Failure Of The Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill Project Construction Essay

Failure Of The Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill Project Construction Essay In the quest to develop its policy in the steel sector the Federal Government of Nigeria under General Gowan era promulgated Decree No.19 on April 14, 1971 setting up the Nigerian Steel Development Authority (NSDA) which was charged with the responsibility for the planning, construction and operation of steel plants in the country. It was in addition tasked with carrying out investigations related to geological surveys, market studies and metallurgical research. The NSDA also embarked on short and long-term training of staff in overseas countries such as India and the Soviet Union on the operation and management of an iron and steel plant. Hence, in 1973, Tiajpromexport (TPE) of the then USSR was commissioned to prepare a preliminary project Report (PPR) on the iron and steel industry in Nigeria. The Report submitted in 1974, studied alternative production schemes based on both local and imported raw materials and was accepted in 1975. A contract for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) signed in 1975 with the USSR was submitted to the Nigerian government in October of 1977. With the assistance of Sofresid of France as consultants, a variant of the steel plant was accepted in June 1978. The DPR specified broadly the general layout, composition and requirements as well as a tentative master schedule of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant. It was on the basis of this Detailed Project Report that the Global Contract was signed on the 13th of July 1979 between Nigeria and Tiajpromexport of the Soviet Union for the construction of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant. The signing of this contract signified major commitments on the part of the Nigerian government and the USSR to the development of an iron and steel industry in Nigeria. The Nigerian government on 18th of September 1979 promulgated the National Steel Council Decree No.60 dissolving the NSDA. The new decree provided for the formation of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant as well as five other limited liability companies. These are the Delta Steel Company Ltd., Aladja; the Jos Steel Rolling Mill, the Oshogbo Steel Rolling Mill, the Katsina Steel Rolling Mill, and the then Associated Ores and Mining Company Ltd., now, National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) at Itakpe. However, the very long gestation period of the Ajaokuta project meant that the rolling mills had problems of inadequate supply or lack of billets to operate optimally. This contributed significantly to the poor performance of the Nigerian steel sector. The steel companies, rolling mills and the mining company have all now been incorporated as limited liability companies and are expected to be self-funding (BPE, 2005).However, the government of Nigeria wishes to fully divest its equity holdings in the rolling mills. It seeks prospective core/strategic investors with an initial sale plan of acquisition of 80 per cent shares of the rolling mills, while the remaining shares will be offered to the staff of the company as well as the local community (Bureau of Public Enterprises, 2003). 1.1 THE AJAOKUTA PROJECT OVERVIEW The Ajaokuta project was established on the 18th of September 1979, with formation of Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd. Which was charged with the responsibility of constructing and operating the Ajaokuta integrated iron and steel plant. The project at inception was envisaged to produce 1.3 million tonnes at its first stage, 2.6 million tonnes at its second stage, and 5.2 million tonnes per annum at the third phase of long and flat products. The principal units of the Ajaokuta Plant include the iron making plant, steel making plant, the rolling mills, repair facilities, auxiliary facilities and the electric power supply system. The envisaged features of the Plant include 150mm Wire Rod Mill, 320mm Light Section and Bar Mill, 700mm Medium Section and Structural Mill and 900/630 semi-continuous Billet Mill Cross Section of ASCL: Source: Julius Berger Plc; Construction period, 10/1980-06/1990 ASCL, 1990). The Ajaokuta integrated plant, which is based on the blast furnace process of iron making, has a raw materials preparation unit that includes the Sintering plant, Coke-oven and By-product unit under the iron-making unit. The rolling mills are four, two of which, namely, the light section and Wire Rod mills were supposed to be the priority rolling mills. In terms of product mix, the Preliminary Project Report (PPR), proposed equal amounts of flat and long products. However, during this period, the national economy was buoyant with the construction industry enjoying a boom, and this led to the decision that the first stage of the plant would be devoted to long products only, while the second stage an expansion to 2.6 x 106 tones, would be for the production of flats. The first phase was therefore designed to produce long products like iron bars, wire rods, angles, squares, channels, beams, and structures. Most of the products were expected to be used in the civil engineering construction industry. However, hindsight shows that the change of the original concept of the plant was a serious error (Ogbu et.al, 1995). 1.2 COMPLETING EFFORTS OF THE AJAOKUTA PROJECT Several successive administration of the federal government had taken measures in the completion of the Ajaokuta project since its inception yet till date the project had not attained the first phase of its installed capacity. In line with the industrial policy of the civilian administration, a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) between FGN and a Japanese firm, Kobe Steel Ltd, was entered into on May 31, 2002 to provide a Fastmelt Technology for the completion of the plant-phase I. Six months later, another agreement (Financing Agreement F.A) was reached with SOLGAS of USA to finance the project between the FGN and Kobe Steel Ltd on the 29th November, 2002. In a space of another seven months ON June 30, 2003 the Federal Government signed yet another agreement with the same SOLGAS: to extinguish earlier agreements reached and to move ahead to manage the project leaving in the wake too many loopholes, thereby putting into serious questions our techno-managerial ability. As this arrangemen t was in progress, there was on standby TPE to stage a come back. TPE actually submitted to the ministry to rehabilitate the plant at the cost of $300million. The recent effort of the government is the constitution of the 16-man Interim Management Committee after the concession of Ajaokuta steel company to an Indian based company, Global Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (GINL) failed in 2008 on the ground that the Indian firm was short-changing the interest of the country (Olaitan, 2010). The Ministry of Mines and Steel Development received the business plan of the Interim Management Committee for re-operationalising. With this, the seed fund of Six hundred and fifty (N650) million naira only was approved by the federal government to be released to the Interim Management Committee for re-operationalising the Light section mill, the Wire rod mill, the engineering workshops, the Thermal Power Plant at the Steel Plant. According to the Minister à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"the immediat e phase is re-operationalising, the second is completion of the plants and the third phase is privatizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ , (Mukhtar, 2010). 