Monday, September 16, 2019

Kant’s Moral Rationality Essay

In Kant’s book, The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, he believes that the â€Å"good will† is only good in itself and that reason is what produces the â€Å"goodness† of the â€Å"good will.† According to Kant, to act out of a â€Å"good will† means to act out of â€Å"duty,† or doing something because you find it necessary to do. Also, â€Å"good will† is will that is in accordance with reason. He believes everyone has a moral obligation or duty to do actions and he backs his theory up by discussing his idea of the â€Å"moral law.† The â€Å"moral law†, according to Kant, is when one is to act in accordance with the demands of practical reason, or acting done solely out of respect of duty. He says that moral laws will make you will in a certain way and is not subject to something further. Moral laws apply to all rational being in all places at all times. Overall, he believes that morality is on a basis of a priori, or preceding experience. This type of moral law commands us to be truthful from respect for the law and to do the right thing. Morality is about categorical commands that we ought to follow simply because it is the right thing to do. By categorical commands, or categorical imperative, it is supposed to provide us with a way to make moral judgments, which means it is a law. It is a way of coming up with the idea how any action can be rational. He means since all externals are taken from morality, moral commands must be categorical. In his book, Kant explains that he makes five things perfect clear: 1. All moral concepts have their origin entirely a priori in reason. 2. Moral concepts can’t be formed by abstraction from any empirical knowledge or, therefore, from anything contingent. 3. This purity or non-empiricalness of origin is what gives them the dignity of serving as supreme practical principles. 4. Any addition of something empirical takes away just that much of their influence and of the unqualified worth of actions performed in accordance with them. 5. Not only is it necessary in developing a moral theory but also important in our practical lives that we derive the concepts and laws of morals from pure reason and present them pure and unmixed, determining the scope of this entire practical but pure rational knowledge. (Kant 17) Kant goes on to discuss a relationship between the moral law and reason. He says that moral philosophy cannot be merely an empirical inquiry, but that is must be a metaphysical inquiry, and that it must be based on pure practical reason. Pure practical reason is the reason that drives actions without any sensible incentives. Kant also states that Morality is based neither on utility or nature, but on human reason. And this human reason tells us what we ought to do and when we obey this human reason, then we can say we are truly free. Finally, Kant discusses why he thinks that the moral is the rational. He believes that acting dutifully is the same as doing something because rationality tells you to do it. In section three, he discusses how moral principles come from yourself, or your rationality. And how one should treat the idea of will of every rational being as a universal law. Thus, rationality requires us to be moral.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Barclays Scandal: Libor

From Amanda Chua, Financial Manager To Sir David Walker, Chairman of Barclays Plc. Date 24th February 2013 Subject Implication of The Recent Libor-Fixing Scandal for Barclays Bank 1. Executive Summary * The London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) is the average interest rate charged to banks for lending funds in the interbank market (Investopedia n. d. ). * The UK Treasury reported that Libor is responsible for an estimated $300 trillion worth of financial transaction (BBC 2012). Barclays’ traders submitted inappropriate rates upon derivative traders request (FSA 2012). * Barclays’ submitted inappropriate rates to prevent negative media attention (FSA 2012). * Barclays was fined ? 290 million for Libor scandal (Wilson 2012). * Former Chairman, CEO and COO resigned in July 2012 (BBC (B) 2013). * Barclays’ share prices fluctuated due to Libor Scandal (Fletcher 2012). * Pursuing profit maximization, Barclays inevitably exploited its stakeholders (MBA Knowledge Base n. d. ). Financial managers think solely for the purpose of profit maximization for the shareholders as it lose focus, carrying out unethical behaviors to gain short-term gratification. * Barclays is suggested to create shareholder value by combining a well-thought-of goal with focused financial planning that will deliver returns to shareholders but in an ethical manner that is acceptable by the society (Barclays Boss Lays Out Revival Plans, 2013). * Installation of more advanced surveillance devices further enforces plan as employees are monitored closely in efforts to control the wellbeing of the workers (Roland 2013). Barclays is suggested to form a neutral ring-fenced rate-setting unit to monitor the rates submission (Daniels 2013). 