CU1513 & Food Essay Example for Free

CU1513 Food Essay Children need to be in a positive environment because if the child spends their day in an effective designed environment, the child will be physically, socially, emotionally, and aesthetically nurtured. The environment can maximise their intellectual potential and provide a foundation for the development of their emotional security. A positive environment for children and young people must be a safe place to work in, so a number of legal health and safety requirements should be in place. Whatever the setting, policies and procedures guide the workplace. 2) In my work setting, we work within the care standards regulations by making sure the setting is a safe place to be in, and being hygienic, we have a sterilising unit which is used everyday, and also sterilise the plastic toys and make sure everything is cleaned well. We wear aprons and gloves whilst changing babies nappies, and to go around every morning and evening checking that nothings broken. We also give out daily sheets to give to the parent/carer at the end of the day, to tell them what theyve had and what theyve done during the day. The Special Needs Code of Practice is designed to help make effective decisions regarding children and young people with special educational needs, but this does not mean you can tell them exactly what to do in each individual case. A positive environment and routine teaches children how to behave with people in general, in my work setting the ages are 3-18 months, so the older babies might get an early understanding on how to be around people and how to be around one another. If the staff are positive and approachable, it could also help children to talk to staff more about any concerns they may have. Also it allows parents to talk to the staff more easily, and feel included and equal. 3) This is part of children’s learning about self care and personal hygiene. We can help them do this by encouraging them to wash their hands before and after eating, and also giving them a mirror which can help them too. In my work setting, ages 3-18 months, it is very different, as theyd need their nappies changed regularly to prevent infections and sores, and to also talk to the parent/carer about any allergies or skin conditions their child might have. We also talk to parents/carers about their child’s hair in case they have any allergies or conditions as they may require special products. And we will ask them to bring in hats, especially during Summer. Teeth are important too, as well as having healthy milk teeth, it encourages the healthy adult teeth. With older children, workers can encourage children to brush their own teeth in the morning and before bedtime with the guidance of the parent/carer. 4) Rest and exercise both play a crucial part in health and well being of children. Learning and memory are at there best in well rested children. Exercise is equally important, playing a vital role in physical health, which promotes muscle and bone strength. In my work setting we promote exercise by doing activities with them which can include dancing, going out to the outside play area or going for a walk to the park, and then when they get out of their prams, they explore and identify new things too. We encourage rest by doing certain activities which includes sitting down and reading books and putting them to bed after lunch time and if they are tired at any time throughout the day we will put them in a cot/pram. 5) The basic nutritional requirements include plenty of fruit and veg, which we should be having at least five portions of a variety everyday. In my work setting we encourage the children to eat fruit and veg everyday by giving a different variety at both snack times. Bread, rice, potatoes and pasta and other starchy foods, milk and dairy foods, and also some meat, fish and alternatives, also to have a small amounts of foods and drink which is high in fat or sugar, although this should be kept restricted to special occasion foods only. 6) When children come together at meal/snack time, they should be all eating the same food, however there can be special requirements. For example, children with chewing or digestive difficulties may need their food chopped or liquidized. Specific food additives may cause allergic reactions. And even cultural/religious preferences may restrict specific foods, as either a general rule, or certain times and holidays. Whoever cant eat meat for any reason, we give alternatives to the foods given. 7) Food is a common way for illness to spread, workers who are ill or have recently been ill can unknowingly contaminate foods which are prepared and served to the children. In childcare settings, food safety is everyones responsibility, any member of staff that comes in contact with the food should be familiar with safe food handling practices and all work places should have a food safety book. The National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC) provides national guidelines for childcare which covers all areas of care, which includes information on all aspects of quality childcare, including hygiene, communications, discipline, food and nutrition. Research time journal. 40 minutes on questions 1-4 30 minutes on questions 5-7

The Sodor Oil Terminal

The Sodor Oil Terminal Introduction The Sodor Oil Terminal project was undertaken by a team of students as a case study in project management. The purpose of the exercise was to organize and plan the project as part of a project team, and deal with events arising during the project life, utilizing techniques and tools learned during the study of project management. Management of the Project Team Team Selection The team selection for the project was left to individuals, who had to form themselves into teams based on personal choice and internal acceptance. In an educational setting random group selection is very common but not realistic as it does not consider the diversity of skills among the students (Blowers 2003). In terms of skill sets the team forming in this project was random in that there was no comparison before a team was selected, merely a choice of friends or acquaintances. This would seem to be negative and, as Blowers (2003) pointed out, totally unrealistic in the business world, where teams of high skill-set individuals would be chosen to give a project the highest possible chance of success. However, the team selection was not as random as it first seemed, as four members of the team had worked together before, and although it was not acknowledged formally, were aware of each individuals skills and working methods. This proved to be a positive feature in the project development. There were an additional two members of the group who were known only to one of the core four, and this also proved to be significant during the course of the project. Team Development Tabaka (2006) paraphrasing Tuckman and Jensen (1977) stated that in the forming stage the team members must acquaint themselves with each other and judge their own and others role in the team. This