102-Exam1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

102-Exam1 - Essay Example The modern technology is now being used as a means to gather credible information from all sources that are available. So now there is a combined effort of the management and the systems that are created by the management to process these information. Management Information System (MIS) is a computer-based system that administers the flow of information in an organization, thus allowing them to quickly access precise data. It particularly points to organizational information systems that contain data with huge commercial value (Sadagopan, 2004, p. 1). MIS converts the obtained raw data into useful information which is then disseminated to the different departments of an organization that eventually becomes the source of idea needed by the management for decision making ("Management Information Systems," n.d.). The changes in technology are now becoming the cause of conflict in the application of MIS by organizations. The modification of some computer equipments and gadgets that are important to successfully carry out MIS affects the smooth flow of its operations. The result of which is a delay on the transmission of extremely relevant information. a system to convert data from internal and external sources into information and to communicate that information, in an appropriate form, to managers at all levels in all functions to enable them to make timely and effective decisions from planning, directing, and controlling the activities for which they are responsible. (p. 2) Based on the definition of Lucey, one can never deny the fact the MIS is crucial to the process of decision-making in organizations. Without MIS, the access to the available data would be slower as compared to the times when a company uses it. Thanks to technology, the accumulation of data and its conversion to more useful information has become an easy job. If during the ancient times people had to use their own strength to gather information, the businessmen

The Upcountry Look Essay Example for Free

The Upcountry Look Essay â€Å"Lose it girl, block shoes are long gone,† came a sneer.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"And the voluminous, billowing gown with metallic threads should be spared for the evenings.† Those made me look up. A girl in jeans had thrown that one at me. I felt a hot flash of shame sweep throughout my body.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Use a deodorant,† a handsome young man who stood next to me hauled that one as a fresh waft of perfume filled my nose.   I felt angry, ostracized and humiliated but I managed a chuckle, after all what you think is an embarrassment does pale into insignificance once you laugh it off.   Everyone looked so smart and jolly, uttering just the right words without mincing them. I knew I would flop but I had to give it a go. The premonition to be, I lost it. It was a job interview for news anchors in a highly rated local Television station. I lacked presence and charisma, they had told me with a dismissal. I swore to myself that I had to loose that look; dress right and pursue whatever counted in order to fit and belong. Meanwhile I had a bus to catch back to the village.   Two hours later the bus ground to a halt. I set off on the winding dusty road that led home. I felt low, especially when a flash of the incident at the audition room came to my mind, but I was looking forward to the look my sister would wear on her face as she drunk to every word I would use to describe the big city.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The buildings tower high on the sky and stand erect without a sway even if a Manhattan wind came.†Ã‚   She would leave her mouth agape.    â€Å"The people move hurriedly without acknowledging each other.† I expected a squirm, it’s a taboo not salute anyone you cross roads with according to our culture.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"How are you, Mariamu?† I knew that voice. It was Mzee Bura an elderly man from our village. His back was stooped and walked with a hobble supported by his walking stick.   Never mind he mispronounced my name which is Miriam because every person I knew did that. My sister’s name is Grace but they called her Grathi. Mzee Bura’s right shoulder was stooping under the weight of a parcel. I offered to help as out traditions dictated.   Ã‚   My nose twisted involuntarily as a strong unpleasant smell of smell of smoke, dirt and sweat hit me with a revolting effect, but what to do. I went ahead with my pleasantries as we filed along the path exchanging a polite conversation although he did most of the talking. I felt tortured by the swift evening breeze which brought the murky odour to my direction. I wondered what the city people would have made of us then.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Lose him girl, he is ancient.† That sounded like the most probable reaction from them. We walked on and calling the journey a long distance is an understatement. Our village is literally at the other side of the globe. The learned would call it a sleepy village because of its lack of civilization but it was home. I loved it.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mariamu, you did me proud. Mzee Bura told me about your help yesterday.† I imagined my mother’s proud voice complementing me.   Darkness had fallen by then and there a comfortable silence between us as we trotted on.   A flickering light from a distance confirmed that we had indeed arrived in our home turf. A drunken man was shouting but although it happened all the time his words were cutting my conscience.   Ã¢â‚¬Å" I sent my Mariamu to the city . . . aah . . . you’ve always taken me for a fool . . . the next time she comes to this village she will be driving a car.† That was my father’s slurred talk.   Apparently my mother’s token of gratitude ( to her husband for sending their eldest daughter – me to the city)   in the name of a drink was not a viable idea because my father was making a spectre of me in the village.   Ã‚  It made me fiery at the thought of facing questioning stares from the people the following day. He was yelling everything about his household to all and sundry and never mind he had counted his chicks too early when it came to me. I glared and hissed in the darkness to let go the turmoil inside me.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Did you say something?† the old man’s hoarse voice enquired with concern. I held my breath. It was a spontaneous unpremeditated sound of annoyance. How could my father do that?   When I woke up the following morning I spotted my father immediately. He was lounging in our smoky kitchen holding a bowl of porridge. He was sober and it was hard to even think he had taken a drink of muratina, the local traditional beer, and last night. He looked a man so easy to be with, a man one can like or even admire as he spoke so eloquently on the normal issues which had nothing to do with the previous night. He appeared affectionate as he politely listened to my mother explaining what had become of my visit to the city.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mariamu, you should go to the river then come fetch me some firewood.† My mother instructed me.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"You should lose this river and firewood crap. It’s time to go tap and at least a charcoal stove . . .† I felt like telling my mother. I was bare footed. This look! I did not like it at all. I smiled at my mother and took a metallic jerican that has been with us for as long as I can recall. My older brother is basking in the morning sun waiting for his peers to call him for a hunting game. Domestic chores are for women or so I was made to believe as I was growing up. It made me wonder why the masculine young man had no chore to attend to, yet house hold work is the hardest work in the word, but all the same that occurred to me was the reason they never help.   The morning air was fresh. I rubbed my calloused feet on the soft grass that still had the morning dew to give them a clean look, avoiding the foot path. The women were already in the fields singing their hearts out and swinging their hips with moves that increased the pace at which they worked. As they stood to salute me, I could see their faces were glistening with sweat.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Do they use a deodorant?† I wondered.   The water was sparkling clean and I could tell that it had not been disturbed that morning. I decided to sit by the river bank and let my legs dangle in the water to rid off some dry grass that had stuck between my toes. The water felt warm on my skin and I decided to take my time. The sun started beating on me and the black nylon skirt started feeling like a furnace on my thighs. It was time to move on to the next chore.   The bushes scraped and scratched my skin as I weaved my way underneath the thickets searching for some dead branches which we used as firewood. The smell of green vegetation was overwhelming and it made me feel nauseated. I had to lose this upcountry way of life, sorry, look.   That twenty something years ago and today from the high storey building where my office located, I glance through the window at the ever busy city and everything seem so normal but my first encounter with the city is unforgettable, and more so the ideas it gave me.

The Causes of the American Civil War :: American History

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, the War of Rebellion, or the War for the Southern Independence, began on April 12, 1861. The first shot ringed through the air in Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. General P.G.T. Beauregard from the Congederacy lead the attack on Charleston Harbor. The Civil War lasted until the last Confederate Army surrendered with more than 600,000 lives destroyed $5 billion in property damage and 4 million black salves set free the war had devastated many lives but also started a new beginning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cause of this brutal war between one nation; slavery. The Southern states including the 11 states that formed the Confederacy all relied on slavery to support their economy, while we, the Northern states, opposed it. Southern states used slave labor to produce crops, especially cotton. Slavery up here was outlawed, although few of us opposed it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After we had just defeated Mexico in the mexican War (1846-1848), the main debate on the eve of the war was whether or not we should permit slaver in those states won in the Mexican war. Those states included New Mexico, part of California and Utah.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Government tried to make this dispute fair by makin the number of non- slave sates and slave states equal, so that their would be no majorities in the senate. Those against slavery were concerned that the expansion of the states won from Mexico because the did not want to compete against slave labor. During the beginning of the war the Union had 19 non-slave states and the Confederacy had 15 slave states. President Lincoln called the nation " A House Divided.

The Black Power Movement

The Black Power Movement During and after the days of Jim Crow, blacks in the United States were economically and socially oppressed. Blacks still faced lower wages than whites, segregation of public amenities and racial discrimination. At this time many groups were created to challenge these injusticces. The Black Power Movement and the Civil Rights movement were similar because they both fought for equal rights and equal treatment for African Americans. However, they sought to achieve different goals and implemented different forms of action to achieve change. The Civil Rights Movement fought for desegregation and believed in non-violence, while the Black Power Movement rejected integration for racial seperation (Jefferies, 2006). In this essay, I am going to further discuss the tactics used by the Black Power Movement to gain change, and the accomplishements they achieved. Emerging after the civil rights movement of the 1950's, the Black Power Movement was arguably one of the most influential and controversial movements of the 20th century. â€Å"Black Power† as a political idea originated in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committe (SNCC) n the mid 1960's (Jeffereies, 2006). At this time a leader emerged by the name of Stokley Carmichael. Upon gaining leadership, Carmichael ejected white members and believed that the only way to bring about change for blacks was to have an all black union. Stokleley Carmichael believed that Black Power would instill a fear in whites and love in blacks ( Carmichael, 1967). In 1966, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale formed the Black Panther Party for Self Defense (BPP) in Oakland California. By the late 1960's, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee SNCC) and the Black Panther Party for Self Defense began to gain momentum. Martin Luther King Jr imitated Ghandi and his use of non-violebnce to gain India independence from Great Britain. Because of the Civil Rights Momvement, in 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed and a year later the Voting Rights Act was passed, ending segregation and ultimately gave blacks the right to vote (Muse,1968). However, non-violent protestors were being beaten, cut with razors and knives, hot cigarettes and cigars were burnt into their arms and aces, they were spat upon and kicked to the floor, policemen locked them up by the thousands into cramped unsanitary jails (Muse,1968). Even with the obvious progress, discrimination could not be eliminated. Many members of the SNCC grew tired of the non-violent approach used by King and other groups within the Ci vil Rights Organization. Increasing members of the SNCC had come to reject the moderate path of cooperation, integration and assimilation of their elders (Ogbar,2005). Divisions grew betweeen the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Movement. The eaders of the Black Power Movement argued that assimilation or integration robs blacks of their identity and dignity (Algernon, 2003). Malcom X, a member of the nation of Islam, believed that Africans historically fought to protect their lands, cultures and freedoms from European Colonists, and that to seek to integrate into a society that has stolen one’s people and their wealth is an act of treason (Algernon, 2003). As a result, aggressively more radical voices came foward to challenge racial discrimination. Black Power advocates began to insist the Blacks carry guns and receive ilitary training in order to protect themselves. Members of the Panthers openly carried weapons and made death threats towards police officers. The Black Panthers sought to oppose police brutality in African American neighborhoods. Police Officers were frequently followed by armed Black Panthers The Black Panthers staged violent protests which often resulted in the death of Panthers and Police officers. From 1967 to 1969, nine police officers were killed and 56 were wounded in confrontations with the panthers (Marine, 1969

Jack Johnson and history of the wrench Essay

Jack Johnson was an amazing man that changed history. His contribution to the world (the wrench) is still used widely throughout the world. The world and all things are either created by nature or man made, if man made it was probably constructed using hardware tools maybe including a wrench. Jack Johnson invented a history changing invention and patented it on April 18, 1922. This invention still changes lives today by putting together many of our belongings. Things like cars are repaired using a wrench and bicycles are made using wrenches. Things like chairs, beds, tables, and shelves are usually either created or fixed using a wrench and other hardware materials. A wrench is a tool that is used by hand and is used for making and repairing things. A wrench can loosen or tighten bolts, nuts, or nails using it adjustable teeth at the front of the tool. The first wrench was patented by Solymon Merrick in 1835. There is a variety of different wrenches that include; Monkey Wrench, Ratchet Wrench, Pipe Wrench, and the Rachetless Wrench, all of these different tools perform different functions. The wrench may seem like a simple hardware tool yet it is complicated, tedious, and a very precise piece of hardware.

