Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches - 2309 Words

QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES TO SOCIAL RESEARCH Christina Hughes C.L.Hughes@warwick.ac.uk There has been widespread debate in recent years within many of the social sciences regarding the relative merits of quantitative and qualitative strategies for research. The positions taken by individual researchers vary considerably, from those who see the two strategies as entirely separate and based on alternative views of the world, to those who are happy to mix these strategies within their research projects. For example, Bryman (1988) argued for a `best of both worlds approach and suggested that qualitative and quantitative approaches should be combined. Hughes (1997), nevertheless, warns that such technicist solutions†¦show more content†¦One might ask, `What is meant by anxiety? Stating that anxiety refers to being tense or some other such term only adds to the confusion. However, stating that anxiety refers to a score over a criterion level on an anxiety scale enables others to realise what you mean by anxiety. Stating an operational definition forces one to identi fy the empirical referents, or terms. In this manner, ambiguity is minimised. REPLICATION: To be replicable, the data obtained in an experiment must be reliable; that is, the same result must be found if the study is repeated. If observations are not repeatable, our descriptions and explanations are thought to be unreliable.  · HYPOTHESIS TESTING: The systematic creation of a hypothesis and subjecting it to an empirical test. (Adapted from Burns, 2000: 6-7) QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS STRENGTHS  · Precision - through quantitative and reliable measurement  · Control - through sampling and design  · Ability to produce causality statements, through the use of controlled experiments  · Statistical techniques allow for sophisticated analyses  · Replicable LIMITATIONS  · Because of the complexity of human experience it is difficult to rule out or control all the variables;  · Because of human agency people do not all respond in the same ways as inert matter in the physical sciences;  · Its mechanistic ethos tends to exclude notions of freedom,Show MoreRelatedQualitative and Quantitative Approaches1126 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches RES/351 June 17, 2014 University of Phoenix Professor Pamela Campbell Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Business researchers utilize various forms of approaches to analyze and obtain information and data, and two of the most popular approaches used are the qualitative research approach and quantitative research approach. Each approach can be beneficial or in some cases may cause inconclusiveRead MoreQualitative and Quantitative Research Approaches2955 Words   |  12 Pages-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract Sports fandom consists of cognitive and affective, as well as behavioural components. Existing sports fan research utilises either strong qualitative, or more often, strong quantitative methodologies. The strengths and weaknesses of each approach are outlined, developing the argument that the use of a single methodology often fails to explore all of these components. The use of a mixed methods approach is suggestedRead MoreQuantitative vs Qualitative Research on which is Better1830 Words   |  7 PagesThere has always been a discussion as to which method of study was better: quantitative, or qualitative. The quantitative approach focuses more on quantifying data and generalizing results from a sample to a population of interest. The use of quantitative methods is used for general features of a population and to measure the incidence of various views and opinions in a chosen sample. Qualitative methods are used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons and motivations. This typ e of methodRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Experience1437 Words   |  6 PagesIn particular, qualitative researchers tend to focus more on the social-constructed reality and the contextual influence, interaction and constraints between the researcher(s) and the participants. They are interested in finding answers to questions that focus on the â€Å"social construction of experience and how meaning is created† (Cooper White, 2012, p. 15). However, quantitative researchers â€Å"emphasize measurement and analysis, and focus on product rather than process† (Cooper White, 2012, p.Read MoreThe Theoretical Methods Of Quantitative And Qualitative Methods Essay1652 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent styles and approaches, being constantly updated with new ideas and concepts, this essay will argue that in order to best reflect upon and develop an understanding of today’s world, the researcher needs to use and apply both qualitative and quantitative methods. To make this argument clear, this essay will first go into the understanding of sociological methods through epistemological and ontological views. Then this essay will explore the debate of quantitative or qualitative methods, and thenRead MoreSummary Of A Framework For Design By Creswell1536 Words   |  7 PagesFramework for Design’ by Creswell We now have many choices for research approaches. Author recommends that a general framework be adopted to provide guidance for all stages of research. Using still existing framework also allows researchers formulate ideas recognized by audiences who support proposals for research. This chapter introduces the reader to the three approaches to research quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. To understand them Creswell considers three framework elements:Read MoreHow Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) React to Music1744 Words   |  7 PagesQualitative and quantitative methods allow researchers to investigate, explore and inquire the nature of the phenomenon being studied. It is important that the researcher develops a clear understanding of the problem and design a plan to investigate it (Cresswell, 1998, para. 1). There are a variety of research methods; nevertheless, it is important to consider which research method is appropriate for the study. Qua litative research focuses on human experiences while quantitative research reliesRead MoreComparing and Contrasting NCUs Concept Paper Requirements for Qualitative and or Quantitative Papers1409 Words   |  6 Pagesrequirements for qualitative and or quantitative papers. Northcentral Expectation Both qualitative and quantitative concept designs share design elements. Sampson (2012) states that a good or enriched qualitative and or quantitative concept paper is a product of forethought. Northcentral University (NCU) provides its Doctoral students with writing resources that are not limited to the concept template to enhance their knowledge about the development of their dissertations. Primarily, qualitative and quantitativeRead MoreFactors That Impacted Effective Diabetes Management Within The Native American Population985 Words   |  4 PagesType Two Diabetes Both quantitative and qualitative research studies provide healthcare professionals with valuable information, albeit from different perspectives. While quantitative studies emphasize numerical and statistical measurements, qualitative studies focus on themes and concepts related to a phenomenon. The following discussion contrasts these two types of research approaches as they relate to the topic of type 2 diabetes mellitus and considers the value of qualitative research within theRead MoreResearch Methodology For Academic Journal Articles1268 Words   |  6 Pagessignificant in determining the research methodology. Abstract The primary goal of this study is to systematize the knowledge in the area of different research methodological approaches applied in academic journal articles, assess their usefulness and present the results of the analysis. Key words: qualitative research, quantitative research, mixed method research Introduction Defining a case study method indicates the problem and entails choosing/finding a solution to solve it. However, to answer research

Ethical Issues in Psychology - 788 Words

Ethics Ethics are the moral codes laid down by professionals to ensure that their members or representatives adhere to certain standards of behaviour. All scientific bodies have such codes but those in psychology are particularly important because of the subject matter of the topic. The three main ethical issues in psychology using human participants are: Privacy, physical and psychological harm and deception. Deception involves either concealing the real intention of a study from participants or taking steps to mislead them at the start. Milgram used the second ploy, deliberately lying to participants about the genuine reason for a study. He also used stooges and the use of stooges always means deception has been used. However, is†¦show more content†¦Zimbardo and Milgram procedures would all have involved loss of self-esteem, embarrassment, some stress and extreme anxiety. Confidentiality is one way of protecting participants from psychological harm. If you do something that you are ashamed of in the name of research but nobody gets to know its you its not going to be so embarrassing. When dealing with privacy, the data protection act requires that the identity of all participants remains confidential. As well as safeguarding privacy there is an obvious practical benefit from this approach. Participants are unlikely to volunteer for procedures if they believe that their identity and behaviour will be divulged. There were clear breaches of confidentiality in the Milgram and Zimbardo studies as in both cases participants were secretly filmed. Guidelines require that participants are not identified unless they give their permission and various methods may be used to disguise their identity. For example in case studies patients may be identified only by their initials such as KF or HM. An example of Ethics breached is: Schachter (1959) Female psychology students who had volunteered for an experiment were led to believe they were going to receive electric shocks. One group told it would be painful the other told it would not. There was going to be a delay before the shock, and participants had the choice ofShow MoreRelatedEthical Issues in Psychology Essay1242 Words   |  5 PagesWe are going to explore the world of ethical issues in psychology. As in any medical or mental health fields there are rules we all must follow as professionals. In this essay today we will be exploring a case study where we have a young lady who has been stricken by a mental disability. We will be looking at the facts in which her disability was handled by a professional in the field of psychology. We also will be discussing the rights and wrongs that are presented in her case study. We will alsoRead MoreProfessional And Ethical Issues Of Forensic Psychology778 Words   |  4 PagesCa se Analysis Professional and Ethical Issues in Forensic Psychology Samuelu Vaina Argosy University Dr. Arena  Most common ethical problems arise in the profession of therapists and psychologists usually occur from the relationships they share with a client. The relationship shared between a practitioner and a client can be very cloudy and blurry in its nature. An example of a conflict that usually occurs in the relationship would be that of having two roles or responsibilities to a client orRead MoreSocial Psychology And Multiculturalism1644 Words   |  7 Pages Psychology has become an integrated part of our real life. Psychology affects life under different theories and identifications. For example, social psychology and multiculturalism work together to create the social change people aspire to. However, social psychology, according to Jahoda (2016), cannot explain the link between the social behavior and the social norms of the society and culture. Hence, social psychology could be a challenge when a person tries other cultures. Furthermore, there areRead MoreSocial Psychology And Mult iculturalism1714 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Psychology has become an integrated part of our real life. Psychology affects life under different theories and identifications. For example, social psychology and multiculturalism work together to create the social change people aspire to. However, social psychology, according to Jahoda (2016), cannot explain the link between the social behavior and the social norms of the society and culture. Hence, social psychology could be a challenge when a person tries other cultures. FurthermoreRead MoreForensic Psychology And The Human Mind And Its Functions1627 Words   |  7 PagesPsychology and law at first glance are not two terms that seem to correspond with each other. One might even question why they would be mentioned in the same context. Crime has become a major issue within today’s society. It seems as though the only way to prevent most of them is to enforce the repercussions of the act and punish those that partake in it. Criminals often have motives or attributes that l ead them into a life of crime. Forensic psychology is the cynosure that brings the associationRead MoreEthical Issues in Education Essay example1736 Words   |  7 PagesCode of ethics act as a promise to protect and support the safety of individuals in society, supports as a leading light it help the supporters of an occupation, resolve ethical problems and act as a protector the community. A code of ethics discloses and conserves the current viewpoint professionals on in what way to make ethical decisions. It stresses importance on obligation to moral values and vital beliefs. Application of a code of ethics helps us to guarantee that members of the professionRead MoreThe Practice of Clinical Psychology Workshee965 Words   |  4 Pagesif you use it. Thank you. The Practice of Clinical Psychology Worksheet Answer the following questions. Your response to each question must be at least 150 words in length. 1. What are at least two legal issues associated with clinical psychology? Provide an example of a situation that could be legal but unethical. Explain your response. There are many legal issues that exist in clinical psychology. Two of these legal issues are maintaining confidentiality and getting written consentRead MoreEthics Case Study: Clinical Psychologist Essay1244 Words   |  5 PagesAs the result of a colleague’s sudden serious illness, a clinical psychologist is asked to teach a physiological psychology course, which is definitely outside his area of expertise. The course begins in one week. The department chair recognizes that the psychologist is not competent is this area, but he is as qualified as anyone else in the department and is the only person whose schedule can accommodate the course. The course is required for graduation, and several seniors will not graduateRead MoreShort Ethics Reference Guide For Life Coaching906 Words   |  4 Pagesconnections or one-on-one sessions in an office. The safety considerations would be has to be diligently placed in the policies of the life coach to abide by and possibly initial ing the references of the policies in the informed consent. The American Psychology Association advises on some aspects of what could happen in a life coaching services for psychologists. The International Coach Federation (ICF) is another avenue of referencing. ICF does not cater to the psychologists, although they have peopleRead MoreLegal Issues Associated By Clinical Psychology Essay1352 Words   |  6 Pages 1. Legal issues associated in clinical psychology In clinical psychology, several legal issues do exist, and clinical psychologists must adhere to such legal standards. Two common legal issues are maintaining confidentiality and obtaining written informed consent. In regard to the maintenance of confidentiality, the clinical psychologists must never disclose the records of any patient or client unless required by law. This is a significant concern in clinical psychology, which the psychologist

