International terrorism Essay Example for Free

International terrorism Essay Terrorism is the intended use or threat of use of extra normal violence or brutality by sub-national groups to obtain a political, religious, or ideological objective through intimidation of a huge audience, usually not directly involved with the policy making that the terrorists seek to influence. (Enders and Sandler, 2002a, 2002b) Several historical and contemporary terrorist groups support a strong religious party, typically by dint of their membership. Anti-colonial, nationalist movements such as the Jewish terrorist organizations active in pre-independence Israel and the Muslim dominated FLN in Algeria come eagerly to mind, as do more topical examples such as the devastatingly Catholic IRA; their Protestant counterparts, arrayed in various loyalist paramilitary groups like the Ulster Freedom Fighters, the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Red Hand Commandos; and the predominantly Muslim PLO. Though, in all these groups it is the political, not the sacred aspect of their motivation that is prevailing; the primacy of their ethno-nationalist and/or irredentist aims is obviously true. For others, however, the religious motivation is overriding. Certainly, the religious crucial for terrorism are the most significant defining characteristic of terrorist activity today. The consequences of the rebellion that transformed Iran into an Islamic republic in 1979 have included its critical role in the renaissance of this strand of terrorism; but, the contemporary advent of religious terrorism has not been restricted exclusively to Iran, much less to the Middle East or to Islam: since eighties it has involved elements of all the worlds’ key religions and, in several instances, smaller sects or cults as well. I have no regrets, said Yigal Amir, the young Jewish extremist who assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, to the police. I acted alone and on orders from God. (Amir Yigal, 1987, pp. 7-8). Like Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah is another international terrorist group that was the product of numerous splits within the Lebanese Shia movement. Its origins can be traced back to 1974, when a Lebanese Shia cleric, Imam Musa al-Sadr, who had studied in the Iranian holy city of Qom, organized the Movement of the Underprivileged to advance Shia interests and progress the communitys lowly socioeconomic conditions. This movement was consequently reorganized as the principal Shia political party in Lebanon, Amal, which formed its own militia during the civil war that racked Lebanon a year later. Hezbollahs ideology is as simple as the organization is â€Å"wraithlike. † The members are taught that humans form two groups: the followers of Allah (Muslims) and the followers of Satan (infidels) who must be censored so that Allahs rule will expand to the whole planet. Satan, they have been told, evident himself in all sorts of disguises: a womans lock showing from under her veil (chador); the bare leg of a teenager boy; women and men mixing in public places (cinemas, cafes, restaurants); the Israeli profession of Palestine; and so on. The struggle against Satan is a full-time job for party members; the partys proposal clearly states: â€Å"Our religion is not a meager part-time hobby like cross-worshipers who go to church on Sunday to bribe their God. † (Robert Fisk, 1996) The party recruit â€Å"volunteers for martyrdom,† trains them, and flings them on missions. In October 1983, such volunteers carried out the suicide bombing of the American marines and French commandos in Beirut. Other members linger the streets, throwing acid on womens unveiled faces, pasting opponents, setting fire to newspaper offices, and so on. The party also broadcasts courses on radio and TV on how to use a diverse firearm, techniques of guerrilla warfare, kidnapping, assassinations of â€Å"enemies of God,† and other deeds. The size of the membership is composed of teenagers and even children. Throughout the eight-year war with Iraq, â€Å"children’s martyrs† were commonly sent to the mine fields to clear the way for tanks. A senior member of the party explained that children can be replaced at less cost than the tanks. Khomeinis justification was perceptibly less cynical: Those less than twenty have not yet been infected by satanic Western culture. In its first