Role Of Extra Regional Powers In The Indian Ocean Region

Role Of Extra Regional Powers In The Indian Ocean Region Zone of Peace. There have been numerous attempts to declare IOR as a Zone of Peace dating back to 1971. Various meetings to work out the modalities have been fruitless. Former United States, Secretary of State, Madeline Albright had said that the efforts to make the Indian Ocean Region a Zone of Peace should be disbanded because the region has too many states whose interests are far too varied and the IOR states maintain more important relations with foreign states than within themselves  [1]  . 2. Having seen the strategic relevance of IOR in Chapter 2, let us now analyse the role and interest of a few important extra-regional powers. USA 3. Genesis of Americas Role. The US strategic presence in the Indian Ocean Region grew with the process of decolonisation in IOR. The 1973 Arab-Israel war and the subsequent oil embargo resulted in strong efforts being made ensure oil traffic and price security. In his State of the Union Address on 23 Jan 1980, President Carter asserted that, Any attempt by an outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the USA, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force  [2]  . 4. US Naval Presence. The US Navy maintains a permanent presence of between 15 to 35 warships in the Indian Ocean at any given time. The US Fifth Fleet is based at Bahrain. Besides, the Fifth Fleet, the Sixth Fleet of the USCENTCOM and the Seventh Fleet of the USPACCOM are readily available to augment forces in the Indian Ocean  [3]  . US Pacific and Central Command 5. Interests. US role and policy in the IOR depends on fulfilling the following self-interests:- (a) Energy Security. (b) Economic Security. (c) Restrict Chinas influence in IOR. (d) Support/Basing facilities for War against Terror. (e) Strategic Partnership with India. United Kingdom 6. British Territory. In 1965, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was formed out of individual groups of islands in the Western and Central Indian Ocean. In 1966, Diego Garcia was leased to US  [4]  . The British Royal Navy however maintains a permanent presence in the Persian Gulf in the form of multinational forces, UN Peace-keeping duties, and a Naval and Marine detachment at Diego Garcia. 7. Interests. Economically, the region is vital to UK being the source of about 40% of its oil supplies and an important supplier of non-ferrous metal imports. However there is no intention to maintain naval presence in the region though it is militarily supporting US policies in the region  [5]  . France 8. French Indian Ocean Territories. France possesses a large number of strategically located islands in the Western Indian Ocean, the largest of these being Le Reunion and Mayotte islands. France maintains a sizeable force in the IOR, comprising of about 10,000 men and 20 warships. Additionally, Djibouti is a major logistics base for French naval forces deployed from the Atlantic and Mediterranean commands. Owing to the islands, France considers herself to be a regional power in the Indian Ocean, rather than an extra -regional one. Consequently, France is a member of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), an organisation for regional cooperation, which includes Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros. Frances deep involvement in the Indian Ocean is also evident from her defence agreements with Djibouti, Comoros, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Madagascar and Mauritius  [6]  . Reunion Headquarters of French Forces in the Indian Ocean 9. French Interests. The French EEZ in the Indian Ocean amounts to a approximately 2  ½ million square kilometres, which is more than a quarter of the total French EEZ. Consequently, French naval activity in the waters of the Indian Ocean represents about 30 percent of the total French maritime activity. The French Indian Ocean territories are of strategic significance as they are on the cross roads of major commercial maritime traffic. There is extensive fishing, meteorological and geophysical research activity being undertaken by the French in these regions. France depends on West Asian oil and has trade interests with various littorals  [7]  . Japan 10. Japans proactive role in IOR is pre-requisite to Japan not only for its global status but also vital for its economic interests, especially since the sub-region is the source and transit for its energy lifeline. It is also wary of Chinas domination in South China Sea. 11. JMSDF is a large force which enforces a maritime control zone up to 1000 nm, thereby adequately addressing its security concerns and ensuring the protection of its EEZ assets. However, due to the constraint posed by the Japanese Constitution, it has been unable to assist the sub-region to secure the sea-lines against non- traditional threats. Japans commitment to Southeast Asia has thus been limited to financial and technological assistance for navigational safety and prevention of pollution  [8]  . 12. However, Japan is now actively considering a Constitutional review to break free from the legal handicap, including in terms of collective-security. This would make Japan more militarily assertive and enable it to safeguard its vital security interests in Southeast Asia  [9]  . Japan also recognises Indias strategic location in IOR and understands the vital role that India can play in securing its SLOCs. Russia 13. During Cold war, erstwhile USSR succeeded in gaining access to several bases in the IOR for forward basing and gathering intelligence. Infact, the number of Soviet bases and ships often exceeded those of US. Although it did have a lull period post 1992-1993, she still enjoys diplomatic relations with most of the littorals in IOR. These relations have great potential for cooperation in high technology, oil and gas pipelines. 14. Interests. The Indian Ocean Region is a vital link for Russia because it provides an all weather route for Russia between her Eastern and Western provinces. Besides Russia has security and trading interests in the northern reaches of the Indian Ocean. It also wants to maintain bases in the IOR to be able to influence world opinion in its favour. China 15. Chinese Influences. Over the years China has been widening her influence in the region. Today, China imports 32 percent of its oil needs, 58 % of which comes from Middle East. This figure is expected to double by 2012 with almost 70% oil requirement being met from Middle East  [10]  . Chinese state owned oil corporations are acquiring oil assets in Australia, Indonesia, Central Asia and Africa. The relationship between China and Myanmar (Communication facilities at Coco Islands, Sittwe Naval base), Bangladesh (Modernisation of Chittaong harbour), Sri Lanka (Construction of Hambantota harbour), Maldives (Submarine base) and Pakistan (Deep Sea port at Gwadar) have a strategic intention to strategically encircle India through String of Pearl  [11]  . The establishment of a free trade area with ASEAN countries is another important consideration. 16. Chinese Interests. Chinese interests in the IOR are growing and can be summarised as follows  [12]  :- (a) Containment of India. The efforts to contain India both economically and geopolitically, because it is the only regional nation that can pose a threat to its expansionist tendency in future. (b) Second Strike Capability. To maintain a second strike capability in the Indian Ocean. (c) Counter US Threat. To monitor activities in the Indian Ocean and counter increased US presence in the region. (d) Secured Oil Supply. Chinas energy needs are being fulfilled by import from Persian Gulf. Hence it is significant for China to safeguard these supply lines. Prognosis of Extra-Regional Influences 17. Indian Ocean region is potentially the most volatile and significant area, where the interests of the world powers are merging. All extra-regional powers have concerns over their energy security coming from Persian Gulf and through various choke points. The security of sea lanes against the threat of piracy and maritime terrorism is another threat. Additionally, these powers do not want the others to grow powerful by influencing the littorals in the IOR. And a few, such as France also need to maintain territorial integrity of their interests in IOR. 18. India has a geographically advantageous position in the IOR and finds herself in a position where she has to perform a balancing act to protect her interests in the region, which are vital to her progress and deal with the presence of extra regional powers. End Notes

