Government Responsibility for Broadcasting and Creative Industries in the UK Essay

BBC * Breakfast Television, a new venture for the BBC presented by Frank Bough and Selina Scott, began in 1983 and this was followed three years later by daytime television. * Government responsibility for broadcasting and creative industries in the UK lies with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Office for Communications Act 2003 merged a number of regulatory bodies into a new regulatory structure headed by the Office of Communications or Ofcom. Ofcom took over responsibilities from the former Independent Television Commission, Radio Authority, Oftel, Radio Communications Agency and Broadcasting Standards Commission. * The BBC is run in the interests of its viewers and listeners. Twelve Governors act as trustees of the public interest and regulate the BBC. They are appointed by the Queen on advice from ministers. Day-to-day BBC operations are run by 16 divisions. The main BBC Executive Board is made up of 9 directors and is chaired by the Director-General. A Creative Board, Journalism Board and Commercial Board report to the Executive Board. The Executive Board answers to the Board of Governors. BBC Governors differ from directors of public companies, whose primary responsibilities are to shareholders and not consumers. BBC Governors represent the public interest, notably the interests of viewers and listeners. The Governors safeguard the BBC’s independence, set its objectives and monitor its performance. They are accountable to BBC licence payers and Parliament, and publish an Annual Report assessing its performance against objectives CNN * CNN.com is among the world’s leaders in online news and information delivery. Staffed 24 hours, seven days a week by a dedicated staff in CNN’s world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and in bureaus worldwide, CNN.com relies heavily on CNN’s global team of almost 4,000 news professionals. CNN.com features the latest multimedia technologies, from live video streaming to audio packages to searchable archives of news features and background information.

Reaction Paper to Ethics Essay

Ethos – Characteristic way of acting Ethics’ Greek word is ethos. The ethos of man as man is revealed in the following: He is able to distinguish between good and evil, right or wrong, moral and immoral; he feels within himself an obligation to do what is good and to avoid what is evil; and he feels himself accountable for his actions, expecting reward or punishment for them. In our study, ethos refers to those characteristics belonging to man as a rational being endowed with intellect and free-will. It provides the person with knowledge that he may know what to do and how to do it, thus, ethics provides the guides to the performance of an act. In the topic discussed above, I learned that ethos or ethics is important to us, in able for us to become a noble man or noble woman, we need to know what is good and do it and know what is evil and avoid it. We need ethos in our lives to be aware of the result of each action that we do in our everyday lives, if it will result to a good thing which is represented by rewards or it will result to a bad thing which is then represented by punishments or consequences. In our childhood days, we intend to copy the ones who are bigger and older than us, thinking that what they are doing is always right, so we do what they do, because we don’t know how to act yet, we don’t know what is good for us or bad for us back then. Now we’ve grown up and became knowledgeable about what is good and what is evil, but in each day of our everyday life, sometimes forgot that what we have been doing is wrong but seems to be right for us, like lying for the benefit of ourselves to keep us safe from being scolded by our parents, cheating during the quizzes, drinking with our peer groups or circle of friends and a lot more. What I’ve learned in ethics is the ethos: that we are accountable for all our actions and we have an obligation to do things right for us to be able to attain the good life. It gives us awareness for the things we must do and the things we must avoid. We’re not a child anymore, so we know what is good and what is evil, but sometimes, even we know it is bad, we are forced by our own desire to try it. Our curiosity leads us to try things done by common people in our society, then later, we find it good, but deep inside, we feel it is wrong. â€Å"But they did it, so I did it so†, that was the  common alibi. Now, I know that what we’ve done is wrong and we are now expecting punishment for the things we have done. We are now aware and will try to not to do it again. We would not depend on the activity of other people to be our activity too, but rather, we would have a basis in every act that we do, thinking first if it would be good or right for us, or bad f or us. Gerson R. MonteserGeneral Ethics BSIT-CPT IIReaction to Chapter 2 Man must strive for happiness What makes a man happy? Is it riches? Is it gadgets and gizmos? Is it fame? Or is it freedom? So what does make a man happy? I believe that man is a non-contented being, even he said, this is enough, but deep inside of him, he needs more. Man is in a continuous search of things that would make them happy for a long period of time. When a man has this desire to gain an object or an experience that he really loves to have, he will strive for it, he will work for it, and he will do anything to get it. He will set his desire as his goal in life, and he will commit to have it whatever it takes, which is said to be the highest commitment. But, when he achieved his goal in life, he will search for something to have again, and this would result to a never ending desire while he is still here in the earth. Now, the Enlightened One, Gautama Buddha states that man must strive for happiness but happiness can not be attained in this world for it is a state of peace. So, the happiness can be attained by having peace? Is that right? Maybe yes, because Gautama Buddha looks happy and at peace in his monuments, statues, and pictures. So, we have to be in peace in order to achieve true happiness. But how can we achieve peace? In my opinion, you should be contended in material things, and start to be at peace by not worrying for problems that come to our life, instead, be thankful because God gave us another day to live. Problems would never remain a problem, it will just pass in our life like that we are in and obstacle course, and the problems are the obstacle that will add difficulties in our way to success. So, to be at peace, one must be relaxed and just think a problem as a part of life that will make a man stronger than before. If we don’t have problems in  life, we would become a lazy couch potato, we will never do anything because there is nothing to be worried about, so, it’s like we are just the animals here in the earth that doesn’t have any problems. In this lesson, I learned that we must strive for our happiness, and by all means, we must strive to have peace. Some ideas came in thought that Gautama Buddha said happiness is not here on earth, so where can we find happiness? So, this thing comes to my mind, that we can attain true happiness when we are dead. Funny, but it makes sense, because Gautama Buddha added that it is in the states of peace, the happiness must have in the state of peace, and that peace would be when a person is dead, you know, because he would be now rest in peace, funny right? I didn’t know too, so I’m just drawing my own conclusions. Don’t judge me. Well, that’s all. Gerson R. MonteserGeneral Ethics BSIT-CPT IIReaction to Chapter 3 Man does not act without any motive or objective in view I have watched in the television a various number of news about burglary, kidnapping, sexual harassment, rape and slay, illegal drug selling, murder and etc, but the common thing a policeman always try to find out is their motive in doing this so. Motive is the reason why a man does act, and without motive, he has no reason to do the act. In our lesson, this chapter discusses about man and his ends. The definition of an end is both termination and goal of activity. It is that which completes or finishes a thing, and it is that for which the thing is finished. By an end, therefore, we mean the end of an activity or what we call end is the purpose or goal of an act. The only way to give meaning to human existence is to have a goal, the very reason for being and existence. Very well said, the above states all the things that define the man and his end, so what does will it to do with the topic motive? As in my opinion, motive would add to the man’s end, in his will to finish his end, he has to have a motive in doing it, so that, the motive will push his mind to achieve the activity he is trying to end. In my own understanding, activities involving the act of achieving the end is like a man trying to achieve his goal; the reason he work, or the reason he continuous to live is because of his goal that must be achieved to meet  his end. Now, for him to achieve his goal and to meet his end, he must have a great motive or a big reason for all his why’s: why he needs it, why he wants it, and why he must have it. If a person is motivated, and he and his will agrees on that motive, he would be a fierce person, so much eager to achieve something he loves, that no other people could hinder him from achieving his goals, and no one could ever put out the fire that is inside of him that pushes him and making him an indestructible man because nothing stops his way to his end. There was a person here in the earth that demonstrate this kind of motivation and that is Steve Jobs. His doctor said that he would just live in a few weeks because of his severe disease. The doctor added that Steve Jobs must do everything he wants to do before he died. So, Steve Jobs spend all his time in developing apple gadget and his motive is undisputable that he wants to develop a good apple gadget that will be known in the whole wide world. Not knowingly, Steve Jobs live more than the doctor said and he saw how the result he worked hard for and that moment, he accomplished his goal in life, he met his end – the fruit of his motivation. So, that’s what motives do, it pushes someone to do something even it is beyond his abilities. Gerson R. MonteserGeneral Ethics BSIT-CPT IIReaction to Chapter 4 Ignorance – negation of knowledge The absence of intellectual knowledge in man is what we called ignorance. It also means the presence of what is falsely supposed to be knowledge. In my own understanding, it’s the rejection of man to the truth because he doesn’t know what the truth is. Like for example, people becomes ignorant when they feel that they are stupid because other person teach them how to do something. They rejects the knowledge being taught to them, thus, they became ignorant. Ignorant people are proud people, who thinks they are wise but actually they are fool. They seems to be smart in their own ways, neglecting the view of others, they only Lack of education results in ignorance and ignorance finally leads to living in a limited world. People who don’t want to be taught and relies only on what he knows or depends only on their own belief are ignorant. They will defend what they know and will say that it is right even if, in the eyes of others, it is wrong. Thus ignorance is the curse for human beings. They are great hindrances on the path of progress. To achieve the optimum goal, spread of education is must. Without it people are cut off from useful information. Only education can remove the ignorance. After all, education does not hurt but ignorance does. What I’ve learned was that because of ignorance, people kept neglecting the true knowledge they must have, and because of their ignorant thinking, they don’t have any progress at all, their learning is still small and not growing because of their way of thinking that their knowledge is enough and they keep claiming that they know everything and they do not need any teachings from professionals, thus making them a fool of themselves. People in that thinking are boastful and full of pride, always boasting that they know things, pretending to be a professional in every field but they don’t have any basis to prove their statements, they only depend on their own understanding not consulting any other person insights and view. People in the present time is in this situation and the only thing that would be able to put it aside is by means of themselves realizing that their thought and way of thinking is stupidity and nonsense. This could be done by asking him to act what he says to prove if it is true, for if his experience is his best teacher that would teach him the true knowledge about this world. As far as I know, ignorance would not refer only to people with unawareness to knowledge but also people with awareness to knowledge but keep neglecting it. In my conclusion, ignorance could only mean the refusal of a person to knowledge that surely would result to lack of improvement and personal development. Gerson R. MonteserGeneral Ethics BSIT-CPT IIReaction to Chapter 5 Good act may become evil†¦ This caught my attention while I’m reading my module in ethics. I never taught that a good act may become evil, but there is a follow-up phrase, by reason of circumstances. So, a good act may become evil by reason of circumstances and by circumstances we mean, the situation in the present time. As far as I know, this is always been done by people who doesn’t have enough awareness in a particular area he or she currently stay. This good  act that may become evil could be considered as an extrinsic act where the act which is in itself is not evil but is now evil on account of something. I thoroughly searched how a good act may become an evil act and I found out that it becomes evil when you feel you do something good and you are proud of it but in the other side, you’ve just broken a law without further notice. For instance, you saw street children in the sidewalk in Manila, and then, due to your compassionate heart, you gave them coins as your alms to him and you feel great about it. It is good to your side, but it is bad for the community, because you have no assurance that the money you’ve just gave would be spent for food. You gave alms to make you feel better from the pity in your heart; your money, although given with good intentions, just might encourage children to commit crime and make their parents lazy. Children should not beg, they should be in school studying, be with their parents who would take care for them. If you truly wish to do good, you shouldn’t give alms, you should take these children to a good institution that would take care of them, to nurture them and to change their lifestyle. Most of us feel great whenever we encounter these situations, helping others, but some of us are doing this to be known and their hearts are with pride. The true essence of giving is that you never boast to what you did, hence, you give secretly and helping others anonymously. You don’t take credits to what you’ve done because it is a part of your life, to help others, not like those politicians and other government officials that whenever they do projects in helping people, they always put their large name with it stating that it was there project, for the purpose that the people would know that they are good. I learned that not all good are really good; sometimes it becomes bad depending on the circumstances.

