The Commitment to Immediate Emancipation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Commitment to Immediate Emancipation - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the article â€Å"The Commitment to Immediate Emancipation† begins by letting readers understand the time frame of the events and the state of affairs that was prevailing there. The period was that of the Second Great Awakening in the 1830s. This was the period of the religious revivals, anti-prostitution, urbanization, and developments in technology. These factors led to the elimination of slavery and freedom of slaves. Technological advances and urbanization accelerated the flow of information through the country. Awareness about the plight of slaves made many people stand for the cause of emancipation of slaves. Religious revivals also opened the eyes of people. They began to learn the humane way of living, standing against slavery, alcohol use and other similar activities. The author continues to explain the way abolitionists prospered in those periods. Religion is the common factor that can be found in the upbringing of a majority of the abolit ionists. We read in the article that â€Å"The  parents  of abolitionists were usually well-educated Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Quakers, and Unitarians who participated heavily in revivalism and its attendant benevolent  projects.† Religion made the church-going people understand that slavery is an inhumane practice that is wrong according to a word of God. The author of the article states that habits, like drinking, sexual immorality, and ignoring family ties, are as bad as the practice of slavery. The article analyses the nature of nineteenth-century Protestantism and the commitment that made people strive for the elimination of slavery. There existed innumerable antislavery factions, some of them demanding an immediate end to slavery and some others choosing a gradual abolition of slavery. Certain groups suggested that the ex-slaves should be sent to Africa. According to few antislavery positions, slaves should be freed after paying the market value of the sl aves to the slave owners. However, the most radical position strongly demanded an immediate, unconditional liberation of slaves giving no compensation to the slave owners. The religious revivals, the revival made people cry for an elimination of the inhumane practice of slavery. The author makes use of the historical facts to prove the thesis and secondary points. â€Å"The Commitment to Immediate Emancipation† enhances the reader’s understanding of the historical period. The article educates the readers about Colonial America. The economic growth and other scenarios prevailed in that period contributed to the emancipation of slaves and stoppage of slavery. The article exposes the religious picture of Colonial America. Author explains how religion contributed to the new moral establishment in the nation. The conversion experience of the people, the religious revivals, and the God-centered life of the people are perfectly presented in the article. The religious set up o f the period contributed to several social and cultural changes in the society. The author of the article has successfully presented the religion-centered life prevailed in the society. The importance of moral uprightness and social responsibility in that society and the nature of upbringing of children are well covered in the article.

Coverage and value of bioEdit to bioinformatics Essay Example for Free

Coverage and value of bioEdit to bioinformatics Essay The study of Molecular Biology necessitates the in depth analysis and evaluation of molecules and their various compositions found in living things, particularly proteins or amino acids which were then identified to be the edifices of life. As time passed, molecular biologists realized the importance of going beyond the study of protein or amino acid structures, and focus on DNA and other nucleic acids which map out how life is formed, transformed, or reproduced. The study of the two most important molecular structures in living things – amino acids and nucleic acids – forms the foundation of Molecular Biology, as well as Genetics, as fields of science. (Horobin, 2003) In studying these acids, molecular biologists and geneticists need to determine their composition, structures, and sequences in order to identify how they are formed and identify their respective roles in building life. (Horobin, 2003) For the purpose of deeply understanding the importance of sequencing and realignment in Molecular Biology, as well as Genetics, we will focus on the subject of DNA. Molecular Biologists and Geneticists utilize the process of DNA sequencing by following established methodologies and standards. Because of enormous funding obtained from both public and private sectors that are extremely interested in advancing the field of genome sequencing, particularly for purposes of genetic modification and cloning, the DNA sequencing methodology has been continuously evolving in order to adapt new findings and trends that raise its reliability, validity, and efficiency. (Griffin Griffin, 1994) Sequencing and realignment of data and samples help Molecular Biologists and Geneticists create various patterns of DNA links or formation, assemble or disassemble structures for a deeper or more thorough analysis, create a map or graphic organizer which will instantly illustrate how enzymes or other substances are formed from base samples such as DNA, analyses of DNA samples and sequences in order to predict outcomes in protein formation, analyses of protein or amino acids in order to determine their specific features or characteristics, look for other structures or sequences within the database with similar characteristics and formations with the sample, and consequently aligning similar structures or sequences together in order to predict reactions, growth and development, and so on. (Griffin Griffin, 1994) Results from the sequencing, alignment, or realignment processes that are primary accomplished by resorting to bioinformatics tools such as BioEdit, constitute the information for proper DNA sequences in order to identify anomalies or flaws in other models or structures. This is most important in the field of medicine and health because it helps professionals determine serious diseases or illnesses that might be passed on through heredity, varying genes in order to alter anomalies or flaws within its structures, and such. Sequences and alignments also help further genetic cloning because it provides relevant information on how life may be reproduced in the process. Other practical uses of DNA sequencing and alignment include the improvement product formation, by determining how the formation of genes may be developed gearing towards constructiveness, particularly in the food industry. (Walker Rapley, 2000). BioEdit, as a tool for sequencing and aligning various molecules or substances such as DNA, nucleic acids, amino acids, etc. , is therefore extremely important in the realization of the goals of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Through its comprehensive services and features aside from sequencing and aligning, the application is able to help molecular biologists and geneticists thoroughly analyze sequences for various purposes aforementioned, consequently advancing not only their respective fields but other scientific industries as well including health care and medicine, psychology and behavior, farming and agriculture, food processing and production, genetics, etc.

Critos Argument Essay -- essays research papers

The purpose of "Crito" seems intended to exhibit the character of Socrates in one light only, not as the philosopher, fulfilling a divine mission and trusting in the will of Heaven, but simply as the good citizen, who, having been unjustly condemned is willing to give up his life in obedience to the laws of the State. The main argument that seems to entail the discussion between Crito and Socrates is the opinion of the majority on Socrates’ fate. In the "Crito" Socrates states, "Why should we care so much for what the majority think?" (Plato 45) Socrates believes that we should not care what the majority thinks because those who are reasonable people will understand. However, Crito’s counter-argument to this is that the majority can cause great harm; therefore we should care what they think. Socrates further goes on to say the majority acts haphazardly; therefore, they cannot do great good or great harm (Plato 45). Crito says that "the opinion of the many" would judge us wrong if we didn't help you (and anyone in your position would agree that you ought to escape). Socrates notes that some opinion is right and some opinion is wrong. It is not simply a matter of mere opinion, but of correct opinion. The authority in this case is the actual truth of the matter. Socrates introduces a distinction between true opinion and false opinion. And the path to the latter is through argu ment and reason. By appealing to the opinion of "the many," Crito seems to be committing the Ad Populum Fallacy (i.e., something is right, true, etc., because the majority of the population says it is). Socrates seems to pose an open argument: the opinion of the many says that escaping from jail is right – but is it right? Socrates seems to believe that although the majority believes it is right for him to escape from jail he is going against what he believes to be true. Socrates believes that he has a tacit consent with the state by living in Athens for 70 years he has accepted their laws. Furthermore disagrees with retaliation and rejects Crito’s suggestion to flee to Thessaly he will be welcomed there and free to speak. Socrates seems to have adhered to the belief that if he was born and raised in this state and had children here he must have agreed with the ways in which the state operates; therefore, he cann... ...ur country to intervene and help countries less able. South Vietnam needed the support of the U.S.—especially when the North Vietnamese forces threatened them. 	Thus, in conclusion I believe that Socrates was correct to disregard the opinion of the majority. Socrates accepts his fate, for this reason alone he is not a coward. Socrates disagrees with retaliation and has faith in the government of Athens. Although Socrates may not agree with the decision of the assembly to put him to his death, he realizes that he was done wrongly by the assembly rather than the laws of Athens themselves. I believe Socrates feels this way because he has lived under the laws of Athens for 70 years and he has raised his children under the same principles. Socrates accepts the fact that being a member of society demands a certain respect and obedience. Without the rules and punishment system Athens would not be able to function properly. As Socrates decided to become a citizen of the state of Athens he also takes along with him the responsibility of being a citizen of that state. In following the more reasonable people I believe Socrates is merely followi ng the path in which the Gods intended.

