Nuclear Arms Race

UNIT 9 ARMS RACE AND THE NUCLEAR THREAT Structure Objectives Introduction Background to the Nuclear Arms Race 9. 2. 1 9. 2. 2 9. 2. 3 The Beginning : Birth of the Nuclear Arms Race The Manhatten Project Rationale for the Arms Race in the Post War Period The Nuclear Arms Race : How it is different from all the Previous Arms Races in History 9. 3. 1 9. 3. 2. 9. 3. 3. The Trinity Test Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings ‘New York Times' and the Trinity Test Different Phases of the Nuclear Arms Race in the Post-War Period 9. 4. 1 9. 4. 2 9. 4. 3 9. 4. 4 9. 4. 5 9. 4. 6 9. 4. 7 9. 4. 8 Fear of the Soviets and Communism 945 to 1953 : Period of US Monopoly 1957 to 1968 : Period of ‘Missile Crisis' and the ICBM Race 1968 to late 1970s : Period of MIRV and ICBM Race 1981 : Reagan's Strategic Modernization Plan 1983 : Militarization of Space-Reagan's Star War Programme 1984-1991 : Nuclear Arms Race in the Gorbachev Era and the last days of collapsing Soviet Union. 1991 to 1997 : Nuclea r Arms Race after the Collapse of Soviet Union Nuclear Arms Race in the Third World and South Asia 9. 5. 1 9. 5. 2 95. 3 9. 5. 4 Acquisition of Nuclear Capability by China and start of Arms Race in South Asia India, Pakistan and the Nuclear Arms Race Domino Theory' in South Asia General Complexion of Arms Race in South Asia Let Us Sum Up Key Words Some Useful Books Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises 9. 0 OBJECTIVES This unit deals with Arms Race and the Nuclear Threat in the present day world. After studying this unit, you will be in a position to: understand the background to the nuclear arms race; explain how the nuclear arms race is different from all the previous arms races; discuss the different phases of the nuclear arms race in the post-war period; and emarnine the nuclear arms race in the Third World and especially in South Asia. . 1 INTRODUCTION This unit on ‘Arms Race and Nuclear Threat' is part of Block 3 which deals with what is called the ‘Cold War Per iod'; i. e. , after the Second World War and the emergence of what is termed as Superpower Dominance. In Unit &'World War 11: Causes and Consequences (Emergence of Super Powers)' you have read about how the USA and the USSR emerged as Superpowers in international politics after the end of the Second World War.In Unit 7 : ‘Cold War: Meaning, Patterns and Dimensions', you have learnt how the collapse of Germany and its allies in 1945 led to the emergence of what has been termed as ‘Cold War' between the-two main powers of the post-1945 international order * i. e. USA and USSR. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which was dealt with in Unit 8 of this block was a consequence of the cold war power bloc politics. One thing common to the post-1945 international order as well as the pre-1945 world was the arms race. When studying about World War I and 11, you would have surely read about the arms race which was both quantitative and qualitative in character.It would also have been n oticed that the arms race in its qualitative dimension in both the world wars was itself one of the greatest causes of the two wars. From the invention of dynamite by Sir Alfred Nobel of the Novel Industries in the First World War period, to the invention of rockets by Germany in the Second World War, it is the search for the ultimate weapon which could win all wars that constituted the greatest push for the arms race. In this madness scientists, nations, people, soldiers, politicians all fell prey and ended up only killing greater and greater number of civilians.In the present unit, we will concentrate on the arms race in the post-1945 international order. As has been stated before, this quest for a qualitatively more destructive weapon was the greatest motivating factor in bringing the world a step closer to war, be it the First or the Second World War. The key difference in the arms race before 1945 (i. e. in the interwar period) and after 1945 was the nuclear dimension. Prior to 1945, all the arms races in human history never confronted what is now popularly known as the ‘Nuclear Threat'.After 1945, the arms race that humanity got engaged in became the greatest living threat to life itself as known on this planet. The difference lies in one single qualitative step in the arms race, and that step was the creation of the Atomic or Nuclear bomb in 1945. Thus, from 1945 the arms race we discuss in this Unit, remained no longer ‘conventional' but acquired a nuclear character and from then till today, man is engaged in an arms race that puts both parties who engage in it, under a perpetual ‘Nuclear Threat'. 9. B ACKGROUNDTOTHENUCLEARARMSRACE 9. 2. 1 The Beginning : Birth of the Nuclear Arms Race The nuclear arms race between the superpowers began initially in the pre-second world war period between the Germans and the Allied Powers. It was in the context of this conflict prior to the Second World War that in 1938, at the Kaiser William Institut e in Germany, Otto Hann and Dr. Fritz Steersman first split the atom. Lise Meitner and Otto Hann later declared this successful splitting of the atom amounting to a nuclear fission.It was a matter of coincidence that at this juncture in history, the greatest minds working on the ‘atomic problem' were Jews and that too, German. Hitler's rapid anti-Semitism during the period sent most of these great minds in Germany rushing to the USA where they were welcomed. These fleeing scientists informed the American military who were closely monitoring events in Europe. There was widespread apprehension that Germany might be the first to produce the nuclear bomb as the knowledge of splitting the atom was already available to it.Albert Einstein too was one of the refugees and he knew fully the significance of this discovery, for it was he who first unlocked the secret power of the atom to the modern world. He warned the President of the United States about it. 9. 2. 2 The Manhatten Project T he Americans under President Roosevelt were fully aware of the international implications and so began the race to build the bomb first. Roosevelt commissioned what was the top secret ‘Man Hatten Project', the biggest scientific effort ever made costing 2 billion dollars under Maj. Gen.Leslie Groves to construct the atomic bomb in a record time. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, Herbert York, Edward Teller, Hans Beth and a host of other scientific luminaries were involved in the production of the first three nuclear bombs. The interesting aspect of this bomb construction was that though the initial enemy was Germany, slowly the real enemy for whom the bomb was constructed turned out to be the Soviet Union. In fact, Gen. Leslie Groves stated that he had no illusions that Soviets were the real enemy. -This fact is critical to an understanding of the post 1945 world.Arms Race and Nuclear Threat 1 Cold War Period 9. 2. 3 Rationale for the Arms Race in the Post War Period German y, the first nation with whom the US engaged in the N-Arms race surrendered in May 1945 and all its nuclear facilities were destroyed, thus ending the first phase of an incipient nuclear arms race. Despite this the arms race had to continue once the weapons had been built. A new enemy across the horizon was discovered Communist Soviet Union. The fear of communism was ideologically fueling the furious pace of the A-Bomb construction. In that sense the emerging U. S. ilitary-industrial complex was not wrong. Communist USSR was definitely the biggest power confronting USA and its western allies once Germany collapsed. The world was definitely getting divided into two camps, the capitalist and the socialist and Europe including Germany was its first victims. The Allies could not do anything about it. Something had to be found, a new ultimate weapon which could stop and possibly destroy the march of communism. That something designed initially for fascist Germany and used for experimenta tion in Japan was to be probably used later against the Socialist Soviet union.This was the underlying ideological war cry in the American establishment and the subtle reason for continuing the arms race into the post-Second World War world era. The discovery of the split atom gave confidence to the United States that it could fight the ‘cold war' or ‘iron-curtain' that Winston Churchill said had descended over Europe. It was an indication that the new war after 1945 would be fought against the USSR. Check Your Progress 1 Note : i) Use the space given below for your answers. ii) C heck your answer with the model answers given at the end of the unit. 1)Examine the background to the nuclear arms race. 2) What are the rationale for the arms race in the post-war period? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ s 9. 3 THE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE : HOW IT IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL PREVIOUS ARMS RACES IN HISTORY 9. 3. 1 The ‘Ikinity Test Of the three bombs constructed, the first was tested on July 16, 1945 at Alamagordo, New Mexico. It is known as the Trinity Test. The successful Trinity Test heralded the birth of the Nuclear-Bomb in human history and the dawn of the nuclear age.Neils Bohr, the famous Danish Physicist, prophetically observed the insetting arms race and its qualitative difference. In a letter to Resident Roosevelt on 3 July 1944 he mentioned that a weapon of unparalleled power was being created which would completely change all future conditions of warfare. Some scientists anticipating the arms race between the US and the USSR urged the American Government to share the nuclear secrets with Soviet Union and thus prevent an arms race. However, it is obvious that the scientists were too naive of the game of politics as well as the intensity of international politics.Such advice was never heard, and the race was continued in the hope of victory. To the military desperately looking for a way to deal with the Germans, the Japanese qnd finally the Soviets, the Trinity Test held out hope that they could win. 9. 3. 2 Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings Two more historical events, however, finally sealed the destiny of mankind. They were the dropping of the two remaining untested nuclear devices, i. e. , the 5 ton uranium bomb on Hiroshima on August 6 and on Nagasaki on August 8, 1945.Over 250,000 people died in both the cities and the ‘living corpses' who survived bled incessantly and were blackened with their skins hanging in shreds, their hair scorched to the roots. Most were totally naked, their clothes burnt from their bodies. George Bernard Shaw observed in ‘Man and Superman' about the art of killing that man, â€Å"out does nature herself †¦ when he goes out to slay, he carries a marvel of mechanism that lets loose at the touch of his finger all the hidden molecular energies and leaves the javelin, the arrow and blow pipe of his fathers far behind†. Hiroshima and Nagasaki exemplified that. . 3. 3 ‘New York Times' and the ‘Ikinity Test It would be easier to comprehend the qualitative significance of nuclear arms race if we take note of two observations made at the time of the Trinity Test. The ‘New York Times' reporter who witnessed the test observed â€Å"†¦ a light not of this world, the light of many suns in one. It was a surprise such as the world had never seen, a great green super can climbing in a fraction of a second to a height of more than 8,000 ft, rising even higher until it touched the clouds, lighting earth and sky all round with a dazzling {uminosity.Up it went, a great ball ,of fire about a mile in diameter, changing colours, as it kept shooting upward, from d eep purple to orange, expanding, growing bigger, rising as it was expanding, an elemental force freed from its bonds after being chained for billions of years. For a fleeting instant the colour was unearthly green, such as one only sees in the corona of the sun during a total eclipse. It was as though one had been privileged to witness the birth of the world to be present at the moment of creation when the Lord said: â€Å"Let There Be Light†.Robert Oppenheimer perhaps summarized in one line the destiny of modern man's predicament vis-a-vis his own creation, when he quoted the Gita to exclaim â€Å"I have become death, destroyer of worlds†. The roar created by the explosion at Alamagordo could be heard 50 miles afar and the pillar of fire that the New York Times reporter talked about rose 6 miles into the sky. These observations of the Trinity Test and the dropping of the bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki sum up why the arms race mankind got caught in after 1945 is totall y different in its complexion from all the previous arms races in human history.The sad part, however, for any idealist scholar of international relations is that despite these evidences of destruction, the arms race continued with greater vigour and vengeance. Arms Race and Nuclear Threat Cold War Period Check Your Progress 2 Note : i) Use the space given below for your answers. ii) Check your answer with the model answer given at the end of the unit. 1) What is the Trinity Test? 9. 4 DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD 9. 4. 1 Fear of the Soviets and CommunismIt was the Trinity Test on July 16, 1945 that truly sparked off the nuclear arms race between the US and the Soviet Union. Despite the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the race never stopped. ‘The second fact that fuelled the nuclear arms race was the Soviet Communist enemy. This was, in fact, testified to by Gen. Leslie Groves who said he had no illusions as to whom the bomb was really bein g built for, i. e. , the Soviets. The ideological, political and military threat to capitalism by rising communism had to be dealt with. The discovery of the nuclear bomb was truly the biggest boost to the arms race.United Kingdom followed US-Soviet acquisition of the bomb in 1952, France in 1960 and China in 1964. The nuclear arms race passed through the following phases, they cannot be clearly distinguished from each other. 