The Port of Singapore: a Reflective Essay

[Company Address] 08 Fall The Port of Singapore Prepared by : Rajib Das, Student # 38410098 This document discuses about the Port of Singapore and the strategic importance of its location to the modern traders. It also discusses the government incentives and the Advanced Information Technology that the port has been using to attract new shipping companies in the recent past. Anything beyond is not discussed for the limitation of the term paper. Table of Contents The Port of Singapore3 Singapore: Strategic Importance of the Geographic Location†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 The Adoption of IT 6Government Incentives9 Competition10 Conclusions11 Appendix12 Citations16 The port of singapore Over the last 40 years, the world has been awestruck with the unbelievable growth of the island nation into a major transportation epicentre of global trading. In the 1970s ,the Port of Singapore pioneered the first container port in the history. By 1980’s the port h it its first milestone of handling 1 million TEUs and within the next 10 years by 1990’s (Port of Singapore Annual Reports), the port was handling 5 million TEU (Twenty foot equivalent container units)per annum.Today, about 20 years after the big landmark, the port handles over 28 million TEUs (Port of Singapore Annual Reports) per year making it the second largest port in the entire world after the Port of Shanghai in terms of Container traffic. The container shipments from the Port of Singapore comprise of one fifth of the world’s container shipment volume (Authority). The port also takes immense pride in shipping half of the world’s annual crude oil supply. In terms of total cargo volume, the port handles about 500000 thousand freight tonnes per year (Authority) which makes it the second busiest port in the world after the Port of Shanghai .Today the Port Singapore is connected to 123 ports of the world spreading over 123 countries and 6 continents, making it one of the most important ports of the world. Singapore: Strategic Importance of the Geographical Location The importance of the Geographical location of Singapore has been largely significant since trading started between Asian, North American and the European continents. The Singapore Strait has been used heavily for trading by the Romans, Chinese, Arabs, Greeks and the Indians since time immemorial (Gupta).After the Suez Canal opened in the mid 1800s, the Singapore Strait have become a vital linkage of trade between the powerful European nations and East Asia. The Singapore Strait is attractive to traders because it is the shortest and cheapest sea-link between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean (Gupta). With the advent of the large Japanese car manufacturing industry , the textile industry of South Asia and the heavy outsourcing of the North American manufacturing plants in the last 30 years, Asia is no longer a continent which mainly exports low-valued raw materials to be processed in the West.The flow of more expensive manufactured goods from the East to the West have proliferated in the last 30 years. (Sie) As a result, shipping and transportation costs have become even further less inelastic fostering the immense growth of the shipping industry of Singapore. Although it is often not in the limelight, but the South-east Asian nations have a large base of oil- refineries which have led to the heavy shipping traffic of the crude oil through the strait of Singapore. Taiwan has a oil refining capacity of . 54 million b/cd and South Korea has a capacity of 1 million b/cd alongside Singapore.Japan and China tops the list with a capacity of 4. 7 and 2. 2 million b/cd respectively. (Olson) Apart from China which has a self-sustaining production of crude oil, every other nations depend on the Middle-Eastern countries for their oil supplies. Japan alone imported 130 million tonnes and 195 million tonnes of crude oil from the Middle-East and the African natio ns in the years 1990 and 2010 respectively (Olson). Owing to these heavy demand for crude oil, the Port of Singapore has been responsible for transporting half of the world’s oil supply in the year 2010.Owing to it’s prime geographic location and heavy government incentives and a base of Information Technology discussed later in the paper, majority of the exports from Singapore is based on re-exports from other countries . There are about 60000 ship movements annually in the Strait of Singapore. In 2010, the Port of Singapore transhipped 17447,000 TEUs which constituted almost 82 (Statistics)% of Singapore’s annual export . Today, the port of Singapore is the busiest Port in the World in terms of transhipment of containers.Port of Singapore : Operations The Port of Singapore has 6 terminals to accommodate all types of vessels-ocean liners, lighters, cargo freighters, coasters, break bulk carriers and container ships. The 6 terminals are Keppel Terminal, Brani Te rminal, Pasir Panjang Terminal, Sembawang Wharves and Pasir Panjang Wharves . The Wharves terminals can facilitate all kinds of vessel while the other terminals are specialized meant for the containers vessels. The Port of Singapore’s container’s facilities are listed as follows: * Number of Terminals: 4 Area: 436 hectares * Designed capacity : 24700 kTEU * Quay cranes: 143 * Maximum draft: 16 m * Quay length: 12800 m According to the Global Competitive Report published by the World Economic Forum, Port of Singapore ranked the best port in terms of facilities and received a rating of 6. 