Health Assessment and Health Promotion Plan Essay

Abstract Constipation is a common condition that affects people of all ages. It may be described as a variation in an individual’s normal bowel habit with discomfort and diminished quality of life. Medical assessment is required as the underlying cause may be due to a serious medical condition. Managing patients with constipation presents many challenges to the health care professional, not only overcoming communication barriers associated with bowel habits but also because there is no universally accepted definition. Constipation is usually multifactorial, often with complicated underlying patho-physiology and it can be influenced by physical, psychological, physiological, emotional and environmental factors. Chronic constipation is one of the most common lower gastrointestinal disorders affecting people in America and is a key health concern for healthcare providers. This is mainly accurate for patients in high-risk groups such as the elderly, patients suffering from immobility, neurologically impaired patients and those with multiple health-care needs, as well as and those admitted to the hospital or residing in a healthcare facility. Unfortunately, constipation may be regarded as less important than other conditions commonly seen in general practice. Constipation has cost implications in terms of medications, containment equipment and nursing time. The following paper will investigate a patient suffering from constipation while developing a better understanding and approach of management for such ailment. Health Assessment and Promotion Plan Mrs. Burns a 64 years old female presents with chief complaint of being â€Å"constipated†. She states she has a bowel movement about every 3 to 4 days, feels the need to strain at defecation and her stools are hard and painful to excrete. She also has stated having frequent headaches, fatigue, a feeling of bloatedness and loss of appetite. As mention in the book, â€Å"Physical Examination and Health Assessment† by Jarvis, the aging adult frequently reports constipation signs and symptoms, such as reduced stool frequency (less than 3 bowel movements per week), and other common and troubling associated symptoms like straining, lumpy or hard stool, feeling of incomplete evacuation, feeling of anorectal blockage and use of manual maneuvers. Common causes of constipation include decrease in physical activity, inadequate intake of water, a low-fiber diet, side effects of medications (opioids, tricyclic antidepressants, and antacids), irritable bowel syndrome, bowel obstruct ion, hypothyroidism, and inadequate toilet facilities. Upon obtaining subjective data it was found that Mrs. Burns lives by herself after the death of her husband 6 months ago. She states no longer being able to eat as she used to when her husband was still alive and she cooked every day; now she usually eats by herself. She stated she has lost over 20 lbs. since her husband’s dead. She also reported usually feeling lonely and very sad. Client also stated her usual meals of the day include breakfast starting with a cup of coffee and a slice of toast, lunch is usually eaten between 1 and 2 pm and include can soup or a tuna sandwich if she feels hungry and for dinner tea. Anorexia is a loss of appetite, and the purpose for obtaining information about signs and symptoms of anorexia is vital to prevent the dangerous psychological and behavioral effects on all aspects of an individual’s life. The individual can become seriously underweight, irritable and easily upset which can lead to depression and social withdrawal. Anorexia can also affect sleep and lead to fatigue during the day, as well as decrease attention and concentration (Prynn, 2011). Mrs. Burns does not often consume fruits and vegetables or other additional source fiber. She does not like the taste of water, so is very rare for her to consume it. She states not having trouble chewing, swallowing, or feeling nauseous or vomiting, but she likes to take naps after eating. Mrs. Burns also reported having signs and symptoms of abdominal pain located in the right and left lower quadrants of the stomach. The pain usually starts after the third day of constipation, which she describes as cramping (colic type) and usually relieved after she ambulates or has a bowel movement. Mrs. Burns describes her bowel habits as changed from going on a daily basis to only having a bowel movement every 3 to 4 days with a hard consistency. In her past abdominal history she reports not ever having an abdominal surgery. She brought an abdominal x-ray report, which concludes fecal matter to be present. She reports her list of medications including calcium, iron supplements and antacids, which she takes on a daily basis. The patient reports that being constipated all the time makes it really difficult for her to have a normal life. She reports her coping mechanisms as taking over-the-counter preparations especially laxatives, the use of digital stimulation and taking ibuprofen as necessary to relieve the pain when food or ambulation are not effective. A throughout functional assessment was performed and found that Mrs. Burns is able to ambulate, perform activities of daily living, including instrumental activities of daily living and has no problems with mobility. In the other hand, she has reported that she used to be much more active while her husband was alive and remembers walking the park for at least 20 minutes three times per week. Upon physical examination the following anthropometric measures and vital signs were obtained: Height: 162 cm (5†²4†²Ã¢â‚¬ ²), Weight: 65 kg (143 lbs.), Temperature: 36.2 °C (97.2 °F), Pulse: 82 BPM, Respirations: 20/minute, Blood pressure: 128/74 mm Hg, Active bowel sounds in all four quadrants and abdomen slightly distended without pain or tenderness at the present time. Gait and posture are normal for a patient of her age. There are no complaints related to lower back symptoms, perineal area observed free of any abnormalities or redness, perineal movement and anal sphincter squeeze noted with moderate muscle coordination. Digital rectal examination performed: hard fecal material noted, anal sphincter tone was normal, no rectal prolapse, no hemorrhoids, and no skin tags or anal lesions were noted. Labs results for hemoglobin, 11.8 and urinalysis, negative. Effective assessment provides nurses with the relevant information on which advice, interventions and management can be planned. In addition, it contributes to the path of outcomes measured and evaluation of care. Assessing patients with constipation presents many challenges to the health professional, not only by overcoming communication barriers associated with bowel habits and the embarrassment associated with an intimate rectal examination, but also because constipation may not result from a single straightforward cause. The subjective nature of constipation adds to the difficulty of the assessment, especially as nurses tend to use the objective measurement of bowel frequency rather than using a subjective symptom tool (Kyle, 2011). Assessment is based on a consideration of all the possible causes, while particularly assuring that it is not caused by an underlying undiagnosed medical condition. The aim of assessment is to establish a symptom profile in order to plan individualized bowel care. The main goal of treatment and management for constipation is prevention and relief. Establishing an ideal bowel action should prevent recurrence. Therefore, effective assessment provides nurses with the information on which advice and interventions of management can be planned effectively. Establishing a symptom proï ¬ le assist in identifying the most likely causes for the bowel symptoms based in the context of a more relevant medical/surgical/obstetric history and functional ability. Three main components have been identified as part of the plan of care developed for Mrs. Burns’ current chief complaint. These primary components include: the implementation of an exercise routine, as well as a dietary regimen that will include more ï ¬â€šuids and ï ¬ ber. This is better known as lifestyle advice or step one of a stepped approach to bowel care, which is often recommended for promoting a healthy bowel and is still considered the ï ¬ rst-line treatment for constipation (Kyle, 2010). The implementation of this approached will be monitor by a dietitian, along with the nurses who will provide Mrs. Burns with dietary education and lifestyle modification strategies. In addition, other very important components will be included as well. Mrs. Burns will have a psychological consult as she is at risk for depression as evidenced by her husband’s recent death and feelings of loneliness and sadness. Nurses should develop a more proactive and evidence-based approach to the prevention of constipation rather than continuing with the existing reactive response to this distressing symptom. Such an approach is dependent primarily on improving the education and the skill-base of nursing and those with whom they work. Finally, further research and discussions will add to the knowledge framework of such a significant condition, since so many complications are rooted from unhealthy digestive systems. References Jarvis, C. (2012). Physical Examination. (6th edition ed.). St. Louis: W B Saunders Co. Kyle, G. (2011). Risk assessment and management tools for constipation. British Journal of Community Nursing,16(5), 224-230. Kyle, G. (2010). Considering the options for treating constipation. Practice Nursing, 21(3), 124. Prynn, P. (2011). Managing adult constipation. Practice Nurse, 41(17), 23-28.

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” Essay

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a man of action. He will never sit idly by while danger is afoot. He steps in, takes charge, and does the job right. Atticus is a man the town can call upon when crisis has arisen. One concrete example of this ability would be the Mad Dog incident. Tim Johnson ran rabid in the streets of Maycomb, and the man called for the job was none other than Atticus Finch. Atticus solved this problem with one well placed gunshot, but this would be only the beginning. The rabid dog Atticus shoots is echoed later in the novel in his attempt to save the community from committing an act of madness. The responsibility of defending Tom Robinson is given to Atticus in the identical matter that Heck Tate gave Atticus the responsibility of defending the town from Tim Johnson. Shooting and wounding a rabid dog can just make the situation worse, just the same as wounding a town’s system of beliefs and values, and as Heck says, both situations are â€Å"a one shot job.† (109) One Shot Finch is brought in to solve the problem. Defending Tom to the point of waiting outside his jail cell, protecting him from a lynching mob shows Atticus’s willingness to carry out a task completely. In this scene he comes against an entire pack of mad dogs armed torches and pitchforks and running rabid with prejudice, ignorance and rage. This situation is a great deal more intense for Atticus, because this time his children are involved. Even with a pack of vengeful, drunken, and angry men staring down Atticus and his two children Atticus still stays calm and â€Å"put the newspaper d own very carefully, adjusting its creases with lingering fingers.† (173) The same calm is shown in the dog scene Scout believes he moves gracefully, â€Å"like an underwater swimmer.† (109) In the trial scene, Atticus must face the toughest pack of mad dogs, yet; the jury. Foaming at the mouths with preconceived notions of how the trial will end, Atticus must attempt the impossible and try to convince a panel of white people that a black man is innocent. Like making a careful shot, Atticus takes aim and sets up all his opponents. He then strikes them all down with one swift move. The sad thing about this fight is that everyone knows that there is no way Atticus can win. â€Å"Atticus Finch won’t win–he can’t win. But he’s the only man in these parts who could keep a jury out so  long in a case like that.† (247) This, however, is all beside the point. The point is that everyone in that courtroom sees Atticus gun down the prosecution with cold, hard evidence, and does so with a certain finesse and dignity that no other lawyer in the town of Maycomb could possess. â€Å"He’s not supposed to lean, Reverend, but don’t fret, we’ve won it. Don’t see how any jury could convict on what we heard.† (238) No matter how good of a shot Atticus is, the jury was already infected with a seemingly incurable madness. Bob Ewell is the ideal personification of a mad dog to the town of Maycomb. Most of the community doesn’t even attempt to treat the Ewells like citizens. â€Å"The Ewells are members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells.† (34) Bob Ewell has gone mad with jealousy and hatred. He feeds on hatred. Though Atticus attempts to retain some respect for Mr. Ewell, he thoroughly maintains his higher standards whenever Bob comes looking for trouble. â€Å"Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him†¦ but Atticus didn’t bat an eye†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (249) Even in a literal sense, Bob Ewell is foaming at the mouth. This mad dog is shot down by means of public humiliation, however. â€Å"I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with.† (250) Bob Ewell’s reputation had been shot dead. In conclusion, the series of events after the mad dog incident are all too similar to be purely coincidental. A common theme of the mad dog runs through crisis just as a common theme of the mockingbird runs through peace. Situations involving mad dogs are Atticus’s responsibility, and it becomes evident that Atticus is called upon to pull a lot of weight in the town of Maycomb. Atticus Finch will continue to answer the call for help, no matter where it comes from, or what its for.

