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Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making

Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making
Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making

Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making

Order Instructions:

Macroeconomics for Global Decision Making

Please type all answers. Page numbers. Bibliography. No title page. You can have as many sources as you want. I put down a minimum of (6) sources however, that?s just a minimum. If you need to add more, please do so. Answer All Questions and Clearly Define Your Terms Place your answer to each question on a separate sheet of paper and type answers to all questions. Document your answers and show your work. Read each question carefully and answer all parts. The number in parentheses is the point weight for the question. Make sure you label your questions, ex. 1.) A:, 1.) D: ?. And so on. You may add another page for graphs or figures. Number each page and clearly indicate the question number.

(50) 1. (a) Aggregate Demand is defined as:
AD = C + I + G + NX
Where AD is aggregate demand, C is consumption expenditures, G is government (federal and state and local) expenditures, and NX is net exports (Exports ? Imports).
To encourage the growth of AD, fiscal policy can influence G through changes is expenditures, such as the fiscal stimulus of 2008 and 2009, and on C by changes in transfer payments such as Medicaid, Medicare, unemployment benefits and Social Security that change disposable income. If such changes take place, how are they transmitted to increase both GDP and employment? When are they least effective and most effective in changing GDP and Employment? Has the large fiscal stimulus in 2009 had the benefits that Congress and the Administration had anticipated?

(b) Suppose the Fed has already decided that it wants to target the money stock.
(1) Will the Fed come closer to its target by setting the interest rate at a given level, or will it do better by fixing the money supply through open market operations? In your analysis, think in terms of the Fed’s horizon from one Open Market Committee meeting to another — about 4-6 weeks. This analysis involves the relative stability of money demand and the money multiplier. Consider two alternative cases: (1) a stable demand for money allows the Fed to set an interest rate that ensures it will come close to the target money supply; and (2) an unstable demand for money.
(2) In your analysis, discuss the proposition that the Fed may need to target interest rates in the short run in order to meet its target money stock while in the long run it may need to pay attention to interest rates and bank reserves and currency growth. NOTE: Shifts in money demand may reveal themselves first in movements in interest rates — and if the Fed wants to stabilize the economy, it should respond to shifts in money demand.

(c) Within the same general context, discuss why the Fed, if it wants to stabilize and grow GDP and employment, has chosen a quantitative easing (QE) approach by growing bank reserves though purchases of Treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities and the monetary base rather than an interest rate policy (presently QE2 policy is to purchase $85 billion per month of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities? Why has the European Central Bank (EU) and Japan followed the same policy? How does this process work to stimulate economic growth? Has the QE policy since 2011 worked to increase GDP growth and employment?

(d) In the case of a liquidity trap, what is it that makes monetary policy ineffective in such a case? Recall that effective monetary policy requires that banks lend to willing borrowers. What does it mean for an effective monetary policy if the velocity of money declines substantially?
Velocity (V) = Price Level (P)*Real Output (Y) / Money Supply(M)
V = P*Y/M2
Or to look at it another way: P*Y = V*M2
So a change in M2 will lead to smaller changes in P*Y the smaller is V.

(50) 2. There are many views of the state of the global economy in the late Summer early Fall of 1998. Below are some of these views. From your reading of Commanding Heights (Yergin and Stanislaw), current news accounts, research into various economies and Macroeconomics (Dornbusch and Fischer), critically analyze these statements as to the type of policies that national economies and the IMF should pursue over the course of the next few years. Has the free market system of capitalism failed and the “battle between government and the marketplace that is remaking the modern world” (Yergin and Stanislaw) tilting toward government? Or, is there a middle ground that needs to be reached with a global regulatory structure created that makes countries and their financial systems more transparent and less tied to “crony capitalism”? Express your views, but back them up with fact and supporting argument.
The Economist (September 5, 1998) “The World Economy on the Edge: The risks of a deep global recession are increasing. But it can be avoided so long as policymakers heed some lessons from history.”
The Economist (September 5, 1998) “The Economist all-items commodity-price index has fallen by 30 percent since mid-1997, to its lowest level in real terms for over 25 years. The prices of industrial commodities are now at their lowest in real terms since the 1930s. This has severely hurt commodity producers, not just in Latin America and Africa, but also in Australia and Canada.” (add in the U.S. farmers).
The Economist (September 5, 1998) “Capitalism in retreat? A related and more worrying backlash against the free markets is the increasing interest on the part of politicians and economists in market intervention or capital controls as a solution to the crisis…..On September 1st, Malaysia imposed strict controls on capital movements. And respected American economists are also now arguing the virtues of capital controls. This, he (Paul Krugman) suggests, would break the link between domestic interest rates and exchange rates to get their economies growing again….Indeed, the biggest risk now to the world economy may lie not so much in a deep recession, which could be averted. It is that there may be a wholesale retreat for free markets.”
Robert Kuttner (Washington Post, September 7, 1998, p. A25) “Free Markets and a Free Fall World Economy. Economic reconstruction after World War II accepted the necessity of a mixed economy. In that era, the United States and the International Monetary Fund recognized that emergent economies could no be the prisoners of private speculative capital. The postwar system regulated private money flows and stabilized currencies to allow nations to develop. Today’s IMF, perversely demands exposure to speculators as a precondition of assistance….What we need is a program of stabilization and reconstruction in the spirit of the post-World War II years, with limits on speculative money flows and more development aid.”
Washington Post, December 22, 1997, p. A1) “IMF Credibility Is on the Line In Asia Bailout, Agency Should Rethink Rescues, Some Critics Say, ‘Since the time the IMF has signed each Asian bailout program, the respective Asian currencies have continued to plummet,’ said Jeffrey Sachs.”
Jeffrey Sachs (The Economist, September 12, 1998, p. 23) “Global Capitalism, Making It Work. “Global capitalism genuinely is the best chance for the developing world to gain a foothold on the economic-growth ladder; but with current institutions, global capitalism will not succeed widely enough or credibly enough to create a stable world system…. The IMF bought into the investment bankers’ mantra: exchange-rate stability above all else…. The more these economies tried to defend their currencies, the more they incited panic.”
George Soros (The Wall Street Journal, September 15, 1998, Op. Ed) “The Crisis of Global Capitalism. …there remains the urgent need for Congress to authorize an increase in the capital for the IMF….Bailouts did encourage foolish behavior by banks and other lenders, which could count on the IMF when a country got into difficulties (a moral hazard problem). But, the moral hazard now operates in the opposite direction, in not enabling the IMF to do its work when it is most needed.”
Henry Kissinger (Washington Post, October 5, 1998, p. A21) “Perils of Globalism, The IMF is no longer suited for dealing with economic crises. The IMF must be transformed. It should be returned to its original purpose as a provider of expert advice and judgement, supplemented by short-term liquidity support…. Regulatory systems should be strengthened and harmonized; the risks that investors are taking should be made more transparent.
John Maynard Keynes, 1931 “We are today in the middle of the greatest economic catastrophe of the modern world…the view is held in Moscow that this is the last, the culminating crisis of capitalism and that the existing order of society will not survive it.” As quoted in The Economist (September 5, 1998), page 19.

(15) 3.) The growth accounting equation is (Y is aggregate GDP in real terms):

Growth rates of K (capital) and N (labor) are weighted by their respective income shares, so that each input contributes an amount equal to the product of the input?s growth rate and their share of income to output growth. The ? indicates the change in the variable.
Growth Accounting Equation In Per Capita Terms:

(a) Define the notion of steady state equilibrium for the economy that is the combination of per capita GDP (y) and per capita capital (k) where the economy will remain at rest, or where per capita economic variables are no longer changing OR

In steady state, at what rate will GDP (Y) grow?

(b) Explain why, in the Neoclassical growth model, an increase in the savings rate does not increase the growth rate of per capita output in the long run.
(c) Explain why:
(1) An increase in the rate of growth of the population, n, reduces the steady state level of k and y
(2) An increase in n increases the steady state rate of growth of aggregate output
and
(1) A decrease in n increases the steady state level of k and y
(2) A decrease in n decreases the steady state rate of growth of aggregate output.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Question one

  1. Fiscal policy

Fiscal policy is a combination of the policies of the government spending that influence a country’s macroeconomic conditions. Therefore, through fiscal policy, unemployment rates are improved, control inflation is controlled, business cycles are stabilized and interest rates are influenced by regulators in an attempt to control the economy (Dornbusch & Fischer, 1994).

Therefore, changes in government expenditures and consumption expenditures are likely to significantly influence the rate at which the GDP grows. For instance, increased government expenditures both state and federal means that the funds are either invested or directed into improvement of the infrastructure especially construction of more highways for improved movement of goods or increasing electricity supply which ensures that both companies and individuals can produce goods with ease (Krugman & Wells, 2006). As a result more companies tend to be created meaning that the GDP is eventually increased. This implies that additional government (state and federal) expenditures lead to increased GDP, creation of job opportunities as well as lowering of the unemployment rates. This a clear indication that government expenditures are directly proportional to the GDP, whereby an increase in government expenditures results to an increase in the GDP while a decrease in government expenditures results to a decrease in the GDP. A combination of increased government expenditures with increased GDP subsequently boosts production and demand as well as reducing the rate of unemployment.

Alternatively, a decrease in the consumption expenditures also translates to increased GDP and employment mainly because it reduces the proportion of funds the government consumes and which cannot be invested or directly used to improve the investment environment for both local and foreign investors. Moreover, the changes in government expenditures are most effective when a balance is achieved between the government expenditures and consumption expenditures. For example, when the government expenditures are increased and directed towards improving investment environment or invested while at the same time ensuring that consumption expenditures are maintained low (Krugman, 1990). On the other hand these changes are least effective in changing GDP and employment sometimes because the government usually obtains all its funds from the taxes i.e. from the productive activities’ of the private sector. Moreover, these changes are also perceived to disproportionately affect particular groups where, for instance, increased government expenditures greatly influence the group where the spending is directed, which in the case of government spending on building highways construction workers are significantly influenced (Krugman & Wells, 2006).

Even if not all the benefits anticipated by Congress and the Administration were accrued from the large fiscal stimulus in 2009, there are significant benefits that were achieved. According to Bartlett (2010) the entire stimulus package resulted to 2.8% real GDP growth in the third quarter as well as employment of between 600,000 and 1.6 million people as a result of the stimulus package. The stimulus package was also found to have benefits in terms of transfer payments and tax cuts, for example, tax cuts for individuals in the low-income group raised the GDP by $1.70 for every $1 or revenue loss; whereas the tax cuts for the corporations and the rich raised the GDP by about 50 cents for every $1 or revenue loss (Bartlett, 2010).

  1. Money stock
  • The Fed would come closer to its target by fixing the money supply through open market operations because the targeted supply of money is not directly related to the interest rate. Therefore, this means that an increase in the quantity of produced goods and/or the price level increases, there will be an outright increase in the demand for money. However, if there is a decline in the economic activity and/or prices go down, then there will be an outright decrease in the demand for money. The money supply through open market operations means the demand for money is unstable which implies that the interest rate cannot be set at a certain level (Krugman & Wells, 2006).
  • The Fed may need to target interest rates in the short run in order to meet its target money stock while in the long run it may need to pay attention to interest rates and bank reserves and currency growth. This is mainly because the interaction between the quantity of supplied and demanded money is the one which determines the interest rates. This is mainly because when the interest rate is too high, then people will purchase bonds meaning the money will definitely be reduced. However, a greater demand for the bonds reduces the interest rates which push them towards the equilibrium (Krugman & Wells, 1989).
  1. Quantitative Easing (QE)

In order for Fed to stabilize and grow GDP and employment, quantitative easing (QE) approach by growing bank reserves though purchases of Treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities and the monetary base should be the most preferred approach rather than an interest rate policy (Krugman & Wells, 2006). This is mainly because the banks target the supply of money by either selling of purchasing government bonds which results to promotion of the economic growth eventually lowering short-term interest rates while at the same time increasing money supply.  As a result of this, the European Central Bank (EU) and Japan have followed this policy since its acts as an easy way through which money supply can be increased and also short-term interest rates can be lowered (Duncan, 2009). However, quantitative easing (QE) policy usually promote economic growth mainly because it targets private sector assets and commercial banks which encourages the banks to lend money which is then invested to meet the demand created by the increased purchasing power. QE policy has significantly worked since 2011 to increase GDP growth and employment because more money has been available at low short-term interest rate which is then invested leading to increased GDP growth and employment (Krugman & Wells, 1989).

