ANALYSIS ON THE EUROPEAN UNION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

ANALYSIS ON THE EUROPEAN UNION - Essay Example A Commissioner can be responsible for policy areas that belong to different DGs. Cabinet portfolios are basically function-based. National officials are invited by the Commission to participate on expert and advisory committees in the preparatory stages of a policy process. They attend as area experts, and do not formally represent their governments (Docksey and Williams, 1997, p. 141). Interest group participation is functionally based. The geographical principle is apparent in several respects. At the apex of the organization, the College of Commissioners is comprised of persons proposed by the member governments. They are served by personal secretariats that are composed of compatriots of the respective commissioners. For the Commission services, the recruitment of officials is drawn from national quotas but merit criteria is also applied. The EU has 27 member countries. ... (since 2004-05-01), Lithuania (since 2004-05-01), Luxembourg (EUR), Malta (since 2004-05-01) (EUR: 2008-01-01), the Netherlands (EUR), Poland (since 2004-05-01),Portugal (EUR), Romania (since 2007-01-01),Slovakia (since 2004-05-01) (EUR: 2009-01-01), Slovenia (since 2004-05-01) (EUR) , Spain (EUR), Sweden (since 1995-01-01) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. III. Economic Total Value of Trade The EU has a tremendous trading partnership with various countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). The total value of EU trade with the ACP countries reached approximately 80 billion for 2007. The breakdown of trade transactions reflected figures of EU importation worth 40.2 billion and EU export figures of 39.7 billion. For the African countries, the EU is their largest trading partner.In terms of trade composition, the profile of key products which are currently traded are as follows: the ACP countries export petroleum (42% of total exports), cocoa beans, (5%) and diamonds (5%). The EU exports machinery (22%), oil (11%), vehicles (7%), boats (7%), and medicines (3%). The EU also poured considerable foreign direct investment to the ACP countries which had increased from 1,922 million in 1996 to 4,319 million in 2002. This value of investment represents approximately 3.3% share out of the total investment outflows of the EU.In terms of foreign direct investment breakdown, foreign dirext investment flows to ACP Africa peaked from 1,532 million in 1995 to 2,799 million in 2002. Hence, the ACP has increasingly become a destination for investment by the EU.According to EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson (2008), the continued prosperity of Europe hinges on business certainty, tariff predictability,

Corporate Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Corporate Computing - Essay Example The process may take ages to unfold, but the technological advancement is already taking place. Virtualization, Web services and grid computing are three advances 'which are of considerable significance', though their importance has frequently been hidden by the arcane terms used to explain them.Virtualization erases the variations involving proprietary computing platforms, hence enabling applications intended to run on one working scheme to be deployed in a different place. Web services regulate the interfaces connecting applications, whirling them into modules that can be assembled and disassembled simply.  Ã‚  Grid computing enables large information of hardware mechanism such as disk drivers or servers to successfully act as a sole device, pooling their capability and allocating it mechanically to diverse jobs. In diverse ways, the three technologies play a function parallel to that of the untimely recent converters. They make possible a vast, compactly incorporated system to b e constructed out of assorted and formerly irreconcilable components. Independently, the three technologies are remarkable; however, collective they become innovative.The need for utility services has forced some companies to connect their old hardware and software into traditional data centers. Certainly, firms frequently forgo if not striking utility services or run into difficulties with outsourcing planning since the necessary incorporation with their bequest systems is so complicated.

Analysis of Financial Statements Research Paper

Analysis of Financial Statements - Research Paper Example Although this high level of debt provides higher level of ROE for the company, the debt levels are quite high thus entails very huge risks. A major recommendation for these companies is to conserve their funds instead of paying dividends, and use these in order to fund their growth instead of relying too much on debt. While the two companies remain profitable, the apparent weakness in their operation is their liquidity position, where in most instances they have less than a dollar in current assets, much less in quick assets to cover a dollar of current liability. Although the companies manage their assets well in terms of efficiency, a major recommendation is to retire current portions of debt by long-term debt in order to improve liquidity position. This decline in liquidity position, as well as the companies' aggressive capital structure policies create a perception of higher risks although both are profitable in their operations. Over the years, cash flow from the company's operations has been decreasing. For the period of four years, the cash flow in 2007 is at the lowest at 942.5. This cash flow results from the company's operations. The company's cost of sales has been relatively stable over the years, at 75% of sales in 2004 and 2005, to 76% in 2006 and 2007. Consequently, the company's gross profit figure is stable at 25% in 2004 and 2005, and 24% in 2006 and 2007. The company's expenses in relation to sales has also been at a relatively stable level over the course of four years. The company's marketing expenses are 19% of sales in 2004 and 2005, and 18% in 2006 and 2007. Coles Myer Limited spends 4% of its sales over the period of four years. After the expenses are deducted, the company's net profit figure plays around 2-3% from 2004 to 2007; 3% in 2004, 2% in 2005, 2% in 2006, and 3% in 2007 in proportion to sales. For every dollar of sales, the company receives an after-tax net profit of 0.02 cents over the course of four years. These figures result in a return on assets of 14% in 2004, 7% in 2005, 6% in 2006, and 8% in 2007. As regards the company's efficiency, the company has increased its inventory turnover over the course of the years: from 8.82 in 2005, down to 8.71 in 2006, then up to 9.08 in 2007. The company's frequency of collection has increased too, from 41.21 times in 2005, to 48.98 times in 2006, and up to 64.22 times in 2007. However, the performance of its assets in relation to sales has been decreasing over the years, from 3.94 in 2005, 3.7 in 2006, and 3.68 in 2007. ii. Investing From 2004 to 2007, Coles Myer Limited has increased its investments in property, plant and equipment-the company's biggest expenditure as regards its investing activities from 704.1 in 2004, to 925.0 in 2005, 1040.1 in 2006 and 1040.8 in 2007. This signifies some physical expansion on the

Impact of Internet Usage on the Academic Performance

