Nutrition and Fitness Essay

Healthy nutrition and fitness are critical to superior wellbeing and are vital for the strong growth of children and adults alike. A large number of deaths in the United States each year are related to unhealthy nutrition and an inactive standard of living. This paper will discuss my current fitness and nutritional habits and ways that I can improve them by implementing new activities into my daily lifestyle. a.Explain your current fitness and nutritional habits. Also, briefly explain some of the health risks associated with obesity. For starters, my current fitness and nutritional habits are in a roller-coaster effect. During the last four months my fitness habits have consisted of exercising for two or three weeks then not exercising for two or three weeks again. However, what I was doing for five weeks straight up until last week was a 90 day fitness program called P90x. P90x is an at-home workout that uses the term â€Å"muscle confusion† to increase results. Whether â€Å"muscle confusion† truly exists or not can be argued, but the fitness term â€Å"muscle tension† has been confirmed through numerous fitness experts. Here is an example of one week’s workout: Monday-60 minutes of push-up/pull-up alternating exercises, followed by a 15 minute abdominal workout; Tuesday-60 minutes of plyometrics cardio (fancy term for â€Å"jump training†); Wednesday-60 minutes of back and bicep workout alternating exercises, followed by a 15 minute abdominal workout; Thursday-90 minutes of Yoga; Friday-60 minutes of legs and back workout, followed by a 15 minute abdominal workout; Saturday-Kenpo X (another form of Tae-Bo); Sunday-rest. For the first time in a very long time, I believe that my fitness habits have been much better than previous times. However, my nutritional habits have been devastating to my workouts and achieving the results that I am looking for. My breakfast and lunch eating habits have not been unhealthy. My breakfast typically consists of two Kellog’s Nutrigrain Bars with a glass of 2% milk. I am not a big breakfast person and my appetite is always minimal when I wake up. If I do not have a Nutrigrain bars for breakfast I will have either a protein shake or a bowl of Raisin Bran. For lunch I either have some type of carbohydrate (spaghetti/pasta) or a cold sandwich, such as tuna  or turkey accompanied with a small side of potato chips. For dinner I eat whatever my wife or I cook (all nutritional rules are out the window for dinner). On top of all the previous mentioned, I consume approximately one gallon (128 fl. Oz.) of water a day beginning in the morning up until the time I go to be d. Some of the health risks associated with obesity are cholesterol and triglyceride levels, impaired heart function, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, impaired immune function, gallbladder and kidney diseases, skin problems, impotence, sleep and breathing disorders, back pain, arthritis, other bone and joint disorders, complications of pregnancy, menstrual irregularities, urine leakage, increased surgical risk, and psychological disorders and problems such as depression, low self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction (Insel & Roth, 2008). b.Identify and describe three new fitness habits that you could reasonably incorporate into your lifestyle. How could these new habits improve your health?Three new fitness habits that I could incorporate into my lifestyle are getting more sleep at night, attempting to run in the morning for 20-30 minutes prior to going to work, and on my rest day (Sunday) doing a stretching routine for approximately 30 minutes. Sleeping more at night will result in more energy throughout the day, running in the morning will give me a more alert approach to starting my day, and stretching will improve my overall ability for muscle growth by increasing flexibility in my body. c.Identify and describe three new nutritional habits that you could reasonably incorporate into your lifestyle. How could these new habits improve your health?Three new nutritional habits that I could incorporate into my lifestyle would be eating a healthier and more plentiful breakfast, as breakfast has been said to be the most important meal of the day, eating more fruits and vegetables, and to not eat after 6:00 PM. Eating a healthier and more fulfilling breakfast will increase energy and alertness throughout the day. Eating more fruits and vegetables is important because they are important sources of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals which is crucial for a healthy diet (Insel & Roth, 2008), and not eating after 6:00 PM will  improve the way I feel prior to going to bed, as in not feeling overstuffed with food. d.Discuss how each new habit would promote healthy weight. Sleeping at least seven hours at night would increase the likelihood of higher weight loss (Bouchez, 2007). Running is a form of cardiovascular fitness and since metabolism in the body is strongest when a person first wakes up, with the exception of sleeping, this exercise in the morning will most likely increase my metabolism throughout the day compared to not running in the morning. In short, the higher the metabolism is in the body will result in the higher probability of weight loss (Woodward, 2009). Stretching on what would typically be my rest day would allow my body to be better at physical fitness activities such as weight training and cardiovascular fitness. In addition to less likelihood of pulling or straining a muscle, stretching would increase my ability to burn more calories, therefore, simplifying my ability to sustain a healthy weight. Additionally, Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet and Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School (2005) states, â€Å"When you don’t eat breakfast, you’re actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you’re not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight.† Eating more fruits and vegetables throughout the day would help balance my intake of foods according to the food pyramid. Last, not eating after 6:00 PM is crucial to weight loss (Levinson, 2008). People tend to eat more at night without realizing it. One major cause for this is evenings are when most people lounge around the house or watch a movie or their favorite television program, and eat mass amounts of calories without noticing. Making an extra effort to not eat after 6:00 PM would help reduce these types of unhealthy eating habits. e.Discuss how each new habit would benefit your health in general. Sleeping at least seven hours at night, running in the morning before work, stretching on my rest days, eating breakfast everyday, ensuring I eat fruits  and vegetables, and not eating after 6:00 PM will collectively have an overall benefit on my health. To endure a healthy life one must eat right according to the food pyramid suggestions, get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, eat the proper foods at the proper times of the day, avoid unhealthy foods and detrimental health choices such as smoking, and develop constructive ways to deal with stress. By performing all the previously mentioned activities in this paper, I, along with other who follow these or other healthy habits, will improve overall health in general. Conclusion This paper discussed my current lifestyle and how I can incorporate new ways of improving my overall health. Although I will not make any promises that I will change my current fitness habits, as I do not wish to exercise twice a day everyday, I do acknowledge my lack of nutrition and the need for improvement. Therefore, I will do my best starting today, to improve my overall health by following my own suggestions for a healthier lifestyle. References Bouchez, Colette. (2005). The Dream Diet: Losing Weight While You Sleep. WebMD. Retrieved July 28, 2009, from http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/lose-weight-while-sleepingInsel, Paul M., & Roth, Walton T. (2008). Core Concepts of Health. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/ereader.aspx?assetmetaid=0888a650-2b5a-4424-b9ae-57b032e4b83a&assetdataid=b2ae1aa0-300e-4fe0-8c52-3d1500fd0d59. Levinson, Mike. (2008, October 13). Eating After 6 pm: Why It’s Bad For You [blog]. Message posted to http://www.diet.com/dietblogs/read_blog.php?title=Eating+After+6+pm%3A+ Why+It%5C’s+Bad+For+You&blid=12884Politi, Elisabetta. (2005). Lose Weight: Eat Breakfast. WebMD. Retrieved July 28, 2009, from http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfastWoodward, Susan. (2009). Boosting Metabolism. MSN Health & Fitness. Retrieved July 28, 2009, from http://health.msn.com/fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100096731

An Assessment on the Benefits of Higher Education Essay

Higher education can be defined as the education that can be gained by an individual through studying at universities, colleges and other collegial institutions. This post-secondary or tertiary education is a non-compulsory education after graduating from high school or any other secondary school. An academic reward usually accompanied the graduation that distinguishes the skills and knowledge of an individual among others with his own field of specialization. These can be in the form of certificates, diplomas or academic degrees. Higher education usually appears to be in the form of teaching, researches and social services. These activities are usually provided by the universities and colleges in the realm of teaching. It also includes both the undergraduate level and post-graduate level which includes Ph. D. and master’s degrees. In the case of United Kingdom, the type of education that falls under the level of higher education but can also be classified as a post-secondary education is termed as further education. They usually include working skills with the level of degree that one may attain and thereby, making them a foundation degree qualification. There are mainly two classifications of higher education as it is dictated in the United Kingdom, the higher general education and the higher vocational education. In United States, higher education simply refers to as education offered by several institutions including the associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees, master’s degrees and Ph. D. degrees. These institutions may also grant non-degree certificates which may prove the acquisition of knowledge and skills that can be useful for specific jobs. The right to acquire a degree from higher education institutions started on 1950 when Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights imposed the right of all individual to acquire proper education. United Nations also supported this law by providing the Article 13 of 1966 which states the accessibility of higher education to all, making it a standard goal on the basis of wealth and capacity through legal means. This law further supported the introduction of higher education to all by supporting the progressive implementation of free education. Higher education provides many advantages for a person as he takes his step towards employment and success. Some of the primary reasons why higher education should globally encourage are: (1) it can lead to higher salaries and more benefits for the employee; (2) it can encourage more employment options and reduce unemployment; (3) to promote higher saving levels; (4) to increase the personal learning as well as the professional mobility of the worker; (5) to improve life style and quality living that will lead to improved life expectancy and quality life for his offspring. One good example of these positive effects is the state of North Dakota. Some benefits brought by the implementation of higher education that are commonly noticed in the place are having 70 percent increase in the level of income of the residents and unemployment are reduced into five times less than before resulting into less amount of assistance that are needed to be offered by the government among its people. The state of Utah is another good example of this implementation of higher education. The number of enrollees in Utah have grown into significant amount during 1982 and 1983 which eventually lead to good results. The succeeding years have been very helpful for Utah as its education rates and level had increased to a desirable level. Utah showed great success during those succeeding years in terms of education level and economy. Utah became also a top performer on Measuring Up 2004 as it promotes the higher education for he students. It is definitely very advantageous to promote and encourage the students to pursue their studies and to be able to gain degrees on their own specialization. This will enable them to help themselves as individuals and promote a better economy for their state as they become part of the working class. Reference: Hill, Kent, Dennis Hoffman & T. R. Rex. 2005. The Value of Higher Education: Individual and Societal Benefits. Arizona State University http://wpcarey. asu. edu/seid/upload/Value%20Full%20Report_final_october %202005a. pdf

