Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Accountability in Public Administration

Accountability in Public Administration Introduction Public accountability is one of the noble concepts immensely supported by scholars in the discipline of public administration. In the political discourses coupled with policy documents, the term finds an imperative usage since it portrays an image of trustworthiness and transparency (Forrer, et al., 2010).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Accountability in Public Administration specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These two aspects are crucial since citizens who are also the clients of a state become satisfied that a system of administration is able to meet their anticipations in the public sector without exposing their resources to risks of fraud. In this extent, accountability emerges as one of the key values in the public administration. The aim of this study is to discuss the issues involved in making public organizations accountable. A consideration is also given to discuss the people whom public offici als are accountable to, and the most effective means of ensuring a balance between the demands for accountability and the need to have high-performing organizations. Issues involved in making Public Organizations Accountable Accountability involves making organizations transparent and responsible in their dealing in the effort to enhance their trustworthiness. For them to realize the goal, they need to address a number of issues concerning accountability. One of such issues is the development of the capacity to deal with emerging matters that may impede their efforts to attain their dream of being accountable. For instance, the advent of globalization presents many challenges to corporations and institutions of public administration seeking that to be accountable in many nations. Kearns (2003) supports the argument by further adding, â€Å"Globalization plays the role of shaping the current trends in the global economic markets and the increasing interactions among nations and peop le from different parts of the world† (p.76). Emergence of new interactions driven by the dawn of globalization introduces challenges to institutions of public administration in that they handle emerging new roles and expand their functionality sphere. The more expansive an institution or any system requiring checks is, the harder it becomes to handle all the individual facets of an organization, which may provide loopholes for acts of fraud. Emerging new issues such as those prompted by globalization also present challenges to accountability efforts of an organization due to â€Å"the need to understand the dynamics of global value chains, creating trade facilitation structures, developing partnerships, and the establishment of value chains and networks† (Kearns, 2003, p.81).Advertising Looking for report on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Existence of such new challenges means th at public administration officials have to constantly change their tactics for enhancing accountability since traditional approaches or styles for public administration cease to be effective in handling all the contemporary situations that may prove to be a challenge to the efforts of becoming accountable. From the above discussion, it is essential that an organization that seeks to be accountable in a globalized market to consider looking for new approaches of enhancing transparency as opposed to the traditional approaches for enhancing intelligibility in the public administration. In fact, this factor is yet another crucial issue involved in making public organizations accountable. The history of public administration reveals that the main approach for enhancing accountability is through exercising of control and close monitoring of persons who are mandated to execute certain affairs that are of public interest. This task entails â€Å"bureaucratic discretion through compliance w ith some tightly drawn rules and regulations† (Forrer et al, 2010, p.477). Alteration of such an approach is critical in the modern world that is driven by hefty interactions so that, rather than using a direct-control paradigm, an organization has to consider implementation of strategies for enhancing accountability. The strategy must be driven by the concerns of delegations as a methodology for breaking down the bureaucratic approaches to public accountability. The relevance of this issue for an organization that wants to be accountable rests on the platform that, although delegation is an effective way for enhancing accountability, it has its limitations. A challenge facing an organization that is determined to be accountable is the establishing of balance and determination of the extents and permissible thresholds of accountability in the organization. Thirdly, an organization needs to deal proactively with the issue of balancing levels of accountability anticipated from v arious stakeholders. In support of this argument, Forrer et al. (2010) reckon, â€Å"public managers report not only to a multitude of elected officials, but also to a plethora of interest groups, clientele, media, and other actors† (p.478). This argument means that public administrators serve many conflicting interests of different stakeholders, both formal and informal, through the deployment of appropriate mechanisms for enhancing accountability.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Accountability in Public Administration specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The balancing mechanism that an organization that seeks to become accountable must deploy includes hierarchical accountability, public accountability, while not negating deploying of mechanisms for enhancing accountability to impersonal standards. Organizations that embrace the relevance of accountability as a way of development of trust among various stakehol ders must appreciate that one of the important issues they must put into perspective is that they must conform precisely to a myriad of legitimized but also competing anticipations for accountability. To whom are Public Officials Accountable? Public officials have to be accountable to various people. Essentially, accountability is a â€Å"means through, which public agencies and their workers answer to the citizens directly and indirectly for the use of their power, authority, and resources† (Kearns, 2003, p.9). From this definition, it is paramount to note that, in the first degree, public officials are accountable to the citizens who are also served by other persons and interest groups to whom public officials must also be accountable. Such other persons include city councils, administrators such as presidents, states’ legislatures, media, and professional associations among others. With the rise of and advocating for governance approaches that portray the exercise o f democracy as the chief mechanism of ensuring equal presentations of all citizens’ concerns and interests in the tools of administration, concerns have been alarming on the mechanisms that can ensure that governments are held accountable effectively. Consequently, with regard to Kearns (2003), internal means of enhancing accountability including â€Å"official rules, codes of conduct, administrative hierarchy, performance evaluation, organizational culture, and professional ethics† (p.65) have dominated