2. Libor: Explained The London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) is the average interest rate charged to banks for lending funds in the interbank market (Investopedia n. d. ). Major banks in London who are under BBA submit the rate they presume they will have to pay for borrowing funds from another bank to Thomson Reuters, who will then discard the four lowest and highest rates and use the emainders to calculate the average, resulting with the Libor rate (Kiff 2012). The importance of Libor It is used as the benchmark for interest rates around the world (Surowiecki 2012). The UK Treasury reported that Libor is responsible for an estimated $300 trillion worth of financial transaction (BBC 2012) such as mortgages, corporate loans and derivatives (Surowiecki 2012). Also, Libor acts as a barometer for the welfare of the volatile global financial market (BBA n. d. ). 3. Barclays’ mistakesEmployees at Barclays submitted lower than actual predicted rates to Thomson Reuters (Murray-West 2012). Why it was done Derivative transactions made use of the Libor rate. Hence, the fluctuation of the rates would influence the profit gained for the traders (Surowiecki 2012). Both the traders and rate submitters cooperated through frequent intera ction (Surowiecki 2012) as traders requested for lower rates because they would benefit by paying less for the interest charged on the derivatives.Barclays submitted lower rates to conceal the trouble state it faced during the 2008 credit crunch (Murray-West 2012) when initially their submitted rates were higher than other banks (Bischoff & McGagh 2013). Lower rates prove that banks intending to lend funds to Barclays were assertive of their financial health, because the less assurance a bank had for another, the higher the rate charges will be (Bischoff & McGagh 2013), and Barclays expressed the contrary to conceal their financial instability.It was said that Bob Diamond, then chief executive officer of Barclays, was contacted by Paul Tucker, the deputy governor of the bank, concerning the recurrent greater rates amongst other banks, which worried Diamond who conveyed the news to Jerry del Missier, then chief operating officer, who misinterpreted the news as a command to rig the ra te (Bischoff & McGagh 2013). How it was done. It was effortless to manipulate the rates because they are derived from estimates rather than calculated values (Eavis & Popper 2012).Also, interbank borrowings were reduced during the financial crisis causing difficulty in evaluating whether submitted rates were realistic (Wheatley 2012). 4. Consequences for Barclays’ scandal Manipulating the Libor rate is intolerable and investigation involving the FBI is a reputational damage in itself (R. D. 2012), not only towards Barclays but in the banking sector as a whole where regulators are still speculating which other banks were involved (Bischoff & McGagh 2013). Barclays received a total of ? 290 million penalty from FSA, CFTC and DoJ (R. D. 012) for manipulating the Libor rate. Furthermore, former Barclays’ chairman, Marcus Agius resigned on July 2nd 2012, followed by Bob Diamond and Jerry Del Missier on July 3rd 2012 as a result for their involvement in the LIBOR scandal (BB C (B) 2013). Similarly, 3700 employees were discharged to reorganize the Barclays banking regime (McGee 2013). As Libor accounts for $300 trillion worth of financial transaction, this affects many because lenders lose out as the borrowers benefit from the low interest rate charges and people are very disappointed at the extend to where Barclays has went to.Due to the scandal, Barclays’ share prices fluctuated because the market expected charges for lawsuits against Barclays and it reflected the reputational damage Barclays has encountered for its involvement in the scandal (Armour, n. d. ), though this has caused an overhaul in Barclays that resulted in the increase of share prices months after. Moreover, investment firms and municipal government who fell victim to the Libor scandal due to the buying of bonds or signing of contracts demanded reimbursement from Barclays and will inevitably elicit legal actions (Bloomberg News 2012). 