Business Ethics and Corporate Governance in Lic of India

OVERVIEW INSURANCE- AN INTRODUCTION Meaning: Insurance may be described as a social device to ensure protection of economic value of life and other assets. Under the plan of insurance, a large number of people associate themselves by sharing risks attached to individuals. The risks, which can be insured against, include fire, the perils of sea, death and accidents and burglary. Any risk contingent upon these, may be insured against at a premium commensurate with the risk involved. Thus, collective bearing of risk is insurance. Insurance = Collective Bearing of Risks| Insurance is a contract whereby, in return for the payment of premium by the insured, the insurers pay the financial losses suffered by the insured as a result of the occurrence of unforeseen events. The term â€Å"risk† is used to describe the possibility of adverse results flowing from any occurrence or the accidental happenings, which produce a monetary loss. Insurance is a pool in which a large number of people exposed to a similar risk make contributions to a common fund out of which the losses suffered by the unfortunate few, due to accidental events, are made good. The sharing of risk among large groups of people is the basis of insurance. Related article: Disadvantages of Ethics in Business The losses of an individual are distributed over a group of individuals. Insurance is nothing but a system of spreading the risk of one onto the shoulders of many. While it becomes somewhat impossible for a man to bear by himself 100% loss to his own property or interest arising out of an unforeseen contingency, Insurance is a method or process which distributes the burden of the loss on a number of persons within the group formed for this particular purpose. Definitions: Fundamental Definition In the words of D. S. Hansell, â€Å"Insurance accumulates contributions of all parties participating in the scheme. Contractual Definition In the words of Justice Tindall, â€Å"Insurance is a contract in which a sum of money is paid to the assured as consideration of insurer’s incurring the risk of paying a large sum upon a given contingency†. Working of Insurance Insurance Industry in India : The origin of life insurance in India can be traced back to 1818 with the establishm ent of the Oriental Life Insurance Company in Calcutta. It was conceived as a means to provide for English Widows. In those days a higher premium was charged for Indian lives than the non-Indian lives as Indian lives were considered riskier for coverage. The Bombay Mutual Life Insurance Society that started its business in 1870 was the first company to charge same premium for both Indian and non-Indian lives. In 1912, insurance regulation formally began with the passing of Life Insurance Companies Act and the Provident Fund Act. By 1938, there were 176 insurance companies in India. But a number of frauds during 1920s and 1930s tainted the image of insurance industry in India. In 1938, the first comprehensive legislation regarding insurance was introduced with the passing of Insurance Act of 1938 that provided strict State Control over insurance business. Insurance sector in India grew at a faster pace after independence. In 1956, Government of India brought together 245 Indian and foreign insurers and provident societies under one nationalized monopoly corporation and formed Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) by an Act of Parliament, viz. LIC Act, 1956, with a capital contribution of Rs. 5 crore. Before 1956, insurance was private with minimal government intervention. In 1956, life insurance was nationalized and a monopoly was created. In 1972, general insurance was nationalized as well. But, unlike life insurance, a different structure was created for the industry. India had the nineteenth largest insurance market in the world in 2003. Strong economic growth in the last decade combined with a population of over a billion makes it one of the potentially largest markets in the future. Insurance in India has gone through two radical transformations. One holding company was formed with four subsidiaries. As a part of the general opening up of the economy after 1992, a Government appointed committee recommended that private companies should be allowed to operate. It took six years to implement the recommendation. Private sector was allowed into insurance business in 2000. However, foreign ownership was restricted. No more than 26% of any company can be foreign-owned. A totally regulation free regime ended in 1912 with the introduction of regulation of life insurance. A comprehensive regulatory scheme came into place in 1938. This was disabled through nationalization in what follows; we examine the insurance industry in India through different regulatory regimes. But, the Insurance Act of 1938 became relevant again in 2000 with deregulation. With a strong hint of sustained growth of the economy in the recent past, the Indian market is likely to grow substantially over the next few decades. The rest of the chapter is organized as follows. First, we study the evolution of insurance business before nationalization. This is important because the denationalized structure brought back to play important legal rules from 1938. Next we analyze the nationalized era separately for life and property casualty business as they were not nationalized simultaneously. Much of post-independence history of insurance in India was the history of nationalized insurance. In the following section, we examine the new legal structure introduced after the industry was denationalized in 2000. In the penultimate section, we examine the current state of play and projected future of the industry. Important Milestones in the Life insurance business in India: * 1870: Bombay Mutual life assurance society is the first Indian owned life insurer. * 1912: The Indian Life Assurance Companies Act enacted as the first statute to regulate the life insurance business. 1928: The Indian Insurance Companies Act enacted to enable the government to collect statistical information about both life and non-life insurance businesses. * 1938: Earlier legislation consolidated and amended to by the Insurance Act with the objective of protecting the interests of the insuring public. * 1956: 245 Indian and foreign insurers and provident societies taken over by the central government and nationalized. LIC formed by an Act of Parliament- LIC Act 1956- with a capital contribution of Rs. 5 crores from the Government of India. * 1997: Insurance regulator IRDA set up. 2000: IRDA starts giving licenses to private insurers like Kotak Life Insurance, ICICI Prudential and HDFC Standard Life insurance first private insurers to sell a policy. * 2001: Royal Sundaram Alliance first non life insurer to sell a policy. * 2002: Banks were allowed to sell insurance plans. As Third Party Administrations (TPAs) enter the scene, insurers start setting non-life claims in the cashless mode. * 2004-05: The Government proposed for increasing the foreign equity stake to 49%. * 2007: First Online Insurance portal, set up by an Indian Insurance Broker, Bonsai Insurance Broking Pvt. Ltd. LIFE INSURANCE CORPORATION ACT, 1956 An act to provide for the nationalization of life insurance business in India by transferring all such business to a Corporation established for the purpose and to provide for the regulation and control of the business of the Corporation and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. BUSINESS ETHICS Ethics are  moral guidelines  which govern  good behavior. So behaving ethically is  doing what is morally right. Behaving ethically in business is widely regarded as good business practice. To provide you with a couple of quotes: Ethical principles and standards in business: * Define acceptable conduct in business * Should underpin how management make decisions An important distinction to remember is that behaving ethically is not quite the same thing as behaving lawfully: * Ethics  are about what is right and what is wrong * Law  is about what is lawful and what is unlawful You will probably note the link between business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The two concepts are closely linked: * A socially responsible firm should be an ethical firm * An ethical firm should be socially responsible However there is also a distinction between the two: * CSR is about responsibility to all stakeholders and not just shareholders * Ethics is about  morally correct behavior How do businesses ensure that its directors, managers and employees act ethically? A common approach is to implement a  code of practice. Ethical codes are increasingly popular – particularly with larger businesses and cover areas such as: * Corporate social responsibility * Dealings with customers and supply chain * Environmental policy & actions * Rules for personal and corporate integrity NEED OR IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS ETHICS These 12 points below discuss the need, importance of business ethics: 1. Stop business malpractices: Some unscrupulous businessmen do business malpractices by indulging in unfair trade practices like black marketing, artificial high pricing, adulteration, cheating in weights and measures, selling of duplicate and harmful products, hoarding etc. These malpractices are harmful to the consumers. Business ethics help to stop these business malpractices. 2. Improve customers’ confidence: Business ethics are needed to improve the customers’ confidence about the quantity, quality, price, etc of the products. The customers have more trust and confidence in the businessmen who follow ethical rules. 3. Survival of business: Business ethics are mandatory for the survival of the business. The businessmen who do not follow it will have short term success, but they will fail in the long run. This is because they can cheat a consumer only once. After that, the consumer will not buy products from that businessman. He will also tell others not to buy from that businessman. So this will defame his image and provoke a negative publicity. This will result in the failure of the business. Therefore, if the businessmen do not follow ethical rules, he will fail in the market. 4. Safeguarding consumers’ rights: The consumer has many rights such as right to health and safety, right to be informed, right to choose, right to be heard, right to redress, etc. But many businessmen do not respect and protect these rights. Business ethics are must to safeguard these rights of the consumers. 5. Protecting employees and shareholders: Business ethics are required to protect the interest of employees, shareholders, competitors, dealers, suppliers, etc. It protects them from exploitation through unfair trade practices. . Develops good relations: Business ethics are important to develop good and friendly relations between business and society. This will result in a regular supply of good quality goods and services at low prices to the society. It will also result in profits for the businessmen thereby resulting in growth of economy. 7. Creates good image: Business ethics create a good image for the business and businessmen. If the businessmen follow all ethical rules, then they will be fully accepted and not criticized by the society. The society will always support those businessmen who follow this necessary code of conduct. 8. Smooth functioning: If the business follows all the business ethics, then the employees, shareholders, consumers, dealers and suppliers will all be happy. So they will give full cooperation to the business. This will result in the smooth functioning of the business. 9. Consumer movement: Business ethics are gaining importance because of the growth of the consumer movement. Today the consumers are aware of their rights. Now they are more organized and cannot be cheated easily. They take actions against those businessmen who indulge in bad business practices. They boycott poor quality, harmful, high priced and duplicate goods. Therefore, the only way to survive in business is to be honest and fair. 10. Consumer satisfaction: Today, consumer is the king of the market. Any business simply cannot survive without the consumers. Therefore, the main aim or objective is consumer satisfaction. If the consumer is not satisfied, then there will be no sales and thus no profits too. Consumer will be satisfied only if the business follows all the business ethics, and hence are highly needed. 11. Importance of labour: Labour i. e. employees or workers play a very crucial role in the success of a business. Therefore, business must use business ethics while dealing the employees. The business must give them proper wages and salaries and provide them with better working conditions. There must be good relations between employer and employees. The employees must also be given proper welfare facilities. 12. Healthy competition: The business must use business ethics while dealing with the competitors. They must have healthy competition with the competitors. They must not do cut throat competition. Similarly, they must give equal opportunities to small-scale business. They must avoid monopoly. This is because monopoly is harmful for the consumers. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE Good corporate governance contributes to a company’s competitiveness and reputation, Corporate governance  is â€Å"the system by which companies are directed and controlled†. It involves regulatory and market mechanisms, and the roles and relationships between a company’s management, its board, its shareholders  and other  stakeholders, and the goals for which the corporation is governed. In contemporary business corporations, the main external stakeholder groups are shareholders, debt holders, trade  creditors, uppliers, customers and communities affected by the corporation's activities. . Internal stakeholders are the  board of directors,  executives, and other employees. Much of the contemporary interest in corporate governance is concerned with mitigation of the conflicts of interests between stakeholders. Ways of mitigating or preventing these conflicts of interests incl ude the processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions which have impact on the way a company is controlled. An important theme of corporate governance is the nature and extent of  accountability  of people in the  business. IMPORTANCE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE The need, significance or importance of corporate governance is listed below: 1. Changing Ownership Structure: In recent years, the ownership structure of companies has changed a lot. Public financial institutions, mutual funds, etc are the single largest shareholder in most of the large companies. So, they have effective control on the management of the companies. They force the companies to use corporate governance. That is, they put pressure on the management to become more efficient, transparent, accountable, etc. They also ask the management to make consumer-friendly policies, to protect all social groups and to protect the environment. So, the changing ownership structure has resulted in corporate governance. 2. Importance of Social Responsibility: Today, social responsibility is given a lot of importance. The Board of Directors has to protect the rights of the customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, local communities, etc. This is possible only if they use corporate governance. 3. Growing Number of Scams: In recent years, many scams, frauds and corrupt practices have taken place. Misuse and misappropriation of public money are happening everyday in India and worldwide. It is happening in the stock market, banks, financial institutions, companies and government offices. In order to avoid these scams and financial irregularities, many companies have started corporate governance. 4. Indifference on the part of Shareholders: In general, shareholders are inactive in the management of their companies. They only attend the Annual general meeting. Postal ballot is still absent in India. Proxies are not allowed to speak in the meetings. Shareholders associations are not strong. Therefore, directors misuse their power for their own benefits. So, there is a need for corporate governance to protect all the stakeholders of the company. 5. Globalization: Today most big companies are selling their goods in the global market. So, they have to attract foreign investor and foreign customers. They also have to follow foreign rules and regulations. All this requires corporate governance. Without Corporate governance, it is impossible to enter, survive and succeed the global market. 6. Takeovers and Mergers: Today, there are many takeovers and mergers in the business world. Corporate governance is required to protect the interest of all the parties during takeovers and mergers. 7. SEBI: SEBI has made corporate governance compulsory for certain companies. This is done to protect the interest of the investors and other stakeholders. PROFILE OF THE ORGANISATION LIFE INSURANCE CORPORATION OF INDIA Life Insurance Corporation of India  (LIC) is the largest  insurance group  and  investment company  in India. It’s a state-owned where  Government of India has 100% stake. LIC also funds close to 24. 6% of the Indian Government's expenses. It has assets estimated of  13. 25 trillion (US$264. 4 billion). It was founded in 1956 with the merger  of 243 insurance companies and provident societies. Headquartered in  Mumbai, financial and commercial capital of India, the Life Insurance Corporation of India currently has 8 zonal Offices and 113 divisional offices located in different parts  of India, around 3500 servicing offices including 204 8 branches, 54 Customer Zones, 25 Metro Area Service Hubs and a number of Satellite Offices located in different cities and towns of  India and has a network of 13,37,064 individual agents, 242 Corporate Agents, 79 Referral Agents, 98 Brokers and 42 Banks (as on 31. 3. 011) for soliciting life insurance business from the public. The slogan of LIC is â€Å"Yogakshemam Vahamyaham† which translates from Sanskrit to â€Å"Your welfare is our responsibility†. The slogan is derived from the Ancient Hindu text, the  Bhagavad Gita's 9th Chapter, 22nd verse. The literal translation from Sanskrit to English is â€Å"I carry what you require†. The slogan can be seen in the logo and is written in Devanagiri script below the hands holding the lamp. | Type | State-owned| Industry| Financial services| Founded| 1 September 1956| Headquarters| Mumbai,  India| Key people| D. K. Mehrotra, (Chairman)| Products| Life  and  insurance, investment,  mutual fund| Total assets| 13. 25 trillion (US$264. 34 billion)(2010)| Owner(s)| Government of India| Employees| 115,966 (2010)| Subsidiaries| LIC Housing Finance LIC Cards Services LIC Nomura Mutual Fund| Website| www. licindia. in| OBJECTIVES OF LIC OF INDIA * Spread Life Insurance widely and in particular to the rural areas and to the socially and economically backward classes with a view to reaching all insurable persons in the country and providing them adequate financial cover against death at a reasonable cost. Maximize mobilization of people's savings by making insurance-linked savings adequately attractive. * Bear in mind, in the investment of funds, the primary obligation to its policyholders, whose money it holds in trust, without losing sight of the interest of the community as a whole; the funds to be deployed to the best advantage of the investors a s well as the community as a whole, keeping in view national priorities and obligations of attractive return. * Conduct business with utmost economy and with the full realization that the moneys belong to the policyholders. Act as trustees of the insured public in their individual and collective capacities. * Meet the various life insurance needs of the community that would arise in the changing social and economic environment. * Involve all people working in the Corporation to the best of their capability in furthering the interests of the insured public by providing efficient service with courtesy. * Promote amongst all agents and employees of the Corporation a sense of participation, pride and job satisfaction through discharge of their duties with dedication towards achievement of Corporate Objective. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Shri D. K. Mehrotra,  (CHAIRMAN, LIC ) Shri T. S. Vijayan,  (Managing Director, LIC ) Shri Thomas Mathew T. (Managing Director, LIC ) Shri Sushobhan Sarker  (Managing Director, LIC ) Shri R. Gopalan,  (Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs,   Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India. ) Shri  D. K. Mittal,  (Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India. ) Shri  A. K. Roy,  (Chairman cum Managing Director, GIC. ) Shri M. V. Tanksale,  (Chairman & Managing Director, Central Bank of India ) Lt. General Arvind Mahajan (Retd. ) Shri Anup Prakash Garg Shri Sanjay Jain Shri Ashok Singh Shri K. S. Sampath Shri Amardeep Singh Cheema ORGANISATION STRUCTURE OPERATIONS AWARDS WON BY LIC OF INDIA IN 2011-12 | Readers Digest â€Å"Trusted Brand† in the platinum category. | | Superbrands| | Asian Leadership Award| | LIC has been ranked :† Number One Trusted Service Brand† in the EconomicTimes Brand Equity Survey| | Rated as the â€Å"Most Preferred Life Insurance Company of the year† at the CNBC| | Dainik Bhaskar Group| | Bombay Chamber Of Commerce| | ABCI| | Star News- Customer Centric Brand Award| PROBLEMS OF LIC OF INDIA – The existing insurer, LIC and GIC, have created a large group of dissatisfied  customers due to the poor quality of service. Hence there will be shift of large number of customers from LIC and GIC to the private insurers. – LIC may face problem of surrender of a large number of policies, as new insurers will woo them by offer of innovative products at lower prices. – The corporate clients under group schemes and salary  savings schemes may shift their loyalty from LIC to the private insurers. – There is a likelihood of exit of young dynamic managers from LIC to the private insurer, as they will get higher package of remuneration. – LIC has overstaffing and with the introduction of full computerization, a large number of the employees will be surplus. However they cannot be retrenched. Hence the operating costs of LIC  will not be reduced. This will be a  disadvantage in  the competitive market, as the new insurers will operate with lean office and high technology to reduce the operating costs. – GIC and its four subsidiary companies are going to face more challenges, because their management expenses are very high due to surplus staff. They can't reduce their number due to service rules. – Management of claims will  put strain on the financial resources, GIC and its subsidiaries since it is not up the mark. LIC has more than to 60 products and GIC has more than 180 products in their kitty, which are outdated in the present context as they are not suitable to the changing needs of the customers. Not only that they are not competent enough to complete with the new products offered by foreign companies in the market. – Reaching the consumer expectations on par with foreign companies such as better yield and much  improved quality of  service particularly in the  area of settlement of  claims, issue of new  policies, transfer of the policies and revival of policies in the liberalized market is very difficult to LIC and GIC. Intense competition from new insurers in  winning the consumers by multi-distribution channels, which will  include agents, brokers, corporate intermediaries, bank branches, affinity groups and direct marketing through telesales and interest. – The market very soon will be flooded by a large number of products by fairly large number of insurers operating in the Indian market. Even with limited range of products offered by LIC and GIC, the consumers are confused in the market. Their confusion will further increase in  the face for large number of products in the  market. The  existing level of awareness of the consumers for insurance products is very low. It is so because only 62% of the Indian population is literate and less than 10% educated. Even the educated consumers are ignorant about the various products of the insurance. – The insurers will have to face  an acute problem of the redressal of the consumers, grievances for deficiency in products and services. – Increasing awareness will  bring number of legal cases filled  by the consumers against insurers is likely  to increase substantially in future. Major challenges in canalizing the growth of insurance sector are product innovation, distribution network, investment management, customer  service  and education. SWOT ANALYSIS OF LIC OF INDIA STRENGTHS: * India’s top insurance company and best among Public sector company. * Provide better infrastructure than any other Public company. * Brand Image * Govt Guarantee * Claims settlement * Pan India presence * La rge product portfolio WEAKNESSES: * Average waiting time for the customer is 15 to 20 minutes. * No separate customer care unit * Lethargic Staff * Mediocre Top Bosses Large scale Corruption in Main Office * Ultra-Slow decision making process * Internal problems between Top Management and lower cadre Employees OPPORTUNITIES: * Setup a marketing cell at the local branch. * Ensure that policies are diversified across several customer segments * Pension Market * Health Insurance * Large Real Estate portfolio THREATS: * Growth of private players has led to shifting emphasis from public sector companies. * Internal discord * New players * Red-tapism COMPETITION INFORMATION Main Competitors of LIC * SBI Life Insurance Company * ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Birla Sun Life Insurance Company * HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company * Reliance Life Insurance Company COMPARISON 1. Policies and Premium 2. Claims Paid 3. Profit of the year 2011-2012 4. Life Fund Policies and Premium Cla ims Paid Profit of the Year 2010-11 Research Methodology Research is the process of systematic and in depth study to search for a particular subject topic or area of investigation backed by the Collection, Compilation, Analysis or Interpretation of data. It is more systematic study or activity directed towards discovery and the development of organized body of knowledge. Success of Research depends upon the scientific methods used. There are various methods for Collecting the data. But it is not advisable and even possible to used all the methods. Every researcher must know the purpose of his study. For doing research one must set questions accordingly one has to find out and the answers through his own investigation. This Study is conducted to analyze the business ethics and corporate governance in Life Insurance Corporation of India. The data are basically segregated into two parts: a) Primary Data b) Secondary Data. a) Primary Data :- Primary Data is collected during the course of doing experiments in an experimental research. There are several methods for collecting primary data. b) Secondary Data:- Secondary  data, is data collected by someone other than the user. Secondary data are data which are collected by someone in past that includes previous year annual report, magazines, project report etc. For my project report, I  had used secondary data under which I  used annual reports which includes  