Paper 4 uses at least two quotations from a secondary source found in Essay

Paper 4 uses at least two quotations from a secondary source found in the Literature Resource Center database - Essay Example s to do with motherhood, and mother and daughter relationships, it focuses more on the struggle and necessity for determining one’s own self, in terms of identity and freedom of choice. Olsen’s characters, mother and daughter, depict two people desperately striving to find their ‘self’, independent of each other, and within the realms of a society that continually places expectations on its people, especially women. The narrator embarks on a valuation of her role as a mother, which includes â€Å"her own responsibility, her own failure, and finally her need to reaffirm her own autonomy as a separate human being who cannot be defined solely through her parental role.† (Frye p.130) Emily, the daughter grows from a small sickly, innocuous child and teenager, lacking in self confidence, to a nineteen year old who realizes her ‘self’ through comedy and is finally happy in her ability to make her own choices. The entire story is seen from the narrator’s – the mother’s perspective, wherein she provides a sequential accounting of her past; this past life description is often interrupted by reference to present needs, "Ronnie is calling. He is wet and I change him," (611) which helps to illustrate the never ending work and her responsibilities involved in being a mother and the lack of time for her to even gather her thoughts for a moment, â€Å"†¦and there will be an interruption and I will have to gather it all together again.† (608) The narrator provides an insight into the hardships of motherhood and her plight in having to raise her daughter on her own during the depression, â€Å"I was nineteen. It was pre-relief, pre-WPA world of the depression,† (609) and the inadequacies of child care, â€Å"when she [her daughter] was eight months old I had to leave her †¦ with the woman downstairs,† (609) and â€Å"the only way† she â€Å"could hold a job† (609) was by placing her daughter in an inadequate nursery, but â€Å"it was the only place there was.†

Marketing Samsung Essay Example for Free

Marketing Samsung Essay The transformation from a low end to a world class company, Samsung has grown with an electrifying portfolio. ’Next is what’ tag line for all the Samsung mobiles defies its competitors,making them strive more to compete. The underpinning business orientation aids the company to play the market race easily. The coordination between the products and sales is balanced and composed that the net sales mend at a high speed. Samsung targets to capitalize profitability by ensuing an effective marketing mix. A healthy competition is always considered to be one of the most attractive driving sources to triumph. Samsung faces several industrial aspirants, but is significantly distinguished with its marketing management tasks. The company follows a core strategy to keep glowing in the sprint. Superior performance through differentiation providing consumer value, managing lowest deliver cost acts as the imperative competitive advantages. ? The direct competitor targets for Samsung are, Put the companies name like iphone, nokia†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ all its important competitors logo Samsung has a strong infrastructure with all the necessary requirements, producing wide range of well recognized products globally. The company puts its higher investment on RD, thereby building technologically driven niche products. It establishes a brand value , providing greater yields than its competitors. The fast changing company entices young brains by providing fascinating pay, bonuses and incentives as a token of recognition. Samsung has large resources as a powerful work force, who are given full freedom to explore and innovate advancement in technologies and development. The business targets the specific market and creates a revolution, with its high margin products all over the world. With joint investments, the business is customer and market oriented. The brand power creates value chain that integrates competencies of all areas.Samsung positions itself as the digital technology leader, contends with other leading companies by appointing Olympic gold medalist Abinav Bindra and Actor Aamir khan, as its brand ambassador for it consumer electronics business and mobile phones respectively. Samsung meets every challenge, with high investment, with expertise in technology and marketing. Internally, Samsung maintains its own controlled strategy to stay competitive.

Malcolm X Essay -- essays research papers

Malcolm Little was born May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. He grew up around eight siblings. His mother was a mixed woman because her mother was raped by a white man. His father was a very outspoken black Baptist church minister, who preached that blacks should go back to Africa. Due to death threats by white supremacist his family had to relocate to different places to live. After all that time his father was murdered when police found his body on the trolley tracks. The mother new it was by white supremacist. After his death his mother was committed to an insane asylum. Malcolm and his brother and sisters were split up and sent to foster homes and orphanages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Malcolm graduated at the top of his junior high class. He then located to Harlem, New York. He then ...

