India and Southeast Asia, 1500 B.C.E.-600 C.E.

Ashley Thompson AP World History Ms Thurgood,1-3 Chapter 6: India and Southeast Asia, 1500 B. C. E. -600 C. E. P: *Around 1000 B. C. E the people were divided into kinship groups while the kings ruled over the tribes. Later under the Kings were military and civil officials, which dealt with records, income of the government and custom duties. During the Gupta empire there was a rather decentralized administration unlike the Mauryan Empire. *Brahmans and warriors were at the highest point in the Hierarchy and there were structural laws based on the caste system. Rulers in Southeast Asia used their Indian knowledge and personnel to increase their power. E: *Heavy taxes were imposed on common people during the Gupta Empire. India traded extensively with South East and East Asia. *One’s economic status in India could be compared to that of a capitalist society. This is because of the belief in reincarnation, and that whoever you were in your last life determined who you were in yo ur next life. These reincarnations were placed into a caste and whichever caste you were placed in depicted your social and economic status.Who you were and what you did depicted your well being. * The Funan (SE Asia) society was able to take control over the trade route between India and China by extending control over most of Indochina and the Malay Peninsula. R: *There was a spread and development of belief systems such as Vedism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. *There were many religious texts such as: Mahabharata- The vast epic of the events leading up to a battle between kinship groups in early India.Bhagavad-Gita: A dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna about the fate of the spirit. Vedas: Religious texts communicated orally by Brahmin priests that were eventually written down and are the main source of about the Vedic period. *Buddha played a major role in the spread of Buddhism, as he was the founder. S: *Class and Caste: The varna/jati was the main categories of social identity. The Varna contained the 4 major social divisions: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.Underneath these were the Untouchables who were excluded from the class system. The jati were the regional groups of people who had common occupancy who generally interacted with the people from their group. *In terms with the patriarchal society women had little rights. In the Gupta Empire moreso women lost their rights to own and inherit property, and were banned from studying sacred texts and participate in sacrificial rituals. They also were married at a very early age. Some women escaped male control by joining Jainist and Buddhist communities. COT: Although women were never viewed as on the same level socially as men, their rights declined dramatically between 320 C. E. -550 C. E. I: *ca. 1500 B. C. E. there was a migration of Indo-European people into northwest India. There were interactions between Asia and India through trade. * In SE Asia Indian culture was received, what was useful to them was extracted and put into beliefs and values. A: Many statues, sculptures, and temples were built to honor Hindu deities and also to honor Buddha. important points: *ca. 500 B. C. E. – Siddhartha Gautama founds Buddhism; Mahavira founds Jainism. This is important because this was the beginning of two very important and influential religions of this time. *ca. 1500 B. C. E. – Migration of Indo-European people into northwest India. This was important because these people brought in outside influences, and they also started the prejudice of the Dasas by the Aryans, which led to the caste system. *550 C. E. – Collapse of the Gupta Empire.This was important because this was the end of an empire of poor economy and low status of women. Vocabulary *moksha: The Hindu concept of the spirit’s â€Å"liberation† from the endless cycle of rebirths. * â€Å" Great Vehicles† branch of Buddhism that focuses on reveren ce for Buddha and for bodhisattvas, enlightened people who have postponed nirvana to help others attain enlightenment. *Theravada Buddhism: â€Å"Way of the elders† branch of Buddhism that downplays the importance of the gods and emphasizes the individual’s search for enlightenment. Tamil Kingdoms: The kingdoms of southern India, inhabited primarily by speakers of Dravidian languages, which developed in partial isolation, that produced epics, poetry, and performance arts. *Funan: An early complex society in Southeast Asia between the 1st and 6th centuries C. E. It was centered in the rice-growing region of southern Vietnam. Comparative thesis: Although both India and Southeast Asia between 1500 B. C. E-300C. E. had apparent religion, India had a more structured system, while in Asia there was a more open influence on religion.

Character of “Miss Brill” Essay

In the short story, â€Å"Miss Brill† by Katherine Mansfield, the main character, Miss Brill, is developed with the use to symbols and patterns of metaphors. The story is about Miss Brill’s routine on Sundays, and how she is interpreting the world around her, and her role in it. The main metaphors that are used are her fur coat, the old people, and her seat. All these metaphors help show that Miss Brill doesn’t live life, but only views it. Miss Brill’s fur coat is introduced in the first paragraph of the story. She personifies the fur, and projects some of her own personalities and interests into it. â€Å"She had taken it out of its box that afternoon, shaken out the moth powder, given it a good brush, and rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes†(Mansfield p.357). Later, Miss Brill further characterizes the fur coat and states that is a â€Å"little rogue†, which further laments her personification of the fur. Furthermore, she feels that she is attracted to the personified fur, â€Å"She could have taken it off and laid it on her lap and stroked it† (Mansfield p.357). The fur coat is a metaphor for her, or what she sees attractive in herself. She if old, so is the fur coat â€Å"..shaken out the moth powder..†(Mansfield p.357); she likes to dress up and use makeup, just like what she does to the fur coat â€Å"..a little dab of black sealing-wax..† (Mansfield p.357). She views the world around her as it passes by, but never experiencing it for herself, similar to an inanimate object, such as her fur coat. This point is reinforced further at the end of the story, when she has been ridiculed, and is putting away her coat away; â€Å"But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying† (Mansfield p.361). The author tells the reader that the fur is crying, but the metaphor shows that it is Miss Brill that is crying. Similarly, â€Å"the old people sat on the bench, still as statues†, is also a metaphor for Miss Brill. She is one of the old people sitting on the benches, watching everyone else. It is ironic, because she seems to dislike these people, but at the same time, she is one of them; â€Å"They were odd, silent, nearly all old† (Mansfield p.358). Miss Brill, like the other old people, is peculiar, quiet, and old. What she sees in these people, is what  the reader sees in her. This metaphor symbolizes what she is in reality and what other people in the story see her as; â€Å"Because of that stupid old thing at the end there..† (Mansfield p.360) is what a young couple says when they see Miss Brill. The old people symbolize the old pathetic nature of Miss Brill’s routine of viewing everyone else’s experiences, but never experiencing herself. Finally, the symbol of her â€Å"special seat† is the most important and drives home the point of Miss Brill never experiencing life. The seat symbolizes her vantage point of the world. The metaphor of a play is also used, but they both symbolize the same thing; they are both her eyepieces to the rest of the world, and this is how she can experience life, instead of doing it herself. â€Å"How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting here, watching it all! It was like a play† (Mansfield p.359). Furthermore, she feels that she is living life and experiencing everything, because Miss Brill feels that she is apart of the play â€Å"They weren’t only the audience†¦.they were acting† (Mansfield p.359). The author effectively uses the metaphor of her â€Å"special seat† and of a play to symbolize Miss Brill’s character, and how she feels that she is fully living life, but actually, she is only watching. Throughout the short story â€Å"Miss Brill†, by Katherine Mansfield, three important symbols are used to characterize Miss Brill; they are the fur, the old people, and her â€Å"special seat†. All these show that Miss Brill is a watcher, who experience life through watching.

Early Animation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Early Animation - Essay Example Perhaps it is the silliness, the magic, or that it brings out the Kid in all of us. Regardless of the reason animation has become part of the American popular culture, as well as, all over the world. Although there have been a number of â€Å"animation† concepts developed in the earliest years of the industrial revolution, like Emil Reynaud in France at the turn of the 19th century and Thomas Edison. (McLaughlin 1). Peter Foldes, a Hungarian animator and artist demonstrated free hand drawings that represented early animation in Britain. John Whitney, an American inventor and animator invented the idea of placing the images on 3 layers and rotating tables and photographing them as they spin. However, it is true that animation can lay gratitude for its development, at least in part, to an experiment among well-to-do gentleman. In 1872 the Governor of California, Leland Stanford, wanted to prove that when a horse is in a trot or gallop at some point, all four feet were off the ground. In order to prove that scientifically he hired a photographer named Muybridge to photograph the horse’s movement frame by frame. As can be seen below in this famous set of pictures, that Stanford was quite right, there is a point in the horse’s stride where all four feet are off the ground. Much like a flip book we can take the images and speed them up little by little and the motion of the horse is essentially animated before you dependent on how fast the images are flipped (McLaughlin 1). Just about anybody can name dozens, if not hundreds, of cartoons, both television and big screen, however, most people do not know the differences between animation techniques and the styles of the different, famous animator and animation companies. The topic of animation, its history, concepts, formats, and styles from every era is a very broad one. In order, to understand those styles and techniques better it is best to address the

Improving Organisational Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3

Improving Organisational Performance - Essay Example While these practices are not exactly new, this area of management differs in its deliberate introduction of bundled practices to improve performance of the organisation gradually (Cappelli & Neumark, 2012: p31). Normally, organisations will align these practices with their strategic objectives, specifically by aligning workforce output and organisational performance. This paper aims to analyse high performance work practices in relation to two case studies: Data Connections and Pannone & Partners, which are computer software services and legal services firms. The two companies’ business strategies differ in that Pannone & Partners seeks balanced growth for competitive advantage, while Data Connections seeks to improve business performance through quality delivery and acquisition of world-class talent. Both companies will be analysed in relation to how they apply various strategies in their approach to high performance work performance. These strategies are integration of HPWP with other HR practices, commitment and reward, employee training and skills needs, and high employee involvement. Performance management refers to a process through which employees and managers work in tandem to monitor, plan, and review the employee’s overall contribution and work objectives and involves continuous setting of objectives, provision of on-going feedback and coaching, and assessment of progress to ensure that workers meet career goals and objectives (Ashdown, 2014: p41). One of the theories that underpin performance management is goal theory, which highlights three core mechanisms that link performance outcomes to goals. These goals direct attention to the organisation’s priorities, stimulate efforts, and challenge employees to user skills and knowledge to enhance their success. This theory specifically emphasises the review and feedback and agreement of objectives aspects of PM (Aguinis, 2011: p28). Control theory, on the other

