IKEA Essay Example for Free

IKEA Essay

Feasibility Study

Feasibility Study Discuss the Components of a feasibility report. Consider the following types of Feasibility: 1. Feasibility Study The Feasibility study is a study of possible alternate solutions to a problem and a recommendation on the best alternative. (Randall, B. et. al, 2010) It can decide whether a process be carried out by a new system more efficiently than the existing one. 1.1. Economic feasibility: Economic Feasibility study is the study which are related to cost benefit exploration of the project/software. For example staff cost, testing cost. This feasibility assess the efficiency of an prevailing system. (SHARMA, 2014) This types of study that are generally considered tasks as they may benefit more than other’s from computerization and non-functional characteristics such as the time delay between the real world and the different parts of the system. The system costs should also be estimated in terms of basic resources of money, people and time 1.2. Technical Feasibility: The main purpose of a technical feasibility study is to identify if a certain plan of action is feasible—that is, will it work? A technical feasibility assessment should be applied to all projects being considered in order to better comprehend if the project can be done â€Å"technically† and if it can be done â€Å"here and now.† Furthermore, the early stages of technical analysis will help recognize areas of fortes and weakness in the proposed project so that we know where to direct further thought, planning, resources or assistance. (Kersnaghan, 2012) 1.3. Operational Feasibility This study investigates the factors such as the probable reaction of employees to the project and other proposed organizational changes that may occur by implementing this software. Also Operational feasibility refers to how well a planned system solves the problems of the project and how well it works at using the opportunities of the project. Operational feasibility is therefore one of the key elements of a feasibility study. (Wells, 2014) For example, if the employee are happy with the proposed system and find out no reason to change then there may be a high degree of resistance to the new system. Relevant factors here concern if the project has general management support and whether or not the users have been involved in the development of the proposal. 1.4. Time Feasibility Time feasibility deals to find out if the given project could be completed within the given time phase or not. This study can help mitigate the risk that a project is wasting its time. Furthermore it helps us to do the project orderly and clearly. (Technology.blurtit.com, 2014) Time Viability study helps to identify the various constraints on the project schedule and whether they could be reasonably met, so that letter there would not be any problem to meet the project goal. (Giorgini, 2003) 1.5. Legal Feasibility Legal feasibility study defines whether the proposed system conflicts with legal requirements, e.g. a Data Processing system must comply with the local Data Protection Acts. When an organization has either internal or external legal counsel, such reviews are typically standard. However, a project may face legal issues after completion if this factor is not considered at this stage (John, 2014). It also determine whether the proposed project conflicts with legal requirements such as known Acts, Statutes, or any pending legislation. (Newnorthafrica.com, 2014) 1.6. Social Feasibility This feasibility deals to check if the designed system will be satisfactory with the people or not. This assumption would in general examine the probability that the project would have to be acknowledged by the group of people that are directly affected by the Designed system. (Newnorthafrica.com, 2014) 1.7. Management Feasibility The management feasibility study would determine the organizational chart and qualification of the people involved. It checks if the staff of the organization are capable of running and maintaining the designed system. References John, J. 2014.System Analysis and Design-Feasibility Analysis. [online] Available at: http://www.learnsad.com/Feasibility.html [Accessed: 14 Oct 2013]. Kersnaghan, S. 2012. Technical Feasibility Assessments.Climate Resiliance Framework, 3 Newnorthafrica.com. 2014.Economic, legal, social, and technical feasibility study | NEWNORTHAFRICA. [online] Available at: http://www.newnorthafrica.com/feasibility/ [Accessed: 13 Oct 2013]. SHARMA, A. 2014.Economic Feasibility ~ All Computer Topics. [online] Available at: http://allcomputertopics.blogspot.com/2013/02/economic-feasibility.html [Accessed: 2 Apr 2013]. Technology.blurtit.com. 2014.What is purpose of scheduling? Blurtit. [online] Available at: http://technology.blurtit.com/3251022/what-is-purpose-of-scheduling [Accessed: 3 Oct 2013]. Wells, A. 2014.What Is An Operational Feasibility Study? Blurtit. [online] Available at: http://business.blurtit.com/855874/what-is-an-operational-feasibility-study [Accessed: 2 Sep 2013]. Task 2: Assess the impact of different feasibility criteria on a system investigation. 2. Impact of Feasibility Study 2.1. Impact due to Technology The technical aspect explores—if the project feasibility is within the limits of current technology available within the organization and does the technology exist at all, or is available within given resource constraints (i.e., total cost and time constraint of the project). In the technical feasibility of the Himalayan Library the various requirements of the organization, such as, (I) various input device required to run the project (II) Output devices required to produce the output (III) The availability of processing devices in the organization. This analysis helps in the future to run the program to achieve the full advantages. This deals us to find out various aspects like Assuming that technology required is applicable, is it available in the current market. If the technology is already available in the organization, does it support to handle the solution? In case the technology is not available in, can it be acquired? 2.2. Economic Impact The economic feasibility of the system helps the organization to allot if the implementation of the program is worthwhile. As soon as specific requirements and solutions have been identified we can weigh the costs and benefits of each alternative. This Feasibility study helps to find out the following aspect: Return On investment (ROI) at what period of time does the system start to return the initial investment Payback Period (PP) time required to generate sufficient cash flow to recover its initial cost. 2.3. Operational Impact Assessing this feasibility is to gain an understanding of if the proposed system will likely to solve the business problems, or take benefit of the opportunities or not. It is important to understand how the new system will fit into the current day to day processes of the organization. By analyzing this aspect we could find out if the staff present in the organization are able to run the given system. Then they would be able to make the decision to hire new technical staff or to give the trainings to the staff. 