Project Manager Letter Essay

(your company) will be holding a two-day boot camp in San Diego, California and Orlando, Florida on August 24 and 25, 2012. Both boot camps take place in the hotels we will be staying at to make things easier. Two teams of project developers from (your company) will head up this year’s highly educational instructional events. Each day will consist of approximately 5 hours of training and a question and answer period. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be catered so that we can concentrate on training and allow everyone some time to talk with our development teams. The first training day of boot camp will focus on the new compliance policies being introduced and address the new system platform and user interface. The second day will concentrate on Structured Query Language (SQL) which will be used to maintain and retrieve information from the database. Online instructional webinars will also be available from our team during the week of August 20-24, 2012 in two hour segments for five days that week. There will be homework assigned in these courses which you will be expected to complete in order to build a base of understanding. We prefer to train in person but realize that our plans will not accommodate everyone. That is why we offer the online counterpart. For those attending in person – there is the opportunity for each employee to earn their company one free hour of support for each successful completion of the course. At the end of the boot camp sessions and weeklong online training each participant will understand the basics of how their system is organized, rules and regulations that they must remain cognizant of and where to go for resources. In addition, our SQL primer will give you the basics for constructing reports for your company. Each participant will also receive the latest version of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 software as well as Report Builder 3.0 for constructing reports. What we will cover- Based on our company’s implementation plan it is essential to integrate our business information systems into a single technology platform using a common database development environment. We first must particular focus on implementing a corporate-wide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system. The ERP system will become the core technology, database, and development environment used by our company. The new compliance system will update all applicable laws and regulations of the company’s internal rules and regulations. The new compliance system will become the core element of our understanding of integrity. Who is involved- The stakeholders of this project are all employees companywide. They will be introduced to the new compliance system. Requirement for managers are to train a minimum of 10 hours on the new platform as well as other new compliance policies. The new platform will integrate the company’s day to day operations into a common database. That database will be used to access the information contained in a number of tables that the company and development teams will create. Project Objectives This project will implement a new ERP software system platform that will integrate our organization companywide systems. ERP will combine, organize, and maintain the data necessary for operations. We will be able to merge each of the company’s key operations, including the manufacturing, distribution, financial, human resources, and customer relations departments, into one software system and database system. The new compliance system is to assure we are within regulations and laws that dictate the handling of electronic information and personal data. All attendees will fill out a questionnaire upon completion of the course. These will be used to evaluate our team’s ability to communicate the necessary information. These will be available in online versions for our clients who are unable to attend the boot camp sessions and participate in the online webinars. Each participant’s company location will receive one hour of free support for every questionnaire that is completed. These hours will be available anytime within the first 90 days of system implementation and can be for either remote assistance in a web based platform or via phone. Measurable Organizational Value Our goal is to implement a new ERP system that will combine the data acquired from each location in our hosted environment and make accessible to each location. This will be done primarily by using Structured Query Language (SQL) and Microsoft based reporting services.

Report on Sir Isaac Newton Essay

Sir Isaac Newton was an English mathematician and physicist. He was considered one of the greatest scientists in history. Newton was also the culminating figure in the scientific revolution of the 17th century. Newton was best known for his discovery that the force called gravity affects all objects in space and on earth. .Isaac Newton was born on December 25, 1642, in the hamlet of Wollsthorpe, Lincolnshire (R.S.W. 17) His Father died only three months before he was born (Sir Isaac Newton 1). When he was three years old Isaac’s mother, Hanna, placed him with his grandmother so that she could remarry a man named Barnabas Smith, a wealthy man from North Witham (Dr. Robert A. Hatch 1). When his mother returned to Woolsthorpe in 1653, Newton was withdrawn from school to fulfill his birthright as a farmer. Newton failed at farming, and returned to King’s School at Grantham to prepare for entrance to Trinity College, Cambridge. A turning point in Newton’s life was when he left Woolsthorpe for Cambridge University in June of 1661 (Dr. Robert A. Hatch 1). Although Cambridge was a marvelous center of learning, the spirit of the scientific revolution had yet to enter its curriculum. In 1665 Isaac Newton took his bachelor’s degree at Cambridge without honors or distinction (Dr. Robert A. Hatch 2). In 1665 the university was closed because of the plague. At this time Newton returned to Woolsthorpe. There, in the following 18 months, he began revolutionary advances in mathematics, optics, physics, and astronomy (J. A. Schuster 1). During the plague years, Isaac Newton laid the foundation for elementary differential and integral Calculus. He invented the â€Å"method of fluxions† which was based on his crucial insight that finding the area under its curve is the inverse procedure to finding the slope of the curve at any point (J. A. Schuster 1). Also during the plague years he made remarkable discoveries in optics. He had reached the conclusion that white light is not a simple, homogeneous entity. He proved this by passing a thin beam of sunlight through a glass prism which created a spectrum of colors on the wall opposite. Isaac argued that white light is a mixture of many different types  of rays, that the different types of rays are refracted at slightly different angles, and that each type of ray is responsible for producing a given color (J. A. Schuster 2). Newton’s greatest work was in physics and celestial mechanics. In 1666, Newton had formulated early visions of his three laws of motion (J.A. Schuster 3). Also during these years he examined the elements of circular motion and, applying his analysis to the moon and the planets, found the inverse square relation that the radially directed force acting on a planet decreases with the square of its distance from the sun. This was later crucial to the law of universal gravitation (Sir Isaac Newton 3). When the University of Cambridge reopened after the plague in 1667, Newton put himself forward as a candidate for a fellowship (Sir Isaac Newton 3). He was elected to a minor fellowship at Trinity College but, after being awarded his Master’s Degree, he was elected to a senior fellowship in 1668. Before he had reached his 27th birthday, he succeeded Isaac Barrow as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics (Dr. Robert A. Hatch 2). In 1672, shortly after his election to the Royal Society, he communicated his first public paper, a controversial study on the nature of color (Sir Isaac Newton 4). The paper was generally well received but Hooke and Huygens objected to Newton’s attempt to prove, by experiment alone, that light consists of the motion of small particles rather than waves. Although his hypotheses was not convincing, his ideas about scientific method won universal assent along with his corpuscular theory. These reigned until the wave theory was revived in the early 19th century (Newton, Sir Isaac 2). Newton’s relations with Hooke soured. Newton withdrew from public discussion for about a decade. After 1675, he devoted himself to chemical and alchemical researches. He postponed the publication of a full account of his optical researches until after the death of Hooke in 1703. Newton’s Opticks appeared in 1704. Newton’s Opticks dealt with the theory of light and color and with Newton’s investigations of the colors of thin sheets. It also contained â€Å"Newton’s Rings† and the phenomenon of diffraction of light  (Newton, Sir Isaac 2). In 1689, Newton was elected to represent Cambridge in Parliament. During his stay in London he became acquainted with John Locke, the famous philosopher, and Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, a brilliant young mathematician who became a friend. In 1693, however, Newton suffered a severe nervous disorder (Dr. Robert A Hatch 4). There are many interpretations to the cause of this disorder. Some of these interpretations include overworked, the stress of controversy, and perhaps mercury poisoning the result of nearly three decades of alchemical research. After his recovery Newton sought a new position in London. In 1696 Newton was appointed Warden and then Master of the Mint (Dr. Robert A. Hatch 4). In 1703, Newton was elected president of the Royal Society and was annually reelected until his death (Dr. Robert A. Hatch 5). In 1705 Isaac Newton was knighted (Margret C. Jacob 390). His time as president has been described as cruel, and his control over the lives and careers of younger disciples was all but absolute. Newton could not stand for contradiction or controversy; his quarrels with Hooke provided a single example. Later disputes, as president of the Royal Society, Newton used all the forces he could muster. An example of this is when he published Flamsteed’s astronomical observations without the author’s permission. In the end, the actions of the Society were extensions of Newton’s will. Until his death Newton dominated the landscape of science without rival (Dr. Robert A. Hatch 5). Issac Newton died in London on March 20, 1727 (R.S.W. 20). In conclusion, Sir Issac Newton was one of the greatest scientists in history. Newton was also the culminating figure in the scientific revolution of the 17th century. Many of his theories have become foundations for many areas of science.