balance sheets, P;L a/c, and other general information. Limitation of the Project Report Followings are the limitations of the project work taken by me: ? One of the limitations of this project study is of the time limitation. It is somehow difficult to fully know any big organization like LIC of India in this limited time  period. ? Senior managers and others officers in LIC of India are also very busy. They do not have enough time for solving our queries in details. Objective of the study The objectives have been classified by me in this project form personal to professional but here I am not disclosing my personal objectives which have been achieved by me while doing the project. Only professional objectives which are being covered by me in this project are as following- * To know about the business ethics and corporate governance of the organization. * To know the contribution of the organization to the society. * To know about the reliability of the organization. Scope of the Study So I am working on the project Business Ethics and Corporate Governance in LIC of India with the scope that I will get to know: * What ethics has the organization adopted? * What is organization doing for the welfare of the society? How reliable is the organization? Vision and Mission of LIC of India Mission â€Å"Explore and enhance the quality of life of people through financial security by providing products and services of aspired attributes with competitive returns, and by rendering resources for economic development. † Vision â€Å"A trans-nationally competitive financial conglomerate of significance to societies and Pride of India. † Core Values of LIC of Ind ia * Caring and Courtesy * Initiative and Innovation * Integrity and Transparency * Quality and Returns * Participation and Relationship Trustworthiness and Reliability Ethics followed by LIC of India * Provide insurance cover and financial security to every insurable person. * Conduct all aspects of business keeping in view its interest and national priorities. * Provide them prompt, efficient and courteous service. * Act as trustees of their funds and invest the fund to their best advantage. * Conduct business with utmost economy and on sound business principles. Social advantages to LIC of India †¢ Providing organizational guidelines for business integrity in turbulent times. Helping employees deal with ethical issues they face daily on the job. †¢ Building solid company teamwork and productivity. †¢ Creating an insurance policy – to help ensure that company policies and procedures are legal. †¢ Avoiding criminal â€Å"acts of omission† which can lower potential fines. †¢ Reinforcing the values associated with quality management, strategic planning, and diversity management. †¢ Promoting a strong public image. Corporate Governance in LIC of India Adherence to good Corporate Governance is an integral part of the philosophy of LIC’s business conduct. The driving forces behind institutionalizing the practices of good Corporate Governance are various proactive measures, initiatives and guidance by the Government, LIC Board and its Sub Committees along with LIC’s Human Resources and Agents. Our practice of operational transparency, information sharing, accountability and ensuring dialogue with all the stakeholders in addition to formulation of value-based policies and practices at all levels made us to imbibe good Corporate Governance. This has enabled us to enhance our Brand Equity, strengthen stake of shareholders and maintain a healthy environment within the organization. This has led to a committed organizational focus on the customer service which in turn has contributed to a good growth in business. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. Sponsorship of CSR by LIC of India 2009-12 I. Group Schemes and Social Security Claims under various Social Security Schemes: 1, 02,950 claims amounting to Rs. 287. 4 crore paid under Social Security Schemes. a) Scholarships of Rs. 102. 53 crore was disbursed to 13, 78,744 students as a free add on benefit to the children of the members of Janashree Bima Yojana under Shiksha Sahayog Yojana during the year 2010-11. b) Scholarship for total amount of Rs. 81. 85 crore was distributed to 8, 40,568 students as a free add on benefit to the children of members of AABY Shiks ha Sahayog Yojana during the year 2010-11. Social Security Cover: Total 2. 57 crore lives have been given insurance cover under various Social Security Scheme during 2010-11. Aam Admi Bima Yojana Aam Admi Bima Yojana was launched on 2nd Oct. 2007 and a total of 47, 01,814 lives under 17 states were insured during the year bringing the total lives covered under the scheme since inception to 1,77,47,480. II. Investment in Social Sector The total investments of the Corporation amounted to Rs. 12, 66, 539. 04 crore as at 31st March, 2011. The Corporation subscribed an amount of Rs. 65, 521. 83 crore (face value) and Rs. 40, 254. 38 crore (face value) to the Securities of the Government of India and the new loan issues of the various State Governments respectively during 2010-2011. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: It has been the constant endeavour of the Corporation to provide security to as many people as possible and to channelise the savings mobilised for the welfare of the people at large. To meet this end, the Corporation has been promoting Social Welfare through investments in Infrastructure and Social Sector which includes: * Projects/Schemes for generation and transmission of Power, * Housing Sector, * Water Supply and Sewerage Projects/Schemes, * Development of Roads, Bridges ; Road Transport. The total Investment in these sectors during 2010-11 was Rs. 5,235. 94 crore. The investments by way of Central, State and Other Government Guaranteed Marketable securities, Loans, Debentures ; Equity investments in Infrastructure and Social Sector amounts to Rs. 7,49,150 crore. III. LIC Golden Jubilee Foundation Under ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’, and to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of LIC in the year 2006, ‘LIC Golden Jubilee Foundationâ€⠄¢ Trust was formed with the objective of promoting education, health, relief of poverty or distress and advancement of other objects of general public utility. As on 31. 3. 011 LIC has provided a Corpus of Rs. 90 crore to this Foundation and the interest earned is utilized for funding various projects for charitable purposes. As on date, LIC Golden Jubilee Foundation has supported 165 projects to the extent of Rs. 15. 66 crore. Under this Trust a scholarship scheme is also formulated by name LIC Golden Jubilee Scholarship Scheme of the Trust to give scholarships at the rate of Rs. 10000/- per annum to meritorious students belonging to economically weaker sections of society to enable them to pursue higher education at graduation level. Scholarships were given to 802, 881 and 967 students during the years 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2010-11 respectively. ANALYSIS 1. Market Share 2. Goodwill Value Over its existence of around 50 years, Life Insurance Corporation of India, which commanded a  monopoly  of soliciting and selling life insurance in India, created huge surpluses, and contributed around 7% of India's  GDP  in 2006. The Corporation, which started its business with around 300 offices, 5. 7 million policies and a  corpus  of INR 459 million (US$ 92 million as per the 1959 exchange rate of roughly Rs. for a US $,  has grown to 25000 servicing around 350 million policies and a  corpus  of over  8 trillion (US$145. 6 billion). The Economic Times Brand Equity Survey 2010 rated LIC as the No. 4 Service Brand of the Country [6]. Though in the year 2010 is ranked at 4, the organization is consistently among the top rated service company of the India [7]. RANK-COMPANY 1-VODAFONE, 2-airtel, 3-SBI (STAT E BANK OF INDIA), 4-LIC (LIFE INSURANCE CORPORATION). From the year 2006, LIC is continuously winning the Readers' Digest Trusted brand award [8]. According to The Brand Trust Report [9] 2011, LIC is the 8th most trusted brand of India. . Growth Visibility of LIC of India FINDINGS After doing this project I found out that- * LIC of India conduct all aspects of the business keeping in view the interests of the community and the national priorities. * Provide insurance cover and financial security to every insurable segment including the socially and economically weaker sections of the society. * LIC of India provides their customers with prompt, efficient and courteous service. * It acts as trustees to their customer’s funds and invests them to their best advantage. * It builds and maintains enduring relationship with the customers. It also keeps the customers informed about their products and services. * It also promote a sense of participation among the workforce and make th em partners in progress. * It also works towards their job satisfaction and sense of pride. * It provide and environment and opportunities for growth to enable them to realize their full potential. * It also take steps to develop professional skills of the workforce to enable them to handle their assignments more effectively. * LIC is not only the largest but the most popular life insurance company in India.   LIC has gained the consumer trust and credibility over the time that is essential to sustain in the insurance business. RECOMMENDATIONS Though, LIC of India is a very reliable and ethical company. But still there are some points which should be taken care of in future to prevent any kind of risks to the organization: * More Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives should be taken in near future in order to increase its reliability among the society. * Integrity connotes strength and stability. It means taking the high road by practicing the highest ethical standards. Demonstrating integrity shows completeness and soundness in the organization. * Blaming others, claiming victimhood, or passing the buck may solve short-term crises, but refusal to take responsibility erodes respect and cohesion in an organization. Ethical people take responsibility for their actions. * Quality should be more than making the best product, but should extend to every aspect of your work. A person who recognizes quality and strives for it daily has a profound sense of self-respect, pride in accomplishment, and attentiveness that affects everything. From organization’s memos to the presentations, everything it touch should communicate professionalism and quality. * Trust is hard to earn and even harder to get back after you've lost it. Everyone who comes in contact with the organization must have trust and confidence in how you do business. * Managers and executives should uphold the ethical standards for the entire organization. A leader is out front providing an example that others will follow. * Good ethics should be most noticeable at the top. Every employee must be accountable to the same rules. Corporate values or ethics initiative must be â€Å"sold† and â€Å"marketed† aggressively throughout the organization. Every forum and medium should be used to spread the good message. Of course, it will only be credible if the organization is practicing what it preaches. * The ethics fervor should extend to the next generation of employees. The longer it lasts, the more ingrained the principles will become. CO NCLUSION Business ethics present pertinent solutions to the concerns and dilemmas faced by global organizations. Ethical leadership is essential for the long-term survival and success of any organization. In the era of globalization, business ethics considerably influence shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, competitors, government and civil society. Organizations should focus on the ethical issues faced by them in various functional areas like marketing, finance, human resources, production, ICT etc. The commendable work done by global corporations in inculcating and practicing business ethics underscores the importance of value based leadership in international business scenario. Corporate governance is of paramount importance to a company and is almost as important as its primary business plan. When executed effectively, it can prevent corporate scandals, fraud and the civil and criminal liability of the company. It also enhances a company’s image in the public eye as a self-policing company that is responsible and worthy of shareholder and debt holder capital. It dictates the shared philosophy, practices and culture of an organization and its employees. A corporation without a system of corporate governance is often regarded as a body without a soul or conscience. Corporate governance keeps a company honest and out of trouble. If this shared philosophy breaks down, then corners will be cut, products will be defective and management will grow complacent and corrupt. The end result is a fall that will occur when gravity – in the form of audited financial reports, criminal investigations and federal probes – finally catches up, bankrupting the company overnight. Dishonest and unethical dealings can cause shareholders to flee out of fear, distrust and disgust. BIBLIOGRAPHY * http://www. usinessdictionary. com/article/618/why-is-corporate-governance-important/ * http://www. licindia. in/ * http://www. businessreviewindia. in/top_ten/top-10-business/insurance-top-10 * http://www. licindia. in/GJF_aboutus. htm * http://www. licindia. in/Annual_Report_2011. pdf * http://www. irda. gov. in/ * https://www. google. co. in/ * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility * http://www. mallenbaker. net/csr/definition. php * h ttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Life_Insurance_Corporation_of_India