5. Role of Financial ManagementProfit maximi zation is the goal of financial management (Hillier et al, 2011) indicating that its objective is gaining greatest profits by using all possible resources irrespective of the consequences or underlying risk (O’Farrell n. d. ). This is seen as Barclays’ traders tried to maximize profits for their own benefit as well as their stakeholders. Shortcomings of Profit Maximization During the financial crisis, banks were financially unstable, they refused to borrow one another funds because of the low confidence they had for one another, seen through the Libor ratings that were previously submitted before the Libor rigging scandal.Barclays chose to conceal its proper Libor rates that would have indicated its troubled state to the public. This was second by the fact that a firm who pursues the goal of profit maximization will inevitably exploit its workers and consumers, which exemplify an unethical way of carrying out a business resulting from its corrupted practices (MBA Knowl edge Base n. d. ). In Barclays’ case, this was shown by its objective to save the bank’s reputation by finding means to profit maximize to avoid possible outcomes of failure.Jerry’s assumption of Bob’s instruction to fix the Libor rate when it was unfavorable (Bischoff & McGagh 2013) is another illustration of profit maximization gone wrong when financial managers think solely for the purpose of profit maximization for the shareholders as it diverge its actions by carrying out unethical behaviors to gain short-term gratification. Barclays has neglected possible risks because they were too focus on profit maximization as they rigged the Libor for the past years. Risk ignorance is another flaw of profit maximization (eFinance Management n. . ) because firms tend to be shortsighted towards maximizing profit they deserted their morale. This is shown by the reputational damage as a consequence of the scandal. Lastly, the disregard of quality is a shortcoming ( eFinance Management n. d. ) shown through Barclays’ scandal because Barclays obsessed over profit maximization, it neglected the goodwill of the bank. Barclays being a world-renowned bank that was earned through the years overlooked its goodwill as an asset as it rigged the Libor rate to earn short-term profits. . Summary It can be concluded that Barclays’ manipulation of the Libor rate was unacceptable. However, they have taken full responsibility over the consequences. It is suggested that Barclays make an overhaul in its management by changing its mentality from a bank that gravitated its goal on profit maximization to prioritizing an ethical environment before its success (Mcgee 2013) through removing workers incapable of committing to the revised goal (BBC (A) 2013), as this will be a long-term change. (Waldie 013) Antony Jenkins, the new Barclays CEO mentioned in Barclays Boss Lays Out Revival Plans (2013) that Barclays was previously too shortsighted as well as being too aggressive and self-serving. Nonetheless, the current damage helps Barclays to learn from experience. Presently, it is advice to create shareholder value by combining a well-thought-of goal with focused financial planning that will deliver returns to shareholders but in an ethical manner that is acceptable by the society (Barclays Boss Lays Out Revival Plans 2013).Installation of more advanced surveillance devices further enforces this plan as employees are monitored closely in efforts to control the wellbeing of the workers (Roland 2013). Lastly, it is suggested to form a neutral ring-fenced rate-setting unit to monitor the rates submission (Daniels 2013) in Barclays and this combines with trainings that shall be implemented to nurture an ethical and systematical way of setting the Libor rate. This plan aids by applying a team submission rate rather than an individual’s whereby rates submitted will be relatively reliable. BibliographyACTUELNEWSCHANNEL. 2013. Barcla ys Boss Lays Out Revival Plans [online]. [Accessed 22 February 2013]. Available from: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=4dznoD8yd14 ARMOUR, J. [2012]. The Price of Reputation: Lessons from the Barclays LIBOR Scandal [online]. [Accessed 9 March 2013]. Available from: http://www. clmr. unsw. edu. au/article/ethics/libor-manipulation/price-reputation-lessons-barclays-libor-scandal BBALIBOR. [no date]. bbalibor explained [online]. [Accessed 28 January 2013]. Available from: http://www. bbalibor. com/bbalibor-explained/the-basics BBC. [2012].Libor – what is it and why does it matter [online]. [Accessed 28 January 2013]. Available from: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-19199683 BBC (A). [2013]. Barclays boss tells staff â€Å"sign up to ethnics or leave† [online]. [Accessed 18 February 2013]. Available from: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-21064590 BBC (B). [2013]. Timeline: Libor-fixing scandal [online]. [Accessed 8 February 2013]. Available from: http://www. bbc . co. uk/news/business-18671255 BISCHOFF, V and MCGAGH, M. [2013]. Q&A: what is Libor and what did the banks do to it [online]. [Accessed 8 February 2013].Available from: http://citywire. co. uk/money/qanda-what-is-libor-and-what-did-the-banks-do-to-it/a600479/3 BLOOMBERG NEWS. [2012]. Consequences to banks of Libor scandal staggering [online]. [Accessed 8 February 2013]. Available from: http://www. winnipegfreepress. com/fpnewsvoices/Consequences-to-banks-of-Libor-scandal-staggering-162730376. html DANIELS, V. [2013]. RBS Outlines The Actions Management Has Taken Following Discovery Of LIBOR Scandal [online]. [Accessed 8 March 2013]. Available from: http://hereisthecity. com/2013/02/06/rbs-outlines-the-actions-management-has-taken-following-libor-sc/EAVIS, P and POPPER, N. [2012]. Libor Scandal Shows Many Flaws in Rate-Setting [online]. [Accessed 22 February 2013]. Available from: http://dealbook. nytimes. com/2012/07/19/libor-scandal-shows-many-flaws-in-rate-setting/ EFINANCE MANA GEMENT. [no date]. Profit Maximization [online]. [Accessed 6 March 2013]. Available from: http://www. efinancemanagement. com/finance-financial-management/87-profit FINANCIAL SERVICE AUTHORITY. 