Sew What Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sew What Inc - Case Study Example The Sew What? Business has won several awards and recognitions attesting to the distinct application of information technology that spurred financial success. Information technologies contributed to the business success of Sew What? Inc. through allowing customers from various locations, both locally and abroad, to view the products and services that they offer. By ensuring that their Web site is effectively designed, customers get to review all kinds of color swatches; guides them to calculate measurements for their respective projects; differentiates one kind of curtain from another; providing instructional advise on the care and use of drapery materials; among others (Case Facts, 41). Duckett came to realize that information technology is relevant in terms of enabling small business to provide products and services in a more sophisticated and highly structured fashion that enabled them to reach a wide range of clientele and create high quality products and services. The amount and value of work is thereby maximized by using only a small amount of manpower and internal resources. If I were a management consultant to Sew What? Inc., one would advise Megan Duckett to continue upgrading various applications that could be offered by developments in information technology. For instance, she is already reflecting on instituting a bar code system to track the manufacturing process at their company’s warehouse. After this, Duckett can use information technology to the management in the business’ supply chain in terms of providing a direct link with her regular suppliers of raw materials to identify the inventory levels and reorder points. By doing so, her company need not order for raw materials that are not fast moving and suppliers, on the other hand, could anticipate demand for fast moving items and schedule deliveries at the soonest possible time. Further, their database should contain prospective projects from current clients to enable

Self Introduction Essay Example for Free

Self Introduction Essay Goodmorning maam, classmates, and friends. Today, i would like to impart some facts about me. Most of you here dont know me yet so first of all, i would like to introduce myself. I am Jenifer Aya-ay. I was born on the 26th of September, 1993. I am 19 years old to be exact. I am taking up BS Tourism Major in Ecotourism and this is my third-year of studying in this university. I came from the Province of Misamis Occidental particularly in the city of Oroquieta. My campus address is in Ashreen Cottage Dimalna II, MSU-Marawi City. Normally, I am a loud type of person most especially when i am with my friends. So dont be surprised whenever i get noisy at times. I guess i have gotten this kind of attitude from my family because most of them are also talented of being a conversationalist. Id love to meet new people and socializing with them. In short, I could be everybodys friend. My favorite pastime is sleeping. I just love to sleep and i dont know why. Next is that I spend much time in surfing the internet particularly the social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. I also have interest in singing and dancing. Way back elementary and high school years, I used to join dance troupes and singing competitions but unfortunately, it was not practiced anymore when i entered college. As for now, I would like to share to you a more personal stuff. Everyone, I already have a baby. As for anyone who got pregnant for an early age, you will have mixed and strange emotions on how to deal with such difficult situation. But suddenly, i realized that Ive got nowhere to go and so I took the guts to tell the situation to my parents besides, no one else could help me get through this except them. By then, we had some mellow-dramatic moments you could never imagine. After I confessed everthing, it was when i can say that im truly blessed for having an open-minded, considerate and understanding parents eventhough i have disappointed them a lot. So much for that, i want to show you the most beautiful reward i got out from that experience. This is my precious little baby. I gave birth to her on the 25th day of January this year. As you can see, shes an innocent, delicate thing and indeed, a gorgeous daughter just like her mother. I am proud to say that this experience was the moment i did something that took a lot of courage and a milestone that seemed so bad but turned out to be good.

The Objectives Of Employee Resourcing

The Objectives Of Employee Resourcing In the conduct of performance of any business, it has often been regarded that the employees constitute the most important part of the organization. The employees are the backbone and foundation of the business because they make its operation possible. They are part of every success story, as well as the unfortunate failure of the organizations. Employees are the most valuable asset of the business. Overtime, the proper management of the companys workforce has been called upon by concerned groups and even by the management itself. Various programs and practices have been designed and geared towards improving them and developing their skills so that they can be better assets in the operation of the organization. Successful human management skills have been called upon in order to improve the workforce. Effective employee recruitment and staff selection, improving the performance of the workforce, and reduction of staff turn-over are some of the immediate concerns of human resource dep artments in todays modern working environment. It is of paramount concern that organizations should be able to maintain a dynamic labor force in order to achieve better performance. With this, employee resourcing has been a primary concern among organizations which are concerned about managing their people. EMPLOYEE RESOURCING Employee resourcing has been defined as ensuring that the organization obtains and retains the human capital it needs and employs them productively. It is also about those aspects of employment practice that are concerned with welcoming people to the organization and, if there is no alternative, releasing them (Armstrong, 1977).this definition holds that the concept of human resourcing entails not only managing peole when they are kept within the context of the organizational operations but also when there is a need to release them especially if their performance on their job does not at all seem to be satisfactory and productive. Employee resourcing answer questions which include the kind of people that the organization needs to compete effectively at present and in the near future and the things that the company needs to do to be able to attract and keep their most valuable asset as they influence a better performance of the business. This concept operates on the notion which puts paramount importance to the employee in the function of any business. It regards that the employees are indispensable to success and they should be therefore properly and effectively manage. They should be given continuous education and training so that they will also perpetually help in the improvement and growth of the business. Most importantly, organizations must be concerned on how to keep these employees which are considered investment in the business. Price (2000) defined employee resourcing as the ability of the management or nay concerned group to be able to identify the suitable people which should be working in the organization and to be able to allocate the tasks and jobs which they have to work on while being employed in the said business. Moreover, the author also mentioned in his book that employee resourcing entails the presence and other practice related to management including: strategy and planning in which the management attempts to determine what will the human resource require in the near future like the number of employees, the skills that they need, and other relevant matters; research which is primarily concerned with identifying the competencies which are essential in the performance of tasks; recruitment which entails getting the best people from inside and outside the organization to work and help in establishing a better business; and selection which entails choosing the best among the crop to be working in t he company. These functions associated with employee resourcing are very important among human resource practitioners and are often emphasized when choosing the work force of the business. A careful employee resourcing strategy will be a big help for the business to be bale to identify and to choose the best employees who will be working with them. THE OBJECTIVES OF EMPLOYEE RESOURCING The primary objective of an employee resourcing strategy would be to obtain the right basic material in the form of a workforce endowed with the appropriate qualities, skills, knowledge, and potential for future training. The selection and recruitment of workers best suited to meeting the needs of the organization ought to form a core activity upon which most other HRM policies geared towards development and motivation could be built (Keep, 1989). This major objective of employee resourcing necessitates that organizations are being called upon investing in their employees through proper recruitment and selection and adequate training which will provide them continuity in improvement in their various organizational functions. A sound employee resourcing strategy will result in a workplace of competent individuals who are geared towards performing at their best. Aside from the above-mentioned there are also other objectives which are associated to employee resourcing and they are identified in the succeeding statements as illustrated by Armstrong (200). The objectives of employee resourcing in todays contemporary organizations also include determining the number of people required to meet business needs. This aspect must be evaluated carefully. The business exists in order to profit, therefore it must consider the number of people it employs to be assured that their compensation is within the business reach. With employee resourcing, there is a potential to properly identify how many are exactly needed to get the job done with the best results possible. Hiring too many people or too few employees can both generate problem in the business. It is also the objective of employee resourcing is to identify and manage the skills which are essential for business performance. It is an acknowledged fact that it is not enough that there is a presence o f the right number of employees within the organization. There is a great need that these employees are the right people for the job and for the business. Prior to hiring these employees, there is a need to identify their respective skills which will be helpful in the business. These skills will be regarded as the assets of the employees and will be their edge against other during the recruitment phase of employee resourcing. Once hired, there is also a growing concern for management to manage these skills. This means that there is a need for the management to establish various programs which are geared towards improving the skills which were already present in the workforce. Workshops and training activities, for instance, are some of the avenues in which these skills can be better improved. Furthermore, another objective of human resourcing would be changing the organizational culture. The employees are the entities which show the major significance in forming a corporate culture. To be able to establish a sound organizational culture, there is a need to establish a sound labor force as well. With that, it is important for management to properly manage its people to be assured that only a sound culture will be practices within business performance. The attitudes, beliefs, and personal characteristics of the employees should be properly managed through employee resourcing in order to establish a better workplace. It is the duty of human resourcing to ensure that the above-mentioned objectives are being met by the strategies which were stipulated by the company towards managing its people. PRACTICE IN ORGANIZATIONS As mentioned, the benefits that employee resourcing entails are quite significant in the operations of a business. The objectives which were earlier mentioned were also common among organizational practice. With that, organizations of today do not discount the importance of employee resourcing in its operations. The human resource managers and the company management are always concerned about this concept and on how such concept will be brought about inside the organizations. These reflect the practices which are aimed towards ensuring that the business is able to obtain and retain the human resource that it actually needs and employ them both effectively and efficiently. The human resource planning is composed of various steps and processes among organizations. Presented below are the processes and how they are practiced among selected organizations or industries. The first process in employee resourcing is human resource planning. This process, according to Armstrong (2000), human resource planning determines the people needed to meet the strategic objectives of the organization. It assures that the organization has the right number of people, in teh right place, at the right time, with the aim of delivering the strategic plan of the organization. This concept holds and put an importance in determining the right people in the organization to carry out their functions and to be of help to the management is establishing their goals and objectives as they go on with business operation. Being viewed as a significant organizational process, this attempts to look at the future of the operation of the organization and takes a look at the future of business and environmental demands of the organization with emphasis on hiring the right and qualified employees to carry out such functions. For instance, Barclays is one of the leading banks in the Unite d Kingdom with branches in different parts of the world. The employees who are involved in the operation of the bank are quite big in number as its operation extends fro its home country to different regions in the world. With the organizations globally dispersed operation, it is paramount among management concern to put an emphasis on human resource planning to be assured that they are hiring only people which are fit in the banking and financial industry and those employees who are equipped with the necessary knowledge. The company will not employ people whom they deem are not worthy in the industry and who they thought can no longer be improved even with thorough training. In the year 2007, the company employs and estimated number of 134,900 employees (The Climate Group, 2007). These employees were carefully selected by concerned individuals and groups and are believed to be contributing factors to the future of the company and helping the business achieve its goals. Along with h iring the right people, human resource planning in Barclays Bank will also entail questions such as what new technologies will affect the working system and what is the employee turn-over rate and how much can be avoided. Being concerned with managing the right people, human resource planning is also concerned with technological advancements which might change the perspective of human resource management in the future that is why there is also a significant emphasis undertaken on such issue. Furthermore, the employee turn-over rate and how to avoid it is also critical of all the concerns in human resource planning. Employee resourcing should take people as being assets and big investments that are why there is a need for management to properly take care of them and do their best to be ensured that they are kept within the business. Employee turn-over rate should be at a minimum and such will only be possible if the business will establish a working environment and corporate culture which will address all the significant needs of its labor force. The next process in employee resourcing is talent management. This process is basically concerned with establishing an organization which is talent-powered wherein the employees have distinct set of talents which are considered to be one of the companys biggest investment and source of innovation and success in the marketplace. Among contemporary organizations, management was able to realize that there is a paramount need to be bale to invest and identify with essential and significant talents which can provide the business a landscape of success, opportunities, and growth. This leads the management to be very particular when it comes to defining talent needs, discovering diverse sources of talent, developing both individual and collective talent in the organization, and deploying such talent in a way that it can help the company achieve its organizational goals (Cheese et al, 2008). One example of organizations with particular focus on talent management would be Best Buy, a consumer electronics retailer which transformed its business strategy into being customer-centric through the organizations talent management of its workforce. The management of the company recognizes that what is most significant in the success of business nowadays is not investing in capital rather it is investing in the employees. Such is actually true especially considering the fact that these employees are the backbone of the business, they develop, create, and they deliver. It is the employees who are supposed to deliver superior value and quality more than the product itself. It is important to have excellent customer service to reap business performance success. For instance, at Best Buy they develop the talents of their employees to be able to end up with extraordinary value for the company. This is a good perspective of looking at business strategies by recognizing the need to talent management in the workforce as they become front liners to the success of the company. Another important process in employee resourcing would be recruitment and selection. There is one common and paramount objective of every organizations recruitment and selection process: to appoint the right person in the right job. It is very critical in all organizations to hire only those who are fit ad qualified in certain positions and those who are anticipated to perform well in their jobs with the objective of helping the business achieve its goals. The process of recruitment and selection is very critical because it affects the capability of the business to achieve targets, the quality of the products and services which are offered to the consuming public, and the well-being of the entire team working towards the goal of establishing a better business (Dale, 1995). The practices of recruitment and selection vary per company depending on the preferences of the management and what they deem is most effective in helping them achieve their objectives. Google, for instance, demons trates one very effective strategy. They sponsor local events where participants are given time to shine in their respective skills and then they are referred for interview in the company. They held Code Jam, a contest open for math and computer specialists where the participants tried their bests in an almost four hours coding competition. They also sponsor essay riting contests to see the competitiveness of the writers. The top contestants are invited for interview and if they passed, will be offered a job at Google. This practice of the company is a very good measure and will also prove to be effective as well. Sponsoring such contests enables the company to see the best of the crop and they were able to see actual works from the participants. For instance, during the coding contest, the management was able to see how the specialists work on different codes and solve them. Moreover, same thing is true with the essay writing contest where the management saw actual written works. T hese things provide the management with a closer look and actual perspectives on the quality of potentials works from the participants who will be recruited and selected. After a careful recruitment and selection practice within organizations, the next process would entail introduction to the organization. This next process entails employee orientation where the individual is made aware of their tasks, their supervisors, and their colleagues providing them a favorable initial experience and giving them the reasons on why they should stay within the organization for a long time. Since the employee orientation program technically provides the employees with their very first experience in the company, such should be a dynamic practice which the individual should enjoy. It should be able to deliver a thought-fully planned program which should be focused in building a harmonious relationship within the company. Such should be viewed as a process, and not an event (Lawson, 2006). Starbucks, for instance, takes introduction of employees in the organization seriously because they believed that one never gets the second chance to establish a good first impress ion and such process is helpful in order to establish culture and reduce employee turn-over rate. During the first days of employees at Starbucks they are introduced to the organization with a video fro Howard Schultz, their CEO, via video educating them about the history and culture of the company which should also form part of their perspectives as they work for the business. The CEO compared their introduction process to young children. During the early years of these children people would be very much interested in raising an impression which creates self-esteem and confidence. After they are though of this, you let them go out and make their own decisions with basis and foundation from what they have previously learned about. At the company, the employees are introduced by saying how much the management cares about what they do (Gruner, 1998). This is a good company practice because it establishes a perspective which is positive for employees as they are being given the trust o f their employers. The video of the CEO greeting the newly hires is also helpful because it will create a more confident working environment for the new members of the company. The last process in employee resourcing would be releasing of employees. It must be acknowledged that no matter how the company tries its best to retain everyone and to establish a sustainable organizational culture, it is inevitable that employees will leave the organization and companies are left with no option but to just release them and let them go. Releasing is also based on deliberate company rules especially against violation of disciplinary standards and work regulations or unsatisfactory performance in their jobs. Releasing can be based on redundancy. This mans that technological advancements have been providing the tasks carried out by the employee that is why there is no more need for human effort and it is already dependent on machines. Setting higher standards with regards to performance is another factor on why companies release employees. This is true in cases where the performance of the employee is not doing the company any good at all. Furthermore, releasing can al so be voluntary. Under this, employee voluntarily leaves the company in search for better opportunities and for other personal reasons. Microsoft released a number of its employees last year in order to reduce cost. This process of releasing is deliberate to the organization. Microsoft has no intention of leaving thousands of their employees jobless; it is just that they have to cut-down on costs to be able to survive in the corporate world. Such step must have had received criticism by unions, but then ity must be realized that Microsoft just did what it thought would be ebst for cost-reduction and to maintain a sustainable performance despite a business which is actually not doing so good in the global market. The sluggish company of the present has been forcing many companies to release employees within the organization. Such a strategy should be done carefully in order not to ruin lives of employees and should include incentives and provide alternatives once employees are releas ed from the company. CONCLUSION With the above discussion, it can be deemed that indeed employee resourcing is a very important dimension in the field of human resource management. The importance of this practice is significant to both the management and the employees for it is beneficial for both parties which are concerned. The programs, procedures, and processes for managing the employees is very important for all organizations to be assured that they are employing the right people in the right job. The employee resourcing process must be bale to address all important concerns regarding the people in organizations because such will entail a long term benefit for the business once it is properly executed. The employee resourcing process must be able to illustrate the companys undertaking towards hiring the people who would be able to compete effectively, today and in the future. More importantly, such will be concerned on how the business could be able to retain its greatest asset and investment: the employees.