The Pluralism Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Pluralism Project - Essay Example Therefore, from her article she summarizes that pluralism is like an engagement. It helps in bringing a common society from different diversity together. It is considered to be among the possible responses to the new diversity. Pluralism in our society is not welcomed fully, some look at it with extreme hostility while others feel threatened by it. Other people in our society are looking forward to the days when the differences seen in our society will fade away into the predominantly Christian culture landscape. These voices of the past are now being echoed in the current America’s religious and cultural discussions. The diversity has produced fault lines in America’s religions, and these lines of weakness indicate how American society is with huge cracks of separation. Ecks sees the pluralism alone is not the cause of Americas diversity hut it plays an active engagement role in diversity. It is more than just tolerating the religious differences in our society, what pluralism requires is knowledge for one to understand it and fully appreciate it. It is an act of individuals respecting what others believe in pertaining a given religion. It is also used to refer to different beliefs that are held by more religious views to be acceptable by the beliefs or appear equally valid. Religious pluralism is considered an expression that tries to accept any religion that is in existing or that relates to each in certain ways. It is more than just mere tolerance of other views that are being put forth by other religions (Chaves and Gorski, pg. 261). Pluralism in religion tends to admit the fact that the name put forth by the various religious views throughout the world is not regarded as the ultimate and exclusive source of truth. What this tries to portray is that some elements of truth do exist in religion as much as it exists in

Engineering Challenges Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Engineering Challenges - Assignment Example Thus, this poses as great challenge to world since it is the world’s responsibility to liberate everybody so that they can achieve their full potential. To do so, the engineering aspect has to come in handy to provide a solution in this thorny issue. Water is available in large amounts underground. This water can only be made available by use of sophisticated equipment to drill the ground in some parts of the world that are rocky. Thus mechanical engineering comes in handy by providing these services. Further, mechanical engineers have come up with a machine that can be used to clean contaminated underground water. The machine cleans the water by hydrolysis hence removing impurities and salt that may have long term effects on the health status of the individuals. Furthermore to make the process affordable and sustainable, the mechanical engineering students from MIT have come up with a machine that uses solar energy to clean water that can be used by up to 5000 people in one village (Hoek and Ghosh, 40). Thus this cuts down on costs that could have been used to run big machines using electricity form the

Personal Positioning Paper, Cultures and Contexts, Spanish Modernity Essay

Personal Positioning Paper, Cultures and Contexts, Spanish Modernity - Essay Example We dance to our conservative dance styles and almost religiously strive to save our hard earned money to buy flamenco dresses. Wow! Quite moving, and I am motivated by the enthusiasm, passion and zeal that our people have in protecting what is inherently theirs. â€Å"We are living in the twenty first century† is now a cliche. The context in which these words are in most cases used is in reprimanding, persuading and to urging for â€Å"change!† But you sister, brother, mother, father, grandmother and grandfather will hear none of that. We do not need to change! You would all say, I would too, but not entirely. Change is good and it is not only inevitable, but also obligatory as long as we desire for better lives. Folklore, which is at the center of this party, is a culturally agreed weapon for criticism and fight against the national government whose policies do not work for us. Oscar Wild said that we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Hope is what will drive us to change. Bull fighting motivates ours struggles, our peculiar dressing and dances remind us of our history. The indigenous food enlightens our capabilities and originality. All these things are desirable, but we have to think of the future. Political ideologies have always set me apart with my family, and having harbored those thoughts has made me think that I need my family in order to become a living evidence of change. I want to become an engineer, but I used to ask myself why I need this traditional culture in order to achieve my non- traditional goal of becoming an engineer. I was wrong, because I will still serve you my people once I graduate as an engineer and the culture will still be there to guide, shape and discipline me on what is you expect of me in my service to you. There must be a fusion between traditional elements and contemporary elements, traditional elements and non- traditional goals like

Economic developments in Germany and their impact on the EU economy Essay

Economic developments in Germany and their impact on the EU economy - Essay Example This paper demonstrates the main two economic pillars behind the unification were the theories of ‘Regional Trading Block’ and ‘Optimum Currency Area’. The former deals with a free trade area with a two-tier tariff system i.e. zero tariffs within the union members and some positive rate of tariff for the non union-members. (Robson 1999: 109-110) The latter deals with the introduction of a unique currency; it would enable the member states to enjoy the benefit of a fixed exchange rate system with the facility of full currency convertibility. (Krugman and Obstfeld, 1997: 631-33) The simultaneous functioning of a trading block and the optimum currency area was the main theoretical standpoint of the European Union and economic integration was the result of that. Economic integration is desired for the transfer of the benefit of economic development of one country to another. (Czinkota, Rivoli, Ronkainen 1989: 14-16) Let us consider the economic development of Germany and its influence on the European Union. Here our analysis would be concentrated on the economic development of Germany after the establishment of EU. German economy marks itself as a social market economy as the government undertakes a wide array of social services. As German economy is highly export oriented it advocated for European economic integration. After unification German commercial policies have been highly centred towards union. The social reform policies adopted by Germany for the welfare of the society and the structural industrial reform enhanced the performance of the economy and its global competitiveness. (US Dept of State 2008)

Life Expectancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life Expectancy - Essay Example Statistics reveal that life expectancy at birth, presently, has increased so much that on an average, it â€Å"exceeds 79 years† across the OECD, with a â€Å"nine year gap† between Japan and Turkey, the countries with highest and lowest life expectancy respectively (OECD, 2011, p. 78). This difference in the level of increase in life expectancy in developed and developing countries is a result of the varied factors and conditions present in both categories of countries. However, extensive studies that have been conducted over the past several years have identified that medical innovation, with respect to advancements in medicines and treatment, is the main reason behind increase in life expectancy in both developed and developing countries. Contrary to popular notion that growth in income level or income inequality affects life expectancy, OECD social indicators have evidenced that between the â€Å"mid-80s and mid-2000s,† there is â€Å"no relationship† between increasing life expectancy and income growth or between â€Å"rising† life expectancy and income inequality changes (OECD, 2011, p. 79). Furthermore, lower â€Å"infant mortality rates† and the fact of older people being able to live â€Å"longer† have characterized the increase in life expectancy, and this has been possible only due to the various medical innovations that took place over the past decades. Thus, this underlines the fact that medical innovation is directly responsible for the increase in life expectancy not only by decreasing infant mortality rates, but also by prolonging life of aged people. For instance, death rates arising from â€Å"coronary heart diseases† in the US have declined by â€Å"three-fou rths† since the 1960s, cancer survival rate has increased from â€Å"49%† to â€Å"67%† and deaths from HIV/AIDS have decreased by an astounding â€Å"80%† (Lilly USA, LLC, 2012, p. 2). However, in order to

Project Management individual project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Project Management individual project - Essay Example ...........................Page 14 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..........................................................Page 15 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...........................................................Page 17 Introduction The objective of this Report is to explain how industry-standard Project Management tools will be used to ensure that a conversion of the Company’s network of Personal Computers will have their operating systems upgraded from Windows XP (presumably the Enterprise Edition) to Windows 7 (also presumably the Enterprise edition). The main work products from this exercise will be to enable:- a) Planning and monitoring the upgrade. b) Ensuring minimum inconvenience to the staff and clients of the Company. c) Dealing with any issues or problems that arise. d) Acquire any relevant knowledge that will be useful for future w ork. This will include, for example, the project duration, the project cost, the problem areas, and the successful areas. This information will be particular relevance when planning future upgrade project, such as form Windows 7 to Windows 8, for example. Much of the material cited below, where it has not been specifically referenced has come from the consensus of practical industry project management experience, for which specific sources cannot be cited, if many cases some years after the event. However, one work that has been most useful is Meredith & Mantel [Project Management : A Managerial Approach, Jack R. Meredith & Samuel J. Mantel Jr., Third Edition , John Wiley & Sons, 1995, ISBN 0-471-01626-8]. This has been extensively quoted from, and the specific references are given where appropriate. Prescribed Project Management Tools a) Gantt Chart These charts, although they have been in use for many years (since 1917!), are still a key tool in managing a project. They are intend ed, in an easy-to-read form, to show both planned and actual progress towards the goals of the project, This is done through a vertical list of tasks that have to be done in order to complete the project, with the horizontal axis showing the expected timescale of the project. Gantt charts are at their most useful when they permit the expedition, sequencing and allocation of resources amongst the component tasks of the project, in addition to showing current progress (or, most commonly, the lack thereof!) of the project. The Gantt chart notation also includes the relevant symbols for designating those aspects of the project that are of most concern for the situation that is being charted. An example form the case under consideration would be the allocation of Windows-trained staff and when they will need to complete the upgrade to each of the Company’s offices. The main advantages to using Gantt charts are that, firstly, although they may contain a large amount of information, they are easy to understand. Secondly, while such charts require frequently require updating (a fairly simple process these days with tools such as Microsoft project and others like it) the maintenance process is relatively easy, providing that the tasks to be performed stay the same(!). This is a classic example of changing requirements wrecking a project(!!). The way to get around this problem in the example under consideration, will be as with all IT-related projects, to adopt a ‘bite and hold’ approach, implementing the upgrade in a series of relatively small

Security and idententy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Security and idententy - Essay Example In the modern society, security does not refer to the state as a government or a territorial entity, but relatively as a collective identity of the nation. This indicates that, security in a society may be compromised by anything that compromises their identity (Panic 30). On the other hand, societal security relates to the capability of a society to preserve its essential characteristics in the face of variable circumstances despite of the potential and actual threats. In this case, security is compromised when a community perceives a threat as a hazard to its identity since identity is defined as a set of ideas and practices that recognize particular individuals as members of a social group (Panic 30). Moreover, nations are imaginary communities and national identities, which are the most important references object of the societal security. National identity, therefore, involves some forms of political community, common institutions and one code of duties and rights for all member s of the community. This identity also suggests a definite social space and demarcated territories, which are easily identified by members of the community (Panic 31). This means that community members have a feeling of belonging into this identity. This will, therefore, give a clear definition of a state as a group of people obeying similar rules and institutions within a given territory. According to David Campbell, there are two conceptions of a nation, which includes the civil model and ethics (Campbell 24). These are two predominantly conceptual territories, which need to be protected by the nation. This is due to the fact that nations have to possess compact, well-defined territories. Campbell indicates that territories cannot be just anywhere but must be... It is clear that security and identity have a deeper meaning rather than protecting the affairs of a country since, after the Cold War that appeared in European countries in early 1940s, there emerged new and complex security models of states and individuals. These new approaches were considerably divergent compared to traditional, narrow concepts since they indicate that something can be a security issue despite having no threat to the state. Different from traditional phenomena, other factors such as migrations and cultural identity challenges can contribute to identity securitization in a country. The identity of social group is the object of societal security concept. Social security is thus something concerning individuals and its nature in the prevailing economy. On the other hand, societal security relates to the collectivity of identities and actions undertaken with the aim of protecting such identities in a country.

