Thursday, December 26, 2019

Women s Rights Of Women - 2435 Words

woman may achieve nearly unchallengeable authority of a church due to age and spirituality (Leonard, 2012). 26. Nance and Gill (2009) along with Mowczko (2010a) stand firm in their opinions that to deny women the right to be part of the clergy: â€Å"God called His daughters forth to prophesy and preach His message throughout history, and He continues to do so today. Those who limit women by hiding behind church tradition and refer to it as God’s divine order for the genders are sincerely wrong; the embrace the oppression caused by sin, which is the purpose Jesus coming to earth† (Nance Gill, 2009). â€Å"Jesus offers us much of church history that women have been denied leadership roles. Mowczko discusses women as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The church has been slow to embrace the N T ideal of equality and mutuality among people regarding race and gender. Jesus gave women dignity, respect, and value in His ministry but that is lacking today† (Mowczko, M., 2010a). 27. 28. 29. Gender Bias. Resistance to female clergy 30. 31. Combs (2016), in his study, noted that the effort to expand female clergy met with heavy resistance. His findings matched well with others in that the dominance of male structures of most churches do not favor female clergy. â€Å"The hierarchal religions continue to promote the predominance of males† (Combs, 2016). There may be a possibility of educating church denominations in understanding how organizational culture and leadershipShow MoreRelatedWomen s Rights Of Women Essay1455 Words   |  6 Pagesa myriad of women have expressed through outlets such as public assemblies, literature, and speeches. There have been three waves of the women’s movement, each targeting a variety of issues within each era. The third wave was in 1995, where Hillary Clinton spoke in Beijing, China, claiming that women’s rights were the same as human rights, that every aspiring girl deserved the civil liberties that every man was given around the world. Moreover, the movement ha d shifted towards women in developingRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1265 Words   |  6 Pagesstands in the way of women being equal to men? Journalist Carlin Flora suggests the following, â€Å"While not all claims to humanity are universal and no one context, culture or continent can truly represent all peoples, the following three examples from very different contexts, cultures and continents show that some violations of women’s human rights are universal. In particular, it is still the case the world over that a woman’s reproductive rights, which impact on her right to life, are still seenRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women881 Words   |  4 PagesTwenty –first century ladies are discovering it a daunting task to keep up both sexual orientation parts as an aftereffect of the women s activist development. They are presently assuming liability for both the supplier and the nurturer, battling like never before to acquire and keep a superior personal satisfact ion. Woman s rights has supported in equivalent vocation opportunity, battling to get ladies acknowledged into the employment advertise, and what initially began as ladies strengtheningRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women Essay1647 Words   |  7 Pagesthe early 1920’s, women thought they had achieved the unachievable. They could finally work, keep their earned wages, marry whomever they please, and even vote. After reaching their goal and fighting vigorously, women could taste equality and the freedom they deserved. While women still have the right to work in today’s society, women are not exactly treated equal in the workplace. Regardless of the past and the extreme measures taken to ensure equal opportunities for both men and women, there are manyRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1590 Words   |  7 Pagesthe 1920s, women were ignored in every aspect of their life. From politics, to social situations, women were constantly looked at as lesser. The 20s was a decade of wo men ready to fight for their rights. From gaining social freedoms, to getting political rights, the 20s was the first decade of feminism. Many women played key roles in the fight for women s rights through speeches, marches, and much more. The women that fought for their rights in the 1920s completely changed how women live their livesRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1230 Words   |  5 PagesWomen’s suffrage has stretched from the 1800’s to present day, as women have struggled to have the same civil and constitutional rights as men in politics and be appreciated as equals in the workforce. Groups of women known as suffragists questioned the customary views of women’s roles. Eventually our nation has evolved and realized that male-controlled societies suppress women’s rights. From the beginning steps taken in 1850 to 2013 with women earning combat roles in the military, women’s rolesRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1206 Words   |  5 Pagesto s peak of women and the role of women in this election, the subject of women is tiresome but necessary in a world where gender is still existent as an obstacle for most. I cannot identify what woman is. I am basing my definition from our modern understanding of woman, our general view, and the popular experience. People are using younger women voting for Bernie Sanders as proof of gender’s irrelevant in this election, that women have achieved their rights. Even if women ‘have rights now’ it doesRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1393 Words   |  6 Pages Women all over the world are being treated different than men. Iran is one of the places that women are being treated the worst. From restrictions to punishments, women in Iran are being treated with no respect, and that is not okay. Women’s rights activists have tried to get it to change, and have traveled to many places to try and get more people to join their movement. There are many issues with women not having the same rights as men. One of the main problems is that they are treated lessRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1272 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout history, women have fought a strenuous battle for equal rights. Many men, and even some women, all over the world believe that women do not share the same value and importance to society as men do. On September 5, 1995, Hillary Clinton spoke at the 4th World Conference on Women, on behalf of women all over the world. Clinton raised awareness on how women s rights are being violated and why it is important to recognize women s rights as equal to everyone else’s rights. Even today, in 2016Read MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1052 Words   |  5 PagesThe family has traditionally been the basic unit of Chinese society where women have long been charged with upholding society s values in their roles as wives and mothers. Especially in the Qing Dynasty, women were required to balance society s i deals with the reality of raising a family and maintaining a household. Throughout the imperial period and into the beginning of the twentieth century, the relationship among family members was prescribed by Confucian teachings. The revered philosopher

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Compare And Contrast Young Goodman Brown And The Devil And...

â€Å"The Devil and Tom Walker† describes the devil in the following way: â€Å"he was dressed in a rude half-indian garb, and had a red belt...yet He had a shock of coarse black hair...and bore an ax on his shoulder.† Washington Irving wrote â€Å"The Devil and Tom Walker† in 1824, which tells how Tom Walker became rich by working for the devil. Another short story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in1835, describes Goodman Brown’s woodland tramp with the Devil. The two stories share specific ideas regarding the devil, overpowering minor deviations between each other. Both authors describe the devil similarly. When first encountered, they portray him described as a mostly normal person, with only a subtle clue to his†¦show more content†¦In â€Å"The Devil and Tom Walker,† the devil carries pious Tom away on his great black horse, and in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† all the village’s cit izens, including Goody Cloyse, Goodman Brown, and his wife willingly gather at a worship service for the devil, which ruins the remainder of Brown’s life so that â€Å"when he had lived long, and was borne to his grave...they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone, for his dying hour was gloom.† The corruptness of man’s sinful nature made it possible for the devil to capture the souls of Tom Walker and Goodman Brown. Although the stories’ main components mirror each other, they still differentiate. For example, in â€Å"The Devil and Tom Walker,† everyone believes Tom has made a deal with the devil, whereas in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† the author questions the actuality of the night’s events: â€Å"Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meaning?† Even if the incidents never did transpire, Goodman Brown could not return to his Christian life. On the other hand, Tom Walker tried living a Christian life again, but the devil still carried him off. The protagonists’ relationship with their wives also varied between the stories. Goodman Brown loved his seemingly innocent wife, Faith; while Tom Walker hated his termagant wife and though heShow MoreRelatedStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pageslittle detail). A balance must be maintained in dealing with the short-run future on the one hand and the long-run future on the other. Apart from headlines in The Times we can note the short-run preoccupation in the UK with financial results and contrast this with the longer-run relevance of market-building strategies, or the risk of being obsessed with tactics to the exclusion of a proper concern for strategy. † INTRODUCTION 11 1.4 Strategic decisions and the nature of strategy StrategicRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagescreation of this text was a challenging adventure, and we would like to acknowledge the contribution of many others to its development. We would like to express our thanks to Jacqueline Senior, who was our original commissioning editor, and to Matthew Walker, who took over that role. We also would wish to thank David Cox and Stuart Hay, who have been our development editors. Their contribution to the pedagogic shaping of the text challenged many of our initial assumptions about the nature of a ‘textbook’

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Information Communication Technology (ICT) Application in Airbnb

Question: Use organization AirBnB, Research and report on their deployment of ICT in a managerial capacity and identify the business case for that deployment. Describe how the use of information communication technology can impact business models and the direction of the organization? Answer: Introduction: Airbnb came was founded in year 2008 for the purpose of rent out lodging facility. At present the company has its presence over 192 countries around the world. It has its headquarters in San Francisco, California. Applying ICT in Airbnb: A. ICT application in managerial capacity: ICT or Information and Communication Technology is the key to the operation and functioning of the Airbnb. It has proved to bring huge success for the company in just five years of its inception. Through the application of Information and Communication the company has place a platform which is more like a social website that allows guests and hosts to interact on lodging facility. That is the web portal and recently added mobile application allows the guests to enquire about the lodging facility. In return the host would offer details along with images, videos and price for stay using the online service portal. The web portal therefore offers a secure lodging facility for the guest with the already registered host along with the customer reviews. On the other hand the interest of the host is also taken care of by offering them 24 hour customer support system so that the miscreants guests can be dealt with immediate effect. B. The use of information communication technology impact on business models: The use of information communication technology can impact business models by bringing in action the new idea of dealing with the clients and making profits thereafter from the business deals. The business models that have come into existence with the information communication technology in action for Airbnb include the followings. Bricks and clicks business: The application of bricks and click business model has been developed through the information communication technology as the services of selecting and booking a lodging facility is done online and the guests have to take the advantage of the facility by physically moving to that place. Franchisee business: The company has opened its franchisee business in various countries through which the business portal in different countries help them manage for the lodging facility through the local entrepreneurs. Fee in, Free out business model: Airbnb charges the hosts of around 6%-12% of the commission from their earnings. This way they offer fee in service from the hosts and free out service for the guests. C. Applying information technology to leverage information: The application of information technology to leverage information has resulted in enhancing business competitiveness. The companys policy of sharing the host information with the guest and vice versa has resulted in bringing out more acceptance between the two parties but it has resulted in increasing issues and problems for the company itself. The company has to face various charges of guests making burglary in hosts place. On the other hand the hosts are not giving the appropriate response or promised service or logistics facility to the guest. The result is that this platform of lodging has been facing serious competition from various other websites such as craigslist, local mind and others which suggest their different logistics places. Although the advancement in the technology has resulted in the rise of this business the same has created close competitors for it. This has led the company to move on active growth plan through which it is making its new office in different place s around the world including Australia, Europe, North America and now planning to enter Asian markets. Thus the global level operations have become the key for the sustenance of this business which is completely dependent on information communication technology. At present the company is getting 75% of its earning from outside United States which is a good example of the ICT strategy and application in practice. D. Synthesizing an Enterprise Information System has to offer: An Enterprise Information System applied in Airbnb has to offer a more thorough platform in the operation in following ways. Increasing centralized functioning: Through online medium and 24 hour support system, Airbnb is able to increase its centralized functioning through which the global guests can interact with global hosts for lodging facility. The mobile application which supports chart and image sharing has helped in bringing the two parties closer. Also the back support system available round the clock also helps in assisting the customer in entering in business deals. Achieving high quality performance: The improved website functions and mobile applications through Android and IOS the company has been able to reach closer to its customers. Thus the 24 hour customer support system helps the company to achieve customer satisfaction. Also the sharing image facility and the customer reviews on various lodging places helps in offering high quality performance to the guest search for lodging facility. Fulfilling large organizational needs: The organizational needs of growing is been achieved through the Enterprise Information System in application. It has helped the large organizations to enter into partnership and join ventures with global hosts so that the global guests can be provided with a proper lodging facility. E. Diagnosis of organizational issues and application of strategies by Airbnb: The various organizational issues that the Airbnb is facing in the present day context include the followings. Guests making burglary and loss of property. Hosts not dealing well with the guests. The guests are not leaving the place of hosts for many days. Indecent acts taking place under cover of offering lodging facility. However the appropriate strategies are being applied to get the required outcomes which include the followings. Government issued identity cards are made a must during deal finalization and even travelling. Airbnb suggests the hosts to buy traveller insurance to safeguard their interest from losses during to guests. Airbnb provides 24 hour support to both guests and hosts. The company offers loss assistance to the hosts. Conclusion: In the end, Airbnb has been making a consistent growth and development in business from past five years. The company has been able to achieve the unexpected growth targets which have helped it develop in 192 countries around the world. Information Communication Technology has played a vital role in the whole business process by providing a social platform for the guest and hosts for interacting on lodging facilities. Bibliography AIRBNB, 2015. About us. [Online] Available at: www.Airbnb.com [Accessed 11 February 2015]. CommunityLegalInformationCentre, 2014. What are the basic requirements for making a valid contract? [Online] Available at: https://www.hkclic.org/en/topics/businessAndCommerce/setting_up_business_in_Hong_Kong/making_a_business_contract/q1.shtml [Accessed 1 December 2014]. Flores Mynra, 2006. Towards a Taxanomy for Networking Models for Innovation. IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, A Network-Centric Collaboration and Supporting Frameworks, 224, pp.55-66. Gregory, R., Prifling, M. Beck, R., 2009. The role of cultural intelligence for the emergence of negotiated culture in IT offshore outsourcing projects. Information Technology and People, 22(3), pp.223-41. Laudon, K.C. Laudon, J.P., 2009. Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm. 11th ed. Prentice Hall/CourseSmart. McAfee, A., 2002. The impact of enterprise information technology adoption on operational performance: an empirical investigation. Production and Operations Management., 11(1), pp.33-53.

