Why is it so difficult to assess and evaluate the likelihood of Essay

Why is it so difficult to assess and evaluate the likelihood of terrorist attacks, both within the United States and throughout the world - Essay Example terrorist attacks in the United States made the government and counter-terrorist organizations realize the urgent and efficient need of counter-terrorist tactics and methodologies for the protection of their public, leadership and infrastructure. Governments of countries all across the world are emerging with modern and effectual strategies. However, certain hindrances are faced during the process of terrorist risk assessment and evaluation. The paper highlights such problems. Terrorists have used a variety of tactics over a period of time to bring about fear in the minds of general public or any particular group of people. Hence, it would be safe to say that terrorists aim to cause a psychological impact significantly. Common tactics employed by terrorists are bombings, biological and chemical attacks, environmental attacks such as hazardous waste disposal and other tactics such as hijacking, kidnapping, sabotage and arson (Duncan et al 313). International counterterrorism efforts include not only state-to-state co-operation but also multilateral co-ordination such as through Interpol. However, it has been observed that Interpol, international police agency, effectiveness has been restricted due to particular reasons. It is poorly funded and the quantity of staff is also not enough limiting its effectiveness. Moreover, Interpol is not allowed to involve in political issues (Duncan et al 315). The separation of Interpol from politics makes counterterroris m a difficult procedure as most of the terrorist attacks are related to political issues and circumstances. The European Union also developed a similarly acting agency called as Europol. Although Europol works effectively in controlling drugs and human trafficking, the counterterrorism efforts are still lagging behind. Europol requires political, technical and financial enhancement and development to tackle terrorist organizations or activities (Duncan et al 315). One of the major problems faced by the

Evening MBA and Online MBA Essay Example for Free

Evening MBA and Online MBA Essay During my undergraduate studies and my work experiences, I have achieved a number of significant accomplishments that have prepared me for the W.P. Carey MBA. As part of my undergraduate studies, I did an internship at Stora Enso’s Wisconsin Rapids paper mill. My capstone project at the mill involved designing and installing an operator information display, which required me to utilize the services of an interdisciplinary team. For my senior project during my undergraduate studies, I was part of the engineering enterprise team, which expanded my knowledge on business and product development. After graduating college, I joined the United States Air Force, which provided me with a wealth of leadership opportunities. I have held several leadership roles both at the Air Force and afterwards in civilian jobs. While in the Air Force, I was given the opportunity to be the squadron physical fitness leader. I was responsible for the physical training of 200+ personnel and their tests. As part of this duty, I designed a special training program for personnel that were not successful with their tests. As such, I was able to effectively and successfully train staff using the training program I had developed. My superiors at the Air Force were instrumental in mentoring my development and leadership skills, and provided me with the opportunities to lead various projects. These experiences pushed me to improve my supervisor abilities. With this knowledge, I have had great success leading small teams of enlisted personnel in various projects and roles. After separating from the Air Force, I transitioned to the civilian world to further develop and strengthen my skill set. During that time I worked for Dynetics and developed test plans for a variety of military projects. Following development, I would lead a small team to run the tests and write up the findings. This experience improved my technical writing and detailed planning skills. Following a move to Phoenix, I accepted a position with General Dynamics. I was involved in supporting different functional areas such as test and development, while at the same time I expanded my knowledge of program management. I am confident that with my academic potential, team-working abilities, innovative spirit, and leadership skills, I will add significant value to the W.P. Carey MBA program. Essay Question #2 How will the W. P. Carey MBA help you achieve your personal and professional goals? Please reference any area of emphasis you plan to pursue and discuss your career goals after the MBA program. During my time in college, I did an internship at a large paper mill. Observing various roles in the company I realized my ideal position required getting a MBA. By the time I graduated from college, I already had some experience in company management through our schools engineering enterprise program. With seven years of experience now, I have gained expertise in technology and leadership. However, my experience has been limited to operating as a team member in an established organization. Now I would like to understand industry from the viewpoint of a project manager. I want to learn how to manage a technical program from conception to implementation. A MBA will provide me these skills through learning modules, case studies, and projects with fellow students and interactions with peers from assorted professional backgrounds. During my MBA studies, I plan on taking the supply chain management area of emphasis. The ability to understand how the pieces integrate into the whole, combined with my pre-MBA experiences, will set me up to be able to excel in roles as the project manager or team lead. To reach my career goals, I need time-proven business knowledge and practical exposure to all areas of business disciplines, such as management fundamentals, marketing, operations, and most importantly, supply chain management that will complement my engineering experience. The W.P. Carey MBA program is my top choice because of its top-ranked Department of Supply Chain Management. Whereas the core courses will give me a good groundwork of business fundamentals, courses such as â€Å"Management of Technology/Innovation and â€Å"Project Management are in my area of interest. W.P. Carey will provide me with the academic foundation and network that I need to realize my career ambitions. I am positive that with my academic potential, group skills, and leadership potential, I will add significant value to any employer. Essay Question #3 Please address any weaknesses in your W. P. Carey MBA application or provide additional information you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. Concerns to be addressed may include past academic performance or GPA, work experience and/or GMAT scores. The biggest weakness on my MBA application is my college GPA. When I was an undergraduate student I did not fully appreciate the work level that was required to truly excel in my studies at Michigan Technological University. However, if you take a closer look at my GPA throughout my undergraduate years of study, you can see that that there is progressive improvement from the beginning of the year as I got acclimated. Moreover, there is also a positive trend in my grades from my third year of studies up to graduation. There were two main reasons for this shift in my grades; firstly the classes became more focused and specific, which allowed me to excel in these courses, and secondly, I matured during my course of studies. The improvement in my studies was reflective of the successful completion of the engineer-in-training exam, which was obtained at the end of my undergraduate degree. Even though I vastly improved during my undergraduate program of study, I realized that my GPA would continue to be a deterrent for my future goals. To acquire the necessary discipline and expand my skills and knowledge, I joined the United States Air Force. Upon joining the Air Force, I went to Officer Training School, and learning from my previous mistakes at college, worked exceptionally hard. As such, I excelled and graduated Officer Training School in the top ten percent of my class, earning several honors along the way. My time in the United States Air Force was instrumental in expanding my skills in leadership, self-discipline and planning while implementing the knowledge I had gained as part of my undergraduate study. After the Air Force I worked in several challenging jobs, where I was responsible overseeing multiple projects and personnel. I have excelled in every project I have worked on, and my attitude is vastly different to how it was back in the early years of my degree. My college and work experiences have prepared me for the W.P. Carey MBA. Likewise, my GMAT scores demonstrate my future academic potential should this application be viewed favorably.