Impact of Internet Usage on the Academic Performance INTRODUCTION Problem Statement: The impact of internet usage on the academic performance of adolescent students at St. Stephens College . Statement of Problem: The study investigates how students of St Stephens College are affected by the use of the internet. St. Stephens College, located in Princes Town, Trinidad is known as one of the highest ranked academic institutions in the country. The school comprises of approximately 750 students, most of which excel at their studies. Most, if not all of the students attending the school has had some contact with the internet which could have an effect on their academic performance. It is believed that the internet helps students to be more involved academically, therefore improving the quality of work done by the student. There is also the fact that students can misuse the internet, be it cyber bullying or being distracted by it, which can negatively impact on them. Purpose of Study: This study is geared towards determining if the use of the internet by students of St. Stephens College has impacted upon their academic performance and if so, how. Educational Value:  The information gained from this study can be used to re-assess the importance and significance of the use of the internet by students. The information can help to inform individuals of how to designate their time on the internet and also help promote proper use of the internet throughout various schools or even throughout the country. Research Questions: Is there a relationship between the use of the internet and academic performance of students? Have students become dependent on the internet? Has the use of the internet promote or hinder the academic performance of students? DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS Internet A global system of interconnected computer networks which bear a variety of information and services. Academic performance- How well a student is accomplishing his or her tasks and studies. Student A person studying to obtain a higher education LITERATURE REVIEW The internet is a global linking of devices that allow information transfer. The internet was established in the early 1960s by the U.S department of defence (Schneider, Evans and Pinard, 2006) for military purposes. It is a fact that the internet is one of the greatest advancement in the world of information technology as it has become a useful instrument that has fostered the process of making the world a global village. The Internet provides an environment in which millions of people participate and engage in the creation and exchange of information (Rose Fernlund, 1997). It allows for the exchange of information and for interaction among individuals in real time, making transport and distance no longer a problem. There are approximately 2.4 billion people on earth who has access to the internet with over 70 percent of them using the internet at least once a day. This amounts to a total of 144 billion emails being sent every 24 hours (internet world statistics, 2012). What started out as a hobby for some computer literate people has become a social norm and way of life for people around the globe (Boyd, 2007). The Caribbean consist of approximately 42 million people, 32.4% of which, use the internet (internet coaching library , 2012). Internet use has become very popular in many areas as well as in education in recent years. Accordingly, Internet access in schools has increased greatly over the last 20 years (Berson, 2000). In a research article, Ying-Fang Chen and Samuel S. Peng (2005-2006 academic year juniors) A study done on a variety of randomly selected University students in Taiwan showed that heavy Internet users and non-heavy Internet users differed significantly on a number of dimensions. Non-heavy users had better relationships with administrative staff, academic grades and learning satisfaction than heavy Internet users. Tuckman (1975) defined academic performance as the apparent demonstration of understanding concepts, skills, ideas and knowledge and proposed that grades clearly depict the performance of students. Heavy users were more likely than non-heavy Internet users to be depressed, physically ill, lonely, and introverted. According to a journal of Education and Sociology done in Pakistan, Muhammad Musaud Asdaque, December, 2010. The use of the internet is one of the major factors affecting the academic performance and social life of university students. The number of hours spent on internet will affect the grades of students depending on if the internet is used for study purpose or social purposes. Many studies have been conducted regarding the type of information the end-users seek and obtain on the Internet and in which circumstances they prefer electronic sources to paper sources(Tenopir et al.2003).Also , students can gain from others knowledge and experiences, participate in chatrooms, share ideas and solutions. Teens spend approximately 2.3 hours online a day, 80 percent of that time, on social networking sites (Roiworld, 2010). Students who multi-task between social networking sites and homework are likely to have 20% lower grades than a student who does not have a social networking site in visual range (Lenhart, A, 2009, April). Also , many researchers believe that excessive use of the internet has the potential to become an addiction (Griffiths, 1995, 2000). Some, involvement on the Internet begins to have serious, negative consequences. When such consequences are minimized or ignored while Internet use increases, Internet dependence is occurring. As of 2005, it is estimated that 6% of users are Internet dependent (Villanova Counseling Center). The internet can act as a major distraction to students if not properly managed. However, some studies show that students primary use the internet for school work specifically, searching the web for information needed for school projects (Kraut et al, 1996). This in turn, can improve the academic performance of a student. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION PRIMARY SOURCES: In order to carry out the internal assessment on the impact of internet usage on the academic performance of adolescence students of St. Stephens College, research had to be done using both primary and secondary sources of data. The primary data collection source used was a questionnaire since it allowed the person time to answer questions and it was also cost effective. The questionnaire was also used because it allowed for data to be analysed easily and was not time consuming. A questionnaire is a means of research, consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. The questionnaire used consisted of 14 questions, 3 of which were open ended questions. The open ended questions were used to obtain qualitative data from the respondents. The other 11 questions were closed ended and were used to obtain quantitative data on the topic. A total of 60 questionnaires were distributed randomly across forms 1 to 6 students. The ran dom distribution ensured that there was no bias in the selection of candidates since each person had an equal chance of being chosen. SECONDARY SOURCES: The secondary sources of data included the internet, books and texts. This was done to gain a better understanding of the problem which was being investigated PRESENTATION OF DATA Map Showing Location Of Princess Town In Trinidad figure 1 figure 2 figure3 figure 4 figure 5 figure 6 figure 7 Figure 8: Diagram showing students who use the internet for aid in research Figure 9: Diagram showing other means of research used by students INTERPRETATION OF DATA Based on the results obtained from the 60 students