Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Thomas Paine And Common Sense - 1579 Words

Thomas Paine and Common Sense In colonial America, Britain’s colonies were subjected to many Parliamentary acts that were considered to be, by many of the colonists, oppressive. The Declaratory Act, the Coercive Acts, and numerous other tax-based acts were just a few of the many examples of the controlling behavior displayed by the British Parliament toward their North American colonies. This seemingly oppressive behavior by the British Parliament had not gone unnoticed by those outside of the Colonies, as British citizens had even begun to sympathize for the colonists (Johnson). In all this time, the colonists still viewed themselves as British citizens. Eventually, however, Parliament’s presence and actions in the Colonies had become so great, that the thought of independence began to form in the minds of many colonists. For quite some time, the Colonies were unable to make a decision on whether or not to secede from Great Britain. It took the words from a man n amed Thomas Paine, through his writing of Common Sense, to finally urge the Colonies onwards to unify and fight for independence. Initially, the Colonies were fighting simply to have their rights as British citizens recognized. This line of thinking changed over time, which was influenced by Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Through this pamphlet, Paine was one of the first to put forth the notion of American Independence, putting into written word what others had only thought of. However, when CommonShow MoreRelatedCommon Sense by Thomas Paine859 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Common Sense† Common Sense is a pamphlet made in 1775-76 by Thomas Paine. This pamphlet inspired the thirteen colonies to declare war and fight for independence against Great Britain. It was straight forward and told Great Britain exactly the advantages of being independent from them. On January 10, 1776 during the American Revolution, the pamphlet was published and became a huge topic in the community. It was the biggest talk of the colonies. In proportion to the population, the book was the biggestRead MoreCommon Sense by Thomas Paine1396 Words   |  6 PagesCommon Sense was written by Thomas Paine and published in 1776. Paine wrote it as a plea for the American people to break away from Britain and to declare independence from the king. He was asking his audience to take a step back and see that just because something is tradition, does not mean it is necessarily right. Paine wanted to show his readers that government and society is not the same thing, which is how most people viewed it. Society was something that people should want to have, whileRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine957 Words   |  4 Pagespolitical pamphlet known as Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine in 1776. This pamphlet contributed in promoting the independence of America. In the pamphlet Thomas Paine challenged the American colonists to separate from England and create a democratic and independent society. Along with challenging the American colonists, he hinted at his own opinions about a democratic government that America should plan towards if they seek to separate from England. Thomas Paine also bluntly proposed thatRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine1574 Words   |  7 PagesCommon Sense was written by an Englishman, Thomas Paine, who came to the American Colonies in 1774. He had strong opinions about the British Monarchy – and monarchy in general – including the fact that by nothing more than an accident of birth one man had rule over so many other humans. He v iewed this elevation to monarch unnatural as all men are created equal. Additionally, Paine notes that â€Å"there is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of Monarchy; it first excludes a man fromRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine1036 Words   |  5 PagesCommon Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that inspired people in the Thirteen Colonies to declare and fight for independence from Great Britain. It was actually first published anonymously. Thomas Paine’s basic theme throughout Common Sense is that government is a â€Å"necessary evil†. His argument begins with more general reflections about government and religion, then progresses onto the specifics. There is a quote from the first page of Common Sense that lays out Paine s general conceptionRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine1244 Words   |  5 PagesIndependance, Why They Should Thomas Paine, an English political philosopher and writer made his way to the colonies when his good friend, Benjamin Franklin convinced him to do so. He worked as an editor for the Pennsylvania Magazine. Although, published anonymously in 1776, Paine was the man behind Common Sense, a political pamphlet that was distributed between all the colonies and challenged the British government by suggesting American Independency. Paine wrote the Common Sense because in his mind heRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine992 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica what it is today. Common Sense by Thomas Paine was inspiring to many American colonists as it was persuasive in showing how the colonists should have their own independence. Paine appealed the average citizen’s rationale, hence the title Common Sense. Paine’s pamphlet illustrates the importance of independence, and argues that colonial life under British rule was detrimental to America’s potential to become prosperous. In a fairly lengthy, but readable style, Paine discusses the differencesRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine1438 Words   |  6 PagesKayla Boucher Doctor Hockin AMH 2010 22 January 2015 Common Sense The book Common Sense by Thomas Paine was an American pamphlet written during the American Revolution, which was around the time when America was trying to gain independence from Britain. Paine discusses government, religion, and colonial issues. In the first chapter Paine differentiates between the society and the government. He described the society as being positive and constructive and he described the government beingRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine770 Words   |  4 PagesThomas Paine first published Common Sense anonymously in 1776 and immediately became popular. I choose to read Common Sense by Thomas Paine, in order to know America and hopefully to understand the philosophy behind the founding of the country and how its government system was set up to function. In my opinion, one of the main reasons Thomas Paine’s pamphlet became favoured was because Paine used a lot of common sense opinions that most people could understand. In his pamphlet Common Sense, ThomasRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine934 Words   |  4 PagesCommon sense is a pamphlet created by Thomas Paine for the American colonies to get their independence from the British government and for the people to be able to choose the rulers or officials to govern over them. In Thomas Paine pamphlet he had four sections which where origin and design of government in which he states that elections where the right thing for any government because it represents the people, of monarchy and succession that lineage of kings should not be the head of government

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Department Of Homeland Security Essay - 1380 Words

General George Patton was quoted as saying, â€Å"Take calculated risk. That is quite different from being rash.† Great success can be obtained by calculating risks. Lives can be saved, infrastructure protected, and evil avoided, but how does one calculate risk? The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has developed a risk management system to help address risks, primarily terrorism risks. It is important to realize that this is a system. Comprising this system of risk management are some key steps, such as the risk assessment and decision making. The overall risk management process employed by DHS is still in a stage of evolution and provides many areas of debate. The Department of Homeland Security’s Risk Management Fundamentals (2011) document provides extensive information on their process and components of risk management from the perspective of homeland security. The process, as identified on page 14 of the document, is very similar to many other processes in go vernment and administration, but does provide a good foundation for how homeland security employs risk management. â€Å"Defining and framing the context of decisions and related goals and objectives† This first portion of the process is a standard, lackluster formality. When a task is to be completed, the parameters must be set. While some of the parameters are extremely basic, such as who will be involved, others provide significant importance, such as what the scope will be. One of the more important parametersShow MoreRelatedThe Department Of Homeland Security : The Department Of Homeland Security755 Words   |  4 PagesThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently has a limited ability to persistently monitor, detect, and track, non-emitting vessels that operate in Customs Waters, which spans from the shore line out to 12 nautical miles. The volume of non-emitting vessels without metadata is due in part by the lack of regulatory policy mandating vessels broadcast their identification and location which would assist with Maritime Domain Awareness. This limited ability situate s DHS in need to mature the MaritimeRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1263 Words   |  6 PagesOne of the biggest security agencies in which we have today is the Department of Homeland Security. They were created in 2001-2003 to stop any threats or terrorist attacks towards the United States. They employ many people from different fields since they need overall intelligence on things. The department has roughly over 100 agencies branching from them. Homeland security was created not that long ago. It is located in Washington DC in the Nebraska Avenue Complex and that’s where it started.Read MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security Essay786 Words   |  4 Pagesdeter and prevent attacks on our homeland and as well as deter and threats from potentially occurring. Following 9/11, the Department of Defense has been entrusted with the role in the management of risks facing the United Sates. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that it will apply risk management principles to homeland security operations and has stated â€Å"Ultimately, homeland security is about effectively managing risks to the Nation’s security† (DHS 2010, pg. 2). This is muchRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security Essay1314 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The People of United States of America want nothing more than making sure that this country is safe and protected. When homeland security is mentioned, majority of the people think of terrorist threats. The Department of Homeland security does more than preventing terrorist attacks. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the United States from both man-made and natural disasters. Created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacksRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1338 Words   |  6 Pagesthe country within its borders. Until that time the United States’ homeland security was under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice (Masse, O’Neil, Rollins, 2007). After the attack the Executive branch of the government created a new organization that would be responsible for deciding where the biggest threats to the country were. This was the birth of the Department of Homeland Security. The Departme nt of Homeland Security is responsible for assessing all risk to the Nation within its bordersRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1176 Words   |  5 PagesCitizens criticize policies in national security as infringing on civil liberties, and an ongoing debate ensues over the sacrifice of civil liberties in the name of national security. The DHS continues to evolve in analyzing future threats and identifying means for the organization to meet them. The DHS’s overall mission is to, â€Å"†¦ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards.† (U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2015, np). The overall mission of theRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1336 Words   |  6 PagesThe Homeland Security enterprise is tasked with protecting our country from all threats to include threats that have not yet revealed themselves. There’s a few methods used to identify these threats, but I’m going to cover just one of those methods in particularly. To better explain the role of risk management, first I’ll break down the steps of risk management and explain each one individually. After I have fully addressed the basics of risk management, I’ll go more in depth on why the DepartmentRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1602 Words   |  7 PagesThe Department of Homeland Security The Department of Homeland Security is an agency made up of 22 different federal agencies which were combined in an effort to streamline the United States effectiveness in defending our nation. The core mission of the Department of Homeland Security include prevent terrorism and enhancing security, secure and manage our borders, enforce and administer our immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace, ensure resilience to disasters (Department of Homeland SecurityRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security991 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Considering the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)has only initiated actions in 2003, it has performed necessary security procedures and accomplished significant purposes and breakthroughs. As DHS progresses to grow, more activity predominates for them to address weaknesses in its current operational strategy. Implementation efforts are in place to strengthen the efficiency and to integrate its management areas (acquisitions, financial management, human capital, and information technology)Read MoreDepartment of Homeland Security1073 Words   |  4 PagesDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) is third largest Executive Department of the Federal Government charged with protecting the security of American homeland. Its primary mission is to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reducing vulnerability to terrorism and minimizing the damage from potential attacks and natural disasters. The DHS was created by President G.W. Bush in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on Am erica in 2001. It is relatively new agency that continues to evolve

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Easter Rising 1916 Free Essays

