Carole Satymurtis

Carole Satymurtis Essay Carole Satyamurti , a poet and sociologist cleverly weaved the plight of ordinary women in I Shall Paint my Nails Red : women who are seen as a mere background of the society- neglected and lost in the mundane of her existence . While it is easy to discern that I Shall Paint my Nails is nothing but the showcasing of a womans vanity seeking attention, a closer look at the poem would reveal a deeper and multi-layered analysis of women. In essence, Carole Satyamurtis I Shall Paint my Nails Red was able to show the different roles and interpretations of women of herself, to her daughter , to her lover , the society and to life- that painting her nails red symbolizes a departure from her customary role in to show an intelligent , interesting and valuable person capable of so much more than her ordinary routines . It is a declaration of a womans importance The color red is interpreted in poetry as a figure of speech for passion , anger and strong emotions . In this light, Satyamurti used this color to depict a seemingly humorous and trivial poem into one that speaks of a womans importance. In the first line because a bit of color is a public service (line 1 Satyamurti departs from the convention that public service is about service , the economy and production . Essentially, the poem recognizes that it is not only men who are components of production and economics that can perform public service but also women who provide not only entertainment but beauty and compassion . This is affirmed in her second line when Satyamurti declared that because i am proud of my hands (line 2 connoting that her hands that are used to do household chores are also important . By painting it red , Satyamurti calls attention to the role of women in the society and in the family- that while they are not being paid for work they do every day of their lives , it should not be neglected . Thus, being proud of one s hands and putting a red paint on it declares that the woman is aware of her economic and sociological role and significance On the other hand , the third and fourth lines of the poem points to the theme of strength and empowerment in women . In the line because it will remind me I m a woman (line 3 and because I will look like a survivor the woman is declaring that being a woman means being brave and strong . Thus, by re-affirming her gender identity , the person in the poem is also recognizing that women in general possess strength of characters . Furthermore , because the color red symbolizes intense emotions , it evokes attention thereby , reminding us that women are not ordinary Carole Satymurtis I Shall Paint my Nails Red is a wonderful poem which I found myself closely relating to. I feel that in this poem she reflects many sides of a womans life. It may be understood to have two separate messages, the direct and the hidden message. Satymurti does this through showing both the complexity of a womans life, and the simplicity that also exists within.  At first glance, I Shall Paint My Nails Red gives a more obvious and direct amusing message in which she states different reasons why she would paint her nails red. Each line puts the reader in a different situation which may even be applied to our own daily lives. Satymurti does this by using every day examples and using them to suggest often absurd reasons for her to paint her nails red, adding a bit of comedy throughout the poem. Underlying each idea, however, Satymurti implies a deeper message about women and the many roles that they play in society, and the way that they view themselves. READ: Modern reality play EssayThe first idea Satymurti suggests in the poem is, Because a bit of colour is public service. Here, she is implying that in painting her nails red she is in fact doing others a favor. This line makes me think of a woman loading her groceries onto the cash register before paying, showing off her bright red nails and provoking a smile on the cashiers face. She seems to believe that anywhere she were to go with these red nails, the world would see them and appreciate them. Underlying this main idea however, I feel that Satymurti is trying to portray the fact that women are constantly fulfilling others needs. As mothers, wives, lovers, and even working women in society, women often feel that we must make everyone around us happy. The following line states, Because I am proud of my hands. This idea suggests that she feels she is beautiful and is proud to show that off. However, the line may also mean that she is tough and is proud of her own hard work, as hands are often related to manual labor and work. Although not so common at the time the poem was written, today this woman may be portrayed as even a single mother (As she later talks about a daughter, and even a lover, but no husband) trying hard to take care of her family, working to raise them and provide for them. Despite her hard work, this woman is still woman and lacks the rough hands of a man. She paints her nails like every other woman, and is proud of her hands for all the work they have accomplished her. The line that follows, Because it will remind me Im a woman refers back to the line preceding it. Here one may first simply think that by looking down at her hands and nails she will, again, feel beautiful and feel and remember that she is a woman. Looking past that simple first glance, this line goes back to a womans hard work and the tasks that she must accomplish every day with her responsibilities. In all the everyday stress, a woman often forgets that she is also beautiful and that she is a woman. Despite all her hard work, she is still delicate and most importantly, she must still take care of herself.

