Marketing Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Marketing Principles - Essay Example As noted in the report, when intending to launch a new product, market research should be carried out first in order to establish the needs of the people. Marketing messages should be tailored in such a way that the product is presented as better than other similar products offered in the market. The message should also be designed in such a way that it can positively change the behaviour and attitude of people. Table of contents 1.0 Introduction 3 1.1 Task1 3 1.2 How Nike increases customer satisfaction 5 2.1 Task 2 6 2.2 Segmentation criteria used by Nike 7 2.3 Market targeting used by Nike 8 2.4 Consumer behaviour 9 2.5 Perception maps 9 2.6 B2B marketing strategy used by Nike 12 2.7 International marketing 13 3.0 Task 3: Nike introducing new jersey 13 3.1 Marketing mix for the new jersey 14 3.2 Place 14 3.3 Price 14 3.4 Promotion 14 3.5 Extended marketing mi 15 3.6 Conclusion 17 References 19 1.0 Introduction This case study based essay seeks to evaluate and explain the marketing concepts that can be implemented by Nike in order to operate viably. The report is divided into three sections which deal with different marketing concepts and how they can be implemented by Nike group in order for it to achieve merit/distinction criteria in its operations. The first task deals with explaining the meaning of marketing as well as carrying out a SWOT analysis for Nike. The second task is particularly concerned with explaining different marketing concepts such as positioning, targeting as well as micro and macro economic factors and how they are impacting on Nike. The third task is an individual report about designing a marketing plan for a new Nike product as well as outlining the marketing strategy that can be used to present the product to the market. The last part of the report gives recommendations that can be adopted by Nike in order to operate effectively so that it can gain a large market share. 1.1 Task I Nike Inc. uses various elements of the marketing proce ss to develop and promote their product as well as to market them so that they can satisfy the needs and wants of the customers. In order to understand how these marketing elements are utilised by Nike, it is imperative to begin by explaining the meaning of the term marketing. a. Strydom (2004, p. 2) define marketing as â€Å"a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others.† On the other hand, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) define marketing as â€Å"the management process that responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.† From these two definitions, it can be seen that marketing is a managerial function that is concerned with satisfying the needs of the customers as well as the organization profitably. According to Reuters (2013), NIKE, Inc. â€Å"is engaged in the design, development and worldwide mark eting and selling of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services.† No doubt Nike embraces the basic tenets of marketing in its operations in a bid to satisfy the needs of the customers profitably. The company harnesses the strategy of brand equity to gain a competitive advantage given that its products are valued and treated with great esteem by the customers since they are different from other similar products in

Written by Charles Dicken Essay Example for Free

Written by Charles Dicken Essay The tension built up is temporarily lifted as a perfect and surreal atmosphere is created, The rhythmic was of the sea upon the reef was becoming audible now, and it had a pleasant sound in his ears; the water washed along the side of the canoe, and the paddle dripped between each stroke. Presently he began to doze. This perfect setting dispels all current tension, and as the men relax Evans begins to fall asleep. Although appearing to dispel tension I believe this also creates tension. The reader is drawn into a false state of security with this perfect setting and oversees the fact that the men are falling asleep on an unknown land that they are not well adapted to. This is not as clear and straight forward as the rest of the tension contributing to the build up, but still has an effect on the reader and adds to the tension build up. Between line 51 and line 56 a reminder of the hazards and consequences of the island are highlighted. A wrecked ship and the crew are described, a shipwrecked crew thinned by disease, a quarrel or so, and the needs of discipline, and at last taking to their boats never to be seen again. This shocking and disturbing story instantly creates a massive amount of strong tension; the reader will immediately relate this short story to the men currently exploring the island and believe there is little hope for them.  Sikes and Nancy was written by Charles Dickens in 1869 and this story deals with a great deal of effective tension build up and one of the most infamous criminals of all time! Extremely effective and powerful tension is created immediately in this story as it starts with a description of the infamous Fagin. Fagin is the stereotypical criminal of the time; he is aggressive, impatient and overall experienced in pick-pocketing. Fagin the receiver of stolen goods was up, bedtimes, one morning, and waited impatiently for the appearance of his new associate, Noah Claypole, otherwise Morris Bolter; who at length presented himself, and, cutting a monstrous slice of bread, commenced a voracious assault on the breakfast.  The planning of misdeeds and crime is an obvious and fairly weak source of tension here, There seemed, indeed, no great fear of anything interrupting him, as he had evidently sat down with a determination to do a deal of business. Misdeeds are highlighted between lines 43 and 47 as Fagin shows Noah the woman he is to follow. The feeling of no-good is emphasised for the reader here. Fagin pointed out a pane of glass high in the wall to Noah, and signed to him to climb up, on a piece of furniture below it, and observe the person in the adjoining room. Is that the woman? Fagin nodded yes. Tension is well-built here and is effective on the reader. The reader is aware of how much Fagin is paying Noah to do the job in hand; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1. In those days à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1 was a great deal of money for a job, so suspicions arise for the reader and immediate and very effective tension is created. We begin to imagine just how important this job is, as someone so tight-fisted and intimidating as Fagin is willing to pay so much for one job.  Although not completely obvious at the start, the setting of the story itself builds very strong and effective tension. In this time that the story is set in especially, London was a grim, sinister and dangerous place to be. The shadowy labyrinth of streets, back alleys and tunnels are the perfect environment for criminals like Fagin. This setting alone creates so much potential for bad things to happen, the reader would pick up on this sooner or later and an extremely powerful sense or tension is created.

weed Essay -- essays research papers fc

There is a large drug problem facing the United States today, and this problem extends to all citizens. It’s not just the poor and the uneducated who are effected by this problem. The most largely used illegal drug in the United States is Marijuana, and thus is the drug law enforcement and the media tends to target the most, costing the taxpayers lots and lots of money. I will show you that Marijuana is not as large and evil as it may appear, and that if legalized the economy would be strengthened and the efforts of law enforcement could be focused on more serious drugs. First off, to understand what we are dealing with I will give a brief explanation of what Marijuana is and what it’s uses are. Marijuana is classified as a hallucinogen and is a psychoactive drug. Its scientific name is Cannabis Sativa and it is found in the Indian hemp plant, of which there are three main types; Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Rudderalis. Some of its nicknames and stree t names are pot, weed, green, herb, and sensi. The drugs use dates back in manuscripts back to 2700B.C. in China (Nadelmann). The drug was also cultivated by Jamestown settlers, 1611, who used the drug for its fibers to make rope and clothes. Marijuana is widely used, an estimated one out of every three people have used it, and among high school students 44% have experimented with it (Bowmen). Marijuana is almost always smoked to experience the effects, but eating it and brewing it into tea are common practice also. It can be smoked by rolling it into a paper (joint) or by placing it into a pipe (often called a bowl). Often times there is a mixture of marijuana with tobacco to create a pleasurable taste. When someone smokes marijuana for the first time they do not get high, it is usually the second or third time a user feels the effects. These include chronic laughter and heightened senses. Afterwards a dry mouth and hunger, called the munchies, often follow. The ingredient in canna bis sativa that causes the mind altering effects is called THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). Now that you know a little about the drug I will discuss its health effects. I am not saying that Marijuana is good for you, all I am saying is that comparable negative effects are present in many legalized drugs. Marijuana intoxicates a person in a way somewhat similar to alcohol. Reaction times are decreased and the person may a... ...vidence to warrant the serious consideration. Once lawmakers take off the blinders and actually see the issue as it is we will be in a much better situation. The best way to show them that is to show them how much more money they can get. Many angles can be taken to justify the legalization of marijuana, I feel the most effective is that of the economic analysis. There will be jobs created and a new booming industry with it. People need to put aside preconceived notions and take a fresh perspective, they will see what a great effect that the legalization of marijuana would have on the economy as well as other areas. Bibliography Ethan A. Nadelmann, American Heritage Magazine, Feb-Mar, 1993. Tom Bowmen, â€Å"Schmoke says debate on decriminalization of drugs is gaining momentum.†, The Sun Newspaper, 7-13, 1989. Joseph A. Califano, USA Today, version 125, Mar. 1997. American Journal of Nursing, Annual Report 1992. Martin Evans. â€Å"Schmoke urges NAACP to back decriminalization of drugs.†, The Sun, 1989. Christopher Brown, â€Å"Bring Drugs Within the Law.†, The Economist. Volume 13, 1993. Yahooka - The guide to marijuana on the internet, "http://www.yahooka.com". Word Count: 2056

Ethics †Morality Essay

5. FAIRNESS. Ethical executives strive to be fair and just in all dealings. They do not exercise power arbitrarily nor do they use overreaching or indecent means to gain or maintain any advantage nor take undue advantage of another’s mistakes or difficulties. Ethical executives manifest a commitment to justice, the equal treatment of individuals, tolerance for and acceptance of diversity. They are open-minded; willing to admit they are wrong and, where appropriate, change their positions and beliefs. A person who is caring exhibits the following behaviors: * Expresses gratitude to others * Forgives others * Helps people in need * Is compassionate A person who is fair exhibits the following behaviors: * Is open-minded and listens to others * Takes turns and shares * Does not lay the blame on others needlessly * Is equitable and impartia A person who is trustworthy exhibits the following behaviors: * Acts with integrity * Is honest and does not deceive * Keeps his/ her promises * Is consistent * Is loyal to those that are not present * Is reliable * Is credible * Has a good reputation . FAIRNESS Fairness is a tricky concept. Disagreeing parties tend to maintain that there is only one fair position – their own. But while some situations and decisions are clearly unfair, fairness usually refers to a range of morally justifiable outcomes rather than discovery of one fair answer. Process A fair person uses open and unbiased processes for gathering and evaluating information necessary to make decisions. Fair people do not wait for the truth to come to them; they seek out relevant information and conflicting perspectives before making important decisions. Impartiality Decisions should be unbiased without favouritism or prejudice. Equity It is important not to take advantage of the weakness, disadvantage or ignorance of others. Fairness requires that an individual, company, or society correct mistakes, promptly and voluntarily. 5. CARING Caring is the heart of ethics. It is scarcely possible to be truly ethical and not genuinely concerned with the welfare others. That is because ethics is ultimately about our responsibilities toward other people. Sometimes we must hurt those we care for and some decisions, while quite ethical, do cause pain. But one should consciously cause no more harm than is reasonably necessary. Charity Generosity toward others or toward humani heerfulness The quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom Generosity Liberality in giving or willingness to give Helpfulness The property of providing useful assistance or friendliness evidence by a kindly and helpful disposition PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY Another basic customer right involves our taking personal honesty and responsibility for the products and services that we offer. There’s probably no issue that will more seriously affect our reputation than a failure of responsibility. Many ethical disasters have started out as small problems that mushroomed. Especially in service businesses, where the ‘‘products’’ are delivered by individuals to other individuals, personal responsibility is a critical issue.