9. 4. 2 1945 to 1953: Period of US Monopoly During this period, the United States first enjoyed a total monopoly until 1953 and then, nuclear superiority. In this phase, the US territory was regarded as a sanctuary because the Soviets did not have any reciprocal delivery capability to reach the American targets from USSR.The United States, on the other hand, could attack the Soviet targets from American bases in Western Europe. 9. 4. 3 1957 to 1968 : Period of ‘Missile Crisis' and the ICBM Race T he monopoly enjoyed the US during the first phase was broke n when the Soviets successfully tested the ICBM in 1957 creating what has been called the ‘Missile Crisis' in America. The advent of ICBMs shifted the focus of the nuclear arms race to strategic weapons; i. e. Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), Sea Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) and strategic or inter-continental bombers which provided the strategic tripod.In 1967, USSR tested what is called a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System. This accelerated the qualitative dimension of the nuclear arms race further into space. 9. 4. 4 1968 to Late 1970's : Period of MIRV and ICBM Race T he third phase in the nuclear arms race began when the American delivery technology took a gigantic leap by introducitfg what is called the Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) capability in their ICBMs in 1968.This meant that now one single l CBM could carry many small nuclear warhead fitted missiles which on reentering Soviet airspace would go in different directio ns hitting many targets. MIRV marked a tremendous exponential upgradation of the arms race. This sent shivers down the Soviets who, however, mastered the technology by 1974. During this phase, the Soviets deployed two other weapon systems. First, the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) system in 1968 and second, the first Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile and warhead, thus ensuring that the arms race went on.Check Your Progress 3 Note : i) Use the space given below for your answers. ii) Check your answer with the model answers given at the end of the unit. 1) Briefly examine the period of US Monopoly in the Arms Race. . 2) Describe the efforts made by the erstwhile Soviet Union to break the US Monopoly in armaments. 9. 4. 5 1981 : Regan's Strategic Modernization Plan The next major technological tussle took place between the two Superpowers over the MX-Missile. On October 2, 1981 President Regan announced a strategic modernization plan at an estimated cost of $ 160 billion.The weapons systems planned included : (i) Missile Experimental or MX missle : 100 of these were to be built; (ii) B-IB Bombers : 100 of them to be built; (iii) STEALTH Bombers that are radar resistant by 1990s; (iv) TRIDENT-I1 D-5 missiles-one per year between 1983 and 1987; (v) Command Control and Intelligence system (C,I) to be modernized; (vi) NAVSTAR Satellite global positioning system; (vii) Encapsulated dormant missiles; (viii) TERCOM for precision guided cruise missile; an advanced communication system; (ix) Global Positioning System (GPS) for guidance of the ICBMs during the boost phase; (x) Route encrypted comunications to missiles or launchers; (xi) slackwire buoys radio reception by submarines; (xii) Fuel-Cell propulsion. 9. 4. 6 1983: Militarization of Space-Reagan's Star Wars ProgrammeThe militarization of space began from 1958 and since then, over 2219 satellites-military and civilian have been launched by t'he superpowers and other nations, and 75% of the satellites launched have been f or surveillance and military use, thus clearly violating the Space Treaty of 1967. On March 23, 1983 President Reagan announced the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) popularly called ‘Star Wars' Programme costing 1 trillion dollars to raise the militarization of space to a qunlitatively rlcr; high. The aim being to build both a ground based and space based Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) to protect US territory against Soviet strategic missile attacks.Theoretically, the SDI programme, was supposed to be an alternative to the Mutual Assured Destruction or MAD dogma as it would provide Mutual Assured Survival. It was thought the render nuclear weapons obsolete be relying on three new types of nonnuclear weapon systems. These were : Arms Race and Nuclear Threat Cold War Period i) Kinetic Energy Weapons ii) Directed Energy Weapons and iii) Microwave Energy Weapons All these weapons were based on various types of chemicals, electromaphetic forces. and x-rays and lasers. The SDI pr ogramme did not take off for many reasons. They being: a) It was too expensive. b) It was not a sure technological venture, in the sense that it was far too complicated and thus not feasible. C) T he Soviets could easily render SDI ineffective by building a counter SDI. ) Reagan never consulted his European NATO allies and infact, surprised them by his announcement thus creating opposition to the programme in Europe. e) Reagan by signing the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) completely ended the political rationale of the SDI programme. f) In the USA itself, in the Congress and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, both the Republicans and the Democrats were of the opinion that they would not allow SDI to pass at any cost and thus, damage the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty of 1972. Thus, they rejected SDI as otherwise it would have meant that the ABM Treaty alongwith SALT I and I1 would be nullified.Same would be the fate of START negotiations thus destroying the whole edifice of arms control and the start of an unbridled nuclear arms race. Added to this, many important scientists in USA, important people like James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense Mc-George Bundy, cold warriors likc George F. Kennan and Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defence Harold Brown and a host of other people opposed the very fundamental logic of SDI that it would make the world safe of USA by removing the stability provided by the MAD capability of both the superpowers. Later on, the sweeping changes initiated by Michael Gorbachev within the USSR vide ‘Glassnost' and ‘Perestroika' and allowing democracy in Eastern Europe ended the whole logic of SDI. Check Your Progress 4 Note : i)Use the space given below for your answers. ii) Check your answer with the model answers given at the end of the unit. 1) What were the main cornponcnts of US President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Modernisation Plan? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 ) What were the reasons for the criticism of Regan's S DI P r o g r a ~ r i ; ~ , ~ ! 9. 4. 7 1984-1991: Nuclear Arms Race in the Gorbachev Era and the Last Days of Collapsing Soviet UnionBy January 1985, due to the damage already done by SDI of Ronald Reagan, massive rearmament programmes were on the both the sides, and the future direction of the arms race was dependent upon the two superpowers. The arms race was on at three levels of nuclear weaponary, i. e. ,-space weapons, intercontinental weapons, and intermediate nuclear weapons. The US position on militarization of space through SDI really put the arms negotiation in difficult state. The Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko said, â€Å"If there were no advancement on the issues of outer space, it would be superfluous to discuss the possibility of reducing strategic armaments. † The US in 1984 had a massive programme for rearmament of many types of weapon systems.The rearmament programme of USA consisted of more Sea Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs); about 800 more nuclear warheads to be fitted on sea and air delivery systems; MX missile testing; Midgetsman Missiles; the eighth Trident submarine fitted with more accurate SLBMs and 100 B -lB bombs. On the Soviet side, in 1984-1985 the rearmament meant rearmament of all Soviet SS-17s SS-18s and SS-19s into the MIRV ed mode, a new TYPHOON class submarine and testing a new type of more accurate SLBM. There was a reported attempt to make 40% of Soviet ICBMs on the movable mode instead of the existing 25% and all 243 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs) were to be deployed. All in all, 1984-85 was a period of massive rearmament of all weapon systems.In 1985-86, the picture as regards arms race was the same. There was no restraint. The only hope that some kind of arms control was possible was generated by the November 1985 summit meeting at Geneva between President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev where both in a joint statement stated that, â€Å"The sides †¦. have agreed that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. † They also agreed to hold summit level meetings in 1987 and 1988. These words were an indirect admission by USA that the SDI was not workable. In other words, it recognised as unfeasible that the MAD doctrine could be replaced and a limited nuclear war waged by militarizi ng space was recognised as unfeasible.Apart from this, there was little progress in the talks on arms reduction in Europe. As regards the nuclear arms race in 1986-87, the situation was still more or less the same except that there was a little movement towards arms control. The US put its first MX ICBM and B-1B bomber on operational position and on a 24 hour alert. Deployment of Pershing I1 missiles and SS-20s continued in Europe. However, certain positive developments took place which definitely halted the arms race in the long run. First, the 27th CPSU Congress in February 1986 decided on Perestroika (Restructuring of Economy), Glasnost ( Openness and Democratization) and reversal of military confi. ontation in Europe and opening up of Eastern Europe.Second, the Raykiajavik summit on 11 and 12 October 1986 declared that a nuclear war could never be won and should never be fougkt. Third, within the USA a tattered Reagan's economy and the Senate's opposition to SDI hit US arms race plans. Fourth, there were differences between USA and its NATO Allies who were never consulted on SDI. Thus, though the arms race went on in 1986-87 it was definitely going to end soon. As regards 1987-88, on December 8, 1987 the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed for the elimination of all intermediate and short range missiles. The agreement required the USA and USSR remove 2695 intermediate range GLBMs with a range of 1 000 to 5500 kms. It also envisaged the removal of GLBMs short range i. e. , 5 00 to 1000 kms.USSR agreed to remove 1836 missiles while USA removed 867 missiles. The INF Treaty saved the ABM Treaty from being neutralised by SDI, because with this treaty the rationale for SDI became even weaker and Reagan found it very difficult to push the matter in the Congress as well as with US public. In this sense, it saved the world from another dangerous dimension of arms race i. e. , the space opening UP. 1988-89 was another significant year as it too had something to show in terms of peace. Arms Race and Nuclear Threat Cold War Period 1988-83 can be characterised as the year of settlement of disputes in Afghanistan, Namibia, Iran-Iraq War, Israel-PLO and South Africa.It was also the year Gorbachev announced at the UN, unilateral reduction of Soviet troops and armaments in Europe amounting to 40% reduction of Soviet tank divisions and 50% of Soviet tanks deployed in GDR, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. This was a very significant political and military move as regards the continuation of conventional and nuclear arms race in Europe. 1989-90 can be characterized as the Year of Europe. By the end of 1989, almost all Soviet Allies in Eastern Europe and Central Europe except Rumania and Albania were free. In August 1989, the first non-communist government got elected in Poland. By November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall had crashed.Elections also took place in Hungary, GDR and Czechoslovakia. On 29 December 1989 Vaclav Havel took over as the President of Czechoslovakia. At the Malta summit in December 1989, President Gorbachev showed readiness to regulate further and move ahead on the START process. Gewge Bush, the US President, hesitated a bit though he committed US towards a Chemical Weapon Ban and the required agreement in the future. 1990 was a year full of events. While Europe and the two superpowers were moving towards peace the Gulf was in flames with the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq on August 2, 1990. Apart from this, in 1990, the WARSAW Pact was dissolved on 3rd March.On June 1, 1990, US and USSR signed a treaty on the destruction of and non-production of chemical weapons and on multilateral measures to ban chemical weapons. It was decided that by 31 December, 1992, all chemical weapons in the world would be destroyed and' only 5000 tons of agents would be kept. Then, the membership of the Missiles Technology Control Regime (MTCR) expanded. On November 20, 1990 there was the Treaty and a Joint Declaration of Conv entional Armed Forces (CFF) forever reducing the nuclear threat in Europe. Check Your Progress 5 Note : i) Use the space given below for your answers. ii) Check your answer with the model answers given at the end of the unit. 1) What were the salient features of the Nuclear Arms Race in the Gorbachev era? 9. 4. 