Juwan howard case study (part B) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juwan howard case study (part B) - Essay Example The concept is designed to give an overall picture of the operation. It is included primarily for additional clarity of purpose. Thus not only does it ensure precision it also makes implementations of new projects successful to a greater extent. However, despite that fact that highly useful information is made available through such a document, it has its limitations. Since the entire concept revolves around written material with no visible proof observed the message or purpose of such a document is not fully achieved. It is usually designed in situations where events occur simultaneously. In such circumstances, if one event would require changes or lead to changing of further events the entire study could be proved useless, which makes its relevance highly dubious. Also, the fact that it is concentrated on an individual viewpoint or confined to the vision of a group of people means that when taken to a more integrated level where opinions of various people are concerned a number of changes will have to be made in the actual scenario. Lastly, no matter how accurate one tries to develop operational scenarios they can always vary greatly as compared to the actual situation that may occur.

How Will Science and Technology Change Our Life in Future Essay Example for Free

How Will Science and Technology Change Our Life in Future Essay Cricket  is a  bat-and-ball  game played between two teams of 11 players on a  field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long  pitch. One team  bats, trying to score as many  runs  as possible while the other team  bowls  and  fields, trying to  dismiss  the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the  crease  there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an  innings. In professional cricket the length of a game ranges from  20 overs  of six bowling deliveries per side to  Test cricket  played over five days. The court in Guildford heard on Monday, 17 January 1597 (Julian date, equating to the year 1598 in the Gregorian calendar) from a 59 year-old  coroner,  John Derrick, who gave witness that when he was a scholar at the Free School at Guildford, fifty years earlier, hee and diverse of his fellows did runne and play [on the common land] at creckett and other plaies. [13][14]  It is believed that it was originally a childrens game but references around 1610[14]  indicate that adults had started playing it and the earliest reference to inter-parish or  village cricket  occurs soon afterwards. In 1624, a player called  Jasper Vinall  was killed when he was struck on the head during a match between two parish teams in Sussex. [15] During the 17th century, numerous references indicate the growth of cricket in the south-east of England. By the end of the century, it had become an organised activity being played for high stakes and it is believed that the first professionals appeared in the years following the  Restoration  in 1660. A newspaper report survives of a great cricket match with eleven players a side that was played for high stakes in Sussex in 1697 and this is the earliest known reference to a cricket match of such importance. The game underwent major development in the 18th century and became the national sport of England. Betting played a major part in that development with rich patrons forming their own select XIs. Cricket was prominent in London as early as 1707 and large crowds flocked to matches on the  Artillery Ground  in Finsbury. The  single wicket  form of the sport attracted huge crowds and wagers to match. Bowling evolved around 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it towards the batsman. This caused a revolution in bat design because, to deal with the bouncing ball, it was necessary to introduce the modern straight bat in place of the old hockey stick shape. TheHambledon Club  was founded in the 1760s and, for the next 20 years until the formation of  MCC  and the opening of  Lords Old Ground  in 1787, Hambledon was both the games greatest club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sports premier club and the custodian of the  Laws of Cricket. New Laws introduced in the latter part of the 18th century included the three stump wicket and leg before wicket (lbw).

Cultural Activism :: essays papers

Cultural Activism In our society we have the convenience of technology--computers, television (the media, film, and video), and other means of communication with the general public. Our society has developed ways to convey ideas and beliefs through the use of technology. In other parts of the world, there are still some societies that are not aware of this technology that our society embraces. However, the growth of technology will soon reach and combine with "traditional" cultural societies. In Faye Ginsburg's article "From Little Things, Big Things Grow", she argues "that these latest products of indigenous expressive culture are part of self-conscious efforts to sustain and transform culture in aboriginal communities, an activity that is linked to indigenous efforts for rights to self-representation, governance, and cultural autonomy after centuries of colonial assimilationist policies by surrounding states". It is important for a culture to sustain its beliefs and not to completely be assimilated into Western culture. However, by the use of the media, we as a society are able to better understand those of different cultural backgrounds and are able to see what other cultures, besides our own, are like. Ginsburg also states, "I suggest that indigenous media work is significant not simply as a transformation of Western technologies, but also as a new form of collective self-production that is being used self-consciously by indigenous producers to mediate historical ruptures within their own cultures and to assert the presence and concerns of First Nations peoples in the broader societies that encompass them". By introducing media technology to other cultures, those cultures, in turn, are able to use the technology and fuse it in with their "traditional" beliefs. Also, these cultures are able to bring forth issues that occurring in their societies that need to be addressed and made known to others. Technology makes for better communication, and with this communication these cultures can reach other cultures besides their own. Through the use of technology (the media), we can better understand the histories of many cultures and the ways of life of in other societies. "†¦.The very creation of media work that both reflects and revisions their lives and histories is a kind of self-conscious and direct social action that establishes and reinforces the visible cultural presence of indigenous lives in a form that can circulate in and among many communities" (Ginsberg, 121).

Physics Cantilever Lab

Independent Assessment Physics Lab (SL): Cantilever Flexion Cherno Okafor Mr. Ebrahimi SPH4U7 October 21st, 2012 Introduction Purpose: The purpose of this Physics Lab is to investigate what factors determine the amount of flexion of the cantilever. Hence, the objective is to establish a relationship between the length of a cantilever, which may give some insight into the physics of cantilevers. Hypothesis: If one increases the length of a cantilever, one would expect there to be an increase in deflection/flexion of the cantilever.Similarly, if one increases the mass of the load, one would expect there to be an increase in the deflexion/flexion of the cantilever. In addition, I predict that proportionality will also occur between the independent and dependent variables. If the length of the cantilever doubles, it is expected that the flexion/deflexion would also double. Similarly, if the mass of the load doubles, the deflexion/flexion would also double. Variables: In this investigatio n, I chose two variables: the length of the cantilever and the mass of the load.First, I chose to measure the effect of the length of the cantilever on its deflection when loaded with a constant mass because I knew from prior experience that there was some relationship between the two variables. * Independent Variable: The length of the cantilever in metres, which will be varied by changing the length of the yardstick functioning as a cantilever that extends over the edge of a table. This will be measured indirectly by measuring the length of the portion of the yardstick not in use and subtracting that from the entire length of the yardstick.The other independent variable is the mass loaded onto the cantilever, which will be controlled by initially using the same mass for each trial, then for the second part, changing the mass of the load by increasing and decreasing the mass, and subsequently investigating what the relationship is between load mass and cantilever length. The initia l location of the mass in relation to the entire yardstick will be controlled by placing the mass at the same end of the yardstick for each trial and marking the flexion/deflexion. Dependent Variable: The deflection/flexion of the cantilever in metres. This will be measured indirectly by measuring the initial height of the bottom of the cantilever with no mass added (which is equal to the height of the table) and the new height of the bottom of the cantilever after each trial, which will be measured with mass added. Hence, the difference between these heights is equal to the deflection/flexion of the cantilever. The material and other physical properties of the cantilever will be controlled by using the same yardstick as a cantilever for each trial.Data Collection and Processing My experiment is divided into two parts; experiment A (involving the relationship between flexion and the mass of the load) and experiment B (involving the relationship between the flexion and the length of the cantilever). Below are two tables in which I have recorded the data which I obtained during the experiment. The first table reflects the Relationship between the deflection/flexion of the cantilever and the mass of the load and the second table reflects the relationship between the flexion of the cantilever and the length of the cantilever. i) Relationship between the deflection/flexion of the cantilever and the load mass (5 trials) Table #1-Experiment A Factor/Variable| Trial 1| Trial 2| Trial 3| Trial 4| Trial 5| Trial 6| Trial 7| Trial 8| Trial 9| Trial 10| Trial 11| Load (g)| 0| 100| 200| 300| 400| 500| 600| 700| 800| 900| 1000| Without Load (cm)| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| With Load (cm)| 96| 92. 7| 90| 87. 6| 85| 82. 2| 79. 5| 77| 74. 6| 71. 5| 69. 5| Flexion (cm)| 0| 3. 3| 6| 8. 4| 11| 13. 8| 16. 5| 19| 21. 4| 24. 5| 26. 5| Now, I will graph this relation:We can see that there is a linear relationship between flexion and the load mass. (ii) Relationship b etween the deflection/flexion and the length of the cantilever (5 trials) Table #2- Experiment B Factor/Variable| Trial 1| Trial 2| Trial 3| Trial 4| Trial 5| Trial 6| Trial 7| Trial 8| Trial 9| Trial 10| Length of cantilever (cm)| 90| 80| 70| 60| 50| 40| 30| 20| 10| 0| Height without Load (cm)| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| Height with Load (cm)| 69. 5| 76. 5| 82. 5| 87. 4| 90. 9| 93. 2| 94. 5| 95. 5| 95. | 95. 5| Flexion (cm)| 26| 19| 13| 8. 1| 4. 6| 2. 3| 1| 0| 0| 0| Now I will graph this relation: We can see that there is an exponential/power relationship (curved) between the flexion and the cantilever length. Analyzing Evidence Patterns: 1) In experiment A, the relationship between the flexion and the load is proportional as predicted. As the load increases, the flexion increases as well. As the load doubles from 200g to 400g, the deflection almost doubles too. 2) In experiment B, the deflection increases as the length of the cantilever i ncreases.But this time, it reaches a point (20cm, 10cm, 0cm) where the deflection stays the same even if the cantilever length changes. Conclusion and Evaluation Conclusion: The experimental results agree with my prediction/hypothesis because I predicted that in experiment A, the deflection is proportional to the mass of the load. In experiment B, I predicted that flexion/deflexion would increase as the length of the cantilever increases. As the load and the length of the cantilever increases, then the deflection/flexion increases.This happens because of forces acting on the particles in the cantilever. At the top of the cantilever, particles are pulled apart proportionately to the load because they are in tension. The forces between particles increase. However, the attractive force is bigger than the repelling force in the particles so therefore, the particles are held together. The particles at the bottom will be pushed together proportionately to the load because they are in comp ression. The forces get larger and the repelling force which is bigger pushes the particles away from each other.So they are not disordered. We can also say that they obey Hooke’s law. Evaluation: From the results that I got after performing the experiment, I can say that the experiment worked quite well. In the analyzing evidence section, I can draw the conclusion that the first table reflects a linear straight line graph and the second table reflects a curved graph. On this basis, I can say that the experiment worked out pretty well. I think the data I obtained was accurate since I did indeed try to graph these relationships.A possible improvement to this experiment should be repeating the experiment twice or more if possible. Then I would get the average results in a table and in this way, my results would be even more accurate. General Conclusion: The general conclusion we can draw from this experiment is that as the mass that we put on the cantilever increases, the defle ction increases too until the elastic point is reached where the cantilever cannot hold any more masses so it breaks. Also, we can see from the second graph that the larger the length of the cantilever, the large the flexion is.