Turtle Creek Casino

Dry. Brown Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel Background Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel is a nonprofit organization that has owned and operated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Turtle Creek Casino is located 4 miles east of Traverse City on M-72 in Williamsburg, Michigan and Is open 7 day a week, 24 hours a day. The casino has affiliation with the Grand Traverse Resort and the Leland Sand Casino. The casino provides hospitality and entertainment to its patrons though the gambling establishment.This casino was one of the first casinos owned by a tribe of Indians In the United States. In 2008, the casino built an echo-friendly building that Is 74,000 square feet, which houses 54,000 square foot gaming floor including 1,300 slots, 40 table games, poker room, two gift shops, fitness center, three restaurants, SIX bars, 137 guest rooms Including 10 suites + 2 hospitality parlors (Designation, 2009). The Human Resource Department consist of the personnel director, compe nsation and benefits manager, benefits clerk, employee relations manager, records coordinator, training specialist, and Interviewer.The casino employs over 3000 personnel to run effective and efficiently. Employee Selection Descriptors Equal opportunity employers do not discriminate against individuals because of race jobs to potential employee's base on qualifications and character. OWE Statement The casino is an equal opportunity employer which applies through every aspect of the employment relationship, including, but not limited to, recruitment, selection, placement, training, compensation, promotion, transfer, termination, and all other matters of employment with the exception of tribal preference. Traverse Band ofOttawa and Chippewa Indians, is committed to achieving full and equal opportunity without discrimination because of race, religion, color, gender, national origin, age, physical or mental ability, or sexual orientation. Qualified American Indians are encouraged to app ly. Affirmative Action Affirmative Action Policy Turtle Creek Casino will take affirmative measures to ensure that persons with disabilities are recruited and employed at all levels of its work force and treated during employment without regard to their disability but, Indian persons are to be given preference in employment.In achieving the specific goals set forth in this plan, Tribal members are given primary preference, and other Indians are given preference over non-landing. Such affirmative efforts shall, without limitation, address all employment practices including: employment, promotion, demotion or transfer; recruitment, recruitment advertising or posting; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation or benefits; and selection for training programs.Shall send notices of employment openings and solicit the referral of qualified candidates for employment from: organizations which serve the interest of promoting equal employment opportunity for persons wi th disabilities and regional Job banks or Job fairs that are maintained or conducted in order to assist qualified persons with disabilities in obtaining employment.Shall send to each labor union or representative of workers with which it has a collective bargaining agreement a notice of the obligations of the applicant or licensee under the Act and rules of the Commission and a request for referral of qualified candidates for employment who are voluntarily self-identified persons with disabilities; an disabilities. Recruiting Methodology The employee selection process starts with posting all open position in the time card and break room areas for internal employees to view and apply.In addition, tribal members and Indian if experience and train are given the first pick at any open position. If no internal interest is shown then the position is posted on career Job boards and the casinos website. Open Positions They initially post all employment openings for response by qualified in- house employees or, when appropriate, advertise such openings in newspapers of general circulation and other media which reach across-section of the population in the area room which the work force will be drawn.Step one-Each position posted is accompanied Job description, list of qualifications, and an expiration date to apply; tribal date is usually two days prior to all other applicants. Step Two-elf there are no applications. Step Three-After that date, the position is posted on their web site, and external applicants for that specific Job are taken and evaluated. Phone interview are conducted with all external applicant and are per-qualified. Recruiting Process Process for internal recruitment LEVEL ONE – Managers, supervisors, or other key employees.People who have authority to develop or administer policy, long-range plans, or to make discretionary decisions regulating gaming operations; people responsible for major sections within the casino or its property, even if n o gaming is conducted in the area (such as a hotel or restaurant). In addition, some employees of Suppliers will be required to be licensed. LEVEL TWO – Employees who operate or maintain casino games, or who come in contact with gaming money, chips, tokens, credit slips, etc. But who are not supervisors. LEVEL THREE – Employees who work in an area where gaming is inducted, or in areas that directly affect gaming, but do not conduct the games or come in contact with gaming money, chips, tokens, credit slips, etc. (Casino Employees/Occupational Licenses, 2011). Process for external recruitment A person seeking a Tribal gaming employee license shall submit an application to the Tribal Commission on such form and in such manner as the Tribal Commission may require.Such application shall include the following information: (1) The applicant's name, including all other names used current home and work addresses and telephone numbers, social security number, place of birth, da te of earth, citizenship, and driver's license number, as well as the address of his or her personal residences over the past five (5) years. If the applicant has resided at his or her current address for less than two (2) years, his or her previous address. 2) The name, address and telephone number of the gaming facility and of the gaming operator for whom the applicant intends to work and the specific location in which the applicant will be employed. (3) The name and Job description of the applicant's position. (4) The names and addresses of the applicant's living parents, grandparents, spouse, children, brothers, and sisters. 5) A statement as to whether or not the applicant has ever been charged with a crime, and if so, the charge, the name and address of the court involved, the applicant's explanation of the outcome of the case, including the date of final disposition. 6) The names, current addresses and telephone numbers of three references who are not related to the applicant and who were acquainted with the applicant when the applicant was residing at each of the addresses listed in (7) A list of the applicant's previous Jobs over the preceding five years, including the name, address and telephone number of his or her employer, and the position held. 8) The names and addresses and a brief description of all businesses in which the applicant currently holds, or has within the last five years held, an ownership interest. 9) A description of any previous employment relationship with an Indian Tribe, including the employee position held, name of the Tribe involved and name and address of a person who can attest to the accuracy of the information provided. (10) A description of any current or past non- employee business arrangement which the applicant has had with an Indian Tribe, including the name of the Tribe involved and the name and address of a person who an attest to the accuracy of the information provided. (11) A statement as to any gaming business .If so, the applicant shall provide a written statement describing his or her position, the dates during which that position was held, a description of the applicant's ownership interest or Job responsibilities and the name, address and phone number of the business, and a person who can attest to the accuracy of the information provided. (12) A list of all gaming-related licenses the individual has ever applied for, whether or not those licenses were granted and the name and address ND phone number of the regulatory agency involved. 13) A list of all professional or business licenses the applicant has applied for, whether or not those licenses were granted and the name, address and phone number of the regulatory agency involved. (14) A statement of all languages written or spoken. (15) A sworn statement that neither the applicant nor any member of his immediate family has a past or current financial interest, other than a salary interest, in any gaming-related enterprise anywhere. I f the applicant has any immediate family member who has such an interest, that applicant shall fully disclose that family ember's name and the nature of the interest.For the purposes of this subsection, â€Å"family member† shall include a mother, father, husband, wife, sister, brother [natural or adopted], son or daughter [natural or adopted]. (16) Written permission giving the Tribal Commission or its designed the right to investigate the applicant's background, including his criminal record, civil and criminal Judgments and credit history. (17) A complete disclosure of any pending or anticipated civil or criminal action against the applicant, including the name and address of the police department and court involved. 8) A disclosure of any civil or criminal Judgments rendered against the applicant, including the case number, a description of the judgment and the name and address of the court involved. (19) The applicant's fingerprints will be taken by GET Tribal Police, wh o are responsible for conducting this portion of the applicant's criminal history check and forwarding the fingerprint cards to the NIGH for processing through the FBI. (20) Any other information which might bring into question his fitness to serve as a primary management official or key employee off licensed gaming operation. C) Each application shall be accompanied y a sworn statement that the applicant will submit to the Jurisdiction of the Tribe and the Tribal Court. Employment Status Independent Contractors Turtle Creek Casino uses many various forms of subcontract labor, these are laborer that are not actually employees, but supply the casino with product or service to the casino. All landscaping, new construction, and many vendors that are not employees of the casino, but they assist in the operations of the casino.Countryside Construction Company Just completed builds the new casino. Full-time Employee Full-time Employee status at the casino is reserved for executives, manag ement and rear supervisors, and are required to work 40 plus hours.. A work week consists of seven (7) consecutive twenty-four (24)-hour periods, I. E. , one hundred and sixty-eight (168) consecutive hours, designated by the business needs of the respective divisions of the casino. Full time employees are salaried at the casino. A) All executive, administrative, and professional employees of the casino gaming operations are primary management duty and regularly direct the work of two or more employees or have the authority to hire, fire, or promote employees. (c) Administrative employees o office work or non-manual work directly related to management operations. (d) Professional employees do work that requires advanced training. Part time and Seasonal Employee All other employees are consider part time for the first two years of employment, this means that they can work 32 or less hours on a regular bases but not for more than 5 consecutive weeks.Seasonal or temporary employees are used for special events or outdoor concert. Training and Development Training Strategy All employees have monthly online training for current and advancing positions. Once training for advancing positions are completed internal employees can be insider candidate for advance position. Once the two year part time status has been complete internal employees can apply for full time positions. Full time employees are considered to be new employee trainer. Once a new employee is trained the trainer sits down with the area supervisor and discusses the new employee's strength and weaknesses.New Employee Schedule and Training process includes: First week- Report to department complete all required online training to include safety and customer relation training. Second week-Report to department complete specialized training for your position. Third and fourth- Report to department omelet shadow training with fellow employee. Fifth week- Report to department and probation period is over. Deve lopment Strategy employee's strength and weaknesses. The advancing employee then assumes their new training for the advance position.The development of employees ensures employee satisfaction and progression of employee in the casino. Compensation and Benefits Objective Turtle Creek Casino compensation program requires input from the employees; they fellow employee on a by annually. This audit is taken is to consideration and tell the employer what may be lacking or is not need in their compensation packages. Alignment Competitiveness Key position and executive pay is at the higher level, includes yearly increase, health insurance and bonus packages based on company sale in the form of profit sharing.All full time and part time employees are set at the medium rate of pay, health insurance, and also received bonus pay for training new employees. When the full time employees are not training they are paid at a reduced rate because of receiving tips. The lower rate of pay is for season al or temporary employees with no benefits, but tips . To stay competitive the casino does abide by the minimum wage rate even Hough they do not have to abide by labor laws. Tips are dividing up according to groups. Each group has its own collection area the hotel, hospitality, gaming and bar make up these groups.Tips are split according to how much was made in each area. Once a month the tips are distributed to the employees. This ensures the customers of the casino receive great service. Appraisal Purposes Turtle Creek requires performance review to get feedback on how the employee feels about the company as well and how the company views the employee future with the company. â€Å"If it's done right, performance appraisals tell us who's a good candidate for rumination and who's properly placed in their current Job (and who's in over his head†¦ )† (Grove, 2011). Feedback from all parties is required to be successful.Process Turtle Creek Casino require managers and supe rvisor to due appraisal for their employees on a semi- annual bases, this is for all part time and full time employees. As part of the ongoing online training all manger must complete a section on appraisal analysis. The casino finds it important because employee satisfaction reflects highly on the hospitality that they give their customers. They survey the employees at that time and address complaints. If the employee is not happy then they will cross train or relocate the employees to different position at that time.Full time employee that are train new employees are receiving appraisal training after training new employees when reporting status to the supervisors and managers. This keep record and employees updated of the status of the employee. Laws Turtle Creek Casino does not have to abide by federal or state labor laws, because they are covered under the Indian Reorganization Act, 1934. This act made is so the Indian race a sovereignty nation within self and its own governmen t. Tribal law does retentions of their race. Congress has specifically exempted tribes from several familiar employment laws.A tribal law has adopted similar laws against discrimination, harassment and violence to provide a safe work place for their employees. Even though tribal law does not require them to abide by these this act they enforce, VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 affirmative action was designed to counteract the lingering effects of generations of past discrimination. The main criteria for inclusion in affirmative action programs are race, sex, ethnic origin, religion, disability, and age (Webster, 2013). Supreme Court has determined that states have no authority to regulate conduct by the tribes unless specifically authorized by Congress.Congress has specifically exempted tribes from several familiar employment laws. Ordinarily, tribal court has primary Jurisdiction over claims arising from commercial transactions with the tribe, including employment. Employees are required to re-sign authorization form to do background check on appraisal dates (Beet, 2004). Even though it is not necessary to have background check completed yearly the casino requires them to make sure that are employees maintain their gambling license and that there are no legal issue, preventive measure. Reference Beet, 2004.