Greek Accomplishment and Foundation of the Western World Essay

Greek Accomplishment and Foundation of the Western World Most people today think that our ancestors made up our current cultures and traditions by themselves. However, most of western society is based upon Greek culture and ideas that were passed to the Romans and then passed on to Europe, and then Americas. We still share characteristics with the ancient world. The most important aspect that made Greek ideas so appealing was the idea that humans were able to reason: the highest value that a human could ascribe to. Their definition of reason was that a person should ask questions, and then use a system of thinking and activities to find physical answers and then know what they indicate. In modern day, this process is known as the scientific method. If done correctly, this system should lead to more questions and should never be answered by supernatural explanations. This was the beginning of a revolt against the Greek religion. It led to the idea of liberalism: a very optimistic belief in human potential. They believed that humans had capa city of improvement. If you believed in liberalism, you could understand and control natural and human forces. They believed that if you could control things, then you should be able to govern yourselves. The ability to reason makes them capable of self-government. The Europeans readily accepted this and other important ideas of that time. They also felt individualism, in that all rights and privileges were relative to themselves and not to a family or other group. Government Democracy, where people govern themselves instead of being ruled by a king, was first documented in ancient Greece, especially in the city of Athens. The government was a loose federation of cooperating city-state... ...e still valued today in the arts and school. Humans are still celebrated as the subject of art and theatre. The Greeks developed ideas such as materialism, commerce, and profit, and how to apply them to the physical world. Without those ideas our society could not have evolved the way that it did because capitalism may not have existed. They also coined the idea of individualism in that all rights, privileges, strengths, and weaknesses were relative to an individual and not to a family or society. In other words you will be punished or rewarded for your own doing. They also developed the idea that humans are equal except for their innate traits. The ancient Greeks developed a great deal of what we take for granted and in fact, we would be a completely different society if they had not existed. This is why Greece is often known as the Cradle of Western Civilization.

Think Before You Act

Think Before You Act Everyday someone loses a person dear to them. You never know if it will be your last day here in this world. We all just live day to day and don’t realize tomorrow could be our last. It’s even worse when it could have been prevented. Choices we make can impact our lives and individuals around us. People say things happen for a reason, and that God has a plan for all of us. We won’t know the truth until something tragic happens each of us. June 24, 2011 was the day that I lost a close friend forever. I remember that day like it happened yesterday.You don’t forget days like that when your life changes forever. The night of the accident, a young man decided to leave a bar and drive with his blood alcohol content over three times the legal limit. He ended up driving the wrong way on the highway and collided head-on with another vehicle. Both drivers were pronounced dead on the scene. My friend was a victim of a drunk driver. He graduated f rom high school two weeks before his death. Not even eighteen years old and still had a life to live. Bryant Hernandez was an individual who left a mark on everyone he came in contact with.You wouldn’t think a seventeen year old would have a huge impact on people he came across, but he did. Bryant did everything he could to put a smile on your face. He seemed to always know what to say to cheer you up. I met Bryant when I was a senior in high school. Since I had to have an elective I ended up taking a child development class. Walking through the class I noticed that we were all girls except for one. He was sitting at a table alone and looking very uncomfortable. I would feel awkward to taking a child development class with a bunch of girls.Bryant looked in my direction when I started to approach him. â€Å"Do you mind if I sit with you? † I asked. â€Å"Well you are already sitting down so I guess I don’t have much of a choice. † Bryant said with a smirk on his face. I couldn’t help but laugh. I knew from that moment I was going to like having him in this class. Eventually it turned out to be one of my favorite classes. He was my go to guy for everything. Bryant knew how to make me feel better when things got tough. At the time small things like that weren’t that important.But now I would give anything to go back and cherish those moments with him. It’s been over a year since the accident and I’ve realized choices you make can have major consequences. When I was a teenager I made stupid decisions like the guy who killed my friend. I didn’t think about anyone else. All I cared about was having fun and living in the moment. I didn’t care when people told me not to drive home drunk. Well living in the moment doesn’t get you anywhere. You may get away with it a couple of times but eventually it will catch up to you.After his death I thought a lot about my actions. Watching his parents say there last words to him and how tired they looked, I couldn’t imagine what they went through and what they are still currently going through. I imagined how my parents would react. I can’t help but want to cry. It makes me sick to know how selfish I was when I was younger. Bryant’s death was a wakeup call for me and hopefully several others. Driving drunk will never cross my mind again. With everything I do now I take a moment to think about it and to make sure that it is the right decision to make.I know Bryant is looking down smiling and saying â€Å"About time you changed, you hard headed girl! † My friend may not be here anymore but him passing on made his family and friends realize things you love can easily be taken away from you in a flash. Selfishness is very common and realizing that our actions can affect our own lives and the people we love so dearly. If moments can be prevented then prevent them. Teaching others to think before they act can i mpact a lot of people from making the wrong decisions. In time everyone with have their own personal reality checks some faster than others.