Political Philosophy Essay

Introduction: Abu Nasr Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Tarkhan al-Farabi was born at Wasij, a village near Farab, a district of Transoxania. He was one of the greatest philosophers that the Muslim world had ever produced. He mainly studied in Baghdad and after gaining considerable proficiency in the Arabic language, he became an ardent pupil of the Christian savant Abu Bishr Matta bin Younus, quite prominent as translator of a number of works by Aristotle and other Greek versatile writers. Being a first Turkish philosopher, he left behind lasting and profound influence upon the life of succeeding Muslim Philosophers. Being a great expositor of Aristotle’s logic, he was aptly called al-mu’alim al thani (the second teacher). According to Ibn-e-Khaldoon, no Muslim thinker ever reached the same position as al-Farabi in Philosophical knowledge. Al-Farabi is the first Muslim philosopher to have left political writings, either in the form of commentaries or in treaties of his own based upon Plato. Al-Farabi’s works was preserved from ravages of time contain five on politics as under: 1. A Summary of Plato’s Laws 2. Siyasatu’l-Madaniyah 3. Ara’u ahli’l-Madinatu’l-Fadilah. 4. Jawami’u’s-Siyasat 5. Ijtima’atu’l-Madaniyah Contribution of Al-Farabi to Islamic Political Thought â€Å"In pure philosophy, Farabi became as famous as any philosopher of Islam, and it is said that a savant of caliber of Avicenna found himself entirely incapable of understanding the true bearing of Aristotle’s Metaphysics until one day he casually purchased one of Farabi’s works and by its help he was able to grasp their purport. †Ã‚  (Sherwani) Al-Farabi was a renowned philosopher of his age and deeply reverenced in all ages. Al-Farabi’s insatiated enthusiasm led him to study Philosophy, Logic, Politics, Mathematics and Physics. He left his indelible impact upon the succeeding generations through his works, which are still read, learnt and discussed with great passion and literal zest. His sincerity, profound moral convictions and his genuine belief in liberty and in the dignity of human being united with his moderation and humanitarianism made him the ideal spokesman of his age, which was full of rivalries, corrosions and false vanities. Sherwani was of the view,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A man with such learning had no place in the ninth-century Baghdad and as we have pointed out, we find him regularly attached to Saif-ud-Dowlah’s court. In 946 Saif took Damascus and Al-Farabi became permanent resident of that delightful place, spending his time in the gardens of the erstwhile Umayyad capital discussing philosophical questions with his friends and writing down his opinions and compositions sometimes in a regular form, sometimes in an irregular form, sometimes, on merely loose leaves. †Ã‚  Al-Farabi renunciated from the worldly matters and he never pursued the pleasures and luxuries like other middle class Abbasids. He led exemplary simple life with full contentment with what he got to eat and to wear. It can be very well asserted that al-Farabi was in the truest sense â€Å"the parent of all subsequent Arabic Philosophers†. The great Christian scholars namely Albert the Great and St. Thomas Aquines acknowledged their indebtedness to al-Farabi in the development of their own political theories. Al-Farabi laid down several rules for teachers honestly striving to train the young students in philosophy. No scholar should start the study of philosophy until he gets very well acquainted with natural sciences. Human nature rises only gradually from the sensuous to the abstract, from the imperfect to the perfect. Mathematics in particular is very important in training the mind of a young philosopher, it helps him pass from the sensuous to the intelligible and further it informs his mind with exact demonstrations. Similarly, the study of logic as an instrument to distinguish the true from the false should precede the study of philosophy proper. Al-Farabi voluminously wrote mainly on pure philosophy and there is no doubt that he had to draw on neo-Platonic ideas current in the Arab world of those days in his commentaries on Aristotle, Porphyry and Ptolemy. Sherwani says that  we might accept the proposition that he was inspired by Plato, in this setting up of the Ideal City, but as there is a mass of new material in his political writings not found in Plato and taken from local sources, it is a matter of importance that such material should be analyzed and Farabi be given his rightful place on the scene of political philosophy. Al-Farabi died at the ripe age of nearly eighty years in 950. His name and works are everlasting and echoed in the corridors of time. Al-Farabi’s Ideal Head of State Every Islamic state is ruled by the ruler, or as later European Political scientists would call him the Sovereign. Plato after developing the matter of the government of his ideal city in his Republic had made the omnipotent and omniscient philosopher sovereign who should have no other interest but that of the affairs of state. Al-Farabi starts from the nature of the workers of leadership and impresses his readers that what is wanted for the office is the power of making proper deductions. According to Al-Farabi, his Rais should be such superior man, who, by his very nature and upbringing, does not submit before any power or instructions of others. He must have the potentialities to convey his sense to others for complete submission. Rosenthal was of the view, â€Å"He is the Imam, the first ruler over the ideal city-state, over the ideal nation and over the whole inhabited earth. The philosopher-prophet, in the opinion of Al-Farabi, is alone qualified to help man, a citizen to reach his true human destiny, where his moral and intellectual perfection permit him to perceive God, under the guidance of the divinely revealed Shariat. Those ruled by the first ruler are the excellent, best and happy citizens. † Al-Farabi contemplatively points out the virtuous qualities of his ideal Head of State, who should be competent to control the actions of all in the State and must be in possession of latest intellect as well as the gained intellect. All such refined and high qualities including his political and literal caliber make him an Ideal Sovereign for the overall interest of the society and the nation. He enumerated tweleve attributes of an ideal Sovereign: 1. He must possess persuasion and imagination to attain perfection as well as a philosopher skilled in the speculative science. 2. He must be physically sound with meticulous understanding. 3. He must have visualization of all that is said. 4. He must have a retentive and sharp memory. 5. He should discuss the matters with least possible arguments and must have authority to get the work done. 6. He must have power to convey to others exactly according to his wish and he has profound love of learning and knowledge. 7. He must have perfect capacity for a comprehensive knowledge and prescription of the theoretical and practical sciences and art, as well as for the virtues leading to good deeds. 8. He must shun off playfulness and control over anger and passions. 9. Al-Farabi’s ideal Rais must have love of truth, persuasion of justice and hatred of hypocrisy, knavery and duplicity. 10. He must vie for utmost happiness to his subjects and he should do away with all forces of tyranny and oppressions. 11. He must have power to distribute justice without any effort, fearless in doing things as he thinks best to be done. 12. He must serve the people of his state from all internal and external dangers. He must be in possession of considerable wealth, so that he should not prone to greed and lust. Al-Farabi fully realizes that these fine qualities cannot be found in one single human being, so he says that one without just five or six of these qualities would make a fairly good leader. If however, even five or six of them are not found in a person, he would have one who has been brought up under a leader with these qualities, and would thus seen to prefer some kind of hereditary leadership, with the important condition that the heir should follow the footsteps of his worthy predecessor. In case even such a person is not available, it is preferable to have a council of two or even five members possessing an aggregate of these qualities provided at least one of them is a Hakim, i-e one who is able to know the wants of the people and visualize the needs of the state as a whole. This Hakim is to Farabi a desideratum of every kind of government, and if such a one is not procurable then the State is bound to be shattered to atoms. Kinds of State Al-Farabi describes the varieties of the states other than the Ideal States and the remarkable contribution of this philosopher are very much alive and given serious considerations even today. Al-Farabi divides states into following categories: 1. State of Necessity (Daruriya): Its inhabitants aim, at the necessities of the life, like food, drink, clothing, a place to live and carnal gratification and they generally help each other in securing these necessities of life. 2. Vile State (Nadhala): Its citizens strive for wealth and riches for their own sake. The account in the Siyasa includes a description of its ruler. Ibn-e-Rushd also succinctly touches upon this state. 3. Base and Despicable State: Its inhabitants concentrate on the pleasures of the senses, games and other pastimes. This state is the one in which men help one another to enjoy sensual pleasure such as games, jokes and pleasantries and this is the enjoyment of the pleasures of eating and merry-making. This state is the happy and fortunate state with the people of ignorance, for this state only aims at attaining pleasure after obtaining first the necessities of life and then abundant wealth to spend. 4. Timocracy (Madina Karama): It contains a variety of honours. Since the Arabic source of Al-farabi is lost in the wealth of legend, we are unable to determine whether this lengthy and diffuse description goes back to it or represents Al-Farabi’s own amplification. The latter seems to be more correct. The citizens of these honor-loving states assist each other in gaining glory, fame and honor. The honors fall into two groups. The first is a personal relationship between one who is worthy to be honored because of some virtue in him, and the others who accord him honor and respect because they recognize him as their superior. The second kind of honor is accorded to men because of their wealth, or because of they have been victorious, exercise authority or enjoy other distinctions. This state in the opinion of Al-Farabi is the best of all the states. 5. Tyranny (Taghallub): It receives from the aim of its citizens; they co-operate to give victory over others, but refuse to be vanquished by them. Al-Farabi sets out to distinguish between despotic states and define tyranny or despotism according to aim, mastery over others and over their possessions for power’s sake, within or externally, by force and conquest or by persuasion and achieving enslavement. His despotic rule is a mixed one and thus often resembles timocracy or plutocracy. Ibn-e-Rushd avoids this by following Plato’s description of tyranny and the tyrannical man, and the transition from democracy to tyranny and of the democratic to the tyrannical man but done to their common source both Al-Farabi and Ibn-e-Rushd similarly define tyranny as absolute power. Rosenthal  was of the view,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Tyranny has even more variations for Al-Farabi than timocracy; as many as the tyrant has desires, for this despotism expresses itself in imposing his will on his subjects and making them work for his personal ends. Al-Farabi knows of two kinds of tyranny within which these variations occur, internal and external tyranny. The first consists in the absolute mastery of the tyrant and his helpers over the citizens of the state, and the second is the enslavement of another state or people. † 6. Democracy (Madina Jama’iya): It is marked by the freedom of its inhabitants to do as they wish. They are all equal and no body has master over another. Their governors only govern with the explicit consent of the governed. Democracy contains good and bad features and it is therefore not impossible that at some time the most excellent men grow up there, so that philosophers, orators and poets come into being. It is thus possible to choose from its elements of the ideal state. Apart from the afore-mentioned classification of the states, which seems to be idealistic, Al-Farabi has a definite place for the trait of political character over other nations. He initiates reasons for this mastery and says that it is sought by a people owing to its desire for protection, ease ort luxury and all that leads to the satisfactions of these necessities. In this powerful state, they might be able to get all the desire. There is nothing against human nature for the strong to over power the weak, so nations which try to get other nations under their control consider it quite proper to do so, and it is justice both to control the weak and for the weak to be so controlled, and the subdued nation should do it for the good of its masters. There is no doubt that all the lapse of centuries and the international ideology which is the current coin in politics, the psychology of the nations today is much the same as described by the Master centuries ago. Al-Farabi  said,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"But the more chivalrous among them are such that even when they have to shed human blood they do so only face to face, not while their opponent is asleep or showing his back, nor do they take away his property except after giving him proper warning of their intentions. Such a community does not rest till it thinks it has become supreme forever, nor does it give any other nation an opportunity of over powering it, always regarding all other peoples their opponents and enemies and keeping itself on Guard. † Colonies: Al-Farabi is comprehensively clear about the principles of colonization. He opines that the inhabitants of a State must scatter hither and thither in different parts of a State because they have been overpowered by an enemy or by an epidemic or through economic necessity. There are only alternatives to the colonists, either to migrate I such a way as to form one single commonwealth or divide themselves in different political societies. It may come to compass that a large body of these people are of opinion that it is not necessary to change the laws which they have brought from their mother country; they would then simply codify existing laws and begin to live under them. It will thus be clear to understand that A-Farabi not only contemplates colonization but also self-Government of a republican kind which is closer to the modern conceptions.

