Category: Politics & Government 2182

Introduction

In any country, it is the Government which makes policies and regulates the law and order. Public policy can be generally defined as a system of laws, regulatory measures, courses of action, and funding priorities concerning a given topic promulgated by a governmental entity or its representatives. (Kilpatrick, n.d, para.1). A variety of factors influence the public policies and hence the decision of the government. Public policies can be seen as a reflection of the public opinions on several issues that concerns the well being of the society or the country.

The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of Special Interest Groups and Political parties on public policies regarding the issue of gun rights and immigration laws in the United States. The paper examines the priorities and decisions of these groups and parties on gun rights and immigration policies and their mode of working in influencing the public policy decisions.

Gun rights

For several decades, the right to guns and firearms by the US citizens is a controversial issue in American politics. There have been several debates on the individual right to guns and the prevention of crimes and gun violence over the past years. The number of Americans who support the individuals right to firearms is almost equal to the number who stands for stronger law enforcement rules on the ownership and use of firearms. The Second Amendments of the Constitution supports and protects the individual ownership of firearms. The public policy on gun ownership limits the use of firearms and weapons for violent activities.

The Democratic Party of the United States stands for control of gun possessions and uses by individuals with a goal to reduce crimes. The Gun Control Act of 1968, The Brady Bill, the Crime Control act of 1994 and Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 were introduced by the Democratic Party in favor of gun control. However, the Republican Party point of view opposes gun controls and favor gun ownership rights in the US.

The National Rifles Association was found to promote and encourage rifle shooting. The NRA supports the ownership of firearms and offers world class training in the use of guns and rifles to American citizens. It also provides classes for self defense among students and women and also holds programs to cause awareness about safe gun practices among the citizens. The NRA advocates that with proper firearms education, gun ownership can be granted to the US citizens.

The Brady Campaign to prevent gun violence is the most prominent Self Interest activists that work for the reformation of gun ownership laws. The campaign works by exposing the gun industry, representing the victims of gun violence and defending gun laws. The Brady Campaign was a strong influence which led to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 signed by the then American President Bill Clinton.

Immigrant policies

The American history and culture was highly influenced by immigration. Although lawful immigration is welcomed by the Americans, illegal immigration is considered as a serious threat to the nation. The high rate of immigration to the US have posed some threats regarding the economic aspects, work habits, political loyalties and rate of violence in the country.

The liberal culture of the Democratic Party favors immigration in the US and supports cultural diversity and cultural pluralism. However, the Republican views on immigration policies are divided. Although the government under President George Bush had deemed immigrations as positive, not many Republicans favor immigration.

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps are a self interest group who has the mission to guard their nation against illegal immigration. They hold campaigns and works for reforms in the Constitutional law to stop illegal immigration and to take strict measures against illegal immigrants. The Minuteman defines illegal immigrants as aliens and demands the government to make stricter immigration laws.

The Americas Union Movement, AFL  CIO, works for the policies and rights of immigrant workers in the country. The self interest group advocates for public policies which supports immigrant workers and works for a balanced immigration enforcement. The group works on educating the immigrant workers on their rights and holds campaigns for government resolutions which support reformation of immigration laws.

There are many organizations which work in US and abroad for reformation of public policies regarding gun policies and immigration laws. Public policies have a great influence by these organizations.

Reference

Kilpatrick, Dean G. (n.d). Definitions of public policy and the law: Definitions. 2009. Web.

Abstract

English-only debate has started a political debate in the US over the issue of multiculturalism and national identity. 28 states have passed the English-only law however; the law has not been accepted by the House and the Senate even after numerous proposals to amend the constitution. This article discusses both the sides of the English-only debate and the laws related to it.

Introduction

Language has assumed an important position in the political arena in the United States. Politicking has been rampant in the ardent desire of many to make English the official language of the US. The English-only movement is a political movement, which aspires to make English the only language used in government operations. The English-only movement had started in the early twentieth when the US experienced the biggest surge of immigration (Phillips, 1997). In the 1980s, 23 states, from California through much of the West to the entire South (p. 42) declared English their official as their official language. The preachers of English-only advocate the melting pot theory. They believe multicultural existence in the US has become a success because people from everywhere come here and assume a common identity, which is assumed with English (Phillips, 1997). This movement has come up in various times of American history in unrelated manner. This paper enumerates a few of these unrelated events and investigates into how similar or dissimilar they are in their objective and pursuit.

English-Only

In the 1980s, Senator Hayakawa proposed to amend the US Constitution to declare English the official language of the country. This stirred quite a controversy and stirred a political debate relating to Americas cultural and linguistic identity and on the language rights of linguistic minorities (Brandes, 2009, p. 8). The English-only and Official English Movement has assumed some success in state legislative with 28 states granting some official status to English but the matter has been pending in both the House and the Senate (Brandes, 2009).

Many legal battles have evolved in this tumult about language and many laws have been passed. One such instance is a 1988 law passed by the Arizona voters who declared that English was the official language of the state and non-English using workers could be prosecuted (Collings, 1997). This law was contested against by a state worker who used Spanish in her dealing with the clients. However, the Federal Court and the lower court held the law unconstitutional. The Supreme Court held the judgment of the lower court effective, make the English only law void.

In the recent time, the language debate in the US has concentrated on the Spanish speaking population. Language rights have been recognized in the US for various other groups like that of the state of Hawaii, Native Americans, commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and Guam. However, it is believed that these languages did not threaten to change the dominance of English in the US. Nevertheless, the case with Spanish is different. The reason behind this is the growing Latino/a population in the United States, which is expected to reach 25% of the total population by 2050. (Brandes, 2009, p. 30) However, the second-generation Hispanic immigrants have problem with English, which is often caused due to bilingualism.

In 1995, five amendments were proposed to make English as the official language of the US (English-Only Laws, 2005). The advocates of English only laws have proposed the State must stop usage of any other language other than English in all instances and people not abiding by the law may be prosecuted. Is the English-only law is implemented; it would affect services like health, job opportunity, education and social welfare. This law applies primarily to government operations however; such laws may also be enacted upon private establishments. The proponents of English-only advocates have opposed to the usage of multilingual operators in telephone call centers and multilingual directories. However, their greatest argument is that this will ensure unification of the US.

In certain cases, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the lower court to allow English to be the only language to be used in workplace. For instance, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Justice Department led an amicus curiae brief on June 1, arguing that the Court should hear the case because of errors in the decision of the 9th Circuit. The appeals court reversed a district courts summary judgment holding that an English-only work rule, put in place by Spun Steak Co., had discriminatory impact on Hispanic employees, and that the rule was improper because the plaintiffs had proposed a number of less burdensome alternatives to the English-only rule. (EEOC, 1994) Thus they pointed out that if this law is implemented it will contradict Title VII of the employment discrimination act and EEOC Act.

In 1998, California made English its official language when the state is expected to have a Hispanic majority (Marshall, 1998). The English only received 61 percent vote and the voters decided to do away with bilingualism known as Proposition 227. However, it received no support from the governor, the President and the courts. A similar situation arose in New Mexico too (USA Today, 2007).

Conclusion

English-only debate has assumed new colors recently and has gained a lot of political and media attention. However, there are supporters for the same, but the law is enforced will violate many of the historical law, which has been upheld by the US constitution like the EEOC Act and Title VII. Therefore, this law has not yet been enforced in the country even though it has gained affiliation in some states.

Reference

Brandes, T. (2009). Rethinking Equality: National Identity And Language Rights In The United States. Texas Hispanic Journal Of Law & Policy 15(7) , 7-50.

Collings, A. (1997). Justices Skeptical Of English-Only Law.

EEOC. (1994). EEOC Disappointed In Supreme Court Decision Not To Hear Speak-English-Only Work Rule Case. Web.

English-Only Laws. (2005). Wests Encyclopedia of American Law.

Marshall, A. (1998). California votes for English-only schooling.

Phillips, A. (1997). The English-only debate. Macleans 110(18) , p. 42.

USA Today. (2007). Richardson: English-only debate bow to front-runners.

The country is located on the northern part of South America. Its continental territory limits are the Caribbean Sea to the North; the Atlantic Ocean and the Republic of Guyana to the East; the Republic of Brazil to the South and the Republic of Colombia to the West. Venezuela has a total area of 917.450 square km, which, according to the United States Department of State, is approximately 2.5 times the State of California (Travel Guide, par. 1).

According to the same source mentioned above, Venezuela has an estimated population of 21 million. Caracas is the capital city. It alone has a population of 2.8 million inhabitants, but there are some unofficial estimates that make it go up to a total of 7 million. Other major cities are Maracaibo, which has 1.4 million inhabitants, Valencia with around 1 million inhabitants, Maracay approximately 800,000 inhabitants and, lastly, Barquisimeto with around 800,000 inhabitants (Travel Guide, par. 1).