Informative Essay Sample on “Beloved” A Summary

Informative Essay Sample on â€Å"Beloved† A Summary The novel Beloved opens in 1873 with an introduction to the House on 124. Baby Suggs, Sethe’s mother-in-law, lived at 124 until she died. 124 was a way station for Blacks run by Baby Suggs. 124 is the address where Sethe and her family lived, who had four kids, the third child was killed. Sethe also has 2 sons, Howard and Buglar who ran away at the ages of twelve and thirteen. The spirit of Sethe’s third child who was killed at the age of one, haunts the house of 124. When Mr. Garner died, she ran off from â€Å"Sweet Home† to 124. Things changed shortly after Mr. Garner died. Sethe sent her two boys and her baby girl off to Cincinnati to live with their grandmother Baby Suggs. As Sethe was trying to escape from â€Å"Sweet Home† she was caught by white men who cornered her, took her milk, and beat her back so badly, that once healed she had been told that the scars look like a â€Å"cherry tree†. Paul D from â€Å"Sweet Home† visited Sethe at 124. While in the kitchen discussing the past, Paul D approached Sethe, unbuttoned her dress to get a good look at the â€Å"cherry tree† scars on her back. Sethe speaks to Paul D of the time when the two white men took her milk that she was saving for her newborn that she sent to Cincinnati. Paul D then reaches around Sethe and places his hands over her breasts. At that very moment the spirit of 124 confronts them. Paul D puts up a fight with the spirit and finally after 18 years of haunting it seems that he has gotten rid of the babys spirit. After doing so they feel that Paul D has finally put their past lives to rest. Sharing their hard times together, Sethe and Paul D start to plan a future together with each other. Paul D promises to be there for Sethe and she reluctantly agrees to let him take hold of her life. As Paul D, Sethe and Denver arrive back from the carnival they notice a women is leaning against a tree in the yard. This woman seems to be very tired, extremely thirsty, her shoes look new, and her skin flawless. She has a very rough voice however, when they ask her what her name is, she manages to spell out B-E-L-O-V-E-D. Denver cares for Beloved for weeks. However, Beloved begins to show devotion towards Sethe. Beloved tends to inquire about Sethe’s past, constantly asking questions that trigger old memories for Sethe. Paul D begins to grow suspicious of Beloved. Paul D tends to constantly question Beloved about her past, yet Beloved continuously avoids his questions. Denver reveals to Beloved that she knows Beloved was the spirit of 124. Now she wants to know why she came back alive. Beloved tells Denver that she really came back for Sethe. Beloved speaks to Denver about the place from where she came. Beloved explains the place as hot, very small, nothing to breath, and no room to move. Her description symbolizes both a womb and a slave ship. One night while sitting by the fire Beloved begins humming a song. Sethe realizes that the song she is humming is a song that she had made up and used to sing to her children. Nobody knows that song but me and my children, Sethe tells Beloved. Sethe then realizes whom Beloved really is, her third child come to life. She interprets Beloveds return as a sign that she has been forgiven and freed from the past. She then decides not to worry anymore about the outside world, yet to focus towards her family. Sethe tries to justify to Beloved that the murder was an act of love. She continuously assures Beloved that she will be a good mother. Sethe is no longer troubled with Paul D leaving. Sethe did everything and gave everything to Beloved, Beloved was never satisfied. Denver starts to fear for their lives because food has been starting to become scarce, so for the first time in eighteen years she leaves the house to go look for food. Denver decides that it would be best for her to get a job, for she is very fearful for her mothers life. She finds herself a job at Bodwins. Beloved was pregnant and sucking up every bit of Sethe’s life. The local women came to 124 to help Sethe and Denver from Beloved. During Mr. Bodwin’s appearance at 124, Sethe’s action was to kill Mr. Bodwin mistaking him from Schoolteacher thinking he was going to take her children. With all the singing and praying, Beloved vanished. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on   Beloved topics at our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with custom papers written by highly qualified academic writers. High quality and no plagiarism guarantee! Get professional essay writing help at an affordable cost.

Free Essays on Revenge At Its Sweetest

Revenge at its Sweetest Only a few slow moving tumbleweeds occupied the desert terrain. The endless plain of dust and hot dry dirt seemed to have no occupants; it was as if the ground hadn't been walked over for years. Suddenly, the seemingly endless silence was broken by a gradual fade into a chaotic rumbling sound. The sound grew more ferocious and eventually became unbearably loud. Just then in the distance behind a cliff, a cloud of dust appeared and out of it raced seven cars racing at insane speeds. It looked as if the cars had been built from scraps of hard iron and metal for the sole purpose was to fight against other contenders in this barren wasteland. In front of the pack was a sleek fast car, being pursued by six other cars, but one could tell the leading car was an extremely experienced driver possessing total control of the vehicle. The dark and mysterious figure behind the wheel of the leading car sported a helmet, and painted in red lettering on the side of the helmet was the name "MAX†. Max reached across the seat and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, and after putting it out the window shot a round back at the following pack of cars. Immediately, one car at the back swerved dangerously and rolled several times before bursting into flames broadcasting pieces of shrapnel across the barren wasteland. The pack of cars was quickly approaching a deep canyon; they would have to break hard immediately to avoid careening over the edge of it. Max didn't slow down, Max slammed the accelerator to the floor and gave it a shot of Nitrous, and then with such extremity and determination the car screamed as if in pain as it lurched forward, faster than ever. Then the car leapt off the canyon's edge and became airborne. Gliding through the air without any control of the car didn't seem to faze Max at all. The car seemed to delicately touch down on the other side as if there was a bridge. The following pack ended up being oblitera... Free Essays on Revenge At Its Sweetest Free Essays on Revenge At Its Sweetest Revenge at its Sweetest Only a few slow moving tumbleweeds occupied the desert terrain. The endless plain of dust and hot dry dirt seemed to have no occupants; it was as if the ground hadn't been walked over for years. Suddenly, the seemingly endless silence was broken by a gradual fade into a chaotic rumbling sound. The sound grew more ferocious and eventually became unbearably loud. Just then in the distance behind a cliff, a cloud of dust appeared and out of it raced seven cars racing at insane speeds. It looked as if the cars had been built from scraps of hard iron and metal for the sole purpose was to fight against other contenders in this barren wasteland. In front of the pack was a sleek fast car, being pursued by six other cars, but one could tell the leading car was an extremely experienced driver possessing total control of the vehicle. The dark and mysterious figure behind the wheel of the leading car sported a helmet, and painted in red lettering on the side of the helmet was the name "MAX†. Max reached across the seat and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, and after putting it out the window shot a round back at the following pack of cars. Immediately, one car at the back swerved dangerously and rolled several times before bursting into flames broadcasting pieces of shrapnel across the barren wasteland. The pack of cars was quickly approaching a deep canyon; they would have to break hard immediately to avoid careening over the edge of it. Max didn't slow down, Max slammed the accelerator to the floor and gave it a shot of Nitrous, and then with such extremity and determination the car screamed as if in pain as it lurched forward, faster than ever. Then the car leapt off the canyon's edge and became airborne. Gliding through the air without any control of the car didn't seem to faze Max at all. The car seemed to delicately touch down on the other side as if there was a bridge. The following pack ended up being oblitera...

