantage e. g. university research are well defined, Porter disregards others. From Oi Shaughnessy point of view it seems that Porter wants to remove government from direct arbitrament in industry as far as possible. He also thinks that Porter seems to ignore the nature of the many political imperatives that lead away from state spending on key factors that might have aided in the creation of competitive advantage. As an example of this Shaughnessy uses agriculture, which is in many cases heavily subsidized directly from government and indirectly by customers. He argues that governments are often pressured by lobby groups. That is a reason why governments are sometimes incapable of making the strategic choices necessary to support and sustain competitive advantage. Shaughnessy sees that Porters book is a significant piece of work, but it also has its limitations. According to the author of the article the subject is so extensive that it cannot be covered in one book. He also says that the criticism of Porters book is not that Porter has made an error, but that his thesis is incomplete. Shaughnessy is worried that any populist universalist explanation is accepted uncritically and applied mechanically. He thinks Porters view encourages the belief that problems are soluble exclusively through economic policy measures. Oi Shaughnessy wants to reverse that view by emphasizing the role of history, politics and culture in determing competitive advantage.

Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Ontological Argument

Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Ontological Argument The a priori and analytic argument posed by Anselm states that God must exist solely by definition; it uses the subject of God and predicate of perfection. In Proslogian 2 Anselm defines God as being than which no greater can be conceived  [1]  . Strengths of the Ontological Argument The main strength of Anselms argument is showing that the concept of God is not illogical, though explaining that everyone, even a non-believer must have a concept of God in the mind and because of this have a concept of God existing in reality. By definition, God cannot exist in the mind alone, as no greater can be conceived as something greater could be thought of, namely that same thing existing in both mind and reality. Hence, God must exist in reality by the meaning of the word God. The argument succeeds as it is deductive and clear conclusions can be drawn from it, this leaves the argument with only one answer; God exists. Because of its a priori nature It also offers an actual proof for Gods existence which can be logically debated rather than relying on changeable evidence. Weaknesses of the Ontological Argument The main weakness of Anselms argument is posed by Gaunilo of Marmoutier, a contemporary of Anselm, Gaunilo posed, using reductio ad absurdum, that if the logic of the argument were applied to anything other than God, its conclusion would be unreasonable. The analogy of a perfect island was formulated, and using the same argument as Anselm reasoned that as the perfect island could be thought of, then it also must exist. Though Gainilos perfect island does have flaws itself as it pointed out by Rowe if we follow Anselms reasoning exactly, it does not appear that we can derive an absurdity from the supposition that the island than which none greater is possible does not exist.  [2]  It does highlight the many flaws in Anselms, mainly that something cannot be thought into existence, as Russell states the argument does not, to a modern mind, seem very convincing, but it is easier to feel convinced that it must be fallacious than it is to find out precisely where the fallacy lies.  [3]  Russell draws a clear distinction between existence and essence and argues that the essence of something can be defined but this does not constitute existence. Russell argues that the word exist is used incorrectly in Anselms argument  [4]  . Russell states that to define something is to provide an intention and to add existence would be an extension of that intention, Anselm does provide both as the idea which is said to exist, then that which nothing greater can be conceived must exist, as it is the totality of all ideas. Russell believes that this only constitutes God being the greatest thing one can think of, but does not prove God exists in realily. Anselm responds to this with Proslogian 3, by explaining that something that cannot not exist (necessary existence) is greater than something which could not exist (contingent existence), That God Cannot be Thought Not to Exist  [5]  . This however can be disputed is God is not thought of as a necessity and also as necessary existence can only be applied to God then it is unverifiable. Another weakness in Anselms argument is posed by St Aquinas, as Anselm states God is that which nothing greater can be conceived then to understand God in this way is to be equal to him, which Anselm cannot be, as he is human. Descartes begins his argument from the position that he has certain ideas that have necessary qualities; necessary  [6]  meaning a priori. For example, it is necessary of a triangle that it has three sides and three angles totalling 180 degrees. Because these properties are demonstrably undeniable, he could not have invented such ideas himself. These ideas possess their own undisputable nature which is, regardless of will, perceived clearly and distinctly. Because of this, they must be true. So, if one is able to draw such an idea from ones mind, then whatever one predicates of that thing is truly a predicate of it. Because it is clearly and distinctly recognised that actual existence is a property of God, actual existence is truly of Gods nature. Therefore, Descartes reasons, God exists. This argument only succeeds if existence is regarded as a predicate; Descartes argues that God possesses necessary existence in the same way that a triangle does three sides; this analogy is a main weakness of Descartes argument. It may be easy to understand what it means for a triangle to have three sides, but if the properties of a triangle, such as the number of its sides, then the mental concept of the triangle changes (and becomes a square/rhombus/etc.) it is very difficult to see how existence, or the lack of it, changes the mental concept of God, and so we may be reluctant to say that it is necessary of God. Kant argues that there are differences between something having certain predicates, such as in the case of the triangle, and something existing, in the case of God. Kant argues that the examples given by Descartes are of judgements  [7]  and it is not necessarily true that three sides exist at all. It is only necessarily true that, given a triangle, there are three sides consisting in it. By this understanding, existence is separate from the predicates that determine how a subject is. If Kants view is correct then The Ontological Argument fails, if existence is not a real predicate that is added on to the subject then to deny existence you take away the whole subject. The principle of the Ontological Argument regards this as being as an attribute. The Ontological argument can only succeed using faith in something which cannot be quantified, therefore can only really be used to prove the existence of God by someone who is already a believer, as Barth suggests it can tell what theists believe about God but not whether he exists  [8]  . Because of this the argument ultimately fails, as it claims to be a proof but that proof will never be able to be measured.

