Essay on the Gulf War

Essay on the Gulf War Rashid Abdul, a citizen of Saudi Arabia was working for the Kuwait oil company as a firefighter engineer during the time of the Gulf War. The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq occurred in august 1990, and the war lasted up to February 1991. Rashid was involved in firefighting when the oil fields were put ablaze by the Iraq army. Engineer Rashid explains the occurrences and his experience during the war. Student: Thank you for agreeing to share your knowledge and expertise regarding the Gulf War. The topic is critical to students in understanding the history of the Persian Gulf region and the American involvement. R.A:Thank you for considering interviewing me regarding this important matter in the history of Kuwait. It’s essential for students to learn and understand the history of their country and the world. In august 1990, Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq, raided Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He complained that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had taken over the oil market in the world. During the war with Iran, Iraq incurred a lot of losses and had to get a way to recover. Invasion of Kuwait was in an attempt to recover from economic loss that Iraq suffered during the war with Iran. Kuwait had drilled a lot of oil in the disputed border with Iraq. The oil market became flooded, and the prices of oil dropped significantly (Bacevich, 2003, 103). The economy of Iraq that was already depreciating was significantly affected by the decline in the prices of oils. Iraq accused Kuwait of initiating an economic war to weaken the Iraq government. There were historical tensions between Iraq and Kuwait, in the conflict between Iraq and Iran, Iraq had sought a lot of money from the Arab countries Kuwait being one of them. The government of Iraq had pressured Kuwait to pardon it the grant because of its finan cial status which was poor. Kuwait failed to call off the debt, and the Iraq government initiated a conflict with Kuwait. The territorial dispute between Iraq and Kuwait also contributed a lot in the emergence Gulf War. Iraq claimed that Kuwait belonged to Iraq before the British colonization. Student: invasion of Kuwait was not from a particular point and caught the world by surprise. Were you or your family living in the areas that were mainly affected by the war? R.A: Before the start of the Gulf War I was working for the Kuwait oil company today known as the British petroleum (BP). I was stationed at the Burgan oil field which was invaded by the Iraq troops in 1990, and the oil fields were set ablaze. Most of the Kuwait oil company facilities were destroyed by the Iraq army. Majority of the company workers left and some remained. Despite the setback, the company heavily invested in training firefighter engineers after the end of the Gulf War in 1991. Most of the fires in the oil fires were extinguished in a record time. Student: America was mainly involved in the war in helping Kuwait. Do you think they should have warned Iraq of their plan to participate in the war? What role did America play in the Gulf War? R.A: After the Iraq army had invaded Kuwait in august 1990, the Americans seemed to have no intention to initiate a military action against Iraq.The deceptive mechanism that the bush administration was applying towards Saddam Hussein was to show him that America had intention to initiate military action. In the reality, the American government was working round the clock talking to the Saudi Arabia government to allow it bring in ground troops. On 8th august 1990, the American troops in large numbers arrived in Saudi Arabia. The United States mobilized other countries to assist in fighting the Iraq army and force it withdraw from Kuwait. Through its efforts and power, the United States assembled about thirty-four countries to fight the American troops against the Iraq army. Key among the coalition army was France and the Great Britain. The American government had so many reasons to convince the United Nations Security Council and the whole world why it was just to send troops to figh t the Iraq army. Iraq was accused of violating human rights for so many years especially during the Iraq-Iran war where Iraq was accused of using chemical weapons against the Iranians (MacArthur, 2004, 93). The Saddam Hussein army was also accused of using chemical weapons against the Kurdish people. There was a lot of mass media sensitization in America about the reasons why it was necessary for America to defend Kuwait and the gulf region. At the beginning of January 1991, there were extensive air strikes targeting the Iraq army installations. The main agenda in the use of air strikes was to weaken the Iraq air force and ensure that its anti- aircraft facilities were destroyed. With the intense air attacks on the Iraq soil by the coalition army, the Iraq government fulfilled its earlier threat of attacking Israel if it were attacked. More than eight missiles were fired into Israel by the Iraq army. The