Comingof Age – Adolescence and Identity

Coming of Age Interview Adolescence and Identity Life is a series of lessons and challenges which help us to grow. According to Erik Erickson, the better that people come through each crisis, the better they will tend to deal with what lies ahead. People experience the most lessons during their childhood when they are Just learning of how the world operates. Children and young adults handle situations very differently because their thought processes are different depending on their experiences.Of course lessons can be revisited successfully when they reoccur as adults, if they are recognized as a problem. This essay is a good example of how two people raised in different environments felt like they became adults. I chose to use myself as one example and a co-worker to compare to. The interviewee is a 23 year old male named Michael. Michael was raised by his mother and father in Texas. His father was in the Marines and their family moved a lot. He said that his father was hard on him to always be manly and tough and he was physical with him for punishment.His parent's eventually divorced and Michael started to do his own thing with his friends in Texas while staying at his moms. He said that because he moved a lot growing up he was okay with having his things scattered about and staying with different people. It seemed like he did not have much stability after graduating High School. He waited two years after High School before he realized that he needed to do something with his life. It was a shock to him that life was nothing like High School. He stated, â€Å"l was the popular one in High School and I had a lot of friends. After we graduated they all did things and I stayed and was bored.I decided to Join the Marines like my dad. † Michael ended up in the Army instead which is how he became my co-worker. Now, Michael is newly married and takes care of a one year old girl. He has his own apartment and is the only one who brings home the income. He said that he felt he came of age when he joined the military and realized that life wasn't like High School. He rebelled to community expectations for the longest time until he realized that it made life more difficult and he needed money to get anywhere. He said that he used to Just care about partying and hanging out with friends but now his interests are in his family and career.He is comfortable with his adult identity but he realizes that he picked up some anger issues from his father and that can cause strain in his marriage as it did with his parent's. Like Erikson suggests, depending on how you dealt with things in adolescence it can reflect the way you do in adulthood. My development was different in that I was not necessarily raised by my parent's at all. I grew up in Northern Wisconsin and only moved around in the same three owns. My mother suffers from Schizophrenia and my father is also an alcoholic who had violent tendencies.I felt that I was an adult at the young age of 13 . I was completely self-sufficient and got a Job right away at the age of 14. I knew what I had to do to succeed Just by going off what my parent's were lacking in. I told myself that I mental illness and we grew up with little to no income. I lived with my younger brother Taylor up until he was taken from the home at age 4. Instead of being very popular and focused on the High School life like Michael, I was focusing on my grades ND Job so that I could graduate early and attend college. I graduated a half a year ahead of my class and started college right away.I never imagined not having a Job. It became hard for me to afford college on my own so I Joined the Army. Michael joined the Army as a sort of last resort to kick his life into gear. One thing that I know was similar; whether it had correlation or not, is that we both had alcoholic fathers. I did many successful things as a youth but that's not to say that I didn't get into the drinking and drug scene myself. My father's inf luence showed me that it was okay to rink and it looked like that is what adults do. I was acting like an adult with work and school so I also started to drink at age 13.Michael also started to drink at a young age with no question as to what right or wrong was. I think this shows that parental influence is a large factor in shaping your own values and coming of age. According to Erikson, â€Å"Surrounded by mighty disapproval the child's original state of naive self-love is said to be compromised. He looks for models by which to measure himself, and seeks happiness in trying to resemble them. Where he succeeds he achieves self-esteem†¦ † (Erickson 1980. As seen by the example above, the role models Michael and I have both affected us but in different ways.I chose to do the opposite of my parent's because I saw the mistakes they made. Michael chose to follow the career path of his father because he saw it support the family. â€Å"The growing child must derive a vitiati ng sense of reality from the awareness that his individual way of mastering experience is a successful variant in a group identity and is in accord with its space-time and life plan. † (Erickson 1980. ) It is shown that each child has their own perspective of reality and adulthood which comes about through positive and negative experiences in childhood and adolescence.Erickson theory is useful in that it reminds us to look back and wonder where a person's actions and way of life derived from. It is important to remember that in order to fix any problems and make changes in adulthood. It is silly to think that we Just woke up one day with anger problems or low self-esteem. Everything came from somewhere and finding the source makes it easier to handle. References Erikson, E. H. (1980). Ego Development and Historical Change. Identity and the life cycle (up. 17-50). New York: Norton.