Comparison Between The Sons Vito and Kiss Miss Carol Essay example --

Comparison Between The Son's Vito and Kiss Miss Carol The differences in both stories are style and language, settings and culture against the social class. The similarities in both stories are feeling that you don't belong to a certain place or area, feeling isolated and trapped, and being unable to do anything because of someone who has more power and are controlling you. Other similarities are the love for their birthplace, education, making important decisions, possible sad endings and conflicts between the parent and child. In 'Kiss Miss Carol' we feel sorry for Jolil and possibly Mr.Miah, and in 'The Son's Veto' with Sophy and possibly Sam. In 'The Son's Veto' the problem between Sophy (the mother) and Randolph (the son) is a class issue because Sophy worked for Randolph's father who was an upper class than Sophy. When Mr.Twycott. Sophy's husband had sent Randolph to a creditable private school and then to Oxford University, Randolph had a beneficial and extensive education, unlike his mother's terms of class. Sophy desired to marry Sam whose background was similar to Sophy's; Randolph completely disapproved of this, even though Sophy kept asking for numerous years. Randolph responds very selfishly. The problem in 'Kiss Miss Carol' is the difference between Jolil and Mr.Miah. Jolil wants to play a part and join in the school play. Mr.Miah Jolil's father is entirely against his son taking part in the play. He believes you should go to school to study and not to play. Mr.Miah states, "Play's all the time, no good" In 'The Son's Veto' the author requires us to sense compassion for Sophy for the reason that she was ... ...as 'The Son's Veto' for the reason that it consisted of a cataclysmic finale and the language was commendable, remarkable and diverse. The style was finally accustomed to the story due to the commiseration and grief that the author projects towards Sophy. The extensive portrayal provides a clichÃÆ'Â © and comprehensible acquaintance and representation of the dilemmas in the story. It also has an immense consequence on the reader, because it primarily makes the reader recognize the condition and the obstacles in the story. In this present generation people would have selected Sam over their son if they were in Sophy's situation. Sophy was trapped between Sam and her son and she chose her son, which displays how things were in the past. People remained solidly to their priorities rather than being indulged in anything.

General George Smith Patton Essay -- Papers

General George Smith Patton A burning desire to go forth and reach personal conquests exists inside every man. This passion often navigates the would-be hero into a state of tragedy involving pain and suffering for those around. One individual, in particular, inflicted strain and duress on others with a harsh, and often criticized unorthodox style of leading when he took his campaign across Europe and into Germany. General George Smith Patton, Jr. led an expedition across a continent to rid the world of its Nazi powers. This journey marked the conquest of perhaps the world's greatest war general and his reputable demeanor. Patton experienced respect and admiration throughout his life, starting very early when he was just an infant. He was born into a highly respected and extremely wealthy family in San Gabriel, California. It was this early taste of good fortune that allowed Patton to develop a taste for fine things such as horses. Growing up he was an avid polo player and became very good especially in college. After attending exquisite private schools, Patton left and attended the U.S. Military Academy and graduated in 1909. (WB 140) After his graduation, Patton joined the cavalry and eventually served in World War I. Patton was an excellent physical specimen and a strong addition to any early fighting battalion. Along to go with his sleek build was a strong mentality of perseverance and excellence, which he drilled into his life everyday. "From his earliest years, he believed himself destined to be a soldier. Much of his life was spent in the limelight. As a young cavalry officer and well-rounded athlete, he competed in five events during the 1912 Olympic games held in Stockholm, Sweden. He placed ... ... Essame, H. Patton: A Study in Command. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1974. Farago, Ladislas. The Last Days of Patton. New York: McGraw Hill Book Company. 1981. Mysak, Joe. "Patton: The Man Behind the Legend 1885-1945." National Review. 38 (April 25, 1994): 52-53. "An Educated Army." Africe News Service. 11 Feb. 2000: 179. Patton. Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner. 20th Century Fox, 1970. New Line Home Video, 1985. "Patton." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Second Edition. 12. Orozco-Radisson. Cole. Detroit. 1998. "Patton's Plan for Winning the War." Newsweek. 8 Mar. 1999: 48. "General George S. Patton, Jr. Biography." 2000 WriteForCash.com. http://www.allsands.com/generalgeorgep_ra_gn.htm. "George Smith Patton, Jr." GSP. 1 Jun. 1998. http://www.angelfire.com/sys/popup_source.shtml.

Gideons Trumpet Essay -- Clarence Earl Gideon Gideon v. Wainwright

Gideon’s Trumpet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gideon’s Trumpet is the true story of a man named Clarence Earl Gideon, a semiliterate drifter who is arrested for burglary and petty theft. The book takes it’s readers back through one man’s moving account that became a constitutional landmark. Gideon’s Trumpet was written to recall the history behind the Gideon v. Wainwright court case and how it made such an enormous impact on United States law.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the night of June 3, 1961, Clearance Gideon broke into a pool room and smashed a cigarette machine and a juke box, taking some money from both and cigarettes. Later that morning a witness reported seeing Gideon break into the pool hall. The police found him a few hours later with a pint of wine and some spare change, he was arrested and charged with breaking and entering.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At his trial Gideon could not afford a lawyer, so he asked the judge to appoint him one, Gideon argued that the Court should appoint him one because the Sixth Amendment says that everyone is entitled to a lawyer. The judge turned down his request, saying that the state did not have to pay a poor person's legal defense unless he was charged with a capital crime or that "special circumstances" existed. Gideon was left to represent himself in court.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gideon did a horrible job of defending himself in court. He was found guilty of breaking and entering and petty larceny, which was a felony. Gideon was sentenced to five years in Florida State prison mostly due to his prior...