Death of a Salesman- Act 2 Essay

Q1. Why is Willy’s mood upbeat at the start of Act Two? What does he expect to happen? Ans: Willy’s mood is upbeat at the start of Act two because he felt that his family and everything was finally coming together. Before, Biff decided that he was going to meet Oliver and join into the business field. Willy finally felt revealed because Happy came up with an idea for Biff and Happy to start a business together. He expected that Bill Oliver would recognize Biff and give him a job with Biff asking for at least fifteen thousand. This made him over excited because he felt that the family would be happier and Biff would get the success that he wants. Q2. Why does Willy tell Howard about Dave Singleman? Describe the dramatic effect when Howard listens to the voices of his family while Willy tries o talk business. Why does Howard tell Willy to drop off his samples and forbid him to go to Boston? Why is this such a blow to Willy? Ans: Dave Singleman was a great salesman who made his living without leaving his house until the age of eighty-four. He was a very popular and well known man who was greatly missed when he died. Willy told Howard about Dave because he wants to prove to him that Willy can also be a successful salesman while staying at home too. He also wants to show him how there was gratitude and respect for one another back then, and how everything changed in this generation for the worse. When Willy was trying to speak about business, Howard kept listening to the voices of his family. Willy was trying to also listen and patiently wait until Howard was done, but soon felt irritated after a while when Howard would not pay attention to him. This set a bad mood for Willy as he was waiting for the chance to talk to Howard. Howard tells Willy to drop off his samples and forbids him to go to Boston because he feels that Willy needs to take a break. After listening to Willy’s emotional break out, he was sure that he wanted to send Willy home until he was able to gain control over himself and his life. He felt that Willy wouldn’t be able to do his job right anymore and make the business suffer if he continues. This is such a blow to Willy because now he doesn’t have a job. Just for a small request to stay home and work, Willy suffered by overall losing his job. Now he would have the problem to make money for his family and pay for their bills, etc. Q3. What is Willy’s philosophy? How does Biff as a football hero embody his father’s dreams? Why does Charley say Willy hasn’t grown up? Ans: Willy believed to become successful you needed to be physically attractive and fit. He felt that playing sports and being popular, and revolving everything around the personal appearance would lead anyone to easy success and well performance. Willy used to dedicate himself to Biff when he used to play football. He allowed Biff to do anything as long as he succeeded in football and tried to become the best. This would fulfill his dreams of his children being physically fit and stable and being able to have the strength and determination to succeed. Charley says that Willy hasn’t grown up because Willy still seems to have a stubborn attitude where he always wants to be superior compared to everyone else. Willy made himself believe that he was always better than everyone, even if it wasn’t true. Charley felt that Willy hasn’t seen the reality of life yet and still chooses to live in his illusions. Q4. What is Willy’s impression of Bernard when he sees him in his father’s office? Why does Willy exaggerate Biff’s importance? Why does Bernard ask what happened after the game at Ebbets Field? Ans: Willy was shocked to see Bernard at his father’s office. When they started talking, Willy seemed to feel a little jealous of Bernard as he was going to Washington and staying with some friends who were rich. When he hears about Bernard’s plans and success, he starts to exaggerate about Biff’s importance. He does this because he cannot stand the fact that Bernard is more successful than Biff, and therefore tries to make Biff sound superior compared to everyone else. Bernard asks what happens after the game at Ebbets Field because he notices that Biff’s life changed completely afterwards and nothing good ever happened after that time. He noticed that there was a change in Biff’s attitude and the he could tell that Biff gave up on life, and he wanted to know what had caused all this. -Q5. Why won’t Willy work for Charley? Why is Willy able to ask Charley for money? How is Charley’s view of what a salesman needs different from Willy’s view? Ans: For many years, Willy has made himself feel like he is better than most people, and has had this superior complex. He tries to compare himself to Charley and finds excuses and ways to say that he is better than him, even though he knows that Charley is more successful in life which makes him jealous of Charley. Therefore, Willy refuses to work for Charley because that would just be another way of saying that Charley is more successful than him. Willy is able to ask Charley for money because he knows that Charley is his only friend he has, and will be the only one who will actually lend him money. Charley’s view of what a salesman needs is different from Willy’s view because Charley feels that -Q6. In the restaurant, how does Happy reflect Willy’s values? Why does Miller have the girls come in? Ans: Miller had the girls come in so we could see how arrogant Biff and Happy are as they leave the restaurant leaving Willy all by himself and go with those girls. This shows us how much they cared for their father at the time and how irresponsible they were. Q7. How does Biff’s realization that his life is a lie underline the theme of the play? Why does Biff take Bill Oliver’s fountain pen? Why can’t he tell his father what happened with Bill Oliver? Why do Biff and Happy leave Willy at the restaurant? Ans: After meeting Bill Oliver and realizing that he didn’t even remember him, Biff finally understands that his life in business is just a joke and that it was a waste of time to continue. This underlines the theme of the play as it shows how he saw his life the way he wanted to and was in his own illusions and dreams for fifteen years until he met reality. Biff realizes now that success doesn’t come easily, and that he should do what he wants in life. Biff takes Bill Oliver’s fountain pens while a rush of anger and confusion is going through his mind. Because Oliver didn’t even recognize Biff, he had an urge to just go into his office and just take what he could to satisfy and calm himself. Biff cannot tell his father what happened with Bill Oliver because he doesn’t want to disappoint him. He knows that his decision to meet Bill made Willy extremely happy, and he was ashamed as Bill Oliver wasn’t even able to give him a job, yet recognize him. And even when he had tried to tell Willy any bad news, Willy would jump to conclusions and wouldn’t give him the proper chance or time to let Biff explain himself. Happy and Biff leave Willy at the restaurant because they didn’t want to discuss what had happened that day. They left with a couple of girls for some fun leaving Willy alone because Happy wanted Biff to feel better and take his mind off all his problems. Q8. Why did Biff go to Boston? What does he discover when he see the Woman? Why is it that Biff never went to summer school? Why can’t he believe his father? Ans: Biff flunked math and didn’t get enough credits to graduate. Therefore he came to Boston to meet his dad and ask him to talk to his teachers to give him some points. He thought that Willy would be able to talk to them in â€Å"his way† and could be able to get enough points to make Biff pass. When Biff sees the Women, he discovers that his father is a fake and was doing something completely wrong. He also sees that Willy had given his mothers stockings to the woman. Biff never went to summer school after that incident because he was completely shocked and let down by his father. He wasn’t in the position anymore to take summer school classes as the situation left him into a state of depression. He couldn’t believe his father because he never thought that he would actually turn on his mother and do this to her and their family. This left Biff in a state of confusion and shock where he wasn’t able to forgive his father. Q9. Why does Linda tell the boys, â€Å"Get out of here, both of you, and don’t come back!†? Ans: Linda yells at the boys because she is disappointed and furious with them. When she found out that they had left Willy all by himself at the restaurant, she was very angry and didn’t want to see or speak to either of them. She was also disappointed because she just started to think that things in their family were going to go back to normal and everyone was going to be happy, and after the incident, she was disappointed that there were still more issues to take care of. She feels that the boys don’t respect their father, and care more about the women they went off with. She also feels like her sons are just tormenting Willy and using him for financial backup, shelter, etc. but are not giving him the support, love and respect he needs and deserves. Q10. Why does Willy keep planting seeds when they’ve never grown before? Why does Willy think Biff will be impressed with his funeral? Why does Ben say that Biff will call Willy a fool? Ans: Willy keeps planting seeds because he wants his family to have something left to remember him by after he passes away. He knows that he hasn’t succeeded much in life and wasn’t able to give him family much and therefore he wants to leave something behind for them. They could use the plants to use or sell them, and they will have a nice garden in their house. Willy thinks that Biff will be impressed with his funeral because he feels that many people from different states all over the country will come to visit him at his funeral. He wants to show Biff that he is well known and cared for by others. Ben says that Biff will call Willy a fool because he knows that Willy is not well known, and that no one will show up at his funeral, and Biff will know that his father was a coward and end up hating him. Q11. Why doesn’t Willy want to see Linda? Why does he think Biff is spiting him? Why does Biff show him the rubber hose? Why does Biff confront Willy and Happy? Ans: Willy doesn’t want to see Linda because he is ashamed of himself. Everyone knows about Biff’s failure to get a business job with Bill Oliver, and Willy feels that it is his fault why this had happened. Therefore, he feels ashamed to show his face to Linda. He feels that Biff is spiting him because he feels that Biff is blaming all his failure on Willy. He doesn’t seem to care about the family and tells them to forget that he is alive, and that he would just send them a cheque if he could. Biff shows Willy the rubber hose because he wants Willy to know that the entire family knows what is going on and what he has been up to. Biff wants to show Willy that they are all worried about him and let him know what kind of pressure he is putting the whole family under but trying to commit suicide. Q12. What does Biff do that elates Willy? How does Happy try to attract Willy’s attention? How does Ben influence Willy at this point? Ans: Biff starts to cry for his father which seems to elate him. After stating what kind of life Biff was in before coming home, he broke into tears for Willy to help him get rid of his childish dreams before something happens. He wanted to stop imagining his future, and actually start something that he could do. Happy tries to attract Willy’s attention by telling them that he was going to chance, get married soon, and his the department he was working for. Ben influences Willy at this point by showing him how Biff would be better off with Willy’s insurance money as it would be more than what Willy is making now. He states that â€Å"the jungle is dark but full of diamonds.† He tells Willy that Biff can succeed in life, but just needs a starting push. This influences Willy to commit suicide so that his family could get his insurance money. Requiem:- Q1. What is a requiem? What is the purpose of the final act? To what extent is it successful? Ans: A requiem is a celebration for the commemoration of the dead. It is usually a funeral service or a memorial service. The purpose of the final act was for the Loman’s to figure out what they should do with their lives. Biff and Happy wanted to finally get a hold of their goals and start something in their life. This all could have made the family happier and successful. Even though the family had planned to try to become successful in business, it didn’t work out. Biff finally decided what he wanted to do in his life, which was to be outdoors. This upset Willy, which therefore led the family into a different situation. The final act ended in a disrupt manner as Willy committed suicide to help his family with their financial problems, and help Biff and Happy to start their careers and lives. Q2. Charley says: â€Å"No man only needs a little salary.† To what is he referring? What else does a man need? Ans: When Charley says that â€Å"no man only needs a little salary†, he is trying to say that just the minimum money earned will never be enough for any man. Men always want more than what they have for their own satification and to have more for their happiness. A man also needs the due respect they deserve. A man wants the best for their family, and wants to see their families excelling and to be superior to others. Q3. Explain the irony of Linda’s last speech. Ans: In Linda’s last speech she questions Willy and asks why he had to leave them. She doesn’t understand why Willy had chosen to make that decision and still feels like waiting for him to come back. She tells Willy that she isn’t able to cry for him. This doesn’t mean that she doesn’t care about him and isn’t able to show her emotions, but she is in such a confused state, that she doesn’t even know what to do.

Barilla & Harvard Business School.