Target Corporation Essay Example for Free

Target Corporation Essay Target Corporation is a powerful retail brand. It has a reputation for value for money, convenience and a wide range of products all in one store. Target Corporation is the third-largest general merchandise retailer in the United States. Target has three main competitors which is Wal-Mart, Costco, and K-Mart. Wal-Mart is the largest retail chain in the world, its mission is â€Å"Always low-prices!†Costco is the largest wholesale club operator in the U. S. K-Mart is the number three discount retailer in the U.S. As the November meeting approaches, CFO Doug Scovanner is faced with the problem of choosing which of the five controversial projects available to accept. So this case is to evaluate each of the projects based upon two major criteria. The first is determining the firm’s financial motives by major criteria. The first is determining the firm’s financial motives by quantifying the projected value added to the firm and the risk associated with each project. When determining to accept or reject projects based on adding value, the instruments we can use are NPV and the IRR. As we consider capital constraint problems, we also use the Profitability Index in order to determine which projects add the most value per dollar spent. Some thing we need to notice are projected sales figures, speculated variations in these sales projections, and the impact that adding a new store into the trade area has on the sales of surrounding stores. The second criterion involved in analyzing the projects is determining the firm’s business motives. This deals with recognizing Target’s corporate goals and mission and how they accomplish this through their business strategy. Two of the greatest aspects of their strategy are a high value on brand awareness and a defined target market of college educated women with a family. The ultimate goal, therefore, is finding a healthy balance between these two criteria by integrating as much of Target’s business strategy into the fundamental financial goals of wealth maximization shared by all firms. I have neither given or received nor have I tolerated others use it unauthorized aid.

Examining The Key Characteristics Of Rup Information Technology Essay

Examining The Key Characteristics Of Rup Information Technology Essay Initially select the rational unified process development methodology .The unified process was development in main by joining together Jacobsons use case modeling Boochs object oriented methods and Rumbaya,s object Modeling Techniques (OMT) , Many other object- oriented methods also contributed to developing this process. The goal at the rational Unified Process is to enable the production at highest quality software that meets end- user needs within predictable schedules and budgets. The Rational unified Process captures some of the best current software Development practices in a form that is tail arable for a wide range of projects and organization. The Key characteristics of RUP The Rational Unified processes in an iterative process. Built into the iterative approach is the flexibility to accommodate new requirements or tactical changes in business object. The rational behind the rational unified process is focus on models. Rather than paper documents is to minimize the overhead associated with generating and maintaining documents and to minimize the relevant information content. The Rational Unified Process place strong emphasis on building systems based on a through understand of how the delivered system will be used. The Rational Unified Process supports object oriented techniques each model is object Rational Unified Process models are based on the concepts of objects and classes and the use the UML as its notation. The Rational Unified Process configurable process although no single process suitable for all software development organizations. The Rational Unified Process is failorble and can be scaled to fit the needs of project ranging from small software development to large development organizations. The Rational Unified Process encourage on going quality control and risk management. Phases of RUP Should modified The Rational Unified Process is structured along two dimensions Time division of the life cycle into phases and iterations. Process components- productions of specific set of artifacts with well defined activities. Both dimensions must be taken in to account for a project to succeed. Structuring a project along the time dimension involves the adoption of the following time based four phases. Inception- specifying the project vision Elaboration-planning the necessary activities and require resources specifying the features and designing the architecture. Construction- building the product as a series of incremental iterations. Transition-Supplying the product to the user community. Structuring the project along the process component dimension include the following activities. Business modeling the identification of desired system capabilities and user needs. Requirements- a narration of the system vision along with a set of functional and non functional requirements. Analysis and design a description of how the system will be realized in the implementation phase. Implementation the production of the code that will result in an executable system. Testing the verification of the entire system deployment the delivery of the system and user training to the customer. Within each phase are a number of iterations. Iteration represents a complete development cycle form requirements capture in analysis to implementation testing which result in the realse of an executable product constitutly a subset of the final project under development which then is grown incrementally form iteration to iteration becomes the final system. During the elaboration the focus turns towards analysis and design. In construction implementation is the control activity and transition centers on developments Work breakdown structure With refer to project proposal the entire work break down structure represent Project schedule With referenced to the project proposal entire project plan submitted using MS project Cost estimation With respect to feasibility study in chaper2 the initial cost estimation carried out concerning three areas Total software cost , total hardware cost, total human laybour Risk managing Risk Identification in Inception Phase Identification risk is one management tool in nine project management principles. therefore should be proper method assess unknown risk can be generate and impact of risk and prepare resist to the risk .mainly critical path activities will generate risk if one goes wrong that might effect to total project related wasting time money. Therefore to minimize the risk used contingency plan. Given below is the few or risk associated with certain activities Risk on requirement gathering and analysing identifying incorrect requirements out of scope Risk associated in changing system architecture and technologies several times to fulfil additional requirement made by clients. Risk of design incorrect architecture Risk associated with reusing software component Risk associate din poor project planning in time management and resources management Risk associate with using open source tools to development process Risk associate on hardware used for the project compatibility for requirements After identifying risk it can be categorizes in to three risk namely project risk, product risk, business risk .To overcome risk and identify the proper solution use risk management process Risk Identification Risk Analysis Risk Planning Risk Monitoring List of potential risks Prioritizes risk list Risk avoidance and contingency plans Risk assessment With related risk analysis concern about security risk as in order to identify possible risk caused as physically, from software to destroy information on database as follows Physical risk Fire: Place fire extinguishers that suitable for all type of fires in every floor especially near server rooms and check continuous time intervals Flood: Place the server room as well equipment higher levels where the impact minimum Earthquakes: Locate back up server in separate location where earthquakes are minimise Tsunami: To prevent risk place the servers remote locations Equipment theft: To prevent the risk can used security cameras and security guard with lock doors to server rooms Software risk: Hacking: Used firewall protection, place intrusion detection system Eavesdropping: Used strong encryption when transferring data through the system which difficult crack the encription using complex algorithm Virus: Place co operate virus guard which consist of large virus database in order stand quarantine such a risk Information theft: Place hybrid intrusion detection system and used strong password policy

Admiral Jarok as a Traitor :: Star Trek Traitor Essays Papers

In our recent viewing of the "The Defector", an episode in the saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation, we encountered a traitor. A traitor is one who has knowledge or power of information and betrays the cause, another, or trust; to commit an act of treason. Romulan Admiral Jarok is a traitor in the episode. Admiral Jarok is a traitor because he divulged top secret Romulan military information to the enemy; The Federation. Disclosure of restricted military information qualifies Admiral Jarok as a traitor. Admiral Jarok sought asylum from the Federation in exchange for confidential Romulan military information and he did not uphold his duties as an admiral. Treason and betrayal should be sufficient evidence to assume that a traitor is among us. Just as Admiral Jarok is a traitor among the Romulans. To begin with, Admiral Jarok is a traitor in that he sought asylum from the Federation in exchange for confidential military information. Captain Picard and his crew beam up a Romulan seeki ng asylum in to the Enterprise. This Romulan declares himself as, "Sub-lieutenant Setal, who claims to be a logistics clerk who has discovered a plot for a new Romaulan offensive" (Tong 1995). Clearly stated are the facts that Jarok has information to give the Federation on the enemy; the Romulans. Setal (A.K.A. Jarok) continues to state that the Romulans have constructed a base in the Neutral Zone on the Planet Nelvana III. He also states that, "there are twenty-one Warbirds in orbit around her, just waiting to make a first strike" (Tong 1995). He also suggest that the Federation strike first and that the Romulans have the same intentions and are just seeking the perfect moment. Admiral Jarok attempts to validate his convictions by speaking of the, "reports, fee receipts, and work orders for the construction of the military base" (Smith 1/30/96), he had seen. Jarok insist that the Federation make a move for future lives are at stake. One of the future lives that is reliant on the F ederation making an attack is that of Jarok's own daughter. In an attempt to move Captain Picard's emotions, Jarok tells Picard of his true motives to stop war; his daughter. Fleeing with military secrets Admiral Jarok claimed he had intentions of preventing war so that his young daughter might have a future. Captain Picard, weary of Jarok (Setal), demands proof of his convictions for he too believes that Jarok is a traitor.

The Softer Side of Catullus Exposed in Poem 5 Essay -- Catullus

The Softer Side of Catullus Exposed in Poem 5 This paper begins by discussing Catullus’ genuine love of life as expressed in poem 5 and introduced in the first line. It considers poem 5 as rather less cynical than many of Catullus’ others, and therefore uniquely revealing. It then examines the first triad, which expresses defiance of convention, and the second, which expresses the brevity of life and the urgency of love. The enumeration of kisses is then discussed in particular detail with comparisons to poems 7 and 48. Finally, it shows that Catullus’ usual cynicism, which is missing throughout most of the poem, appears just at the end, displaying Catullus’ ingenuity. Though he is indeed a cynic, Catullus seems to express in general a love of life and an eagerness to experience it. He feels the futility of being human, yet he longs to be human, to feel all the joys and pains of being alive. Ultimately he sees love and life as wondrous, beautiful things. In few other poems is this view expressed as well as in poem 5. An idealized picture of furtive love, poem 5 presents a young, budding romance between Catullus and the infamous Lesbia. It is has many common characteristics of new love: it is rebellious in its attitude toward those who disapprove, urgent in its perception of time, charming and innocent in its request for kisses. Composed â€Å"at an early stage in Catullus’ love affair with Lesbia† (Goold 237), poem 5 opens with the words vivamus and amemus. These two words, meaning â€Å"let us live† and â€Å"let us love,† characterize Catullus in a way that few other poems do so well, revealing who he is when lets down the guard of cynicism. Indeed, poem 5 seems to be one of the less cynical and more honest of Catullus’ poems. The ... ...us. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. Goold, G. P. Catullus. London: Duckworth, 1983. Hart-Davies, T. Catullus. London: C. Kegan & Co., 1879. Kelly, Walter K. The Poems of Catullus and Tibullus. London: G. Bell and Sons, ltd., 1919. Lamb, George. The Poems of Caius Valerius Catullus, vol. 1. London: John Murray, 1821. Merrill, E. T. Catullus. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1893. Additional Works Consulted Hornblower, Simon, and Anthony Spawforth, eds. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999. Lee, Guy. Catullus: the Complete Poems. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. Lewis, Charlton T. An Elementary Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1981. McMarren, Vincent P. A Critical Concordance to Catullus. Leiden: Brill, 1977. Perseus Digital Library. Ed. Gregory Crane. Tufts University. 20 March 2003 .

