Clinical Manifestation of HIV Infection Essay

There are lots of diseases that are transmittable and dangerous to human lives but until today the HIV still leading the most dangerous human life taker. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) destroys the immune system’s helper T cells, the loss of which causes AIDS. The person infected called as HIV positive that shows by test for antibodies to HIV in the bloodstream to be infected with HIV. But how you will know a person if she/he is infected. What are the manifestations you can observe? How can this be applied scientifically based knowledge to nursing practice? What knowledge do you get in reading all these articles?  Ã‚   In the next paragraph the answers to the question are discuss step-by-step. Clinical Manifestation The incubation period of a few weeks after exposure to HIV, most infected individuals present with an acute flue-like illness. The clinical symptoms of HIV infection were first descried in 1985 as an illness resembling infectious mononucleosis. The most common symptoms are fever, maculopopular rash, oral ulcers, lymphaenopathy, arthralgia, pharyngitis, malaise, weight loss, aseptic meningitis and myalgia. In one study, fever (80%) and malaise (68%) had the highest sensitivity for clinical diagnosis of HIV infection, whereas loss of weight (86%) and oral ulcers (85%) had the highest specificity. In the study, the symptoms of fever and rash followed by oral ulcers and pharyngitis had the highest positive pr5edictivevalue for diagnosis of HIV infection. In another study, fever, rash myalgia, arthritis and night sweats were the best predictors for HIV infection.   The symptom phase of HIV infection lasts between 7-10 days, and rarely longer than 14 days. The nonspecific nature of the symptoms posses a great challenge to the clinician and underlines the importance of a detailed history of exposure. (Altfeld & Walker). Another manifestation is Erythema elevatum diutinum (EED) is a chronic and rare dermatosis that is considered to be a variant of leucotoclastic vaculitis. The clinical manifestations are papules, plaques or nodules, which vary in coloration from reddish to purple, light brown and sometimes yellowish. The lesion’s are persistent and symmetrically distributed on extensors surfaces, particularly in the joints of the extremities. Such patients may presents arthralgia. The itchiness and pains, with rare systemic involvement were also observed (Medical Journal 2005). Immune thrombocytopenic purpura may be the sole clinical manifestation of HIV infection. Results of the treatment of 6 patients spontaneous bleeding due to severe thrombocytopenia are presented.   In all patients immune thrombocytopenic purpura was the only clinical manifestation of HIV infection. Four of them were intravenous narcotic addicts, and the other two patients did not belong to high-risk groups (Elizovic, Jevtovic &Rolovic 1989). Peripheral Facial paralysis as a manifestation of HIV Infection, Two patients had typical Bell’s palsy while one had a facialdiplegia. CD4 cell counts were above 100 cells/mm3 in all cases. A review of literature confirmed that peripheral facial nerve palsy could occur at any stage of HIV infection and in various clinical contexts. It is suggested that adult patients presenting with peripheral facial paralysis should be counseled, and screened for HIV (Annals AF Med: 2002 1(1) 1:28-30).

Modern Information Technology Impacts Our Everyday Lives Essay

Over the past 20 years, the world as we know has changed drastically. We have moved from a world that was bound by wires and copper cabling to a world that offers any bit of information you want with the touch of a glass screen from a device that fits in your pockets. In this same period of time, shopping used to involve planning a trip to a brick and motor store and hope they had the product you were looking for, and at the price you wanted to pay. If you lived in a small market, you didn’t have the choices to comparison shop other stores. In today’s age, a consumer can shop from the comfort of their home, and find exactly the right product at exactly the right price. With a click of a mouse and a charge of a credit card, the product will be rushed to the consumer’s house with little to no effort for them. Large retailers like Amazon.com can have a product delivered to a consumer by as early as the next day! This type of convenience has changed our daily ways in many ways, both positive and negative. For example, people can communicate with each other miles apart from their computers and smart phones via email and texting. While some may say this is good thing that allowing distant relatives and friends quick and simple communication without worrying about distance, others would say that email and texting simply takes a lot of the personal touch from the conversation. With retailers moving their sales online, some people believe that the personal touch of being able to talk to someone directly about the product may detract from the experience. Positive Impacts of Modern Technology We should begin looking at the positive impacts that this new technology has on our daily lives. Technology is evolving very quickly, and sometimes consumers have a hard time keeping up with the latest trends, but the impacts are made every day to help improve our lives. Whether we are using computers to communicate by video conferencing with friends and family in another country, or ordering the latest Harry Potter book to be instantly delivered to our Kindles, these technologies are enriching our lives. As retailers move to the web, consumers are able to comparison shop many different sellers with the click of a mouse. There are also dedicated websites out there that allow a consumer to instantly search for a product from hundreds of sellers, and then find the one that has the lowest price and best shipping. On top of this, the internet provides a way for consumers to research the products they are buying. We can look up reviews from other buyers to see if the product lives up to manufacturers claims. When a consumer decides what and where they will buy, they can have the product whisked away from the distribution center and be delivered on their doorstep by the end of the next day, all from the computer of their home. With the massive explosion of social media sites, people are able to find and communicate with their long lost friends and family all from a central location. We can share photos, send messages, and chat in real time with our connections. Although the entertainment industry has been slow to adopt the new technologies in fear of losing money to â€Å"pirates†, we have seen a huge growth of online video. Consumers are able to find and watch their favorite shows whenever and wherever they like. Television sets are now shipping with built in internet connectivity to allow purchasers to access the internet to watch videos and share photos with one another. Companies like Netflix and Hulu have embraced online streaming and are offering thousands of hours of online video for a very low monthly subscription. These services are not limited to just televisions either. Computers, smart phones, and tablets are all easily able to access this same content for on-the-go watching. Online gaming has become huge in the past few years as well. People can play against each other in massive online role playing games such as World of Warcraft, and even console makers such as Microsoft and Sony have enabled their gaming consoles for online play. This brings the world together as a playing field and we are no longer constrained by our living room when it comes to finding new opponents. With the help of Google, people are now able to research topics in record time. With a few keystrokes, users are able to find information on any topic under the sun. Online search engines allow us to research the world’s libraries and other research facilities. We are also able to scour the web for information. This makes student homework much simpler and faster, and allows them to learn more information quicker. Data organization has also become a simpler task thanks to modern technology. Companies can store their entire repository of data onto a simple database server. They can query this server for any bit of information they need within a few seconds. Not only beneficial for companies, home users are able to store their personal documents and photos securely on their PC’s as well as in an off-site â€Å"cloud† and not have any fear of losing this information when a natural disaster occurs. Negative Impacts of Modern Technology While there are many positive impacts on today’s society, there are also many negatives that are introduces as well. Many would argue that there are jobs being lost because of this new technology. Automated and robotic systems have taken the place of humans in the work force. With retailers moving their sales operations online, they no longer need the support staff for their brick and motor stores. Many stores are not able to keep up with the low prices from the mega-retailers online, so they are forced to close down. With the influx of social media as our main communication medium, some think that we have lost the personal touch of spending time with our close friends and family in favor of sitting behind our computers online. People that are only using social media as their main form of communication could lose the ability to interact physically with one another. The many distractions of email notifications and incoming text messages have also become a detractor. People no longer consider it rude to stop in the middle of a conversation to respond to a text message that has just come in to their phone. This could lead to low levels of concentration. At the same time, malicious people have found easy ways to target those that are online. With the vast amount of spam email and harmful virus spreading around the world, more and more people are becoming susceptible to attack. Another negative impact is the illegal use of technology for gambling and other addicting habits. Online gambling sites attract millions of people per day and can completely consume those with weak will power, leading to distressed families and financial means. Underground websites also harbor criminalist activities as well. Pornography and child pornography are trafficked daily on the internet, and the sheer magnitude of the web makes it hard for authorities to track down and eliminate. There are even websites such as TheSilkRoad that sell illegal drugs in the same fashion as Amazon sells normal goods! In Summary Although we cannot stop the negative effects from this new technology, we shouldn’t fear it. Learning to recognize the potential positive impacts this new technology can bring to our lives while at the same time recognizing the potential threats we will be better able to adapt to them and take advantages and enrichments they bring to our daily lives.