There can be no doubt that the response of the British government to the Rising contributed measurably to the further alienation of Irish public opinion. On 26th April 1916, it had introduced martial law and next day appointed Major-General Sir John Maxwell as Commander-in-Chief of troops, Ireland. He had full authority to restore order, put down the rebellion, and punished its participants. We will write a custom essay sample on Easter Rising 1916 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Maxwell never doubted that its leaders should be court-martialled and those most prominent executed. General Maxwell was also determined that, in order to crush militant nationalism, those who had surrendered with them, and their suspected supporters, should be arrested and their arms seized in a nationwide sweep by soldiers, supported by police. General Maxwell quickly signalled his intention â€Å"to arrest all dangerous Sinn Feiners†(1), including â€Å"those who have taken an active part in the movement although not in the present rebellion†(2), reflecting the popular belief that Sinn Fein, a separatist organisation that was neither militant nor republican, was behind the Rising. In total, the security forces arrested 3,430 men and 79 women and of these 1,841 were sent to England and interned there. Meanwhile, those thought to have organised the insurrection had been held back in Ireland for trial 190 men and 1 woman named Countess Markievicz. In 90 cases the court’s verdict was ‘Death by being shot’. All signatories of the proclamation were executed. The executions started on May 3rd in Kilmainham Jail with the execution of Patrick Pearse was the first to be singled out for execution, he was not allowed to see his mother or brother before his execution, Thomas MacDonagh and Thomas Clarke . The second day is the executions of William Pearse brother of Patrick Pearse, Edward Daly, Michael O’Hanrahan, and Joseph Plunkett whom married Grace Gifford in the prison chapel hours before his execution. On the following day John McBride was executed alone refused to be blindfolded before his execution. Then on May 8th Eamonn Ceannt,  Michael Mallin,  Sean Heuston  and  Conn Colbert were executed. On the last day of execution May 12th Sean MacDiarmada and James Connolly who is tied to a chair due to his broken ankle were executed. Sir Roger Casement was tried in London for high treason and hanged at Pentonville Prison on 3 August. In addition to the 15 executed, 97 others of those tried by court-martial were sentenced to death. Alarmed by the shift taking place in public opinion in Ireland and by the outrage expressed in the House of Commons by members of the Irish Parliament Party, most notably Lawrence Ginnel and John Dillion, Prime Minister Asquith travelled to Dublin on 12 May the day where James Connolly and Sean MacDiarmada were executed, in spite of a telegram from Asquith to General Maxwell saying that there were to be no further executions except under special and exceptional circumstances. Maxwell, presumably, considered that MacDiarmada and Connolly had played such leading roles that they could not be reprieved. There were no further executions, the sentences of the other 97 being commuted to terms of imprisonment. The predictable effect of these measures was to increase public sympathy, both for the rebels and their goals. During May, the police authorities noted even amongst moderate nationalists a growing ‘wave of resentment,’ prompted by the feeling that ‘unnecessary severity had been deployed’. Symptoms of the change in attitudes included the following: the increasing frequency of memorial masses for the executed rebels; the growing sales of photographs of them; the setting up of aid funds for their families; the appearance of songs and ballads celebrating their actions; the ubiquity of republican flags and badges; the sight of young men marching military style at Gaelic football matches, and the shouting of rebel slogans anywhere people gathered anonymously together, such as at railway stations. Moreover, there were ominous signs that militant nationalists were reorganising, reflected in a rise in arms thefts and hardening of attitudes towards the police. The release of many who had been interned after the Rising – far from earning public gratitude – fuelled resentment, as it was seen as providing evidence that the arrests had been made ‘without just cause’. Already in mid-June 1916, Maxwell predicted that in a General Election the moderate nationalist Irish Parliamentary Party would probably be replaced. He was right; in December 1918, it was swept aside by Sinn Fein. Some survivors of the Rising went on to become leaders of the independent Irish state and those who died were venerated by many as martyrs. Their graves in the former military prison of Arbour Hill in Dublin became a national monument and the text of the Proclamation was taught in schools. ‘I and my fellow signatories believe we have struck the first successful blow for Irish freedom. The next blow, which we have no doubt Ireland will strike, will win through. In this belief, we die happy. ‘ How to cite Easter Rising 1916, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Maverick Lodging Case free essay sample

Professor Wu FROM: Minghao Tang, AE5 DATE: March 30, 2014 SUBJECT: MAVERICK LODGING CASE Year 1999 Analysis In 1999, the Maverick Lodging company implements balanced scorecard to establish a measurement system and control the hotel level management. The balanced scorecard has several attributes, such as tracking financial performance, tracking nonfinancial measures and communicating franchisees and owners objectives of growth. For financial performance, according to Exhibit 7, the Maverick Courtyard has 3. 77% growth rate, Maverick Fairfield Inn has 2.22% growth rate and Maverick Residence Inn has 3. 5% growth rate. For flow-through flexible budget, both Maverick Courtyard and Maverick Residence Inn have good score while only Maverick Fairfield has unexpected score. As a result, the financial performance is generally good for the company. However, nonfinancial figures indicate the company’s customer service quality is declining. According to guest-satisfaction score in Exhibit 7, all three hotels’ scores are lower than market average scores. The company has higher comprehensive audit performance than last year’s and employee turnover is decreasing. Although the company has some unexpected performances, it develops well in year 1999. Analysis of Maverick’s value-added proposition Maverick lodging companys objectives are increasing operating profit and market shares by enhancing customer satisfaction. By implementing the balanced scorecard, the company is trying to increase financial yield, control profit and flexible budget, improve internal business control, stimulate performance of hotel management, facilitate communication between principals and agencies and start learning and growing processes. However, the balanced scorecard has several problems and makes it hard for the company to reach its goals. The first problem is that the balanced scorecard is hard for hotel level managers to understand. Although Baum tried to make it easier to understand, the scorecard still has many elements and some of the financial figures and complicated measurements are hard for entry-level managers to understand. For example, the colors and points system is complex because it is difficult to connect colors and points to the bonus points and the 40% multiply factor may cause managers confusions. Since it is hard to understand, the scorecard would have problems on acceptance and the implementation process would be difficult. As a result, the scorecard would not reach the maximum effectiveness and efficiency. The second problem is that the scorecard contains uncontrollable factors for managers. For example, managers performance will be measured by comparing the budgets and actual expenses. However, hotel level managers have no right to determine the budget and this measurement is unfair. As a result, many managers would be reluctant to accept the scorecard. The third problem is that the scorecard is only implemented at the hotel-general-management level. As stated in the case, the hotel-general-management is the last level of the company management and they have no right to discuss the components of the scorecard. In addition, the implementation process lacks communication between different levels of managements. As a result, the scorecard represents the top managements thoughts and may not be suitable for the bottom level management. Also, the lack of communication may cause hindrance for accepting and implementing the scorecards. Flow-through Flexible Budget The company applies the flexible budget in order to achieve target budget and generate high profit. The top management of the Maverick Lodging set the original budget at first. After one fiscal year of operating, the management gets the actual data of revenue and expense. The management would then make reforecast target, which is the flexible budget, to measure the performance of each hotel. For the variable costs and the variable revenues, the company uses drivers and actual quantity to determine the value of flexible budget. However, the fixed elements and the uncontrollable expenses stay the same as original budget. After the calculations, the company can acquire controllable profits and house profits for both actual and flexible budgets. Based on the results, top management calculates the percentages of actual controllable profit divided by reforecast controllable profit. According to Exhibit 3, the company firstly determines whether the performance is low, base or high by viewing house profit percentage. House profit percentage that is lower than 90% indicates low performance, 90%-105% indicates basic performance and higher than 105% indicates high performance. After determine level of performance, the company uses the flexible budget controllable profit percentages to determine the color rankings of managers. Changes for Balanced Scorecards According to the analysis above, the scorecard does not align with the company’s overall objectives. As a result, the company can make some changes to modify the scorecards. Firstly, the company should simplify the scorecards procedure to help managers understand and increase acceptance. For example, the company should delete the color and points system, and add some straightforward methods to determine the managers’ performances. Secondly, the company should eliminate the uncontrollable factors in scorecards. For example, budget comparison should be deleted because bottom level managers have no right to determine the original budgets. Another way to solve this problem is to let bottom level managers plan for their own budgets so that they have the power to determine the original budget. In addition, since the customer survey is complicated and time-consuming for customer to fill in, many customers would not complete the survey. As a result, the company should consider simplifying the guest-satisfaction survey in scorecards to attract more attendance for the survey. The third alternative the company can take to change the scorecards is to let all level managers discuss the properties of the scorecards and implement the scorecards measurements in all level managers. Since the bottom level managers cannot determine the components of the scorecards, the acceptance and implementation process would be difficult. The scorecards process would be fairer if all level managements apply the same measurements.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Lord Of The Flies Analysis free essay sample

Their father, Bully, pats them on the shoulder and laughs along with them, pr dud that one day, his sons will be just like him. William Gildings novel Lord of the Flies answers the question asked by many school officials and parents alike: When, if ever, does teasing and goading cross the lie en into bullying? Through the misfortune adventures Of Ralph, Jack, Piggy, and the other boy s on the island, it is revealed that teasing and goading turns into bullying the moment the victim s tarts feeling powerless. According to Tara L.Shutters article Understanding Bullying, the bully and victim allegations blooms from an imbalance of power where the victim finds it h arid to defend humor herself (Understanding Bullying 51 Once the Victim feels belittled, the line separating teasing and bullying becomes crossed. The victim of the bullying feels as if the y are too weak to answer back. We will write a custom essay sample on Lord Of The Flies Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Those targeted by a large group may feel even more powerless as well. When Piggy was trying to get attention from a group of boys in order to give them i important information, one of them yelled Shut up! At him, to which Piggy wilted(Golf ins 58). Piggy, Managing 2 who is a constant target throughout the length of the story, may feel powerless as towards the rest of the boys. When he tries to assert leadership, he backs off timidly because he f eels irrelevant. This position makes him an easy target. Through Shutters definition of bullying g, Piggy is classified as a hopeless victim. The majority of victims may see themselves in Piggys shoes as a powerless VI CCITT of bullying. However, bullying can happen even to those that hold power.Ralph, the elected leader f the boys on the island, faces bullying although he holds a leadership posits on. When he tries to confront his rivals, they end up killing one of his group members and kidnap ins the others. The rivals then continue to physically abuse him, hurling [their] spear at Ralph(G ladling 261). Ralph defies the stereotype Of the typical bullied victim, which only makes Shutters definition of a victim only true in some cases. Another case that argues against the stereotype e of the powerless victim is the story of Kathleen Stapleton. She used the harsh words and insults o fuel her desire to stop bullying (Life after Bullying 55). While most victims of bullying feel powers sees, it is possible to have power and be bullied at the same time. Anybody could such MBA to being bullied. In conclusion, Lord of the Flies by William Gilding demonstrate sees that when victims start to feel powerless, teasing and goading turns into bullying. However err, In some cases, the victims of bullies arent as powerless as the typical victim. Everyone can b e a target of bullying, if they have power or not.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Poe On Setting essays

