Customer analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Customer analysis - Essay Example The hotel management has had discussions and is continuing to conduct further discussions with the event planners, especially the wedding planners from the Indian community in order to expand its customer base. It will also conduct road shows and take part in wedding conventions to promote and create awareness of their products. This region is projected to account for over a third of the hotel’s revenue in Singapore. Primary targets of MBS include Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam (Majumder, 2010). According to Tanasijevich (2011), Malaysia is expected to produce 10 percent same as Thailand and Indonesia while 8 percent is expected from Vietnam. China, on the other hand, accounts for 6 percent of the Marina Bay Sands business. The hotel has an advantage with respect to its location at the centre of the city. The hotel’s operations are expected to be consistent with minor variations in the number of customers during weekdays and weekends during which c ustomers spend their leisure time. There is also another market that Marina Bay Sands is eyeing, that is the Middle East. Marina Bay Sands is expecting to be flying customers between Singapore and Middle East. The need of Singapore to enhance tourism in their country through promoting MICE business and increasing family entertainment opened a vast gaming market for Marina Bay Sands which falls into their target market. This gaming market is described as more aggressive and large; therefore, Marina Bay Sands is extending liable gaming training to everyone so that the gaming evolution is understood to enhance understanding of this service. The Marina Bay Sands management explains that the casino gaming business is a principal target market in the early years. This is because it is expected to significantly surpass the MICE and room business before levelling up in the long term (Chiang, 2010). Chiang (2010) says that Marina Bay Sands also targets local and regional markets of music lov ers, anime enthusiasts and aspiring artists to stage their creative work by sponsoring events such as SAAP Singapore and Anime Festival Asia. It has something for everybody such as a big swimming pool that outsizes a football field, shops, fast food and restaurant, nightclubs and lounges. In terms of demographics Marina Bay Sands is targeting almost equally with respect to gender where expected male market is 51 percent as compared to 49 percent of the female market. The hotel has also targeted the middle aged population ranging from 25 to 55 years expected to have a percentage of 66% while that of below 25 years being 20% and the remaining 14% is expected to be older people aged above 55 years. Couples without children are expected to outnumber those who have children in their households by 65% to 35% respectively. Caucasians are expected to dominate the customer base by 71 percent followed by Asian ethnicity at 11 percent. People with income below USD50000 are expected to be fewer i.e. 16% as compared to those earning above USD 50000 at intervals of USD 50000 having a small difference not exceeding 2% (Pdlangen, 2010). The high demand and Controlled supply of gaming when merged with the design of Marina Bay Sands makes the hotel to stand a chance of being the most Profitable casino in the region and the world at large. This is because each

Sophie Neveu Finds the Truth Essay Example for Free

Sophie Neveu Finds the Truth Essay In the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Sophie embarks on a journey to not only to find the Holy Grail but also the truth about her family. Sophie’s character changed a lot throughout the story, she became a lot more aware about what is goes on in the world and how one’s past and history can have a big impact in life. She had to learn and grow as a person because of how much pressure she was on while figuring out the answers to all of the secret messages her grandfather left her. She also had to face a lot of difficulties due to the fact that she had so many people standing in the way and trying to hurt her and reveal the secret. Sophie Neveu is the granddaughter of the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, Jacques Sauniere, the only real background we have of her is that her grandfather raised her from a very early age, after her parents were killed in a car accident (82). We find out that Sauniere trained her to solve complicated word puzzles as a young girl and that it was these puzzles and riddles that sparked her interest in solving them (218). The fact that she was exposed to puzzles and riddles when she was a child is likely the reason why she ended up working in a field that revolved around that topic. One of the things that give us some insight into Sophie’s personality is when we are told about a day when she accidentally discovered a strange key in her grandfathers room inscribed with the initials P.S. (118). This isn’t until much deeper into the book but it really defines who Sophie Neveu is because it shows how she struggled to find the truth about her family’s history from a very young age and that Sauniere was keeping secrets from her. This caused her to get even more curious about her past and is one of the main reasons why she becomes so dedicated to finding the Grail. Something that is really interesting about Sophie is the fact that her name’s meaning is that of the ancient goddess of wisdom, the icon of the divine feminine, Sophia; which means wisdom, this is very interesting becau se she does display wisdom at many points throughout the novel and out-shinning Robert most of the time. Throughout the book Sophie learns the reasons behind her grandfathers strange behavior and why he kept so many things hidden from her. At the beginning of the story we are told that she had stopped all forms of communication from her grandfather because of an estrange ritual she saw him be a part of and we are told that she had not spoken or seen him until the night of his murder (76-77). This shows that at a very young age Sophie had to deal with a very traumatic experience that shaped her personality and made her become a strong woman and caused her to not show much emotion. Sophie is a cryptologist working for the Parisian police and therefore a very intelligent woman. She shows she’s intelligent because she realizes that the message â€Å"P.S: Find Robert Langdon† is meant for her; She delivers a message to Robert Langdon letting him know that Officer Fache finds him as the prime suspect of Sauniere’s death. She reveals to Langdon that she is Sauniere’ s granddaughter and tells Langdon that she was sure of it because her grandfather used to call her Princess Sophie as a child. (76-77). Sophie’s talk to Langdon in the bathroom of the Louvre sets up the plot for the entire novel as well as give us some very important background information about Sophie, not only do we become aware of how intelligent she is but we also realize that she is brave enough to go against Fache and the Parisian police if it means finding out the truth about her past and family. Sophie doesn’t tell anybody else about the message her grandfather left her because she realizes that if her grandfather didn’t want anyone else to know what had happened. Being the only one that knows that Sauniere was hiding something important causes Sophie to act impulsively and helps Langdon escape from the police. It isn’t until farther into the book that we are told that her grandfather raised her from a after her parents were killed in a car accident and that he then proceeded to train her to solve complicated word puzzles and even made a cryptex for her (216). We are given brief flashbacks of her life, which prove that she was curious and hungry for knowledge from an early age. An example of this is that we are told that she accidentally discovered a strange key in her grandfathers room inscribed with the initials P.S. and that she tried looking for information about her family but anytime she tried Sauniere would get mad and tell her to forget about them. (118). This has a lot to do with her personality as an adult and being part of the Parisian police as a cryptographer, the fact that she spends her days at work figuring out puzzles and hidden messages shows that living with Sauniere made her become good at unscrambling and finding out the truth, the way she was brought up by Sauniere shaped her personality to be that of a person who doesn’t fully trust people and that is worthy of knowing important information such as the location of the Holy Grail. Sophie finds out at the end of the book that she is a descendant of the Merovingians, a living descendant of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene and that she is; literally, what her grandfather nicknamed her when she was a child: â€Å"Princess Sophie.† She also finds out that Sauniere wasn’t really her grandfather but that since he was the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion she would be safer with him. He chose to protect her and prepare her for what he knew was coming. The rest of the Priory then welcomes Sophie and tell her that they will protect her. At the beginning Sophie is brave and intelligent, she exhibits confidence and knowledge about her job and surroundings, but thought-out the novel and as she starts to unravel more of the secret and the Holy Grail she seems to leave that confidence behind and start questioning he past and who Sauniere really was. She starts showing more emotion throughout the novel and the closer we get to the end. Sophie is a strong woman who got a bit confused because of the uncertainty of her past and not knowing that she could trust. Works Cited Brown, Dan. The De Vinci Code, NY: Anchor, 2003. Print.

Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies

Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies CHAPTER I: Violence perpetrated by Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) increased dramatically in 2006 and continued to rise dramatically through 2010.   According to the National Drug Intelligence Centers â€Å"National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010†, published in February 2010, â€Å"Mexican DTOs dominate the transportation of illicit drugs across the Southwest Border.   They typically use commercial trucks and private and rental vehicles to smuggle cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin† (National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010).   The increase in DTO activity has resulted in an increase of military involvement in counterdrug operations along the U.S. southwestern border region.   The tables in the appendices outline the statistical extent of the problem and the geographic penetration of Mexican DTOs within the United States.   Americas densely populated southern border with Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles in length and possesses several established crossing points.   In areas along northern Mexico, DTOs organize and equip themselves with resources that out match Mexican military forces (McCaffrey 2009).   With these developments, it is necessary to consider increased U.S. military support to drug interdiction along the southwest border, as DTOs are a national security threat that directly plays a role in destabilizing the heavily trafficked areas in both the U.S. and Mexico. Problem Statement The problem is to determine what Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies (MSCLEA) should be brought to bear against Mexican DTOs to interdict and reduce the flow of drugs across the Southwest Border. Research Objective This research aimed at answering and elucidating the following objectives: What capabilities does the U.S. military already have in the southwest border region to counter drug trafficking? What is the DTOs current capability to interdict drugs across the border (e.g. weapons, funding, resources)? What are the American laws and regulations governing the use of MSCLEA?   Is it financially feasible to increase MSCLEA? Assumptions The main premise to this research is based on the assumption that increasing the resources used to interdict the drug trafficking in the southwest border region will have a positive impact in disrupting DTOs operations, decreasing the amount of drugs trafficked and aiding in stabilizing the southwest border region.   Some groups advocate other approaches to the problem such as legalization and establishing additional treatment programs for users and abusers of illegal drugs.   Moreover, on the supply side, the assumption is diplomatic pressure on the countries that produce the drugs or assistance to their military and police organizations is necessary to increase the effectiveness.   This proposal assumes that enhanced interdiction efforts on the Southwest border will negatively impact Mexican DTOs and reduce use of illegal drugs within the United States. Additionally, the results and recommendations for this research assumed that all military assistance falls within Title 32 Duty and Article I,  § 8 of the Constitution that allows the National Guard to be used under the command and control of the governor to execute the laws of the Union, in order to suppress rebellion and deter invasions (Withers, 2010 p. 6). Definition of Terms Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies (MSCLEA):   Technical assistance rendered to civilian law enforcement agencies.   This can include military resources that are not available to civilians such as aerial surveillance, technical assistance with these resources, and tactical advice.   It does not include actual law enforcement powers (Sergienko, 2006, p. 395). Interdiction efforts:    All efforts used to reduce the flow of illegal drugs into the United States on the ground (or underground) across the Southwest border.   Success equals increased levels of drug seizures. Southwest border:   The land border between the U.S. and Mexico; also called the U.S.-Mexico border. Limitations and delimitations This study is limited to ground interdiction.   Drug smuggling is an incredibly profitable enterprise.   If ground interdiction efforts are to prove effective, it presumes that DTOs would attempt to move their operations into marine and aerial operations.   However, this study will only consider the deployment of marine and aerial assets as they relate to ground operations.   This study will limit its focus of the Southwest to the three major DTO interdiction routes located in Texas, New Mexico, and California.   The strategies proposed or dismissed in this research may or may not be appropriate to compare with the interdiction efforts on other borders such as the northern border with Canada. This study will be limited to cooperation with civilian law enforcement agencies within the United States.   It will not consider support for Mexican civilian law enforcement agencies nor will it consider cooperation with the Mexican military although it will acknowledge that they are now the lead agency in struggle with DTOs within Mexico. All proposals for MSCLEA will be governed by the U.S Constitution, relevant U.S. laws and the USNORTHCOM directives on MSCLEA, â€Å"Military support to civilian law enforcement is carried out in strict compliance with the Constitution and U.S. laws and under the direction of the president and secretary of defense† (USNORTHCOM). CHAPTER II: Literature Review This chapter provides an overview of the literature examined.   It identifies the dominant literature and sources that will provide arguments addressing DTOs drug smuggling, MSCLEAs and the current situation along the Southwest border.   The academic debate concerning MSCLEA on the border focuses primarily on the issue of illegal immigration and second on drug interdiction.   There are only a few books on the topic.   Therefore, research will focus on scholarly articles, government studies, and statistical data available through the U.S. Border Patrol and Department of Enforcement Administration. Timothy Dunns 1996 book, The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home is a study that compares data collected through interviews with military doctrine, law enforcement, congressional documents, and personal observations.   Dunns intent is to illustrate that increased activity along the southwest border escalated forcing military involvement in immigration and drug enforcement to a level unintended by Congress and defense officials.   Dunn provides insight to the difficulty associated with MSCLEA along the southwest border.   This historical data requires comparison to the post 9/11 challenges. There are numerous government studies and reports related to previous and current U.S. counterdrug program.   The Congressional Research Service (CRS) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) prepared most reports for members of Congress.   The National Drug and Control Policy also have a number of useful products.   Stephen Vina CRS report in 2006, Border Security and Military Support: Legal Authorizations and Restrictions outlines military support legal and policy limitations with in the U.S.   His study states military support to DTO is feasible however, it must be restricted to the employment of Nation Guard for border security missions vice the employment of active duty (GAO, 2003).   The 2010 report Department of Defense Needs to Improve Its Performance Measurement System to Better Manage and oversee Its Counternarcotics Activities demonstrates congressional interest in measures of effectiveness to justify MSCLEA in the early 1990s.   The 1993 Heavy Investment in Military Surveillance is Not Paying Off   report   findings suggest some military assets, such as rotary wing transport and lower-end unmanned aerial vehicles are relatively inexpensive and within the potential budget of federal law enforcement.   Other assets such as large multi-role aircraft and naval vessels, are very expensive operate and maintain.   The GAO (2009) study concluded that military surveillance is costly particularly when modern technology systems designed to detect and control highly sophisticated weapon systems in combat situations are employed against a DTO smuggling threat. Together, these two reports support content from the recent Washington Office on Latin America report that strongly suggest there must be a separation of military and police roles in America.   George Withers would agree there is a lack of measures of effectiveness justifying military support on the border. The GAO study, Secure Border Initiative: Observations on Deployment Challenges discusses the challenges of integrating sensors and obstacles along the 2000-mile Southwest border.   Conversely,   the 2007 report, U.S. Assistance Has Helped Mexican Counternarcotics Efforts, but Tons of Illicit Drugs Continue to Flow Into the United States clearly demonstrates the difficulties of combating the supply of drugs.   This study bring about discussion to identify the gaps in capability could be leveraged with unique available military resources.   The Rise of Mexican Drug Cartel and U.S. National Security hearing conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice illustrated the success of interagency cooperation against targeting DTOs.   The report provides an overview of the capability of the DTOs operating along the southwest border and describes their ability to conduct drug trafficking, kidnapping, bribery, extortion, money laundering and smuggling of profits, and trafficking and use of dangerous firearms.   The report concludes that the best strategy to combat the full spectrum of the drug cartels operations is a holistic approach that employs the full spectrum of our law enforcement agencies and its resources, expertise, and statutory authorities.   The Mexican border states have become much like a war zone with heavily armed military units on the street (since the President deemed local police too corrupt to deal with the cartels) and frequent firefights between the military and the cartels.   According to L.A. Times, as of November 29, 2010, 28,288 people have died in Mexico since January 2007 because of the drug wars.   In relative terms, that number is higher than the number of American troops that have died in Iraq in the last seven years (Mexico under Siege The Drug War on Our Doorstep, 2010). â€Å"Mexico Under Siege The Drug War on Our Doorstep†, is an L.A. Times website that includes all of their coverage of drug smuggling along the Southwest border along with interactive maps, links to television coverage and a host of other information.   This website is the principle primary source for details of recent events and media coverage of the situation.   Additionally, the website â€Å"Drug Trafficking in Mexico† maintained by latinamericanstudies.org traces the history of the drug trafficking between Mexico and the U. S. from 1998-2009.   This website provides links to hundreds of other articles on the subject as well. The Congressional Reporting Service publication â€Å"Terrorism: Some Legal Restrictions on Military Assistance to Domestic Authorities Following a Terrorist Attack† by Charles Doyle and Jennifer Elsea presents the legal definition of MSCLEAs in the wake of post 9/11 developments (Doyle and Elsea, 2005). Increased MSCLEA issues emerged in the 1980s and 1990s with regard to the interdiction of drugs.   However, since 9/11 they have largely revolved around the role of MSCLEA around terrorism related incidents.   The official policy of the United States Army on MSCLEA is contained in the Catastrophic Disaster Response Staff Officers Handbook â€Å"Appendix I: Legal Considerations/Law Enforcement† published by the United States Army Combined Arms Center in May 2006.   This document is supplemented by a paper prepared by Colonel Thomas W. McShane entitled, â€Å"United States Northern Commands Mission to Provide Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies: The Challenge to keep Homeland Security and Civil Liberty Dancing in Step with the Current Legal Music† (2004). There are varieties of publications that deal with the history of MSCLEA for Counter-drug Operations.   Most of the U.S. policy affecting domestic counterdrug MSCLEA require updates and fails to reflect the realities of the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.   Two of these stand out as having particular importance for this proposal.   The first is The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low-Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home by Timothy J Dunn, published in 1996.   The second is a Rand Corporation report entitled Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction written by Peter Reuter, Gordon Crawford, and Jonathan Cave published in 1988.   Both of the documents are dated however, they will provide a historical context to compare to current operations.   Reuter concludes that military support provided in the war on drugs in the 1980s w as costly, ineffective, and distracted military forces from preparing for interstate combat missions. Both documents are roughly twenty years old and this means that their consideration of everything from the technology of interdiction efforts to the scope and influence of DTOs is dated.   On the other hand, both documents precede the emergence of the overwhelming threat of terrorist attacks and therefore the focus is on MSCLEAs in a pre-9/11 context with the emphasis on drug interdiction, not anti-terrorism operations. Most importantly, both of these documents present a negative image of interdiction efforts.   The U.S. military interdiction efforts, although criticize provides an approach from two different perspectives.   The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low-Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home published by the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin focuses on the negative effects of the militarization of the border in terms of lost economic opportunities and threats to civil liberties. More condemning, however, is the Rand Corporation document, Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction.   It concludes that interdiction efforts in general have little impact on the flow of drugs into the United States.   