The Etruscans – Ancient History

The Etruscans The Etruscan civilisation is distinguished by its unique language and its beautiful art. The Etruscan economy was based on agriculture, trade and mineral resources. We also know the greeks traded with the Etruscans because the Etruscan alphabet is similar to the greek one. The Etruscans are thought to have either been â€Å"native† to Italy or to have migrated from Lydia Lydia ina round 800bc beause of famine. Etruscan cities were very powerful and were though to have been ruled by â€Å"The Etruscan League† which was (according to roman legend) founded by two Lydian noblemen; Tarchun and his brother Tyrrhenus.The league was made up of 12 cities but which twelve exactly is unsure. Each city state met once a year where a leader was chosen to represent the league. The league was both religious and political. Etruscan homes were mud-brick, with timber on stone foundations, some with upper stories. Some etruscns even had underground drains leading to main sewa ge drains located under the streets! Etruscans did a lot of farming, they grew barley, millet, wheat, grapes and other fruits and they raised pigs, goats, sheep, ducks, chickens and cattle. Cattle was used for food and to pull plows and wagons.Etruscan miners dug copper, lead, iron and tin. Metal workers and sculptors turned metals into weapons, utensils, jewellery and sculpture. Etruscans were famous for their art, especially in bronze and clay. Etruscans also enjoyed many forms of entertainment including gambling with ivory dice, music and dancing (for religious reasons and pleasure), playing board games similar to chess and backgammon and watching ant taking part in sports. Etruscans traded goods and metals with the Greeks, Carthage, Syria and many other Mediterranean countries. Merchants traded for luxury items like gold, silver and ivory.Etruscans were also very religious, much like many other tribes of the ancient world. Their religion was deeply influenced by eastern greeks, as was etruscan art. Etruscans had special training institutes to teach their religion and their complex curricula included not only religious laws and theology but also the encyclopaedic knowledge required by the presets, which ranged from astrology to zoology and geology. Etruscans had many gods, whom they worshipped on outdoor platforms made of dirt or stone. Later, they built temples of wood, mud-brick, and clay on stone foundations, which were usually elaborately coloured and adorned.Soothsayers predicted events and the Etruscans believed in omens which were signs of what was to come. They believed that the destiny of man was completely determined by the many gods and deities which etruscans worshipped. They followed complex rituals involving dancing and singing. A lot of etruscan literature comes from burial remains and tombs. The dead were cremated or buried in cemeteries outside each city. Those that were buried were put into individual tombs(if you were rich) called catacom bs and often tombs were filled with works of art and treasures of gold, silver, bronze and ivory.

Noise Control/Radon

In the advent of technological advancements that we have today, we are not only given innovations that would make our lives easier, but also some risks and threats to our health and well-being. These health risks and threats can be considered as the negative side of these technological advancements, and these are usually in the form of pollution. Pollution on the other hand, can be classified into various types, usually depending on the aspect of the environment that they have a corresponding negative effect.These include air, water, and soil pollution. There are also some types of pollution which arises when there is an excessive amount of a naturally occurring substance or phenomenon, just like Radon Pollution and Noise Pollution. But between these two, it is the radon pollution that poses great risks, as it affects everyone in the country, with greater risks to those staying in their homes.Noise pollution is defined as â€Å"an unwanted, disturbing sound that causes a nuisance in the eye of the beholder (Nunez, 1998).† This is comprised by displeasing sounds created by human activity or by machines, and are known to disrupt the environment (Berglund & Lindvall, 1995). The leading cause of noise pollution today is from the transportation sources – the noise coming from the motor vehicles. In a person, the aspect greatly affected by noise pollution is the sense of hearing, which could lead to different responses from the affected one, including annoyance and other behavioral changes.Radon pollution on the other hand, is caused by naturally occurring processes. Even before man became aware of pollution and its effect on human health, Radon was already around the environment. It’s because Radon is a natural part of the atmosphere, and that it is continually being released by the earth, because it is the product of the radioactive decay of radioactive materials like Uranium and Thorium (Health Physics Society, 1997).The problem that results f rom this is when people build their homes on the Radon-releasing soil. Since it is a naturally occurring process, Radon will just continue to seep through the soil, supposedly going to the atmosphere. When homes are built however, the Radon tends to seep through the cracks in the basement, and will just be contained in our homes. Excessive Radon contents are known to cause respiratory problems like lung cancer, the second known cause for lung cancer deaths all over the country, next to smoking (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000).Radon pollution poses a greater health risk to the community, as compared to Noise pollution. This is because Radon release of the earth is a naturally occurring event, as compared to Noise creation. Having Radon in the environment is inevitable, that even our homes are not a safe place to stay if the matter is not taken seriously. Noise pollution is also relative to a person: what could be noisy to some people can be pleasing for others.Also, nois e pollution is slowly being suppressed by technology, like the hybrid cars being quieter as compared to normal-engine vehicles. But despite this, Radon pollution can be solved thru the people themselves. There are ways to protect homes from excessive Radon contents, like maintaining a sealed, well ventilated basement. Another is to regularly check the Radon contents in your home, a safety measure which is not costly and can be afforded by a normal household.As Radon pollution may continue to exist despite all the technological innovations present today, this doesn’t mean that people will forever be at risk because of it. Health risks can be averted by making sure that the people’s homes are protected from the seeping Radon gases. Spending a little for the family’s health would mean protecting them from fatal health risks.References:Berglund, B., & Lindvall, T. (1995). Community Noise.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.nonoise.org/library/whonoi se/whonoise.htmHealth Physics Society. (1997). Radon Fact Sheet.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.hps1.org/glossary/radon.htmNunez, D. G. (1998). Cause and Effects of Noise Pollution.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.dbc.uci.edu/~sustain/global/sensem/S98/Nunez/Noise.htmlU. S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2000). Radionuclides (including Radon, Radium and Uranium).  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.epa.gov/ttn/uatw/hlthef/radionuc.html Noise Control/Radon In the advent of technological advancements that we have today, we are not only given innovations that would make our lives easier, but also some risks and threats to our health and well-being. These health risks and threats can be considered as the negative side of these technological advancements, and these are usually in the form of pollution. Pollution on the other hand, can be classified into various types, usually depending on the aspect of the environment that they have a corresponding negative effect.These include air, water, and soil pollution. There are also some types of pollution which arises when there is an excessive amount of a naturally occurring substance or phenomenon, just like Radon Pollution and Noise Pollution. But between these two, it is the radon pollution that poses great risks, as it affects everyone in the country, with greater risks to those staying in their homes.Noise pollution is defined as â€Å"an unwanted, disturbing sound that causes a nuisance in the eye of the beholder (Nunez, 1998).† This is comprised by displeasing sounds created by human activity or by machines, and are known to disrupt the environment (Berglund & Lindvall, 1995). The leading cause of noise pollution today is from the transportation sources – the noise coming from the motor vehicles. In a person, the aspect greatly affected by noise pollution is the sense of hearing, which could lead to different responses from the affected one, including annoyance and other behavioral changes.Radon pollution on the other hand, is caused by naturally occurring processes. Even before man became aware of pollution and its effect on human health, Radon was already around the environment. It’s because Radon is a natural part of the atmosphere, and that it is continually being released by the earth, because it is the product of the radioactive decay of radioactive materials like Uranium and Thorium (Health Physics Society, 1997).The problem that results f rom this is when people build their homes on the Radon-releasing soil. Since it is a naturally occurring process, Radon will just continue to seep through the soil, supposedly going to the atmosphere. When homes are built however, the Radon tends to seep through the cracks in the basement, and will just be contained in our homes. Excessive Radon contents are known to cause respiratory problems like lung cancer, the second known cause for lung cancer deaths all over the country, next to smoking (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000).Radon pollution poses a greater health risk to the community, as compared to Noise pollution. This is because Radon release of the earth is a naturally occurring event, as compared to Noise creation. Having Radon in the environment is inevitable, that even our homes are not a safe place to stay if the matter is not taken seriously. Noise pollution is also relative to a person: what could be noisy to some people can be pleasing for others.Also, nois e pollution is slowly being suppressed by technology, like the hybrid cars being quieter as compared to normal-engine vehicles. But despite this, Radon pollution can be solved thru the people themselves. There are ways to protect homes from excessive Radon contents, like maintaining a sealed, well ventilated basement. Another is to regularly check the Radon contents in your home, a safety measure which is not costly and can be afforded by a normal household.As Radon pollution may continue to exist despite all the technological innovations present today, this doesn’t mean that people will forever be at risk because of it. Health risks can be averted by making sure that the people’s homes are protected from the seeping Radon gases. Spending a little for the family’s health would mean protecting them from fatal health risks.References:Berglund, B., & Lindvall, T. (1995). Community Noise.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.nonoise.org/library/whonoi se/whonoise.htmHealth Physics Society. (1997). Radon Fact Sheet.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.hps1.org/glossary/radon.htmNunez, D. G. (1998). Cause and Effects of Noise Pollution.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.dbc.uci.edu/~sustain/global/sensem/S98/Nunez/Noise.htmlU. S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2000). Radionuclides (including Radon, Radium and Uranium).  Ã‚   Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www.epa.gov/ttn/uatw/hlthef/radionuc.html

Perception about Studying of the Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Perception about Studying of the Students - Essay Example integration in respect of the students who attend the special schools. In the beginning of the journal, the focus is given on the rules and regulations made for such type of disability and students preferences. There is a qualitative method which is adopted in order to find out the truth behind such kind of debate and what is the main concern. A study is also taken where a pilot program is done. In this pilot program a mass of people who were disabled students of the respective ages required were taken. Firstly a group interview was taken, then a personal interview with each student. The group interview was focused on finding the main issues and perception of the students themselves. What they think about the further colleges. Then after the group interview, the personal interview further helped to bring out of more of the information which is their inner expectation and problems faced by them in entering the mainstream colleges. This study brought in itself the clarity and the findi ng was also shown to the participants. The results show mixed perception of the students. It is never asked to the students themselves where they want to go. Where the truth is that they wants to preferably wish to go to the special collages where they find themselves more connected and taken care in good manner. They also don’t want to learn from the LSA (learning staff assistant). They feel that the kind of The results show mixed perception of the students. It is never asked to the students themselves where they want to go. Where the truth is that they wants to preferably wish to go to the special collages where they find themselves more connected and taken care in good manner. They also don’t want to learn from the LSA (learning staff assistant). They feel that the kind of the information given to the other student should also be imparted to them and as per the researches shown that these assistants are not very qualified. Also the perception of the special students is more tilted towards learning in the special collages as they feel there they will not be treated specially as every student will have some kind of disability and they don’t want to feel different which ultimately affect their self-esteem. The most important thought which can be learned from this journal is that the students who have some kind of disability themselves do not wish to go and mingle with the mainstream college students. The journal has given very good information which shows that the student with disability is happier to be with same kind of people. The reason being that they get same importance, no feeling of being treated specially, no feeling disabled as some of the other disability is there in each student of special collages. It is also argued that the students with disability are not accepted easily within the mainstream colleges easily due to the change in the thinking of the normal students. They do not take them as friends in the same manner. Also ma ny times the student with disability has faced the teasing issues. These type of issues further loosen their confidence. These students need affection and acceptance which is not given easily in the mainstream colleges. These colleges also do not have all types of facilities as they are not mending as per the requirements of the special needs students. Thus we can say these types of students are right to prefer to be in the same environment where everyone understands the need and problems faced by special students. They tend to be more focused and get their requirements in the special schools which they do not get in the mainstream colleges.

