Computer Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Computer Assignment - Essay Example PARC's success has led Xerox to spin off new companies based on their accomplishments, and many of their researchers from the early days have gone on to join or create successful computer businesses of their own. The future is happening today at PARC. Cringely described Bill Gates as a "megalomaniac" and Steve Jobs as a "sociopath" (Cringely: x) their differences do not end there. They came from two very different worlds to succeed in personal computing. They are also similar in many respects and some of these similarities have been a problem for them. Bill Gates came from an influential family and has strived in life to be recognized in his own right and succeeded, even though he dropped out of Harvard as a sophomore. Microsoft's operating system, MS-Dos, was bought by one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world, IBM. Windows and Internet Explorer have set the standards that other software developers have tried to copy and compete with. Microsoft itself, along with PARC, has influenced the way that corporations in the computer industry are run. It has also influenced how these businesses conduct business. Steve Jobs never knew his real parents and it is believed that this fact accounts for his volatile nature and the need to be recognized in hopes that his parents will find him. ... Microsoft's operating system, MS-Dos, was bought by one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world, IBM. Windows and Internet Explorer have set the standards that other software developers have tried to copy and compete with. Microsoft itself, along with PARC, has influenced the way that corporations in the computer industry are run. It has also influenced how these businesses conduct business. Steve Jobs never knew his real parents and it is believed that this fact accounts for his volatile nature and the need to be recognized in hopes that his parents will find him. Unlike Gates, Jobs was already working, at a video games manufacturer, when he entered the industry. Apple computers are his claim to fame. It was his idea to refine and perfect Steve Wozniak's original computer, and then market it. Unlike Gates, he has left Apple and moved on to other things. The NeXT computer was his creation. He is always looking for a new idea and better ways of computing and communicating. In that respect both men are similar. They both want to improve the way that we work, play and communicate with personal computers. Neither of them was afraid to use other's ideas and products, by adapting them to their needs, and turn them into their own successful products. Jobs appropriated the mouse and Gates rewrote BASIC. They saw the possibilities and with a few changes of their own created new products which revolutionized the industry and how we use computers today. They are both excellent salesmen: enthusiastic, driven, and influential. They are able to captivate audiences with their energy and belief in their products and turn them around to their way of thinking. Neither of their initial products was perfect, but people bought into

Bottled Water Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bottled Water - Coursework Example Beyond the realm of health concerns, which are satisfied by using bottled water, what actually needs to be justified is the price we pay for it, both environmentally and economically. Even though the water purification procedures are expensive, and they destroy certain minerals during the treatment, they still ensure water purity. Alongside this, the recyclable bottles help in environmental conservation rather than further polluting the environment. Comparatively, tap water is prone to be contaminated by hazardous pollutants from underground seepage and water pollution. But it is important to understand that the lack of few minerals is better than drinking contaminated water and endangering lives. As a result, both tap and bottled water are under scrutiny about their purity and mineral content. This has become an ongoing debate to justify which one of the either two is a better, viable option. As the argument above tends to support the cleanliness of bottled-water, the prime concern of everyone should be to protect their lives without compromising it at the hands of impure drinking water. Hu, Zhihua., Morton, L.W., & Mahler, R.L. (2011). Bottled Water: United States Consumers and Their Perceptions of Water Quality. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8,