The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist

The True Story of David Ghantt and the Loomis Fargo Heist SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips On the evening of October 4, 1997, one man loaded $17.3 million in cash from the vaults of Loomis, Fargo Co. into the back of a van. When he was done, the man drove off to a nearby printing press, where the money was distributed into private vehicles amongst a handful of people. Pocketing $50,000 for himself, that man, named David Ghantt, hopped into a car of his own and headed towards Mexico. David Scott Ghantt: Vault Supervisor David Scott Ghantt was the vault supervisor at the regional branch of Loomis, Fargo Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before he decided to steal $17 million from the bank, Ghantt had worked for years as a relatively taciturn and compliant employee. Bubbling under the surface, however, was a deep frustration at the way he was treated. Said Ghantt, â€Å"... one day life kinda slapped me in the face. I was working sometimes 75-80 hours a week at $8.15 an hour. I didn’t even have a real home life because I was never there. I was working all the time and unhappy†¦ I felt cornered and one day the joking in the break room about robbing the place suddenly didn’t seem so far-fetched.† Ghantt was joking in the breakroom with fellow Loomis Fargo employee Kelly Campbell. The two struck up a friendship during work that would continue after Campbell left the company. The jokes between Ghantt and Campbell about their disgruntlement with their jobs took on a more serious note when Campbell introduced Ghantt to an old high school classmate of hers named Steve Chambers. According to Campbell, Chambers could help Ghantt execute a massive cash robbery of the vault at Loomis Fargo in one night. Fed up, exhausted, and seeing a way out, Ghantt agreed. The Loomis Fargo Heist Over the next months, Ghantt, Campbell, and Chambers developed a plan. Working by himself, Ghantt would commit the robbery and then flee for Mexico, leaving the bulk of the cash with Chambers. While Ghantt waited for the heat from the robbery to die down, Chambers would send Ghantt small amounts of money. Eventually, Ghantt would return to the United States and the full sum would be split up between the conspirators. On the night of October 4, the plan went into action. Ghantt sent home a new employee and quickly loaded the money into the back of a bank van. After meeting up with Chambers, Campbell, and some other co-conspirators, Ghantt hightailed it to Mexico with $50,000 in cash in his car. He made it across the border just as his deception was discovered. Loomis Fargo Heist Investigation: David Ghantt, Suspect The morning after the height, employees of Loomis Fargo realized they couldn’t open the vault. They called the police, who brought in the FBI, classifying the heist as a bank robbery. From the beginning, the FBI’s prime suspect was David Ghantt. Not only was Ghantt the only unaccounted for employee the morning after the heist, there was also footage of Ghantt moving the cash into the back of the Loomis Fargo van. Two days after the heist, the FBI found the missing van with $3.3 million of cash left in it. Ghantt and his compatriots, it turns out, had underestimated how bulky money is. They left behind the cash they couldn’t fit in their cars. The FBI quickly connected Ghantt to Campbell, who was a former Loomis Fargo employee. The connection to Chambers took more time. Anonymous tips had the FBI monitoring Chambers’ calls. Eventually, Ghantt called in from Mexico, seeking more money, and the FBI officially recognized Chambers as a co-conspirator. Chambers, it turned out, became the biggest source of evidence for the FBI. In addition to his phone calls with Ghantt, Chambers began extravagantly spending the money, even though the co-conspirators had agreed to lay low for a year or two. Together with his wife, Chambers bought a new luxury home (upgrading from his mobile home), a BMW Z3, and some extravagant furnishings. Chambers’ wife, Michelle, bought a minivan in cash and began taking frequent trips to the bank to make deposits. While she made small deposits at first, she became more reckless, eventually making a deposit of thousands of dollars in cash, telling the teller not to worry: â€Å"It’s not drug money.† No Honor Among Thieves Across the border in Mexico, Ghantt was also living it up. He stayed at a luxury hotel and took scuba diving lesson. Having only brought $50,000 in cash, however, Ghantt soon found himself short on funds. When Ghantt called Chambers to have the latter wire him more money, Chambers sent just a few thousand dollars. As the FBI listened in to Chambers’ calls, they discovered that he was also planning to have Ghantt assassinated, hoping to keep all the money for himself. The FBI knew they needed to make their move. On March 1, 1988, Mexican police arrested Ghantt at Playa del Carmen. The next day, the Chambers’, Campbell, and some other notable parties were arrested in Charlotte. Ten days later, the group was indicted for bank larceny and money laundering. Thirteen friends and family members were also charged with money laundering, as they had helped Ghantt, Chambers, Campbell, and the others deposit money illegally. All of the defendants except for one pleaded guilty and accepted their sentences. Some of the friends and family members received parole, while Ghantt was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. He completed his prison sentence in November 2006. Loomis Fargo Heist: Legacy The Loomis Fargo heist became something of a media lightning rod. The details of the heist itself, coupled with the missteps the crew made after stealing the money, attracted the attention of writers and movie producers. A comedy film called Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo heist and starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis, was released in 2016. David Ghantt attended the premiere. What's Next? Learning about US history? If so,check out some of these books on our AP History Exam reading list. One of the best ways to learn more about U.S. history is to make sure you’re taking history classes. Most high schools offer a variety of history classes, so make sure you’re taking the right ones for you. Did you know that the SAT offers subject exams, too? This article will teach you more about the SAT subject tests and help you decide whether you should take them.

Cholera The Forgotten Disease Essays - Medicine, Clinical Medicine

Cholera The Forgotten Disease Essays - Medicine, Clinical Medicine Cholera The Forgotten Disease Cholera the Forgotten Disease It seems every time we hear of a major flood or earthquake in a developing country, we hear once again about cholera. Cholera has been very rare in industrial nations, such as the USA, for the last 100 years, however, what we do not realize is that cholera is endemic in many small countries which have limited drinking water and sewage treatment facilities. Caused by an infection of bacterium Vibrio Cholerae in the intestine, a cholera infection is often mild or without symptoms, but sometimes is severe. Symptoms appear 2 to 3 days after initial exposure. Approximately one in 20 infected persons display symptoms of water diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps; this rapid lose of body fluids leads to dehydration and sometimes shock. These fluids must be replaced either intravenously or by drinking liquids such as fruit juice, soup, or fluids called oral rehydration salts, which replace electrolytes. Antibiotics may be proscribed to shorten the duration of diarrhea and excretion of bacteria in feces. Without treatment, death may occur in hours. Although cholera can be life-threating, it can easily be prevented and treated. A vaccine for cholera is available; however, it confers only brief, 2 to 6 months, and incomplete immunity, only about 50% effective. It is not recommended. Since cholera is still common in other parts of the world, everyone, especially travelers, should be aware of how the disease is transmitted and what can be done to prevent it. The disease is not likely to spread directly from one person to another; therefore, casual contact with an infected person is not a risk for becoming ill. A person may get cholera by drinking water or eating food contaminated with the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person entering the main water source. The cholera bacterium may also live in brackish rivers and coastal waters. Shellfish from infected waters can cause infection. Unwashed fresh fruits and vegetables irrigated with tainted water can also infect. Prevention of cholera is easy. When in a possibly infected area: cook the food properly, eat foods promptly after their preparation including shellfish, fruits and vegetables, avoid drinking untreated water, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap often. Cholera will not have great impact on me as a surgical technologist. It is not common in the United States, and since it is not transmitted directly from person to person, there is no risk of the Operating room staff transmitting the disease from the patient. If an ill patient is scheduled, elective surgery will be postponed, and in the case of emergency surgery on someone with cholera, their fluids will be monitored meticulously. In closing, cholera, although not prevalent, is a threat to world travelers. Education of the causes, treatment, and prevention are a travelers first line of defense

Legal week, Lucid language - Emphasis

Legal week, Lucid language Legal week, Lucid language Plain language need not mean dumbing down. Clear, well-drafted advice makes things easier for clients, raising the chance that they will call on you more frequently. The moment you become overly reliant on a thesaurus or get carried away with archaic terms is the moment you risk losing your reader. This is not to say you cannot use technical language or clarify your points, it just means thinking of your reader at all times and making sure you communicate difficult or complex topics clearly. It is all about readability, not just the vocabulary you use. That means organising the structure so that it is logical and straightforward. Complex legal principles are not always easy to convey, but easy reading doesnt necessarily have to mean extra-hard writing. The truth is that legal documents do not have to be written in language which is full of jargon and difficult for the average person to understand. The tide is turning, as law firms such as Nabarro, SJ Berwin, DLA Piper and CMS Cameron McKenna recognise the value of better writing skills and commission specialist training programmes. In fact, Nabarro recently launched a high-profile, firm-wide campaign Clarity Matters to simplify the way its lawyers write. Here are some of the most common errors made by lawyers when writing and tips on remedying them. Mistake: adding in unnecessary words, such as therein, herein, forthwith and aforesaid Poor prose: I herein enclose the contract for the aforesaid book, as requested. Better prose: I enclose the contract for the book, as requested. The herein and aforesaid are unnecessary and make the sentence sound archaic and stilted. Mistake: verbosity Poor prose: Pursuant to the recent communication of the improper proposal that the information be falsified, such assertion could only have been ascertained or appreciated from a full, detailed review of the meeting notes. Better prose: The claim that the information was falsified is wrong. This would have been clear if a detailed review of the meeting notes had been conducted. The author of the first example is more than a little disgruntled. But the message is hidden behind too much flowery language. The second suggestion gets to the heart of the problem and makes the meaning clear. Note that the passive voice is used in the second example to soften the blow. You dont always have to use the active voice, just make sure that if you do use it, you do so consciously. Mistake: using nouns instead of verbs Poor prose: In the case of X, we believe the company is in possession of a structure that would be acceptable for securitisation. Better prose: X possesses a structure that is acceptable for securitisation. Possession is a noun, whereas possesses is a verb. Verbs create action in the sentence which moves the pace along and helps keep the readers interest. We believe has also been taken out as the sentence already asserts the writers belief. Mistake: overuse of the passive voice Poor prose: The role played by the client in the project has been investigated. Better prose: X investigated the clients role in the project. The first example doesnt tell us who investigated the role, creating a very impersonal tone. Using the active voice makes the writing easier to read. It also forces you to say who or what is taking the action, as the second example shows, making the sentence more specific and connecting the reader to what is happening. Of course, the passive voice can be useful where the intention is to obfuscate or create distance. Mistake: long, complex sentences and paragraphs Poor prose: As per earlier correspondence, I have attached the quotes that we have obtained from three firms (a) Hooke, Lyne and Siennker (contacts David Hooke and Franz Siennker) (This is separate to the law firm but forms part of the same group, and also has a different administrative team) (b) Edna Clouds (contacts Clare Edna and Michael Clouds I note you have already met Michael) and (c) Maybey Knott who are a limited company (the contacts there are Noel Maybey and James Knott). Better prose: Following our previous correspondence, I have attached quotes from three firms. The contacts for Hooke, Lyne and Siennker are David Hooke and Franz Siennker. Please note that this firm has a separate administration team, even though it is part of the same group. Edna Clouds contacts are Clare Edna and Michael Clouds, who you already know. Maybey Knott Ltds contacts are Noel Maybey and James Knott. When a sentence runs past three lines, you know you are in trouble. In the first example, there are also too many brackets and too much information squeezed in one space, which can become confusing. The second example takes out all the brackets and sets everything out much more clearly. Long sentences are often the result of fuzzy thinking. So, the first step is to ensure that you think before you write. That means never using the writing process to clarify your thoughts. Consider the main subject areas and issues you need to cover first. Questions are a useful prompt. Then use each heading to brainstorm all the points related to that subject. Knowing what you want to say before you write gives you a fighting chance of building a logical structure. Dealing with technical information The first step is to think about your audience and avoid a one size fits all approach. Use technical language in order to be precise. At each stage pick the best word to communicate your ideas and thoughts. The benchmark test is to think about whether another lawyer or layperson (depending on your audience) would be able to understand instantly what you mean. If not, it is time to go back to the computer and tweak it. It can also help if you try not to think of it as legal writing, but merely writing, which simply aims to communicate effectively. Punchy prose saves time and money and is far more likely to persuade the reader. It may mean a bit of extra effort, but it could well pay dividends. Robert Ashton is chief executive of Emphasis, the specialist business writing trainers.

International HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International HRM - Essay Example This paper discusses that earlier the definition of HRM was only limited to hiring and firing of employees. The HRM process of the company only focused on the increasing the productivity of the company by recruiting good employees. After the development of the trade unions the company started focusing more on improving its relationship with the organizational members. Then employee relationship was included in the definition of HRM. In the late 70s the companies started conducting training, implementing appraisal system, organizing welfare activities etc. All of these HRM processes helped the companies to increase their productivity and satisfaction level of their employees. In 1980 communication process was added to the definition of HRM. In this essay various concepts of International HRM have been discussed. There are many factors which influence IHRM process of a company. For these factors various complexities arises in IHRM which are highlighted in this case. The traditional concept of IHRM has many limitations for which modern theories of IHRM are used in the companies. The role of Globalization in IHRM is also discussed in this essay.  The focus of HRM definitions changed with the changing business environment. This is because earlier the companies were only concerned to increase their productivity but gradually they started realizing the value of employees.  So they incorporated many new things in the definition of HRM for satisfying the employees and retaining them for long time.

Chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Chemistry - Essay Example Aluminium is metal with atomic number 13 and it will combine by loosing two electrons. Beryllium and aluminium are metals and will combine with other elements by loosing electrons while oxygen will combine by gaining electrons, therefore our empirical formula will have the following formula: Isotopes of an element have the same number of protons but differ in the number of neutrons; the atomic number is equal to the number of protons therefore Pn has the atomic number 117. Because atoms are neutral then the number of electrons is equal to the number of neutrons. The atomic number is 117; this means that the electronic arrangement is 2: 8:18:32:50:7 this is given by the formula 2N2 which give us the maximum number of electrons in each cell where N is the shell number. We have 6 shells and 7 electrons in the last shell, this means that the element belongs to the 7th period and the 17th group. The empirical formula will be Pn2O7 because oxygen will tend to gain two electrons or loose 6 electrons and Pn will also tend to gain one electron or loose 7 electrons, therefore the highest normal oxide will be loosing Pn loosing seven electrons and Oxygen gaining two electrons. Six decays means loosing six neutrons, and bearing in mind that the number of neutrons is equal to the number of electrons and that the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons then our resulting element will have an atomic number 67-6 = 61.

Financial Markets and Risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Financial Markets and Risk - Essay Example The major sources of long term finance in the capital markets are actually the products provided to the consumer for long term investment. The consumers are assumed to be rational in their choices among the various alternatives presented. The choice of the product to use will depend on: time element, a cost of finance, flexibility and the mode of payment. Long-term investment products provide funds that may be used usually for more than five years. They include: Share capital - this consists of both ordinary share capital which is contributed by the real owners of a limited company and it is not redeemable and the preference share capital. This is contributed by the preference shareholders. Retained earnings provisions - these are part of the profits which belong to the ordinary shareholders and are not paid to them in the period they are earned. Debentures or long-term loans - a debenture is the written acknowledgment of a debt incurred by a limited company. Mortgages - the consumers and companies can get loans for long periods by mortgaging their assets with any mortgage brokers or any other financial institution. Sale and lease back - a company which owns its own premises or fixed assets can obtain finance by selling the property to an insurance company for immediate cash and renting it back. The cost of finance or the product depends on the terms of finance, nature and size of the business, availability of the product, the nature of security, growth stage of the company and government influences through the central bank.

Investment Promotion ( Jordan ) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Investment Promotion ( Jordan ) - Case Study Example Multinational corporations are often motivated to invest in foreign countries because these locations have lower regulations which reduce compliance costs. Another reason to invest in a foreign country is to take advantage of lower materials costs. Often companies choose to establish a physical presence in a foreign country to take advantage of the demand for their product in the domestic marketplace. For instance if a country has a high demand for electronics, but the local producers are not satisfying the demand it makes sense for an electronics company to establish a physical presence in that country to exploit the business opportunity. Another reason companies penetrate certain international locations is due to governmental incentives and tax shelters. The presence of free trade agreements with the United States persuades many manufactures to operate in countries that offer these types of benefits. One of the most attractive features that Middle East countries provide to companies looking to invest in this region is a high availability of cheap labor. Due to the high employment rate in the region a company that establishes itself in the Middle East would not have any problem recruiting workers since thousands of people would apply for jobs. Jordan in particular offers several advantages to companies. Jordan offers preferential tax treatment to companies that invest in certain industries. If a company invests in rural or remote areas of Jordan the government offers a 75% tax exemption for a ten year period. Companies that invest in the Amman region are eligible for a 25% tax exemption for a ten year period. The Jordan government offers new investors a duty free privilege on imported equipment. Jordan is a particularly attractive location for U.S. investors. The Jordan-U.S. Free Trade Agreement eliminated tariffs on some Jordanian goods exported to the United States. In order fo r this benefit to

A report into the Importance of smoking cessations IN patients with Essay

A report into the Importance of smoking cessations IN patients with COPD - Essay Example This paper will now critically evaluate evidence-based practice on the impact and the importance of smoking cessation among COPD patients. This topic is of importance because smoking is a major issue among COPD patients and the importance of smoking cessation has to be supported with evidence in order to provide practitioners as well as patients with logical foundations for their actions or inactions. Evidence-based practice has been considered one of the most crucial improvements in the health practice (Hjorland, 2011). Its application has assisted health professionals in the assessment of the most current evidence in the administration of patient care. The significance and multidisciplinary application of evidence-based practice is based on ideology and method (Hjorland, 2011). The ideology is based on ethical principles of clients deserving to be given the most effective of interventions. The method is the means by which individuals go about discovering and then later implementing the interventions (Duffy, Fisher, and Munroe, 2008). Under these conditions, evidence based practice indicates the commitment of the practitioner to use all the different means by which the strong evidence for any given situation can be applied (Duffy, et.al., 2008). Establishing best knowledge would require computer searches; moreover, it is a major challenge among practitioners since the techniques of finding effective interventions often require rigorous processes (Raines, 2008). Where practitioners applying empirically-based practice would make do with the use of two or three studies as evidence of effectiveness, evidence-based practice often involves the long and protracted search for numerous evidence to support efficacy (Raines, 2008). Evidence-based practice also involves the critical appraisal of evidence, mostly in terms of validity and utility within practice.

Investment Promotion ( Jordan ) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Investment Promotion ( Jordan ) - Case Study Example Multinational corporations are often motivated to invest in foreign countries because these locations have lower regulations which reduce compliance costs. Another reason to invest in a foreign country is to take advantage of lower materials costs. Often companies choose to establish a physical presence in a foreign country to take advantage of the demand for their product in the domestic marketplace. For instance if a country has a high demand for electronics, but the local producers are not satisfying the demand it makes sense for an electronics company to establish a physical presence in that country to exploit the business opportunity. Another reason companies penetrate certain international locations is due to governmental incentives and tax shelters. The presence of free trade agreements with the United States persuades many manufactures to operate in countries that offer these types of benefits. One of the most attractive features that Middle East countries provide to companies looking to invest in this region is a high availability of cheap labor. Due to the high employment rate in the region a company that establishes itself in the Middle East would not have any problem recruiting workers since thousands of people would apply for jobs. Jordan in particular offers several advantages to companies. Jordan offers preferential tax treatment to companies that invest in certain industries. If a company invests in rural or remote areas of Jordan the government offers a 75% tax exemption for a ten year period. Companies that invest in the Amman region are eligible for a 25% tax exemption for a ten year period. The Jordan government offers new investors a duty free privilege on imported equipment. Jordan is a particularly attractive location for U.S. investors. The Jordan-U.S. Free Trade Agreement eliminated tariffs on some Jordanian goods exported to the United States. In order fo r this benefit to

Ebola disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ebola disease - Research Paper Example It is no secret that the most recent West African outbreaks of Ebola that managed to reach the borders of United States in more than one locale (Bausch, & Schwarz, 2014). This is no small problem and people need to be aware of the truth about Ebola and how best to prevent and infection in the first place. In the end, understanding what Ebola is and where it comes from, as well as, how it manifests and how to address break-outs of such a threatening disease is essential. Ebola Virus Disease was originally discovered in Africa, specifically the Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1976. Over the course of the last 35 years fears of outbreaks have remained a major concern for agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The name Ebola was assigned the virus for the Ebola River, near the first initial outbreak. However, other subcategories of the Ebola virus have been indentified in places like, Zaire, Reston, and the Tai Forest (Nall, 2014). At least 4 of the most deadly strains are specifically found in Africa. Ebola is a from a family of diseases called Filoviridae and can manifest a number of symptoms that can be mistaken for less lethal or contagious diseases, like a common influenza (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). The Ebola virus invades the body and will remain unnoticed during the incubation period, which can be between 2 and 21 days. Ebola manifests as a s evere, hemorrhagic fever, fatigue, muscle aches and pains, damages liver and kidneys, and impedes normal function, and severe vomiting. However, it is the bleeding that is often, both, internal and external, and can be seen exuding from the gums or in their stool samples that is unique to the virus (World Health Organization, 2014). Again, because many of the symptoms of Ebola its presence it is often mistaken for a less virulent, more common, virus. That said Ebola may go misdiagnosed until the outbreak

Employee Recognition Programs Essay Example for Free

Employee Recognition Programs Essay All business entities, big or small, have human resource. Commonly known as employees, these people are an organization’s most valuable asset. These are individuals within the firm who serve as the organization’s human capital and work toward achieving the goals of the company. Without human workforce, establishments will not be able to perform its day-to-day operations. Even if an organization is not labor intensive, it is incontestable that a firm still needs human resource to manage and look over its undertakings, and continuously thrust the company towards proper administration, profitability and success. The improvements and changes in the industry and economy besides increased awareness of employees as a valuable resource has changed the focus from controlling to managing this resource† (Purdy, 2007). As more and more organizations rely on human workforce, there is now the need to manage the most dynamic resource of a company, who are its employees. Recruiting the right kind of employees and training them to become productive are not only the seeming obligation of a company. But more importantly, keeping these employees motivated will not only enhance them personally but will encourage high performance, which will benefit the organization as well. â€Å"Employee morale within an organization has a direct impact on the satisfaction level of its customers and the company’s ultimate success† (Fretwell, 2002, p. 1). For that reason, companies perform different kinds of employee recognition programs that will significantly improve employee morale. One very important detail to remember is that the leader of the organization must have the ability to identify and recognize decline in employee morale, factors causing such, and acceptance of this condition. After which, there are many feasible areas to work on to be able to work out and tidy up the problem. It is very crucial to start with the management. One of the most important steps is to correspond. Communication is always important in maintaining a smooth professional relationship between employees and the management. Encourage the employees to come forward with issues, suggestions, conflicts, complaints, and feedbacks. Listen carefully; do not leave the employees hanging. This way, management will be able to know clearly what factors are causing the employees to perform in such a way that disintegrates their work. Also, they will be able to know the multiple viewpoints of the employees, which if properly attended to, may have the effect of high morale. This method has always been simple and costs nothing at all! Plus it provides a powerful solution to morale problems. Once the leaders know the problem, it is easier to find probable solutions and ways of improving the esteem of the employees. Make sure the employees have a clear understanding of their professional goals within the organization. Keep them up to date about the business, making them feel more involved. Encourage creativity and be consistent in the administration of rules and policies. This way, the employees will not feel they are being treated with prejudice once they get penalized for mistakes. Make them understand what they are going through. However, sometimes, letting the employees do they own work is what they need. They want to feel they are trusted to get their work done. Teambuilding can also help eliminate negative feelings and actions by fostering respect among employees. The power to make decisions help employees realize their importance to the company, and this increases the esteem of the employees. Also, in order to get work done, and done right, the leaders of the organization need to give the employees the skills and tools for them to complete their tasks. This includes giving them support and the training that they need in order to improve or hone their abilities. Management must also identify and nurture those people who perform well and must groom them for leadership roles. At the same time, it has to identify and help the average performers to improve themselves and their productivity. Acknowledging the work of the employees always gives them a reason to work harder and become recognized, making them even more enhanced and productive. Simple awards may do, like what establishments often offer, like â€Å"Employee of the Month† awards may be a step towards recognizing the employees’ hard work. Moreover, giving promotions to excellent and highly improved workers enable them to boost their confidence in terms of their work and push them to work even harder. Provide a better working environment by assuring the safety of the employees while at the workplace. This gives them the guarantee that they are well taken care of by the management. Higher financial remunerations, bonuses and benefits promote the value of loyalty from the employees to the organization. With better compensation, employees are able to give high regard for their work and tend to become satisfied of what they are doing and whom they are working for. Develop incentive programs that improve both employee attitude and attendance rates. Most often, lack of incentive is the reason why employees do not get motivated to work. Examples of this programs include â€Å"the ability to cash-in unused sick days at the end of a specific period, allowing employees to leave early one Friday per month of perfect attendance, bonus pay for periods of perfect attendance, and gifts such as savings bonds or gift cards for periods of perfect attendance† (Bushman, 2007, p. 4). Most importantly, beyond putting into primary importance the achievement of success and profitability is the need to take care of the organization’s people. If the employees believe that their bosses do not care either about the task or them, then they will not care either. And naturally, the company and its operations will suffer. Building morale in an organization may not be as hard as one thinks The key to motivating employees is having them feel valued and appreciated by their superiors and within the company that they working hard for. It requires for each and every employee to feel a sense of achievement in career, a sense of belonging at the workplace, a sense of contribution to the organization, and a sense of appreciation for their involvement in the pursuance of the organization’s goals to achieve high employee morale, and eventually higher productivity and overall success.