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Bean Trees Essay Example For Students

The Bean Trees Essay Of all the ideas portrayed in Barbara Kingsolvers, The Bean Trees, one of the most important is the relationship between Turtle and Taylor. After being abandoned, Taylor shows Turtle that someone still cares for her, creating the idea of motherhood, which was what Taylor was initially trying to avoid.  As Taylors journey begins, shes originally running from everything in Kentucky- pregnancy being one of those many things. As Taylor is taking a break from driving, she arrives at a bar and receives a child. She explains this to the Indian woman who was giving her the child, but the woman insists on Taylor taking it. If I wanted a baby I would have stayed in Kentucky, I informed her. I could have had babies coming out my ears by now(24). When Taylor is presented with the task of caring for the child, she is disconcerted, although she will soon realize that she made the right choice, even though she was faced with this drawback. We will write a custom essay on The Bean Trees specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Leaving the child in a strangers possession was one of the best decisions the woman had made- Taylor learned to love the child more then that woman ever wouldve. Deciding to keep Turtle, rather then abandoning her with someone else, was the first step toward motherhood- a feeling that Taylor had never experienced. Seeing that the child was abused and vulnerable made Taylor feel the obligation to keep her. I found my head rights, Mama. Theyre coming with me' (32). Naturally, as a woman, seeing that an infant was abused, Taylor felt accountable for caring for Turtle as if she were her own child. As the story progresses, so does the relationship between Taylor and Turtle. Taylor begins to feel emotionally attached to Turtle, and even feeling what Turtle herself cannot express. When Turtle is attending Kid Central Station, Taylors intuition tells her that it was not the best option for Turtle to be in the program. Kid Central Station was not doing Turtle any good. I knew that (90). The only way that Taylor could know this is if they had a strong connection, which is exactly what they had by this point. A maternal connection was being established with Taylor and Turtle. By now, the two were inseparable, and even Taylor herself recognized this. When she was looking for a place to live, and they visit the first potential home, Fay asks Taylor if Turtle would be accompanying her, which in turn leads to Taylor responding by saying, Right. Were a set'(93), which made it clear that Taylor was going to keep Turtle- even if someone didnt accept that decision. The more time that Taylor spends with Turtle, the more she comes to care for her. The maternal bond is as strong as ever, and there is no way for Taylor to hide it. When Taylor, Mattie, Lou Ann, Dwayne Ray, Esperanza and Estevan are returning from their picnic, and their vehicle suddenly stops, Taylor believes that Turtle was hurt. Jesus, that was Turtle, I said. Lou Ann, that was her, wasnt it? She made that sound. Is her neck broken?'(128). Taylor was tentative of whether or not Turtle was okay, and the possibility that Turtle could have been hurt alarmed her. Why? Because now her and Turtle had became so engaged with each other that Taylor could not bear to know that something terrible might have happened to Turtle. As Taylor, Esperanza, Turtle and Estevan continued their journey through the Cherokee Nation, Turtle said something that Taylor was not expecting to hear- something that distressed her. Once, all of a sudden, Turtle shouted, Mama! She was pointing out the window. My heart lost its beat for a second. To my knowledge she had never referred to anyone as Mama(275). Taylor felt that the name Mama pertained to her- after all, she had cared for Turtle for over six months, helping her overcome the awful situations she had been faced with in her short life. .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 , .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 .postImageUrl , .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 , .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534:hover , .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534:visited , .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534:active { border:0!important; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534:active , .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534 .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u05aa1099c44f6ee089e282d917842534:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Daphne du Maurier's Jamaica Inn and Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles EssaySo, after hearing her call someone (or something) else Mama, Taylor could not help but feel jealous. She felt that Turtle was her own child. After all, she was about to adopt her legally, and she had sacrificed so many things to keep Turtle in her possession. She could have left Turtle with a stranger and continued her journey. She couldve given her up to the government after talking to the social worker. But she was determined to keep her, no matter what could have happened. She was so obstinate about keeping Turtle in her possession that she went to great lengths to fulfill her goal. In Barbara Kingsolvers The Bean Trees, Kingsolver displays many ideas, although the most significant one would have to be the relationship between Taylor and Turtle. Taylor begins as a woman trying to avoid everything from her home, including pregnancy, but eventually ends up raising a child herself even though the child was not originally hers. Kingsolver shows that, even though people can be faced with something that might not be what they initially wanted, it can result in something wonderful. Works Cited Kingsolver, Barbara. The Bean Trees. New York: Harper Collins. 1998.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Solutions for Homelessness essays

Solutions for Homelessness essays This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an I will work for food sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nations indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education. Many believe that a common thread among the homeless is a lack of permanent and stable housing. But beyond that, the factors leading to homelessness and the services that are needed are unique according to the individual. To put them into one general category the homeless- suggests that people are homeless for similar reasons and therefore a single solution is the answer. Every homeless person shares the basic needs of affordable housing, adequate incomes and attainable healthcare. But a wide range of other unmet needs cause some people to become or remain homeless which include drug treatment, employment training, transportation, childcare and mental health services (Center 8.) Presently, one of the main causes of homelessness in American is the lack of affordable housing. New York researchers claim that affordable housing is the answer to homelessness. Researcher, Mary Beth Shinn, states, homelessness is first and foremost a housing problem not a psychological one (qtd. in Franklin 15.) Nearly all the families in their study became stably housed regardless of substance abuse, mental illness, physical illness or incarceration. This study indicates that homelessness ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Fairness and Objectivity in Journalism

Fairness and Objectivity in Journalism You hear it all the time- reporters should be objective and fair. Some news organizations even use these terms in their slogans, claiming that they are more â€Å"fair and balanced† than their competitors. But what is objectivity? Objectivity Objectivity means that when covering hard news, reporters don’t convey their own feelings, biases or prejudices in their stories. They accomplish this by writing stories using language that is neutral and avoids characterizing people or institutions in ways good or bad. But for the beginning reporter accustomed to writing personal essays or journal entries, it can be hard to do this. One trap beginning reporters fall into is the frequent use of adjectives. Adjectives can easily convey one’s feelings about a subject. Example The intrepid protesters demonstrated against the unjust government policies. Just by using the words â€Å"intrepid† and â€Å"unjust† the writer has quickly conveyed his feelings on the story- the protesters are brave and just in their cause, the government policies are wrong. For this reason, hard-news reporters usually avoid using adjectives in their stories. Fairness Fairness means that reporters covering a story must remember there are usually two sides- and often more- to most issues and that those differing viewpoints should be given roughly equal space in any news story. Let’s say the local school board is debating whether to ban certain books from the school libraries. Many residents representing both sides of the issue are there. The reporter may have strong feelings about the subject. Nevertheless, he should interview citizens who support the ban, and those who oppose it. And when he writes his story, he should convey both arguments in a neutral language, giving both sides roughly equal space. A Reporter’s Conduct Objectivity and fairness apply not only to how a reporter writes about an issue but to how he conducts himself in public. A reporter must not only be objective and fair but also convey an image of being objective and fair. At the school board forum, the reporter may do his best to interview people from both sides of the argument. But if in the middle of the meeting, he stands up and starts spouting his own opinions on the book ban then his credibility is shattered. No one will believe he can be fair and objective once they know where he stands. The moral of the story? Keep your opinions to yourself.   A Few Caveats There are a few caveats to remember when considering objectivity and fairness. First, such rules apply to reporters covering hard news, not to the columnist writing for the op-ed page, or the movie critic working for the arts section. Second, remember that ultimately, reporters are in search of the truth. While objectivity and fairness are important, a reporter shouldn’t let them get in the way of finding the truth. Let’s say you’re a reporter covering the final days of World War II and are following the Allied forces as they liberate the concentration camps. You enter one such camp and witness hundreds of gaunt, emaciated people and piles of dead bodies. Do you, in an effort to be objective, interview an American soldier to talk about how horrific this is, then interview a Nazi official to get the other side of the story? Of course not. Clearly, this is a place where evil acts have been committed, and it’s your job as a reporter to convey that truth. In other words, use objectivity and fairness as tools to find the truth.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The challenge of managing diverse teams Assignment - 1

The challenge of managing diverse teams - Assignment Example In an argument by Robbins et.al (2011) a diverse team creates an advantage in an organization since numerous task can be completed by different team members without the requirement of incurring training costs. For instance, my industry has a massive customer care department which requires interaction with different cultured consumers. Having team members communicating in different languages naturally increases the efficiency of the customer care approaches. Another advantage is that a leader can effectively carry out division of labour and specialization based on the strengths of the employees (Robbins et.al, 2011). In addition, this is done without creating requirements from employees that may be beyond their expertise and skills. A major disadvantage of diverse teams is that the leader would be massively tasked in understanding the specific needs of each team member. Additionally, barriers to effective team management would be not be able to be addressed in a general manner making the leadership position more challenging. Diverse teams also create the requirement to alter an organization culture to suit a wide range of personalities as a human resource appraisal technique (Harvard Business Press, 2013). For instance, people from different cultures in my industry may require different workplace specifications for them to perform tasks as required. Satisfying individual needs is a difficult requirement. The ability to bring together people from different backgrounds, disciplines, cultures, and generations and leverage all they have to offer, therefore, is a must-have for leaders (Ibarra & Hansen 2011). From the argument, it is evident that the ability to manage diverse teams is an important leadership requirement. The same argument is supported by Mullins (2010) who points out that the failure to effectively manage diverse teams is a failure on the part of the leader considering that the impact of the failure directly affects the input of the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

What do you see as Maryland s biggest transportation issue and how Essay

What do you see as Maryland s biggest transportation issue and how would you solve it - Essay Example Majority of these citizens have to use their personal cars due to the limited public transportation systems incurring very high gas expenses. Research by the Bureau of Labor estimates that households use 20% of their income on transportation expenses (Cardin). The commute from rural, Southern Maryland to the urban, Northern area takes a toll on many forcing them to opt for cheaper, unlimited housing opportunities in neighboring states such as Virginia. Congestion on Marylands highways costs the state a lot of money. Many spend productive working hours stuck in traffic. In a survey done by the U.S Census Bureau, traffic volume increased exponentially in a span of 10 years (1998-2008) to 17.2%; however, transport infrastructure expanded only by 7% (Cox, 2009). This meant that the infrastructure is unable to meet the high demand leading to congestion. In conclusion, unless state officials find lasting solutions to the transportation crisis, the states economy will plummet. The high expenses incurred from gas expenditure for personal cars, and the loss of productive time on congested highways is among the challenges state officials must

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Manipulation of History Essay Example for Free