Wellness Promotion Project. Assessment of the Utica-Rome, NY community Essay

Wellness Promotion Project. Assessment of the Utica-Rome, NY community - Essay Example Assessment of the Utica-Rome, NY community A later Gallup poll in USA Today puts the Utica-Rome region fourth in a standing of urban communities where individuals have the most heart strike. The main poll puts that stacked up progressively at danger were the Huntington-Ashland region in West Virginia; the Davenport-Moline Rock Island in Iowa and Fort Smith in Arkansas. The study discovered that expansive amounts of individuals here are corpulent, and smoke, however that yet little numbers practice customarily. A nearby interventional cardiologist says that patients he sees in his office don't repudiate those discoveries, however he additionally sees numerous sound patients in their 90s since they settle on solid life decisions. That's the focus needed to drive home, that you have a say in which sort of fact you come to be. Coronary illness is a preventable infection and you can change your result. You can change the detail. It's not a miserable try. Individuals can have an enormous e ffect and we need to truly change. Practice is vital, however how we consume, what we consume is as well. Literature Review The Gallup Study First of all, what is the Gallup poll? For more than 70 years, Gallup has built its reputation on delivering relevant, timely, and visionary research on what humans around the world think and feel. Using impeccable data, our advisers assist leaders  in  identifying and monitoring critical economic and behavioral indicators that are vital to their strategic plans. The study discovered that the occurrence of high circulatory strain in the Utica-Rome range was higher than the national normal. The study additionally said that about a full third of individuals in the region are corpulent, and more than a quarter, smoke (Ships, 2013). Heart illness, which causes heart strike, is the heading explanation for expiration in the United States. More than 700,000 Americans show some kindness assault every year. As per the Gallup-Healthways twelve-month well-being study, a few US metropolitan locales have much higher rates of heart strike than whatever is left of the nation. Broadly, an expected 4% of American mature people reported surviving a heart assault. Occupants of Utica-Rome, NY metropolitan locale were more than twice as liable to endure the same destiny (Mendez, 2013). In view of Gallup and Healthways information for US metropolitan factual ranges, 24/7 Wall St. audited the urban areas with the most noteworthy rates of heart ambushes. Managing director of Gallup.com said that by and large, occupants living in metro zones with high rates of heart strike likewise battle progressively with incessant health issues like high circulatory strain, heftiness, and diabetes. In Utica-Rome, NY, the top district in the nation for heart ambushes, an expected 43.3% of overviewed grown-ups reported experiencing high circulatory strain, compared to only 27.6% of grown-ups across the nation. The territory was additionally in the top five f or high cholesterol and stoutness (Mendez, 2013). Mendes clarified that Gallup has noted a relationship between low income and weakness, incorporating heart strike. Part of this may have to do with access to quality mind, weakness propensities identified with an absence of training or competitive, solid sustenance. In view of the latest Census information, the majority of the metro regions with the most elevated danger of coronary illness had average family unit incomes beneath the US figure of $50,502. In the meantime, the greater part of the 10 territories with

Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Information Systems - Essay Example The researcher of this essay provides the reader with detailed explanation of Apple's company success. From the earliest government sponsored projects to produce computers based on vacuum tubes to today’s multi-core systems, the saga of computer technology has seen major players ousted and minor players become leaders. While many companies have come and gone over the past 40 years, Apple Computer comes across as one of the companies which has stood the test of time and has managed to turn out convincing products that have given it an image of innovation and being a radical organization. The essay describes that Apple is an American company and one of the front runners amongst computer hardware, software and allied equipment manufacturers. The company prides itself on creating innovative products for the consumer electronics and technology sectors. In 2005, it posted global sales of nearly 14 Billion dollars and had more than fourteen thousand people working for it around the w orld. The researcher then uses different analysis models, such as Porter’s Five Forces, Value Chain, Competitive Advantage, Value Proposition, Revenue Model and Information System to describe and present Apple's corporative strengths and weaknesses in modern market. For example, the five forces model shows that Apple has a significantly strong position in the market for some of its products e.g. the iPod and the iTunes Music Store but for others it is positioned on rather weak footing e.g. personal computers.

Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Advertising - Essay Example My main argument bases on the fact that Advertisement is beneficial, and I support this notion. To support my views, I consider the choice of Unappreciated Benefits of advertising and commercial Speech by Adam Thierer. According to Adam Thierer, the State officials, the Attorney General and the Federal representatives are in the fore-front trying to regulate the process of advertising and commercial marketing. Many governing initiatives are being proposed while some are already in action. Adam Thierer mentions that these governing rules will adversely affect or reduce the process of commercial advertising or marketing on several platforms. The expected impact of this reduction in advertising and marketing are the direct and indirect harm to the consumer welfare, and the main cause is because most consumers; individuals, the community and society as a whole, depend on commercial speech for their respective brand of products (Clow, Kenneth & Donald Baack, 67). According to Adam Thierer, affected platforms comprise some of the old-fashioned media, which itself includes Radio and TV broadcasters and the newspapers. Other affected platforms include the brand new media outlets which comprises of online networks, internet, social networks, mobile devices, video games and some cooperative televisions. This increased governing activism would come into action in relation to products and issues like alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, children’s ads online advertising, during the children’s TV programs, the soundness of ads on TVs, product testimonials and the product engagement advertising. Possibly, the most prominent effort of these governing rules is the latest push to enforce a regulatory system on data collection and online advertising (Gifford & Clive, 37). And this was all in the name of enabling consumer privacy. And this is expected to include a â€Å"Do Not Track† technique.

Micro & Macro Economic Analysis - Electronic Arts Coursework

Micro & Macro Economic Analysis - Electronic Arts - Coursework Example Similarly if one variable falls, the other is destined too as well. Today In the modern world, the theory of demand and supply seizes more emphases of business analysts in decision making. Demand and Supply theory in the modern world of fierce competition enfolds a great deal of attention for strategic planning to achieve competitive advantage over rivals. The phrase â€Å"Demand and Supply† was first used by James Denham-Steuart in his book named â€Å"Inquiry into the Political Economy† which was published in 1767 (Steuart Denham et al, 1966). The theory discussed above is supplemented by the characteristics of the market in which the company exits. Conventionally there are four basic types of market structures. Perfect competition: such markets have many buyers and sellers, none being able to influence prices. Oligopoly: several large sellers who have some control over the prices. Monopoly: single seller with considerable control over supply and prices. Monopsony: single buyer with considerable control over demand and prices. The company with its gaming products operates in the Oligopolistic environment. Where there are several large producers but have a tendency to dominate major markets across the globe and influence some change in prices (Sloman, 2010). The concept of elasticity comes into play here. Elasticity is the measurement of how changing one economic variable affects the other. Elasticity of demand can be of three basic types; Price elasticity of demand – measuring the dynamics of the quantity demanded by the change in price. Income elasticity of demand – measures the dynamics of quantity demanded by changes in consumer income. Cross elasticity of demand – measures the responsiveness of quantity demanded by changes in price of another good. The concept in itself is a complete strategy. When ascertaining price of a product these elasticity’s should be kept in mind (Sloman, 2010). A detailed analysis of the Micro and Macroeconomic environment of Electronic Arts Inc is conducted below in detail, to explain the subject without obstruction. MICROECONOMIC ANALYSIS The demand and Supply theory as discussed above are amongst issues one needs to cater before planning product launch, indulging in price war s and budgeting for marketing. As the demand and supply curve has serious implications on the pricing strategies being adopted, there should be reasonable understanding of the subject matter before decisions are made. For the purpose of explaining the subject effortlessly, let’s consider the example of the world’s largest video game developer Electronic Arts, Inc. Electronic Arts (the company) is America’s largest developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. The company has a well diversified portfolio of products and geographical presence all over the globe. Under such circumstances the demand and supply implications are more severe for planning purposes as different conditions will be faced by the business analyst across geographical horizons. (Electronic Arts, 2011) Demand and supply has remained unchanged and unchallenged till date. There has always been a gap in the demand and su

