Dissertation, Title question - How do managers motivates employees Essay

Dissertation, Title question - How do managers motivates employees - Essay Example The final chapter will be a conclusion chapter which will provide an overview to the dissertation, limitations of the research and further recommendations for research. The aim of this study is to understand the various theories about managing people. The main method of research is a secondary research that will include the various theories developed by scholars over the years. Since the main aim of this dissertation is to understand the various management principles and aspects of managing employees within an organisation, different theories relating to employee motivation as well will be discussed. Human resource is a very essential part of any company and the people within the company play a very important role. Thus understanding how to manage people and the basics of understanding the needs of people at work will help create better and more successful managers. This is worth the study as it allows a clear picture of the various theories and allows a comparison to be made to understand the various aspects of management. Also it does allow making a mix and match to be able to get the best results from all the theories. This study will allow understanding the various theories and using all the positives from each of the theories and leaving out the negative aspects of all the theories. The study is completely based on secondary research and will be done using only the data that is already available. The research is done using the various theories that have already been developed. The analysis of the research is provided in the research analysis chapter. Finally, the conclusions part of the dissertation summarizes the results of the research and also suggests recommendations for further research. This chapter deals with the various literatures that have been developed over the past years. The next section deals with the background, which includes the metaphors of Morgan, for the different ways of looking

Motivation and Work Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Motivation and Work Design - Essay Example This paper discusses the motivators’ significance and outline ways by which employers can design job roles to take account of individual motivations. Many motivational theories exist that offer bases for understanding effects of motivational factors and strategies for moderating the effects as well as ways for monitoring effects of the factors. Theory X and theory Y, as McGregor offers, is one of such theories. The theory establishes assumptions on human behavior to develop a framework for understanding people in a work environment and to influence actions and behavior of the people towards desired outcomes. Theory X assumes that people are not willing to conform to expectations and calls for managers and organizations’ control of people for achievement of objectives. It therefore suggests guidelines that can be attained through push factors such as punitive measures for failure to comply. Theory Y however argues for responsible behavior and actions in which people can align themselves to set goals in their organizations and work towards realization of the goals (Saiyadain 2009, p. 167). According to Theory X, people do not like work and this means that external influence is necessary to influence completion of desired works. The theory also assumes that people are less ambitious and do not like responsibilities. Instead, they prefer to work under control. In addition, people lack creativity into completing tasks and generating solutions into problems to support the postulate of necessity of external influence. In recognition of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, Theory X assumes that people are motivated at â€Å"physiological and safety levels† (Saiyadain 2009, p. 167). Intimidation is further necessary on people in order to ensure achievement or objectives. A consideration of Theory Y assumptions however recognizes people’s willingness to work provided that suitable conditions exist. Contrary to external pressure to influencing organizational

End of Cousre assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

End of Cousre - Assignment Example If the bank assets take a long time to sell or cannot be converted to cash with ease such as fixed assets they are considered to be illiquid. According to Melicher & Norton (2011), there are various factors that contribute to the liquidity of banks. Banks with a strong capital base can be able to effectively absorb risks associated with assets and ensure safety of depositors funds as well as maintain creditor confidence hence if a bank has a high amount of Tier 1 capital, it has a higher liquidity. Adequate liquidity also involves having a strong bank positive image. If depositors or creditors view the company negatively or suspect it does not have a sound liquidity, they will shun away from the bank and the effect is felt systematically throughout the financial market. The senior managers thus must devise efficient ways of managing liquidity risks so as to gain confidence from creditors and depositors. This can be achieved through offering quality customer services and being transpa rent in its activities by publishing reports. Positive bank image thus contributes to liquidity and vice versa as adequate liquidity ensures banks positive image (Melicher & Norton, 2011). According to Financial Services Authority (2008), asymmetric information can lead to speculation or uncertainty in the financial market regarding the banks creditworthiness and its true worth hence lead to loss in confidence by other banks who can lend it money to settle its debts and maintain liquidity and other creditors and depositors hence transparency is essential. Adequate liquidity also ensures the banks have reduced risk of asset sales at fire-sale