Accelerating Growth Between Marketing and Sales With Steli Efti

Accelerating Growth Between Marketing and Sales With Steli Efti Do you enjoy your morning commute? Do you use that time to figure out what you want to accomplish? Goals you want to crush? It can be a peaceful time to think about various projects and who to work with to make things happen. Today, we’re talking to Steli Efti, co-founder and CEO of Close.io, about the intersection of inbound marketing and outbound sales. We discuss where to start, how to work collaboratively, how to grow and scale practices, and HUCA. Some of the highlights of the show include: Starts with customers if you’ve had success with inbound marketing and data to identify ideal/non-ideal customers, that’s the foundation of outbound sales Outbound Strategy: Ask customers for advice on how to sell to them Be vulnerable when doing sales, ask for help, and create an MVP for insights Decision-maker milestones to reach through outbound efforts that can be improved, replicated, and scaled Not all sales reps are created equal; requires consistency and persistence Would I want to buy from this person? Would I want to buy something from this person that I don’t really want to buy? Salesperson Characteristics: Knowledgeable, influencing, trustful, confident, authentic, honest, competitive, and adaptive Depending on your buyers, send emails or make calls to reach them Hang Up and Call Again (HUCA): Philosophy that applies to trying again to get everything you want in life Get outbound sales and inside marketing to work together to understand what they’re trying to accomplish and what insights they’re gathering Links: Close.io Steli Efti’s Blog Steli Efti Keynote Steli Efti’s Email (subject: bundle, and refer to AMP) Send suggested AMP topics If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Steli Efti: â€Å"My entrepreneurial superpower has always been sales and marketing. I’ve always been communicating to drive things forward and to make my businesses succeed.† â€Å"Most of the advice that I give is super obvious stuff, but it’s stuff that people don’t want to do.† â€Å"Just ask a bunch of your customers to give you advice on how to sell to them from an outbound perspective.† â€Å"What separates a great from the good is real consistency and persistency.† If you sound confident and comfortable, it’s going to make me feel like I should stay on the phone and keep listening.