1.3 MAJOR CHALLENGES OF AJAOKUTA PROJECT The major problems inhibiting the proper functionality of Ajaokuta Steel Company can be categorized under the following: Funding. Raw material development. Infrastructure. High cost of energy and natural gas. Inappropriate capital structure. 1.3.1 FUNDING. à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Many ex-regimes save the Shagari Ekwueme era of the Second Republic had had but a smattering on the importance of the steel dream. Suffice it to say that in the Abacha regime the project was said to have been mortgaged much to the chagrin of compatriots in the industry and the country in general.à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ,(Omonihgo, 2004). It could be concluded that the government has spent a lot on the project, but poor funding has been the bane of completion schedules of the project Second to it is the lack of working capital for the operation of the Rolling Mills and other units of the steel project led to the shot down of these plants resulted in idleness and deterioration of the completed units. There is no gain saying that for a reactivation of these units, substantial working capital is required. 1.3.2 RAW MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT: Mines development, access roads, procurementinstallation of plant and equipment are still outstanding for a number of raw materials input in steel production apart from iron ore. There also, lies the problem of identifying and determining sources of imported raw materials like bauxite and manganese, cooking coal etc. 1.3.3 INFRASTRUCTURE: Apart from raw materials, external infrastructures to and from Ajaokuta steel are lacking. The completion of Warri-Ajaokuta rail line, dredging of, River Niger, and installation of bulk handling facilities at the ports are still outstanding. 1.3.4 INAPPROPRIATE CAPITAL STRUCTURE: Ajaokuta steel company being a public sector steel company has found it extremely difficult to source for funds in the financial market. Consequently, the government has been their source of funds. Sadly, the dwindling economic fortunes of the country via mal administration have made the government incapable of meeting the financial needs of these companies adequately. However, in as much as the nation is over independent on oil and its non diversification of the economy, politics both local and international, corruption has been the bligh of the realization of the steel dream, it remains inevitable that the completion and commissioning of the Ajaokuta steel plant remains the bed rock to Nigerians quest towards industrialization. 2.0 THEORY 2.1 Per Capita Consumption of steel The per capita consumption of steel is the index used to determine the level of industrialisation of a country. The per capita consumption of steel in Nigeria is woefully very small: 10kg, some say it is less than that; while the world average is 130kg. Statistics show that Nigeria is lagging behind even other African countries, with lesser endowments; like: Zimbabwe (25kg), Egypt (42kg), Algeria (38kg) and South Africa (112kg). But Nigeria is richly endowed with extensive deposits of metallic and nonmetallic materials across the country, which is why confronted by this gloomy economic outlook, the African Iron and Steel Association, AlSA, in May 2002 advised the Nigerian government that the nation can deploy her resources to raise up her level of per capita consumption of steel to 100kg, so as to jumpstart industrialisation within the next 10 years, Adding that Nigeria, with a population of over 150 million has a very large room and huge domestic market that can sustain such rapid g rowth. The country will also save for herself a lot of foreign exchange earnings if ASCL and DSC can come on stream, according to AISA. From the foregoing therefore, Nigerias demand for steel is estimated at about 12.0million tonnes per annum to begin industrialisation proper. If ASCL and DSC are operating optimally, then, they would contribute annually 5.2 million and 1.0 million tonnes respectively or cumulatively 6.2 million tonnes per year to the domestic market. It behooves, therefore, that the remaining 50 percent will still need to be imported or, another Ajaokuta and Delta Steel Complexes are required to argument the short-fall in supply. 2.2 Build Own Transfer Solution 2.3 Corporate Governance 3.0 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE RESEARCH

Its More Fun in The Philippines Background

Introduction:Last January 2012 the Department of Tourism launched the new slogan â€Å"It’s more fun in the Philippines† to raise the awareness of the locals and the tourist who are still unaware of the beauty of the Philippines. The said slogan created a question in our mind. What will be difference of using this new slogan over the old one â€Å" Pilipinas kay Ganda† , will it be more effective to attract tourist and help to promote the hidden beauty of the Philippines that still awaits to be discovered. And with that we come up with the idea to make a study about the questions that we want to be answered. The main goal of the administration is to attract 6.8 million foreign tourists a year by 2014, 8 million by 2015, and 10 million by 2016, by using the slogan will the government can achieve their goal? Background of the studyâ€Å"It’s more fun in the Philippines† campaign was made by David Guerrero the chairman and chief creative officer of BBD O Guerrero, which is the country’s most awarded and popular advertising firm. This slogan is simple yet very meaningful and applicable to the Filipino character. Making the Slogan, the team Guerrero thinks of a theme which can be a big hit to boost the Philippine Tourism Industry, a campaign slogan which can really be a big help to our economy. The campaign objective is to get the Filipinos into the global perception, to start an image that other countries will turn to. This campaign can also be a big help in letting other countries know what the Philippines can offer. The things that no other countries can offer. Objectives:To determine if the slogan has been successfully launched internationally. To determine if the slogan help to raise the awareness of the people about the Philippines. Research Problem:The researchers seek answers to the following questions: 1. Is the slogan will be effective to promote the Philippines? 2. Does the government can market the said slogan glo bally? 3. Will the slogan be able to help to raise the awareness of the people?Variables:Independent: It’s more fun in the PhilippinesDependent: Effect of the slogan in the Philippines’s tourism industrySignificance of the Study:The proposal will be able to determine if the slogan has been successfully marketed globally.The proposal will show if the slogan â€Å"It’s more fun in the Philippines† help to attract tourist to visit Philippines.This proposal will determine if the Department of Tourism has chosen a good slogan for the tourism industry.

