Piagets Theory

Connor Taylor AP Psychology Mr. OG Piagets’s Theory: Cognitive Development Developmental psychology is the study of human growth and development which occurs throughout the entire lifespan. Cognitive development is the beginning to the ability to think and understand. Cognitive development focuses on child’s development of information processing, conceptual resources, perpetual skill, language learning, and other aspects of brain development. Piaget has four stages to his theory: Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Much of the research has gone into understanding how a child imagines the world.In Piaget’s view, early cognitive development includes processes based upon actions and it later changes in mental operations. The first stage of Piaget’s theory lasts from birth until about age two, and it based upon the baby trying to make sense of the world. During the sensorimotor stage the child uses skills and abilities t hey were born with such as looking, sucking, grasping, and listening to learn more about the environment. Object permanence is a child’s understanding that objects are still there even though they cannot be seen or heard, and according to Piaget it is one of the most important.By 18 to 24 months children begin to develop symbols to represent events or objects in the world, and children begin to move towards understanding the world through mental operations rather than through just actions. The preoperational stage occurs between about the ages 2 and seven. One of the milestones at this period is language development. Piaget states that at this stage do not yet understand concrete logic and are unable to take the point of view of other people. Piaget’s focus on this stage is what children could not do yet.Children lack the knowledge that things look different to other people and that objects can change in appearance while still maintaining the same properties In the â⠂¬Å"Three Mountain Task† children almost always choose the scene showing their own view of the mountain image. Before the age of 5 Piaget found that not many children showed an understanding of conservation prior to the age of five, many children found that the cup filled higher contained more liquid, though they each had an equal amount. The concrete operational stage starts at about age 7 and continues approximately until age 11.During the concrete operational stage children begin a better understanding of mental operations. Children begin to think logically, but do have difficulty understanding hypothetical concepts. Children have trouble using general principle to determine the outcome of a specific event according to Piaget. Piaget states that one of the most important processes in this stage is reversibility, and being aware that things can be reversed. The last stage is operational stage, the operational stage lasts from about age 12 and lasts into adulthood. During thi s period people learn the ability to think about abstract concepts.Logical thought, deductive reasoning, and systematic planning are all developed during the operational stage. Deductive logic is the ability to use a general principle to determine a specific outcome, and Piaget thought that deductive logic was very important during the formal operational stage. You use deductive logic in something such as hypothetical situations, and is also very often required in science and math. Children at the formal operational stage are usually able to plan an organized approach to problem solving and quite quickly, unlike when they were younger and tested things in a trial and error type way.Piaget’s theory of cognitive development provided great detail in how a child’s mind acts throughout life from birth, sensorimotor stage, all the way to adulthood, formal operational stage, and for the most part I agree with him. In the early life of a child they don’t understand anyt hing and have to develop, and to start they must use tools they do know how to do, the ones the obtained since birth and they are essential to the growth of a child.As a child developing they gain knowledge by interacting with the world, and every time they understand something new it completely alters their world, something such as just knowing something is there just because you cant see it alters the whole way a child sees the world and alters their knowledge greatly. I agree with Piaget’s steps in cognitive development throughout childhood, demonstrates how children develop very well and make sense, I agree with Piaget.

Definition of art Essay

A number of people have asked about the value of addressing aesthetics, the philosophy of art, or the definition of art. The reasoning is that if it is so difficult to define, it must therefor be ultimately subjective, and each person should just determine for herself what it is. Perhaps we all do determine for ourselves the meaning of anything. Because, as in the â€Å"tree falling in the forest† example, the meaning does not exist if it does not exist for me personally. I am allowed to define â€Å"table† or â€Å"chair† any way I wish for myself, but if I hope to communicate with others about tables and chairs, the meaning or definition must be shared. And that shared meaning derives from a combination of (a) acquired meanings from those whom we give credibility and (b) connotations developed from our experiences with tables and chairs. If there were really no way to define art, there would be no way to determine what is art, and art could be anything. Fortunately, art can be defined, although not succinctly in verbal form, as we might define â€Å"table† or â€Å"chair. † We learn the definition indirectly through understanding why works have been labeled art by critics and artists in the past, and directly by understanding the perspectives of those critics and artists. From the standpoint of complete subjectivity, if art can be anything, it is meaningless as a term == art is everything and nothing. There is nothing that is not art, so everything is art. The term â€Å"art† has no shared meaning and has no value in communication, and yet we use it all the time. By what criteria do you determine what is art for yourself? Because it pleases you? Because it pleases your friends, or someone you respect, or most people around you? What criteria constitute pleasing? What does it do to please? From another perspective, other than pragmatic needs, by what criteria do we select a season? Or what material we place in museums? By what criteria do we judge quality? How do we determine â€Å"good† from â€Å"not good? † Whatever criteria we use become our criteria for our aesthetic, which then become, in fact, our definition of our art. It is useful and valid for us to question what those criteria are, to challenge the validity of those criteria, and to constantly explore new criteria to define the art experience. In order to comprehend the options of criteria, the kinds of questions to ask of our criteria, the possible limits of our personal vision, it is worthwhile to explore the explorations of others. Understand that the definition of art and the determination of quality are linked and mutually affected. Alter one and the other is changed. One additional concern is the value in trying to understand how art works have meaning. Once we begin to explore this as artists, our work instantly changes dimension. It moves from the surface to the soul and allows us to refocus on the meaningful.