Defects of Consent Essay

A defect of consent is a situation where a party’s declaration does not reflect his actual intent. This difference between declaration and intent may be caused by other parties,in order to make someone to form a contract with themselves. Fraud and Duress are this kind of defects. Roughly,fraud is deceiving someone by hiding certain facts or giving them a wrong impression/information in order to make them form a contract and duress is scaring or threatening someone to make them form a contract. If there is a difference between declaration and intent,which unintentionally resulted from the declarant,we can say there is an error. In some cases,both parties are mistaken about contract. Such defects are called â€Å"Collective Error†. In these situations,contract is formed by parties’ true intent,not according to their false statements. Error In the TCO article 30,the law states that â€Å"A party acting under an essential error when entering into a contract is not bound by it. † Interpreting this article,we can deduce that essentiality is a key concept,since unessential errors will not affect validity of the contract. Some aspects of essential error are specified in TCO,but law does not limit cases of essential error with those articles. Unwritten states of essential error are determined by the rules of good faith. Error may occur in several ways: Error in declaration In the TCO article 31 the law sets forth: An error is deemed particularly essential in the following cases 1-Where a party intended to conclude a contract different from that to which he consented. A wants to sell 100 kilos of olive oil to B,but during the formation of the contract, A inadvertently states that he wants to buy 100 kilos of olive oil and B agrees the offer. -Where a party has concluded a contract relating to a subject matter other than the subject matter he intended. A wants to buy E branded good,but during the formation of the contract he states he wants to buy F branded good by mistake and is not aware of it. 3-Where a party declared his intent to conclude the contract other than the whom he intended to. A wants to send an offer via mail to B,but he writes a different adress and mail goes to C. C accepts the offer. 4-Where a party took a specific person into consideration as the other party in entering a contract but declared his intent to another. A is a nanny who wants to raise B’s child C,but during the formation of the contract she stated the name of B’s mentally deficient child D. A is mistaken about someone’s identity,not someone’s qualifications. Otherwise it would be error in motive,which shouldn’t be confused. 5- Where a party has promised to make a significantly greater performance or has accepted a promise of a significantly lesser consideration than he actually intended. Error in calculation of a simple nature do not affect the validity of the contract;but they should be corrected. A good should have 10. 000 dollars written on its label but accidently 1000 dollars is writtenon label. A buys the good for 1000 dollars. Error of Agents The law states in TCO article 33 that â€Å"Where an offer to enter into a contract has been incorrectly communicated by a Messenger,translator or other agents or by any means,the provisions governing error are applicable†. Error of agents are counted as error in declaration. Mistranslation,misinforming,changes in the text during telegraphing†¦ are examples of such errors. Error by Considering a Demeanour as Consent When a party’s action is considered as an offer or acceptance by another party,and the other party is right to consider this as such and forms the contract,contract will be valid. However mistaken party can put forward that he is mistaken and benefit from the provision of error in declaration. Texts signed without reading If a party signs a text without reading ,and is right to think that the text suits his intent,outcome is determined by the other party’s knowledge about this intent. If the other party knows or has to know that text does not suit signer’s intent,contract will not have been formed and thus there will not be any need for provisions of error. On the other hand,if the other party does not know or have to know the signer’s intent,contract will be formed,but signing party by proving that the error is essential,can benefit from provisions of error in declaration. Signature in Blank One of the parties agree to sign in blank first,then allow other party to constitute the contract. If this contract formed later on has contents which do not suit signing party’s actual intent,he can benefit from provisions of error. Error in Motive Error in motive is caused by an error in the formation of intent. On principle,error in motive is not essential. If there are conditions prescribed by the law,there is an essential error in motive. In TCO article 32,the law sets forth that â€Å"Error in motive is not deemed as essential unless the mistaken party deems the motive as necessary basis for the contract and it is valid regarding the business affairs in good faith. Yet this rule is not applicable unless the other party is aware of this motive† According to this article,error in motive is essential if the party deems this motive as necessary basis for the contact. This means the party is mistaken about a subject or qualifications of someone which affected his decision to form the contract. Error in material qualification,error in fact,error in legal status are examples of such mistakes. A wants to buy sculpor B’s statue but in fact the statue is a replica. In this situation there is error in material qualification. A thinks he is assigned to a job in another city,so he rents a house in that city. He made an error in fact. A purchases a land to build a house,but does not know construction is forbidden on this site. He is mistaken about land’s legal status. Also if other party is or has to be aware of the motive,error is deemed as essential. This should be determined in the present case. Avoidability In TCO art. 30 the law stipulates that â€Å"A party acting under an essential error when entering into a contract is not bound by it. † However this is limited by TCO art. 39. The contract will be valid if the mistaken party does not abolish the contract in a year,beginning from the moment he realises his error. Good Faith Rules in Error Right to avoid is also limited by the law. The law states in TCO art. 34 that â€Å"A person may not advance error in a manner in violation of good faith. In particular, the contract is considered to be concluded in a way that the party acting in error intended, in case the other party declares his consent to be bound by that contract. † Violation of good faith mentioned in the first subsection may be like this: A person learns that he made an essential error about a contract which he concluded years ago. He wants to use his right to avoid just to damage other party. In that case he will not be able to benefit from provisions of error since it is a violation of good faith. Second subsection of this provision is particularly important. I wish to give a case in this point,in order to better explain it: A wants to buy a kilo of fruit for 2 Liras,but he is mistaken and accepts B’s offer to buy a kilo for 3 Liras. Then A states his mistake to B,B immediately says he is ready to sell it for 2 Liras. In this situation A cannot put forward that he wants to nullify the contract,since he made an essential error. The contract is formed. Error by Negligence According to TCO art. 35 â€Å"A party acting in error is liable for any loss arising from the nullity of the agreement where the error is attributable to his own negligence. However, there is no compensation if the other party knew or should have known of the error. In the interests of equity, the Court may, not exceeding the benefit of standart performance, award further damages to the injured party. † The first subsection is about responsibility of parties’ actions before the formation of the contract (culpa in contrahendo). Even a slightest negligence in error results in culpa in contrahendo,and in such situations damages will be compensated. According to the second sentence of this subsection,there will not be any compensations if the other party knew or should have known of the error. But this provision is not applicable to error of declaration,since if the other party knew or should have known the error in declaration,contract is formed according to the declarant’s real intent. Yet if a party knows or has to know other party made an error in motive,mistaken party will not have to compensate any damages even if he abolishes the contract. Amount of the damage that will be compensated,is the damage that would not exist if the contract would not be formed. This kind of damage is â€Å"negative damage†. Benefit of the standart performance is named as â€Å"positive damage†. According to the second subsection,judge may decide further damages. This â€Å"further damage† is compensation of positive damage. Amount of positive damage that must be compensated may be some of the positive damage or all of the positive damage,determined by equity,but cannot exceed positive damage.

US rising debt level and current economic problems Essay

US rising debt level and current economic problems - Essay Example According to the forecast of the organisation for economic cooperation and development (2011), the budget deficit for US is likely to increase to 10% of the GDP. This projection means that the US government must formulate ways of arresting the looming economic crises as a result of the increasing deficits. The main reason why the public debt in America would increase is the need for the government to increase job opportunities by stimulating demand (Saad 2011). When a government intends to create more jobs, it will increase the level of demand by increasing its public expenditure and reducing the level of taxation. This had made the Obama’s government increase the level of public debt. At the same time, the 2008 economic recession could also be a reason for the increased budget deficit. After a recession, the economy of a country needs to be stimulated to increase the level of demand and to create more economic activities. This made the US government increased their level of b udget deficit to increase the rate of recovery of the domestic economy (Amadeo 2011). The increased expenditure from external borrowing accompanied by a decline in the level of taxation must result in an increase in the level of public debt. If not closely monitored, the increased public expenditure will result in increasing level of inflation making prices of goods soar in the market. The increased cost in recapitalization and acquisition of financial institutions as well made the public deficit soar (Turner 2008). One of the causes of the economic recession was failure by the financial institutions to act decisively to rescue the depreciation in the economy. The failure by the credit rating agencies to give true credit risks made banks increase their mortgage loans that in the long run led to the recession. The US government as a result of this ventured into takeover of some banks which therefore meant increase in government spending making the economy experience a rising level of deficit (Saad 2011). The increases government spending accompanied by the declining tax rates was bound to increase the level of debt and this makes the projections of OCED realistic and important for government formulation. It must also be noted that the increasing deficit has made the democrats and republicans have clashes on the measures that the government should undertake to help reduce the level of deficit and the general debt level (Saad 2011). The two parties have agreed collectively on the short term measures of a cut in the government spending but have failed to agree on which areas that the governments should reduce spending. They also have different thoughts on the long term remedial. To correct the economic problems in the economy, the government can pursue a significant reduction in the deficit level. The US government through such a move would be in a position to reduce their increasing debt level and at the same time solve other economic challenges. A reduction in t he level of budget deficit can be made for various purposes; the first reason for a reduced budget deficit would be to help reduce the level of government debt (International Monetary Fund 2010). For instance, the Obama administration projects that through the reduction in the government deficit for a decade would make the government solve the high level of debt (OECD 2011). Another reason for cutting the level of government deficit would be

Western European music Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Western European music - Assignment Example The compositions made during this time normally consisted of three or four movements, and all of them had their own particular features. Corelli took over the art of San Petronio directly whilst he was staying in Bologna for four years. The sonatas he wrote were for violin. Besides, he also wrote sonatas called sonate a tre (trio sonatas) which had two violins as well as organ for the church. There was also a violone, called a double bass in contemporary terms, or a harpsichord from the chamber. After the sonatas took place the development of concertos.Corelli himself wrote the first concerti grossitogether with Torelli. Vivaldi wrote the concertos later, one being The Four Seasons, composed in 1723. This is termed as Vivaldi’s best work and lies among the most famous Baroque music.The Four Seasonsis made up of four violin concertos and every concerto has a different texture, corresponding to the respective season.When Vivaldi wrote The Four Seasons there had not been the development of modern solo form of concerto. And thus, this composition had basically solo violin, string quartet and basso continuo which together defined it. Orchestral Suites were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and are made up ofseveral compositions. These suites are also called overtures which are opening movementswherein there is a part of slow dotted note rhythm after which comes a fugue. The instruments used for thesecompositions were oboe, bassoon, violin, viola, and basso continuo. Through his orchestral suites Bach provided amazing pieces and these are great examples of the composer’s innovative mastery of the several types of dances which had been extremely famous in the European courts during the 18th century. Suite No. 1 is inC major. After the previous sequence ends and before this one begins there takes place kind of a quiet pause in the action. Pifa is known as the pastoral symphony and it allows for a quiet

Phase4 IP Market Structure and Firm Strategy Essay

Phase4 IP Market Structure and Firm Strategy - Essay Example In this market, the price elasticity of demand is inelastic. This means, demand remains relatively unchanged with changes in price. This characterizes a monopolistic competition market structure. According to Boyes and Melvin (2013), this market structure is characterized by a downward slopping demand curve. Product differentiation largely influences demand elasticity such that the greater the differentiation, the more inelastic the demand elasticity. Therefore, Justcookbooks.com ventured into this highly differentiated market that makes it a mini-monopoly, hence the inelasticity of demand would see the demand for its cookbooks minimally affected by changes in pricing as it establishes itself in the market. Success in this market would therefore be guaranteed by seeking greater differentiation of the online cookbooks. With the argument by Schotter (2009) that greater differentiation causes greater inelasticity, greater differentiation at Justcookbooks.com would cause demand to remain unaffected by changes in pricing, hence consistent quantity demanded. For Justcookbooks.com, pricing with different types of customers and asymmetric information would be most appropriate. According to Arnold (2013), this strategy involves charging less cost per unit for those who buy more and a higher cost per unit for those buying less. Using this strategy, Justcookbooks.com would encourage purchases of high volumes which increase revenue and thus

Changes in attitudes towards sex Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Changes in attitudes towards sex - Assignment Example As a result of the growing influence of media on the society, American family system has been affected in a variety of negative ways. The collective effect of changing attitudes toward sex has been of weakening the family as the building block of the society. American society is becoming increasingly approving of the gay rights. For every man who gets married to a man, at least two otherwise heterosexual couples, and the whole families associated with them are destroyed. A positive effect of these changing attitudes toward sex is that sex education today has become more of a need than a choice. More people can be educated on the risks of unhealthy sexual behaviors. A negative effect, however, is that more educated people advocate in favor of abortion associating it with women’s liberty and freedom, thus increasing the rate of abortions in the country (Aulette, 2010, p. 215). Overall, circumstances have become conducive for increase in the premarital sex amongst

The Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act Research Paper

The Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act - Research Paper Example This essay discusses that the current gender gap is not because women are less skilled than men but because now women demonstrate a higher propensity to attend college than men. Inequality in pay is due to the high extent of women’s segregation because of the nature of jobs. Hence, it can be said that women are now increasingly involved in competing with men in the job market. It is now required to eliminate the gender pay disparity because if single working mothers start earning as much as men there will be an increase of about 18 percent in the family income and the poverty will be reduced considerably. Major reforms relative to PRWORA have been in welfare fields such as housing, health care, child care and food. The federal government has allocated larger budgets for child care programs, which is evident from the fact that federal funding for child care has increased by almost 100 percent since the PRWORA was implemented. But some problems remain such as only about 12 perce nt of eligible households receive financial help under provisions of the Child Care and Development Fund. All families are not able to get benefits of state and federal schemes relative to child care, while tax exemptions continue to be meager in assisting families to adequately meet childcare costs. Additionally, the quality of child care is still poor because child care workers continue to be paid less. Even though there has been enhanced funding by the federal government in regard to child care, the pay of childcare workers has been stagnating.... Consequently, the outcomes of the PRWORA have been disputed and political campaigners have claimed either total success or failure depending upon their affiliations. At the same time, some facts cannot be denied such as the drop in volumes by about fifty percent in welfare relative to AFDC and TANF in spite of the several provisions that extended benefits external to the given rules. According to Boushey (2011), it is now evident that most of the former welfare recipients do not have work and those that are working earn between $6 and $8 per hour, which is too meager to sustain a family. The extent of poverty has increased amongst working families despite the decline in over all poverty rates. Families headed by single working mothers are the worst effected in this regard. Moreover, poverty has become more severe during the last many years for families that were already in deep poverty. Many families that were receiving welfare prior to the implementation of PRWORA are likely to expe rience greater hardships after they leave welfare. Over 33 percent of families getting welfare experienced situations when they were unable to get adequate food and the required medical care as compared to the position prior to the introduction of PRWORA. Families having one full time worker stood just a little less chance of experiencing one or more of such difficulties in comparison with the present welfare families. Almost 25 percent of families that became ineligible for welfare and had a single earning member went without adequate food, housing and the essential medical facilities. Most of the objectives of PRWORA pertained to addressing the high rate of single parenthood amongst poor households. It

Human Population Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Population - Essay Example The number keeps growing every second. Human Population itself is not a problem. The Earth is meant for humans to dwell in it. However, it becomes a problem when too many or too less humans live in it and this is known as Over Population and Under Population respectively. Total population is increasing at a rate of around 1.15 % per year and the average annual population change is approximated at over 77 million right now. The increase rate was highest in the 1960s and it has almost halved since then. The total population in Year 1 was 200 million while today in year 2008 it has hit 6 billion. It is estimated to reach 9.2 billion by 2050! (World Population Clock-Worldometer, 2008) Better health-care facilities in developed countries imply fewer deaths. Despite this, most population increases are taking place in developing countries. This is because the birth rate increases more than the decrease in death rate. Alternatively, in developed countries, there is a problem of under population. Life expectancy has increased a lot and the fertility rate has decreased. This is true for countries like Germany. Human population follows the pattern of an exponential growth; it grows slowly at first but then very rapidly (Hopkins, J., 2008). This clearly has implications for the future as the world will become over-populated at one time. Over-population is when the resources of an area can not meet the needs of the humans living in it or in other words the Earth's carrying capacity is utilized. Hence, it is problematic, very. The concept of Over Population can be showed with an analogy. Take the example of a restaurant. It employs five waiters in the beginning. The restaurant gains from them. Slowly the number keeps growing and the number increases to 20 waiters. They start crashing into each other, damaging utilities and worrying other people around them. This is a problem because it becomes difficult for these waiters to behave naturally as they would with only five waiters. This, hence, is the problem of overpopulation. The thing to notice here is that it is also closely related to the economics concept of the Diminishing Law of Marginal Utility. Factors that contribute to and are affected by the Human Population Living Factors The most obvious factor that contributes to human population is humans themselves. Population obviously increases because of increased birth rates or an increase in the fertility rate. People in developing countries are having more and more babies everyday because of which the number is increasing. Humans are also affected by the growing population themselves. Non-Living Factors Along with increased birth rates, decreased death rates or mortality also could also contribute to human population. The death/mortality rate decreases when medical and health care facilities are good. The number of deaths, therefore, decreases when countries are developed or are moving towards development. Because of globalization, today all boundaries between countries have been removed. This promotes specialization and the overall growth of economies of different countries. The growth in an economy is shown by increased and enhanced health-care facilities and hence, a lower number of deaths and a higher life expectancy age. Therefore, there is the

