Watergate Essays (2054 words) - Watergate Scandal, L. Patrick Gray

Watergate WATERGATE Sex, drugs, money, power, you name it and there is a scandal for it, but look back and you will see that from all the scandals there have been, Watergate was among the worst. The Watergate scandal had everything. From Nixon disgracing the presidency by lying to the country and abusing his power, to his committees being involved in illegal acts and a big cover up. All leading to little side roads of corruption and lies. Watergate is by far one of the worst presidential scandals in the history of the United States. In the story of Watergate, five burglars were found breaking into democratic offices at the Watergate complex in Washington DC. The break-in was passed off as just another burglary, but when the burglars were found to have connections with the CIA, questions were starting to be asked. Then when the phone number of Howard Hunt was found in one of the burglars phone books, it made people think, Why would one of the burglars have the phone number of one of the presidents men? Then there is Richard Nixon, the man of the hour, plays the role of the president of the United States of America. The man that was voted into office by the people, and the man that swore to serve the people. When Watergate was uncovered, it revealed that the president was a liar and a cheat. The president lied to our country, lied about his involvement, concealed self incriminating evidence, abused his power, and planed to have the CIA stop the FBI investigations. He was also deeply involved with the cover up and still lied about his involvement. During the times of the unraveling of Watergate, questions were asked about connections with the White House and the president, but when the president was asked about it at a press conference he assured Americans that The White House has no involvement whatever in this particular incident. He was lying to the country like it was part of his job (Dorman 158). The lying did not end there, it went on and on for months, and as the scandal kept unraveling, President Nixon and White House, and creep officials were deliberately misleading the public about the significance of the Watergate affair (158). As Watergate was becoming a front-page article in the newspapers, new evidence was being uncovered. One piece of evidence that changed the peoples ideas of our president was the tapping of every conversation in the oval office since about the 18th month of president Nixon's term (Kutler 368). Those tapes would soon prove that the president was deeply involved in the scandal. During the trials, the Nixon administration claimed that the March 21st, 1973 meeting was the first Nixon had heard of the cover-ups, but after the tapes were heard it was discovered that Nixon was involved from the beginning (Heritage 36). The Nixon tapes brought out much controversy. The tapes alone could prove the president innocent or guilty, whichever one it was, Nixon refused to hand over the tapes. the courts then demanded the tapes, and Nixon still would not give them up. After much struggle Nixon agreed to give a transcript of the tapes. The transcripts brought to light a significant amount of evidence against Nixon. The transcripts revealed payoffs, affiliation with the burglaries, and the OK's to the cover-up, But most important the transcripts showed that Nixon had lied repeatedly after he had denied knowing anything about the conspiracy (27). After much struggle, the courts finally got the tapes from Nixon, It was Archibald Cox that issued the subpoena for the tapes, and that started the bloodbath we now know as the Saturday night massacre. The night of October 20,1973, possibly the most tumultuous in American political history, when the special Watergate prosecutor and the nations two top law officers lost their jobs within the space of an hour and a half. (Heritage 38). Soon the country would find a new problem with the tapes. When the presidents lawyers were going over the tapes, they came along an 18 minute gap during a conversation with Nixon and Haldman (34). Three weeks later, the gap was discovered, Rosemary Woods (Nixon's secretary) testified that while transcribing the tape, she had accidentally erased perhaps five minutes when interrupted by a phone call, she said she had pressed the 'Record' button instead of the 'Stop' button and then kept her foot on the machines control pedal while speaking into the phone. (34) Not everyone accepted this explanation; The maneuver would have been difficult

