Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Global warming in relation Winston Churchillââ¬â¢s quote on painting Essay
Global warming in relation Winston Churchillââ¬â¢s quote on painting Introduction à à à à In day-to-day life, challenges are common undertaking. However, some challenges are difficult to handle and it might be impossible to get a solution although their experience is worth in life. Increasing temperatures is one of the major challenges affecting the world. This was evident during vacation from the experience of high temperatures that resulted to uncomfortable spending. It was thought that the temperatures would decrease with time but as the fall approached the higher, they became. According to Friedman, (8) the world is becoming hotter because of global warming gases that are on increase. Both developed countries have tried to address the issue of global warming. Winston Churchill quote on painting is analogous to the ever-increasing temperatures and other effects such as hurricanes, drought, strong winds, floods in the world that are caused by high levels of global warming gases the world increasing commitment to address the issue despite no promising result that the problem will end. Although the world has made significant progress in addressing the issues of global warming through environmental movement and policies to reduce emission of greenhouse gases by developed countries, there seem to be no permanent solution to the problem especially with changing world economy to industrialization. à à à à With the introduction of industrialization in the world, the world economy started changing from agricultural-dependent to manufacturing. The manufacturing economy was marked by use of machines that used fuel such as steam, oil, coal, and electricity. As a result, there was high emission of green house gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that led to global warming, which is the key cause of the rising temperatures in the world and other effects such as drought, floods, strong wings, hurricanes (27). The temperatures have increased over the years and especially in the 21st century. The increasing temperatures have led to the world becoming hot, which was one of the worst experiences in summer. One would think that the following day the temperatures would be falling but unfortunate the hotter it become. The world commitment to address global warming is heightening despite the unpromising solution to the problem. à à à à The world has formed environmental movements to address the alarming effects of global warming. These movements include the Kyoto protocol, United Nations environmental committee, and other environmental organizations. They have discussed measures and developed strategies to reduce the greenhouse gases in developed countries in order to counter the effects of global warming. Countries under the Kyoto protocol agreed to reduce the greenhouse gases by 5% by year 2020. In addition, there was notable decrease of green house gases during the implementation of Kyoto protocol. Consequently, developing countries joined hands for the fight against global warming. The formation of these movements and agreement for member states to implement the policies was seen as progress toward the reduction of green house gases and significant decrease in global temperatures. à à à à The Kyoto protocol and the climate change program led by United Nations framework convention have achieved most of their global warming goals by reducing the emissions of green house gases in countries like United States, Denmark and others. Consequently, more countries have continued to join Kyoto protocol and other environmental organizations to fight global warming. In addition, carbon free goods have been introduced in various markets in Europe and other continents to ensure that less greenhouse gases are emitted in the atmosphere. Other countries like United States have introduced electric vehicles that do not emit greenhouse gases. These initiatives coupled to many others have led to reduction of global warming gases in the atmosphere thus giving hope for the combating global warming. à à à à Despite the promising agreements and statesââ¬â¢ willingness to implement the policies, the world is still recording high levels of green house gases in the atmosphere. There has been high emission of the gases in developed countries and other countries that are joining the industrialised world. As a result, global warming effects have been on the rise and major catastrophic events have been on the rise. For example, hurricanes, flooding, drought has been on increase compared to decades ago. According to Friedman (148) hurricanes and droughts have been unusual recently due to increasing temperature that have been caused by people. Another challenge to the notable progress in addressing the global warming is the withdrawal of countries from the environmental movements. For example, New Zealand government made a decision not to renew its membership for Kyoto protocol come year 2015. The move will deny it from accessing carbon free market, which might trigger the r ise of the green house gases in the country and consequence increase of global warming in the world. à à à à The initiative by the world to address the global warming challenge through environmental organizations such as United Nations and Kyoto protocol is a progress toward reduction of green house gases as depicted in Churchillââ¬â¢s quote on painting. Consequently, the commitment of the countries to reduce the emission of the green house gasses by 5% by year 2020 is a fruitful step of the initial progress. Moreover, the achievement of the world to avoid more than 1.5 billion tonnes of green house gases (CO2) is a fruitful step and ever improving global warming fight (410). The ever-increasing support of reducing greenhouse gases by different countries and continents is another move that indicating fruitful step. In The introduction of electric motor vehicles and carbon, free market in most of the countries is an ever-lengthening step. In addition, the global reduction of greenhouse gases level is another ever-improving step and ever-ascending order. However, the wit hdrawal of countries like New Zealand is a drawback to the problem coupled to few countries that have relaxed restrictions on carbon emission. Moreover, the increasing numbers and strength of hurricanes, strong winds and floods in America and Europe is an indication that the problem of global warming may never end (80). However, the increasing research and introduction of carbon free markets and achievement of reduced greenhouse gases levels in the world give the joy of every trying to address the global warming issue. Conclusion à à à à The global warming issues in the world that s been experienced through increased temperatures, increased number of hurricanes, strong winds, and floods and the worldââ¬â¢s effort to combat it through various measures is analogous to Churchillââ¬â¢s quote on painting. Although there have been progress day by day, the problem seem like it will never have an end. However, the increased research and approaches being used to address the problems gives joy of some achievements. Consequently, the experience of increased temperatures during summer vacation reflects the effects of global warming and that despite the world commitment the temperature seems to be ever increasing. References Friedman, Thomas L.à Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution-and How It Can Renew America. New York: Picador, 2009. Print. Winston Churchill (nd). ââ¬Å"Painting as a Pastime,â⬠Thoughts and Adventures. Print. Source document
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Trinity Community Hospital
