The American lack of success in the Vietnam War Essay Example for Free

The American lack of success in the Vietnam War Essay To what extent can it be argued that the use of guerilla warfare tactics by the Vietcong against the US military was the key factor in explaining the American lack of success in the Vietnam War? The Vietnam War has been regarded with much controversy both during the War, and after its conclusion in 1973. This was not only due to the humiliating defeat that America suffered but also because of the contentious hidden reasons for Americas presence there. America came under heavy criticism because it seemed to the world that their presence in Vietnam was purely strategic and economical rather than for the protection of Vietnams people as America had first claimed. From the wars outset there was worldwide outrage caused by this controversy, this outrage grew and grew as the war progressed leading to an absolute worldwide lack of support for Americas seemingly selfish war effort. This worldwide lack of support included many protestors at home in America. This was devastating for the morale of the hundreds of thousands of young grunts, most of whom had never experienced the true horror of the battlefield. Throughout the war American losses, both financial and military were astounding. Never before had a country with Americas degree of power and worldwide influence been so unsuccessful when combating an economically underdeveloped country such as Vietnam. Admittedly North Vietnam did receive aid from both the Soviet Union and China but despite this, Vietnam has to be seen as a Third World country defending their homeland from the worlds biggest super power. The aim of this essay is to investigate the main reason for Americas defeat. Possible reasons for failure apart from the effectiveness of the Vietcong guerrilla tactics would include: lack of morale of US troops, inappropriate US military tactics, the shocking images shown in the media coverage, US motives for engaging in this war, their lack of consideration for and understanding of the Vietnamese people, worldwide lack of support for the US war effort, the collapse of support on the home front. All these factors will be considered and compared to the guerilla tactics in order to arrive at a conclusion as to whether guerilla tactics really was the major cause of Americas humiliating retreat. To fully understand why America was so unsuccessful it is necessary to understand why they involved themselves in a conflict on the other side of the globe in first place. Ever since the war began the true reason or reasons for American involvement has been heatedly debated. The American government and their spin-doctors1 justified themselves by claiming that they were there to free the people from the oppressing evil communist from the north Ho Chi Minh. Ho, a national hero to many in Vietnam was a patriotic fighter2 for Vietnams independence. Ho spent much of his young life travelling in places where communism was actively working, places that had inspired him into his communist beliefs, beliefs that would later propel America into a full war with his people, places such as Russia and China. At first America had supported Minh and admired his courageous Vietminh troops. When Minh made a speech declaring Vietnam independence, he began by quoting from the American Declaration of Independence. He once said of revolting against their French oppressors It was patriotism and not communism that originally inspired me3. It was not Minhs patriotism that brought Americas hate for him but rather the way in which he supported Communism so whole-heartedly and the fear that it would spread. The fear of Communism spreading was a great one indeed for America. There is a theory called the domino theory, which has often been regarded as one of the most prominent reasons for Americas involvement. The basic idea of the domino theory is that if one country in a close grouping like South Asia fell to communism then the surrounding countries would follow suit. America feared that spreading communism threatened the free trade and democratic ideals, which were so important to American well-being and security. America could not afford to lose these things that were such a way of the American lifestyle. The American government was prepared to go to war to protect these ideals, on occasions this represented an idealism on their part but on others represented a determination to import their capitalist system regardless of the needs of the country concerned. It is therefore clear as a country should not go to war on their own, unsupported, concerning Vietnam in can be argued that American motives can be seen as unjustified as they were clearly trying to suppress others rights to govern themselves. This fact is supported by the poor state that the Southern government run by Diem and propped up by the Americans was in. Diem held very prejudice religious beliefs in a country made up mainly of Buddhist and was very unpopular for this and other reasons4. This totally goes against the democratic ideals that America holds so dear. With this evidence America appears to have been acting utterly hypocritically and for their own personal gain. The factor that can be regarded as the most important in Americas defeat was the Vietcong and their use of guerrilla warfare tactics. Guerilla warfare tactics are very effective in certain situations and when used against the American forces they seemed unstoppable. The guerilla tactics that the VC used were based on those of the Chinese guerrillas who fought in the Chinese Communist takeover5. The main idea of guerilla warfare tactics is that of hit and run; this method proved most effective when fighting the US troops. Many of the VCs orders came from the vast underground network of tunnels such as those of Cu Chi. Underground facilities such as this one provided the VC with an almost impenetrable fortress. These cities could house thousands of VC troops and their families as well as conference rooms, training areas and in some cases arms factories and hospitals. Through the use of tunnels the VC had the ability to dig right under US troops noses and spring surprise attacks and then disappear back down the tunnels as quickly as they had emerged. Another advantage that the Vietcong had over the Americans was the support of the people. This invaluable commodity gave the VC the ability to move across large areas of lands undetected, as they were able to hide in villages. The VC was also famous for the excruciating booby traps, specially designed so that they could not be removed without tearing even more flesh from the victim. The constant threat of the VC was extremely disheartening for the troops that lived in continuous fear of a VC raid. The skilful use of guerrilla tactics by the VC completely prevented the US from using their technical superiority effectively. The VC would always try and avoid conventional battles with US troops; rather they favoured picking off stragglers or as mentioned before springing surprise attacks and then disappearing. The troops could not see their enemy and could therefore not use their weapons to destroy them. It is these factors that lead me to believe that Guerilla tactics played such a big role in the US defeat. It appears that many of the other reasons for US defeat were caused, partly of wholly by the relentless use of guerilla tactics. I have already mentioned the way the troops felt battling an unseen enemy, but the importance of American morale or lack thereof cannot be overlooked as a reason for the US defeat. It is hard for one who has not experienced war to understand life in a soldiers boots, especially that of a grunt in Vietnam. Never before had American troops had to endure as harsh conditions as those experienced on the battlefields of Vietnam. These unbelievably harsh conditions led to low morale in all of the troops. Many things led to this crushing lack of morale; guerilla tactics, inexperienced and young troops (the average age of a soldier in Vietnam was just 