Effectiveness of Leech Therapy

Effectiveness of Leech Therapy It has been estimated that there are about 60,000 miles or more blood vessels within a human body where blood, gases and nutrients are being circulated. Any blockage of these vessels will cause blood congestion at the site and thus give rise to various vascular diseases. For instance, a congested coronary artery will cause heart attacks, and a congested carotid artery will cause strokes. Other common examples are inflammatory reactions, haematomas, deep vein thrombosis, and so on. Hidurotherapy, also known as the leech therapy, is an ancient remedy now being revived and evaluated scientifically, hoping that it could be a one cure for all these diseases and provide a much more effective yet safer treatment. So, how a leech can cure and is it really more effective over currently used drugs in treating vascular congestion and related diseases? The mechanism behind hidurotherapy can be simplified as such: when a leech bites a target, the patient will not feel much pain because its saliva contains special anaesthetics. It then starts its active feeding by sucking the blood. At the same time, the saliva which also contains various components that prevent the formation of blood clot at the wound and allow it to flow continuously for hours even after the leech has been removed. This situation is known as passive bleeding. I have classified the leech treatment into 3 common types based on these effects of saliva contents and their applications. Type 1: Hirudin as an anticoagulant It has been recognised that the acute coronary syndromes involving the atherosclerotic plaques or thrombus has direct connection to the thrombin in the blood. Thrombin triggers platelet aggregation and gives rise to fibrin clot formation. Intravenous heparin, aspirin, and anti-ischemic medications are the standard treatments provided by hospitals. Hirudin appears to have more advantages when compared to heparin. It can act independently while heparin works indirectly with anti-thrombin III as its cofactor. As a result of this, heparin is not effective when it comes to the fibrin clot that already has thrombin bounded to it. In addition, platelet factor 4 or plasma proteins might neutralise the effect of heparin. Some patients might even develop thrombocytopenia, which affects 5 to 15 percent of the patient population. In such cases, hirudin is highly selective for thrombin and is not affected by peptides and enzymes in the blood. It binds with thrombin to form an inactive hirudin-thrombin complex and halts the conversion of fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin. Another highlight of hirudin would be its stability as its form can remain unchanged when it is removed from the body through urination. Overdosage of hirudin is very rare, if such cases really happen, there is no antidote because no antagonists for it have been found. This would be the disadvantage of hirudin but its usage remains safe as long as the doctors prescribe living leeches according to standard recommendations. In a research, patients with acute coronary syndromes were randomly given either intravenous heparin and hirudin placebo or hidurin and heparin placebo on a double blind basis. This led to the possibility of comparing the effect of hirudin and heparin in treating coronary syndromes and preventing deaths. The outcome results showed that hirudin had significantly decreased the risk of death or myocardial infarction or reinfarction over hours of study compared to heparin. In long term, hirudin still displays significant advantage over heparin in reducing the risk of death or myocardial infarction or reinfarction. Type 2: Removal of blood via active feeding and passive bleeding Detached body tissues or limbs can be reattached, transferred or transplanted through modern reconstructive surgeries. Microsurgical techniques are being used to restore the blood vessels supplying blood and oxygen to the connecting tissues or limbs to enable their survival. However, often we see that after a complicated reconstructive surgery, venous congestion occurs at the connecting tissues due to the formation of blood clot after a venous outflow. Thus, the blood cannot be circulated and the tissue flap will eventually die off and is lost if the congestion prolonged. It is then vital to remove excess blood accumulated at the site so that risk of cell death can be minimised. Moreover, it provides time for the ingrowth of new venous outflow from the surrounding normal tissues. Surgical revision is rarely possible or successful to fix the problem. When venous congestion threatens a tissue flap, live medicinal leeches (Hirudo medicinalis) are placed on the congested tissue to remove excess blood. The application of medicinal leeches to a congested tissue flap reportedly increases blood flow within congested tissue directly via active feeding and indirectly by passive bleeding from the bite after the leech detaches. The continued passive emission of blood following leech detachment assists in the decongestion process. It is facilitated by the actions and interactions among different salivary secretions of the leech, and platelet aggregation inhibitors. Type 3: Effects of other substances in the leech saliva As the leech saliva also contains anti-inflammatory and anaesthetics substances, the patient will feel no pain being bitten. This special effect attributes towards the treatment of diseases such as arthritis of the joint. Although arthritis belongs to immunological disorder, the inflammation around the joints causes pain to the patients. Therefore, leech therapy might be useful in soothing the pain suffered with the anti-inflammatory and anaesthetics substances. A study designed by researchers from Germanys Academic Teaching Hospital showed that one application of leeches to the area can reduce pain 60% for more than 60 days. Besides that, the results also showed that it is even more effective than Diclofenac. Diclofenac is a group of drugs that is commonly used to treat pain or inflammation caused by arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis by reducing the hormones causing such symptoms.  [2]   There was also a previous leech therapy for knee osteoarthritis that gave significant pain relief for over a week differences for function, stiffness, and total symptoms remained significant in favour of leech therapy until the end of study and for quality of life until day 28. Ann Intern Med. 2003 Nov 4;139(9):724-30.  Effectiveness of leech therapy in osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized,controlled trial.  