Parent-Child Relationship in “King Lear” Essay

At the heart of King Lear lies the relationship between father and child. Central to this filial theme is the conflict between man’s law and nature’s law. Natural law is synonymous with the moral authority usually associated with divine justice. Those who adhere to the tenets of natural law are those characters in the text who act instinctively for the common good–Kent, Albany, Edgar, and Cordelia. Eventually, Gloucester and Lear learn the importance of natural law when they recognize that they have violated these basic tenets, with both finally turning to nature to find answers for why their children have betrayed them. Their counterparts, Edmund, Goneril, Regan, and Cornwall, represent the evil that functions in violation of natural law. All four conspirators are without conscience and lack recognition of higher moral authority, since they never consider divine justice as they plot their evil. Their law is man-made, and it focuses on the individual, not the good of the community. Tragedy unfolds as two carefully interwoven and parallel stories explore the abandonment of natural order and the unnatural betrayal of parent and child. In the primary plot, Lear betrays his youngest daughter and is betrayed by his two oldest daughters. In almost identical fashion, the subplot reveals another father, Gloucester, who betrays his older legitimate son and who is betrayed by his younger illegitimate son. In both cases, the natural filial relationship between father and children is destroyed through a lack of awareness, a renunciation of basic fairness and natural order, and hasty judgment based on emotions. By the play’s end, the abandonment of natural order leaves the stage littered with the dead bodies of fathers and their children. In the opening act, Lear creates a love test to justify giving Cordelia a larger share of his kingdom. Although his kingdom should be divided equally, Lear clearly loves Cordelia more and wants to give her the largest, choice section of his wealth. In return, Lear expects excessive flattery and gushing confessions of love. But instead, Cordelia’s reply is tempered, honest, and reasonable–custom dictates that she share her love between her husband and her father. Just as soon as Cordelia fails to meet her father’s expectations, Lear disinherits her. At Cordelia’s loss, Goneril and Regan are quick to take advantage. They may have genuinely loved their father at one time, but they now seem tired of having been passed over in favor of their younger sister. After Lear states his obvious preference for Cordelia, the older sisters feel free to seek their revenge, turning the family’s natural order on its ear. At the same time, Lear fails to see the strength and justice in natural law, and disinherits his youngest child, thus setting in motion the disaster that follows. Lear puts in place a competition between sisters that will carry them to their graves. In a similar father-child relationship, the opening scene of King Lear positions Gloucester as a thoughtless parent. The audience’s introduction to this second father has him speaking of Edmund’s birth in a derogatory manner. Although Gloucester says that he loves both Edmund and Edgar equally, society does not regard the two as equal–and neither does Gloucester, whose love is limited to words and not actions of equality. According to nature’s law, Edmund is as much Gloucester’s son as Edgar is; but according to man’s law of primogeniture, Edmund is not recognized as Gloucester’s heir. In one of the initial pieces of information offered about Edmund, Gloucester tells Kent that Edmund has been away seeking his fortune, but he has now returned. Under English law, Edmund has no fortune at home, nor any entitlement. Edmund’s return in search of family fortune provides the first hint that he will seize what English laws will not give him. Clearly, Edmund’s actions are a result of his father’s preference–both legal and filial–for Edgar, his older and legitimate son. This favoritism leads to Edmund’s plan to destroy his father in an attempt to gain legitimacy and Gloucester’s estate. Again, the natural order of family is ignored. Gloucester rejects natural law and a parent’s love for his child when he is easily convinced that Edgar–the son he claims to love so much–has betrayed him. Gloucester also puts his faith in Edmund’s command of persuasive  language, when he rejects the love his eldest son has always shown him. With this move, the earl demonstrates that he can be swayed by eloquence, a man-made construct for easy persuasion, which causes him to reject natural law and the bond between father and child. Edmund both ignores and embraces natural law. By betraying his father to Cornwall and Regan, Edmund’s self-serving course of action abandons nature’s order and instead foreshadows the neo-Darwinist argument for survival of the strongest individual. His ability to survive and win is not based on competitive strategies or healthy family relationships; instead, Edmund will take what he desires by deceiving those who trust and love him. Edmund’s greed favors natural law over man’s law because natural law doesn’t care that Edmund is illegitimate. He claims nature as his ally because he is a â€Å"natural† offspring, and because man’s law neglects to recognize his rights of inheritance. But, nature only serves Edmund as a convenient excuse for his actions. His actions against his brother and father are more a facet of greed than any reliance on natural law. One might argue that Gloucester’s cavalier attitude toward Edmund’s conception mitigates Edmund’s actions. When combining this possibility with Edmund’s final scene, in which he tries to save Cordelia and Lear, Edmund clearly shows himself to be of different fabric than Goneril, Regan, and Cornwall. In many ways, Gloucester is responsible for what Edmund becomes. Edmund is as much Gloucester’s son as is Edgar. In embracing the man-made laws that reject Edmund’s legal rights, Gloucester is denying natural laws that would make Edmund and Edgar equal. Gloucester also acts against nature in rejecting Edgar without sufficient proof of his wrongdoing; thus Gloucester shares responsibility for the actions that follow, just as Lear’s love test results in his rejection of Cordelia. Both men are easily fooled and consequently, they both reject natural law and their children. Both act without deliberation, with hasty responses that ultimately betray their descendants. At the play’s conclusion, Goneril and Regan’s abandonment of natural order and their subscription to evil has finally destroyed them. The audience learns early in the final scene that Goneril has poisoned Regan and killed herself. Their deaths are a result of unnatural competition, both for power and for love. But Lear is the one who set in motion the need to establish strength through competition, when he pitted sister against sister in the love test. For the audience, the generational conflict between parent and child is an expected part of life. We grow impatient with our parents and they with us. We attempt to control our children, and they rebel. When Goneril complains that Lear and his men are disruptive and out of control, we can empathize–recognizing that our own parent’s visits can extend too long or that our children’s friends can be quite noisy. Shakespeare’s examination of natural order is central to our own lives, and that is one of the enduring qualities of King Lear.

Stock Vs. Bonds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stock Vs. Bonds - Essay Example However, before delving further into this economic argument it is best to, first of all, understand the definition and composition entailed in the term ‘risk.’ This is because there has been a general misconception and understanding of the term ‘risk’ more so among long-term investors. In this regard, much of the literature regarding the term ‘risk’ is misconstrued and totally misleading to long-term investors. This is somewhat due to the over-reliance and stressing on ‘short-term volatility’ (Nicholson, & Snyder, 2009). According to the definition generally accepted by the investment community and long-term investors, the risk is regarded as the volatility return accrued from an investment in the short term of daily, annual or monthly. Evidently, the measurement of the volatility of returns is either by standard deviation or variance. From this perspective, the definition offered is flawed in relation to a long-term investor for two reasons. Foremost, the conclusions and analysis drawn are reliant on nominal returns while blatantly paying no attention to the erosion of purchasing power instigated by inflation (Nicholson, & Snyder, 2009). In the case of investors in the short term, inflation is not a significant concern but of high impact during the long-term. The second flaw is that the conclusions and analysis drew more than often place an emphasis on the volatility of daily, monthly or annual returns. In the case of many investors, a focus that is based annually maybe more appropriate. However, fo r long-term investors, their concerns should me mostly focused on risks consistent with their long-term wealth parameters and not basically focused on the short-term pitfall along the way (Nicholson, & Snyder, 2009). Evidently, stocks provide higher return potential when compared to bonds. However, they accrue a greater volatility in the process. The major questions arising from this percent are; why do stocks produce more returns when compared to bonds?

Sarbanes Oxley and its Influence on the Finance and Information Coursework

Sarbanes Oxley and its Influence on the Finance and Information Technology - Coursework Example One reason for its significance is its scope along with the material shift it signifies in the balance of federal and state regulation of corporations. Historically, substantive regulation of corporate procedure and governance has been primarily the province of state regulation, while the federal securities laws have regulated disclosure. (Klimko, May 2004) The second reason is that SOX seeks to improve investor confidence by tightening government regulation of the accounting, reporting, and corporate governance practices of public companies. Many of the Act's provisions require the SEC to adopt implementing rules, and many rules have been adopted since the Act became law. (Klimko, May 2004) In this respect, positive changes are recorded in corporate auditing controls and compliance procedures. The Act also established the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to regulate accounting firms who perform audits on the financial statements of publicly held companies. The board's mission is clear: to tighten accounting standards and restore confidence in the profession. Subject to direct SEC supervision, this body also is responsible for disciplinary action--everything from investigation to significant fines--against any company found in noncompliance with the Act. (Longnecker, 2004)As is generally the case with governmental intervention in the affairs of business, Sarbanes-Oxley has triggered many unintended side effects. Most experts agree that it has changed several facets of business, including the concept of the executive seat; the way honest, hard-working CEOs interpret their roles; and the methods scandal-weary boards use to operate and make decisions moving forward. (Longnecker, 2004) Further, the uncertainty surrounding the legislation's impact on auditing, financial reporting, executive loans, etc. has had a chilling effect on operations in boardrooms across the U.S. Leading decision makers at companies are, in many cases, so intently focused on legislative issues that they have been distracted from fully focusing efforts on their business' primary operations and creating shareholder value. Additionally, it is not just the CEO and CFO who are being asked to certify financial records and take on additional risks and responsibilities. Although not specifically mandated by Sarbanes-Oxley, many companies are r equiring certifications of financial results by their division presidents, department heads, and other senior management in an effort to comply with corporate governance and controls. As the process continues to filter down through the ranks, simply conforming with these laws could end up costing shareholders more than they ever thought possible. In essence, the ripple effect of Sarbanes-Oxley very easily could take businesses from a place of under regulation to one of overregulation, which can be just as dangerous for a variety of reasons.

Democratization in the Third Wave European Countries Essay

Democratization in the Third Wave European Countries - Essay Example There have been three waves of democratization. The first wave started in the 1820’s, as suffrage widened and more citizens in Europe demanded their rights (Huntington 1991, p.3). It started in the US and then spread across the British dominion (Huntington 1984, p.196). However, in 1922 Mussolini came to power, which marked the return to autocracies. By the end of World War II, only 12 democracies were left, in comparison to 29 beforehand (Huntington 1991, p.3). The second wave was supported, and imposed by the Allied Forces after World War II. In 1962, the zenith was reached with 36 democracies (Huntington 1991, p.3). Many of them were also former colonies (Huntington 1991, p. 31 – 108). After 1962, democracy again experienced a decline (Jaggers & Gurr 1995, 477). In 1974, the third wave started. This wave was marked by the shifts to democracy in Portugal, Greece and Spain (Huntington, 1991, p.4). The Catholic Church became an opponent of autocracies in the 1960’s (Huntington 1991, p.77). The European Union (EU), then known as the European Community (EC), conditioned the benefits of access to their markets on democratization. Greece joined EC in 1981, and Spain and Portugal followed. By 1994, according to Jaggers and Gurr (1995, p.479), there were 50 percent democracies and only 18 percent autocracies in the world. However, they also classified countries into incoherent systems, claiming that 19 percent countries were autocracies and 13 percent democracies (Jaggers & Gurr, 1995, p.479).... 31 – 108). After 1962, democracy again experienced a decline (Jaggers & Gurr 1995, 477). In 1974, the third wave started. This wave was marked by the shifts to democracy in Portugal, Greece and Spain (Huntington, 1991, p.4). The Catholic Church became an opponent of autocracies in the 1960’s (Huntington 1991, p.77). The European Union (EU), then known as the European Community (EC), conditioned the benefits of access to their markets on democratization. Greece joined EC in 1981, and Spain and Portugal followed. By 1994, according to Jaggers and Gurr (1995, p.479), there were 50 percent democracies and only 18 percent autocracies in the world. However, they also classified countries into incoherent systems, claiming that 19 percent countries were autocracies and 13 percent democracies (Jaggers & Gurr, 1995, p.479). These are less stable than coherent systems. Papaioannou and Siourounis (2008, p.384) determined that among 174 countries between 1960 and 2005, there were 63 democratic transitions and 3 reverse transitions from relatively stable democracy to autocracy. In the 1990’s, it was questionable whether young democracies were going to survive. According to Shin (1994, p.137), since governments depend on people or demos, democracy can only survive if people support it. However, at the time, newly democratic countries lacked factors that facilitate democratization such as civic organizations and market economies (Shin 1994, p.137). According to Rose and Shin (2001, p.334), â€Å"[w]hile the third wave has increased by 77 per cent the number of countries holding competitive elections, the number of countries recognizing political and civil liberties has increased by only 40 per cent.† As a result, the third wave in many