Poe On Setting essays Edgar Allan Poe creatively uses setting in The Cask of Amontillado and The Fall of the House of Usher. The narrators in Cask and Usher describe settings that produce a dark and gloomy vision in our minds. Poes use of setting also seems to enhance the morbidity of Montresor in Cask, and Roderick Usher in Usher. The vivid use of setting in Cask and Usher create a sense of horror that compliments the outcomes in both stories. In Usher Poes use of setting gives us images of a deteriorating existence of the Usher mansion and the two remaining Ushers, Roderick and Madeline. The imagery Poe uses describes the Ushers and their home disintegrating from within, and as the mansion collapses physically, the Ushers are suffering a similar fate mentally. The narrators description of the Usher mansion is not one of where a prominent family would reside, but more of a seen from the 1960s sitcom The Munsters . While describing his feeling upon arriving at the Usher home the narrator expresses the emotions that filled him from his first glimpse of the decaying structure. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart-an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime (paragraph 1). The narrators description of the house and property of the Usher estate sounds like a condemned prisoner on deathwatch, awaiting his fate. Upon the bleak walls-upon the vacant eye like windows-upon a few rank sedges-and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees (paragraph 1) is the vision the narrator sets up for us as the story begins. When the narrator first sees his childhood friend Roderick Usher, he feels the greeting presented to him i ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Personal Reflection Based on a Teambuilding Day Essay

Personal Reflection Based on a Teambuilding Day - Essay Example Despite the problems that the team faced throughout the day, it should be noted that moral remained high throughout the unfolding events and while a more formal approach to leadership and management may have been appropriate, a significant amount was still achieved through the self leading work group structure adopted by the group. 2.0 Theory In Practice In the first instance the group lacked a formal leader and as such, decisions were taken on a democratic basis. Overall the results of such an approach would seem to highlight the same issues as those in the literature, namely that while the moral of the team was high and members engaged in their tasks, organisation suffered through a lack organisational skills or accountability which would have normally rested with a formal leader (Bratton and Gold 2007, Torrington et al 2008). In addition, the leadership day also highlighted another key element which is often discussed in the literature (Mullins 2009, Handy 1999), the fact that lea dership and management while often manifested in the same figure are two separate issues. While the lack of leadership within the group never saw team members suffering from a lack of initiative or inspiration, traditionally elements associated with leadership (Robbins and Judge 2007). What the group lacked was the organisational skills which are often associated with the subject of management. The opinion of the writer is that a greater number of organisational skills such as time management, task delegation, communications and job design would have overall resulted in a greater performance of the team (Adair 1989, 2009). However, as the literature suggests (Huczynski and Buchanan 2009) it is also believed in this case that the skills of both leadership and management would have had to come together in a single person in order for the two theoretical concepts to have had a significant impact upon the performance of the team. Having worked with the team, it is evident that despite t he lack of a leader, team members were well motivated and had high levels of inspiration throughout the day. This would seem to support the theoretical views of motivational theorists such as Maslow (1970) who attributed motivation to intrinsic sources of motivation, such as a sense of belonging, recognition and self actualisation. This is in stark contrast to those who supported earlier theoretical models such as Taylor (Handy 1999) who advocated that motivation came from extrinsic sources, such as the motivation derived from a financial reward. While there was no formal leader appointed, the overall traits of team members and temperament of the group may suggest that a transformational leadership style would have been the appropriate style of leadership in contrast to more transactional styles of leadership. It is the belief of the writer that a transactional style of leadership making use of extremely formal and authoritarian styles of management may have overall resulted in poor er results for t team as a whole. The possibility of such poorer results would be attributed by the writer to resentment and resistance which may have come to light, should such an approach towards leadership and management have been brought into effect during the course of the day (Northouse 2004). A transformation approach on the other hand may simply have added a greater level of direction for team members, giving the team a

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The role of salt marshes in the coastal system Essay

The role of salt marshes in the coastal system - Essay Example Since salt marshes are shallow areas, the plants that exist in salt marshes are those that can adapt to the tidal changes in the volume of water. The water waves that make it to the salt marshes carry with them tons of organic material which accumulate overtime to form peat. There are many varieties of salt marshes namely: low marsh, high marsh, panes and pools and upland border. Apart from providing thick vegetation, salt marshes are also amongst the most productive ecosystems in the world (New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, 2004). Role of Salt Marshes in the Coastal System: Salt marshes are sometimes referred to as tidal marshes, the reason being that salt marshes are found in zones between high and low tide. Salt marshes thrive well along the coastal areas because the vegetation is not sturdy enough to withstand strong waves, therefore towards the coastal areas, where the intensity of the waves is reduced to quite an extent, salt marshes thrive (Casagrande, 1997). Salt marshes serve many purposes, namely; they cleanse pollutants from marine water, provide a habitat to many marine species, provide a barrier against soil erosion, provide a source of refuge for the vulnerable marine species, salt marshes are rich in organic matter therefore they form a food chain for the marine life and also provide good nutrient value for the vegetation in the salt marshes (Department of Environmental Protection: Florida Marine Reseach Institute, 2010). Let us throw some light on the varied roles of salt marshes: Remove Pollutants from the Water Since the speed of the waves reduces considerably by the time they reach salt marshes, many suspended particles that are otherwise carried away by the waves throughout the sea, tend to settle. These suspended particles sometimes comprise of toxic nutrients from human activities, thus by allowing them to settle the salt marshes play a key role in cleansing the water of toxic sediments. The thick vegetation helps in slow ing down the waves which in turn causes the particles to settle. Furthermore, during the months of summer and spring the salt marshes’ plants take up the nutrients which if left in the water, would turn into algae, further polluting the water by causing â€Å"Eutrophication† and thus depleting the oxygen supply of the water (Cloern, 2007). The toxic contaminants which are settled by the salt marshes form peat which results in the removal of these toxic substances from the marine food web. Moreover, the microbes present in the salt marshes tend to remove nitrogen from the ecosystem (Edwards, 2010). This is beneficial even to the surrounding eelgrass. The reason behind this is that the existence of high levels of nitrogen encourages the growth of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton refers to microscopic organisms that live in water (Lindsey, 2010). This phytoplankton, when in excess blocks the sunlight which is needed for eelgrass to thrive. Therefore, the presence of salt mars hes also benefits eelgrass. Harbour Marine Food Chains The excessive nutrients found in the salt marshes form food chains for marine species. Primarily, the plant matter that partially decays in the salt marshes forms a good source of food for marine species in the deeper waters. This decayed vegetation is taken away by the tidal waves into the ocean where it becomes the food of many marine animals. A two way process runs between aquatic

Monday, November 18, 2019

Outline and discuss the main features of fascist political thought Essay - 1

Outline and discuss the main features of fascist political thought - Essay Example Example of those who became Prince by abilities includes; Moses from the bible, Cyrus the founder of Persian Empire, Romulus the famous founder of Rome and Theseus, a hero of Athens. In this book he has a goal to pass a message on how principalities can be governed in the best way and stored (Niccolà ²,  Russell & Quentin 2005). Machiavelli goes ahead and adds that hereditary principalities are easier to keep and maintain than the newly acquired ones because the rules are already set on the ground to follow. In hereditary principalities it is easier to regain lost power by regaining the love of his subjects again. He also talks about new principalities and mixed principalities which can be administered to the existing ones to the subjects. New rulers come with new territories and if they are from the same culture, region and language, ruling becomes easy. However, if the language and customs are different the new ruler needs a lot of skills, ability and luck to govern the subjects. He gives an example of King Louis XII who went to France in 1499 and adds that the king made many mistakes during his reign. He goes ahead and gives the three ways of keeping principality that is accustomed to living under its own rules. One can destroy it, live in it or accept a form of free government that is friendly and then it gets credits from it. Destroying it may be the only sure way to end it otherwise living in it could enslave one. According to Machiavelli, men who have ambitions, imitate other men with greatness. For a man to become a prince by ability, he has to win over their dominions by setting up new and inventive methods of government. It is necessary to use force to start a new system for example, Savaronola. However, one has to be armed to succeed after use of force. An example of a Prince who rose to the top through abilities is Francesco Sforza, the Duke form Milan. Due to his abilities, he sustained power easily and he ended up