For time purposes we must say that Venezuela is part of the -4 Time Zone (GMT). It must be noted that this country has a variety of climates ranging from tropical to temperate. There are only two seasons: winter and summer. No middle season like in Britain. The rainy season runs normally from May to mid-November. For example, the average temperature in Caracas is 22º C and in Maracaibo 20º C  40º C year round (Travel Guide, par. 1).

If you need to make an international call to Venezuela, you have to dial first the Venezuelan international code number, which is 58. For a more specified call in Caracas, for example, you have to dial the city code which is 2, that of Maracaibo 61, Puerto Ordaz 86 and Valencia 41. Fax and telex service is available at most major hotels. Most international couriers serve Venezuela. These include DHL, Federal Express, Jet International, P.O. Box Air International and Domesa (Travel Guide, par. 2).

Normal business hours are from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Stores are usually open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Banks are open to public from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m (EarthTrends, 1).

Political and economical introduction

Venezuela is a very rich country in oil and minerals. It also has a beautiful coastline which is perfect for tourism. Combined with the open policy for foreign investments that the country has had the second half of the twentieth century it made it very attractive for foreign businesses to invest in the country. In fact, up until the election of the present President in power, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela was a preferred country for foreign businesses to invest their capital. The election of Hugo Chavez in 1999 and his governmental policies afterwards have affected negatively this heavy investing attitude of foreign business companies. Economic policy and the business environment have become even less friendly to investors since Hugo Chavez was re-elected in December 2006 (EarthTrends, 2).

The Republic of Venezuela is a representative democracy with division of powers as follows: Executive Branch (referred to as the National Executive) headed by the President and 22 Cabinet Ministers; Legislative Branch, comprised of two Chambers, Senate and Deputies elected every five years; and a Judicial Branch, headed by the Supreme Court of Justice. The National Territory is divided into 22 states, 1Federal District and 72 islands. Caracas, the capital of the Republic and the Federal District, is the permanent site of the headquarters of the National Executive(EarthTrends, 4).

Due to the financial crisis of 1994, a significant part of the financial institutions are owned by the State. However, the Venezuelan Government is taking the necessary steps to sell these institutions to national or foreign private investors. The financial intermediation in Venezuela is governed by the General Law of Banks and Financial Institutions, enacted in November 1993. This law is a permissive law that states the activities prohibited for banks and other financial institutions and allows those institutions to engage in any activity not expressly forbidden. In addition, the Law introduced important changes regarding banking matters, among these, the following:

1. a. The extension of the definition of financial intermediation to include the habitual fund taking to carry out investments. Under the former law, the definition of financial intermediation was limited to deposit taking and lending.
2. b. The introduction of the unlimited foreign investments in the financial intermediation. Before this law, the foreign investment in the banking sector was limited to the 20% of the capital of the bank (IMF, 2).
3. c. The universal banking. All Financial institutions are under the control, supervision and regulation of the Superintendence of Banks and Other Financial Institutions. Securities transactions are governed by the Capital Markets Law of 1975 and the supervising authority is the National Securities Commission (IMF, 4).

Safety and travel security

Violent crime in Venezuela is pervasive, both in the capital, Caracas, and in the interior. The countrys overall per capita murder rate is cited as one of the highest in the world. Kidnapping is another serious concern. The Venezuelan National Counter Kidnapping Commission was created in 2006, and since then, official statistics have shown an alarming 78 percent increase in the number of reported kidnappings. Surveys show that the overwhelming majority of kidnappings are not reported to the police. Armed robberies take place in broad daylight throughout the city, including areas generally presumed safe and frequented by tourists. Well-armed criminal gangs operate with impunity, often setting up fake police checkpoints. Investigation of all crime is haphazard and ineffective. Only a very small percentage of crimes result in trials and convictions (Travel Guide, par. 6).

Travel to and from Maiquetía Airport, the international airport serving Caracas, can be dangerous, and corruption at the airport itself is rampant. Travelers at the airport have been victims of personal property theft, as well as mugging and express kidnapping in which individuals are taken to make purchases or to withdraw as much money as possible from ATMs, often at gunpoint. Multiple, credible reports have been received that individuals with official uniforms or other credentials are involved in facilitating or perpetrating these crimes. For this reason, American citizen travelers should be wary of all strangers, even those in official uniform or carrying official identification. There are also known drug trafficking groups working from the airport. Travelers should not accept packages from anyone and should keep their luggage with them at all times (Travel Guide, par. 8).

The road between Maiquetía Airport and Caracas is known to be particularly dangerous. Visitors traveling this route at night have been kidnapped and held captive for ransom in roadside huts that line the autopista. Because of the frequency of robberies at gunpoint, travelers are encouraged to arrive and depart only during daylight hours. If not, travelers should use extra care both within and outside the airport. We strongly advise that all British staff make advance plans for transportation from the airport to their place of lodging. If possible, travelers should arrange to be picked up at the airport by someone who is known to them or at least try to caravan in known groups en route to Caracas. Travelers should be aware of chokepoints inside tunnels and avoid obstacles in the road. Frequent reports of armed robberies in taxicabs going to and from the airport at Maiquetía have been made these past years (CIA, par. 2). There is no foolproof method of knowing whether a taxi driver at the airport is reliable. The fact that a taxi driver presents a credential or drives an automobile with official taxi license plates marked libre is no longer an indication of reliability. Incidents of taxi drivers in Caracas overcharging, robbing, and injuring passengers are common. Travelers should take care to use radio-dispatched taxis or those from reputable hotels. Travelers should call a 24-hour radio-dispatched taxi service from a public phone lobby or ask hotel, restaurant, or airline representatives to contact a licensed cab company for them.

In the present situation, all the British staff to travel and locate there should bear in mind the above mentioned problems. It is advisable to use the appropriate mentioned taxis for moving around and get to know some of the local culture. For example, for Venezuelans to make comments on beautiful women while walking is considered a normal cultural value. The British staff of the company should be aware of this and not react promptly because this would provoke reaction from the other part. Also, it is best to frequent those areas mentioned above and the pubs and bars located there for leisure purposes. Another problem to be met with is the kidnapping of foreigners.

According to the United States Department of State, Venezuela is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; Venezuelan women and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, lured from the nations interior to urban and tourist areas; child prostitution in urban areas and child sex tourism in resort destinations appear to be growing; Venezuelan women and girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to Western Europe, Mexico, and Caribbean destinations (CIA, par. 6).

Security Management

To make sure the work of Caspian Construction in Venezuela after its bid is accepted is of high quality, it is necessary to have a high level of security for both the facilities, equipment to be used and staff. The traditional form of achieving security, especially for facilities and equipment, is the hiring of companies that provide static guarding services. These static guards with guard the equipment and facilities and they can also guard staff while working also. Certainly it is a good form of security but the problem with this type of security is that it has limited capability especially for staff which are dynamic, mobile, in their work and not static. As we have mentioned above there are certain roads that are considered to be of high risk for foreigners in Venezuela.

So, there is a need of a broader security policy, one that includes both physical security but also alarm management. Not only the need is to secure people and stuff but even react properly in a security threat, or security breach, situation. It is the need of having a manager that is imaginative, capable of identifying the situations properly and reacting to them adequately and effectiveness, efficiency and cost of an integrated risk management and security solution. This is why I recommend that the head of security management be an expatriate security manager. His Deputy also should be an expatriate which is preferred to be a Consultant for security issues. Among his responsibilities will be the managing and implementation of the security review recommendations and the managing of the guard force and third party supplier contracts.

It is advisable that this Security Management team should be located alongside the Caspian Construction HSE Manager within the Head Office in the compound that will be established for the company. This is a necessitty to facilitate the easy passing of information which is inevitable.

Using various networking methods, it is recommended that local national staff be recruited to fulfil the roles of facility security guards, static guards and drivers. They will come under the command of local security advisors, who are typically ex-Forces and familiar with the deployment of large numbers of guards and the nuances of doing so.

Journey Management

The fleet of 70 vehicles is the biggest part of the expenses to be made. It is a significant cost for the company. Of these vehicles many are anticipated to be of a rugged, 4×4 capability for transporting employees and clients in and around a construction site. It would be more appropriate that local nationals be employed as drivers. This option eliminates the need to train employees, to get Venezuelan driving permits and mitigates against them being involved in any traffic accidents with legal implications. It is an option that also cuts costs significantly. Local staff are better acquainted with the roads and driving conditions. It can also be expected to work on a shift pattern basis and longer hours. It is however advised that a Defensive Driver Training package be given to check peoples ability and also train in off-road driving skills, recovery of vehicles using winches, vehicles preparation, vehicle kit lists, the communications equipment and route information. Only during the visits to remote locations will vehicles be required to drive in convoy and then a minimum of 2 vehicles is required.