People Behaviour Essay

Methodology is concern with both the detail research methods through with data is collected, and the more general philosophies upon which the collection and analysis of data are based. In methodology there are two types of research methods in which researchers can depend on when researching. These are â€Å"Quantitative† and â€Å"Qualitative† research. Quantitative research deals with a term which August Comte came up with, â€Å"Positivism.† This quantitative research deals with more scientific research than based on theory, it focuses on scientific methods of study. Despite the considerable influence of the ‘scientific’ approaches to sociological methodology, an alternative series of interpretive or qualitative approaches has long existed within sociology. Qualitative research often collects subjective data such as information about people’s emotions, feelings and values and also isn’t structure like quantitative research. Between both the ‘Quantitative and Qualitative research’, quantitative uses questionnaire to gather data. A questionnaire is a number of preset questions that can contain open-ended, fixed choice or combination of both types of questions. In this essay it would be shown that questionnaires cannot be used to capture the truth about people’s behaviour, but to an extent. In questionnaire research the same questions are usually given to respondents in the same order so that the same information can be collected from every member of the sample. There are many methods on how to distribute questionnaires. The first method would be the postal questionnaire, as the name suggests it is mailed to the respondents with a stamped address envelope for return to the researcher. Postal questionnaires are rather inexpensive, time consuming and has little less than fifty percent (50%) of  the questionnaires posted back. This would seriously bias the researcher research, since there may be systematic differences between those who returned questionnaires than those who did not. For example, the main response to a postal questionnaire on marital relationships might come from those experiencing marital problems and wish to air their grievance. If non-respondents were happily married, the researcher would be unjustified in making generalizations about married life on the basis of the return questionnaires. Therefore the researcher would not be able to analyse the questions clearly and would not be able to analyse properly the married couples who are happy, sad, frustrated or even devoice, because of the lack of questionnaires missing from married couples. Apart from the first method, the second method has a far higher return rate than the postal. This is because it is to administer the questionnaire to a group such as a class of students or workers at a union meeting. This method is less expensive and maintains the advantage of the presence of an interviewer. However, the interviewer must ensure that the respondents do not discuss anything while doing the questionnaire, due to the researcher would like the respondent own view and not from the help of others. This would therefore give the researcher an image towards how the respondent expresses themselves towards the questions within the questionnaire. The first two (2) methods that were stated above both used questionnaires mainly the first through postal and the second has an interviewer present at the time the questionnaires were given out. This method in the other hand is done through the telephone. This is mostly used in conducting of market research for companies, but it is not usually regarded satisfactory by sociologist. According to (Aldridge and Levine, 2001), it is hard to establish rapport in such interviews, disadvantage groups tend to be under-represented in samples, it is difficult to ask sensitive questions, respondents cannot be expected to remember a wide range of possible answers to fixed-choice questions, and visual aids cannot be used. This may make the respondent very uncomfortable and due to that they would not be willing to cooperate and answer the telephone questionnaire.  Therefore this may make it very hard on the researcher due to he or she would not be able to gain a proper response from the responden t. The fourth possibility is to administer questionnaires by e-mail. According to (Geoff Payne and Judy Payne, 2004), this may be a useful way of conducting dispersed groups of people, or those who might not wish to be questioned face-to-face. For example, it has been used in a study of people who committed self-harm. Although this method has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages. A problem of this is that genuine anonymity is difficult to assure since it is possible to track the source of an emailed response. Another big problem may be that the sample is restricted to those with access to computers and may therefore be unrepresentative, although the significance of this will diminish as the number of people without email and internet fails. This therefore would be a problem to the researcher because he or she may not be able to interpret the behaviour of the respondent towards the questionnaire and also the respondent may not take on the research seriously. These things hinder the researcher from collecting data towards his or her research. There are many reasons towards why questionnaires are inappropriate to capture the behaviour of people. But there are one or two reasons that could help the research in that, but only up to an extent. The second method that was stated can be of use in this by the interviewer watching every one’s reaction towards the questionnaire. This can determine the respondent answer by the feedback he or she gave during reading the questions. In conclusion, questionnaires can be used to capture people’s behaviour but to an extent. Yet it have been shown in this essay that you cannot simply capture someone behaviour with the use of questionnaires. It is due because the respondent can lie during the questionnaire or even the researcher would not get back a proper feedback to determine the respondent answer. In the end it has been shown that questionnaires cannot capture peoples’ behaviour.