Tucker

Tucker: the man and his dream Preston Tucker is a man persists in doing what he believes is right even thousands of barriers appear. The movie narrates the story of Preston Tucker who Invents and manufactures the "car of the future", " Tucker Torpedo". This car features rear engine, disc brake, windshield, seat belt and other unique parts that existing cars don't Include. Since the car Is Innovative, the demand Is beyond the imagination of current market. The more popular the car is, the severer the challenge Trucker has to face.The government starts to play role of interrupter. At the stage of design, the government of Detroit refuses to supply clay and steels which both of them are the main materials to manufacture cars. Even the Senator refuses to talk with Tucker and warns him if he continues, the government would cut off all resources. The board of director of Tucker Company also doubts his ability of manufacturing the car and allocation of money, so they tak e the whole control of the company and modify the design of the car while Tucker Is on a publicity campaign.The board of director believes that front engine Is more feasible and elimination of seat belt Is more persuasive for customers, since seat belts represent unsafe cars at that time. The price of the car Is also doubled due to the scarcity of steels. Tucker finally realizes the difficulties he is facing and decided to produce his own Tucker separately. The engine he used is transformed from the old engine of helicopter from a aircraft company. On the day of testing, the car is being drove for 24 hours non stop, and it could even function properly after a serious accident.While everyone is elaborating the success. Undercover agent has already reported to the Senator, Homer Ferguson. The Big Three feel threatened and envy the success of Tucker. In order to prevent Tucker, the Big Three make an alliance with the government, and the Senator discloses fake Information about Tucker's involvement of stock fraud to Yellow Journalism. Yellow Journalism starts to report that the car is manufactured by reforming the old parts and it has no qualification to sell. On the court, the Senator even falsified the account and accused Tucker spend the money for personal use. †¦ But If big business closes the door on the little guy with a new Idea, we're not only closing the door on progress, but we're sabotaging everything that we fought for Everything that the country stands for† And one day we're going to find ourselves at the bottom of the heap instead of king of the hill, having no idea of how we got there, buying our radios and our cars from our former enemies. † As Tucker points out on the court, the government abuses its power to put down the development of small business.As the founder of Tucker Company, Preston Tucker builds his own team to tart from sketching to finally putting dreams into reality. A leader should know how to allocate his subordina tes into the right positions. Tucker as a leader understands how to take charge In operations and involve people Into projects to achieve the goal that he expects. Tucker hires a young designer, Alex Trembles, to design and a financier, Abe Karate, to arrange financial support. However, he does not empower his subordinates, but rather to solve the question by himself.He always tries to find out potential solutions if any problems appear. For example, he finds engine from a advantage of his reputation to attract attentions of public while on the publicity campaign and also record the advertisement to promote his car. While he explains the concept of the car, he says, â€Å"tell me why, gentlemen, has the Big Three in Detroit been allowed to make billions of dollars without spending one dime on safety. What I know, what you know, what the public knows is that they don't give a damn about people. All they care about is profits. He knows clearly what his responsibility is as a ar manuf acturer which is to produce a car that could protect the safety of passengers not Just making profit. It is important for a leader to create positive attitude and motivates his colleagues to take action. While Abe Karate, his financier, knows Tucker is slandered by the Senator into stock fraud, Abe Karate asks to leave the company due to his conviction of stock fraud in the past. Tucker understands that Abe is worried that his past would bring negative effect on Tucker, so he tries to retain and comforts Abe. However, Tucker is not a leader without any weakness.There is one scene in the movie shows that a mechanic almost stuck his head under the car. Tucker does not concern the safety of the mechanic at first, but instead he gets angry about the process of assembling. Also, he is idealized the market without considering the risk and potential obstacles. When he is still at the designing stage of the car, he starts to promote it at the magazine without any successful production. Alth ough he proves himself by showing 51 Tucker Torpedoes in front of the court, Tucker still needs to value risk as an important factor while making decisions.All incidents that Preston Tucker experienced has reflected his characteristic of being a leader. He is also a decision maker, a problem solver and a practitioner. Tucker challenges authority and points out the weakness of existing car, for he values the safety of customers rather than making profit. Tucker has successfully involved his teammates by allocating them into right positions. As a leader, he is willing to take uncertain actions and turn his imagination into reality. It is a necessity for a leader to have positive attitude toward everything he believes in and motivate his fellows to take actions. Tucker Tucker: the man and his dream Preston Tucker is a man persists in doing what he believes is right even thousands of barriers appear. The movie narrates the story of Preston Tucker who Invents and manufactures the "car of the future", " Tucker Torpedo". This car features rear engine, disc brake, windshield, seat belt and other unique parts that existing cars don't Include. Since the car Is Innovative, the demand Is beyond the imagination of current market. The more popular the car is, the severer the challenge Trucker has to face.The government starts to play role of interrupter. At the stage of design, the government of Detroit refuses to supply clay and steels which both of them are the main materials to manufacture cars. Even the Senator refuses to talk with Tucker and warns him if he continues, the government would cut off all resources. The board of director of Tucker Company also doubts his ability of manufacturing the car and allocation of money, so they tak e the whole control of the company and modify the design of the car while Tucker Is on a publicity campaign.The board of director believes that front engine Is more feasible and elimination of seat belt Is more persuasive for customers, since seat belts represent unsafe cars at that time. The price of the car Is also doubled due to the scarcity of steels. Tucker finally realizes the difficulties he is facing and decided to produce his own Tucker separately. The engine he used is transformed from the old engine of helicopter from a aircraft company. On the day of testing, the car is being drove for 24 hours non stop, and it could even function properly after a serious accident.While everyone is elaborating the success. Undercover agent has already reported to the Senator, Homer Ferguson. The Big Three feel threatened and envy the success of Tucker. In order to prevent Tucker, the Big Three make an alliance with the government, and the Senator discloses fake Information about Tucker's involvement of stock fraud to Yellow Journalism. Yellow Journalism starts to report that the car is manufactured by reforming the old parts and it has no qualification to sell. On the court, the Senator even falsified the account and accused Tucker spend the money for personal use. †¦ But If big business closes the door on the little guy with a new Idea, we're not only closing the door on progress, but we're sabotaging everything that we fought for Everything that the country stands for† And one day we're going to find ourselves at the bottom of the heap instead of king of the hill, having no idea of how we got there, buying our radios and our cars from our former enemies. † As Tucker points out on the court, the government abuses its power to put down the development of small business.As the founder of Tucker Company, Preston Tucker builds his own team to tart from sketching to finally putting dreams into reality. A leader should know how to allocate his subordina tes into the right positions. Tucker as a leader understands how to take charge In operations and involve people Into projects to achieve the goal that he expects. Tucker hires a young designer, Alex Trembles, to design and a financier, Abe Karate, to arrange financial support. However, he does not empower his subordinates, but rather to solve the question by himself.He always tries to find out potential solutions if any problems appear. For example, he finds engine from a advantage of his reputation to attract attentions of public while on the publicity campaign and also record the advertisement to promote his car. While he explains the concept of the car, he says, â€Å"tell me why, gentlemen, has the Big Three in Detroit been allowed to make billions of dollars without spending one dime on safety. What I know, what you know, what the public knows is that they don't give a damn about people. All they care about is profits. He knows clearly what his responsibility is as a ar manuf acturer which is to produce a car that could protect the safety of passengers not Just making profit. It is important for a leader to create positive attitude and motivates his colleagues to take action. While Abe Karate, his financier, knows Tucker is slandered by the Senator into stock fraud, Abe Karate asks to leave the company due to his conviction of stock fraud in the past. Tucker understands that Abe is worried that his past would bring negative effect on Tucker, so he tries to retain and comforts Abe. However, Tucker is not a leader without any weakness.There is one scene in the movie shows that a mechanic almost stuck his head under the car. Tucker does not concern the safety of the mechanic at first, but instead he gets angry about the process of assembling. Also, he is idealized the market without considering the risk and potential obstacles. When he is still at the designing stage of the car, he starts to promote it at the magazine without any successful production. Alth ough he proves himself by showing 51 Tucker Torpedoes in front of the court, Tucker still needs to value risk as an important factor while making decisions.All incidents that Preston Tucker experienced has reflected his characteristic of being a leader. He is also a decision maker, a problem solver and a practitioner. Tucker challenges authority and points out the weakness of existing car, for he values the safety of customers rather than making profit. Tucker has successfully involved his teammates by allocating them into right positions. As a leader, he is willing to take uncertain actions and turn his imagination into reality. It is a necessity for a leader to have positive attitude toward everything he believes in and motivate his fellows to take actions.