the discussions of public accountability. Some of these mechanisms of enhancing accountability have been pinned in the constitutions of many democratic nations. All systems of power comprise executives, judicial, and legislative divisions of government. These divisions have the responsibility to keep public administrators on the check to limit their discretion to ensure they are achieving their noble mandates placed on them by citizens.Advertising Looking for report on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, in the US the progressive era marked the establishments of â€Å"independent government regulatory agencies, public commissions, and corporation to oversee government bodies through the executive branch† (Forrer et al., 2010, p.478). From the context of the roles of congress, public officials have a duty to ensure that they meet the requirements placed on them in terms of meeting the demands for accountability as stipulated by organizations for agency oversight and committees for budget appropriations among others. Since citizens cannot directly regulate the operations of public officials, such organs exercise control and monitoring of the activities of public officials on behalf of the citizens to ensure that they are accountable to any repercussions of the policies formulated and implemented by the public officials. Public officials are accountable to legislatures. Legislatures have roles to play to investigate the operations of various public officials and de mand to provisions of information on certain aspects that they may believe have comprised the national ethics and codes of practice in public offices including accountability. Organizations such as GAO can also be employed by legislatures and congress to scrutinize public agency programs. Consequently, public officials must be accountable to them. Since the goal of accountability is to ensure transparency to all interest groups and stakeholders in the operations of public administrators as argued before, public officials are also accountable to media, professional communities, and client groups. Client groups are interested in the implications of public policies. Such groups have specific anticipated outcomes from public officials. Should the public officials fail to meet these anticipations effectively, or do things at exorbitant and inflated costs, the officials have to be held accountable for the failure or embezzlements of funds. Conclusion: Balancing the Demands for Accountabil ity and the Need to have High-performing Organizations Accountability implies that public officials have to evaluate every policy or decision they take to ensure that it does not expose the interest of various stakeholders and interest groups at risk upon its implementation. This argument means that decisions and policies that have high potentials of yielding optimal results but possessing high-risk vulnerabilities may not be implemented. Measuring performance from the paradigm of the magnitude of returns, for instance, in terms of social benefit, failure to implement projects having high risks of failure but having high levels of returns means that the performance of a public institution is impaired. Public officials must balance demand for accountability and the need to have high-performing organizations. For instance, considering the experience of hurricane Katrina, it is arguable that the government ought to have invested heftily on strategies and equipments for dealing with aft ermaths and or for detection of both the likelihoods and the magnitudes of natural catastrophes in the bid to enhance effective disaster awareness through its established institutions for disaster management. Such a measure would make disaster management institutions highly performing if the investments turn out commensurate to the anticipated levels of response to human and logistical challenges posed by hurricane Katrina. However, in the effort to ensure that such organizations become highly performing, the question that emerges is whether indeed public officials charged with running such institutions would be willing to venture into risky decisions that would compromise their levels of accountability in the public domain. Koliba, Zia, and Mills (2011) support this line of thought by noting that it is important to develop both theoretical and empirical constructs â€Å"to identify and assess how and whether failures of accountability lead to failures in performance† (p.210) . Directly congruent with this proposal, it is of paramount importance that public officials be made to account for success rather than just failures. Such a strategy can help to balance demands for accountability and the need for high performing organizations. Obtaining a balance between accountability and the need for high-performing organizations is a challenge that public officials need to proactively address especially bearing in mind that the citizens whom they owe the ultimate responsibility while making their decisions do not directly elect them. Consequently, public officials may consider complying with political accountability roles since, according to Bovens (1998), â€Å"public officials are not rigidly constrained in their performance by narrow legal or procedural settings† (p.31). This case means that the capacity to form and operate public institutions driven by the motive for high performance may be compromised by the need to meet programmed guidelines issued by the appointing authority in hierarchical systems of administration. This argument is more imperative upon considering Bovens’ (1998) assertion that political accountability â€Å"tends to use outcomes as the main parameter for evaluation of performance rather than compliance with administrative rules and procedures† (p.31). As a repercussion, it is probable that public officials may fail to balance accountability with the need to create highly performing public institutions due to the need to satisfy the anticipations of the elected authority as opposed to direct anticipations of the electorate. Although in democratic and corruption-free nations, the elected persons may present the interest of the electorate. Hence, the anticipations of the elected and the appointing authority from the public officials have to measure up to the anticipation of the electorate. In the corruption-prone nations, the electorate interests are not presented by the elected persons. If publi c administrators appointed by the corrupt-elected persons have to be politically accountable, it means that a balance between accountability and the need to put in place a highly performing organization cannot be established. Reference List Bovens, M. (1998). The Quest for Responsibility: Accountability and Citizenship in Complex Organizations. Public Administration, 77(3), 455-474. Forrer, J., Kee, J., Newcomer, K., Boyer, E. (2010). Public- Private Partnerships and the public accountability question. Public administration review, 1(1), 475- 484. Kearns, P. (2003). Accountability in a Seamless Economy, in G. Peters and J. Pierre (eds.), Handbook of Public Administration. London: Sage Publications. Koliba, C., Zia, A., Mills, R. (2011). Accountability in governance networks: an assessment of public, private and nonprofit emergency management practices following hurricane Katrina. Public Administration Review, 1(1), 210-20.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