The Manipulation of History Essay By looking at the past we are presented with conditions of possibility which makes the past constitutive of the present. Such an act involves the individual’s consideration of culture’s role in the authentication of specific memories. Memories emerge spontaneously from people’s stories about their nations. Culture, on the other hand, chooses specific stories which it legitimizes with objectivity by attaching to it the term history. Story lines emerge continually from man’s consciousness however culture with its demands for social order and progress denounces the memories of common people and relegates the task of remembering to the institutions within the public sphere. Such an act leads to the repression and later on the elimination of the peoples desires to tell their own stories. Due to culture’s capability to make memories dissipate from people’s minds while reimbursing it with its own notions of truth, people tend to forget that the accounts of the events given to them may not necessarily be the truth rather they are just one of the several accounts of an event. This shows culture’s power to control the circulation and exchange of ideas society. Furthermore, this shows us that â€Å"truth is a thing of this world†¦produced by multiple forms of constraint and regular effects of power† (Schmidt and Warenberg 288). Historiography, in this sense, only presents us with events which are in accordance with the ideology of the group who is in power. Within this perspective it is interesting to consider how this is apparent in the works discussing a particular event in history. In line with this, this paper’s task is two-fold. First, it aims to present the different accounts regarding a particular historical event. Second, it aims to present an analysis of how these accounts provide an interpretation of an event which manifests the perspective of the individual who discusses the event.   For the sake of brevity, the focus of the paper will be on the Nanjing Massacre as it is presented and interpreted by Iris Chang in The Rape of Nanking and Honda Katsuichi in The Nanjing Massacre. The event known as the 1937-1938 Nanjing Massacre became one of the most reported events by both the Western and Chinese press during the war as it became a major case at the military tribunals in Tokyo and Nanjing after Japan’s surrender. At the end of both trials, the verdict for both the Tokyo trial and the Nanjing trial was the same. The tribunal led to the execution of five Japanese officers who were found guilty for either participating in the said massacre or failing to apprehend the said massacre. The difference between both trials merely lies in the death toll recorded in the former trial. The Tokyo trial of the Nanjing Massacre claims that the aforementioned verdict stands as a result of the occurrence of organized murder, random killings and rape, looting and destruction of the Japanese troops in Nanjing during a six week period on the Winter of 1937-1938 which led to the death of over 200,000 Chinese civilians and prisoners of war as well as the occurrence of 20,000 cases of rape (Pritchard and Zaide 49604-08). The Nanjing trial claims the same things however it states that as opposed to the 200,000 death toll specified in the Japan trial, the death toll reached 300,000 (Second 603-12). In the years that followed the Nanjing Massacre, the information specified on both trials became the springboard for the construction of accounts that presented claims and counter-claims regarding the Nanjing Massacre. Different accounts have circulated regarding the event wherein some accounts affirm the occurrence of the said event whereas others deny its occurrence. One of the most recognized accounts that affirm the occurrence of the Nanjing Massacre is Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanjing. Iris Chang (1997), an American journalist of Chinese ancestry, wrote the first non-fiction account in a Western language of the Nanjing Massacre in her book The Rape of Nanjing. Within the text, Chang claims that the Nanjing Massacre stands as the East’s equivalent of the West’s Holocaust of the Jews in Europe as both events represent the most heinous cases of violence in recorded history. Chang’s subtitle The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II emphasizes this claim in the aforementioned text. In the introduction of the text, she states, Just as Hitler’s Germany would do half a decade later, Japan used a highly developed military machine and a master-race mentality to set about establishing its right to rule its neighbors†¦marked by countless incidents of almost indescribable ruthlessness†¦ One event can be held up as an example of the unmitigated evil lying just below the surface of unbridled military adventurism, that moment is the Rape of Nanking. (Chang 3-4) As can be seen above, the beginning of Chang’s text may be seen to present the reader with a fixed moral judgment regarding the events that occurred in Nanjing. This moral judgment considers the event in Nanjing as an act of evil. It is important to note however that although, a moral judgment has already been specified in the initial part of the text, Chang clarifies in the later part of the book’s introduction that this judgment does not necessarily aim to establish â€Å"a quantitative record to qualify the event as one of the great evil deeds of history, but (it aims) to understand the event so that lessons can be learned and warnings sounded† (5). The lesson which Chang hopes to be learned from her work refers to the necessity to prevent a â€Å"deliberate attempt†¦to distort history† which she perceives to be evident in Japan’s refusal to recognize the Nanjing Massacre (13). In addition to this, Chang perceives her book as her â€Å"attempt to rescue (the) victims from the degradation by Japanese revisionists and to provide†¦ (her) own epitaph for the hundreds upon thousands of unmarked graves in Nanking† (220). As a text classified within the non-fiction genre, the significance of Chang’s work lies in its presentation of the events in Nanking through the accounts of those who experienced and survived the Nanjing Massacre. It is important to note that Chang was a granddaughter of one of those individuals who escaped Nanjing as Japanese soldiers arrived in the land. Chan’s family thereby stands as one of those who were directly affected by the war since it has forced them not only to leave their homeland but to create new roots in the United States. Within this context, one may argue that Chang’s interpretation of the event may be seen as a result of her attempt not only to remind individuals of the effects of instances wherein they are freed from moral restraints but also as her attempt to recapture her roots and her history. It within this context, that one may understand Chang’s comparison of the Nanjing Massacre to the Holocaust of the Jews. Chang’s comparison of the Nanjing Massacre to the Holocaust of the Jews may seem farfetched since the death toll as well as the duration of the Nanjing Massacre is miniscule in comparison to that of the Holocaust however the comparison may be significant in terms of the politicization or the symbolic use of both the Nanjing Massacre and the Holocaust by its perpetrators since both events served as a symbol of the brutal character of their perpetrators in such a way that the Nanjing Massacre served to symbolize the military aggression of the Japanese army during that time. Chang’s aforementioned text has been continuously questioned. The Japanese publishing company, Kashiwashobo Publishing Company, for example, considers the text to be â€Å"based on prejudice and misconceptions (as a result of) its author’s basic attitude† (1). In the 20 May 1999 press release given by the Kashiwobo Press after its cancellation of the Japanese version of Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanking, Kashiwashobo Press states, We must provide good history books on the War in order to learn from the past and to avoid the same kind of tragedies in the future. But this publisher also believes that we are responsible for publishing qualified books for the good of the public†¦The fundamental cause of the termination of the contract is the original work, which†¦due to its errors and inaccuracies, The Rape of Nanking has contributed to reviving deniers of the Nanking atrocities in Japan by giving them bullets to challenge the historical event. (1-2) One of the errors of Chang’s text lies in stating that there are no Japanese texts which have recognized the occurrence of the Nanjing Massacre. Such texts however exist. One of these texts which was published prior to the publication of Chang’s text is Honda Katsuichi’s The Nanjing Massacre. In the introduction of the Honda Katsuichi’s The Nanjing Massacre, Katsuichi’s states, I wrote this book not as a means of apologizing to China but as a means of revealing the truth to the Japanese people. Having been a child at the time, I bear no responsibility for the actual massacre, but as a Japanese journalist, I bear some responsibility for leaving the story unreported for such a long time†¦I hope that that the mere fact of my reportage being widely read overseas will serve as gaiatsu and will bring about a change in the disgraceful anti-internationalist behavior of the Japanese government and the conservative forces. (xxvi-vii) From the very beginning of the text, one sees a difference between Katsuichi’s approach to the Nanjing massacre as opposed to Chang’s approach to the said event. Although both individuals are journalists and both of their works do not use sophisticated methodology in order to support their accounts within their texts, one notes that Katsuichi’s goal is for the redemption of the Japanese people. As the subtitle of the work states, Katsuichi’s text aims to ‘confront Japan’s national shame’. This shame may be seen to be a result of the following factors: (1) The Japanese government’s refusal to recognize the Nanjing Massacre and (2) The Japanese people’s inability to recognize the veracity of this event as a result of the Japanese government’s refusal to recognize the aforementioned event. For Katsuichi, retelling the event may enable the enlightenment of the Japanese people which may further enable the Japanese peoples’ recognition of the necessity to change the framework of their government. Katsuichi’s aim in retelling the events of the Nanjing Massacre is for the occurrence of an ideological revolution within the country. Such an aim was supported by his factual reportage of the events within his work. Within Katsuichi’s The Nanjing Massacre, for example, one notes that the Japanese atrocities would not have been prevented even if the Chinese surrendered peacefully since the Japanese troops were already committing atrocious acts along their way to Nanjing. In addition to this, one notes that the Japanese did not find the act of murdering Chinese as an immoral act since they have long considered the Chinese to be inferior entities. Furthermore, as the book progresses, one also notes that the Japanese did not recognize the regulations set within the International Safety Zone as the Safety Zone was continuously entered by the Japanese troops. Katsuichi’s text, in this sense, affirmed the occurrence of the Nanjing Massacre. What makes his text and his account distinct from Chang’s is the perspective from which he perceives the event. One may state that Chang’s highly graphic portrayal of the events in Nanjing as well as her misguided notion that the Japanese failed to present an account of the event may be seen as a result of her position as a victim of the Nanjing Massacre. As was stated in the aforementioned discussion, Chang’s family stands as a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre. As opposed to this, Katsuichi’s more objective portrayal of the evident may be seen as a result of his position an heir to the Japanese people who have committed the aforementioned evident. Within this context, one may state that an author or speakers interpretation of a historical event is affected by his position in relation to the occurrence of the event. If the author or speaker stands in line with the perpetrators of the event, he may either present an account which aims to defend the people who committed the atrocities or he may present an account which aims to sanctify the people who committed those atrocities or to sanctify the succeeding generations affected by the stain of those who committed atrocious actions. If however the author or speaker stands in line with the victims of the event, he may either present an account which aims to commemorate the victims or he may present an account which aims to further vilify the perpetrators of the crime. Given these two accounts of an event from two different perspectives, the goal of the reader does not merely lie in considering whether an account presents the truth or not but to consider that as history is necessarily a nihilation and hence one cannot accurately determine one account as to comprise the totality of what transpired, hence the purpose of a supposed event is to be open to interpretations. Works Cited Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II.   New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Gibney, Frank, ed. â€Å"Editor’s Introduction.† The Nanjing Massacre: A Japanese Journalist Confronts Japan’s National Shame.   By Honda Katsuichi. Trans. Karen Sandness. New York: East Gate Book, 1999. Kashiwashobo Press. Kashiwashobo Press Release about the Cancellation of the Japanese Version of Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanking. 20 May 1999. Katsuichi, Honda. The Nanjing Massacre: A Japanese Journalist Confronts Japan’s National Shame.   Ed. Frank Gibney. Trans. Karen Sandness. New York: East Gate Book, 1999. Pritchard, John and Sonia Zaide, eds. International Military Tribunal for the Far East: Tokyo War Crimes Trial. 22 vols. New York: Edwin Mellen P., 1998. Schmidt, James and Thomas Warenberg. â€Å"Foucault’s Enlightenment: Critique, Revolution, and the Fashion of the Self.† Critique and Power: Recasting the Foucault/Habermas Debate. Cambridge: MIT P., 1994. Second Archives of China et, al. Archival Materials on the Nanjing Massacre by the Invading Japanese Troops. Nanjing: Np, 1987.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Custom Term Papers: Hamlet †is Polonius a Main Character? :: The Tragedy of Hamlet

Hamlet – is Polonius a Main Character?      Ã‚  Ã‚   That Polonius, father of Laertes and Ophelia in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, is a character of considerable importance is accepted as true by most literary critics. This essay will develop the notion of his vital importance to the drama.    Ruth Nevo in her essay, â€Å"Acts III and IV: Problems of Text and Staging,† states the importance of Polonius to the hero’s evolution in the play on the occasion of Ophelia’s decoying the hero for the sake of observation by Claudius and Polonius:    But it should be noted that we actually need no further explanation for Hamlet’s sudden â€Å"Where’s your father?† than the fact that he has not recently been permitted her presence unchaperoned, if at all. And his apparent change of mood at that point in the scene might well be attributed to recollected angry resentment at Polonius’ interference in his affairs. Indeed, this would seem to be born out by the diatribe on calumny – he being calumniated and exposed by his courtship of Ophelia to the insulting aspersions of such as Polonius. I am inclined to believe that the deeper dramatic purpose of the scene is obscured if Hamlet is made or becomes aware of Polonius at any point in the scene. For if Hamlet knows that Polonius is behind the arras, then he knows that Ophelia is lying when she tells him her father is at home [. . .]. (49)    In the Introduction to Twentieth Century Interpretations of Hamlet, David Bevington presents Polonius as similar to Hamlet in various ways:    Polonius, his [Hamlet’s] seeming opposite in so many ways, is, like Hamlet, an inveterate punster. To whom else but Polonius should Hamlet direct the taunt of â€Å"Words, words, words†? The aged counselor recalls that in his youth he â€Å"suffered much extremity for love, very near this,† and he has been an actor at the university. Polonius too has advice for the players: â€Å"Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light.† When Hamlet jibes at â€Å"so capital a calf† enacting Julius Caesar, killed in the Capitol, he reinforces the parallel to his own playacting and anticipates the slaying of Polonius behind the arras. (4)    Polonius’ entry into the play occurs at the social get-together of the royal court. Claudius has already been crowned; Queen Gertrude is there; Hamlet is present in the black clothes of mourning.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Complex Adaptive System