Internet Taxation Essay -- Taxing Internet Web Essays

Internet Taxation Should states and local governments be able to impose internet tax on individuals and corporations? Maybe they should not, but they are. There are currently twelve states and the district of Colombia that currently impose sales tax on internet access. There are also 10 states that presently collect taxes on data downloads. Who pays for these taxes? And how is this tax computed? Is there truly justification for this taxation or is it just another way for federal, states, and local governments to collect potentially huge tax revenues? And what effects will these taxes have on the internet? Would taxing the internet kill the industry? In any case, individuals should educate themselves about internet taxation. There are three primary types of internet taxes: taxes on internet access, Sales and use tax, taxation on information and other non-tangible goods obtained from the internet (http://by4fd.bay4.hotmail.msn.com). One type of internet tax is the Internet access tax. These are taxes enforced on individuals or corporations for use internet access. Currently, there are 10 states which charge for internet access. These taxes are sometimes undetected by the customer because the tax is already embedded in the information or data processing services fee or the telecommunication services fee that is already being paid. So it is likely that firms or individuals don’t even realize they are paying this internet tax. If the internet tax is not already imbedded in these fees it would mean that the firm or individual would have to pay additional fees to access the internet. In many situations the imposed taxes are paid for by the internet service provider. For the states that are not currently paying taxes f... ...ack and watch internet retailers take advantage for so long. Though it seems fair to tax information and intangible goods, many internet customers are not going to be willing to pay for these taxes in addition to having to deal with longer time period to access the internet. Usually when people pay more they expect something in exchange. So taxing information and intangible goods does not seem like a wise move to make, unless there is a way of speeding up the internet speed and/or making internet access faster. Customers are just not going to pay more for less. This assignment has made me aware of what internet taxation is and informed me about the major controversy over it. I now know that there are many states in the U.S. that charge customers internet taxes. And I feel fortunate to live in Arizona where we do not have to pay these taxes at this time!!!