Foreign Workers in Malaysia

Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. At least that’s what quite a lot of Malaysians I know feel about them. Deputy Human Resources Minister, Senator said that there are 1. 403 million foreigners here holding the Temporary Employment Visit Pass, which accounts for 11. 2% of Malaysia’s total workforce. That’s actually quite a lot of foreigners for a country with a 2. 7% unemployment rate as of last year. But it’s no use denying the fact that we need them. The fact that we still don’t have minimum wage means that there are just too many jobs out there that pay too little (from the perspective of Malaysians) and are considered not worth the trouble by Malaysians. As our cost of living continues to rise against stagnating wages, even fresh graduates earning around RM2,000 will sometimes find it hard to keep things afloat living in Kuala Lumpur, let alone having to survive on a construction worker’s wages. And even now we can see foreign workers in supermarkets and restaurants, jobs that are considered ‘comfortable’ and not ‘heavy’, but more and more locals are turning away from them simply because in the current economic climate the pay is nowhere near good enough. On the one hand it’s a shame that we prefer being unemployed rather than at least earning something, even if it means working a hard job with not very good pay. But on the other hand it’s also understandable why we’d prefer to hold out and keep looking for something better, considering the economic realities that we have to face in our daily lives. The side effect of being dependent on foreign workers is that it puts a strain on a lot of things – public amenities and services especially. They also compete with the poor for low cost accommodation, and the congested living conditions have also contributed to societal and environmental problems. But blaming things on them will not solve anything. The fact of the matter is, these are men and women trying to make an honest living in a foreign country where their presence is not exactly welcomed with open arms. They had to leave their family behind, live in sometimes abominable and unacceptable conditions, and push themselves to the limit to work as many hours as possible in order to send as much money as they can home to their families. Try doing that and see if you won’t find yourself in similar social problems should you be in their exact same shoes. It’s easy to blame the ‘other’ when you’re comfortably on the other side of the fence, but not so easy when you really look and try to empathize with them. Trying to combat these problems will definitely cost money, and if we’re being honest with ourselves, it’s just like dousing a raging fire – it’s unlikely that we can totally put a stop to it. The only way we can avoid these problems is by not having them here or not being too dependent on foreign workforce. Paying the 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous and difficult) better wages to attract locals to do it is a start. A good minimum wage is a start too. Of course companies employing foreign workers will moan that this is not good business, but that is why we vote and have a government – to think about how best to solve this dilemma, because what’s a government here for if not to take care of its people?

Trade relations between USA and China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Trade relations between USA and China - Essay Example Ranging from the ongoing currency war to accusations of immoral trade policies, factors which have led towards this destabilization of trade relations are not only economical but, perhaps, have a political milieu too. Firstly, one of the major challenges faced by the USA-China trade is the prominent USA accusation of ‘manipulating’ the Chinese currency. Over the past few years, the official currency of China, Yuan, has been held in a floating exchange rate system; though it has only been allowed a narrow margin to fluctuate. Many analysts and economists in the USA however urge for a more flexible exchange rate which pivots around the market equilibrium determined by the market forces of currency demand and supply. Despite of the fact that Yuan has been allowed to fluctuate more liberally and has even risen by 20% in value against the USA Dollar since 2005, Japan, European Union and USA yet accuse China that it manipulates its currency by deliberately keeping it at a low exchange rate in relation to the USA Dollar with a view to make the USA products less competitive and, simultaneously, the Chinese goods and services more competitive and relatively cheaper than the USA goods. This lowered currency rate leads to a rise in Chinese exports whereas USA exports decline. A large amount of trade deficit suffered by the USA in trade with China adds to the gravity of the accusation. Concerns for China regarding this issue are that the USA, World Trade Organization or APEC might impose trade sanctions on China for its ‘problematic’ currency exchange rate. These sanctions may prove very costly for the growing Chinese economy as the world’s second largest economy is principally led by mass amount of exports to its trading partners. Restrictions over free trade for China may cause the deceleration of its growth or may even put it to a halt. The trade balance between USA and China in 2011 exceeded $295 billion and any probable sanctions may d rastically affect this huge amount of traded commodities between the two giants. Moreover, China’s Current Account surplus has also been declining during the past few years and the consequences of USA pleas regarding the unfair trade advantage China has may turn the ‘already withering’ surplus into a trade deficit, whereas China may also lose its most important trade partner (Davis). The list of allegations upon China is elongated and does not restrict itself to the currency devaluation. China is also accused by the USA for adopting an unfair exchange rate regime. Yuan’s rate of exchange has been, contrarily to the US allegations, in conformity with the international monetary system which is operating at the time. Observing the variations from a fixed to a floating and then from the fixed peg to a basket peg, China’s exchange rate valuation has always been repudiated by USA. This might lead to a further withering of trade relations between the two n ations in the near future. (Moosa viii) Also, on the accusation list is the allegation upon China of piling up its foreign reserves. Again, the charge seems to be lacking ample rationality as any nation is allowed to purchase foreign currency reserves and to accumulate those reserves in order to minimize its risk of a speculative economic slump in the future. Similarly, China has done the same and has acquired pretty huge amounts of US Dollars in the

Marketing Plan for Nintendo Wii Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marketing Plan for Nintendo Wii - Research Paper Example Nintendo was introduced to the video game industry in 1985 only to become a great hit within the people of all age groups. It rejuvenated the gaming industry single-handedly. From the inception, the company was always on the run to improve its product technology while maintaining low price levels on the other. This strategy was well accepted by the general public that it catered to economical entertainment. Thus its sales have surged into millions within a short span of time. Recently it introduced Wii which has several advanced features with a built in wi-fi capability. The company is now on the plan for implementing a strategic marketing plan which would be most beneficial for its running in the future. (Anon., 2010). Background analysis Organizational background: Nintendo was originally a Japanese playing card company which introduced its entertainment system in U.S. Today, it has its presence in over 20 countries covering Asia Pacific, Europe and America. Its customers range from 5-120 years of age. Most of them however are youngsters. (Armstrong. M., 2006). The crucial part of Nintendo’s success was its perfect planning and timing. It released its gaming videos in 1985, when the whole video gaming industry crashed totally. (Cooper.R.G., 2001), (Anon., 2005). This is similar to the research undertaken to identify aggressive competitor’s attacks on market leaders. According to the research, a competitor is said to be above-normal aggressive if he moves into new markets geographically, compete with leader’s brands, enter for the first time into the market and increase advertising expenditures.

Critically evaluate how the Resource based view approach to HRM can Essay

Critically evaluate how the Resource based view approach to HRM can help or fail to produce the performance outcomes an organisation requires - Essay Example isting resources within an organisation and in a new way instead of acquiring new skills for each new opportunity that presents itself in the business environment is ideal to improving organisational performance. Where organisations focus on RBV approach, resources are ideal in enabling the organisation to achieve better performance. In applying RBV approach, two types of resources are available for organisation to use to exploit opportunities in the business environment; this includes the tangible and intangible resources. However, tangible resources can be accessed easily in the market and as such; they bring little advantage for organisations when considered in the long-term basis since competitors can acquire the same resources. On the other hand, intangible resources denote resources that are not physical and those that are at the disposal of the organisation to use in improving performance. For instance, an organisation can use brand name or trademark to create uniqueness over competitors (Wright, Dunford & Snell, p.711). In essence, it is impossible for competitors to buy brand reputation of other firms in an attempt to improve their competitive nature in the business environment. Conversely, while RBV aid in improving an organisation’s competitive edge, it has to be noted that for such goal to be realised, the approach has to consider two critical assumptions that include heterogeneity and immobility (Colbert 2004, p.351). This paper examines how RBV approach to human resource management can help or fail to produce the performance outcomes that an organisation requires. RBV approach to human resource management proposes the view that various resources within an organisation are the key to realising positive outcomes and this includes human capital or resources. These internal resources are also viewed as important in providing an organisation the required competitive advantage in the business environment. This is because when resources within an

Operating System and Notepad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Operating System and Notepad - Essay Example There are many uses of an operating system but this paper will focus upon the use of operating system related to Word Pad. "WordPad is a simple proprietary word processor that is included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 upwards. It is more advanced than Notepad, which is a rather basic text editor, but much more simple than Microsoft Word. It originated in Windows 1.0x as Write." ( Wikipedia, 10 September 2008). Word Pad provides the user with numerous facilities like formatting and printing the foramtted text. A user is free to choose the text size, the font script which suits his/her requirements the best, if a user makes any mistake, it can instantly be rectified within no time. The margin facility is also at the disposal of an user, with the help of which an user can start any sentence away from the margin or can also perform various other functions. There are many other facilities provided by Word Pad, these facilities include, bold, italics, underl ine and a host of other facilities. The spell check facility is the most amazing facility where in the user can correct his/her mistake instantly. "Notepad is a common text-only (also referred to as plain text) editor. The resulting files - typically saved with the .txt extension - have no format tags or styles, making the program suitable for editing system files that are to be used in a DOS environment." ( Wikipedia, 10 September 2008). Notepad also provides the user with many facilities but its biggest drawback is that the user cannot format the text in notepad, notepad does not provide the facility of formatting the text but on the other hand the facility of copy/paste is the backbone of notepad, the copy/paste feature helps in more ways than one. Notepad allows the user to edit almost any format text file, which makes various tasks easier for any user. Notepad is also very helpful in website building, its capy/paste feature makes website building very easy.