months, the Islamic Republic used Syrian and Palestinian terrorists to perform assassinations of opponents in foreign countries. In 1980, Khomeini ordered the formation of an Iranian force capable of striking anywhere in the world. Hojatol-Islam Fazlollah Mahalati, with the assistance of Hadi Ghaffary and Chamran, a pro-Khomeini radical who lived in Lebanon (who had both been trained in PLO camps in the early 1970s), was dispersed to the task. By 1981 the hit squads started their worldwide operations. In 1979, however, al-Sadr vanished throughout a visit to Libya. The desertion of the Imam created a vacuum within Amal that made the party productive ground for Iranian influence, and given the movement prone to the fundamentalist call of the revolt which had brought Khomeini to power earlier that year. Nabih Berri, a lawyer, was appointed head of Amal the following year. Hussein Mussawi, and the assumed mastermind behind the terrorist campaign against Libya to recover the Imam, was named as Berris deputy and commander of the militia. A fanatical supporter of Khomeini, Mussawi sought to place Amal in the front line of a regional revolution based on the new Iranian Islamic Republic. Berri, on the other hand, clung to a modest line and advocated a new deal for the Shia community within the limits of the existing Lebanese state structure. By this time, though, the radicalization of the Shia in Lebanon had gone far away the narrow nationalist and social aims of Amal. In 1981, Mussawi broke with Berri and founded his own organization, Islamic Amal. Shortly after, another faction split from Amal and under the leadership of Abbas Mussawi and the spiritual guidance of Sheikh Mohamed Hussein Fadlallah, it soon came to be recognized as the Hezbollah. Like Islamic Amal, Hezbollah embraced Khomeinis directive for a pan-Islamic revolt designed to turn Lebanon into an Iranian-style Islamic republic. It is really unfortunate that people around the world are irritable about three human deaths throughout this war yet hardly uttered a word with the massacres lately in Africa where hundreds of thousands of people were murdered. The United Nations is calling for a cease-fire and saying this could lead to a humanitarian crisis. Though, this effort didn’t work well so far. According to Gal Luft, In Hizballahland, the movements fighters have much more than a safe haven. Its training camps have become a hub of international terrorism, a convention center for some of the worlds most dangerous men. Here they can experiment with new weapons, practice their tactics, and collaborate with fellow terrorists from groups like al Qaeda, Hamas, Ansar al-Islam, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Kurdish Workers Party. From Lebanon, similarly, Hizballahs agents and associates can easily export their skills to destinations around the world. (Gal Luft, Hizballahland, Commentary Magazine, July-August 2003). The second advantage Hizballah enjoys is sophisticated weaponry. Al Qaedas arsenal is now limited to small, easily smuggle arms. When it comes to anti-aircraft capabilities, it possesses (as far as we know) only antiquated Soviet SA-7 Strella missiles, part of roughly 50,000 that were sold to third-world countries during the cold war; such missilesthey may have figured in last Novembers attack on an Israeli passenger plane in Kenyaare largely ineffective against the countermeasure routinely employed by modern planes. By contrast, Hizballah has accumulated an impressive stockpile of weapons, including, as I mentioned at the outset, thousands of rockets, artillery pieces, and antitank and anti-aircraft missiles. In the latter category, it has reportedly equipped itself with SA-18 missiles, whose substantially improved range and speed enable them to shoot down almost any aircraft. Gal Luft, Hizballahland, Commentary Magazine, July-August 2003. Owning more weapons than it knows what to do with, Hizballah has also helped procure arms for other groups. It played a key role in the January 2002 attempt to smuggle 50 tons of weapons to the Palestinian Authority aboard the Karine-A. Its external-operations commander, Imad Mughniyeh, one of the worlds most wanted terrorists, arranged to purchase the ship, and Mughniyehs deputy Haj Bassem personally supervised the loading operation at the Iranian island of Kish. Gal Luft, Hizballahland, Commentary Magazine, July-August 2003.

