A Study of Cash Flows Statement

Environmental Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ecological Sustainability - Essay Example Manageability implies utilizing, creating and ensuring assets at a rate and in a way that empowers individuals to meet their present needs and furthermore gives that people in the future can meet their own needs.(www.ezinearticles.com) When the part of Environmental Sustainability comes into the image, various preservationists have given various arrangements of causes, effect, and impacts, that have contributed and prompted natural debasement. Various hippies have been talking about different reasons for the corruption and the significant three of them are examined here. Right off the bat, the idea of development of populace is one of the fundamental parts of the different ideas set forth by researchers and tree huggers. It is to a great extent felt that development in total populace has prompted the more noteworthy requests for assets and has additionally been making an ever increasing number of requests for work, social administrations, instruction, more prominent political and financial adequacy.

How to Dodge 5 Illegal Interview Questions

How to Dodge 5 Illegal Interview Questions Every one of us had the opportunity to find himself/herself in this position- an interview for our dream job. We prepare ourselves the best we can, we do our best to leave the finest impression there is.Sometimes we even simulate it at home, so that we know how to answer the possible questions. And somehow things work pretty well until, out of nowhere, we hear “Are you married?”Before you know it, you’ve found yourself in a very unpleasant situation. Thats because this one, as well as many other questions, are illegal. This means even though the interviewer asks some of these, you are not obliged to answer it.All the questions related to your family or marital status, language, citizenship, and nationality, gender, age, race, religion, height and weight, criminal record etc. are forbidden.Simply put- all those that would reveal personal information which could potentially lead to discrimination.We have chosen some of these questions, perhaps the most significant ones, to help y ou find the right answer without revealing anything that would make you feel uncomfortable.Every interviewer has the reason for asking some of these illegal questions (unlike those that are legal, but difficult to answer to).Once you know what’s behind that, you will be able to give the right answer within the limits of legal. Each of these questions can be asked in a bit alternative way so that both sides can be satisfied.The whole point is to keep the job interview within the limits of job-related information, gracefully avoiding these tricky questions.5 ILLEGAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND HOW TO DODGE THEMAs we said, the top five illegal questions are the ones related to gender, marital and family status, citizenship, nationality and language, age and religion.That’s why we picked them to show you the best way to dodge them.There’s always a background, and the sooner you discover it, the sooner you will manage to keep the conversation in the right way.And by background, we mean the reason why the interviewer asks these questions. The best way to show it is by giving the examples of the right and wrong way to ask them.1. What’s your Gender?Even though one could say that there are some jobs that are better suited for women, whereas some others are more appropriate for men, it really doesn’t matter. Gender definitely has no influence over the quality of your work.Another reason why the interviewer should never ask this question is because of transgender people. Sometimes is simply not so obvious whether a person is male or female, so asking a question in this form can hurt his/her feelings.The reason why the interviewer is asking about gender could be that he/she is interested in how you can contribute to the team you are supposed to be in. If you are a woman and you are supposed to be working with a group of men, will you be comfortable with that? Same rule applies in opposite situations. So, instead of asking such direct and rude questions, like the on e we listed here as well, we shall give you good and bad examples.Bad example: So far, only man/woman worked in this position. Do you think you could handle it well?Good example: What can you bring to this role?Bad example: Are you capable of managing men/women well?Good example: Could you tell me more about your previous staff managing experience.As you can see, it doesn’t take much to get the desired information by asking the right and polite question. You as a potential employee should give your best to stay focused and find the appropriate words.So, even if the interviewer asks directly, try to answer in a way that you don’t mention gender at all. Instead, point out your previous experience and role, and what were your contributions to it.2. Marital or Family StatusThese questions mostly bother women, as they are usually the ones taking absences from work due to children’s bad health and similar. Being a successful mother and successful employee at the same time can be dif ficult these days. One has to be a superhero in order to balance between these two.Starting from a job interview, if a woman feels that her family will be a “problem” for the future job, you can only imagine all the frustration. And that’s not all! You know that some couples don’t want to have children, whereas some cannot, due to some health problems.There are also gay and lesbian couples, with or without kids.So, direct questions related to this can also lead to many hurt feelings. After all, if one is capable of meeting the deadlines and working quality, the questions about family and marital status really have nothing to do with the job.Here are some of the bad and good examples of how an employee can find out whether a potential applicant is suitable for the job or not. Some of them are exclusively for women, and some can also be related to men.Bad example: Do you have children? Do you plan to have them? How many children do you have? Do you have childcare arrangements in case of working overtime?Good example: Would it be a problem to work overtime or during weekends occasionally? How do you feel about traveling for work?Bad example: Are you pregnant? Would you come back to work after maternity leave?Good example: Tell me something about your long-term career goals.Bad example: Are you married? Is this your maiden name?Good example: Are there any references or qualifications of yours under another name?By asking any of the family or marital status related questions, an interviewer simply wants to know, how reliable a potential candidate would be in terms of presence and absence at work.As we said, it’s particularly hard for women in a situation when these questions are asked. But, like with the previous group, just keep the conversation on a safe pace and no reasons to worry. Try to point out your professional qualities, the responsibility, and punctuality, since these are the qualities required for any job.3. Citizenship, Nationality, or Langua ge related questionsIt has been a thing that’s been going on for quite a long time. People migrate from one place to another, and naturally, they look for a job in a place where the accommodated themselves. For this reason, an interviewer should never be curious about personal data regarding language, citizenship, and nationality. These kinds of questions can only be asked in one situation- for monitoring purposes! Even in that case, it is done anonymously.So, even when the interviewer notices that the applicant has a bit uncommon or unusual name, that he/she speaks with a different accent, he/she should refrain from asking direct personal questions. As long as a candidate has the right qualifications for the job, nothing else matters. The purpose of these question is to find out whether the applicant is eligible to work in that country, are there any legal issues that can be an obstacle.Here are the most common illegal questions related to nationality, citizenship, and language, as well as their legal counterparts.Bad example: Where were you born? Where are you from?Good example: Are you eligible to work in (the name of the country)?Bad example: What is your native language?Good example: What languages are you fluent in?The greatest catch of all is that these types of questions often slip as conversation starters. So, even when the interviewer didn’t intend to ask you some of these, it happens by accident.If you are positive that it happened by accident, you can smile, give an answer and return with the same question, or you can avoid the answer by leading the conversation back to safe.4. What’s your Age?Somehow you will always notice a bit illogical thing- some employers want to have younger employees with lots of experience. Doesn’t it make a bit absurd? Some people gain experience