investigated at St. Stephens College, it was found that most students ( 68% ) partake in online activities more than once per day while only 4% of them do not partake at all. This shows that while most students do have internet access , some do not and are therefore not affect by the effects of the internet. As indicated by figure 2, a majority of the students who do have access to the internet also spend between 1 and 3 hours online everyday ( 45 ) while 12 spend more than 4 hours online. The internet is used by students in various fashions as seen from figure 3. The number of students using the internet for education, entertainment, and communicating with others are almost corresponding. Coupled with the other activities as, passing time, shopping and work/business, it can be seen that most time spent on the internet is not for educational purposes. When the data from figure 2 and 3 are combined , it can see that 33 students students spend more than 2 hours online everyday and that most of that time would be spent idle and not constructive. However , from figures 8 and 9 , it can clearly be seen that all of the students that were selected, use the internet for aid in research, while in figure 9, students use more than one souurce of research. This included 32 choosing books, 21 using newspapers and 7 use journal as their source. Figures 8 and 9 show that students do accomplish work on the internet but not all information can be sourced there. Figure 4 shows that while there are 21 students scoaring acceptable grades at end of the term examinations (60-100%), there is still an overwhelming number of students performing under par (0-60%). This includes 39 of the 60 students. The table show that there is likely a link between the use of the internet and academic performance of the students. Larger quantities of students idle online resulting in greater quantities of students scoaring below average. The location of internet usage usually used by students are shown on figure 5. Most students use the internet either at their homes oor by a family members home. This accounts for 52 of the 60 students. The home is a place where most students relax and feel free and this may lead to them allocating more time idle on the internet as compared to a student who uses the internet at school where the use of the internet is controlled. The large quantities of students using the internet at home may be directly linked to the below average end of term examinations grades. Many of the students indicated that the internet was useful when it came towards academic work (95%), while the other 5% said otherwise according to figure 6. On figure 7, almost equal quantities of students both disagree and agree with the statement that the advantages of the internet outweigh the disadvantages. A total of 23 students agreed while 22 students disagreed , 15 students were neutral about the topic. The data shown from both figures 6 and 7 indicate that while large quantities of students do believe that the internet is useful towards academic work , it is easy to be distracted and held at an disadvantage instead of focus and be at an advantage . DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS The main objective of this study was to carry out an investigation about the impact of internet usage on the academic performance of students at St. Stephens College. The findings from the research done, inficated that the increased quantity of students using the internet corresponded to the high numbers of students whith low academic scores. This also corresponded to the research article done by Ying-Fang Chen and Samuel C.Peng (2005-2006) as their candidates who had heavy internet usage performed poorly with respect to academics. From the research done it was also found that students with internet access spend more time online, idle than doing assignments. Therefore students without internet access would spend more time constructive. One of the objectives of the research was to determine if students had become dependent on the internet . Althought many students admitted that the internet does help with research, many of them also refer to sources such as books and journals. This data lead to the conclusion that while students are quite heavily dependent on the internet , they are not totally dependent and are capable of using varyous sources for research. Overall, the results of this study compared to the literature review show that students are more negatively impacted upon by internet use as the internet, althought helpful at times, it a distraction to students. CONCLUSION The research study has clearly outlined the impact of the internet on the students of ST. Stephens College. It can be concluded that althought internet usage does have its benefits, the internet impacts more negatively on students as they are more distracted by online activities and spend less time doing work. Also, it can be concluded that althought students are heavily dependent on the internet, they are not fully dependant since they are capable of using various sources for information. LIMITATIONS Firstly, the sample for the study was selected from only one institute, therefore generalization of the findings to the total population is limited. Also, the study investigates the impact of the internet on academic performance. Other variables such as health, gender and social well-being may also affect performance, therefore future studies should not be as limited. RECOMMENDATIONS To improve the study done, more questionnaires could have been distributed to improve the accuracy of the study. Also, some students could have been interviewed to obtain a better qualitative report. To reduce the negative effect of the internet on students, schools can inform parents to manage supervise their childs internet usage to ensure that time is not wasted. BIBLIOGRAPY: APPENDICES Questionnaire This questionnaire is designed to evaluate the relationship between internet usage and academic performance. Your cooperation in completing this study, your honest answers to the following questions would be greatly appreciated. As all responses are confidential, please do not sign your name. What is your age? ____________________________ Gender? Male Female How often do you use the internet? More than once per day Once a day Not at all Per week On average how many hours per day do you spend on the internet? Less than 1 hour 1-2 hours 2-3 hours More than 3 hours Where do you use the internet? Home School Family members home Cafà © Library What do you primarily use the Web for? (Please check all that apply.) Education Shopping/gathering product information Entertainment Work/Business Passing time Communication with others (not including email) Gathering information for personal needs Do you use the internet for aid in research? Yes No If so please state why. _______________________________________________________________________ How much does the internet help you academically? Very little Not at all A moderate amount Very much Do you use any of the following as means of research other than the internet? Books Newspapers Journals The advantages of the internet outweigh the disadvantages. Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree How do you perform in your end of term exams? 0-25 marks 45-60marks 35-45marks 60-85marks 85-100 marks Do you believe that the internet can have an effect on academic performance? _________________________________________________________________ If so please state why?

