And Still We Rise – Essay

If you had different hardships in your life would you be a different person? The answer is most likely yes. A person’s character is based upon the experiences they have been through. â€Å"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant,† –Horace. In â€Å"And Still We Rise† by Miles Corwin, Corwin shares the lives of inner city kids who still strive to succeed and go to college although the circumstances they are dealt with have told them otherwise. Some of the kids that dealt with bad hands were Toya, Olivia, and Willie. The struggles that they went through are impetuous. Growing up, Toya never knew her biological father. Instead she lived with her mom and stepfather. Toya would often see the two arguing and eventually it came to her stepfather beating her mother up on his drinking binges. Finally her mother getting so tired of this abuse grabbed her two daughters and took shelter. Although, once Toya’s mother could not afford the nightly shelter fee she arranged for her girls and herself to stay with a friend. When she went home one day to get the girls’ clothes her husband strangled her to death. Toya walked in the bathroom to find her mother dead on the floor. After the murder of her mother, Toya and her sister were sent to a group home and later to their aunt’s house. Toya was sexually abused by her stepfather who had a huge effect on her. She later became pregnant and gave birth to a boy during her junior year. This ruined a lot for her in school. She was now going to study at home, return to high school the next year and attend college. â€Å"I didn’t have time to think about tomorrow. I had to survive today,† (47). Her plans were completely ruined when both her aunt and cousin kicked her out. She could not graduate from high school but instead got her GED and will attend college with the help of her church. Like Toya, Willie’s parents were divorced. Willie lived with his mother and siblings until she was arrested. His mother had an addiction to cocaine and often left her children home for long periods of time. They were then separated into several different houses never to live with together again. Willie ended up living with his dad who was constantly working. He strived in school because he didn’t want to end up like his parents. One afternoon Willie saw his mother passed out in a yard in the neighborhood. When things went wrong, all Willie could do was cry and be sad because he really had no one to turn to. Later in the year, Willie became homecoming king which symbolized to him that he did not let the past reflect the way he would end up. â€Å"Being named homecoming king was a powerful symbol to him that his past had not defined him nor deterred him from success,† (244). He finished high school and later went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia for business. Willie did not let what his mother did or the lack of authority affect his success in going to college and quitting the cycle of his parents. From the beatings her mother gave her to going AWOL after hating foster homes, Olivia’s life was far from perfect. When Olivia was a teenager she was a ward of the county, hopping from one group home to another. Other girls would steal her clothes and chase her around with a hot iron. She went AWOL shortly after that, living in her own apartment, having a crazy work schedule, that was just her life. Whenever she had financial issues she would return to her social worker and yet again be put into a foster home. One time she went AWOL though and couldn’t afford rent anymore, she was going to drop out of high school, when her counselor, Braxton, convinced her otherwise. â€Å"I don’t think God make you do good, or the devil makes you do evil. In the end it’s up to you,† Olivia said one day in English class (Corwin 43). Unfortunately, Olivia didn’t always make the right choices. She was caught forging a check, but because she does not have any parents she was sent to jail to serve time. This all happened during Olivia’s senior year so she couldn’t take her AP exam but was allowed to finish high school. She was released from jail in time for college and went. She is now doing extremely well and helping kids in group homes every Saturday morning. Through hard times, good times will shine through. These kids were given such difficult lives and it was their decision to do what that wanted with their lives. It is a lot harder to succeed when you have so much hate around you, but a lot of these students decided to persevere and make a better life for themselves. â€Å"Remember the past. Cherish the present. Conquer the future,† (398). Those were the encouraging words of Danielle, who was the valedictorian, during graduation. If everyone could just remember that saying, it would be a better world and all those hard trials would all be worth it.

Managing Oil Wealth: An Exploration Of Lessons Emerging Oil Nations Can Learn From Norway And Uk