Harley-Davidson Technology Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Harley-Davidson Technology Strategies - Essay Example Talon is essential in mapping customer demand to enhance supply chain efficiency (Haag, Baltzan and Philips 91). Talon has enhanced Harley-Davidson managers’ decision making capabilities by availing of a 360-degree view into enterprise-wide information, which is critical to strategic goal setting and decision making at all levels of the organization. # 2 An Executive Information System details specialized system supporting senior executives within the organization. A digital dashboard is critical in integrating information from diverse components onto a single display. The application of digital dashboards contributes to enhancement of a company’s return on investment. Some of the principal metrics that Harley-Davidson executives may want to monitor on digital dashboard encompass sales by region, sales by season, best selling product, worst selling product, relationships between product sales, statistics on online orders versus in-store purchases and statistics detailin g best and worst selling dates per month. # 3 Executive Support Systems emanate from integration of Executive Information Systems with Decision Support Systems. ... Other benefits include timely delivery of information and better understanding of the information, filtering data to enable quick tracking and utilization of the information. # 4 Electronic commerce and communications can enhance sales as it avails of an extended platform for accessing dealerships. This can drive up profits as it enables bypassing dealers and ensuring that dealers remain at the centre of the customers’ buying experience. Online selling of accessories is essential to satisfying online buying experience. Some of the metrics that Harley-Davidson applies in monitoring on a digital dashboard include the time taken to process orders, the number of returned orders and the number of incorrect orders. This is critical to the delivery of prompt, consistent and rewarding experiences to all the loyal customers. The decision to adopt online selling will also enable Harley-Davidson to enter fresh markets and create additional revenue streams, besides redefining business rel ationships (Haag, Baltzan and Philips 92). Ethical consideration is critical as it influences the company’s brand image, as well as how sales, marketing and advertising principles are employed to make the company profitable. The anonymity of online transactions and the speed at which information is relayed make ethics an integral consideration. The key considerations revolve around privacy, intellectual property concerns and accessibility of information. # 5 Customer satisfaction is essential in building of a long-term, profitable relationship, which eventually translates to customer loyalty. Harley-Davidson should anticipate customer’s needs, enhance responsiveness and deliver consistent service so as to improve

Art integration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art integration - Essay Example ’†¦..learning skills, persistence and teamwork among kids.’’ The research made findings that schools in Alameda and Los Angeles counties have huge participation in the Arts for All initiative and Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership. In Boston, the mayor’s office has supported programs such as out-of-school art programs while in the New York City and Chicago schools have a soft spot for stand-alone arts where private foundations have been critical in art growth. The research has also indicated that a community-based organization in Dallas has facilitated the integration of arts learning into elementary schools After a research had ‘’†¦..painted a worrying picture of the art†¦.’ status in Dallas, various organizations under the umbrella name â€Å"Dallas arts Partner initiated a turnaround in the art. ArtPartners was formed fundamentally to oversee the implementation of various art programs that are focused creating art programs and making them available in school. It is significant to point out that the ArtsPartners have been able to integrate creative learning in all school programs, the curriculum and neighborhood cultural centers. The effort put by the ArtsPartners has since paid dividends as many students have excelled in their learning through the arts. In this they realized the education system can only achieve its objectives conveniently when art is part and parcel of learning. In Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance is one of the most original art forces in dancing. The group is among other few groups that perform art pieces in the entire and have performed in about fifty countries. The groups comprise two dance-iconic companies that are instrumental in presenting new masterpieces and works in arts. The group has transformed the life of many ‘’†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦through the use of creative energy in their education, community and youth programs.’’ On the other hand, Jammie Topper, a teaching artist, declares her huge interest in imparting art skills

Gender Socialization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Socialization - Research Paper Example Toddlers and elementary-aged youths have not yet reached this level of self-awareness in terms of identifying with their social environment, thus the clothing is more streamlined than with the unique patterns and styles available for older youths in their adolescent years. For teenagers and preteens, much of the clothing available did not exhibit any noticeable sexuality aspects other than the short skirts available for teenaged girls. Â  The toys available were generally the same across the shelves, except for those more masculine toys for teenagers that included military-garbed action figures while young girls were being exposed to promotional products that included make-up, homemaker accessories, and other feminine-minded products adorned in pink and light blue packaging. At the bookstore, most of the products were similar for boys and girls until reaching the section for older teens that were more themed related to gender, such as books by Judy Blume that dealt with identify for mation for girls related to their sexual development and curiosity about their bodies. Â  Consumer products, based on the research, seem to group children into appropriate gender roles, only after they have reached the elementary age and seem to carry more depth related to socially acceptable gender roles after they have reached early adolescence and beyond. There is definitely a trend that indicates consumer products expect more gender segregation for the preteen and teenaged children, toys and books for younger children.

Strikes and Employment Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strikes and Employment Relations - Essay Example Changes in the definition and description of workforce conflicts across various time periods will provide an exhaustive understanding of whether the conflict can be considered as an influential feature of contemporary employment relations or not. Strikes can be described as the temporary disruption of work by certain groups of workers or employees. The objective behind strikes is expressing grievance or enforcing particular demand. Strikes can be temporary and in severe cases may lead to permanent closure of the factory or manufacturing site. In general, strikes have always been hampering for the company as it involves loss of time, money and productivity. However, strikes have been used as an influential method by worker unions to put their demands in front of the management. Strikes are conducted with specific and calculative purposes. As a result of its high influence and potential harm, they are often considered as a biggest manifestation of the industrial conflict. Nonetheless, looking at the present decline in the number of strikes, it cannot be concluded that strikes are the only source of conflict between employees or workers and management. Yet, it cannot be concluded that strikes have lost their importance or are sh rinking. From a worldwide perspective, it is clear that strikes are still a major source of communication and interaction in many parts of the globe. The interconnectivity between employment relations and human resource management can be understood by associating them with different managerial ideologies. For instance, unitarist ideology is dominated by autocratic and authoritarian style, where managerial control over decision making in disciplined and under strict control. In another form, unitarism can also be considered as a more paternalist management approach.  

Managing Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Managing Diversity - Essay Example Diversity in an organization or the work place can only be practiced or appreciated by recognizing the fact that discrimination can create a serious disadvantage to a particular group of employees or workers while at the same time bestowing privilege on others. Managing diversity in a place of work or organization increases the productivity of the employees in that particular organization. Managing diversity at the place of work or organization is important as it creates and maintains a conducive work environment, which incorporates both differences and similarities of the employees. Several studies and research have confirmed that managing diversity at the work place or organization results into increased commitment and satisfaction by employees or workers in their duties thus leading to an increase in returns. Managing diversity in the organization may involve the proper balance of gender in that persons of different sexes are allowed to perform similar duties or functions. This is aimed at bringing a positive work environment through the incorporation of both gender is incorporated as it brings into consideration the value of both similarities and differences of employees. This makes each and every employee or worker realize their potential thus maximizing the overall contribution they make in order for the company to increase productivity and achieve its goals and objectives. Discrimination based on the gender of an employee continues in most organizations, for example in some organizations women are and feel discriminated against at all levels of their employment (Gregory, 2003). There is therefore need to diversify the roles each gender plays at the work place or organization. Managing diversity at the work place therefore entails the respect and acceptance of employees of both sexes as equal partners in the work place through the recognition of the employees and their uniquely acquired skills. This would include overcoming barriers or stereotypes that hi nder the participation of some people in some duties in the organization. For example, the belief that that women are not good in industrial or technical jobs can be done away in order to accord everyone an equal opportunity at the work place. Successful management of diversity of employees in the work place or an institution has a direct effect in improving the performance of all employees in the organization. Extensive research has shown that management of diversity by incorporation of both men and women in the work place has direct impact in the results achieved as a heterogeneous team that composed of both men and women perform better at the work place as compared to teams made up of only men or women (Barbara, 1988). Organizational Strategies and Policies Cox and Blake (1991) have argued that having an organization with a diverse work force results into decisions that are better, creative and innovative while at the same time resulting into a flexible organization that apprecia tes divergent thinking. It may also make the organization attract and retain the best talents thus ensuring a greater capability in marketing. These can

T-test results Essay Example for Free

T-test results Essay Factors in which Body Shop Exceeded Patrons’ Expectations. The following t-test of means of paired groups were significant at the . 01 level: Quality of the products, the customer service of the store personnel; the variety of product offerings in the store; the convenience of going to the store location; attractiveness of the packaging; the degree to which the product espouses â€Å"natural† rather than artificial; the values espoused by the company who sells the product. In all these items, Body Shop has exceeded the degree of importance attached by the respondent on the factor. Body Shop has to maintain its exemplary customer service in its stores, especially since the customer experience in the store forms part of the branding of Body Shop products. An often forgotten facet is the convenience of the store location, which also figured as a factor which exceeded the expectations of patrons. This may again be leveraged on for brand building. Consistent with the assertions of Kotler (2003), brand building involves a gamut of interdependent factors, which says everything about what Body Shop represents. This evidently includes the customer service received by the client when inside a Body Shop branch. He further asserts that customer service is perhaps the most important device for brand building. As this is a factor which has exceeded expectations of Body Shop patrons, it simply needs to maintain this asset to remain competitive. Exemplary customer service can breed loyalty among its clientele (Kotler 2003). Yet another factor which exceeded the expectations of patrons was the variety of cosmetic offerings by Body Shop. This is especially critical in the UK setting since women in Britain are the highest users of make-up in the whole Europe, about 93% of the population (Ending the Cosmetics 2008). In fact, the sales of cosmetics, toiletries and perfumes rose to 4. 1% from 3. 5%, giving the market a value of â‚ ¬64. 6bn (Montague-Jones 2008). Big names in the cosmetics industry dominate the market with L’Oreal leading the way. Variety is also a concern of the company. Since L’Oreal took over The Body Shop, the company is expected to stand out as it expands its product range to natural products (Euromonitor International 2008). This is again a facet which they can further leverage on for continued competitive advantage. Packaging is also a strength of Body Shop. It has successfully built a â€Å"green† brand and this is strongly reflective of its ‘natural’ packaging. The natural packaging of Body Shop logically tells patrons that the product has been made from natural or oganix ingredients. There is some anxiety over the accuracy of ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ labelling, although the results of the current research show that Body Shop is not in question. For instance, Paul Lieber, cosmetic chemist, expressed that physically possible for more 30-40% of the ingredients to be organic, unless its organic oil, for the simple reason that conventionally 60-70% of a product is water which cannot be certified organically grown. (Farlow 2006). Because there are no such ‘accusations’ of Body Shop products, there packaging and label information are perceived to be authentic and accurate. Moreover, Body Shop is also wary about indicating whether product may cause allerfic reactions. While other competitor brands struggle to promote an image of natural and being environmentally friendly, Body Shop has been at the forefront of the race. They always ensure that there is information on the front of the label about the health and safety of the ingredients inside the package (Farlow 2006). The foremost feature of Body Shop as a busines entity is the appeal of its noble thrusts or cause. This is attested to by the results of the survey, which suggest that it has exceeded expectations of clients in terms of the quality of their products and its natural appeal. These indicate that it has effectively used cause branding, an approach in branding where a company supports a cause to be able to increase profits or to set it apart from competitors (Ivy Cohen Corporate Communications 2007). It has gone into the league of such programmes as Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, ConAgra Foods’ Feeding Children Better Program, Reebok’s Human Rights Awards and Rockport’s Fitness Walking Program. While promotional activities are there only for the short term, cause marketing forms part of the brand, as a long-term initiative. They have been successful at making the Body Shop brand tantamount to caring for the environment and for promoting authentically natural products (Evergreen Partners 2005). Moreover, Body Shop has effectively promoted corporate social responsibility through its various community activities and environmental programmes. These various causes have helped spell its solid brand (Evergreen Partners 2005). The values of Body Shop have been instrumental in creating its successful brand, and the results of the current research have supported this. Not only has it been successful at creating a corporate brand, it has also been effective at creating a successful employer brand. VersantWorks (2008) asserts tht with the uptend in new resources such as technology, the core asset of any enterprise remains to be its manpower. Thus, as Body Shop competes with increasingly effective competitors, its must attract competent key people through its appeal as an employer. It must thus maintain its credible standing among its stakeholders current employees, potential hires, and previous staff about the company as place of work (Harris 2002), as Body Shop being a â€Å"great place to work†. This shall continually instill in them pride in being part of the company, engagement, and belongingness (VersantWorks 2008). This trend of advocating exemplary corporate values for creating an employer brand is expected to continue for Body Shop, with its acquisition by L’Oreal. The latter has in fact been nominated as among the Fast Moving Consumer Goods – FMCG Employer of Choice (Employer Profile 2008). It has also been espousing employee development explicitly through its website; they likewise offer a secure workplace, performance is given credit, a diverse culture, and where privacy and private life are valued (As An Employer 2008). What makes this strategy work for the company is because L’Oreal knows who it wanted to hire and focus the HR endeavor to accomplish the task (Klein 2008), something that they are likely to infuse further in Body Shop. Factors which Matched Patrons’ Expectations. There are no significant differences on the following items: brand; the degree to which the product is environment friendly; and positive feedback garnered from significant others. These suggest that Body Shop has met expectations of the respondents based on the degree of importance they have attached to each factor. Body Shop has matched its patrons expectations in terms of being a well known, globally acknowledged brand. Overall, they have not only raised awareness about their products, but have also been able to address the personal needs of their clientele (Lake 2003). They have been able to espouse a character to which the clients have related and associated themselves to (Klein 2008). In total, the opinions and interface of their customers with the Body Shop brand have been positive, and have allowed them to remain competitive (Lake 2003). Still among the reasons for their success if their effectiveness in building a corporate band. Body Shop has created brand loyalty where customers look for products under that company or under the Body Shop brand name (Crystal 2003). To this point, Body Shop continues to leverage on being an environmentally friendly enterprise, which is also one of the factors which matched the expectations of its patrons. Inf act, in collaboration with Adi Maimalaga Tafuna’i , executive director of Samoa’s NGO Women in Business Inc. , the Body Shop was instrumental with the launching of Samoa’s coconut oil to the world last year. September 2008, through the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, will be the launching of the organic standards for the agricultural produce in the Pacific regions, a cooperative work the NGO and New Zealand and Pacific expertise. Tafuna’i expresses complying with organic standards is always a major issue especially for agricultural exports and this undertaking will add value to the small quantities of agricultural produce for export (Radio New Zealand International 2008). Moreover, Body Shop promotes other advocacies apart from environmentalist. For example, it has commemorated International Friendship Day last August 3 by launching their For Me, For You shea butter lip care two-packs—a special edition launched late last month on July 28th —preservative-free balm retails for $15. All profits from each sale are donated to entities like Alice Housing through the Canadian Womens Foundation in support of its endeavor to help women and children who are victims of domestic violence (Webb-Campbell 2008). The women respondents in the present study have also expressed receiving positive feedback about the Body Shop brand from significant others. These results suggest that women are strongly influenced by reference groups, family, and role and status within the society. Moreover, a reference group could be a single person or a group of people that an individual consults when developing personal standards (Consumer Behavior 2008). These further indicate that their significant others’ expectations about Body Shop products have been met as well, and they were strongly influenced to adopt the same set of standards (Consumer Behavior – Social 2008). For instance officemates or friends show or introduce the latest trend, convincing their significant others that this good; consequently, purchase is impacted on by this feedback. In addition, Heath and Bryant (2000) suggested that when consumers buy things like cosmetics, they ask friends and family first prior to buying. The information and views expressed by these close relations have as much influence on whether the purchase will be made as the consumers’ own needs, inclinations and knowledge. Such is more applicable when a consumer is uncertan about what to buy; in such cases, they are likely to heed what they perceive as socially acceptable, especially by those who are significant to them (Heath Bryant 2000). Factors which Did not Match Patrons’ Expectations. In contrast, the following factors are those in which Body Shop did not quite meet client expectations based on the degree of importance they have assigned to each: competitive price of the product; trendiness or fashion sense represented by the product; and the sales promotions used for the product. Price, trendiness and sales promotions have to be beefed up further by Body Shop to be able to entice more clients and to maintain the loyalty of its patrons. While clients are willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products, clients are growing increasingly price-conscious. Moreover, while its popularity cannot be denied, it has still managed to elect a marketing entity to manage its affiliate marketing programmes in the UK. This suggests that it is still conscious about the need to further promote the products even if it has already gained a niche in the market. It has thus elected TradeDoubler, the pan-European digital marketing company, to exclusively oversee its trade marketing programme in the UK (e-Consultancy 2008).