Functional Areas of a Business

Functional Areas of a Business Introduction Managers play a significant role towards supporting the performance of their organizations. They make businesses successful through continued management and allocation of organizational resources. They undertake every managerial practice in their organizations to achieve the targeted objectives.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Functional Areas of a Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Robbins and Coulter (2012, p. 64), â€Å"managers oversee and coordinate the activities of their employees in order to accomplish the targeted organizational goals†. Managers should always be ready to address the challenges and problems affecting their companies. Managers have many duties and roles depending on the nature and goals of their organizations. This paper analyzes the roles of a manager within every functional area of an organization. The Role of a Manager within the Functional Areas of a Business Managers have a role to play in every functional area of their respective businesses. Such roles are critical towards realizing every business goal. One of these functional areas is the Human Resource (HR). The HR department â€Å"handles different activities such as hiring employees, firing workers, and ensuring every person follows the company’s policies† (Feldman Khademian, 2007, p. 308). Managers should provide the best leadership and administrative concepts to their HR departments. They should also support and mentor every HR manager. Managers also use this functional area to â€Å"take the best disciplinary measures and offer compensations for different activities† (Kraut, Pedigo, McKenna, and Dunnette, 2005, p. 124). Business managers present the best leadership practices in their organizations. Leadership is a critical aspect because it makes every employee successful. Managers use â€Å"various theoretical concepts to deal with the conflicts and challenges encountered by their employees† (Kraut et al., 2005, p. 125). Managers should also be ready to train and mentor their employees. Some â€Å"managers will hire, train, and support new employees in order to remain productive† (Robbins Coulter, 2012, p. 64). Such roles are critical towards the performance of every HR department.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Accounting is another relevant functional area in an organization. This â€Å"functional area deals with the auditing, monitoring, and maintenance of every financial aspect of an organization† (Robbins Coulter, 2012, p. 83). Some companies formulate new accounting units in order to achieve their goals. Such units â€Å"include managerial and financial accounting departments† (Feldman Khademian, 2007, p. 312). Financial accounting â€Å"focuses on the examination and creation of financial documents such balance sheets and income statements† (Kraut et al., 2005, p. 125). Managers should always examine income statement and balance sheet before making the best business decisions. Managers also monitor the roles and goals of every accountant. Managers use the best leadership practices in order to empower their employees. Managers should also make appropriate budgetary allocations for future expenditures and projects. Such roles will be critical towards improving the level of business performance. Managers should also use the best strategies to finance the functions of their organizations. Another â€Å"important functional area in many businesses is economics† (Feldman Khademian, 2007, p. 319). This functional area supports the best activities in order to support the organization’s performance. Some of the activities include â€Å"distribution, production, consumption, and marketing of services and products† (Feldman Kh ademian, 2007, p. 319). This functional area is relevant because it transforms raw materials into marketable products. This department also studies the distribution of services and products within different firms. Managers have a huge role to play in this functional area. Managers should analyze the changing market trends in order to maximize products. Economics is also an important functional area because it helps managers identify new markets and partnerships (Kraut et al., 2005). Managers should also merge different functional areas in order to make the best business decisions. The approach will make their businesses profitable. Managers should mentor every employee within this functional area. The practice will be necessary towards improving the level of business performance and profitability.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Functional Areas of a Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Research and Statistics (RS) is another important functional area in many firms. This department collects and interprets in order to make the best investment decisions. Managers â€Å"should use these data to make appropriate marketing, production, and promotional decisions† (Feldman Khademian, 2007, p. 319). Managers should liaise with individuals in the department to understand the current and future business expectations. Business leaders and managers use such information to support the best organizational practices. Managers should â€Å"identify the practices that can support or modify in their businesses’ future practices† (Feldman Khademian, 2007, p. 319). Such managerial practices will play a critical role towards the performance of the targeted firm. Operations Management (OM) is a necessary function in every successful organization. This department uses statistical tools to interpret every organizational data. Managers should use such interpretations to examine the performa nce of their firms. Such practices will guide these managers throughout their decision-making processes. This functional area determines the performance of every department in an organization. Managers should encourage every employee in this department. Business organizations cannot achieve their profits without managing their marketing units in a proper manner. These functional areas focus on the needs and expectations of every targeted customer. This department uses the best marketing and promotional strategies to attract more consumers. The main goal of this department is â€Å"to ensure every consumer is happy† (Robbins Coulter, 2012, p. 74). The functional area should always work hard to address the needs of its consumers. Managers â€Å"should empower their marketing managers and coordinators to embrace the best business practices† (Kraut et al., 2005, p. 128). Managers can obtain useful data from this department in order to make the best marketing decisions.Adv ertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Managers have a duty to mentor, train, and support their marketers. Such practices will ensure every organization addresses the changing expectations its consumers. Managers can use the collected information to create strong brands. Strategic planning determines the success of a business firm. This functional area deals with the plans and activities that support the goals of an organization. Managers should â€Å"use their implementation and strategic planning departments to initiate new organizational policies† (Kraut et al., 2005, p. 124). Managers should also use their skills to bring different departments together. This practice will increase the level of participation and interaction. The approach plays a major towards making every firm successful. Managers have always used strategic planning and operations management (OM) to support the functions of their respective firms. Conclusion The above discussion explains how every manager plays a critical role towards the succe ss of his or her organization. Managers should motivate their employees in every functional area. This discussion also explains why â€Å"companies should establish different functional areas depending on their size, goals, and available resources† (Robbins Coulter, 2012, p. 103). The success of many every firm depends on the commitment and performance of its manager. Organizations require a dedicated manager in order to support the activities of every functional area. Reference List Feldman, M., Khademian, A. (2007). The Role of the Public Manager in Inclusion: Creating Communities of Participation. Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration, and Institutions, 20(2), 305-324. Kraut, A., Pedigo, P., McKenna, D., Dunnette, M. (2005). The role of the manager: What’s really important in different management jobs. Academy of Management Executive, 19(4), 122-129. Robbins, S., Coulter, M. (2012). Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education I nc.