McDonalds Company Management and Strategy Project

McDonalds Company Management and Strategy Project Introduction to the Study McDonald’s Company is one of the largest businesses in the world, with branches in 119 countries. The company serves over 60 million people daily in over 24,000 operational business zones worldwide. The following report focuses on one of the branches and/or subsidiaries operating in the UAE.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on McDonald’s Company: Management and Strategy Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It gives a brief history and background followed by a strategic analysis of the company. The company’s chain of restaurants in the UAE will be discussed, including an assessment of their operations, investigation of the industry in which the business operates, and the market as a whole. The report also states the mission, vision, values, and goals of the organisation in terms of its delivery of services to customers in the region and beyond. The Porter’s five f orces model that is applicable in the analysis of performance and competition will also be applied in the company’s analysis. This will be followed by the competition analysis from new entrants in the market as well as the existing competitors. An analysis of the company in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will be done in the section on SWOT analysis. The entry strategies that were used in the creation of the international brand of McDonald’s will also be analysed, with the provision of appropriate recommendations to the same. A conclusion is also provided encompassing all the suggested recommendations. Background and History of the Company McDonald’s Company began as a small restaurant in California under the steer of two brothers, Maurice and Richard McDonald in 1949. One of the other individuals responsible for the international expansion of the company is Ray Croc who is the American businessperson with roots from the Czech Republic . Croc bought the two brother’s equity in the company, thus transforming it into a nationally and internationally renowned brand. McDonald’s business was listed as a public company in 1965 where it continued with its international expansion to markets away from America including Asia. The UAE subsidiary of McDonald’s Company was established in 1994. It has since been involved in the delivery of services in the area and in the region as part of McDonald’s Arabia Company. The company currently has over 100 restaurants that are spread all over the Arabian region. Industry Analysis The restaurant industry in the United Arab Emirates is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, with this growth being related to the relatively good performance of the economy. Several restaurants are spread out across the region and in the ever-growing cities. These restaurants provide services related to those that McDonald’s offers.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The industry is also well performing. In 2008, it recorded a growth of about 12% from the previous year in the purchase of food and beverages from the restaurants (Williams, 2008). The value was expected to increase from that of $841 in 2008 to over $1.2 billion in 2012 (Williams, 2008). In 2008 alone, there were over 11000 restaurants in the UAE, with McDonald’s business being among these establishments (Williams, 2008). Market Analysis The restaurant market in the UAE is relatively developed, with people here having a culture that is related to that in the Western nations. McDonald’s commands a respectable market share. It currently lies third in the market share in the region that it operates in the UAE. Most of the cities are places of work and residence in the UAE. McDonald’s business has capitalised on this to ensure that it is loca ted in regions where the best market is located. Mission of the Company The mission of any company provides the strategic objectives for its existence in the region and industry. The brief statement of an organisation’s mission provides a means of guaranteeing the best services to customers of the organisation, thus ensuring that the company lives to the fullest of its customers’ expectations. Mission Statement McDonald’s Company mission is to be the, ‘customers’ preferred base and the way to eat’. Vision of the Company The company’s vision is to be the desired food outlet restaurant in the UAE, providing services to customer satisfaction. Values of the Company Company values are important to the organisation, employees, and customers. In the UAE, the company aims to be the favourite dining place for the population. The company also aims to provide unmatched quality services. It also hopes to maintain the highest level of cleanliness i n its operations to facilitate in its vision of providing the safest food in the region. The company also values time. Besides, it has the value of providing timely services to its customers. Goals of the Company The goals of McDonald’s include being the market leader in the restaurant industry in the UAE and the region (Walker, 2007). It also has the goal of being the preferred eating-place for the population by providing the best ethically approved services. The company also aims to give back to the community and/or to grow its business positively in profitability.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on McDonald’s Company: Management and Strategy Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More McDonald’s UAE, which is a part of the McDonald’s Arabia, is a well-established company, with the brand name being strong in the region and internationally. The company has used this characteristic to ensure t hat it grows on the international front, with operations in the UAE being based on the desire to establish a restaurant chain as successful as in the mother country. The vision, mission, and goals of the company are related to those of the mother company. They are necessary in facilitating the success of the company and quality service delivery. Some of the recommendations include that the company should invest more in other aspects of the economy and/or diversify its services in the region by providing foods that are culturally general in the area. External Analysis of the Company A competitive analysis of McDonald’s Company in the UAE is possible although with reference to the mother company and the regional branches from which the company operates. Porter’s Five Forces Model An analysis of McDonald’s using Porter’s five forces model is necessary to show the competitiveness of the company both in the region and in the UAE specifically. Porter’s c ompetitiveness model shows the attractiveness of a market based on the outcome of the negative and positive influences that this aspect has on the profitability of the organisation on focus. Risk of entry by Potential Competitors The entry of potential competitors into a market is an important factor in the model. It is assumed that markets with a high performance index and with high returns will lead to attraction of new member of the market. There are a number of determinants to the entry of new members in a specific market. They include the barriers that exist, as imposed by the existing market participants, or the nature of the industry in which they operate. For McDonald’s, the brand name is a very important factor in the prevention of entry of other competitors, as these are deemed to be afraid of competing with the well-established brand that the company has created. Rivalry among established Companies In any industry, competition is driven by the rivalry between the m ajor industry players who determine the course of the competition. Several factors influence the competition, with different forms of competition being driven by the rivalry between the companies. The main determinant of the intensity of competition in the market that McDonald’s operates in the UAE is the use of advertising and majoring on innovation to attain competitive advantage.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company has a number of recognised advertising campaigns that it has run in the region. These campaigns have ensured that it is ahead of the pack in competition. The rivalry in the industry is between the company and the major players who originally dominated the market before McDonald’s entry. The Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers, also known as the market of outputs, is also a pillar in the Porter’s five forces model. Consumers have the power to determine the performance of any organisation. One of the major ways that firms reduce customers’ bargaining power is using loyalty programs that ensure that customers are faithful to the organisation. Another component of this pillar is the number of customers in relation to the number of outlets that the organisation runs. McDonald’s in the UAE has a significantly better ratio, having a number of branches distributed throughout the UAE. The Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers ar e also a significant factor in determining the performance of any organisation. McDonald’s is not an exception of this fact. As opposed to the bargaining power of customers, bargaining power of supplier, also known as market of inputs, affects the availability of raw materials for use on the organisation. If an organisation secures a good supply chain with trusted suppliers, the output also improves. There is the availability of goods and services to the convenience of its customers. McDonald’s UAE has ensured that suppliers are available for the main utilities in the organisation. These utilities are sourced locally and internationally as per the requirements. Suppliers have also contributed to the quality services that the organisation provides. Substitute Products There are several restaurants in the UAE that offer competition to McDonald’s. While these restaurants offer direct competition, the hotel and catering industries around offer an indirect competitio n through the provision of related products. McDonald’s ensures that the competition that is provided by these substitute products is reduced through the pricing of its own products. When the prices of a product are lower than that of another related product, the customer often makes the choice of buying the cheaper product. External Threats to the Company Despite the company performing well both internationally and on the local front, there are a number of threats that it faces. These are likely to affect the future operations and profitability of the business. The main threat is the heath campaign against the company that is evident in many avenues. There has been concern about the prevalence of obesity in other areas of the world where the company operates. This situation is likely to emerge in the UAE. The negative publicity that the campaign creates for the company is likely to affect its performance. External Opportunities for the Company Despite the threat above, the c ompany has a potential opportunity on the international front. With the improved performance of most of the economies in the region and the development of major infrastructure projects, the population will increase in the region (Robison, Goodman, 1996). This provides an opportunity to the company to use its well-established brand name to improve its presence and performance in the region. Internal Analysis of the Company Resources and Capabilities of the Company The company has a number of resources that it can attribute to its success in the country and the region in general. One of the major resources is the strong brand name that it has created over the years. The company also has a large number of experienced personnel to ensure that the services provided are adequate. The company prides itself in having an experienced human resource. Some of the future resources that the company may invest in are cleaner and efficient way of producing the goods that it sells. This will be a l ikely source of future better performance. Competencies of the Company The company has a number of competencies that it is known for in the industry. As a restaurant with a powerful brand name, McDonald’s provides some of the tastiest fast foods available, with the best known of these foods being the burgers and chips. The organisation has used them as the marketing strategy to ensure that customers can relate the company with the sweetest foods. The company also offers delivery services for some of the foods that it produces. It often has promotions where these foods are provided at a reduced cost. The main competence of the company is the efficiency with which it is able to provide quality foods. Some of these foods also include sandwiches and coffee, fruits and vegetables, and beef products. Competitive Advantages of the Company The company has a competitive advantage in a number of ways that it has managed to add value to its customers. One of the ways that the company ad ds value to customers is saving them time and money. Through the availability of cheap foods, customers can work comfortably in any city where there is a McDonald’s business. The organisation also ensures that families can save time and money through providing them with cheaper food options as opposed to travelling to their home places to look for food. Strengths of the Company The company has a number of strengths that are a source of its dominance in the region and on the international arena. One of the major strengths that have been mentioned is the strong brand name that it has created internationally. This continues to influence its performance even in the UAE. Another source of strength is the location of the branches at the most convenient places where customers can access them. A large market and consumer base is another of the strengths that the company has. Many people in the UAE have at least dined, or wanted to dine, in the restaurant. The ownership of the restaur ant is also by the locals. This makes them tailor their services according to market needs. Weaknesses of the Company Despite the strengths discussed above, the company also had its share of flaws. The major weakness of the company is the absence of varieties in the provision of services. The company has embarked on the preservation of its brand name. This has involved the restriction of services to the food and restaurant industry. The company is also located in the large urban areas, thus locking other markets that have a potential to develop. SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Strong brand name Located in urban areas only Growing economy of the UAE New restaurants Quality services Absence of diversity Increased dominance Negative health campaigns International presence Strong customer base Large market share Poor market performance Strong organisational culture Developing regional economies and a chance of expansion Local ownership of branches Global Strategy The company has adopted an efficient global strategy that is run by the mother company. This involves spreading to all corners of the world. Now, the company has subsidiaries and branches in over 110 countries. The ownership of these branches is purely by the local investors in each of the countries. The company controls the activities of these subsidiaries. The main achievement that the company has had is the establishment of branches in all the major continents and the provision of services related to the mother company. Entry Strategy The company used a number of strategies in its entry into the global markets. One of the strategies that it used was the acquisition of other international companies and organisations offering the same services elsewhere where they wanted to enter the markets. The company bought the smaller chain of restaurants where its operations were to run in the countries. Another strategy that the company used was to contact investors in the different parts of the world. These investors were contracted to provide services on behalf of the organisation using its strong brand name to provide these services. The company used this entry strategy in most of the restaurants that are run in the UAE. Entry Strategy Recommendation The Arabian region is one of the regions that McDonald’s may expand into with a large presence. A number of branches are already available in one of the UAE neighbours. In order to expand to countries such as Iran and Iraq, the company needs to invest through the local investors. It should build its own restaurants and contract locals to run the outlets. This method will be an effective strategy to ensure a widespread acceptance in the new places in terms of determining the entry strategy that should be used when the company enters a market in the future. Conclusions Based on the expositions made in the paper, McDonald’s qualifies to be one of the largest restaurants chain in the wor ld. One of the international branches is the McDonald’s UAE. The company, as discussed, is locally owned by different investors, with the brand name being the most significant of its strengths in the operations. Some of the characteristics of the organisation have been discussed in brief. Some suggestions are possible for this international organisation. One of the recommendations is that it should consider diversification of its services to other industries apart from the restaurant chain. This move would be important in guaranteeing performance even with the threats in the restaurant industry. Reference List Robison, R., Goodman, S. (1996). The New rich in Asia: mobile phones, McDonald’s and middle-class revolution. London: Routledge. Walker, J. (2007). Oman, UAE Arabian Peninsula. Footscray, Vic.: Lonely Planet. Williams, D. (2008). United Arab Emirates FAIRS Subject Report- UAE Establishes Arabic Labeling Requirements for Food Products 2008. USDA Foreign Agricult ure Service. Retrieved from https://www.fas.usda.gov/

Culture-History, Social Evolution, and Archaeology

Culture-History, Social Evolution, and Archaeology The culture-historical method (sometimes called the  cultural-historical method or culture-historical approach or theory) was a way of conducting anthropological and archaeological research that was prevalent among western scholars between about 1910 and 1960. The underlying premise of the culture-historical approach was that the main reason to do archaeology or anthropology at all was to build timelines of major occurrences and cultural changes in the past for groups that did not have written records. The culture-historical method was developed out of the theories of historians and anthropologists, to some degree to help archaeologists organize and comprehend the vast amount of archaeological data that had been and was still being collected in the 19th and early 20th centuries by antiquarians. As an aside, that hasnt changed, in fact, with the availability of power computing and scientific advances such as archaeo-chemistry (DNA, stable isotopes, plant residues), the amount of archaeological data has mushroomed. Its hugeness and complexity today still drives the development of archaeological theory to grapple with it. Among their writings redefining archaeology in the 1950s, American archaeologists Phillip Phillips and Gordon R. Willey (1953) provided a good metaphor for us to understand the faulty mindset of archaeology in the first half of the 20th century. They said that the culture-historical archaeologists were of the opinion that the past was rather like an enormous jigsaw puzzle, that there was a pre-existing but unknown universe which could be discerned if you collected enough pieces and fitted them together. Unfortunately, the intervening decades have resoundingly shown us that the archaeological universe is in no way that tidy. Kulturkreis and Social Evolution The culture-historical approach is based on the Kulturkreis movement, an idea developed in Germany and Austria in the late 1800s. Kulturkreis is sometimes spelled Kulturkreise and transliterated as culture circle, but means in English something along the lines of cultural complex. That school of thought was generated primarily by German historians and ethnographers  Fritz Graebner and Bernhard Ankermann. In particular, Graebner had been a medieval historian as a student, and as an ethnographer, he thought it should be possible to build historical sequences like those available for medievalists for regions that did not have written sources. To be able to build cultural histories of regions for people with little or no written records, scholars tapped into the notion of unilinear social evolution, based in part on the ideas of American anthropologists Lewis Henry Morgan and Edward Tyler, and German social philosopher Karl Marx. The idea (long ago debunked) was that cultures progressed along a series of more or less fixed steps: savagery, barbarism, and civilization. If you studied a particular region appropriately, the theory went, you could track how the people of that region had developed (or not) through those three stages, and thus classify ancient and modern societies by where they were in the process of becoming civilized. Invention, Diffusion, Migration Three primary processes were seen as the drivers of social evolution: invention, transforming a new idea into innovations; diffusion, the process of transmitting those inventions from culture to culture; and migration, the actual movement of people from one region to another. Ideas (such as agriculture or metallurgy) might have been invented in one area and moved into adjacent areas through diffusion (perhaps along trade networks) or by migration. At the end of the 19th century, there was a wild assertion of what is now considered hyper-diffusion, that all of the innovative ideas of antiquity (farming, metallurgy, building monumental architecture) arose in Egypt and spread outward, a theory thoroughly debunked by the early 1900s. Kulturkreis never argued that all things came from Egypt, but the researchers did believe there was a limited number of centers responsible for the origin of ideas which drove the social evolutionary progress. That too has been proven false. Boas and Childe The archaeologists at the heart of the adoption of the culture-historical approach in archaeology were Franz Boas and Vere Gordon Childe. Boas argued that you could get at the culture-history of a pre-literate society by using detailed comparisons of such things as artifact assemblages, settlement patterns, and art styles. Comparing those things would allow archaeologists to identify similarities and differences and to develop the cultural histories of major and minor regions of interest at the time. Childe took the comparative method to its ultimate limits, modeling the process of the inventions of agriculture and metal-working from eastern Asia and their diffusion throughout the Near East and eventually Europe. His astoundingly broad-sweeping research led later scholars to go beyond the culture-historical approaches, a step Childe did not live to see. Archaeology and Nationalism: Why We Moved On The culture-historical approach did produce a framework, a starting point on which future generations of archaeologists could build, and in many cases, deconstruct and rebuild. But, the culture-historical approach has many limitations. We now recognize that evolution of any kind is never linear, but rather bushy, with many different steps forward and backward, failures and successes that are part and parcel of all human society. And frankly, the height of civilization identified by researchers in the late 19th century is by todays standards shockingly moronic: civilization was that which is experienced by white, European, wealthy, educated males. But more painful than that, the culture-historical approach feeds directly into nationalism and racism. By developing linear regional histories, tying them to modern ethnic groups, and classifying the groups on the basis of how far along the linear social evolutionary scale they had reached, archaeological research fed the beast of Hitlers master race and justified the imperialism and forcible colonization by Europe of the rest of the world. Any society that hadnt reached the pinnacle of civilization was by definition savage or barbaric, a jaw-droppingly idiotic idea. We know better now. Sources Eiseley LC. 1940. Review of The Culture Historical Method of Ethnology, by Wilhelm Schmidt, Clyde Kluchhohn and S. A. Sieber. American Sociological Review 5(2):282-284.Heine-Geldern R. 1964. One Hundred Years of Ethnological Theory in the German-Speaking Countries: Some Milestones. Current Anthropology 5(5):407-418.Kohl PL. 1998. Nationalism and Archaeology: On the Constructions of Nations and the Reconstructions of the Remote past. Annual Review of Anthropology 27:223-246.Michaels GH. 1996. Culture historical theory. In: Fagan BM, editor. The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. New York: Oxford University Press. p 162.Phillips P, and Willey GR. 1953. Method and Theory in American Archeology: An Operational Basis for Culture-Historical Integration. American Anthropologist 55(5):615-633.Trigger BG. 1984. Alternative Archaeologies: Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist. Man 19(3):355-370.Willey GR, and Phillips P. 1955. Method and theory in American archaeology II: Historical-Developmenta l interpretation. American Anthropologist 57:722-819.