Abstract Several oil producing and exporting countries have fallen under the pitfalls of the resource curse phenomena and the â€Å"Dutch disease’. Research studies have explored extensively in this area with most studies taking the view that resource rich countries experience slow economic growth compared to resource poor countries. Contrary to what should constitute common sense, countries that are endowed with abundant natural resources experience unbalanced economic growth compared to countries with fewer resources Against this popular view, this proposal seeks to demonstrate how emerging economies in Africa can escape the resource curse. In particular, the proposal seeks to demonstrate how oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK can assist emerging oil nations like Ghana and Uganda to manage their natural resources. The paper identifies important literature sources which will be reviewed and outlines the methodological framework that will be used. The paper also identifies some of the limitations to its research approach and highlights ways in which reliability, validity and research limitations are to be addressed. Introduction The impact of natural resources on economic and social development of a nation has been a controversial discussion for decades. Whilst oil exploration is associated with wealth creation and economic development, the nexus between oil, conflict and democratic failures is widely documented in literature (Basedau & Lay 2009). Despite evidence that oil exploration can act as a catalyst for development, many of the resource-rich countries have not benefited from oil production but have instead experienced great poverty and unstable living conditions, a phenomenon known as the ‘resource curse’. Nigeria and Angola are prime examples of the resource curse. Despite being the largest oil producers in Africa and despite generating higher revenues from oil booms, Angola and Nigeria still remain amongst the poorest countries in the world. The natural endowment in both of these nations has not been positively correlated with economic growth and social progress (Andre 2010). In Angola, for instance, majority of its population still live in extreme poverty, living on less than $2 per day (Hammond 2011). Similarly in Nigeria, despite having explored substantial oil for 50 years, oil production has not translated to substantial socioeconomic development and poverty rate remain extremely high with majority of the population living on less than US$1 per day (Muller 2010). In fact, the current poverty rate of 50% in Nigeria far exceeds that before the oil boom (35%) (Mahler 2010). Further, oil exploration in Nigeria has led to chronic internal instability and violent conflicts (Muller 2010). Recently, Uganda discovered commercially viable oil deposits in the Albertine Graben region which will see the country joining the club of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) (Bainomugisha et al. 2006). The discovery of oil in Uganda has raised hopes that the country will generate substantial growth from the oil revenues and escape the fangs of biting poverty. Similarly, in December 2010, Ghana joined the ranks of oil exporting countries. Just last year, the average oil production in Ghana was reported at 68,000bbl per day (Kapela 2012). This production is expected to continue over the next 20 years. Problem statement With the emerging countries such as Uganda and Ghana positioning themselves to join the club of oil producing and exporting countries (OPEC), it remains unclear whether the pitfalls that have faced may of the resource-rich countries in Africa will similarly affect these economies. How can the emerging economies leverage their oil wealth to become economic stars without succumbing to the pitfalls of the ‘resource curse’(Bainomugisha et al. 2006). Whilst the availability of commercially viable oil resources may present these economies with an opportunity to boost their growth and reduce the biting fangs of poverty; the nexus between oil exploration and conflict and governance issues is widely documented. Can Ghana and Uganda find a way out of the resource curseHow would these economies address issues of governance, accountability and transparency which have seen resources in many of the oil producing nations in Africa becoming a curse instead of a blessingThese are some of the questions that linger in the minds of many people especially considering that countries like Angola, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea have not been able to escape the resource curse (Bainomugisha et al. 2006) Research aims/ objectives: The specific objectives of this study will be as follows: To explore the potential challenges new oil nations such as Ghana and Uganda might face in oil and gas wealth management To critically examine and evaluate the oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK. To study the differences and similarities of the petroleum policies of Norway and UK. Literature review A number of research studies have explored extensively in the area of resource curse. Before examining some of these studies, it is worthwhile to first consider the resource curse thesis and explain what is meant by the popular ‘Dutch disease’. As such the literature will first begin with a description of the resource curse phenomena and the so called ‘Dutch disease’. This shall be followed by an analysis of transparency and accountability, good governance, revenue management and fiscal policies which have enabled Norwegian government to limit the ‘dutch disease effects and to build a competent national oil industry. Resource curse and the Dutch disease The two terms ‘resource curse’ and the ‘Dutch disease’ are somewhat related. Both presumably arise from resource riches but take on different forms. On the one hand, resource curse refers to a phenomenon in which countries that are rich in natural resources tend to experience slow growth despite their abundant and rich resources. Contrary to what should constitute common sense, countries that are endowed with abundant natural resources experience unbalanced economic growth compared to countries with fewer resources (Cotet & Tsui 2009). On the other hand, the Dutch disease is a term used by scholars to describe a phenomenon in which exports of the resource result in a rapid contraction in the non-resource traded goods sector (Larsen 2004). In essence, the ‘Dutch disease’ describes a situation where in export of natural resources bring about appreciation in real exchange rate which make exportation of non-natural resource commodities difficult (Andre 2010). This has been particularly the case in Angola where oil exploration has led to the reallocation of productive factors and an appreciation in real exchange rate. As a result, most of the sectors have either declined or stagnated with exception of the oil sector. A large volume of literature have explored on the resource curse phenomenon, often linking the extraction of natural resources to conflicts, corruption, civil war and economic decline. For example, studies by Humphreys (2005), Ross (2006) and Fearon (2005) have found natural resources as providing both finance and motive for armed conflict. Auty (2001) also points out that resource rich countries have since the 1960s underperformed in terms of economic growth, often being outperformed by the resource-poor countries by a considerable margin. Similar findings have been reported by Sachs & Warner (2001), Gylfason et al. (1999) and Leite & Weidmann (1999). Recently, a study by Neumayer (2004) which explored on the relationship between natural resource abundance and economic growth, with growth measured in terms of ‘genuine income’ (GDP less the depreciation of natural capital), produced the same results. Studies by Ross (2006), Fearson (2005) and Humphreys (2005) have similarly provided evidence supporting the resource curse thesis. Indeed a large number of authors have shown that the resource curse thesis is a demonstrable empirical fact. This thesis has become a popular view and is even encountered in the popular press. Scholars have widely acknowledged this view as a fact. Rather than critically exploring this causal relationship further to determine other variables that may be shaping this relationship, most of the scholars have instead researched the various ways through which the decline in growth is manifest (Cotet & Tsui 2009). As such, there exist relatively fewer studies that dispute the resource curse hypothesis. Against the popular view, this proposal argues that nothing is inherently cursed about oil and that oil exploration does not have to take a grim picture as has been the case in the past. The UK and Norway have responsibly managed their oil exploration activities and bore sustainable, fully integrated economies and stable welfare societies (Bainomugisha et al. 2006). Similarly, it is possible for Uganda and Ghana to avoid the so-called resource curse and to translate their oil discovery into sustainable gains. Transparency and accountability Corruption is without doubt a huge problem that has continued to hinder growth and development in resource rich countries. It is central in explaining the resource curse phenomena. Two prominent contributions by Mehlum et al. (2006) and Robinson et al. (2006) point out to corruption as key issue, in the form of rent seeking and patronage. However, there is an emerging consensus that transparency and accountability can help curb corruption and other dysfunctions of resource-rich developing countries (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). A number of initiatives have been undertaken to improve transparency and accountability in resource rich countries. For example, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has been developed to increase transparency in revenues generated from extractive industries such as oil and minerals (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). Other initiatives include the Transparency obligation initiative of the EU, and The IMF Guide on Resource Revenue Transparency. The proposal, however, does not seek to elaborate on these initiatives in detail as it is beyond the scope of study. Whilst there is strong empirical evidence pointing to the relationship between transparency and less corruption, it should be recognized that transparency on its own is not sufficient to address the resource curse. The effect of transparency on corruption is in fact conditional on education (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). At an individual country level, it is difficult to illustrate the conditional effect of transparency. However, if we a draw comparison between countries such Angola and Liberia, it becomes easier. Both countries have become more transparent following the end of the civil wars. Despite being transparent, the level of corruption has only been reduced in Liberia, as measured by the Kaufmann control of corruption index (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). Angola, on the other hand, has not seen any significant improvements. Furthermore, transparency may not necessarily address issues of corruption and may instead further exacerbate this problem. For example, whilst transparency makes it possible to identify corrupt officials, it can as well make it easier to identify relevant officials that may be bribed. That is, it reveals to potential bribers persons who can be contacted in order to acquire an unfair advantage. The identification effect may thus dominate the detection effect thereby further exacerbating problems of corruption. Whilst transparency is one of the ways through which countries can avoid the resource curse, at present, there exist no systematic studies exploring the relative impact of transparency in comparison to other feasible policies (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). Whether transparency is more appropriate to other policy alternatives thus remains an issue for further research. Good governance The issue of transparency and accountability is closely tied with good governance. Recent studies exploring the resource curse phenomena have stressed the importance of having in place good governance to ensure transformation of resource rents into favourable development outcomes. In particular, two prominent contributions see good governance as key to avoiding the resource curse. According to Mehlum et al (2006), resource rents tend to draw skilled workforce out of productive activities and into rent-seeking. As such, the key to addressing this problem is to increase attractiveness of the productive sector by having in place good institutions. Sharing a somewhat similar view, Robinson et al. (2006) argues that patronage is the main cause of resource curse. Hence, they suggest that the key to avoiding it is putting in place institutions that will limit the government’s ability to distribute public sector positions to political supporters. Revenue management Democracy is yet another issue of great importance. Studies by Ross (2001) and Aslasken (2007) have shown that oil hinders democracy. These authors have attributed this hindrance to the rentier effect. Since governments have control over substantial revenues from oil booms, they can hinder democracy through patronage, that is, by providing its supporters with certain advantages such as public sector positions. In order to address the resource curse, there is need for proper management and optimal use of revenues. Natural resources are exhaustible in nature and as such may be rendered obsolete. Measurements of permanent income thus have to take account of these characteristics. Spending must be based on present value of expected revenues, having taken into consideration uncertainty of the prices and the time of resource depletion (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). In other words, revenues ought to be saved and properly managed to ensure a permanent stream of income. Fiscal policies Fiscal policies also have an important role to play in addressing the problem of resource curse and the â€Å"Dutch disease† which can be minimized through decoupling of fiscal policy from revenue fluctuations. This is made possible through containment of fiscal spending, inflation and containment of nominal exchange rate appreciation (Coutinho 2011). Norway is a prime example of a country that has benefited from its fiscal policies. To avoid overspending its oil revenues, Norway adopted fiscal guidelines in 2001. Norway’s fiscal guidelines include a rule that ensures that the central government’s non-oil structural deficit is within 4% of the expected real return on Petroleum Fund assets (Coutinho 2011). This conservative approach which the Norwegian government has taken has enabled it to counter the uncertainty of its oil wealth. As pointed out by Jafarov & Moriyama (2005), Norwegian’s oil revenue policy has enabled the country to limit the Dutch disease effects by protecting the non-resource sectors from the impact of fluctuations in petroleum prices. Whilst the Norwegian oil policy could be regarded as a prime example of a successful policy framework, Humphrey & Sandbu (2007) have pointed out that the institutional restrictions imposed by Norway’s fund on policy makers are weak and may not be effective in environments with weak institutional framework. Nonetheless, the Norwegian oil policy has enabled the country to built a competent national oil industry which has been well-managed