Seven Years War and How it Affected the British Colonies in North Research Paper

Seven Years War and How it Affected the British Colonies in North America and What Were the Policy Changes After 1763 - Research Paper Example However, at the end of this war several challenges faced Britain (Rickard Web). This paper seeks to discuss Seven Years War and how it affected the British Colonies in North America and what were the policy changes after 1763. Influence to the Colonies Britain started to assess the relationship it had with the colonies. This did not take place before the war, but success of war prompted Britain to take this initiative. British authority thought of colonies as subject to authority of the king and parliament. Consequently, colonial assemblies were given authority to supervise the implementation of directives from royal governors in the colonies (Henretta and Burke Web). Additionally, Britain failed to put its laws in these colonies. For example, the molasses Act of 1733 was not implemented. This required the colonist to pay taxes on import from West Indies under French authority. This was because there was huge profit that Britain was generating from the colonies (O'Brien 125). Consequ ently, colonist gained both political and economic autonomy. However, the colonies were sometimes uncooperative to royal directives (Henretta and Burke Web). According to Knopf, â€Å"The success of Britain in the war increased its American control to a size that was challenging to any European metropolis to exercise control† (Knopf Web). ... Consequently, Britain was faced with huge debt. Compounding British financial woes was uprising calling for tax relief due to bulging taxes for those living in British Isles. There was also a negative response by Indians living in areas formerly under the French dominance. Actually, there was suspicious relation between Great Britain and tribes in Ohio and the great lakes region. They had established a cordial relationship with French settlers before. However, after French and its allies defeat, British settlers started to inhabit this region. This was rampant in the Appalachian mountain where there was rich agricultural land. As a result, the Indian viewed these settlers from another perspective that was not pleasing to them (O'Brien 125). In addition, Major General Jeffrey Amherst contributed to a tense relationship between the Indians and British in the culmination of the War. During the war, a considerable support was given to British by Indian tribes. As a result, British gave v arious gifts to their leaders. However, this was terminated after a successful termination of the war. General Amherst considered these tribes as inconsequential as he no longer needed their support. Trading links were also severed with Indians. Furthermore, the Indians felt that British were treating them as subjects rather than their allies. Digital History notes, â€Å"The colonist’s encroachment of Indian land was a source of frontier retaliation in the form of Pontiac’s uprising† (Digital History Web). The Pontiac revolution led various Indian tribes against British forces and settlers. This was a protracted war seeking to reduce British dominance. A number of British soldiers were killed, while settlers fled to safer locations in the eastern side. Challenges

B202 TMA01 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

B202 TMA01 - Essay Example It is applied when there is a new employee who takes a new position in an organization. This process involves a new worker being introduced to his or her managers, supervisors and colleagues. They are also shown new ways of doing things, new environment and the employment conditions to help them learn the job. For instance, at the workplace, one is introduced to the orientation on; the job requirements, office layout, local workplace issues or customs, health and safety information and the workstation. It also involves the use electronic mail and communication system, working conditions, processes and procedures. Apprenticeship is another training program where an agreement is established between a person (apprentice) who wishes to learn a skill and an employer who needs skilled employees. Apprenticeship is an industry -based learning system that involves combining the on-the -job experience with the theory learnt in the classroom. For example in an institution, apprenticeship for learners in a technical classroom may be a continuation from the secondary school system and then followed by successive years of on-the-job-training. When the apprentice completes the specified training period, a certificate of qualification is awarded. Shadowing is the type of training where individuals are given a chance to broaden their knowledge and understanding of a particular role that concerns their current department or other departments. In organizations for instance, it involves making observations on the day to day aspects of the roles, asking questions on various work practices and sharing of the best approaches that can improve on the performance of employees of an organization. Mentoring is the kind of developmental relationship whereby a person who has a long experience in a given field of study assists a person with less experience. At the workplace for instance, mentoring can take place in form of interacting face to face with persons that need constant help on how to carry out their activities. Coaching is a way through which a group of people are directed, instructed and trained with the aim of achieving a particular goal or the development of specific skills. For instance, when people are directed, it involves motivational speaking while training may involve the attending of workshops, seminars and supervised practice (Carter, and McMahon, 2005: 192). Job rotation is a situation whereby there is a lateral transfer of employees among the different positions and tasks within the workplace with the aim of acquiring different skills and responsibilities. In job rotation, the workers are given an opportunity to learn several different skills and perform those duties for a specific time period. In essence, job rotation enables individuals to gain some experience at the various phases in a business to expand their perspectives. For instance, at the senior management it may be done in readiness for a succession plan while at the lower management level job rotation may be done to ensure skill enhancement and also promotions. Tesco Supermarket It is a British supermarket with profits surpassing over billions of dollars. It has employees who are over 400,000 in number and the number of stores exceeds 3,720. It generally deals with foods, drinks, software, financial services, insurance, dental plans, electronics, clothing and internet services. Training at Tesco