The communcation gap between man and women Essay

The communcation gap between man and women - Essay Example In order to overcome difficulties in communication, it is necessary to take into account a lot of factors, starting from basic gender differences and social roles of men and women. Both differences in verbal and non-verbal communication should be taken into account in order to bridge communication gap between men and women. There are three decisive points that determine communication gap between opposite sexes: the way of thinking, speaking and decision making are different. The process of thinking among men is divided into sections. They consider everything properly, step by step focusing on one detail after another. Women think globally, they consider the whole things in general; they have no sections in their thinking. Men’s way of thinking can be compared with files stored on the computer: thoughts and ideas about different events are stored separately. Men don’t mix up such sections as Work, Personal relations, Hobbies etc. Thus, when a wife asks his husband to buy something on his way from work to home and he buys nothing, it means that he was concerned about his section Work. Women in their thinking combine different thoughts from different periods of their lives; they look at events in their life globally. Women try to draw parallels between different events. On this basis a lot of arguments may occur between spouses: a wife can compare her husband’s behavior with the one shown by him months ago and he may get irritated. The things different to him are equal to her. Thus sectional and global ways of thinking are two different and unique ways of thinking. Another difference occurs in the way of speaking between men and women. Men speak about facts with no details or descriptions; they speak in short phrases. Women speak in paragraphs and more concerned about details, descriptions than about facts. Women enjoy telling a story; men enjoy when they talk about facts. Therefore if you want to reach

Embezzlement in the Workplace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Embezzlement in the Workplace - Assignment Example The accounting method that the manager used was a complex deception web where he set up fake companies, made fake invoices, and delivered fake expense reports for payments supposedly made to certain companies on Quest’s behalf. This resulted in the impact on the company’s balance sheets as erroneous calculations had been made due to the fraud. This fraud led to several accounts being impacted that include account receivable as well as sales revenues. The main reason behind this impact is the fact that the erroneous calculations affected both the calculations that had been made during the fraud and that requires being re-calculated. This affected the company’s balance sheet. The other fraud case in the recent times involves Block Communications Inc. that was deceived by a thief who was hired by the company as a thief prevention specialist. The accounting method used in this fraud was computer exploits (Bilski, 2009). In this instance, instead of the ‘specialist’ protecting the interest of the entire company he wrote himself checks and then destroyed the cancelled checks, which were returned to the company. The culprit made false entries to the company’s books affecting accounts such as account receivable and sales revenues. This is mostly because the company incurred losses emanating from the fraudulent sales. This cost the company funds amounting to $1.1 million. In addition, the culprit also made false entries in the organization’s books in order to cover the tracks. This fraud affected the company’s cash flow statement. Another case of fraud incorporated missing company assets. In this particular case, a former employee in the Directory Plus company stashed away at least 100,000 directories belonging to the company assets over a period of approximately four years. The directories were hidden in there different storage units that were found to be under her name. The employee also stashed away several phone books so as to cover the tracks of the fraud activity. This amounted to over $500,000 (Bilski, 2009).  