Bluetooth Remote Access to PC Using Mobile Devices

Bluetooth Remote Access to PC Using Mobile Devices CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH 1.1 INTRODUCTION: Bluetooth is a wireless technology of the last decade, there has been a lot of research going on this technology all over the world. The Bluetooth was named after the 10th century Danish King Harald Blatand or Harold Bluetooth. King Blatand was influential in uniting militaristic factions in parts of what are now Norway, Sweden and Denmark just as Bluetooth technology is designed to allow collaboration between differing industries such as computing, mobile phone and automotive markets. Bluetooth technology was the internal project of Ericssion, which was intended for providing short distance multiple links. Then it was collaborate with Intel in 1997, later the association with Nokia, IBM, Toshiba, Microsoft, Motorola, 3com etc to form a non profitable trade association Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The formed consortium adopted common code name to Bluetooth for their open source specification. Bluetooth uses 2.4 GHz frequency for transmitting the data at band rate of 1Mbps . In taking account of users point of view, there are three important features to Bluetooth. (Ali M Aljuaied 2001) It is wireless. When you got to client place, you need not have to worry about keeping track of cables to attach all of your components and you can design your application without wondering where all the wires will go. It is economical. You do not have to think about it. Bluetooth does not require any extraordinary skills to make it work. The devices find one way or another and pairs up a conversation without any user input at all. Bluetooth technology is a standard and communications protocol which is designed for low power consumption, with a short range (power-class-dependent: 1 meter, 10 meters, 100 meters) based on low-cost transceiver microchips in each device. Bluetooth enabled devices tend to communicate with each other when they are in range. These devices use radio wave communications system, so that they do not have to be in line of sight with other and can even be in other rooms, as long as the received transmission is powerful enough. During the discovery process Bluetooth device transmits class type of device and the supported services of that class Class Max permitted power Range(approx) Class1 100mW 100meters Class2 2.5mW 10meters Class3 1Mw 1 meter Table reference [www.bluetooth.com] The popular Bluetooth applications are: Mobile phone and hands free headset. File transfer between Bluetooth enable devices using Obex application The places where traditionally used by IrDA in control equipment. In gaming equipments like play station. Used to connect the Dial up internet for PC. 1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH: The main research aim of the project is to develop Remote PC manager from mobile through Bluetooth and make it more efficient and reliable for future applications. The following are the research objectives: Developing user friendly software for remote management of PC through mobile using Bluetooth. Improvement of response time in the existing application. To solve the problem occurred in application during the connection and disconnection Process. 1.3 PAST WORKS: There has been a vast amount of research carried out in Bluetooth related applications all over world of which is this PC remote mobile phone using Bluetooth application, but most of the applications that are made have been having problems related to response time, compatibility with specific mobile such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson, connection and disconnection. Hence, the next few lines will discuss about the background for developing PC remote. Based on Blueshareware.com Development done Deployment year The first beta type control 1.0 version using Nokia 6600 23 Feb. 2005 Then added applications related to audio and video player 7 march 2005 Then started to test the code on Sony Ericsson 6 Nov 2005 New GUI for phone has been developed with special soft keys 29 Jan 2006 After then they started to have better GUI by correct early problems and adding new applications releasing higher version Bluetooth remote control 2.0 The Open java script that allowed others to be modified They have added new PowerPoint application. It had some drawback such as application could not run in some mobiles and screen turn blank some times. There has been a lot of modification and re-releases by solving problems like increasing the range of compactable mobile and correcting minor problems. Bluetooth remote control 3.0 Win AMP player has been added Till this version the power point and any applications was not given importance. The development of latest version of the GUI was available in J2me, which decreased the application size. Bluetooth remote control 4.0 Though they added, Win AMP could not be launched from it. The phone could not be compactable with other stacks. Response was improved for some functions. The application had problems with the connection and disconnection. Less application size than compare to the above version was achieved by better versions of MIDP and CLDC. Some individuals have been working on this software like Jerome Laban. The project related to two PC remotes, the software developer who is working on compatibility for different types of mobiles such as Orange E200/QTEK 8080 and some are Motorola based mobiles with Blue Soleil third party stack in .NET FRAMEWORK 2.0 where he using different programming languages and client softwares. There has been lot of development going on PC remote using Mobile phone Bluetooth many of them are developing many applications based on different softwares .The improvement in MIDP, CLDC in the new mobile have increased the applications, and the application code size started to decrease with improvements in them. 1.4 RATIONALE FOR RESEARCH: After my under graduation I started working in an embedded system based company in India. Lampex electronics Ltd which deals with providing embedded solution to local firm, we had an Electrical billing handheld machine, which we supplied to state of Andhra Pradesh (India) Electricity board, they requested for a short distance wireless technology to upload the data from handheld machine to PC. We have selected IrDA as wireless technology because of low power consumption and less memory application .We have done the work successfully but as a developer, I was not convinced for two reasons: The handheld machine and PC transceivers have to be placed face to face. We had problem with time slots management, went slaves (handheld machine) are more than two at the same time. This made me to select Bluetooth technology as my research topic, and then I came across different research topics on Bluetooth related to security, pairing, remote PC manager etc. Then I started working on a Remote PC manager. Remote PC manager is an application developed using Bluetooth available in your mobile phone to manage a PC. The application had problem related to response time in certain areas of application. The response time is the time an application takes to react to a give input. In this application, we define response time as the time taken to respond when an instruction have been sent from mobile phone to remote pc manager. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2.1 RESEARCH APPROACHES: The following are the approaches towards my research, which have eventually done in stages: To study about Bluetooth behaviour and comments related to the application from the users. In the course of research, reading has been done from books, journals and websites regarding Bluetooth and related software is used in the project. Developing Program and data flow diagrams An IT related program was developed which had all the modern approaches to the project development and deployment and as well as the data flow diagrams were drawn for the clear view of the data in the program Implementation After the development of the programs, implementation has carried out to check its success and working Testing The programmable code is tested, verified and made sure that its bug free. 2.2 Justification of Research Approaches: Mixed research methods have been used for projects as it deals with collecting information about the product and implementation to the product. Using Qualitative research, more data is gathered from journals and textbooks, which showed about the Bluetooth applications. There was also chance to know, to what are hurdles in the existing Bluetooth technology. I have registered in Bluetooth groups and started to ask experts in this field about their feedback regarding the application. I went through some of the existing technologies available in the market and where I could study the functioning of the Bluetooth PC remote. Knowing about the application, I could estimate that projects with modern approach will be needed, in enhancing the application throughput. Online journals also helped me out a lot. Research books also helped me in how to carry out my research and which method would more suit my needs. Quantitative research is also a very important criterion in my research .I could plan my whole project on Gantt chart and proceed further. So, I had opted with mixed approach, i.e. qualitative and quantitative which made my research easier. 2.3 LITERATURE REVIEW: A lot of research is done on Bluetooth related application by Special Interest Groups (SIG) and developer all over the world because of its futuristic nature. From the past most of the developers have been developing applications on Bluetooth and WLAN. We can see degradation on Wi-Fi when a Bluetooth is close to the Wi-Fi station; the impact of interference is significant. However, the relocation of Bluetooth from the Wi-Fi by 10m will not have great impact on the throughput. So both can coexist but we should be sensible in our expectations and attempts to combine these technologies. [Brent A. Miller, Chatschik Bisdikian 2000]. We present an AFH that modifies it in order to mitigate interference. Frequency hopping in Bluetooth is achieved as follows. Frequencies are listed as even and odd frequencies in the range of 2.402-2.480 GHz. The main idea in BIAS is to wait for association of slot with a â€Å"good† frequency in order to transmit a packet. The basic idea of response times has been about the same for thirty years [Brent A. Miller, Chatschik Bisdikian 2000]: If the response time is about 0.1 second user feels that the system is reacting instantaneously, means that no feedback is necessary except to display the result. If the response time is about 1.0 second user feels to stay uninterrupted, even though the user will notice the delay. Normally, no feedback is necessary during delays of more than 0.1 but less than 1.0 second, but if its 1 second the user feels that he can directly on the data. If the response time is about 10 seconds users attention is focused on the dialogue. For longer delay such as scanning whole system by anti virus will take long time and user knows about it. Feedback is required especially important if the response time is likely to be highly variable, since users will not know what to expect. Normally, response time of an application should be as fast as possible [Myers, B., H. Stiel R. Gargiulo (1998)], but it is also possible for the computer to react so fast that the user cannot keep up with the feedback. For example, a scrolling down in word document application move so fast that the user cannot stop it in time for the desired pages or section within the available window. The fact is that computers with modern processor can go work in few milliseconds can be too fast for the user which indicates the need for user-interface changes, user interface is set according to real-time clock rather than being set to indirect effect of the computers execution speed. These applications take advantage in varying degree of Bluetooth capabilities such as to be always on, always connected, mobile and easy to use. Throughout all of this, of course it is important not to lose sight of the requirements to get basic application to operate properly. However most of developers have found the specification of 1.1 to be stable, so future Bluetooth enabled products for general consumer would confine to this specification [Robert Morrow, 2002]. In an indoor environment, multipath is almost present because of furniture and other equipment in building along with the building material themselves, are prone to reflections when they are illuminated from radio source. Unlike the large fading which is seen in radio frequency where distance travel by the wave is in terms of 10 times the wavelength. According to Morrow the Bluetooth, channel fading could be analysed based on Doppler spread, delay spread and out probability. If a Bluetooth Piconet is an indoor environment where an object can move at speed up to a fast walk, then minimum Doppler shift will be about 10 Hz and coherence time is about 40 ms. So, the coherence time will be 1 microsecond smaller than coherence time which leads to slow fading and this could really slow down when 40000 bytes transfer is done. Suppose if we take a large room where the delay speed is 50ns and gives coherence bandwidth of 2 MHz, but maximum bandwidth between each hop is only 1MHz, so this leads to flat fading. As the Bluetooth channel is flat fading this will effect the Bit Error Rate BER (Rayliegh equation). According to Morrow the enhancement has done related to lower level protocol. Bluetooth data rate should be increased at the rate of 10 to the present specification. Proper implementation of Adaptive frequency hopping should be done. The range of Bluetooth has to be increase by Store and forward capability. Use of Smart antenna. The ACL link is based on polling scheme mechanism between master and up to seven active slaves in a Pico net. It can provide both symmetric and asymmetric bandwidth, which is determine by the packet type and frequency with which the device is polled. The ACL payload is protected by CRC check, which is used for retransmission scheme, the value seems to be small about 1.25ms [David, 2002], but it is important when we are dealing with IP streaming because it may lead to retransmission delay. This could be limited by setting the flush timeout setting. If Bluetooth transmit constantly on same frequency, the maximum raw date rate would be 1 mbps. However [David, 2002], this is not the data rate we will obtain over air interface. Bandwidth required for a 72 bit access code to identify the piconet and 54 bit header to indentify the slave will be about 405microseconds and guard time of 220 microseconds for next frequency hop. So, one slot packet requires a bandwidth of about 1/3 for pay load data and 7/9 and 13/15 for 3 and 5 slots of data respectively. So these counts have at least guard time of 1250 micro second as slot size increases. User friendly can be defined as easy to learn, easy to use, easy to remember and they increase the user ability to perform the desired task. According to Barrie Shermann, 1985 User friendly means adapting parts of the system to the operator rather than the operator having to adjust to the system. Donald Norman explains user friendly software design with respect to relationship between