19), inability to communicate with or understand the people they were trying to defend and the looks of hatred in the very same peoples eyes. The troops were used to easy living at first with long RR breaks and short tours, involved more as a precautionary measure rather than to actually enter battle but because the superior firepower was totally ineffective in Vietnam, the troops were put onto the front line. Lack of morale in troops is always devastating to a countries war effort. A major problem that the US military faced apart from unwilling soldiers was a rife drug problem. Marijuana was readily available in Vietnam and the majority of the grunts were users. This drug did nothing to help the morale level of troops on anything more than a temporary basis. The grunts would often go into battle high and this made combating the Vietcong even more difficult and the Vietcong used the US troops use of the drug to their full advantage. Troops quickly found out that most of the battles were hopeless and a bad attitude developed. You cannot win a war when your troops are not willing to fight and the US soldiers were very unwilling to fight. It is for this reason that one could say without a shadow of a doubt that lack of morale was the main reason for US defeat but in my judgement the main cause for the lack of morale was the use of guerilla tactics. Another of Americas major hurdles in their attempts to uphold a pro-Western government in S. Vietnam was their complete and utter lack of understanding of and consideration for the Vietnamese people. America was unable to combat their communist enemies because they were unable to win the hearts and minds of the people6. Many American civilian experts were in place in Vietnam trying to win the hearts of the people by teaching them valuable skills and setting up hospitals and schools. Civilian and military experts frequently clashed because the civilian experts did not think enough was being done to win the hearts and minds of the people, the military men believed that force was the answer, they would repeatedly be proved very wrong. The already disheartened American soldiers, or grunts as they were known found it extremely hard to fight in the conditions they were in. Very few of them knew much of the Vietnamese culture and even fewer understood any of the language. This made dealing with the people they were there to protect, let alone the people they were fighting, very difficult. On top of the festering heat, ravenous insects and hidden enemies, the inability to communicate effectively with the people frustrated the troops terribly. Eventually the young soldiers came to dislike all of the people of Vietnam, both allies and enemies, making it essentially impossible to win the war. Many of the troops saw the peasants (most of the Vietnamese population) as sub-human. As it became clear that initial American methods were ineffective for the people and their surroundings, more brutal and vicious methods of extracting information were devised, Search-and-destroy tactics resulted in many innocent civilian fatalities. Search and destroy tactics were a result of the frustration at the damage to US troops caused by guerrilla tactics used by the VC but such US tactics in turn reinforced Vietnamese support for the guerrillas. In 1968 the CIA introduced a system code-named Operation Phoenix7 whereby tens of thousands of expected VC were sought out and interrogated few of which were said to come out alive. Methods of torture included the insertion of a six-inch length of dowel into a detainees ear and then tapping it into the brain until subsequent death, also starvation and electric shock treatment to the genitals of both males and females was the norm. Another famous event that made American brutality evident was the massacre at My Lai on 16th March 1968. 347 unarmed civilians were beaten and killed because they were apparently pro-Communist and harboured VC or were VC themselves. Victims included the elderly, women, children and even babies, who were all beaten with rifle butts, shot and in some cases raped. As the success of this war could not be measured by territorial gain, it became the body count that showed success8. It became clear to all that this was going on through the ever-present media and this did nothing to help Americas popularity or support for their war effort around the world. The Vietnam War is also infamous for the massive bombing campaigns that America ran. America believed that the war could be one purely through technological superiority. In battles such as the Battle for Khe Sanh, Americas use of superior firepower played a pinnacle role. Unfortunately for the Americans, their superior firepower was useless in the conditions that Vietnam produced and this also frustrated the troops. The bombing runs were ruthless and inaccurate. Many of the most famous images to come out of the Vietnam War were ones portraying the horror of napalm attacks. One such image is the world famous photo of the young girl, Him Phuc, running down the street, skin burned by an American napalm attack. These images were a product of the massive media presence that existed in Vietnam during the war. This media presence played a big part in the way the world saw America during the war and therefore also their defeat. Photographers and journalists from around the world were sent to Vietnam to document both sides of the war. Many of the ensuing images were used for propaganda for both America and Northern forces. Some believe that the American and North Vietnamese governments put many of the photographers there for propagandistic purposes9, trying to capture images that best portrayed the brutality of the opposing force. Unluckily for the Americans more photos were taken explicitly portraying the American cruelty that that of the VC or NVA. As mentioned above the image of Kim Phuc was seen world wide and devastated Americas already precarious position in many of the worlds peoples eyes. At the time of the Vietnam war, the world was at a stage where a photographer could take a photo and it would end up on the front page of newspapers around the globe only a day or two later10. This led to even more outrage throughout the world at America, as their actions never seemed to be justified in the first place. Much of the world believed that America had lied about their intentions when they first entered Vietnam and the images seen made these beliefs seem justified. The use of guerrilla tactics once again proves it worth as they prevented a speedy US victory which allowed the worldwide anti-war media campaign to build, and in turn further destroying troop morale. Eventually the support on the home front collapsed and the American people joined in protesting their own involvement in the war. This was another factor that led to the crushingly low levels of morale in the troops. In conclusion after considering other possible causes for the US defeat, the evidence suggests that the Vietcong the use of guerilla warfare tactics was the main cause for the US lack of success in the Vietnam War. Whilst there were clearly many other contributing factors, I have found that the use of guerilla tactics played a major role in a battle that was fought on the ground, pinning down huge numbers of US troops in Vietnam. Enough damage was inflicted on the troops that eventually sufficient pressure was bought on the US government to pull their troops out. This was when the war ended, when the US government realised they couldnt win, this was because of guerrilla tactics. I considered what the outcome of the war would have been had it been fought in a different way and believe this would have made a huge difference to the outcome of the war. The fact that America was in Vietnam for their own strategic interests rather than for the Vietnamese people was a close second in the ordering of reasons. Finally the lack of morale was the third major contributing factor but I found that this was mostly caused by the fear of the unseen enemy that the troops faced caused by guerrilla tactics.