GLOBAL WARMING Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GLOBAL WARMING - Assignment Example But as long as they are unable to bring out the clear guidelines for identifying the offenders of the past , it would create a huge void in their initiatives to mobilize public support. Again the lack of confidence that they show for a open forum discussion exemplifies the political diplomacy rather than political commitment. And, being a commercial organization, the stand taken by Exxon cannot be refuted. Unless a clear evidence and scientific reasoning of the global warming is not related to the specific industrial emissions , it would be impossible for a commercial operator to limit their operations when their role as environmental culprit is still unproven. Hence, from the business perspective the action of Exxon cannot considered as unethical but could be branded as environmentally indifferent organization due to the dubious role for mobilizing other industrial owners for their own specific

FAMILIES IN CGLOBAL CONTEXT Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

FAMILIES IN CGLOBAL CONTEXT - Research Proposal Example In other words, families have become more pluralistic in recent times then ever before. Changes because of globalization mean the decline in the American families. Charles Murray, a reporter in Wall Street Journal directed illegitimate births as the most critical problem with more devastating affects than any crimes. American families have to confront challenges like high divorce rates, illegitimate births, pre-marital sex, decline in birth rates, loss of family functions, etc. The highest official divorce rates are in United States when compared to other developed nations. The high divorce rates are a threat to the continuation of familial institution. Children experience mental illness, perform poorly at their schools or display other signals of maladjustment. The sexual revolution is also the dominating factor that threatens the existence of American families because it promotes premarital sex and illegitimate births. Transformation in American society had been escorted with decli ne in fertility. Before the era of globalization, families were considered to be miniature society (Roopnarine, 2005). The shifting of functions from the family to other institutions has made it less important because of decrease in social responsibilities. With the advent of globalization, families in Mexico that were once customarily closely knit, appear to be dispersed, specifically among the young rural migrants who go to urban areas for better job opportunities. Meanwhile, the elders of the family are abandoned frequently to fend for themselves while the young male members of the family are lost in the intermediary regions of the urban centers (Grusky, 2001). The migrations of young people have made them abandon their cultural values for which they were known for. Also, there has been a decline in equally positive close relationship and bond that existed between the elders and the youngsters of

Poor Interaction Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Poor Interaction Managment - Essay Example This paper approves that in every problem, recommendations must be made. In this analysis, the following recommendations would help in resolving the problem. To start with, this is a very critical problem to deal with. Since there are no witnesses available, it would b very hard to crack this case. The best thing I would recommend is by all the workers who have had a rough experience with the Human resource Manager forget and move on. This will enhance a good relationship to growth while they understand each other. Moreover, it would create a sense of belonging and it will help them reconnect with their past mistakes. The management and the board should look into the matter so that incase of any cases of sexual harassment, James should be charger in a court of law. Incase he found guilty, there should be no reason for having him in the organisation, he should be fired and another Human Resource Manager should be hired who would create a good interpersonal relation with the workers. M anaging staff in organisations should use their interpersonal skills to know how to deal with workers and how to communicate to them effectively without showing signs of favouritism. Thes essay makes a conclusion that mismanagement of interpersonal relation has become a big issue in the society today, everyone with power exploiting the powerless due to lack of interpersonal relations. James lacks a good interpersonal relationship with the workers and he uses that opportunity to exploit them. He has a good relationship interpersonally with management that make is simple for him to have a scapegoat.

Petterson Mound Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Petterson Mound - Term Paper Example C. (Davis & Treganza 1959: 5). A mound, which is known as an ancient Indian habitation site, appeared on the early map of San Francisco Bay area at location Ala-328. However, archeologists usually fail to establish whether the map location represents site Ala-328 or Ala-329 (Davis & Treganza 1959: 6). The Patterson Mound No. 1 is located on a piece of land owned by Mr. William Patterson, in Alameda County, due south of Alvarado town. The size of Mound is approximately 350 feet along the north-south axis, and it is ovoid in shape (Davis & Treganza 1959: 4). It has a known depth of 13 feet near its center. This piece of land extends from a flat alluvial plain, which is six feet above the sea level, and reaches a height of 15 and half feet above the sea-level (Davis & Treganza 1959: 4). The previous height above the sea-level has been significantly reduced due to the intensive cultivation, rodent activity, root crops and farm machinery. Patterson Mound covers an area that is slightly di fferent from other sites along the shore of San Francisco because of its relatively low content of soft-shelled clams (oyster), which is believed to be as a result of marshy slough (Davis & Treganza 1959: 4). ... Several burials and artifacts such as eye bone needle, thatching needle, fiber-strippers, antler digging tool, antler haft, pitted cobble, pecking stone, abrading stone, mussel shell spoon, whale bone object, sharpened elk ulna, drilled canine tibia, backed clay, scrapers and choppers were excavated from the site since 1935 (Davis & Treganza 1959: 27, 38). For instance, about 1000 artifacts and 169 burials have been recovered, with only about 20 percent of the site having been excavated (Davis & Treganza 1959: 12). Moreover, about 2000 artifacts and 260 burials had been recovered, by 1958, with only 25 percent of the site having been dug. Research Question This research method aims at establishing the correlation between material remains such as shells, stones, bones, and other preserved remains, and human migrations, culture growth and change, environmental impacts on cultural growth, and other aspects of human activities around San Francisco Bay area at location Ala-328. Data Requi red for Analysis Measurements: it is necessary to quantify different parameters of artifacts such as length, width, height, density, mass, and weight, including texture and color to collect valid information about burials and artifacts (Ferguson 2010: 12). Additionally, measurements within the Patterson Mound area are also significant, and it include calculating areas of separated fields, strata heights in accordance to the sea level (HASL) and relating HASL to retrieved artifacts. Association: This information is of significance in understanding cultural interactions within a given archeological site because it related the excavated artifacts to its environment (Ferguson 2010: 12). It also involves the classification of artifacts into different groups based on their

Risk Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Risk Assessment - Essay Example Pesticides sprayed on plants are not just sprayed on plants, but soak into the soil on which we walk and get into the underground water supply, contaminating it so that it becomes unsafe to drink. I also do not want to put anything into my body that I cannot read on a label and pronounce and understand, and speaking from the heart, I cannot understand the name of any pesticide, except to tell you that anything ending in â€Å"zine† is bad. Pesticides and herbicides should be tested for their potential to harm humans by putting them into a controlled sample of water and observing changes over time. If the water were to turn an unnatural color, such as brown or gray, the pesticide would then be deemed unsafe. It should also be tested on samples of soil by placing the controlled pesticide sample into the soil and monitoring plant growth throughout the sample. For further testing, we should introduce fish into a larger, yet still controlled sample of water, and if the pesticide sample introduced to that environment caused any harm to the fish, then we would know it would be unsafe for humans. As a consumer, we have a responsibility to not only read labels on the food that we purchase, but to know where our food comes from. Simply choosing to buy organic is not enough. We must know, at all times, if the can of corn or the bag of onions that we are about to pick up in the grocery store came from a place where chemicals are used on the food. This is our responsibility as a consumer, to make sure that we are aware of what is going into our