Determining Justification for Rfid Technology

Running Head: DETERMINING JUSTIFICATION FOR RFID TECHNOLOGY Determining Justification for RFID Technology Bahram Izadi, Master Student of Business Management, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran and John Boyd, BASc, Computer Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada Abstract â€Å"What are  the  benefits? † is a  common question for any organization considering implementing a new  technology. This is an especially  important question  for small or developing companies, where an error in  investment could  result in unrecoverable  operating capital loss. As Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems are making  deep and impressive  improvements in manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain management and military logistics, it is time to consider  the  quantifiable financial and operational benefits  of RFID in  an organization's competitive strategic plans. This article will review the benefits of RFID implementation against its costs, and demonstrate  how the introduction of an RFID system can reduce production, distribution, and warehousing costs, while increasing  the operational efficiency of an organization. Through financial metrics, value equations, and numerical  analysis this article  will demonstrate  how  RFID implementation  can improve not only an  organizations bottom line, but also  intangible benefits such as internal focus, industry  leadership, and differentiation from its competitors. A sample business case study will be presented to demonstrate to the reader valuable insight to both real-world advantages and limitations associated with RFID adoption. 1. Introduction The focus of this paper is how to develop an RFID strategic plan to quantify RFID justification through return on investment (ROI). RFID offers strategic advantages for businesses, private or state organizations because it can improve efficiency, cost savings, and yield greater returns  in virtually all areas of business processes and operations. However due to the complexity associated with an RFID system, its uncertain proven capabilities, and high costs of implementation, it is crucial to create solid a business case and justification in terms of ROI, either quantifiable or intangible, which offer the greatest benefit to the company. 2. Background – What is RFID? Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is a wireless automatic data collection technology which uses electronic tags for data storage. An RFID system consists of an RFID tag, a reader/writer unit with antenna, and a computer, as shown in Figure 1. [pic] Figure 1 RFID System The reader/writer emits radio signals from its antenna to power the tag, and can read or write data to the tag without a direct line of site. Reader/writer units are available in various shapes and sizes depending on requirement or application. Similarly RFID tags are available to suit most any application or environment from unobtrusive paper thin tags suitable for traditional barcode applications, to large heavy-duty brick sized tags to track heavy machinery. The computer or middleware allows communication between the RFID hardware and system applications. 3. RFID Benefits and Costs RFID offers strategic advantages for businesses because it can improve productivity, efficiency, cost savings, and yield greater returns in virtually all areas of business operations. As an example, Air Canada was losing $2 million USD worth of food carts per year. This initial problem of asset tracking resulted in the deployment of RFID systems which yielded a 2% reduction in total inventory, 5% reduction in maintenance costs, 20% to 50% in trucking charges, 80% reduction in shrinkage, 100% reduction in costs for auditing yearly inventory counts and ROI within 18 months. [Internet, 4] In general some of the main advantages of RFID usage are: †¢ Reduced warehouse and distribution labor costs due to increased data automation †¢ Reduced inventory by omitting inventory errors Improved forecasting and planning due to improvements in visibility of supply chain †¢ Reduced theft by tracking the products point to pint †¢ Reduced out-of stock conditions via better RFID product tracking RFID is used for everything from tracking cows and pets to triggering equipment down oil wells. The most common applications are payment systems, toll collection systems, access control, track people, assets and products without the need for human intervention or direct line of site. [Internet, 5] All of the applications listed have been deployed because they haven proven ROI. . RFID Costs When considering RFID costs a company must consider the total cost of ownership rather than just the initial RFID hardware and tags costs. A complete RFID system includes not only hardware infrastructure, but also service such as design, development, deployment, maintenance, ongoing support, and training. Also to consider are the future costs as the system is scaled beyond its initial pilot or trial phase. Costs should also be associated with restructuring or introducing new business practices. 5. Creating Justification for RFID The potential applications and benefits of RFID are only constrained by a company’s level of innovation. However, before rushing to adopt RFID technology a company can ensure the greatest rate of return and success by having in place a comprehensive strategic plan which quantifies all encompassing aspects of RFID including technology and business processes in order to deliver its benefits for maximum value. In order to justify the costs of an RFID system it is vital a companies RFID strategic plan contains quantifiable  metrics assigned to values of each area which RFID impacts. Therefore when a company does decide to implement RFID, such a strategic plan will allow them to proceed confidently to their strategic objective while ensuring the maximum potential value areas are achieved. By contrast a poor RFID strategic plan without careful and insightful study, risks to dilute the focus and resources of the business and may prove to be detrimental and wasteful, instead of beneficial. Each RFID deployment will have its unique application varying with the application of the company and the company’s goals so there is no single ROI or total cost of ownership criteria for RFID. On the other hand, ROI in many cases is not only found financially but also in intangible factors. For example a distribution center may place value on increasing efficiency throughput in order to save money on labor and reduced shipping errors, where a hospital or healthcare center would place value on increasing visibility of surgical equipment so to have a better chance to save a persons life due to increased response time – economic cost would not be so much as a constraint in this case, but rather the service is of more importance than straight financial justification. . Creating a RFID Strategic plan to determine ROI justification As previously mentioned, there are often uncertainties and reservations when an organization first considers introducing RFID, such as concern of high price or hesitation at the risks of being an early adopter and risking mistakes and learning costs. This is usual behavior in small companies and especially in developing countries where  an er ror in  investment could  result in  unrecoverable  operating capital loss. To overcome this uncertainty and to proceed confidently with the company-wide acceptance of RFID deployment, a plan must include strategic thinking and financial justification. [Sweeney, Patrick J II, Chapter 16] By thinking strategically, we uncover the hard data and information that enables members of organization to make informed decisions and to communicate the rationale of RFID deployment effectively. Performing an ROI study on RFID will allow a company to become reacquainted with current business processes and to identify opportunities for optimization (if RFID is decided to be used or not. Through analysis and calculations, in this process we examine every RFID affected area and assign to them associated value metrics in terms of quantifiable or intangible returns. However in order to obtain the information and data necessary to perform ROI calculations and value equations it is necessary to create a solid and detailed rich strategic plan comprised of but not limited to the fo llowing sections, Figure 2. [pic] Figure 2 Involved Steps of an RFID Strategic Plan 6. 