Discuss the Importance of Dreams in Of Mice and Men Essay

The book ‘Of Mice and Men’ was published in September, 1937 and was set in the depression of the 1930s in California at the location of Soledad. Steinbeck uses ‘Soledad’ because it translates as loneliness which arises the point that the time in which this book was set was a time of loneliness where it was very unusual to have a companion or family with you which led to the existence of dreams; to look forward to more pleasant and happier times. At this time: 1930s America, most Americans had the so-called American Dream. This was to own their own piece of land as well as being the boss of it. This was the common dream amongst ranch workers to have something to live for and aid them with their loneliness. The dream came into existence in the 1800s when land was more readily available. By the 1930s, when this novella was set, it was almost impossible to make their dreams a reality due to the 1929 Wall Street stock market collapse which had resulted in prices increasing drastically, and more importantly; there was a desperate act of poverty making people sell what they had and live on the streets. This is what led to the rugged individualism of each person. As well as this, it was made even more difficult as most land had been bought beforehand. It is due to the Wall Street Crash that many went to California for work. President Roosevelt at that time had the job of directing workers such as George and Lennie to ranches or farms where there was work. Steinbeck uses Lennie and George to personify the dream of the migrant worker; own their own land along with giving the opportunity to settle in the ‘promised land (California)’. Migrant workers are labourers who work on ranches as harvesters involving lifting heavy materials; hard work for little wages. They have no family or friends as they continuously travel to different ranches in California in order to keep work. This is how workers had to get jobs and was the way of life for migrant workers. In relation to this, work card were important as it gave them a work permit which ranch owners required when recruiting. In comparison to modern day working conditions, workers such as George and Lennie would not receive holidays, sickness payments or old age pensions from their ranch. Therefore, futures for most men looked bleak. Without dreams, no-one would have reason to keep going. An example of this is Lennie wanting his own animals in the future to ‘pet.’ There is symbolism within the book that refers to the Garden of Eden. He sets the scene of this by using description such as â€Å"Willows fresh and green with every spring† which could be interpreted as referring to the Garden of Eden. I believe Steinbeck is trying to put across the imperfectness of humans along with temptation and results of doing a â€Å"bad thing† (said by Lennie). Lennie shows that temptation causes him to lose his way and represents the imperfection of humans. His desire to pet soft objects without foreseeing the consequences puts him on a collision course with others. Also, the girl in Weed and Curley’s wife are both temptations that made his curiosity grow and he could not resist. Curley’s wife could be seen as the serpent in the garden; a liar, a temptation, a manipulator of men to get her way. Like Eve, she is curious, in this case about Lennie. Her actions are innocent but the outcomes are bad, (telling Lennie to touch her soft hair in the barn which leads to her death) just as Eve’s actions caused them and human beings to be sent of the ‘perfect place.’ Curley’s wife’s actions tempt Lennie whose actions cause him along with the others to lose their dream of a little farm. Lastly, Adam and Eve were thrown out of Eden for going against God; therefore mankind is in loneliness and wandering. Steinbeck shows this when George asks who used to live on his bunk with Candy replying that he had just left: â€Å"gimme my time one might like any guy would.† After this, George then brings Lennie along which creates suspicion because two men didn’t travel together; â€Å"Hardly none of the guys ever travel together.† There was a big contrast in the timeless rural vision of America and what was to all but end this: the 1930s Depression. The vision was that workers will move up the ranks of working to eventually own their individual land; however this would never be when the 1930s Depression occurred. There was a big drop in every economic growth along with very high unemployment. It also resulted in countries leaving the gold standard in order to recover. These reasons helped the American Dream to not be a successful one for so many. Steinbeck is effective and does well to imply that there is another world other then the perfect one that was envisaged by everyone by saying: â€Å"beaten hard by the boys coming down from the ranches† and â€Å"beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway.† Words such as â€Å"beaten hard† and â€Å"tramps† suggest this other world and show the stark contrast between dreams and reality. The main characters include George, who is a small, quick man with well-defined features. He is a migrant ranch worker who dreams of one day saving enough money to buy his own place and being his own boss, many men in the Depression dreamed of this. His only set back is his mentally handicapped friend Lennie whom he travels with and has been since he promised Lennie’s Aunt Clara he would look after him after she died. Looking after Lennie stops George from working towards his dream and even prevent him from having a normal life of a rancher, because of this, George and Lennie regularly fight. George yearns for companionship as can be told by the metaphor of him playing solitaire. The tension of having to look after Lennie and himself shows in George and he shows a wide variety of emotions during the novella, from anger to patience to sadness. Lennie is mentally slow, he’s enormous. He is George’s companion and he is the source of the all the novel’s conflict. He is George’s opposite both mentally and physically. Lennie’s innocence and helplessness, his childish actions, such is his desire to pet soft things makes him likeable to the readers of the novella. George and Lennie’s dream is more materialistic than to just own land and be their own boss, as they envision a place where â€Å"nobody gona get hurt nor steal from them.† The friendship between the two is firmly rooted in their dream. Candy and Crooks along with others are also caught up in the dream. Curly’s wife also had a dream which was to become a movie star. But in one way or another, all the dreams of these workers are smashed.