Rock And Roll :: Music

When Rock arrived on the music charts in the 1950's, a merging of African-American and White music, it made a huge impact on society. As a general rule I am not heavily into music, but I was drawn to Rock for some inexplicable reason. It is just the music I like. This genre will be difficult to write about because the origin of Rock is unclear; there are traces of Rock's style back into the 19th Century. It is also a very broad subject and I will have to compress a lot of information into as few pages as possible. Be that as it may, Rock is, in my opinion the best music genre on the charts. There is so much information on Rock that I will have to have questions I want to find the answers to about the music. My first question will be, "What instruments are commonly used in a rock band?" This will not be hard to answer as it is a very easy question that has a definite answer. The next question will be, "Who were the first artists to produce Rock music?" This is also an easy question were I will discuss the first Rockers. Continuing on, my next question will ask, "How was the term ‘Rock and Roll' created, and by who?" This may turn out to be a hard question to answer because I am sure there a multiple answers. "Has Rock become more or less popular since its inception?" will be my next question. For this question I will have to look for a survey or poll of some type and present its data. My final question will be, "How has the Music been changed over the years and who changed it?" This will also be an easy question, albeit a long answer. For that question I will be referring to Alternative and Grunge Rock, my preferred form of the music. For my information I will mainly be using the internet. I also may get some of my answers from a dictionary or encyclopedia. My main sources on the internet will be the online encyclopedia at wikipedia.org, and anything I can find at google.com. I will also be asking my father who is more into classic rock, but a fan none the less. He has been listening to rock since the 60's when he was about my age.