Trinity Community Hospital Introduction In the past, Trinity Community Hospital has conducted community health needs assessment to establish health related needs of the community. The process entails continuous improvement of the plan depending on the dynamic nature of health needs in the community (Nardi Petr, 2003).Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Trinity Community Hospital specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More After sometime therefore, there has emerged the need for appraising the initial assessment in order to improve the overall plan in line with the current needs of the patients within the community. This is a community health needs assessment that seeks to point out and discuss some of the major health risk factors of the community. Besides, the paper will elucidate on ways that Trinity Community Hospital is addressing the needs discussed. Finally, the establishment of the existing health gaps will provide an important background upon which health planners in the hospital will draw recommendations. Discussion: Major Health and Risk Factors Oncology Services It is apparent in the case study that there are major risk factors that impede Trinity Hospitalââ¬â¢s ability to address the community health needs. First, there is an increased demand for oncology services across the entire community. Coupled with the fact that the seniors will constitute 15% of the entire communityââ¬â¢s population, the demand is poised to rise dramatically. Besides, health experts estimate that cancer will develop amongst 50% of the male population throughout their lifetimes. For women, they have a slightly lower chance of developing cancer that stands at around 33%. Subsequently, there is an increased risk of more cancer patients in the immediate future leading to heightened demand for oncology services across the entire area. While the above figures reveal the increasing demand for the services, the existing facilities remain hugely unable to address the growing demand. The rationale is that different facilities that provide the services are unable to match the need for the services. The patients are increasing exponentially with a level that can rarely be addressed by the current capacity of health providers. This implies that in future, the community faces a huge risk where the number of patients will be so large that the facilities will be overwhelmed. In particular, the facilities to diagnose and treat cancer at an early stage have been unable to meet this demand.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sensitization and information dissemination has been ineffective with only few programs initiated to fulfill these goals. As such, lack of appropriate information regarding ways in which an individual can get early diagnoses creates a gap that further complicates the treatment procedure since the diagnosis is usually delayed. Besides, late cancer diagnosis stresses the capacity of the hospitalââ¬â¢s facilities despite reduced probability for recovery and successful treatment. Orthopedic Services There is an increasing need for orthopedic services within the community. Orthopedic services include services that aim at treating the physical injuries such as spine and joints dislocations. At the outset, the community faces a surge in the numbers of people seeking both inpatients and outpatient orthopedic services. They include joint and spine procedures that estimates indicate that there will be a rise of 30% in the coming half a decade. Despite these numbers, the current facilities will not be able to meet the health needs of the community members seeking orthopedic services. This is in consideration of the fact that the financial resources at the disposal of hospitals are meager. Coupled with the inability of the hospital facilities to offer orthopedic services, the nu mber of physicians across the entire country can barely match that of patients. Such facilities as imaging equipment, surgical suites, physical therapy, and rehab facilities are apparently inadequate to cater for patients needs. This is not only in the community but also across the whole country. Besides, the existing services have deficiencies and are not effective, as the community would wish to see. Such professionals as patient care coordinators are lacking in many facilities leading to delays in scheduling of service provision. Finally, the community lacks information on the important aspects of orthopedic services. Ideally, there are limited numbers of educational programs that aim at enhancing knowledge on accident prevention, healthy lifestyles, service providers and the orthopedic procedures. Besides, the few available programs should target the elderly and majority of the people within the community that participates in the fitness activities and athletics. Cardiovascular services The rising demand for both orthopedic and oncology services imply that there is an expected increase in the demand for cardiovascular services within the community. An estimated rise of 21% in the rates of coronary artery diseases is apparent. Besides, the number of people seeking diagnostic cardiovascular services within the community is expected to increase by around 22% while angioplasties will increase by 25% within the same period.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Trinity Community Hospital specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Like in other primary services areas, there is the need for additional facilities and health care providers to deliver high quality services to the patients. The rationale is that the current resources and equipments are way below the demand for similar services. It would imply therefore that the community suffers inadequacies for cath labsââ¬â¢ services, surgical suites as we ll as the cardiac rehab capacity. The gap that health care providers should seek to bridge entails the provision of information on cardiac risk factors and information regarding healthy living and lifestyle. There is a noticeable lack of information in the community, which may predispose the people to cardiovascular diseases. This inturn may lead to an increased demand for the services more than before. Trinity Community Hospital and community Health Needs It is imperative to notice that the hospital has gone outside its way to address some of the needs of the community. Particularly, Trinity Community Hospital has increased its collaboration with oncologists that have received certification from the board. Although it lacks a formal oncology department, the hospital has attempted to address these needs by liaising with the physicians to treat and diagnose cancer. Nonetheless, the numbers of physicians that are available to meet all the demands of the patients are very few. In fact, a few cancer specialists have continued to maintain privileges in the hospital. Considering that the demand for health services continue to rise, there is the need for the hospital to increase its capacity to deal with the imminent increase in the number of patients seeking oncology services. Further, the hospital rarely meets the needs of the community members seeking orthopedic services. Like oncology services, there is no a formal department within the hospital that address the needs of the community. However, the hospitalââ¬â¢s competitors who are located near the hospitalââ¬â¢s orthopedic groups address the needs of the community. This makes it impossible for the hospital to have fulltime orthopedic specialists whose surgeries are occasional. It is therefore critical for the hospital to increase its activities especially those that relate to orthopedic operations within the area. Moreover, the hospital has not been proactive in making cardiology services available to the community. The hospital lacks any formal program that deals with cardiovascular diseases. It hugely depends on the consultancy services offered by four cardiologists who have limited roles. Their current roles include consulting for physicians in the aim of addressing the needs of the patients that are already admitted in the hospital.