Nowadays, manufacturing and services firms face growing challenges to increase profit margins amidst increasingly fiercer competition. Under such circumstances, industry analysts and supply chain experts suggest manufacturers and service providers to promote more effective supply and demand planning, management, and execution as the means to unlocking significant gains in margins. By definition, Search CIO (2007) defines SCM as the management of information, materials, and finances along a chain of process from suppliers to manufacturers and then from manufacturers to customers.The interests in the discussion of supply chain management occur since it relates to costs reduction in all aspects of business process especially regarding the inventory reduction that suggests manufacturer produce goods when needed. The situation highlights that supply chain management will enhance lead time (time-to-market) of particular products, thus enabling all parties within an organization to manage t heir resources more effectively. Concerning the issue, this paper will describe supply chain management issue in Barilla spA, an Italian manufacturer that sells their products to its retailers mainly via third-party distributors.The competition in the market has caused unfavorable situation for Barilla during late 1980s when the company faced unpredictable demands from its distributors. 2. What are the reasons for the increase in variability in Barilla’s supply chain? Barilla maintains separate supply chain because the company has two general products: fresh and dry products, which required special treatment. In this situation, fresh products is mainly purchased from the two central distribution centers (CDCs) by independent agents who further channeled the products into 70 regional warehouses across Italy.Meanwhile, about two third of dry products are sold at supermarkets. Figure 1 explains the supply chain systems for Barilla. 3. How can Barilla cope with the increase in va riability? In order to succeed the distribution system, Barilla is known to practice the replenishment strategy, which describes an agreement between Barilla and their supplier to share the data about frequency and inventory levels to match Barilla demands (About. com, 2008).By delivering the products under the agreement with suppliers, Barilla is able to support their Just in time (JIT) distribution system, which is considered to be the optimum strategy to accomplish the company’s mission of having increased customers satisfaction. 4. What is the impact of transferring demand information across the supply chain? By sharing information between Barilla and their suppliers, there are positive impacts since the combination of JIT and replenishment strategy supports the demand fluctuations, reduced inventory level at warehouse, decreased stock-out levels etc.5. Can the Vendor Managed Inventory strategy solve the operational problems faced by Barilla? In Vendor Managed Inventory ( VMI) strategy, the suppliers have greater responsibility over the supply since they are required to determine the delivery frequency and inventory levels in order to maintain the agreed stock levels in warehouses. In addition, the practice of this system also helps Barilla to track out-of-stocks and other performance data, previous years’ sales history and trends.Therefore, the practice of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) has solved the operational problems at Barilla. 6. How can the supply chain meet conflicting goals of different partners and facilities? In order to avoid the conflict between different partners and suppliers of Barilla, the company must ensure that the implementation of Just in Time system will help the maintenance of satisfaction in services, inventory levels, and stock-out levels and others in which each supplier has taken part of the system.In addition, Barilla must also ensure that within implementation steps, the use of EDI to deliver the inventory infor mation is the same among suppliers so the reliability can be secured and the compatibility level can be reached. Reference: About. com. (2008). Reduce Inventory with these 3 Supplier Partnership Strategies. Retrieved September 7, 2008 from http://logistics. about. com/od/inventoryoptimization/a/supplier_partnr. htm Hammond, Janice H. (2008). Barilla SpA (A). Harvard Business School.O’Brien, Kevin and Brian Springman. (2004). Optimizing Supply Chains, Understanding Demands. Retrieved September 7, 2008 from http://www. crmbuyer. com/story/35892. html Search CIO. (2007). Supply Chain Management. Retrieved September 7, 2008 from http://searchcio. techtarget. com/sDefinition/0,,sid19_gci214546,00. html YAO Kao-hua, LIU Chang-chuan. (2006). An Integrated Approach for Measuring Supply Chain Performance. Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing. Vol. 2, No. 10

How to Be a Pro at Your First Job After Graduating College

How to Be a Pro at Your First Job After Graduating College Congrats! You’ve snagged a job and are on the way to building your professional life. There are five things you need to know to be your best self in the workplace. Deal with your bossDo nothing but impress. If your boss asks you for something, accept the challenge and deliver the finished product without complications. Unless you’re really stumped or confused by her instructions, find a way to get it done quickly, correctly, and well. Ask questions. Make sure you know exactly what is required from you and then do that, plus a little more. When possible, don’t show anybody how the sausage is made. And never make your boss or coworkers look stupid in front of others.CommunicateYou’re not in college anymore. The jokes you and your friends thought were funny in college probably aren’t. When in doubt, act more mature than you have ever felt. Don’t gossip in the hallways, don’t write emails angry, figure out how to express yourself professio nally and concisely- when to write an email vs. pick up the phone vs. swing by someone’s cubicle. Learn to listen. Don’t blather on in meetings. Don’t ever check your phone in the middle of a conversation; it’s just rude. Be unimpeachable. Your future reputation thanks you.Deal with your coworkers in a courteous mannerBe nice. Don’t say anything inflammatory or insensitive. Try and appreciate perspectives and experiences that are not your own- who knows, you may learn something. Pick up a few troubleshooting skills to ingratiate yourself; if you’re the only Excel wizard on your team, chances are you’ll be called in to pinch hit often, and thanked profusely! Drink less than you would by half at every work function. (You’re welcome.)Dress  like a proBe neat, but not ostentatious. Don’t overdress, and definitely don’t underdress. Present yourself professionally and without flash. Invest in a few quality pieces: nic e shoes, a decent bag, clothes that fit your body type and don’t look sloppy. Keep your haircut neat. And beyond that, don’t stress too much. Let your work speak for you.  Evolve and excelYou’ve worked hard already. That’s how you got where you are. Now you just have to transition from the all-nighters and the energy drinks to the office life. Stay steady, find a project you can sink your teeth into, and keep your head down. When you make mistakes- and you will- rectify them quickly and learn from them.