The definition of intention in the case of Woolin lacks clarity. A Essay

The definition of intention in the case of Woolin lacks clarity. A legislative definition is necessary so as to ensure that ther - Essay Example In other words, the end result was not the intended outcome by the actor. Kugler further explained that much debate has been on the issue whether a case might be judged and the accused sentenced using the distinction between intention and recklessness. On the other hand, the intention of the actor has to be established as clearly as possible in passing out murder judgments to the defendant to avoid the temptation of involving judicial moralism in the cases. The problem in this case is extended by the introduction of morality in criminal jurisdictions. The use of a moral formula in defining the offence as kugler (2002) explained has been the cause of much acrimony in courts today. The use of the double effect doctrine inter alia, requires that, oblique intention should not be the same in all cases involving a crime of intention as well as using a moral formula in defining some offences in criminal cases. Ross (1996) in his explanation of morality, justice and judicial morality explain ed that the issue of introducing morality in corridors of justice has raised much concern and debates in courts. ... In the case of Woollin throwing the child in the room, which led to the child’s death, there lacks a clear defined intent in the action, which would make it possible for the juror to possibly infer on the laws of morality in sentencing the accused. It would therefore be more prudent to have clearly defined laws which would define the aspect of intent to avoid judicial morality in arguing out cases in the courts, which as Willson (2000) explained has been the dilemma in many criminal cases. The case of Regina v Woolin (1Cr. App. R. 8, 1999) involved a heated debate about the intent and the actual action of the accused that led to the death of a child, after Woolin threw the child in the room causing the child to suffer a fractured skull that led to his death. The accused on his defense argued that, the intention was to cause just slight harm to the child and was not to cause the death of the child through the serious harm suffered. From the case, it might be certain that Wollin had prior knowledge of his actions and was aware well in adverse that the action would result into serious harm to the child as could be defined by mens rea. The dilemma of intention was further brought out through the Nedrick case (83, Cr. App. R. 267, 1986) by Lord Lane, C.J. In the ruling the judge ruled that in a case where, the accused has been charged with murder and the jury have to decide whether the accused intended to kill or to inflict serious bodily harm, the jury cannot therefore infer the intention to the accused unless where the serious bodily harm might be of virtual certainty due to the defendants actions. Therefore, as Lacey (1993) explained, although the intent

Democracy and an Age of Democratization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Democracy and an Age of Democratization - Essay Example Two of the characteristics include competitive political parties and an independent judiciary. The presence of competitive political parties in the American democracy influences its ability to function effectively throughout the political system of the country. Political parties are so essential because they offer means through which citizens can be mobilized to support the vision of society. Mobilization happens during elections where the competing political parties, sell out their agendas and seek support from the public. During this process, the parties offer citizens with meaningful choices in the leadership of the country, and opportunity for participation in shaping their future nation. Within the political parties, the citizens interact freely to contest for public offices, express their vision for the society, and demonstrate their needs and interests (Gizzi et al 210). In an effective democracy, political parties develop a common vision for a significant group of the population so as to exert pressure on the political system of the country. This help to place the citi zens’ local interests on a national context. In the United State of America, citizens are usually divided on the basis of interests, policies, and leaders. This makes it easier for political parties to provide grounds for compromise as well as uniting the society. The political parties nominate leaders to assume leadership of the country and support them during the election period. They, therefore, form the main linkage between the government and the cultural, religious, ethnic, economic, and many other societal groups. Political parties also support certain legislation in an attempt to improve the welfare of the society and act on citizens’ interest (Gizzi et al 199).  

Empowering and delegating Essay Example for Free

Empowering and delegating Essay Delegation is the method of giving decision-making authority to lower-level employees. For the process to be successful, a worker must be able to obtain the resources and cooperation needed for successful completion of the delegated task. Empowerment of the workforce and task delegation is closely interrelated. Empowerment occurs when upper-level employees share power with lower-level employees. This involves providing the training, tools and management support that employees need to accomplish a task. Thus, the employee has both the authority and the means to accomplish the work. Even though authority can be delegated, responsibility cannot; the person who delegates a task is held responsible for its success in the end. Thus the assigned worker is liable for meeting the goals and objectives of the assignment (Camp 2006). Using successful delegation benefits management and subordinates within the organization. Possibly the most significant advantage for the company is a higher quality of work. At my workplace, delegation can improve quality of work by permitting the employees who have direct knowledge of the laws, regulations and procedures governing the administration of public assistance grants and programs and of interviewing and record keeping techniques to make decisions and complete tasks. Employees may do their work better because they may feel a personal liability for the ending result, even though responsibility ultimately rests with the person who made the delegation. Motivation should also be enhanced as delegation enriches the workers job by expanding the types of tasks that are involved in it (Camp 2006). â€Å"Effective delegation leverages the manager’s energy and talent and those of his or her subordinates. It allows managers to accomplish much more than they would be able to do on their own. Conversely, lack of delegation, or ineffective delegation, sharply reduces what a manager can achieve. The manager also saves one of his or her most valuable assets, time by giving some of his or her responsibility to somebody else. He or she is then free to devote energy to important, higher-level activities such as planning, setting objectives, and monitoring performance† (Bateman and Snell 2007). Empowered delegation can increase the coordination and integration of work by funneling information and final accountability through a single source (Whitten ump; Cameron, 2007, p. 467). Managers who delegate effectively also receive several personal benefits; most importantly, they have more time to do their own jobs when they assign tasks to others. Working in management can be chaotic and hectic at times, so time is very precious. The use of delegation gives management freedom to focus on managerial tasks such as planning, organizing and control. Managers can also benefit from the skill development of lower-level employees. With a more highly skilled workforce, they have more flexibility in making assignments and are more efficient decision makers. â€Å"Managers who develop their workforce are also likely to have high personal power with their staff and to be highly valued by their organization† (Camp 2006). Effective delegation is actually crucial for effective succession. The main task of a manager in a prosperous organization is ultimately to develop a successor. When this happens, everyone within the organization can progress to higher things. â€Å"As a giver of delegated tasks you must ensure delegation happens properly. Just as significantly, as the recipient of delegated tasks, you have the opportunity to manage upwards and suggest improvements to the delegation process and understanding especially if your boss could use the help† (Chatman 2008). Three behaviors to be practiced by a manager to enhance their skills in Delegating and Empowering are: Good Communicator Knowing what you want accomplished may seem clear in your head, but if you try to explain it to someone else and are met with a blank expression, you know there is a problem. Being able to clearly and succinctly describe what you want done is extremely important. If you can’t relate your vision to your team, you won’t all be working towards the same goal. The ability to communicate with people at all levels is a very important skill managers need to possess. Project leadership calls for clear communication about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and feedback. There is a great deal of value placed on openness and directness. The manager is also the teams link to the larger organization. The leader must have the ability to effectively negotiate and use persuasion when necessary to ensure the success of the team and project. Through effective communication, project leaders support individual and team achievements by creating explicit guidelines for accomplishing results and for the career advancement of team members. Training new members and creating a productive work environment all depend on healthy lines of communication. Whether that stems from an open door policy to your office, or making it a point to talk to your staff on a daily basis, making yourself available to discuss interoffice issues is vital. Your team will learn to trust and depend on you, and will be less hesitant to work harder. Ability to Inspire An effective manager is often described as having a vision of where to go and the ability to articulate it. Visionaries thrive on change and being able to draw new boundaries. It was once said that a leader is someone who lifts us up, gives us a reason for being and gives the vision and spirit to change. Visionary leaders enable people to feel they have a real stake in the project. They empower people to experience the vision on their own. According to Bennis They offer people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what the vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organization. (Bennis, 1997). Being Organized Organization is an obvious characteristic of a manager, but it manifests itself in a variety of ways, including in an ability to stay focused on the big picture and to prioritize competing responsibilities. In most projects, there are so many things that have to get done that its hard to stay on top of everything and in control of everything, says Kondo. Being able to prioritize work for your team is a critical aspect of what a manager has to do with respect to delegating and empowering. Conclusion In conclusion, allowing management to dedicate more time to important decision-making tasks while lower-level employees carry out assignments means that assignments are done in a more well-organized and lucrative manner. Additionally, as employees develop and progress in their own line of work, their skills to contribute to the company enhances also. Throughout the delegation process, management and employees must work together and communicate about the project. The manager should know the ideas at the beginning and inquire about progress or problems at periodic meetings and review sessions. Thus, even though the employee executes the task, management is available and currently aware of what’s going on. Many projects and issues are complex; therefore, managers will be pressed for times to address issues in a timely manner. The manager does not have to do it alone. The manager can delegate work. An effective manager does not mind delegating, for it can maximize the organization success, empower employees, and increase productivity. When a manager can delegate effectively it demonstrate leadership, and it maximizes the manager success. Without delegation and the empowerment that must accompany it, no organization and no manager can enjoy long-term success† (Whitten ump; Cameron, 2007, p. 467). Management within an organization that wants to find out how to successfully delegate should keep this quote in mind: â€Å"If you are not delegating, you are merely doing things; but the more you delegate, the more you are truly building and managing an organization† (Bateman and Snell 2007). References: Bateman, Thomas S. and Snell, Scott A. Management: Leading and Collaborating in a Competitive World, Seventh Edition. The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007 pages 266-269 Camp, Richard R. (2006). Delegation: Benefits of Delegation, Drawbacks of Delegation, Planning, Process. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/De-Ele/Delegation.html February 20, 2008 Chatman, Alan (2008). Effective Delegating Authority Skills, Tasks and the Process of Effective Delegation. Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/delegation.htm February 21, 2008 Chatman, Alan (2008). Goal planning – Personal Aims, Targets, Goals, Visions, and Life-Changes – Making Things Happen. Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/goal_planning.htm February 21, 2008 Bennis, W., 1997. Learning to Lead, Addison-Wesley, MA.