Saturday, November 16, 2019

How technology effects children

How technology effects children Technology is one of the principal driving forces of the future; it is transforming our lives and shaping our future at rates surprising in history, with profound implication which we cant even begin to see or understand. In todays world we are plagued with technology. The technology which surrounds almost everyone in the modern society, is changing every day, and will forever be a staple in our lives. Kids in the current generation are enamored with technology. Although perhaps it is not that they adore technology so much but the simple fact they have never lived without. Technology has had a significant effect on children that has brought on some concerns. Our common concern has been that although digital technology has boosted childrens talent for multitasking, their ability to process information deeply may be deteriorating (Carpenter, 2000). There is vast amount of technology in todays world, but there are three main component of technology that is having the greatest impact on children: video games, television/media, and computers. The modern technologies we have today are tremendously powerful; they attract our genetic biases. The human brain is attracted to visually presented information. Video games, television, movies and computer programs are all very visually oriented and therefore they magnetize and keep the attention of children. The technology which is just now beginning to be manipulated and harnessed is affecting the minds of small children and adolescents in ways that could be harmful. By far the largest concern of technology today is video games. There have been so many experiments and studies to try and figure out if video games have a negative or positive effect on our children. A growing body of research is linking violent video game play to aggressive cognitive, attitudes and behaviors (D.A. Gentile, 2004). Video games can obviously be dangerous for our children causing aggression, bad performances in school and obesity. Although we cant blame all of these problems on the use of video games, there have been many studies to prove so. Boys do seem to be more attracted to video games than girls are, Adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week (D.A. Gentile, 2004). The effects of both violent and non-violent video game playing can be determined by the amount of time playing the video game and by the content of the games being played. The content of the games being played could definitely have a factor in how a child performs in school, and how aggressive they are towards peers and teachers. Obviously if a child is playing hours upon hours of violent video games, this can lead to them acting out violence and having no consequences for it. If a child took the time that they played video games a week and used that time to be engaged in reading, homework or even a creative activity wed have less issues with our childrens school performances. Parents should really be monitoring how long their child is playing video games, but this doesnt always happen. A child who plays video games for long periods of time could also build up a social wall, become a loner. It is important for children to interact with other children in order to help develop their so cial skills, which without will make it very difficult to make it in this world. At the age children start playing video games, it is hard for them to distinguish what is reality and what is not. So in some cases the violent acts in video games could make the child believe the world is a scary place. More than a thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media, and video games of violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children, desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe the world is a meaner and scarier place than it is (Tompkins, 2003). Children who are playing endless hours of video games are also said to have less hobbies and activities, which may lead to obesity. Obesity in young children has become an overwhelming problem these days. They are now making fit video games such a Wii Fit, which involves actual movement and exercise. Video games like these are excellent especially if your child just needs to play a video game. There are educational video games out now, more and more are surfacing. The amount of time children play these is completely different than the amount of time children are playing violent video games. Educational video games obviously can do a lot for your child, they can improve vocabulary , mathematics, and some fitness. So increasing the time they are interacting with educational video games is said to have a very positive effect on them. Even though they make video games with the intent to be entertaining, challenging and sometimes educational, most of them do include some form of violence. Recent content analysis of video games show that as many as 89% of games contain some violent content and that about half of the games include serious violent content towards other game characters (D.A. Gentile, 2004). It is now a known fact that playing violent video games increases aggressive behaviors, increases aggressive cognitive, increases aggressive emotions, decreases pro social behaviors and increases physiological arousal. So people do say that children who already have aggressive tendencies get therapy from playing violent video games. By releasing their aggression on playing a video game, they are less likely to be aggressive towards others. Then others believe that violent video games maybe even more harmful to the children who were characteristically aggressive already. Because violence is such an attractive part to a video game, companies will continue to keep selling violent video games, to make more money. Although now they do usually list the rating on the game, but whos to say that parents will take any interest in the rating. Most parents are to blame for their children playing violent video games, how else would they get the game? Parents need to be held responsible for the effects that violent video games have on our children, they need to be monitoring them more closely. Recent research has shown that connections between children playing violent video games can cause later aggressive behavioral problems. In retrospect studies have also shown a twelve percent increase in aggressive behavior after watching violent television as well (Tompkins, 2003). For many years it has been apart of the repercussions that television has on children. Now we have those special chips called V-chips to put in the TVs to block certain programs or channels. But who knows what your children are watching when they go to a friends house, or even at school. Exposing your children to some violence almost seems inevitable, everywhere we turn there is some kind of violence on some kind of new piece of technology. Endless hours of watching television may be thought of as somewhat entertaining to a child, but it has such negative effects on them. TV is consistently reinforcing gender-roles and stereotypes which isnt always a good thing to show our children. A child should be out r unning around, exploring their environment, participating in activities and sports. Children who view media violence are more likely to have increased feelings of hostility, decreased emotional response to the portrayal of violence and injury that lead to violent behavior through imitation (Tompkins, 2003). During the first 2 years of a childs life, the brain is at a critical developing period. Television can get in the way of a child exploring, learning and spending time interacting with their parents and other children. Having time to play with others helps kids develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally. If parents limit the television that their pre-school age child is watching it can be a good thing as long as what they are watching is educational or age appropriate. If you allow your children particularly ages 2-7 to watch shows or movies with scary monsters, they will remember those scary faces. Children this age have a hard time distinguishing between real and fantasy, so to tell them that monsters dont exist, wouldnt really console them. While kids 8-12 are usually scared by natural disasters, the threat of violence and victimization of kids. Many shows or movies now a days depict risky behaviors, such as sex and substance abuse. They portray these things as cool, fun and exciting, and there is often no discussion about the consequences of these actions. More and more now we are seeing alcohol ads on television, and more underage children are being exposed to them. Over sixty percent of television shows being shown in prime time contain some form of violence (Tompkins, 2003). They are now linking child obesity to over watching of television which includes four or more hours a day. While watching television kids are usually inactive and usually snacking. Kids are getting overwhelmed with the many ads on television encouraging them to eat unhealthy foods. The ads are meant to target children, by showing sugary cereal, or sugar filled soft drinks. Children are being manipulated by advertising companies, so then they beg and plead with their parents to buy them exactly what they have seen on television. In another study of preschoolers (ages 1-4), a childs risk of being overweight increased by 6% for every hour of t elevision watched per day. If that child had a TV in his or her bedroom, the odds of being overweight jumped an additional 31% for every hour watched. Preschool children with TVs in their bedroom watched an additional 4.8 hours of TV or videos every week(Dennison, 2002). Parents should treat watching television as a privilege, maybe not allowing television in their childs room will help reduce the percentage of overweight children. Its simple, reduce the amount of time your children are doing nothing with their minds or body, and increase the amount of time they are exploring things and participating in physical activities. So over all its apparent that watching too much television isnt healthy for any child of any age, or even any adult. While boys tend to be more attracted to violence on television, girls tend to be more attracted to the teeny bopper shows. Some of these shows include situations that are not likely to ever happen, or that are too mature for the child whose watching them. The image that most female television/movie stars, and models are giving to young girls is that the skinner you are the better. We are in a vein world, where somehow everyone got the impression that its not alright to look healthy, better to be overly skinny. Eating disorder experts say prepubescent girls are developing eating disorders as young as 5 and 6 years old. They may be getting their obsession from parents who are preoccupied with their own body images, and media images of skinny stars like the Olsen twins, or even Kiera Knightly, whom stars in a very popular movie series Pirates of the Caribbean. Which is a movie directed towards the younger crowd, considering it is a Disney movie. If we take a look at the figure of Barbie , whos body is considered to be perfect, yet no girl or woman could achieve a body like this, this figure is a definition of beautiful. Unfortunately the only way to help change the outlook of body images is to help our children know its ok to be a different shape than someone else, to teach them its not okay to poke or make fun of children who are bigger sizes. This is not something we need to change just for our children but also for ourselves and our world. Some programs that may seem age appropriate for our children, are still showing some sort of sexual activity. Young girls are getting the image that it is okay to engage in some sort of sexual activity, even if that is just kissing. Some of these shows are saying that having a relationship at a young age is okay, kids need to be kids and not worry about relationships until they have at least approached puberty. Blaming only television and technology for these acts is unfair, because parents have a lot of effect on their children as well. Children are just getting the wrong message from a lot of these shows, that premarital sex is the thing to do, that even something as simple as kissing is okay. This all depends on the age of the child, some parents need to make sure that the shows their child is watching is age appropriate. Maybe some parents need to watch a couple of minutes of the show their child wants to watch and get the feeling, and voice of the show to determine whether its a ppropriate for their child. Children are natural manipulators of the world-they learn through controlling the movement of and interaction between objects in their world: dolls, blocks, toy cars, and their own bodies. With television, they watch and do not control anything, computers allow interaction. Children can control the pace and activity and make things happen on computers (Perry, 1999). Computers are becoming apart of everyones daily lives. We have them at work, home and even at school in childrens class rooms. Computers like all technology have their pros and cons. Obviously the computer can open up a world of intelligence for children, you can look up and explore anything you want on the internet. Studies indicate that the media can promote pro-social behavior, that some computer games can hone visual intelligence and that classroom use of the internet links children with distant mentors and resources, enriching the way kids learn (Carpenter, 2000). Computers are now being used as a learning tool, we h ave access to them, we might as well try and use them for good. Technology offers children a sense of empowerment and provides kids with the tools needed to solve problems (Goessl, 2002-2008). Educational websites, and games are at the reach of our childrens hands, not to mention if they want to know everything to know about Alaska, or who holds the record for chewing gum the longest, they can. Computers can have a great influence on developing hand- eye coordination, since it does take this skill to type and use a mouse. But still the time they spend on the computer should be limited, because kids still need social interaction, and physical activity. We must encourage our children to develop the ability to think first and then give them a computer (Fanning, 2007). Even though we can see many positive outcomes from children using computers, there are also many negative views. Computers are being introduced to children younger and younger these days. Which is making our children lazy, they can now type papers that automatically spell check for them, they dont even have to go to the library to do a research paper, the computer puts all information at a click of the mouse. While it is a nice way for children to communicate with their friends, whatever happen to hand writing a note. Our kids are talking in chat rooms, to who knows, they could be talking to a sexual predator. We have seen this in many cases, the world is such a crazy place and we have to do the best to protect our children from it. Hours and hours of computer use can also be physically damaging to children causing bad posture, hand problems and can effect their eye sight. A child who is always on the computer can cause a lack of social skills. Children need interactive time with pee rs and adults to really develop correctly. On the computer our children can come across things that arent age appropriate for them such as violence, and sex. All they have to do is type in a word and somehow it can be referenced to sex, and link them to a pornography site. Computers are now being linked to as a factor to anti-social behaviors, primarily because computers are replacing normal social activities. Anti-social personality disorder is characterized as a gross disparity between behavior and the prevailing social norms. Children who constantly use the internet as a form of socializing can develop social anxiety disorder or a internet addiction. You may think that young children cant have an internet addiction, but today it is becoming more common. Some children would rather rush home and get onto the internet rather than go play outside with friends or do a creative activity with their parents. Children are isolating themselves from the real world with the excessive use of computers. They are only knowing the web world. Some may not realize it but cell phones do have an effect on our children. In fact they say that children under the age of 8 shouldnt even use one. Cell phones can not only cause brain tumors, but also impaired cognitive functions. Scientist have now discovered that even a two-minute cell phone call can alter the electrical activity of a childs brain for up to an hour after the phone call. This finding has lead many doctors to believe that the disruption in brain activity can lead to psychiatric and behavior problems and can impair learning ability. The alteration in brain waves can lead to aggressive behaviors, lack of ability to learn and memory loss. A study found that children who used cell phones, and whose mothers used cell phones during pregnancy were 80 percent more likely to have behavioral problems such as emotional symptoms, inattention, hyperactivity and problems with peers compared with children who had no cell phone exposure as fetuses or in early childhood. Children wh ose mothers used cell phones during pregnancy but who had no other cell phone exposure were 54 percent more likely to have behavioral problems (Roan, 2008). Excessive cell phone usage can also be linked to an earlier onset of Alzheimers disease. Many parents have no idea how a cell phone is impacting your childs brain. Some scientist have found that cell phone transmissions damage the ability of white blood cells to ward off infectious diseases by disrupting the immune systems electromagnetic communications. The biophysicist from Lincoln University in Christ Church, New Zealand has also found that cell phones can murderously modify moods. In brains and bodies seriously derailed by tiny imbalances in trace minerals and hormones, depression, suicide, anger, rage and violence can result when calcium and serotonin levels are disrupted by cell phone transmissions (Thomas, 2004). Its amazing that all of this time we have been exposing our children to something that is unrecognizably harmful to them. As we can all recognize, technology today is vastly growing, and is out of our hands. What we do have control over is how much of that technology we expose our children to. It is inevitably up to the parents to monitor and react to the technology being used by their children. This may not seem very serious to some parents, but more and more we are seeing children, young adults walking into their classrooms and shooting theirs peers and teachers. All because maybe they played one too many violent video games growing up, or have felt like an out-cast due to a social-anxiety disorder which can be caused by dissocializing yourself with video games, computers and even television. Even though not one research conducted could really prove either positive or negative long term outcomes of technology, it is apparent that technology does have a great effect on our childrens lives and developmental behaviors. Technology has many effects on our children today, but how couldnt it when our society is transforming into a technology world. Children these days will never know what life is like without technology so it is important to make sure we use the technology we have for what its worth. Although there are many negatives to the use of technology, we need to embrace the ever changing world, and just learn as parents to pay attention to what our child is doing. Works Cited Carpenter, Siri, 2000. In Digital Age, Experts Pause to Examine Effects On Kids. http://www.apa-org/monitor/dec00/digital.html Emele, Love, 2002-2008. Technology: Its Effects on Children. http://www.helium.com/items/392511 Fanning MD, Iris, 2007. Television Computer Effects on Learning and Emotional Intelligence. http://ezinearticles.com Gentile et al, D.A., 2004. The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Hostility, Aggressive Behaviors, and School Performance. Journal of Adolescence 27. http://www.sciencedirect.com Goessl, Leigh, 2002-2008. Technology: Its Effects on Children. http://www.helium.com/items/613503 Lehmann, Max. 2002-2008. Technology: Its Effects on Children. http://www.helium.com/items/361089 McCormick, 2008. Side Effects of Cell Phone. http://www.southcoasttoday.com Perry, Bruce, 1999. ECT Interview: Bruce Perry Discusses the Effects of Technology on the Brain. http://content-scholastic.com Science Daily, 2007. Most Middle- School Boys and Girls Play Violent Video Games. http://www.sciencedaily.com Thomas, William, 2004. Cell Phone Health Effects/ Busy Signals. http://willthomas.net/investigations/articles/cellphones.html Thompkins, Aimee, 2003. The Psychological Effects of Violent Media on Children. http://allpsych.com/journal/violentmedia.html