Final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Final paper - Essay Example It is time the government legalized the sale of organs. Legalization of organ sales will lower vital organs-related deaths boosting the supply of such organs, eliminating illicit organ markets, allowing access to cheaper organ transplant, and compensate donors. The demand for organs is overwhelming, and yet the supply is far too low. Right now, over 85,000 people in U.S. alone are on the list of those waiting for organs (Calandrillo 72). Out of these, a majority (about 60,000) requires a kidney, 17,000 are in desperate need of a liver, 4,000 are hoping for a lung, while 3,500 are desperate for a heart. The organs are the most important for the survival of any human being. Any defect in them can shorten a person’s life within a short period. The patients on the waitlist thus urgently need them as they are living on borrowed time. However, the supply of these organs is shockingly far much less. Calandrillo says that the year 2003 saw organs harvest from only 13,000 individuals to facilitate the mere 25,000 transplants in the U.S. (72). It means that the many patients who were not successful to get a required organ sadly died. Ironically, the painful shortage is because a majority of the organs go to the grave when the owners die. A lack of donation-appropriate organs is not a primary cause. A bumper sticker once read, â€Å"Please do not take your organs with you to heaven. Heaven understands that we are desperate for them here on the earth† (The Economist). Each year witnesses many Americans die in ways that would make it possible for an organ harvest. For example, some die in road accidents, others due to heart attacks and strokes but organs come from only a few of the possible donors. In fact, about 75% of the Americans are not ready to donate organ upon their death. Hence, the remaining percentage that have opted to offer an organ cannot sufficiently meet the national needs. The situation

Marketing management - Emirates Airlines Assignment

Marketing management - Emirates Airlines - Assignment Example Emirates Airlines is one of the profitable airlines in the world. It is the world’s second most profitable airlines (Graham, Papatheodorou and Forsyth 157). However, it is vital to practice a proper marketing strategy for the sustainable position. The 7 Ps of marketing mix and the PLC is very much important. The CRM must be maintained, the loyal customers are the real buyers of the products in the long term basis. The airline industry is basically the hospitality industry and in this particular industry the customer relation is the most important marketing communication key. The traditional marketing mixes are very much important in most of cases and they are product, price, place and promotion. However, in case of service based industries the four Ps of traditional marketing Mixes are not enough. There are three more entities which are very much important and they are people, physical evidence and process. Among these people and process are the communicating entities which ar e very important for doing business. However the physical evidence is the most important for the product as the physical evidence give out the most important significance for the sales of the product. The emirates airline is among the top service providers in the airlines industry. The company is pretty much up market with the expected demand of the consumers. The hospitality industry is a very fragile industry. One mistake can create a lifelong bad impression for a particular product. So, in case of service oriented industry the customer relation management and the post sales services are pretty much important for a long term business relation with the existing customers. Marketing is the

Romantic Love Is a Poor Basis for Marriage Essay

Romantic Love Is a Poor Basis for Marriage - Essay Example Many people have claimed to have fallen in love, which then lead to marriages after a short time. Romantic love grows between people who know each other well, meaning that the people have to be increasingly in close contact with one another (Putte and Matthijs, 580). Love is thus taken as a bond that unites a couple in marriages, and the fuel that is supposedly making relationships in marriages to thrive. However, in closer examination of marriages in the society today, the aspect of love in marriages is blurred and in most cases hard to determine. This is because there are increasing rates of divorces and separations among young married couples, with others going to the extent of taking their partner’s life. Considering that romantic love involves close interaction and coherence in mutual understanding between the partners, these trends clearly portray that romantic love is a poor basis in marriages. Determining whether romantic love can thrive over time requires understandin g of the basic relationships, principles and their applications. This means that partners have to have a clear perception concerning such love in the short and long term basis and not depend on perceptions of others or higher expectations.â€Å"Love is an abstract construct that has been debated, discussed, mused and speculated over many years† (July, 1). ... These social models indicate that women tend to seek men with financial resources and men tend to seek physically attractive women (July, 3). In these social constructs, the issue of romantic love does not suffice in any event, and the issue of convenience takes lead in determining marriage partners. Securing the future the financial future of the family seems to be the priority in many women while men seek for the pride of having an attractive woman. These are issues of compatibility that have to be considered in marriages in addition to the romantic love. Infatuation that might be related to romantic love in most cases has been confused with love, and as many people get into marriages, infatuation is in most cases to blame. Mponda (16) in outlining the creation story in the book of Genesis notes that when men and women meet the opposite sex, there is a tendency to get excited and think that they have fallen in love. They will therefore start plans of staying together believing that they are in love. Mponda (17) defines infatuation as â€Å"having an intense but short lived passion for somebody.† Passion in this case is an intense enthusiasm for something. Since the passion is short lived, such marriages end up in divorces at an early stage. The close interaction mostly among the young people in most cases results to infatuation. Putte and Matthijs (580) compare this to the short romantic outbursts that are involved in romantic relationships. Social groups in addition accelerate these trends. However as the passion fades away, such romantic outbursts are temporary and fade away with time and thus cannot be best indicators in marriage. Glaser and Malarkey (176) argue that poor communication is responsible for

HR Practices At For Profit And Not For Profit Organizations Essay

HR Practices At For Profit And Not For Profit Organizations - Essay Example This move toward HR puts information, authority, rewards, and a communication system in place at each stage in an organization. If organizations are to be sustainable in the middle to long-term, workers must be provoked to care about the job they do, to obtain knowledge-related skills, and to execute the work to the best of their capabilities. Superior employee participation can only be attained during a cautiously directed procedure that struggles for contribution by incorporating the personality with the organization to attain high efficiency and spirited benefit. This course engages reformation the work so that it is demanding, motivating, and inspiring as probable. Employees at all stages are set authority to control decision-making, they are given information concerning the organization's processes and presentation, and they are skilled so that they can function with a talented accepting of the industry. Though, elevated quality employees do not guarantee an organization of having a stable spirited benefit or even a short-term benefit. If employees are inadequately aggravated or if the right organizational systems are not in position, the employees' aptitude may be exhausted or lost to opponents (Pfeiffer & Veiga, 1999). As well, leadership is serious to the stability of an organization and it desires to be renowned that the leaders of organizations now need new talent and capability. Old methods of leadership, shatterproof by conventional bureaucratic hierarchies, are no longer suitable to organizations that at the present face confronts of challenging in worldwide markets and speedy technical modifications (Fitz-enz, 1993). Importance of HR Practices Profitable and non-profit organizations have altered noteworthy features of their service policies throughout the 1990s. According to Dyer and Reeves (1995) the function of trade unions has turn down, bartering about employment circumstances and earnings has moved to the endeavor stage and rising numbers of organizations are initiating systems to converse straightly with their employees. There has been an enlargement in reimburse for presentation schemes, supple service practices, teaching, performance evaluations and wider work arrangements. These expansions entail an importance on humanizing employee presentation even as together growing the suppleness of labor. Current literature in the delayed 1990s places tough stress on the requirement for high- participation labor practices, better employee contribution in decision-making and control over how the work is carried out and augmented elasticity and casualization of the staff. The practical and hierarchical managerial structures have given means to wider and praise arrangements where self-directed work teams have become more widespread and workers and employees have a contribution to the