Environmental Sustainability Practices with ICT

Environmental Sustainability Practices with ICT MGDI60701 Implementing Environmental Sustainability Practices in Developing Countries through ICT Wordcount: 4370 (excluding references) Introduction An outstanding attributes of ICT (information and communications technology) is its crosscutting aspect and its speed, with regards to quick adaptation (Pohjola, 2003). For instance, about four decades ago television broadcasting, landline telephone and postal deliveries were the key mediators in the flow of information, but this flow of information occurred only on one direction. User-generated content was very minimal. However, in the current day and age, countries around the world have been more interconnected via several facilities of ICT and the flow of information happens in multiple directions, with very heavy influence of user-generated content especially through social media (Yin et al., 2012). ICT has not only emerged to be a significant industry on itself but has pervaded all aspects in day-to-day life. Studies have indicated that ICT has a remarkable impact on socio-economic development generally, and environmental sustainability specifically. Whereas this could be true, in developing countries such as Nigeria little research has been achieved in pinpointing the approaches through which ICT could be harnessed for environmental sustainability. There exists no consensus on the definition of developing country from the United Nations or the World Bank, and this study has adopted the definition of developing country that has been offered by Library of Congress, which is a country whereby: the majority of population makes far less income, and has significantly weaker social indicatorsand often lacks basic public services-than the population in highly-industrialized countries (LOC, 2016, p. 1).This paper is based on literature review and it investigates how ICT can be harnessed in implementing environmental sustainability practices in developing countries. Overview of environmental crisis One global reality existing today is environmental crisis. The International Telecommunications Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations, has made the affirmation that the existing increasing concern about life on planet earth is heavily influenced by the impact of humans on the environment, particularly natural environment (Schwabach, 2006). In that manner, improving resource management practices, raising awareness, getting to sustainable development as well as enhancing the environmental performance makes up the key issues which require worldwide attention. International community has asserted this point by encompassing environmental sustainability to be part of MDGs (Millennium Development Goals). Achieving environmental sustainability nonetheless demands strategies that are innovative. In light of this, awareness of the nature of environmental challenges in developing countries is a key requirement. With regards to developing countries, environmental crisis happens to be a real occurrence and the impact has been widely felt physically, economically and socially. In the Fox (2004) study assessing environmental degradation in one developing country, Tanzania, the study observed that there are big environmental disasters in that country to affect that big rivers were drying up. Practices leading to this included severe deforestation and clearance of natural vegetation for agriculture purposes. Apart from drying up of rivers and increased river sedimentation, reduced rainfall has also impacted on the health of the citizens in the region and has undermined the possibility of sustainable development. Tanzania has been shown to be requiring a number of approaches so as to address these challenges that have been posed by such an environmental crisis. Affirming a capacity of ICTs in enhancing the environmental sustainability in developing countries, ICTs have been contended to be having the capability of playing a significant role in developmental and economic sectors (Kapurubandara Lawson, 2006). Nonetheless ICT has been demonstrated to be complex and multifaceted, and its environmental impact could both be beneficial or adverse. This implies that a careful planning on how to integrate ICT in environmental sustainability practices of the developing countries is highly important. As a result of this, the following section analyses whether and how ICT can assist in delivering the environmental sustainability goal in developing countries. ICT for environmental sustainability practices in developing countries Houghton (2009) as well as Minasyan (2006) observed that an intricate relationship exists between ICT and the environment. This is due to the observation that ICTs could have both positive and negative roles with regards to the environment. Some of the positive roles have been demonstrated to be better energy efficiency, recycling and substitution for travel/transport; negative roles have been demonstrated to be energy consumption, increasing amounts of e-waste such as from discarded CRT monitors and low life cycle of the products (ITU, 2008). Being a medium for networking and information, it has been demonstrated that ICT has the capability of enabling citizens in the developing countries to adopt the role of environmental enforcement agents and alert the authorities to acts of environmental infringement. A host of important environmental aspects have been identified whereby ICT could be used and as such enhance environmental sustainability. Environmental studies The possible role of ICT in environmental sustainability practices starts with the usefulness of ICT in environmental studies. International Telecommunications Union has reiterated that ICT offers an unprecedented capability to collecting and processing environmental data which far outweighs the capability of any person and may encompass the whole terrestrial system. From the complex environment, ICT could assist in simplifying and understanding impact of mankind on environment. This can be achieved through the aid of increasingly interconnected and powerful platforms of computing which have been combined with large information databases. Moreover, ICT has been identified as a significant tool for carrying out empirical studies relating to environmental issues. It has previously been observed that new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) may represent appropriate tools to support environmental research and its transmission to policy-makers and the general public (Chiabai et al., 2013, p.89). In aggregate, using ICT to carry out environmental studies is associated with a host of economic and scientific benefits as well as having a political implication. Some of the scientific benefits have been shown to be enhanced multidisciplinary studies. Political implications of using ICT are that interface with the policy-makers can be created, and citizens can participate in the decision-making processes concerning environmental sustainability practices. Environmental observation ICT can be used for environmental observation in the developing countries (Houghton, 2009). Generally, the environmental systems are made up of terrestrial and aquatic categories. The terrestrial component is made up of forests, grasslands, mountains and so forth whereas the aquatic components is made up of marine, freshwater, wetlands and so forth. Tools of ICT that can be employed in these developing countries include remote sensing, telemetric systems among others. This observation can lead to better monitoring of the environmental practices. The e-monitoring systems can be used as environmental screening tools as well as mapping tools which offer the relevant authorities reliable data with which to highlight pollution issues, and these can then be applied for further evaluating and analysing the environmental concern. E-monitoring could offer both summary data and detailed data in the developing countries for both environmental and demographic attributes. For example, ICT has been applied in monitoring the deforestation of the Amazon forest in Brazil; satellite imagery is used in identifying deforestation and this is then mapped on a geographic information system (GIS). Data from this GIS has been made public in Brazil in recent years and this offers greater public awareness on the environmentally destructive practices. Data from this GIS has been identified to have been very instrumental in effecting policy changes in Brazil, which have included crafting, implementing and enforcing legislations for controlling deforestation, and gazetting more protected areas. It is common for forest rangers to go to areas showing deforestation activity from the satellite imagery received in combination with Global Positioning System (GPS), and then take necessary action to prevent further deforestation activity. Nonetheless some challenges have been identified in this approach: the GIS offer low resolution and thus offer only a rough identification concerning the deforested area; the Amazon is big but the rangers have limited capacity as such the data from the system is not used in real time (Hayes Rajao, 2011). Moreover, in developing countries where the internet penetration is low, radio calls and mobile telephones could be applied in reporting environmental degradation activities and for facilitating community mobilization to confront such activities. Mitigation of climate change Activities to mitigate against climate change are targeted at minimizing the negative impacts of the climate change on the environment. Several manners exist which ICTs can be applied in mitigating against environmental impacts in developing countries, such as through observation and monitoring as previous mentioned, through enabling better efficiency in utilization of resources, via dematerialization for example e-books instead of paper-printed books, through substitution for transport for example video conferencing instead of travel. A number of studies such as Patt Schrotter (2008) exist showing how ICT can assist in mitigating against climate change. Developing countries face a host of challenges with regards to providing infrastructure as the economies grow. The challenges in meeting the growing demands have been shown to be driving the investments in these developing countries towards solutions that present more energy efficiency. For example, limitations on the capacity of electricity generation and the transmission have resulted into more development of smart grid in China and India. This has led to an improved energy efficiency level and has reduced the expansion rate of the coal-powered electricity plants. These smart grids have been shown by Boccaletti et al. (2008) to have resulted into reduced carbon emissions as a result of lower use of the coal-powered plants. ICTs have played a major role in improving the efficiency in addition to controlling and managing power grids. The impact that ICT plays in the smart grids has been detailed in studies that have been issued by Bolton and Foxon (2011). With the investments in infrastructure for the next three decades taking place currently, this presents opportunities for developing countries to jump into the smart grid bandwagon, minimise power loss and gain from greater energy efficiency. For instance, in India, North Delhi Power has invested in smart grid (Balijepalli et al., 2010). However, some concerns have been raised; increased efficiency might result into more use of the ICT-enabled energy saving features, which consequently leads to more energy being used and this cancels out the previous gains. Recognizing this challenge, the government of China, has recently come up with the China Motor Systems Energy Conservation Program which would assist in meeting the targets of energy efficiency (McKane et al., 2003). Easing environmental pressure After the collection and storage of the environmental data via observation, a number of ICT tools could be used in computing and processing so as to carry out analysis. For instance, environmental modelling software as well as grid computing has been of assistance in the awareness of how the ecosystems function as well as the environmental complexities. Developing countries, especially in Africa, are highly dependent on agriculture even though the modes of farming are largely inefficient. Managing, monitoring and mapping waterways, forests and lands are some of the important actions that improve the sustainability of the environment and efficiency of practices in such countries (Longley, 2005). Geographic information systems offer significant opportunities in waterway and land management and monitoring in Africa, Himalayan region and South East Asia (Minasyan, 2006). Just like everywhere else, information is very important in making it possible for people to undertake choices that are more sustainable and get the benefits from their activities, in addition to support, awareness and education. In developing countries there are various examples on how mobile phones as well as wireless connection can offer a massive opportunity in handling environmental pressure where fixed telephone lines are not developed (World Bank, 2012). For instance, initiatives include using geographical information system in Lake Victoria of East Africa, to offer support to the management of natural resources (Scheren et al., 2000). In the Pearl River Delta of China, it is common to have an integrated ecosystem modelling, sensing and monitoring (Weng, 2001). By observing how vulnerable the rural commu nities in developing countries are, Tyler Fajber (2009) observed the significance of having information access. For instance, in the Philippines, one mobile service provider SMART partnered with Manila Observatory to offer telemetric rain gauge and telephones in areas which are prone to environmental disasters like landslides. The local farmers assess the rain gauge and submit the information to the Manila Observatory, whereas the Manila Observatory could also utilise these telephones to give the farmers early warnings (Houghton, 2010). Adaptation to climate change Offering early warnings as well as monitoring of events that are induced by climate change, such as tsunami or drought, plays a very significant role. In developing countries, ICT has enabled a number of initiatives. One example is a network that has been funded by USAID called Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). This network brings together national and regional partners in offering information concerning the arising and changing issues on food security. The FEWS NET participants in developing countries analyse and monitor the information concerning the climate so as to understand the possible threats and effects on livelihoods. After they have been identified, the FEWS NET utilizes a host of ICTs in aiding the decision makers (Verdin et al., 2005). A second example is the PreventionWeb which caters to the information demands of the community seeking disaster risk reduction. The ICT-enabled activities under PreventionWeb include tools for exchanging information. ICTs have also been utilized in coming up with impact models, that have been used by decision