1991 to 97 : Nuclear Arms Race after the Collapse of Soviet Union 1991-92 was a historic year in the sense that due to the collapse of USSR, the enemy that fueled the arms race for US militarists broke up into 14 new states. Yugoslavia also broke up and in one stroke the enemy in so far as the US was concerned was gone and so, the whole political ideologic'al basis of the nuclear arms race. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2nd August 1990 led to the launch of US and Allied coalition attack under UN auspices against Iraq on 17th January, 1991. It ended on 28th February, 1991 with the complete defeat of Iraq. Arms trade as a result showed a down-ward trend.In 1991 the total valu e of global arms trade touched $ 22, 114 million. This . was 20% less than in 1990. I In 1992-93 USA, the Russian Federation, France, and Britain all agreed to halt the nuclear arms race totally except vis-a-vis R & D. At the regional level, there was further concretization of Europe's complete demilitarization by the signing of the Helsinkl Document by all Eastern and West European countries. Added to this, there was the world summit on environment at Rio and UN Secretary General's declaration of the ‘Agenda for Peace'. The peripd between 1993 and 1997 saw two other significant events taking place i n~the nuclear arms race.First, in 1995 the NPT review Conference took place for an indefinite extension of the treaty and on 24th September 1996, the Comprehensive Test Ban Traty (CTBT) was up for signature. US and the other nuclear weapons states and 60 other non-nuclear states signed the CTBT. India did not sign either the NPT or CTBT. The government argued that it did so to kee p the nuclear weapons option open. This position taken by India brings us to the question of nuclear arms race in the Third World, dealt with in the following section. .; Check Your Progress 6 L Note : i) Use the space given below for your answer. ii) Check your answer with the model answer given at the end of the unit. I) Examine the nuclear arms race after the collapse of the USSR. 9. 5 NUCLEAR ARMS RACE IN THE THIRD WORLD AND SOUTH ASIA r rT he nuclear arms race that went on in the First World throughout the Cold War definitely had its impact on the Third World. The quest of the German Bomb fueled the American ‘Manhattan Project' initially, and as the Second World War came to a close it was the Soviet ideological and military power manifest in the occupation of Eastern Europe that really put Americans firmly on the track of nuclear bomb making. However, at that time the Allies needed the Soviet Communists to destroy fascist Germany, Italy and Japan. Stalin's intelligence ag encies were well aware of the secret American nuclear programme and at Postdam, his suspicions were confirmed when President Roosevelt informed Stalin of a secret weapon.This knowledge fueled the Soviet desire to build the bomb at a feverish pace to counter the threat form c aptalist west. The bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, though not really necessary were also a veiled threat to Soviets of the American resolve. These events in a way led to the nuclear arms race. After 1949, when Communist China emerged under Mao, it is believed that the Chinese through Soviet help (prior to Sino-Soviet split) too got the nuclear capability and tested in 1964. China was considered a Third World state and one can see how the ideological and political nature of nations deeply affected their decision to develop a nuclear capability.Arms Race and Nuclear Threat Cold War Period 9. 5. 1 Acquisition of Nuclear Capability by China and start of Arms Race in South Asia Thus, the acquisition of nuclear cap ability of China in 1964 signalled the beginning of a nuclear arms race in South Asia. The Indo-Pak conflict was not actually the factor responsible for India's quest for nuclear capability as many scholars claims, though it came in much later. The Kashmir conflict and partition and the three subsequent wars in 1948, 1965 and 1971 did fuel the conventional arms race. 9. 5. 2 India, Pakistan and the Nuclear Arms Race The nuclew arms race in South Asia however was not of India's making.It rather came after the massive defeat India suffered at Chinese hands in 1962, which hit our whole defense and foreign policy. This followed by the news of Chinese exploding the nuclear device in 1964 shook the Indian political and military establishment and they decided to develop India's nuclear capability. The decision was also influenced, perhaps, by the Chinese collusion with Pakistan in the 1950s prior to the 1962 war. It brought home to the Indian strategists the real possibility of Chinese and Pakistanis joining hands against India. After 1962, there was thus no looking back and the nuclear arms race reached South Asia. When India conducted the Peaceful Nuclear Explosion (PNE) in 1974, the Pakistanis too decided to go for a nuclear programme.The onset of the Second Cold War with the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan 1979 put Pakistan on the high priority zone of US in its fight against communism. It signalled deeper military cooperation and aid to Pakistan and some say, the beginning of some help even in fledgling Pakistan nuclear weapons programme. As of now, the South Asian region, is definitely a zone of nuclear competition with India consciously ‘keeping its option open' and not exercising its capability. This is expressed in its refusal to sign both the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty in the 1995 Review Conference ahd the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) on 24th September, 1996. . 5. 3 ‘Domino Theory' in South Asia The South Asian case amply demonstrates t he ‘Domino Theory' which fuels nuclear arms race or any arms race. First, it was the German threat to Europe which made the US go for the bomb. Then, the Soviet threat made US go in for the bomb again. The bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki led Soviets to acquiring the bomb. The common threat to world communism led to Soviets helping the new communist state of China in 1949 with nuclear technology which helped China to conduct a nuclear test in 1964. The Soviets, however, had refused to give nuclear weapon design to China, which became the cause of Sino-Soviet rift.The Indian defeat in 1962 and Pakistan's collusion with the Chines led the Indians to develop the nuclear capability by 1974. The Indian explosion coupled with successive defeats in wars with India led the Pakistanis onto the bomb. The cases of other third world countries acquiring the bomb in similar; e. g. the Iraqi and Iranian nuclear programmes. The South African case too is due to perceived survival threats. Th e other nuclear capable states are Argentina and Brazil-two major States in, Latin America. 9. 5. 4 General Complexion of Arms Race in South Asia Overall one can say that the third world nuclear arms race is definitely a product of the nuclear arms race in the first world and the many conflicts within the Third World sustain it.The cold war military alliance system helped this process. Now, after the collapse of s oviet Union and the massive reduction prior to it and after it in Western nuclear arsenals, nuclear peace has been brought to the world in the sense that we aren't always ‘living on the edge' of a nuclear holocaust. However, the non-resolution of conflicts in the Third World, e. g. Indo-Pak conflicts, Arab-Israeli conflict is a definite reason for the continuance of nuclear arms race in the Third World. – — – Check Your Progress 7 Note : i) F t Use the space given below for your answers. ii) Check your answer with the model answers given at the e nd of the w it. ) What are the factor propelling the arms race in South Asia? 2 ) Briefly comment on India's stand on the nuclear proliferation issue. 9. 6 LET US SUM UP We can conclude this unit by recalling a few pertinent points. Thus: i) The discovery of the. power of the ‘atom' in both its creative and destructive senses was possibly the greatest event in 20th century history. The creation and blasting of the nuclear bomb by the US demonstrated its power with telling effect. ii) The ideological conflict between capitalist West and socialist East was the single biggest factor instigating the nuclear arm race until the collapse of one side i. e. , of the USSR in 1991. iii)However, despite the demise of Socialist Soviet Union nuclear weapons still remain the basis for military power and their quest continues by many third world countries e. g. India, Pakistan, South Africa, Israel, Iran, Iraq and North Korea. iv) The nuclear threat to humanity remains even today and there is very little hope of complete disarmament. The only possible way is probably to reduce the number of warheads and number of nations acquiring this technology for settling their disputes. KEY WORDS ABM-Anti-Ballistic Missile System : It is a weapon system designed to defend against a ballistic attack by intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles and their warheads in flight. Arms Race and Nuclear Threat Cold War PeriodBMD-Ballistic Missile Defense : Systems capable of intercepting and destroying nuclear weapons in flight for defense against a ballistic Missile attack. CFE T naty : The h a t y o n Conventional Armed Forces in Europe : Negotiated in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), a process which began in 1973 and was signed in 1990 by NATO and WTO countries and came into force on 9 November, 1992. NATO-North Atlantic h a t y Organisation : Created by the US and its allies in Western Europe after the Second World War to counter USSR. WTO-Warsaw %sty Org anisation: Created by Soviet Union in 1955 to counter NATO military alliance. Dissolved in 199 1.ICBM-Inter Continental Ballistic Missile: Ground launched Ballistic Missile capable fo delivering a warhead to a target at ranges in excess of 5500 km. INF-Intermediate Range Nuclear forces: are nuclear forces with a range oflfrom 1000 km. upto and including 5500 kms. MIRV-Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles: Re-entry vehicles, carried by a nuclear ballistic missile, which can be directed to separate targets along separte trajectories (as distinct from MRVs). A missile can carry two or more RVs. MRV-Multiple Re-entry Vehicles: Re-entry vehicle, carried by a nuclear missile, directed to the same target as the missile's other RVs.MAD-Mutual Assured Destruction: Concept of reciprocal deterrence which rests on the ability of the nuclear weapon powers to inflict intolerable damage on one another after receiving a nuclear attack. Open Skies h a t y – A Treaty signed by 2 5 CSCE states in 1992, permitting flights by unarmed military or civilian surveillance aircraft over the territory of the signatory states, in the area from Vancouver to Vladivostock. SLBM–Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile: A ballistic Missile launched from a submarine, usually with a range in excess of 5500 kms. START I TREATY : Strategic Arms Reduction lkeaty : Between USA and USSR to reduce strategic nuclear weapons.Strategic Nuclear Weapons : ICBMs, SLBMs and bomber aircraft carrying nuclear weapons of inter-continental range of usually over 5500 kms. Doctriae of Deterrence : It theorically means that the most appropriate way to prevent your enemy employ atomic weapons against you is to put a counter threat by also possessing the atomic bomb. Doctrine of Massive Retaliation: Was a strategy of employing nuclear weapons and outlined by US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles after President Eisenhower took over from President Truman in 1954. The massive retaliation doct rine was founded on responding to any communist inspired aggression, however marginal the confrontation, by means of a massive nuclear strike against major centres in the Soviet Union and China.Doctrine of Limited War : Was propounded by Captain Basil Liddel Hart in the late 1940s. He argued in his book ‘the Revolution in Warfare' in 1946 that â€Å"When both sides possess atomic power ‘total warfare' makes nonsense†¦ Any unlimited war waged with atomic power would be worse than non-sense, it would be mutually suicidal†. He argued that war should, therefore, be a controlled affair and without barbarous excess. However, many US strategies criticized his concept of limited war as practically impossible. Doctrine of Flexible Response : Adapted by NATO in 1967 and based on a flexible and balanced range of appropriate responses, conventional and nuclear, to all levels of aggression or threats.These responses, subject to appropriate political control, are Arms Race and Nuclear Threat designed first to deter aggression and thus preserve peace; but, should aggression unhappily occur, to maintain the security of NATO area within the concept of forward defense. 9. 8 SOME USEFUL BOOKS Lawrence Freedman: The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy. P:M. S. Blackett: Atomic Weapons and East West Relations. Hedly Bull : The Control of the Arms Race. Morton Halperin : Limited War in the Nuclear Age. Freed Ikle : Can Nuclear Deterrence last out the country? Robert Jervis : Perceptions and Misperceptions i n International Politics. Herman Kahn : O n Escalation : Metaphors and Scenarios.Henry Kissinger : Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy. Thomas Shelling : Arms and Influence. — – – – – 9. 9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS EXERCISES Check Your Progress 1 1) See Section 9. 2 2) See Section 9. 2 and sub-section 9. 2. 3 Check Your Progress 2 1) S eeSection9. 3 Check Your Progress 3 1) See Section 9. 4 and sub-sections 9. 4. 1 to 9. 4 . 4 2) See Section 9. 4 and sub-section 9. 4. 3 Check Your Progress 4 1) See sub-sections 9. 4. 5 and 9. 4. 6 2) See sub-section 9. 4. 6 Check Your Progress 5 1) See sub-section 9. 4. 7 Check Your Progress 6 1) See sub-section 9. 4. 8 Check Your Progress 7 1) See Section 9. 5 2) See Section 9. 5 and sub-section 9. 5. 2 – –