A good leader Essay

INTRODUCTION There has been always considerable discussion about connection between great leaders and good followers. It is said that in order to be a good leader person should be a good follower. In my point of, a good leader is the person who also has been a good follower, person who has proven oneself ability to follow the instructions, who can subjugate one’s will to the will of others who has undertaken the responsibility of leadership, able to make constructive comments and debate issues when necessary and able to stand up for the principles in which one believes. The person who can manage to perform about mentioned missions can be called a good follower. However, it does not mean all good followers become always good leaders. There are some people who are astounding as choir singers but awful as choir directors. There are many great followers who are not good leaders. Nevertheless, it should be noted that good leaders and good followers usually posses the same characteristics and responsibilities which may be the main reason for considering an opinion that a good leaders also obliged to be a good follower. Leaders the ones who have brought our life many changes, make differences and make our life more interesting and interactive. But, if there were not followers there would not be a good leader, as, followers the most essential assets of a good leader. 1. Some people understand a leader simply as somebody whom people can follow or as someone who guides or directs others, while others define leader as a person who affects a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. With regard to follower, follower is a person who follows another`s teachings and  belief, one who admits the command, guidance and leadership of another one (www.vtaide.com). Some held conception that to be a good leader you ought to be a good follower. In order to be a leader, a person at first should learn how to be a good follower. Initially, majority of great leaders followed in the footsteps of other good leaders and utilized training to achieve their leadership goals. In order to have followers, a good leader must have ability to comprehend his or her followers and what the followers desire from the leader. And, the best way to implement it, the leader should be a good follower. As, rich people usually cannot understand poor people`s condition, if only the rich did not experience the poverty in their own life. The poor people can comprehend each other better because they have similar problems. Moreover, we are all followers in some spheres of our lives. And in this case, we can obtain some essential qualities and skills which help us to become a good leader. The reason for this is training which considered as a powerful tool in order to attract one’s vision to higher sights, increasing their performance to a higher standard, and forming a personality beyond its usual limitations to its full potential. For instance, in the history, the Apostle Peter had made a lot of mistakes before he followed Jesus. After following Jesus for three years Apostle Peter and his fellow-disciples â€Å"turned the world upside down†( John C.Maxwell,1998) Besides, leaders and followers divide some characteristics. 2. These are the following qualities: Awareness Ð ¡urrently, leÐ °ders have to know about different audiences including board members, customers, coworkers, colleagues, and the audience on the whole. You oblige to know what it tÐ °kes to bring them Ð °long, if you desire to be good a leader. In order to be a follower you should educate yourself how to be conscious of the requirements of public as well as their potential to â€Å"make one`s life hell from one second to the next† (Barbarra Kellerman) .Good followers study to read public and comprehend what distresses and stimulates them. Diplomacy When good followers meet a co-worker with frantic political beliefs or an offensive manager, they are maybe not going to struggle every fight. To take  part in a position of the follower is less risky, easier, and often simpler. Good followers observe how to handle with those who possess dissimilarities while not disregarding those differences. That is an essential leadership feature, for the reason that a manager or leader cannot afford to be unconscious to the relations of those people who surrounds him or her (www.success.bz). Courage Being a good follower indicates owning the bravery to disagree if you believe your manager, superior or leader is acting something incorrectly. That is always complicated, but it demands the strength of belief which is very essential to good leadership. Being a good leader is complex in methods that are rather alike to being a good follower. It means paying attention, being engaged, having the bravery to cry out when something is not proper way. Also, it means possessing the power and activity to encourage a leader or manager who is implementing things wisely and well. Collaboration In many cases, the leader influences if and how the goals are accomplished while followers are able to implement or break. Even though the leader may receive most of the credit, in many business sectors, followers are the people who are acting much of the creative work. Leaders who have been good followers comprehend how to work with people who can help to bring out the well enough in them. One of great leader said that â€Å"Was it the imaginative collective of team members at Apple, or did Steve Jobs really invent the iPod and iPhone? Currently, leaders may be reckoned up not only by how much is accomplished or produced, but by the quality of its members and the team or organization† (Ronald E. Riggio). Critical Thinking You need to be able to believe for yourself, in order to be a good follower. The best followers encourage and help the leader when he or she is acting the correct thing, and stand up to the leader when he or she is directed in the wrong direction. Many of the same qualities that we are enraptured with leaders competence, motivation, intelligence-are similar characteristics that we desire in the very best followers (www.lifehack.org). Besides, leaders, in spite of their degree, they also must follow. 