Furthermore, it concludes that an increase in military involvement did not improve the interdiction effectiveness efforts and was unlikely to do so in the future.   The Rand study strongly suggests that the military cannot be the primary interdiction agency and that a major increase in military support is unlikely to reduce drug consumption significantly in the United States (Reuter, Crawford and Cave, 1988). The findings are not practical for exploring renewed efforts to employ enhanced MSCLEA in the interdiction effort in the twenty-first century.   There are numerous reservations about applying this study directly to the current situation.   This study will examine interdiction in terms of interdiction (seizure) rates, not reduced consumption, and the price of illicit drugs as examined by the Rand study. In addition, the circumstances of the drug trade across the Southwestern border have changed considerably over the past nine years, as have the military resources available to employ against interdiction effort.   The DTOs are now using RPGs and other military type weaponry consequently the military has UAVs and other surveillance equipment that was not available in the 1980s. The Rand study is incredibly important to understanding the history of military involvement in drug interdiction on the Southwest border.   However, the findings do not constitute the final word on the subject today as it is over twenty years old. It is imperative to examine literature that relates to the policies and procedures for MSCLEAs and the organization of cooperative efforts between the MSCLEAs.   Doctrine for this already exists for both the military and civilian organizations.   The Joint Task Force North, â€Å"JTF-North Operational Support Planning Guide 2010† outlines the military perspective on joint military-civilian operations.   The police understanding of the relationship is outlined in â€Å"Civilian and Military Law Enforcement Cooperation† published in The Police Chief (Awtry, 2004). The study Preach What You Practice: The Separation of Military and Police Roles in the Americas argues that military employment to assist law enforcement agencies falls the Posse Comitatus Act limits however, there is no imminent â€Å"threat of attack† on the United States.   Therefore, they question the need for a heightened militarization of the southwest border (Withers, Santos, Isacsoni, 2010 p 8).   This report suggest that instead of supporting a military response, the U.S. government re align its resources to focus on additional aid for police and law enforcement capabilities within Mexico.   They recommend this aid be in the form strengthening law enforcement training, equipment, and technology rather than merely training in counter-drug tactics.   The JTF North website lists the following capabilities as operational support the U. S. military is prepared to provide federal law enforcement agencies: aviation transportation, including both insertion and extraction of personnel; aviation reconnaissance; air and maritime surveillance radar; unmanned aircraft systems; ground surveillance radar; listening post and observation post surveillance; ground sensor operations; and ground transportation.   The consensus within NORTHCOM appears to be the military is capable of supplying resources that enhance law enforcement ability to interdict the threats along the southwest border.   Under USNORTHCOM, the military conducts a variety of domestic exercises aimed at using the military and National Guard under the presidents control in a wide range of U.S. homeland emergencies such as terrorist events and even domestic violence.   Which is the threat currently demonstrated by DTOs.   The exercises do not involve any Mexican entities, NORTHCOM suggest that an exchange of military personnel and cadets with Mexico as a means of gaining Mexican involvement in NORTHCOM, as well as regular talks about cooperation could increase the effectiveness of combating DTO activity along the border.   Jose Palafox addresses militarization of the border and the applicability of military counterdrug operations along the U.S.-Mexican border in 1990.   He closely examines the 1996 structure of JTF-6 and then concludes that a JTF consisting of only a brigade-size unit could effectively conduct sustained operations to interdict border drug trafficking along the two-thousand-mile boundary.   JTF-6 was renamed JTF North in a ceremony Sept. 28, 2004, and its mission was expanded beyond the drug war to include providing homeland security support to the nations federal law enforcement agencies. The article states the Pentagon is spent approximately $800 million a year to help enforce the drug trafficking laws alone.   The missions ranged from ground reconnaissance, training, logistics, and research.   In 1995, the Department of Defense transferred military technology equipment to Border Patrol in order to upgrade legacy Vietnam War error equipment.   Due to a joint effort by the Justice and Treasury Departments and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Border Patrol also has its own high-tech Border Research and Technology Center near San Diego. The article suggests that JTF-6 operations supporting DTO activity was a success and a necessity for future operations between military and civilian organizations.   Although, Border Patrol received significant upgrades gaps along the porous border remain specifically training and intelligence collection. Major Mark Van Dries 1990 monograph titled Drug Interdiction: Can We Stop the New Pancho Villa, addresses the feasibility of military counterdrug operations along the border in the 1990s.   The study states that drugs are a legitimate national security threat and the vulnerability of drug cartels to military operations.   Drie conclusion supports employment of military forces along the border where legal restraints are not clear and domestic opposition is less likely.   He further articulates that effectively securing the southwest border in 1990 would require a cordon force of 65,000 U.S. troops. Both the article and monograph fail to mention the 1997 tragic death of a U.S. citizen at the hands of a military service member that exposed the difficulties and inherent risks in employing combat focused forces in training missions in support of domestic counterdrug MSCLEA.   Marine Corps Corporal Manuel Banuelos shot and killed Texas high school student Esequiel Hernandez with a single shot from his service rifle.   The incident inspired a backlash against armed military patrols along the border and resulted in cease of the practice.   The current approach is indirect support to law enforcement such as intelligence, engineering, and surveillance (Dunn, 2001, p 14-17).   In summary, this chapter discusses corroborative information relating to drug cartel along US-Mexico borders and its perpetuation within the region which caused escalation of violence, increasing number of death tool and its serious implication to Mexicos politico-economy as well as its diplomatic relation with nations, specially United States. The succeeding chapters will discuss the methodology. CHAPTER III:   Methodology This chapter tackles the research methodology that will be used to assess the military resource requirements to counter drug activity along the Southwest border.   The author will conduct analysis of secondary information by using (a) timeline analysis to account the historical context about the war on drugs, (b) evaluate the laws and regulations associated with MSCLEA and current MSCLEA support in order to determine the most appropriate MSCLEA to counter drug trafficking along the Southwest border, (c) illustrate key developments in the war on drugs and military involvement in supporting the domestic counterdrug effort and (d) evaluate the significance, extent, resource capacity and feasibility of deploying MSCLEA to assist in the interdiction of DTOs across the Southwest border. Research Design This chapter will examine the issue by means of qualitative and quantitative analyses using variety of sources from media accounts, government reports, academic works, and historical documents.   To a lesser extent, opinion pieces will be used when the information is valid and appropriate opposing viewpoints are available for inclusion. Analysis of the results will provide statistical validity to the interpretation of results for the military and for the other agencies such as drug threats provided by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). Sample Sampling is irrelevant in this study. Researcher is not using survey method but will be maximizing secondary information from government reports and earlier studies conducted related to the issue on Mexican drug interdiction. Other related relevant sources will also be inclusively considered. Setting The study will be conducted within American soil although it will also make use of documents from Mexican government which will be accessed, reviewed and evaluated accordingly. Instrumentation This is a qualitative and quantitative longitudinal case study that will use a combination of timeline mapping, conflict-analysis, and triangulation to understand the complex and unending illegal drug trade within the region that has been affecting neighboring and the international communities worldwide due to increasing violence within the area despite security management measures. All historical accounts, records, testimonies and researchers from incessant intervention done by the United States of America will be reviewed, analyzed and be maximized in crafting conclusions and recommendations at the end of the study. Data Collection To address research objective number three, DTOs current ability to interdict drugs across the border, the author will review publicly available information from books, journal articles, and corroborated news media accounts.   The book, Drug Smugglers on Drug Smuggling, will be used to substantiate data from the perspective, motivation and experiences of DTO smugglers. This book interviews experienced smugglers who at one time successfully in defeated drug interdiction measures.   The purpose of this research objective is to identify the nature and extent of DTO exploitation of US Southwest border. Specifically, this question serves to identify DTO resources and methods that are uniquely vulnerable to US military capabilities or where the US military resources can augment civilian law enforcement agencies.   Researcher will further use all information that can be sourced from government agencies, libraries, online research institutions, magazines, journals, court documents, magazines and journals. Data Analysis The author will use historical mapping as an instrument to gather information to assess the length of period and extent of the drug trafficking problem within the region. Historical mapping will also be used to determine the MSCLEA method(s) of involvement introduced by US Southwest region, including the outcome and impact of these interdictions.   Historical mapping will also be used to outline the laws and policies governing MSCLEA that were legislated as a response to countering illegal drug trade in the region. Additionally, analysis of government documents produced by Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) will be analyzed to determine the MSCLEA ability to adequately curtail drug trafficking across the southwest border. Lastly, the author will identify and compare the relative combat power of DTOs and US law enforcement personnel operating along the Southwest border.   Determining the capability gap will exhibit the necessary MSCLEA requirement(s) to effectively reinforce the combat power of law enforcement agencies in order to adequately curtail drug trafficking in the region.   As a mixed quantitative and qualitative study, researcher will present an integrated analysis and inferences into coherent conclusions toward a comprehensive and meaningful explication of the subject studied. Validity and Reliability This research is undertaken with serious consideration of the international and professional standard. Inferences and sequential presentation of information are drawn from primary and secondary sources that are critically evaluated based on acceptable standards of sources. Some information used came from government authorities and decision-making bodies who are honored with their credibility as authorities of the state. Readers who may conduct follow-up research may triangulate information and database used here to further validate reports. Ethical Considerations Researcher observes the highest standard of professional ethics required by the institution. Matters of confidentiality are held sacred while authors, writers, and agencies whose contributions to these subjects are wisely utilized were credited and recognized in the references. The succeeding chapter will substantially discuss the theme of this study. Chapter 4- DISCUSSION Resolving the complex issues on narcotics in the south west border require in-depth reflection on historic interventions made by USA which help increase interdiction on illegal drug-related cartel; evaluate the political capacity of DTO to sustain its illegal operations; triangulate policies of USA in its decision to assist in decreasing the movements of illegal drug trade; and assess the fiscal capacity of the American government to allocate against increasing demand of budget for operations. US Military Capacity vs Drug Trafficking In mid-19th century, United States deployed US Army on its southern border and was mandated to protect the border, interdict bandits, secure lives and properties, conduct regular patrolling and support civil law enforcement against illegal drug cartel business (Matthews, 1959). More than a century have passed, USA is still deploying National Guard Soldiers to the Mexican border as post-9/11 politico-military undertakings (Matthews, 1959). To reckon, from 1846 towards this millennium, US Army sustained its security mandates at the borders hard and rugged terrain (Matthews, 1959).   Reports mentioned that amid disputes, there is also a demand to increase numbers of soldiers (Matthews, 1959).   This is further compounded with critical Mexican politics and US-Mexican diplomatic relations that is affecting Armys operations (Matthews, 1959).   