Monday, September 30, 2019

Leadership Interview Paper Essay

I interviewed Becky Hendrix, Executive Director for Professional Care Services. I recently had the honor of interviewing someone in our community who has had more than twenty years of leadership experience in our community. The interview ended up taking much longer than I expected because I was so influenced by what she had to say, I did not want to miss anything. Mrs. Becky Hendrix started her career as a CPA back in the 80’s for the World Color Press. Her leadership abilities were quickly realized, and she was promoted to head CPA. From there she moved on to the Professional Care Service where she remained for fifteen years serving as a CPA, and finally working her way up to the Executive Director. Becky was in charge of over 187 employees. My conversation with Becky took a direction that I did not expect. She attributes her success to the leadership traits that she has learned over the years, and quoted many of the very ideas and theories almost verbatim from our class lect ure. That was an incredible experience to witness firsthand how these traits become behaviors and practices. Throughout the course of our interview, Becky laid out the history of her leadership experience, and pointed out how she has learned many of her characteristics from watching other people. Becky heavily noted how leadership and management styles have made a drastic change over the last 30 years from the â€Å"my way, or the highway† (Hendrix) approach, to a servant leadership approach. Mrs. Hendrix recalled a plaque that use to hang in her bosses office in the 80’s that read â€Å"Beatings and hangings will continue until morale improves!† That was the strategy that was used back then, but disregarded the lingering question of â€Å"Why† in the eyes of the employees. Becky provided me with a great analogy that explained the concept of putting a screw into a board with a hammer. â€Å"You can drive a Screw into a board with a hammer, and it will go in; however, both she screw and the board will end up forever damaged and the board will eventually wiggle loose.† (Hendrix) Short term results can be achieved through toxic leadership, but long term goals will almost always fail. Throughout her experience with Professional Care Services, Becky noticed that approach being used, and vowed to change it within her area of leadership. She attributes her success to that very idea. Strong interpersonal skills are one of the most important characteristics she outlined for me. By that, she means â€Å"take time to be kind† (Hendrix). To achieve positive results out of the people in which she works with, Becky â€Å"turned her division upside down† (Hendrix) or transitioned to a servant leadership philosophy. She wanted her employees to feel like the president of the company was someone who not only cared about them and their concerns, but wanted to be someone who they could come to with any problems or ideas they have. â€Å"Seek first to understand before you try to be understood.† (Hendrix) By taking time through charismatic leadership to be kind to her employees, and being empathetic toward their work and personal lives, Becky was able to achieve above average results out of average people. The ability to â€Å"shut up and listen† is a key trait one must have to be a good leader. I asked her if she thought that by being friendly to her employees, and getting to know them personally interfered with her ability to delegate. Becky responded by stating that if you are firm but fair, honest and straight forward with people at all times, you will in turn commandeer respect from your employees which will provide both parties the necessary tools to excel in their respective positions. One must beware, however, of being insincere, because everyone will see right through you and lose all respect. One must lead by example and be constantly and actively aware on a daily basis that everyone is watching the leaders and modeling their actions after yours. â€Å"People don’t care what you know until they know that you care† (Hendrix). Another key trait that Becky noted was that leaders are the ones who are willing to â€Å"get up and try it.† When she was in her infant stage of leadership, she volunteered to run the store, for one of the managers. â€Å"She just threw me the keys and walked out the door! I was scared to death, but willing to give it a shot! Yeah, I made some mistakes but I also learned how to keep from making them again.† (Hendrix) Leadership is a series of conquering fears and taking on challenges regardless if you have all of the answers. Your mindset must be one of â€Å"I think I can fix that† (Hendrix). She closed the discussion on leadership traits and skills with a quote from one of her favorite authors, Zig Ziglar. â€Å"If you want to get all you can out of  life, you must first help others to get all they can out of life† (Hendrix). I told Mrs. Hendrix that she had given me some great insight as to what traits and skills were necessary to being a leader among women, but wanted to know more. For me really get an idea of how these ideas and theories can be put into practice, I needed to know how one goes about actually doing these things while being in a high workload-high stress position on a daily basis. Becky stated that it all starts with the golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated. Take time to stop and think about each comment that you make. People will remember the things that you say and the way they perceive you. Always make a conscious effort wear a smile on your face (even if you don’t feel like it) when dealing with others. When you are in a position of authority, people will naturally fear you, and model your emotions. If you want to employees to be happy, simply act happy around them. Secondly, one must make it a point to address others by name at least twice in every conversation. Becky requires every one of the part time employees in her organization to wear a name tag so that she can remember their names and something about them. This is very difficult to do however when you have over 187 people working on your team. For that reason one must use their resources. Becky required her managers to know some personal details about each employee that worked in their store. They would hold special team building events outside of work such as an evening out on the town. When Becky makes a visit to a store, she would first brief herself with the manager about the employees who worked there. She would want to know who was doing well, and a little about their personal lives. She would then go to those people and praise them in front of their co-workers. A good strategy to use is to always praise in groups, and criticize in private. (Hendrix) When dealing with problematic employees, many managers unknowingly work around them for fear of having to deal with their complaints. When this occurs, the leader is actually rewarding the bad employee, and punishing the good employees by making them do the other persons work. This causes the good employees to slack off and learn to complain in order to get what they want. â€Å"If you don’t like what is being done, you better check what is being rewarded† (Hendrix). Another Key practice Becky discussed was the power of questioning. During our interview, Becky performed a card trick to prove a point. She had selected the 6 of diamonds and laid it face down on the desk without my knowledge. She then told me that I was going to figure out what the solution to the problem was (what card was on the desk). She began to ask me a series of questions that caused me to rule out various suites and numbers of cards. I was astonished to find out that after only a few questions, I had figured out what card was on the desk. It made me feel like I had rationally come up with the solution on my own, thus making me feel important about my accomplishment. Rather than criticize others, ask them questions to make them realize on their own what mistakes they are making and how to improve upon them (Hendrix). Finally, I wanted to know how she got to the level of understanding that she has achieved as a leader. From the standpoint of a student interested in becoming a leader, how do you get from point A to Point B? Mrs. Hendrix pointed out that you must take time to develop a clearly defined and concise personal mission statement. Furthermore, you must look at it each and every day and think about how you can utilize it in every situation. â€Å"You must learn to become a student of people, and be able to effectively communicate your visions and goals to others† (Hendrix). One can begin by taking initiative in their own environment may it be work, school, social groups or any other situation you have the opportunity to stand up and be a leader. Be willing to accept the fact that you will fail at times. â€Å"One who is willing to attempt leadership and fails is better than one who never tried at all.† (Hendrix). Listen to what others have to say, and encourage them to provide their input. Never criticize their ideas no matter how bad they may sound to you. This will prevent others from providing feedback that is crucial to your personal development as a leader. Most of all, Becky left me with the idea that leaders must have character and honesty. Leaders are born from the heart, not created or placed into their roles. Always act as a servant to others and listen to what they have to say. Toxic and Tyrannical leadership will spread like wildfire and destroy everything in its path. â€Å"You have to make people want to do their part in striving for the common good, but be able and willing to do it yourself† (Hendrix). References Hendrix, Becky. Executive Director Ashley Vance. 17 October 2014.