Case analysis Sharpe BMW car dealership and service centre

Case analysis Sharpe BMW car dealership and service centre Introduction The Sharpe BMW is an automobile dealership company that survives chiefly like what most companies survive on: automobile sales and services such as maintenance. The company has experienced a new fall over the years which Sharpe BMW have predicted to have been caused by the changing of the headship in which the company has experienced victory.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Case analysis: Sharpe BMW car dealership and service centre specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The adjustment in the management allegedly reduced client rankings and the revenues and profit margins of the automobile dealership company. However, latest improvements made an immediate change when the top management decided that it required an adjustment in the company in order that it would be capable of meeting the sector margin and preferably, the victorious margins that the firm has attained previously under the headship of the former service boss. Tom Dunn, the service manager and Bob Deshane, presented a proposal to the firm administration that would absolutely return the years when the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI), which has been infecting Sharpe BMW, was strong. The CSI was identified as a cause of low service quality in the automobile dealership industry in the region. Among the issues that should be solved in the plan, the technicians feel that the plan was an excellent concept the sole problem of which is the bonus would be so inadequate on their side. Adding a supplementary reality were the observations of Sharpe BMW technician that he would be comfortable performing more warranty tasks as this would provide him with more salary. The other employee, however, was positive concerning the new plan. The technician remarked that the Customer Satisfaction Index offers extra details and concentrates on an aspect that is not actually useful as that aspect is beyond the reach of the technicians. He as well co mmented that the new plan in addition granted the employees a more than congratulate recognition that further encourages the employees (Kenneth Whitten 2007).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To add more trouble to Bob Deshane’s problem is that the task ahead of him specified that his work’s requirements comprise the focus on growing the service section’s income and on increasing the Customer Satisfaction Index ranking of the service unit. Deshane understood then that the assignment ahead of him is in line with the new plan, but would include the amending of a number of items that are associated with the service section. Deshane’s predicament includes that the integration of the plan would not be assured to work and bring an excellent result and that everybody would be pleased. To make things harder, Deshane think of the likelihood of t hat the plan or the integration would have a number of flaws and would have a likelihood that it would not work. Background As the issue comprises the plan and the judgment that must be made by the director, Bob Deshane, the initial step that the report has to focus on would be the company situation and the new plan’s merits and demerits. In an attempt of stemming deteriorating service unit incomes and low CSI scores, Bob Deshane, the Service Director of Sharpe BMW had created an action plan that alters the way technicians are paid (Herrnstadt 2007). The task of executing the bonus plan falls to Tom Dunn, the freshly recruited Service administrator. Dunn must develop an extensive plan for implementing such organizational change. The setting of the case – a small car dealership – offers both familiarity and sympathy, with the role faced by the service manager. There are two key objectives here. First, has the compensation plan been structured in a suitable way an d does the organizational procedure seem right? Second, what is the complexity of the assignment ahead of employees who have to bring a change in the service department?Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Case analysis: Sharpe BMW car dealership and service centre specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Objective of the report The report is an attempt of developing an outline of implementation which discuses the exact steps that Dunn ought to follow with a view of ensuring that Deshane’s strategy is effectively executed. The report will focus on: Providing a chance to use performance administration solutions, particularly a compensation system change. Diagnosing and applying design process to a pay system intervention Designing a change management plan Discussion queries The case involves two queries. These include: What do you see as the merits and demerits of the suggested bonus strategy? Based on the details in the Sharpe BMW case, prepare an execution strategy for Dunn to follow? Analysis of the current plan Prior to embarking into such significant queries, it is worth organizing the case scenario into an organized change process format. Particularly, how did the service manager find himself in this scenario and does that create issues? The case involves the following issues: Service department’s revenues Dealership’s customer satisfaction index Service technician’s labour market The case offers an assortment of details concerning the current compensation plan in addition to some pieces of information regarding how the evaluation (although non-formal) was carried out. The current pay plan exists in a more enormous performance coordination model context. Specifically the present plan of warranty reward and client payment is closely associated with the client satisfaction index plan (Hassin 2010; Long 2006). We can borrow and adapt the procedure for a successful empl oyee appraisal plan in addition to the procedure for a successful compensation plan in assessing the association of these two criteria. Pros and cons of the current CSI The customer satisfaction index model can be evaluated as follows:Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Relevance – the client satisfaction index method ranks well on relevance as marks are transferred to the company every four weeks (Mclean 2009). Exactness – the precision of the client satisfaction index score can be disputed. It includes survey feedbacks. Only one of eight queries associates with technician attitudes and only four of five bring about a rating of 85%. A client bringing his or her vehicle in for a warranty fix, in the best scenario, cannot be a pleased client and thus the probability to rate the general service experience as excellent (100%) cannot be high regardless of how good the technicians perform (Chew Cheng 2006). Recognition – there is little recognition of the client satisfaction index plan as an applicable dimension. Under the present plan, an employee is not paid at all for good client satisfaction index score, so there is slight opportunity he or she would agree being controlled by it (Magal Word 2012). Generally, the client satis faction index plan does not have lots of inspiring potential as a performance response model, particularly for the technician. Pros/ cons of the current pay plan The present compensation plan can be evaluated as follows: Relevance – even though no particular details are available, it is possibly reasonable in assuming that under the present model, a technician is remunerated on a monthly basis. Relevance of the pay is consequently judicious. Availability – here the query is whether remunerations are available. Based on the old model, the response is that there is no an extra incentive or appreciation awarded beyond the present hourly remuneration rate. Not to be assumed, however, is the actual uncertainty that a qualified technician is hard to get and there is an opportunity for the technician in other service enterprises. Performance possibility – is there a link between remuneration and good service. The response here is no. A technician in the new plan is si mply rewarded based on the job he or she performs (warranty payment versus client payment) Equity – the plan seems to be fair as far as intrinsic and extrinsic equity is concerned. Visibility – the current plan lacks visibility. However, it is perhaps realistic in assuming that a non-formal plan in the service unit exists (Stinson Smith 2007). A technician perhaps knows who gets what job and if or not some people are receiving higher proportions of warranty versus customer pay job. In general, the current reward plan is possibly average in its inspiring potential. The most fragile factors are performance possibility and availability. The configuration between the current plan and new plan is not good. Basically, the communication model determines the worker attitude that is not being paid but for which top management is being recognized. It is no doubt the top managers at Sharpe BMW have selected the pay plan as the primary switch for change. It is not likely that th e managers would be capable of changing Sharpe’s business model. As far as the analytic process is concerned, the Sharpe BMW case leaves the tough feeling that the analysis was performed approximately totally by Bob Deshane (Burke 2011). As an outcome, we can forecast that the technical employees will probably be doubtful and show as a minimum some resistance to the execution of the current pay plan. The senior technician’s comment in the case is suggestive of this resistance (Bloodgood Morrow 2003). Executing the new pay plan Given the merits and demerits of the existing performance coordination approach and the way the analytic phases were carried out, we can resort to the query of execution. Dunn’s responsibility in execution As a service administrator in a car dealership, Tom Dunn is a central administrator. For Dunn, top managers want improved CSI scores, while his workers want to be fairly rewarded for their contribution. Dunn’s work is that of fin ding a common ground, of getting a technician to understand the need for a reward alteration system (or the significance of precisely executing Deshane’s system) and, at the same time, assure that the new system attains top managers’ objective of advanced CSI scores. Basically, Dunn is the change executor and therefore must balance the requirements of the management as well as anticipations of the workers (the technicians). Execution plan There are 2 methods to think regarding the establishment of an execution design. In the first scenario, the service manager can conduct a force-field investigation and generate a change approach derived from that investigation. On the other hand, Dunn can follow a change implementation design (Zhu Meredith 2003). Table 1: Force-field investigation Forces for change Forces opposing Dwindling CSI rankings Directors chance for higher bonuses Current pay plan Technicians present way to think regarding rewards Knowing the nee d for change New plan does not improve payment that much Association between CSI rating and attempt not clear Relation between payment and performance not in the control of technicians The likely change is not equivalent to the effort. New pay plan The new plan brings in another measure – CSI scores – that influences technicians’ bonuses, and that ranking is not in their favour. As an outcome, it is possible that a technician would oppose. Managing change Once the service manager has understood the scope of the change via a force-field assessment, Dunn must craft an execution strategy. Dunn may have to choose whether he would conduct a pilot execution (comprising, say a single technician) or an entirely fledged execution comprising all technicians. Dunn then must develop a successful method of communicating this strategy to the technicians (Barlett Ghosai 2007). Reflections Any strategy of execution that Dunn utilizes ought to stress the following core asp ects: 1. Communication – he must explain the new system completely in a way that any technician can know its impact on him or her. Dunn must start by explaining what encouraged the company towards adopting the bonus plan and the outcomes that the managers expect once the system is executed. Dunn must emphasis the gains (although small) that would go to the technicians based on the plan. Dunn as well should be specific to explain what is anticipated of the technicians, for example higher interest to warranty works. He should understand that good communication is critical to the victory of the plan. 2. Monitoring and response – after the reward system is implemented, Dunn should track it to see its result and offer response to the workers. It may encourage the workers if the manager can make public success episodes (increased CSI ratings) in addition to the bonus that a certain technician has got due to more focus on warranty job. Conclusion The case analysis aimed at as sessing the current situation of Sharpe BMW and the new plan’s pros and cons. In an effort of stemming deteriorating service unit incomes and low CSI scores, Bob Deshane, the Service Director of Sharpe BMW had created an action plan that alters the way technicians are paid. A technician has to vividly know the underlying principle for the alteration, what he or she has to do to obtain the reward, and what type of modified attitudes are anticipated of him. It may seem right for the service manager to develop real figures and indicate how technicians can increase their present salaries by enhancing their CSI ratings. Recommendation/ solution Regardless of the reward plan’s slightly better structure, executing such change may not actually assist the Sharpe BMW in the long term. The solution is to sustain customer satisfaction index ratings at an echelon satisfactory to Sharpe BMW and to senior managers. References Barlett, C Ghosai, S 2007, Managing across borders: The t ransnational solution, Harvard Business School Press, Boston. Bloodgood, J Morrow, J 2003, ‘Strategic organizational change: exploring the roles of environmental structure, internal conscious awareness and knowledge’, Journal of management studies, vol. 40 no. 7, pp. 1761-1782. Burke, W 2011, Organization Change Theory and Practice, 3rd edn, SAGE Publication, United States of America. Chew, M Cheng, J 2006, ‘Managers’ role in implementing organizational change: case of the restaurant industry in Melbourne’, Journal of global business and technology, vol. 2 no.1, pp. 58-67. Hassin, A 2010, ‘Effective diagnosis in organization change management’, Journal of business systems, vol. 5 no. 2, pp. 23-29. Herrnstadt, O 2007, ‘Are international framework agreements a path to corporate social responsibility’, Journal of business and employment law, vol. 10 no. 1, pp. 187-223. Kenneth, G Whitten, D 2007, ‘Organisational cultur e of customer care: market orientation and service quality’, International journal of services and standards, vol. 3 no. 2, pp. 137-153. Long, R 2006, Strategic compensation in Canada, 3rd edn, Thomson Publication, Toronto. Magal, S Word, J 2012, Integrated business processes with ERP systems, Wiley, Cambridge, MA. Mclean, G 2009, Organization development principles processes performance, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, California. Stinson, V Smith, S 2007, ‘The CSI effect: reflections from police and forensic investigators’, The Canadian journal of police security services, vol. 5 no. 3, pp, 125-133. Zhu, Z Meredith, P 2003, ‘Defining critical elements in JIT implementation: a survey’, Industrial Management Data Systems, vol. 95 no. 8, pp. 21-29.

Legal Citation †Citing Cases with The Bluebook

Legal Citation – Citing Cases with The Bluebook Legal Citation – Citing Cases with The Bluebook The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation has long been used as a legal citation style guide in the US. Other systems have been introduced in recent years, but if you’re a law student you’ll almost certainly encounter Bluebook-style citations at some point. In this post, we provide an â€Å"anatomy† of a Bluebook case citation to make sure you can reference legal sources clearly and correctly in your written work. Basic Citation Format The basic citation format for a legal case in Bluebook referencing consists of four principle elements (the parties’ names, the case citation, the court and the year of the ruling): Parties’ Names Case Citation Court Year of Decision DeBoer v. Snyder, 973 F. Supp. 2d 757 (E.D. Mich 2014). Citations will appear in the main body of your text or in a footnote immediately following the relevant passage (accompanied by a signal where appropriate). In the rest of this post, we’ll look more closely at each of the above elements. Parties’ Names The parties’ names are the title of the case, so should be italicized and separated from the rest of the citation with a comma. The case name should also be shortened using approved abbreviations. Case Citation The case citation usually incorporates the volume number of the report where the case was published, the abbreviated reporter identification and the first page of the case. In DeBoer v. Snyder, the case citation can be broken down as follows: Volume Number Reporter Page Number 973 F. Supp. 2d 757 This indicates that the case is reported in volume 973 of the Federal Supplement, Second Series, starting on page 757. Alternatively, if available, a medium-neutral citation can be given. Court Year The ruling court and year of decision should be included in parentheses after the case citation. The name of the court is abbreviated here (e.g., â€Å"Eastern District Michigan† becomes just â€Å"E.D. Mich†). If you’re using a medium-neutral citation or another form of case citation that already mentions the ruling court and/or year of decision, it isn’t necessary to duplicate it here. Parentheticals Further to the above, Bluebook referencing allows for inclusion of a second set of parentheticals after the court/year to provide additional information. Usually, this will be either substantive information or detail regarding the weight of the authority: 1. Substantive Information Information provided to clarify the relevance of a citation, either via a direct quotation of the passage in question or a brief explanation. Explanatory phrases should begin with an â€Å"-ing† verb. 2. Weight of Authority This concerns the precedential value of the cited case, including factors such as the relevance of the authority (e.g., whether the ruling was en banc, per curiam, etc.) or other cases cited to support the decision.