Do Third-Party Social Media Tools Impact Facebook Organic Reach

Do Third-Party Social Media Tools Impact Facebook Organic Reach â€Å"So, does Facebook penalize posts from your tool?† This is a common question we get asked. Typically, it’ll be sparked by underperforming posts. Or, a curious marketer will stumble upon rumor claiming posts third-party tools receive diminished organic reach. It’s easy to see why this issue causes concern. You put a lot of work into building your social media presence. While scheduling posts manually is very nearly impossible at scale, you don’t want to risk your business with tools that hurt more than help. Let’s answer this question once and for all. What You Need to Know about Social Media Tools and Facebook Organic ReachCan I Get a Yes Or No Answer? If you’re busy, the short answer is no. Facebook does not penalize posts from third-party tools. The posts you create with (or any other tool) will perform as well as those posted manually. While it’s true that Facebook used to penalize such tools, that changed in 2011. When that announcement came out, the folks at Buffer had it covered. Here’s what Facebook development consultant Matt Trainer had to say: â€Å"†¦we recently made a fix that added more signals to detect good quality posting behavior. This should improve the situation with the distribution of posts coming from third-party apps in the News Feed.† *cue deep sigh of relief* And with that, we’ll let you get back to work. *cue deep sigh of relief* And with that, we’ll let you get back to work. The Source of the Problem Facebook organic reach has been declining on brand pages for a long time. That much isn’t a secret. In fact, Marketing Land reported back in August of 2016 that organic reach was down 52%  for brands at that time. It certainly hasn’t gotten any better since then, either. What brands can actually do about it, though, is another matter. The fact is there are no easy solutions for marketers to succeed on Facebook. It takes strategy, creativity, and a lot of hard work. No short cuts. When it comes time to report metrics though, marketers need answers for their organizations. â€Å"Reach is down, and we don’t know why† isn’t something any business owner wants to hear. Even if your organic reach is hitting the slopes, you still need two things: A compelling answer for what’s going on. A plan to mitigate the technical challenges to marketing on Facebook. In trying to address the issue, the tools involved are bound to be questioned. Sometimes, rumors die hard. The old yarn about Facebook penalizing third-party tools refuses to go away. And as long as reach declines, it’ll likely remain in the discussion. The truth is that Facebook has explicitly said posts from third-party tools aren’t penalized. In fact, data from Buffer  and this report from AgoraPulse supports this. So, If My Reach Still Looks Low, What’s the Real Issue? There could be at least a couple factors at play. Everyone’s situation is different, though. It’s tough to guess at why one page may underperform while another excels. But, here are two different areas where we’d recommend taking a look. Do People Like Your Content? Engagement (likes, clicks, and shares) can help give your reach a post. Facebook wants to reward content people enjoy, after all. If people aren’t interested in your posts, engagement is naturally going to drop. In this case, it might be worth reassessing your Facebook content strategy. Mixing it up with different types of messaging, or different forms of content  might help. For example, you might try posting more videos. Or, perhaps multi-image posts might be more appealing. These are just some examples. Of course, there could be other intangible elements of your content to investigate, too. Here are some things to consider: Are my images strong?  Visual content is important on Facebook. Analyze images that have done well in the past, and reverse-engineer your own success. Is my copy off-target?  It’s possible your messaging might not be resonating with your audience, either. Try approaching this the same way you would with your visuals. Take a look at posts that have done well in the past, and see if you can identify any common themes. Do all of my posts include links? Facebook is an important platform for driving traffic back to your blog or website. However, not every post necessarily needs to have a link. Facebook wants you to spend more time on their own platform, right? So, feed Facebook creative content that can stand on its own without a link. You might not always get referral traffic, but you can still reinforce your brand message. Are You Posting At the Best Times? If reach is partially influenced by engagement, then you need to be posting when your audience is most active. So, if your social posts are underperforming, it could be that your posting times aren’t optimized for your audience. mitigates this problem with our Best Time Scheduling feature, which intelligently schedules posts at the best times for your audience. Take a look at your Facebook Insights and see which times appear to perform best. Or, if you’re setting times manually for your posts in , take a look at your Social Engagement Reports. Dig through your past 20 or 30 posts or so (to have a decent sample size), and make note of which times appeared to perform best. You might learn your audience is more active at certain times, or on certain days. Recommended Reading: What 16 Studies Say About the Best Times to Post on Social Media How to Use Social Media Analytics to Create the Best Content How to Make the Best Social Media Images the Easy Way (+84 Free Images) How to Write for Social Media to Create the Best PostsIs your #Facebook #reach declining? Heres what to do about it.Are Your Posts Overly Promotional? Facebook cracked down on promotional posts back in late 2014. What is a promotional post exactly? Promotional posts are most easily categorized as organic posts that sound like ads. If your posts Include hard calls-to-action (ex: Buy Now, Read This, etc.). Incorporate dollar signs or other dead giveaways that youre directly selling something. Promote contests without creative context (ex: Like this post to win a free iPad) then you can expect your posts to be demoted in the newsfeed. Heres the official word from Facebook: According to people we surveyed, there are some consistent traits that make organic posts feel too promotional: Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads And heres an example of what Facebook considers a promotional post: So, whats a marketer to do? Put your users first. Think, What would my audience want to see on Facebook? Get creative. Create Facebook content thats entertaining and connects with your audiences interests. Pay to promote posts or run Facebook ads. If you want to directly push products on Facebook, then pay for those posts. If youre just getting started with Facebook advertising, check out this guide from Neil Patel. We also recommend this guide from Convince And Convert on promoting posts, too. There You Have It, Another Case Closed You now know that third-party tools aren’t penalized by Facebook. In addition, you now have some starting points to help you improve your organic reach on the platform, too. If you have any lingering questions, comments, or concerns, drop us a comment below!

Census And Dating Prospects In California Assignment

Census And Dating Prospects In California - Assignment Example Women interested in identifying dating opportunities need not worry because there are men out there who are more fertile and readily available. Another important aspect in determining dating prospect from the findings of United States’ Census Bureau was the type of households in California. Families with fathers as the only parent are fewer than those that are headed by single mothers. Female-headed households accounted for 25% while families with males as the single parent in the household recorded 9%. It is advisable for men to stop worrying about women to date because the older population consists of an increased number of women who have opted out of relationships. Jerry McCain thought about moving to a college in the neighboring state, Arizona, to try his luck in finding a lady to settle down with on January 28, 2014. He will settle with his cousin Martin before finding a part-time job to sustain his marital needs and fund his wedding plans. Typically, this is not bad for a high school graduate. Compared with the reports from the estimates of American Community Survey, Arizona, with a favorable male to female ratio of 2:1, is a better hunting ground for female partners. Figures for the current year (2014) have not been released to determine the changes in proportions between the male and female populations. On a different perspective, dating prospects in California can be determined by the variations in the male and female populations in different ethnic groups. It is easy to date African American and Latino or Hispanic ladies and men between 15 and 19 years as compared to white alone, not Latino or Hispanic. For example, data recorder indicated that there are many Latino or Hispanic males and females in learning institutions for the active dating age group of 15 to 19 years. They account for 40% of the total number of school enrollments.

Outline the development of global ecotourism over the last 30 years, Essay

Outline the development of global ecotourism over the last 30 years, What has fuelled its rise What challenges has it faced - Essay Example While the usual forms of travel are concerned only about the wants of the traveller, the focus of ecotourism is on the positive ways the traveller can impact the host country and its inhabitants. The impetus to the economic growth of the world provided by ecotourism prompted the United Nations to declare 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism to signify its importance. The underdeveloped countries can make significant economic gains through effectively utilizing ecotourism to generate employment and alleviate poverty. The seed of ecotourism was sown in the developed countries. The creation of National Parks in America was the precursor that evolved into the methods and structures of ecotourism over the years. When the Redwood National Park of California was created in 1968 to protect the redwoods from total depletion through continuous logging, local people economically dependent on such exploitation suddenly found themselves without a livelihood. However, the flow of tourists to the region increased and the loggers gradually became hotel owners, tour guides and contractors with some retraining by the federal government and their expertise about the redwood forests. In fact, this expertise was utilized for reseeding the redwoods and controlling fire and flood. Thus ecotourism developed to address the need for preserving the earth’s natural resources by creating a travel infrastructure that besides boosting tourism would take care of the economic needs of the local people in a sustainable environment. The idea of ecotourism as we know it in the modern age started gaining ground from the 1980s. The idea possibly originated as a venture by a few entrepreneurs who saw business opportunity in the growing desire among the tourists to visit remote places not hitherto trodden where they could experience nature in all her unspoiled glory. These entrepreneurs set up eco lodges which

Individual Case for Taxation Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individual for Taxation - Case Study Example ify for both options because of their recent house contract and the mortgage firm’s advice for closing in the course of the fourth week of December 2013. Since the couple’s itemized deductions are far less than their standard deductions, standard deduction is a favorable decision (J. K. Lasser Institute, 2012). To be certain, Michael and Frances can have their lawyer or tax experts draft their returns for both alternatives. Michael and Frances have been handing over joint returns for a while. Inflation fluctuations and changes in the current permanent tax laws are made to aid in easing the marriage penalty. The couple should always want to employ the standard deduction technique that offers them the largest tax merit (Wodon, 2014). As a couple, Michael and Frances spend moderately on health insurance, loan payments, state and domestic taxes, generous contributions, and a range of miscellaneous item. As a result, the couple would largely consider itemizing deductions. However, the recent purchase of a new home makes itemizing option unfavorable. The situation in 2013 is that the purchase of the new home eased the couple’s filing of their joint return owing to paying the deduction of acquisition mortgage and unreimbursed employee business costs. The sum amount of standardized deductions is far more than the itemized ones (Eng, Galper, Ivsin, and Toder, 2013). In 2013, the couple can prepare the joint return by making standard deductions. A standard deduction should allow the couple to go into itemized deductions in the future. A standard deduction in 2014 should allow the couple to choose the most valuable deduction alternative for them or compel them to select one or the other. An issue I identified with the situation is the couple’s filing condition. The case study does not specify whether the couple has ever filed a joint tax return separately before 2013. If so, then the couple’s record should indicate joint effort towards deciding the type of

Researching a career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Researching a career - Essay Example A typical job of an accountant is an 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. routine schedule, Mondays to Fridays, or a traditional 40-hour per week full time position. A typical day would involve the following activities: working in front of the computers, processing relevant accounting information, communicating with peers and superiors, preparation of financial reports (including encoding, updating, forecasting), solving problems related to accounting, and maintaining close interaction and collaboration with other stakeholders in the organization (Summary Report for Accountants). The education requirements for this career are: a bachelor’s degree in accounting or business administration. Passing board examinations to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA); and certifications or licenses sought from various accounting organizations and agencies, such as the: Institute of Management Accountants, Institute of Internal Auditors, and Information Systems Audit and Control Association, to name a few. Accordingly, the prospects for this career is optimistic: â€Å"employment of accountants and auditors is projected to grow 13 percent from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all occupations† (Bureau of Labor Statistics: Job Outlook par. 1). This was corroborated by information from the O*Net Online that indicated average growth prospects ranging from 8% to 14% for the years 2012 to 2022 (Summary Report for Accountants). The most challenging parts of the career would be during times of audit; when the organization they serve is being monitored, evaluated, and reviewed by external auditors to verify the accuracy of the financial reports being disclosed. Likewise, it was also noted that â€Å"longer hours are typical at certain times of the year, such as at the end of the budget year or during tax season† (Bureau of Labor Statistics: Work Enviroment par. 2). The most rewarding things about the career include being