primary aim of the Iraq army was to prove Israel to fight back thus forcing the Arab countries fighting the Americans to withdraw. America, a close ally of Israel, understood the whole concept of the Iraq attack on Israel and advised Israel not to fight back. The plan of the Iraq army was thwarted. The Iraq army fired missiles to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain though there were no significant casualties. Towards the end January 1991, the Iraq army invaded Khafji city in Saudi Arabia, which prompted heavy fighting between the Iraq army and the Saudi Arabia army with the support of the American marine troops. The Khafji battle lasted for two days when the Iraq army was repelled back through heavy artillery, but there were many casualties reported on both sides. The air strikes made by the coalition army provided significant support to the ground troops who were equipped with more sophisticated artillery than the Iraq army. The ground forces also used modern global positioning system technology to identify their locations and to locate the enemy. On 23rd February 1991, the coalition forces led by the American and British army invaded Kuwait where the Iraq army had laid siege. The invasion was not anticipated by the Iraq army and therefore there no much resistance. In fact, the Iraq army surrendered to the coalition army. On the other hand, the Kuwait army initiated air strikes in the Kuwait city targeting the Iraq army with very little resistance. After five days of heavy fighting, Saddam Hussein surrendered and gave the order for the withdrawal of Iraq army from Kuwait (Stanton, 2003, 64). Student: many nations took the initiative to evacuate their nationals from Kuwait, Iraq and neighboring countries. R.A: Countries such as India had nearly two hundred thousand nationals working and living in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. When the Iraq army invaded Kuwait, most of the foreign nationalities were caught unaware, and majorities were stranded. There was great urgency by the affected nations to evacuate their citizens soonest possible. India carried out massive evacuations of its nationalities through Air India. Nearly three thousand five hundred Indians were evacuated on a daily basis. It is estimated that over five hundred flights were carried out by Air India. The evacuation process was taking with massive mobilization of resources and crew. The Kuwait and Bagdad airports were not accessible and therefore the Amman airport was majorly used for the evacuation process. The evacuees had to travel to Amman through Kuwait and the Iraq. Majority of the evacuees lacked the basic needs such as medication and water throughout the journey to Amman. By the end of the evacuation process, the Indian statistics showed that nearly one hundred and eighty thousand Indians had been evacuated from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The Indian evacuation remains the largest evacuation in the history. Student: After the Gulf War, the Kuwait oil company initiated massive restoration of its oil fields and installations. What were the mechanisms employed in the restoration process? R.A: After the end of the Gulf War the Kuwait oil company through Bechtel and other international allies initiated plan to put out fires on oil fields through workforce of about sixteen thousand firefighters. A lot of equipments were mobilized from different countries. The reconstruction work was done in record time of one year, and the oil production resumed after the war. The Kuwait GDP per capita increased tremendously. The impact of the Gulf War was immense to all the parties involved. The America and its allies made great strides in defeating Saddam Hussein. The American army emerged victoriously with minimal fatalities and casualties. America emerged as a powerful nation in the world with its sophisticated artillery. The Gulf War had a great economic impact on the Persian Gulf region especially in the oil production. The government of Saddam Hussein suffered an economic crisis with much of its resources used the Gulf War. Iraq was unable to pay back the debts, and it had incurred losses in military artillery. Kuwait, on the other hand, suffered great loss due destruction oil fields and oil installations thus reduced oil production. Saudi Arabia also incurred a lot of losses in the Khafji war where oil facilities were destroyed by Iraq army causing massive oil spills which cost the Saudi Arabia government a lot of dollars to clean up. The Gulf War caused a lot of human sufferings from the onset to the end. When the Iraq army invaded Kuwait, a lot of inhumane acts were committed including rape, killings and so many people captured as war prisoners. The environment adversely affected by the war. Heavy artillery were used which had a great impact on the desert environment. The desert vegetation was destroyed, and the atmosphere was polluted (Austin, 2000, 71). There was a lot of emissions and dust into the atmosphere from the burning of the oil fields. There were also a lot of chemicals emitted