Strategic Global Management

Multiple-choice Chapter 6 Which of the following is not true for a capability? A) it cannot be traded B) it changes over time C) it can be easily described in detail D) it can improve value Which of the following is not a necessary condition for the effective implementation of a pay for performance system? A) employees must be able to control the pace of production B) there should be a lower bound on product qualityC) managers should receive a high bonus for the piece rate work of their employees D) team members should have roughly the same preferences for effort Which of the following is not an activity in the value chain? A) outbound procurement B) marketing C) technology development D) operations Chapter 7 A key assumption underlying theories of vertical integration is: A) Opportunistic behavior B) Suppliers and buyers have the same size C) Suppliers and buyers are located in the same country D) Firms are boundarylessIn the strategic sourcing framework, firms vertically integrate when A) the firm’s need to control and its ability to perform an activity are both high B) there is high uncertainty surrounding the transaction with the supplier C) the need to control and the ability to perform the activity are uncorrelated D) the supplier has invested in high technology 14. The two most studied types of uncertainty that influence vertical integration decisions are: A) exchange rate and volume B) labor cost and technological C) material cost and labor costD) volume and technological The standard theory of vertical integration over the industry life cycle states A) vertical integration occurs primarily in the early and late stages B) vertical integration increases in the shakeout C) vertical integration increases throughout the life cycle D) vertical integration decreases over the life cycle Chapter 8 Which of the following is generally a motivation for the formation of technology partnerships among large firms? A) coalition formation in the context of stand ards competition B) sharing complementary technologiesC) interfirm learning of process innovations D) all of the above In which industry are partnerships based on patent sharing prevalent? A) data communications B) semiconductors C) biotechnology D) pharmaceuticals When does the ability of a potential partner to cooperate effectively become apparent? A) when it promises to follow the rules of the alliance B) when it is certified by an appropriate agency C) when the network of partnerships in the industry develops D) all of the above Chapter 9A nationally segmented industry is one in which: A) country specific advantage and firm specific advantage are both high B) country specific advantage is high and firm-specific advantage is low C) country specific advantage is low and firm specific advantage is low D) none of the above Which of the following promote technological spillovers within a region? A) managerial transfers B) labor pooling C) regional associations D) all of the above Por ter’s diamond model contains which of the following factors? A) technological spilloversB) cultural constraints C) export policies D) demand conditions Chapter 10 Which types of new business will a corporation’s financial capital contribute the most to? A) larger businesses in mature industries B) smaller units in growing industries C) larger businesses in growing industries D) smaller units in mature industries Diversification paths of firms in the same industry vary across countries because: A) the resources and capabilities of the firms in the same industry differ systematically across countriesB) countries differ in the institutions that present diversification opportunities C) countries are located in different geographical locations D) the firms’ top management teams differ systematically across countries When an acquisition announcement occurs, acquisition targets often tend to: A) Enjoy a positive stock reaction B) Suffer a negative stock reaction C) Mai ntain their stock price D) Outsource more Chapter 11 Traditionally, firms that have grown through unrelated diversification have faced which of the following problems?A) the businesses were managed to support short-term corporate financial goals B) the complexity of the business portfolio exceeded corporate management’s capability C) there was no enduring economic rationale at the level of operations for the business units to be in the same corporation D) all of the above A transfer using a mandated market price is most effective when the downstream unit A) is attempting to establish its market position based on a cost advantage B) is attempting to establish its market position based on a value advantage C) has already achieved a dominant market position D) has failed to achieve a dominant market positionVertical integration, as represented among profit centers in a multi-business firm, is A) always superior to transactions in the market B) never superior to transactions in t he market C) not necessarily superior to transactions in the market D) none of the above Open questions Describe the two key strategic motivations for international expansion? Why do multinationals emerge? How have Zara’s practices and policies regarding its boundaries contributed to its growth and performance? What was the source of tension between Stephen Davies and Christopher Carson in the BRL Hardy case? What are its strategic implications?

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Oxford Brookes University Bsc in Applied Accounting