Scioally desirable merits goods Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Scioally desirable merits goods - Coursework Example Discussion Merits goods are some of the products that are considered socially beneficial and in most cases, they tend to be under produced or consumed via the mechanism of the market; for instance, education, garbage collection, welfare services, and healthcare. These are the products and services, which the government of United Kingdom believes that citizens will under-consume, and goods that government ought to subsidize, provide free consumption or use to ensure that their consumption is not mainly dependent on the capacity to pay for them. Demerit goods are dangerous to the society and they include goods like illegal drugs such as alcohol, cigarettes, and other hard drugs, (Fiorito and Kollintzas, 2002, p.56). In demerits goods case, the market failure is prevalent as these products are over-consumed and are allowed to free market. Therefore, the government of United Kingdom should intervene and control overconsumption of demerit goods. For example, in drug cases, the government imposes increased regulations and taxes over their consumption. This implies increased prices to discourage people from consumption of such drugs. Since a number of demerit goods are damaging – socially undesirable – the government of United Kingdom imposes complete restrictions, which have been effective in avoiding their trade as well as consumption. Compared to public good, merit goods are offered via the market, however, not in adequate quantities to increased social welfare, therefore, the government and private sectors can provide both merit goods like education. Economists agree that merit goods are products that are essential to people and private sectors can also provide them, though differently. For instance, if merit goods are solely provided through private sectors, then the consumption rate tends to be low and thus the government has to intervene to correct such market challenge – failure. Studies indicate that merit goods such as education can be o ffered by free market but has various limitations if privately provided, (Throsby, 2005, p.78). Some of the challenges are that citizens may not have adequate amount of resources to purchase the merit good – education. Poor people would not afford to attend expensive education institutions, as they believe nothing will happen and if anything happens, they cannot afford to pay. Consequently, this results to inequitable income distribution as only the wealth will be highly literate and therefore, can earn increased income in the future. Therefore, if government provides the merit goods it benefits both the rich and poor people. For instance, equitable education - human capital investment – for all will enhance the growth of economy and general well-being for all. In addition, if private institutions offer education, some people will joint independent or private schools and if the government does not chip in and provide government or public schools, many families and peop le may not afford education either. This is because they may not afford the cost of education in private schools and this would increase the level of under-consumption of the merit goods, (Sherman, 2007, p.23). Consequently, there would be high crime rate and low productivity from majority of illiterate people who could not afford education in private sectors and this cause challenges for the labor market. Therefore, the role of the United Kingdom government in this concern is to regulate the affordability of

Skip navigation links BFS 3430-09D, PRINCIPLES OF FIRE BEHAVIOR Essay - 2

Skip navigation links BFS 3430-09D, PRINCIPLES OF FIRE BEHAVIOR (BFS3430-09D) - Essay Example Moisture is necessary in order to make the wild lands less vulnerable to fire (International Association of Fire Chiefs, 2008). With lacking moisture, there are more chances of spread of fire. Less moisture is there when the weather is dry and hot. With higher humidity, the chances of fire spread are less and with low humidity, the chances of fire spread are more. Therefore, it can be said that hot and dry weather in which the humidity ratio is less is more vulnerable for wild land fires and fire fighters are required to cool down the fuel in order to extinguish the fire. Like moisture, winds are also such weather conditions that can add to the wild land fires. Windy weather usually becomes a reason for the spread of fire in wild lands. The windy weather will help the fuel to burn more and will also spread the burning fire. Fire is spread with great speed because of the windy weather (International Association of Fire Chiefs, 2008). Windy weather is very dangerous for the conditions where there are wild land fires. Fire fighting also becomes difficult with weathers that help in ignition. The fire fighters should be trained in order to fight the fire with differing weather conditions. International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of fire Chiefs (COR) and National Fire Protection Association. (2008). Fundamentals of Fire Fighting Skills. Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Also Available at

Globalization and Its Impact on Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Globalization and Its Impact on Business - Essay Example Globalization can be therefore called international integration (Noam Chomsky, 2006) and can be explained as a practice by means of which the world community are unified into a distinct social order and operate collectively in a process which merges financial, technical, socio-cultural and political forces. (Sheila L. Croucher, 2004) The Driving factors of Globalization are reduction in travel costs at a global level, liberalization in trade policies, and the high rate of growth in Information technology. Globalization originates with the discovery and migration of the New World which is elucidated by Thomas L. Friedman, in his book, 'The World Is Flat', where he "examines the impact of the 'flattening' of the globe", or an international 'flattening' of competition in businesses facilitated by escalating global inter-connectedness. Friedman debates that globalized business and trade practices including outsourcing, off-shoring, supply-chaining, and economic, technological, and political forces have misused the face of the business world eternally (Friedman T. L., 2008). Business globalization refers to a company's undertaking of sales and assets across international borders and the resulting flow of capital, goods, services, and labor. Coca-Cola is a good example of a company that has successfully cultivated its international business, with more than 70 percent of its income originating from non-U.S. sources. The various tactics that Coca-Coca uses to achieve this include developing a global consumer market, establishing transnational corporations to reduce production costs, product branding and positioning, competition-based pricing, and more. Effects of globalization on business Cheap offshore production Offshore Production entails the... The Driving factors of Globalization are reduction in travel costs at a global level, liberalization in trade policies, and the high rate of growth in Information technology.Globalization originates with the discovery and migration of the New World which is elucidated by Thomas L. Friedman, in his book, ‘The World Is Flat’, where he â€Å"examines the impact of the ‘flattening’ of the globe†, or an international ‘flattening’ of competition in businesses facilitated by escalating global inter-connectedness. Friedman debates that globalized business and trade practices including outsourcing, off-shoring, supply-chaining, and economic, technological, and political forces have misused the face of the business world eternally (Friedman T. L., 2008).Business globalization refers to a company’s undertaking of sales and assets across international borders and the resulting flow of capital, goods, services, and labor. Coca-Cola is a good ex ample of a company that has successfully cultivated its international business, with more than 70 percent of its income originating from non-U.S. sources. The various tactics that Coca-Coca uses to achieve this include developing a global consumer market, establishing transnational corporations to reduce production costs, product branding and positioning, competition-based pricing, and more.  Offshore Production entails the fabrication of goods in a foreign country for import to the domestic market. One of the major effects of globalization is the cheap offshore production.

Political Economy of Work and Health in Silicon Valley Case Study - 8

Political Economy of Work and Health in Silicon Valley - Case Study Example Santa Clara County was originally one of the counties of California and formed part of statehood. When California was added to the United States in 1848, Santa Clara County attracted many other towns around it after the gold rush. The towns were supply centers for California’s gold rush dealers. A brief description of the Chinese Immigrant and Native Americans The Chinese immigrants first came to America in 1838 and the inflow peaked in 1850. The Chinese were flocking to California for the gold rush. It was difficult to assimilate Chinese into Native American culture. While in America, they maintained their ways, but their culture was considered by Native Americans as inferior. A brief description of the â€Å"Temp Slave† Economy Tempt slave economy is a new promise for personal freedom and individual creativity. It provides new ways of jobs creation in which one can design out of temporary consulting engagement and employment. In temp slave, people must volunteer to be employed and offer employment to others.

Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies Research Paper - 4

Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies - Research Paper Example Currently, Nokia focuses on developing telecommunications infrastructures on a large scale, provision of online mapping services, and the development of mobile communication technologies (Slater, 2004). Nokia also played a great role in contributing to the development of the mobile phone industry in the early years of 2000 (Park, 2014). The company played a role in developing GSM standards, and for a considerable period of time, Nokia was one of the largest producers and sellers of mobile phone products, in the world. Nokia also entered the Smartphone industry, and this is through its platform referred to as Symbian. However, the dominance of this company, in the Smartphone industry was challenged by the emergence of Apples. This is through the production of its Android devices, and its iPhones. Furthermore, because of stiff competition from companies such as Samsung, Alcatel, etc, the market share of Nokia was beginning to fall, and it experienced a series of losses (Park, 2014). Microsoft on the other had is an American company, that specializes in the development of computer software. The headquarters of Nokia is in Redmond, the state of Washington. The company is able to develop, manufacture and sale personal computer gadgets, consumer electronics, and computer software (Slater, 2004). However, because of stiff competition from Apples, the company has also experienced a reduction in its market shares. Because of this stiff competition emanating from Apples, Nokia sought a strategic partner, who could help it, in the development of electronic and computer gadgets, that could help it achieve a competitive advantage over Apples and other companies such as Samsung. In the year 2011, Microsoft was able to enter into a pact with Nokia. Park (2014) explains that the method which Microsoft used in entering into a partnership with Nokia was through an acquisition. In 2013, the chief executive of Microsoft was

Political Economy of Work and Health in Silicon Valley Case Study - 8

Political Economy of Work and Health in Silicon Valley - Case Study Example Santa Clara County was originally one of the counties of California and formed part of statehood. When California was added to the United States in 1848, Santa Clara County attracted many other towns around it after the gold rush. The towns were supply centers for California’s gold rush dealers. A brief description of the Chinese Immigrant and Native Americans The Chinese immigrants first came to America in 1838 and the inflow peaked in 1850. The Chinese were flocking to California for the gold rush. It was difficult to assimilate Chinese into Native American culture. While in America, they maintained their ways, but their culture was considered by Native Americans as inferior. A brief description of the â€Å"Temp Slave† Economy Tempt slave economy is a new promise for personal freedom and individual creativity. It provides new ways of jobs creation in which one can design out of temporary consulting engagement and employment. In temp slave, people must volunteer to be employed and offer employment to others.

The US Presidential Electoral System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The US Presidential Electoral System - Essay Example After the election, the delegates cast their electoral vote and the winner is decided. This system was necessitated at the birth of the nation when counting a national popular vote was impractical. In addition, it protected the government offices from being decided by an ill-informed electorate. Though it is generally an adequate reflection of the voters' preference, it has several weaknesses. One weakness in the electoral college, that a popular vote system would rectify, is the unequal distribution of voter power. Under the current system, the number of electoral votes is equal to the number of House members plus two. Since the number of House members is based on population, this gives an advantage to the smaller states (Bennett 3). Voters in the least populated states have more power with their individual votes than the voters in the larger states do. In addition, since the apportionment of electoral votes is based on the census, it is always out of date, sometimes by as much as 1 0 years (Edwards 2). A popular vote system would alleviate both of these problems and accurately reflect the population on an equal basis. Individual voter power is further hampered when the minority (loser) in the large states are awarded no electoral delegates at all. Leib and Mark state that, "Minority voters in large non-swing states—say Republicans today in California or New York, as well as Democrats in Texas—have the most reason to be upset with the current method of awarding electoral votes" (106). Uneven apportionment, out of date census data, and no minority voice creates an unjust system of voter unfairness. One of the purposes of an electoral system is to facilitate and encourage voter participation. When voters feel like their vote is of little or no value, they will be discouraged from participating in the process. As an example, Indiana has traditionally voted overwhelmingly for the Republican presidential candidate in the last several elections. Though Democrats make up as much as 40 percent of the vote, their votes have not been counted for years. For all practical purposes, they have no reason to vote for a candidate that can not carry the state. "These disincentives essentially take the form of reducing the perceived benefits of voting for a Presidential candidate by restricting the power of votes to state jurisdictions rather than allowing all votes equal value (power) in a national election determined strictly by a popular vote" (Cebula and Murphy 188). Reforming the electoral college to reflect a more equitable system of voter power would encourage greater voter participation. Moving to a popular vote system would not only more fairly represent the voters, it would also reduce the special favor spending projects that are awarded