  1. Liquidity trap

In the case of liquidity trap, a monetary policy becomes ineffective on either the level of income, or the interest rate hence making it powerless to affect the interest rate. This situation occurs because the general public is willing to hold on to the amount of money supplied, at any particular rate of interest mainly due the fear of foreseen adverse events such as war or deflation. Moreover, monetary policy may also be ineffective when the interest rate is zero meaning that the general public will not be willing to hold any bond but the money in which zero percent interest rate is also accrued, but with an advantage of being usable in transactions (Krugman & Wells, 2006).

When the velocity of money declines substantially it means that there is very little money in circulation that is used to buy goods and services meaning the economy becomes less robust. So an effective monetary policy will definitely increase the interest rate in order to encourage people to release the money they are holding which eventually results to an increase in velocity of money thereby making the economy vibrant again (Krugman & Wells, 2006).

Question two

There are different types of policies that national economies and the IMF should pursue over the course of the next few years in order to effectively tackle the problem of global economy. For instance, in order to stabilize the international financial system crisis prevention as well as crisis mitigation policies need to be implemented by national economies and the IMF (Krugman & Helpman, 1985). However, the IMF needs to implement other policies which are aimed at addressing the problem of global economy entirely including implementing stringent policies on surveillance, information provision, and technical assistance in order to collaboratively contribute to the prevention of crises. Moreover, the IMF should also implement policies that encourage lending in support of an adjustment program of a country in order to eventually contribute to the mitigation of crises (Sachs, 1998; The Economist, 1998).

Considering the free market system of capitalism and how it operates nowadays, it is evident that it can not be sustained for long (Dornbusch & Fischer, 1994). For instance, free market system in capitalism is perceived to be an exploitative system where the workers are paid peanuts at the expense of companies to make large profit margins (Sachs, 1998; Yergin & Stanislaw, 1998). Moreover, nowadays we cannot attribute the existence of the “free market” mainly because gigantic corporations that are in possession of immense power dominate the market through unfair competition. In addition it is also evident that this system disregards many ethical issues in pursuit of demand and supply hence it only works in the short-term while hurting the economies in the long-run (Dornbusch & Fischer, 1994; Soros, 1998). Therefore, the current free market system in capitalism is ineffective mainly because of its vicious cycles of deflation and inflation that in most cases tend to be very difficult to control. Furthermore, the free market system in capitalism encourages non-recycling of large sum of the GDP back into the economy, thus leading to unemployment as well as a very unstable CPI (Soros, 1998; Yergin & Stanislaw, 1998).

The battle between government and the marketplace that is remaking the modern world seems to be tilted towards the side of government mainly through government regulations, tariffs as well as other infringements on pure system of free market (Yergin & Stanislaw, 1998). Thus there has been emphasis on the futility of utilizing monetary policies that are inflationary by the governments in order to influence the rates at which the economy grows. Moreover, this battle has continued through income tax reforms and policies through expansion of rebates tax write-offs, and subsidies as a way of titling the markets (Yergin & Stanislaw, 1998).

In order to have effectively working global economy there needs to be adoption of alternative to the free market system in capitalism which would encourage smaller governments with tighter price controls alongside increased minimum wage in helping to solve some of the CPI problems (The Economist, 1998). Thus, free market system in capitalism needs to be blended with other systems such as the socialism and collectivization, in the attempts of creating a fairly decent economy without vicious cycles of deflation, inflation, financial crises as well as unemployment (Kissinger, 1998).

Question three

  1. A steady state economy is an economy structured to balance economic growth with population growth whereby it seeks to find equilibrium between population growth and production growth. In a steady state economy the rate of GDP growth should be equal to the rate of population growth (Krugman & Wells, 2006).
  2. In Neoclassical growth model the reason why an increase in the savings rate does not increase the growth rate of per capita output in the long run is because a higher saving rate does result in a higher steady-state capital stock and a higher level of output mainly because there is no investment in technology and labor which are two significant factors attributable to long-term growth rate of per capita.
  4. An increase in the rate of growth of the population, n, reduces the steady state level of k and y because the population is growing at a rate higher than the rate at which the GDP and per capita are growing eventually failing to sustain them causing them to reduce (Krugman & Wells, 1989).
  5. An increase in population increases the steady state rate of growth of aggregate output mainly because the output of the entire population is considered. Hence since increased population provides labor then the aggregate output is increased (Krugman & Wells, 2006).
  • A decrease in population increases the steady state level of k and y because the country produces more than it consumes and the surplus is used to invest in technology eventually increasing the GDP and per capita.
  • A decrease in population decreases the steady state rate of growth of aggregate output mainly because there is a decrease in labor which is most significant factor attributable to aggregate output (Krugman & Wells, 2006).

Bibliography

Bartlett, B. (2010). Did The Stimulus Stimulate? Retrieved on 13th October 2014 from: http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/03/tax-cuts-stimulus-jobs-opinions-columnists-bruce-bartlett.html

Dornbusch, R & Fischer, S. (1994). Macroeconomics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Duncan, G. (8 May 2009). “European Central Bank opts for quantitative easing to lift the eurozone”. The Times (London).

Kissinger, H. (Washington Post, October 5, 1998, p. A21) “Perils of Globalism: The IMF is no longer suited for dealing with economic crises”.

Krugman, P. & Helpman, E. (1985). Market Structure and Foreign Trade: Increasing Returns, Imperfect Competition, and the International Economy. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Krugman, P. & Helpman, E. (1989). Trade Policy and Market Structure. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Krugman, P. (1990). Rethinking International Trade. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Krugman, P. & Wells, R. (2006). Macroeconomics. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Kuttner, R. (Washington Post, September 7, 1998, p. A25) “Free Markets and a Free Fall World Economy. Economic reconstruction after World War II accepted the necessity of a mixed economy”.

Sachs, J. (The Economist, September 12, 1998, p. 23) “Global Capitalism, Making It Work”. Retrieved on 13th October 2014 from: http://www.earth.columbia.edu/sitefiles/file/about/director/pubs/econo912.pdf

Soros, G. (The Wall Street Journal, September 15, 1998, Op. Ed) “The Crisis of Global Capitalism”.

The Economist (September 5, 1998) “Capitalism in retreat? A related and more worrying backlash against the free markets is the increasing interest on the part of politicians and economists in market intervention or capital controls as a solution to the crisis”.

The Economist (September 5, 1998) “The Economist all-items commodity-price index has fallen by 30 percent since mid-1997, to its lowest level in real terms for over 25 years”.

The Economist (September 5, 1998) “The World Economy on the Edge: The risks of a deep global recession are increasing”. Retrieved on 13th October 2014 from: http://www.economist.com/node/163310

Washington Post, (December 22, 1997, p. A1) “IMF Credibility Is on the Line in Asia Bailout, Agency Should Rethink Rescues”.

Yergin, D. & Stanislaw, J. (1998).  The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy. London: Free Press.

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Domestic Acts of Terrorism Research Paper

Domestic Acts of Terrorism
Domestic Acts of Terrorism

Domestic Acts of Terrorism

Interaction of these agencies when preparing for, responding to, or recovering from Domestic Acts of Terrorism.

Order Instructions:

The intent and purpose of this Module is to familiarize the student with other agencies that are involved with Domestic Security and Terrorism. There are too many agencies to present; therefore, I request the student read their missions and histories.

Students are encouraged to deviate from the posted readings and look at the provided DHS organizational chart, seek the charts from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Military, the State Department, and the Justice Department to find out more. The organizations of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are deliberately left out because the students should cover both of these agencies in depth in other classes. The Case questions concern the interaction of these agencies when preparing for, responding to, or recovering from an act of domestic terrorism.
The student is required to cover the required readings and apply the information provided combined with the student’s research to answer the following questions:

1. Do you agree/disagree with Thurston’s views on the role of the military in Domestic Terrorism? Why? (Thurston, 2007)

2. Explain the interface of CDC and DHS in a domestic bio-terror incident.

3. How would FEMA and the FAA integrate with the DHS, TSA, and Military if a domestic terror incident occurred similar to the events of September 11, 2001?

4. After reading (Haddal, 2010) what do you envision the role and success of the Border Patrol will be in the next five years?

5. In your view (supported by research and citation), do you believe the reorganizations of the first decade of the 21st century to combat domestic terrorism were/are effective? What changes would you recommend and why?

The following items will be assessed in particular:

1. Your ability to apply your understanding of the roles of the assigned agencies in combating domestic terrorism and their interrelationships.

2. Your ability to express the effectiveness of the changes in the entire spectrum of homeland security as applied to domestic terrorism.

3. In-text references to the modular background readings (APA formatting recommended) and a reference page. Outside background reading sources encouraged and expected.

Length: This Case Assignment should be at least 3 pages not counting the title page and references.
References: At least two references should be included from academic sources (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking).
Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question.

Academic Source, Required readings:

ATF Home Page, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives website: Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.atf.gov/

Brinkerhoff, J.R. (2009). The role of Federal military forces in domestic law enforcement title. US Army Combined Arms Center, Newsletter 10(16), Ch. 11. Retrieved November 16, 2012, from: http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/call/docs/10-16/ch_11.asp

Cook, T. (2008). The Posse Comitatus Act: An act in need of a regulatory update. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.hsdl.org/?view&doc=137185&coll=limited

Haddal, C. C. (2010). Border security: The role of the U.S. Border Patrol. Congressional Research Office. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32562.pdf

Thurston, T. W. (2007). The military’s role in domestic terrorism. Retrieved from: http://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/3019/07Dec_Thurston.pdf?sequence=1

Vision, mission, core values, and pledge: CDC vision for the 21st Century (2010). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.cdc.gov/about/organization/mission.htm

SAMPLE ANSWER

  1. Do you agree/disagree with Thurston’s views on the role of the military in Domestic Terrorism? Why? (Thurston, 2007)

I agree and support Thurston’s views as presented in his article ´The Military’s Role in Domestic Terrorism´, on the role of the military in deterring, combating and providing assistance in instances of domestic terrorism in the US. He asserts that to effectively counter acts of home-grown terrorism, there is need for a concerted effort between the military and the civilian security forces.  This is because protecting the lives of Americans is mandatory and the state should use all the resources at its disposal, including the military, to protect the citizens from any acts of terror. This is clearly spelt out in the National Strategy for Homeland Security, NSHS, of 2007. It states in part that ´´…the United States will use all instrument of national power and influence, diplomatic, information, military, economic, financial, intelligence, and law enforcement, to achieve our goals to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks; protect the American people…” The supportive role of the military is especially relevant in situations where the civilian police is widely overstretched or overwhelmed, and so the troops act as  a force multiplier. This makes the use of the troops domestically, not to be a question of choice, but of necessity. The military’s role should however, as Thurston purports­­­­­­­­, not be a leading role but a supportive role since while they may have more airpower and substantial personnel, they do not necessarily possess the relevant training to effectively deal with domestic terrorism. This is true because the military are prone to using excessive force that may harm civilians. To counter this, they should be provided with relevant training in dealing with domestic terrorism. Their participation in countering domestic insurgents should also be short lived and their involvement halted once a situation can ably be handled by the civil police (Thurston, 2007).