An Evaluation of the Performance of the United Nations Essay Example for Free

An Evaluation of the Performance of the United Nations Essay Abstract   The United Nations is the most dominant international governmental organization in the world. Having been formed with the main objective of preventing war immediately after World War II, so far it appears to have had little success in doing so. Yet there are many problems that are global in nature and thus depend on the United Nations to address them. This has prompted scrutiny into the activities and affairs of the United Nations with the aim of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This study takes a critical look into the structures and responsibilities of the political and security organs of the United Nations with the aim of identifying weaknesses and making proposals on how improve on the performance of the organization.   Chapter I Introduction   Introductory paragraphs The challenge of insecurity in international relations remains one of the biggest threats facing the world today. Despite numerous spirited efforts by countries throughout the world to secure the international system from the ever lurking dangers of international wars, the principle of collective security remains as elusive as ever. Since the formation of the United Nations (UN) in 1945, the international system has evidently been characterized by numerous security challenges that have particularly been defined by events during the Cold War, after the Cold War and after the September 11 2001 terrorism attacks upon the United States. With the foundation of the United Nations having been solidly based on the principles of collective security, there are increasing concerns as to whether the United Nations is living up to its billing. Past events have clearly demonstrated that the United Nations lacks adequate capacity and authority to enforce the principle of collective security. According to Goldstein (2003), â€Å"The UN Charter establishes a mechanism for collective security – the banding together of the world’s states to stop an aggressor (p. 267). Chapter 7 of the Charter explicitly authorizes the Security Council to use military force against aggression if the use of non-violent means as captured in chapter 6 fail. According to the UN Charter, the United Nations may intervene domestically in a state that commits acts of aggression or poses threats to security. However, this principle is usually enforced selectively. Analysis by Roberts Kingsbury (1994) showed that because great nations possess veto powers, the UN cannot aggressively stop aggression by (or supported by) a great power. Therefore, Chapter seven was used once during the Cold War – in the Korean War when the Soviet delegation unwisely boycotted the Security Council proceedings (p. 61). â€Å"The U.S. flew the U.N. flag in reversing the North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950 and the invasion of Iraq in 1990, and both violations were a violation of the international law under the UN charter† (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 63). Goldstein (2003) notes that it was under Chapter 7 of the Charter that the UN authorized the use of force to reverse Iraq aggression against Kuwait in 1990 (p.269). To the surprise of many, â€Å"the United Nations never intervened militarily in similar illegal Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the Israel invasion of Lebanon in 1982† (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 68). These were clear indications that the United Nations is limited by the demands of power politics in the international system. Kochler (2002) emphasizes that the international system is fundamentally anarchical, with the great powers still dominating the international system and the United Nations itself† (p. 6) Purpose of the study Just as the League of Nations grew out of the World War I, the United Nations grew out of the World War II. Like the League of Nations, The United Nations did not fundamentally challenge national sovereignty, it did not alter the existing distribution of power among nation-states, and it institutionalized the dominant position of the great powers – specifically the victorious powers in the World War II. The United Nations did not gain the monopoly on the legitimate use of force, which would be necessary to become a world government and to impose order through superior force and authority. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the fundamental abilities of the United Nations in pursuing and achieving the principle of collective security in the international system. Research Question The ever increasing threats to the state of security in the world have prompted a close scrutiny on the United Nation’s core function of collective security. As a contemporary international governmental organization (IGO), the United Nations certainly does not constitute a world government with absolute power and authority to impose peace on the world. Yet, this does not mean the United Nations is powerless or insignificant. While the United Nations faces numerous hurdles in enforcing the international law due to the sovereignty statues of states and nation-states, the organization can still influence the behavior of states and provide forums for communication and interaction that would be considered more orderly than implied by the concept of anarchy. Therefore the research question involves a critical look into the performance of the United Nations relative to its main function of upholding the principle of collective security in the international system. Hypothesis The core empirical research hypothesis of this study states that the United Nations has not succeeded in upholding the principle of collective security in the international system. Significance of the study The United Nations Charter is based on unifying principles that serve as the driving force for the organization’s initiatives. One of the key principles of the United Nations Charter is the recognition of the sovereign equality of all member states. As such, all member states are considered to be equally sovereign over their respective territories. Each member state has one vote in the General assembly, yet they are not equal in wealth and power. Moreover, only five major powers have permanent seats on the Security Council. Critics and admirers alike point out that the United Nations institutionalizes international inequality due to the fact that the Charter is loaded with idealistic principles that bear little resemblance to reality. Therefore the study is significant because it will highlight on the many challenges that the United Nations faces in its efforts to uphold the principle of collective security and make appropriate recommendations for addressing those particular challenges. Research Limitations The main limitation of this study is lack of sufficient literature regarding the problems that the United Nations encounters while performing its core function of upholding the principle of collective security. Most of the existing literatures about the United Nations have focused more on the success of the organization rather than failures. Definition of terms For the basis of this study, the definitions of international relations, international system, terrorism, international organizations and collective security will be expressed in the simplest terms: International relations are the processes that define the terms of interaction state and non-state actors relate amongst themselves in the international system. International system refers to a set of relationships among world states, structured according to certain rules and patterns of interaction. Goldstein (2003) illustrates that some of these rules are implicit while others are explicit as they determine who is considered a member of the system, what rights and responsibilities members have and what kind of rights and responsibilities occur among states. Terrorism refers to a form of political violence that targets civilians deliberately and indiscriminately, with the aim of gaining advantage in international bargaining situations. Terrorism usually becomes effective if it succeeds in damaging the morale of a population and also when it gains media exposure for the cause. International organizations are organizations involved in politically relevant activities whose membership and activities occur in more than one country. Collective security is a principle of the UN Charter that advocates for the banding together of the world’s states to stop an aggression against member states. Under the principle of collective security, aggression against one member of the UN is seen as an aggression against all. Chapter 7 of the Charter explicitly authorizes the Security Council to use military force against aggression if the use of non-violent means as captured in chapter 6 fail. Chapter II – Background Literature Review The United Nations was founded at the end of World War II in 1945 to replace the League of Nations. The formation of the UN became apparent after the realization that the League of Nations had failed miserably. Mesler (1997) acknowledges that the failure of the League of Nations was precipitated by the lack of adequate power and authority, instability in the international system and the unwillingness of the US Senate to ratify the treaty that formed the league (p. 11). However, the underlying principles that led to the formation of the United Nations are synonymous with those that governed the formation of the League of Nations. Unlike the League of Nations which lacked the backing of the US Senate, the United Nations received the overwhelming endorsement and backing of both the US Senate and President. As an international governmental organization (IGO), the foundation and significance of the United Nations is best demonstrated by the theory of realism. â€Å"According to the theory of realism, there is no world government, or political authority above the state, thus the international system is essentially anarchical without any overarching political body capable of imposing law and order in the behavior of its members or nation-states†(Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 19). The theory stresses on the centrality of the state, or nation-state, as the supreme political authority in world politics. The theory of realism is based on the assumption that the overriding motive of all states is self-preservation through maximization of power, a situation that transforms the international system to a static state of a war of all against all. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) note that stability is best achieved through balance of power, which results from uninhibited interaction among states, with the most powerful country acting as a balancer (p.19). According to Goldstein (2003) the international relations theory of realism recognizes low politics (economic and social matters) to be secondary to high politics (military and security) (p. 265). It is upon this premise that the United Nations was founded to act as the over-arching political body to impose law and order on the behavior. In essence, the United Nations would enforce peace by treating aggression against one as an aggression against all and collectively defeating the offender. The formation of the United Nations is further favored by the international relations theory of idealism. The theory of idealism is based on Immanuel Kant’s philosophical theory that focuses on the cooperative capacity of human beings rather than their selfishness and lust for power. â€Å"In his book titled Perpetual Peace, Immanuel Kant argued that just as the consensual establishment of government brings order and domestic tranquility to people within states, so does the establishment of a world congress among republican states in bringing perpetual peace to the world generally, thus ending the war for all time† (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 39). Kant believed that a pacific union would need to be made up of republican states based on representative governments, for when the people themselves rather than princes could decide whether or not to go to war, they would invariably avoid it, for it is they who must bear all the burdens of warfare. These republican governments would establish a world congress to settle disputes and avoid the potential for violent conflict. â€Å"Kant ultimately laid the philosophical groundwork not only for the contemporary theory of idealism, but also its corresponding institutionalization in the form of international governmental organizations (IGOs) like the United Nations (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 40). However, the two theories of realism and liberalism are sharply contrasted by the theory of liberalism. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) note that in the international system, liberalism theory recognizes state preferences as opposed to state capabilities, to be the primary determinants of state behavior (p.44). Roberts Kingsbury (1994) point out that unlike the theory of realism where the state is seen as a unitary actor, liberalism advocates for plurality of state actions (p.45). The liberalism theory further states that interaction among states is not limited to high politics (military and security), but stretches further to low politics (economic and social matters). Therefore, this situation eliminates the anarchical situation in the international system as states gain plenty of opportunities for interaction through broader economic and cultural cooperation. Although the realism and liberalism theories project different arguments concerning the founding philosophies of international organizations, both theories acknowledge the need for lasting peace and security in the international system. The spirit of peace and security is what motivated the founding of the United Nations. The organization was founded with the main objective of maintaining international peace and security through peaceful settlement of disputes. The United Nations is further entrusted with the task of promoting economic and social co-operation, in part through consultation with non-governmental organizations as well as the promotion of human rights for populations throughout the world. â€Å"The United Nations Charter is based on the principle that states are equal under international law; states have full sovereignty over their own affairs; that states should have full independence and territorial integrity; and states should carry out their international obligations that include respecting diplomatic privileges, refraining from committing aggression, and observing the terms of the treaties they sign† (Goldstein, 2003, p. 206). The Charter also lays out the structure of the United Nations and the methods by which it operates. According to the United Nations website, the structure of the United Nations consists of the General Assembly, the Security Council, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Trusteeship Council, Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice. The secretariat is headed by the Secretary General and is principally the bureaucratic wing of the United Nations. The Secretary General serves for a maximum of two 5 year terms. The international Court of Justice is headquartered in Hague, Netherlands, and serves as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It consists of fifteen judges elected by the General Assembly and Security Council for nine-year terms and each one of them must be from a different state. While the decisions of the international Court of Justice are formally binding, it possesses no mechanisms of enforcement. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) coordinates the United Nation’s various specialized agencies while the Trusteeship Council was set up to oversee the administration of trusteeships. Weiss Dhows (2007) point out that the General assembly and the Security Council are the most important organs that handle issues that concern the principle of collective security (p.149). The general assembly is the only organ in which every member state is represented, with each state having exactly one vote according to the spirit of sovereign equality. Linda (2003) further reveals that the General Assembly mainly serves as a forum for debates, reviews and setting of agenda (p.33). However, the enforcement of the decisions made by the General Assembly is never guaranteed despite the fact that the resolutions are usually passed by a 2/3 majority. The Security Council consists of five permanent members with veto powers. The five permanent members include the United States Britain, Russia, China and France. The Security Council also consists of 10 other members who are usually proposed by the General Assembly and serve on a 2-year rotation basis. The decisions of the Security Council are binding and enforceable. According to Weiss Dhows (2007), the Security Council deals with collective security and peacekeeping at the request of one or more of the parties in conflict. Moreover, the Security Council has the rights to investigate any dispute or situation that might threaten international peace and security, and to recommend methods of resolution. The Security Council further negotiates ceasefires and disengagements as instruments of conflict resolution. The council is further vested with powers to sanction or authorize the use of military force to contain a conflict. However, the powers of the Security Council are limited in two ways: first, the council’s decisions depends entirely on the interests of member states, thus the ambassadors who represent the states cannot change a council resolution without authorization from their respective governments; and second, member states often try to evade or soften the effects of binding resolutions made by the Security Council. However, Goldstein (2003) warns that Security Council resolution can be enforced only if enough powerful states care about it (p. 272). The Security Council runs a formal mechanism for coordinating multilateral military action in response to aggression, referred to as the Military Staff Committee. The committee is composed of military officers from the permanent council members. The Military Staff Committee was established under chapter 43 of the United Nations charter. However, â€Å"the committee has never been used due to the fact that the United States opposes the procedure of placing its forces under non-US commanders (Goldstein, 2003, p.272). â€Å"According to Goldstein (2006) this is the reason why military forces responding to aggression under the auspices of the Security Council resolutions have always remained under their respective national commands, as was the case during the Gulf War where the U.S. forces undertook the mission of enforcing a UN resolution but did not display UN insignia or flags† (p.273). The Cold war rivalry between the United States and the Soviet is considered to be one of the biggest challenges that ever characterized the United Nations Security Council. The rivalry had split the member states into two blocks, a situation that led to the unnecessary use of veto powers by the United States and the Soviet. According to the Un Committee Report on contributors, the United Nations is funded through contributions from member states. Contributions are assessed according the economic strengths of the member states. The United States has always been the largest contributor to the United Nations. The United States used to contribute 25% of the UN budget until 1997 when maximum contribution was reduced to 20% under the watch of the then Secretary General Kofi Annan. The poorest majority of the General Assembly may pay less than 1% while the ten wealthiest contributors pay 75% of the budget, but cast less 75 of the vote. Major contributors to the regular UN budget for 2006    Member State Contribution% of   total UN budget United States 22.00% Japan 19.47% Germany 8.66% United Kingdom 6.13% France 6.03% Italy 4.89% Canada 2.81% Spain 2.52% China 2.05% Mexico 1.88% Australia 1.59% Brazil 1.52% Source: www.unstats.un.org   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The above statistics are representative sample of financial contributions from UN member countries. All member states make contributions to the UN. Chapter III Methods The proposed study is based on a pre-post design, meaning that performance evaluation was based on events during the Cold War, after the Cold War and the events after the September 11, 2001 terrorism attacks upon the United States. Participants were asked to state their opinions and answer opinions on questions regarding the performance of the United Nations relative to its key duties of ensuring collective security for all member states. The study mainly consisted of a demographic questionnaire consisting of 15 items that were designed to measure the attitudes of the participants concerning the roles of the United Nations in maintaining global peace and security. The study involved a two-dimensional approach of tolerance and stability. Tolerance refers to the degree to which the principle of collective security is accepted as a politically tolerable action; while stability refers to domestic and international legitimacy of the principle of collective security. The demographic questionnaire further consisted of descriptive information of the participants such as age, sex, religion, nationality, gender and race. The study also involved comprehensive research from existing literature that was designed to assess the validity of theories of international relations and international law to the founding principles of the United Nations. Data collection Stratified random samples were drawn from both online college populations and the general public, followed by simple random sampling in each group. The study employed both theoretical and accessible populations in sampling with the aim of reaching wide and varying audiences. The sourced reports obtained from participants provided helpful insights into the different opinions and attitudes that different people of different ages, gender, religion, nationalities and races have towards the United Nations relative to the performance of its international duties. The population sample targeted existing views from participants aged 18 year and above. Data analysis An analysis of variance was used to measure the data. Repeated measurements of data were used to determine and rate different opinions and attitudes from different participants concerning aspects of collective security functions of the United Nations. Limitations Limitations in the context of this study refer to the factors which may have prevented the persons from participating or responding accurately to the questionnaires. The main limitation of this study involved geographical constraints. It was difficult to involve people from all member states of the United Nations given that the UN membership currently stands at more than 200 states. There were also restraints in terms of correct interpretation of the questions as many participants did not have deep knowledge and understanding of international relations. Some participants may have declined to participate completely because the 15 questionnaire items may have been too much for them. Chapter IV Results The results of this study revealed that as much as the United Nations has performed and continues to perform important roles in international relations, the organization did not live up to its billing. Since its inception, the United Nations has been dancing to the whims of the super powers, and the United States in particular. Contrary to expectations, the United Nations did not fundamentally challenge national sovereignty, it did not alter the existing distribution of power among nation-states, and it institutionalized the dominant position of the great powers – specifically the victorious powers in the World War II. According to Goldstein (2003), the United Nations did not gain the monopoly on the legitimate use of force, which was necessary for it to become a world government with authority to impose order through superior use of force (p. 270). The reality of equality among states in the UN is another issue that raises many concerns among member states. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) are concerned that as much as the principles of the United Nations recognize the sovereign equality of all member states, and that each member state has one vote in the General assembly is far from the reality because member states are not equal in wealth and power (p.97). Moreover, only five major powers have permanent seats on the Security Council. Critics and admirers alike point out that the United Nations institutionalizes international inequality due to the fact that the Charter is loaded with idealistic principles that bear little resemblance to reality. Chapter V Discussion The credibility of the United Nations has been put to question due to issues surrounding sovereignty of the institution. The extent to which the United Nations can exercise decisive authority to stamp order in the law and order in the international system remains a riddle. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) concur that this is reason why the U.S. flew the U.N. flag in reversing the North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950 and the invasion of Iraq in 1990, and both violations were a violation of the international law under the UN charter (p.116). However, to the surprise of many, â€Å"the United Nations never intervened militarily in similar illegal Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the Israel invasion of Lebanon in 1982† Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 117). These were clear indications that the United Nations is limited by the demands of power politics in the international system. According to Kochler (2006),the international system is fundamentally anarchical, with the great powers still dominating the international system and the United Nations itself (p.21) Power struggles is one of the biggest challenges facing the United Nations today. Kochler (2002) notes that like states, IGO’s are largely designed by the dominant powers to serve their interests (p. 23) Kochler (2002) further notes that while the existence of the United Nations is intended to maintain world peace and security, it is a world peace and security that perpetuates existing power arrangements and the economic and political systems that support them (p.24). A case in point is the 1989 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. The UN acted when Iraq invaded Kuwait, mainly because the US was able to dominate the Security Council and the invasion threatened to increase world oil prices. This was classic power politics within the guise of a â€Å"new world order† (Roberts Kingsbury, 1994, p. 123). On the other hand, when the United Nations General Assembly issued a near universal condemnation of the U.S. invasion of Panama, the United States ignored the condemnations and executed the entire invasion with little regard to international concerns. These cases arose as a result of the weakness apparent in the structure of the United Nations. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) are concerned that the United Nations gives greater enforcement powers to the Security Council than to other bodies within the organization, yet the Security Council is dominated by the great powers which only pursue interests that are of significance to their nations (p.128). The other concern raised in regard to the performance of the United Nations is the aspect of equality in participation. In essence, cooperation does not necessarily imply the equality of participation or interests. As situations provide, states cooperate in institutions that exploit them because they perceive no alternative, just as the case with the UN, which clearly executes its mandate in favor of the interests of the super powers while neglecting the poor countries. A step by step analysis of the UN during and after the Cold War as well as after the September 11, 2001 terrorism attacks upon the United States reveals some of the most appalling weaknesses in the abilities of the United Nations to enforce lasting peace and security in the international system. The United Nations during the Cold War The period between 1945 and 1955 went down as one of the most difficult periods in the history of the United Nations. â€Å"Marked by a Cold War stalemate that pitied the United States and the Soviet Union against each other, the UN made very little progress during this period due to frequent use of veto powers by the two countries (Mesler, 1997, p.14). One of the biggest challenges that the United Nations faced was that of membership expansion because the US and Soviet exercised their veto powers to prevent the admission of new states perceived to be allied with the other side. Mesler (1997) reveals that between 1945 and 1955, the UN only managed to admit 9 new members (p.16). However, a 1955 bloc deal permitted admission of 16 new members, 8 on each side and the stalemate was avoided thereafter through frequent consultations and bargaining, and caucusing. The United Nations was also characterized by serious funding disputes during the Cold War. â€Å"In 1956, the Soviet Bloc and several Arab States declined to contribute to the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) that was sent to set up a buffer between Israel and Egypt after the second Arab Israel war (Mesler, 1997, p.19). This war came about when Egypt under Nasser sought to nationalize the British controlled Suez Canal, an action the prompted a declaration of war by Britain, France and Israel. Goldstein (2003) acknowledges that during the Cold War, the United Nations had few successes in international security because the U.S. – Soviet conflict prevented consensus (2003, p.269). The United Nations had been relegated to irrelevance in a world order that had been structured by two opposing alliance blocks. Mesler (1997) is concerned that although there were few notable exceptions, such as agreements to station peacekeeping forces in the Middle East, the United Nations did not play a central role in solving international crisis (p.31). The predominance of third world membership added to the UN woos as they necessitated the shift of focus by the UN from security issues to economic and social problems of the poor countries. This was contrary to the international relations theory of realism which identifies low politics (economic and social matters) to be secondary to high politics (military and security). â€Å"Third world states also used the United Nations as a forum for criticizing the rich countries in general, with the United States having been their main target (Goldstein 2003 p. 270). In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the UN membership doubled as colonies in Africa and Asia gained independence. The expansion caused changes in the character of the general Assembly. According to Mesler (1997), â€Å"The concerns of the new members were completely different from those of the western industrialized nations and on many occasions, showed open resentment to their former colonial masters (p.31). Moreover, the third world states became concerned about the overwhelming powers and privileges that the United States enjoyed in the UN. Mesler (1997) further reveals that third world countries were concerned in the manner in which the UN usually became effective in international security affairs when the United States led the efforts. These concerns led to the emergence of rifts between the United States and the third world countries, and consequently, the United States found itself on the minority on many issues. By 1980’s when the pressure from the third world countries became unbearable, the United States reacted by withholding their financial contributions to the United Nations. According to Mesler (1997), the non payment of U.S dues rose to more than $1 billion and was subsequently followed by the withdrawal of membership from the UNESCO (p. 33). However, it must be noted that the UN registered quite some notable success in the late 1980’s just before the end of the Cold war. Mesler (1997) acknowledges that the UN successfully brought to an end several regional conflicts that included the 1988 Iraq – Iran war and the Central American crisis (p.39). The UN successfully engineered ceasefire negotiations among the parties and provided peacekeeping forces that monitored the implementations of the ceasefire agreements. The United Nations after the Cold War The end of the Cold War marked the end of bipolar alignments in the international system and paved way to a multilateral order. This led to more flexible relations among states in the international system and thus great powers could finally agree on different issues regarding the international security. The end of the Cold War further brought to a halt the trend that the third world had deployed in playing off the super powers against each other. According to Mesler (1997), greater cooperation emerged between the United States and the formerly hostile third world countries, a situation that moved the UN to the center stage of international relations (p.38). However, the United Nations still faced challenges that basically related to the drive for power by the country that emerged as the global hegemon from the power struggle of the Cold War, in this case, the United States of America. By the early 1990’s, the United Nations had successfully asserted its position as the world’s most important tool