The College Essay Monologue free essay sample

My article can’t be longer than 500 words? You must mess with me. How am I expected to get you to like me in 500 words or less? Alright, OK. Let’s see†¦.what would I like to expound on? What would i be able to expound on, is the genuine inquiry. That is to say, I could generally expound on composing. I’m exhausted as of now. I wonder if the application peruser will take care of business or a lady. I wager he will be a portly teacher with dark little hairs dashing away from without him even noticing. You know, I truly don’t know anybody with an extraordinary mustache. Work center work! Expound on composing, expound on composing. For what reason do I like to compose? Well it’s excellent reallyâ€when you compose, someone needs to tune in. Regardless of whether it’s just yourself. You are not going overlooked. Ok, fantastic. So now he thinks you’re a wardrobe washout without any companions. We will compose a custom paper test on The College Essay Monolog or on the other hand any comparative theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page You may very well go up to the application peruser and declare: â€Å"Hi, my application makes me sound like a washout, so you won't acknowledge me to your school.† And then he will do a glad move since he doesn’t need to compose another dismissal letter. Alright, let’s make that not occur. What else am I keen on? It can’t simply be composing. Composing causes me to appear to be peaceful, and I’m certainly not calm. Indeed, there’s the issue. I see it. I’m not. Intrigued. In whatever else. It’s†¦it’s†¦.write or be cut into a million bits of young lady meat. Goodness aren’t I a beautiful thing. Aren’t I only a blossom. I have seen an excessive number of articles about that Japanese man-eater. What's more, too bad! Presently he is contemplating the savage, not you. You, you, you. What makes you unique? I can’t precisely reveal to Mustache that I’m distinctive in light of the fact that I am so natural I am nearly not genuine. That I take a gander at individuals and distinguish by the lilt of their voice the subject of their musings and the discussion going to be penetrated. I can't disclose to him that I don’t see dismal eyes and upbeat eyes since everyone has miserable eyes whether they know it or not. I can't reveal to him that I am seventeen going on seventy. What's more, I can't disclose to him this is the reason I am an essayist. I can't reveal to him that my composing is neither matured nor shrewd. For what reason would he need me at that point? I can't reveal to him that I am old not in the manner that I talk and act however in the manner that I think.. At the point when fatigue dominates and rest calls behind juiced eyes, the console is my response to an incomprehensible inquiry. In the first part of the day I woke up, and I read a Facebook status about a young lady who was contemplating life, #yolo, and it was only a pinprick of a sting that reminde d me we are all, all, all, in this together. No one knows. We†¦somewhere en route, as a people, we concluded we were keen to the point that we could make sense of it. Where did I originate from, what would it be advisable for me to do? Furthermore, presently, years after the fact with our iPhones and Kindles we call ourselves enlightened yet in all actuality we can’t. We can’t know. It’s not for us. Gracious, this is the reason I compose. They call me academic for composing yet I realize that I am a quitter. Composing, such as perusing a newspaper, is just another approach to keep away from the inconceivable truth that one day I opened my eyes and I was perched on grass with a ball in my grasp and no thought how I arrived. I am wakeful, presently. I am wakeful and equipped for thought thus persuaded that someone on this blue planet or our own has made sense of it and can show me, yet they can’t. What's more, it isn’t until the times of dismal mists and clammy hot cocoa that I recollect reality with regards to everlastingly is that there isn’t one, everything kicks the bucket. One day I will kick the bucket, and he will, as well. In the event that I might, I be able to would tell the application peruser that he needs to investigate his life and analyze whether he’s cheerful, in light of the fact that possibly tomorrow he’ll get prostate disease and after two months he’ll bite the dust. In any case, I can’t disclose to him that. Rather, I’ll disclose to him that I write to clutch the smart side of myself that gets so overpowered with truth she cries into the sides of my head. I’ll reveal to him that I write to recover her, to quiet her, to combine her. I write to pull back the duffel packs of words that appear to fall directly out of my body and into the air, and I don’t recall seeing that piece of the train track however it’s there. It used to be that somethin g went in, remained. What's more, on the off chance that he thinks I’m a failure, if thinks I’m too quiet†So be it. I know reality. Actually composing is the tap of fingers squeezing relentless dark keys and clicking them together and sitting tight for another thing to appear. Also, once in a while it doesâ€sometimes it does. Goodness, application peruser, can you truly not see? Will you truly not perceive how composing brings me once again into this captivating, imperfect, non-everlastingly world? I write to remain where I should: here, presently, taking a gander at the PC, pondering a school exposition.

The Ethics of File Sharing Software Essay -- Computers Technology Soft

The Ethics of File Sharing Software Presentation The motivation behind this paper is to talk about the moral issue that record sharing programming makes when used to move duplicate composed material. It is challenged that the very presence of this product advances robbery. The paper will concentrate on the makers of the document sharing programming, realizing that the client utilizes their item illicitly. The product makers (Kazaa, Grokster, Morpheus, and so on) are asserting that they can't control what the end client does with its item. Indeed, this point has been maintained by an ongoing court administering. As music and films are presently accessible only in advanced arrangements (CD and DVDs), the simplicity of duplicating them to PCs is simple. Also, with the Internet, the capacity to share by means of Napster, or Kazaa, is similarly as simple. How File Sharing Works[i] Record sharing prominence expanded with the introduction of Napster. It permitted clients to interface with one another through a focal server. Napster spearheaded the idea of distributed document sharing (P2P). With Napster, distinct individuals put away records that they needed to share (ordinarily MP3 music documents) on their hard plates and shared them legitimately with others. Clients ran a bit of Napster programming that made this sharing conceivable. Every client machine turned into a small scale server. By introducing Napster programming, your PC turns into a little server in the Napster universe. You would now be able to contact the primary Napster server for your solicitation, yet on the off chance that your solicitation was not accessible on the fundamental server, at that point a hunt is led on all the PCs associated with the Napster principle server around then. The tune or document is downloaded legitimately from the inhabitant PC. Napster advanced into this methodology after I... ... Alpha Books, 2002) James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003) James Fieser PhD., Bradley Dowden PhD., The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2003, University of Tennessee at Martin, 17 November 2003 http://www.utm.edu/inquire about/iep/ [i] Marshall Brain, How File Sharing Works, Nov. 2003 <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/document sharing.htm> [ii] Ibid [iii] Ibid [iv] Claudia Roda, Usenet (Usegroups), Sept. 2003 <http://www.ac.aup.fr/~roda/cs100/Ch0701WhatIsHowItWorks.shtml> [v] David Bruce Ingram, PhD, Jennifer Parks, PhD, The Complete Idiots Guide to Understanding Ethics, (Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002) 138 [vi] James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003) 92-93 [vii] Ibid 77 [viii] Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfishness, (New York: Penguin Books, 1961) 27

Overcoming Social Stigma for Anxiety

Overcoming Social Stigma for Anxiety GAD Coping Print Overcoming Stigma for Generalized Anxiety Disorder By William Meek Updated on July 01, 2019 Generalized Anxiety Disorder Overview Symptoms & Diagnosis Causes Treatment Living With In Children Hero Images / DigitalVision / Getty Images Overcoming stigma for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of the biggest barriers to people seeking help. Its what  mental health professionals call “social stigma.” Essentially, social stigma is the negative view that others can project onto people who reveal particular imperfections or problems. What Is Generalized Anxiety Disorder? Many people feel anxious from time to time, especially during times of stress. However, when you worry excessively, so much so that it interferes with day-to-day activities, you might have GAD. Some people develop GAD as a child while others do not see symptoms until they are an adult. Either way, living with GAD can last a long time. In many cases, it occurs along with other anxiety or mood disorders. In most cases, it improves with medications or talk therapy (psychotherapy). Making lifestyle changes, learning coping skills and using relaxation techniques also can help. Symptoms GAD symptoms can include: Persistent worrying or obsession about small or large concerns that are out of proportion to the impact of the eventInability to set aside or let go of a worryInability to relax, restlessness, and feeling keyed up or on edgeDifficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind goes blankWorrying about excessively worryingDistress about making decisions for fear of making the wrong decisionCarrying every option in a situation all the way out to its possible negative conclusionDifficulty handling uncertainty or indecisiveness Physical signs and symptoms may include: FatigueIrritabilityMuscle tension or muscle achesTrembling, feeling twitchyBeing easily startledTrouble sleepingSweatingNausea, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndromeHeadaches Overcoming Stigma One of the largest factors that  makes stigma so powerful is that at an extreme level, it can lead people to reject or exclude others. It is common for someone with GAD or other psychological problems to think that if they reveal struggles to friends or seek professional help that they will suffer serious social or professional problems. Therefore, the threat of this actually happening in the social world can become a tremendous barrier. Fortunately, social exclusion is much more often the exception rather than the rule. Since being “crazy” or “insane” carries a significant stigma in American culture (think about how often that is used to insult someone), any possibility that one could be misunderstood and seen as crazy is significantly threatening. It is common for someone to worry that others will see them as crazy, but also that getting a diagnosis for GAD actually means that they are, which is absolutely false. Stigma is real and can certainly have an impact in some cases. However, for the overwhelming majority of people that I have worked with, stigma does not directly affect them. When they disclose their problems to close friends or family members, they often feel a dramatic enhancement of their relationships, not the exclusion or rejection that they fear. Furthermore, most people do not have increased social or work problems after they begin to own their struggles with anxiety. Once you become educated about stigma and your potential problems with anxiety and worry, you can make an active choice to do something to improve your life. Sometimes doing things like this poses the risk of some negative consequences. But often the benefits of improvement vastly outweigh the difficulties that come with acknowledging that you may have GAD. The 7 Best Online Anxiety Support Groups

Computers Are They Really Human - 1273 Words

Stephen Swierkosz October 23rd CGS2100 Semester Project Computers: Are they really human? In the beginning of the human race, technology was nonexistent, or even thought of, but ever since the start they have always tried to find things to make their live simpler. Today, people live are simpler than they were in history due to the advancements of technology that have made life a little too easy. The computer for instance is everywhere today, from a smartphone to a desktop computer. Advancements with the technology of the computer have helped scientist take the most complex equation to solve in less than a few seconds. Computers can take on tasks that require a lot of info to tasks that would take less than a second. Even today computers†¦show more content†¦An input device is any hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control the computer (â€Å"Input Devices†,N/A, 2015). Input devices vary from accessories like the keyboard, mouse, or an audio conversion device, along with many others. All three play a separate pa rt that gives the computer a better understanding of what is going on and what should be happening. Input devices such as audio conversion devices make enjoying things that people would like to have, such as a burned CD disk with their favorite music, or maybe you want to download music from the computer to their MP3 player using a USB cord. The software included with the device records the audio playback from the audio media and converts it to MP3 format. Some devices allow for recording to other audio formats besides MP3(â€Å"Input Devices†, N/A, 2015). Computers have made so many advancements over the years that they are close enough to replicate the human senses. The input device that needs improving is touchpad on laptops. It can recognize the tough of your finger in an instant or it doesn’t even notice you’re trying to get to somewhere else. One of the input devices that have come a long way is the invention of the touch screen on tablets and some laptops today. The touchscreen on these devices can automatically and simutaneously read every movement that you do on it. It reads your touch as a command and sometimes reads it as the owner of the tablet. For example,