visibility, mapping and feedback to the design of usable objects. [The Design of Every day Things,1990] Visibility means how easy user can find the function in the software. Poor visibility can cause too many problems to the users. Mapping means the relationship between controls, the thing it affects, outcome. Good mapping is one which has buttons which is clearly marked and simply indicates their function. Feedback to the design of usable objects means every function on operation must give feedback to the user. When passenger press train door button he gets feedback in terms of voice message saying that â€Å"door opening† .Such feedback makes user feel good. The creation of user friendly software is equal to part of science and art .The science is referred to as usability. The International Organisation for standardization (ISO) defines usability as the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which the user achieve specified targets. Effectiveness is the accuracy and completeness with which specified user can achieve goal in an environment. Efficiency is the resource expended in relation to the accuracy and completeness of goal achieved. Satisfaction is the comfort and acceptability of work system to its users and other people affected by its use. The second part is the Art of design, which inspires and often take long time .We are not speaking about art in terms of graphic art, although it plays an important role in development of user friendly software. We are speaking of the designer ability to create a vision of how software can and should be. 2.4 CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Since this Bluetooth application is an indoor application, its associated with reflection, diffraction, scattering, and refraction of radio waves. Quality of service means predefined and negotiated data rate, delay and error rate. Since the delay and the error rate are strongly related to the data rate, we focus our present investigations on the data rate. A signal passed over a wireless channel is affected by path loss, narrow, wideband fading and co-channel interference. In the present application the response time is dependent on, the performance metrics include the path loss, the mean access delay and the channel response time. When a receiver is placed some distance from the transmitter antenna it is logical to say that there will be some loss in signal. As we know that there is high probability of multipath effects in this application, as it plays a significant role in path loss values, thus high path loss of signal will lead to retransmission of signal. So we need to perform multipath mitigation, so we have selected compensate for multipath through diversity combinations. So normal Bluetooth antenna will be replaced by smarter antenna with diversity combinations .The packets that are transferred consecutive to time do not use the same frequency, which in turn avoids the drawbacks of the narrowband transmission. As we know that the link performance obeys the rules for narrow band systems and additionally depends on fading of the individual channels occupied. Therefore, all these methods of improving the physical layer have to be frequency agile. The access delay measures the time taken to transmit a packet from the time it is passed to the MAC layer until it is successfully received at the destination. The delay is measured at the L2CAP layer. The access layer delays which are caused due to improper management of the Bluetooth instruction. Management of ACL links can decrease this and by keeping slot numbers at a low value as possible, but as file length increases the number of slot tends to increase so we cannot do much to that, but by decreasing the path loss we can definitely resend ACL link commands. The channel estimation response time measures the time to track changes in the channel state. It is the time to avoid using a bad frequency to the time to start reusing a frequency that is good. The channel response time depends upon the bit error rate (BER), which depends on the frequency hopping rate (good frequency and bad frequency), since the methods used to perform the classification depend on BER measurements per frequency visited. So, proper implementation of adaptive frequency hopping must be done to improve response time. User friendliness is a thin gap between failure and success of the end product. According to usability studies done by Andy Smith Overall it would seem that roughly only 30 percent of IT systems are fully successful and that too 70 percent either fail or some marginal gain even after providing same function. These successful one have marginal difference with the other such as easy to handle, light weight, high visibility of screen, little more advance feature in hardware and software, robust etc. Natural and efficient products can make users task seem a lot easier. CHAPTER 3 BLUETOOTH PC REMOTE TECHNICAL CONCEPTS 3.1 INTRODUCTION: Bluetooth was projected to allow low bandwidth wireless connections to become so simple to use such that they flawlessly work into your daily life. A simple example of a Bluetooth application is to update the phone directory of your mobile phone. You would either normally enter the names and phone numbers of all your contacts or use a cable or IR link between your phone and your PC and start an application to synchronize the contact information. With Bluetooth, this can be done automatically and without any user involvement as soon as the phone comes within range of the PC. You can easily see this is expanded to include your calendar, to do list, memos, email, etc. This is just one of many exciting applications for this new technology! The Bluetooth PC remote using Mobile phone also comes into these list of applications that is been developed in using Bluetooth 3.2 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE: Bluetooth communications occur in the unlicensed ISM band at 2.4GHz. The transceivers utilize frequency hopping to reduce interference and fading. A classic Bluetooth device has a range of about 10 meters, with a total bandwidth of 1 Mb/sec. This technology supports two types of communication modes [Robert Morrow, 2002]. Synchronous communication (voice traffic): The synchronous voice communication is provided using circuit switching with a slot reservation at fixed intervals. A synchronous link in Bluetooth technology is referred to as an SCO (synchronous connection-oriented) link. Asynchronous communications (data traffic): The asynchronous data communication is provided using packet switching, utilizing a polling access scheme. An asynchronous link in Bluetooth technology referred to as an ACL (asynchronous connection-less) link. Configuration Max. Data Rate Upstream Max. Data Rate Downstream 3 Simultaneous Voice Channels 64 kb/sec X 3 channels 64 kb/sec X 3 channels Symmetric Data 433.9 kb/sec 433.9 kb/sec Asymmetric Data 723.2 kb/sec or 57.6 kb/sec 57.6 kb/sec or 723.2 kb/sec Reference [www.bluetooth.com ] A combined data-voice SCO packet is defined, which can give 64 kb/sec voice and 64 kb/sec data in each direction. 3.3 THE PICONET: Bluetooth devices can pair up with one or more other Bluetooth devices in several different ways. The simplest way of connecting two Bluetooth devices, is by connecting point-to-point when there are two Bluetooth devices is known as Pico net. One of the devices acts as the salve and the other as a master. This ad-hoc network is a good example for a Pico net. A simple Pico net network needs to have one master and one or more slave, the Bluetooth can have maximum of seven slaves in a Pico net network. In the case of multiple slaves, the communication topology is known as point-to-multipoint. In this case, the bandwidth is shared among all the devices in the Pico net. They can communicate up to seven active slaves in a Pico net. In the case of multiple slaves concept the slaves need to have specific address. So each of the active slaves has been assigned 3-bit Active Member address (AM_ADDR). There can be extra slaves who remain synchronized to the master, but these will not have an Active Member address. The slaves are not active and are referred to as parked. In case of both active and parked units, the complete bandwidth is synchronized by the master. A parked device will have an 8-bit Parked Member Address (PM_ADDR), thus we can have maximum number of parked members to 256. A parked device remains synchronized to the master clock and can vary quickly, become active and communicate with other devices in the Pico net. 3.4 THE SCATTERNET: The process in which two adjacent Pico nets have an overlapping of coverage area is known as scatter net. Slaves in one Pico net can take part in another Pico net as either a master or slave; it can be done through time division multiplexing. In a scatter net, the two (or more) Pico nets are not synchronized in either time or frequency. Each of the Pico nets operates in its own frequency hopping channel while other devices in multiple Pico nets participate at the appropriate time via time division multiplexing. Let us assume two different Pico nets one consisting of mobile phone and PC, while the adjacent Pico net person consisting of a cell phone, headset and business card scanner. Dig Ref : www.wirelessadvent .com/channel/blutooth/feartutre/bluetooth .html The cubicle 1 may set up cubicle 2 business card scanner also transmit the information that is scanned to your PC so that you will have access to his business contacts information. 3.5 AUTHENTICATION AND PRIVACY: Authentication and privacy are handled at the software protocol layer and it is also provided in the Bluetooth physical layer. A particular connection can be specific to need either one-way, two-way, or no authentication. The authentication is generally done using a challenge or response to the system. The system supports both 40 and 64 bit keys. The authentication of the user is done at application layers. This security mechanism and the related software allow the user to set up his or her devices only to communicate with each other. All Bluetooth devices employ this physical layer security in the same way. Of course, for highly aware applications, it is also recommended that you use more advanced algorithms in the network transport or application layer. 3.6 HARDWARE FOR BLUETOOTH: Bluetooth hardware can be divided into two modules, they are. Radio Module Link Module. The Radio Module: Bluetooth devices operate in 2.4GHz Industrial Scientific Medicine (ISM) band. The frequency is an unlicensed one because of international standards and a few exceptions in certain countries like France (2446.5 to 2483.5 MHz) and Spain (2445 to 2475 MHz .So range of frequency is defined with unlicensed version from 2400 to 2483.5 MHz. These local versions have a reduced frequency band and a different hopping algorithm, the Bluetooth SIG is working with authorities in different countries to open compact ability. The RF channels used in Bluetooth technology are from 2402 to 2480 MHz with a channel spacing of one MHz. Frequency hopping has been implemented in order to reduce interference and fading effects. So we have 625 microseconds the channel will hop to another frequency within the 2402 to 2480 MHz range, so we get 1600 hops every second. Every Pico net has a unique hopping sequence which is determined by using an algorithm; the uses of Bluetooth device address the master device. All Bluetooth units in the Pico net are then synchronized to this hopping sequence. All packets are transmitted at the beginning in one of the 625 microsecond time slots, a packet may take 5 time slots. A time division duplex method is used to facilitate full duplex transmission. It is normally done this way, during even numbered slots the master transmits data and odd numbered slots are for a slave to transmits data. In voice data, these time slots can be reserved for synchronous applications. Bluetooth technology use Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying (GFSK) for modulation. A binary system is used where logical one is represented by a positive frequency deviation and a logical zero is represented by a negative frequency deviation. The data is transmitted at a sign rate of 1 Ms/sec. The Link Module The Link Module and Link Manager Software are responsible for the baseband protocols and some other low level link functions. This are related to sending/receiving data, setting up connections, error detection and correction, data whitening, power management and authentication. The link module in the Bluetooth is responsible for deriving the hop sequence. This can be done by using the BD_ADDR (Bluetooth Device Address) of the master device. All Bluetooth devices are assigned with a 48-bit IEEE 802 address. This 48-bit master device address is used by all other devices in the Pico net to derive the hop sequence. The Link Module is also responsible for performing three error correction schemes that are defined for Bluetooth: 1/3 rate FEC 2/3 rate FEC ARQ scheme for the data The purpose of having two FEC (forward error correction) schemes is to reduce the number of retransmissions. The ARQ scheme (automatic retransmission request) is responsible for the data to be retransmitted until an acknowledgement is received indicating a successful transmission (or until a pre-defined time-out occurs). A CRC (cyclic redundancy check) code of 2 bytes is added to each packet and used by the receiver to decide whether the packet arrived is error free or not. Note that the ARQ scheme is only used for data packets, but not for synchronous payloads such as voice. Bluetooth provides necessities for three low power saving modes to conserve battery life. These states in decreasing order of power are Sniff Mode, Hold Mode, and Park Mode. While in the Sniff mode, a device listens to the Pico net at a reduced rate. The Sniff intervals provide flexibility for different applications and are programmable. The Hold mode is same as the Park mode, except that the AM_ADDR (Active Member address) is retained. In Park mode, the slave clock continues to run and remains synchronized to the master, but whereas the device does not participate at all in the Pico net. CHAPTER 4 SYSTEM DESIGN 4.1 INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEM DESIGN: The Basic structure of software has been developed as an application based on Bluetooth technology, using the host controller interface concept. This is one of the most common physical implementation in which external cards are plugged into the host computer .when cond in this manner we need to have some ways to send the data and commands to module to obtain the results. The Bluetooth specification has such provision to have host controller interface. The Bluetooth protocol stack consists of the radio, link controller, link manager and the rest of the protocol stack from the L2CAP and above resides on the Host controller interface (HCI) .Hence the HCI provides the communication between the application at the top layer to the link manager, two ways audio packet transportation and transfer the data packet between module (USB dongle) and host computer. HCI interface does not require great knowledge or certification, but it is a good idea when you want to implement any software so that it has wide range of compatibility and also provides us in operating the third party protocol also. The Host cont