Where possible, additional security should be sought from both the Police and the Military in Caracas. This adds an element of jurisdiction to the security detail and also means weapons can be carried around the site. Vehicle escorts may also be permissible into Caracas and more remote geographical regions, and armed military convoys are less susceptible to attack.

Office Security

Around the buildings and offices where Caspian Construction will reside there must be established fences. In order to have improved safety and security, the distance must be adequate to prevent trespassers accessing, also preventing theft and damage to property of the company. A fence also denominates a boundary, which indicates to people that this facility is not for open public entrance. The access to the facility will be from a fixed position with an alternate, emergency exit located at an opposite side. This entry position will be divided in two lanes where the vehicles can enter the site and be checked for security reasons. They will also leave via a checkpoint simultaneously to aid in the smooth movement of vehicles. Since the duration of the contract is expected to be of four years then it is recommended that either T-wall concrete sections or Hesco Bastion barriers must be used to create the fence (Security Management, par. 5). Within this boundary, sections will be divided using chain link with razor wire tops to secure individual buildings and to segregate the Yard areas with the Office areas. This is done in consideration of a security threat. By dividing the two areas you give them additional security. If the yard area is breached, for example, the office area would have an additional barrier.

Accommodation security

Especially for the British staff, accommodation security is essential. As mentioned above the risk of kidnapping is high in Venezuela nowadays. But this accommodation security must also include preventive measures for accidents like fire prevention for example.

A key-entrance system device which can be monitored by CCTV and controlled by an Operations Centre is advised to be the proper mode of entrance for the staff in the residence area. This will assure that only staff would enter this area. Since the risk of hijacking and theft is greater during night hours then the perimeter of the site should be lighted during those hours and an appropriate Illumination matrix should be created and floodlights be set up. A particular attention should be made toward power requirements of these light providing matrixes. There should be staff appointed in re-supply the fuel to each generator to prevent it stopping and creating a security warning.

As mentioned before it is better to use local national force for guardianship. A tender could be made for contracting the best local company possible to provide these services for the entire duration of the contract. The main reason for using this local security guardianship companies is that this way you cut of costs of training and education. Also they are more familiar with the ambient and particular situation in the country. This way they would be able to react more promptly, adequately and faster to threatening situations than foreign security companies would do.

Security Planning

This is the part when a serious security break has happened. The major security threats would be kidnapping, theft or damage of property of the company. First, let us assess the reaction to a kidnapping of staff, especially foreign staff.

First thing to do from the companys management team is to explore all alternative explanations including confirmation that the individual is not late, lost, or has not been involved in an accident of any sort. In order that this is done correctly a few preventive measures should be taken prior to having a kidnapping situation. The companys management team should consider attaching a recording device to telephones to ensure that all instructions and information are received correctly and evidence is gathered. In a case of kidnapping the team should ensure that the person receiving or conducting any calls from the kidnappers should make written notes as soon as possible. Original tapes and letters sent by the kidnappers may also become important evidence. Letters and envelopes should only be touched at the extreme corners and placed in plastic envelopes before photocopying and storing securely for eventual handover to the police as criminal evidence. Where possible, recording should also be copied immediately and the originals stored. Transcripts and translations should be made ad delivered to local authorities. It is appropriate to have a separate telephone line to be used for negotiations with the kidnappers; recording equipment should be fitted to this telephone.

Now we turn to the human factor of preventive measures. Foreign staff should be given pre-arrival information about the situation and a training awareness after arrival in the country. Topics covered would include situational awareness training, defensive driving techniques and trauma first-aid training. Experience shows that the most common cases of incident of this sort occur whilst working in small numbers in remote locations with some distance from immediate support. Employees should be able to drive safely off-road, know how to recover a vehicle from obstacles and preserve life at the scene of an accident.

It is a fact that most kidnappers rely on routine to track down and then look for a time when individuals are most vulnerable to an attack (Security Management, par. 13). It is the case to have a well designed and well managed plan. This will provide a number of routes that are considered to be safe by the Security Management team. There should also be a schedule of departure and arrival on destination to further prevent accidents.

Another important factor is the awareness of staff. It should be noted and specified to the staff that kidnappers dont always snatch their victims off the streets. They can sometimes begin the attack in their home. To prevent kidnapping in the accommodation facility it is important to follow all the procedures of security described above. The more secure people are inside, the more difficult an attempted abduction will become.

Staff must not think that when everything seems calm nothing an happened and they are de facto more secure. They should always be aware of the risk.

Another important preventive measure would be to carry personal alarms. By Venezuelan law it is not permitted to employees to carry personal weapons in Caracas or around the country, but nothing can stop them by carrying personal alarms. There are two types available: a silent trigger which will remotely alert security protection teams to an ensuing incident or, an audible alarm which is designed to stun any attacker, alert other people nearby to an incident and to deter further action.

Security Application

In order to have a proper implementation of all the above mentioned strategies a high technology IT equipment and communication devices should be used. This is known as the concept of I.T security. This form of security offering is a highly specialized area. This is why it requires a highly specialized consultant and staff to deal with it. However it is always useful to know the basic concepts of I.T security and how to go about implementing a clear and concise policy (IT security for business, par. 2).

Since excellent IT security is essential for the success and safety of the business, access will be given only on a Need to Know basis. This should apply to all staff, both local and foreign. It shall also apply to agents and contractors. In a certain sense this form of security is the obligation of every person because it is not sufficient to have just a couple of highly trained staff for supervision of the technology. Everyone should do his, or her, part in order not to have a system breach (IT security for business, par. 5).

The following measures and rules should be applied:

All staff is going to be users of the system and so they must understand and implement all the required procedures adequately. Staff can make no changes to software or hardware without given authority. All the data and software programs owned by the company should not be used on personally owned PCs and vice versa.

Disks, printouts and other storage media should be stocked and disposed of properly when their usage is no longer required. An important factor is that it should be noted in the contracts of employment that infringements of security policy may result in disciplinary action. This way they will be more aware of the risks and be more careful in their attitudes. Portables must be locked up when not in use and, of course, should have passwords and virus checking software installed. The reason is that a virus form or a bug can be used to steal information from these devices (IT security for business, par. 6).

Data held on portables should be transferred to the networks as soon as possible and the portable drives cleared of the data. If any member of staff requires the usage of any computer disk, CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, they must be first checked on a continually updated Company stand-alone system for viruses. If a virus is found on that device to be used then IT security team and the proper line manager should be informed immediately of the situation.

The same should be done if any hacking, or any other IT infringement, must be reported to the IT. The drives of any desktop or laptop computer should be securely and professionally wiped of any sensitive data. The same should be done for any sort of classified data.

Access to the server room must be limited to IT security team only. This would diminish significantly the IT system breach from outside. If any member of staff and personnel has any sort query on IT security, they should contact IT. The changing of all passwords every month is advisable. Also staff should not re-use passwords they have previously used.

Employees should be careful not run non-company software or data on company PCs, including portables, and vice-versa. This is because this software could be used maliciously to enter the companys servers (IT security for business, par. 9).

Personal laptop computers must be locked away when not in use. Prior to taking charge of or using a company portable PC, all staff must sign the Conditions of Issue and Use certificate, acknowledging that they understand the instructions.

The usage of floppy disks should be prohibited unless absolutely necessary, and then only with the authority of your line manager.

Staff can use companys devices and technology but also those received from legitimate business partners. Anyway, all such devices must be checked for viruses on the above mentioned virus checker system of the company prior to using them and must be clearly annotated accordingly.

If any staff member needs to transfer data to company network, this should be done fast and as soon as possible and the device with which he, or she, transferred the data within the company network system should be destroyed securely. It is adequate to give it to IT security personnel.

And finally, the use of e-mails should also be monitored. All staff should be aware that their e-mail messages will become a permanent record at the companys storage devices. Also, it is necessary that classified documents must be encrypted before transmission. If a telephone can be used to finish the job then do not use the email. Do not print documents or e-mail unless absolutely essential and then keep copies to a minimum.

All personnel should be trained to know who has access their own mailbox database and know how to change this. they must also check who is in a group before sending a message to that group  some groups list a lot of people.

All this is done because information from inappropriate emails could be used from hijackers or other persons wanting to breach the companys facilities or damage its staff and property.

Frequently, e-mail users do not consider their comments carefully prior to composing mail and therefore, it tends to be conversational and instantaneous. This can sometimes result in comments that may be regarded by some as offensive. Be aware of this fact at all times when sending / receiving e-mail.

References

The world fact book: Venezuela. Central Intelligence Agency Official Website. 2009. Web.

Venezuela. The International Monetary Fund Website. 2009. Web.