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apparently, the hospital lacks elaborate facilities and equipments that would provide cardiology services to the community. Trinity hospital has no a diagnostic ââ¬Å"cathâ⬠and as such, it embarks on ordering noninvasive studies. They include echocardiograms, ââ¬Å"holterâ⬠monitoring and stress tests. The community therefore fails to see the hospital as effective in addressing their needs that relate to cardiology services. The hospital has the ability of offering basic support services to the community. First, the hospital has over 20 operating rooms that include an Emergency Room (ER) services. Additionally, the physical and radiology services are readily available within the facility. For patients requiring orthopedic, oncology or cardiology services, the hospital is well equipped to offer support services although there remains a gap in the number of physicians and complex curative services. The major risk that faces the community involves the inability of the memb ers to access information that relates to many medical conditions. There is an information gap in the society. People lack the information that relates to diagnoses and treatment of cancer, injuries and cardiovascular diseases. The hospital still lacks an elaborate sensitization and information dissemination strategy through which members of the community can access most basic information mainly for preventive care. The hospital is yet to embark on a preventive care services that amplify the importance of early diagnoses of cancer, healthy living and services location. According to health care experts, an early diagnosis boosts the chances of the patient to access early treatment, which can be highly effective (Nardi Petr, 2003). In fact, it is dependent on the amount of information that community accesses. Similarly, preventive care would hugely focus on the health lifestyles and ways that people can minimize their risk factors. Finally, Trinity Community hospital also suffers imm ensely from diminished financial resources. To accomplish all its goals of providing health care services to the community, huge amount of finances is required. The financial constraints have resulted from high levels of competition from other hospitals within the community that are able to provide health care services comfortably as opposed to Trinity Community Hospital. Needs assessment plan and recommendations To address the needs of the communities effectively, it is important for Trinity Community Hospital to embark on a strategy that depicts both short term and long-term goals. First, there is the apparent need to include oncology services as short-term objectives. The number of people seeking such services has soared and the demand for such services is expected to rise exponentially in the period of five years. Hence, the group that is composed of both medical and radiation oncologists should be the key to developing an elaborate cancer program within the facility. This impli es that the hospital will be able to offer oncology services in the coming days without having to delay, as there are oncologists who have already expressed interest of affiliation. On the other hand, long-term efforts of establishing a cancer program ought to incorporate hospitalââ¬â¢s oncologists and effective equipment that will go a long way in facilitating the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Second, orthopedic services are rarely offered in the hospital. The rationale has been that the hospitalââ¬â¢s orthopedic groups are located within the same area as the competitors. To avert the risk of high competition, the hospital ought to establish these orthopedic branches across the community. This will reduce the risk of centralization of orthopedic services in one and the only branch. By decentralizing the services, the community will appreciate the hospitalââ¬â¢s desire to address their needs since the branches will devolve the services (Bosworth, 1999). As a long-term measure of addressing community orthopedic services needs, the hospital ought to establish a program that will deal with all orthopedic issues within the community. It is apparent that the hospital lacks such a department. Third, the hospital needs to introduce a cardiology program, which is evidently lacking. Despite the hospitalââ¬â¢s ability to have four cardiologists, their current roles are ineffective. As aforementioned, the cardiologists only consult on behalf of the inpatients only. As such, the hospital needs start a program that has well qualified cardiologists and increase their equipment to include diagnostic ââ¬Å"cathâ⬠among many others. Besides, the hospital should be willing to ensure that it is able to conduct noninvasive studies instead of ordering services from other service providers. This will dispel the perception that the hospital is unable to provide high quality services in comparison with its competitors. Finally, all these programs should be focu sing on preventive care. As noted, there is an apparent information gap within the community. All the departments should engage in a rigorous activity of ensuring that information that relates to oncology, cardiology and orthopedic is disseminated to the community. Besides, there is the need for the community to embrace healthy living as the most important way through which their needs will be addressed. All these efforts will see the hospital increase its revenue base that has largely been constrained. As Bosworth (1999) elucidates, the hospital should be wary that the efforts require immense resources and the goals may not be realized in the immediate future. As such, there should be both short term and long-term goals in the strategy that will see the establishment of at least three programs. Summary Conclusively, Trinity Community Hospital is located in a society that has many health needs. Community health needs assessment elucidate the community has four major needs that the h ospital has failed to address. First, the society lacks access to oncology services that includes cancer diagnoses and treatment. Second, orthopedic services are offered in only one branch that fails to meet the needs of the community due to competition. Third, cardiology services remain elusive for the community. Despite the apparent lack for these services, demand for these services have increased exponentially and continue to increase. As a strategy, the hospital ought to establish departments that deal with these services. This will not only help in addressing the community needs but will play a big role in enhancing information dissemination in the society about preventive care. References Bosworth, W. (1999). Community Health Needs Assessment: The Health Care Professionââ¬â¢s Guide to Evaluating the Needs in Your Defined Market. New York: McGraw-Hill. Nardi, D. Petr, J. (2003). Community health and Wellness assessment: a step-by-step Guide. Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage L earning.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Corruption in the Nigerian Economy