Role of Port Authorities Essay Example for Free

Role of Port Authorities Essay Ports usually have a governing body referred to as the port authority, port management, or port administration. Port authority is used widely to indicate any of these three terms. The definition of port authority has been defined in various ways. In 1977, a commission of the European Union (EU) defined a port authority as a State, Municipal, public, or private body, which is largely responsible for the tasks of construction, administration and sometimes the operation of port facilities and, in certain circumstances, for security. This definition is sufficiently broad to accommodate the various port management models existing within the EU and elsewhere. (http://www.ppiaf.org/sites/ppiaf.org/files/documents/toolkits/Portoolkit/Toolkit/module3/port_functions.html#2) Ports authorities may be established at all levels of government: national, regional, provincial, or local. The most common form is a local port authority, an authority administering only one port area. However, national port authorities still exist in various countries such as Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and Aruba. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Handbook for Port Planners in Developing Countries lists the statutory powers of a national port authority as follows (on the assumption that operational decisions will be taken locally): (http://www.uctc.net/research/diss131.pdf) * Investment: Power to approve proposals for port investments in amounts above a certain figure. The criterion for approval would be that the proposal was broadly in accordance with a national plan, which the authority would maintain. * Financial policy: Power to set common financial objectives for ports (for example, required return on investment defined on a common basis), with a common policy on what infrastructure will be funded centrally versus locally, and advising the government on loan applications. * Tariff policy: Power to regulate rates and charges as required protecting the public interest. * Labour policy: Power to set common recruitment standards, a common wage structure, and common qualifications for promotion; and the power to approve common labour union procedures. * Licensing: When appropriate, power to establish principles for licensing of port employees or agents. * Information and research: Power to collect, collates, analyze, and disseminate statistical information on port activity for general use, and to sponsor research into port matters as required. * Legal: Power to act as legal advisor to local port authorities. Increasingly, central governments implement seaport policies through the allocation of resources rather than through the exercise of wide-ranging regulatory powers. While central governments should pursue macroeconomic objectives through an active seaport policy, port authority objectives should be more narrowly focused on port finances and operations. It is a widely accepted opinion among port specialists that a port authority should have as a principal objective the full recovery of all port-related costs, including capital costs, plus an adequate return on capital. The full recovery of costs will help a port authority to: (http://www.businessnz.co.nz/file/1947/100813%20Port%20Performance%20and%20Ownership.pdf) * Maintain internal cost discipline. * Attract outside investment and establish secure long-term cash flows. * Stimulate innovation in the various functional areas to guarantee a long-term balance between costs and revenues, especially when faced with innovations by terminal operators, port users, rival ports, and hinterland operators. * Generate internal cash flows needed to replace and expand port infrastructure and superstructure. * Compete according to the rules of the market system, without excessive distortions of competition. * Put limits on cross-subsidization, which may be rational from a marketing point of view (market penetration, traffic attraction), but which can undermine financial performance. * Avoid dissipation of the port authorities asset base to satisfy objectives of third parties (for example, port users demanding the use of land in the port area without regard to the lands most economic use or port and city administrations using port authority assets to pursue general city goals). Ownership of the Port of Koper The port of Koper is the largest and the only public cargo port in the Republic of Slovenia. The ownership transformation of the port of Koper was finalized in 1995. Before the ownership transformation, the government of the Republic of Slovenie brought a decree that the shores, land and water territory around the port are also a public asset in the sense of state ownership. The value of the port infrastructure was set at the amount of USD 180 million. A part of the port infrastructure was defined as infrastructural bases, and they included: * Haulage roads, * Railroad tracks, * Entryways, * Partitions, * Sewage * Water supply systems, * Electric power facilities, * Lighting and telecommunication facilities The mentioned part of the port infrastructure, the port superstructure, machinery and other assets were evaluated in 1995 in the amount of USD 220 million. The total capital was divided into 14,000,000 shares at a nominal value of Sit. 1000. The Republic of Slovenia is the owner of 6,860,000 shares, which is a 49% ownership in priority shares and 2% in ordinary shares. The ownership structure of the Port of Koper; 51% the state, 17.33% government funds, 7.65% municipality of Koper, 7.48% internal distribution to employees and pensioners, 10.20% internal buyout from employees and pensioners, 6.34% public sale. In addition to shares in ownership of the state, the Port of Koper deals with shares on the Ljubljana stock market, hence its ownership structure is subject to daily changes The state has decided to sell its share in the ownership of the Luka Koper d. d. in 2003. During the transitional period the state, with its 49% ownership has decreased its ownership share down to 25% + 1% but in the form of ordinary shares, which enables it to gain control of functions connected to certain more important business decisions that are in close association with status changes of the enterprise. Luka Koper d. d. is the manager of the port. On Nov. 21,2002 a Decree was issued according to which the Government Administration allocated concessions, and the decision was reached that the first concession be given to enterprise Luka Koper d. d. for a period of 35 years. Luka Koper d. d. does not have Port Authority in the classical sense of the term. According to the Statute of the Luka Koper d. d., the enterprise has a single-member management supervised by a supervisory board of 9 members in the structure of which there are three representatives of the state, a representative of the local administration of the municipality of Koper that is itself a 7% owner of ordinary shares, a member representing small shareholders, a representative of the funds that the Luka Koper d. d. holds in its portfolio and three representatives of the employees of LukaKoper d. d. Such a structure of the supervisory board that chooses the president of the management of the joint stock company does not allow the predominance of state power over the management of the port. The state has minimal rights in bringing decisions on occasion of shareholder assemblies of the enterprise Luka Koper d. d, with merely 2% of votes. From this we may assess that the autonomy of port management in the Luka Koper d. d. is very high. Managerial responsibility of the port ofKoperLuka Koper d. d., as the sole port operator manages the entire port. The Management of the enterprise Luka Koper d. d. has complete freedom in conducting its economic policies, policy of superstructure development, and the right of bringing forth a medium- term plan of development of the port infrastructure that is previously acknowledged by the Government of the RS. The port management is also responsible for maintenance of the port infrastructure. The Port of Koper can be evaluated as a Full service port.