2.4. Social Impact It takes in consideration whether the current work practices and procedures support a new system and social factors of how the organizational changes will affect the working lives of those affected by the system. 2.5. Legal Impact This feasibility also has the major role in the development process. It determines if there are any restriction of the law in the process of development of the proposed software. If any permission is to be taken in order to develop the system then we could find out in this phase. 2.6. Managerial Impact After implementation does the organization have qualified manpower to run the program? Do we have to give additional trainings? These are the main aspect that come under this feasibility study. It helps to identify the capabilities of the employee. Beside that the main aspect it deals with is does the software helps in managing the daily activities of the organization. Conclusion The feasibility study is relevant to the determination of if there should be any further plans implemented. The conclusion might be either the project does not successfully serve the needs of the organization or the conclusions of the study might be positive. In this case the study provides with a clear understanding of what the project to be developed needs in terms of modification, cost, profit, risk, and time. The feasibility study them serves two functions: The study makes the evaluation of the total cost required for funding the project. The result of the study may give the inputs for the project to be implemented Task 3: Undertake a systems investigation to meet the business need. Consider the following aspects during investigation: 3.1. Product Description Library Management system for the Himalayan Library is the computerized system which helps the librarian or the user to maintain the daily activities in the systematic order. It reduces the risk of paper work that includes loss of file, damage of file, consuming of time, difficult to search the required data etc. But by the implementation of library management system the user would be able to manage the record more efficiently and time –saving. 3.2. Problem Statement As the Himalayan library is using the manual system for the management of every task in the library, they are facing various issues. So to solve those issues they have planned to implement the computerized system for the day to day management of their task. Some of the Problem they have been facing are: 3.2.1. File Lost: As a lack of computerized system there is a high chance for the file to be lost. It may be due to sometimes the librarian forget to keep the file to the original place due to lot of member queue for borrowing the book or sometimes he might forget the original place. 3.2.2. File Damage: The other problem is the damaged of the file. This might be because of some accident like the librarian hitting the cup of tea on the paper. This might cause due to other potential aspects like animals. Rat or some insects may damage the file/records. 3.2.3. Difficult to search Record: It becomes very difficult to search for the specific record in very less time. A lot of manual task has to be done to search for the user record while lending the book. 3.2.4. Space Consuming: As the day passes the records of the libray are getting more and more. And practically it becomes difficult to manage and keep those record safe. Hence, managing the physical records become space consuming. 3.2.5. Difficult to view Reports: Reports to be created in the manual system is too time consuming. It requires the librarian to go through various files in order to produce one report. 3.3. Objective of the Proposed System 3.3.1. Improvement in control and performance The Himalayan Library management system is developed to overcome the various problem that the library has been facing. The system must be capable of validating the user, storing record and generating reports. 3.3.2. Cost Saving As before the Himalayan library has been hiring about 5 employee, but after implementation of the Library management system the library could be handle with 2members saving the cost of 3 other employee. Beside that it saves the cost of lots of paper. 3.3.3. Save time Librarian is able to search for the books or generate various reports within the certain clicks, compared to the manual system it saves a lot of time. 3.3.4. Security As all the information are saved in the centralized machine and are being backed up regularly, there is a minimum chance of the data being lost. 3.4. Requirement Software Requirement .NET framework 4 or higher SQL Server 2008 or higher Windows OS 7 /8/8.1 Hardware Requirement for Smooth Running Processor- 1.5 GHz Ram- 2 GB For synchronization between computer LAN connection is required 3.5. Fact Finding Techniques On-site Observation As a junior system analyst, it was the responsibility to check the functioning of library. So, on the visit to the library for two days we observed librarian issuing and returning books as well as other functioning of the library. We also inspected the place where the cards are stored and from that it was seen that it was a real mess. To see if a particular book is already issued, it is a difficult and effort intensive process. The analyst also saw the records for books, members, and accounts. From site visit we had a good understanding of the functioning of the system. After this, we performed some personal interviews of library staff and few members. The interview is show below. Interview Beside the on-site observation interview with some selected stake holders were performed as the part of the requirement gathering. In this process we conducted structured interview with administrator, 2 librarian and some users about their expectation of the library management system. Task 4 Use appropriate systems analysis tools and techniques to carry ot a system investigation. You can consider the following tools: Use case Diagram Context Diagram 0 and 1 Level DFD diagram 4.1. Use Case Diagram Figure 1: Use Case Diagram of Library Management System 4.2. Context Diagram Figure 2: Context Diagram of the Library Management System 4.3. Data Flow Diagram Figure 3: Data Flow Diagram of Library Management System Figure 4: Data Flow Diagram of Library Management System Nikesh Adhikari | 1