How Is Animal Abuse Linked to Human Abuse Essay Example for Free

How Is Animal Abuse Linked to Human Abuse Essay How is animal abuse linked to human abuse? What is animal abuse? Abuse is define to be a misuse or mistreatment and attempt to harm another person or thing. Several studies have shown that animal abuse and neglect may indicate that others in the home maybe at risk of abuse and neglect, also. Abuse has become a common place across the nation and taking on many different forms of abuse. It is believed that animals as well as humans have every right to a good life just as those who physically, psychologically, and sexually perform such act against them. Physical abuse is known as to involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm. It is said, â€Å"Physical abuse is when a person hits, slam, pulls hair, harms by use of weaponry, murder, bites, or burns. Whereas physical neglect is failure or delay to provide healthcare, abandonment an expulsion. Neglect is also includes leaving a child under inadequate supervision, nutrition, hygiene and clothing as well as in regards to safety and welfare†(Jilani. Difference between Abuse and Neglect. May 6, 2010) Animal and human abuse fall hand in hand when coming to such situations. There are countless abuse cases of animals being cared for with cruelty and has related in every situation involving a human. Both relate very similarly when being faced with such harmful and abusive environment. The pain, suffering and death upon an animal being physically abused can compare to a human being physically abused by their spouse or one who is the abuser. The list can go on different ways an individual will perform acts of abuse toward the subjects. Thesis statement: In today’s society, cruelty towards animals is a growing epidemic because people do not have the value this worth of animal life. These acts of have placed many innocent lives into danger and until this day it still occurs. Studies have shown that â€Å"In 88 percent of 53 families where various forms of child abuse had taken place, animal abuse had also occurred. In two thirds of these families the animal abuser was the father figure; in one third it was a child. The researchers suggested that, in s uch cases, pet abuse by children was often a manifestation of children was often a manifestation of children’s response to their own victimization; a replication of the dynamics of their own abuse  on powerless pet figures. Of 233 British families with a history of animals neglect. In one study of battered women, 57 percent of those with pets said their partners had harmed or killed the animals. One in four said that she stayed with the batterer because she feared leaving the pet behind† (Pet-Abuse.com, 2001) These are the relationships of animals and humans when in dealing in such physical within a household or just an abuser who has no heart to give proper care for one of the two. This article also states of families who are being abused by other members within the family hood would tend to do the same well aware of his or her actions and is careless of their actions. Here is where an individual’s rights will come into play to protect themselves from being harmed in every way such. An animal should be given every equal right to live a good life and be given the nurture and care that is needed. There are lists of abuses an animal or human may face on a daily basis but another abuse that is popular in dealing with abuse cases is being psychologically abused. Psychological abuse is defined as emotional or mental abuse. These two characters of abuse basically are being abused imperceptibly when dealing with the mind. This is known to be more harmful only due to it affecting how a person may think and feel about themselves. An animal abuse in a psychological form may be similar. The abuser will teach the animal of thinking in ways that may cause the innocent animal to feel harmed and afraid. In this type of environment an animal or human might believe what the abuser is saying and continue to follow with the mentality of feeling frightful that if they disobey they will be abused. It states that â€Å"the abuser projects their word, attitude or actions onto an unsuspecting victim usually because they themselves have not dealt with childhood wounds that are now causing them to h arm others† (BOGDANOS, 2013). There is huge relationship of animal being abused linked to a human that is sin the same position. They will be verbally being hit with harsh words that will hurt how they will react to such abusive actions psychologically. As we understand that being psychologically abused may not cause physical damage but it may cause those being abused pain and scarring. The National Coalition against Domestic Violence stated â€Å"Psychological abuse is the systematic perpetration of malicious and explicit nonphysical health of the  victim and victim’s loved ones, controlling the victim’s freedom, and effectively acting to destabilize or isolate the victim. Psychological abuse frequently occurs prior to or concurrently with physical or sexually abuse. While psychological abuse increases the trauma of physical and sexual abuse, a number of studies have demonstrated that psychological abuse independently causes long-term damage to its victims, mental health† (VIOLENCE,2005-2011). This can lead into an unhealthy relationship if the abusiveness continues and may result into physical violence. It can result in depression, problems with self-esteem, poor sleep, alcohol or drug use, and becoming suicidal, among other things. People who are being abused may feel absolutely trapped in a relationship that they cannot escape, and begin to feel that they somehow deserve the abuse. Being abused with your emotions and mind may cause a thing or person to believe even more the self –esteem drops, you lose confidence and you find it hard to get back on the right track of mind. A few example of psychological abuse as stated in a site are â€Å"emotional abuse includes non-physical behaviors such as threats, insults, constant monitoring or â€Å"checking in†, excessive texting, humiliation, intimidation, isolation or stalking† (loveisrespect.org, 2007-2013). It is when someone’s insult and disrespect you verbally. It causes a person pain mentally and emotionally. Effects that may occur in facing psychological abuse are well known to those who are the abuser and to every other individually who is willing lend a helping in saving a life. There may be a list of ways to heal and solve the iss ue of being abused but it is up to the individually that will not let anyone nor their words or actions falter you from living life. Last but not least another link of abuse between animals and humans is sexual abuse. The American Psychological Association defines sexual abuse as â€Å"sexual abuse is unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, making threats or taking advantage of victims not able to give consent. Most victims and perpetrators know each other. Immediate reactions to sexual abuse include shock, fear or disbelief. Long-term symptoms include anxiety, fear or post-traumatic stress disorder. While efforts to treat sex offenders remain unpromising, psychological interventions for survivors, especially group therapy that appears effective† (ASSOCISTION, 2013). This information has shared quite a link between animals and humans when dealing with sexual  abuse. The relationship of being sexually abused is similar. For instance, the abuser will force themselves unto an animal or human and perform unwanted acts sexually that is not pleasing and very harmful to this innocent life. There are many other relationships as of humans performing sexual activity upon animals, which are against the law and should not even be thought upon in the first place. Others may be of another human against another human. They may show sexual abusive actions that may cause fear to the victim and forcefully perform such actions. These are some ways that are mostly known of how animals or humans may be sexually abused. Some could be of two individuals who practically know each other well, but one may feel in need of sexual activity and will forcefully do so while the victim is refusing. Here is another infamous way that we most often hear when it comes down it sexu al abuse. Sexual abuse has been around for many of years. As for animals, there are several of reasons why humans sexually abuse animals. They use animals as to experiments, in pornography, as sexual partner to gain satisfaction of their wants of pleasures and needs. For these reasons it has become as to force an animal, physical violence involves the use of animals for degradation and sexual exploitation of the battered partner. According to Lenore Walker (1979), bestiality may be a part of further tormenting and humiliating the victim. In Walker’s (1984) interviews with battered women, bestiality was mentioned as one of the â€Å"unusual sex acts† desired by their partners, it was found that this experience occurred with 41% of the battering partners and 5% of the non-battering partners. Child sexual abusers may also sexually abuse animals to enhance, expand or extend the abuse of the genuinely powerless and unsuspecting victim (Adam, 1994). Some case studies of sexual abuse of children include reports of forcing children to interact sexually with animals (Ascione, 1993). A child’s sexual abuse of an animal may be a warning sign that the child is a victim or witness of physical, sexual or emotional abuse† (SHEET). In conclusion, we have come to an understanding of all the different types if animal and within this research. As we know that the rate of abused animals and humans has risen dramatically over the past years. There has not  been much of a change from a day basis. Physical abuse as we all knows that it is the most well-known form of abuse that is being faced and is the traumatic one deal with. In other cases, Psychological abuse is another serious form of abuse although it is not as harmful as being physically abused. As to being sexually abused is another form which adds on to the list of abuses. These few forms have not only harmed innocent lives but have caused so much hurt and taken time away to heal. Animals and humans may be saved if dealt and prevented in the early stages of abuse. Others times it might be too late which may cost one to lose their life over carelessness and being mistreated or misused. Today’s society continue to strive in searching for ways to save lives of those being abused and to educate those in whom are abusers of what wrong doings they have become. Being that animals are not humans but their relationship is similar to each other and how they are treated. This is why I believe that animals and humans should be treated equally along with the rights against abusers in order to save their innocent lives from falling into hands of the abusers. References ASSOCIATION, A.P. (2013). SEXUAL ABUSE. Retrieved from AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION: http://www.apa.org/topics/sexual-abuse/ BOGDANOS, M. (2013, 05 31). SIGNS OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE. Retrieved from PSCH CENTRAL: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/02/20/signs-of-emotional-abuse/ Loveisrespect.org. (2007-2013). Emotional and verbal abuse. Retrived feom loveisrespect.org: http://www.loveisrespect.org/is-this-abuse/types-of-abuse/what-is-emotional-verbal-abuse Pet-Abuse.com. (2001). Pet-Abuse.com. Retrieved from Pet-Abuse.com: http://www.pet- abuse.com/pages/abused_connection/whole_pictures.php SHEET, A. S. (n.d). ANIMAL SEXUAL ABUSE FACTS SHEET. Retrived from ANIMAL SEXUAL ABUSE FACTS SHEET: http://www.vactf.org/pdfs/bestiality-factsheet.pdf VIOLENCE, N.C. (2005-2011). PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE. Retrieved from NATIONAL COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: http://www.ncadv.org/files/Psychological Abuse.pdf

Decalogue is no longer relevant Essay Example for Free

Decalogue is no longer relevant Essay With reference to other aspects of human experience, explore the view that the teaching of the Decalogue is no longer relevant. Justify your answer. [15] The Decalogue could be considered irrelevant because it belonged to a different era and it cannot address the complex moral dilemmas of modern life, such as abortion and IVF. It is hard to apply absolutist statements such as ‘do not kill’ to the unborn, due to the debate surrounding when life actually begins. Furthermore, the Decalogue was addressed to the nation of Israel. God chose Israel. The one thing about which the Jews are absolutely sure is that they are the chosen people: that in some way or other they specially and uniquely belong to God. This makes it irrelevant for other cultures. Morality is often relevant to culture. For example, in some countries such as Saudi Arabia stoning people may be seen as moral, yet most Western countries would disagree. You cannot expect one moral code to be relevant worldwide. In our modern age of pluralism and secularism, the commandments seem very negative, as they are predominated by prohibitions. As presented by Moses, however, and taken as a whole, they are primarily religious. Relevant to Judeo-Christian believers, not so much to others. And, really, we didnt need the god of Moses to tell us its wrong to commit murder, steal, and commit perjury. That is, or should be, common sense. And societies not based on Judeo-Christian principles have managed to recognize this without the help of Moses. So, to protect our constitutional rights, I have to say that the ten commandments are irrelevant to modern secular society, but may have relevance within the confines of certain religious organisations. On the other hand, the Commandments can continue to inform moral decision making. Religious or not, society would greatly benefit if people did not kill, steal or commit adultery. The original settlers in America based their laws upon the Ten Commandments, and Samuel Adams Father of the American Revolution, Signer of the Declaration – wrote, In the supposed state of nature, all men are equally bound by the laws of nature, or to speak more properly, the laws of the Creator. Pope Francis encouraged people to embrace â€Å"the art of living through the Ten Commandments. † The principles of loving God and your neighbour remain relevant: â€Å"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome† (1 John 5:3). The Ten Commandments were essentially a summary of the entire Old Testament law. Nine of the Ten Commandments are clearly repeated in the New Testament (all except the command to observe the Sabbath day). Obviously, if we are loving God, we will not be worshipping false gods or bowing down before idols. If we are loving our neighbours, we will not be murdering them, lying to them, committing adultery against them, or coveting what belongs to them. The Ten Commandments are the very basis of Christian morality. According to S Michael Houdmann, â€Å"The purpose of the Old Testament law is to convict people of our inability to keep the law and point us to our need for Jesus Christ as Saviour. † Furthermore, the Ten Commandments remind us to slow down. We live in an age of 24/7 connectedness, especially to our jobs. Research shows that longer workweeks are associated with a decline in physical and mental health. The third commandment reminds us that the Sabbath is a needed respite and, as one Jewish rabbi put it, a â€Å"celebration† and a chance to connect with family. To conclude, the Decalogue remains relevant to Christians but not general society. According to Nick Spencer of the Guardian, the average Briton can quote four of the Ten Commandments from memory. Some 6% of people know all 10 from memory, and six of the Ten Commandments are deemed relevant by a majority of people (sabbath, no other gods, no graven images, and taking Gods name in vain all missed the cut). This suggests that the Decalogue is at least partially relevant to most people.