Evan 101 Study Guide 5

Exam 5 Study Guide All questions will be taken from the text Evangelism Is†¦ by Earley and Wheeler. †¢ Be able to identify the following verses as they are written in your textbook and have an understanding of Dr. Earley’s and Dr. Wheeler’s teachings on these verses: †¢ John 1:14 (ch. 22) †¢ Acts 1:8 (ch. 22) †¢ Proverbs 11:30 (ch. 23) †¢ John 13:35 (ch. 24) †¢ John 2:1–10 (ch. 25) †¢ Luke 19 (ch. 25) †¢ John 6:1–14 (ch. 25) †¢ Matthew 25:38–40 (ch. 27) Chapter 22 †¢ According to Dr. Earley, the United States has shifted from a Christian nation to a _________________________ nation. Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ Jim Peterson defines our â€Å"secularized society† as ___________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ According to Dr. Earley, the â€Å"peanut butter and jelly approach† to evangelism requires both proclamation and ______________. (Be able to fill in the b lank. ) †¢ Proclamation Evangelism is primarily for who? †¢ According to Dr. Earley, is evangelism an event? Chapter 23 †¢ According to Dr. Earley, you do not need to win lost people to _______________ (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ According to Dr.Earley, if we are to be truly effective evangelists, we must love people like ________________ and see them like _______________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ According to Dr. Earley, many people simply must feel like they ________ before they can __________. (Be able to fill in the blanks. ) †¢ According to Chapter 23, ___________ out of 10 unchurched adults would accept an invitation to church if invited. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ According to Dr. Earley, what are the 3 victories you win with unbelievers and in what order do they occur? Chapter 24 Dr. Earley compares evangelism with lost people to building ____________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ According to Dr. Whe eler, who cites Claude King and Carolyn Thompson’s work, all believers have _______ concentric circles of concern in evangelism. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ Know the concentric circles of concern in evangelism in order. †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, evangelism is lived out through ________________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, what is the culmination of evangelism? Chapter 25 †¢ According to Dr.Wheeler, evangelism is hanging out ____________________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, Jesus exhibits the characteristics of â€Å"hanging out† evangelism in John 2:1-10 when he attended a ______________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ Dr Wheeler encourages believers to be fully present by continuously looking for ________________________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ Dr. Wheeler quotes this verse, â€Å"For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? † as an example of divine opportunity. The person given this opportunity was _____________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) Chapter 26 †¢ Dr. Wheeler states that â€Å"incarnational living’ and following the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20) is more about ______________ than coming. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, incarnational living is an expression of our new ____________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ Citing Steve Sjorgen in his book, Conspiracy of Kindness, Dr.Wheeler notes that the proper way to view and respond to lost people is to _____________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ Incarnational living involves what? †¢ Dr. Wheeler quotes Albert L. Meiburg, who states that _______ is the trigger which activat es God's call to minister if we have the heart to hear and respond. † (Be able to fill in the blank. ) Chapter 27 †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, by putting ministry into action, evangelism becomes a natural _________. (Be able to fill in the blank. ) †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, evangelism is opening our eyes to ___________. (Be able to fill in the blank. Chapter 28 †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, evangelism is knowing the difference between _____________________. (Be able to fill in the blanks. ) †¢ Dr. Wheeler quotes Jerry Pipes concerning the art of listening. What are the levels of listening? †¢ What is One-up Listening? †¢ What is Barney Fife Listening? †¢ What is Dr. Phil Listening? †¢ What is I-Pod Listening? †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, what are effective strategies in listening? †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, true evangelism is expressed with the whole being, both ____________ and ______________. (Be able to fill in the blank s. Chapter 29 †¢ Dr. Wheeler cites John 11:35 when Jesus wept as an example of his empathy in action. Who was Jesus crying over? †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, is empathetic living relating to the physical pain of hurting people. †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, part of living an empathetic life is learning to live with your personal struggles and shortcomings or ____________. (Be able to fill in the blanks. ) †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, what are examples of empathetic living? †¢ According to Dr. Wheeler, 1 origin of the word empathy means ______________. (Be able to fill in the blank. )

Digital Divide Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Digital Divide Theory - Essay Example Garson (2006) defines digital divide in the following contexts: Digital divide is, at times, defined as the â€Å"gap among income, racial, ethnic, regional, or other groups in terms of differential access to the internet, where access is considered a dichotomous variable† (Garson, 2006, p.98). The policy makers make use of this definition while making public policies regarding the spread of information technology services. Here, access is defined in terms of a continuous variable that depends on such constituents as â€Å"convenience of access (home, school, library), speed of access (28 KB modem to T1 line), time for access (discretionary time for access provided at work and home), cost of access† and the like (Garson, 2006, p.98). This definition considers digital divide as the gap that results not just because the consumers cannot afford physical access to the internet or computers, but also because they lack suitable competencies to use the information technology at its best. For example, a school may purchase high-end computer hardware and software for teaching purposes, but may lack teacher resources or staff competencies due to which the information technology services go unutilized. Hence, schools are the primary example of digital divide in terms of skilled access. One think group states that in order to provide the citizens with economic equality, it is important to provide them with equal opportunities to render information technology or digital services with the use of which they can make their lives easier. For example, providing telephone services to the citizens so that they can inform the police about robbery, and providing the students with multimedia at schools to enhance learning will help foster economic equality which results in the stability of the nation as a whole. One perspective is that when developing countries will excel in the use of

Describe in Detail any Garden or Landscape Design Surrounding a House Essay

Describe in Detail any Garden or Landscape Design Surrounding a House from the Period Covered by the Coursee period covered by t - Essay Example It must be stated that if one desires to ignore other gardens that were also in existence during the period, one should not ignore the Vaux-le-Vicomte. The Vaux-le-Vicomte alone is enough to explain the principles of gardening of the splendid and graceful age in which it was constructed. The chateau qualifies it as the most significant work built on the European continent in the mid seventeenth century. The house also stands as one of the grandest building in France that was built after Chateau de Maisons. For such a grand structure, one would expect to encounter a similarly grand landscape and garden. As far as this is concerned, Vaux-le-Vicomte does not disappoint in any way. Vaux-le-Vicomte is a nice building that has pavilions surrounding it. The structure also has a fortification in the form of a large moat around it. Many of the chateaux to the north of France are surrounded by a moat, which is rectangular in colour on three sides. This is also the case with Vaux-le-Vicomte, on ly that in the case of Vaux-le-Vicomte, the axial arrival avenue continued across a bridge, leading to a public space. In line with the norm during the period when the structure was constructed, the layout is symmetrical and firmly incorporated, with a somewhat projecting central block and ending marquee, and two returned wings that project forward. 2 The gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte are so grand that it covers about three kilometres. As far as the gardening tenets of that period were concerned, the landscaping of Vaux-le-Vicomte is a great advancement. One of the most amazing, yet pleasing, features of the structure, that is, the buildings and the gardening, is that there is a successful blend of architecture with the environment; this may not have been a feature that was coming during the seventeenth century. In the garden, there is an enormous area which is divided into a succession of terraces. These terraces form diverse assemblage of pattern based on shrubberies, lake and founta ins, Turkish carpets and so on.2 Vaux-le-Vicomte On entering into the Vaux-le-Vicomte, one is greeted by a wide green space. The green space extends to a length to about 5000 feet. This is evidence to show that green occupies a significant position in the mind of those that designed the gardens.3 The unique way in which the garden is designed is such that the viewer would make the embrace or better still literarily the garden along to anywhere they would like to go. This is the case because of the outstanding use of optical illusion and perspective. On gaining entry into the property, one would observe grotto which would be very close to a lake. However, on gaining entry into the property, the same grotto which appeared to be close initially would be far. In fact, the planning that was done is such that the grotto is more than six hundred feet away from the canal which is on the other side. As a result of the largeness of the property, there are electric cars to aid transportation. Vaux-le-Vicomte Another part of the garden that is affected by this motif is the pool. When standing at the back of the chateau, the reflecting pool is more tapered at the closest point than when standing at the uttermost point; standing at the uttermost part makes them appear nearer to the point of view. What one then observes is that when the landscape is viewed from a particular angle, the distortion which was intentionally premeditated into the scenery essentials produces a forced

Fire and Building Codes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fire and Building Codes - Essay Example It was the National Board of Fire Underwriters which published in 1905 the first model building code. Seeing the blatant unhealthy housing conditions, charitable organizations were established and many of them formed the National Housing Association in the 1900 which pressed for housing reforms. This movement also provided the stimulus for passing the New York Tenement House Act of 1901 which was used as a model for other cities. In 1939, the American Public Health Association (APHA) developed housing codes which served as a prototype as it specifies health and sanitation requirements including room dimensions and arrangements. The Engineering Profession provided the technical expertise for specifying applicable structural design thru the American Society of Civil Engineers, mechanical codes by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and plumbing codes and standards (American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE).

The Impact of Strategic International Job Placement Term Paper

The Impact of Strategic International Job Placement - Term Paper Example The companies hired for these functions are well equipped with trained personnel and tolls to perform the jobs more efficiently and cost effectively. Typically, an outsourcing process includes four different stages. The first stage includes the strategic thought processing for building up the philosophy for outsourcing activities. The second stage involves the evaluation of the outsourcing projects and selecting the suitable one. The third stage deals with the development of the contract and the determination of the price of SLA (service level agreement). Finally, the fourth stage deals with the relationship management between the client and the service provider. Business Process Outsourcing and Information Technology Outsourcing are the most common forms of outsourcing. The task of outsourcing becomes more delicate when the work is offshored i.e. the work is done in a different country. This brings in certain differences of culture and time zone. In USA, business processes are outsourced at a huge rate. Since 1980s the outsourcing by US started gaining momentum. The range of outsourcing is also wide since USA outsources material inputs outside the firm and also hires services from beyond the borders through FDI in foreign countries. The process of outsourcing thus has multifaceted implication on USA. It has influenced USA's trade, labor market, welfare, growth and industrial structure. Out of all the impacts of outsourcing, the impact on the US labor market happens to be the most sought after issue. Effect of Outsourcing on GDPThe prime reason for outsourcing in US is the cost and time savings. These benefits of outsourcing offer immense growth potential for the US firms. The outsourcing of functions in USA has had a significant effect on the country's GDP. It is estimated that outsourcing added $33.6 billion to the real GDP of USA in 2003. The analysis in 2003 estimated that by 2008 outsourcing will add $ 124.2 billion to the real GDP of USA. The trade effects of outsourcing were seen to be positive. In 2003, US exports were higher by $2.3 billion because of outsourcing and the estimated value of exports from outsourcing in 2008 was $9 billion. Extensive research on outsourcing revealed some magical figures on savings. It was seen that the IT industry in USA will save up to $ 390 billion through software development and offshore services. The GDP of USA also grew considerably through massive rounds of outsourcing. Between 1999 and 2002 USA experienced an additional growth of $2 30 billion in their GDP. Some of the remarkable figures in US export and import indicate that the significant improvement is due to outsourcing. In 2004, the export figure on services was $343.9 billion in services while the import was $296.1 billion. US trade in services increased by 33 % from $482.3 billion (1999) to $640 billion (2004), with exports rising by 22 percent and imports increasing by 48 percent (Greene W. January 2006). Outsourcing of Manufacturing and IT jobs The benefit of IT outsourcing is enhanced productivity. II capital prices are significantly low and tend to fall. Hence, a company which is focusing on the outsourcing IT will have two options open before it; purchase IT capital