Free Essays on Anomic Sucide

Anomic Suicide The theorist who birthed the idea of Anomic Suicide was Elile Durkheim. Durkheim was born in Lorraine, France in the year 1858 and spent most of his life developing the ideas of Functionalism and other issues of modern sociology. â€Å"He was certainly the most important sociological forerunner of modern functionalism.† (Wallace p20). In 1917, at the age of 59, Durkheim died from a stroke possibly caused by overwork and also the death of his only son had a terrible impact on him. Durkheim was intrigued and concerned by the rising rate of suicide in industrialized countries, he also saw it as a social problem and wanted to learn more about it. Durkeim derives the Anomic suicide from organizational dysfunction or tension. The word Anomic means normlessness, a situation which could arise when rules and norms are not present. When this occurs, people lack feelings of affiliation and emotional support, lack contact with others who share similar interests and access to opportunities. Durkheim goes on to explain that our society is defined by continuous contact with others. Through this contact, we create social relationships and thus find a purpose to life. This is even greater than our individual self-interests. The more we communicate and have interactions with others the more we need to be associated with a group of individuals. Individuals need relationships such as marriage, neighborhoods and friends. It is for this reason that many individuals join religious and political groups, in doing so they become part of a large entity, something bigger and further reaching than themselves. Anomic Suicide comes from when people feel that they are no longer integrating and interacting with any social group (religions, political, etc.), or when there is a death of a partner and they feel as if they are by themselves or sometimes if they personally are involved in a economic catastrophe. All these are reasons for people ... Free Essays on Anomic Sucide Free Essays on Anomic Sucide Anomic Suicide The theorist who birthed the idea of Anomic Suicide was Elile Durkheim. Durkheim was born in Lorraine, France in the year 1858 and spent most of his life developing the ideas of Functionalism and other issues of modern sociology. â€Å"He was certainly the most important sociological forerunner of modern functionalism.† (Wallace p20). In 1917, at the age of 59, Durkheim died from a stroke possibly caused by overwork and also the death of his only son had a terrible impact on him. Durkheim was intrigued and concerned by the rising rate of suicide in industrialized countries, he also saw it as a social problem and wanted to learn more about it. Durkeim derives the Anomic suicide from organizational dysfunction or tension. The word Anomic means normlessness, a situation which could arise when rules and norms are not present. When this occurs, people lack feelings of affiliation and emotional support, lack contact with others who share similar interests and access to opportunities. Durkheim goes on to explain that our society is defined by continuous contact with others. Through this contact, we create social relationships and thus find a purpose to life. This is even greater than our individual self-interests. The more we communicate and have interactions with others the more we need to be associated with a group of individuals. Individuals need relationships such as marriage, neighborhoods and friends. It is for this reason that many individuals join religious and political groups, in doing so they become part of a large entity, something bigger and further reaching than themselves. Anomic Suicide comes from when people feel that they are no longer integrating and interacting with any social group (religions, political, etc.), or when there is a death of a partner and they feel as if they are by themselves or sometimes if they personally are involved in a economic catastrophe. All these are reasons for people ...

University of New Mexico (UNM) Admissions Data

University of New Mexico (UNM) Admissions Data The University of New Mexico has an acceptance rate of 58 percent. Those with good grades and test scores are likely to get into the school. To apply, interested students will need to visit the schools website for the application form and complete admissions guidelines/instructions. Required materials to apply include official high school transcripts and SAT or ACT scores. Be sure to contact the admissions office if you have any questions. Will you get in? Calculate your chances of getting in with this free tool from Cappex. Admissions Data (2016) University of New Mexico Acceptance Rate: 58 percentTest Scores: 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 470 / 600SAT Math: 480 / 600What these SAT numbers meanSAT comparison for New Mexico collegesMountain West SAT comparisonACT Composite: 19 / 25ACT English: 18Â  / 25ACT Math: 18Â  / 25What these ACT numbers meanACT comparison for New Mexico collegesMountain West ACT comparison University of New Mexico Description The University of New Mexicos 600-acre campus sits in the heart of Albuquerque. Its distinctive buildings are designed with Pueblo-style architecture, and the park-like campus features a duck pond and an impressive arboretum. In academics, Business is the most popular major, but the University of New Mexicos strengths in the liberal arts and sciences earned the school a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Academics are supported by a good 19 to 1 student / faculty ratio. In athletics, the UNM Lobos compete in the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference. Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 26,999Â  (21,023 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 44Â  percent male / 56 percent female76 percent Full-time Costs (2016-17) Tuition and Fees: $7,340 (in-state); $21,929 (out-of-state)Books: $1,080 (why so much?)Room and Board: $9,472Other Expenses: $3,858Total Cost: $21,750 (in-state); $36,339 (out-of-state) University of New Mexico Financial Aid (2015-16) Percentage of Students Receiving Aid: 96 percentPercentage of Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 95Â  percentLoans: 38 percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $6,157Loans: $4,626 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors: Biology, Business Administration, Elementary Education, General Studies, Nursing, PsychologyWhat major is right for you? Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 80 percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 16Â  percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 44Â  percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports: Football, Skiing, Tennis, Track and Field, Golf, Basketball, BaseballWomens Sports: Skiing, Swimming, Volleyball, Tennis, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball If You Like University of New Mexico, You May Also Like These Schools New Mexico State University: ProfileNorthern Arizona University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphFort Lewis College: ProfileTexas Tech University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphStanford University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Oregon: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Utah: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphColorado State University - Fort Collins: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Arizona: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Colorado Boulder: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Texas - Austin: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics

Whats an Excellent ACT Score

What's an Excellent ACT Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips This article would be a pretty short one if there were a singleanswer to the question of what qualifies as an excellent ACT score. Like most things in life, however, what you might consider an excellent score depends on your perspective. In this post, I’ll talk about different ways to understand what counts as excellent test performance. I’ll start off with excellent scores in relation to the general population before discussing more nuanced comparisons: what does it mean to have an excellent score when considering your peer group performance, your target schools, and your own strengths and weaknesses? A Note Before We Get Started: Percentiles Percentiles are the best mathematical way to understand score performance because they help us understand how people perform in relation to each other. Before I talk about excellent ACT scores, I'll give you a (brief) crash course in percentile scores. First, percentile scores are different from percent scores. A percent score tells you what portion of anexam you got correct, whereas percentile score tells you how you did on the exam compared to everyone else who took it. For example,a percent score of 60% means got 60% of the questions right, whereas a percentile score of 60% means you scored better than 60% of the students who took the exam. Percentile scores are more meaningful than percentages when we talk about ACT scores because what’s important is how you score when compared to other students. For example,if you take a difficult test in a large class and only receive a 70%, you might assume you scored poorly. But if everyone else in your class scored lower than a 70%,you would have a 99th percentile score. This information would significantly change the perception of your performance. Now that you have an understanding of percentiles, we can start talking about what it means to have an excellent ACT score. Excellent ACT Scores for the General US Population We're starting with a big crowd and working our way down. It’s hard to get a handle on what ACT scores actually mean without some good, general info about population performance. Who can make intuitive sense out of an exam score without some contextual information? First, you should know that the ACT is scored out of 36 points. The lowest possible composite score is 1.The average national composite score is 21 points. The top 25% of scorers - people with 75th-99th percentile scores- get composite ACT scores of 24 and above. Thebottom 25% of test-takersget composite scores of 16 and below. You may very well have your own ideas about what a reasonable â€Å"excellent score† cutoff should be. For the general population, scores of 24 and above (so, scores that are higher than those of 75% of the population) could reasonably be considered excellent. Here are some other important percentile cutoffs and the corresponding ACT scores for quick reference: 10th percentile composite scores →13-14 25th percentile composite scores→16-17 50th percentile composite scores→21 75th percentile composite scores→24 90th percentile composite scores→28 Excellent ACT Scores for Your Peer Group To get a more nuanced understanding of what an excellent ACT score is, the next step would be to consider the scores of your peers- namely, people in the same geographical area or at the same high school. We’re narrowing down the comparison group here from the entire nation to people who are more similar to you in terms of educational background and opportunities.Here’s how to figure out how to get information on what your peers are scoring: Aggregated High School Information - A school report with ACT score informationshould give you an idea of how your peers tend to score. If you live in a mandatory testing state, you may be able to find this information just by googling "[Your High School Name] ACT score report." If you don’t know where to get this info or if it’s just not available, check in with your guidance counselor to see if shehas insighton the typical ACT score range for your high school. Classmate Information or Word of Mouth - Ifyou can’t get solidinformation on general school performance, you may just want to ask around to see how your peers tend to score. This is a delicate topic, so be respectful and don’t push the subject if someone’s uncomfortable discussing it. Ifyou want a more competitive score range, check in with honor students- they tend to score higher on the ACTs. Once you get information on general school or peerperformance: Consider whether this score distribution matches up with the national average, or if it's higher/lower than expected. If your school/classmates scores are higher/lower than the national average, you can use this info to adjust parametersand expectationsfor your own scores. For example,if most of your peers are scoring above average (21), you might have to score above the national 75th percentile (24) to stand out as â€Å"excellent† among your peers. Excellent ACT Scores for Your Target Colleges We're narrowing in on what's important: excellent ACT scores for the schools you have in your sights. Your ACT score doesn’t have to be perfect (or even necessarily excellent) for you to get into your target schools. They just have to be good enough to get you accepted- after that, they really don’t matter too much.If you have a list of target schools, you can easily figure out what would constitute an excellent ACT score for each particular school. Here’s how to do it: Google â€Å"[name of school] PrepScholar admissions requirements.† On the admissions page, look for the 25th and 75th percentile ACT scores. This will give you an idea of what â€Å"low† (25th percentile) and â€Å"excellent† (75th percentile) ACT scores are for students who attend that particular college. If you want an excellent ACT score for a particular college, aim for that 75thpercentile score. Now, there's some flexibility with this - keep in mind that 75% of students at any college are accepted with scores lower than the 75th percentile cutoff. If your ACT is in the top 25% of scores for schools that you’re considering, you may want to consider applying to some more competitive schools. Schools with higher average ACT scorestend to have more ambitiousstudents and more challenging courses. A high-ranking school also sends a better signal to grad schools and employers. Ultimately, it's a good strategy to apply to several target, reach, and safety schools- knowing schools' ACT score ranges will help you figure out which ones will best fit within this strategy. Excellent ACT Scores for Yourself This is perhaps the most important consideration with the most practical implications. Given your goals, strengths, and weaknesses, what’s considered an excellent ACT score for you personally? There are quite a few factors to take into account here: Whether you're a â€Å"good† test-taker or ananxious test-taker Your innate skill setfor each ACT section Your educational opportunities- some students may not have a strong background in all ACT content Your resources- some students may have access to prep courses, tutors, or extra help, whereas others may not It’s important to set a realistic but challenging goal in order to meet your full potential. If you set too low of a goal, you cheat yourself out of the opportunity to attend better colleges. If you settoo high of a goal, you may feel unnecessarilydemotivated and frustrated. So where do you begin figuring out what an excellent ACT score means for you? Here's how to do it: Get a baseline score. Take a practice test after familiarizing yourself with the ACT for about 10 hours of prep. You might consider this baseline your low score cutoff- after all, you did get this score with pretty minimal study time. Reach your own score potential. Know that whatever you scored on your baseline, there will be significant room for improvement with good prep. Many students reach a score max (an excellent personalscore) after about 40-80 hours of studying. This score maximum is generally 3-4 points higher than baseline, although it's definitely possible to increase your score more than that. How Do You Get an Excellent ACT Score? Now comes the real work: getting the scores that you want! There are three key components to earning an excellent score, however you define it: a solid timeline, a concrete goal, and a smart study plan. Timeline The amount of time you have to prep will directly affect your study timeline. Read our guide on how long you should study for the ACT. Goal Score Work towards a concrete goal after making a list of target, reach, and safety schools. Get instructions on how to set a goal score in our ACT score guide. Want a beyond-excellent ACT score? We have a guide for that too. Study Plan Now that you have a study timeline and goal score in place, you'll need a smart study plan. This plan will, of course, depend on when you're taking the test. Don't have a lot of time? Read our last-minute tipsand strategies, or our 10-day study plan. Have a bit more time on your hands? Read our study schedule for students who have one year or more to prepare. What's Next? If you're still deciding whether to take the SAT or the ACT, you might be wondering which one will get you the best scores. Read more about how to decide which test is the best fit for you. Looking for more info on the SAT? Read about what counts as anexcellent or bad SAT score. Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

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

Dworkin - Essay Example In the Riggs versus Palmer case, a New York court had a difficult time coming to a decision that regarded a grandson who had brutally killed his grandfather and an inheritance claim (Sara 69). The court ruled that he could not accede to the property as stated in the will of the grandfather. This was a contrasting decision as they are no written statuses that support the ruling made by the judge. Rather, they decided to employ moral reasoning and felt that one is not supposed to benefit from their own mistakes and wrongdoings. In the context of Dworkin, this was an unfair and biased decision and he continues to add that the court does not possess any form of discretion and this makes it even more complex (Sara 57). The will clearly stated that the grandson was the sole beneficiary to all the property in the possession of the grandfather at the time of his demise although the grandson put him to death. Dworkin believes that it would make sense to allow him access to the property, but a lso make him pay the price for the greed that led to the death of the grandfather and imprison him for such a long time that he does not get the pleasure to enjoy the good

Financial Markets And Corporate Governance Essay

Financial Markets And Corporate Governance - Essay Example The business managers of Enron would definitely have put in to practice of whatever they have been taught or trained in their schools of Law, business, management and accounting, to protect the shareholders’ interests of the corporation. However the pertinent question is what went wrong and where? Considering the various maneuverings that happened in Enron in the guise of protecting the shareholders interest, it may also be said that the same managers would have acted more aggressively in enhancing the shareholders wealth, had Enron been a successful business venture. â€Å"The catastrophe caused by the failure of Enron could not compare with the damage this company would have caused if it had succeeded. The relentless emphasis on the importance of shareholder value in recent times has created the conditions for the disconnection of corporations such as Enron form their essential moral underpinnings, encouraging them to concentrate exclusively on financial performance, and to neglect not just the wider stakeholder interests of customers and employees, but the essential interests of the economies and communities in which they operate. The problem with established corporate governance is that they misconceive the irreducible core of corporate governance, at the same time as underestimating the complexity of the phenomenon.† This paper attempts to make a presentation on the style and working of the two models of business ventures one working in the direction of protecting exclusively the shareholders interests and the other which works to protect the stakeholders’ interest and the relative conflicts and issues that may emanate in pursuing both the interests, in the light of the With a proper understanding and adherence to all of the above parameters, a team of management can take the corporate they are governing to greater heights for sure. Even though all of these aspects stand equally important, respecting

Judaism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Judaism - Essay Example Their story has played out over time until now when more and more people believe. Anyone born of a Jewish mother is considered a Jew. Jews believe that God appointed them to be his chosen people in order to be an example of holiness and ethical behavior to the whole world. They still hold this view up to date and it is not easy to convince them that all human beings stand an equal chance before God. Different religions have different views regarding different subjects such as marriage, children rights, and individual’s role in the society and at home. It is important to understand how a specific religion such as Judaism views and evaluates each of the roles and if there are special considerations. The central idea of Judaism is a commitment by the Jewish people to one (single) incorporeal God who is also omnipotent and is the creator and ruler of the universe as well as the source of moral law for humanity. The Jewish people believe in the Torah, which was the law given to the Israelites at Sinai. They believe they must follow Gods law which governs their daily life. Legal books were later written by Rabbis; determining the law as it applies to life in each new place and time (Tenakh).  They have several rituals such as the mitzvoth (observance of Torah), the observance of the 613 commandments, rabbinic law, keeping kosher, going to the synagogue where they hear the readings and their worship and prayer. It is like rituals define their religion give the importance they attach to different kind of rituals. Rituals define every aspect of Judaism and this approach is totally different from other religions which do not rely on any kind of ritual to establish an achievement, mos t religions rely on their teachings and the set doctrines that guide their followers. Judaism has applications and requirements of the believer that they are simply unable to meet in fullness. Their requirements limit many people around the globe from joining their faith

Competency BasedCurriculum Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Competency BasedCurriculum Development - Essay Example What host of questions remains unexamined?† The paper includes recommendations on curriculum trends likely to remain prominent for managing the interests of state and federal governments, the needs of individual students, the academic freedom of teachers, and the requirements of employers and the community. Jackson’s statement is part of a debate on competency based education and training (CBET) that has gone on for decades despite wide acceptance in a growing number of developed and developing countries. Stevenson and Brown (1994) state that the main point of contention is the answer to the following question: what is the purpose of education? The varied answers explain why educators and policymakers are divided into three camps: those who see CBET as a pariah, as a panacea, or as neither of the two (Bowden, 1998). Hager (1994, cited in Jones, 1999, p. 156) traces these debates to the longstanding dispute on â€Å"vocational versus general education† and to the main issue of whether and to what extent vocationalism should drive education (Kerka, 1998). CBET started out as a system of vocational instruction in U.S. factories early in the last century. Having experienced its effectiveness, U.S. policymakers applied competency based methods to teacher training in the late 1960s and used it a decade later to reform the curricula in other professions (Bowden, 1998). Its relative success helped it spread to other countries, notably the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand in the 1980s (Herschbach, 1991, p.3). The evolution from competency based training (CBT) to CBET is evident in the design of a competency based curriculum that, like an evolving living creature, reflects the â€Å"genetic code† of its conceptual ancestors. Not only does the competency based curriculum of, say, a course in medicine adopt key principles from CBT, but the competency based curriculum of, say, a vocational training course

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 26

Human Resource Management - Essay Example This was because in my sociology studies I had learned that culture was something that occurred naturally and not necessarily a HRM practice. In reality, I did not think that organizational culture had anything to do with the success or failure of an organization and to me the insistence on culture was overrated. People from diverse cultures might understand the same situation in various ways. Productivity may rise in a multicultural work environment as each employee brings diverse talents and skills that can be used to solve challenges. One thing that I did not understand was how these differences could bring about conflict in the work place (Schizas, 2009). In order to understand exactly how culture is crucial to the success of an organization, I studied IBM. IBM is a multinational corporation that has over 400,000 employees and in various parts of the world. My major reason for choosing IBM is because the company has a big presence in Asia and this means that the business practices that are applied in the United States are not likely to be applicable in Asia or Africa and this call for a change in the organizational culture. My main reason for undertaking this study is to find out exactly if organizational culture is important to the organization in trying to achieve its financial goals. To achieve my objective, I will look at the existing literature on organizational culture and how it affects businesses. I will however pay close attention to IBM especially on the changes that they have made in their organizational culture with a view to establishing if this has borne any fruits or not. Along the way, I will also be looking at some of the changes that the company has undertaken in order to realign its HR practices and strategies to enable it to move away from its traditional methods and to adopt new approaches. In the research, I will also seek to establish some of the common errors that are