birth order Essay -- essays research papers

Birth Order   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One long controversy among behavioral scientist is the existence of a sibling position effect. Birth order research and theories can be criticized because of differences between parents, sibling positions of the parents, size of families, socioeconomic status, and culture. The conclusions drawn from research studies on sibling position are also often contradictory. However for some reason children with certain birth order roles grow into adolescents and adults with similar qualities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to understand the sibling positions in a certain family the family system must be understood, since elements of structure in family systems form the context in which sibling positions develop. The family environment includes membership units, interaction patterns, boundaries, rules, roles, and alliances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The desires, hopes, and dreams of the parents are carried by the first child. Everything the child does is being done by the first time in the eyes of the new parents. The landmarks of the first smile, tooth, steps, word, first day of school, graduation are all met with overjoyed responses from parents, grandparents, and other relatives. In most families, the responses from this large family audience are more exaggerated than they will be for any subsequent child. The first children are assigned functional roles as they enter the family system, which include: the job assignment, interpersonal responsibilities, and social interactions. (Hoopes & Harper, 1987). Parents believe that the extended family and their environment watch what the first child does to determine what they are like as a family. Therefore, the main message that first children receive is that they are on display and that the family focus is outward. Leading children to believe that they are the ce ntral focus and their actions have consequences beyond them. First children have a sense that their behavior and words are weighed by others and then adopt external validation to evaluate themselves. Despite the family’s high expectations for all of their children, the performance of the first child is emphasized more than any other child will be. For interacting this way first-born children learn that their job assignment is to produce outcomes that meet with the family’s approval. First children may wo... ...y exhibit marked independence or extreme independence. Since the child has been reared alone in an adult world, the only child is very often extremely anxious to please others, especially parents and other adults. The only child has a youth period, which is free of the puzzling problem of sibling rivalry. This makes the only child extremely confident with is comes to completing task well and receiving the approval of others as well as very critical of themselves. (Falbo, 1984). Placement in the family has a lot to do with a person’s way of thinking and relating. While many other factors help shape a child’s personality first-borns do things faster then other siblings and approach like more seriously. Second-born children tend to be more laid back in achievement since the parents are less available. Third-born children have many privileges and gains considerable social skills because of interactions with older siblings. While only children, in their own category, are self-confident and have a great sense of responsibility. Birth order, like every other factor in the development of the child, can and will differ from the norm for individual children. Each child is absolutely unique.