stage was already accomplished in the team which formed for the Sodor project. Four out of six members had already worked with each other in previous projects and knew each others capabilities. The two extra members were unknown, did not turn up initially, and showed no enthusiasm for participating in the project tasks. They were therefore largely ignored in terms of expectations of the other team members. The second stage according to Tuckman and Jensen is storming where team members try to exert power over one another, and jockey for position within the group. This stage was also already completed within the core team at the start of the project, and the team had already surpassed Tuckman and Jensens norming stage, with the trust having been built up in previous team encounters, and the ability to work together successfully having already been achieved. The team was therefore ready for Tuckman and Jensenss performing stage. Unfortunately the two outsiders to the team never achieved a real measure of trust within the team, so they remained outsiders for the rest of the project, but were allowed to contribute in a small way whenever they expressed a desire. Team Project Management In the initial stages of the Sodor project tasks, most of the project team was missing for the meetings. This would seem to be a very unfortunate and negative feature for the progression of the project. Ericksen and Dyer (2004) maintained that most of the successful project teams they had studied had had a very decisive launch, with solid project management, direction and clarification right at the beginning, as opposed to the teams who had procrastinated and lacked direction. As there was no-one else to take the position, the one team member present in the initial stages of the Sodor project took on the responsibility of project manager, at least for that stage of the project. The team member had to act alone at the start of the project and was able to be decisive and act with direction precisely because there was no-one else to interfere, and no negotiations to be performed, and the project was able to progress. As the team was already normed it was able to move into the performing stage. The reaction of the other team members was approval that the team member had shown the responsibility to take on the task. There was also an underlying understanding that the other team members would accept future responsibilities. This understanding was formulated into an informal contract of work within the team, more out of conformance to the project guidelines than from the need within the team. Throughout the course of the rest of the project the other team members fulfilled their roles as had been agreed in the contract of works. It was decided that the areas of relevance within the project would each have an individual largely responsible for that particular area. The areas of relevance chosen were planning, costing, procurements, and configuration or change management. The four core members of the group accepted responsibility for an area each with little consultation between members, with the two outside members agreeing to assist whenever needed. This seemingly discrete allocation of tasks would have been a negative feature in some teams but was suitable for the character of the team members, all being highly motivated and goal oriented individuals, but also having a high level of trust in their other team members to deliver. There was an element of informal skills measurement in the allocation of the tasks, done on a purely experiential basis rather than empirical evi dence. Tenenberg (2008) questioned whether people who are highly individual can be encouraged into more collaborative behaviour in order to make teamwork more effective. He quoted Cain et al. (1996) and stated that software development should be regarded as essentially social and that the social side of the activity needs to be addressed the same principle could be applied to any projects which are team-based. Tenenberg (2008) stated that teams have in common a set of collective action problems which require teamwork to be solved. One of those problems mentioned is that of dealing with people who do not contribute to the teams efforts. The Sodor project team did not address this problem at all, largely because the team worked as co-operative individuals rather than a team, and those who did not co-operate were simply ignored and their potential workload absorbed by the co-operating members. Akgun et al. (2007) also postulated team processes as a way to improve the chances of a projects success, and put forward the idea of group potency a belief held by team members that they can be effective. Although the Sodor team worked largely as individuals there was a genuine trust among the main members and a genuine belief in the potency factor which may have been mistaken. Summary The team did not behave as a traditional team with a high level of interaction and decision making but rather as a set of co-operating individuals. It did, however, go through the traditional Tuckman and Jensen (1977) stages of development, albeit before the Sodor project began, and also displayed some of the characteristics of a team as defined by Katzenbach and Smith (1993) complementary team members with common goals and approaches who were willing to be held accountable to the other team members. Evaluation of the Project General frameworks of project management can be found from many sources. Gannon (1994) suggested that project management should consist of six functions planning, organizing, executing, monitoring, reporting and controlling. Prodomos and Macaulay (1996) proposed four main activities planning, monitoring, co-ordinating, and reviewing. The Sodor project will be evaluated using the categories of planning, and monitoring and control. The Gantt charts and cost schedules from this section can be found in the Appendix attached. Planning the Project Prodomos and Macaulay (1996) cited Jordan and Machesky (1990) and proposed that the planning stage was the foundation for the other project activities. Dvir et al. (2003) reported that a belief amongst project management professionals (supported by the Project Management Institutes Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge hereinafter referred to as the PMBOK) is that planning is an essential activity which cannot guarantee success, but without which a project will most certainly fail. This belief was reflected in the Sodor case study where half of the activities were on planning the project. Activity Planning Initially, the Sodor project was presented as a textual case study, providing information to construct a work breakdown structure. Andersen (1996) argued that in a real situation activity planning cannot be completed when it is most useful, i.e. at the start of the project, because all of the activities cannot be known then. The Sodor projects activities were identified and provided, so a work breakdown structure could be constructed by the project leader. Other categorizations of the work and different