Michalsen A, Klotz S, Là ¼dtke R, Moebus S, Spahn G, Dobos GJ. Alternatives Recombinant Hirudin A leechs saliva contains limited amount of natural hirudin, so the idea of mass hirudin extraction for treatments is almost impractical as this will multiply the cost. One possible solution to this is to synthesise a similar substance. Scientists have previously cloned the cDNA for hirudin and it is expressed in yeast. However, the resulting recombinant protein was found to be produced in the unsulfated form, which is known to have an at least 10 times lower affinity for thrombin than the naturally occurring tyrosine-sulfated hirudin. Recombinant hirudin has been approved by United States FDA to be produced and applied commercially. It can be an alternative when living leeches are not available and the patient seems to develop intolerance against heparin. The dosage must be calculated properly in order to reduce the risk of side effects. Hirudin Heparin Recombinant Hirudin Advantages Led to a very consistent anticoagulant effect over time, independently of the use of thrombolytic therapy, a feature that represents a practical advantage Inexpensive, performed well as an antithrombin agent in the current trial and should still be regarded as the standard therapy Demonstrable and consistant effect, especially on the rate of reinfarction, in the group of patients with acute coronary syndromes as a whole Disadvantages Excessive usage will increase bleeding risk Not infrequently engenders an immune thrombocytopenia, which can result in serious thrombotic complications Small clinical effect Table 1: Comparison between hirudin, heparin, and recombinant hirudin by means of advantages and disadvantages Hementin Hementin is a unique secretion in the saliva of Amazon Giant Leech (Haementeria ghilianii). As shown in Figure 2, it inhibits the coagulation of blood differently with hirudin by breaking down the fibrinogen. Because Haementeria ghilianii does not belong to the order of Arhynchobdellida but Rhynchobdellida, therefore it was not recognised as medicinal leech. However, Maurice Moloney, professor of plant biotechnology at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada discovered that while hirudin prevents clot formation, hementin dissolves a particular kind of platelet-rich clot that can cause stroke and heart attack and against which clot busters like streptokinase and urokinase are ineffective.  [3]   Mechanical Leech A leech-induced skin wound on a congested fasciocutaneous tissue flap will bleed passively for a number of hours with 90 percent of blood emission within 5 hours after leech detachment. However, after 3 hours, passive blood loss averages only 2.9 ml. Furthermore, increases of maximum surface perfusion only extend 8 mm from the leech bite during passive bleeding. As suggested by these prior results, passive blood loss from a single leech bite should not be relied on to sufficiently decongest an impaired tissue flap, even after a relatively large active blood meal. There is the potential, however, of augmenting passive blood loss volumes with the use of a mechanical device that facilitates the antithrombogenic environment of a congested tissue flap. Such a mechanical device may encourage increased tissue viability. Increases in blood loss volumes may translate into improved postoperative blood perfusion in congested tissue flaps, resulting in improved tissue flap viability and survival . Implications Environmental, Economic: disposal, release to the wild, pollution, disrupts food chain, expensive for medical purposes, but lucrative for pharmaceutical industries Ethical, Social: reject the chance giving better treatment for patients, risk of side effects (bleeding), fear, can be overcome by mechanical leeches Evaluation Conclusion It can be seen that leech therapy is somehow more effective than modern drugs. However, it raises a few more questions like why we do not just extract the leech contents to treat the patients directly with it? I think it is because even though numerous studies and researches have been carried out, there are still some uncertain areas need to be recognised and solved. Besides that, the current situation allows us to avoid overdose of leech contentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc.

The Accuracy of Weather Prediction Essay -- Meteorology

The purpose of this paper is to explain the advances being made in technology and algorithms in helping advance the accuracy of forecasting. It will contrast the forecasting methods of several decades ago with forecasting methods in use today. In discussing how errors can accumulate over time and providing simple mathematical formulas as examples, this paper intends to show how the repetition of minor errors can affect the accuracy of weather predictions. Introduction Back in the days of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, weather observations were recorded daily but not hourly or by the minute. Such repetition of data didn’t seem useful. After the telegraph was invented which enabled information about weather data to be transmitted across the country, they still reported only once a day. In contrast to today's virtual world of weather, making 24/7 use of climate data from satellites, buoys in the oceans, the ability to record worldwide temperatures, worldwide rainfall records, track wind speeds, pressure pulses of solar wind, carbon dioxide levels, tornadoes and hurricanes...etc (Harris, 2012). An early pioneer of meteorology was Vilhelm Bjerknes, and his son Jacob, who described the lifecycle of the extratropical cyclone and shared his ideas for scientific weather forecasting. Bjerknes was disappointed over the unscientific methods of meteorology at the time, which, in contrast was making precise predictions in astronomy and meteorology as he felt, was at a standstill. His goal was to introduce scientific concepts to meteorology. According to Bjerknes, the two main ingredients in weather forecasting was knowledge of the atmosphere and accurate knowledge of the physical laws that govern it. Bjerknes identified: pressu... ...Went Wrong?.ncep.noaa.gov/nwp50/Presentations. Retrieved February 19, 2012, from www.ncep.noaa.gov/nwp50/Presentation NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory. (n.d.). NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/ Vanorsow. (2010, July 17). The Teaching Company User Community: View topic - 23. Prediction and Predictability. The Teaching Company User Community: Index. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://teachingcompany.12.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=3034 Weather Modeling and Prediction. (2011, May 16). NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Retrieved February 17, 2012, from http://www.oar.noaa.gov/weather/t_modeling.html The Weather Research&Forecasting Model Website. (n.d.). The Weather Research&Forecasting Model Website. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from http://wrf-model.org/index.php