Models of Organized Crime Executive Summary Essay

The difference between the patron-client and bureaucratic model is based on who is appointed the leader. The organization is based on trust and loyalty similar to the family. The main role as a patron-client is to show leadership by providing financial assistance and safety for the client. The client returns the favor by acting out different duties coming from the patron. The patron-client has the advantage because they are the sole providers for all communication for the client. Income is providing from executing from murders, thefts, frauds and drug trafficking. The patron client dominates a particular location for his organization. The group is also connected with police officers who are specialized in criminal operatives. The bureaucratic model is more focus on setting goals. Bureaucratic have a higher clientele but are selective with who is inducted into their group. All orders come from the boss in order to execute the next chain of events. The most important operation in the business is hierarchy. In order for the plan to be successful, all members must fully understand their role. This process is crucial for the structure to the organization and the members. The members must be able to carry out the task. If a step was missed by a member, they will eliminate from the project. The organization cannot afford for their hard work to be flush down the drain because an associate could not be trusted. Weber’s and Taylor’s models of the bureaucratic theory are most effective when used for larger events. Once a plan is started the bureaucratic should be introduced in order to control all lines of communication and any rules that were initially set. The patron-client is more decentralized and does not require control over unit members. Parton-clients are more favorable in social networks because there not fully involved with the plan. Bureaucratic model are vulnerable to cops  because upper management is stricter. The patron-client provides information for the job. For instance, the investigator will provide the client information so the whereabouts will not be an issue making the job easier to perform. In conclusion, each model has its expression of criminal cooperation with different socioeconomic conditions and law enforcement strategies to avoid media attention. Crime groups are broken down into different characteristics. Members of organized crime groups normally attack public officials and law enforcement agents. . Understanding organized crime is important because it gives the government the ability to know how they work so can be bought to a stop. References Connor, O. (2012). Organized Crime Investigation. Retrieved from http:// http://www.drtomoconnor.com/3220lect07a.htm/ Mallory, S. (2007). Understanding Organized Crime. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers

Benefits of Two Years Mandatory Military Service

With the present constant threat to national security and the many advantages that military service imparts to the individual, I take the position that every able-bodied citizen (male and female) should have a two-year military service. The first advantage of military service is that it pushes a man to develop personal discipline. In American society today, many youths were not able to develop any personal discipline (Armstrong, 2006). People who are undisciplined are usually the cause of trouble and more likely to commit many criminal offenses. That is because, people like them do not know how to take care of themselves and their society. They are lazy and just want to hang out in the streets and having nothing else to do, get themselves into drugs or other illegal activities. They are usually the ones who cannot find jobs or were constantly got fired.   In the end, they became a menace to society.   In reality, parents of this youths often cannot make them reform. Requiring this kind of people to enter military service for two years is the best means   for them to develop personal discipline, whether they like it or not. In military, failure to obey commands or follow rules means facing the corresponding military consequences. As I came from a military family (my dad, mom and step mom and three uncles are working in the military), I can attests that people from this service are well-disciplined individuals. Next, military service helps to â€Å"structure† a youth’s life. Most youths after high school will still be confused or unsure of what career to take in life. The underlying cause may be because they do not know themselves very well yet. They still do not know their strengths, weaknesses and what they really want in life. In short, their life still lacks â€Å"structure† from which to build a foundation. Having no compulsory military service to look forward to, these youths may waste their time with unnecessary experimentations, doing drugs or getting into close intimate relationships resulting to unwanted pregnancies (Armstrong, 2006). Mandatory military service will help these youths think of their options in life. In the military camps and training grounds, they will come to know their weaknesses, fears as well as strengths and the skill how to handle them. Free educational opportunities will also help them to get better acquainted with their interest and provide direction to their civilian life later on. Entering military service includes teaching     combat skills and survival methods (Armstrong, 2006).   The individual will come to know how to protect himself or others in danger. When he become a civilian later on, these skills will be helpful to ward off rapist, gang assaults, and other personal emergencies. He will also develop the skills how to be alert, to be able to detect suspicious activities around him. This is especially helpful in stopping or intercepting terrorist activities that is now constantly threatening the country. The military and the police had always wanted the civilian to cooperate and be on the alert regarding terrorism but most often than not the citizens were not of a much help due their ignorance or incapability. The best benefit of military service are the many lessons it will impart to the individual that may take a longer time to be learned   if he is   not in the military. He will get to have the chance to travel to many places and meet many kinds of people. He will learn independence, courage, self-determination, loyalty, responsibility and attention to details. Many men in history, US presidents specifically, made the right decisions because of the lessons they learned in the frontlines. For example, George Washington as a general knew the seriousness of the threat of British invasion, so that as a President in spite of much opposition to his decision he signed an unpopular treaty that prevented the British from ever successfully invading the country. Andrew Jackson was a major general who fought against the mighty British Army, and when he won, it had given him the courage to face other personal and political foes of his life. And lastly ( although there are still others), John F. Kennedy, as a lieutenant had acquired the ability to pay attention to details and how one slight mistake can cause larger problems .This attitude had helped him   make better decision during the Cuban missile crisis( Kliff, 2008). Many feared that to enlist in military service is to make an     early appointment with death. However, it must be understood that many men, young and old, died outside of military service. Their deaths were often due to lack of personal discipline. In fact, whatever disadvantage a man may think about military service, the advantages outweighs the disadvantages. Take for example the lessons he learned in two years in the frontlines. These briefly learned lessons will guide him throughout the many years of civilian life ahead of him. The conscript will become a better mother or father later on.   Aside from that, if military service is mandatory, the military will benefit because they will have many members who will protect the country and the millions of money originally allocated for recruitment will be channeled for training. The country, on the other hand, will benefit because its citizens will be well disciplined, mature, and able to defend themselves (Armstrong, 2006). References: 1.     Kliff, Sarah.(February 2008).   Lessons From the Front Line.   Newsweek. 151(6). 2. Williams, Armstrong. (June 2006).   Mandatory Military Service will Benefit the US. Newsmax. Retrieved February 14, 2008   