Cultural Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Cultural Diversity - Essay Example The choice of this article is based on the interest in the more or less resilient Hispanic culture as represented even in the culturally dynamic developed countries. Hispanic culture remains stiff in terms of retention of traditional values and is represented in many countries of the world. Hispanic culture is in totality a reflection of Spain, Latin America and most countries in the Central America let alone being represented in large numbers in the US, European countries, some parts of Spain colonies in Africa and in Far East (Luna, 2003, p331). The article covers an emerging Hispanic folk healing as a nursing care approach where bilingual nurses integrate a cultural health care practice, curanderismo (meaning Hispanic folk healing), into modern nursing care, a move that has seen better health outcomes being realized in the US for the minority Hispanic group. Article Summary Luna’s article (2003) is an outsider’s eye on the Hispanic folk healing as a meaningful approa ch to health care in today’s times among the minority Hispanic groups living in the US. It introduces curanderismo as a renowned survival tactic in health care in history as old as 15th century. In the article, Luna (2003, p329) justifies cultural health interventions by linking them to the survival of humankind through medieval ages before modern biomedical models came to be. Today, the success of curanderismo in nursing is no longer thought of as magical as most people used to believe but an approach that has proven curative values (Luna, 2003, p333). The article primarily focuses on, other than just plain justification, real benefits of especially the use of curanderismo among other culturally and/or traditionally inclined medical care approaches. First is the regional benefit for the user. Using locally available plants and herbs, curanderismo is only traditional knowledge required for one to heal. With such a mechanism language between the caregiver or the nurse and the patient is no longer a barrier. Second benefit in line is the little economic input required. The nurse-curanderas (Hispanic folk healers or nurses) use plants and herbs, in a similar way the Asians do, and therefore capital resources required are basically cheap and locally available – and thus low-cost services. Compared to today’s escalating costs in modern physicians and health care delivery systems, a blending with the low-cost curanderismo reduces health care costs for the American minority groups with Hispanic origin. Therefore, in a way, curanderismo is a socio-economically friendly approach in this context, especially in US where the health insurance system has failed. The nurse-curanderas, in addition, have learned to use two languages – American English and Hispanic. Luna (2003) refers to these nurses and bilingual nurse-curanderas, who in their capacity as nurses are particularly effective in giving necessary care even to aboriginal Hispanics who may be completely locked to Hispanic language and culture. While some groups somehow distrust modern health services, curanderismo and the likes provide additional alternatives (Luna, 2003, p330). Interpreting Luna’s Article into real life practice In modern world, health care, like most other industries, faces difficult controversial issue of diversity of cultures (Sagar, 2011, p13). Due to globalization, modern health facilities are flocked with patients of different cultural

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 26

Human Resource Management - Essay Example This was because in my sociology studies I had learned that culture was something that occurred naturally and not necessarily a HRM practice. In reality, I did not think that organizational culture had anything to do with the success or failure of an organization and to me the insistence on culture was overrated. People from diverse cultures might understand the same situation in various ways. Productivity may rise in a multicultural work environment as each employee brings diverse talents and skills that can be used to solve challenges. One thing that I did not understand was how these differences could bring about conflict in the work place (Schizas, 2009). In order to understand exactly how culture is crucial to the success of an organization, I studied IBM. IBM is a multinational corporation that has over 400,000 employees and in various parts of the world. My major reason for choosing IBM is because the company has a big presence in Asia and this means that the business practices that are applied in the United States are not likely to be applicable in Asia or Africa and this call for a change in the organizational culture. My main reason for undertaking this study is to find out exactly if organizational culture is important to the organization in trying to achieve its financial goals. To achieve my objective, I will look at the existing literature on organizational culture and how it affects businesses. I will however pay close attention to IBM especially on the changes that they have made in their organizational culture with a view to establishing if this has borne any fruits or not. Along the way, I will also be looking at some of the changes that the company has undertaken in order to realign its HR practices and strategies to enable it to move away from its traditional methods and to adopt new approaches. In the research, I will also seek to establish some of the common errors that are

Moral Judgment and Ethical Leadership in Chinese Management-The Role Research Paper

Moral Judgment and Ethical Leadership in Chinese Management-The Role of Confucianism and Collectivism - Research Paper Example The paper throws light on moral judgment and ethical aspects are two of the most important aspects used in management leadership. Management leaders need to take decisions in regard to greater moral judgments and ethical perspectives. Moral judgment and ethical decision making abilities are important in management leadership in order to develop the organizational science. Moral judgment and ethical leadership management help organizations to reduce the uncertainties in management issues related to interests of multiple stakeholders and management values. In Chinese management system theses concepts are highly important in creating greater effective management leadership practices, Confucianism is the most important ethical as well as philosophical system which was developed by the renowned Chinese philosopher Confucius. This ethical and philosophical aspect is also applied in management leadership practices. The notion of collectivism deals with the any political, social, economic, a nd religious aspect which emphasizes on the interdependence of each and every human being and the concept is very much important in Chinese leadership management for increasing the level of collected interests in management practices. The political structure of the country is the most important inspiration for promoting the collectivism approach in the country and Confucianism acts as the moral guiding support for management leaders across the country to apply moral judgment and ethical aspects in business management practices. ... This ethical and philosophical aspect is also applied in management leadership practices. The notion of collectivism deals with the any political, social, economic, and religious aspect which emphasizes on the interdependence of each and every human being and the concept is very much important in Chinese leadership management for increasing the level of collected interests in management practices. The political structure of the country is the most important inspiration for promoting the collectivism approach in the country and Confucianism acts as the moral guiding support for management leaders across the country to apply moral judgment and ethical aspects in business management practices (Cheng, 2011, pp. 657-658). Literature Review and propositions Development: A) The Nature of Confucianism: Confucianism plays an important role in the process of development of strong cultural perception in Chinese social, cultural, economic, and business management perspectives and also it plays t he most crucial role in the process of development in the culture of the country. Confucianism leads to greater and stronger perceptions in the cultural context of the country. The core idea of Confucianism is humanism which is the guiding force for developing the stronger perspective in the cultural context of the country. The ethical and sociopolitical teaching of the notion of Confucianism and the humanism approach of the performing social, cultural, economic, and political practices and acts are helping the development of all cultural contexts of the country to become stronger with the passage of time (Husted and Alan, 2008, pp. 297-299). This property of Confucianism of dealing with humanism helps the culture of the country through developments of people

Ho Chi Minh City Essay Example for Free

Ho Chi Minh City Essay Trung nguyen is the most famous coffee brand in Vietnam. It was created in 1996 by Mr. D? ng Le Nguyen Vu. During student life in medical school of Tay Nguyen, Mr. D? ng had a question about coffee farmers’ life. Although the price of a cup of coffee wasn’t cheap, but why, farmers were still poor. This question encouraged him to find the answers. He and his company suffered from many accidents, but they kept on trying. Those experiences brought them a good background for opening more shops and expanding their business widely. And in early 2004, they introduced G7 to the customers. This step turned Trung Nguyen history to the new page, they became the biggest and the most famous firm selling high-quality coffee powder. II. Strategy Trung Nguyen first opened their first coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City in 1998 and received some positive feedbacks. In 2001 they had built over thousands coffee shops all over Vietnam and became top-rated brand in Vietnamese coffee industry. They did Franchising, the step which was different from all other Vietnamese firm, they were the first. After 5 years, Trung Nguyen not only could gain the trust, the belief of Vietnamese customers but also customers in other countries like Singapore, Japan, Cambodia, etc. In 2006, Trung Nguyen invested and built the biggest high-quality G7mart system of stores for selling products. In June 2012, Trung Nguyen created the new strategy. That was creating the string of quick shops, which allows customers to choose some various kinds of coffee beans and the owner of the shop will mix them together for making the customers’ own styles. The evidence for the development of this strategy is the profit which grows 15% per week Trung Nguyen’s customers are not only the elder, the people who understand clearly about coffee but also, they have products for the young, who begin drinking coffee like student, teenager, etc. III. Revenue-Potential Growth. Although the economics go down, Trung Nguyen still makes profit, and improves themselve powerfully. In 2011, their revenue and production improve up to 151%, and the first six months in 2012, they gain up to 178% compared with the same time in 2011. The biggest evolution of Trung Nguyen is their G7 powder became the leader of coffee powder in Vietnam at the rate 37. 8% In the near future, Mr. D? ng plans to join the world stock market and in the next 10 years, he tries to invest more than 800 million USD to build new factories and some additional options.