prices (FSA, 2007). If a commercial bank wants to meet its obligations and has no assets that can be changed into cash in short time, it may result to selling its illiquid assets which are of high worth at low price leading to an imbalanced balance sheet or solvency. This has the effect of destabilizing the asset market hence influencing asset p rices thus the effect is felt in the whole market. Managing liquidity risks and having adequate liquidity prevents this from happening as a bank can take its time to convert the asset to cash without any loss. Maintaining adequate liquidity also ensures the bank does not hold a high stock of liquid assets as this increases its costs of mitigating risks. This may affect the banks competitiveness especially if other banks do not mitigate risk by maintaining high liquid assets hence run at low costs thus attracting depositors. Greuning & Bratanovic (2009:191) observe that adequate liquidity enables banks to â€Å"compensate for expected and unexpected balance sheet fluctuations and provide funds for growth†. It is also essential to have adequate liquidity as all financial transactions involve elements of liquidity. Liquidity problems have an effect on the whole financial system hence having adequate liquidity is important in maintaining the safety and solvency of commercial bank s. Capital Adequacy The availability of capital as well as its costs is essential in determining the soundness and safety of commercial banks (Greuning & Bratanovic, 2009). Capital adequacy standard is stipulated by Basel I and Basel II capital accords whereby commercial banks are supposed to ensure adequate amount of capital and reserves is maintained in order to guard the bank against solvency. According to Farid & Salahuddin (2006-2010), all countries are supposed to maintain a minimum regulatory

GLOBAL BUSINESS STRATEGY - IMF Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

GLOBAL BUSINESS STRATEGY - IMF - Essay Example 3. State holds the authority of law and establishes adequate procedures. 4. The power of state has to be distributed and fragmented among different centers. Power at one center should be minimized. 5. Last, state eradicates the fragmentation of powers by dejecting the system of check and balance. Economic Nationalist Theory This theory focuses on developing, flourishing, and guarding national economies. It is widely used in the cases of world markets. Upsurge in the growth of national economies as a result of increased exports created the reality of national economies. This theory emphasizes that there must be a domestic control on capital formation, labor, and economy even if it requires imposition of quotas and tariffs to restrict the movements of goods, labor, and capital. The notion has been generated from the idea that a country would perform better if its local industries were protected from the international competitions. Some of the measures for implementing on this theory in clude Import Substitutions, Protectionism, and Mercantilism. Under this theory, the government or the state has extensive control on trade and economic matters. Currency depreciation, tariffs, export subsidies, and quota restrictions are some of the methods utilized by government to pursue economic nationalism. Structuralist Theory According to this theory, the disparities among economies of countries are a result of previously derived power relations. This theory advocates an emphasis on an economy with its interrelations with other elements and its totality rather than segregated elements in isolation. For example, the world economies in essence are intrinsically linked resulting in many economic problems as well. International Monetary Fund (IMF) International Monetary Fund (IMF) was developed in 1945 as an international organization. The primary purposes of this organization are: Promoting global exchange and monetary stability Facilitating the balanced growth and expansion of i nternational trade Aiding the development of multilateral system for prevalent transactions Nelson, (n.d.) stated that during the devaluation of Brazilian Currency, though it looked financially sound but the conditions that IMF provided them to follow were difficult to implement. In order to deal with the issue of inflations, Brazil introduced fixed exchange rate. IMF imposed those conditions for two reasons. First, to keep interest rates high so that foreign investors keep their investment in Brazil. Second, these interest rates would decline the growth of thereby reducing overall demand. If the economic nationalist theory would be implemented then the country would have full control on its economy and would not require any other institutions’ condition. In contrast to that, liberal theory undermines the sovereignty of Brazilian country over its economy and urges to outsource its department to an external, more competent organization. As per structuralism theory, the reason due to which Brazil is compelled to fulfill conditions of IMF is its past relations with this organization. Corning (n.d.) stated that the rescue package provided by IMF were not promising. A week after the IMF bailout, the Korean financial market experienced decline of 27% against dollar. Consumers were in panic as businesses and banks paralyzed. It was also

Words and word studies Essay Example for Free