The Role of Trees in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee and Their Eyes Wer

The Role of Trees in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee and Their Eyes Were Watching God Trees play integral roles in Seraph on the Suwanee and Their Eyes Were Watching God as sites of sexual awakening for Hurston’s heroines, providing a space under which dreams bloom into â€Å"glistening leaf-buds† or over-ripen and die like spoiled fruit. Close readings of Janie’s pear tree and Arvay’s mulberry evoke strikingly disparate images of female sexuality despite Hurston’s articulation of both experiences as the realization of â€Å"a pain remorseless sweet.† Depicted within the first quarter of each narrative, Hurston places great emphasis on her characters’initial sexual experiences as shaping the development of Janie and Arvay’s identities. As suggested by her pensive pose beneath the pear tree (â€Å"stretched on her back†), Janie possesses agency, navigating the course of her own sexual maturation by searching, inviting, and questioning the tree and herself for â€Å"voice and vision.† Hurston’s diction constructs a purely sensual scene, for like the flower opening up and summoning the â€Å"dust-beari...

Vignette

Application of ethical theory to a case study vignette Instructions: †¢ Choose ONE of the following four cases †¢ Identify key stakeholders in this case. Identify and discuss main (ethical) issues of this case in relation to the stakeholders. †¢ Evaluate the case using TWO ethical theories (you must use the theories that were taught in the lectures apart from Ethical Egoism). †¢ Explain how you would act / you would have acted in this situation, and why. Your word limit must not exceed 1,700 words. Do not forget to include your word count in Your essay.The essay will be marked using the following criteria: †¢ Identification of stakeholders and issues †¢ Outlining of main features of ethical theories and application of theories to case †¢ Style and Presentation (including authenticity and accurate referencing) Submission deadline is Friday, 25 January, 2013, 9pm. Failure to submit on time will result in a fail grade. You are required to submit your c oursework both electronically through TurnItIn (see instructions in module handbook), and as hard copy to the UniHelpdesk in the Sheppard Library.Please ensure that you submit exactly the same versions of your work as hard copy and electronic copy. The electronic copy is the one that will be marked. You should also be aware that students may beasked to attend a viva should there be any doubts regarding the authenticity of their work. Case 1 Safia, having completed her Business Management degree at Middlesex University, has found a job as executive assistant in a medium-sized city law firm. She very much enjoys her job and, although she has only been working for the firm for a few months, has already become a valuable and trusted employee.She has been asked by Jamal, the partner in the firm for whom she works, to organise the event that the firm hosts every year for its corporate clients. Her brief includes organising the catering (finger food and drinks) and because they are expecti ng up to 200 guests, she is required to follow the company guidelines, which state that she has to get quotes from four catering firms and then give the contract to the firm that offers best value for money. Meera, a close friend of Safia’s, has recently taken over her father’s struggling catering business.Meera’s father has been suffering from a long-standing and severe illness, which forced him to retire from the business. Safia knows that a large catering contract would provide a much needed boost to Meera’s business, and therefore includes it in the list of firms who she will ask to produce a quote for her. Even though the food and service offered in each quote is not exactly identical, Meera’s quote is not quite the best value for money. Safia asks Meera to revise her quote so that she can give her the business.Has Safia done the right thing? Case 2 Tom works for a small firm specialising in textile print designs. The firm has recently landed a contract with a large supermarket chain. Among other things, they have been asked to produce a print design for a sweatshirt, to be sold to young adult females. Tom is given the brief. He drafts various designs but is not very happy with them, neither is the managing director, who occasionally asks how Tom is getting on with his work. Tom is also busy working on a range of other projects.As the deadline approaches, Tom gets slightly desperate, but then while browsing the internet during his lunch break he comes across a girl called Nina’s internet blog. Nina is a fashion student and uses pictures of herself on her blog to advertise her own fashion designs. One of the photos depicts her in a dreamy-looking pose, and Tom thinks that with some flower pattern placed around the photo, that would make the perfect print design for the sweatshirt. Nina has a statement on her blog that says that all the content featured on her site belongs to her and permission for use any of her ph otos is required.He emails her to ask her permission to use her photo but does not hear back from her. The deadline arrives, he still hasn’t heard from Nina but he does not want to ask for an extension of deadline, knowing that the supermarket chain would not be pleased about it and also because he has been in trouble before for not meeting deadlines. He passes his design on to the managing director, who likes it. The managing director usually trusts that his employees work within copyright rules and therefore does not ask Tom any questions regarding the photo.The designs the company has produced find the supermarket’s approval and shortly afterwards clothes with the new print designs are going on sale in all their large stores across the country. Did Tom do the right thing? Case 3 Dr Victoria Patel is a non-executive board director at SuperSoftware, a FTSE 250 company. The company had been struggling for some time to retain its market share. As a result, SuperSoftware hired a new CEO called Richard Smart, with the aim to turn the company’s fortune around.Victoria is a member of the company’s nomination committee and as such was responsible, together with the other committee members, for the hiring of the new CEO. What impressed her and her fellow board directors was not only the experience Richard brought from his previous work roles but also his qualifications, which include a computer science degree from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. One year on, SuperSoftware’s board directors are very happy with Richard Smart’s work.Following the implementation of his new strategic plan, the company has been gaining significant ground on its competitors. Furthermore, the CEO has been playing a vital role in the development of SuperSoftware’s CSR policy, which now includes a workplace scheme that the company offers to disadvantaged young people in the community. At a school reunion, Victoria r uns into her old friend Janet, with whom she had lost contact over the last few years. Victoria remembers that Janet also went to Harvard to study computer science and that would have been around the same time that Richard Smart was a student there, too.Victoria decides to mention her new CEO to Janet and ask her how well she remembers him from her time at Harvard. Janet gives Victoria a blank look and says that she had never heard Richard’s name before, she is nearly absolutely certain that no student with that name studied on the university’s computer science programme. Victoria is a little puzzled by this. She decides to check with the university herself and they confirm that Richard Smart has not been among their computer science graduates. What should Victoria do?Case 4 (adapted from Siu and Lam 2009) Sam works in the design department of Baby Mobile, a pram and children’s accessories manufacturer. In the past, the company has been quite successful in selli ng infant carriers that can also be used as infant car seats. However, the current models are relatively expensive to manufacture so profit-margins are rather low. Sam is member of the project team that has been asked to design a new, lighter weight model that should be in line with current trends but is also less expensive to manufacture.Michael, the head of the design department, makes it clear to the team that he expects them to develop the new model within the set deadline, especially as executive management have already communicated to shareholders their plans of launching a new, more profitable product. On the day of the deadline, the team reports to Michael that they have come up with a new design that meets the project brief. However, the new model, because of its lighter materials, currently has a slightly higher risk of handle collapse, which could cause injury to children.Their report states that they would need a few more weeks to find a solution to the problem with the handle. Michael Says that he will pass on their report to the executives. Two days later, Sam’s team learns that the executives have decided to treat the ‘handle problem’ as a quality issue and launch the model as it is to satisfy shareholder expectations, although Improvements to the product may be incorporated later on. Sam thinks of his sister who has not Too long ago given birth to a baby girl†¦ What should Sam do?

Effective Leadership in a Hair Salon Essay

Abstract An effective leader has the power to improve the success in an organization. This paper will demonstrate the characteristics and behaviors of Tava Jackson as an effective leader in managing her hair salon. It will discuss her personal power, political skills, and decision making style. The four dimensions of transitional leadership behavior will be the main focus of Mrs. Jackson’s leadership performance in the workplace. Critical thinking steps developed by Browne &Keeley (2010) and theories explained by Colquitt, Lepine, and Wesson (2013) will support how Mrs. Jackson is an effective leader and her impact on me in the salon. Introduction Colquitt et al. (2013) defines leadership as, â€Å"the use of power and influence to direct the activities of followers toward goal achievement† (p. 450). Tava Jackson upholds suitable skills in her salon, empowering her employees to achieve their goals. This paper will discuss her ethical leadership qualities, supported by scholarly articles, and explain how it has impacted me as her employee. I will demonstrate her abilities by explaining the following: How her personal power influences the behavior of her employees?; the political skills in networking ability and social astuteness to increase her understanding of employees; and her consultative style in leader decision- making allowing the organization to work as a team. Idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized considerations are the four dimensions of transitional leadership behavior that will emphasis her effective leadership skills. I will analyze the reasons, assumptio ns, logical agreements free from fallacies, verifiable evidence, causes, significant information omitted, and reasonable conclusions. The finalizing will be of Mrs. Jackson personal  reflection as a leader. Context Tava Jackson, owner of Hairtopia Salon, as owned her salon for over five years. Her business constantly grows because of the characteristics and behaviors she maintains in the workplace. Over ten years ago, she received a license to teach individuals the art of hair. Within her salon, Mrs. Jackson not only hires individuals to work, but provides them with the knowledge to be better in the cosmetic business. She has taken specific classes to enhance hair abilities, maintaining awards in outstanding achievement by John Amico and advanced cut and color by TONI &GUT TIGI. I have worked with her since sixteen years of age, and she has continuously impacted me through her influential abilities, determination to achieve in the workplace, interaction with client and employees, and capabilities of making rational decisions. I would like to own my salon in the future, and she has impacted me has a leader to follow certain strategies and techniques with the abilities I obtain to achieve that go al. She is an effective leader who inspires individuals through her job performance and work ethic. Theoretical Framework Yunus and Anuar (2012) state that, â€Å"transformational leadership empowers others to become open-minded, independent individuals capable of exercising leadership† (p. 651). Transformational leaders are effective leaders in a salon, with the accumulation of personal power, political skills, and consultative style of leadership decision making. Power can come from the management position an individual has in a salon. It can give the person the capability to award or discipline others. Colquitt et al. (2013) mentions, â€Å"expert power derives from a person’s expertise, skill, or knowledge on which others depend† (p.421). Individuals with power have a talent or skills that others don’t possess, attracting others who want to retain that skill. Salon managers hold high positions based on their extraordinary performance, problem solving skills, and understanding of the tasks needed to accomplish the jobs mission. Political skills is the aptitude to efficiently understanding others at work, and using that understanding to influence others in ways that increase personal and/or organizational objectives (Colquitt et al., 2013, p.427). Networking ability and social astuteness are  two parts in political skills. Moss and Barbuto (2010) explain network ability to be the strongest display of a successful leader (p.156). Network ability shows the impressive valuation of job performance. A personal skill that permits an individual to understand and respond effectively to the work condition is social astuteness. Moss and Barbuto (2010) discussed social astuteness as â€Å"the ability to understand men and women, boy and girls- to act wisely in human relations† (p. 159). When a leader discussed a problem with employees, taking in opinions and suggestions before finalizing a decision in the work place is consultative decision- making (Colquitt et al., 2013, p.427). A salon manager essentially needs to make ethical decisions as a leader. Their decisions can have a particular influential consequence, since it involves numerous business deals and interactions with so many people (Woiceshyn, 2011, p.311). Transformational leadership is defined as â€Å"the capability of the leaders who influence changes in visions, strategies, and cultures of an organization† (Sookaneknun and Ussahawanitchakit, 2012, p. 79). Idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized considerations are the four dimensions of transitional leadership behavior. Idealized influence is when a leader can deliver their ideas to their employees and be an influential role model for the employee. Inspiring and motivating employees to visualize what they will receive from accomplishing the business goals is inspirational motivation. Intellectual stimulation is the skill a leader obtains to develop the employees capabilities. Showing care and importance to the employee allows them to feel valued in the business is individual consideration. Transitional leadership is seen as an additional motivational method to leadership than other management methods (Colquitt et al., 2013, p.462). Framework: ————————-> Application and Analysis What makes Tava Jackson an effective leader in her hair salon? How has her leadership impacted me personally in the salon? Colquitt et al. (2013)  explained leadership effectiveness as, â€Å"the degree to which the leader’s actions result in the achievement of the units goals, the continued commitment of the unit’s employees, and the development of mutual trust, respect, and obligation in leader–member dyads† (p. 452). The main concepts that are defined are that leaders use power and influence. Her inimitable qualities that make her an effective leader are the power and influence she maintains in the workplace. Mrs. Jackson’s personal power influences the behavior of her employees by ensuring that they are skilled in the field and updated with new techniques of the season. Her awards received from her work performance by John Amico and large clientele influences her employees to want the same knowledge and expertise skills to increase their clien tele. Mrs. Jackson takes time to understand what each employee is talented at, influencing them to expand that talent by networking. Moss and Barbuto (2010) stated how networking can bring promotion and increased salary impacting leadership performance (p. 160). The ability she possess to socially astute her employees displays her capability to understand her each individual. Every employee in the salon is affect from decisions made by Mrs. Jackson. She cares about the opinions her employees have, so when decisions need to be made she listens to their suggestions. Her consultative style in leader decision- making expressions her ethical understanding to make employees feel heard in the workplace. Mrs. Jackson empathy toward her employees my cause them to trust and respect her more. â€Å"Transformational leadership is a type of leader that can promote organizational innovation capability† described by Sookaneknun and Ussahawanitchakit (2012, p. 79). Mrs. Jackson is an idealized influence when she plans meetings to inform staff on ways to increase profit with her various ideas. She lays out a vision that ins pires other to be part of the project. When she goes to different classes, to stay updated in the cosmetic field, it is motivational and inspires others to follow her tactics. Mrs. Jackson intellectually stimulates her employees by taking them to hair shows like, Bonner Brother, Nirobi, and Dudley, to let them see skills outside of the workplace that will inspire them to try new techniques. This brings out talent that individuals may not have known they obtained. Skills are developed from Mrs. Jackson’s effort to open minds to innovative things. She cares about her employees by individually considering their needs to advance and improve in  the field, by personal training when they feel they need more understanding. Conclusions and Reflections Tava Jackson is a transitional leader that has impacted me personally I have been through about four salons. I started out at Hairtopia Salon, but while in college I had to relocate. I have seen poor leadership in managers, not being considerate or willing to provide professional knowledge to improve their employees in the workplace. She personally impacted me through her influential abilities. I am not sure how she continues the have these skills, and what she went through to gain the skills she obtains. Mrs. Jackson acquires numerous abilities from research found, explaining her growth and the growth of her employees. In the ethical decision- making assessment I scored a 41/50 showing I possess good skills in ethical decision-making. This research shows that there are multiple qualities that can be obtain to be an effective leader in a hair salon. My manager’s effective leadership behaviors and characteristics opened my mind to other capabilities I will need for future skill in managing my own salon. References Browne, M.N., & Keeley, S.M. (2012). Asking the right questions: A guide to critical thinking. (10th ed.). Boston: Pearson Colquitt, J.A., Lepine, J.A., & Wesson, M.J. (2013). Organizational behavior: improving performance and commitment in the workplace (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Mc-Graw- Hill Irwin. Moss, J.A., & Barbuto Jr., J.E. (2010). Testing the relationship between interpersonal political skills, altruism, leadership success and effectiveness: A multilevel model. Journal of Behavior &Applied Management, 11(2), 155-174. Sookaneknun, S., & Ussahawanitchakit, P. (2012). Transitional leadership, organizational innovation capability, and firm performance of cosmetic business in Thailand. Journal of International Business & Economics. 124), 77-91 Woiceshyn, J. (2011). A model for ethical decision making in business: Reasoning, intuition, and rational moral principle. Journal of Business Ethics, 104(311-323). Doi:1007/s10551-011-0910-1 Yunus, N. J., & Anuar, S. (2012). Trust as moderating effect between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership styles. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 3(10), 650-663