I will use this report writing oopportunity to practice and practically implement my learning in evaluating business and financial performance of a business which spreads its activities from one continent to another. 1. 3 Reasons behind choosing X&Y For me and for my family’s clothing needs I found X&Y as a better place to buy as it sells better and fashionable cloths at lower price. But, this is not what attracted my attention. I got interested on X&Y because in this time of recession and money crisis while all high street giants struggling to survive I found X&Y continuing to open new stores in different locations in every few months.Not only that, Interbrand ranked in their latest 2009 report X&Y as the world’s 2X no. brand with 11% increasing brand value from last year to 15,375m USD. Last year X&Y was ranked number 2X. X&Y is in the top position as a high street apparel brand. It seems X&Y is becoming more popular hence mearns greater market. 1. 3. 1 X&Y history Pr esent is the result of history; I always enjoy it so decided to look back where everything really begun. A former Swedish salesman, named Exxx Pxxxx, discovered an amazing clothing retail concept during his trip to the United States.He noticed high turnover can be achieved by lowering the sales price. After came back home; in 1947, he opened a store exclusively for women’s clothing in Vxxx, Sxxx. He named the store ‘X’. Swedish for hxxx. In 1968 Exxx Pxxxx brought men’s concept in his retail store and changed its name to ‘X&Y’. He continued to add new concepts like clothing for children, young people, trendy people and sportive people. To stimulate growth in home and abroad, X&Y went public with a listing in Sxxxx Stock Exchange in 1974.X&Y started its business using concept ‘fashion at low price’ but later developed to ‘fashion and quality at best price’ The Pxxxx family still 4 holding the largest share of the compa ny stock, leaving control securely in the family's hands. 1. 3. 2 X;Y at present day ‘Before you can really start setting financial goals, you need to determine where you stand financially. ’ – Bach, David X;Y is a rapidly growing business. Every year it is expending its market, i. e. stores, steadily. According to X;Y annual report 2008; by the end of financial year 2008 X;Y Group had 1,738 stores globally.In the year 2008 X;Y opened 216 stores worldwide and entered in five new different markets (Japan, Egypt, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia). In 2009 X;Y Group planning to open 225 new stores. Though X;Y mainly provide clothing at competitive price but they also have PST range which offers exclusive and expensive clothing collection. Around 73,000 employees helping X;Y to run and grow. Source: X;Y Group Annual Report 2008 1. 3. 3 Business to compare I was thinking around which organization I shall choose to compare.I browsed through websites of top clothing retai ler’s e. g. Primark, Gap, Topshop, and Zara. 5 Then I found Inditex Group (owner of Zara) as the most appropriate business for comparison with X;Y Group as, in terms of revenue, Inditex is the top largest clothing retailer in the Europe and X;Y is the second. Though clothing ranges of Inditex mainly includes high priced items unlike X;Y’s main ranges but both of them highly expended their operation beyond their originate country. Inditex have 4,430 stores in 73 countries while for X;Y the number is 1,738 in 34 countries.Inditex Group includes fashion brands Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Uterque. Zara is the most popular brand among others of Inditex Group. Interbrand, in their year 2009 report, ranked Zara in no. 50 according to brand value (6,789m USD) while X;Y ranked number 2X with 15,375m USD brand value. 1. 4 Aims and objectives The aim of this research and analysis project is to establish an evaluation of the business and fi nancial performance of X;Y Group based on financial reports, comments and projections made by board members and using the views of other stakeholders.My project will evaluate the financial performance of X;Y over financial year-ending 2006 to 2008 and assess its future prospect. Economic decisions taken by stakeholders are highly dependent on the financial performance of the relevant company. Now-a-days stakeholders are getting more and more interested on management’s performance and internal control. Management’s ability in taking effective long-term decisions is very important as taking efficient short-term decisions. Shareholders are concerned about short-term return e. g. ividend and share price but they are also very concerned about managements’ plan on future growth, expansion, roadmap on how to deal with expected or not-expected adverse conditions. I will use various rations e. g. profitability ratios, efficiency ratios, investment rations during my repor t writing process. In addition, I will do SWOT analysis, as it is a key 6 instrumental framework to assess the overall business position, to identify the strength, weaknesses, threats and opportunities for X;Y. 2. INFORMATION As this report is the first of its kind I am doing so I had to start from the very beginning.I had to understand what type of report I was going to do, what type of format I shall use, how can I gather information and how can I use those in writing this report and on above all of these where will I find relevant information. I discussed about the report writing techniques I shall use and information source I shall use with my senior and fellow sstudents who already wrote this type of report for their university degree. I attended an introductory meeting in †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ where Mr †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pointed out possible sources of information.I browsed through websites of X;Y and Inditex. I downloaded and printed out the annual report of last three years. I also rea d through the Chairman’s report and CEO’s report to understand business and financial performance from their point of view. I also read through newspaper reports on X;Y and Inditex. I used Google search engine and Yahoo Finance to find out news related to these two businesses. 2. 1 Source of information I divided my source of information in two groups; primary source and secondary source.As far as this business and financial performance report concern I really not necessarily had to collect information through primary source. More importantly, the secondary source of information was so sthrong that it made using primary source insignificant. The main sources I used during preparation of this report are as follows: 7 Published financial statements of X;Y Group and Inditex Group (Year ending 2006, 2007, 2008) I found financial statements as the main source of information as this gives us the financial knowledge of the both companies and very relevant to my chosen topic a rea.But, more importantly financial statements are audited by independent auditors and provides high level of assurance and great deal of reliability. Chairman, CEO and Directors statements These statements gives information which highlights business performance, i. e. specific areas where the business done well or areas where business is finding difficulties. These statements also give future strategies and plans business willing to and going to adopt and implement. These statements also ensure stakeholders on business plan on how they will adopt or eliminate expected or unexpected risks.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Sabra and Shatila Masacre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sabra and Shatila Masacre - Essay Example The Sabra and Shatila Massacre is considered a forgotten incident in the western media. [2] How ever the incident is considered to be a controvercial issue with the Palestinian, Arab and International Muslims, alleging Israel to be the main culprit behind the tragic incident, acusing the Jewish State of Master minding the Israel event incidents. Israel on the contrary partially agrees of its link with the incident but denying any knowledge of a mass murder during the time of its procession clearing itself with the direct massacre of the refugee camp inhabitants. Israel supported Bachir and considered the maronite forces to be the counter balance to the PLO and thus the relationship between Israel and Maronites became stronger, with the Falangists in particular, by the passage of time. How ever, nine days before he was due to take oath, Bachir was assasinated in a bomb detonation attack at the head quarters of the Phalangists party on 14th September 1982. The attack was alleged by the Falangists to be the work of PLO activists which later became a misperception as investigations and confessions later on reveald a Syrian hand in the assasination. Mr.Arial Sharon, who is considered the master mind behind the incident, declared that there were 2000 PLO activists in the refugee camp. Sabra and Shatila was surrounded by tanks and and soldiers with check points to monitor entry and exit of people. Despite of the check points around 150 Falangists, motivated with the feeling revenge after the assasination of their leader, entered the Sabra and Shatila Refugee camp alleging it to be a sanctuary and breeding nest for the PLO activists and aiming to wipe out their presence iniatiated. -these fighters are alleged to inserted by Israel- A plan of defence Minsiter Ariel Sharon [3] According to witnesses, a carnage of mass murder, rape, desecration of corpses & demolition of buildings with the residents still inside. The "genocide" as discussed above cotinued for 62 hours from 16th September going on to Saturday morning and had resulted in casualties speculated to be in 750-3400 estimated by various sources. IDF intelligence suggests a death toll to be between 700-800 persons [4] Dr. Ang Swee Chai, an eye witness to the Massacre reveals in her book " From Beirut to Jerusalem: "The truth hit me painfully...Besides being shot dead, people was tortured before being killed. They were beaten brutally, electric wires were tied round limbs, eyes were dug out, women were raped, and often more than once, children were dynamited alive. Looking at all the broken bodies, I began to think that those who had died quickly were the lucky ones. Extract from p67 of the book "From Beirut to Jerusalem". [5] United Nations Condemns On Dec 16 1982 United Nations Organization's General Assembly condemned the massacre terming it as an act of "Genocide" The General Assembly, Recalled its resolution 95 (I) of 11 December 1946, It also recalled its resolu

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Beowulf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Beowulf - Essay Example Half a century after the battle with Grandel’s mother Beowulf is faced with another battle, which involves a dragon whose golden cup had been stolen; together with Wiglaf, Beowulf defeats the monster, however he later dies due to the wounds inflicted on him (Zemeckis, 2007). The movie was made during a time when the Angles and Saxons were migrating to England between the late 5th century to early 7th century. During this time, the people were obsessed with legends who could protect them from supernatural beings such as the monsters. During this period, scholars were creating stories that involved both historic events and fictious ones therefore, it was difficult to determine where they set boundaries between fiction and reality in their stories. The culture of the people during the period when the movie was made can be found from how the characters have been portrayed in the film, for instance, the inclusion of fictional characters and events such as the dragon and the fight with the dragon show that the people in this period were highly superstitious. In addition, the movie was created from a manuscript that is thought to have been passed down through oral traditions showing some of the ways that the society at that time used to preserve their history. The action of Beowulf to go and help Hroogar show that the communities at those times were closely knit, as they were ready to help each other freely. The happening s during the time when the movie was made must have influenced the director since the way he has depicted the characters shows a setting that can be associated with ancient times. Although the movie was released in 2007, the director has used graphics that portray the cast and the location as those in the period when the movie was made. In the movie the director has also used the names of characters that existed during the period when the movie was made therefore