makers and practitioners in making predictions on the agricultural effects of the climate change. Such impact models have been used in developing countries such as South Africa, whereby it was shown that there exists a correlation between a lowered production of dry land staple and heightened historical temperature (Dube Jury, 2000); in Nigeria whereby an EPIC model was used in giving forecasts on the crop yields in the twenty first century (Adejuwon, 2008); in Egypt whereby the production of crops under the existing climatic conditions was compared with the conditions that were modelled for the year 2050 (Abdel-Gawadh et al., 2004), as well as the Thornton et al. (2009) study which mapped African regions in terms of their vulnerability to climate change. In the same manner, GIS as well as remote sensing are used by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to investigate the patterns of rainfall in Africa and Asia. By identifying the vulnerable areas, ICTs make it possible to implement various responses, whereby information networks have a significant role to play. Technology transfer for environment sustainability practices ICTs play a key role in technology transfer for environment sustainability practices. The Bali Action Plan entailed that developed countries assist the developing countries to pursue mitigation activities appropriate to each nation with regards to sustainable development, and at the same time not compromise the growth of those countries, through a transfer of technology and finance from the developed countries. One such technology transfer is through a clearinghouse for technology information called TT:clear. This provides an internet-based platform for information sharing in order to access a number of information sources such as case studies (Houghton, 2009). An objective is in offering information that is valuable to the various stakeholders on matters related to technology transfer, in order to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The TT:clear platform targets developing countries to consider the opportunities regarding technology transfer by assisting such countries gain an awa reness of the available technologies. The platform also makes it possible to exchange views and experiences on developing and transferring technology. Another platform that exists is called GIS Development. This refers to a Geospatial Communication Network promoting the utilization of GIS applications and the GIS technology in developing countries. GIS Development aids the governments and communities in the developing countries to enhance their management capabilities, policies and productivity through facilitation of knowledge transfer. Moreover, GIS Development fosters increasing network of persons interested in geo-informatics, encouraging a scientific know-how exchange (Ramachandra Kumar, 2010). By fusing the information provided with education and research, these platforms offer experience, expertise and information touching on adapting to environmental changes. Such flows of information play significant roles in the transfer of technology into the developing countries. Planning and environmental strategy Good decision-making needs to happen using the information that is available. As such, environmental information which has been picked by observing and has been evaluated by using the technology happens to be relevant in the decision-making, planning and formulation of policies. By utilizing ICTs, such a process entails classifying a host of environmental issues (Houghton, 2009). For instance, the environmental information that can be applied in agriculture could be elicited via using ICTs. The International Telecommunications Union has argued that the monitoring systems which use ICTs could be created to predict the effect of the manmade and natural disasters in developing as well as developed countries. For example, one important tool in the environmental planning is the Environmental Impact Assessment (Hayes Rajao, 2011). A developing country seeking for loans from World Bank needs to demonstrate environmental planning which is produced via an Environmental Impact Assessment. Thi s shows that ICTs could be of assistance in this respect by, among other things, enhancing the communications between the different stakeholders in the collection of the environmental information. Apart from this stakeholder engagement, ICTs could also assist in making informed decisions, delivery of policy, learning and feedback as well as capacity building in the institutions (Ospina Heeks, 2011). The Resilience Assessment Benchmarking and Impact Toolkit (RABIT) framework One framework that can be applied is the Resilience Assessment Benchmarking and Impact Toolkit (RABIT) which has recently been used by Ospina Heeks (2016) to gauge the effect on resilience of ICTs in two developing countries, Uganda and Costa Rica. Instead of trying to be a kind of cross-country benchmarking, the RABIT framework can be applied on a country-specific basis, and it would get the specific countrys representatives to undertake a discussion on the link between ICTs and the sub-properties of resilience which are rapidity, equality, diversity and flexibility, scale, self-organization, robustness, learning and redundancy. From this, the developing country representatives can derive relevance, meaning, priority and so forth, for their specific country. This can emerge to be a productive approach forward in looking to strengthen the link between ICTs and the resilience in developing countries. The RABIT framework is especially appropriate for developing countries since they ar e most vulnerable to the impacts of stressors and external shocks, including being the first to be affected by climate change as a result of lacking mitigating infrastructure. Some of the key characteristics or markers of resilience are shown in table 1 below: Table 1: Markers of resilience according to the RABIT framework Attribute of resilience Markers Attributes that are foundational Learning Reflective thinking; Capacity building Self-organization Local leadership; Consensus-building and collaboration Robustness Institutional capacity; Physical preparedness Attributes that are enabling Equality Accountability and openness; Participation and inclusiveness Flexibility and diversity Mechanism for innovation; Decision-making that is adaptable Scale Networks that are intra-level; Networks that are multi-level Rapidity Resource mobilization; Rapid detection and assessment of issues Redundancy Functional overlap; Substitutability of resource Adapted from: Ospina Heeks (2016, p.20) The markers are equally applicable in developing countries down to the community level. The RABIT framework can be implemented through document review followed by conducting focus groups, semi-structured interviews and surveys on the communities in developing countries (Ospina Heeks, 2016). ICTs could be used to strengthen the resilience in the developing countries. In 2012, a report by the World Bank highlighted the roles that ICTs play in preventing the impacts of emergencies induced by climate change in the developing countries of Africa (World Bank, 2012). The report sought to achieve an understanding of the trends of ICTs impacts that could be existing in developing countries that had analogous structures of political economy, in relation to leveraging the ICT in the public sectors. From this World Bank report, GIS aids the local governments to identify on a map, the zones that are at flood risk, gauge the vulnerability of the community towards the floods and plan for new infrastructure that would prevent floods. Some ICTs tools used include Early Warning Systems which were used in simulating patterns of weather and predicting disasters (World Bank, 2012). In this way, ICTs can be said to have the potential of strengthening the resilience in the developing countrie s. This is also referred to as e-resilience. This can be done through improving each of the attributes of resilience as noted by (Ospina Heeks, 2011): rapidity, equality, diversity and flexibility, scale, self-organization, robustness, learning and redundancy. For instance, with regards to redundancy, mobile phones or other ICTs could be used in delivering resources whereas with regards to robustness, GIS can utilised in planning where physical defences such as dykes can be located. The future and potential challenges of using the Resilience Assessment Benchmarking and Impact Toolkit (RABIT) framework for implementing environmental sustainability practices in one developing country, Tanzania Governmental as well as non-governmental organizations in Tanzania report that some of the environmental problems in the country include unsustainable and illegal deforestation as most Tanzanians rely on firewood for energy needs; overgrazing an unsustainable management of range due to large cattle sizes putting pressure on the natural carrying capacity of the land; high levels of water and air pollution; as well as unsustainable and illegal exploitation of wildlife (Mniwasa Shauri, 2001). The RABIT framework can be applied to improve environmental sustainability practices in Tanzania. The RABIT framework helps in building resilience and this presents huge opportunities for introducing considerable and lasting changes across Tanzania with regards to environmental sustainability practices. ICTs can support the relevance of the RABIT framework in Tanzania. There is an increasing penetration of mobile phone usage in Tanzania, more than any other ICT in the country (Van Genuchten, 2012; Fox, 2004). There has also been a rise in social media use in Tanzania, and this has especially helped with the rapidity attribute of the RABIT framework. Users can generate the content on where they see environmental degradation activities. The fast pace of the uptake and penetration of mobile telephony in Tanzania has supported many breakthrough ideas in environmental sustainability, as was observed by Fox (2004). However, these developments have been accompanied by considerable challenges and potential threats to the efficacy of ICT in supporting the implementation of environmentally sustainable practices, in Tanzania. One such challenge lies in the scale and sustainability of the programs initiated. The initiatives are relatively ad-hoc and happen in individual isolated regions of Tanzania, such as the study by Fox (2004) which concentrated the initiatives in only in the regions of Usangu Catchment, Ihefu Wetland and Great Ruaha River Ecosystem. As such, thus there are very limited large-scale and sustainable ICT-supported initiatives taking place in Tanzania. In order to bring out the total potential of ICT in the country, there needs to be a new inter-regional collaboration in order to enlarge the scale of the impacts. A second challenge in Tanzania is in the pace of change of ICTs. Technology is a very dynamic concept, and one thing that might work perfectly today may be rendered obsolete in few years (Chiabai et al., 2013). For instance, mobile telephone calls have largely replaced radio calls in regions of Tanzania that had inexistent telephone landlines (Van Genuchten, 2012), and in turn mobile phone calls are increasingly being replaced by instant messaging apps such as Whatsapp (Shearman, Olomi, Patel, 2013). This has happened in a space of less than ten years, all with the aim of achieving better efficiency. Similarly, radio communication which was popular in Tanzania where landline infrastructure was non-existent has increasingly been replaced by mobile telephony (Balijepalli et al., 2010). The costs involved in replacing the obsolete ICTs could be challenging to a poor country like Tanzania, especially if incurred on a large scale. Conclusion and Recommendations The paper has observed that an intricate relationship exists between ICT and the environment. This is due to the observation that ICTs could have both positive and negative roles with regards to the environment. Some of the positive roles have been demonstrated to be better energy efficiency, recycling and substitution for travel/transport; negative roles have been demonstrated to be energy consumption, increasing amounts of e-waste such as from discarded CRT monitors and low life cycle of the products. Being a medium for networking and information, it has been demonstrated that ICT has the capability of enabling citizens in the developing countries to adopt the role of environmental enforcement agents and alert the authorities to acts of environmental infringement. A host of important environmental aspects have been identified whereby ICT could be used and as such enhance environmental sustainability. ICT plays significant role in environmental studies as it offers an unprecedented capability to collecting and processing environmental data; environmental observation through tools such as remote sensing, telemetric systems among others; mitigating climate change through activities such as developing smart grid in China and India; easing environmental pressure through environmental modelling software as well as grid computing; adaptation to climate change through tools such as Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET); technology transfer as a result of the Bali Action Plan; planning and environmental strategy through tools such as the Environmental Impact Assessment, and building resilience through rapidity, equality, diversity and flexibility, scale, self-organization, robustness, learning and redundancy. In future, the technologies that are likely to support these ICT activities in developing countries with respect to environmentally sustainable practices include mobile telephony, internet, social media, digital data, cloud computing and increasing pres ence of smartphones. Challenges lie in the scale and sustainability of the programs initiated as well as the rapidly shifting technology that may be expensive for the ICT initiatives in the long run. Moreover, ICT has been demonstrated to be complex and multifaceted, and its environmental impact could both be beneficial or adverse. ICT can assist in delivering the environmental sustainability goal in developing countries but there needs to be a new multi-national collaboration level in order to enlarge the scale of the impacts of the ICT initiatives in environmental sustainability practices. One framework that can be applied is the Resilience Assessment Benchmarking and Impact Toolkit (RABIT) which has recently been applied successfully in two developing countries. References Abdel-Gawadh, S.T., Kandil, M. and Sadek, T.M. (2004). Water scarcity prospects in Egypt 2000-2050. In Environmental Challenges in the Mediterranean 2000-2050 (pp. 187-203). Springer Netherlands. Adejuwon, J.O. (2008). Vulnerability in Nigeria: A national-level assessment. Climate Change and Vulnerability, pp. 198-217. Balijepalli, V.M., Khaparde, S.A., Gupta, R.P. and Pradeep, Y. (2010). SmartGrid initiatives and power market in India. In IEEE PES General Meeting (pp. 1-7). IEEE. Boccaletti, G., LÃ ¶ffler, M. and Oppenheim, J.M. (2008). How IT can cut carbon emissions. McKinsey Quarterly, 37, pp. 37-41. Bolton, R. and Foxon, T.J. (2011). Governing infrastructure networks for a low carbon