National Emergency Definition, Powers and Examples

National Emergency Definition, Powers and Examples In United States government, a national emergency is any extraordinary situation deemed by the President of the United States to threaten the health or safety of the citizens and which cannot be adequately addressed by the application of other laws or executive actions. Exactly what situations do or do not constitute a state of emergency came into question in early 2019, when President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in order to divert existing Department of Defense funds for the completion of a concrete wall (or steel barrier) intended to prevent illegal immigration along the entire southern U.S. border- a maneuver used by President Ronald Reagan in 1982 to boost construction of military facilities. Key Takeaways A national emergency is any extraordinary situation declared by the president as threatening American citizens and not resolvable by other laws.Under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, a declaration of national emergency temporarily grants the president at least 140 special powers.The reasons for declaring a national emergency and the provisions to be applied during that emergency are solely and entirely up to the president. Under the National Emergencies Act (NEA), more than 100 special powers are granted to the president under a declared national emergency. When and why to declare a national emergency is entirely at the president’s discretion. Background and Legal Precedence While the U.S. Constitution grants Congress a few limited emergency powers- such as the power to suspend the right to writs of habeas corpus- it grants the president no such emergency powers. However, many legal scholars have confirmed that the Constitution gives presidents implied emergency powers by making them the commander in chief of the armed forces and by granting them broad, largely undefined â€Å"executive power.† Many such executive powers are applied by presidents through the issuance of legally-binding executive orders and proclamations. The first such emergency proclamation was issued by President Woodrow Wilson on February 5, 1917, in response to a lack of U.S. cargo ships needed to carry exported products to allied nations during World War I. The provisions of the proclamation were declared to be within the framework of the earlier law creating the United States Shipping Board. Prior to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, presidents declared numerous emergencies to deal with situations like the hoarding of gold, the Korean War, a postal workers strike, and out-of-control economic inflation. In 1933, Roosevelt, in response to the Great Depression, began the ongoing trend of presidents declaring national emergencies of unlimited scope and duration, and without congressional oversight or precedent in existing laws. Eventually, in 1976, Congress passed the National Emergencies Act, which was intended to limit the scope and number of executive emergency powers a president could invoke by declaring an â€Å"emergency† and to provide certain checks and balances on the emergency powers of the president. National Emergencies Act of 1976 Under the National Emergencies Act, presidents are required to identify the specific powers and provisions to be activated by the declaration of emergency and to renew the declaration annually. While the law grants the president at least 136 distinct emergency powers, only 13 of them require a separate declaration by Congress. During declared national emergencies, the president can- without the approval of Congress- freeze the bank accounts of Americans, shut down most types of electronic communications inside the United States, and ground all non-military aircraft. Procedure for Declaring Emergencies Under the National Emergencies Act, presidents activate their emergency powers by issuing a public declaration of national emergency. The declaration must specifically list and notify Congress of the powers to be utilized during the duration of the emergency. Presidents may terminate declared emergencies at any time or continue to renew them annually with the approval of Congress. Since 1985, Congress has been allowed to renew an emergency declaration by the passage of a joint resolution rather than by separate resolutions passed by the House and Senate. The law also requires the president and the Cabinet-level executive agencies to keep records of all executive orders and regulations issued due to the emergency and to regularly report to Congress the costs of enforcing those provisions. Emergency Powers Under the National Emergencies Act Among the nearly 140 national emergency powers Congress has delegated to the president, some are particularly dramatic. In 1969, President Nixon suspended all laws regulating chemical and biological weapons on humans. In 1977, President Ford allowed states to suspend key provisions of the Clean Air Act. And in 1982, President Reagan authorized the use of existing Defense Department funds for emergency military construction. More recently, President George W. Bush declared a national emergency days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that suspended several laws, including all laws limiting the size of the military. In 2009, President Obama declared a national emergency to help hospitals and local governments deal with the swine flu outbreak. Notable Ongoing National Emergencies As of January 2019, a total of 32 national emergencies dating back to 1979 remained in effect. A few of the more notable of these include: To combat the flow of drugs, criminals and illegal immigrants coming across the U.S. border with Mexico. (Feb. 2019)Preventing the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (Nov.1994)Banning financial dealings with terrorists who threaten the Middle East peace process (Jan. 1995)Provisions arising from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (Sept. 2001)Freezing the funds and property of persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism (Sept. 2001)Continuing restrictions with respect to North Korea and North Korean nationals (June 2008)Freezing the property of multinational organized criminal organizations (July 2011)Freezing the property of certain persons involved in cyber-enabled crime (April 2015) During his first two years in office (2017 and 2018), President Trump issued three national emergency declarations, most notably, a controversial national emergency intended to punish foreign nationals found to have interfered in or otherwise attempted to influence American elections. Accused of collusion with Russian agents during the 2016 presidential election, Trump’s declaration drew bipartisan criticism for being too weak. All three national emergency declarations issued by President Trump as of January 2019 include: Blocking access to the property of persons involved in serious human rights abuse or corruption (Dec. 2017)Imposing sanctions in the event of foreign interference in a United States election (Sept. 2018)Blocking access to the property of persons contributing to the situation in Nicaragua (Nov. 2018) While most national emergencies have been declared in response to foreign affairs, no law prevents presidents from declaring them to deal with a domestic issue, as President Obama did in 2009 to deal with the swine flu. Two other laws- the Stafford Act and the Public Health Services Act- are intended to provide federal  government response to state and local disasters, and public health emergencies. In addition, all 50 states have laws empowering the governors to declare emergencies within their states and to ask the President of the United States for federal assistance. President Trump’s 2019 Border Wall Emergency On January 8, 2019, President Trump, in the midst of what would become the longest government shutdown in history, threatened to declare a national emergency in order to bypass Congress by diverting some $5.7 billion in existing funds to the construction of an additional 234 miles of Mexican border security wall. The declaration was put on hold when on January 25, an agreement was reached between the White House and congressional Democrats allowing the government to reopen until February 15. The agreement was based on the understanding that negotiations over border wall funding would proceed during the three-week delay. However, after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on January 31 flatly stated that â€Å"There’s not going to be any wall money in the [compromise] legislation,† President Trump stated that there was a â€Å"good chance† that he would, indeed, declare a national emergency to secure the funding. â€Å"We are doing it regardless,† he told reporters on February 1, suggesting that more details might come in his shutdown-delayed State of the Union address scheduled for February 5. On February 15, he declared a national emergency, which is expected to face legal challenges. On February 15, 2019, President Trump signed a compromise Homeland Security spending bill that provided $1.375 billion for 55 miles of new fencing- but not a solid wall- along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. While the bill averted a second government shutdown, it fell far short of providing the $5.7 billion Trump had sought for the addition of 234 miles of solid steel walls. At the same time, President Trump declared a national emergency he said would allow him to redirect $3.5 billion from the Defense Department’s military construction budget to the construction of additinal border wall. He also signed executive orders redirecting $600 million from the Treasury Departments drug forfeiture fund, and $2.5 billion from the Defense Department’s drug interdiction program for the same purpose. â€Å"We’re going to confront the national security crisis on our southern border and we’re going to do it one way or the other,† President Trump said. â€Å"It’s an invasion,† he added. â€Å"We have an invasion of drugs and criminals coming into our country.† Democratic leaders immediately challenged Trump’s constitutional authority to use presidential national emergency powers to regulate immigration. VETO! On February 26, 2019, the House of Representatives voted 245-182 to approve a joint resolution canceling President Trump’s national emergency declaration. On March 14, the Senate voted 59-41 (including the votes of 12 Republicans) to concur, sending the measure to the president’s desk. Moments after the vote, Trump tweeted a one-word response, â€Å"VETO!† In a follow-up tweet, the president added, â€Å"I look forward to VETOING the just passed Democrat inspired Resolution which would OPEN BORDERS while increasing Crime, Drugs, and Trafficking in our Country.† On March 15, 2019, President Trump followed up his tweets by issuing his first presidential veto rejecting the resolution. â€Å"Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution and I have the duty to veto it,† he stated at the signing ceremony.   Sources and Further Reference Fisch, William B. â€Å"Emergency in the Constitutional Law of the United States.† University of Missouri School of Law (1990).â€Å"National Emergency Definition.† Duhaime’s Law Dictionary. Duhaime.orgRelyea, Harold C. (2007) â€Å"National Emergency Powers.† Congressional Research Service.Struyk, Ryan. â€Å"Trumps wall would be the 32nd active national emergency.† CNN.  (January 2019).