  1. Explain the interface of CDC and DHS in a domestic bio-terror incident.

The twenty first century has witnessed an increase in bio-terror attacks such as the release of anthrax virus. Bio terrorist use disease causing agents such as viruses and bacterial to harm or kill people and animals by deliberately releasing them in the environment (Jones D., 2005) Both the Centre for disease control, CDC and the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, have a significant role to play in combating bio terror in the American soil. The CDC has the role of preventing and controlling bio terror, through such activities as detecting infections, conducting research on vaccines and controlling the spread of diseases such as small pox and anthrax, so as to promote the health of the public. CDC relies so much on DHS as it is the source of intelligent imminent attack so that the CDC can be put on high alert. This cooperation is vital as it can avert a possible terror incident or alleviate the effect of a bio terror as a result of information sharing. The DHS also works in partnership with relevant agencies to provide emergency support to CDC in case of a bio terror incident. This partnership between CDC and DHS helps in combating, controlling and even eradicating germs used as terror weapons. Just like the mission of CDC is to protect the lives of Americans through promotion of health security by swift response to health concerns, so does DHS, through its various departments that are created to respond to bio terror attacks.

  1. How would FEMA and the FAA integrate with the DHS, TSA, and Military if a domestic terror incident occurred similar to the events of September 11, 2001?

The DHS is adequately prepared in instances of emergencies through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA. Federal Aviation Agency, FAA, and FEMA are components of the DHS. FEMA enhances disaster preparedness and provides emergency response during terror attacks that cannot be avoided, such as the September 11 attack, by reducing the impacts of a domestic terror attack and ensuring that Americans do not become victims of terror. FEMA does this by encouraging quick recovery of those affected by acts of terrorism. FAA is also under DHS and it is majorly concerned with enhancing security in the aviation industry through enhancement of screening of passengers as well as cargoes, enforcement of immigration laws so as to reduce the risk of passenger attack. In the event of terror incident similar to the September 11 attack, the DHS shall mobilize FEMA to enhance emergency services to the citizens while the FAA and TSA would be on high alert to boost security at the airport to prevent explosives from entering the country or attackers from escaping, and ensuring general aviation security as a key infrastructure. This shall be enhanced by the deployment of the military to provide support to the civilian police in restoring calm and order, and strengthening entire security of the state. The department of home homeland security shall coordinate all these agencies’ efforts since it has the overall mission of providing security in the home land.

  1. After reading (Haddal, 2010) what do you envision the role and success of the Border Patrol will be in the next five years?

The United States Border Patrol, USBP, as I envision it in five years, shall consolidate its role of protecting the states border points. Because of its expanding budget and fund allocation, the USBP will be in a better position to install more advanced and secure surveillance gadgets in both its northern and the porous southern borders. The border patrol agents, who also have an important role of not only detecting, but also deterring illegal migrants and terrorists, will be equipped with advanced skills since the huge budget allocation will facilitate training of border agents. Other shortfall such as lack of clear statistics on issues related to the border, such as availability of data on illegal migrants, and number of border agents attacked will be, in future, consolidated and more accurate statistics provided by border agents. There shall also be a consolidated integrated border enforcement team in the northern border of Canada to exert joint efforts in enhancing border patrol and security.

  1. In your view (supported by research and citation), do you believe the reorganizations of the first decade of the 21st century to combat domestic terrorism were/are effective? What changes would you recommend and why?

The 21st century has seen extensive overhaul of the security system and agencies involved in combating domestic terrorism and this was necessary if war on terrorism was to bear fruits.  These new reorganizations, especially in the Department of homeland security, have drastically improved the level of preparedness of the state. The changes introduced are very effective since there is now a department solely focused on ensuring security in the homeland and its borders (Haddal, 2010). The effectiveness has been especially achieved through the establishment of various departments and agencies that even deal with emergencies such as FEMA, by ensuring that citizens do not become victims or terrorism. Information sharing among departments and the various relevant agencies has also enhanced their cooperation, hence, improving on effectiveness and raising more public awareness on terrorism. Effectiveness is also seen since there has never been a major attack in the country since September 11 and security has been beefed up in the aviation industry (Elias, 2009). Again, numerous plots of terrorist attacks in the U.S. soil have been foiled since the reorganizations and this indicates the effectiveness of such reorganizations

However, the reorganizations will make do with some crucial recommendations such as:

  • Security alert should be strengthened. The thwarted terror attacks indicate that US is still a target for terrorists and as such increased intelligence to detect any possibility of terror in US soil should be adopted.
  • There should also be a clear way in which the military and the civil police can work together to combat domestic terrorism. This should be in place to avoid confusions during a joint task force.
  • The federals states need to establish a wider pool of volunteers as these will provide ready response to disaster and increase preparedness. This is because the local civilians can respond rapidly and assist each other after an attack before the federal can organize itself.
  • There should be integration between the local and state efforts that are geared towards countering acts of terror.

With these in place, the risks of terrorist attack within USA will drastically be reduced. It is impossible to totally avoid the threats of terror attacks but stringent and practical measures as detailed in the DHS can be adopted and implemented to keep America safer.

References

Haddal, C. C. (2010). Border security: The role of the U.S. Border Patrol. Congressional Research Office. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32562.pdf

Elias B., (2009). National Aviation Security Policy, Strategy and Mode-specific Plans. Background and Considerations for Congress.

Jones, D. (2005). Structures of Bio-terrorism Preparedness in the UK and the US: Responses to 9/11 and the Anthrax Attacks. British Journal Of Politics & International Relations, 7(3), 340-352. doi:10.1111/j.1467-856X.2005.00189.x

Thurston, T. W. (2007). The military’s role in domestic terrorism. Retrieved from: http://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/3019/07Dec_Thurston.pdf?sequence=1

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Marketing in the 21st Century Essay

Marketing in the 21st Century
Marketing in the 21st Century

Marketing in the 21st Century

Order Instructions:

Please pay attention to details hear and respond to all the question in details. and most important it is critical that the writer focus on the points mentioned at the end of the questions . all aspect must be thoroughly address in the paper.

Marketing in the 21st Century

Once again, you will utilize articles listed in the Resources section to explore the different topics for your Research Paper. Below, you will find a series of questions pertaining to each article. You do not have to answer the questions directly, but they are included to guide you in discovering the type of information that you need to complete the research paper.

After reading “Retail Marketing Trends in USA and Their Effects on Consumers and the Global Workforce,” and “Internet Retailing Quality: One Size Does Not Fit All,” consider the following questions:

• What should online retailers do to establish a clear difference from retailers that have off-line stores?

• What should be the strategies for retailers with physical locations that intend to also establish themselves online and how should these retailers seamlessly integrate their channel offerings?

• How has globalization influenced marketing trends?
Using the information you have read and any other outside resources that you have found, prepare a summary (2 pages minimum) of how these topics relate to the overall subject you are addressing in your paper. Remember to refer back to the main task of this paper, which is to describe how you believe the usage of the individual marketing mix variables is likely to change in the future and what companies must do to adapt their marketing approaches in order to achieve competitive advantage.

In particular, focus on the following aspects:

• The changing landscape of traditional advertising methods that have become less effective as consumers turn to the Internet from mass media and the evolution of newer pricing models for the Internet, including the use of channel intermediaries as retailers seek to compete with pure-play Internet retailers.
Marketing changes and adaptations that have become necessary due to the globalization of the marketplace.

Resources

Articles

• Chinta, R. (2006). Retail marketing trends in USA and their effects on consumers and the global workforce. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 1(2), 65–80. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database.

This article identifies and describes current trends in the field of retail marketing,

• and sets them in the context of significant changes in the field in recent years.

Griffiths, G., & Howard, A. (2008). Balancing clicks and bricks – strategies for multichannel retailers. Journal of Global Business Issues, 2(1), 69–76. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database.

This article explores the difficulties of doing business both in stores and online and describes a model for establishing the correct balance between the two approaches. The authors also identify five themes that need to be considered by multichannel retailers.

•Chinta, R. (2006). Retail marketing trends in USA and their effects on consumers and the global workforce. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 1(2), 65–80. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database.
This article identifies and describes current trends in the field of retail marketing, and sets them in the context of significant changes in the field in recent years.

•Griffiths, G., & Howard, A. (2008). Balancing clicks and bricks – strategies for multichannel retailers. Journal of Global Business Issues, 2(1), 69–76. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database.
This article explores the difficulties of doing business both in stores and online and describes a model for establishing the correct balance between the two approaches. The authors also identify five themes that need to be considered by multichannel retailers.

•Francis, J. (2007). Internet retailing quality: One size does not fit all. Managing Service Quality, 17(3), 341–355. doi:10.1108/0960452071074433
In this article, the author studies four dimensions of quality that should be considered in Internet marketing: the transaction, the delivery, customer service, and security.

•Gregory, G., Karävdic, M., & Zou, S. (2007). The effects of e-commerce drivers on export marketing strategy. Journal of International Marketing, 15(2), 30–57. doi:10.1509/jimk.15.2.30
This study describes a theoretical model developed by the authors to determine the effect of e-commerce drivers on the development of export marketing strategy and the results of testing this model.

•Nelson, R., Cohen, R., & Rasmussen, F. (2007). An analysis of pricing strategy and price dispersion on the Internet. Eastern Economic Journal, 33(1), 95–110. doi:10.1057/eej.2007.6
Due to the accessability of information on the Internet, consumers can now research both the price and quality of products. In this article, the authors present the benefits of keeping pricing consistent across products and over time.

•Wong, E. (2008). Nielsen: Private label deemed equal to name brands. [Electronic version]. Brandweek, November 17. Retrieved from
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/nielsen-private-label-deemed-equal-name-brands-104824
This article discusses the findings of a Neilsen study dealing with the desirability of name brands compared to private labels.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Marketing in the 21st Century

Online retailing has emerged as an important retail force as consumers are purchasing online. It is now up to the conventional offline retailers to respond. In order to establish a clear difference from retailers that have offline stores, online retailers should lower their prices below the prices that offline stores ask for the same products (Chinta, 2006). This will allow price conscious consumers to take full advantage of the cost savings which could at times be considerable. Online retailers need to offer a wide variety of selection – seemingly endless selection – that offline retailers may not be able to provide. Online retailers should ensure the convenience of online shopping by enabling buyers to make a purchase of any item in seconds from the comfort of their homes (Francis, 2007).

Online retailers should also allow shoppers to compare the features and prices of their products instantaneously. Online information capture is generally more frequent and detailed. Click stream data gives complete information on how a customer shops, whilst virtual shopping carts serve as loyalty cards that capture the purchase habits of shoppers (Strzelec, 2011). Therefore, online retailers can actually increase their sales simply by targeting repeat purchases basing on individualized content of each consumer. More importantly, online retailers can extract behavior data of consumers to turn abandoned shopping baskets and/or switching decisions into operational indicators of how to stock products and serve shoppers (Chinta, 2006).

For retailers with physical stores that intend to also establish themselves online, their strategies should be to provide new services such as buy-online pick-up-in-store, in order to keep pace with preference of the shoppers. Francis (2007) pointed out that having a physical offline store wherein shoppers can engage with a product before ordering the product actually boosts demand as well as revenue. The online store would encourage consumers to align themselves with the channel that serves them better – be it online or offline – therefore optimizing the experience of the customer and reducing costs for the business (Gregory, Karävdic & Zou, 2007). Offline stores/retailers can take their brand to the web and realize immediate recognition and trust. It is of note that this value is actually true for the existing shoppers as well as aware shoppers who look for the benefits of the personalized, intimate experience and the more informative buy (Wong, 2008).