Passive cooling and ventillation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Passive cooling and ventillation - Research Paper Example Structural designs that involved window designs, wall thickness and shading, roofing styles, low heat conductance material, external microclimate control, water bodies and structure stance characterized the era. The contemporary building designs should consider the historical strategies in order to utilize unharnessed resources and reduce energy consumption that leads to resource depletion (Santamouris and Kolokotsa 5). Heat is transferred through three ways, conduction, radiation as well as convention. The three form the basis for heat control ideologies. The construction engineers require having insight on the site’s climate and whether patterns to successfully employ the passive cooling techniques. Most important information they need include the sun’s positions throughout the year and direction of winds (Youtube 1). The wall and windows transfer heat across from the external environment to the internal environment through conduction. The choice of materials to compr ise the wall and windows determine the efficiency of the building in blocking out undesired heat. Use of a high R-value material for walls ensures minimal heat transfer thus maintaining the inner environment cool. A low U-value material for windows acts in a similar way. ... Another strategy is planting of vegetation on the roof. The plants absorb most of the heat and loose it through evapo-transpiration thus the building remains relatively cool. Alternatively, making the roof dome-shaped reduces the surface area for radiation. At least one side of the dome will be shaded at any time. Therefore, while the other side radiates heat into the doomed space beneath the roof the shaded side will be re-radiating the heat out to the atmosphere. The walls directly illuminated by sun radiate heat into the building too. The design should be such that sunshades cover greater surface of the wall to reduce radiation surface. Deep engravings on the wall increase shaded surface area thus reducing radiation area as well (Asif 11) Windows offer another media for heat radiation in and out of the building. Depending on the direction the wall faces, window-to-wall surface ratio optimization helps regulate heat transfer. The windows should comprise of material that allows in o nly visible light while reflecting back ultraviolet and infrared rays. Depending on the time of day and season, window shutters reduce the internal temperatures by hindering radiation (Asif 11). Heat transfer into or out of the building may be resultant of air mass movement. Gaps or openings on the walls and windows allow heat to seep into the building increasing the internal temperature. Gaps on walls should be located on sides that face away from the sun depending on geographical location. Sealing the openings between windows and walls appropriately reduces seepage of hot air into the building. However, the openings may act as a means of cooling the internal spaces

Writer's choice Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Writer's choice - Coursework Example Then the next minute he says that Biff is not lazy, and this may be taken to mean that he still has hopes that his son would become rich and be successful (Hurrel, 1961). Another moment of confusion is when he calls the family car that he just finished paying for a piece of junk then later defines it as the best car that has ever been built. Clearly, he does not have a clear view of reality and what he wishes is very different from what is on the ground. He represents everyman in the sense that he wants success as other people have done before him. His view of success is distorted and has very high expectations for his sons. His sons have failed to meet his expectation making him a disillusioned man. Biff and Happy have very different characters and opinions of their father. Biff is disappointed in his fathers action. He appeared to be angry with him and disappointed in him. He once found out that his father was cheating on his mother and wanted to confront him. He feels that his father has very unrealistic expectations of him leading him to tell him that he is just an ordinary man living an ordinary life (Hurrel, 1961). He is very angry at his father for constantly talking about his disappointment in him while at the same time tries to please him. He feels that he has failed in getting the success that his father had instilled in him when he was young. ‘I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been.’ Biff, act II. He had hoped that he would pass his education and head off to college. However, this did not come to pass as he failed and ended up dong manual farm work that his father is very ashamed about. Happy has a stable job unlike Biff and his attitude towards his father and the entire family is to try to maintain happiness in all of them even if it means lying to them. He first tries to convince Biff to lie that he had gotten a business deal to their father. He treats his father better in that

Plan of action - Maria Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Plan of action - Maria - Term Paper Example The scenario under consideration with Maria has caused a great deal of worry for the company because the point that is being raised by her is not essentially true. One shall believe that this is simply not the case here. This can be proven by the explanations given by the company because it believes very staunchly at how things could be corrected within Maria’s folds and what weaknesses have already been existent of late. Since she believes that she is being hard done by because of her Latin ancestry and that she is from a totally different race altogether, she has made up her mind in a very negative way. She must understand that this is simply not the case and the company asks of her to bring out something totally distinctive and diverse (Gregory 2003). The basic element of shortcoming within her professional undertaking is when she communicates with people, and this is quite visibly something to ponder deep into. Since she cannot communicate with people around her and her ac cent is not deciphered by people easily, she is being seen as someone who is hard to come by within the relevant scheme of things. This is indeed a very genuine reasoning that the company can give in its own defense, as the perception created by Maria is not acceptable at all.Maria has misunderstood things here. She has put the blame upon the company on a totally different tangent altogether. There is no reason why she should be blaming the company for her poor communication skills and traits that she has been displaying over a period of time. She believes that she is being maltreated as there is a bias within the company but this is not something that has been pondered upon deeply by the people who are sitting within the helm of affairs in the company. Maria must know that any company within the business world exists to satisfy not only the customers but its internal publics as well, which comprise of its own employees who are the most prized possessions that these companies can ev er have. When Maria says that the company is treating her in a shabby way, it is the bias which is reflected in her understanding and not the way in which work gets done within the domains of the organization in the long run (Kim 2002). What the company has to do in such a setting is to make Maria realize that she is in the wrong, and that she shall have to be treated fairly no matter what happens. However at the present, Maria has become disgruntled because she believes that she is being hard done by due to her color and Latin ancestry. The scenario could be avoided if the company took a more proactive approach and told Maria where she was lacking before announcing the promotions for the employees. This could have made the entire effort look genuine and there would not have been any resentment whatsoever. One shall see that Maria has had quite a number of problems in her capacity as an employee working for this company. She has been known to have a very difficult to understand acce nt where people ask her time and again as to what she really means. Apart from this, she is known to be one person who is quite often late and had tardiness issues. She also seems a bit loud and is aggressive on most of the occasions. This has made the task of Maria even more difficult because she does not believe that she is doing anything wrong. However, on the part of the company, there has been a mistake that they did not tell Maria beforehand where she was going wrong, and what she needed to do to set things right within her related domains. Due to her acrimonious activities within the company, she has not been considered for promotion which is indeed reflective of the company policy when it comes to promoting people every now and then. However this is