2012. Final Notice. England: FSA. [Accessed 22 February 2013]. Available from: http://www. fsa. gov. uk/static/pubs/final/barclays-jun12. pdf FLETCHER, N. 2012]. Barclays drops more than 10% after Libor scandal, with other UK banks also hit [online]. [Accessed 8 February 2013]. Available from: http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/marketforceslive/2012/jun/28/barclays-uk-banks-libor-scandal HILLIER ET AL. 2011. Fundamentals of Corporate Finance. Europe: McGraw. INVESTOPEDIA. [no date]. London Interbank Offered Rate – Libor [online]. [Accessed 28 January 2013]. Available from: http://www. investopedia. com/terms/l/libor. asp#axzz2LAAqHDOs KIFF. [2012]. What is LIBOR [online]. [Accessed 28 January 2013]. Available from: http://www. mf. org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2012/12/basics. htm MBA K NOWLEDGE BASE. [no date]. Objectives of Financial Management [online]. [Accessed 22 February 2013]. Available from: http://www. mbaknol. com/financial-management/objectives-of-financial-management/ MCGEE, S. [2013]. Confessions of a Barclays Banker Who’s Seen The Light [online]. [Accessed 22 February 2013]. Available from: http://www. thefiscaltimes. com/Columns/2013/02/19/Confessions-of-a-Barclays-Banker-Whos-Seen-the-Light. aspx#page1 MURRAY-WEST, R. [2012]. What does the Libor scandal mean for us [online]. Accessed 8 February 2013]. Available from: http://www. telegraph. co. uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/banking/9364994/What-does-the-Libor-scandal-mean-for-us. html O’FARRELL, R. [no date]. Advantages & Disadvantages of Profit Maximization [online]. [Accessed 22 February 2013]. Available from: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/advantages-disadvantages-profit-maximization-11225. html R. D. [2012]. Eagle fried [online]. [Accessed 8 February 2013]. Available fr om: http://www. economist. com/blogs/schumpeter/2012/06/barclays%E2%80%99-libor-emb

Saturday, September 14, 2019

The Life and Death of Al Capone

Al Capone was an American criminal who started engaging himself in criminal activities quite early in life and was very popular in the 1920s in Illinois.   Al Capone was born in 17th January, 1899 in Brooklyn to Teresa Capone and Gabriel and was named as Alphonse Gabriel Capone. He died in 1947.He was popularly known by many as Scarface due to the knife cut mark that was on his left cheek. The name Al Capone is thus synonymous with crime especially in Chicago and thus one cannot talk of crime and fail to talk of this man. This research paper is specifically going o focus on the life and death of Al Capone. It will in particularly focus on his role as far as crime in the United States is concerned.Al Capone rose to fame in the 1920s during the period known as the Prohibition era. His activities led Chicago to look as if it was a lawless state due to his success in criminal activities. Just like other students, Al Capone went to a public school but unfortunately the teachers in these schools were a bit harsh to immigrant students and would use physical force to discipline them and Al Capone being one of them as his family had migrated to USA from the Old Country, was thus no exception[1].Specifically, Al Capone did not have a good relationship with his school’s administration and thus they were always crossing paths something that drastically affected his grades. After sometime, his relationship with teachers deteriorated to a level such that he was dispelled from school and that marked the end of his life in school[2].Though indirect, his career received a major boost when his father relocated his family to 21 Garfield Place. This relocation gave Al Capone an opportunity to join local street gangs such as the Forty Thieves Juniors and the Brooklyn Rippers where he met other gangsters such as Johny Torrio and Lucky Luciano[3].Having worked for James Street gang and Five points gang, Al Capone gained some skills in ‘street smarts’ making him to be qualified as a bar tender and a bouncer in a brothel in Brooklyn owned by Torrio and Frankie Yale.As a bouncer, he would mistreat people for example; he broke the legs, arms and even skulls of those who were deemed to be chaotic. It was while working as a bouncer in this brothel that Al Capone earned his name the scarface after being attacked and slashed by Frank Gallucio after he insulted her sister although he would later lie that he was injured in the Great War in France[4].It is in 1919 that he was arrested for the first time firstly for disorderly conduct and secondly for a murder case