Hamlets Love For Ophelia - 1414 Words

Hamlet is blind. His clouded vision makes him incapable of seeing his true feelings for Ophelia until she is on her deathbed. This so called scholar is not intelligent enough to be aware of the fact that he is in love in Ophelia because his brain in clouded by the thought of revenge. A thought developed to help him achieve his goal of glory and bring him out if his funk ultimately makes him lose sight of something that would bring him pure joy, his love for Ophelia. Instead he pushes her away instead of expressing his true feelings. Although Hamlet loses sight of his love for Ophelia during his antic disposition and revenge scheme, upon her death he realizes his true feeling for her and when he hears the news of her death he is devastated.†¦show more content†¦Once Hamlet finds this out he, being the prideful man he is, goes out of his way to prove him wrong. Some would argue that Hamlet is mean to Ophelia because she betrayed his trust by showing the letters to her father, but he is mean because he becomes mad and wants to prove Polonius wrong. Ophelia only shows the letters to Polonius because she is trying to be a good daughter. Throughout the entire play Ophelia is used as a pawn to both her father and Hamlet, and that it why she acts they way the she does. While Hamlet is putting on his act of antic disposition he is extremely rude to Ophelia. He always talks down to her like she is incapable of understanding simple ideas. Many would argue that since Hamlet is a man of power during this time period he is expected to act this way. Also, people could argue that Ophelia is incapable of understanding because she is seen as weak and fragile. These arguments are invalid because Hamlet does not need to degrade Ophelia because he is scared to love her. He goes as far as uttering harsh words to her like â€Å"Get thee to a nunnery† (3.1. 148-149), and â€Å"I say we have no more marriage† (3.1. 159-160) while he is alone with her inside of the castle. This makes the audience believe that Hamlet does not love Ophelia because he tells her to go live in a whore house, and also calls off the wedding. He only utters these words because he is so wrappedShow MoreRelatedHamlets Love for Ophelia1231 Words   |  5 PagesIntro to Literature Drama Paper Hamlet’s Love   Ã‚      In the tragic play  Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, one of the most common themes found throughout the story’s plot is the theme of love. Shakespeare interlaces many layers of thematic love through the complex relationships of  Hamlet; primarily between Hamlet and Ophelia. From Act one until the final scene of the play, Hamlet struggles with the decision to kill Claudius while he concurrently tries to comprehend the chaos surroundingRead More Hamlets Love for Ophelia Essay776 Words   |  4 PagesHamlets Love for Ophelia      Ã‚   In Hamlet, we are introduced to the complexities of a man who is struggling to murder his uncle while trying to understand his mothers motives. His inner turmoil has left him emotionally unavailable and completely disenchanted with humanity in general.  Ã‚      Hamlet seems to be at his best when he is cruel which could reveal a deeper method for self-medication in which he hurts those he loves most - especially his mother Ophelia.   However, while we canRead MoreHamlet ´s Treatment of Ophelia and Gertrude Essay1680 Words   |  7 PagesLove in the forms of parent to child and from lover to lover is an addictive element which can result in loneliness and lead to madness to those who lose it forever. Hamlets relationship with Gertrude and Ophelia is quick to fall apart after he learns key information about his parentage. Both Gertrude and Ophelia provide him with love but are absent at a time when he needs it most; during the reign of his madness. Hamlets madness is partly evident due to his poor relationship with Gertrude andRead MoreDid Hamlet Love Ophelia Essay1302 Words   |  6 PagesMatthew Sandoval Sandoval 1 Professor: Jamie F. Wheeler ENGL 1302.S17 Date 2/4/12 Did Hamlet Love Ophelia? Although some scholars argue that Hamlet has a concise story, it is filled with many uncertainties relating to Hamlet. One of which is Hamlet love for Ophelia, despite some argue otherwise, the evidence provides that the Prince truly did love Ophelia. The word â€Å"love† is a powerful one, both in real life, and in Shakespeares play Hamlet. It is often a confusing conceptRead MoreEssay on The Destruction of Love Between Hamlet and Ophelia1643 Words   |  7 PagesThe Destruction of Love Between Hamlet and Ophelia      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ophelia describes Hamlet as the courtiers soldier, scholars eye, tongue and sword, Thexpectancy and rose of fair state, the glass of fashion and the mould of form, Thobserved of all observers (Act 3 Scene 1) He is the ideal man. But, after his madness and the death of her father she sees him as a noble mind oer thrown! (Act 3 Scene 1). Ophelia suffers from Hamlets disillusionment; his attitude to her in Act 3 Scene 1 isRead MoreDoes Hamlet Love Ophelia Analysis1111 Words   |  5 Pagesof which is Hamlets love for Ophelia, despite some arguments against it, the evidence proves that the Prince truly did love Ophelia. The word â€Å"love† is a powerful one, both in real life, and in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. This word is even harder to understand when the person behind it is constantly changing their mind, saying different things to others, and acting crazy, but despite this Hamlet seems to truly love Ophelia. Throughout Hamlet, his feelings towards Ophelia swing from love, to neverRead MoreHamlet Needs Horatio and Ophelia Essay1326 Words   |  6 Pageswithout its supporting characters. Horatio and Ophelia are often disregarded as supporting actors within the play. They spend very little time onstage, and when they are their roles seem trivial; however, their true purpose is much greater. The characters of Horatio and Ophelia have two very different functions in the play. Horatio is used as a foil for Hamlet, the person to whom Hamlet can discuss his course of action and act like his true self. Ophelia, however, has a major role that is not initiallyRead MoreThe Relationship Between Ophelia and Hamlet: William Shakespeare970 Words   |  4 Pagesmadness, such as Ophelia and Claudius, but in different forms. Existentialist philosopher Friedrich Nietzche says, â€Å"There is always some madness in love. But there is also some reason in madness.