Globlization 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Globlization 2 - Assignment Example In the case of a global curriculum, the financing and cooperation of the countries and other stakeholders, to develop curriculum in the education sector. The curriculum development of the people will be achieved through stakeholder involvement and the development of the necessary skills of the company. The curriculum development in a global perspective still faces challenges in the process Table of Contents Executive summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Stakeholders in global curriculum development 4 Trend in education development 5 Issue of research 7 Reference 9 Introduction Globalization and curriculum development have been the main focus of the curriculum developers. Globalization is viewed to positively affect curriculum development and facilitate the development of the reliability of education in industrial workforce requirement. Abrams & Kreiner (2003) describe Industrial analysis as a market evaluation tool intended to provide a company with an idea of how complex a s pecific industry is. In case of higher institutions of learning in the UK, it involves reviewing the economic, political and market factors that influence the way the industry develops. There have been different techniques developed to evaluate complexity levels in different industries. Some of the techniques used are strategic group mapping and the Michael Porter’s five forces framework. Strategic group mapping according to Porter (1998) is an analytical tool that is used in business to display competition and then illustrate how industry changes could affect the particular business. On the other hand, Michael Porter’s Five Forces Framework is an outline that can be used to analyze any industry and establish the intensity of the competition in the particular industry resulting to a vivid picture of the state of the particular industry (Burgers 2008). The development of an inclusive curriculum is dependent on the contribution of stakeholders. The major stakeholders in curriculum development are the states or governments with the participation of the local communities. Curriculum development and globalization are tied because of the changing global labor requirement. Stakeholders in global curriculum development The major challenge in global curriculum development is on the different types of curriculum employed by the countries both in the western nations and Africa. The developing nations do not have a major problem because the majority of the curriculum is developed from the western education systems. Despite the differences in the curriculum, the major stakeholders are the governments or states who develop the guidelines for the curriculum. For a global curriculum to be developed, several issues must be addressed, which includes the needs of the society and the global population. An effective curriculum must factor in the global needs of the society and must be relevant to the labor and industrial needs. The main issue is the creation of inter national guidelines. Current settings in the international guidelines illustrate the difference in the curriculum development and the needs of the various countries in terms of work force. The development of a global curriculum may not be possible in all the educational programs and subjects but mathematics can be a major breakthrough because of the standard operatives involved in the subject. The main stakeholders in c

Legal Diligence Checklist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Diligence Checklist - Essay Example Has Joe’s company made adequate provision for removal of debris and other objects from lawns before starting work? The answer to that is yes. This is important because it will demonstrate from a legal point of view that Joe’s company has exercised due diligence in ensuring that the workers are acquainted with safety procedures and know to operate in a safe manner. Therefore, it will negate any charges of reckless endangerment caused by the employer and allegations of disregard for employee safety or non compliance with Government regulations on worker safety and training. In addition to training, Joe’s Company also has provision for appropriate protective gear for the workers in order to ensure their safety at the workplace. 4. Does the employer have an accident investigating and reporting system in place? This ensures that a written record is maintained of all the potentially dangerous accidents that have endangered workers[www.ccohs.ca, n.d.] The answer to that question is a no. This could prove to be a legal liability in the event of a lawsuit for reckless endangerment. 5. Have any arrangements been made by the employer to monitor the workplace? This is important, so that legal allegations made later can be redressed through hard evidence from film. The answer to that is yes, since he has installed motion lights and cameras to monitor workplace activity. 6. Does Joe’s Company have any written documentation of action that was taken against employees violating safety procedures and rules? This is important from a legal standpoint, because it helps to protect against legal liability for worker injury. If a worker has erred and been corrected but repeats the risky action, the employer will not be liable. But the answer to this question is

Difference between the mission and vision statement.strategic Essay

Difference between the mission and vision statement.strategic management - Essay Example The main difference between the mission and vision statement is that the mission statement provides a guidelines of what the company seeks to achieve in the present as an organization while the vision statement illustrates the goals of the firm for the future. A company I once work for had the most deceptive and fraudulent mission statement I had ever seen. The company claimed that one of its values was taking care of the employees in order to improve their quality of life and of their families. The reason that the company lied in this statement was because this company was very abusive towards its employees. The firm would steal hours from the workers payroll by paying them fewer hours than they worked, they would pay the workers two to three weeks late every pay cycle, and the firm did not honor a bonus system that offered to the employees when they started to work for the firm. The actions of the managers, administrative team, and owners of the company were opposite of what the mi ssion statement claimed. DQ2 I went to the corporate website of the global coffeehouse company Starbucks Cafe. The company has a corporate responsibility program in place that affected various aspects of their operations. One of the most intriguing aspects of the firm’s CSR plan was the sourcing of materials initiatives. The company in order to help our poor communities across the world only purchases fair trade coffee. Fair trade coffee is a system that guarantees poor farmers across the world a minimum price for coffee of $1.26 per pound which is twice the going rate for wholesale coffee across the world. Another aspect of the firm social responsibility commitment which I liked was their emphasis on hiring a diverse workforce. The firm also had good initiatives in place to protect the environment such as a recycling program. One aspect of their social responsibility initiatives that I did not like was the fact that the company does not have a mechanism in place to collect m oney for philanthropy causes. Considering the high profit margins the company enjoys the firm could easily donate 1% of their revenues or more to help fight hunger in places such as Africa, India, and South America. DQ3 The four major components of the strategic management process are environmental scanning, strategy formation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation. Environmental scanning is important because it allows the manager the opportunity to collect sufficient information in order to determine the relation between the company, the market, and its potential alternative solutions. I believe that the second step (strategy formation) is the most important step or component in the strategic management process. If a manager chooses the wrong strategy the subsequent steps won’t matter because the failure of the strategic initiative is inevitable. Take for example a company that decides after two years in business that the best strategic formation is too expand the company. The firm invests all the money it has on expanding without proper environmental scanning and without analyzing the financial consequences of the decision. Due to the bad plan the company realizes that now they are producing more goods than what the market seeks. Suddenly a firm that was doing well goes into financial troubles due to a bad strategic formation. 4. I agree with you that the mission statements of companies have a more detail description than the vision statement of a company. Based on the research that I made on the subject the reason that this occurs is because of the timeline perspective. The mission statement attempts to provide the people who read it an overview of the business as it is in the short term. People want to know what the company is all about and is seeking to do and realize. The visions statement is different because the vision statement provides an overview of what the company is seeking to achieve in the future. 5. I agree with a lot of the points you mentioned in your response. I believe that a people’