In-class Paper #3November 8, 2011 Topic: Define what a complex adaptive system is and identify the characteristics of complex adaptive systems Discuss how complex adaptive systems influence health care and subsequently nursing practice. Use examples form your practice to convey your understanding of complexity as it relates to your nursing practice. Outline: Introduction: Complex adaptive system is a collection of individual agents with freedom to act in ways that are not always totally predictable and whose actions are interconnected so that one agent’s actions changes the context for other agents. (GPlsek, P. E. & Greenhalgh, T. 2001) Characteristics of complex adaptive systems are: unpredictable interconnected, unclear boundaries, constant changing members, members also belong to other systems, each member uses internalized rules (these can, and likely are, different for each person and are not fixed). Complex system can influence health care because they can create positiv e or negative outcomes, they influence other systems and create tension and paradox that may be difficult to solve Body: Because the complex adaptive system is always changing, and interconnected with other systems so it will create many difficulty in solving the problems.In clinical settings, student nurses have to think critically and take multiple approach in order to intervene or solve the problems. Give examples from clinical settings Conclusion: Restate the significances of complex adaptive system and how it can influence clinical settings as well as health care Health care is a complex system. There’re varieties of different professions in healthcare from nurses to doctors, specialist, paramedics†¦ and even the concept of health itself is very complex as there’re many determinants that can influence one’s health.Moreover, health care matches the definition of a complex adaptive system, which is a collection of individual agents with freedom to act in ways that are not always totally predictable and whose actions are interconnected so that one agent’s actions changes the context for other agents. (GPlsek, P. E. & Greenhalgh, T. , 2001). The characteristics of the complex adaptive system are that it is unpredictable nterconnected, have unclear boundaries, constant changing members, members also belong to other systems, each member uses internalized rules (these can, and likely are, different for each person and are not fixed). Therefore, in order to work effectively in such complex system, nurses are required to have the competence to adapt to the system’s characteristics and utilize their best skills and knowledge to solve complex cases in complicated situations. The complex adaptive system is unpredictable, interconnected and usually have unclear boundaries.For example, at my clinical setting, which is a French immersion elementary school, is an example of a complex adaptive system. The school itself is a complex system because the students in the school is not only comprised of English speakers, but also the French speakers populations, and the teachers needs to know both language in order to communicate, to teach the students effectively. Students also come from different backgrounds, they have different ethnicities and different personalities.However, the school’s motto is â€Å"Better Together† which promotes the interconnectivity as they needs to work together to achieve the school goals. The interconnectivity characteristic is also demonstrated in an unwanted accident happened at the school. Grade 3 students there really like to play soccer, however, one day, there was a fist fight broke out between two students during a soccer game during recess, consequently, in order to ensure safety and that no conflicts would occur in the future because of soccer, soccer is banned at the school.The banning of soccer at recess elucidated to us as nursing students and the school staff that we need to address and improve the problem solving skills for the grade 3 students in order to prevent similar undesired occurrence to happen in the future. At this point, the boundaries in the school is not clearly drawn as teach the Health class is not nursing students’ responsibility, but the school expressed their need to us and wants us to do some interventions about it.Therefore, we devised to talk to the grade 3 teachers and ask for permission to teach the health class on days that we are at the sites to implement our intervention and address the problem solving issues among students. In Health class, we decided to act out skits of conflicting situations and have the students to come up with their ideas using appropriate problem solving skills to resolve the conflicts. By doing that, we – nursing students are not only take on the role of the student nurses, we are also the health class teacher on Tuesday to the grade 3 students.This example demonstrates tha t the context of the complex adaptive system (elementary school) really influences our nursing practice as we take on the role of Health class instructors to enhance grade 3 student conflict management skills. We exemplifie The above analysis shows that the complex adaptive system and its unique characteristics has strongly influence nursing practice in different context. As a competent nurse, we have to have the critical thinking skills, being creative and adapting to any situation in order to come up with the best possible interventions.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Impact of conflict Essay

Have you ever wonder why there are divisions and schisms around us that eventually lead to riots and wars? How can these things happen? These dilemmas happen because of conflict within the body or group of people. Sometimes conflict arises because of the superior and inferior mentality of some people. We can even notice and observe nowadays how our society is drastically changing. Our beliefs, cultures, values and morals have been changed through times. People are becoming liberal on things and somewhat approves the things that we know deep within us are wrong. They have the tendency to do things which only â€Å"benefit† them that can cause schisms and conflicts within their work, co-workers and even in their own family. They sometimes become insensitive and disregarded the right values and morals that were inculcated by their parents when they were still young in order to satisfy their selfish desires; thus, they sacrifice the welfare of their family and friends in order to meet their own desires. If an employee has conflicts with his boss, there is a tendency that he will not follow on his boss’ instructions that might be the ground of his termination. If a conflict happens within his co-workers, he might gossip about his co-workers whereabouts. But if there is conflict within the family, members within have always tension. Conflicts can bring disunity. Disunity can bring chaos and chaos can bring divisions. In the workplace, conflicts among the employees are not new. One scenario that can create conflict within the workplace is when somebody is promoted to a greater position and when you know that you are ahead of that person. Jealousy starts to creep in your heart and you feel inferior. This might lead to bitterness. On the other hand, conflicts within the family is one of the most dreadful things may happen to a person. Family can be disunited if conflict arises. Moreover, to a social psychologist, a conflict is a seemingly incompatibility of actions, goals, of ideas. The elements of conflict are much the same at all levels, from nations in an arms race to cultural disputes within a society to individuals in marital strife. In each situation, people become enmeshed in a destructive social process that produces results no one wants. Among these destructive processes are social traps and distorted perceptions (Dawes, 2000). Reference: 1. Dawes, R. M. (2000). Social Dilemmas. Annual Review of Psychology, 31 169-193.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The pros and cons of technology and the effects it has on managers.

The pros and cons of technology and the effects it has on managers. 1. How has technology changed the manager's job over the past 20 years? Discuss the pros and cons of technology. Please be specific and give examples.There are two different views on technology. Some say that technology has caused harm to their lives, and others have reward technology with making their lives much easier. None the less technology has changed the manager's job over the past twenty years.Technology has accounted for improvements in aerospace, telecommunications, hardware, software, and transportation. Information technology is one of the major improvements in technology over the past twenty years. With these improvements come crimes. A survey of five hundred and sixty-three firms claims that seventy-five percent of these firms have reported financial loss due to security breaches. The FBI estimates that this kind of theft cost US industries two hundred and fifty billion a year. This changes the role of the manager's job. Now a manager has to deal with information securi ty.The manager has to take into account the concern for security percentages. The manager had to be able to determine the security requirements for an organization. The manager has to determine confidentiality, integrity, availability, auditablity and authenticity.Another great improvement derived from technology is electronic commerce. Electronic commerce opens up new markets. It eliminates intermediaries, minimizes cost, and provides a world wide market place. However electronic commerce couldn't take place without the Internet. Both of these improvements drastically change the manager's job. These improvements make the manager's job easier. However it also leaves the manager with more responsibilities. The manager now has to deal with electronic treats. This includes unauthorized access, password stealing, and many more.With the Internet came Intranets and Extranets. Intranets allow a company to communicate with each other inside the organization. An extranet combines internal an d external communications.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Battle of the Falkland Islands - World War I

The Battle of the Falkland Islands - World War I The Battle of the Falklands was fought during World War I (1914-1918).  The squadrons engaged on December 8, 1914, off the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.  Following his stunning victory over the British at the Battle of Coronel on November 1, 1914, Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee turned the German East Asia Squadron for Valparaiso, Chile. Entering port, von Spee was compelled by international law to leave after twenty-four hours and first moved to Mas Afuera before heading to Bahia San Quintin. Assessing his squadrons situation, von Spee found that half his ammunition was expended and that coal was in short supply. Turning south, the East Asia Squadron set a course around Cape Horn and made for Germany. British Commanders Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdee2 battlecruisers3 armored cruisers2 light cruisers German Commanders Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee2 armored cruisers3 light cruisers Forces in Movement Pausing at Picton Island off Tierra del Fuego, von Spee distributed coal and allowed his men to go ashore to hunt. Departing Picton with the armored cruisers SMS Scharnhorst and SMS Gneisenau, the light cruisers SMS Dresden, SMS Leipzig, and SMS Nurnburg, and three merchant ships, von Spee planned to raid the British base at Port Stanley in the Falklands as he moved north. In Britain, the defeat at Coronel led to a rapid response as First Sea Lord Sir John Fisher assembled a squadron centered on the battlecruisers HMS Invincible and HMS Inflexible to deal with von Spee. Rendezvousing at the Abrolhos Rocks, the British squadron was led by a rival of Fishers, Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdee, and consisted of the two battlecruisers, the armored cruisers HMS Carnarvon, HMS Cornwall and HMS Kent, and the light cruisers HMS Bristol and HMS Glasgow. Sailing for the Falklands, they arrived on December 7 and entered the harbor at Port Stanley. While the squadron stood down for repairs, the armed merchant cruiser Macedonia patrolled the harbor. Further support was provided by the old battleship HMS Canopus which had been grounded in the harbor for use as a gun battery. von Spee Destroyed Arriving the next morning, Spee sent Gneisenau and Nurnberg to scout the harbor. As they approached they were surprised by fire from Canopus which was largely hidden from view by a hill. Had Spee pressed his attack at this point, he may have scored a victory as Sturdees ships were cooling and ill-prepared for battle. Rather, realizing he was badly out-gunned, von Spee broke off and headed for open water around 10:00 AM. Dispatching Kent to track the Germans, Sturdee ordered his ships to raise steam and set out in pursuit. Though von Spee had a 15-mile head start, Sturdee was able to use his battlecruisers superior speed to run down the tired German ships. Around 1:00, the British opened fire on Leipzig at the end of the German line. Twenty minutes later, von Spee, realizing he could not escape, turned to engage the British with Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the hope of giving his light cruisers time to flee. Taking advantage of the wind, which caused the funnel smoke from the British ships to obscure the Germans, von Spee succeeded in striking Invincible. Though hit several times, the damage was light due to the ships heavy armor. Turning away, von Spee again attempted to escape. Detaching three of his cruisers to pursue Nurnberg and Leipzig, Sturdee pressed the attack on Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Firing full broadsides, the battlecruisers pummeled the two German ships. In an attempt to fight back, von Spee tried to close the range, but to no avail. Scharnhorst was put out of action and sank at 4:17, with von Spee aboard. Gneisenau followed a short time later and sank at 6:02. While the heavy ships were engaging, Kent succeeded in running down and destroying Nurnberg, while Cornwall and Glasgow finished off Leipzig. Aftermath of the Battle As the firing ceased, only Dresden succeeded in escaping from the area. The light cruiser evaded the British for three months before finally surrendering off the Juan Fernndez Islands on March 14, 1915. For the crew of Glasgow, one of the few surviving British ships that had fought at Coronel, the victory at the Falklands was particularly sweet. With the destruction of von Spees East Asia Squadron, commerce raiding by warships of the Kaiserliche Marine was effectively ended. In the fighting, Sturdees squadron suffered ten killed and 19 wounded. For von Spee, casualties numbered 1,817 killed, including the admiral and his two sons, as well as the loss of four ships. In addition, 215 German sailors (mostly from Gneisenau) were rescued and taken prisoner. Sources World War I Naval Combat: Battle of the FalklandsFirst World War: Battle of the FalklandsHistory of War: Battle of the Falklands

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Divorce and Its effect on children Research Paper

Divorce and Its effect on children - Research Paper Example Other challenges worth mentioning is the fact that children develop behavioral changes after the separation of their parents since there is always no balance or stability of relationship between the parents as the ones who are supposed to guide the children throughout their lives. When couples divorce, their children lose stability, comfort, and support that always come from the parents (Fagan, and Aaron 11). The result is that the decision leaves some children to fend for themselves making them assume responsibilities that bar them from interacting with their peers. Though in the developed countries children only suffer psychological impacts of divorce, the situation is worse in middle and low-income populations where departure of parents imply that the children will look for livelihood on their own. Divorce is arguably responsible for mental torture as it affects emotions of the children. Children will develop violent behaviors owing to depression and stress of leaving without their parents. In this case, children alienate themselves from their peers fearing that they might be scolded for living without their parents. On the other hand, divorce leaves a lasting impression on the child and forms the basis for their future behaviors. If, for example, the pare nts divorced because of violence, their children may become accustomed to it and perceive violence as a regular occurrence in the society and will subject their future spouses to domestic violence. Most importantly, divorce is responsible for the evils that befall teenagers in the modern society (Fagan, and Aaron 12). Divorce first weakens the existing bond between parents and their children thus leaving the young ones to make personal decisions at tender ages. In this case, children will look for others for attention and might sometimes end up in the wrong company.