Danielle Steel’s The Ring - A Blend of Fiction and History Essay

Danielle Steel’s The Ring - A Blend of Fiction and History Can a plot, setting, and characters in a fictitious story be derived from actual historical events and can the two blend together? The unique writing style of Danielle Steel merges true historical events with fiction in a manner that leaves the reader emotionally touched. In her story, The Ring, Steel does not show a partition between fictitious characters and factual historical events. In fact, the two are intertwined so well that the reader can imagine the fictitious characters as real characters during a horrific period of our history, World War II. In fact, historical setting has a very significant impact on this work of fiction. Without the historical setting this story could not take place. The Ring by Danielle Steel follows a chronological order of the emergence of World War II in Germany, bringing along with it economic turmoil, political disorders, and the general insecurity and fear. This particular story is a direct result of history, which Danielle Steel blends very well with fiction. Though the characters are fictitious, they fit perfectly into the historical setting. For instance, Ariana, the protagonist in The Ring, has witnessed firsthand the human-made death and destruction of World War II, just as many victims had seen during the actual war. Even when she goes with her husband, Manfred, to the Opera house, she is reminded that the war is still occurring in Germany. â€Å"Even on Christmas night the war was with them†¦ and in the distance they could hear the bombs†(Steel 164). Ariana has also se en the atrocities as a result of the emergence of the war. For instance, when she is looking for her husband, she comes upon â€Å"a stack o... ...can see past their origins and cherish their country of birth, America. Finally, Danielle Steel has successfully captured the interlaced merger of historical events with fiction. The two flow so naturally in The Ring that it is as if the fictitious characters were real characters in real historical situations. So, the blending of history and fiction comes very much alive in this story, revealing Steel’s creativity that has placed her above most internationally renowned novelists. Works Cited The Ring. By Danielle Steel. Dir. Armand Mastrianni, Perf. Michael York, Jon Tenney, Tim Dekay, James B. Sikking, and Julie Cox. Lifetime Special Presentation, May 27, 2002. Class Film. NJIT. LIT 350-121. Summer Semester, 2002. Steel, Danielle. The Ring. New York: Delacorte Press, 1980.

Kingdom Fungi

Chapter 21 Notes: Kingdom Fungi! Name_________________________ 21-1: The Kingdom Fungi A. What Are Fungi? Fungi include MANY DIFFERENT types of organisms From tiny yeast cells To the one of the largest organisms in the world! Fungi are: Multicellular (except for yeasts) Eukaryotic Heterotrophic Decomposers: decompose dead and decaying material -Recyclers! -Secrete enzymes OUTSIDE bodies – Absorb digested nutrients Hyphae: long, slender, root-like filament Septa: cross-walls across hyphae (not in all hyphae) Mycelium: mat of interwoven hyphae o Large surface area = max food absorptionFruiting body: reproductive structures, like mushrooms o Many can develop from same mycelium o â€Å"fairy rings† Entire mycelium is haploid! o (1 set of chromosomes) B. Structure & Function of Fungi Fungi cells have cell walls -Contain carbohydrate â€Å"chitin† also found in exoskeletons Unlike plants: -Fungi DON’T have chlorophyll -Fungi have chitin in cell walls (plants hav e cellulose) C. Reproduction in Fungi Most fungi reproduce BOTH asexually and sexually Asexual Reproduction: Sporangia at the tip of sporangiophores produce haploid spores Fragmentation (breaking off) of hyphae can also produce new mycelia Sexual reproductionFungi form hyphae of opposite â€Å"Sex† o Called â€Å"+† & â€Å"-â€Å" The + & – hyphae fuse and form gametangia: o Makes gametes o Form a diploid zygote o Zygote undergoes meiosis: haploid once again! D. How Fungi Spread Fungal spores travel VERY easily in the air All they need is a good â€Å"landing place† with moisture & food Some fungi have special adaptations for spreading spores 21-2: Classification of Fungi A. 4 Phyla of Fungi: Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Deuteromycota Named for their reproductive structures! B. Phylum Zygomycota â€Å"Common molds† o On bread, cheese, etc. Black bread mold: Rhizopus stoloniferReproduce asexually (spores) & sexually (zygospores) C. Phylum Ascomycota â€Å"Sac Fungi† o Conidia form spores asexually o The ascus contains diploid spores in sexual reproduction Examples: yeast, cup fungi D. Phylum Basidiomycota â€Å"Club Fungi† 16,000 species: mushrooms, puffballs, bracket fungi, morels Club-shaped reproductive structure Spores form in basidia: o On the â€Å"gills† underneath mushroom cap Many wild mushrooms are poisonous! E. Phylum Deuteromycota â€Å"Imperfect Fungi† Fungi with NO KNOWN sexual stage Reproduction only asexually Ex: Penicillium; also pathogens like ringworm, athlete’s foot 1-3: Ecology of Fungi A. Fungi as Heterotrophs Most fungi are decomposers or saprobes Others are parasites (live on/in a living host) And others are symbionts: live in symbiosis with other organisms Pleurotus ostreatus is actually a carnivore captures & eats roundworms ALL fungi, though, are heterotrophs! B. Fungi as Decomposers External digestion: Fungi decompose matter by secreting enzymes o break i t down into simple organic molecules Fungus then absorb those molecules C. Fungi as Parasites Plants and animals (humans) are subject to fungal diseases Plants: o Corn smut o Mildew o Wheat rustHumans & animals: o Athlete’s foot o Yeast infections (Candida albicans) o Ring worm o Cordyceps (kills grasshoppers) D. Symbiosis Symbiosis is a â€Å"mutualistic† relationship in which BOTH partners benefit Lichens = algae (or cyanobacteria) + fungus o On rocks, dry environments Mycorrhizae = plant roots + fungus o -80% of plants might have these o Fungi help the plants get water & minerals o Plants provide fungi w/ energy E. Fungi & Food! Many foods are made using fungi! Yeast (Saccharomyces) is used to make bread, beer, wine Cheeses (Brie, Blue, Roquefort) are made using mold (Penicillium)

US Proposed Plan for Reducing Security Threat by Mexican Drug Cartels