Social Media as Advertising Platform: Case Study

Social Media as Advertising Platform: Case Study The report represents an analysis of the promotional strategies implemented by Love for Food. The company has chosen social media as its promotional platform. The complete report has been presented based on identified aims and objectives. Among various measures available to study the performance of effectiveness of marketing strategies, such as A/B testing, multivariate testing and assessing Facebook analytic, the Facebook analytic model has been chosen. With the help of AIDA model, the discussion identifies that the company has not been successful to initiate effective demand due to flaws in promotional strategies. The reflection provided in the study shows this analysis has been very informative to enhance knowledge about the use of Facebook Insights. The discussion puts forth a study of web analytics. The report is presented in the scenario of a firm Love for Food. The business has chosen Facebook as the medium of promoting the business. The report will put forth a brief background of the study and the enterprise. It will identify key aims, goals, objectives and research questions for the discussion. Many strategies of research will be evaluated. Based on the evaluation a key strategy will be selected. The discussion will also put forth a process of experiments based on theoretical perspective, a data analysis will be presented by identifying effectiveness of the marketing strategies. A brief reflection will be presented by addressing key factors identified in the study. In the end, the discussion will be concluded by providing a concise summary. Background Love for Food is a bakery company based is an UK-based bakery firm. The organisation is considering to take online shopping as its key business domain. It has chosen Facebook as a feasible online media to sales its products (Facebook.com, 2017). Since, this platform is cost effective and offer high degree of reach (Bharadwaj, et al., 2013). But, it is imperative for Love for Food to assess the effectiveness of Facebook to promote the services. The study will focus on web analytics using Facebook insights to assess the effectiveness of this tool (Selwyn Facer, 2007). The enterprise has been successful to generate likes and shares of by promoting its Facebook page. But, the firm wants to enhance the outcome more to ensure better success of the business. Aims, goals, objectives or purpose: The key aims, goals, objectives and purpose of this study has been put forth as below. Aims: To assess the effectiveness of web analytics in promoting the businesses. Goals: To enhance the promotional activities of the company by ensuring better result. Objectives: The key objectives of the study are as mentioned below. To identify the effectiveness of web analytics to measure the effectiveness of promotional activities of the firm? To identify key drawbacks lies in the promotional activities of the organisation. Purpose: This study will facilitate Love for Food to improve its promotional strategies. The enterprise will also be able to assess the probable return on investment it will be able to get in short term and long term perspective (Miller, 2012). The analysis will also facilitate the organisation if it will be successful to meet it anticipated target more effectively. Questions: Based on the above discussion following research questions have been identified for this study. How much is the web analytics effective to measure the effectiveness of promotional activities of the business? What are the key drawbacks in the promotional strategies of the organisation? Selection of experiment area: Strategies: There are many strategies available for the company to develop for conducting experiments (Young, 2014). These are multivariate testing, A/B testing and creation of Facebook pages and posts. Each of these strategies is discussed and justified as below. Multivariate Testing: In this process of testing various interlinked variable are modified to assess the impact of the result. This analysis helps to identify the one combination which is effective for the enterprise (Wang, 2014). In the context of Love for Food, the firm will be able to assess the effectiveness of its different marketing promotions with changing scenario. But this will take much time and make the whole process costly (Chaffey, et al., 2012). Thus, this method of analysis will not be effective for the company. A/B Testing: In this process of testing, the enterprise will be able to test data based on single variable. This is effective for simple projects. But, the projects which have many critical data and interlinked operations, will not able to generate effective analysis from this study (Segura, et al., 2016). The A/B testing however also helps to identify an effective channel of promotions. The Love for Food will require undertaking many promotional tools such as social media, advertisement on television and newspapers (Royle Laing, 2014). But, this will raise the cost of project. Because, it is not feasible for the organisation to make presence in those media. Hence, this method of study will not be feasible for the organisation. Creation of Facebook pages and posts: in this process of method, the business will be able to assess the market demand for the product more effectively (Abell Brewer, 2014). The firm will be able to develop many customised solutions and information. The likes, shares and comments provided by the organisation, will facilitate the enterprise to identify the popularity and attractiveness of its strategies. Love for Food can implement this strategy in cost effective and timely manner (Gerlitz Helmond, 2013). Therefore, this process of analysis will be feasible for this study. Method for conducting experiments: Owing to the feasibility of the process of creation of Facebook pages and posts, Love for Food chose this method of conducting the experiment. Initially, a Facebook account was created. The account was logged using the user id and the password as articulated by the company.       Figure 1:1st Step Creation of the page was the second step after the procedure of logging in into the account. Figure 2:2nd Step Figure 3:3rd Step In this step, the page was selected and was ready to be created. Figure 4:4th Step The primary purpose of creating the Facebook was to connect with the people by using a brand, business or a cause. In this case, the cause or community was chosen to continue with the further step. Figure 5:5th Step By clicking on get started and after writing the name for the page, the Facebook page was created as illustrated below. Figure 6:6th Step Figure 7: Page Created The creation of the Facebook page has enabled the company to attract a number of people at the same time. The page also got about 30 likes. The page has also been receiving comments for the photos and the videos that were uploaded by Love for Food. Hence, this procedure has been useful in the attainment of the objectives. Analysis of your experiment area: Page Views: The above analysis of data identifies that the company has become successful to generate 37 views for its Facebook page. The page was run for 3 weeks. Within this small period it has been successful to generate sufficient views. The above chart also shows the sources of views was not only from facebook.com, but also other key websites such as likestool.com, traffup.net also facilitated to increase the number of views the page. This shows the company can get higher reach through Facebook promotions. Page Likes: The above data shows that the enterprise has been able to increase the likes of the page from 17th Feb to 17th March. The firm has been successful to the likes of pages to a certain extent from 15th March. The above chart also represents that the number of likes has been decreased drastically from 16th march. This represents that the business has not been successful to sustain its market presence. According to the AIDA model, the enterprise requires to attention generation, interest development, desire generation and resulting action i.e. purchasing of services (Hassan, et al., 2015). But, above analysis shows the company has been successful to generate attention for the product. It has also been successful to develop interest (Wang, 2014). But as the organisation has failed to sustain these factors for long, it has not been successful to generate desire and purchase decision. Thus it failed to meet its target of generating high degree of return on investment from the projectReflections upon the use of Facebook/Facebook Insights: Pages on Facebook are public in nature and hence, the engagement with the pages are also public. Initially, with the incorporation of Facebook Insights in my project, I learnt that Facebook insights assists in providing insights to the managers of the page along with the activity of the people on the page (Bharadwaj, et al., 2013). I learnt that Facebook insight is a powerful tool for the individuals who are determined towards the tracking of the interaction of the user on the fan page of the Facebook. It can be seen by each and every admin of the page. I also learnt that it aids in understanding the performance of the page with the help of graphs. In the course of using Facebook insights, I learnt that we will also be able to recognise and determine the best time of the day along with the best day of the week for posting pictures and contents on the Facebook page (Gerlitz Helmond, 2013). Further, it is also mandatory to mention that I also learnt that Facebook Insights are also useful in understanding the use and power of a particular content or post (Frick, 2000). One of the most important things that I learnt was it is a tool that is constantly updated which helps in reflecting the developments in the page. Hence, it is essential to keep a check on the loop. The study identifies that the company has chosen social media for promotional perspective. Since, it is cost effective and has high reach. The other process of analysis for studying the effectiveness of promotional strategies thus has been rejected. These promotional strategies can be identified as multivariate analysis and A/B analysis. The analysis of data also shows; the organisation has been failed to meet its promotional objective as it has failed to sustain the interest. In theoretical perspective of AIDA model (Ward Peppard, 2016), the enterprise has not been quite successful in generating demand and purchase intention for its products. However, the study has been very beneficial and informative to develop analytical skills. So, it will add value in academic and professional endeavours. References Abell, L. Brewer, G., 2014. Machiavellianism, self-monitoring, self-promotion and relational aggression on Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 36(1), pp. 258-262. Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O., Pavlou, P. Venkatraman, N., 2013. Digital business strategy: toward a next generation of insights.. s.l.:s.n. Chaffey, D., Smith, P. R. Smith, P. R., 2012. eMarketing eXcellence: Planning and optimizing your digital marketing. 2nd ed. s.l.:Routledge. Facebook.com, 2017. Love For Food. [Online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/Love-For-Food-264565583984164/[Accessed 17 March 2017]. Frick, T., 2000. Return on engagement: Content, strategy, and design techniques for digital marketings.. London: Taylor Franci. Gerlitz, C. Helmond, A., 2013. The like economy: Social buttons and the data-intensive web.. New Media Society, 15(8), pp. 1348-1365. Hassan, S., Nadzim, S. Shiratuddin, N., 2015. Strategic use of social media for small business based on the AIDA model. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 172(1), pp. 262-269. Miller, M., 2012. B2B digital marketing: Using the web to market directly to businesses. London: Que Publishing. Royle, J. Laing, A., 2014. The digital marketing skills gap: Developing a Digital Marketer Model for the communication industries.. International Journal of Information Management, 34(2), pp. 65-73. Segura, S., Fraser, G., Sanchez, A. Ruiz-Cortà ©s, A., 2016. A survey on metamorphic testing. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 42(9), pp. 805-824. Selwyn, N. Facer, K., 2007. Beyond the digital divide Rethinking digital inclusion for the 21st century. UK: Futurelab. Wang, P. e., 2014. Graphical representation of multivariate data. 2nd ed. London: Elsevier. Ward, J. Peppard, J., 2016. The Strategic Management of Information Systems: Building a Digital Strategy. London: John Wiley Sons. Young, A., 2014. Brand media strategy: Integrated communications planning in the digital era. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

The Issues Surrounding the Amazon Rainforest Essay -- Environmental Am

The Issues Surrounding the Amazon Rainforest   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The battle for the Amazon rainforest is a daunting task. It’s a long going battle between miners, loggers, and developers against the indigenous people who call it home. It’s a battle like any battle in a war; it affects lives, families, the economy, politics, and the environment amongst other things. The main topic of this debate is the effects of the Amazon deforestation on the people who live in it, this will be the focus of this research paper. In this paper, I will discuss the history, causes, effects and solutions for the Amazon rainforest deforestation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The environmental problems of today started a long time ago, before automobiles, electricity, and the Industrial Revolution. From ancient times to present day, humans have changed the world in which they live. As population increase and technology advances, more significant and widespread problems arise. The Amazon rainforest has not been spared from this. The Amazon region has long been seen as a land of great riches. â€Å"Early Europeans and others have long been fascinated by the Amazon, with early visions of a land of gold, the legend of ‘El Dorado’† (Faminow 32). The European invasion bought with it the increased population and new technologies that had a drastic effect to the Amazonian region, which was once considered safe from exploitation. This problem has continued to the present, with higher consequences. Ehrlich explains, â€Å"today, unprecedented demands on the environment from a rapidly expanding human population and from advan cing technology are causing a continuing and accelerated decline in the quality of the environment and it’s ability to sustain life† (98). As a result, the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed at an alarming rate, affecting all those that live in the region.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand the scope of the changes taking place, Howard Facklam has come up with some staggering statistics, he says, â€Å"it was estimated at one point in the 1980’s that the Amazon basin was being cleared at the rate of 50 acres a minute; another estimate put the rate at 78,000 square miles per hear† (53). These are astronomical numbers when you come to think of it, to put it into perspective, that’s roughly the size of the state of Idaho. Such deforestation has an alarming affect, â€Å"it means the loss of a multiplicity of products: Food, fibers, medicine... ...e papers about it. It doesn’t mean that the problem has gone away, it’s still very much alive. It’s just not getting the coverage and attention it has before and that’s where the shame lies. People need to know about this, the more the better. It’s a valuable resource that mankind cannot afford to lose. Bibliography Ehrlich, Anne et al. Earth. New York: Watts. 2007. Facklam, Howard. Plants: Extinction or Survival?. New Jersey: Enslow. 2000. Faminow, Merle D. Cattle, Deforestation, and Development in the Amazon. New York: CAB International. 2002. Gradwohl, Judith & Russel Greenburg. Saving the Tropical Forests. Washington D.C.. Island Press. 2003. Hecht, Susanna. The Fate of the Forest. London. 2001. Hornaday, Anne. â€Å"Earth’s Threatened Resources.† Congressional Quarterly. 2 Sept.   2003: 28-29. Linden, Eugene. â€Å"Paradise Lost?† Time. 19 July 2000: 50-51. Smith, Duane A. â€Å"My Trip to the Rain Forest.† Mining America: The Industry and The Environment. 3 Sept. 2001: 66. Stewart, Douglas Ian. After the Trees. Austin: University of Texas Press: 2004. Tropical Deforestation: the human dimension. Ed. Leslie E. Sponsel. New York: Columbia UP. 2006.