3. Even though, leaders and followers share the same qualities, also, there is still much dissimilarity between them. Leader has to be isolated and independent in order to rely on himself. A bright example of this can be seen in the book called â€Å"Ender`s game†Ender had been isolated in order to make him struggle. That was the only way he would ever have been otherwise. Moreover, it made him untrusting, angry, strong and lonely. But, maybe these qualities made him a better soldier† (michaelhyatt.com). . Leader is usually the person who is being relied on his followers. Followers only must be efficient during the struggle. They have to be capable to implement the commands by their leader, with own skills. In other cases, it is not so essential to be that competent. They could ask aid from their leader or friends. But, leaders, cannot ask for aid from his followers because, otherwise his followers may consider him incompetent. Being a leader is not as easy as being a follower. Leaders illustrate inventiveness; when they have a general clutch for a project they can strategically lay out the most appropriate way to reach the final goal while followers require step by step instruction and expect direction to follow by the leader. They need regular approval and guarantee, in case, something goes wrong. Leaders are not content with simply expecting for the next step because they are very active. They disdain inactivity and when there is lack of progress. They are motivated by subjugating any obstacles in their way and accept responsibility. With regard to followers, they escape from amenability and would prefer when somebody else is â€Å"amenable† instead of them. Also, they agree with inaction as long as a leader does not motivate them to carry out the objectives. When followers usually experience obstacles in certain kind of work, they are not capable to manage with them alone. Leader is the one who can help to a follower how to handle with difficulties. Leaders are not afraid of a strong sense of anxiety or fear; on the contrary they prosper on it. They show that they have ability to manage with everything and very quick in making decisions. They attack fear and tackle it head on and show it who the boss is. With reference to followers, when they have to make a decision, they usually feel fear which causes to escape from a challenge without any real exculpation. Because they try rarely to make something new and they are not capable to risk (Dale Carnegie, 2010). Followers disdain any alterations and attempt to avoid them. Leaders are innovators and  intuitive so they accept changes. Moreover, they are aware that sometimes it is possible that some changes can be very beneficial and may help people to achieve their objectives as well as improving and flourishing their experiences too. 4. Like many traits of the prominent people, being a good leader is an elusive characteristic and very complicated to describe. Many people have different conception of a great leader. But, in my view, a good leader is the person who, first of all, has ability to make impossible things possible in order to be distinguished from other people and his followers. Also, a leader needs to comprehend what objectives and purposes are to be accomplished and needs to stick to those objectives and purposes and by never compromising with the truth. Even though, there are times when leader may have to yield a little, bend a little, but he should always have a clear vision of the final objective that he and his followers have wish to achieve. He must focus completely and totally to attaining the aim, by not permitting himself to be diverted, inactive, complaisant and negligent (www.fastcompany.com).In order to be a good leader, I would try to be quicker to evaluate and criticize myself in order th at I may benefit from my personal self-analysis and amend myself constantly and try to not to be hurry to adjudicate others. A good leader has to listen to constructive remark and must hear frank complaints and reckon up them with good criticism in order to appeal that which is affirmative and positive to the achievement of the objectives to which I am dedicated. If, I were a leader the first thing I would do is analyzing the aim which is needed to achieve and arranging everything in proper way. Analyzing includes not only finding out the goals, but, it also comprises followers or people who will work with you and what is the best appropriate method to attain the goal with the help of your team. When you analyze your followers, you will be aware what they desire and which qualities and abilities they have and how to help them to overcome and turn their weaknesses into the strength in order to achieve common goals. Moreover, it is vitally essential to work out and develop a strategy in order to attain objectives with a help of your team and find out your concur rents and enemies and how to overcome them so as to become more powerful and successful. A bright example of a great leader that I would like to take is Alan Mulally who is CEO of Ford Motor Corporation and also has taken the third place in the list of Great leaders in the world (Fortune  Magazine, 2014). He says that â€Å"One of the most essential tasks of the leader’s work is intensifying the process we are utilizing to attain our objectives. Furthermore, it is not only the way of simply asking, â€Å"How are we doing?† It is requiring, â€Å"How are we performing against the project? What are the spheres that demands particular attention? At the end of the year, what strategies have we worked out to ameliorate our fulfillment in next year?†(Rirk Kinkland, McKinsey Publishing 2013). 