Thursday, November 21, 2019

International Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Strategic Management - Essay Example Today’s smart and customised phones are taking lead in the market. These tiny electronic gadgets perform multi-various functions added on with computer operating systems. These instruments can run various applications such as Twitter, games, guiding owners in shopping and dining and a host of other features. Mobile phones have such added functions as big displays, keyboards and internet availability. Old models of mobile phones are easier to operate than the new mobile phones (Yonkers, 2011). Some mobile phones have only selected features as per the needs of the customers. Our product the smart customized mobile phone caters to specific needs of the customers; they can be made to suit each customer’s individual preferences. Country Introduction (Philippines) Research indicates that in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, an emerging global market, Philippines could be the ideal market for almost any product. The feel good factor is that Philippines is not against foreign direct investment in their country. It is the 19th largest export market of the United States with an approximate annual export of $8 billion. For launching a new product, the Philippines can be the perfect launching pad as people there have liking for the imported products. Language is not a barrier, as the Philippine is the third largest English speaking country (US Commercial Service, 2011). The Philippines market environment for the mobile phone products, called the Cellular Mobile Telephone System (CMTS) is quite encouraging. Let’s review different environmental aspects related to the Philippines economy, politics, legal, regulatory, technological, and social factors to ensure that the launching of our customised mobile phone would succeed in providing a secure international platform to our company. Market Environment in Philippines Our leading electronics product, the customised mobile phone would find a ready and ripe market as the mobile phone is a favourite digital device for the Filipinos. More than 22 million Filipinos have a mobile phone. The number of mobile subscribers is growing fast; in 2004 the growth rate touched to 34% to more than 30.2 million. In Short Messaging Service (SMS), this country is the world leader. As per the market report, carriers cover more than 1 billion text messages a day in Philippines. The above scenario regarding the mobile phone market and the Philippine’s 100 years old friendly business relations with the U.S. are enough to build up confidence of our company to enter in the Philippines market with its product launch, i.e. customised mobile phone (US Commercial Service, 2011). Industry Overview For providing a ready platform to our customised mobile phones, we need to develop an industry life cycle approach concurrent with the dynamic rationales for product strategy development, fit for Philippines. Ever-changing industry dynamics are impacted by such factors as the aggressive int ernational competition and the need to react fast to advances in technology affecting consumer preferences. As it happened in 2000s, the mobile phone industry saw a surge in demand because of innovation in the product and process of the product model. Surge in the demand for newer mobile phones is not going to dampen as sophistication in the produ

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Some aspects of marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Some aspects of marketing - Assignment Example For instance, consumer empowerment and increasing sophistication trends have prompted the video gaming makers and dealers to search for new markets, which are specialized, among the ones that are already saturated with customer diversity bases. A good example of such a market is the one in the United States. Therefore, it is important to note that venturing in the newly emerging markets, especially in the Latin America and South East Asia has promoted the video gaming dealers to establish production facilities in the overseas. This implies that such establishments have lead to business strategic partnerships and global alliances with foreign video gaming dealers, an achievement that is credited with the information technological advancement. Drawing arguments from sociocultural forces, it is necessary to note that businesses cannot exist as single entities and there is absolute need for them to be informed of the cultural and societal changes, which take place in their business envir onments. In this regard, businesses must adapt to sociocultural changes so that they can stay ahead of their business competitors and to remain relevant in the market. For such businesses to remain relevant, especially among their consumers and to outcompete their competitors, there is need to adopt new technology, and this is where, for example, online video gaming has found a lot of relevance in this discussion. Sociocultural forces include, but are not limited to changing preferences, demographics, advertising techniques, and internal environment. Changing preferences can be regarded as one of the major sociocultural factors, which influence businesses and decision making processes. For example, some items that were popular in the last two decades are no longer popular among the consumers. Various priorities and styles can derail the success of products and services in the market. Drawing reference from the clothing industry, a clothing company ought to be acquainted with the cha nging trends in the industry for it to remain relevant and up-to-date. Changing demographic trends also play significant role in business. In this regard aging population ultimately reduces the market for online video gaming technology and fashions, which healthcare products and luxury goods increase. Moreover, changing gender proportions, religious groupings, different race, and ethnic groups in a given society has significant effects on the way IT business is carried out. Advertising techniques are closely linked to sociocultural changes. Advertising sets trends for video gaming; keeps track and engage the society in the business. Values, moral and fashion changes are put into account when putting in place appropriate advertising technique. Drawing arguments from the internal environment, sociocultural forces affect the internal decision making process of a company. For instance, rising family life emphasis and dynamic gender roles have necessitated both maternity and paternity le aves in several organizations. In addition, attitudes regarding sexual harassment and racial discrimination have changed significantly due to sociocultural changes, which also impact on the video gaming business. Question 2 Marketing directly involves taking the products to the consumers, thus relieving them from looking for the products. This implies that customer orders for the products and, on paying for the cost, the products would be