Leadership Succession

Is it necessary for Citigroup to have a leadership succession plan? Why? Leadership succession planning is very important from two perspectives. First of all, it helps to select highly-potential candidates, who have strong leadership abilities and possess all necessary qualities to assume high administrative positions in the future. Besides, leadership succession plan also includes the measures on giving a wide range of learning, training and development opportunities for such individuals in order to improve their professional performance, proficiency, managerial abilities, leadership skills, and so on.Undoubtedly, if Citigroup does not pay attention on the situation around Sandy Weill right now, the company’s risk to be left without an effective leader will be increasing. Sandy Weill is a man over 70, and at this age his professional abilities as an executive can get worse at any time. That is why, I suppose, there is an urgent vital need for the company to select and start p reparing someone who would be able to succeed Mr. Weill.2. Who should have the responsibility of preparing a succession plan?For large organizations and corporations specialists suggest establishing special Leadership Planning Boards, which would carry out the main activities on leadership succession planning. Such activities have to include identifying critical positions, establishing criteria and identifying the best candidates (at least two for one position), reviewing and monitoring their professional progress and personal development, interviewing and evaluating every candidate and coming up with some conclusions and suggestions.Undoubtedly, such departments as Business Human Resources Units or Corporate Human Resources Departments have to be also involved in leadership succession planning process. They have to assist Leadership Planning Boards and give all necessary information about potential candidates. Top managers from Board of Directors or Chief Officers have to take all the responsibilities on supervising and controlling the effectiveness of leadership succession planning process (Tennessee Valley Authority, 2000).3. Should the succession plan include insiders? Outsiders? Or both?I think that it is preferable for any company or organization to select the candidates from the insiders. If there are qualified and talented managers, who worked and had opportunity to develop together with the company for some time, they are certainly better aware of the specifics of company’s business, strategies of management, organizational culture and traditions, etc. Moreover, they could already win some reputation and respect of the employees; therefore, they are potentially effective leaders or top managers.But there can be a situation when there are good outside candidates, who had no experience of working with the company. In such case, I suppose, it is necessary not only to interview such candidates and estimate their potential effectiveness, but also in volve them into business activities of the company as soon as possible. I strongly believe that working closely with the leaders and learning more and more from them is a key factor for good performance of any successor.4. Why do executives such as Weill avoid the succession issue?I think that Mr. Weill can have some personal reasons for doing this. Possibly, he does not take leadership succession as a reality or does not want someone to be on his back. Maybe he assumes any succession plan as the necessity of his resignation or as a sign of lack of trust from his colleagues. There’s also probability that he is trying to avoid all succession plan initiatives in order to prove own competence and uniqueness.Nevertheless, I believe that this situation is not a typical one, especially for such huge organizations as Citigroup. Usually, top managers and executives demonstrate concern about their organizations and get actively involved in succession planning. They can point on some p ossible successors, work with them, train and promote them in order to prepare such candidates for taking higher positions and make them understand, what the organization requires to remain successful.References:Leadership/Succession Planning. (2000) Tennessee Valley Authority. Retrieved June 29, 2007, from: . Ritter, J. (2003, April 15) Succession Planning: A Tool for Success. The Galt Global Review. Galt Western Personnel Ltd. Retrieved June 29, 2007, from: .

Critical Analysis of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of Nigeria 2007