up to date (Ryggvik 2010). UK and Norway as oil and gas countries. The UK and Norway are prime examples of countries which have successfully managed their natural resource wealth. In particular Norway, which is currently the second largest export of oil across the world, shows no symptoms of a resource abundance curse. However, one factor that may be pointed out that differentiates the experience of Norway from the other oil producing countries is the timing of natural resource discovery. Unlike many other OPEC countries, the discovery of oil occurred at a time when Norway was already a developed country (Mehboob 2012). Nonetheless, the Norwegian government has successfully managed its natural resources, escaping the resource curse which has afflicted many of the OPEC countries. In fact, Norway was ranked as number one in the democracy index by a recent UK economic intelligence report. This decision was based on a number of criteria including transparency, accountability, election freedom and fairness, influence of foreign powers and ability to implement policies (Campbell 2012). Voluminous research has also shown that good policies and good governance have been central to the success of Norwegian oil sector. From this lengthy literature survey, two observations can be made. First, whilst there is strong evidence pointing to the association between natural resource abundance and adverse outcomes on the economy, the evidence is by no means conclusive. The second observation is that there are no adequate accounts for the role of social forces or political environments in shaping development outcomes. Research has tended to take a reductionist approach, explaining development performance solely in terms of the size and a country’s endowment of the natural resources. Although a consensus is emerging that the relationship between a country’s resource wealth and development outcomes may be shaped by certain political and social variables; scholars have tended to ignore these variables and instead taken the view that resource rich countries experience slow growth compared to resource poor countries. Contrary to this view, this proposal demonstrates how emerging economies in Africa can escape the resource curse which has afflicted many of the petro-countries. Whilst there is strong evidence linking the ‘resource curse theorem’ with poor development outcomes in many of the resource rich countries in Africa, emerging economies such as Uganda and Ghana can avoid this phenomena by ensuring good governance, transparency and accountability, effective revenue management and implementing fiscal policies that would help build competent national oil industries. The UK and Norway are prime examples of countries that have successfully managed their oil wealth. Emerging economies can learn from these two countries. Research questions This research study seeks to address the following research questions: How can new and emerging oil nations ensure realization of oil and gas policies to avoid the resource curse How can the oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK assist emerging oil nations like Ghana and Uganda Research methodology Research strategy/Approach Whether one is familiar with a dissertation topic or not, it is important to have in a place a research strategy that will help the researcher to collect the necessary data for analysis. In this regard, a research strategy is a methodological approach that is taken by the researcher to investigate a particular research issue. As defined by Saunders et al. (2009), it is a general plan that guides the researcher in investigating a particular research issue. In a similar vein, Bryman (2008) defines research strategy as â€Å"a general orientation to the conduct of research† (pp698). Saunders et al. (2009) further states that a particular strategy has to be selected based on research objectives and questions, extent of existing knowledge about the topic under study, time and availability of resources, and the philosophical underpinnings of the researcher ( Saunders et al. 2009, p.600). Based on this criterion, different research strategies may be employed by the researcher. Whilst there are various research strategies, Saunders et al (2009) and Yin (2003) acknowledge that a large overlap exists among these strategies. As such, of great importance would be to select the most advantageous strategy. Among the most commonly used research strategies are survey, experiment, case study, ethnography, grounded theory, cross sectional studies and participative inquiry among others. The proposed dissertation seeks to employ a case study research strategy. While examining the overall emerging economies in Africa, the study will devote particular focus to Uganda and Ghana as the case studies. Rationale for selecting case study research approach According to Robson (2002), a case study research strategy refers to a research strategy that involves an observed investigation of a particular phenomenon within a real life context (Robson 2002: p.178). Case study is considered ideal for the proposed dissertation as it allows the researcher to focus on the specific context, and for in-depth investigation of the issue at hand. Further, Case study research has been preferred over other research strategies as the research questions take the form of ‘how’. This research study has been developed to answer to the research questions: 1. how can new and emerging oil nations ensure realization of oil and gas policies to avoid the resource curse2. How can the oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK assist emerging oil nations like Ghana and Uganda? It is evident that the research questions predominantly consist of ‘how’ type of research questions, hence suited for a case study research. Chetty (1996) also points out that case study research is important as it leads to the observation of new insights that would otherwise not have emerged with other research strategies such as surveys. The qualitative case study will explore the oil and gas management policies and theories in Norway and UK, and examine how emerging nations, particularly Uganda and Ghana, can learn from these countries which have built competent oil sectors. The case study strategy is expected to capture the complexity surrounding management of oil wealth in these emerging economies. Qualitative method A number of scholars have differentiated between qualitative and quantitative research. One of the key issues that have been used to draw distinction between the two is the nature of data. With quantitative research method, the data is hard, objective and standardized. But with qualitative method, the data is rich and deep (Corbetta 2003). Bickman et al. (1998) and Maxwell (1998) have further added interactivity as one of the features of qualitative research. The nature of data needed for the proposed dissertation is rich and deep. The richness of the information is necessary in order to identify the current management practices employed by Norway and the UK in the management of their oil wealth which will then be reflected in designing an applicable management model for emerging countries such as Uganda and Ghana. Data collection The research question: ‘how can new and emerging oil nations ensure realization of oil and gas policies to avoid the resource curse?’ requires an extensive amount of investigation. As such in-depth interviewing is deemed more appropriate for this study. Interviews will be used as the primary source of collecting data. Interviews will be conduct with key informants in Norway and the UK who will shed a light on the policies governing the management of oil and provide an explanation as to how these economies have been able to escape the resource curse phenomena and the ‘Dutch disease’. The interviewees will comprise of key informants in the oil industry such as the local leaders and policy practitioners, international and national diplomats, and policy drivers in transnational agencies, consultants and experts in the oil industry. A total of 30 respondents will be interviewed. Further, a desk study will be conduct to supplement the primary data. This will involve collecting secondary qualitative data which will be derived from previous research studies. Both documentary and on-line material related to the research topic will be reviewed. The secondary qualitative data will be obtained from archival documents, official government publications, policy papers, statistical data and several other publications including books and academic journals. Peer reviewed journals will include the European Economic Review, Journal of Peace Research, Cyprus Economic Policy Review, Journal of Conflict Resolution, The Economic Journal, and Journal of Development Economics among others. This secondary information will supplement the primary data collected and improve accuracy and validity of the research findings. Data analysis The data obtained from in-depth interviews is rich in detail, contextually laden and subjective. Such data must be reworked or reduced to represent major themes that describe the phenomenon under study. As such, thematic analysis has been chosen as the main approach to analyzing the qualitative data in the proposed in dissertation. As defined by Saunders et al. (2009), thematic analysis refers to quantitative content analysis that involves the identification of patterns and themes within data. Thematic analysis is particularly common with qualitative research. It involves identification of a number of emerging themes which reflect the textual data. Whilst it may sound easy, thematic analysis require the researcher to be familiar with their data in order to provide insightful analysis. Data familiarization is thus key to thematic analysis. Limitations of qualitative research Whilst positive that research objectives of this research can be achieved, there certain challenges that may be encountered with the methodological approach. As pointed out by Bryman (2004), qualitative findings tend to rely much on researchers often unsystematic views on what is important and significant, and research findings may be influenced by the researcher’s biases. Moreover, the findings obtained from a qualitative case study may not be generalizable given the set of few respondents. The scope of qualitative research is often limited to single cases and as such, it becomes difficult to generalize the findings. Also, respondents may choose to provide false information which may affect the accuracy of the findings. Despite these criticisms, qualitative research has been chosen as the research approach in the present study. Generalizability, validity and reliability The researcher will avoid the bias associated with qualitative research by deliberately seeking data from various sources including official government documents, policy papers and other relevant secondary sources. This secondary information will be used to supplement the findings obtained from the primary interviews. Ethical considerations A number of ethical issues may arise with interviews with key informants. Given the secrecy of information of this nature, some participants may not be at liberty to reveal certain sensitive information. However, the researcher assured the participant about confidentiality of their information. Another ethical concern relates to the issue of utilizing secondary sources without the author’s permission. To address this concern, the researcher is going to acknowledge the contributions made by the original authors of the secondary sources in the proposed dissertation. Conclusion Clearly, we have seen that many resource rich countries especially the African countries such as Nigeria and Angola have suffered from ‘resource curse’ and the ‘Dutch disease’. Despite being the largest oil producers, these resource rich countries still remain at amongst the poorest in the world. Their natural endowment has not been positively correlated with economic growth and social progress. We’ve also seen a close and strong link between ‘resource curse’ and corruption, bad governance, lack of accountability and transparency, poor revenue management and poor fiscal policies. On a lighter note, we’ve seen some of the resource rich countries which have been able to escape the ‘resource curse’ and ‘Dutch disease’. We’ve seen that the UK and Norway have successfully managed their natural resources. This is explained by the fact that they have pursued good policies in some areas and have enjoyed the advantages of having resource rent. However, we’ve noted that unlike many other OPEC countries, the discovery of oil occurred at a time when Norway was already a developed country. This perhaps point to the differentiated experience in the management of oil wealth between Norway and other oil producing countries. Nonetheless, we argue that the emerging economies such as Ghana and Uganda can learn from Norway and the UK, and leverage their oil wealth in order to emerge as economic stars without succumbing to pitfalls of the resource curse. Clearly, this research is of paramount importance and would contribute significantly to the management of natural resources. Resource requirement To successfully execute this dissertation, the researcher intends to use a variety of secondary sources. In particular, articles and academic journals would inform this analysis. The internet, online-library and computers would aid in the data collection and analysis. There is a plethora of literature on management of oil wealth. The dissertation will thus be based on a critical review of published literature such as journals, articles, and textbooks. In addition, the researcher intends to review press releases, government documents and annual work plans such as the 2012 Work Plan of Environmental Management in the Oil and Gas Sector. This would ensure that the dissertation is consistent, professional and of the highest quality. Given the great deal of research conducted on this topic, the researcher is positive the dissertation will be successfully accomplished without much cost or future hindrance. Further, frantic efforts and time would be devoted towards analyzing the published literature and augmenting it with the primary data collected. Timetable/ Gantt chart Activity September October November December January weeks 12341234123412341234 A review of prior studies and any relevant literature draft of the literature review research design and strategy Design of interview questions Communication with key informants and scheduling of interviews Interviews with key informants Data collection Data analysis (Thematic analysis) composition of the draft of the project submit to tutor for the revision final check of the data and accuracy of the written project final submission Reference Andre, G., 2010. The management of the Angolan oil revenues: are there any chances to change course of the ‘resource curse’University of Dundee Aslaksen, S., 2007. Oil, democracy and country fixed effects. Mimeo, Department of Economics, Trondheim: Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Auty, R. M., 2001. ‘The Political Economy of Resource-Driven Growth’. European Economic Review, 45 (4-6): 839-846. 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Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., 2009. Research methods for business students, 5th ed., Harlow, Pearson Education. Yin, R. K., 2003. Case study research: Design and methods, 3rd edition, London, SAGE Publications.