breakdowns were possible but the project team was happy with the project managers decisions. Project Planning Hughes (1995) suggested a Step Wise guide for software projects with details of the stages a project planning team must complete to achieve an effective project plan. PRINCE2 a methodology advocated and required by the UK government also prescribes stages of project development including planning, which reflects the PMBOK areas of Scope, Time and Cost Management. (Siegelaub 2004). Scope management was outside the brief of the Sodor project team as it was provided in the project information. Clear objectives and methods were also provided and no feasibility study was necessary. Therefore the first main planning activity of the Sodor team was in time and cost management to produce a Gantt chart and estimated costs schedule based on the work breakdown structure and provided task precedences to calculate an estimated project end date and project cost. The next stage in planning was to choose vendors.The vendor selection process was carried out by one member of the team acting as project manager. This was where the rest of the team should have had more input, as two important issues in project management would arise which had implications later risk management and quality management. Risk Management The PMBOK devotes a whole knowledge area to risk management and PRINCE2 identifies risk as one of its components. The PMBOK suggests four phases of risk management identification, quantification, response and ultimately control. The Sodor project was totally dependent on third party vendors for both the supply of materials and construction. The biggest identifiable risk for the project would be the failure of a supplier or contractor to deliver on time. This would be particularly relevant to the tasks within the project which were on the critical path in the original estimated plan. Therefore the vendor selection for these tasks should have been carefully considered. Risk is usually quantified as a function of the risks occurrence probability and occurrence impact. (Williams 1996). The probability is a difficult judgement to make but the team was supplied with ratings which were based on how reliable the vendor was. The impact was the penalty cost for late project delivery. The contractors for the two critical tasks of jetty design and construction, and the installation of piping equipment were only rated 2. This proved to cause problems later. Methods of risk management include trying to reduce the risk (Gannon 1994). Of course, reducing the risk by choosing higher rated vendors would have had a cost and would have to have been judged to be cost effective. This was partly taken into account in the vendor selection policy, but should have warranted more attention from the project team. Another way of dealing with the risk in a real situation would have been to deflect it (Gannon 1994) by transferring it to the vendors. Penalty clauses could have been inserted into their contracts for overrunning the quoted task durations. The Sodor project team were not able to do this, so reduction of the risk was the only option available. Quality Management The PMBOK also devotes a whole knowledge area to quality management, so it is obviously an important area for project managers to consider. In the Sodor project the quality of the vendors was the greatest area for consideration. The only indicator of this was the rating provided, which was used in the vendor selection. In a real world situation vendors could have been required to conform to International Organization for Standardization quality standards such as ISO 9001:2008 dealing with Quality Management Systems Requirements, but this was not an option for the project team. After the completion of the planning phase with vendor selection, a final baseline plan and costings were produced. In order to adjust the project end date to conform to the required schedule it was decided to pay overtime to the painting contractor. At this point cash flow should also have been considered by delaying the times for the purchase of materials until necessary but it was not, a potentially huge mistake in the commercial world. Monitoring and Control Gannon (1994) stated that project performance can be measured by the comparison of actual progress to the original planned progress at any stage in the project. The slippages in the Sodor project at 25 weeks were entered into the project Gantt chart and it was found that as a result of slippage in critical path activities the project would overrun by 4 weeks compared to the baseline, and penalties would apply. The project team had 3 choices accept the penalties, reduce the length of an activity on the critical path by paying overtime (known as the time-cost tradeoff problem, (Liberatore and Pollack-Johnson 2006)), or reconsider the precedence requirements (Liberatore and Pollack-Johnson 2006). It was found that paying overtime to the painting contractor to reduce the project duration by 4 weeks was less than the potential penalties and less complicated than reconsidering the precedence requirements. Further problems at the 25 April 2001 stage were caused by the vendor selection for the jetty erection. For the same reasons as above it was decided to pay for overtime on the jetty erection thereby reducing the critical path back in line with the required completion date. By the project closeout it was found that as a result of a reduction in a critical path activity the project completed 2 weeks early and earned bonuses. Summary The project was a success if the criteria was to complete the project in time. But more careful selection of vendors could have also cut the costs of the project the choice of the pipe installation vendor in particular could have produced substantial bonuses. The complete exclusion of any consideration for cash flow was also a major mistake. In the real commercial world, projects can fail because of cash flow problems, so this should have been recognized. Conclusion The Sodor Oil Terminal project was a success in terms of completion of the project within the required time. Pinto and Slevin (1988) measure success simply by achieving the projects time and costs schedule, accompanied by an adequate performance. This approach, however, ignores the factors of commercial success in the marketplace, and how the future of the organization as a whole has been affected by the project, factors recognized by Shenhar et al. (1997). The Sodor project could have been completed within a smaller budget, with greater commercial success and larger profits for future investment in the organization if greater attention had been paid in the areas of vendor selection in terms of risk management. The financial pressure of the large project on the organization could have been offset by greater attention to costings in terms of cash flow optimization. These negative conclusions can be directly attributed to the project teams lack of real teamwork in not questioning each others actions enough or discussing relevant issues.