NARRATIVE FORM in momento Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NARRATIVE FORM in momento - Essay Example The films story is revealed in two separate narratives, one in color and one in black and white, that alternate with each other. The investigations conducted by Leonard are depicted in color and are in reverse chronological order.The scenes of Leonard talking to an anonymous phone caller in a motel room are in black and white and in chronological order. The two narratives merge into a single color by the time the movie ends.One story line movies forward in time while the other moves backwards. The story begins with a murder of a man called â€Å"Teddy†, by Leonard. This scene is immediately followed by a black-and-white sequence of Leonard, in a motel room talking over the phone. The movie then alternates between black-and-white and color sequences. In chronological order the story can be narrated in this way. It begins with Leonard talking on the phone to an anonymous caller in a motel room. These scenes tell a parallel tale, with flashbacks, of the case of Sammy Jankis, that Leonard had taken up as an insurance investigator. Sammy too had met with an accident and had ended up with anterograde amnesia. Leonard investigates and comes to the conclusion that the mans medical claim on the grounds that it was a mental problem and not a physical one was not true. But Sammys wife does not agree, for it means Sammy is faking the disorder. To test him, she asks him to give her three to four insulin shots in quick succession. Sammy readily does this and she sinks into a coma, but she is satisfied that she has proved that his condition was real. Sammy is taken to an asylum. Leonard then tells the caller how his own wife died. Robbers had raped and killed his wife one night. He manages to kill one of them, but the other hits him on the he ad and runs away. He develops anterograde amnesia as a result of this. He is determined to seek

Foreign Direct Investment In Nigeria

Foreign Direct Investment In Nigeria The Nigeria economy has attained the middle income status according to the World Bank, with its ample stock of natural resources and institutional development and growth in the country. The Stock Exchange market in Nigeria is the second largest in Africa. The GDP Purchasing Power Parity was ranked 31st in the World as at the end of 2011. The balance of payment showed a trade surplus with the United States which is her largest foreign investor and a recipient of the largest export market for U.S. goods. During the  oil boom  of the 1970s, Nigeria accumulated a weighty foreign debt to finance key infrastructural investments. In October 2005, Nigerian authorities had a negotiation with its Paris Club  creditors and concluded on an agreement in which Nigeria debt was discounted by approximately 60%. Nigeria thereby used part of its oil profits to pay the residual 40%, releasing up at least $1.15  billion annually for poverty reduction programmes being carried out. History was rec orded in Nigeria after the debts were paid and was now known as the first African country to pay up all owed debt to the Paris club amounting to an estimated value of $30  billion. It is important to know that Petroleum  plays a large role in the Nigerian economy, accounting for 40% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 80% of Government earnings. The telecommunication market in Nigeria is one of the World fastest growing fastest growing markets with major emerging market operators (like MTN, Etisalat, Zain and Globacom) who based their largest and most profitable centers in the country.  The government has recently begun expanding this infrastructure to  space based communications with a space satellite which is monitored at the Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency Headquarters in Abuja. The financial service sector has developed as a result of the combination of international and local banks, brokerage houses, insurance companies and brokers, asset management companies, private equity funds and investment banks. Rampant inflation has occurred on the Naira and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been trying to control the rate to remai n below 10%, in 2011, CBN increased interest rate, rising from 6.25% to 12%. On 31 January 2012, CBN decided to maintain the key interest rate at 12%, in order to reduce the impact of inflation due to reduction in fuel subsidies. Though the, the inflation rate in Nigeria was recorded at 12.80 percent in July of 2012. The unemployment situation in Nigeria is currently high just like how it has affected the global world due to the economic crisis as it was last reported at 23.9 percent in 2011. 2.2 Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria A definition contained in the Balance of Payment Manual (Washington, D.C. International Monetary Fund, 1997 and 1993) defined Foreign direct investment as investment completed through a long lasting management interest of an organization, enterprise or professional body operating in a country other than that of the investor in question. And must have at least 10% ownership of the organization considered as FDI (Patterson et al 2004). Usually FDI are made by large multinational (MNEs) through acquisition or merger or the development of a new facility. The broad spectrum of all the MNEs is that they play a dominant role in Research and Development by bringing new technologies into such country and also they have great influence on the economy they invest in (Balaam and Veseth, 2008). The debate of FDI has increased as a result of the large flow of FDI into both developed and developing country and its importance on the growth in such economies and global economy at large. The component s of FDI should not be mistaken; this includes equity capital, reinvested earnings and intra-company loans. Equity capital is the foreign direct investors net purchase of the shares and loans of an enterprise in the country of investment other than its own. Re invested earnings is part of an affiliates earning accruing to the foreign investor that is reinvested in that enterprise. And intra-company loans are short or long term loans from parent firms to affiliate enterprise or vice-versa. 2.2.1Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment The economic determinants of inward FDI can be grouped for conveniences sake into three categories each reflecting the motivation for investing in foreign countries in specific Nigeria. This includes resource seeking, market seeking and efficiency seeking. Resource seeking is a principal determinant because the availability of natural resources in the host country determines if such country is well endowed and if investment is possible. In previous years the agriculture sector in Nigeria was booming and served as a great form of investment venture in the economy as the earnings accruing from it boosted the economic growth of the country. However in recent years, the oil and gas industry has overshadowed the agriculture sector and therefore neglected as resources and funds have been used to improve the oil and gas sector. Petroleum oil since then has served as a huge avenue for foreign investors because of the abundance in the country the inflow to that sector has been high and theref ore contributing about 40% to Gross domestic product, 90% of exports and 80% of government revenue. The relevance of economic determinant for attracting market seeking FDI is the market size in absolute terms. Large market can accommodate domestic and foreign thereby helping to boost firms production to operate on scale and scope economies and Nigeria has a wide market base. Efficiency seeking determinants can be other forms that reflect the motivation to invest such as that availability of low-cost unskilled labor in Nigeria. 