Intro Communication Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intro Communication - Term Paper Example Language plays a considerable role in creating meanings of words. In every language, there are different sets of words and the rules for constructing sentences. Those rules also play their role in creating meanings of the sentences. For example, English-speaking people cannot understand the meanings of the words, which belong to some other language, such as, French language or Spanish language. They need to find the meanings of those words in their own language in order to understand those words. There is a very strong relationship between meanings and language. A person can understand the meanings of only those words, which belong either to his/her mother language or to a language to which the person is familiar. For effective communication to take place, the role of understandable language is very important. A person needs to have complete understanding of the language, which is to be used for communication. When scholars refer to language use as polysemous, they are actually referring to the use of those words, which have different meanings in different languages. Every language has its own set of vocabulary and standards, which play an important role in distinguishing the meanings of the words used in one language from their meanings in other languages. Understanding of polysemy is very important for effective communication to take place in real life situations (Alberts, Nakayama, and Martin). The reason is that there exist many words in almost every language, which have more than one meaning. So in order to know the real meaning of what the other person is speaking, the ability to distinguish between different meanings of the same words is very important. Some words have same spellings but produce different meanings. For example, an English word ‘bat’ has two meanings, which include a stick used to play cricket and an animal. Similarly, the word ‘pupil’ also has two

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

Nursing - Research Paper Example Insanity, craziness or madness is a pattern of behaviors which makes people a danger to themselves and others. â€Å"Dorothea Dix played an instrumental role in the founding or expansion of more than 30 hospitals for the treatment of the mentally ill† (I Tell What I Have Seen—The Reports of Asylum Reformer Dorothea Dix, p.624). This paper briefly analyses the history of Dorothea Lynde Dix and her contributions to the society as a social reformer and a dedicated nurse. Dorothea Linde Dix was born on April 4, 1802 in Hampden, Maine. Today the land where Dix’s house stood is called the Dorothea Dix Park (Colman, p.12). When Dorothea was born, Thomas Jefferson was American president and only 16 states were there in America. Maine was not a state at that time. She was grown up first in Worcester, Massachusetts, and then went to Boston at the age of twelve, in order to stay with wealthy grandmother. The major purpose of her journey towards Boston was to escape from her alcoholic and abusive father. Joseph Dix was her father and Mary Bigelow was her mother. The Dix family had two other children also, born after Dorothea. Dorothea’s social activities started at the age of 19. ... She published a small book of facts for schoolteachers during this period which became extremely popular. â€Å"By the time of the Civil War, Conversations on Common Things; or, Guide to Knowledge: With Questions had been reprinted 60 times† (I Tell What I Have Seen—The Reports of Asylum Reformer Dorothea Dix, p.624). This book was written as a conversation between a mother and daughter and she tried to criticize the discrimination in giving education to men and women. Dix failed to get proper education because of the social discrimination existed during her period with respect to the education of the men and women. Only the male community got better education during her period. She has restarted her educational activities in 1831 and opened another model school for the girls. However, she could not continue her activities because of the failure of her health again. She suffered a mental illness during this period and her ill health ended her teaching career which motiv ated her to look for other options of social activities. She went to England in 1836 for better treatment and this journey has shaped her career as a dedicated social reformer. â€Å"Dorothea’s growth and development from a teacher of young ladies to the Samaritan of the mentally afflicted is a fascinating story†(Dorothea Dix, Forgotten Samaritan, p.1441). In England, she got company of a family (William Rathbone family) which engaged in political and social reformation process. Moreover, â€Å"she met prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, and Samuel Tuke, founder of the York Retreat for the mentally ill during this period. (I Tell What I Have Seen—The Reports of Asylum Reformer Dorothea Dix, p.624). Her grandmother’s death

General Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

General - Essay Example 2. How are trade discount amounts, chain discounts used in the entertainment industry? Within the entertainment industry, trade discount amounts are used by allotting cuts on the works of the business to business partners, who are facilitating each other on a number of tasks and activities (Haines 2007). These discounts make up the figures for meeting the expenses and bringing them down in a considerable manner. Similarly chain discounts are offered when the entertainment industry gives cuts on volume (bulk) work flows, and when the need is to have more work at a lesser cost. The trade discount amounts and chain discounts work to good effect within the entertainment industry because these embody the basis of success for the people who work under such regimes, and they get to be paid much better than these discounts were introduced in the first place. Works Cited Haines, Douglas C. Manufacturer and Retailer Power in Retailer Response to Trade Discounts. Academy of Marketing Studies Jo urnal, Vol. 11, 2007

Money, Banking & Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Fisher Theory of Nominal Interest Rates and Inflation Rate - Essay Example According to the economist, interest is ‘an index of a community’s preference for a dollar of a present (income) over a dollar of future income’ (Library of Economics and Liberty, 2008). The label that he has put to his theory of interest rate is ‘the impatience and opportunity’. Fisher has postulated in this theory that interest rate results from an interface between two forces: the time preference that people have for capital at present and the principle of investment opportunity (Library of Economics and Liberty, 2008). Irving Fisher’s theory of interest establishes a link of nominal interest rate (i) to the rate of inflation (П) and the real rate of interest (r). The rate which is derived after making an adjustment for the inflation is the real interest rate. This is the interest rate which the lenders should consider for lending their funds. The relationship that has been presented by Fisher between these three interest rates is: Thus, the above relationship states that if the rate of inflation increases by 1 percent, then the nominal interest rate increases by more than 1 percent. This means that there is a positive relationship between the rate of inflation and nominal interest rate (University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2010). In the next step of the analysis, the effect of taxes on the real rate of return will be taken into account. Let a country be considered with currency C. Then let it be the nominal risk-free rate of interest, rc be the real interest rate and Пc be the expected rate of inflation. Let to be the rate of tax on the interest income and r*c be the after-tax real rate of return. The after-tax rate of return is ic (1-to). Then, From the above expression, it can be explained that with the increase in the rate of inflation, the nominal interest rate also increases by a few proportion of the increase in inflation rate (Mulligan, 2002).  Ã‚  

Not sure yet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Not sure yet - Research Paper Example We suspect tat Jesus, Nancy’s husband, is waiting for her at night nearby the cabin or he is just close by and that he will definitely kill Nancy anytime. Therefore the night fall is feared by Nancy and the singer of the song alike since it means being near the imminent danger. Nancy, black American, works at the Compson family, whites. She had been impregnated by a white although she was married to Jesus. Her husband had left her for being promiscuous leading to her illicit pregnancy with a white man. The story is narrated by Quentin, who is twenty four years old is bringing it from a nine year old point of view when he was young. As a child, Quentin and his siblings, Caddy, his sister; and Jason, younger brother; do not comprehend the implications of the actions that are happening around them that had caused Nancy’ weird behaviors that were manifested with fear. Nancy had herself locked up in a prison although she was the one ho had been assaulted by Mr. Stovall, a Ba ptist deacon, who Nancy claimed to be the one responsible her pregnancy. She was a shamed of facing her husband because of that. Mr. Stovall knocked her to an extent of removing some of her teeth instantly and later taken as the culprit in the whole encounter. The fact that Nancy was a black American worsened her situation since she could not get fair treatment; racialism caused most of the suffering experienced in the story by Nancy. 1.2 Setting The setting of the story is at the Southern states where racial segregation had taken root with the inclusion of Jim Crow rules that discriminated the black Americans as inferior and majorly owned as slaves to work in the plantations. The constant repletion by Nancy that I am a nigger showed her resentment for being a black in a society that discriminated against the blacks. The use of orders by Mr. and Mrs. Compson when referring to Nancy shows the level at which they had assumed her to be as per the order of that time. In one instance Que ntin is asked to head to the kitchen and order Nancy that she can go home now; this is a clear indication that the physical possibility to leave is only granted by Mr. Compson without it she can not leave; she obviously did not have the right to leave before being ordered to do so. This displays the relation between Nancy and Mr. Compson as one of a slave and a master respectively (Fitzgerald and Harris, 1987). 1.3.1 Segregation The unequal relationship between the whites and the Black Americans is broadly exhibited in Nancy’s reproaching of Mr. Stovall, the deacon, specifically for not paying her the service rendered three times, for getting intimate with her. He reacts through a thorough beating he gave her that led to her loosing a number of her teeth. The town marshal did nothing about simply because she was a black. Mr. Compson refers to her as a culprit in the whole incident since she should have let the white man alone. Mrs. Compson feels being looked upon when Compson decides to escort Nancy to ensure her security. She wonders why his husband is concerned about a nigger’s safety instead of taking care of her. This resenting of Mrs. Compson shows her feeling of superiority in relation to Nancy who is a black American. She at first questions whether Nancy has seen Jesus, her husband, to claim that she is afraid that he will attack her; in this case she is implying that Nancy is cheating, a clear indication