Growth Through Going Global Free Essays

Growth Through Going Global The traditional theory of the firm is based on the short-run profit maximization. Many actions of firms may be seen to conflict with this aim and yet could be consistent with the aim of long-run profit maximization. For example, policies to increase the size of the firm or the firm’s share of the market may involve heavy advertising or low prices to the detriment of short-run profits. We will write a custom essay sample on Growth Through Going Global or any similar topic only for you Order Now But if this results in the firm becoming larger, with a bigger share of the market, the resulting economic power may enable the firm to make larger profits in the long run. In many respects, a firm’s global strategy is simply an extension of its strategy within its own domestic market. However, opening up to global markets can provide an obvious means for a business to expand its markets and spread its risks. It is also a means of reducing costs, whether through economies of scale or from accessing cheap sources of supply or low-wage production facilities. A firm’s global growth strategy may involve simply exporting or opening up factories abroad, or it may involve merging with businesses abroad or forming strategic alliances. The result is that the global business environment has tended to become more and more ompetitive. What will a growth-maximizing firm’s price and output be? Unfortunately there is no simple formula for predicting this. In the short run, the firm may choose the profit maximizing price and output – so as to provide the greatest funds for investment. On the other hand, it may be prepared to sacrifice some short-term profits in order to mount an advertising campaign. It all depends on the strategy it considers most suitable to achieve growth. In the long run, prediction is more difficult still. The policies that a firm adopts will depend crucially on the assessments of market opportunities made by managers. But this involves Judgment, not fine calculation. Different managers will Judge a situation differently. One prediction can be made. Growth-maximizing firms are likely to diversify into different products, especially as they approach the limits to expansion in existing markets. It is difficult to draw firm conclusions about the public interest. In the case of sales revenue maximization, a higher output will be produced than under profit maximization, but the consumers will not necessarily benefit from lower prices, since more will be spent on advertising – costs that will be passed on to the consumer. In the case of growth and long-run profit maximization, there are many possible policies that a firm could pursue. To the extent that a concern for the long run encourages firms to look to improved products, new products and new techniques, the consumer may benefit from such a concern. To the extent, however, that growth encourages a greater level of industrial concentration through merger; the consumer theory of the firm, the degree of competition a firm faces is a crucial factor in determining Just how responsive it will be to the wishes of the consumer. References: http://classofl . com/homework-help/economics-homework-help/ How to cite Growth Through Going Global, Papers

Economic Efficiency Samples for Students †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Economic Efficiency. Answer: Imperfect Competition and Oligopoly Efficiency. Primarily, oligopoly is associated with dynamic efficiency due to the inherent entry barriers thus limited output influencing maximum returns. Consequently, the assurance of profits due to entry barriers has boosted research and development ventures hence significant technological advancement translating into quality products at low prices and high output levels according to Galbraith-Schumpter (Ebrary, n.d.)Noteworthy, productive efficiency is unachievable in oligopolistic firms. Moreover, the close nature of oligopolistic firms to monopolistic firms makes it equally less efficient economically. Predominantly, under imperfect competition, theres no allocate efficiency due to the excessive marginal cost caused by price way above marginal revenue .Also, productive efficiency is unattainable under these conditions because of low output by firms. Market share and concentration is triggered by efficiency. Notably, Samsung s market concentration is 41.6% of the world wide Dynamic random access memory chart. Further, Samsung Smartphone Company has made efforts to differentiate its product from other smartphones through its feature interface. Source: IHIS isuppli Research, 2011 Notably, the concept of efficiency compares observed and optimal values of output and input of a production unit. Predominantly, perfectly competitive markets are considered more efficient than monopolistic competitive markets. In a monopolistic competitive structure, profit maximization happens when the value of marginal revenue is the same as marginal cost thus making output level lower than that of a perfectly competitive market. Further, firms will undersupply in this market structure.Noteworthy,the inefficiency in monopolistic competitive firms can be attributed to high prices set above marginal cost thus making these firms productively inefficient. Further, monopolistic competitive market is allocatively inefficient due to excess price of goods attributed to the excessive marginal cost. Efficiency could be technical,productive,dynamic,allocateve and economic.Notably,perfect competitive markets are likely to record high productive and allocative efficiency rates due to long term average cost curve as compared to monopoly and Oligopoly. Monopolies do set their prices at P which is greater than the marginal cost thus making it allocatively inefficient. Notably, allocative efficiency happens when MC cuts the demand curve making price equal to MC. Conclusively, Samsung is an oligopoly due to the existence of other firms such as Nokia, Apple among others (Loong, 2013) Further, there is product differentiation between the smartphone features produced by the different manufacturers. Moreover, there are entry barriers into the smartphone industry characterized by patents and economies of scale. Further, theres a strategic behavioral pattern and interdependence among the smartphone companies like Apple and Samsung. However, Samsung can be considered a monopolistic competitive firm due to the substantial number of other smartphone suppliers. However, Samsung could be considered a monopolistic due to its 57% market share (Loong, 2013) Notably, Samsung and Apple active competition has made them price makers rather than takers thus recording monopolistic profits.Primarily,Samsung has a larger market share as compared to other providers like Apple,HTC and Blackberry(Loong,2013)Notably, monopolistic competitive firms relative efficiency is based on market forces because they are the price setters of their products.Further,productive efficiency in a monopolistic competitive market depends on resource utilization. In addition, allocative efficiency depends on the equality of the firms marginal cost and revenue. In addition, efficiency depends on market share and concentration of the firm in question (Gambau and Maudos 2000) References Boundless. Monopolistic competitive markets are never efficient in any economic sense of the term. Boundless. [Online]Available at https://www.boundless.com/economics/textbooks/boundless-economics-textbook/monopolistic-competition-12/monopolistic-competition-75/efficiency-of-monopolistic-competition-286-12383/[Accessed 4 May 2017] Ebrary. (n.d)Principles of Economic Theory: Economic efficiency Oligopoly.Ebrary.net. [Online]Available at https://ebrary.net/6684/economic_theory/economic_efficiency_oligopoly[Accessed 4 May 2017] Gumbau, M and Maudos, J. (2000) Profitability, Market structure and Efficiency: An application to the Spanish Industry.UV.ES. [Online]Available at https://www.uv.es/maudosj/publicaciones/ec00-05%20.pdf[Accessed 4 May 2017] Loong, E. (2013) An economic Analysis on Samsung. Microeconomics [Online] Available athttps://econsbyesther.blogspot.co.ke/2013/10/samsung-at-its-peak-in-smartphone.html[Accessed 4 May 2017]

Readability in Publications

Readability in an article focuses on the targeted audience, the topic and clarity of language and grammar. Normally a lower readability shows a less literate people will be reading the article. In this article, the author uses simple words, short but precise sentences and paragraphs. A higher readability designates the need for longer sentences, technical words, and complex level of grammar the writer can manage to use. In this case varied sentence structure will dramatically increase the level of readability.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Readability in Publications specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For the audience, the author is expected to identify them before structuring work for publication, (Crary 68) topics should be interesting and some uses specialized language while others are emotional and the topic dictates the tone of the articles. In addition, language and grammar must always be correct and approp riate for the selected topic and audiences. There some factors that influence the readability of an article; this includes concepts, they are the ideas that the document try to present in quick succession with appropriate explanation. Vocabulary level refers to the technicality of the words used in the document, whereby, longer and jargoned words belong to the category of words regarded to be most difficult compared to simple ones. (Barthes 127) Sentence structure is another factor that affects readability; a lengthy sentence will be difficult to understand than a shorter one. Nonetheless, poorly short written sentences are not acceptable substitutes. Graphics aid such as photos, maps and charts usually improve readability of an article. Precise introductions, titles, italic or bolded headings can ease the identification to the separation and explanation of main ideas from supporting ones. Size and style of publication can also influence readability. (Jury 307) Finally, level of com prehension is required to answer the question at the end of the article. A graphic designer involves stylization and presentation of the texts and use of images to come up with a well-illustrated graphic design. (Marsen 430) It is the work of the designer to organize the page into a presentable layout and determine whether other graphics elements are required. Modern design practice is absolute to the use of computer software such as multimedia or interactive design software. Visual Arts This includes to all the work, which is mainly visual in nature. Before any graphic aspects are applied to a design, the aspect must be originates by visual art skills. Computers have been in use to improve the artwork in the modern and post-modern world. Currently the computer art has developed high quality visual art that captures the attention of the audience in a distance. (Kress 34)Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper wi th 15% OFF Learn More By using well-illustrated artwork in print design, it increases the readability of the article. Computer generated clip art has made apparent distinction among visual arts, and general page layout to be less obvious, since it of the eases accessibility and editing work of clip art in the process of rendering an article. When an art designer makes property arrangement of the content and context directly affects the visual aspect of the page hence improving the quality and readability of the article. (Ellis 234) Typography This is the art of arranging text type to make the article visible. It includes the selection of font size, typefaces, line length and spacing and letter tracking. Typesetters, graphic designers, comic book artists do typography and any other who arranges types for a final product. (Elkins 87). Additionally, typography is also refers to the quality of the comforts while reading the article. Readability also involves letter spacing, wor d spacing or reading which is either too tight or loose. A designer can improve the readability of the text by separating vertical lines of an article making it simple for the eye to differentiate one line from the next. Pathetically designed fonts and those that are tight or loosely fitted can also result to poor legibility. Typography is a constituent of all published articles, general publications, such as magazines, journals and newspapers use typography to gain an attractive, interesting and unique appearance to helps the readers in perusing the publications. (Cooke 102) Print media uses collection of typefaces for specific purposes such as sizes, italic, large and small capital letters, bold, colors and other features to identify their house style and to achieve particular tones. Page layout This aspect of graphic design involves arrangement of items on a page, such as photo placement, text layout and style presentation. Well-structured page design is a major consideration in print media; articles actually consist of text, photos and graphics mostly for the adverts. We have two-page layouts that are grid and templates, which are materials mostly used in advertising publications. (Clark 456). A grid is a set of guidelines visible in the design work and not seen by the end-user, and they are useful in the aligning and setting of items on a page. (Marsen 56) It requires a designer to be skilled to be able to design the grids; additionally grids are set to be flexible.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Readability in Publications specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Templates are stiffer and include elements that are visible to the end user. They are helpful materials for limited modifications during the designing process. A designer is supposed to use page layout in her job to improve the readability of the article he/she is publishing. Conclusion It is important to put your audience prioriti es first before coming up with any publication. The extent of readability in any publication depends on the author’s understanding of his/her targeted audience. Its therefore vital to mentor the relationship between the author and the audience. Works Cited Barthes, Roland. Image-Music-Text. London: Fontana Press, 1977. Print. Clark, Vivienne. Key Concepts and Skills for Media Studies. London: Hodder and Staughton, 2002. Print. Cooke, Wollen. Visual display: culture beyond appearances. NY: New Press, 1998. Crary, Jonathan. Techniques of the Observer. MA: MIT Press, 1992. Print. Elkins, James. The Domain of Images. Cornell University Press, 1999. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ellis, John. Visible Fictions. London: Routledge, 1992. Print. Foster, Hal. Vision and Visuality. New York: New press, 1999. Print. Jury, D. What Is Typography? Essential Design Handbooks. Routledge, 2006. Print. Kress, Gunther van Leuven, Theo. Reading Images: the grammar of visual design. Abingdon: Routledge, 2006. Print. Marsen, Sky. Communication Studies. Palgrave, 2006. Print. This essay on Readability in Publications was written and submitted by user Allison H. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Bpolar disorder essays