2.2.2 Challenges of the Operating Environment for FDI Some of the major limitations to attracting investment in Nigeria include unfriendly investment environment, inconsistency in government policies, others are social vices such as insecurity corruption, financial and economic crimes as well as conflicting policies. The challenge therefore is to reverse these: (i) The Capital market The Nigerian capital market was also not secured in the tumults of the global economic crisis, in April 2008; the market experienced a downturn in the history of capital market operations in the country. This unprecedented sinking of the stocks forced both foreign and local investors who had opted for the advantage of the optimal return on investments on the stock exchange began to scoot elsewhere in extreme anxiety. (ii) Energy As a result of the global economic crisis the demand for oil decreased, resulting in oil prices dipping from $140 per barrel in the third quarter of the year to $44, and being the principal source of the countrys revenue earner. The foreign reserves dwindled from $65billion to $45billion within six months from the third to last the quarter of the year. Apart from the above, Nigerias high propensity for imports was also part of the reasons for the fast diminished foreign reserves. In 2006, 2.5millions barrels per day were produced and grew to about 3millions barrels per day. Unfortunately the Niger River Delta violence during this period cut off 600,000 barrels per day. Furthermore, the lack of qualified technical staff was a constraint, kidnapping in the Delta also made recruiting expatriate staff difficult, especially for the oil services companies (iii) Power: Numerous ways of improving infrastructural development have been embarked upon by government but still to no avail. Development of infrastructure particularly electric energy has been and still remains a major concern of investors even despite the Power Reform Program, no productive result has been achieved (Bello 2011). The inadequate infrastructure has imposed high transaction cost for business and thereby militating against growth of the private sector 2.3 Foreign Direct Investment Flows This section discusses and explains the pattern of Foreign Direct Investment flow in the World and in Nigeria. 2.3.1Trends and Pattern of FDI in the World The world economy has gone global due to the liberalization of trade, the breaking of business barriers, technological advancements, capital markets and the growth of international goods and services or ideas over the past decades. Ayanwale (2007), many developing countries see FDI as an important element in their strategy for economic development and this has led to the speedy growth of FDI around the world. In developing countries, Mergers and acquisitions including private- to-private transactions as well as acquisitions through privatization became an important vehicle for FDI (Kyaw, 2003). Therefore, developing countries have made impact on the global economy as a result of large domestic market, cheap and skilled labor, low labor costs and high returns on investment especially in the economics of industrialized states. This has led to many countries improving their business climate to attract more FDI. In fact, one of the pillars for launching the new partnership for Africas de velopment (NEPAD) was to accelerate FDI inflows to the region (Funke and Nsouli, 2003). The trend of FDI depicts in the diagram below of the inflow of FDI in the past twenty years as there has been an upward movement from 1990 and a decrease in1999 then rose again in 2003 and continued to rise until the decrease again from 2007 and has remained very low due to the world economic crises that has been ongoing. Figure 2.1: World Foreign Direct Investment Inflow Source: World Development Indicators 2008 Fifty-seven new measures affecting FDI were introduced by forty African countries of which forty-nine among these measures encouraged inward FDI (UNCTAD, 2007). The increase in FDI inflows largely reflected strong performance and relatively high economic growth (UNCTAD, 2008). 30% of total FDI inflows were accounted for as reinvested earnings as a result of increased profits of foreign affiliates, notably in developing countries. In Africa, FDI inflows increased from $18 billion in 2004 to $36 billion in 2006. This was due to improved prospects for corporate profits, increased interest in natural resources and a more favorable business climate. As regards this, many studies have been conducted to ascertain these; however, the results do not give accurate evidence of the impact of FDI on the economy of developing countries. For example, Lumbila (2005), Sylwester (2005) and Ndikumana and Verick (2008) show that there is a positive effect of FDI on economic growth, while others such as (Fry, 1993, Dutt, 1997; Hermes and Lensink, 2003) gave contrary conclusions. Further, other studies suggest that the effect of FDI on economic growth may depend on whether the country has minimal level of absorptive capacity that is a prevailing environment that can attract FDI such as educated workforce, institutional infrastructure and liberalized markets (Borenztein et al., 1998; Carkovic and Levine, 2002; Le Vu and Suruga, 2005). 2.3.2Trends and Pattern of FDI in Nigeria Nigeria a country well-endowed with natural resources and a very large market sizes qualifies to be a major recipient of FDI in West Africa and indeed one of the top leading West African Countries that has consistently received FDI in years past as we see in the figure below: Figure 2.2: Nigeria Foreign Direct Investment stock Source: UNCTAD 2012 However the level of FDI attracted by FDI has shown no specific significant value in the growth of the economy and is been seen as mediocre (Asiedu 2003) compared with the resources of the country. Furthermore, the empirical relationship between FDI and economic growth has remained unclear despite numerous studies that have examined the subject of interest. However, recent evidence supports that the relationship between FDI and growth may be country and period specific. Asiedu (2001) submits that the determinants of FDI in one region may not be the same for other regions. Although it has been generally acknowledged that FDI is an important aspect of the recent wave of globalization across countries. FDI inflow to diverse regions of the world has been increasing dramatically. The total world FDI as at 1990 stood at US$204443370862.543 and grew dramatically to US$815219446619.453 (World Bank 2012). Only few countries have been successful in attracting significant FDI flows. But West Af rica as a whole has not benefitted particularly from the FDI boom. In West Africa, FDI amounted to 14012.54758974US dollars in 1990 and has been increasing gradually and currently stands at 110394 US dollars (UNCTAD 2012). Although UNCTADs World Investment Report 2004 reported that Africas outlook for FDI is promising, the expected surge is yet to be manifest. Nigeria is one of the few countries that have consistently benefited from the FDI inflow to West Africa and has turned out to be one of the most attractive countries in West Africa in terms of FDI inflows with a value of $69242million in 2011 amongst others such as Ghana with $12320miilion, Liberia with $546smillions, Cote d Ivoire with $6408millions and Niger with $3123millions. Nigeria share of FDI inflow to West Africa in 2011 covers about 63%. As percentage of GDP, foreign direct investment has increased substantially since 1990 till 2001 but began to drop since 2002 and currently stand at 29.16%. Although the value of FDI inflow into Nigeria has been on the increase. This is attributable to the