Retailers with physical stores should seamlessly integrate their channel offerings simply by introducing online shopping perks to the offline, in-store consumers. For instance by (i) allowing the shoppers to pick up online orders from the company’s physical, brick-and-mortar location; (ii) Providing free Wi-Fi. (iii) By offering in-store access to the company’s online catalog; (iv) developing an app that allows the buyers to scan product bar codes and read online reviews, and (v) accepting mobile payments through the in-store point of sale system (POS) of the company (Griffiths & Howard, 2008). In essence, companies that can seamlessly integrate offline and online offerings would be the most successful.

Globalization is essentially a trend that is typified by denationalization. Globalization has influenced marketing trends in that increasingly more companies are engaging in business-to-customer and business-to-business e-commerce that necessitates the use of online marketing strategies to attract buyers and improve sales (Nelson, Cohen & Rasmussen, 2007). Basically, the multinational firms that make use of e-commerce more intensively, engage in a wide range of e-commerce activities compared with companies that are less global.

References

Chinta, R. (2006). Retail marketing trends in USA and their effects on consumers and the global workforce. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 1(2), 65–80. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database

Francis, J. (2007). Internet retailing quality: One size does not fit all. Managing Service Quality, 17(3), 341–355. doi:10.1108/0960452071074433

Gregory, G., Karävdic, M., & Zou, S. (2007). The effects of e-commerce drivers on export marketing strategy. Journal of International Marketing, 15(2), 30–57. doi:10.1509/jimk.15.2.30

Griffiths, G., & Howard, A. (2008). Balancing clicks and bricks – strategies for multichannel retailers. Journal of Global Business Issues, 2(1), 69–76. Retrieved from ProQuest Central database

Nelson, R., Cohen, R., & Rasmussen, F. (2007). An analysis of pricing strategy and price dispersion on the Internet. Eastern Economic Journal, 33(1), 95–110. doi:10.1057/eej.2007.6

Strzelec, P. C. (2011). Online vs. Offline Shopping: Retailers Must Respond. Dallas, TX: CRC Press.

Wong, E. (2008). Nielsen: Private label deemed equal to name brands. [Electronic version]. Brandweek,November 17. Retrieved from
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/nielsen-private-label-deemed-equal-name-brands-104824

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Chemical Reactions Assignment Help

Chemical Reactions
Chemical Reactions

Chemical Reactions

Chemical Reactions

Order Instructions:

will upload the questions

SAMPLE ANSWER

Chemical Reactions

 Question 1. What is the molar mass of an oxygen molecule?

Answer: (B) 32.00 g/mol (Lew 38)

Question 2.Complete combustion of a hydrocarbon (a molecule containing only carbon and hydrogen) is a reaction where oxygen reacts with the compound to yield carbon dioxide and water. Which of the following is the correct, balanced equation for complete combustion of C2H4?

Answer: (B) C2H4 + 2O2           2H2O + 2CO2 (Lew 31)

Question 3. How many hydrogen atoms are in 14.8 g of (C2H5)2O?

Answer: (B) 1.20 X 1024

Question 4. What is the mass of 0.250 mol of Mg(OH)2?

Answer: (B) 14.6 g

Question 5. What is the molar mass of calcium hydroxide?

Answer: (D) 74.10 g/mol

Question 6. What is the coefficient for O2 after you balance the following equation:

___ C3H8 + ___ O2 ➔ ___ CO2 + ___ H2O

Answer: (C) 5

Question 7. If iron reacts with oxygen to form iron (II) oxide, which of the following equations correctly represents this process?

Answer: (D) 2Fe + O2           2FeO

Question 8. How many mol of Al2O3 are present in 86.5 g of Al2O3?

Answer: (C) 0.848 mol

Question 9. What is the mass of 1.26 mol of CF4?

Answer: (D) 111 g

Question 10. How many hydrogen atoms are in 2.8 mol of ammonia?

Answer: (B) 1.7 X 1024

Question 11. How many mol of Ca2+ ions are in 2.8 mol of Ca3N2?

Answer: (B) 8.4 mol Ca2+

Question 12. If potassium reacts with bromine to form potassium bromide, which of the following equations correctly represents this process?

Answer: (C) 2 K + Br2              2KBr (Lew 90)

Question 13. How many chloride ions are in 14 mol of CaCl2?

Answer: (A) 1.7 X 1025 Cl—

Question 14. What is the coefficient for chlorine after the following equation is balanced?

___ I2 + ___ Cl2 ➔ ___ ICl5

Answer: (D) 5

Question 15. Is the following equation balanced? Na3PO4 + AlCl3              3 NaCl + AlPO4

Answer: (B) No

Question 16. How many carbon atoms are present in 25.6 g of benzene (C6H6)?

Answer: (A) 1.18 X 1024 C atoms

Question 17. What is the mass of 67,500 molecules of O2?

Answer: (B) 3.59 X 10–18 g (Lew 33)

Question 18. How many moles of O atoms are there in 0.73 moles of Ca(ClO4)2?

Answer: (B) 5.8

Question 19. If magnesium reacts with hydrogen to form magnesium hydride, which of the following equations correctly represents this process?

Answer: (C)Mg + H2           MgH2

Question 20. If you have 5.0 X 1024 molecules of water, how many mol of water do you have?

Answer: (C) 1.5 X 102 mol H2O

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Software development project Assignment

Software development project
Software development project

Software development project

Order Instructions:

Please read this assignment 4 instruction.

Problems:

1. Prepare a small scale project. Use as your model one of the following:

a. Remodel project
b. Software development project
c. Events management project ( an awards banquet, or events at your choice)

Develop a statement of work for the project, using the format of: (1) background, (2) task, (3) objectives, (4) approach, (5) input source. Next, create a Work Breakdown Structure for the project.

What are the key steps, including work packages, tasks, and any related subtasks for the project?

2. Using the project you have identified in Problem 1, create a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) for it, identifying at lease six fictitious project team members.

3. Research a real project resources and develop a brief scope statement for the project, a general WBS, and any other information pertaining to the scope management for that project.

There are a total of 25 points for Assignment 4.
Grading rubrics for this assignment:

Criterion
Points
Quality and depth of analysis 20
Quality of Presentation
Effective presentation of information
Timeliness of submission

SAMPLE ANSWER

Background Information

This project provides a template to be used in software development. It includes a simple workflow accompanied with its statuses representing the tasks that go through the development project. Most software projects fail though. According to the Standish group reports, over 80% of the software development projects do not succeed. This is simply because they may be late, over budgeted, have some missing functions or a combination. The records also show that about 30% of the software projects are canceled before they are completed simply because of their poor execution. The projects that use the modern technologies such as the J2EE, XML, Java and Web Services are also no exception to this rule (Subramanyam, Weisstein, & Krishnan, 2010).

Task

It is important to carry out best practices during the project in order to run a successful software development project. It is important to put into consideration the development process and choose the most appropriate development lifecycle process because all other activities during the project will be derived from that process. Most software development projects however use some kind of spiral based methodology over a waterfall process.  The choices include the IBM Global services method, Rational Unified Process (RUP) and the eXtreme Programming (XP). What process to use in the project does not matter rather how well the process will be executed.

Gathering and agreeing on the requirements of the project is essential to a successful software project. The development team should understand what needs to be built not necessarily to all the requirements before any design and coding are done. Quality requirements could be divided into functional and non-functional requirements. The use of the use cases documents the functional requirements. Non-functional requirements on the other hand describe the characteristics of the system and performance of the application. They are important because of the major impact they have on the application architecture, performance and design.

The application architecture should also be chosen appropriately. This contributes majorly to projects failure if not chosen well. Tried and true architectural practices are known as patterns and they range from the java patterns, to EJB design patterns (Subramanyam, Weisstein, & Krishnan, 2010). The concept of antipatterns however is brought about by the projects that fail and they are valuable because of the knowledge they provide about what works and what does not.

A good design is mandatory despite having a good architecture. Most project managers either under design or overdesign their applications. Performing object oriented analysis and design using the UML is important for software projects. Code construction is the most visible task for a total project effort. It is equally important to the architecture, analysis, design and test.

Testing is an integral task in the software development project. It is not an afterthought when the schedule becomes tough. Instead, it should be done proactively meaning that the test cases are planned before coding is done and are developed while the application is under design and coding. Lastly, a successful project must be under project management. A good project manager is aware of the existence of the above mentioned tasks and applies the lessons learnt from the previous projects.

Objectives of a Software Development Project

The objectives are what give a project a clear direction and thus the most important thing that one can do in a project. Project objectives provide a measuring stick to make the project more effective. One only qualifies the venture as a success only if the project objectives are met. It is a practical way that enables the project manager to keep track of the progress made during the project and it does not matter whether what was to be done was actually done.

The project objectives should be done during the initial and planning processes of the project management. During the initial stage, the objectives are defined of what the project expects to accomplish. During the planning stage, they are just narrowly defined and they become part of the process in determining how the project will be accomplished.

The objectives should be clear and concise to communicate succinctly what the project should accomplish. Muddled objectives could show that the project was not necessary. The smaller objectives designed to help achieve a greater objective makes the task seem more manageable. However, its main importance is to ensure that members are able to make measurable processes.

The software development project is helpful in keeping the objectives in mind as it gives space for the objectives to be listed thus ensuring that the project manager is on track. By getting ideas from various stakeholders and team members, a project manager puts together a list of objectives that he or she believes will guide the project to a successful outcome.  Examples of these objectives are: Control on Project Lifecycle, standards and methodology, metrics, transparency, stakeholders’ rights among others.

Approach

The overall goal of the software development project approach is to allow clients to have total visibility all throughout the project. If the project is broken down into logical iterations, the project manager and the team are able to focus on all the aspects of business in detail without feeling overwhelmed. Examples of the software approach include: the document initial scope, draft statement of work with fixed price and schedule, among others.

Input Source

Inputs and preconditions in the initial stage of the software testing are not feasible not even with a simple product. This is the most fundamental problem in the software testing. The number of defects in a software product can be extremely large and the infrequently occurring defects could be difficult to find during the software testing. Software developer however can test everything. However, they can at the same time use a combinatorial test design to identify the minimum test number for the required coverage (Di Tullio & Staples, 2013).

Work Breakdown Structure

The analysis phase in the project has two tasks: the Glossary and the Requirements Specifications. The Requirements Specification is the divided into three sub-tasks: the Use cases, Supplementary Specification and the Reporting requirements. The sub-tasks however can be broken down further into components that could be estimated for the time, cost or the resources required (Lee & Xia, 2010).

Responsibility Assignment Matrix

OBS Units

WBS Activities

1.1.1 1.1.2 1.1.3 1.1.4 1.1.5
Project management R
Analysis P RP
Design RP
Construction RP
Testing P RP

 

R=Responsible Organizational Matrix

P=Performing Organizational matrix

Software Project Management Resources

Resources are always limited all over projects. The human and software resources are always limited since they service multiple projects. Thus, the onus on a software project manager is to organize his project management resources carefully and use them in the right way to achieve the set objectives for the ongoing project. The feasibility to deploy more resources so as to reduce the calendar time is applicably limited in the software development projects. Thus the available resources need to be managed effectively. Example of resources used in the software development project is: time, the human resources, computer resources and money (Di Tullio & Staples, 2013).