Expansion of NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed on 4th April 1949 after the Second World War as a realization of the importance of close ties between United States of America and Europe for the stability and security of world [1]. It was a watershed event in both the US history and in the history of 20th century, as it marked the isolationist strategy that had characterized US foreign policy since more than 2 centuries [2].The alliance was seen as a counter strategy to protect Western European democracies against the growing threat of communism under USSR[3]. Later on this strategic-military alliance proved an important tool in the wake of Cold War between USA and USSR where it was seen as only safeguard for US and its allies against the expansionist designs of communist countries spearheaded by USSR.However with the disintegration of USSR, unification of Germany and end of Cold War in 1989-1991, the functional utility of NATO were re-examined to decide its future role in the ne w world order. However, end of the Cold War did not signify end of role of NATO and soon it witnessed the wide ethnic and religious conflicts in the Eastern Europe, especially in Balkan nations [4]. By 1995, NATO was required to intervene directly in many of these affairs as well as play the role of peacekeeper in the newly independent countries.Later on in the decade, the issue of terrorism raised its head, and presented further challenges to roles, responsibilities and scope of NATO’s future strategies [5]. Through the entire decade of 1990s NATO was shaping up its own future action course and on June 8-9, 1997, it took decision to expand and include new democracies of The Czech Republic, Hungry, and Poland, all former USSR allies, as part of NATO[6]. Since this decision has risen much debated and heat over its contextual application in the changed world order, and criticisms have been abundant on the merit of expansionist strategy of NATO in the 21st century world [7]. Thi s paper shall examine the various issues involved with expansion strategy along with their merits and demerits.The debate against the expansionThe decision to expand the NATO has created heated debates and arguments, both in favor and against of the decision. Many hold the opinion that an expanded NATO would be beneficial for world order, global peace and security and economic development and free trade, while others view threats of greater regional tension and hegemony of certain nations if NATO continues to expand[8]. The Expansion of NATO is generally opposed on following four grounds[9]1.The expansion involves huge expenditure to protect the allied countries. Estimates have put the expenditure at more than $125 billion annually if US goes ahead with the expansion strategy.2.Dangerously high level of commitments on part of US of protecting the newly enrolled allied countries. Western European countries themselves have demonstrated little interest in the expansion program as they consider it primarily an American objective. Thus it falls back entirely on USA to shield the its allies which may be a daunting and horrific task given the complex geo-political relation they share with each other as well as USA’s former nemesis USSR.3. The third problem is a modification of second problem which involves conflicting nature of relations among even new entrants in   NATO. Further, some of the Central and Eastern European countries such as Hungry and Poland are embroiled centuries long feuds with their neighbors and a conflict, even though on limited scale would make it mandatory for US to assist the member country, thereby widening the scope of the conflict.4. The last concern presented relates to the possibility that expansion may forever engage NATO as a peacekeeping authority in the extreme Eastern Europe where situation among several countries, including Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Hungry, is so volatile that repeated conflicts can break out over a num ber of years.The expansion and responsible factorsThe expansion of NATO came after long negotiations with former communist nations that included Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. NATO took a series of steps, such as formation of North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1991 and NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) program in 1994 to develop an amicable and peaceful environment for effective interaction and cooperation for these countries[10]. The decision to finally include Czech Republic, Hungry and Poland came after long deliberations and amidst a growing consensus that these nascent democracies needed to be integrated in the western democratic framework to help them achieve rapid and lasting economic development[11].Although the debate on this expansion has been widely across political and strategic spectrum, it should be noted that it was not for the first time that NATO had expanded. Article 10 of NATO’s foundation document has g iven it implicit rights to include new members on their meeting certain criteria[12].As one of the central premises of NATO is that attack on any of its member would be considered as attack against all and hence NATO would be s justified in taking military action against the aggressor, it attracted many European non members to the organization to safeguard their democratic values, freedom, heritage and civilization[13]. Thus NATO has undergone three major expansions since its formation to fulfill its commitment to stability and continued growth of economy and trade in the member countries.By 1990s most of the eastern European nations were convinced that in joining NATO remained their only hope to protect their integrity, and ensure their survival in an increasingly chaotic political order. On its part, NATO was also eager to embrace these countries has it perceived that most of problems afflicting Europe were occurring in non NATO member countries and therefore by increasing the sco pe of alliance, NATO would contribute towards increasing the stability and security in the Eastern Europe[14]. Further, the new responsibilities gave NATO the much-required opportunity to present a changed face and more responsible and comprehensive attitude in the post-Cold War world affairs[15].In wake of these developments, notwithstanding the criticism and debates surrounding the earlier expansion strategy to include the three former communist nations, USA has confirmed its commitment to further expansion of NATO in the coming years[16].European security and future expansion strategy of NATOAs the Cold War ended in 1989, it became apparent that Eastern Europe was headed for comprehensive restructuring and reformulating the strategies that were no longer applicable in the new context[17]. Abatement of hostilities between Western and Eastern Europe provided an unprecedented opportunity to policy makers to work towards attainment of long standing objective of European unification, in which NATO was considered as a powerful catalyst.NATO provided the vital platform where the political, economic and military interests of both Western and Eastern Europe came together and its own regional development took priority with view to strengthen the economic and strategic coalition of European states[18].   