Strategies for Patient Safety in Drug Administration

Strategies for Patient Safety in Drug Administration This essay will focus on the aspect of nurses providing quality care in relation to patient safety within the nursing context of safe practice of drug administration. It will further discuss the underlying risk factors that are related to drug administration error and also discuss how to maintain a good practice to ensure patient safety. Robert et al cited in the National Nursing Research Unit (NNRU 2012) that quality care can be defined as when a patient is satisfied with a service or treatment being given by healthcare professionals.To achieve thisresult nurses need support, providing them facilities such as a good workforce and understanding to help improve safe practice (NNRU 2008). As Griffith et al (2003) stated, medication administration is one of the most important duties that are commonly undertaken by nurses which requires official authorized professional mandatory in hospitals or any care settings where care is delivered. These also, are responsible for their own standard of how to care for their patients (NMC 2008). Consequent to this, NMC (2010)standards for pre-registration nursing education emphasise that nurses are expected to work along with patients andcarerswhen administering drugs by means of facilitating information in regards to their treatment so that the patient can choose the right medical treatment. Corben V (2009) recommended that if nurses provide patients with enough information as well as educating them will increase patient trust and courage to take their medications. NMC (2008) further suggested that nurses should work with the five rights of medication administration in delivering care in clinical settings. This involves; the specify patient, the right drug, route, time and dose thus preventing drug administration error. However, Elliot Liu (2010), emphasise on nine rights including right documentation, action, form and response of drug management to maximise safe drug administration. National Patient Safety Agency (2004) defines patient safety as an event that accidentally may cause damage or does not damage patients in clinical settings where care is delivered. Consequently, these nine rights are there to guide nurses, failure to do so may not onlyprotect the patient from harm thus could also lead to legal action against the registered nurse (Schelbred Nord 2007). This means the nurse is known to be competent in carrying  out such task (NNRU 2012). This can also cause the National Health Service (NHS) a huge amount of expenses (NPSA 2007). According to NPSA (2011a) in Tingle J (2011a) indicate that 11% of medication errors in hospital were reported including patients’ falls and trips. However, the rise of incidents reported does not mean that patients’ safety is at high risk. Nonetheless, this is to bring awareness for nurses to provide a good quality care. Therefore, the nurse should show concern in patient safety (NPSA 2011c cited in Tingle J). Elliot Liu (2010) highlighted that nurses are required to administer drugs to the right patient as prescribed. This involves verifying the patient’s name alongside by asking him or her to state their names, date of birth and hospital identity number on the wristband as well as drug chart which shows a safe practice. Nonetheless, calling patients’ by their name may not confirm the patient identity as some patient with cognitive impairment or having language barrier might respond with no doubt (Bunker Kowalski 2008). However, Elliot Liu (2010) cited that in some clinical environments, not all patients such as mental health and service userin nursing homes carry wristbands with the hospital identity number, as they may not be capableof identifyingthemselves individually. Therefore, Lynn P (2011) also argues that in general, the ideal method is that nurses should be checking patients’ wristband to identify their name. Nevertheless, Shulmeister L (2008)pointsout that nurses working under stress due to heavy work-load could lead to not verifying patients’ identity beforegiving medication as required. Although this does not justify for a staff nurse not to follow the guideline of patient safety (Gould 2009). Additionally, nurses are expected to give the right drug to the patient as being prescribed. In a situation where the nurse is in doubt or not familiar with the prescribe drug, the nurse administering medication should use the British National Formulary as a guide (Dimond 2003).Williams D.J.P (2007) cited that an error in drugadministering could occur when a patient is prescribed the wrong drug without understanding the patient’s medical status. Benjamin D (2003) emphasised that nurses should assess patients’ knowledge of any allergies from the right drug being prescribed.Where there is a good quality of safe drugadministration, staff administering drug are expected to do so. If an allergy is identified, it is thenurse’sduty to document it and address it to the prescriber. Although Elliot Liu (2010) cited that sometimes for the patient’s best interest, they are given medication in spite of any sensitive reaction that the patient may have experienced due to the benefits of administering the right drug is more than the allergy experience. As a result the nurse administering should take this into account. In addition to this, an effective team work within the multidisciplinary is essential as this contributes to patient safety (Miller et al 2001). Consequently, registered nurses inform the prescriber immediately when a patient surfers a possible reaction from the drug given and documented. Thus this prevents patient from danger which may have been caused by the medication given NMC (2008). Elliot Liu (2010) furthermore highlighted that safe drug administration does not only involve giving the right medication to a patient but also it is the duty of a nurse to observe if the patient is responding well to the drug given. Consequent to this, the nurse will have to assess the patient’s effectiveness of certain drugs being administered like anticoagulants; anti-arrhythmics and insulin which are so potential that the patient’s blood glucose level, pulse rate, respiratory or urine output will need to be checked. Wright K (2009) state that for nurses to administer medication to patients it involves knowledge in drug calculation as this will help the nurse to give the right drug dosage to patients. NMC (2008) further highlighted that even though nurses may find some drug calculations very tricky to solve, as a result to maintain a good nursing practice it is the duty for another member of registered professional nurse to verify the drug calculations autonomously to reduce possible errors in drug volume or quantity. Armitage Knapham (2003) in Agyemang R.E.O WhileA (2010) argue that, most common drug incidents in hospitals is that a number of senior nurses in clinical settings sometimes do not follow drug preparation guidelines to ensure that drug prepared by another memberofstaff is accurate or not due to the hierarchy that the senior nurse may have overajunior staff. According to Tang et al (2007) research has shown that more than a thirdof theerror in drug administration to patients is due to wrong dose. Williams D.J.P (2007 highlighted that approximately 5% of drug doses given to patient in hospital were caused by medication error even though it was not the intention of the prescriber. Elliot Liu (2010) highlighted that sometimes administering wrong drug to a patient may take place if a prescriber does not prescribe the correct unit such as mg (milligram) in its place for mcg (microgram). Therefore, nurses are accountable to ensure patients’ safety and that they should be able to interpret patient’s drug chart cautiously.Therefore to prevent wrong drug calculation the nurse must make every effort to give the correct dose (Elliot Liu 2010). A safe medication administration can improve patient safety if nurses administer drug on the correct route as indicated by the prescriber. This action is a must to nurses and where the right route is not identified on the prescription, the nurse understands that the drug should not be administered but reported to the prescriber (Jones 2010). According to NPSA (2007) approximately 2.1% of drug administration errors from clinical settings were accounted for drug given mistakenly via the wrong route. King’s College Medication administration policy (2010) further recommended nurses to perform safe medication administration; therefore, it is not acceptable for nurses to prepare at the same point in time drugs such as oral, intravenous and intramuscular as this can cause giving drugs to patients on the wrong route. For example, this safe practice was well recognised during my clinical placement. Registered nurses were administering medication according to the NMC (2008) Standard for Medicines Management as well as Kings College Hospital Medication policies which involve the nine rights. Even though sometimes nurses had heavy work-load on the ward yet this did not justify an unsafe medication practice. NMC (2008) highlighted that as nurses are accountable for promoting patient wellbeing, also the nurse administering drug shouldbeaware to give patients medications at the right time. By doing so will enhance the effectiveness of the drug being prescribed for the patient. On the other hand, in some institutions drugs administrations are sometimes given in between half an hour before or in a while than the prescribed time dosage (Boundy Stockert 2008). Dean S (2005) in Elliot Liu (2010) mentioned that an investigation carried out in clinical  settings showed 31% of drug administration errors were due to those patients who have been given their drug dose at the wrong prescribe time. Additionally, documentation is another core element of nursing quality of care. Nurses are aware of recording and signing patients’ drug chart including the common drug name (generic), prescribed dosage, time, route and the purpose of the prescribe drugs as emphasised (Woodrow 2007). Also, the nurse is known to document whether if the patient rejects their drug as well as the possibility of not remembering to take the drug. Failing to do so could lead patients to be administered the same drug two times since there is no indication which can show that it has been administered. Therefore, the role of the nurse is to maintain an accurate record keeping maximising safe drug administration topatients(Woodrow 2007). Gladstone J (1995) in Agyemang R.E.O While A (2010) cited that even though patients are always the victim of drug administration error, nonetheless, nurses committing drug error are psychologically affected of remorse and have less trust or fear in legal action raised against him or her. Nevertheless, nurses recognize that addressing a medication error is a must. Also, reporting an incident may not only protect the nurse’s imagebut prevent another possible error from occurring and can be addressedin the local trust where the nurse is employed (NPSA 2010). Thus nurses by doing this, manifest their sincerity of theirprofessional character (NMC 208). According to Fry Dacey (2007) a survey carried out in the United Kingdom 94% participant of 127 out of 135 highlighted interruptions as a major factor that causes drug administration errors. However, Hitchen L (2008) in Jones SW (2009) stated that a number of NHS trustshave introducedthe use of putting on red sleeveless coat to minimise interruptions during drug rounds. Drug administration has always been an important task in the nursing care with factors contributing to medication error which affects patient safety. Therefore, it is necessary that preventive measures should be taken to minimise drug error in clinical settings. This means nurses must develop their knowledge in medication along with patient’s medical care plan as well as following hospital drug guiding principles (Agyemang While 2010). Although nurses are putting into practice the five or nine rights of medication administration in clinical settings, it is still difficult to achieve good quality of care as drug errors are still occurring in hospitals. Therefore registered nurses should consider patient safety as a major concern in delivering care in clinical settings and to achieve this, the nurse should continue to focus and provide a safe atmosphere when administering drug (Elliot Liu 2010).

Management Functions Essay -- essays research papers

In today’s business world managers follow certain rules that help them be better at their job and also contribute to the success of the business. The functions of management are established to help managers see the business operations with more clarity and understanding. This report will look at the four functions planning, organizing, directing and controlling. In business managers are divided into three parts: top-level, middle managers and first-level managers. Each level of management uses the four functions of management to do their job better. Management success is gained through accomplishment of mission and objectives. Managers fail when they do not accomplish mission and objectives. Success and failure are tied directly to the reasons for being in business, i.e., mission and objectives. However, accomplishing mission and objectives is not sufficient. Success requires both effectiveness and efficiency. Managers who accomplish their mission and objectives are said to be effective. Efficiency describes the relationship between the amount of resources used (input) and the extent to which objectives were accomplished (output). If the cost of accomplishing an objective is prohibitive, then the objective is not realistic in the context of the firm's resources. Additional planning is necessary. Management is defined as the process of setting and achieving goals through the implementation of some basic management functions. These functions include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. By using these key tools, one can create an organization as a whole consisting of unified parts acting in harmony to achieve goals, both successfully and proficiently. It is common knowledge to many managers and employees today that the very goal of one organization is to be as efficient and effective as possible. Planning, which can otherwise be known as the â€Å"first† function of management, places the groundwork in position for the other functions of management. Planning is a constant process that entails determining courses of action to respond to the questions of what should be done, by whom, where, when, and how. By planning properly, one will devise a proposal for the organizational activities necessary to reach the objectives one has set for themselves or their team. There are three basic management skills: technical, human and conceptual. A technical skill is t... ...in an organization or company. Management is basically just creative problem solving. Creative problem solving can be accomplished by using the four functions of management. The managers duties may vary but the basic functions of management remain the same. Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are the four functions of management. How they are implemented and used in an organization is the responsibility of the manager. Planning is an ongoing process that develops the company’s mission and objectives it also helps to determine how they will be accomplished. Planning is something that we all do practically everyday. We have to plan each day accordingly to accomplish our most important task. By planning we are less likely to have any surprises and by knowing what our tasks are for the day we are more likely to get those tasks accomplished. Resource: UOP (2005): Resource; Week One Reading Assignment. Retrieved on April 26, 2005 From University of Phoenix www.ecampus.phoenix.edu Lemire. J (2005) Week One reading: Course material newsgroup; UOP Retrieved on April 26, 2005 from www.ecampus.phoenix.edu James Higgins, The Management Challenge, Second edition, Macmillan, 1994 Management Functions Essay -- essays research papers In today’s business world managers follow certain rules that help them be better at their job and also contribute to the success of the business. The functions of management are established to help managers see the business operations with more clarity and understanding. This report will look at the four functions planning, organizing, directing and controlling. In business managers are divided into three parts: top-level, middle managers and first-level managers. Each level of management uses the four functions of management to do their job better. Management success is gained through accomplishment of mission and objectives. Managers fail when they do not accomplish mission and objectives. Success and failure are tied directly to the reasons for being in business, i.e., mission and objectives. However, accomplishing mission and objectives is not sufficient. Success requires both effectiveness and efficiency. Managers who accomplish their mission and objectives are said to be effective. Efficiency describes the relationship between the amount of resources used (input) and the extent to which objectives were accomplished (output). If the cost of accomplishing an objective is prohibitive, then the objective is not realistic in the context of the firm's resources. Additional planning is necessary. Management is defined as the process of setting and achieving goals through the implementation of some basic management functions. These functions include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. By using these key tools, one can create an organization as a whole consisting of unified parts acting in harmony to achieve goals, both successfully and proficiently. It is common knowledge to many managers and employees today that the very goal of one organization is to be as efficient and effective as possible. Planning, which can otherwise be known as the â€Å"first† function of management, places the groundwork in position for the other functions of management. Planning is a constant process that entails determining courses of action to respond to the questions of what should be done, by whom, where, when, and how. By planning properly, one will devise a proposal for the organizational activities necessary to reach the objectives one has set for themselves or their team. There are three basic management skills: technical, human and conceptual. A technical skill is t... ...in an organization or company. Management is basically just creative problem solving. Creative problem solving can be accomplished by using the four functions of management. The managers duties may vary but the basic functions of management remain the same. Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are the four functions of management. How they are implemented and used in an organization is the responsibility of the manager. Planning is an ongoing process that develops the company’s mission and objectives it also helps to determine how they will be accomplished. Planning is something that we all do practically everyday. We have to plan each day accordingly to accomplish our most important task. By planning we are less likely to have any surprises and by knowing what our tasks are for the day we are more likely to get those tasks accomplished. Resource: UOP (2005): Resource; Week One Reading Assignment. Retrieved on April 26, 2005 From University of Phoenix www.ecampus.phoenix.edu Lemire. J (2005) Week One reading: Course material newsgroup; UOP Retrieved on April 26, 2005 from www.ecampus.phoenix.edu James Higgins, The Management Challenge, Second edition, Macmillan, 1994