The resources are majorly classified into four standpoints: Availability, place of availability, elasticity, and shared and dedicated. Availability could be recurring or depleting. An example of recurring is the human resources that are equally available day-after-day. Depleting resources are like time and money whereby their use depletes them. The place of availability could be classified as movable or immovable. An immovable place of availability is only available in the situated place and cannot be moved from one place to another. For example, the computer resources are not moved from one place to another during the project. A movable place of availability like the human resources and even money can be moved from one place to another.

Elasticity is further classified into elastic and plastic resources. The elastic resources are those that can have their supply either increased or decreased such as the human resources and money. Plastic resources, however, cannot have their supply extended. A good example for this is time. Lastly, the shared resources are those that are needed for only a short time such as the database Administrators. Dedicated resources are those assigned fully to the project such as the programmers.

References

Di Tullio, D., & Staples, D. (2013). The Governance and Control of Open Source Software Projects. Journal Of Management Information Systems, 30(3), 49-80.

Lee, G., & Xia, W. (2010). Toward agile: An integrated analysis of quantitative and qualitative field data on software development agility. MIS Quarterly, 34(1), 87-114.

Subramanyam, R., Weisstein, F., & Krishnan, M. S. (2010). User Participation in Software Development Projects. Communications Of The ACM, 53(3), 137-141.

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Critical appraisal Essay Assignment Help Available

Critical appraisal
Critical appraisal

Critical appraisal

Order Instructions:

This critical appraisal must be written in narrative format. Use headings for each section of the paper as identified in the guidelines, such as Strengths, Weaknesses, and Evaluation. You can also use subheadings of Problem and Purpose, Literature Review, and so forth as needed to organize your paper. Do not use outline numbers in this paper (i., ii., iii., etc.) or present the paper in outline format. This assignment is worth 100 points.

Guidelines for Preparing Critical Appraisal:

A. Review the chapters of your textbook (Grove, Burns, & Gray, 2013) and other research sources (i.e., Grove, 2007, articles and assigned readings, discussion board, research textbook from undergraduate program) to determine what is quality research.

B. Compare the steps in this study to criteria established in your textbook or other research sources to determine the study’s strengths and weaknesses. You can use the questions on pages 459-462 in Grove et al. (2013) to help you identify study strengths and weaknesses.

C. Evaluate the study findings using the questions in your text as a guideline (Grove et al., 2013, p. 462).

D. Prepare the critical appraisal using the following guidelines:

  • Paper should be a maximum of 15 double-spaced pages of text (excluding reference list).
  • Use appropriate documentation and develop a reference list using APA (2010) format.
  • Write in a narrative style, not an outline format.

E. Document throughout your paper using your textbooks and other research sources to support the statements you making in your critical appraisal of the article.

Format for Critical Appraisal #2

A. Discuss the strengths and/or weaknesses of each part of the study. Compare the steps in the study with published research sources(s) to determine if the step is a strength or weakness and provide a rationale to support your decision. Document throughout. Example: The statistical conclusion design validity is a strength in this study since the researchers consistently implemented the intervention in the study based on a detailed protocol (Grove et al., 2013).

  • Purpose/Problem
  • Literature review
  • Framework
  • Objectives, questions, and/or hypotheses
  • Definition of variables
  • Study design: Strengths and threats in the areas of statistical conclusion validity, internal validity, construct validity, and external validity
  • Intervention (if applicable)
  • Sampling process
  • Measurement methods
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis
  • Discussion Section: Findings, limitations, generalizations, implications for practice, and future research.

B. Develop a final evaluation of the quality of the study. Do not just restate strengths and weaknesses. Discuss:

  • Your confidence in the study findings.
  • Consistency of this study’s findings with the findings from other studies.
  • Readiness of findings for use in practice.
  • Contribution of the study to nursing knowledge.

Document your statements with references from nursing research literature and your research textbooks.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Critical Appraisal

Cossette, S., Frasure-Smith, N., Dupuis, J., Juneau, M., & Guertin, M. (2012). Randomized Controlled Trial of Tailored Nursing Interventions to Improve Cardiac Rehabilitation Enrollment. Nursing Research, 61(2): 111-120

Purpose/Problem

The strength of this purpose section is that the problem is adequately delimited in scope so that it is actually researchable and not trivial. The problem is researchable since it is not very complex, it is important, and it can be conducted with adequate support. The other strength of this purpose section is that it narrows and clarifies the aim of the study being carried out by the researchers. It has narrowed and made clear the aim as being to establish if a nursing intervention that is focused in individual acute coronary syndrome patients’ perceptions of their illness and treatment would increase rehabilitation enrollment following discharge (Cossette et al., 2012).

The other strength of the problem is that it is significant to clinical practice and nursing. This is primarily because it illustrates whether individualized, progressive nursing interventions would lead to greater rehabilitation enrollment, and in so doing improving long-term outcome. The approach that the researchers apply in the study provides a clinical pathway to addressing the significant concerns encountered by patients following a cardiac event (Cossette et al., 2012). Equally important, this study was feasible to carry out in terms of the availability of subjects and ethical consideration. It is of note that 242 ACS patients who had been hospitalized to a specialized tertiary cardiac center were available to take part. The Research Ethics Board of the hospital reviewed and approved this research study, and there was informed consent (Cossette et al., 2012).

Literature review 

The strength of the literature review section is that it is organized to show the progressive development of evidence from previous research. This is evident from the fact that Cossette et al. (2012) have critically analyzed several actual research studies whose main objective was to increase enrollment to rehabilitation. Another strength is that a summary of the empirical knowledge in the subject of the research study is presented clearly and concisely. In literature review, Cossette et al. (2012) included four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) whose aims were to increase rehabilitation enrollment. Three sorts of interventions were tested in the trials including liaison, automatic referrals, and a combination of liaison and automatic referrals. Of the four RCTs, three of them actually showed a considerable increase in rehabilitation enrollment with intervention, and one did not. The knowledge from the four RCTs has been presented in a terse and succinct manner such that the readers will find it rather easy to read and understand. Furthermore, the literature review section actually identifies what is unknown and what is already known as regards the research problem and it offers direction for the formation of the research purpose. Thus, Cossette et al. (2012) point out that there is lack of randomized and controlled trials that evaluate the effect of interventions on enrollment.

The major weakness is that the researchers focused largely on empirical knowledge in the subject matter and have not provided a summary of the current theoretical knowledge, which is of great importance for the purpose and problem of the study. Another weakness is that out of the four RCTs summarized in the review of literature, two of them are not current since they are older than 10 years. In essence, one study was conducted in 1999, the second one in 2001, the third and forth ones in 2007, hence only the last two studies that were reviewed can be considered as current.

Theory framework

The strength is that the researchers have applied a theoretical framework and it is presented in the article. Cossette et al. (2012) used the self-regulation theory, which states that people’s perception of their disease regulates their health behavior as well as risk factor management. According to this theory, cognitive and emotional processes determine disease perceptions, and thus the plan of action in a health crisis (McNamara, 2011). Ryan (2006) stated that it is essential for investigators to link the research framework they use to the purpose of the research. In this research study, Cossette et al. (2012) have linked Leventhal’s self-regulation theory to the research purpose, and this is a strength. Cossette et al. (2012) pointed out that interventions could be obtained from this self-regulation theory, and they added that nursing interventions have to strive to reframe the more conceptual representations of the event to one that are more tangible.

For research studies conducted that pertain to nursing and clinical practice, a framework should be employed by the investigators that actually relates to the body of knowledge in nursing and clinical practice (Breslow & Day, 2012). In this study, self-regulation theory applied relates to the body of knowledge in clinical practice and nursing, and this is a major strength. In this study, there is no relationship or proposition from a theory that needs to be tested; hence no proposition is identified and linked to the hypothesis of the research study.

Variable definitions

The strength of variable definitions section is that the variables are reflective of the concepts identified in the framework. It is of note that the primary outcome in this study was enrollment in the free-access rehabilitation program that was situation close to the hospital in which the patients were recruited. Enrollment for this research study was defined as having attended at least 1 session of rehabilitation within a period of six weeks following discharge from the hospital. Enrollment data were gathered in a computerized database. The other independent entry of data was also carried out by the coordinating center (Cossette et al., 2012). Secondary outcomes have been identified and included anxiety level, medication adherence, family support, and illness perception.

A major weakness of this section is that variables are not clearly defined conceptually. Nonetheless, they are clearly defined operationally. The other strength is that the variables are based on a theory, Leventhal’s self-regulation theory in particular (Cossette et al., 2012) since the 38-item Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) comprised seven dimensions of illness perception, basing on Leventhal’s self-regulation theory. Another weakness is that since there is no conceptual definition of variables in the study, the conceptual definition of a variable cannot be considered as being consistent with the operational definition.

Objectives and hypothesis

The strength of this section is that the objectives and hypothesis of the research study are expressed clearly. Cossette et al. (2012) stated that the aim of their study was to find out whether a nursing intervention focused on individual acute coronary syndrome patients’ perceptions of their illness and treatment would actually increase rehabilitation enrollment following discharge. The hypothesis is also clearly stated. Cossette et al. (2012) hypothesized that patients in the experimental group would demonstrate greater rehabilitation enrollment within a period of six months following hospital discharge after an Acute Coronary Syndrome than would patients in the control group. This hypothesis is stated to direct the conduct of quasi-experimental and experimental research, and this is another major strength of this section.

Another strength of this section is that the objectives and hypothesis are logically linked to the research purpose. In the objectives section, Cossette et al. (2012) have pointed out that the objective of the Transit-CCU clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of the CCU transit nursing intervention on rehabilitation enrollment 6 months after discharge from hospital in patients who had been admitted for an acute coronary syndrome. Moreover, the objectives and hypothesis are logically linked to the concepts as well as relationships/propositions in the framework.

Study design

Validity

Construct validity is understood as to whether the operational definition of a given variable in reality reflects the factual theoretical meaning of a concept. It ensures that the researcher is actually measuring the construct that she or he wants to study, and it measures how well an experiment or test measures up to its claims (Breslow & Day, 2012). In this study, some of the threats to construct validity include (i) the apprehension of study participants about being evaluated by the researchers, and (ii) bias introduced in the research study by expectancies on the part of the researchers. The strength of construct validity as applied in this study is that the study actually evaluated the effectiveness of CCU transit nursing intervention on rehabilitation enrollment within six weeks of discharge from hospital in patients who had been admitted for an ACS.

Internal validity occurs when one can make cause and effect statements basing on the research study. Internal validity is essentially the approximate truth with regard to inferences about causal or cause-effect relationships (Breslow & Day, 2012). In this study, the strength of internal validity is that the researchers were able to conclude that their intervention made a difference. From their study, Cossette et al. (2012) found that there was a considerably higher rate of rehabilitation enrolment in the intervention group compared with the control group. For the secondary outcomes, the researchers reported that the personal control dimension of illness perception was substantially improved with the intervention.

External validity as used in research addresses the issue of the ability to generalize the research findings to other persons, places, and times (Ryan, 2006). Since this study was conducted in only one setting – a specialized cardiac hospital in Montreal, Quebec – the generalizability of the findings is limited. The threats to external validity are being able to obtain similar findings if the study was carried out in a different setting, and if similar results would be found with a different sample.

Intervention if applicable

The strength of the intervention section is that the treatment is described clearly. The intervention was based upon empirical evidence that suggested a progression in disease perceptions from the acute hospital to post-discharge. The intervention comprised three encounters. Another strength of this section is that the study framework, which is Leventhal’s self-regulation framework, explains the links between the proposed outcomes/dependent variables, and the treatment/independent variables (Cossette et al., 2012). The treatment is appropriate for examining the study purpose as well as hypothesis, and this is another major strength of this section. The researchers monitored the implementation of the treatment to ensure consistency in all the three encounters.