Bpolar disorder essays Bipolar disorder is a serious life long condition that has affected 2.3 million people in US since 2003. Today I would like to talk to you about Bipolar Disorder and its affects on its patients. A bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, is characterized by extreme mood swings from severe highs (mania) followed by episodes of distinct lows (depression). Individuals with bipolar disorder may suffer from impaired thinking and judgment that can lead to poor decision-making and impulsiveness. A bipolar disorder is often a chronic condition, often beginning in adolescence or early adulthood and usually persists for life. My best friend of 12 years was diagnosed with bipolarism when she was 18. Her diagnosis changed her life and the life of her friends and family overnight. She dealt with mood swings, trying to laugh when dirty joke goes around or cry when appropriate. She was clinically depressed and was obsessed with washing her hands and feet. Every time she got of her bed/ cou ch/ chair or left and entered a room, she would have to wash her feet and hands. Her hands and feet became so dry that sometimes they bled. I didnt understand as an adolescent what she was going through. I always go irritated and told her to snap out of it until the day she was diagnosed. I have always wondered how it would be like to live in constant fear, in constant depression, constantly washing your hands or thinking that everybody believes your psycho. I would be pretty unbearable. While there is no cure for this disease, people with this disease can lead rich and fulfilling lives. The key is understanding the condition and getting proper treatment. ...

Human Rights Violations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Human Rights Violations - Essay Example This paper shall not address all violations related to sexual orientation or gender identity due to the depth of discussion involved in such areas. However, it shall focus on critical human rights concerns among LGBTs. LGBTs flee their home countries due to serious violations of their fundamental human rights. Violations include executions and other severe violent attacks from state and non-state actors. This paper predominantly focuses on the human rights violations of persons based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Under these conditions, it would be possible to better understand the reasons why host countries must provide adequate surrogate protection to LGBTs who have fled gross living conditions from their home nations. Homophobic and trans-phobic violence has been recorded in many regions. Such violence may be physical, through acts like murder, beatings, kidnappings, rape and sexual assaults or they may be psychological, and may include threats, coercion, and arb itrary deprivations of liberty. These attacks constitute a form of gender-based violence, mostly driven by a desire to punish those who may be perceived as violators of gender norms. Egregious human rights violations have compelled some lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to seek refuge in countries with better human rights protection. It is important to assess the current situation relating to human rights violations which have left these individuals unprotected and vulnerable. It is also crucial to evaluate the reason why many of them risk their lives to seek protection elsewhere, where they still run the risk of being subjected to further abuse. Some states in recognition of these violations have afforded protection to these oppressed sexual minority groups. Before proceeding to the procedural hurdles that LGBTs face in host countries, it is important to shed light to the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons and the countries which criminalize homosexuality. It is widely recognised that every individual has the right to their preferred sexuality, the Yogyakarta principles illustrates similar the protection of such rights. Today, there are seventy-six countries in the world which have criminalized same-sex sexual acts between consenting adults. In seven of these countries, homosexual acts are punishable with the death penalty. These countries include Mauritania, Sudan, Northern states of Nigeria, Southern parts of Somalia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen1. These countries typically prohibit either certain types of sexual activity including any intimacy or any sexual activity between persons of the same sex. What these laws have in common is that they are often used to harass and prosecute individuals based on their actual, perceived sexuality, or gender identity2. Penalties range from short-term to life imprisonment, and even the death penalty. People living with their sexuality under a veil are constantly threatened, blackm ailed, and persecuted. There is a need to free these people from the misery of fear and persecution. Ignoring their fate and denying their right to pursue a happy life and to fulfill their sexuality is a disgraceful practice. What is terrifying about the current situa

The UK yoghurt market (marketing plan) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The UK yoghurt market (marketing plan) - Essay Example Yoghurt is used to supplement the main diet. Various developments have been registered in the production and marketing of this product in different markets across the globe. Different production companies have developed different brands of the product leading to an increased competition in the market. Besides, other related milk products give stiff competition to yoghurt in the market. The company that is to succeed in the market has to be sensitive and able to respond to the changing market trends. It has to develop a product brand that meets the changing needs of the clients. The organization should develop a marketing strategy that ensures proper brand positioning in the market. There has been a significant growth in the UK yoghurt market in the recent years with 21% increase in the period 2006- 2011 (UK-June 2011 Report, 2011). One of the players in the UK yoghurt is Yeo Valley Organic. This is a farming and dairy company situated in the Yeo Valley of Somerset, England. The company deals in a variety of dairy products and other desserts. Initially starting with the natural yoghurt, the company has expanded its operations to produce more brands of the products to meet the customer needs in relation to tastes or costs of the products. Other companies offer similar products in the market leading to increased competition in the UK yoghurt market. The organization is then faced with the challenge to develop products that rank above those produced by the competitors in customer satisfaction. A good market plan will help the company to position its brand above the competing brands. This calls for an analysis of all the market forces in the UK yoghurt market and id entifying procedures of overcoming the forces. Due to the changing customer needs, the organization has introduced a new product that is of better medicinal value. Apart from the normal ingredients, this new product has a component that makes it suitable for relieving mid pain. The company is in the process of marketing this new product. This paper illustrates a market plan that is to be adopted by Yeo Valley Organic to help achieve its marketing objectives. It is a one-year program to market the new yoghurt products by the company. 2. Mission and Business objectives The management at Yeo Valley Organic has noted that the quality of the products can be improved through proper care given to the dairy animals. This requires proper environmental conservation initiatives. Thus, the organization is committed to providing quality products to customers while reducing the adverse effects of their operations on the environment to ensure sustainable production. The organization has set a numb er of objectives that are concerned with management of environment. It is concerned with ensuring sustainable production in order to survive in the future market. To reduce the production cost

Short Essay of Music History Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short of Music History - Essay Example According to the text, African American music replicates the styles of music and performances that still exist in Africa. These kinds of music integrate human life experiences since the communities strongly consider music to be a fundamental part of life. According to African life and music are inseparable. Because of this, the performances of music not only signifies entertainment but also accompanies certain activities. Further, the performers enjoy close associations with the community.   Musicians therefore frequently perform music in the communities they come from and for the community members as opposed to the European culture, which solicits the service of trained musicians. To further, explore these facts, I will visit the African cultural center and learn more about their music and its origins. This study will also encompass the uncovering the characteristics of African American music and how it relates to African culture. I am now knowledgeable of the fact that the first African Americans in the nation came as a very small group and server as free or semi-free slaves. They held closely their cultural values even as they slowly became aware of the different cultural experiences of the Europeans. The increase in colonies and the need for workers in the plantations led to the increase of the slaves in the nation. With the continued stay in America, their familiarity with the American culture increased factors that became even more evident with the second generation African Americans. Unlike the first generation immigrants, the second generation embraced the American culture at relatively higher levels. However, the determination of the first generation African Americans to maintain their cultural values caused the community to integrate those culture for example in their music. African American music demonstrates this fact as seen in the way it expresses the culture of the African continent.