Friday, November 1, 2019

National Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

National Security - Essay Example According to the discussion findings the term terrorism is politically and psychologically charged, and this to a great extent compounds the complicatedness of providing an accurate definition. In 1988, one study by the US Army established that over hundred definitions of the utterance terrorism have been used. A person who applies terrorism is a terrorist. The idea of terrorism is itself contentious for the reason that it is frequently used by states to delegitimise political adversary, and hence legitimize the state's own employ of terror adjacent to those opponents. As the paper declares terrorism has been second-hand by a wide array of political organizations in getting more to their objectives; together right and left-wing political parties, patriotic, and holy groups, innovative and ruling governments. The occurrence of non-state performers in widespread-armed clash has created hullabaloo regarding the submission of the laws of war. Despite the fact that acts of terror campaign are criminal acts as for each the United Nations Security Council Resolution and domestic jurisprudence of approximately all countries in the world, terrorism refers to an observable fact including the definite acts, the perpetrators of acts of bombing and their intentions. Terror is from a Latin word that means ‘to frighten’. The terror was a panic and condition of emergency in Rome in reaction to the approach of warriors of the tribe of Cimbri in 105BC. The Jacobins cited this approach when he imposed a Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. The w ord terrorist became a word of abuse after the Jacobins lost power. Even though the Reign of Terror was being imposed by a government, in modern times terrorism normally is referred to the killing of innocent people by a group in such a manner as to manufacture a media spectacle. In 1869Nechayev made the Russian terrorist group People's Retribution. A United Nations Security Council report stated in November 2004: 'Terrorism as any act intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act'. History of Terrorism The word "terrorism" was at first used to explain the actions of the Jacobin Club throughout the "Reign of Terror" in the French revolt. Edmund Burke criticized the Jacobins for letting thousands of persons hell hounds called terrorists movable upon the people of France in 1795. Italian patriot Felice Orsini heaves three bombs in an attempt to assassinate French Emperor Napoleon III in January 1858. Eight eyewitnesses were killed and 142 injured. The event played a vital role as an encouragement for the expansion of the early Russian terrorist

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Improvement of Writing in the English Course Essay

Improvement of Writing in the English Course - Essay Example   The first aspect of improvement was noted was with regards to use and misuse of certain types of observation. For instance, many of the sentences that were exhibited in the essay in question showed no sign appropriate modulation for defendant and the clauses. This is, of course, a problem due to the fact that without proper punctuation for longer sentences, a danger of run-on sentences is created. Moreover, without clear punctuation on the sentences, it was possible for the reader to become lost in this the main point of what was being stated. A further issue was noted with regards to the way in which, as were used. This was probably partly out of fear that they would be used incorrectly if used at all; however, without utilizing proper comments within the paper, the flow and main points they were attempting to be related to the reader were almost invariably lost. Although these two aspects of punctuation with the most common, there was also the technical problem exhibited on mor e than one occasion of the subject for agreement. This is, of course, an issue that many non-native speakers struggle to exhibit in their work; yet, it is something that I found is been greatly improved during this particular course. More than merely gaining a better understanding of what birds should be used in what way with which subjects, the better identification of how this course is helped educate me is with regards to the fact of how I am almost nearly always aware of the fact that I need to focus upon this aspect of writing.... of what birds should be used in what way with which subjects, the better identification of how this course is helped educate me is with regards to the fact of how I am almost nearly always aware of the fact that I need to focus upon this aspects of writing. From the non-technical standpoint, the writing in the previous essay exhibited a clear lack of flow and organization. It is easy to argue that one of the most important aspects of any essay is not linked nor the level of language that is use; rather, it is the ability to assist sinks we and clearly state what the main points are and relate them in an organized and coherent manner. This is does not mean to say that the essay was completely disorganized or without any sense. Instead, what was noted after a careful review of the essay was the fact that it oftentimes displayed a wondering style and did not adhere to the points of the thesis topics of each and every paragraph. Instead, additional information that was somewhat tangentia lly related to the subject matter was oftentimes included as an aside. More than merely being distracting, this practice led to the essay losing overall coherence and not being able to express itself adequately to the reader. As a means of correcting such a practice, I’ve come to the realization that it is absolutely necessary to outline each and every essay prior to writing and be forever mindful of topic sentence and thesis sentence for each and every paragraph. This helps the writer as a means of staying on point and fully developing the ideas at hand rather than rushing on to new and unrelated information. Another aspect of the students writing that is greatly benefited from the English course is with regards to the level of broad and otherwise unsubstantiated statements that were