76 out of a maximum 7. The adoption of information technology Over the last few years The Port of Singapore has invested heavily in Information Technology which means that processes now are much faster, more reliable and more cost effective for the consumers.Making the most out of the latest automation technology, information technology and wireless communications, the Port of Singapore combined it’s large domain knowledge in container operations with the latest technology such as CITOS(Computer Integrated Terminal Operations System), PORTNET and Flow through Gate Technology. CITOS(Computer Integrated Terminal Operating System) Singapore Port’s massive network and heavy shipping traffic is very efficiently controlled by Computer Integrated Terminal Operations System(CITOS).CITOS is a Resource Planning System that keeps track of every asset from prime movers to yard cranes to quay cranes to containers and drivers. Before CITOS was introduced, resources were allocated to a certain place in the port and they stayed there unless it was needed somewhere else. With CITOS, resources can be much easily coordinated and allocated. 60 different vessels harbour the Singapore Port on a given day. Although a lot of these vessels arrive out of schedule, CITOS make sure that they don’t have to wait in the harbour for a minute.When any shipping line applies fo r a berth, the ship stowage and the shipping connection information is sent to the port through PORTNET . The CITOS system begins planning the berth of the shipping line almost 72 hours prior arrival which means that the system also compute other alternatives in case that the vessel is off schedule. This means that for almost all the vessels that harbour the Port of Singapore, there is almost zero waiting time. (Authority) Once a ship is harboured, the quay cranes operated by the CITOS system start discharging containers destined for other ports and load boxes brought in by other vessels.Once containers are unloaded on the dock, they are not randomly stacked on the yard. The Information about the container is fed into the system and CITOS generates a ship stowage and yard layout plans base on the following factors in order of importance : * Special requirements (e. g. Dangerous goods, tight connections etc) * Destination * Ship stability (for further stowage planning) * Size * Weigh t The CITOS system provides many competitive advantages to the Port of Singapore. It allows the system to keep track and locate every single container on the port.It allows the maximum use of land and optimize efficiency. Last, but not the least, it ensures maximum utilization of each individual resource since it is pre-planned by the system beforehand. PORTNET PORTNET is a network service that provides internet connectivity to the entire port community with a single sign-on network portal. The system provides interconnectivity between vessels, freight forwarders, government agencies and haulers. This helps them to synchronize and manage information much better.PORTNET Singapore has about 8000 users who use the system to get real time, detailed information on all port, logistics and shipping processes and use it to make critical decisions in their business. The main functions of PORTNET Singapore is summarized below: * Enable shipping companies to monitor their own performance * Pro vide a documentation portal between the consumers and the shipping company, * Managing efficiency for transhipment processes of the vessels * Supporting real time information exchanges between shipping line alliances. FLOW THROUGH GATEThe Flow through gate system is a sustainable paper-less system that helps truck drivers to identify the specific containers that is needed to be loaded onto the truck within a span of 20-25 seconds. On average, the system processes about 8000 trucks per day. Before the driver arrives at the dock, he submits a requisition for the containers through the PORTNET system. After the driver arrives at the Port gate, he verifies his identity through a fingerprint biometric reader or by punching in his unique identification number. The gate scan’s the truck’s dashboard and identifies the truck.The Container number Recognition system captures the container number with a close circuit camera. The system then matches these information against the in formation provided during requisition and clears the truck for entry. After the driver enters the port, the system sends a text message to the driver’s mobile phone with the precise information about the location in the dock where the containers would be ready to be stacked onto the truck. Government incentives The Government of Singapore had a major role to play in the boom of the shipping industry in the last 40 years.Singapore has 5 Free Trade Zones to