US Proposed Plan for Reducing Security Threat by Mexican Drug Cartels Introduction Terrorism in the modern world has become a big threat to the security of the world and especially the US citizens which is the largest economy in the world. Mexico is a major loophole that can be used by these terrorists because of its border with the US which is very porous. There are several means through which terrorist activities are being carried out around the world.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on US Proposed Plan for Reducing Security Threat by Mexican Drug Cartels specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the ways is Cyber warfare, which has been said to be causing a lot of tension in the US. For instance by stealing intellectual property or commercial espionage are carried out by use computers and information technology. However, the Mexican cartels have not been noted to extensively use cyber warfare to terrorize people. Nevertheless Cyber warfare is still a security risk to US as a nation. This is because there are increased incidences of cyber terror, cyber espionage, hacking and cybercrime in the modern world. The risk that the cyber crime presents is hard to assess therefore its very dreadful as a time bomb waiting to explode. There are more frightful security threats that are posed by Mexican drug cartels. For years now, Mexico has come to be associated with distribution of largest volumes of drugs to the US. This is done by groups of organized crime gangs called cartels. They usually dominate large regions where they base their main operations and they cause unlawfulness in these areas because of their crime activities. They mostly engage in violent activities, drug abuse, and even manipulation of political support. There are a number of cartels that operate in Mexico and their activities often spill into the US. The major cartels include Sinaloa Federation, Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, Juarez cartel, Tijuana, and Beltran Leyva (Oscar, 2004, p. 67). Most of the conflicts being experienced across Mexico are attributed to the operations of these cartels. They basically cause such conflicts so that they can exploit the unstable conditions of lawlessness to do their businesses because in such a condition, they are able to transport and distribute their merchandise without police interference. They can evade police tracking and they control their own trafficking routes when there is no policing structure in place. Mexican drug cartels pose the greatest security threat to US because the two countries border each other and the even on instability in one of them, it’s likely to spills to the neighbor. Furthermore the border has been very porous with many drug cartels operations being done across these areas. The cartels are very dangerous and a reason to be scared because they accept firearms and other weapons in exchange of their drugs (Oscar, 2004, p. 67).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your fi rst paper with 15% OFF Learn More The cartels train their recruits in rigorous military skills especially use of the weapons that they purchase both legitimate and those illegitimately acquired. Furthermore the cartels are able to attract the best talent and brains into their gangs because of the handsome salaries that they offer including other luxury goods like gold jewelry and cars. The drug cartel business is so lucrative that some military personnel even quit their jobs to join the cartels. From statistics, it’s been estimated that about 2.5% of the defense person have joined and continue to join these cartels. Besides the sale of the drugs like marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, they also smuggle a great number of weapons into Mexico since for them to be able counter the police and their rivals, they require the best weapons and very sophisticated arms. given that the most heinous crimes take place in area controlled by the cartels, these or ganized gangs are able to smuggle weapons through to the US ranging from small arms to very large shipment of armory (Oscar 2004, p. 69). This means that since terrorists are looking to the slightest chance to smuggle their weapons to the US, they can work together with these drug barons to sneak deadly weapons to the US like nuclear war materials. By enhancing their relationships with prisons and the police, the cartels have increased their network in the US to a point where they can easily move or ship their products to distribute them to a very large area. South-western areas of the US are such risky areas that even the National Drug intelligence centre has revealed extensive business deals of gangs like Mara Salvatrutha and Latin King. Comprehensive Strategy for Fighting Background It’s now clear that the drug cartels in Mexico are causing serious mayhem in the country and the war between them and the government has gradually trickled into the US through the porous south- western border. The consequences of this have been that, there are increased murders in these regions sometime of innocent people and kidnapping of the US citizens. Among the notable incidences was the death of Robert N. Krentz who was just killed by a drug peddler while on his farm in Arizona. The US president was forced to 1,200 American National Guard troops to the areas to intensify security. This was a good indication that the US is yet to implement a proper plan of combating such crimes across its border with Mexico, though it was a good reaction for that incidence (United Nation, 2010, para. 3). The dreaded war between Mexican government and the drug cartels will remain to be a threat to the US security for a long time unless the US law makers take up an all-inclusive approach to deal with the violence. These means the US government should step up the effort to secure its borders, crackdown cartel operation in the vulnerable areas and also to assist Mexico in strengthening it s domestic capacity to fight the cartels, convict the gangs and imprison the drug cartel members (United Nation, 2010, para. 3).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on US Proposed Plan for Reducing Security Threat by Mexican Drug Cartels specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The escalating drug trade is extracting a terrible toll on the US citizens (Chu William, 2009, p. 104). It threatens their lives, the wellbeing of their families, their economy and even their supposedly inalienable freedoms. The illicit drug trade is also a serious threat to the entire National Security because the networks of the drug cartels have a very great potential of destabilizing and corrupting the government and weakening the public safety in the areas that are vulnerable in America. The illicit drug businesses give the cartels great amount of ill-obtained profits and despicable alliances that are built during their operations are used to facilita te terrorist activities and organized crime across the world (Chu William, 2009, p. 104). The US government needs to confront these threats by using combined strategies with Mexico. The combinations of the resources should include law enforcement investigation, diplomatic negotiations, economic sanctions, outlawing, developing proper institutions based on disrupting the drug cartel networks especially the markets, institution appropriate financial programs and investigations and establishing federal, local, and state enforcement cooperation (Chu William, 2009, p. 108). The government should intensify the existing law enforcement initiatives that include High Intensity Drug trafficking area (HIDTA), the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and DEA among others. The government should work to improve its interagency coordination and technology enrichment. These undertakings will strengthen the US defense system on its border. Internationally, the government should strive to form alliances with other governments especially Mexico itself so that the processes of interdiction, law enforcement and international development agencies all seek to combat the drug cartels and cut down their profits across the world (Chu William, 2009, p. 109). Cooperation with Mexico is the main ploy for the effort to fight these drug cartels. This cooperation is likely to effectively disrupt the illicit supply of the drugs since its from the source that a great volume of drugs can be stopped before they are sold into circulation in smaller packages considering that the drug traffickers have established big and well organized cartels with adequately trained men, some being ex-soldiers and the type and number of weapons they can access because of the money from larger profits from the trade, the cartels pose a serious threat even to the police force (United Nation, 2010, para. 3). However to ensure that they are fought and buried, it’s only pertinent that the US and Mexico r each an agreement to work together. They should have a plan that is sensible, feasible and has measurable milestones for success or failure. This way the fight against organized crime especially arms smuggling, human trafficking, drug trafficking and possible terrorism will be dealt with at the simultaneously.