5. Some key qualities that I would like to possess and implement, if I were a leader are the following: Honesty and Responsibility An essential and basis element of a great leader is honesty. Your business and followers are a reflection of yourself, and if you are honest and behave yourself ethically it will be a key value for your followers to follow suit. Moreover, if you are not honest, responsible and reliable person you will not have people who will follow you. So, if your co-workers and followers do not trust you, it is impossible to be a leader. It is very important for the people who will follow you to be sure that they can rely on you and that you keep your promises. Also, the good leader should be dedicated towards his or her job because it shows that you feel responsibility. However, a good leader also must differentiate the people and followers whom he can trust in order not to be sure that his followers will always support him during attaining the goals. Communication Good communication skills aid the leader to communicate easily and to share ideas or exchange with opinions with his followers. Also, it is important to elude misunderstanding in an organization because knowing what you desire to be implemented might seem transparent in your head, but if you try to clarify it to somebody else and it may be comprehended in a different way which may cause to a problem. So, being capable to succinctly and clearly describe what you want to be accomplished is vitally essential. Besides, a leader should possess this trait to communicate with his client with various backgrounds. Vision Being a great leader also includes possessing and developing vision. It means having â€Å"vision† to forecast the future as if it were already here. A bright  example can be Steve Job, who often performed this. He created a transparent picture in minds of people how a new output would alter the world — before even it was launched. He had ability to make humans excited about the future which he imagined in his mind. Good leaders must develop the talent of vision in them as well as in followers to encourage them to be better in those skills which they possess. It helps to commit innovations and attain common goals. Positive Attitude A good leader should have a positive thinking and attitude in order to stimulate confidence and acquire inner strength. It is essential to remember, that confident and calm leader is a good example for his followers to feel the same. Besides, a great leader must motivate his followers and people around. If your followers feel happiness and are motivated, there are more chances to reach the best achievements and moving ahead. Also, a good leader must be capable to solve problem and find the solution to every problem which he encounters in life and not avoid it. And, it is usually easier to find solution to the problem when you are calm, confident and have positive mind-set. Conclusion By way of conclusion, it can be marked that being a leader is more complicated than many people expect it. Being leader requires many efforts, hard work and a plenty of affirmative traits which hare complex to attain. With regard to followers, it is easier to be a follower rather than being a leader. Even though, followers and leaders share similar qualities, not every good follower can become a good leader because there are many differences as well. One of the main differences between them is responsibility. Leaders oblige to be responsible not only for their actions, but, as well as they must be responsible for deeds of their followers. Furthermore, leaders are braver, creative and more inclined to risk. People who try to avoid challenges are better to be followers than being a leader of a group of people. I think every leader must always learn in order to be very smart and try to obtain more knowledge and experience in different kind of spheres. But, the main task of leaders to help people to achieve common goals and direct his followers. Also, leaders have to always try to  be a great person who can change the world to the positive side and make it better. References 1. Barbara Kellerman [2009] â€Å"How Followers are Creating Change and Changing Leaders† Available [online]: http://www.fastcompany.com/3029840/bottom-line/5-ways-being-a-good-follower-makes-you-a-better-leader [March 17, 2009] 2. Carol Giannantonio[2011] â€Å"A Great Leader Is A Great Follower† Available [online]:http://www.success.bz/articles/1833/a_great_leader_is_a_great_follower [July,2011] 3. Dale Carnegie [2010] â€Å"How to Win Friends and Influence People† Available [online]: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/15-best-leadership-books-every-young-leader-needs-read.html [February, 2008] 4. Fortune Magazine[2014] â€Å"Fortune ranks the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders† Available [online]: http://fortune.com/2014/03/20/fortune-ranks-the-worlds-50-greatest-leaders/ [March, 2014] 5. Gwen Moran[2007] â€Å"A person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal† Available [online]:http://www.vtaide.com/gleaning s/leader.htm[September 26, 2007] 6. James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner[2010] â€Å"The Truth about leadership† Available [online]: http://www.fastcompany.com/3029840/bottom-line/5-ways-being-a-good-follower-makes-you-a-better-leader[September, 2010] 7. John C. Maxwell [1998] â€Å"The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership † Available from:http://michaelhyatt.com/why-the-best-leaders-are-great-followers.html [September, 2008] 8. Rik Kirkland[2006] â€Å"Leading in the 21st century† Available [online]: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/strategy/leading_in_the_21st_century_an_interview_with_fords_alan_mulally [ November, 2013] 9. Ronald E. Riggio[2013] â€Å"Leaders lead. Followers followâ€Å"Available[online]: http://www.fastcompany.com/3029840/bottom-line/5-ways-being-a-good-follower-makes-you-a-better-leader[April, 2014]