Porter

Michael five forces model Rivalry among competing Firms: this is usually the most powerful of the five competitive forces. The strategies pursued by one firm can be successful only to the extent that they provide competitive advantage over the strategies of other firms (Grobler 2009) ? Due to China’s incredibly high FDI rate, more and more companies are investing into Chinese businesses and strengthening them in both their domestic markets and also on the global front. With the ever increasing growth of their domestic markets it will only be a short while before they become the dominant market leader, if in this span of 30 years they could rise from nothing to 4th largest in the world then it shows what impact they really had and still have on the global economy. Potential entry of new competitors: whenever new firms can easily enter a particular industry, the intensity of competitiveness among firm’s increases. ?When new firms become strengthened through investments, they become direct competitors of the leaders in that industry. . g. A new Chinese innovation in the television industry grows rapidly, they will be direct competitors against any television firms based in China, for example LG and Sony Bargaining power of consumers: when consumers are concentrated, large or buy in volume their bargaining power represents a major force affecting intensity of competition in an industry (Grobler 2009) ? This goes for actual customers(public) and b2b businesses, because those that buy the larger quantities would get the cheaper rates no doubt, however in China how will that be decided? Will it be their size, market share, sales or Return on capital employed. Potential development of substitute products: in many industries firms are in close competition with producers of substitute products in other industries. ?As mentioned throughout this article, the Chinese have the ability to imitate anything, this factor will never disappear especially if Chinese firms enter European or American markets, how those manufacturers would react to the Chinese developments are unimaginable. Bargaining power of suppliers: the bargaining power of suppliers affects the intensity of completion in an industry, especially when there are large number of suppliers, when there are only a few good substitutes’ raw materials or when cost of switching materials is especially costly (Grobler 2009) Porter’s five forces will only be effective if it is done in a stable environment, it is done to see how attractive the industry is and if it is worth starting a new venture in that environment. Porter’s generic strategies †¢Cost leadership †¢Differentiation †¢Focus Cost leadership: Cost leadership means having the lowest per-unit (i. . , average) cost in the industry that is, lowest cost relative to your rivals. This could mean having the lowest per unit cost among rivals in highly competitive industries, in which case returns or profits will be low but however higher than competitors Or, this could mean having lowest cost among a few rivals where each firm enjoys pricing power and high profits Notice that cost leadership is defined independently of market structure. Differentiation: Differentiating the product offering of a firm means creating something that is perceived industry wide as being unique. It is a means of creating your own market to some extent. There are several approaches to differentiation: †¢Different design †¢Brand image †¢Number of features †¢New technology A differentiation strategy may mean differentiating along 2 or more of these dimensions. Focus: Here we focus on a particular buyer group, product segment, or geographical market. while low cost and differentiation are aimed at achieving their objectives industry wide, the focus or niche strategy is built on serving a particular target (customer, product, or location) very well. Note, however, hat a focus strategy means achieving either a low cost advantage or differentiation in a narrow part of the market. For reasons discussed above, this creates a defendable position within that part of the market. Risks of doing generic strategies Cost leadership †¢Requires continual capital investment because newer innovations cause older creations to become obsolete. †¢When focusing solely on making affordable low cost products, it can cause firms to be blinded to product changes that are needed. Ie. Quantity over quality †¢When costs do begin to increase it narrows the differences between competitors and advantage is ultimately lost For China, the main risk that would affect them the most is when focusing solely on quantity, especially because of their expertise in manufacturing they could lose sight of changes that need to be done to better sales. However, China does have the leading number of R&D departments, even though they might not be as innovative as the Japanese or South Koreans, they have the ability to imitate anything they produce which is why they play a major role in globalization, they can imitate anything except fresh air as they say. Differentiation Customer loyalty becomes too large to hold because of the cost differentiation between low cost firms and differentiating firms. †¢The consumer or buyer’s need to differentiate falls away because of price increases. †¢Imitation decreases perceived differentiation This area is where China are dominant, because they have the influence of causing differentiation to fail, because if the product looks the same, and does the same thing, the n why would they ever go for the more expensive, and thus Chinese markets prosper because economies of scale have brought their price down dramatically. This is also when manufacturers have to start looking for alternative suppliers because they now have to compete with China which is not an easy task, and in doing so, it almost definitely forces them to go global. Focus †¢When companies market to niches only they already take the risk of not completely satisfying a demographic segment and with other companies finding alternatives ways to better their market share eg. FDI or R&D labs, they face the risk of dissolving. On its own focus strategy’s should not be attempted by almost any kind of company, its main purpose is to satisfy a small group of consumers at a time, and if this is not the aim of the business then they are going to fall extremely short on their company vision. Books Grobler, W. (2009) Business strategy, CTI Education Group, Johannesburg. Johnson, G. scholes, K. Whittington, R. (2008) Exploring corporate strategy, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River.