Organising a safe environment for young children

Organising a safe environment for young children Planning a safe environment is a challenging process for early year’s practitioners. Child safety and protection is a key element in their development in early year setting. Planning of early year play setting every day is challenging and difficult process. Play environment should be a minimal risk and no danger for children. Arranging safe and friendly environment have to consider all the time for children to achieve maximum learning from each activity setup in the setting. A child safe environment is including range of health and safety policies. Under OFSTED regulation early year setting need to know arrange challenging stimulate environment for all children. Practicing and applying health and safety regulations is an vital procedure for all the staff in the setting. Basic information about creating a child safe environment: Check the fire exits before children enter the setting Leave a space around table for children to move free Staff interact with child easily Having comfortable and safe corner in the setting for children can sit or lie down Messy activity table are arrange for near washbasins and on suitable flooring Radiators and light should be kept clear to avoid fore hazard Free standing furniture must completely close Enough space for around physical activities The setting layout should help child interest Equipment and toys need to accessible for children. A risk assessment procedure is help to identify risks in the setting. The deputy leader in the setting has to check and take the responsibility in regarding the risk assessment procedure in the setting. Checking hazard is important in the premises every day. Outdoor environment will help for children in the early years by: †¢ To get Fresh air, contact with nature and learn about weather seasons. †¢ Opportunities for learning about growing plants and gardening. †¢ Opportunities for wider range of physical activities in outdoor. The outdoor environment is an essential part of high quality provision for babies and toddlers in the early age. Effective outdoor activity supports of delivery all development in the Early Years. These all challenging environment effect children personal, social, emotional and physical development in safe setting. In the earl year setting, the staff ratio is very important when considering the child safety. Correct staff ratios can minimize accidents and injuries in the setting and outdoor activities. Precise staff ratios for the settings are: 1:3 children under 2 years 1:4 children aged 2 years 1:8 children aged 3-5 years Explain the role of the practitioner within a wider, multi-agency environment. The point of wider and multi-agency environment is: Multi-agency working provides benefits for children, young people and families because they receive tailor-made support in the most efficient way. It helps in early identification of any issues and intervention and easier or quicker access to services or expertise. Children and parents are addressed more appropriately and better quality services provided for longer-term or more specialist services. Also, this includes working parents, parents who speak English as an additional language, and parents who do not live in the family at home with their children. Practitioners in early year setting need to respect which families working with them and how to support their child early year learning journey and development. Working with multi-agency environment the practitioners needed to understand that the home learning environment for each children in the setting. It is a way of working with the small children and those supportive experiences for parent and the children. Early year children settings are diversity and combination of many different cultures. Practitioners in early year setting responsible for creating environments that are culturally rich and respectful of the diversity include all the children. From foundation stage children need to develop an understanding about the world. Multi-agency working can take place at many levels and its effectiveness will depend on how well it is integrated. Children’s centres and pre-schools provide multi-disciplinary teams on one site as well as working closely with external agencies. Every setting is unique and the nature of the multi-agency working will vary accordingly. The achievement of effective multi-agency working has proved more difficult to achieve than was anticipated. In order to create a climate of change where professionals and agencies can work effectively together it need to understand what the barriers to change are. Some of the barriers to achieving more effective multi-agency working that have been identified are: professionalism; conflicting priorities of different agencies; dealing with risk; the need to change the culture of organisations. Working in multi-agency environment and key workers are together to provide supporting childrens individual needs. The wider community plays are include vital role play. Practitioners need to work together across services for example working in partnership with health visitors, general practitioners, social workers, nursery nurses, speech and language therapist can get information and ideas about early year child development step by step in childcare setting. Children and their families need to communicate well and need to listen carefully to all concerned about child each and every day. Setting practitioners need to reach children ideas first, to reach children individual needs. The regulatory requirements that underpin the organisation of the environment. Enabling environment and regulatory requirements; Risk; Hazard; Risk Assessment; Risk assessment is important for any setting because it: †¢ makes sure the setting is safe for children, staff and parents †¢ is an Early Years Foundation Stage Welfare requirement †¢ is good practice. What is a risk assessment? A risk assessment is: †¢ identifying a hazard which might cause harm †¢ making sure that the risk attached to it is acceptable †¢ putting appropriate control measures in place if the risk is not acceptable. Making the risk assessments on a regular basis for equipment, activities, policies and procedures should take into account the numbers, ages and abilities of children and resources, planning, staff and space. They need to be evaluated and reviewed regularly. Following the risk assessment procedure, practitioners should check that is nothing damaged on equipment, toilets and all areas used by children are clean on a daily basis. Setting leader should arrange enough staff to meet the needs of the children and the activities planned and that there are no changes which could cause a danger this is particularly important in shared premises. This can be done by using a chart on the wall which can be initialled when an area is checked. The table below is an example method of risk assessment which can be used. When it use designated person or manager should date the each time they review it. The premises and outside play areas should be secure and children should not be able to leave them unsupervised. The designated person or manager should have an effective system for managing access to and exit from the premises, ensure that this system is used and keep a record of visitors. Floor and staircase finishes should be close fitting, resilient, non-slip and readily cleanable. Rugs or mats should not be used where they may present trip hazards. Holes and tears in the floor covering should be repaired promptly and effectively. All floors should be kept free from obstructions. All equipment and machinery used in a pre-school service should be safe for use and subject to regular service and maintenance by a competent person. All chemicals should be kept in their correct labelled containers and securely stored and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Outdoor play areas should be checked each time they are used. The outdoor play area should be secured and safely fenced off to ensure that children cannot leave this area without adult supervision and that unauthorised access is prevented. Evaluate how effective the environment is in meeting childrens individual needs How early years practitioners Can Create Effective Learning Environments; An early childhood environment is many things. It is a safe place where children are protected from the elements and are easily supervised. Also, important activities of the day like playing, eating, sleeping, washing hands, and going to the bathroom take place. Beyond the basics, however, an environment for young children implements and supports a programmes philosophy and curriculum. The modules of an early learning environment are many and can be overwhelming for the children. Early year practitioners need to know how to create an environment and that how to supports learning and meets children s individual needs? Environments for young children should provide multiple sources of stimulation to encourage the development of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills. Early childhood importance of play should be including, hands-on-learning and whole child development. A good early childhood environment supports these activities for child development, well-organize play area, large block area, sand and water activities, art and craft areas, reading corner and outdoor play area. These space need to arrange in a way that children can make noise while playing without disturbing for children in other activities. Environments should be carefully designed and equipped for children to meet their individual needs. Activities must be physical challenges, learning disabilities, or emotional issues in the setting. Other reflects the importance of early year children by including examples of their work in progress and displaying images of children. Every child in the setting has an image of themselves and their family. Important part of development is feeling in all children, so it is important to displays of pictures of all parents and families, and every race and ethnicity, including interracial, multi-ethnic, and adoptive families. The entire setting should also reflect diversity throughout the world. Throughout the setting artwork, photos, posters, and signs on the wall; books; dolls; parent boards, newsletters, announcements, and magazines; materials such as puzzles, people sets, activity books, music, art materials, and play area include all children individual needs. In order to meet children’s diverse needs, and help all children make the best possible progress, practitioners should: à ¢-   Plan opportunities that build on and extend children’s knowledge, experiences, interests and skills and develop their self-esteem and confidence in their ability to learn; à ¢-   Use a wide range of teaching strategies, based on children’s learning needs; à ¢-   provide a wide range of opportunities to motivate, support and develop children and help them to be involved, concentrate and learn effectively; à ¢-   provide a safe and supportive learning environment, free from harassment, in which the contribution of all children is valued and where racial, religious, disability and gender stereotypes are challenged; à ¢-   Plan challenging opportunities for children whose ability and understanding are in advance of their language and communication skills; à ¢-   monitor children’s progress, identifying any areas of concern, and taking action to provide support, for example by using different approaches, additional adult help. An early childhood environment is many things to do. Its a safe place where children are protected from the elements and are easily supervised, and its where the important activities of the day take place, such as playing, eating, sleeping, washing hands, and going to the bathroom. Beyond the basics, however, an environment for young children implements and supports programs of early childhood development. Environments for young children should provide multiple sources of stimulation to encourage the development of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills. When planning the environment, following steps is impotent to be considered: Places for developmentally appropriate physical activities. Opportunities for concrete, hands-on activities. Change and variety. Colour and decorations. Soft, responsive environments. Flexible materials and equipment. Obstacles to consider when planning the learning environment: Storage. Activity area access. Noise. Dividers. Reference: Devon Early Years and Childcare Service, Available from www.devon.gov.uk/risk_assssment_guidance.pdf. Accessed : 28th February 2015,

Creon As The Tragic Hero Of Antigone by Sophocles Essay -- Greek Sopho

Creon As The Tragic Hero Of Antigone by Sophocles Greek tragedy would not be complete with out a tragic hero. Sophocles wrote Antigone with a specific character in mind for this part. Based on Aristotle’s definition, Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon fits Aristotle’s tragic hero traits as a significant person who is faced with difficult decisions. Creon is significant because he is king. This makes him both renowned and prosperous. Creon is not completely good nor completely bad; he is somewhere in-between, as humans are. The audience can relate to this and they admire his qualities of intelligence in political affairs. They can also relate to his ability to make hard decisions with apparent ease. These hard decisions are what lead Creon to fit Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Creon faces decisions that lead to a no-win situation, with confidence, and he makes the best decision he can, based on his beliefs. He believes that Polyneices should not be buried because he was a traitor to his family. This decision affected Antigone greatly, and Creon knew that the decision would be hard on some people. Family and burials are very important in society, and Creon is asking Antigone to not consider them, to onl y consider that Polyneices was a traitor to his home city. Creon is then faced with the knowledge that Antigone went against his will and law, and buried her brother. Again, Creon is faced with a hard decision. He must choose to kill his own family memb...