Brain Damage from the Perspective of a Spouse Essay -- Neurology Disab

Brain Damage from the Perspective of a Spouse Depending on which area of the hypothalamus is damaged, the biological and behavioral effects differ. For example, if one were to damage the preoptic area of the hypothalamus, one would experience a â€Å"deficit in physiological mechanisms of temperature regulation,† (Kalat, 2004). From the perspective of the spouse, the subject might complain of being perpetually hot or cold regardless of environmental temperature. Sleeping in the same bed with the subject could cause problems, as they might need several blankets and/or none at all. In addition, the need to carry warm clothing on warm day might be necessary, and/or shorts or t-shirts on a cold day. Damage to the â€Å"medial preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus (MPAH) or a subthalamic region that includes the caudal zona incerta,† (Maillard-Gutekunst, et. al., 1994) has been show to â€Å"eliminate mating† in rats. In other words, from the spousal perspective, damage to this area might cause a lowering – if not complete annihilation – of the subject’s sex drive. When the lateral preoptic area of the brain has a lesion, osmotic thirst, â€Å"the thirst that results from an increase in the concentration of solutes in the body,† (Kalat, 2004) is decreased. This is thought to be partly a result of cell damage and â€Å"partly to interruption of passing axons,† (Kalat, 2004). A spouse might notice that the subject drinks less, unless regularly reminded to do so. They might also hear the subject complain of highly concentrated urine and a burning sensation accompanying urination. They should also be alert to any signs of dehydration, â€Å"the physiological state in which cells lose water and metabolic ... ...d.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Kalat, J.W. (2004). Biological psychology (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Maillard-Gutenkunst, C.A., & Edwards, D.A. (1994). Preoptic and subthalamic connections with the caudal brainstem are important for copulation in the male rat. Behavioral Neuroscience, 108 (4), 758-66. Semrud-Clikeman, M. (2001). Traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents. New York: Guilford Press. Women’s Health Law Weekly (2005, February 27). U.S. Food & Drug Administration; new findings in the area of endocrinology described. Retrieved April 29, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://web.lexis- nexis.com/universe/document?_m=b7dcfb788384d6f8dfb1153c7b7444ed www.uni.edu/walsh. Biological psychology. Retrieved April 29, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.uni.edu/walsh/biolec.htm

Automobiles in the 1950s Essay -- essays papers

Automobiles in the 1950s Another element that was present in the 1950’s was automobiles. Automobiles were something that everyone once dreamed of owning. Now after the war. they could finally own one. Automobiles of the 1940’s were dull and very plain. This was because designers were too busy designing tanks, planes, etc... for the ongoing war. The major event that took place that changed the way cars looked and how they performed happened on October 14, 1947. This was when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. From this point on everyone wanted to go faster. People wanted automobiles with larger displacement engines. They also wanted sleek and aerodynamic cars. This prompted General Motors Corporation to hold Motorama in 1949. This was a giant exposition of concept cars that had an emphasis on power, style, convenience, and features. These for features would be what many cars of the 1950’s would be based on. One car that was a design evolution was the Chevrolet Corvette. The first Corvette was built on June 30th, 1953 at the Flint, Michigan plant and continues to be produced today. In 1953 it featured an all fiberglass body with a chromed grill. The car had no side windows and no outside door handles. Each 1953 Corvette was virtually hand built and all 1953 models were white and had red interiors. This may have not been the most technologically advanced car but it would pave the way for the true performance and sports car. Concept cars also played a part in the 1950’s. They were designed to attract the publics eye, introduce and gauge the publics reaction to new styling and engineering ideas, help attract the public to the auto dealerships where they were displayed at, and to drive car crazy kids nuts. The 1955 Lincoln Futura featured a plexiglass bubble top and a 300 horsepower V-8. In the 1960’s this car was sold to a car customizer in California and was converted into the first ever Batmobile. The 1958 GM Firebird III was the most radical concept car of the 1950’s. It was powered not by the normal combustion engine but by a gas turbine engine. It also featured a dual cockpit design and was controlled by joystick controller instead of the normal steering wheel. Another element that was seen in the 1950’s were the tail-fins present on most Cadillacs. The first Cadillac that had the tail fin was introdu... ...1957. It was a very basic satellite and let out beeps every few seconds. This was very surprising to the US. They did not think that the Soviets had the knowledge of anything as complicated as a satellite. As a result of the launch of Sputnik the US began to put greater emphasis on science and engineering in education. They also began to try extra hard to develop space technology. Thus the space race had begun. The American Dream of the 1950’s involved achieving and expanding upon the success of previous generations. This is shown in all of the things mentioned. Cars for example show how much of a success previous generations were at creating machines. In the 50’s however people made these cars better and equipped them with newly developed technology. This was the progressive spirit that the 1950’s had. People had the spirit to expand to new areas. The introduction of the interstate system allowed for easy expansion and growth. People began to move away from the norms that the 30’s and 40’s had set. They began to live the ways that they wanted and they would not let things such as technology restrict them. This is how the 1950’s played out the American Dream.

Odysseus- Character Comparison to the movie Essay

In comparing the blockbuster movie TROY to secondary sources found o the internet and in various texts, there are many significant differences in the portrayal of Odysseus and his involvement in Trojan War. In the movie, the first we see of Odysseus is when he’s sent by the Mycenaean King and conqueror of Greece, Agamemnon, to persuade Achilles to join the Greek war effort because, I quote, â€Å"Odysseus is the only man he’ll listen to†. The respect and belief placed in Odysseus further proves the amount of admiration Greeks hold in his ability as an eloquent speaker. In many of the texts, there is more to the pre-war story of Odysseus then mentioned in TROY. One commonly held belief is that Odysseus was one of the original suitors of Helen. He was the one that made all of her suitors swear to defend her marriage rights. However, when Menelaus called on the suitors to bring Helen back from Troy, Odysseus was reluctant to make good on his oath. In the sources Odysseus was one of the key Greeks involved in the Trojan War. He was, according to one text, to be â€Å"Outspoken and sincere, fierce and proud†. To another source, he was said to â€Å"Refuse to leave the field when the Greek troops were being routed by the Trojans. In contrast with the texts, the movie portrays very little of Odysseus’ involvement in battle and shows none of his efforts as a Greek ambassador. This is mentioned regularly in our sources, again referring to the amount of approbation the Greeks had for Odysseus’ capability to influence the minds of men. One of our sources mentions the bravery and courage Odysseus showed while trying to protect a dying Achilles. It states that Ajax, another Greek warrior, Achilles and Odysseus got inside the walls of Troy before the nocturnal raid of the Trojan horse. However in the movie it shows nothing of this event and many other minor occurrences and chooses to reveal Achilles’ death after the creation of the Trojan horse which is seen to be historically incorrect. Whilst comparing various texts to the movie itself only one major similarity was recognised. This being Odysseus’ involvement in the Trojan horse. In both the texts and the movie, Odysseus is portrayed to be the originator of the horse, the stratagem by which the Greeks were finally able to take the city of Troy. His cleverness and ingenuity is emphasised once again because of his ability to create such deceiving device that would in turn win the war for Greece.

Total Housing Loan in Malaysia

Total housing loan in Malaysia have been increase from year to year. This is stated in the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) annual statistic report. Currently, there is an increase in the housing loan that have been approved by the bank from 2011 to 2012 . In order to own a house, there is a large amount of money is needed. House is a long term property and the price is high. Not every people are afforded to buy their own house if they have not completed certain requirements. Since house price is expensive, the availability of housing finance is very important. Nowadays, home financing has offer many kind of financial products to the homebuyers when purchasing their dream house. There are already various institutions which offer housing loans that prospective borrowers can access such as banks, state housing corporation/agencies or mortgage institutions. It has become very important that the financial institutions to determine the factors that are pertinent to the homebuyers in selecting a mortgage home loan provider as there are a rapid change and more sophisticated homebuyers on this day. In order to establish whether the homebuyers have the potential capacity to pay for their desired home, they were asked to estimate the average purchase price, the deposit required, and the deposit that they could afford as well as any saving that could be added to the funding package. Currently, Ministry of Housing and Local Government has introduced housing loan scheme or Skim Pinjaman Perumahan (SPP) which aim to help people with the low income to buy a house. The target group for this scheme are the households with the earning between RM500. 0 to RM1200. 00 per month and are not eligible for another loan to build a house or buy a completed low-cost house. Besides that, homebuyers have to consider in many dimensions such as down payment, maturity of the contract, repayment structure, the ability to refinance, the possibility of being subject to borrowing constraints, and the evolution of economic variables such as interest rate, inflation, house appreciation rate, unemployment rat e and income growth. Mortgage loan is one of the alternatives or source of finance in home purchases and it become the popular choice where property was used as the main sources of collateral secure the loan made. Today, there are more financial alternatives offered to the public and at the same time there are more options for Malaysian bank customers to choose from. In exploring the information would help service providers to identify appropriate marketing strategies needed to attract new borrowers. This study attempts to deepen about consumer decision making when selecting a service provider and what criteria are of most importance.

Notes on Different types of customers

Dealing with customer complaints why do customers complain? Customers complain mainly because of bad customer service The product they received is of bad quality not happy because of the staff Delayed flights not good service untidy accommodation product they received was not as it was descriptive. Not a not seats on the plane not getting what they want queues why do organizations need to know about customer complaints? To keep their reputation keep one customer happy expand business keep customers keep business to improve o fix one problem How to deal with customers?Offer a discount or a complimentary Item such as a drink. Food item etc. ) or a refund If they take It further ask If want to speak to the manager Reply a. s. A. P start by apologizing Don't interrupt whilst they are complaining Ask what's wrong face to face offer something else e-mail written communication make it formal be sympathetic make eye contact Listen suggest the course of action check the customer is happy with the solution and ask them if there is anything else you can do for them. Keep calm keep customer informed at all times Why is It Important to resolve a complaint? O keep the customers happy so you will get customer loyalty so you don't get a bad image/reputation of you or the organization To prevent it from happening again so I OFF quality of service they give how good their products are minimum standard of quality procedures they follow Equally With respect Fairly Friendly Welcomed well With a helpful manner NIce Politely Regardless of the customer type all customers have different needs. A hen party traveling to London for the weekend. Transfers Accommodation Group accommodation rah receptionInformation on local nightlife Different types of customers Mobility Pre-boarding Disable Access Guides Wider corridors Handrails Ramps Treated with respect and equally Special seating Bigger facilities Information about excursions suitable for their needs Special cabins/accommodation specifi cally for the disabled Lifts Visually impaired Braille White stick Career Guide dogs Assistance Be sensitive Hearing impaired Hearing aid Hearing loop Lip reader Sign language translator Speak loud and clearly Signs Devices to help them in case of an emergency el calling people, phone ringing, fire alarm going off Cultures/Countries Health documents Leaflets in their language Maps in their language Treat them equally and with respect Helpful staff Injection Visas/Passports Currency exchange Insurance Translator Elderly/Confused Treated with respect Show empathy Speak slowly and clearly Make sure they understand the information they were confused about Communication methods best suited to the customers needs. Hearing – Written, Face to face (For lip readers) Visual – Telephone, Verbally Elderly – Face to face, verbally Different language – Written – diagrams

Acre Woods Retirement Community

Acre wood retirement community case study Kimberly Woods HSM/230 Axia College at the University of Phoenix Acre wood retirement community case study he resident physical therapist Sara Armstrong manages the retirement communities activity programs, recently a pool was added to its rehabilitation center by they were some original design requests that were not met it has been brought to Sarah’s attention that the safety tread marks on the stairs and the improved wheelchair access to the pool area which were allotted for in planning cost have not been added, when she immediately brings it to the director of the acre woods Mark Adams he basically dismisses it by stating that the residents should simply be happy to have the pool, as well as bringing it to her attention that she has been hired to provide physical therapy only and not to worry about the budget. Question one: what are some of the potential legal and ethical issue’s present in this case study?Answer; Mark Adams should be held responsible for the negligence which has caused minor accidents to some of the residents he should also listen to and acknowledge the need to regulate the safety of equipment installed within acre woods, Sarah has a right to be concerned as part of her job is therapy for the patient’s physical well-being. The legal issues here could present multiple cases of unethical behavior by Mr. Adams part; the ethical issues would be his lack of concern of the well-being of the residents of acre woods which in turn could create multiple lawsuits. Question two: how would you characterize the director’s behavior? Answer to: by the way the paper reads Mark Adams attitude and behavior are unethical and uncalled for as he is the administrator for the facility he should maintain an attitude suitable to that station, his behavior is unjust and critical towards Ms. Armstrong and seemingly uncaring where the residents of the facility are concerned.Question three: Is the dir ector and ethical role model? Why or why not? Answer three: Mark Adams does not show the ethical behavior that would be expected of a role model in the position of director of any facility he seems to be uncaring as well as unconcerned about the well-being of the residents or the concerns of Sara Armstrong. Question four: Were the director’s messages congruent with the organization’s stated mission? Explain your answer. Answer four: No Mark Adams is not being congruent with the stated mission of the organization he does not show concern for the organization nor for its ideals however instead he shows arrogance instead of compassion.Question five: what impact did the director’s actions and attitudes have on the acre woods culture: the director’s actions did not show concerns or the culture of the facility but more towards self-preservation when Sara Armstrong product visitation that if you patients had concerns and were showing fear pertaining to the issue s of the pool wife Mr. Adam should’ve done was to investigate the concerns of the residents as well as ask why the safety equipment was not installed, instead his decision to take the word of Gene Levy who was also a physical therapist at acre woods over that of Sara Armstrong did give Sara cause to bring it into the forefront because of her suspicions of the missing funds where the from the pool project she did the right thing by relating the scandal or her is her opinion of it.