through their work, and the more they work the better professionals they become.However, there are some job positions which require more physical strength which means tha t a younger person would be more suitable.On the other hand, some states have laws that prohibit age discrimination and protect the potential workers, but it applies to people over 40. So, if an interviewer points out that a certain role is more suitable for more experienced and older people, though it sounds utterly unfair, still it’s not illegal.We shall now list good and bad examples of age-related questions, along with bits of advice on how to turn the answer into your favor.Bad example: How old are you?Good example: Are you over the age of 18?Bad example: When did you graduate?Good example: Do you have degrees, certificates or some other qualifications related to this position/role?Bad example: When do you plan to retire? How long do you plan to work before retirement?Good example: Tell me more about your long-term career goals and plans.Even though these questions are rather tricky, there’s actually a very good way how to give the best answers without revealing how old are you. It’s not the point to hide your ages, but to point out that some other things matter more to the job than the information of your age.For example, if you are a younger applicant, and this happens to be your first job interview, point out all the activities you had so far which can contribute to the work. Let’s say, volunteering, or some seminars. That way you show that even though you may not still have some rich experience, you are willing to expand the knowledge and improve yourself.If you are an older candidate, put the accent on the rich experience you have gained. Show that all your knowledge and working habits can contribute significantly. Point out that you are willing to learn more.You see that finding the right words is not so difficult, as long as you have in mind the right intention of the interviewer. After all, they are trying to find the best possible candidate, so they want to make sure that they are making the right choice. Make things easier for the interv iewer by showing why you are the best person for that position.5. Do you believe in God?And finally, we have reached the question of religion. Having in mind that God is a word that appears a lot I conversation even when it has nothing to do with religion (like OMG), still one should be careful.The questions of religion and beliefs are sensitive ones. People tend to argue a lot on that. And sincerely, whether someone believes in God or not, whether one is an atheist or whatever else, really have nothing to do with a job. For that reason, the interviewer shouldn’t even consider asking this question at all.Here’s how to ask this thing impolitely and politely.Bad example: What religion do you practice? Which religious holidays do you observe?Good example: Would it be a problem to work in the schedule/days required for this role/position?The only reason why the interviewer may be interested in asking the religion-related question is for the sake of being informed whether the employe r will be able to work during a certain period of time.Moreover, he probably wants to know how to plan weekend and holiday schedules. Perhaps the best would be that you as an applicant politely point out that you won’t be able to work during certain days without mentioning religion. Ask as well would it be a problem.There’s always a solution which won’t compromise either of the sides.ADDITIONAL ILLEGAL QUESTIONSBesides these top five questions, there are few more which should never be mentioned in a job interview. Like these five, they have nothing to do with job qualifications and are of no importance for any job position. These are questions related to:Credit and financial situationAddictionsDisabilities and health issuesCriminal recordAffiliationsLocationHeight or weightThe financial situation is of no importance and has no influence over the job. Asking this will only put the applicant into an uncomfortable position.As for the addiction, well, naturally, if an employee sho ws up drunk as a skunk at work, it will be a problem. But as long as the employee respects no-smoking and no-alcohol rules at work, these questions are redundant.Speaking of medical issues, one should not confuse medical history with a medical certificate. This certificate is often issued for some positions and roles, but that is to state that there’s no communicable disease and that you are fit to work. Any other information regarding your health is not necessary.The question for criminal records only goes in certain situations. For example, if someone is to apply for a position “driver”, an interviewer may ask if there were any fines and arrests related to driving.Affiliation works pretty much the same as religion. Whether you belong to a certain political party or a social club is an entirely personal thing, and has no significance for your future job.The interviewer has no reason to ask this question because each person has a different view of how far is one ready to trave l to work (location). One would commute for two hours just to work in a position that fulfills him/her, whereas the other would think that 20 minutes is an eternity. As long as the applicant states that he/she can get to work on time, location doesn’t matter.Height and weight are also of no importance when it comes to job qualifications. Even though certain jobs require more agility and strength, the ones where the employee should lift heavy things, for example, an interviewer shouldn’t ask about these two. Instead, he can ask whether the candidate is comfortable with lifting heavy things or climbing high places and such.As you can see, these questions are also unnecessary during a job interview. Each one of them, as well as the five above-mentioned has their better and more polite alternatives.If we speak from a position of an interviewer, the goal is to get as much useful information as possible without hurting the rights and feelings of the applicant. If we speak from the pos ition of an applicant the goal is to show that one is the right candidate by revealing only job-related data. In both cases, it happens that a conversation slips in the wrong direction.That means not only the interviewer but a candidate as well may give answers and information that the interviewer initially wanted to avoid.STEERING THE CONVERSATION IN THE RIGHT DIRECTIONSwitch to a more suitable topicEven if you are in the middle of an uncomfortable question, and you want to vanish, still try getting out of that situation by suggesting another topic. It doesn’t have to happen out of blue, but try to link to some word or phrase that seems suitable and natural for what you want to say next.Stay within job-related topicsAs we already said, some questions simply slip off, with no bad intentions. One may or may not answer them. However, if the conversation is strictly job-related, no problems will occur. So, even if it happened that you wander off-limits, try returning the conversation in the “business-only” direction.Focus on the futureBy this, we mean future that’s job-related. Always point out the importance of the experience you will gain if you get the job. Also, show that you are willing to learn. Moreover, show how you can contribute long-term by working on that position. Even if you haven’t got the clearest idea about some far future points, these universal phrases can help you break the initial ice.Ask your own questionsAgain, ask job-related ones. It’s neither rude nor illegal to inquire about your future team, organizations, some plans. Of course, try phrasing the question so that it sounds polite. Imagine for a sec that you are an interviewer and pay attention to the tone of the sentence as well as the words you are using.FINAL WORDAs you see, the job interview doesn’t necessarily have to be a stressful experience. It’s easier said than done. However, knowing all these illegal questions in advance helps a lot. It gives you a slight advan tage over the interviewer. When you know all of them, as well as their better alternatives, the chances to blow up are minimal.Another thing you should do in advance is to inform well about the company you are applying for. Visit their website for some basic information so that you are familiar with the company business. That’s the least you can do, and it will leave the impression that you have a professional approach towards the job.You can even practice the interview with someone who’s close to you. The best is to choose someone who will be objective enough to tell you honestly all the good and bad sides.In the end, it’s all a matter of luck and occasion, but yours is to give the best you can do. Every job interview is an important and useful experience. Even if we don’t get the job, we still get the picture how does the interview look like, what to expect next time and so on. Knowledge makes us richer, and that means a lot.