Descriptive Essay - Original Writing - 1476 Words

I remember that day when I moved into that town. It was a fresh and clear day. The birds were singing and the sun was shining all over. I had unpacked and had decided to explore around the place. I went through the shops and the park, and there nothing interested me. I don’t know why but, nothing was interesting. I had walked around and I was pretty sure that I had seen something shimmering in the sunlight, but when I looked closer, it was gone. Now, I will tell you how I became this: a ghost. Over the next few days, I was well known with the town, but I had a funny way of seeing things. I always thought that something was following me around wherever I went, but whenever I turned, nothing was there. When I was at home alone, I would hear a banging sound, but when I went to investigate, there was nothing. I could also stare at a wall or something and find a difficult pattern, or even patterns in the ground. I could read those, and predict something, and usually that something would come true. A few nights later, something strange happened. I was sitting in bed, and was just thinking, when suddenly, I heard a voice in my head. I shook my head, but there was that voice again. It was deep but cool, and I grabbed my head and yelled. I started crying, thinking that I was going loopy, and fell asleep. It was strange, but stranger things were to come, of course. It all started when I was walking outside near a cave. The cave was cool, damp, and a perfect place for me to get awayShow MoreRelatedDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1110 Words   |  5 PagesI don’t know how I got to where I am, but I’m here now, and I have to win if I want to live. I am in a game, and in order to live, I have to escape. That’s the thing, though: I don’t know how to escape. I was running for my life around this old house that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. I doubled over and held my head in pain as I saw the static, which meant it was coming. I was being chased by what looked like a person but in no way acted like one. Just as it was about to appearRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1102 Words   |  5 PagesIt is on days like this when we stop to think about our life. Small drops of rain begin to dapple the cobblestone pavement as people whip out their umbrellas for cover. I continue sauntering down t he busy street, relishing the feeling of a light shower. Moving with the mass of pedestrians, I stop at a crosswalk where I wait for the stoplight to turn green. A flower shop employee across the street scurries to bring in the numerous bouquets and close the doors as rain starts rolling down the displayRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing914 Words   |  4 PagesDreamy I thought. Standing on the corner is a young guy with a smile. I see him here almost every day, so I linger for a while. He tells me his name, and I tell him mine. I m Ester, what s your name? I enquired. My names David .,He replied. We end up talking for a while and I asked him if he had ever left this city. He tells me of all these stories of the places where he s been, the distant lakes and mountains, and in valleys oh so green. I can see it in his eyes, he really has beenRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing974 Words   |  4 Pages I was used to moving round, having a mother who liked to travel more than making roots was something I had gotten used to. Still, I had never gotten used to the loneliness of an empty house when she was out exploring, or the feeling of leaving behind someone who could have meant something to me. Our most recent move was Oregon. It was pretty, and I didn’t mind it, but it was much different than Florida. Not only was it opposite sides of the country, it felt as if it were opposite worlds. InRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1012 Words   |  5 Pageshave plenty of time in the next month to think about my feeling in regards to Kendrick. I needed to finish up the article and get it off to my editor. I should be able to get it done by tonight and send an email in the morning. I was thinking of writing my next article about the sea life around the Scottish coast. Since our salmon dinner last evening I thought I would do a piece about the commercial salmon farming that began in Scotland in 1969. In 2002 over 145,000 metric tons of farmed AtlanticRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1561 Words   |  7 PagesThere’s something I need to say and what follows may not be something that you’d expect, it won’t be heartening or uplifting. If you remember today, I told you about going somewhere I wanted to go to†¦ I’m not sure if you believed and accepted what I now confess as untrue; it is partly. I needed to pull away emo tionally†¦ from you. You must have had fathomed that some degree of formality had seeped between us. Born of habit, formulaic greetings had become a routine. You presume that I’m a close friendRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1387 Words   |  6 PagesI was wearing a beautiful blue dress with sapphire gems all around the chest area as I entered the ball with Ciel and Sebastian. I took a good look around here, the hallway was lined with gold. There was a servant ready to escort us to the ball room. Hello, come this way. He said, walking forward. Wow, this place is so fancy! I exclaimed, looking around. It s fake gold. Ciel bluntly replied, bringing my hopes down. I sighed. Ciel sounded like he wasn t in a very good mood. Ciel, lightenRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1287 Words   |  6 Pages In the morning, Caireann woke me up. She stood above my bed, shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes, looking at her. Then I looked across the room to her empty bed. Andy s empty bed sat in the corner. I swallowed, climbing out of bed. Sleep well? Caireann asked me, starting out the door. Yeah, I said, going over to our small dresser. I had the bottom two drawers. Andy had the middle two, and Caireann had the top. I pulled open the drawers, pulling on a colorful tank top and a grayRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1345 Words   |  6 PagesLater that night, I was behind the wheel of my G-Wagon with Melissa in the passenger seat. She didn’t feel like driving since she was on the road all day and I understood so I didn’t mind when she asked me to. I had been tight-lipped. She kept eyeballing me as if she detected that something was bothering me but I just kept singing to my India Arie as if I was carefree. â€Å"So are you going to tell me what’s going on or no† Melissa said disrupting my own personal concert. I stopped singing and tookRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1085 Words   |  5 PagesI WAS SITTING IN a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. It was just after dark. A blustery March wind whipped the steam coming out of the manholes, and people hurried along the sidewalks with their collars turned up. I was stuck in traffic two blocks from the party where I was heading. Mom stood fifteen feet away. She had tied rags around her shoulders to keep out the spring chill and was picking through the trash Descriptive Essay - Original Writing - 1476 Words Upon arriving at a two- story house located in a small suburb in the middle of the scorching Arizona desert. You can see one big window from the outside of the house, similar to the size of a fifty-inch TV. Little do you know that behind those windows lies a room filled with peace, security, and warmth. Therefore, your curiosity peaks and decides to explore the enchanting room. As you enter the house you see a stair case to your left about ten steps from the main door. After you make the journey through all of the sixteen steps, you see a room to your right that captivates your attention. You take nine steps to the right, which leads you inside an illuminated room covered in fluffy almond wash carpet. You encounter many items that catch your attention. Undoubtedly the first thing you see is an object that resembles a windmill, mounted to the ceiling in the center of the room. In addition, three small objects that resemble eggs are attached to the windmill lighting up the room. The wa lls are painted in two separate colors: A light beige color in front of you and behind you, then a dark tan color to your left and right. In addition, two large windows connecting to each other lay straight ahead of you; letting sunlight in causing the room to heat up. However, with a flick of a switch located directly counter clockwise behind you on the wall. The windmill like object starts to turn clockwise at speeds up to ten miles per hour. Allowing cold air to flow throughout the room andShow MoreRelatedDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1110 Words   |  5 PagesI don’t know how I got to where I am, but I’m here now, and I have to win if I want to live. I am in a game, and in order to live, I have to escape. That’s the thing, though: I don’t know how to escape. I was running for my life around this old house that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. I doubled over and held my head in pain as I saw the static, which meant it was comi ng. I was being chased by what looked like a person but in no way acted like one. Just as it was about to appearRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1102 Words   |  5 PagesIt is on days like this when we stop to think about our life. Small drops of rain begin to dapple the cobblestone pavement as people whip out their umbrellas for cover. I continue sauntering down the busy street, relishing the feeling of a light shower. Moving with the mass of pedestrians, I stop at a crosswalk where I wait for the stoplight to turn green. A flower shop employee across the street scurries to bring in the numerous bouquets and close the doors as rain starts rolling down the displayRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing914 Words   |  4 PagesDreamy I thought. Standing on the corner is a young guy with a smile. I see him here almost every day, so I linger for a while. He tells me his name, and I tell him mine. I m Ester, what s your name? I enquired. My names David .,He rep lied. We end up talking for a while and I asked him if he had ever left this city. He tells me of all these stories of the places where he s been, the distant lakes and mountains, and in valleys oh so green. I can see it in his eyes, he really has beenRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing974 Words   |  4 Pages I was used to moving round, having a mother who liked to travel more than making roots was something I had gotten used to. Still, I had never gotten used to the loneliness of an empty house when she was out exploring, or the feeling of leaving behind someone who could have meant something to me. Our most recent move was Oregon. It was pretty, and I didn’t mind it, but it was much different than Florida. Not only was it opposite sides of the country, it felt as if it were opposite worlds. InRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1012 Words   |  5 Pageshave plenty of time in the next month to think about my feeling in regards to Kendrick. I needed to finish up the article and get it off to my editor. I should be able to get it done by tonight and send an email in the morning. I was thinking of writing my next article about the sea life around the Scottish coast. Since our salmon dinner last evening I thought I would do a piece about the commercial salmon farming that began in Scotland in 1969. In 2002 over 145,000 metric tons of farmed AtlanticRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1561 Words   |  7 PagesThere’s something I need to say and what follows may not be something that you’d expect, it won’t be heartening or uplifting. If you remember today, I told you about going somewhere I wanted to go to†¦ I’m not sure if you believed and accepted what I now confess as untrue; it is partly. I needed to pull away emo tionally†¦ from you. You must have had fathomed that some degree of formality had seeped between us. Born of habit, formulaic greetings had become a routine. You presume that I’m a close friendRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1387 Words   |  6 PagesI was wearing a beautiful blue dress with sapphire gems all around the chest area as I entered the ball with Ciel and Sebastian. I took a good look around here, the hallway was lined with gold. There was a servant ready to escort us to the ball room. Hello, come this way. He said, walking forward. Wow, this place is so fancy! I exclaimed, looking around. It s fake gold. Ciel bluntly replied, bringing my hopes down. I sighed. Ciel sounded like he wasn t in a very good mood. Ciel, lightenRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1287 Words   |  6 Pages In the morning, Caireann woke me up. She stood above my bed, shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes, looking at her. Then I looked across the room to her empty bed. Andy s empty bed sat in the corner. I swallowed, climbing out of bed. Sleep well? Caireann asked me, starting out the door. Yeah, I said, going over to our small dresser. I had the bottom two drawers. Andy had the middle two, and Caireann had the top. I pulled open the drawers, pulling on a colorful tank top and a grayRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1345 Words   |  6 PagesLater that night, I was behind the wheel of my G-Wagon with Melissa in the passenger seat. She didn’t feel like driving since she was on the road all day and I understood so I didn’t mind when she asked me to. I had been tight-lipped. She kept eyeballing me as if she detected that something was bothering me but I just kept singing to my India Arie as if I was carefree. â€Å"So are you going to tell me what’s going on or no† Melissa said disrupting my own personal concert. I stopped singing and tookRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing1085 Words   |  5 PagesI WAS SITTING IN a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. It was just after dark. A blustery March wind whipped the steam coming out of the manholes, and people hurried along the sidewalks with their collars turned up. I was stuck in traffic two blocks from the party where I was heading. Mom stood fifteen feet away. She had tied rags around her shoulders to keep out the spring chill and was picking through the trash