An Explication Of William Carlos Williams’s “The Red Wheelbarrow” Essay

Usually, in interpreting a poem, one simply relies on the metaphors behind the words to find a meaning. Sometimes, however, the structure of the poem itself and the literal image which the words convey are already the meaning of the poem. The significance in the reading of William Carlos William’s poem, â€Å"The Red Wheelbarrow†, lies in the structure by which the poet arranges the words and the snapshot of the image which the poem describes. The entire poem comprises of a single sentence cut into parts and stacked so that it becomes a four-stanza poem, each stanza of which comprises of two lines. The first lines are irregular; those in the first and fourth stanzas are made up of four syllables. The two sandwiched stanzas are only comprised of three syllables. Meanwhile, all second lines in each stanza are single words with two syllables each. As a sentence, the poem would be insignificant both for its mundane subject matter and lack of metaphor: So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow glazed with rain beside the white chickens. It becomes a subject for careful scrutiny, however, because of the manner by which the poet cuts the sentence into parts. The line breaks, cutting off whole words into two, suggest cued halting in the reading and the reader is forced to take in every image which every word evokes, both as a cut-off piece (i. e. wheel and barrow) and as a compound (i. e. wheelbarrow), slowly, part by part, then as a whole. The reader also learns to appreciate the painting which is the poem, like he does when viewing a still-life—a captured image intensified by the rendering—from a master artist, framed on a wall. The impact of the entire poem rests on the first stanza, â€Å"so much depends/ upon† (lines 1-2). It suggests the importance of what are to follow. It appropriates the value of the simple objects that would be enumerated. The placement of the word â€Å"upon† (line 2) as a line by itself, connotes the gravity of the importance of the wheelbarrow which is the central image in and subject of the poem. The word â€Å"wheelbarrow† is cut into two parts, â€Å"wheel† as a part of line 3 and â€Å"barrow† as an entire line 4. With the separation, the reader is forced to examine the machine by parts, the wheel first, before taking in the whole machine. His visual sense is also arrested with the middle word, which is a strong and bright color: red. The fifth line â€Å"glazed with rain†, gives the red wheelbarrow a character. It is not just a bright red wheelbarrow. It is dulled by the rain. It is a used and beaten implement. It has to withstand the natural elements. This reinforces the theme of attributing significance to this everyday object. This wheelbarrow does a lot of farm work, helping the farmer move and carry soil, manure, produce, etc. The same visual stimulus is presented again with the line â€Å"beside the white† (line 7), the adjective separating the noun, the â€Å"chickens. † (line 8), which the color pertains. Ending the line with another color, and one that contrasts sharply with the first color mentioned in the preceding stanza, makes the two objects captured in the painting (which is the poem) stand out against each other. The red wheelbarrow stands out against the white chickens. As an imagistic poem, â€Å"The Red Wheelbarrow† presents a snapshot of a farm scene. A red wheelbarrow sits idly on the ground, wet with recent rain, while chickens gather beside it, unmindful of the machine. The scene is ordinary and so is the description. The snapshot, however, perceived alongside the words and the form by which Williams creatively arranges the words, become more exciting because it begins to approximate a painting of an ordinary scene that is made special by the careful attention, reinterpretation and presentation of the poet. It is not just an everyday rural image of a wheelbarrow glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens. It is a work of art showing the image of a wheelbarrow glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens and the perceiver is being asked to evoke whatever associations, sentiments, feelings and interpretations he might come up with, both subjective and objective, as result of his experiencing the work of art. Reference: Williams, Williams Carlos. â€Å"The Red Wheelbarrow. †

Adidas Motivation

An employer of choice Rewarding employees Performance-driven remuneration system We are committed to rewarding our employees with compensation and benefit programmes that are competitive in the marketplace. The cornerstone of our rewards programme is our Global Salary Management System which is used as a basis to set the value of employees' positions and salaries in a market-driven and performance-oriented way.In addition to a fixed base salary, we also offer our employees various variable compensation components. Bonus programme: In order to allow our employees to participate in the Group's success and to reward them for their target achievement, we have implemented a global bonus programme under the name ‘aim 2 score'.This programme combines individual performance (measured in the Performance Evaluation and Planning process) and corporate performance (actual financial results measured against Group, brand, channel, division and/or business unit targets). Profit sharing: For e mployees at our Group headquarters and our other locations in Germany who do not participate in the bonus programme, we have introduced a profit sharing programme called ‘Champions Bonus'.Additional compensation components: For senior management and Executive Board members we offer Long-Term Incentive Programmes (LTIP). Other benefits include our 401-K pension plans in the USA and the adidas Group pension plan for our employees in Germany. In 2010, 2,060 employees participated in the latter, which represents 58% of all eligible employees. Other Group subsidiaries also grant a variety of additional benefits to employees depending on locally defined practices and country-specific norms.

Aircraft fuel system Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Aircraft fuel system - Coursework Example The most optimum engine operation can be realized by supervisory engine management since it enables the pilot to select the most appropriate thrust setting quickly and accurately. Irrespective of the changes in atmospheric conditions, the engine thrust can be maintained at a level predetermined and set by the pilot who can change again the thrust settings to his requirement by changing the thrust lever angle, in which case, the engine adjusts to the new thrust setting without overshooting of N2 or temperature. Thrust is not controlled directly by supervisory control unit, which calculates the value of the main control parameter (N1 or EPR) corresponding to the demand thrust to obtain N1 command or EPR command. This function is called ‘power management’ and the calculating unit is called ‘power management control’ (PMC) (Diesinger 89). Supervisory engine management is used in proven hydro-mechanical fuel control to obtain complete control over all engine func tions and is characterized by a mechanical backup which monitors engine control in case of failure of the electronic control. Supervisory engine management systems, thus, perform functions necessary for engine operation and protection enabling reduction of crew work load and maintenance costs and constitute the last designs using hydro-mechanical control systems (Diesinger 89). The FADEC engine management system uses an electronic control system with a digital computer as the only control unit. The FADEC engine management has taken over all steady state and transient control intelligence replacing most of the hydro-mechanical and pneumatic elements of the supervisory engine control system (Maclsaac and Langton 70). The capability of the digital computer to process a large number of parameters is fully utilized by the FADEC system. The FADEC engine management system provides engine system regulation and scheduling for thrust control in addition to

Western civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Western civilization - Essay Example This paper seeks to explore the shifts in concepts and ideologies that occurred leading to western civilization. Renaissance illustrates a period of cultural movement and its spread to the rest of Europe whereas Italy is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, which saw the outlook and institutions of the middle ages merge. Therefore, during this period radical change would be experienced at all levels of the society, giving rise to the European civilization, which later transformed to the modern western civilization. The central government within the political organization grew stronger in the wake of the rebirth but at the expense of feudalism. Feudalism was an arrangement in which persons regarded as nobles exercised public power, formerly held by kings since the existing monarchs could not guarantee the safety of their subjects. The notion that those regarded as the wellborn can influence policies and rule over others behind closed doors is still among the western civilization where stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process. Commercial and industrial activities expanded significantly, which introduced new and more efficient products to the society. As a result, capitalism in most city-states replaced most primitive forms of economic organization (Perry et al 293). This is a defining characteristic of the modern western civilization whose commercial activities are based on capitalism. The adoption of capitalism by the earlier civilizations enhanced pre-existing social inequalities, which for instance widened the gap between the rich and poor. At the height of the booming commercial activities, people in the middle-class level of the society increased in number as they amassed wealth, which played a crucial role in the economic and cultural life. In addition, religious reforms were introduced following the fragmentation of unity in

Accomplishments of Charlemagne Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accomplishments of Charlemagne - Essay Example Having served as an emperor during this medieval period has given me an opportunity to transform many lives and the nature of our lives. I believe that as I leave you soon, my political achievements will still remain and form major parts of the governments and other leaders to come. Precisely, my greatest political achievement is in 775, when I invaded, attacked and defeated the Germanic tribe Saxon who threatened the north-eastern frontiers of my newly formed Kingdom. During the same year, I also remember vividly that the Duke of Hrodgaud of Friuli rebelled against my rule but I defeated by him. These culminations gave me an opportunity with the Duke of Spoleto. We signed a treaty with him and this gave me the full power over Northern Italy which has ensured the peace that we enjoy today. To me, this is a very big accomplishment because as I go, I leave the many descendants of this great in a safe place to call home (Story, 2005).

Weather Systems 2014 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Weather Systems 2014 - Essay Example Some rainfall that fall was intermitted slight while other was intermitted heavy. The intermitted slight rainfall was attributed to less okta clouds that were slightly heavier. On the contrary, the continuous heavy rainfall along the Northern parts of England was attributed to heavier Okta clouds that which were formed via accumulation of substantial amount of water vapour. Okta clouds were experienced in the North Eastern parts of British Isle. This was followed by a heavy rainfall in Stomoway region and areas surrounding this region. Heavy clouds extended towards the Northern parts of Wick and Glasgow region leading to continuous moderate amount of rainfall (Jewell, 2011). In addition, heavy clouds continued to be experienced in other Northern parts of England such as Lorwick region as indicated in the synoptic table. Okta clouds were later followed by intermitted slight amount of rainfall. Moreover, Aberdeen and North Eastern parts of England such Tiree experienced okta clouds fol lowed by intermittent heavy rainfall. In addition, some parts of Scotland experienced can be observed that okta clouds, intermitted rainfall and moderate heavy rainfall (Sene, 2013). The coast Eastern parts of England such as Whitby and Spum Head experienced incidence of foggy conditions. The occurrence of fog may consist of condensed droplets of water which occur as a result of air being cooled up to appoint where it cannot be able to hold water vapour. The fog in the Eastern parts of England tend to be caused by a number of factors which include but not limed to immense cooling of the air on the ground, movement of air from regions with high warmth concentration to regions with extreme coldness. In addition, the presence of rain along the Eastern parts of England could be attributed the substantial amounts of fog in Whitby and Spum Head regions. This is because