Role of Cognitive Mapping in Health Care Management Decision

Role of Cognitive Mapping in Health Care Management Decision Describe and discuss the role of cognitive mapping in health care management decision making. Description of Cognitive Mapping Cognitive mapping is an operational research technique that consists of creating a graphical representation of a persons (or groups) way of thinking about an issue, and where directionality within the map is assumed to imply perceived causality among the concepts (Eden, 2004). The proposed value of the graphical representation, as argued from the field of political science, is that it makes it easy to for anyone to see how concepts and causal relationships are related, and appreciate the overall structure of all the assertions (Eden 2004 cited Axelrod 1976, p. 676). It is one mechanism of system dynamics simulation modelling that generally came about as a reaction to failure of traditional approaches to capture interactions within complex problems in social systems (Edkins et al. 2007 cited Checkland 1981). It avoids the common research process pitfall of reductionism by allowing multiple conflicting views to be revealed and, providing a comprehensive picture of the participants perspectives but keeping all details to represent beliefs that are most important to stakeholders represented (Duryan, Nikolik, Merode, 2015; Eden Ackermann, 2004). Cognitive mapping was initially introduced as a method for problem analysis. But recognizing its value, it has then found roles in performance measurement, decision making, and strategy formulation. Eden and Ackermann (1991) expounded on the possible uses of this technique in becoming an instrument for developing consensus about shared goals, providing structure to multiple and conflicting aspects of an issue, informing negotiation, and suggesting actions to resolve issues. Use of Cognitive Mapping in Health Care Cognitive mapping is argued to be best for messy situations wherein stakeholders do not understand the problem or interpret them differently, and often do not realize it (Mingers 2008 cited Ackoff 1979a). Healthcare decision making falls into this realm as it has always been complicated by information asymmetry, trade-offs between efficiency and equity, or moral ambiguity that become legitimate sources of uncertainty and debate among stakeholders. In fact, the first uses of cognitive mapping in operational research were in healthcare, education, and defense (Eden Ackermann, 2004). Mingers (2008) described an example in 1997 Manchester, where the UK Health Authority commissioned the Salford Community Trust to develop an integrated approach to childrens services. Mingers argued that while the project seemed straightforward, it turned out to be a messy problem as there was no agreement on the definitions of service specifications, services to be included, direction of the strategy, and how the project should be tackled. There were also many stakeholders involved in the issue (i.e. government, doctors, patient groups, industry) that had very strong opinions about the project. If the group were to make a plan based on epidemiology, practice guidelines, budget constraints and other numerical factors alone, without taking into consideration the stakeholders differing views, the proposed program would likely fail during implementation. Situations like these are common in healthcare decisions given the complexity of issues faced at doctor-patient, organizational, and national-policy level. Mathematical and statistical methods provide a narrow focus on measurable aspects of decision that fails to catch the reasoning, motivations, and interactions relevant to achieving these outcomes. Problem structuring through cognitive mapping provides an opportunity for healthcare decision makers to systematically measure these missing interactions and assess their impact to the goal under assessment (Pidd, 2004). Sachdeva et al (2007) explored the added value of cognitive mapping from traditional approaches in understanding patient flow delays in a Pediatric Intensive Unit (PICU) of a Childrens Hospital in Wisconsin, USA. Hard operations research (OR) results using modelling were persuasive, but became inadequate to result to change given politically sensitive issues that arose. Soft OR using cognitive mapping that was done identified new issues and offered a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of the issues complexity that helped persuade decision makers to act on the recommendations. SODA The most common technique for cognitive mapping is the Strategic Options Development Method (SODA). SODA is an ethnographic method derived from interviews that are intended to represent the participants subjective worlds the theoretical basis of which is explained by personal construct theory (Eden 2004 cited Kelly 1995) wherein people make sense of their world by seeking to manage and control it. SODA uses a formal modelling technique with rules for its development as described by a user guide developed by Eden and Ackerman (Ackermann et al., 1991). The transcripts of the interviews are separated into short distinct phrases (nodes) that eventually get sorted as goals, strategic directions, or potential options. Fidelity in transcription is imperative to represent the participants intentions and to promote ownership of the resulting map created. The concepts are linked (arrows) to determine accurate subordination of concepts, directionality and opposing poles to create the overall structure. While the map is an important output of its own, these can also be subject to further analysis to gain deeper insight, such as: Analysis Map Characteristics Goals Head analysis Nodes with only incoming arrows To identify end goals or effects Density analysis Number of mentions of the concepts To determine potential key issues from the perspectives of the participants that may need further examination Centrality analysis Number of links to the concept, or ratio of arrows to concepts To measure the importance and complexity of the concepts implication chain Hierarchical cluster analysis Number of concepts in chain or arguments linked to option To identify most potent options or valued outcomes to influence on the goals Potency analysis Number of goals each option supports To prioritize options with consequences for the biggest number of key issues Composite tail analysis Ranking of potency analysis To determine the single action that may cause multiple goals to be achieved Source: Summary by Author Healthcare Example of Using SODA A case study by Duryan et al. (2015) on intellectual disability care in Netherlands made use of SODA to determine factors that adversely affect delivery of patient-centered care as evidence for future resource allocation. Following SODA guidelines, the team conducted one-on-one, semi-structured, hour-long interviews with the