Review of Hydro Boost Water Gel

Review of Hydro Boost Water Gel Neutrogena, a long visible player in the hair and skin care industry, has produced many products that has been proven to give positive results for clearer, softer skin and cleaner, healthier hair.  Ã‚   Hydro Boost Water Gel is one of the many products that promises better skin.   This is our review of Hydro Boost Water Gel. What is Hydro Boost Water Gel? Hydro Boost Water Gel is a unique skin cream made with purified hyaluronic acid that provides long-lasting moisture to dry skin.  Ã‚   Its noncomedogenic, oil-free formula is designed to be absorbed quickly into the skin to hydrate and seal in the moisture.  Ã‚   It dries to a matte finish so you can wear it underneath makeup and it will not clog pores. How Does Hydro Boost Water Gel Works? To get the best results from Hydro Boost Water Gel, you must first start with a freshly cleansed face.   Gently smooth on the cream onto the skin. The hyaluronic acid holds up to twice its weight in moisture which makes the skin feel plump and moist.  Ã‚   The glycerin in the cream helps to seal in the moisture molecules to keep it from evaporating from the skin.   Sealing the moisture in will help you to avoid the need to reapply the cream throughout the day.   Your skin will keep the hydrated, fresh feeling all day. The product is pale blue in color and it feels cool to the touch.  Ã‚   It has a crisp, aquatic scent with a cooling sensation when applied to the skin.   The product absorbs very quickly into the skin much like a gel, but it has the lasting properties of a cream. Hydro Boost Water Gel Pricing Hydro Boost Water Gel is available in many stores and online.  Ã‚   Amazon is selling a 1.7-fluid-ounce jar for $18.99. Who Made Hydro Boost Water Gel? Neutrogena, the self-professed number one dermatologist-recommended skincare brand, is the creator and distributor of the Hydro Boost Water Gel.   This company was founded in 1930 by Emanuel Stolaroff under the original name Natrone.   Years later, the company changed its name to Neutrogena, which is the name of its most popular bar soap.  Ã‚   It is currently a brand owned by the famous Johnson and Johnson Company and it manufactures and sells skin and hair care products in over 70 countries. Hydro Boost Water Gel Reviews The Hydro Boost Water Gel has been very well received amongst its customers.   On Amazon, it has a rating of 4.7 out of five stars and over 97 percent of the customers actively recommending it to others.   Many people have stated that they were very impressed with how quickly the cream absorbed into the skin.   They stated that the cream left no greasy residue and they could apply makeup over it with no problems.   They also stated that they did not feel the need to refresh the cream throughout the day, verifying that the cream lasts for all-day wear as advertised. Pros It is oil-free and will not clog up your pores Contains purified hyaluronic acid Has a very fast absorption rate Dries with a matte finish for wear underneath makeup Created by a company with a highly successful history with quality ingredients Has received very good ratings from customers There have been no reports of allergic reactions to the cream Cons This formula is tested on animals The amount of hyaluronic acid is relatively low compared to competing products on the market The jar packaging can create a hygiene and freshness issue with the product as it does allow the introduction of air into the cream, which could degrade the effective of the product and introduce bacteria into the jar regardless of method used to remove the product from the jar for use Should You Use Hydro Boost Water Gel? The Hydro Boost Water Gel is a moisturizing product that was created by Neutrogena, a juggernaut in the skin and hair care industry.   This product imparts moisture into clean skin and then seals in the moisture to retain hydration.   Many people have had impressive results using this cream, with most of them marveling at the speed of absorption of the cream into the skin.  Ã‚   Since this product is available in so many places, you should be able to walk into your neighborhood store and purchase it if you dont want to wait for Amazon delivery.  Ã‚   If you are looking for a long-lasting cream that can keep your skin hydrated all day and wears well underneath makeup, then you should give this product a try.

William Butler Yeats and William Blake :: Poetry Literature Papers

William Butler Yeats and William Blake A study of William Butler Yeats is not complete without a study of William Blake, just as a study of Blake is greatly aided by a study of Yeats. The two poets are inexorably tied together. Yeats, aided by his study of Blake, was able to find a clearer poetic voice. Yeats had a respect for and an understanding of Blake's work that was in Yeats' time without parallel. Yeats first read Blake at the age of 15 or 16 when his father gave him Blake to read. Yeats writes in his essay "William Blake and the Imagination" that "...when one reads Blake, it is as though the spray of an inexhaustible fountain of beauty was blown into our faces (Yeats, Essays xxx)." Yeats believed Blake to be a genius and he never wavered in his opinion. It is his respect for Blake that caused him to study and emulate Blake. He tried to tie Blake closer to himself by stressing Blake's rumored Irish ancestry. He strove to understand Blake more clearly than anyone had before him, and he succeeded. As with other pursu its Yeats held nothing back. He immersed himself fully in Blake's writings. As with many of his mental pursuits he deepened his understanding of the subject by writing about it. In 1887 he wrote his essay "William Blake and the Imagination." This essay articulated his thoughts on the genius of the poet William Blake. He still however had not conceived his full vision of Blake's works. In 1889 he approached Edwin Ellis, a friend of his father's, for assistance in understanding Blake. Ellis wrote of this meeting "Very little could be given him to satisfy so large a demand, but with his eye for symbolic systems, he needed no more to enable him to perceive that here was a myth as well worth studying as any that has been offered to the world (Ellis, Vol I ix)." Thus began Yeats' and Ellis' collaboration on William Blake. This collaboration came to fruition, after four years of work, with the 1893 publication of their The Works of William Blake Poetic, Symbolic, and Critical. It has been acknowledged by many scholars that Yeats' study of Blake greatly influenced his poetic expression. This gives rise to the widely held assertion that Yeats is indebted to Blake. While I concur with this assertion, I feel that the perhaps greater debt is Blake's. William Butler Yeats and William Blake :: Poetry Literature Papers William Butler Yeats and William Blake A study of William Butler Yeats is not complete without a study of William Blake, just as a study of Blake is greatly aided by a study of Yeats. The two poets are inexorably tied together. Yeats, aided by his study of Blake, was able to find a clearer poetic voice. Yeats had a respect for and an understanding of Blake's work that was in Yeats' time without parallel. Yeats first read Blake at the age of 15 or 16 when his father gave him Blake to read. Yeats writes in his essay "William Blake and the Imagination" that "...when one reads Blake, it is as though the spray of an inexhaustible fountain of beauty was blown into our faces (Yeats, Essays xxx)." Yeats believed Blake to be a genius and he never wavered in his opinion. It is his respect for Blake that caused him to study and emulate Blake. He tried to tie Blake closer to himself by stressing Blake's rumored Irish ancestry. He strove to understand Blake more clearly than anyone had before him, and he succeeded. As with other pursu its Yeats held nothing back. He immersed himself fully in Blake's writings. As with many of his mental pursuits he deepened his understanding of the subject by writing about it. In 1887 he wrote his essay "William Blake and the Imagination." This essay articulated his thoughts on the genius of the poet William Blake. He still however had not conceived his full vision of Blake's works. In 1889 he approached Edwin Ellis, a friend of his father's, for assistance in understanding Blake. Ellis wrote of this meeting "Very little could be given him to satisfy so large a demand, but with his eye for symbolic systems, he needed no more to enable him to perceive that here was a myth as well worth studying as any that has been offered to the world (Ellis, Vol I ix)." Thus began Yeats' and Ellis' collaboration on William Blake. This collaboration came to fruition, after four years of work, with the 1893 publication of their The Works of William Blake Poetic, Symbolic, and Critical. It has been acknowledged by many scholars that Yeats' study of Blake greatly influenced his poetic expression. This gives rise to the widely held assertion that Yeats is indebted to Blake. While I concur with this assertion, I feel that the perhaps greater debt is Blake's.

Life Management Skills Essay

3.2 Stop, Look and Listen: Nonverbal Communication and Active Listening Part I: Nonverbal Communication Try This: Research what one hand gesture means in a different country. (You may ask people from other countries/and or conduct your own web search or library search for answers). Some suggested countries/cultures to research might be: Italy, Japan, China, Greece, and the Middle East (18 points) Hand gesture: Thumbs up Country/Culture referenced: German What does it mean? Flipping the bird Hand gesture: gentle poke Country/Culture referenced: Irish What does it mean? They like you Part II: Nonverbal Communication and Active Listening Choice #2: Review the video recorded interviews in the Activity tab. Document the nonverbal gestures displayed by the participants and your interpretation of the gestures. (36 points) Nonverbal Gestures Used What does this mean to you? Scenario #1 1) Dressed relaxed He doesn’t care. 2) Waved hi Unprofessional 3) Avoided eye contact bad with communication Scenario #2 1) Dressing Appropriately Shows he prepared and wants to be there 2) Hand shake Professional 3) Eye contact Good with communication After documenting the nonverbal gestures that took place during the interviews, write 5 or more sentences about each interview stating whether you feel the interview went well, if you would hire the person, and why you made this decision. (30 points) Scenario 1: I would not hire the first candidate simply because he was unprofessional and unorganized. He the first example of this happened even before he made it in the interviews office. He avoided eye contact and slightly waved to the interviewer displaying bad communication skill. These simple little mistakes can and will cost this man this job. He needed to go into this interviewer prepared physical and mental wise and he didn’t. Scenario 2: I would be overly ecstatic to hire this candidate he showed professionalism and was organized. When the candidate introduced himself and gave a firm handshake, showed eye contact, and used his full name. His sentences and tone of voice were fluent and showed how well prepared he was. By showing how well he prepared for this showed the intervener that he wanted this job. To practice active listening, listen to the dialogue on the Activity tab. List at least 4 active listening statements used in the dialogue between the mother and daughter.(16 points) Active Listening Statements used: 1) What I think I here you saying is that you are getting burned out and would like to have a life outside of school. 2) Correct me if I’m wrong but you feel all you do is things related to school. 3) In other words you feel like all your going is working playing, sports, and going to school and would like more time to yourself. 4) What I think your saying is we might be able to come up with a plan to fit everything in.