The Cheating Hearts of Men Essay -- Relationships Affairs Boyfriends E

The Cheating Hearts of Men In writing this paper, I am setting out to answer a question that has been plaguing women for many years. Why do men cheat on us? Is it something us women do that causes it? Is it something they are taught is ok somewhere along the way? Does it have to do with the fact that their genitalia are on the outside? Or is there no logical explanation in the universe for it? (I’m leaning towards the last one, but hey, that’s just me.) Men always seem to have an explanation for their behavior, or more likely, an excuse. These excuses have been known to range from blaming the woman they are cheating on to trying to get back at her for something. Having more than just some personal experience with being cheated on, I’m curious to find out what causes this relationship phenomenon. More importantly, is it me? I know I have several friends who might also stand to benefit from my â€Å"research†, and hopefully by the end of this we’ll all have some answers. To start my research, I had to look no further than in the mirror. My ex-boyfriend cheated on me several times. Whenever I would suspect him, he would always have these fabulous excuses as to what he was doing and who he was with. He was a very convincing person, and he knew that. When I finally found out the truth (from the other girl I might add, which by the way guys is the worst way to find out) his first reaction was to deny it, and then when he finally admitted to it he had the balls to blame it on me. He said it was my fault because I did not pay him enough attention and the other time was because I was spending too much time with one of my male friends and then the next excuse was because I already was accusing him of it so he might as well. He might as we... ...s that I read in my search, I honestly do believe that there is just something inherent in the nature of the male species that causes them to be more likely to be unfaithful then women. I will end this paper with a little positive note for all the guys. Just to make you all feel a little better, I also learned in my research that nowadays women are almost as likely to cheat as men are. Works Cited Carey, Benedict. â€Å"Your cheating heart; Yen for variety can strain marital bonds.† Times-Picayune 25 Oct. 2003 Charles, Nick. â€Å"Why good men cheat.† Essence Jan 2003: 104-107+. Giglio, Anthony. â€Å"Would your guy cheat? Would you know?† Redbook April 2001: 108-118. Koli, Anuradha. â€Å"Why Guys Cheat on Hot Women.† Cosmopolitan Jan 2004: 106. LaFrance, Siona. â€Å"The Cheating Kind; Men’s affairs are a symptom of deeper problems.† Times-Picayune 28 Jan. 2004.