managers and patient group leaders within one division of a residential care facility. Initially, they were thought to have contrasting goals financial sustainability for the managers and quality of care from resource constraints for the patients. Using the Decision Explorer software, cognitive maps were created and merged to reflect the combined views. Key assumptions were then discussed and verified, and follow-up focus group discussions with different subgroups of the patients (young vs old) and their families were done to refine the ideas represented by the initial group. The merged map was then subject to head, domain, centrality, potency analysis, and comp osite tail analysis. Results showed that group leader freedom to make decisions, flexible shifts, and time spent with patients were the most potent options/solutions, and therefore needed quick action by the managers. According to the researchers, the exercise successfully facilitated critical analysis of the problem and fostered ownership of the proposed solutions by all stakeholders. Seeing the different/ opposing thoughts organized and their end-goals similar also helped reach consensus and manage disagreements. Expansions of SODA While SODA provides solutions to complex strategic processes, it lacks a mechanism to allow for agreement among the strategies to be developed. SODA was developed further into JOURNEY Making (JOintly Understanding Reflecting and NEgotiating strategY) to become a process-oriented and management-science strategy by using the composite map in a workshop setting as a tool to help negotiation and explore policy options that will allow the issue to be intelligently resolved (Mingers, 2008). Another method, the Oval Mapping Technique (OMT), creates a cognitive map but through a highly participative strategy workshops. White et al (2007) used JOURNEY Making to collect and define public values and voices among stakeholders involved in a community hospital project in South London. Intergroup workshops were done in phases to map/graph the issues and options related to the decision. The process resulted to wide acceptance of the recommendations and an official plan enacted by the Department of Health. This is one among many examples of the opportunity to use these newer OR tools in healthcare strategy management planning at both organizations and the national policy arena. Limitations Cognitive mapping provides an opportunity to deal with messy problems in a systematic way, but general acceptance of it as a method is still lacking. Mingers (2008) explains that especially in the United States, it is viewed as a soft OR method not regarded for publication in top journals nor teaching in courses among top schools. The concerns on subjectivity of results remain valid that even though the process is systematic and rigorous, they are still variable and dependent on both study design and recruitment. The cognitive maps developed will depend largely on the choice of participants, their active participation, their personal motivations, and the assumption that they are adequately informed of the problem. And the probability of one person skewing the result is high given the small sample (i.e. 4-10 people) used for these activities. The method also assumes adequate facilitation by the research team to determine the key nodes and domains, which may not always be the case. Also, while cognitive mapping provides a snapshot of the decision making, it does not promote understanding over time periods and cannot be used to derive numerical assessments of its impact (Pidd, 2004). Cross-validation or triangulation using many models of the same issue may be done to increase its validity (Abernethy et al, 2005). Combination of soft and hard methodologies is believed to increase acceptance and sustain organization change especially in healthcare settings (Sachdeva et al., 2007). And, it should always be used in conjunction with other methods for research data gathering, monitoring, performance measurement, or decision support. Lastly, for cognitive mapping to be useful in decision support, it requires the decision makers to understand the method/process, recognize the value of the issues at the front line, take the results seriously, and act on the recommendations. It is therefore crucial for any research team using this method to help the decision makers appreciate the approach and engage with the recommendations. Reference Abernethy, M. A., Horne, M., Lillis, A. M., Malina, M. A., Selto, F. H. (2005). A multi-method approach to building causal performance maps from expert knowledge. Management Accounting Research, 16(2), 135-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mar.2005.03.003 Ackermann, F. ., Cropper, S. A., Eden, C. L. (1991). Cognitive Mapping for Community Operational Research-A Users Guide. (E. Munford, A., Bailey, T., Ed.), Operational research tutorial papers. Duryan, M., Nikolik, D., Merode, G. Van. (2015). Reflecting on the efficacy of cognitive mapping for decision-making in intellectual disability careà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: a case study. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 30(August 2013), 127-144. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.2215 Eden, C. (2004). Analyzing cognitive maps to help structure issues or problems. European Journal of Operational Research, 159(3), 673-686. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-2217(03)00431-4 Eden, C., Ackermann, F. (2004). Cognitive mapping expert views for policy analysis in the public sector. European Journal of Operational Research, 152(3), 615-630. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0377-2217(03)00061-4 Edkins, A. J., Kurul, E., Maytorena-Sanchez, E., Rintala, K. (2007). The application of cognitive mapping methodologies in project management research. International Journal of Project Management, 25(8), 762-772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2007.04.003 Mingers, J. (2008). Reaching the Problems that Traditional OR/MS Methods Cannot Reach. Centerbury. https://doi.org/10.1080/00369220601100075 Pidd, M. (2004). Systems Modelling Theory and Practice. Systems Modelling Theory and Practice. Retrieved from http://www.untag-smd.ac.id/files/Perpustakaan_Digital_1/DECISION MAKING Systems modelling, theory and practice.pdf#page=16 Sachdeva, R., Williams, T., Quigley, J. (2007). Mixing Methodologies to Enhance the Implementation of Healthcare Operational Research. The Journal of the Operational Research Society, 58(2), 159-167. https://doi.org/10.2307/4622680 White, L., Bourne, H. (2007). Voices and values: Linking values with participation in OR/MS in public policy making. Omega, 35(5), 588-603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2005.11.002

The Vulture and the Child Essay examples -- Photograph Photography Ess