A Brief History Of Petroleum Commerce Essay

Petroleum is a fossil fuel because it was formed from the remains of bantam sea workss and animate beings that died 1000000s of old ages ago. When the workss and animate beings died, they sank to the underside of the oceans. They were buried 1000s of pess below the sand and silt. As clip elapsed and as the beds increased, this organic mixture was subjected to tremendous force per unit area and heat. The mixture changed, interrupting down into compounds made of H and C atoms called hydrocarbons. Finally, an oil-saturated rock-much like a wet family sponge was formed. All organic stuff does non turn into oil. Certain geological conditions must be met within the oil-rich stones. There must be a trap of non-porous stone that prevents the oil from oozing out, and a seal that keeps the oil from lifting to the surface. Under these conditions, merely two per centum of the organic stuff is transformed into oil. ( Parra, 2004 ) Shell Nigeria History Shell Petroleum is one of universe ‘s prima manufacturers of oil, gas and petrochemicals ; Shell Oil Company has distinguished itself through its committedness to industry invention. Its selling expertness has enabled the company to counterbalance for its comparatively low volume of rough oil production, as compared to its strongest rivals, by selling an tantamount sum of gasolene nationwide. Oil and gas operations began in Nigeria efficaciously in 1956, with the first commercial discovery in that twelvemonth by the so Shell D’Arcy. By the 1960s turning environmental concerns led Shell to put to a great extent in systems intended to cut down pollution and to conserve energy in its workss. In the undermentioned decennary, the company began printing a series of consumer-oriented brochures on such subjects as auto care and energy preservation. Shell continued to rule the Nigerian oil industry for long until Nigeria joined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC ) in 1971, after which the state began to take a firmer control of its oil and gas resources, in line with the pattern and regulations of the other members of OPEC. Within this period, many Multinational Oil Companies like Gulf Oil and Texaco ( now ChevronTexaco ) , Elf Petroleum ( now Total ) , Mobil ( now ExxonMobil ) , and Agip, in add-on to Shell, which was already playing a dominant function in the industry emerged. To day of the month, the above companies constitute the participants in Nigeria ‘s oil industry, with Shell the major participant accounting for a merely small less than 50 % of Nigeria ‘s entire day-to-day production, which presently stands at about 2.4 million barrels of oil per twenty-four hours, ( Socyberty, 2010 ) . The company has delved into assorted concerns and these can be classified into three organisations viz. upstream organisation, the downstream organisation and the undertakings and engineering Organization, Upstream Organization The Upstream organisation explores for and infusions crude oil and natural gas, frequently in joint ventures with international and national oil companies. The organisation besides liquefies natural gas by chilling and selling it to clients. It besides converts natural gas to liquids to supply cleaner firing fuels. It is besides responsible for selling and trading natural gas and power. It besides develops air current power as a agency to bring forth electricity. Downstream The organisation bend rough oil into a scope of refined merchandises, which are moved and marketed around the assorted provinces in Nigeria for domestic, industrial and conveyance usage. These include fuels, lubricators and bitumen. The fabrication concern includes Refining, Supply and Distribution. Marketing includes the Retail, Business to Business, Lubricants and Alternative Energies and Carbon dioxide. The Chemicals concern has dedicated Manufacturing and Marketing units of its ain. It trades rough oil, oil merchandises and petrochemicals chiefly to optimise feedstock for the Manufacturing concern and to provide the Selling concern. The Carbon dioxide organisation is responsible for organizing and driving Carbon dioxide direction activities across the company. Undertakings A ; Technology The organisation provides proficient services and engineering capableness in upstream and downstream activities. It manages the bringing of major undertakings and helps to better public presentation across the company. It delivers differentiated proficient information engineering for Shell and drive research and invention to make tomorrow ‘s engineering solutions. Undertakings and Technology besides houses Safety A ; Environment and Contracting A ; Procurement as these are built-in to all Shell Petroleum ‘s activities. External and Internal Environment of Shell Nigeria All organisations should hold the input from their external environment that in bend exchanges the merchandise and services they produce in order to supply the energy for continued being. â€Å" An organisation needs to be able to pull off its environment to last in the current concern environment by being invariably cognizant of development from its environment † ( Tiernan et al 2006 ) . All factors that are within other maps of their ain house are referred to as the internal environment. ( Shell 2010 ) External Environment Challenges confronting many companies today originate outside them. A survey of the external environment can descry major chances and menaces. Successful companies follow wide environmental tendencies and intermittently assess alterations taking topographic points in their industry. A company can non in general control its wide environment. ( Dess and Miller, 1993:45 ) Plague Analysis An organisation environmental analysis should be uninterrupted and feed all facets of be aftering before get downing the selling procedure. PEST analysis is a manner of analysing an organisation ‘s external environment. PEST means Political, Economical, Social, and Technology. These factors are beyond the control and influence of a concern but it is of import to be cognizant of it when making merchandise development, scheme or concern planning, ( Rapidbi 2008 ) . Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.learnmarketing.net/marketing.jpg PEST ANALYSIS ON SHELL NIGERIA Political factors Wars and Conflicts Government Policies Militancy/Terrorism Government Leadership Government Structures. Political Tendencies Economic factor Home Economy Trends General Taxation Issues. Market and Trade Cycles International Trade and Monetary Issues. Job Growth/Unemployment Interest and Exchange Rate Internal Finance and Cash Flow Social factor Consumer Buying Patterns. Ethnic/Religious Factors. Ad and Promotion Health/Living Standards Brand company and Technology Image Consumer ‘s attitude and sentiments Media positions Technological factor Research Support Adulthood of Technology Information and Communications Intellectual Property Issues Internet Transportation system Software Changes Political Factors The political sphere can increase or diminish a company ‘s independency and do the environment unfriendly or supportive of its activities ( Dess and Miller, 1993:48 ) . It has a immense influence upon the ordinance of concerns, and the disbursement power of consumers. This relates to how authorities policies affect Shell Nigeria Petroleum ‘s operation. Political factors such as Government policies, Political tendencies, and Government constructions, combativeness or terrorist act have high impact on Shell Petroleum. Rapid alterations in Government policies have affected Shell Nigeria Petroleum. When a authorities comes to power, he condemns the planning work done by the cherished authorities and brings in new policies that may or may non prefer Shell Petroleum. Due to political instability, decelerate development occurs. Combativeness or terrorist act has affected Shell Petroleum in Nigeria earnestly. The activists in the Niger Delta where the chief oil is situated besides affect the production of oil by Shell crude oil extremely. They are non supportive of the activities perpetrated by Shell. They are of the sentiment that Shell Nigeria do non merit to be at that place as there are no important development in their countries despite big sums of oil been gotten from the Niger Delta communities. As a consequence of these, the activists prehend oil Wellss, nobble exiles for big sums of money known ransom in return. They besides blow up oil Wellss and even kill these exiles. The activists want a per centum of what is gotten from the sale of oil from their community and as this has non been given to them or has been mismanaged by the top functionaries in the authorities, the activists travel a long manner to impact the day-to-day production of Shell Petroleum in Nigeria. Economic Factors The Economic factors of a province besides have a high impact in the behavior of a company. The stableness of the economic system of a state determines how the consumers would be able to devour energy merchandises. The overall province of the economic system influences the public presentations and schemes of a company. Nigeria ‘s economic system has undertaken several reforms over the past decennary after old ages of political instability due to over-dependence on the oil sector. Since 2008 the authorities has begun demoing the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to overhaul the banking system, to control rising prices by barricading inordinate pay demands, and to decide regional differences over the distribution of net incomes from the oil industry. In 2007-2009, GDP rose strongly thereby doing it one of the turning economic systems in Africa. As at 2009, Nigeria ‘s GDP stood at $ 339 billion and the GDP official exchange rate stood at $ 173.4 billion ( 2009 estimation ) and the GDP existent growing rate is 6.1 % ( 2009 estimation ) . ( Beginning: CIA World Fact, 2010 ) As a consequence of this analysis, the economic system state of affairs of Nigeria has a high impact of Shell Petroleum Nigeria as it affects it positively. Unemployment rate In Nigeria bases at 4.9 % as at 2007 while the rising prices rate bases at 12.4 % as at 2009, ( Beginning: CIA World fact ) . This analysis has a somewhat negative consequence as the buying power of the clients would be reduced. Components of Nigerian GDP in 2008 Beginning: StockmarketNigeria.com Social Factors Peoples ‘s picks which include the beliefs, values and attitudes of society are affected by Social factors. Changes in the societal factor of a state can impact buying behaviour. Shell is cognizant of this societal facet and this can be shown due to the big figure of client purchasing Shell Petroleum related merchandises. Oil spillage in the Niger Delta part of Nigeria is one of the wellness jeopardies caused by Shell Petroleum in Nigeria as they spill oil in the rivers doing it impossible for people in this part to angle, which is one of their major businesss. Gas flaring is besides one of the environmental jeopardies caused by Shell Petroleum but it already has programs to halt it by the terminal of 2011.The universe population is increasing and societal values are besides altering so the demand of fuel ingestion is besides increasing. Technology Factor Progresss in engineering have had a major impact on Shell Petroleum ‘s success. Technological alteration impacts socio cultural attitudes. Due to the promotion in engineering, Shell Nigeria Petroleum have a subdivision of their organisation that carries out engineering related undertakings dedicatedly merely to run into up with the current promotion in engineering in the energy sector and break the life of its clients. The Shell Petroleum Project and Technology subdivision deliver differentiated proficient information engineering for Shell Petroleum and drive research and invention to make tomorrow ‘s engineering solutions. ( Shell 2010 ) Porter ‘s Five Forces Porter 1980 stated that the competition province of an industry depends on five basic competitory forces. The combined strength of these forces establishes the concluding net income possible in the industry, where net income potency is precised in term of long tally return on invested capital. Assorted industries differ in their ultimate net income potency as the corporate strength of the forces differs. The forces include: Dickering power of purchasers Shell crude oil has assorted trade names of merchandises from which a client can take from. It ranges from the lubricators to the natural gas. The power of the purchaser is high because of these assorted scope so g merchandises that abound in Shell crude oil. Dickering power of providers Assorted providers of crude oil merchandises besides increase the strength of Shell crude oil because they largely rely on Shell crude oil for the supply of crude oil merchandises. The dickering power of providers is high. Competitive competition The crude oil sector is a competitory sector. Competition is high and ferocious as there are many companies like Exxon Mobil, Total, and Agip. Shell crude oil has remained in front of these companies because it has a strong trade name name and it wields adequate power and has strong influence in the oil sector due to its assorted quality trade name merchandises. Menaces of New Entrants It would be highly hard for new entrants to come in the crude oil market because Shell has created and established a strong image and trade name name. The menaces of new entrants are low because new entrants would confront assorted barriers like: They would necessitate more clip in doing its trade name known and etching it in the heads of bing clients of Shell crude oil who already like Shell Petroleum ‘s merchandise. They would necessitate more clip and to interrupt the monopoly of Shell Menaces of Substitutes Shell crude oil offer quality merchandises to the Nigerian market. Quality merchandises like the Shell Rimula and Mysella are merchandises that would be hard to replace because the merchandises have undergone much research before it was introduced to the market. Before a merchandise is released into the market, it is good developed by the assorted sections in its assorted sectors in the company hence the menaces of replacements is low. Internal Environment To work chances and minimise menaces in the external environment, directors must analyse a house ‘s internal strengths and failings. The most effectual schemes are based on a thorough apprehension of an organisation ‘s internal environment, ( Dess and Miller, 2003:74 ) . SWOT Analysis This is a tool that is used to analyse a company and its environment. SWOT analysis aid companies who aim for success channel its eyes on cardinal issues as it ‘s the first phase of planning. SWOT analysis is divided into two viz. the Internal and the External factor. The Internal factor consists of Strengths and Weaknesses while the External factor consists of Opportunities and Menaces from its rivals. Beginning: World Wide Web. taoofstieb.blogspot.co SWOT ANALYSIS OF SHELL NIGERIA Strengths Longevity in the market More research Strong public presentation in the market Strong trade name image Product/Service Differentiation Affecting the populace positively Failings Gas flaring still in topographic point Oil spillage force still affects it much focal point on oil Opportunities Discovery of new oil Wellss Penetration into Danger zone Embarking on new merchandises Rapid response to environmental unfavorable judgments Menaces Loss in net income as a consequence of fuel monetary value struggle and force competition from challengers High involvement rate Global recession Strength Shell has been one of the major leaders in the oil and gas industry and has adequate strength to execute in the oil and gas sector. It has its presence in over 72 states ( Shell 2010 ) . As a consequence it has a strong trade name image in Nigeria. It controls most of the oil Wellss in Nigeria. Shell besides embarks on new undertakings as they have a dedicated subdivision of their services entirely committed to transporting out new undertakings to see how to break the lives of Nigerians and the universe as a whole. In Nigeria, Shell besides organizes competitions like mathematics competitions and essays for pupils in secondary schools. Shell Nigeria besides awards scholarships to undergraduates in Nigerian universities from the Niger Delta part as a manner of helping their surveies. They besides aid station alumnus pupils from the Niger Delta to analyze either in Nigerian universities or abroad. As one of the major leaders in the oil and gas sector, Shell Nigeria besides has a scope of first-class merchandises that are supplied to different industries. They include Lubricants and Natural gas. Shell has assorted scopes of lubricators and motor oil which include: Shell Rimula Shell Mysella Shell Tellus Shell Turbo Shell besides supply natural gas through grapevines to large houses that are situated in Lagos province, Ogun province, Abia province and they have a strong trade name image. Failing Shell Nigeria still embarks on flaring of gas during extraction. They flare gas to take unwanted bi-products. This procedure degrades the environment as it causes airborne diseases to the communities and besides affects the ozone bed. Many of the people populating in the Niger delta where Shell operates are fishermen and husbandmans by business but most of their lands and beginning of support has been affected by Shell as a consequence of oil spillage. This affects the fishermen and the husbandmans as the fishes in the river dies and their farming area are destroyed. Major focal point on the oil and gas sector entirely in Nigeria has made Shell non to seek for and put to a great extent into other sectors of the Nigerian economic system like agribusiness. Heavy dependance on the oil returns allows it to be exposed to rigorous market conditions and as new companies are besides emerging in the oil and gas sector, it puts it at a competitory disadvantage to its challengers who explore the other sectors of the Nigerian economic system and non the oil and gas sector entirely. Opportunities Opportunities abound for Shell Petroleum in Nigeria. Oil Wellss are still being found in assorted topographic points in Nigeria and as Shell is a major participant in the oil and gas sector, it has taken over these Wellss. Shell has besides been able to boom in the Niger delta country in Nigeria, a topographic point where many oil companies are endorsing out from. Inspite of the menaces and force coming from the activists, they have been able to win the bosom of some of the activists. The power industry has improved in Nigeria and as a consequence of this, Shell besides has been able to ship on new merchandises and present them to the Nigerian market. This includes merchandises like the Shell Turbo. Menaces As a consequence of the issues confronting Shell in the Niger delta part of Nigeria, Shell has been affected as some oil sites were collected from them harmonizing to a tribunal opinion in Nigeria and handed to local proprietors. Shell operates in the big oil and gas sector, and as the oil and gas sector is quickly increasing, there is intense competition from other oil and gas companies in Nigeria. These companies include Agip oil, ExxonMobil, Total. Assorted struggles in the Niger Delta besides affect Shell Petroleum in Nigeria. Assorted hawkish groups kidnap exiles and oil Wellss and inquire for immense ransom. As a consequence of this, the company is affected greatly as they cough out immense money to procure their oil Wellss and protect their employees. MOST Analysis Like SWOT analysis, MOST analysis is besides a tool used to internally analyse the environment of a company. It defines the company through its Mission statement, its Aims, its Strategy and the Tactics it plans to utilize in run intoing these aims. Mission Shell Nigeria ‘s mission statement is toA enhance profitableness through advanced direction schemes while guaranting cost effectivity and tackling originative thoughts. This mission statement is the ground for the being of Shell. It strives to tackle originative thoughts by making more advanced and effectual ways of transforming energy to energy tantrum for human usage. Aims Shell Nigeria has stated aims that are intended for its operation. These aims are indispensable points that it intends to run into so as to maintain up with its mission. The aims are to prosecute in oil and its merchandise expeditiously and to beginning for energy to run into client ‘s demands and the universe ‘s turning demand for energy. By run intoing these aims, the company intends to hold an border over its rivals. Scheme Shell Nigeria has in topographic point assorted schemes to do the company accomplish its mission and set aims. These schemes include calling development, authorization, and unfastened door policy. The undertaking and engineering sector in the organisation applies the needful factors in accomplishing these schemes. These schemes are long term schemes that have been set to profit non merely the terminal clients but besides the economic province of the organisation in return. It besides has schemes in topographic point for bettering its bing merchandises and besides bring forthing new 1s. Tacticss Shell Nigeria has used assorted tactics to implement its mission, aims and strategic mission. These tactics have helped the company have an border over its rivals thereby doing clients to go on to sponsor them. These tactics include: Free auto service in every Shell crude oil filling station Good shed for loosen uping Assorted promos intended to do the client continue to sponsor them The variables in MOST analyses are indispensible and can be analyzed besides from top to bottom. One can non make without the other. They work manus in manus by driving each other until the organisation is successful. Organizational Structure For an organisation to accomplish its proposed purpose, mission and vision, it needs to hold a sort of construction in topographic point that would enable it transport out these