which contributed to the damage of the ozone layer. The marine life along the Persian Gulf was also endangered due to the sinking of ships carrying oil artillery. The Kuwait sewage treatment facilities were destroyed releasing raw sewer to the Kuwait Sea. The untreated sewer endangered the ecosystem and poses as a threat to use of beach by humans. Both economic and environmental impacts of the Gulf War will always affect the P ersian Gulf region for decades (Austin, 2000, 94). Although the gulf countries have worked tirelessly to solve these problems, the impact is still evident with oil spills and destruction of desert plant life is so imminent. The Gulf War dented the America economy, and the public lost hope in the sustenance of the economy and control of skyrocketing cost of living. Many Americans were longing for the day when the war will come to an end. The banking industry became fragile, and the majority of the American society were involved in financial borrowing. The development projects were abandoned, and the employment rates declined significantly. The American government also incurred a lot of losses in the war, and there were also casualties and fatalities. The American society was greatly affected by the war especially those families who had their sons and daughters in the front line. Some of the American soldiers returned wounded, and others were killed in the battle line. Up to date the impact of the Gulf War is evident in the life’s of most Americans who had had to change their perception towards their involvement in the defense. Today many American parents try and educate their young ones on the adv antages and disadvantages of enrolling in the army. Works cited Austin, Jay E, and Carl E. Bruch. The Environmental Consequences of War: Legal, Economic and Scientific Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print. Bacevich, Andrew J, and Efraim Inbar. The Gulf War of 1991 Reconsidered. London: Frank Cass, 2003. Print. MacArthur, John R. Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the 1991 Gulf War. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004. Print. Stanton, Martin. Road to Baghdad: [behind Enemy Lines: the Adventures of an American Soldier in the Gulf War]. New York: Ballantine Books, 2003. Print.

Case Study Manufacturing Plant Named Engstrom Auto Mirror

The purpose of this assignment is the analysis of a case study for a manufacturing plant named Engstrom Auto Mirror located in Richmond IN. The company has been in business since 1948, during most of its existence the business ran well and they were successful but by the 1990’s they started a downward spiral toward being unprofitable. In the early 2000’s for a period of seven years their sales had quadrupled but in 2006 there was a downturn in the auto industry which led to cuts having to be made resulting in the unfortunate circumstance of layoffs. They currently have 209 employees which is down from 255, 46 people were layedoff in 2006. The catalyst for their prolonged period of propersity was the 1998 descison to implement an organization-wide incentive program called a Scanlon Plan. Prior to its implemation the company was marked by inefficiency, low productivity, low morale and quality issues, management measured productivity at 40% of expectectations. At the time of the case study the problems of the past were starting to surface again things like layoffs and no incentives for the employees were causing rumblings in the workforce. Another pressure point was the companies relationships with its customers that had been built in part through the gains made by implementing their Scanlon Plan and their customers put a lot of faith in the company to provide high quality products in a timely manner. The Scanlon Plan methodology was initially developed in the 1930’s byShow MoreRelatedEngstrom Auto Mirror Plant and Work Analysis Case Study Essay3074 Words   |  13 PagesKayla Gunby November 29th, 2015 Southern New Hampshire University Final Project Submission Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant and Work Analysis Case Study Abstract During May 2007, the Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant faces a low employee morale issue. The newly appointed manager, Ron Bent, sees a decline in work place productivity and culture throughout his recent years of working at the plant. When Bent joined the company, it was facing a similar issue of low morale. He then decided to introduce the

Strategies of Maintaining Work-Life Balance