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Simon Armitageremains Poetry :: Slavery Judgement Poems Branding Essays

Simon Armitageremains' Poetry In this poem the person talks about:'' I am very bothered when I think of the bad things I have done in my life''. He talks about all the bad things he has done in his life with he now regrets. This is also similar to ''poem'' they both share the same theme of looking back. He talks about when he likes a particular girls a lot. So he ''held the scissors by the blades'' and ''played the handles by the naked lilac flame of the Bunsen burner''. Then he called her over and handed them to the girl. The heat of it ''branded'' her skin. He then shows regret towards the end: ''don't believe me if I say. That was just my Butterfingered way at thirteen of asking if you would marry me''. The poem uses very childlike language of such as ''butterfingerd'' to reflect the childlike qualities and immaturity of the persona. . In stanza two the persona uses a metaphor for marriage's the unrivalled stench of branded skin as you slipped your thumb and middle finger I, they couldn't shake off the two burning ring. Marked the doctor said for eternity'', this is saying that he was immature. He uses the word ''eternity'' because it is a way to show ever lasting love. In slavery times branding was a form of marking of property and making sure that that particular slave was marked there property. A very old fashioned view of marriage is that women become the property of there husbands many civilizations practiced this such as the: Greeks and Egyptians. This is why the word ''branded is used. He even goes on to say: '' Don't believe me, please if I say that was just my butterfingerd way at thirteen of asking If you would marry me''.. He is saying that his immaturity stopped him from reacting to the situation at hand in a more adult fashion and not hurting some one in the process. The poem is very much talking about love and fear of rejection. The theme of the poem is about childhood and regret. The persona is very much in love. The poem is written in a sonnet a traditional way of structuring a love poem. The poetic devices the persona uses is convey meaning to me because the words are descriptive and have rhyme and rhythm. Also it occurs quite strongly, in the mid line. In stanza one it is about the persona introducing the theme of the poem. The theme of the poem is on the subject of regret: ''I am very bothered when I think of all the bad things I have done in my life''

Monday, November 11, 2019

Hinduism Paper Essay

With over 900 million followers, Hinduism is the third largest religion today. Only Christianity and Islam have more. The major difference between them though, is that Hinduism did not spread like the other two religions. Out of the 900 million followers that the Hindu religion has, only 20 million are located outside of India. The religion barely spread outside of India, mainly because of how the Hindu religion is followed and how its culture is. Hinduism has a very rich history, and during the seventeenth and eighteenth century the religion went through some big changes that changed India and the countries around them. Hinduism started in around 3000 BC but unlike other religions, which had one certain founder, or someone who generally started the religion, the Hindu religion grew slowly out of beliefs, cultures and practices of ancient Indo-Aryan tribes. In the article â€Å"Enjoying Religions: When Did Hinduism Begin?† Buddha tells us that Hinduism took centuries to actually become a true religion. Hindus believe in reincarnation, that every living thing has a soul, and that after death each soul gets born again into a different body. Karma plays a huge role in Hinduism, where if you live a life of good, you move onto a better form of life, and if you live a life of evil, you move down to a lower form of life. Hindus believe that you keep coming back to life to live on earth over and over again, and over many lifetimes you can escape this cycle and join Brahman. This is pretty far apart from Christianity and Islam, where you only live once and then either go to heaven or hell according to how you lived your life. Another difference between Hinduism and other religions is that they don’t have a central book like the Bible or the Quran. Instead they have sacred texts, and together they make a book called Vedas. The caste system played and continues to play a major role in India. Hinduism is not just a religion, but also a way of life, which affects everyday life of the average Indian. From marriage to friendship and from what you can eat to how you should sleep. In Hindu culture you can only be married to someone who is in the same caste as you are. Hinduism has played a huge role in shaping the history of southern Asia. The Pre-Modern Period of Hinduism, which was around the years 1500-1757, was a time where different cultures were starting to get involved in India and the Hindu religion. Mainly Islam. Professor Gavin Flood tells us in his article, â€Å"The History of Islam† that the Islam forces started in the North, and by the beginning of the seventeenth century Mughal power was brought into effect and in the article â€Å"The Mughal Empire – Akbar† they really give an inside look at the life and reign of Akbar. Akbar, who was one of the greatest leaders of the Mughal Empire and in Indian history, was very tolerant to religion. In fact, he actually married a Hindu princess. Akbar allowed the Hindus to practice freely. However, his great grandson, Aurangzeb, who ruled from 1618 to 1707, restricted Hindu practice and destroyed many Hindu temples. He was the last of the Mughal Emperors. Although under his rule the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent, he was also the reason for the empires fall. The British Period, which starts at 1757 and goes all the way to 1947, started with Robert Clive’s victory at the Battle of Plassey, which ended the Mughal Empire and the rise of British supremacy in India. Before the Indian Rebellion in 1857, India was divided into many small and unstable kingdoms, until the entire country fell into British rule. In the beginning of British rule they were very lenient on religious tolerance, and allow the Indians to practice their Hindu religion. Slowly over time, Christian missionaries started going to India trying to convent the Indians. Shortly after, British scholars started going to India and started to try to westernize the local population. Some tried to make the Hindu religion more modern and western, and created Neo-Hinduism, as it says in the article by Brian Smith, â€Å"Hinduism†. Hinduism has come a long way in history. Most people would say the Hinduism is still just as pure as it started, even with foreign invasions like the Mughals with Islam, and the British with Christianity. Although they’ve tried, foreign missionaries could not convert the Hindus to either Islam or Christianity. Until today Hinduism is still mostly practiced in India and very little outside of there. Even though Hinduism is a religion mostly practiced in only one part of the globe, it is still the third largest religion in the world. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/history_1.shtml http://religiondilama.blogspot.com/2009/04/when-did-hinduism-begin.html http://library.thinkquest.org/C006203/cgi-bin/stories.cgi?article=akbar§ion=history/mughals/emperors&frame=parent http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Hinduism.aspx

Friday, November 8, 2019

Story of an Hour essays

Story of an Hour essays Story of an Hour: Seen but Not Heard...Women in the Victorian Age In an age where bustles, petticoats, and veils stifled women physically, it is not surprising that society imposed standards that stifled them mentally. Women were molded into an ideal form from birth, with direction as to how they should speak, act, dress, and marry. They lacked education, employable skills, and rights in any form. Every aspect of their life was controlled by a male authority figure starting with their father at birth and persisting through early womanhood into marriage where it was the husband who possessed control. Men believed that it was the law of the bible for one of the two parties to be superior and the other inferior. Women were ruled over as children and were to be seen...but not heard. Author and feminist Kate Chopin lived in the height of the Victorian Era and was a first-hand witness to the suppression women endured and accepted in the late 19th century. Unlike most women at the time, Chopin was far from a conformist. Kate showed increasing concern for the plight of women in Victorian age America and she responded with scandalous writings dealing explicitly with love, sex and marriage. In one of her more famous short stories, The Story of an Hour, her refusal to be silenced is all too evident. Chopin presents a character known simply as Mrs. Mallard. The lack of personal identity is evident in this name. Not once in this story is her first name mentioned illustrating the lack of individuality possessed by these women. The name also reveals another element in the formula representing the ideal Victorian housewife. Mallard ducks are docile, unthreatening creatures that when in flight, fly in form...never wavering from their perfect V. This loyalty to conformity and meekness was the ideal society demanded. The similarity between mallards and women is striking and it is appalling how men ruled over women as if they were masters of a ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Has the law proven effective regulating the banking industry or are the limits of a bankers business too complex to be laid down by the law. The WritePass Journal

Has the law proven effective regulating the banking industry or are the limits of a bankers business too complex to be laid down by the law. Introduction Has the law proven effective regulating the banking industry or are the limits of a bankers business too complex to be laid down by the law. ) What we Do: Regulatory Approach, Financial Services Authority, [Online] Available: fsa.gov.uk/pages/about/what/approach/index.shtml [13 FEBRUARY, 2013]. House of Commons Treasury Committee. (2009) Banking Crisis: Dealing with the Failure of UK Banks, Seventh Report of Session 2009-09, Report Together with Formal Minutes, HC 416, [Online] Available: publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmtreasy/416/416.pdf [14 February, 2013]. Johnston, C. C. (1960) Judicial Comment on the Concept of Banking Business. 2 Osgoode Hall 347. [1] FSA., ‘Delivering a Reduction of Financial Crime’ (2011) FSA Annual Report 2011/12, www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/annual/ar11-12/section5.pdf [Accessed 20 August, 2012].