Developmental problems in Algeria

Development activities may be recorded in various sectors in any given country especially in agriculture, transportation and manufacturing depending on how these sectors bring economic benefits to a country it’s easy to determine the Gross Domestic Product. Using Algeria as an example, industrial revolution and human trafficking are the two major factors that help determine the country’s economic level. It’s worth noting that, Algeria highly depends on agriculture and human labor for its development.For this reason, the government has developed several developmental theories to cope with any problems that may affect the major sectors in the country. Industrial revolution Since the early 19th century, Algeria has had significant changes in transport, manufacturing and agricultural sectors. These changes can best be said to be as a result of industrial revolution, which has brought new tools and machines to the country’s economic sector. In addition, industr ial revolution has resulted to new forms of mechanization such as textile industry and introduction of iron making techniques.The tools and machines brought about by industrial revolution have made production to be more efficient and reliable. This is because tools tend to make work easier and reduce production cost. The reason behind reduced production cost is the ability industrial revolution has on reducing human labor on the number of employees in any given production industry. However, industrial revolution has several shortcomings that a country should take note of. Agricultural sector is negatively affected by industrial revolution when pollution issues arise.In most cases, industries tend to cause air, water and land pollutions. Vegetation provides economic advantage and basic food to a nation, pollution caused by industrial revolution tends to damage them hence resulting to an unhealthy nation. Other limitations caused by industrial revolution are unemployment and reduced s ocial activities. In Algeria for example, iron melting has resulted in increased weapons and arms in the country. Researchers such as John Clapham have blamed industrial revolution for change in social activity and increased crime.Unemployment on the other hand has led to increase in the gap between the poor and the rich. Unemployment refers to the microeconomic phenomenon where by people are willing to work but not currently working, this groups of people in clued those with out work, those currently available to work and those seeking work that that particular moment. Unemployment is segmented in terms of age, sex, education, duration of unemployment and kind of work that an individual is seeking. In the United States specifically the common types of unemployment are the frictional structural and cyclically types (G.  den Broeder P 132).Industrial revolution is also leads to minimum wages in some of the jobs or occupation, research has shown that the amount of salary or wages th at employees are paid in some sectors especially the blue collar jobs the payment is too low compared to the amount of job or task performed, the solution to this according to the governmental human rights acts the incorporation of the setting of minimum wage had been suggested as the answer, this has not proven to work since minimum wage set was too low compared to the daily expenses and the expected standards of living of the workers.As a solution to the major problems caused by industrial revolution the government has formulated several developmental theories. A good example is starting up social programs which ensure the citizens are aware of the importance of unity and peace. The assumption behind these theories is that individuals are socially stable, availability of arms and weapons will not affect peace in a country greatly. Another strategy developed by the government to suppress unemployment caused by industrial revolution is reduced tax burden.Human trafficking Human traf ficking refers to harboring, transporting or recruiting people with the aim of slavery. It is quite common in many underdeveloped countries like Algeria where developmental sectors determine the countries economic and social stability. Human trafficking tends to bring about deception and fraud. This is because it’s mostly caused by abuse of power. Campaigns against human trafficking have highly been established since the activity does not comply with human rights in most countries.There are several forms of human trafficking; sexual harassment, forced labor and exploitation and servitude are the most common forms of human trafficking. In Algeria for example, children can be recruited as soldiers, the act tends to weaken the population. The fact that human trafficking brings about social mistrust, the citizens finds it hard to follow the set rules and regulations as they believe the government is dictatorship oriented.Since human trafficking is quite common in Algeria, Smith M cGregor analyzed several causes related to its increase. The most common causes are unemployment, government corruption, regional imbalances, political instability, armed conflicts and structured crimes. Clearly, most of these causes can only be controlled if the government at hand can come in. To begin with, the government should find it their duty to provide security to the public by disarming all the unauthorized persons.For the government to succeed in providing security and peace in the society, proper leadership strategies should be implemented. It is essential to eradicate human trafficking in our country as it affects stability of social and economic sectors. In regions where human trafficking is highly witnessed, essential rife activities are not considered. A good example is low educational levels resulting to high levels of illiteracy. Human trafficking also results to low developmental growth since human labor in that specific country is unavailable.When this happens, it becomes quite difficult to develop agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Human trafficking results to poor health in a society therefore it tends to be quite difficult for any developmental activities to be carried out effectively. The government and several other non governmental organizations have developed developmental theories to cope with human trafficking effects and besides eradicate it. Stating well defined international laws is one major theory developed by the government to reduce power extravagance.The Algerian government has ensured that legal courts do not oversee crimes related to violation of human rights. A counsel has also been developed based on the country’s’ laws to cope with cases related to human trafficking. In conclusion, industrial revolution and human trafficking are the major developmental problems in Algeria and they are associated with most of the financial and social problems in the country. However, in the recent past the government h as developed several developmental theories to eradicate the problems. References Russell Brown, Lester. Eco-Economy, James & James / Earthscan.ISBN 1-85383-904- (2005) Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789–1848, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd. ISBN 0-349-10484-0 Hudson, Pat. The Industrial Revolution, Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-7131-6531-6 1998 Deane, Phyllis. The First Industrial Revolution, Cambridge University Press 1998

Conflict Management Essays

Conflict Management Essays Conflict Management Essay Conflict Management Essay Course: project economics and evaluation Course code: C11PV Coursework title: Project Appraisal Student Number: H00152083 Lecturer: Dr. Esinath Ndiweni 1. Introduction The work is centred on the importance of project appraisal therefore emphasising on the financial and non-financial techniques of appraisal. The object and, therefore, the importance of a project appraisal is making an analysis to see whether the project is viable. It is vital to know whether a project is technically feasible and whether it is going to be an economic liability or not. A project appraisal is an important part of any project and should be taken seriously because a lot rests on it. The effects of a project appraisal are long reaching and have very definite long term effects because of the capital investment that is always required in any project. Once a decision has been made to go ahead with a project, it is irreversible. Even if, through some catastrophic event, the project has to come to an unpredicted halt, the investment has been made so all could be lost. These high expenditures can be critical, not just for that particular project but for the health and survival of the entire business. As such, this paper combines the importance of both methods in order to help in assessment of project performance. 2. Literature review Recent literature has been emphasising on the need to consider the use of both financial and non-financial methods when dealing with project decisions. It is fundamental for a project to consider these techniques in order to measure a success of a project. This part of the paper is focused on critically analysing and evaluating these techniques and justifying why both are important. Some of these methods are very simple (e. g. payback period) while others are particularly sophisticated and complex (e. . Net Present Value, Real Options Reasoning). Simpler methods do not take into account the time value of the money and do not include the risk dimension. All these methods are well documented and explained in the literature. However, there is little empirical evidence on the factors that explain the use of the different techniques by firms. Thus, this p aper is focused on the use of capital investment appraisal methods (CIAM) in practice. Particularly, it analyses whether there are specific contingencies that explain why firms use and do not use specific capital investment appraisal methods. . Financial method of appraisal The decision making in projects are not difficult when we only use financial knowledge. Financial techniques use NPV, IRR, Payback Period techniques in appraising a project as well as making investment decisions. Through this technique, a firm can also analyse a project’s tendency to risk by using sensitivity analysis and risk analysis. Project managers often concentrate on establishing the financial visibility of their projects through reasonable economics. Traditionally, the Net Present Value, the Internal Rate of Return and Payback Period techniques have formed a major component of the financial techniques of investment. They are often based on the time value of money methods to forecast the expected monetary returns of a given project. The reliability of these techniques however depends on the accuracy of the given cash flows and the time frame as planned by the organisation. A major drawback to the financial method of appraisal is the fact that it cannot be practically assumed with a high degree of certainty. The value of all the factors is affected by numerous risks and unforeseen events which are often difficult to tell. Based on an article by S. Mohammed under project certainty (2001) he argued that the financial factors like the net present value, internal rate of return and payback period do not allow for non-financial aspects to be considered in assessing investment option. Non-financial methods such as political, legal and social factors are believed to be essential but rather, firms count them outside the normal appraisal process. These non-financial factors require careful knowledge in order to be managed. In major cases, the neglect of these aspects may result in failure of the project despite having favourable financial components. a. Types of financial techniques of appraisal There different types of techniques in the financial aspects of appraisal. The first to be considered is the Net present Value (NPV). This method enables the firm to determine how much value a project can add. It determines the acceptability of the project. Before taking any step to in a project, the NPV must be considered. If the NPV is positive, then the project can be accepted, whereas if it is negative, the project should be rejected. It determines the stance of the firm in the project and enables organisations to know the end product of the project in terms of cash. The limitation however is the fact that NPV does not accurately forecast future costs and benefits. Another technique is discounted cash flow method which provides approach for evaluating proposed investment project because they recognise the importance of the concepts of time value of money and the cost of capital, and stress the need for forecasting. It can be applied for valuing business as a whole and also for valuing individual business components of a company or firm. Also it can be used by both equity shareholders because on the basis of DCF valuation they can compare two companies and take decision whether to invest or not, and also debt holders can use DCF method to take decision regarding the company. The problem with DCF is that since it is a valuation tool it is dependent heavily on the inputs used for valuation purpose, so if inputs are changed slightly there can be large change in the value of a company. Payback period is another important technique which refers to the period of time a project can cover for the investment made by the company. For example if the initial project cost is ? 50000 and the annual cash flow is ? 10000, it implies that the payback period would be 5 years. It is also beneficial for those companies who are recently established and want to know the time frame in which they would recover their original investment, therefore those companies which do not want to take risk and want quick return on their investments can select those projects which have low payback period and ignore those projects which require long gestation projects. A major disadvantage of payback period is that it does not show a true picture when it comes to evaluating cash flows of a project. b. Advantages and disadvantages of different financial methods of appraisal The payback period is based on the idea of how much time is needed for the project to generate cash flows sufficient to recover the initial amount invested. It can be also used as a criterion for acceptance or rejection of projects in the case that the payback period is above or below a certain number of years previously defined. The main advantages of this method are: ease of understanding; simplicity of implementation; provides an idea of the degree of liquidity and risk of the project; and in times of huge instability, the use of this method is a way to increase the security of investments. Despite these advantages, the payback method has two important drawbacks. First, it ignores the cash flows occurring after the payback time, which can lead to the rejection of profitable projects that require a longer recovery period. Second, the payback period, in its original version, does not consider the time value of money in calculating the cash flows. This is inconsistent with the basic principles of financial mathematics. One way of overcoming this problem is to calculate the payback period by discounting (at the appropriate discounting rate) the expected future cash flows, as proposed by Longmore (1989). The accounting average rate of return (ARR) is computed as the ratio between the project’s estimated average profit and the average accounting value of the investment (Brealey and Myers, 1998). This ratio is compared with the firm’s accounting rate of return or other benchmark external to the firm (e. . the industry average value). The main advantages of this method are its simplicity of understanding and usage, given that the figures used in calculations are those provided by accounting reports. However, this method presents some important weaknesses. First, it does not take into account the time value of money. Second, being based on accounting earnings and not on the project’s cash flows, it is conceptual ly incorrect. Finally, there is the need to set a target rate of return as a prerequisite to apply ARR as an appraisal method (Akalu, 2001). c. Benefits and importance of financial techniques of Appraisal The object and, therefore, the importance of a project appraisal is making an analysis to see whether the project is viable. It is vital to know whether a project is technically feasible and whether it is going to be an economic liability or not. A project appraisal is an important part of any project and should be taken seriously because a lot rests on it. The effects of a project appraisal are long reaching and have very definite long term effects because of the capital investment that is always required in any project. Financial techniques are essential methods in determining the acceptability of the project. Financial method of appraisal is often regarded as the aspect of project appraisal, however, in order for a project to be successful non-financial aspects must also be considered. A major significance of financial method of approval is that it partially justifies spending money on a project. This means that it enquires whether a project gives good value for the budget of the project. It also gives confidence through its several tools that money is being put to good use. Financial techniques are also important decision making tools in which they involve comprehensive analysis of a wide range of data and judgement. This is to enable projects managers to ensure that the selected project is sustainable and it also guarantees sensible ways of managing risk. Furthermore, financial method helps to confirm that projects will be managed properly, by ensuring the calculations are accurate, that there are contingency plans to handle risks and setting milestones against which progress can be judged. 4. NON-FINANCIAL METHODS OF APPRAISAL Project appraisal is not all about financial methods. There are non-financial aspects of appraisal that play an important role in helping firms make decisions on projects. As a matter of fact, non-financial factors are considered as the backbones of a project that will either make or break a project. A very important factor that requires consideration is meeting the requirements of current and future legislation. In most cases it is regarded more important than any method of appraisal because it is uncertain. Every country belongs to a system of government that it is accountable to, in an event where every calculations and evaluations have been completed to determine the acceptability of a certain project, and then along the line the government in power brought a rather abrupt end to the given project. The logic in this implies financial techniques of appraisal are very significant to a project, however, they must go hand-in-hand with the non-financial factors and it is paramount for any management to consider meeting the requirements of the legislation first. Other important factors of non-financial methods are matching the standards of the industry, improving staff morale and improving relationships with clients. In most cases, it is fundamental to balance non-financial and financial techniques. The firm may need to decide how important each factor is to the project. An appraisal choice in this way can take into consideration how well the project fits with the techniques. d. Analysis of non-financial factors of appraisal There are different factors to be considered in the appraisal of projects. In most cases some of these factors are neglected in the event of appraisal and it does not reduce the profitability of the project, and on the other hand it renders the project non-profitable. First of all, the political factors must be considered. This is an obvious factor which its omission could result into the end of the project in the sense that the project manager or the firm must meet the requirements of the legislation. For example some governments could ban the use of some web-based advertisements due to political reasons definitely, and the project could sometime require the use of the web-based sites to create awareness of the project to the general public. Due to the actions of the government, the project consequently faces a setback. The advantage of this factor however is that, it does not occur often and it has a low probability of failing a project if it does not occur. A good example of this factor is when 2011, the Egyptian president decided to ban the access of YouTube, a video site that is known worldwide for its ease of video coverage. If the company decides to advertise the project through this means and along the way the decision is taken, the company will definitely face a setback. Another factor to be considered is the environmental factor. Green activities have recently gained popularity to the extent that companies not investing in equipment that preserve the environment are seen as non-responsive by the general public who are the customers. It is also important for a project to be aware of the resources in the area where the project would be launched. For example, in Nigeria, projects that are based on construction are usually suitable for the soils of the northern part because they are arable and fine. If a company decides to launch a project in the southern part there is possibility of failing to get the perfect soil due to large number of oil fields. Also the process of land acquisition is complex. It requires the company to follow a long process in order to acquire a large piece of land. Furthermore for short term projects it would be of immense advantage if the country is blessed with favourable weather conditions and a vast number of skilled labours. Furthermore in addition to the analysis of non-financial methods of appraisal, it is paramount to bring the usefulness of risk into the picture. It enhances decision making on marginal projects. A project whose single-value NPV is small may still be accepted following risk analysis on the grounds that its overall chances for yielding a satisfactory return are greater than is the probability of making an unacceptable loss. Likewise, a marginally positive project could be rejected on the basis of being excessively risky, or one with a lower NPV may be preferred to another with a higher NPV because of a better risk/return profile. However an area for caution is Risk analysis amplifies the predictive ability of sound models of reality. The accuracy of its predictions therefore can only be as good as the predictive capacity of the model employed. Lastly the company or the firm must consider the availability of manpower. In order to ensure the success of a project there must be a high concentration of skilled workers to handle the activities of the project. The higher the number of skilled workers will create a better chance for the project to be launched and completed in a good way. There must be individuals who will handle the financial methods as well and to ensure the project will be favourable or not. e. Limitations of non-financial methods The appraisal of projects in most cases requires the incorporation of the effects of both financial and non-financial methods of appraisal and ensures that these methods are appropriately represented. The main drawback to the non-financial methods of appraisal is that they cannot be used alone to determine the acceptability of a project. Also due to its intangible nature it brings limitation when using probability analysis. This is due to the fact that non-financial factors on projects are often difficult to quantify. As a result of this, current models often ignore this method because of the lack of knowledge of the qualitative and strategic benefit costs. Non-financial have an intangible nature, are difficult to estimate, and cause a subjective analysis to project evaluators. Therefore, the investment decision should rely not only on the traditional evaluation criteria, but also on non-financial factors, through the use of tools and methods that incorporate and quantify non-financial aspects in project evaluation. f. Comparison between financial and non-financial techniques of project appraisal The prominent issue about the financial and non-financial methods of appraisal is the fact both concepts are essential to the success of a project. The neglecting of one aspect of either of the concepts may result in the failure of the project because they work hand-in-hand. In other comments it was understood that the non-financial factors are not instrumental in the appraisal of a project due to their qualitative nature. On other hand, financial methods like the payback period do not give a true picture of what exactly is required in the investment. However in my view the financial techniques are better in showing the benefits of a project. 5. Conclusion The paper is centred on the importance of the techniques of project appraisal. Due to the mutual nature of both the financial and non-financial methods of appraisal, I believe they are both crucial factors to be considered in the appraisal of a project. The two methods complement each other. These methods are not only crucial for project use only but also for students and researchers as well, and hopefully upcoming innovation from researchers could bring adjustments to the financial methods to be simpler. . REFERENCES Akalu, M. (2001). â€Å"Re-examining project appraisal and control: developing a focus on wealth creation. † International Journal of Project Management 19: 375-383. Hermes, N. , P. Smid and L. Yao (2006). â€Å"Capital Budgeting Practices: A Comparative Study of the Netherlands and China†, Working Paper, University of Groningen, p. 36. Hawkins, C. J. , and D. W. Pearce (1971), â€Å"Capital Investment Appraisal† (MacMillan Press). Jones, C. , Software Assessments, Benchmarks, and Best Practices, Information Technology Series, Addison Wesley, 2000 Verbeeten, F. (1993). Do organizations adopt sophisticated capital budgeting practices to deal with uncertainty in the investment decision? A research note. Management Accounting Research 17: 106-120. nibusinessinfo. co. uk/content/strategic-issues-investment-appraisal (accessed on March 24, 2013) accountantnextdoor. com/investment-appraisal-8-non-financial-factors-that-every-accountants-and-managers-should-consider/ (accessed on 22nd march, 2013) letslearnfinance. com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-payback-period. html (accessed on March 23rd, 2013)