Cyprus’ Accession in NATOs Partnership for Peace

Cyprus’ Accession in NATOs Partnership for Peace ABSTRACT: The contemporary political debate which has emerged recently in the political arena of Cyprus regarding the issue of Cyprus’ accession in NATO’s programme Partnership for Peace (PfP) provoked a rich discussion concerning the historical orientation of the country’s foreign policy. Although Cyprus has been a full member of the European Union since the 1st of May 2004, its comprehensive participation to European Security and Defence Policies and structures is questioned and partly limited. This statement is an emanation of the fact that Cyprus constitutes the only Member State in the EU, which is neither a member of NATO nor of the PfP. Therefore, the Cypriot indirect absence from ‘Western’ security and defence structures combined with the Turkish intensive participation causes several internal and external implications and raise doubts concerning, both the exact role of Cyprus in the European Security system, as well as the future of the dialogue regar ding relations between NATO and the EU. This paper explores three different phases of Cyprus’ foreign policy and tries to evaluate the reasons which led to the partial adjustment in its directions. In particular, throughout the Cold War, Cyprus implemented a policy of the Non-Aligned Movement. However, in 1990 it applied for EEC membership transforming its foreign policy and shaping a European orientation. Nevertheless, since February 2008 the new elected President Demetris Christofias – a former leader of the communist party AKEL- has been categorically rejecting to put Cyprus in the path of accession into the NATO’s PfP. As the conclusion states, although Cyprus’ foreign policy is Europe-oriented, there are particular cases which prove that the country’s foreign policy is not linear and is partially modulated depending on the government’s political and ideological orientation. The final assessment of whether the foreign policy transformati ons are rational and beneficial for Cyprus remains controversial and open to different interpretations. Introduction The exercise and implementation of foreign policy comprise a decisive parameter which marks and defines the state’s external behaviour, as well as its politico-ideological placement in the international system. Undoubtedly, the establishment and cultivation of external relations, as well as the ability to inaugurate diplomatic contacts with other states and international organizations, are all fundamental elements of international relations, which enhance and reinforce the state’s position in the international scene and improve the climate of cooperation between states. However, a basic question that needs to be addressed and evaluated concerning the implementation of foreign policy is whether it remains steady and linear, or is being transformed and adjusted depending on evolving national interests and the rapid changes which are observed in the international environment. If the latter scenario is the case, the question which arises has to do with the variety of differ ent factors which contribute and lead to the transformation and the partial redefinition of the national foreign policy direction. Despite the fact that it is a relatively small island, the Republic of Cyprus has had a rich and diverse history, . This paper will examine the case study of Cyprus’ foreign policy, analysing and critically approaching its evolutionary process throughout the years, trying to contribute to the discussion concerning the orientations and transformations of the country’s foreign policy throughout its existence. As the methodological type of this research is a case study, this paper tries to focus on the historical process of Cyprus’ foreign policy seeking to assess the factors which led to its partial redefinition and rethinking during three crucial stages of its history. It is worthy to clarify that the purpose of this paper is not to present and examine the Cyprus Problem per se, but how Cyprus saw and still sees its place in Europe through the exercise and implementation of its foreign policy. This explanatory case study attempts to evaluate three different stages which reveal the ‘asymmetric nature’ and non linear orientation of the country’s foreign policy . As the conclusion states, although Cyprus after 1990 has been following a steady European orientation, its foreign policy has not changed, but is partly modulated and adjusted depending on the ideological background of the party in government. The following analysis will prove that despite the fact that Cyprus’ foreign policy is Europe-oriented, some of its aspects are now hostage to the government’s ideology. What diversifies this paper from the existing literature is the interplay between internal and external dynamics in foreign policy perceptions. The structure of the Work This paper is divided into three parts based on three different approaches and periods of Cyprus’ foreign policy. The first chapter examines Cyprus’ foreign policy in the very early years of its existence, when it faced the dilemma of either being a satellite state, expressing support to either of the two superpowers, or to remain neutral. Bypassing the intensive disagreement from the Turkish Cypriot Vice President, President Makarios, took the decision to participate in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961 keeping the country away from the direct epicentre of the Cold War. After following a non-aligned foreign policy during the Cold War and with the Cyprus problem being unresolved, the Cypriot political leadership decided that the country needed to dramatically change the orientation of its foreign policy.    Following the brief examination of Cyprus’ non-aligned foreign policy during the Cold War, the second chapter deals clearly with the immediate post Co ld-War era, where one could notice a total shift and a significant alteration of the country’s foreign policy. This chapter argues that the period after 1990 can be characterized as an effort from the Cyprus government to approach and join the Western European structures maintaining at the same time, friendly relations with the former Soviet Union countries. In 1990, Cyprus applied for membership of the EEC in order to achieve a series of national, political, and economic goals. The third chapter will present and analyze one of the most recent and contemporary political debates, concerning the issue of Cyprus’ comprehensive participation in European Security and Defence structures and policies, with additional emphasis on the issue of Cyprus’ prospect of joining NATO’s PfP. After the examination and analysis of the above three periods which showed a different motivation from Cypriot governments concerning the orientation of foreign policy, this paper concludes with an overall assessment of the aforementioned issues. Although the purpose of this paper is not to make predictions and speculations for the future, it is necessary to pose some crucial questions for further research about how Cyprus sees its place in Europe. Literature review – Methodological approach – Conceptual clarifications It is widely accepted that the Cyprus problem is by its nature a very tenebrous, sensitive, ambiguous and controversial political problem which can be approached from a variety of different political angles depending on the way one understands the various balances and realities in Cyprus. When studying cases like Cyprus, an objective researcher must take into account a series of different variables concerning the politico-ideological ambiguities in the context of the Cyprus political arena in order to be objective and formulate realistic arguments. A significant limitation which emerges in research methodology, as well as in the process of the examination and evaluation of recourses is the question of subjectivity and the realistic interpretation either of the primary sources or of the historical proceedings. The way the political life in Cyprus is structured, provides a rich philosophical tradition of debate between the political tendencies, which offers different explanations, diff erent interpretations and even different conclusions. If we apply the theory that a coin has always two sides and an argument has two different explanations, in the case of Cyprus, many coins have too many sides. The present brief literature review presents the major works published in the English language on the Cyprus issue in general. It is worthy to note that the vast majority of social scientific works on Cyprus are focused on Cyprus’ political problem and the conflict between the two communities and their political and territorial aspirations in the island. The impact of the factors which led to the reformulation of foreign policy attitude, or indeed the impact of the political debates in Cyprus’ political arena on foreign policy is comparatively little explored. The works contained herein have been chosen because of their relevance to one or more of the major themes running through the paper. Regarding the three key areas of this research, i.e. ‘Cyprus’ foreign policy’, ‘Cyprus’ EU accession process’ and ‘Cyprus and PfP’ the majority of the literature on Cyprus is extremely vast and enlightening on the second, less so o n the first, and virtually nonexistent on the last. In particular, one contemporary, objective and realistic account is offered by James Ker- Lindsay, [2004,2005,2008]. Ker-Lindsay and Hubert Faustman [2009] also undertook a comprehensive research on the politics and government of Cyprus, providing us a solid argumentation about the country’s political realities. Other historical backgrounds and analysis are offer by other authors like [Markides, 1977] â€Å"The Rise and fall of the Cyprus Republic† [Bitsios, 1975], â€Å"Cyprus: the vulnerable Republic†, [Polyviou, 1975] â€Å"Cyprus: The tragedy and the challenge†. Theophylactou Demetrios presented in 1995 his interpretation concerning the security, identity and the nation building offering a comprehensive work on the Cyprus issue based on a combination of domestic and external factors. Concerning Cyprus’ EU accession process there is an extensive literature. Nattalie Tocci [2004] examined the prospect of Cyprus’ accession process as a catal yst for peace to the political problem and offered an evaluation of the role of the EU to the conflict resolution in Cyprus. Moreover, Theophanous [2005] analysed the role of the EU in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its impact on the Cyprus question.   Additionally, Brewin [2000], Christou [2004] and Stephanou [2005], analyzed the period of accessions negotiations and assessed the implications which emerged in the country’s accession process and in the path towards the final membership. Nevertheless, the focus of the third chapter, concerning the Cyprus’ application for PfP membership constitutes a very contemporary issue and thus almost absent from the current literature. However, this does not mean that it will be consumed in speculation theories, as it is a useful example which proves that Cyprus’ foreign policy is not linear and is being adjusted depending on a series of political, national and ideological factors. Therefore, the author has used many comprehensive accounts on Cyprus and the Cyprus problem which also evaluate some of the basic foreign policy aspects that are assessed in this paper. Furthermore the works of [Howorth 2007] on European Security and Defence Policy and [Kentas 2005] on Cyprus and PfP were very helpful for this particular analysis Moreover, as there is a need to understand the position of the political parties, it was attempted to take interviews from all political parties, as well as from members of the core-executive. I t can be argued that the interviews offered the author the opportunity to better understand the existing political perceptions especially about the issue of PfP. A ‘diplomatic neutrality’:   Cyprus’ Foreign policy of the Non-Aligned Movement The agreements negotiated in Zurich and London in February 1959 between the three guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom led to the declaration of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960 . Apart from the domestic political implications, President Makarios, who was the first President of Cyprus, faced an early challenge and a significant dilemma. The specific dilemma and foreign policy decision has partly marked the country’s path and participation in international politico-economic affairs. In the apex of the Cold War, and with the international balances being sensitive and fragile, Cyprus’ government had three options regarding its foreign policy position and reaction to the global and political classifications. Firstly, there was a weakened assumption that Cyprus should have joined NATO as it belongs in the sphere of its influence and due to the fact that the three guarantor powers of the Republic are members of NATO. Besides the island’s strong indirect bonds with NATO, one could argue that, according to the informal and secret agreement between the Greek Prime Minister Constantinos Karamanlis and his Turkish counterpart Mederes, which was signed in Zurich in February 1959, Greece and Turkey, agreed to support a future Cyprus accession in NATO. However, the paradox of this case implies the fact that Makarios was informed and agreed to the specific provision of the agreement. Secondly, there has been a perception that Cyprus would have drifted to the Soviet bloc, due to the impact, the friendly relations and the significant power of the communist party in Cyprus – AKEL with the Soviet executive structures. However, those who knew and understood the political philosophy of Pre sident Makarios, realized that the most appropriate foreign policy option for Cyprus was the direction of the Non-Aligned Movement, as an effort to approach the third-world countries and the Arab world. The Non-Aligned Movement constitutes an international organisation of states considering themselves not formally and directly aligned with or against any major power bloc . As James Ker-Lindsay accurately observes, in 1955 ‘Makarios was one of the many leaders who attended the Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung in Indonesia’ . However, all scenarios that Cyprus would have joined and expressed support to either of the two superpowers remained only speculation, as Makarios decided that the best foreign policy direction for Cyprus was to join the NAM. An observation of the Cypriot daily press of the period shows that the decision generated slight repercussions in some political and social lobbies on both a domestic and international level. In particular, it is worthy to note that the Non-Aligned orientation provoked the intensive disagreement of the Turkish Cypriot vice president Dr. Fazil Kutchuk, despite the fact that he did not exert his veto right to block the decision . It is commonly believed that the Turkish Cypriot vice president was urged by Ankara to accept Makarios’ decision to make Cyprus a member of the NAM. Turkey’s political leadership believed that if Cyprus joined NATO and participated in the political and security structures of the Western alliance, Turkey’s ability to i ntervene in Cyprus on any occasion under Article 4 of the Treaty of Guaranty would be severely curtailed and subject to delays as it would need the essential approval of the other NATO member states. During the procedures of the Belgrade Conference in 1961 Cyprus became one of the twenty five founder states of the NAM. A basic explanation of this choice, which does not require any political analysis is that Makarios maintained excellent and friendly relations with a number of leading figures from Bandung’s Conference, especially Yugoslavia’s Josep Broz Tito and Egypt’s Abdul Gamal Nasser, and he was already forging a reputation as a leader across the Arab world . Moreover, the fact that Makarios’ first official overseas visit was to Egypt to see his very good friend and colleague President Nasser instead of visiting Greece was unexpected.    