Critically examine how a firms HR strategy could be its source of Essay - 1

Critically examine how a firms HR strategy could be its source of competitive advantage - Essay Example Competitive advantage, from a traditional business perspective, generally involves the tangible activities of the company such as the financial rewards from a streamlined production system or the positive service delivery performed by a shipping and receiving department. When the organisation performs a specific work-related activity better than other companies in similar marketplaces, the organisation has developed a unique competitive advantage. However, in terms of managing human resources, competitive advantage occurs simply by creating policies and workplace environments which are congruent to business and employee needs. It would seem that a satisfied staff is a staff which is motivated to provide excellence to job role function. This paper identifies the various methods by which HR policies can create competitive advantage for today’s organisations; both internally and externally. Having a streamlined system of HR management appears to provide competitive advantage from a human capital development perspective. Karami, Jones and Kakabadse (2008) suggest that attitude, stemming from management professionals at the firm, greatly impact whether a firm will develop an appropriate pool of talent. There appears to be many organisations, today, which under-utilise staff members, considering them as only vessels through which to achieve company goals. The aforementioned authors stress the importance of providing workers with new opportunities and increased job role flexibility as a means to secure psychological perceptions of staff importance toward meeting company goals. It might appear that job role flexibility and opportunities (such as advancement or job rotation) are rather common sense HR policies and procedures, however in terms of supplying a company with competitive advantage it is important to understand why

Warfare among tribal societies other topics surrounding warfare, Research Paper

Warfare among tribal societies other topics surrounding warfare, conflict, or aggression - Research Paper Example Discussion Tribal Societies A tribe may be defined as a group of individuals in a barbarous or primitive developmental stage, claiming to have a common ancestor, and pledging their allegiance to a chief. A tribe may also be defined as a social group of individuals united in dialect, having affiliation to a territory, endogamous without specializing in functions, appreciating distance with other tribes and ruled by tribal chiefs (Harrow, 2005). A tribal society on the other hand may be defined as a way of life in such a way that individuals pursue their own activities as independent local communities. These communities are composed of clan and families without states or central governments. Members of tribal societies are related by their districts, to their neighbors according to Harrow, (2005). Smaller groups of tribal societies have their specific customs, local communities and languages and sometimes engage in conflicts with each other. It is for this very reason that anthropologi sts claim that such societies are not capable of defending themselves from outside forces. Majority of the tribal societies know how to deal with their environments and they have ensured their survival through organizing themselves along the lines of kinship and clans. The way the tribal society views and utilizes the environment is entirely based on the strong cultural ethos held by this tribal society (Rose, 2000). These tribal societies are prone to the pressure of nature. However, the pressure is minimized through the formation of clan systems. A clan is described as a group of family responsible for some of the aspects of the tribal life. Allegiance is offered to each of the tribe by the clan and the clan is responsible for some of the functions in the economy, society and religion. This type of diffused responsibility offers a broad-based insurance policy that ensures the survival of the tribe (Champagne, 1999). Cultures that are organized as large states have numerous cultura l concerns such as the emphasis on personal mobility, personal safety, personal freedom, individual effort and the material well-being (Rose, 2000). Chronic disputes are very common in most of the tribal societies but these disputes are usually directed externally. The normal survival of a tribal society was not very much threatened by internal conflict although within these small societies there was no clear definition between internal and external conflicts. These tribal societies lacked government and their form of rule was anarchic. They were also characterized by economic self sufficiency and self rule or freedom (Bodley, 2007). Internal order was well maintained although they lacked formal legal codes, formal political offices, and specialized law enforcement institutions. The maintenance of order by the tribal society is attributed to the cultural and social conditions. In the tribal societies, the individual self interests do not conflict with the interests of the entire soc iety. Theft, excessive conflict, hoarding of resources and the use of force in the tribal society was detrimental and lacked logic because everyone depended on each others’ cooperation and mutual trust. Other than stability and ecological success, the interests of the tribal societies have as maintained the population equilibrium. Conflicts in a low-density tribal society were minimized by extreme flexibility of the group

Discussion Replies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Discussion Replies - Essay Example l powers cannot exist without seeking another military tool that would keep the political and military balance of power in the world sustained as it is. Better still, is the observation that absent the nuclear threat, large army building would be the next strategy for the world powers. The relevance of the argument that nuclear weapons are not irrelevant because they are the weapons against themselves is an interesting but very accurate observation. Nuclear weapons are the weapons against nuclear weapons, due to the fact that they deter any country from using them, since retaliation with the same weapons would destroy the world. Additionally, the observation that nuclear weapons in the world exists only as a deterrence is plausible, owing to the fact that there is no victory that would be achieved through the use of nuclear weapons, as the whole population would already be destroyed. It is also true that with the nuclear weapons eliminated, the new war technology would turn to the use of drones for

Effective Study Skills Essay Example for Free

Effective Study Skills Essay Study is the devotion of time and attention to acquiring knowledge on an academic subject and the skills are the ability and capacity acquired through deliberate systematic and sustained effort. For some students the motivation and ability to study comes easily. However for those students for whom it does not it is necessary to develop effective study skills. The aims is to provide the sole foundation of a sound education. These are necessary for the student to realise their full potential and acquire good grades. Without these skills the student would not be aware of their ability to learn in the best way and to maximise this. She states: 1) It is essential to be rested (sleep affects performance) and to sit comfortably. A change of scenery stimulates the brain and helps creative thinking. 2) To be hydrated, drinking water helps the electrical connections of the brain. 3) To be unstressed. When stressed the brain only concentrates on ‘escape’ not on tasks in hand. 4) To enjoy.  5) To learn to see something several times, little and often works better than trying to understand something in one sitting. Cottrell points out that effective study skills are needed to facilitate time management and to meet deadlines. She states spare time must be used effectively to give relaxation time, to rest and enjoy oneself as well as independent study time. According to Cottrell it is essential to learn from one’s own mistakes and feedback which give a way to improve performance and above all else, not to give up. Time management is essential, not giving excessive time to favoured topics rather than those necessary. It is essential to stay on target, stay motivated and not to let things get on top of you, to stay in control and maintain the correct direction of the studies. General tips are to identify the task in hand and work out exactly what is being asked for, setting clear goals and staying focused towards them. To develop the meaning of the task or how things work makes taking in material, reading and retaining the subject matter easier. To find links with the wider world such as the internet and journals helps. Working with others can also help by sharing ideas and getting mutual help. Finally to look for reasonable

Plagiarism Essay Example for Free

Plagiarism Essay Plagiarism has become an increasing concern with the internet age. Many students are cutting and pasting information from the internet into personal papers without proper citations and using the information as their own. Many services such as Turnitin help educators determine the levels of plagiarism in papers and therefore how much authentic information is being submitted. If students are plagiarizing work, the education is undermined and schools are unable to guarantee the quality of education students are receiving. Plagiarism is â€Å". . . the act of passing off as one’s own the ideas or writing of another (Georgetown University 2006). † Many students will use someone else’s written idea, but change the words around to be their own. This is plagiarism and credit should be given to the person who had the idea first. Although plagiarism can be found in many forms, written plagiarism is the most prevalent. The internet has allowed students access to a much larger database of written works. Unfortunately, many students are becoming lazy and using other people’s written works as their own. Services such as Turnitin have been developed to help combat plagiarism. Turnitin is software that accepts written assignments from students; runs the papers through databases looking for sentence or phrase matches; and gives the instructor a similarity index for each submission (MacMillan 2007). Other websites such as plagiarism. org and iThenticate are also based on the same premise as Turnitin and provide information on how to combat plagiarism. Plagiarism is a rising problem in today’s education that will require centered attention. Services such as Turnitin and iThenticate have proved important tools for educators, but many questions remain about the effectiveness of these services. Similarity indexes have appeared that are not accurate on some papers submitted. Overall, the services are the best tools to date to combat plagiarism, but will need updating as time goes on for complete accuracy.