Population, Health, and Human Well-Being  Venezuela. EarthTrends Country Profiles. World Resources Institute. 2003. Web.

Doing Business In Venezuela. Kwintessential Website. 2009. Web.

Business, Trade and Investment: Venezuela. The Internationalist Online Magazine. 2009. Web.

Crisis Negotiation. Security management website. November 2004. Web.

Travel Guide: Venezuela. United States Department of State Travel Guide. 2009. Web.

IT security for business. Information Technology Security Website. 2009. Web.

The state of Virginia is found in the southern part of the United States. It is also called mother of presidents because eight of the US presidents were born in Virginia. Richmond is the capital and Virginia Beach has the highest population among its cities while Fairfax County is a political subdivision with the highest population. The total population of the state is about eight million people (Virginia, 2007.)

Its history began when the Virginia colony was founded in 1607 as the New World English colony by the Virginia Company of London. Some part of its land belonged to Native Americans who had been displaced together with slavery they played a great role the in its early politics as well as its plantation economy where the slaves provided cheap labor. Virginia was one of the colonies that were involved in the American Revolution and therefore joined the confederacy during the American civil war. During this time West Virginia State separated itself.

The government of Virginia is divided into three that is the executive, judicial and legislative branches (Virginia Courts, 2007). The legislative branch is the General Assembly which a hundred members in the House of Delegates while the Senate has forty members. The General Assembly has the role of writing the laws that are used in the state. The General Assembly has more powers than the executive and it is its role to elect justices as well as judges. The judicial contains the Supreme Court of Virginia, court of appeals of Virginia, general district and the circuit courts in order of superiority. The Attorney General and the Lieutenant Governor who are members of the executive can run for a re-election.

Uniqueness of Virginias state government

It is only in Virginia where cities are sovereign in other words they are independent organizations. In Virginia cities are self-governing from the counties. Therefore a county may surround a city yet they have separate jurisdictions. The citizens vote for the city mayors and city councils but not county supervisors (Virginia Cities n.d).

Virginias state government is unique from other states in the United States in that its Governor has the power to amend legislation. He or she can do the amendment even after the General Assembly has passed that particular legislation (Vanderhye, 2009).

The governor has the power to eliminate spending from the budget with a line-item veto. In addition the Governor can add spending or propose to change non-spending bills. For instance Governor Kaine made three minor changes to the budget using the line-item veto and all were upheld (Vanderhye, 2009).

The constitution is also a modern document. It underwent complete revisions in the late 1960s. The voters approved the changes in a vote in 1970. It is different from the United States constitution which has undergone twenty-seven amendments in two hundred and twenty years. It can be said to be rather static compared to Virginias constitution that has been changed completely five times since it was first adopted in the year 1776.

The term for Virginia is restricted to one term only or non-consecutive terms on the contrary a governor can serve non-consecutive terms. However during the term the governor can lay an active role in the legislation process.

When the governor recommends amendments to one or more bills the General Assembly during a reconvened session makes decisions about the proposal. To begin with the Assembly can accept to make the amendment(s) through a majority vote. The vote is made by the members present both from the House of Delegates as well as the Senate and if the majority vote in favor of the amendment(s) the bill then becomes law.

If the legislators from either the House of Delegates or the Senate reject the proposed amendments the bill is sent back to the governor. The governor can then choose to sign the bill or if he or she wants the amendment implemented he or she can use the veto. When a veto is exercised the General Assembly can not get another chance to reverse the veto. To counter a situation like this from happening the General Assembly has the power to re-pass the original bill. They can do this using a vote by two-thirds majority which makes it a law without any other action by the governor this can be seen as a way of overriding the veto power of the governor (Vanderhye, 2009).

When the Governor sends more than one amendment to the General Assembly the legislators can approve the amendments they choose to and reject those that they chose using the majority votes. The rejected amendments are sent back to the governor who can either sign the revised bill as it is or exercise their veto power to kill the bill.

Nevertheless the General Assembly can use a majority vote to determine whether the proposed amendments are severable and specific. If they determine they are not specific as well as severable they have the option of looking into the original bill whereby they restart all over again. Therefore they send the original bill back to a committee for amendments or they can reject the bill outright.

The above options are many and they may create a very dynamic way of determining what the final bill will be. On the one hand if the General Assembly deems the amendments not to be severable as well as specific the governor may end up losing the original bill as well. On the other by rejecting the Governors proposal from amendments the General Assembly risk losing the original bill if the governor decides to exercise veto. In addition if the amendments are passed the original intention of the bill may be changed or as well be expanded altogether (Vanderhye, 2009).

The church and the state are not separated in Virginia. The church minister cannot marry the citizens without the written consent of the government. On the other hand churches require their ministers to get permission from the government in order to marry people. The permission is granted in form of a permit that the church Minster receives after swearing an oath (Griffith, 2009).

Virginias government has managed to keep the taxes low. Thus the people are able to run their businesses better. The government has also done lot to ensure that technology is incorporated in business and today it has the highest number of technologically advanced businesses compared to other states (Chrisgraham, 2009).

The state of Virginia has been voted as the most conducive state to do business. It was voted business-friendly and its government top in terms of performance. The government is said to be effective (Chrisgarham,2009).

Similarities

Virginia state government is autonomous just like other state governments. It is a state that conforms to the constitution of the United States.

Its legislature is bicameral like in the other forty-eight states with the exception of Nebraska which has a unicameral legislature.

Its legislative process is similar to other states processes like the following exposition illustrates. All states undergo a process that is similar or close to this one. Making laws is not always pleasant. However laws must be made. In the state of Virginia the legislative process takes place in the General Assembly. The process begins when a bill is introduced to the house by either the House of Delegates or the Senate. After its introduction it is referred to as a House bill during the entire process until it becomes law. The bill may be an idea that originates from an organization, a lobby group as well as from an individual from a constituent which they forward to either a senator or delegate who are members of the General Assembly. The member introduces the idea(s) to the Division of Legislative Services which upon a request drafts the idea(s) into a bill using the legal register. After it has been drafted it is signed by the chief patron. Other legislators may also sign the bill to express their support for it. After this it is then taken to the suitable committee. There are fourteen house committees with the senate having twelve while the House of Delegates has two. The committees have sub-committees and the bill is given to a sub-committee of the appropriate committee. The sub-committee has about six to eight members who listen to the bill and make their recommendations to the committee they serve under. When the bill is under the subcommittee the citizens are given an opportunity to air their views about the bill (Virginias legislation, 2007).

The full committee then decides on the way forward for the bill. If the members through a majority vote favor the bill it is moved forward to the General Assembly. On the other hand if the majority members do not favor the bill that is its end but one of the members who voted against it may move that the bill is reconsidered.

First reading of the bill takes place either in the House or Senate depending on where it was forts introduced. The bill is either read by the clerk of the Senate or House or printed in the daily calendar of the House or Senate. After this it goes into second reading. During the second reading the bills title is printed on the calendar. The clerk has to read the title of the bill again for a second time. At this stage the members can debate on the bill or amend it. If they make amendments the bill is reprinted for passage. After passing through the second reading a bill is engrossed regardless of it having amendments or not. The third reading takes place the following day. Just like in the second reading the clerk reads the title of the bill for a third time and it is also printed in the calendar. Members vote on the bill and it either goes through or is shot down (Virginias legislation, 2007).

If the bill passes it is taken to the other body. Is read by the clerk and printed in the calendar. The bill is then taken to a standing committee that considers it. If it is reported and passed by this committee the title of the bill is read a second and a third time on the floor prior to its passage.

At this stage a conference committee is formed if the bill meets opposition in either house. That is the House may amend a senate bill and vice versa. If the house or the senate disagrees with the amendments the conference committee comes in to try and resolve the contentious issue in the bill. This committee comprises three members from the two legislative bodies (Virginias legislation, 2007).

When both bodies agree on a bill it is printed and becomes an enrolled bill which is examined by presiding officers from the two bodies and who sign it.

After enrolment the bill is taken to the governor for approval. If the Governor approves and signs the bill it goes back to the House clerk who assigns it a chapter number. Then the chapter has complied under the Acts of the Assembly.

The governor can assent to a bill sent to him by the General Assembly and it becomes law. However, if he disagrees, the bill can be referred back to the General Assembly for amendments or the governor can use the privilege of veto on the bill. If taken back to the Assembly it has to act on the amendments during a reconvened session that occurs about a month later. The two bodies debate on the amendments and they may be adopted with a two-thirds majority vote. On the other hand if they disagree to adopt the changes the bill goes back to the governor in its original form. He or she may sign the bill or choose to veto it (Virginias legislation, 2007).

On the other hand when a bill is returned to the Assembly for amendments through a two-thirds majority the members can pass the original bill. When this happens it becomes law even without the need of returning it to the governor.