Age of Discovery essays

Age of Discovery essays I went to see Joseph McDonoughs play The Age Of Discovery on February 27, 2001 at the Seney-Stovall Chapel at the University of Georgia. Stanley Longman directed this particular version of the play, which is about two men, Lewis and Clark, and their insane and complicated journey trying to find their misplaced meteorite. Throughout their wild voyage, many personas and traits of the characters are developed as well as revealed to the audience. With the help of Clark and other characters such as Belle, Newton, Whitney, Perry, and Grandma, Lewis is able to come to important realizations about his own life. Throughout their crazy journey Lewis and Clark visit many different settings such as laundromats, junkyards, jail cells, and golf courses. The scenery, which consists of two turntables holding most of the props and decorations, is easily revolved between acts. Wardrobe also plays an important role in character assessment and evaluation. Although the play is held at a simplistic , light, and humorous level, the more considerable matters are still successfully noticed and absorbed by the audience. Lewis is initially introduced to the audience as an intense, anal person who is fixated with his work and stays continuously uptight throughout the play. He is obsessed with finding the rock and cannot understand how Clark, who he feels is a unreliable idiot, lost such an important stone. Lewis is referred to as an ivy league prick and with his personality, aura, and appearance he represents this stereotype well. Lewis demonstrates part of the realistic convention McDonough utilizes in his play. People can easily become preoccupied with their work to the point where it becomes unhealthy and they miss out on the important things in life. The audience can originally tell that Clark is an unorganized, flaky, person who has an idealist personality. Lewis gets annoyed with Clark easily and feels that he wastes his t...

Greek and Roman civilizations Essays

Greek and Roman civilizations Essays Greek and Roman civilizations Essay Greek and Roman civilizations Essay Throughout history there have been many great empires. But none have made a greater impact than the Greek and Roman empires. These empires began as small city-states, and grew to become the powerful empires we know today. The Greek and Roman empires were not always enemies, considering the Romans were greatly Influenced by the Greek culture. The two collocations shared many similarities, but had different opinions on government operations. There are three different periods that span the history of the Greek and Roman empires; the Hellenic, Hellenic, and Roman civilization. I will thoroughly examine the differences in religion, philosophy, societal struggles, territory expansion, trade, commerce and the decline of each time period of these civilizations. Hellenic Period The Hellenic period is often referred to as the Age of Classic Greece. The Age of Classic Greece started in 507 B. C. E. And lasted until the death of Alexander the Great In 323 B. C. E. This was a time of war, conflict, and evolution. The conflict started when the Persians attempted to take Greece. The Persians Intended on expanding their empire and they turned their eyes onto Athens. After several battles the Athenians and the Spartan worked together to defeat the Persians, ending the war in 449 B. C. E. After the war the Athenians began to focus on their politics, economy, and culture. In 507 B. C. E an Athenian nobleman named Calisthenics created a new system of citizen self-governance called democratic. In this early democratic system, every male citizen that was older than 18 was able to join the alkies, or assembly. Alkies was the governing portions of Athens. Other legislators were chosen at random, not by election. : During the Persian war. Athens was also able to protect their distant Greek territories from Persian influence by creating an alliance names the Delia League. After the war the Delia League helped push Athens into the great Imperial powerhouse they are known for. The Hellenic age also relied heavily upon Its dominating culture. During the Age of Classic Greece many Athenian artists and thinkers emerged. Artists and philosophers of this time have made many important contributions to the way western civilizations are ran to this day. The teachings of philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle have dominated thought for husbands of years and continue to remain relevant to this day. The artists of this time built many temples and sculptures to worship the gods. The polytheistic Greek religion played a major part in the Hellenic period. Anyone who so much as questioned or allegedly questioned the existence of the gods was subject to the death penalty. Even with all of these cultural advancements the Athenians were unable to keep political stability, bringing on the Peloponnesus war. The Spartan took up arms against the Athenians and they were no match. The defeat of the Athenians brought disorder to the former empire, allowing the Macedonian King Phillip II and Alexander the Great to conquer Greece. Hellenic Period The Hellenic period was essentially the expansion of the Hellenic period. The word Hellenic comes from the word Hellenize, which mean to speak or identify with the Greeks. Before Alexander the Great passed away, he built an empire that I OFF was created in the span of 13 years. Alexander the Greatest generals split his entire empire up after his death, creating three dynasties called the Eclectics of Syria and Persia, the Ptolemaists of Egypt, and the Antagonist of Greece and Macedonia. These three dynasties were not united, but they did have many things in common. All of the Hellenic states were ruled by Kings who only desired riches and popularity. The dynasties worked hard to create trade relationships that spread all throughout the empire formally known as Alexandria. They made sure to put their wealth out on display, building elaborate sculptures, making huge donations to museums and zoos, creating extravagant sculptures. The people flowed smoothly throughout the Hellenic kingdoms mainly because they spoke and read the same language. No matter where a person came from in the Hellenic regions, they were able to communicate with anyone. Even with everyone connected there was still social disorder due to the sudden change in government policy. People were actively involved the self-governed democratic government of the past. Now that citizens were once again living in impersonal empires ruled by bureaucrats, they started to feel alienated. The Hellenic art and literature expressed the feelings of the citizens. They began to sculpt and paint actual people as opposed to the gods their ultra was so centered around. The citizens also began to Join random religions that promised immortality and individual wealth. Even Hellenic philosophers focused their time on preaching about individual happiness and pleasure. The Hellenic period was an age ruled by commercialism and cosmopolitanism. The Hellenic age ended at the Romans feet when the Roman Octavia defeated marc Anthony in the battle at Actinium. Roman Empire The Roman history began with two deem gods known as Romulus and Reams. Romulus and Reams were the twin sons of Mars, the god of war. Roman history dates that Romulus eventually killed his brother Reams and was the first king of Rome, named after himself. As Rome continued to develop it lost its monarchy style government in 509 B. C. E and developed into a republic known as the Republic of Rome. Under the new republic government Rome continued to develop both culturally and technologically. Rome was even burned to the ground in 390 B. C. E and ended up rebounding and taking over the entire Italian peninsula. Rome was involved in a series of wars known as the Punic Wars with Cartage, which was another powerful city-state in northern Africa. They ended up defeating Cartage in all three wars and expanded their republic. This expansion lead to the Romans coming onto contact with more advanced cultures like the Greeks. Romans benefited greatly from their contact with the Greeks, adopting their art, philosophy, and religion. After contact with the Greeks, the Romans began to develop their culture exponentially, creating political issues. As the old ways of government began to fall to the waste side turmoil and violence began to brew within the Republic. Warlords began to dominate Rome and fight against each other for total domination. Rome changed forever when a man named Octavia rose to power by conquering all of Romeos provenances. Octavia was the first Roman emperor and assumed to role of Augustus. The Augustus restored Rome to its former glory and ended all of the corruption that had taken place before. He ushered in a new era for the Romans by However as developed as their culture had become the Romans could not escape themselves. After the first Augusts passed, Romans were plague by civil wars. These civil wars lead to inflation and the loss of providences one by one. Rome unfortunately collapsed under its own weight. Unable to properly defend itself Rome fell to a German prince named Advocacy, who won control over the Roman army in Italy. Conclusion Great civilizations have come and gone through Greece, leaving an impact throughout history that maintains relevant today. These cultures started out as small city-states, developing into great empires. The impact that these cultures have had on our western civilization is undeniable, from art, literature, to the development of our culture. These cultures paved the way for the many cultures that followed.