Words and word studies Essay Do a word study on the Hebrew word Bara (`create`) as it is used in the whole book of Genesis. Does the word always refer to `creation out of / using nothing`? In the search of the Hebrew term ‘Bara’ in the entirety of the book of Genesis, there were eight particular instances that the term created (Hebrew Bara) was mentioned. Most of the time when the term created was used, the writer is implying about how God undertook the task of creating by using nothing in particular save for his godly powers to create things out of nothing. But in Genesis 6:7 the writer seemed to have hinted about how God made man from earth when it indicated that And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. The term face of the earth refers to the soil that covers the land area of the planet. Here, readers are inclined to think that man was made from dust or soil (ergo the belief that when the body of a man dies, it returns to original form dust since it will become mere dust once the process of decomposition is complete). Can the word mean this in Genesis 1:1? Yes, the use of the term ‘Bara’ or create in the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis refers to the display of God of his power to produce material and tangible things without using other things existing already so that the process of creation is undertaken. When discussing the ability of God to create, Christian religious tenets have it that God creates out of nothing due to his absolute power that cannot be explained by the science and logic of man, ergo making Christianity a religion hinged on faith alone even when scientific or empirical explanation is not available (example of that is the creation of the world, which many scientists hypothesized to have started from an activity occurring from something extant already, which is still unsettled even up to now). Now look up Isa. 45:18 and find the Hebrew words behind Gods creative activity in that verse. Look up these words (there are two) in the Hebrew dictionary you are using, and then find any occurrence of them in the whole book of Genesis In Isaiah, three other forms similar to create is found; the term formed (yatsar), made (asah) and established (kuwn). The term formed was mentioned three times in the book of Genesis in the verses seven, eight and 19 of the second chapter in the book, referring to his forming of man and the beasts that roamed the earth. The term made or make was found more often in the book of Genesis, nearly present in all of the chapters of the book, generally because asah is a primitive root along with kuwn, which was mentioned in 41:32, 43:16 and 43:25 of the book of Genesis. Do either of these words refer to `creation out of / using nothing`? If not, do the authors of Genesis and Isaiah have different theology? Like what was mentioned earlier in the paper, not all of the terms that pertain to God’s creative activity points to the idea that God did not use any other thing to assist him in his creation; there were instances like the creation of man and woman wherein God used earth to create man and used man’s ribs to create a woman, references to the use of tools of God during particular times of his creative process which does not decrease the ability of God’s power for creation (i. e.God can make man and woman even without the use of earth and the man’s ribs). But was a necessary act since the creation and the symbolisms that surround it has an important socio-religious meanings in the overall theology, belief and practices of the early Christianity all the way to the more modernistic form of the faith. 2) Do word study on the term `unmarried` in I Cor. 7 The term Unmarried, or the Hebrew agamos is found in the seventh chapter of the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. It appears that ‘gamos’ is the root word that is supplemented by a prefix a that connotes negativity (ergo agamos for unmarried, the negative version of married, which is positive). As the English translation implies, this term is used as reference during the time of St. Paul for individuals who is still without a legal wife or husband and has not yet undergone the ritual of marriage. Try and use the context to define what `unmarried can mean – During the time of St.Paul when he wrote to the Corinthians, the prevailing practice is to take a lawfully wedded husband or wife, consistent with existing laws and religious practices. This does not guarantee however that people during those times were not vulnerable or susceptible to the temptations of extra marital affairs, and because of that, St. Paul focuses his discussion on marriage and sex in the context of what is allowable in the eyes of god through the accepted practices of the Catholic religion. The term unmarried refers to a person who is without a partner, and all unmarried individuals are encouraged by St. Paul to abstain from unlawful and taboo forms of sex from other people – may they be married to other people or similarly unmarried. Unmarried as a social name tag is reserved for those who are not ‘married’, and by married one refers to the actualization and consummation of the rituals of marriage of union of two people. Does I Cor. 7 allow for remarriage after divorce or not? – Divorce is a practice that is prohibited in the Roman Catholic belief and practices, and because it is not allowed, so is the idea of remarrying after leaving one’s partner whom God joined in the sacrament of marriage. St. Paul speaks of this in I Corinthian 7: 11-12, saying that And unto the married I command, [yet] not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from [her] husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to [her] husband: and let not the husband put away [his] wife. There is an indication in Chapter 7 of the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians about remarrying for those who are already widowed. In I Corinthians 7:8-9, it says that I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. Here St. Paul tells the unmarried and the widows that it is alright for them to remarry, encouraging them to remarry instead of engaging in sexual acts that is not allowed in Christian doctrine that may be the reason for the burning of their souls in Hell. Works Cited: Blue Letter Bible. 26 April 2008 http://cf. blueletterbible. org/lang/lexicon/lexicon. cfm? Strongs=H22t=KJV. King James Bible With Strongs Dictionary. 2001. 26 April 2008 http://www. htmlbible. com/sacrednamebiblecom/kjvstrongs/index. htm.