Corruption in the Nigerian Economy Free Online Research Papers ASTRACT The paper has critically examined the harshness of corruption on the Nigerian economy and the support of civil servants in reduces its incidence. The ââ¬Ëmonsterââ¬â¢ is the cause for the nationââ¬â¢s economy development impediment. Related literature of renowned scholars, white paper of the Dangin Commission (2000) of Plateau State and personal opinions of civil servants were major sources of data used for this paper. Again, we employed a survey instrument-questionnaire for collecting primary data and percentages were used for testing our hypothesis. According to our investigations, corruption in civil service is caused by Staff negligence and/or negligence of management and the more culpable persons are experienced public servants on level 10 and above, also political appointees. The best strategy of curbing corruption in Nigeria, as opined by respondents and supported by our hypothesis, is those saddled with the responsibility of fighting corruption must live above board and avoid creating bad precedent. Again, the Auditor-General and his/her subordinates should engage in a regular periodic inspection. 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY With the current global recession, the economies of most developing countries have been thrown into very serious problems. Stocks in the capital market in Nigeria, America and United Kingdom among others are experiencing the bearish market situations. Besides, Nigeria has other factors that have battered our economy seriously: these are no other things than the monster-corruption and the persistent political crisis. Measures such as the War Against Indiscipline (WAI), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) have been employed and adopted by past regimes and administrations to curb the underhand practices but all proved abortive, while the economy recession is on the increase: how long should this continue. According to a statement in one of the Daily Times of 1999, it says, ââ¬Å"Decade after decade, children are born to see and learn of this enemy of development. Why should we allow this to continue, we need to joint hands on this criminal behaviour in other to protect present and future generations of our great countryâ⬠. Corruption has really been the bane of this country; all hands must be on deck. Nigeria was grouped as the 2nd position and the 6th position of the world most corrupt countries. The sequence of the positions above shows little improvement which is not significant for stopping the worry of patriotic Nigerians on the matter. The instinct for corruption normally begins with ungratefulness and greediness. As stated by Malick, 1994:68; ââ¬Å"The origin of corruption is that it is influenced by the quest for more material wealthâ⬠. According to Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP: 2008), Nigeria losses 60 kobo to underhand practices out of every N1 (100 kobo) spent by government. The wealth of this nation is being looted by the few privileged individuals known as civil servants and politicians who are busy acquiring their ill-gotten wealth by inflating contract, diverting public assets into personal property and etcetera. Corruption has really ruined our economy in different ways. According to Akara (1994:12), Corruption, in all its ramifications in any society is the symptom of the moral indiscipline and moral decadent that can only be arrested and the society regenerated, if and only if that society itself becomes aware and conscious of its dangerous descent into the abyss of self-extinction. Corruption has really affected the public sector and has spilled to other sectors of the economy such as private sector businesses and households. In view of the yearly reports of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and the various white papers issued in Plateau State-Nigeria, year-in-year-out, many people are initiated into the different forms of these sharp practices. A recent revelation made by the Plateau State Commission of Enquiry into Financial Activities of government for 1999 ââ¬â 2007, the State Board of Internal Revenue generated about N24 billion (approximately $210 million) but less than 25% of the revenue was account for, more than 75% of the revenue is allegedly embezzled. The issue of corruption in the public sector is perpetrated in a syndicate where both civil servants and political appointees are involved. A study on why corruption flourishes in the public sector might be expected to provide a useful insight into the strategies to be adopted to minimize this evil. It is also expected that the existing government will learn from the experiences of past leaders, who have failed in their efforts to curb the menace of this underhand practices by given leap service for implementation of measures the country has put in place to help in reducing the cases and magnitude of corruption in the public sector and indeed the country as a whole. 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Though, the public sector is the machinery of government in achieving meaningful development in the area of infrastructures, education, health and etcetera, the failure to achieve any of these developmental goals is due to an array of problems. Of these problems, the issue of corruption is one that has eating into the fabrics of our economy and the need to manage its scourge is imperative. The efforts of the Independent Corruption Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) have done little in curbing this monster as cases and magnitudes of corruption is still significant compared to the poverty level in this country. According to 2006 NDIC annual report (2008), billions of Naira are lost to fraudsters and other dubious people annually. In the survey conducted between 1999/2000 by CPAR, an average of $10 billion is lost to corruption (BPP: 2008). This cannot be allowed to continue, never! The magnitude of this problem and its implications for the Nigeria economy have inspired the writing of this paper with a view to having all hands on deck in fighting this evil in Nigeria. 1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE ARTICLE The aim of this paper is to assess the views of civil servants about the effort of government against corruption in the Public Sector in Nigeria and to proffer suggested approaches on how to minimise it. To achieve this singular objective, the following secondary objectives have been specified: i) To review existing literatures on the subject matter; ii) To identify the causes of corruption perpetrated in the Public Sector; iii) To determine the negative effect of corruption in the Public Sector; iv) To ascertain the major perpetrators of corruption in the public sector. v) To recommend strategies for curbing and reducing the incidence of corruption in the economic system of Nigeria. 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS In the light of the foregoing, the following questions may be asked: i) What are the ways of defrauding the public sector? ii) What are the major causes of corruption in the public sector? iii) What are the effects of corruption in the public sector? iv) How can the problems of corruption be managed in our public offices? v) What are the best ways of mitigating the effects of corruption in Nigeria? vi) Who are the major contributors to corruption in Nigeria? vii) Who are the most culpable people involved in corruption. These questions form the problem that prompted the writing of this paper and the need to provide workable answers to them constitutes its justification. 1.5 HYPOTHESIS To achieve some of the objectives of this paper, the following hypothesis is formulated: Ho: That civil servants being the most culpable persons in corruption in Nigeria are not in support of the fight against the ââ¬Å"Monsterâ⬠; HI: That civil servants being the most culpable persons in corruption in Nigeria are in support of the fight against the ââ¬Å"Monsterâ⬠. This hypothesis will be tested with percentages of collective opinions of civil servants as obtained from the field. 1.5 SCOPE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This paper is relevant to what the Obasanjoââ¬â¢s government started which the Yarââ¬â¢aduaââ¬â¢s administration is trying to sustain, specifically on their efforts to wipe out all forms of corruption in Nigeria. The settings up of the Anti-Corruption Actââ¬â¢2000, Anti-Money Laundry Actââ¬â¢2004 and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in 2004 are all proofs that the Nigerian government is really fighting corruption, and requires support from all patriotic Nigerians to join hands against this evil that is pervading the society. 