The Vulture and the Child This award winning photograph was taken by Kevin Carter in 1993 in the African country of Sudan. Carter won a Pulitzer Prize for this picture in March 1994 (Long). This picture shows a famine stricken child crawling towards a UN food camp which was situated nearly a kilometer away. This picture was first published on the front page of The New York Times on March 23, 1993; followed by Mail & Guardian, a Johannesburg weekly. Later, it was published in the National Geographic and TIME magazines. The picture created such a great impact that every possible media displayed it. This photograph intends to grab the attention of the entire world as a community striving to improve the quality of life. Considering the fact that this picture was published in major newspapers around the globe, the target audience is the general public of the world. Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the continent of Africa. Political instability in Sudan continued to bring famine, pestilence and death to the 3.5 million people who lived in that region. The violations of the rules of war committed by the government and the SPLA(Sudan People’s Liberation Army) factions were a direct and important cause of food shortages and deaths. The U.N. estimated that as many as 800,000 people were in immediate need of international food relief while another 700,000 needed non-food assistance as seeds, farming tools, etc just to feed the population of Sudan(Human Rights Watch). The country was in shambles with international trade deficits rising and constant famines making it nearly impossible to grow any food. This photograph was taken by Kevin Carter when the country was going through such a devastating crisis. ... ...rt/eadptxt.html> CY Leow’s Photoblog, â€Å"Photog’s Trauma.† Screenshots†¦:Photog’s Trauma 29 Jan. 2004. CY Leow’s Photoblog. 22 Mar. 2004. Human Rights Watch. â€Å"Sudan.† Human Rights Watch. 22 Mar. 2004. < http://www.hrw.org/reports/1994/WR94/Africa-09.htm> Cate, Fred. â€Å"Through a glass darkly.† Harvard University Asia Center 26 Aug. 1999. Harvard University Asia Center. 22 Mar. 2004. < http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~asiactr/archive/fs_cate2.htm> Hawthorne, Peter. â€Å"The Bang-Bang Club risked — and some lost — their lives to capture defining images of human tragedy.† TIME Europe | Books : Moments in Time 9 Oct. 2000. TIME Magazine. 22 Mar. 2004. < http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/1009/bang.html> Carter, Kevin. Mar 1993.

The History of Rollerblades :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Roller skating is said to have been born during the summer months when ice was not available. The first documented inventor of roller skates was John Joseph Merlin who was born September 17, 1735, in the city of Huys, Belgium. Merlin was well known for his abilities for making musical instruments and other interesting mechanical gadgets. Through various incarnations, roller skates strove to replicate the streamlined speed and maneuverability of ice skates, but without ball bearings or shock-absorbent wheels it would take 200 years before that dream was achieved. Even as late as 1960, the Chicago Skate Company attempted to market an inline skate that looked much like today's skate, but it did not offer sufficient comfort, stability or a reliable brake (Zaidman 1). Although the Chicago Skate Company’s attempt of the inline skate was not successful, it did play a pivotal role in the molding of what is now known as inline skating. In 1980, two hockey-playing Minnesota Olson brothers discovered the in-line skate that the Chicago Skate Company had manufactured while rummaging through a sporting goods store and decided that this design would make an ideal off-season hockey-training tool. They refined the skate and began assembling the first Rollerblade skates in the basement of their parents' Minneapolis home. Working in their garage, they modified the design to add plastic wheels, a molded boot shell, and a tow brake. The Olsen brothers sold their product, which they dubbed â€Å"Rollerblade Skate,† out of the back of their truck to off-season hockey player and skiers (Kerin 5). It was that same year, when they founded the company that would become Rollerblade ® (Rollerblade.com). In 1984, Minneapolis businessman Bob Naegele, Jr. purchased Olson's fledgling company, which eventually became Rollerblade, Inc. Though not the first company to manufacture inline skates, Rollerblade, by offering a comfortable skate with a reliable and easy-to-implement brake, took inline skating out of the exclusive domain of hockey players and introduced millions to the sport that now has the whole world on a roll (Zaidman 1). The History of Rollerblades :: essays research papers fc   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Roller skating is said to have been born during the summer months when ice was not available. The first documented inventor of roller skates was John Joseph Merlin who was born September 17, 1735, in the city of Huys, Belgium. Merlin was well known for his abilities for making musical instruments and other interesting mechanical gadgets. Through various incarnations, roller skates strove to replicate the streamlined speed and maneuverability of ice skates, but without ball bearings or shock-absorbent wheels it would take 200 years before that dream was achieved. Even as late as 1960, the Chicago Skate Company attempted to market an inline skate that looked much like today's skate, but it did not offer sufficient comfort, stability or a reliable brake (Zaidman 1). Although the Chicago Skate Company’s attempt of the inline skate was not successful, it did play a pivotal role in the molding of what is now known as inline skating. In 1980, two hockey-playing Minnesota Olson brothers discovered the in-line skate that the Chicago Skate Company had manufactured while rummaging through a sporting goods store and decided that this design would make an ideal off-season hockey-training tool. They refined the skate and began assembling the first Rollerblade skates in the basement of their parents' Minneapolis home. Working in their garage, they modified the design to add plastic wheels, a molded boot shell, and a tow brake. The Olsen brothers sold their product, which they dubbed â€Å"Rollerblade Skate,† out of the back of their truck to off-season hockey player and skiers (Kerin 5). It was that same year, when they founded the company that would become Rollerblade ® (Rollerblade.com). In 1984, Minneapolis businessman Bob Naegele, Jr. purchased Olson's fledgling company, which eventually became Rollerblade, Inc. Though not the first company to manufacture inline skates, Rollerblade, by offering a comfortable skate with a reliable and easy-to-implement brake, took inline skating out of the exclusive domain of hockey players and introduced millions to the sport that now has the whole world on a roll (Zaidman 1).