Soft Powers Relationship With Hard Power

Soft Powers Relationship With Hard Power The decline of U.S. Hard Power perturbed the rabid US nationalists. Hence in response to US declining Hard Power came the concept of Soft Power. Joseph S. Nye first developed the concept of Soft Power in Bound to Lead, a book in reply to Paul Kennedys book The Rise and Fall of great powers In this book Paul Kennedy had announced the decline of US Power. Mr. Nye disputed Kennedys claim that US was in decline. At that time he pointed out that the United States was not only the strongest nation in military and economic terms, but also in a third dimension which he called soft power. He defined Soft Power as the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than through coercion or payments. It arises from the attractiveness of a countrys culture, political ideals and policies. When our policies are seen as legitimate in the eyes of others, our soft power is enhanced.  [i]  The greatest source of power in international affairs today, says Joseph S Nye, Dean of Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and the leading proponent of Soft power, may lie in persuading other nations to see your interests as their interests. Underlying this assertion persuading others that our respective interests are aligned is the fact that we live in a world where countries can no longer live in splendid isolation. Globalization has been the juggernaut propelling interconnectedness and global media the glue that binds people across continents.  [ii]   He went on to say that this power could be cultivated through relations with allies, economic assistance and cultural exchanges. He argued that this would result in a more favourable Public opinion and credibility abroad. Later Joseph S. Nye authored two more books titled Soft Power: The means to success in world politics and Paradox of American power: Why the worlds only super power cant go it alone. Hans Morgenthau has defined power as, Ability of a nation to persuade, influence, force or otherwise induce another nation to take an action or change an objective that the latter would otherwise not prefer to of its own.  [iii]  Power is an ability of an actor to impose its will on others. In this sense three basic conditions are required so that Power can come into existence. First, an actor must have the possibilities/ assets to influence other actors. Quantifiable elements like military and economic possibilities and unquantifiable elements like culture, value system and mode of life constitute the first dimension of Power. Second, the actor having these power elements must be conscious of having them. In other words, the actor must have the will to capitalize on these assets. Thirdly, the other actors in the system must recognize and acknowledge that power. For power to exist, other actors must change their policies in line with the interests of the party that has power. In this sense, power is relational. 5. Historically, actors have been using military and economic Power to force other actors to fall in line with the preferences of power holders. In other words, it forced the other actors to undertake a cost-benefit analysis. It is this cost-benefit analysis which determined the preferences of other actors. An actor preferring to use hard power will frighten, buy or coax the adversary.  [iv]   6. Contrary to Hard Power Soft Power  [v]  is the Power of culture, value system, mode of life. The distinction between Hard and Soft power is made on the basis of the instrument used. But Tarik Oguzlu disputes this basis of categorizing Hard and Soft Power. According to him what makes power Soft is not the nature of means employed but the way those means are employed. Military power is not Hard Power and civilian power is not Soft Power. Military and civilian aspects of power refer to the kinds of means utilized. Hard and Soft dimensions of power refer to the ways military and civilian elements of power are used.  [vi]   7. Joseph S Nye also points out in his article Think Again: Soft Power, that the term Soft Power has been stretched and twisted.  [vii]  The popular understandings of the concept encompass a narrower sense and broader sense. In the narrower sense, soft power is similar to cultural influence. Prominent examples of this view include those of British historian Niall Ferguson and German publicist Josef Joffe. The majority school of thought on soft power in China also subscribes to this narrower sense. In the broader sense, soft power is synonymous with non-military power and includes both cultural power and economic strength. While these popular understandings are misunderstandings, Scholars have argued that much of the confusion and misunderstanding of the concept of soft power is due to its being under-theorized, lack of academic refinement, and analytical fuzziness. 8. Power always depends on context. To describe the context of power in the 21st century, Joseph S. Nye uses the metaphor of a three dimensional chess game: on the top board of the three-dimensional game, the United States is the worlds only superpower, and one is unlikely to see a balance in military power for the next decade or two or perhaps even more. But on the middle board of economic relations between states, there is already a balance of power. The United States can not get a trade agreement or an anti trust solution if the European Union acts collectively, and without that balance and agreement, one cant achieve the desired outcomes. It is a bit anomalous to call international economic relations American Hegemony or empire. But if one goes to the bottom board of transnational relations, problems across borders outside the control of governments, whether its infectious diseases or drug smuggling or terrorism, no one is in charge. Power is chaotically organized or distributed. The only ways to deal with these issues is by cooperation among governments. To call that again American empire or American hegemony or unipolarity makes no sense at all. One is taking a metaphor from the top board and applying it to the bottom board, where it doesnt fit.  [viii]  New Threats are arising from the bottom board of transnational relations. While military power can be of some use occasionally on the bottom board, more often some other forms of power, particularly Soft Power is required. What makes Soft Power? 9. Since soft power is the power to attract, the question, what constitutes soft power? becomes, What generates attraction? To answer this question, we must look for the power currencies that cause attraction. According to Alexander L. Vuving , Associate Professor, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, there are at least three generic power currencies from which both power and its softness are derived. He calls them beauty, brilliance, and benignity. 10. Benignity is an aspect of the agents relations with others, especially with the client of soft power. It refers to the positive attitudes that you express when you treat people, especially when you treat the client. Benignity as a power currency works on the tendency of reciprocal altruism that exists in most, if not all, organisms. Among humans, it generates soft power through the production of gratitude and sympathy. 11. Brilliance is an aspect of the agents relations with its work. It refers to the high performance that you accomplish when you do things. In international relations, brilliance manifests itself in various forms, for example, a strong and awesome military, a wealthy and vibrant economy, a rich and radiant culture, or a peaceful and well-run society. Brilliance as a power currency works on the tendency of human beings to learn from the successes of others. It generates soft power through the production of admiration, which can lead to imitation, or emulation, and respect, or fear, or reverence. 