Bureaucracy and the Church of God Essay -- Religion

Max Weber, German sociologist, social theorist, and economist, explicated the theory of bureaucracy in which he details the monocratic bureaucracy â€Å"as an ideal form that maximized rationality† (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 48). He provided his most complete exposition of theory in his 1922 tome Economy and Society (Casey, 2004). This classic form of bureaucracy is characterized by the following (a) well-defined official functions; (b) specialization of function; (c) clearly defined hierarchy of offices; (d) rules governing performance, which require training to administer; (e) impersonal treatment of clients, in that all are treated equally; (f) merit as the basis of promotion or appointment; (g) compensation based on rank; (h) separation of personal and company assets and interests; (i) discipline and control of daily work; (j) files and record keeping for decisions, acts, and rules (Bolman & Deal, 2008; O’Connor, 2011). There are numerous shorthand versions of We ber’s theory including Harmon and Mayer (1986) in Organization Theory for Public Administration and Heady (2001) in Public Administration: A Comparative Perspective (O’Connor, 2011). The prime directive and raison d’à ªtre of the bureaucracy is to act as a bulwark against the forces of chaos, irrationality, and disorganization that constantly jeopardize an organization (Casey, 2004). In this sense, bureaucracy can be seen as necessary to the survival of groups. It is, however, a term that is vilified in popular culture, used pejoratively even by some researchers, and reviled as nearly blasphemous and certainly anti-democratic by many reform-minded persons. To the Weberian observer, in contrast, bureaucracy is not only as equal to all other organizational forms, but is ... ...e. Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Casey, C. (2004). Bureaucracy re-enchanted? Spirit, experts and authority in organizations. Organization, 11, 59-79. doi:10.1177/1350508404039658 Nelson, R. E. (1993). Authority, organization, and societal context in multinational churches. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38(4), 653-682. Retrieved from http://web.edbscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid-fd218266-afad-43b7-bfbb-5c53002cd06d%40sessionmgr14&vid=8&hid=19 O’Connor, T. (2011). Theories of bureaucracies. Retrieved from http://drtomoconnor.com/4090/40901lect02.htm Yeakley, R. (2011, February 15). Growth stalls, falls for largest U. S. churches. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-02-16-church_growth_15_ST_N.htm