2.0 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 Definitions of Corruption: Anti-Corruption Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2000 defined ââ¬ËCorruptionââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"to include all forms of bribery, fraud and other related offencesâ⬠. A corrupt practice takes place when one in a fiduciary position acts in a manner prejudicial to the cause of his employer because of the receipt of a benefit or consideration from a third party who is ultimately the beneficiary of the action taken, (Ijewere, 1999). According to Osisioma (1999), corrupt practices tend to produce an illegal transfer of resources, and in the transfer exercise, the actors engage in an unproductive use of their labour and resources. Obasanjo (1994) defines corruption as the misuse of public power for private and personal benefit which is distinguishable from other crimes by the fact that it is usually carried out in utmost secrecy and the act itself may not be immediately perceptible. In its tactical meaning, corruption is an act or course of deception deliberately practiced to gain unlawful or unfair advantage; deception directed to the detriment of the public. 2.2 FORMS OF CORRUPTION AND WAYS OF DEFRAUDING GOVERNMENT. Corruption is perpetrated in the civil service in various forms. The two major forms are petty corruption and grand corruption. The common ones have been identified and classified as follows: a) Inflating of contract prices; b) Diversion of government property to personal property; c) Collection of bribes or gratification; d) Teaming and Lading; e) Irregularities; Many measures have been introduced, especially at the individual Ministry, Boards and Parastatals to minimize this menacing problem without much success, (Danging Commission,2000). 2.3 CAUSES OF CORRUPTION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. The common causes of corruption as identified by different Authors and Newspapers are summarized below: i) Poor Administration ââ¬â This is in terms of inadequate supervision, and inadequate control is the most significant causes of corruption. For instance, when a junior staff is inadequately supervised, those with fraudulent tendencies may get the wrong impression that there working environment and/or circumstances is safe for the perpetration of corruption, (Ishola, 1997:25). ii) Negligence ââ¬â Staff negligence and/or negligence of management is the commonest and most susceptible factor which corrupters look forward to in government establishments and they usually capitalize on it. For instance, lack of regular bank reconciliation, stocktaking, verification of prices in the market and issuing of cheques without proper blocking of the unused space could be manipulated by the perpetrators, (Babatunde, 1987:16). iii) Poor Salaries and Conditions of Service ââ¬â When civil servants are unable to meet their personal, psychological and social needs because of poor salaries and conditions of service, they may be tempted to collect bribe, inflate contract price, inflate prices of goods/items purchased directly, embezzle money or fraudulently convert some of the government assets into their own use. This temptation becomes harder to resist particularly for civil servants who work with cash or in other sensitive areas, (Dandago, 1997:16). iv) Opportunity and Low Chance of Detection ââ¬â A poor or inadequate internal control or inefficiency of existing control could induce corruption. A poor or inefficient control system could also be a tempting source to a rather previously honest staff, (Williams, 2000:24). 2.4 THEORIES OF CORRUPTION Attempts have been made to weave the aforementioned factors into comprehensive theories of corruption and criminal behaviour. Theories of corruption are terse and controversial, Babatunde (1987) has propounded that the motivation to fraudulent behavior derives from the number of causes. These could be pathological, greed, the desire to be with the Jones; extreme; want often characterized as dire need; cultural demands or the cultivation of tastes too expensive for the legitimate income of the individual. Criminal motivation, with particular reference to corruption is said to be pathological when the state of mind of the criminal disposes and impels him to engage in corrupt practices, even though he is not in dire need of the resources. A case in point is a kleptomaniac who has a pathological desire to steal for the sake of stealing. Osisioma (1999) opined that the main cause of corruption in the public sector is traceable to the general dishonesty in the society. Since there is corruption in all facets of the Nigerian life, management of finances should pay attention to some of the factors that causes corruption in the public sector. 2.5 THE EFFECTS OF CORRUPTION IN PUBLIC SECTOR The perceived effects on the government, and the desire to find the means of curbing such adverse effects normally prompts studies on corruption in the Public Sector. Attempts have therefore been made by many writers to identify the effects of corruption in the Public Sector and the economy in general. All authors/writers agreed that corruption leads to huge loss of resources, which belong to the government, and members of the general public. This loss results in reduced levels of resources available, which could hamper the development of the economy and could force enterprises to liquidation if the frequency and scale of corruption are high. Other effects of corruption in the public sector, which will consequently affect the society, include the loss of confidence in Nigeria by international investors and therefore a setback for the effort aimed by the Obasanjoââ¬â¢s administration to create enabling environment for international investors to invest. In addition, the distraction of governmentââ¬â¢s attention, increase in operating costs, and the wastage of time and resources on minimizing corruption are other effects of corruption, (BUGAIN; 1994:91). 2.6 THE MEASURES FOR CONTROLLING CORRUPTION: In view of the gravity of the effects of corruption on public sector, government has employed many measures aimed at controlling corruption. However, corruption has continued on an upward trend despite these measures and this has called their effectiveness into question. According to Jat (1998:129), the most threatening aspect, however, is that the control of an identified specie of Fraud (corruption) seems to give birth to another that is invariably more sophisticated and complex indicating the negative use of human ingenuity and endowment. A number of authors: Obasanjo, Osisioma, and Malick among others, have identified some administrative control systems that can be devised by government to prevent corruption. Administrative control system has been defined as ââ¬Å"the whole system of controls, financial and otherwise, established by the government in other to carry on the business of government in an orderly manner, safe-guard its assets and secure as far as possible the accuracy and reliability of the recordsâ⬠. (Millichamp, 1990:79) Internal administrative control system was classified into two major groups: internal checks and internal audit. Internal checks are the operational controls which are built into the public sector system to simplify the processing of policies in order to secure prompt services to the populace, to help in minimizing clerical errors and to act as insurance against collusion. Internal audit or inspection involves the review of administrative activities and records undertaken within the civil service by specifically assigned staffs. The roles of the inspectorate division and the state Audit department are to serve as watch-dogs on public funds, to ensure that there is no improper application of these funds, to ensure that expenditure and revenue are duly authorized and accounted for, to periodically inspect account books in order