NATO was the instrument that facilitated this ideological and strategic unification of Europe.In the view of changed political order in Europe and risks of terrorism, NATO has formed a long term future expansion strategy that makes it open to every European country which seeks NATO’s help in protecting its identity and culture while making transition towards democracy[19]. Although the immediate and pressing needs of any plan of expansion have receded, especially after the successful handling of Balkan crisis by NATO and demonstration of its continued relevance as a capable peacemaker. Also, the latest enlargement, as discussed before, addressed one of the pr essing issues on NATO, to form an active collaboration with former USSR supporting countries.Yet the future expansion of NATO is inevitable, as many non –NATO European countries would begin to meet the conditions for entry into the Alliance and may question its commitment to peacekeeping if denied admittance[20].Therefore considering the requirement of expansion, NATO has planned the procedure in distinct steps, with no-surprise strategy. Aspirants may request for membership two years before the decision making years that are set as 2002, 2008-09, and 2012-14. As strategist point out that these expansions would be limited to introduction of maximum one or two nations at a time, rather than multiple entry[21]. These expansions would increase the membership of NATO to 25 countries, making it one of the most organized and important military alliances in the modern times.The future expansion strategy of NATO comprises of five steps1. Development of military cooperation with the n ewly joined state under Partnership for Peace (PfP) initiative2. Greater PfP coordination and cooperation to meet expectations and aspirations of new members3.Formation of rules and guidelines that assess a given country’s eligibility for consideration of NATO membership4.Assessment and scrutiny of a given country’s standing in fulfilling NATO’s commitment if accepted as member5.Deciding the time frame for new country to join the Alliance.ConclusionExpansion of NATO has to be seen from a broader and longer perspective. NATO has become an indispensable tool, especially in the changing nature of terrorism that is taking global dimension. As once the free democracies of Western Europe and USA combined to thwart designs of Communism, its equally vital in the present scenario for them and the new members to form an alliance that thwarts evil purpose of global terrorism for which an armed, military equipped and strategically capable military authority is necessary.NAT O, by expanding its membership, is in the process of gaining that crucial strategic leverage, as well as create conditions in the first place that would prevent many countries to be affected by menace of terrorism in the changed world strategic order.ReferenceAlexander Moens, Lenard J.Cohen, Allen G.Sens .NATO and European Security: Alliance Politics from the End of the Cold War to the Age of Terrorism.: Praeger.: Westport, CT. 2003Barany, Z. The Future of NATO Expansion: Four Case Studies. Cambridge University Press.: Cambridge, England.: 2003Carpenter T.G and Barbara C. NATO Enlargement: Illusions and Reality. Cato Institute.: Washington, DC.: 2001Gardener, H..   NATO for a New Century: Atlanticism and European Security. Editor:   Carl C. Hodge. Praeger.: Westport, CT: 2002.Kaplna, L.S. The Long Entanglement: NATO's First Fifty Years. Praeger.: Westport, CT. 1999Lepgold, J.   NATO’s Post-Cold War Collective Action Problem, International Security, 23:1 (Summer 1998): 7 8–106Millar A and Plesch D.T. Pushing the Envelope Too Far? Technology's Impact on NATO Expansion. Journal of International Affairs. Volume: 51. Issue: 2.: 1998. Page Number: 641.Seidelmann, R. NATO for a New Century: Atlanticism and European Security. Editor:   Carl C. Hodge. Praeger.: Westport, CT: 2002.Simon, J.   Central European Civil-Military Relations and NATO Expansion Washington, D.C.: National Defense University, McNair Paper 39, 1995Solomons, G.B. The NATO Enlargement Debate, 1990-1997: The Blessings of Liberty.: Praeger.: Westport, CT.: 1998.Szayna, T.S. NATO Enlargement, 2000-2015: Determinants and Implications for Defense Planning and Shaping. Rand. Santa Monica, CA. 2001.[1] A. Millar and D.T   Plesch. Pushing the technology too far?   Journal of International Affairs. [2] L.S. Kaplan. The Long Entanglement, Praeger, 1999. p. 1 [3] L.S. Kaplan. The Long Entanglement, Praeger, 1999. p. 2 [4] A. Moens, L. J.Cohen, A. G.Sens.   NATO and European security .   Praeger. 2003. [5] A. Moens, L. J.Cohen, A. G.Sens.   NATO and European security.   Praeger. 2003. [6] G.B. Solomons. The NATO Enlargement Debate, 1990-1997. Praeger. P 1. [7] Z.Barany. The Future of NATO Expansion. Cambridge University Press. 2003. [8] H. Gardner. NATO for a New Century: Editor.   C. Hodge. Praeger. Westport, CT. 2002. P: 23. [9] T.G. Carpenter and A.B. Conry. NATO Enlargement: Illusions and Reality. Cato Institute. Washington DC. 2001. [10] Jeffrey Simon, Central European Civil-Military Relations and NATO Expansion (Washington, D.C.: National Defense University, McNair Paper 39, 1995) [11] L.S. Kaplan. The Long Entanglement, Praeger, 1999. p. 8 [12] Z.Barany. The Future of NATO Expansion. Cambridge University Press. 2003 [13] G.B. Solomons. The NATO Enlargement Debate, 1990-1997. Praeger. P 2. [14] Z.Barany. The Future of NATO Expansion. Cambridge University Press. 2003 [15] Joseph Lepgold, NATO’s Post-Cold War Collective Action Problem, † International Security, 23:1 (Summer 1998): 78–106 [16] Z.Barany. The Future of NATO Expansion. Cambridge University Press. 2003 [17] R. Seidelmann, NATO for a New Century. Edit. Carl C. Hodge 2002. p- 47 [18] R. Seidelmann, NATO for a New Century. Edit. Carl C. Hodge 2002. p- 48 [19] T.S. Szayna. NATO Expansion 2000-2015. Rand. Santa Monica, CA. 2001. p-41. [20] T.S. Szayna. NATO Expansion 2000-2015. Rand. Santa Monica, CA. 2001. p-42. [21] T.S. Szayna. NATO Expansion 2000-2015. Rand. Santa Monica, CA. 2001. p-42 Expansion of NATO IntroductionNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed on 4th April 1949 after the Second World War as a realization of the importance of close ties between United States of America and Europe for the stability and security of world [1]. It was a watershed event in both the US history and in the history of 20th century, as it marked the isolationist strategy that had characterized US foreign policy since more than 2 centuries [2]. The alliance was seen as a counter strategy to protect Western European democracies against the growing threat of communism under USSR[3]. Later on this strategic-military alliance proved an important tool in the wake of Cold War between USA and USSR where it was seen as only safeguard for US and its allies against the expansionist designs of communist countries spearheaded by USSR.However with the disintegration of USSR, unification of Germany and end of Cold War in 1989-1991, the functional utility of NATO were re-examined to decide its future r ole in the new world order. However, end of the Cold War did not signify end of role of NATO and soon it witnessed the wide ethnic and religious conflicts in the Eastern Europe, especially in Balkan nations [4]. By 1995, NATO was required to intervene directly in many of these affairs as well as play the