Barclays Plc and Abn Amro Case Study

[pic] London School of Commerce MBA E BARCLAYS PLC AND ABN AMRO CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT London UK As one of the world’s leading banks, with 135,000 employees in more than 50 countries, Barclays plays a significant role, from working with governments on major infrastructure projects to bringing banking to customers in emerging markets. Barclays is made up of two major businesses: Global Retail and Commercial Banking (GRCB) and Investment Banking and Investment Management (IBIM). There strategy is to achieve growth through time by diversifying their profit base making their growth relevant to their customers at all times. This case study will seek to examine the bid and intended acquisition of ABN AMRO, and the early acquisition of Banco Zaragozano by Barclays, the differences in performance of these two banks based upon the strategic a economic motives, focusing on the merger acquisition, and strategy implemented to effect improvements to reflect the results from 2002- 2006. 1. Evaluate Barclays strategy over the period of the case and prior to the ABN bid, paying particular attention to the global industry drivers and the group? s performance from 2002-2006. In order to understand the context that helps to formulate the strategic performance changes at Barclays PLC over and prior bid for ABN AMOR. Barclay? s’ origins can be found back in 1690 to John Freame and Thomas Gould. The named changed to its present form when James Barclay became a partner in 1736. Presently, Barclays is the third largest bank in the United Kingdom. The institution’s primary focus is in retail banking, investment banking as well as investment management. Barclays operates in 60 countries with major point of interest in Europe, the United States, Asia, and Africa. Barclays is one of the ten largest banks global when measured by market capitalization (Barclays PLC, 2004). The institution’s core business revolves around retail and investment banking, and it is the later that is being impacted by forces acting upon liberal market economies in varied European Union member states as a result of the aforementioned introduction of the Euro as well as globalization. As a result of the preceding, Barclays services the United Kingdom market as well as providing services to multinational companies located in differing market models. Barclays strategy. The bank’s strategy is to offer a full portfolio of services worldwide, providing a wide range of cross-selling opportunities, in order to achieve good growth through time by diversifying its business base and increasing its presence in markets and segments that are growing rapidly. This is driven by the Group’s ambition to become one of a handful of universal banks leading the global financial services industry, helping customers and clients throughout the world achieve their goals. Moreover, the strategy of the bank is based on the principles of earn, invest and grow. Aligning business drivers with strategic options. The strategic options examined by Barclays were further direct investment or outsourcing to a ‘partner’ bank and these were considered in the context of the bank’s key business drivers. These were:improving their operating model for trade processing; reducing the costs of their trade business in relation to people, infrastructure and services; improving their trade service capabilities and establishing a workable, non-competing, long-term ‘partnership’. After considering all of the options, including a Joint Venture partnership, Barclays decided to outsource the processing aspect of its trade services offering to ABN AMRO and to focus on delivering enhanced client service. Performance Nowadays, the proliferation of banking consolidation within the industry is and has created a new era of international banking conglomerates in the global industry. The preceding is causing European based banks to appear small in terms of relative comparison. Barclays? peration in a liberal market economy means it competes with equity financing for corporations and as such, this does not represent a strength concerning its overall performance base. According to group? s performance from 2002-2006 identifies that Barclays? performance underpinnings are represented by its strategy of acquiring other banking (such as ABN Amro and Banco Zaragozano) concerns to expand its retail as well as other banking services through representation in international marke ts as represented by the bank’s presence in 60 countries. This provides Barclays with the means to sell its highly profitable investment banking services as well as be positioned to service the cadre of multinational companies that utilize its diverse banking financial service packages. On the other hand, ABN AMRO bank has a presence in 76 countries and territories. Using its worldwide network the bank provides universal banking services consisting of commercial and investment banking products to corporate nationally and internationally operating clients as well as personal and private banking customers. In 2007, Barclays announced the proposed acquisition of ABN AMRO bank, in order to expanded their distribution base. The deal was valued at â‚ ¬67 billion. On October, the RFS consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland, bidding for control of ABN AMRO, formally declared victory after shareholders, representing 86 percent of the Dutch bank’s shares, accepted the RFS group’s â‚ ¬70bn offer. Barclays is known a consistent performer delivering steady profitability results, 20% increase in profit before taxes in 2003, and again in 2004, and one of the lowest cost to income ratios with regard to banks in the UK. The preceding indicates that Barclays is well managed. Barclays? focus on internal administrative consolidation as well as the acquisition of banking concerns represents its recognition in order to maintain growth in revenues, return on equity, dividends and profits in response to maintaining a high market capitalization that tends to make it a relatively unattractive takeover target as a result of the high premium required to acquire it Barclays? retail banking arm is clearly supported by the huge success of its Barclaycard division that has set industry standards in terms of innovations in customer utility. Barclays? resence in 60 countries further strengthens the utility of this card providing business and retail customers with access to their financial accounts globally (Barclays PLC, 2004). The aforementioned diversity in operations is a result of the economic strength of global industry market based economies that have fully recovered from the global recession events of 2002. B arclays? banking acquisition strategy is a direct outgrowth of the foregoing in keeping with the consolidation mania initiated by U. S. based banks. According to ABN AMRO bank performance, financial results in 2006 added to concerns about the bank's future. Operating expenses increased at a greater rate than operating revenue, and the efficiency ratio deteriorated further to 69. 9%. Non-performing loans increased considerably year on year by 192%. Net profits were only boosted by sustained asset sales. From 2002 to 2006, the further progress being made as a result of understanding the corrective measures that were and are needed to be taken. Barclays ? performance throughout this period has remained consistent and steady as the bank has not lost sight of the competencies that helped it achieve acceptable historical performance. . Compare and contrast the intended acquisition of ABN with that of the earlier acquisition of Banco Zaragozano, paying particular attention to the merger rationale and the motives in each case and the likely synergy gains resulting from the integration of ABN. According to the drivers of the bidding war that preceded the intended acquisition of ABN AMRO bank and the acquisition of Banco Zaragozano by Barclays in 2003, it is important to understand why merger and acquisition (M) take place and the potential gains of doing so. But first some definitions. Mergers and acquisitions. Mergers and acquisitions (M) are considered as consolidation strategies where a change of control takes place through a transfer of ownership. A merger is the combining of two or more companies into a single corporation. This is achieved when one company or business purchases the property or some other form of assets from another company. The result of this action is the formation of one corporate structure. This new corporate structure retains it is original identity. An acquisition is a little different from a merger n that it involves many problems being dissolved, and an entirely new company being formed. The main theory of merger and acquisition is synergy, that is, one and one makes three. Through synergy, managers create greater value with the integration of two companies, rather than that of their individual parts. Strategic and economic motives. The strategic of Barclays with the intended acquisition of ABN AMRO bank was to created a big opportunity with the purpose to deliver a new period of faster growth for shareholders in general. Moreover the intended investment would be implemented at a reasonable price slightly below the recent market trading price. The merger for Barclays was focused in a strong financial performance provides clear strategic advantages as well as stature on the world business state. The proposed merger with ABN AMRO, offered a unique opportunity to become a leading force in global retail and commercial banking with an stimate 47 millions customers, in order to increase financial returns to their owners beyond the rate of the stand-alone entities. And the fact that this merger, combining the strengths and values of both businesses, gives them confidence in delivery, both in terms of synergies, and determined in considerable detail by ABN AMRO bank and Barclays, in terms of a clearly defined and transparent management structure that we are putting in place. In terms of growth for shareholders, the combined entity would offers a diversified portfolio, both by geography and by business. Exposure to high-growth developing markets represents about a quarter of the enlarged pro forma profit base. Business segments such as investment banking and investment management, which have as we know strong growth opportunities driven by demographic trendS represent about half of profits For Global Retail and Commercial Banking, the merger would create the fourth largest retail and commercial bank worldwide by market share, and in a world where the needs and buying behaviours of retail and commercial customers are growing more similar, this will create economies of scale. Furthermore, the benefits generate by the merger between both banks would be: complementary networks, a strong presence in attractive European markets; significantly enhanced positions in high-growth developing markets; a much larger distribution network; and the opportunity to deliver considerable economies of scale. The main reason behind Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), has trumped Barclays? offer for ABN Amro. The for each ABN AMRO share, 79 per cent of which will be in cash, with the remainder in RBS shares. The cash element was higher than expected and the bid, valuing ABN at E71bn (? 8bn), beats Barclays? agreed all-share offer, worth E64. 5bn. The deal offers better value for ABN AMRO bank shareholders. And price is not the only factor, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) also combined cost savings would reach E4. 23bn by the end of 2010, easily beating Barclays? estimated savings of around E2. 8bn. In essence the driving force behind the success of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) bid over Barclays was in fact the higher share price expectations offering the perfect icing. That partly reflects the radically difierent strategic visions of the two banks. Barclays is looking to build a huge universal bank where cross-border synergies could be limited. But the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) consortium wants to generate a type of â€Å"in-market synergies†, by breaking-up ABN AMRO. On the other hand, in 2003, Barclays announces the completion of its acquisition of Banco Zaragozano, at a cost of ? 788 million which fit nicely into Barclays' strategy to grow its business in Europe. Barclays has been present in the Spanish market for 25 years and it the most profitable foreign-owned bank in the country. The acquisition of Banco Zaragozano to its arsenal makes Barclays the sixth largest private bank in Spain (much of the market is dominated by publicly-owned banks) and triples Barclays customer base and branch network. Barclays aimed to be one of the top five banks in the world and for that it would consider acquisition to achieve the goal. Further, Barclays believes that a physical retail and commercial banking presence is a significant enabler of investment banking growth. The acquisition of Banco Zaragozano, shows that strong retail presence generates ood new business opportunities for global businesses such as investment banking and credit cards. The success or failure of a deal also depends on the time horizon over which evaluation is done. Normally, in the short term, stock reactions to merger announcements tend to raise the target's stock price, while the stock of the acquirer stays about the same. This is normally attributable to the expectation that there will be a bid that is successful and involves a premium above the current market price of the stock. Acquirer prices stay the same, in general, as the market reacts conservatively, depending on the specifics of the deal. 3. Identify what you believe to the key success factors necessary to sustain competitive adavantage in the global financial services industry and briefly discuss the implications for the firm? s competencies, structure, and ehical/corporate governance. Critical success factors (CSFs) have been used significantly to present or identify a few key factors that organisations should focus on to be successful. As a definition, Critical success factors refer to â€Å"the limited number of areas in which satisfactory results will ensure successful competitive performance for the individual, department, or organisation† (Rockart and Bullen, 1981). Identifying CSFs is important as it allows firms to focus their efforts on building their capabilities to meet the CSFs, or even allow firms to decide if they have the capability to build the requirements necessary to meet Critical success factors (CSFs). The main keys success factors for Barclays in the case study are, with over three hundred years of history and expertise in banking Barclays has seen and has gained a reputation for being a trustworthy and a reliable institution to bank and invest with. This reputation has seen it grow into over 50 countries and become truly universal bank providing loans, investments and protecting the money of over 42 million customers and client worldwide. Another reason for the success of Barclays would be that it follows a simple strategic premise; ‘anticipates the needs of customers and clients and serve them by helping them achieve their goals. Part of Barclays recent success has been their ability to target and identify upcoming emerging markets for example: India, parts of Asia and Africa, namely South Africa, expanding its retail network and cash machine availability. Despite being a truly global corporation from a basic bank account to funding Governmental projects, Barclays focus ha s always been to meet the needs of the individual customer. Furthermore, competitive advantages are difficult to create. It is even more difficult to sustain. Community banks usually can not achieve a cost advantages, especially in head-to-head competition with larger, high-volume institutions. That leaves differentiation as their primary method for creating Competitive advantages. But that approach is also problematic. It is clear that technology is playing a bigger and bigger role in banking. But today most banks are using functionally identical systems to develop and deliver products and services. This uniformity of technology has resulted in commoditized banking – the antithesis of differentiation. So while emerging technology can create a temporary advantage, sustainable differentiation based solely on technology is virtually impossible. To make matters worse, technology has actually eliminated some of the historical advantages enjoyed by community banks. Thanks to CRM, personalized service – once the sole province of community banks – is now possible for even the largest institutions. Sustainable Competitive advantages is created by leveraging organization’s unique blend of attributes – brand equity, reputation, geographic footprint, specialized knowledge – and articulating it clearly and consistently to your market. Barclays is an excellent example of a bank that has achieved Competitive advantages through specialized knowledge. On the other hand, on the global financial services industry corporate governance is essential to the wellbeing of an individual company and its stakeholders, particularly its shareholders and creditors. But sound corporate governance is not just a vital factor at the level of the individual corporation. It is also a critical ingredient in maintaining a sound financial system and a robust economy. And that is why governments have taken such an interest in recent examples of corporate governance failures. It is also why banking supervisors are placing greater emphasis on the role that corporate governance can play in promoting financial stability. In the financial system, corporate governance is one of the key factors that determine the health of the system and its ability to survive economic shocks. The health of the financial system much depends on the underlying soundness of its individual components and the connections between them – such as the banks, the non-bank financial institutions and the payment systems. In turn, their soundness largely depends on their capacity to identify, measure, monitor and control their risks. Barclays have designed good corporate governance policies and practices in order to ensure that they are focused on their responsibilities to shareholders and on creating long term shareholder value, and ensuring that behaviour is ethical, legal and transparent. In firms, structure is basically the best way to organize it, in order to accomplish it is objectives. It acts as the medium that facilitates the accomplishments of the organizational goals. It also helps to identify the key activities of the organizational processes and how they are coordinated. Moreover, successful strategy implementation depends to a large extent on the firm’s primary organizational structure. A primary organizational structure comprises the firm’s major elements, components, or differentiated units. Other means of getting organized are through reward systems, coordination terms, planning procedures, alliances, information, and budgetary systems. Geographical structure It is common in firms that have grown by expanding the sale of their products of services to new geographical areas. In these areas, they frequently encounter differences that necessitate different approaches in producing, providing or selling services or products. The key strategic advantage of this structure is responsiveness to local market conditions, a clear example of that is the intended acquisition of ABN AMRO and the early acquisition of Banco Zaragozano. To conclude, after being satisfied with its progress in the United Kingdom, Barclays decided to make its name international by going abroad which was another great move. In the United Kingdom, Barclays had acquired many other small banks, such a Banco Zaragozano, gained large market and profits with each acquisition. As a result of this growth, this company had reached its maturity stage within UK itself; it has reached its peak of growth. Further, Barclays, performance throughout 2002-2006 has remained consistent and steady as the bank has not lost sight of the competencies that helped it achieve acceptable historical performance. Bibliography †¢ Barclays PLC. 2004. Annual Report. Barclays PLC, London, United Kingdom. †¢ Calmfors, Lars, Driffil, John. 1988. Centralisation of Wage Bargaining. Vol. 6. Economic Policy Dammann, N. 2008. The Bidder Competition for ABN AMRO: A Strategic Analysis and Implications †¦Bachelor tesis. †¢ Esping-Anderrsen, Gosta. 1990. Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, United States. †¢ Foster, S. Reed A. , & Nesvold P. 1999. The art of M & A: a merger, acquisition, buyout guide. Fourth edition. †¢ Friedman, Thomas. 1999. The Lexus and the Olive Tree. P 105. Anchor Books, New York, New York, United States †¢ Hall, Peter, Soskice, David. 2001. Varieties of Capitalism: The Insitutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom. Ireland, D. , Hoskisson, R. , & Hitt, M. 2008 Understanding Business Strategy: Concepts and Cases. Second edition †¢ Monks, R. , & Minow N. 2008. Corporate Governance. Fourth edition †¢ Rockart, J. & Bullen, C. , 1981. A primer on critical success factors. Center for Information Systems Research Working Paper No 69. Sloan School of Management, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts. †¢ Tibergien, M. & Pomering. 2005. R. Practice made perfect: the discipline of business management for financial. Bloomberg.