Petterson Mound Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Petterson Mound - Term Paper Example C. (Davis & Treganza 1959: 5). A mound, which is known as an ancient Indian habitation site, appeared on the early map of San Francisco Bay area at location Ala-328. However, archeologists usually fail to establish whether the map location represents site Ala-328 or Ala-329 (Davis & Treganza 1959: 6). The Patterson Mound No. 1 is located on a piece of land owned by Mr. William Patterson, in Alameda County, due south of Alvarado town. The size of Mound is approximately 350 feet along the north-south axis, and it is ovoid in shape (Davis & Treganza 1959: 4). It has a known depth of 13 feet near its center. This piece of land extends from a flat alluvial plain, which is six feet above the sea level, and reaches a height of 15 and half feet above the sea-level (Davis & Treganza 1959: 4). The previous height above the sea-level has been significantly reduced due to the intensive cultivation, rodent activity, root crops and farm machinery. Patterson Mound covers an area that is slightly di fferent from other sites along the shore of San Francisco because of its relatively low content of soft-shelled clams (oyster), which is believed to be as a result of marshy slough (Davis & Treganza 1959: 4). ... Several burials and artifacts such as eye bone needle, thatching needle, fiber-strippers, antler digging tool, antler haft, pitted cobble, pecking stone, abrading stone, mussel shell spoon, whale bone object, sharpened elk ulna, drilled canine tibia, backed clay, scrapers and choppers were excavated from the site since 1935 (Davis & Treganza 1959: 27, 38). For instance, about 1000 artifacts and 169 burials have been recovered, with only about 20 percent of the site having been excavated (Davis & Treganza 1959: 12). Moreover, about 2000 artifacts and 260 burials had been recovered, by 1958, with only 25 percent of the site having been dug. Research Question This research method aims at establishing the correlation between material remains such as shells, stones, bones, and other preserved remains, and human migrations, culture growth and change, environmental impacts on cultural growth, and other aspects of human activities around San Francisco Bay area at location Ala-328. Data Requi red for Analysis Measurements: it is necessary to quantify different parameters of artifacts such as length, width, height, density, mass, and weight, including texture and color to collect valid information about burials and artifacts (Ferguson 2010: 12). Additionally, measurements within the Patterson Mound area are also significant, and it include calculating areas of separated fields, strata heights in accordance to the sea level (HASL) and relating HASL to retrieved artifacts. Association: This information is of significance in understanding cultural interactions within a given archeological site because it related the excavated artifacts to its environment (Ferguson 2010: 12). It also involves the classification of artifacts into different groups based on their

Compare and contrast the labour forces of the preindustrial and Essay

Compare and contrast the labour forces of the preindustrial and industrial ages - Essay Example For conducting the comparative analysis, the era prior to industrial revolution has been considered as pre-industrial age, whereas the period starting since industrial revolution has been considered as industrial age. Before embarking on making any comparison between the pre-industrial labour force and industrial labour force, it is necessary to look at the major features of labour market of pre-industrial age as well as that of industrial age to form a clear idea about the features of labour force during these two periods. Characteristics of labour market at any point of time can be viewed in terms of labour force composition, production process, division of labour, labour market institutions, wage structure, etc. The present paper will first discuss the major characteristics of labour market in the two periods under consideration, which are preindustrial era and industrial era. In the pre-industrial period, economies were mostly dependent on agricultural sector and to some extent on home based industries, like manufacturing, construction etc. Industrial sector did not flourish on a commercial basis largely. There existed only a few industries, which ran their business on a commercial basis, like iron or textile industries, etc. Consequently, most of the labourers were agricultural labourers or were employed in home based industries. Labourers mostly concentrated on rural areas, because during that period the notion and extent of urbanization was very limited. As far as, gender perspective in labour force participation was concerned, it was found that males mostly dominated that labour market. Female participation in the labour force was very low. In this context, one interesting thing can be mentioned that in pre-industrial era, women used to be involved in doing household activities even because most of them belonged to very poor families. In addition, mo re earning members were required to meet the daily needs of living

A View From the Bridge by Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free

A View From the Bridge by Arthur Miller Essay In Arthur Millers play, A View From The Bridge the character of Alfieri is a very important piece of the play. He leads many different roles throughout the play, and is a very useful tool for letting the audience know what they need to do. In this essay, I will be examining the many different roles of Alfieri during the play, and examining what the effects are of these roles on the play, the other characters and the audience. I will also be looking briefly at the background of where the play is set, and also be looking briefly at the author, Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller was born in 1915, in Manhattan, New York. In his early years his family were pretty well off, but when the economic depression hit America in 1929, him and his family lost a lot of money and security. They had to move to a much poorer area of New York called Brooklyn. When Arthur Miller eventually left school at 17, he didnt have enough money or the right qualifications to enter University, and so he tried out a variety of jobs. His many jobs included a waiter, a lorry driver, a crooner on a local radio station and a shipping clerk. He saved all his money, and in 1934 was accepted into Michigan University. He won three awards for playwriting, but was still unemployed when he graduated four years later. During the Second World War, Miller was unable to complete military service due to an old injury he gained, and so instead did manual work at shipyards and some freelance radio scriptwriting. He enjoyed writing plays for live theatre, and his first play, The Man Who Had All The Luck, was first performed in 1949 at Broadway. It later went onto win the Theatre Guild National Prize. His next play, All My Sons, won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. His two most successful plays, Death Of A Salesman and The Crucible soon followed. He later went onto write the play I am studying: A View From The Bridge. The play is set in Red Hook a slum next to Brooklyn Bridge, New York. The neighbourhood is very rough, and everybody their looks after themselves primarily and their families. Law and Order are not welcome there, and Lawyers and Priests are generally untrusted people. The bay next to Brooklyn Bridge was a favourite place for immigrants to illegally enter the U.  S. A. Between 1820 and 1920, migration to the U. S. A was one of the biggest transportation of people in human history. In those 100 years, more than four million Italians went over to live there, hoping to leave behind the poverty and bad times from where they had previously lived, which in most cases was the South of Italy and Sicily. They migrated because they believed America could offer them more opportunities (including work) than their native land ever could. However, life often wasnt how they thought it would be. The immigrants were often so desperate for work that employers exploited them, by paying them the bare minimum they could. The jobs themselves were all hard manual labour, which would help America to increase its wealth and power. The immigrants found themselves living in the worst and cheapest housing around, but still thought they were better off in America than they would have been back in Italy or Sicily. Indeed, many Americans distrusted Italians, and believed them to be dangerous and violent. It is this idea of immigrants illegally entering the U. S. A that provides the plot for A View From The Bridge. The play is based around Eddie Carbone, a longshoreman, his wife Beatrice, and Eddies niece, Catherine. Eddie is very overly protective of Catherine, and doesnt really want to let her grow up. Beatrices cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, have just entered the U. S. A illegally from Sicily. Eddie and Beatrice agree to hide the cousins in their house. Rodolpho and Catherine become very good friends. Eddie becomes very suspicious of Rodolpho he accuses him of being gay and only wanting to marry Catherine so he can be a legal citizen of the U.S. A. Eddie tries to warn Catherine of his beliefs about Rodolpho, but she refuses to believe a word of it. Beatrice meanwhile, wants Catherine to grow up and so encourages her to marry Rodolpho. Eddie becomes more and more jealous and angry about the amount of time Catherine and Rodolpho spend together. He visits the local lawyer, Alfieri, and asks him if there is any way he can get rid of Rodolpho legally. Alfieri informs him that there is nothing he can do, and that he should just let Catherine go. The situation starts to grow worse and worse. One night, Eddie comes home drunk. He desperately tries once more to split up Catherine and Rodolpho, but he once again fails. After kissing Catherine and then Rodolpho, Eddie goes to visit Alfieri again. Alfieri once again advises Eddie to just let go of Catherine, but Eddie cant do it. Instead, he calls the Immigration Bureau and reports Marco and Rodolphos illegal entry to the U. S. A. The Immigration Bureau come and arrest Marco and Rodolpho, and after a big fight in the street, Marco spits in Eddies face (a huge insult). Alfieri pays bail for the two cousins and then arranges the wedding of Catherine and Rodolpho for the following day. Eddie is furious that Marco spat in his face, and so is desperate for revenge. Marco returns to the house angry for his own revenge, when Eddie turns a knife on Marco. Marco manages to turn the knife around and stab Eddie- who then dies of his injuries. However, it is the character of Alfieri that I will now be focusing on. Alfieri is the first character we meet in the play, which therefore means that everything he says must capture the attention of the audience immediately. In this first opening speech of his, he acts like a special kind of narrator; a character who is filling us in on a brief background of the setting, and setting the scene for the rest of the play. He appears at first walking along the road outside Eddies house, which is where the majority of the play is set. He informs the audience about the neighbourhood where the play is set, and tells them that this particular neighbourhood has no place for law and order: A lawyer means the law, and in Sicily, from where their fathers came, the law has not been a friendly idea since the Greeks were beaten.