TWO businesses are organised. Essay Example for Free

TWO businesses are organised. Essay StructureOrganisational Charts The organisational chart is a diagram that would outlines the internal structure of the organisation you are showcasing and this is the most common visual way of showing how an organisation is structured and in this it would show the roles, responsibilities and the relationships between the people in the organisation and by using this chart you will be able to see the structure of the business as whole and you can see it from the departments in the chart. Tesco Organisation Charts Tesco’s Administration Department The administration department of Tesco would have to support the business by helping the functions of the business in human resources, finance; IT support and they would have to make sure the business runs smoothly. How this links with Tesco would be that if the HR department needs help with customers or employees, also they would help with the finance of the business which would include making sure they can get the supplies they need with the money they have. Overall the department is there to make sure the business runs good and if the departments in Tesco need any help the administration departments role is to provide support to these departments. Tesco’s IT Department The IT department would be in charge of all of the computer systems in the business or they will have to set up the systems in the businesses/repair anything in the business that would need repairing and they will have to maintain it to make sure that it runs properly because in most business technology in the 21st century is very important to businesses and if they want to be successful businesses. And the way Tesco would use this in many ways which could be barcode readers, automated checkout tills with a touch screen and they would have a computerised database to store the information for customers and Tesco also have an online website they must manage and allows for customers to shop online which is a very important feature for Tesco. Finance Department The finance department of Tesco would be the in charge of the money that goes in and out of the business and this would be done in many ways and what they would do is provide information about the progress of the business financially and this would be the weekly/monthly financial results, they are also in charge of the operating budgets in the business Marketing Department For Tesco what the marketing department of Tesco would do is make all the costs of the for the products they are selling, prepare the advertisement for their company, they would also have to make sure they see customer trends so that Tesco would be able to see what the customers of Tesco are purchasing the most in the store and maybe get more stock, change the price and the marketing department is also in charge of the promotions in the business which is why they would have to see what customers buy and by looking into the customers they would decide what products would