My First Driving Experience

My First Driving Experience My First Driving Test Some people think that their lives are hard and full of disappointment; well I am one of those people. I am a hard worker, but no matter what I do, I still face problems. It is as if my life is an ocean of endless problems and disappointments; however one of the disappointments I have faced happens to be the most interesting part of my life. I had been learning how to drive for a whole month. I was spending part of my everyday life in a car listening to instructions from a boring old man, but I kept up with that to get my license and enjoy the freedom of being able to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. The day I had my driving test was the day I would find out if all the effort and time I had put into driving was worth it or not. The day before my driving test was one of the worst and darkest days of my life because I was extremely nervous and worried about the judgment day, which was the next day. My brothers and sisters teased me for studying so hard to get my driving permit. Although I studied hard, I got my permit after doing my second test, which most of my family and friends thought was ridiculous. I spent four hours with my driving instructor making sure I knew everything that I had to know. We went through all the instructions and all other details that there was to know. I usually sleep late, but on the day before my driving test I slept unusually early. During my sleep, I dreamt of being in a car with the police officer sitting on the passenger seat screaming â€Å"You are a failure in driving† and that made me wake up in the middle of the night sweating. I kept imagining failing the test the next day, and I couldnt stop thinking about it. However, I tried to stop thinking about tomorrow and tried to get a good nights sleep, which would be an advantage for me when taking the test. Finally, I slept like a baby without any nightmares this time. On the big day, I woke up to my alarm and got ready to be picked up by my instructor to go to the police station, where I would have my driving test. I was very nervous, and my instructor, while we were on the way to the police station, said that I was not driving as well as I always do. I had been turning without informing other drivers that I was going to, by using the indicator. Once I got to the police station, I was waiting in the car for the police officer to arrive and start my test. I couldnt help it but imagine that he would be an old man with eyes crossed and that he would be laughing evilly, when failing me. When the officer got in the car, thats when I got even more nervous and my legs were vibrating as if I was a phone that was being called. My dad told me, the day before, not to let the officer see me tense, or else he wouldnt pass me in the test. Unfortunately, any person who laid his eyes on me would notice how tense I was. However, I tried to calm myself down, so I t hought about the long period I had been learning how to drive and convinced myself that it would be a piece of cake. Moreover, my older brothers and sisters got their licenses without learning as much as I did. Before leaving the police station, I took one last look at the place where I would be coming back to get my license. Then I started the car and the officer was directing me on where to go; however, I kept imagining all the things that could have went wrong or even worst if I failed the test. I was told to make a right turn, when my mind went blank and I didnt know where my left was, or my right. I tried remembering that my right would be towards the arm I use to write. Once I got to my first stop sign I asked myself â€Å"Is this going to be the sign that would fail me?† It failed two of my friends in the past. Luckily, I stopped at the sign smoothly thanks to all the training I had. After that, the officer took me to the parking lot of a gas station where I was tested for parallel parking. The space in which I had to park looked so extremely small that it would be impossible to park in. I did my best and tried recalling every step my instructor taught me and finally did it in success. When I was leaving the parking spot, something unexpected happened. A teenage girl was walking in front of the car, but I failed to notice her because I was looking at the cars coming from the back. Instinctively, I had to hit the brakes hard and caused both of us, the police officer and me, to bend towards the front of the car. At that moment, I thought I had ruined my perfect driving and gave the officer the excuse he was looking for to fail me. In order to reduce the tension, I asked the officer calmly, â€Å"Are you alright?† and he replied, â€Å"I am fine, but dont do that again, concentrate.† Then, I found out that I might still have a chance to pass this test, since the officer didnt ask me to go back to the station. I pulled myself together and continued driving, while listening to the instruction from the officer. Just when I felt relieved and everything was going well, I heard a siren. It was a fast ambulance approaching from behind, which got me all nervous again because the road was so slim that I couldnt move to the right to provide enough space for the ambulance to pass. Suddenly, I started accelerating to keep a distance from the ambulance and hoped eventually it would turn at some other street. Luckily, the ambulance did disappear from my rearview mirror; I guess it did turn somewhere. Ive always tried to figure out why I chose to speed up, instead of waiting for the officers instructions, but I never found an answer. After losing the ambulance, I was shocked for a while, and I was in a separate world wondering about what just happened. I couldnt hear the officer instructing me to turn right. He kept telling me to turn till he eventually slapped my shoulders to get my attention. That is when I snapped out of my daydream and heard the officer instructing me to turn back to the station. Unfortunately, I failed the test because of lack of concentration and speeding. Every time I recall my first driving test, I really feel disappointed in myself because of my bad decision-making. However, I did pass the test eventually and got my license. I am a good driver now, and my friends dont have to worry about my driving when sitting in my car anymore. At last, I am also able to experience the freedom of being able to go wherever I desire. Although I was really disappointed about the test result, it was something that reminds me to stand up every time I fall. People shouldnt give up once they fail in any part of life because hard work isnt the only factor that plays roles in the results of different events in life. Other factors may influence the results too, such as luck, place and time. I was unlucky because I was on the same road as the ambulance, while I was taking my driving test, and that made me fail the test. I have just came to America to start studying higher education, and I was told that I have to do the driving test, in order to get a temporary Texas driving license and be able to drive here. Therefore, I would have to go through the bad experience of a driving test again. I just hope that it will be easier this time and I wont be out of luck.