Monday, October 28, 2019

Defence Logistics Organisation Analysis for War Suitability

Defence Logistics Organisation Analysis for War Suitability CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Historically, nation states have used military power as an instruement of state to achieve their national aims objectives. Towards that end, logistics along with strategy and tactics constitute an important sub division of the practical art of war fighting [1]. It therefore evolves upon students of military history to grasp the nuances of logistics, the way it affects the very essence of modern, contemporary war fighting philosophy. To begin with, it is not incorrect to say that the military activity known as logistics is probably as old as war itself. The word logistics is derived from the Greek adjective, logistikus meaning skilled in calculating. Research indicates that the first use of the word with reference to an organised military administrative service was by the French writer Jomini who served as a staff officer in Napoleons army. In 1838, he set down logistics as one of the six branches of the military art, the other five being statesmanship in its relationship to war, strategy or art of properly directing masses upon the theatre of war, grand tactics, engineering and minor tactics. He included the phrase it is the execution of strategic and tactical enterprises in his definition of logistics. In short, he devised a theory of war upon the trinity of strategy, ground tactics and logistics. He defined it as practical art of moving armies [2]. Based on the experience gained over the years, the term was redefined in 1968 wherein Logistics was referred to as the art and science of creating and maintaining a military capability. It consists of the process of determining requirements, acquisitions, distributions and maintenance of materials. As regards, our Indian manuals, they define logistics as the science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces[3]. In todays usage, logistics is the function of providing all the material and services that a military force needs in Peace or War. Logistics, therefore, covers a wide canvas broadly includes all military activities, other than strategy and tactics. It would therefore, be prudent to refer to logistics as the bridge between our combat troops and the industry natural resources of our country. Logistics perse is a key element of Doctrine, too, which describes it as a process that consists of planning and executing the movement and sustenance of operating forces in executing a military strategy and operations. It is essentially moving, supplying and maintaining military forces and is basic to the ability of armies, fleets and air forces to operate indeed to exist. It has a direct bearing on a countrys capability to support a national strategy [4]. As the rapidly evolving modern battlefield milieu transforms into short, intense and technologically intensive wars, the over bearing need for a fool proof and highly responsive logistic organizational structure for Indian Army to meet the logistic imperatives of a short war cannot be over emphasized. Our existing logistics system has been inherited from the British. Though the logistic system in general and the logistic organisation in particular have been subjected to numerous improvements and changes over the last six decades, the logistic system perse has failed to evolve with changing times and has more or less retained its archaic character. The major, Mathew[5] reason for the antiquated character of our logistic system is the flawed organisational structure which inhibits and precludes optimum utilisation of our well developed and vast national logistic capacities. Restructuring of our existing defence logistics organisation, therefore, is a pre-requisite to restructure our logistic system to meet the logistic imperatives of a short war. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY Statement of the Problem To study and analyse the existing defence logistics organisation and to ascertain its suitability to meet the logistics imperatives of a short war. Hypothesis Our existing defence logistics organization is based on archaic concepts and will not be able to deliver adequately in a short war. Scope The scope of this study is restricted to analysis of the existing defence logistics organisation and to suggest a viable and responsive organisational structure that can meet the logistics imperatives of a short war. Methods of Data Collection. The data and information has been gathered from books, journals, periodicals, internet sites and also from own exposure and experience. The bibliography of sources is appended at the end of the text. CHAPTER III LIMITED / SHORT WAR IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT AND ITS IMPERATIVES War has been the single most important instruement by which most of the great facts of human history have been accomplished and maintained. It has been used as an instruement against aggression as also as an instruement of aggression itself. It has played the most dominant role in nearly all important crisis of humankind ; it has been used to achieve liberty, to ensure democracy as also in building great empires and in enforcing dictatorships. The term war today has come to include many more kinds of hostile activities ; limited war, short war, total war, cold war, hot war, propaganda war, psychological war, ground war, space war as also various other low -intensity conflicts such as guerilla war and fourth generation warfare. Thus war today is not only far more horrifying and a far more complex affair, it has also come to pervade all other aspects of mans social life [6]. Limited War The concept of limited war goes back to the 19th century when miitary theorists underscored the determinative relationship between political ends and military means. Both 19th century theorist Clausewitz and his 20th century successor Liddell Hart were committed advocates of the use of limited war or limited force as opposed to total war. In the 19th century, when concepts of blitzkrieg and wars of annihilation dominated military thoughts and policies, Clausewitz opposed such concepts. He stated, Political objectives, as the original motives of the war, should be the standard for determining both the aim of the military force and also the aim of effort to be made. With the advancement in automatic warfare in the middle of World War II, Liddell Hart realised that because of the destructive nature of the weapons, wars should be limited; however, he did not advocate limited war as a strategy. Later after the development of nuclear weapons, Liddell Hart came up with the concept of limite d war. He said, Where both sides possess atomic power, total war makes nonsense and any unlimited war waged with atomic power would make worse than nonsense; it would be mutually suicidal. He goes on to say any total war, or even the preparation for it, is likely to carry more evils in its train, without bearing any good promise in the event of victory [7]. Robert E Osgood defined limited war as A limited war is one in which the belligerents restrict the purpose for which they fight to concrete, well defined objectives that do not demand the utmost military effort of which the belligerents are capable and that can be accommodated in a negotiated settlement. The battle is confined to a local geographical area and directed against selected targets primarily those of direct military importance. It permits their economic, social and political patterns of existence to continue without serious disruption. In another study, Osgood defines limited war as a war that was to be fought for ends far short of the complete subordination of one states will to anothers using means that involve far less than the total military resources of the belligerents and leave the civilian life and the armed forces of the belligerents largely intact. Robert Osgood also admitted that limited war was not a uniform phenomena, it meant different things to different p eople. War could be limited in different ways and could be limited in some and not limited in others. For instance, a war limited in geographical terms may be unlimited in weapons employed or the targets involved. Similarly, a war may be limited for one of the adversaries yet unlimited in the eyes of the other [8]. Osgood while writing an epilogue on US experiences in Vietnam war, candidly confessed that even in nuclear age, a category of limited war exists which was still limited because of limitation of means. He examined limited war under three different categories of Central War, Local War and Unconventional war. While Central war involved use of nuclear weapons and was unacceptable, popularity of unconventional wars declined in US post Vietnam war. Hence, Osgood rated conventional local war as the most practical form of limited war though he did factor the contingencies which may arise and require other two categories to become operational [9]. Henry Kissinger, in Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy advocated that limited war might be a war confined to a defined geographical area, or war that does not utilize the entire available weapons system (such as refraining from the use of thermonuclear weapons). It may be a war which utilizes entire weapons system but it limits its employment to specific targets [10]. Kissinger, the man behind the Nixon Administrations adoption of the strategy of Limited Nuclear Options popularly known as Schlesinger Doctrine defined limited war as a war fought for specific political objectives which, by their very existence, led to establish a relationship between the force employed and the goal to be attained. It reflects an attempt to affect the opponents will, not to crush it, to make the conditions to be imposed seem more attractive than continued resistance to strive for specific goals and not for complete annihilation [11]. Kissinger , nevertheless, propogated a limited nuclear war strategy which came into conflict with the arguments of known proponets of limited war like Osgood and William Kaufmann, then the greatest critic of limited nuclear war. Kaufmann, a Yale University scholar and the brain behind the McMamara Strategy of flexible response, advocated keeping the war limited and its escalation under control. A more apt definition of limited war in line with contemporary thought process and environment is An armed conflict in which at least one protagonist intentionally restricts his objectives and/or means to accomplish those objectives. Intentional restriction can be self imposed or induced by an opponent or another nation or nations or organizations [12]. Limited war is also defined as a military encounter in which the two warring sides see each other on opposing sides and in which the effort of each falls short of the attempt to use all of its power to destroy the other [13]. Beyond doubt, limitation in warfare has always been impressed upon on the grounds of either morality or other limitations of resources and technology. However, with the advent of nuclear weapons on the one hand and of irreconciliable ideologies on the other, limitation in warfare had become a matter of necessity if the war was to sustain its traditional role of being an instruement of politics. And it is here that the strategy of limited war which seeks to preserve the eternal values of primacy of politics and economy of force even in the nuclear age has assumed supreme importance. Limited war framework does not include wars involving non-nuclear states. Instead, limited wars are conflicts in which vital interests of the nuclear powers are directly or indirectly involved and in which, therefore, the threat of their expansion into a Total War remains omnipresent imminent. Hence, it is this massive and deliberate hobbling of their infinite power by nuclear weapon powers that qualifies a conflict as limited war. Such wars have also been termed as Short Wars and , as seen in numerous conflicts since second World War II, have retained their pre-eminence as the most acceptable category of war in the contemporary nuclear age. The US and the Soviet Union, the two nuclear superpowers in cold war era, had the responsibility to not only ensure limitation of conflicts that involved dangers of exploding into a nuclear war but also to modify its war fighting doctrines to address the imperatives of intense short wars, which were likely to manifest in the nuclear enviornment. However, as the Soviet Union disintegrated, it enjoined on the US to effect a major shift in US war fighting doctrines, wherein it adopted a short war specific logistic structure to support the challenges to US strategic security calculus. The logistic structure catered for highly intense and violent battlefield which would have exacted heavy casualties of men, material and equipment [14]. Limited War In Indian Context The Indian Limited War doctrine had its roots in formulation of our response to the Pakistani aggression in Kargil in 1999. As the Dec 2001 terrorist strike led to mobilization and protracted deployment in Operation Parakram, the Indian strategists offered Limited War as Indias answer to what in security theory is termed as the stability-instability paradox. In the recent years, the limited war theory has acquired highly placed proponents and gained its own doctrinal respectability amidst intense public debates amongst Indian think tanks. Paradoxically, the Pakistani strategic experts community calls our new strategy as a doctrinal response based on regurgitation of American limited war concept of nineteen fifties to threaten and deter Pakistan [15]. Evidently, the Indian perspective on limited conventional war in a nuclear backdrop has witnessed intense and vigorous debate with proponents and opponents posing questions and counter questions on the probability of a limited conventional war escalating into a nuclear conflagaration. Historically, nuclear weapons have engendered caution between adversarial states, wherein the 1969 Soviet-Sino Ussuri River clashes and Indo-Pak Kargil war remains the only two cases where two declared nuclear weapon states have engaged in armed conflict [16]. Therefore, the options for India, to pursue its limited war doctrine against Pakistan, is to either apply military power spaced out in time and concentrated in space or stretched out in space and concentrated in time. In other words, Indian defense doctrine and strategy must seek to apply calibrated force for punitive effect, which does not have a destabilizing effect on the adversary [17]. The nuclear factor in South Asia has rendered total war u nthinkable and limited war has become a necessity and must be central to the military input provided to the political leadership as an option to secure conflict limitation [18]. From the Pak perspective, a limited conventional war in the Indo- Pak context, can be defined as a war designed to achieve specified political objectives by applying compatible resources in a critical area and by acting smartly in a manner so as to leave bare minimum incentive for the opponent to react with nuclear weapons without taking definite risk to suffer more gains [19] . India, of late, is also forced to contend with an increasingly assertive and belligerent China which sees India as the single biggest rival to Chinese pre- eminence in Asia. As numerous strategic and defence experts have began to increase the probability of a Sino-Indian military conflagration in the Himalayas, an objective look at the time frame duration of such a conflict is also mandated. A limited war in our context would envisage a likely time frame of 21- 28 days. This time frame is a logical one as geo-political realities of an armed conflict between two nuclear states along with inherent limitations of developing states in terms of economy, war waging capability etc will preclude continuation of viable operations beyond four weeks. Moreover, in a Sino-Indian conflict, the restrictive campaigning season of approximately two months will be a determinant of duration of hostilities as both sides would need time to build up their forces in the post monsoon phase. Otherwise, too, all our past wars have unambiguously been short wars, limited in duration and objectives and the future wars in a nuclear backdrop are going to be anything but different. Yet, the future wars will be short but highly intense, destructive wars, exacting heavy casualties of men, material and equipment in fast, fluid mobile battles across the entire spectrum of conflict in a technologically drive n war fighting environment with far reaching implications for the war fighting philosophies of the adversaries. Logistics Imperatives The future battlefield in an intense, short war would necessitate a major transformation in our logistic support system with likely changes as under [20] :- Limited preparatory period and highly intense short duration war, necessitating an efficient mobilization plan. Self contained theatre based logistic support structure. High attrition rate due to greater accuracy and lethality of long range weapon systems necessitating forward positioning of a greater quantum of reserves. Greater emphasis on intra theatre regeneration and re-supply of logistics resources. A sense and respond system working on the push model. Adoption of information technology and decision support systems for total asset visibility and improved inventory management [21]. Need to improve survivability of logistics echelons by dispersion and area air defence cover where possible. Maximum reliance on air maintenance for maintenance of momentum especially in mountainous and desert terrains. Need for greater degree of logistics flexibility and redundancy in all theatres. Increased strain on logistics support system due to greater density of high technological equipment in battlefield. The diversity of terrain and our varied operational roles, required to be performed in highly intense, short duration wars pose enormous logistic challenges and demand a dynamic, new approach to include simple, flexible and efficient logistic plans, based on a technology driven, seamless and fully networked logistic system. Such an approach is required to integrate the logistic resources of the three services and to utilize the existing national infrastructure more profitably to improve our logistic efficiency and enhance our operational readiness [22]. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS TO INCLUDE SHORTCOMINGS OF EXISTING LOGISTIC ORGANISATION Existing Defence Logistic System National Level In India, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is the highest decision making body on national security and strategic issues and is mandated to formulate policies for the defence of the country through the National Security Council ( NSC ) established in 1998. The Defence Minister, who is a member of the Cabinet Committee on Security, heads the Ministry of Defence ( MOD )and is responsible for implementing the governments defence policies. The defence policies get implemented through various committees functioning under the MOD [23]. Details of such committees are as under :- Defence Ministers Committee. Defence Ministers Production and Supply Committee. Defence Research and Development Council. Chiefs of Staff Committee. The Defence Ministers committee is responsible for defence planning while the Production and Supply Committee is most important as it covers the entire gamut of planning force levels and equipment planning related to availabilty of resources. The Chiefs of Staff Committee advise the Defence Minister on all military matters including logistics matters. Another committee called the Joint Adminstration Planning Committee (JAPC) having representatives from the Services, is placed under the Chiefs of Staff Committee to coordinate the logistics effort of the three services and to prepare a joint adminstration plan to supplement and support the overall mobilisation and operational plan evolved by the Joint Planning Committee ( JPC ) [24]. Army Logistics At Army Headquarters level, the agencies responsibile for providing logistics are the Adjutant General (AG), Quartermaster general (QMG), Master General of Ordnance (MGO) and Engineering-in-Chief (E-in-C). Basically the existing system is influenced by what was primarily inherited from the British Army. In the present organization, the supply and transport are under the QMG while Ordnance and EME are with the MGO and the Medical services have been placed under the AG. Moreover, selection and introduction of any new equipment though a joint responsibility, is with the Weapons and Equipment (WE) Directorate while maintenance of such equipment is a logistic function. In order to coordinate various branches and to ensure smooth flow, Directorate General Operational Logistics (DGOL) has been created. However, the management and control of the logistic services has not been brought under a unified single management or control, which gives rise to a number of intra-service logistical proble ms , thereby making the task of DGOL difficult [25]. Utilisation of army budget also is a problem area as the QMG Branch, which is responsible for large portion of Armys logistic planning, spends almost two-fifths of the army budget [26]. Thus the staff support is highly fragmented and does not approximate to the concept of integrated logistic support. IAF Logistics In IAF, the Logistics Branch handles all the equipment, materials management and distribution functions [27]. At the Air Headquarters, Air Officer-in-charge Maintenance ( AOM ) and Air Officer-in-charge administration ( AOA ) perform functions similar to those of the AG and the QMG in the army and partly similar to those of MGO. The AOM is assisted by four Additional Chiefs of Air Staff ( ACAS ) and Air Officer Logistics ( AOL ). The AOM to a large extent, provides single point management and control, wherein all specialist aspects of aircraft and equipment maintenance, overhaul and provisioning of stores in respect of each weapon system is looked after. In addition, the Initial Provisioning Committee and Maintenance Planning Teams provide logistic support for the newly introduced aircraft and weapon systems [28]. As regards, functions of AOA, he is assisted by two ACsAS and controls administrative aspects such as organization, works, accounts, legal ,medical, pay and provost. Navy Logistics In Navy, the Chief of Materials (COM ), a Principle Staff Officer to the Naval Chief at Naval Headquarters is responsible for entire Logistics management function in the Navy. He is assisted by the Controller of Logistics Support, who functions directly under the Chief of Material and deals with logistics support, clothing and victualling, armament supply and transport. In addition, there are two Assistant Chiefs of Materials aiding the Chief of Material to deal with Systems and DR. The Chief of Personnel (COP) heads the personnel branch and handles the medical services, recruitment, welfare and service conditions [29]. Analysis of the Existing System An analysis of the existing logistics system reveals some glaring and profound weaknesses which need to be redressed forthwith, in order to obviate potential adverse effects on our national security. The systemic weaknesses are pronounced in the fields of our logistic organization, both at national and services level and also in our failure to integrate our logistics system. The later, in fact, is a manifestation of a flawed organizational set up, being carried forward as a legacy of the colonial times. That so many past studies and writings by experts on the subject have failed to elicit the attention of the decision makers concerned is a sad reflection on our system and underlines a lack of overall national perspective for logistics. Further, it is apparent that the decision making structures at the national and services level are either inappropriate or simply unresponsive. Our logistic system, though has taken the obvious weaknesses and the shortcomings in its stride and has deli vered the goods in all wars fought by us in the post independence period. As such, it is of utmost importance that the obvious shortcomings are identified and addressed in order to integrate and optimize our logistics system as a true component of the National Effort, needed to respond to growing threats to our national security. Shortcomings of our Logistic System Organisational Weakness. At the top echelons of the MOD and Chiefs of Staff Committee ( COSC ), Defence by Committees is the accepted style of functioning, which is hardly conducive to efficient functioning. The Service chiefs are responsible for operational and logistic preparedness, but exercise little or no control over budget and provisioning of war like material, which remains the direct prerogative of the MOD. No National Level Organisation. Neither any national level organisation exists to oversee, coordinate and integrate our defence needs with national development nor any visible efforts are seen towards orienting national level logistical planning to our defence requirements. Lack of Common Logistic Doctrine. Despite jointness and integration being the buzzwords, the three services have failed to evolve a common logistics doctrine and philosophy of logistic support. Multiplicity of Logistic Agencies. There is a multiplicity in logistic agencies with no single authority responsible to the Chief of Army Staff ( COAS ) for logistics preparedness. Lack of centralized logistic support encourages duplication and wasteful expenditure. Multiple Procurement Agencies. Multiple procurement agencies in the services with lack of interaction, work against the principle of economy and lead to increased costs. Lack of Standardisation and Codification . It leads to duplication and high inventories. Multiple stocking echelons ,too, lead to a high level of stocking and is compounded due to lack of an integrated systems approach to determine stock levels. A vast range of assorted equipment, both imported and indigenous, has only exacerbated the problems of providing effective logistics backup [30]. Inventory Automation. Despite commonality of procedures, separate inventory automation has been undertaken by all three services, thus violating the administration principal of economy. Private Sector Involvement in Defence Research and Development. Despite the dynamic changes ushered by Defence Procurement Procedure 2005 2009, the private sector involvement in defence research development and defence production has not reached the desired levels. Attitudinal Change towards logistics, In Indian Army, an attitude has been prevalent for long, wherein logistics consideration in an operational plan are invariably given short shrift under the mistaken belief that a commanders tactical brilliance will some how compensate for inadequate consideration of logistics. The practice of not involving the logistics functionary in formulation of operational plans and then leaving the logistics planning entirely to logisticians is an inevitable recipe for disaster. Mobilisation. Mobilisation involves movement of men and material, wherein move by rail is carried out under the aegis of the Operational Rail Movement Plan (ORMP). Though the plan has been validated during OP VIJAY and OP PARAKRAM , concerns remain as regards the move and dispersion of strike and dual task formations as also the creation of requisite infrastructure for unloading / loading at railway stations concerned. Besides this, shortage of defence rolling stocks exist which will inhibit speedy mobilisation. Functioning of Ordnance Factories and the PSUs. Director General of Ordnance Factories and the Defence Public Sector Undertakings are major defence manufacturers. However, the present organisational structure precludes the optimum functioning of these organisations. Despite being an intrinsic part of Defence Ministers Production and Supply Committee ( DPSC ) , the Ordnance Factory Board ( OFB ) usually functions independently and in any case is not accountable to the Army or the defence, though the funding for the OFB is made from the Army Budget. As such, the Chief of Army Staff has very little say with respect to production and priority in delivery of items. The OFB items also have quality concerns especially in general stores and clothing items. Multiple Echelon System. The multiple echelon system which is existing as the chain of supply to the field formations need critical examination and reduction of echelons where feasible. Logistics support need not be the same across the board for all formations in the country, it can be tailor-made to meet the requirement of a particular sector, the terrain, the type of operations and equipment likely to operate in the area. This will cut down the time factor for move from source to the field formation. Push Model. The push model of pumping the logistics requirement of troops forward has been partially implemented in certain areas. It needs to be implemented across the board to ensure that the troops do not have to look over their shoulders for logistics support. CHAPTER V ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY LOGISTICS ORGANISATION OF MAJOR MILITARY POWERS US System The US Armed Forces have a highly efficient and responsive logistic system, based on a dynamic organizational structure which has evolved to meet the ever changing operational requirements. The Defence Logistic Agency ( DLA ), a US Department of Defence ( DOD ) agency supplies the nations military services and several civilian agencies with the wide ranging logistical support for peacetime and wartime operations as well as emergency preparedness and humanitarian missions [31]. The DLA Director reports to the Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics through the Deputy Under Secretary of Defence ( Logistics and Material Readiness ).The DLA has evolved from Defence Supply Agency ( DSA ), which worked on the Single Manager Concept, wherein eight service agencies viz army, navy, air force etc handled one commodity each and became DSA supply centers. In 1977, DLA was established with the aim of centralizing the management of common military logistics support and to introduce uniform financial management practices. Later, the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, for integration of US Armed Forces, identified DLA as a combat support agency. In Feb 2000, a new DLA organization structure part of an integrated plan called DLA 21 integrated all distribution depots of the military services into a single, unified material distribution system to reduce overhead costs and place them under DLA for management. It also created four major sub agencies under the DLA as under :- Def Logistics Support Command ( DLSC). Responsible for integration of logistics operations, supply chain management, readiness and contigency operations support. It is also responsible for procurement, storage and distribution of consumable parts, fuel, medical, subsistence and clothing and textile support. It has subsequently been reorganised as DLA Logistics Operations Directorate ( DLALO J-3 ). Def Contract Management Command. Responsible for DODs primary contract administration activity. Information Operations. Responsible for DLAs information technology activities to enhance e-commerce, logistics support system and document automation in support of military logistics. Financial Operations. Responsible for streamlining DLAs financial system for agencys future initiatives. UK System UK, too, has been a fore runner in initiation of defence reforms, which began with th Defence Logistics Organisation Analysis for War Suitability Defence Logistics Organisation Analysis for War Suitability CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Historically, nation states have used military power as an instruement of state to achieve their national aims objectives. Towards that end, logistics along with strategy and tactics constitute an important sub division of the practical art of war fighting [1]. It therefore evolves upon students of military history to grasp the nuances of logistics, the way it affects the very essence of modern, contemporary war fighting philosophy. To begin with, it is not incorrect to say that the military activity known as logistics is probably as old as war itself. The word logistics is derived from the Greek adjective, logistikus meaning skilled in calculating. Research indicates that the first use of the word with reference to an organised military administrative service was by the French writer Jomini who served as a staff officer in Napoleons army. In 1838, he set down logistics as one of the six branches of the military art, the other five being statesmanship in its relationship to war, strategy or art of properly directing masses upon the theatre of war, grand tactics, engineering and minor tactics. He included the phrase it is the execution of strategic and tactical enterprises in his definition of logistics. In short, he devised a theory of war upon the trinity of strategy, ground tactics and logistics. He defined it as practical art of moving armies [2]. Based on the experience gained over the years, the term was redefined in 1968 wherein Logistics was referred to as the art and science of creating and maintaining a military capability. It consists of the process of determining requirements, acquisitions, distributions and maintenance of materials. As regards, our Indian manuals, they define logistics as the science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces[3]. In todays usage, logistics is the function of providing all the material and services that a military force needs in Peace or War. Logistics, therefore, covers a wide canvas broadly includes all military activities, other than strategy and tactics. It would therefore, be prudent to refer to logistics as the bridge between our combat troops and the industry natural resources of our country. Logistics perse is a key element of Doctrine, too, which describes it as a process that consists of planning and executing the movement and sustenance of operating forces in executing a military strategy and operations. It is essentially moving, supplying and maintaining military forces and is basic to the ability of armies, fleets and air forces to operate indeed to exist. It has a direct bearing on a countrys capability to support a national strategy [4]. As the rapidly evolving modern battlefield milieu transforms into short, intense and technologically intensive wars, the over bearing need for a fool proof and highly responsive logistic organizational structure for Indian Army to meet the logistic imperatives of a short war cannot be over emphasized. Our existing logistics system has been inherited from the British. Though the logistic system in general and the logistic organisation in particular have been subjected to numerous improvements and changes over the last six decades, the logistic system perse has failed to evolve with changing times and has more or less retained its archaic character. The major, Mathew[5] reason for the antiquated character of our logistic system is the flawed organisational structure which inhibits and precludes optimum utilisation of our well developed and vast national logistic capacities. Restructuring of our existing defence logistics organisation, therefore, is a pre-requisite to restructure our logistic system to meet the logistic imperatives of a short war. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY Statement of the Problem To study and analyse the existing defence logistics organisation and to ascertain its suitability to meet the logistics imperatives of a short war. Hypothesis Our existing defence logistics organization is based on archaic concepts and will not be able to deliver adequately in a short war. Scope The scope of this study is restricted to analysis of the existing defence logistics organisation and to suggest a viable and responsive organisational structure that can meet the logistics imperatives of a short war. Methods of Data Collection. The data and information has been gathered from books, journals, periodicals, internet sites and also from own exposure and experience. The bibliography of sources is appended at the end of the text. CHAPTER III LIMITED / SHORT WAR IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT AND ITS IMPERATIVES War has been the single most important instruement by which most of the great facts of human history have been accomplished and maintained. It has been used as an instruement against aggression as also as an instruement of aggression itself. It has played the most dominant role in nearly all important crisis of humankind ; it has been used to achieve liberty, to ensure democracy as also in building great empires and in enforcing dictatorships. The term war today has come to include many more kinds of hostile activities ; limited war, short war, total war, cold war, hot war, propaganda war, psychological war, ground war, space war as also various other low -intensity conflicts such as guerilla war and fourth generation warfare. Thus war today is not only far more horrifying and a far more complex affair, it has also come to pervade all other aspects of mans social life [6]. Limited War The concept of limited war goes back to the 19th century when miitary theorists underscored the determinative relationship between political ends and military means. Both 19th century theorist Clausewitz and his 20th century successor Liddell Hart were committed advocates of the use of limited war or limited force as opposed to total war. In the 19th century, when concepts of blitzkrieg and wars of annihilation dominated military thoughts and policies, Clausewitz opposed such concepts. He stated, Political objectives, as the original motives of the war, should be the standard for determining both the aim of the military force and also the aim of effort to be made. With the advancement in automatic warfare in the middle of World War II, Liddell Hart realised that because of the destructive nature of the weapons, wars should be limited; however, he did not advocate limited war as a strategy. Later after the development of nuclear weapons, Liddell Hart came up with the concept of limite d war. He said, Where both sides possess atomic power, total war makes nonsense and any unlimited war waged with atomic power would make worse than nonsense; it would be mutually suicidal. He goes on to say any total war, or even the preparation for it, is likely to carry more evils in its train, without bearing any good promise in the event of victory [7]. Robert E Osgood defined limited war as A limited war is one in which the belligerents restrict the purpose for which they fight to concrete, well defined objectives that do not demand the utmost military effort of which the belligerents are capable and that can be accommodated in a negotiated settlement. The battle is confined to a local geographical area and directed against selected targets primarily those of direct military importance. It permits their economic, social and political patterns of existence to continue without serious disruption. In another study, Osgood defines limited war as a war that was to be fought for ends far short of the complete subordination of one states will to anothers using means that involve far less than the total military resources of the belligerents and leave the civilian life and the armed forces of the belligerents largely intact. Robert Osgood also admitted that limited war was not a uniform phenomena, it meant different things to different p eople. War could be limited in different ways and could be limited in some and not limited in others. For instance, a war limited in geographical terms may be unlimited in weapons employed or the targets involved. Similarly, a war may be limited for one of the adversaries yet unlimited in the eyes of the other [8]. Osgood while writing an epilogue on US experiences in Vietnam war, candidly confessed that even in nuclear age, a category of limited war exists which was still limited because of limitation of means. He examined limited war under three different categories of Central War, Local War and Unconventional war. While Central war involved use of nuclear weapons and was unacceptable, popularity of unconventional wars declined in US post Vietnam war. Hence, Osgood rated conventional local war as the most practical form of limited war though he did factor the contingencies which may arise and require other two categories to become operational [9]. Henry Kissinger, in Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy advocated that limited war might be a war confined to a defined geographical area, or war that does not utilize the entire available weapons system (such as refraining from the use of thermonuclear weapons). It may be a war which utilizes entire weapons system but it limits its employment to specific targets [10]. Kissinger, the man behind the Nixon Administrations adoption of the strategy of Limited Nuclear Options popularly known as Schlesinger Doctrine defined limited war as a war fought for specific political objectives which, by their very existence, led to establish a relationship between the force employed and the goal to be attained. It reflects an attempt to affect the opponents will, not to crush it, to make the conditions to be imposed seem more attractive than continued resistance to strive for specific goals and not for complete annihilation [11]. Kissinger , nevertheless, propogated a limited nuclear war strategy which came into conflict with the arguments of known proponets of limited war like Osgood and William Kaufmann, then the greatest critic of limited nuclear war. Kaufmann, a Yale University scholar and the brain behind the McMamara Strategy of flexible response, advocated keeping the war limited and its escalation under control. A more apt definition of limited war in line with contemporary thought process and environment is An armed conflict in which at least one protagonist intentionally restricts his objectives and/or means to accomplish those