encourage Re-exports of goods from other countries. Under the Free Trade Act goods could be cleaned ,sorted, distributed, repacked, assembled or sold in accordance with the Act. Under the Act, transhipment goods can be stored in Singapore free of charge with very little custom bureaucracies. In 1991 , The Singapore government enacted the Approved International Shipping(AIS) Enterprise incentive under which shipping companies based on Singapore could be exempted from corporate taxes for the initial 10 years and can be renewed even if they don’t own their own vessel.In 2009, the Government of Singapore announced their goal of making Singapore the ‘’global maritime knowledge hub’’ of the world. Since then the government have heavily invested in research and development of Information Technology in the shipping industry and the Port of Singapore. It has introduced the Maritime Cluster Fund which offers financial funds for training ,various research, engineering and innovation under this field. Such HR incentives have definitely smoothened the transition of a lot of shipping companies to Singapore in the last two and a half years.COMPETITION As discussed earlier, the Singapore Strait have grown massive importance in the last few decades. Today, Singapore faces massive competition from the neighbouring ports especially from the port of Tenjung Peepas in Malaysia. In the early 2000, 10 % of the Singapore’s container volume moved to the port in Malaysia owing to the che ap handling charges in the neighbouring country. Statistics shows that, handling charges were about 30-40% lower than Singapore. Many of the neighbouring ports have below-par facilities compared to the Port of Singapore.Hence many of these ports can afford to have much lower handling and receiving charges. Although Singapore have a much better reputation, the comparatively more expensive nature of the Port of Singapore is going to continue to pose a threat to the port in the years to come. COnclusion The Port of Singapore has a great reputation being the trade epicentre of the world and for being one of the best sea port in the world. Although the port has an excellent past reputation, the 21st century will bring about new challenges and competition from neighbouring ports such as Malaysia.The Government of Singapore is doing its best by harnessing advanced Information technology at the Port and providing different government incentives to hold it’s competitive standing. In r esponse, many of the foreign companies such as Clarkson, Swiss Re, Shipowners’ P&I club and Rolls Royce have moved their marine headquarters to Singapore in the last few years. As the supremacy for leading ports unfolds, more shipping companies will be taking government incentives and Information Technology for granted.Today more firms are showing interest in ports which have established legal, financial and logistics sector. It will be interesting to see ho the Port of Singapore respond to these new challenges in the years to come. Appendix Table 2. Containers handled at the PSA terminals (source: PSA annual report 2000) Year| Million TEUs handled| 1989| 4. 36| 1990| 5. 22| 1991| 6. 35| 1992| 7. 55| 1993| 9. 04| 1994| 10. 39| 1995| 11. 84| 1996| 12. 93| 1997| 14. 12| 1998| 15. 1| 1999| 15. 9| Appendix 2: Port Rankings according to the World Economic Forum Table 1.Ranking of ports on port facilities as presented in the global competitiveness report published by the world econ omic forum Rank| Country| Rating for port facilities are extensive and efficient (1 strongly disagree, 7 strongly agree)| 1| Singapore| 6. 76| 2| Netherlands| 6. 64| 3| Canada| 6. 42| 4| Germany| 6. 38| 5| Hong Kong SAR| 6. 38| 6| United States| 6. 27| 7| Finland| 6. 26| 8| Belgium| 6. 17| 9| Denmark| 6. 16| 10| New Zealand| 5. 82| Appendix 3: 14. 1 SEA CARGO AND SHIPPING STATISTICS 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Vessel Arrivals Number 145,383 130,318 128,922 128,568 131,695 130,575 127,299Shipping Tonnage (‘000 GT) 910,180 1,151,791 1,314,990 1,459,221 1,621,065 1,784,669 1,919,408 Total Cargo (‘000 tonnes) 325,591 423,268 448,504 483,616 515,415 472,300 503,342 General 199,577 262,265 281,393 314,917 336,425 280,349 313,683 Bulk 126,014 161,003 167,111 168,699 178,991 191,951 189,659 Total Container Throughput (‘000 TEUs) 17,087 23,192 24,792 27,935 29,918 25,867 28,431 Bunker Sales (‘000 tonnes) 18,651 25,479 28,379 31,546 34,936 36,387 40,853 Singapor e Ship Registry (End of Period) Number 3,335 3,219 3,249 3,553 3,843 3,950 3,978 ‘000 GT 23,043 32,963 34,793 39,603 43,702 45,632 48,783Works Cited Authority, Port of Singapore. www. singaporepsa. com. Gupta, Sen. The Malacca Straits and the Indian Ocean: A Study of the Strategic and Legal Aspects of a Controversial Sea-lane. New Delhi, 1974. Olson, Hal F. â€Å"â€Å"Tanker traffic and shipping routes†. † n. d. â€Å"Port of Singapore Annual Reports. † Port of Singapore, 1970-2010. Sie, Chia Lin. â€Å"â€Å"The Straits of Malacca and Singapore: Navigational, Resources, and Environmental Considerations†. † Southeast Asian Seas: Frontiers for Development, 1981. Statistics, Singapore Department of. â€Å"†Yearbook of Statistics? .† 2011.