Comparison of Wendys International, Inc. and Starbucks Corporation Bas

Comparison of Wendy's International, Inc. and Starbucks Corporation Based on Finances Wendy's International, Inc., incorporated in 1969, is primarily engaged in the business of operating, developing and franchising a system of quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. As of December 28, 2003, there were 6,481 Wendy's restaurants (Wendy's) in operation in the United States and in 21 other countries and territories. Of these restaurants, 1,465 were operated by the Company and 5,016 by its franchisees. As of December 28, 2003, the Company and its franchisees operated 2,527 Tim Hortons (Hortons) restaurants with 2,343 restaurants in Canada and 184 restaurants in the United States ¡]Smart money, 2004. Starbucks Corporation purchases and roasts whole bean coffees and sells them. As of September 28, 2003 (fiscal year-end 2003), Starbucks operated a total of 4,546 retail stores. Starbucks sells coffee and tea products through other channels, and, through certain of its equity investees. The Company has two operating segments, United States and International, each of which include Company-operated retail stores and Specialty Operations. Starbucks opened 602 new Company-operated stores during fiscal 2003. As of fiscal year-end, Starbucks had 3,779 Company-operated stores in the United States, 373 in the United Kingdom, 316 in Canada, 40 in Australia and 38 in Thailand.  ¡]Smart money, 2004 ¡^ In this financial analysis report, I will compare and contrast these two companies ¡Ã‚ ¦ finance based on their annual report and related websites. There are four parts in this report. It includes Financial Ratios, WACC, Working Capital and Dividend policy. Part  ¢Ã‚ ¹Compare and Contrast of the Financial Ratios Profitability Ratios The Retails-Eating Places industry is a very competitive area for companies to survive. Both Starbucks and Wendy ¡Ã‚ ¦s are excellent companies to earn a lot of profit in this industry. Return on sales (ROS): Harrington (2004) said that  ¡Ã‚ §this ratio indicates that what percentage of each dollar of revenue is available for the owners after all the expenses are paid to other suppliers. This ratio is related to net income and net sales which I found from the income statements of both Starbucks and Wendy ¡Ã‚ ¦s in their annual reports. The return on sales is the key profitability ratio. This ratio tells the analyst what proportion of the revenues ... ...urchasing the company's own shares, acquiring new companies and profitable assets, and reinvesting in financial assets (McClure, 2004) . Bibliography Harrington, D. (2004) Corporate Financial Analysis. 7th ed. Ohio, South-Western. Hoover ¡Ã‚ ¦s Company Records (2004) database [Internet] Available from: < http://ezproxy.mala.bc.ca:2051/pqdweb?RQT=573&TS=1098648711&clientId=7024&LASTSRCHMODE=2> [Accessed 18 Oct 2004] Mergent Online (2004) database [Internet] Available from: < http://ezproxy.mala.bc.ca:2129/compsearch.asp> [Accessed 12 Oct 2004] Reuters website (2004) Investing [Internet] Available from: [Accessed 15 Oct 2004] Ross, S.A., Westerfield, R.W., Jaffe, J.F., & Roberts, G.S (2001) Corporate Finance. 3 th ed.Toronto, McGraw-Hill Ryerson. Seiler. M, (1996) Adverse selection in capital budgeting decision making. Management Research News, 19(8), pp.61-67 Smart Money website (2004) [Internet] Available from: < http://smartmoney.com/> [Accessed 15 Oct 2004] Wendy ¡Ã‚ ¦s International, Inc. website (2004) [Internet] Available from: [Accessed 13 Oct 2004] Yahoo Finance website (2004) [Internet] Available from: [Accessed 12 Oct 2004]

Project life cycle Essay

Projects are the way through which work gets done. Whether big, small, simple or complex, projects possess various common characteristics. Firstly, they have a start and an end. They do not run to infinity. Secondly, they are all unique. They may resemble other earlier projects but they are unique in various variables. These variables include their environment, period and resources. Thirdly, they lead to the creating deliverables. Finally, they all have resources assigned to them. The resources may either be part-time, full-time or a combination of the two. Projects are undertaken by all organisations. Their management can be done using a common range of project management procedures. Similar project management procedures can be used irrespective of the project being undertaken. Projects must have a definition and a plan. They should also have procedures for management of risks, quality, status and scope. Despite projects being unique, common lifecycle models are applied in building the deliverables. But most importantly, scalable and common project management processes are applied effectively on all projects. Regardless of whether one is managing a small or large project, various leadership styles are used. It is very important to understand these styles and their effect in order to become a better and more flexible leader. The most common styles are autocratic, bureaucratic, democratic Laissez-faire and people oriented types of leadership. Others include servant, task-oriented, transactional and transformational. In a project environment, one requires flexibility in these leadership styles since the various phases have got their specific demands that may be different from the other phases. General leadership styles and skills Project