objectives. Intentional restriction can be self imposed or induced by an opponent or another nation or nations or organizations [12]. Limited war is also defined as a military encounter in which the two warring sides see each other on opposing sides and in which the effort of each falls short of the attempt to use all of its power to destroy the other [13]. Beyond doubt, limitation in warfare has always been impressed upon on the grounds of either morality or other limitations of resources and technology. However, with the advent of nuclear weapons on the one hand and of irreconciliable ideologies on the other, limitation in warfare had become a matter of necessity if the war was to sustain its traditional role of being an instruement of politics. And it is here that the strategy of limited war which seeks to preserve the eternal values of primacy of politics and economy of force even in the nuclear age has assumed supreme importance. Limited war framework does not include wars involving non-nuclear states. Instead, limited wars are conflicts in which vital interests of the nuclear powers are directly or indirectly involved and in which, therefore, the threat of their expansion into a Total War remains omnipresent imminent. Hence, it is this massive and deliberate hobbling of their infinite power by nuclear weapon powers that qualifies a conflict as limited war. Such wars have also been termed as Short Wars and , as seen in numerous conflicts since second World War II, have retained their pre-eminence as the most acceptable category of war in the contemporary nuclear age. The US and the Soviet Union, the two nuclear superpowers in cold war era, had the responsibility to not only ensure limitation of conflicts that involved dangers of exploding into a nuclear war but also to modify its war fighting doctrines to address the imperatives of intense short wars, which were likely to manifest in the nuclear enviornment. However, as the Soviet Union disintegrated, it enjoined on the US to effect a major shift in US war fighting doctrines, wherein it adopted a short war specific logistic structure to support the challenges to US strategic security calculus. The logistic structure catered for highly intense and violent battlefield which would have exacted heavy casualties of men, material and equipment [14]. Limited War In Indian Context The Indian Limited War doctrine had its roots in formulation of our response to the Pakistani aggression in Kargil in 1999. As the Dec 2001 terrorist strike led to mobilization and protracted deployment in Operation Parakram, the Indian strategists offered Limited War as Indias answer to what in security theory is termed as the stability-instability paradox. In the recent years, the limited war theory has acquired highly placed proponents and gained its own doctrinal respectability amidst intense public debates amongst Indian think tanks. Paradoxically, the Pakistani strategic experts community calls our new strategy as a doctrinal response based on regurgitation of American limited war concept of nineteen fifties to threaten and deter Pakistan [15]. Evidently, the Indian perspective on limited conventional war in a nuclear backdrop has witnessed intense and vigorous debate with proponents and opponents posing questions and counter questions on the probability of a limited conventional war escalating into a nuclear conflagaration. Historically, nuclear weapons have engendered caution between adversarial states, wherein the 1969 Soviet-Sino Ussuri River clashes and Indo-Pak Kargil war remains the only two cases where two declared nuclear weapon states have engaged in armed conflict [16]. Therefore, the options for India, to pursue its limited war doctrine against Pakistan, is to either apply military power spaced out in time and concentrated in space or stretched out in space and concentrated in time. In other words, Indian defense doctrine and strategy must seek to apply calibrated force for punitive effect, which does not have a destabilizing effect on the adversary [17]. The nuclear factor in South Asia has rendered total war u nthinkable and limited war has become a necessity and must be central to the military input provided to the political leadership as an option to secure conflict limitation [18]. From the Pak perspective, a limited conventional war in the Indo- Pak context, can be defined as a war designed to achieve specified political objectives by applying compatible resources in a critical area and by acting smartly in a manner so as to leave bare minimum incentive for the opponent to react with nuclear weapons without taking definite risk to suffer more gains [19] . India, of late, is also forced to contend with an increasingly assertive and belligerent China which sees India as the single biggest rival to Chinese pre- eminence in Asia. As numerous strategic and defence experts have began to increase the probability of a Sino-Indian military conflagration in the Himalayas, an objective look at the time frame duration of such a conflict is also mandated. A limited war in our context would envisage a likely time frame of 21- 28 days. This time frame is a logical one as geo-political realities of an armed conflict between two nuclear states along with inherent limitations of developing states in terms of economy, war waging capability etc will preclude continuation of viable operations beyond four weeks. Moreover, in a Sino-Indian conflict, the restrictive campaigning season of approximately two months will be a determinant of duration of hostilities as both sides would need time to build up their forces in the post monsoon phase. Otherwise, too, all our past wars have unambiguously been short wars, limited in duration and objectives and the future wars in a nuclear backdrop are going to be anything but different. Yet, the future wars will be short but highly intense, destructive wars, exacting heavy casualties of men, material and equipment in fast, fluid mobile battles across the entire spectrum of conflict in a technologically drive n war fighting environment with far reaching implications for the war fighting philosophies of the adversaries. Logistics Imperatives The future battlefield in an intense, short war would necessitate a major transformation in our logistic support system with likely changes as under [20] :- Limited preparatory period and highly intense short duration war, necessitating an efficient mobilization plan. Self contained theatre based logistic support structure. High attrition rate due to greater accuracy and lethality of long range weapon systems necessitating forward positioning of a greater quantum of reserves. Greater emphasis on intra theatre regeneration and re-supply of logistics resources. A sense and respond system working on the push model. Adoption of information technology and decision support systems for total asset visibility and improved inventory management [21]. Need to improve survivability of logistics echelons by dispersion and area air defence cover where possible. Maximum reliance on air maintenance for maintenance of momentum especially in mountainous and desert terrains. Need for greater degree of logistics flexibility and redundancy in all theatres. Increased strain on logistics support system due to greater density of high technological equipment in battlefield. The diversity of terrain and our varied operational roles, required to be performed in highly intense, short duration wars pose enormous logistic challenges and demand a dynamic, new approach to include simple, flexible and efficient logistic plans, based on a technology driven, seamless and fully networked logistic system. Such an approach is required to integrate the logistic resources of the three services and to utilize the existing national infrastructure more profitably to improve our logistic efficiency and enhance our operational readiness [22]. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS TO INCLUDE SHORTCOMINGS OF EXISTING LOGISTIC ORGANISATION Existing Defence Logistic System National Level In India, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is the highest decision making body on national security and strategic issues and is mandated to formulate policies for the defence of the country through the National Security Council ( NSC ) established in 1998. The Defence Minister, who is a member of the Cabinet Committee on Security, heads the Ministry of Defence ( MOD )and is responsible for implementing the governments defence policies. The defence policies get implemented through various committees functioning under the MOD [23]. Details of such committees are as under :- Defence Ministers Committee. Defence Ministers Production and Supply Committee. Defence Research and Development Council. Chiefs of Staff Committee. The Defence Ministers committee is responsible for defence planning while the Production and Supply Committee is most important as it covers the entire gamut of planning force levels and equipment planning related to availabilty of resources. The Chiefs of Staff Committee advise the Defence Minister on all military matters including logistics matters. Another committee called the Joint Adminstration Planning Committee (JAPC) having representatives from the Services, is placed under the Chiefs of Staff Committee to coordinate the logistics effort of the three services and to prepare a joint adminstration plan to supplement and support the overall mobilisation and operational plan evolved by the Joint Planning Committee ( JPC ) [24]. Army Logistics At Army Headquarters level, the agencies responsibile for providing logistics are the Adjutant General (AG), Quartermaster general (QMG), Master General of Ordnance (MGO) and Engineering-in-Chief (E-in-C). Basically the existing system is influenced by what was primarily inherited from the British Army. In the present organization, the supply and transport are under the QMG while Ordnance and EME are with the MGO and the Medical services have been placed under the AG. Moreover, selection and introduction of any new equipment though a joint responsibility, is with the Weapons and Equipment (WE) Directorate while maintenance of such equipment is a logistic function. In order to coordinate various branches and to ensure smooth flow, Directorate General Operational Logistics (DGOL) has been created. However, the management and control of the logistic services has not been brought under a unified single management or control, which gives rise to a number of intra-service logistical proble ms , thereby making the task of DGOL difficult [25]. Utilisation of army budget also is a problem area as the QMG Branch, which is responsible for large portion of Armys logistic planning, spends almost two-fifths of the army budget [26]. Thus the staff support is highly fragmented and does not approximate to the concept of integrated logistic support. IAF Logistics In IAF, the Logistics Branch handles all the equipment, materials management and distribution functions [27]. At the Air Headquarters, Air Officer-in-charge Maintenance ( AOM ) and Air Officer-in-charge administration ( AOA ) perform functions similar to those of the AG and the QMG in the army and partly similar to those of MGO. The AOM is assisted by four Additional Chiefs of Air Staff ( ACAS ) and Air Officer Logistics ( AOL ). The AOM to a large extent, provides single point management and control, wherein all specialist aspects of aircraft and equipment maintenance, overhaul and provisioning of stores in respect of each weapon system is looked after. In addition, the Initial Provisioning Committee and Maintenance Planning Teams provide logistic support for the newly introduced aircraft and weapon systems [28]. As regards, functions of AOA, he is assisted by two ACsAS and controls administrative aspects such as organization, works, accounts, legal ,medical, pay and provost. Navy Logistics In Navy, the Chief of Materials (COM ), a Principle Staff Officer to the Naval Chief at Naval Headquarters is responsible for entire Logistics management function in the Navy. He is assisted by the Controller of Logistics Support, who functions directly under the Chief of Material and deals with logistics support, clothing and victualling, armament supply and transport. In addition, there are two Assistant Chiefs of Materials aiding the Chief of Material to deal with Systems and DR. The Chief of Personnel (COP) heads the personnel branch and handles the medical services, recruitment, welfare and service conditions [29]. Analysis of the Existing System An analysis of the existing logistics system reveals some glaring and profound weaknesses which need to be redressed forthwith, in order to obviate potential adverse effects on our national security. The systemic weaknesses are pronounced in the fields of our logistic organization, both at national and services level and also in our failure to integrate our logistics system. The later, in fact, is a manifestation of a flawed organizational set up, being carried forward as a legacy of the colonial times. That so many past studies and writings by experts on the subject have failed to elicit the attention of the decision makers concerned is a sad reflection on our system and underlines a lack of overall national perspective for logistics. Further, it is apparent that the decision making structures at the national and services level are either inappropriate or simply unresponsive. Our logistic system, though has taken the obvious weaknesses and the shortcomings in its stride and has deli vered the goods in all wars fought by us in the post independence period. As such, it is of utmost importance that the obvious shortcomings are identified and addressed in order to integrate and optimize our logistics system as a true component of the National Effort, needed to respond to growing threats to our national security. Shortcomings of our Logistic System Organisational Weakness. At the top echelons of the MOD and Chiefs of Staff Committee ( COSC ), Defence by Committees is the accepted style of functioning, which is hardly conducive to efficient functioning. The Service chiefs are responsible for operational and logistic preparedness, but exercise little or no control over budget and provisioning of war like material, which remains the direct prerogative of the MOD. No National Level Organisation. Neither any national level organisation exists to oversee, coordinate and integrate our defence needs with national development nor any visible efforts are seen towards orienting national level logistical planning to our defence requirements. Lack of Common Logistic Doctrine. Despite jointness and integration being the buzzwords, the three services have failed to evolve a common logistics doctrine and philosophy of logistic support. Multiplicity of Logistic Agencies. There is a multiplicity in logistic agencies with no single authority responsible to the Chief of Army Staff ( COAS ) for logistics preparedness. Lack of centralized logistic support encourages duplication and wasteful expenditure. Multiple Procurement Agencies. Multiple procurement agencies in the services with lack of interaction, work against the principle of economy and lead to increased costs. Lack of Standardisation and Codification . It leads to duplication and high inventories. Multiple stocking echelons ,too, lead to a high level of stocking and is compounded due to lack of an integrated systems approach to determine stock levels. A vast range of assorted equipment, both imported and indigenous, has only exacerbated the problems of providing effective logistics backup [30]. Inventory Automation. Despite commonality of procedures, separate inventory automation has been undertaken by all three services, thus violating the administration principal of economy. Private Sector Involvement in Defence Research and Development. Despite the dynamic changes ushered by Defence Procurement Procedure 2005 2009, the private sector involvement in defence research development and defence production has not reached the desired levels. Attitudinal Change towards logistics, In Indian Army, an attitude has been prevalent for long, wherein logistics consideration in an operational plan are invariably given short shrift under the mistaken belief that a commanders tactical brilliance will some how compensate for inadequate consideration of logistics. The practice of not involving the logistics functionary in formulation of operational plans and then leaving the logistics planning entirely to logisticians is an inevitable recipe for disaster. Mobilisation. Mobilisation involves movement of men and material, wherein move by rail is carried out under the aegis of the Operational Rail Movement Plan (ORMP). Though the plan has been validated during OP VIJAY and OP PARAKRAM , concerns remain as regards the move and dispersion of strike and dual task formations as also the creation of requisite infrastructure for unloading / loading at railway stations concerned. Besides this, shortage of defence rolling stocks exist which will inhibit speedy mobilisation. Functioning of Ordnance Factories and the PSUs. Director General of Ordnance Factories and the Defence Public Sector Undertakings are major defence manufacturers. However, the present organisational structure precludes the optimum functioning of these organisations. Despite being an intrinsic part of Defence Ministers Production and Supply Committee ( DPSC ) , the Ordnance Factory Board ( OFB ) usually functions independently and in any case is not accountable to the Army or the defence, though the funding for the OFB is made from the Army Budget. As such, the Chief of Army Staff has very little say with respect to production and priority in delivery of items. The OFB items also have quality concerns especially in general stores and clothing items. Multiple Echelon System. The multiple echelon system which is existing as the chain of supply to the field formations need critical examination and reduction of echelons where feasible. Logistics support need not be the same across the board for all formations in the country, it can be tailor-made to meet the requirement of a particular sector, the terrain, the type of operations and equipment likely to operate in the area. This will cut down the time factor for move from source to the field formation. Push Model. The push model of pumping the logistics requirement of troops forward has been partially implemented in certain areas. It needs to be implemented across the board to ensure that the troops do not have to look over their shoulders for logistics support. CHAPTER V ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY LOGISTICS ORGANISATION OF MAJOR MILITARY POWERS US System The US Armed Forces have a highly efficient and responsive logistic system, based on a dynamic organizational structure which has evolved to meet the ever changing operational requirements. The Defence Logistic Agency ( DLA ), a US Department of Defence ( DOD ) agency supplies the nations military services and several civilian agencies with the wide ranging logistical support for peacetime and wartime operations as well as emergency preparedness and humanitarian missions [31]. The DLA Director reports to the Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics through the Deputy Under Secretary of Defence ( Logistics and Material Readiness ).The DLA has evolved from Defence Supply Agency ( DSA ), which worked on the Single Manager Concept, wherein eight service agencies viz army, navy, air force etc handled one commodity each and became DSA supply centers. In 1977, DLA was established with the aim of centralizing the management of common military logistics support and to introduce uniform financial management practices. Later, the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, for integration of US Armed Forces, identified DLA as a combat support agency. In Feb 2000, a new DLA organization structure part of an integrated plan called DLA 21 integrated all distribution depots of the military services into a single, unified material distribution system to reduce overhead costs and place them under DLA for management. It also created four major sub agencies under the DLA as under :- Def Logistics Support Command ( DLSC). Responsible for integration of logistics operations, supply chain management, readiness and contigency operations support. It is also responsible for procurement, storage and distribution of consumable parts, fuel, medical, subsistence and clothing and textile support. It has subsequently been reorganised as DLA Logistics Operations Directorate ( DLALO J-3 ). Def Contract Management Command. Responsible for DODs primary contract administration activity. Information Operations. Responsible for DLAs information technology activities to enhance e-commerce, logistics support system and document automation in support of military logistics. Financial Operations. Responsible for streamlining DLAs financial system for agencys future initiatives. UK System UK, too, has been a fore runner in initiation of defence reforms, which began with th