1 Form Business Team Since an RFID implementation will affect business process as well as technological change, it is beneficial that the business team includes internal management personnel capable of RFID analysis from all related functional departments. Internal team members, working closely together with external experts and consultants, will be able to offer valuable procedural insight to the development and design of an RFID system. 6. 2 Define Scope and Assumptions A strategic plan should clearly define how RFID will affect the business and define key elements of RFID operation. A clear understanding of affected processes, departments, and areas of coverage, is essential. Assumptions are necessary to ensure a common understanding of how the RFID system will be implemented and what processes will be affected. 6. 3 Identify Strategic and Economic Benefits Benefits represent one of the most important factors in building an RFID business case. To determine justification and feasibility of an RFID system a company must summarize its expected strategic impacts and quantifiable benefits obtained through more efficient RFID enabled processes. Since strategic or intangible benefits can not be easily quantified, it is important for the company to articulate why an RFID introduction is important to business and have a clear understanding of its associated value. This is especially important for companies which place value on product or data visibility. Examples of strategic benefits include internal focus, industry  leadership, and differentiation from its competitors, and product visibility. Quantifiable economical benefits can be tested through metrics and measured with calculations. Quantifiable benefits will vary with industry and RFID application but will generally be attributed to time or process improvements through automation and improved efficiency. 6. 4 Develop Business Process Models Process modeling consists of creating business-flow diagrams and use-cases to determine and quantify how RFID will impact those processes and associated applications. Adoption of RFID technology will most likely create new additional processing steps, and therefore modified business use cases will be introduced to reflect optimized RFID use. Some sub processes might get streamlined and thus provide efficiency gains, whereas some other sub processes might need to include additional processing steps, which might impact their efficiency rates. The use cases associated with the impacted and newly introduced processes can then be analyzed for benefit [Lahiri, Sandip, Chapter 8]. 6. 5 Determine Costs When considering ROI, one must consider the total cost of ownership rather than just the initial RFID hardware and tags costs. A complete RFID system includes not only hardware infrastructure, but also service such as design, development, deployment, maintenance, ongoing support, and training. Also to consider are the future costs as the system is scaled beyond its initial pilot or trial phase. Costs should also be associated with restructuring or introducing new business practices. 6. 6 Create an Implementation Road Map An implementation roadmap breaks up the complete RFID solution into a series of objective milestones within set time-frames. The main tasks involved in completing this step are developing a scale of implementation from trial or pilot stages to full deployment, and assigning associated metrics of costs and benefits with each stage of milestone. 6. 7 Create Business Case Finally all information should be compiled to form a business case. Each benefit should be associated with a level of impact and time to realization. The level of impact takes three factors into account: whether a benefit generates revenue, mitigates risk, or reduces cost. We may assign low-impact to benefits that meet one factor and high-impact to benefits that meet two or more factors. Time frame is a time period in which the business will see benefit. Short term could be one to two years and long term three to five years. It is difficult to forecast beyond five years. 7. Criteria and Justification Metrics to Justify ROI In order to justify the costs an RFID system it is vital a company complete RFID strategic plan contains quantifiable  metrics assigned to values of each area RFID impacts on including procedures and personnel to ensure  RFID investments yield the greatest  rate of return. Through study numerical analysis value equations and modeling, the  value of various RFID systems can be made apparent and determined to be financially feasible or  cost prohibitive. It is important to present a cost benefit analysis in order to justify the investment in an RFID system and establish a clear ROI. Upon the completion of the strategic plan, the quantified figures and resultant findings can be processed through value equations to justify and determine feasibility of an RFID system. However, ROI in many cases is not only found financially but also through intangible factors. In this case, VOI (Value of Investment) should also be considered. Value of Investment is much more holistic approach to the benefits delivered and includes, next to the hard costs figures, the soft and difficult to measure benefits such as improved quality, staff moral and service perception, and customer loyalty. 8. Sample of RFID Justification through Case Study 8. 1 Introduction This example will show the Return on Investment (ROI) of an RFID solution for a company which sends shipments from its manufacturing plant to its distribution center. The system will be closed loop which means that the tags and their data will be limited to internal company use and will not be used beyond the limited area of distribution center. RFID technology will be used to help automate the transfer process. The overall objectives are: †¢ Demonstrate how RFID technology may be utilized to improve the efficiency of the transfer of shipments. Demonstrate a case which is justifiable in cost due to positive ROI analysis. 8. 2 Background A company’s distribution center is plagued by errors and inefficiencies when receiving shipments from the manufacturing plant. Especially problematic areas are delay in receiving pallets and loss of pallets to be returned. 8. 