Bullying Essay

Bullying Frightened, Weak, Sad, Unwanted. You end up not wanting to go anywhere, because you are afraid of getting picked on. You get so fed up with everything, you start harming yourself. You begin cutting yourself or even worse? You end up killing yourself. Hi today, I’m going to talk to you about bullying and what the down sizes of bullying is. Some might wonder, who are the bully’s and why do people bully others. So as you read this essay, think about those questions. And ask yourself. If you’ve ever been bullied or have you been the bully.How did you feel? Did you feel powerless and think that it wasn’t fare that this was happening to you. Or that you didn’t have anyone to talk to. Well you do and no one should be making you feel like this. Bulling has to stop, it shouldn’t be going to the extent that people feel like they’re nothing and end up committing suicide. Having said that, this essay will show you the different types of b ullying, the consequences of bullying and how to stop bullying. Many people think that bullying is just kicking and punching a person.Those people are right, what they don’t know is that there are other forms of bullying. To be exact there are six different types of bullying; physical bullying, cyber bullying, verbal bullying, indirect bullying, intimidation, and social alienation. The form of bullying that occurs more is cyber bullying. In Canada, 42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four has had it happen more than once. 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five have had it happen more than once. 1% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages. 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of ten say it has happened more than once. 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online. Both boys and girls can be bullies. Bo ys tend to bully physically, while girls generally use more indirect approaches, such as gossiping about classmates or isolating them by excluding them from activities or groups.Boys are usually bullied by other boys, whereas girls are bullied by both girls and boys. Some of the consequences of being bullied are self-harm, depression, low self-esteem, loneliness and etc†¦ Most people cannot deal with the pressure of being bullied. So they decide to commit suicide, for example â€Å"Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself Monday, April 9, 2009 after enduring bullying at school, including daily taunts of being gay. His suicide was at least the fourth suicide of a middle-school aged child linked to bullying in the year of 2009†.Bullying is never acceptable. It should be considered just â€Å"part of growing up† Research and experience consistently shows involved, their families and peers, and the community around them. I’ve witnessed someone self-harming thems elves do to being bullied, it looked like they hit rock bottom and all the person could say is that â€Å"there is no point in living now, no one likes me life is not a thing I enjoy†. I felt like that wasn’t fair to them and that no one should have to go through what they did. But they overcome that and were feeling better.They started hanging out with really friends that cared about them and just ignored what others thought about them because they don’t have to please other, just themselves. How to stop bulling? Whether or not you have been bullied, there are things you can do to stop bullying. The first thing you should do is to tell a teacher or other trusted adult at your school if bullying happens to you or someone at your school. But bullying doesn’t always happen at school, it can happen after school or even at home.So in that situation, tell an adult that will do something about it or even a police officer. This may seem like tattling, but itâ₠¬â„¢s not. The victim of a bully is someone you can protect. By telling someone at school about bullying, you are protecting the victim the same as if you stood up to a bully yourself. After telling an adult, you should go to a councillor to talk about your problem. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to the councillor. Try talking to a friend or someone you trust, that will listen to you and try to help you. It isn’t good to keep everything to yourself.You have to get everything out that isn’t healthy for you. Or else it will haunt you and make you feel alone. So in my opinion just talk about your problem even if it’s with your cat or dog (which ever). However being a witness of bullying can be just as bad as being the bullying. As long as you witness bullying and don’t try to stop it. That means, that you’re encouraging the bully because he/she is getting the attention they want. So remember that for the next time you witness someone bei ng bullying and don’t do anything to stop it. Who are bullies?Bullies are very often people who have been bullied or abused themselves. Sometimes they are experiencing life situations they cannot cope with, that leave them feeling helpless and out of control. They may have poor social skills, do not fit in, and cannot meet the expectations of their family, school, or bosses. They bully to, be successful, to control someone else, or to get some relief from their own feelings of powerlessness. Bullies bully because they might be picked on by someone else so they pick on you, so that they think that they are strong.They might not have any friends. They may not know how to feel happy, or something is going on with their family, that is bothering them so they decide to take out their frustration on other people. I hope you take this essay and absorb everything I’ve said. And remember one person might not be able to put a stop to bullying. But we as a group can sure try. If it doesn’t work, then we can try harder. And never give up. Resources: http://www. dosomething. org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying http://www. glsen. org/walker. html Bullying Essay Bullying Frightened, Weak, Sad, Unwanted. You end up not wanting to go anywhere, because you are afraid of getting picked on. You get so fed up with everything, you start harming yourself. You begin cutting yourself or even worse? You end up killing yourself. Hi today, I’m going to talk to you about bullying and what the down sizes of bullying is. Some might wonder, who are the bully’s and why do people bully others. So as you read this essay, think about those questions. And ask yourself. If you’ve ever been bullied or have you been the bully.How did you feel? Did you feel powerless and think that it wasn’t fare that this was happening to you. Or that you didn’t have anyone to talk to. Well you do and no one should be making you feel like this. Bulling has to stop, it shouldn’t be going to the extent that people feel like they’re nothing and end up committing suicide. Having said that, this essay will show you the different types of b ullying, the consequences of bullying and how to stop bullying. Many people think that bullying is just kicking and punching a person.Those people are right, what they don’t know is that there are other forms of bullying. To be exact there are six different types of bullying; physical bullying, cyber bullying, verbal bullying, indirect bullying, intimidation, and social alienation. The form of bullying that occurs more is cyber bullying. In Canada, 42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four has had it happen more than once. 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five have had it happen more than once. 1% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages. 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of ten say it has happened more than once. 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online. Both boys and girls can be bullies. Bo ys tend to bully physically, while girls generally use more indirect approaches, such as gossiping about classmates or isolating them by excluding them from activities or groups.Boys are usually bullied by other boys, whereas girls are bullied by both girls and boys. Some of the consequences of being bullied are self-harm, depression, low self-esteem, loneliness and etc†¦ Most people cannot deal with the pressure of being bullied. So they decide to commit suicide, for example â€Å"Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself Monday, April 9, 2009 after enduring bullying at school, including daily taunts of being gay. His suicide was at least the fourth suicide of a middle-school aged child linked to bullying in the year of 2009†.Bullying is never acceptable. It should be considered just â€Å"part of growing up† Research and experience consistently shows involved, their families and peers, and the community around them. I’ve witnessed someone self-harming thems elves do to being bullied, it looked like they hit rock bottom and all the person could say is that â€Å"there is no point in living now, no one likes me life is not a thing I enjoy†. I felt like that wasn’t fair to them and that no one should have to go through what they did. But they overcome that and were feeling better.They started hanging out with really friends that cared about them and just ignored what others thought about them because they don’t have to please other, just themselves. How to stop bulling? Whether or not you have been bullied, there are things you can do to stop bullying. The first thing you should do is to tell a teacher or other trusted adult at your school if bullying happens to you or someone at your school. But bullying doesn’t always happen at school, it can happen after school or even at home.So in that situation, tell an adult that will do something about it or even a police officer. This may seem like tattling, but itâ₠¬â„¢s not. The victim of a bully is someone you can protect. By telling someone at school about bullying, you are protecting the victim the same as if you stood up to a bully yourself. After telling an adult, you should go to a councillor to talk about your problem. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to the councillor. Try talking to a friend or someone you trust, that will listen to you and try to help you. It isn’t good to keep everything to yourself.You have to get everything out that isn’t healthy for you. Or else it will haunt you and make you feel alone. So in my opinion just talk about your problem even if it’s with your cat or dog (which ever). However being a witness of bullying can be just as bad as being the bullying. As long as you witness bullying and don’t try to stop it. That means, that you’re encouraging the bully because he/she is getting the attention they want. So remember that for the next time you witness someone bei ng bullying and don’t do anything to stop it. Who are bullies?Bullies are very often people who have been bullied or abused themselves. Sometimes they are experiencing life situations they cannot cope with, that leave them feeling helpless and out of control. They may have poor social skills, do not fit in, and cannot meet the expectations of their family, school, or bosses. They bully to, be successful, to control someone else, or to get some relief from their own feelings of powerlessness. Bullies bully because they might be picked on by someone else so they pick on you, so that they think that they are strong.They might not have any friends. They may not know how to feel happy, or something is going on with their family, that is bothering them so they decide to take out their frustration on other people. I hope you take this essay and absorb everything I’ve said. And remember one person might not be able to put a stop to bullying. But we as a group can sure try. If it doesn’t work, then we can try harder. And never give up. Resources: http://www. dosomething. org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying http://www. glsen. org/walker. html

Performance Appraisal Essay

Appraisal is a procedure by which an organization assesses employee performance based on present standards . The main purpose of appraisals is to support managers effectively, staff companies and deal with human resources, and to develop efficiency . Being â€Å"part of an organization measurement process†, performance appraisals serve that purpose by showing employees how to improve their performance, establish goals for employees and helping managers to evaluate subordinates’ efficiency and take actions related to hiring, promotions, training, job design, compensation and terminations. In the last 30 years companies use the employee evaluations not only for administrative purpose, but also for motivational and organizational planning purposes. The object of this paper is to understand and explain the role of human resources which to ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals in a company. Human Resources Management deals with what can or should be done to make working people more effective and satisfied. In a few words, the management of human resources means that they must be recruited compensated,  trained, and developed. It is HRM’s responsibility to make job analysis (describe work and personal requirements of a particular job), to communicate to the employees performance standards (translate job requirements into levels of acceptable / unacceptable performance) and to coordinate performance appraisal programs. Thus, all aspects of human resources managements are critical to an organization’s ability to adequately effectively provide a quality work force. In fact, performance appraisals are a significant part of performance management system responsible for designing a work environment in which â€Å"people can perform to the best of their abilities.† Job description The focus in this paper is on presenting information about conducting a performance appraisal for a bus driver position. I choose this position because, bus drivers are important for our contemporaneous society which is in a continued development. This aspect implies the need of more connections between places, more transits and travel for people. It is essential that this action be done in the most safety and comfortable ways. The behaviour of each bus driver employee has to be evaluated and improved if it is necessarily. The training programs are the key in helping drivers learn how to deal with difficult people and avoid violence while on duty. Making a job analyse, bus driver is a position is responsible for transporting people from one place to another for work, errands, school, or other reasons. Takes fares from passengers, issues receipts, announces routes, and ensures passengers get out safety. Their primary responsibilities imply transport people, operate bus, and drive regu lar routes on a schedule or on chartered trips. They obey traffic laws, stop frequently and check the bus tires, lights, and oil and other basic maintenance. They have to report mechanical problems and accidents. May load and unload passengers’ luggage. A bus driver has to deal with unruly passengers, assist disabled ones and keep passengers informed of delays. Bus drivers are employed by urban transit system, elementary and secondary schools and private transportation companies. According to Service Canada the job prospects in this occupation is good having an annual average salary of 43,895. Thus, customer service skills are important because of the interaction with passengers. For a school bus driver is essential to ensure the safety of the children, which  may include accompanying students across the street and providing first aid in emergencies. The following skills are very important for a bus driver: active listening, operation monitoring, social perceptiveness – being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do, equipment maintenance, operation and control, reading comprehension, coordination, time management, speaking, and critical thinking using reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Performance appraisal method Measurement of bus driver performance starts with the evaluation of skills and effectiveness during and following the year of work. The primary objective of performance appraisal is to establish whether drivers are performing their job safely serving the customer adequately, and following work rules, policies, and procedures that ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Analyzing the above information and knowing the job description for a bus driver, the behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS) would be a good method for performance appraisal. This method scales points and is defined by statements of effective and ineffective behaviours. It puts together the benefit the benefits of narratives, critical incidents and quantified scales by attaching a rating scale with specific behavioural examples of good or poor performance. It provides better appraisals than the other tools. The evaluator has to show which behaviour on each scale describes an employee`s performance. For constructi ng the BARS process imply the generation of critical incidents the development of performance dimensions, the relocation of incidents, the scale of the incidents and the development of final instrument. Managers have a file folder for each employee, which can be hard copy or electronic. Critical incidents are important employee actions which help or hurt performance. The BARS is developed by a committee that includes both subordinates and managers. Thus, the main advantage of this method is that personnel outside HR department join with HR staff in its development. Of course, the employees will have a greater acceptance of the performance appraisal process and its measures. In the same time BARS requires considerable time and effort to develop it. Another disadvantage is that a  scale designed for one job might not apply another. For example, the BARS for a bus driver will contain the rating scale from 4 (exceeds expectations) to 1 (unsatisfactory) and its evaluation of safety, timeliness, student conduct, bus cleanliness and care, and attitude. Identification of appraiser Appraisal and feedback system should be made by a multi-rate assessment because bus driver position is multifaceted and people see different things. A range of people are asked to assess an individual against company framework. The feedback can be from subject`s staff, from their bosses and from colleagues and clients and passengers. This is called 360 ° appraisal. The intention of it is to give a boarder and more objective assessment of employees’ competence. This multi-rate feedback is only use when manager has 4-8 people reporting to them. It is important that the employee do not know how any evaluation team member responded ensuring the anonymity concept of 360 ° system. The exception of this rule is the supervisor`s rating. When this feedback comes from more people, it may lessen bias or prejudice. In the same time, feedback from peers and other may increase employee self-development. In the conclusion of this paragraph, remind that HR department has the primary responsibility for supervising and coordinating appraisal program. Conclusion A valuable performance appraisal program makes feedback and instruction to employees and gives a useful framework to the managers and to the supervisors which asses their staff’ performance. The conduct appraisal program should be set up once and reviewed whenever the manager and the employee meet for the regular performance report or periodically: annual or once every six months. Preferable, managers and supervisors should consecutively estimate and direct employees so that performance imperfections do not go unexamined for a long period of time only to be discerned and debated at the functioning appraisal survey. In summary, the performance appraisal for a bus driver position it’s important for the evaluation of this position’ skills but also for the safety of passengers in  their work and personal environment and their daily activities. That’s why a serious and concrete performance and appraisal method should be applied in a schedule planed time in al l the transportation company. Bibliography Belcourt, Monica, Singh Parbudyal, Bohlander George, Swell Scott. Managing Human Resources. Toronto, Ontario: Nelson Education, 2014. Service Canada, http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/7412.shtml Sage Publication, http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/45674_8.pdf Transportation Research Board, www.30hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/Profile