The James Bond Phenomenon :: essays research papers

The James Bond Phenomenon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  James Bond has gone through a lot of changes in the years with 19 films. James Bond has been played by Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, George Lazneby, to Pierce Bronsman. All being great James Bond characters. The best of them being Sean Connery, why? I don't know why, he has always just been a better actor in every movie he has been in. Then comes Pierce Bronsman because he has been in movies for my generation and I can relate with the stuff going on in his movies. Then would come Timothy Dalton because he looks and acts a lot like Pierce Bronsman. I would guess Roger Moore comes in fourth, why? because I HATE George Lazneby and I have no where else to put him. George Lazenby comes in way last because he is not a actor, he is a talking mannequin. They have all gone through different types of adventures, well ok they were all action/spy problems but they were all different, in some ways anyway. Hey if they suck so much why can't you stop watching them? Why have they made so many of them? eh? thats what I thought. I had my doubts about watching all these James Bond movies, but they were all good. Sean Connery Played a nice cool, slick James Bond, well so did the others but he was better at it because he naturally is cool and slick. Pierce Bronsman played also as a cool, slick James Bond, he really looked like he was a spy, he kept his cool, I really liked that scene in Golden Eye when he is at the tanks of fuel where the satellite comes out of the water and they are shooting at him and there is sparks right next to his eye and he keeps on doing what he is doing. Talk bout a great and intense scene there. Timothy Dalton played as fast acting, nervous person as he played James bond. In my opinion he looked very nervous and very like hyper, he really wasn't that good, but he looked like he was a really bad acting Pierce Bronsman. Roger Moore, well he TRYED to act as a cool, slick James Bond, but he didn't really pull it off right, he just looked like a big dork in my opinion, he wasn't aggressive enough to be a good James Bond. He tryed to be aggressive but he just made a fool of him self, In his movie Live and Let die, the co-starring actors and actresses really made The James Bond Phenomenon :: essays research papers The James Bond Phenomenon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  James Bond has gone through a lot of changes in the years with 19 films. James Bond has been played by Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, George Lazneby, to Pierce Bronsman. All being great James Bond characters. The best of them being Sean Connery, why? I don't know why, he has always just been a better actor in every movie he has been in. Then comes Pierce Bronsman because he has been in movies for my generation and I can relate with the stuff going on in his movies. Then would come Timothy Dalton because he looks and acts a lot like Pierce Bronsman. I would guess Roger Moore comes in fourth, why? because I HATE George Lazneby and I have no where else to put him. George Lazenby comes in way last because he is not a actor, he is a talking mannequin. They have all gone through different types of adventures, well ok they were all action/spy problems but they were all different, in some ways anyway. Hey if they suck so much why can't you stop watching them? Why have they made so many of them? eh? thats what I thought. I had my doubts about watching all these James Bond movies, but they were all good. Sean Connery Played a nice cool, slick James Bond, well so did the others but he was better at it because he naturally is cool and slick. Pierce Bronsman played also as a cool, slick James Bond, he really looked like he was a spy, he kept his cool, I really liked that scene in Golden Eye when he is at the tanks of fuel where the satellite comes out of the water and they are shooting at him and there is sparks right next to his eye and he keeps on doing what he is doing. Talk bout a great and intense scene there. Timothy Dalton played as fast acting, nervous person as he played James bond. In my opinion he looked very nervous and very like hyper, he really wasn't that good, but he looked like he was a really bad acting Pierce Bronsman. Roger Moore, well he TRYED to act as a cool, slick James Bond, but he didn't really pull it off right, he just looked like a big dork in my opinion, he wasn't aggressive enough to be a good James Bond. He tryed to be aggressive but he just made a fool of him self, In his movie Live and Let die, the co-starring actors and actresses really made

Universities and Science Programs Essay -- Education, college

November, 19, 2015 Dear Sir, So as to give an opportunity for universities to cut the resources that they often spend to science programs for art students, I am submitting to you a report on the importance of allowing college students that are undertaking art programs the option of selecting science courses as their minors. Most of the information that is contained herein has been reasoned from personal experiences, Interactions with fellow students, and importantly, academic research. In case of any clarifications, feel free to contact me. Yours Sincerely, Concerned Contents Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Background†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..5 Problem Statement†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......5 Methodology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.5 Findings/Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦6 Different Interests†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 Time Resource†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...7 The Purpose of Education†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......................8 The Importance of Choice†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.8 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Executive Summary Currently, many colleges require that art students undertake science courses as their minors. The main argument behind such a direction is that art students will be thus equipped with prerequisite science skills, which they can then apply in their field. However, such an argument has not considered the incorporation of science units in most of the arts programs, which on their own, can help to equip art students with basic skills like statistics, computer studies, and the use of the internet. A number of issues that influence the intention and the process of learning should be considered on the subject abo... ...vels of innovation in science and arts will be required. Therefore, the challenge is for our colleges to produce educated personalities that will help in tackling the many challenges that will always be present in our society. To some extent, education is not about taking up multiple courses, and obtaining high grades. Rather, education is more about equipping yourself with interesting, challenging, and inquisitive knowledge. A meaningful process of education can hardly exist in an environment that is devoid of freedom and interest to someone. Such a truth needs to be considered when debating on the issues that I have discussed above. As I have presented here, it is useful that art students are not compelled to undertake science courses. Such a direction is important in enhancing the capacity of students to enjoy, and therefore, fruitfully participate in learning.

Piercing the Corporate Veil Essay -- Papers

Piercing the Corporate Veil Since the establishment in Salomon v Salomon, the separate legal personality has been long recognised in English law for centuries, that is to say, a limited liability company has its own legal identity distinct from its shareholders or directors. However, in certain circumstances the courts may be prepared to look behind the company at the actions of the directors and shareholders. This is known as "piercing the corporate veil". There are numerous cases concerning the "piercing the corporate veil", among which, Jones v Lipman[1] was a typical case. Lipman sold land to Jones by a written contract but refused to complete the sale because of another good deal, instead he offered damages for breach of contract. To put the house out of reach of Jones, he bought a company "off the shelf" and conveyed the house to it. In an action against Lipman and the company, the court granted the specific performance and ruled that "the defendant company is the creature of the first defendant, a device and ...

Diabetes in Developing Countries

Diabetes in developing countries Deaths from diabetes, which has two primary forms including type1 and type2 diabetes, have become a significant problem in the world. Nowadays, diabetes is still a disease not having precise method to cure. As a result of surplus blood sugar, it has a negative effect on the human body and leads to several complications, such as vision problems, kidney damage, nerve damage and heart and circulation problems (Pollock, 2006). Consequently, the increased risk of these diseases makes it become one of the major causes of deaths.For example, according to the WHO (2011), more than 346 million people were diagnosed with it worldwide and between 50% and 80% of them died from CVD. With the development of health care, the mortality in developed countries was decrease, while the situation in developing countries is so serious that 80% of diabetes deaths exist in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2011). For instance, such countries in The Middle East, Pacific I slands and Southeast Asia had 115million diabetic patients in 2000 and the WHO (2011) predicts that the number will double between 2005 and 2030.To mitigate the effects of diabetes, the causes of it need to be detected. Type 1 diabetes, which is known by lacking insulin production, results from several causes and possible factors. First, genes attribute mainly to it. More than 18 genetic locations related to it have been discovered by researchers and they have found that people with an especially HLA complex which means human leukocyte antigen, are more likely to develop it. A good illustration of it is other autoimmune disorders may caused by such complexes, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (Smith, 2010).The second factor is a viral infection which may affects the disease by attacking immune system. For instance, Kamiah (2010) states that a series of diseases from gastrointestinal problems to myocarditis can created by the coxsa ckie B virus. In addition, there are some special conditions which may attribute to it. For example, certain drugs including corticosteroids, beta blockers, and phenytoin, rare genetic disorders such as Klinefelter syndrome and Wolfram syndrome, and hormonal disorders such as acromegaly and hyperthyroidism all raise the possibility of it (Simon, 2009).It has been one of the most increased diseases worldwide, however, type 2 diabetes is more common. Unlike type 1 diabetes, causes of type 2 diabetes, which results from the ineffective use of insulin (WHO,2011), usually are multifactorial. First, being overweight or obese is a primary reason for it. The increased risk of it may bring several complications including heart disease, stroke and some cancers. A good illustration of this is 82% of people with it are caused by overweight or obese and such complications (Vann,2009).The second is genetic factors which have been found more than 10 genic material associated with it. For example, there are more possibilities for people to get it if they have close relatives having it, such as parents and siblings. Thirdly, ethnic origin also plays a part in it. For instance, NHS (2010) points out that people with it from South Asian, African, and Middle Eastern are six times likely than people in the UK. In addition, incorrect living styles such as poor eating habits, too much TV time and physical inactivity also have a negative effect on it.It is often not a single factor but two or more causes above combined to lead to it. According to the CDC (2010), such combinations give rise to approximately 95% of it in the U. S. As can be seen from data, diabetes in developing countries has become a huge problem and the mortality from it has a continued increase worldwide. Not only government, but people should change their attitudes and aware the importance in order to prevent it.