where he killed a man in   1918 but fortunately for Al Capone, as per ganglands’ principles or etiquettes, nobody testified for or against him and thus he was not tried for this murder. To ease down the tension that had built up, Yale who had been invited by his uncle Jim Colosimo in Chicago invited Al Capone to stay with him for a while. This time coincided with when the Prohibiti on Act was in force.Torrio was in disagreement with his uncle because he wanted his uncle to embark on bootlegging something that he was totally opposed. By this time his uncle whoring business had already amassed enough profit and thus he did not see the need to diversify. Torrio started seeing his uncle as a stumbling block and thus thought of how he would eliminate him. With the help of Al Capone, the mission was executed and they took over the business[5].While working for this gang, Al Capone helped his gang to prosper and extended its relations to another gang organization known as Colosimo mob. These organizations in one way or the other helped Al Capone to become the man he was.The reason for this is that after five years of his service, Torrio accidentally got wounded and could no longer be able to lead the gang thereby transferring its leadership to Al Capone. Under his leadership, the gang became the most feared and successful and anyone who challenged its leadership was eliminated. Due to their ruthlessness, they were able to conquer over mobs that succumbed to their threats or entreaties. Those that would not dance to their tunes were suppressed by use of force and a case in point is the Dion O’Bannon’s killing attempt, the Irish Northern Side gang in 1924.According to Oregon Coast Magazine, contrary to the expectations of Torrio and Al Capone, the failure to take over this gang opened a can of worms as from there on the two gangs never saw each other to eye and this culminated to the shootings that left Torrio badly injured. In 1926, he was at it again and was arrested in connection to murdering of three individuals where he spent only one night in jail only to be released for lack of enough evidence[6].[1] Pasley, Fred D. Al Capone: The Biography of a self-Made Man. Kessinger Publishing, 2004; 45 [2] Oregon Coast Magazine online. Al Capone: Social Issues, 1899-1947. Available at http://www.u-s-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   h istory.com/pages/h1616.html [3] Lorrizo, Luciano J. Al Capone: a Biography. Green wood Publishing Company, 2003; 15 [4] Ibid; 16[5] Carpenoctem. Alphonse â€Å"Scarface Al† Capone (1899-1947) Chicago Crime Leader. 2000. Accessed from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.carpenoctem.tv/mafia/acapone.html [6] Oregon Coast Magazine online. Al Capone: Social Issues, 1899-1947. Available at http://www.u-s-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   history.com/pages/h1616.html

Friday, September 13, 2019

Answering questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answering questions - Assignment Example 2. Using the collapse of the subprime mortgage market in the U.S., describe the components of good management and how regulation can contribute to prudent lending or encourage excessive risk taking. (What forms of discrimination are to be encouraged.) The subprime mortgage crisis in the U.S. has revealed various imperfections in the financial system. This collapse happened when most of the borrowers over-reached their demand for big homes and a number of borrowers availed the loan offers without having a suitable understanding to the implications of terms and results in an environment of declining real estate prices and increasing interest rates. Regulations can play a very significant role in ensuring stability in finance system by covering the safety and reliability of depository institutions and by maintaining a capital adequacy. In other words, a suitable regulated housing finance system is less vulnerable to institution failure. The less vulnerability may increase the confidence of investors in the system thereby, encouraging them to take risks. Moreover, the regulations and law should intend to reduce discriminations in house financing. For example, in the mortgage crisis institutions traded and resold the subprime mortgages in the secondary securitization market which made it hard for the regulators and homeowners to follow the predatory lenders.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Video analysis presentation and paper about selfy Essay