Jane Addams's contribution to the establishment of femism in the USA Research Paper

Jane Addams's contribution to the establishment of femism in the USA - Research Paper Example ified person† yet was somewhat depressed about her deformity and wished people may not know that this â€Å"pigeon-toed little girl† with a â€Å"crocked back† was this man’s daughter. Her greatest joy was her father’s company. She was quite attached to her father and always confided her â€Å"sins and perplexities† to her father. Her future is mainly the outcome of her father’s brought up. She was aware of the status difference among people since her childhood and often pondered on this fact. She narrates one instance in her book, Twenty Years at Hull House when she wore a really pretty and expensive cloak and asked her father for admiration. Her father advised her to instead wear an old cloak which will keep her warm and the other girls will not feel bad as well. Jane took her father’s advise but â€Å"quite without the joy of self-sacrifice† at that time. Yet it made her think about the inequalities of life (Addams, 191 0). Jane Addams went to Rockford Female Seminary, and graduated in 1881, but was awarded the degree after the school was upgraded to Rockford College for women. She then pursued the study of medicine but had to leave it in the middle due to health issues. Jane had a different thought structure from her fellow girls since the beginning. She didn’t believe in women’s only defined role to a household. She was of the view that women should be properly educated and then utilizes this education in a proper way instead of just preparing and serving meals to the family and should not be confined to household chores only. Ever since her childhood she knew she was born to make a difference (Nevenic, 2004). She recalls a dream that occurred often in her book, Twenty Years at hull house, that â€Å"everyone in the world was dead excepting myself, and that upon me rested the responsibility of making a wagon wheel†¦.I always stood in the same spot in the blacksmith shop, darkly po ndering as to how to begin, and never once did I know how, although I

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The problem with evil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The problem with evil - Essay Example Just as strong the God is, the existence of evil is also strong because the world is imperfect. God only permitted the best possible world so that creation could be improved. According to the Natural Law Theodicy by Bruce Reichenbach, God created a world in accordance with the natural laws to achieve higher good even if there are moral and natural evil (Evans, 11). Argument from the natural evil states that evil exist as a punishment for our sin; thus, this proves the existence of God as evil is necessary for certain types of goodness to occur. Swinburne claimed that God allow the existence of evil as an omnipotent being (can do anything possible logically) because he wanted to bring out the logically necessary condition of goodness such as compassion and bravery (Sovik, 23; Frances, 9). On the other hand, argument from moral evil states that man is created by God with freedom. The existence of evil does not disproves the existence of God as evil actions were the result of man’s abused of freedom (Sovik, 23). Lastly, the argument from unbelief supports the existence of God by using the concept of Divine hiddenness and faith as valuable tool. Evans supported this argument from unbelief stating that atheist does not believe in the existence of God not because of the lack of evidence but the inability and unwillingness to appreciate the evidence (74). To sum it up, God is an omniscient, omnipotent, and perfectly good God because He allowed evil in an imperfect world to bring out the goodness among people or to remind people of their sins through punishments and to bring out faith from Divine

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Political Factors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political Factors - Essay Example Political situations and Events Different countries face different political situations and events. This can be exemplified when a multinational company with diverse interests and subsidiaries in foreign countries gets to face the wrath of war or political unrests in the host countries. For instance, oil companies that had investments in Iraq were profoundly affected by the America-led invasion that started in 2003. This also led to the imposition of a trade ban on Iraq that subsequently affected unconstructively the multinational oil companies operating in Iraq (Arnove, 2002). Wars and impending political conflicts affect business in that the purchasing power of consumers is compromised due to dwindling financial base. Wars and politically instigated conflicts bring about hardships to the people affected, affect the environment and more so disrupt the social fabrics in a society (Arnove, 2002). This chain eventually prejudices the purchasing power of the affected population as well as contributing to decrease in business profits. Conflicts also affect the stock market that translates to decrease in value of businesses listed in the stock market. Government Arrangement The type of government in a country also determines success or failure of businesses. A democratic country ruled by a compelling government is capable of facilitating an excellent business environment necessary for business growth and subsequent development. Democratic governments facilitate the existence of free market systems that enable businesses to flourish and grow. In democratic countries, business people are given opportunities to air their proposals and grievances to the established government agencies and therefore, formulation and implementation of policies is based on wide consultations (Le Billon, 2003). Alternatively, in a dictatorial/autocratic country, there is a likelihood of business failure due to diminutive policies and harsh treatment from corrupt senior government officials serving in the dictatorial regimes. These regimes are also known to cause anxiety and uncertainty and this is detrimental to growth and prosperity of businesses. Changes in National and International Law Businesses that operate in more than one country like multinational companies feel the heat emanating from constant change to national as well as international legislations that touch on trade and business. The issue of minimum wage laws in most countries has brought about changes in the business world as regards who is to be employed and what the employees are to earn. This is evident in the UK where the minimum wage decrees have been introduced and implemented. Other laws touch on employees’ insurances, maximum hours an employee should work each day, and also employees’ health and safety conditions. Trade tariffs and their subsequent legislations have also been reviewed and changed once in a while, sometimes benefiting business entities and in some instances, affecti ng the businesses in question. The largely influenced World Trade Organization has been accused repeatedly of favoring the developed countries at the expense of the Less Developed countries. Politically speaking, the organization applies diverse legislations and rules for dissimilar countries. It has been reported that when the Less Developed countries export their products to the Developed markets, they encounter tariff restrictions that are sometimes four times higher than that faced by rich countries exporting to the Less Developed

Monday, September 23, 2019

BUS Unit1 - Individual Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BUS Unit1 - Individual Project - Research Paper Example The subject matter of economics includes the study of the behavior of the markets, the buyers and the sellers and how different quantities of the goods are bought and sold at the various prices that are determined by the forces of demand and supply. The subject also includes the activities of the government but from an individual point of view only and how the consumption of an individual will increase or decrease with the changes in the tax rates imposed by the government (Perloff, 2007). It tries to achieve the equilibrium in a market by efficiently allocating the resources among the individuals with fixed income and endowment. For example, a firm in a typical oligopoly market would try to reduce the price of the final product by using the cost efficient technology and resources and thereby increase the sales which in turn would maximize its profit. On the other hand Macroeconomics deals with the study of how the economy of the country or the world economy behave due to fluctuations of the Macroeconomics variables like income, inflation, unemployment rate, rate of growth, the rates of interest and the rates of taxes in the economy . This subject throws light on the bigger picture of the economy and how the variables interact with each other to affect the gross domestic product of a country. Hence this subject is mostly analyzed from a policymaker’s point of view. It makes an attempt to control the economic variables in the disequilibrium position to achieve a desired rate of growth of the economy (Blanchard, 2000). For instance, when the central bank of a country wants to reduce the amount of inflation in the economy it would want to reduce the liquidity and hence it would increase the rates of interest. As a result of this the people in the economy would start keeping their money in the banks and would cut their spending and thus the aggregate demand would decrease. This is a

