Regarding History vs. When Death Comes

With respect to/when demise comes Luisa A. Igloria's, â€Å"Regarding History† is an extremely charming sonnet. At first it is by all accounts an exceptionally straight forward sonnet, she creatures by talking about two trees that she can see from her window that incline toward the breeze, and proceeds to portray a specific meat that she is cooking. From the outset this sonnet appeared to simply be a depiction of an evening, yet as the sonnet advances it gets progressively entangled, which lead me to begin to address if her most punctual portrayals where exacting, or a portrayal of something different entirely.A key defining moment in my translation of this sonnet is the point at which she stated: â€Å"Tell me what I'll discover, in this early period toward the start of a century. Mention to me what I'll discover unearthing a vessel and pushing off into the year's last dim hours. † It is evident that she is scanning for something, however what? After I rehash the sonne t I started seeing to a greater extent an adoration viewpoint to it when I saw her talking about an individual, who she needs to take the individual's face in her grasp and â€Å"Grow sweet from what it tells†.This again takes me back to the asking of the sonnet, and my underlying inquiry, what do the trees speak to? I arrived at the resolution that the two trees spoke to her and this individual that she reveres, and that she isn't really watching them, yet rather the trees make her think about the relationship with this individual she worships and herself, which by the portrayal of the how the trees are: â€Å"leaning now into the breeze in a position that we'd call automatic † shows to me that there is a battle of sorts that they are confronting together. Another part of the sonnet that crested my advantage was the title.After understanding it and rehashing it there appeared to be no obvious end result to be made of the title until I had concentrated on the completio n when she discusses â€Å"the start of a century†. It made me contemplate to grasp something new, and this battle is available may have been a rehash of the past, thusly achieving the whole sonnets reason, her doubting the future while with respect to the past, or as the sonnet states, history. â€Å"When Death Comes†, This sonnet by Mary Oliver was basic, however the manner in which she utilized symbolism and portrayed her contemplations upon death was splendid and extravagant.When I state straightforward, I implied that there appeared to be no concealed significance of what the sonnet was extremely about. Subsequent to perusing the material over and over is was evident that passing implied demise, and her situation on it was immovably settled. Toward the start of the sonnet she begins by depicting passing, how it is horrible, quick, unprejudiced and unforgiving. â€Å"When demise comes like the eager bear in harvest time when passing comes and takes all the brillia nt coins from his satchel to get me, and snaps his handbag shut; when demise comes like the measle-pox; when demise comes like an ice shelf between the shoulder blades†¦ Then she starts to address about what passing will resemble when it is her time. Her impression of death and its attributes incites considerations on how she esteems all life and her own connections. She depicts her connections a sibling and sisterhood, expressing that she is extremely near those she cherishes and exceptionally values their relationship. She depicts all life as a bloom, however as regular as a field daisy, yet none the less excellent, and any life that challenges adventure towards and suffer life an assortment of mental fortitude, similar to a lion, and she parts of the bargains how she needs to leave this world.She wishes to kick the bucket failing to have quit being stunned by creation and failing to have quit investigating new things and thoughts, She wishes to have no inquiries or questions . She needs to have encountered the world, not just have had visited it. Her interpretation of the thoughts and life and passing themselves are entirely decent, and something that I accept ought to be demonstrated, I accept that they are arrangement for prosperity, fulfillment, and a full life. In this sonnet, she had numerous literay devices.To me, the most fascinating one is on verses three and four: † when passing comes and takes all the splendid coins from his handbag to get me, and snaps his tote shut†¦ † Its undeniable that when you bite the dust you lose the entirety of your possesions, yet in old Greece, the way of life accepted that when you kicked the bucket you needed to pay a cost to Charon, a demi-god whose solitary design is to ship individuals in to eternity. These coins were for the most part gold or different valuable metals and were typically claimed by the individual who kicked the bucket and put on the eyes as their last installment to the Charon , which is spoken to by the descriptive word she utilizes, â€Å"Bright†.

Citibank – Performance Evaluation

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT LUCKNOW Written Executive Communication PROJECT REPORT Citibank †Performance Evaluation Submitted to †Dr. Payal Mehra Date †26/10/2012 Submitted By Group 8, Section C Anuradha Tyagi (PGP28128) Aditya Singh (PGP28158) Bholendra P. Singh (PGP28143) K. Aditya Das (PGP28139) Vishal Raju (PGP28155) Shweta J. (PGP28159) Table of Contents 1. Abstract2 2. Brief Overview of the current situation3 3. Procedure for Case Analysis5 4. Case Analysis6 5. Recommendations9 6. Implementation11 7. References12 AbstractFrits Seegers, President of Citibank California was placed in a predicament when he needed to assess James McGaren. Mr. McGaren had for since a long time ago been a decent entertainer, however with the new exhibition assessment standards that mull over consumer loyalty, he fared â€Å"below par†. It is presently up to Mr. Seegers to accept an approach James, should he be given a â€Å"above par† or a â€Å"below par† ratin g and by what means will this be conveyed to him. Brief Overview of the present circumstance James McGaran is the supervisor of the leader office of Citibank in the Los Angeles region which additionally happens to be the most significant of Citibank’s 31 branches.He has been a veteran in the financial segment as well as at Citibank. He had conveyed great monetary outcomes for a long time straight surpassing desires each and every year. In any case, when consumer loyalty was incorporated as a choice parameter in with regards to assessment, it was clear that James didn't admission very well on that front. The new standards for worker assessment are as per the following: * Financial Measures: Focus was on absolute income and benefits * Strategy Implementation: Tracks income from a specific section pertinent to the Bank’s system. Consumer loyalty: Surveys were led. Accentuation was laid on long haul affiliation. * Control Measures: Based on banks interior control forms. In the case of rating < 4, bank is supposed to be in danger. * People and Standards: Focused on the endeavors of the supervisor to create and speak with peers/workers. In light of the workers execution in these elements a rating was given, the different evaluations that can be given were â€Å"Par†, â€Å"Below Par† and â€Å"Above Par†. At last, a worldwide rating and in general rating for the administrator was awarded.Due to the adjustment in execution assessment rules, two significant confusions erupted: First and preeminent, Lisa Johnson needs to choose the rating of James. As indicated by bank’s rule a worker can be given better than average rating if and just in the event that he is performing at standard in all the models. John has been great at five execution estimation insights however slacks in a single I. e. consumer loyalty. So according to the standards he can be given â€Å"at par† rating, best case scenario. Be that as it may, Lisa accepts that John merits a better than expected rating in light of his phenomenal work with regards to revenues.Secondly, if Lisa chooses to give him a â€Å"at standard rating†, she needs to choose the most ideal approach to convey her choice. She needs to illuminate him in such a manner along these lines, that it doesn't have any negative impact on James. Lisa needs James to remain with the organization and she needs to ensure that the message is imparted appropriately. Obviously James won't acknowledge a â€Å"below par† rating and at this point, Citibank can't bear to lose a representative of James’ height. This is a normal Human Resources related circumstance which must be managed outrageous alert, else there can be critical consequences.Should James’ sense of self be harmed, there is a decent possibility he will stop the organization and with his qualifications, he ought not experience a lot of difficulty landing another position. Simultaneously, sh ould he be given a â€Å"above par† rating, it would conflict with the drawn out vision of the organization. System for Case Analysis This case centers around the exhibition assessment James McGaran. In spite of the fact that the presentation assessment parameters embraced in Citi is profoundly evaluated, the exhibition of Mr McGaran is better estimated subjectively. With a predictable â€Å"above par† rating Mr.McGaran has been a model representative. His financials were exceptional 20% above objective. His technique executions were exceptionally evaluated. It was his branch that produced most noteworthy income and made the best edge commitment to the business. The main region he slacked was â€Å"customer satisfaction† rating. James McGaran was very delicate towards his appraisals. He had endeavored to improve the consumer loyalty rating during the last quarter. He felt that very baffled that even with astonishing monetary outcomes his rating had endured becau se of client satisfaction.The consumer loyalty rating relies upon numerous variables like the area of the bank, the sort of client it took into account and so forth. Mr McGaran’s branch was in Los Angeles. It took into account some truly elevated profile individuals. The desire for such requesting customers from the branch would be nearly higher. Other than the client rating likewise included Citibank administrations rating well beyond the branch rating. Consequently, making a decision about it on totally quantitative factor wouldn’t give a totally target rating. Case Analysis Analyzing James on the new parameter is a troublesome task.As James is the supervisor of the most testing branch with profoundly requesting demographic, it is hard for him to be the best on all the parameter extraordinarily client care. In five out of six parameters James has been evaluated better than expected and it is just the client care where he has been appraised less than impressive. Prese ntly according to the new parameters he can't be appraised better than expected generally speaking. Be that as it may, the inquiry is whether it is normal to not rate him better than average. Presently on the off chance that we intently dissect the bank headed by James it is obviously noticeable that it is one of the most requesting banks in the locale among Citibank branches as well as among rivals.The no. of workers at the bank are only sixteen while the demographic of the bank ranges from Households toward one side to advanced Business clients on the other and Mom and pop store to the modern retail location on the other. Presently this differing demographic has similarly assorted client support prerequisites. Client care necessities of one are not quite the same as those of the others. So with a worker bas of only sixteen representatives it was for all intents and purposes inconceivable for the branch to give a significant level of client support to the clientele.What compounded the situation for James was that his branch was to tolerate the fault for the absence of client administrations for administrations, for example, ATM for which branch was not mindful but rather the Citibank all in all was capable. To add to the troubles of James, one of the representative was missing for the second from last quarter. So next to no was in the hands of the James to improve the administrations of the branch. The colossal size of customer base was likewise causing issue for the part of James as the no of parts of Citibank were fundamentally lower than the opponents, so the no. f customers per representative were extremely enormous and henceforth client care for his branch was awful. The greatest obstacle in the advancement of James was that different supervisors were taking a gander at James. On the off chance that Seeger gave any advantage to James, at that point different directors would likewise request similar advantages and as such the whole execution assessment fr amework may come up short. Additionally there was a dread that different administrators may not pay attention to the new presentation assessment framework and the sole target of the bank may to give relationship banking may fail.But Seeger likewise realizes that the exhibition of James was momentous and that he ought to be granted for it and yet he was not meeting the standard. Likewise Seeger had a dread that if James isn't granted than he might be unsettled to exceed expectations at the bank and bring those above desire money related outcomes. Presently examining, the new plan proposed by Seeger to assess the presentation of the directors. The new Scheme neglects to check different components. The new plan has different upsides and downsides. Investigating these advantages and disadvantages it is exceptionally certain that the plan is missing the mark concerning impeccably assessing the exhibition of the managers.As the plan says that out of six parameters if the chief performs wo rse than average in even just a single parameter his general rating can't be better than expected. The plan considers on the drawback of the presentation however doesn't represent the amazing exhibition on different fronts. Let us take the instance of James, he was appraised astounding in five out of six parameters yet at the same time he was not evaluated better than expected on the grounds that his exhibition in one parameter was worse than average. The plan focused on the drawback of the presentation however not on the upside.In actuality the plan turned into an apparatus to rebuff the chiefs as opposed to remunerating them. Instead of this the bank ought to have weighted all the six parameters with a base presentation limit taking all things together. For this situation one could remunerate the absence of execution in one parameter by exceeding expectations in different parameters. The other significant inadequacy of the approach was that the strategy discussed least execution l evels. In any case, it neglected to discuss uncommon exhibitions. As monetary execution of James branch was higher than what was anticipated from the branch. The bank was neglecting to compensate this remarkable performance.This was exceptionally disheartening for James as he isn't remunerated for his money related exhibitions as that was improving the primary concern of the organization. Additionally one of the issues that was there with consumer loyalty was that the branch was not answerable for all the administrations as certain administrations like ATM were given midway by the Citibank. Thus the branch was not answerable for any absence of administration but rather it was considered responsible for that. Likewise another difficult issue was that the bank focused on relationship banking however the quantity of customers per representative were huge when contrasted with the riv