Abdominal Aortic Aneursyms Essay

Aneurysms were first described by the 16th century anatomist and physician Vesalius, who believed they were simply a widening of the vessel (Collin et al 2009). An abdominal aneurysm (AAA) is a condition in which the abdominal aorta (a large blood vessel that supplies blood to the abdominal, pelvis and the lower limbs) becomes large and ballooning leading to the development of several symptoms. The condition more often occurs in males compared to females. It occurs more frequently in above the age 60. When the aortic aneurysm is larger than size, it is more likely to rupture causing life-threating problems. This is a medical emergency requiring critical care. This complication is present in about 20% of the people affected with AAA. Another complication with AAA is aortic dissection in which the innermost membrane of the blood vessel ruptures due to the intense pressure causing blood to be filled within the wall of the artery. The exact cause of the disorder has still not been unders tood clearly, but several risk factors may be present including:- See more:Â  The 3 Types of Satire Essay * Hypertension * High cholesterol levels * Obesity * Emphysema * Genetic factors * Smoking (Albright JL. 2006 & Hallett JW. 2008) Individuals affected with AAA initially may not have any symptoms. Symptoms of the condition usually develop suddenly due to rupture of the wall or breakage of the innermost wall. Sudden rupture of the abdominal aortic aneurysm, often without prior medical warning, is the 13th leading cause of morality in the US (Li, Z 2006). Some of the symptoms that can develop in AAA include:- * Abdominal pain (which may be severe, consistent and radiates to the legs, groin and the buttocks region) * Pulsations in the abdomen & palpitations * Nausea and vomiting * Anxiety and agitation * Abdominal rigidity * Cold and clammy skin * Presence of the abdominal mass * Excruciating pain in the limbs and back, when the AAA ruptures * Fatal outcomes in the case of ruptured AAA(Albright JL. 2006 & Hallett JW. 2008) When the AAA is small in size (less than 5 centimeters), no treatment is required. Antihypertensive may be needed to prevent any further complications from developing. Besides, if the individual has any risk factors that can worsen the condition, it needs to be rectified immediately (such as giving up smoking, weight reduction, lowering cholesterol levels, etc.). Periodic evaluations have been recommended to ensure that any risk can be identified and immediately taken care of (Albright JL. 2006 & Hallett JW. 2008). Surgery is required if the AAA is larger than 5.5 centimeters in size, as the risk for rupture or dissection is present. The Aneurysmal defect is repaired by inserting a surgical graft. This can be performed by two method namely the conventional approach or the endovascular approach. In the conventional approach, general anesthesia is utilized. A surgical incision is made below the breast bone, the aneurysm defect identified, and the graft material sutured in position. The entire procedure takes about 5 hours and a stay of at least a week in the hospital is required. The second approach is the endovascular stent grafting in which regional anesthesia is administered and a catheter is introduced through the femoral artery present in the groin region. This catheter contains the stent graft. It is gradually guided into position using imaging techniques. Once it is position, the stent graft is opened ensuring a stable blood flow. The procedure takes about 3 hours can require a stay of about 3 days in the hospital (Albright JL. 2006 & Hallett JW. 2008). Several imaging techniques play a very important role in diagnosing and treating AAA. These include ultrasound, CT scans and angiography. Abdominal ultrasound is one of the preferred examinations for AAA. Ultrasound of the abdomen is also required following convention surgery to monitor the repaired AAA closely. It is usually performed as an initial imaging modality due to several factors including:- * Portability * Absence of ionizing radiation * Low costs * Easy availability (Radvany MG. 2006) Angiography involves administration of a contrast media into the femoral artery present in the groin region and then taking X-rays to determine the condition of the abdominal aorta. It is very useful before conventional and endovascular surgery for planning. It also seems to be very useful in the case of aortic dissection. However, angiography also carries a few risks including:- * Damage to the artery * Hypotension * Infection of blood vessel * Embolism and clot formation * Bleeding and heart attack (Bentley-Hibbert S. 2007 & Radvany MG. 2006). If the abdominal ultrasound and AAA greater 5 centimeters, than a CT scan of the abdomen is required. The CT scan can better help to plan the surgical intervention as the images provide a lot of detail (including involvement of the renal arteries, size of the aneurysm, amount of calcification, presence of mural thrombi, etc.). The accuracy of CT scans is said to be 100%. They provide a lot of details regarding the size of the aneurysm and also about distal and proximal issues. CT even with contrast media cannot be utilized to study dissection aneurysm or the presence of the extent of mural thrombus. They are also required following endovascular graft surgery for a period of 6 months as a post-procedural follow-up measure (Radvany MG. 2006). MRI scans of the abdomen are required when the side-effects of the contrast media used in other techniques could be potential damaging to the patient (in case of kidney or liver problems) or when radiation is contra-indicated. The images provide a lot of detail and are accurate. However, MRI cannot be performed in individuals with cardiac pacemakers. CT and MRI scanning also have other advantages including:- * Provides details regarding extent of involvement * Determine involvement of major blood vessels (Radvany MG. 2006) Reference list Albright JL. Abdominal aortic aneurysm. Medline Plus. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000162.htm Accessed October 20, 2012. Bentley-Hibbert S. Aortic angiography. Medline Plus. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003814.htm Accessed October 26, 2012. Hallett JW. Aneurysms. 2008. The Merck Manual. Available at: http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec03/ch035/ch035b.html Accessed October 26, 2012. Li Z. Effects of blood flow and vessel geometry on wall stress and rupture risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Journal Of Medical Engineering & Technology [serial online]. September 2006;30(5):283-297. Available from: Computer Source, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 24, 2012. Radvany MG et al. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Diagnosis. E-Medicine. 2006. Available at: http://www.emedicine.com/Radio/topic1.htm Accessed October 24, 2012. Woodrow P. Abdominal aortic aneurysms: clinical features, treatment and care. Nursing Standard [serial online]. August 17, 2011;25(50):50. Available from: Advanced Placement Source, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 24, 2012.