The design is logically linked to the sampling method as well as statistical analyses, a noteworthy strength. Another strength is that two groups were used and they appear equivalent: both the intervention group and usual care group consisted of 121 participants each. Moreover, the subjects were randomly assigned to the treatment group and comparison group. Cossette et al. (2012) point out that the participants were randomized to either the usual-care group or the intervention group, and this is a major strength of this section. The comparison and treatment group assignments were appropriate for the purpose of the study since each comprised 121 participants; an adequate number of participants that is actually appropriate for the study purpose. One weakness is that a protocol was not developed for promoting consistent implementation of the treatment to ensure intervention fidelity since it is not described in the article.

Sample selection

The weakness of this section is that the sampling method was insufficient to produce a sample that is representative. This is because the subjects were not representative of the population: 85% of them were men, and there were children or minorities. In essence, this section did not include an understudied population such as minority or young subjects, since the participants comprised largely of elderly ≥ 65 years old, and adult male patients. The strength is that the sampling criteria were appropriate for the type of study conducted. The criteria for exclusion included being discharged to a long-term care or to a short-term rehabilitation center; being unable to speak English or French; living over 50 miles from the rehabilitation center. Other exclusion criteria included having psychological, physical, or cognitive problems; already receiving outpatient follow-up; referred for surgery; having a final diagnosis besides ACS; or previously completed a rehabilitation program (Cossette et al., 2012). As such, the exclusion criterion was appropriate for the type of study conducted. The potential biases in the sampling method include excluding subjects because of the aforesaid exclusion criteria, and this is a strength since it allowed the researchers to obtain a sample that is appropriate for the study. Moreover, the sample size is adequate to avoid a type II error considering that the sample size comprised 242 participants, and this is a noteworthy strength. The other strength is that the setting used in the study is typical of clinical settings since the study was carried out in adult patients admitted for a suspected ACS at the medical ward or CCU of a specialized cardiac hospital in Montreal, and this is a strength (Cossette et al. (2012). The refusal to participate rate was not a problem since only one participant refused the initial hospital encounter because of hurry to go home, and participants filled a consent form, and this is a strength.

Measurement tools

A key strength of this section is that the measurement methods selected for the study adequately measure the variables of the study; data on enrolment were derived from a computerized database that records each appointment in the rehabilitation program. One weakness is that the measurement methods are not sufficiently sensitive to detect small differences between the subjects. As such, additional methods of measurements should have been utilized to improve the quality of the study. A noteworthy strength of this section is that the measurement methods used have adequate reliability and validity; they actually measure what they were intended to measure and have consistency since with the use of the same measurements methods, the same findings could be obtained in a similar study.

Moreover, the instruments used in the study are clearly described as Cossette et al. (2012) point out that illness perceptions were assessed with the use of a 38-item Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, and basing on Leventhal’s theory, this questionnaire consisted of seven dimensions of illness perception. A 14-item Family Care Climate Questionnaire-Patient version was also used. The researchers assessed anxiety with the use of the state portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory comprising 20 items. Another strength is that the instrument development process has been described satisfactorily considering that the instrument was developed particularly for this study. In addition, the reliability and validity of instruments have been described amply. Cossette et al. (2012) stated that they assessed concurrent validity by examining correlation coefficients with related constructs, and there was test-retest reliability.

Data collection & Data analysis

An important strength of this section is that the data collection process is described clearly. The authors used a 14-item Family Care Climate Questionnaire-Patient version, a 38-item Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, and a 20-item state portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. A 4-item Self-Reported Medication-Taking Scale was also used to collect data, in addition to the “Are You Eating Healthy?” scale, which had 20 questions. The other strength is that the forms used to collect data are organized to facilitate computerizing the data. Moreover, the process of data collection is conducted in a manner that is consistent, and this is a key strength of this strength of this section.

Another strength is that the collected data actually address the research hypothesis and the research objectives. For instance, the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire comprised a total of seven aspects of illness perception, and the patients’ perceptions of the support offered by their family members and relatives relating to their health situation were evaluated with the use of the 14-item Family Care Climate Questionnaire-Patient Version. Medication adherence and anxiety were also assessed. The data gathered using the various instruments address the objectives and hypothesis. No adverse events occurred during collection of data, and this is also a strength of this section. Another strength of this section is that the training of data collectors is clearly described and is adequate. Cossette et al. (2012) pointed out that they provided the study nurses with a box of sealed opaque envelopes which they opened after every patient had completed the baseline questionnaire.

The procedures for data analysis are appropriate for the type of data collected and this is a strength. Clinical and sociodemographic variables were summarized as mean ± standard deviation for continuous variables and as percentage and count for categorical variables. The procedures for data analysis are described clearly, which is also a strength of this section. The chi-square test was applied by Cossette et al. (2012) for the primary outcome. The researchers used logistic regression to evaluate models adjusting for baseline variables that were thought to influence the findings (Cossette et al., 2012). The secondary outcomes were analyzed with the use of analysis of covariance models and including the baseline score as a covariate. The other strength is that the results are presented in an understandable way by narrative and includes participant flow, sample description, intervention description, primary outcome, and the secondary outcomes (Cossette et al., 2012). Additionally, the results of the study are interpreted aptly and this is also a strength of this section. Cossette et al. (2012) reported that the findings are in line with three of the four published Randomized Controlled Trials evaluating rehabilitation enrolment after a liaison kind of intervention.

Discussion

The key strength is that the findings are discussed in relation to the hypothesis and objective. Cossette et al. (2012) stated that the findings of the study demonstrated a virtually doubling of enrolment by the experimental group relative to the control group. They added that the findings are actually consistent with 3 of the 4 published RCTs. The other strength is that the implications that were identified for practice were appropriate based on the study findings as well as the findings from previous studies, and the findings are clinically significant. Cossette et al. (2012) reported that since the literature shows that referral is an essential requirement for enrolment in rehabilitation, their study shows that a nursing intervention is able to provide a considerable benefit beyond simple referral.

The other strength of this section is that the findings are an accurate reflection of reality and valid for use in clinical practice. Another strength of this section is that various explanations for nonsignificant and significant findings are adequately examined. Cossette et al. (2012) reported that a slight but significantly greater increase was found in perceived personal control in the experimental group compared with the usual-care group, which suggests one possible explanation for the increase in rehabilitation experiment.

Confidence in the study findings

There is not much confidence in the findings considering that a small, inadequate sample size was used and this limits generalizability of results; a small proportion of the general CCU population was used. The confidence of the findings is also limited by another weakness of the study in that the study was conducted in only a single setting and did not include minorities and children. This also serves to limit the generalizability of the research findings. The study findings could have been improved if the study was conducted in multiple settings. Furthermore, more children, minorities, and more women – there were only 35 women out of the 242 participants – should have been involved. Nonetheless, the appropriate sample/participants were used, and the methodology applied by the researchers is satisfactory. In addition, the process of data collection and analysis is adequate, and so is the review of existing literature.

Consistency of this study’s findings with the findings from other studies

There is consistency of the results. The results of this research study are in fact consistent with the those of other studies. Cossette et al. (2012) noted that their findings are actually in line with 3 of the 4 published randomized controlled trials that evaluated rehabilitation enrollment after liaison sort of intervention. Just like in the study by Cossette et al. (2012), the interventions in the three trials were bedside practice nursing staff members, or nursing staffs supervising practice nurses or peers.

Readiness of findings for use in practice

Cardiac illnesses are the main causes of mortality as well as hospitalization in industrialized nations. Acute Coronary Syndromes such as unstable angina and myocardial infarction are responsible for most of the cardiac deaths and admissions (Cossette et al., 2012). The approach used by the researchers provides a clinical pathway that can be utilized in addressing the major concerns faced by patients following a cardiac event. Nursing staffs are on the forefront of offering care to cardiac patients and they really require findings such as these on which to base their clinical as well as practice judgment. The research study by Cossette et al. (2012) is a case in point of how scientific knowledge, combined with clinical practice can actually contribute to better outcomes of patients.

Contribution of the study to nursing knowledge

The research study actually contributes to the existing literature by testing a progressive intervention that was tailored particularly to the psychological and clinical trajectories of patients following a cardiac event. Individualized, progressive interventions by nursing staffs led to greater rehabilitation enrolment, thus potentially improving long-term outcomes. The study is of major importance considering that there was a dearth of randomized controlled trials that assess the effect of interventions on enrolment. The study also contributes to nursing knowledge by demonstrating that a nursing intervention could actually offer a considerable benefit beyond referral.

References

Breslow, N. E., & Day, N. E. (2012). The Analysis of Case-Control Studies. IARC Scientific Publications, 32.

Cossette, S., Frasure-Smith, N., Dupuis, J., Juneau, M., & Guertin, M. (2012). Randomized Controlled Trial of Tailored Nursing Interventions to Improve Cardiac Rehabilitation Enrollment. Nursing Research, 61(2): 111-120

McNamara, C. (2011). Analyzing, Interpreting and Reporting Basic Research Results. Boston, MA: CRC Press.

Ryan, A. (2006). Methodology: Analyzing Qualitative Data and Writing Your Findings. Columbus, OH: Springer Publishers.

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Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy

Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy
Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy

Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy

Order Instructions:

Sustainability
Corporate sustainability is an issue that continues to garner increased attention and importance for shareholders, consumers, and companies alike. Since 2004, Corporate Knights, a Canadian media firm, has published a list of the top 100 sustainable companies in the world. The efforts and profits among those highest on the list demonstrate that companies are increasingly able to adopt strategies that are socially and environmentally responsible and financially lucrative. Consider Umicore, the top company on Corporate Knight’s 2013 Global 100 list.

Umicore is a Belgian-based materials technology firm recognized for its treatment of their employees, the products it produces, its profitability, and its efficiency. According to Doug Marrow, Corporate Knight’s vice president of research, “Relative to its global peers in the materials industry group, the company squeezes more revenue out of each resource input (including energy and water), while generating less externalities (greenhouse gas emissions and waste)” (Smith, 2011). However, Umicore’s efforts extend beyond its own sustainability strategies. According to Morrow, “They generate over half of their revenue by selling products that help other firms improve their sustainability performance, such as energy efficiency” (Smith, 2011). The company has, in effect, created a comprehensive business model based on sustainability.

To prepare, consider the implications of expanding the definition of sustainability to include economic and social elements. Think about how implementing a strategy for improving sustainability can benefit the organization you chose for your SSP which you chose was(Brookside Dairy Company )

By Day 4 of Week 6, post a two page response. Apply systems and sustainability principles to develop a sustainability strategy. Identify three actions that the organization you chose for your SSP(Brookside Dairy Company ) can take to implement a more sustainable business strategy. Explain the potential systemic benefits of each action included in the sustainability strategy. Explain the relationships between sustainability and other organizational goals, such as managing quality, building learning organizations, and improving adaptability. Explain the benefits of the organization)(Brookside Dairy Company exploiting those relationships. Explain the ethical implications of implementing a strategy for improving sustainability for that organization (Brookside Dairy Company ).

Extend the conversation by identifying implications for practice or research, as well as for your own research agenda, where appropriate. Be sure to integrate one or two new related and engaging questions that will extend the discussion about your post in constructive ways. Try to think of a question(s) that will engage your peers in critical analysis and thinking about your organization, which may provide insight for your use as you continue preparing your sections of the major Weeks 4 and 7 Sustainable Solutions Paper (SSP)(Brookside Dairy Company ) due in this course.

Include proper APA citations and adhere to all APA style guidelines.

****** please take note, that all questions that is required to be answered in this research paper ( see instructions) has to be answered about the company I choose to do my SSP on which is Brookside Dairy Company !!!. This has been an ongoing term paper.