Eating Fast Food May Cause Obesity

Elizabeth Collins English 1302 March 27, 2013 Eating Fast Food May Cause Obesity Most American eat out daily and fast food is fried and high in calories, the bottom line is it’s all about choices. Making the decision to choose fried, baked or grilled food is a choice. Fast food, namely McDonald’s, tends to get a bad rap, McDonald’s got a bad rap because it is not only convenient but they made their food look attractive and desirable to kids. They placed those golden arches high in the air on the bright neon sign, and they put toys in their happy meals.While McDonald’s happy meals was not the most nutritious, now there are options as to what you can put in a kids happy meal. Statistics show that more than two-third of United States adults are obese: â€Å"Currently 58% of adults and 39% of children are classified as overweight or obese. † (4). Younger adults are less like to be obesity than adults at age sixty. In 1999-2000 obesity among boys increas ed from fourteen percent to eighteen point six percent in 2009-2010; there was no significance change among girls.In 1999-2000 obesity rate was 13. 8% and 15. % in 2009-2010. Then in 2007-2010 there was no change in general in obesity among boys and girls. Around 25% of children are overweight or obese. Most children that are obese in their childhood will be obese in their adult life. It is appropriate to say fast food may cause obesity. According to these statistics; this is because at most fast food restaurants you can up-size: medium, large, or super-size. Ordering oversized portions of servings may cause you to overeat.Although in the past McDonalds was blamed for a large part of obesity rate, McDonalds has made efforts to consciously make consumers more aware of what their food contains. It has also made more choices available, with much better nutritional value. In comparison, KFC chicken pot pies has 790 calories in them and wouldn’t this much soda be higher in calorie s. Much like big business where there’s a need; there’s an opportunity to make money, but many fast food restaurants are putting more healthier choices on their menu: For instance, Chipotle, my fit foods, Fuddruckers, 2nd even Luby’s.Studies have been done to show the effect of fast food on obesity. Americans may be prone to other behaviors that affect obesity when they eat fast food. It is a concern that fast food restaurants close to schools lead more children to obesity. To begin with, Data is computed to determine how many miles the fast food restaurants is within distance of the school. Knowingly there is a fast food restaurant in the area; if the restaurant is very close to the school, its questionable how so and that is a good way to recognize the effect of fast food on obesity.Next, the studies monitor a rich set of school and area individuality in their analysis. Finally, over a period of time, these studies will vary. Not long ago I was asked to look a t a choice between making a hot dog using a hot dog bun or using regular bread. The actual content of the hot dog is pretty ordinary, but the biggest difference can be made when choosing to eat an actual bun versus using bread for better or worse? Some people say fast food does not cause obesity.They say fast food restaurants have food now with less calories and a menu to show how many calories in the serving you are eating, and that fast food restaurants has more than doubled, because more American say it convenient to eat out than the go home and cook. While in the reports on popular press have repeatedly suggested that fast food is slightly to blame for the rise of the obesity rate in the U. S, it’s hard to show a connection between fast food and obesity. As an American, you have the ability to make healthier choices, so do it.With all things considered, you just need to know what to order and watch the amount of calories you take in. On salads, try using Balsamic Vinaigre tte instead of Ranch or Thousand Island. Consider picking grilled chicken over breaded. Maybe try eating a sandwich without any type of dressing, or just try exercising at least twice a week. Yes; fast food can cause obesity, but it’s all about the choices we make. Work Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 Jan. 2011.Web. 25 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"How Is Fast Food Contributing to Obesity in America? † LIVESTRONG. COM. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. http://www. livestrong. com/article/457854-how-is-fast-food-contributing-to-obesity-in-america/. â€Å"Obesity Facts. † Obesity Facts. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"The National Bureau of Economic Research. † The National Bureau of Economic Research. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. .