Gender Bias In The Workplace And Pay Inequalities Essay

In 1972, the government attempting to correct discrimination in the workplace passed the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. This act protects individual rights and promotes employment opportunities and fairness for everyone within the workplace (Klingner & Nalbandian, 1998, p. 158). This act should have eliminated gender bias and pay inequities, but has it accomplished its goal? Are employment opportunities and promotion opportunities fair and equal to everyone? Does gender bias and pay inequities still exist in 2000, 28 years after the passage of the act? In researching this topic, I do find that gender bias and pay inequities are still prevalent in today’s work world. Because there are so many women and minorities in the workforce today, I will attempt to explore some of the reasons why gender bias and pay inequities still exist. Background Organizational Culture First, does the organizational culture attribute to gender bias and pay inequalities? In researching this topic, I find the answer to be yes. Many times, the organizational culture and climate foster workplace inequalities and these inequalities are maintained by group pressure (Hale, 1999, p. 13). Informal networks within the agency help to maintain inequality because women and minorities are traditional employed in lower status jobs and not allowed into the networks. These jobs limit their access to powerful employees (McGuire, 2000, p. 1). These informal networks tend to be personal, voluntary and have their own boundaries. You don’t join the network because you want too, you join because you are allowed too (McGuire, 2000, p. 1). Organizations have always been geared to the white male and these habits are hard to break. To accomplish goals of the agency, all employees must work together. Managers must build rapport with their employees and this is most easily accomplished by interacting with those who share the same background and who are most like them (Maume, 1999, p. 4). White men working and networking with white men. Many times the organization does not even realize that they are inequalities in their agency because they have always done it that way. People tend to get set in their ways and operate on auto-pilot and never see their weaknesses. Organizational climates are hard to change and it takes dedication from management to make it happen. Many times the management thinks, â€Å"If it’s not bro ken then why fix it?† What they do not realize is that the organization would be so much stronger if they diversified their workforce and let all employees excel to their greatest potential. Literature also suggest that gender bias is a result of institutional and attitudinal processes. White males simply do not want women or minorities to be in an equal position with equal pay. Not only do they not want it, often times they take steps to protect specific jobs from women (Maume, 1999, p. 9). The â€Å"good ole boy† network is hard to break. All organizations state that they are an Equal Employment Opportunity company, but many agencies are only promoting that image and not actually following it. Yes, they hire minorities and yes they hire females, but these individuals do not have the same advantages as men. Often times they hire just for quotes and this causes hard feelings within the entire organization. Rather than the company hiring the best qualified, sometimes they hire a minority just to meet requirements. When this happens, the Equal Employment Opportunities policy can adversely effect other employees through reverse discrimination which in turn causes problems for the entire organization through decreased morale (Hale, 1999, p. 13). Also, if the black or female fails or performs poorly, then all white males will assume that all blacks and fem ales will fail. â€Å"In sum, it is the relationship between social roles, interests, intergroup relationships and organizational culture norms and values that set the conditions that perpetuate unequal employment opportunities and outcomes (Hale, 1999, p.13).† Society and Personal Influences What we are taught as children in regards to roles of females and males overflow into the workplace (Hale, 1999, p. 14). â€Å"Gender is a culture unto itself, raised with basic rules of conduct â€Å"instinctively† known to all adult members of that gender (Heim, 1995, p. 3). The managers of today grew up in families where their mothers stayed at home and kept house and took care of children. They have been taught at home that men should be the bread winner and women should take care of the house. They are also taught that men are stronger and should be the leader of the household and therefore these behaviors flow into the work setting. Even the Bible states that a women should not be over a man. These beliefs are taught generation after generation. â€Å"Internalization and Identity encompass the learning and socialization processes by which individuals incorporate assumptions, perceptions, stereotypes, and misperceptions and make judgments about themselves based on the way they perceive others judge them (Hale, 1999, p. 3). Women feel their are invisible, isolated and irrelevant within an organization while men see them as emotional (Hale, 1999, p.4). Men and women are different and view situations differently. Literature suggests that men do not want to give up their power and are uncomfortable working with women (Hale, 1999, p. 1). Women feel excluded from power and feel socially isolated within the workforce. Description of a Specific Situation Job Segregation Another proof of gender bias is job segregation. Often times women and minorities are segregated or placed into certain agencies only because they are women or minorities. Social closure issues hold that society has defined what jobs are appropriate for males and what jobs are appropriate for females (Maume, 1999, p. 3). Many studies conclude that men and women are allocated and segregated into positions because they are either male or female. And this segregation affects pay and promotion opportunities (Maume, 1999, p.2). â€Å"Segregation accounts for approximately one-half of the gender gap in wages (Maume, 1999, p. 9)†. A National Study of Gender-Based Occupational Segregation in Municipal Bureaucracies indicates that women can be more successful in redistributive agencies (Miller et al., 1999, p. 2). Agencies such as welfare, social justice a nd health are more likely to support affirmative action. Society has taught us that women should be caring and nurturing and because of these traits, they fit into redistributive agencies. Many women will hold administrative and professional positions in these agencies and so there appears to be a gender balance in public welfare, sanitariums, and hospitals (Miller et al., 1999, p. 8). In a study in Los Angeles, it was determined that economic restructuring had a negative impact on African Americans. The unemployment rate among black males has increased more than twice the rate of white males (James, 2000, p. 4). At a first glance, it appears black females have faired better than white females, but that is not the case. Black females are more likely to be employed in public sector work or pink-collar occupations where segregation of females is high. Many black females have entered the arena because they have obtained higher levels of education (James, 2000, p. 6). However, very few of them have management positions, but are employed as school teachers, educational counselors and social workers. While all of these professions require at least a bachelors degree, they are still relatively low paying jobs (James, 2000, p. 8). It is also noted in the study, that jobs held traditionally by black females such as housekeepers are now held by Latinos. The Latinos are not g aining employment because of non-gender bias but because these individuals are uneducated and speak limited English (James, 2000, p. 7). Once again, minorities and females are being segregated into certain jobs. If government agencies are required to follow Equal Employment Opportunity rules and affirmative action laws, then why are females not getting a fair deal? One reason is because primary stakeholders in government tend to be male and therefore they support the hiring and promoting of men. Policy making, implementation, and management of infrastructure are usually dominated by men, following the orders of men. On the contrary, in social agencies there appears to be less male influence. This is believed to be caused by the fact that most businesses are not the beneficiary, but citizens. Politicians perceive businesses as more important than citizens because of the economic impact of tax revenues. Therefore, men feel they need men in areas of real power positions. This shows a direct relationship between agency-clientele on gender-based employment patterns (Miller et al., 1999, p. 7). Once again, the municipal study finds that females are underrepresented in the best paying or most power ful positions within city government (Miller et al., 1999, p. 7). Jobs are ranked by employers and employees differently. Employers rank them according to skills and commitment and employees rank them according to desirability and rewards (Maume, 1999, p. 3). One would think this process would be fair to everyone but, in many organizations there appears to be double standards to judge men and women. Women most often have to measure up to higher standards than men do to obtain the position (Hale, 1999, p. 8). Are employment opportunities and promotional opportunities equal to both men and women? No. Reskin and Roos conclude that women can move into â€Å"male† jobs â€Å"either because market conditions force employers to reach down into the labor queue to hire women, or because men reevaluate and vacate jobs, thereby creating openings for women (Maume, 1999, p. 3).† Women are traditionally segregated into specific jobs; thereby leaving men in their on world to compete with each other for higher paid jobs (Maume, 1999, p. 3). Men traditional have higher status contacts than women which also help them to maintain their positions (McGuire, 2000, p. 2). Glass Ceilings, Glass Walls and Glass Escalators â€Å"The glass wall metaphor describes occupational segregation attributed to employment barriers that restrict the access of women to certain types of jobs (or agencies) or that trap them within certain types of jobs (or agencies). Glass walls are likely to persist when: (1) organizational cultures create impediments to change; and/or (2) skills necessary to perform jobs in a given agency are not highly valued elsewhere† (Miller et al., 1999, p. 2). The glass ceiling is an expression used to describe the inequalities of men and women within the workforce. It seems that women can become employed in an agency but then run into an invisible barrier when they try to move up the ladder of hierarchy within the organization (Baxter & Wright, 2000, p. 1). â€Å"Although women held half of all federal government jobs in 1992 and made up 86 percent of the government’s clerical workers, only a quarter of them were supervisors and only a tenth senior executives (Baxter & Wright, 2000, p. 2).