role of peacekeeper in the newly independent countries.Later on in the decade, the issue of terrorism raised its head, and presented further challenges to roles, responsibilities and scope of NATO’s future strategies [5]. Through the entire decade of 1990s NATO was shaping up its own future action course and on June 8-9, 1997, it took decision to expand and include new democracies of The Czech Republic, Hungry, and Poland, all former USSR allies, as part of NATO[6]. Since this decision has risen much debated and heat over its contextual application in the changed world order, and criticisms have been abundant on the merit of expansionist strategy of NATO in the 21st century w orld [7]. This paper shall examine the various issues involved with expansion strategy along with their merits and demerits.The debate against the expansionThe decision to expand the NATO has created heated debates and arguments, both in favor and against of the decision. Many hold the opinion that an expanded NATO would be beneficial for world order, global peace and security and economic development and free trade, while others view threats of greater regional tension and hegemony of certain nations if NATO continues to expand[8]. The Expansion of NATO is generally opposed on following four grounds[9]1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The expansion involves huge expenditure to protect the allied countries. Estimates have put the expenditure at more than $125 billion annually if US goes ahead with the expansion strategy.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dangerously high level of commitments on part of US of protecting the newly enrolled allied countries. Western European countries themselves have demonst rated little interest in the expansion program as they consider it primarily an American objective. Thus it falls back entirely on USA to shield the its allies which may be a daunting and horrific task given the complex geo-political relation they share with each other as well as USA’s former nemesis USSR.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The third problem is a modification of second problem which involves conflicting nature of relations among even new entrants in   NATO. Further, some of the Central and Eastern European countries such as Hungry and Poland are embroiled centuries long feuds with their neighbors and a conflict, even though on limited scale would make it mandatory for US to assist the member country, thereby widening the scope of the conflict.4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last concern presented relates to the possibility that expansion may forever engage NATO as a peacekeeping authority in the extreme Eastern Europe where situation among several countries, including Romani a, Serbia, Slovakia and Hungry, is so volatile that repeated conflicts can break out over a number of years.The expansion and responsible factors  The expansion of NATO came after long negotiations with former communist nations that included Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. NATO took a series of steps, such as formation of North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1991 and NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) program in 1994 to develop an amicable and peaceful environment for effective interaction and cooperation for these countries[10]. The decision to finally include Czech Republic, Hungry and Poland came after long deliberations and amidst a growing consensus that these nascent democracies needed to be integrated in the western democratic framework to help them achieve rapid and lasting economic development[11].Although the debate on this expansion has been widely across political and strategic spectrum, it should be noted that it was n ot for the first time that NATO had expanded. Article 10 of NATO’s foundation document has given it implicit rights to include new members on their meeting certain criteria[12].As one of the central premises of NATO is that attack on any of its member would be considered as attack against all and hence NATO would be s justified in taking military action against the aggressor, it attracted many European non members to the organization to safeguard their democratic values, freedom, heritage and civilization[13]. Thus NATO has undergone three major expansions since its formation to fulfill its commitment to stability and continued growth of economy and trade in the member countries.By 1990s most of the eastern European nations were convinced that in joining NATO remained their only hope to protect their integrity, and ensure their survival in an increasingly chaotic political order. On its part, NATO was also eager to embrace these countries has it perceived that most of problem s afflicting Europe were occurring in non NATO member countries and therefore by increasing the scope of alliance, NATO would contribute towards increasing the stability and security in the Eastern Europe[14]. Further, the new responsibilities gave NATO the much-required opportunity to present a changed face and more responsible and comprehensive attitude in the post-Cold War world affairs[15].In wake of these developments, notwithstanding the criticism and debates surrounding the earlier expansion strategy to include the three former communist nations, USA has confirmed its commitment to further expansion of NATO in the coming years[16].European security and future expansion strategy of NATOAs the Cold War ended in 1989, it became apparent that Eastern Europe was headed for comprehensive restructuring and reformulating the strategies that were no longer applicable in the new context[17]. Abatement of hostilities between Western and Eastern Europe provided an unprecedented opportuni ty to policy makers to work towards attainment of long standing objective of European unification, in which NATO was considered as a powerful catalyst.NATO provided the vital platform where the political, economic and military interests of both Western and Eastern Europe came together and its own regional development took priority with view to strengthen the economic and strategic coalition of European states[18].   