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Citizen United vs. Federal Election Essay Example for Free

Citizen United vs. Federal Election Essay Analyze the arguments presented in the â€Å"Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission† case to determine which arguments you find the most persuasive. Explain both your rationale and the probable impact of the outcome of this case on corporate governance moving forward. Prof Armstrong I must agree with the argument of Justice Stevens.In the context of election to public office, the distinction between corporate and human speakers is significant. Although they make enormous contributions to our society, corporations are not actually members of it. They cannot vote or run for office. His argument was based on the distinction between corporate and human speakers. I feel that because corporations contribute a vast amount of money to political candidates for election they believe they have the right to dictate our countries policies. The breakdown of this argument basically shows the more Money you have (Corporations) the greater your Power (voice) in the political arena. (Halbert, T., Ingulli, E., 2012 p. 34). The breakdown of this argument basically shows the more Money you have the greater your Power (voice) in the political arena. From the e-Activity, discuss ways in which the company you researched could leverage corporate social responsibility as a competitive strategy. Provide specific examples to support your response. I believe this argument fits in well with my discussion on the attempted merger between ATT and T-Mobile. According to the wall street journal ATT is one of the top 10 companies to give political contributions in the current election cycle (2012). The donations include monies give to political parties, candidates, and political action committees. ATT attempted to gain a monopoly in the telecommunications arena by merging with their small competitors. The more money you have the deeper you power and influence over politics. Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/02/corporate-political-donations_n_1644375.html Halbert T., Ingulli, E. (2012). Law and Ethics in the Business Environment. (7th ed.) Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Analysis :: Science Writing Papers

Analysis "We scientists can no longer leave the problem to others. Indeed, it has been ours to solve, and all of society is now paying for our neglect." "Resistance to science is born of fear. Fear, in turn, is bred by ignorance. And it is ignorance that is our deepest malady." These were some of the strong statements made in Michael J. Bishop's "Enemies of Promise, " that lead me to think and analyze his piece of work. Michael Bishop, a professor of microbiology at University of California, San Francisco, begins his article by stating that even though science has solved many of the problems people have or had, there are still many who do not believe in science. In addition, there are people who study science and think that science is just "politics by other means." Thus, declaring that science and its "truths" are just "socially constructed fictions." Bishop believes that science offers more to us than we think and that it is "the best way to learn how the world works." Garcia 2 Bishop is alarmed about postmodernists, who believe science is just another "politics by other means." He thinks they are being ignorant and feels uneasy that postmodernists are being joined by other voices that are against science. Various scientists are also becoming critical of science and they believe that science is not diminishing the societies problems. Others have complained that science is "no longer contributing to health improvement." Some people are not happy with what science has accomplished. "The source of these dissatisfactions appears to be an exaggerated view of what science can do," claims Bishop. What seems to be the case is that, scientists have declared the problems of the society and have told the society what to do about some of the issues, but it is the society that is not tackling the problems. The other dilemma that faces the science is that, sometimes scientists have no control over their research and they have to let research take it's own course and time. Much of the health problems that have not been solved are being blamed on research systems like NIH (National Institutes of Health) that supposedly "demands compromise, rewards mediocrity and actually punishes initiative and originality." Bishop believes that NIH, a research system he has been in support of, is being put down and what is said about NIH, he believes it to be wrong.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Indian Paint Industry