Question: Explain the strategies of maintaining Work-Life Balance. Answer: Introduction The work-life balance is a notion that involves an accurate prioritizing between the lifestyle and work of an individual (Wilton, 2013). The work includes the ambition and career and on the other hand, the lifestyle includes pleasure, health, leisure, spiritual development, family and meditation. A healthy work-life balance can be achieved by managing the personal and professional life of an individual in sustainable ways, which help to keep the energy flowing in an individual, and keeps the bodies and minds on the person healthy and whole selves content and happy. Strategies of Maintaining Work-Life Balance Nowadays work-life balance is considered as the most important attributes of the workplace, secondly, it is considered as compensation and it has been found that the workers who think and feel that they have a better balance of work-life, generally work 21% harder than the other employees who feel that they overworked. This implies that to provide attention to all the things that are fulfilled and enriched including career, work, fitness and health are equally important for balancing the work-life of an individual. The strategies that can be implied in order to maintain a better work-life balance include: Tracking the time By analyzing the current situation one can achieve a balanced life. One should keep a time log of all the things he do for a week that is both the personal and work-related activities. All these data act as an eye-opener as these information help in understanding the usage of time for the proper work to be done and thus helps in saving time (Werner, Schuler, Jackson, 2012). Determining the priorities of an individual An individual should spend some time for listing the priorities and then accordingly one should work at home and at work place. Setting up Specific Goals As per the list of priorities, one should take into a set of concrete and measurable objectives. This helps an individual to set goals and also helps to balance time between the work and the personal activities. Scheduling Carefully The successful plan generally make plan for their work. This is termed as date planner. If an individual focus on his date planner and accordingly perform his jobs, then within a relatively lesser time he can perform more (Mondy Mondy, 2012). An individual can carefully study the date planner at the beginning of the day and according to his plan he can perform. Establishing Boundaries An individual should set a realistic and fair limit to both the activities at work and at home. These boundaries should be communicated with the coworkers, supervisors, family and partner (Ivancevich Konopaske, 2013). This helps an individual in managing time. Taking Care of the Health For every individual, health is in the topmost priority. Therefore, each person should be in a good shape both emotionally, mentally and physically as these factors put a focus on both the work life and personal life. Nurturing Relationships and Family The family and the friends are those relationships that provide satisfaction to the people. Thus, every individual should spend time with their family members and friends in order to get rid of the stress of the work (Dessler, 2013). These relationships provide satisfaction to the individuals. Thus, it can be said that nurturing relationships and family help to maintain a good work life balance and this also helps an individual to perform better in his work place. Making time for Own self An individual should provide and keep time for himself. This provides an individual to perform better in the workplace. Leaving work at Workplace By completing task or work of an individual at the workplace helps the person to provide time to his family and friends (DeCenzo, Robbins, Verhulst, 2013). This also helps to keep balance between the work life and the personal life. Working smartly and not hardly - One should work in a planned way. This helps an individual to work more without providing more hard work. Knowing the Right Time for Asking Help When the people are overwhelmed with work and stress, then one should take help from others. This helps to reduce stress and thus an individual can balance well between the work life and personal activities (Bohlander Snell, 2013). Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded that by implementing all the twelve strategies properly, an individual can maintain a better balanced work-life. It can also be said that there are mainly three reasons for which the work life balance is important. These include the individuals become less susceptible to the burnouts, proper attention can be given where it is required and the individuals also experience less health problems. Thus, it can be said that in order to lead the work life balance in a better way, every individual should follow the above stated strategies. References Bohlander, G. Snell, S. (2013).Principles of human resource management. Australia: South-Western/Cengage Learning. DeCenzo, D., Robbins, S., Verhulst, S. (2013).Fundamentals of human resource management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Dessler, G. (2013).Human resource management. Boston: Prentice Hall. Ivancevich, J. Konopaske, R. (2013).Human resource management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Mondy, R. Mondy, J. (2012).Human resource management. Boston: Prentice Hall. Werner, S., Schuler, R., Jackson, S. (2012).Human resource management. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning. Wilton, N. (2013).An introduction to human resource management. London: SAGE.