Steps for improvement in future for flipkart Essay Example for Free

Steps for improvement in future for flipkart Essay The e-Commerce market in India has enjoyed phenomenal growth of almost 50% in the last five years. Although the trend of e-Commerce has been making rounds in India for 15 years, the appropriate ecosystem has now started to fall in place. The considerable rise in the number of internet users, growing acceptability of online payments, the more number of internet-enabled devices and favorable circumstances are the key factors driving the growth story of e-Commerce in the country. The number of users making online transactions has been on a rapid growth trajectory, and it is expected to grow from 11 million in 2011 to 38 million in 2015. Flipkart is a leading e-Commerce company which has established itself now as the fastest growing mid-sized company. Backed by a funding of $31 million, the company is set to grow from five warehouses and 35 delivery centers to 35 warehouses and more than 60 delivery centers across the country. But, with wide expansion in various sectors, greater range of challenges also come across. By large, major challenges that the company faces are :- 1. Customer Satisfaction. 2. Market Expansion. 3. Best Economic Use of Funds. Keeping in mind the above challenges, few steps that can be taken by the company to improve upon its brand value in future according to me are :- Making Customer Satisfaction #1 priority In a market where even a single customer plays an important role, it becomes very important to make sure that the customer is treated in the best possible way. But, in practicality, this is very difficult and we have experienced it ourselves. How many times has it happened that you didn’t get your order on time? I guess many!! So, here are 4 key factors that can heavily influence customer satisfaction which need to be taken care of if flipkart wants to keep ahead of its competitors. 1. Accuracy (Right Product): In accordance with Wyatt Earps belief that â€Å"fast is fine, but accuracy is everything†, we can understand the pivotal role that receiving the right product plays in determining customer satisfaction. In a recent survey, approximately one out of every three respondents (29%) said that they would abandon shopping altogether with a retailer if they received one incorrect delivery. This equates not only to one lost customer for life, but combined with the impact of social media and word of mouth, this could seriously impact brand image and performance. Therefore, it is immeasurably important to run multiple accuracy checks, run by multiple employees to reduce the risk of errors. 2. On Time Delivery: According to a survey from Comscore, 42% of shoppers have ABANDONED an online shopping cart because of the delivery date. Communication of the expected delivery date of the order is critical to setting the correct expectation of the consumer. Conversely, 41% of shoppers RECOMMENDED a retailer when they received their product when expected which can lead to increased loyalty and new customers. Speed is crucial to ecommerce operations. The ability to turnaround orders within the same or next day is highly recommended. 3. Order Tracking: has in recent years become a necessity for online retailers with 75% of customers believing it is a service that every retailer should offer. These primarily include email notifications containing a unique tracking number as well as having the ability to check directly on the retailers website for the tracking information whether it is pending, en route or arrived 4. Discounts and Coupons: Many consumers these days come to online shopping sites only because of vast number of discounts and coupons and this can highly influence customer loyalty. According to Comscore, 95% of respondents have recommended a retailer due to the availability of discounts and coupons. Retailers should clearly state their terms and conditions for discounts and coupons on their website so it’s clear to the consumer before they checkout. CHANGING TRENDS IN INTERNET USE The mobile internet user base is growing, aided by the introduction of 3G data plans and declining smartphone prices. Several smartphone models are available at less than Rs. 8000 in the Indian market. Mobile internet users are expected to account for more than 60% of the user base in India, considering that their number is forecast to reach 200 million by 2015. Telecom operators are incentivizing mobile internet usage by reducing tariffs and providing unlimited usage facilities. They are offering unlimited internet browsing plans at a lowly price of Rs. 200 per month to their GSM customers. Within six months of the launch of 3G, the number of connections reached 10 million, closely matching the number of broadband subscribers. UNDERDEVELOPED USER EXPERIENCE The growth of mobile internet is encouraging. However, experience on e-Commerce websites also needs to be improved, since most of these sites are not optimized for use on mobile devices. Furthermore, not all e-Commerce sites have developed