Contextualized in such distinct social character, Armys role was fitted to support to local, state, and Federal civilian agencies. Such nature of intervention is already evident since 1920s (Matthews, 1959). During President George W. Bushs administration decided to deploy about 6,000 Army National Guard Soldiers in 2006 to conduct security border patrol as issues relating to potential terrorist infiltration, increase of illegal drug syndicates activity, and leveling-up of apprehension about illegal immigration to United States en route through Mexico (Matthews, 1959). Though this was regarded with disapproval, there is however recognition to improve border security works albeit controversial use of military personnel to support law enforcement (Matthews, 1959). Both America and Mexico shared ambivalent relations since the former tightened its political control in that shared border coupled with cross-border violent aggressions done by Indians and bandits which accordingly increased the level of enmity (Matthews, 1959). There was however a historic epoch when America and the Mexican governments explored revitalization of goodwill when Major General Philip H. Sheridan waged a campaign against the French.   That provided an opportunity to resolve issues relating to US Armys disposition at the border from 1870 to 1886, including its inherent weakness about lack of personnel and passive defenses against cross-border raids. It also discussed the raid in Mexico in 1873 led by Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzies   and that pre-emptive strike led by Lieutenant Colonel William â€Å"Pecos Bill† Shafters. There was subsequent reduction of attacks but this generated political conflict which grind down American and Mexican goodwill (Matthews, 1959). In 1911 to 1917, the Mexican Revolution caused insecurity in the border and US soldiers realized that static defenses and patrolling couldnt cease terrorist raiders who maintained interest to cross the border. This was also same period when Major General Frederick Funstons attempted to stop the Plan of San Diego plotters and Brigadier General John J. Pershing launched punitive action against Francisco â€Å"Pancho† Villa. The military strategies enforced hot pursuits and preemptive strikes into Mexico to restore order to the border (Matthews, 1959). US Army have also conducted responses to WETBACK Operation in 1954 until they increased their presence in 1978 in Mexican border as a response to same issue on illegal US immigration and anti-drug cartel. The military supports for law enforcement at southern border have also evolved (Matthews, 1959). The historic problem remained in these 20th centuries and the issues pertaining to militarys disposition reverberates (Matthews, 1959 ). It still re-echo the need for defensive position and the discussion on conducting cou Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies CHAPTER I: Violence perpetrated by Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) increased dramatically in 2006 and continued to rise dramatically through 2010.   According to the National Drug Intelligence Centers â€Å"National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010†, published in February 2010, â€Å"Mexican DTOs dominate the transportation of illicit drugs across the Southwest Border.   They typically use commercial trucks and private and rental vehicles to smuggle cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin† (National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010).   The increase in DTO activity has resulted in an increase of military involvement in counterdrug operations along the U.S. southwestern border region.   The tables in the appendices outline the statistical extent of the problem and the geographic penetration of Mexican DTOs within the United States.   Americas densely populated southern border with Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles in length and possesses several established crossing points.   In areas along northern Mexico, DTOs organize and equip themselves with resources that out match Mexican military forces (McCaffrey 2009).   With these developments, it is necessary to consider increased U.S. military support to drug interdiction along the southwest border, as DTOs are a national security threat that directly plays a role in destabilizing the heavily trafficked areas in both the U.S. and Mexico. Problem Statement The problem is to determine what Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies (MSCLEA) should be brought to bear against Mexican DTOs to interdict and reduce the flow of drugs across the Southwest Border. Research Objective This research aimed at answering and elucidating the following objectives: What capabilities does the U.S. military already have in the southwest border region to counter drug trafficking? What is the DTOs current capability to interdict drugs across the border (e.g. weapons, funding, resources)? What are the American laws and regulations governing the use of MSCLEA?   Is it financially feasible to increase MSCLEA? Assumptions The main premise to this research is based on the assumption that increasing the resources used to interdict the drug trafficking in the southwest border region will have a positive impact in disrupting DTOs operations, decreasing the amount of drugs trafficked and aiding in stabilizing the southwest border region.   Some groups advocate other approaches to the problem such as legalization and establishing additional treatment programs for users and abusers of illegal drugs.   Moreover, on the supply side, the assumption is diplomatic pressure on the countries that produce the drugs or assistance to their military and police organizations is necessary to increase the effectiveness.   This proposal assumes that enhanced interdiction efforts on the Southwest border will negatively impact Mexican DTOs and reduce use of illegal drugs within the United States. Additionally, the results and recommendations for this research assumed that all military assistance falls within Title 32 Duty and Article I,  § 8 of the Constitution that allows the National Guard to be used under the command and control of the governor to execute the laws of the Union, in order to suppress rebellion and deter invasions (Withers, 2010 p. 6). Definition of Terms Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies (MSCLEA):   Technical assistance rendered to civilian law enforcement agencies.   This can include military resources that are not available to civilians such as aerial surveillance, technical assistance with these resources, and tactical advice.   It does not include actual law enforcement powers (Sergienko, 2006, p. 395). Interdiction efforts:    All efforts used to reduce the flow of illegal drugs into the United States on the ground (or underground) across the Southwest border.   Success equals increased levels of drug seizures. Southwest border:   The land border between the U.S. and Mexico; also called the U.S.-Mexico border. Limitations and delimitations This study is limited to ground interdiction.   Drug smuggling is an incredibly profitable enterprise.   If ground interdiction efforts are to prove effective, it presumes that DTOs would attempt to move their operations into marine and aerial operations.   However, this study will only consider the deployment of marine and aerial assets as they relate to ground operations.   This study will limit its focus of the Southwest to the three major DTO interdiction routes located in Texas, New Mexico, and California.   The strategies proposed or dismissed in this research may or may not be appropriate to compare with the interdiction efforts on other borders such as the northern border with Canada. This study will be limited to cooperation with civilian law enforcement agencies within the United States.   It will not consider support for Mexican civilian law enforcement agencies nor will it consider cooperation with the Mexican military although it will acknowledge that they are now the lead agency in struggle with DTOs within Mexico. All proposals for MSCLEA will be governed by the U.S Constitution, relevant U.S. laws and the USNORTHCOM directives on MSCLEA, â€Å"Military support to civilian law enforcement is carried out in strict compliance with the Constitution and U.S. laws and under the direction of the president and secretary of defense† (USNORTHCOM). CHAPTER II: Literature Review This chapter provides an overview of the literature examined.   It identifies the dominant literature and sources that will provide arguments addressing DTOs drug smuggling, MSCLEAs and the current situation along the Southwest border.   The academic debate concerning MSCLEA on the border focuses primarily on the issue of illegal immigration and second on drug interdiction.   There are only a few books on the topic.   Therefore, research will focus on scholarly articles, government studies, and statistical data available through the U.S. Border Patrol and Department of Enforcement Administration. Timothy Dunns 1996 book, The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home is a study that compares data collected through interviews with military doctrine, law enforcement, congressional documents, and personal observations.   Dunns intent is to illustrate that increased activity along the southwest border escalated forcing military involvement in immigration and drug enforcement to a level unintended by Congress and defense officials.   Dunn provides insight to the difficulty associated with MSCLEA along the southwest border.   This historical data requires comparison to the post 9/11 challenges. There are numerous government studies and reports related to previous and current U.S. counterdrug program.   The Congressional Research Service (CRS) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) prepared most reports for members of Congress.   The National Drug and Control Policy also have a number of useful products.   Stephen Vina CRS report in 2006, Border Security and Military Support: Legal Authorizations and Restrictions outlines military support legal and policy limitations with in the U.S.   His study states military support to DTO is feasible however, it must be restricted to the employment of Nation Guard for border security missions vice the employment of active duty (GAO, 2003).   The 2010 report Department of Defense Needs to Improve Its Performance Measurement System to Better Manage and oversee Its Counternarcotics Activities demonstrates congressional interest in measures of effectiveness to justify MSCLEA in the early 1990s.   The 1993 Heavy Investment in Military Surveillance is Not Paying Off   report   findings suggest some military assets, such as rotary wing transport and lower-end unmanned aerial vehicles are relatively inexpensive and within the potential budget of federal law enforcement.   Other assets such as large multi-role aircraft and naval vessels, are very expensive operate and maintain.   The GAO (2009) study concluded that military surveillance is costly particularly when modern technology systems designed to detect and control highly sophisticated weapon systems in combat situations are employed against a DTO smuggling threat. Together, these two reports support content from the recent Washington Office on Latin America report that strongly suggest there must be a separation of military and police roles in America.   George Withers would agree there is a lack of measures of effectiveness justifying military support on the border. The GAO study, Secure Border Initiative: Observations on Deployment Challenges discusses the challenges of integrating sensors and obstacles along the 2000-mile Southwest border.   Conversely,   the 2007 report, U.S. Assistance Has Helped Mexican Counternarcotics Efforts, but Tons of Illicit Drugs Continue to Flow Into the United States clearly demonstrates the difficulties of combating the supply of drugs.   This study bring about discussion to identify the gaps in capability could be leveraged with unique available military resources.   The Rise of Mexican Drug Cartel and U.S. National Security hearing conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice illustrated the success of interagency cooperation against targeting DTOs.   The report provides an overview of the capability of the DTOs operating along the southwest border and describes their ability to conduct drug trafficking, kidnapping, bribery, extortion, money laundering and smuggling of profits, and trafficking and use of dangerous firearms.   The report concludes that the best strategy to combat the full spectrum of the drug cartels operations is a holistic approach that employs the full spectrum of our law enforcement agencies and its resources, expertise, and statutory authorities.   The Mexican border states have become much like a war zone with heavily armed military units on the street (since the President deemed local police too corrupt to deal with the cartels) and frequent firefights between the military and the cartels.   According to L.A. Times, as of November 29, 2010, 28,288 people have died in Mexico since January 2007 because of the drug wars.   In relative terms, that number is higher than the number of American troops that have died in Iraq in the last seven years (Mexico under Siege The Drug War on Our Doorstep, 2010). â€Å"Mexico Under Siege The Drug War on Our Doorstep†, is an L.A. Times website that includes all of their coverage of drug smuggling along the Southwest border along with interactive maps, links to television coverage and a host of other information.   This website is the principle primary source for details of recent events and media coverage of the situation.   Additionally, the website â€Å"Drug Trafficking in Mexico† maintained by latinamericanstudies.org traces the history of the drug trafficking between Mexico and the U. S. from 1998-2009.   This website provides links to hundreds of other articles on the subject as well. The Congressional Reporting Service publication â€Å"Terrorism: Some Legal Restrictions on Military Assistance to Domestic Authorities Following a Terrorist Attack† by Charles Doyle and Jennifer Elsea presents the legal definition of MSCLEAs in the wake of post 9/11 developments (Doyle and Elsea, 2005). Increased MSCLEA issues emerged in the 1980s and 1990s with regard to the interdiction of drugs.   However, since 9/11 they have largely revolved around the role of MSCLEA around terrorism related incidents.   The official policy of the United States Army on MSCLEA is contained in the Catastrophic Disaster Response Staff Officers Handbook â€Å"Appendix I: Legal Considerations/Law Enforcement† published by the United States Army Combined Arms Center in May 2006.   