Lastly please follow the instructions clearly and list all the necessary information and don’t forget the question ( see instructions) that needs to be incorporated !!!!!

SAMPLE ANSWER

Brookside Dairy Company Sustainability Strategy

Sustainability is a rather important factor for most organizations today as many have realized the advantages it carries with it. Implementing a more sustainable business strategy requires hard work and commitment, both on the part of employees as well as their leaders. For the Brookside Dairy Company to implement a more sustainable business strategy, the organization must take some actions to ensure the process is effective. First, for the new strategy to be effectively implemented, it is important to create and internalize the corporate sustainability culture (Tàbara & Ilhan, 2008). Second, the organization needs to assess the current and prospective sustainability issues (Delong & Mcdermott, 2013). Third, Brookside Dairy Company needs to determine its sustainability strategies and goals before it can manage to implement a more sustainable business strategy (Taylor, Osland & Egri, 2012).

These actions are important for Brookside Dairy Company as they possess potential systemic benefits. The first action can greatly benefit the systems as it features the adoption of a sustainability culture within the organization. Therefore, all members of the organization will have to adapt to this culture which will ensure that all activities are sustainable (Tàbara & Ilhan, 2008). Thus, the dairy products will be produced only under the best circumstances, without misusing resources, but still ensuring that the products are of high quality (Seidel, Recker & vom Brocke, 2013). Since a sustainability culture will require the organization to always plan ahead, the long term approach will ensure that the employees work hard to ensure that their performance will also benefit the economy as well. The second action will also benefit the systems in that the Brookside Dairy Company will know which sustainability issues to expect. Thus, it will be prepared for these issues and hence the social, economic, and environment systems will not be affected by the company’s actions (Delong & Mcdermott, 2013). Lastly, it will be beneficial for all systems when the company prepares sustainability strategies and goals. The company will be aware of what its duties to the three systems (Taylor, Osland & Egri, 2012). Thus, it will be able to adapt operations by implementing the strategies, and ensuring the goals set are met.

Sustainability has a very close relationship with other organizational goals as it is also supposed to ensure the organization achieves success, but through the right procedure and actions (Kuei & Lu, 2013). For example, sustainability and managing quality are both aimed at benefiting the social, economic and environment systems. When the two are not used side by side, the systems will suffer as a result of resources being misused and consumers being provided with poor dairy quality products (Seidel, Recker & vom Brocke, 2013). Sustainability and building learning organizations also share a close relationship. This is because the organization will ensure the growth of employee skills as they work, and with sustainability, they will also be taught how to use resources responsibly.

When the Brookside Dairy Company exploits these relationships between its goals and sustainability, better performance results are expected. This is because as the employees are working towards meeting their goals, they will also be working towards ensuring that the resources necessary for the organization to run effectively are being preserved (Kuei & Lu, 2013).

The ethical implications of implementing a strategy for improving sustainability for Brookside Dairy Company are many. For example, customers will be fully satisfied from high quality dairy products. This is because the organization will not use chemicals to better the products, but instead will use pure milk. Second, the economy will benefit from better performance of this company. This is because employees will adapt a culture that ensures they work harder to improve their performance and in return increase revenue for the organization. Lastly, the environment will be free from pollution as the Brookside Dairy Company will make a point of ensuring that resources are not misused. Thus by products will be transformed into other dairy products as required.

The Brookside Dairy Company will also be able to benefit from further research. This is because milk can be used to process many products, which will eventually benefit all systems. However, the question is, “Is there a way for the waste by-products to be further processed into important products?” The implication for this research is that the company will benefit from more incomes, be able to offer more jobs, and also avoid waste which may end up polluting the environment.

References

Delong, D., & Mcdermott, M. (2013). Current Perceptions, Prominence and Prevalence Of Sustainability In The Marketing Curriculum. Marketing Management Journal, 23(2), 101-116.

Kuei, C., & Lu, M. H. (2013). Integrating quality management principles into sustainability management. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 24(1/2), 62-78. doi:10.1080/14783363.2012.669536

Seidel, S., Recker, J., & vom Brocke, J. (2013). Sensemaking And Sustainable Practicing: Functional Affordances Of Information Systems In Green Transformations. MIS Quarterly, 37(4), 1275-A10.

Tàbara, J., & Ilhan, A. (2008). Culture as trigger for sustainability transition in the water domain: the case of the Spanish water policy and the Ebro river basin. Regional Environmental Change, 8(2), 59-71. doi:10.1007/s10113-007-0043-3

Taylor, S., Osland, J., & Egri, C. P. (2012). Guest editors’ introduction: Introduction to HRM’s role in sustainability: Systems, strategies, and practices. Human Resource Management, 51(6), 789-798. https://www.doi:10.1002/hrm.21509

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Domestic Terrorism Research Assignment

Domestic Terrorism
Domestic Terrorism

Domestic Terrorism

Order Instructions:

This SLP assumes that you have a background in emergency management (mitigation, preparation, response and recovery), knowledge of the incident response system (ICS) from local to national level

Background:

1. You are the Principal the local Shining Star Elementary School. Your school contains 400 students and is part of a four-school cluster. Your cluster is part of a school district that contains over 100 schools from all levels.

2. You are the emergency manager for this county of over 300,000 people. Your position is to prepare the county for disasters in an area where the worst expected disaster is fire from storms or drought. Wind storms are the next worst expected disaster. Your county is surrounded by counties of equal or larger sizes in a larger city with a population of five million persons. Shining Star Elementary School is in your county.

3. You are the Mayor of a town within the county that contains the Shining Star Elementary School. The city police and fire department work for you.

4. You are the Chairman of the County Supervisors in the county that contains the Shining Star Elementary School. The county sheriff, fire department, health department, and county support offices work for you.

Scenario A:
1. A GROUP OF ARMED PERSONS HAS INVADED THE SHINING STAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
2. THE PRINCIPAL HAS CALLED 911 FOR HELP.

And then Scenario B happens only 15 minutes later:
1.THE GROUP DEMANDS ACCESS TO THE MEDIA TO STATE THEIR DEMANDS
2. THE GROUP KILLS FIVE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AND ONE TEACHER TO PROVE THEY ARE SERIOUS

For each of the four positions, explain what you would do and expect for each of the scenarios. Your actions for the initial scenario should be different from the second. Consider the following in each of your answers:

1. WHAT ASSETS DO YOU HAVE?
2. WHAT AGENCIES NEED TO BE INVOLVED?
3. WHO DO YOU NEED TO COORDINATE WITH?
4. WHAT ACTIONS CAN YOU TAKE?

Length: This SLP Assignment should be at least 4 pages not counting the title page and references.
References: At least two references should be included from academic sources listed below (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking).
Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper.

Academic sources required readings:

D’Angelo, A. P. (2007). Strategic change and the Joint Terrorism Task Force: Ideas and recommendations. Naval Postgraduate School. Monterey. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA477108&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Facts and figures: Today’s FBI (2011). FBI. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/facts-and-figures-2010-2011

McNeill, J. B. (2011). The PATRIOT Act and the Constitution: Five key points. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/02/the-patriot-act-and-the-constitution-five-key-points

Progress made in implementation of management and mission functions, but more work remains. (2008), GAO-08-457T. Department of Homeland Security, Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08457thigh.pdf

SAMPLE ANSWER

Introduction

Domestic terrorism is the aggressive act of violence by the citizens of a particular country against their own countrymen. The violence can be perpetrated against the people or the infrastructure that serves the people of a particular nation. This act of terrorism is often conducted by the citizens of a particular state with the aim of promoting social or a political cause. The activities of domestic terrorist are wide and may involves related to cyber-crime, bank robbery, kidnapping, violent crimes, organized crime, among others (FBI, 2011).

The United States PATRIOTIC Act gives directions on how those responsible for security matters can track down terror suspects in order to disorganize their plots before they subject the people to unnecessary danger. In fighting domestic terrorism, the PATRIOTIC Act helps to protect civil liberties and provide common defense by weighing heavily on the civil liberties and matters of national security. According to McNeil (2012), this Act also explains that the American expectation of privacy is not unlimited since they enjoy a reasonable expectation of privacy. Therefore, anything one exposes to voluntary to the third party is not considered protected and each and every individual has the right to report any issues that appears to be amount to terrorism. However, this Act ensures that the security investigators have the necessary tools at their disposal to track and prosecute all acts of terrorism against the American citizens. Therefore, the PATRIOTIC Act is a reliable legislation for fighting domestic terrorism since it has passed the constitutional muster and controls all aspects of disagreements over the role of government and the actual abuse. Moreover, this Act empowers the government agencies to perform their duties diligently and encourages oversight to prevent them from abusing the powers that come with their authority (McNeill, 2011).

Scenario A

When terrorists invade such a large population of people, it is prudent to identify and implement best practices, policies, and procedures that ensure that the skills, experience and expertise of our security team are maximized and integrated with other security teams (D’Angelo, 2007). I request the school security team not to counter the terrorist until they receive support from external law enforcement agencies like the FBI, the police, and the CTU.

In combating domestic terrorism, we need some assets to help us track and prosecute the criminal. First of all, we need human capital to help in coordinating the various activities aimed at countering the terrorist. This will comprise of trained security personnel with the capabilities of dealing with the criminals. Secondly, we need proper IT infrastructure to help coordinate various activities of the security personnel. In addition, we need readily available finances to support the activities of the security personnel. The security team must be equipped with proper tools and equipments that can effectively be used to fight the terrorist (GAO, 2008).

In fighting terrorism, some government agencies must be involved since terrorism is a complicated act. The first agency that needs to be involved is the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) since they are heavily involved in domestic terrorism matters. We believe that the CTU will use their experience in handling terrorism matters to provide an emergency solution in accordance with our scenario. The next agency we will involve is the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) The FBI will provide us with ideas as well as the human capital to help track and prosecute the terrorist. The FBI can also provide us with critical infrastructure and technology that can be used in our situation. The next agency that we need to consult is the multidisciplinary Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) so that they provide us with the necessary tools and equipments to help investigate the motive and the background of these terrorists. Since we are caught in an emergency situation, the JTTF will help to analyze and identify specific actions that will prevent the terrorist from causing more damage to the school. We also expect the JTTF members to support us with strategic change and innovation that will help us overcome any obstacle during the rescue operation. We will ensure that all the above agencies get access to our database in order to access the risk and possible rescue channels available in our institution.

Since fighting terrorism is a collaborative task, we need to involve the police in arresting and prosecuting the terrorist. The police will provide us with human capital and the necessary tools that are needed in our situation. In addition, the police will help us establish the law broken and help to prosecute the terrorist. We also need to coordinate with the health bodies so that they can take care of the persons who have been injured or killed during the terrorist attack.

Scenario B

When the terrorist demand access to the media, their demands should be accepted since defiance may result in more deaths. We will use the IT infrastructure at our disposal to ensure that they access the media. The information that will be circulated in the media will enable us to attract more sympathy from the general public leading to possible rescue operation. The information that will be aired by the terrorist through the media will also enable our collaborators and agencies involved to assess the real situation on the ground. We will need to coordinate with the media houses so that the terrorists stop their ruthless killings since their demands. Moreover, we will use all the communications assets at our disposal to ensure that necessary information is circulated to all relevant stakeholders. At this stage, we will be keen and ensure that we meet all the media demands and behave in accordance with their demands. By allowing the tourist access to the media, we will be saving more life since the relevant authority may decide to relent to their demands.  Refusing to relent to the demands to the terrorist is very risky since they may decide to kill the remaining lives since most of these terrorists are very dangerous.