Military Downsizing Free Essays

Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER What Options Might the Pentagon Consider When Discussing the Downsizing of the Services as Well as Change Overseas Basing Richard Giadone Columbia Southern University MBA 5652 Research Methods Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER Permanently stationing forces overseas gives the U. S. military a strategic advantage–but at a price. We will write a custom essay sample on Military Downsizing or any similar topic only for you Order Now That price is paid not only in terms of budgetary cost but in terms of the personnel, units, and equipment needed to support forces stationed outside the United States. We will compare the U. S. forces stationed in Europe and East Asia against the monetary and personnel cost of keeping them there. Forward Based Versus Forward Deployed Forces The U. S. forces can be maintained overseas on either temporary or a permanent basis. Units or personnel that are in a foreign country on a permanent basis are said to be forward based or forward stationed. In contrast, units and their associated personnel that are in a foreign country for a limited time, typically six months or a year, while taking part in exercises or operations are said to be forward deployed. An example of such forces is those now deployed in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. ) Although the distinction may appear to be minimal, it has important consequences for military forces and personnel. Forward Based Units Units that are permanently based outside the United States remain in place while individuals assigned to the units come and go. For example, the 2nd Infantry Division (2nd I D) has been stationed in South Korea since the 1950s, as a result of the Korean War armistice. While the division, with its headquarters and subordinate units, remain in place, some 13,000 Army soldiers rotate through it on one-year unaccompanied tours. The services are now allowing families to accompany service members to Korea for two Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER year tours. Korea has an 8% personnel turnover each month. And, 20% of all Soldiers on assignment to Korea never show. In other locations, such as Germany, U. S. military personnel serve three year tours with units stationed there and can bring their families with them. With the help of allies, the United States has built up large infrastructures overseas to support forward stationed units, assigned personnel, and their families. Almost all overseas bases that permanently house large numbers of U. S. service members include all of the amenities of bases in the United States, such as commissaries, chapels, exercise facilities, and post offices. In addition, in places where families may accompany service members, the Department of Defense (DoD) has established schools for military dependents. In Germany alone, DoD runs 70 schools for more than 30,000 children who are dependents of U. S. military personnel and DoD civilians. Another aspect of forward based units is that personnel serving with them are considered on permanent assignment instead of temporary duty and thus undergo a â€Å"permanent change of station† (PCS) when they move from an assignment in the United States to an assignment overseas. In a PCS move, service members can take along their household goods (including automobiles) at the government’s (taxpayer’s) expense, regardless of whether they are accompanied by family members. The fact that personnel are assigned to, and move in and out of forward based units on an individual basis creates continual turnover in those units. With the three-year tours common in Germany, one-third of the individuals in a particular unit will turn over every Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER year and the entire population will turn over in three years. Moreover, when individuals complete a tour with a forward-based unit, they are generally assigned to a different unit in the United States than the one they served in before going overseas. Forward Deployed Units Forward deployed forces, such as those now in Afghanistan or Kosovo, are overseas on a temporary basis only. The United States does not anticipate having forces stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan for the next 50 years, as it has done in Germany. Rather, it anticipates that once Afghanistan is secure, U. S. troops will be withdrawn and not replaced. As a consequence, the United States has no plans to build elaborate bases to house U. S. forces in Afghanistan. Likewise, for the most part, military personnel are not assigned to duty in Afghanistan the same way they are to duty in South Korea or Germany. If a unit based in the United States, such as the 25th Infantry Division, is assigned to duty in Afghanistan for nine months to a year, all of the personnel associated with the division who are eligible will deploy to Afghanistan for the length of the tour. Neither soldiers’ personal belongings (excluding some individual items) nor their families will accompany them. Furthermore, as much as possible, all of the individuals assigned to the unit will deploy and stay with it for the entire period and return to the home base together. Those deployed forces are often included in tallies of U. S. forces overseas, but in fact they are officially considered to be overseas on a temporary basis, even though some operations supported by rotational deployments have continued for years    Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER U. S. Forces Based in Europe The United States has about 100,000 military personnel forward based in Europe. The bulk of them are stationed in Germany, where the United States has maintained forces since the end of World War II, originally as an occupation force and later as part of NATO’s defense during the Cold War. Although the size of U. S. forces in Europe declined by two thirds after the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the need to maintain the current levels is being questioned by some defense analysts and Administration officials. Army Forces The Army accounts for about 60 percent of active duty U. S. personnel stationed in Europe. Despite significant cuts in those personnel after the unification of Germany and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the Army continues to base two of its 10 divisions and one of its four corps in Europe. Thus, a significant portion of the Army’s combat power is stationed on that continent, primarily in Germany. Nevertheless, the Army’s combat units (divisions and brigades) account for less than half of the service’s active duty personnel in Europe. The 1st Armored Division and the 1st Infantry Division (mechanized) has only two of its three combat brigades and about 12,500 of its total 16,000 personnel based in Germany. The Army’s other combat unit in Europe–the 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy–has about 1,000 personnel assigned to it. Thus, the Army’s permanent active-duty combat forces in Europe total about 26,000 people. Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER Another 27,000 or so active-duty personnel are assigned to what the Army calls combat-support (CS) units, such as artillery, and combat-service-support (CSS) units, such as transportation. CS and CSS units provide various kinds of support to combat brigades and divisions. The other 7,000 or so active-duty Army personnel based in Europe are assigned to what could be termed administrative units, such as medical facilities, NATO headquarters in Brussels, and contracting agencies. In all, about 43 percent of Army forces in Europe are assigned to combat units, 45 percent to support units, and 12 percent to administrative duties. (The breakdown for Army forces in Germany is similar: 45 percent combat, 45 percent support, and 10 percent administrative. ) Army Bases The Army maintains an extensive network of bases in Europe, encompassing almost 300 installations. Like its personnel, the vast majority of the Army’s overseas infrastructure (255 installations) is in Germany. The largest and some of the most expensive Army bases in Europe are at Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels, Germany. Those two training facilities–which provide ranges and space where Army units can practice tactics and maneuvers–cover 52,000 acres and 40,000 acres, respectively, and have a combined replacement value of more than $1. 5 billion. (6) The Army also maintains 33 barracks for unaccompanied soldiers and 36 â€Å"villages† for family housing in Germany, which have a replacement value of roughly $14 billion. Other Army installations in Germany include five hospitals, five hotels, 15 smaller training areas, nine airfields, four Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER depots, three golf courses, a Boy Scout camp, and a Girl Scout camp. That infrastructure is designed to enhance soldiers’ morale and, to some extent, replicate the facilities and conveniences that would be found around many Army bases in the United States. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps Forces and Bases The other three services have fewer forces stationed in Europe than the Army does. In addition, they have not concentrated their forces and bases on that continent in Germany to the extent that the Army has. The Air Force maintains the second largest presence in Europe after the Army, with 34,000 active-duty personnel and 201 installations in 12 countries. The largest contingent (15,000 active-duty personnel) is based in Germany, but the Air Force also has relatively large numbers of people in the United Kingdom (10,000) and Italy (4,000). The service’s major combat units are distributed similarly, with Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy each hosting one fighter wing. The greatest numbers of Air Force installations in Europe are located in Germany. The base at Ramstein, Germany, is the main air hub for U. S. forces from all services flying to or from other parts of the world, including the United States and the Middle East. The Air Force also has strategically important installations in the United Kingdom and Greenland. The air bases at Mildenhall and Lakenheath in the United Kingdom were used extensively to support U. S. operations against Libya and during Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. The Air Force’s facility in Thule, Greenland, includes radar Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER that is designed to provide early warning of an intercontinental ballistic missile attack and is expected to be part of the Bush Administration’s network of missile defenses. Thus, although the Air Force does not have as many installations in Europe as the Army does, several of its bases have played–and continue to play–major roles in supporting U. S. military operations. The Navy and Marine Corps, because of the nature of their activities, have a far smaller onshore presence. Neither service bases any combat forces on shore in Europe, although the Navy has 10,000 support and administrative personnel there, nor the Marine Corps has 1,000. (7) In addition, the Navy maintains 15 installations in Europe, including two air stations (in Iceland and Italy). U. S. Forces Based in East Asia and the Pacific After Europe, the region with the largest permanent U. S. military presence overseas is East Asia and the Pacific, where approximately 80,000 personnel are stationed (see Table 2-1). Virtually all of them are based in two countries: Japan, where all four services have a significant presence, and South Korea, where the Army and the Air Force have stationed combat forces. In addition, the Navy and Air Force maintain a small number of installations (and fewer than 1,000 permanent personnel) in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Singapore. Army Forces Since the Korean War, the Army has maintained a major presence in South Korea, where 28,000 Army personnel are now based. Their mission is to enforce the 1953 Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER cease-fire that ended hostilities under the auspices of the United Nations as well as to deter an attack by North Korea–or, should deterrence fail, help to repel an invasion or mount a counterattack to expel the invading force. Today, the 2nd ID is stationed in northern South Korea with two of its combat brigades, accounting for about 13,000 troops. The division’s third brigade is based at Fort Lewis, Washington. ) Of the other 15,000 Army personnel in South Korea, about 13,000 are assigned to combat-support and combat-service-support units that are part of the Eighth Army, which serves as the high-level command organization for the Army in South Korea. The remaining 2,000 Army personnel in that country are assigned to units that perform administra tive tasks. The Army’s representation elsewhere in the region is limited to Japan, where about 2,000 personnel are stationed. Those forces provide forward presence and support for regional contingencies and are also charged with helping to defend Japan if necessary. They include one special-forces battalion, some CS and CSS units, and several hundred soldiers assigned to administrative units. Army Bases The Army has a total of 95 installations in East Asia–80 in South Korea and the rest in Japan. The most expensive Army installation in the region is Yongsan Garrison, located in the center of Seoul. It is home to 7,000 military personnel assigned to the headquarters of U. S. Forces Korea and other command organizations and has a replacement value of $1. 3 billion. The Army’s 15 installations in Japan, which support a Running Head: WHAT OPTIONS MIGHT THE PENTAGON CONSIDER much smaller force, include a housing area, three ammunition depots, and other logistics facilities, such as a port, a pier, and a fuel-handling facility. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps Forces and Bases Although both the Navy and the Air Force have installations in several East Asian countries, their bases and forces are concentrated in Japan (see Appendix A for more details). On the basis of replacement value, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force installations in Japan represent 88 percent of the three services’ investment in the region. Air Force. The Air Force has 23,000 airmen stationed in East Asia and the Pacific, with more than half of them based in Japan. Half of the personnel in Japan are assigned to support and administrative units, although 7,000 are associated with the tactical fighter units stationed there. In contrast, the majority of the 10,000 Air Force personnel stationed in South Korea are combat forces, associated with the two fighter wings based in that country. The Air Force maintains a total of 67 installations in Asia to support and house its forces. Japan hosts the majority of them (44) as well as several large or valuable installations, such as Kadena Air Base, the nearby Kadena Ammunition Storage Annex, and Misawa Air Base. Together, those three installations have a replacement value of $9 billion. Air Force installations in South Korea are not as extensive as those in Japan, but they include two large air bases: one at Kunsan on the western coast and one at Osan, less than 50 miles south of the North Korean border. Those two bases have a combined replacement value of about $3 billion. Navy. Since World War II, the Navy has had a significant presence and interest in East Asia. The base at Yokosuka, Japan–home to the Seventh Fleet and the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk–is considered the Navy’s largest and most strategically important overseas installation in the world. Furthermore, the Kitty Hawk’s air wing, which is based in Japan when the carrier is in port, is the Navy’s only forward-stationed air wing. All told, the Navy has about 6,000 personnel based on shore in Japan. To support its presence in Japan, the Navy maintains 12 installations, six of which are estimated to have a replacement value of more than $1 billion each. Its facilities at Yokosuka alone have a combined value of $5. 7 billion. The Navy also operates a base at Sasebo, which hosts an amphibious squadron, and a naval air facility at Atsugi. In all, the Navy’s installations in Japan have an estimated replacement value of approximately $9 billion. Naval forces and installations in South Korea are much less extensive. Because the primary mission of U. S. Naval Forces Korea is to provide leadership and expertise in naval matters to area military commanders, there are no naval seagoing units permanently assigned to South Korea. Most of the Navy’s facilities in South Korea are colocated with those of the Army at the Yongsan Garrison. Marine Corps. The Marine Corps’s only division-sized unit stationed overseas–the III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)–has been based on the Japanese island of Okinawa since 1971. To support the 20,000 marines stationed in Japan, including the MEF’s 17,000 personnel, the Marine Corps maintains two large installations: Camp Butler, which covers 78,500 acres (or about one-quarter) of Okinawa, and Iwakuni Air Station on the island of Honshu. Those two installations represent a total U. S. investment of $6. 