An Analysis Of The Asean Regional Forum Politics Essay

An Analysis Of The Asean Regional Forum Politics Essay The end of the Cold War brought a fundamental change of security environment in Asia. As the East-West confrontation ended, US security policies became unclear. A power vacuum had been created in the region after the Soviet armed forces withdrew from Far East and Indochina, and the Chinese political influence was rapidly increasing. A multilateral forum for regional security was therefore ASEAN’s solution to the challenges that arose. In spite of the end of the Cold War, Asia still had problems such as tension on the Korean Peninsula, territorial disputes over the Spratly Islands, civil war in Cambodia and tension across the Taiwan Straits. These were problems that posed the threat of becoming severely destabilizing factors in the region. Although the United States had become the world’s only military superpower, in terms to burden sharing, its domestic economic problems as well as the global nature of all its affairs placed more demand on Asian countries. Therefore, A sian nations were preoccupied with this new set of circumstances in terms of security and how to get through the post-Cold War transitional period, while maintaining stability in Asia and ensuring its further development. The fundamental views of that emerged in the context of the above security threat were: In an uncertain post-Cold War era, promotion of confidence-building measures among Asian countries will be increasingly necessary. The Asia Pacific region will soon be facing new global issues such as the environment, terrorism, and drug trafficking. In order to address such issues, a regional cooperative framework is crucial and should be enhanced. The late 1980s and early 1990s marked a period of strategic shifts and uncertainty for Southeast Asia. Incorporating China and Japan into the web of interdependence with the rest of the region became imperative. It was recognised that United States’ engagement in the Asia Pacific region is indispensable for the stability and p rosperity of the region. Thus, the ARF emerged. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is the principal forum for security dialogue in Asia, complementing the various bilateral alliances and dialogues. It provides a setting in which members can discuss current regional security issues and develop cooperative measures to enhance peace and security in the region. It draws together 27 countries which that include the 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam). To begin with, it is not hard to miss that the ARF’s scope in terms of its member states goes far beyond South East Asia such that it includes a large number the developed and emerging powers of the world. In my view, this is an important characteristic of the ARF, which makes it unique compared to other security forums around the world. The reason behind this could be the idea of collective security. Most conflicts tend to involve national interests of major powers of the world. Therefore, their inclusion in the forum in a way ensures their consent or commitment towards peace and stability in the region. Formation of the ARF The ASEAN Regional Forum was primarily the outcome of states’ response to regional security problems that emerged post Cold War. The reasons for its formation can be looked via the two contrasting lenses of Realism and Idealism in order to grasp a wider interpretation. According to Realism, state action is a result of it national interests and a constant â€Å"security dilemma† that it faces. The concern for â€Å"security† motivates states to behave in a certain way, which in this case, was to come together and form a multilateral institution. Post-Cold War, there was a concern about changing strategic situation of South East Asia, wherein there was the fear that the attention and aid that the United States had showered during and before the Cold War would wane away. Moreover, the rapidl y rising power of China was extremely worrisome and there was still a trust deficit that existed among the ASEAN countries and Japan- a hangover of Second World War ASEAN saw the ARF as a way to keep the US in, and China and Japan down. Moreover, the ARF could be seen as ASEAN’s way to maintain a â€Å"balance of Power† among the South East Asian Nations themselves.

Describing the Warfront Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Russian Economic Growth since 1998 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Russian Economic Growth since 1998 - Essay Example The answer depends on the interpretation of data provided mostly by the World Bank. The 1998 financial crisis spread throughout the Asian continent and was described by economist Richard Cooper as "the rapid outflow of funds akin to a deposit run on a bank"1. Money just seemed to seep out of countries like Russia who in previous years had been so economically powerful, and the government scrabbled desperately to regain a foothold on world economics. The assumption has been made that following this initial year of economic distress, The Russian Federation has succeeded in turning itself around and making basic social services available to its citizens while eradicating a large portion of past poverty. Poverty, deprivation and social exclusion are purported to be a thing of the past; how accurate is this depiction of modern Russia Most research shows a slightly different reality than this ideology suggests, and despite the wishes of the state to be classified as economically sound its leaders have been constantly struggling with the administration of such a massive country. In fact it seems that while The Russian Federation has successfully pulled itself out of a massive financial slump in terms of world economy, a great number of its people are still struggling to meet their basic needs. Things like health care, education, and access to unemployment benefits have no real constancy throughout the country and because of this social exclusion is not only being supported but encouraged. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, The Russian Federation faced incredible difficulties not only in securing foreign trade agreements but in catering to the needs of its millions of diverse people spread over eleven time zones. Dissolution having exposed the former Soviet Union as an incredibly fragile economy, the 1990's saw the swift and steady decline of the Russian economy as well as those of most former Soviet states. 1998 was the culmination of this degradation and the country's overall growth suitably expanded to 74% of the booming 1989 GDP by 20012; a success that convinced Western countries that Russia had regained its strength and capabilities from the Communist era. Kharas, Pinto and Ulatov note that the devaluation of the Russian ruble led to domestic inflation for which Russian people were not prepared3; federal borrowing meant that the government had to continue to sacrifice social services and put its people at further risk until internal revenues were restored . De Blij and Muller cite the sheer size of The Russian Federation as the reason for most social imbalances within the state, explaining that forces of devolution and fundamental geographic differences have contributed not only to the economic crises but the subsequently frail social structure of the country; namely poverty. "After communist collapse, [Russia's] leaders faced a massive problem. A multinational, multicultural state that had been accustomed to authoritarian rule and government control over virtually everythingnow

Create a job selection matrix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Create a job selection matrix - Essay Example In developing a job selection matrix, it is important for the team to analyse the required qualifications and job functions of the position at stake. The technical and performance job skills should be considered in addition to the general categories on applications. During an interview, it should be decided on about which skills must be observed from the candidates and hence organised into categories. Lastly, during the interview, to ensure the gaps that were not mentioned in the application are filled, the hiring team should structure the interview questions to deduce this information. Most importantly, in the job selection matrix, a numeric ranking system should be included for each prerequisite and interview question (Anon, 2010). The ranking may range from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest. The selection criteria may however vary with respect to the job position with an opening. The candidate who exhibits the most favourable sheet in accordance to their application can then be offered the

Mercedes Benz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mercedes Benz - Essay Example Innovation of new ideas, which brings forth new products, is a factor behind this success. However, global companies have failed due to lack of customer satisfaction. Mercedes Benz is a company that for years has realized its goals by providing best automobile products to clients although critics argue that the price is unfriendly. 2. Background of the company The Mercedes Benz is a leading German automobile manufacturer with global presence through subsidiaries in various parts of the world. It deals with production of a wide range of vehicles including luxurious cars, buses, coaches, and trucks. The world’s leader in luxury cars has its origin traced back to German citizens in the name of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. Over the years, the company has brought in diverse hi-tech and safety improvement that other vehicle manufacturers have borrowed (Kristin 112). Today, brand name is among the most popular brands in the world. The company grew over the years to become one of t he leading suppliers of automobiles around the world. 3. Products offered Since the formation of the company, it has preserved a global repute of quality and resilience, winning various quality awards around the world. ... However, as more companies ventured in the production of similarly deluxe, elegant and cheaper cars, its popularity started to exhibit a slowed growth and losing its grip as the leading supplier of quality and durable cars. Major competitors include the Audi, BMW, Toyota, Lexus, Land Rovers, Fox wagon, the Cadillac model, and the prestigious Porsche among others. The company prides in the production of the lavish Mercedes Benz models including cars buses, trucks and buses as well (Koichi 111). At some point, the company produced sport cars, but has since then withdrawn from it. 4. Related industries and competitors The year 1958 saw the company enter into a distribution treaty with Studebaker- Packard, a marketing company of Indiana in the United States of America, which marked the beginning of its numerous subsidiaries around the states as well as other countries around the world. At present, the company has many outlets in several countries for assembling or full manufacture of the luxurious brand automobiles. These subsidiaries are now operational in several countries in South America, Africa, Asia; especially south eastern parts, parts of Europe and North America, giving the company a global representation. The company has close relation with tyre industries including companies like Michelin, Dunlop, Ferari, Bridgestone, and Firestone among others, leather companies, paint and adhesive companies as well as several marketing industry players. 5. Marketing strategy The company’s marketing strategy has traditionally focused on the luxury, precise engineering, and safety of the cars it produces. However, more recently owing to increased competition from other manufacturers of luxury cars, increasing cost of production and changing consumer preferences, the

One country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

One country - Essay Example tains a very diverse landscape, including a large desert and flatlands region as well as fertile, mountainous plateau regions in which the majority of farming and other agricultural activities occur (Davison, 2001). Two main rivers, the Tana and Galana, run actively through the fertile region of Kenya and empty into the Indian Ocean to the East (Kenyaology.com, 2007). This is the likely reason why this particular region of the country, known as the Kenyan Highlands, is so fertile as it is continuously irrigated by the two rivers. Additionally, of significant assistance to Kenyan residents is the close proximity to the Indian Ocean by which a great deal of foreign trade can be delivered or exported, providing a more direct ocean-going trade route to the East rather than ground travel across a harsh African landscape (Kenyaology.com). Many people may think of Kenya and automatically envision harsh desert environments, however Figure 1 illustrates the lush fertile region known as the Ke nyan Highlands where Mount Kenya towers into the sky. Climate patterns in Kenya are quite diverse, however in most respects, they range in magnitude from harsh, dry desert-like conditions to that of regions which receive continuous rainfall. In the dryer, Northern plains region, the average temperatures are maximum 34.8 degrees and minimum 23.7 degrees, both in Celsius (Kenyaology.com). These are significantly warmer temperatures in comparison to the United States, indicating that this particular region of Kenya maintains virtually no temperate climate. In the city of Eldoret, which is one of the larger-populated cities at an elevation of 3,085 feet above sea level, the climate is much more temperate, subject to changes in seasons much like that of the Midwest region of the United States. In this area, average temperatures are a maximum of 23.6 C and 9.5 C, making this region rich for agricultural and other farming activities (Klein, 1999). In yet another region of the country,