Systems Planning and Selection Essay Example for Free

Systems Planning and Selection Essay Planning and Selection Managing the Information Systems Project | Using Project Management Software | First Phase of the SDLC: Systems Planning and Selection | Identification and Selection Task of the Selection and Planning Phase | Initiating and Planning Task of the Selection and Planning Phase | Assessing Project Feasibility | Baseline Project Plan Report and Scope Statement Managing the Information Systems Project Management through the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Transcript Projects are planned tasks designed to meet prescribed business requirements. Projects must have a set beginning date and an agreed-upon end date and are not associated with everyday work. Project managers make sure systems development projects focus on customer expectations and needs and also ensure that the project is implemented within budget and within the time allowed. Project managers make sure the project is initiated properly, planned to ensure all tasks are completed, managed to ensure all activities are completed in an efficient manner, and the project is closed out with customer concurrence. The PM needs a wide range of skills, including leadership, management, technical, and people skills for conflict management and to maintain excellent customer relationships. Therefore, the PM must wear many hats. You have probably been in positions in the past where you had a specific set of responsibilities and you were asked to take on additional roles or responsibilities. Well, in the case of a PM, thats exactly what is expected. You must be flexible in fast-changing environments. Information System projects solve current business problems or take advantage of technical or business improvement opportunities. Our book uses Pine Valley Furniture to show how projects are initiated through problem identification. The problem is documented with a systems service request. A change management team then meets to review and approve the systems service request. Once approved, a feasibility study is conducted to review costs and benefits as well as possible alternative solutions. The PM then reviews the scope, resources needed (people, software, hardware, and money), and any risks for successful project completion. To implement a successful project, the project manager must balance many tasks and activities. Our book lists the skills and activities needed for a PM. Skills and Duties of a Project Manager ActivityDescriptionSkill LeadershipInfluencing the activities of others towards completing a common goal through the use of interpersonal skillsCommunication; liaison between management, users and technical staff; assigning tasks; tracking progress ManagementUsing resources properlyDefining and sequencing activities; communicating expectations; assigning personnel to tasks; monitoring results Customer relationsManaging what the customer expects from project deliverablesInterpreting system requirements; user training; point of contact for customers Technical problem solvingSchedule resources to solve problems in meeting project goalsInterpreting system requests and specifications, defining tasks and order of completion; designing and implementing solutions to problems Conflict ManagementManaging conflict to build consensus and keep the project on trackProblem solving; compromising; goal setting Team managementManaging team members to increase team performanceCommunicating internally and externally; team performance evaluations, conflict resolution; team building Risk and change managementRecognizing, evaluating, and managing the risks that occur during a project to reduce impact on the project schedule, cost, and requirementsEnvironment scanning; risk and opportunity identification and assessment; forecasting; resource redeployment Project management activities for the project are made up of the following: initiation, planning, execution, and proper closure. Initiation The first phase is project initiation, wherein the complexi ty, size, and scope are evaluated in order to determine procedures to follow on phases and activities. Initiation tasks include the following. StepTaskProcedure. Selecting an initial teamThese members carry out the initiation tasks. 2Building and establishing a relationship with the customerThis is to encourage and develop a good relationship between the users and the analyst. Getting the users involved early helps to ensure the success of the project. 3Developing a project initiation planThis step helps to identify the scope of the project. Tasks include establishing roles, defining the communication plan, listing deliverables and tasks, and creating timeliness. 4Establishing management and reporting proceduresThe PM designs the communication channels, reporting procedures, specific role and job assignments, how to manage changes to the plan, and budget issues. 5Developing the project charter to outline what will be done for the budget and time constraintA project charter is a short, high-level document prepared for both internal and external stakeholders in order to formally announce the establishment of the project and to briefly describe the objectives, key assumptions, and stakeholders. 6Creates the initial PM documentation and workbookOur textbook depicts the Pine Valley Furnitures workbook for the purchasing project. Keep in mind that this documentation should be in both hard copy and soft copy forms for distribution and archival. The Project Workbook Purchase Fulfillment System Example Transcript Planning Project planning takes place during phase 2 of the management process. The planning phase describes the work required to be completed during each project. Activities taking place in the short term are very detailed, but longer-term tasks are not often very detailed. We have 10 activities during this phase. They are depicted in the following table. Project Planning Describing project scope, alternatives, and feasibility Dividing the project into manageable tasks Estimating resources and creating a resource plan Developing a preliminary schedule Developing a communication plan Determining project standards and procedures Identifying and assessing risk Creating a preliminary budget Developing a project scope statement Setting a Baseline Project Plan During this phase, the team tries to get its hands around the complexity and content of the work required. The team members do this by defining the scope, identifying the list of the best alternative solutions, and assessing feasibility. A work breakdown structure is created to show the order of tasks and is a deliverable of this activity. Our book shows how a Gantt chart can be used to depict how tasks should be decomposed from high-level tasks into more detailed tasks. We can all appreciate this activity as being one that is most crucial to the success of our projects. If we dont put in the necessary planning up front, well pay for it in a number of ways later. Gnatt Chart Example of Project Tasks Transcript Resources for each project activity are estimated, and a project resource plan is created as one of the deliverables from this task. The plan identifies which person will complete each task. When making task assignments for each person, the project manager should review the experience level of the person and the complexity of the work to be completed. The constructive cost model (COCOMO) is a method used by project managers to assist in estimating project resources. It can be fairly complex, since several different parameters can be used from prior projects at different levels of complexity. You can find more details on this method in the text. You are encouraged to visit that section of the text in Chapter 3 because COCOMO is one of the most widely used methods today. The initial schedule shows resource availability and timeline information. The schedule shows time estimates for each task in the work breakdown structure. Network diagrams and Gantt charts depict the schedule of the project. Our book depicts a Network diagram, sometimes called a program evaluation review technique, or PERT chart A Network Diagram Transcript Execution The third phase of our process is project execution and is depicted in the steps below. Project Execution Executing the Baseline Project Plan Monitoring project progress against the Baseline Project Plan Managing changes to the Baseline Project Plan Maintaining the project workbook Communicating the project status Here is a brief description of each of the activities: StepTaskProcedure Execution of the BPPThis initiates project activity execution, assigning resources, training any new members of the project team, making sure that the project stays on schedule, and keeping quality in the project deliverables. 2Monitoring progress against the BPPThis is where the PM needs to adjust resources, tasks, and/or the budget. Network diagrams and Gantt charts are very helpful tools describing what needs adjusting. 3Managing changes to the BPPThis task concerns tracking and managing change requests. The PM must find a way to keep the project on schedule. As a last resort, the Baseline Project Plan may need to be revised. This usually affects the budget or timeline. 4Maintaining the project workbookThe project workbook must be updated so that the current status can be quickly viewed. Communicating the project statusThis means that the status must be communicated to all stakeholders and team members. Proper Closure The project ends during the project close down phase. A project can be completed successfully, ended in failure because the customers requirements and expectations were not met, or canceled due to cost or time overruns. See the steps to the project close down phase below. Project Closedown Closing down the project Conducting post project review Closing the customer contact The following is a brief description of each of the activities when a project terminates. StepTaskProcedure 1Closing down the projectDuring the close down phase, a PM may advise each team member on handling any negative personnel issues. The project manager will also notify all stakeholders that all work and documentation are completed, review financial data, and reward the accomplishments of the members of the team. 2Performing post project reviewsWhen conducting post project reviews, the objective is to obtain feedback that can be used to improve future projects for the company by documenting strengths and weaknesses of the processes used and how well the requirements were met. 3Closing the project contract with the customersThis step is done in order to ensure all requirements and contractual terms were met. An important task is completing all required documentation. Project managers have different methods for project plan documentation. Network diagrams and Gantt charts are two such tools. Gantt charts show when tasks begin or end; Network diagrams depict the sequencing of activities. Network diagrams are used for controlling resources and showing the critical path. Network diagrams (or PERT) are used more often than Gantt charts for technology projects because Network diagrams depict how completion times vary for various tasks. PERT is a technique that uses a pessimistic, optimistic, and realistic time to calculate the planned time for a particular task. The critical path is the least amount of time to complete a project. Slack time is defined as the amount of time that a task can be postponed without delaying the project. Using Project Management Software Although this course does not teach the use of software programs used by project managers to aid in the management and tracking of their development projects, I thought we should introduce one of the most widely used, Microsoft Project. Its used in small and large companies. There are programs that are inexpensive, although you may not get much technical support. They can be downloaded for use in many cases free of charge but are usually limited in functionality. At the other end of the spectrum, there are products that can be used extensively throughout large enterprises with powerful components and vast functionality. Of course, you can expect to pay a hefty fee to use them. In Chapter 3, our text lists Microsoft Project and a few others and provides brief descriptions. In order to use Microsoft Project, youll need to perform the following activities at a minimum. Establish a project starting or ending date. Enter tasks and assign task relationships. Select a scheduling method to review project reports. Dont let this scare you off. The online help function can walk you through it. There are tutorials available on the Web to get you started as well. Obviously, the Microsoft website is a good starting point. First Phase of the SDLC: Systems Planning and Selection The first phase of the traditional development life cycle involves determining which projects should be developed and implemented. This phase also ensures that all approved projects are prioritized. The project team will also start the initial planning process by defining the project scope. A system analyst will take vague user requirements and create well-defined requirements. Our book identifies the tasks needed to be completed for this phase. First Phase of the Systems Development Life Cycle Transcript Identification and Selection Task of the Selection and Planning Phase Project Identification and Selection steps include the following. Identify projects for possible development. Prioritize projects. Approve projects. Potential projects can originate from three key sources as depicted below. Three Key Sources for Information System Projects Transcript Potential projects must be reviewed to ensure that only the most important projects are developed. Depending on the organization and type of project, a review by either upper managers, business departments, the information technology management staff, or a select cross-functional steering team takes place. Stakeholders have different ideas about which projects need to be developed. Thats why its a good idea to have a cross-functional team not affected by company politics. Our book discusses what is important to each of the major stakeholders.

Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF)

Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF) The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of a Malay-version questionnaire Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF) among respondents. METHODS Participant Target population for this study is primiparous mothers who gave birth to a single, healthy, term infant who were planning on breastfeeding were eligible to participate in this study. The study applied convenience sampling, in which researcher recruited volunteer primiparous mother who have delivered baby and hospitalized at postnatal ward, Hospital USM between one to three days. Mothers were excluded if they had a factor that could significantly interfere with breastfeeding, such as a mother whose illness, have maternity complication or infant admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the infant had a condition that prevented ingestion of breast milk via the breast such as cleft palate. Sample Size For the sample size, the study needed 38 of respondents to validate the questionnaire base on the internal consistency of the items from previous study. Cronbachs alpha will be used to measure reliability because it is the most common form of internal consistency reliability coefficient. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal consistency of the items from previous study was 0.89 (Wutke, Dennis, 2006). The sample size was determined by using Stats ToDo software. The questionnaire will be administered to primiparous mothers which breastfed their baby after delivered to one week postpartum. Sample size calculation where; Type I Error (ÃŽ ±) = 0.05 Cronbachs Alpha expected or required = 0.8 Power (1-ÃŽ ²) = 0.8 Testing Null Hypothesis against Ref Alpha of = 0.6 Number of items = 14 Delta (ÃŽ ´= (1-Ref Alpha) / (1 Alpha)) = 2 Sample size required = 38 Instrument Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale The confidence level will be measured by using the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short-Form (BSES-SF) which was adapted from a previous study (Dennis, 1999, 2003) with the permission from the author. The BSES-SF is used to assess breastfeeding confidence among mothers intending to breastfeed and has had extensive use and evaluation in a wide variety of settings and populations (Dai Dennis, 2003; Dennis, 1999; Dennis, 2002; Dennis, 2003; Dennis, Hodnett, Gallop, Chalmers, 2002). Breastfeeding confidence and self-efficacy have sometimes been used interchangeably in prior literature. For the purposes of this study, the term of â€Å"confidence† is preferred. It is a 14 item self-report instrument developed to measure a mother’s perceived ability to breastfeed her infant. All items are preceded by the phrase â€Å"I can always†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and use a five-point Likert scale for rating from 1 (â€Å"not at all confident†) to 5 (â€Å"always confident†). Items ratings will be summed to produce a total score from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating higher confidence. The means score points will be used as the cut-off point between high and low scorers. This instrument is based on the breastfeeding self-efficacy theory, and was synthesized from a longer tool. It has been utilized in women as early as 36 weeks gestation and found to predict breastfeeding continuation up to three months postpartum. Dennis, (2003) who also were using the BSES-SF, found that BSES-SF was a good measurement tool for evaluating breastfeeding self-efficacy. The original BSES-SF (English version), the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal consistency of the items is 0.89 (Wutke Dennis, 2006). This questionnaire will take about six to ten minutes to fill up. Translation process The Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short-Form (BSES-SF) in English version will be translated into national language which is Malay language in order to help the respondent understand the questions. The translation was done by two people who are experts in both English and Malay language using back translation technique. The questionnaire was sent to linguistic department and two bilingual experts were invited in translation process. Back translation is the process of translating a document that has already been translated into a foreign language back to the original language. Thus, through the translation and back-translation process and expert review, minor alterations were made to the instrument to improve clarity and eliminate cultural bias and translation inaccuracies. Then, the content and face validity will be done. VALIDITY TEST Content validity Validityis theabilityof aninstrumenttomeasurewhatit is supposedtomeasure. This questionnaire has been validated by five experts from; obstetrics and gynecology specialist, midwifery, and health education, linguistics and statistician to determine the validity of the content. The experts were invited to review, evaluated and provide feedback on the content of each BSES-SF item. This is to comply with the recommendations Sekaran which is to ensure reliability, the question shall be given to the experts made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹the correction and evaluation called Expert Judgment Validity (Sekaran, 2005). Based on this evaluation, five modifications were made: (1) the item â€Å"I can always motivate myself to breastfeed successfully† was changed to â€Å"I can always motivate myself to do well at breastfeeding,† (2) the item â€Å"I can always breastfeed my baby without using formula as a supplement† was changed to â€Å"I can exclusively breastfed my baby without using formula as a supplement to at least 4 months,† (3) the item â€Å"I can always refrain from bottle feeding for the first 4 weeks† was changed to â€Å"I can refrain from exclusively bottle feeding for the first month,† (4) the item â€Å"I can always feed my baby with breast milk only† was changed to â€Å"I can always feed my baby with breast milk only for at least 4 months,† and (5) the item â€Å"I can always keep feeling that I really want to breastfeed my baby for at least 6 weeks† was changed to â€Å"I can always keep feeling that I really want to breastfeed my baby for at least one and a half months.† The modified instrument was presented to the experts a final time and after several discussions, all items were considered relevant to Malay speaking mothers. Face validity Finally, the translated BSES-SF was administered to five respondents which are primiparous mothers who have breastfeed their baby and hospitalized at postnatal ward during the first to three days postpartum. This recruitment as a part of this study to identify the problems in the translated questionnaire. This method requires researchers to ask participants to rephrase the items using their own words immediately after answering the items. Respondent’s suggestions for the improvement of the questions were noted and were being analyzed and discussed with the experts. This allows the researchers to assess whether respondents understand the items totally as well as to evaluate the comprehension and readability of the Malay BSES-SF version. PILOT TEST AND RELIABILITY TEST Results from content and face validity actually improve the items in the questionnaire to be applied in this study. After making improvements, the questionnaire was done a pilot study on 30 respondents at postnatal ward, Hospital USM to test the reliability of the questionnaire. RESULT Internal Consistency Reliability of instrument refers to the extent to which an instruments score is consistent or stable (Ananda, 2007). Reliability is obtained when the same result each time the test is made. Thus, the reliability of the instrument can be defined as a standard of measurement that is free from error in which they give consistent answers. According to Sekaran (2005), the closer to 1.0 Coefficient of reliability, the reliability is higher. Generally, reliability of less than 0.60 can be defined reliability is low, in the range of 0.70 if it is acceptable, while above 0.80 indicates higher reliability. Therefore, the questionnaire in this study can be categorized as good and reliable for use in this study. The IBM SPSS Statistics Version 21 was used for statistical analysis. Results of a pilot study of 30 respondents are as follows: The internal consistency of the translated BSES-SF was evaluated by considering the following: (1) item summary statistics; (2) inter- item correlations; (3) corrected item-total correlations; (4) Cronbach’s alpha coefficient; and (5) the alpha estimate when an item was deleted (Strickland,1996). Poorly functioning items were defined as (1) items that when deleted increased the alpha coefficient by more than 0.10 or (2) items that had a corrected item-total correlation less than 0.30. Cronbach’s alpha for the translated BSES-SF was 0.87; there was no increase of more than 0.10 in Cronbach’s alpha with removal of any item. The Cronbach’s alpha estimated when an item was dropped from the scale ranged from .86 to .87. All corrected item-total correlations were positive ,the lowest item-total correlation was 0.37 and the highest was 0.73, with 92.8 %, falling within the recommended range of 0.30–0.70. The mean BSES-SF score was 56.74 (SD _7. 01). The ov er all item mean was 4.05, ranging from 3.74 to 4.39. The item variance mean was 0.65, ranging from 0.35 to 0.96. Table 1: Reliability Statistics Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short-Form (BSES-SF) Cronbachs Alpha N of Items .877 14 Table 2: Item Corrected Item-Total Correlation Cronbachs Alpha if Item Deleted Saya sentiasa dapat memastikan bayi saya mendapat susu yang mencukupi .376 .876 Saya sentiasa dapat mengatasi masalah penyusuan sepertimana tugasan mencabar yang lain .586 .867 Saya sentiasa dapat memberikan susu ibu kepada bayi saya tanpa menggunakan susu formula sebagai makanan tambahan .500 .871 Saya sentiasa boleh memastikan mulut bayi saya sentiasa melekap dengan betul bagi keseluruhan tempoh penyusuan .543 .868 Saya sentiasa dapat menguruskan situasi penyusuan dengan rasa puas hati .595 .866 Saya sentiasa mampu menyusu bayi walaupun bayi saya sedang menangis .729 .859 Saya sentiasa mempunyai keinginan untuk menyusukan bayi .446 .873 Saya sentiasa dapat menyusu bayi dengan selesa walaupun dengan kehadiran ahli keluarga yang lain .472 .872 Saya sentiasa berpuas hati dengan pengalaman penyusuan saya .565 .868 Saya sentiasa dapat menerima hakikat bahawa penyusuan anak memang mengambil masa yang lama .453 .873 Saya sentiasa dapat menghabiskan penyusuan bayi dengan satu payu dara sebelum beralih kepada payudara yang satu lagi .531 .869 Saya sentiasa dapat menyusukan bayi setiap kali waktu penyusuan .605 .865 Saya sentiasa memenuhi keinginan bayi saya apabila dia ingin menyusu .586 .866 Saya sentiasa tahu apabila bayi saya sudah habis menyusu .640 .864 Table 3: Mean Minimum Maximum Range Maximum / Minimum Variance Item Means 4.053 3.737 4.395 .658 1.176 .030 Item Variances .652 .353 .956 .602 2.704 .027 Inter-Item Correlations .340 -.018 .683 .701 -38.161 .020 Table 4: Statistics for Scale N Mean Variance SD 14 56.74 49.064 7.005 Procedures After university and hospital ethics was obtained, eligible mothers were recruited in hospital from the postnatal ward by a researcher. Potential participants were identified by the researcher at 1 to 3 days postpartum from the registry book in the postnatal ward. The eligible participants who are willing to participate in this study has been approached, they will be given further explanation clearly to understand the aims of the study. Once the participant expressed an interest and willingness to participate, they will be provided with inform consent, which is must be documented and signed. After that, finalize translated BSES-SF Malay questionnaire was administered to the participants as soon as possible after respondent agreed and volunteer to answer the questions. The respondents were given self-administered questionnaires and the researcher will be waiting until respondents completed answer the questions and the completed answer questionnaire were collected back at the same time after the respondent has finished answering all the questions. Limitation of the study It is a pilot study, so the small number of samples is the most limitation of the study. DISCUSSION Psychometrics properties The results from this methodological study are consistent with the original study (Dennis Faux, 1999) and provide evidence that the translated BSES is a reliable measure of BSE among a representative sample of Malay women in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The Cronbach’s a was .88, exceeding the recommended a for established instruments (Nunnally Bernstein, 1994). CONCLUSION The BSES-SF Malay version is reliable and valid for assessing mothers’ breastfeeding confidence. 1

The History of Fermentation Essays -- Fermenting Wine Distillery Alcoh

The History of Fermentation It is impossible to set a date as to the first time fermentation was performed. It is possible, however, to guess, and this guess is roughly 8,000 years ago. Wine has been written about for centuries, in the Greek and Roman myths and scriptures. The Greek god of wine, Dionysius, was in charge of the fermentation atop Mount Olympus. The people of this time may not have known exactly what they were doing, but it was a somewhat complicated procedure. The crushing of grapes, and the storing of their juices led to an amazing beverage that is still used in current society. This process of fermentation was used throughout the time of early Christianity, and other religions, for purposes within sermons. Throughout the Renaissance, fermentation was used in the making of wine as well as bread, not to mention new medical applications. Fermented products were brought to America along with the new settlers. With new government, though, America was put into a prohibition, which did not last long. Today, fermentation processes are carried out nearly perfectly, without too large of variations among the products. Although fermentation has been known of for at least 8,000 years, in 1865 Louis Pasteur was the scientist who really discovered the process of fermentation. At this time, Pastuer was the Dean and professor of chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences in Lille, France. He was originally asked by a friend to investigate difficulties he was having manufacturing alcohol by the fermentation of beetroot. Often, instead of alcohol, the fermentations were resulting in lactic acid. At that time, fermentation leading to the production of wine, beer, and vinegar was believed to be a simple and straightforward breakdown of sugar to the desired molecules. It was believed that the chemical breakdown of sugar into alcohol during the fermentation of wine and beer was due to the presence of inherent unstabilizing vibrations. Yeast cells were found in the fermenting vats of wine and were known as living organisms, yet they were only believed to be either a product of fermentation or catalytic ingredients t hat provided useful ingredients for fermentation to proceed. The brewers of wine, beer, and vinegar were having horrible times with quality control. Yields of alcohol might suddenly fall off; wine might unexpectedly grow ropy or sour or turn to vinegar;... ...s that the fermentation leading to the creation of ethanol has made billions and billions of dollars in profit, along with giving millions of people jobs. It is amazing that something that has had such a large impact on the world (as the fermentation of ethanol has) begins on the molecular level. Bibliography 1. Abedon, Stephen T. â€Å"Glycolysis and Fermentation†. http://www.phage.org/biol1095.htm, July 29, 2000. 2. â€Å"Alcohol Fermentation†. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. Harden, Arthur. Alcoholic Fermentation. New York, NY: Longmans, Green and Co., Ltd., 1932. 3. Boyer, Rodney. Concepts in Biochemistry. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1999. 4. â€Å"Cellular Respiration and Fermentation†. http://fhis.gcal.ac.uk/bio/micro/drjrattray/cab2/cab2resp.htm#Fermentation, July 30, 2000. 5. â€Å"Chemical of the Week – Ethanol†. Chicago Tribune (online); http://www.scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/ethanol/ethanol.html, July 29, 2000. 6. Harden, Arthur. Alcoholic Fermentation. New York, NY: Longmans, Green and Co., Ltd., 1932. 7. â€Å"What is Ethanol?†. Ace Page Links, http://www.ethanol.org/ethanol_info2.html, July 27, 2000.