This document is supplemented by a paper prepared by Colonel Thomas W. McShane entitled, â€Å"United States Northern Commands Mission to Provide Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies: The Challenge to keep Homeland Security and Civil Liberty Dancing in Step with the Current Legal Music† (2004). There are varieties of publications that deal with the history of MSCLEA for Counter-drug Operations.   Most of the U.S. policy affecting domestic counterdrug MSCLEA require updates and fails to reflect the realities of the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.   Two of these stand out as having particular importance for this proposal.   The first is The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low-Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home by Timothy J Dunn, published in 1996.   The second is a Rand Corporation report entitled Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction written by Peter Reuter, Gordon Crawford, and Jonathan Cave published in 1988.   Both of the documents are dated however, they will provide a historical context to compare to current operations.   Reuter concludes that military support provided in the war on drugs in the 1980s w as costly, ineffective, and distracted military forces from preparing for interstate combat missions. Both documents are roughly twenty years old and this means that their consideration of everything from the technology of interdiction efforts to the scope and influence of DTOs is dated.   On the other hand, both documents precede the emergence of the overwhelming threat of terrorist attacks and therefore the focus is on MSCLEAs in a pre-9/11 context with the emphasis on drug interdiction, not anti-terrorism operations. Most importantly, both of these documents present a negative image of interdiction efforts.   The U.S. military interdiction efforts, although criticize provides an approach from two different perspectives.   The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low-Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home published by the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin focuses on the negative effects of the militarization of the border in terms of lost economic opportunities and threats to civil liberties. More condemning, however, is the Rand Corporation document, Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction.   It concludes that interdiction efforts in general have little impact on the flow of drugs into the United States.   Furthermore, it concludes that an increase in military involvement did not improve the interdiction effectiveness efforts and was unlikely to do so in the future.   The Rand study strongly suggests that the military cannot be the primary interdiction agency and that a major increase in military support is unlikely to reduce drug consumption significantly in the United States (Reuter, Crawford and Cave, 1988). The findings are not practical for exploring renewed efforts to employ enhanced MSCLEA in the interdiction effort in the twenty-first century.   There are numerous reservations about applying this study directly to the current situation.   This study will examine interdiction in terms of interdiction (seizure) rates, not reduced consumption, and the price of illicit drugs as examined by the Rand study. In addition, the circumstances of the drug trade across the Southwestern border have changed considerably over the past nine years, as have the military resources available to employ against interdiction effort.   The DTOs are now using RPGs and other military type weaponry consequently the military has UAVs and other surveillance equipment that was not available in the 1980s. The Rand study is incredibly important to understanding the history of military involvement in drug interdiction on the Southwest border.   However, the findings do not constitute the final word on the subject today as it is over twenty years old. It is imperative to examine literature that relates to the policies and procedures for MSCLEAs and the organization of cooperative efforts between the MSCLEAs.   Doctrine for this already exists for both the military and civilian organizations.   The Joint Task Force North, â€Å"JTF-North Operational Support Planning Guide 2010† outlines the military perspective on joint military-civilian operations.   The police understanding of the relationship is outlined in â€Å"Civilian and Military Law Enforcement Cooperation† published in The Police Chief (Awtry, 2004). The study Preach What You Practice: The Separation of Military and Police Roles in the Americas argues that military employment to assist law enforcement agencies falls the Posse Comitatus Act limits however, there is no imminent â€Å"threat of attack† on the United States.   Therefore, they question the need for a heightened militarization of the southwest border (Withers, Santos, Isacsoni, 2010 p 8).   This report suggest that instead of supporting a military response, the U.S. government re align its resources to focus on additional aid for police and law enforcement capabilities within Mexico.   They recommend this aid be in the form strengthening law enforcement training, equipment, and technology rather than merely training in counter-drug tactics.   The JTF North website lists the following capabilities as operational support the U. S. military is prepared to provide federal law enforcement agencies: aviation transportation, including both insertion and extraction of personnel; aviation reconnaissance; air and maritime surveillance radar; unmanned aircraft systems; ground surveillance radar; listening post and observation post surveillance; ground sensor operations; and ground transportation.   The consensus within NORTHCOM appears to be the military is capable of supplying resources that enhance law enforcement ability to interdict the threats along the southwest border.   Under USNORTHCOM, the military conducts a variety of domestic exercises aimed at using the military and National Guard under the presidents control in a wide range of U.S. homeland emergencies such as terrorist events and even domestic violence.   Which is the threat currently demonstrated by DTOs.   The exercises do not involve any Mexican entities, NORTHCOM suggest that an exchange of military personnel and cadets with Mexico as a means of gaining Mexican involvement in NORTHCOM, as well as regular talks about cooperation could increase the effectiveness of combating DTO activity along the border.   Jose Palafox addresses militarization of the border and the applicability of military counterdrug operations along the U.S.-Mexican border in 1990.   He closely examines the 1996 structure of JTF-6 and then concludes that a JTF consisting of only a brigade-size unit could effectively conduct sustained operations to interdict border drug trafficking along the two-thousand-mile boundary.   JTF-6 was renamed JTF North in a ceremony Sept. 28, 2004, and its mission was expanded beyond the drug war to include providing homeland security support to the nations federal law enforcement agencies. The article states the Pentagon is spent approximately $800 million a year to help enforce the drug trafficking laws alone.   The missions ranged from ground reconnaissance, training, logistics, and research.   In 1995, the Department of Defense transferred military technology equipment to Border Patrol in order to upgrade legacy Vietnam War error equipment.   Due to a joint effort by the Justice and Treasury Departments and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Border Patrol also has its own high-tech Border Research and Technology Center near San Diego. The article suggests that JTF-6 operations supporting DTO activity was a success and a necessity for future operations between military and civilian organizations.   Although, Border Patrol received significant upgrades gaps along the porous border remain specifically training and intelligence collection. Major Mark Van Dries 1990 monograph titled Drug Interdiction: Can We Stop the New Pancho Villa, addresses the feasibility of military counterdrug operations along the border in the 1990s.   The study states that drugs are a legitimate national security threat and the vulnerability of drug cartels to military operations.   Drie conclusion supports employment of military forces along the border where legal restraints are not clear and domestic opposition is less likely.   He further articulates that effectively securing the southwest border in 1990 would require a cordon force of 65,000 U.S. troops. Both the article and monograph fail to mention the 1997 tragic death of a U.S. citizen at the hands of a military service member that exposed the difficulties and inherent risks in employing combat focused forces in training missions in support of domestic counterdrug MSCLEA.   Marine Corps Corporal Manuel Banuelos shot and killed Texas high school student Esequiel Hernandez with a single shot from his service rifle.   The incident inspired a backlash against armed military patrols along the border and resulted in cease of the practice.   The current approach is indirect support to law enforcement such as intelligence, engineering, and surveillance (Dunn, 2001, p 14-17).   In summary, this chapter discusses corroborative information relating to drug cartel along US-Mexico borders and its perpetuation within the region which caused escalation of violence, increasing number of death tool and its serious implication to Mexicos politico-economy as well as its diplomatic relation with nations, specially United States. The succeeding chapters will discuss the methodology. CHAPTER III:   Methodology This chapter tackles the research methodology that will be used to assess the military resource requirements to counter drug activity along the Southwest border.   The author will conduct analysis of secondary information by using (a) timeline analysis to account the historical context about the war on drugs, (b) evaluate the laws and regulations associated with MSCLEA and current MSCLEA support in order to determine the most appropriate MSCLEA to counter drug trafficking along the Southwest border, (c) illustrate key developments in the war on drugs and military involvement in supporting the domestic counterdrug effort and (d) evaluate the significance, extent, resource capacity and feasibility of deploying MSCLEA to assist in the interdiction of DTOs across the Southwest border. Research Design This chapter will examine the issue by means of qualitative and quantitative analyses using variety of sources from media accounts, government reports, academic works, and historical documents.   To a lesser extent, opinion pieces will be used when the information is valid and appropriate opposing viewpoints are available for inclusion. Analysis of the results will provide statistical validity to the interpretation of results for the military and for the other agencies such as drug threats provided by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). Sample Sampling is irrelevant in this study. Researcher is not using survey method but will be maximizing secondary information from government reports and earlier studies conducted related to the issue on Mexican drug interdiction. Other related relevant sources will also be inclusively considered. Setting The study will be conducted within American soil although it will also make use of documents from Mexican government which will be accessed, reviewed and evaluated accordingly. Instrumentation This is a qualitative and quantitative longitudinal case study that will use a combination of timeline mapping, conflict-analysis, and triangulation to understand the complex and unending illegal drug trade within the region that has been affecting neighboring and the international communities worldwide due to increasing violence within the area despite security management measures. All historical accounts, records, testimonies and researchers from incessant intervention done by the United States of America will be reviewed, analyzed and be maximized in crafting conclusions and recommendations at the end of the study. Data Collection To address research objective number three, DTOs current ability to interdict drugs across the border, the author will review publicly available information from books, journal articles, and corroborated news media accounts.   The book, Drug Smugglers on Drug Smuggling, will be used to substantiate data from the perspective, motivation and experiences of DTO smugglers. This book interviews experienced smugglers who at one time successfully in defeated drug interdiction measures.   The purpose of this research objective is to identify the nature and extent of DTO exploitation of US Southwest border. Specifically, this question serves to identify DTO resources and methods that are uniquely vulnerable to US military capabilities or where the US military resources can augment civilian law enforcement agencies.   Researcher will further use all information that can be sourced from government agencies, libraries, online research institutions, magazines, journals, court documents, magazines and journals. Data Analysis The author will use historical mapping as an instrument to gather information to assess the length of period and extent of the drug trafficking problem within the region. Historical mapping will also be used to determine the MSCLEA method(s) of involvement introduced by US Southwest region, including the outcome and impact of these interdictions.   Historical mapping will also be used to outline the laws and policies governing MSCLEA that were legislated as a response to countering illegal drug trade in the region. Additionally, analysis of government documents produced by Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) will be analyzed to determine the MSCLEA ability to adequately curtail drug trafficking across the southwest border. Lastly, the author will identify and compare the relative combat power of DTOs and US law enforcement personnel operating along the Southwest border.   Determining the capability gap will exhibit the necessary MSCLEA requirement(s) to effectively reinforce the combat power of law enforcement agencies in order to adequately curtail drug trafficking in the region.   