After providing the terrorist with the access to the media, we will try to launch negotiations with the terrorist to see if they agree to free the enslaved persons. Our argument points will be based on the basis that we are very cooperative and still willing meet their demands. If they refuse, we will urge the terrorist to release a portion of the captured persons, mostly the students, remain with the teachers to give them some leverage. This is because students are still young in age and such ruthless acts may negatively impact their psychology in the future. Meanwhile, as we are in the process of negotiating with the terrorist, we will be buying enough time for the national security agencies to reorganize themselves and possible launch their rescue operations. After some time, we believe the police, FBI, CTU, and JFFT, together with our local security team shall have come up with the rescue operation that they will launch against the terrorist and rescue the lives of both the students and their teachers.

References

D’Angelo, A. P. (2007). Strategic change and the Joint Terrorism Task Force: Ideas and recommendations. Naval Postgraduate School. Monterey. Retrieved November 13,
2012, from: http://www.dtic.mil/cgibin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA477108&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Federal Bureau of Investigations. (2011). Facts and figures: Today’s FBI. FBI. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/facts-and-figures-2010-2011

McNeill, J. B. (2011). The PATRIOT Act and the Constitution: Five key points. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/02/the-

Government Accountability Office. (2008). Progress made in implementation of management and mission functions, but more work remains, GAO-08-457T. Department of Homeland Security, Retrieved November  13, 2012, from: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08457thigh.pdf

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Domestic Terrorism Management Essay

Domestic Terrorism Management
Domestic Terrorism Management

Domestic Terrorism Management

Order Instructions:

Assignment:

1. What are the limits of power of the FBI in pursuing surveillance of potential terrorists within and without the U.S.?

2. In your view, is the FBI adequately organized, staffed, and trained to perform the myriad of missions tasked?

3. Based on the readings and your research, what is the status of the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2011 and resultant action on the key divisive issues?

4. Explain the Department of Homeland Security’s role in combating domestic terrorism. What sub agencies are involved? What are their missions?

5. In your opinion, what vulnerabilities would a terrorist see based on your answers to the above four questions.

The following items will be assessed in particular:

1. Your understanding of the organization, roles and missions of the FBI and Department of Homeland security.

2. Your ability to express the controversies associated with these agencies attempting to perform their missions, obstacles in achieving success, and the impact of the Patriot Act.

3. In-text references to the modular background readings (APA formatting recommended) and a reference page. Outside background reading sources encouraged and expected.
Length: This Case Assignment should be at least 3 pages not counting the title page and references.
References: At least two references should be included from academic sources listed below. (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper.
Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question.

Academic sources, required readings:

D’Angelo, A. P. (2007). Strategic change and the Joint Terrorism Task Force: Ideas and recommendations. Naval Postgraduate School. Monterey. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA477108&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Facts and figures: Today’s FBI (2011). FBI. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/facts-and-figures-2010-2011

McNeill, J. B. (2011). The PATRIOT Act and the Constitution: Five key points. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/02/the-patriot-act-and-the-constitution-five-key-points

Progress made in implementation of management and mission functions, but more work remains. (2008), GAO-08-457T. Department of Homeland Security, Retrieved November 13, 2012, from: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08457thigh.pdf

SAMPLE ANSWER

Domestic Terrorism Management

Q.1

The government agency known as Federal Bureau of Investigations belongs to the US Department of Justice. It functions as an internal intelligence and federal criminal investigative body. It is investigates crimes on the individuals in the US that are under the Major Crimes Act. Since its creation, FBI’s investigatory activities have been restricted by their guidelines to those within the constitutional limits, especially with respect to intrusion of privacy and unwarranted surveillance of U.S. Its major role in investigations in the US on terror threats is vested by the law and by presidential directives (Gorman, 2008).  This includes the domestic roles to in conducting counter intelligence activities to meet foreign undercover work, in investigating international terrorists threats to the United States and intelligence attempts conducted against the United States.

The investigations of the FBI vary in many lengths. When they complete their investigations, the findings are forwarded to the office of the U. S Attorney within the local jurisdiction and to the sector of Justice in Washington, D. C. On receiving the information, they decide whether or not to proceed toward prosecution and handle any prosecutions that follows. Before a full investigation begins, there are certain factors that must be considered that the FBI guidelines requires. Some these factors includes: the probability that the harm would occur, the magnitude of the alleged harm and the danger to privacy and free expression imposed by a full investigation (Gorman, 2008). Under a probable cause standard to satisfy due process requirements, an agent must have reasonable belief that that a suspect has committed a crime or is likely to do so.  The department must in general obtain a warrant act to conduct surveillance that would otherwise be an invasion of privacy, unless exigent circumstances exist to require commencement of search without a warrant (Juden, 2008).  The general requirement for starting a police investigation depends on indication of criminal activity rather than a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.

Q.2

In performing the many missions that are assigned to the FBI, I think it is adequately organized, staffed and trained to its assigned duties. The department has five functional branches. It also has the director’s office that handles most administrative offices. The executive assistance director manages each branch. An assistant director heads each branch of the divided offices and divisions. The divisions are further divided into sub-branches that are managed by the deputy assistant director. The office of the director is an important body in FBI and provides the finances and all the facilities management to the various staff departments including the five functional branches and other various field divisions. The 59 departments of the FBI at least have a special fighting unit in combating terrorism, for instance, the Special Weapons and Tactics team (SWAT).  The department also has 56 offices in the countries major cities and it also holds over 400 occupant agencies across the US (Gorman, 2008). The FBI is all over the country with many departments, which makes it efficient to act upon any crime within the shortest time possible.

There well equipped laboratories help in fighting terrorism all over the world. Their labs serve for most DNA, physical, and biological work. The services that they conduct in their labs include Combined DNA Index System, Firearms and Tool marks, Computer Analysis and Response, Trace Evidence, DNA Analysis, Explosives, Forensic Audio, and Structural Design.

Many states, the international agencies and local authorities use the results that are gotten from the library freely. These activities make it possible for the FBI in pursuing surveillance of potential terrorist within and without the U. S. For one to employed with the FBI they must go through tests to prove they are clean and fit for the job. The applicant has to be an American citizens, must have a bachelor’s degree and with a clean record. All their workers need a Top Secret security clearance. The personnel management office conducts a series of background investigation conducted that one must pass to be an employee in the FBI departments that are located across the US. With such activities, the country is assured that they are being protected by the best and properly trained people who are aware of all the terrorist techniques.

Q.3

The Patriot Act is damaging to the basic individual freedoms that Americans have always valued. Itwas intended for the fight against terrorism after the September 11 attacks, but the measures stated in the Act generated massive debates over whether or not the Patriot Act reduces individual freedom (Juden, 2008). Considering the circumstances under which the law was voted, it is not surprising that the legislation was passed, but there are parts of the Act that require further analysis that will most likely show that it is endangering essential freedoms.

The USA Patriot Act weakens the fourth Amendment protection of all citizens, and not just suspected terrorists by authorizing warrantless searches and delayed notification. The Act also broadens sneak and peek searches, which is a search that occurs in the suspect’s absence and without his or her prior knowledge, and this enhances the power of prosecutors in court. The normal procedure for search warrants when executed is to leave a copy of the warrant if the place is unoccupied, and to do an inventory and return with the warrant.

Q.4

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is mainly responsible for ensuring that the United States is secure from terrorist attacks and any other disasters that may interrupt national security. It has focused on federal preparations to cover terrorism since the attack of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as they try to manage other responsibilities such as border security, emergency and custom management. Various federal agencies and offices were pulled together into newly established Homeland Security, which is now led by Tom Ridge. In its creation some agencies maintained their co-operate names and missions while others ceased to exist. The duties of those who did not collaborate were distributed among the new Department of Homeland Security (Martin, 2010).  For instance, the US custom service, which was part of the Treasury Department, was split into US Customs and Boarder protection it has many different agencies that has different responsibilities.

There is the department of Directorate for Science and Technology that is responsible for protecting the citizens from any nuclear, chemical, and explosive attacks. It has all the technology needed to the federal officials that can detect any attempt of terrorist attacks using any explosives. The Domestic nuclear detection office develops high technology screening methods that can detect any nuclear weapon entering United States through the seaports or border crossing. There is the Federal Emergency Management agency that coordinates the government response to natural threats and fabricated disasters. The Office Infrastructure Protection agency helps in securing buildings and other structures across US and uses such technologies that can detect explosives the terrorists use. It also identifies locations and measuring their exposure to any attacks (Johnson, 2012). All these departments work hand in hand with the federal police and the cooperation of US citizens to fight terror attacks, hence, making it easier to realize any forms of terrorism that is in the United State. This has made it possible for the US to be safe from the terror attacks.

 

Q.5

I think, with the diverse departments that the FBI has all over the country, it has a great impact on the actions of terrorists. Their labs serve for most DNA, physical, and biological works. The services that they conduct in their labs include Combined DNA Index System, Firearms and Tool marks, Computer Analysis and Response, Trace Evidence, DNA Analysis, Explosives, Forensic Audio, and Structural Design (Martin, 2010). The results are shared with other states creating awareness of any act of terrorism. Other countries also provide them with information of crime and they are always aware of the activities of terrorists, making it impossible for them to perform any attacks. Through all these activities, they are able to identify any possibility of a crime and act upon it immediately.

References

Martin, C. Augustus. (2010). Essentials of Terrorism 2nd Ed + Issues in Terrorism and Homeland Security. Sage Pubns.

Johnson, N. (2012). Senate debates DHS’ role in regulating cybersecurity. Federal Times, 48(4), 7.

Juden, D. (2008). Police Practice: The Sikeston Department of Public Safety. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 77(8), 10.

Gorman, S. (2008, April 2). Pentagon Uses FBI to Collect Data on People in the U.S. Wall Street Journal – Eastern Edition. p. A2.

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Military Chaplaincy in the United States

Military Chaplaincy in the United States
Military Chaplaincy in the United States

Military Chaplaincy in the United States

Order Instructions:

First, illustrate the chaplains’ ministry Strengths and Opportunities while serving in the U.S military pluralistic environment.
2.Second, illustrate the chaplains’ ministry Weaknesses and Threats while serving in the U.S military pluralistic environment.

NO COPYING OR PLAGIARISM PLEASE

SAMPLE ANSWER

Military Chaplaincy in the United States

Strengths and Opportunities in the Military’s Plurialistic Environment

Strengths

One of the key strengths of Chaplaincy in the Military’s pluralistic environment is the fact it  has the full backing of the federal government in terms of funding as well as strong historical ties with the military. While Chaplaincy does not contribute to the tactical strength of the United States Military, the contributions that have been made by those who have served in this office remain an important factor. Funds provided by the federal government help to provide remuneration for those who serve as Chaplains (Bergen, 2004).

As far as opportunities go, it is known that a vast majority of the individuals who are employed by the military have some form of prior spiritual exposure mostly due to their families professing Christianity and other religious faiths. This means that the Chaplain’s services will mostly serve to compliment already existing beliefs.

Threats and Weaknesses of Chaplaincy

One key weakness of the Chaplaincy in the military’s pluralistic environment is the fact that the current and potential congregants are likely to identify with their specific denomination or religious faith. Majority of the Chaplains in the Military are sourced from evangelical churches and this means that their services will be best appreciated by military personnel with an evangelical background.

A key threat to Chaplaincy in the military’s pluralistic environment is the growing number and influence of individuals whose beliefs and lifestyles are on a collision course with the key values held by chaplains regardless of the religion they are sourced from. These groups continue to lobby against the existence of Chaplains by claiming that it is unconstitutional for such an office with strong religious connotations to be funded by the Federal government.

Reference

Bergen, Doris L. The Sword of the Lord: military chaplains from the first to the twenty-first century. Univ of Notre Dame Pr, 2004.

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