5 billion. Concerns About the Current Basing of U. S. Forces Overseas Asserting that the current basing structure is incapable of meeting future U. S. needs, the Administration accelerated an ongoing strategic review of that structure. The goal of the review is to develop a plan for forward basing that will make U. S. forces more agile and better able to respond to an unpredictable and ever changing global geopolitical situation. Defense analysts outside the Administration have voiced similar criticisms of the military’s current basing structure. Below are some of the concerns that have been raised from both inside and outside the Administration about the forward basing of U. S. forces. Issues Common to Various Services Some concerns apply, to varying degrees, to all four services and their bases outside the United States. Those concerns include frictions with host nations, the cost of maintaining forward bases, the ability of forces stationed overseas to respond to likely conflicts, and the enduring utility of U. S. installations overseas. Host Nation Conflicts. All of the services are subject to disputes with the governments of host nations and their citizens over land use and the proximity of U. S. forces to civilian population centers and activities. Conflicts about land use have arisen because U. S. bases that were originally in remote locations have become increasingly surrounded by suburban or urban development. An example is the land occupied by the U. S. Yongsan Garrison in what is now downtown Seoul, land that local South Koreans envision using for other purposes. I was stationed in Tongduchon Korea in 1998 and again in 2008. Within that 10 year timeframe remote U. S. training areas were turned into greenhouses and cities. In various places around the world, U. S. training exercises conducted near sizable local populations have disrupted the lives of residents because of noise, destroyed private property, and resulted in the loss of life through accidents. As U. S. military personnel come into closer proximity with spreading urban or suburban populations, such incidents could become more common and affect support for the continued presence of large U. S. forces on foreign soil. The Cost of Basing Forces Overseas Maintaining forward based forces entails a marginal cost, in part because installations overseas, particularly in Europe, are more expensive to operate and support than those in the United States. Additional marginal costs include the family separation pay given to military personnel on unaccompanied tours and the cost of moving active duty service members, their goods, and sometimes their dependents to and from assignments overseas. The Congressional Research Service estimated that the total annual cost of basing 100,000 U. S. forces from all services in Europe rather than the United States was on the order of $1 billion to $2 billion in 1996. The Ability of Forces Based Overseas to Respond to Likely Conflicts Administration officials have questioned whether U. S. orces that are stationed primarily in Germany and South Korea are positioned appropriately to respond to probable future conflicts. They argue that conflicts are much more likely to occur in Africa, Western Asia, or the Middle East than anywhere in Western Europe. Similarly, conflicts may occur in Asia at locations other than on the Korean Peninsula like the civil unrest that has occurred recently in Indonesia and t he Philippines. Although all of the services have personnel stationed in Germany and all but the Navy in South Korea, that concern is most relevant for the Army because of its oncentration of forces in those countries. Most of the Administration’s public statements about altering the current basing of U. S. forces abroad appear to focus on Army units. The Utility of the Current Overseas Basing Structure Although Administration officials have questioned the usefulness of some of the military’s existing overseas infrastructure, they have said that some bases have obvious enduring utility. For example, the Air Force’s Ramstein and Osan air bases serve as major hubs in Germany and South Korea, respectively. Army and other personnel and some equipment pass through those facilities when they arrive from the United States or depart for other parts of the globe, such as the Middle East. Those large installations, in which the United States has invested heavily to expedite the movement of forces and equipment into and out of Europe and Asia, are of high strategic value, and the Administration has explicitly stated that it will retain them. The training areas at Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels, which provide facilities unavailable anywhere else in Europe, will also be retained. Issues Specific to the Army As noted above, various characteristics set the Army apart in terms of forward basing: it has far more personnel stationed overseas than any other service, those forces are located in places that appear to be legacies of the Cold War, and Army units require the most time and expense to be transported to conflicts away from where they are based. For those reasons, many concerns about the present U. S. basing structure focus on that service. Army Forces in Europe The main concern expressed by Administration officials about the Army forces now based in Europe seems to be the amount of time they would need to respond to a conflict in the region. Although the two Army divisions stationed in Germany were well placed to defend NATO from Soviet attack, they cannot deploy quickly to conflicts outside Germany. For example, three months elapsed between the decision to move the 1st Armored Division from Germany to Iraq in March 2003 and its arrival in that theater. Military and Administration officials have indicated that the need for U. S. intervention s much more likely in Africa, Eastern Europe, or Western Asia than in Western Europe. Statements by U. S. commanders in Europe suggest that the Administration may be assessing how to speed the deployment of U. S. forces to places such as Nigeria, Uganda, Azerbaijan, and Djibouti. (Nigeria and Baku, Azerbaijan, are sources of oil; Uganda and Djibouti are potential staging bases for conducting operations in Africa to counter instability and terrorism. ) As was the case with Iraq, moving a division, or even part of one, from Germany to any of those locations would take a considerable amount of time. The units in Germany are heavy divisions equipped with tanks and armored vehicles, so the most efficient way to transport their equipment is by sea. Moving one heavy brigade combat team from Germany to locations in Africa or the Caspian region would take between 20 days and a month, and transporting an entire division’s equipment would take another four days in all cases, only about five days faster than moving the same types of units from the United States. Those lengthy deployment times have raised questions about the utility of the Army forces now based in Germany. Another issue concerning those forces is the cost of keeping them in Europe rather than at bases in the continental United States. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that it costs about $1 billion more per year to maintain about 56,000 Army forces in Germany than if those troops were stationed in the United States–both because running bases and providing family housing and schools is more expensive in Germany than in the United States and because the Army must pay for overseas allowances and moves to and from assignments in Europe. If those forces are not needed to respond to any likely future conflict in the immediate region, observers might ask, why should the United States spend $1 billion each year to keep them there? Army Forces in South Korea Concerns about the 28,000 Army forces stationed in South Korea differ from those associated with Army forces based in Europe. Very few defense analysts question the need to keep substantial U. S. forces based in South Korea to deter North Korea from invading or attacking its southern neighbor. Instead, their concerns relate to four main issues: the condition and location of U. S. bases in South Korea, the instability in Army units that results partly from supporting large numbers of one year tours in South Korea, the quality of life of soldiers assigned to those tours, and whether Army units based in South Korea should be made more available to respond to conflicts elsewhere in the region. Problems with Bases in South Korea The condition and location of the Army’s installations in South Korea are less than desirable. According to U. S. ilitary officials in that country, many of the Army’s bases are obsolete, poorly maintained, and in disrepair, including some Quonset huts from the Korean War era that still house soldiers. Most lack the amenities found at other U. S. bases overseas, and soldiers assigned to them are authorized to receive hardship duty pay of $150 per month. In addition, Army bases in South Korea are relatively small, spread out, and vulnerable . Units of the 2nd ID are scattered among 17 installations located north of the capital, Seoul, and within 30 miles of the North Korean border. That area is well within range of North Korean artillery placed along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that runs between the two countries. Should North Korea attack South Korea, U. S. forces at those bases would be vulnerable to barrages from large numbers of artillery tubes. Secretary of Defense Donald Gates has argued that removing U. S. soldiers from such an immediate threat would give them an advantage in surviving and responding to an attack. Another issue about U. S. bases in South Korea that has been raised recently concerns the large U. S. resence in the center of Seoul known as the Yongsan Garrison. That 640 acre installation was on the outskirts of the city when it was built, but it is now in downtown Seoul, occupying valuable real estate and causing tensions with the local populace. Instability in Army Units The need to support forces stationed in South Korea causes turbulence in Army units based in the continental United States (CONUS). Because duty in South Korea is conside red hazardous and bases there are poorly equipped, family members do not accompany 80 percent of the soldiers serving tours in South Korea. Unaccompanied tours are limited to one year to minimize family separation, which means that almost the entire population of Army personnel in South Korea turns over every year. That turnover has a ripple effect on Army units based in CONUS, which must provide soldiers to replace those leaving South Korea and integrate new personnel. CBO estimates that, on average, war fighting units in CONUS experience turnover of 37 percent of their enlisted personnel every year, as soldiers leave for tours outside the continental United States, take administrative assignments in places such as the Pentagon, or leave the Army altogether. Some Army officials have asserted that high turnover in Army units reduces their cohesion and war fighting capability. The need to replace virtually all of the enlisted personnel in South Korea each year contributes about 6 percentage points of the total 37 percent turnover in CONUS war fighting units, CBO estimates. Quality of Life in South Korea Maintaining Army forces in South Korea on unaccompanied tours adversely affects the quality of soldiers’ lives by contributing to family separation. An enlisted soldier spending 10 years in the Army could, on average, expect to spend a total of . years on unaccompanied tours, according to CBO’s calculations. Although that is a small percentage overall, some specialties and junior enlisted personnel are more heavily represented in South Korea than in the Army as a whole, so their numbers could be much higher. Serving on unaccompanied tours has been shown to decrease the likelihood that a soldier will reenlist, which means that maintaining forces in South Korea under current basing arrangements may have an adverse effect on retention. Availability of Army Units in South Korea Because the Army forces based in South Korea are generally viewed as a deterrent to hostile behavior by North Korea, the 2nd ID and its two brigades have been considered unavailable to participate in any operations outside the Korean Peninsula. (By contrast, Army units based in Germany have been used in operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq. ) The unavailability of the 2nd ID results partly because the division is based far from transportation hubs and partly because its units, which include many bulky and heavy vehicles, are not easy to deploy elsewhere. Secretary Gates recently raised the possibility of realigning the Army’s forces in South Korea to make them more suitable for use in regional contingencies throughout Asia. He proposed making those forces more mobile by replacing their heavy armored vehicles with lighter and more modern vehicles and by moving them closer to transportation hubs south of Seoul. As we consider the world’s current economic state, what are we to do with such a large institution? 1. | Most of the roughly 15,000 soldiers assigned to units in South Korea other than the 2nd ID also rotate through their units on one-year unaccompanied tours. However, approximately 10 percent of them are on accompanied tours, in which the Army pays to move soldiers’ families to South Korea and provides facilities for dependents while the soldiers are on assignment there. Those tours typically last for two or three years. | 2. | Not all of the soldiers assigned to a division would deploy with it. On average, 4 percent of Army personnel are ineligible to deploy overseas at any given time for various reasons, such as pregnancy, other health concerns, and family emergencies. Additional soldiers–as many as 35 percent in peacetime–may be ineligible because of Army personnel policies designed to ensure soldiers’ quality of life. For a discussion of Army deployment rates in peacetime, see Bruce R. Orvis, Deployability in Peacetime, DB-351-A (Santa Monica, Calif. : RAND, 2002). | 3. | Some attrition, necessitating individual replacements, will inevitably occur over a deployment of six to 12 months. | 4. | For example, the United States has provided a small force to support the peacekeeping efforts of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula since 1982. Battalion-sized units of about 1,000 soldiers deploy for six-month assignments with the MFO. Similarly, units have been supporting operations in Bosnia and Kosovo on six-month deployments since 1996 and 1999, respectively. All told, the Army maintained an average of about 15,000 soldiers on operational deployments from 1997 through early 2001. | 5. | The third brigade of each of those divisions is based at Fort Riley, Kansas. Although the 1st Armored and 1st Infantry Divisions each have about 16,000 personnel assigned to them, when taking part in an operation they would typically be accompanied by several support units, which might include total of about 24,000 personnel. As a consequence, a division and its accompanying support units–known as a division slice–would include a total of about 40,000 personnel. | 6. | That and other replacement values cited in this study are based on data from Department of Defense, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Insta llations and Environment, Department of Defense Base Structure Report: Fiscal Year 2003 Baseline (June 2003), available at www. defenselink. mil/news/Jun2003/basestructure2003. pdf. That publication lists the replacement values of current U. S. defense facilities, including excess facilities that the United States still owns. | 7. | The Navy and Marine Corps have additional personnel based on board ships that may be anchored in European waters. | 8. | For example, two South Korean girls were killed in 2003 when they were struck by an Army armored vehicle during training exercises. | 9. | Stephen Daggett, Defense Budget: Alternative Measures of Costs of Military Commitments Abroad, CRS Report for Congress 95-726F (Congressional Research Service, June 16, 1995). | 10. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps units can take a considerable amount of time to establish efficient operations in remote locations. Nevertheless, in some cases, they can provide a more rapid initial response than can Army forces that do not have staging bases near a conflict. | 11. | John T. Correll, â€Å"European Command Looks South and East,† Air Force Magazine, December 2003. | 12. | Ibid. | 13. | Vince Crawley, â€Å"Oil May Drive Troop Staging ,† Army Times, September 22, 2003, p. 30. | 14. | The reason is that U. S. transport aircraft (C-17s) can carry only one M1 tank at a time. Moving an entire heavy division would require about 1,500 C-17 flights, and moving one brigade combat team from the division would take up to 500 flights. Since the U. S. military is projected to have only about 140 C-17s by 2005, transporting heavy divisions and brigades by air is not practical. | 15. | Those numbers are explained in detail in Chapter 3. | 16. | General Accounting Office, Defense Infrastructure: Basing Uncertainties Necessitate Reevaluation of U. S. Construction Plans in South Korea, GAO-03-643 (July 2003), p. 5. | 17. | See David J. Lynch, â€Å"DMZ Is a Reminder of Status in Korean Crisis,† USA Today, December 23, 2003, p. 11; and Thom Shanker, â€Å"Gates Reassures Seoul on Regrouping G. I. s,† New York Times, November 18, 2003, p. A10. | 18. | Although most personnel sent to South Korea each year come from CONUS-based units (because the Army generally tries not to assign soldiers to back-to-back tours outside the continental United States), some are drawn from the pool of new recruits completing their training. | 19. | Personnel assignments and career tracks vary greatly between enlisted personnel and officers in the Army. This analysis focuses on the enlisted force because it represents the vast majority of Army personnel–approximately 400,000 out of the Army’s total strength of about 480,000. | 20. | CBO used a model of personnel turnover in its analysis that is based on a model developed by RAND. In its analysis, RAND estimated similar rates for both total annual enlisted turnover and the contribution from the need to support tours in South Korea. See W. Michael Hix and others, Personnel Turbulence: The Policy Determinants of Permanent Change of Station Moves, MR-938-A (Santa Monica, Calif. RAND, 1998). | 21. | See General Accounting Office, Military Personnel: Longer Time Between Moves Related to Higher Satisfaction and Retention, GAO-01-841 (August 2001). | 22. | Robert Marquand, â€Å"U. S. Redeployments Afoot in Asia,† Christian Science Monitor, November 18, 2003. | http://www. eagleworldnews. com/2011/01/07/pentagon-plans-to-downsize-army-in-coming-years/ http://www. pacom. mil/web/site_pages/uspacom/facts. shtml http://www. globalsecurity. org/military/ops/korea-orbat. htm http://www. stripes. om/news/pacific/korea/u-s-army-in-south-korea-begins-transformation-of-forces-1. 115890 Table 2-1. U. S. Bases and Forces Stationed in Europe and Asia | Forward-Based Personnel (Thousands) | Installations | | Combat| Support and Administration| Total| Total Number| Number with Replacement Value of More Than $1 Billion| Total Replacement Value (Billions of dollars)a| | Europe| Army|   | | Belgium| 0|   | 1|   | 1|   | 10|   | 0|   | 1|   |   | Germany| 25|   | 31|   | 56|   | 255|   | 3|   | 30|   |   | Italy| 1|   | 1|   | 2|   | 16|   | 0|   | 1|   |   | Other| 0|   | 1| 1|   | 13|   | 0|   | 1|   |   |   | Subtotal| 26|   | 34|   | 60|   | 294|   | 3|   | 33|   |   | Air Force| 14|   | 20|   | 34|   | 201|   | 5|   | 22|   | Navyb| 0|   | 10|   | 10|   | 15|   | 2|   | 7|   | Marine Corpsb| 0|   | 1|   | 1|   | 0|   | 0|   | 0|   |   | |   |   | Total | 40|   | 65|   | 105|   | 510|   | 10|   | 62|   |   | East Asia and the Pacificc| | Army|   | | Japan| 0|   | 2|   | 2|   | 15|   | 0|   | 3|   |   | South Korea| 13|   | 15|   | 28|   | 80|   | 2|   | 8|   |   |   | Subtotal| 13|   | 17|   | 30|   | 95|   | 2|   | 11|   |   | Air Force| 14|   | 10|   | 23|   | 67|   | 5|   | 18|   | Navyb| 0|   | 6|   | 6|   | 16|   | 6|   | 9|   | Marine Corpsb| 10|   | 10|   | 20|   | 2|   | 2|   | 6|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Total| 37|   | 43|   | 79|   | 180|   | 15|   | 44|   | Source: Congressional Budget Office based on data from Department of Defense, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment, Department of Defense Base Structure Report: Fiscal Year 2003 Baseline (June 2003), available at www. efenselink. mil/news/Jun2003/basestructure2003. pdf; Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate of Information Operations and Reports, Department of Defense Active-Duty Personnel Strengths by Regional Area and by Country (309A) (September 30, 2002); and other Defense Department data. Note: More-detailed breakdowns for the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps appear in Tables A-1 and A-2 in Appendix A. a. Includes the replacement value of excess facilities that the United States still owns. How to cite Military Downsizing, Papers