The size of the paints market in India is estimated at Rs 110 bn, with the contribution of the organised and unorganised segments in the ratio of 65:35. Reduction of excise duties over the last few years, from 40% to the present level of 14%, has helped create a level playing field between the unorganised and the organised segments, as the former is not subject to excise duty. As the unorganised sector loses its competitive edge, it is also losing market share to the organised sector players. In view of the low per capita annual consumption of paints in India (0. kg, compared to 4 kg in South East Asian countries, 22 kg in developed countries and a global average of 15 kg), the domestic paints industry has tremendous potential. The paints industry is working-capital intensive, rather than fixed-asset intensive. As in consumer non-durables, distribution strengths and brand building are of paramount importance. The Indian paint industry witnessed robust growth in turnover on the back of increased volumes during the festival season. Both decorative and industrial segments performed well during the quarter. Moreover, the margins received a boost with the domestic currency continuing to rise against the greenback, causing a substantial reduction in cost of imported inputs. This in turn induced some of the players in the industry to reduce the prices of select products to pass on the benefit to the customers. Further, players are going in for capacity expansions to reap the benefits of the rising demand for paints Segments: On product lines, paints can be differentiated into decorative or architectural paints and industrial paints. While the former caters to the housing sector, the automotive segment is a major consumer of the latter. Decorative paints can further be classified into premium, medium and distemper segments. Premium decorative paints are acrylic emulsions used mostly in the metros. The medium range consists of enamels, popular in smaller cities and towns. Distempers are economy products demanded in the suburban and rural markets. Nearly 20 per cent of all decorative paints sold in India are distempers and it is here that the unorganised sector has dominance. Industrial paints include powder coatings, high performance oating and automotive and marine paints. But two-thirds of the industrial paints produced in the country are automotive paints. Decorative and industrial paints are the segments within the sector, in a 70:30 proportion. Brand equity, a wide range of shades, distribution strength and efficient working capital management are key success factors in the decorative paints segment. A strong distribution network acts as an entry barrier. Within the decorative segment, enamel is the largest sub-segment, accounting for over 50%, followed by wall finishes, primers and wood finishes. The season for decorative paints is from October to March, a period characterised by festivals like Diwali, and the summer, when painting is normally carried out. The industrial segment pertains mainly to automobiles. In this segment, technological competence, product range and customised solutions are of utmost importance. Technological strength is another entry barrier. The slowdown in the automobile sector has affected the overall growth of the industrial segment, as the former contributes around 50% of the latter's revenues. Other sub-segments are marine paints, powder coatings for white goods like refrigerators and washing machines, and industrial coatings. Within the paints sector, the proportion of the industrial paints segment is likely to increase in the next few years and the ratio is likely to become 50:50. The demand for decorative paints is highly price-sensitive and also cyclical. Monsoon is a slack season while the peak business period is Diwali festival time, when most people repaint their houses. The industrial paints segment, on the other hand, is a high volume-low margin business. In the decorative segment, it is the distribution network that counts while in the industrial segment the deciding factor are technological superiority and tie-up with automobile manufacturers for assured business. The share of industrial paints in the total paint consumption of the nation is very low compared to global standards. It accounts for 30 per cent of the paint market with 70 per cent of paints sold in India for decorative purposes. In most developed countries, the ratio of decorative paints vis-A -vis industrial paints is around 50:50. But, with the decorative segment bottoming out, companies are increasingly focussing on industrial paints. The future for industrial paints is bright. In the next few years, its share would go up to 50 per cent, in line with the global trend. Decorative Sector Composition ( to be check for accuracy of figures) Enamels 50% Distemper 19% Emulsions 17% Exterior Coatings 12% Wood Finishes 2% Decorative Sector Features Enamels Steady growth. These are oil based paints which are widely used for painting on all surfaces including walls, wood and metals. They also find application in painting of hoardings and signboards and repainting of commercial vehicles. Emulsions Shift from distemper and enamels to emulsions. High growth area. These are premium qualtity oil based wall paints. Distempers High growth in low priced low quality distempers as consumers are upgrading from limewash. These are water based wall paints priced at a much lower range than the above two. Exteriors Exterior emulsion fastest growing segment in the Indin Paint market. Industrial Sector Composition ( to be check for accuracy of figures) Automotive Paints – 50%Â  High Performance Coating – 30% Powder Coating – 10% Coil Coating – 5% Marine Paints – 5% Automotive Sector High growth sector with a number of new entrants like Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Daewoo, Hyundai, Honda, Fiat, General Motors, Ford. However, recently there is some slackness in Auto demands. Two wheeler market booming due to demend from large Indian middle class. Goodlass and Asian Paints are the leading OEM players and ICI is the leading player in the replacement market PowderCoatings Increase growth due to increased sales of white goods and auto ancillaries. Berger and Goodlass lead in this solid powder coating segment used for decoration and protection of white goods, electronic equipment and auto components. High Performance Coatings Steady growth due to increase investments in refinery segment and power sectors, particularly Thermal and Nuclear. Coil Coatings:Solvent based paints for sheets and coils. ICI and Asian Paints lead this segment. Marine: Shalimar and Bombay Paints are the major players in these anti-corrosive, underwater paints used for ships and containers. Chemicals: These high performance paints are used in fertilisers, petrochemicals etc. or prevention of corrosion. APIL dominates the decorative segment with a 38 per cent market share. The company has more than 15,000 retail outlets and its brands Tractor, Apcolite, Utsav, Apex and Ace are entrenched in the market. GNPL, the number-two in the decorative segment, with a 14 per cent market share too, has now increased its distribution network to 10,700 outlets to compete with APIL effectively. Berger and ICI have 9 per cent and 8 per cent shares respectively in this segment followed by J&N and Shalimar with 1 and 6 per cent shares. GNPL dominates the industrial paints segment with 41 per cent market share. It has a lion's share of 70 per cent in the OEM passenger car segment, 40 per cent share of two wheeler OEM market and 20 per cent of commercial vehicle OEM market. It supplies 70 per cent of the paint requirement of Maruti, India's largest passenger car manufacturer, besides supplying to other customers like Telco, Toyota, Hindustan Motors, Hero Honda, TVS-Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Ford India, PAL Peugeot and Bajaj Auto. GNPL also controls 20 per cent of the consumer durables segment with clients like Whirlpool and Godrej GE. The company is also venturing into new areas like painting of plastic, coil coatings and cans. APIL, the leader in decorative paints, ranks a poor second after Goodlass Nerolac in the industrial segment with a 15 per cent market share. But with its joint venture Asian-PPG Industries, the company is aggressively targeting the automobile sector. It has now emerged as a 100 per cent OEM supplier to Daewoo, Hyundai, Ford and General Motors and is all set to ride on the automobile boom. Berger and ICI are the other players in the sector with 10 per cent and 9 per cent shares respectively. Shalimar too, has an 8 per cent share. Raw Material scenario: The paint industry is raw material-intensive, in terms of value and quantity of raw materials used. Raw material costs account for around 70% of total production costs. Imports constitute around 30% of the raw material requirements. The most critical raw materials used are titanium dioxide (TD) (rutile and anatase grades), phthalic anhydride (PAN) and pentaerithrithol PENTA). Some other raw materials like castor oil, soyabean oil, linseed oil and mineral turpentine are also used. Increasing prices of raw materials, on the one hand, and the inability to pass on the price increases from recession and competitive pressure, on the other, are major areas of concern. Of the 300 raw materials (30% petro-based derivatives), nearly half of them are imported petroleum products. Thus, any deficit in global oil reserves affects the bottomline of the players.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Families in 1700’s to Mid 1800’s