B. Du Bois - 928 Words

â€Å"In my own country for nearly a century I have been nothing but a nigger.† -W.E.B Dubois On February 23, 1868 in a small town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts one of the greatest leaders in African American history was born. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, better known as W.E.B. Du Bois is one of the greatest scholar, writer, editor, and civil rights activist. Many civil rights leaders and other important black leaders and role models see W.E.B Du Bois as the father of the Civil Rights Movement. W.E.B Du Bois paved the way for many African Americans in the country. Du Bois played a very influential role in many movements that would help the African American community. W.E.B DuBois dedicated his professional and personal life to help the black community. Du Bois paved the way for many African American in this country. W.E.B used his voice to fight the discrimination and violence for the black community. W.E.B DuBois parents Sylvina Burghardt and Alfred Dubois were able to be in a support DuBois on his academic dreams. While in high school DuBois excelled in his academics. DuBois graduated as valedictorian from his local high school in 1884. After receiving is high school diploma, DuBois enrolled at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, were he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1888. W.E.B DuBois decided return back to school. DuBois earned his degree in Philosophy from Harvard University, where he graduated Cum Laude. DuBois also studied at the University ofShow MoreRelatedB. Du Bois1868 Words   |  8 Pages W. E. B. Du Bois was. Du Bois grew up in Massachusetts, but then moved south where he attended Harvard University. Moving south he began to realize the problems of racial prejudice. Du Bois did much documentation of African Americans and their fight for equality. He had learned so much to mention in The Souls of Black Folk that the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line. Du Bois devoted much of his life to The Souls of Black Folk was not well received when it firstRead MoreB. Du Bois1593 Words   |  7 Pagesforgotten name that is not brought up in these discussions is W.E.B. Du Bois. An author, speaker, teacher, protester, sociologist, historian, certainly a renaissance man in the truest sense of the phrase. As an author, many of his writings have been very influential, from the time they were released and still to this day. As a speaker, Du Bois was often outspoken and made it a point to be clear where he stood on an issue. Du Bois the teacher was a very intelligent man who was growing into his viewsRead MoreB. Du Bois Essay1447 Words   |  6 PagesW.E.B. Du Bois was a major force in twentieth-century society, whose aim in life was to help define African-American social and political causes in the United States. History writes that W.E.B. Du Bois was a sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, and Pan-Africanist. However, white people who feared him labeled him a trouble make r and some black people saw him as an outcast. No matter what Du Bois’s critics thought about him, Du Bois was the voice of African-American fight for equality. AsRead MoreTheu.s. B. Du Bois1310 Words   |  6 PagesSame Ideas, Different Results For more than a hundred years, important African-American leaders such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois have been both acclaimed and cherished in our society’s history books for their individual efforts in the struggle for the civil and political advancement of African-Americans. These two seem to be the main advocates for the advancement of African-Americans in the United States of American after the Civil War, but both had a different approach to it. AlthoughRead MoreBooker T. Washington. B. Du Bois1138 Words   |  5 PagesJoseph L. Pendleton English 101 20 November 2014 Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Essay Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois had significantly different views on how blacks could move towards attaining racial equality during the late nineteenth century in the United States. Washington believed that blacks should work hard to earn economic freedom by means of striving for strong education objectives. Du Bois believed that only political empowerment and voting could end African AmericansRead MoreThe Comet By W. E. B. Du Bois Essay1494 Words   |  6 Pages it is vital to reexamine and revise thoughts and actions in order to prepare for the future. An invisible type of racism that can be revealed with reexamination often times is institutional racism. The short story, â€Å"The Comet† written by W. E. B. Du Bois, is a story set in a post-apocalyptic world. The story shows that in order to bring down barriers of racism, it requires a catastrophic event to occur. Another story that focuses on a similar concept of institutional racism, but uses science fictionRead MoreWilliam Edward Burghardt (. B. ) Du Bois1085 Words   |  5 Pages William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois was a successful author of many books and an accomplished student. He supported women s rights and the equality of African-American people. He had a pretty ordinary childhood, but his adult life was full of many accomplishments. He began to show a love and talent for reading and writing at a young age and this continued throughout his life. W.E.B. was born February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, a mostly European American townRead MoreCivil Rights Activist. B. Du Bois1789 Words   |  8 PagesMike Rinehart W.E.B. Du Bois Review Civil Rights Activist W.E.B. Du Bois tackles a difficult era in American History following the Civil War which is known as Reconstruction. The era itself is well known for its lack of objectivity in the ways it has been viewed by white historians prior to the publication of this book in 1935. Du Bois book, Black Reconstruction in America: An Essay Toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America, 1860–1880Read MoreThe Souls Of Black Folk By. B Du Bois860 Words   |  4 PagesThe Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Du Bois, is an article on a African-American living in the United States. In this piece of literature Du Bois harshly portrays the personal and third person accounts African – American struggles during a period of slavery. The author uses many songs to depict the cruel life in four essays. In this piece Du Bois coins two main terms, â€Å"double consciousness† and â€Å"the Veil.† Overall the aut hor provides the reader how the twentieth century is the problem of the color lineRead MoreJohn Dewey, Paulo Freire And W. E. B. Du Bois929 Words   |  4 Pagesphilosophies or contributions to society are fully realized. This is true of John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and W.E.B. Du Bois. They were beacons in the dark lighting the way for society. Each progressive during their generation. This first analysis paper will look at the lives, beliefs, ethics, perceptions of justice, and ideas on current educational practice of Dewey, Freire, and Du Bois. Individuals are effected by the lives they live. According to David Hansen in the book titled, Ethical Visions

I Am From South Africa - 2355 Words

I am from South Africa. When I was growing up I grew up without my parents, my father denied me in front of my family and said he was not my father and therefore he was not going to take care of me, my mother on the other hand was living in a boarding school because she had to continue school even though she had a child, I was forced at a young age to start thinking like a independent woman. Furthermore, my mother left South Africa when I was 10 years old and she barely came back during the years, I am now 22 years old, working two jobs and paying for my own school fees. Ever since I was young independence was something that was imbedded in me and even now I carry independence in my blood. I live on my own even though my mother Is here in America because my mind and body has taught itself that It want dependent on anybody but it will work hand to be more independent and hopefully reach my goals. After reading Arabian Jazz I connected so well with Melvina , she is independent , she st rives for success and she does not let anyone get in her way, her characteristics make me connect with her and her ability to learn at the end how to be sympathetic to others and know she can have it all: love culture and a career. Everyone in the world can have it all, be independent, have leadership skills in your blood, have smypathy and strive to be the best in all the choices they make when it comes to their careers and life. A person’s past should not determine what they become in life,Show MoreRelatedNelson Mandela and Leadership Essay847 Words   |  4 Pagesfreeing South Africa from the binds of racial segregation forever. However, it was not an easy road and Mandela needed patience, strength of character, focus, passion, understanding, perseverance, and most importantly, forgiveness, to achieve this. 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RR communications Free Essays