procedures. There have been assorted definitions of what an organisational construction is by different faculty members but John Martin and Martin Fellenz ( 2010 ) defined an organisational construction as â€Å" the formal agreement of undertaking, communicating and authorization relationships that influence and command how people coordinate and conduct their work † ( John Martin and Martin Fellenz 2010: p336 ) . In the early 1990s, Shell operated utilizing the matrix sort of construction. They comprised of four companies which include The Parent Companies, The Group Holding Companies, The Service Company and The Operating Companies. The Committee of Managing Directors ( CMD ) managed the company. The commission of pull offing managers consists of five pull offing managers which includes the president, the frailty president and three other pull offing managers. The president of the Royal Dutch Petroleum and the Managing Director of Shell rotated the chairmanship of the commission of pull offing managers. The commission ‘s occupation was to supply a connexion and linkage between the formal constructions of the group and besides the direction construction of the group. However in 1995, Shell Petroleum restructured the manner it operated. It dismantled the matrix runing construction of the companies and produced four concern organisations to achieve a closer integrating within each sector in every state where Shell Petroleum operates. The construction made each concern efficaciously control and program its operations good. The bureaucratism type of leading that had been in operation was removed paving manner for the construction to hold adequate strength to map out a defined function to the operating companies and concern organisation. Organizational Strategy Strategy is an articulated coveted way of an organisation that can be used by others to understand the organisation ( Linstead et al, 2009:711 ) . For Shell Nigeria, its strong thrust to implement its scheme can be seen by the resulted developments in Nigeria and as a consequence of this thrust and development, they retain their strong Image and name that they have both in Nigeria and the universe as a whole. Shell Nigeria ‘s chief strategic characteristics were: They embarked on a strategic hereafter program. Most of Shell Nigeria ‘s rivals like Agip, Total embarked on a four or five twelvemonth program but Shell Nigeria embarked on a 20 twelvemonth program non because they wanted to hold a prognosis of what is traveling to go on within the 20 twelvemonth period but because they imagined scenarios that would go on and wanted to hold adequate solutions to the scenarios. The solutions they provided would let directors to see assorted ways to strategically react to any scenario that might blossom in the hereafter, ( blast 2010 ) . They besides played a strategic function by holding a strategic hereafter program where they would hold adequate installations to develop organisational acquisition, They besides focused on the approaching generational endowments. They were non excessively focused on fiscal public presentation. Assorted thoughts from different survey section like mathematics, economic sciences, and ecology were non thrown off by the Project section in Shell Nigeria alternatively they delved into it wholeheartedly so that their strong name would still be figure one and their repute would be retained. They operate an unfastened door policy which means that they welcome thoughts and constructive unfavorable judgments from their employees and the general populace. They have a hearing ear by taking into significance the employees needs through assorted treatments with them either through councils or accepted trade brotherhoods. They have assorted work forces from all walks of life which comprises of different accomplishments, civilizations, gender. These assorted work forces bring together and portion thoughts that help Shell Nigeria in its quest to acquire more clients and understand them better. They employ extremely skilled, qualified and experient workers and as a consequence of this, it offers great wage to its employers. Shell crude oil besides reward outstanding employees with assorted fillips like health care allowance, closet allowance, house allowance. Shell crude oil besides gives one-year foliages and its entitlements. They besides engage in maternity/paternity foliages and its entitlement. They besides have a retirement program for the aged and experient 1s who have served the company for many old ages. Assorted employees of Shell Nigeria who wish to foster their callings more than their current province are entirely supported by Shell Nigeria through assorted strategies like scholarship strategies. Shell Nigeria on its ain train its staff through assorted professional preparation and leading programmes. They do this to transfuse and implant leading and managerial values in their employees. Shell Nigeria as a company embarks on assorted beneficent undertakings merely to better the lives of the people in Nigeria. Such empowerment programmes include assorted Scholarship strategies, assorted inter-school competitions, and assorted football tourneies. They besides invest greatly in research and development. Shell is one of the largest investor in research and development and spends much on the geographic expedition and enlargement of engineerings that would take to the coevals of more and pure energy with adept merchandises for its clients. ( Shell.com, 2010 ) Since the construct of scheme is based upon a company accomplishing its ends and aims ( Tony Morden, 2007:184 ) , Shell Nigeria has a dedicated focal point to accomplish it by using the needed factors needed to accomplish these schemes through their dedicated Projects and Technology Section of their organisation that provides efficient services. By making this Shell Nigeria now has a strong presence in the Nigeria oil and gas industry thereby overmastering its major rivals like Agip, Conoil. Organizational Change Change direction means using steps and engineerings to cover with alterations in concern milieus and to gain from altering chances. The characteristics of alteration include accommodating to alter, commanding alteration, and set uping alteration. Change has become an indispensable issue and features of contemporary companies and as a consequence of this, it poses a scope of cardinal challenges for all kind of organisations, whether private, public or voluntary, ( Stephen Linstead et Al, 2009:619 ) . Assorted factors like direction, policies and tendencies of the authoritiess, complex organisational construction of a company, competition and menaces from other companies, causes a company to alter and the people mostly responsible for alteration in an organisation are the directors of that organisation. The Gagliardi Model of alteration The Gagliardi theoretical account of alteration was developed by Pasquale Gagliardi in 1986. The theoretical account describes that â€Å" the primary scheme of an organisation is the care of its cultural individuality in footings of predominating values. A virtuous circle from the corporate experience of success through stabilized values to coherence and efficiency sustains the continuity of civilization. But if the options allowed for by the civilization are unsuited to new jobs, so the virtuous circle becomes a barbarous circle hindering alteration. The consequence may be evident cultural alteration, cultural revolution or cultural incrementalism † , ( Gagliardi 1986 ) . For Shell, alteration started as the consequence of the figure of alterations embarked by the universe crude oil industry in the 20th century but as at that clip Shell did n’t undergo any alteration because they had a stable direction construction, a construction without an bossy main executive officer. Gagliardi ( 1986 ) stated that if the options allowed for by the civilization are unsuited to new jobs, so the virtuous circle becomes a barbarous circle hindering alteration, the consequence could be an evident alteration in civilization, cultural revolution or civilization incrementalism but for Shell crude oil, it maintained its individuality in footings of predominating value that were in topographic point majorly from its rivals because its construction was stable. Shell began dawdling behind in footings of its fiscal statistics and because the fiscal statistics had characteristics of decreased fiscal public presentation and fake organisational construction, and because ot her companies in the oil industry had carried out organisational alteration and began to boom, Shell set up an internal squad in July 1994 that would analyze its internal construction and the squad would in bend come up with programs on how to ship on a alteration that would be effectual and better and recover its strong trade name image. The motivation behind the demand for alteration in the company was the quest to hold a construction that would be easy for the corporate centre to exercise influence over the operating companies that would be effectual and besides the quest to better coordination between the operating companies. The squad embarked on its assignment and after much interview and sourcing of thoughts, the squad came up with assorted options for alteration by October 1994. They handed in a study to the Committee of Directors and spent yearss with the managers descrying out the objects of alteration. It was deliberated upon by the direction and an proclamation was passed to all employees in the company ‘s employ. The direction led by Cor Herkstroter, the president of the commission of managers in 1995 gave a address to Shell employees worldwide. He signified the kernel for alteration, outlined the chief facet of alteration and at the same clip told the employees to be ready for whatever alteration t hat would come. Gagliardi ‘s ( 1986 ) theoretical account makes leaders of organisations know how their companies would be affected culturally when they set up alteration thoughts in their organisations small wonder the commission for alteration was initiated. At the terminal, the organisational alteration affected most employees as many of them lost their occupations. As a consequence of this alteration, Shell now operate a straight-forward direction construction where effectual power and control is exerted by the corporate centre over the assorted operating companies and the coverage relationships would be easier to follow. When the alteration was done, many of its staff was trained to get by and understand the alteration that has been carried out since they were involved in it, this is portion of the company ‘s scheme which is â€Å" Shell operates an open-door policy with its employees † . Gagliardi ‘s ( 1986 ) alteration theoretical account explains the result of apparent, incremental, and radical alteration on cultural positions that exist in organisations. This alteration theoretical account that was implemented was to beef up and broaden the theory and values associated by the alteration enterprise, ( Latta 2009 ) . Organizational Culture Organizational civilization is now an indispensable portion in the apprehension of assorted organisations. A connexion or bond exists between the civilization of an organisation and other constructs such as leading, power, and organisational construction, ( Stephen Linstead et Al, 2009:151 ) . In any alteration happening in any organisation, the effects on the person and group behaviour are the most important. There have been assorted definitions of organisational civilization by different bookmans but harmonizing to ( Schwartz and Davis 1981: 33 ) , â€Å" Culture is a form of beliefs and outlooks shared by the organisation ‘s members. The beliefs and outlooks produce norms that strongly shape the behaviour of single and groups in the organisation † . Change dwells at the bosom of leading. Organizational civilization is one of many situational variables that are really of import in doing the attempts of leaders successful when alteration enterprises are implemented, ( L atta 2009 ) . Shell ‘s civilization covers assorted facets which includes its Vision and Mission statements Valuess and aims Technology, merchandises and services Vision and Mission Statements Vision and Mission statements are stated by most companies so that they would cognize what they want to accomplish and where they want to be in the nearest hereafter. It is a manner of doing a company look really effectual. Shell Nigeria mission statement is â€Å" toA enhance profitableness through advanced direction schemes while guaranting cost effectivity and tackling originative thoughts † while its vision statement is â€Å" to be the market leader and present the best value to our stakeholders. † Shell Nigeria has adequate trueness and dedication to its stakeholders besides holding its clients in head. They search out for more thoughts on how to be open uping in its pursuit for making energy. VALUES AND OBJECTIVES Shell Nigeria ‘s values is â€Å" to put high criterions of public presentation and ethical behaviours while its aims is â€Å" to prosecute expeditiously, responsibly and productively in oil and its merchandises, and other selected concerns and to take part in the hunt for and development of other beginnings of energy to run into germinating client demands and the universe ‘s turning demand for energy † . As oil and gas can non be done without, as it is a major beginning of energy, Shell Nigeria ‘s exclusive value and aim is to beginning for oil and gas in the Niger delta part in ways that it would non impact the environment. Technology, PRODUCT AND SERVICE It has been the civilization of Shell Nigeria and Shell in other locations of the universe to tackle engineering and supply better merchandises and services for its clients. More ways have been found on how to better harness and procedure energy. Shell Nigeria has assorted merchandises and services which include lubricators and natural gas which is used for mundane life. Power and Politicss Power is needed in organisations because it is the major manner organisational ends can be achieved through assorted parts of thoughts. Therefore organisational political relations are activities used to derive and use power in organisations ( Martin and Fellenz, 2010: p518 ) Shell Petroleum had a powerful position after it was formed. The influence they had could non be matched because they had no ferocious rivals as at when it was created. They were even said to be one of the three most good known institutes. Shell Petroleum is alone in its construction and its twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours direction of its assorted groups is complex. The Committee of Managing Directors ( CMD ) had control over the group ; they were the 1s in charge of the personal businesss of the company. The Committee besides had its ain president which rotated between the President of the Royal Dutch Petroleum and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Shell Transport and Trading. Shell operates a individual grade leading. The overall leading construction is chaired by a non executive president, Jorma Ollila while the executive direction is led by Chief Executive Officer, Peter Voser. These managers, presidents link with other presidents and managers of Shell all over the universe to do certain that Shell lives up to its name. They make certain the image is retained and besides do certain that more ways to beginning for energy are devised and harnessed. Shell began to construct a strong image and name for itself and became one of the largest crude oil companies in 1995. Shell crude oil drama a high degree of political relations and wield adequate power in the oil sector of Nigeria. The political civilization of Shell crude oil in Nigeria is one that has been ever criticized. The company was criticized for the portion it played in the sentencing of an militant, Ken Saro-Wiwa of the Ogoni land and of all time since the incident happened, they have gained more critics than friend both locally in Nigeria and Internationally. The policies of the Nigerian do non look to impact Shell Petroleum because in malice of the clarion call made by dissenters in the Niger delta part of Nigeria of the continued oil spillage caused by their Shell, it has fallen on deaf ears because the company has been seen as a major participant in the oil sector of Nigeria. Shell crude oil still flares gas in Nigeria, a policy the Nigerian authorities has abolished but because of the untouchable nature of Shell, the Nigerian authorities was forced to switch the deadline of gas flaring assorted times. Shell crude oil has been the major cause of civil agitation in the Niger delta due to the political influence they have on the Nigerian authorities. They have seized the lands of the people populating in the Niger delta and alternatively of the company developing the Niger delta part, they spill oil on it. The authorities does nil touchable to halt them because of the influence they have. The federal Government of Nigeria has failed to put tougher countenances for companies prosecuting in oil spillage. The regulations are being dead set whenever Shell crude oil wants to be affected. Hazard ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT Organizations do cognize that they may confront hazards at some certain times in their concern life and as a consequence of this they analyze their houses to understand what hazards would endanger their assets. They propose steps to forestall these hazards afterwards. Shell crude oil understands that they may in the future face hazards from altering conditions in economic, competitory, legal, political, finance and concern field which would hold consequence on their public presentation and as a consequence, they have analyzed this hazards and proposed safeguarded solutions to the hazards due to their accomplishment in detecting where their concern is most susceptible. The analyses include: Fluctuation in the monetary value of rough oil and oil merchandises The demand and supply of oil could be affected by assorted factors like natural catastrophes and political instability which would ensue in the fluctuating monetary values of rough oil and its merchandises. These fluctuations could impact the finance conditions of Shell Petroleum and could do long term undertakings in its upstream sector less profitable. This poses a possible hazard to the finance state of affairs of the company and as a consequence Shell Petroleum has moved to increase their oil militias so that in the nearer hereafter, if the hazard happens, they would non be affected. Competition Competition from other major participants in the Nigerian oil sector like Total, Agip are going a major menace to the being of Shell Petroleum. These competition forces are strong because the merchandises of Shell Petroleum are viing in trade good type markets which make other crude oil merchandises known. The ability of Shell Petroleum to achieve its set schemes depends on the company ‘s reaction to these competition forces. Shell Petroleum as a consequence of this has moved to pull off their disbursals through cost-effective budgets. Brand image and Company Reputation Shell Nigeria has mostly dominated the Nigerian oil sector since its creative activity through the acquisition of oil Wellss, larger oil militias, oil lands from the authorities. All these are the major assets of Shell Petroleum which constitutes their trade name image and the repute of their company. An eroding of this repute would hold an inauspicious reaction on the company ‘s operation and the entree to new assets. By placing this hazard, Shell has moved to guarantee rigorous conformity to the codification of behavior and rules of her concern by doing all CEOs of assorted Shell companies all over the universe guarantee that their employees are invariably being reminded of these regulations by subscribing the moralss signifier. Insecurity Assorted sensitive parts in Nigeria, most particularly the Niger Delta could expose the employees to hazards, accidents and even loss of life. Social unrest, natural catastrophes, offense, wellness of the employees, detonation all contribute to hazards that poses menaces to Shell Petroleum which could impact its operations negatively and convey a bad repute to its image. Shell crude oil identified this hazard and made sure that all employees who operate in these parts are made cognizant of the fact of working in these parts, they besides made certain that the employees are Health Safety Security and Environment ( HSSE ) certified. They besides made certain that they are good trained on what to make in the event of any natural and unnatural catastrophe. Reliable Information Technology The universe is turning into a planetary small town and it is the duty of companies to follow the tendency in the alteration in Information Technology. Shell Petroleum is cognizant that in the nearest hereafter, information engineering may neglect to present her services in an efficient mode due to reliance and resettlement of information engineering services. The company has moved to work out this job by puting more in Project and Technology section. More technological undertakings are being carried out in all parts where the company operates. This is to do certain that the company continues to present quality and improved services all the clip as invention and engineering are its major elements. Climate alteration Climate alteration like the emanation of nursery gases, the depletion of the ozone bed are hazards and concerns that could take to the hold of assorted undertakings. Shell Petroleum ‘s aim to be the major manufacturer of energy tantrum for human usage would take a downswing if clime alterations continue to impact it. As a consequence of this hazard, Shell Petroleum has found alternate ways of bring forthing energy from alternate beginnings by increasing the rates of its C dioxide strength and emanation rate. This is to do certain that the company does non worsen in the production of energy.