Origins of a family have meaning and history. By keeping track of family relations also known as a family tree it can allow us to keep records of the past. The Edwards family tree shows great record from the early 1700's to the mid 1800's. This family tree demonstrates when a person was baptized; when they got married; and when they passed away. The Edwards family chart show the different relations of marriages and fertility rate from today's society. From the chart we can determine that the Edwards family show a different demography compared to todays society.This is because life expectancy was shorter; families were larger; and finally marriages were happening at a young age. According to the Edwards family tree life expectancy was not high. Many of the family members barely lived up to sixty, which was very common in the 1700's. The family tree shows many children dying at a young age; some barely reaching adolescent age. Since child death was very high it showed that health care was very poor; which lead people to have more children. In today's society life expectancy has expanded enormously.Many young children live for a longer time because of better health care. Having a sibling die before they could reach their twenty would be very unlikely because of the amazing health care we have and our environment has improved since the 1800's. The average size of a family during the 1700's would be 7. 5, which is completely larger than the family size in todays culture. Looking at the family tree many couples had a large set of family. Some of the families had more than six children, which is over our regular family size. Since families were big some of the children carried on names of their parents.For example Thomas Edward who was married to Sarah Potman named their first child Thomas. Even after Sarah Potman death he remarried Mary and also named their first child Thomas. That was because names were meant to be carried on and remembered. If we compare that to to day's family, families would be much smaller and usually wouldn't have the dame name as their father. Looking at the chart it is hard to tell when some of the women were born because it was not recorded. However looking at the Edwards family tree many of the women got married in their 20's.Some of these women were pregnant while getting married. On the another hand the men got married in their mid to late twenties which is a lot older compare to the women. For example Thomas Edward son of Thomas and Sarah Potman got married to Sarah White at the age of thirty-four. As we can see there is a big age difference between the male and females. From the Edwards family tree most of the women had children right away. Some were even pregnant at marriage, for example Richard Edward who married Mary Deets in 1730 and at the same year had their first child Sarah Ewards.This shows some couples were involved with each other before marriage, however on the family tree some couples waited a year or two to have children. For example John Edward who married Elizabeth Ward in 1739 their first kid John Edwards was born 1742, that is three years after they got married. From the family tree it seemed uncommon for a married couple to wait a year or two years later to have children; which is really different compare to today because many marry couples wait at least three years to have children.Since Many families did have plenty of children and gave birth right after marriage it seemed that child birth was not planned. Looking at the chart many married couples had children one after another. Shows that there was no limitation on having children, which was very common during the 1700's. Looking at today's society there are limitation on having children because of economic reasons; it is more expensive to raise children.In conclusion the Edwards family tree from the parish registers of Terling, Essex have a different view of life compared to today's society. The diagram has a complete d ifferent overview from today's society. The Edwards family tree has a different outlook from todays culture because of the life expectancy, families were larger, and finally marriages were involved at a younger age. Altogether the Edwards family tree is proven to be a lot different then what we expect today. Comparing modern families from our own show great differences.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The top high paying part-time jobs for college students

The top high paying part-time jobs for college students With the expenses associated with higher learning- tuition, housing, books, clothing, food- most college students can’t afford to forgo work while attending school. Considering the time limitations that come with being a full-time student, you likely can’t afford to take on a full-time job, either. Fortunately, there are actually some part-time jobs that pay really well that may be the perfect fit for a college student already bearing a full workload. Here are 8 of them. 1. Social media assistantDo you spend a big chunk of your free time checking out scrolling through Instagram and Twitter? If so, you’re not alone, and utilizing social media doesn’t just have to be something you do when you’re bored or procrastinating. Companies rely on social media to get the word out about their goods and services, and they need social media devotees to manage their accounts and cook up fresh content. If you’re a creative thinker and have a basic grasp of m arketing, you could make as much as $21 an hour as a social media assistant.2. TutorIf you’re more the studious type than the social butterfly, you might consider one of the most tried-and-true after school jobs. Tutoring might involve helping students raise their grades in particular problem subjects or get top scores on standardized tests such as the SAT or GRE. Tutoring jobs generally pay anywhere from $30 to $100 an hour. Even the low end of that scale is good money for a part-time gig!3. Dog walkerSay you don’t particularly like socializing online or dealing with one-on-one tutoring sessions- maybe you’re more of a dog person than a people person. Well, there are opportunities in the canine sector as well. Dog owners who are short on time or stuck in the office most of the day rely on professionals to keep their pets from making a mess at home. Cleaning up poop probably isn’t anyone’s idea of a party, but dog walkers work very short hours- per fect for ensuring plenty of study time. They also tend to earn $15 to $30 per walk, so students who can commit to walking multiple pooches more than once a day can really rake in the doggie dough.4. Lyft driverOne potential downside to being a dog walker is that you need to be on call at particular times of the day, as dictated by the pet owners who need you. The big boon of being a driver for companies such as Lyft is that you can set your own hours. Since peak times are before classes start in the morning, as well as evenings and weekends, being a Lyft driver is ideal for the college student. With tips, the average Lyft driver earns about $18 per hour.5. Freelance writer/editorFor creative types, there are a number of freelance opportunities that can be great sources of income. If you fancy yourself a wordsmith, you should consider seeking out freelance writing work, which can entail anything from blogging to creating study content for your fellow students.If you are more comforta ble tidying up text than creating it, you might also find work as a freelance editor. Writers often make as much as $55 an hour and editors earn up to $40- though you can make a lot more than that depending on how quickly you’re able to churn out high-quality work.6. Freelance photographerThe basic features of the smartphones we all carry around have turned all of us into amateur photographers. If your snapping skills are better than the average person’s, you might find work as a freelance photographer. These positions require both the ability to take a superb pic and edit it. There are a multitude of photography fields, but the one that seems to draw the most income is product photography, which can make you around $20 an hour.7. Freelance web designerIf your computer skills extend well beyond editing images, using social media, and blogging, you might have what it takes to be a web designer. Of all the jobs on this list, web designer demands the most specialized skil ls, but the pay is great- at up to $30 per hour.8. FundraiserWalking dogs, transporting passengers, and generating online content can all be effective ways to make some cash, but do they really make the world a better place? If you have loftier goals, you can pursue them while also helping to pay for your education as a charity fundraiser. You’d be getting out the word about a worthy cause to expand awareness and attract potential supporters. If you have experience dealing with the public on a professional level and a knack for networking, you can be making up to $30 an hour during those hours away from your classroom and coursework.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Memory Leak Notification in Delphi on Program Exit