Spaniard Quietist Miguel De Molinos Essay Example For Students

Spaniard Quietist Miguel De Molinos Essay Spaniard Quietist Miguel de MolinosThe Spaniard Quietist Miguel de MolinosI. Factors. The Church, since its origins has suffered from the attack of hereticsand their heresies which have caused many controversies and schisms within it. However, manyof the conflicts are the result of other than heresies. There arecases where conflicts arose because of ambition of power, lack of moral, andintrigues, other because of lack of wisdom and a poor theological understanding. We will write a custom essay on Spaniard Quietist Miguel De Molinos specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now One of the instances in which a mixture of the elements mentioned abovewere present was the case of the Spaniard quietist Miguel de Molinos during theXVII century.Molinos was accused by the Church with charges of heresy as wellas of immoral misconduct.His main work La Gua Espiritual (The spiritualGuide) was placed in the Indexof the Church, and Molinos himself wascondemned to life imprisonment,to be perpetually clothed in the penitentialgarb, to recite the Credo and one third of the Rosary, and to make confessionfour times every year. Molinos recanted publicly. His admirers said that he was behavingconsistently with what he believed and taught. His accusers said that hisrecanting was a proof of his guilt. What were real motives why Molinos admittedhis guilt? Molinos oncesaid: The true quietists are always quiet, serene and eve-minded in Graces andin extraordinary favors as also in the most rigorous and bitter torments. Nonews causes them to rejoice, no event saddens them. Was Miguel de Molinostrying to beconsistent way with his mystical teachings of total passivity?, orwas he really guilty as charged? Was Molinos a victim of the jealousy of theJesuits? Was his fall caused by the machinations of a corrupt clergy who sawthat they would loose their living if his plain and simple method of devotionwere generally adopted?Did he ever had any other options than recantadmitting his culpability? Was martyrdom his only other option?II. ProtagonistsMolinos wasa man ofnoble character and a brilliant and widelycultured mind.His reputation of director of consciences and spiritual guidegranted him the admiration and esteem of all kinds of people among whom wasCardinal Benedict Odescalchi who later b ecame pope Innocent XI.At his arrestthose who new him close were very distressed. His servants kissing his feet andcalling his a saint where convinced that all was a mistake.When all thistook place in 1685 Molinos was fifty-seven years old, (he was born in 1628 ). Although when arrested he lost control , during the trial he show noapprehension, he was a quietist by conviction . The pope Innocent XI( former Cardinal Benedict Odescalchi and personalfriend of Molinos ) was born in Como (Italy) and pursued his studies in Geneva,Rome, and Naples.He was elected pope by the Cardinal College in 1676.He isportrayed by catholic historians aspope that was committed to keep anhonorable life, which was hard to do in his age and office -. He made reformsin the Church specially in relation with the abuses of nepotism. In order to beconsistent with his convictions he kept his own nephew away from the Roman Curia. Because of his campaign against king Louis XVIInnocent was called theProtestant pope by the Gallican party.He was considered a man of iron handwhen needed.He made some prescriptions concerning the behavior of the clergy,forbade the entering of women into the Vatican Palace (except the royalty), . and condemned the Quietism of Molinos.Concerning his former friendship withMolinos he claimed Veramente siamo engannati. III. The ConflictThe teachings of Molinos were not knew for the Church.In Spain themystic Juan Falcon (1596-1638), had a large number of followers during hislifetime.Another group, the Alumbrados influenced many people in Cadiz andSeville in the late 1500s. They taught that vocal prayer, and thinking in thehumanity of Jesus or in his passion must be avoided. In 1623 the Inquisitioncondemned them as heretics.It is clear that both, Falcon and the Alumbrados,influenced Molinos thought. .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 , .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 .postImageUrl , .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 , .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1:hover , .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1:visited , .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1:active { border:0!important; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1:active , .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1 .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1914a551f1ee57a8098007887eec47d1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Mean Spirit Essay Molinos doctrines about mysticism were world wide appreciated andpracticed. It is said that in Naples he had more that 20.000 followers.Hispopularity among the royalty was notable. Queen Christina of Sweden, andprincess Borghese were among his devoted followers.The main work of Molinos LaGua Espiritual was subject of investigation by the Holy Office. However theconflict arose when the Jesuitsbegun to question his practices and theteachings found in his writings which at one time were highly praise by theclergy .Molinos has taught that if souls in a high state of

Strategies for promoting excellence in a time of scarce resources essay

Strategies for promoting excellence in a time of scarce resources essay Strategies for promoting excellence in a time of scarce resources essay Strategies for promoting excellence in a time of scarce resources essayGM is one of the largest US car manufacturers, which holds a leading position not only in the US but also in the world. In spite of the steep decline the company has faced since the economic recession in the US in 2008, the company is on its way to recovery. At any rate, GM still holds a strong position in the US as well as in the international market being one of the largest car manufacturers in the world. In spite of the steep decline and bankruptcy run under Chapter 11 in 2009, the company has undergone consistent reorganization and has started the recovery to regain its position as the world leader in the car manufacturing industry.The vision, mission, and stakeholders of a firm and their impact on the firm’s overall successThe vision of the company is the creation of the brand number one car manufacturer in the world that brings customers