Pelosi, Nancy Patricia

Pelosi, Nancy Patricia Pelosi, Nancy Patricia p?lo ´se [key], 1940â€", U.S. congresswoman, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (2007â€"11), b. Baltimore as Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro. The daughter of Thomas J. D'Alesandro, Jr., who served as Baltimore's mayor and a congressman, she moved to California, where she became active in the Democratic party. In 1987 she was was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election. A liberal from San Francisco, she became minority whip in 2001 and, succeeding Dick Gephardt , minority leader in 2003, becoming the first woman to hold high-ranking leadership positions in the U.S. Congress. Democratic victories in the 2006 and 2008 congressional elections led to her election as Speaker of the House; she became the first woman to hold the post. Since 2011 Pelosi has been minority leader, after the Democrats lost their majority. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved . See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies

Astronomy 101 - Learning About Stars

Astronomers are often asked about objects in the cosmos and how they came to be. Stars, in particular, fascinate many people, particularly because we can look out on a dark night and see so many of them. So, what are they? Stars are massive shining spheres of hot gas. Those stars you see with your naked eye in the night sky all belong to the Milky Way Galaxy, the huge system of stars that contains our solar system. There are around 5,000 stars which can be seen with the naked eye, though not all stars are visible at all times and places. With a small telescope, hundreds of thousands of stars can be seen. Larger telescopes can show millions of galaxies, which can have upwards of a trillion or more stars. There are more than 1 x 1022 stars in the universe (10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). Many are so large that if they took our Suns place, they would engulf Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Others, called white dwarf stars, are around the size of Earth, and neutron stars are less than about 16 kilometers (10 miles) in diameter. Our Sun is about 93 million miles from Earth, 1 astronomical Unit (AU). The difference in its appearance from the stars visible in the night sky is due to its close proximity. The next closest star is Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light-years (40.1 trillion kilometers (20 trillion miles) from Earth. Stars come in a wide variety of colors, ranging from deep red, through orange and yellow to an intense white-blue. The color of a star depends on its temperature. Cooler stars tend to be red, while the hottest ones are blue. Stars are classified many ways, including by their brightness. They are also divided into brightness groups, which are called magnitudes. Each star magnitude is 2.5 times brighter than the next lower star. The brightest stars now represented by negative numbers and they can be dimmer than 31st magnitude.   Stars - Stars - Stars Stars are primarily made of hydrogen, smaller amounts of helium, and trace amounts of other elements. Even the most abundant of the other elements present in stars (oxygen, carbon, neon, and nitrogen) are only present in very small quantities. Despite the frequent use of phrases like the emptiness of space, space is actually full of gases and dust. This material gets compressed by collisions and blast waves from exploding stars, causing lumps of matter to form. If the gravity of these protostellar objects is strong enough, they can pull in other matter for fuels. As they continue to compress, their internal temperatures rise to the point where hydrogen ignites in thermonuclear fusion. While the gravity continues pulling, trying to collapse the star into the smallest possible size, the fusion stabilizes it, preventing further contraction. Thus, a great struggle ensues for the life of the star, as each force continues to push or pull. How Do Stars Produce Light, Heat, and Energy? There are a number of different processes (thermonuclear fusion) which make stars produce light, heat and energy. The most common happens when four hydrogen atoms combine into a helium atom. This releases energy, which is converted to light and heat. Eventually, most of the fuel, hydrogen, is exhausted. As the fuel begins to run out, the strength of the thermonuclear fusion reaction declines. Soon (relatively speaking), gravity will win and the star will collapse under its own weight. At that time, it becomes what is known as a white dwarf. As the fuel further depletes and reaction stops all together, it will collapse further, into a black dwarf. This process can take billions and billions of years to complete. Toward the end of the twentieth century, astronomers began to discover planets orbiting other stars. Because planets are so much smaller and fainter than stars, they are difficult to detect and impossible to see, so how do scientists find them? They measure tiny wobbles in a star’s motion caused by the gravitational pull of the planets. Although no Earth-like planets have been discovered yet, scientists are hopeful. Next lesson, well take a closer look at some of these balls of gas.

Tina and Dan-Birth Control Methods Essay - 875 Words

Tina and Dan are considering various birth control methods. They are a newly-wed couple who practiced abstinence before marriage and plan on starting their family with a year. Choose possible methods of contraception for the couple and discuss the advantages and disadvantages they would need to consider at the point in their lives. Due to the fact that Tina and Dan are newly-wed it would be safe to assume their sexual activities with each other will be plentiful. Considering the fact they practiced abstinence prior to their marriage, it should also be safe to assume they are both free from STI or HIV/AIDS. Under these circumstances I would recommend the birth-control pill. The greatest advantage of using the pill, when used properly,†¦show more content†¦These include hypertension, diabetes, migraine headaches, uterine fibroids, and elevated cholesterol level (Voelker, 2000). Linda is a young single woman with an active dating life. She chooses to be intimate only with long-term committed partners. She is wary of the risks associated with sexually transmitted infections and has decided that she does not want to be a single parent. Choose possible methods of contraception for Linda and discuss the advantage and disadvantages she should consider at this point in her life. I would recommend that Linda use condoms and a spermicide. Although condoms are not 100% effective for the protection against STIs, HIV/AIDS, or pregnancy, it is the best prevention available for those who are sexually active. Some condoms are made of latex; while others are made of intestinal membranes of lambs. For Linda I believe latex condoms are best for her. The skins are thinner and do not protect as well as the latex condoms. Although Linda is intimate with long-term commitments there is a plural there, meaning other relationships have not worked out and she has moved on to another relationship. Not only is there a number of partners for Linda but Linda dont know about the other partners her new partners have been with. Among the advantages for the use of condoms and spermicide is the effectiveness rivals that of the birth-control pill when used correctly andShow MoreRelatedProduct Placement10682 Words   |  43 Pagesfrom the television industry in the 1950s than they do with traditional films.[10] Gurevitch suggests that as a result, the relationship between cinema and advertising is more intertwined than previous historians have credited, suggesting that the birth of cinema was in part the result of advertising and the economic kickstart that it provided early film makers.[11] Kerry Segrave details the industries that advertised in these early films and goes on to give a thorough account of the history of productRead MoreProduct Placement10670 Words   |  43 Pagesfrom the television industry in the 1950s than they do with traditional films.[10] Gurevitch suggests that as a result, the relationship between cinema and advertising is more intertwined than previous historians have credited, sugge sting that the birth of cinema was in part the result of advertising and the economic kickstart that it provided early film makers.[11] Kerry Segrave details the industries that advertised in these early films and goes on to give a thorough account of the history of productRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 Pagesand Joseph R. Matthews The Complete Guide to Acquisitions Management Frances C. Wilkinson and Linda K. Lewis Organization of Information, Second Edition Arlene G. Taylor The School Library Media Manager, Third Edition Blanche Woolls Basic Research Methods for Librarians Ronald R. Powell and Lynn Silipigni Connoway Library of Congress Subject Headings: Principles and Application, Fourth Edition Lois Mai Chan Developing Library and Information Center Collections, Fifth Edition G. Edward Evans and Margaret