Draw Yourself A Venn Diagram And Use It To Note Similarities Essays

Draw Yourself A Venn Diagram And Use It To Note Similarities Essays Draw Yourself A Venn Diagram And Use It To Note Similarities Essay Draw Yourself A Venn Diagram And Use It To Note Similarities Essay This protagonist makes an error in judgment. This error results in suffering for the person. This suffering causes pity or fear in the audience. Hubris Missionaries Hamster Peripatetic Catharsis If you have forgotten what a Venn diagram looks like, here is an example to remind you. If your Venn diagram contained some of these points, you have been successful in your analysis. These are just sketches of ideas to show a variety of possibilities Your own work should be more carefully organized. Hamlet Similarities Gag anemone Hamlet takes revenge. Both plays are about a prince or king, who is clearly someone of high status. Agamemnon is the victim of revenge. Hamlet tends to be humble yet plots the death of a king. Both tragic heroes make an error of judgment. Agamemnon shows hubris by walking on the red carpet and taking a concubine yet he is a known daughter-killer. Several of the murders in Hammerlocks on-stage. Both Agamemnon and Hamlet suffer and die. The two murders imagination occur off-stage. Hamlet has more admirable qualities than Agamemnon appears to have. The audience feels pity for both men. We dont learn many positive things about Agamemnon other than his popularity and battle victories. Hamlet involves subplots, such as the plight of Aphelia. The fortunes of both men are suddenly reversed and they are put in a vulnerable position with their murders being plotted. Agamemnon does not involve subplots. The women in Hamlet, while important, are minor characters with little dialogue. Both Hamlet and Agamemnon hurt the women in their lives. The women imagination have more prominent roles in the plot, with many nines of dialogue. Hamlet seems more torn and reluctant to take revenge. Both Clytemnestra and Hamlet are motivated by revenge for the wrongful death of a loved one and they use deceit as part of their plans. Clytemnestra looks forward to the task of revenge. Hamlet has never been emotionally close to his uncle Claudia. Clytemnestra and Hamlet put aside any previous feelings of love for others as they focus on their task Of revenge Clytemnestra has had a much closer relationship with Agamemnon, than Hamlet had with Claudia.