high quality vehicles that match their expectations and are manu factured in accordance with GM traditions. The company is also involved in socially responsible operations and serves to interests and needs of its employees and local communities (GM Investors, 2014).The mission of the company is to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles that leads to a healthy balance sheet of the company and world-class products that are winning in the market place (GM Corporate Strategy, 2014).Key stakeholders of GM involve employees of the company, managers, top executives, share holders, suppliers, customers and members of local communities, where production facilities of the company are located.PESTELThe political environment is positive for GM because since 2009, when the company ran bankrupt under Chapter 11, the company relies heavily on the government support, while the government accelerates the reorganization of the company that leads to the enhancement of the marketing position of the company in the US as well as the global market (McC racken, 2009). At any rate, the government backup turned out to be crucial for the survival of the company in 2009 and, at the moment, the company has started revival through the complex reorganization.The economic environment is still quite challenging because the global economy faced a considerable downturn in the late 2000s but the early 2010s have brought the steady recovery, while at the moment the car manufacturing industry in the US is growing fast and has already regained its position as car sales have reached one of the highest levels within a decade (DePamphilis, 2012). However, GM as well as other American car manufacturers face the tight competition from the part of Japanese and other leading car manufacturers, such as Toyota and others.The social environment is also quite challenging because, on the one hand, the company attempts to bear the social responsibility with regard to its employees, while, on the other hand, the company has to save costs that means the reducti on of spending on social programs to optimize the marketing performance of the company. In addition, the company faces the pressure from the part of local communities, which grow concerned with environmental issues as well as economic ones (Gustin, 2008). In this regard, one of the main concerns of communities, where American production facilities of the company are located, involves the economic impact of GM and employment opportunities the company creates for those communities.The technological environment is positive and friendly in relation to GM because the company traditionally focuses on innovations. Technological innovations allow GM to introduce new products and improvements that make its vehicles more attractive to customers than products of rivals. However, at the moment, the company focuses on the introduction of innovations oriented on the enhancement of fuel efficiency of GM’s vehicles and their minimal impact on the environment (Breneman Taylor, 2009). For exa mple, the company develops new cars, which use alternative fuels, including hybrid vehicles using gasoline and electricity, or all-electric vehicles, or hydrogen vehicles, or flexible-fuel vehicles, which use either ethanol, or gasoline, or both.Environmental issues have become particularly important today and the company has to deal with them effectively to preserve their strong position in the global market. In fact, customers in well-developed countries grow more and more concerned with environmental issues. This is why the company has to match demands of customers but the problem is that GM was traditionally oriented on manufacturing of large vehicles, which have never been fuel efficient. As a result, today, the company has to change its production and introduce innovations to make its vehicles fuel efficient and, therefore, less harmful for the environment.The legal environment is basically favorable for the successful business development of the US. GM is the US-based company but the company operates globally. The US legislation is stable and does not raise barriers on the way of the company to its successful business development. Problems may and sometimes emerge, when GM enters new markets, where the company has to deal with the new legal environment. As a rule, the company respects the corporate standards and enters markets, where legal norms and rules are clear and transparent. Nevertheless, the international market expansion may raise certain legal difficulties, when the company has to create partnerships, for example, to enter new markets. Nevertheless, the US and other major markets have the stable legal environment that contributes to the successful business development.Five forcesThe bargaining power of suppliers of GM is basically high since the company uses reliable suppliers, which have the extensive experience of cooperation with GM. The major suppliers of the company are reputable and reliable companies, which are, to a significant extent, dependent on GM.The bargaining power of buyers have started to increase and reached the high level recently, although in 2008-2009, the company faced a considerable downturn in its sale rates.The threat of substitutes is growing to be higher today, as other car manufacturers tend to develop new vehicles using alternative fuels, instead of gasoline and fossil fuels, which prevail among cars manufactured by GM.The threat of new entrants is relatively low because the world car manufacturing market is saturated and the competition is tight. This is why new entrants will face extremely high barriers to entry, which they may not be capable to overcome. Therefore, the threat of new entrants is low. In addition, GM and other US-based car manufacturers count on the government support, which helps them to keep barriers to entry high.The industry rivalry is high and this is probably the major threat for the position of the company in the US and global market today. In fact, the development of the rivalry in the industry resulted in the difficult position of GM, when the company has faced the downturn in its business development in 2008. However, the company used to be the world leader among car manufacturers. Prior to the crisis of 2008, GM was the largest car manufacturer in the world. But after 2008, the company has lost its leading position and Toyota has outpaced GM and become number one car manufacturer in the world.The external environment for opportunities and threatsIn spite of the considerable downturn in the economic development of GM, the company