As a mixed quantitative and qualitative study, researcher will present an integrated analysis and inferences into coherent conclusions toward a comprehensive and meaningful explication of the subject studied. Validity and Reliability This research is undertaken with serious consideration of the international and professional standard. Inferences and sequential presentation of information are drawn from primary and secondary sources that are critically evaluated based on acceptable standards of sources. Some information used came from government authorities and decision-making bodies who are honored with their credibility as authorities of the state. Readers who may conduct follow-up research may triangulate information and database used here to further validate reports. Ethical Considerations Researcher observes the highest standard of professional ethics required by the institution. Matters of confidentiality are held sacred while authors, writers, and agencies whose contributions to these subjects are wisely utilized were credited and recognized in the references. The succeeding chapter will substantially discuss the theme of this study. Chapter 4- DISCUSSION Resolving the complex issues on narcotics in the south west border require in-depth reflection on historic interventions made by USA which help increase interdiction on illegal drug-related cartel; evaluate the political capacity of DTO to sustain its illegal operations; triangulate policies of USA in its decision to assist in decreasing the movements of illegal drug trade; and assess the fiscal capacity of the American government to allocate against increasing demand of budget for operations. US Military Capacity vs Drug Trafficking In mid-19th century, United States deployed US Army on its southern border and was mandated to protect the border, interdict bandits, secure lives and properties, conduct regular patrolling and support civil law enforcement against illegal drug cartel business (Matthews, 1959). More than a century have passed, USA is still deploying National Guard Soldiers to the Mexican border as post-9/11 politico-military undertakings (Matthews, 1959). To reckon, from 1846 towards this millennium, US Army sustained its security mandates at the borders hard and rugged terrain (Matthews, 1959).   Reports mentioned that amid disputes, there is also a demand to increase numbers of soldiers (Matthews, 1959).   This is further compounded with critical Mexican politics and US-Mexican diplomatic relations that is affecting Armys operations (Matthews, 1959).   Contextualized in such distinct social character, Armys role was fitted to support to local, state, and Federal civilian agencies. Such nature of intervention is already evident since 1920s (Matthews, 1959). During President George W. Bushs administration decided to deploy about 6,000 Army National Guard Soldiers in 2006 to conduct security border patrol as issues relating to potential terrorist infiltration, increase of illegal drug syndicates activity, and leveling-up of apprehension about illegal immigration to United States en route through Mexico (Matthews, 1959). Though this was regarded with disapproval, there is however recognition to improve border security works albeit controversial use of military personnel to support law enforcement (Matthews, 1959). Both America and Mexico shared ambivalent relations since the former tightened its political control in that shared border coupled with cross-border violent aggressions done by Indians and bandits which accordingly increased the level of enmity (Matthews, 1959). There was however a historic epoch when America and the Mexican governments explored revitalization of goodwill when Major General Philip H. Sheridan waged a campaign against the French.   That provided an opportunity to resolve issues relating to US Armys disposition at the border from 1870 to 1886, including its inherent weakness about lack of personnel and passive defenses against cross-border raids. It also discussed the raid in Mexico in 1873 led by Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzies   and that pre-emptive strike led by Lieutenant Colonel William â€Å"Pecos Bill† Shafters. There was subsequent reduction of attacks but this generated political conflict which grind down American and Mexican goodwill (Matthews, 1959). In 1911 to 1917, the Mexican Revolution caused insecurity in the border and US soldiers realized that static defenses and patrolling couldnt cease terrorist raiders who maintained interest to cross the border. This was also same period when Major General Frederick Funstons attempted to stop the Plan of San Diego plotters and Brigadier General John J. Pershing launched punitive action against Francisco â€Å"Pancho† Villa. The military strategies enforced hot pursuits and preemptive strikes into Mexico to restore order to the border (Matthews, 1959). US Army have also conducted responses to WETBACK Operation in 1954 until they increased their presence in 1978 in Mexican border as a response to same issue on illegal US immigration and anti-drug cartel. The military supports for law enforcement at southern border have also evolved (Matthews, 1959). The historic problem remained in these 20th centuries and the issues pertaining to militarys disposition reverberates (Matthews, 1959 ). It still re-echo the need for defensive position and the discussion on conducting cou

The White Scourge: Mexicans, Blacks, and Poor Whites in Texas Cotton Culture :: United States History Johnny Cash Essays

The White Scourge: Mexicans, Blacks, and Poor Whites in Texas Cotton Culture On his 2000 studio album, "American III," Johnny Cash sang in a resigned voice, "I got a crib full of corn, and a turnin' plow/ But the ground's to wet for the hopper now/ Got a cultivator and a double tree/ A leather line for the hull and gee/ Let the thunder roll and the lighting flash/ I'm doing alright for Country Trash."* Raised on a cotton farm in Dyess, Arkansas, Cash articulated a racialized class divide not simply among whites and African Americans, but among whites, themselves. Cash belonged to a growing class of impoverished white farmers increasingly referred to by his contemporaries as "white trash," and recast by historian Neil Foley as "The White Scourge." In his book of the same title, Foley analyzes the impact of class and race consciousness on white tenants and sharecroppers in central Texas as they competed for farm labor with both African Americans and Mexicans from 1820 to 1940. Foley asserts, "The emergence of a rural class of 'white trash' made whites consci ous of themselves as a racial group and fearful that if they fell to the bottom, they would lose the racial privileges that came with being accepted for what they were not-black, Mexican, or foreign born."(7)** "The white scourge", the masses of impoverished whites held in limbo between privilege and denial, Foley asserts, is what informs race relations today. The heart of Foley's argument rests on an analysis of the intersection of race and economics or class. Indeed the two are joined at the hip, race being created and sustained out of competition for labor. On June 23, 1845, the Republic of Texas was annexed to the U.S. as a slave state. Foley notes "the annexation of Texas as a slave state†¦became the great white hope of northern expansionists anxious to emancipate the nation from blacks, who, it was hoped, would find a home among the kindred population of 'colored races' in Mexico."(20) But rather than uniting as kindred races, discord between poor whites, African Americans and Mexicans resulted from competition for farmland as either tenant farmers or sharecroppers. Foley argues that prior to the Civil War, there was a sharp line delineating tenant farmers and sharecroppers. Tenant farmers were almost always white, owned their own tools and rented land for a third of the cotton and a fourth of the grain harvested.

Manage Quality Customer Service Essay

DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANISATION Telstra Corporation Limited is a Public Company that is ranked number 9 out of the top 2000 companies in Australia stated on Ibis World a Business reporting site (World, Ibis, 2011). The company generates the majority of its income from the Telecommunication Services in Australia industry. Telstra has employed 39,790 people by June, there end of Financial Year 2011. Since 2009 its current CEO, is David Thodey. (Telstra, 2011) The name â€Å"Telstra† is derived from the word Telecommunication Australia. The (TEL) is from Telecommunication and (STRA) from Australia. The creation of this name was trading under â€Å"Telecom Australia† domestically until a constant branding of â€Å"Telstra† was introduced throughout the entire organisation in 1995. (About Telstra Fast Facts,2011). Business Operations †¢ Book and Telephone Directory Publishing in Australia Telecommunications and Other Electrical and Electronic Equipment Wholesaling in Australia Telecommunication Services in Australia Wired Telecommunications Carriers in Australia Mobile Telecommunications Carriers in Australia Internet Service Providers in Australia Online Information Services in Australia Telstra’s Business Units †¢ Telstra Consumer including Country services the metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. It provides telecommunications products and services, for home and mobile phones and devices, to fixed and wireless internet as well as Pay TV services. †¢ Telstra Enterprise & Government (TE&G) is the leading provider of network solutions and services to Enterprise and Governments in Australia. †¢ Telstra Business is another division responsible for serving the needs of Australia’s small to medium enterprises (SME) with fixed phone line, mobile and broadband. Data and Internet solutions can be tailored for business. IDENTIFY THE TARGET CUSTOMER Age of Customer Age Group 55+ 35-44 25-34 45-54 8-24 Customers 2008/09 9.9% 30.6% 23.9% 25.7% 9.8% 2009/10 11.1% 30.5% 24.3% 25.9% 8.2% 2010/11 12.0% 29.9% 24.4% 26.3% 7.4% Telstra provide products and services to Home and Family (residential), Businesses, Government and Wholesale customers. This also includes a Disability Equipment Program for people with a disability and Access for everyone packages for people on a low income. The chart found in a Telstra Sustainability Report (Davies, Paul; Migonneau, Bastein, 2011) shows the percentage of different aged group customers that have been connected with Telstra. Source: (Davies, Paul; Migonneau, Bastein, 2011) KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Key performance indicators (KPIs) are ways to periodically assess the performances of organisations, business units, and their departments and employees. They measure the process through a SMART criterion by Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Relevant – Time. Monitoring KPI as a whole and through staff performance The Call Centre Activity chart shows the percentage of customers that called and counts for each action that can occur once a call has been queued to a call centre. This is one form of measuring call centre KPI. People must learn to work together, ask for help, training etc. and understand how to relate to one another otherwise the team’s output will be less than it could be. This Call Centre chart generated a report that includes statistics relating to one call centers. The chart report provides information related to how calls are handled by call centers once they have been queued. Successful leaders care for and support colleagues and employees. Treating people with respect, demonstrating integrity, and showing empathy strengthen the development of trust and confidence in the workplace. In order to make your teamwork on their set goals, performance and meet KPI you must demonstrate that you are reliable, honest, and trustworthy and that you walk your talk. They need to see your values in action and that you have their best interests at heart. They need to see that you value openness and  honesty in offering and receiving feedback. SERVICE TARGETS As technology has grown, so has the ease by which information can be generated and presented to management and stakeholders. Today, everyone seems concerned about information overload, From my thorough investigations online I can report that service targets are reported quarterly to identify opportunities for improvement and outline progress of achievement and adjustments if needed are also made at this point. The most informative reports I found online from 2010-2012 on Telstra are: †¢ Financial Results for Half Year ended 31 December 2011 †¢ Telstra Corporation Limited and controlled entities and †¢ Telstra Sustainability Report 2011 They all outline the results of Telstra’s performance, goals and statistics in achieving their customer service/product commitments. When organisations constantly review their service delivery, they gather an enormous amount of data. The data collected is important and crucial to the ongoing survival of the organisation and therefore it must be recorded, maintained and be accessible. The financial report â€Å"Financial Results for Half Year ended 31 December 2011† (Laird, Jason; McKechnie, Nicole, 2012) presented by David Thodey CEO & acting CFO Mark Hall has been published and reports that Telstra announced its strategy continues to deliver financial benefits. Report Statistics & Targets for 2012 Business revenue results discussed by the Directors from Telstra’s â€Å"Financial report half year ended 31 December’ 2011† (Laird, Jason; McKechnie, Nicole ;, 2012) are as follows: †¢ Total revenue increased by -1.1% or $136 million  to $12,419 million †¢ Net Profit After Tax increased by -22.9% or $274 million to $1,468 million In relation to the 2011 Sustainability Report (Davies, Paul; Migonneau, Bastein, 2011) Telstra believes that monitoring, measuring and reporting their progress helps them to improve on their service performance and lists this in figure 3. Figure 3 Telstra’s Values & Priorities For 2012 Source:(Davies, Paul; Migonneau, Bastein, 2011) FEEDBACK ON STAFF PERFORMANCE Telstra’s performance review process incorporates two informal quarterly reviews and a formal annual and half yearly review, targeting business results and leadership. Each team and section of Telstra has reward and recognition schemes in place to reward and encourage top performers. Telstra has a variety of incentive plans, tailored to different sectors of their workforce, which is designed to encourage high performance by rewarding employees for meeting and exceeding performance objectives. Another way of accessing performance is by collating data on customer’s feedback about the individual consultant. All results can be produced through a team email, meeting