The second danger is for the people of Alabama

Alabama faces two problems regarding race relations. One is tiring of the work just as the blonde girl in the old joke, who swims half-way across a lake, declares she is too tired to make it all the way, and then swims back to the side she started on. If the residents of Alabama grow tired of progressing, they too, might someday end up back where they started. The labor of generations, then, would be wasted.The second danger is for the people of Alabama to believe that enough progress has been made. It is easy to think of one's own generation as the most advanced in all of time. Yet, a look back at history shows that previous generations felt the same way. An examination of the attitudes and actions of the progressives in the past sheds some light on how far Alabama has come and how far it might still need to go.Many people today portray slave masters as wicked, violent men, who beat their slaves constantly and neglected their needs. This is not a completely accurate picture. Indeed, former Alabama slave Alice Gaston[i] (Gaston, 1941, p. 1) in a 1941 interview with Robert Sonkin the following:All the white folks that know me, they treats me nice. And if I want anything, I'll ask for it. I was taught in that a way by my old master. Don't steal, don't lie, and if you want anything, ask for it. Be honest in what you get. That was what I was raised up with. And I'm that a way today.Another former slave, Isom Moseley also said that he’d worked for, â€Å"might good white folks.† (Moseley, 1941) He remembered the white people having shoes for the children and the elderly.   Similarly, former slave Joe MacDonald recalled that his master had made sure he was educated, so that he would be treated well by other white people, once the master and his wife had â€Å"died and gone to heaven.† (MacDonald, 1940)One slave owner fathered a child by a black woman. Instead of denying his paternity, James T. Rapier’s father acknowledged him and hired a private tutor to educate him in secret, because Alabama law, at the time, did not allow blacks to be educated.[ii]   Rapier elected to the forty-third congress in 1873 as a republican.Yet, in some parts of the state, slaves were treated very badly – particularly in the earliest years. In 1824, slaves in Montgomery outnumbered whites. Around half of Alabama’s heads of household were slave owners.As the number of slaves in Alabama increased, so did per capita wealth. Indeed, in 1930, per capita wealth was $700, which was unmatched by any other part of the country.[1] These factors lead many whites to fear black insurrection. If Alabama blacks rose up against whites, the outnumbered whites might not be able to stop them.Therefore, many feared for their lives. Others feared losing their fortunes. If blacks were freed, once great southerners would have to compete with industrialized northerner families in the American economy. It would be extremely hard for them to compe te. [iii]White fear lead to increased oppression. While, for a time, there were free blacks in Alabama, the government chased them out in 1839. An article from The New-Yorker in 1839 declares, â€Å"By a law of the last session of the Alabama legislature, all free persons of color who remain in the state after the 1st of August next are to be enslaved.†[iv]If a similar ruling were made today, the newspaper editors would call for public outrage. In 1839, the note is simply followed by a warning about yellow fever in New Orleans. Clearly, neither the government, nor the media thought of blacks as equals.Yet, while the Alabama legislature tried to rid the state of free blacks, it also ruled, in 1852, that owners must properly clothe their slaves. According to Mary Jenkins Schwartz, however, the law was not enforced and frequently broken.[v] Jenkins states that because owners would not follow the law, slaves who had children had a difficult time keeping their children warm. Indee d, she says, on one Alabama plantation, mothers would cut holes in gunny sacks to clothe their sons and daughters.[vi]Slaves were treated on many plantations as animals. Jenkins reports that many slept on hay. Children were given blankets of inferior quality and expected to share with one another. Children who did not work in the fields on one plantation, were not given food allowances.Therefore their parents would have to catch animals like rabbits and raccoons to feed them. Indeed, says Jenkins, some children would look forward to working in the fields because they would be able to earn food for themselves to stop their hunger.[vii]The fact that plantation owners thought of slaves just as people think of animals is also evinced by a number of documents from Alabama in the 1800’s. For instance, in 1852, a Parks Landing plantation owner offered a reward of fifty dollars for the return of his runaway slave, Stephen. It reads like a lost pet poster. The plantation owner describ es his slave as, â€Å"A fine looking negro† who is â€Å"between twenty-five and thirty years of age,† â€Å"about six-feet high,† â€Å"copper-colored,† with a â€Å"high fore-head†. [viii][1] Jenkins reports that slave owners would use this to tempt slaves into putting their children to work in the fields. Those who did would receive, â€Å"one frock apiece.