Online communites :: Technology Internet Computers Papers

Online communites The advance in technology during the past decade has made it possible for people all over the world to communicate with one another. Online communities consist of groups of people communicating to one another through the use of a computer. A number of online communities exist, anywhere from Jewish teen groups to Ultima Online, a communication game in where thousands of people may play at any given time. Groups ranging in size from a few people to thousands or even millions of people are forming communities in cyberspace. Online communities are a great way for people to communicate to one another. People have the potential to learn leadership, communication patterns, group boundaries, cohesion, alliances and subgroupings. Online groups are quite different than in-person groups. The fact that communication is through the use of text only, hiding or altering ones identity, and equalization of status are all unique benefits to joining an online community. Children with learning or develo pmental disabilities are areas of extraordinary interest. I currently teach a first through third grade class for the learning disabled at a local elementary school. Recently, a six year-old boy who has Autism has been enrolled in my class. His mother has been struggling, and has had much difficulty in raising him on her own as a single mother. Because Julian has recently been diagnosed, his mother is confused, and needs much support from her sons school and the surrounding community in which she lives. The tears of sadness in which poured from Juians mothers eyes, is what led me to want to dedicate my time as a teacher, joining support groups and chatrooms, to gather all of the resources I can to help Julian and his mother. My search will include participating in conversations with parents who have children with disabilities and other people in the community who might be able to provide some information and advice as well as various resources to, hopefully create a positive change in Julians life. Autism is a disorder in which I do not have an abundance of experience with. My knowledge of autism is unique to each child, and that brain scans will show up abnormal, where the chemicals in their brains will appear to be different than that of a healthy child. I am also aware that children with Autism have many behaviors that may be exhibited, such as repetitive behaviors where a child may repeatedly touch his or her head or different parts of the body.