The Life Of Frederick Douglas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Life Of Frederick Douglas - Essay Example It was only when he got to be about six or seven that he was brought onto the plantation to work. Even though it was rumored that Douglass had a white father, perhaps even his master, he was treated as a slave since the moment of his birth. He was separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, before he was a year old. This custom, as Douglass explains, was derived from the notion that â€Å"to hinder the development of the child’s affection towards its mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child† (Douglass 17). He felt no loss when he was told his Mother had died. The only family he was close to was his Grandmother, until he was brought to the plantation. It was here, during the moment of their separation, that Douglass discovered he was a ‘slave’, and what it meant to be a slave. Similarly, Harriett Jacobs did not know she was a slave until roughly the age of six, upon her Mother’s death. â€Å"I was so fondly shielded that I never dreamed I was a piece of merchandise† (Jacobs 7). Jacobs’ knowledge of the cruel treatment of slaves came when she was twelve years old, after her kind mistress passed away and Jacobs was handed over to her mistress’ sister and family. Unlike Douglass, Jacobs’ family was kept together during her childhood. She lived in a cabin with her parents and younger brother, Willie. Her Father was a carpenter, and he was able to earn these allowances by working as such and turning part of his earnings over to his mistress (Jacobs 7). Where Jacobs had been treated as family, Douglass was made certain that he was nothing more than a slave. Children on Captain Anthony’s plantation would eat out of a trough, like pigs. There were no beds or blankets provided to the slaves, and â€Å"children from seven to ten years old, of both sexes, almost naked, might be seen at all seasons of the year† (Douglass 22). Where Jacobs was proud