† One boy, who worked carrying water for workers, earned a shirt, two pairs of pantaloons and shoes.[i] Alice Gaston.   â€Å"Interview with Alice Gaston, Gee's Bend, Alabama,† Voices of Slavery. Library of Congress.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Washington, D.C. 1941. [ii] Eugene Feldman. â€Å"James T. Rapier, Negro Congressman from Alabama,† The Phylon Quarterly. Vol 19. No. 3    1958. [iii] Clayton W. Williams â€Å"Early Ante-Bellum Montgomery: A Black-Belt Constituency,† The Journal of Southern    History, Vol. 7, No. 4. Nov. 1941. [iv] â€Å"Free Negro es in Alabama,† The New Yorker. Sep. 14, 1839; 7 26. P. 411[v] Mary Jenkins Scwartz. Born in Bondage: Growing up Enslaved in the Antebellum South. (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2000). [viii] Levi Parks. â€Å"Poster offering fifty dollars reward for the capture of a runaway slave Stephen,† American Memory. Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. 1852.

Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology Essay

Having culture as a field of psychology makes sense because culture plays a significant role in everyday life. Culture allows someone to define who they are how they survive. Expressions of who one is can be done in many ways, by behavior, appearance, and language. Without culture, one’s human nature would rely on instinct to remain alive. Culture is a product of one’s environment. How important culture is and how culture influences oneself and others will be discussed in this paper. Examining various types of relationships as it pertains to culture and cross cultural psychology will also be deliberated. Critical thinking and the role it plays in cross cultural psychology and the use of scientific method will also be covered. Definition of Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology There are many avenues when looking at what culture stands for, but for most there is an agreement that culture is passed down from one generation to the next, there is a strong influence of molding one’s behavior, and that culture is learned. One’s environment is based on the culture that he or she is subjected to. Culture influences humans in many ways that is what makes humans human. Culture separates individuals from any other species and affords one the opportunity to use instinct and cultural knowledge to survive. Culture is woven into one’s fabric of daily life, and aids in how one interacts with others. By definition psychology is the study of performance and human behavior, so when tying to define one’s actions, it is imperative that incorporating one’s culture into the equation. See more: how to start an essay The behaviors of a person can be directly related to the environment or various biological factors, but, behavior can not be solely answered by just those two things without examining the social cultural conditions which impact that person’s behavior. Cultural psychology looks for the connection between psychology and one’s culture. By looking at this link the correlation between culture and behavior is recognized. Acknowledging this permits that cognitive operations are the variable in culture and oneself based on the environment that he or she is surrounded by (Segal, Dasen, Berry & Poortinga, 1999). Culture can bring people together as well as separate others. Cross-cultural psychology is a newer specialty in the field. This field does not just focus on one specific culture when attempting to clarify the actions of someone’s behavior. Rather it views many different cultures that could be affected a person. It is imperative to know not to confuse race, ethnicity and society with culture. They do offer a look at a person’s individualism but it is different than one’s culture. A society consists of people where a culture is a common interest shared by persons with in a group that lead to a given behavior. To understand human behavior, viewing other approaches like sociological, cultural mixtures, integrative approach, eco-cultural and evolutionary all help in understanding how a human’s behavior could fluctuate based on. For example, when looking at the evolutionary approach views the biological factors contributing to the behavior over the eco-cultural approach views the environment (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). The Relationship between Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology There are two different disciplines, anthropology and philosophy, that overlap in cultural psychology. Then reviewing other disciplines there is a wider viewpoint when researching various actions that others do. The purpose of cultural psychology is to unearth how someone’s culture affects behavior as well as how the connection is generated. Human energy cannot be the only factory determining one’s predisposition. Cultural psychology interprets