mobile apps. Given that an increasing number of people would access internet on their mobile devices, e-Commerce players need to step up and develop mobile websites and apps for major mobile platforms. MAKING YOUR PRESENCE FELT ON 3rd PARTY WEBSITES It is one of the major solutions for your e-Commerce business as you should list your complete range of products on 3rd party sites in order to get more attention and visitors. However, 3rd party shopping sites are highly popular on the web and visited by lots of visitors. Today, there are lots of shoppers, who are visiting these websites in order to compare the products, so it is highly important for you to make your products visible. You always try to make your products as visible as possible so that people come to know about your products and services. When it comes to talk about some popular 3rd party shopping sites, Google shopping, eBay and Buy.com are some most popular sites to increase incremental revenue. ENHANCING PAGE LOAD SPEED Then it comes to enhance page load speed, you should consider pictures and images that you have on your page. However, it is a common problem with e-Commerce websites as the websites have lots of images of products, so this problem is quite difficult to face, but retailers can easily resize their product images and use different formats like .pang that surely help. All the e-Commerce websites try to enhance page load speed so that their customers easily visit their website and load each and every page without nay hassle. Giving what the Indian customers really want and understanding their mindset. ‘Touch and Feel’ factors: Indian customers are more comfortable in buying products physically. They tend to choose the product by touching the product directly. Thereby, Indian buyers are more inclined to do ticketing and booking online in Travel sectors, books and electronics. Companies dealing with products like apparel, handicrafts, jewelry have to face challenges to sell their products as the buyers want to see and touch before they buy these stuffs. Cash On Delivery: Cash on Delivery (COD) has evolved out of less penetration of credit card in India. Most of Indian E-commerce companies are offering COD as one of mode of payment for the buyers. 30%-50% of buyers are also taking advantage of this mode of payment while making purchase of any product and service over internet. COD has been introduced to counter the payment security issues of online transaction, but this mode has been proving to be loss and expensive to the companies. It is seen that majority of the customers denied to make the payment at the time of delivery of the product. Hence, companies tend to lose the sale along with product transit fees. In order to curb the problem of COD, online companies should take some judicial steps; otherwise basic logic behind the ecommerce business will be at risk. Online Transaction: Most of Indian customers do not possess credit card, debit card and net banking system, which is one of the prime reasons to curtail the growth of ecommerce. Nevertheless, in recent years, some of the nationalized banks have started to issue debit cards to all its account holders. Third-party online payment solution China’s leading third-party online payment solution allows individuals and businesses to execute payments online in a secure manner. Its escrow service has made consumers confident about conducting online transactions without being concerned about product delivery and quality. This is because payment is only released to sellers when consumers confirm the delivery of orders. Expansion of market instead of taking market share from the competitors. One more area where flipkart can expand its market is into the Online Travel Market. Some encouraging points of online travel market are :- Indian travel industry among the fastest growing in the world Growth in India’s travel and tourism industry is the second fastest worldwide. According to a Deutsche Bank report, the industry would grow at a CAGR of 10% to reach US$111 billion by 2020. The growth of the services sector (thereby leading to rising household income, an expanding middle class and more inbound and outbound tourism) is responsible for this rapid growth. Decade of air travel The civil aviation sector in India has witnessed favorable developments in the last decade. India is the ninth-largest civil aviation market in the world and is poised to feature among the top five global markets over the next decade. Airline passenger traffic rose rapidly from 59.3 million in 2005 to 162.3 million in 2012. Indians now travelling more†¦ Inbound and outbound travel for both business and leisure has increased. Spending on domestic and international travel by Indian travelers is forecast to touch US$1.4 billion and US$426 million, respectively, by 2013. This has prompted domestic full service carriers and LCCs to expand their networks by offering connectivity to near-shore destinations such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Dubai and Nepal, thus aiding in the growth of online travel.