Tesla in Dubai Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tesla in Dubai - Essay Example The company built a strong brand image that captures the attention of customers through celebrity impact. The company develops sleek car models that meet the expectations of the customers. The marketing strategy through social and traditional media has catapulted the company into celebrity limelight. The company’s customer –centric approach has also been one of the main factors for its success in Dubai. Tesla fosters a strong customer relationship, thus creating a positive image among consumers. The first strategy available for Tesla’s international expansion is strategic alliance. Tesla has the option of identifying other companies in foreign markets that have good performance history and join forces with them. The company can easily gain entry into foreign markets through mergers and acquisitions. Through mergers, Tesla will create joint ventures with potential competitors in the market while acquisitions will involve buy out of rival companies in the market. Mergers and acquisitions in foreign markets will enlarge the company’s customer base and also enhance intellectual capital as well as performance efficiencies of the resultant company (Benjamin, 2006). The second strategy that Tesla can use to expand into international markets is licensing. This strategy involves entering foreign markets through leasing a company’s intellectual property rights to a foreign firm (Kozami, 2005). Tesla can lease its technology, patents, brand name and trademark to companies in foreign markets. In this strategy, Tesla would be the licensor while the other companies to which it leases its intellectual property rights would be the licensee. Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt (2008) argue that â€Å"licensing is popular because it involves little direct cost or risk for the licensor (p.158). Despite the fact that this strategy offers a cheap foreign

Business decieon making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business decieon making - Assignment Example Whereas the institution will provide enough facilities for the students for proper learning, it will prepare them psychologically for the cramped state of the job market. Furthermore, the facility will provide students with practical skills for living positively. It is essential that students learn about life skills and the best ways to cope in the society and adhere to expected norms. Thus, although the institution will not be biased to any religious setting, it will labor to provide the right guidance to students and inculcate in them the significance of ethics and values. In so doing, the institution is set to give the students a mindset that will enable them fit anywhere in the world. Mission The institution’s mission is to train, prepare and mould students of sound character, life skills and with the knowledge of the real world and ability to fit and work anywhere in the globe while providing the best professional services and products Keys to Success The keys to success of the institution will be to ensure it indoctrinates Chinese way of education in the Libyan students. Whereas there will be adherence to the legally recognized syllabus of the Libyan people, the institution will instill Chinese Education system ethics that are geared towards preparing learners for the real world (The China Expat, 2013). Students will have the opportunity to have a feeling of the job market and innovative sphere before they get out of school. In so doing, everyone leaves school a prepared individual, copes well in the environment and becomes more productive than they would otherwise be. Company Summary Company Ownership The institution is owned by a group of Libyan graduates from China. The group is accomplished in matters of education. For the past four years, they have been working as tutors within the country. It is high time they thought their expertise in tutoring and experience in matters of Chinese education could help uplift the education standards of the co untry. They, therefore, have established the institution to aid vulnerable and needy students from the Libyan society. Company Start-Up Plan As stated earlier, the company is a creation of some Libyan graduates with expanse background and expertise in Chinese education system. These graduates from Libya and China have the passion and are highly motivated to start a miniature plan of Chinese education values in the country. The company has so far just began and is in its initial stages of start-up. The institution has started with 20 students in high school. It intends to increase its premises with time an open its doors to more students. The institution is set up to provide help to students with needs, and may not have an escalated expansion in the event that it does not obtain funds for the purpose. Market Analysis and Summary The institution intends to gather student population from all over the country. It will endeavor to reach out to all communities in the country and admit the neediest students in these communities. Whereas the founders believe that it may be impractical to help all students from needy backgrounds, it will labor to reach as many needy students as possible and change their lives. In addition to going out to the community, the institution will go into children’s centers and orphanages that have educational facilities only for the primary category. It will admit students who have finished their primary schooling

Content Area Teaching Assignment Research Paper - 1

Content Area Teaching Assignment - Research Paper Example However, this paper aims at stressing the flaws in the education system and teaching practices which contribute to the loss of interest amongst the students. The paper will focus on at least three web lessons, which would then be taken as a reference to explain how the teaching practices can be improved and the students’ motivation increased. One of the most important topics of study in world history is the relations between the superpowers – the relations marked by the cold war; this is an essential course for almost all students enrolled for elementary education level courses. For this reason, a lesson designed for students from Grade 9-12 will be taken as a reference; it has been published by the Oregon Public Broadcasting1. Apparently, the chapter has been designed in a very appealing yet credible manner for the students to become aware of the origins and major concepts relevant to the cold war. The chapter has been effectively divided into headings and subheadings to enhance the interest of the students in the content. The chapter opens with the narration describing how the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which began what is termed as the cold war era. The chapter also in the latter sections stresses the military and strategic dimensions of the motives behind the bombings, and explains how this event was the beginning of the cold war. Moreover, the chapter explains the policy of containment followed by the US in response to the policy of expansionism being pursued by the Soviet Union. It also stresses important dates where several events took place, explains how the concept of iron curtain was introduced and was a sole reason behind the origins of war. Moreover, this chapter sheds light on some of the reports which are crucial in this context. Though this is a well quoted and a well explained chapter, some of the students may find in monotonous and rather boring if not taught

Estimating power and privilege Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Estimating power and privilege - Essay Example When I think about my friend, I find that I use the same criteria to classify him. I think that the reason I do this is because it draws distinctions or highlights the differences between us and provides a framework for identifying both similarities and differences. He is a male, I am a female; there is a multitude of implied sociological, as well as biological, differences in that category. My family has lived in America for the last seven generations and his grandfather came to the United States from Mexico; the cultural identity distinctions are numerous, as is our reference grid for perceiving the world around us. I am single and he is married; this relationship status implies an enormous number of social factors that define us both in different ways. As for intelligence, we are both pursuing degrees in higher education; for this specific comparison, this is more of a distinction that highlights our similarities over our differences. Finally, I am here and he is in Los Angeles; which means that our daily lives look very different. These identity definitions ar e important for the purposes of understanding similarities and differences. I think the benefits of privilege, and certainly the abuse of power, are often found within these categories. In looking at the abuse side of things, i.e., discrimination based on gender or ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc., I can see that any classification system can be abused; but I don't see any other way to make the identifications and distinctions that help me perceive the world. b. Relative Power and Privilege. In a similar way as identity classification, my estimation of my own personal situation in terms of privilege follows similar distinction. On the whole, I would rate my personal circumstances as a seven. The criteria I use to give myself this rating are; living conditions, career opportunities, and recreational pursuits. I guess my thinking about my personal privilege status is guided by the things for which I am grateful. That is why I chose the categories above. I feel very privileged to have a safe and secure place to live, and plenty of food to eat; which makes me more privileged than much of the world's population. I am also very grateful for the career opportunities that lay before me, particularly after I finish my education. I know that I have more control over my future as a result of several privileges I enjoy. Finally, I chose recreational pursuits because those things make me happy. One reason my privilege score is so high is that I enjoy doing certain things and, when I engage in those activities, my quality of life and general mood are enhanced. If I were to have no time to play, because I had to spend every waking minute looking for food or working to stay alive, I would not be the privileged person I am right now. I don't know that I specifically rejected any other criteria for establishing my status, as much as I just followed my own internal logic. Certainly, there are many other categories of comparison that could be used to quantify privilege or power; but for me, the most important ones are those that directly impact my daily life and happiness. As I noted previously, my sense of privilege foll

IB economics internal assessment portfolio Essay

IB economics internal assessment portfolio - Essay Example However, the proportion of investment to GDP remains relatively unchanged, during the period of higher economic growth. The service sector in China is growing exponentially, which is not accounted for while calculating the GDP and the sector plays a crucial role in Chinese economy. Consistently high investment rate in China implies high rates of domestic saving which are exceptional not only by international standards, but more particularly for an economy at China's level of per capita GDP. Gross domestic product is the total value of new goods and services produced in a given year within the borders of a country, regardless of by whom. It is "gross" in the sense that it does not deduct depreciation of previously produced capital, in contrast to Net domestic product. There is two ways of calculating GDP, i.e., Income approach and expenditure approach. The income approach takes into account the income earned by the citizen. Sometime it is more important than GDP if a country has much foreign direct investment and many foreigners work in the country. Although about 70% of its population lives in the rural area, China's economic growth depends very much on the rapid expansion of manufacturing and service sector rather than on the agriculture, except for the earlier phase of the 1980s. The value added of industrial sector has accounted for 45% of China's GDP, while that of agriculture only about 10% and still declines. This gives rise to growing rural urban income disparity. The inequality within China has had mainly spatial dimensions, in terms of growing income and consumption inequality between rural and urban areas as well as across regions. Aggregate demand curve is the graph of quantity demanded as a function of price, normally downward sloping, straight or curved, and drawn with quantity on the horizontal axis and price on the vertical axis. In macro economy, aggregate demand curve indicates the various quantities of goods and services that purchasers are willing to buy at different price levels. The aggregate is negatively related to price. The inverse relationship between price and the amount demanded of a specific commodity, reflects the fact that consumers turn to substitutes when a price increase makes a good more expensive. The aggregate demand curve is downward sloping because of wealth effect on the consumption, interest rate effect on investment and the exchange rate effect on the net export. The aggregate supply curve reflects how the price is determined given the aggregate demand to aggregate capacity. The short-run aggregate supply curve indicates the various quantities of goods and services that firms wil l supply at different price levels during the period immediately following a change in the price level. The aggregate supply curve is upward sloping because with an increase in output the price or inflation rate will increase. Changes in aggregate demand cause the curve to shift outward (to the right) or inward (to the left). Changes in aggregate supply cause the curve to shift outward (down) or inward (up). Meanwhile increase in output also indicates the increase in employment and thus the decrease in unemployment rate. The unemployment is an important problem of micro economic theory which is calculated by the ratio of unemployment to the total labour force. There is a significant relation between