Budgets bills in Virginia are handled differently from other bills. The main difference is the amendment. The legislators put forward many amendments to a budget bill that is given by the governor. The amendments proposals go senate Finance Committee and the House appropriations committee. The two committees choose which amendments to adopt for inclusion into the budget bill to be taken to the two legislative bodies that are, Senate and the House. Generally the bills are adopted by the Assembly in the form the committees report them (Virginias legislation, 2007).

The conference committee is usually formed to look into the differences between the original budget bill and the amended one. The committee may work until the last minute of the session in trying to resolve the differences. After the conference committee report goes to the Assembly the bill is passed and later availed to the governor. The governor can make line-item changes using his veto powers. The budget bill goes through a similar process as other bills before it becomes law. When a budget bill is signed it is the Appropriations Act (Virginias legislation, 2007).

Bills that become law in Virginia State during regular sessions become effective on first July except when a bill states a different date which could be earlier or later than July first. In case of an earlier date a two-thirds majority vote is required to pass it on the other hand if the date is later a simple majority can pass it.

During the 2006 session, a controversial rule becomes effective in the House of Delegates. The rule allows the subcommittees to kill bills using a majority vote without recorded vote. Therefore the bill is never considered by the main committee except when the chair of the full committee decides to recall the bill or through a majority vote by the full committee members (Virginias legislation, 2007).

The legislative calendar of the General Assembly commences on the second Wednesday of January and lasts for forty-six days. In even-numbered years the session lasts for six days and during years like this the Assembly puts in place a two-year budget which is given by the governor and can be amended by both the governor and the Assembly. On the contrary budgets during odd-numbered years can only be adapted to the legislative.

The key dates for the legislative process are January nineteenth by which all bills must be brought. By sixth February the two bodies must have finished their work on bills presented on their floor because from this date only bills from the other body are considered that is the Senate looks into House bills and the House Senates. Committees are required to have finished working on the bills by Monday of the last week prior to the end of the session (Virginias legislation, 2007).

The government of the state of Virginia is different compared to other governments in the state due to its unique legislation. Other people consider Virginia a conservative state but one thing is for sure, it is scoring high ratings from various studies and thus putting among the states that are at the pedestal of the United States.

Bibliography

1. Chrisgraham (2009).Virginia makes Top 5 on another best state for business list.
2. Commonwealth and Country. Virginia Army National Guard.
3. Griffith, A.C. (2009). The Government Controls the Church.
4. How Virginias legislative process works. (2007). Virginia Organizing Project.
5. Vanderhye, M. (2009). Virginia Legislative Process Unique Among States.
6. Virginia  ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: (2007). United States Census Bureau.
7. Virginia cities. Web.
8. Virginia Courts. Virginia Judicial System.

Compare and contrast anarchism and socialism. Where is there overlap? Where is there divergence?

Anarchism entails much more than violence and immorality, as most people presume. Anarchists can be categorized into two sub-groups. In addition, anarchism overlaps with the ideologies of liberalism and socialism, which implies that anarchists share various similarities with both liberals and socialists. Heywood (2007, p.175) defines anarchism as the central belief that political authority in all its forms, and especially in the form of the state is both evil and unnecessary. Anarchists believe that the government is a repressive tool that should be abolished in order for people to attain freedom. Anarchists believe that human beings need to collaborate in order to enhance unity, which makes the role of the state redundant. The sub-groups in anarchism result from differences in their line of thought. Some support anarchy communism, others are libertarian thinkers, while another group entails individualist anarchists (Heywood, 2007).

One of the similarities between socialists and anarchists is that they both view the state as a form of oppression. Both hold the notion that states regard human beings as laborers whose role is to find work and increase capital. The various sub-groups of anarchists hold differing notions of revolution. For instance, the socialists, like collectivist anarchists, believe in the capabilities of human beings. Hence, socialists believe that more can be achieved by groups through collectivism, than as individuals. Another similarity between socialists and anarchists is their value of direct actions like strikes in trade union movements. Both ideologies argue that conventional politics in the trade unions are a waste of time, and prefer to have a voice (Heywood 2007, p.189). Their preference of unions is due to the decentralization and non-hierarchical nature, which represents their ideal society.

There is some dissimilarity between anarchists and democratic socialists, due to the pre-occupation of the latter with reform as opposed to revolution (Heywood 2007, p. 189). Democratic socialists differ from communists and disagree with the notions of Marxists. These socialists are democratic, reformist and open-minded. Unlike Marxists, they believe in peaceful social reform through democratic political action. Anarchists, on the other hand, regard democratic state processes as sugar-coated oppression. Anarchists believe in face-to-face communication between individuals in their communities to solve their problems (Heywood 2007, p. 190).

How might anarchist ideology lead to a critique of capitalism? How might anarchist ideology lead to a defense of capitalism?

Libertarians and individualist anarchists are supporters of capitalism since they value individual rights over submission to authority. However, the ideologies of collectivists and anarcho communists contradict capitalism. Anarchism and capitalism have a similar origin since they both came into being during the challenge of religious authorities by secular governments. Heywood (2007, p. 36) argues that capitalists support the notion that humans are rational beings with the ability to reason. However, capitalists also believe that humans are capable of committing evil deeds, hence the requirement of a state to provide security. Unlike anarchists, capitalists argue that people need to sacrifice a portion of their own freedom in order to protect both their rights, and to ensure the freedom of all people. Heywood (2007, p. 193) defines libertarianism as a belief that the individual should enjoy the widest possible freedom. While the libertarians value private property, they believe in self governance as opposed to the existence of a state, like capitalists. Heywood (2007, p. 193) states that the government is best which governs least in order to show the notions held by classical liberals who support a laissez-faire capitalist model that favors market autonomy over government control. He further suggests that anarcho-capitalists are similar to capitalists, since they are interested in their welfare, and not the freedom of man.

How do anarchists attempt to achieve their objectives? Where might debate and disagreement exist in this regard?

Anarchists varied in their opinions of a revolution against the oppression posed by the state, which led to the creation of sub-groups. For instance, Proudhon, a collectivist anarchist, rejects the communist notion of subordinating the individual to collectivity. Though he agrees that the state oppresses its citizens, Proudhon argues that revolutions contradict the ideologies of anarchists due to their political nature. Instead, he suggests that people should break away from the state and form informal contracts that govern terms of trade or services among individuals. These informal contracts would deprive the state of the workforce, which would eliminate the capitalist and state authority over humanity. This notion differs from the Marxist goal in terms of implementation of the strategy.

Bakunin, another collectivist anarchist who influenced the beliefs of anarcho syndicalism, supported the notion of revolution, unlike Proudhon. While Marx argues for a hostile revolution of workers against the state, Bakunin suggests that violence against bourgeois is unnecessary. Instead, he argues that laborers should attack things and relationships in order to destroy both property and state, which would permanently paralyze the state. Bakunin also differs from the Marxists notion in terms of the takeover. While Marxists argue that a dictator ship of the proletariat should take over from the bourgeois, Bakunin argues that dictatorship of whichever group results in self-perpetuation. Hence, the take-over should not insist on communism, but a bottom-up level of management in terms of organization of society.

Like Marxists, anarcho communists argue for the overthrow of bourgeois using violent revolutions, though they disagree in replacing the bourgeois state with a proletariat state. Anarcho communists argue that the existence of a state of whichever kind is evil since human goodness cannot be trusted, and it has to be abolished (Heywood 2007, p. 187).

Reference list

Heywood, A 2007, Political Ideologies: An Introduction, 4th edn, Hampshire and New York, Palgrave MacMillan.

The two-party systems have been adopted in the United States for many years, and it has been realized that the political system in the United States cannot survive without the two-party systems. Some of the main advantages that have been realized in this case are the reduction in corruption, increase in the participation level from the political parties as well as from the citizens, higher voter turnout is seen as well as there is a general agreement between the different legislators on different state-related issues.

Before the declaration of the War of Independence in 1783, a confederation was required by the American colonies in order to start strategic alliances with the Europeans. This gave the Americans the Articles of Confederation in 1781, and this was known as Americas first constitution. However, these are the articles that were said to be inadequate later on, and the constitution was redesigned in 1789.

Thereby the political system in the United States began in 1789, and at that time, the United States political system was without any two-party system. The American government system started with George Washington. He has been known as a president who had no party. George Washington had served two terms. During his terms, there had been a rivalry between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Both of these main politicians belonged to the Federalists. Jefferson was the one who challenged Adams under the democratic Republican Party. It has been said that the Democratic Republic is the party that has been known to lay down the foundations of two-party systems being followed in the United States. In 1828, Andrew Jackson became the first president of the Democrats. The northern Abolitionist Movement is the one that gave rise to the Republicans in 1856. Abraham Lincoln had been the first president of this party. It has been seen that the Republicans had held the presidential power in the United States for 72 years.