12. Beauty in world politics is about the resonance that draws actors closer to each other through shared ideals, values, causes, or visions. Opposite values and causes provide a firm ground for regimes to see each other as ugly; and shared values and causes provide a push toward the perception that the other regime is beautiful, which in turn will encourage confidence, friendship, and cooperation. If others perceive you in this role, they will adhere to you and look at you for guidance, example, encouragement, and inspiration. Beauty generates soft power through the production of inspiration.  [ix]   Dialectics of Hard and Soft power 13. Prima facie, there is no direct correlation between Hard Power and soft power. A country may be strong in hard power but yet may be weak in soft power and vice-versa. But nonetheless on closer examination it is found that a country strong in Hard Power is not totally impotent in soft power. Any country strong in Hard Power is always a role model for aspiring power. Hence aspiring powers are attracted to emulate the Soft power of Hard Power holder. This has been the case since antiquity. Since the Roman times till today every aspiring power imitates Romans.  [x]   14. There is a close relationship between the degree of securitization of issues and mode of power used. If the issues of concern were securitised, the tendency to use hard power would increase. The main difference between hard and soft power stems from the kind of Logic of action which governs the behaviour of actors, and not the kind of instruments employed. If the logic of action is instrumental, i.e. if the goal were to force others to make a cost-benefit analysis through coercing or coaxing strategies, then Hard Power occupies the centre-stage. On the other hand, if the goal were to ensure that other actors in the system would automatically follow the lead due to power of attraction, then one could refer to the existence of Soft Power. Whereas the concept of Hard Power assumes a strong emphasis on the agent/actor, the concept of Soft power underlines the significance of perceptions others hold vis-à  -vis the agent / actor.  [xi]   15. Hard and Soft Power sometimes reinforces and sometimes interferes with each other. A country that courts popularity may be reluctant to exercise its hard power as and when the situation demands. But a country that throws its weight around without regard to the effect on its soft power may find others placing obstacles in the way of its hard power. But rarely can a state totally replace one by the other.  [xii]   16. A countrys soft power can affect its hard power. During the Iraq war, the United States wanted to persuade the Turkish Government to send the fourth Infantry Division across Turkey to enter Iraq from the North. But the Turkish government said no, because the United States had by then become so unpopular. Its policies were perceived as so illegitimate that they were not willing to allow this transfer of troops across the country. The net effect was that the Fourth Infantry division had to go down through the canal, up through the Gulf, and arrived late to the war, which made a difference in the number of troops on the ground. Neglect of Soft Power made definite negative effect on hard Power.  [xiii]   17. It has been historically observed that state weak in Hard Power has exercised strong influence on others by its soft power. This has been the case with disintegrated Italys music. Hobsbawm writes  [xiv]   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Cultural hegemony is not an indicator of imperial power, nor does it depend much on it. If it did, Italy, disunited, powerless and poor, would not have dominated International musical life and art from the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Moreover, where cultural power survives the decline of the power and prestige of the states that one propagated it the Roman Empire, or the French absolute monarchy Advent of Smart Power 18. The term hard power refers to guns and bombs, the military force of a country. Soft power is used to describe other forms of persuasion a country can employ: trade deals, foreign aid, diplomacy, cultural influence and more. Joseph S Nye argues, however, that the most effective leaders are actually those who combine Hard and Soft Power skills in proportions that vary with different situations. He calls this Smart Power.  [xv]   19. Smart power is a term in international relations defined by Joseph Nye as the ability to combine hard and soft power into a winning strategy. According to Chester A. Crocker, Fen Osler Hampson, and Pamela R. Aall, smart power involves the strategic use of diplomacy, persuasion, capacity building, and the projection of power and influence in ways that are cost-effective and have political and social legitimacy essentially the engagement of both military force and all forms of diplomacy.  [xvi]   Myths about Soft Power 20. Soft Power Is Cultural Power According to Joseph S Nye Soft Power is partly Cultural Power. Power is the ability to alter the behavior of others to get what you want. British historian Niall Ferguson described soft power as non-traditional forces such as cultural and commercial good sand. Of course, the fact that a foreigner drinks Coca-Cola or wears a Michael Jordan T-shirt does not in itself mean that America has power over him. This view confuses resources with behavior. Whether power resources produce a favorable outcome depends upon the context. Consider Iran. Western music and videos are anathema to the ruling mullahs, but attractive to many of the younger generation to whom they transmit ideas of freedom and choice. American culture produces soft power among some Iranians, but not others.  [xvii]   21. Economic Strength is Soft Power. Peter Brookes in a recent article refers to soft power options such as economic sanctions. However, he argues that there is nothing soft about sanctions and they are clearly intended to coerce and are thus a form of hard power. Economic strength can be converted into hard or soft power: You can coerce countries with sanctions or woo them with wealth. As Walter Russell Mead has argued, economic power is sticky power; it seduces as much as it compels.  [xviii]  Theres no doubt that a successful economy is an important source of attraction. Sometimes in real-world situations, it is difficult to distinguish what part of an economic relationship is comprised of hard and soft power. European leaders describe other countries desire to accede to the European Union (EU) as a sign of Europes soft power. Turkey today is making changes in its human rights policies and domestic law to adjust to EU standards. 22. Soft Power is Better than Hard Power. Not necessarily. Because soft power has been hyped as an alternative to raw power politics, it is often embraced by ethically minded scholars and policymakers. But soft power is a description, not an ethical prescription. Like any form of power, it can be wielded for good or ill. Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, after all, possessed a great deal of soft power in the eyes of their acolytes. It is not necessarily better to twist minds than to twist arms. 23. Although soft power in the wrong hands can have horrible consequences, it can in some cases offer morally superior means to certain goals. Contrast the consequences of Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jrs choice of soft power with Yasir Arafats choice of the gun. Gandhi and King were able to attract moderate majorities over time, and the consequences were impressive both in effectiveness and in ethical terms. Arafats strategy of hard power, by contrast, killed innocent Israelis and drove Israeli moderates into the arms of the hard right. 