managers must show two leadership styles: transformational and transactional. He should give guidance to the team by identifying their role and responsibility in the project. He should give inspiration to them in order to finish the project’s tasks. It has been established that people with outstanding leadership skills turn out to be good in management of projects too. This is because they are visionary, motivating and can bring people together. Above all, they have great accomplishments (Bryman, 1986). Project managers must be competent in the project’s technology and generally how to manage a business entity. This will lead to mutual respect and confidence between him and the other members of the team and administration. Management skills as well as business management competence are essential. The project manager must use sound management skills consistent with the organisation’s management style. The project manager must be alert, quick, a good listener, versatile and above all very flexible. He should be able to adjust any current plan to a better one. Being flexible means having a tough willingness in changing plans to acknowledge current realities for the sake of the project’s successful completion. The project manager must be of good ethics and full of energy. He should adjust to working for over forty hours per week. He should also be always available to the various people involved and interact with them. A good project manager must always be interested in details and possess great optimism with a strong belief that it can be done. He should not assume anything he is not sure of. He should always speak his mind and mean it. In addition, he should regard others as allies and not foes. Respect for other people and acknowledgement of good performance is important. He must always see the bigger picture and keep that perspective. Moreover, he should be interested in knowing why things have to be one in a certain way and not the other. Above all, a good project manager must be both a manager and a leader for a project to be completed successfully (Glanz, 2002). A good project manager must also be a good problem solver. He should be able to handle a situation where he is presented with tough choices to make. Problem solving will involve recognition of the problem and acknowledging that endeavouring to solve the problem is worthwhile. This has to be done with a positive attitude. The next step is defining the problem and clearly understanding it. The third step involves generating alternative solutions for the problem. Finally, one must narrow down the alternatives after a thorough examination of each of them, and then decide (Heerkens, 2001). The project manager must foster teamwork among the members. The most important resource in a project is the team. It is about the people one works with. This team can comprise members from various different departments of the organisation or just one department. The recommended project team comprises members drawn from different organisations. The team has the following responsibilities: To understand the work to be accomplished Planning of the activities in detail if need be Completion of the work assigned within the timeframe, budget, and the desired quality Informing the manager about scope changes, risk, issues and quality concerns Proactive communication of status and management of expectations. A team is formed by people who understand their role. They are led by a project manager who is interested in the success of the project. The project manager is vital. He must display a flexible approach in his leadership style (Lewis, 1995). Leadership style and skills through the phases Regardless of the complexity or scope, all projects go through various phases during their lives. There is initiation where output and essential factors of success are defined. The planning phase, whose principal characteristic involves a break down of the project into smaller manageable units. Next is the execution phase where the planned project is carried out. Finally there is exit phase marking the project completion (Visit Ask, 2004). Initiation This is the initial stage of the project where a clear definition of the project’s scope is done alongside the approach to be employed in delivering the required output. This is where the project management team is chosen basing on their experiences and skills. The project leader must be very flexible to allow a change or overhaul of the scope if need arises. His leadership style should be such that it allows contributions of all the team members for the project to run smoothly. This will make use of the various skills, experiences and talents that will go a long way in delivering a high quality output. Planning This stage involves identifying in detail all the tasks and assigning them. It also involves analyzing risk and defining a criterion for successfully completing every deliverable. This is where the definition of the governing process is done. Identification of stakeholders, period of reporting and the channels are agreed. Business Plans are used in this stage. The project manager should be able to assign tasks and responsibilities to the right people basing on their experience, skills and talents. The project leader should be flexible enough not think he is the most knowledgeable and experienced of all the team members. He should do more of coordination