still has considerable opportunities to expand its business and maintain the leading position in the US and global market. The company has huge production capacity and can keep growing, on the condition of the development and implementation of the successful marketing strategy that allows the company to optimize its marketing performance and enhance its position globally.In addition, the company can enhance its brand image and become the multinational corporation that promotes environment-friendly policies and conducts the policy of social responsibility for its employees as well as local communities.On the other hand, the company faces the threat of the tightening competition and increasing the public pressure because of the environmental issues. The tightening competition can undermine the position of the company in the global market.The internal environment of a company for strengths and weaknessesThe internal environment of GM contributes to the enhancement of its competitive position in the global market. The company has the experienced personnel and well-developed research and development department which contribute to the steady and successful development of the company.In addition, the company has a solid production base along with the extensive network of reliable suppliers at the domestic and international level.On the other hand, the company has a number of weaknesses which need imme diate elimination. One of the main weaknesses of the company is the production of large vehicles with low fuel efficiency. As a result, the company needs to develop new vehicles, which are fuel efficient that may be achieved either through the reduction of size of vehicles or introduction of technological innovations to save fuel and make them more fuel efficient.Furthermore, the company has to enhance its brand image through the development of the positive attitude of customers. For example, the US customers are not always confident in GM vehicles, which they consider to be unreliable compared to Japanese cars, for instance.Various levels and types of strategy in a firmThe company has several layers of levels and respective types of strategy. At this point, it is possible to distinguish three major levels: local, national and global. At the local level, the company focuses on the development of the production line, identification of local suppliers or supply of required parts from other units of the company. As a rule, this is the plant level, when the plan manufacturing GM vehicles develops its operations and operates in accordance to the corporate strategy.At the national level, the company develops the marketing strategy for the national market, like the US, for example. Operations and strategy at the national level involves the large scale business plan and long run strategy oriented on the development of the company within the national market. In this regard, the US market is the major target market for GM but, today, the company attempts to enhance its position globally and expands its operations entering national markets of other countries, including the EU, South Africa, Asian countries and others.At the global level, the company elaborates the global strategy oriented on the international market expansion and taking the leading position in the global market. At the moment, GM attempts to regain its leading position in the global market and to reach t his goal the company has to have the global strategy which determines the global development of the company.Ways in which corporate governance will affect strategic decisionsThe corporate governance has a considerable impact on strategic decisions taken by the company. For example, the centralized corporate government implies that strategic decisions are taken by the board of the company at the top level. This way of the corporate governance is not effective in case of GM because the excessive centralization slows down the decision making process and raises the problem of the low effectiveness of strategic decisions taken by the company. For example, if the company needs to take a strategic decision at the national level, the outlet of GM located in this country could take a faster and more effective decision than the decision taken by the board in the US. Similarly, the local management can take decisions at the local level more effectively and successfully than the board.Another w ay of the corporate governance focuses on the decentralization of the corporate governance, which is more effective in case of GM. To put it more precisely, the decentralization of the corporate governance implies the autonomy of outlets of the company located in different parts of the world. Their autonomy allows them to take strategic decisions autonomously in response to the changing business environment and particular challenges that they face at the national or local level. This corporate governance strategy is more effective because it makes the corporate governance and strategy more flexible. The board determines the strategic framework within which all outlets and departments of the company operate and they use their autonomy in the decision making process to maximize their effectiveness and to match the corporate strategy and strategic goals determined by the board.The relationship between strategy and organizational structureThe company’s strategy depends on the org anizational structure. The corporate strategy is grounded on the organizational structure but, at the same time, the corporate strategy influences the organizational structure. The complex organizational structure of GM forces the company to develop flexible global strategy which grants local outlets of the company wide autonomy to make the entire corporation flexible and capable to confront changes in the business environment.In addition, the company has undergone reorganization since 2009 to optimize its marketing performance. The reorganization mirrored the new marketing strategy of the company oriented on the improvement of its financial and organizational performance. The company discontinued some brands and sold others, as was the case of SAAB, for example. Instead, the company focused on those brands which were popular and had the greatest marketing opportunities.ConclusionThus, GM is a strong company operating in the car manufacturing industry. The company is recovering afte r the steep decline, which GM faced in 2009 and which led the company on the edge of survival. However, after restructuring and reorganization the company is regaining its position fast not only in the US but also globally.