Discussion post Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Discussion post - Essay Example As indicated in the regulations and guidelines issued by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, the IRB teams should comprise of at least five individuals including a representative of the community. This enables the IRB to review a proposed research on the basis of community, legal and professional acceptability (Codina, 2014). After going through ‘Protecting Human Research Participant’ course, I had an opportunity of discussing with a nurse engaging in research about prevention of ventilator pneumonia in babies in the ICU. From information gathered, the nurse had completed the initial training in research ethics prior to submission of a protocol. She was able to undertake the online training offered by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI), for engaging institutions (Mateo & Foreman, 2013). In my workplace, the IRB comprises of two hospital administrators, clinicians, nurses, a professional in medical ethics, two lay individuals from the community, and a statistical professional. The IRB maintains an equal gender ratio. The IRB acts as a screening centre for issues of conflict of interest in research or institution and is also responsible for monitoring difficulties in the study. The IRB is governed by FDA, and its practices and policies are reviewed periodically for cert ification (Zenios et al.,

STRUCTURAL DESIGN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

STRUCTURAL DESIGN - Essay Example Proper engineering design is required for all structural work as inferior designs have resulted to many catastrophic accidents such as the collapse of buildings, bridges underground tunnels, roofs and other structures. These collapse lead to heavy loses in terms of materials, finances and loss of lives. It is therefore important to consider all aspects of a building especially in terms of applied loads so as to design a sufficient structure to resist these forces. There are many design consideration that must be taken into account when designing the structural details of any building. After the structural design, the buildings are then constructed. There are many types of materials that are used in the building construction industry. Some of the most common construction material includes wood, steel/iron, masonry and concrete. Plastics are now gaining importance in building and construction especially for interiors design or supporting at points where minimum load resistance is required. The foundation: this structural element supports the whole building. It carries the whole load of the building and distributes the stress to soil or rock layer beneath it. The foundation must be well constructed in order to aid in support of whole structure. Most of the foundation elements are made using reinforced concrete, metal or Masonry. Concrete is highly preferred due to it durability and ability to withstand heavy compressive forces. The type of foundation is greatly determined by type of soil, the size of the building, ground water present and other special design considerations. Some of the common types of foundations include; Different foundations have got different footings. The type, size and materials used for construction of the footing depend upon the type of soil and the load bearing capacity of that soil. The main types of footing commonly used include; The main structural elements used for most of the floors are

Neurology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Neurology - Essay Example However, with advanced severity, the disease may result in mood swings, disorientation, poor self-care, and language problems. The nutritional concern is in enhancing quality and efficiency of care given. b. Aneurysm refers to a localized bulge in the shape of a balloon that occurs in the walls of blood cells due to blood filling them. Also known as cerebral aneurysm, the disease often goes unnoticed for lack of symptoms but may rupture and release blood into the brain skull; hence, cause stroke. A nutritional concern for the disease would be in relation to vomiting and nausea. c. Arnold Chiari Malformation is a skull malformation or structural defect on the cerebellum consisting of downward displacements of the cerebellar tonsils; hence, causing non-communicating hydrocephalus due to the obstruction of the outflow of the cerebrospinal fluid. The main nutritional concern is in relation to the lack of vitamins in the body. d. Bell’s palsy is a momentary form of paralysis to the face due to the dysfunction of the cranial nerve VII; thus, affecting the movement of the facial muscles. Nutritionally, vitamin therapy for vitamins B6, B12 and zinc are administered to restore nerve functions. e. Cerebral Palsy refers to a general word that is applied in describing a set of neurological disorders or conditions that affect the brain and nervous system; thus, affecting their functions like hearing, movement, thinking, learning, seeing and hearing. Nutritionally, such patients have poor nutrition with occasioned chewing and swallowing difficulties. The ultimate goal of nutritional intervention would be to optimize fitness, health, functions and growth among the patients. f. Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIPD) is a neurological disorder that is characterized by impaired sensory functioning and progressive weakness of one’s limbs. It is caused by the damage that is

The Great Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Great Depression - Essay Example Progressivism at its best aimed to remove corruption by imposing child labor laws, addressing lynching based on racism, and removing politicians that were involved in illegal business practices. At the local level, progressivism continued to display brilliant signs of reform as the construction of schools was pushed, political machines were dissolved, and politics was addressed in an efficient manner.   Roosevelt’s New Deal was considered of two phases that were planned to recovery and relief. The first phase concentrated on to heal society from Great Depression through different channel. Acts such as the Agricultural Adjust Administration clearly boosted agriculture reform and built civil infrastructure. Bank reform occurred in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which installed a limit and tightened finance regulations. The second phase of the New Deal 1935 and 1941 concentrated on recovery measures. The implementation of the social security system tremendously s ecured the economic security and the individual warfare. The Fair Labor Standards Act that was passed in 1938 again emphasized as minimum living standards for workers that were associated with commerce.   The minimum wage was raised from $0.25 to $0.40 along with 44 hours limit and established pay for overtime. The Department of Labor spearheaded this effort as the standards were

ROWE Program at Best Buy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ROWE Program at Best Buy - Essay Example Plachy & Plachy (1998) also confirms that ROWE assists managers to design feasible ways of improving their output. Best Buy, for instance, is an international company that applies the ROWE program. This paper, in effect, explores ROWE program at Best Bay using various subheadings. Culture of Best Buy Best Buy Co., Inc. is an international electronic retailer that majorly sells in the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Turkey, China, and Canada. As an important aspect of the culture in Best Buy, the organization holds close social media as a form of empowering its employees. In other words, the company reaps massive productive gain through proper application of social media. Gibson & Billings (2003) points out three important social media tools applied in Best Buy. The Loop Marketplace, as one tool, involves replacing traditional suggestion box, where employees submit and share ideas, with specific market meeting points. Instead of collecting opinions of customers using suggestion boxes, the company identifies specific marketplaces where customers could converge and air out their views. As a second tool, Best Buy applies the Prediction Market tool to predict future market behaviors. Through prediction strategy, the organization designs suitable ways of controlling both supply and price of its products. The third social media tool the company has productively implemented is the Blue Shirt Nation. The latter tool involves diverting focus from improvement of pension schemes to modification of IT systems. Application of modern technological advancements has created a work environment where both employees and employers could freely interact. Approach to Organizational Change that ROWE Program Illustrates Gibson & Billings (2003) asserts that Best Buy has transformed its workplace by demolishing old systems where physical presence of a worker is equated to productivity of the worker. That is, from the name of the program, â€Å"results-only work environment,† Best Buy has focused on productivity of an employee, as an organizational change. Delmont (2005) also supports that the program in Best Buy objects at judging performance of a workforce on its output instead of duration spent in a meeting or in an office. Practically, ROWE program allows employees in the company to enter and exit their workplaces at any time of the day. There is no penalty or fine to an employee arriving after the official opening hours or leaving before the official business hours. Delmont (2005) summarizes that the program perceives work as something to do but not somewhere to go. The company is, therefore, interested in knowing whether work is satisfactorily completed. Through ROWE program, two major positive outcomes have been felt in the company. Overall employee satisfactory has shoot up following improvement in every department. Also report by Gallup, an organization that audits corporate cultures, indicates that the company’s productivity has climb ed up by 35% (Delmont, 2005). Resistance ROWE program at Best Buy Faces Even though ROWE program has significant effects in improvement of overall productivity of an organization and employees satisfaction, it, however, faces certain challenges. Resistance often comes from staffs members who appear to be