The Successful Hero On A Path To free essay sample

Failure Essay, Research Paper The Successful Hero on a Path to Failure What is a hero? Is a hero is a great single with powers or qualities that separate him from the remainder of the society or universe for that affair. In a sense, possibly, I believe a hero can be much more than merely holding these peculiar qualities. In my sentiment, a hero is person that besides commands great regard. There must besides hold been a great event or title for person to be deemed a hero. In the epic narrative of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh himself is a hero. He has the qualities required for being a hero, but he is missing. He fails to exhibit self restraint and wise determination devising. That doesn # 8217 ; t needfully intend that a hero must be perfect in order to be one. A hero is supposed to do errors and have ruins. Heroism is a quality that is present in every human being. We will write a custom essay sample on The Successful Hero On A Path To or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is a portion of humanity. It is displayed more conspicuously in a few such as Gilgamesh. A hero still remains human though and can neer be ideal. Society in Gilgamesh # 8217 ; s civilization viewed their male monarch as the ultimate warrior and leader. The metropolis was the most of import portion of life in the times of Gilgamesh. A zikkurat was present in the metropolis stand foring spiritual life. The Gods resided in the temples of the metropolis. Society relied upon the presence of Gods to find how good the metropolis would last and prosper. The metropolis was a topographic point of nationalism and patriotism. Elaborate rites were platitude. Unlike that of the civilization described in the Bible, gender is portion of the worship of Gods. Gilgamesh is a cardinal factor in this manner of life for the metropolis of Uruk. He is the priest male monarch. His function in the metropolis is of import because he is depended upon by all of the occupants of his metropolis. They look to him for strength, spirit, and counsel. Gilgamesh is ideal to the people because he serves the intents a priest male monarch is expected to make in order to maintain society thriving. He wins wars and has small fright. It is similar to political relations. If the economic system is booming, so the people say the president is making a good occupation. If the state is in a province of depression, the president will most likely non win the reelection. The people of this metropolis didn # 8217 ; t care much that he had sick qualities. It was more of import to see the 1s that kept the metropolis moving and spread outing. From the point of position of certain Gods, nevertheless, Gilgamesh made excessively many errors. Gilgamesh himself was portion God, but he still was portion homo and nil could alteration that about Gilgamesh. The narrative of Gilgamesh is an heroic narrative that revolves around the life of a hero. This is the first issue. Gilgamesh doesn # 8217 ; t believe of himself as a person adult male. He begins to oppugn decease in Tablet IX after the decease of his comrade Enkidu. Gilgamesh wandered in the wilderness grieving over the decease of Enkidu and crying stating: # 8220 ; Enkidu has died. Must I die excessively? Must Gilgamesh be like that? # 8221 ; Gilgamesh felt the fright of it in his belly. He said to himself that he would seek the boy of Ubartutu, Utnapishtim, he, the lone one of work forces by agencies of whom he might happen out how decease could be avoided. He said to himself that he would rush to him, the dangers of the journey notwithstanding. He is forced to confront his ain mortality. It seems in the transition that Gilgamesh neer even considered decease before this case. He assumed that decease merely can to other people. Gilgamesh is in a province of denial at first, by the decease of Enkidu and 2nd, by the realisation that his decease may besides shortly come. Gilgamesh International Relations and Security Network # 8217 ; t a hero at the beginning of this narrative. Gilgamesh develops into a hero. He has great qualities that are uncommon in ordinary work forces. He is a skilled combatant, passionate, bold, aggressive, and has unbelievable strength. What he lacks in may be the greatest qualities that a hero can possess. Gilgamesh is unwise in determinations and has a ailment construct of justness. Gilgamesh is tightly linked with the Gods, possibly the lone ground that Gilgamesh is so successful in his ability. Ishtar makes it hard for him when he garbages to hold dealingss with her. Shamash, the Sun God, uses Gilgamesh to transport out workss that may be forbidden by the other Gods. The other Gods are highly disquieted with Gilgamesh and Enkidu when Huwawa is killed. As a consequence, Enkidu is killed. This is the turning point for Gilgamesh in a sense. His reaction is unusual for Gilgamesh because he International Relations and Security Network # 8217 ; t a mind. He is a combatant. Now, his lone aim is to detect immortality. He becomes obsessed with life, fearing decease. When Gilgamesh seeks out Utnapishtim, he is seeking merely the manner to be immortal. He cares nil of the hero that he one time was. Gilgamesh mourns for the loss of Enkidu. His perspective alterations. He truly discovers that he is mortal after he loses the works to the snake. All his strength and accomplishment could non hold gained immortality even if he hadn # 8217 ; t lost the works to the snake. Gilgamesh # 8217 ; s find, that he can # 8217 ; t halt decease from coming, made him the true hero. Gilgamesh is devastated by the loss of immortality, but in his journey back to Uruk with the boater, he understands that cognition is what makes the adult male. He says at last: # 8220 ; Study the brickwork, analyze the munition ; climb the great anci ent stairway to the patio ; analyze how it is made ; from the patio see the planted and the fallow Fieldss, the pools and groves. One conference is the interior metropolis, another conference is groves ; still another the Fieldss beyond ; over there is the precinct of the temple. Three conferences and the temple precinct of Ishtar step Uruk, the metropolis of Gilgamesh. # 8221 ; At that, Gilgamesh realizes that he knows so much, and he has the greatest metropolis in the universe. He asks himself why he is seeking for more when he has the greatest thing that exists. Education is for life, and, to Gilgamesh, the universe looks different based on what he knows. Before his journey, Gilgamesh was unchanging in idea. His character evolves into a wise and great male monarch. Genesis tells an antiheroic narrative. Adam and Eve neer fit the description of being the hero. The lone quality that might confirm them as a hero is that they are personally connected with God. This does non do them heroes in anyhow. The same holds true for Abraham. Abraham is but merely a courier of God. He became the first leader. However, he was non the leader in the same regard as Gilgamesh was a great leader. Abraham led the people into worship of the Lord. Abraham was neer worshipped for making so for the people because was simply a courier of God # 8217 ; s word. We can state Genesis is an antihero narrative for grounds that no heroes exist. The Lord is an all-powerful power that is to be reckoned with. Genesis would be uneffective with heroes. The whole point of Genesis is to set up that no 1 is greater than God. Work force may hold extraordinary qualities for a short clip, but God will neer waver or neglect. He neer loses religion and has all the replies. The people who have faith in God and trust that worlds are all equal can ever follow the Lord with absolute security. The hero Gilgamesh can non perchance anticipate his people to follow him blindly. Gilgamesh is a hero that the people fear and dislike. They look up to him as something to strive for, but neer expect to carry through it themselves. Gilgamesh is revered for his great power that he has as a leader. At the same clip, Gilgamesh is feared for his pitilessness and enjoyment of war. God can neer hold the quality that Gilgamesh possesses. The people don # 8217 ; t look at God as a function theoretical account. It is wholly out of range and nor would anyone wish to be God. The know that they are excessively flawed to of all time compare to God. Many of the people chosen by God to move as a prophesier, courier, or king do non experience worthy of making this much. In Gilgamesh, the Gods are non about so well-thought-of as the monotheistic God. These Gods are corrupt and selfish. They are based on sex and fraudulence. God is neer dishonest or immorality. He creates trial state of affairss for people that may go entrapped within, but God neer forces them into their determinations. He punishes them for the incorrect determinations. In Gilgamesh, Ishtar punishes the full metropolis for the right moral determination of the male monarch non to kip with her. God neer punishes for the right determination in Genesis. He punishes for the incorrect 1s badly. Adam and Eve were punished when they failed to obey God # 8217 ; s merely regulation of avoiding the Tree of Knowledge. Had Adam and Eve neer touched the out fruit, penalty would hold neer seen their way and they would still be populating peacefully in Eden. The universe was punished for their corruptness, but the good were spared like Noah. In Gilgamesh, inexperienced person and immoralities were all punished likewise. Justice was unimportant. It seemed fiddling. In the terminal, a hero is person who is admired but is abound for defect or failure. The facet of humanity is ineluctable even to the most epic hero. Gilgamesh will neer be perfect. The Gods of Gilgamesh can # 8217 ; t even be perfect, and they lack in the defects of humanity. Their defect is the deficiency of communicating and regard for each other # 8217 ; s powers. Genesis has no heroes because its intent is to set up that humanity is non perfect and can neer be expected to be. No affair what sort of connexion between the superior power and people, a individual adult male is merely the same as everyone else. There is a point that God makes in Genesis, 6:5-8 when even God Himself is perturbed by adult male # 8217 ; s errors. The Lord saw the evil of adult male was great in the Earth, and that every imaginativeness of the ideas of his bosom was merely evil continually. So the Lord said, # 8220 ; I will blot out adult male whom I have created from the face of the land, adult male and animal and crawling things and birds of the air, for I am regretful that I have made them. # 8221 ; But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord. Now, God spared Noah and his household because they were good. This doesn # 8217 ; T do Noah the hero either. Noah is non punished because he believed in God and did non corrupt himself with evil ways. God has the power and people respect it. Noah is that individual. Gilgamesh is a hero that will neer win because it is impossible. The Gods would neer let his success and he makes errors that can neer be overcome. Heros are admired, but will neer carry through the ultimate end of flawlessness or immortality. Bibliography Gilgamesh Bible