Case Study 2 Free Essays

Chapter 2 Case Study Summary 1: 21-year old woman that has had type 1 diabetes for the past 8 years, was brought to the hospital in a coma. She was prescribed to take 92 units of insulin a day to maintain her sugar levels within normal limits and prevent excess sugar in her urine. Upon admission she was hypontensive, tachycardic and hyperventilating. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Study 2 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Her labs show she is acidonic, arterial blood carbon dioxide levels were low, blood oxygen tension is normal, bicarbonate levels are really low indicating metabolic acidosis, low sodium levels, slightly high level of potassium, Chloride level is on the low end of normal, very high levels of blood urea and nitrogen, total carbon dioxide levels are really low, extremely high sugar levels and high creatinine levels. She tested positive for ketones. She recieved 8 units of regular insulin through an IV and 8 units per hour by IV infusion pump. Her blood sugar levels began to drop at about 100 mg/dL each hour. After seven hours her breathing and pH went back to normal, following an injection of intravenous sodium bicarbonate to raise her pH and vigorous IV fluids and electrolyte replacement. 1. It seems her type 1 diabetes is uncontrolled. As her body could not use the sugar and there is not enough insulin, fat was used for fuel instead. During fat breakdown, byproducts called ketones are developed. Ketone bodies are acidic and dangerous when it build up in the body causing all her symptoms upon admission. . Yes, her pH levels became normal. Meaning her bicarbonate levels increased to compensate for the increased hydrogen proton levels in her blood. 3. When the body uses fat for energy instead of sugar, the body creates a byproduct called ketones. Since this is a byproduct, it flows through the renal system waiting to be expelled from the body. Normally, the existence of ketone bodies are detected through a urine sample. 4. The potassium results were high which can indicate some problem with her kidneys. 5. The low sodium results are based on the fact that sodiums job in the body is to keep proper acid-base equilibrium (homeostasis). Sodium has alkaline properties so if the levels are low the acid levels will be higher. 6. Diabetes can affect normal control of BP and can cause damage to the nerves supplying the blood vessels. When the blood pressure lowers the glomerular filtration rate decreases. 7. Anion gap measures of anions in the arterial blood. Anion gap equals chloride plus bicarbonate minus sodium Na-(Cl + HCO3-). The patient has a anion gap of 30. Normal levels are 7 to 16. 8. Osmolality measures the concentration of all chemical particles found in the fluid part of blood. Normal values range from 275 to 295. The patient has a osmolality of 351. 1 Summary 2: 14 year old boy that was never vaccinated against poliomyelitis got the disease late summer. He was hospitalized and needed a respirator during the severity of the illness. Once he began to recover, they took him off the respirator with no apparent effects. Days later a blood analysis revealed the following. H level is slightly acidic, carbon dioxide levels are high and indicate some respiratory acidosis, blood oxygen level is low, bicarbonate level is high, sodium levels are normal, potassium is normal, chloride level is slightly low, and total carbon dioxide levels are high. 1. It seems the patient has respiratory acidosis. Production of carbon dioxide occurs fast and the failure of proper ventilated increases the CO2 in the blood. 2. B uffers are normal compensatory mechanisms to respond to the acidosis. 3. Yes, the HCO3 (bicarbonate) test is elevated and bicarbonate is a buffer. 4. Acute respiratory acidosis is when a abrupt failure of ventilation occurs. Chronic respiratory acidosis may be secondary to many disorders. 5. Total CO2 measures the serum bicarbonate and available forms of carbon dioxide. Bicarbonate takes up about 95% of the total. They take the bicarbonate measurements by the sample of the venous blood and arterial blood gas analysis. 6. Chloride levels are slightly lower due to respiratory muscle weakness. How to cite Case Study 2, Free Case study samples Case Study 2 Free Essays Case Study 2 Springfield Express is a luxury passenger carrier in Texas. All seats are first class, and the following data are available: Number of seats per passenger train car 90 Average load factor (percentage of seats filled) 70% Average full passenger fare $ 160 Average variable cost per passenger $ 70 Fixed operating cost per month $3,150,000 Formula : Revenue = Units Sold * Unit price Contribution Margin = Revenue – All Variable Cost Contribution Margin Ratio = Contribution Margin/Selling Price Break Even Points in Units = (Total Fixed Costs + Target Profit )/Contribution Margin Break Even Points in Sales = (Total Fixed Costs + Target Profit )/Contribution Margin Ratio Margin of Safety = Revenue – Break Even Points in Sales Degree of Operating Leverage = Contribution Margin/Net Income Net Income = Revenue – Total Variable Cost – Total Fixed Cost Unit Product Cost using Absorption Cost = (Total Variable Cost + Total Fixed Cost)/# of units a. Contribution margin per passenger =$160 – $70 = $90 Contribution margin ratio =$90/$160=56. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Study 2 or any similar topic only for you Order Now 25% Break-even point in passengers = Fixed costs/Contribution Margin = $ 3,150,000/$90 Passengers =35,000 Break-even point in dollars = Fixed Costs/Contribution Margin Ratio = $ 3,150,000/56. 25% $ 5,600,000 b. Compute # of seats per train car (remember load factor? )= 90 * 70% = 63 Seats filled Compute # of train cars (rounded) = 35,000/63 = 556 train cars filled c. Contribution margin = $190 – $70 = $120 Break-even point in passengers = fixed costs/ contribution margin =$ 3,150,000/$120 Passengers = 26,250 BE = 90 seats *60% = 54 Train cars (rounded) = 26,250/54 = 486 d. Contribution margin = $190 – $90 = $70 Break-even point in passengers = Fixed costs/Contribution Margin = $ 3,150,000/$70 Passengers =45,000 BE = 90 seats *70% = 63 Train cars (rounded) = 45,000/63 = 714 e. Contribution margin = $205 – $85 = $120 (P = Passengers) Sales205*P Variable Exp. 085*P Contribution M. 120*P Fixed Exp. 3,600,000 PretaxX Tax Exp. :X*30% Net Income Op. 750,000 750,000 = X – 0. 3X (X (1 – 0. 3) = 750,000/(1-0. 3) = X X=$ 1,071,428. 57 (Pre-Tax) $ 1,071,429= 120P – $ 3,600,000 = $ 1,071,429 + $ 3,600,000= 120P = 4,671,429/120= P P =38,928 f. Contribution margin = $120 – $70 = $50 # of discounted seats = 90*70%; 90*80% ( Difference is 10%; 90*10% = 9 Seats Contribution margin for discounted fares X #discounted seats = $50 * 9 Seats = $450 50 Train *$ 450 train cars per day * 30 days per month= $675,000 $ 675,000 (-) $ 180,000 additional fixed costs = $495,000 pretax income. g. 1. Co mpute Contribution margin Route 1 Route2 Overall Mix Sales160*P175*P335 *p Variable Exp. 070*P070*P140 *p Contribution M. 090*P105*P195 *P Route 1 Contribution Margin Ratio =$90/$160=56. 5% Route 2 Contribution Margin Ratio =$105/$175=60% Overall Contribution Margin Ratio =$195/$335=58. 20% Answer: Yes, it should, because the CMR is greater with the two routes. 2. BE = 90 * 60% = 54 Seats filled Contribution margin = $175 – $70 = $105 (P = Passengers) Sales175*P (54 Seats) Variable Exp. 070*P Contribution M. 105*P Fixed Exp. 3,150,000+250,000=3,400,000 Pretax120,000 120,000 = (105P*(54 Seats)) – 3,400,000 = 3,520,000 = 5,670P = 3,520,000/5,670 = P P=621 621/54 =12 train cars 3. Contribution margin = $175 – $70 = $105 BE = 90 seats *75% = 68 Contribution margin = $175 – $70 = $105 (P = Passengers) Sales175*P (68 Seats) Variable Exp. 070*P Contribution M. 105*P Fixed Exp. 3,150,000+250,000=3,400,000 Pretax120,000 120,000 = (105P*(68 Seats)) – 3,400,000 = 3,520,000 = 7,140P = 3,520,000/7,140= P P=493 493/68 = 7 train cars 4. Springfield should consider Qualitative factors such as: (1) effect on employee morale, schedules and other internal elements; (2) relationships with and commitments to older and new suppliers; (3) effect on present and future customers; and (4) long-term future effect on profitability and new businesses. How to cite Case Study 2, Free Case study samples

Mark Twain Essays - Mississippi River, Mark Twain, Picaresque Novels

Mark Twain Russell 1 Jami Russell Mr. Saylor English 3 HN 18 November 1999 Mark Twain had an extreme love for the Mississippi River. His dreams were of becoming a steamboat pilot. Twain inspired others as they looked to him with great knowledge. He wanted to come home in glory as a pilot more than anything. Events in Mark Twain's life come out in his writings and they are displayed in Life on the Mississippi. Mark Twain was the first American that appeared west of the Mississippi River. He was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835. Twain lived along the Mississippi River in the town of Hannibal until the age of eighteen. After his father's death in 1847, Twain became an apprentice at two Hannibal printers. Most of Twain's childhood is displayed throughout his work. He recalled his past in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (De Veto 51). Twain's career began when he was only eleven years old. He worked by editing copies. In 1861 Clemens served briefly as a volunteer soldier in the Confederate cavalry. Later that year he accompanied his brother to the newly created Nevada Territory, where he tried his hand at silver mining. After moving to San Francisco, California, in 1864, Twain met American writers Artemus Ward and Bret Harte, who encouraged him in his work. Later he found a job as a reporter at Territorial Interprise (52). Mark Twain had a life full of writing and full of dreaming. Twain had always dreamed of becoming a steamboat captain and he knew that one day he would accomplish that goal. He viewed the sight of the mighty Mississippi River as steamboats passed with all aspects of humanity. Twain's dream of becoming a pilot never faded, although many other dreams did. Twain had a passion for the steamboats on the Russell 2 Mississippi River. A pilot was an important and popular way of living. Others thought that it was the best road to take for a career. Mark Twain was determined to become a steamboat pilot, and he would not return home until he had achieved this. He day-dreamed as a child and an adolescent about being a great pilot. Horace Bixby gave Samuel Clemens the name Mark Twain because it meant a depth of twelve feet. Twain wanted to navigate the Mississippi River. He paid Horace Bixby five hundred dollars to teach him how to achieve this (Bloom 155). Not only did Mark Twain have the ability to make others laugh, but he expressed his thoughts about life and his traumatizing realizations of the past through humor in his works. Twain's style of humor has traveled throughout the world over the years. His broad but subtle humor was tremendously popular (165). Life on the Mississippi is more than just a book about life on the river. It is also reflections on Twain's life. This book is a true experience of Mark Twain's traumatizing childhood. It was also a book that was referred to as his ?steamboat book.? Life on the Mississippi combines an autobiographical account of Twain's experiences as a river pilot with a visit to the Mississippi nearly two decades after he left it. The whole town got excited when a steamboat was coming down the river. The Mississippi River is seen as the genius Loci of Mark Twain's imagination. Twain was also a realist when writing his novels. Others became jealous of Twain and his accomplishments (De Veto 52). Not only his dreams but also his fears of the past were a part of this book. In other works of Twain, there was confusion about the audience that would and should be attracted to it. Some of his books were humerous for children but also serious issues for adults. While writing the books The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain was not sure if these were children's books or those for adults. In these writings Twain stated that this was a new way of writing because the literary language was based on the slang of the American society. It took years of writing for the Russell 3 completion of these books and they were thought of as masterpieces that could not be outdone by any other works. The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck's adventures provide the reader with a view of American life along the Mississippi River before the Civil War. Twain's skill in capturing the rhythms of that life help make the book

Euthanasia Informational Outlo essays

Euthanasia Informational Outlo essays Euthanasia Informational Outlook Before practicing medicine as a profession, doctors must take a Hippocratic Oath in which they are sworn to protect human life. Therefore, any concept which involves assisting a patient to take his own life would, on the surface, appear to be a violation of the sacred medical oath. However, with the ever-increasing numbers of terminally-ill patients, the issues aren't necessarily as black and white as they once appeared. With the increasing prominence of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, sometimes referred to as Dr. Death, many patients and medical professionals are questioning the implications of physician-assisted suicide, and whether or not such an action constitutes murder. I. Advanced euthanasia directives including terminal care, value of life and right to die Euthanasia comprised of the Greek words eu, which means good and thanatos, which means death. There are two basic types of euthanasia active and passive. Active euthanasia involves inducing a painless death to a patient (per his request) who is suffering from a terminal illness or incurably debilitating condition, with their direct consent. To date, this practice is illegal in the United States, but is recognized by the Netherlands' government ("Hemlock Society: General Information" 1997). Passive euthanasia is the medical practice of not intervening in the natural death process and is performed through the removal of feeding tubes, the cessation of antibiotic medications to fight infection, or the halting of chemotherapy. This is a legally recognized practiced and is widely accepted by the medical establishment. ("Hemlock Society: General Information" 1997). In recent years, the term assisted suicide has become popular or notorious, depending on one's point of view. This is the process of aiding a person to end his life, and is considered illegal in most states. Although family members often help a t...