The Prevalence of School Violence

The Prevalence of School Violence As teachers, parents, and students prepare for school each day, we hope that fears of school violence is not their major concern. Sadly, violence of one sort or another is part of many schools today. In a study of the class of 2000, CBS News found that, while 96 percent of students felt safe in school, 53 percent said that a shooting was possible in their school. 22 percent of students knew classmates who regularly carried weapons to campus. Are student perceptions accurate? How common is school violence? Are children safe at school? How can parents and teachers ensure safety for everyone? Rates of School Violence According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there was an average of 47 violent deaths at schools from the 1992/1993 school year through 2015/2016. Thats over a thousand deaths in under 25 years. The following information comes from the NCES commissioned a survey of Principals in 1,234 regular public elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the 1996/1997 school year. The good news is that 43 percent of public schools reported no crime, and 90 percent reported no serious violent crimes. Still they found violence and crime to be far too common in the school setting. 57 percent of public elementary and secondary school principals stated that one or more incidents of crime or violence were reported to the police.10 percent of all public schools had one or more serious violent crimes (murder, rape, sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery).The most reported crime was physical attacks or fights without a weapon.Most of the serious violent crimes occurred in middle and high schools.A greater percentage of violent crimes occurred in city schools and in large schools with over 1000 students. When asked about their personal experiences, a quarter of students surveyed in 1999s Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher reported having been a victim of a violent crime in or around the school. Scarier still, one in eight students had at some time carried a weapon to school. These statistics indicated increases from the previous 1993 survey. Even so, teachers, students, and law enforcement officials all revealed that their overall perceptions were that violence was decreasing. How do we address this complacency and make our schools safer in fact as well as in feeling? Combating School Violence School violence is everyones problem to solve. The community, administrators, teachers, parents, and students must come together and make schools safe. What forms of prevention and punishment are schools relying on? Some schools have a low security system in place, meaning that they have no guards or metal detectors, but they do control access to school buildings. Others rely on moderate security, which means either employing a full-time guard with no metal detectors or controlled access to the buildings, or a part-time guard with controlled access to the buildings. Still others have stringent security which means they have a full-time guard, use metal detectors, and control who has access to the campus. Almost no schools have no security measures at all. One correlation is that the schools with the highest security are the ones that have the highest instances of crime. But what about the other schools? Neither Columbine, Sandy Hook, or Stoneman-Douglas were considered high risk schools. Schools across the country have instituted violence prevention programs and zero tolerance policies. One step schools take to increase security levels is issuing name badges which must be worn at all times. This may not stop students from causing violence, but it allows teachers and administrators have to more easily identify the students who cause disruptions. Furthermore, badges could prevent outsiders from invading a campus. What Can Parents Do? They can pay attention to subtle and overt changes in their children. Many times there are warning signs well in advance of violence. They can watch for these and report them to guidance counselors. Some examples include: Sudden lack of interestObsessions with violent or hateful games or videosDepression and mood swingsWriting that shows despair and isolationLack of anger management skillsTalking about death or bringing weapons to schoolViolence towards animals What Can Teachers Do? Worries about school violence should not hamper the job educators must perform. Remain aware of the possibility that violence could erupt anywhere. Strive to work together to create a safe academic environment. Teachers are in a tough situation, because if they step in physically to address violence or fights, they may themselves be targeted by defensive or abusive students or parents. Still, teachers are often in the best position to prevent classroom violence. Similar to parents, watch for the above warnings signsTalk to parents about concerns they might haveRemember to keep the lines of communication open with students and parentsBring concerns to guidance counselors and administrationBe consistent in enforcing classroom and school policiesCreate a prejudice-free classroom policy from the first day, and enforce itTeach anger management skills as the need arisesModel healthy behavior and responsesCreate a plan to handle emergency situations with your students What Can Students Do? Look out for and take care of each otherRespect others and their feelingsRefuse to succumb to negative peer pressure, especially when violence is involvedReport any knowledge of weapons on campusTell your teachers about suspicious behaviors of other studentsWalk away from confrontations Resources and Further Reading Binns, Katherine, and Dana Markow. â€Å"The Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher, 1999: Violence in Americas Public Schools- Five Years Later.† Institute of Education Sciences, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 30 Apr. 1999.Center for the Study and Prevention of ViolenceNational Center for Education StatisticsNational Crime Prevention CouncilNational School Safety CenterOffice of Safe and Healthy StudentsSafe Supportive Learning