3 Assigning Metrics to Processes Estimation time to completion (ETC) of items entering the distribution center, wit hout and with RFID is described as in Table1. |No. Process |ETC |Process with RFID |ETC with RFID | |- |- |- |Precondition – RFID tags are|0 sec | | | | |affixed to pallets and | | | | | |individual items at the | | | | | |manufacturing plant. | |1 |Personnel scans barcode on pallet|30 sec |Pallet is placed in RFID |5 sec | | |to validate order and manually | |reader portal and scanned | | | |compares to expected manifest | |along with all contained | | | |list. | |items. Order is checked | | | | | |automatically. | | |2 |If pallet is valid expected |3 min |If pallet is valid but found|3 min | | |personnel enters pallet as | |to have exception it is | | | |received and breaks open the | |broken own, all items are | | | |pallet | |automatically scanned and | | | | | |noted, and extra item is | | | | | |brought to return area. | | |3 |Else pallet is invalid it is |4 min |Else pallet is invalid it is|4 min | | |moved to return area. | |moved to return area. | |4 |Personnel scans all individual |6 min |- |- | | |bar-coded items to validate the | | | | | |pallet contains all ordered items| | | | |5 |If item is invalid personnel |2 min per item |- |- | | |manually notes this and places | | | | | |item in return section. | | | | |6 |Else item is valid and is placed |6 seconds per item|Else pallet valid and all |1 min | | |into received area to be moved | |contained items are present,| | | |into inventory section. (Pallet | |entire pallet is placed in | | | | contains 20 individual items. ) | |received area to be moved to| | | | | |inventory. | | |Time to unload a pallet with no |11min, 30sec |- |1min, 5sec | | |invalid items | | | | Table 1 Estimated time to completion to process pallet at distribution center From Table 1, the estimated completion times (ETC) of Time to unload a pallet with no invalid items is 11min, 30sec without RFID, compared to 1min, 5sec with an RFID system. 8. 4 RFID Solution and Process Detail Placing RFID reader portals at the distribution centers dockside gate allows for automatic identification of all pallets and included pallet items to be scanned upon arrival. This would eliminate the manual steps of unpacking and checking each individual item separately before adding to inventory. An additional processing step of placing RFID labeling on items and pallets before them leave the manufacturing plant would be occurred; however this would not affect distribution center processing time. 8. 5 RFID Benefits Incorporating RFID into the distribution center process provides the following quantifiable and intangible benefits: †¢ Quantifiable benefits include: Pallet processing time increased of 90%, Reduction of loss as all pallets due to total visibility, Labor savings, and Reduced keyboard entry errors †¢ Intangible benefits: Neater docking area, Improved work atmosphere 8. 6 Risks and complexity Potential risks and complexity associated with RFID implementation may include Tag Misread due to damaged tag, moisture on the pallet tag, or proximity to metal surfaces. Site evaluation and proper RFID technology can minimize this risk as well as running barcodes in parallel with the RFID tags. 8. 7 RFID Components and System Costs The proposed RFID system will require estimated infrastructure and services consisting of the following: |Description |Costs Low $ |Costs High $ | |Hardware/Software | | | |RFID gate portal reader (4) |28,000 40,000 | |RFID handheld readers (4) |6,000 |8,000 | |Accessories: Cables, etc |1,000 |1,000 | |Servers and Accessories (5) |10,000 |15,000 | |Software |30,000 |50,000 | |RFID tags (10,000) – Closed loop system, tags can be recycled |2,000 |5,000 | | | | | |Integration | | | |Engineering, Installation and Integration services, training, |60,000 |100,000 | |maintenance (60 person days) | | | | | | | |Business Process Modification | | | |RFID tag application retooling at the manufacturing plant |35,000 |55,000 | | | | | |Total |172,000 |274,000 | Table 2 Estimated RFID Costs 8. 8 Summary of Results Through RFID implementation if you compare the pallet processing times of Table 1, you can see that a savings of 10min, 25secs can be realized per pallet. This is equivalent to a 90% increase in processing throughput times with the condition of a valid pallet and items. If the distribution center receives 500 pallets per day it can realize investment between 10 and 16 months depending on RFID costs, with assumed personnel costs of $10 hour and a 261 working-day per year calendar. If the distribution center is free of invalid pallets 95% of the time return on investment can be seen as in Table 3, as follows: Pallets received per|Savings per day |Savings per day |Savings per year |ROI with low RFID costs|ROI with high RFID costs | |day | |(in $USD) |(in $USD) |(in months) |(in months) | | |(in hours) | | | | | |300 |49. 5 |495 |129,140 |16 |26 | |500 |82. 5 |824 |215,234 |10 |16 | |700 |115. 5 |1155 |301,328 |7 |11 | Table 3 Time to ROI Sample calculations are as follows for 500 pallets received per day: 11min,30sec * 500 pallets = 690sec * 500 = 345000sec. 1min,30sec * 25 pallets = 690sec * 25 = 17250sec. 1min, 5sec * 475 pallets = 65sec * 475 = 30875sec 17250+30875 = 48125sec 345000sec – 48125sec = 296875sec 296875sec/3600 = 82. 46hr, round to 82. 5hours 82. 46hr*$10=$824. 65/day , round to $824 824. 65*261=$215,233. 65/year 215,234. 38/172,000=1. 27 0. 79*12=9. 58, round to 10months 215,234. 38/$274,000=0. 799 1. 27*12=15. 27, round to 16months Once RFID familiarity has been gained and estimated metrics have been realized, RFID may be moved to other areas of the company such as the picking from inventory at the distribution center, or some other RFID application at manufacturing center itself. However, the processes, equipment, results, and lessons learned will be applicable to other distribution centers, and acquired knowledge may be applied to other potential cost saving areas. 9 Conclusion The capabilities and limitations of RFID much be understood on a technical level, but also on a business procedural level to determine how RFID will ultimately impact on business. The decision to implement an RFID system must be carried out diligently with ROI equations. Also important to consider is intangible value which may not be apparent on a balance sheet. RFID is ultimately a business tool like many other IT options and to access its maximum capability, a company must have solid business procedures and plans in place. References Lahiri, Sandip (2005, August). RFID Sourcebook. Prentice Hall PTR. ISBN: 0-13-185137-3 Larsson, Bjorn & Qviberg, Ola (2004, December). Evaluation and Justification of an RFID Implementation Pilot at IKEA Customer Distribution Centre. Master thesis LiTH-EKI-EX—04/083—SE Institute of technology – Linkoping University Department of Management and Economics Industrial Engineering and Management Sweeney, Patrick J. II (2005). RFID for Dummies. Wiley Publishing, Inc. ISBN: 0-7645-7910-X Ustundag, A. Cevikcan, E. (2007, October). Return on Investment Analysis for Evaluation of RFID Implementation on Cargo Operations, Istanbul Tech. Univ. , Istanbul; Appears in: RFID Eurasia, 2007 1st Annual Publication Date: 5-6 Sept. 007 ISBN: 978-975-01566-0-1 INSPEC Accession Number: 9777002 Digital Object Identifier: 0. 1109/RFIDEURASIA. 2007. 4368145 Date Published in Issue: 2007-10-29 Internet 1 Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility. What is RFID? Retrieved September 2, 2008 from http://www. aimglobal. org/technologies/RFID/what_i s_rfid. asp 2 Axios Systems. (2007, March) Return on Investment: Fact or Fairy Tale? White Paper. Version 1. 1. 0 Retrieved September 5, 2008 from http://www. axiossystems. com/six/shared/downloads/pdf/ROI_fact_or_fairy_tale. pdf 3 Miles Technologies. Common Applications Using RFID for Asset Tracking and Other Applications. Retrieved September 5, 2008 from