economic reforms and the resulting of macroeconomic stability, which have instilled great credibility in the Nigerian economy. However the FDI contribution as a percentage to Gross domestic Product has fallen but the Nigerian economy has experienced strong growth in recent years. Real GDP growth averaged 7.8 percent from 2004 to 2007, and growth of 6.4 percent in 2007. Sectorally, there was a surge of FDI flows in the primary sector, mainly oil and gas. In 2008 Nigeria was at the top of the ten Africa FDI recipient nations with over US$20billion. The ethnic conflicts and youth restlessness in the Niger delta affected the level of the crude Oil production. The election tension and these socio-political conflicts aggravated the problems of insecurity and hence the improbability in the domestic business environment which in turn impacted negatively on the inflow of FDI. Towards this the Federal Government has improved the security in that region and the youths in that region are being empowered to participate in productive ventures. In addition, the services sector particularly, transport, storage and communications continued to attract FDI since 2006. Oil accounts for nearly 40 per cent of GDP, but from 2001 to 2006-except in 2003-real growth in other sectors outpaced growth in the oil sector. For example the telecommunication sector experienced strong growth after its privatization. In spite of the surplus of studies on FDI and economic growth in Nigeria, the existing empirical evidence on the causal relationship between foreign direct investment and economic growth and the associated benefits is very inconclusive. In spite of a seemingly positive association between FDI and economic growth, the empirical literature has not reached a consensus on the direction of this impact, however, suggesting that foreign direct investment can be either beneficial or harmful to economic growth. The principal driving force for this work is that for developing economies, and for Nigeria in particular, the issue of economic growth is an important one. 2.4Sources and sectorial distribution of Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria Nigeria sources of FDI over the years have been increasing. There are more countries investing in Nigeria than in previous years. Some countries include USA, UK, China, and Netherlands amongst others.   Nigerias most important sources of FDI have traditionally been the home countries of the oil majors. The USA, present in Nigerias oil sector through Chevron Texaco and Exxon Mobil, had investment stock of USD3.4 billion in Nigeria in 2008, the latest figures available. The UK, one of the host countries of Shell, is another key FDI partner UK FDI into Nigeria accounts for about 20% of Nigerias total foreign investment. As China is striving to expand its trade relationships with Africa, it is becoming one of Nigerias most important sources of FDI; Nigeria is Chinas second largest trading partner in Africa, next to South Africa. From US$3 billion in 2003, Chinas direct investment in Nigeria is reported to be now worthwhile. Different sectors have received different amount of FDI in Nigeria. The total volume of FDI captured through the Central Bank of Nigeria is US$7,750billion. This represented about 11% increase over 2007 figure of US$6,935billion. The non-oil sector attracted US$7,109billion which represents about 91% of the inflow with the services sector being the major beneficiary with about 82% of the total inflow into the economy. The banking and finance sector accounted for about 9%. The country remains the highest destination of investment within the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) region by attracting about 50% of the total volume into the region. It is evident to note that when compared to other countries in Africa in terms of total stock of FDI attracted over the last ten years. Nigeria is ranked second to South Africa as we see in the figure below: Figure 2.3: Selected African Countries FDI inflow in comparison with Nigeria Source: UNCTAD 2008 2.5Foreign Direct Investment policies Framework 2.5.1Investment Framework and Bodies The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission Act laid out the framework for Nigerias investment policy in 1995. Under the Act, foreign ownership of 100% is allowed in other industries apart from Oil and Gas industry where investment is constrained to existing joint ventures or new production-sharing agreements. The essence is to promote and facilitate investment in Nigeria. In 2006, a One Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) was set up to bring together agencies with mandate as regards investment and streamline the process of investing in the country. Furthermore, the Commission is required to encourage, promote and co-ordinate investment in the Nigeria Economy. The law allows the Commission to grant approvals on fiscal concessions on industry interrelated incentives such as: Export oriented industry, Local raw material utilization, and Pioneer industries, Implant training, Research and development, Investment on infrastructural facilities, Investment in economically disadvantaged areas; pr ovided that the fiscal incentives for which approvals are given shall be for tax concessions (NIPC 2006-2008 Report). Other Stakeholders that were represented within the One Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) are: Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC): who will be responsible for name search and company incorporation registration. Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS): will be in charge of Expatriate Quota Positions, Regularization of Permanent Work Permits, and other immigration facilities. Nigeria Customs Service (NCS): has the role of issuance of import and export guidelines procedure for citing excise factories goods clearance facilitation and generation information on fiscal policy issues. Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS): is responsible for tax registration, payments of stamp duties, issuance of tax clearance certificate and issuance of tax forms National Agency for Food and Drug administration and Control (NAFDAC): has the function of registration of regulated products, issuance of export certificate, authorization to import of unregistered products Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON): is responsible for facilitating all aspect of standardization activities, approvals or permit for use of standards and provide guidelines for investors. Amongst others. 2.5.2 Other Policy incentives Investment incentives are commonly intended to provide tariff, fiscal and other concessions to enterprises that meet certain criteria such as choice of sector, size, location and employment creation etc. This applies both to foreign and domestic investors. Thus, for the main aim of attracting identified strategic investments, the NIPC by its mandate is expected to execute full authority in the administration of the numerous incentives to encourage investment activities. However, this has not been the case as some Federal Ministries and agencies are also performing this function and leading to misplaced obligation. This requires coordination and streamlining for effectiveness and efficiency. The recent Presidential Committee on Problems of Investors is doing its best in overcoming most of the constraints and attempt are being made to review the incentive regime and make them responsive to the yearnings of investors. Other investment promotional activities include: Sensitization programme aimed at educating the Public on its activities and to seek public support for its programmes. Hosting business and investment forums like successfully organized the 1st Nigeria-Brazil Business and investment Forum which held in Sao Paulo, African Petroleum, Energy and Mining Forum in Beijing, Nigerian Argentine Business Investment Forums and other conferences being organized to promote investment like International Business Leaders Conference (NIPC 2006-2008 Report). 