Economic Impact of the UN on World Trade in the 20th Century

Economic Impact of the UN on World Trade in the 20th Century Thompson, Tyler Many different sources went into providing an in depth response to the question, What economic impact did the United Nations have on world trade in the 20th century? Two of the most important sources used were The Reconstruction of the International Economy, 1945-1960 by Barry Eichengreen and International Business: Opportunities and Challenges in a Flattening World, v. 1.0 by Mason A. Carpenter and Sanjyot P. Dunung. The Reconstruction of the International Economy, 1945-1960 is a historical journal published in 1993. The author, Barry Eichengreen, is very educated in both history and economics, receiving his masters in History from Yale University in 1978 and his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1979. He wrote this piece in an effort to analyze the way that the international economy reacted and responded to the economic crisis caused by the Second World War. He also analyzed the different forces in play that caused the economy to react the way that it did. This work is valuable because of the insight it gives to the situation being analyzed. Eichengreen, as a professor of history and economics, has access to a lot of information relating to international economics. He is also very skilled at interpreting the extent to which certain forces impacted the economy. For this reason, this source gives an accurate overview of the international economy between 1945 and 1960. This document is limited, however , in the sense that it was written and published before the end of the 20th century. This means that the document does not give insight into the rest of the century, and so it is limited in the information that it contains. Furthermore, since it was published before the end of the century, it fails to understand the long term effects of the events that occurred during the time period. International Business: Opportunities and Challenges in a Flattening World, v. 1.0 by Mason A. Carpenter and Sanjyot P. Dunung is a book written in an attempt to analyze the changing international economy. Carpenter received his Ph.D. in 1997 from the University of Texas. He is currently a professor at the University of Wisconsin. Dunung has considerable experience in educating different cultures. Carpenters knowledge of history along with Dunungs ability to understand multiple cultures allows them to accurately come to conclusions about the international economy. This document is valuable because it analyzes the trends in international economics and gives a good idea of the forces at play in international economics. It also shows the different ways that the United Nations referees the international economy. However, it is limited in the sense that instead of analyzing specific instances in which the United Nations interfered in the international economy, it simply discusses general trends and the general methods the United Nations uses. Because of this, the source tends to be general in its information. Word Count: 470 Section 2. Investigation According to Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations, one of the purposes of the United Nations is to, achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion. The United Nations is an organization that seeks to maintain peaceful relations between major powers. Because of the far reach of this organization, the effects of their policies and actions have far reaching effects socially, politically, and especially economically. Through policies that maintain peace and aiding in the negotiations of trade agreements, the United Nations has had a major positive effect on international trade between 1945 and 2000. Prior to the formation of the United Nations in 1945, the world economy was in disarray. During this time period, the economy saw, the almost total cessation of normal international economic relations (Eichengreen 1). This lack of trade along with debts from the war left many economies in poor shape. Poverty was at an all-time high, while international GDP was at an all-time low. Many industrial countries found it difficult to import raw materials for their factories. On the other side, many countries that export raw materials found it hard to find markets to sell their goods. This general disruption of trade left many economies staggering and struggling. However, the birth of the United Nations soon saw the recovery of many economies. Trade was soon established between countries that had just recently been at war and the international economy began to grow. World trade has a major effect on international economies as, there is a strong positive correlation between growth in per capita income and growth in trade, (Roser). World trade managed to grow about eight percent annually from 1950 to 1965. And in fact, international GDP per capita grew at a steady rate and did not once decrease from 1960 until the end of the century. In 1960, the world GDP stood at 1.353 trillion US dollars as compared to the 33.391 trillion US dollars that it stood at when the century ended. The United Nations has enacted a multitude of policies in order to facilitate the expansion of international trade. The UN has created a series of 10-year International Development Strategies in order to develop smaller countries that may be rich in resources and could have a beneficial impact on international trade. This plan was set into place by the General Assembly in 1960 and continued throughout the rest of the century. Furthermore, they work with agencies that, provide technical assistance and other forms of practical help to countries around the world. In cooperation with the UN, they help formulate policies, set standards and guidelines, foster support and mobilize funds (United Nations). Although the United Nations is not the only organization that worked to benefit international trade in the second half of the 20th century, it was the common denominator in many instances and acted as the main organizer of other separate efforts. The role of the United Nations in maintaining peace has a major impact on international economics. According to International Business: Opportunities and Challenges in a Flattening World, military conflict can be extremely disruptive to economic activity and impede long-term economic performance. Through peace, businesses find it easier to find and hire qualified workers, work with less regulations to due lack of war time restrictions, and find that international trade is made easier through easier currency exchange. When countries are at war, many qualified workers are working either in the military or in a field that ties directly to the military in order to help the war effort. Also, trade between foreign countries that are at war with each other is very difficult because there are generally greater tariffs and restrictions on trade between companies in these two areas. In