for settling international conflicts. According to an analysis provided by Goldstein (2003) in 1993, Security Council resolutions had increased to 78 from 15 in 1987; peacekeeping missions had risen to 17 from 5 in 1987; peacekeepers had risen to 78,000 from 12,000 in 1987; and countries sending troops had risen to 76 from 26 in 1987 (p. 269). Moreover, the UN oversaw the independence of Namibia from South Africa and the country’s first free elections in 1990. However, the UN faced numerous daunting challenges during the post-Cold War period. Mesler (1997) identifies the problem of inadequate funding that was occasioned by the non-payment of dues by the United States to have been one of the biggest challenges that the United Nations faced during the post Cold War period (p.42). â€Å"The UN woos during the post-Cold War period were further worsened by the failure of the United States to honor its financial obligations to the organization Mesler† (p.42). The United States failed to pay its dues for many years, citing budgetary misappropriation by the UN as their main concern. The US congress demanded the shrinking of UN budgets and cutting down of staff jobs before sanctioning the allocation of funds to the UN. The US congress further delayed confirming the new US ambassador to the UN, Richard Holbrook, leaving the position vacant for a year. These particular free-riding tendencies by the US presented the UN with difficulties in delivering its core functions of collective security and responsibility. Another post Cold War draw back occurred in Angola, where, upon sending just a few peacekeepers to assist in the beefing up of security during the 1992 elections, hell broke loose and rebels took up arms after the government won in the internationally observed elections. The UN was completely overwhelmed and could not contain the rebels. â€Å"In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge faction refused to disarm according to the UN brokered peace plan it had signed, a process that was subsequently overtaken by events after a coup that interrupted Cambodia’s transition to democracy† (Mesler 1997, p. 51). Mesler (1997) identifies Yugoslavia as the other place where the UN faced serious draw backs even after undertaking the largest peacekeeping mission of nearly 40,000 foreign troops costing $1 billion annually from 1993 and 1995 (P. 51). â€Å"The mission was extremely incapacitated by the variance that emerged between the type of forces sent (lightly armed forces equipped for humanitarian operations) and the situation on the ground which was a full scale territorial aggression by heavily armed forces (Mesler, 1997, p.52). This unhappy combination came to be known as â€Å"peacekeeping where there was no peace to keep.† Mesler (1997) notes that in response to the problems of inefficiency and financial difficulties, the UN scaled back its peacekeeping troops from 78,000 in 1995 to 19,000 in 1997, and further carried out staff reduction and reforms in the UN secretariat and UN programs (p. 53). UN during the Post 9/11 The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon the United States marked a turning point in the history of the United Nations. The US significantly increased its participation in the United Nations, and a decisive coalition of member states endorsed US war on terrorism. However, there are increased concerns throughout the world that the United States has hijacked the whole process to advance its own national interests at the expense of other states. The United Nations has been pushed to the periphery by the United States in the war on terrorism. The foreign policy measures adopted by the United States after the September 11terrorism attacks are a clear encroachment of the international law. The United States has masterminded the emergence of a new geo-strategic situation in the international system that has effectively reduced the United Nations to a mere rubber stamping authority. As the only hegemony, the United States has taken full advantage of its dominant status usurp the roles of the United Nations. â€Å"The United States claims supreme authority for all measures related to the ongoing anti-terrorism campaigns and does not accept neutral arbiters – such as the UN – in determination of the actual terrorism threats † (Kochler, 2002, p. 4). According to Kochler (2002) the United Nations has indeed been pushed to the sidelines and cannot act anymore according to the Charter’s doctrine of collective security, which since the end of World War II was and still ought to be the core element of multilateral international order represented – or advocated, to be more realistic by the world body (p.9). Kochler (2002) asserts that by arrogating itself the right to act on behalf of the international community, the United States violates the principles that were established under the United Nations Charter which are exclusively reserved for the Security Council and can only be invoked in conformity with the regulations of Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter (p.11). In its pursuits on the war on terror, the United States with the backing of its western allies attacked Afghanistan in October 2001. However, the attack did not receive the full backing of the United Nations Security Council. Therefore, despite the wide ranging support for the genuine course and concerns of the United States, it is important for operations of such magnitude to undertaken strictly under the full mandate of the United Nations. The other instance during which the United States undermined the authority of the United Nations was the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Although the Iraq invasion was well intended to rid the world of the dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, once again the United States did not seek the full approval of the UN Security Council. The war in Iraq has ended up being too devastating, claiming lives of thousands of Iraqi citizens and military personnel of the US and its allies. A critical analysis of the Iraq war relative to the rational model of war reveals a big gap between the good achieved and the evil that has been entrenched by the war. It is evident that the Iraq conflict could have been handled effectively by the United Nations through non-violent means as provided for by the chapter 6 of the Charter. The US war on terrorism is run on a platform of preventive war. â€Å"The concept of preventive war as advanced in the new strategic doctrine of the United States is by all means incompatible with the United Nations Charter because the Charter explicitly and unequivocally bans use of force in all forms in the international system except in cases of self-defense or by way of chapter 7 of the UN Charter upon full approval of the Security council† Kochler, 2002, p. 12). Kouchler (2002) further demonstrates his concerns by stating that under the present circumstances, national sovereignty – though guaranteed by the United Nations Charter – has been reduced to a state’s freedom to identify vis-à  -vis the only superpower, with the alternative of either joining the â€Å"forces of evil† or opposing them, without any rights to participate in the determination of what is evil. Therefore, the United States has successfully entrenched its own strategic agendas in different parts of the world under the guise of counter-terrorism war (p. 21). Kouchler identifies the control over specific geopolitical regions and strategic natural resources to be among the key agenda of the US policies that are being implemented under the ongoing war on terror. The US war on terror has evidently taken heavy toll on peace and security in the entire international system. Apart from undermining the principle of collective security as espoused by the United Nations Charter, the counter-terrorism war has been detrimental to the principle of sovereignty and equality of states in the international system. Moreover, individual human rights and fundamental freedoms of citizens throughout the world have been curtailed due to the ever increasing threats of retaliatory attacks from terrorists. Furthermore, citizens of countries under US military invasion have often become victims of indiscriminate use of force. The US war on terror further aggravates internal tensions, ignites ethnic rivalries and deepens existing social problems in independent states that should otherwise enjoy the sovereignty and equal say in the international system. The United Nations has absolutely been dominated and eclipsed by the United States during the post September 11, 2001 period. Chapter VI Conclusion There exists a consensus among many states that the United Nations provides the best global forum for discussing general multilateral issues. States gain leverage by using the UN to seek more beneficial outcomes in conflicts. According to the United Nations website, the UN provides international stability; acts as a representative symbol of global identity; provides a forum where states promote their views and present their disputes; and provides mechanisms for conflict resolutions in international security affairs. No single country in this world can sufficiently perform all these roles to the levels that the United Nations does. In numerous circumstances however, the United Nations has been referred to as a â€Å"toothless dog that only barks but cannot bite† due to its continued inability to enforce law and order in international relations. Linda (2003) asserts that despite these accusations, many of the failures of the United Nations occurred as a result of struggles among external forces rather than the organizations own failure (p.74). Linda (2003) cites the competition between the US and Soviet blocs as having been one of the biggest impediments in the UN during the Cold War (p.74). The United States and the Soviet applied their veto powers to block any decisions that were not in their favor. Moreover, the third world countries maximized on the weaknesses created by the Cold War rivalries to pursue their own selfish interests which were focused on economic and social interests. Therefore, the principle of collective security became secondary to other interests that were being pursued by both the developed and developing countries. Linda (2003) acknowledges that without adequate support from member countries, it became impossible for the United Nations to pursue the agenda of collective security (p.76). While the United Nations performed exceptionally well during the post Cold War era, its operations were severely affected by problems of inadequate funding. The organization was particularly affected by non-payment of dues by the United States. The post September 11 period has seen the United Nations being completely overshadowed by the US in the war against terror. Kochler (2002) warns that â€Å"with the US war on terrorism having claimed so many lives right from its inception to date, there is an urgent need for change of tactic† (p. 31). According to Kochler (2002) the United Nations needs to reclaim its rightful position as the global authority vested with powers to enforce peace and sanity in the international system (.p.32). Therefore, there is an urgent need for powerful countries to give the United Nations its due recognition as the world security and peacekeeping body. Countries such as the United States must learn to pursue their interests within the framework of chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter. Kochler (2002) further warns that the arbitrary attacks on other countries without the approval of the Security Council defeat the purpose and spirit of collective security as a whole (p.33). Such attacks and invasions only serve to divide the world even further along ideological, religious and economic lines. In order to achieve sustainable peace and security throughout the world, it must be acknowledged that â€Å"the United Nations does not exist because it has powers to force its will on the world’s states; rather, it exists because states founded it to serve their needs† (Goldstein, 2006, p. 265). The United Nations should no longer be taken for granted. Although the international relations are still characterized by anarchy, the United Nations is the closest form of world government that the international system has ever cherished. Therefore, efforts must be harnessed to give the United Nations due recognition, greater financial capacity and more political powers to act on behalf of states in fostering world security and international relations. Goldstein contends that the United Nations further acts as a leverage for moderating costs of achieving collective security, because UN dues and expenses of diplomatic representatives in addition to the agreement to behave in accordance with the Charter provide a cost effective avenue compared to the costs that individual countries would incur to achieve the same objectives (p.266). While the United Nations can serve as a forum for international cooperation, much can be achieved only if high coincidences of interests occur so that more agreements can be reached and implemented. Considering the fact that member states retain their full sovereignty status, binding decisions require cooperation and consensus rather than majority votes. Furthermore, there is urgent need for an overhaul of the UN structures so as to eliminate the existing power gaps among member states. This follows concerns to the effect that the United Nations gives greater enforcement powers to the Security Council than to other bodies within the organization, yet the Security Council is dominated by the great powers which only pursue interests that are of significance to their nations. Roberts Kingsbury (1994) are categorical that more power should be transferred from the Security Council to the General Assembly where states receive equal recognition and voting rights (p. 134). The Security Council should also be expanded with the objective of distributing power evenly among member states as well within all the organs of the United Nations. Although the main objective that motivated the foundation of the United Nations was the provision of international security through prevention of war, the other services being provided by the organization should never be ignored or pushed to the background. There are many problems which are global in nature that rely on the United Nations. According to Goldstein (2003) globalization has gradually transformed the world into a single economy, thus multinational corporations are relocating from one country to another and building subsidiaries in several other countries† (P.112). Subsequently the world has become more interdependent, with technology having transformed communication to instantaneous levels. All these developments have introduced new challenges and conditions in the international system that no single country can absorb all the pressure presented by such challenges and conditions. These conditions and challenges are presented in the form of population growth, healthcare issues like HIV-AIDS, environmental issues like global warming, drug trafficking and terrorism. Therefore, war should not be the only international dilemma for the United Nations. However, it may be that the United Nations remains too institutionally undeveloped, lacking independent authority and resources, to effectively deal with any of these problems. Reference List Goldstein, J. (2003). International Relations. Pearson Education, Inc., Kochler, H. (2002) International ecumenical conference: The war on terror, its impact on   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   sovereignty of states, and its implications for human rights and civil liberties. Linda, F. (2003). An Insider’s Guide to the UN. Yale University Press. Mesler, S. (1997). United Nations: The First Fifty Years. Atlantic Monthly Press. Pilar P. R. (2001). Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy. Washington: Brookings Institution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Press Roberts, A. Kingsbury, B. (Eds.), (1994). United Nations, Divided World: The UN’s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Role in International Relations, 2nd Ed The United Nations: Charter of the United Nations. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/index.html/ on 25/03/2008 The United Nations. The United Nations: Organization. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.un.org/aboutun/basicfacts/unorg.htm/ on 25/03/2008 The United Nations. (2006). Report on the committee on contributions. Retrieved from    http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/contributors/N0642856.pdf?OpenDS=A/61/11Lang=E    on 26/05/2008 Weiss G.T. Dhows, S. (Eds.), (2007). The Oxford Handbook on United Nations. Oxford   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   University Press.