Hunger Artist

Franz Kafka’s â€Å"A Hunger Artist† was written in 1922. The short story is about a man who uses fasting (a form of art) as a sense of fulfillment to himself. The foods of life, were not to his liking. Furthermore, his form of fulfillment was the sight-seeing and interaction with the fans. Fans were amazed by him. His ability to starve himself inside a â€Å"†¦small barred cage†(Kafka 9) was intriguing to most; everybody wanted to see him at least once a day. The time and place of the short story is unidentified.The process of the fast would usually last up until the forty day mark. The Hunger Artist is a man who starves himself, not because he couldn’t eat; it was because he craved the attention as seen in his last moments of life, when he tells a fan â€Å"I couldn’t find the food I liked† (Kafka P. 9) meaning he couldn’t attain the satisfaction from his audience. As a reader we sense a form of confusion or darkness when readin g the text. This form of satisfaction is far from bizarre.I would say, it is safe to say that each person has a personal interest that we like to do that one may find weird. Although it may be bizarre to some people. Most people came to see the Hunger Artist; â€Å"At one time the whole town took a lively interest in the hunger artist; from day to day of his fast, the excitement mounted; everybody wanted to see him at least once a day†(Kafta 5-7). We live in a society, where â€Å"weird† sparks great interest. This was the Hunger Artists form of satisfaction, he was a attention fiend, he was fueled by the masses of people coming out to see him.We can relate this to a toddler and his older siblings. When a child does something that causes a positive reaction or response by another person (usually someone older) they tend to insist on doing it again. Why? because physcologically, the toddler feeds from this attention, very similar to the Artist. The masses of people were amazed at the Hunger Artist. His one of a kind ability, amazed children â€Å"[The] children stood open mouthed†(Kafka 14).People would come in anticipation to see this bizarre figure labeled as the â€Å"Hunger Artist. † His â€Å"palid [body] in black tights, with his ribs sticking out â€Å"(Kafta 16) were one of the many reasons why people would come with the family as a whole, to see this form of ‘entertainment’, if you will. Eventually, people who came to see the Artist in his fast, started to find this matter impossible. Fans took it so far that they felt a sense of obligation to see if the Hunger Artist was cheating or if this display was factual.Theâ€Å"watchers who sat up to the bars, [were] the ones not content with with the dim night lighting of the hall†¦they focused on him in full glare of the electric pocket torch given them by the impresario†(Kafka 47-49). We can relate this to a magician, people usually tend to see what the magician is doing to fool the spectator, but usually the spectator wont find out what the magician is doing to fool the overseer. In exchange the magician would feed off this attention and continue in his expertise, similar to the Hunger Artists’ fasting.As time went on, like most things, the Hunger Artist lost his touch and people were loosing interest in the Hunger Artist. This lack of interest came about so suddenly. For meanwhile the aforementioned change in public interest [was] set in; it seemed to happen almost overnight†¦at any rate the pampered hunger artist suddenly found himself deserted one fine day by the amusement seekers who went streaming past him to other more-favored attractions;†¦(Kafta 17-20) The fans easily forgout about the enduring Hunger Artist, and for that, he had to settle for a new location.He had to go to a circus where conditions were even harsher and people were not recognizing him anymore. No one recognized him anymore and all that h e worked for was flushed down the drain. The artist was placed in the most isolated area of the circus in the dark, opposed to the heavenly light where he once was before he relocated to the circus. Suprisingly, one day an overseer who use to see the Hunger Artist in his prime passed by. He took a peek at the cage, out of curiousity, he recognized the Hunger Artist.The Artist felt a sense of guilt that he let down the fans and his reation to the overseer was â€Å"Forgive me everybody†(Page 276). As words were exchanged between the Hunger Artist and the â€Å"overseer†, it led to the explanation of why the Hunger Artist doesn’t cherish the so called â€Å"foods of life and tended to always fast for his sense of satisfaction from the attention. If I had found [the food I liked], believe me, I should have made no fuss and stuffed myself like your or anyone else.These were his last words, but in his dimming eyes there remained the firm though no longer proud persu asion that he was still continuing to fast;†¦(Kafta 10-14). We can say the Hunger Artist only wanted the fan’s attention and he admires the appreciation of Others. The foods of life weren’t enough for him because the fan’s presense were his â€Å"nutrition†. One may question, â€Å"Why is the Hunger Artist this way? What may his childhood be like? Was he deprieved of attention as a kid?I find it quite ironic that in the last moments of the Hunger Artists life, he is last seen with an overseer. The overseer was shocked to see him and still thought he was crazy now, just like he thought he was crazy when he used to see him in his prime. This craziness is what dragged the masses in his prime to come see him in his during his time of ‘shine’ But now, that craziness has become a flaw and no one cared about him anymore. The attention he once craved has deminished.It is quite ironic that the author does this. It’s like the Kafta wants t he audience to know that in the end, even though the Hunger Artist has led to many overseers to label him as â€Å"crazy† he will still be remembered and has gained the respect of many. In the end, the Hunger Artist comes to his downfall and dies. They bury him with hay straws and he is left with what he arrived with once he was placed in the circus. It’s like the clock was ticking until his death call arrived and was replaced by a youthful black panther.Some people will never be understood in society. Some do amazing things and others do unsual things. In all honesty the Hunger Artist wasn’t looked at for his amazement. He was looked upon as unusual, but the Hunger Artist fed off this attention. People just love to be curious espically to unusual things, we like to judge people and he was judged to be crazy. All in all, it is safe to say that in us all, we seek attention, some more than others, and the Hunger Artist wanted just that. He was a attention fiend.