string(108) " of the problem seems to be the division of system that rewards individual performance over company profit\." Due to the division among departments, the company has been unable o meet reporting requirements for the Serbians Solely Act. It has proved obvious that a shared IT service, which is standardized among all the units, is needed to ensure everything goes well. The first problem we see at OR Communications is that there is a definite lack of centralized and concise IT governance. We will write a custom essay sample on RR communications or any similar topic only for you Order Now Currently all of the separate functions of the company have their own individual leadership with no central leadership. For this reason, each of the sections takes actions and makes decisions based only on how it affects their own particular departments. There Is no ordination to ensure that the act of one area does not negatively affect the rest of the firm. This In turn has led to a gallants lack of uniformity across the organization, which Is hurting customer relations. There are unified databases and each section maintains their own set of records; this is causing great frustration among their customers who continually have issues when dealing with more than one area. Much of the division of departments has been caused by a lack of central leadership. The CEO of the firm has failed to unify the department or assert any intro over the individual IT vice presidents. Even though they reported to him, each had acted entirely independently. This continuous failure of leadership has caused the department heads to develop a sense of isolation and self-survival. Even though a new executive UP of IT has been appointed to bring unity to the firm, there has been severe resistance as each department feels It will suffer. The lack of centralized management for so long has caused significant discord between the departments that will take considerable effort to overcome. In Dalton, this company attitude has altered down from the VSP to the middle and lower management creating an overall atmosphere that is dangerously disjointed. Even the suggestion of bringing together the database systems and management has caused a near mutinous uprising and rejection of leadership. The current managerial atmosphere has been around so long, the attitude of individualism has been deeply embedded in the corporate culture. While, individual thinking is useful to foster innovation and creativity, when the entire organization acts to satisfy only its individual requirements, the firm overall will suffer. Unless this attitude can be overcome, any attempt at bringing unity to the company will fall. From the technical standpoint, OR Communications is suffering from a severely fractured information management system. Every section of the company manuals Its own Individual customer databases, which are In Incompatible formats. If a customer manuals relationships with more then one division, they get bills from each individual area. Customer issues often fail to get causing problems with diminished customer satisfaction. In addition, without a centralized database, full customer information and statistics are impractical to elect. In addition to suffering by not being able to collect detailed records, the company is facing regulatory issues by not being able to provide complete information on the company’s activities, and significant resources are being wasted to assemble simple reports. Currently management and associates at OR Communications believe that a collective solution is impossible, and any attempt to do so will cause them to suffer. While it may be true that the initial implementation of such a system will require a significant collective effort, the end result will be well worth it. It is also clear that much of the perspective of management is extremely short sided; projects are selected only based on a very narrow and limited benefit view with no regard for their long-term viability. As more and more systems have been patched together to fulfill immediate gaps, the overall collection of programs has become a cumbersome, inefficient, and unmanageable mess. A truly efficient system would be one that is all-encompassing and communicates across all facets of the organization to deliver a unified and fully integrated information system that can add real value to the firm. One other major issue at OR Communications is the proliferation of rouge projects completed without oversight or regard for how they will affect the firm. In a large company every project should be examined to determine how it could provide value to the organization before being launched. At OR Communication projects are being launched that benefit only select areas and may in fact be causing a significant negative impact to the rest of the firm. The company currently does not have a steering or operating committee to oversee and exert control over these projects. Without any form of centralized control and provenance, these rouge projects will continue to sabotage the effectiveness of the organization. Lack of common information and enterprise IT strategy has caused several problems for the business and the IT departments of OR communications. Customer service has suffered and customer dissatisfaction has grown. Lack of common information has made it difficult for management to monitor the businesses as a whole. Business units are unable to exchange information and remain unaware of the other divisions’ work. There is little sense of how the divisions work together to meet the company’s overall goals. The accounting problems make it difficult to present shareholders with accurate financial information, and the system is not cost-effective in any case. Furthermore, each division working at individual level to attain its success makes them rigid and unable to adapt to changing requirements; under these circumstances even the implementation of new technology will be extremely difficult. The organization cannot operate efficiently as a whole or at division levels, and the costs are bound to keep increasing. Analysis: As many annoyed customers can probably agree, being transferred from one apartment of the company to another over and over again to resolve a simple issue is one of the main reasons many companies lose customers. This is certainly an issue at OR Communications. The main cause of the problem seems to be the division of system that rewards individual performance over company profit. You read "RR communications" in category "Papers" The fact that the four CICS refuse to work together and resort to sabotaging the efforts of the others, serves to show that they are more interested in their own selfish financial goals. While the president of the company may have been a visionary and brilliant entrepreneur, he lacked the managerial skills to recognize the need to have a unified commission system which would foster participation in a common goal, and thus a common commission which is interdependent on all four business units would be most beneficial to the company. Unifying IT Resources The most important problem for OR Communications to correct is a significant deficiency of successful information management, reflected by the confused state of their customer information databases. Currently customer data is disbursed in separate databases for each section of the company, so that data from one apartment is not available to another. Thus, customers are forced to maintain relationships with multiple departments and receive billing from each. This separation means that valuable information resources are not being effectively utilized, hurting the firm’s productivity and efficiency. To improve the state of information capital at OR Communications, a complete overhaul of the current systems will be necessary, from both an IT and business standpoint. Information represents a vital asset to any company. This can be in the form of customer accounts, sales records, research development, financial statements, etc. However, in order to realize full benefits, the same information must be readily accessible by all individual units, so that the company can leverage it in the most efficient manner. The first step to correct the issues at OR Communications is to create a unified data architecture that combines all information resources into a central database that is accessible to all sections of the firm. By providing a centralized database clients will be better served by allowing complete access to customer records throughout the company. This will also improve reporting abilities, lower administrative costs, and rattle increase the value of information resources. To achieve the greatest benefit to the company, OR Communications could consolidate its data from multiple silos into a unified enterprise data warehouse (DEW) (Smalls, 2011). This architecture provides multiple benefits including a single location for all information storage reducing the amount of duplicated efforts. This also greatly improves the integrity of data by providing a ‘single version of the truth’ (Smalls, 2011). When data is spread throughout multiple databases, invariable some of it will differ. For example, a customer’s address may have been changed in one department but not another. These differences can prove costly to a company. A centralized DEW means that only one record should exist for each customer and reduce data discrepancies. Having such a centralized system would also satisfy customer needs in a more efficient manner and would help to cross-sell products, which in turn would result in higher profits and more profit for the company. By allowing customers to have a single point of contact, and sharing information by standardizing software and databases across he organization, information will flow more freely and readily available thus giving the employees the ability to communicate in real time with accurate data and maximizing customer contact to increase profits. Having a decentralized IT function is business units separated, it keeps pertinent information out of reach of other business units, and thus allows missed opportunities to maximize profit. Also, the lack of communication among the units creates chaos and disorientation in the organization and gives precedence to individual goals above company goals, which in urn will end up hurting the overall enterprise vision and may even spell the end of the enterprise altogether. Finally, having a decentralized IT function creates customer frustration such as in the case of getting several bills for different products. This frustration may cause the company lost customers and lost profits. Information Stewardship Information Management Policy The difficulty in implementing this solution is the current state of the databases scattered about the firm; many are in incompatible formats, so that significant effort will need to be invested to bring together all of this data into a single, shared IT arrive system accessible to all. In addition, not all data is equally valuable to each unit. Efficiency necessitates allowing employees access to the information that is most pertinent without inundating the various departments with extraneous details. For this reason, whatever