Citizen Kane Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Citizen Kane - Essay Example Kane’s mother is trying to talk and send him to Thatcher so that he can receive a better education and have a bright future. The intense stare as the mother looks Kane straight in the eye trying to explain the situation to him shows how much she cares for her son and cares for him to receive a bright future. Kane’s mother wants him to go so as to receive the American dream (Bordwell &Thompson, 2011). There is much tension in the scene when Kane refuses to go with Thatcher as he is content with the kind of life he is living in his humble background. Thatcher and Kane’s mother talk to him through the window as he is playing in the snow. There is an argument as his mother forces him to go with Thatcher. The conversation ends with banging the window and leaves Kane with no option than to go discover the American dream. The relationship between Kane and his mother is an affectionate relationship as Kane loves his love of peace and serenity and quiet. While reading the â€Å"Declaration of Principles†, Kane is cast in a shadow when he is reading the declaration aloud, but once he completes the reading he goes back to light. The use of lighting in this scene says two things about Kane. One is that Kane is not strong to be able to persist with the principles regardless his idealism being genuine (Carringer, 2004). The second thing is that the shadow also shows how the Inquirer and Kane will become the antithesis to the declaration he just read. Leland recounts Kane’s first marriage and suggests he was in love with the wife that is why he married her. Kane was, however, brutal to his first wife that led to the end of their marriage. The breakfast sequence shows a lot of the things that was going on in their married life. At the beginning of the marriage, they are a happy newlywed couple, and they sit next to each other. They talk with smiles and laughs, and Mrs. Kane is wearing

Work Cultures and Social Loafing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Work Cultures and Social Loafing - Essay Example The study was important because it helps us to understand the behavior of people in different countries and different work culture and sought to find out remedies for this organizational menace. Research was never conducted before about this subject and it assumes significance from the fact that work culture is often ignored and it is further important because work culture changes from country to country and it can't be altered / modified . Research conducted in the United States indicates that members of cultures whose value emphases and social institutions have been characterized as "group-oriented" would tend to form more cohesive groups and be more likely to place group benefit over individual benefit than members of individualistic.(Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 3, 368-384 (1983) Social Loafing is a tendency or phenomenon of an individual, to work less when in group than when work alone. As such, group performance may not be satisfactory when compared to individual performance. Social loafing is the "tendency to reduce individual effort when working in groups compared to the individual effort expended when working alone" (Williams & Karau, 1991). "It is the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually" (Karau & Williams, 1993) Social Loafing- "the tendency of individual group members to reduce their work effort as groups increase in size as displayed by the inclination to "goof off" when performance is needed in a group, miss meetings, show up late, or fail to start or complete individual tasks". J. Dan Rothwell, "In Mixed Company: Communicating in Small Groups," 3rd. ed., Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Orlando, .83 In their meta-analytic review of social loafing, Karau and Williams (1993) found that the degree to which the participants' dominant culture emphasizes individualistic versus collectivistic concerns moderated the loafing effect. The magnitude of this effect was found to be larger for participants from individualist-Western cultures than for participants from collectivist-Eastern or oriental cultures. Consistent with this, individuals attach greater importance to group performance and achievement in collectivist cultures (Triandis, 1989), where conceptions of individuality insist on the fundamental relatedness of people to each other (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). An experiment conducted on French students revealed that self - beliefs related to one's feeling of uniqueness play a vital role in performance than in group ( Karau and Williams' (1993) Collective Effort Model). Another research conducted by Kline, Ute-ChristineAnderson, Neil (2007) revealed that personality, cultural, social, and work- and organizational psychology of an employee not only affects social loafing but also addresses the motivational factors of situations that either foster or inhibit social loafing under typical vs maximum performance . With the increasing focus on international ventures and management (Hofstede, 1980; Adler, 1986), it is important that organizational researchers understand intercultural similarities and differences, particularly

Researching a career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Researching a career - Essay Example A typical job of an accountant is an 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. routine schedule, Mondays to Fridays, or a traditional 40-hour per week full time position. A typical day would involve the following activities: working in front of the computers, processing relevant accounting information, communicating with peers and superiors, preparation of financial reports (including encoding, updating, forecasting), solving problems related to accounting, and maintaining close interaction and collaboration with other stakeholders in the organization (Summary Report for Accountants). The education requirements for this career are: a bachelor’s degree in accounting or business administration. Passing board examinations to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA); and certifications or licenses sought from various accounting organizations and agencies, such as the: Institute of Management Accountants, Institute of Internal Auditors, and Information Systems Audit and Control Association, to name a few. Accordingly, the prospects for this career is optimistic: â€Å"employment of accountants and auditors is projected to grow 13 percent from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all occupations† (Bureau of Labor Statistics: Job Outlook par. 1). This was corroborated by information from the O*Net Online that indicated average growth prospects ranging from 8% to 14% for the years 2012 to 2022 (Summary Report for Accountants). The most challenging parts of the career would be during times of audit; when the organization they serve is being monitored, evaluated, and reviewed by external auditors to verify the accuracy of the financial reports being disclosed. Likewise, it was also noted that â€Å"longer hours are typical at certain times of the year, such as at the end of the budget year or during tax season† (Bureau of Labor Statistics: Work Enviroment par. 2). The most rewarding things about the career include being

Work Cultures and Social Loafing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Work Cultures and Social Loafing - Essay Example The study was important because it helps us to understand the behavior of people in different countries and different work culture and sought to find out remedies for this organizational menace. Research was never conducted before about this subject and it assumes significance from the fact that work culture is often ignored and it is further important because work culture changes from country to country and it can't be altered / modified . Research conducted in the United States indicates that members of cultures whose value emphases and social institutions have been characterized as "group-oriented" would tend to form more cohesive groups and be more likely to place group benefit over individual benefit than members of individualistic.(Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 3, 368-384 (1983) Social Loafing is a tendency or phenomenon of an individual, to work less when in group than when work alone. As such, group performance may not be satisfactory when compared to individual performance. Social loafing is the "tendency to reduce individual effort when working in groups compared to the individual effort expended when working alone" (Williams & Karau, 1991). "It is the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually" (Karau & Williams, 1993) Social Loafing- "the tendency of individual group members to reduce their work effort as groups increase in size as displayed by the inclination to "goof off" when performance is needed in a group, miss meetings, show up late, or fail to start or complete individual tasks". J. Dan Rothwell, "In Mixed Company: Communicating in Small Groups," 3rd. ed., Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Orlando, .83 In their meta-analytic review of social loafing, Karau and Williams (1993) found that the degree to which the participants' dominant culture emphasizes individualistic versus collectivistic concerns moderated the loafing effect. The magnitude of this effect was found to be larger for participants from individualist-Western cultures than for participants from collectivist-Eastern or oriental cultures. Consistent with this, individuals attach greater importance to group performance and achievement in collectivist cultures (Triandis, 1989), where conceptions of individuality insist on the fundamental relatedness of people to each other (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). An experiment conducted on French students revealed that self - beliefs related to one's feeling of uniqueness play a vital role in performance than in group ( Karau and Williams' (1993) Collective Effort Model). Another research conducted by Kline, Ute-ChristineAnderson, Neil (2007) revealed that personality, cultural, social, and work- and organizational psychology of an employee not only affects social loafing but also addresses the motivational factors of situations that either foster or inhibit social loafing under typical vs maximum performance . With the increasing focus on international ventures and management (Hofstede, 1980; Adler, 1986), it is important that organizational researchers understand intercultural similarities and differences, particularly