State Civil Society Relationship Social Work Essay

State Civil Society Relationship Social Work Essay The concept of civil society remains elusive, complex and contested. There are different meanings and interpretations and, over time, different schools of thought have influenced theoretical debates and empirical research. Civil society is conceived to be an arena of un-coerced collective action around shared interests, purposes and values. As a public sphere where citizens and voluntary organizations freely engage, it is distinct from the state, family and the market. From the above conceptions of civil society, they can therefore be considered as the wide array of non-governmental and non-profit organizations that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of their members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, science, religious or philanthropic considerations (World Bank 2006, Kaldor 2003, Carothers 2000). The concept has its origin from the Greek philosophy though some scholars consent that its origin dates back in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (Kaldor 2003, John et al., 1999) Civil society also has been centrally linked to the   contemporary status of   democracy and   change in the world.   It has been presented as the beacon of freedom, the fountain for the protection of civil rights and of resistance against state repression, the mobilizing platform of society for the protection and projection of substantive interests, the compelling force for state moderation and the epitome of popular struggles and civil power has been a central force in political and economic reforms. The activities and even proliferation of civil groups have been seen by several scholars as vital to the democratization process and its sustenance. Donor discourse on international development policy now places much emphasis on civil society than in the past. Therefore it would be worthy to note that in practical sense, the boundaries between state, civil society and even market can hardly be defined or drawn (Kane, 2001, Camarrof, 1999, John et al., 1999, Salamon and Anheier 1996). Hyden (1995)   further clarifies on the concept by   emphasizing that there are variables that determine civil society, these include: basis of social action, nature of state action, nature of political legacy and nature of inter-cultural relations. But above all these, from myriad studies conducted, it is clear that the middle class has on large extent paved the way for civil society especially in fostering democracy. 1.1 Objective The purpose of this research is to understand reality of civil society in Uganda in relation to the theoretical concept of civil society and to go deep to understand the bilateral functions of civil society in Uganda. This study may be of great use to the policy makers, civil society actors, legislators and researchers who might be more enlightened about civil society in Uganda. In doing so the study will be contributing to the board of knowledge about civil society in Uganda. 1.2 Disposition This thesis will be organized as follows; the subsequent chapter (two) will present methodology used in this study. Chapter three will present conceptual framework. This will include definitions and the concept of civil society that I consider to be crucial for this study. Chapter four will be about civil society reality in Uganda. Chapter five will be about data presentation and analysis. 1.3 Problem Statement The past two decades have witnessed a proliferation of civil society organisations and they have made big strides towards improving the interplay between political and economic systems and thus have ensured democratic, participatory and decision making in society (World Bank 2006). NORAD (2003), UN-RISD (2005) present state, private sector and civil society as three separate arenas of development that operate independently from each other. Civil society has been well acknowledged as an important third sector whose strengths have positively influenced state and market and it is an important agent for promoting transparency, responsibility, accountability and openness. Civil society model recognizes   functions that are believed to be universally applied in all societies and according to Edwards 2004, World Bank 2003, SIDA 2005, the core functions of civil society include: to protect the citizens lives, property and freedoms; monitoring activities of state, central powers and state a pparatus; advocacy through articulation of interests of the citizens; socialization through practicing values and attitudes of democracy; intermediation and facilitation between state and citizens; building communities through voluntary interactions that build a bond between members of the society and service delivery in social service sector. Despite its increased importance and value, civil society in developing world has lingered behind and somewhat not understood. In Uganda, the basic descriptive information about civil society, its size, area of activity, sources of revenue and the policy framework in which it operates seem not to be available in an organized way. There seems to be domination of state and market while civil society structures are superficial and are shadows of the ideal model of civil society (Salamon, Sokolowski and Associates, 2003). Moreover, civil society tend to play a supportive role rather than confrontational or conscious raising roles. A report by NORAD (2002) indicates that the involvement of civil society in policy processes is cosmetic with limited impacts in Ugandan society. Therefore the actual situation about civil society in Uganda seems not to be according to ideal model of civil society in western societies. The point of departure in this study is to investigate and compare civil society reality in Uganda to the ideal concept of civil society in developed, modern and democratic societies while also trying to understand why the bilateral function of civil society in Uganda seem not to work properly. The purpose of the study therefore, is to investigate, understand and eliminate this discrepancy and comprehend the bilateral functioning of the civil society in Uganda with subsequent benefits derived from it. 1.4 StudyObjectives The general aim of the study is to investigate the reality of civil society in Uganda in relation to the general concept of civil society. There are a number of specific objectives, these include: To identify major areas of operation by civil society in Uganda. To identify the major actors of civil society in Uganda. To identify functions of civil society To find out factors that influence State-CSOs relationship in area of advocacy. To determine whether the Western models of CSOs are applicable in Uganda. Research questions How applicable is the western model of civil society in Ugandas context? How is the relationship between state and CSOs in Uganda? In what areas of operation are CSOs active in Uganda? Who are the major actors of civil society in Uganda? What are the factors that influence the relationship between state and civil society in policy advocacy in Uganda? What are the functions of civil society in Uganda 1.5 Research Frontier The thesis aims at filling an apparent gap that exists since most studies have primarily focused on other areas of civil society like the relationship with political parties, civil society in conflict resolution and in poverty alleviation but little has been written on the civil society reality in Uganda with reference to the model concept of civil society. 1.6 Significance of the study The study will contribute to the board of knowledge. It will be used as a literature for the future studies related to civil society and state in Uganda. The study findings can also be used to harmonize the relationship between state and civil society so that they can work for the benefit of citizens in the country. 1.7 Structure This thesis will consist of 6 chapters. Chapter 1 will be about Introduction of the study. Chapter 2 will include conceptual framework while Chapter 3 will be about Literature review. Chapter 4 will consist of Methodology and chapter 5 will be on Data analysis and results. The last Chapter 6 will consist of Conclusions and Recommendations. CHAPTER TWO 2.0 Methodology of the Study This chapter is about the methods that have been used in this study and explains the approaches that will be used in order to understand civil society reality in Uganda in relation to the model of the concept in the western democratic societies. 2.1 Methods This is a qualitative study primarily based on desk research of available documentations about civil society as well as few interviews from the civil society actors in Uganda. The method used for this study has some advantages and disadvantages. Advantages include: it saves time that would otherwise have been spent on collecting data. It provided a broad data base more than what one can collect. Secondary data also provided the basis for comparisons of the information about civil society in Uganda with the model concept of civil society in the western societies. Lastly, the author did not worry about the informed consent and human subject restrictions and the method is relatively cheap. Much as the benefits of secondary sources are considerable, their disadvantages are also identified. There was likelihood of having outdated data. The author had no control over how the data was collected. There may be biases in the data that was already collected by researchers. In order to ensure reliability and validity of the study, many comparisons between the data were made. This involved checking other sources such as other references and information from highly regarded sites on the internet for instance from World Bank, donor agencies, universities among others. The information used was in line with what was collected from other sources. The information is also reliable in a way that it was collected from government documents and other sites mentioned above. The information was valid since the findings relate to the issues and aim of the study. 2.2 Type of study-Case study A case of Uganda will be used. Goerge and Bennet 2005:18 define case study â€Å"as well-defined aspect of a historical episode that an investigator selects for analysis, rather than a historical event itself†. Case study is one of the several methods used in conducting studies in the area of social science, psychology, political science and it has the following advantages: It will be used in this study because of its high possibility or ability to achieve high conceptual validity. In other words, the researcher is able to compare, measure and identify which indicators best correspond to the concept.   It has also been chosen because it helps to understand a variety of intervening variables and makes it possible to single out conditions in a case that trigger out causal mechanisms. However, case study method has a weakness of selection bias. In other words, there is a possibility of overstating or understating the relationship between independent and dependent variables (ibid) 2.3 Data collection The nature of the study requires drawing lessons from multiple sources. Therefore, in undertaking this, it is proposed that a wide range of data collection methods should be used, both primary and secondary sources of data. The methods will capture qualitative data. The method will provide flexibility in data collection through triangulation of different research methods. This approach will also assist in cross checking information. 2.4 Primary Sources of Data Different stakeholders will be targeted since they are able to provide valuable insights on various issues of the interest of the study. Among the specific methods that will be used to collect primary data will include: Semi-Structured Interviews Semi-structured interviews will be used with key informants in Uganda such as Civil Society actors. Interviews in this regards will be very helpful as they will deal with more detailed perceptions and experiences. The researcher intends to have deep and rich interaction with key informants in order to understand various issues pertaining to the various opportunities and challenges that Civil Society Organizations face. In all cases, confidentiality of sources of information will be ensured to allow for discussion of more sensitive issues. 2.5 Secondary Sources of Data Relevant literature pertaining to issues under investigation will be collected from the various sources including government documents about CSO and official reports from various sources, including published books, journals, and other relevant materials will be consulted. Internet resources shall also be used to access relevant information as well. Combining various methods of collecting data will enrich the whole study as each method of collecting data will capture a specific angle of the issue in consideration. Furthermore, different methods tend to have weaknesses when used in isolation, so combining various approaches will enhance chances of getting more reliable information upon which inferences will be drawn. 2.6 Sampling procedure A non probability sampling strategy will be used, that is, Purposive sampling. This type of sampling will be used because it is helpful in targeting and getting views from those people who are perceived to be well vested with issues of civil society and policy advocacy in particular. 2.7 Data Analysis Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews will be analyzed using qualitative techniques such as thematic analysis. This will be used because it is highly inductive and will help in understanding more about civil society in Uganda.   Another advantage is that the researcher does not impose themes but rather themes are generated from the data. 2.8 Secondary and content analysis Secondary analyses in this case regard to the studies that are taken from historical data as well as informational materials that exist beforehand but analyzed by other researchers which can be used as sources for new research or study under investigation (Goerge and Bennet, 2005). This will be used in this study on civil society in Uganda in relation to the model of concept of civil society in developed world. 2.9 Content analysis This is another approach if used properly enables research problems to be identified both qualitatively and quantitatively. Three basic requirements used in this method include. First, the author should be objective, in other words he/she should not follow their instincts or the way they see materials but should follow an objective approach of representing the materials. In this study this will be followed and done. Second, is the exclusion and inclusion of the content. This implies that the author in some cases has to include or exclude some contents much as it can be useful or useless for the study (Mikkelsen, 2005). This has also been applied in this study in order to ensure coherence. 2.10 Materials used Materials used in this study were obtained from already published books, articles and journals. Additional materials were obtained through the internet via various data bases that include: ELIN, LIBRIS, Google scholar. Official government websites were also used as well as other reputable sources like official website of the United Nations, World Bank, academic institutions and think tank organisations were also used. Other relevant information about civil society in Uganda was obtained from the news paper publications of The New Vision, The Daily Monitor and The Weekly Observer and bulletins from civil society organisations in Uganda. 