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Starbucks Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Essay Starbucks uses HR to help to budget and manage costs. They do this by having a set of people for specific tasks. If someone is more skilled they will move that person to another place because they have better skills and the quality of their work is much better which shows that they have better qualifications. Human resources make the business a work place and at Starbucks the employees have certain characteristics like their behaviour and age, which helps to improve the businesses expectation from customers. Cut wastage Starbucks are bringing in new ways to cut waste, like recently they have introduced a reusable plastic cup, which looks like a normal Starbucks cup. They are selling these for an extra $1 and also the customer receives a discount from Starbucks so this is persuading the consumer to get this because it will help them to get a discount and also they are saving money. This will help to improve the business and also it helps to budget costs because they are reusing their products. Starbucks have electrical products which can be repaired or recycled also the distributors of the electronic equipment have a part to play in the reducing the amount of WEEE going into landfill sites. The building waste the landlord is in charge to manage the waste there. Reduce amount of stock held Starbucks have to make sure that they maintain the amount of stock they order because they might not have enough space in there warehouse to store it. So they only order items that they know are going to sell well and they use on a regular basis like Starbucks cups, milk and sugar products like that. They want to maintain the amount of stock because they are trying to control budget costs and by maintaining stock they are helping to reduce costs at the same time. So they are improving the company’s performance by doing this. ICT computers and technology Starbuck stores have Free Wi-Fi in there stores which allow customers to buy beverages and use there Wi-Fi to do work. Because Starbucks have a lot of seating for the customers which allows customers to come in and enjoy a drink while doing some work. Other reasons are that Starbucks needs to have technology because they think like Starbucks rewards card and they need technology to use these items, which will help them. Also having these items helps to reduce waste and it helps to control budgets because the cards are reusable and the free Wi-Fi will persuade customers to buy a drink or food from there. Less mistakes in production When the staffs is making the customers food or beverage they need to ensure that items are made to a good standard so they aren’t making mistakes which will cause a problem also it will help to save money for the business. This will help to control their budgets which are important when it comes to ordering stock so they don’t have less stock during a certain order. Everything is produced efficiently so when the customer orders a double cream hot chocolate they receive a double cream so the customer is happy and the staffs is listening to the customers’ requirements. Fewer loans Starbucks need to ensure that they don’t have a problem with taking loans out and also they need to make sure they aren’t taking loans out for no apparent reason so they don’t make a loss. Starbucks won’t effect as much if they take a loan out because they are a multimillion business so they don’t really need to worry about taking loans out. Controlling budgets may help businesses stay in profit. Controlling budgets will help Starbucks stay in profit because it will help them to understand which areas of the business needs more progress and help. Like Starbucks will need to determine which sectors of the business need more of a bigger control like the rent will always be the same each month but during Christmas and winter Starbucks tends to bring out new products like gingerbread latte so they will need more stock around this time of the year. So controlling the budget will vary depending on the time of the year. Cut down on maintenance Starbucks need to cut down on maintenance but they need to maintain their machinery so they can produce the products for the consumers otherwise there will be problem. They need to ensure that items can be reused like I said before they introduced a reusable cup for customers to use. The other things they need to consider are that they need to ensure there are several different aspects of things.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Niger Delta Conflict On The Nigerian Economy Politics Essay