IT solution is implemented must be able to adapt dynamically to the storage and retrieval needs of each department. Another challenge to creating a centralized system is the role of information stewardship. Information stewardship involves the ownership and control of information to reduce discrepancies and redundancies. To maintain the consistency and accuracy of data, information stewards need to be appointed. â€Å"Information stewards are businesspeople. They should be responsible for determining the meaning of information ‘chunks’ and their business rules and contextual use. They should be responsible for the accuracy, timeliness, consistency, validity, completeness, and redundancy of information† (Mencken Smith, 2009, p. 76). A serious challenge to the consolidation of data at OR Communication will be consolidating all of the disparate information from around the firm into a single enterprise data warehouse. It is very keel that there will be duplicate information, conflicting records, incompatible data formats, and other inconsistencies that will not lend themselves to easy integration. However, the reduction in duplicate and conflicting information will be vital to the success of OR Communication. Duplicate data means an increase in administrative work and overhead, and conflicting and inconsistent information means the company is not performing at optimum levels. The reduction of duplicate data, or data duplication â€Å"can improve the performance of virtual systems, reduce network traffic and cut the costs associated with data protection. In addition, duplication allows backup data to be replicated more efficiently to other sites for disaster recovery’ (Symantec, 2011). Duplication increases the amount of data a corporate network must process, reducing efficiency and increasing costs. Storage costs increase as the same information may be stored and backed up across multiple databases, again wasting resources. Finally, duplication of data significantly increases the amount of labor required to utilize it in any useful manner. Clearly, OR Communication will need a significant amount of data duplication to create a useful, consolidated enterprise data warehouse. To facilitate the proper stewardship of information, an information management policy needs to be created that information management policy will dictate the rules and guidelines for how information is handled, who is responsible for maintaining and updating it, and outline the policies and practices to do so (Mencken Smith, 2009). To begin to unravel the data mess at OR Communications they should define an encompassing information management policy that will effectively address the issues of what information is retained, who is responsible for updating it, how it is to be maintained, ND who should have access to it. Critical to the success of this policy will be the involvement of management from all functional areas of the company. Each should be given the opportunity to contribute to the policy, and each individual needs should be addressed. In addition, the problem with this solution will be gaining acceptance from the different functional areas of the business. There will obviously be conflicts of ideas and differences of opinion in how the policy should be created and enforced. To improve the effectiveness of the policy it needs to be thoroughly enforced from top management down. This means to gain compliance, OR Communications’ CEO needs to set the example and pressure all levels of management below to do the same. Another strategy to encourage the support of the divisional presidents for the shared customer service is by creating awareness that the free information flow would be beneficial for all and would simplify business processes, thus allowing then to increase their bottom line, and thus their bonuses. Finding opportunities to demonstrate small success would help show the support being given to the divisions. To aid in compliance, a large corporate training program would be initiated to ensure the policy is well known by all associates. Gaining compliance by all of the business areas will be the most difficult part of this solution; the ingrained attitude of self-preservation that exists at OR Communication will be difficult to overcome. However, change is not impossible, but only by dedication of management. The initial implementation period will be the most difficult, and if enforcement waivers the policy may fail. Creating Useful Information from Raw Data One characteristic of an enterprise system is ensuring seamless integration of a Meany’s information among all divisions, including financial and accounting Markus, M. L. , Tania, C. (n. D. ). Hence, to achieve a successful enterprise system, a company must have its IT systems centralized to ensure information runs smoothly and is relevant among all divisions, especially the financial and accounting information. Considering the accounting problems brought up at the final meeting, the company obviously needs to implement a centralized IT function. Moreover, it will be far more expensive to have an enterprise system with a decentralized IT function, which is contrary to the aim of achieving an enterprise system. While a centralized information management system will indeed offer benefits at OR Communication, if there is no way to utilize and interpret that data, it is useless; this is analogous to being data rich and information poor. Just because a company has loads of data does not mean that is fully informed. A company such as OR Communication collects vast quantities of data, but having the resources to convert that into useful information can be an extreme challenge. At OR Communication, they are facing a double-sided robber; they have neither a collective data warehouse, nor do they have any effective information management. Once the problem of centralization has been massive amounts of data is using a metadata repository. A metadata repository functions much like the card catalog of a library; while it does not specifically contain the information, it provides an index of what is available, including the relevant points on what it contains, as well as a pointer to locate the information (Moss Broodier, 2002). This index provides an extremely valuable resource tool to quickly locate pertinent information. In addition, the metadata repository should be designed with the ability to hook into other systems that are developed to provide information to mother systems as necessary. Establishing this framework now will offer increased benefits as more systems are built off the central repository. Addressing Corporate Culture As seen in OR Communications, lack of common information and enterprise IM strategy can cause several problems to the business and the IT department. OR Communications has encountered serious customer service problems, due to lack of common information and enterprise strategy. In addition, lack of common information makes it hard for the overall management to monitor the businesses. Business units are unable to exchange information, and none is aware of the other divisions’ work. The company is not in a position to strengthen its brand since no divisions work together. To remedy this, a unification of the firm needs to take place from more than Just an IT standpoint. The disjointed nature of the firm’s information assets reflects a deeper separation of the personnel at OR Communications. Departments work for their own ends with naught but passing concern for their effects on the company as a whole. This lack of cohesion manifests itself in the behavior of the CICS, divisional managers, and even the employees, and has resulted in the severe fragmentation of corporate culture. The fragmented IT systems are only a symptom of a much larger problem. Before addressing the IT problems at OR Communications, the underlying culture of the business needs to be transformed. This begins at the very top, with the president of the company and the highest leaders; they need to be the first to set the example, and it is clear their current attitudes have set the company on the disastrous course it is on. Removing the CIO team which has hampered the company’s efforts at unification up until now was a good step, but serious considerations now need to be taken to prevent things from getting worse. Other associates could easily see firing the Close as a usurping of departmental sovereignty; however, they need to use this as an opportunity to show that the company can be brought together without sacrificing any of their needs. To capitalize on this opportunity the president and vice president should bring together the next level of management into a council of members to set the direction and ultra of the firm in a way that promotes unity and mutual respect. This council should be responsible for creating and fostering an atmosphere that shows the benefits of the firm functioning as one. They need to prove to the management and associates that their departments will have a say in decisions, and their needs will not be overlooked. To improve the odds of acceptance, the council should be selected from leaders that have proven themselves as examples of good leadership and who are respected in the firm. Key to the success of this council will be keeping everyone n equal footing and ensuring that no one area is given preference over another, needs then others, and sometimes priority will need to be given to one area; however, if this behavior is present from the outset they will receive much resistance from the firm, as this will reinforce existing fears. Once a unity of the firm has been established, people will be more flexible to accept changes after they see the benefits. It will be up to the president and vice president as leaders to maintain these policies and be the example. As demonstrated in previous cases, the president as been lax in demonstrating himself as a leader and this could prove damaging to any such plans to unify the firm. Leadership must begin at the top, and the success or failure of a company often reflects the abilities of its leadership. Implementation Challenges The advantages of a shared IT system eliminate some of the above-mentioned