The Concept Of Criminal Punishment Example

The Concept Of Criminal Punishment Example The Concept Of Criminal Punishment – Term Paper Example Section Number 15 March Punishment and sentencing have gone through various phases throughout the history of Western civilization. Discuss the concept of and rationale behind criminal punishment as it used to be meted out and how it is handled now. How has it changed? Criminal punishment has always existed in societies throughout history; from exiling to imprisonment to fines, those who go against the behavior deemed â€Å"proper† by the society are punished. In earlier times, criminal punishment was meted out for the purpose of retribution; the offender should be punished so that the ones who were wronged could be avenged. The punishment was left to the ones injured, or their families, who would decide what punishment was to be meted out and how. There was no need for the punishment to be proportionate to the crime committed. This concept has greatly changed over time. There was a need felt by the society that the crime and the resultant punishment should be proportionate. M oreover, the need for retribution was replaced by a need for reformation – the offender should be encouraged to make amends and change himself and/or his attitude to become a better person and conform to the rules set by the society. Another factor that has been altered is the physical aspect of the punishments; whereas before drawing and quartering were considered to be a form of punishment, now they are no longer acceptable and are considered cruel. Additionally, steps are being taken to abolish capital punishment from all societies in the world as well. Also, crimes are now considered to be offenses against the state and not persons, so it is up to the state to mete out the punishment. The criminal punishments have been transformed so as to fit well to the sensibilities of people, as there has been a later trend to use them to protect and reform the society and the criminal respectively, and not merely to seek vengeance as was done before.King, J. C. (1980). A rationale fo r punishment. The Journal of Libertarian Studies, IV(2), 151-165.

Application Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Application Personal Statement - Essay Example In line with this, I facilitated the selling of various computer and video games as well as other utility and office software among others. To effectively fulfill this position, one should need to have the passion for the game industry and computer technology in general. From my working experience, I am able to gain substantial knowledge with regard to these subject matters. For instance, I observed that majority of the game software sold in the market are made in Japan. With this, I realized the immensity of the game industry in Japan as relatively more computer and video games are launched from the country than in any other nations in the world. In addition, I observed the degree of specialization of the Japanese game industry as more people are employed to work in developing a particular game as compared to their Western counterpart. After further research, I learned that the United States and Japan are the largest markets for computer and video games in the world as indicated by the popularity of Microsoft's Xbox (US-made) and Sony's Playstation (Japan-made). In this industry, there is intense competition between these products, however, Playstation is still the market leader in terms of sales to date due to the wider selection of teen adult games offered and the creative game design. Given my fascination with the industry, I also learned that in the United States alone, the entire industry is able t... Apart from the game industry, my previous employment has made me well aware of the importance as well as how the quality of life has improved with the advent of computer technology. In this regard, I aspire to make substantial contributions in this field by bringing about the development in information technology as may be required in the future. With my involvement in the game shop, I also learned that the entire industry is plagued with illegal activities such as hacking and piracy. I reckon that these significant issues may be address by the further development of computer technology by computer engineers and scientists of our generation. Moreover, my experience has inspired me to develop new game machines and software that will have positive net effect to the public. My exposure to different types of customers in the game shop helps me understand that one of the primary concerns for computer innovation and technological inventions is their overall impact to the users. This is a vital part of the ethics of computer technology. In order to succeed, one should be aware of this responsibility towards the public and provide them with high quality and beneficial products. With my inclination in the game industry and computer technology as a whole, I believe that it is in my best interest to major in a computer-related course in this University. This academic institution offers comprehensive curricula and rigorous training that bring out the best in its students. Furthermore, it employs highly competitive professors, who are experts in their respective fields, from whom students can learn efficiently. (Word count: 600