Niger Delta Conflict On The Nigerian Economy Politics Essay The objective of this Chapter is to provide a background to the study. This includes the implication of the Niger-Delta (ND) conflict on the Nigerian economy, the genesis of amnesty policy, the objective of the study, research questions, methodology as well as scope and limitations to the study. Background to the Study The centrality of the Niger-Delta Region to Nigerias economy is indisputable. This is because it produces the oil that presently sustained the economy. Unfortunately, however, over the last decades, it has become a centre for violent protests with destructive consequences on the Nigerian economy and socio-political stability as well as the rippled effect across the international. For instance, government statistics have shown that in 2005, Crude oil production has fell from 2.7million barrels per day (mbpd) to 2.4mbpd thereby showing a shortfall of 0.3mbpd in crude oil production. On the revenue side, in the same year, the projected revenue of N1.63trillion was revised downward to N1.4trillion due to shortfall in crude oil production (2006 FGN Budget Speech). Similarly, in 2006 expected revenue into the Federation Account fell by N570 billion due to loss of 600,000bpd (2007 FGN Budget Speech). In 2007, the projected revenue was short to the tune of N796billion due to disruption of cr ude oil production in the Niger-Delta region (2008 FGN Budget Speech). In 2008, crude oil production was projected at around 2.45mbpd but only 2.00mbpd was achieved also due to disruption of production (2009 FGN Budget Speech). In 2009, crude oil revenue projection fell by 17% due to disruption in production as well as fall in crude oil price at the international market (2010 FGN Budget Speech). Another pointer to the gloomy nature of the Nigerian economy was the use of the Excess Revenue Account (ERA) from year 2006 every month, except in some very few cases, to augment the monthly disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account. For instance, over N733.81bn and N795.41bn were withdrawn from the ERA to augment budget expenditure for the three tiers of government in 2007 and 2008 respectively (CBN, Annual Report, 2008). The conflict has been blamed on the nations imbalance political structure; long years of environmental pollution due to oil exploration and extraction activities; infrastructural neglect and demand for larger share of revenue from crude oil sales (Omeje, 2006). But, recognizably, over the decades, government have used carrots and sticks approaches both to coerce and appease the people of the Niger-Delta Region. While the past measures have made some significant impacts in some respects, there are recurring echoes of consternation from the region. Among the past efforts were the creation of the Niger-Delta Development Board (NDDB), Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Derivation Principle (from 1% to 13%) and the establishment of Niger-Delta Ministry in 2008. Fisher-Thompson (2010) writing for the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State observed that the key to Nigerias economic progress is stability in the Niger River Delta, where the bulk of the countrys oil and natural gas is produced and where a smouldering militancy and sabotage of production facilities threaten progress for the regions 30million residents. Thus recognising the enormous potentials of Niger-Delta for the nation at large, the late President YarAdua, for example, said it would be delusional to think that electricity could be generated and transmitted on a sustainable basis in Nigeria if resolution of the Niger-Delta question remains literally or figuratively in the pipelines (Adeniyi, 2010), Similarly, the Technical Committee on the Niger-Delta (TCND, 2008), noted that President YarAdua recognised the strategic importance of the Region as the main source of Nigerias foreign revenue by making the Niger-Delta problem one of the 7-Point prog ramme of the administration. Thus, amnesty was granted to the militants in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria in June 2009, by late President YarAdua to assuage the nagging militancy in the region. There is, however, hardly any study at the moment that have made any constructive attempt to analyse the impact of the amnesty programme on the nations crude oil production as well as revenue flow into the Federation Account except for the dotted newspapers clips and other scattered official documents. Also, as it is with most novel approaches, the amnesty programme has been greeted with lots of scepticism as its likely impact of restoring peace and improved crude oil production and flow of revenue into the Federation Account might not be achieved. Accordingly, as a topical issue in Nigeria, which viability is questioned, it provides the motivation and interest to peruse government documents in order to give a better picture of the situation. Moreso, as a staff of Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), an agency of government that is constitutionally charged with the function of monitoring revenue accruals into and disbursement from the Federation Account, added more impetus to the subject of the research. Hence, this research is an attempt to put together official records as well as other sources in order to give a preliminary impact of the amnesty programme on crude oil production and revenue into Federation Account. OBJECTIVES In this research, the quest is not to discuss the amnesty programme or to dwell on the oil debacle in Nigeria, but to relate the amnesty programme to some of the expected benefits, which are specifically interconnected with improved crude oil production and flow of oil revenue into the Federation Account. In other words, the primary aim of this research is to find out whether the acceptance of amnesty by the militants in the Niger-Delta has any significant impact on crude oil production output and flow of oil revenue into the Federation Account. RESEARCH QUESTIONS This research would particularly attempt to answer the following research questions: To what extent has the granting of amnesty as a mechanism to manage resource conflict in the Niger-Delta region contributes to improved crude oil production? What is the effect of the amnesty on the flow of revenue into the Federation Account (Common Pool) from the oil sector? How does the amnesty programme impact on the Nigerias fiscal federalism? METHODOLOGY Jankowicz, (1995) has defined methodology as a systematic and orderly approach taken towards the collection of data so that information can be obtained from those data. This research adopts a qualitative approach, which has been described as a subjective account that one generates by getting inside situations and involving oneself in the everyday flow of life (Gill and Johnson, 2005:89). In Strauss and Corbin (1990:17) Qualitative Research is any kind of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of quantification. The objective of using this approach is to be able to draw conclusion from the research question as to whether there was an increase in crude oil production as well as revenue flow into Federation Account as a result of the amnesty granted to the militants. This research uses secondary data collection approach. The data of crude oil production statistics and revenue inflow were sourced from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Federation Account Allocation Committee Files (FAAC) and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Despite, their shortcomings, the credibility of data from these institutions is not in doubt because no any other agency can provide such data within and outside Nigeria without referring to them as source. The data collected were evaluated using a simple data inspection technique which is a comparison between actual experience and counterfactual scenarios. This type of technique is comprised of three methods namely; with versus without, before versus after and target versus actual. This method is basically used to analyse the effects of programmes and performance (Douangboupha, 2004). This research adopted the before and after technique because it provide the basis in which comparison is done between crude oil production and revenue flow into Federation Account before and after the amnesty has been granted. The before versus after method is used to compare performance of a new policy with what was before the reform. This approach usually shows what happened and not why it happened. However, this approached is criticised on the fact that it ignores other external factors that can influence it outcome (Douangboupha, 2004). SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH The scope of this research is to examine crude oil and revenue data from January 2009 May 2010. Similarly, the research would not be interested in looking at the amnesty programme in general. Chapter Two LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction The main objective of this Chapter is to critically review literature from variety of perspectives on the causation and management of conflict with links to natural resources induced conflicts. Review of Literature Conflict is a tragedy and impediment to development (Collier and Hoeffler, 2000). Conflict is an interruption of development as no development project will ever take place in a state of conflict. Of course, this has been acknowledged by late President YarAdua that conflict is threatening peace, security, order and good governance and jeopardising the economy of the nation (YarAdua, 2009). Conflict has been defined by Burton (1990) as those behaviours of individuals or groups that go beyond disagreement that cause serious injury to physical, security and future development of individuals, groups and nations. As in Omeje (2006:17), Fisher (2000) defines conflict as uneasy relationship between two or more parties who have, or think they have incompatible goals. These incompatible goals are largely associated with deep-human needs characterised by interest, desires and aspirations. Without doubt, conflicts do not just happened as there are always such factors that lead to conflicts. The causation of conflicts have been theorised in various ways such as in biological disposition, psychology, religion, identity, ethnicity, nationalism, ideology, history and ancients hatred, bad neighbours, manipulative leaders, security dilemma, cultural dysfunction, nature of the State and incompatible world views (Mac Ginty, 2009). Despite these incisive but opposing perspectives, the rentier state theory and