24. Hard Power can be Measured and Soft Power Cannot. False. In fact, its quite possible to quantify sources of soft power. One can, for example, measure and compare the cultural, communications, and diplomatic resources that might produce soft power for a country. Public opinion polls can quantify changes in a countrys attractiveness over time. Nor is hard power as easy to quantify. The apparent precision of the measurement of hard power resources is often spurious and might be called the concrete fallacy. Some people act as though the only resources that can change behavior are those that can be dropped on your foot or on a city. But that is a mistake. The United States had far more measurable military resources than North Vietnam, but it nonetheless lost the Vietnam War. Whether soft power produces behavior that we want will depend on the context and the skills with which the resources are converted into outcomes.  [xix]   25. Some Goals can only be Achieved by Hard Power. Soft Power is not the solution to all problems. For example, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Ils penchant for Hollywood movies is unlikely to affect his decision on developing nuclear weapons. Hard power just might dissuade him, particularly if China agreed to economic sanctions. Nor will soft power be sufficient to stop the Iranian nuclear program, though the legitimacy of the administrations current multilateral approach may help to recruit other countries to a coalition that isolates Iran. And soft power got nowhere in attracting the Taliban government away from its support for Al Qaeda in the 1990s.It took American military might to do that. But other goals, such as the promotion of democracy and human rights are better achieved by soft power. Coercive democratization has its limits as the United State found out in Iraq. 26. Military Resources Produce Only Hard Power. Military force appears to be a defining resource for hard Power, but the same resource can sometimes contribute to Soft Power. Dictators like Hitler and Stalin cultivated myths of invincibility and inevitability to structure expectations and attract others to join their bandwagon. As Osama bin Laden has said, people are attracted to a strong horse rather than a weak horse. A well run military can be a source of attraction, and military to military cooperation and training programs, for example, can establish transnational networks that enhance a countrys Soft Power. Of course, misuse of military resources can also undercut Soft Power. Brutality and indifference to just war principles of discrimination and proportionality can also destroy legitimacy. The efficiency of the initial American military invasion of Iraq in 2003 created admiration in the eyes of some foreigners, but that Soft Power was undercut by the subsequent inefficiency of the occupation and the scenes of mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.  [xx]   27. Soft Power Is Difficult to Use. Governments can control and change foreign policies. They can spend money on public diplomacy, broadcasting and exchange programs. They can promote, but not control popular culture. In that sense, one of the key resources that produce soft power is produced by civil society largely independent of government control. from Hollywood to Harvard.  [xxi]   28. Soft Power is irrelevant to the current terrorist threat. False. There is very little likelihood that we can ever attract people like Mohammed Atta or Osama bin Laden. We need hard power to deal with such hard cases. But the current terrorist threat is not Samuel Huntingtons clash of civilizations. It is a civil war between a majority of moderates and a small minority who want to coerce others into their simplified and ideologized version of their religion. We cannot win unless the moderates win. We cannot win unless the number of people the extremists are recruiting is lower than the number we are killing and deterring. That equation is hard to balance without Soft power. We cannot win hearts and minds without it. Soft power is more relevant than ever.

Mercantilism Essay -- essays research papers

Mercantilism is an economic theory where a nation's strength comes from building up gold supplies and expanding its trade. Britain formed the American colonies so that they could increase their gold stores. They wanted raw supplies to make into products to sell and make money. They wanted America to pay taxes so that Britain could make money. America used the theory in that they thought they ought to, in order to be strong expand their trade beyond Britain. Countries like Belgium, and France wanted to also increase their trade, and expand it to trading with America. They also wanted to increase their gold stores by trading with America. Britain however did not want America to trade with France and Belgium and the Netherlands because they wanted to increase their gold stores, so they needed a monopoly over American trade. So there was tension between Britain and its American colonies. One of the first efforts made by Britain to control the American colonies was the Acts of Trade and N avigation. What these acts did was limited American trade to basically just Britain. These Acts were in place between 1650-1660 and they were there to ensure that the mercantile system that existed stayed. It was mainly to prevent the Frenchmen and Dutch from receiving American goods. The acts limited American shipping to be via Britain. The British had to receive all American goods and them their merchants would sell the goods to other countries, but America could not. Any goods that were to be imported to the colonies had to be passed through British middlemen, where a tax was added so that Britain would profit. America was also forbidden to produce goods or grow crops for profit. If they were to do that then they would be competing with British industries. The colonies were supposed to also buy more than they sold, so that their currency was drained, but all to Britain. Before 1663, when the Acts of Trade and Navigation were not enforced the colonists benefited from Britain. The colonists of the north smuggled goods and manufactured items for profit. They avoided the British laws. The southern colonists had a guaranteed market from the British because they had a monopoly. The colonies also benefited because they had the British army troops to guard them, and they have low taxes, and the British navy shielded them. The colonists were generally more prosperous than the English... ...000 troops. The colonists by this time were no the happiest of campers and when the Quebec Act was passed the colonists had had almost enough. What this act did was to close off the Western lands, the British gave religious freedom to the Catholics, and the Massachusetts Protestants were anti-Catholic. The act also allowed the French to retain systems where there were no representative assemblies, and where there were no jury trials, as a result of this fear was installed into the colonists. Through all of this we knew that in mercantilism our strength was being depleted by Britain, so there was an action, leading to a reaction, later leading to synthesis, or another action. This continued on and on, getting more and more violent until the American Revolution broke out. America was becoming increasingly patriotic, a nationalist "country". This American Revolution that was to result was one of "national self-determination" being that we can. We think we can, an d in ourselves as a nation we can stand alone, free of Britain. We determined this by a series of occurrences that all resulted, through our mercantilist ideas and thoughts, eventually in us being America.