Tabloids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tabloids - Essay Example As compared to broadsheet journalism, which is normally held together by a strong since of ethics and public responsibility, tabloids rely on pure entertainment and outrageous colors, features, and stories to try to lure in the imaginative reader. Often stories are crafted out of no factual basis, and are there instead to try to be as outrageous as possible for the sake of getting people's attention. They use a much looser idea of values and morals to try to make their point compared to broadsheet journalism. In a stunning twist of events, Clinton and Obama have been seeing coming out of a hotel late into the night. Could this mean a new political partnership between the two, or possibly an even darker secret love life between the two Could this all be an alien plot Late last night Democratic nominees Clinton and Obama were both seen on their way home from a late night meeting. The meeting, uncongenially, seemed to have taken place in an hotel room that was actually rented in McCain's name. The fact that McCain seems to pay for them to spend the night together is strange of itself, but seeing the two candidates embrace in a hug and passionate kiss as they left sparked the real controversy. This turn in events now leads people to wonder if in fact Clinton and Obama are really working together, and in more places than just the political bedroom. McCain helping them pay for the room also adds suspicion to what all of them are really up to. Is McCain paying them off to keep the fighting going longer so he can continue to campaign without a direct candidate Are Clinton and Obama really in love and want to run together As the saying goes, politicians do make strange bedfellows. Works Cited: http://spj.org/ethicscode.asp Society of Professional Journalists Tabloid

Function of Storytelling Essay Example for Free

Function of Storytelling Essay The novel Atonement by Ian MCewan and the short story â€Å"The Things They Carried† by Tom OBrien both employ storytelling as a form of redemption. This is achieved in each text through the narrators freedom to manipulate the content and truth of the narrative in order to amend past wrongs and to imagine a more comforting, alternate reality. In Atonement, the narrator , Briony uses her literal imagination to alter the story of her life in hope to seek redemption for past actions with great consequence, while the narrator in Tim OBriens â€Å"The Things They Carried† tells and retells his version of the memory to help it become real. Both narratives show storytelling to be a possible healing process. P1-First step to redemption is to admit the reason for your deception. A novels allows narrator to confess the motive behind his/her sin. Briony initial stage towards redemption is by confessing the dangers of interpretation. quote- To herâ€Å"reading a sentence and understanding it were the same thing; as with the crooking of a finger, nothing between them. There was no gap during which symbols were unravelled†(37) -quote shows Brionys belief in the ease of interpretation which leads her to jump to conclusions she can never change. The blame for the tragedy is not only due to Brionys misinterpretation of events , but the misguided nature of interperation provided by books. â€Å"The Things They Carried† -The narrator describes the difficult conditions of war by describing the emotional and physical baggage they carry. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried the love letters from Martha. These horrible conditions forced Lieutenant cross to day dream about Martha which lead to Ted Lavenders death. -quote:told they carry â€Å"pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatchesand two or three canteens of water† which weigh â€Å" between 15 and 20 pounds†(241). -quote allows the reader to feel the overwhelming weight of being a soldier, which words cant simply explain. The narrator demonstrates the reasoning for Lieutenant crosss daydreaming as a way to escape from chaos of Vietnam war. P2-Using storytelling another step towards redemption is taken by characters revealing repentance by punishing themselves for their wrong doing (reveal repentance/remorse) -briony becomes a nurse and turns away Cambridge. She writes about the hard work she does as a nurse. quote: â€Å"Whatever skivvying or humble nursing she did and however well or hard she did it, whatever illumination in tutorial she had relinquished ,or lifetime moment on a college lawn, she would never undo the damage. She was unforgivable† -Lieutenant Jimmy burns Marthas letter and pictures, thus destroying his distracting fantasy in order to become a true soldier -quote: â€Å"Lavender was dead. You couldnt burn the blame† -Something is missing in explanation. How can I tie in that acts of remorse both did not make amends. P3-Novel is attempt by narrators to erase the wrong he/she did. The outcome of redemption differs for each narrator. -Briony alters the ending of the ending of the story in hope to seek redemption but does not achieve it because quote: â€Å"The problem of these fifty-nine years has been this:how can a novelist achieve atonement when, with her absolute power of deciding outcomes, she is also God? There is no one , no entity of higher form that she can appeal to, or be reconciled with, or that can forgive her† -No matter how many times she rewrites the story she will never receive Robbie and Cecile’s forgiveness. She cant achieve self forgiveness because no alternate ending that she imagines will replace the true ending. -The only way Briony will end her guilt is when her memory fails and she dies. (disease) -Narrator for â€Å"The Things They Carried† achieves redemption for Ted Lavenders death because storytelling allows the memories of Ted Lavender to stay alive. -Storytelling enables the narrators memories to be shaped and rearranged in order to make sense of past events and make them real -The narrator achieves redemption for Ted Lavenders death by storytelling because each time the story is told or retold the soldiers in the Alpha Company are being given a new life each time by the reader. -quote:At first, we learn â€Å"he was shot and killed outside Than Khe† (OBrien 241) and gradually learn â€Å"Ted Lavender was shot in the head on his way back from peeing† (OBrien 246).