How Hitlers abuse as a child and early life strongly shaped how he Thesis

How Hitlers abuse as a child and early life strongly shaped how he ruled as Fuehrer - Thesis Example Germany had never witnessed so much development, such that it almost reached its full employment level. Apart from the goodness of his rule, Hitler also unleashed his malevolence upon the nation, this depiction of evil is known as ‘the Holocaust’, and through this he pursued his dream of an anti-Semitic nation and a racially pure nation. The Jews, whom Hitler declared to be the ‘anti-race’ were excluded from all university placements, jobs, and even their shops were boycotted, they were proudly declared by Hitler as the ‘subjects’ of Germans rather than citizens of Germany. Then he inflicted upon them the terror of Genocide, which claimed almost 6million lives. During his tenure as the Fuhrer, Germany was in alliance with Italy and Japan, and thus started the World War 2 against the diametrically opposite Allied Powers from 1942 to 1944. Hitler nearly escaped death at the hands of the bomb planted by Claus Von Stauffenberg, under Operation Valky rie; the Fuhrer managed to escape and married his Eva Braun, with whom he had a silent affair for sixteen years. Ultimately, Hitler died of his own accord, by consuming a capsule of cyanide and a bullet in head. Thus the world saw the demise of an evil genius who inflicted terror upon the people of the opposite race, and yet amazed the world with his genius maneuvers (Emagzin, 2010). The way Adolf Hitler ruled as a Fuhrer was not out of the blue, it is claimed by that his personality traits were shaped by the life he spent in his early years, and most importantly the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, which molded his character such that he became a tyrannical ruler whose actions were identical to incidents from his early life. This paper highlights upon four important factors presented by his early life which shaped his rule as the Fuhrer of Germany, and then these factors are discussed in detail in accordance with their relevance (Craun Kids, 2010). Hitler’s inte raction with his friends in Early Childhood This is perhaps the least important factor which shaped Hitler’s rule as a Fuhrer, yet it is significant with regards to his tactics and plans for Germany’s expansion and the annihilation of the anti-race. As a child in his early years, Adolf Hitler was extremely fond of playing outdoors, and it is known that he spent most of his days playing outside of house with his friends, since he had very minute amount of work assigned to him to complete at home in elementary school. He substantiated this fact in his autobiography ‘Mein Kampf’ that: â€Å"School work was ridiculously easy, leaving me so much free time that the sun saw more of me than my room† (Hitler 8). This is not just a mere fact of a child’s pastime, but it carries immense importance when analyzed in collaboration with the activities of that boy as a grown up. One of the most common games that Hitler was fond of and enjoyed playing with hi s friends was ‘Cowboys versus Indians’. The frequency of this game being played and enjoyed by Hitler speaks of a characteristic inherent in the young kid’s personality, which is love of war. Hitler enjoyed the game because it was a depiction of war, thus translating into the fact which the world witnessed as he grew older and became the Fuhrer of Germany. The enjoyment derived from the game, the sharpness of mind in a warrior like manner and the tactics learned through this game set a precedent for his later

Events that lead to the atomic bombings in Japan during the world war Research Paper

Events that lead to the atomic bombings in Japan during the world war II - Research Paper Example For most of the people then and now, the full account of the events, the number of casualties as well as the internal decisions of all people involved in the Second World War were and still are vague. This paper aims to provide some information regarding several figures and concepts related to the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as to connect the said figures and concepts on these events in chronological order. Niels Bohr and the Development of the Nuclear Bomb While the whole development of the Nuclear Bomb can’t be solely attributed to Niels Bohr, he was an instrument for scientists in America to understand the processes by which nuclear energy from radioactive elements can be harnessed to produce a weapon stronger than the prevailing bomb formulations at that time. Bohr was working on particle bombardment, and initially he believed that the chances of being able to use nuclear particles in a controlled setting may be far from happening anytime soon (Gosli ng 2). However, upon learning about the results of Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann about the splitting of the uranium atom into two lighter elements as well as the release of a large amount of energy and highly-reactive neutrons, which would trigger the repeat of the same process on other uranium atoms, and so on. This process became known as nuclear fission, and became the core concept of the process of harnessing nuclear energy (Gosling 3). Bohr presented Hahn and Strassmann’ results in a conference around 1939, as well as having them published in that same year which enlightened many scientists, most especially those belonging to the Manhattan project (Rose 83). Bohr eventually assisted in the testing of the bombs at Los Alamos in 1944, a year before the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. He recognized the fact that if the allies were not able to produce an atomic bomb, the Germans might beat them to it, causing even more destruction (Rose 30). Through these efforts, the firs t nuclear bomb was finished and was used to bomb Hiroshima in August 6, 1945. The Formation of the Interim Committee Before the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki ensued, President Harry S. Truman formed the Interim Committee, an advisory group in charge of making recommendations on the use of atomic weapons during wartime as well as making a position for the U.S. on postwar atomic policy (Gosling 45). The group was consisted of members from different government groups: Secretary of War, Henry Stimson; George L. Harrison, Deputy Secretary of War; Vannevar Bush, Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development; Karl T. Compton, from the Manhattan project; Navy Undersecretary Ralph Bard; Secretary of State Will Clayton; and James Byrnes (Brune 606). The committee also had a scientific advisory team consisting of: Robert Oppenheimer, the Scientific Director of the Manhattan Project; Enrico Fermi, a Nobel Laureate for physics; Arthur Compton of the University of Chicago; an d Ernest Lawrence, a well-known physicist, with General George C. Marshall as their military representative (Gosling 45). During the meeting of the Interim Committee on May 31, 1945 they have concluded that the atomic bomb must be used against Japan in order for them to surrender as early as possible, and by doing so would send them the message that further resistance is futile (Brune 606). This conclusion was sent as a report on June 16 of the same year, as well as the additional advice that Japan must

Does post-development represent the end of development or a new way of Essay

Does post-development represent the end of development or a new way of thinking about how development should be promotedExplain - Essay Example It would give an illustration as to how alternative techniques should be designed to overcome any problem which may occur during the development process. At the end of the 1980s, there was and still is little proof that the ever-present Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) had motivated any development, or shaped circumstances helpful to growth. In these situations it was barely astonishing that a lot of individuals involved in development started to sense that the previous theories had unsuccessful (a remarkable exception incorporated those practitioners and intellectuals who were linked with the Washington, and other support organizations, that had prepared a considerable intellectual and economic investment in such plans as SAPs). The query was where to go from that place. Such was the character of the ‘impasse’. In the deficiency of any reliable hypothetical foundation many theorists have sought a trail through the impasse by reference to the body of premise usually known as ‘post-modernism’, or post-structuralism. History is analyzed merely as a reliant series of events. Post-modernists would also be likely to condemn what is frequently observed as an unusually modernist trust in the talent of human race to advance their situation through science, generally visualized as the capability to form and shape their world through the use of technology and such processes as balanced techniques of planning. This is not to declare that post-modernists quarrel that technology and planning never end in the most wanted, or at least useful results, although some approach quite near to such a point at times (e.g. Paul Feyerabendon science). However, they are generally doubtful of the capability of planners and social engineers to attain their apparently benevolent objectives for society (and this is to close the eyes to the chance that they may state such benign goals as a coat for less generally

Food is culture Essay Example for Free

Food is culture Essay According to the Executive Director of the Washington International Center, Robert Kohls (1984), â€Å"the different behaviors of a people or a culture make sense only when seen through the basic beliefs, assumptions, and values of that particular group. † This legendary statement that was uttered more than two decades ago was intended to explain American values and to compare these values with those that belong to other cultures. But, as time went by, Khols insightful perception about culture has taken on international meaning and it was one of the fundamental concepts espoused by Montanari in his book entitled â€Å"Food is Culture. † Using historical reference to Hoppocrates, Montanari insisted that food has never been associated with nature and this contradicts the general idea advertised by people who campaign for organic foods. Montanari explains that food is the result of the efforts of a society to tame, transform, and interpret nature. This view can be supported by two related observations. First, societies all over the world encounter different environments. That is, societies in the Pacific region may find tropical climates whereas societies in the Mediterranean region have temperate climates. The differences in weather, together with the differences in geography, lead to the different ways that the members of the society learned to deal with their varied environments. Thus, the second observation is that the different societies have produced their own unique food and food culture. For example, Italian food reminds people of spaghetti, tiramisu, and other pasta dishes. Asian food, on the other hand, brings to mind bowls of rice. Kohls’ perception, when combined with Montanari’s view about the relationship of food and culture, evolves into something different then. That the different values of a people or a culture are revealed and understood when seen through the food culture of that particular group. Feedback from a reader: At first, it would take some stretch of imagination to associate food with culture. There are two major reasons for this difficulty. First, people eat food in order to survive and perhaps live a relatively healthy life. The desire to live and survive is so fundamental that all peoples possess this particular desire. And if all peoples and culture uphold this desire to live, then eating food is very common that it cannot be directly related to the uniqueness of culture. And second, food is almost always taken from nature. This means that food is obtained from farms and from forests. â€Å"Farm† and â€Å"forest† are two concepts that are associated with things natural. Food, therefore, is a natural resource. And despite the fact that most people in America consume processed food, food is definitely associated with nature. However, using a more critical thinking and a wider observation of the world, the statement that food is culture begins to make some sense. The values of a culture can be reflected in the kinds of food that people eat and the ways that people eat their food. For example, the Japanese culture carries out a tea ceremony, specializes in sushi, and usually serves food in small bite sizes. All these reflect the fact that the Japanese culture gives great importance to tradition. Thus, when Japanese encounters a problem, he turns to the knowledge of his ancestors for guidance. The typical American, on the other hand, rarely imitates the actions of his ancestors. When he encounters a problem, he tends to find help by himself and establishes some measure of control on his problem. The way that Americans value individuality and personal control over their environment can be seen in the way they wanted their food to be served individually. The Americans also wanted their foods to be served fast and this preference echoes the values of practicality and efficiency. Therefore, as a reader of Montanari’s ideas about the relationship of food and culture, I am convinced that food culture does reflect the values upheld by a society. Bibliography Kohls, R. (1984). The values Americans live by. Retrieved September 18, 2007 at http://omni. cc. purdue. edu/~corax/kohlsamericanvalues. html Montanari, M. (2006). â€Å"Introduction. † Food is Culture. A. Sonnenfeld (trans. ). New York: Columbia University Press.