Hispanic in America Essay

America nowadays is knows as cultural diversity country and considered a home for many different cultures and races. The Hispanic term is not either a race or ethnicity, but is considered an American term use in USA to defined people who speak Spanish or their ancestors spoke Spanish at one point in their life. According to â€Å"U.S. Census 2000 State & County Statistical QuickFacts† â€Å"Hispanics or Latinos are those people who classified themselves in one of the specific Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino categories listed on the Census 2000 questionnaire† Therefore, sometimes people in general stereotype Hispanics in America as they all speak Spanish and have the same ethnic traits. Also People stereotype Hispanic as we are all from Mexico, uneducated with low wage job position, welfare recipients, have huge families and illegal immigrants. People in America stereotypes Hispanics as they all speak Spanish, but that isn’treally what I think it is. Hispanics are co nsidered very diverse groups where some speak just Spanish and not interest to learn a second language. Some others speak English only because they have been prohibited to speak their native language due to racism or they had not value their native language. Others speak indigenous languages. Moreover, the majority in these days speaks both languages. I think the last one is the most common nowadays because Hispanic people have realized the importance of the two languages in America for jobs and education. People have the general perception of Hispanics as they have the same traits as dark brown hair and eyes and tan or olive skin. In reality, not all Hispanics look or have those traits, not all look mestizos, a mix of Spanish and Indian. Some Hispanic look European, others look black. Others look Indian or mestizos. However the majority is considerate white Caucasian for the European influence in the colonization in Latin America. However, there are many other Spanish countries lik e Spain, Morocco, Nicaragua, Argentina, Islas Filipinas, Uruguay, Ecuador, Cuba, and some more. Even though they are Spanish speaking countries, their each have their own traits, ascent and heritage. According to the â€Å"The Crystal Reference Encyclopedia,† â€Å"Any person resident in the USA who comes from, or whose parents came from, Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America, including the Caribbean.† Hispanic has been stereotype as uneducated or gave up school with low wage jobs. However, the reality was  that Hispanics were considered uneducated by Americansbecause they couldn’t speak English and they were focused on their jobs to give a better life for themselves and their families. However, the reality nowadays is different; Hispanics recognized the education as a key of success. They are now interested in learn English as a second language and take advantage of some many educational programs out there. Actually, there are some Hispanic people with higher education than don’t work as gardeners, housekeepers, nannies anymore. On the other hand, some Hispanics have already overcome this stereotype. For example, more Hispanics are now in Hollywood, in the Congress and much more; and also I can fit myself in this category even though I still have a long way to meet my professional goals. The United States is known for being a nation of immigrants; hence, the Hispanic groups are stereotype as illegal immigrants. However, the reality is that not every single Hispanic that immigrates to America is undocumented. Back in the history, Mexican territory was given to U.S. In addition, the treaty offered U.S. naturalization to Mexican citizens who remain in the border and U.S. residency for the ones who remain in south border of Mexico. I think that is one of the biggest reasons Americans think that all the undocumented people are Hispanic. Also the Mexican borders are considerate the busiest crossing for legal and illegal people that immigrate from everywhere. People from a lot of countries use them as an entrance to U.S. because it seems easy to cross to the other side and be in U.S. Also the fact that one country is next to the other divided just by a long, tall fence. However, not all undocumented immigrants are Mexican. Unfortunately, stereotypes are just assumptions made by people to classify others base on skin color, clothing, language and physical appearance. Hispanics seem to become more prevalent group in the U.S; there fore, many people still considered Hispanic as uneducated, welfare recipients and low wedge jobs, big families, just Spanish speakers, and illegal immigrants until these days. However, Hispanic people are deeply rooted in traditions; even though, they have changed their country living is hard to change their heritage because is very special to us or sometimes we just carry it naturally. Work Cited â€Å"Hispanic American.† The Crystal Reference Encyclopedia. West Chiltington: Crystal Semantics, 2005. Credo Reference. Wed. 23 Oct. 2013 â€Å"Hispanic Origin.† U.S. Census 2000 State & County Statistical Quick Facts. Washington: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000. Credo Reference. Wed. 22 Oct. 2013

What Is Military Geography?