Elemica Global Expansion Strategy Business Information Technology Essay

Elemica Global Expansion Strategy Business Information Technology Essay Elemica is a global e-commerce company in the chemical industry which provides web-based order management and supply chain applications and services. This report aims at outlining the strategy for Elemicas e-business trading hub global expansion. First, the environmental analysis of Elemica has been discussed. The SWOT analysis of Elemicas current business is discussed, followed by evaluation of elemicas online B2B industry using Porters five forces model. The various ICT challenges which will be faced by Elemica during global expansion have been identified. The various risks, opportunities available, associated costs and critical success factors for the global expansion have been discussed. A strategy map has been defined along with a balanced score card which measures the effectiveness of the B2B expansion strategy. After exploring all the opportunities and risks involved and evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy, the following recommendations have been made: Switch to cloud computing in order to easily expand into international market and be updated with the latest technology. Follow all the regulatory compliances in its e-business initiative and apply business ethics to be followed in different countries. Ensure that all the cross-border transactions follow security protocols and are safe and secure. Being sensitive to cultural differences in expanding countries and making the change management process smooth. These recommendations will thus help Elemica to successfully expand its B2B e-business strategy and establish a dominant position in the world market. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 Table of Contents 3 1.INTRODUCTION 4 2. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS 5 2.1 COMPANY ANALYSIS 5 2.3 CORE COMPETENCIES 8 2.4 MAJOR COMPETITOR 8 2.5 CURRENT BUSINESS MODEL 8 2.6 MARKET ANALYSIS AND TRENDS 9 2.8 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES 11 3. BUSINESS CASE FOR ELEMICA 13 4.PROPOSED PROJECT PLAN 19 4.1 PROJECT PLANNING AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT 19 5.ASSESSING ONLINE B2B INDUSTRY TRADING HUB 21 5.2STRATEGY MAP 24 6.RECOMMENDATIONS 26 6.4 BUSINESS PROCESS REDESIGN AND SYSTEMS INTEGRATION 28 6.7 SUPPORT SERVICES 29 CONCLUSION 30 LIST OF REFERENCES 31 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 33 1.INTRODUCTION This report aims at understanding the business of Elemica and hence, develops a strategic plan for the global expansion of e-business at Elemica. As the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Elemica, an in-depth analysis of the company is presented in the report. It includes environmental analysis of Elemicas online B2B trading industry hub and also identifies the potential for global expansion of e-business. The report will assist the company to expand its core activities in the international market. It also highlights the risks associated with expanding the e-business globally. It identifies the target groups, the characterization of target groups, and how to build value into Elemicas services as desired by its customers, which are essential for the success of e-commerce (Fellenstein Wood 2000). Many inhibiting factors related to culture, security, language, legal rules, cross-border data flow, ethical regulations etc. which are present in global systems (Laudon Laudon 2006), have also been discussed. It also evaluates the entire plan by providing a Balanced Score Card to measure its effectiveness and a strategy map that will ensure the integration of strategy with implementation. The basic purpose of this project is to determine whether Elemica should go ahead with the global expansion of its online B2B trading hub or not. . 2. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS Elemica is a global e-commerce company founded by 22 leading corporations in the chemical industry which provides web-based order management and supply chain applications and services. It provides a single hub which provides companies with a one-stop solution through which companies can buy and sell chemicals to one another through their ERP systems or web alternative. It enables companies to link their internal IT systems through a neutral platform. Elemica is the first e-commerce company in the chemical industry which has successfully commercialized its ERP-to-ERP connectivity. It provides a modular, hosted solution that simplifies sales, procurement and financial processes; integrate supply chain partners in order to diminish communication barriers; and reduce overhead and errors. 2.1 COMPANY ANALYSIS Elemica is a privately held company with 150 employees. It has 2500 partners in its supply chain network and $60 billion in annual transactions. It is headquartered at Pennsylvania with offices in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Seoul, London, Singapore, Shanghai and Tokyo. VISION: To be the leading provider of supply chain integration and optimization services to the industries we serve; tire and rubber, chemical, energy and selected manufacturing industries. Clients rely on Elemica solutions and services to deliver Bottom Line Results, Enhanced Supply Chain Reliability, Quick and Easy Implementation, and Deep Industry Expertise. (Source: www.elemica.com) SWOT ANALYSIS: It is necessary to conduct a SWOT analysis of Elemica in order to develop a competitive advantage by identifying its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Friend, 2009). It will enable Elemica to build on its strengths, overcome its weaknesses, identify the opportunities available and reduce its exposure to threats. STRENGTHS: One of the most sophisticated technology platforms in B2B space A single hub for all transactions One stop solution to its clients Addresses e-commerce needs of companies of all sizes Helps companies automate their businesses Creates efficiencies and economies of scale Reduces clients overhead and errors WEAKNESSES: Does not buy, sell or own a product Highly fragmented chemical industry with large number of companies Internet is required for the service OPPORTUNITIES: Expansion into international markets Diversifying its industry such as the rubber and tire industry, etc. where B2B e-business is possible Including reviews and feedback from long term customers so that new companies get attracted Facility of online auctions Providing for private collaborative hubs THREATS: Non-acceptance of business model in international markets Outdated technology in some time Emergence of new competitors with better technology 2.2 VALUE PROPOSITION OF ELEMICA Value proposition is the benefit that a companys products or services provide to its customers. (Turban et al, 2010, p. 591). The value proposition offered by Elemica is as follows: A single hub for all the companies to do all their transactions. Only one connection needed for all transactions unlike some other companies offering similar services. A super platform which connects the ERP systems of all participating companies which allows the companies to electronically communicate with each other and to conduct the transactions. Acts as an intermediary which only links all the companies together and then they can conduct confidential transactions electronically. Enables a company that signs up for its services to conduct business with all the other buyers as well as suppliers which are linked through Elemica. It offers four modules: procurement, logistics, and customer replenishment (automate inventory replenishment and ordering), and order management. Provides support of Elemicas Professional Services and Implementation Team to its new clients. This ensures that the on-boarding process is successful and increases acceptance of the business value with its major trading partners. Addresses e-commerce needs of chemical companies which are of all sizes. Results in improved operational efficiency, reduced costs and a higher percentage of safe and reliable deliveries 2.3 CORE COMPETENCIES The core competency of Elemica is to provide web based order management and supply chain applications and services. It delivers this by: Providing four modules: procurement, logistics, and customer replenishment (automate inventory replenishment and ordering), and order management. Single hub for all transactions. 2.4 MAJOR COMPETITOR The major competitor of Elemica in this space is ChemConnect, which was founded in 1995. It offers services similar to Elemica, but it does not connect the ERP systems of the participants. It has 9000 customers and is spread out in around 150 countries. (Figures as in 2009). 2.5 CURRENT BUSINESS MODEL Elemica provides a one-stop solution to all its customers to carry out transactions. It integrates the flow of information among the trading partners by using a Business Process Network (BPN). Once a client is connected to Elemica, it gets access to thousands of buyers and suppliers. The clients are charged for the service on the basis of volume of usage. The business model works in the following way: When a client is in need of some material, it puts up a message on its ERP system. This message goes to Elemicas platform asking its members for the availability of the material. Several of Elemicas members respond to the message by responding with quotations. At this point, both the purchaser as well as the seller is anonymous. The client decides from whom to purchase based on the quoted prices. When the shipping is arranged, the identity of the parties is revealed. When the order is confirmed, the platform is used to paln and co-ordinate delivery, automate invoice and pay one another. Elemicas revenues are generated by charging transaction fees from its clients on a per-transaction basis. Elemicas business model is sustainable because it integrates all the supply chain partners, thus reducing the communication and transaction time. The customers are able to connect to a large number of buyers and suppliers on a single platform, without having to purchase any internal system for themselves. Also, since they are charged on a transaction basis, the revenues are continuous and sustainable and are more efficient than older EDI based solutions which charged on the basis of inter-company transactions. Also, it addresses the needs of chemical companies of all sizes. It thus results in increased operational efficiency, lowering of costs, less inventory, and safe and speedy deliveries. These results in customer satisfaction and thus result in attracting more new customers. 2.6 MARKET ANALYSIS AND TRENDS With the advent of internet, there has been a major shift in the way companies do business. There has been a high visibility of B2C e-commerce, whereas it is the B2B e-commerce which provides a large amount of marketplace spending ( Pierfrancesco Manenti, 2010). The total spending by B2B e-commerce is more than 85% of the total spending of B2X e-commerce all over the world (according to IDC estimate). Research has shown that B2B e-commerce is more used by the firms in U.S. However, it is growing at a fast pace in Europe as well because the manufactures are becoming more acceptable to this concept. It has been found that only 4% of the total turnover in manufacturing sector is generated through B2B e-commerce sales (data from Eurostat). Hence, there is a great scope for e-commerce to expand in new countries as well as expand their business domain, which provides Elemica with a great business opportunity. 2.7 EVALUATION OF ELEMICAS ONLINE B2B INDUSTRY TRADING HUB The best way to evaluate Elemicas online B2B industry is by using Porters five forces model. According to the model, there are 5 forces which affect the industry and the economic value that gets divided among the industry players (Turban, 2007). Threat of new entrants: Due to continuous advances in technology, there is always a threat of a new company coming up with a latest technology and dominating the market scenario. This might make Elemica outdated. Hence, there is a high risk of new entrants coming into the market which makes it inevitable for Elemica to continuously improvce it systems and be updated with the latest techniques. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers is limited for Elemica because Elemica just provides a platform for them to make transactions. Also, the suppliers in the chemical industry are also buyers themselves, and hence are dependent on each other. Also, Elemica provides them with a neutral platform where they can easily transact with intermediate costs and time wastage removed. Threat of substitute products or services: Threat of substitute products/services entering the market is high because e-commerce is a very dynamic business. Any new technology or concept can easily replace it. Also, physical transactions can also easily act as a substitute to online services. Bargaining Power of Buyers: The bargaining power of buyers is again limited because of the interdependence of buyers and suppliers on each other. But since they have a large number of options available, they can easily choose from among them and get the best deals. Rivalry among Existing Competitors: There is a large scope for e-commerce online industry to grow as a whole. Also, with limited competitors in this space, there is less of a rivalry and majorly the company providing easy and better services will dominate the market. 2.8 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES With Elemica planning to expand globally, there are several ICT challenges that will be faced by Elemica: As the customers will become increasingly global, a major chaleenge for Elemica is to manage the relationship between buyers and suppliers who may belong to different countries and cultures. Hence, Elemica must develop a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in order to ensure that the customer relationships are long term, sustainable and add value. It will also need to be considered as to how Elemica will integrate the legacy systems that the companies currently use. Instead of connecting the ERP systems of the companies to the hub, Elemica can switch to cloud computing which will eliminate the need for integration. In order to keep up with the latest technology, Elemica can switch to cloud computing which will provide all the network facilities over the network without any need for connecting the ERP systems of the clients. The companies will then be able to access their account at any computer with internet access. This will reduce the costs incurred as well as attract more number of customers globally. While handling cross-border transactions, Elemica needs to be extra careful about the security issues and the data transfer protocols and standards to be followed. It needs to be in compliance with the international copyright laws and security standards. 