Additionally, the general consensus regarding the choice of NAM is proved by the fact that, even General Georgios Grivas who was the leader of EOKA and then one of the most intensive sources of opposition over Makarios’ policies, claimed that the movement towards the Arab world was promising and successful, expressing simultaneously his frustration at the way the Western allies treated Cyprus. Furthermore, he did not hesitate to call the Greek government to withdraw from NATO . Apart from the above, the general social frustration concerning the way the Western Allies treated Greek Cypriots during several times in contemporary Cyprus history, constituted another reason which demonized NATO in the eyes of the Greek Cypriot people. The initial negative experience the Cypriots obtained from the West has concerned the way the British responded to the demand of self determination and union with Greece. Although Cypriots participated and fought for the British in the Second World War, the British governments misplaced Cypriot hopes that Britain would have taken a more encouraging and positive position regarding the issue of union with Greece. Moreover, another crucial reason which proves the social disappointment to the British attitude has been the content and provisions of the various partitionist plans for a settlement proposed by several British officials. In particular such plans prepared and submitted by Marshal Sir John Harding in 1956 in his negotiations with Makarios, the ideas of Lord Radcliffe in December of the same year and the comprehensive proposal prepared by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1958. All these plans were assessed and rejected as unacceptable by the Greek Cypriot leadership and provoked a general mistrust against British policy over Cyprus. The issue of the Greek appeal in the UN seems to be very crucial. After the referendum organized by the Orthodox Church calling for unity with Greece . Theophylactou, who offers an interpretation of Makarios’ position, claims that Makarios, ‘whose political philosophy was steadily moving away from Athens national policy vis- a- vis Cyprus, had dismissed enosis and adopted a policy of Non-alignment and independence for Cyprus’ . Furthermore, it is noticeable that Greece was highly economically dependent on economic and financial support from the West and did not wish to endanger the loss of its economic lank. As Makarios committed himself to the NAM he began to pursue his own political initiatives. Evaluating his policies one could argue that the vast majority of his decisions were gradually being contradicted with the policies of the National Centre. Makarios was being supported by AKEL and he was trying to implement policies that satisfied the party’s electorate as he was heavily reliant on AKEL’s support. Nevertheless, after the breakdown of peace in Cyprus the US with the active support of Britain tried to propose plans to bring about a settlement. After the rejection of the Acheson plans by Makarios in 1964 and his broader approach to the Soviet Union, the US through their President Johnson had been worried about the possibility of Cyprus eventually becoming ‘the Cuba of Mediterranean’ and Makarios the Castro of the area . However, assessing the role of the NAM in the efforts for a settlement in the Cyprus issue, it is questioned whether it has positively and actively contributed or whether its support was limited in rhetoric. It is worthy to note that interviewing the political party officers in the Greek Cypriot side, there is not an intense assumption that the direction of NAM was wrong and no party criticised Makarios for the specific orientation he attributed to the country’s foreign policy. In the following years the political anomaly had dramatically increased. In July 1974, Turkey found the pretext to impose its partitionist plans against Cyprus, following the coup of 15th of July, perpetrated against the elected government of President Makarios by the Athens military junta. On July 20, claiming to act under article 4 of the Treaty of Guarantee, the Turkish armed forces staged a full scale invasion against Cyprus. Though the invasion was in violation of all rules of international legality, including the UN Charter, Turkey proceeded to occupy the northern part of the island. Later on, the basis for a solution of the Cyprus problem was set in two High Level Agreements. Both agreements, (between President Makarios and the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, in February 1977 and between President Kyprianou and Denktash in May 1979), were concluded under the auspices of the UN Secretary General. Apart from the High Level Agreements several initiatives were attempted especially from the Greek-Cypriot side to find a settlement through UN mediation. In particular until 1990 one could argue that the initiatives of the Secretary Generals of the UN Kurt Waldheim, Javier Pà ©rez de Cuà ©llar and Boutros Boutros Ghali were the most comprehensive efforts for a settlement. All the above initiatives clashed to the intransigent position of the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash. After the subsequent failures to inaugurate negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem, which was the primary foreign policy objective for the Cyprus Government, the Cypriot pol itical leadership decided in 1990 to change the orientation of the country’s foreign policy.   Ã¢â‚¬ËœWesternisation’ of Foreign Policy:   Cyprus’ European orientation as a catalyst for peace or source of further implications? The end of the Cold War, proved that the Western and European structures and values would dominate in the new era which was emerging and uprising. As the most sensitive issue for Cyprus was the necessity to intensify the efforts to find a negotiated settlement to the Cyprus problem, the Cypriot political leadership realised the need to partly transform the country’s foreign policy, implementing a policy aiming at a final accession into the EEC/EU. However, this foreign policy transformation created a strong reaction and opposition from AKEL. The communist party which had positively contributed to the election of President Vasiliou in the Cypriot Presidency in 1988, declared an intensive disagreement concerning Cyprus’ application for EEC membership. According to the official AKEL’s position, they considered the EEC as an imperialistic and neoliberal economic organisation which was using its economic power to pursue its political power in the world against the interests of the poor countries . AKEL saw the EEC as just another Western ally of the United States and NATO and strongly believed that Cyprus has no place and nothing to be benefited from organizations which organized and advocated to the Turkish invasion and the conspiracy of 1974. On the contrary all the other political parties including the right wing Democratic Rally (DHSY), the centre wing Democratic Party (DHKO) and the Socialist Party (EDEK) were vigorously supporting Cyprus’ accession and harmonization to the European structures . In the meantime, in 1993 Glafkos Clerides, the leader of the right wing Democratic Rally, a former President of the House of Representatives (Vouli) and a Greek Cypriot negotiator in the inter-communal talks of 1968-1974, was elected President of the Republic. Initially, his election brought a new prospect for Cyprus, as he was one of the most constant politicians and supporters of Cyprus’ accession into the EU. A central issue of this foreign policy transformation has been the role of the EU and its mediation in the conflict resolution in Cyprus and the outcomes of Cyprus’ EU foreign policy orientation. It is widely accepted that throughout the years, the vast majority of initiatives for a negotiated settlement have been undertaken by the United Nations, with the active support of the United States . Until the early 1990s, the EC/EU was almost absent from the efforts for a settlement. That was because the role of the EC/EU as an international actor until the end of the Cold War was partially undermined. Its contribution to the conflict resolution using civilian and diplomatic instruments was poor. As Olga Demetriou accurately argues, â€Å"the EU has played a minor role in the search for a solution to the Cyprus conflict in comparison with the UN and Britain, and even the US† . However, during the last decade of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st a substantial shift to the EU’s role in the resolution of the Cyprus problem is noticed which vindicates the aspirations of Cypriot leadership. With the growth of the European Integration process and the initial empowerment of the EU’s role as an international actor during the early 1990s with the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, European involvement in South-Eastern Europe grew steadily for a variety of different reasons. The political situation in the Middle East, the Euro-Turkish relations, as well as the substantial issue of immigration, have all constituted the main reasons of the EU’s broader interest in the region. Apart from that, Cyprus’ geographical location at the crossroads of three continents, made it inevitably very crucial as regards the security dimension . As aforementioned, Cyprus’ European orientation â€Å"officially† began in 1990 when it applied for membership in the EEC. Since then, and due to the Turkish European aspiration, as well as the continuous Greek support on the Cyprus problem, the impact of the European Union towards the Cyprus conflict was steadily increasing. Moreover, Cyprus’ application for membership transformed the Cyprus problem into a European issue. However, in the initial stage of the accession process, the political problem was considered an obstacle for the accession and it was suggested that a settlement or at least significant moves towards one were necessary for Cyprus’ accession process to move forward . Various assumptions have been formulated regarding the issue of a settlement as a precondition for the accession. The provoked debate in the European Union has been between those who believed that Cyprus’ EU accession process would act as a catalyst for peace . Obviously, an insistence on a solution before accession would undermine the prospect of Cyprus’ EU accession process to act as a catalyst for peace. The question of whether Cyprus’ accession process should constitute a catalyst for peace was at the centre of the political debate and can be examined from different perspectives in regard to the interests of Greek and Turkish Cypriots. According to Tocci, the EU’s role in the Cyprus problem has two dimensions: â€Å"the impact of the EU as a framework on conflict resolution efforts, and the impact of the accession process on the parties in conflict† . This paper argues that the fact which constituted a crucial help in the resolution of the Cyprus problem was not Cyprus’ final accession in the EU, rather the effect of Cyprus’ EU accession process especially during the final stage. Additionally, another factor has been the partial shift in Turkish foreign policy, as a result of the Turkish European aspirations, which became more active after the coming of power of the AKP. The final stage of the EU accession process which coincided with the latest initiative of the Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Anan had diverse effects to the policies of the two communities . It is important to mention that the EU, as well as the international community, tried in several ways to support the Yes campaign in both communities. There is no doubt that on both sides there were several political parties which were more active to the idea of a solution prior to accession. However there were parties which hardened their positions due to the elections in both communities before the referenda. For those who were in favour of a solution prior to accession, the Anan plan constituted an opportunity for a solution. Moreover, the EU had declared and urged the two communities to accept the Anan plan, showing its active support for a solution prior to accession based on the specific plan. Another significant element which shows the EU’s positive involvement in the efforts for a resolution was its vigilance to economically support a possible solution prior to accession, as well as to provide financial aid to the new state, in order to eliminate the economic dispropor tion between the two communities. The decision to apply for membership in 1990 can be interpreted as an aim of â€Å"strengthening the Greek Cypriot bargaining position in negotiations† . Moreover Cyprus’ accession would confirm the Turkish attack and occupation of an EU member state. To put it differently, the EU, in its various structural, institutional and conceptual manifestations, has played, is still playing and is envisioned as having to play in the future, a variety of roles concerning the conflict in Cyprus. It remains to be seen whether this involvement will change in the future and whether the outcome of any mediation will bring a new prospect for Cyprus and its people. An overall assessment of Cyprus’ EU orientation reveals that the decision to apply for EEC membership in 1990 and partly transform the country’s foreign policy was a correct political evaluation and anticipation of the future prospects.   However, Cyprus retained very good and friendly relations with other former Soviet states as well as with countries of the Arab Worlds and the NAM. Nevertheless, Cyprus as a full member of the EU, is implementing a Europe-oriented foreign policy which is relevant with the European structures and values.   Is this statement always the c ase for Cyprus? An observation of some contemporary debates regarding Cyprus’ foreign policy and the country’s role in the international system, shows that sometimes, the country’s foreign policy is hostage to other factors which hamper it from its natural European orientation. The internal political debate about the issue of Cyprus’ application for Partnership for Peace membership which will be examined and assessed in the next chapter will prove the correctness of the above assumption. Cyprus’ Foreign Policy Hostage to ideology:   The issue of Partnership for Peace.   The process of Europeanization defined as a process of domestic change in order to align national policies with European structures as a result of potential membership- . This section will examine the contemporary debate which emerged recently in the Cyprus’ national political arena concerning the issue of Cyprus’ application for accession into NATO’s programme PfP. Nevertheless, before analysing the domestic political debate regarding the issue of PfP, there is a necessity to clarify and examine some basic theoretical issues about the evolving role of the EU as an actor in the international system. This analysis is crucial, as it is related with the uncertain relations between NATO and the EU which directly affect the examined case of Cyprus and PfP. History proves to us that initiatives to create a common defence policy are not inextricable from European Integration but they are its precondition.   The fact that the efforts have been numerous and of dubious outcome underline the complexity of the goal, but also its necessity. Undoubtedly, the failure of the EDC initiative in 1954, ensured that defence related issues were being discussed outside the EEC context .   However, towards the late 1990s, there was a gradual departure from this policy path. A turning point in the progress made towards ESDP was the summit in St-Malo in December 1998 . Furthermore, relations between the EU and NATO came into question regarding this issue. However , despite the efforts and the to date implementation of 23 missions, the extent to which EU’s security and defence role in the new security architecture in the immediate post-cold war period