A European Way of War

CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN REFORM A EUROPEAN WAY OF WAR Steven Everts, Lawrence Freedman, Charles Grant, Francois Heisbourg, Daniel Keohane and Michael O'Hanlon about the CER The Centre for European Reform is a think-tank devoted to improving the quality of the debate on the European Union. It is a forum for people with ideas from Britain and across the continent to discuss the many social, political and economic challenges facing Europe. It seeks to work with similar bodies in other European countries, North America and elsewhere in the world. The CER is pro-European but not uncritical.It regards European integration as largely bene? cial but recognises that in many respects the Union does not work well. The CER therefore aims to promote new ideas for reforming the European Union. A European way of war ? Director: CHARLES GRANT ADVISORY BOARD PERCY BARNEVIK†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Chairman, AstraZeneca CARL BILDT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Former Swedish Prime Minister and Chairman, Nordic Venture Networks ANTONIO BORGES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Former Dean of INSEAD NICK BUTLER (CHAIR)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Group Vice President, Strategy, BP p. l. c. LORD DAHRENDORF †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Former Warden of St Antony’s College, Oxford & EU Commissioner VERNON ELLIS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. International Chairman, Accenture RICHARD HAASS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. President, Council on Foreign Relations LORD HANNAY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Former Ambassador to the UN and the EU IAN HARGREAVES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Group Director of Corporate and Public Affairs, BAA plc LORD HASKINS OF SKIDBY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Former Chairman, Northern Foods FRANCOIS HEISBOURG†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Director, Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique CATHERINE KELLEHER†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Visiting Research Professor, US Naval War College SIR JOHN KERR†¦. Former Ambassador to the EU and US & former Permanent Under Secretary, FCO FIORELLA KOSTORIS PADOA SCHIOPPA†¦.. Former President, Istituto di Studi e Analisi Economica RICHARD LAMBERT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Former Editor, Financial Times DAVID MARSH†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Partner, Droege & Comp. AG DOMINIQUE MOISI†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Senior Advisor, Institut Francais des Relations Internationales JOHN MONKS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ General Secretary, ETUC DAME PAUL INE NEVILLE-JONES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Chairman, QinetiQ p. l. c. WANDA RAPACZYNSKI†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. President of Management Board, Agora SA LORD SIMON OF HIGHBURY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Former Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe PETER SUTHERLAND†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Chairman, BP p. l. c. & Goldman Sachs International ADAIR TURNER†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Vice Chairman, Merrill Lynch Holdings Ltd. Steven Everts, Lawrence Freedman, Charles Grant, Francois Heisbourg, Daniel Keohane and Michael O’Hanlon Published by the Centre for European Reform (CER), 29 Tufton Street, London, SW1P 3QL Telephone + 44 20 7233 1199, Facsimile + 44 20 7233 1117, [email  protected] org. uk, www. cer. org. uk  © CER MAY 2004 ? ISBN 1 901229 54 8ABOUT THE AUTHORS Steven Everts is a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, and director of its transatlantic programme. His recent CER publications include ‘Engaging Iran: a test case for EU foreign policy’ (March 2004); ‘The EU and the Middle East: a call for action’ (January 2003); and ‘Shaping a credible EU foreign policy’ (February 2002). Lawrence Freedman is professor of war studies and vice principal (Research) at King’s College, London. He is the author of a number of books on Cold War history and contemporary security issues, most recently ‘Deterrence’ (Polity, 2004).He is also of? cial historian of the Falklands campaign. Charles Grant has been director of the Centre for European Reform since 1998. He was previously defence editor and Bru ssels correspondent of The Economist. His most recent CER publication is ‘Transatlantic rift: how to bring the two sides together’ (July 2003). Francois Heisbourg is director of the Paris-based Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique, and chairman of both the International Institute of Strategic Studies and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. He is also a member of the CER’s advisory board.Daniel Keohane is the research fellow for security and defence policy at the Centre for European Reform. He previously worked at the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris, and at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University, in Washington DC. He is the author of ‘The EU and armaments co-operation’ (CER December 2002). Michael O’Hanlon is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He previously worked for the US Congress. In his ten years at Brookings, he has written on US defence strategy and the defence budget, the Ko sovo war, missile defence, military technology, space warfare and homeland security.AUTHORS’ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank EDS for their support of this project. They also owe particular thanks to Kate Meakins for designing this publication, and to Aurore Wanlin and John Springford for their research help. In addition, the CER is grateful to the German Marshall Fund of the US for supporting the CER’s transatlantic programme. Charles Grant would like to thank the following for their help: Victoria Billing, Gavin Cook, Marta Dassu, Paul Johnston, Edwina Moreton and Simon Webb. ? Copyright of this publication is held by the Centre for European Reform.You may not copy, reproduce, republish or circulate in any way the content from this publication except for your own personal and noncommercial use. Any other use requires the prior written permission of the Centre for European Reform. Contents About the authors Authors’ acknowledgements Foreword 1 I ntroduction Steven Everts and Daniel Keohane 2 Can the EU develop an effective military doctrine? Lawrence Freedman 3 The ‘European Security Strategy’ is not a security strategy Francois Heisbourg 4 The American way of war: the lessons for Europe Michael O’Hanlon 5 Conclusion: the signi? ance of European defence Charles Grant 55 41 27 13 1 Foreword EDS has worked for many years in partnership with the ministries of defence and the armed forces on both sides of the Atlantic. We currently have colleagues stationed in the Middle East, in support of UK forces. We are, therefore, delighted to be supporting this new CER work, ‘A European way of war’. In the best traditions of the CER, it has brought together key experts from both sides of the Atlantic to debate the future of European defence. What is striking about the contributions is the high level of agreement on what Europe needs to do.They avoid the stereotyping of the US-Europe relationship as a divi sion of labour in which – as Francois Heisbourg says – the US ‘kicks in doors’ and the EU ‘cleans the house’. All agree that Europe must urgently improve its military capabilities if it is to translate the goal of â€Å"effective multilateralism† from rhetoric into reality. It must reduce the scale of its land armies and the number of duplicate equipment programmes. Europe must begin investing in technologies and equipment that complement rather than duplicate US investment. Equally, the authors highlight the lessons and experiences which Europe can offer to the US in he prosecution of unconventional warfare, for example in deterring insurgents and terrorists. These essays provide a timely reminder of how the US and Europe are united by a common need to tackle global terrorism and proliferation, as well as their underlying causes. They all agree on the need for Europe to become a more effective military power and to take more responsibi lity for its own backyard. But they debunk some of the myths associated with the debate. All agree that Europe need not spend as much as the US or copy America’s force structure and doctrine in every respect.As Steven Everts and Daniel Keohane stress, a European way of war does not mean either the creation of â€Å"an EU army under Brussels control, or the end of the NATO military alliance†. This work is a valuable contribution to the current debate on the future of European defence. Its prescriptions on how Europe can play an effective military role in world affairs deserve to be taken up by Europe’s leaders. Graham Lay Managing Director EDS Defence 1 Introduction Steven Everts and Daniel Keohane The idea of a ‘European way of war’ is controversial. Many defence commentators and of? ials assume that the phrase is a metaphor for two, equally undesirable, outcomes: an EU army under the control of Brussels and the end of NATO. The reality is that the EU will not have its own army for decades to come – if ever. Nor will NATO’s status as Europe’s pre-eminent defence organisation change any time soon. Most discussions on the future of European defence, when cast in such terms, generate more heat than light. There is, however, a real need for Europeans to think more creatively about what kind of defence capability they want. What sorts of missions do they envisage? And how do they expect their forces to operate in the future?European governments need to make a tough assessment of the additional tasks they want their armies to perform, alongside traditional peacekeeping. Clearly, Europe cannot hope to copy the American approach to warfare, with its heavy emphasis on technology and ‘full spectrum dominance’ – the ability to defeat any enemy in every conceivable category of weaponry. The budgetary constraints are simply too great. But equally, the Europeans should not try to emulate the American s’ doctrine or force structure in their entirety – even if they had unlimited money – because Europe has very different trategic priorities. For a range of historical and political reasons, Europeans do not share all of America’s security policy goals. And yet American doctrine, tactics and capabilities remain the benchmark for nearly all European discussions on defence policy. 2 A European way of war Introduction 3 Such constant, and mostly unfavourable, comparisons with the US tend to create a harmful sense of impotence and resignation among European defence of? cials. The European countries have very disparate military traditions, and they have great difficulties finding money for new defence equipment.Despite these problems, can European governments develop more innovative and ambitious defence policies? The answer is yes, but only if European defence ministries develop their own distinctive approach to warfare. European Council, Brussels, ‘A se cure Europe in a better world – European Security Strategy’, December 12th 2003. 1 warfare: peacekeeping, nation-building and counter-insurgency. Thus the Pentagon could learn a lot from European experiences and ways of operating. Our American contributor, Michael O’Hanlon, argues that the Pentagon is already learning fast from its post-con? ct experience in Iraq. He stresses that stabilisation missions should not be seen as less important than those involving high-intensity warfare. And he argues that the greatest threat to the health of the US military in the coming years is insuf? cient numbers of troops to help with nationbuilding. He adds that the dif? culties that US troops face when working with technologically backward European allies are a serious but secondary problem. Freedman and O’Hanlon agree that both American and European armed forces need a better mixture of regular warfighting capabilities and peacekeeping skills.But politicians in Europ e should take note – and take heart – that such improvements need not mean massive increases in defence budgets. The 2 Based on estimates governments of the EU-25 collectively spend in the SIPRI Yearbook approximately S180 billion ($220 billion) a year on 2003, ‘Armaments, defence, which is a signi? cant amount of money. 2 disarmaments and For all its weaknesses, the EU remains the world’s international security’, Oxford University second highest spender after the US, which devotes Press, Oxford, 2003. some S330 billion ($400 billion) to defence.O’Hanlon recommends that over the next decade EU governments should spend 10 per cent of their annual defence budgets on speci? c types of equipment. These include long-range transport planes and ships, unmanned aerial vehicles, and precision-guided missiles. To pay for this, he argues, defence ministries should cut their manpower by a quarter, and focus on developing highly trained combat troops. If defence ministries followed this plan, by 2015 Europe would have more than 200,000 high-quality, professional soldiers, able to operate at short notice anywhere around the globe.At the moment the US can send about 400,000 ground troops The European security strategy, prepared by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, provides a good basis for thinking about a European approach to warfare. 1 But, as Francois Heisbourg points out in this pamphlet, that security strategy contains some glaring gaps. He argues that the EU should do three things in particular: draw up a complementary strategy for the EU’s internal security; audit the impact of European development programmes on security in recipient countries; and start working on an EU military doctrine.In his essay, Lawrence Freedman questions the utility of an EU military doctrine, and concludes that it would be redundant. He thinks it unlikely that 25 European governments could ever agree on a meaningful doctrine. But Britain a nd France could take the lead, he argues, in de? ning a distinctly ‘European’ military contribution to dealing with global security problems. London and Paris are the only European capitals that have run their own military operations in recent years, sometimes in very demanding environments.And, unlike the other Europeans, the French and the British already have highly developed military doctrines of their own. Freedman also argues that, even though the US is the world’s predominant military power, European soldiers are often better than American ones at many of the missions that dominate contemporary 4 A European way of war 5 around the world, out of a total of about 650,000. But presently the EU-25 can barely deploy 85,000, out of a total of 1. 2 million ground soldiers. 3 From both a defence planner’s point of view, and that of the taxpayer, Europe’s armies need 3 These ? ures do not include air force or urgent reform. navy personnel. The total n umber of the US armed forces is approximately 1. 4 million people. The 25 EU governments have almost 2 million people in their total armed forces. Figures based on estimates in the ‘The Military Balance 2003-2004’, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London 2004. Recent developments in Brussels Heisbourg, Freedman and O’Hanlon all agree that in principle a European approach to warfare is a good idea, provided three basic conditions are met: ?Europe’s two pre-eminent military powers, Britain and France, must take the lead in de? ning a European approach to war. Some EU governments may balk at having to follow an approach that would be de? ned to a large extent by British and French doctrine. However, Europe is better off with a sound military doctrine than a meaningless political compromise. In their approach to warfare, Europeans should learn from the US approach, and from American experiences in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. European arm ies should be able to work well with American soldiers.However, Europe’s armies do not have to copy US forces in every respect. European defence ministries need to retain their traditional peacekeeping skills, while simultaneously building up their war-fighting prowess. The EU needs to develop the internal aspects of its security and defence policy. In particular, European governments have to think about how to join up the various policy instruments which they need in the fight against global terrorism. EU governments need to ensure that their law enforcement, foreign and defence policies work together more effectively.The good news is that NATO and the EU are already taking steps that will help their members to develop a European approach to warfare. At NATO’s 2002 Prague summit, President Bush called on the Europeans to increase their military might by creating a NATO Response Force (NRF). European governments followed his lead, approving a plan for a force of 21,000 elite troops, backed by supporting air and sea components, to be ready by 2006. This force will enable NATO to engage in a serious shooting war, in addition to its current peacekeeping work.By the end of 2003, NATO governments had already committed 9,000 troops to the response force, including 1,700 French soldiers. The NRF will be mainly European: the US accounts for only 300 (3 per cent) of the troops so far committed. 4 Washington’s message to its allies has been clear: Europe must increase its ability to undertake tough war-? ghting tasks if NATO is to remain central to US defence policy. NATO’s Response Force is goading the Europeans to prepare some of their troops for the most demanding types of military mission. 4 Spain is the biggest contributor to the NRF, with 2,200 troops.Germany is contributing 1,100 soldiers. See Luke Hill, ‘Alliance launches triservice rapid Response Force’, Jane’s Defence Weekly, October 22nd 2003. ? ? In February 20 04, the British, French and German governments proposed that the EU should be able to deploy nine ‘battle groups’, each consisting of 1,500 troops, and deployable within two weeks. Each battle group would be able to draw on extensive air and naval assets, including transport and logistical support. The rationale for these EU combat units is to give the UN the rapid reaction capability that it currently lacks. The UN usually manages to ? d peacekeepers who can police a cease? re or peace accord. But it often cannot ? nd troops available to form an intervention force. It needs to be able to draw on a few battalions which are ready and able to ? y into a con? ict zone and impose peace. For example, the UN was unable to intervene quickly enough in East Timor in 1999. The Bush administration is unlikely to provide the UN with US forces for this kind of task. Currently the United States has only two 6 A European way of war Introduction 7 See http://www. un. org/ Depts/dpko/dp ko/ contributors/Countries SummaryFeb2004. df. 5 soldiers involved in UN-run peacekeeping operations (out of a total of 42,000 soldiers, of which 3,650 are from the EU-25). 