Abortion :: essays research papers

Sara is driving down 7th avenue in her red pickup truck, in a hurry and traveling well over the speed limit. Becky, who is 3 months pregnant, is waiting to cross the street on the corner of 7th avenue and Bell. The street light changes and Becky is signaled by the crosswalk sign to proceed across the street. Sara is putting in a new CD and not paying attention to the fact that she has a red light, without enough time to stop Sara runs the red light and hits Becky who has just started to cross the street. Now Becky is rushed to the hospital, she is hurt but will live but her baby dies. Should Sara be charged with the death of the unborn baby? On the other hand, Jessica, who is a 16-year-old girl, decides to sleep with an 18-year-old boy. She gets pregnant and has an abortion because she is not ready to be a mother. Should Jessica be charged with the death of an unborn baby? The answer to both of the questions is, yes. Abortion is wrong, cruel and most of all, it goes against the word of GOD.When a woman decides to have sex she is taking the chance of getting pregnant, even if she uses protection. If she doesn't want to get pregnant she shouldn't have sex, and she should be responsible enough to suffer the consequences. For example, Carrie is very promiscuous and finds out that she is pregnant, so she goes and has an abortion. Next time Carrie finds out that she has HIV, well she can't pay someone to get rid of her problem so she has to deal with it. Why shouldn't she have to deal with the fact of being pregnant? There are many other options to killing an innocent human: adoption or raising the child with the help of parents. However, some girls are forced to have an abortion.No matter the reason someone has for an abortion, it is still cruel. Some women are forced to have an abortion either by their parents or their spouse. This circumstance is very hard to argue because the woman who is pregnant is not making the choice and should not be held accountable for it. And that is the only reason anyone might consider having an abortion. Look at it like this, Jeff and Bonnie are building a house, what's the first thing they do?

Sri lanka agriculture development and rural economy

Dependency theory was really popular during 1960s and 1970s as a direct challenge to the free market theory which was popular during the post-war season. The theory was formulated in 1950s and it is drawn on Marxian analysis of planetary economic system. The theory explains the relationship between economically developed states ( Advanced states ) and developing states of the universe. Harmonizing to the theory, the developed states consider as the nucleus of the system and the developing states as the fringe of the system. When the system is working, resources flow from fringe developing states to the developed nucleus states. It is a cardinal contention of dependence theory that hapless provinces are impoverished and rich 1s enriched by the manner hapless provinces are integrated into the â€Å" universe system. † The dependence theory is applicable to most of the developing states in the universe except few illustrations like India and Taiwan. Harmonizing to my cognition the theory is applicable to all most all states in the south Asia including Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was besides colonized by British Empire during 1815 – 1948 where it made a terrible harm to the Local civilization, Social life, independence every bit good as Economy. Even though the state has been ruled by local leaders from 1948, United Kingdom and other developed states have been created negative consequence on the development of the state. However, presently Sri Lanka is in a right tract toward the development, where the service sector and the fabrication sector shows a fast growing while the Agriculture sector shows a relatively slow growing. Tourism and other service subsectors have been well contributed to the economic system of the state. However the economic system of the state was opened to the universe market in 1977 and the state has been experienced both positive and negative impacts on the development positions. On the one manus most of the local baby industries were collapsed during the period as a negative consequence of the unfastened economic system. On the other manus most of the international investors and multinational carbon monoxide operations came to the state with their new engineerings which was utile to look in the universe market as a bring forthing state. Most of the developing states specially in south Asiatic states, including Sri Lanka have been depend on the IMF, World Bank, ADB and other multinational carbon monoxide operations to carry through their budget shortage through loans or grants under legion regulations and ordinances which severely consequence on the internal development. As consequence of that influence, most of those regional leaders every bit good as people of those states have a dependence outlook which was identified as the major constrain for the development. However, Sri Lanka was able to come in the in-between income state degree and presently the dependence outlook remains merely in some portion of rural countries of the state. In that scenario, Sri Lanka is no longer stray state in the universe, but still in the disadvantaged and developing side which needs particular protection and nutriment for local baby industries to protect them from the international competition. Consequently, Sri Lanka has to utilize different theoretical account which can pull strings the international competition within the state while absorbing the maximal public-service corporation form the international market. Harmonizing to my cognition and experience no any pure theory will helpful to utilize as it is for development in any state. Therefore, the state must hold their ain manner for development which has to critically see their ain resources and restrictions. â€Å" Poor but efficient Agriculture usage of developing state Traditional system † proposed by T.W. Schultz. This is one of a theory which tries to explicate the efficient usage of limited resources by hapless or developing husbandmans in developing states. The theory was foremost found in the T.W. Schultz ‘s book of Transforming Traditional Agriculture which was published in 1960s and the theory was really popular during that period. During 1950s and 1960s, Most of the economic experts and Policy shapers believed that the productiveness of Agriculture sector in developing states as really low. Therefore they argued that the fringy productiveness of the labor in those states as nothing. Hence those agribusiness labors could be transferred from the agribusiness