PARADISE WITHIN Essays - Jules Laforgue, Afterlife, Paradise

PARADISE WITHIN The search for paradise is the neverending struggle through life for sanctum and inner-peace. While the knowledge of a single religion can cause doubts of afterlife, the contrast between two culturally diverse beliefs complicates matters even more; possibly to the point of enlightenment that one man's heaven is another man's hell. Likewise, the film, BlackRobe, plays on the similarities between Chomina, the Huron indian tribe leader, and Father LaForgue, the French Jesuit preist and the ultimate respect they gain for one another despite their cultural and religious diffferences. One must always show respect before one can expect to receive it however these circumstances come about. Chomina and Father LaForgue shared the common bond of commitment to a promise. This is what created the underlying conflict between the two. Chomina had promised to deliver Father LaForgue to his destiny (a missionary camp set up by other French preist), while at the same time, Chomina had to stand up for his own cultural beliefs and life-style. On the other hand, LaForgue devotes himself to his god, country, and the battle to save the souls of these poor Huron savages. Both of their constant efforts to keep their commitments created much friction between the two, and posed problems of doubt to them. There was one main factor that lead to Chomina and LaForgue's understanding of one another. Chomina's daughter, Annuka, and Father LaForgue's younger assistant Daniel crossed cultural, racial and religious barriers with their love for one another. LaForgue did not understand why Daniel could love some- one so religiously biased. What LaForgue finally sees is that love for someone should not be based upon such trivial concepts such as a spiritual opinion. Chomina also sees this when Daniel continues to follow the tribe after their abandonment. This then causes them to see that love conquers all differences through the quality of the promises they both make to one another. Both men knew and finally came to grips with their destiny and inevitable downfalls. Because deep down inside they knew what they had to do. Chomina knew his demise was coming through the repitition of his dream where the raven pecked out his eyes on a snow covered island. Not until his end did he see this was his fate. Not unlike Chomina, Father LaForgue knew his fate was also tragic. His mother had told him that she would not see him ever again. These two scenarios are similar due to the fact that the end was near, but neither could make real sense of the actual events. Despite the tragedies that occured along their way, much insight and enlightenment was acquired by all involved parties. Presumabley, this can be summed up by the saying, "There's what's right, and there's what's right, and never the 'tween shall meet".

Washington Views on Factions essays

Washington Views on Factions essays George Washington is the most well-known American in history. The first president of the United States, his portrait has graced the quarter and the one-dollar bill. Our capital city and even a state have borrowed his name. After Washingtons second term as president, he decided not to run for a third term. He wanted to leave the country with some words of wisdom in hopes of guiding the country to longevity without his supervision. One of the most important ideas Washington offered to the country in his Final Address was to stay away from factions. Washington says that although factions are inseperable from our nature, they should be avoided (Farewell Address). Parties form because not only is it human nature to congregate with people of similar interests, but also because a group is more likely to change something in government than a single person is. In Washingtons cabinet, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton constantly feuded because of differing views on the economy and the role of government in general. Washington must surely have realized that parties were forming; it prompted him to write about them in his Farewell Address. Washington thought of the divisions in government in different ways; one way was of sectional disunion. Washington urges that the public should indignantly frown upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our Country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts (Farewell Address). He then speaks of the fact that any kind of sectional thoughts could be harmful to every part of the country. Washington says that the North depends on the South for food, while the South depends on the North for ships to transport their goods. In addition to this, Washington says the West needs goods provided by the East, and the East needs wood from the West (Farewell Address). If any of the sections of the ...

Sustainability of functional foods Dissertation

Sustainability of functional foods - Dissertation Example As livestock industry being the single largest user of land is affecting the eco system directly or indirectly (directly by cultivation of crops for the animals on large areas and indirectly from feedstock productions). Moreover predictions were given earlier by Grigg (1995) regarding increase in environmental impacts because of more agriculture trading and global trends in the market with reference to food. Furthermore environmental impacts with reference to agriculture are analysed, fortified food or functional foods productions, then these are the findings: Almost one third of the world’s cultivated land over the time of forty years has resulted in soil erosions and degradation of land. One way or other almost 80% shedding of forest is because of agriculture (Pimentel, 1994) High consumption of water in the agriculture sector and in livestock production is another main environmental impact. For instance in some cases crops consume 500 to 2000 liters of water and in case of beef almost 150,000 to 200,000 water is consumed to produce it (Macdiarmid, et al., 2011) However in general live stock is mainly responsible for providing proteins to masses of today. According to a report in order to gain one kg of high quality meat 6 kg of high quality plant is required. ... Moreover the consumption of grain in US live stock industry is 7% more than what its population directly eats. This over production has caused lands to erode. So this is another important environmental factor with reference to function food productions (Frey, and Barrett, 2007). Moreover different researches have been carried out with reference to environmental impacts in which different input and output and extended research methods have been used. However meat along with dairy products is considered to be the main contributor in terms of impacting the environment which even includes production change and distributors (Macdiarmid, et al., 2011). According to the Swedish study, food consumption is one of the most important players in creating pollution. Beside pollution, another important concept which by Macdiarmid, et al., 2011 as â€Å"virtual water†. Or in other words it is the amount of water that is used in the production of food is known as virtual water or embedded wat er (Hoekstra, & Chapagain, 2008). Since water is a diminishing source of energy and it has no replacements unlike oil if that runs out then it can be replaced with other sources of energies. However the term virtual water or embedded water means that the water consumed by products during the time of creating product and that water is not present physically but it has consumed water is known as embedded water or virtual water for instance it takes 140 liters of water for making one cup of coffee and 15000 liters for 1kg of beef (Macdiarmid, et al., 2011) Likewise according to the statistic report shows that almost 12,000 billion liters of water is taken out from rivers and other sources in UK which is about 9% of the total actual renewable water available in the UK. Keeping in view

Body Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Body Language - Essay Example Depending on the type of body language incorporated a certain image of you is placed on those around you especially people you have been used to like co-workers, for example, wearing a smiling face in front of co-workers communicates that something good has happened to you and you are about to share a joyous story, while a cruel face will send an opposite signal. However your personality or character as known to the co workers will add a lot to your sign language ,a person who is always a joker might be mistaken since some times seriousness in his face accompanied by a serious comment can be outdone by the previous jokes to the audience. Moreover, the occupation is a very critical consideration in determining the effect of a sign language. For instance, a nurse might say that a patient is recovering verbally but post a sign to his colleague that patient is worsening (Kennedy, 2009). To a patient, body language sends the most effective message and thus one has to be very careful when handling them. While encouraging a patient its important to avoid putting on a worried face since this might make him think that he is worse off. Due to the fact that misinterpretation of body language might affect a patient psychologically, a speaker should avoid any ambiguous sign. While answering questions it’s important to always take time and avoid any emotional reaction that could send a different signal. Understanding their body language helps also effect your communication. In any situation where the patient provides a message verbally that strongly contradicts the body movements mostly the facial expression, its advisable that one should base his response mostly on the body sign. This helps the patient feel cared for and apart from comforting him it would help him open up for better treatment. More than fifty percent of messages in any conversation are sending verbally and thus several signs have