Best Treatment Approach For Persons Diagnosed With Schizophrenia Research Paper

Best Treatment Approach For Persons Diagnosed With Schizophrenia - Research Paper Example They also were incapable of winning people over or keeping their jobs because of their odd behavior, poor memory and inattention. Every day of their lives, they were on therapy. This writer will be investigating various researches to find a possible solution to the plight of the schizophrenics. The aim is to improve the quality of life of the schizophrenic patients. The best treatment approach for improving the quality of life of persons diagnosed with Schizophrenia Introduction Schizophrenia was a mental health disorder with several symptoms: positive and negative (Draper et al, 2009). Diagnosis was made by the DSM-IV criteria. Hallucinations represented the positive symptoms. The negative symptoms were the emotional problems of flat affect (Arif et al, 2011). Cognitive deficits included attention problems. This writer will investigate the efficacy of the types of therapy that had been used for management of schizophrenics and the advantages of using cognitive behavior therapy and r ehabilitation in addition assuming that the combination of procedures would elevate the quality of life of schizophrenics. CATIE The CATIE (Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness) was performed in US with 1460 patients to unearth evidence to indicate how clinical management could improve the efficiency of management (Bick et al, 2007). Different atypical antipsychotic drugs were investigated in clinical practice for an 18 month period (Bick et al, 2007). A 3-phase design was used. The results were depressing in that the drawbacks of the clinical practice were found. Antipsychotic treatment alterations The second generation drugs of olanzapine and clozapine which were the usual first-line- of- treatment drugs and widely used had the problems of metabolic dysfunction. Responding to the need for improvement of treatment of schizophrenia, newer drugs had been studied recently. This paper will highlight a few recent studies out of the many. The goal of antipsychotic treatment was to eliminate symptoms rapidly, prevent the relapses, decrease the severity of the illness and help to improve social relationships (Chwieduk and Keating, 2010). The use of Iloperidone, Paliperidone and Lurasidone were investigated (Arif and Mitchell, 2011; (Chwieduk and Keating, 2010; Ehret et al, 2010). Cognitive behavior therapy Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) had been recognized by many researchers as appropriate for treating schizophrenic patients as a complement to their pharmacotherapy (Kuller et al, 2010). The collaborative efforts of the clinician and the patient in evaluation of delusional beliefs in order to understand the underlying beliefs constituted one approach. The success of the therapy depended on the extent of therapeutic relationship between the clinician and the patient. Almost 20 trials had compared the treatment of patients who had the usual therapy of drugs and case management as against another group which had CBT in addition. The outcomes wer e based on patient characteristics, acute against chronic illness, short against long-term results and the type of symptoms. Psychosocial rehabilitation Valencia et al investigated the possibility of implementing a rehabilitation program in Mexico on the lines of similar programs in the US and the UK (2010). Social skills training and family psycho-education both established rapport between them (Valencia, 2010). The patients became less anxious and the program was a

Minsheng bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Minsheng bank - Essay Example The regulation of various industries by the government is intended to influence the manner in which an economy is run. The banking industry in China is highly regulated by the Chinese government, but this does not rule out the coexistence of both public and private sectors in the Chinese economy. Minsheng bank operates alongside state-owned banks which constitute the basis in which Minsheng and other private commercial banks are regulated in China. The effects of government regulation impact differently on different enterprises, companies, or organizations. Government regulation has its benefits and shortcomings. On the positive side, the imposition of regulations by the government does not only protect consumer interests, but also the interests of all players and stakeholders in the industry. The consumer is safeguarded from exploitation by the operating enterprises. On the other hand, government regulation creates cohesion in the industry, making it possible for the markets involved to exhibit fair competition. Such moves treat all players in the industry equally, thereby enhancing economic growth and development in regard to the contribution of all operational firms in the industry. On the other hand, government regulation curtails the full potential of an enterprise. It limits the expansion capacity of a company, in the event that the company’s expansion strategies are not consistent with the government’s provisions at that time. Government regulation also interferes with market autonomy and free market activities, thus limiting the liberalization factor in the global arena. In this respect, the public sector appears to be relatively favored by the government due to the priorities it is accorded within the regulation process. In the light of government regulation, another significant business strategy emerges in the global banking industry; acquisition. The substantial regulation of Chinese markets and

Lesson Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lesson Plan - Assignment Example Procedure A. Motivation 1. The teacher will ask several questions about the topic to the students to arouse their interest: †¢ Have you ever experienced entering or visiting a cave? †¢ What have you seen? †¢ What did you feel? 2. The teacher will then give pieces of bond paper to the students. The students will be asked to draw on the paper what they have experienced or seen upon entering the cave. If a student does not have any experience about caves, he can draw his ideas about what a cave would look like. 3. After 10 minutes, 2-3 students will be asked to share what they have drawn on the paper. All the students will pass their drawings after the activity. B. Presentation The teacher will introduce the topic by posting a big colored poster of a cave on the board. The teacher may tell facts and historical accounts in relation to the topic such as cave paintings, carvings, cannibalism and fossil remains to refresh the memory of the students. C. Lesson Proper The teacher will discuss the lesson by using the textbook as the primary reference. The discussion includes the definition and history of caves, the kinds of cave formations, the organisms that make the caves as their habitat, and the archaeological and cultural importance of caves. After the discussion, the teacher validates the students’ knowledge of the subject matter which had been discussed. A. Unlabeled pictures of the different types of caves are posted on the board. Students will be asked to volunteer to put names under each picture.... After naming the caves, other students will be asked to write certain characteristics of each cave under the name. If a student would name or describe a cave incorrectly, another student would be asked to do the task. The activity will end after all the pictures are properly named and defined. B. A simple, large cave will be drawn on the board. Each student will be asked to draw an animal or an organism inside the cave. The animals should be the correct animals that live inside caves. After drawing, the class will tell what each animal eats and whether their prey also lives in the cave. D. Evaluation A 20-item identification type of quiz will be given to the students. The topics covered will be the definition and history of caves, the types of caves, and the ecology of caves. E. Homework 1. An essay about the cultural and archaeological importance of caves. The minimum number of paragraphs is 3. 2. A report about one of the world's most famous caves. The report should tackle about the history and physical characteristics of that cave, the kind of cave formation, the location, and how that cave became popular. Examples: 1) the Mammoth Cave (Kentucky, USA) as the cave system with the greatest total length of surveyed passage, 2) the Ox Bel Ha Cave System in Yucatn, Mexico as the longest surveyed underwater cave. Lesson Plan for Science Grades 6-9 I. Objectives At the end of the lesson, 90% of the students are expected to: 1. Differentiate and define sunrise and sunset; 2. Explain the scientific process that is bounded to make sunrise and sunset possible for occurring; 3. Track the position of the sun every hour of the day; 4. Show appreciation to sunrise and sunset. II. Subject Matter A. Topic Sunrise and

Personal essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Personal - Essay Example This paper aims to define what is important to me and how I realized the significant role of it in my life. Moreover, it provides an account of the event that helped me realize the actual worth of it in the life of other people. I always knew the importance of money and its power in the modern world. I have always been conscious about having the best thing out of the list. Of course, nothing can be bought without spending money today. I used to spend a lot on shopping, eating, gaming and partying. However, I always knew that it is ‘money’ that buys me everything. I used to be a spendthrift and was not much conscious about the amount that I used to spend on things and friends. I never thought that there might be some people living in bad circumstances who might not be able to meet their necessities even. I being a person of a selfish nature did not ever pay enough heed to the necessities of other people and went on living my life so that i made the most of it. Once my friend commented on my way of leading life by saying ‘Do you ever think of saving money as you would not be left with anything when you’d need this money later onwards in your life? And i sarcastically replied ‘T he best way of saving money is to forget who you borrowed it from’ A group project to slum (bad housing) in 11th grade brought a great twist in my life. During the project, I met people who were facing severe difficulties and were fighting everyday to get access to food, clothing and other needs. The places in which these individuals resided were in such a bad condition that a disease would spread with the speed of light in the vicinities. Sanitation and health facilities were not adequate enough to provide them with the basis of a healthy life. Education was yet another factor in that area as the children there could not even get to study. Their situation made me realize the importance of money and resources which i possessed. This