that one’s mind should not be viewed as separate when explaining behavior. However, cross culture psychology relates to not only history and anthropology but also similarities and differences between histories. Regardless, both disciplines take into account culture so their foundations are close. The difference occurs because cultural psychology is interested in the relationship with culture someone has versus cross-cultural being interested in comparison on cultures (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). The Role of Critical Thinking in Cross-Cultural Psychology Using critical thinking the right way, there are many ways that critical thinking that be a benefit. Life can be complex and complicated to understand. Critical thinking provides someone the ability to steer through life with a certainty. This being said, critical thinking is learned, not n inherited trait. Being able to think hypothetically, decrypt puzzles, synchronizing thoughts and communicating all require critical thinking. Using critical thinking means that one asks questions that will ultimately solve problems. If someone is unqualified or unskilled, it is possible they will not develop to full potential. By developing the critical thinking skill, this means that one could grow and learn. The use of language, patience when making important decisions, and ability to organize (Hunter, 2009). All of those that were mentioned are influences in cross-cultural psychology. Language can lead to discrimination for example. The way words are translated can be confused because of the way that it is understood. Translating word for word could lead to an incorrect translation. Understanding that any language can be translated into other meanings causing traumatization or inspiring depending on the interpretation. The research is another part of cross-cultural psychology that is attached to critical thinking. Research that is conducted without bias, emotion, choosing right from wrong, and accepting validity and reliability of that research is a form of critical thinking. It is normal for there to be comparisons made when linking groups or cultures. Here are a few instances how critical thinking and cross-cultural psychology are intertwined. Without a critical thinking understanding how culture affects behavior could form the wrong impression (Segal, Dasen, Berry & Poortinga, 1999). Methodology Associated with Cross-Cultural Research Research is a critical part of cross cultural psychology. Without having research the only information about cross-cultural psychology would be assumptions. Psychologists who focus their studies on cross cultural psychologists are intrigued with the commonalities between cultures. As psychologists explain, foretell and manage various behaviors of those they observe they do so because humans are consumed with the interactions he or she has with others resulting in behaviors. Generating research is done by scientific investigation. Cross cultural psychology research is subdivided into quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative research is done through observation by mode, median and mean. Qualitative research is nconditioned settings or a natural setting. This method is picked when the variables are impossible to gather because the tools are not available. There are two different strategies that are also available to use; the application orientated and comparativist strategy. The data collected by these strategies can be done through systematic or random sampling (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). â€Å"Observation (naturalistic and laboratory), survey (direct and indirect), experimental studies (independent and dependent variables), content-analysis, psychobiography, meta-analysis, focus-group method† (Shiraev & Levy, 2010, pp. 5-40) are all available to psychologists who are interested in cross cultural insestigations. When using cross cultural psychology hindrances could occur. Language could create problems when completing research consequently ensuring correct translation is of the utmost importance. Investigators should be able to decipher a specific method as realistically as possible. Attention should also be paid when associating two phenomena and also avoid biases at all times (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). Conclusion Since culture plays a vital role in one’s life, it is critical to recognize that it is what causes one’s behavior. Culture is manmade and appears all of the time without much thought. It is important for one to be a successful psychologist that there is a clear understanding of both cultural and cross cultural psychology and how it effects the individual as well as his or her environment. Because of cultural psychology one can trace the connection between culture and psychology and eventually behavior. Viewing various parallels in cultural psychology can help see the differences as well as similarities between cultures and how it impacts one’s actions. Without it, there will always be a mystery surrounding humanity.