5 If the US is unwilling to provide peacekeepers, it is even less likely to make elite forces available for UN interventions. But the EU could be willing to help the UN: countries such as Britain and France have highly trained forces which can move into a war-zone at short notice. And European governments care much more than the US does about the UN’s ability to act in geographical areas that may not be of fundamental strategic importance.This is why the EU sent a small UN-mandated intervention force to Bunia in Congo in June 2003. And in April 2004 the EU considered the possibility of sending a UN-backed intervention force to the Dafur region of Sudan, where more than 650,000 people had ? ed killings, rape and looting by Arab militias. EU defence ministers agreed to the battle group initiative at their me eting in April 2004. They now have until 2007 to establish these forces – and may do so in three ways. First, a government could put together a national battle group.Only France and Britain could do this easily, although Germany, Spain and Italy should be able to develop their own combat units. Second, relatively large countries – such as Sweden and the Netherlands – could become lead or ‘framework’ nations for a battle group. Smaller countries would then supply some troops or equipment to plug gaps that the lead country could not ? ll. The third option would be for several countries to come together to form truly multinational units, similar to the Strasbourg-based Eurocorps, which unites soldiers from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain.For a smaller country which does not want to ‘plug into’ a particular lead nation, a multinational unit might be politically more appealing. For example, the Nordic and Baltic countries coul d decide to form a Baltic battle group. But multinational battle groups need not be regional. The EU’s non-aligned countries, for example, might want to form their own. Austria, Finland and Ireland are of similar military strength, and they could ? nd that co-operating with fellow neutrals rather than NATO members would avoid embarrassing questions regarding their neutral status.In any case the creation of these battle groups – like the NATO Response Force – should help Europeans to think more alike on how they conduct warfare. Moreover, this effort should reinforce NATO’s Response Force: the same troops would be available to the EU and NATO. During the summer of 2004, they EU will set up a new agency. The ‘defence capabilities development, research, acquisition and armaments agency’ will try to do two things, both of which will help the Europeans to develop a common approach to defence. It will seek to improve European military capabilities and to enhance armaments co-operation among the member-states.Unlike a typical national armaments agency, this new body will not have a procurement budget. So a better short description would be to call it a ‘capabilities agency’, since it will bring together the separate worlds of research, development and procurement. The agency’s most important role will be political, in assessing member-states’ progress towards meeting their capability commitments. Over the last few years, the Europeans’ progress towards modernising and re-equipping their armies has been painfully slow.In 2002, EU governments agreed to a ‘European capabilities action plan’ (ECAP), which committed them to acquiring various sorts of equipment, such as transport planes and precision-guided missiles. The agency will evaluate and report annually on the member-states’ progress towards meeting these commitments. At present, the agency looks set to keep these reports confidential. That would be a shame. If those reports were made public, the agency could ‘name and shame’ the member-states which renege on pledges, and thus put them under pressure to deliver. 8 A European way of war Introduction 9Finally, European governments are due to reach agreement on an EU constitution in June 2004. This will probably include articles on ‘structured co-operation’, EU jargon for a process that allows a small group of member-states to move forward in the area of defence. Given that EU countries have, and will always have, very different military capabilities, closer co-operation amongst a smaller group makes sense. Quite apart from the much-documented transatlantic gap, there is also a large capabilities gulf between EU member-states – a gulf that will widen with the accession of ten new members in May 2004. A revised version of the draft protocol listing the criteria for joining ‘structured co-operation’ can be fo und at http://ue. eu. int/igcpdf/en/03/c g00/cg00057-re01. en03. pdf. – and demanding nature – of future missions. The EU undertook its ? rst military missions in Macedonia and Congo in 2003. These experiences have already helped defence ministries to understand which kinds of equipment they need most urgently, and what types of skills their troops should develop. Towards the end of 2004, the EU is due to take over the peacekeeping in Bosnia from NATO: this mission will be extremely dif? ult, including, for example, the hunt for the indicted Bosnian Serb general, Radovan Karadzic. Much more than the Congo or Macedonia operations, Bosnia will be a crucial test of the EU’s military mettle. The enlargement of the EU brings it closer to the arc of instability that runs around its eastern, south-eastern and southern ? anks. Romania and Bulgaria are hoping to join the EU in 2007, while Turkey, Croatia and other countries of the Western Balkans are likely to enter at a later stage. The EU will therefore have many weak and malfunctioning states on its borders.It is bound to become more involved in countries such as Belarus, Moldova and Georgia. Across the Atlantic, US priorities will remain focused on countries such as Iraq, Iran and North Korea, and con? icts such as China-Taiwan and India-Pakistan. Washington will be reluctant to become too involved in con? icts around the EU’s eastern and southern borders. The EU will need to develop a more effective set of policies for stabilising North Africa, the Balkans and the countries that lie between the Union and Russia. Many of these policies will involve trade, aid and political dialogue.But EU strategy towards its nearabroad will also have to include a military component. Europeans should not expect the US to put out ? res in their own backyard. After all, the principal rationale for the Anglo-French initiative at St Malo in 1998 – which begat the European Security and Defence Policy à ¢â‚¬â€œ was to improve the EU’s poor performance in coping with the Balkan crises of the 1990s. The EU’s efforts to tackle con? icts in its near abroad may require more than ‘mere’ peacekeeping. For example, if the delicateThat said, the current wording of the draft constitution sets targets for participation in the avant-garde which are relatively easy to meet. For example, the draft says that one of the criteria for participation is to supply by 2007 all or part of a combat unit that can be deployed in between ? ve and thirty days. 6 In fact, these combat units are the same types of force as those envisaged in the ‘battle groups’ plan that EU defence ministers approved in April 2004. However, some member-states will probably stay out of the structured co-operation, because they lack the assets or the ambition to take part.The defence inner circle will in some respects resemble the eurozone: some countries remain outside because they do not s atisfy the criteria, and others because they choose to do so. Structured co-operation will help the emergence of a European approach to warfare: like the NRF and the battle groups, the concept encourages other countries to emulate what the British and French armed forces do. The transatlantic case for a European way of war Innovations such as the NATO Response Force and the EU battle groups should, together with some institutional innovations, enhance Europe’s military clout.But probably the most important factor driving military reform in Europe will be the growing number 10 A European way of war Introduction 11 situation in Kosovo turned into a civil war, the EU should be ready to intervene with forces that could separate the warring factions. In such situations, British soldiers would be fighting alongside those from France, Germany, Italy and Spain, but not necessarily with American troops. If the Europeans were able to undertake that kind of robust military intervention autonomously, transatlantic relations would benefit. For the Pentagon would have one less region to worry about.Furthermore, the more effective the Europeans’ military prowess, the more likely is the US to use NATO not only for peacekeeping but also for high-intensity interventions. The future of EU defence policy All the authors of this pamphlet are worried about the risk of a transatlantic division of labour – namely the idea that Europe should do the peacekeeping and America ? ght the wars. But they all reject that notion, both as a description of the present and as a prescription for the future. The experience of Iraq has already forced the US to rethink its approach to post-con? ict operations.Having sometimes sneered at them, the Pentagon is now learning that peacekeeping, nation-building, and counter-insurgency should play a larger role in its military doctrine. Meanwhile, as the EU takes on more military missions, its defence ministries are themselves engaged i n a learning process. They are starting to see that they will need more sophisticated equipment, and be prepared for serious combat missions. They know that they will not always be able to count on the US to do the war-? ghting for them. It is true that the US and Europe currently have very different doctrines and priorities.But experiences on the ground will probably encourage both sides to address their respective weaknesses: post-con? ict stabilisation for the US and war-? ghting for the Europeans. In the long run this may lead – to some extent – to doctrinal convergence. European soldiers already conduct peacekeeping operations very differently from American troops. They expend less effort on force protection, they fraternise more with locals and they are more reluctant to unleash ? re-power. Europeans will also, inevitably, fight their wars differently from the Americans.Given their budgetary constraints, European defence ministries have no choice but to focus les s than the Pentagon does on sophisticated technology and airpower, and more on the role of ground forces. But these differences of emphasis should not prevent the Europeans from defeating most of their prospective enemies. When the EU mounts an autonomous combat operation, it is likely to be against a small or medium-sized power with weak air defences. The Europeans do not plan to ? ght any large and wellequipped adversaries on their own. In such cases, European soldiers would ? ght alongside American troops.Finally, the rapid evolution of EU internal security policy will affect defence policy. The March 2004 bombings in Madrid con? rmed the ability of al-Qaeda-style terrorist groups to strike at Europe. In order to track these groups, EU governments will have to piece together information from a variety of sources. They have pledged to step up intelligence-sharing, and in March 2004 they appointed Gijs de Vries as the Union’s ? rst anti-terrorism ‘tsar’. Since t he terrorist threat comes from both within and outside the EU, the member-states can no longer afford to maintain 7 See Daniel Keohane the traditional distinction etween external and and Adam Townsend, internal security. 7 In the most extreme cases, EU ‘A joined-up EU security policy’, CER countries may wish to deploy force against a Bulletin, December terrorist group that is based abroad, or against a 2003 – January 2004. state that harbours terrorists. European defence policy is developing fast – and a more distinctive European approach to warfare is bound to emerge in coming years. However, such an approach is – paradoxically – more likely to develop in NATO than in the EU itself. For most European defence ministries, NATO will continue to be the principal multinational 2 A European way of war military organisation. That is not only because NATO is a military alliance – which the EU is not – but also because of NATO’s large and experienced military headquarters. More than 2,000 people work at NATO’s strategic headquarters (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe – known as SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium, while the EU military staff in Brussels has fewer than 200 people. Moreover, NATO has regional command headquarters in Naples (Italy) and Brunssum (the Netherlands), as well as a ‘transformation’ headquarters in Norfolk (US), which focuses speci? ally on reforming NATO’s armies. Put simply, European armies are reforming principally because of their collaboration in NATO, rather than the EU. The best example of this reform process is the NATO Response Force. Britain, France, Spain and Germany are See Kori Schake, leading the European contribution to this force, ‘Constructive duplication: reducing EU reliance on US while American participation is only symbolic. military assets’, CER, Thus NATO is playing its part in promoting a January 2002. She proposed mo re ambitious but distinctly ‘European way that the Europeans develop of war’.The irony is that the NATO Response a ‘strike force’, similar to Force was an American idea, which the the NATO Response Force Europeans have enthusiastically embraced. 8 that governments agreed to 8 2 Can the EU develop an effective military doctrine? Lawrence Freedman Can the EU develop an effective military doctrine which would de? ne the procedures to guide armed forces in future con? icts? EU governments have very different military strengths and diverse attitudes towards the use of military force. Those differences mean that the EU would produce a dysfunctional military doctrine, if it tried to create one.However, either acting together or separately, EU armies could make a distinctively ‘European’ contribution to contemporary military operations. Britain and France should take the lead in de? ning that contribution. Their armed forces are the most capable and ex perienced in Europe, and have therefore had the opportunity to develop military doctrines that have been tested in the most dangerous types of operation. Any European military effort has to be compared with American military power. The US is in an unassailable position for winning conventional wars, as it did in Iraq in the spring of 2003.However, the problem of insurgents in Iraq has illustrated the extent to which the US has a dysfunctional military doctrine for unconventional warfare. Europeans should therefore not be obsessed with matching US military prowess. Europe’s conventional capabilities should be suf? cient to cope with most prospective con? icts, especially since the cases where they might ? ght wars without the Americans would be rare. Unconventional warfare has become the most signi? cant and demanding form of military operation, and in this area the Americans have a lot to learn from the Europeans. et up in November 2002. In the coming years, European governme nts should strengthen their military clout and conduct more ambitious autonomous military operations. But they should also improve the ability of their soldiers to work alongside Americans. As NATO evolves and reforms, the EU’s security and defence policy will reap the bene? ts. Those who see the ESDP and NATO as competing and mutually exclusive concepts – and there are a few such people, in some parts of the Pentagon and the French foreign ministry – are living in the past.NATO and EU defence policy will sink or swim together, and on current trends they will swim. 14 Can the EU develop an effective military doctrine? 15 An EU military doctrine would be dysfunctional Countries often develop reputations for conducting their military campaigns in accordance with their national character. On this basis, northern Europeans would be cool and calculating, and southern Europeans romantic and impetuous, while the British would be pragmatic and stubborn. In practice, how ever, geo-strategic considerations are the biggest in? uence on national military doctrines.A cursory glance at 20th century military campaigns backs up this point. In the 1960s, the Israelis knew they had to seize the initiative against Egypt, Jordan and Syria by striking ? rst; if they had waited until they were attacked they would have been swamped. In the 1940s, the Russians could depend on territorial space and population mass to defend against the invading German army, while the Germans wanted to make the most of their qualitative advantages – such as their superior equipment – before the quantitative disadvantages began to tell.For maritime powers such as Britain and the US, the natural instinct has been to project sea and air power from a distance, and to rely on allies to carry out the bulk of land warfare. To be relevant and effective, a military doctrine should draw on a view of the world and its problems; make assessments of available military capabilities (including those of allies and enemies); and add precise ideas about strategy and tactics for the armed forces to follow. Thus, a doctrine should provide a framework in which armed forces can train, plan, conduct exercises, and generally work together in a mutually reinforcing way.The best doctrines orientate armed forces for the future, so that soldiers recognise the situations in which they will find themselves and know how to act. A commander’s orders should be clear and well understood by his or her soldiers. By the same token, bad doctrine will lead to surprises and disorientation. In the worst circumstances, major adaptations to the organisation of the armed forces and the conduct of military operations will be required, even in the midst of a war going badly. A doctrine emanates rom a political process, involving ministries, agencies, and armed services – so any doctrinal changes will require negotiation between those disparate groups. Military doctrine, therefo re, reflects the preferences of powerful voices within government and the armed forces, as well as the concerns of key allies. One consequence of a complex political process involving a range of competing interests may be a dysfunctional doctrine. The risk of dysfunction grows during a prolonged period of peace, which tends to spare doctrine from critical scrutiny.Only regular experience with combat and the ultimate empirical test of war provide defence ministries with constant reality checks. The risk of a dysfunctional EU doctrine is high, mainly because it would require 25 governments and their respective defence establishments to compromise. If EU governments did agree on a common military doctrine, it would stem from a determination to demonstrate political unity – and not from the need for a doctrine that would provide effective guidance in an actual conflict.Furthermore, European governments have not yet developed a very successful EU foreign policy. And such a foreign policy is a precondition for EU success in the military sphere. No European soldiers will be deployed on EU military missions if the Union’s governments cannot agree on their political objectives. The impact of having several governments negotiate strategy documents, whether in the EU or NATO, is to render those documents more bland and vague. The European Security Strategy, which EU leaders approved in December 2003, illustrates that point (see Francois Heisbourg’s chapter).Furthermore, these political processes have become even more complicated with the arrival of ten new EU members in May 2004. Both the EU and NATO are becoming increasingly unwieldy and less able to act swiftly and resolutely in a crisis. But NATO has more chance of acting decisively, because of US leadership and the absence of the more paci? st EU neutrals (Austria, Finland, Ireland and, to a lesser extent, Sweden). In addition, most EU member-states have only limited experience of war-? ghting. W ith the exception of France, the enthusiasm in some 16 A European way of warCan the EU develop an effective military doctrine? 