Increasing the hardware Essay Example for Free

Increasing the hardware Essay Abstract As any business grows, they are always looking to expand all aspects of  their business. With this expansion, the cost of increasing the hardware and software needed for the expansion is also increasing. Many companies are looking for ways to keep or even streamline the hardware they currently have yet expand. They want a way to have their customers log into their site and go to a central server but want all the necessary files for the customers to be stored elsewhere which will increase the speed of the server. To be successful in today’s market, many businesses are realizing the necessity of using technology. As more and more companies use more technology, their IT infrastructure cannot handle all the traffic due to the lack of available server/storage space needed to meet the increasing demands of the customers. Whether the business is small or a large corporation, finding the needed available server/storage space is becoming an ever increasing problem. Trying to solve this problem, many businesses have begun to look for an alternative solution to store many of their business files away from their own main computers, this is called cloud storage. Think about how you have an external hard drive that you use to store files away from the hard drive of your computer, the cloud storage works in the same way. The only exception is that you do not own the external storage, you rent the storage space from someone who takes care of all the maintenance and updating of the site. JPCexpress has been operating for many years with their own internal storage capabilities and now are in the market to expand their business. The current server space that the company owns is being bogged down by the amounts of data it needs to use daily so they need a newer solution to their storage problems so that they can continue to offer their production facilities and customers the best possible service. Next day service sets this company apart from other online businesses and I will show what needs to be done to help then continue to accomplish this with a simple server space solution. Company Background JPCexpress is an innovator in the online printing industry. They use advanced technology that allows the customer to place an order and have it printed and delivered the next day. There are many online printing organizations, but JPCexpress was one of the first that offered next day delivery if you place your order by a certain time the day before. The  company was founded in 2001 that offered printing as a service so that the customer has access to all the company printing business solutions allowing them to place their orders right on the company website. The customer does not have to invest any monies into their own printing infrastructure and the staff that would be needed to maintain it. JPCexpress offers its services to many different organizations of all sizes that do not want to hassle with having internal printing capabilities. Due to the customer being able to upload all their information to help us perform the needed services, this takes up a lot of storage space. JPCexpress operates three huge warehouses that are strategically placed across the country. Within each facility, they house all the hardware and software needed to conduct the printing business along with all the hardware and software needed for the IT side of the business. The customers are able to use our site as their own so they know they will get exactly the product they want. Our teams of engineers are always introducing new services and solutions for the customers and they have them integrate the new technologies into our platform monthly. The reason we have the fastest turnaround time for online printing companies is due to the fact that our customers are able to use our site as their own to make and order their printing needs. We have become a leader in the online printing world because of our customer service, ease and speed of our online services and the fact that we guarantee you will have your order the next day if you meet the daily cut off time. Discussion of Business Problem During times of peak use, the amount of data used is overwhelming. JPCexpress is a top of the line printing business but due to our storage capabilities, we do have issues that will slow the service to our customers. This is an issue because the timing of the slowness (can prevent customers from making the cut off time for next day service) which directly relates to customer service and customer satisfaction. The main issue is that when there are many users on the system, it slows down and prevents ease of use. I think that JPCexpress could benefit from emerging technology as cloud computing or could storage. Increasing our storage capacity would prevent the system from slowing down and loss of data. Any IT department within any business always needs new ways to increase the capabilities of their current infrastructure without investing in new hardware, new licensing requirements  or having to spend the time and monies to train and hire new personnel. Due to the increasing amounts of data needed by our existing customers and the addition of new customers, members of our IT department has to manually go into the system and get rid of old files and clear any redundant data. This happens when our system becomes slow which slows the use of our production tools and this all adds up to a loss in the amount of work that can be performed. If the organization was to use cloud computing, the problem of overwhelming the system could be avoided. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends its existing capabilities (Gruman, 2012). Use of the cloud could begin at our centrally located facility for trial purposes until we see if using it would be beneficial to both the customers and to our stockholders. High Level Solution For many businesses, having enough storage space to hold all the information they have acquired from their customers and the working of internal business practices is a real challenge that becoming increasingly harder. Many organizations have turned to deleting huge amounts of data to open up room for the new data they need to stay updated and to continue to provide their customers with excellent customer service. Many businesses have turned to cloud storage to help relieve this problem. Cloud storage acts as a centrally located server whose main purpose is for storage only. Using cloud storage, each of the three facilities can store and retrieve files as they are needed without investing in more infrastructure. When deciding to move to cloud storage, a few concerns will be raised. Some people think that cloud storage is less secure than local data centers and this is not true. . When the cloud host that IT manager work together the cloud host will encrypt the data and the business w ill store the keys to that encryption on it local network (Marsh, 2013). Many cloud providers offer dashboards to the client so they can log and manage the company’s data center. They can add more storage if they need and all this is completed without adding any equipment to increase storage. I have checked two of the major providers of cloud storage for pricing and flexibility. Amazon S3 is 99.9 percent reliable and it is scalable to fit your current business needs and also can be changed to fit your future needs as well (Amazon Web  Services, 2013). All data going into this cloud storage is encrypted for data security and you can decide what region you want to have your data stored in. Another excellent benefit is that once the data is entered into the cloud, it is automatically backed up in case one system fails you will lose your data. All data uploaded is for free but they do charge for each GB of data that is transferred or downloaded from the cloud. This seems pretty reasonable since we will maintain a central server with only our servers logging into the cloud to retrieve the customer information. Google cloud storage offers secure and safe cloud storage. It has configurable security controls and the cloud is flexible so that you can get what you need now and later on if you need more storage you can always add more (Google Cloud Storage, 2013). Looking between the Amazon and Google sites, they both offer the same types of features but I could not find any data that says how reliable the Google cloud is. Also, checking the pricing from the two sites, it appears that Amazon is slightly cheaper than Google is. Moving to cloud storage is a viable option to help solve latency issues and website lag due to the enormous amounts of data being transmitted over our site. Benefits of Solving the Problem Solving this problem using cloud storage will increase the speed of the servers the customers use to conduct their business. The increased speed of the server will also take the customers’ orders quickly and get them to the desired printing facility to ensure they make the cut off time for next day delivery. Implementing the cloud storage solution at only one facility will allow the business time to see if the cloud is a viable option to investing countless monies in upgrading our current facilities. Using the cloud will save us money because of the increased speed at which the customers can use the system, the speed in processing the orders and also save us money because we will not have to hire additional personnel to maintain additional hardware or pay for licensing for additional software. In an article written by Joe McKendrick for Forbes magazine, he talks about the benefits of cloud computing for a business. Cost reduction – using cloud as storage lowers transaction costs, minimizes the investment in hardware and software and also reduces the need for a huge IT staff or for adding additional personnel to manage you IT infrastructure. Cloud as storage is scalable so  you can take as much or as little as you need and then increase as your needs increases. You only pay for what you use; most uploads are free so you pay when you download data from the cloud. Businesses of all sizes will have access to more up to date technology while using the cloud. Letting someone else manage your IT for you reduces the need for expensive licenses or buying software or hardware. Business/Technical Approach Conducting thorough research before deciding which provider of the cloud services we will go with. When a cloud provider has been chosen, our CIO and his team will work with the provider to ensure we get what storage we need and also to ensure the security of the files we will move to the cloud for storage. Only have one facility use the cloud as a test case to see if it will improve the speed of our system and also to see how reliable the cloud services are. Conducting technical inspections using our IT department will ensure that we are keeping control on what goes into the cloud storage and also to help us determine if the cloud is useful. When we move older files from our servers into the cloud, we should see an immediate improvement in the speed of our system and also improvements in order processing and order filling. The IT department must ensure what files are being put in the cloud and that they are being encrypted for increased security. Also inspecting the files in storage routinely to ensure the data is not being corrupted. To ensure we do not lose any of our major customers, we will move only the older files to cloud storage to increase space on our servers. When we have determined (Senior management/CIO approval) that the cloud is a viable option to investing in hardware/software, we will move more files to the cloud in an effort to free up more space which should increase the speed even more. Also, once the one facility has proven more efficient and profitable, we will migrate another facility to cloud storage. There is no set timeframe for this to happen, we just want to ensure the cloud is meeting our needs in the ways we want it to. Using the current IT staff at the first facility to check usage and speed of the system will help us in our decision whether to stay with the cloud or invest in our own infrastructure. Business Process changes Implementing cloud storage will allow the company to store more files  without causing the system to run slow which increase productivity. This is going to be a big move for JPCexpress in the way they do business at each of their facilities. We will use the current IT department at each facility to maintain the data stored in the cloud and to ensure that only the less used files have been migrated to the cloud until its reliability has been proven. There will be one central location for all the internal storage of customer information. When the customer logs onto the site with his credentials, they will log onto our central server who will access the cloud and pull their information off for the customer to use. When the order is placed, the server will then send that order to the printing facility closet to the customer location for fast, reliable completion of the order. When the cloud is implemented for use by all facilities, the IT departments at those facilities will be reduced . Setting up a team to continually monitor the cloud for reliability and security will also be accomplished. Senior management with the CIO will have to make a decision on implementing other facilities and how that will be accomplished. Technology or business practices used to augment the solution After thorough research I have decided that implementing cloud storage is the best solution to help fix the problems at JPCexpress. Moving the files to the cloud will free up valuable space which will increase the processing speed of our current servers. The IT department will maintain our current servers and monitor how effectively the cloud is to the company. The IT department will also routinely perform inspections on our equipment to see how well it is working and also to ensure what files are being moved to the cloud. Having someone compile quarterly reports on how well the cloud implementation has helped the speed of the system and to see if it truly has increased the speed at which orders are shipped. We will not have to hire additional personnel to accomplish any of these tasks; we will use the current staff at each facility. This alone will save the company huge amounts of money. Conclusions and overall recommendations The current system that JPCexpress has, it is not capable of handling the enormous amounts of data that goes through it during peak operating times. JPCexpress will have to upgrade their current hardware/software or find other alternatives. Cloud storage is just that alternative solution.  Moving files to cloud storage will free up much needed space that will allow the system to run faster during peak operating times. Using the cloud offers different ways that it can be beneficial to the company. Using cloud instead of investing in new hardware/software to upgrade our current system will save on ongoing support, maintenance and upgrades and having to hire additional IT staff to work the new system. When switching to the cloud we will replace all the up-front expense of investing in a new system and replace that cost with a manageable monthly subscription cost. David Linthicum discusses why companies should invest in the cloud. All the upgrades and maintenance are handled by the cloud host. The software will always be current without the company having to pay for expensive licensing. The fear of cloud storage’s security being an issue is being proven invalid. Cloud providers have been working hard to prove how secure their storage is. Cloud based companies offer the highest level of customer service because they cannot afford to lose customers because they are unsatisfied with the service and with all the blogs out there, a bad review could mean countless lost customers. Every data storage center or data processing center has some downtime at some point but many cloud providers offer higher than a 99 percent reliability rate. High level implementation plan * Conduct thorough research to ensure the right cloud provider is selected * Work with provider to ensure we get the security we need and also the plan that fits the amounts of storage needed * Schedule when to transition to the cloud storage * Determine what files will initially be moved to cloud storage * Reroute all traffic from one facility to the other two * Shut down one facility and transition to the cloud * Once all files are transferred to the cloud activate the cloud * Bring the shutdown facility back on line * Test the new configuration for speed and user ability * Monitor the cloud for potential problems * Produce monthly reports as to the speed of the facility and improvements in the processing of orders Summary of Project JPCexpress’ system runs slow because each facility has access to all the files that are stored on the server. The storage problem can be handled either by investing countless monies into a new upgraded data system or to use cloud storage to alleviate this problem. Business processes are slow due to the servers being bogged down during peak hours resulting in delays in processing and delivery of orders placed by the customers. When we transition to the cloud storage we can increase the processing speed which will increase the speed of the orders being printed and then shipped to the customer. This will save on time and money because we will not have to pay additional shipping costs when we can’t meet the next day delivery. This is not meant to be a permanent solution but will benefit the company until we can determine if this is the best solution. References Amazon Web Services. (2013, Oct 1). Retrieved from Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3): http://aws.amazon.com/s3/ Google Cloud Storage. (2013, Aug 1). Retrieved from Google Cloud Platform: https://cloud.google.com/products/cloud-storage/ Gruman, G. K. (2012, Feb 2). What cloud computing really means. Retrieved from InfoWorld: http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means Linthicum, D. (2013, June 25). Cloud adoptions tipping has arrived. Retrieved from InfoWorld Cloud Computing: http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/cloud-adoptions-tipping-point-has-arrived-221335 Marsh, J. (2013, Oct 3). The Top 5 Myths about Cloud Storage. Retrieved from Formstack: http://blog.formstack.com/2013/top-5-myths-cloud-storage/ McKendrick, J. (2013, July 21). 5 Benefits of Cloud Computing you arent likely to see in a sales brochure. Retrieved from Forbes.com: http://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2013/07/21/5-benefits-of-cloud-computing-you-arent-likely-to-see-in-a -sales-brochure/