sector to the industrialisation sector without holding any harm to the agribusiness sector. Therefore, it was besides widely accepted that husbandmans in developing states were guided by tradition or civilization. On the other manus they are non responded to the economic inducements. But Schultz argued that the husbandmans in developing states have really limited resources but most of the husbandmans use that limited resources expeditiously. However those husbandmans are hapless because of the other assorted grounds like cultural features such as deficiency of a work moral principle, deficiency of an apprehension of the thought of salvaging, or general ignorance of how to do best usage of their resources. Schultz argued that low income degrees in developing states agribusiness are a consequence of the low productiveness of the available factors of production, but non inefficiencies in their resource allotment. Subsequently, most of the researches have been conducted and accordingly the theory was through empirical observation proved utilizing the research conducted in several developing states. In Sri Lanka, there are plentifulness of little graduated table husbandmans who live under the poorness line but they use their limited resources expeditiously for their harvest cultivation. Water and fertiliser is the most scare resources in the dry zone of Sri Lankan husbandmans. They use particular agriculture pattern which is called as â€Å" Chena cultivation † . Even though that agriculture pattern is non recommended by most of the agriculturalist in the state, Chena cultivation is one of the largely adoptable patterns to utilize H2O and fertiliser. In this method husbandmans ever use new piece of land and they move to new a land in the following season. Farmers use all the vegetive parts as green manure and fire all the difficult parts of workss and mix with dirt as fertilisers. That organic manure covers all the alimentary demand of the new harvests. Farmers cultivate drought immune harvest varsities and cultivate as a mix harvest form. The system lowers the hazard of plague and disease incidence and good as maximise the use of wet. Farmers normally use household labors and utilize some excess labor merely in peak seasons. However, most of those husbandmans are hapless and the life base is besides low. There are many grounds behind the narrative and some of them are low salvaging rate, hapless cost direction, selling jobs, low substructure etc. In that sense, even today, the theory is applicable in most of the developing states and it is utile to understand their agriculture manner, populating manner of the husbandmans. On the other manus, it is utile to propose them to rectify their failings.

Breaking Up with Someone You Love Essay

During my first year in college, I fell in love with a co-freshman. We went steady after a two-month courtship. However, only after a few months of seeing the movies together, eating at our favorite restaurants, visiting the most exciting bars in the locality, staying up late together to study, and just even staring into blank space together, we finally broke up. Allow me to share with you the details of our break up: On a Sunday morning, while I was jogging around our neighborhood as part of my daily routine, somebody called me on my cellular phone. The caller, who is actually someone that I go to English class with first asked how I am doing, which I answered with the typical response, â€Å"Hi, fine I guess, thank you, and how about you? † She actually did not pay attention to my question, which I found very odd since she is the type who would always politely respond to anything an individual asks. After that she asked if I was already done with our project/homework that is due the following day. Again, I thought that was really bizarre, she is very independent as a student and does not engage herself with such. I felt really weird and so I eventually had the courage to ask her why she really bothered to call me. After a lot of â€Å"uhmms†, â€Å"errs†, and other speech impediments, she finally said it. She saw my boyfriend being exceedingly intimate with another girl. I believe I heard her say goodbye after saying â€Å"take it easy, girl, leave him and get on with life; there are too many guys out there who deserves to be with you far better than him†. I was not able to respond though. Right then and there, I felt extreme weakness; I could no longer go on with my jogging, in fact, I could barely walk. Then I told myself, â€Å"I have not seen him do that† or â€Å"Maybe that was a cousin whom he is extremely close with† or â€Å"Maybe my classmate in English just wanted to make fun of me†. Those lines did not help to make me feel better though, in fact, it became worse. I felt excruciating pain, like a cold knife that cut through my heart. I felt absolutely terrible. When I arrived home, I decided to weigh things over again. I told myself, â€Å"My classmate may be telling the truth, but I actually haven’t seen it for myself†. So with that, I felt a little better. I decided to change from my sporty attire to a casual one since I needed to go to the bookstore and buy a few things required by the school. Upon arriving at the bookstore, I first went to the books section to check on the new releases, as well as, the best sellers for the week. To my dismay, I saw my boyfriend there at the fiction section getting intimate with another lady. With what I saw, I already forgot what I was going to do or buy there, what I did was: I immediately rushed out the door and went home. I stayed in my room, just sat in my bed, and stared into blank space. Then I went down to the kitchen to prepare a few dishes, just like what I always do when I am terribly pressured, stressed or in a lot of pain. I also cleaned the refrigerator, took out the veggies that seem to be no longer edible, and then reorganized everything inside it. I also cleaned my room. Then I called him up and asked if we could meet. He excitedly and gleefully said yes and decided on the meeting place. When I arrived at the coffee shop we agreed to stay in, I sat for a few minutes, composed myself, making sure I would not cry or get mad before I told him this, â€Å"I was told about what you did†¦I did not believe it at first, however, when I saw you earlier today at the bookstore, I realized, my classmate was not at all making fun of me†¦I am sorry but this is goodbye†. I even asked him if there was anything he wanted to say but he simply nodded so I smiled at him to show him I wasn’t bitter and that I am happy I discovered his dishonesty early then I left the premises. Works Cited * Since this is an essay which entails a personal experience, no reference has been utilized for this.