to ensure that transactions are properly recorded and books are regularly balance, to investigate mal-practices like frauds, inflated contracts, forgeries, embezzlement and theft of government money or properties. However, existing systems of control can be classified into two: Prevention and Detection. Those aimed at prevention and those aimed at detection. Measure aimed at preventing corruption include; dual control, operational manual, graduated limits of authority, reporting system, establishment of inspectorate units, general personnel policies, referencing on presentation of documents of value, segregation of duties, verification of all approval for payment and purchases and close watch on the life-style of staff. Others are prompt treatment of files and the movement of files by messengers. Measures aimed at detecting corrupt practices include: contract verification, market survey, checking of cashiers, bank reconciliation, periodical submission of statement of accounts, periodic stock-taking of all items in the store. In addition to management and internal control measures, the authors suggested means of controlling corruption in the public sector, which are the statutory requirements of an external auditor and the examination of government books of accounts by the state audit department as an inspectorsââ¬â¢ authority. Sanusi attributed the ineffectiveness of these to weakness in staff policy and control, operational procedures, and the attitude of government. In contrast, some other writers such as Obasanjo, Malick, Osisioma (2000) have argued that the causes of corruption in the public sector is not that of lack of administrative control systems but that of moral weakness of manââ¬â¢s mind owing to his acquisitive instincts. 3.0 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS To substantiate our research questions earlier mentioned, data collected from Plateau State civil service, the Dangin Commission Report (2000) and responses from our field survey is hereby presented in tabular form with proper analysis below. This will be presented using percentages as a parameter. 3.1 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS PRIMARY DATA Table 1 shows the Responses of respondents from the Field Survey QUESTIONS No. 0F RESPONSE % 1. Which of the following ways do you thing civil servants are using mostly to defraud the government? Tick one, please: i. Contract price and purchase price inflationâ⬠¦. ii. Collection of bribes or gratificationâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ iii. Diversion of government property to personal propertyâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ iv. Teaming and Ladingâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ v. Robbery and Burglaryâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. TOTAL 13 16 6 3 2 40 32.5 40 15 7.5 5 100 1. Which of these are the major causes of corruption in the public sector? Tick one, please: i. Poor Administration ii. Staff negligence and/or negligence of management iii. Poor Salaries and Conditions of Service iv. Opportunity and Low Chance of Detection i. TOTAL 11 12 7 8 40 27.5 30 17.5 20 100 2. Which of the following form of corruptions do you thing has the more negative effect on the Nigerian economy? ii. Grand corruption: that is, corruption involving N100,000 and above iii. Petty corruption: that is, corruption involving less N100,000 i. TOTAL 22 18 40 55 45 100 3. Suggest ways in which problems of corruption can best be managed in our public offices by ticking one of the following? ii. Sound internal control system iii. Internal check and internal audit iv. Periodic inspections by the Auditor-General v. Instituting an EFCC outlet in every government ministry vi. Instant dismissal of dubious and suspected corrupt officials TOTAL 6 8 12 5 9 40 15 20 30 12.5 22.5 100 4. Who amongst these are the most culpable people involved in corruption? i. Level 01- 06 employees ii. Level 07 ââ¬â 12 officers iii. Level 13 ââ¬â 16 officers iv. Level 17 and all political appointees TOTAL 5 10 12 13 40 12.5 25 30 32.5 100 From the above analyses, 40% of the respondents opined that the most common ways that civil servants used for defrauding the government is through bribery and gratification. For the causes of corruption in Nigeria, 30% of the respondents indicated that staff negligence and/or negligence of management is the major cause. However, most civil servants have opined that grand corruption has more negative effects that petty corruption. This finding is 55% against 45%. Again, 30% and 22.5% of the respondents have indicated that the best ways to manage corruption are Periodic inspections by the Auditor-General and Instant dismissal of dubious and suspected corrupt officials, respectively. Lastly, the survey has revealed that the most culpable persons are civil servants on level 17 and all political appointees, followed by civil servants on level 13 ââ¬â 16. Table 2 is a Likert Questions Table containing a list of suggested strategies for curbing corruption in which 150 respondents (Civil Servants) indicated their agreement or otherwise and to what extent. Note. Questions 1ââ¬â5 were answered on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 0 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree). Question 0 1 2 3 4 1. Employer should verify the integrity of new employees from their referees 32 34 8 46 30 2. Any identified fraudulent person should be instantly dismissed and made to face the full wrath of the law 55 39 13 23 20 3. The fight against corruption should commence right from homes and schools 41 48 9 20 32 4. Those saddled with the responsibility of fighting corruption should try and live above board and avoid creating bad precedents 72 56 2 8 12 5. All civil servants and political appointees should declare their assets on assumption of duty 52 50 16 22 10 From table 2, 48% of the respondents strongly agreed that those saddled with the responsibility of fighting corruption should try and live above board and avoid creating precedence. This is followed with the opinions of 37% of the respondents who strongly agreed that any identified fraudulent person should be instantly dismissed and made to face the full wrath of the law while 35% also agreed on strong terms that all civil servants and political appointees should declare their assets on assumption of duty. However, 32% of the respondents merely agreed that the fight against corruption should commence right from homes and schools while majority disagree that employer of labour (government) should verify the integrity of new employees from their referees as a strategy for curbing corruption. TEST OF HYPOTHESIS The responses from the field survey in table 2 above are used to test the hypothesis that says ââ¬Å"That civil servants being the most culpable persons in corruption in Nigeria are not in support of the fight against the monsterâ⬠Question 0 1 Total (02) 2 3 4 Total Grand (34) Total 1 32 34 66 8 46 30 76 142 2 55 39 94 13 23 20 43 137 3 41 48 89 9 20 32 52 141 4 72 56 128 2 8 12 20 148 5 52 50 102 16 22 10 32 134 479 223 702 To accept the null hypothesis, the percentage of disagreed responses must be greater than 50% otherwise reject it and accept the alternative hypothesis. Percentage of agreed responses = 479 x 100 = 68% 702 1 Percentage of disagreed responses = 223 x 100 = 32% 702 1 Hence, we reject Ho that says, ââ¬Å"Civil Servants being the most culpable persons in corruption in Nigeria are not in support of the fight against the ââ¬Å"Monsterâ⬠and accept HI that says, ââ¬Å"Civil Servants being the most culpable persons in corruption in Nigeria are in support of the fight against the ââ¬Å"Monsterâ⬠. 