Humanitarian Intervention Essay Example for Free

Humanitarian Intervention Essay By way of analogy, one should think of the world as a large neighborhood where people live and go about their business. Naturally, whenever one would ask for help, they would approach their neighbor for it and it is up to the latter to render that help or not if it is within their capacity to provide that help. The issue here now is what if help is not asked for and yet a neighbor sees trouble. Would he let them be or get involved to address the issue? Viewing it from a bigger picture, the world stage also faces this kind of problem. There are states that also face a similar situation. The challenge now is, should other states intervene even if they are not â€Å"invited? † This is the dilemma facing members of the international community today and even the United Nations, supposedly the first line of defense and the court of last resort of states that are in danger of becoming failed states or where political instability is too much for national governments to handle on their own or they became repressive towards their own people that the latter have nowhere else to turn to. There are some states that want to intervene in the affairs of other states precisely for this reason, which is primarily to help, nothing more. But this would present a dilemma. Which is more important or carries more weight, (international) human rights, or (national) sovereignty? Is there a distinction between â€Å"humanitarian intervention† and imperialism? What could be well-meaning intervention to help the poor and oppressed people of a particular country could be viewed as an invasion or an encroachment or violation of sovereignty and thereby earn the condemnation of the rest of the international community. The issue now is if the intervention undertaken is legitimate. Legitimacy of actions is not definite and is subjective, depending on how one views it. The Following are cases of humanitarian interventions conducted in the past and how did the international community react to it: East Pakistan (Bangladesh) – 1971: When British India became independent from Britain in 1947, it had adverse consequences, independence also led to the partition of India which saw the creation of a separate Muslim state of Pakistan. Pakistan, in turn, was divided into West Pakistan, where the seat of government is situated and East Pakistan, located along Indias eastern border. These two states are separated by India. Furthermore, despite carrying the same name â€Å"Pakistan,† these two states are culturally different despite being Muslim, those in the east speak Bengali, a language that is related to that of the Indians. The east Pakistanis did not feel any cultural affinity with those from the west and they feel marginalized. Because of this â€Å"cold† treatment from the west, they began batting for autonomy led by the Awami League of Sheik Mujibur Rahman. The leaders in the west saw it as an act of secession and moved swiftly to suppress it through military intervention. What happened next was a virtual civil war as the East Pakistanis, or Bengalis resisted the West Pakistanis, seeing them more as invaders and the latter responded with severe repression that saw countless atrocities being committed. The matter was brought up the United Nations (UN) where the actions of Pakistan was condemned yet no severe action was taken as the UN Security Council was divided with the United States and China backing up Pakistan and the Soviet Union on Indias side. The partiality of the superpowers prevented any punitive measures taken against Pakistan. India had been covertly supporting Bengali resistance served as the latters staging area for attacks against Pakistani occupiers. This led Pakistan to believe India joined the battle and the Third India-Pakistan War broke out. Eventually, Indian forces prevailed. India’s victory also assured the independence of East Pakistan which was renamed Bangladesh (Wheeler, 2000, pp. 63-64). Somalia (1992-1993): UN involvement in this East African nation stemmed from the famine that has nearly devastated Somalia. This was further exacerbated by the increasing anarchy brought about by the lack of a central government and with competing warlords vying for control as civil war broke out in 1991. The UN organized a peacekeeping mission called United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM) calling for the establishment of a security force of 50 UN troops in Somalia to monitor the ceasefire. Despite the UNs efforts, the ceasefire was ignored by the warlords, especially Mohammed Farid Aidid. Fighting continued and further intensified, jeopardizing UN relief efforts as they were targeted for attacks as well. The harassment of UN personnel prompted the intervention of the United States in what became Operation Restore Hope to ensure the continuation of the relief efforts and what makes American presence different was that it was authorized to utilize all necessary means to ensure the protection of the relief efforts which it initially did, conducting proactive military operations against militias until October on 1993, following the â€Å"Blackhawk Down† incident in October of 1993, the Clinton Administration, in a knee-jerk reaction to the casualties incurred (18 US soldiers killed and one captured), ordered the pull out of US forces from Somalia (Wheeler, 2000, pp. 172-176). The absence of American military muscle also led to the pull out of UN forces from the region as well and Somalia is still what it was 10 years ago where lawlessness still prevailed and this was further evidenced by the proliferation of pirates along the Indian Ocean which used Somalia as the base of operations owing to the lawlessness there. Rwanda (1993-1994): In the case of Rwanda, ethic conflict broke out between the Hutus and Tutsis. The UN intervened through the creation of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) on October of 1993 to oversee the peace efforts in the region. The biggest contributing countries along with Belgium were Ghana, Tunisia, Bangladesh, and Canada. In the latter part of 1993, both Hutus and Tutsis appeared to be honoring the Arusha Accords, and reaffirmed such commitment to creating a new, broad-based transitional government by the end of the year. However, things went sour following the downing of the aircraft carrying Rwandan President Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntarayima of Burundi. It inflamed hatred and a killing spree ensured. Among the first targets of the genocide were Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and 10 Belgian members of UNAMIR after handing over their weapons to Rwandan government troops. In a knee-jerk reaction similar to what the Clinton Administration did following the international embarrassment the United States suffered in Somalia in 1993, Belgium pulled out its troops from UNAMIR and other contingents followed suit. UNAMIR was left with 270 soldiers supported by less than 200 local authorities. The UNAMIR did the best it could with what forces remained. As individuals and as a group, members of the UNAMIR forces did manage to save the lives of thousands of Tutsis in and around Kigali and the few areas of UN control. Despite their best efforts, to the eyes of the world, they appeared to be apathetic or indifferent, standing idly by as Hutus were murdering Tutsis on a larger scale. The French deployed troops following the outbreak of the genocide yet it was for the purpose of evacuating their embassy as well as several members of the late president’s cabinet (Wheeler, 2000, p. 219). The genocide eventually abated with the arrival of a multi-national force from several African states. Yugoslavia (1995-Present): Following the collapse of the communist regime in Yugoslavia, age-old ethnic hatreds reemerged as pre-World War I states began to come back into existence as the nation Josip Broz Tito once ruled disintegrated. This was very apparent in the hatred towards the local Muslim population, particularly by the (Bosnian) Serbs. There were eight UN PKOs in the former Yugoslavia and they were made up of over 20 member states. Despite signing a truce, the civil war resumed and it was the Bosnian Muslims, and later the Kosovars who bore the brunt of Serb brutality which was presided over by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and Serbian leader Radovan Karadic. They invoked nationalism to inflame the passions of the Serbs who then proceeded to conduct â€Å"ethnic cleansing† which was underscored by the massacre at Srebrenica in 1995 which was supposed to be a UN â€Å"safe area† and this happened after Serb forces drove a UN peacekeeping contingent out when the latter could not defend themselves against a larger Serb force and had to pull out. In retaliation, there were some peacekeepers even held hostage by the Bosnian Muslims and used as human shields to force the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into attacking the Serbs. Seeing the ineffectiveness of the UN PKO, NATO began to intervene to add more political muscle starting with air strikes to bring the Serbs back to the negotiating table and eventually deploying troops to enforce the peace in the troubled region as a â€Å"stabilization force† and took it upon themselves to go after Serbian war criminals (Wheeler, 2000, p. 16). Analysis: Upon close analysis, all these situation involved humanitarian intervention which called for the deployment of a military force to make humanitarian relief efforts possible. Among the given cases, it would be nearly impossible to determine which is the least justified. If there needs to be one, it would have to be India’s intervention in Pakistan’s civil war which became its war against Pakistan as well. It would be least justified if it is seen from a legal perspective. India was interfering in what seemed to be an internal dispute between Pakistan. Beyond the legal however, one has to take into consideration that India is flanked on both side by East (Bangladesh) and West Pakistan and strategically she would be in peril considering that her relationship with Pakistan is anything but cordial and as such would rather the face one opponent instead of two. Secondly, the Bengalis were closer to them than the Pakistanis despite being Muslim. Somalia, as well as Rwanda’ would turn out the ones that badly need humanitarian intervention. Given the utter lawlessness and chaos that has visited the country, it appears that the Somalis and Rwandans could not seem to address their problems and this thereby necessitates humanitarian intervention given the fact its people are suffering from famine and genocide respectively. Aid could not get through to them since there is virtually no government there to bring order and it is the warlords who are in charge and they care about is power. After seeing the UN as weak in enforcing its will, the United States, under the first Bush Administration, took the lead in bringing order back into Somalia but unfortunately the Clinton Administration took a different approach especially after the â€Å"Blackhawk Down† incident. Instead of following through to bring Aidid to justice, they decided to pull out. The same thing can be said in Rwanda as well, especially after the murder of the Belgian peacekeepers. Putting them together, the west appeared to be somewhat unwilling to make sacrifices to help address the problems of the Somalis and Rwandans, especially after the deaths of their people. It is as though they felt Africans were not worth saving or dying for and this has sent a wrong message – the west is unwilling to sacrifice for Africans and this also contains racist undertones and has placed a sense of embarrassment to the west for their apparent apathy or â€Å"cowardice† towards Africa. Yugoslavia proved to be the application of the lessons learned from Somalia and Rwanda as the Serbs went on an â€Å"ethnic cleansing† spree, killing Muslims. When news of the atrocities became known throughout the world, they took a stand and finally acted upon it with the deployment of NATO forces to enforce the peace but at the same time, operate with rules of engagement that would enable them to defend themselves appropriately while carrying out this vital mission. Wheeler’s point is that moral considerations should be taken into account. It can be inferred in his work that human life is the most precious thing on the planet and these are wasted or sacrificed needlessly by their own people and government for the sake of power or out of spite. Governments are supposed to look out for their citizens and if they cannot do this, who can the people turn to? This is a symptom of a failed state and it should be the moral responsibility of the international community to help restore order. The problem with laws, both national and international is that it is not perfect. Just because things are put into law does not mean it is perfect and explicit. Laws are inherently implicit as loopholes will be found and used to get around it and this is what prevents humanitarian interventions from taking place or condemn those who do intervene. Nevertheless, Wheeler presents a valid point in emphasizing the moral factor which he feels, as well as most of the world probably feels as well that as a (global) community, â€Å"neighbors† should look out for each other as well because what may seem an internal matter might someday move to their doorstep someday. This has to be addressed the soonest to preserve the peace and order in the community.