The great depression had hit in 1929, and since that time, the Democrats won the majority of the voters as they had represented. They worked for the people of the poor class and the middle class. The republicans realized the fact that they had to redefine their goals, and they were to represent individual rights rather than the privileged class.

Since that time, it has been seen that the Americans call themselves the democrats as they are not very rich people. Comparatively, Republicans are the ones who have been winning the elections based on the personality of the presidential candidate rather than counting on the position he holds on certain state-related issues. The main point that has to be emphasized here, in this case, is that the two-party systems have increased the competition that arises between two main political parties for the resolution of the issues as these are the ones who strive for more success by designing new policies that can help the citizens of the country consequently winning the party more voters.

Providing the best to the public is the main aim of both parties in a political system. However, the difference occurs in the case of governance of powers being carried out by the two parties for promoting the good in the public. History shows that a warning had been given that the public good shall be weakened when the parties are at a rivalry against each other. George Washington, at his farewell address, had mentioned many disadvantages are associated with the two-party system that was yet to happen.

Thus, there had been opposition to the development of the two-party system in the US. Since the beginning of the United States, it has been seen that there are many issues that have been faced, and these include keeping together as a nation during the Civil War, War on Terror these days and the social issues in between. After the Civil War, the parties in the United States agreed on most of the issues except the slavery issues as it was decided which issues the particular party was on.

After the Civil War, silver was discovered in Virginia City. The concept in this case that the Democratic Party was using was that silver was to be used instead of gold, thus avoiding the basing of the value of the dollar on gold. This made the less privileged people acquire more dollars. Thus they would be able to spend more dollars, and the economy would improve. Free silver was the issue that was discussed by the economists on a greater level. The opinion that was being taken over by the Democrats was the one that was helping the poor as compared to the opinion that was adopted by the Republicans that said that gold should be the investment source.

Thereby there are many issues on which the debates have been carried out, and these are the issues that have been resolved in a better manner in the two-party system. Although there are many other parties in the United States, the Democrats and the Republicans are the ones who are the strongest. There are many differences between these parties on taxes, regulations, legislations, social issues, as well as international relations. Nevertheless, when it comes to the issue that involves national security and the betterment of the country, these are the parties who are in general agreement.

The two-party although had been opposed in the past but now it has been seen that there are many advantages notified in this case. The rival political parties agree when it comes to the issues related to national interests, especially the security-related issues on many issues.

Bibliography

Carnes, C. Mark, and Garraty, A. John. The American nation: a history of the United States, Volume 2: The American Nation: A History of the United States: My History Lab Series. Edition 13. Pearson Longman, 2007.

Crisis refers to any unplanned and sudden occurrence that causes a major disturbance, and that is characterized by three main aspects namely, threat, surprise, and short decision time (Bernstein, 2011). Crises affect both individuals and organizations. Types of crises include natural disasters, technological crises, confrontation, malevolence, organizational misdeeds, workplace violence, and terrorist attacks. These types of crimes fall under two main classes namely man-made and natural disasters. Man-made disasters emanate from human errors or miscalculations while natural disasters arise from disturbances in the environment. The aforementioned types have certain similarities and differences. It is important to determine the magnitude of crises to develop appropriate response strategies that address the issue fully.

Natural Crisis

Natural disasters arise from disturbances in the environment and include earthquakes, tornadoes, landslides, tsunamis, floods, and drought. Like all other disasters, natural crises threaten life, destroy property, kill people and animals, and annihilate property (Lerbinger, 2012). Natural disasters are very dangerous because they can cause destruction that can last for days, weeks, or months. Hurricanes and storms are powerful natural disasters because of their magnitude and potential for destruction. Earthquakes are also dangerous because they occur abruptly and possess the potential for massive destruction.

Technological Crises

Technological crises occur when technology fails due to human errors or disruptions in the proper handling of technology. Examples include radiation leaks and oil spills. They can arise from cyber attacks, explosions, and power service disruption. Like natural disasters, technological crises cause great losses, fear, and anxiety. Also, they are sudden, cause destruction, and have the potential to cause conflicts among communities (Donovan, Smith, Radunovich, & Gutter, 2015). Unlike natural disasters, they usually do not cause massive loss of lives or destruction of property and people are responsible. However, great losses can be incurred, and they can create confusion and frustration. During a technological crisis, national and international organizations are responsible for ensuring that system mishaps are resolved (Donovan et al., 2015). They also ensure that organizations resume operations promptly. This is achieved by working together with law enforcement agencies to apprehend individuals responsible for the crisis.

Crisis of Malevolence

The crisis of malevolence occurs when employees use criminal tactics or work together with criminals to coerce organizations to meet their demands (Lerbinger, 2012). These crises can result from situations such as the kidnapping of company officials and spreading propaganda regarding an organizations operations (Bernstein, 2011). Like other disasters, these crises cause fear and anxiety. They are similar to a natural disaster because they can destroy life and property. For example, employees can use terrorism to destabilize or destroy companies.

Confrontation Crisis

Confrontation crisis arises when two individuals or groups of individuals challenge each other and fail to come to a consensus (Lerbinger, 2012). In organizations, the stakes of confrontation crisis are very high because employees fight among themselves or fight the management teams (Bernstein, 2011). In many cases, employees result in acts such as boycotts and strikes to resolve their issues. In organizations, employees use manipulative tactics to coerce management teams into listening to them and meeting their demands. Confrontation crises cause anxiety, fear, and disorder. In organizations, they lower productivity and performance (Lerbinger, 2012). Unlike natural and technological crises, they do not cause loss of life or destruction of property.

Crisis of Organizational Misdeeds

In organizations, these arise when the management makes decisions that harm stakeholders (Lerbinger, 2012). They fail to take precautionary measures and expose stakeholders to the risk of harm. These crises can be caused by deception, misconduct, and distortion of organizational values. Like other types of crises, it causes pressure and stress. It also necessitates external intervention. On the other hand, it does not cause property or life destruction. These crises are products of unethical decisions that managers make.

Crisis due to Workplace Violence

Workplace violence is a human-induced crisis that involves acts that are harmful to an organization and its members. Examples of such acts include antisocial behavior, deviance, and aggression (Crandall, Parnell, & Spillan, 2013). It occurs when employees are involved in violent acts such as fighting, harassing, intimidating, or beating colleagues (Lerbinger, 2012). They range from verbal to physical abuse. Like other crises, there is a danger of physical harm, stress, and fear. In most cases, workplace violence cannot be anticipated. It happens suddenly. Unlike other disasters, workplace violence rarely causes death. The most effective strategy for dealing with workplace violence is to implement programs that prevent its occurrence (James & Gilliland, 2016). For instance, screening during hiring would be an important component of a workplace violence prevention program.

Crisis-Responding Roles of National and International Organizations

National and international organizations play critical roles in responding to the aforementioned crises. The destruction of property and infrastructure destabilizes the lives of many people because of the massive losses incurred and displacements. To go back to living normally, they require both psychological and emotional assistance. National organizations respond by sending rescue teams, providing supplies to displaced people, and providing food and shelter to victims. International organizations help victims of disaster recovery from a crisis and lead normal lives once again. Also, they help governments in implementing precautionary measures to ensure that such disasters do not occur again. For instance, the Red Cross offers relief aid in the form of emergency supplies, food, shelter, health services, and emergency evacuation. During technological crises, national organizations main role is to investigate the source of the crisis and find a speedy solution. This is mainly conducted by law-enforcement organizations especially in disasters involving criminals. The role of international organizations is to advocate for better and safer technologies (Donovan et al., 2015). This is important in situations involving disasters that cause loss of lives. Example of technological disasters is the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill and the Station Nightclub fire in Warwick (Donovan et al., 2015). International organizations seek justice for victims and the affected communities. Also, they advocate for justice about the degradation of the environment caused by certain disasters.

The role of organizations in responding to confrontation crises is to mediate and ensure that involved parties come to a consensus. Many confrontations usually lead to conflicts that affect organizations negatively. Labor organizations act as mediators between employers and employees during events such as boycotts and sit-ins. The main role is to ensure that both parties come to terms and both leave satisfied. Confrontations between employers and employees, citizens, and governments, as well as students and management, can escalate into volatile situations. During crises of organizational misdeeds, the management teams of organizations make unethical and highly-risky decisions that do not reflect the organizations commitment to taking care of the interests of stakeholders. The role of national and international organizations in such situations is to conduct investigations to determine whether the management teams acted ethically or unethically. Moreover, organizations fight for the rights of stakeholders to ensure that organizations make ethical decisions that reflect the interests of stakeholders. There are many national and international organizations involved in workplace violence. The main role of national and international organizations to help companies develop workplace violence programs, deal with emerging issues and navigate the legal dynamics of issues related to violence in the workplace. For instance, the National Institute for prevention of Workplace Violence Incorporation is an organization that assists firms in developing occupational violence prevention programs. Also, it helps them in dealing with cases of violence in the workplace. The organization prepares firms by offering preventive strategies to use in response to incidences of violence.