2.10.1 Evaluation of the sources When dealing with sources which normally present different views from different authors, it is important to remain unbiased while using them as the source of information for the study but students normally find it very difficult to deal with. In order to evaluate the sources this study will base on the set of methodological rules of simultaneity, genuineness, independence and tendency. 2.11 Previous Studies on Civil Society Several studies have been conducted and many authors have written a lot about civil society. Kaldor Mary (2003) a school professor on Global civil society at London School of Economics in her article â€Å"Civil Society and Accountability† highlights the issue of trusting civil society groups in regard to giving the voice to the marginalized. She further sheds more light about moral accountability and procedural accountability referring civil society groups being accountable to the people they serve and accountability as internal management respectively. She finally elaborates on difference between Non-Governmental Organisations and civil society by indicating that the former is a subset of the latter. John Keane, a re-known scholar and a Professor of Politics at the Center for Study of Democracy, university of Westminister. He has published many books and articles on civil society, democracy and politics. He has collected myriad samples about what writers have produced on the subject of civil society especially writers in Europe. In one of his books â€Å"Civil Society and the State, New European perspective†. He clarifies on distinction between state and non-state realm of civil society. He further coins out why the distinction which was important in the first half of nineteen century but later lost trace (Keane, 1988). Hyden Gà ¶ran a professor of political science at the University of Florida. He has published a lot on governance, politics and civil society. In one of his books â€Å"Assisting the growth of civil society. How might it be improved?† he analyses various literatures on civil society and supports the idea that civil society is an important tool that has been directed at promoting democracy in societies which are under dictatorial regimes. He further points out that in many cases external support is meant to complement the efforts of transition from despotic rule, but rather, the strengths of civil society depend on the domestic social forces of a certain country (Hyden, 1995). A study conducted by World Bank, (2006) elaborates that increase in conflicts in 1990s contributed to a focus on civil society as key actors in peace building initiatives and hugely contributed to massive increase of civil society sector. The study also points out that the presence of civil society does not simply result to peace building, but rather, proper understanding and analysis of civil society functions, validity, scope and content are paramount to peace building initiatives. CHAPTER THREE Conceptual Framework of Civil Society 3.1 Defining Civil Society Different scholars define civil society differently. Some scholars define it broadly while others define it in specific or narrow terms. For instance Carothers (2000), Kaldor (2003) define it in specific terms as â€Å"a domain parallel to but separate from the state realm where citizens associate according to their own interests and wishes† (Carothers, 2000:1) and Kaldor, (2003) defines it as an associational sphere between state and family aggregated by organisations which are detached from the state and they are formed by society members voluntarily to guard and preserve their values and interests. From the above definitions, there is a common thread in which all authors depict civil society as autonomous from state and market. Further, there seems to be a consensus among the definitions on the term civil society signifying that it is an arena or sphere made up of different or a collection of groups amalgamated together with the a common shared purpose, values or interests. Is this amalgamation of different groups harmonious? It seemly unlikely to have a harmonious relationship between these groups because they have different interests, values and their social fabric is totally different. Therefore to belong to one sphere or dome and have same reasoning, tolerance among each other and advance one goal as civil society sector might remain a myth not a reality. However, some scholars define civil society broadly to mean that it goes beyond being an arena between state and family. For instance Centre for Civil Society goes further to mean that civil society does not only mean a sphere outside state and market but even its boundaries in between them can never be drawn and therefore very ambiguous and Shauder et al., (2003) portray it as an all-inclusive term often used to mean social structures and interests further than household and outside the state institutions, including voluntary associations and non-profit organizations where people mingle for their collective interests. It would be argued that by making civil society all-inclusive like what Shauder et al argues above, renders it more ambiguous because like it was earlier argued, merging different groups of different backgrounds clearly makes civil society mysterious concept. There is another category of scholars who define civil society in a broad way for instance Cohen and Arato (1992), Michael and Edwards (1996:1) look at civil society as not only a sphere of charitable links and informal networks in which groups and individuals come together to participate in activities of public importance but also is a realm of private voluntary association, from neighbourhood committees to interest groups and philanthropic enterprises of all sorts. According to the definitions above, civil society is consented as a set of voluntary and not-for-profits associations sharing same interests. This is not far from what has been defined by afore mentioned authors but the difference here is that Shauder et al broaden the definition to imply that civil society goes beyond household and state while Cohen and Arato include an aspect of â€Å"charitable links† and â€Å"informal networks† to the definition, to some scholars it is a mixture of formal and informal and perhaps that why its boundaries are unclear. These links and networks as commonly known are horizontal linkages/networks and vertical linkages, that is, a connection of groups in a same category and connection of groups in different categories respectively. These different points of view clearly depict the term civil society to be an imperceptible concept which many social scientist have come up to conclude that it has no universal definition and therefore difficu lt explain due to its vagueness. It becomes different from what Parnini (2006:4) defines it as the â€Å"totality of groups and individuals in a country who show a regular concern for the social and political affairs in that country without fulfilling the function of political parties†. Closely related, in his writing, Hyden, (1995:3) defines civil society as â€Å"the political realm, specifically the means and processes through which citizens shape the character of political life in their country†. All the definitions above portray civil society as a sphere made up of myriad individual groups and associations, but other scholars like Hyden bring in an aspect to show that civil society is a ‘political realm which becomes quite different from what other scholars or authors who believe that civil society is   rather public or social realm. This sparks further debates; hence the term has become a centre of both political and academic discourses all over the world. It becomes an elusive term because what Parnini explains above signify that civil society cares more about what government should do to suit the interests of citizens but does not play the role of political parties, yet to some scholars, political parties are part of civil society and if anything there are some civil society actors which play the same roles as political parties; a case in point is the role of mobilizing citizenry. This role is played by actors like church, community based organisations or even non -governmental organisations. The working definition for this study is thatcivil society is an amalgamation of both human and associational activities that operate in a non-restrictive, open to everyone sphere without involvement of the state and market. It is a dome where people express their interests and ambitions but with pull factors based on common goal, values and customs. 3.2 The Evolution of Civil Society concept The contemporary term ‘civil society has its origins in the early modern period in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, however, Kaldor (2003), points out that the term has its origin from Greek political philosophy. This is not far from what John and Comaroff (1999) noted that the term became prominent in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in the period of modern European state formation, when it was used and explained by Ferguson, Kant, Hegel, Marx and Tocqueville. It is further argued that apart from being used by Gramsci, however, it did not thereafter dominate western political theory until recently (ibid). Kaldor (2003) further indicates that it has been narrowed in 20th century into forms of social contacts that are separate from both the state and market. There is a commonality in which different authors above perceive the genesis of civil society. This implies that the concept itself was in existence though dormant before seventeen and eighteen centuries but civil society activism became prominent at a point in Europe when most societies sought to have a modern state. Thus modern state formation phenomenon in Europe was envisaged to have a civil society which would play an important supportive role in fostering democracy as part of the means of transforming societies from authoritarian rule. What should be known at this point is that civil society was brought in as one of the ingredients for democracy just as Hyden (1995) clarifies that civil society was a vital step towards the direction or realization of modern and democratic society. The most recent usage the concept of civil society has been distinguished into three versions: the ‘activist version which emerged in 1970s and 1980s especially in Latin America and Eastern Europe which referred to the idea of a area outside political parties where individuals and groups aimed to democratize the state, to restructure power, rather than to capture authority in a traditional sense (Kaldor 2003). It is imperative to note that different versions were perceived differently by different scholars. In the first version (activist), the situation in Latin America and Eastern Europe compelled the need for civil society because there were military dictatorial regimes and totalitarian communist rule respectively. It seems the term was dubbed ‘activist because it was quiet hard for the common people to change governments in these regions, so what people did was to devise means of removing the government through formation of active groups independent of state which woul d change the relationship between state and societies (ibid) The ‘neo-liberal version which Salamon and Anheier (1996) argue, is connected with views of ‘third sector or ‘non-profit sector that was developed in the United States where there are groups or associations that were not controlled by the state or even the market, but were important with potential of facilitating the operation of both. It is argued that this version was taken up by Western donors in the early 1990s because CSOs were needed to mitigate against the shocks associated with Structural Adjustment Programmes, to provide social safety net and foster good governance. It should be remembered that when SAPs were introduced by Bretton Woods institutions, governments were forced to cut on spending on public services, in so doing, civil society was to come in and bridge that gap as well as help in fostering good governance. In comparison with the first or ‘activist version, it is observed that in the neo-liberal version came with the element of minimizing the role of state by checking the abuses and practices of the state just like what Kaldor had earlier alone argued, this version is linked with the ideas of social capital and trust of Robert Putman and Francis Fukuyama respectively. This differs from the first version of ‘activist in Latin America which mainly hinges on conscientization of the poor and breaking the culture of silence  Ã‚   the ideas of Gramsci and the inspiration of liberation theory. The overall difference between these two versions seems to be that neo-liberal version has an element of endorsing the western way of governance just as Salamon and Anheier had earlier indicated that it was developed in United States; while the activist version aims at emancipation and enhancement of human rights and justice but both have a commonality of being western-driven. The above versions are in contrast with the third version of civil society ‘the post modern which asserts that the ‘activist and ‘neo-liberal versions are a Western discourse. Post-modern version criticizes activist and neo-liberal versions because there is exclusion of civil society actors like religious groupings and organisations which are based on kinship, they are sidelined and considered as traditional, that is why John and Comarrof (1999) clarify on this by arguing that there should not be ‘good westernized civil society and bad traditional un-civil society. Therefore, here, we should ask ourselves, is there bad and good civil society? The answer is no and yes, but in order to be rational, the definition should include all the categories mentioned in the activist version (social movements), neo-liberal version (third sector) and post-modern version (traditional and religious groups). The western concept of civil society has largely strayed from its original meaning and role where NGOs are considered as the same as civil society. The terms ‘civil society, ‘NGOs and the ‘non-profit sector have been regarded as the same by western donors since the early 1990s (Parnini, 2006:4). However, it can be argued that a full understanding of civil society has more than what NGOs does because civil society is a public sphere where non-state actors are mingled together. It has to include social movements that promote emancipation of poor and excluded, it has to include social organisations that protect and promote the interests of members, and it has to include nationalist and religious groups that foster empowerment of national and religious groups respectively. Therefore, it is rather a combination of all these actors that a coherent and robust collection can act together in order to bring transformation in society. Nevertheless, Kane (2001) observes, civil society can be fostered through taking part in participatory activities ‘through grassroots organisations, through se