Tangible and Intangible Resources

Tangible and Intangible Resources In the fast pace development of the technology market,  enterprises tangible and intangible resources is a competitive advantage on the basis of tangible resources is the basis for enterprise development, the invisible resources are the engine of growth of competitive advantage, two of those are the source of competitive advantages. This article will be the fast-paced development of technology market premise, according to some examples, focusing on the importance of tangible and intangible resources company competition (Hill, Jones, 2009). Define Tangible and intangible resources: Tangible resources are visible, can use the direct measurement of the monetary resources, including material resources and financial resources E.g Tangible resources; 2009, Samsung Electronics, the market value has reached $ 110.2 billion, the first time beyond Intel became the the global revenues largest semiconductor manufacturers 1. Samsungs sales of $ 117.8 billion in 2009, has surpassed HP to become the the global revenues largest electronics companies 2. Is the worlds second largest chip factory, second in size only to Intel 3 in 2008 is the worlds top 21 products, up market share in the market supplier Intangible resources. A wide range of content, such as trademarks, patents, proprietary technology, customer relationships, corporate image, corporate culture, these intangible resources in the process of production and operation of enterprises play an indispensable role. E.g Intangible resources: Korea 8782 patents registered in the United States last year, 3611 applications for Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electronics, the percentage of more than 40%. Samsungs brand value grew fivefold from $ 3.1 billion in 1999 to $ 16.2 billion in 2006 ( Hitt, Ireland, 2008). Analysis of several fast-paced technology companies examples and reasons The definition of the technology market: the places engaged in the technical intermediary services and technical operations of goods. To promote scientific and technological achievements into practical productive forces for the purpose, specifically to carry out technology development, technology transfer, technical consulting, technical services, technical contract; production or distribution of the research to test new products and technology products; organization and conduct of the promotion and application of technological achievements and other technical coverage involving all areas of technology (Tietze , 2012). The cell phone industry, as a modern high-tech industry, has a certain representation, several typical company I will for example in the mobile phone industry to analyze: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Samsung Group was founded in 1938, investment in the establishment of Samsung Electronics Company in 1969, involving semiconductors, mobile phones, monitors, laptops, televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, digital cameras, and IT products and other field In many areas in technology, Samsung has become the worlds leading technology innovation company, it has created a series of state-of-the-art technology, including mobile phones, hand-held computing devices, flat panel displays, as well as ultra-thin laptops. (Viardot, 2004). Apple Inc Apples major industries, including computer software. Hardware. Phone handheld entertainment aspect. Overall have five production lines: Mac, iPod the iPhone and the iPad, i Tune, known for the product i pod digital music player is i Tunes music store, these are containing innovative the high-tech, i phone pioneered mobile devices new start, IPHONE3G of the software revolution (Sengupta, Slater, 2009). NOKIA In 1865, Nokia was founded in Finland, Nokia smart phone, entertainment, phone, navigation, phone, have a high technology technology Nokia developed areas including third-generation wireless systems, multimedia applications, network management, mobile phone and other sounds data, video terminals. To maintain its leading position in the rapid development of the telecommunications market (GruneWalder, 2008). What role do they play in this types of market what are they? Based on analysis of the tangible and intangible resources of Nokia and Apple Nokias tangible resources Material resources: Nokia to light electric transmission as the center of development, laying the foundation for Nokias semiconductor technology industry. Such as ABS engineering techniques, this technique has the performance of heat-resistant and impact, due to the lower cost of this technique, the majority of computer manufacturers to use. Financial resources: Nokia in Chinas development, the establishment of three joint venture companies, mobile phone production, as well as network equipment, China is the largest market of Nokia, the worlds largest investment areas, due to the low cost of production and processing of the Chinese market, so Nokia to focus on China, in addition to the establishment of a global integrated financial plan, a reasonable business strategy Nokia intangible resources Company brand: Nokia founded in Finland, with a long history, and a good social reputation, through continuous research and innovation, powerful software support and network services, so that, on the company in the smart phone, navigation technically are in a leading position in the company with OVI Internet, in the music store, online game store, providing services to obtain the value Technology: Nokias development, always in the front of the R D development center, working to develop new technologies, including third-generation wireless systems, multimedia applications, to meet customers needs, increasing the mass market to maintain the rapid development of the territory Goodwill: consumers said user for the first time agree, it is only with the GSM technology, the exterior design of the TV for the first time large-screen displays, mobile phones scroll able text menu, the user used to say, very good,leave a very good impression (Hoskisson, 2008) Apple tangible resources Product Resources: 2000 i Pod digital music player, with the unique i Tunes music download system, beat some very powerful company and a global share of the first portable player, i pod series launch, more solid Apple position in the music market, i phone combined with a new product of the i pod and Apple TV, the birth of this product, so Apples successful transformation from computer production to the electronic company Financial resources Apples PC and one of the multimedia company, Apple increased net income $ 1,335 one billion, they have the ability to obtain credit. The tissue Apple also has many systems f control. Apple controls all aspects of the computer, it can provide customers with a complete desktop solution, including hardware, software and peripherals, Physical resources Apple company established in California. Apple is a global company with offices around the. They develop good computer on the market with the best materials. Technology Apple invented a lot of patents, they developed the first PC, the PCs graphical user interface (GUI), a point, and then click the mouse, the laser printer, the iPod and iTunes. Apple also includes a window system, investigation procedures, such as Aldus, Page Maker and Microsoft Excel. Apples products are user-friendly and unique Apple intangible resources Apples human resources, the Cupertino, California in the heart of Silicon Valley, bringing together the most talent and an attractive location. The best schools in the country in a very short drive from Apples main campus, including Stanford University, the University of California, Barkley, and Santa Clara University. There are so many schools nearby, they enjoy a rich cultural and educational opportunities. Innovation Apple invented the PC graphical user interface. Nearly a decade, the the Apple monopoly graphical user interface. When Jobs returned, he manages a hire people who do not want to make the best products in the world of innovation. The key is to let the people with the passion for excellence. Apple now has scientific skills, enabling them to innovation, promote the patent (Afuah, 2009) What is the impact on the companies industry? Business development, competitors may soon have tangible physical capital resources, but the long-term advantages of intangible resources but is hard to beat. Well-known enterprises of the industrial countries, the value of intangible resources generally exceed the value of physical resources, intangible resources these enterprises trade and occupy the international market and expand the social impact will become an important weapon (Tessiopoulos, 2005). The importance of the intangible resources. Enterprise as a social and economic organization. While tangible resources. Also has a wide variety and difficult measurement and grasp the intangible resources. A wide range of content, such as trademarks, patents, proprietary technology, customer relationships, corporate image, corporate culture, these intangible resources in the production development process plays an irreplaceable role. Trademark. Trademark is used to identify the specific goods or services of the mark, it means the right to use a particular name or pattern specialize in certain specified goods or products generally include the exclusive right to use and the prohibition of the right to two aspects. Patent. The patent refers to the national patent authorities in accordance with the law grant the inventions patented applicants enjoyed exclusive rights within a certain period of their inventions. The patent generally include three aspects of the invention patents, utility model patents and design patents. Valid patent law Proprietary technology. The proprietary technology means known to the outside world, has been used in the production and operation activities, a variety of skills and experience do not enjoy legal protection. Generally include the proprietary technology of the industrial, commercial trade proprietary technology, management know-how, etc.. Corporate image. Corporate image usually refers to the publics evaluation of a company and its products, beliefs and attitudes. Mainly include the popularity and reputation, corporate values, managerial and technical factors such as the comprehensive, implied a huge potential force behind the production and business activities of enterprises. Customer relationships. Customer relationship usually refers to the purchase of customer and sales of enterprise products, services, manufacturing enterprises in the formation of long-term exchanges and work with each other relationship, this relationship is the invisible presence of a lot of influence, for the improvement of enterprise product sales. Enterprises cultural. The corporate culture is the enterprise ideology as the core corporate values, corporate value, business philosophy, entrepreneurship, business principles, business purposes, business rules and regulations, Code of Conduct.(Ireland, Hoskission, 2008) E.g Apple and Samsung patent war of the century, for example, Apple awarded $ 1 billion. South Koreas Samsung infringed U.S. Apple patent, needs $ 1 billion in compensation. At the same time, the court finds that the Apple and Samsung did not infringe. Affected by this news, Apples stock price immediately rose by 1.8%, this way before Samsung change the design of these products will be in the U.S. market can not continue to sell these products. Lawsuits between Apple and Samsung is not just about patents and money is related to the value. Apple seems stresses creativity and innovation, to create the worlds best products, the manufacture of these products is to let the user satisfaction, not to allow competitors big plagiarism. (Ubertazzi, 2012). Expert analysis : Apple disputes warning of the modern enterprise Apples creative class of intangible assets in commercial signs, warning of the management problems of the modern enterprise: First, technological innovation is important, but only technological innovation is not enough, you must also conducted a comprehensive intangible assets construction innovation. A single class of intellectual property (patent, trademark or copyright) is not enough to solve all the problems of the enterprises, enterprises must carry out diverse IP configuration. Second, trade names and trademarks is not just a business logo, to raise the height of intangible assets created to recognize. Best to stay away from the general term creative in the selection of trademarks, trade names, to do trademark name with the name of the creative owner of the trademark can not prevent others from the same with your name trademark registered in other categories of goods and services. Because your trademark name is not private rights in the true sense, the name you choose is also the use of public resources. Trademark intangible asset value basis, is one of the trademarks Be creative, first with the larger artistic value, the value will be after the trademark rights of value, economic value, reputation. If the brand name is a common noun, it is easy for the revocation of others, lead to legal disputes. The third set of intangible assets specialized management agencies. Talent is a source of intangible assets, intangible assets not only to create pay greater attention to the management and operation. Important foundation for high-end complex talent to do a good job in the management of the intangible assets. Enterprise management of intangible assets should be placed in an important position, set a special intangible assets management department, equipped with specialized management of intangible assets intangible assets of enterprises integrated, comprehensive, systematic management, organizational guarantee of intangible assets management. Through high-end composite intangible assets management, promote enterprises to improve the level of management of intangible assets, improve intangible assets effective. (Acton, 2012). Is one resource more valuable or important when the other ? I chose the hotel industry, the analysis of the tangible and intangible resources of the hotel industry Hotel tangible resources :is the physical form of resources, including physical resources, financial resources, organizational resources. Kind resources refers to the kind used to be the hotel customer service resources to create benefits for the hotel, such as hotel construction, decoration, equipment, etc. are in-kind resources: financial resources, including currency sources and use, such as access to finance, cash management, creditors and debtors control, dealing with currency provider relations; organizational resources, including the hotels formal organizational structure, composition departments Hotel intangible resources: including human resources, reputation, resources, relationships, resources, information and technology resources. Human resources including knowledge, staff skills, managers can, practice, and thus formed hotel culture and service philosophy; the hotel reputation resources including hotel brand, hotel for reputation parties; hotel information and technical resources, including information and information storage, processing and transfer of technology, management techniques, the hotels reservation system; hotel relations system includes a hotel and the relationship of the parties, the contract agreement. Intangible resources of the hotel is the hotel prerequisite to gain a competitive advantage .(Enz, 2009) JINJIANGINN tangible resources and intangible resources Research enterprise core competitiveness mainly two ways an enterprise resource analysis to find out the advantages of resources, and the other is the enterprise value chain analysis as its core competitiveness. Ways to use this article for the former, and that analysis of the resources of the Jinjiang Inn. The resources of the enterprise can be divided into tangible resources, intangible and human resources. Which tangible resources the kind resources buildings, land, raw materials, operational resources, computers, machinery, systems and financial resources organization intangible resources of the type and quantity of available funds mainly technical resources, reputation, resources and innovative resources and human resources is the organic integration of the members of the organization to the organization to provide the skills, knowledge and reasoning and decision-making ability. (JinJiang Inn, 2012). Physical resources: can be divided into basic and infrastructure, the basic situation of the hotel chain Jinjiang Inn has more than 500 distribution in Shanghai, Beijing and other 86 large and medium-sized cities in the country, room a total of more than 60,000 infrastructure including air conditioning, bathroom, TV, telephone, broadband internet, 24-hour hot water and other infrastructure, to show an economically practical and comfortable accommodations. Financial resources :from the two main ways most of the investment by the parent company of Jin Jiang International Group, Another way is through public financing, Jinjiang along with its parent company, the Jin Jiang International Hotel Group in December 2006 in the success of the Hong Kong main board market market, opened overseas financing channels, into a period of rapid expansion. Jinjiangs technical capacity Committed reflected in the company since the date of the establishment of the call center systems and related software, custom development and marketing, especially telemarketing system has been independently developed by the company, the industry praise Jinjiang Inn the first in the industry to develop independent website and booking system, large client systems and guest satisfaction survey feedback system. Reputation resources: are mainly reflected in Jinjiang since its inception in 1996, continues to be rated as Shanghai Famous Trademark, Shanghai, the most growth service marks, Shanghai Famous Brand won consecutive year 2006-2007 first top ten top brand influence of the Chinese economy hotel , Chinas economy hotel brand Pioneer honorary title. Therefore, Jinjiang Inn has a very good reputation image. Innovation is mainly reflected in three aspects First, the introduction of low budget hotel high-end products. The budget hotel market can continue to be subdivided into high medium and low market, the current budget hotel is mainly concentrated in the mid-market, Jinjiang keen to seize this vacancy, launched a low-high-end products. Prices of low-end brands in the 100-150 yuan, the low-end brands target customer is still a business and family tourists, mainly for price sensitive crowd followed, the prices of high-end brands in the 250-350 yuan, product updates to Five Dynasties. More specialized than the third-generation product, the fourth-generation products humane, more suitable for the accommodation needs of business travelers, the fifth generation of the product is a green concept hotel last product, create Jinjiang chef. Jinjiang Chef pure restaurant chain brand Jinjiang Inn Co., Ltd. was founded, it is committed to the the Jinjiang high grade dining culture into ordinary diet , and reduce costs through the chain, so the popularity of high-end cuisine, so people can experience the connotation of the Chinese diet. (Zou, 2005). Conclusion: Can be obtained from the above analysis, Jinjiang main advantage of resources that the technical resources, innovative resources and reputation of resources, that intangible resources. Therefore, Jinjiang should focus on the use of its intangible resources to enhance their own status in the budget hotel market. Conclusion Technology market which the mobile phone industry, the hotel industry and tourism market, tangible and intangible resources, analysis and comparison, I have come to the following conclusions, tangible resources are the basis of the intangible resources, intangible resources is the sublimation of physical resources, both of those combined with each other in order to make the company or companies more competitive, with the social progress and the development of resources, many companies have shifted from the tangible resources to the development of intangible resources, tangible resources, most companies will get, but the intangible resources,accumulated by business or the companys long-term thing, others not learn, intangible resources is the fundamental driving force of the development of the company or enterprise, in the mobile phone industry, Apples patented technology in particular attracted worldwide attention, the hotel industry,Although it is an emerging industry, the hotel ind ustry in the past, the emphasis on physical resources and hardware facilities, while ignoring intangible resources, such as the brand, and so, but with the progress of society, many hotels have recognized the importance of intangible resources vigorously develop intangible resources, which will be after the mainstream of enterprise development