† What Nietzche is saying is tha t when you are in love with someone or something, there is always a little bit of madness or crazy to it, but there is also some reason, some explanation, to madness. This essay will prove Nietzche’s statement by looking at Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship, Hamlet’s plot to foolRead MoreHamlet Temperament Essay1702 Words   |  7 Pagesfirst â€Å"revenge tragedies† (â€Å"Hamlet: Violence†). Hamlet is considered to be a tragedy because at the end of the story only one major character, Horatio, is left alive. The revenge plot occurs mainly between Hamlet and Claudius after Claudius kills Hamlet’s father. As more people become involved on either side of their conflict, additional sources for revenge are presented as more people die. Psychologist David Keirsey has analyzed personal temperaments and how they can create struggle. Keirsey identifiesRead MoreHamlet And Ophelia Analysis1266 Words   |  6 Pagesplays written during the Elizabet han era told the love story of Hamlet and Ophelia. Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, some people struggle understanding if Hamlet’s love for Ophelia was genuine or if he was just feeling lust. I think that Hamlet was truly in love with Ophelia. Throughout most of the play, Hamlet showed his love for Ophelia in many different ways. Although he did break up with her at one point during the play and said he did not love her, it was obvious throughout the rest of the

Persuasive Essay Euthanasia - 1446 Words

Euthanasia: A Legal Murder According the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Euthanasia is â€Å"the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy. This procedure seems appealing to the many people around the world who suffer from terminal illnesses. In the minds of these people euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide seems like the only escape. As stated in a journal, â€Å"My friend now believes that the only humane act would be to end her mother’s suffering. ‘Whats she is going through is cruel,’ she said. ‘She has no life.’† (Wheatley). This shows how sometimes people think that ending their life would be the only way†¦show more content†¦People who have a condition that clouds their judgment could be affected by this. Arthur Caplan uses this example from Kevorkians work to illustrate this, â€Å"Janet Adkins decided to kill hersel f when she learned that she has Alzheimers disease. Let’s assume the diagnosis was correct. Would the fact that she had Alzheimers complicate the assessment of her competence to decide to kill herself† (Caplan 36). Ms. Adkins was not in the right state of mind when she asked Dr. Kevorkian to help assist her in suicide. Another example of a different patient this happened to was a woman who was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis). This story is about Rebecca Badger who was diagnosed with MS and decided killed herself. Later an autopsy showed that the diagnosis was wrong and that a second opinion would have saved her life ( â€Å"Impact of Euthanasia on the Family†). This is yet another example of how euthanasia could end a perfectly healthy persons life. Also when patients receive this diagnoses it makes them feel as if they have no other choice but to kill themselves. Yet doctors do nothing to check or convince them that euthanasia is not the right decision. This proves the real danger of euthanasia, especially in the hands of doctors who do not understand their patients frame of mind. This will cause the death rate in the United States to go up, even if the procedure is legal.Show MoreRelatedEuthanasia Persuasive Essay1064 Words   |  5 PagesAn Avoidable Loss Death by choice or euthanasia is a very controversial subject that is typically one-sided. The very concept of death alone is somewhat a taboo, but controlling death itself is another monster. Death by choice or â€Å"euthanasia† should not be legalized because it promotes defeatism, may lead to the strict procedures to become more accessible to people with non-fatal illnesses, could legitimize murder, or pressure the elderly. When an unfortunate illness befalls, people have a tendencyRead MorePersuasive Essay on Euthanasia963 Words   |  4 PagesEuthanasia - The Right to Decide The definition of euthanasia from the Oxford Dictionary is: â€Å"The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or is in an incurable coma.† Consider the words â€Å"suffering,† â€Å"painful,† â€Å"irreversible† and â€Å"incurable.† These words describe a patients terrible conditions and prospects. Euthanasia is known as â€Å"mercy killing† for a reason, it is the most, humane, moral and logical form of treatment available to patients that have no hopeRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasia811 Words   |  4 PagesEuthanasia In present society Euthanasia is a very controversial topic and must be addressed carefully and thoughtfully out of the respect of others. It is a topic that for those who are undecided on what side to pick really do not know which way to swing until it impacts their life. Euthanasia roughly translates into â€Å"a good death†, so for those who chose to end their life by their own decision, and without them having to deal with pain or the inevitable long incurable diseases, thenRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasia973 Words   |  4 PagesEuthanasia, more commonly known as mercy killing, is the action of killing someone in order to end their suffering. This is a way for patients with terminal illnesses to die a peaceful death rather than a painful one; however, it is illegal throughout most of the United States. People have debated for many years whether or not Euthanasia in people should be legal. In the Bible, Exodus 20:13 states that â€Å"Thou shalt not kill.† This verse brings people to believe that mercy killing is an act of defianceRead MoreFor Euthanasia Persuasive Essay1663 Words   |  7 Pagespain and suffering. Euthanasia is a word that most people avoid because it is very controversial. But why? Euthanasia is a way of ending the prolonging of suffering, while leaving life in peace. Euthanasia is derived from the Greeks where Eu means good and Thanatos means death. When these phrases are combined the word euthanasia is created; meaning â€Å"good death† (6.) There are three types of euthanasia although only two are authentic forms. The first type is active euthanasia. It is described asRead MoreEuthanasia Persuasive Essay1577 Words   |  7 Pagespainful clutch. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are two ways to end the life of a person. Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy (Merriam-Webster), also defined by the Oxford dictionary as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. In places where euthanasia is allowed, itRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasia1498 Words   |  6 PagesEuthanasia is a dilemma which many people have the misfortune of addresing. Whether it be putting down a beloved family pet many years of friendship or administering a lethal dose of morphine to an elderly patient, euthanasia is no easy topic to discuss or decide upon. Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending someones life to relieve their pain and suffering. Though euthanasia holds the purpose of killing to relieve pain, any people are uncomfortable with killing of any sorts, and hold theRead MoreMy Portfolio Is A Reflection Of The Two Best864 Words   |  4 PagesMy portfolio is a reflection of the two best es says that I wrote during the English 101 course during the 2016 spring semester. It contains my Media Analysis essay, â€Å"Imagine the Possibilities,† and my Research-based Academic Argument (RBAA), â€Å"Euthanasia.† These two essays are my best work, and were both improvements from the first essay that I completed for this class. With many hours being put into both of these papers, I worked hard to stay organized and have good research, both things that I previouslyRead MoreFree Papers1007 Words   |  5 PagesIf you are looking for free academic papers such as free essays, free term papers, free research papers, free dissertations, free book reports/book reviews, free essays, free speeches, there exists a chance of being accused of plagiarism. Free papers downloaded from essay databases and essay sites can be easily detected by plagiarism detection systems and sofwares. You can find a lot of resources and sites with databases of free sample papers and free example papers on any topic. You can use theseRead MoreFree Papers992 Words   |  4 PagesIf you are looking for free academic papers such as free essays, free term papers, free research papers, free dissertations, free book reports/book reviews, free essays, free speeches, there exists a chance of being accused of plagiarism. Free papers downloaded from essay databases and essay sites can be easily detected by plagiarism detection systems and sofwares. You can find a lot of resources and sites with databases of free sample papers and free example papers on any topic. You can use these

Personal Statement Global Media And Communications...

Personal statement My interest in Global Media and Communications programme offered by London School of Economics lies primarily in the opportunity to experience more than a single education environment and, thus, to receive different perspectives on the field, which I find essential in the Global Media expertise. My current degree at King s College London specializing in Comparative Literature with Film Studies gave me a broad understanding of various cultural characteristics and the differences between them, which enforced my enthusiasm in learning more about different cultural contexts in the more practical area of study, which is the reason I chose Global Media and Communications programme. The exchange programme in Hong Kong University focused heavily on the ideas related to this degree. For instance, the module Globalization and Culture introduced me to the processes and mechanisms associated with rapid globalization nowadays, including media and information technologies. 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Budget Targets and Performance Evaluation

Question: Discuss about theBudget Targets and Performance Evaluation. Answer: Relationships Between Budget Targets and Performance Evaluation Procedures of HCC Industries Under any normal circumstance, no profits making organization would want to have a disparity between their budget targets and their performance evaluation procedures. These should always go hand in hand if the purpose of the business, that is generating profits for the owners and having a general positive performance (Sitkin, Cardinal and Bijlsma-Frankema, 2010).HCC is a profit making organization that has been operating in a largely competitive industry, requiring adoption and use of best practices for survival purposes. An organization is defined by its ability or inability to meet its set targets. If there is a positive trend where targets are being met, the organization is said to be performing well while if there is a negative trend where targets are not being met, it is said to be performing poorly (Collier and Agyei-Ampomah, 2006). In HCC there was setting of budget targets for each division, these were in the form of quarterly and monthly budget targets which were supposed to be met failure to which the division manager concerned would have a hard task of explaining why they were not met. These budget targets were the force what guided the performance of various stakeholders .The company used meeting of these targets as an evaluation tool. A division was evaluated on its ability to generate profits and meet or exceed its targets or inability to meet these targets in the long run. Essentially, this evaluation was not based on how low or high these profits were .Rather it was based on the relationship between the profits for each division and its initial targets. Each division had its targets which were defined by its previous performance record. Apart from evaluation based on profits, the company also used other techniques to evaluate its performance. Evaluations such as bookings for each division, shipments, returns, efficiency, shipments, rework aging and delinquencies were also used .These standards of performance was negotiated upon by the management and managers were tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that they monitored the whole process so that everything went on as expected. Reasons for Abandoning of Stretch Budgeting Concept by HCC Corporate Managers Budgeting is the process of planning for future income and expenditure that is used as a guide for spending and saving budgeting is an important component in every business (Thygesen, 2012).Business that operate with budgets have the ability of monitoring their operations hence performance unlike those that operate without budgets. However there are different budget types that that can be used .Among them is a stretch type of budget. A stretch budget involves setting of sales and marketing forecasts that are higher than the possible estimates .The corporate managers believed that by setting aggressive targets, the division managers would be motivated to work with more zeal towards realization of organizational goals. However, they had to abandon it for a number of reasons. The technique makes people to always think