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Comprehensive Plan The Mexican drug cartels apparently control very big areas across Mexico and their illicit activities are being felt across the world especially in the US. In 2009, about 9,000 people were killed in drug related raids. This year had the worst incidences since President Felipe Calderà ³ declared war on drugs trade. The current US government should be praised for its efforts in combat the cartel activities by continuing what president Bush had left in place. However the government now greatly blames the US drug use, arms law and the current policies that seem to be ineffective (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009, p. 15). The Mexican president declared war on the drug cartels after assuming office in 2006 so that he could contain the havoc that the cartels were causing across the country. That venture was not an easy one and up to now, over 23,000 people have died in drug related operations with over 4,000 of them dying this year, 2010. Calderon seems t o be very tough on his stand against the cartels and seemingly, the cartels are now branching out to other illegal businesses like kidnapping and extortion. Since the fights and drug trade basically take place along the US-Mexico border, the violence usually affects the US citizens who are faced with fear of kidnapping, armed gangs and brutal killings ineffective (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009, p. 15). As the two countries struggle to finish the cartels, the cartels on the other hand are struggling to find new survival means and they are shifting to other illegal businesses as mentioned earlier and also expanding their networks to the northern parts of US. It’s estimated that the currently, the Mexican drug cartels have connections with over 20,000 street gangs across the United States. These gangs occupy the major cities in west and northern America. Implementing the plan to fight cartels will be a joint venture between the US and Mexico so that the two nations can be sure that the situation is seriously contained. Basically Mexico is not a failed state yet. The government is still in control of its military and other machinery that the state requires to ensure the security of its citizens (United Nation, 2010, para. 4). This is what has allowed the US Agencies to work in collaboration with their Mexican counterparts regarding security operations over the recent past. This is portrayed as a very positive prospect for the future. The following steps are crucial for the plan to function effectively; Identifying and Understanding the Problem: the main problem with the Mexican drug cartels is the insecurity that they cause across the two countries and the possible social impact of drug abuse on the communities. From this cause, Mexico and the United States are required to venture into collaborative attack on the cartels. The attack should be based on the information available from reliable sources like the National Intelligence Estimates (NIE ) (US Department of Justice 2010, p. 45). The US intelligence community should be mandated to provide the information on the cartels especially the amount of threat posed, that is, if it can be quantified. The National Drug Intelligence Center will also offer deeper predictive analyses on the crimes. For this reason, therefore a baseline for the future can be drawn where security operations will be based. All the cooperation plans will be adequately informed (United Nation, 2010, para. 5). This means that the NIE will have to create standard classified information and even the unclassified information just to ensure that the public is adequately educated to be knowledgeable about the nature of the threat. Curbing the Supply of Weapons to Cartels: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) claims that the drug cartels in Mexico acquire thousands of deadly weapons every year from Arizona, Texas and California (Carpenter, 2009, p. 6). Out of the traceable weapons that have been recovered, 90 percent of them were bought in the United States (US Department of Justice 2010, p. 45). This therefore means that if the governments manage to stop this supply, they will have managed to cut off about 90% of the Mexican source of arms to the cartels. Though the gangs can still find some weapons elsewhere this is a step in the right direction. The US should struggle to close all the possible loopholes like ensuring that there are background checks when purchasing guns. It’s estimated that over 40% of the guns acquired by the cartels are usually from selling points that do not carry out background checks during the purchase. ‘Gun shows’ should be closed because they are possible loopholes and that would make the United States much insecure (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009, p. 15). A study by the Republican Pollster Frank Luntz indicated that a very big population of the US citizens (over 87%) supported background check of firea rms at their selling points. A second step would be to increase the amount of pressure to be enforced on the law breakers. The US government should give the ATF more resources for its works of investigating the arms dealers who could be linked to the weapons that are found in Mexico ineffective (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009, p. 17). It’s been found that merely one percent of the federally licensed arms sellers are responsible for selling 60% of the guns that are associated with drug related crimes (United Nation, 2010, para. 7). The ATF should then crackdown the small number of gun sellers who habitually break the law and demonstrate that there is zero tolerance to unlawful dealings in crime whether by mistake or knowingly sell the guns to Mexican gangs (Carpenter, 2009, p. 6). The US should also illegalize the smuggling of guns from the country and impose a very serious sentence for that crime. Whereas there are specific provisions of the Gun Control Act that state that smuggling weapons into the country is an illegal activity, smuggling weapons out is not clearly illustrated as an offense. This means the crime is generally punishable under general smuggling statute (Warner, 2010, p. 83). Therefore if a special statute provision is provided to append harsher repercussions for smuggling weapons or selling them knowingly to gang members and cartels that eventually end in Mexico would go a great length in limiting those illicit activities. The US Should Stem Cash Flow to the Cartels: it’s estimated that between 20 and 29 billion US dollars cash obtained from the US from the sale of drugs is smuggled back and almost half of it immediately gets into the