2.6 Linking Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth The link between Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth has been a subject of debate for many decades and has been subject to empirical scrutiny. There have been new found facts about this link due to the emergence of the globalized world in recent times. This is due to the acknowledgement of Multinational Corporation, capital accumulation and large investment in trade in developing countries. Foreign direct investment is bundle of capital stock and technology, and can augment the existing stock of knowledge in the host economy through skill acquisition and diffusion, labor training and the introduction of new managerial practices and organizational arrangements (De Mello 1997). Three literatures have added to the subject of FDI-led growth. First, previous studies based on the assumption that there is only one causality from FDI to GDP growth and have been criticized in more recent studies (for example Kholdy 1995). In other words not only can FDI cause negative or positive ef fect on growth but growth can affect the flow of FDI. Secondly, the new-growth model has resulted in some reappraisal of determinant of growth in modeling the role played by FDI in growth process. Thirdly, the new development in econometrics theory such as time series concept of integration and causality testing has further expanded the ongoing contest of the relationship between FDI and economic growth. Foreign direct investment can impact growth directly and indirectly. The impact of FDI can be seen to directly impact growth through capital accumulation, and the incorporation of new inputs and foreign technologies in the production function of the host country. Neoclassical and endogenous growth models have used empirical test to check the theoretical benefits of FDI. In the neoclassical growth models FDI promotes economic growth by increasing the volume of investment but FDI affects growth only in the short run because of diminishing returns to capital in the long run. Longà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ run growth in the neoclassical models arises from exogenous growth of the labor force and exogenous technological progress. In the endogenous growth models FDI raises growth through technological diffusion from the developed countries to the developing. This permanent knowledge transfer from FDI accounts for the diminishing returns that result in long run growth. The endogenous growth literature has identified country conditions that must be present for FDI to have a positive impact on growth such as the complementarity between domestic and foreign investment, adequate leve ls of human capital, open trade regimes, and wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ developed financial markets. Some of the most important endogenous growth empirical research has been discussed in the literature review section. It is now necessary to look at the impact of FDI on growth in the economy and the analysis on whether FDI has an effect on economic growth; this will be discussed in the next chapter.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo Essay -- essays research papers

Les Misà ©rables is an epic tale of hope, empathy, sympathy, redemption and hate set in post-revolutionary France. Written by acclaimed author Victor Hugo, Les Misà ©rables follows the transformation of its two main characters from criminal to honest man and from dedicated reactionary to compassionate fellow man. Written sometime between 1845 and 1862, Hugo provides a detailed look into nineteenth century France’s society and politics. BY combining his story of redemption with the wrongdoings of the French government, Hugo sharply criticized French political policies and hoped his work may encourage change for the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hugo describes the setting of Les Misà ©rables with great detail. Part of the motives of Hugo were to set a tone of miserable elements for the lead character Valjean, and for anyone who lived under the poverty line in France in the early nineteenth century. Poverty was rampant during these times and with the radical â€Å"science† of reactionaries, many people were condemned for life due to a mistake they may have made early in their life. The surroundings and details described are very accurate and play a very large role in the storyline. This description of the elements faced by the poor and underprivileged was an obvious stab at the government and greatly emphasizes the story’s plot of redemption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The characters in Les Misà ©rables, while not historically factual characters, are very easily believed and would fit perfectly into the time period. Jean Valjean, the protagonist, is an ex-convict who leaves behind a life of theft and deceit for a life as an honest man. He takes on a new persona and makes his fortune honestly and ultimately makes his goal in life redemption. Javert is the story’s antagonist and is a reactionary who believes in the law and will stop at nothing to enforce the harsh laws of France. With no pity, he believes that humans are either inherently good or bad. He sees Valjean’s fortunes as an injustice and chases him relentlessly. Cosette is the adoptive daughter of Valjean, who came to father her through a promise to her mother Fantine, whom Valjean knew only a short time, but fell in love with her quickly. Fantine had fallen in love with a wealthy student who abandoned her and had Cosette out of wedlock. She left Cosette i n the car of the Thenadiers and paid for her u... ...imself into the river. Marius is at first disgusted when he finds out about Valjean’s past, though when he discovers it was Valjean who saved his life, they reconcile on Valjean’s deathbed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Les Misà ©rables depicts the unjust class-based society of nineteenth century France. This system often turned good and honest people into beggars and thieves. Hugo obviously believed the social conditions of the time needed to be reformed, particularly in the areas of education, criminal justice and the treatment of women. The character of Fantine conveys all three of these. Undereducated, she works in a factory where she is fired for immorality and only then forced into prostitution so she could provide for her daughter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This novel provides a detailed look into the early nineteenth century condition in France. It is considered an historical novel for this reason. The novel shows how new and radical thought processes, especially that in the justice and political realm such as the reactionary movement, came to be and were outgrown by the good of all people. Thos is a great historical novel based on any definition of historical fiction.