general, peace is good for business and the world economy as a whole. The United Nations completed more than 20 missions all around the world between 1945 and 2000 in an effort to maintain international peace. One of the earliest examples of these missions was their role in the end of the India-Pakistan War in 1947-48. This war began when India gained its independence as a colony from England in 1947. The colony was split into India and Pakistan. However, there was considerable debate between the two over who would get control over the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This eventually led to a war that was quickly stopped due to United Nations mediation. This action had significant impacts on international economies. India is a major exporter of oil, textiles, engineering goods, and jewelry, while Pakistan exports rice, cotton, tiles, surgical instruments, and rugs among other goods. Without the mediation of the United Nations, these two countries would have continued to fight. They would have spent valuable resources on the war instead of focusing them on producing goods for trade. This has benefited the countries that trade with them because they now have more access to the goods that these countries produce. This single conflict, had it not been stopped by the United Nations, would have had a serious negative impact on the international economy by hurting trade and reducing both imports and exports. On a grander scale, the fact that the United Nations has organized negotiations many times shows how they have had a great impact on maintaining international trade and improving international economies. Although the evidence points to the United Nations as one of the major powers that influenced the growth of international economies after 1945, some historians disagree. Eichengreen claims that the Bretton Woods Agreement was one of the most important policy changes that benefited economies, and this occurred without the aid of the United Nations. The Bretton Woods Agreement gave rise to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the International Trade Organization. This immediately paved a path for the reintroduction of international trade between nations that had very recently been at war with each other. The steady growth of international economies and the continued peace between major powers indicates that the United Nations played a greater role in international economics than the Bretton Woods Agreement. Although the Bretton Woods Agreement provided immediate trade relations, there remained considerable disagreement between the British and Americans over the particulars of the Bretton Woods Agreement (Eichengreen 4). In addition, one of the organizations that the agreement created was the IMF, which along with the World Bank are, twin intergovernmental pillars supporting the structure of the worlds economic and financial order, (Carpenter). Yet, historians claim that the IMF, played little role in international monetary affairs until the end of the 1950s. The quick transition to current account convertibility envisaged by the framers of the Bretton Woods Agreement never came to pass (Eichengreen 4). In summary, the United Nations has had a major positive impact on international trade during the 20th century. The United Nations mediated in international conflicts multiple times in the 20th century and has also helped enact trade agreements. All of these actions have been shown to have been beneficial to the international economy based on steady GDP growth throughout the 20th century and a quick recovery from the poor international economic situation during which the United Nations was created. Word Count: 1225 Section 3. Reflection This investigation has been a great experience for me. I have learned a lot about the process of gathering information from different sources and drawing a single conclusion. When I began this assignment, I knew little about the process that historians actually go through when writing historical analysis reports. I had the misconception that historians simply gather information that all seems to support a single thesis. However, I did not realize history is not black and white. This major issue is one of the biggest challenges that historians face. In my own investigation, I found that a single event could have been caused by multiple different causes. For example, The Reconstruction of the International Economy, 1945-1960 by Barry Eichengreen shows the different events that helped the economy respond to the crisis immediately following the Second World War. He shows that both the United Nations and the creation of different organizations such as the IMF, the World Bank, and the ITO all contributed to the economys recover. I was challenged and tasked with analyzing which factor impacted the economy the most. Encountering this in my own research showed me the importance of understanding the values and limitations of different sources. Being able to evaluate sources and try to extract accurate information from them is the job that historians are faced with. In this way, I learned that the work of a historian involves more than just gathering and discussing information. Historians are tasked with analyzing the information they use and being able to draw conclusions based on their analysis. When I conducted this investigation, I saw this dilemma first hand. Although I had a variety of sources of information that were all credible in their own way, I had to draw my own conclusions from the sources and be able to support my ideas. I value this experience because I feel that I have learned not only what historians have to do, but I have also gained the skills needed. I feel that in the future I will lean on this experience as a guide to any historical analysis that I encounter. The insight I have gained from this experience is valuable and the ability to draw my own conclusions is something I will use in the future. Word Count: 377 Works Cited About Economic and Social Development. United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016. . Carpenter, Mason A., and Sanjyot P. Dunung. Challenges and Opportunities in International Business. Vol. 1.0. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Carpenter, Mason A., and Sanjyot P. Dunung. International Business: Opportunities and Challenges in a Flattening World. Vol. 1.0. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. The Charter of the United Nations. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1945. Print. Eichengreen, Barry. The Reconstruction of the International Economy, 1945-1960 (1933): n. pag. Print. GDP (current US$). The World Bank. The World Bank, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016. . Milestones: 1961-1968 Office of the Historian. U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016. . Ortiz-Espina, Esteban, and Max Roser. International Trade. Our World In Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016. .