Create a job selection matrix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Create a job selection matrix - Essay Example In developing a job selection matrix, it is important for the team to analyse the required qualifications and job functions of the position at stake. The technical and performance job skills should be considered in addition to the general categories on applications. During an interview, it should be decided on about which skills must be observed from the candidates and hence organised into categories. Lastly, during the interview, to ensure the gaps that were not mentioned in the application are filled, the hiring team should structure the interview questions to deduce this information. Most importantly, in the job selection matrix, a numeric ranking system should be included for each prerequisite and interview question (Anon, 2010). The ranking may range from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest. The selection criteria may however vary with respect to the job position with an opening. The candidate who exhibits the most favourable sheet in accordance to their application can then be offered the

One country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

One country - Essay Example tains a very diverse landscape, including a large desert and flatlands region as well as fertile, mountainous plateau regions in which the majority of farming and other agricultural activities occur (Davison, 2001). Two main rivers, the Tana and Galana, run actively through the fertile region of Kenya and empty into the Indian Ocean to the East (Kenyaology.com, 2007). This is the likely reason why this particular region of the country, known as the Kenyan Highlands, is so fertile as it is continuously irrigated by the two rivers. Additionally, of significant assistance to Kenyan residents is the close proximity to the Indian Ocean by which a great deal of foreign trade can be delivered or exported, providing a more direct ocean-going trade route to the East rather than ground travel across a harsh African landscape (Kenyaology.com). Many people may think of Kenya and automatically envision harsh desert environments, however Figure 1 illustrates the lush fertile region known as the Ke nyan Highlands where Mount Kenya towers into the sky. Climate patterns in Kenya are quite diverse, however in most respects, they range in magnitude from harsh, dry desert-like conditions to that of regions which receive continuous rainfall. In the dryer, Northern plains region, the average temperatures are maximum 34.8 degrees and minimum 23.7 degrees, both in Celsius (Kenyaology.com). These are significantly warmer temperatures in comparison to the United States, indicating that this particular region of Kenya maintains virtually no temperate climate. In the city of Eldoret, which is one of the larger-populated cities at an elevation of 3,085 feet above sea level, the climate is much more temperate, subject to changes in seasons much like that of the Midwest region of the United States. In this area, average temperatures are a maximum of 23.6 C and 9.5 C, making this region rich for agricultural and other farming activities (Klein, 1999). In yet another region of the country,

How Have Us-China Relationship Been Refashioned By The Crisis Essay Example for Free

How Have Us-China Relationship Been Refashioned By The Crisis Essay The economic crisis experienced over the recent past has had a resoundingly negative effect across the globe. Altman (2009a, p. 527) describes it as â€Å"the worst in over 75 years. † Different people and different occurrences contributed variedly toward this crisis. However, most researchers tend to point fingers towards the US and blame it solely for orchestrating the crisis through its dubious economic policies and financial excesses (Dibb, 2009, p. 3 and Altman, 2009a, p. 527). Wright (2009, p. 59) furthers this ideology by saying that the recession originated in New York and, and like a wildfire, spread to Asia and other parts of the world. According to Altman (2009b, p. 5), as a result, â€Å"The overall picture is a grim one: a deep, truly global and destabilizing downturn, with world GDP falling for the first time in post-war period. Given rising populations, such an outright contraction is stunning. † China on the other hand chooses to distant itself away from the blame game. Wright (2009, p. 64) supports this reaction by saying that â€Å"China is not blaming US for the crisis. † According to them, the crisis was a culmination of a series of events performed by different countries in relations to their trading methods, economic policies, domestic marketing tendencies as well as overall governance. This has been a tactful stand for china more so with the looming speculations of them wanting to take full advantage of the crisis to impose influence of their minimally scathed domestic economy. It also provides a platform for good interrelations with the US, if need be, since there is no bad-blood between them as opposed to the critiquing nations. For china, their strong domestic market acts as a cushion in this tough time that many nations are languishing in economic distress. Despite facing low revenues from their exports and generally having to deal with the challenge of fluctuating prices of commodities, it has been able to get solace from their stable Foreign exchange trading (Altman, 2009a, p. 31). In sharp contrast, the US-the strongest nation in the world is finding it difficult to cope with the crisis. Apart from allegedly overspending beyond their means, the financial injuries in their banks and credit-markets combined with the unprecedented liquidity levels have forced US down on their knees (Altman, 2009b, 529). To make matters worse, there have been recent concerns of the US loosing its focus from ensuring coherence, coordination and leadership. Altman (2009b, p. ) equates this tendency to the inward preoccupation of the US with severe unemployment, housing challenges and fiscal pressures. He exemplifies this by saying, â€Å"US household lost 20 percent of their net worth in just 18 months, dropping from a peak of $64. 4 trillion in mid 2007 to $51. 5 billion at the end of 2008 (p. 3). On the other hand, it looks like china could increase its diplomatic presence in the development world by sharing its vast acumen of resources and ideologies (Altman, 2009b p. 3). According to Altman (2009a p. 28), â€Å"This relatively unscathed position gives china the opportunity to solidify its strategic advantages as the united States and Europe struggle to recover† by investing in places where US and Europe can’t. In essence, this rise by china combined with other Scandinavian countries threatens to overthrow USA from the global driving seat. Altman (2009a, 527) aptly describes it as â€Å"shifting the world’s centre of gravity away from the united states. †An Analyst like Dibb (2009, p. 2) is already voicing out his opinions to this by saying the global wealth is speeding from the east to west. In fact, he goes further and says â€Å"We think that the global financial crisis will hasten the relative decline of America and Improve China’s status (2009, p. 5). † Such opinions are, however, greatly discouraged as they may just aggravate the highly polarised relationship between China and USA. Rediker (2009, p. 555-556) challenges America to copy from other well doing countries if they are to survive. He further voices out the deficit in ideology and capital which has facilitated null movement of the US economy, and asks them to swallow their pride by borrowing a leaf from the attested pages of China’s ideologies. This is especially important with the rising concerns of China’s ascendancy in geopolitical standings based on the increased car sales, freight shipment and electricity consumption; thus offering it great financial leverage (Altman, 2009b, p. 7). Nevertheless, other analysts believe that this crisis may lead to a better relationship between China and US. This they believe can be done by Obama administration giving China a more central role in the IMF as well as bringing them to the G8 (Altman, 2009a, p. 528). To them, China ideologies in terms of geopolitical measures are similar to those of the US i. . both do not want Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Again, both China and US are capitalist in nature and therefore finding a middle ground for a starting a mutual relationship will not be very problematic. Based on such factors, Altman (2009b, p. 7) concludes that â€Å"It is increasingly clear that the US-Chinese relationship will emerge as the most important bilateral one in the world. † As a point of caution, Dibb (2009, p. 3) warns that USA and China should treat one another with respect-if such a deal is struck- or else, dire consequences could erupt in the event of a mass unrest from either ends. Of course there are underlying issues like USA routing for free markets and China supporting a controlled market; which may presumably conflict. However, proponents of better relations between China and US believe that the overall good of the world will supersede such minor differences (Dibb, 2009, p. 4). It is desperate times for US and maybe, that is the reason why they are going for desperate measures. Being into the unchartered waters of financial down-surge, the US has taken stern measures to resuscitate its economy. This is based on the trial and failure of an example is them stopping to spend on discretionary items and are only focusing on only the basics. Through this, they are able to save more and pay down their debts. China has commended this move and said it opens doors for fostering better relationships with other countries (Altman, 2009a, p. 531). In conclusion, hope is not lost even in these difficult times of financial distress. Coincidentally, this crisis coincides with the tenure of Barrack Obama as president and his message of hope even in times of hopelessness. As for now, Atman (2009a, p. 39) say that â€Å"The united states will have to operate from a smaller global platform-while others, especially china, will have a chance to rise faster. † Critics should nevertheless watch for USA’s comeback; their slip does not mean they have fallen (Wright, 2009, p. 556). In fact, this should be a chance for both China and USA to demonstrate good leadership by working together. By doing this, the economic crisis-which not only affects the US and China but also other parts of the world will eventually be a thing of the past (Wright, 2009, p. 566).