Is War Ethical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Is War Ethical - Essay Example Some people like war. They believe that war can change their lives only to realize that it caused them more harm than they had thought. Those who win always get power over the losers. They also get wealth and resources. They make laws to govern the territory. Many people have been asking themselves very many questions about war. These questions may include: is ethical to go to war? When is the right time to start war? Is it right to revenge against those wrong us? Is it ethical to interfere with other states affairs? Anyone who thinks about war must put in consideration what is right and wrong. Anything happening in war is either considered right or wrong depending on the people affected. Those who are the cause of war take every action to be right because it favors their interests. The other victims take the action to be wrong because it affects them negatively. Therefore, war has both positive and negative effects in the human population. War is a brutal activity but it is still th e centre of human history and the changes in social lives. It is because of war that some countries have changed in their economy and the way of live. During the time of war, life becomes hard for weak population (Coates, 2006). The weak people in the society are always the victims of war. In â€Å"Sirens of Bagdad†, Bedouin family is very poor. They live in a village in the Iraqi desert called Kafr Karam. Bedouin is a young man who is determined to be a more educated man than his father who never went to school. He goes to university of Bagdad but his education is cut short by invasion of Americans in the area. The university is destroyed and later closed making him go back home. Therefore, war kills his ambition of being a good person with a well paying job after the university. His dreams are crushed completely making him see no reason to live. This is how war can affect lives of the innocent people in the society (Khadra, 2007). War is always a very bad thing that can hap pen in the society. It compromises no one including the one who causes it. War abuses the human rights. Many people are killed, displaced from their homes while others lose their properties. This is against the human rights. War is way of governing using force instead of using peaceful measures of resolving policies. Some people in the government use their power to control what should be going on in a certain territory. They do not care how commands are going to affect the lives of people living in that territory. Lives of these people are going to be affected greatly. Bedouin, in â€Å"Sirens of Bagdad†, was affected by war caused by the Americans in Bagdad. It made him lose hope in life. It is because of war that he is forced to drop his education since the university he was studying in closed. War also follows him back to his village. He feels so embarrassed when he sees his father half-naked after being raided by the American soldiers. The way he felt was really touching. He says, â€Å"And beyond it, there was nothing but an infinite void, an interminable void, nothingness.† He says that he is forced to see his father’s genitals. What life is he going through? War has ruined his education and now it follows him home where he sees his weak father pulled around by war soldiers. All these actions changed him into a very angry man ready for vengeance (Khadra, 2007). Sometimes it is right to wage war. This especially is when a country has to protect her citizens from any terrorist attack. Every

Systems And Operations Management At Atokowa Essay

Systems And Operations Management At Atokowa - Essay Example Each organization has certain business objectives which are pursued through the operations of the organization. The success of an organization depends upon the efficiency of its decision making process and the execution of its operations. The systems and operations management in the organization helps the organization in achieving its objectives (Kolli 2000). The information system of the organization helps the organization collect and manage the information that is required for effective decision making and the operations management of the organization helps the organization conduct its operations in an effective and efficient manner (Slack & Johnston 2004). If the operations of an organization are performed effectively and efficiently, the organization would acquire its business objectives more easily. In order to make the operations of an organization efficient, the organization shall give high importance to the operations management (Greasley, 1999). ... There are numerous retail outlets being run by the company. The company also offers a facility to deliver stationery and office supplier directly to the organizations. The company also offers customized printing for organizations. The business of the company was initially established as photocopying business which later extended towards printing. The company prints; brochures, flyers, letterheads, business cards, compliments slips, memo slips, fax headers and NCR pads. The products by Atokowa are marketed to two distinct types of customers; the individual customers and the business customers. The retail outlets by the company offer products to both the individual customers and the businesses at the same time. The businesses make a significant proportion of the overall customer base of the organization. SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT AT ATOKOWA From the study done on Atokowa, it can be inferred that the current systems management of the company does not provide sufficient and accur ate information regarding the type of market that generates most revenue. In order to make effective decisions, it is highly important for any organization to have complete and accurate information regarding its operations. The operations being conducted at Atokowa are also very complex. Invoices are generated after a complex formal procedure and the discounts are offered after significantly extensive paper work. In order to make the operations management at Atokowa more effective and efficient, the company may need to modify its existing information system that is called ASIS. The information system is outdated and with the introduction of new technology, the company may need to apply new information system in its organizational structure.