The 1906 landslide victory Essay Example for Free

The 1906 landslide victory Essay To what extent is it fair to conclude that it was Conservative/Unionist failings that led to the 1906 landslide victory? Within the last 20 years being dominated by the conservative party, perhaps it is possible to assume that soon there would be a reverse in conservative fortunes. This could come from a liberal comeback or another party finding their feet in parliament. As we know it was the Liberals aiming their ascendancy again to win a landslide victory in 1906. However, external factors cannot entirely be attributed to the conservative downfall as it came in a landslide defeat. In answering this question I will look at the inefficiencies and limitations of the conservative party, whilst also considering the actions and decisions of the other parties. It is fair to say that the conservatives would have found it difficult to gain any more votes than they already had received form previous elections, and that their goals were mainly consolidation of their position. This landslide in 1906 shows that the conservative objections were failed to be adhered to. Therefore in answering this question the first aspect to look at is the conservative parties own limitations. Many of the problems that the conservatives had to face were them always seeming to have an ineffectual leader, Arthur Balfour. At first it would to be believed that he might become a good leader as he had brains, courage, vision and that he was also a well respected man in the commons. Balfour disliked democracies like his uncle Salisbury, yet in that he never took it seriously. Balfour became too cerebral and too uninvolved, and in his eyes, the Tories were an instrument for solving the nations problems. He saw that Britain was in a state of decline on the international front, with the economic growth saturating alongside productivity. Thus, defense of the empire was required in order to make Britain more competitive and Chamberlain was particularly devoted tot this. It has to be said that it was the combination of Chamberlains response and Balfour letting him enact his response that became a major reason behind the conservative defeat in the 1906 elections. The conservatives foreign policy was also very poor, as it was the Liberals in 1886 with the problems involving Irish home rule. Between the two men, the party collapsed from Salisburys secure and dominant party, to eventually ruins. Balfour was also costly about reform, and it was the poorly orchestrated social reform that seemed to lead to the dissatisfaction of certain social groups that had been formally enlightened by the conservatives. An example of this is the 1902 Education Act, which eventually ended up in a political disaster. In order to achieve national greatness and efficiency it was believed at the time that it was education that held the key, and that if education didnt become a prominent feature of party policies Britain would fall behind other major countries. Therefore no wonder that Balfour and Devonshire both co-operated to forward the education act of 1902. Embitterment reached its peaks in the summer of 1906 with Dr. Clifford, who started upon orchestrating a campaign against education reform. This became the beginning of the non-conformist revolt. Other reforms agitated the non-conformists groups, two years later with the enactment of the 1904 Licensing Act, which made provision for closure of republic houses but also compensated those who had lost trade by a levy on those remaining. With Balfours inability to reform he had two major instances in the public spotlight, which completely tarnished the partys reputation with hem showing complete insensitivity towards the public opinion. Balfour mistake on the domestic front with him totally comprehending the trade unions agitation that arose form a series of judgments in the late 1890s (Taff Vale). In contrast with Disraeli in the 1870s he made no effort to halt the pressure groups. Balfours main concerns were with the foreign policy and maintaining of the empire, which in effect would enhance Britains position. Another major mistake that Balfour made was the damage from the Boer War in South Africa. Alfred Miller concerned about the war asked for the importation of Chinese workers, these workers would work in the gold mines of the Rand. Initially Chamberlain who obviously recognized the importance of public opinion vetoed the request, however the board sanctioned the request later in 1903. This proved to be a mistake with a wave of protest all over Britain, mainly die to the people becoming more aware of human rights. The outcry came form the conscience as the Chinese workers had to work in poor conditions in the most small and dangerous areas. Balfour could have rejected the idea, however to him the plan was effective and practical. On the 15th May 1903, Birmingham, Chamberlain declared his faith in imperial preference as he proposed to abandon free trade which had become a way of British life for fifty years. He believed that a system of duties would tie the overall empire together, raise revenue for social reform and protect British industry. The war on the Tariffs had started with Chamberlain seeing this move a way of solving the nations problems whilst giving him individual gains, such as him being in the spotlight after fading with the climax of the Boer War. In July 1903 an outraged group of unionists began to set a Free Food League, and thus Balfour faced an extremely dangerous position. Bitter quarrels were beginning to form between those who endorsed free trade and those who were tariff reformers. Another massive blow to the conservative party under the controversies of tariff reform was the loss of Winston Churchill, who publicly showed the necks of the liberals, tariff reform became a rallying cry for conservatives and an electoral liability. The protection of men and women meant less food for the people, whilst the fre trade stood for prosperity and cheap food. Chamberlains reform, was admittedly unfortunate to coincide with economic revival, yet this fear of expensive food created a retaliation in the country and I believe this was the major mistake made by the party, which ultimately produced a swing against them of devastating proportion in what is know seen as the landslide victory of 1906. Chamberlain and Balfour both seemed to have the inabilities to appease all social groups and this was made worse with their ineffective social reform, inability to understand public opinion and their constant focus upon solving the nations problem. This all contributed to the declining conservative support. The views that I have just made are the conservatives mistakes that led to the landslide victory, yet the Liberal party after Gladstone was undertaking changes. These changes were apparent in their organization and ideology and thus by the early 1900s it was ready again to challenge the conservatives through the electoral system. The year 1902 was a decisive year for the liberals fortunes. Initially, the liberals looked set to divide further into factions as Roseberys ascendancy had culminated in him leading a pressure group within the party as a president of the new liberal league. The group name was Schism which included the prominent figures such as Grey, Fowler and Asquith. The group however began to fade away. The education Act set up by the conservatives gave the Liberals a chance to reform and unite and rally to the non-conformist cause. The Liberal politicians now had something to pick up on, and hostility to rate support fir church schools and the abolition of the non-conformist dominated school boards was a perfect issue. By-elections immediately swung against the Tories, as the Liberals won in Bury and Leeds by July. In 1903 Chamberlain had begun his infamous tariff reform campaign and presented the Liberals with an absolutely perfect issue in which they could protest against. The Liberal propaganda, machine had got in motion with the main liberal highlight big Liberal Loaf against the small Tory loaf. Asquith began to emerge as a leading protagonist in the issue, and was a thorn in Chamberlains side. Through the campaign the liberals were winning back votes form the working class as the liberals played upon the fact that the tariffs were being enacted at the expense of the masses who have to pay for them. This then led to more places falling under the Liberal grasp like Lancashire. Even new support groups were being encouraged, as the National League of Young Liberals was set up in 1903 and had 300 branches by 1906. Gladstones achievements as an organizer meant a fall in the number of unionist candidates. The splitting of the progressive vote had clearly rebounded to the unionist advantage, highlighted in the unionist dominance at Barnard castle in 1903. The eventual agreement was signed in September 1903 with the main gist being that Labour would get a free run in some forty to fifty unionist seats in return for backing the Liberals elsewhere. The results of the 1906 elections were paramount to the pact made by the two parties, as the benefits affected both. Indeed the LRC and the Liberals were able to concentrate upon capitalizing on the new upshot of working class consciousness, which was shown in essence at the retaliation against the war fought for the rich capitalists of the Rand, the money making schemes of Chamberlain, the contemptuous nature against Labour with the enslavement of Chinese workers and the refusal to reverse the Taff Vale judgment. The reform issue was the final fault of the conservatives for the Liberals to pose the question. The 1906 elections was a disaster for Unionists whereas the liberals consolidate their strongholds whilst gaining in Lancashire, London and the southeast. In conclusion I believe that it was mainly due to the conservative failings that led to the 1906 landslide elections. The Tory party was headed by two main figures, Balfour and Chamberlain who brought the party to ruins preceding the rise in liberal fortunes headed by Salisbury. The liberal propaganda machine helped to put the conservatives to rest whilst they continued their uprising. The Liberal united around the conservative failings and this proved to be a force for both non-conformity and the working class.