Drama Coursework Help

Drama Coursework Help Drama Coursework Help Drama Coursework Help: Make Your Work Creative If you are an often visitor of Literature class, dramatic essay or dramatic coursework are the assignments that are going to become your close friends during the process of study, as with the help of dramatic essay it is very simple to check the level of knowledge of a student he or she has received during attending classes. As drama is considered to be an art, sometimes it is rather difficult to understand the message an author is trying to transfer to the readers, especially, if the student does not have any experience in drama coursework writing. That is why the majority of people often find themselves in need of drama coursework help. Professional Coursework Help Is Right Here! If you are looking for drama coursework help, you can find your own drama coursework help within servicing of our custom writing, and at this point, you may be sure that drama coursework help you are going to get will be of the highest level of professionalism and the dramatic essay you are going to receive will be worth of the highest grade. However, apart from visiting our custom writing service you can also receive drama coursework help with the help of this very article. Here you are going to get a professional drama coursework help on the subject of how to make your drama coursework or dramatic essay be creative and interesting. Make use of unusual piece of writing in your dramatic essay, if the play you are dealing with is mysterious one you will fail to write dull dramatic essay. When you read interesting and creative piece of drama, it inspires you to write about it in the same interesting and creative way. Play with the characters while writing your essay; pretend to have an interview with them and write what they could answer, place them in some extraordinary environment, make them to exchange their roles. Such techniques always help in dramatic essay writing. Pay special attention to this very advice offered by our drama coursework help and you are certain to write a creative piece. If your professor does not insist that your dramatic essay should be written according to all the requirements from it and understands that your dramatic essay is a piece of art itself, which can not be measured by any frames, give a special design to your essay by placing the images of characters on the pages of your dramatic essay: If You Need Help with Coursework Contact Us Without Hesitation! We hope that you will find our drama coursework help to be useful. Good luck with your writing. Read also: Sport Research Paper Research Proposal Guidelines Research Paper Topics Research Paper Ideas How to Write a Research Paper

Concideration of fraud in an audit Research Paper

Concideration of fraud in an audit - Research Paper Example FRAUD Fraud is a word used in broader concepts and approaches. It basically refers to any illegal action characterized by deceit and concealment which isn’t conducted under any violence, force or threat. The aim of every fraudulent activity is an undue advantage which could be institutional or personal. (Flostoiu.2012) Characteristics of Fraud: Fraud results in victim that loses a benefit because of the criminal’s fraud. It is represented by a series of illegal actions and irregularities which are all planned with the intention to deceive. Fraud is also referred to activities which involve concealment of information that was to be revealed by an obligation and intended omission of certain information or documents including misstatements and misrepresentation of information. Fraud also includes falsification of financial situations, corruption and theft. It is always important to distinguish between a fraud and error. The results of both error and fraud could be the same , but fraud is committed intentionally while error happens unintentionally. (Flostoiu.2012) Fraud Triangle Theory: A fraud triangle is a model which discloses the factors found in fraudsters at all levels of organization. This theory researched about the factors that force honest people to commit fraud. These factors could be summed as Pressure/Incentive, Opportunity and Rationalization that put an individual in a position to conduct fraud. (Dorminey, Scott, Kranacher & Riley. 2010) In a Fraud Triangle pressure refers to situations that put mental pressure/incentive on an individual which forces him to commit fraud. These situations could include excessive credit card debts, gambling debts, extended unemployment, family or peer pressures, unbearable expenditures and financial difficulties etc. For an auditor, pressure is difficult to identify in a fraudster as there is no personal interaction with him. (Dorminey, Scott, Kranacher & Riley. 2010) Opportunity as the word suggests, is a n instance where the fraudster finds a loophole in the controls which prevent fraud. An employee usually finds a chance where he can commit fraud without being detected. This opportunity for an employee can arise from weak internal controls and inability of frauds being detected, lack of training, weak ethical culture where honesty in doing business isn’t considered a priority and lack of supervision etc. Most opportunities arising situations for fraud include lack of internal controls like segregation of duties not being implemented properly. (Dorminey, Scott, Kranacher & Riley. 2010) Rationalization refers to that state of mind where the fraudster convinces himself that whatever fraud he has committed was either not wrong or even it was wrong it an be corrected later on by returning the money or compensating for it. Another state of rationalization is found when a fraudster convinces himself that he deserves the stolen money. The reason for this rationalization could be the unfair treatment in the organization like a recent promotion or increment not being offered which forces him to believe that has been victimized. (Kassem, Rasha, & Higson, Andrew. 2012) Recent researchers have extended the Fraud Triangle and added a fourth factor to the triangle making it as a diamond. This factor is the capability of the fraudster to conduct fraud. Capabilities include the traits of the fraudster i.e. in presence of the three factors of fraud

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Project management - Essay Example There will also be constraints if sponsor has not described all the details required for the development of the system. It will therefore mean that more rework will be done which will cause further delay to the project. Constraints will be experienced if key-decision makers will be difficult to contact when issues arise in the project. This will cause time wastage in the project execution. It is expected that these decision-makers will be reachable at any time and in all the development phases of the project. Another constraint that might arise is if the project members will be new to the environment and may take time to learn the new developing environment. This will cause the delay to be experienced in the project execution. Project management services. (2009). Project management process inputs, tools and techniques, amd outputs organized by process groups. Retrieved Febuaryr 25, 2012, from Project management services:

Stress Management in Low Intensity Conflict Operations

Stress Management in Low Intensity Conflict Operations CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"Life is a long sequence of stressors† Mirza Galib General 1. Stress is an inescapable part of modern life. It is the psychological and physiological reaction that occurs when an individual perceives an imbalance between the level of demand placed upon him and his capability for meeting that demand. Stress affects individuals physiologically, emotionally and behaviourally and is linked to responses which in case of stress overloads, often results in rash or irrational behaviour. However, it is not always negative in fact, stress at optimum levels also produces a positive force or stimuli that is dynamic and often aids in tiding over difficult situations. 2. Officers, Junior Commissioned officers and men in the army are by no means insulated to the phenomenon of stress but in fact exposed to situations which tend to become stressful. Understanding of stress, therefore, plays an important role in management of personnel in the army, both in peace and in operational environments. 3. A rigid organizational structure, peculiar environmental factors, extended deployment in Counter Insurgency Operations and Combat situations often compound stress related problems in the army. These, if not tackled at an early stage results in cumulated stress effects which often surpass acceptable limits. The recent spate of suicides, fragging and fratricides provides an urgency to understand at the earliest, the maladies of stress and its effect on men officers of the army. 4. The Penguin Medical Encyclopaedia defines stress as any influence, which disturbs the natural equilibrium of the body and includes within its reference, physical injury, exposure, deprivation and all kinds of diseases and emotional disturbances. The word stress has been borrowed from Physics and Engineering where it has a precise meaning, a force sufficient enough in magnitude to distort or deform when applied to a system. For our studies the apt definition seems to be the rate of wear and tear of the mind. 5. To quote a formal definition, â€Å"Stress is defined as an adaptive response to an external situation that results in physical, psychological and / or behavioural deviations for organizational participants.[1]† It may also be defined as â€Å"failure to adapt†[2] 6. Most people view stress in a negative way but as mentioned in the previous paragraph it may be positive sometimes as it provides the extra energy to deal with tough or life threatening situations. Experts therefore agree that some stress is not only helpful but essential to keep it going for us without which we would be vegetables. Stress results from a stimulation of environment , the degree of this stimulation on the stress curve is positive to an extent but thereafter prolonged stimulations of the same kind, for example the operational environment experienced by the soldiers in Low Intensity Conflict Operations leads to manifestation of stress in the form of negative effects on the soldiers mind. High stress levels, besides manifesting in below-par performance standards during discharge of duties, are also the cause of incidents like running amok, fratricides and suicides. METHODOLOGY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 7. To analyse the causes of stress in soldiers of Indian Army in the backdrop of its prolonged deployment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations, its manifestation in various forms and to suggest possible methods of stress management at the national, army, formation unit levels. HYPOTHESIS 8. Existing op environment in areas where the Indian Army is deployed for Low Intensity Conflict Operations coupled with prolonged deployment of troops in such areas is the main cause of stress in soldiers today which has led to an increased occurrence of stress related incidents amongst the soldiers. JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY 9. India has a 1.1 million-strong army and with 81 suicides[3] in the year 2006 stress has become one of its major worries. s given by The Indian Express show that the number of suicides per lakh personnel in the army stands at 10.8 though this is much lower than 17 for the US Army, 18 for the French and 14 of the Royal Army is still big enough to draw attention. The increasing numbers of suicide cases[4] are a cause of concern (See chart below).This fact has been proven adequately in the research carried out by Dr DS Goel of Ranchi institute of Neuropsychiatry in conjunction with command hospital northern command on â€Å"Psychological Effects of Low Intensity Operations†. Extract of the same is attached as appendix A. 10. Another alarming is the 23 cases of fratricide in 2006[5], of these 09cases were reported from Jammu and Kashmir and remaining 14 from the North East, both are areas where army is involved in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. Similar statistics also can be established in suicide cases. Why these cases did not occur in peace stations if the reasons for stress as propounded by some theories are economic growth and rising financial aspirations of the soldier is a moot question and does point to the operational environment of Low Intensity Conflict Operations as the prime reason of stress in soldiers and thus the prime nemesis to be tamed to get down the worrisome numbers of suicides and fratricides. However the effects of personal problems of the soldier causing such incidents is correct, but again if the soldier was located in a peace area he would have been in a better connected place as far as communication with his family is concerned whether it is a case of land dispute or mar ital discord or his wife not being treated well by her in laws. Most of such cases could be solved merely by the physical presence of the soldier along with his wife or parents as the case may be thus it connects to the prolonged deployment of troops in Low Intensity Conflict Operations which leads to increased domestic problems in a soldiers life. 11. In July 2009 the Honourable RM while answering to a question in the parliament stated that already 48 cases of suicides and one case of fratricide have been reported till June[6], its anybodys guess what the final for 2009 will be, whatever be the it cannot be denied that the Indian Army today is faced with the demon of stress in its soldiers. The good news is that the army has realised that this is a problem and cannot be wished away and a number of steps are being taken to tackle the issue but till such time the bigger demon of Low Intensity Conflict Operations exists and some holistic measures by the government and the army are undertaken, firstly to improve the operational environment and secondly to reduce or decrease the time which a soldier spends continuously in Low Intensity Conflict Operations areas, this demon will continue to feed on the strength of the Indian Army- the Indomitable spirit of the Indian soldier. SCOPE 12. The scope is limited to study the following aspects :- (a) Deployment pattern of Indian Army in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (b) Operational Environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (c) Manifestation of stress and its inter-relation with behaviour/performance. (d) Management of stress to include present approach its shortcomings and recommendations. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS 13. Some terms used in this dissertation are defined below:- (a) Combat Stress[7]. The stress experienced by the soldier during a combat situation. This is a complex form of stress resulting from all the physical and mental strain caused to the soldier during the combat mission, it is cumulative in nature and the number of times the soldier goes through the same situation it causes stress and is accumulated in the mind of the combatant. (b) Stressors. The factors that cause stress are called stressors; it can be an event or situation which requires a non routine change in the lifestyle or behaviour of a soldier. This causes a felling of conflict with the ideals and values of a person or it may pose a challenge or threat to an individuals sense of wellbeing or self esteem. (c) Eustress[8]. Stress may manifest sometimes in a positive way, this effect is known as Eustress, which is described by experts as a motivator which drives a person to achieve extraordinary feats under situations of pressure. It is obvious that Eustress is not harmful being occasional. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION 14. The research work is mainly based on books, journals available in the library, thesis and dissertation work available on the internet as also the study report of the Defence Institute of Psychological Research on the causes of inter-personal violence in the units deployed in counter insurgency areas and the study report of research carried out by Ranchi Institute of Neurosciences in collaboration with Armed Forces Medical Services, Command Hospital (Northern Command) and Director general Medical Services. Data of twenty units of infantry and artillery was also collected to prove that the existing deployment pattern and troop commitment to Rashtriya Rifles is resulting in prolonged exposure of approximately one percent of soldiers to higher stress prone areas. A detailed bibliography of sources is appended at the end of the dissertation. ORGANISATION OF THE DISSERTATION (CHAPTERISATION) 15. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner :- (a) Chapter I Introduction. (b) Chapter II Deployment Pattern of Indian Army in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (c) Chapter III Operational environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations Areas. (d) Chapter IV Manifestation of Stress. (e) Chapter V Management of Stress. (f) Chapter VI Recommendations and Conclusion. CHAPTER II DEPLOYMENT PATTERN OF INDIAN ARMY IN LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS â€Å"We live longer than our forefathers, but we suffer more from a thousand artificial anxieties and cares. They fatigued only muscles we exhaust the finer strength of our nerves† -Edward George Bulwer-Lytton 1. Infantry Battalions. The infantry battalions are deployed for Low Intensity Conflict Operations typically for a duration of two to three years during what is known as the field tenure, it can either be in the Northern sector (Jammu and Kashmir) or the North Eastern region. After tenure of aforesaid duration when the battalion is de-inducted from such areas to peace locations, a finite number of soldiers are sent to the affiliated Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalions to meet the requirement of troop commitment of Indian army to such units (Refer survey in following paragraphs). Thus a number of soldiers who have served for up to two to three years are again posted to operate in a Low Intensity Conflict Operations situation for a duration of two years and furthermore when these soldiers return from this stint it is again time for their battalion to move to field area for Low Intensity Conflict Operations, hence he again undergoes a tenure in high stress environment. In this way some sol diers end up spending up to six to seven years in Low Intensity Conflict Operations which anybody who has been there will agree is a long time. 2. Artillery Units. The case mentioned above is only slightly better for artillery, since the artillery units generally have longer peace tenures than the infantry battalions; hence a soldier after coming back, gets to spend some time in peace locations, however these personnel would have still undergone up to four years of continuous field area tenure. 3. Survey. To establish the facts mentioned in the previous paragraphs, data was collected from ten infantry battalions and ten artillery regiments. The results of the survey are given in succeeding paragraphs. 4. Infantry Battalions. Number of personnel who were dispatched to RR Battalions within one year are given as under, due to security reasons the exact identity of the units is not being revealed:- Serial Number Battalion Number of Personnel Junior Commissioned Officers Other Ranks (i) A Battalion 04 53 (ii) B Battalion 05 52 (iii) C Battalion 03 54 (iv) D Battalion 04 51 (v) E Battalion 04 52 (vi) F Battalion 04 55 (vii) G Battalion 04 52 (viii) H Battalion 04 55 (ix) J Battalion 04 51 (x) K Battalion 04 56 9 5. Artillery Regiments. A similar survey of artillery units revealed the following s:- Serial Number Regiment Number of Personnel Junior Commissioned Officers Other Ranks (i) No 1 Regiment 01 59 (ii) No 2 Regiment 02 58 (iii) No 3 Regiment 02 61 (iv) No 4 Regiment 03 58 (v) No 5 Regiment 01 56 (vi) No 6 Regiment 02 57 (vii) No 7 Regiment 03 59 (viii) No 8 Regiment 03 58 (ix) No 9 Regiment 02 57 (x) No 10 Regiment 01 60 Analysis of Data. 6. An analysis of the survey reveals the following:- (a) In the case of infantry battalions, on an average a total of four junior commissioned officers and fifty three soldiers were found who have had to undergo extended field tenure in excess of six years. (b) In case of artillery units, it can be seen from the data shown in the, table above that number of such personnel on an average is about is about fifty nine other ranks. Though artillery units are relatively better off due to reasons mentioned earlier, still these individuals still undergo an extended tenure in a Low Intensity Conflict Operations situation, and hence are over exposed to the stressful operational environment of Low Intensity Conflict Operations. 7. A further analysis reveals this to be a repetitive affair since each unit or battalion is responsible for providing relief of its personnel in Rashtriya Rifles (RR) thus when these personnel are reverted a set of similar strength is dispatched, therefore the fifty three soldiers in case of infantry battalions who were sent in the second year of the battalions peace tenure also have an extended tenure in Low Intensity Conflict Operations area, extending up to an year with Rashtriya Rifles and up to three years with their respective battalions. 8. One more interesting which emerges from the statistics[9] that the number of suicides and fratricides were much higher in Jammu and Kashmir than in the North-East. Why so? There could be number of reasons for this like intensity of operational environment, troop commitment of Army to Assam Rifles (AR) as compared to RR, better management of Low Intensity Conflict Operations due to longer experience of the Indian Army in the North East etc but the operational environment factor emerges as the singular, most differentiating aspects between the two regions. Report of study of Defence Institute of Psychological Research refers as attached as appendix B[10] also corroborates the same. CHAPTER III OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS â€Å"It is the man trained to recognize the dangers of the battlefield, understand his fears without surrendering to them and equipped with skills he must have to carryout his task, who can endure the prolonged stress of modern war† -Shelford Bidwell 1. In conventional operations battle lines are clearly drawn, one can identify the enemy easily and thus aggression can be directed unequivocally in his direction. The situation in Low Intensity Conflict Operations is quite the opposite. These are often characterised by limitations of armament being used, Tactics and levels of force applied. They are often protracted and involve military, diplomatic, economic and psychological pressure through terrorism and insurgency. Troops trained in conventional warfare experience significant stress in such operations. Conventional military training makes the soldier think in clear cut extremes of black and white, friend and foe. This tendency often leads to problems in Low Intensity Conflict Operations where the concept of ‘enemy cannot be applied to ones own population. The contributory factors, which increase the stress level on soldiers participating in Low Intensity Conflict Operations, are the product of complex interplay of the three elements involved the terrorist, the local population and the soldier. 