Argument Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argument Proposal - Essay Example Sometimes discrimination of race and color involves people getting some treatment unfavorably just because he or she had to marry or married to some persons of certain races or color. Sometimes it happens when the person with the raced-based organization is to some extent relating with people of some color. The worse include discrimination that does occur when the person who imposed the discrimination and the victim do have the same race or color. In the book of â€Å"one amazing thing,† Divakaruni demonstrate some racial discrimination she has had to prevail in the matter of marriage. For instance, Malathi in the story unfold the conversation of Ravi and Nirmila. Ravi is the one son of Mrs. Balan, who is a hair stylist of Lola’s parlor, in which case Malathi joins as the beautician. Nirmala, who is a servant maid with whom Ravi exchanges kisses. Unfortunately, his mother gets them red-handed. It is at this point that Ravi threatens his mother. The Threat is that he will flee back to America if she goes ahead to fire Nirmala from her Job. Mrs. Balan had to permit Nirmala to stay. When Mr. Balan had to enquire Ravi secretly whether he wants to have some settlement with Nirmala in a flat for her to visit without disrupting house peace, Ravi had to say that he had none intention to take advantage of her. In addition, there is the demonstration of Naina, in which case she had to insist on her parents that she would marry none apart from Mangalam. Naina’s father had hopes that Mangalam would keep Naina happy. However, Naina becomes some dominating wife and do not respect Mangalam’s parents, and hence, she showed some discrimination (Divakaruni). In my opinion, discrimination in any form of banking, housing, employment, business among others is illegal, and hence, it is against the law. Many societies in the current world do not approve discrimination that bases the gender or race. They consider the words

Essay1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Essay1 - Essay Example The system displays an updated version of available seats and removes the already selected ones (processing). The system generates a bill and ticket copy (output). TPS is based on batch processing or real-time processing. TPS are vital to businesses since it helps owners to meet demands without the need of extra personnel (Davoren). TPS offers four important characteristics to a business, they offer; reliability, response, controlled processing and inflexibility. Rapid Response; customers cannot afford to wait for TPS to respond, the wait time from the input by the customer to output production should be a few seconds. If a TPS fails to have a proper rapid response time, it will lead to huge losses in the business. Reliability; a TPS breakdown will disrupt or stop normal operations of a business. TPS systems must have low failure rates, and if failure occurs, accurate recovery must be a possibility. Reliability enables a company to design backup and recovery procedures. Inflexibility; a good TPS ensures that every transaction is handled in the same manner regardless of the user, time of day or customer. If a TPS is flexible, it means that there are too many opportunities even for non-standard operations. Controlled processing; a good TPS must support the operations within an organization; TPS should maintain and enforce roles and responsibilities. A good TPS should minimize the costs of an organization by bringing down the data handling times and also provides accurate and timely database updates. All these aspects of a TPS are imperative for steady business development and growth. Real-time transaction processing equates to immediate data processing. It requires access to an online database to give instant confirmations. A real-time transaction involves the use of a workstation or terminal to input data and display (output) TPS results. It is made up of a computer

Classification of Japan Essay Example for Free

Classification of Japan Essay Nowadays, in Japan, the number of traveler from abroad is increasing, although there was a big earthquake in Fukushima in Japan. When you come to Japan, there are three places you have to visit then: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. If you visit these places, you would see Japanese culture, food, and historical building. First of all, I think most traveler is coming to Tokyo at first. Tokyo is one of the biggest cities if comparing by other countries. Tokyo is also central of Fashion in the world. You can see unique fashion’s people. In Tokyo, there are a lot of good towns, such as Shibuya, Harajyuku, and Asakusa. The course to explore the city of the Harajuku and Shibuya are two youthful and energetic cities. There is Takeshita Street, which is excursion from raw always stop by school trip in Japan, and there are many sights to be able to touch Koen-dori fashion trend, not boring the young. It is also fun to see the young people come and go. Next, in the attractive atmosphere of old-fashioned streets are left, there are many venerable in Asakusa, which is always crowded with many tourists. Raimon, a large lantern of Senso-ji Temple has become a landmark of the town. Asakusa is also an exciting city because they have various events, such as Asakusa Samba Carnival (May 8), and Sumida River Fireworks Festival (July). Second, when you visit to Kyoto, you can visit a lot of temples, and there are a lot of world heritage sites. Kiyomizu Temple is one of the world heritage sites. Every year, a lot of people, who is traveler from abroad, and student for school trip have visited there. You can see beautiful view from Kiyomizu temple. It is also difference from each season. When it is spring season, you can see a lot of blossom tree. When it is fall season, there are a lot of autumn leaves, which shows nice color. You can enjoy by just walkin around the city because the streets has not changed since many years ago, so you can see Streets of old-fashioned. You can walk the city as seeing history. I mean, there are lot of historical buildings remained since many years ago, so you can see the way people who is from many years ago have been making as history in Kyoto. Last of all, especially people, who live in America, I think they have to visit Hiroshima because you can see A-bomb dorm. There is also Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which is telling the history of the war since then. You can learn a lot of things and have a lot of feeling when you go. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has continued to appeal the wishes of the Hiroshima seek the realization of lasting world peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons. Divided into main building and East Wing, in the East Wing has photo panel exhibit clarity of exposure before and after exposure was based on historical facts, History of Hiroshima, the video, due to model. In the main building, we have the materials exhibit convey the devastation of the bombing. In addition, the Peace Memorial Park with a museum,and in the spring season, is known as cherry blossoms. In conclusion, Japan is smaller than United States very much; however, there are values to visit. I mean, if you can came to Japan, you can not only enjoy eating delicious, going to sightseeing, and going to theme park, but you can learn a lot of things because in Japan a lot of historical building remain as world heritage sites now, such as Kiyomzu temple and A-bomb Dorm. Also, you would enjoy wherever you visit in Japan because people live there is kind, and every city has very good things, such as food, historical building, special events, and theme park.

The Ethnic Joke At Its Best Media Essay

The Ethnic Joke At Its Best Media Essay Ethnic jokes arent funny anymore. In fact, nearly one million adults in the tri-county area stated they personally experienced ethnic jokes, racial slurs, or verbal abuse. Thats not funny. Lets get serious. We can change that statistic. With a little more caring, understanding and compassion, we can all laugh with each other not at each other.' (Schutz, 1989). Ethnic and Racial Jokes has been the subject of a very controversial debate for quite a long time. As time progressed, peoples theories and attitudes towards ethnic jokes have evolved. The value of humor in the joke is more evident and the importance of this humor can be appreciated. Ethnic jokes, made in the right context, are acceptable in society pertaining to the particular place, time and surroundings of the person telling the joke. As human beings, we understand the gravity of the word respect; we have to respect every other living thing on this planet and no person or law or anything for that matter can change that fact. The idea behind the joke is not to offend people, cause disrespect and purposefully induce harm but to lighten up a dark ambience in a room its only a joke. I feel the need to emphasize the point that every ethnic joke should start with a look over your shoulder. (Wikipedia) Ethnic jokes make use of stereotypes, which is one of the gravest aspects that deter people from using them. Those not in favor claim that using stereotypes in the jokes can endorse a society in which negative ethnic stereotypes become socially acceptable making almost everyone racist. (Billig, 2001). Each person in society is afraid, even ashamed of being branded as a racist, which is one of the reasons why people have a very negative and wary attitude towards these jokes. People want to be able to laugh at race-based jokes without having to feel the guilt that plagues their conscience every time a giggle escapes their lips. This is still possible, if people try to become more mature and tolerant in accepting ethnic jokes and look at it in a more positive light somewhat like constructive criticism then everyone can have a guilt-free laugh at ethnic jokes. It is often said that Laughter is the best medicine; in the case of ethnic humor, this is true. Laughter reduces the tension du ring conversations and this can never be a bad thing. Laughter can bridge the gap between people from different ethnicities allowing them to understand the flaws of each others background as well as their own and interpreting these in a humorous manner will bring people closer together as friends. In his book, Peter Woods (1983) contends that Humour is power. It provides the strength that enables the individual to adapt to situations and, on occasion change them. (p. 112). Marty Beckerman, an author, journalist and humorist also sees the benefit; these jokes he admits are making people feel more comfortable with one another so they can get  past  their prejudices (Beckerman, 2008). A few studies have observed the relation of ethnic humor towards society. One such study is called The Joke Project a sociology professor in Rice University, Texas conducted a survey among his students on this subject. In The Joke Project, each student was told to ask a student from his/her own ethni city to tell them a joke. 90% responded with jokes out of which 42% of the responses had been racial or ethnic jokes. The remaining 48% who hadnt used ethnic jokes were asked whether they had recently heard a racial joke. 73% of these responded with racial jokes. (Davidson, 1987). The above evidence illustrates that ethnic jokes are used often in diverse multi-cultural places, especially in places like universities, since it helps bring people closer together; it helps when one has to make friends in a new place. Obviously, one does want to insult anyone when trying to make friends, on the contrary one tries to show that his understanding of another persons culture is deeper than the jokes with racial stereotypes make it out to believe. The opponents to this argument believe that racial and ethnic jokes are the cause for racial discrimination because ethnic jokes, in all their humor, present a severe reminder of past follies and struggles that people from various places in the world have faced over the years; in the words of Marty Beckerman (2008) poured salt into centuries-old wounds with cheap punch lines. The opposition suggests that these reminders are like adding cement to a wall that already divides us into different racial entities. On the other hand, the memories can help people. Memories can teach us what we need to know through our experiences. Remembering past struggles are not linked solely with recounting ethnic jokes, every history book has a story of past wars and conflicts, so then begs the question- why not stop reading history books? Answer, simply because it is illogical to do so. Professor Christie Davies (2000) says To become angry about such jokes and to seek to censor them because they impinge on sensitive issues is about as sensible as smashing a thermometer because it reveals how hot it is. (p. 116). In other words, just because something is out of favor with the general population, does not mean that one has to bar them entirely. Avoiding the past will not provide solutions to breaking down the metaphorical wall; with care and compassion and humor when we share the effects of past disputes using jokes, humorous stories and tales we can weaken that wall and join together to overcome issues of earlier times letting bygones be bygones. Racial jokes are insulting and demeaning claim the opposition for they employ the use of seemingly derogatory terms. In this case it is necessary to distinguish between racist jokes and jokes with race-based humor. There is a line between the two, albeit the line gets obscured and is hard to distinguish every now and then at these times extra caution is advised. The difference lies in the fact that jokes need not necessarily involve the defamation of a group; and merely because the joke contains references to a different ethnicity does not make it racist. There are several comedians such as Russell Peters, Maz Jobrani, Chris Rock and many others who have made successful careers making use of ethnic jokes. Their own success and the kaleidoscopic variety of people that turn up for their shows is proof of the effectiveness of these jokes. The entire people laugh together with each other at jokes about different ethnicities, there is no indication of any one race being singled out as su perior or inferior. This demonstrates that people are closer together at these shows and that for a joke to be an ethnic joke; it does not have to utilize offensive terms. Racism is a terrible thing but is forbidding the use of ethnic jokes really a way to put an end to it? There are good things as well as bad about ethnic humor. Ethnic jokes never did anyone harm on their own they are just jokes. We cannot blame the jokes but we can assume that the people who feel strongly disapproving about them as well as those who use them with complete disregard for others are the ones who need to change their perception. The solution depends entirely on perspective; the choice to be tolerant and to see the positive things can make all the difference. Imagine a world where people were not easily upset by ethnic jokes, a lot more smiles and laughter with less bickering and strife.