Banking Industry in Nigeria

Against the backdrop of the role of banks as financial intermediaries and their function as the engine of growth of the economy, this paper examines the extent to which the banking industry has helped to stimulate economic activities in Nigeria and what the prognosis looks like in the post-consolidation era.The paper notes that the banking industry in Nigeria witnessed a remarkable growth in terms of deposit base, number of branches, total asset and volume of loans and advances, especially since the de-regulation of the financial services sector in the last quarter of 1986. However, given the potentials of the market, banks need to do more, particularly in financing the real sector of the economy.It is argued that the consolidation programme is expected to have a positive effect on employment in the long-run, and that has drastically altered and redefined the nature of competition in the banking industry. Furthermore, it argues that mere size would no longer be a critical factor in t he customers’ choice of which bank to patronize. Rather, emphasis would shift to the ability to deliver superior value to customers. THE BANKING INDUSTRY AND THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY POST-CONSOLIDATION By DR. B.B. EBONG GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR/CHIEF EXECUTIVE UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC 1. 0 INTRODUCTION Banks facilitate economic growth in a variety of ways. In the first instance, they act as financial intermediaries between the surplus generating units and the deficit spending ones. This is a two-fold function involving the mobilisation of savings from the former group which are then channelled to the latter to support productive economic activities. This intermediary role is important in two respects.First, by pooling together savings that would have otherwise been fragmented, banks are able to achieve economies of scale with potential benefits for the users of such funds. Secondly, in the absence of banks, each person or business seeking credit facility would have had to individ ually look for those with such funds and negotiate with them directly. This is a cumbersome and timeconsuming process of double coincidence of wants. By matching the preferences of savers with those of borrowers therefore, banks help in overcoming such difficulties.It is pertinent to note that it is from this intermediation function that banks normally not only earn the bulk of their income by way of interest margin but also pay out returns to savers, compensating them for the opportunity cost of their money. It is important to bear this point in mind because, as we shall see later, if any bank is unable to recover the funds it lends out, its own existence as a going concern would be undermined rapidly and ultimately. This is to the extent that its ability to meet the withdrawal needs of depositors would be impaired.It is for this reason that the officials of any bank cannot afford to toy with the management of its risk assets. Towards ensuring that the funds they lend out are recov ered, banks have found it expedient to provide business advisory services to their customers. The essence of availing their clients these services is to assure themselves that the beneficiaries adopt modern management policies and practices in running the affairs of their respective companies which benefit from borrowed funds. The ultimate goal is to guarantee that these customers are in a position o service their loan obligations as and when due. This, in turn, would enable banks meet their obligations to depositors while also earning a narrow margin to ensure business continuity and corporate growth. Banks also play a pivotal role in an economy by providing a mechanism for producers/buyers and consumers/sellers to settle transactions between themselves. They do this not only within a country but also across national boundaries through a highly efficient and technologically enabled payments systems.In the process, banks encourage specialisation and division of labour, a major advan tage of which is the enhanced production and economic growth of the country. Furthermore, banks act as a conduit for the transmission of monetary policy. They provide a veritable platform when it comes to the implementation of monetary, credit, foreign exchange, and other financial sector policies of the government. Among other things, monetary policy is designed to influence the cost and availability of loanable funds with a view to promoting non-inflationary growth.The instruments available to the Central Bank to achieve this include open market operations (OMO), the cash reserve ratio (CRR), liquidity ratio (LR) and of course, moral suasion. The capacity of the banking industry to perform these functions effectively is, to a large extent, determined by the financial health of the individual institutions themselves and soundness and viability of the industry as a whole. For instance, where the majority of banks are adjudged to be weak and unhealthy, that will impair the ability of the industry to lubricate economic growth and vice versa.Against this background, the objective of this presentation is to examine the extent to which the banking industry has helped to stimulate economic activities in Nigeria and what the prognosis looks like in the post-consolidation era, come January 2006. To achieve its objective, this paper is organised into five parts. Following this introduction, we review the performance of the Nigerian banking industry between 2000 and 2004 in section II. The challenges facing the banking industry, which the current reform programme was designed to address, are highlighted in section III.In section IV, we present the prognosis and outlook during the post-consolidation era while section V contains the concluding remarks. 2. 0 THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGERIAN BANKING INDUSTRY IN 1990 – 2004 PERIOD. The banking industry in Nigeria has witnessed a remarkable growth, especially since the de-regulation of the financial services sector in t he last quarter of 1986. In terms of headcount for instance, the number of banks increased by about 154. 8% from 42 in 1986 to 107 in 1990. It further increased by about 12% to120 in 1992.By 2004, however, the number had reduced to 89. This was because, some banks had to be liquidated on account of their dwindling fortunes. The number of bank branches also rose from 1,394 in 1986 to 2,013 in 1990, 2,391 in1992 and by 2004 in spite of the reduction in number of banks, it had reached 3,100. This translates to an inter-temporal increases of 44%, 18. 8% and 29. 7%, respectively. Given this scenario, the pertinent question agitating the critical mind is the extent to which the expansion in the number of banks and their branch network had impacted on the economy.Another way to evaluate the performance of banks is to carefully examine the credits they granted, both in terms of volume, distribution by sectors, and the maturity profile. The data on banks’ credit to the economy are sho wn in table 2 below. Table 2: Banks’ Credits to the Economy, 1990 – 2004 Year Aggregate banks’ credit (Net) (N billion) 42. 58 49. 41 59. 25 125. 75 162. 83 194. 05 266. 44 Growth rate (%) Net Domestic Credit Target (%) 13. 5 10. 6 13. 2 17. 5 9. 4 11. 3 12. 0 Actual (%) 17. 1 45. 3 69. 1 91. 4 29. 2 7. -23. 4 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 16 19. 9 112. 2 29. 5 19. 2 37. 3 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 302. 31 378. 08 608. 44 807. 01 1,033. 64 1,302. 2 1,591. 2 2,078. 1 13. 5 25. 1 60. 1 32. 6 28. 1 26. 0 22. 2 30. 6 24. 8 24. 5 18. 3 27. 8 15. 8 57. 9 25. 7 24. 5 -2. 8 46. 8 30. 0 -25. 3 79. 9 64. 6 29. 1 12. 0 Source: Central Bank of Nigeria, Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, (various years) As the figures show, the rate of growth of aggregate bank credit (net) to the domestic economy ranged from 13. % in 1997 to 112. 2% in 1993. However, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria, in its 2004 Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, an ana lysis of the sectoral allocation of these credits revealed that the less productive sectors of the economy continued to be favoured. For instance, in 2003, those sectors comprising agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing got only 40. 2% of the credits. The situation worsened in 2004 as this figure further declined to 37. 0%.The corollary of this is that, on average, it was more attractive for banks to lend to such sectors as distributive trade, especially import financing, because the risks associated with such lending were relatively lower. The turn around time was equally shorter. Furthermore, as shown in the last column of table 2, actual domestic credit (net) consistently deviated from target for most of the years for which data was shown. If we take the targets to be representative of societal preference, what this means is that the flow of credit for each of those years was far from what was socially desirable.The quality of these risk assets has worsened progressively s ince 2002 as the statistics in table 3 demonstrate graphically. Table 3: Asset Quality of Nigerian Banks, 1990 – 2004 Year Ratio of non-Performing Credit to total Credit (%) Ratio of non-Performing Credit to Shareholders’ Funds (%) 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 44. 10 39. 00 45. 00 41. 00 43. 00 32. 90 33. 90 25. 81 19. 35 21. 5 16. 9 21. 3 21. 6 23. 08 344. 00 222. 00 299. 00 380. 86 567. 70 496. 00 419. 80 253. 09 89. 20 92. 2 77. 1 85. 9 89. 105. 3 Source: Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, Annual Report & Statement of Accounts, Various Issues The data in table 3 reveal that the ratio of non-performing credit to total credit declined from 45% in 1992 to 23. 08% in 2004. This means that of every N100. 00 lent out during these years, banks lost an average of N30. 60. These losses contributed in no small way to the erosion of shareholders’ funds as shown in the table. These bad accounts represented 567. 7%, 419. 8 % and 105. 3% of shareholders’ funds in 1994, 1996 and 2004, respectively.In deed, in the years 1990 to 1997, the shareholders’ funds had been impaired by non-performing risk assets in several multiples. The factors responsible for the poor quality of risk assets range from inadequate appraisal of credit proposals, unfavourable environmental factors that adversely affected the cash flow of the clients’ businesses to sheer unwillingness to repay credit facilities on the part of borrowers and the corresponding ineffectiveness of the rule of law to catch up with pathological loan defaulted some of whom moved round and ravaged one bank after the other.The deterioration in the quality of banks’ risk assets took its toll on the health of the industry as the outcome of the rating of all licensed banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria using the CAMEL parameters has shown. The result of that exercise, which is reproduced in table 4 below, has shown glaringly that th e performance of banks in the country has deteriorated since 2001. Table 4: Rating of Banks Using the CAMEL Parameters, 2001 – 2004 2001 No. of % of Banks Total Sound 10 11. 1 Satisfactory 63 70. Marginal 8 8. 9 Unsound 9 10. 0 Total 90 100. 0 Category 2002 No. of Banks 13 54 13 10 90 2003 No. of Banks 11 53 14 9 87 2004 No. of % of Banks Total 10 11. 5 51 58. 6 16 18. 4 10 11. 5 87 100. 0 % of Total 14. 4 60. 1 14. 4 11. 1 100. 0 % of Total 12. 6 60. 9 16. 1 10. 4 100. 0 Source: Central Bank of Nigeria, Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, 2004 From the table above, it can be seen that the banks adjudged to be sound was consistently less than 15% of the total number for the four-year period.In addition, those whose performance was considered satisfactory represented as high as 70% of the total in 2001. By 2004, however, this group represented only 58. 6% of the total number of banks covered by the exercise. Apart from poor quality assets, other factors responsible for th is state of affairs include under-capitalisation, weak corporate governance practices, and the challenges of ethics and professionalism. It is these factors that the on-going reform agenda seeks to address with a view to totally overhauling the system.These issues are examined in more details in the next section. 3. 