optimistically. Optimism is an important component in any endeavor but the level and nature of optimism is what brings the difference. The level of optimism that is emphasized by stretch technique is quite high (Pickett, 2001) This technique is therefore good for large organizations that and which are in apposition of understanding their markets well as well as influence them. However this was not the case with HCC industries. One factors that made it inappropriate for them was the fact that they did not understand their markets well which was a requirement for those organizations that aimed at benefiting from the stretch budgeting method. Additionally it was designed by a large consulting firm that did not quite well understand the working of smaller companies. It was suitable for organizations that had already established themselves and HCC Industries was not yet there so this was just the wrong budgeting method for the company because no matter what effort was put it would not work very well. The old process was undesirable because it allowed laxity among Divisional manager and their staff. One component of the old technique was the fact that it was characterized by high levels of optimism. It involved setting of unrealistic targets so that performance would be a notch higher .this was very well known to the Divisional managers and their staff as well. This was a basis for underperformance because it made it okay to perform poorly because after all the targets set by the corporate were too optimistic and unachievable Another factor that led to the abandonment of this plan was the fact that for quite some time the corporate had been missing its plans .There was therefore the need of having in place a concept that would make it possible for the corporate to achieve its plans with ease. The company had also been recording a negative performance trend for quite some time. A change of concept was therefore necessary for doing away with this negative with this negative trend. Usually, any there is no business that aims at making losses. It is the desire of every other organization to make as much profit as possible. Continued negative performance might have had significant impact on the image of the company so a change was necessary. The change was also necessitated by lack of uniformity in performance across the various departments .For a number of years the company was used to the fact that there were those divisions that would always perform well and those that would always perform poorly. This lack of uniformity makes it hard for the corporate to make plans touching on the whole Company because the strengths and the abilities of different department s were the same. It was therefore necessary to have in place methods that would place the various divisions at the same level so that the company would move forward as a whole instead of having some divisions lag behind others in as far as achievement of budget targets was concerned. The New Processes and Strengths and Weaknesses The new philosophy laid its emphasis on the possible minimum performance standards. It would require people to hit minimum performance standards then their performance would be rated based on their ability to hit these targets. The earning of bonuses and other extra rewards will therefore be based on the ability to meet minimum standards .The new process will also require managers to submit budgets that are realistic and achievable. A pool bonus would be instituted and offered if a department was able to achieve all its targets such as profits and delinquencies. However, the importance of set targets would differ from time to time. Advantages There are a number of advantages that would result from the new philosophy. First and most important is the fact that it would enhance the general performance of the organization. Having in place realistic goals and achievable targets has the possibility of motivating people towards the achievement of organizational goals .Unlike the old system that involved unrealistic targets which to some extend allowed people to choose to perform or fail to perform, with the new philosophy there was no two way about it as everything was tied on performance and meeting of set targets. The process allowed for budget negotiation process. This means that the corporate and division managers could meet sit together and agree on budgets for each division. These agreed upon budgets would then be used as the basis of evaluation depending on the extent to which they have been achieved or not achieved. The new philosophy allowed thorough monitoring of performance. Division managers were tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that their particular departments met the agreed upon targets .so they had to closely monitor the performance of their staff members to ensure that these requirements were met. On the other hand corporate managers were required to monitor the activities of individual departments to ensure that they were working towards the achievements of their targets. The other advantage of this new philosophy was the centralization of research, advertising and promotion. Previously departments worked independently without any form of interrelationships with the adoption of the new philosophy, a corporate marketing function was established to assist in research, marketing and promotion. This was to cater for such needs for the whole organization .this was advantageous is in that it was possible to balance the performances of different departments so that performance related disparities were minimized Additionally a corporate engineering service function was started with the aim of coming up with new product designs usable by the connector divisions .This was likely to improve the prospect of the Organization. Disadvantages Although there were numerous advantages associated with the new philosophy, there were disadvantages as well. One is that the initial independence of individual divisions would be lost with the new philosophy because it allowed the corporate to dictate terms to individual divisions although this was negotiated upon. This also disadvantaged the divisional managers in that their bonuses would not be automatic as they were before but they had to be worked for. Evaluation of the decision to use minimum performance standard (MPS) targets instead of stretch targets The decision to abandon the old method of stretch targets to the new method of Minimum performance standard was quite informed and appropriate for the company. Based on the fact that the company had not been doing quite well before, there was a need of changing their tactic so that they