Insights Gained

First, I have learned that during a crisis, there may be danger of physical and emotional harm, external support may be needed, and there may be inadequate time to make decisions about the best response strategy. Also, crises cause stress, fear, and anxiety among the people involved Crandall et al., 2013). The threat to the organization, inadequate time to make decisions, and unexpected occurrences are elements that are common to crises, especially in organizations. Crises usually bring changes that aim to replace old and ineffective systems with new and more effective systems (Crandall et al., 2013). Second, I have learned that crises have differences even though they have several similarities. Understanding the type of crisis is important in developing the most effective response plan (James & Gilliland, 2016). Moreover, different crises necessitate the implementation of specific management strategies (Crandall et al., 2013). There are different types of crises that affect both individuals and organizations. Third, I have learned that national and international organizations play different roles in responding to various types of crises.

Their role is determined by the type and magnitude of a crisis. For instance, natural crises such as tsunamis and tornadoes involve the participation of both national and international organizations. On the other hand, crises such as workplace violence and fires can be handled by national organizations. Certain crises are transboundary, meaning that they affect people in different geographical regions. These crises are complex and difficult to manage because they cross-functional and geographical boundaries as well as traditional time barriers. Fourth, I have learned that in organizations, crises can be viewed as opportunities that bring change (James & Gilliland, 2016). Organizational leaders can use insights gained from responding to crises to create and implement programs that raise awareness and make them prepared for the future (Crandall et al., 2013). Crises are inevitable. Therefore, organizations and individuals need to be well prepared. Societal and organizational crises are prevalent due to the effects of globalization.

Conclusion

From the foregoing discussion, it can be concluded that organizations and individuals should have programs or strategies to respond to crises because they are inevitable. There is a wide range of crises that can occur in organizations and peoples lives. They include natural crises, technological crises, crises of malevolence, confrontation crises, crises of organizational misdeeds, and crises due to workplace violence. National and international organizations play distinct roles in responding to the aforementioned types of crises. In all cases, their main role is to resolve the crisis by offering assistance to organizations and individuals.

References

Bernstein, J. (2011). Managers guide to crisis management. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Professional.

Crandall, W. R., Parnell, J. A., & Spillan, J. E. (2013). Crisis management: Leading in the New Strategy Landscape (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Sage Publications, Inc.

Donovan, M., Smith, S., Radunovich, H., & Gutter, M. (2015). Impacts of technological disasters.

James, R. K., & Gilliland, B. E. (2016). Crisis intervention strategies. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.

Lerbinger, O. (2012). The crisis manager: Facing disasters, conflicts, and failures. New York, NY: Routledge.

The founding wizard is an article on the Founding Fathers of our great nation. The article tries to bring to the fore how the leaders used their wisdom other than political inclinations to make great decisions that have continued to be benchmarks in our society. The article as well demonstrates how out of scratch these leaders built Americas economy making it the most vibrant economy in the whole world. The article further demonstrates why leaders should take a firm stand when it comes to implementing national policies. He shows us the dangers of putting politics in matters of the economy. Lastly, it shows why good leaders should be cunning and be ready to relent.

The author of the article gives us an example of Alexander Hamilton as one who possessed true leadership qualities. He expounds on how his otherwise unpopular decisions helped in changing the face of America. The author tells us that when the American nation was founded in 1789, it was heavily in debt and many analysts thought the center could not hold for it. Without a strong economy, the whole government was bound to fail. It was in such a dilemma that Hamilton found himself. Being the Secretary of the Treasury, he was not only responsible for coming up with a strategy of paying the countries foreign and internal debt but was also responsible for ensuring that there were enough funds to keep all the sectors of the economy running.

History has it that among all the Founding Fathers, Hamilton was the only one who had been born outside what came to be known as the United States. Unlike the other leaders, he was also the only one born from a low-class family. When he was still young, his father abandoned him and he had to fend for himself most of his childhood. This variation in lifestyle with the other leaders made them have opposing ideas in life with Hamilton. Having been born out of the states, meaning that his loyalty was in the whole nation, not a particular state.

The author of the article further shows us how contrary to the common perception that the American Revolution brought democracy, there was no such thing. He states that only male members of the royal family were allowed to vote in the delegates meeting that changed the constitution. As it turned out, Hamilton was not a member of that group. Being a bright man, the political elite always utilized his expertise but always reminded him where he belonged when it came to making important decisions. While the rest of the leaders believed in amassing power, Hamilton believed in equally balancing the power between the majority and the minority, the weak, the strong, and between the poor and the rich. To him, this is an attribute of a great leader.

Single-handedly, Hamilton prepared and transmitted to the congress reports that helped bring the economy of the United States to its feet. Over the following years, Hamilton fought the biggest battle with his political opponents. Where Hamilton wanted to create a vibrant economy that would set Americans free, the political masters wanted to benefit themselves. When it was apparent that only a handful of legislators were willing to support him, Hamilton had to use his bargaining power and cunning nature to cut a deal that forever placed America on top of the world.

The author of the article has proved his thesis statement very well in my understanding. Hamilton is a great example of how government leaders should behave. The author also clearly points out how the man beat all odds to make America a world leader as we know it today. It is very important to learn that if it were not for his sacrifices, our great nation would probably be an underdeveloped country today. This is because for any economy to grow there has to be laid formulations to run the economy something that Hamilton did with a great passion. There is also a need to balance power since if its left on one side there is the possibility that people would use it for their selfish ambitions.

Outline

The research paper discusses an argumentative topic about Libertarian views on Welfare State. The essay begins with an introduction that describes the term Welfare State and it ends with a thesis statement. The body of the essay includes role of Welfare State, Welfare State and the immigrants, libertarian views about immigrants, and the attitudes of libertarians and the Welfare State towards basic human needs. The paper ends with a conclusion that restates the main points and agrees with the thesis statement.

Introduction

A welfare state is an economic system in which government is responsible for the welfare of the people. In such a system, state focuses on people with poor economic conditions, disability, low education status, unemployment, and so on. Through this system, government tries to bring economic equality for all the people by lifting the economic status of weaker brethren. Many developed countries do not come under this system; they allow some of such schemes for the people and these services are available to the individuals who come under certain stipulated criteria or persons who prove their eligibility requirements for acquiring this kind of benefit from the government. Some other nations believe welfare state is the appropriate way for reducing the inequality that existed in the nations.

In the book, The welfare state reader, authors Christopher Pierson and Francis Geoffrey Castles define welfare state as [it is the] state responsibility for securing some basic modicum of welfare for its citizens. (Andersen, 160).

It is the system in which government has the major responsibility for assuring the well-being of citizens. Presently in US, welfare state system exists but political and intellectual debates are going on on this issue. For funding, the government mainly uses revenue from taxation. The main sources of this taxation are earmarked payroll taxes and trust funds. Here the people who receive welfare state concession from the government are not having the responsibility to pay income tax or property tax. Libertarianism promotes maximum individual liberty and it forces the people to follow the world which minimizes or avoids the involvement of the state or the government. This is the term that inspires the people who believe in free will and opposite determinism. Analyzing vies towards immigrants one can see that libertarians never believe that the arrival of these new people has positive influence on the welfare of the state. Therefore, they oppose these kinds of unequal distribution of wealth and they force the people to consider immigrants are just thieves. The web article named Libertarianism and Welfare: Is Charity Enough? by Richard Garner provides the idea that And, lastly, libertarianism would also mean the freeing of the creative energies of people themselves to come up with their own solutions to problems and hazards, including the risk of poverty and the future inability to provide for oneself. (Garner).

Libertarians viewpoints do not support the welfare state system. They give priority to individuality and individual freedom. They oppose the government intervention in economic activities and argue that individual acts as an agent in the economic activities of the nation. But an evaluation of welfare state and its activities will clearly reveal the role of government in matters such as poor economic condition, disability, and natural disasters.

Welfare state for disabled persons

In United State many people come under the category of disabled persons. Welfare state provides different types of schemes for helping disabled persons. In America 70% of the disabled persons average income is less than the poverty line. (Katz, 215).