The Power of Love in Moulin Rouge and To Dance With the White Dog Essay

The Power of Love in Moulin Rouge and To Dance With the White Dog      Ã‚  Ã‚   The power of love is exposed in the films Moulin Rouge and To Dance With the White Dog. In each movie, each individual must overcome obstacles within themselves in order to overcome the obstacles in their relationships. Although the love shared by each couple is different, both cases of love are real and run deeply. Satine and Sam Peek each handle their romantic relationships differently according to their situations.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The film, Moulin Rouge, takes place during the Bohemian period in which things such as truth, beauty, and love are key elements to live by.   Christian, A young writer falls deeply in love with Satine, the star dancer of the Moulin Rouge. They are forced to keep their love for each other a secret because a Duke wants Satine for himself and has become the funder for Christian's play. The Duke also promises Satine a chance to become a real actress. When Christian and Satine's relationship is found out by the Duke, their lives become endangered and though they were able to be together in the end, as was foretold throughout the movie, Satine dies, leaving Christian with a disillusioned view of love.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To Dance with the White Dog is a movie about love as well. An elderly widower, Sam Peek, is forced to deal with the sudden death of his wife after over fifty years of marriage. Throughout the movie his recollections of happy times spent with her are shown to the audience. Peek's children and his own illnesses cause him to suffer through the entire ordeal of dealing with losing his spouse and true love. One day, a very white dog appears at Peek's doorstep and from that point on that dog seems to ... ...for so long that having someone try to take her place was simply inconceivable. Maybe the backgrounds of Sam versus the background of Satine made the way they chose what they did in their lives so different. Possibly, the fact that To Dance With the White Dog was actually an account of a true event made a difference when comparing to the fictitious story, Moulin Rouge. Whatever the reason, each individual proved that true love can overcome all obstacles with the exception of death. And even that will not limit the longevity of love. Sam Peek and Satine each showed their undying love for their mate in different ways but managed to get the message across to them just the same.    Works Cited    Moulin Rouge. Dir. Baz Luhmann. Twentieth Century Fox. 2001.    To Dance With the White Dog. Dir. Glenn Jordan. Hallmark Hall of Fame. 1993.   

The Endless Torture of Animal Experimentation :: Argumentative Persuasive Essay Examples

The Endless Torture of Animal Experimentation Is using animals in medical research necessary? Some people would say yes, others would say no... but who's right? No matter what one thinks or believes this question still remains, yet to be answered. At first this question seems like its answer lies within ones opinion and only that, but if you look closer there is a lot more to it than opinion. Feeling sorry for the animals is definitely where it starts for people who don't agree with animal testing; but that's not where it ends. Scientists and medical researchers say that animal testing is the future to finding cures. They also believe it is cruel to use animals to test our products on but there are no other options. Using animals for testing helps them figure out what will work and not work on humans. Using animals can help find cures faster and help prevent more human deaths. Although some people believe that's true, I have a different opinion. While reading articles from different doctors, I discovered that using animals in the medical area hasn't helped humans near what people think it has. Just because animals are living breathing creatures like us, doesn't mean their systems are anything like ours. In fact, they're not anything like ours. There has been testing after testing done on animals to help find cures and medicine that will work on humans. After all that... what do we have to show for it? A puzzle with missing pieces that we are not going to find... not this way. Ray Creek, a board -certified doctor, explains why the use of animals actually slows down medical research. "The simplest explanation is that animal experiments provide misleading data. At best, they tell us a good deal about how animals experience disease, but they rarely tell us something of value that can be applied to humans. Animal tests provide additional data, but not a higher level of accuracy." This very subject is something that I have always thought of, but never thought I was right. What good is it going to do us to use animals to test medicines on if it's not even helping? Another statement Ray Creek said was that "The General Accounting Office several years ago concluded that animal tests do not accurately predict how dangerous a drug will be in humans. In other words, drug tests on animals do not protect humans from harmful medications.