Effective Time Management - The Foundation of Success Essay -- Time Ma

Effective Time Management - The Foundation of Success   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon returning to college, the mature student (any student over the age of 24) soon realizes that their ability to manage time effectively directly impacts their learning experience and their family life. Unlike traditional students, the mature student may have a spouse, children and a full-time job that is necessary for them to survive financially. Adults with families will readily agree that their family alone places serious demands on their time. When adding the responsibility of school, it becomes even more difficult to make time for family, work and personal time. Enough time needs to be spent on these three major facets of life. Too much time spent in one area usually means to little time spent in another, which usually leads to stress. Time management professionals say that stress is usually the result of poor time management. Effective time management has to be the foundation of any successful and productive life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are 1,440 minutes in a day. If one is employed full-time, then about nine hours (540 minutes) of the day is spent at the office and commuting. The time left in the evening for family and self is very limited. Some companies allow their employees to telecommute, in which the company’s network is accessed from the employees’ home, usually via a high-speed or broadband connection. Telecommuting increases available time for family and self by eliminating the employee’s commute. Along with telecommuting, some companies offer Flex-Time. Flex-Time allows the work schedule to be configured differently from the typical Monday through Friday, 9am-to-5pm workweek. One will still work a total of 40 hours that week only one day may be shorter than the rest. Flex-Time is basically a flexible work schedule. Flex-time and telecommuting are examples of Flexible Work Options (FWO). FWOs allow employees the opportunity to find time for their families and s elves by introducing a time management element that â€Å"bends†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Along with the changing nature of office-hours via telecommuting and Flex-Time, there is a need for employees to be more efficient at work. Companies are implementing the â€Å"virtual office† which partly entails telecommuting but with the main focus being a more efficient, yet mobile workforce. With the virtual office, traditional office setups such as permanent workspac... ...s to get these things done and back to the office in one hour: pick up cash for sitter tonight, pick up three birthday gifts, buy her daughter a notebook, pens and a new backpack for school tomorrow, eat, get oil changed and pick up son’s asthma prescription. Well, Super Jane is at it again, she headed to the grocery store/pharmacy and picked up her son’s prescription, three gift cards for various stores to be given as birthday gifts, a salad and enough money for the baby-sitter to take her daughter to the store tonight to get her pens, notebook and new backpack. Now, off to Jiffy Lube where she will eat her salad while waiting for her oil to be changed. In summation, the benefits of time management can be life altering. As one finds ways to get more done with the time available to them, it can lead to an increase in overall self-confidence and a more positive outlook on life. Effective time management is also a very useful tool that can help to reduce stress in day-to-day life. If effective time management becomes a part of one’s life then he or she can find ways to juggle family, career, personal time and education. In essence, effective time management can lead to success.

Essays --

Abortion itself is not an easy process to go through. Having a simple fetus removed medically might seem easy, but the woman herself might go through many difficult situations before, during, and after the process of abortion emotionally and physically. Making the right choice of having an abortion might be regretful to some woman and their family. The choices are either having the baby and later finding out they can’t take care of the baby or having an abortion and finding out later that you cannot have a child in the future. There can physical effects on woman that have abortion. Abortion can result in miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and a slight chance of breast cancer. Many miscarriages happen when an abortion is used on the previous pregnancy because it can be dangerous to the future reproductive systems of woman. After an abortion, there can be severe case where bleeding and infection can occur. A woman might have five times the chance of ectopic pregnancy because the woman who had their first pregnancy was terminated. An ectopic pregnancy happens when the embryo is implante...