NATO was the instrument that facilitated this ideological and strategic unification of Europe.In the view of changed political order in Europe and risks of terrorism, NATO has formed a long term future expansion strategy that makes it open to every European country which seeks NATO’s help in protecting its identity and culture while making transition towards democracy[19]. Although the immediate and pressing needs of any plan of expansion have receded, especially after the successful handling of Balkan crisis by NATO and demonstration of its continued relevance as a capable peacemaker. Also, the latest enlargement, as discussed before, addressed one of the pressing issues on NATO, to form an active collaboration with former USSR supporting countries.Yet the future expansion of NATO is inevitable, as many non –NATO European countries would begin to meet the conditions for entry into the Alliance and may question its commitment to peacekeeping if denied admittance[20].Therefore considering the requirement of expansion, NATO has planned the procedure in distinct steps, with no-surprise strategy. Aspirants may request for membership two years before the decision making years that are set as 2002, 2008-09, and 2012-14. As strategist point out that these expansions would be limited to introduction of maximum one or two nations at a time, rather than multiple entry[21]. These expansions would increase the membership of NATO to 25 countries, making it one of the most organized and important military alliances in the modern times.The future expansion strategy of NATO comprises of five steps1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Development of military cooperation with the newly joined state under Partnership for Peace (PfP) initiative2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Greater PfP coordination and cooperation to meet expectations and aspirations of new members3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Formation of rules and guidelines that assess a given country’s eligibility for consideration of NATO membership4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assessment and scrutiny of a given country’s standing in fulfilling NATO’s commitment if accepted as member5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Deciding the time frame for new country to join the Alliance.ConclusionExpansion of NATO has to be seen from a broader and longer perspective. NATO has become an indispensable tool, especially in the changing nature of terrorism that is taking global dimension. As once the free democracies of Western Europe and USA combined to thwart designs of Communism, its equally vital in the present s cenario for them and the new members to form an alliance that thwarts evil purpose of global terrorism for which an armed, military equipped and strategically capable military authority is necessary. NATO, by expanding its membership, is in the process of gaining that crucial strategic leverage, as well as create conditions in the first place that would prevent many countries to be affected by menace of terrorism in the changed world strategic order.ReferenceAlexander Moens, Lenard J.Cohen, Allen G.Sens .NATO and European Security: Alliance Politics from the End of the Cold War to the Age of Terrorism.: Praeger.: Westport, CT. 2003Barany, Z. The Future of NATO Expansion: Four Case Studies. Cambridge University Press.: Cambridge, England.: 2003Carpenter T.G and Barbara C. NATO Enlargement: Illusions and Reality. Cato Institute.: Washington, DC.: 2001Gardener, H..   NATO for a New Century: Atlanticism and European Security. Editor:   Carl C. Hodge. Praeger.: Westport, CT: 2002.Kap lna, L.S. The Long Entanglement: NATO's First Fifty Years. Praeger.: Westport, CT. 1999Lepgold, J.   NATO’s Post-Cold War Collective Action Problem, International Security, 23:1 (Summer 1998): 78–106Millar A and Plesch D.T. Pushing the Envelope Too Far? Technology's Impact on NATO Expansion. Journal of International Affairs. Volume: 51. Issue: 2.: 1998. Page Number: 641.Seidelmann, R. NATO for a New Century: Atlanticism and European Security. Editor:   Carl C. Hodge. Praeger.: Westport, CT: 2002.Simon, J.   Central European Civil-Military Relations and NATO Expansion Washington, D.C.: National Defense University, McNair Paper 39, 1995Solomons, G.B. The NATO Enlargement Debate, 1990-1997: The Blessings of Liberty.: Praeger.: Westport, CT.: 1998.Szayna, T.S. NATO Enlargement, 2000-2015: Determinants and Implications for Defense Planning and Shaping. Rand. Santa Monica, CA. 2001.[1] A. Millar and D.T   Plesch. Pushing the technology too far?   Journal of Interna tional Affairs.[2] L.S. Kaplan. The Long Entanglement, Praeger, 1999. p. 1 [3] L.S. Kaplan. The Long Entanglement, Praeger, 1999. p. 2 [4] A. Moens, L. J.Cohen, A. G.Sens.   NATO and European security.   Praeger. 2003. [5] A. Moens, L. J.Cohen, A. G.Sens.   NATO and European security.   Praeger. 2003. [6] G.B. Solomons. The NATO Enlargement Debate, 1990-1997. Praeger. P 1. [7] Z.Barany. The Future of NATO Expansion. Cambridge University Press. 2003. [8] H. Gardner. NATO for a New Century: Editor.   C. Hodge. Praeger. Westport, CT. 2002. P: 23. [9] T.G. Carpenter and A.B. Conry. NATO Enlargement: Illusions and Reality. Cato Institute. Washington DC. 2001. [10] Jeffrey Simon, Central European Civil-Military Relations and NATO Expansion (Washington, D.C.: National Defense University, McNair Paper 39, 1995) [11] L.S. Kaplan. The Long Entanglement, Praeger, 1999. p. 8 [12] Z.Barany. The Future of NATO Expansion. Cambridge University Press. 2003 [13] G.B. Solomons. The NATO Enla rgement Debate, 1990-1997. Praeger. P 2. [14] Z.Barany. The Future of NATO Expansion. Cambridge University Press. 2003 [15] Joseph Lepgold, NATO’s Post-Cold War Collective Action Problem, † International Security, 23:1 (Summer 1998): 78–106 [16] Z.Barany. The Future of NATO Expansion. Cambridge University Press. 2003 [17] R. Seidelmann, NATO for a New Century. Edit. Carl C. Hodge 2002. p- 47 [18] R. Seidelmann, NATO for a New Century. Edit. Carl C. Hodge 2002. p- 48 [19] T.S. Szayna. NATO Expansion 2000-2015. Rand. Santa Monica, CA. 2001. p-41. [20] T.S. Szayna. NATO Expansion 2000-2015. Rand. Santa Monica, CA. 2001. p-42.[21] T.S. Szayna. NATO Expansion 2000-2015. Rand. Santa Monica, CA. 2001. p-42

Investing in Technology - Tahgit Jamaica LLC - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2334 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? Table of Contents Executive Summary Pg. 1 IntroductionPg. 2 RationalePg. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Investing in Technology Tahgit Jamaica LLC" essay for you Create order 3 ObjectivesPg. 4 BackgroundPg. 5 MethodologyPg. 6 Presentation of DataPg. 7-9 Findings and DiscussionPg. 10-11 RecommendationPg. 12 ConclusionPg.13 ReferencesPg. 14 AppendicesPg. 15 Executive Summary After assessing the situation we realized that Investment in technology and training of both management and staff could see sales figures double. There seems to be an impending problem where IT and communication is concerned, and that has led to the company not maximizing profits. The mindset of both management and staff needs to change in order for the company to move forward. There has been a stand-off for some time now because of how things are handled. Better communication on both sides will see an end to this problem. Training could help managers and staff alike understanding how important communication is to the survival of the business, and the implementation of information technology will definitely aid in this feat. Currently the knowledge is present among persons within the company and staff members are willing to make a meaningful contribution, but what is needed is a means of facilitating all of this and ensuring the continuation. It will be imperative to put training into motion right away to ensure that within three months the company will be performing at the ultimate or at least very