An Evaluation of the Performance of the United Nations Essay Example for Free

An Evaluation of the Performance of the United Nations Essay Abstract   The United Nations is the most dominant international governmental organization in the world. Having been formed with the main objective of preventing war immediately after World War II, so far it appears to have had little success in doing so. Yet there are many problems that are global in nature and thus depend on the United Nations to address them. This has prompted scrutiny into the activities and affairs of the United Nations with the aim of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This study takes a critical look into the structures and responsibilities of the political and security organs of the United Nations with the aim of identifying weaknesses and making proposals on how improve on the performance of the organization.   Chapter I Introduction   Introductory paragraphs The challenge of insecurity in international relations remains one of the biggest threats facing the world today. Despite numerous spirited efforts by countries throughout the world to secure the international system from the ever lurking dangers of international wars, the principle of collective security remains as elusive as ever. Since the formation of the United Nations (UN) in 1945, the international system has evidently been characterized by numerous security challenges that have particularly been defined by events during the Cold War, after the Cold War and after the September 11 2001 terrorism attacks upon the United States. With the foundation of the United Nations having been solidly based on the principles of collective security, there are increasing concerns as to whether the United Nations is living up to its billing. Past events have clearly demonstrated that the United Nations lacks adequate capacity and authority to enforce the principle of collective security. According to Goldstein (2003), â€Å"The UN Charter establishes a mechanism for collective security – the banding together of the world’s states to stop an aggressor (p. 267). Chapter 7 of the Charter explicitly authorizes the Security Council to use military force against aggression if the use of non-violent means as captured in chapter 6 fail. According to the UN Charter, the United Nations may intervene domestically in a state that commits acts of aggression or poses threats to security. However, this principle is usually enforced selectively. Analysis by Roberts Kingsbury (1994) showed that because great nations possess veto powers, the UN cannot aggressively stop aggression by (or supported by) a great power. Therefore, Chapter seven was used once during the Cold War – in the Korean War when the Soviet delegation unwisely boycotted the Security Council proceedings (p. 61). â€Å"The U.S. flew the U.N. flag in reversing the North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950 and the invasion of Iraq in 1990, and both violations were a violation of the international law under the UN charter† (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 63). Goldstein (2003) notes that it was under Chapter 7 of the Charter that the UN authorized the use of force to reverse Iraq aggression against Kuwait in 1990 (p.269). To the surprise of many, â€Å"the United Nations never intervened militarily in similar illegal Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the Israel invasion of Lebanon in 1982† (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 68). These were clear indications that the United Nations is limited by the demands of power politics in the international system. Kochler (2002) emphasizes that the international system is fundamentally anarchical, with the great powers still dominating the international system and the United Nations itself† (p. 6) Purpose of the study Just as the League of Nations grew out of the World War I, the United Nations grew out of the World War II. Like the League of Nations, The United Nations did not fundamentally challenge national sovereignty, it did not alter the existing distribution of power among nation-states, and it institutionalized the dominant position of the great powers – specifically the victorious powers in the World War II. The United Nations did not gain the monopoly on the legitimate use of force, which would be necessary to become a world government and to impose order through superior force and authority. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the fundamental abilities of the United Nations in pursuing and achieving the principle of collective security in the international system. Research Question The ever increasing threats to the state of security in the world have prompted a close scrutiny on the United Nation’s core function of collective security. As a contemporary international governmental organization (IGO), the United Nations certainly does not constitute a world government with absolute power and authority to impose peace on the world. Yet, this does not mean the United Nations is powerless or insignificant. While the United Nations faces numerous hurdles in enforcing the international law due to the sovereignty statues of states and nation-states, the organization can still influence the behavior of states and provide forums for communication and interaction that would be considered more orderly than implied by the concept of anarchy. Therefore the research question involves a critical look into the performance of the United Nations relative to its main function of upholding the principle of collective security in the international system. Hypothesis The core empirical research hypothesis of this study states that the United Nations has not succeeded in upholding the principle of collective security in the international system. Significance of the study The United Nations Charter is based on unifying principles that serve as the driving force for the organization’s initiatives. One of the key principles of the United Nations Charter is the recognition of the sovereign equality of all member states. As such, all member states are considered to be equally sovereign over their respective territories. Each member state has one vote in the General assembly, yet they are not equal in wealth and power. Moreover, only five major powers have permanent seats on the Security Council. Critics and admirers alike point out that the United Nations institutionalizes international inequality due to the fact that the Charter is loaded with idealistic principles that bear little resemblance to reality. Therefore the study is significant because it will highlight on the many challenges that the United Nations faces in its efforts to uphold the principle of collective security and make appropriate recommendations for addressing those particular challenges. Research Limitations The main limitation of this study is lack of sufficient literature regarding the problems that the United Nations encounters while performing its core function of upholding the principle of collective security. Most of the existing literatures about the United Nations have focused more on the success of the organization rather than failures. Definition of terms For the basis of this study, the definitions of international relations, international system, terrorism, international organizations and collective security will be expressed in the simplest terms: International relations are the processes that define the terms of interaction state and non-state actors relate amongst themselves in the international system. International system refers to a set of relationships among world states, structured according to certain rules and patterns of interaction. Goldstein (2003) illustrates that some of these rules are implicit while others are explicit as they determine who is considered a member of the system, what rights and responsibilities members have and what kind of rights and responsibilities occur among states. Terrorism refers to a form of political violence that targets civilians deliberately and indiscriminately, with the aim of gaining advantage in international bargaining situations. Terrorism usually becomes effective if it succeeds in damaging the morale of a population and also when it gains media exposure for the cause. International organizations are organizations involved in politically relevant activities whose membership and activities occur in more than one country. Collective security is a principle of the UN Charter that advocates for the banding together of the world’s states to stop an aggression against member states. Under the principle of collective security, aggression against one member of the UN is seen as an aggression against all. Chapter 7 of the Charter explicitly authorizes the Security Council to use military force against aggression if the use of non-violent means as captured in chapter 6 fail. Chapter II – Background Literature Review The United Nations was founded at the end of World War II in 1945 to replace the League of Nations. The formation of the UN became apparent after the realization that the League of Nations had failed miserably. Mesler (1997) acknowledges that the failure of the League of Nations was precipitated by the lack of adequate power and authority, instability in the international system and the unwillingness of the US Senate to ratify the treaty that formed the league (p. 11). However, the underlying principles that led to the formation of the United Nations are synonymous with those that governed the formation of the League of Nations. Unlike the League of Nations which lacked the backing of the US Senate, the United Nations received the overwhelming endorsement and backing of both the US Senate and President. As an international governmental organization (IGO), the foundation and significance of the United Nations is best demonstrated by the theory of realism. â€Å"According to the theory of realism, there is no world government, or political authority above the state, thus the international system is essentially anarchical without any overarching political body capable of imposing law and order in the behavior of its members or nation-states†(Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 19). The theory stresses on the centrality of the state, or nation-state, as the supreme political authority in world politics. The theory of realism is based on the assumption that the overriding motive of all states is self-preservation through maximization of power, a situation that transforms the international system to a static state of a war of all against all. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) note that stability is best achieved through balance of power, which results from uninhibited interaction among states, with the most powerful country acting as a balancer (p.19). According to Goldstein (2003) the international relations theory of realism recognizes low politics (economic and social matters) to be secondary to high politics (military and security) (p. 265). It is upon this premise that the United Nations was founded to act as the over-arching political body to impose law and order on the behavior. In essence, the United Nations would enforce peace by treating aggression against one as an aggression against all and collectively defeating the offender. The formation of the United Nations is further favored by the international relations theory of idealism. The theory of idealism is based on Immanuel Kant’s philosophical theory that focuses on the cooperative capacity of human beings rather than their selfishness and lust for power. â€Å"In his book titled Perpetual Peace, Immanuel Kant argued that just as the consensual establishment of government brings order and domestic tranquility to people within states, so does the establishment of a world congress among republican states in bringing perpetual peace to the world generally, thus ending the war for all time† (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 39). Kant believed that a pacific union would need to be made up of republican states based on representative governments, for when the people themselves rather than princes could decide whether or not to go to war, they would invariably avoid it, for it is they who must bear all the burdens of warfare. These republican governments would establish a world congress to settle disputes and avoid the potential for violent conflict. â€Å"Kant ultimately laid the philosophical groundwork not only for the contemporary theory of idealism, but also its corresponding institutionalization in the form of international governmental organizations (IGOs) like the United Nations (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 40). However, the two theories of realism and liberalism are sharply contrasted by the theory of liberalism. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) note that in the international system, liberalism theory recognizes state preferences as opposed to state capabilities, to be the primary determinants of state behavior (p.44). Roberts Kingsbury (1994) point out that unlike the theory of realism where the state is seen as a unitary actor, liberalism advocates for plurality of state actions (p.45). The liberalism theory further states that interaction among states is not limited to high politics (military and security), but stretches further to low politics (economic and social matters). Therefore, this situation eliminates the anarchical situation in the international system as states gain plenty of opportunities for interaction through broader economic and cultural cooperation. Although the realism and liberalism theories project different arguments concerning the founding philosophies of international organizations, both theories acknowledge the need for lasting peace and security in the international system. The spirit of peace and security is what motivated the founding of the United Nations. The organization was founded with the main objective of maintaining international peace and security through peaceful settlement of disputes. The United Nations is further entrusted with the task of promoting economic and social co-operation, in part through consultation with non-governmental organizations as well as the promotion of human rights for populations throughout the world. â€Å"The United Nations Charter is based on the principle that states are equal under international law; states have full sovereignty over their own affairs; that states should have full independence and territorial integrity; and states should carry out their international obligations that include respecting diplomatic privileges, refraining from committing aggression, and observing the terms of the treaties they sign† (Goldstein, 2003, p. 206). The Charter also lays out the structure of the United Nations and the methods by which it operates. According to the United Nations website, the structure of the United Nations consists of the General Assembly, the Security Council, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Trusteeship Council, Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice. The secretariat is headed by the Secretary General and is principally the bureaucratic wing of the United Nations. The Secretary General serves for a maximum of two 5 year terms. The international Court of Justice is headquartered in Hague, Netherlands, and serves as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It consists of fifteen judges elected by the General Assembly and Security Council for nine-year terms and each one of them must be from a different state. While the decisions of the international Court of Justice are formally binding, it possesses no mechanisms of enforcement. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) coordinates the United Nation’s various specialized agencies while the Trusteeship Council was set up to oversee the administration of trusteeships. Weiss Dhows (2007) point out that the General assembly and the Security Council are the most important organs that handle issues that concern the principle of collective security (p.149). The general assembly is the only organ in which every member state is represented, with each state having exactly one vote according to the spirit of sovereign equality. Linda (2003) further reveals that the General Assembly mainly serves as a forum for debates, reviews and setting of agenda (p.33). However, the enforcement of the decisions made by the General Assembly is never guaranteed despite the fact that the resolutions are usually passed by a 2/3 majority. The Security Council consists of five permanent members with veto powers. The five permanent members include the United States Britain, Russia, China and France. The Security Council also consists of 10 other members who are usually proposed by the General Assembly and serve on a 2-year rotation basis. The decisions of the Security Council are binding and enforceable. According to Weiss Dhows (2007), the Security Council deals with collective security and peacekeeping at the request of one or more of the parties in conflict. Moreover, the Security Council has the rights to investigate any dispute or situation that might threaten international peace and security, and to recommend methods of resolution. The Security Council further negotiates ceasefires and disengagements as instruments of conflict resolution. The council is further vested with powers to sanction or authorize the use of military force to contain a conflict. However, the powers of the Security Council are limited in two ways: first, the council’s decisions depends entirely on the interests of member states, thus the ambassadors who represent the states cannot change a council resolution without authorization from their respective governments; and second, member states often try to evade or soften the effects of binding resolutions made by the Security Council. However, Goldstein (2003) warns that Security Council resolution can be enforced only if enough powerful states care about it (p. 272). The Security Council runs a formal mechanism for coordinating multilateral military action in response to aggression, referred to as the Military Staff Committee. The committee is composed of military officers from the permanent council members. The Military Staff Committee was established under chapter 43 of the United Nations charter. However, â€Å"the committee has never been used due to the fact that the United States opposes the procedure of placing its forces under non-US commanders (Goldstein, 2003, p.272). â€Å"According to Goldstein (2006) this is the reason why military forces responding to aggression under the auspices of the Security Council resolutions have always remained under their respective national commands, as was the case during the Gulf War where the U.S. forces undertook the mission of enforcing a UN resolution but did not display UN insignia or flags† (p.273). The Cold war rivalry between the United States and the Soviet is considered to be one of the biggest challenges that ever characterized the United Nations Security Council. The rivalry had split the member states into two blocks, a situation that led to the unnecessary use of veto powers by the United States and the Soviet. According to the Un Committee Report on contributors, the United Nations is funded through contributions from member states. Contributions are assessed according the economic strengths of the member states. The United States has always been the largest contributor to the United Nations. The United States used to contribute 25% of the UN budget until 1997 when maximum contribution was reduced to 20% under the watch of the then Secretary General Kofi Annan. The poorest majority of the General Assembly may pay less than 1% while the ten wealthiest contributors pay 75% of the budget, but cast less 75 of the vote. Major contributors to the regular UN budget for 2006    Member State Contribution% of   total UN budget United States 22.00% Japan 19.47% Germany 8.66% United Kingdom 6.13% France 6.03% Italy 4.89% Canada 2.81% Spain 2.52% China 2.05% Mexico 1.88% Australia 1.59% Brazil 1.52% Source: www.unstats.un.org   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The above statistics are representative sample of financial contributions from UN member countries. All member states make contributions to the UN. Chapter III Methods The proposed study is based on a pre-post design, meaning that performance evaluation was based on events during the Cold War, after the Cold War and the events after the September 11, 2001 terrorism attacks upon the United States. Participants were asked to state their opinions and answer opinions on questions regarding the performance of the United Nations relative to its key duties of ensuring collective security for all member states. The study mainly consisted of a demographic questionnaire consisting of 15 items that were designed to measure the attitudes of the participants concerning the roles of the United Nations in maintaining global peace and security. The study involved a two-dimensional approach of tolerance and stability. Tolerance refers to the degree to which the principle of collective security is accepted as a politically tolerable action; while stability refers to domestic and international legitimacy of the principle of collective security. The demographic questionnaire further consisted of descriptive information of the participants such as age, sex, religion, nationality, gender and race. The study also involved comprehensive research from existing literature that was designed to assess the validity of theories of international relations and international law to the founding principles of the United Nations. Data collection Stratified random samples were drawn from both online college populations and the general public, followed by simple random sampling in each group. The study employed both theoretical and accessible populations in sampling with the aim of reaching wide and varying audiences. The sourced reports obtained from participants provided helpful insights into the different opinions and attitudes that different people of different ages, gender, religion, nationalities and races have towards the United Nations relative to the performance of its international duties. The population sample targeted existing views from participants aged 18 year and above. Data analysis An analysis of variance was used to measure the data. Repeated measurements of data were used to determine and rate different opinions and attitudes from different participants concerning aspects of collective security functions of the United Nations. Limitations Limitations in the context of this study refer to the factors which may have prevented the persons from participating or responding accurately to the questionnaires. The main limitation of this study involved geographical constraints. It was difficult to involve people from all member states of the United Nations given that the UN membership currently stands at more than 200 states. There were also restraints in terms of correct interpretation of the questions as many participants did not have deep knowledge and understanding of international relations. Some participants may have declined to participate completely because the 15 questionnaire items may have been too much for them. Chapter IV Results The results of this study revealed that as much as the United Nations has performed and continues to perform important roles in international relations, the organization did not live up to its billing. Since its inception, the United Nations has been dancing to the whims of the super powers, and the United States in particular. Contrary to expectations, the United Nations did not fundamentally challenge national sovereignty, it did not alter the existing distribution of power among nation-states, and it institutionalized the dominant position of the great powers – specifically the victorious powers in the World War II. According to Goldstein (2003), the United Nations did not gain the monopoly on the legitimate use of force, which was necessary for it to become a world government with authority to impose order through superior use of force (p. 270). The reality of equality among states in the UN is another issue that raises many concerns among member states. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) are concerned that as much as the principles of the United Nations recognize the sovereign equality of all member states, and that each member state has one vote in the General assembly is far from the reality because member states are not equal in wealth and power (p.97). Moreover, only five major powers have permanent seats on the Security Council. Critics and admirers alike point out that the United Nations institutionalizes international inequality due to the fact that the Charter is loaded with idealistic principles that bear little resemblance to reality. Chapter V Discussion The credibility of the United Nations has been put to question due to issues surrounding sovereignty of the institution. The extent to which the United Nations can exercise decisive authority to stamp order in the law and order in the international system remains a riddle. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) concur that this is reason why the U.S. flew the U.N. flag in reversing the North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950 and the invasion of Iraq in 1990, and both violations were a violation of the international law under the UN charter (p.116). However, to the surprise of many, â€Å"the United Nations never intervened militarily in similar illegal Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the Israel invasion of Lebanon in 1982† Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 117). These were clear indications that the United Nations is limited by the demands of power politics in the international system. According to Kochler (2006),the international system is fundamentally anarchical, with the great powers still dominating the international system and the United Nations itself (p.21) Power struggles is one of the biggest challenges facing the United Nations today. Kochler (2002) notes that like states, IGO’s are largely designed by the dominant powers to serve their interests (p. 23) Kochler (2002) further notes that while the existence of the United Nations is intended to maintain world peace and security, it is a world peace and security that perpetuates existing power arrangements and the economic and political systems that support them (p.24). A case in point is the 1989 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. The UN acted when Iraq invaded Kuwait, mainly because the US was able to dominate the Security Council and the invasion threatened to increase world oil prices. This was classic power politics within the guise of a â€Å"new world order† (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 123). On the other hand, when the United Nations General Assembly issued a near universal condemnation of the U.S. invasion of Panama, the United States ignored the condemnations and executed the entire invasion with little regard to international concerns. These cases arose as a result of the weakness apparent in the structure of the United Nations. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) are concerned that the United Nations gives greater enforcement powers to the Security Council than to other bodies within the organization, yet the Security Council is dominated by the great powers which only pursue interests that are of significance to their nations (p.128). The other concern raised in regard to the performance of the United Nations is the aspect of equality in participation. In essence, cooperation does not necessarily imply the equality of participation or interests. As situations provide, states cooperate in institutions that exploit them because they perceive no alternative, just as the case with the UN, which clearly executes its mandate in favor of the interests of the super powers while neglecting the poor countries. A step by step analysis of the UN during and after the Cold War as well as after the September 11, 2001 terrorism attacks upon the United States reveals some of the most appalling weaknesses in the abilities of the United Nations to enforce lasting peace and security in the international system. The United Nations during the Cold War The period between 1945 and 1955 went down as one of the most difficult periods in the history of the United Nations. â€Å"Marked by a Cold War stalemate that pitied the United States and the Soviet Union against each other, the UN made very little progress during this period due to frequent use of veto powers by the two countries (Mesler, 1997, p.14). One of the biggest challenges that the United Nations faced was that of membership expansion because the US and Soviet exercised their veto powers to prevent the admission of new states perceived to be allied with the other side. Mesler (1997) reveals that between 1945 and 1955, the UN only managed to admit 9 new members (p.16). However, a 1955 bloc deal permitted admission of 16 new members, 8 on each side and the stalemate was avoided thereafter through frequent consultations and bargaining, and caucusing. The United Nations was also characterized by serious funding disputes during the Cold War. â€Å"In 1956, the Soviet Bloc and several Arab States declined to contribute to the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) that was sent to set up a buffer between Israel and Egypt after the second Arab Israel war (Mesler, 1997, p.19). This war came about when Egypt under Nasser sought to nationalize the British controlled Suez Canal, an action the prompted a declaration of war by Britain, France and Israel. Goldstein (2003) acknowledges that during the Cold War, the United Nations had few successes in international security because the U.S. – Soviet conflict prevented consensus (2003, p.269). The United Nations had been relegated to irrelevance in a world order that had been structured by two opposing alliance blocks. Mesler (1997) is concerned that although there were few notable exceptions, such as agreements to station peacekeeping forces in the Middle East, the United Nations did not play a central role in solving international crisis (p.31). The predominance of third world membership added to the UN woos as they necessitated the shift of focus by the UN from security issues to economic and social problems of the poor countries. This was contrary to the international relations theory of realism which identifies low politics (economic and social matters) to be secondary to high politics (military and security). â€Å"Third world states also used the United Nations as a forum for criticizing the rich countries in general, with the United States having been their main target (Goldstein 2003 p. 270). In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the UN membership doubled as colonies in Africa and Asia gained independence. The expansion caused changes in the character of the general Assembly. According to Mesler (1997), â€Å"The concerns of the new members were completely different from those of the western industrialized nations and on many occasions, showed open resentment to their former colonial masters (p.31). Moreover, the third world states became concerned about the overwhelming powers and privileges that the United States enjoyed in the UN. Mesler (1997) further reveals that third world countries were concerned in the manner in which the UN usually became effective in international security affairs when the United States led the efforts. These concerns led to the emergence of rifts between the United States and the third world countries, and consequently, the United States found itself on the minority on many issues. By 1980’s when the pressure from the third world countries became unbearable, the United States reacted by withholding their financial contributions to the United Nations. According to Mesler (1997), the non payment of U.S dues rose to more than $1 billion and was subsequently followed by the withdrawal of membership from the UNESCO (p. 33). However, it must be noted that the UN registered quite some notable success in the late 1980’s just before the end of the Cold war. Mesler (1997) acknowledges that the UN successfully brought to an end several regional conflicts that included the 1988 Iraq – Iran war and the Central American crisis (p.39). The UN successfully engineered ceasefire negotiations among the parties and provided peacekeeping forces that monitored the implementations of the ceasefire agreements. The United Nations after the Cold War The end of the Cold War marked the end of bipolar alignments in the international system and paved way to a multilateral order. This led to more flexible relations among states in the international system and thus great powers could finally agree on different issues regarding the international security. The end of the Cold War further brought to a halt the trend that the third world had deployed in playing off the super powers against each