A Precious Gift :: Personal Narrative Essays

A Precious Gift Education has always been considered very important in my family. Prior to the earliest time I can remember I am told that my mother and father read to me nightly. My family has a deep background in books, my father being a collector, and my mother working at a library. My father loves books, in every way I can think of. He loves to read them, as do the rest of my family, but he has a collector's interest in books that we lack. He once wondered to a local library to check if they had a book sale. They did indeed have a book sale, and he bought quite a many books from their shelves. Soon he became a volunteer, and then the organizer, and soon had his own key to the library. As the relationship between my father and I goes, I started going with him to the book sale. I loved reading and I helped him a little also. We discovered that the special semiannual book sale was coming up. I came with my dad that morning and we began carrying boxes of books out to the tables. We observed a tag sale across from us that apparently went hand in hand with our sale. I was given the job of collecting money, and the day was going well, for we had already made nearly four hundred dollars for the library. At one point a small boy began his ascent up the small hill from the tag sale. He was only seven or eight by my estimate, and went directly to the table marked 'children.' After a minute or two he had found four or five books that he liked, put them in a neat pile and started his way back down the hill to the tag sale. Nearly a minute later he came back with a rather sad look on his face. "What's the matter?" I asked him as he took the pile and placed the books back on the table. He shrugged and I pushed. "You don't want those books?" I asked. I could tell he was shy. We already had something in common. "No, I can't get them." "Oh? Why not?" I asked. I could sense that he wanted them. "Because my mother won't give me the money for the 'stupid books.

China Environmental Pollution Control Essay

Report overview: Research Beam adds a report titled â€Å"Environmental Pollution Control Equipment Markets in China† that provides latest market trends and opportunities. The report offers detailed analysis of the Environmental Pollution Control Equipment Markets. China’s demand for environmental pollution control equipment has grown at a fast pace in the past decade. In the next five years, both production and demand will continue to grow. This new study examines China’s economic trends, investment environment, industry development, supply and demand, industry capacity, industry structure, marketing channels and major industry participants. Historical data (2002, 2007 and 2012) and long-term forecasts through 2017 and 2022 are presented. Major producers in China are profiled. Complete report is available at : http://www.researchbeam.com/environmental-pollution-control-equipment-in-china-market Table of contents: I. INTRODUCTION Report Scope and Methodology Executive Summary II. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Economic Outlook Key Economic Indicators Industrial Sales Population and Labor Foreign Investment Foreign Trade Financial and Tax Regulations Banking System and Regulations Foreign Exchange Taxes, Tariff and Custom Duties To Get Purchase Enquiry of Report : http://www.researchbeam.com/environmental-pollution-control-equipment-in-china-market/purchase-enquiry III. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT INDUSTRY ASSESSMENTS Environmental Pollution Control Equipment Industry Overview Industry Structure and Composition Market Size Market Growth Drivers IV. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT SALES AND DEMAND Overview Environmental Pollution Control Equipment Industry Outlook Environmental Pollution Control Equipment Sales and Demand Air Pollution Control Equipment Sales and Demand Air Pollution Control Equipment Sales Foreign Trade Air Pollution Control Equipment Market Demand and Outlook Pricing Trend Water Pollution Control Equipment Sales and Demand Water Pollution Control Equipment Sales Foreign Trade V. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT MARKET OUTLOOK Environmental Pollution Control Equipment Markets Outlook Overview Industrial Sales by Region Northeast North Southeast Southwest Northwest VI. MARKETING STRATEGIES Distribution System in China China’s Distribution System Environmental Pollution Control Equipment Distribution Channels Transportation and Freight Infrastructure Communications Market Entry Channels Exporting to China Export Market Overview Chinese Trading Practice VII. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT PRODUCER DIRECTORY Environmental Pollution Control Equipment Producer Profiles Distributors Trading Companies Research Institutions and Associations Get Enquiry About Report: http://www.researchbeam.com/environmental-pollution-control-equipment-in-china-market/enquire-about-report

Dracula by Bram Stoker Analysis Essay

Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, presents readers to possibly the most infamous monster in all of literature. The fictional character Count Dracula, has come to symbolize the periphery between the majority and being an outsider to that group. Dracula’s appeal throughout the years and genres unquestionably stem from his sense of romanticism and monster. Readers no doubt are attracted to his monstrous sensibilities, which provide a sense of looking first at his appearance, personality, and behavior at the beginning of the novel. Readers can easily see Dracula’s blurred outsider status, as he occupies the boundaries of human and monster. Related to this is Dracula’s geographic sense of outsider. The creation of Frankenstein’s Monster experiences this in the Mary Shelley story of the same name, as both characters are truly unable to be defined outside of a physical description which frequently relies on the horrific. For all intents and purposes, Dracula is an immigrant to England, thus placing him further into the realm of outsider. To look at Bram Stoker’s Dracula as solely a monster in the most violent sense of his actions would to be look at a sole aspect of his character, and should be analyzed based on how he interacts with the outside world to genuinely understand him. The purpose of Dracula’s physical description is to place him against humanity and see how he appears. He has various features which obviously make him a vampire, such as a set of sharp teeth, but there are other peculiarities to his description which mark him as being an outsider. For instance, when Jonathon Harker, and by extension the reader, first meets Dracula, he describes him as being, â€Å"a tall old man, clean shaven save for a long white moustache, and clad in black from head to foot† (Stoker 15). At this point, he is a regular looking man, or at least normal enough that nothing elicits a reac tion in Jonathon. Later, however, the aberrant constitution of Dracula comes to the forefront, as he is noted to have massive eyebrows, a cruel mouth, sharp teeth, and pointed ears (Stoker 17). These countenances of Dracula work in tandem to purge him from the human realm and into that of an outsider. These are attributes that one would not discover in a so-called â€Å"normal† human and as such we are able to immediately label him has something monstrous. The numerous references to Dracula’s monstrous physical attributions are the surface when it comes to Dracula’s demonic nature, but it is his vampiric abilities which truly place him as divergent from humanity. For instance, he holds the power of transformation, which in-and-of-itself is an indicator of his inhuman nature. He arrives in England, after maintaining himself upon the crew of the Demeter, in the shape of an, â€Å"immense dog, [which] sprang up on deck from below, as if shot up by the concussion† (Stoker 72). This removal from humanity is such that, if he so feels it, he does not even have to be in the form of a human. Dracula is at this point in time, indefinable, as one cannot truly explain what he is. As a result of this, Dracula casts his lot as a monster. In short, if we cannot adequately explain a phenomenon, we brand it as being something completely different, and likely to be feared. The largest feature of the vampire is ultimately what expunges Dracula’s entrance to the human world; the fact that he must gorge himself upon blood in order to survive. This abhorrent act is the anchor to Dracula’s monstrous persona, as it is simply something that, for the most part, humanity does not abide by. It is this quality of Dracula that ultimately spurs Van Helsing and company to put a stake to his chest and kill Dracula. The description of his feeding upon Wilhelmina Harker (who will later be referred to as â€Å"Mina† in the story), betrays his suave and sophisticated demeanor: The Count turned his face, and the hellish look that I had heard described seemed to leap into it. His eyes flamed red with devilish passion. The great nostrils of the white aquiline nose opened wide and quivered at the edge, and the white sharp teeth, behind the full lips of the blood dripping mouth, clamped together like those of a wild beast. With a wrench, which threw his victim back upon the bed as though hurled from a height, he turned and sprang at us (Stoker 248). His feeding upon Mina is also the instance wherein the reader finally sees Dracula’s true form, namely that as a bloodsucker. While it is alluded to in the past, it is at this moment that we truly see what it entails, namely the grotesque image of Mina, unable to do anything in retaliation and covered in her own blood as Dracula forces her drink his blood from his body. The fact that Dracula is a vampire and as such does those activities which pertain to Vampirism paints him as an outsider in and of itself, but there is another characteristic that places him yet further outside humanity, namely the fact that he exists as an unholy creature, so much so that, â€Å"a sacred bullet fired into his coffin [will] kill him so that he may be true dead† (Stoker 211). Furthermore, when the group of vampire hunters is discussing what tools they have at their disposal in which to attack Dracula, Van Helsing states that, â€Å"then there are things which so afflict him that he has no power, as the garlic that we know of, and as for things sacred, as this symbol, my crucifix, that was amongst us even now when we resolve† (Stoker 211). The fact that Dracula exists separately from religion tells us that he has, within himself, erased the demarcation of human and monster. This paints him as being different, and as such is to be feared. The audience at the time may have either have questioned Christian tenets or put their faith in Science, but they still respected the boundaries of Religion. Beyond the purely physical and spiritual aspect of Dracula, the reader sees that he encompasses the notion of the outsider through geography as well. While he is, in a humanistic sense, not of this world, he is also from a foreign land. We can therefore start t o see Dracula as being an immigrant in a foreign land as being his largest outsider quality. Michael Kane posits the notion that Stoker, â€Å"sought to project a considerable variety of fears regarding the state of England and the English themselves onto the figure of the immigrant ‘foreigner’†¦whose origin is not clearly defined† (Stoker 9). In effect, the reason that Dracula elicits a feeling of fear from the reader is that we do not understand where he comes from. As he is lacking an origin, other than the vague fact that he claims to be a â€Å"Szekely† descended from Attila the Hun, Stoker places Dracula in a position –to prey upon our fears (Stoker 27-28). Further, Dracula’ place of residence is the embodiment of â€Å"outsider†, especially to Jonathon Harker. Dracula himself states that, â€Å"Here I am noble. I am a Boyar. The common people know me, and I am master. But a stranger in a strange land, he is no one. Men know him not, and to know not is to care not for† (Stoker 19). Jonathon’s descriptio n of the castle itself is one that places it as being ‘other’, â€Å"from whose tall black windows came no ray of light, and whose broken battlements showed a jagged line against the sky† (Stoker 14). Furthermore, the very country where Dracula resides is effectively between continents and the cultures therein, as Transylvania is in an intersection between Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. For all intents and purposes, it is culturally â€Å"other† as it borrows from the various nations that have passed through it, either for trade or for conquering. From this, the reader can easily see that Dracula embodies a sense of â€Å"reverse colonialism†, as his plans are to immigrate to England and infect the population with his plague of Vampirism. Stoker plays upon the fact that England, at this time one of, if not the largest, colonizing countries, is in turn being colonized, not by another country but by an intangible immigrant. Dracula’s intent is not of material wealth or power, but of controlling the people and using them as livestock. We can see this when Dracula tells Jonathan Harker that he, â€Å"[has] come to know your great England, an d to know her is to love her. I long to go through the crowded streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is† (Stoker 19). Kane reaffirms this by contending that Dracula is an example of â€Å"invasion literature†, which acts upon the readers on England by playing with a considerable variety of fears regarding the state of England and the English themselves. Another interesting symbol of Dracula’s reverse colonialism is the fact that he is literally transporting his mother land onto England. He has boxes of Transylvanian earth transported with him upon his attack on England, as he requires these so as to maintain his strength whilst abroad: â€Å"We must trace each of these boxes, and when we are ready, we must either capture or kill this monster in his lair, or we must, so to speak, sterilize the earth, so that no more he can seek safety in it† (Stoker 213). The Vampire Hunters quickly realize that, for Dracula, the very earth itself acts as a conduit of power. He is literally attempting to supplant the English earth with that of Transylvania, so that he can continue with his plans of world domination. It is only when he has displaced the soil of the English with that of the Transylvanian is he able to do so. Ultimately, the fear that the reader feels towards Dracula is the result of Stoker’s ability to place him in the realm of the other. His physical appearance is designed to place him as inhuman, for a human does not have the need to feed on blood in order to survive. Furthermore, Dracula removes himself by taking other shapes and become something that no longer even reveals a human. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, Dracula’s otherness stems from the fact that he is an immigrant from a foreign land, a land that is itself removed from certainty as it is culturally between. This immigrant status first starts out as basic hatred, then turns into a fear as Dracula attempts to colonize England and dominate it. Every part of Dracula’s â€Å"adventure† in England is a reaction to his outsider status, but more so because he attacks the readers, or at least the readers that Stoker was writing for in their native land. When coupling his appearance of unnaturalness with the fact that he attacks the protagonists in their own homes, the reader has the creation of a monster. This monster is one that preys upon both the people and the audience’s fear.