close to it. The location of the company is very strategic and furnished with all the necessary equipment to aid in the continued success of the business. It has the capacity of supplying the other locations that you have in mind without risking a shortage in supply for the current market. There seem to be very talented managers and staff alike that can contribute to the growth of the company. As soon as all the recommended steps are taken the company will definitely have a brighter future. Introduction Tahgit Jamaica LLC has been a well-established business consultant firm since the mid-90s. We specialize in analyzing estab lished and start-up businesses, facilitating businesses to establish and develop resourceful strategies in a bid to meeting and exceeding their goals, assessing and crafting solutions to problems. The motto of the firm is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Equipping our clients with the requisite knowledge to make informed decisionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , and as such persons of stature in the line of business analysis were pursued, hired and placed in senior positions to help clients and ultimately the firm realize the promise. We maintain annual trainings and keep abreast of whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s happening in our line of business in order to optimize the service provided. A J Windows and More, a company specializing in Aluminum windows and doors, saw an opportunity to invest in Gregoryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Chemical and grasped the opportunity with both hands because of the known business potential. Strategically located in the outskirts of numerous inner city communities, the chemical company was a pote ntial gold mine if properly managed and harvested. Gregoryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s was equipped with the resources to manufacture their own chemicals and that made them one step ahead of the rest. They not only depended on their niche market but also had sales representative going out on the road marketing the products. Apart from providing the surrounding communities with services, they also offered numerous job opportunities as they employed in excess of 50 employees and ensured that persons from surrounding areas were included in that pool. Rationale According to Sam Ashe-Edmunds à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Research on aspects related to your business, such as your target customers, marketplace trends, production processes, and financial practices, can help you predict trends, project sales, spot opportunities, and avoid potential problems. Understanding the nature of different types of business research will help you use data to maximize your sales and profitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . After asse ssing the business (Gregoryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Chemical), A J realized the potential, but they also identified that there was a need for professional analysis of the business as there seem to be a breakdown in the use of information, communication, and knowledge throughout the business. There was little or no Information technology utilized and they wanted an assessment of how that could be changed and the possible impact it would have on the profitability of the business. There was unrest among the partners of A J because of the impending problems; they therefore contracted Tahgit to ensure that they are prepared to meet the needs and challenges of the business and that they respond to potential complains/problems in a timely manner. Objectives Tahgit will be assessing how communication, knowledge and ultimately information are integrated and utilized in the business in a bid to realizing full potential. We will also examine how much emphasis is placed on Information technology in the day to day running of the business and the impact, if any. Assess the use of Internal and external information and the understanding of both Recommend improvements where necessary and justify same Background A J Windows and more has long been a company which concentrates on giving customers ultimate satisfaction. For years they have led the western end of the Island in the aluminum window trade and now they are about to embark in the chemical business which they intend to revolutionize. With four locations and employing in excess of 200 workers, for years they have been delivering exceptional services to clients in over five parishes. Their hope is that they can use their expertise and already established locations to increase the sales of their newly acquired business. Methodology After assessing the concerns made by the acquiring company and having decided on the main objectives of this study, we identified the information source which are the outgoing owners, the managers and of course the staff. The most suitable methods for collecting the necessary information were determined to be interview questions, observation and the general study of the market. We develo ped two interview sheets, one for the owners and managers and the other for the staff. We figured our research would only be successful if we directed the relevant questions to the right persons. It was also thought to be the most effective of method since you would be hearing from the persons from both sides of the business. Six interview questions were geared at management while five were asked of staff members; we targeted ten persons in total five managers and five staff. We selected randomly across the sphere of the organization, the questions were geared at helping us achieving the main objective of our study. We also went in and observed how things were being done in the workplace in a bid to not only make our own observations but to also match it against what we would get back on the interview sheets. We observed the market place on a whole and had conversations with players in the business to find out what was happening. It was important to take this route as you didn à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know if any of the interviewed would refuse to be truthful in their answers. Presentation of Data Bar graph showing average sales figures on a daily basis Based on questions asked and data gathered I was able to put together this bar graph showing the sales trend for a particular week. Pie Chart showing the percentage of sales representative feedback Based on the survey done 90% of the sales representatives did not provide a feedback of whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s happening on the road or in the market. Bar graph showing the distribution of hours over a selected quarter I selected a particular quarter to see how much emphasis was placed on communication, knowledge and information. Findings and Discussion According to the book business communications à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Work requires communication. People communicate to plan products and services; hire, train, and motivate workers; coordinate manufacturing and