other. According to Mesler (1997), greater cooperation emerged between the United States and the formerly hostile third world countries, a situation that moved the UN to the center stage of international relations (p.38). However, the United Nations still faced challenges that basically related to the drive for power by the country that emerged as the global hegemon from the power struggle of the Cold War, in this case, the United States of America. By the early 1990’s, the United Nations had successfully asserted its position as the world’s most important tool for settling international conflicts. According to an analysis provided by Goldstein (2003) in 1993, Security Council resolutions had increased to 78 from 15 in 1987; peacekeeping missions had risen to 17 from 5 in 1987; peacekeepers had risen to 78,000 from 12,000 in 1987; and countries sending troops had risen to 76 from 26 in 1987 (p. 269). Moreover, the UN oversaw the independence of Namibia from South Africa and the country’s first free elections in 1990. However, the UN faced numerous daunting challenges during the post-Cold War period. Mesler (1997) identifies the problem of inadequate funding that was occasioned by the non-payment of dues by the United States to have been one of the biggest challenges that the United Nations faced during the post Cold War period (p.42). â€Å"The UN woos during the post-Cold War period were further worsened by the failure of the United States to honor its financial obligations to the organization Mesler† (p.42). The United States failed to pay its dues for many years, citing budgetary misappropriation by the UN as their main concern. The US congress demanded the shrinking of UN budgets and cutting down of staff jobs before sanctioning the allocation of funds to the UN. The US congress further delayed confirming the new US ambassador to the UN, Richard Holbrook, leaving the position vacant for a year. These particular free-riding tendencies by the US presented the UN with difficulties in delivering its core functions of collective security and responsibility. Another post Cold War draw back occurred in Angola, where, upon sending just a few peacekeepers to assist in the beefing up of security during the 1992 elections, hell broke loose and rebels took up arms after the government won in the internationally observed elections. The UN was completely overwhelmed and could not contain the rebels. â€Å"In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge faction refused to disarm according to the UN brokered peace plan it had signed, a process that was subsequently overtaken by events after a coup that interrupted Cambodia’s transition to democracy† (Mesler 1997, p. 51). Mesler (1997) identifies Yugoslavia as the other place where the UN faced serious draw backs even after undertaking the largest peacekeeping mission of nearly 40,000 foreign troops costing $1 billion annually from 1993 and 1995 (P. 51). â€Å"The mission was extremely incapacitated by the variance that emerged between the type of forces sent (lightly armed forces equipped for humanitarian operations) and the situation on the ground which was a full scale territorial aggression by heavily armed forces (Mesler, 1997, p.52). This unhappy combination came to be known as â€Å"peacekeeping where there was no peace to keep.† Mesler (1997) notes that in response to the problems of inefficiency and financial difficulties, the UN scaled back its peacekeeping troops from 78,000 in 1995 to 19,000 in 1997, and further carried out staff reduction and reforms in the UN secretariat and UN programs (p. 53). UN during the Post 9/11 The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon the United States marked a turning point in the history of the United Nations. The US significantly increased its participation in the United Nations, and a decisive coalition of member states endorsed US war on terrorism. However, there are increased concerns throughout the world that the United States has hijacked the whole process to advance its own national interests at the expense of other states. The United Nations has been pushed to the periphery by the United States in the war on terrorism. The foreign policy measures adopted by the United States after the September 11terrorism attacks are a clear encroachment of the international law. The United States has masterminded the emergence of a new geo-strategic situation in the international system that has effectively reduced the United Nations to a mere rubber stamping authority. As the only hegemony, the United States has taken full advantage of its dominant status usurp the roles of the United Nations. â€Å"The United States claims supreme authority for all measures related to the ongoing anti-terrorism campaigns and does not accept neutral arbiters – such as the UN – in determination of the actual terrorism threats † (Kochler, 2002, p. 4). According to Kochler (2002) the United Nations has indeed been pushed to the sidelines and cannot act anymore according to the Charter’s doctrine of collective security, which since the end of World War II was and still ought to be the core element of multilateral international order represented – or advocated, to be more realistic by the world body (p.9). Kochler (2002) asserts that by arrogating itself the right to act on behalf of the international community, the United States violates the principles that were established under the United Nations Charter which are exclusively reserved for the Security Council and can only be invoked in conformity with the regulations of Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter (p.11). In its pursuits on the war on terror, the United States with the backing of its western allies attacked Afghanistan in October 2001. However, the attack did not receive the full backing of the United Nations Security Council. Therefore, despite the wide ranging support for the genuine course and concerns of the United States, it is important for operations of such magnitude to undertaken strictly under the full mandate of the United Nations. The other instance during which the United States undermined the authority of the United Nations was the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Although the Iraq invasion was well intended to rid the world of the dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, once again the United States did not seek the full approval of the UN Security Council. The war in Iraq has ended up being too devastating, claiming lives of thousands of Iraqi citizens and military personnel of the US and its allies. A critical analysis of the Iraq war relative to the rational model of war reveals a big gap between the good achieved and the evil that has been entrenched by the war. It is evident that the Iraq conflict could have been handled effectively by the United Nations through non-violent means as provided for by the chapter 6 of the Charter. The US war on terrorism is run on a platform of preventive war. â€Å"The concept of preventive war as advanced in the new strategic doctrine of the United States is by all means incompatible with the United Nations Charter because the Charter explicitly and unequivocally bans use of force in all forms in the international system except in cases of self-defense or by way of chapter 7 of the UN Charter upon full approval of the Security council† Kochler, 2002, p. 12). Kouchler (2002) further demonstrates his concerns by stating that under the present circumstances, national sovereignty – though guaranteed by the United Nations Charter – has been reduced to a state’s freedom to identify vis-à  -vis the only superpower, with the alternative of either joining the â€Å"forces of evil† or opposing them, without any rights to participate in the determination of what is evil. Therefore, the United States has successfully entrenched its own strategic agendas in different parts of the world under the guise of counter-terrorism war (p. 21). Kouchler identifies the control over specific geopolitical regions and strategic natural resources to be among the key agenda of the US policies that are being implemented under the ongoing war on terror. The US war on terror has evidently taken heavy toll on peace and security in the entire international system. Apart from undermining the principle of collective security as espoused by the United Nations Charter, the counter-terrorism war has been detrimental to the principle of sovereignty and equality of states in the international system. Moreover, individual human rights and fundamental freedoms of citizens throughout the world have been curtailed due to the ever increasing threats of retaliatory attacks from terrorists. Furthermore, citizens of countries under US military invasion have often become victims of indiscriminate use of force. The US war on terror further aggravates internal tensions, ignites ethnic rivalries and deepens existing social problems in independent states that should otherwise enjoy the sovereignty and equal say in the international system. The United Nations has absolutely been dominated and eclipsed by the United States during the post September 11, 2001 period. Chapter VI Conclusion There exists a consensus among many states that the United Nations provides the best global forum for discussing general multilateral issues. States gain leverage by using the UN to seek more beneficial outcomes in conflicts. According to the United Nations website, the UN provides international stability; acts as a representative symbol of global identity; provides a forum where states promote their views and present their disputes; and provides mechanisms for conflict resolutions in international security affairs. No single country in this world can sufficiently perform all these roles to the levels that the United Nations does. In numerous circumstances however, the United Nations has been referred to as a â€Å"toothless dog that only barks but cannot bite† due to its continued inability to enforce law and order in international relations. Linda (2003) asserts that despite these accusations, many of the failures of the United Nations occurred as a result of struggles among external forces rather than the organizations own failure (p.74). Linda (2003) cites the competition between the US and Soviet blocs as having been one of the biggest impediments in the UN during the Cold War (p.74). The United States and the Soviet applied their veto powers to block any decisions that were not in their favor. Moreover, the third world countries maximized on the weaknesses created by the Cold War rivalries to pursue their own selfish interests which were focused on economic and social interests. Therefore, the principle of collective security became secondary to other interests that were being pursued by both the developed and developing countries. Linda (2003) acknowledges that without adequate support from member countries, it became impossible for the United Nations to pursue the agenda of collective security (p.76). While the United Nations performed exceptionally well during the post Cold War era, its operations were severely affected by problems of inadequate funding. The organization was particularly affected by non-payment of dues by the United States. The post September 11 period has seen the United Nations being completely overshadowed by the US in the war against terror. Kochler (2002) warns that â€Å"with the US war on terrorism having claimed so many lives right from its inception to date, there is an urgent need for change of tactic† (p. 31). According to Kochler (2002) the United Nations needs to reclaim its rightful position as the global authority vested with powers to enforce peace and sanity in the international system (.p.32). Therefore, there is an urgent need for powerful countries to give the United Nations its due recognition as the world security and peacekeeping body. Countries such as the United States must learn to pursue their interests within the framework of chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter. Kochler (2002) further warns that the arbitrary attacks on other countries without the approval of the Security Council defeat the purpose and spirit of collective security as a whole (p.33). Such attacks and invasions only serve to divide the world even further along ideological, religious and economic lines. In order to achieve sustainable peace and security throughout the world, it must be acknowledged that â€Å"the United Nations does not exist because it has powers to force its will on the world’s states; rather, it exists because states founded it to serve their needs† (Goldstein, 2006, p. 265). The United Nations should no longer be taken for granted. Although the international relations are still characterized by anarchy, the United Nations is the closest form of world government that the international system has ever cherished. Therefore, efforts must be harnessed to give the United Nations due recognition, greater financial capacity and more political powers to act on behalf of states in fostering world security and international relations. Goldstein contends that the United Nations further acts as a leverage for moderating costs of achieving collective security, because UN dues and expenses of diplomatic representatives in addition to the agreement to behave in accordance with the Charter provide a cost effective avenue compared to the costs that individual countries would incur to achieve the same objectives (p.266). While the United Nations can serve as a forum for international cooperation, much can be achieved only if high coincidences of interests occur so that more agreements can be reached and implemented. Considering the fact that member states retain their full sovereignty status, binding decisions require cooperation and consensus rather than majority votes. Furthermore, there is urgent need for an overhaul of the UN structures so as to eliminate the existing power gaps among member states. This follows concerns to the effect that the United Nations gives greater enforcement powers to the Security Council than to other bodies within the organization, yet the Security Council is dominated by the great powers which only pursue interests that are of significance to their nations. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) are categorical that more power should be transferred from the Security Council to the General Assembly where states receive equal recognition and voting rights (p. 134). The Security Council should also be expanded with the objective of distributing power evenly among member states as well within all the organs of the United Nations. Although the main objective that motivated the foundation of the United Nations was the provision of international security through prevention of war, the other services being provided by the organization should never be ignored or pushed to the background. There are many problems which are global in nature that rely on the United Nations. According to Goldstein (2003) globalization has gradually transformed the world into a single economy, thus multinational corporations are relocating from one country to another and building subsidiaries in several other countries† (P.112). Subsequently the world has become more interdependent, with technology having transformed communication to instantaneous levels. All these developments have introduced new challenges and conditions in the international system that no single country can absorb all the pressure presented by such challenges and conditions. These conditions and challenges are presented in the form of population growth, healthcare issues like HIV-AIDS, environmental issues like global warming, drug trafficking and terrorism. Therefore, war should not be the only international dilemma for the United Nations. However, it may be that the United Nations remains too institutionally undeveloped, lacking independent authority and resources, to effectively deal with any of these problems. Reference List Goldstein, J. (2003). International Relations. Pearson Education, Inc., Kochler, H. (2002) International ecumenical conference: The war on terror, its impact on   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   sovereignty of states, and its implications for human rights and civil liberties. Linda, F. (2003). An Insider’s Guide to the UN. Yale University Press. Mesler, S. (1997). United Nations: The First Fifty Years. Atlantic Monthly Press. Pilar P. R. (2001). Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy. 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