2. Low Intensity Conflict Operations are continuous; there are no pauses and no time outs or half times. Frustrations mount when there is no breakthrough for months together and while the expectation to perform and produce results are high. The soldiers are caught in the cross fire moral Vs the immoral and the dividing lines are blurred. In sum, insurgency imposes severe stress and strain on those engaged in it[11]. 3. The operational environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations is an ideal cauldron for manifestation of stress related problems. Some other factors which affect the soldier in such a situation are discussed in succeeding paragraphs. 4. Boredom and Isolation. The operational environment is characterised by long drawn intense activity. During the periods of lull and inactivity there are times when the imagination could run wild and seriously affect the individuals capacity to think rationally. 5. Hostile Local Population. One of the key factors for fighting and restricting insurgencies is the local populace. Due to a number of reasons such as fear of retribution by terrorists or negative propaganda against the army, the attitude of the locals towards the army is hostile. This causes considerable strain in the minds of the soldier who cant understand as to why the same people are against him to save whom he is risking his life. 6. Long Drawn Operations. These type of operations are long prolonged affair in which the inability to see the end of the tunnel is in itself quite stressful. Fatigue in such situations may be of two types. Firstly, tiring operational work in the form of sitting in long ambushes etc leads to physical exhaustion. Secondly, mental fatigue is caused by the repetitive nature of such physically exhausting missions over a long period of time, with little hope of relief. This condition can result in breakdown or even burning out. Prolonged spells of stress punctuated by quantitatively and qualitatively inadequate opportunities 7. Guilt. In Low Intensity Conflict Operations, the soldier is at a loss to understand the rationale of killing own countrymen, and hence is faced with a factor of guilt, even though he may not accept it openly for the fear of being ridiculed by peers but he sub-consciously feels a sense of guilt. 8. Human Rights Factor. The fear of being prosecuted for Human Rights violations, is always at the back of the minds of commanders at levels and thus percolates down to the soldiers in the form of unrealistic restraints and restrictions while operating in such environment. This too adds its share as stress. 9. Adverse Media Influence. The media in many cases blames the army for any collateral damage caused during an operation or sometimes blows a wrong accusation of Human rights violation against the security forces out of proportion to sell news, this is especially true for local vernacular media. They never highlight the gains of the army but would jump at a single violation, though army is now addressing this issue with its proactive media policy. 10. Separation From Families. Loneliness, domestic worries and a long wait for leave are not singular but inter-related issues all these have mutually related effects on the psyche of the soldier. Domestic worries have an adverse impact, especially so in low intensity situations wherein the soldier is as it is stressed out and is further frustrated since he cannot attend to his family problems in person. 11. Unrealistic Goals and Demands. The matters are made worse when senior commanders lay down unrealistic targets to be met in terms of terrorists killed or captured and weapons captured. The results in low intensity situations are not corporate targets to be met in a month or a quarter or a financial year they come by fits and starts and are not routine, a good month may see a good haul of Kills and there could be a lean period extending months together sometimes. The pressure to achieve results day after day in the end manifests as stress on the soldier. 12. Low intensity conflict operations are full of ambiguity and uncertainty. It should be realized by the government in general and the army hierarchy in particular that prolonged exposure to such situations is likely to make everyone, be it officers or soldiers, susceptible to stress because they are not only surviving there but are working at a faster pace everyday to deal with the uncertainty and constantly changing dynamic situations. STRESSORS PECULIAR TO LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS 13. Inhospitable Terrain and Climate. The terrain and climate in which the troops are deployed in low intensity conflicts are mountainous terrain sometimes with secondary jungles and have harsh climatic conditions. The cold climate in J K and the heavy monsoons in North East make normal living in temporary habitats difficult[12]. Under such working conditions whenever there is a lack of motivation due to any reason, there is bound to be general deterioration of morale and discipline amongst the soldiers, thus this factor is an important stressor as far as the soldier is concerned. 14. Fear of Unknown. All soldiers who have been in life threatening soldiers are familiar with this phenomenon. It is the possibility of getting killed which puts a soldier under immense pressure it is omnipresent whether on duty within the company post or on operations outside the company post. It is primarily the fear of death or injury, which makes the low intensity scenario so stressful for the soldier in fact a harassing experience. The soldiers are thus living under tremendous psychological pressure constant fear of losing life does take its toll[13]. 15. Lack of Mental Respite. This is not a nine to five job it is continues twenty four by seven days. The terrorists in some way have initiative and can strike at the time of their choosing but the soldier has to be alert at all times, thus requiring a high state of alertness always. This leads to mental and physical fatigue and exhaustion and has a telling effect on his psyche. It is a campaign in which the regular army is pitted against the irregulars or guerrillas[14]. 16. Use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), By Terrorists. Use of IEDs gives the terrorists the ability to strike at the soldier without being seen and makes the army deploy a large number of troops for road santisation duties. This is frustrating for the soldier when he is unable to strike back at his attacker and leads to a constant fear of IEDs in the soldiers mind. 17. Constant Re-deployment. Counter insurgency operations demand a dynamic deployment depending upon militant activity and intelligence. Any person after spending some time in a place gets comfortable and starts to feel comfortable there his mind accepts the place as his home, but constant changing of bases as done in dynamic counter insurgency deployment adversely affects the soldiers mind. 18. Inadequacy of Equipment. Lack of special equipment to combat militancy has a demoralising effect on the troops. At times it gives a feeling of being pushed into ‘Counter Insurgency (CI) operations without being adequately equipped. 19. Prolonged Deployment/Change in Duration of Tenure. Many a times, move is delayed due to local operations causing uncertainties and resulting in building up of stress. 20. Break up of Joint Family System. There has been erosion in this time-tested system and more and more soldiers have now to fend for themselves. 21. Declining Discipline and Values. There has been a recent tendency among officers to over look major breaches of discipline in counter insurgency areas. Such an attitude breeds indiscipline leading to an overall discontentment among the disciplined soldiers. 22. Individual Psyche. The mental makeup of soldiers is different and their adaptability varies. A few individuals are weak and have a very low breaking point. Such persons soon become liability to the unit and are easy victims of stress related incidents. 23. Pressures of Human Rights Violations. The fear of perpetuating a human right violation and judicial harassment puts restrictions on the actions of the men and also make them vulnerable to militants during operations. 24. Lack of Recognition. There is a general feeling that due recognition is not being given for the services rendered by the soldiers in CI operations. The soldier feels that he is giving everything for the integrity of the country, but once he steps in to the civil street, no one has a word of praise for him. 25. Frustration Due to No Results (Numbers Game). The effect of operating in CI operations areas for months without any tangible results is frustrating. No amount of hard work is recognised in these operations unless accompanied by a few dead bodies of militants and some weapons. 26. Conviction towards the Cause. Most of the soldiers deployed in these operations are fighting militancy with no clear conviction towards the cause. In sum, insurgency imposes severe stress and strain on those engaged in it[15]. CHAPTER IV MANIFESTATION OF STRESS General 1. Stress can have serious consequences for both health and performance. In terms of health, the current belief is that 50-70 percent of all physical illness is related to stress. Stress is associated with heart disease, diabetes, ulcers, depression, irritation, anxiety, fatigue, lowered self-esteem, and reduced job satisfaction. Sustained over a long period, stress can lead to attempts to escape through the use of drugs or alcohol and may lead to burn out. 2. The most serious consequence of stress relates to performance. In order to take timely steps to ameliorate stress, it is imperative that commanders at all levels know the symptoms in detail. It should be the endeavour of every leader to ensure that the level of stress in the men under his commands remains within the optimum stress level (OSL) zone. Some individuals are more prone to stress than others. The reason lies in demographic differences and type of personality. 3. Demographic Differences. Demographic differences include age, health, education and profession/occupation. Age affects stress because most people go through life stages during which certain things are expected of them. As one grows in age, the expectations increases and so does the pressure. Thus age does create stress[16]. 4 Type of Personality. These are psychological in nature. These include need satisfaction, locus of control and type of personality. People, who have strong urge for need satisfaction, work hard and tend to excel others. This attribute can be basis for overwork and burnout. Locus of control refers to ones feeling of the extent to which one is able to control surrounding world. Greater an individuals perception of control over the environment, lesser is the person prone to stress, and vice versa[17]. Chronic Stress 5. Chronic stress is the outcome of prolonged exposure to stressful situation, as prevalent in the CI operations. It is not so perceptible in the initial stages, but in the longer run it causes lasting and grave damage to the physiology and psyche of the soldiers. It distorts perception and behavioural responses, and slowly but steadily wears down the stress tolerance capacity of individuals, bringing them to a state where they may break down at a critical juncture. The effects of chronic stress generally manifest themselves in the form of psychosomatic disorders, and later in the form of inappropriate behavioural responses[18]. 6. Psychosomatic Manifestations. Prolonged exposure to stress results in many psychological/physiological ailments such as headache, insomnia, fatigue, lack of appetite, duodenal ulcers, depression, diarrhoea, dizziness and fainting are some of the symptoms of a person being under chronic stress. Psychosomatic symptoms occur when thoughts and emotional reactions maintain the body in a state of physiological arousal. If this arousal is prolonged, it can lead to pain, infection, and organ breakdown[19]. 7. Behavioural Manifestations. Behavioural manifestations of chronic stress are generally in the form of defence-oriented responses. Common behavioural manifestations of chronic stress are as follows: (a) Apathy. This is the task oriented compromise reaction of an individual, wherein he shows lack of interest towards his primary role and shows great interest in secondary or mundane duties. (b) Isolation and Withdrawal. The individual under stress may reduce communicating with others or may totally stop it. The greater inclination towards the religious activities, most commonly displayed in CI environment, is also a withdrawal reaction due to internalisation of stress experienced by an individual. (c) Leave Requests. Absence without Leave and Malingering incidents are the outcome of unconscious or at times sub-conscious efforts of the mind to avoid facing the dangers of CI environment. (d) Rationalisation and Interjection. Giving logical and rational sounding excuses for own or sub units failure to perform up to the desired level, is in itself a defence oriented manifestation of stress. One form of this stress manifestation is comparing own performance with that of the others, who are not doing well enough, to justify own failures or except lower norms and standards of performance. (e) Projection. Another form of manifestation of stress is projection of blame for own shortcomings and failures on other colleagues and blaming them, their actions /advice, for own unjustifiable performance or actions. Cribbing and grumbling are also manifestation of stress. (f) Failures. Frequent failures to perform up to the desired level by same person or a sub unit reflect that the individual or the sub unit as such may be suffering from chronic stress. (g) Violence and Aggression. Violence against suspects and insurgents and aggressive attitude towards own colleagues are another form of stress expression. Under stress, individual and specially leaders, tend to displace there feeling of chronic stress by arbitrary rudeness towards their colleagues and juniors, suspects and civilian population. Excessive use of violence against captured or trapped insurgents is a common manifestation of stress. It is also believed that the passive and timid person who cannot mobilise and externalise his anger is more vulnerable to external fear because of his impaired ability to react aggressively towards the enemy and thus discharge tension. 