could improve their chances of competing favorably against other competitions in the market. Minimum performance standards would give the company a real chance of having a control over their performance across various departments .This was a positive move given the disparities that had been there in as far as performance of different divisions was concerned. I think this was in order for the purposes of having all departments work on the same footing. Its also important that any organization that aims at motivating its employees towards achievement of certain goals focuses on how realistic their achievement is. If they are realistic, the employees will be motivated to achieve them but if they are not, they will be demoralizing. The old philosophy can be said to have had negative impact on the performance of the organization, besides setting targets that were unrealistic, it was not motivating enough for the achievement of the same and encouraged employees not to exploit their full potential .However with the new system, it allowed performance based incentives .This was not only likely to encourage performance under different divisions .It was also capable of improving business prospects if it was handled appropriately. Should HCC managers have expected that the MPS target-setting philosophy would be equally effective in all four operating divisions? Based on this question, a no would have been most appropriate. Based on the performance history of the organization, there had existed disparities in as far as performance by different divisions .This meant that the individual strengths for each division was different. This being the case, it was not appropriate to imagine that just because the philosophy was considered appropriate it would bear the same results for was not a guarantee. Therefore the managers had no absolute reason of expecting that the philosophy would have been equally effective in all divisions. Additionally even with the new philosophy, the individual capabilities of division managers and their staff would have a significant role to play in the outcome .Its true that different individuals possess different capabilities and abilities .This is to mean that in a given similar task there are those who are likely to perform better than others and vice versa .This is what would have to happen in this case too. The performance of each division would depend on the ability of the manager to mobilize his staff towards achievement of set goals. It would also depend on the individual abilities of the staff members and their general commitment towards their assigned tasks and the achievement of organization goals. With this as the case therefore disparities would still be there in as far as the performance was concerned Also because this was a new philosophy that had not been tried before chances of it succeeding or failing were in equal measure so there would be no guarantee that it would be effective for all the departments in equal measure. What could have been done to Improve the Implementation Implementation of the new philosophy would have been improved by first trying it on one or two departments first before rolling it out to the whole organization, this could have given the corporate a rough picture of what to expect under the new philosophy .If there was a positive outcome they could then be able to implement it in other divisions. Sufficient consultation with the various stakeholders would also have improved implementation. There was a general feeling among the Division managers that the new philosophy was being forced on them. They even compared it to someone dictating to them when to brush their teeth. That could only mean one thing, that there were no sufficient consultations with them. Had there been a platform for this their fears and worries could have been addressed and they could be able to adopt and implement fully. The company should also have contracted experts to help in the transition because there was no previous experience in the organization on the new philosophy. Had there been experts they could be able to assess the viability of the new philosophy and what could have been done to make sure that it was fully and correctly implemented. References: Das, S. C. (2011). Management control systems: principles and practices. New Delhi, PHI Learning. Emmanuel, C. R., Otley, D. T., Merchant, K. A. (1990). Accounting for management control. London, Chapman and Hall, University and Professional Division. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/21163952.html. Sekhar, R. C. (2006). Management control systems: text and cases. New Delhi, Tata Mcgraw Hill Publishing Company Limited Flamholtz, E. (1996). Effective management control: theory and practice. Boston, Kluwer Academic Publishers. Ghosh, N. (2005). Management control systems. New Delhi, Prentice-Hall of India. Sinha, P. K. (2008). Management control systems: a managerial emphasis. New Delhi, Excel Books. Anthony, R., Govindarajan, V. (2007). Management control systems. New Delhi, Tata McGraw-Hill. Baglieri, D. (2014). Information systems, management, organization and control: smart practices and effects. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truescope=sitedb=nlebkdb=nlabkAN=813724. Longino, E. (2009). Sales management control, territory design, sales force performance, and sales organizational effectiveness in the pharmaceutical industry. Boca Raton (Fl.), Dissertation.com. Drury, C. (2007). Management and cost accounting. London, Thomson Learning. REDDY, R. J. (n.d.). Management control systems. [S.l.], Aph Publishing Corporatio HANZLICK, M. (2015). Management control systems and cross-cultural research: empirical evidence on performance measurement, performance evaluation and rewards in a cross-cultural comparison. Lohmar ; Ko?ln, Eul. ZHANG, X. (2014). Enterprise management control systems in China. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54715-7. SELESHI SISAYE. (2006). The ecology of management accounting and control systems: implications for managing teams and work groups in complex organizations. Westport, CT, Praeger Publishers. NILSSON, F. (2015). Financial accounting and management control: the tensions and conflicts between uniformity and uniqueness. Sitkin, S., Cardinal, L. and Bijlsma-Frankema, K. (2010). Organizational control. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Collier, P. and Agyei-Ampomah, S. (2006). Management accounting. Amsterdam: CIMA Pub./Elsevier. Thygesen, N. (2012). The illusion of management control. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Pickett, K. (2001). Internal control. New York: John Wiley.