resource curse thesis were, indeed, two central frameworks that have provided in-depth analysis on the impact of natural resources to the political, economic and social settings of resource blessed nations. In the rentier theory, it is argued that it is any state reliant not on the surplus production of the domestic population or economy but on externally generated revenues or rents usually derived from the extractive industries such as oil (Omeje, 2006). The rentier theory believed that reliance on economic rents promotes inefficiency and impede socioeconomic development (Mahler, 2010). Proponents of this theory argued that, on the political strand, rents promote authoritarian rule because it encourages network of patronage, pervasive clientelism and selfish policies of distribution. The net effects of these are lack of democratisation and gross societal depoliticisation. Another contention is that the presence of cornucopia of revenues, particularly, coming from oil sector discourages taxation thereby making the political class less accountable to the people and less interested in the promotion of citizen participation in governance. Though rentier theory focus more on the stability of authoritarian rule, rather than violence, there are evidence that rents are used to finance security apparatus by the political class to repress opposition, which in essence amount to violence (Mahler, 2010). As an example, the Nigerian political history has been dominated by both military and political elites that have less sympathy for the promotion of democracy. The evidences of coup and counter-coups that shaped the nations political past are obvious while election rigging and disenfranchisement have so far characterises the democratic dispensation. On the whole, there are submissions that the bulk of the youths in the Niger-Delta were armed by politicians. Okolo (2009) aptly states that the politicians in their unbridled lust for power, arm these youths as private armies against their real and perceived enemies making all sorts of promises to secure their loyalty but immediately their aim is achieved they abandon them forgetti ng that they still hold the arms. The youths unemployed and angry must a matter of necessity employ the guns to some use? The world is today not faced by the Thomas Malthus (1798) assertion that scarcity leads to conflict but by the argument that resource abundance has a link to conflict. The Malthusian argument is based on the idea that natural resources are in fixed supply and as demand of the resources increased, the price also increases, while the resources depleted thus leading to conflict (Mahler, 2010). On the contrary, staple theorist argued that resource abundance leads to the improvement of peoples well-being because natural resources provide the much needed revenues for the provision of goods and services. Unfortunately, resource abundance is now seen as a curse that is associated with all sorts of problems ranging from slow economic growth, corruption and conflicts (Oyefusi, 2007). Economic theorists have contended that over-reliance on single source of revenue makes a nation vulnerable and prone to conflict (Herbst, 2001) because of large rents and exposure to variety of shocks (booms and bursts). For instance, Nigeria has faced several crude oil related shocks and conflicts from 1966 to date often resulting in loss of lives and dislocation of the nations economy. More compounding to Nigeria is that the oil resource is largely located in one geographical region. And, as aptly observed by Ndikumana and Emizet (2005), dependence alone does not motivate conflict but the concentration of the natural resources in one geographical region and their unequal distribution significantly contribute to conflict. Moreso, the topography of the Niger-Delta area seems conducive for militancy activiti es. Olowu (2009) described the Niger-Delta as an intricate network of lagoons, creeks, estuaries, and mangroves swamps, stretching across 1 million square meters. Howsoever, sound is the above proposition; a many countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Norway and host of others were able to demystify the resource-dependency theory by making considerable progress in transforming their respective nations. So, for Collier (2004) the solution is to diversify the sources, which reduces the risk of conflict. Also, the resource-dependency theory has been criticised on the fact that dependency alone on a single natural resource does not lead to armed conflict. As Mac Ginty, (2005:67) argued scarcity and violence are a product of social relations rather than inherent in the relative abundance of a particular good, object or resources. It is further argued that conflict arises from a complex mix of events in the presence of resources the mode of resource exploitation, perception on benefits and identity affiliations. As it has been observed if the stake are high, identity affiliations can mutate, with groups and individuals attaching increasing weight to the purity of their ethnic group and rediscovering (or inventing) their unique history (Mac Ginty, 2005). Added to this, Ross (2003:19) pointed out that any given conflict is brought about by a complex set of events; often poverty, ethnic or religious grievances, and unstable governments The fundamental problem noted in this context is that of the management of the resources. It has been pointed out that it is the nature of the extraction coerce or voluntary, licences distribution patronage or open competition, profit destination public or private pockets that significantly explained whether there is resource curse or not (Mac Ginty, 2005). Similarly, poor management of resources create situations where individuals or group that harbour some grievances will use that as opportunity to argue against plundering of the resources located in their backyard without benefits. This is, somehow, the case in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria where there is demand for fair share of revenue from the resources extracted from the area. The Resource curse thesis presumed misery in the midst of plenty. It is argued that abundance rather than serve as a means for development leads to struggle for the control of the natural resource which often result in armed conflict (Obi, 2008). Indeed, the armed conflict in the Niger-Delta is over the control of crude oil between the State and the local communities caused by poverty and low human development index (Omeje, 2006). On another hand, studies by Sachs and Warner (1997:3) demonstrated that resource-poor economies often vastly outperform resource-rich economies. The point is that nations with abundant natural resources tend to grow slower than economies with fewer resources. In support of the above, Ross (2003) reported that the GDP per capita of countries which mining export was between 6% to 15%, fell by an average rate of 0.7% while those with mining export of about 15% 50%, their GDP per capita fell to 1.1% a year. Similarly, it showed that the GDP per capita of count ries with over 50% of mining exports, dropped by 2.3% per year. Furthermore, Sachs and Warner, (1997) cited historical instances to buttressed this point that in the 17th century despite the overflow of gold and silver from the colonies of Spain, the Netherlands surpassed Spain. This is similar with Japan and Switzerland that cast shadow over resource abundant Russia in the 19th Century while Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong became the star performers of the 20th century despite having fewer resources. Sachs and Warner (1997:4) conceptually situate this economic puzzle within the context of easy riches leads to sloth and the Dutch disease proposition. The Dutch Disease thesis argued that the availability of large rents from a single natural resources often result in the neglect of other productive sectors of the economy (Ross, 1999). In other words, the Dutch disease demonstrates that booms in natural resource sectors usually affect the distribution of employment throughout the economy, as wealth effects pull resources in and out of non-traded sector s (Sachs and Warner, 1997:5). And this is evident in Nigeria where oil revenue continue to grow from 3% in the 1960s to now over 80% of federally collectable revenue while total agricultural export dropped from 60% in the1960s to less than 8% by 2005 (Omeje, 2006). However, contrary to the persuasive argument put forward by Sachs and Warner, (1997), that one surprising features of modern economic growth is that economies abundant in natural resources have tended to grow slower than economies without substantial natural resources, Stijns, (2000:3) argued that it was a misleading result which was short of recommending that developing countries should leave their natural resources undiscovered and/or unexploited. Stijns (2000:4) further contended that natural resources are not significant determinants of economic growth because of the coexistence of positive and negative channels of effect from natural resources to other economic factors. It has been variously argued that natural resources have the potentials of promoting violent conflict through grievance and greed. The grievance theory sees conflict emerging from the long concern over deprivation and injustice (Collier, 2004 and Collier and Sambanis, 2007). Therefore, Communities whose land is being exploited sees themselves as collateral damage and where benefits is not forthcoming, they resort to protest and violence that leads to economic sabotage such as disruptions of production. For instance, the Niger-Delta region has been famous for economic sabotage as a way of protest against environmental degradation and neglect (Omeje, 2006). However, economists like Collier and Hoeffler have argued that greed is more inherent in motivating conflict than grievance or conflicts are far more likely to be caused by economic opportunities than by grievance (Mac Ginty, 2005:79, Tar, 2008). This is because the abundance of natural resource often serves as an incentive in which elites and warlords loot. The greed theory also presupposes that natural resources provide attraction to covetous individuals or groups to rebel in order to take control over revenues from the natural resources. However, critics argued that the expression made economists on the causation of conflict is economic rationalism taken to extreme (Mac Ginty, 2005:71) and pointed out that conflicts cannot be measured only by econometric methodologies or mistook correlation for causation while also subjecting the causes