Monday, November 4, 2019

German Legal System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

German Legal System - Essay Example The move toward political unification in the 19th century was accompanied by a trend toward legal unification, particularly in commercial matters. In other areas of law, however, the prerogatives of each political entity still governed and only after the attainment of political unification under Prussian dominance in 1871 were a start made on drawing up German legal codes (Berle & Means, 2005). Moreover, the impact of Nazi ideology was greatest on the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. This is because, the Code of Criminal Procedure was distorted almost beyond recognition by the activities of the Nazi-inspired People's Court, in which those convicted of crimes against the state were often sentenced to death (Berle & Means, 2005). The Law on the Reform of Civil Procedure was adopted on 27 July 2001 was the main issue within the Germany legal system in early 21st century. This reforms were designed to prepare the German judiciary for the 21st century against the background of scarce financial and personnel means, the overall goal of the reform law was to enhance efficiency and transparency by reducing the duration of civil proceedings while at the same time maintaining the high level of legal protection traditionally offered by German courts (Berle & Means, 2005). Yes there is room for improvement. The Law on the Reform of Civil Procedure can be strengthened on the issue the proceedings at first instance. The role of the first instance in general can be enlarged by limiting the standard of review at second instance (Berle & Means, 2005). Qn.2 My attitude to pre-contractual negotiations and discussions differ in 3 jurisdictions, in regard to legal responsibilities in each country (Australia, china and Germany) because the differences approaches applied pre-contractual negotiations and discussions can be explained by historical or cultural factors. This is because the laws relating to pre-contractual negotiations and discussions originate from specific historical or cultural factors of the country they are applicable. Qn.3 In Germany, a supervisory board not only has the power of supervising the board of directors and company operation, but also of supervising the financial affairs of the corporation and making business decisions to a certain extent (Berle & Means, 2005).The supervisory board has the duty of submitting their work reports to the supervisory board. In such a case, the supervisory board is not only the supervisory institution but also the decision-making institution of the corporation and has authority over the board of directors. In china, according to the Company Law, the shareholders' meeting has the authority of electing both directors and supervisors of a company whereby the boards are obliged to submit their reports to the shareholders' meeting for review and approval (Berle & Means, 2005). A supervisory board should have no less than three members and among them there should be a proper proportion of employee representatives. Unlike the German practice where the proportion of employee representatives is stipulated by law, the Chinese law leaves this to the articles of association of a company (Berle & Means, 2005). Australia should introduce supervisory board into its legal system. This is due to the fact that, in the modern global economy, competition exists not only in products but also in corporate governance systems. Therefore, reviewing Australia's current corporate

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Research - Essay Example rchers, strict regulation and imposition of hefty fines is necessary in order to prevent drivers from driving under the influence of marijuana and reduce frequent road accidents henceforth. The paper seeks to justify whether marijuana causes driving impairments and road accidents among the users. There is evidence that marijuana seeds were inhaled at ritual braziers in Romania at ancient burial sites. There was similar evidence at northwestern Xinjiang, China where marijuana seeds and leaf-fragments were found close to an old 2800 year’s mummified shaman. Cannabis was mainly consumed by the Chinese for spiritual purposes. The drug was used to assist in relaxation during their ritual meditations. The drug was commonly used in India by the Hindus and Nepal long ago as a herb. The psychoactive property of the drug was found by the Assyrians through the Aryans. Cannabis was used for spiritual ceremonies during the qunubu which is probably the origin of cannabis word. Marijuana can be smoked through its dry leaves, seeds, flowers or stems. In modern times, marijuana can be consumed through edibles like cookies, brownies or lollipops. It can also be inhaled through vaporizer or even brewed as tea. It affects the body organs, immune and nervous system when consumed (Gupta Para 7). THC being the major component of marijuana causes slow coordination between body organs which contributes to the cause of accidents among the drivers. THC causes acute mental and physical effects on the driver. Marijuana has been reported to cause physical effects like reduction of reaction-time and motor coordination during driving. It also leads to mental effects like judgment impairments and increases in risky behaviors. It also noted that the marijuana users can face confusions, hearing and space perceptions no matter how confident they may feel, which can contribute to false judgments (Nesbit Para 6). By confirmation through a study on how accidents and deaths arise, the researchers

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Organisational change at WA Police Communications Case Study

Organisational change at WA Police Communications - Case Study Example Organizations are faced with chaos every day, and managerial role will involve bringing about order, and simplifying the manner in which problems are dealt with every day. Therefore, managers should take care of the needs of the people their actions have an effect on by considering the effects their decisions will have on them. Leaders should always be flexible in dealing with different situations, and they should reframe their experiences and always endeavor to seek new ways of dealing with situations. Bolman and Deal explain that management should be an ethical and moral role so that leaders are able to understand the employees’ heritage and personal needs, and this will increase productivity. Therefore, leaders should thrive on combining business with values and purpose so that everyone in the organization feels comfortable when working. In reframing or changing organizations, Bolman and Deal put an emphasis on the need to concentrate on organizational practices in order to achieve productivity. They use a four frame model that will help organizations in changing their practices, Structural, human resource, po ­litical, and symbolic, which give the notion that the same problem or situation can be viewed in four different ways. Each of the frames is powerful on their own, but when they are applied together, they help to get a broad picture of any organization. These frames are used to identify the problems in organizations and the measures that are best suited to cope with it satisfactorily. The structural frame puts an emphasis on organizational goals, roles and relationships in the organization. It is the blueprint for what each employee is expected to complete since it will help device... The paper gives detailed information about the structural problems in the organization such as the lack of feedback and recognition on the tasks that the employees engage in every day. Every employee has their task, but the problem is that no one knows if they are doing the right thing or not. The structural frame requires that the employees are given tasks and roles according to their competencies, and they have an idea of what is expected of them. It requires a stable, working environment, where the employees will have clearly defined role, and this will be beneficial in carrying out their tasks since they know what the management expects from them. Feedback is significant since it will motivate the employees in their work, and it will make them work hard to see that they have accomplished their goals. WA police communication seems to have problems with the way they handle their internal politics, which are detrimental to their operations. Conflicts in organizations are bound to oc cur since people will have different views on how to approach different problems in the organization. Therefore, decision-making plays a crucial role in determining the way organizations handle their political issues. WA police communication decision-making roles are vested on the management of the organization, and employees do not participate. They complain that they have no say in the way things in the call center are run, and they are the ones to implement the decisions made by the management.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Grim First-Quarter Results for Newspapers Essay Example for Free

Grim First-Quarter Results for Newspapers Essay This particular article talks about the continuing decline in newspaper subscriptions and purchases by the general public.   Many people believe that the newspapers and all print magazines are well on their way to being extinction.   Many critics believe the reason for this is because the news can easily and efficiently be found and read on the internet.   The world wide web offers a great source of news but beyond that it allows for people to have a discussion about news topics.    This leads to a more well rounded approach to every issue that becomes news worthy.   No longer is the public blindly fed whatever the newspapers want them to read. The public can aggressively seek out information, both sides of the story, on the internet.   Obviously, as an online news reader you have to be good at research and just as good at telling the truth from fiction.   However, I think the decline of the newspaper has very little to do with the internet and blogging. In todays world, newspaper are so focused on selling adds and inserts that they fail to offer the public any interesting information.   Who wants to wade through all the advertisements only to find the information you want squished between what is on sale at the grocery store and whats one sale at JcPenneys.   When you pay for a newspaper you are paying for the news not be manipulated by marketing companies telling you what you should be, buy, and strive for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Online I can search for exactly the news story I want.   I have direct access to all the information and I dont have to dispose of all those paper inserts trying to sell me shoes.   Newspapers have failed to keep up with the demands on a now much more well informed public.   Instead of having better articles written by better authors to increase circulation (thus increasing profit) they have chosen to fill up every extra piece of space with marketing junk that most news reader could care less about.   Newspapers will die out but only because they believe money was more important than truth. lGrim First-Quarter Results for Newspapers lAd Revenue From Web Operations Become More Important to Publishers By Nat Ives Published: April 14, 2006 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) Newspapers made a bit of a grim display this week when they reported their first-quarter earnings, revealing profit declines at The New York Times Co., Tribune Co., McClatchy Co. and powerhouse Gannett Co., but displayed at every turn the rising importance of the Web to their businesses. The New York Times Co. reported perhaps the brightest results yesterday, even though first-quarter profit fell 68.5% to $35 million from $111 million a year earlier. That apparent free fall, however, mostly reflected the extra income in last years first quarter when the company sold its headquarters in Times Square. About.com boosts Times Co. The Web played a big role in the companys overall respectable results. Ad revenue rose 3.9% in the first quarter to $554.6 million, up from $533.8 million in the year previous quarter. The Times Co. ad increases were largely delivered by About.com; without that property, ad revenue would have increased just 0.7%. Earnings per share were 4 cents, a penny higher than the analysts consensus expectation compiled by Thomson Financial. Our results in the first quarter reflect higher advertising and circulation revenues at The New York Times Media Group and the Regional Media Group, in part due to the introduction of innovative new products, said Janet L. Robinson, president-CEO. But The Boston Globes unit, The New England Media Group, was again hit hard by consolidation among advertisers and a tough competitive environment, she said. Tribune looks to Web assets Another heavy-hitter, The Tribune Co., reported yesterday that its first-quarter earnings also fell to the tune of 28%, with flat ad revenue. The Tribune owns newspapers including The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune. Tribune expects online ad revenues to contribute about $350 million in 2006; it counts a stake a CareerBuilder.com among its Web assets. McClatchy Co., which agreed last month to buy Philadelphia Inquirer parent Knight Ridder, reported a 14.2% decline in first-quarter net income. Ad revenue at McClatchy, which houses newspapers including the Sacramento Bee, grew 1.4% to $237.1 million. The powerhouse that is Gannett turned in perhaps the most surprising report on April 12, announcing that net income sank 11.5% in the first quarter. Its newspapers ad revenue grew 5.7% to nearly $1.3 billion, but that factors in acquisitions without which first-quarter ad revenue would actually have fallen 1.8%. At its flagship USA Today, ad revenues declined 4.2%.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Deregulation Of Downstream Oil And Gas