3. BUSINESS CASE FOR ELEMICA 3.1 OPPORTUNITIES AND OBJECTIVES The opportunities available with Elemica are as follows: Expand its business to other countries and thus provide online supply chain integration by acting as a neutral platform for all the transactions. The challenge is to expand the system into other countries and also take care of the logistics for distribution. Adopting latest technologies so that the existing technology does not become obsolete. This will add more customers to the e-business and also make the business model more sustainable. For global expansion, Elemica can shift to cloud computing. This will save the companies from connecting their ERP systems to central software. The applications needed to run the business could be stored on servers. This will save the company costs and companies across the globe can easily do business just by logging into the internet. It will help them connect to anybody and anywhere in the world. Also, the customers can easily collaborate and work on big projects in real time. Another opportunity in the area of expansion for Elemica is that it can allow buyers to compare products from different vendors and customize their product requirements from a variety of vendors. Elemica must also start interaction among the vendors wherein they can post their comments and reviews about its services. This will help attract new customers and also enhance the credibility of the company. 3.2 CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS Critical success factors (CSFs) are a few key activities that can determine the success or failure for any type of organization (McLeod Schell, 2001). By identifying the critical success factors, companies can develop strategies and also prioritize their activities for future business (Ward Peppard, 2002). The critical success factors for Elemica to go in for a global expansion are: Need to be more customer oriented in order to be sensitive to cultural differences and be responsive to their varying needs. The web interface must also be in the local language of the countries where Elemica plans to expand. Deliver secure and reliable connection to its users. Ensure that all the transactions and data transfers remain confidential and privacy policy is adequate. Compliancy with international standards must be maintained before entering into expansion into international markets. The tax implications must be kept in mind for the success of a business in other countries. It needs to be ensured that the company is in compliance with the local tax rules. Need to be up-to-date with the latest technology so that the business model does not become obsolete and also to prevent competition. 3.3 COSTS AND BENEFITS (ROI) It is essential to calculate the return on investment before taking any business decision to ensure that the returns will be favorable for the business. It is a tool which helps in evaluating information technology and electronic commerce investments (Turban, 2008). The ROI formula divides the total net benefits (revenues less costs, for each Year) by the initial cost, resulting in a ratio that measures the ROI for each year or an entire period (Turban 2010). The various costs involved in the expansion of Elemica globally will be: Marketing costs: A marketing strategy needs to be developed in order to attract customers all across the globe. Also, advertising costs will be incurred to establish the brand image of Elemica in new countries. This will be a significant cost because the marketing campaigns need to be customized according to different locations and local markets. Operating costs: Operating costs will differ for each country. This will include the training assistance program costs and other support costs to its customers. These costs will vary because the currency values in each country will vary and the exchange rates also need to be taken into account. Also, operating costs will increase because now the hub needs to be customized for local markets and more number of customers means higher maintenance costs. Employee costs: More number of employees will be needed to handle the expanding business. Local people will have to be recruited in order to understand the local needs and be responsive to them accordingly. Administrative costs: Administrative costs will go up with an increasing number of customers. Opportunity costs: It is the cost associated with not taking an electronic commerce initiative (Schneider, 2007). If Elemica does not go ahead with the expansion, some costs will be incurred for not going with this plan, called as opportunity costs. The revenue will be generated through: Transaction fees: The clients are charged on a per transaction basis. With increased number of customers, the number of transactions will increase and hence the revenue. Training fees: The training fees charged for increasing acceptance and making the on-boarding smooth will also increase with increasing number of members. 3.4 BENEFITS OF EXPANDING GLOBALLY The benefits associated with expanding globally are: It will offset sales decline in the domestic market, if any. Even if there is not much decline in revenues in the domestic market, having a global network will act as a safeguard for future. It will increase the life cycle of our services because it may be possible that this technology gets outdated in the domestic market, but in new markets this might still be new. If Elemica goes into cloud computing, it will attract a large set of new clients, both in the domestic as well as international market, thus leading to increased revenues and higher market share. It will improve its competitive position and help in establishing itself as a global brand. 3.5 RISKS ASSOCIATED Having a web based platform makes the system susceptible to risks associated with the internet. Hence, it is important that the problems which will most likely cause damage is addressed (Van der Walt, 2002). Hence, the risks associated with global expansion of Elemicas e-business are as follows: Security issues: With data and transactions scanning across the globe, there might be security concerns and different protocols to be followed in different countries. Also, there might be concerns regarding the misuse of information that is transferred over the internet. Payment issues: With difference in currencies and exchange rates, it might become difficult to make payments among the collaborating parties, which might result in loss of cross border transactions. Threat of Frauds: Proper mechanism would have to be in place to prevent any fraudulent customers to join the network and take undue advantage. Server crashes: There might be server crashes due to expansion into remote areas which might cause the entire system to fail and thus result in huge losses. Improper integration: Risk of improper integration of the hub with ERP systems in remote locations. Violation of laws: There might be systems which may violate the home country laws, thus creating troubles for Elemica in future. Cultural differences: The local people in target countries might not be comfortable with the concept of online buying and selling of stock. This may lead to a failure of the entire business model in that country. Hence, a proper understanding of the local culture needs to be developed before entering into expansion. Changing technology: Elemica needs to be up to date with the latest technology so that their services do not become obsolete. Lack of IT infrastructure: It might be possible that some countries might not have appropriate internet infrastructure. This will hamper the expansion of e-business in that country. 4.PROPOSED PROJECT PLAN 4.1 PROJECT PLANNING AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT Elemica needs to develop a detailed project plan to carry out all the planned projects, evaluate the various options available, identify specific milestones, allocate requisite resources, and manage the projects (Turban et al. 2010). There are five basic stages in developing a project (Haughey, 2010): Initiation Planning and project design Execution Monitoring and controlling systems Completion Elemica will first need to identify a project champion who will ensure that proper time, resources, and attention is given to the project throughout its initiation to implementation (Turban, 2008). Then a project team needs to be established who will develop a detailed project implementation plan. For expansion strategy, Elemica can pilot test it in some other country, which will help identify the problems and successes, thus helping in modifying the strategy accordingly (Turban, 2008). Accordingly, staff requirements are identified and fulfilled; and training given to them for the latest technology. After the completion of the proposed plan, it should be reviewed at each stage in order to overcome the inefficiencies and loopholes which were identified and then constant monitoring of the project needs to be done. Change management is a major issue which needs to be handled by Elemica during its global expansion because people will resist change. An appropriate communication strategy needs to be developed which will aim at keeping all the employees as well as Elemicas clients up-to-date with the companys strategy and latest happenings. This will help them cope with the changes (Schneider, 2007) and also help them adopt the new changing culture easily. Confidence and buy-in needs to be inculcated within the employees so that their support can be garnered for the project, which will be essential for the success of the business. 4.2 RESOURCE ALLOCATION The various resources which need to be allocated during Elemicas expansion will be human resources and IT resources. Human resources will include business managers, project managers, web designers, graohic designers, system operators and administrators (Schneider, 2007). IT resources which will be needed are the hardware and software development and its maintenance. 5.ASSESSING ONLINE B2B INDUSTRY TRADING HUB 5.1BALANCED SCORE CARD The most popular system for performance management is the use of a balanced scorecard (Turban, 2007). It was designed by Kaplan and Norton in 1996 and it describes a holistic measurement system which flows from the overall strategy of the organization and crystallizes into measureable indicators (Kaplan Norton, 1996). A balanced score card evaluates the effectiveness from the following 4 perspectives: Financial Customer Internal Business Processes Learning and Growth PERSPECTIVE OBJECTIVE METRIC RATIONALE 1) Financial Increased market share 1) Increase in the number of clients 2) Increase in the revenues 3) Increase in the number of locations where Elemica provides services Increase in market share is an important metric in determining whether the global expansion of the business has been successful or not. Only if there is an increase in the market share, it will indicate that the business is successful and is gaining more customers. Increased ROI 1) Increase in the number of transactions between clients, hence resulting in increased revenues. 2) Increase in the number of customers. It is important to measure the revenues earned in order to ensure that even if market share might have increased, the revenues have also increased along with it. Also, it is important to know that the returns are increasing on the money invested. 2) Customer Increased customer satisfaction 1) Increase in the number of repeat transactions 2) Decrease in the number of customer complaints 3) Increase in the number of positive customer reviews 4) Reduction in the response time for resolving customer complaints. Customer satisfaction is a top priority for the success of any business. Customer satisfaction ratings will indicate whether the existing customers are satisfied with the services and this in turn will determine the new customers getting added to the network. Increased visibility of Elemica 1) Increase in the number of transactions on Elemica. 2) Increase in the number of new subscribers. 3) Increased visibility among other chemical companies. This will determine whether the new marketing campaigns and expansion strategy has worked or not. Whether it will be able to generate more revenues or not. 3)Internal business processes Increase in efficiency 1) Increase in the quality of service 2) Decrease in the lag time between a complaint and resolving that complaint. 3) Increase in the number of transactions that can be handled at a particular time. 4) Increase in the speed of transactions This will help in delivering best service to the customers and will help in continuously improving upon the existing services. Better technology and transaction security 1) Increase in the transaction security even while cross-border transactions take place. 2) Adopting the latest technology and making the hub more user friendly and easy to implement. This will take of the security concerns which may arise during the expansion process in different countries. Also, the latest technology will keep Elemica inline with the competitors and help in dominating the market share. 4) Learning Growth Better skilled staff competent to handle latest techniques and varying cultures 1) Increase in % of employees who are highly skilled. 2) Develop the competencies in the staff to work in a dynamic and competitive environment. A highly skilled and competent staff will ensure that the company progresses and delivers the best to its customers all across the globe. This will also help in identifying the gaps in the skills of employees and work upon them. Increased organizational learning 1) Increase spending on RD to improve the technology used, hence delivering better services. This ensures that the latest and the best technology is used and the organization is ready to respond to the changing environment all across the globe. 5.2STRATEGY MAP The strategy map below shows the linkages between the four perspectives of Balanced Score Card and how they result in achieving the overall business strategy. INCREASED SHAREHOLDER VALUE HIGH ROI MORE MARKET SHARE FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE LEARNING GROWTH PERSPECTIVE HIGH EFFICIENCY CUSTOMER SATISFCATION INCREASED VISIBILITY SECURITY COMPLIANCE LATEST TEHCNOLOGY MORE CUSTOMERS MORE CITIES MORE TRANSACTIONS SKILL DEVELOPMENT INCREASE IN RD COMPETENCIES HIGHLY SKILLED AND COMPETENT WORKFORCE INTERNAL PROCESS PERSPECTIVE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE 6.RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations are in order of their priority. Each one will be needing 5-6 months to implement and can be started concurrently. 6.1 OUTSOURCING OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE In order to strengthen the ICT infrastructure of Elemica, it should adopt cloud computing. It will hence result in business process automation. All the facilities will then be available over the network without any need for connecting the ERP systems of the clients. This will help in reducing the costs of setting up hardware or software and its maintenance. Clouds are a pool of easily usable as well as accessible virtualized resources such as hardware, development, platforms and/or services (Vaquero et al. 2009, p. 51). Shown below is how cloud c