4.0 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Based on the study, the paper can be summarized with the findings that factors such as: Contract price and purchase price inflation, Collection of bribes or gratification and diversion of government property to personal property are most common ways in which civil servants used in defrauding the government. For causes of corruption in Nigeria, Staff negligence and/or negligence of management, Poor Administration, and Poor Salaries and Conditions of Service got the highest votes in that order. It has been opined that the best ways for managing corruption in our various public offices include Periodic inspections by the Auditor-General, Instant dismissal of dubious and suspected corrupt officials will serve as deterrence against future occurrence in addition to internal check and internal audit. All civil servants are culpable to corruption but the most of them all are directors and political appointees. In conclusion, corruption is a menace that is found in all the fabrics of the Nigerian society and the Auditor ââ¬â General and all his employees should do their work honestly and diligently too now corruption is spreading like wild fire in Nigeria inspite of government stringent policies that have been instituted. In conclusion, since civil servants who are even the most culpable persons in corruption in Nigeria are in support of the fight against it, government should not relent in its fight against corruption as there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Hence, this paper recommends the following measures for minimizing corruption in Nigeria: i. Accounting officers/Chief Executive Officers should live above board and avoid creating precedence. ii. All identified fraudulent person should be instantly dismissed and made to face the full wrath of the law. iii. All civil servants and political appointees should declare their assets on assumption of duty. iv. The fight against corruption should commence right from homes and schools. REFERENCES Agbelusi T.O. (1991): Fraud in Banks, Financial Institute Training Center, Lagos. BPP (2008): ââ¬Å"Public Procurement Act 2007 as it Affects Contractors and Consultantsâ⬠by Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Abuja. Bugain J. (1994): ââ¬Å"NGOs and Mobilisation Against Corruptionâ⬠. A paper Presented at African Leadership Forumââ¬â¢s Seminar held in Benin Republic On the 19-21 September. Dandago K.I. (1997): ââ¬Å"Fraud Detection Control at Local Government Levelâ⬠, The National Accountant of July and August, 1997. Dangin V.K. Commission (2000): Government White Paper Report on the Variation of Major Contract in Plateau State. Ishola K.A. (1997): ââ¬Å"Bank Frauds; Causes and Controlâ⬠, the National Accountant July ââ¬â August, 1997. Jat R. B. (1998): ââ¬Å"An Analysis of Fraud Cases in Nigerian Banking Industry: A Guide to the Bank Auditorâ⬠. Study in Auditing. Malick T. (1994):ââ¬Å"Corruption, Democracy Human Right in West Africaâ⬠Africa Leadership Forum Seminar, Rep. of Benin (19-21of Sept.) Millichamp A. H. (1990): Auditing, an Instructional Manual for Accounting Accounting Students. Guernsey Press Co. Ltd, Channel Islands. Obasanjo O. (1994): ââ¬Å"Corruption, Democracy, and Human Rights in West Africaâ⬠(Journal of the African Leadership Forum): Printers Ltd. Lagos. Osisioma B.C. (1999): ââ¬Å"Corruption and the Manufacturing Sector in Nigeriaâ⬠. A Paper Presentation on the Occasion of the Annual General Meeting of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria in September 8th. Osisioma B.C. (2000): ââ¬Å"The Relevance of the Accountant in the Implementation of the Corrupt Practice Miscellaneous Offences Actâ⬠The Editor (1999): ââ¬Å"Corruption- why it Flourishesâ⬠Midweek Magazine of 20th October. The Editor (1999): ââ¬Å"How Corruption is Killing African Countriesâ⬠. Daily Times of September, 7. The Ejewere Emmanuel (1999): ââ¬Å"A Strategy for the war Against Corruption and Povertyâ⬠, Business Times of September, 6. Research Papers on Corruption in the Nigerian EconomyPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationQuebec and CanadaResearch Process Part OneDefinition of Export QuotasTwilight of the UAWInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Adding Images in Microsoft Word
Adding Images in Microsoft Word Adding Images in Microsoft Word From company logos to detailed scientific illustrations, there are many reasons to add an image to a Microsoft Word document. But how does this work? And how can you ensure your finished document looks professional? Check out our guide below for a few tips. Adding Images in Microsoft Word You have three main options for adding images in Microsoft Word: Adding an image from your computer Adding an image from the internet Using the ââ¬Å"Shapesâ⬠and ââ¬Å"SmartArtâ⬠available via MS Word You can access all these options by going to Insert Illustrations on the main ribbon. This tab is also where you can find options for adding charts and tables to your document. The Illustrations section of the ribbon. 1. Adding an Image from Your Computer If you are adding images from your own computer: Place the cursor where you want to add a picture Go to Insert Illustrations Click Pictures to open a new window Find and select the image you want to use on your computer Click Insert This will add the picture (full size) in the place selected. You can also add an image from your computer by dragging the thumbnail into the document. 2. Adding an Image from the Internet This option lets you import an image directly from the internet. To do so: Select where the image should go with the cursor Go to Insert Illustrations Click Online Pictures Search for a picture using Bing Image Search (keep Creative Commons Only selected if you will be using the image for commercial purposes) Select the image(s) you want to use and click Insert Selecting an online picture. This will add the selected image to your document. It will even add a makeshift caption, including the license for the picture. However, make sure youââ¬â¢re familiar with the rules about using copyrighted and Creative Commons images before you add other peopleââ¬â¢s pictures to your document. 3. Shapes and SmartArt For simple images, such as flow charts or arrows, it may be easier to use the ââ¬Å"Shapesâ⬠and ââ¬Å"SmartArtâ⬠in Microsoft Word. These are pre-set graphics that you can add at the click of a button: The Shapes include arrows, boxes, speech bubbles and other basic geometrical shapes and graphics. You can access these by going to Insert Illustrations Shapes. You will then need to click and drag to set the dimensions of the shape selected. SmartArt uses predesigned combinations of the graphics from the ââ¬Å"Shapesâ⬠menu. This allows you to add an entire flowchart in one go, for example, which you can then adjust as required. These options offer a simple way to add visual elements to your document. SmartArt options. Formatting Images We wonââ¬â¢t go into all the image formatting options available in Microsoft Word here. However, there are two main factors to consider when adding images to a document: Image size and position ââ¬â You can resize an image by clicking and dragging the circles at its edges. To move an image, moreover, you can click it and drag it around the document. Text wrapping ââ¬â This controls how the image is positioned in relation to the text. You can access these settings by clicking the image and going to Format Arrange Wrap Text. You can also access image layout options by clicking an image and selecting the icon that appears next to it. These options will help ensure the image looks tidy on the page. To remove an image from a document, meanwhile, simply select it and hit delete or backspace on your keyboard.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
The Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