Drug Trafficking in the United States Essay

Drug trafficking has become an even bigger problem than ever before in the world today. Now days, more people are buying, selling and using drugs. To people who do it, it is just a fast and easy way to get money, not knowing all the risks. Some drug dealers are even aware of the risk that comes with the action and they still do it anyways. There are many risks when dealing drugs and the risks are all different depending on what kind of drug it is and how addictive it is. Drugs are not only spreading fast through the streets, but today drugs and dealers have found their way into high school systems. The most common drug in high school is marijuana, more commonly known as pot or weed, and hashish or â€Å"hash. † Although this drug is said to be harmless or not addicting, it can still be dangerous in many ways. This is the reason drug trafficking in the USA must be stopped. Illegal drug trafficking from Mexico into the United States is and has been killing our society for many years. For decades, the border of the United States with Mexico has been used to smuggle illegal drugs into the country with the intention to sell it for illegal usage. Many of the drugs come from Mexico or other South American countries where drugs are easily grown. Once the drugs are grown and packed, they are then smuggled across the borders of Mexico and the United States. When the illegal drugs reach the United States, they are then distributed to many drug dealers around the country. These substances are then sold in our neighborhoods, our cities and states to those corrupted enough to purchase them. Sometimes the people that buy these large quantities of drugs have drug addictions, but a lot of the time it’s people that are addicted to money that sell to the addicts for a price of good profit. Customs Agents and x-ray devices that are at the borders are the only factors that need to be bypassed in order to successfully smuggle drugs into the United States. A lot of the times, illegal substances are stopped and confiscated at our borders. However, the effort to prevent the smuggling of drugs has not reached a one hundred percent success rate. Organized crime groups from Mexico have been smuggling marijuana into the United States since the early 1970s. Which may be surprising to some, being that president Richard Nixon declared a â€Å"war on drugs† in 1971. These groups maintain a wide range of associates, often related through family or regional ties to associates living in the United States. In my opinion this makes drug trafficking seem even more dangerous than it already is. It’s scary enough that people are sneaking drugs into our country, but knowing that they live here and not knowing where or who is even scarier. According to Mark Kleiman, â€Å"Most of the illicit drugs consumed in the United States come through or from Mexico, and virtually all the revenue of Mexican drug-trafficking organizations comes from sales to the United States†. What this says to me is that the United States has got to be at the top of the charts for the largest illegal drug trafficking market. This also means that not only are other countries at fault for bringing illegal drugs into our country, but the drug dealers and drug users that live in our country are making the United States seem at fault as well for keeping the system going. If you ask me, the president of Mexico should worry about the amount of legal drugs leaving his country and declare somewhat of a â€Å"war on drugs† like president Richard Nixon did in 1971. Although the war on drugs still continues, it at least makes it known that there is a solution in progress and sooner or later it will be in effect. â€Å"Mexico is the highway of the drug trade, not the destination-or so goes the conventional wisdom†, says Malcolm Beith. (Newsweek. New York: August 17, 2009 Vol. 154, Iss. 7) The United States has been fighting a losing war against drugs for decades. Budgets have increased dramatically over the last two decades and drug-related incarcerations consistently reach new records yet drug problems worsen: adolescent drug abuse is increasing, overdose deaths are at record levels, heroin and cocaine are cheaper, more pure and more available than ever before, and health problems related to drugs, especially the spread of HIV/AIDS are peaking. Meanwhile an expensive and ineffective policy is failing to work at a rate of speed that is sufficient enough. Drug problems can be reduced at less cost if we change course and start thinking and using strategies that actually work. At a time like this when the federal budget is limited programs need to be re-evaluated. Funding needs to go to programs that work. We need new ideas to save lives; we can’t afford to continue to be wrong. Police have done their jobs with record arrests, drug seizures and record incarceration of drug offenders yet drug problems continue to worsen. Something different must happen soon before this growing problem becomes too out of hand. According to the National Coalition for Effective Drug Policies, there are a number of different things that may have to happen to ensure a change. These are, shift resources into programs that work, make treatment available on request like any other health service, prevent drug abuse by investing in American youth and providing them with accurate information, focus law enforcement resources on the most dangerous and violent criminals, international drug control efforts should be demilitarized and focus on economic development, restore justice to the US justice system, respect state’s rights and allow new approaches to be tried, and make prevention of HIV and other blood borne diseases a top priority. This may seem like a lot on paper but in exchange for a better society it is no question that whatever needs to happen must happen quick. The war on drugs has now been going on for over forty years and our government still continues to fight hard to end it. As long as our government stays strong and continues to pursue this problem, I believe that it will one day happen. And possibly even more important than that, as long as we citizens of the United States stay strong and say no to drugs or drug activity, we will continue to grow as a country and make for a better place to grow and raise our children.