since he is good among equals. The governance process of the project should also avoid rigidity to allow free participation of all members of the team. In as much as it is important to adhere to the time schedule, this should not compromise the quality of the output. The team should therefore have an allowance within its stipulated completion of the various tasks. This will involve extending the time for some tasks while reducing it for others. The plans used in the project should also have contingency alternatives to be used in case of failure of the original. This should be done in consultation with other team members and stakeholders and of course the client. Execution and controlling This is where one ensures proper control and execution of project activities. During this phase, the earlier plan is implemented in solving the particulars of the project’s specifications. When developing the product and system, a design that results in a particular set of product requirements is made. Measurement of the convergence is done using prototypes, tests and a review. During the execution stage, a plan for the final testing, producing and support is made by the various groups in the organisation. Some of the tools employed during this phase include Milestones Reviews and Business Plan. This is a very sensitive area that needs proper teamwork. Models and prototypes are developed and tested. There should be flexibility to allow improvement of the prototype. Again, the skills, talents and experience of the team members should be used for the sake of a good quality project output. Closure This is the final stage of the project. The manager ensures the project is completed properly. A formal project review report is written. It involves the client officially accepting the product, comparing the client specifications with those of the product. Other contents include a reward to the team, lessons learned, release of the project’s resources and an official closing notification to the top management. Conclusion Project management is an important aspect of many organisations. It is therefore important that these projects deliver their desired results within the stipulated period of time. This calls for teamwork among the stakeholders, clients and the project team members. Most importantly, the project team needs to work together. The team leader must therefore ensure the team works together harmoniously. He should therefore adopt a flexible style in leadership to accommodate all the skills, talents and experiences of the members. This will ensure that good quality output is delivered at the end of the project.

French Words for Kisses

French has a number of different words for kiss, which, though not surprising for such a romantic language, can be confusing for French learners. The most common terms are bise and bisou, and while they are both informal with similar meanings and uses, theyre not exactly the same. Une bise is a kiss on the cheek, a gesture of friendship exchanged while saying hello and good-bye. Its not romantic, so it can be used between friends and acquaintances of any gender combination, particularly two women and a woman and man. Two men are likely to say/write it only if they are family or very close friends. Bise is most commonly found in the expression faire la bise. In the plural, bises is used when saying good-bye (e.g., Au revoir et bises à   tous) and at the end of a personal letter: Bises, Grosses bises, Bises ensoleillà ©es (from a friend in a sunny place), etc. Again, bises is platonic. It does not mean that the letter writer is trying to take your relationship to the next level; its basically shorthand for saying good-bye with the classic French cheek/air kiss: je te fais la bise. Familiar spelling variation: biz Un bisou is a warmer, more playful, and more familiar version of bise. It can refer to a kiss on the cheek or on the lips, so may be used when talking to lovers and platonic friends. Bisous can say good-bye to a good friend (A demain! Bisous à   toute la famille) as well at the end of a letter: Bisous, Gros bisous, Bisous aux enfants, etc. When saying good-bye on the phone, friends sometimes repeat it several times: Bisous, bisous, bisous! Bisous, tchao, bisous! Familiar abbreviation: bx More French Kisses Nouns un baiser - kissun bà ©cot (informal) - kiss, peckun patin (informal) - French kiss, kiss with tonguesune pelle (informal) - French kissun smack - noisy kiss Verbs bà ©coter (informal) - to kiss, smoochbiser - to kissdonner un baiser - to kissembrasser - to kissenvoyer un baiser - to blow a kissenvoyer un smack - to give a noisy kissfaire une bise/un bisou - to kiss (usually on the cheek)rouler un patin - to French kissrouler une pelle - to French kisssucer la poire/pomme - to kiss passionately, neck Warning: As a noun its perfectly acceptable, and its ok to say baiser la main, but otherwise, do not use baiser as a verb! Though it originally meant to kiss, it is now an informal way to say to have sex. Other Kisses le bouche-à  -bouche - kiss of lifele coup fatal - kiss of deathdivulguer des secrets dalcà ´ve - to kiss and tellfaire de la là ¨che (familiar) - to kiss upfaire la paix - to kiss and make upfaire un croix dessus (informal) - to kiss something good-byeplaquer - to give a boyfriend/girlfriend the kiss-offraconter ses secrets dalcà ´ve - to kiss and tellvirer - to give an employee the kiss-off