8. Post -Traumatic Stress Reactions Post-traumatic stress disorder is a state of anxiety, depression and physiological ‘numbing that follows exposure to a severe trauma, such as warfare, militant killings, a catastrophe or violent death of a loved one. This appears as a recurrent dream or nightmare in slow motion. Victims complain of tension, insomnia and trouble in concentrating, a feeling of remoteness from others an Stress Management in Low Intensity Conflict Operations Stress Management in Low Intensity Conflict Operations CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"Life is a long sequence of stressors† Mirza Galib General 1. Stress is an inescapable part of modern life. It is the psychological and physiological reaction that occurs when an individual perceives an imbalance between the level of demand placed upon him and his capability for meeting that demand. Stress affects individuals physiologically, emotionally and behaviourally and is linked to responses which in case of stress overloads, often results in rash or irrational behaviour. However, it is not always negative in fact, stress at optimum levels also produces a positive force or stimuli that is dynamic and often aids in tiding over difficult situations. 2. Officers, Junior Commissioned officers and men in the army are by no means insulated to the phenomenon of stress but in fact exposed to situations which tend to become stressful. Understanding of stress, therefore, plays an important role in management of personnel in the army, both in peace and in operational environments. 3. A rigid organizational structure, peculiar environmental factors, extended deployment in Counter Insurgency Operations and Combat situations often compound stress related problems in the army. These, if not tackled at an early stage results in cumulated stress effects which often surpass acceptable limits. The recent spate of suicides, fragging and fratricides provides an urgency to understand at the earliest, the maladies of stress and its effect on men officers of the army. 4. The Penguin Medical Encyclopaedia defines stress as any influence, which disturbs the natural equilibrium of the body and includes within its reference, physical injury, exposure, deprivation and all kinds of diseases and emotional disturbances. The word stress has been borrowed from Physics and Engineering where it has a precise meaning, a force sufficient enough in magnitude to distort or deform when applied to a system. For our studies the apt definition seems to be the rate of wear and tear of the mind. 5. To quote a formal definition, â€Å"Stress is defined as an adaptive response to an external situation that results in physical, psychological and / or behavioural deviations for organizational participants.[1]† It may also be defined as â€Å"failure to adapt†[2] 6. Most people view stress in a negative way but as mentioned in the previous paragraph it may be positive sometimes as it provides the extra energy to deal with tough or life threatening situations. Experts therefore agree that some stress is not only helpful but essential to keep it going for us without which we would be vegetables. Stress results from a stimulation of environment , the degree of this stimulation on the stress curve is positive to an extent but thereafter prolonged stimulations of the same kind, for example the operational environment experienced by the soldiers in Low Intensity Conflict Operations leads to manifestation of stress in the form of negative effects on the soldiers mind. High stress levels, besides manifesting in below-par performance standards during discharge of duties, are also the cause of incidents like running amok, fratricides and suicides. METHODOLOGY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 7. To analyse the causes of stress in soldiers of Indian Army in the backdrop of its prolonged deployment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations, its manifestation in various forms and to suggest possible methods of stress management at the national, army, formation unit levels. HYPOTHESIS 8. Existing op environment in areas where the Indian Army is deployed for Low Intensity Conflict Operations coupled with prolonged deployment of troops in such areas is the main cause of stress in soldiers today which has led to an increased occurrence of stress related incidents amongst the soldiers. JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY 9. India has a 1.1 million-strong army and with 81 suicides[3] in the year 2006 stress has become one of its major worries. s given by The Indian Express show that the number of suicides per lakh personnel in the army stands at 10.8 though this is much lower than 17 for the US Army, 18 for the French and 14 of the Royal Army is still big enough to draw attention. The increasing numbers of suicide cases[4] are a cause of concern (See chart below).This fact has been proven adequately in the research carried out by Dr DS Goel of Ranchi institute of Neuropsychiatry in conjunction with command hospital northern command on â€Å"Psychological Effects of Low Intensity Operations†. Extract of the same is attached as appendix A. 10. Another alarming is the 23 cases of fratricide in 2006[5], of these 09cases were reported from Jammu and Kashmir and remaining 14 from the North East, both are areas where army is involved in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. Similar statistics also can be established in suicide cases. Why these cases did not occur in peace stations if the reasons for stress as propounded by some theories are economic growth and rising financial aspirations of the soldier is a moot question and does point to the operational environment of Low Intensity Conflict Operations as the prime reason of stress in soldiers and thus the prime nemesis to be tamed to get down the worrisome numbers of suicides and fratricides. However the effects of personal problems of the soldier causing such incidents is correct, but again if the soldier was located in a peace area he would have been in a better connected place as far as communication with his family is concerned whether it is a case of land dispute or mar ital discord or his wife not being treated well by her in laws. Most of such cases could be solved merely by the physical presence of the soldier along with his wife or parents as the case may be thus it connects to the prolonged deployment of troops in Low Intensity Conflict Operations which leads to increased domestic problems in a soldiers life. 11. In July 2009 the Honourable RM while answering to a question in the parliament stated that already 48 cases of suicides and one case of fratricide have been reported till June[6], its anybodys guess what the final for 2009 will be, whatever be the it cannot be denied that the Indian Army today is faced with the demon of stress in its soldiers. The good news is that the army has realised that this is a problem and cannot be wished away and a number of steps are being taken to tackle the issue but till such time the bigger demon of Low Intensity Conflict Operations exists and some holistic measures by the government and the army are undertaken, firstly to improve the operational environment and secondly to reduce or decrease the time which a soldier spends continuously in Low Intensity Conflict Operations areas, this demon will continue to feed on the strength of the Indian Army- the Indomitable spirit of the Indian soldier. SCOPE 12. The scope is limited to study the following aspects :- (a) Deployment pattern of Indian Army in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (b) Operational Environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (c) Manifestation of stress and its inter-relation with behaviour/performance. (d) Management of stress to include present approach its shortcomings and recommendations. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS 13. Some terms used in this dissertation are defined below:- (a) Combat Stress[7]. The stress experienced by the soldier during a combat situation. This is a complex form of stress resulting from all the physical and mental strain caused to the soldier during the combat mission, it is cumulative in nature and the number of times the soldier goes through the same situation it causes stress and is accumulated in the mind of the combatant. (b) Stressors. The factors that cause stress are called stressors; it can be an event or situation which requires a non routine change in the lifestyle or behaviour of a soldier. This causes a felling of conflict with the ideals and values of a person or it may pose a challenge or threat to an individuals sense of wellbeing or self esteem. (c) Eustress[8]. Stress may manifest sometimes in a positive way, this effect is known as Eustress, which is described by experts as a motivator which drives a person to achieve extraordinary feats under situations of pressure. It is obvious that Eustress is not harmful being occasional. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION 14. The research work is mainly based on books, journals available in the library, thesis and dissertation work available on the internet as also the study report of the Defence Institute of Psychological Research on the causes of inter-personal violence in the units deployed in counter insurgency areas and the study report of research carried out by Ranchi Institute of Neurosciences in collaboration with Armed Forces Medical Services, Command Hospital (Northern Command) and Director general Medical Services. Data of twenty units of infantry and artillery was also collected to prove that the existing deployment pattern and troop commitment to Rashtriya Rifles is resulting in prolonged exposure of approximately one percent of soldiers to higher stress prone areas. A detailed bibliography of sources is appended at the end of the dissertation. ORGANISATION OF THE DISSERTATION (CHAPTERISATION) 15. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner :- (a) Chapter I Introduction. (b) Chapter II Deployment Pattern of Indian Army in Low Intensity Conflict Operations. (c) Chapter III Operational environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations Areas. (d) Chapter IV Manifestation of Stress. (e) Chapter V Management of Stress. (f) Chapter VI Recommendations and Conclusion. CHAPTER II DEPLOYMENT PATTERN OF INDIAN ARMY IN LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS â€Å"We live longer than our forefathers, but we suffer more from a thousand artificial anxieties and cares. They fatigued only muscles we exhaust the finer strength of our nerves† -Edward George Bulwer-Lytton 1. Infantry Battalions. The infantry battalions are deployed for Low Intensity Conflict Operations typically for a duration of two to three years during what is known as the field tenure, it can either be in the Northern sector (Jammu and Kashmir) or the North Eastern region. After tenure of aforesaid duration when the battalion is de-inducted from such areas to peace locations, a finite number of soldiers are sent to the affiliated Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalions to meet the requirement of troop commitment of Indian army to such units (Refer survey in following paragraphs). Thus a number of soldiers who have served for up to two to three years are again posted to operate in a Low Intensity Conflict Operations situation for a duration of two years and furthermore when these soldiers return from this stint it is again time for their battalion to move to field area for Low Intensity Conflict Operations, hence he again undergoes a tenure in high stress environment. In this way some sol diers end up spending up to six to seven years in Low Intensity Conflict Operations which anybody who has been there will agree is a long time. 2. Artillery Units. The case mentioned above is only slightly better for artillery, since the artillery units generally have longer peace tenures than the infantry battalions; hence a soldier after coming back, gets to spend some time in peace locations, however these personnel would have still undergone up to four years of continuous field area tenure. 3. Survey. To establish the facts mentioned in the previous paragraphs, data was collected from ten infantry battalions and ten artillery regiments. The results of the survey are given in succeeding paragraphs. 4. Infantry Battalions. Number of personnel who were dispatched to RR Battalions within one year are given as under, due to security reasons the exact identity of the units is not being revealed:- Serial Number Battalion Number of Personnel Junior Commissioned Officers Other Ranks (i) A Battalion 04 53 (ii) B Battalion 05 52 (iii) C Battalion 03 54 (iv) D Battalion 04 51 (v) E Battalion 04 52 (vi) F Battalion 04 55 (vii) G Battalion 04 52 (viii) H Battalion 04 55 (ix) J Battalion 04 51 (x) K Battalion 04 56 9 5. Artillery Regiments. A similar survey of artillery units revealed the following s:- Serial Number Regiment Number of Personnel Junior Commissioned Officers Other Ranks (i) No 1 Regiment 01 59 (ii) No 2 Regiment 02 58 (iii) No 3 Regiment 02 61 (iv) No 4 Regiment 03 58 (v) No 5 Regiment 01 56 (vi) No 6 Regiment 02 57 (vii) No 7 Regiment 03 59 (viii) No 8 Regiment 03 58 (ix) No 9 Regiment 02 57 (x) No 10 Regiment 01 60 Analysis of Data. 6. An analysis of the survey reveals the following:- (a) In the case of infantry battalions, on an average a total of four junior commissioned officers and fifty three soldiers were found who have had to undergo extended field tenure in excess of six years. (b) In case of artillery units, it can be seen from the data shown in the, table above that number of such personnel on an average is about is about fifty nine other ranks. Though artillery units are relatively better off due to reasons mentioned earlier, still these individuals still undergo an extended tenure in a Low Intensity Conflict Operations situation, and hence are over exposed to the stressful operational environment of Low Intensity Conflict Operations. 7. A further analysis reveals this to be a repetitive affair since each unit or battalion is responsible for providing relief of its personnel in Rashtriya Rifles (RR) thus when these personnel are reverted a set of similar strength is dispatched, therefore the fifty three soldiers in case of infantry battalions who were sent in the second year of the battalions peace tenure also have an extended tenure in Low Intensity Conflict Operations area, extending up to an year with Rashtriya Rifles and up to three years with their respective battalions. 8. One more interesting which emerges from the statistics[9] that the number of suicides and fratricides were much higher in Jammu and Kashmir than in the North-East. Why so? There could be number of reasons for this like intensity of operational environment, troop commitment of Army to Assam Rifles (AR) as compared to RR, better management of Low Intensity Conflict Operations due to longer experience of the Indian Army in the North East etc but the operational environment factor emerges as the singular, most differentiating aspects between the two regions. Report of study of Defence Institute of Psychological Research refers as attached as appendix B[10] also corroborates the same. CHAPTER III OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS â€Å"It is the man trained to recognize the dangers of the battlefield, understand his fears without surrendering to them and equipped with skills he must have to carryout his task, who can endure the prolonged stress of modern war† -Shelford Bidwell 1. In conventional operations battle lines are clearly drawn, one can identify the enemy easily and thus aggression can be directed unequivocally in his direction. The situation in Low Intensity Conflict Operations is quite the opposite. These are often characterised by limitations of armament being used, Tactics and levels of force applied. They are often protracted and involve military, diplomatic, economic and psychological pressure through terrorism and insurgency. Troops trained in conventional warfare experience significant stress in such operations. Conventional military training makes the soldier think in clear cut extremes of black and white, friend and foe. This tendency often leads to problems in Low Intensity Conflict Operations where the concept of ‘enemy cannot be applied to ones own population. The contributory factors, which increase the stress level on soldiers participating in Low Intensity Conflict Operations, are the product of complex interplay of the three elements involved the terrorist, the local population and the soldier. 