Discuss the view that the Civil Service has too much influence over policy

The Civil service is the administrative branch of the UK government, set with dealing with the everyday running of the country, rather than a ministerial role, which focus on only some areas. It is they that carry out the more mundane roles, although some Civil Servants do have more exciting life styles with jobs such as testing weaponry that is to be bought by the Ministry of Defence. The Civil Service is to advise ministers on the decisions that need to be made, to brief ministers on the issues involved and to present options to make the minister's decision making easier. At no stage though should Civil Servants be responsible for decision making. There is a clear dividing line between the decision-making role of the minister and the supporting role of the Civil Servant. as Margaret Thatcher put it ‘Civil Servants advise; ministers decide'. Servants are not elected and because of this they should not have the power to make decisions. Decision making is the responsibility of the politicians and it is they who should take responsibility for the success or failures of departmental policy and they should not be held accountable for their advice or for departmental policy. In the case of policy errors or mistakes in implementation it is the minister who has to resign, not the Civil Servant – the Civil Servant should not be held responsible because they have no role in decision making. This can be seen through the resignation In April 2004 of Beverly Hughes. She forced to resign as minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Counter Terrorism when it was shown that she had been informed of procedural improprieties concerning the granting of visas to certain categories of workers from Eastern Europe. While this cannot wholly be seen as their fault, it was they, not the civil servants that advised them that had to resign over the events, due to the fact that they are responsible for the final decision. Ministers have a large workload and have limited time as is shown by the fact that the Core hours in the House of Commons are until 10pm on some evenings, and parliamentary debates sometimes continue into the night, with Ministers having added Committees to sit on and other government business to attend to, as a result, they rely heavily on their Civil Service advice and this puts the Civil Servants into a privileged and influential position. Any advisor should have some influence, if they don't there is not much point in them being there. However, if ministers lack the time to check Civil Servants' advice, the danger is that they will become a mouthpiece for Civil Service policies. Civil Servants also have the opportunity to ‘control' the minister by restricting the supply of information to him or by presenting it in such a way as to limit his options, as was shown by the limited information given to Beverly Hughes. It would be wrong to suggest that this happens often, it remains true that the Civil Service has considerable power. This is deemed as the Minister having gone native and in October 2010, claims were made that Jeremy Hunt had â€Å"gone native†. Also, when Alan Johnson took position of the Home Secretary, he had relatively little experience in the policy of governing the UK and was therefore more reliant on the Civil Service than he may have chosen to be. Manipulation of information may occur. Ministers, such as Alan Johnson, rely on officials to supply them with background facts upon which to base decisions. Skilful officials may be able to present statistics and research findings in a way as to influence final conclusions There is evidence to suggest that the civil service has been politicised due to the increase of special advisers with too much power. It can be argued that Special Advisers can work effectively with civil servants, and it is a relationship of mutual benefit, not a matter of regret. The role of the UK Civil Service is to help the Government of the day develop and carry out their policies and administer the public services for which they are responsible. Ministers have to be able to trust civil servants to be discreet otherwise politicians may feel the need to surround themselves with political appointees whose main virtue is their loyalty to that politician rather than having ability to formulate good policy and then have it implemented. A special advisor can give more biased opinions and can be there to help the Minister, rather than the department, policy or government. Spin doctors such as Alistair Campbell had great influence over policy on the basis of how it would appear to the public, and this can be seen in particular over the time Blair spent talking to him, rather than to the Civil Service over plans for the Millennium. There is also evidence to suggest that individual departments to develop long term policies of their own. When a new minister of government comes to power, the department will seek to impose its own ‘culture' upon them. The Treasury is most often suspected of such tactics, as it is notoriously opposed to increased public expenditure or any radical spending plans, caused by the fact that it has to keep the long term in mind, and the fact that a likely change in government will see most of the polices undone anyway, causing undue harm on the economy. If the senior Treasury officials can persuade each new Chancellor of the Exchequer of the virtues of keeping spending low, their influence automatically grows. An example of this was in 1999, when Chancellor Gordon Brown was resisting calls for extensive increases in spending on health and education, some critics suggested he had ‘gone native', suggesting that Brown had been influenced by the Civil Servants, adopting their norm of behaviour and so losing his enthusiasm for spending. Overall, the Civil Service do have more power over policy than their supposed political neutrality should let them, but it is to be expected in the modern world of political advisors, and the competitive world which seeks public recognition. While the senior civil servants, due to the permanence and long serving nature do have a great deal of power, the average civil servant has less power, and is more reliant upon presentation of the facts in a favourable way then anything else, something which is true with Ministers and Government as a whole.