Old age people and physically or mentally weak people are considered disabled persons. For the well-being of these types of persons different schemes like pension, health insurance, and so on exist under the welfare state of the federal government. This system is helpful for them to lead a normal life. Otherwise they will be a burden for others, because in many situations they cant earn money for fulfilling the requirements related to the day-to-day life. A poor family cant give health care and other requirements. Another welfare program that exists for the disabled persons is their employment. It lends a hand to them for earning money and to lead a life without depending on others. From all these, one can understand the importance of welfare state system in the life of disabled people. Today, the welfare programs are controlled by federal government in U.S. The citizens of US are totally unhappy with the current welfare programs because the benefits are derived by ineligible people. People do not apply for jobs, have more children, remain unmarried etc to get more benefits from the economic support of welfare system. There are certain factors that decide the eligibility for welfare schemes. Eligibility is determined by their income, volume of family members, and critical circumstances which include healthcare emergencies, pregnancy, people with no home, or joblessness.

I could not understand that on what basis the libertarian says that illegal immigrants are contributing to the government welfare system. They are gaining the maximum benefits from the government welfare systems instead of contributing. Generally United States is regarded as the land of illegal immigrants. Immigrants are considered economically poor people and they relocate into the different parts of United States. In the book titled A companion to American immigration Read Ueda comments on the state of American immigrants. The author states: Because immigrants often took hazardous, low paying jobs, injury, and illness rates were higher among immigrant workers than among the native-born. (Ueda, 120).

The immigrants are all under poverty line. Therefore, they are eligible for welfare services. Majority of immigrants are facing challenges such as proper education, healthcare and an adequate salary. Fortunately, US government provides good education and healthcare program for them. The US government provides permanent residence permit and job securities to immigrants which create negative impact on citizens of United States. Lack of education and skill causes low productivity in United States. The immigrants obviously dispatch their earnings out of the country which makes high impact on local economy. Generally the immigrants are not entitled to take medical insurance. Every day hospitals are filled with illegal immigrants who are in need of special medical care but are not covered by insurance and do not have the capacity to pay the bills.

Federal government is facing many challenges, such as. funding and maintaining welfare systems in United States. Many economists, politicians, and policymakers stressed the importance of reduction of expenditure in welfare programs which is very necessary during this recession period but we cannot retrench at the time of crucial circumstances such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and poor economic conditions and so on.

Natural disasters such as volcanoes, tornados, fires, floods and earthquakes and so on generally affect common people. People become homeless and lose their valuable assets because of natural disasters. An individual can not overcome such kind of circumstances without the help of government welfare system. There are many policies and welfare programs established in United States for helping the victims of national disasters. United States has the responsibilities of peoples right to live, freedom, and the pursuit of cheerfulness. So the government should provide support to the people who are victimized by natural disasters. Samuel Nosh and Ora Ahimer comment that Welfare influences the social stratification system. (Janowitz, 93). The libertarian states that people have to overcome the horrible circumstances instead of taking help from government welfare system. According to their concept government does not have the responsibility to aid individuals in their pathetic condition. Generally natural disaster is considered a national disaster so that we can not agree on the concept of libertarian.

Under Welfare State, Government has the responsibility to tackle the problem of economic backwardness of the people and tries to adopt various measures in lifting the poor section of the people. In welfare state, Government promotes the economic and social welfare of the citizens. Government provides free health care facilities, education, employment opportunities and social securities to the people and it helps the poor people in the society. All the welfare measures of the government increase the standard of living of the people. In welfare state, welfare of the citizen can be developed through various schemes such as public health, pension scheme for the old people, unemployment payment, housing for the people adopted by the government etc. In the journal article titled Reinventing the Welfare States, Nancy Fraser says; A welfare system that prevents womens poverty and exploitation might still tolerate severe inequality between men and women. (Fraser).

A social welfare program adopted by the government decreases the poverty of the people and increases their income. Welfare state is based on the principle of equality and tries to satisfy the requirements of the people for quality life. Government adopts various poverty eradication programs which help to increase the purchasing power of the people. The persons below poverty line get opportunities to participate in various economic activities and help them to lead a better life in the society. Personal taxation is an important tool in the welfare state and it is used to achieve justice in income distribution in the state. Government can impose higher taxes on the middle and upper sections of the people and the revenue can be utilized for the welfare of the weaker sections of the society. In socialist countries the governments cover the cost of employment and regulate the price of the product. Workers are provided equal wages by controlling the prices and wages. Government resorts to various social insurance policies and allied activities to protect the life of the people and to increase the living standard of the people in welfare state. The online article titled US Welfare System  Help for US Citizens gives valuable information about the welfare system in America. The article remarks; The US government responded to the overwhelming number of families and individuals in need of aid by creating a welfare program that would give assistance to those who had little or no income. (US Welfare System- Help for US Citizen). Government gives attention to the poor people and reduces the inequality and poverty among the people. Equality among the people is possible through redistribution of income and one of the important tools for the redistribution of income is social insurance program. The benefits of government policies are attained by the poor sections in the society and government gives priority to the needs of the weaker sections and the policies which help to come out from the backwardness.

People all over the world are facing the economic and social problems related to recession. Many companies decided and implemented retrenchment and salary cutting. Problems related to recession had their influence in United States too. People may feel the taxation is too high. Plans like progressive taxation can avoid this kind of opposition related to the taxation. From the above-mentioned points it is clear that welfare state is a good and essential method for keeping a balance in the social and economic status of a country and for the well-being of people.

Works Cited

Andersen, Gosta Esping. Three Words of Welfare Capitalism: What is the Welfare State. Polity. 2^nd Edition. 2007.

Fraser, Nancy. Reinventing the Welfare State: Ideals: Equality. Boston Review: A Political and Literary Forum. 2005.

Garner, Richard. Libertarianism and Welfare: Is Charity Enough: What About the Poor. Libertarian Alliance. 2008.

Janowitz, Morris. Youth and the Welfare State in the United States. Routledge. 1985.

Katz, Michael B. The Price of Citizenship: Redefining the American Welfare State. University of Pennsylvania Press. 2008. Web.

Ueda, Reed. A Companion to American Immigration. Wiley- Blackwell. 2006.

US Welfare System- Help for US Citizen. Welfare Information. 2009.

Introduction

Public goods are crucial to society. They include essential and non-essential aspects of modern life. However, despite their importance, they are often damaged by careless or deliberately malicious legislations, natural disasters, and other issues. This paper will present an overview of public goods, the challenges that affect them, and the free-rider problem.

Description

By nature, public goods are non-excludable and non-rivalrous goods meaning that no one can be excluded from using it and their use does not lessen their availability. This is the main difference between a private good that is limited and has to be purchased and a public good that can be received almost indefinitely and without forced payments. A list of public goods may include fresh air, street lighting, public parks, public decorations, national security, flood control systems as well as tornado early warning systems, lighthouses, and a lot of other things that benefit all people (Monroe, 2015).

Usually, public goods are provided by the government because the private sector cannot supply them for a profit. However, the government may choose to provide subsidies that would allow a contribution from the private sector to the public goods. Governments are in a unique position in comparison to the private sector because they are able to fund public goods through taxes and the question of profit is less relevant if the estimated social benefits of the public good are large enough (Freund & Blanchard-Fields, 2014).

Public goods are often challenged by various factors. Some of the most threatening is tied to the increased pollution of the air and water. The recent change in the governments perspective on environmental safety has caused a great number of dangerous allowances for heavy industries. Environmental disasters that were already caused by large industrial projects and the release of pollutants into the atmosphere are likely to increase in the coming years resulting in damage to the most important public good  clean air. Natural disasters can be highly destructive to the infrastructure of towns and cities. This is why such public goods as flood control systems are crucial. A flood can lead to a lot of public goods becoming unavailable.

The Free Rider Problem

Perhaps the most controversial and damaging challenge for public goods is the so-called free-rider problem. It is a direct product of the non-excludable nature of public goods. This problem describes the act of using public goods without contributing to it which can lead to the loss of the public good if too many individuals become free riders. This problem is often addressed by the government by making provisions of the public goods involuntary through taxes.

Other governmental solutions might force people to use cars that produce fewer emissions or make mandates on installing wheelchair ramps in businesses to allow people with disabilities to take full advantage of the business. Voluntary organizations are one of the few that can provide public goods without the presence of governments. For example, health organizations that are focused on disease prevention and treatment such as the Red Cross, or free information kiosks that allow people to use the internet publicly are voluntary organizations. They are supported only by a charity and require frequent donation drives (Stiglitz & Rosengard, 2015).

Conclusion

Public goods provide important services to everyone. They may be as simple as fresh air and as complex as natural disaster prevention systems. The free rider problem puts these goods in jeopardy, but it could be overcome through a variety of means.

References

Freund, A., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2014). Age-related differences in altruism across adulthood: Making personal financial gain versus contributing to the public good. Developmental Psychology, 50(4), 1125-1136.

Monroe, K. (2015). Science, ethics, and politics: Conversations and investigations. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Stiglitz, J., & Rosengard, J. (2015). Economics of the public sector (4th ed.). New York, NY: Norton & Company.