delivery; persuade cust omers to buy; and bill them for the sale. For many business, nonprofit, community, and government organizations, the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“productà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  is information or a service rather than something tangible. Information and services are created and delivered by communication. In every organization, communication is the way people get their points across, get work done, and get recognize for their contributionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . My purpose is to determine if communication was utilized in a bid to serve the intended purpose. Through communication comes information and through information comes knowledge. How much information was communicated upward, downward or even horizontally? Was the power of communication under estimated? I wanted to determine what needs to be done to ensure that communication was optimized and how information technology could aid in this feat. I encountered some problems while gathering the data for my research, there was lack of co-operation from manag ers and staff alike. Some resented the fact that there was a take-over, which could possibly meant that their future was uncertain while others were afraid to comment, fearing that it would lead to their dismissal. Based on investigations through interview questions and observation I discovered that the greatest problem at Gregoryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s chemical is a lack of or too little communication. My research result proved that management was not fully utilizing communication to equip their staff with the knowledge and information needed to ensure the continued success/improvement of the business. The main emphasis was getting the ultimate out of their staff without providing them with the tools to get this done (knowledge). Little or no emphasis was placed on training or retraining, and staff relation was certainly at the bottom of their list. One on one meetings were not facilitated and staff interpreted this as not being valued, hence their reluctance to make meaningful sugg estions to the company. I found out that sales representatives could have presented data about competitors or the industry in general that could possibly influence the way the company does business. For instance the use of mobile credit card machines were used by other companies and that contributed to the overall sales figures as some clients were moving away from the use of cash. The observation was made but not necessarily reported or acted upon. Gregoryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s chemicals old fashion way of doing business was certainly having a major impact on the business. They did not invest in information technology or even attempt to educate their staff to utilize IT in the running of the business. The business had outgrown the manual way of doing business and they failed to recognize this. The rapid expansion of the business and the increase in staff meant that they needed to invest in IT to stay competitive and be more efficient. Take for instance the bar graph showing the sal es figures for a week, they had no tools in place to present the data in this manner. This data could have influenced the way things were done and possibly increase sales on the days they seem lowest by implementing different measures. Those days could have also been better utilized by planning staff related activities or other in-house activities. Recommendation The first thing that needs to be done is an investment in information technology. The company has been left behind where that is concerned and has suffered dearly. The use of information technology could ensure the dissemination of information to persons who would have otherwise missed it. For instance because sales representatives are always on the road they sometimes miss vital information needed to carry out their task but if they had email addresses it could be sent to them and they could access it when they get a chance. Another instance of where IT could be utilized is in the case where mobile devices are being utilized to facilitate non-cash customers. Based on my research and expertise in the field, 50% of a companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sales are paid for by credit cards. This means that with proper marketing and equipping your company and by extension your staff with the requisite tools, on days when sales are $1,200,000 it could actually be $2,400,000. The next step would be the retraining of the staff and management. I would recommend that everyone is introduced to a communication course as this would help them understand the relationship between communication, information and knowledge. Management needed to understand that by improving communication they would get the staff more involved in the business which in-turn could lead to improved production or sales. On the other hand employees needed to understand how important they are to the success of the business and needed to be implored to provide feedback to both peers and managers alike. Conclusion I discovered that communic ation between owners and management was not really the issue as they frequently came together to discuss tactical issues to move the company forward. The draw back with this was that relevant information was hard to gather in helping them reach the right decisions as they were not investing in information technology or the staff. Same went for the operational decision, the lack of the proper tool and communication techniques made it almost impossible to effectively implement plans successfully. With the investment in information technology and training as recommended, the company could move forward. Until the company is equipped with all the proper tools to make the right decisions and improve production they will remain stagnant and possibly be driven out of business by their competitors. References Ashe-Edmunds, Sam 2014, Small Business, Demand Media Kyo Kaczmarek, Stephen, O. Locker, Kitty 2007, Business Communication, Building Critical Skills Appendices Interview questions to owners and managers How much do you invest in technology How often do you have meetings Do you have refresher courses and if so how often Do you encourage your sales representatives to keep you abreast of whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s happening in the industry Are your business decisions influenced by information gathered internally and externally What are the means of communication within the company Interview questions for staff Do you think youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re equipped with the knowledge to make the right decisions Do you relate whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s happening in the industry to your managers Do you feel valued by the company Are you kept abreast of whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s happening in the company How do you think the company could utilize technology to make a positive impact