17 capitals for the ‘Europeanisation’ of national armed forces too often appears to be directly related to a deep reluctance to use military force. Belgium is the most conspicuous example of this tendency. Only Britain and France have recently had substantial military experience. Only London and Paris have had to think about the demands of high-octane missions. For example, aside from contributing to various military coalitions, Britain sent troops to Sierra Leone in 2000, while France deployed soldiers on its own to the Ivory Coast in 2002.Other EU member-states have participated in coalition wars or in peacekeeping operations – which have sometimes been quite bruising experiences. And many EU governments are making substantial contributions to operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. But a serious military doctrine should not on ly re? ect combat experience but also command experience. Countries like Germany and Spain are going through a useful military reform process, but their national doctrines remain limited compared to those of Britain and France, because they have less experience of commanding larger units of troops.Much contemporary warfare is against opponents which do not represent a direct existential threat, as did the Soviet Union, but rather cause chaos in the more fragile parts of the world. There may be a variety of reasons why one EU government might feel obliged to get involved in a con? ict (such as lingering post-colonial ties), but equally many reasons why others might not. At present, there is no consensus in Europe on the purpose or the circumstances in which it is appropriate to use military force. There is, therefore, a risk that even if the EU had a military doctrine, re? cting the partial views and meagre capabilities of most of its member-states, the governments would not agree on whether to participate in, or on how to conduct future EU operations. For some countries, like France and Austria, an EU brand might legitimise a military doctrine and future operations; but for others, such as Denmark and some of the new EU members, it could have the opposite effect. For all these reasons, any attempt to turn the EU into a proper military organisation with a shared doctrine is bound to end in failure.However, a European approach to warfare does not have to be an EU approach. Instead, Europe could develop a ‘way of war’ that builds on the experience of the major European military powers, namely Britain and France. There is something distinctive about the demanding nature of their past experiences and present contributions which could be a model for the rest of Europe. Furthermore, those European countries that have actively participated in recent operations, such as Spain, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands, also share this distinctive approach, at leas t to some degree.Most wars are now fought by ‘coalitions of the willing’. International institutions – the United Nations, NATO or the EU – endow a degree of legitimacy on such coalitions, but do not run major wars themselves. The NATO management of the 1999 Kosovo war may be the exception that proves the rule. The real question is which governments are ready to join a coalition to address a particular emergency. A key aspect of the answer to that question is the likely role that the US would play in leading such coalitions. American military doctrine is dysfunctionalUS military doctrine has become increasingly dysfunctional. The principal reason is the changed nature of modern warfare, rather than the convoluted political process in Washington. European commentators often make the mistake of comparing de? ciencies in their own decision-making procedures to the complex and often acrimonious inter-agency process in Washington. The delays and confusion that the Washington process can cause are often serious. But there is an important difference with Europe: in the US there is a single decision-maker – the president – who serves as the ? nal arbiter.All US armed services – Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines – have developed their own doctrines, often with scant regard for each 18 A European way of war Can the EU develop an effective military doctrine? 19 other. Nevertheless, ever since the US withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975, an underlying assumption has given coherence and continuity to American military thinking. The fundamental assumption guiding the Pentagon is that US armed forces should prepare for wars against other major powers. All other types of operation are secondary ones which America should, if at all possible, avoid. From this assumption ? ws the reason that American doctrine has become dysfunctional: straightforward conventional wars against major powers are becoming a rarity, while complicated small wars are becoming more common. There are two specific reasons behind the failure of existing American doctrine. First, the energy and resources which the Pentagon devotes to conventional forces have reached a point of diminishing marginal returns. Second, the Pentagon has spent too little effort on training soldiers for those unconventional operations that it dismissed as non-core business, but which are increasingly dominating America’s military efforts.The recent US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq demonstrated that: ? ? ? with increasing accuracy. This means that the network of overseas bases which the US established in Europe during the Cold War is becoming redundant. As a consequence, allies are often considered to be something of a nuisance, demanding major political inputs in return for minor military outputs. Donald 9 US Department of Defense Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defense, has News Brie? ng in Warsaw with observed that in the current era the mission Secr etary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, September 25th 2002. hould determine the coalition, rather than the other way around. 9 NATO’s Kosovo war did much to shape America’s attitudes towards its allies. NATO tried to achieve its objectives through an air campaign, which led to an exaggerated perception of the disparity between American and European military capabilities. Europeans could barely muster 15 per cent of the total air sorties. But to the intense irritation of the Americans, this gap did not stop the Europeans from demanding a big say over the selection of targets and the overall course of the war. The largest transatlantic row occurred when the British overnment pushed for a commitment to use ground troops if the air campaign continued to fail to produce results. The Clinton administration was deeply reluctant to pay a domestic political price for such a land campaign. It feared that US public opinion would be unwilling to tolerate even modest casualties for what would be seen as marginal foreign policy objectives. Only Britain’s promise to commit up to 50,000 troops to an eventual land operation began to ease US objections. conventional victories are relatively easy to accomplish; the West can easily achieve air dominance; and the key military tests are increasingly found on the ground.In terms of conventional warfare, the US is now in a class of its own. This is hardly surprising since the US defence budget is equivalent to what the rest of the world spends collectively on defence. America also spends its defence money far more ef? ciently than European governments do. Even so, to occupy a country the size of Iraq with effectively only three combat divisions (each with between 10,000 and 18,000 soldiers), as the US did in April 2003, is remarkable. Furthermore, recent advances in defence technology have allowed American commanders to project lethal power over great distances EU defence: too much process, not enough outputTransatlan tic arguments over the Kosovo campaign had a major impact on European attitudes towards a common defence policy. By the end of the 1992-95 Bosnian war, European leaders were concerned about the United States’ limited commitment to resolving European con? icts. On the eve of the Kosovo war, in December 1998, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac held a summit at St Malo. They identi? ed a way 20 A European way of war Can the EU develop an effective military doctrine? 21 See Gilles Andreani, Christoph Bertram and Charles Grant, ‘Europe’s military revolution’, CER, 2001. 10 orward for European defence and the Kosovo war initially accelerated that process. 10 However, FrancoBritish momentum was soon lost, and subsequent events – in particular the quarrels over Iraq – have highlighted once again the differences of view between Paris and London. The core issue in Europe’s defence debates is what relationship E urope should have with the US. To simplify somewhat – but not excessively – the French believe Europe must raise its military game to provide a counterweight to the US. The main objective for the British is to be taken seriously in Washington and get a hearing for European views.In their respective approaches, the British have been more consistent. If there has been a British approach to warfare for the past 60 years, it has been to gear military capabilities to the level that is necessary to gain an entree into Washington’s decisionmaking processes. France, however, has fluctuated between its readiness to embrace an alliance with the US and its desire to develop alternatives. The problem for the French is that they cannot balance American power on their own, so they need to propose a mission for Europe as a whole.The French have often tried to get other European countries to sign up to this kind of project. But the countries that are inclined to support France do not possess substantial military assets and experience. This strategy looks forlorn unless Britain, Europe’s only other serious military power, collaborates with France. For both the French and the British, the improvement of European military capabilities is a necessary condition for further progress – either to convince the Americans that their European allies can bring some hardware to the decision-making table, or else to set the foundations for an alternative to NATO.The St Malo compromise also shows the limits of both the British and French positions. Blair agreed that the Europeans should be able to act without the Americans in contingencies involving neighbourhood crises – although he assumed that the US would agree that the EU could use NATO assets. In return, Chirac accepted that the EU could not credibly expect to duplicate NATO’s planning and command capabilities. The Iraq row has not been fatal to the European defence initiative. A more se rious problem for the EU is that its defence policy will lack substance without extra military capabilities – and these have yet to materialise.European countries cannot move 11 Seven European substantial forces with speed to anywhere governments are buying outside Europe. Only Britain has any serious, if 180 A-400M transport modest, transport capability – while Germany planes but these are short had to use Ukrainian aircraft to carry its troops range rather than long range. Only the UK has to Afghanistan. Some improvements are in long range transport planes train, albeit painfully slowly. For example, the that can carry the ? rst of the A400M transport planes should be heaviest loads. delivered in 2009. 1 These limitations do not make Europe-only operations impossible. But EU missions are either going to be small, and in effect Britishled and/or French-led, or the Europeans will have to rely upon American support, as they do in the Balkans. At the moment, EU defence p olicy gives the impression of being yet another European initiative bogged down in endless and largely pointless wrangles about process. To sceptics, the defence debates in Brussels have little to do with preparing for warfare, and more to do with reviving a ? agging European political project.This explains why the key innovations in EU defence policy tend to be about setting up new institutions in Brussels, rather than defence ministries buying new equipment. This general preoccupation in European capitals with form rather than content was evident in the debate over planning cells in 2003. In April of that year, France and Germany (together with Belgium and Luxembourg) proposed a European planning cell that would operate separately from NATO’s command structures – to the intense annoyance of Europe’s Atlanticist countries such as Britain. 22 A European way of warCan the EU develop an effective military doctrine? 23 In December 2003, EU governments agreed that t he EU would deploy a small group of operational planners to SHAPE, NATO’s planning headquarters near Mons. This group will work on ensuring a smooth relationship between the EU and NATO on ‘Berlin-plus’ missions, when the EU borrows NATO assets. There will also be a new unit of about 30 operational planners for the EU’s military staff, which currently consists mainly of ‘strategic planners’ (their job is to advise EU foreign ministers on the operational plans that may come out of SHAPE or a national military headquarters).The new unit will help with the planning of EU military and civilian missions which involve policemen. Given that there are very few places where Europeans could even think of acting militarily without a benign US attitude, and probably American logistical and intelligence support, the point of the Franco-German proposal was unclear. The fact that such proposals irritate Washington may be a bonus for some in Paris and Berlin, but it also strengthens the perception that the purpose of European defence policy has little to do with how armed forces might actually be used. articipated in operations abroad. Germany is an interesting example of this reform process. At the end of 2003 the German government decided to shift the focus of its defence planning from territorial defence towards acting overseas. By 2010 Germany will have a 35,000-strong ‘intervention’ force for combat operations and a 70,000-strong ‘stabilisation’ force for peacekeeping. To pay for this, the Germans are – sensibly – getting rid of large stocks of weapons designed for con? icts that are now unlikely to materialise.There is little point in any European country maintaining large numbers of aircraft that can deliver only ‘dumb’ bombs. The question of how European armies should work with American forces is crucial for the development of a European approach to warfare. But the terms of t he Europeans’ defence debate need to change. In particular they need to get away from taking American military prowess as the standard by which all others are judged. There are three reasons for this. First, there are very few contingencies in which the Europeans could contemplate ? hting a major war without the US. The most serious military scenarios would be in Asia – such as a future con? ict involving China. In these circumstances, it is inconceivable that European governments would act independently of the US. Moreover, when the Europeans did work with the Americans in a conventional war, the added value would be largely political rather than military. Second, comparing European military power with the US is both misleading and irrelevant. The massive American defence effort sets an impossible standard for Europeans to meet.European governments should not try to match the extravagant US force structure. Nevertheless, Europeans do need to fulfil their past promises to improve military capabilities, so that they they are not caught short in some future emergency. Crucially, this does not require a large additional financial commitment from European governments. The way forward for European defence Any attempt by governments to draw up an EU military doctrine would be fraught and probably futile. Instead, Britain and France should lead Europe in developing a European approach to warfare that is based on their recent campaigns.Other European states would have to be involved in that process, and be prepared to contribute. In many respects, British and French doctrine is already quite mature and well geared for contemporary international conditions, especially when the task involves irregular war in weak or failing states. The British operation in Sierra Leone in 2000 and the French mission to the Ivory Coast in 2002 are examples of the types of operation which the EU can expect to undertake in the near future. Furthermore, British and French doct rine has already had a significant influence on those other EU countries that have 4 A European way of war Can the EU develop an effective military doctrine? 25 Furthermore, there is not going to be a transatlantic war, and the Europeans and Americans need to be able to work together. The surge in American military technology does create new problems for Europeans trying to work alongside American soldiers on the ground. However, European governments should aim to develop armies that complement the US armed forces rather than copy them. Europeans will only act alone in those contingencies where the Americans do not see much of a role for themselves.Europeans cannot work directly against the Americans, or even take action in the face of deep American objections – though the Americans can act against European objections. Unless a well-armed rogue state emerges near Europe, such as a nuclear-armed Iran, the most likely opponents of the EU will be in Africa or the Middle East and will have weak air defences. Such opponents would not be a serious match for European forces, especially if the Americans were assisting with logistics and intelligence. It is true that the Europeans could not have fought the Kosovo war without the US, at least not in the way the Americans fought it.But European governments could have fought that war differently, with a greater stress from the start on preparations for a land war. A modest number of high quality aircraft, especially in combination with welltrained professional forces, can be extremely effective. For example, during the 1980s the Iranians spent six years outside Basra, unable to make headway against the Iraqi defences. In 2003, the British spent about eight days in that position. The conclusion is clear: Europeans do not have to ? ght as Americans. Even if they wanted to, it would be totally beyond their capabilities.But more importantly, in many contemporary con? icts they are better off ? ghting the European way. The third reason for not trying to copy the US is the dysfunctional nature of American military doctrine. Contemporary American doctrine focuses on ‘big threats’ and prepares US armed forces for capital-intensive rather than labour-intensive wars. But the conventional war stage of a conflict is shrinking, while the unconventional war stage which follows is expanding. Examples of this phenomenon are high-intensity policing in the Balkans, peacekeeping in Afghanistan, and the counter-insurgency operations in Iraq.Impressive US strides in conventional warfare are due to American cultural impatience; a political preference for quick results and technology-based solutions; and the Pentagon’s desire to use maximum resources to keep casualties to a minimum. Irregular warfare requires more patience and puts greater pressures on frontline troops and junior of? cers. Soldiers also have to co-ordinate their efforts with aid workers and diplomats, as well as quell social unr est. In these cases, the enemy understands that it will be overwhelmed in regular war. But, with a determination ? ed by nationalism, ethnic vulnerability or ideology, the enemy can embarrass the Americans by adopting traditional insurgent tactics. Iraq is a particularly challenging example, for very speci? c historical reasons. The Iraq experience is posing the biggest test to American military prowess since Vietnam – although it is not of the same proportions. The Americans have suffered heavily from a ? xation with force protection, which often leads to over-reaction by soldiers that pushes insurgents and locals together. A comparison between the American counter-insurgency operation in Baghdad and the British one in Basra in 2003-04 ? tters the British, because of the much more favourable political climate in southern Iraq. Nonetheless, it reinforces the view that the British have a better approach to this sort of campaign, in particular by understanding the importance of separating the insurgents and the local population. It is fair to say that Europeans are more skilled at this sort of campaign, in part because of the tradition of imperial policing, but also because of their more recent and extensive experience of peacekeeping. Because today’s opponents are more likely to specialise in guerrilla warfare than tanks and aircraft, there is now a paradoxical situation. 6 A European way of war The United States’ reluctance to engage in unconventional wars has constrained its surplus of power. Both the Clinton and, initially, the Bush administrations sought to dampen expectations that the US would be willing and able to sort out every local con? ict. They were especially fearful of being drawn into a series of inconclusive and domestically unpopular foreign entanglements. But the events of September 11th 2001 created new imperatives for American activism. Washington now has major commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is ? nding it harde r to limit those commitments.The days when the Pentagon could insist that it would not enter a con? ict without a clear exit strategy, and then pass on the thankless and demanding task of nation-building to others, have passed. This is already starting to have important consequences for doctrine development in the US. The Iraq experience shows that a new con? ict sequence is developing in which the length of the actual war is contracting, because there are few likely enemies able to withstand intense and precise ? repower. But the post-war activity, which can be both tough and deadly, may stretch out almost inde? itely. The key question is not whether the Europeans can adapt to American doctrine, but whether the Americans can adapt to the European way of war. 3 The ‘European Security Strategy’ is not a security strategy Francois Heisbourg At the Brussels summit in December 2003, European Union governments adopted a document entitled â€Å"A secure Europe in a better wo rld† and subtitled â€Å"European Security Strategy† (hereafter referred to as the ESS). 12 In the spring of 2003, the governments had given the EU’s High Representative for foreign policy, Javier Solana, a mandate to draw up this document.