The Development Of Leadership Quality Education Essay

â€Å" ‘Leaders are born ‘ and ‘leadership accomplishments can be developed ‘ represent two basically different positions towards the development of leading quality. Which position would you back up, and what deductions may this hold for direction development in organisations? †IntroductionAre leaders born or made? This inquiry has grabbed a batch of attending of many writers in the past century. The leading theories and the ways to analyze leading have been evolved over clip. The subject of leading has been of involvement to many research workers throughout the twentieth century but non in the 19th. As Frank Heller ( 1997, p.340 ) notes that in 1896, the US Library of Congress had non one book on the topic of leading. Alan Bryman, one of the most well-thought-of and cited British research worker, has written a reappraisal chapter ‘Leadership in Organizations ‘ in 1990s. Bryman traces the displacements in the definition of leading from Trait epochs to the New Leadership epoch ( Bryman, 1996 ) . David Day argues that leaders can be developed. He carried out a thorough scrutiny of leading development from three interconnected positions, of theory, pattern and research ( Day, D. V, 2001 ) . One of his wide findings was that the pattern of leading development offered many processs for executing programmes for accomplishing coveted ends of leading development. However, he was able to happen small hallmark of the connexions between the patterns and those ends. Day gives a clear image of one of the ways in which leading research is chiefly complex to analyze and implement. He foremost differentiates between leader development and leading development. Leader development focuses on the person, and historically was the more of import one. Whereas, leading development shows a broader image of the overall kineticss of the organisations within which leaders and others perform their work ( Rickards and Clark, 2006 ) . In the undermentioned pages, we will be looking at different theories that either supports the ‘Born ‘ or ‘Made ‘ side of leading, back up the impression that leaders can be developed and speak about how can they be developed and what impact does it hold on the direction and leading development in an organisation.Leaderships, Born or Made?Narratives from all over the universe have promoted the fact of natural leaders, who succeeded without any formal preparation or whatsoever. Yet, leading preparation and development has been a turning field of survey. The taken-for-granted belief in the natural born leader was noted in a address on leading made by the Bishop of Durham, Dr Herbert H. Hensley at St Andrews University, Scotland in 1930s, in which he noted that: â€Å" It is a fact that some work forces possess an inbred high quality, which gives them a ruling influence over their coevalss, and marks them out unmistakeably for leading. . . [ in many walks of life ] there are those who with an assured and undisputed rubric, take the prima topographic point, and determine the general behavior † ( Quoted in Adair J. , 1989 ) We will now be looking at two proposals by Alan Bryman and David Day. Bryman takes us on a journey through the development of leading theories in the pre-modern times to the rise of trait theory, and an epoch where trait theories became challenges by more behaviourally oriented thoughts. Bryman portrays all these theories as a portion of the â€Å" old leading † theoretical account and contrasts them with an of import theoretical account of new leading. We will now understand how trait theories became cardinal, underpinning beliefs about natural Born leaders followed by the diminution in the sensed significance of trait theories added to the ultimate rise of involvement in leading developmental possibilities ( Rickards and Clark, 2006 ) . An early definition which was accepted for three decennaries was by Stogdill in his enchiridion which says â€Å" Leadership may be considered as the procedure ( act ) of act uponing the activities of a group in attempts towards end scene and end accomplishment † ( Stogdill, 1950 ) . Bryman argues that that definition presented by Stogdill indicates how leading was supposed to run through a leader carrying the behavior of the followings. However, he notes that this definition is deficient for distinguishing between leading and direction. He so compares this to a new leading definition which says â€Å" The leader gives a sense of way and aim through the articulation of a compelling world-view [ the specifying feature of which is ] the active publicity of values which provide shared significances about the nature of organisations † ( Bryman, 1996 ) . Bryman takes a historiographer ‘s attack and suggests typical epochs in leading theory and research. He notes that the epochs are suggestions of periods within which a peculiar kind of theory had domination over the other. He categorises them into 4 epochs, the trait epoch, manner epoch, eventuality epoch and the new leading epoch. The trait epoch was from 1880s to 1940s. It emphasised on the indispensable features of a leader which were presumed to be congenital traits like physical traits, abilities like intelligence, communicating etc and personality features like assurance, extroversion etc. The manner epoch was from 1940s to 1960s. It refocused on what the leaders did instead than their personal traits. The most dominant organisational surveies such as the Ohio State probes set a manner for analyzing the studies of followings which was even followed in the eventuality epoch. Research workers attempted to distill manners to a few overarching variables, frequently bring forthing planar theoretical accounts of people oriented and undertaking oriented. The eventuality epoch, right after the manner epoch, that was from late sixtiess to early 1980s. It can be seen as a more complex manner as it incorporates the situational variable. A contingent variable is one whose significance in a theory is dependent on fortunes. A people oriented manner may non be appropriate is the degree of acquisition and instruction of the followings is low. Harmonizing to Bryman, the eventuality theory introduced the ‘it all depends ‘ thought. He identified the theoretical account developed by Fred Fiedler and colleagues as the best known of the eventuality approaches. This theory suggests that the nature of the leader to favor undertaking or relationships may be assessed by the leaders position of his colleagues and specifically for the least preferable colleague ( LPC ) . If a leader sees good qualities in his colleagues, he tends to be more relationship oriented, if non so undertaking oriented. The new leading epoch took up in the 1980s and to day of the month. The typical characteristics are a displacement from the trait, manner and eventuality theoretical accounts through focal point on leading as a socially constructed procedure. The 2nd characteristic was a procedure of transformational alteration. This was a clear limit from the two old epochs of eventuality and manner, although the birth of trait theory could besides be considered as grounded in leader traits linked with major transmutations ( Rickards and Clark, 2006 ) . In 2001, David Day carried out a elaborate review of leading development from three interconnected positions, of theory, pattern and research. One of his wide findings was that the pattern of leading development can give us many ways for carry oning plans for carry throughing wanted ends of leading development. Day illustrates that leading research is reasonably complex to analyze and put to death. He draws a differentiation between leader development and leading development. Leader development focuses on the person, and historically was the more of import one. Whereas, leading development shows a broader image of the overall kineticss of the organisations within which leaders and others perform their work ( Rickards and Clark, 2006 ) . Harmonizing to Day, leading development holds near the single focal point instead than replace it. He criticizes on the weak nexus between theory and pattern and developed six of the most influential techniques for leading development, viz. 360-degree feedback, coaching, mentoring, networking, occupation assignments and actions ( Day, D. V, 2001 ) . This we will discourse in item towards the terminal of this paper. Over the old ages, leading has been studied loosely in a assortment of contexts and theoretical foundations. In some instances, leading has been illustrated as a procedure, but most theories and research on leading expression at a individual to derive understanding ( Bernard, 1926 ; Blake, Shepard and Mouton, 1964 ; Drath and Palus, 1994 ; Fiedler, 1967 ; and House and Mitchell, 1974 ) . Leadership is in general defined by the traits, qualities, and behaviours of a leader. ( Stogdill, 1974 ) , identified several different classs that arrests the kernel of the survey of leading in the 20th century. The first motion dealt with the properties of great leaders. Leadership was explained by the internal qualities with which a individual is born ( Bernard, 1926 ) . The impression was that if the traits that distinguished leaders from followings could be identified, successful leaders could be rapidly evaluated and put into places of leading. Personality, physical, and mental individualisms were examined. This research was based on the thought that leaders were born and non made, and the key to success was merely in acknowledging those people who were born to be great leaders. Despite the fact that much research was done to place the traits, no clear response was found with respect to what traits every clip were associated with great leading. One imperfectness with this line of idea was in ignoring the situational and environmental factors that play a function in a leader ‘s degree of effectivity ( Horner M. , 1997 ) . A 2nd major thrust looked at leader behaviours in an attempt to reason what successful leaders do, non how they look to others ( Halpin and Winer, 1957 ; Hemphill and Coons, 1957 ) . These surveies began to look at leaders in the model of the organisation, placing the behaviours leaders ‘ exhibit that increases the efficiency of the company. A 3rd attack in response to the inquiry about the best manner to take dealt with the dealingss between the leader ‘s traits, the leader ‘s behaviours, and the state of affairs in which the leader exists. These eventuality theories make the guess that the effects of one variable on leading are contingent on others. Yet another eventuality theory trades with an scrutiny of the people who are led by leaders. The significance of the followings in leading materialized ( House and Mitchell, 1974 ) , and leading was seen as a communicating between the ends of the follo wings and the leader. The path-goal theory proposes that leaders are chiefly responsible for assisting followings build up behaviours that will enable them to achieve their ends or preferred results. Extra leading theories have come frontward over the past 10 to fifteen old ages. This is symbolized by the comparing of transactional and transformational leading. Transactional leading stems from more constituted positions of workers and organisations, and it involves the place power of the leader to utilize followings for undertaking completion ( Burns, 1978 ) . Transformational leading, nevertheless, looks on for ways to assist actuate followings by carry throughing higher-order demands and more to the full appealing them in the procedure of the work ( Bass, 1985 ) . Transformational leaders can get down and cover with alteration, and they can craft something new out of the old. In this manner, these leaders separately evolve while besides assisting their followings and organisations evolve. They construct strong associations with others while back uping and heartening each person ‘s development. Manz and Sims besides offer a revised, integrative point of position on leading . Using the term â€Å" Super Leadership, † they confront the traditional paradigm of leading as one individual making something to other people ( Manz and Sims, 1991 ) . Alternatively, they propose that another theoretical account exists for leading today: â€Å" the most appropriate leader is one who can take others to take themselves † ( p. 18 ) . Harmonizing to this position, leading exists within every person, and it is non restricted to the bounds of officially appointed leaders. They suggest that for leaders to be most successful, they need to help each person in the development of taking himself or herself. Leaderships become great by unleashing the possible and capablenesss of followings, hence holding the cognition of many people alternatively of trusting entirely on their ain accomplishments and abilities. Daniel Goleman was the first individual to present the thought of 'emotional intelligence ‘ in his book with the same rubric in 1995. In his research of around 200 big companies, he found that apart from the leading qualities like intelligence, stamina, finding and vision, which are needed to for a leader to be successful ; there is besides a demand for a high degree of emotional intelligence which includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motive, empathy and societal accomplishments. These qualities may sound soft but Goleman discovered strong relationships between emotional intelligence and the house ‘s public presentation. Harmonizing to Goleman, IQ and proficient accomplishments are the entry degree demands for any executive places. But Goleman ‘s research shows that emotional intelligence is the sine qua non of leading and without it, no affair if the individual has the best preparation in the universe, has an analytical head and a clump of superb thoughts, he still wont do a great leader ( Goleman, 1998 ) . Self-awareness is the first component of emotional intelligence, which makes sense when one believe that the Delphic prophet gave the advice to â€Å" cognize thyself † 1000s of old ages ago. Self-awareness means holding a deep apprehension of one ‘s emotions, strengths, failings, demands, and thrusts. Peoples with strong self-awareness are neither overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful. Rather, they are honorable with themselves and with others. Peoples with a high grade of self- consciousness place how their feelings affect them, the people around them, and their occupation public presentation. Therefore, a self-conscious individual who knows that he tilt handle tight deadlines, can be after his clip carefully and gets his work done good in progress. Self-awareness extends to a individual ‘s accepting of his values and ends ( Goleman, 1998 ) . Self-regulation is the component of emotional intelligence that frees us from being prisoner of our ain feelings. Peoples occupied in such a duologue feel bad tempers and emotional disposition merely as everyone else does, but they figure out ways to command them and to even impart them in utile ways. Peoples with self-regulation tend to take a different way in difficult times. They craft words in such a manner that the individual gets the message without doing him or her feel bad about it. Peoples who have control of their feelings and urges are able to craft an ambiance of trust and equity. In such an environment, political relations and bitching are aggressively reduced and end product is high. Gifted people congregate to the organisation and are n't tempted to go forth ( Goleman, 1998 ) . Motivation is one trait that all leaders possess. They are driven to accomplish beyond outlooks. Many of the people are motivated by external factors like higher wage, a esteemed rubric in the organisation or the taking company itself for which they are working. On the other manus, good leaders are motivated by a deeply embedded desire to accomplish something merely for the interest of accomplishing it. If one wants to mensurate the motivational degree of the leader, expression at the desire and passion for work itself. Such people look for originative challenges and love to larn new things. Empathy can be easy recognized out of all the other dimensions of emotional intelligence. It surely does non intend following others emotions as one ‘s ain and seek to delight them, instead empathy agencies sympathetically sing employees ‘ feelings along with other factors while doing intelligent determinations. Empathy is preponderantly indispensable today as a constituent of leading for at least three grounds: the increasing usage of squads ; the rapid gait of globalisation ; and the turning demand to retain endowment ( Goleman, 1998 ) . The first three dimensions of emotional intelligence are self-management accomplishments. The last two, empathy and societal accomplishment, trades with a individual ‘s endowment to pull off relationships with others. As an component of emotional intelligence, societal accomplishment is non every bit straightforward as it sounds. It ‘s non merely about friendliness, even though people with high degrees of societal accomplishment are seldom dishonorable. Social accomplishment, instead, is openness with a ground: traveling people in the way you want, whether that ‘s understanding on a new selling scheme or acuteness about a new merchandise. Social accomplishment is a decision of the other dimensions of emotional intelligence. Peoples tend to be really effective at pull offing associations when they can grok and command their ain emotions and can sympathize with the feelings of others. Even motive addendums to societal accomplishment. Peoples who are ambitious to carry through be given to be optimistic, even in the face of failure. When people are optimistic, their â€Å" freshness † is cast upon duologues and other societal brushs ( Goleman, 1998 ) . So can emotional intelligence be learned? For decennaries, people have been reasoning approximately are leaders born or made, and so does about emotional intelligence, are people born with certain degrees of empathy, for illustration, or do they get by existent life experiences? , the reply is both. Scientific research suggests that there is a familial constituent to emotional intelligence and that nature plays a critical function in development of such intelligence. But to what extent, one can non truly mensurate that out. One thing is for certain that emotional intelligence additions as the individual grows older but some people still need developing to develop emotional intelligence. Every individual is born with it, there is a demand to happen and develop it. Emotional intelligence is born mostly in the neurotransmitters of the encephalons limbic system, which administers feelings, urges, and thrusts. Research shows that the limbic system learns best through motive, drawn-out pat tern, and feedback. Compare this with the sort of larning that goes on in the neopallium which governs analytical and proficient ability. The neocortex appreciation constructs and logic. It is the portion of the encephalon that figures out how to utilize a computing machine or do a gross revenues call by reading a book. To hike emotional intelligence organisations must redeploy their preparation to include the limbic system. They must assist people interrupt old behavioral wonts and put up new 1s. That non merely takes much more clip than conventional preparation plans it besides requires an individualised attack. With dedication, continuity and pattern, such a procedure can hold a life long consequence. It ‘s of import to recognize that constructing 1s emotional intelligence can non and will non take topographic point without sincere desire and concentrated attempt. A brief seminar wo n't assist ; nor can one purchase a how-to manual. It is hard to larn to sympathize, to inte rnalise empathy as a natural response to people, than it is to go proficient at failure analysis. But it can be done. â€Å" Nothing great was of all time achieved without enthusiasm † wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. If your end is to go a existent leader, these words can function as a usher in your attempts to develop high emotional intelligence ( Goleman, 1998 ) . Harmonizing to Day, there are six most influential techniques for leading development, i.e. 360-degree feedback, coaching, mentoring, networking, occupation assignments and action acquisition. 360-degree feedback involves assessment procedures within which the executives ( leaders ) gives feedback to the employees ( followings ) and have a feedback from them if possible at a higher, tantamount or lower degrees in the organisation. It is used to garner positions from the very important persons and the lower downs. This technique is used by many of the luck 500 organisations nevertheless the leading development portion has attracted some differences. Coaching and mentoring are two overlapping agencies of leading development. Both these attacks fit good with the construct of go throughing on the information to the less experient from the more experient one. Coaching is a term by and big related with the proviso of specific sets of behavioral accomplishments ( dialogue, communicating, presentation accomplishments would be typical leading illustrations ) . The procedures tend to presume that statute cognition is transferred from the trainer to the trainee. Mentoring, correspondent to training, is a classical term to specify the relationship between the wise man, the experient and knowing one, and a less experient receiver. Unlike coaching, the cognition transportation is less concerned with specific accomplishments and the acquired cognition is more likely to be dispersed. Mentoring is therefore more clearly developmental, and sometimes called as tacit accomplishments. This characteristic allows the possibility of informal mentoring relationships. Networking has been acknowledged within cognition direction research, as holding a connectivist footing. This draws a differentiation between theories which regard cognition as inborn in persons ( cognitivist theories ) and those concerned with relationships across persons ( connectivist theories ) . These theories believe that organisational constructions are self-structuring, as an result of the information flows through several connexions ( webs ) amongst its single members. The networking attack to leading development is the most obviously connectivist one. Job assignments have played a critical portion in the field of direction development programmes for many old ages. The simple hypothesis is that persons learn by being exposed to wide-ranging challenges of importance to current or future occupations. The statement has been widely applied to apologize concern exchanges, foreign deputations, even abroad school trips. It will be noted that a occupation assignment programme will inescapably hike a alteration in networking activities of those occupied, so that the appraisal of the one technique against the other is a complex affair. Action acquisition is an look applied to an extended scope of experiential acquisition procedures. The procedures tend to affect undertakings as the drive force for larning ; these are frequently directed towards of import concern jobs. It presents the impression of calculated engagement. The find procedure comes from the interior of a individual. The procedure comes with a demand to work through jobs of objectiveness and whether consequences could be generalized or non ( Rickards and Clark, 2006 ) . Apart from these patterns and attacks, there are many formal leading development establishments in the universe. The Centre for Creative Leadership ( CCL ) is considered as one of the most experient planetary leading development organisations in the universe. It was founded in 1970 in Greensboro, NC, USA and had developed itself as a universe leader with many other installations in the US, Europe and Asia. Even in the UK, Ashridge Management College built its extended leading programmes in the 1980s and 90s with the aid of its franchise from CCL. Manchester Business School ( MBS ) besides became a portion of the programme for proficient leading over a period of old ages through its Research & A ; Development Department ( Rickards and Clark, 2006 ) .DecisionThere is still much of a argument that ‘are leaders born or made ‘ , in my perceptual experience and by looking at a scope of articles and books, came to a decision that nevertheless there is an in-born component involv ed in the development of leading, preparation and development is still in much demand to foster explore and smooth that possible. As Goleman notes that ‘It would be foolish to asseverate that good-old-fashioned IQ and proficient ability are non of import ingredients in strong leading. But the formula would non be complete without emotional intelligence. It was one time thought that the constituents of emotional intelligence were â€Å" nice to hold † in concern leaders. But now we know that, for the interest of public presentation, these are ingredients that leaders â€Å" need to hold † ‘ ( Goleman, 1998 ) . The techniques identified by David Day are deserving observing. Whereas the formal techniques can be used in the development of leading, many other informal attacks can besides be considered. Informal squads can besides be setup in an organisations what can give informal but valuable feedback about a individuals behavior which than can be taken attenti on of. A individual may be born with leading accomplishments and may hold emotional intelligence to a certain degree, but when we look at eventualities, the leader has to be cognizant of the state of affairss and has to be pro-active instead than being re-active. Leadership development in footings of emotional intelligence is a drawn-out and clip devouring procedure but it is deserving puting in provided that the scholar is unfastened to all kinds of acquisition and has a passion and enthusiasm for it.