The Validity of Cognitive Dissonance Theory Essay examples -- communic

Description of Theory The term dissonance refers to when one cognitive element is inconsistent with another cognitive element according to the lecture notes of Professor Soreno. Cognitive elements can be categorized in four groups called beliefs, attitudes, values, and perceptions of behavior. Beliefs can be defined as a perception that something exists or not. This perception can range from a central or peripheral type of belief. The more central a belief is, the harder it is to change that belief. An attitude describes the positive or negative feelings we have toward people, things, or ideas. Values are beliefs that are so important to a person, that they practically guide a person’s life. There are two types of values, instrumental and terminal. Perceptions of behavior simply refer to the interpretation of actions by another. For example, when someone waves at a person, in America, it is often perceived as a friendly gesture. When two of these cognitive elements are incongruent, it leads to diss onance, which can very in intensity. People often experience dissonance on a daily basis, but because it is so minute, it is not bothersome. The Cognitive Dissonance theory deals with these small occurrences, but for the sake of understanding, extreme examples help to explain the theory in better detail. According to Festinger, all of the cognitive elements held the same value in producing cognitive dissonance, but some scholars have challenged his theory. In the book, The Handbook of Motivation Science, the authors claim that attitude cognitive element holds a heavier value over the other elements by saying it can change the behavior of a person. They quote, â€Å"In experimental tests of the theory, knowledge about recent behavior is usua... ...s communication studies continue, there will be more tests and conclusions on the Cognitive Dissonance theory that will reveal more about human communication. After all, learning how we communicate with each other is how we are able to grow as a society. References Harmon-Jones, E. (2008). Cognitive Dissonance Theory. In J. Shah, W. Gardener, & V. Gardener, Handbook of Motivational Science (pp. 71-83). New York City: The Guilford Press. Helwig-Larson, M., & Collins, B. (1997, April 1). A Social Psychological Perspective on the Role of Knowledge about AIDS in AIDS Prevention. Current Directions in Psychological Science , Vol. 6 (No. 2). Lepper, M. R., & Greene, D. (1975). Turning Play into Work: Effects of Adult Surveillance and Extrinsic Rewards on Children's Intrinsic Motivation. Journal ol Personality and Social Psychology , Vol. 31, 479-486.

Othello Language

In Shakespeare’s Othello there is an immediate contrast between Iago and Othello’s language. In â€Å"Act1 scene 1† Iago’s first speech to Roderigo is of a revengeful nature and evil tone. â€Å"Despise me if I do not. Three great ones of the city (In personal suit to make me his lieutenant). † Iago is infuriated with Othello’s neglect of him, Shakespeare creates this foreshadow of a tragic outcome early on, but he misleads the audience into thinking that Iago’s language is justified. Furthering Iago’s support from the Elizabethans is that Othello is seen as an outsider.In Aristotle theory of poetics one of the main themes of tragedy are the aspect of awe and pity, and that the protagonist is not introduced straight away. The audience automatically feels pity for poor Iago, as he has to beg Roderigo for money and has been deprived a promotion and because Othello is not primarily introduced he has no way of proving his justificat ion for appointing Cassio. This in the eyes of the Elizabethans makes Othello the antagonist. In â€Å"Act 1 scene 1†. Othello's mind is poetic but simple, he is not observant.His nature tends outward. He is quite free from self examination, and is not given to reflection. Emotion gives him his imagination, but it confuses and dulls his intellect. In â€Å"Act 1 Scene 2† Shakespeare’s use of poetical linguistics limits Othello’s views on other characters â€Å"honest Iago†. One of the main contrasts of language in Othello is â€Å"Act 1 Scene 2†. This is when the audience became aware of Iago’s duplicitous nature, at the beginning of the play he speaks of his resentment filled hate â€Å"I know my price, I am worth no worse a place.But he (as loving his own pride and purposes)† but he warns Othello of Brabantio’s â€Å"bad intentions†. Shakespeare showed the transformation in Iago’s language when he was int eracting with other characters. This presented the audiences growing distrust. However articulate Othello is commanding, but arrogant â€Å"Keep up your bright swords for the dew will rust them† confident in his speech, he wooed â€Å"virtuous† Desdemona with his â€Å"enchanting† war stories.Shakespeare wanted the audience to be in awe of Othello and pity evoked for Iago in â€Å"Act 1 Scene 2† allowing the audience to empathise. At this point of the play, dramatic irony sets the scene as the audience know of Iago’s â€Å"villainous† plans, but engrossed Othello has fallen under the hypnotism of love. Shakespeare’s use of language presents his obsession with â€Å"sweet† Desdemona as thereâ€Å"love is Olympus high†. â€Å"Act 1 Scene 3†

Wal-Mart Effects the Economy

Jim Lee Eng 101: Reames December 2, 2010 Wal-Mart Greatly Impacts the U. S. Economy Is Wal-Mart ruining the local businesses in America? Most professional business men can agree that Wal-Mart affects the United States economy in many different ways. Wal-Mart is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large, discount department stores. It is the world's largest public corporation by revenue according to the 2008 Fortune Global 500. However this corporation has contraverisal issues about how they do their sales and the long term affects they put in the economy.Professionals will agree that Wal-Mart has hurt many community businesses as Wal-Mart open in areas around them. There have been common statistics for when a Wal-Mart opens and the affect they have. This paper focuses on the affect Wal-Mart has in rural areas and the views of professionals intake on this topic. Also this paper will feature how Wal-Mart will affect our feature. The target audience for this paper is peo ple who are interested in the learning of the affects of large corporations vs small businesses.When analyzing the affects of Wal-Mart many researchers will agree with the fact that small businesses lose revenue when big corporation buy for low and sell also low to beat the competition. Stone (1997) states that â€Å"Studies in Iowa have shown that some small towns lose up to 47 percent of their retail trade after 10 years of Wal-Mart stores nearby† (Pg. 2). That is a big statistic to take in as the community will suffer from a high loss of the money for the community.Also the small business helps keep the economy in flow and when small businesses start to fail, people start losing jobs and people will move out of communities