Deregulation Of Downstream Oil And Gas It is largely assumed by Nigerians that the government involvement in the management and ownership structure of the refineries and logistics infrastructures is the cause of the numerous problems associated with the downstream oil and gas industry. Thus, the government economic reforms by way of deregulation policy was established in 2003 to revive the ailing industry. This dissertation seeks to examine the deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry in Nigeria, a strategic management perspective of the effects, challenges and prospects. The objective of this study is to have both theoretical and practical knowledge contribution on deregulation. This study theoretical framework is embedded in three literatures: deregulation, strategic management and competitive forces. These three perspective are used in order to assess the emerging effects, challenges and prospects that the industry has on the changing strategic landscape of the deregulation exercise. The literature for this perspective, competitive forces and innovation management were reviewed: The reason for this perspective is that the competitive forces provides the understanding of the industry structure and the interactions between competitors, while innovative management is to understand the industry processes and capabilities. By summarizing and integrating these viewpoints formed a hypothesized understanding that reflected the effects, challenges and prospects of deregulation. In order to obtain an empirical analysis of the study a social constructed research methodology that is based on quantitative and qualitative method were argued for. A non-probability sample approach with a dichotomous questionnaire of (YES/NO) was self-administered in three states Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt to represent the three geographical areas in Nigeria, the target population of fifty persons from each state was chosen using purposive sampling method. Furthermore, an open-ended questionnaire were self-administered on two managers from Forth Oil, One Manager from Oando Plc and One Manger from Total Plc. The managers views were sort in order have industry professionals opinion on the deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry. The data collected were analysed with the use of SPSS to determine the effects, challenges and prospects of the deregulation of the downstream industry. A Porters five model was also utilised to analyse the competitiveness in the industry. The result of the analysis shows how firms within the downstream oil and gas industry have changed and responded towards deregulation. It further shows how the previous regulated regime of the downstream oil and gas industry has been transformed to become more competitive and market driven. The analysed result shows a slim margin between the (yes/no) responses on the effects and challenges of deregulation, while there was a significant margin on the response in favour of the prospects and opportunities of downstream oil and gas deregulation. Overall, the result shows that many Nigerians are in support that deregulation will deliver positive effects, reduce the challenges in in the industry and also create better prospects and opportunities. The study findings indicates that the downstream oil and gas industry is not fully deregulated to enable market forces of demand and supply to determine product price, rather government have been fixing petroleum product prices. Most of the industry challenges are still persistent, like fuel scarcity, corruption, smuggling, and ineffective refinery. Thus, the expected benefit as promised by the government is yet to be achieved. However, based on the overall response of the respondent, this study can infer that many Nigerians support the government deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry. CHAPTER ONE 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND The advent of deregulation reform dates back to 1973 after the first oil shock experience, which led to a decline in the economic growth of most developed economies Nordhaus, Houthakker and Sachs (1980); Sachs (1982) and labour productivity growth Baily, Gordon, Solow (1981). Further to the mid-1970s productivity decline, a wide range of policy responses, including economic deregulation were introduced. The inception of deregulation reform was initiated in the US Winston (1998); Morgan (2004), while the UK and other developed economies followed in the early 1980s Pera, (1988); Healey (1990); Matthews, Minford, Nickell and Helpman (1987). The reform was also copied by the new democracies and many developing countries in the 1990s leading to wide range of labour, capital and product market reforms. This was the scenario that prevailed throughout the early 21st century Wolfl, Wanner, Kozluk and Nicoletti (2009) until the global economic and financial crisis determined the credibility o f relaxing economic growth. Like many other developing countries that copied the market reform, Nigeria being a growing economy with an increase in demand for commodities such as petroleum products Nwokeji (2007) meeting the supply needs remains a big challenge due to frequent breakdown of the refineries and over-reliance on importation. Although prior to 1960s the downstream oil and gas sector was initially market driven with the mechanism of demand and supply determining product price Funsho (2004). The distribution and marketing of petroleum product was virtually controlled by the multinational oil and gas companies Jean (2012). This was the situation before the government decided to harmonise petroleum products by way of uniform pricing in 1973 to encourage even distribution of products nationwide Christopher and Adepoju (2012). In furtherance to the uniform price policy and also tackle the cost differential problem associated with the delivery of products to every part of the country, the government establ ished the Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF) Oluwole (2004). The participation of government in the management and ownership structure of the downstream sector culminated to a regulated regime Olumide (2011). The consequence of the policy shift by the government on the economy was characterized by acute product scarcity, hoarding, smuggling, adulteration; long queues, inappropriate pricing, under funding and monopolistic practices. This were the main features of the supply and distribution process of the downstream oil and gas industry Funsho (2004). The unhealthy development degenerated to poor performance of the nation refineries, which resulted in excessive dependence on imports Christopher and Adepoju (2012). Thus, the economic reforms of the government became imperative towards reviving the ailing downstream sector by way of deregulation Okafor(2004). The deregulation of the sector as implemented in 2003 implies removal of restrictions on the establishment of refineries, jetties and depots. It also involves granting free access to private sector participation in the importation of petroleum products and also allowing the demand and supply mechanism to determine price including also the government total removal of control on product prices Oluwole (2004). Furthermore, the objective is meant to achieve regular supply of petroleum products at reasonable price, maintaining self-sufficiency in refining, employment generation for Nigerians, growth in foreign investment and general economic growth. Onyishi, Emeh, and Ikechukwu (2012). Other major benefits are as indicated in figure 1 below: Figure : BENEFITS OF DEREGULATION OF DOWNSTREAM OIL AND GAS SECTOR Removal of subsidy burden Government refocus to segment regulator Competition on and a level play field to attract new entrant DEREGULATION Increased efficiency by service providers Eliminate sharp practices that exploit subsidy regime From the foregoing many years have passed after deregulation, yet the aforementioned problems still persist, refineries continue to operate below installed capacity Oladele (1997). Efficient transport system for product distribution is lacking while pipeline are still vandalized. The expected government responses by private sector investment in establishing new refineries after many years of issuance of licence is yet to be realized. This scenario is in contrast to the objective of deregulation as commenced in the USA in the 1970s which was to create competition, enhance industry efficiency and guarantee competitive prices DME (2007) ; Hicks (2004). Improving efficiency in the industry implies product availability, proper functioning of the distribution networks, availability of storage facilities and depots to avoid scarcity of products and to ensure regular supply of products to force down price. However with the lack of these facilities the intending benefit from deregulation of the downstream oil and gas sector by the Nigerian populace becomes defeated. The question now is why should government proceed with deregulation policy? Thus, this dissertation seeks to examine a strategic management perspective of the effects, challenges and prospects of the deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry in Nigeria. The theoretical framework of this study dwells on three literature reviews: deregulation, strategic management and competitive forces. This three perspectives are utilized to assess the emerging effects, challenges and prospects of the deregulation exercise in the oil and gas industry. The study analyses the literatu re for this perspectives, competitive forces and innovation management in the context of deregulation. 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of this study is to appraise the deregulation exercise that was carried out in the Nigerian downstream oil and gas industry. The specific aim of this study are as follows: To examine the implementation of deregulation policy in the downstream oil and gas industry in order to determine the effects, challenges and prospects. This study is also aimed to explore if deregulation has actually yielded the desired result in terms of the forces of demand and supply determining prices of product. This study further uses the Porters five model to establish if effective strategic management (innovative management and competitive forces) can achieve a sustained competitive advantage among industry competitors in the deregulated regime. 1.2 RELEVANCE OF THE STUDY This study is relevant in many ways; apart from the downstream sector importance in Nigeria economic stability other relevance includes the following: As already stated, this study would use a Porters five competitive forces to analyse the attractiveness of the industry. This will inform us of the impact of deregulation on new entrants, competitive rivalry, buyers bargaining powers, suppliers power, products prices, product supply and distribution. The study would conduct a survey to know the feelings of Nigerians on the effects, challenges and prospects of the deregulation of the downstream industry. The study would also contribute to existing literature on deregulation thereby providing insight of current developments in the downstream oil and gas industry in Nigeria. Furthermore, the study would also serve as an important tool for students, academia, institutions and individuals to consult for knowledge on deregulation of the downstream sector of the Nigerian oil and gas industry. 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS In finding out the effects, challenges and prospects of the deregulation of downstream oil and gas industry in Nigeria, this study answers three questions: How can government improve the implementation of the deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry to achieve the actual policy objective? In what way can government encourage the private sector to fully participate in the downstream oil and gas deregulation exercise? What informed the government deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry and if it is the only solution in an economic environment such as Nigeria? 1.4 ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY This study contains six chapters. The first chapter is the introduction and background of the study, the purpose of the research, significance of the study, the objectives of the study, the research questions, this would guide the study. Chapter two would present the literature review on the subject matter. Chapter three gives the theoretical framework of the study. The methodology to be adopted in the study would be stated in chapter four. Chapter five focuses on the presentation of data, analysis of collected data, findings and discussion of results. The last chapter which is chapter six, would present the conclusion and appropriate recommendations. CHAPTER TWO 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Many existing literature have argued on different perspectives and motives for the government deregulation of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria yielding different opinions from two school of thought. The opposing and the supporting group respectively. Those supporting deregulation argue that deregulation of the downstream oil and gas industry would actualize government move to eradicate fuel scarcity and ensure constant fuel supply across the country Funsho (2004). Similarly, deregulation of the industry would create inflow of foreign investment while persistent smuggling of petroleum products and inefficiencies in the sector will be eliminated Oluwole (2004). They also posit that Nigeria has the lowest price of petroleum products in the world and with deregulation the international market equilibrium would allow government to channel funds to other sectors of the economy. Furthermore, they argued that it would break the monopoly enjoyed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Okafor (2004). Essentially, deregulation would lead to uninterrupted operation of the refineries, it would also guarantee steady supply by enabling stakeholders and independent marketers to participate in product importation and marketing Enemoh (2004). Their view is also that the regulated regime by way of subsidy is a way of government enriching few Nigerian petroleum products marketers Oluwole (2004). Findings from Abu (2012) indicates that Nigerians believes deregulation and privatization will usher in sustainable development and would be a blessing rather than a course. Odey (2011) recommends the complete deregulation of the downstream sector to reduce corruption, inaccurate record keeping, inefficiency, smuggling and insufficient product supply. Jean (2012) suggested that making deregulation work involves providing an enabling environment and framework for efficient production, supply and distribution. Braide (2003) recommends that the usual business as usual in the NNPC by way of product imp ortation and distribution is inexpedient because it represents a wrong step for government to continue with instead government should fully deregulate the downstream oil and gas sector. From the opposing group came the argument that the Nigeria petroleum industry must not be deregulated completely, instead government should maintain the status quo and restructure the sector to improve efficiency for the overall national interest. They opined that the root cause and clamour for deregulation is because of the massive corruption in the sector and therefore should be tackled rather than embarking on deregulation. They further argued that deregulation helps increase profit margin for the importers, interestingly this is the position of the labour union and the organized civil society. Furthermore, Amana and Amana (2011) asserts that the fair distribution of economic benefits derived from petroleum has proven elusive and therefore predicts same for deregulation. Ibanga (2011) argued that removal of subsidy may cause dislocation to the gas price because of high demand and inadequate