0 CHALLENGES FACING THE BANKING INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA The current banking sector reform in Nigeria was designed to promote the viability, soundness and stability of the system to enable it adequately meet the aspirations of the economy in terms of accelerated economic growth and development. The reform agenda was motivated by the need to proactively put the Nigerian banking industry on the path of global competitiveness to enable it effectively respond to the challenges of globalisation.The overall objective is to guarantee that the economy and Nigerians do not remain fringe players in the context of a globalizing world. The major challenges that the reform was targeted at include inter alia, the following: Weak capital base. Most banks in Nigeria had a capital base that was less than US$10 million while the largest bank in the country had a capital base of about US$240 million. This compared unfavourably with the situation in Malaysia where the smallest bank had a capital base of US$526 million.The small size of most local banks, coupled with their high overheads and operating expenses, has negative implications for the cost of intermediation. It also meant that they could not effectively participate in big-ticket deals, especially within framework of the single obligor limit. The challenge of ethics and professionalism. In a bid to survive the stiff competition in the market, a number of operators had resorted to unethical and unprofessional practices. Strictly speaking, some even went into some businesses that could not be classified as banking.In appreciation of the enormity of the problems caused by the failure to adhere to professional and ethi cal standards, the Bankers’ Committee set up a sub-committee on â€Å"ethics and professionalism† to handle complaints and disputes arising from unwholesome and sharp practices. Poor corporate governance practices. There were several instances where Board members and management staff failed to uphold and promote the basic pillars of sound corporate governance because they were preoccupied with the attainment of narrowly defined interests. The symptoms of this included high turn over in the Board and management staff, inaccurate reporting and on-compliance with regulatory requirements. Gross insider abuses. One area where this was pronounced was the credit function. As a result, there were several cases of huge non-performing insider-related credits. Insolvency. The magnitude of non-performing risk assets was such that it had eroded the shareholders’ funds of a number of banks. For instance, according to the 2004 NDIC Annual Report, the ratio of non-performing cr edit to shareholders’ funds deteriorated from 90% in 2003 to 105% in 2004. This meant that the shareholders’ funds had been completely wiped out industry-wide by the non-performing credit portfolio.Over-reliance on public sector deposits. These deposits accounted for over 20% of total deposits in the system. In some institutions, such public sector funds represented more than 50% of total deposits. This was not a healthy situation from the viewpoint of effective planning and plan implementation, given the volatile nature of these deposits. On account of the huge reliance on public sector funds, a number of players did not pay adequate attention to small savers who normally constitute a major source of stable funds which should be channelled to finance the real sectors.Instead, they concentrated on a few high networth individuals, government parastatals and blue chip companies. It was in response to this situation coupled with the need to accord the small and medium ent erprises sub-sector the priority it deserves that the Bankers’ Committee came up with the Small and Medium Enterprises Equity Investment Scheme (SMEEIS) with a view to redirecting credit flows to the sub-sector Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the foregoing captures the situation in the banking industry at the time the reform agenda for the sector was conceptualised and introduced.One has taken time to highlight the challenges that the industry was grappling with to enable us better appreciate the rationale for the reform in terms of what it is intended to achieve. Even though the consolidation programme has thirteen basic elements, it is those relating to the minimum capital base for banks and mergers and acquisitions that have received the most attention in the ensuing public discourse on the subject. In the light of this, it might be useful to enumerate these elements, more so that they are at the centre of this discussion.These planks of the reform programme are: Incre ase in the minimum capital base of banks from N2 billion to N25 billion with December 31, 2005 as deadline for compliance; Consolidation of banks through mergers and acquisitions; Phased withdrawal of public sector funds from banks, beginning from July, 2004; Adoption of a risk-focused and rule-based regulatory framework for the industry; Adoption of zero tolerance in the regulatory framework particularly in the area of information rendition/reporting. All returns by any bank must now be signed by the Managing Director;The automation of the process for rendition of returns by banks and other financial institutions through the electronic Financial Analysis and Surveillance System (e-FASS); Establishment of a hotline and confidential internet address to enable Nigerians wishing to share confidential information with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to do so; Strict enforcement of the contingency planning framework for systemic banking distress; The establishment of an Asset s Management Company as an important element of distress resolution;Promotion of the enforcement of dormant laws, especially those relating to the issuance of dud cheques and the law relating to the vicarious liabilities of the Board members of banks in cases of bank failure; Revision and updating of relevant laws, and drafting of new ones relating to the effective operations of the banking system; Closer collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the establishment of the Financial Intelligence Unit and the enforcement of the antimoney laundering and other economic crimes measures; andRehabilitation and effective management of the Mint to meet the security printing needs of Nigeria, including the banking system which constitutes over 90% of the Mint’s business. The likely impact of these measures on the banking industry and the economy are examined in the next section. 4. 0 ANTICIPATED IMPACT OF THE CONSOLIDATION PROGRAMME ON THE BANKING INDUSTRY AND T HE NIGERIAN ECONOMY In this section, we will attempt to paint a scenario regarding the probable impact of the consolidation programme on the banking industry and, hence, the economy.In doing so, it is important to reiterate that even though the reform agenda is targeted at the banking industry, its ultimate focus is the Nigerian economy. In view of this, and in order to put the discussion in proper perspective, we would like to begin this section with a brief review of the performance of the economy between 2000 and 2004 which data are presented in table 5 hereunder: Table 5: Nigeria, Selected Macroeconomic Indicators, 2000 – 2004 Indicator Real GDP Growth Rate (%) Oil Sector Non-Oil Sector Manufacturing Capacity Utilisation (%) Gross National Savings (% of GDP) Gross Fixed CapitalFormation (% of GDP) Inflation Rate (%) External Reserves (US $ million) 2000 5. 4 2001 4. 6 2002 3. 5 2003 10. 2 2004 6. 1 11. 3 2. 9 5. 2 4. 3 -5. 7 7. 9 23. 9 4. 5 3. 3 7. 5 36. 1 39. 6 44. 3 45. 6 45. 0 NA 11. 3 15. 6 13. 6 15. 3 7. 3 7. 2 9. 1 12. 0 16. 2 6. 9 9,910. 4 18. 9 10,415. 6 12. 9 7,681. 1 14. 0 7,467. 8 15. 0 16,955. 0 Source: Central Bank of Nigeria, Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, 2004 The data in table 5 reveal that, in real terms, the rate of growth of domestic output ranged from 3. 5% to 10. 2% between year 2000 and 2004. The average annual growth rate for the period was 5. 6%, which falls far short of the 10% minimum that is required for the country to meet the targets set in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Furthermore, the service sector and wholesale & retail trade still account for a disproportionate share of total output, considering our stage of economic development. On the other hand, the real productive sectors like agriculture and manufacturing are yet to assume their pride of place in the economy. As can be seen from the statistics, capacity utilisation in the manufacturing sector was consistently below 50% throughout the five ye ars.Among other things, this is a reflection of the undue competition that local manufacturers have had to face from their relatively more mature and efficient overseas counterparts. These are not healthy developments from the viewpoint of a developing country that is desirous of achieving sustained economic growth. Given the low level of domestic output, coupled with the rising demand, it is not surprising that the authorities were not able to keep the inflation rate below double digit as intended.It is this parlous state of the economy that the banking sector reform was designed to address at the end of the day. The expectation is that the reform programme will impact positively on the banking industry and thus put the economy on the path of sustainable growth. While most analysts have expressed serious concerns regarding the adverse impact of the consolidation programme on the level of employment, the authorities at the Central Bank of Nigeria have allayed such fears.While acknow ledging that employment opportunities in the industry would shrink, at least in the short run, the management of the Bank is optimistic that the long-term positive effects of the reform programme on the labour market will be more far- reaching. The thrust of the argument is that at the end of the day, the consolidation programme will lead to a stronger and more robust banking industry that will adequately support the expansion of economic activities, especially in the real sectors of the economy. In this process of rejuvenating the economy, more job opportunities will be created.The consolidation programme will drastically alter and redefine the nature of competition in the banking industry. By significantly increasing the minimum capital base for banks, the policy has not only raised the barriers for new entrants, it has also reduced the number of banks in the system through the mergers and acquisitions. It will be recalled that hitherto, competition in the industry was essentially between those players that one may safely refer to as the â€Å"industry giants† on the one hand, and those popularly referred to as the new generation banks, on the other.Going forward, however, what we will witness is a battle for survival among the ensuing mega banks, all with extensive branch network. In the new dispensation, stability of individual institutions and, hence, safety of depositors’ funds is not likely to remain a major consideration in customers’ choice of which bank to patronise. Rather, emphasis will shift to the ability to deliver superior value to clients and stakeholders generally as well as the prices for bank products and services. As pointed out earlier, many banks in Nigeria had relied heavily on the public sector as a source of funds.Consequently, they did not aggressively explore available potentials in other market segments. This situation will, however, change with the withdrawal of public sector funds from the vaults of banks as part of the policy shift. We therefore expect that banks will focus more on those sectors that were hitherto underserved like the real, informal sectors, including the consumer market. They need to devise creative ways of effectively tapping into the opportunities in these market segments, both in terms of deposit mobilisation and the provision of credit facilities.Going forward therefore, banks are more likely to provide better support for sustained economic growth in Nigeria. The pressure to aggressively explore those market segments that were hitherto underserved will be reinforced by the desire on the part of the management of each bank to continue to generate attractive returns to shareholders. Currently, the average return on invested capital (ROIC) in the Nigerian banking industry is estimated at 38%. With the substantial increase in shareholders’ funds, however, each bank will need to generate a minimum of N9. billion in profit before tax in order to maintain the same rate of return. This is a daunting challenge that calls for creativity. To meet the challenge, banks will need to radically redefine their business models and strategies. The status of corporate governance in the banking industry is expected to improve remarkably following the change in ownership structure. This is because, even though poor governance practices cut across the industry, they were more pronounced in the privately owned institutions.Given the dilution of ownership in the new dispensation, the situation where individuals and their cronies had overbearing influence in the running and management of banks will become a thing of the past. Moreover, as public companies, each bank will now be subjected to a higher standard of governance in terms of information disclosure. 5. 0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION In this paper, we have examined the probable impact of the on-going banking sector reform on the Nigerian economy.In the process, we drew attention to the challenges facing opera tors in the banking industry that need to be addressed for the industry to make desired contributions to the orderly growth of the economy. These challenges encompass those of unethical and unprofessional behaviour, poor corporate governance practices, weak capital base, and over-dependence on public sector deposits. From the analysis, it is clear that the consolidation programme will impact positively on the economy for a number of reasons.First, the development is expected to have long-term beneficial effects on the level of employment considering that it will facilitate enhanced production in diverse sectors of the economy. The reform programme will also redefine the nature of competition in the banking industry such that each institution will have no choice but to assign priority to its capacity to deliver superior value to its clients, since this is what will ultimately make the difference between losers and winners. By denying anks access to public sector deposits, the reform will make it imperative for them to shift focus to those market segments that were largely unbanked and untapped hitherto. Furthermore, it is envisaged that the consolidation programme will have salutary effects on corporate governance practices in the industry. In concluding this discussion, it is important to reiterate that the realisation of these outcomes would depend on the effective implementation of the programme. In particular, it would depend on how the banks that have embraced mergers and acquisition handle the post integration challenges that will face them.Where these issues are nor properly handled, the anticipated synergy may become elusive.BIBLIOGRAPHY Central Bank of Nigeria, Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, (various issues. ) Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, Annual Report and Accounts, (various issued) Statement of Mckinnon, R. I. (1973), Money and Capital in Economic Development Washington, D. C. : The Brookings Institution. Oboh, G. A. T. (2005), Sel ected Essays On Contemporary Issues In The Nigerian Banking System. Ibadan: University Press Plc.