† Several studies in the employment of women conclude that women continue to face glass walls and glass ceilings in government positions (Miller et al., 1999, p. 2). In addition, women continue to find it hard to obt ain employment in male-dominated fields (Miller et al., 1999, p. 1-2). This further proves that women are segregated into certain types of jobs. The findings of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics suggest that white men have a glass escalator and a glass ceiling continues to exist for women and minorities. White men tend to ascend to managerial levels with little or no effort especially in segregated workplaces (Maume, 1999, p. 3). Initially one would think that females would have the advantage in a predominate female workplace, but that is not the case. Women are continually excluded from supervisory positions and are generally paid lower salaries even in those agencies (Maume, 1999, p. 1-2). Promotions, Job Devaluation, and Pay Inequities Segregation places different sexes into unequal jobs thereby locating women and men into different opportunity structures and affects promotion opportunities (Cassirer & Reskin, 2000, p. 3). Most female jobs then to have a shorter promotion ladder (Cassirer & Reskin, 2000, p. 3). The municipal study finds that females are underrepresented in the best paying or most powerful positions within city government (Miller et al., 1999, p. 2). These positions are traditional administrative and professional occupations. They convey status, authority, and usually influence policy makers (Miller et al., 1999, p. 2). The study concluded that specialists were more likely to be promoted to these positions rather than generalists. The subject specialists are generally from professions mostly dominated by men, for example, engineers or biologist (Miller et al., 1999, p. 4). The municipal study also uncovered two patterns within city government. First, female administrators and professionals were hired in lower paying agencies. Second, agencies with higher level salaries were agencies with more gender imbalance (Miller et al., 1999, p. 10). Again, women were more concentrated in health, welfare, hospitals, and sanitariums. It appears that the jobs with better pay were held for men. Literature suggest that men are more often promoted than women. Because of this, men attach more importance to promotion than women. In addition, men are more likely located in a position where promotions are possible. The organi zational culture encourages male promotions (Cassirer & Reskin, 2000, p. 1). This culture causes women to not value promotions because they know that they will not receive one because the company just doesn’t promote females or the promotion will be blocked (Cassirer & Reskin, 2000, p. 2). Another surprising finding within female dominated organizations is the fact that males still have the advantage in management. One would suspect that in a predominate female organization, the female would have the advantage, but studies show this not to be the case. Males seem to bullet up the glass escalator. Many times the promotion occurs because the male employee will bond with the male manager who will in turn mentor him and prepare him for advancement (Maume, 1999, p.5). Often times the male is promoted in the predominant female agency to boost morale and to decrease tensions (Maume, 1999, p. 5). The tensions develop because females think that the males can not do the job because they do not match the stereotype of nurturing and caring (Maume, 1999, p. 11). â€Å"Kanter concludes that sex-differentiated work behavior results from sex-differentiated opportunity structures rather than from gender assumes a casual process in which workers’ positions, not their gender, aff ect their work attitudes and behaviors (Cassirer & Reskin, 2000, p. 2).† Another interesting facet of gender bias is that when women move into jobs predominately held by men, the jobs are devalued. The autonomy, prestige and high pay are removed (James, 2000, p. 9). It is noted that as agencies become more and more female dominated, they are viewed as the dumping ground for females resulting in lower pay scales and limited job training (Maume, 1999, p. 5). Reskin and Roos conducted a study on labor and job queues to inform readers of the changing ethnic/gender composition of occupations and how it related to African American women’s changing occupational profile. They also found that because occupations were transformed to include women, the jobs status decreased and the pay also decreased (James, 2000, p. 6). The status composition perspective holds that organizations with large numbers of female employees are devalued in the eyes of an organization. The jobs held by mostly females are considered unimportant and lower skilled as compared to male jobs. Job evaluations prove that women receive lower points than men which means lower salaries for the females (Maume, 1999, p. 3). â€Å"Inequality in the distribution of earnings and income i s generally positively related to inequality in education and training (James, 2000, p. 9). I feel that this statement is not true. A male and female can be equally as qualified, but the male will still get a better salary. Literature suggests that even when females hold masters degrees, they still make less than their male counterparts (Maume, 1999, p. 2). Although women have made some progress in obtaining management positions, gender bias is still highly integrated. Ironically, gender bias is greater at the lower level of management than at the highest level of the organizational hierarchy (Baxter & Wright, 2000, p. 9). In all the research that I conducted, the same theme was prevalent in all articles. There is not equal pay for equal work nor is there equal opportunities for advancement. Conclusions and Recommendations In order to fully gain equal employment and fairness, traditionally male positions must be opened up to females. This is the only way to shatter the glass walls and ceilings that currently exist (Miller et al., 1999, p.10). Individuals concerned about equalities for everyone should press for the continuation and strengthening of local government programs designed to increase female re presentation and more equitable gender distributions of better paying and better government jobs (Miller et al., 1999, p. 10). This support must come from white males and not only females and minorities. In addition, organizational cultures must be changed in both the private and public arena. This process will be time consuming and will inevitably run into opposition from white males. Change is hard and many times people try to block it. In order for employees to embrace change, they must understand the changes and why they are necessary. If employees are not supportive, tensions will increase and morale will worsen (Miller, 1963, pp. 236-237). Managers at all levels will need to fully embrace workforce diversification for the value that it will bring to the organizations. Literature also suggests that educational institutions must get involved in teaching equality because they are preparing the leaders of the future. â€Å"Public administration graduate programs should more actively strive to strengthen equal-opportunity learning environments by exposing students to the way gender affects their work-lives and by better preparing students to face and overcome gender-based inequalities in organizations (Hale, 1999, p. 16).† The goal of educators should be to continu ally improve society. Many times schools have failed to recognize this purpose (Miller, 1965, p. 7). Valuing differences in employees creates synergy and the key to valuing these differences is to realize that all people see the world as they see themselves (Covey, 1989, p. 277). This makes the job of equality and pay equity so difficult. Men believe that it is easier to work with men and that men do a better job and therefore deserve more money. Their pride and egos tell them that women cannot do the job as well as they can. These personal beliefs must be changed. Pairing men and women together on teams will expand the male mindset and hopefully help them realize that females and minorities are as equally qualified. Valuing the differences of all employees can make the entire agency stronger because we all have strengths to bring to the agency. Intense staff development must be held to teach men and women how to communicate with each other. Men need to learn all they can about females and females need to know all they can about males. Society requires that men and women work together and this is not going to change. What has to change is the way we work together. Communication is the key. If we do not communicate effectively, then the best intentions of both genders will fail (Heim, 1995, p. 3). In looking at my agency, I can agree that gender bias and pay inequalities exist. Our agency has more white females than white males and only a few minorities. We have an established pay scale but the scale is not always followed.There is evidence that men are given more pay than women with the same degree. Also, men with lesser degrees have received a higher salary because of who they know and not because of their education or experience. Traditionally when promotion opportunities became available, the administration would automatically appoint a white male. The new President of the college recognized the gender bias in management. He put a policy in place that all jobs must be posted and that everyone would have an opportunity to apply for them. When he was hired we had one female administrator, now we have three. BIBLIOGRAPHY Baxter, Janeen and Erik Olin Wright, 2000, â€Å"The Glass Ceiling Hypothesis†, Gender and Society, Vol. 14, Issue 2, p. 275. Cassirer, Naomi and Barbara Reskin, 2000, â€Å"High Hopes†, Work & Occupations, Vol. 27, Issue 4, p. 438, 26p. Covey, Stephen R., 1989, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, New York: Fireside of Simon & Schuster. Hale, Mary, 1999. â€Å"He Says, She Says: Gender and Worklife,† Public Administration Review, Vol. 59, Issue 5, p. 410. Heim, Pat, 1995. The Power Dean-Even Rule and other gender differences in the workplace, San Jose, California: Cor Vision Media. James, Angela, 2000. â€Å"Moving up, But How Far? African American Women and Economic Restructuring in Los Angeles, 1970-1990†, Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 43, Issue 3, p. 399. Klingner, Donald E. and John, Nalbandian, 1998. Public Personnel Management: Contexts and Strategies (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Maume, Jr., David J. 1999. â€Å"Glass Cei lings and Glass Escalators,† Work & Occupations, Vol. 26, Issue 4, p. 483. McGuire, Gail M., 2000. â€Å"Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Networks,† Work & Occupations, Vol. 27, Issue 4, p. 500, 24p. Miller, Van, 1963. The Public Administration of American School Systems. New York: The Macmillan Company. Miller, Will; Kerr, Brinck; Reid, Margaret (1999). â€Å"A National Study of Gender-Based Occupational Segregation in Municipal Bureaucracies: Persistence of Glass Walls,† Public Administration Review, Vol. 59, Issue 3, p. 218,