U.S. intervention in Iraq

U.S. intervention in Iraq Introduction There are people that are opposed to the U.S. intervention in Iraq, as they believe that it will not lead to stability and democracy. These people, find similarities to Americas Vietnam intervention. For them, America has once more involved in a prolonged and indecisive political and military struggle, from which it will extricate with human and economic loses. On the other had, there are people that are in favour of the Iraq War and they believe that there is no comparison to the Vietnam War. They claim that it is the annihilation of Nazi Germany and its transformation to a democratic ally, that should be used as an analogy.[1] But, the comparison to the Vietnam War and its consequences was unavoidable, as it still influences the publics attitude towards foreign military intervention and was an event that is still in memories of todays American leaders. The question is whether there are any lessons from the American disaster in the Vietnam War that could be applied in Iraqs case. The differences between the two wars are very important: First of all, Vietnam in 1960 was a country with a long national history and a distinct national identity that was created after centuries of fighting against foreign domination. On the contrary, Iraq is a young state with many ethnicities and religions, that make unity difficult. Moreover, in Vietnam the enemy was skilled and experience with important external aid and international legitimacy. In Iraq the enemy had no martial ability and was politically isolated. Besides that, in Vietnam at first the war had the form of an insurgency that changed into a conventional conflict , whereas in Iraq happened exactly the opposite. The nature of the insurgency in the two cases was different, too. In Vietnam there were peasants that were centrally directed by the Communists, that had a clear politico-economic and social agenda. In Iraq, the insurgents were members of small groups that their methods consisted partly of car bombings and sabotage against U.S. forces and the war objectives werent very clear. Moreover, the U.S. was more restricted in military action in Vietnam that in Iraq, by the Chinese and the Soviet threat and they only cared about protecting South Vietnam. Nowadays, the U.S. with its military primacy is aiming at a regime change in Iraq. In Vietnam, the U.S. reached the 500,000 men and left the country after 8 years of bloodshed. In Iraq, the cost in human lives was much smaller and 3 weeks were enough to succumb the military resistance.[2] The comparison is becoming valuable by a political perspective: the lessons and the warnings that may come out of the Vietnam War for policymakers in Iraq War, especially on legitimacy and sustainability. The U.S. that failed to create and sustain a government and political order in South Vietnam, is now trying to do the same in Iraq. The Republic of Vietnam was a Cold War creation of the U.S. and it depended totally for its viability on America. In the end, most of the South Vietnamese didnt have the willingness to fight and even die for its maintenance. The sustainability failed mostly because the Americans abandoned South Vietnam, mainly because of the fall of public support on this war, as time was passing by with increasing American human and economic loses and no remarkable progress. State-building in Iraq is still in progress, so a critic on U.S. policy on this matter would be unfounded. This essay tries to recognize and analyze the comparisons between the American intervention in Vietnam and in Iraq. I believe that the differences are equally important with the similarities for providing political insights. This essay tries to evaluate similarities and differences on: relative U.S. military power, war aims, nature, duration and scale of the war, U.S. manpower lose rates, the enemy, military operations, role of allies, challenges of state-building, and challenges of sustaining political support. It ends with conclusions and recommendations. Relative U.S. Military Power From a military perspective, the international and regional balances were different during the Vietnam and Iraq wars. During the Cold War, the United States relied on allied military support, so its military intervention that took place in Vietnam (1965) had restrains. On the other hand, United States intervention in Iraq (2003) was characterized by freedom of action, as the United States was the only superpower and its military supremacy was globally uncontested. During the Cold War, China and the Soviet Union had under their influence many communist areas in Europe and Asia, including Vietnam, so the U.S. had to be careful regarding its military action in the region. Americans were trying not to provoke directly the Chinese and the Soviet intervention, so they were using their military power with restrictions.[3] But even then, China and the Soviet Union were helping the Vietnamese Communists by providing them with weapons of technological advance. On Iraqs case, Saddam Husseins military strength had almost disappeared by 1991 and in 2003 he couldnt find military support by external actors. For the Iraqi soldiers, training was not a priority, that is why in 2003 the Americans didnt face great difficulties in crushing Iraqi military resistance, taking over Baghdad and overthrowing Saddam Hussein. War Aims The political objectives between the Iraq and Vietnam wars were different. In the 1960s the United States was trying to preserve the non-communist status quo in South Vietnam. In 2003, the United States expressed their intention to democratize Iraq in order to create a model for the rest of the countries in the Middle East. In South Vietnam, as long as the policies that were followed were in agreement with the U.S. interests in the Cold War, the absence of democracy was not an issue.[4] In the Vietnam War, the U.S. wanted to preserve the regime, by forcing North Vietnam to cease its military intervention in South Vietnam. For this purpose, a massive and well-organized military effort was necessary against a determined and skilled enemy. In contrast, in Iraq the U.S. wanted to change the regime and for doing so, less effort and time was needed, although the collapse of Saddam Husseins regime, gave the opportunity to anti-occupation groups to mount insurgent attacks on U.S. forces and reconstruction targets. Another difference was that one of the basic objectives in Iraq was the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, while in Vietnam there was not such an issue but a struggle over territory. Moreover, the war on Iraq was justified as a part of the war against terrorism, led by al-Qaeda, which attacked the U.S. in September 11, 2001. In Vietnam War, the Americans didnt feel threatened by some kind of terrorism back in their homeland, despite the fact that Vietnamese Communist forces conducted terrorist attacks against South Vietnamese officials and U.S. civilian personnel. But, these attacks were restricted in the region.[5] The main American war aim in Vietnam was to safeguard the credibility of U.S. defense commitments throughout the world. Dean Rusk, the Secretary of State had stated: We have a commitment to assist the South Vietnamese to resist aggression from North. If the U.S. commitment in peace becomes unreliable, the communists would draw conclusions that would lead to our ruin. Indeed, failure to defend South Vietnam would lead American allies to question their credibility and communist advances would be encouraged in the Third World. The credibility of U.S. defense commitments was not an issue in the Iraq war. The Communist threat did not exist anymore and the American operations were not a response to Iraqi aggression. On the contrary, it was a war in order to prevent Iraqis acquisition of nuclear weapons and to stop the expansion of their biological weapons capability. This war depicted the U.S. willingness to use force against states that were seeking nuclear weapons and that could threaten them in the future. Nature, and Scale of the War The American intervention in Vietnam began as a materially self-sustaining, peasant-based communist insurgency in the South, against the South Vietnamese security forces that were supported by the U.S., and it ended up as a conventional military war between the U.S. and the North Vietnamese regular forces.[6] In contrast, U.S. military operation in Iraq began as conventional and quickly crushed Iraqs regular forces and ended up as a counterinsurgent campaign against terrorists. In Vietnam the Communists motivated a centrally-directed, perfect strategically revolutionary war, with a detailed political and economic program in order to mobilize the support of the peasants. Moreover, the communists in Vietnam had external support. The insurgency in Iraq was nothing like it. The Iraqi insurgents were former Baathist regime operatives, Sunni Arabs, al-Qaeda and other Islamist suicide bombers, hired gunmen and anti-American Shiites. So, the insurgency was not centrally directed. Moreover, it has no declared agenda, though it seems that their goal is to get the U.S. out of the country and cause instability on behalf of the restoration of Sunni Arab rule. Until recently the Iraqi insurgency rested mainly on the Sunni Arab community that consisted the 20% of the population. Now the insurgency has expanded but it cannot be compared to Vietnams situation where the peasants (80% of the population) formed the communist insurgency forces. When it comes to scale, the differences are many. In terms of the forces committed the U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam they reached 543,000 in 1969. Allied forces coming from other countries were 65,000 in 1968 and the South Vietnamese armed forced reached 820,000 soldiers. Communist troops numbered 700,000 in 1966.[7] By comparison, insurgent Sunni Arab fighters were no more than 5,000.[8] Militant Shiites, associated with the Muqtada al-Sadr movement and his Mahdi Army, may on the other hand number up to at least a few thousand fighters. The Vietnam War, unlike the Iraq War, had a huge and protracted aerial bombing component. In terms of bomb tonnage dropped, it was the largest air war in history. During the 1962-73 period, 8,000,000 tons dropped through Indochina.[9] U.S. aircraft losses due to hostile action were also numerous, as North Vietnam was supported by the Soviets who supplied them with technologically advanced air defenses. During 1962-73 period the U.S. aircraft loses totalled 8,500, 2,700 airmen were killed and 1,800 were captured and became prisoners.[10] In Iraq, U.S. air power comprised a large component of major operations and had one advantages over U.S. operations in Vietnam: the enemy didnt have effective air defenses. However, as in Vietnam, the helicopters proved vulnerable to hand-held missiles and to machine guns. During March 20-May 1, the Iraqis downed 30 helicopters.[11] U.S. manpower loss rates During the 1965-1972 period in the Vietnam War, the U.S. numbered 55,700 dead and 290,000 wounded, which is translated as 19 dead and 100 wounded per day. These rates are well above than in the Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, which records 2 deaths per day. By April 2004, U.S. casualties had reached 685 dead and more than 3,000 wounded.[12] The Enemy The number of the enemys forces was impressive in the Vietnam War, but so was the number of the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces, which combined to third-country allied forces, outnumbered the communist forces. U.S. forces in both cases had a fire power advantage over the enemy. Despite that fact, in the end the U.S. left South Vietnam to the Communists. One explanation would be because of the anti-war movement back in America and the hostility of the media[13]. Another, would be the outstanding performance of the enemy, based on the asymmetry of stakes. The Vietnamese conflict was a limited war for the United States but a total war for the Vietnamese Communists. The Americans underestimated the enemys ability and most importantly their desire to win even if that meant that they had to die over trying. For the Vietnamese Communists this war was about national reunification, independence and taking over the power in Vietnam.[14] The Communist forces losses during the American period of the Vietnam War had reached 1,100,000 dead and 2,000,000 civilian dead. In the 20th century, it is the highest military death toll proportional to its population (5%).[15] The enemy in Iraq is smaller in number, less ideologically and organizationally cohesive and has no external assistance. During the first period of the Iraqi insurgency, the most dangerous enemy elements were Baathist regime remnants that were trying to restore the old Saddamist order. The characteristics of the enemy since then seem to be changing with the constant appearance of anti-American Islamic militants in the struggle.[16] Religious extremists and foreign fighters begun to supplant Baathist remnants as the primary members of the insurgency, using suicide as an insurgent method and other types of bombings..[17] Additionally, an unknown number of criminals and unemployed former soldiers have been hired by the Baathists to engage in attacks on coalition forces for pay. Saddam Husseins capture brought into Iraq a number of foreign terrorists that now had the kind of freedom of movement that previously didnt have.[18] While Saddam was in charge, an effective internal security prevented any kind of insurgent activity. Moreover, terrorism against his regime was something that Saddam was fighting against. Moreover, al Qaeda takes advantage of the vacuum in the political system that Saddams regime fall created. Members of al Qaeda are considered as leaders of the major suicide bombings that have been taken place in the country, such as the attacks at the UN headquarters, the Jordanian embassy and Kurdish political parties.[19] Another part of the insurgents is people who seek revenge against the Americans for previous actions against their families and friends.[20] But, it is clear that Iraqi soldiers are not as capable as the Vietnamese Communists were. The Communists were organized into divisional-size units, whereas Iraqi fighters operate in squads. The Vietnamese Communists had external access to technological advanced weapons, whereas the Iraqis did not. But the Iraqi insurgents are better armed today, than the Vietnamese Communists in 1960, who relied on stolen and home-made weapons.[21] Iraq starting from Saddam Husseins era, has been a heavily-armed society. Last but not least, the Iraqis have no common ideology, strategy or vision for Iraqs future, while the Vietnamese Communists had. Iraqi insurgents operations are uncoordinated, even though all of them agree on the objective of Americans being thrown out of the country, they have not agreed on a strategy for doing so. Maybe their thought is to kill as much U.S. troops as they can in order to undercut domestic American political support? Military Operations In Vietnam the U.S. got involved in two wars at the same time: one on the ground in the South and an air war in the North. Both of them failed. In the South, the U.S. military forces believed that they could cause huge casualties, because of their fire power, on the Communists and that they would have the initiative in the war field.[22] But, they ignored the Communists readiness to sacrifice and their substantial manpower. Moreover, in fact, the Communists started most of the fire fights, which meant that they could control their losses by refusing combat when it suited them to do so. The enemy managed to keep losses within his capacity to replace them.