Fair Trade Coffee Starbucks Marketing Essay

Fair Trade Coffee Starbucks Marketing Essay Fair trade is a structured social movement that applies marketing approach whose goals and objectives is to help producers and farmers in developing countries get better trading deals for their produce and thus produce sustainably. The social movement campaigns for better pay, higher prices, better social and environment standards to the farmers in developing countries (Valkila Nygren, 2010, p. 321; Weber, 2007, p. 112). The main target is mainly on exports that are delivered to developed countries from developing countries where minerals, farm produce are targeted. Farm produce such as; cotton, fresh fruit, cocoa, coffee, chocolate, sugar, wine, honey, bananas, tea, and flowers where producers benefit from free trade movements (Davis, 2008, p. 22). Fair trade ensures responsible coffee production and trading in terms of product quality, economic accountability, social responsibility, and environmental leadership. Fair Trade Certified coffee has ensured that small scale farmers remain empowered while they are organized in cooperatives to invest in and develop their farms and society, look after the environment and equip themselves with business proficiency that will help them compete in a global setting (Valkila, Nygren, 2010, p. 324; Davis, 2008, p. 23). Thesis Statement In view of the fact that Starbucks were seen as exploitative due to their unfair handling of small scale producers of coffee in third world countries e.g. Ethiopia; this paper tackles fair trade movement and mainly focuses on fair trade coffee practices with respect to Starbucks Company. Fair trade Governance systems related to global production and trade have come under intense criticism from broad coalition of social movements which have been branded as distorted and lack justice (McDonald, 2007, p. 794; Fridell, 2009, p. 87). The social movements have tried to mobilize societies to end exploitation by firms that buy the products from farmers and campaigned for poverty eradication procedures and social justice. The coffee industry has been most hit where farmer and workers in the farms continue to survive and work in terribly poor conditions and adverse poverty levels. The social movements through Fair Trade Systems have enabled the stakeholders especially the companies that trade in coffee to be accountable to the society that produces the coffee. As cited in FINE 2001 by Weber, 2007 p.109 Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers- especially in the South. This means that any company willing to trade globally must act responsibly and ensure sustainable development in the developing countries and see to it that the lives and conditions of living of the marginalized in the trading society are improved. An example of coffee injustice is the Nicaraguan case where coffee is a major export accounting of 30% of the total export in income; on the other hand poverty levels among the workers and farmers remain very high (Valkila, Nygren, 2010, p. 324; Weber, 2007, p. 110). The farmers are faced with low, undeserved, unstable prices coupled with inadequate infrastructure, rampant insecurity, poor housing, and sanitation, poor health services access, poor social structure, and poor educational provisions (Weber, 2007, p. 110; McDonald, 2007, p. 793; Reed, 2002, p.226). Even those workers on large scale farms complain mainly on harassment and poor pay from their employers. In the developed countries where the coffee is traded the persons enjoy huge profits from the coffee that has been bought at low prices in developing countries. Minimizing this disparity is the role of Fair Trade systems. They tend to instill discipline and justice in the global coffee market especially for small scale farmers that are in democratic cooperatives. The bargain for fair price for the producer and better living conditions and other social benefits are pushed for by the free trade organizations. Free Trade coffee is certified by the Fair-trade Labeling Organizations international (FLO). Weber, 2007, p. 112 in his article Fair Trade Coffee Enthusiasts Should Confront Reality indicates that free trade organizations linked to coffee have fairly achieved improved living standards for farmers but the system remain unsuccessful in delinking promotional material and the real situation on the ground, excessive supply and marginalization of the producers and groups that are economically disadvantaged. Starbucks and CAFÉ The success of Starbucks which is a global coffeehouse chain with its headquarters in Seattle Washington can be linked to the trade of coffee from developing countries. With over 12440 stores in 37 countries and 145,000 baristas (employees) the company boasts of $7.8 billion net revenue and a yearly profit of $564 million in 2006 (Davis, 2008, p. 21; Valkila, Nygren, 2010, p. 325). It has remained at sustainable growth and can boast of serving 40 million customers globally. Since its inception in 1971 it has expanded year in year out with many joints being set up to serve high quality coffee (Davis, 2008, p. 21; Fridell, 2009, p. 86; Starbucks, 2004 para.3). Its success can be traced with the collapse of the International Coffee Agreement in 1989 where prices started declining and Starbucks maximized on the low prices with its growth at 5% annually since 1991 (Anonymous, 2003, p.22; Davis, 2008, p. 23; Fridell, 2009, p. 87).Despite this tremendous growth of the company workers in the company and farmers in the producing countries continued their outcry of poor prices and poor living conditions (McDonald, 2007, p. 794; Fridell, 2009, p. 88). The middlemen have also participated in fleecing the farmers who buy the coffee at reduced prices and resell at higher prices. Starbucks on its part never did anything at the time. Public outcry from the farmers in producing countries and workers was not enough to reverse the situation at the time. The establishment of the Coffee and Farmer Equity (CAFE) standards also seemed to be unfavorable to farmers in that only an approximate 30% met the Starbucks standards of the CAFÉ guidelines (Starbucks, 2004 para.4; Reed, 2002, p.224). This meant that the benefits trickled down to other sources other than those producing the coffee. In addition the standards were vague to implement and just acted as a blinding of the farmers. The CAFÉ has sets of product quality, economic accountability, social responsibility, and environmental leadership for farmers to qualify. For the product quality they must meet the green preparation and cup quality (Starbucks, 2004 para.6; Fridell, 2009, p. 89). For economic accountability they must demonstrate financial transparency, equity of financial rewards, and be financially viable. Social responsibility is graded in wages and benefits, freedom of association, working hours, child labor discrimination and forced labor avoidance, access to housing, education, health services, and work safe practices. The environmental guidelines include; protecting water and soil resources, biodiversity conservation, managing the environment and monitoring, waste management, effective energy use, and water conservation (Starbucks, 2004 para.7; McDonald, 2007, p. 795). Other companies such as; Nestle, Procter Gamble, Kraft, and Sarah Lee also contributed to the misery of farmers by buying coffee way below the production costs (Davis, 2008, p. 21; Reed, 2002, p.221). Farmers remained exploited without fair trade that will ensure the fair treatment from the companies dealing with coffee and other farm produce. Fair trade has given hopes to farmers and producers and societies in the producing regions of mutual benefits for their efforts to produce any cash crop (Reed, 2002, p.224; Fridell, 2009, p. 85). Starbucks and the CSR strategy According to Fridell, 2009 p. 87 in the article The Co-Operative and the Corporation: Competing Visions of the Future of Fair Trade major coffee companies have over the past few years started dealing in fair trade coffee that is integrated with their programs of Cooperate Social Responsibilities (CSR). The standards given by the FLO to the south have also not been applied in the north and regulations such as (a guaranteed price and social premiums, advanced partial payments, licensing fees and long-term commitments have been at times evaded in the north. Fair trade is mission driven while CSR is money driven; this explains the need for fair trade since it will help achieve society needs while still aiming at better trading terms. While CSR represents a shareholders move toward ethical business fair trade yearns for a stakeholders approach that benefits all stakeholders. CSR are seen as personal driven objectives that pursue business goals which is referred to as self regulatory while free trade aims at a integrated approach that is highly domineering to improve the well being of the stakeholders. During the start of the millennium only 1-2% of Starbucks coffee was from free trade, the company adjusted to a passive way of supporting free trade then but has currently changed. Starbucks has become successful in the coffee industry buying 1% of the worlds green beans and approximate 10% specialty green market coffee beans. Its acceptance to free trade was necessitated by immense pressure by the US/ Guatemalan Labor Education Project (US/LEAP) for the companies to put into operation a code of conduct for the Southern coffee producers (Fridell, 2009, p. 81; Valkila, Nygren, 2010, p. 326). The company was still passive to accent to the agreement but after a sequence of protest globally they agreed. This commitment would not be compared to its huge sales that it was enjoying at this time and thus selling FLO certified products would ensure the benefits went back to peasant farmers. But Starbucks was reluctant to such moves and as Fridell, 2009, p. 82 quotes When it comes to support for fair trade, Starbucks commitment is limited to the minimum needed to keep public criticism at bay. Starbucks management saw more importance in concentrating on its CSR rather than engaging in free trade; but the CSR was mainly done to improve its brand image as an alternative of benefiting society (McDonald, 2007, p. 797; Davis, 2008, p. 27). They have developed an atmosphere of a trendy cafà © where customers can hang around and read thus portraying a local community. This atmosphere has necessitated concentration to interior design, customer service, and public relations that make the customers feel at home at the expense of producers, workers and farmers (Fridell, 2009, p. 82; Valkila, Nygren, 2010, p. 327). The most awful bit is that this image has been widely accepted world over. Further it has invested in CSR that tend to neutralize negative publicity from neo-liberal reforms. The CSR build in on the self regulatory approaches that are effective in sustaining the brand image prominence in the market and building of the shareholders and stakeholders trust. The company aims to employ cheap labor such as prisoners who require low wages and fewer benefits and are dispensable at any time with minimal consequences while they hide in CSR (Fridell, 2009, p. 84; McDonald, 2007, p. 797). Comparing the wages of the Starbucks employees, services workers are paid very minimal wages while the management is among the highly paid in North America. Starbucks has the lowest employee turnover rate in the fast food industry which is a strategy embedded in the CSR and the brand image (Fridell, 2009, p. 85). Despite better benefits such as; basic medical, dental, and vision coverage, short-term counseling and basic mental health and dependency treatment than other service industries Starbuck employees are remunerated with low wages thus many opt out in less than one year. Other benefits the employees enjoy include a free pound of coffee per week free beverages while working, and financial assistance that is based on payroll deductions for emergencies which are all gimmicks of boosting a corporate image that ensure profitability at the expense of the workers. The 2000 case between Canadian Auto Workers, Local 3000 (CAW 3000) and Starbucks bring into the spotlight the commitment of the company to its employees since CAW 3000 tried to negotiated for a third phase of increased wages for workers while Starbucks still maintains it is an anti-union employer; the commitment to fair trade proves otherwise in view of the above fact (Davis, 2008, p. 25). Starbucks in 2002 imported 1.8 million pounds shade grown coffee that was certified by Conservation International (CI); 1.7 million pounds certified coffee and 1.1 million pounds of fair trade coffee this was a very small proportion i.e. 1 to 2% of fair trade (Fridell, 2009, p. 87; Davis, 2008, p. 24). Working with CI is a major cover up to fair trade since CI is mainly involved in conservation of trees in areas where they are extinct but they have no clear social role. Also CI cannot be ethically cleared since it works with other major environment destroyers globally such as; McDonalds, Chiquita, Mobil Foundation and Exxon; therefore it can be not be trusted as a corporate identity of fair trade (Davis, 2008, p. 27). It is clear that Starbucks have relied on the CSR for a successful implementation of its profits strategies. This method may however be risky for the sustained growth of the business (Fridell, 2009, p. 91; Davis, 2008, p. 28). Disadvantages and advantages Despite fair trade call there are issues that revolve around it that must be ironed out. Firstly include identifying the culprits of the process. Fair trade organizations may be blaming organizations who only work on profits as exploiting the society but the companies may be profiting through legal means. They may then blame corporations of breaking free trade agreements while they have used stretched resources to survive (Topik, 2010, p. 146; Fridell, 2009, p. 89). The participation of successful firms in transforming society may work but major issues such as a large gap divide may shift the advantage to the producer, therefore the producers expect more from firms which is unfair. Also a major concern on what signifies a living wage is a problem as firms make sales to improve the living income of the producers; in this case fair trade cannot guarantee anything to farmers (Weber, 2007, p. 109; Davis, 2008, p. 27). Fair trade is pegged on cooperatives of producers and thus the individual producer may be left out; the cooperatives mediate the prices and thus the producers only get what is quoted by the contracts. The prices quoted must meet or surpass fair trade limits with a deduction of the expenses incurred by the organization. The organization eliminates intermediaries and thus costs of sorting, processing and exporting may surpass the expected prices before payments to farmers. These costs may be so high to make fair trade markets be unreasonable (Weber, 2007, p. 111; Fridell, 2009, p. 88). Hired laborers are also believed to receive minimal wages somehow, since the fair trade agreements dont apply to those hired. The fair trade has also adequacies of trying to control the markets by establishing minimum prices; this however doesnt work since most fair trade certified produces trade only a fraction of their produce. This translates that farmers are never induced to grow more coffee in a bid to earn more from the dominant prices. This creates an imbalance between supply and demand and as Weber, 2007, p. 112 reports it has go on for more than 10 years. This was so grave that in 2002 FLO had to temporarily close out new members. Excess certified coffee in the market does not lead to dumping but rather increases barriers to entry and consequently increased producer competition for the limited contracts. And this can lead to exclusion of marginalized farmers that are purportedly supported by fair trade (Weber, 2007, p. 112; Davis, 2008, p. 26). With increased quality standards in the market FLO resulted to charging more to producer organizations this increases expenses and creates barriers to the market; this locks out young organizations that have no funds. Also they need extra funds to pay for inspections and other expenses thus the fair trade objective is not achieved since marginalized farmers are locked out (Weber, 2007, p. 113; Davis, 2008, p. 27). The main aims and objectives of fair trade are to bring change to the lives of the producers and workers that suffer in the farms, but the bad implementation has made the farmers be left out of the benefits (Fridell, 2009, p. 89). With good implementation fair trade can be expressed in its benefits to the society where there will be no exploitation of the farmers. There will be better living conditions, improved well being, and better working conditions for the workers (Valkila, Nygren, 2010, p. 326; Weber, 2007, p. 114). The benefits that come with fair trade are yet to bear fruit especially when markets are not regulated properly and farmers become marginalized. Conclusion Starbucks being the leading coffee server in the world has a mandate to transform the lives of peasant farmers who live from hand to mouth by sharing the huge profits they make annually. They can contribute to the welfare of the producers and workers through providing better prices, adequate infrastructure, security, better housing and sanitation, better health services access and better educational provisions in the producing areas to ensure sustained growth. In conclusion Fair trade certified coffee has brought about reforms to the society in certain areas but in other areas it still remains an elusive dream due to the management of the organizations that govern coffee. Standards of transparency and accountability should be established at all levels so that the coffee produced by farmers can contribute to their social well being rather than making huge profits in developing countries leaving the producers fleeced.