Democracy in Nigeria Challenges

Democracy in Nigeria Challenges NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY TODAY: THE EXPECTED DIVIDENDS AND CHALLENGES BY FRANKLINS A . SANUBI, Ph.D Abstract After a long period of military interregnum, the anxiety and high expectations which characterized the disposition of the local Nigerian polity shortly before 1999 had almost waned in barely a decade of the country’s democratic experiment due to bad and corrupt governance resulting in some fresh pessimism about the workability of democratic governmentt in the country These expectations which have been encapsulated into a new paradigm in Nigerian politics known as â€Å"dividends of democracy† have aroused some academic and policy concern about the claims of those who professed to have secured some â€Å"dividends† for their people and those who believed that such acclaimed dividends are a ruse. Using a structural-functional analytical framework in a descriptive research design, this paper presents some of the relevant arguments for and against the claim to the dividends of democracy in Nigeria, pointing out some of its key challenges. It observes among others, th at while the claim to attaining dividend of democracy may be arguable under the platform that the adoption of democratic governance in Nigeria may have secured some favourable external image for the nation in recent years, there are ample evidence that much of the claims by political actors to dividends of democracy are not supported by tangible functional structures of an enduring democracy The paper recommends among other things, a vigorous pursuit of the institutional fight against corruption and an expedited reform of the country’s electoral system. Introduction The peculiarities of a nation’s practice of democracy distinguish it from another’s. As a social process, democracy should naturally be expected to respond to the dictates of its immediate milieu while as much as possible it aspires to some universal principles or standards in its practice. From its definitions as ‘a government of popular sovereignty’ democracy permits the majority of the governed to have its â€Å"will† enthroned in governance at least in deciding who should direct its own affairs in political authority at elections. In Nigeria’s barely half-a-century of political independence, some attempts at democratic governance may have totalled up only to nineteen years of its nationhood. Of this however, much will be desired of any one to identify the boundaries of a ‘true democracy’ as defined above if any, that is existing in the Nigerian experience. Typically, a democracy is characterized among others, by a regular general election, a highly defined electoral procedure, a high degree of the rule of law (with an independent and transparent judicial structure) and a people whose human rights is optimally guaranteed by existing executive, legislative and judicial institutions. While it may be argued at some academic forum that no ideal (true) democracy can be found in any nation today, there is however much compelling impulse to associate some current western democracies with a high degree of ideal democratic phenomenon. The Nigerian democracy would, comparatively rank very low in such continuum in terms of both practice and dividends. Democratic Dividends: A Definition Our discomfort with the use of the term â€Å"dividend† in the analysis of political performance, and especially in Nigeria where self-interest seems to vehemently override nationalistic aspiration, lies not in its auspiciousness but in its origin. The term â€Å"dividends† is a business one, particularly in the area of investment. To expect a dividend in future is to invest today. Investment is seen from the point of view of economics as â€Å"part of present income spent on goods or services in order to generate a high future income†. Such goods however are investment goods as distinguished from consumer goods. This view of investment sees the process as a â€Å"risk taking† endeavour. To assure a risk-taker of a dividend is to minimize his risks elements while investing. Higher risks bring higher dividends. The most successful investors therefore belong to the class of high risk takers. By importing this process into politics, Nigerian politicians may b e described as political investors who see their attainment of political office as a management of political investment rather than a call to service for one’s fatherland. Hence, when you hear an average political office holder talk of dividends of democracy, he is implicitly referring to the size of the national cake he is able to cut for himself, albeit his people. Democratic dividends in Nigeria may therefore not be seen merely as yielding a desired purpose of attaining national good governance for the benefit of the entire polity but particularly as an expression of a competitive struggle for natural economic resources to the satisfaction of competing individuals or groups often defined in ethnocentric terms. Yet this term â€Å"dividend† of democracy has been a household one in the language registers of political actors in Nigeria. Structural-Functionalism and Democracy: A theoretical framework An auspicious social theory under which the analysis of the â€Å"dividends of democracy in Nigeria† may be comfortably made is the theory of structural-functionalism. The functionalist school believes that the understanding of a given system (under this circumstance, the Nigerian political system in the democratic dispensation) must necessarily comprise not only the understanding of the institutions (or structures) which make up the system but also their respective functions1. The adherents of structural-functionalism insist that these institutions must be placed within a meaningful and 1 Igwe, O. (2007) Politics and globe dictionary, New ed., Aba: Eagle Publishers dynamic historical context if they are to be properly understood an idea that stands in sharp contrast to the prevailing approaches in the field of comparative politics such as the state-society theory and the dependency theory. The structural-functional approach is based on the view that a political system is made up of several key components including interest groups, political groups and branches of government. According to Almond Powell, a political system performs some key functions such as political socialization, recruitment and communication2. Socialization may be seen as a process by which a society passes along its values and beliefs to succeeding generations while from a point of view of politics, socialization (and hence political socialization) may be described as a process by which a society inculcates civic virtues, or the habit of effective citizenship. Political recruitment on the other hand may be seen as a process by which a political system generates interest, e ngagement and participation from citizens while communication describes a process by which a system promulgates its values and information. A variant of structural-functionalism based on the analysis of Gabriel Almond sees all political systems as comprising four major characteristics namely: that all political systems including the simplest ones have political structures; that the same functions are performed in â€Å"all political systems even if they may be performed with different frequencies and different structures; that both the political structures of the primitive and the modern societies are multifunctional no matter how specialized they are and; that all political systems are mixed in the cultural sense†3. 2. Almond, G.A. Powell Jnr. B.G.(1966) Comparative politics: A development approach, Boston: Little Brown.. 3 Offiong, O.J. (1996) Systems theory and structural functionalism in political analysis. In A.O. Oronsaye, (Ed.) Nigerian government and politics, Benin City: United City Press. As a political system in transition (as Nigeria,) moves from one state of equilibrium to another, the various political institutions or structures should be expected to bring about a required social change in their performance of the socialization, recruitment and communication functions. A social change according to Talcott Parsons occurs through four distinct and inevitable processes namely: differentiation ( that is, the increase in the complexity of social organizations); adaptive upgrading (that is, social institutions becoming more specialized in their processes) inclusion ( where groups previously excluded from a society because of such factors as race, gender, social class etc are now accepted) and; value generalization (that is, the development of new values that tolerate and legitimate a greater range of activities) 4. The application of democratic governance in Nigeria should therefore be seen from a structural-functional perspective as a desire to effect a required social change in our political development by the various democratic institutions performing their required functions in that respect. The Nigerian democracy therefore will be not meaningful, that is, not structurally functional, if it is not performing its required social functions (or yielding the expected dividends). The Dividends of Nigerian Democracy and the Challenges If any thing else, Nigerian democracy should be directed at fulfilling the nation’s philosophical goals as expressed in the official document of its Second National Development Plan (1970-1974) namely: â€Å"the creation of a free and democratic society; a just and egalitarian society; a united, strong and self reliant nation; a great and dynamic 4Kuper, A. (1988) The invention of primitive society: Transformation of an illusion, London: Routledge economy and, a land of full and bright opportunities for all citizens†5. Expectedly, Nigerian democracy should ensure the enthronement of a national consciousness, integrity and service. There should be strong desire to build one’s own nation by its citizen rather than a plunge-it-down syndrome typical of much of our current dispensation. Democracy should provide equal opportunities to genuine service-minded individuals to express themselves in seeking political office through elections. Democracy should be a platform for the provision of political enlightenment for the teeming apathetic and economically-emasculated people of the countryside and metropolises. Democracy is expected to guarantee an un-biased allocation and application of naturally determined national economic resources for the benefit of the entire polity while providing relevant opportunities for component region or states to harness local potentials for healthy competitive development initiatives. Democracy should provide relevant safeguards against corruption and unauthorized acqu isitions of national resources by individuals and groups who see themselves high above the corporate goals of the nation. Judicial safeguards in terms of regular prosecution and punishment should especially be adequately entrenched into such a political system. Democracy should provide relevant and adequate checks and balances between the three organs of government and as much as possible a freer press as the fourth estate in the realm. The phenomenon of wanton arrest, detention of journalists and the forceful closure of media-houses whenever they purvey any information acclaimed by political authorities 5. Federal Republic of Nigeria, (1970) Second National Development Plan 1970-1974, Lagos: Federal Ministry of Information,,p.32 as inimical to their existence (albeit the corporate existence of the nation) typical of our current democratic experiment will therefore require some policy refinement and for policymakers to demonstrate subtlety. Democracy should be expected to yield the above ascribed â€Å"dividends† to Nigeria through its practice over the years. Alternatively, the Nigerian democracy has yielded few, if any, of the ascribed dividends to its citizens. The typical dividends however has remained the propagation of ethnic dominance in the appropriation of national resources through what Deutsch6 describes as aa zero-sum game approach in form of appointments to vital national and state positions, regional self determination through the core vs. peripheral perception of resource allocation7, , thus engendering a clamour for regional economic independence popularly called â€Å"resource control† by the oil bearing peoples of the Niger Delta. Notwithstanding and on the positive side, democracy may have succeeded somewhat in sensitizing the citizens in appreciating the need for good governance among political office holders. There is a growing wave of civic awareness among people in Nigeria today than it had ever been. The increasing quest for probity and accountability and the adoption of due process principles (even with its default) may be regarded as a vital recipe for the re-branding of our local democratic culture and practice. But for the seeming inadequacies such as the area of official responsibility and accountability, and electoral malpractice, the Nigerian practice of democratic governance may have helped to 6 Deutsch, M. (1973), The resolution of conflicts: Constructive process, New Haven: Yale, 7 Noel, C.L. (1969), A theory of ethnic stratification: Social problems. Journal of Sociology, Vol. 16.(2). grow the nation’s international image as a major regional power in the African sub-region. The United Nations has often called on Nigeria to lead its team in the execution of its major international (especially African regional) economic, social and military initiatives. Nigerian’s growing involvement in regional peace keeping and other humanitarian missions and the African continent derives mainly from its recognition not only primarily as an economically-endowed nation, but also as a democratic entity with abundant hope. This perhaps may be adjudged as the most important dividend of the Nigeria’s democracy so far. Much however is yet to be desired of this image as its electoral process undergoes reform. The impetus provided by Ghana and South Africa in their respective recent elections have further strengthened the national call for electoral reforms and political transparency. The relevance of such call is underscored by a growing optimism in the national popu lace about the possible workability of the democratic arrangement as a better alternative in governance after having been overwhelmed by military dictatorship (with it accompanying slow pace of economic development) for over two-thirds of its nationhood. By a tacit recognition of the â€Å"expected† and â€Å"perceived† dividends of the Nigerian democracy, it becomes a little easier to identify some of the major challenges of the Nigerian democratic experience so far. At the apex of the challenges is the issue of electoral reforms. The want of a credible independent electoral process has unfortunately created institutional safeguards for political parties (especially incumbents) to exploit the existing political machinery for their electoral advantages. The office of the president has most often exploited its advantage as the appointing institution to impact significantly on the activities of the successive electoral commissions in the country. The result is that electoral rigging have been institutionalized often with threats of arrests on credible opposition. In the 2007 state and federal elections particularly the former, this anomaly was not only typical of but also rampant. Democratic government are expected to be less prone to corruptive tendencies since there are supposedly more institutional safeguards against them than the military regime. Unfortunately, the Nigerian democracy is yet to vindicate itself as a better alternative in this respect. Phenomenally, what may be regarded as some institutional arrangement created by government against corruption and other economic crimes though looked initially very impressive and praiseworthy during the moribund Obasanjo’s civilian regime, were later overrun by the same political structure (particularly the executive and legislative arms) which had seen such an arrangement as an erosion of their political and economic ambitions. Thus, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC) became after an initial euphoria, figments of their creator’s imaginations. Corruption still remains a major challenge to Nigeria’s democracy. The ethnocentric clamour for economic self determinism, especially by the people of the Niger Delta has aroused a new awareness about the inevitability of good governance in the area of equitable distribution of natural resources especially in a plural society like Nigeria. The hydra-headed problem of the Niger Delta crisis is a logical aftermath of governments’ inability to address the special environmental and economic needs of the Niger Delta peoples and symptomatic of the continuing absence of agreement on a workable revenue sharing formula after a trial of several sharing principles over the years. This phenomenon has created additional challenges for the attainment of the expected dividends of democracy. Conclusion and Recommendations The claim to the attainment of democratic dividends by political actors in Nigeria will remain as contestable in certain areas as there exist elements of political inadequacies in the three key theoretical areas of political socialization, recruitment, communication. By consolidating on its growing international image as a regional centre of hope, Nigerian policymakers should invest much energy on the institutional fight against corruption by allowing the relevant statutory agencies already created for this purpose to exercise their mandate without unnecessary executive intervention. The pursuit of electoral reform in an attempt to enthrone a great degree of (if not total) internal and external credibility in our public elections should be more vigorous and expeditious so that as early as 2011, fresh and enduring dividends in that aspect can be become visibly clear. Until democratic practice in Nigeria provides more functional evidence in terms of enhanced political participation, eq uitable and acceptable process of resource allocation, credible electoral practice and a political culture of national integrity and transparency, it will remain sharply contestable to lay claim to the attainment of a meaningful dividend of democracy in Nigeria. 1