Physics of Star Trek essays

Physics of Star Trek essays Star Trek is a show that has been fascinating audiences for years with impressive devices like holodecks, transporters, and warp drive. But could any of these things ever really be used? According to physics, some of the devices are theoretically possible, but probably not practical. Scotty understood that physics is a rule that cant be broken, even if the shows producers did not. He told Captain Kirk numerous times "But I canna change the laws of physics, Captain!". One of my favorite things about Star Trek has always been the holodeck. In the show, the holodeck works by using tons of holo-diodes in the walls, ceiling, and floor of the holodeck. The sense of touching an object is created by force fields, and a replicator is used for creating things like food and smells to perfect the experience. In reality, a holodeck would work in much the same way. In fact, a very small version of a holodeck has already been created by researchers at MIT's famous Media Lab. Its about the size of a sugar cube and can create fully animated, high quality pictures. A couple of students even threw in a force field, so that now using a small pen, you can actually touch and manipulate the hologram. There are now ideas about how to build a holodeck style room, very similar to the one on Star Trek. Rooms like this would be invaluable to simulate dangerous or difficult situations. The rooms probably wouldnt be used for entertainment anytime in the near future because they would be way to expensive. Another one of my favorite things on Star Trek is the transporter. Cast members are able to travel large distances instantly. They simply step on the teleported pad then a couple of switches are turned on, some sparkly light appears along with bad 60s sounding special effects music, and the next thing you know the character is magically at their destination. But the really cool thing is that scientists are already exp...

Where is the Love by The Black Eyed Peas essays

Where is the Love by The Black Eyed Peas essays The following critical interpretation of popular culture is based on the song Where is the Love by the Black Eyed Peas, which was written in 2003. An interpretation of the message that the author is trying to convey in the song is the idea that there is massive discrimination and hatred among people in the United States. Furthermore, the song suggests that US citizens are ignorant of the world around them and that love, which can be viewed as human kindness and civility in the context of this song, is lost among people. To continue, the song argues that the government, along with popular media, is manipulating the populous into thinking that the world we live in is a safe place; all the while hiding what the US government is doing around the world. For example the bombings of Al Shifa Pharmaceutical Plant in Sudan, the aspirin factory bombed in 1998 by the Clinton Administration. The song discusses issues such as terrorism, U.S government hypocrisy, xenophobia, warmongering, sexual/religious intolerance and the inherent greed of the capitalist ideal. Moreover, the song asks a fundamental question as the title suggests Where is the Love? The lyricist proceeds to make his argument by starting the song with analysis of how people lost their morals and respect for each other which leads to xenophobia and intolerance in general. Moving on, in the second half of the song, the writer makes the argument that any form of racism, xenophobia, is the cause for terrorism, especially the events of September 11 2001. The third half of the song, the lyricist writes about the wrongdoing of modernization in the world and how capitalism spreads animosity and selfishness rather than values of humanity to the public. Therefore, the authors presumption that the world has lost love towards humanity and respect for others including religion is based on the arguments that firstly, that disrespect leads to discrimination, ...