informal economy of that country after evading detection by authorities (US Department of Justice 2010, p. 45). An operation that was conducted in 2009 by Operation Firewall in an attempt to curb flow of cash and laundering led to seizure of over 200 million US dollars and over 190 arre sts in the united states and other countries. This is just a tip of the iceberg, if this is compared to the amount of cash that is smuggled across the US-Mexico border, the Mexican law is ineffective (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009, p. 19). This is why there needs to be joint effort to block this cash flow. This would also be a good start and will still have to be expanded to address the root cause of the problem. The US financial intelligences capacity has to have the ability to understand all the financial flows in the areas that most affected or even interdict money and other laundering deals (Carpenter, 2009, p. 6). More resources should be provided to the Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit so that it can deal with numerous cases per year. When more monetary and training resources are devoted to the activity, the results are likely to be efficient (Warner, 2010, p. 83). A joint training program between the US and Mexico especially the US Financial Intellige nces, Treasury Department’s and the Mexican UIF will be able to guarantee effectiveness of the venture. The US policy makers should assess the remittances from the US either legal or illegal are the leading sources of revenue to Mexico where they create a weak economy. Restricting the Operation Capacity of the Cartels: the US government should struggle to create a border security surge, so that the border is transformed into a very secure zone free of cartel operations. Both president Calderon and President Obama have great visions for their countries especially survival in the 21st century and sealing their permeable border into a place of controlled movement (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009, p. 20). The idea of a 21st century border is a great one though it would take several years to eventually accomplish. This is expected to improve security, but in the meantime, there is need to cause great boundary security surge to bring order along the border. The main goa ls would be to increase the number of the national guards to be allocated specific responsibilities so that all possible gaps are covered as reviewed by agencies dealing with border information (Warner, 2010, p. 86). The operation will also seek to expand the resources of the homeland security and justice department so that they can afford the best technology when needed. And finally there should be increased sources for the state and local police forces in the states that border Mexico. Increased Intelligence: there need to have more collaborative ventures more than ever before, for US and Mexican law enforcement agencies. The existing collaboration has been seen to be improving since statistics show positive results in the â€Å"mirrored enforcement reports†. The US border patrol now works together with the federal police from Mexico especially on border patrols which are often done simultaneously now. Still more can be done for the purpose of security. The two countries ca n agree to use unmanned US drones to amass information in the drug cartel dominated areas (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009, p. 20). There is need of creating a new program that will be used to collect information by the aerial drones unarmed over US-Mexico border to cover other areas beside the current Texas border. The intelligence should then be shared with Mexican government for proper strategy formulation (Carpenter, 2009, p. 8). The two governments should also look at the possible joint especially forces established to make the raids on the cartel territories to flush out and arrests the leaders. It’s possible that arresting and extraditing the leaders to the governments for prosecution would lead to justice and also scuttle organized cartels. Mexico is already extraditing some criminals for the same reasons. However a more efficient ways of dealing with the deeply rooted cartel would be for the Mexican military to conduct the raid operations banked by the US (Warner, 2010, p. 88). The proficient aerial attacks and logistics of the US military are likely to meet greater goals. Help Improve Mexico’s Justice System: the Mexican justice system needs a lot of reforms for long terms achievements. The US should works hard to give support to Mexico so that it can strengthen its rule of law. Even though this could be costly for both the countries, the insecurity that currently exists is much worse. The judicial system in Mexico should put more pressure on the cartels to impede their operations (Warner, 2010, p. 89). However, the reform process will still be slow but it’s expected that the continuing efforts will have achieved these reforms by 2016. The Mexican judicial system needs more training on the monetary and financial systems for the combined effort to be effective (Carpenter, 2009, p. 9). The local and state police in Mexico also need serious training in addition to the reforms being initiated in the courts and other gover nmental institutions. The Mexican military is under thorough reforms under a program called the Meridia initiative (Carpenter, 2009, p. 13). The programs have to be expanded to meet more law enforcement agencies and the entire legal system to be professionalized. Crackdown the Markets in the US: considering that the drug cartels have over 2,500 connections in the US cities, the US citizens are threatened greatly. Severing these networks and cutting the links with the controlling cartel is not only necessary but also inevitable. This is the most essential step of disrupting and dismantling the dominant cartels (Carpenter, 2009, p. 13). The US justice department led the â€Å"Project Deliverance† which was an inter-agency (included over 300 agencies) boundary operation that was set to fight the cartels trafficking networks. The project put a lot of pressure on the distribution links in the US resulting in over 2,266 arrests and 154 million dollars were seized with 2.5 tons of c ocaine, 69 tons of marijuana among other drugs as well as over 500 vehicles. The project is a robust program that involves state securities and international agencies to disrupt cartel networks in America. Since this model was somehow a success, it can be used as a basis for disruption of cartel networks (Carpenter, 2009, p. 13). From it, new programs can be created to deal with drug cartel activities. Ultimate Operations The drug cartel problem and insecurity is a very big problem that entangles a lot to the US systems including illegal immigration, prisons, education and the law enforcement. Basically there are some factors that need to be resolved first before the ultimate operations can begin. First is the gang culture. Many Mexican do not value education considering that there are cheaper means of earning money besides going to school and developing a good career. Now the new problem is not even the Mexican but the America Mexican born in America or even illegal immigrants. Mos t of them have been found to have poor education (Smith, 2006, p. 56). For instance the education level of Mexican men who form larger percentage of illegal immigrants is very low at