Defeat of the Red Army Essay

By looking at what the areas where the Soviets failed during their in Afghanistan, we can further develop our counterinsurgency tactics and doctrine and shape our forces. Mujahideen Defeats of the Red Army An important and remarkable event in history was the Soviet-Afghan War. The Afghans, like their ancestors, battled a hostile, invading force that wanted to dominate their homeland. â€Å"For the first time, Afghanistan would become the center of a modern pan-Arab Jihad (Holy War)† (Hill, 2008). The Afghans were fighting a war of attrition just as their ancestors did during the Anglo-Afghan Wars. The Afghans would find themselves using modern weapons that had the potential of causing a high number casualties and emigration of greater proportions. The difference between the Afghans in the Soviet-Afghan War and the Afghans who fought in the Anglo-Afghan war would be the help and support from outside superpowers. By the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, the Soviet Union was at the point of falling; the Afghans and those who were assisting them were looking at a victory. How could such a powerful country like the Soviet Union be defeated by the Afghans? The Soviet Union lost the Soviet-Afghan War as a result of mistakes and failures that they made. The Soviets failure to seal the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, failure to stand up and effective Afghan Army and failure to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people contributed to the defeat of the Red Army. Failure to Disrupt Supply Lines During the initial five years of occupation, the Soviets never mounted a sustained effort to cut off the Mujahideen supply lines that ran from Pakistan’s tribal areas, across the Hindu Kush Mountains, and into Afghanistan (Roy, 1991). Instead, the focus of the Soviets from 1980 to 1982 was to conduct large-scale armored operations in locations that were considered hotbeds of rebel activity. After 1982, the Soviets used aerial assaults to assist in their combat operations to eliminate the support base of the Mujahideen. It was not until 1985 that the Red Army starting making an effort to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines. The Red Army began using Spetsnaz units, which were the Red army Special Forces units, behind Mujahideen frontlines, to organized surprise attacks against the rebel supply caravans. Once the Spetsnaz had the location of the Mujahideen, they would load into Mi-24 helicopter gunships, sneak behind the Mujahideen positions, and launch attacks. The effectiveness of the raids the Spetsnaz used became apparent in 1986 where there was a decrease in the number of Mujahideen attacks against the Soviets. The attacks against the Soviets decreased because the Mujahideen was not able to get men and equipment that they needed to mount an effective guerrilla campaign. The Soviets leadership was aware of the amount of men and a large amount of equipment that the Mujahideen was moving from Pakistan across into Afghanistan on regular bases, so it’s interesting why they did not make an effort earlier in the war to disrupt the supply lines. The Soviet leadership feared that if they conducted operations that might extend into Pakistan they would draw the United States into a large-scale war that the Soviets did not want. So, conducting operations on the Afghan side of the border against the rebels was an activity that the Soviets could justify without drawing the United States into the war. According to Oliver Roy, the Soviet failure to seal the border with Pakistan was the most significant military mistake in the war against the Mujahideen (Roy, 1991). With an unsealed border, the United States with the help of the help of the Inter-Service Intelligence, ISI, began funneling in weapons to the Mujahideen in the 1980. At the start of 1980, the Central Intelligence Agency began to purchase weapons from several countries to include China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations. Once these weapons had been purchased they were shipped to the ISI headquarters located in Peshawar Pakistan. The United States funded some $30 million dollars in 1982, but in 1984, the CIA spent some $250 million purchasing pistols, AK-47s, ammunition, surface to air missiles, and other supplies for the Mujahideen. By 1985, the CIA was spending $500 million dollars on the resistance in Afghanistan. 1985 was the same year the President Ronald Reagan signed the National Security Decision Directive 166. This directive stated that the CIA was to drive out the Soviets from Afghanistan †by all means available† (Crile, 2003, p 363). In 1986, the CIA approved the purchase of heat-seeking missiles and almost 1000 per purchased. The heat-seeking missiles were very effective in downing the Soviets helicopters, but the Mujahideen did not put these missions into use until 1987. Pakistan who was driven by Islamic identity had a vested interest in the outcome of the Soviet-Afghan War and made a great effort to ensure that the Mujahideen was victorious. To ensure victory for the Mujahideen, Pakistan established a network that would transport all of the weapons that had been purchased to the Mujahideen. Once all of the weapons that had been purchased and arrived to the ISI headquarters the ISI would distribute the weapons to the Mujahideen, who would get the weapons and supplies to the soldier in the field. The Mujahideen would use tractors, trucks, camel, mules, and horses that could blend in with the rest of the cross border traffic or they would move on dirt roads that were only accessible by foot over the border into Afghanistan. It is evident that without the help of the Pakistanis, the Mujahideen would not have been able to fight because they could have not been able to supply their soldiers. Throughout the war, the Soviets and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, DRA attempted to pressure Pakistan’s President Zia to seal the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan with troops, but this came to no avail. President Zia responds to the request to seal the border was that Pakistan would not do it but that the Red Army and the DRA were more than welcome to do it. Regardless of who would attempt to seal the border it would be an impossible task when you consider the length and mountainous terrain that would have to be covered. In 1985, the Red Army started to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines by putting thousands of troops on the border with Pakistan. At the same time, The Red Army began a bombing campaign hitting border towns that were sympathetic to the rebels and placing Spetsnaz units along the borders to conduct search and destroy missions from behind Mujahideen front lines. The Red Army began using their gunships to move up and down the border looking for destroying Mujahideen supply caravans. The bombardment used by the Red Army turned a large portion of the border etween Afghanistan and Pakistan to land that no longer could be inhabited. This depopulation effort started to become effective as it made it almost impossible for the Mujahideen supply caravans to move freely. In 1986, the Mujahideen countered the Red Army by using the Stringer missiles to bring down the Red Army Helicopters. To avoid being hit by a Stringer missile the Red Army Pilots had to fly at a higher altitude but the higher alt itude made it difficult for the Red Army to effectively attack the Mujahideen supply lines. Although the terrain along the Afghan and Pakistan border made it difficult to totally seal the border, it would have been possible to disrupt the flow of men and supplies coming into Afghanistan. This was evident by the Red Army between 1985 and 1986. Had the Red Army been willing to take a higher loss of life before 1985, it would have been possible to slow down the Mujahideen’s ability to get weapons into Afghanistan. The inability by the Red Army to establish an effective way to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines was not the only reason that the PDPA could not survive without the support of the Red Army. The Red Army also failed to build an Afghan National Army that could protect the PDPA against the Mujahideen. Part of the reason why the Red Army could not stand up the Afghan Army was because there were Mujahideen sympathizers in the ranks. This is also part of the reason why the Soviets could not win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, they left the country without the means to protect its self. Failure to build an Afghan Army As early as 1980, Soviet leadership knew that it was going to be difficult to build up the Afghan Army. This was partially due to the fact that the PDPA regime was unpopular with many Afghan people, and there was also a deep hatred for the Red Army troops. The unwillingness to fight for the Soviet Union and the DRA was reflected by the decrease in the Afghan Army’s ranks. The Afghan Army decreased from 90,000 to 30,000 men from 1980 to 1983 (Schofield, 2003). During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, it was common for Afghan soldiers to leave their units with their weapons and ammunition and join the Mujahideen. There is an account in July 1987 where an entire 2,000-man unit defected to the Mujahideen in Kandahar (McMichael, 1991). In addition to the defecting that was happening there were reports of Afghan officers frequently sabotaging Soviet equipment and vehicles. For the Afghans who remained many only fought because of the Soviet troops presences on the frontlines who would not allow them to runaway. As a result of the Afghans people unwillingness to fight for the Soviets and the DRA, the PDPA could only build a small military force, the total that numbers 120,000 to 150,000 fighting men. With its small size and the challenges they had recruiting the Afghans to fight for the PDPA regime, the Afghan Army was ineffective. The Afghan government was also only able to draft sixty-five percent of the personnel it needed to fight the insurgency they faced. Although the Afghan Army did have their share of success, these successes were limited. Mostly because the Mujahideen had sympathizers in the ranks that would provide the rebels with intelligence about upcoming operations that were planned. Since Mujahideen supporters had infiltrated the Afghan Army, Red Army soldier do not care to work closely on operations or share the intelligence they had because of fear that the details on upcoming operations would be shared with the rebels. To make matter worse for both