of conflicts only within the national environment without placing external factors such as trade, religion, regional dynamics in arms flow, etc. G enerally, it is argued that the real agents of conflicts are politics and identity while economic factors only appear to change the nature and aim of the conflict at some stage (Mac Ginty, 2005). As further contended, economic factors can enable conflict, but it cannot combust or sparks the conflict without other factors. Closely related to the greed thesis is the frustration and aggression theory, which deals with relative deprivation as a perceived disparity between value expectation and value capabilities (Afinotan and Ojakorotu, 2009). The theory argues that if there is a gap between expectation and attainment caused by lack of capability, tension crept in as a result of unfulfilled aspiration, which leads to frustration that eventually produces violent aggression. It was noted by Afinotan and Ojakorotu, (2009) that men are most inclined to aggression when subjected to unjustified frustration. Indeed, the potentials of violence are define by the gravity of deprivation. As Afinotan and Ojakorotu, (2009) pointed out men who are frustrated have an innate disposition to do violence to its source in proportion to the intensity of their frustration. The Niger-Delta conflict is a perfect demonstration of this theory because people are frustrated by lack of development, etc. However, this theory has been criticised on the ground that aggressive response to frustration may be dependent upon the individuals level of tolerance Afinotan and Ojakorotu, (2009). The separatist theory suggests that natural resources portend the risk of a secessionist conflict because it gives those in the region where the resources is located the incentive to demand for separate State (0yefusi, 2007). Indeed, it is more obvious from the emerging picture and dynamics of the conflict in the Niger-Delta region that the element of greed rather than grievance is more pronounced as various groups and factions emerged making conflicting demands and more often violently clash with each other over the control of areas where pipelines installation passes through (Omeje, 2006, 2008). In another perspective, Bannon and Collier (2003:2) contended that conflict is more likely to occur in a state of low per capita income, low economic growth rate and the structure of the economy. For instance, since the 1970s oil exports generated huge revenues in Nigeria, and yet, per capita income has remain very low in 1975 the per capita from oil was $127 which raised to $351 in 1980 and plummeted to $81 in 1989 but gradually grew to $337 in 2007 and to $391 in 2007 (CBN, Annual Statistical Bulletin, 2008). Though growing population in Nigeria has played a pivotal role in this low per capita, it is hard to conclude that low per capita from oil revenue is not one of the factors that leads to conflict in Nigeria (Mahler, 2010). But Mahler (2010:15) persuasively argued that even though falling oil revenues in the 1980s and the 1990s have contributed to low per capita, it was not only the shrinking abundance of oil but also its interplay with weak resource management performance in the country that caused further socioeconomic problems. These are issues associated with managing environmental problems and resource allocation principles. Therefore, as a solution, Collier (2004:7) suggested that doubling the level of income halve the risk of conflict. A percentage point on growth rate reduces the risk by around a percentage point. Despite the preponderance of econometric and case study analyses, there are still profound opposition that resources alone cannot be the direct link to conflict. This is because other extraneous factors and historical assumptions which are necessary for creating a link between resources and violent conflicts have not been properly contextualized through in-depth empirical studies to create linkages between resources and conflicts (Mahler, 2010). To this end, Mahler, (2010) has provided in a tabular form a matrix of resource and non-resource contextual conditions that will guide debate on the link between conflict and resources: Using the matrix in Table IV, and as has been postulated, the conflict in the Niger-Delta is premise on four contextual factors with oil serving as the main attraction (Omeje, 2006) as well as other external factors. Some commentators have situated the conflict in the Niger-Delta within the hypothesis of historical context arguing that the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 was unconscious of the heterogeneous nature of the nation as it failed to address the concern of the minority groups. Thus, the dominance of majority groups over the minority groups whose environment eventually produces the nations revenue, give rise to agitation for the restructuring of Nigeria (Omeje, 2006). The second ground situates the conflict in the Niger-Delta on the legal framework relating to landownership and extraction policies. Proponents of this thesis argued that the existing legal framework has given more control to the Multinational Oil Companies operating in the country thereby making them less lia ble to the environmental problems associated with exploration and extraction. In other words, the current legal mechanism within Nigeria lacks the impetus of enforcement. In the case of landownership, it is argued that the Land Use Act of 1978, for instance, has given State Government the ownership of land thus depriving individuals and groups from the right to demand for appropriate compensation, a situation which late President YarAdua attempted to reverse (Adeniyi, 2010). The third view positioned the Niger-Delta conflict on the pedestal of dependency in which the incorporation of Nigeria into global economic and political scene that is yet to be understood has disadvantaged Nigeria thereby leading to conflict. The fourth school of thought with Marxist approach sees the conflict in the Niger-Delta as the contradictions of class or groups interest intrinsic to the political economy of Nigeria as well as the character of the state (Omeje, 2006). Indisputably, the above issues are cause largely by institutional arrangement. As noted by Bardhan (2005) institutions either economic or political constitute or form the nucleus in which equitable distribution of resources or powers among divergent groups are made. And where the institution is inefficient, it becomes less credible thus attracting disquiet among the people. Bardhan (2005:27) put it that the history of underdevelopment is littered with cases of formidable institutional impediments. The failure of the institutions gives birth to collective action problem such as dispute over the sharing of the cost of bringing change known as free-rider problem and disputes over the sharing of benefits. All these problems, often, lead to breakdown of coordination among divergent and competing groups. Douglass North in Acemoglu and Robinson (2008:2) define institution as the rules of the game in a society or, more formally, are the humanly devised constraints that shape human interaction. Both economic and political institutions are influence by collective choices. The political institution, for instance, allocates de jure and de facto powers even though the latter sometime uses the instrument of force to meet it objectives. Acemoglu and Robinson (2008:6-7) noted that de facto political power originates from both the ability of the group in question to solve its collective action problem and from the economic resources available to the group which determines their capacity to use force against other groups. They further noted that when a particular group is rich relative to others, this will increase it de facto political power and enable it to push for economic and political institutions favourable to its interests, reproducing the initial disparity. Certainly, the Niger-Delta co nflict is a prime example of this assertion because the militants were capitalising on the location of the crude oil in their geography as a weapon to move for drastic change in the way political power and resource distribution are made. The history of Nigeria has depicted vivid evidences of political and economic asymmetry, which means unequal power and resource distribution and relation between communities within the States and between the State and the Federal Government. It is palpable that despite the creation of more States in the last decades, the cries of marginalisation still pervade the nations political terrain. For instance, State and Federal relationship has been situated on the north/south divide created by the amalgamation of 1914 which created a presume fear that the north with numerical population would continue to dominate the south. Oputa (2000:113), for example, observed that political asymmetry in this case persists because of the fear of domination by the north in the context of party electoral competition for control of political power and, therefore, of the enormous fiscal resources and patronage deriving from it at the federal level. Another issue political asymmetry lies in the balance of po wer where the States have remained dependent on the Federal Government. But it should be noted that Nigerias federalism was unique because the centre created the units unlike in other federations where the units create the centre. Contributing to the conflict debates, the neo-liberalists through the conception that free-market made free men believe that individual freedoms, open markets and rational choice guides human beings away from encouraging conflicts but instead sees development as a ladder out of conflict. This argument was re-enforced by the submission that free trade prevents conflicts and was demonstrated by the post-colonial studies of Krause and Suzuki, which concluded that the probability of conflict under open trade is insignificant (Mac Ginty, 2009). However, this postulation was criticised on the ground that free trade encourages market-induced inequality thereby creating enmity and tension among individuals and communities. Indeed, the Niger-Delta region is the symbol of Nigerias international trade where Multi-national Companies (MNCs) engage in Oil and Gas business, surprisingly, it is the same region that has been inundated by violence. Often, there were clear evidences to suggest the invo lvement of the MNCs in the brewing of the conflicts (Omeje, 2006, 2008). Development is another issue that is said to be behind conflict. This is so because the process of development sometime provide s