Late Imperial Russia Essay

How was Russia set up to be the nation it is today? Introduction: ‘Imperial Russia’ all started in the 17th century where a man named Tsar Ivan IV the terrible’ battled and defeated the Mongols which were the previous rulers of Russia. He appointed himself the emperor of Russia and his heirs would carry on his principles and his way of ruling throughout the century’s to build a strong nation. The Tsars of the Romanov dynasty would carry on ruling till the last reign in 1890-1917 which was held by Tsar Nicholas II son of Tsar Alexander Ill, it was his and is father’s reign which changed Russia from having its own system (tsarism) to become a nation with a fair government Just like the European nations of their time. At first glance the Tsar’s were thought to be grateful to Russia e. g. ictory over the swedes which transformed Muscovy into a great power of Europe and Alexander II the liberator ended serfdom and restored the government of Russia after losing the Crimean war. However there were many situations, problems in governments and people that caused Russia to change from having Tsarism to having an official government such as parliament. Tsar & Tsarism: The system of Tsarism was governed through three organisations: Firstly there was the imperial council, which were a group of advisers to the Tsar. Secondly there was the Cabinet of Ministers, which ran the government departments of the Tsar. Thirdly there was the Senate, which were the supervisors of the law. All three of these governmental bodies were ranked under the Tsar so every organisation they run, laws they make or suggestions, the final word or decision has to be from the current Tsar ruler, e. g. To quote Reaction and Revolution ‘They were appointed, not elected nd they did not govern’. This is because their roles are basically to give advice because whatever they say has to go through the Tsar. The Tsar which caused most problems were as I mentioned above Nicholas II and Alexander Ill because of what they tried to do to the Russian empire as well as what they didn’t try to do, unlike their reforming heirs, they didn’t fight for Russia or change for Russia, they only did what they did to benefit them, not the rest of Russia. By the time of Nicholas’s reign Russia stretched a distance of 5000 miles from west to east and 2000 miles from outh to north, this of course made ruling Russia even more difficult because one family couldn’t possibly enforce their system on their own unless they had an actual government like other European countries of their time. Even though the sheer size of Russia gave it a well-known powerful image that it’s a nation of strength, it didn’t prove that because parts of the landscape are either unreachable, uninhabitable or just not worth the time to build upon. Considering these facts Tsar Nicholas II wasn’t indeed that powerful as well as the Tsarism system which soon lead to changing into communist government ruled by the Bolsheviks in 1917. Overall the system of Tsarism is the system the Tsar family ran to rule the nation of Russia, this involved only them having command and if any governmental bodies have any ideas to change/improve Russia they could only advise it as only the Tsars nad control. How did the geography of Russia compare to other nations in Europe and effect the Tsar: As IVe mentioned above, Russia consists a land mass of 16,093,440 Kilometres Squared which makes it 2 and a half times bigger than the USA and a whole lot harder to rule, this is because Russia of this time is being ruled by one family which nly cause poverty, social segregation and a failed work force, if you compare it to the USA of its time its doing far better than Russia because the USA is a democracy unlike Russia which is a socialist nation. The differences are that the USA vote and elect, they have different ‘Parties’ which have different Jobs to run the country when Russia is run by one family which tries to do everything and when they do make laws or enforce something, it only rewards them not the nation. The advantage the Tsars had is that the size of Russia made them seem untouchable which explains the lack f countries invading or taking over Russia, this is the only way that the geography of Russia affects it positively, IVe mentioned how it affects Russia negatively e. . bad landscape, too much to rule over, cannot handle to control such a large area. Ruling Russia back then was difficult even with the Trans-Siberian Railway, sure it provided a way to cross the 5000 miles from west to east but it still caused neglect to places like Vladivostok and Irkutsk because they aren’t at all near the capitals such as Moscow and St Petersburg. How did the people of Russia effect the Tsar and what did they do to respond to the ays of the tsar: The people of Russia were so constricted because of Tsarism it caused many problems, one of the catalysts to the problems was that it was a criminal offence to go against the Tsar or Tsarism, therefore if anyone decided they wanted to reform the tsarism system they had to go through the Tsar themselves and of course if it goes against their wishes they’ll say no and arrest the person responsible. There has been Reforming Tsars which improved transport, improved efficiency of the army, re-built cities so they could change Russia for the better, but ventually it was all done for nothing because whenever an heir gained the throne from a reformed Tsar they always went back to the strict ways. This did effect the nation greatly but not as much until the last Tsar ever: Nicholas II, he was meant to carry on the rulings his tatner made to help build Russia into a stronger nation e. g. mproving standard of living, education, employment etc. but he decided to go back to the old socialist ways that caused poverty, distrust of the nation and weakening the barrier between a fair command and compete domination of the people of Russia. People didn’t Just stand around been ruled or told off by the tsars, there have been a few moments where theyVe risen up, worked together to eradicate the current Tsar leader or went underground to discuss what differences they could make on their own without the permission of the Tsar. For example since free speech’ was a common myth in the reigns of Tsar, various people most likely in political activist groups decided to go to extremism. They thought the only way they could get their word out or make a change is through threats or by force, for example in 1881 Tsar Alexander II was blown up by a bomb thrown from the ‘Peoples Will’ hich were a terrorist group, they went this far because they didn’t want to be plagued by the Tsar or Tsarism anymore. However other people of the nation went down low and created societies or non-activist groups which wouldn’t allow the Tsar’s to see how theyre changing Russia in a non-obvious fashion, but eventually after they started to plan a revolution the Tsar caught on and decided to infiltrate them with their own secret police known as the Okhrama. They were issued to perform raids, arrests, imprisonments and infiltrations to stop the ‘secret’ societies so the Tsar could carry on running the government. The only thing that was good that the Tsar provided to the people was an Orthodox Church in every city (ST. Petersburg & Moscow), the people encouraged this because the church was a part of Russian culture and because it didn’t rely on any foreign influence or governmental body. Of course the Church supported the tsarist system throughout the century’s right up to the 19th century where it became well opposed to political/governmental change which caused it to so low in growth, unlike the industrial part of Russia. Consider the fact the only 0. 5% of Russia is the Tsar and their advisors, 12% is military and the last 3. 9% is the public, the public consist of merchants, factory workers and owners, land owners and mainly peasants. This causes issues because of course the Tsar allow the chance that people can buy/own/sell land, but it comes with a price, considering most workers soon save up to buy a farm land but then it comes with a mortgage thus causing them to be in debt and nearly as poor as the peasants. This effected the economy massively because by these statistics 80% of the population were peasants, and they knew peasants were illiterate and have a lack of skills, this portion of the opulation was the catalyst to everything the people did in response to what the Tsar did to Russia. This made the Tsar lower the ranks of the army so they could be filled with ‘conscription’ (the forcing of large numbers of peasants to Join the armed services), these were often called the ‘Dark Masses’. The problems caused by botn Tsarism and the People ot Russia : The issues that were caused by the Tsar effect Russia more frequently and at a higher scale after Alexander the seconds reign, this is because he was the first reforming Tsar for a while and what he did was for the better interest of the nation not himself; People tarted noticing his reforms in 1861 when he emancipated the Serfs, he restored Russia’s governing structure after the loss in the Crimean war and he set up a network of elected councils in the rural areas which were called ‘Zemstvos’, even though it seemed with these elected bodies that anyone could vote, that wasn’t the case because of strict voting regulations only the land owners not the peasants could take part in the voting. Alexander II has obviously made a difference to his nation because of this evidence, but it still did solve the problem that there might be a hance that the next Tsar could ignore his reformative ways and crea te discipline, poverty and all the other problems again like other Tsars before him. He also feared that since he’s doing all of this, he’s not committing to his Tsar duties, so near the end of his reign he goes back to the old ways which doesn’t affect much but leads to his assassination in 188111880. His successor ‘Alexander Ill’ caused all sorts of problems, problems so bad that everyone in the nation felt oppressed during his whole reign, after he was replaced by Nicholas II things got even worse because he didn’t like the eforming that alexander II did, so he carried on the repressive policies of his predecessor, which made Alexander the seconds reformation worth nothing, this of course angered the intelligent, richer and educated class of Russia known as the intelligentsia. The army of Russia was weakened by Nicholas II because he decided to lower ranks in the military so that even peasants could Join, this made becoming a high ranking officer easier therefore more of a chance to affect the tsarism system that Nicholas II has moulded. This weakened the force or strength of the military reatly, so much that the people created their own group called the ‘Militia’ which basically had their own form of Justice against criminals. If the military was going downhill so was the Tsar because Just about 50% of their expenditure was funding the army which was only able to produce a million and nalt me, which does sound powerful but most of which were peasants and land owners. People of Russia had less specific reasons of why the army, or their nation is so bad, they thought that the Tsar civil service was corrupt and the evidence to show it was that it’s the nation hose tried and tried again to reform itself but always goes back and corrupts itself again. Many citizens accused the Tsar of ‘sucking the blood of the people’ which refers to the fact that they control them, they corrupt them and they use them. Overall many people of Russia either appreciated the reformation to be on par with other nations or hating the reformation, the people which wanted the reformation were known as the Westerners’ because they wanted Russia to adopt aspects of European nations so they won’t live in horrendous conditions e. g. destroyed towns/ cities because of wars. Or have economic problems e. g. iving in poverty. The people who wanted Russia to stay the same were known as ‘Slavophiles’ they wanted to preserve the best aspects of Russia, yes solve the problems but not via adopting features of other European nations. Conclusion: The system of Tsarism is the system the Tsar family ran to rule the nation of Russia, this involved only them having command and if any governmental bodies have any ideas to change/improve Russia they could only advise it as only the Tsars had control. The geography of Russia effects its government greatly because it made them seem stronger when actually the tsar couldn’t possibly control the whole of Russia, also because of the vast landscape they couldn’t industrialise as fast as other nations could therefore putting them at a disadvantage as a nation. The people of Russia lived in poverty because of the strict rulings of the tsar, that the tsar couldn’t control all of them, they were in debt if they paid for land, even if theyre factory workers everyone couldn’t possibly benefit the whole nation. Because of the constant change of reforming tsars to cruel tsars the people of Russia didn’t know what to do and what they can do, which lead to assassinations, societies being created and being invaded by military or police.