High Performance Work System

High Performance Work System Exploring the Performance Impact of High Performance Work Systems in Professional Service Firms: A practices-Resources-Uses Approach ABSTRACT. In the present study, we develop a practices-resources-uses approach to systematically explain the indirect effect of high performance work systems (HPWS) on firm performance in professional service context. We argue that HPWS result in the creation of human capital, social capital and organizational capital resources. These resources in turn create value for firms when they are effectively explored and exploited. Our analysis of the indirect impact of HPWS on firm performance contributes to the understanding of how and why HPWS affect firm performance by identifying valuable resources and finding out the way to effectively use them in professional service firms (PSFs). We also provide theoretical support for the arguments of the resource-based view of firm (Barney, 1991), the knowledge-based theory of firm (Grant, 1996a, 1996b) and the dynamic capabilities (Teece, Pisano Shuen, 1997) perspectives. Key words: High Performance Work System; Professional Service Firms; Resource-Based View of Firm INTRODUCTION Researchers on strategic human resource management (SHRM) argue for a focus on the bundle of HR practices rather than individual practices, as a primary unit of analysis when examining the impact of HR systems on individual and organizational performance (Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1995). For example, high performance work systems (HPWS) (Datta, Guthrie, Wright, 2005) have been found to positively relate to firms outcomes especially in manufacturing firms, such as financial performance (Guthrie, 2001; Huselid, 1995), employee turnover (Richard Johnson, 2001), firm productivity (Guthrie, 2001), efficiency and flexibility (Evans Davis, 2005), and organizational commitment (Youndt, Snell, Dean Jr, Lepak, 1996). However, the relationship between HPWS and firm performance is indirect and many scholars call for deeper and more theoretical approaches to understand how and why high performance work systems (HPWS) affect firm performance (Bowen Ostroff, 2004; Combs, Liu, Hall, Ketchen, 2006; Delery Shaw, 2001), especially in service organizations (Combs et al., 2006). Based on the existing research, we argue that HPWS results in the creation of human capital (Wright, Dunford, Snell, 2001), social capital (Leana Van Buren III, 1999) and organizational capital resources (Koch McGrath, 1996). Only when these resources are effectively managed and utilized, firms can generate superior profit above that which returns to competitors in perfectly competitive environment (Schultz, 1961), achieve sustainable competitive advantage and create value (Barney Arikan, 2001; Sirmon, Hitt, Ireland, 2007). The causal chain between resource endowment and firm performance is unclear and is in need of theoreti cal explication and empirical investigation (Leana Van Buren III, 1999). Thus, we pursue two research questions: (1) How do HPWS affect firm performance in the professional services context? (2) What are valuable resources and how are they utilized by firms? Guided by the contingency theory, the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) (Barney, 1991), the knowledge-based theory (Anand, Gardner, Morris, 2007; Grant, 1996a, 1996b; Teece, 2003; Winch Schneider, 1993) and dynamic capabilities theory (Teece et al., 1997; Eisenhardt Martin, 2000), we propose a ‘practices-resources-uses performance approach to add insight to our understanding of the value creation-exploitation process in the professional service firm (PSF). The paper is structured as follows. First, we briefly introduce the literature on PSFs and explain why we chose these organisations to conduct our research. We then propose a model that highlights how HPWS affect firm performance. We argue that HPWS affect firm performance through two steps. First, HPWS create firm resources, i.e., human capital, social capital, and organizational capital. And then these resources are exploited to improve firm performance in the short run or are explored to improve firm performance in the longer run. Within the HPWS and firm performance relationship research, our model draws on the â€Å"practices-resources-uses† perspective, and provides important theoretical foundations for understanding how and why HR practices affect firm performance. We then discuss the further implications of the study for practitioners and explore the potential areas for future research. CONTEXT Professional Service Firms (PSFs) are those whose primary assets are a highly educated (professional) workforce and whose outputs are intangible services encoded with complex knowledge (Greenwood, Li, Prakash, Deephouse, 2005). Examples of professional services include accounting, engineering consulting, management consulting and legal services (De Brentani Ragot, 1996). PSFs are knowledge-intensive (Morris, 2001; von Nordenflycht, 2007, 2010) with knowledge encoded in services as outputs (Empson, 2007; Morris Empson, 1998; von Nordenflycht, 2007, 2010). PSFs are different from traditional firms. They primarily exploit intangible assets to produce customized solution for clients (Greenwood et al., 2005; Hitt, Shimizu, Uhlenbruck, Bierman, 2006; Là ¸wendahl, 2005; von Nordenflycht, 2007, 2010). Their human resources constitute the critical asset of the PSFs because they embody expertise and create firm-specific knowledge which can be translated into client solutions. Indeed clien ts may often follow professionals if they change firms (Groysberg Lee, 2009). Because PSFs differ from other firms, to apply theories from other forms of organizations is â€Å"not only inapplicable †¦ but may be dangerously wrong† (Maister, 1993: xvi). Our analysis will represent a good site to examine SHRM because human resources constitute the critical asset and therefore a strong test of the practices-uses-resources model which is what we need to justify. THERETICAL BACKGROUND AND PROPOSITONS Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Strategic human resource management (SHRM) is defined as â€Å"the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals† (Wright, McMahan, McWilliams, 1994: 298). Because firm performance stands out as a major organizational goal, many studies have been conducted that examine the linkage between human resources management practices and firm performance (Arthur, 1994; Becker Gerhart, 1996; Datta et al., 2005; Delery Doty, 1996; Guthrie, Flood, Liu, MacCurtain, 2009; Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1995; Richard Johnson, 2001; Terpstra Rozell, 1993; Youndt et al., 1996). The researchers in this field argue that the bundle of HR practices rather than individual practices should be focused as a primary unit of analysis when examining the impact of HR systems on individual and organizational performance (Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1995). Following the above argument, researchers have been encouraged to take a system perspective in examining the performance impact of HRM on relevant organizational outcomes (Wright Boswell, 2002). For example, the study by Youndt et al. (1996) demonstrated that human capital-enhancing HR system was directly related to multiple dimensions of operational performance, i.e., employee productivity, machine efficiency, and customer alignment; the results of Collins and Clark (2003) indicates that the network-building HR practices positively related to the organizational performance, i.e., growth in sales and stock return; the research by Huselid (1995) illustrates a positive relationship between high performance work practices and organizational turnover, productivity and financial performance; the research on high performance work systems (HPWS) conducted by Datta et al. (2005), Guthrie et al. (2009) and Combs et al. (2006) finds that HPWS positively affected firms labour productivity, employee absenteeism and turnover. HPWS include HR practices that are designed to enhance employees skills, commitment, and productivity (Datta et al., 2005). Most previous literature on the relationship between HRM practices and firm performance has looked at the direct relationship. However, many scholars agree that there are probably mediating variables through which HRM practices affect firm performance. As Wright and Gardner (2000:4) write, â€Å"One of the first issues that must be settled in the effort to understand how HR practices impact performance is to theorize the means through which this relationship occurs, in essence specifying the intervening variables between the measure of HR practices and the measure of firm performance.† In the existing research, some scholars found human capital as one of mediators between SHRM and firm performance. Human capital refers to the stock of skills and knowledge embodied in individuals (Becker, 1964; OSullivan Sheffrin, 1998). Guest (1997) argues that SHRM improve employees quality, i.e., skills and abilities. Snell and Dean (1992) also argue that HRM should ideally work to enhance the firms competitive position by creating superior human capital skills, experience and knowledge that contribute to firm economic value. Wright et al. (2001) assert that HPWS might have resulted in the creation of a high quality human capital pool that cannot be easily imitated because of time compression diseconomies (e.g., Mercks RD capability). Becker and Huselid (1996) state that human resource activities are thought to lead to the development of a skilled workforce and one that engages in functional behavior for the firm, thus forming a source of competitive advantage. This results in h igher operating performance, which translates into increased profitability, and consequently results in higher stock prices (or market values). There are also some scholars found that many human resource management practices have a significant role to play in creating social capital. Social capital is a resource which is embedded in the relationship among individuals (Loury, 1977; Coleman, 1988, 1990; Bourdieu; 1985; Burt, 1992; Putnam, 1993; Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Lin, 2001). For example, Wright et al. (2001) argue that HPWS may promote and maintain socially complex relationships characterized by trust, knowledge sharing, and teamwork (e.g., Southwest Airlines unique culture). Youndt, Subramaniam and Snell (2004) state that thoughtful selection of people who ‘fit with the organizations culture, or intensive training programmes that not only socialize incoming employees but also indoctrinate common values among existing employees, may have a strong impact on the social capital of organizations. Leana and van Buren III (1999) introduce the construct of organizational social capital and develop a model that describes i ts components and consequences. They suggest that employment practices strongly affect the level of organizational social capital within a firm. They also describe the potential benefits and costs of organizational social capital for the firm and noted the contingent nature of organizational social capitals relationship with performance. In other words, organizational social capital mediates the HR practices and organizational performance relationship. Evans and Davis (2005) provide a theoretical framework illustrating how the internal social structure of the organization can mediate the relationship between HPWS and organizational performance. The third mediator between SHRM and firm performance is found as organizational capital. Subramaniam and Youndt (2005) and Youndt et al. (2004) define organizational capital as the institutionalized knowledge and codified experience residing within and utilized through databases, patents, manuals, structures, systems, and processes. Wright et al. (2001) argue that HPWS might play a role in creating cultures or mindsets that enable the maintenance of unique competencies. They mention that HR is not limited to its direct effects on employee skills and behavior. HRs effects are more encompassing in that they help weave those skills and behaviors within the broader fabric of organizational processes, systems and, ultimately, competencies. Other strategists who embrace the RBV point out that competitive advantage (vis core competence) comes from aligning skills, motives, and so forth with organizational systems, structures, and processes that achieve capabilities at the organizational lev el (Hamel Prahalad, 1994; Peteraf, 1993; Teece et al., 1997). Koch and McGrath (1996) take a similar logic in their study of the relationship between HR planning, recruitment, and staffing practices and labor productivity. They argue that â€Å"†¦ a highly productive workforce is likely to have attributes that make it a particularly valuable strategic asset,† (p. 335). They suggest firms that develop effective routines for acquiring human assets develop a stock of talent that cannot be easily imitated. The human capital, social capital and organizational capital are defined as three components of intellectual capital. One systematic research conducted by Youndt et al. (2004) find that a relatively small group of superior performing organizations exhibit high levels of human, social, and organizational capital. Most firms, however, tend to focus primarily on only one form of intellectual capital, and a small group of underperforming organizations have very low levels of all three types of intellectual capital. Another research by Subramaniam and Youndt (2005) suggest that an organizations efforts at hiring, training, work design, and other human resource management activities may need to focus not only on shoring up their employees functional or specific technological skills/expertise, but also on developing their abilities to network, collaborate, and share information and knowledge. To summarize, although the relationship between SHRM and firm performance has been found positive, it is indirect. Efficient SHRM could improve employees knowledge, skills, strength the relationships between employees, and also create superior databases, processes and then help firms achieve higher performance. In the following section, we analyse how HPWS create firm resources in PSFs. HPWS and Firm Resources There is a positive relationship between HPWS and firm performance. But how HPWS affect firm performance remains to be understood. The resource-based view of firm (RBV) argues that a firms competitive advantages lie primarily on the application of valuable resources, skills and capabilities that the firm already control (Barney, 1991; Penrose, 1959; Wernerfelt, 1984). The knowledge based theory of firm (Grant, 1996a, 1996b) considers knowledge as the most strategically significant resource of the firm. This knowledge is embedded and carried through multiple entities including individuals, relationships and organizational culture, identity, routines, documents, systems. Guided by the resource-based view of firm (Barney, 1991) and the knowledge-based theory of firm (Grant, 1996a, 1996b), we argue that HPWS affect firm performance by creating valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable, and non-substitutable resources (Barney, 1991), i.e., human capital, social capital, and organizational capital. And these resources can also be understood as the places where knowledge is embedded. Human capital. In PSFs, the human capital is defined as the knowledge and skills of their professionals that can be used to produce high quality professional services (Hitt, Bierman, Shimizu, Kochhar, 2001; Hitt et al., 2006; Pennings, Lee, Van Witteloostuijn, 1998). Human capital plays a strong role as the PSFs key resource in solving client problems (Morris Snell, 2008). Professionals possessing large amounts of experience, education, and training