the bottom of the spectrum with least number of people with college degrees and most of them are high school dropouts. Even the US born Mexican youths always attach themselves to Mexico and still maintain their culture of carelessness. They are very arrogant and very aggressive committing very brutal crimes in some cases (Smith, 2006, p. 56). This problem begun as early as 1940s, as Mexicans started immigrating to US to better their lives and currently about 4% to 10% of the Mexican Youths subscribe to criminal gangs in America. The other cause of lawlessness is the inadequate reforms among law enforcement agencies in Mexico (Smith, 2006, p. 56). Basically the ability of Mexico to deal with drug cartels should be founded on the total overhaul of the judicial institutions and law enforcement agencies. In the past, the police basically preserved order and not crime resolution. They were therefore corrupt, inefficient, uneducated and dependent on crime as they even drove stole vehicles (Smith, 2006, p. 59). Corruption is one major obstacle in the fight against cartels. This is a very strong tool for the cartels because they have power to corrupt top law officers with large cash amounts, use violence and coercion and even cause serious mayhem in certain areas. The idea of money or bullet commonly phrased as â€Å"plata† (silver) or â€Å"plomo† (lead) has for so long been an effective tool for traffickers (Beith, 2010, p. 41). Government official were hence corrupt and totally engulfed in drug dealings. Political will is also been used as a weapon. President Calderon has been very aggressive in dealing with crime. For that reason, all politicians who supported him faced some threat. At times, some politicians have been killed in the past and the gangs have used them as r eference to scare other people like ‘Did you see what happened to so and so? The same could happen to you† †¦ this instills fear in people (Beith, 2010, p. 41). In 2009, Revolutionary party swept five governor positions out of the available six. This basically showed that there was a serious shift of political support from the President’s National Action party to the revolutionary party which is a little tolerant. He maybe loosing the popularity partly because of the fight he has set against these cartels (Beith, 2010, p. 46). There are three ultimate missions of the place to stop drug cartel threat to the US security. The three strategies only seek to expand cross-border bilateral cooperation based on the common enemy and shared dreams of dealing with insecurity (Carpenter, 2009, p. 13). Cooperation: the meeting between President Bush and Calderon led to a paradigm change from grudges to partnership between the two nations. This is where the Meridia initiati ve was born and it’s now a very large and comprehensive plan for fighting cartels. The program was set to run for three years and 1.4 billion dollars were spent on it (Wasler, 2010, p. 6). The basic objective was to strengthen Mexican institutions to enhance their capacities to hunt and deal with complex crime and trafficking gangs. The US has also provided its Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) personnel to help in recruitment and training of law enforcement officers in Mexico for the Mexican sensitive Investigative unit. This way, there will be great enhancement of intelligences across the countries’ departments. Another important dual venture is the Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BEST); this is an operation task force that makes use of the intelligence obtained from the partnership to propel investigations and organize the members for intensify security on the borders (Wasler, 2010, p. 6). Containment: the objective of the US forces as they seek to ensu re security for its citizens has been to contain or stop smuggling of any kind ranging from illegal immigrants, human traffickers, illicit commodities, drugs and other unlawful activities through the borders in order to stop any problems that could be associated with these illegal dealings (Wasler, 2010, p. 7). First, the US established a special department for this purposes, the border patrol in 1924 and recently, the setting up of the Secure Fence Act in 2006. The US is now positive that it can manage to contain the drug cartels threats from Mexico to a considerable level. The border security has been modified over years through several revisions, from Southwest Border security to new 2009 law and seemingly more efficient institution called Homeland security headed by Janet Napolitano (Wasler, 2010, p. 8). The office of national drugs control policy (ONDCP) formed collaboration with DHS to fight narcotics smuggling across southwestern border. Blame America and not Mexico: itâ€⠄¢s quite evident that the US domestic drug abuse is the reason why there is production of drug in Mexico because this offers ready market. Some of its gun laws as identified earlier have big loopholes and the economy is also very open (Wasler, 2010, p. 9). Acceptance of co-responsibility yielded good results and now the cartels are feeling the pressure. Even the US former president Clinton noted that the American insatiable need for the drugs is what drives the trade. The inability to control firearms and other lethal weapon from being smuggled out of the country offers the gangs the weapons to counter government raids and other efforts to stop them (Wasler, 2010, p. 9). However, there is new readiness to contain drug cartels where several combined initiative are already in place and other laws are being prepared to make smuggling of weapons out of US illegal and also reevaluate other domestic policies that deal with drug trafficking from Mexico. Reference List Beith, M. (2010). â €Å"The Last Narco,† Grove Press, New York, pp. 40-55. Carpenter, T.G. (2009). â€Å"Troubled Neighbor: Mexicos Drug Violence Poses a Threat to the United States,† Policy Analysis, no. 631. Chu, V.S., William, J.K. (2009). â€Å"Gun Trafficking and the Southwest Border:† Congressional Research Service,† Library of Congress; Washington, DC. Oscar B. (2004). â€Å"New Traffickers Struggle for Control of Mexican Drug Trade,† Janes Intelligence Review. Smith, R.C (2006). â€Å"Mexican New York- Transnational Lives of New Immigrants,† University Of California Press; Berkeley, CA. U.S. Government Accountability Office, (2009). â€Å"Firearms Trafficking: U.S. Efforts to Combat Arms Trafficking to Mexico Face Planning and Coordination Challenges,† GAO-09-709, pp. 14–16 Retrieved from https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09709.pdf United Nation. (2010). â€Å"Globalization of Crime: A Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment,† United Nation Publisher Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=r2QsBwNv8NMCpg=PA239dq=Zetas+and+Beltran+Leyva+conflicthl=enei=FXj2TNjQEc2r8AapoY3gBgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=Zetas%20and%20Beltran%20Leyva%20conflictf=false United States Department of Justice. (2010). â€Å"National Drug Intelligence Center,† National Drug Threat Assessment 2010. Retrieved from  https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/prs/10ndta10.htm Warner, J. (2010). â€Å"U.S. Border Security: A Reference Handbook,† ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA. Wasler, R. (2010). â€Å"U.S. Strategy Against Mexican Drug Cartels: Flawed and Uncertain, Heritage Foundation,† Backgrounder, No. 2407.