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT OF NIGERIA 2007: AN OVERVIEW BEING ASSIGNMENT SUBMITTED ON PUBLIC FINANCE (BKF 624) (FIRST SEMESTER COURSE WORK) BY ALAJEKWU UDOKA BERNARD 2008 162 001 MSc PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND FINANCE FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ANAMBRA STATE UNIVERSITY LECTURER: DR. EZEABASILI V. N. OCTOBER, 2009 Page 1 of 19 ABSTRACT Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 was designed to regulate and supervise the fiscal activities of public office holders in the country.This paper critically analyses the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the Act; the machinery for implementation; the powers and tenor of the members of the Fiscal Responsibility Board; the appointment of members of the Board; Fiscal policy/activity uniformity in/among the various tiers of government; the fiscal control on borrowing; the key features of the Fiscal Responsibility Act; the consequences of the Fiscal Responsibility Act; the pr otection of officeholders, among others.The paper hoped that Nigeria’s Fiscal Responsibility Act will strengthen the nation’s financial reporting and ensue better management of its resources. The paper then concluded that the FRA provided the much needed deterrent to stop public officers dipping their hands in the states till and then made some recommendations for improvement. Page 2 of 19 Introduction Following the incessant misappropriation, mismanagement, and lack of stewardship and accountability in the nation’s public sector, the Fiscal Responsibility Bill was proposed for consideration by the President Obasanjo administration through the then Minister of Finance – Prof.Okonjo-Iwuala N. The Bill was passed into law in 2007 as the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007. The Fiscal Responsibility Act provides for a body known as the Fiscal Management Council that comprises the Fiscal Responsibility Council and the Governing Board. The Council is charged with the responsibility of monitoring and enforcing the provisions of the Act to ensure accountability, transparency and prudence in the management of the nation’s resources by all tiers of government, government corporations or companies and agencies. Therefore, the Fiscal Responsibility Council is the regulatory and supervisory body in the public sector.By this Act, it is expected that the Public Sector would have a definite regulatory structure to act as watch dog on the activities of the public office holders and as checks on financial encroachment between/among tiers of government. This is expected to bring sanity and responsiveness into the public sector and among the various tiers of government in Nigeria. The Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007) is a law to â€Å"redirect government at all levels to imbibe a fiscal behaviour that will promote prudence and sound financial management in the system† (http://www. udgetmonitoring. org/ Page 3 of 19 Spotlights/2007/02/26/News 11618/). The Fiscal Responsibility Act seeks to ensure that the Federal Government will never commit itself to spending money without ensuring that it has the necessary funds in place to begin with (Nwanma, Vincent, 2007). Afemikhe, (2005:6), fingered the poor performance of the public sector despite abundance of mineral resources in the country and blamed all on corruption and mismanagement.Posited thus: â€Å"how is it that a country with abundant human and natural resources, that held so much promise at independence and was trumpeted with significant economic achievements in the decade following the oil boom has so rapidly fallen from grace to grass and indeed appears to have completely lost its way and its focus? The answer lies in the twin evils of corruption and poor public expenditure management†. Afemikhe was not alone in accusing Nigeria of poor management, Africafront. om/news also decried our polity thus: â€Å"our fiscal policies have been largely characterised b y poor planning, massive waste and wrong priorities. We have rarely failed to match our fiscal responsibility acts with the right policies thereby making effective and efficient service delivery impossible†. The site maintained that the FRA is a fundamental action to attack fiscal inconsistency and indiscipline from the head to the root. It is noted that the Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007) â€Å"†¦ aims to ensure fiscal accountability, check corruption, monitor the budget processes and call Page 4 of 19 ublic officials to order†¦ ; it does not appear that there is one final act that should hopefully put the final nail on financial rascality in government (http://www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights/2007/02/26/ News11618/). Nwanma, Vincent, (2007) was of similar view when he asserted that â€Å"no-one expects that it (FRA) will end high-level corruption at a stroke†. According to then Anambra State Commissioner for Finance (2007), Eze Echesie, â€Å"I donâ €™t think any single law can stem or stop fiscal rascality but we have tried to ensure the elements of consensus building in this bill†.Nath Nwabueze, a lecturer in finance at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri warned that the Fiscal Responsibility Act would not cure Nigeria’s problems of high-level corruption and poor budget planning unless it was properly enforced (Nwanma, Vincent, 2007). At worst, the Act will â€Å"commit chief executives at all tiers of government to a set of efficient rules for economic management by providing set standards for the planning and control of public expenditure instead of leaving it to the whim of either the president or state governors.The Act will also facilitate parliamentary and public scrutiny of economic and monetary information and plans; bring a long-term focus to budgeting and thereby minimise risk and fluctuations in government monetary operations and policy (www. africafront. com/news). Page 5 of 19 Statement s of the Problem Nigerian fiscal policies have been largely characterised by poor planning, massive waste and wrong priorities. This they claim spring from corruption and poor financial management.The Fiscal Responsibility Act was enacted with the aim of checking these anomalies in the system. The extent to which the law can do this is not known, therefore, it becomes imperative to analyse the content of the law to ascertain its workability within the Nigerian context. Objectives of the Study The paper aimed critically analyse the contents of the Act in order the pinpoints its possible strongpoint and defects. It will also identify and appraise the basic features of the Act to ascertain its workability in the country.Machinery for Implementation The Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007) has its focal point as the prudent management of the nations resources anchored in accountability and transparency with the establishment of a Fiscal Responsibility Commission to ensure the promotion, imp lementation and enforcement of the Act. One good feature of the Act is that it â€Å"†¦ also have a mechanism through which it can be adequately enforced because our greatest problem in this country is not making laws but enforcing them† (www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights). Page 6 of 19The Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007) they said is â€Å"the first time in the history of Nigeria where an enactment is accompanied with a body to enforce/implement such policy†¦ † (www. africafront. com/news). Therefore, the problem of constitutional battle as to who is responsible for enforcement as may be witnessed in some aspects of financial corruption cases where the EFCC and ICPC may have to be involved in one and/or similar cases. This clash may mar efficiency and at worst, the purpose of such law. This problem was avoided in the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.Powers and Tenor of the Members of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission A body corporate with perpetual succ ession was established and known as the Fiscal Responsibility Council. This body can sue and be sued in its name and is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act as well as promote the economic objectives contained in S. 16 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; see S. 1(1-3). The Fiscal Responsibility Act gives the Council independence and immunity in the performance of its functions; see S. (2 & 3). The immunity might cause the members to indulge in ultravires acts and make them â€Å"untouchable† and â€Å"small gods† during their stay in office. Some officeholders may use them to witchhunt their enemies. Therefore, they will be more effective and fair in their judgements if they are answerable to their actions during their stay in office. Page 7 of 19 The Fiscal Responsibility Act gives the Council powers to establish and maintain a fund for the purpose of defraying its expenditures including amount pa yable to the members of the Board of the Council.The major sources of fund for the council include budgetary allocation from the Federal Government, grants from others sources. The funding of the council is a mandatory obligation of the Federal Government; see S. 4(2) . Being that the Commission gets its funds from mandatory Federation Account Allocation; the presidency will have minimal influence on their actions; though the presidency appoints the Chairman (see S. 5) The Act states that the Chairman and members of the Board shall hold office for a single term of four (4) years; see S. 5(5).This may mar continuity since all the board members have to vacate office at the same time. S. 10 of the Act mandate the Board to prepare and submit an annual report containing its activities including all cases of contravention investigated during the preceding financial year, and shall include in the report a copy of its audited report and account for the preceding financial year. This section of the Act makes the body to be â€Å"forcefully† accountable and transparent to the public. This implies that any corrupt fiscal activity not uncovered before the end of a certain financial year under which such ncidence occur might make the public to view the body as corrupt in themselves and be probed. Therefore, for the sake Page 8 of 19 of personal reputation, the members of the board might want to be transparent in their dealings. Also, the Act requires the Board to submit an audited annual financial report to the National Assembly. This checks the Board’s financial excesses and may put them on track of financial transparency. This Act builds up a regulatory framework for the fiscal affairs of public office holder with the Fiscal Responsibility Council (FRC) as the regulator; see S. 7(5). But the Act did not give express powers the FRC to demand financial returns and to do onsite financial supervision on the financial affairs of the Federal, State and Local Gove rnments and their agencies and corporations. The body will be more effective and efficient if they could check financial affairs of public office holders in the manner the CBN, the NDIC and the SEC do to banks and other financial institutions and firms whose securities are traded on the floor of the .Stock Exchange Market. Appointment of Members of the Council The Act states the each zone of the federation shall produce one representative for the Board of the Commission. It gives the State Governors of each zone the prerogative of nominating the representative; see S. 5(2e). This Act did not state the quantification and social standing of this member. This may cause the nomination to be based on political rather than academic and Page 9 of 19 social factors.This is capable bringing in politicking into the nomination as some political office holders may want to use the position as a spy and protection against his/her anomalies in office during his/her tenor. Fiscal Uniformity The Act states that the States and Local Governments shall plan the management of their fiscal affairs within the medium-term framework as prepare by the Commission for the Federal Government; see S. 17 (1). They may modify the provisions of sections 11,12,13, 14, 15 and 16 as appropriate for them. Virginia Major in www. budgetmonitoring. rg/Spotlights posited that it is important that the Act apply to all levels of government equitably. The Act sets out a general framework for budgetary planning, execution and reporting that is applicable to all levels of government. It was expected that through consultation with states and councils, the Act will set general targets and limits for selected fiscal indicators for the country with specific sanctions for non-compliance. Also it aims at high transparency and reporting standards for all the levels of government (www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights).In view of that the President – Umaru Musa Yar Adua immediate after singing the bill int o law commented thus: Page 10 of 19 †¦ â€Å"I have assented to the Fiscal Responsibility Bill after due consultation with the State Governments whose support and concurrence is critical to the successful nationwide implementation of the provisions of the law (Nwanma, Vincent, 2007). The President – Umaru Musa Yar Adua further said that if the states governments in the federation pass equivalent laws it will tighten up their budgeting procedures at the state level.Therefore, for the Fiscal Responsibility Act to be effective, the reforms it introduces must also be adopted at state level. The Act religiously set out rules with the core objective of committing all tiers of government to a well-defined and structured economic regime which would ensure economic growth and maintain economic stability. Daily Independent (Lagos), (2009) reported that the apathy being displayed by many state government with respect to passing the Fiscal Responsibility and Public Procurement (FRP P) laws in their domains is both inexplicable and disgraceful.It said that for more than two years later – and despite the repeated urging of the Federal Government, civil society groups and well-meaning Nigerians – response by many states remains tepid and perfunctory. A report recently released by the Secretariat of the Governors’ Forum in Abuja indicates that only 11 states have so far passed the Fiscal Responsibility Page 11 of 19 Bill into law, while 12 have enacted the Public Procurement Law (Daily Independent, 2009).Both laws are designed to ensure prudent management of public resources and enthrone accountability and transparency in the conduct of government business by curbing corrupt behaviour. The states reported to have passed and signed both bills into law are Abia, Bauchi, Cross Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kogi, Ondo and Osun. Three states governors have not forwarded any of both bills to their houses of assembly for legislative work to c ommence on them. They are Akwa Ibom, Edo and Enugu states (Daily Independent, 2009).It may be noteworthy to state here that the Act will be more effective and efficient if all the tiers of governments could adopt and practice the contents of this Act. Fiscal Control on Borrowing S. 49 (1) states that any government in the Federation or its agencies and corporations desirous of borrowing shall, specify the purpose for which the borrowing is intended and present a cost-benefit analysis, detailing the economic and social benefits of the purpose to which the intended borrowing is to be applied.Nwanma, Vincent (2007) described this as â€Å"strict controls on government borrowing†. He said that this will make it more difficult for the Federal Government and the state government to borrow money at random in Page 12 of 19 order to plug unexpected gaps in funding. And it specifically bars government from borrowing money to fund routine items of recurrent expenditure such as staff sal aries. Henceforth, the federal and state governments will only be allowed to borrow money to fund new capital expenditure projects such as power stations and oil refineries and new human development projects.Furthermore, they will only be allowed to borrow on approved terms, laid down by the Fiscal Responsibility Act. These are designed to guarantee that all new government loans are contracted on competitive terms – at reasonable rates of interest and with excessive fees and commissions. The new law imposes conditions on new borrowing which are designed to ensure that any government agency contracting a loan will have the means to repay it. If all borrowings are tied to cost-benefit analysis, government projects will tend to be selected based on their contribution to economic development.This will aid the achievement of the (Vision 2020) of the President Yar Adua administration. Protection of Office Holders According to one time Anambra State Commissioner for Finance (in 2007 ), Eze Echesie, the Anambra state government opposes the bill (when it was proposed) on the grounds that it is against the principle of fiscal federalism Page 13 of 19 practiced in Nigeria. According to him, â€Å"the bill should be restricted to the national level, which is, planning and budgeting as they relate to the Federal Government. It should not cover the state†.He further added that the Association of Commissioners of Finance in Nigeria are opposed to the bill saying that: â€Å"We will end up sending commissioners of finance to jail – and we have said that we do not want to go to jail. He pointed out that a state governor makes all the financial decisions †¦ but while the governors enjoy immunity, the commissioners – who are the accounting officers and execute government policies – do not. † www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights The Act gives the President, State Governors, Local Government Council Chairman and the Members of the Boa rd immunity during their stay in office.But, the Minister of Finance and Commissioners of Finance at the state level are (and the treasurer at the Council level) not given immunity during their tenor. This they see as a flaw since the Minister, Commissioners of Finance and treasurer of the Local Government are responsibility and accountable for public revenues and spending. The Nigerian fiscal policy allows the presidency and state Governors to most times, spend monies without the approval of the Minister or Commissioner of Finance. Www. budgetmonitoring. rg/Spotlights noted that correcting the fiscal responsibility of the commissioners of finance will affect the efficacy of the laws at the state level. Page 14 of 19 Consequences of the FRA 1. Firstly, it should avoid a fresh build up of external and internal debt to the point where the Nigeria government can no longer meet its repayment obligations. The president (or through the Minister of Finance) on the advice of the Debt Manage ment Office is expected by the Act to set limits on borrowings for Federal, State and Local Governments with three months to the commencement of this Act; see S. 7 (1). This set limit forms the basis for external and/or internal borrowing by all tiers of government. Any government that does not meet this requirement cannot borrow more fund internally or externally; see S. 47 (7). 2. Secondly, it should improve the chances of government projects being funded and completed on schedule. The Act makes case for planned projects. It requires that projects be properly planned and budgeted for. This includes the cost-benefit analysis and time frame for completion of the project, which have to incorporate due process.This means that the office holder who initiates a project must state in objective term its success before ever embarking in it. (All men are answerable to projects they started whether still in the office or not). Key Features of the Fiscal Responsibility Act The Act provides fo r a comprehensive budgetary planning process derived from Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). This is a tool for Page 15 of 19 linking policy, planning and budgeting over the medium-term – usually three years – at a government wide level.An MTEF takes account of government’s long and medium term strategies and the resources available to meet objectives over a three year time span. It also allocates resources to strategic priorities among and within sectors and it commences with the preparation of a macroeconomic framework and guidelines. It equally ensures that annual revenues and expenditures estimates are consistent with its provisions, which requires that rules on cost, cost control and evaluation of results of programmes financed are observed.The MTEF will be updated annually to reflect policy and macroeconomic changes. The principal components of the MTEF are as follows: medium-term revenue framework; medium-term expenditure framework; fiscal strategy paper spelling out the fiscal strategy for the planning term; medium term sector strategies with projects and programmes linked to long and medium term plans, which will, in turn, feed into the annual budget ad submission of a comprehensive Appropriation Bill ensuring all parameters are abided by.Already the MTEF is being implemented at the federal level. The Act seeks to codify this comprehensive planning framework (Minister of Finance – Nenadi Usman). Page 16 of 19 Conclusion The Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 has provided a yardstick for financial prudence, accountability and transparency that might engender continued economic growth and development. It is the first law in the country to be backed up with a body for implementation. It is also designed to harmonise and encouraged economic planning and control mechanism.Planning we know is sine qua non to success, therefore, we may say that the beginning of constitutional, conscious, objective and harmonised economic planni ng through the Medium Term Expenditure Framework is a step toward sustainable economic development for the nation. The Act has put a strategized stop to excessive, unarticulated and uneconomical borrowing that most times ends in accumulated debts that drag the nation backward. The Act touches crucial areas in our political and economic life that incite and nurture corrupt practices. We can say that the Act is capable of abating corruption in the country.All in all, it is hoped that Nigeria’s Fiscal Responsibility Act will strengthen the nation’s financial reporting and ensue better management of its resources. As such, it will provide the much needed deterrent to stop public officers dipping their hands in the states till. Page 17 of 19 Recommendations 1. The immunity given to the members of the Fiscal Responsibility Council should be removed. As a regulatory and supervisory body to the fiscal activities of public officeholders, they should operate as the CBN, NDIC and SEC who monitors the activities of banks and security markets respectively with office immunity. . There should be a permanent secretary for the Board who shall also be an employee of the Council. Since all the members of the Board are made to vacate office at the same time (capable of marring continuity), the secretary will act as a returning office as well as secretary of the Board. 3. The Act should make provision for express powers for offsite and onsite supervision of public officeholders. Page 18 of 19 References Afemikhe, S. O. (2005). Budget Implementation and Value for Money: The Due Process Experience. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Ltd.Daily Independent(Lagos), (2009). Nigeria: The Fiscal Responsibility Disgrace. 15 September. http://allafrica. com/comments/list/aans/post/id/20090915 0578. html. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY BILL: RISING HOPES IN THE HORIZON http://www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights/2007/02/26/News11618/ http://www. africafront. com/news/136/group_urges_nigerain_gove rnment_to_en force_the_fra. html Nwanma, Vincent (2007). Fiscal Responsibility – Don’t Spend Money Unless You Have It. http://www. budgetmonitoring. org/Spotlights/2007/12/13/ News12271/ Page 19 of 19