Millennial Financial Confidence and Social Media

Millennial Financial Confidence and Social Media The Millennial Generation and Social Media: How online relationships affect Millennials’ financial esteem Abstract One of the largest generations in history is moving into its prime spending years. The Millennial generation, as a technologically savvy culture, is looking to reshape the economy, taking their unique financial experiences into the way they look to spend their money. Having lived through the 2008 Great Recession, however, Millennials are haunted by the unexpected obstacles an inconsistent economy poses. They exhibit immense distrust with financial institutions due to struggles during their financial upbringing, and are the first generation to have accumulated excessive amounts of student loan debt. Therefore, the Millennial generation takes pride in practicing frugal spending habits, making sure to put money into their savings account each month. However, Millennials are also heavily influenced by their relationship with their peers via social media platforms. The self-presentation theory can be used to explain why social media influences millennials, as the desire to receive social acceptance drives millennial behaviors. As statistical evidence has proven, Millennials feel a heightened sense of social acceptance when physical symbols of social adequacy are shown through â€Å"like,† â€Å"favorites,† â€Å"retweets,† or â€Å"share.† Millennials also place an emphasis on experiencing live events rather than material items, explaining that these events are more enjoyable when shared through social media. Studies have also shown that the positive reinforcement Millennials receive from â€Å"likes,† â€Å"favorites,† or â€Å"retweets,† weighs heavily into their monetary decision making. Therefore, the argument can be made that the relationships Millennials pursue through social media negatively influences millennial spending as photos and posts on their newsfeed encourage reckless spending, relying heavily on funds received only through their increased debt accumulation. Introduction Millennials represent the largest living generation and more than a quarter of the population at 83.1 million, surpassing Baby Boomers at 75.4 million (Cutler, 2015). Because of the Millennial generation’s massive size, understanding and adapting to their spending tendencies is imperative to a company’s growth financially as the generation currently commands an estimated $1.3 trillion in annual consumer spending (Eventbrite, 2013) Many studies have been conducted between the Millennial generation and financial institutions, identifying their experiences and attitudes which in turn help to shape how they interact with one another. Millennials, having lived through both the 2008 Great Recession and the digital revolution, are making constant decisions involving their money allocation. However, they are experiencing greater financial struggles. Millennials are the first generation in the modern age to experience high levels of poverty and unemployment, causing many to lose faith in financial institutions, and experience high levels of stress when allocating money from small, seemingly insignificant paychecks (Cutler, 2015). Due to these struggles, the Millennial generation takes pride in their financial planning, prioritizing conscious spending in order to avoid financial problems in the future, and feeling confident in their education to land them a successful career. However, the emphasis Millennials place on maintaining a social media deemed acceptable by peers is translating into harmful financial behaviors. In 2015, almost 50 percent of Millennial purchases were influenced by social media (Pagliara, 2017). Therefore, the understanding of the necessity to spend consciously is distanced by social media’s created desire to spend recklessly due to the emphasis Millennial’s place on media â€Å"likes† as a visual representation of social acceptance. Through a brief overview of the general Millennials’ financial outlook com pared to generations prior, combined with both an analysis of how Millennials interact with social media and how social media influences their spending habits, an argument can be made and then supported that the relationship between social media and the Millennial generation negatively affects their financial stature. Literature Review The Millennial Generation’s Overall Financial Outlook To better understand the fundamental attitudes and beliefs Millennials hold regarding financial institutions, it is important to first compare the monetary characteristics of the Millennial generation to both itself as well as previous generations including Baby Boomers and Generation Xers. After comparing Millennials’ early-life economic experiences to those of Generation Xers and Baby Boomers, The Pew Research Center found that, while Millennials are the most educated generation in American history, they also serve as the first generation to have higher student loan debt, poverty, and unemployment combined with lower levels of wealth and personal income (Cutler, 2015). With the high cost of education, the Pew Research Center added that, as of 2015, two-thirds of recent bachelor degree recipients have outstanding student loans averaging near $27,000 compared to graduates two decades ago with student loans averaging only $15,000. A 2014 Wells Fargo Millennial Study conducted b y Harris Poll found 42% of Millennials describe debt as an â€Å"overwhelming financial concern† as compared to only 23% of Baby Boomers. Furthermore, the study concluded that Millennials list student loan debt as their top concern while Baby Boomers focus on saving for retirement. Due to the burden of piling debt combined with difficulties landing successful jobs right out of college, Millennials immediately perceive a disconnect between the money spent on education and future earnings, developing a deflated, negative financial self-image early in their careers. A 2014 survey conducted by Pew found that a mere 42% of Millennials identify as middle class, a significant fall from the same survey conducted in 2008 where 53% of Millennials claimed themselves as middle class. Most significantly, however, the same survey also concluded that, in 2015, 46% of Millennials identified as low-middle to lower class, a notable rise from 25% in 2008. Contradictory to this statistic, howeve r, the Pew Research Center found that 85% of Millennials are optimistic when asked about their future financially, saying they have enough to live comfortably now and plan to save enough to create a lifestyle they want in the future (Cutler, 2015). This statistic gives an insight to how Millennials view their future wealth, offering valuable information regarding their thoughts on how to spend their money today. While financial optimism is necessary for confident future spending, Millennials currently experience poor financial self-image, affecting their spending habits today as they are forced to make hasty decisions that will hopefully increase their savings so they will have enough financial support to spend generously in the future. These statistics can be better explained through an in-depth analysis of the basic attitudes of the Millennial generation, identifying why Millennials perceive low financial self-image. Another study conducted by the Pew Research Center suggested Millennials experience greater institutional distrust than generations prior. When asked about the level of trust Millennials have in authority figures, government and financial institutions, and the general public combined, only 19%, or one in five, felt as if they can be trusted, a statistic much lower than 40% of Baby Boomers who responded to the same question (Cutler, 2015). This institutional distrust Millennials experience may be due to both current and previous economic experiences that have frightened them into becoming an innate generation of thrifty savers, while simultaneously being impulse spenders, a topic which will be discussed in the following analysis. The Great Recession in 2008 influenced the Millennial generation’s perception of economic institutions as many either struggled through the recession themselves, or observed the financial turmoil their parents experienced. Many Millennials describe the Great Recession as a warning to save now in an effort to survive unforeseen economic problems in the future. The recession also caused many Millennials to graduate into an environment burdened by high unemployment rates and undesirable salaries as jobs gained during the economic recovery paid on average 23% less than jobs before the recession (Boberiene & McLeigh, 2014). Emily Pachuta, head of investor insights at UBA, explained that due to the recession, â€Å"[Millennials] have a Depression-era mindset largely because they experienced market volatility and job security issues very early in their careers.† (Boberiene & McLeigh, 2014). Millennials are also skeptical when discussing government funding, especially when planning for retirement. A Harvard poll found that 51% of Millennials believe there will not be any funding available in the Social Security System by the time they retire. Additionally, a Wells Fargo Millennial Study found that over 50% of Millennials have already started allocating anywhere between 1% to 10% of their paycheck to retirement funding. Another Harvard poll noted that young people feel a disassociation between their priorities and the priorities of elected officials as they view effective results from political involvement as few and far between (Rampell, 2014). A 2014 article from the Grand Rapids Business Journal argues the 2008 Great Recession made Millennials timid about investing in financial markets, creating this desire for transparency and authenticity when dealing with companies and organizations (Marsh Private Client Services, 2015). Adding to their fear of financial crisis in the future, Millennials also struggle with the pressure of debt. As previously mentioned, recent graduates have significantly more student loan debt than graduates two decades prior. Among all Millennials, Wells Fargo found 47% of working Millennials are allotting 50% or more of their paycheck to certain categories of debt including credit card debt (16%), mortgage debt (15%), student loan debt (12%), auto debt (9%), and medical debt (5%). Because Millennials are allocating a large sum of their paycheck to paying off their accumulated debt, many are living paycheck to paycheck, leaving little to no cash left to spend elsewhere. After reviewing the statistical analysis of the Millennial generation’s experiences, thoughts and feelings regarding financial institutions and their own personal finances, exploring generic personality traits may find a direct correlation to between millennials’ innate behavior and their desire to maintain a positive image on social media adding which, therefore, progresses their poor financial experiences. As mentioned previously, Millennials are money-conscious due to the economic hardships they’ve endured. However, Millennials are also heavily influenced by social media, and the pressure to maintain a noteworthy lifestyle sometimes overrides their instinct to save. Social Media has affected Millennials in such a way that theorist have discussed they have become sub-clinical narcissists. Clinicians do not see sub-clinical narcissists as pathological, however there are traits of self-centeredness and self-love through the eyes of a personality psychologist. The perception of Millennials are self-loving, ambitious, technology savvy, and family oriented. Vaidhyanatha Balaji (2015) oversaw a study of a group of Millennials through a survey about subclinical narcissists habits. The survey revealed that they did not show a developing problem of narcissism even though Millennial scores were just above global average of subclinical narcissism (Balaji, 2015). Balaji summed up Millennials as â€Å"complex individuals who are part self-centered, part-social human beings.† Millennials are greatly influenced by positive reassurance, their need for constant attention and feedback. They are concluded to be very independent and self reliable while being conservatively confident. The combination of both slightly narcissistic characteristics and ambitious characteristics argues that the Millennial generation has altered the definition of a career. Millennials are less committed to following the traditional corporate ladder, and more likely to seek business opportunities that accommodate their own personal values, including flexible hours, autonomy, and control, while simultaneously proving they have the maturity to support themselves independently (Boberiene & McLeigh, 2014). On the other hand, a study conducted by the Family Office Exchange (2015) indicated that Millennials working for corporations feel they must be able to relate to their advisors on a personal level before they trust them in a business setting. The 2015 study also indicated that Millennials are less likely to listen to supervisors who speak in a demeaning or condescending tone. Instead, Millennials respond to supervisors who focus on establishing a relationship by asking personal questions about their interests, goals, and opinions and then sharing personal stories of their own (Marsh Private Client Services, 2015). Because Millennials emphasize engagement, the study argues that Millennials are driven by personal relationships, with a desire to showcase independence on the surface, however, wanting collaborative attention in the form of both positive, constructive advice and feedback (Marsh Private Client Services, 2015). Theoretical Framework Researchers have warned Millennials regarding their reliance upon social networking sites to reinforce personal self-esteem through boosted â€Å"likes† or positive comments from close friends as this behavior can result in the reduction of self-control both on and offline. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia Business School found that users who are focused on close friends tend to experience an increase in self-esteem while browsing their social network (Stephen & Wilcox, 2013). Afterwards, however, these users display less-self control which is evidently correlated to these individuals having higher body-mass indexes and higher levels of credit-card debt (Stephen & Wilcox, 2013). A study conducted regarding the use of Facebook and its effects in its users self-esteem found that Facebook only increased participants’ self-esteem when they were focused on the information they were presenting to others (Stephen & Wilcox, 2013). Keith Wilcox, assistant professor of marketing at Columbia Business School and coauthor of this Facebook research experiment, explained that, â€Å"We find that people experience greater self-esteem when they focus on the image they are presenting to strong ties in their social networks. This suggests that even though people are sharing the same positive information with string ties and weak ties on social networks, they feel better about themselves when the information is received by strong ties than be weak ties.† Keeping this information in mind, the study continued with its investigation on the relationship between online social network use and offline behaviors associated with poor self-control (Stephen & Wilcox, 2013). The results suggested that greater social network use is associated with a higher body-mass index, increased binge eating, a lower credit score, and higher levels of credit-card debt for individuals with strong ties to their social network (Stephen & Wilcox, 2013). Therefore, this study can make the implication that self-control is an important mechanism for maintaining social order and well-being, however, the desire for positive reinforcement on social media outweighs rational, controlled decision making. To better understand the loss of control experienced through social networking site interactions, the self-presentation theory can be used to explain how influential social media has become during the management of an individual’s private and public self. Self-presentation is the process by which individuals represent themselves to the social world, occurring at both the conscious and the unconscious levels of cognition (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2008). Self-presentation can be used as a means to manage the impressions others form of oneself, extending into strategic or tactical self-presentation, otherwise known as impression management, which occurs when an individual seeks to create a desired image of invoke a desired response from others (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2008). Largely a prosocial event, self-presentation forces an individual to negotiate through social interactions in order to fulfill the psychological needs for social approval. Self-presentation is complex as it involves both the individual’s interpersonal cues such as the perceived responses of others, and the function of social situations in response to cues from the social environment (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2008). Therefore, self-presentation is both an individual experience and a social phenomenon, highlighting the tensions between human interactions (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2008). Much of the content produced on social media is photographs, links and information posts used to present one’s online self. Self-presentation theory, as discussed previously, is considered to be motivated by the desire to make a favorable impression on others, or an impression that corresponds to ones’ ideals, which an extend to the projection of an online identity (Herring & Kapidzic, 2015). Social media provides a platform for Millennials to explore the effects of their self-presented image on their peers. Generally, photo posts, as well as text posts occasionally, generate positive feedback and, thus, have a positive impact on self-esteem. Visual content is a central resource for creating an appropriate online impression, and an attribute many Millennials focus on when seeking social approval. Therefore, the self-presentation theory helps to support the hypothesis that Millennials participate in reckless spending in order to create an adequate online image when viewed by others. Methodology To determine the extent to which social media influences the Millennial generation’s financial stature, research will be focused on an analysis of statistical evidence regarding first, Millennials’ emphasis on the need to experience social acceptance on various social media platforms, then, on how social media influences the spending tendencies of Millennials’ frugal minds. The background information presented during the literature review was necessary to understanding how previous financial struggles have controlled the spending habits of the Millennial generation, training