problems. A single centralized and standardized IT operating system will enhance quick decisions across all the departments, since all units will be looking at the same data. Furthermore, with a shared service, customers will not have to visit different databases for the same company; rather, all their queries and purchases can be done from one site that will serve them with all that they need from the company. Another advantage will be easy monitoring of the divisional units?their individual performances as well as their contributions to the whole company. Another advantage for the company will be the ability to monitor financial operations, since all operations will be reflected on one database centrally (Maces, 2010). To implement the shared service strategy, it will be important to seek support of the divisional residents, considering they will be in charge of the units, which are the moneymaking branches. Their willingness to participate in the construction of the shared service will benefit the whole company. The first step to the implementation of this strategy will require assurances that it will benefit the whole company far more than the current system that is facing opposition from not only the customers but also other stakeholders such as the suppliers. In turn, since employees’ remuneration is awarded on performance, improved performance for the whole firm will be an added advantage. Since the divisional heads are used to being in control, it is important to remind them that having a shared service will not mean the imposition of decisions from above. Rather, the shared service will make the operations of the whole organization work in harmony for the purpose of easy monitoring customer convenience. They should be included as part of the implementation team, so they can offer input on what they may not want to change. For instance, many are worried they will have to do away with specific projects. Ensuring them that these projects will continue after implementation of the shared arrive would increase their support, as would helping them understand that the new, shared system will enhance the harmony and efficiency of whole organization; eventually they will come to see that their roles will remain mostly the same. Another way to improve the odds of success to a centralized data structure is by appointing a team to oversee the maintenance of the data warehouse from an enterprise level. Ideally the members of this team should be comprised of analysts from the important functional areas of the company. This can help gain buy-in from the many due to the fact that the members of this team have already proven 2011). In addition the benefit of incorporating these individuals is that individual departments will feel that they have representation in the new system, and that their interests are protected. This will increase the potential for global acceptance in the program. Another way to increase compliance with the new systems is to implement an incentive program that would drive associates to achieve the best results. Incentive programs drive people to reach specific targets by offering them tangible rewards beyond their current compensation. At OR Communications, an incentive program could be implemented to increase compliance and adoption of a new centralized system. For example, the company could offer monetary bonuses to departments that lower their operating costs using the new system the most. Another more abstract idea would be to have a small bonus program for departments that offer ideas to enhance the productivity of the system. Many of the departments have complained that a shared system would cause them to be overlooked; however, offering this type of inventive would both encourage them to aka enhancements of the system while simultaneously demonstrating that their opinions count. Positive reinforcement, such as an inventive program, help gain the compliance of the workforce in a much more efficient way then punishment or negative reinforcement. There are governance mechanisms and metrics that can be used to encourage the implementation and use of a shared enterprise data system. The governance that needs to be put in place is the alignment of divisional units with the IT department. The metrics must be aligned with transparency to ensure that IT is in congruence with business operations. The governance mechanism should involve all departments focusing on regulatory issues, risk alleviation and opportunity enhancement. The metrics used should be concerned with making divisional data fit into an enterprise system. These metrics will identify areas of weakness and avenues of improvement. To quote an analogy, â€Å"Rome wasn’t built in a day;† and it will take significant time and effort to remedy all the problems at OR Communications. Close governance and metrics will aid in any improvement plan. Recommendation: It is evident that OR Communications need an intervention in its customer service enter. The lack of a centralized customer care center is making it hard to provide unified services to customers. More so, a lot of time is wasted by customers who have to be referred to different department for billing. Customers are forced to have several accounts with the company for each division since each division is held with its independent operations including billing (Smith Mencken, 2007). This makes it hard for customer care provision. Considering consumer service is very crucial for any business, OR Communications need a centralized customer service center. A internalized service center will have many benefits to the whole organization such as cost reduction, time saving, good management of customers’ data or information, and customer satisfaction. I recommend a centralized customer service center for OR communications for its advantages as predetermined below. The divisional IT service means having separate audits for every division. Having each division with an individual audit is expensive for the company since several auditors will be needed. Eliminating the divisions will save some costs that would otherwise be used for the services of the auditors at every division. With a single it department, data can be fed means reduced time for audits since with divisions audits have to be put together after each department has completed its audit (Smith Mencken, 2007). Coordination among the auditors will be efficient since information is collected from one point where all information concerning company accounts is stored. Therefore, having a centralized service center will enhance such operations across the whole organization. In addition, with a centralized customer service center as well as IT, it will ensure information is collected at one point making it easy to access information mongering any department from any point within the company without having to refer to the division in charge. Hence, for the auditors, complying with the set Serbians Solely act will be easy since information about customer billing and accounts of the whole firm will be centralized ensuring accuracy. Having the customer service centralized enhances business operations and processes, ensuring best practices such as timely audits are realized. With data consolidated in one central place, information can be exploited to breed new opportunities for the company. When data is at one place for all the divisions, it is easier to have a broader picture concerning how the divisions can create a new opportunities. Exploiting these opportunities Jointly among the divisions is better than going individually. Moreover, security can be more enhanced with a shared service center since monitoring will be done by one entity. This will further reduce costs associated with having each division taking responsibility of storing and maintaining its own data. Considering that OR communications is currently having several software, consolidating information together for the whole company is hard. Smooth flow of information across departments to ensure easy sharing is vital; not only for the whole company, but for divisions too, considering information consolidation is a fundamental instrument for doing business. Consolidating the IT services to one centralized structure will require removing of service center hardware from each division to one central department that will mitigate risks and have a common structural design as well as policies that are easily reviewable for updating. A common security procedure will reduce risks associated with information breech. Through the same procedures ND practices, the company can reduce file systems redundancy within the organization and enhance efficient document retention as well as reduce costs. Another reason to have one service center is to match the technical capacity of the company with its vision. At the current divisional independence, the divisions exploit their own visions that are not in congruence with the organization’s vision and mission. Considering the company’s vision is to have a consistent brand across all the divisions, it is necessary to have cross-shared services across all divisions to achieve this vision. The vision can be achieved through cross- sales of all the company services to its customers, as opposed to each department having its selling strategy. Having a shared sales service will serve to reduce the costs incurred when divisions do it individually hence creating a better chance for profit across all departments. Having a central service center will ensure that the overall vision of the company is followed since the central service center will be inclined towards the vision of the whole company. This way, each division can have a chance of benefiting form other divisions, hence the company as a whole (Smith Mencken, 2007). Having a single are outsourcing majority of their operations to other professional companies for reductions of costs. With independent divisions and IT strategies for each individual division, outsourcing will be quite complicated. Having a central service center to oversee all requests will enhance efficiency as well as value. More so, through the consolidation of IT services and information at one common place will reduce security