should be able to effectively create ideas on their own in response to the complexities of unique client needs. Their localized experience helps them to understand the needs of local clients and markets, which allows them to develop solutions that are unique to each contextual environment and hence heterogeneous across the firm. Professionals who draw the most upon human capital tend to rely on the experimentation, inspiration, and experience of individuals to solve a problem (Morris Snell, 2008). To build high human capital, PSFs nee d to identify, attract and retain superior professionals, which can be achieved through HR practices such as selection, recruitment and training. HRM should ideally work to enhance the firms competitive position by creating superior human capital skills, experience and knowledge that contribute to firm economic value (Guest, 1997). Thus we propose that HPWS result in the creation of a high quality human capital pool that cannot be easily imitated because of time compression diseconomies, e.g., Mercks RD capability (Wright et al., 2001). For example, the professionals in PSFs gain explicit knowledge through their formal education and tacit knowledge through learning on the job. HR practices are thought to lead to the development of a skilled workforce and one that results in functional behavior for the firm, thus potentially forming a source of competitive advantage (Becker Huselid, 1998). These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1a: The PSFs human capital mediates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance. Although human capital has many positive benefits, it represents costs to firms as well. For example, PSFs usually try to recruit the best graduates from top institutions. To attract them, firms need to provide compensation which is more than their marginal productivity early in their careers (Hitt et al., 2001). Furthermore, professionals new skills must be developed since they gain tacit knowledge through learning on the job (Bierman Gely, 1994). Although they are learning new skills, they may be less effective at the beginning. The cost for them may exceed their capital (Hitt et al., 2001). These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1b: There is a curvilinear relationship between the PSFs human capital and firm performance. The relationship is negative early in the professionals tenure but becomes positive. Social capital. Social capital is a resource which is embedded in the relationships among individuals (Loury, 1977; Coleman, 1988; Bourdieu; 1985; Burt, 1992; Putnam, 1993; Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Lin, 2001). It is different from human capital. Social capital is embedded within, available through, and derived from the network of relationships possessed by an individual or social unit (Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998) while human capital is embedded in individuals head (Becker, 1964; OSullivan Sheffrin, 2003). Social capital plays an important role in PSFs. The firms ability to attract and retain clients depends not only on its competence to provide high quality services produced by the professionals human capital but also on their connections to potential clients (Maister, 1993; Smigel, 1969). Pennings et al. (1998) analysed firm-level and individual-level social capital in PSFs. The firm-level social capital can help PSFs attract potential clients because the potential clients will choose a firm as a service provider on the basis of previous interpersonal relationship with the firms professionals when other things are equal. Within PSFs, the fact is that a set of clients are handled or looked after by an individual professional who is the key person. Their results show that social capital of owners (partners) contributed more to firm survival than those of employees (associates). Pennings et al. (1998)s study produced major evidence for the contention that a firms human and social capital have important implications for performance. The service delivered by PSFs suffers from an â€Å"opaque quality† because of PSFs knowledge intensity (von Nordenflycht, 2010). This refers to situations where the quality of an experts output is hard for non-experts (i.e., customers) to evaluate, even after the output is produced and delivered (Broschak, 2004; Empson, 2001; Levin Tadelis, 2005; Là ¸wendahl, 2000; cited in von Nordenflycht, 2010). In this situation, personal relationships and ambiguity reduction through personal contact take on extra significance. As clients and customers often have problems estimating the value of the product/service offered, establishing close social links between the PSFs and the customer/ client becomes vital (Alvesson, 2001). Other things equal, the potential clients will choose a firm as a service provider on the basis of previous interpersonal relationship with the firms professionals (Pennings et al., 1998). In addition, PSFs typically make investments in relationships with clients and make efforts to generate social attachment (Fichman Levinthal, 1991). Some research also demonstrates that social capital mediates the HR practices and firm performance relationship. For example, Youndt et al. (2004) state that thoughtful selection of people who ‘fit with the organizations culture, or intensive training programmes that not only socialize incoming employees but also indoctrinate common values among existing employees, may have a strong impact on the social capital of organizations. Collins and Smith (2006)s found that commitment-based HR practices were indirectly related to firm financial performance through their effects on organizational social climate and knowledge exchange and combination; Thus, HPWS improve the internal social structure within organizations, that facilitates communication and cooperation among employees (Evans Davis, 2005) which in turn has been found to be linked to organizational performance. These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1c: The PSFs social capital mediates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance. Organizational capital. Organizational capital is defined as the institutionalized knowledge and codified experience residing within an organization and utilized through databases, patents, manuals, structures, systems, and processes (Youndt et al., 2004; Subramaniam Youndt 2005). The organizational routines and processes which embody organizational knowledge are a source of organizational competitive advantage (Teece, 2000) In PSFs, organizational process of the typical professional service firm (PSF) is highly institutionalized because of the knowledge-based nature of the work and ultimately, in the historical evolution of relatively autonomous professions (Freidson, 1986; Greenwood, Hinings, Brown, 1990; cited in Morris, Gardner, Anand, 2007). The organizational routine of PSF is informal work understandings and practices built up by colleagues as they collaborate over time, like an accumulated short hand of work (Morris, 2000: 822). Morris and Snell (2008) emphasize the importance of organizational capital for PSFs. They state that organizations tend to draw on organizational capital for many aspects of learning, including knowledge creation, sharing, and integration, but this resource may provide more value for specific types of learning. Based on the basis of previous literature and their own experience with PSFs, organizational capital is most likely to create more value when individuals in the organization are trying to integrate knowledge. In terms of integration, then, organizational capital helps to create value through the implementation and reuse of knowledge across affiliates, which allows professionals to deliver solutions more efficiently to clients. Besides facilitating knowledge integration, organizational capital also shapes professionals image and identity (Empson, 2001) which plays an important role in attracting new clients. Many scholars have found that SHRM improve organizational capital. For example, Wright et al. (2001) argued that HPWS might play a role in creating cultures or mindsets that enable the maintenance of unique competencies (e.g., the safety record of DuPont). The HR is not limited to its direct effects on employee skills and behavior. HRs effects are more encompassing in that they help weave those skills and behaviors within the broader fabric of organizational processes, systems and, ultimately, competencies. Other strategists who embrace the RBV point out that competitive advantage (vis core competence) comes from aligning skills, motives, and so forth with organizational systems, structures, and processes that achieve capabilities at the organizational level (Hamel Prahalad, 1994; Peteraf, 1993; Teece et al., 1997). Koch and McGrath (1996) took a similar logic in their study of the relationship between HR planning, recruitment, and staffing practices and labor productivity. They arg ued that â€Å"†¦ a highly productive workforce is likely to have attributes that make it a particularly valuable strategic asset,† (p. 335). They suggested that firms which developed effective routines for acquiring human assets develop a stock of talent that cannot be easily imitated. They also found that these HR practices were related to labor productivity in a sample of business units, and that this relationship was stronger in capital intensive organizations. These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1d: The PSFs organizational capital mediates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance. The Uses of Firm Resources The resource-based view of firm (RBV) and knowledge-based theory of firm contribute to identifying the existing resources that have the potential to constitute a source of sustainable competitive advantage (Hitt et al., 2006). However, merely possessing such resources does not guarantee the development of competitive advantages or the creation of value (Barney Arikan, 2001; Priem Butler, 2001; cited in Sirmon et al., 2007). These valuable resources must be effectively managed and utilized to achieve superior profit (Schultz, 1961) and a competitive advantage (Barney Arikan, 2001; Sirmon et al., 2007). The emphasis on the use of resources is consistent with the dynamic capabilities perspective (Teece et al., 1997) which includes considerations such as how resources are developed, how they are integrated within the firm and how they are released. Using these resources is the same as using the knowledge which is embedded in the individuals, the relationships and the organizational processes, routines, databases, and systems. There are two streams or approaches of research on using these knowledge or resources (Hargadon Fanelli, 2002). One focuses on how to reuse or replicate existing knowledge, i.e., exploitation (Levitt March, 1988). The other one focuses on how to generate new knowledge, i.e., exploration (March, 1991; Kogut Zander, 1992). The effective use of resources may help a PSF balance the effective exploitation of existing resources with exploration of knowledge to create new capabilities. The following matrix shows how PSFs create value by exploiting and exploring existing resources. The matrix shows that the exploration of resources in PSFs is to deliver new products or service to new clients and to deliver new products or service to old clients. It also shows that the exploitation of resources in PSFs is to deliver existing services or products to the existing clients or new clients as there is no new knowledge/capability required. The exploration process needs to explore the human capital to invent new products or services and the social capital to attract new clients and new business and the organic organizational capital (Kang Snell, 2009) that facilitate this delivery. The exploitation process needs to reuse or refine the existing products or services and existing clients, which requires the standardized organizational capital (Kang Snell, 2009) to facilitate this delivery. To illustrate exploration and exploitation more detail, four capabilities of PSFs are identified to effectively exploit existing resources with exploration of knowledge to create new capabilities. They are managing teams, leveraging knowledge, combining and exchanging knowledge, and sensing the changes in the external environment capabilities. Managing teams. In professional service firms, most of work is project or program-oriented, serving the needs of the external customers. It requires several professionals work together, and frequently involves client contact, often through co-location at a clients place of business. Then team forms the basic unit of work in the professional service firm. Generally, a team consists of partners and associates. The dynamic global economic environment accelerates PSFs work speed. Usually the customers assignments are much more compressed in term of time (Morris, Gardner, Anand, 2007). Therefore, to successful serving clients, the team management is vital. Teece (2003) provides a lot emphasis on the coordinating tasks, managing conflict, communicating and cooperating within the team in team management. As with the traditional firm, coordination must be achieved, and conflict must be managed. In the professional services context, raw conflict can lead to mass defections and the destruction of enterprise value, even more assuredly than in an industrial company setting. So conflict management is likely to be especially significant with an expert services context because experts are likely to not only have strong preferences, but are also likely to be self-confident, possibly egotistical, and possibly lacking in good business sense while already having some degree of established financial success (Teece, 2003: 897). The most critical communication in a professional service context is frequently peer-to-peer. Partners (senior talent) frequently need to access other senior talent in order to meet client needs (Teece, 2003: 903). Leveraging knowledge. Leveraging knowledge, that is the transfer of know-how from seniors to juniors in client assignments, sustains the basic division of labor in the professional firm and also underpins its profitability (Hitt et al., 2001; Malos Campion, 2000). All professional firms compete by leveraging knowledge and partners reputation (Greenwood et al., 2005). In PSFs, partners own the most human capital and social capital in a firm. To meet clients demands, partners need to select other professionals to form a team to possess the appropriate skills, experience and training. In this way, the partners knowledge and capabilities are leveraged. Meanwhile, the junior professionals, or associates also acquire intangible knowledge during the long apprenticeship they serve with their senior colleagues before being assessed for a partnership position. Leverage ratios are measured by total number of associates divided by the total number of partners (Hitt, et al., 2001; Phillips, 2001). High leverage ratios are commensurate with highly codified knowledge packages and standardized tools and methodologies which can routinely be applied by junior associates. Lower leverage is associated with experience or expertise models in which knowledge is less routinized and the firm seeks more complex projects in which there is a premium on the experience or special expertise of more senior staff (Maister 1993; Hansen, Nohria, Tierney, 1999). Effective leveraging creates dynamic capabilities whereby the firm is able to renew, augment, and adapt its current capabilities to serve continuously changing and new client needs (Teece et al.. 1997; Tripsas, 1997; cited in Hitt et al., 2001). Hitt et al. (2001) also find the empirical support for the positive relationship between leveraging and firm performance in professional service context. Combining and exchanging knowledge capability