supply. Bafor (2001) doubted government sustaining the gain of deregulation due to the undu e interference in NNPC affair resulting to near collapse and dismal performance which encouraged the clamour for the privatisation and deregulation. According to Kikeri and Nellis (2004) they argued that deregulation processes and institutions must be combined with appropriate competition policies and regulatory frameworks without which the gains of deregulation can be eroded by harsh impact on consumers and the overall economy affected due to inadequate product supply. Matthew and Fidelis (2003) opined that the merit of deregulation can only be enjoyed by Nigerians if only they could be genuine attention to eliminating corruption in the sector. Adagba, Ugwu and Eme (2012) posits that government is merely taxing the poor to subsidise the life of the rich. Similarly, Akpanuko and Ayandele (2012) argues that government is not transparent in its drive to transform the economy and suggested reduction in the cost of governance, rehabilitating the refineries as a measure to drive the economy. In global perspective, the theoretical argument behind the large scale deregulation reforms initiated in the late 1970s is two-fold. On one hand, deregulation reduces the rents that regulation creates for workers, incumbent producers, and service providers. This view has gained a widespread popularity among academics and policy makers ever since the works by Stigler (1971); Posner (1975) and Peltzman (1976) contributed to the understanding of the political economy of regulation. On the other hand, deregulation allows the newly created competition on product, labour and capital markets to determine the winner of rent transfers. Thus, by spurring productivity and efficiency gains Winston, (1993), economic deregulation ultimately contributes to the overall increase in economic growth. The additional growth is brought primarily through increased employment and real wages Blanchard Giavazzi (2003), which impacts both production and consumption and through increased investment Alesina, Ardagna, Nicoletti, Schiantarelli (2005), this affects the capital stock in the economy. However, a need for caution is required on the recent take on the efficiency gains from deregulation in the developing world. The key argument in this new area of literature is that deregulation reforms influence diverse economies differently, depending on their position on the technology level and on their quality of institutions. For example, Acemoglu, Aghion and Zilibotti (2006) claim that certain restrictions on competition may benefit the technologically backward countries, while Estache and Wren-Lewis (2009) finds that ideal regulatory policies in developed and in developing countries are different because of differences in the overall institutional quality in those countries. In addition, Aghion, Alesina and Trebbi (2007) use industry level data to demonstrate that within each economy, institutional reforms influence different industries differently, and more specifically, industries closer to the technology frontier would be affected more by deregulation and would innovate more than the backward industries in order to prevent entry. As a result, countries closer to the technology frontier would benefit more from deregulation. The alleged benefits of economic deregulation in many industries prompted a debate on the growth effects from specific types of reforms on petroleum product downstream deregulation. 2.1 THEORIES OF DEREGULATION Deregulation can be looked from the angle of different theories, we have the public interest theory which presume that deregulation would occur if the market deficiency which compelled regulation in the first place were to disappear. An illustration is a change in technology which could eliminate a natural monopoly. The public interest theory also predicts that deregulation would occur if discovered that a regulatory regime which had been perceived to be in the public interest was defective. It may turn out that, in the light of experience, the cost of the regulatory apparatus is or has become greater than the loss resulting from the market imperfection it was designed to correct Posner (1974). Thus, it may become obvious only with experience that entry restrictions is a relatively costly way to enforce standards. From Stigler Peltzman came the version of the special interest theory which suggests that a number of factors which may give rise to deregulation. First, a reduction in the cost consumers must incur in order to inform themselves regarding the effect of regulation on them. For example, price comparisons between regulated and non-regulated controls can assist consumers in estimating the effect of regulation on the prices they pay. Secondly, as product substitutes increases between regulated and non-regulated products, this would reduce profits and hence the urge to lobby for regulation induced price increases. Substitution may also occur between regulated and unregulated industries or between regulated and unregulated controls. Thirdly, a change in industry structure can reduce either the incentive or the ability to lobby for regulation. Also, an increase in the number of firms in an industry or a merging of their respective interests may increase the incentive to free ride and make it more costly to organize support for politicians promising regulatory benefits Stigler (1974). Noll and Owen (1983) argue that, over time, the beneficiaries of regulation will grow while groups that lose will contract. In view of the interest group structure, alternative for substitutes and information, McCormick et al. (1984) offer two reasons why the incentive to regulate is greater than the incentive to deregulate. The first is that the cost of seeking regulation may be as much as the present value of the anticipated wealth transfer involved, and if this cost is sunk it is not recoverable in the event of deregulation. The question is does Nigeria have a theory of deregulation? although the public and special interest theories of deregulation had slightly been criticized for the vagueness regarding transactions in policy frameworks and political markets. In the case of Nigeria the evidence on deregulation supports both the public and special interest theories. The two of them are in the same range, deregulation is used by government to effect wealth transfers through privatization. These transfers may benefit the highly concentrated special interest groups, such as petroleum product marketers and politicians. They may also benefit larger groups, like the deregulation of telecom industry. For the public interest group, government most times come up with reforms and policy frame work aimed at benefiting the masses, but often hijacked by the cabals who may want to exploit government programme to their own benefit. An example is the issue of oil subsidy which the original government intention was for p ublic interest, but was later hijacked by special interest groups or cabals. 2.2 COUNTRY EXPERIENCES ON DEREGULATION 2.2.1 ARGENTINA The Menem administration introduced deregulation in Argentina. The country underwent heavy economic deregulation, privatization and had a fixed exchange rate between (1989-1999). The resulting effects of Argentina deregulation exercise lead to the comparing of Enron with Argentina by Krugman (2001), asserting that they were both experiencing economic collapse due to excessive deregulation. However the claim by Krugman was termed as confusing correlation with causation, as neither the collapse was due to excessive deregulation Herbert (2002). He argued that if deregulation of the Argentine economy produced prosperity for years, how could it generate collapse within a few months? The answer is not deregulation but excessive loans. 2.2.2 AUSTRALIA Deregulation in Australia commenced with the Minimum Effective Regulation in 1986 following the announcement by the Labour Prime Minister Bob Hawke of a wide range of deregulatory policies. The introduction of the policy, which is now a familiar requirements for regulatory impact statements, took many years for governmental agencies to comply with. Although wider competition policy reforms had commenced, during the 1980s trade policy reform which substantially increased competition in the domestic economy Smith (2001). In this regard the level of assistance to manufacturing sector was reduced from 25 percent to 15 percent of the value of manufacturing output between 1981-82 and 1991-92. They was reductions in import barriers, which off course exposed many industries to the rigours of international competition, providing increased incentives to improve product quality, costs and innovation. 2.2.3 CANADA The deregulation of natural gas in Canada took place in the mid 1980s, with exception of Atlantic provinces, Vancouver Island and Medicine Hat, the whole of the country natural gas was deregulated. A price comparison service is operating in some of these jurisdictions, particularly Ontario, Alberta and BC. The other provinces are small markets and have not attracted suppliers. Customers have the choice of purchasing from a local distribution company (LDC) or a deregulated supplier. In most provinces the LDC is not allowed to offer a term contract, just a variable price based on the spot market. LDC prices are changed either monthly or quarterly. 2.2.4 UNITED KINGDOM The conservative government of Margaret Thatcher started a program of deregulation and privatization in 1979, where the conservative government criticised many public enterprises, including CEGB, for being too inflexible, bureaucratic and out of political control. As a remedy the government suggested deregulation and privatisation Foster (1993) ; Newbery and Green (1996). In response, the policy framework was enacted which included the express coach Transport Act 1980, British Telecom 1984, privatization of London Bus services 1984, local bus services Transport Acts 1985 and the railways 1993. The common feature of all the privatisations was the offering of the shares to the general public. In support of the policy since 1997 the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown developed a programme of better deregulation. This included a general programme for government departments to review, simplify or abolish their existing regulations, and introduced approach to new regulations . 2.2.5 NEW ZEALAND The New Zealand governments adopted policies of extensive deregulation from 1984 to 1995. Originally initiated by the Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand Dalziel (2010). The goal of the policy was liberalising the economy and had a comprehensive coverage and innovations. The major specific polices included: establishing an independent reserve bank; floating the exchange rate; public sector finance reform based on accrual accounting; performance contracts for senior civil servants; tax neutrality; subsidy-free agriculture; and industry neutral competition regulation. The introduction led to Economic growth in 1991. New Zealand was changed from a somewhat closed and centrally controlled economy to one of the most open economies in the OECD Evans, Grimes, Wilkinson (1996). 2.2.6 UNITED STATES Many industries in the United States became regulated by the federal government in the late 19th and early 20th century. Entry to some markets was restricted to stimulate and protect the initial investment of private companies into infrastructure to provide public services, such as water, electric and communications utilities. However in the 1970s among the problems that encouraged deregulation was the way in which the regulated industries often controlled the government regulatory agencies, using them to serve the industries interests. In the energy industry the Emergency Petroleum Act was a regulating law, consisting of a mix of regulations and deregulation, which passed in response to OPEC price hikes and domestic price controls which effected the 1973 oil crisis in the United States. After adoption of this federal legislation, numerous state legislation known as Natural Gas Choice programs have sprung up in several states which allow residential and small volume natural gas users to comparison purchase from natural gas suppliers, aside with traditional utility companies. 2.3 CONCEPT OF DEREGULATION Deregulation refers to a situation whereby they is a restrictive use of the states legal power to direct the conduct of private actors Stigler (1971). Deregulation programme is focused primarily on the withdrawal of economic interest of government apparatus. It is also the reduction of government regulation of business, consumers and market activity Economic glossary (2013). Similarly deregulation according to Webster dictionary is the act or process of removing state deregulations, it is the opposite of regulation which implies the process of government regulating certain activities. In the perspective of Kimberly (2013) deregulation is when the government seeks to allow more competition in an industry that allows near-monopolies. From the view of Ernest and Young (1988) deregulation and privatization are elements of economic reform programmes charge with the goal of improving the overall economy in a structured process. Essentially in an economic perspective deregulation implies freedom from government control Innocent and Charles (2011), while Akinwumi et al (2005) asserts that deregulation is the removal of government interference in running a system. By implication, the normal regulatory rules and enforcement in managing the operation of a system is replaced with market force of demand and supply to be a determinant of price Ajayi and Ekundayo (2008). In the opinion of Wolak (2005) he sees deregulation as the removal of control by government on natural monopolies in order to exercise market power. Where for example in US regulation generally held natural monopolies to a specified rate of return basis for pricing products Rothwell and Gomez (2003). Deregulation introduced free market principles and competition into these natural monopolies Hirsch (1999); Kahn (2004); Novarro and Shames (2003); Rassenti, Smith and Wilson (2002) and created the frame breaking changes. The deregulation of downstream oil and gas industry is the loosening of government control over the industry. It is a way of breaking the monopoly in NNPC in order to pave way for healthy competition. This implies the introduction of free market system, where the forces of demand and supply are allowed to determine the market price of products PPPRA (2004). This formula is in contrast to the regulated regime, where government acting on existing laws controls and determine retail and wholesale prices of petroleum products. A regulated regime is characterised by low level of competition and investment leading to distortions in product supply and distribution, scarcity resulting to long queues, hording, smuggling and other bottlenecks such as monopolistic practices, existence of subsidy and poor maintenance of infrastructural facilities Funsho (2004). The structural framework of deregulation involves the following phases: (1) Liberalisation (2) Privatization and commercialization. 2.3.1 LIBERALIZATION Liberalization refers to a relaxation of the government previous restrictions, usually in areas of social or economic policy, in most context the process or concept is often, but not always referred to as deregulation Sullivan, Arthur, Sheffrin and Steven (2002). It is also the involvement of many participants in the downstream petroleum industry PPPRA (2004). Liberalization involves removing monopoly, promoting high competitive culture in the industry, product availability, ensuring fair pricing for consumer, reviving and ensuring the efficiency of the refineries Oluwole (2004). Liberalization also ensures the removal of oil subsidy, which robs the poor to pay the rich PPPRA (2004). Liberalization is aimed to generate add