Aroma Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Aroma Therapy - Essay Example This discussion briefly examines the history of aroma therapy then details the benefits and potential risks. It also provides scientific evidence for its power to heal, its applications and delivery methods and describes numerous conditions that would potentially improve from aroma therapy in addition to its prevalent use. Aromatics and herbs have been used for treating a number of ailments and the preservation of food since the earliest beginnings of humankind. The Egyptians are credited with originating the method of Aromatherapy that people today would likely recognize. They were the first to record using the infusion method to extract aromatic plant oils to use for medicinal purposes. At about this same time, 2700 BC, the Chinese are known to use a form of aroma therapy. India has also used aromatherapy for centuries. Western societies knew little of aroma therapy until the 1800’s. The term aroma therapy was coined in 1937 when a scientist published the healing affects of lavender oil after he accidentally burned his hand and used the oil he was experimenting with at the time (Ancient Times, 2007). People use specific therapeutic, or essential, oils for specific needs such as a mood enhancer, to relax or for an energy boost. â€Å"Not all oils are used to calm the body. Some, such as rosemary in the bath, can be used to stimulate the body† (Urbick, 2006). Users of therapeutic oils also receive the added bonus of the inherent healing effects of aromatic oils which many do not realize is a side-benefit of the therapy. Many types of oils contain similar health-enhancing properties found in domestic cleaning agents such as anti-viral, anti-septic and anti-fungal agents. Oils are extracted from many types of plants by utilizing an assortment of methods such as cold expression, alcohol extraction or steam distillation. Therapeutic oils are usually used externally and can be used in combination, or

Data Warehouse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Data Warehouse - Essay Example The data warehousing is a multi-task activity and it quite different from traditional transaction-oriented operational database management activity. It involves various state – of – art application tools and techniques for aggregating and thereby summarizing large amounts of data that assists in an effective data management and retrial. A state-of-the-art application in the data warehousing is one that can achieve a near-real-time situation. Most organizations call for immediate decision-making, which needs real-time analysis, and presentation of decision-making. Many data warehouse applications achieve this by shortening the loading cycles using micro batch ETL. These applications have unique characteristics which include: highly scalable data mining algorithms, ease of integration with other components, efficient and secure in database processes, ease of use and user-friendliness and can support relevant standards. It is, however, important to have proper consideratio ns while choosing the methodology to use in the implementation of the applications and also the entire system. Two options are available. Both of the approaches have both advantages and disadvantages; therefore, the organization should consider the individual components and the nature of activities before deciding which approach to use. In any case, it is important to consider factors such as the volume of work, user technical skills, availability of budget and the time available to carry out the activity. (Prabhu, and Venkatesan, 20). What Have Been Notable Successes that We Can Emulate? There are numerous notable success stories of organization that can be emulated. One of such stories is Hallmark Cards. Hallmark Cards with $3.6 billion in annual sales and 20,000 employees, is a leader in the personal expressions industry. It has approximately 40,000 products selling through over 40,000 retail outlets. Since as a personal expression industry, it was very critical for the company business to understand what is happening at retail outlets in order to react quickly to changes in the environment. Hallmark utilized the warehouse environment with data mart along with decision support system (DSS) to help his management to understand market environment to launch a major new product line. By using data mart,