Clement Attlees Government

Clement Attlees Government Whether or not one agrees or disagrees with the policies of Attlees government, which was in power for 6 years, it is undoubtedly one of the most influential governments the UK has been governed by in the 20th century. Attlees policies were controversial, but his legacy has been claimed proudly by the Labour party and many of his policies remain in place even after several Conservative governments were in power. By far the most famous of the achievements of Attlees government is the health care reform that created the National Health Service, providing free health care to all Britons. It was masterminded by Aneurin Bevan, the Minister of Health. He was a Welsh Labour politician, and a left-winger within the Labour Party. Eventually he would resign from his post as the Minister of Labour and lead a group of left-wing Labour MPs. The National Health Service Act dates to 1946. While it is hugely popular today and Conservative governments have not repealed it due to its popularity, there are disadvantages which in those days were more apparent. It was attacked by the Conservatives when it was proposed. Before the National Health Service was established, free treatment was available from some hospitals, and there was national insurance which was introduced by the Liberal government earlier in the 20th century. Although the introduction of the National Health Service created more jobs in the health care industry, and life expectancy increased, in addition to the elimination of the embarrassment of not being able to afford a doctor, the plan needed an increase in tax in order to have been able to be funded. Also, people misused and/or overused the service. This was colloquially called the Dandruff Syndrome, as people went to the doctor for cases that were not medical emergencies. Doctors were overworked and were not granted the freedom they traditionally enjoyed, which caused a lack of incentive for the doctors to work harder now that they had so many more customers. The British Medical Association shared this view and stated that it was against public interest that doctors would be viewed as salaried officers. They have maintained that they were not critical of a public health service, as they have been said to be before. Another issue facing Britain in the post-war years was the issue of housing. In fact, at that time it was considered the single most important issue facing Britain. Many houses had been destroyed during World War II and little houses were built during the war. In 1945 the number of homes had decreased by 700,000 since the beginning of the war in 1939. 157,000 prefabricated houses were built, although they were disliked by Bevan. By 1948, 750,000 new homes had been built. The two housing acts emphasised quality over quantity. This can be considered both an advantage and a disadvantage. Considering the alarming and urgent situation of housing in Britain in that time period, I consider it a disadvantage as it meant that the target that was set was not met. However, the construction of such a significant number of new houses is very impressive and could be considered a success in general. Again, the main issue at hand was the funding of such huge projects, which meant increases in tax we re needed. It must not be denied that although gains were made, the target was not met and therefore it is a failure. This is especially true as the Conservative government under Churchill that succeeded Attlees government did achieve these goals, although they were building upon the successes Labour had already achieved and did not have to initiate the new housing projects. The Education Act was passed by a Conservative called Butler, but Labour was in charge of implementing the reforms that this Act proposed. One of the immediate successes of the Labour government was the installment of a female Minister of Education over 30 years prior to the election of Margaret Thatcher as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. However, the actual achievements of this act are not universally considered to be successful. 35,000 new jobs for teachers were created and almost 1,000 new primary schools were built. This granted opportunities to bright working class children who might have been destined to have a job that didnt utilise their intelligence to the full potential. This improved social mobility and therefore caused the gaps between different classes to become narrower. The school leaving age was raised to 15, which can be considered a success as it was opposed by the treasury. The Act provided opportunities for bright working class children because it recommended a tripartite system of secondary education, encouraging pupils to join technical schools, grammar schools or secondary moderns. Although it succeeded in providing those opportunities, the government failed to implement to the recommended degree the technical schools, which may have meant that there was a lack of skilled workers available for technical jobs in the long run. One of the main reasons why the implementation of this Education Act is often considered as a success is because there was little money to spend on education. However, this in itself can be counted as a failure, especially considering that taxes were increased and that therefore the government may have failed to assign their budget to the right areas effectively enough. One of the aspects of the introduction of the Welfare State was the nationalisation of part of the British economy. The Labour Party wanted to keep true to its party constitution and to its working class roots. The Labour Party Constitutions fourth clause set one of the objectives of the Labour Party to be that workers are sufficiently awarded for their labour, and that therefore the government should control the industry through common ownership. In 1945 it was announced that 20% of the economy would be nationalised. It seemed much more radical than it was. The nationalised companies were often already partially nationalised and the nationalisation rarely affected the internal structure of those companies. It also did not create as much controversy as other aspects of the Welfare State, as Conservative governments had also previously nationalised some companies. The only part which created disagreement between the two main political parties was the nationalisation of iron and steel industries. The government set up the National Coal Board as a public corporation to run coal mines. This created a lot of jobs. While in other times it could have lead to huge disagreements, many capitalists were grateful to the government for funding companies which were not doing well at that time. Other nationalised industries were mainly monopolies, and therefore the government was hardly criticised for it. Although it is arguable that the reforms to the economy changed little, working conditions did in fact improve, especially for miners and farmers. Farmers were given grants to modernise and were guaranteed minimum prices. This allowed output to increase, another success of the governments policy. Another possible success of Labour in this area is its increased appeal to the working class. Another huge factor that made some people view Attlees government as a failure is the winter of 46-47. This winter was extremely cold and there were huge shortages in food and fuel. After a normal December, there was a rapid rise in temperature in January, which caused massive floods, before the temperature started to fall again, causing temperatures of around -20ÂÂ °C. In March, the country was hit by a terrible blizzard. While it is not Attlees fault that this occurred, the minister of fuel and power, Emmanuel Shinwell, was blamed. He had cut electricity and had rations decreased. Another of the solutions of the government was to import large amounts of snoek fish from South Africa. It was disgusting and the governments campaign was very unpopular. Eventually, snoek was used as cat food. The winter of 1946 is often seen as a turning point, as Labour was starting to lose its popularity. The damage had cost the government millions of pounds which could have been used to develop the welfare state. There are some legitimate criticisms of the government about its handling of the crisis, however. For example, the cutting of electricity was not very effective in decreasing power supplies, but it had a huge negative effect on the morale of the people. The governments handling of the crisis is a clear example of Labours policy of austerity, which meant that spending had to be cut and sacrifices had to be made. This policy was introduced in 1947 and marked a turning point for the Labour government. The government was also criticised for not doing enough to fix the damage the crisis had done. Instead, the government continued to believe in Britain as a superpower, and spent a large percentage of its GDP on defence. This also caused controversy within the party, particularly as Britain became more involved in the Cold War, which was opposed by many leading figures within the Labour Party, such as Bevan, the Minister of Health. From a left wing perspective, the foreign policy of Attlees government can be viewed as a failure. Peace did not return to the world completely after World War II. The Cold War was occurring, and there was a serious risk of war with the Soviet Union. While the USA was determined to defend its capitalist allies, Britain wanted, as it still believed itself to be a superpower, a defence of their own. Britain had a nuclear programme since 1940, but its first testing of nuclear weapons occurred in 1952. Although Labour was not in power anymore at that time, it was Attlee who made the decision to develop an atomic bomb. This is normally seen as a message that Britain was strong enough to confront the Soviet Union. However, some have suggested that the Soviet Union approved of Britain having a nuclear bomb because they could then have sovereignty and the power to bargain with the USA. On other points, Attlee also contradicted earlier Labour foreign policies. In 1944, the party had supported the fight against Greek communist guerrillas. It had also contradicted its policies of anti-imperialism by helping France and the Netherlands regain control of regions it lost to Japan in World War II, namely Indochina and the East Indies. At the same time, some of the governments arguable failures in policies were the decolonisation of the British Empire. India and Palestine were partitioned, which caused huge political problems for decades to come. Ernest Bevin, the Labour foreign secretary, did not support Zionism and supported an Arab Palestine. It is therefore a failure of the government that it didnt achieve its partys goals. Britain had to yield to American pressure over Palestine and allowed the United Nations to take a decision on what to do with Palestine. Bevin was a strong supporter of the USA and against communism. He made Britain a founding member of NATO and Britain received Marshall Aid from the USA. He was a proponent of becoming involved in Korea, and this is the most controversial aspect of Britains foreign policy in the years that Labour was in power. Although his pro-American sentiment had already angered some Labour MPs before, British involvement in the Korean War almost ended in the Labour Party splitting. Britain now spent even more of its GDP on defence. Aneurin Bevan eventually resigned from his post after dental care was not provided for free anymore in order to be able to spend more on defence. Harold Wilson, the President of the Board of Trade followed and later Prime Minister, followed. Britains foreign policy in the years that Labour was in power has been said by Peter Hennessy to show that Britain was still determined to be a great power, even if that meant spending a huge percentage of the budget on defence and less money being available for the development of the welfare state. The foreign policy, to me, is a failure because it meant the development of the welfare state was slowed down and the government failed to fully recognise that Britain had lost its power and that it was not in the economic position to be such a power. Also, it weakened their party and according to many, such as Jenna Philips, foreign policy was a decisive factor in the loss of the general election by Labour in 1951. Arguably the most disadvantageous aspect of the Attlee government was the fiscal policy. The huge extent of the reforms required huge government spending and therefore tax had to be raised substantially. The new tax policy of Attlees government, however, was effective in making tax non-regressive by taxing the rich substantially more than the poor and the middle class. This policy made the Labour party very popular with the working class, as thousands did not have to pay any tax. However, it may have become unpopular with the upper class and upper middle class, not only for financial reasons but also because Attlee was trying to bridge social gaps and get rid of the class system. However, taxes were not enough to finance Britain. The effect of World War II was devastating. Britain devoted all its resources to fighting the war. As it could hardly import or export anything, it relied heavily on the Lend-Lease agreement for food and other vital resources to keep it going. At the end of the war, Britain was almost bankrupt. Lives had been lost, homes had been destroyed and Britain would never be the same again. It seems strange that, at that time, Attlee would want to introduce an expensive welfare state, when there are obviously other things to worry about. But where World War II destroyed so much, there was a desire for real change, and for Britain to become a new Jerusalem. However, this could never be achieved by Britain in its economic state of the time. John Maynard Keynes, a famous economist, was sent to negotiate a new loan from the USA. Eventually, it was given, but it was much smaller than the loan that was desired. It was a loan of over 4 billion pound s (which would be worth much more today) which had to be paid back with 2% interest. It wasnt until 2006 that Britain finally paid off its debt to the USA. Britain had expected a subsidy from the USA as recognition of Britains help in defeating Nazi Germany, especially from the years before the USA was involved in the war or at least an interest-free loan. Keynes wanted the Sterling to be convertible to the Dollar, but this was not granted, making the Sterling weaker than the Dollar. Therefore, the loan was a disappointment. According to Alan Sked, a historian, the US didnt truly realise that Britain was virtually bankrupt. It is hard to call this a failure of the British government. In fact, I believe it to be a success of Attlees government to have made so much progress in times of such economic hardship and where the US had not given sufficient financial aid, in addition to the harsh winter of 1946-47. In conclusion, I believe that the Labour government was successful in implementing its reforms, and these reforms and projects had positive results, even if the initial target had not been met. Labour was unlucky to be in power in a time of economic hardship and cold weather. Also, they managed to implement changes without sufficient financial aid from the USA, which can be considered an achievement. The successes of the welfare state for me far outnumber the failures. It was so popular that the Conservatives did not repeal it when they were in power. Labour had created a new type of politics: the politics of consensus. This allowed Britain to remain stable and preserve the great successes of the Labour government and their prime minister Attlee, who is regarded as one of the best prime ministers Britain has had in the 20th century.