Long before the history of military being recorded, conflicts among humans existed. There will always be different kind of views, ideology, perspectives, needs and greed in every part of the world. The most crucial moment is, when greed overcomes mind. Authority, territory and fame are the common pursued purposes. From those days onwards, military was founded under circumstances that to expand and to conquer others, to defend and to offend; it has indeed became a very important aspect in building an empire or a nation. Today, speaking about military geography clearly stands for the study on the combination between the knowledge of warfare and the knowledge on earth. In the ancient China, there is a proverb saying that â€Å"anyone who controls/ predicts the weather accurately will conquer the world. † There were a lot of wars or conflicts lost or won because of the geography aspect. It can simply means the weather, terrain, seasons, temperature, water, direction of wind, type of forest and so on so forth. Plenty of examples in the world that show how important is it to master the knowledge of geography and use it in warfare strategy. A very good example will be Vietnam. A small and used to be underdeveloped country defeated two world developed countries, France at first and next the United States of America. During the two wars, the Viet Congs were armed with much outdated weapons compared to the two countries; however, weapon’s technology was not really their strategy in winning but the guerilla tactic. As we can see on the globe, the location of France and USA are different from Vietnam, every aspects regard the geography mentioned above are different. Vietnam has much thicker and damp forests. Besides that, the outsiders are not familiar with the geography of Vietnam, the heavy machineries such as tanks and artilleries cannot be transported well and were lacking of warfare experience in thick forests. A few more examples of how important geography is in military are the two most recent wars, which happened in the Twentieth First Century, Afghanistan War and Gulf War Two. Although the USA won in both wars at the beginning, the failure in convincing and to channel liberal ideology to the locals prove the failure of USA in mastering the human and culture geography. There is another proverb in Chinese says, â€Å"Respects were earned through sincerity, no through force. † The military in both Middle East countries are super high technology and powerful, it still could not stop the ambushes and attacks from the enemies, who are equipped with outdated weapons. The reason behind is, failure in countering the terrain. It is very hard to overcome a person who lives in a mountainous desert, perhaps we can after ten or fifteen years of researches and studies but that will take up millions of dollar just to keep the war going. It is a very highly risky war. Since the ancient time, our ancestors had make use of knowledge in geography to encounter different obstacles, especially weather. Transporting and travelling on air, water or land, all need to depend on weather’s condition. Furthermore, weather had been used as weapons to jeopardize enemies and even now it can be soon created, like the man made rain, has huge potential to be integrated as storm and send it to the enemy’s location. However, another contradicting example was the Japanese Empire military during World War Two. The Japanese had gathered a lot of information, sent and placed their spies in the countries or locations they plan to attack like Pearl Harbor, The Peninsula of Malaya, Manchuria, Southern China, Philippines and Australia. Moreover, the spies had been sent to their locations for years, much long before the World War Two starts. This indicates on how much they value about the local geography to make sure their offensive missions will succeed, other than just collecting enemy’s military information. In the same time, on the other side of the world, the landing date for D-Day mission on Normandy, France had been change a few times due to bad weather. In addition, company of paratroopers were drop far behind enemy line so that they can survey enemy’s activities. All these are not just gathering intelligent information of the enemy but also the local’s weather or terrain that had been altered by the enemy. It is undeniable that geographic information is essential in military warfare tactics. Even in this peaceful time, long before the Gulf War Two and Afghanistan War, USA had already positioned NMD-National Missile Defense, around the world in the allied countries’ land. The reason is simple, to protect USA. But how we determine where to put it? Just right besides the potential enemy. Most recent example, Ukraine-USA-Russia issue on last two years, when USA wanted to install missiles in Ukrainian land. However, USA also has Her missiles standby in Greenland too. All these are of course, to protect the beloved nation-state within a certain perimeter, but where and why they put it there will be more to a geographically questions; because it is strategic. In a nutshell, Geography is the study of the earth. It studies humanization, history, nature, environment, weather; it is like another term for science, but broader. Military Geography will be the study of earth in order with the study of military tactics, so that mistakes, casualties and loses can be lessen.