sides, commanding officers of Afghan units would only be informed of upcoming operations one day in advance. On 9 January 1981, a conscription law designed to increase the strength of the DRA Army, was adopted by the Supreme Military Council of Afghanistan. The Afghan Army was given tanks, aircraft, armored personnel carriers, and small arms by the Soviets. Regardless of what had been given to the Afghan Army they were not going to be able to defend the PDPA regime from the rebels by the time the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan. This is based on the fact that it was going to be hard to recruit soldiers to fight for a socialist an also because many of the soldiers that had been recruited were informant for the Mujahideen. â€Å"The ineffectiveness of the DRA Army was illustrated by two Soviet deserters when they said, â€Å"The Kabul army was not an army, just a mess, with half of the soldiers running away and the other half joining the rebels† (Amstutz, 1986, p. 80). The inability of the Soviets to win over the Afghan population showed to be a tremendous obstacle as the attempt was being made to stand up an effective Afghan military. Had the Soviets convince the Afghan population that the PDPA was worth fighting for; the Soviet’s counterinsurgency plan could have been more effective in getting rid of the Mujahideen. The Soviets inability to win over the hearts and minds of the Afghan people ended up being a big obstacle that led to the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan. Failure to win the Hearts and Minds â€Å"The Soviets needed to convince the Afghan population that it had a stake in the survival of the socialist regime if they were to have a chance of preserving the PDPA government† (Delgado, 2006, p. 27). This would show to be impossible since the Afghan mullahs had declared jihad against the occupying Red Army. Knowing the jihad had been declared against the Red Army, they still launched a program with the intent on winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. The Soviets attempt to Sovietize the Afghan people used measures that included revamping the education system and teaching the population a pro-Soviet ideology. Adults and children were taught Marxist terms by Soviet institutions that had been imported into Afghanistan. The Soviets reformed the education system, reinterpreting Afghan history, taking control of the media in order to reeducate adults, and sending children to the Soviet Union in order to be educated. The Soviets goal in all of this was to create a version of Islam that the new Afghanistan would be based off. Building a strong Communist party was part of the Sovietization program. A strong Communist party would be the center of all legitimate political activity for the country. In order to monitor social organizations in Afghanistan, Soviet style government institution were established. A diligent effort had been made by the PDPA to indoctrinate its member, a majority of which joined the party so that they could obtain a job in the state. The task of trying to indoctrinate the member was difficult and many felt that it was irresponsible and corrupt. The DRA was unpopular throughout a large portion of Afghanistan. With this unpopular view of the DRA, there was a need to rewrite history in order to paint the Soviet Union in a more favorable light. This change to history was going to be done in two parts, first was to depict Russia as the essential supporters of Afghan independence, and the second was to minimize the cultural ties the Afghan people had with India, Pakistan, and Iran while emphasizing the ties with the citizens of the Soviet Union. The Soviets strategy in winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people was not to turn all Afghan into Marxist, but to teach the Afghans that they identified more with the Soviet way of life than with traditional Afghan society and customs (Roy, 1989). The Soviets took total control of the Afghan media and bombarded it with pro-Soviet propaganda. The Soviets desired in all of this was to have the Afghans forget what their history was and replace it with the identity that the Soviets were giving them. The Soviets not only rewrote the history books and took over the media; the Soviets took control of the education system with the goal of molding a new generation of Afghans that would support the PDPA. To accomplish this, teachers who refused to do what was asked were arrested or exiled. â€Å"Fatherland Training Centers† were created around Afghanistan, where Afghan orphans were trained to be Soviet special agents, political organizations for children and teenagers in order to teach them to become faithful Soviet citizens. The Soviets made Russian the official language of all students attending middle school up to college. The Russians were committed to indoctrinating Afghan children. Statics reflects that by 1989, 000 Afghan students were being educated in the Soviets, and another 15,000 students annual would travel to the Soviet Union see the Russian way of life and to take part in short courses and training programs (Roy, 1989). The Soviets used psychological operation to undermine not only the Mujahideen but also the civilian population to resist the Soviet occupation and the PDPA regime. Some of the bigger programs used included massive leaflet drops, propagandistic radio programs, starting conflict between rival tribes that would undermine Mujahideen unity and bribing teachers to use their classroom in order to spread Soviet propaganda. KHAD Intelligence would insert special agents into Mujahideen units and prisons where Mujahideen members were held with the goal of getting information on operations that were being planned and to find out whom the leaders in the resistance were. Regardless of what the Soviets attempted to do in order to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people they failed. The Afghans remained true to their Islamic identity, culture, and family traditions so it made it impossible for the Soviet Union to convince the Afghans that they were acting in the best interest of the country of Afghanistan by occupying and supporting the PDPA. With a call of jihad being declared against the occupying Red Army, it was going to be impossible for the Soviets to win the hearts and minds. The Afghans viewed the Soviets as an occupying force that were hostile to Islam so no program introduced by the Soviets to win the hearts and minds would be successful. The Soviets made an admirable effort to win over the Afghan people but due to the fact that they were viewed as a foreign occupier took away any possibility that they could convince the Afghan people to support the PDPA government. Winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people were impossible from the beginning since the Afghan people had such a strong Islamic heritage and tribal culture and that the Soviets were viewed as a foreign occupier, but the Soviets also did not help themselves with their brutal campaign to drive Mujahideen supporters out of Afghanistan as refugees. The effort to rid Afghanistan of Mujahideen supporters left one million Afghan civilians dead and five million displaced (Roy, 1989). The strategy used by the Red Army to rid Afghanistan of Mujahideen supported included artillery strike against Pashtun villages, bombing raids and, the burning of agricultural fields, the killing of livestock through the use mines and artillery, and the contamination of water and food supplies through the use of chemical weapons (McMichael, 1991). The efforts made by the Red Army to deprive the Mujahideen from a portion of its civilian support network was successful, but with the brutal methods that the Soviets used in order to get the objectives done did very little for the chances of winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Conclusion The Soviets lost the Soviet-Afghan War to the Mujahideen do to their own failures and any country could stand to earn a few lessons from the Soviets after their experience in Afghanistan. The first lesson would be the importance of disrupting the Mujahideen supply lines. Although totally securing the border may have been impossible, the Red Army could have focus more of an effort prior to 1985 to slow down the amount of men and supplies that were moving into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Had the Soviets been willing to take more of rest with their Soldiers, the Mujahideen would have never been able to get the supplies they needed into Afghanistan. The second lesson that could be taken from this is that before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan they needed to ensure that the Afghan Army was ready to defeat the Mujahideen on their own. Since the Afghan Army was not able to defeat the Mujahideen on their own, everything that the Soviets attempted to achieve in Afghanistan was lost once the Red Army withdrew. The weak Army allowed Afghanistan to fall into a civil war where the Taliban came out victorious. The Soviets should have taken into consideration what they thought the status Afghan Army would be once they withdrew before invading Afghanistan. The third and final lesson is that it was going to be impossible for the Soviets to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Many Afghans viewed the Soviets as invaders, and a jihad had been declared against them. Along with the hatred that the Afghans had for the Soviets the Soviets also countered themselves with brutal military operations against Afghans that were thought to be loyal to the Mujahideen. The Afghan population will refuse to support a regime that is viewed as a foreign occupier, regardless of the sophistication of the occupying country’s effort to win the native hearts and minds†(Delgado, 2006, p. 35). References Crile, G. (2003). Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History. New York, NY: Delgado, J. A. (2006). Troubling Parallels: An analysis of America ’s Inability to overcome the obstacles that led to the defeat of the Red Army in the Soviet-Afghan War. Athens, OH: The University of Ohio. Hills, C. R. (2006). Beyond Charlie Wilson: The Soviet Afghan War. Atlanta, GA: Atlanta International School. McMichael, S. (1991). Stumbling Bear: Soviet Military Performance in Afghanistan. London, England: Brassey’s. Roy, O. (1989). â€Å"The Sovietization of Afghanistan. † Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. Roy, O. (1991). The Lessons of the Soviet-Afghan War. London, England: Brassey’s. Schofield, V. (2003). Afghan Frontier. New York, NY: Tauris Parke Paperback.