2. Low Intensity Conflict Operations are continuous; there are no pauses and no time outs or half times. Frustrations mount when there is no breakthrough for months together and while the expectation to perform and produce results are high. The soldiers are caught in the cross fire moral Vs the immoral and the dividing lines are blurred. In sum, insurgency imposes severe stress and strain on those engaged in it[11]. 3. The operational environment in Low Intensity Conflict Operations is an ideal cauldron for manifestation of stress related problems. Some other factors which affect the soldier in such a situation are discussed in succeeding paragraphs. 4. Boredom and Isolation. The operational environment is characterised by long drawn intense activity. During the periods of lull and inactivity there are times when the imagination could run wild and seriously affect the individuals capacity to think rationally. 5. Hostile Local Population. One of the key factors for fighting and restricting insurgencies is the local populace. Due to a number of reasons such as fear of retribution by terrorists or negative propaganda against the army, the attitude of the locals towards the army is hostile. This causes considerable strain in the minds of the soldier who cant understand as to why the same people are against him to save whom he is risking his life. 6. Long Drawn Operations. These type of operations are long prolonged affair in which the inability to see the end of the tunnel is in itself quite stressful. Fatigue in such situations may be of two types. Firstly, tiring operational work in the form of sitting in long ambushes etc leads to physical exhaustion. Secondly, mental fatigue is caused by the repetitive nature of such physically exhausting missions over a long period of time, with little hope of relief. This condition can result in breakdown or even burning out. Prolonged spells of stress punctuated by quantitatively and qualitatively inadequate opportunities 7. Guilt. In Low Intensity Conflict Operations, the soldier is at a loss to understand the rationale of killing own countrymen, and hence is faced with a factor of guilt, even though he may not accept it openly for the fear of being ridiculed by peers but he sub-consciously feels a sense of guilt. 8. Human Rights Factor. The fear of being prosecuted for Human Rights violations, is always at the back of the minds of commanders at levels and thus percolates down to the soldiers in the form of unrealistic restraints and restrictions while operating in such environment. This too adds its share as stress. 9. Adverse Media Influence. The media in many cases blames the army for any collateral damage caused during an operation or sometimes blows a wrong accusation of Human rights violation against the security forces out of proportion to sell news, this is especially true for local vernacular media. They never highlight the gains of the army but would jump at a single violation, though army is now addressing this issue with its proactive media policy. 10. Separation From Families. Loneliness, domestic worries and a long wait for leave are not singular but inter-related issues all these have mutually related effects on the psyche of the soldier. Domestic worries have an adverse impact, especially so in low intensity situations wherein the soldier is as it is stressed out and is further frustrated since he cannot attend to his family problems in person. 11. Unrealistic Goals and Demands. The matters are made worse when senior commanders lay down unrealistic targets to be met in terms of terrorists killed or captured and weapons captured. The results in low intensity situations are not corporate targets to be met in a month or a quarter or a financial year they come by fits and starts and are not routine, a good month may see a good haul of Kills and there could be a lean period extending months together sometimes. The pressure to achieve results day after day in the end manifests as stress on the soldier. 12. Low intensity conflict operations are full of ambiguity and uncertainty. It should be realized by the government in general and the army hierarchy in particular that prolonged exposure to such situations is likely to make everyone, be it officers or soldiers, susceptible to stress because they are not only surviving there but are working at a faster pace everyday to deal with the uncertainty and constantly changing dynamic situations. STRESSORS PECULIAR TO LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT OPERATIONS 13. Inhospitable Terrain and Climate. The terrain and climate in which the troops are deployed in low intensity conflicts are mountainous terrain sometimes with secondary jungles and have harsh climatic conditions. The cold climate in J K and the heavy monsoons in North East make normal living in temporary habitats difficult[12]. Under such working conditions whenever there is a lack of motivation due to any reason, there is bound to be general deterioration of morale and discipline amongst the soldiers, thus this factor is an important stressor as far as the soldier is concerned. 14. Fear of Unknown. All soldiers who have been in life threatening soldiers are familiar with this phenomenon. It is the possibility of getting killed which puts a soldier under immense pressure it is omnipresent whether on duty within the company post or on operations outside the company post. It is primarily the fear of death or injury, which makes the low intensity scenario so stressful for the soldier in fact a harassing experience. The soldiers are thus living under tremendous psychological pressure constant fear of losing life does take its toll[13]. 15. Lack of Mental Respite. This is not a nine to five job it is continues twenty four by seven days. The terrorists in some way have initiative and can strike at the time of their choosing but the soldier has to be alert at all times, thus requiring a high state of alertness always. This leads to mental and physical fatigue and exhaustion and has a telling effect on his psyche. It is a campaign in which the regular army is pitted against the irregulars or guerrillas[14]. 16. Use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), By Terrorists. Use of IEDs gives the terrorists the ability to strike at the soldier without being seen and makes the army deploy a large number of troops for road santisation duties. This is frustrating for the soldier when he is unable to strike back at his attacker and leads to a constant fear of IEDs in the soldiers mind. 17. Constant Re-deployment. Counter insurgency operations demand a dynamic deployment depending upon militant activity and intelligence. Any person after spending some time in a place gets comfortable and starts to feel comfortable there his mind accepts the place as his home, but constant changing of bases as done in dynamic counter insurgency deployment adversely affects the soldiers mind. 18. Inadequacy of Equipment. Lack of special equipment to combat militancy has a demoralising effect on the troops. At times it gives a feeling of being pushed into ‘Counter Insurgency (CI) operations without being adequately equipped. 19. Prolonged Deployment/Change in Duration of Tenure. Many a times, move is delayed due to local operations causing uncertainties and resulting in building up of stress. 20. Break up of Joint Family System. There has been erosion in this time-tested system and more and more soldiers have now to fend for themselves. 21. Declining Discipline and Values. There has been a recent tendency among officers to over look major breaches of discipline in counter insurgency areas. Such an attitude breeds indiscipline leading to an overall discontentment among the disciplined soldiers. 22. Individual Psyche. The mental makeup of soldiers is different and their adaptability varies. A few individuals are weak and have a very low breaking point. Such persons soon become liability to the unit and are easy victims of stress related incidents. 23. Pressures of Human Rights Violations. The fear of perpetuating a human right violation and judicial harassment puts restrictions on the actions of the men and also make them vulnerable to militants during operations. 24. Lack of Recognition. There is a general feeling that due recognition is not being given for the services rendered by the soldiers in CI operations. The soldier feels that he is giving everything for the integrity of the country, but once he steps in to the civil street, no one has a word of praise for him. 25. Frustration Due to No Results (Numbers Game). The effect of operating in CI operations areas for months without any tangible results is frustrating. No amount of hard work is recognised in these operations unless accompanied by a few dead bodies of militants and some weapons. 26. Conviction towards the Cause. Most of the soldiers deployed in these operations are fighting militancy with no clear conviction towards the cause. In sum, insurgency imposes severe stress and strain on those engaged in it[15]. CHAPTER IV MANIFESTATION OF STRESS General 1. Stress can have serious consequences for both health and performance. In terms of health, the current belief is that 50-70 percent of all physical illness is related to stress. Stress is associated with heart disease, diabetes, ulcers, depression, irritation, anxiety, fatigue, lowered self-esteem, and reduced job satisfaction. Sustained over a long period, stress can lead to attempts to escape through the use of drugs or alcohol and may lead to burn out. 2. The most serious consequence of stress relates to performance. In order to take timely steps to ameliorate stress, it is imperative that commanders at all levels know the symptoms in detail. It should be the endeavour of every leader to ensure that the level of stress in the men under his commands remains within the optimum stress level (OSL) zone. Some individuals are more prone to stress than others. The reason lies in demographic differences and type of personality. 3. Demographic Differences. Demographic differences include age, health, education and profession/occupation. Age affects stress because most people go through life stages during which certain things are expected of them. As one grows in age, the expectations increases and so does the pressure. Thus age does create stress[16]. 4 Type of Personality. These are psychological in nature. These include need satisfaction, locus of control and type of personality. People, who have strong urge for need satisfaction, work hard and tend to excel others. This attribute can be basis for overwork and burnout. Locus of control refers to ones feeling of the extent to which one is able to control surrounding world. Greater an individuals perception of control over the environment, lesser is the person prone to stress, and vice versa[17]. Chronic Stress 5. Chronic stress is the outcome of prolonged exposure to stressful situation, as prevalent in the CI operations. It is not so perceptible in the initial stages, but in the longer run it causes lasting and grave damage to the physiology and psyche of the soldiers. It distorts perception and behavioural responses, and slowly but steadily wears down the stress tolerance capacity of individuals, bringing them to a state where they may break down at a critical juncture. The effects of chronic stress generally manifest themselves in the form of psychosomatic disorders, and later in the form of inappropriate behavioural responses[18]. 6. Psychosomatic Manifestations. Prolonged exposure to stress results in many psychological/physiological ailments such as headache, insomnia, fatigue, lack of appetite, duodenal ulcers, depression, diarrhoea, dizziness and fainting are some of the symptoms of a person being under chronic stress. Psychosomatic symptoms occur when thoughts and emotional reactions maintain the body in a state of physiological arousal. If this arousal is prolonged, it can lead to pain, infection, and organ breakdown[19]. 7. Behavioural Manifestations. Behavioural manifestations of chronic stress are generally in the form of defence-oriented responses. Common behavioural manifestations of chronic stress are as follows: (a) Apathy. This is the task oriented compromise reaction of an individual, wherein he shows lack of interest towards his primary role and shows great interest in secondary or mundane duties. (b) Isolation and Withdrawal. The individual under stress may reduce communicating with others or may totally stop it. The greater inclination towards the religious activities, most commonly displayed in CI environment, is also a withdrawal reaction due to internalisation of stress experienced by an individual. (c) Leave Requests. Absence without Leave and Malingering incidents are the outcome of unconscious or at times sub-conscious efforts of the mind to avoid facing the dangers of CI environment. (d) Rationalisation and Interjection. Giving logical and rational sounding excuses for own or sub units failure to perform up to the desired level, is in itself a defence oriented manifestation of stress. One form of this stress manifestation is comparing own performance with that of the others, who are not doing well enough, to justify own failures or except lower norms and standards of performance. (e) Projection. Another form of manifestation of stress is projection of blame for own shortcomings and failures on other colleagues and blaming them, their actions /advice, for own unjustifiable performance or actions. Cribbing and grumbling are also manifestation of stress. (f) Failures. Frequent failures to perform up to the desired level by same person or a sub unit reflect that the individual or the sub unit as such may be suffering from chronic stress. (g) Violence and Aggression. Violence against suspects and insurgents and aggressive attitude towards own colleagues are another form of stress expression. Under stress, individual and specially leaders, tend to displace there feeling of chronic stress by arbitrary rudeness towards their colleagues and juniors, suspects and civilian population. Excessive use of violence against captured or trapped insurgents is a common manifestation of stress. It is also believed that the passive and timid person who cannot mobilise and externalise his anger is more vulnerable to external fear because of his impaired ability to react aggressively towards the enemy and thus discharge tension. 8. Post -Traumatic Stress Reactions Post-traumatic stress disorder is a state of anxiety, depression and physiological ‘numbing that follows exposure to a severe trauma, such as warfare, militant killings, a catastrophe or violent death of a loved one. This appears as a recurrent dream or nightmare in slow motion. Victims complain of tension, insomnia and trouble in concentrating, a feeling of remoteness from others an