Enterprise resource planning

Today, success is determined by what you now about your projects and when you know it Your crews in the field may have all the high-tech tools and state-of-the-art equipment they need – but when information determines success, your management team needs to be similarly equipped. Unfortunately, many construction companies struggle with ion integrated, multiple-vendor legacy systems that provide untimely, inaccurate information and make it difficult to adapt to changing business requirements. In the age of information technology companies can take advantages of IT in terms of Hardware and Software. Companies use various standalone systems o maintain the business process and operation by scatter and loosely coupled application.These scattered and legacy applications are not integrated with each other and there is no easy way to integrate them in a better way to easily maintain and get a high level output. To maintain this application required high amount of man power and cost. To integrate branches, department, process and business vertical in a wide area network required an integrated application. ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning is enterprise wide information system which consolidates information from various functions/departments of an organization. Multi state company like HOC it is required to implement an application which can integrate their all business process to improve their operation, procurement, resource management, cost control, timely report, accounting.Previously HOC uses various small applications to manage their business and operation like payroll system, accounting system, procurement system, tender system, attendance system, MIS system. This application is not integrated and all different branches, worksheet offices use their own application and to get output and error free reports in a central location is required very large time. HOC decided to implement ERP system to overcome above problem and reduce operation time to contro l their business in better way and get competitive age over their competitor. HOC studies different ERP vendor and decided to Implement SAP ERR system for their construction business.HOC compare various ERP vendor however select SAP for their excellent track record for most successful ERP implementation and their times tested solution for Engineering, Construction & Operations. HOC decided to implement SAP for Engineering, Construction & Operations (SAP for SEC&O) solution portfolio to help ensure their business success in J&K site. Founded in 1926, HOC is Indian's premier company, specializing in large- scale civil Engineering projects and developing construction technologies. The company is reputed for its technical prowess, evident in the several marquee projects it has executed over the past eight decades. It was the first construction company in the country to receive ISO 9001, ISO 14001 , and SHOOS 1 8001 certifications for its quality, environmental and occupational health an d safety management systems.With a strong order book of INNER 188 ban at FYI end (and INNER 44 ban of Al projects) it is likely to chart a strong growth trajectory going ahead. The company undertakes projects in the power (hydro and nuclear), water supply & irrigation, and transportation (roads, bridges, metro rails etc. ) segments. In addition, the company has recently entered the metals space. Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd. (HOC) is an 80-year-old organization with a track record in executing complex infrastructure projects across various sectors. HOC has undertaken challenging projects across India in widely divergent areas such as power, roads and bridges, dams, buildings, and environmental projects HOC Group of companies HOC Real Estate (HERE) Real estate development arm HOC LtdEngineering and construction arm HOC Infrastructure Asset ownership subsidiary HOC is a leading civil engineering and construction company, engaged primarily in the Construction of Hyde and power projec ts, irrigation, water supply, urban infrastructure and Transportation projects. It is developing Lavas, an ambitious project aimed at creating a hill city near Iambi and Puny. Apart from this, it is also involved in some other real estate development projects. HOC is also making inroads in the asset ownership space with entry into the roads space and has plans to build its BOOT portfolio significantly going ahead. Most of its customers are central government bodies/public sector units like NOAH, NP, UNPIN and State governments like Andorra Pradesh, Gujarat, K and Maharajah's. It has also worked on Hyde power projects in other counties like Bhutan.A snapshot of the work done by the company in various segments is given below: Hyde power: HOC has built over 25% of Indian's installed Hyde power capacity. It has been involved in two out of Indian's five largest underground power houses and five out of Indian's top 10 highest concrete dams. It is currently executing Indian's largest EPIC Hyde power project, the Shanghaiing yodel power plant. Hack's major achievements in this segment are: Building Indian's first major underground power house at Maintain (Briar) in 1954; the first of its kind in South East Asia. Tunneling work of over 90 km in the Himalayas; maximum tunneling work ever done by any construction company in the world.Construction of head race tunnel and surge shaft at the Nathan Karri Hyde plant, the largest underground Hyde power project in India. This plant has the largest and longest head race tunnel, the largest desisting chambers, the deepest and largest surge shaft, and the largest underground power complex. Nuclear power: HOC is the leader in nuclear power plant construction in India and has been associated with over 50% of the country's operational nuclear power capacity. The company has recently worked on Sais's largest nuclear power plant in Katmandu (ex. 000 MM) which is also Indian's first light water reactor (LOWER). Shanghaiing Hyde project in Jam and Kashmir.Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (HOC), Indian's leading construction and infrastructure company in joint venture with Halcyon Group Ltd. U. K. (Halcyon) has been awarded the prestigious and challenging 330 MM Shanghaiing hydro-electric project by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd. (NP). The contract is on turnkey basis and valued at approximately INNER 2726. 49 core. The HOC-Halcyon Consortium will have a share in the ratio of 98:2 respectively. The Shanghaiing Hydroelectric Project is located on river Shanghaiing, a tributary of river Shells, in Brutally district of Jam and Kashmir. The project involves the construction of a mom high concrete faced rock fill dam, 23. Km of head race tunnel and an underground powerhouse. A maximum gross head of 665 m is proposed to be utilized to generate 1350 Million Units of energy, in a 90% dependable year with an installed capacity of ex. 10 MM. This is an EPIC contract where HOC will be responsible for Engi neering, Procurement and Construction of all items including civil and associated infrastructure works; supply, installation, testing and commissioning of all electromechanical plant and machinery and hydro-mechanical components including generating units. The project will be completed and commissioned in an estimated 84 months. HOC has contributed significantly in the infrastructure development of Jam and Kashmir.It has built the state's largest hydro-electric power project – the Salad Dam and is currently also developing five other infrastructure projects. This includes three Hyde power projects biz. Caught HEAP (in Cargill), Amino Baggy HEAP (in Lee) and URI HEAP in addition to the historic 84 km McHugh Road and the Principal Tunnels of the Dumper-Agrarians-Brutally rail link. HOC has also constructed Bhutan largest hydroelectric power project at Tall. Problems facing construction industry is not new but probably thousands of years old probably ever since they started buil ding the pyramids. What are so different now are the tools and techniques that can be utilized to get the best usage of its resources and materials and equipment's.Construction is a employ array of interdependent activities that some would say is at best organized chaos. The very nature of construction introduces challenges typically not encountered in other industries. For example, construction differs widely from other industries more so as ; Each project is unique ; Often involves remote sites with various access problems ; the process is not as predictable ; Difficulty in applying automation ; There is high potential for encountering unforeseen conditions ; Costs can Vary according to conditions ; Difficult to manage and supply utilities and other resources. ; Technical innovations are adopted slower. ; Success is dependent upon the quality of its people. Very custom-oriented ; Product can be of mind-boggling size, cost, and complexity ; the work is not performed in controlled c onditions, therefore highly impacted by weather and other environmental conditions All this poses a unique set of challenges as illustrated below. As seen in the figure it is a Herculean task to co-ordinate and integrates all these challenges into one solution. Let's look into some of the major problems in construction companies who do not have or have partial IT infrastructure. 1. No electronic tracking of tasks. The project manager needs to produce manual daily production report. 2. Budget and controls done using legacy spreadsheets and this is most time consuming task and the employee is overloaded. 3. Each project has its own independent method of encoding. 4. Off-Site locations are not as organized as desired. 5.Material and Equipment usage are hard to track; there is very little writing on site. 6. The project managers do status reports but lack critical information such as a. Inventory information b. Budgetary information 7. Due to disorientation there is little time for foll ow up. 8. There is no process for Payment follow ups. Reminders of important issues like raising invoices. ; status report. Petty cash request and reporting Beneficial weekly Evaluating the performance of the project manager. 9. Ineffective system to incorporate fixed assets into the company books. 10. No clear process to accurately track inventory at multiple sites. 11 . Invoices are not raised frequently enough thus contributing to a cash flow problem.All these issues make the construction projects highly complex and cumbersome to track and control. If we have to successfully manage these complex projects its all the more important the work progress and the sources utilized are measurable. The success of a project will be judged by meeting the criteria of cost, time, safety, resource allocation, and quality as defined during the planning and budgeting of the project. The purpose of the ERP will be to measure the progress continually at every step of the project so as to achieve go als and objectives through the planned usage of resources that meet the project's quality, cost, time, scope, and safety requirements.