Video analysis presentation and paper about selfy - Essay Example To get more comments and likes, some of these photos are usually edited to make it look more casual and flattering. The title of the short film is Aspirational’ featuring Kirsten Dunst and two unknown girls. The video is about two selfie-obsessed girls meeting Hollywood star Kirsten Dunst. Boys are not so much accustomed with selfie as compared to girls. In this video, all these two girls wanted from the Hollywood star were to have a selfie taken with Kirsten Dunst. In fact, these two girls didn’t seem to care about the state and feelings of the Hollywood star. The video is reflecting on how our behavior as human beings is changing due to the effects of social media. In the current world, life is increasingly becoming dependent on selfies to mark important life events. In relation to the chosen video, these two girls were using the selfie to mark an important event of their lives upon meeting the Hollywood star. It is apparent that if you ever happen to meet the star in the streets, the first thing to carry out is to take a selfie with the celebrity. Basically, their main intention of these two girls was to make their friends believe that they have personally met a celebrity. The Hollywood star is on the road waiting for a car to pick her up. She is spotted by another car occupied by two young girls. The girls are star struck after seeing her. The two girls awkwardly jump out of the car and attempt to take selfies with her. The two girls completely ignore the Hollywood star Kirsten Dunst’s presence. They don’t even bother if she is breathing and if she is a living person, which makes the situation sad. It is even uncomfortable to watch because it’s disturbing. Because of the positive and negative sides of selfie, the description of the video narrates that one has to think twice before taking a selfie. Based on the video, selfies have lost the real meaning selfie as a

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problem - Essay Example I believe I have faced enough competition in the early academic years. Since my childhood, I’ve been a shy, reserved and quiet person. I don’t interact with people much due to my hesitation while talking to new people. I feel uncomfortable when I am surrounded by a group of individuals and I’ve always tried to stay out of group discussions. These natural personality constraints led me to the isolation from my social circle. I have had a few friends and even their knowledge was limited about my problems, likes, dislikes and issues. These personality traits seem normal and unproblematic to many people. However, I personally feel that these were the factors that affected my academic performance the most. I never wished to take a position in the class in order to avoid prominence and attention from others. I did not take part in class discussions as I felt awkward and uncomfortable speaking in front of all students and the teacher. I kept myself from asking question even if I had some confusion in my mind regarding the topic being taught by the teacher. When I was a kid, I used to avoid interactions with other kids. I kept myself isolated in the parks, play grounds and even in the school. I used to keep my feelings secret and ideas personal. All these traits resulted in inner conflicts arising in me.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Operation Ripper, Korean War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operation Ripper, Korean War - Essay Example tion involved the entire divisions of Eighth Army as well as the airborne troops of the 187th Regiment Combat Team and the 2nd and 4th Ranger companies. A number of the historical accounts on Operation Ripper identified it as offensive with an exclusive objective of capturing Seoul. However, there are accounts that Operation Ripper has a deeper goal than merely driving away the enemy from a specific location. Dorr and Thompson (2003) explained that throughout the Korean War, the American soldier did not have the killer mentality that would ensure efficacy in the battlefield: "A study showed that 27 percent balked, deliberately passing up a chance to aim and shoot their MI Garand rifles when an enemy soldier presented a target."2 So, the newly installed General Matthew Ridgway, planned Operation Ripper to remedy this problem and inflict as much casualty as possible. The operation was originally called Operation Killer, describing its ultimate objective. Soldiers were conditioned to kill. They were reminded that the job entailed killing and the destruction of enemy equipment. This is demonstrated in the standard pep talk delivered by sergeants to the UN troops: "Your job is to point that goddamned thing into the other guys face and shoot him deader than a doornail."3 The tactics involved included the coordinated offensives and strictly preserved lateral security that avoided immediate interdiction.4 After the operation, it was reported that the United Nation troops were able to kill 7,000 Chinese soldiers.5 While Operation Ripper did not decimate the enemy completely, it successfully drove them out of Seoul and further up north. In this respect, it was able to attain some degree of success for the United Nations efforts during the Korean War. The success of the operation was able to change the lackluster performance of the troops. There are those who argued that the outcome turned the tides of the war. In the political front, Operation Ripper convinced policymakers