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING - Essay Example However, adopting IFRS itself may not always result in increasing the quality of financial information. In addition to adopting IFRS several relevant changes in the overall economic and institutional framework need to be implemented to achieve the enhanced quality financial reporting. Further, before implementing IFRS fully to all countries, an international consensus taking into account of the country specificities needs to be obtained regarding the treatment of various financial instruments and various accounting procedures .This is needed to implement IFRS without affecting the information provided by the financial statements of enterprises Financial Statements of an enterprise are intended to give valuable information about the financial health of the company to its owner investors and lenders (Tracy, 2004).In other words, they are supposed to give information about the financial position, performance and changes in financial position of the enterprise. These are a major source of financial information that helps the users in making decisions about economic activities. Thus according to IASC(1989,paragraph 12), â€Å"The objective of financial statements is to provide information about the financial position, performance and changes in financial position of an enterprise that is useful to a wide range of users in making economic decisions.† On the other hand, it is argued that the preparers of the financial statements can manipulate the financial statements by the transformation of financial accounting figures from what they actually are to what preparers desire by taking advantage of the existing rules and/or ignoring some or all of them (Nasar, 1993:2). It may not be illegal in all cases but they are considered as unethical (Amt et al, 1999). This process is called creative accounting. The inappropriate use of creative accounting has resulted into financial statement frauds in many cases, which has been an issue of

Individual write up of Quails Gate Winery Experience Essay

Individual write up of Quails Gate Winery Experience - Essay Example From the vine restaurant the exotic view of hills, lakes and plain fields are available, which sets a delightful atmosphere for visitors (Figure 1). Moreover, the traditional style of the restaurant attracts customers because of the classic difference of the beauty of this restaurant compared to other restaurants in the region. Apart from the sight of the restaurant there is another feature, which attracts visitors towards it. The food is an important component in every restaurant but when it comes to the Quails Gate, the availability of fresh vegetables and cereals make the food healthy and tasty. The smell and taste of food available in the restaurant is fabulous. Most people believe that the combination of high quality wine and fresh food has been the main reason for tourist attraction towards the winery. Another reason for tourist attraction towards Quails Gate is the peaceful location of the winery. The restaurant and winery is located far from city and away from busy roads. Visitors can enjoy the peaceful environment for some time and relax. The place has natural beauty within itself because it is located in the middle of an agricultural land (Figure 2). The most interesting point is that children can have fun in places like Quails Gate because there is almost no risk of accidents. Parents can allow their children to play while they enjoy the delightful food and rich quality wine. Quails Gate is mainly famous for its winery because it is one of the oldest and recognized wineries in the world. Wines are exported to many places including United States from Quails Gate. Visitors say that â€Å"it is always awesome to come to a place that is located in the middle of no-where.† Truly the restaurant and the winery of Quails Gate are incredible because it has the potential to prov ide people the amount of peace and relaxation required for them.

Steps to Writing a Grant Proposal Essay Example for Free

Steps to Writing a Grant Proposal Essay A grant proposal for human services is a written presentation of a program plan. This plan details how the applicant will approach the identified needs or problem with their proposed course of actions. The narrative section of a grant proposal usually includes the following sections: abstract, table of contents, specific aims/background and significance/needs and problem statement, target populations, approaches and methods, long- and short-term goals, process, outcome, and impact objectives, activity plans and scheduling (timeline), evaluation plan, agency capacity and project management and budget and budget justifications. Grant writing involves lots of planning, organizing, integrating, evaluating and critical thinking. The quality of grant proposal is one of the most important factors in funding decisions. The city of Portland is similar to many other communities throughout the country. As a large metropolitan city, the region has experienced increasing reports of domestic and youth violence, spousal and child abuse, assault, and incidents of road rage over the last 5 years. The PEACE Domestic Violence Agency has a mission to reduce victim trauma, empower survivors, and promote recovery through direct services. PEACE is committed to reducing the incidence of sexual assault and domestic violence through education and strives to challenge societal norms and beliefs that condone and perpetuate violence in the community. In the case of the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency, the grant starts by identifying the program’s critical needs within the targeted community. The city of Portland has been experiencing an increase of domestic violence and youth violence, spousal and child abuse, assault and reports of incidences of road rage over the past five years. The abstract is the shortest section of the proposal, however it is the most important and most read section of the proposal. The abstract typically includes: the name of agency, type of organization, purpose and objectives of the project, specific interventions for the project, target population: demographic, age, race, gender, special needs, location and setting of project and relevance of the proposed project to the funding intentions. There is then usually a table of contents developed, which will also be one of the last parts to finish. It is a guide to what is in the proposal and tells you where information is located. The table of contents serves as a checklist during the writing process as well. The next section that should be completed is specific aims. This section is where the statement of problems and the issues to be addressed by the project go. This section will also include the working hypothesis for the project. The PEACE has a particular belief that is motivating them and guiding them through the development of the program. In this section, the PEACE organization will also describe the expected outcomes, and interventions proposed to achieve these outcomes. When it comes to writing target populations, the PEACE organization will want to describe the target environment such as the community, neighborhood, city and district as well as the population being served. This section will include who and how many people will participate or be served through the PEACE organization. The organization’s mission statement is a permanent expression of the reason for existence of the organization. But in order to bring the PEACE organization’s mission statement into a more manageable level, there needs to be a list of goals created that are appropriate for the organization. Objectives should be included as well, which are a statement of measurable and directional change for a specific population in a specific time period. A time line should be created which is an expected schedule for activities by each component. A time line helps the writer to realize the program’s time limitations and the need to plan well for the distribution and implementation of program activities. Program evaluation is a type of evaluation research that systematically assessed the achievement of a specific program, in this case the PEACE organization. An evaluation plan is a design that the program’s staff and evaluators will follow to assess the progress and results of the PEACE organization programs. A program evaluation plan should be developed along with the formulation of program goals, objectives and activities at the beginning of the program. The program evaluation will achieve some basic objectives such as: documentation of program implementation strategies, intervention models, and other process information. It also is a measurement of the PEACE program outcomes and results and an assessment of overall impact and success of the program. The agency capacity is associated with how much trust others put in the PEACE organization. It is important that the PEACE organization convinces the funding sources that it is uniquely qualified and competent and they can entrust it with funding. The budget is a financial plan that estimates the cost for implementing a program and the allocation of these costs. There are many costs to consider in the PEACE organization budget such as: salaries for employees including payroll tax, health insurance, life insurance, rent, utilities, furniture, supplies, travel expenses, materials, trainings, etc. The PEACE Domestic Violence Agency is a great agency with the goal in mind of reducing the rates and incidences of domestic violence, through the process of education, as well as providing assistance to people who have been hurt or mistreated. This organization has programs put in place to help the men, women and children regardless of their ages and personal background who have undergone some sort of abuse or mistreatment and are in need of assistance. This program is very important for a number of reasons, but mainly for the much needed help it would provide for those persons who have been involved in such a terrible situation like domestic violence. There are many financial needs that arise with any organization, but especially in a situation such as a domestic violence situation because the people in need of assistance may not have the funding to afford the help he/she will need to be safe. Depending on the situation at hand, the people seeking assistance from the domestic violence program may be looking for shelter from a loved one who has hurt them. If this is the case he/she would most likely be without much funding and would need a place to live as well food and clothing. These are things that could be provided with ease if the grant was approved. Domestic violence is a very serious situation that is important for people to escape from while they can. They need all the help and assistance they can get and it is important that there is an organization willing and ready to help with this transition.