Demerests Knowledge Management Model and Others Research Paper

Demerests Knowledge Management Model and Others - Research Paper Example The Knowledge Category Model categorises knowledge into discrete elements. The most renowned of these models is the model by Nonaka and Takeuchi, The Knowledge Spiral Model. In this model, there are some assumptions that have been made. The first assumption is that tacit knowledge can be transferred to others and become their tacit knowledge through the process of socialisation. The second assumption is that through externalisation, tacit knowledge can become explicit knowledge. The third assumption is that through internalisation, explicit knowledge can be converted to tacit knowledge. The fourth and the last assumption is that combination helps in making our explicit knowledge of the explicit knowledge of others. Another model in this category is that of Boisot, 1998. There are four characteristics of this model when knowledge is codified and un-diffused than it is propriety knowledge, it is basically on a need to know basis. The second characteristic is that when knowledge is un-c odified and un-diffused it is a piece of personal knowledge. The third type of knowledge according to this model is public knowledge and this is codified and diffused. The last type of knowledge is common sense. The second category of Knowledge Management is Intellectual Capital Models. The model assumes that intellectual capital can be broken down into two categories: human capital and organisational or structural capital. The third category of Knowledge Management is Socially Constructed Models. In this model, knowledge is linked with the social and learning process of the organisation.  

U.S. policy toward Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program Essay

U.S. policy toward Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program - Essay Example There is no defined way of getting Iran to drop its nuclear program. But a combination of various technologies can be used to corner the country into doing so. The US government should follow both the carrot and stick approach to persuade Iran to comply by its sanctions. It should make sure its policies are bilateral and multilateral to gain support from the other countries. Here is a threefold plan to achieve the same. 1. The third world countries should be convinced regarding the threat of the increased arms proliferation and the advantages the current US sanctions might bring them to gain their support. The Iranian neighbours should be lured in to give more support to the US policies. 2. The Iranian public should be made aware of the losses they incur due to the sanctions. They can play a key role in making their government drop such activities for the general economic growth of the country. 3. The US government should stop imposing more strict sanctions on the Iranian oil market. It should bargain technological help in core areas in exchange of a cease on the nuclear program. Current Status Iran suffers from various rounds of US sanctions currently. The sanctions have banned the supply of heavy weaponry to Iran by any other country. It has prevented the exports of Iranian arms to other countries and frozen the assets of around 39 individuals and 141 companies whom it think is responsible for strengthening the nuclear power in Iran. The latest sanctions proposed by the US on prohibit all foreign financial institutions to have business contacts with Iran's Central Bank. Under requests from the American government the European Union and South Korea have also agreed not to purchase oil from Iran which comes as a heavy blow to Iranian economy. These sanctions have been imposed upon Iran because they have breached to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations as alerted by the UN's watchdog (Not Quite too Late, 2012). Iran’s Nucl ear Power The US intelligence reports states that Iran purchases advanced technology from Russia and the products necessary to materialize the technology from China. There is an assumption that Iran will develop and test an IRBM or intermediate-range ballistic missile and an ICBM with the support of these countries by 2015. The reports from the CIA state that Iran has close tie ups with North Korea and it is planning to create TD-2 type ICBM and test it within 2015 (Iranian Ballistic Missile WMD Threat to the US, 2000). They also fear a huge range of chemical and biological weapons are stocked by the Iranian government which might be used directly against the US or simply be sold to groups or countries which target the US as their primary enemy. Is it an Imaginary Fear? The US government should consider how far the previous sanctions have prevented Iran from producing the nuclear weapons. It is a proven fact that the sanctions which have been passed on the country for the past 30 ye ars have given very little result. But looking into Iran's ballistic missile history, there is no solid proof that they are capable of developing long-range ballistic missiles or huge nuclear weapons. They created a Shahab-4 which claimed to act as a ballistic missile but turned out to be just an SLV with minimum military applications. Tehran has been boasting about its plan to create