The Portfolio - Essay Example complaining letters, cover letters, and other forms of letters helped me distinguish between different forms of letters and the elements required for each form of letter. This knowledge will be essential when I apply for future jobs and the skills gained will be beneficial in future. Although the class covered many things that will be helpful to me in future, I feel there are some things that we should have learned writing about in the class. However, the most important of the things that would have made learning better include writing various forms of short plays that we could act during class. This way, we could achieve a lot us a class in terms of learning about the differences in culture and we would have a chance of improving on the quality of our writing. By exchanging the scripts that we will have written, our classmates can correct grammatical mistakes and styles of writing in our work. Consequently, this approach will not only help us gain self-confidence, but it will also help us in improving out proficiency in
Friday, October 18, 2019
A market is efficient with respect to a particular set of information Essay
A market is efficient with respect to a particular set of information if it is impossible to make abnormal profits - Essay Example Second part of the essay contains on a market conclusion about the practical behaviors of stock markets in relation with stock movements. This debate also include the information of the market behavior that in which circumstances an investor can make abnormal profits and in which conditions it is not possible to make abnormal gains and profits. It this part, debate is also made on the question that either market is efficient or not. The last part of this assignment is based on a general conclusion about this study. Topic: A market is efficient with respect to a particular set of information if it is impossible to make abnormal profits by using this set of information to formulate buying and selling decisions. The efficiency of the stock market is based on the efficient market hypothesis. Many investors believe that they can select stock with the help of their forecasting and valuation techniques and can make abnormal profits easily. On the other side the efficiency market hypothesis states that all the stock prices are based on all the accurate information and reflect the full and fair information. This directly means that it is not possible to consistently outperform the market by using any information that the market already knows, except by luck. The idea is that now information is quickly and efficiently incorporated into share prices at any point of time, so that old information cannot be used to judge the future movements. The term "efficient market" was first introduced by in 1965 in a paper by E.F. Fama who suggest that ââ¬Å"in an efficient market, on the average, competition will cause the full effects of new information on intrinsic values to be reflected "instantaneously" in actual pricesâ⬠For proper understanding of the efficient market hypothesis we must have to aware about the basic market categories. A short summary of these categories are described below Market inefficiency An inefficient form of efficient market is one in which the valu e of the securities is not always an accurate reflection of the available information. In an inefficient market, some stocks will be over priced and other will be underpriced, which means some investor can make excess while other can lose more than warranted by their level of exposure. The logic behind this process is that proper valuation of securities and stocks are depend upon the latest information and in an inefficient market no latest data about the stock and securities are available. So this can directly result into wrong decision about buying or selling any stock. (BORENSTEIN, S., BUSSE, M. R., & KELLOGG, R. (2007). Principal-agent incentives, excess caution, and market inefficiency evidence from utility regulation) Weak form efficiency In a weak form efficient market share prices reflects information about all the past prices movements. This situation directly relates that these past movements do not help in identifying positive trading strategies. (Returns and weak form ef ficiency: betting markets 1984) In these kinds of markets future prices movements cannot be predicted because all the information is available of the past price movements. And any technical analysis cannot help to make a consistent gain on the market. It is stated in a paper by Kendall in 1953 that the prices of shares followed a random walk. I.e. there
Look at the pictures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Look at the pictures - Essay Example Compared to the past, there are now simpler modes of communication, there are phones and computers which can utilize the vast internet system and enable people interact and communicate through messages, emails and even by web cameras where they can see each other. Technology has revolutionized the world not only positively but negative aspects that under values writing. Concern regarding writing skills has been raised every now and then; this has been mostly noted on the 21st century generation, the writing skills of most students and the general public has gone down compared to the skills of people that existed in the 18th and 19th century. This undermining of the writing skills can be attributed to the communication advancement whose roots have dug and spread deep in the modes of writing. Social media impacts on writing skills Social media is advancement during these times where different people across all continents has the need to interact and share activities in their lives, soc ial media such as Facebook and Twitter are some of the most popular social media in the world (Young, 146). These sites are known for interactions of friends who mostly use informal language and shortened words to pass their messages across. Statistics shows that social media is addictive to the youth of the current generation who have been known to spend most of their time in social media ââ¬Ëchattingââ¬â¢. This chatting habit reciprocates to transfer of using of the chatting language to school settings which is inappropriate to the setting of formal language and writing. The negative side of social media is on how it affects the writing skills of the users, since this communication mode is cheap and available to everyone this affects growing children who engages in it at a very young age. This then becomes the way of life for these young people who donââ¬â¢t realize there are other ways like reading books by which people can spend their time. By reading books written by f amous people in the likes of William Shakespeare the young minds could have attained very special writing styles in form of stylistic devices and vocabulary. By use of social media, the means of communication is texting, this is by typing the words by pressing on buttons of the mobile phones and computer keyboards, this impacts negatively to the social media users as it does not allow them time to be able to improve on hand writing skills . The witting by way of pens is an activity that was very popular especially in the beginning of 18th century; this even led to the innovation and development of creative writing as the calligraphy a talent that had to be improved by constant practice by pen and paper. How education is affected by technology Positive As much as there are a lot of negative impacts of technology on writing, technology has some positive impacts on student writing. These impacts are positive in the fact that they enhance the educational value of all students who uses t he new technology (Ferris, 23). Through being able to go back and revise through the work, this is facilitated by software designed to check grammatical errors. Students find this easier compared to writing on paper which they have to go through word by word and in most cases ends up missing some mistakes (Ferris, 34). For many high and middle school students there has been a rise of the number of students who text update blogs and are constantly using the social
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