Impact of Corruption in Nigeria

Impact of Corruption in Nigeria CORRUPTION AND ITS IMPACT ON INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (NIGERIA AS A CASE STUDY) (FEBRUARY 2014) Abstract Corruption is no news in the world today. We can see corruption in our daily lives, let alone in our businesses and the way economies as a whole deal with corruption every day. That is why discussing corruption and seeking ways on how to deal with it in International business is inevitable. I chose Nigeria as a case study for obvious reasons; I am Nigerian and unarguably Nigeria is the Giant of Africa vast in its natural resources but unfortunately Nigeria is still battling with corruption which is crumbling our already poor nation and taken a toll on our International Business relations pushing potential business and development further away. This paper seeks to attempt to show why corruption is predominant in developing countries, its impact on International Business in developing economies and possible recommendations. I will first start by giving you a brief picture into Nigeria’s biggest export and make an attempt to analyze corruption itself. Introduction International Business is all commercial transaction between two or more countries and the goal of the private business is to make profits while the government is motivated by profit or political reasons (Daniels, Radebaugh, and Sullivan 2007). Business has become more global, trading has become easier with different regional trading blocs. This only encourages companies and economies to engage in International Business to boost its economy. Several economic theories show how countries’ competitiveness with other and Nigeria certainly has an Absolute Advantage in the Oil sector. Nigeria is a country with diverse and enormous mineral resources like crude oil, coal, zinc, semi-precious stone and gold to name but a few. Nigeria exports petroleum, petroleum products, cocoa and rubber. Nigeria is also rich with great human resources hence a great destination for business. The sudden growth of Oil in the 1970s led Nigeria to the abandonment of its strong agricultural and light manufacturing bases in favor of an unhealthy dependence on crude oil. Oil and gas exports account for more than 95% of export earnings and over 80% of federal government revenue. However, the success story in the sector has lead it thus far making Nigeria, the United States largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, supplying 8% of U.S. oil imports which is half of Nigerias daily oil production .The country is also the fifth-largest exporter of oil to the United States. Nigeria is a member of the functional Commodity Agreements in the world; Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and its current crude oil production averages over 1 million barrels per day with oil reserves are estimated to be 36 billion barrels; natural gas reserves are over 100 trillion cubic feet. (Source 21 Feb 2012: http://www.nigeria.gov.ng/index.php/2012-10-29-11-05-46/economy) Table 1.1 Nigeria Economic Overview 2014 Nigeria Economy Overview Region Sub-Saharan Africa Income Category Lower middle income Population 168,833,776 GNI Per Capita (US$) 1,430 City covered Lagos Doing Business 2014 Rank Doing Business 2013 Rank Change in Rank 147 138 -9 Doing Business 2014 DTF(% points) Doing Business 2013 DTF(% points) Improvement in DTF(% points) 46.62 46.33 0.29 (Source 21 Feb 2014: http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/nigeria/ ) Corruption â€Å"The world is a chain, one link to another† Maltese Proverb, and with the rapid pace of globalization and the increase in the volume of International trade and investment , coupled with ongoing corporate scandals, has escalated the importance of issues relating to Corruption, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Politics (Rodriguez et al, 2006). As foreign firms expanded into, and new firms were born within, developing and transition economies governments, managers and scholars grew more aware of the magnitude of corruption and the need to understand and address it. Corruption has been described by several authors using very fancy words but keeping it simple; it is a wrongful act that affects the well-being of the society. Corruption abuses power for private gain and it affects everyone who depends on the integrity of people in a leadership position. It can be manifested through bribery, illegal gratuity, extortion, conflicts of interest, kickback, and corporate espionage and through commissions/fees (Source 21 Feb 2014: http://www.sfo.gov.uk/briberycorruption/briberycorruption.aspx) In public offices several ardent writers relate corruption with the continuous malicious use for self-financial gain but this is not exclusively the case because corruption also exists in both (small and large) private enterprises and their gains arise because of embezzlement, conflicts of interest, abuse of power, exploitation, bribery and fraud. (Sikka, 2008). Corruption in Developing Countries Unfortunately, it is not news to our ears that Nigeria is headed to being completely destroyed by corruption if continuous effort to curb it is not pursued vigorously. Well, I’m of the opinion the root cause of the present Nigerian corruption problem is the overarching crude oil economy and politics over the years. Transparency International is has efficiently made available a Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) which ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. The scale of 0 100, in the CPI is a s follows; 0 indicating that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 indicating it is perceived as very clean. Please note the countries perceived as very clean and where those countries originate from compared to those perceived as highly corrupt further stressing my view that developing countries are highly corrupt due to the economic conditions thus affecting business. (Source 21 Feb 2014: http//www.transparency.org). Copy of CPI2013_GLOBAL_WithDataSourceScores.xls Nigeria is at 144, alarming! looking past tables in the Transparency International website in 2004, Nigeria was at 90. The last country on the list is an African one, Somalia. This goes without saying. If you look at the economic situation in Somalia, it is obvious. The poorer the nation the higher the corruption. But how can there be a balance? A nation needs Foreign Direct Investment to boost its economy. The Porter Diamond Theory (Daniels et al 2007) which naturally should help boost a nation may not work in a developing country like Nigeria, according to this theory companies’ development of international competitive product depends on their success in their home country, this theory is not feasible in most developing economies, these countries need foreign investors to set companies to harness the demands of the nation but with corruption as one of the factors affecting International Business, how will be nation grow strong enough to combat it? Sadly, Nigeria has no excuse for its failure so far, at present the problem of corruption issues has been saddled in into the laps of three government bodies: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), with little or no success considering Nigeria is still falling below the world’s Confidence Interval year on year, so how can International Business be seamless? You can also find current shocking details about bribery/corruption in Nigeria on bribenigeria.com. Won’t a corporation or nation rather deal with another continent with a lower corruption issue than invest or trade with a nation who is known for corruption? If I were to answer, my answer will be no. I believe that developed countries in the world have a better advantage over the fight against corruption because developed countries do not face the several challenges that developed countries face, so third world countries or developing countries like Nigeria, still have a long way to go. Multinational Corporation’s interest in fighting Corruption in International Business It has been argued that governments and host communities  may be interested in eradicating poverty, promoting education, health care and  human rights, but corporations may not necessarily share such goals. They are  essentially ‘private’ organisation and are required by law to prioritise the welfare of  the shareholders (capital) above other stakeholders (Sikka, 2008). Corporations’ today  should to conduct their operations responsibly with accountability to wider  society and legitimise their social power corporations may acknowledge some social  responsibilities, but they most often times can’t buck the systemic requirement to increase profits  and dividends to the benefit of capital. Businesses and organizations are set up to create wealth, and so far it is a very highly  effective tool for doing so. No limitations, whether legal, ethical or moral limit  are set to what or whom corporations can exploit to create wealth for themselves and their  owners. According to Sikka (2008), ‘such practices seems to be part  of the ‘enterprise culture’ that persuades many to believe that ‘bending the rules’ for  personal gain is a sign of business acumen’ (pg. 270). Competitive  advantages is considered to be an entrepreneurial skill, especially when competitive  business environment link profit and market shares with meeting global business  target. We see that the use of bribery and inducement to secure competitive advantages is primarily a  matter of executive discretion rather than any legal or moral compulsion. It has been  argued that this discretion may be used to enrich directors since their remuneration  is influenced by the level of profits and return to capital. Markets therefore exert  pressure on companies to generate ever increasing profits and returns as capitalism  does not provide any guide to upper limits of accumulation (Sikka, 2010). Companies  can generate additional returns for finance capital, not only through competitive  advantages on products and services, but also through bribery and other  inducements to secure government contracts which are the big and guaranteed revenue even though payments are delayed .In an attempt to satisfy the corporate  goal unfortunately everybody else is put at risk. Generally, the codes of business conduct include statements rejecting the payment or  acceptance of bribes, collusion, pressure or illegitimate favour, either directly or  through third parties whether public officers or private individuals but are often not respected. Y their involvement in corrupt practices and other anti-social practices cannot therefore be  reconciled with their business codes of conduct (Sikka, 2008, 2010; Otusanya, 2012). Environmental turbulence and threats to their reputation are managed by publishing corporate social responsibility (CSR) statements and code of conduct that promise ethical behaviour, improvement of economic and social infrastructure and quality of life of all stakeholders (Phillips, 2003; Sikka, 2010). Looking at it critically even if one organization restrains itself, the superior profits of competitors and business environment exert pressure to explore ways of matching or exceeding that,  thus the tendency to increase profits through corrupt practices as a means of gaining competitive advantages remains embedded within the corporate enterprise culture. In the end, it is a â€Å"means† to an â€Å"end† or â€Å"we all want to make money† some would say. Impact of Corruption in the International Business world Without a doubt corrupt activity hinders development, contributes to the depletion of the public purse and distorts markets, furthering hindering local and Foreign Direct Investment. The growth of a nation depends on the redistribution of its wealth since the middle class and poor benefit is much greater than the affluent, who loss out of the re-distributional process. Countries suffering from corruption cannot implement sound re-distributional policies and are not expected to take benefit from sustainable economic development despite engaging upon economic growth from time to time for some reason or the other. No country or company would like to engage in business with falling economies. Another pitfall is it becomes a way of life. Corruption is like a way of life in Nigeria, from the secretary that sits at the office expecting to receive a â€Å"gift† before passing the cheque for signature to our leaders who can only award contracts by our wonderful saying â€Å" if you help me, I go help you† ( *pidgin English which means if you scratch my back, I scratch yours). There are other things to consider, for instance the level of poverty. Nigerians do not know any way out. Word on the street, is you have to be smart, so you can survive. And survival here is relative. The danger of this is that is rubs off on the nation as a whole. Our image and reputation is constantly taunted. Business people need to find out if they need to cut corners before making an investment in Nigeria and need to know the â€Å"Man at the top† before the contract is awarded It ridicule’s the concept of open and fair competition; hence the continual decline of the economy. *â€Å"Pidgin English† is the low class English spoken on the streets in Nigeria† Summary International Business as stated earlier involves all commercial transactions, private and governmental, sales, investment, transportation that takes place between two or more countries for developing countries to find a way to curb corruption to its minimum; it must first start from the sectors and the leadership. Not forgetting that the various modes of entry ranging from Imports and Exports, Tourism Transportation, Licensing and Franchising, Turnkey Operations, Management Contracts, Direct and Foreign investments need to be rid of corruption (Daniel et al 2007). In the case of Nigeria, it makes sense that any effort to eradicate corruption in must start with the oil sector, because of its all-encompassing effects on other sectors of the economy and move immediately to harnessing other natural resources, focus on production of resources that the economy has demand for thus providing job opportunities for several people. Secondly, the law enforcement would need to sanitize its own department because it is a pity that in developing countries they are the most corrupt. I’m not confident of the efficacy of the sanctions and restitution imposed and how is it been effective handled, however if sanctions from those found guilty of corruption can also be re enforced. Finally, as also noted earlier, unfortunately it has become a way of life. The biggest step will be sensitization. The media and institutions of learning will have to collaborate to ensure these morals are instilled. A full blast media campaign on the effects, combined with tutorials in classes will surely make an impact. The earlier an individual realizes that it is not a norm, the better. People should not accept or give bribe and not cut corners the better for the whole society. Corruption can be tackled, it may take forever but with collaboration and eyes on the bigger picture; when purely looking at it from a business perspective, it is indeed wiser to build a good reputation that bring a lifelong investment than engage in activities that will only provide solutions for short term needs. References/Bibliography Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan (2007) ‘International Business Environments and Operations’, 11th Edition. Olatunde Julius Otusanya, Sarah Lauwo, Gbadegesin Babatunde Adeyeye (2012)  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Critical Examination of the Multinational Companies’ Anti-Corruption Policy  in Nigeria† (Accountancy and Public Interest 2012). (Online journal 9th Feb 2014: http://visar.csustan.edu/aaba/Otusanya2012.pdf) Otusanya, O. J. (2011b) ‘Corruption as an Obstacle for Development in Developing  Countries: A Review of Literature’, Journal of Money Laundering Control, 14 (4):  387-422. Phillips, R. (2003) Stakeholder Theory and Organisational Ethics, San Francisco:  Berrett Koehler. Rodriguez et al (2006) ‘Three Lenses on the Multinational Enterprise: Politics,  Corruption, and Corporate Social Responsibility’, Rensselaer Working Papers in  Economics, No. 0608 New York. Sam Ejike Okoye. How to tackle corruption Effectively in Nigeria:  http://www.gamji.com/article4000/NEWS4930.htm (9 Feb 2014) Sikka, P. (2008a) ‘Enterprise Culture and Accountancy Firms: The New Master of  Universe’, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 21(2): 268-295. Sikka, P. (2010) ‘Smoke and Mirrors: Corporate Social Responsibility and Tax  Avoidance’, Being Paper Presented at Essex Accounting Centre, Essex Business  School, University of Essex, UK http://www.essex.ac.uk/ebs/research/working_papers/WP2010-5%20PS%20CSR%20and%20Tax%20Avoidance%20Revised%20April%202010.pdf. (9 Feb 2014) Udelove (2010) ‘Why Nigeria Is Referred to as the Giant of Africa’. StudyMode.com: http://www.studymode.com/essays/Why-Nigeria-Is-Referred-To-As-449209.htm (21 Feb.2014) Yima Sen ‘Political Economy of Corruption in Nigeria’:  http://www.gamji.com/article9000/NEWS9136.htm(9 Feb 2014) Web. 9 Feb 2014 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/nigeria/energy.htm> Web. 21st Feb .2014 http://www.transparency.org > Web .21 Feb.2014 http://www.nigeria.gov.ng/index.php/2012-10-29-11-05-46/economy> Web. 21 Feb 2014 http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/nigeria/> Web. 21 Feb 2014 http://www.sfo.gov.uk/briberycorruption/briberycorruption.aspx>