or coaching. Obtaining a 360-degree feedback will be most valuable in assessing their strengths and weaknesses. The 360degree should be performed and completed by their manager and up to five of their peers with whom they work. This assessment will let the business and employer know what people they work with think about their attitude, performance, and business ethics. Performance Appraisals Determines: †¢ Rewards and/or promotions for an individual who is meeting /exceeding performance †¢ Identify and discuss gaps in skills, knowledge and attitudes that impact on an individual’s performance †¢ Identify and discuss environmental or workplace weaknesses preventing the individual from meeting their goals and objectives and †¢ Identifies an individual’s future training and development needs Most staff members will expect that they will be  required to give feedback at the end of their appraisal. What is important is team members are made to feel that management will actually take notice of their feedback and use it to coach and make any improvements. Live Performance Monitoring I have provided a sample bar chart below from when I worked at Telstra. The chart displays how a team’s Adherence on calls is monitored by the sales teams. As you see the amount of calls answered is the first column which is then followed by the activities that one undertakes while on that call. The red highlighted boxes indicate improvement is required as the KPI target for AHT is 630min and Adherence is 88% while your wrap should be the lowest possible as this is when the call has ended and your phone is sitting in Not Ready status, the key here is finish what you are doing while customer is on the phone & be in READY status for the next call. This Report is also part of the scorecard paying system to calculate any sales bonus Figure 4 Activity Chart Sales Call Centre KPI Targets AHT: 630 Adherence: 88% Source:( Pusca, et al., 2012) Figure 4 shown in this report is my own collection of statistical results I obtained when working at Telstra in 2011/2012. The results are solely only for the purpose of this assignment. Names of Staff members have intentionally been removed for privacy STRATEGIES TO ADAPT CUSTOMER SERVICE The only measure that will connect a business with the relevance of the work a staff member is performing is to find out if customers are happy or not with their service. You need to measure how the customer judges the outcome of the product or service, through a phone or email survey at the end of each business discussion. Telstra have this process in place. The process is completed by asking the customer to stay on the line while at the end of the call while you transfer them through to a questioner/ survey about your performance today. The rating is from 1 (lowest) & 5 (highest) then next they will be ask to provide any feedback. Statistics can be taken via the login of the consultant’s phone that produces a per cent % on how many customers were transferred to the questioner /survey. Customer Survey Satisfaction Result Telstra’s Customer Support Services is also launching an initiative to revisit the handling and processing of customer requests for prompt reliable services and assistance. For the past few years, Telstra have proactively been monitoring the â€Å"First Contact Resolution† (FCR) metric as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of 80%. This is a ‘voice of the customer’ driven strategy – reported in a Corporate Responsibility Report (Inc, 2012) we are doing a lot more listening. We are implementing tools and processes that allow us to clearly understand and fix main points for our customers states David Thodey CEO. As well as the phone interaction customers have with staff Telstra has established a new online panel – My Telstra Experience – so that customers can regularly tell them what they think of their experiences and where they need to improve on service. 2 Figure 5 Compliance MTD1F Increase FCR Staff Must: †¢ Set the right expectation to the customer about the call (how long it takes to process the order, keep the customer in the loop) †¢ Follow the correct hold procedure (set the expectation on how long they may need to wait) †¢ To reduce repeat calls within 7 days by giving the right contact numbers to customers i.e. for any IT Support or Bigpond enquiries– please give out the correct number, that way in will not affect your FCR. †¢ When transferring, give the customer the number for the department you are transferring them to. Encourage customers to call the number provided for future reference or in case, the call drops out. SOURCE : (Dave, 2012) Remember to ask – Can you please stay on the line to answer 2 questions regarding my customer service today? FEEDBACK TO MANAGEMENT ON MEETING/EXCEEDING KPI’S Within a call center, there are common business roles. There is Centre Managers for each department, Team Leaders, and Agents. †¢ The Centre Manager will have a number of Team Leaders reporting to them. They will be responsible for the recruitment, development and coaching of those who directly report to them. The Team Leader’s role is to ensure individual agents are performing against targets, reviewing their performance and coaching/training them to do so. The Team Leaders will meet on a regular basis with the Centre Manager to provide feedback and to receive instructions or actions that need to take place. The Team Leader is responsible for keeping their agents informed of what is happening in the centre and anything that may affect the agent’s key tasks or performance targets. It is good management practice to consult and reflect on employees and other managers for feedback on a regular basis. Feedback allows one to gain input from others including, praise, criticism and suggestions for improvement. The Report Providing Performance feedback to Management when their team has achieved KPI is an extraordinary accomplishment. Feedback is backed up with reports and they can include: †¢ Documentation of expected results †¢ Standards of performance †¢ Progress toward achieving of results †¢ How well they were achieved †¢ Examples indicating achievement A report outlines the performance of team and individual staff members and how they have progressed since the last monthly/quarterly report. It will also show a comparison of whether they have improved or dropped in performance and if any training is required to fill gaps. Figure 6 shown in this report is my own collection of statistical results I obtained when working at Telstra in 2011/2012. The results are solely only for the purpose of this assignment. The names of staff members have been removed for privacy A GAP ANALYSIS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE MEASURES The following performance reporting covers the 2011 financial year for Telstra Corporation Limited (Thodey, David; Hall, Mark, 2011). In 2012, Telstra continue to focus on simplifying their business and improving their processes in order to better serve its customers. Telstra’s Primary Goals: †¢ †¢Serve the needs of its customers Improving online services & support Make Telstra a great place to work Reduce Telstra’s TIO complaints Contribute resources – people, money, technology, products, and services To support the communities Strengthen the capability of the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure, and providing a strong foundation for economic growth, productivity improvement, and global competitive advantage. Service Goals Figure 7 Gap Analysis Actual Performance 2011 6.8% Target as of June 2012 7.1% Gap Analysis Corrective Action 1. Customer Satisfaction 2. Improving online service 3. Telstra a great place to work 4. Reduce Telstra’s TIO complaints 5. To support the communities 6. Economic growth Success 0.3% Failed 13% Failed 0% Failed 6% Failed 21% Success 0.7% Listen to customers, undertake a cause analysis when issues arise, & fixing the areas that customers are not happy with i.e. pricing Improved online access for account enquiries on mobile phones & customers to easily manage their account online Launched a new reward & recognition program to recognise individuals & teams Conducted a review of system operations to ensure that privacy of customer information continues to be protected Provide communication technology training through grants, events, online content and DVDs They engage more with community organisations on issues impacting the lives of children and young people 22% 75% 24% 44,000 people $24.80 million 35% 76% 30% 80, 000 people $25,06 million Source: (CSG, Customer Service Guarantee) 1. Telstra reached a 3% per cent improvement in customer satisfaction. Their approach is to be able to connect with the customer, understand and exceed their expectations, respond to and solve customer complaints and fulfil expectations 2. Improving online services and encouraging customers to go online will help reduce call centre call queue and visiting Telstra stores. This should have enhanced the customer experience. Telstra failed by 13% of online customer interaction with staff. 3. In 2012 Telstra’s goal was to  Improved development performance by 1%, they failed 4. The Telecommunications industry Ombudsman (TIO) records complaint issues under several broad categories. Telstra had set a target to reduce TIO complaints by 30% in 2012 though failed by 6% 5. In 2010/11, the total value of Telstra’s social investment was $248 million. Increased numbers of people to be trained to know how to use mobile, internet etc. was set from 44,000 to 62,447. Telstra failed by 21 % 6. A key driver to the increase has also been the focus on improving customer service through investments made to improve the customer experience including improvements to the online Telstra portal and the implementation of the after hours customer service line. CONCLUSION Telstra is Australia’s leading full service telecommunications and information services company. It offers a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications, and information products and services across Australia and overseas. Telstra uses its own network infrastructure. In addition, Telstra provides wholesale services to other telecommunications retailers, who then provide services, including voice, broadband and data services, to their own end user customers. Over the past year Telstra has recorded a turnaround in operational results, with strong customer growth. While not meeting majority of their targets, this year’s 2012 achievements must demonstrate real progress against their Service Goals. Telstra still have significant improvements to make and have set targets to improve their Service. In recent years, customer satisfaction in Australian telecommunications has failed to keep up with community expectations and consumers have responded with increasing complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). Customer Service is an essential factor in maintaining an organisation’s competitive edge in the marketplace. Many organisations are placing greater emphasis on developing a customer service culture and making it a priority. At the end of the day it is the people in the center who are the real influence on customers not the technology or the processes. A company can  have great products, great services, great technology and great processes, but it’s the people that bring it together and make it happen. To establish the right service quality standards is what Telstra need to bring into place. The following points list some standards I had not come across or not been mentioned by Telstra as one of their focuses for improvement †¢ †¢Top management commitment to providing service quality Set, communicate, and reinforce customer-oriented service standards Establish challenging and realistic service quality goals Train managers to be service quality leaders Be receptive to new ways to deliver service quality Standardise repetitive tasks Telstra recorded a 3 per cent improvement in customer satisfaction in 2011/2012, with a reduction in TIO complaints however did not meet the target and failed by 6 per cent they had set out to achieve. To attract and retain customers a business needs to recognise different customers want different things, and they need to provide products, solutions and service to cater to this. To differentiate themselves from their competitors, a business will benefit if they can demonstrate that they can provide the understanding and experience customers are seeking. Overall, the company is a dominant player and for the last five fiscal (financial) years of 2007 to 2011, continued to make up around 60% of the whole Australian communications services market. The significantly improved growth in customers returning to Telstra is tribute to the value in the company’s new mobile plans as well as their network quality. Telstra will continue to roll-out new products for all our customers, from individual to Corporate and Government customers, taking into consideration the feedback of what their customers have told them. They are committed to upholding the legislated Telecommunications Customer Service Guarantee Standard 2011 (â€Å"The CSG Standard†), as amended and issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Thodey, David; Hall, Mark, 2011) The objective of the Customer Service Guarantee is to impose a minimum level of performance on telecommunications carriers and service providers, for specified services, so that the quality of that service should not deteriorate in any way but will improve significantly and should enable consumers to enjoy a reasonable level of service. (ACA, 1999)

Western Union