Deregulation Of Downstream Oil And Gas

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

Physical Therapy and Kinesiology Essay -- relieve, stress, allergies, a

Physical therapy and kinesiology work in a close relationship to each other. Essentially one may think they are one in the same, however there are small differences between the two that provide different results when applied singularly. As a combined effort physical therapy and kinesiology work to heal the muscles and joints of the body, recreating movements perfectly as they were before injury or in some cases as closely as one can get to a perfect function. First one must understand where the lone is drawn between the two fields and how they balance each other to create desirable results in a patient. Kinesiology is a complimentary therapy used to identify and correct internal issues to relieve stress, allergies, and pain. Being described as a complimentary therapy, kinesiology is not meant to be a cure-all for the patient, but a secondary method of increasing positive results of the original therapy; this method however can be used as a primary or secondary form of therapy depending on the results for the patient and satisfaction with said results. During treatment the doctor tests 14 different areas of muscles balance, these major muscles and how they react are believed to uncover problems that need correction which cannot be found with any other testing (Rude Health). During testing, most patients are found to need correction in all 14 balance tests, depending on the ailment the patient complains of and how well they react to the muscle correction will tell whether or not further treatment is needed. The physical aspect of the therapy, despite the name and basic principles, is not the only aspect required for optimal results. One must also report lifestyle and diet changes ranging from daily stress levels to pat... ... begin without the other, though the end result is far from the same ideal. Physical therapy can work with kinesiology in a way to take it into the light it belongs, and further the study from a more scientific approach. From that step forward, with more scientific study, the therapy may eventually hold its own and the results speak for themselves in the same way physical therapy has proven to be beneficial. References Mayo School of Health Sciences. (n.d.). Physical Therapy. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://www.mayo.edu/mshs/careers/physical-therapy Rude Health : Kinesiology. (n.d.). Proquest. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com.ezp-02.lirn.net/docview/759739277/8E660E12CC7646E0PQ/4?accountid=107221 What is Physical Therapy?. (n.d.). Medical News Today. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160645.php