The Service Company Can Differentiate Its Service Delivery

Principles of Logistics and Marketing Essay â€Å"The service company can differentiate its service delivery in three ways: through people, physical environment and process† (Kotler P, 2005). Introduction: In today’s competitive marketplace companies are competing strategically through service quality for better differentiation. In certain time of period the successful companies were using marketing mix model of four elements: Product, price, promotion and place. However later on, Booms and Bitner suggested the extension of the 4-Ps framework to include three additional factors: People, Physical evidence and process as marketing.The additional 3-Ps has been adopted in the service marketing literature, and also 7-Ps marketing mix model is more useful for services industries like Transport and Logistics. People for most services are the most important and irreplaceable element of the marketing mix. â€Å"Successful companies focus on the services-dominant paradigm with i nvestment in people, technology, human resource policies and compensation linked to service performance of employees. It’s very important because contact employees’ attitudes and behaviours significantly influence the quality of service. (Johnston R, & Clark G, 2005). In other words they represent the â€Å"face and voice† of their organizations to customers. Personnel, who come into contact with customer, have to make positive first impression to achieve customer satisfaction. They are responsible for representation of the image of the service company for which they operate. It is important that employees’ attitudes and behaviours are suitable to the delivery of service quality. For example in Travel industries, service personnel must have knowledge of advertising.The advertising should have positive effects on contact personnel. It should provide tangible clues to the customers and make service offering well understood. It is also necessary for service companies to make sure that employees are giving the best quality performance. The ways to do that can be very simple, for example providing personnel with a necessary tools and equipment, such as mobile phones, computers, or creating better working environment by offering employees: child care service; health care service; family support service; family sick days; flexible return.However to have an affective marketing strategy, service companies have to make eye-catching image of the company for customers satisfaction. To achieve this, service companies are using another marketing mix element: Physical Evidence. â€Å"Physical Evidence in the Booms and Bitner framework refers to the environment in which the service is delivered and any tangible good that facilitate the performance and communication of the service. Physical evidence is important because customers use tangible clues to assess the quality of service provided. (Rafiq, M. & Pervaiz, K. A. 1995) The physical evidence of service is composed of all the physical representations of service. I. e. in transport and logistics service these tangible representations are: buildings, exclusive colour-painted vehicles, letterhead, carry-bags, uniforms of the personnel, package materials with coloured logotypes. Colours also have a meaning for physical evidence. For example red and yellow colours symbolize speed, energy and power.These colours are widely used in transport and logistics services, for example delivery services company DHL, used both colours in their company logo, also the flag carrier airlines of Spain – Iberia, are using these colours in their company logo and on the aircraft they own. By noticing these tangible cues, customers understand what company wants to say about its quality and performance. Also transport and logistics services create its appearance by using the newest model vehicles.From the companies which are using the latest model vehicles, customers automatically expect good service quality and fast transportation. On aircraft when customer is flying in the first class, he expects enough room to lay down, comfortable seats, cabin crew which wears clean and tidy uniforms. Generally speaking, physical evidence is capable to visually reflect what the company stands for, and simplifies the activities of employees. And the main purpose of physical evidence element is that it should be helping potential customers to see what kind of service they are buying.However to achieve customers expectation and satisfaction of the delivery service, an attractive environment is not enough, companies should show visualization of the service processes to the customer. â€Å"Processes are the lifeblood of the service operation. Rather like DNA provides the patter for living organism, a good process ensures that service is delivered consistently, time after time. â€Å"(Johnston R, & Clark G, 2005). It is said that logistics is a process of resource management providing: The right product, in the right place, at the right time. Therefore logistics companies should make this process visible for their customers.I. e. the world largest courier companies such as DHL, UPS, FedEx and TNT are using shipment tracking systems, customers can track their packages on companies’ web sites . On these web sites customers can find out where there shipment is. In other words, courier companies can offer customer real-time details of their shipment’s progress as it speeds through the companies’ network on the way to its destination. By seeing this process customer can evaluate the courier company and if these service processes satisfy him, he probably will be using the company’s service in the future.Therefore the power of IT should be integrated in this segment because it can speed up the availability of the information. Also, service firms use â€Å"service blueprinting† to better manage the service encounter and to allow clearer visualization of the service processes. â€Å"In typical service blueprint, the customer occupies the top zone, management occupies the bottom zone and service operations are inserted between them. † (Shostack, L. G. 1984). Although it should be remembered that, â€Å"Badly designed processes are likely to annoy customers because of slow, bureaucratic, and ineffective service delivery.Similarly, poor processes make it difficult for front-line staff to do their jobs well, result in low productivity, and increase the likelihood of service failures. †(Lovelock, C. H. , Wright, L. 2002). Conclusion: The additional elements of people, physical environment and process, have vital meaning for marketing services. Customers’ satisfaction of service delivery depends on how well these elements: people, physical environment and process, function together. These segments composed of the people who operate the service in the delivery service, the physical environment in hich the services are performed and the service processes which maintains these performances. Besides these three elements of service marketing mix have main influence on clients decision to purchase the service or not. In transport, the core product is service (movement) but there still are number of physical goods needed i. e. vehicles, roads, offices, for the business to operate. Whiles today’s marketplace is on competitiveness peak and the competition between service delivery companies is at the highest level it is important for delivery service companies to provide best quality of service to acquire and retain their customers.Bibliography: Johnston, R. & Clark, G. (2005) Service Operations Management Improving Service Delivery 2nd ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Lovelock, C. H. , Wright, L. (2002). Principles of service marketing and management . 2nd ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. p14. Rafiq, M & Pervaiz K. A. (1995). Using the 7Ps as a generic marketing mix. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 13 (9), pp4-15. Shostack, L. G. (1984). Design Services that Deliver. Harvard Business Review pp133-139.