risks associated with outsourcing services. This will further ensure reliability and security of information. A consolidation of information and IT services will enhance cross-services for customers such as billing (Mencken Smith, 2011). The company divisions at current circumstance hold their information secret from each other, making it a competition within the divisions that raise the problem of billing where customers have to be referred to other divisions for other services. With the consolidated information, customers will only need to visit one department from which other information concerning other divisions can be met. This will improve the perception of their whole company as a brand and the standing of the company can be improved as well as customer satisfaction. There is need for the company to realize that in the current world information is one of the drivers of businesses, which all businesses need to survive. Having each division with its own information center reduces the chances of the company improving in the future since the harmonious climate needed among the divisions for this achievement is minimal. Having stipulated the advantages bound to arise or reasons why a central service center should be achieved, it is important to consider how OR can be able to implement this recommendation with ease and least resistance from the divisions. This is the first most likely problem to arise during implementation. Hence, the first step should be generating support form all divisions, which has been quite hard up to now especially from the managers who are self centered and concerned with their earnings that depend on their performance. The managers also have a negative attitude towards merging of information and data among the divisions through one central service. A three-point strategy can be used to gain their support. It includes financial strategy, mitigation of risks associated and compliance to regulation. Financial point can emphasize the advantages the shared service is bound to raise, which will for the benefit of all the divisions and organization as a whole. Risk mitigation will arise from security of information through monitoring by one entity in a standardized way, while regulatory will be concerned with abiding to set accounting rules of the Serbians Solely act which the company has been having problems with (Schwartz, 2007). The next step would be to lay out the vision of the company and show why it cannot be achieved with division of operations among the divisions. This will impart some reasoning among the leaders, and support fore all divisions should be ensured. The main aim is to make everybody in the divisions aware of the role they will play and their stake to ensure thee is compliance and acceptance of the strategy to build a one services center (Mencken Smith, 2011). One of the problems that could arise after implementation of a shared service center is ease of adoption. Some employees who have been used to the old system will require to be trained how to work harmoniously with a single service center. Many will be required to handle more information concerning not only their divisions, but How to cite RR communications, Papers

Vladmir Putin free essay sample

The collapse of the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) led to the formation of a new democratic state. The Russian federation has had three different presidents since its formation and the ratification of its constitution in 1993. The Russian president’s role in the creation of foreign and domestic policies lies within the Russian constitution (Federation, 2013). However, not all presidents have addressed issues in the same manner. The first Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, was unsuccessful at fixing the broken Russian economy and uniting its government to establish a strong foreign policy. Yeltsin’s failure to lead the biggest country on the planet led to his resignation in 1999. His resignation allowed the Russian prime minister of the time to take power of the Russian Federation. His name is Vladimir Putin. This article will discuss some of Vladimir Putin’s approaches on international security issues that concern the international community (Stoner-WeissReviewed, 2008). Many domestic and foreign issues have tested Putin’s control of Russia and its people. We will write a custom essay sample on Vladmir Putin or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Yet, he has been able to boost the Russian economy and improve the Russian way of life in the last decade. He has shown a realist perspective on his foreign and domestic policy. Also, Putin has created a new style of government, an authoritarian government that hides behind a democratic infrastructure. Vladimir Putin has taken control over the media and used it to his advantage to ensure his position of power (Shevtsova, 2008; Stoner-WeissReviewed, 2008). He has remained popular with the Russian people and is currently serving his third non-consecutive presidential term. In addition this article will describe Vladimir Putin’s approach to terrorism in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil by Islamic Radicals affiliated with Al Qaeda. Putin used the United States â€Å"war on terror† to his own advantage in order to use full force on Chechen rebels within Russian Federation borders (Cornell, 2003). This issue raised international concerns about human right violations by the Russian government. Another issue that is of priority to Vladimir Putin is the Iranian nuclear program and the international communities concern about Iran pursuing nuclear weapons. Russia has a historic alliance with Iran, and the West’s pressure on the issue may cause changes in the relations between Russia and Iran (Freedman R. 0. , 2001; Freedman R. O. , 2006). The President of the Russian Federation The Russian president is the head of the Russian state and is in charge of creating or approving domestic and foreign policies. The policies must focus on the protection of the Russian homeland and citizens from potential threats which can originate from within or outside the Russian borders. It is also the President’s responsibility to ensure protection of Russian interests abroad. The Russian president must choose allies wisely and develop strategic alliances in areas of interest to maintain security (Federation, 2013). The president has the power to sign treaties with other nations to strengthen alliances and improve Russian influence abroad. As the supreme commander in chief of the Russian military the president has complete control of the military and can utilize it to ensure protection of the Russian state and Russian interest. Russia has had several revolutions and changes in governments. The current role of the Russian president in domestic and international affairs has been enforced since the ratification of the Russian Federation’s constitution in 1993 (Federation, 2013). Russia has had a total of three democratically elected presidents since the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The first elected Russian president was Boris Yeltsin. He served from 1991 to 1999. Yeltsin was the first president after the collapse of the USSR and was left with a number of issues regarding foreign policy and the former soviet republics that border Russia. In addition he had to deal with economic  turmoil due to the fall of the USSR. Yeltsin pushed for a private market in order to restore Russia’s economy. However, Yeltsin was unsuccessful at dealing with domestic and foreign affairs which led to his resignation in 1999 (Shevtsova, 2008; Freedman R. 0. , 2001). Boris Yeltsin’s resignation allowed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to step to power and to take control of the struggling Russian Federation. Vladimir Putin became the president of the Russian federation after the resignation of Yeltsin. Putin was successful at boosting the Russian economy and making Russia one of the top ten economies in the world. His push for energy security and state control of natural resources such as oil and natural gas made Russia a superpower in energy creation in the area. Putin’s success led to his popularity sky rocketing throughout Russia therefore, winning the presidential elections in 2001 and again in 2004. Vladimir Putin was president of Russia from 2000 to 2008. Since he couldn’t run for office for three consecutive terms due to restrictions in the Russian constitution he selected Dmitri Medvedev as his successor. Medvedev won the 2008 presidential elections by a landslide and became the president of Russia. He appointed Vladimir Putin as the Prime Minister of Russia (Stoner-WeissReviewed, 2008; Shevtsova, 2008). Medvedev’s political agenda was almost identical to what former President Putin had pursued. Putin still had strong control in policy dealing with foreign affairs and domestic disputes. Medvedev pushed Putin’s agenda and the country had little change in politics during his presidency. Dmitri Medvedev was president from 2008 to 2012. Vladimir Putin won the presidential elections in 2012 and once again became the president of the Russian Federation. He appointed Dmitri Medvedev as his prime minister (Stoner-WeissReviewed, 2008). Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putin was born October 7, 1952 in Leningrad after the collapse of the USSR the city regained its former name of St. Petersburg. Putin attended Leningrad State University and graduated with a PhD from the Law department. After graduation he joined a security agency called the KGB (Taffa, 2012). He was part of the KGB until 1991 and later obtained a political position in his hometown of St. Petersburg. It was not until 1996 that he moved to Moscow and obtained a political position there (Shevtsova, 2008). In 1999 he was appointed prime minister by President Boris Yeltsin and later became the president of the Russian Federation due to Yeltsin’s resignation (Taffa, 2012). Putin’s approach to domestic and foreign issues and his ability to handle situations promptly raised his popularity among the Russian people. He was able to use his popularity and power to take over private energy companies as well as the media. Controlling the media has allowed him to remain in control by facilitating the election of those who pursue similar goals. He has been able to keep his influence through Dmitri Medvedev by making him his successor in the 2008 elections (Stoner-WeissReviewed, 2008; Shevtsova, 2008). Putin has a strong influence in Russian policy and has maintained power since he first came to office in 2000. He has been able to establish an almost single party system which he able to hide as a democracy. He has increased Russian economic power with the export of overpriced oil and natural gas exports to his neighbors. As the economy grew and the Russian living improved Putin became more popular and was able to strip citizens from their freedoms in order to keep control of Russia. Vladimir Putin has focused Russian government on security, stability and power (Shevtsova, 2008; Galeotti, 2012). Putin has an authoritarian approach in decision making and policy making. This authoritarian approach sways his policy decisions in the direction of realism (Cornell, 2003). He has created a government with zero tolerance to anyone or any state that directly interferes with Russian state interest. He has worked on regaining the control of the former soviet republics along its borders. He has also proved that he is not afraid to use force in order to maintain control within boundaries of the federation. His reaction in the conflict in Chechnya was one of the first actions that showed his realist approach to anyone who opposed Russian state interest. Putin has also shown his strive for dominance in the region by trying to keep strong military presence and intimidation in former soviet republics (Cornell, 2003; Galeotti, 2012). He has also tried to form alliances with nations who oppose Western influence in order to fight off the west from Russian borders and areas of economic interest. He has opposed the United States and the West’s influence in those areas and will try to strengthen Russian influence abroad. However, he has been struggling with keeping a strong alliance with Iran and Syria due to international pressure (Trenin, 2006). Despite the fact of US influence and UN actions Russia has been able to keep the United States from intervening in the Iranian nuclear program. Putin has also tried to strengthen ties with Turkey in order to maintain influence in the area and to keep the West from completely taking over the Middle East. Putin’s realistic approaches in international issues have made him a key actor in international security (John O’Loughlin, 2004). Putin and the War on Terror The terror attacks on the world trade centers and the pentagon on September 11, 2001 reformed security policy around the globe. The attack on United States’ civilians on American soil created a new international security issue. The problem of terrorist insurgencies and their terrorist tactics targeting civilians had clearly become an issue to any sovereign state. A new international enemy had been discovered and many states agreed to cooperate in the â€Å"war on terror† initiated by United States’ President George W. Bush. However, Russia had been dealing with terrorism from Chechnya rebels ever since the mid1990’s and once again in the early 2000’s during Putin’s presidency. President Vladimir Putin aided the United States’ war on terror in Afghanistan by allowing American planes to fly over Russian airspace to deliver supplies to the troops in Afghanistan (John O’Loughlin, 2004; Kramer, 2005). President Putin responded to the Chechen rebels by using heavy military action. He sent in the military and began a counterinsurgency campaign. Some of Putin’s political rivals called for negotiation with the Chechen rebels but he made it clear by implying that he would exterminate the terrorist bandits (Cornell, 2003; Kramer, 2005). This proposition was supported by most of the Russian people and Putin engaged the Chechen rebels with full force. The rebels who terrorize Russia are Islamic extremist that fight for independence from the Russian Federation. Vladimir Putin’s response has been harsh and steady. However, the Russian military has suffered many casualties due to the rebel’s guerrilla and terrorist tactics which have been successful in attacking and killing Russian soldiers. Also Chechen rebels have targeted Russian civilians deep within the Russian territory. Suicide bombings of the Moscow subway showed the aggression of the Chechen rebels towards the Russian â€Å"infidels† (Kramer, 2005). There have been other incidents that Putin wasn’t able to resolve. For example the Dubroka theatre hostage situation and the Beslan school siege by Chechen Rebels, both incidents ended in a huge loss for the Russians and many innocent citizens were killed by the rebels (Kramer, 2005). Vladimir Putin did not agree to any diplomatic solution to the crisis instead he pushed for harsher retaliation by Russian forces. He also stated that he will destroy any terrorist bases around the world. Some humanitarian concerns have been brought to attention to the UN about Vladimir Putin’s policy towards the Chechnya people and his counterinsurgency campaigns in the region (Kramer, 2005). Western Intelligence had shown ties between the Chechen rebels and Al Qaeda. Making it a serious issue for Vladimir Putin since the rebels where obtaining aid from outside Russian control. One of Moscow’s concerns is the Chechnya rebels fleeing into Georgian territory and operating within Georgian borders (Kramer, 2005; Cornell, 2003). The relationship between Russia and Georgia has been shaky after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Armed conflict took place between the two in 2008 during Dmitri Medvedev’s presidency. It all began with the invasion of South Ossetia by the Georgian military. The South Ossetia region belongs to Georgia but they claim citizenship to Russia since the majority of people residing in the area are Russian (Shevtsova, 2008; Stoner-WeissReviewed, 2008). When the invasion of South Ossetia took place Prime Minister of the time Vladimir Putin was in Beijing. He flew back to Moscow to discuss the issue with President Medvedev. The Russians responded with military force on Georgian forces and were able to push the Georgian troops out of South Ossetia. Russia then began shelling the Georgian mainland which drew negative attention from the international community. Even though the military action took place under Dmitri Medvedev’s presidency it was obvious that Prime Minister Putin still had strong influence in Russia’s decisions and actions against Georgian forces. Medvedev addressed retaliation on Georgia as a humanitarian crisis in which the Russian government was obligated to intervene to protect Russian citizens residing in South Ossetia (Galeotti, 2012). Putin and Iran Relations The Iranians and Russians have a long history of partnership and alliance. Russia’s alliance with Iran has mostly been for economic gain through the sale of Russian military weapons to Iran and also a strategic alliance to keep Russian presence in the Middle East. Lately the main issue has been the Iranian nuclear program. It has been condemned by the United States and others in the international community (Freedman R. 0. , 2001; NIZAMEDDIN, 2008). Some believe that Iran is planning to use nuclear reactors for dual purpose in order to manufacture nuclear weapons. Russia has always benefited from selling Iran weapons and military vehicles. However, Russia also benefits economically from the sale of nuclear reactors abroad. The Bushehr Nuclear reactor was being built by the Russians in Iran. However, the Iranian leaders and Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated that it was being built for peaceful energy creation purposes only. Putin’s policy towards Iran and its nuclear program were frowned upon by the UN and Western Powers (Freedman R. O. , 2006). However, Putin does not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. A nuclear armed Iran could be dangerous in the area especially if Russo-Iran relations turn hostile. Russia has agreed to deal with Iran’s nuclear program and watch over and persuade Iran to cooperate with International Atomic Energy Agency policies (IAEA). Russia Also signed a treaty agreeing to dispose of Iranian nuclear waste so that it cannot be turned to weapon material (CUMMINGS, 2001; NIZAMEDDIN, 2008). However, the Iranian regime has not cooperated forcing Putin to deal with international pressure regarding their aid in the Iranian nuclear program. Putin must keep strong ties with his strongest ally in the Middle East but at the same time he must deal with pressure from the UN and NATO. Conclusion Vladimir Putin’s responses to international issues have clearly showed his political agenda doesn’t match up with Washington’s and that he does not want the West’s influence near Russian borders. NATO’s influence in former soviet republics has pushed Putin to strengthen alliances with states that oppose western influence in the area in order to weaken US and the West’s control (Trenin, 2006). He has boosted the Russian economy and is leading Russia to regain its former super power status. Vladimir Putin has opposed the United States on many issues regarding the Middle East, especially regarding the Iranian nuclear program and the West’s sanctions on Iran. The Middle East has once again become a conflict for US-Russian relations. Both seek the resources that lie in the Middle Eastern states and Russia is in no position to back down (Shevtsova, 2008). Russia has shown its aggression and military strength on his neighbor ,Georgia, in 2008. The invasion of the South Ossetia region by Georgian troops sparked the mobilization of Russian forces into Georgia. Expelling Georgian troops out of the South Ossetia region showed to be a priority in President Dmitry Medvedev‘s agenda. The justification for the Russian intervention was humanitarian issues in the South Ossetia region of Georgia regarding Russian citizens who resided in the disputed area. Russia’s actions towards the Georgians were frowned upon by the international community. However, Putin has made it clear that he is seeking power and control with or without approval from the west