[23] In the air war against North Vietnam the Americans also underestimated the enemys will to win. North Vietnam was a pre-industrial totalitarian area, so it was difficult to be defeated through air power. Moreover, the Soviets provided them with military means that imposed significant loses on American aircrafts.[24] North Vietnam had a powerful air defense system and the capacity of bomb damage repair, whereas Iraq in 2003 had not. The U.S. air losses in North Vietnam were significant. Apart from the enemys capacity and political restrictions in the use of force, there were other factors that influenced Americas military performance. There was no joint warfare in Vietnam.[25] On the contrary, inter-service rivalry dominated, producing disunity of command and precluding the provision of timely and useful military advice to civilian authority.[26] On the ground things werent any better. Rotational tours of duty of 1 year for enlisted personnel and 3-6 months for officers lead to small unit cohesion under fire and compromised the ability of officers and men alike to accumulate and sustain knowledge and skill in fighting. As a result, only the 15% of the U.S. military personnel in Vietnam were available for sustained ground combat operations, by 1968.[27] Communist forces were leaner because they relied more on stealth and cunning than firepower, and because they recruited hundreds of thousands of peasants to perform logistical tasks. Moreover, they lived in the field, unlike Americans. Vietnamese revolutionary war, combined mass political mobilization and a reliance of guerrilla tactics that deprived a firepower superior conventional foe of decisive targets to shoot at.[28] They relied on camouflage and night operations, hit-and-run attacks and use of terrain and populations as means of concealment. The purpose of Communists military operations was to weaken enemys will through protraction of hostilities. It was the only way for them as a swift victory over the Americans was impossible.[29] Insurgents in Iraq have different targets: U.S. and coalition troops, American civilian contractors, Iraqis working with Americans, oil and electrical power infrastructure. Moreover, Iraqi politicians, police stations and officers and members of the New Iraqi Army.[30] Their methods have evolved through time as the various groups have engaged in trial. They mainly include rocket-propelled grenades and use of improvised explosive devises. Iraqi police officers and other security forces are targets because they are considered to take over the power as soon as the U.S. forces leave the country. In addition, they are more vulnerable because their weapons are not as lethal as U.S. forces and they receive limited training in force protection.[31] Role of Allies In 1965 the United States did not bother to seek U.N. authorization for intervention in Vietnam because of the certainty of a Soviet veto.[32] In 2003, the United States sought an authorizing resolution but failed to garner even a majority among the U.N. Security Councils membership.[33] Indeed, in both cases, much of the rest of the world, including key allies, regarded U.S. military intervention as illegitimate. Not a single NATO ally joined the United States in Vietnam; on the contrary, only five other states aside from South Vietnam itself (Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand) contributed combat troops.[34] If Americas allies in the Vietnam War were few, the opposite was true for the Vietnamese Communists. Unlike Saddam Husseins Iraq in 2003, the Communists in Vietnam had powerful and decisive allies. Behind the NLF in the South stood North Vietnam, and behind North Vietnam stood the Soviet Union and China. Deliveries included fighter aircraft, antiaircraft guns, tanks and helicopters. The Chinese, provided the Vietnamese Communists with huge quantities of weapons. Unlike the Russians, however, the Chinese provided over 300,000 antiaircraft and engineer troops who, in the face of escalating U.S. bombing, manned air defense systems and constructed, reconstructed, maintained, and defended North Vietnams transportation network, especially its railroad system.[35] In Iraq, as in Vietnam, the United States has sought international support both to reduce its military burden and to enhance the legitimacy of its policy, although it strongly resisted giving the United Nations a major voice in post-war Iraq policy. In Iraq, as in Vietnam, this effort produced disappointing results, although the number of countries contributing forces to Iraqs postwar stabilization is much more impressive than those that sent troops to Vietnam. In both cases, the United States bore the primary burden of the fighting, although in Vietnam, unlike Iraq, a large indigenous force performed important static defense and other military tasks. In Iraq, the most notable contribution came from the United Kingdom, which contributed 26,000 troops. Since the termination of major combat operations in May 1, 2003, a number of other countries, for a variety of motives, some of them having little to do with support for U.S. policy in Iraq, have committed limited force contingents to assist Iraqs post-war stabilization.[36] Additionally, the more Americanized the already heavily American foreign presence in Iraq becomes, the more likely it is that it will provoke Iraqi nationalist opposition. Some Iraqi nationalists may be drawn to the insurgent cause by what they view as a prolonged U.S. troop withdrawal and the continued absence of a new U.N. effort to take over the establishment of a new Iraq.[37] Challenges of State-Building The Vietnam War ended as a war between two states, the northern Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and the southern Republic of Vietnam (RVN). The former established in 1945 and the latter in 1954. The U.S. supported the RVN against further Communist expansion. If it werent the U.S. political, military and economic support, the anti-communist regime could not have been created and sustained.[38] The U.S. helped with the state-building in South Vietnam for two decades. It founded governmental institutions, it armed and trained the RVN armed forces, it subsidized South Vietnams economy and it tried to direct the RVN toward democratization. Despite these efforts, state-building failed, first of all because of the RVNs military defeat in 1975. The RVN was defeated so quickly that made an impression even to Communists.[39] The U.S. were to blame for it partially. It reduced its principal goal from securing an independent, non-Communist Vietnam to looking for a withdrawal and when the final Communist offensive was launched in 1975, they couldnt re-enter the war or provide the RVN with materials.[40] The RVN was to blame for the failure, too. Their weaknesses were: professional military inferiority, corruption and lack of political legitimacy. Moral disintegration explains why their three times bigger in size army, with larger equipment was that rapidly defeated.[41] Important RVNAF units didnt go to combat because they were to protect the government from potential threats of a coup detat, and generals that were very skilful were considered as political threats. In addition, military promotions were given with no meritocratic methods.[42] Moreover, many South Vietnamese started stealing American military and economic aid in order to get profit. They didnt care about going to war as for them the Americans were responsible for this task. Black market operations were one of the major components of RVNAF corruption.[43] The Communists fighting power was superior as first of all their political program was very clear: kick out the Americans, give land to the peasants and unite the nation. In addition, they had a totalitarian political system that controlled and directed the society more effectively than in South Vietnam. On the contrary, the RVNAF lacked in discipline and patriotism that would lead soldiers to sacrifice their lives.[44] Unlike the RVN, the Communists succeeded in persuading the majority of Vietnamese in both South and North that it was the only legitimate political representative of national independence. The RVN failed to obtain the necessary legitimacy in order to survive without the American support.[45] In Iraq, as in South Vietnam, the political success will come after the creation of a government that will be legitimized by the majority of people and after the creation of security forces that will be in position to protect this new political order. South Vietnam had a corrupted government and large but incompetent security forces. Its enemy, however, was very capable. On the other hand, in Iraq there is no government and no worth-mentioned security forces. Moreover, any government that the U.S. will try to create must be likeable from the Iraqis and must be secured by U.S. military power.[46] The main threat to state-building in Iraq lies not in the insurgency in central Iraq, but in the potential for the recent uprising of Shiite militants to reignite, expand, and include large elements of that community or the development of the kind of sectarian civil war that plunged Lebanon into near anarchy for almost 2 decades.[47] The creation of a stable and democratic Iraq is difficult. The U.S. does not have the time with their side. Most of the Iraqis and their Arab neighbours look Americas presence there suspiciously and question its motives. So the Iraqi governmental institutions are erected under political pressure and under the objections of Iraqi sectarian leaders.[48] The U.S. with its military presence undermine the constructed governments legitimacy. U.S. withdrawal will reassure nationalists and provide governmental institutions with some space in order to develop.[49] One the other hand, a premature withdrawal a security vacuum may cause disorder that could lead to a civil war. Iraq has met in the past tyranny and authoritarian regimes, so a democracy in order to work needs institutions that can be trusted to deliver representative government, while protecting minorities. In addition, the development of a political society where groups will have the opportunity to be elected without provoking fears to the losers, is necessary. Otherwise, the losers may try to ensure their safety by resisting to national institutions.[50] The institutions need to be protected by security and gradually the U.S. intents to pass this responsibility on Iraqis. This action may lead to the legitimacy of the new Iraq government, provided that the new forces will not operate with visible support from the U.S. . [51] Challenges of Sustaining Domestic Political Support The American intervention in Vietnam failed because citizens back home stopped supporting it. Communists had more to loose from a bad ending of this war than the U.S, so their political will was much stronger. The majorities and opinions of liberal newspapers, such as the Washington Post and New York Times supported the Vietnam war in the first place, as long as it didnt last long, there werent many casualties and it didnt influence much their economy.[52] People trusted the U.S. Government and supported its decisions. But as war went on, this support started to decrease. By March 1969, 66% of the citizens were opposed to the continuation of this war. From April 1969 to December 1972 the U.S. military personnel dropped from 543,000 to 24,000. Public opinion made Nixon pullout the American soldiers even though he knew that this would favour the Communists.[53] In Iraqs case, public support may decreased because of the inability to find any relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda. Moreover, the costs of the Iraq War are extravagant and they are to blame partially for the cumulative national debt.[54] Operation IRAQI FREEDOM was a war of choice and as such, like Vietnam, publics tolerance in deaths was limited. Before the war started, .U.S. Government assured people that the hole world would consider them as liberators of Iraq. Effects on public opinion between expectations and realities needs to be seen. However, polls taken in March 2004 by CNN/USA Today showed a decline in public support. Only 49% was in favour of the Iraq War. Moreover, the 43% believed that their government mislead them about whether Iraq has nuclear weapons.[55] Conclusions These two historical situations are not identical. Operation IRAQI FREEDOM achieved its goal, that is eliminating a regime that could be a threat to the U.S. . Despite that fact, the U.S. had to face the costly results of state-building while insurgent violence is still on, that resembles the Vietnam situation. Many academics believe that establishing democracy in Iraq is beyond Americas power and that another regime type must be approached, such as a benign authoritarian regime type along the lines of Kemal Ataturks Turkey, as a transition to more representative governance.[56] However, the U.S. must not abandon Iraq as it did with South Vietnam in 1975. It is possible that such an action would lead to civil war. In my opinion the differences between the two cases are more than the similarities, especially in the military aspects. But underestimating the Iraqi insurgents would be a mistake that the U.S. did with the Vietnamese Communists in Vietnam. After all, even the appearance of the insurgency after U.S. operations surprised many. In addition, even though the appeal of the Iraqi insurgency cannot be compared to the Vietnamese Communists, the Iraqi insurgency has attacked key targets to Iraqs reconstruction. Policymakers need to be careful with the two aspects that are similar in both wars. The challenges of state-building and the need to maintain domestic political support. State-building in Iraq could fail for the same reasons that failed in Vietnam: inability to create a political order that gets legitimacy by the citizens. Moreover, the domestic political support cannot be taken for granted, especially now that people have in their memories the consequences of the Vietnam War. In addition, the absence of a North Vietnam in Iraq could change, with a hostile external state intervention. For instance, Iran, which has strong state interests in Iraq that have so far been served by the U.S. destruction of the Saddam Hussein regime may try to cause chaos in Iraq. Iran has no interest in the resurrection of a powerful Iraq, and certainly not a democratic Iraq, and it has the means to get thousands of Iraqi Shiites on the streets to protest the U.S. occupation. To conclude with, it is important to mention the greatest difference between the two wars. The Vietnam War is a finished event, whereas Iraq War is still in progress. We know what happened in Vietnam, but we do not know what Iraqs fate will be. Robert L. Bartley, Iraq: Another Vietnam? Wall Street Journal, November 3, 2003 Harry G. Summers, Jr., Vietnam War Almanac, New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985, p. 113. See John W, Garver, The Chinese Threat and the Vietnam War, Parameters, Spring 1992, pp. 73-85. Larry Berman, Planning a Tragedy: The Americanization of the War in Vietnam, New York: W. W. Norton, 1982, p. 92. Larry Berman, Planning a Tragedy: The Americanization of the War in Vietnam, New York: W. W. Norton, 1982, p. 94. Shelby Stanton, Vietnam Order of Battle, Washington, DC: U.S. News Books, 1981, p. 333 James J. Wirtz, The Tet Offensive: Intelligence Failure and War, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991, pp. 247-251 David L. Anderson, The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War, New York: Columbia University Press, 2002, pp. 286, 287, 288. Phillip S. Meilinger, Air Power: Myths and Facts, Maxwell AFB, AL; Air University Press, December 2003, p. 78. Anthony H. Cordes