Political Ideology Essay Example for Free

Political Ideology Essay Abstract: Are these heady days for Nigerian political parties? This is the main question, which this paper addresses with emphasis on political ideology, being the first and most important vehicle of a political party. It is argued that despite all pretences to the contrary through their manifestoes, as much as the superficial classifications as the â€Å"left† and â€Å"right†, â€Å"progressive† and â€Å"conservative†, Nigerian parties seem to be bereft of clear ideological commitments. This conclusion is predicated upon the relegation of politics of issues to the background across the various republics, and in its place the ascendancy of identity and money politics. Other factors include the rising magnitude of political vagrancy on the basis of selfish and parochial interests, the high level of party indiscipline, absence/weakness of party cohesion and internal democracy, and the high mortality and turnover of party leadership. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of this for Nigeria’s democratization and democratic consolidation, before concluding with some recommendations. 1. Introduction. Are these heady days for Nigerian political parties? It does not seem so. Although, the decade of the 1990s witnessed the massive spread of what Huntington (1991) referred to as the â€Å"third wave† of democratization to Africa, including Nigeria, leading to an unprecedented resurgence of multiparty politics, there is no controversy about the fact that the mere adoption of party pluralism will not automatically advance the cause of democracy without the institutionalization of certain institutional parameters to promote and sustain due process in theory and practice (See, Bratton and Van de Walle, 1992; 1997; Sorensen, 612 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria 1993). One of the most complex and critical institutions of democracy is political party. Political parties, as â€Å"makers† of democracy, have been so romanticized that scholars have claimed that neither democracy nor democratic societies are thinkable without them. They not only perform functions that are government related, such as making government accountable and exercising control over government administration; and electorate related functions such as political representation, expression of people’s demand through interest articulation and aggregation as well as structuring of electoral choices; but also linkage related functions, playing an intermediary and mediatory role between the government and the electorate (see, Moore, 2002; Lapalombara and Anderson, 2001; Simon, 1962). Following Omotola (2005a) and Egwu (2005), Saliu and Omotola (2006) have pointed out that political parties can only cope effectively with these responsibilities to the extent of their political institutionalization in terms of structure, internal democracy, cohesion and discipline, as much as their autonomy. The element of party autonomy is very crucial. For, as Alli Mari Tripp has argued, and rightly so, those organizations that have asserted the greatest autonomy have generally been able to â€Å"select their own leaders, push for far-reaching agendas, and involve themselves in politics to a greater extent than organizations that have been tied to the regime/or dominant party, either formally or through informal patronage networks† (Tripp, 2001:101). A note of caution is necessary here to avoid confusion. The relationship between political parties and the state is a complex one. This is because it is the party that forms the government, the latter being the institution of the state. To now talk of a hard-line demarcation between the two may be unrealistic. Yet, the relationship should be well defined such that political parties, especially the one in power, as a critical segment of both the state and society, can enjoy some reasonable degree of â€Å"societal autonomy†, the absence of which poses serious threats to â€Å"political liberalization, democratization and democratic consolidation† (Tripp, 2001:105). In such a situation, multiparty democracy can be adapted for the â€Å"politicization of ethnicity and further 613 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria elite enrichment encouraging a confrontational and divisive system† (cf Dicklitch, 2002:205). The import of the foregoing discussion, to take a cue from Saliu and Omotola (2006:2), is that the level of political institutionalization of political parties and their institutional strengths are directly correlated to their ability to discharge their ascribed responsibilities, and by extension, the strengths of democracy. When well institutionalized, political parties can serve as a set of mediating institutions through which differences in ideas, interests and perception of political problems at a given time can be managed (Olagunju, 2000; Omotola, 2005a). However, when the reverse is the case, the democracy project and the general system stand the risk of perversion and eventual breakdown. Whatever the case, it is important to note that at the very heart of the success or otherwise of political party is the important question of political ideology. The issue of ideology has been so central to the activities of political parties across time and space that Anson D. Morse (1896:76) has argued that ideology, being the durable convictions held in common by party members in respect to the most desirable form, institutions, spirit and course of action of the state, determines the natural attitude of a party towards every public question (cf. Iyare, 2004:81). In an incisive piece on â€Å"political party convention†, Richard Davies and Vincent J. Strickler (1996:1025) similarly argue that â€Å"ideology functions as planks†, that is, single issue statements within the platform, the exact ideological orientation of which is often used as a bargaining chip in seeking party unity. Here, the platform connotes a statement of the official party position on a variety of issues. Okudiba Nnoli (2003:177-82) also concludes that ideology is a very crucial aspect of politics, not only by serving as a cognitive structure for looking at society generally and providing a prescriptive formula, that is, a guide to individual action and judgement, but also as a powerful instrument of conflict management, selfidentification, popular mobilization and legitimization. It may, therefore, be correct to assert that the first and most important vehicle of a political party, under an ideal situation, should be its ideological stance. 614 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria In reality, however, this is seldom the case. Perhaps, due to the shallowness of democratic roots especially in the developing countries, other forces of identity particularly ethnicity and religion would appear to have taken the place of ideology. The rising influence of money politics represents another crucial limiting dimension (see, Nugent, 2001a: 2001b; 2001c; 1999; 1995; Gros, 1998; Omotola, 2004). What is the situation with Nigerian parties? Put differently, do Nigerian parties have ideology? How has its ideological condition shaped and influenced the course of party politics in the country? The main thrust of this chapter is to critically engage these questions with a view to suggesting ways of reviving and raising the consciousness of Nigerian parties with regard to the centrality of ideology to party activities and effectiveness. The paper is organized into a number of sections. Firstly, it will analyze the place of ideology in political theory. The second substantive section situates Nigerian parties in historical perspectives, tracing briefly their origin and growth as a precursor to the analysis of the place of ideology in Nigerian parties across different epochs. The last substantive part of the paper, drawing on its immediate preceding section, engages the central question of whether Nigerian parties have ideology or not. It is argued that despite all pretences to the contrary through their manifestoes, as much as the superficial classifications as the â€Å"left† and â€Å"right†, â€Å"progressive† and â€Å"conservative† parties, Nigerian parties seem to be bereft of clear ideological commitments. This conclusion is predicated upon the relegation of politics of issues to the background across the various republics, and in its place the ascendancy of identity and money politics. Other factors include the rising magnitude of political vagrancy on the basis of selfish and parochial interests, the high level of party indiscipline, absence/weakness of party cohesion and internal democracy, and the high mortality and turnover of party leadership. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of this for Nigeria’s democratization and democratic consolidation, before concluding. 615 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria 2. Ideology and Political Theory. Ideology represents a typically crucial element of political parties and their activities. It is a set of ideas about politics, all of which are related to one another and that modify and support each other. Though relatively enduring, it is yet a dynamic phenomenon, capable of being modified by new issues. It was in this light that Philips W. Shively (1997) defines an ideology as â€Å"a continually developing, organized set of ideas about politics that helps us to make sense of the myriad of political questions that face use†. For Okudiba Nnoli, ideology typifies â€Å"a systematized and interconnected set of ideas about the socio-economic and political organization of society as a whole† (Nnoli, 2003: 178). The concept of ideology, is, historically, deeply rooted in political theory. As a concept, it was coined by the late eighteenth century French philosopher, Destutt de Tracy (1754 – 1836). According to Nnoli (2003:177), Destutt de Tracy used it to describe a new scientific discipline that systematically studies ideas, emotions and sensations – the science of ideas. This conception has since changed and ideology has come to embody the ideas themselves. As a result of the changes, ideology has come to be presented as a subject representing two contradictory realities – the good and the bad, the former depicting ideology as â€Å"a system of thought that animates social or political action†, and the latter as a â€Å"misleading, illusory or one-sided criticism or condemnation† (cf Nnoli, 2003:178-79). This was the kind of debate that dominated political discourse in the midnineteenth century. For instance, in their: The German Ideology, Marx and Engels (1960) took a swipe at Hegel and his-co-travelers, describing them as ideologists of the bourgeois system, not articulate about the material conditions of social and political life. Yet, they went ahead to articulate another conception of ideology based on class analysis as a device for articulating the conflicting interests of different social classes (Nnoli, 2003:178). 616 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria. From whatever perspective one looks as it, the reality of political life across political systems, developed or developing, is the fact of multiple political options from which inevitably, choice(s) must be made. At such critical crossroads, ideology provides a ready guide for appropriate action. Philips W. Shively posits that ideology is useful to people, both for their own personal ease and satisfaction and for their public political activities. At the individual level, ideology helps to make sense reasonably easily and quickly of the varied political questions that come to one’s attention. In terms of its public utilities, it helps people to make persuasive arguments convincingly to enlist popular support for a given public policy (Shively, 1997:46 – 47). On the whole, therefore, ideology is an indispensable element of politics. It does not only serve as a major instrument of state power, playing major role in the acquisition, use and consolidation of power, but also functions as political lifeline for the animation of politics, forcing individuals and groups alike to make political judgment, especially in the face of competing and conflicting divides, as between capitalism and socialism, during the Cold War. On these notes, Nnoli (2003:181-83) summarizes the functions of ideology as that of providing: A cognitive structure for looking at society generally, be serving as an explanatory and justificatory category for societal realities; A prescriptive formula – a guide to individual action and judgment as a basis for the legitimization of public polities when in conformity with popular belief; An instrument of conflict management and the integration of society by limiting the basic values and issues over which societal members and disagree; A means of self-identification for the satisfaction of specific personality needs, a means of self-evaluation and social solidarity; A dynamic force in both individual and collective commitment action for or against the ruling class or decision. That is, it provides a powerful basis for mobilization; 617 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria Enhancement of the political appeals of a political party, by differentiating one party from another; and Negatively, may serve not only as a serious impediment to national integration and suppress the underprivileged, but also to disguise authoritarian rule. This is because, it tends to provide individuals with â€Å"imaginary avenues of escape from the harsh realities of social life† (Nnoli, 2003:183). It is important to note that ideologies do have certain defining attributes. Most notable among these include the fact that they are not simply the creation of those who hold them. Rather, they tend to take on a life of their own and guide the political views of their holders in unanticipated ways (see, Price and Sullivan, 1980; Freeden, 1996). In most cases, ideologies originate from seemingly irreconcilable antagonistic settings, tend to be exclusive, absolute and universal in character; and can be personalized and turned into a sacred belief similar to religious beliefs. While it is not entirely permanent, it is, however, resistant to fundamental changes (see, Sibley, 1970; Nnoli, 2003; Enemuo, 1999). Some illustrations suffice. Across time and space, various forms of ideologies have emerged at different times, Marxism and not in the least, African socialism. For space constraints, we can not examine each of these here. It is however important to note that most of these ideologies do fit correctly to the aforementioned attributes. For instance, almost all such ideologies such as conservatism and socialism emerged in situation of acute social strain, in response to liberalism and capitalism respectively. While liberalism emphasizes individualism (freedom, liberty), conservatism harps on collectivism characteristic of welfarist states. Despite their long history, attacks and counterattacks against each other, both liberalism and conservation still remain prominent ideologies in western democracies particularly the United States of American and Great Britain (see, Rudolph, Jr. , 1996; Kay, 1976). Today, the emphasis in political theory is predominantly on democratic ideology. David Howarth 618 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria defines a democratic ideology as one involving the classification and analysis of different types of democratic ideologies, as they are articulated and function in concrete societies. It includes various democratic forms and institutions as capitalist/liberal democracy and radical democracy. It also reflects on the differences within a given type such as direct and indirect variants of liberal democracy (Howarth, 2001: 191-94). Essentially, democratic ideology centers on the way in which the language and rhetoric of democracy function as a tool of ideological justification and legitimization by political elites and ruling classes. It also focuses on cultural and ethnical conditions for the proper functioning of liberal democratic states and societies, requiring in the least, a belief in or at least an acceptance of democracy (see, Putnam, 1993; 1995; 1996). Above all, democratic ideology typifies the use of democracy by social groups and political forces to constitute their identities and advance their interests. Here, according to Howarth (2001:193), â€Å"democracy is itself a key ideological element in political mobilization and struggle, and is used to create political frontiers between differently located social groups and agencies. Democratic ideology therefore captures the whole essence of our theoretical postulations on the centrality of ideology to the exploits of political parties. What needs to be added is that an umbrella party (Catch-All Party) that seeks to appeal to diverse interests, usually by adopting a general or vague platform, may not necessarily stick to only one ideology and vice versa. This is the case in the United States where in the two dominant parties – Democrats and Republican – there are Liberals, Moderates and Conservatives. The reverse is the case in Great Britain where the Labour and Conservative parties are each highly centralized and less catch-all in nature than American parties (see, Rudolph, Jr. , 1996: 1021). Yet, in either case, the parties are known for their well-defined and distinct ideologies. 