them to recognize the necessity to conscious spend in an effort to maximize a financial future. The statistical evidence will then support the argument that social media creates a divide between the understanding for frugal spending and Millennial actions as they are coerced into spending recklessly in order to achieve social approval from their peers via social media recognition. Findings Social Media and its Relationship to the Millennial Generation’s Social Acceptance After reviewing background information on Millennials’ financial experiences, it is evident that Millennials have established an inherent necessity to save due to their poor financial self-esteem created by an immense amount of debt accumulation and financial distrust. However, I make the argument that Millennials are distanced from their understanding of the necessity to save due to their overwhelming desire to portray an over-exaggerated, lavish lifestyle on their social media sites. As subclinical narcissists who showcase self-sufficiency on the surface while subconsciously craving positive reinforcement from their peers through social media acceptance, Millennials have prorized their online relationships, placing an emphasis on depicting a life of interest within the social realm, and, ultimately, altering how they think about real world friendships and relationships. To better understand the impact social media has had on Millennial relationships, a brief background on ho w online interactions has influenced the dynamics of young people’s social lives is explored in the following analysis. A 2016 study conducted by the Nielsen Norman group found that premature exposure to social media has influenced Millennials’ approach to friendships, relationships and self-image as their subtle online interactions have become explicit and visible, causing social contexts to become merged and entangled. In 2006, the Pew Research Center found that 55 percent of teenagers reported having at least one social media account. However in 2010, just four years later, 73 percent of younger Millennials, around the age of middle to high school adolescents, and 78 percent of older Millennials, college-aged young adults, reported having a social media presence (Meyer, 2016). Today, approximately 90 percent of Millennials, both teens and young adults alike, have at least one social media account, many of them updating an average of four or more accounts at a time (Meyer, 2016). With the attention Millennials place on creating and maintaining positive online interactions, social media has al so become a means of expressing the extent of personal relationships. For example in 2004, the social media site MySpace added a â€Å"Top 8† feature, which allowed for teens to manually choose their top 8 friends. They were soon after forced to remove the display feature because it became an anxiety-inducing decision for many young Millennials (Meyer, 2016). Other popular social media terms such as, â€Å"friending,† â€Å"Facebook official,† â€Å"likes,† or â€Å"favorites† are visible, quantitative expressions of the positive reinforcement Millennials feel toward a person, event, or opinion. A study conducted by researchers at UCLA explored the effects of social media â€Å"likes† on the Millennial brain. A â€Å"like† is a click made by a social media user that symbolizes an instant, outward expression of approval. The study found that, regardless of the basic qualities of the photo or post, Millennials revealed more excitement i n the reward center of their brains when they viewed a photo or post with many â€Å"likes† (Meyer, 2016). Therefore, â€Å"likes† symbolize augmented social proof and acceptance, representing the peer pressure Millennials feel to remain socially intriguing. One of the most widespread instances of social proof gained from social media is the number of â€Å"retweets,† â€Å"favorites,† â€Å"likes,† or â€Å"shares† received on a photo or post (Tate, 2018). Social proof can be used to explain why Millennials worry about straying too far from the pack, or looking inadequate to comparison to their peers. As mentioned previously, Millennials crave group acceptance more than they desire individuality. Therefore, social media serves as a resemblance of what the group is doing, allowing for Millennials to learn what is deemed socially acceptable, and then find comfort in the recognition that their actions are â€Å"normal† (Tate, 2018). Adriana Manago, an assistant professor of psychology at UC Santa Cruz who studies the social media tendencies of adolescents and young adults, explains that Millennials are using social media to establish their own agency and manage their relationships with their peers (Witte, 2017). Manago theorizes that Millennials use technology as a tool used to navigate their way into adulthood, explaining that young adults turn to social media to explore their place in the world around them (Witte, 2017). Therefore, social media helps Millennials feel more connected within the offline world as it provides a space for identity exploration, bridging the gap between the offline and online worlds. The online realm provides Millennials a platform to manage social contexts by practicing and participating in specific social behaviors without the pressure of visibly or physically backing their actions or remarks. When Millennials participate in social media activities, they are experiencing a context collapse, or the requirement to accurately perform varying social behaviors in order to appropriately manage different social media contexts (Boyd, 2014). For example, a Facebook post and an Instagram post may be the same message, however differ in the delivery depending on the platform’s audience or following. In other words, each distinct audience requires a different social behavior in order to interpret the post appropriately. Context collapse, as determined through various studies, is more complex for adolescent Millennials as they navigate an intense period of self-definition (Boyd, 2014). Millennials, therefore, have invented strategies to help them manage the merging of various social contexts, relying heavily on the approval of specific audience members on each social media platform they maintain. Boyd (2014) in her book, Its Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, found that Facebook is considered to be the most diverse in connections with audience members ranging from online seniors (65 or older) regularly operating their Facebook page to employers actively searching profiles for potential employees. Twitter was found to represent connections with special interests such as news, celebrities, musicians, or companies, and less with friends and family members (Boyd, 2014). Instagram was reported to be the most entertainment-oriented platform, primarily used for sharing photos of experiences or interests with friends and followers (Boyd, 2014). Therefore, Millennials’ decision on where to share photos or posts depends on the interests of the audience members following each platform, as well as the visibility of the post in order to render the most social interaction possible. When asked where to post a photo, one Millennial responded, â€Å"It depends on the quality of the picture, and who would see it. On Facebook it’d be primarily family, because those are the people who pay attention to my page. On Twitter, depending on the time of day, it might not be seen at all.† (Boyd, 2014). Therefore, the stress of managing multiple audiences across several social contexts puts pressure on Millennials to constantly maintain an acceptable social media presence. Social Media and its Relationship to the Millennial Generation’s Finances As discussed previously, the money habits of Millennials allude to the potential for a better financial position than previous generations, as Millennials instinctively understand the necessity to save. Millennials continue to take strides toward a strong, self-sufficient financial future, with 58 percent prioritizing saving for retirement as an essential necessity (Riley, 2018). Another 71 percent of Millennials reported using tricks encouraged by financial advisors to set aside money in an effort to achieve specific monetary goals, while an additional 41 percent said they always allocated money into their savings accounts each month (Riley, 2018). The â€Å"Generations Ahead† study conducted by the Allianz Life Insurance Company (2018) found that 77 percent of Millennials feel financially confident due to their ability to consciously save, a drastic difference compared to only 64 percent of Generation X respondents when asked the same question. Similar to the Allianz Life Insurance study, â€Å"Generations Ahead,† the Wells Fargo Millennial Study also found that seven in ten Millennials, or 69 percent, feel more financially stable than others in their own generation, and 68 percent see themselves with a better standard of living before retirement than previous generations. Therefore, it can be concluded that Millennials reflect a higher financial self-image when comparing themselves to their own generations rather than to generations prior. This indicates that Millennials may be more inclined to spend recklessly in an effort to showcase falsified high financial stature, even if it is financed primarily through debt accumulation. Additionally, the Wells Fargo study concluded that 84 percent of Millennials feel they have the skills to be successful in their chosen careers, and another 78 percent confidently believe if they were to lose their job, they could find a comparable career with ease. Therefore, as Millennials feel more successful with their financial planning through innovative ways to build financial strength, they are becoming more confident in their abilities to spend wisely. However, Paul Kelash, vice president of communication and consumer insights for Allianz Life, explains, â€Å"The most significant finding was the dichotomy between Millennials’ ability to be successful in financial planning yet so vulnerable to social media and spending beyond their means.† Therefore, the pressure social media places on Millennials to maintain an appropriate presence contradicts Millennials’ appreciation for frugal spending, thus proving the power social media maintains over the actions and decisions of the Millennial generation.   According to statistics and conclusions explained previously, an argument can be made that social media is influencing Millennial financial growth by indirectly encouraging them to spend recklessly. Contradicting prior statistical conclusions that the Millennial generation takes the financial planning lead when compared to other prior generations, the Allianz Life Insurance Company reports that 63 percent of Millennials consider themselves spenders, while 51 percent of Generation Xers and only 36 percent of Baby Boomers would consider themselves spenders (Riley, 2018). The following statistics help support the argument that Millennial financial growth is stunted by their exposure to social media. According to the Allianz Life Insurance Company’s â€Å"Generations Ahead† study, 88 percent of respondents believe social media creates more of a tendency to compare their lifestyles and wealth to others. An additional 57 percent said they spend money they had not yet budgeted for due to the influences from what they viewed on social media (Riley, 2018). Kelash explains that, â€Å"Millennials are more immersed in social media than past generations. Therefore, they could be swayed more than other cohorts by social media and the temptation to spend beyond their means. That could hurt them over the long term if they aren’t careful.† According to a 2013 survey conducted by Eventbrite, when it comes to money, Millennials value experiences over material items. Eventbrite’s study found that the Millennial generation not only values experiences, but is increasingly spending time and money on events in an effort to live a meaningful, happy life. Through statistical evidence, it can be concluded that happiness for the Millennial generation cannot be gained through a lifetime of accumulated material possessions. Rather, a happy life is determined by the ability to create, capture and share memories in an effort to gain the recognition of social peers. Approximately 78 percent of Millennials choose to spend money on desirable experiences or events, with 55 percent of Millennials saying they are spending more on events and live experiences than ever before (Eventbrite, 2013). Therefore, Millennials crave more experiences, increasing the demand for real-life interactions. With the emphasis placed on gathering experiences rather than material goods, Millennial spending is significantly different when compared to the spending habits of generations prior. More than 8 in 10 Millennial respondents, approximately 82 percent, said they attended or participated in a variety of live experiences over the past year, including parties, concerts, festivals, or themed sporting events (Eventbrite, 2013). Further, 72 percent of these respondents even said they would like to increase their spending on experiences rather than material items over the next year, alluding to the idea that materialism will be replaced by the demand for real-life experiences (Eventbrite, 2013). Millennials also explained that these real-life experiences help shape their identity, holding more social currency than physical items as these events create everlasting memories. Almost 8 in 10, or 77 percent, of Millennials say their best memories are from an event or live experience they attended or participated in (Eventbrite, 2013). Interestingly enough, however, Millennials also explain that capturing these events on photo sharing apps like Instagram and Snapchat actually makes the experience more enjoyable. 60 percent of Millennials explain that experiences are better shared through social media platforms (Eventbrite, 2013). 69 percent of respondents also explained that attending these live experiences makes them feel more connected to other people, the community and the world (Eventbrite, 2013). Therefore, just attending the live event does not constitute the entire experience for Millennials. Millennials, instead, finalize their overall opinion of an event based on their ability to share and gain the approval of others via various social media platforms as research has proven that Millennials tweet, share and post more about the events they attend than any other generation. One explanation for this necessity to spend money on life experiences comes from Millennials’ constant feeling of FOMO. Millennials are often critiqued for reckless spending and impulsive purchases due to what they describe as FOMO, or the â€Å"Fear Of Missing Out† on a situation (PR Newswire, 2016). Generated by the Millennial generation’s creative social media vocabulary, FOMO is a state of social anxiety an individual feels when peers or friends are enjoying activities without them, and is often triggered by social media postings (Meyer, 2016). The Allianz Life survey found that 55 percent of Millennials reported experiencing FOMO, while another 61 percent felt inadequate about their own lives and what they have due to the attention other users receive on social media recognized through â€Å"likes† or â€Å"favorites† (Riley, 2018). As previous statistics have proven, portraying a successful adult life on social media heavily influences Millennials’ decisions to spend recklessly. Millennials have been criticized for diving headfirst into financial situations, assuming responsibilities without proper financial support. Shannon Lee Simmons, a Toronto financial planner for many Millennials, explains, â€Å"Those people with the new house on Instagram? They’re miserable.† (PR Newswire, 2016). Being a Millennial herself, Simmons understands the pressure to live an interesting life in order to be deemed as attractive or intriguing on social media platforms. Simmons advises her clients to prioritize debt repayment, live only within the boundaries their paychecks allow, and continually put money into a savings account each month. However, most Millennials are not honest with themselves about the cost of living these extravagant, Instagram lifestyles. An online survey conducted by Go Banking found that Millennials find it difficult to resist the urge to spend recklessly, paying for social events by relying on credit cards, borrowing from friends or family members, or sometimes even neglecting to pay bills. Additionally, as a Millennial myself, I argue that because debt has become an expected part of consumer spending and an innate aspect of the Millennials’ financial experience, Millennials are more likely to spend money they do not have with the expectation of paying it off in the future. I believe this is largely due to Millennial optimism, or the confidence Millennials feel regarding many aspects of their personal lives such as the confidence they feel toward their expected success in their chosen career paths and, therefore, help to lower the stress surrounding debt accumulation. Because Millennials have a tendency to impulsively spend, however, I make the argument that financial optimism is categorized as wishful thinking, or a means of resolving conflicts between reality and desire through pleasing imagination instead of recognizing hard evidence and rationality, and remains financially unsupported. The combination of reckless, social media-encouraged spending, debt accumulation, and wishful thinking reveals the immature side of Millennial spending, a side driven by the pressures to create and maintain an intriguing image within the immense, extremely competitive social realm. Therefore, social media has influenced the emotional spending of the Millennial generation, bombarding them with information on what their friends and followers are doing to such an extent that their prior understanding for the necessity to practice conscious saving is pushed out of mind. Further Discussion / Conclusion Through the literature review’s analysis of the background of Millennials’ financial self-esteem and potential reasons why they resemble poor financial stature, it can be declared that the Millennial generation suffers from a lifetime of financial experiences causing predetermined feelings towards practicing frugal spending habits as a requirement for future financial wellbeing. However, as the content analysis provides expertise on how social media has influenced the way Millennials spend their money, convincing them of the necessity to achieve substantial social acceptance physically represented through their peers’ â€Å"likes† and â€Å"favorites,† an argument can be made and support that emphasizes the hypothesis that social media has negatively affected millennials financial reflection as attending live events only increases their debt accumulated. 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