I am Legend Essay

Traditionally, bookstores categorize various books based on their respective contents – horror, fiction, literature, or science fiction. Horror texts invoke feelings of fear in readers due to their bizarre or macabre content. Science fiction or fiction books describe imaginary concepts of either scientific or general nature respectively. Conversely, literature books comprise of texts that are neither fictional nor horror-based. Matheson’s I am Legend novel thus belongs to the category of horror owing to the ghoulish events described therein. For example, the vampirism that is evident in the novel instills fear among readers, thus rendering the work a horror literature. Although ‘good’ or ‘bad’ are purely subjective terms, people sometime use these terms to describe different texts. Such categorization relies heavily on persons’ subjective judgment, for example, regarding the emotions that such texts invoke in readers. To illustrate, horror, mystery, or romance books may be termed as ‘bad’. Conversely, science fiction books are labeled as ‘good’. Since such classification is very subjective and unstable owing to persons’ varied preferences and views, there is essentially no entire class of books that can be categorically termed as either ‘bad’ or ‘good’. After studying Matheson’s I am Legend novel, I cannot help but view it as a subjectively ‘bad’ book based on the ghastly scenes that the author describes. For example, Robert Neville – the novel’s main character – is consistently described as being engaged in a futile rush to beat some seemingly insurmountable bigger forces. The character is thus clearly destined for death as is evident through his obviously futile attempts to fight against a vampire curse on earth. Eventually, Neville dies a sad and regretful death after spending a great deal of his time trying to outdo the evil that lurks on the earth. Through the somewhat unnecessary and martyr-like death of Neville, the author makes the book appear as a ‘bad’ one because a character is unjustly punished by death.