Are Constitutional Conventions Necessary

Are Constitutional Conventions Necessary Are Constitutional Conventions Necessary To Preserve The Legal Structure Of Government? Illustrate By Example Introduction A constitutional convention is an informal and uncodified procedural agreement that is followed by the institutions of a state. The Constitution of a country comprises both written rules enforced by courts, and â€Å"unwritten† rules or principles necessary for constitutional government. Written rules mandate that they be followed in a particular specified situation, and on the other hand unwritten rules come into play when there is no given written rule to cover the situation at hand.Constitutional conventions are said to be rules of political practice, which are regarded as binding by those to whom they apply, but they can't be called exact laws, as they are not enforced by courts or by the Houses of Parliament. Notwithstanding the fact that ours is a detailed Constitution, the Constitution-framers left certain ma tters to be governed by conventions, thereby giving to the holders of constitutional offices some degree of discretion in respect of such matters.The main purpose of the Constitutional conventions is to ensure that the legal framework of the Constitution retains its flexibility to operate in tune with the prevailing constitutional values of the period. Although conventions are not legally enforceable and the sanction behind them is moral and political, yet some conventions of the constitution which set norms of behavior of those in power or which regulate the working of the various parts of the Constitution and their relations to one another, may be as important, if not of greater significance, as the written word of the Constitution itself.This is particularly true of the role of ‘conventions' in a system of Parliamentary democracy having a Constitutional distribution of powers between two or more levels of Government. Often constitutional conventions are more important than written constitutional provisions. For example, the President is empowered by the Constitution to appoint the Prime Minister, but the Constitution provides no guidance as to who should be appointed as Prime Minister. Here conventions regarding the appointment of the Prime Minister play an important role in guiding the President.Following are some of the characteristics of the conventions: Conventions are rules that define non-legal rights, powers and obligations of office-holders in the three branches of Government, or the relations between governments or government organs. Conventions in most cases can be stated only in general terms, their applicability in some circumstances being clear, but in other circumstances uncertain and debatable. They are distinguishable from rules of law, though they may be equally important, or more important. They may modify the application or enforcement of rules of law.Sir Ivor Jennings suggested that in order to establish a convention three question s must be asked: What are the precedents? Secondly, did the actors in the precedents believe that they were bound by a rule? Thirdly, whether there is a good reason for the rule? A single precedent with a good reason may be enough to establish the rule. A whole string of precedents without such a reason will be of no avail, unless the persons concerned regard themselves to be bound by it. Conventions grow out of and are modified by practice.At any given time it may be difficult to say whether or not a practice has become a convention. Conventions do not come from a certain number of sources, their origins are amorphous and nobody has the function of deciding whether conventions exist or not. As the researcher's topic requires proving whether or not the constitutional conventions are necessary to preserve the legal structure of the government (with an example), the researcher would confine his study to the one of the most debated and controversial constitutional conventions – the appointment of the Prime Minister .The conventions are compared with British conventions since most of our constitutional practices are derived from the United Kingdom and through this example, the researcher will try to illustrate the importance of Constitutional Conventions. Appointment Of The Prime Minister British Precedents In England, it is the monarchy whereas in India it is the President who makes this choice. This choice demands independence of status and familiarity with political conditions, but no method of choice can altogether avoid bias. The nature of the monarch's choice necessarily depends upon the status of parties in the House of Commons.If a party has a clear majority, its recognized leader will be the Prime Minister. A completely different situation arises where no party gets a majority in the legislature. Here two possibilities arise—the formation of a coalition government or the formation of a minority government, as another dissolution at that time is not practicable. It is an accepted rule that when a government is defeated, either in Parliament or at the polls, the monarch should send for the leader of the opposition. This rule is based on the assumption of impartiality of the crown.British constitutional history also shows us that the Queen has consulted the outgoing Prime Minister on some occasions, but it is not an invariable rule (but more sought of a convention). Indian Scenario However, these considerations are not suited to a country like India with its diversity and plurality where the regional parties are making an impact on our political scene. Even though our Constitution is bulky, certain aspects are left to conventions. One of them is the appointment of Prime Minister by the President. Most of our constitutional conventions are derived from the United Kingdom.However, the British precedents offer no specific answers to the problems raised by elections in India. Article 75(1) of the Indian Constitution gives the President the right to appoint the Prime Minister. In normal circumstances it is the leader of the majority in the House of the People (Lok Sabha). But, in circumstances where the Prime Minister dies in office or resigns, the President will have to exercise his personal judgment. Also in circumstances when the party may have no recognized leader or either of the two parties may be able to form a government and command the support of the House of the People.In such circumstances the President may chose for a person who could form a coalition with the help of two or more parties and command the support of the Lok Sabha. â€Å" It was such discretion that President Reddy exercised in 1979 after the fall of the Janta Ministry in inviting Charan Singh to form the ministry and also in not inviting Jagjivan Ram to do so after Charan Singh resigned and advised the dissolution of the House. † Options In A Hung Lok Sabha The Prime Minister must command a majority in the House at the t ime of the vote of confidence.However, in an uncertain situation, say in the case of hung Lok Sabha, how is the President to determine which of the party leaders will manage to secure majority support? Being leader of the single largest party does not necessarily mean being the leader of the majority members of the House. A person need not be the leader of the single largest party in the House to command the support of the House. The practice now more or less seems to be settled that the leader of the party who is able to secure the support of the House should be invited to form the Government.This again brings us back to the question, when and how does a practice become a convention? Ivor Jennings's three-stage test mentioned before might be helpful in deciding whether a practice has crystallized into a convention or not but that is not a conclusive test for determining the existence of a convention. There has been demand from several quarters to codify the convention with respect to the appointment of Prime Minister and Chief Ministers. The reason given is that having a written Constitution, we should not leave the appointments to these high offices on conventions.The controversy invariably surrounding every appointment (in cases where no one party has absolute majority) of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers further strengthens the demand for codification of conventions. One of the suggestions that have been put forward is the amendment of Article 75 of the Constitution so as to have the following effect: â€Å"The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the House of the People which recommendation shall be binding on the President†. Thus the onus will be on the legislature to choose the Prime Minister, than on the President.Such a move is welcome since it will help in avoiding confusion and controversies in the appointment of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers. However, at the same time it must also be kept in mind that a Constitution cannot contain all and sundry provisions concerning a matter including that for the appointment of Prime Minister. Moreover, the discretion to appoint the Prime Minister has been vested in none other than the President who is the head of the republic. Hence, the presumption that he will act impartially should always weigh in his favour. Thus The Importance Of ConventionsNotwithstanding the fact that ours is a detailed Constitution, the Constitution-framers left certain matters to be governed by conventions, thereby giving to the holders of constitutional offices some degree of discretion in respect of such matters. Conventions lubricate the room left at the joints in the constitutional structure and protect them against ossification. The main purpose of the Constitutional conventions is to ensure that the legal framework of the Constitution retains its flexibility to operate in tune with the prevailing constitutional values of the period .Although conven tions are not legally enforceable and the sanction behind them is moral and political, yet some conventions of the constitution which set norms of behaviour of those in power or which regulate the working of the various parts of the Constitution and their relations to one another, may be as important, if not of greater significance, as the written word of the Constitution itself. One unfortunate fact of the Indian situation is that enough attention has not been paid to the evolution and observance of the right codes of conduct and conventions.Even the codes and conventions evolved in the earlier years have been broken too lightly in the later years. There is an increasing tendency to resort to extra-Constitutional methods to force settlement of political or economic issues—imagined or real. This would be a cause for concern even in a small homogeneous country. In India, a heterogenous country of huge dimensions, this cannot be a matter of grave anxiety. Hence, natural reactio n would be that the loopholes in the Constitution which have permitted aberrant developments should be plugged.It is urged that, if conventions do not work, appropriate constitutional safeguards should be provided. If appropriate conventions are not followed and the discretion provided under certain circumstances is misused, the entire system may collapse. In order that appropriate conventions and codes of conduct get evolved, it is essential that incumbents of constitutional offices are selected from among persons of admitted competence and integrity and provided with reasonable security of tenure. Conclusion The main purpose of conventions is to guide the use of constitutional discretion.Thus, every time there is a general election or a request for dissolution of the House of People, the questions that start doing rounds are—whom will the President invite to form the next government? What if the President invites someone to form a government who does not have a clear majori ty in the Lok Sabha ? Will the President heed to the advice of the Cabinet to dissolve the House? These are some of the important questions to which the Constitution provides no answer to, and this is where conventions play their part as a catalyst.Some conventions are well-established and may be relied upon absolutely, while some are vague and may lead to manipulation for political purposes. For example, appointment of the Prime Minister is to be done by the President and the prevailing convention is that the person enjoying support of the absolute majority of the House concerned is appointed to the respective office. The snag lies in ascertaining that support. The task of the President becomes difficult and open to criticism, as he has to often follow vague conventions and foreign precedents.The conventions being vague, the President may go on appointing the leader of the largest party in the Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister, despite the fact that the appointed Prime Minister is no t in a position to secure majority in the Lok Sabha . Hence if the conventions are codified and the effect of that codification is to give jurisdiction to the courts to enforce the codified conventions then in such a scenario the flexibility of the conventions will be lost. Moreover, codified laws cannot cover any and every situation that might arise. Hence, it makes more sense to leave the conventions uncodified.Therefore, since the main purpose of the Constitutional Conventions is to ensure that the legal framework of the Constitution retains its flexibility to operate in tune with the prevailing constitutional values of the period, it helps the Constitution to adapt and make amends according to the needs and desire of the changing times, as the Founders of our Constitution couldn't have foreseen and safeguarded the Constitution from future loopholes and hence left certain matters to be governed by conventions as they are as important, if not of greater significance, as the writte n word of the Constitution itself.Sources of Constitutional Law As mentioned, the constitution in the UK is derived from several sources. One of the most important is Acts of Parliament. The Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949, for example, allow the House of Commons, in certain limited circumstances, to pass legislation without the consent of the House of Lords, and consequently to act in a manner which would otherwise be unconstitutional. This is very rare, however, and has happened less than five times in the last sixty years.The threat of using the Parliament Acts may be sufficient to pass legislation which is unpopular in the House of Lords. Case law also forms an important part of the constitution. The decisions of the judiciary have occasionally imposed limits on executive power. Constitutional conventions, although not legally binding, also play an important role in the UK’s legal fabric. By convention, the monarch appoints as prime minister the person who commands a maj ority in the House of Commons after a general election.By law, however, there is nothing to stop the monarch from appointing his or her head gardener as prime minister. This would never happen, of course, but in strict legal theory remains a possibility. Finally, EU law and international treaties may also contribute to the UK’s constitution. In fact, in one case concerning EU law the House of Lords went so far as to grant an injunction to ‘disapply’ a legitimate Act of Parliament.Again, this is an extremely rare occurrence, and decisions affecting the constitution are not taken lightly. Devolution The Labour government which came to power in 1997 has made several significant changes to the UK’s constitution. The most notable of these have been the creation of the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament. The main powers that have been delegated include those regarding health and education. Other more serious powers, such as those on defence, remain the s ole preserve of Westminster.