Western Union was founded in 1851 and started its history as a telegraph and wire services company. In 2006, Western Union discontinued its telegraph service and focused exclusively on money transfers (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Jorge Ochoa, Vice President of Finance and Raul Duany, Director of Corporate Communication joined The Western Union Company (WU) in November 2008. The primary customers for money transfers were immigrants that were seeking better opportunities in richer countries away from their home.When immigrants leave their home countries, they often leave behind family members who depend on them for financial support. This is most true in the case of poorer countries. Government regulators scrutinized the operations and fee-charging practices of money transfer businesses. Western Union is a leader in global money transfer, providing people with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send money around the world. The Western Union brand is globally recognized.Their services are available through a network of over 375,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories (Western, 2009). Their consumer-to-consumer money transfer service enables people to send money around the world in minutes. Their consumer-to-business service provides consumers with flexible and convenient options for making one-time or recurring bill payments. Western Union believes that the brand strength, size, and reach of their global network, along with the convenience and reliability to their consumers have been essential in the growth of the business.As they continue to meet the needs of their consumers for fast, reliable, and convenient money transfer services, they are also working to enhance their services and provide their consumers with access to an expanding portfolio of payment and other financial services. The federal law known as the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) obligates federally insured banks and depository institutions to help meet the needs of commun ities in which they operate (Pearce, & Robinson, 2011). In March 2007, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke stated, â€Å"the CRA reaffirmed the long-standing principle that financial institutions must serve the convenience and needs of the communities in which they are charted† (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Western Union serves many of the financial needs of immigrant populations, as a bank might, with a major presence in poor and racially diverse neighborhoods. Western Union is now being held up to the same standards as banks because they are both financial institutions. Western Union’s customers are mostly urban and poor.The typical user of its remittance service is a low-wage immigrant worker who lives in Urban America, makes $15,600 annually and sends home $293 a month, almost 30% of his or her net monthly income (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Heavy charges in the money transfer industry places economic burden on low-income immigrant families in the United States and in their communities of origin while creating and increased reputation risk for Western Union (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Western Union has been facing numerous lawsuits, mainly because of their lack of social responsibility.This has affected the company’s image and could potentially increase the risk that Western Union faces in the competitive market. Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility is generally perceived as a positive business ideology in the 21st century, despite some challenges. A significant expansion of basic business ethics, CSR establishes guidelines for ethical and socially responsible behavior. It addresses how companies that want to satisfy government and societal requirements should treat key stakeholder groups, including customers, suppliers, employees and the community (Mal Warwick Associates, 2008).Pros: One of the elements of CSR is that it causes companies such as Western Union to reason beyond basic ethics to consider the benefit s of active involvement in communities. In the article â€Å"The 7 Principles of Business Integrity,† business strategist Robert Moment argues that 21st-century companies must prove themselves to customers to build long-term relationships (Moment, 2004). Western Union involves itself in the community by giving back. Insinuates Western Union to the local markets in which they operate.Cons: The main reason any company would object to participating in CSR is the associated costs. With CSR, companies have to pay for environmental programs, more employee training and efficient waste management programs. Proponents of CSR agree that any expenses to businesses are ultimately covered by stronger relationships with key customers. However, David Vogel indicates in his Forbes article â€Å"CSR Doesn't Pay† that investment in CSR programs may not necessary result in measurable financial results (Vogel, 2008).* Corporate Citizenship. Western Union’s global corporate citizens hip is their commitment to enrich the lives of global citizens by expanding economic opportunity. Through initiatives like the Western Union Our World, Our Family program, they are able to put their values into action (Western Union, 2011). Western Union corporate citizenship efforts focus on three primary areas: 1. Supporting Cultural Inclusion: Western Union recognizes the importance of helping individuals and families build strong communities, in which all members can contribute their distinctive talents and feel at home. . Creating Pathways to Opportunity: Western Union help diverse individuals and communities around the world realize their tremendous potential with scholarships supporting financial literacy, entrepreneurship, job training, and other skills necessary on the journey to a better life. 3. Fostering Hope in the Developing World: Western Union support economic development and opportunities with infrastructure development, community centers and access to technology (W estern Union, 2011).Western Union’s Current Strategy. Currently, Western Union is using the free cash flow that is generated to repurchase stock and acquire rival money transfer firms in order to expand. Along with the repurchasing of stocks and acquisitions, WU has donated millions of dollars to charitable organizations and other countries. Their current strategy is concentric diversification because they are acquiring firms that are related to them in terms of products and markets. They have pursued growth of their brand through international expansion and the growth in the worldwide immigration population was also driving growth in the money transfer business.Although there is a higher risk associated with diversification, according to Pearce & Robinson (2011), the distinctive competencies of the diversifying firm are likely to facilitate a smooth expansion. Globalization There are about seven factors that make global strategic planning complex. These factors are economic factors, political factors, geographic factors, labor factors, tax factors, capital source factors, and business factors (Pearce and Robinson, 2011). When you look at the economic factors of a country, you need to look at the GNP for the country, and the foreign exchange rate.You also need to consider the size of the market and the markets potential rate of growth. As far as the political factors are concerned, you have to determine whether the country is stable, as well as, the type of political structure in the country. It is also important to understand how foreign business is perceived in the country by the government, consumers and competitors. The geographic factors that you should be concerned with is the availability of raw materials, utilities, and the proximity to export markets.Other globalization challenges you need to be aware of are the labor factors – whether you will have the necessary skills available in the people in the country, tax factors – whether there are any tax breaks for foreign investors or if there is a huge tax rate for the country, capital source factors – banking systems available in the country, and business factors – current industry information for competitors and competitive situation. Diversification There are also challenges inherent to diversification.Companies often decide to diversify so that they can acquire a new company that will potentially balance the strengths and weaknesses of the two businesses (Pearce and Robinson, 2011). Companies use diversification as a grand strategy in order to increase stock value, increase growth rate, better use of investment funds, improve stability of the company, acquire needed resources quickly, and tax savings, and increase efficiency and profitability.Trends in the Financial Services Industry. Current trends in the financial services industry is the use of a focus strategy. Focus strategy, involves concentrating on a particular customer, product line, g eographical area, channel of distribution, stage in the production process, or market niche. The underlying premise of the focus strategy is that the firm is better able to serve its limited segment than competitors serving a broader range of customers. Firms using a focus strategy simply apply a cost-leader or differentiation strategy to a segment of the larger market.Firms may be able to differentiate themselves based on meeting customer needs through differentiation or through low costs and competitive pricing for specialty goods. This strategy is often appropriate for small, aggressive businesses that do not have the ability or resources to engage in a nation-wide marketing effort. Such a strategy may also be appropriate if the target market is too small to support a large-scale operation. Many firms start small and expand into a national organization. The trend in the financial services industry is that consumers are working outside of their home countries.Many of these consume rs have families back in their home country that they periodically send money to in order to help them pay their bills. Western Union has a niche with this trend because they provide a means of easily getting the money to their family without having to have a checking account or if they have credit problems and owes the money elsewhere. Western Union guarantees that the money will be secure and delivered to the correct person. Internal Environment Financial Information In 2008, Western Union’s market share grew and delivered record levels of revenue and cash flow.Revenue was $5. 3 billion; $1. 25 billion was generated in cash flow from operations and WU handled $67 billion in cross-border consumer-to-consumer remittances. They also delivered an operating income margin of 26% for the year. Western Union and its consumers are feeling the impact of the global economic recession. They have confidence in their strategy. Their plan is to focus on what they can control and influence . They have a brand that is recognized around the world. Their business generates significant cash flow.They have created a business model that consistently delivers strong margins. They have built a distribution channel that is second to none and their global team is focused on a short list of priorities to drive growth. They provide vital services to consumers in more than 200 countries and territories. These services not only make a tremendous difference in the individual lives of their customers, but the volume of remittances sent through Western Union helps drive many national economies, paving the way for long-term growth.They also have the advantage of a globally recognized brand and unmatched worldwide distribution. Western Union plans to continue investing in their brand even in these tough times. Their brand represents speed, trust and reliability to their consumers worldwide. WU has launched a comprehensive new global brand initiative that embodies an ambitious and forwar d-looking vision for the company. Their vision is of optimism for their customers, company, agents and, employees. This vision shows their commitment to help people who are on the move, pursuing their dreams.At a time when there is so much pessimism in the world, it is believed that this Western Union message will serve as a source of positive energy in the marketplace, which should ultimately translate into mind share and market share for the company. They will increase their technology spend to further develop tools that allow them to perform deeper analysis on their customers. Western Union is sharpening their focus and directing investments to meet market share opportunities. They have demonstrated that their global team working together has helped them gain market share in 2008.These employees were using Western Union’s four key strategies—strategies that will continue to drive their business forward: * Accelerate profitable growth in the global cash money transfe r business * Expand and globalize the consumer-to-business payments business * Innovate new products and services for target customers * Improve profitability by leveraging scale, reducing costs and effectively using capital During 2009, Western Union will increase investment in technology and systems.They want to update their systems in order to move traditional and new services from virtually anywhere in the world, with exceptional speed. Western Union has a proven business model with significant financial strength. Alternatives and Recommendations Strategic Alternatives In order to publicize their commitments to social responsibility, Western Union should consistently re-evaluate their operations and look for areas of improvement. They can also look at what other companies in the industry are doing to be socially responsible and implement such procedures to their company.Because of the challenges inherent in globalization and diversification, it is important for Western Union to perform due diligence when entering foreign markets. One of the challenges when globalizing may be the exchange rate in different countries. Western Union may have to charge different fees depending on where they are and who their competition is. Recommended Strategy We believe that the company should stick with what they know and continue to repurchase shares and acquisitions. Repurchasing shares can generate a higher EPS and help use up excess cash.It can also increase the ROE and raise demand for the stock on the open market. Their current strategy seems to be working for them and as long as they continue to re-evaluate their operations and remain socially responsible, their strategy will be a success. The bottom line is that Western Union wants to pursue mergers in order to make money for the company and for shareholders.ReferencePearce, J. A, & Robinson, B. R. (2011). Strategic Management- Formulation, Implementation, and Control. (12ed) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Mal War wick Associates, Initials. (2008). The Five Dimensions of CSR. Retrieved from http://www. malwarwick. com/ Moment, R. (2004). The 7 Principles of Business Integrity . Retrieved from http://www. webpronews. com/the-principles-of-business-integrity-2004-07 Vogel, D. (2008). CSR Doesn't Pay. Retrieved from http://www. forbes. com/2008/10/16/csr-doesnt-pay-lead-corprespons08-cx_dv_1016vogel. html Western Union. (2011). Corporate Citizenship. Retrieved from http://corporate. westernunion. com/corporate_responsibility. html