619 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria 3. Origin and Growth of Nigerian Parties Philips, W. Shively (1997:200) observed that although political party had turned to be useful for a variety of tasks that require control or communication, it was first invented for more limited and self serving purposes. This observation aptly captures the Nigerian reality. At its inception in 1923, precisely 24 June, 1923, following the introduction of the elective principle by the Clifford constitution, Nigerian parties had very limited and self-serving objectives. The main objective was perhaps, that of buying legitimacy for the colonial government through very limited franchise restricted to Lagos and Calabar. Richard Sklar, in his seminal work – Nigerian Political Parties – demonstrates articulately how the emergence of political associations such as the People’s Union, was only in response to the prevailing realities of colonial administration (Sklar, 1963; Coleman, 1958). Little wonder, when the first political party in Nigeria, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) emerged in 1923, under the leadership of Herbert Macaulay, its activities were restricted to contesting elections into the Lagos city council. For years, the UNDP was hegemonic in its dominance in electoral politics in the country. This was to be challenged by the Lagos Youth Movement latter Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM)- formed in 1934 and defeated the NNDP for the three seats allocated to Lagos that year. By 1944, the increasing tempo of nationalist agitation had resulted in the formation of another political party – the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon (CNCN), under the leadership of Herbert Macaulay and later Nnamdi Azikwe (see, Sklar, 1968: 46-50). This was followed, in quick succession, by the transformation of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa, a Yoruba sociocultural organization, into a political party, the Action Group (AG) in 1950 under the leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Northern People Congress (NPC) in 1959 with dominance in the northern region. By 1951, a breakaway faction of the NPC consisting mainly of radical youths based in Kano formed the Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU). These parties dominated the political landscape of the country particularly in their respective regions in the 620 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria march towards independence and in the First Republic (see, Dudley, 1973; Sklar, 1963). Although the Second Republic (1979 – 1983) witnessed the emergence of more political parties, there was no much difference with what obtained under the First Republic. Rather, what happened was the reincarnation of parties of the First Republic under different nomenclatures with some additional parties. The parties included the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) replacing the NPC, AG and NCNC, respectively. Others were the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Great Nigerian Peoples Party (GNPP), and later Nigerian Advance Party (NAP), which was registered in 1982, after failing the first round in 1978 (Osaghae, 1998). These parties constituted major actors in the Second Republic. Under the aborted Third Republic, there was a fundamental change in the mode of party formation in Nigeria. This pertains to the official formation of parties by the state after a series of experiments with different political associations (see, Oyediran and Agbaje, 1991). The parties were the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC), the former being a little to the left and the latter a little to the right (see, Olagunju, et al, 1993:216; Omoruyi, 2002). This development, executed after the dissolution of the thirteen associations that applied for registration has been as part of the grand design to execute a â€Å"hidden agenda† to perpetuate the military regime in power (Osaghae, 1998:220). The eventual annulment of the 12 June 1993 presidential election by the military regime of general Babangida lends some credence to this claim. The country once again returned to multi-party democracy in 1999 following the transition inaugurated and successfully completed by General Abdulsalm Abubakar. Initially, three political parties – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Peoples Party (APP), later All Nigerian People Party (ANPP), and the Alliance for Democracy (AD) were registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). By December 2002, the number of registered parties rose to thirty (30), while additional three 621 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria political parties were registered in January/February 2006 (see, Simbine, 2005; Onu and Momoh, 2005). This presupposes the opening up of the political space for democratic opportunities and development. But in reality, the opportunities associated with such openings are yet to be positively exploited for the political development of the country. This may not be unconnected with the poverty of ideology that characterizes Nigerian parties, as will be demonstrated in the next section. 4. Nigerian Parties and Ideological Dispositions Let us begin with parties of the First Republic, that is, the NPC, NCNC and AG. Ideologically, the NPC was an essentially conservative and elitist party, while the AG and NCNC appeared to be progressive and welfarist, predicated upon socialist ideology. Even at that, it may be difficult to delineate the very ideological orientation of these parties. They, however, share a common feature of ethno-regional ideology, seeking to capture and consolidate power in their respective spheres of influence/region. They were also driven by a commitment to the nationalist struggle, though in varying degrees, against colonialism. The ambiguity as regards their ideological disposition can further be gleaned from the pattern of alignment between/among the parties. For example, the resolve of the NPC and NCNC, two ideologically incompatible parties, the former to the right and the latter to the left, to enter into the alliance that formed the government during the First republic attests to this. Scholars have pointed out that the alliance was a â€Å"marriage of inconvenience†, and would have been better between the AG and NCNC. Because the alliance was not informed by a commitment to a belief system and principles espoused by party ideology, it crumbled, sooner than expected, like a park of cards (see, Dudley, 1993; Post and Vickers, 1973; Olaniyi, 1997:87). In terms of ideological orientations, parties of the Second Republic would appear, safe for the GNPP, to be the reincarnations of the parties of the moribund First Republic. 622 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria For this and related reasons, there were no fundamental differences in party politics and activities, as the country was â€Å"once again mired in a vituperative and vicious politics† (Yaqub, 2002; 125). This was graphically captured by the unprecedented pace of intra and inter-party factionalization and conflicts. Political vagrancy permeates the political landscape, leaving in its wake major realignments and coalitions among the parties (see, Osaghae, 1998:139 – 44). Notably, the formation of the so-called forum of the â€Å"progressive† governors consisting of PRP, GNPP, NPP and UPN was unable to survive long, as the ruling NPN used its federal might and patronage to attract decampees from other parties. Eventually, it succeeded in wooing the NPP of the East, in a manner reminiscent of the First Republic into an alliance, which like the earlier one, collapsed sooner than expected. The eventual breakdown of the alliance marked the beginning of internal crisis for the NPP, following the refusal of some of its top leaders particularly Mathew Mbu and Professor Ishaya Audu to resign their appointments in government (Osaghae, 1998:140). Logically, it may be argued that if the parties had been guided by a clear commitment to a particular belief system and principles, much of the crisis and contradictions that characterized party politics under the Second Republic could have been averted. But, since the parties were motivated largely by ethnic competition for power through their respective ethnic champions, nothing more could have been expected. As Osaghae has argued, while the instrumentalist†, to the attainment of this feat (1998:144). The degeneration of party politics through political vagrancy, elite factionalization and weak institutionalization led to the military coup of December 31, 1983 that brought the Second Republic into an abrupt end. Yet, the NPP and GNPP appeared to be liberal in ideology with a strong belief in mixed economy; the NPN conservative with emphasis on free market system and respect for traditional institutions. The PRP, a leftist and most radical party had a populist, antineocolonial agenda and advocates social revolution and income redistribution; and the UPN; the most disciplined, socialist/welfarist in orientation was based on the 623 J Shola Omotola, MS., Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria philosophy of free education and heath care delivery (see, Ujo, 2000:91-102; Osaghae, 1998:118-122). The aborted Third Republic witnessed a new experiment in party formation, when for the first time in the history of party politics in Nigeria; the government created and imposed two political parties on the system. Ordinarily, the existence of two political parties should represent two different ideological camps, as has been the case between the Labour and Conservative parties in Britain and Democrats and Republican parties in the USA. This was not the case with respect to the SDP and NRC in Nigeria. Although, while one was a little to the left and other a little to the right, nothing much differentiates the parties, at least not in ideological dispositions (see, Jinadu, 1995; Lewis, 1994; Oyediran and Agbaje, 1991; Adejumobi, 1997). Yaqub (2002:128) had written about party politics under the Third Republic that: The way incompatibility had been manifested in the two parties †¦ was not fundamentally due to serious ideological divisions (in any case, the manifestoes of the parties, despite phrase – mongering of â€Å"a little to the left†, and â€Å"a little to the right†, did not articulate much programme differences), but to assert, that even if we are to borrow Babangida’s words, the â€Å"old lines of cleavages and primordial loyalties† once again simply asserted themselves. If parties of previous republics were found wanting on ideological stance and commitment, those of the Fourth Republic are obviously worse. Omoruyi (2002:8) has noted that the manner of origin of the parties does not fit into what we know from literature, their composition fluid and unstable, and can be viewed as mere instruments of transition from military to civil rule. And for the future and with the prospect for more parties, â€Å"they raise more questions than answers to the lingering political problems for Nigeria†. According to him, the PDP, for example, draws its founders from â€Å"all and sundry political persuasions: conservatives, radicals and progressives† (Ghali – Na’bba, 624 J Shola Omotola, MS., Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria 2001: cf Omoruyi, 2002:8), most of whom supported the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and flirted with the military during the annulment and in the post-annulment period; including some serving as ministers or members of the ING or as member of the Abacha undemocratic constitutional conference or as leaders of some of the five political parties set up and managed by General Abacha’s aides that finally endorsed him as the sole presidential candidate in April 1998 (Omoruyi, 2002:8-9). The APP did not differ in any respect as its founders also served as ministers or as aides in different parts of the country under Abacha. The AD that looks different was, however, affected by its inability to meet the federal character clause in the constitution and up till today remains essentially a Yoruba party. It was perhaps the foregoing faulty origin and precarious foundations of these parties that have been largely responsible for their seeming ideological barrenness. Although, the PDP and APP (ANPP) were status quo parties, given their capitalist and conservative dispositions; and the AD progressive and radical in appearance, none of them seems to have clear policy positions as a basis of popular mobilization and legitimacy of their actions. Judging by their activities, it has been observed that â€Å"there’s almost nothing to chose, between PDP and other parties in terms of ideological learning† (Iyare, 2004:92). Simbine (2002:2005:23) has also observed that the manifestoes of the first three political parties were â€Å"essentially the same in content†, as they were not crafted differently, and the strategies for achieving objectives did not differentiate parties from each other. In a seeming self-indictment passage, Jerry Gana, a former Minister of Information and PDP stalwart observes: In terms of cohesion and firm ideological learning, there is a problem but PDP will be transformed, PDP will be strong, PDP will be strengthened ideological, PDP will be more organized, PDP will be in power for 30 years (quoted in Iyare, 2004:94). 625 J Shola Omotola, MS. , Redeemer’s University, Move, Ogun State, Nigeria Given the obvious poverty of ideology that characterizes the first three political parties of the Fourth Republic, PDP, APP and AD, it should not be surprising that almost all the other parties that sprang up or broke away from them did no do so because of ideological disagreements. Neither was it that they have articulated alternative views of governance for sustainable democracy and development as a viable basis of popular mobilization to wrestle power from the incumbent party. Rather, they were products of adversarial elite behaviour taken to the points of irreconcilability. Little wonder, these parties also have no ideological stance on major national questions other than the transformation and manipulation of forces of identity particularly ethnicity and religion (see, Simbine, 2005). The implication is that the â€Å"so-called political parties are not in competition with one another. They are in factions; these factions are more in competition within themselves than with another party† (Omoruyi, 2002:17). An informed observer and consistent scholar of Nigerian politics captures the scenario thus: Unfortunately, the succeeding generations of party leaders, despite having their forbearers’ legacies to draw from and better educational background into the bargain, have not demonstrated this perspicacity.