which hurts the communities. Stone (1997) comments that â€Å"It is believed that this decline in sales happened because Wal-Mart placed its own stores too close together, causing a predatory effect† (Pg. 6). This statement is true because Wal-Mar t uses the predatory effect to drive competitors out of business. The predatory effect is the practice of selling products and services at a very low price intending to drive competitors out of business.That is how Wal-Mart has been dominant because of their ability to sell prices so low to attract consumers to continue to shop at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart can do this because by attracting consumers to buy certain products at a lower price that other products are raised in value and consumers will shop throughout the store. The key is to get consumers to come to your business and Wal-Mart has almost perfected that. Overall Stone would agree with the idea of Wal-Mart is ruining the local businesses around America as Wal-Mart has become a fully national chain.Understanding this topic would be important because it can tell what we will see in the future of the economy. Many would agree with Stone like Goetz and Swaminathan with the fact Wal-Mart has effects in local communities. Goetz and Swa minathan (2004) states that â€Å"We offer three possible explanations for this finding, including that Wal-Mart stores destroy civic capacity in the communities in which they locate by driving out local entrepreneurs and community leaders† (Pg. 2). This statement connects with Stone as well as my point of view of this topic.Wal-Mart has downgrade the middle class economy with their style of retail sales and buying cheap products over seas. Goetz and Swaminathan (2004) quotes that â€Å"Local leaders and academic researchers are increasingly interested in the community-level effects of â€Å"big box† retailers and discount department stores† (Pg. 3). This has potential to have a positive outcome because America will realize that Wal-Mart has affected the United States so greatly that the government needs to step in and control how Wal-Mart conducts business.Wal-Mart has received considerable and mostly negative recent public media and Congressional attention, in addition to spawning a number of hostile web-sites as Goetz and Swaminathan (2004) reports (Pg. 3). It is good that people are realizing this and speaking out about this effect on our economy. This will get this phenomenon brought up to the government level and will be talked about to high levels of authority. Goetz and Swaminathan are professionals that agree with my idea of local businesses being destroyed by Wal-Mart.Common views of professionals will agree that our economy is partly affected by the Wal-Mart effect. Neumark, Zhang, and Ciccarella (2005) will agree with Stone, Goetz, and Swaminathan by saying that â€Å"We estimate the effects of Wal-Mart stores on county-level employment and earnings, accounting for endogeneity of the location and timing of Wal-Mart openings that most likely biases the evidence against finding adverse effects of Wal-Mart stores† (Pg. 1). This is another common aspect of all these professionals with the idea that there is a negative effect behind the openings of Wal-Mart.All of the effects found are common as they reduce local businesses around new Wal-Marts. Neumark, Zhang, and Ciccarella (2005) quotes â€Å" Yet two of the most commonly-heard criticisms are that Wal-Mart eliminates more jobs than it creates for a community and that Wal-Mart’s wage levels pull down standards for all workers—not simply creating low-wage jobs, but driving down wages† (Pg. 1). Not only is the Wal-Mart effect destroying the local businesses, Wal-Mart does not help create more jobs for the jobs it loses in the community.Also Wal-Mart does not pay its workers a good wage. That can greatly affect a community because the citizens within that community will not have money to buy products, keeping the flow of the economy going. Neumark, Zhang, and Ciccarella (2005) also agrees on my idea of the topic of Wal-Mart by stating â€Å"There is also an academic literature on the impact of Wal-Mart stores, focusing on the effect s of Wal-Mart openings on local employment, retail prices and sales, poverty rates, and the concentration of the retailing industry, as well as the impact on existing businesses† (Pg. ). They are basically stating that Wal-Mart impacts many aspects of the economy because of how Wal-Mart conducts business. Also that the impacts are not in positive ways in which they should be when new competition arises. The fact that Wal-Mart beats out its competitors really easy is a scary weapon that Wal-Mart can abuse. In which they have abuse their power to buy bulk supplies by demanding the prices of whom they buy from instead of negoicating. Neumark, Zhang, and Ciccarella can all agree that Wal-Mart is ruining the local businesses in America.Furthermore into this topic, most professionals will all conform that Wal-Mart affects the economy in more negative ways then positive. Arindraji, William, and Barry (2007) states that â€Å"estimates that exploit the spatial diffusion of Wal-Mart s tores find that a single Wal-Mart store opening reduces the average retail earnings in a county by 0. 5 – 0. 9 percent† (Pg. 4). This is not good for any economy that when a new business is open that the average retail earning is lowered instead of increased. This just means that when Wal-Mart opens it loses more of its competitor retailers then what Wal-Mart gains.Ten new Wal-Mart stores in a state are found to reduce the average hourly wage of retail workers by around 2 percent as purpose by Arindraji, William, and Barry (Pg. 4). Wal-Mart should be able to pay their workers better if they are finacnically doing well as they are ranked number one in the Fortune 500 list. They are the number one ranked corporation and they do not pay their employers above the average. Wal-Mart has been making money other then the products and services they provide. As Wal-Mart can see that they can pay their workers the minimum wage and get away with it, while making billions of dollars world wide.Arindraji, William, and Barry will confirm that Wal-Mart has been greatly impacting the economies in the where abouts they consult business. Wal-Mart has been overly competitive with the prices they put on the products and drive competition out of business. In the Lansing State Journal, Domsic reports that â€Å"The recent closings of three locally owned grocery stores reflect a traditional grocery sector struggling to compete with big-box stores and the growing number of pharmacies, convenience stores and other shops that have added more food to their lineups. The big box stores they are talking about are Wal-Mart, Meijers, and Kroger. Those stores have been competing with each other to cut prices really low, beating out the other local businesses. Competition is good but what happens when there is no competition? Then those who have beat out the