Historical Definition of Globalization Assignment

Historical Definition of Globalization - Assignment Example Nevertheless, there are other different factors that have shaped globalization and define its historical development. One such factor is political. Political systems have promoted, hindered, and regulated trade both today and in the past. Establishment of legal systems, regulatory bodies, and institutions that hinder or serve the development of international trade and solve disputes between conflicting nations has long historical roots (Wright, 2015). In addition, exposure of different regions to political systems and forces in the past was a major determinant of the growth or failure of the process of economic globalization. Case in point, Wright (2015) shows how the Mandinka and Islam contributed to the incorporation and exposure of the Niumi into the global system. The political influences of the Mandinka and Islam in the trans-Saharan trade framework contributed to the strengthening of the Niumi Polity (Wright, 2015). The Portuguese arrival further allowed for entry of the Niumi into trade across the Atlantic complex. Non-economic globalization can also be defined in the form of social and cultural integration. There are four streams of current global culture which have significant historical roots: global academic culture, global business culture, popular religious culture, and popular secular culture (Wright, 2015). Social and cultural interactions have led to the development of a global civil society in which individuals and communities share social and religious perspectives.

Do you know who Paul Robeson is Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Do you know who Paul Robeson is - Assignment Example Robeson’s mother, Maria Louisa Bustill came from a well known family of mixed ancestry consisting of Anglo-American, American and Lenape. She died from a house fire when Robeson was just 6 years of age. Robeson’s other siblings were: William Drew Robeson II, Rev. Benjamin C. Robeson, Reeve Robeson and Marian Robeson (Boyle and Bunie 13). Education and Early Life Robeson’s father held a strong belief that African Americans were as good as their whit counterparts. He instilled in his children this notion and made sure that they attended the same schools as white children. Robeson attended Somerville High School in New Jersey where he graduated with honors in 1915. While at the school, he participated in various activities such as acting, singing and athletics (Dorinson and Pencak 23). His academic excellence and activities in school earned him a full academic scholarship at Rutgers University. Being accepted on scholarship at Rutgers was a great feat for the young Robeson since there were only two other African Americans who had achieved the same. He was the only African American student in the university or the whole duration that he was at Rutgers. While in his third year, he became one of the only three classmates to be accepted into the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity. In 1919, he was one of the four students who were selected in the Cap and Skull honor society (28). Robeson continued to be involved in school activities while in Rutgers where he participated in debate and oratorical contests. He was the recipient of the statewide debate contest prize for four straight years (Foner 33). Robeson was also an avid singer and he was part of the campus Glee Club. However, because of the racist environment at the time, he was not allowed to travel with the group for social events and performances. Another hindrance he faced as a result of the racist climate during his studies was being denied the chance to enjoy the festivities of the universityâ€⠄¢s Philoclean Society, even though he was a duly elected member of the literary society (Boyle and Bunie 100). Just like when he was in high school, Robeson was also an all-rounder in campus. He was an excellent sportsman at Rutgers where he took part in American football, basketball, baseball and athletics. His participation in these sports earned him some 15 varsity letters. In football, he played the end position and he was so good at it that he earned himself a name in the first team All-America in 1917 and 1918. He became the first student and player from Rutgers to reach that feat (Duberman and Bauml 20). Despite his prowess in the game of football, Robeson faced numerous racial episodes, for instance when some Southern teams declined to play with a team that had an African American in the lineup. However, this did not deter him and he is considered by many to be one of the greatest football players of his time (22). Robeson was the valedictorian in his 1919 graduation class. Historians have always praised his academic and athletic excellence that few others can measure up to (Larsen 35). After graduating from Rutgers, Robeson enrolled in the Columbia Law School. To pay for his education at Columbia, Robeson worked as an athlete and a performer. He played for the Akron Pros and the Milwaukee Badgers, teams that were part of the American Professional Football Association, which later cam to be known as the National Football League. He also played