Memory Leak Notification in Delphi on Program Exit All Delphi versions since Delphi 2006 have an updated memory manager that is faster and more feature rich. One of the nicest features of the new memory manager allows applications to register (and unregister) expected memory leaks, and optionally report unexpected memory leaks on program shutdown. When creating WIN32 applications with Delphi it is imperative to make sure that you free all the objects (memory) you create dynamically. A memory (or resource) leak occurs when the program loses the ability to free the memory it consumes. Report Memory Leaks on Shutdown Memory leak detecting and reporting are set to false by default. To enable it, you need to set the global variable ReportMemoryLeaksOnShutdown to TRUE. When the application is closed, if there are unexpected memory leaks the application will display the Unexpected Memory Leak dialog box. The best place for the ReportMemoryLeaksOnShutdown would be in the programs source code (dpr) file. begin   Ã‚  ReportMemoryLeaksOnShutdown : DebugHook 0;   Ã‚  //source by Delphi   Ã‚  Application.Initialize;   Ã‚  Application.MainFormOnTaskbar : True;   Ã‚  Application.CreateForm(TMainForm, MainForm) ;   Ã‚  Application.Run; end. Note: a global variable DebugHook is used above to make sure memory leaks are displayed when the application is run in debug mode - when you fit F9 from the Delphi IDE. Test Drive: Memory Leak Detection Having ReportMemoryLeaksOnShutdown set to TRUE, add the following code in the main forms OnCreate event handler. var   Ã‚  sl : TStringList; begin   Ã‚  sl : TStringList.Create;   Ã‚  sl.Add(Memory leak!) ; end; Run the application in debug mode, exit the application - you should see the memory leak dialog box. Note: If you are looking for a tool to catch your Delphi application errors such as memory corruption, memory leaks, memory allocation errors, variable initialization errors, variable definition conflicts, pointer errors ... take a look at madExcept and EurekaLog Delphi Tips Navigator Date Time SQL Queries: Formatting Date Time Values for Access SQL in DelphiForce TListViews Edit Mode using a Keyboard Shortcut

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Final Exam - Essay Example Peoplehood is the consciousness of the fundamental unity that makes a person a part of a society. Peoplehood matrix constitutes four basic principles, a consecrated history, a well-defined terrain, and the environment, a distinct language and a characteristic ceremonial cycle. This paper will look into these principles. Peoplehood features were attributed to socio-cultural, political, economic, and environmental behaviours of Cherokee inhabitants. They included the Cherokee Indians, Delaware, Natchez people and the Shawnee. Membership of Cherokee community entailed certain obligations that had to be met for one to participate in the continuation of a good life in Cherokee nation. For example, young men and women graduated to the elderly and diplomatic stature only after serving as warriors (Mooney 56). Cherokee nation had ceremonies that honoured and cared for the sacred fire analogous to the sun and a symbol of purity. Annually Cherokee people gathered to dance in a bright flame and dark shadows of everlasting fire and ask for help of the fire and the spirits. They believed that as long as the fire burned, Cherokee people were destined to survive (Mails 23). Several Cherokee ceremonies were performed, ceremonial lighting of sacred fire, sacrifice of tobacco or meat, purification of individuals ceremony, all night dances. Concisely, all the ceremonies were linked to the fire. There was danger of neglecting the ceremonies; they believed the spirit could affect the health and well-being of the individual who disobeyed the ceremonies (Kelley 23). Cherokee nation had towns each under the headship of chiefs and war leaders. There were two kinds of chiefs; white chiefs and war chiefs. The white chiefs were elderly and had a mandate to preserve peace. They were resourceful, experienced, and respected people. They also conducted the spiritual ceremonies and helped in conflict resolution (Wilkins 34). The war chiefs or group of warriors had specialized

Friday, November 1, 2019

American History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

American History - Research Paper Example Year 1865 symbols a milestone of American history which marks the end of the American civil war which resulted heavy losses to both parties as well as the year which started post war reconstruction. And year 1980 marks the precedential election which brought Republican Ronald Regan to the power. Term Americans describes the all citizens of United States of America and they can be divided according to their racial or ethnic group as White Americans, Native Americans (Indians), and African Americans, Mexican American as well as other people who are accepted by United State of America as their citizens. Between years 1865 to 1982 many incidents took place which shows the unity and the separation among Americans. In order to prove the hypothesis of this thesis, author has listed significant events of American history from 1865 to 1980. Throughout this thesis author will prove the hypothesis and how they have affected the unity among Americans. The examples will be listed under two topics as incidents which are show the separation among Americans and incidents which are show the unity among Americans. When researching on separation and unity among Americans one might think race will be the major cause for the separation. Race is just one cause and there are many causes which create separation among Americans and following incidents provide examples for separation among Americans by their political view, nationality and gender. And provide a strong foundation to prove the hypothesis of this thesis, which is Americans have been more divided than united between 1865 and 1980 Right after the end of the civil war government had to find solutions for the status of the ex-slaves which were called as freedmen, loyalty and civil rights of the ex-rebels and the ex-confederate states. In the election of 1866, republicans took the control in congress, and were