other competition will have a garentee chance to always survive in the economy and basically take all the consumers in the a rea. Domsic also comments â€Å"bigger players have beefed up their food lines or cut prices as they vie for Lansing-area shoppers. The bigger players are the Wal-Mart, Meijer, and Kroger and they are competing fiercely for consumers. Even though competition is good, it is bad when some of the competition disappears from the market. Although there are many cons of Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart has many benefits as they provide low costs of products they sell. Irwin (2007) reports that â€Å"Wal-Mart’s food prices are estimated to be 8% to 27% lower than large supermarket chains for an identical market basket across different U. S. metro areas† (Pg. 1). This is a benefit for the lower and middle class to try and save money in these rough times in the United States.That is why consumers are attracted to shop at Wal-Mart because you can save money and be able to buy other things. Irwin expresses this benefit as â€Å"This has generated tremendous savings for Wal-Mart consumers by offering lower priced goods in the community, and generating competition among retailers† (Pg. 1). Wal-Mart creates unbelievable savings for its consumers therefore keeps the competition alive for Wal-Mart's competitors. Also that competition is very good for the economy in the United States. Those are some ways that Wal-Mart impacts the business industry in positive ways.Those are not just the ways that Wal-Mart has benefited America. Wal-Mart has helped personal income and employment. Riper (2008) quotes â€Å"The study shows that between 1985 and 2003, personal income, overall employment and retail employment grew faster in counties with a Wal-Mart than in those without one. † This means that the more Wal-Mart is built around the United States and other countries that it will benefit income of people and help raise employment in the area. That is a good because then people would have more money to help keep that economic flow in communities going.Also the rise in emp loyment will improve the surrounding unemployment of the location Wal-Mart is around. Nearly 90% of the U. S. population lives within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart store, and two-thirds of all retailers are located within five miles of one as Riper reports. That means a vast majority of America is surrounded by a Wal-Mart close by. This is good for Wal-Mart as they can be easily located and can be accessible to almost anyone. Wal-Mart is everywhere and that is a huge benefit Wal-Mart has over its competitors.Wal-Mart has brought up some good positive impacts as there are aproximatly 3,600 Wal-Marts in the United States. One of the impacts is the amount of jobs each Wal-Mart creates as Wal-Mart's site cites â€Å"Approximately 350 new positions will be needed at the store (a majority of those positions will be full time). An additional 100 construction jobs will be created. † That means there are 1. 26 million jobs in America that are in the Wal-Mart industry. Also that 360,000 const ruction jobs was created for the building of Wal-Mart.As long as Wal-Mart is doing well with profits, they will continue to expand new Wal-Marts. This will mean more jobs in America. Another good impact Wal-Mart has is how they provide savings to consumers as the Wal-Mart site reports â€Å"Studies have shown that Walmart stores save the average household $3,406. 00 a year. Customers can purchase over 300 generic pharmaceutical drugs for just $4. 00 or less. † The amount you save at Wal-Mart builds up as you can see. That helps citizens save money if there income is sufficiently low or on certain budgets.Not only do Wal-Mart provide savings for its consumers and employment, Wal-Mart has been involved in the environment by stating that â€Å"Wal-mart is leading a global sustainability effort to reduce energy consumption through a variety of initiatives that will also be used at this store. The store will purchase a number of grocery and garden products locally to save energy costs and support the local economy. † That helps Wal-Mart with its community respect to be involve and not just a average corporation that does not care about the itself.Also this tells that Wal-Mart cares about the environment and not just making profits. Overall, Wal-Mart is a benefit to the American economy. Wal-Mart has not been selfish at all in communities like Landover Hills. Wal-Mart has started up a program to help local businesses. Mui reports that â€Å"Wal-Mart said it would offer free advertising to local stores and seminars on how to do business and even compete with Wal-Mart. † This is something that is rarely done in the business world. A competitor helping another competitor out.This would help competition around the area and benefit the local stores into competing with Wal-Mart. Many people think having Wal-Mart around is a benefit. Mui quotes â€Å"Other store owners credit Wal-Mart for boosting their sales, through both its proximity and community outreach programs. † Local businessmen are claiming that having a Wal-Mart around is a benefit. Somehow Wal-Mart has continue to benefit some people while some others do not believe so. Wal-Mart has brought up many views on how they affect the competition and how the employment is affect in several different ways.My opinion on Wal-Mart is that Wal-Mart is destroying the American middle class slowly every year. Wal-Mart closes individual business owners and reduces competition in which an economy like America, competition keeps the economy in steady flow. Also that they are like a monopoly to me. Wal-Mart is not just a discount retail store. They provide all sorts of different services like eye examinations, haircuts, predacures, and they can provide and activate cell phones on the Wal-Mart plan. Wal-Mart is exploring all markets and providing them into their own stores.That is not a good impact because Wal-Mart already dominates in the retail store and driving other retail sto res and local businesses out of work, so providing these services just keeps Wal-Mart in benefits from those services. I believe that the government needs to take a bigger stand on what Wal-Mart can do because Wal-Mart has been changing so rapidly and dominating any corporation out there, that the government should regulate how they buy supplies. Wal-Mart buys most of their products for their shelves from China for low prices.Thus, making a lot of job losses in America. How can an American corporation do this to America? Wal-Mart also does not have health benefits for its workers and Wal-Mart pays low wages for its workers. That does not help out the working class of the United States. Our economy is not doing so well right now as we are in debt from war. Wal-Mart should help stable the economy since they done some damage to the United States in ways the Founder of Wal-Mart should have knowledge about and try to find new ways to conduct business.