Aids 1 essays

Aids 1 essays AIDS Related Stigma Since the appearance of AIDS in the late seventies and early eighties, the disease has had attached to it a significant social stigma. This stigma has manifested itself in the form of discrimination, avoidance and fear of people living with AIDS (PLWAs). As a result, the social implications of the disease have been extended from those of other life threatening conditions to the point at which PLWAs are not only faced with a terminal illness but also social isolation and constant discrimination throughout society. Various explanations have been suggested as to the underlying causes of this stigmatization. Many studies point to the relationship the disease has with deviant behavior. Others suggest that fear of contagion is the actual culprit. Examining the existing literature and putting it into societal context leads one to believe that there is no one cause. Instead, there would appear to be a collection of associated factors that influence societys att itudes towards AIDS and PLWAs. As the number of people infected with HIV increases, social workers are and will be increasingly called upon to deal with and serve PLWAs. Although not all social workers chose to work with PLWAs, the escalating incidence of HIV infection is creating a situation in which sera positive people are and will be showing up more often in almost all areas of social work practice. This paper aims to examine AIDS related stigma and the stigmatization process, hopefully providing insights into countering the effects of stigma and perhaps the possibility of destigmatization. This is of particular pertinence to the field of social work due to our growing involvement with the HIV positive population. Association to Deviant/Marginal Behavior one of the most clearly and often identified causes of AIDS related stigma is its association to deviant behavior. The disease has had and still does have a strong associ...

Reading Comprehension Worksheet 1

Reading Comprehension Worksheet 1 In order to get really good at reading comprehension (understanding vocabulary in context, making inferences, determining the authors purpose, etc.), you need to practice. Thats where a reading comprehension worksheet like this one comes in handy. If you need even more practice, check out more reading comprehension worksheets here. Directions: The passage below is followed by questions based on its content; answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Printable PDFs: Escaping Adolescence Reading Comprehension Worksheet | Escaping Adolescence Reading Comprehension Worksheet Answer Key From Escaping the Endless Adolescence by Joseph Allen and Claudia Worrell Allen. Copyright  © 2009 by Joseph Allen and Claudia Worrell Allen. As 15-year-old Perry shuffled into my office, with his parents trailing tentatively behind, he glanced at me with a strained neutral expression that Id found usually masked either great anger or great distress; in Perrys case it was both. Although anorexia is a disorder most often associated with girls, Perry was the third in a line of anorexic boys I had recently seen. When he came to see me, Perrys weight had dropped to within 10 pounds of the threshold requiring forced hospitalization, yet he denied there was any problem. He just wont eat, his mother began. Then, turning to Perry as if to show me the routine theyd been enacting, she asked with tears in her eyes, Perry, why cant you at least have a simple dinner with us? Perry refused to eat with his family, always claiming he wasnt hungry at the time and that he preferred to eat later in his room, except that that rarely happened. New menus, gentle encouragement, veiled threats, nagging, and outright bribes had all been tried, to no avail. Why would an otherwise healthy 15-year-old boy be starving himself? The question hung urgently in the air as we all talked. Lets be clear from the outset. Perry was a smart, good kid: shy, unassuming, and generally unlikely to cause trouble. He was getting straight As in a challenging and competitive public school honors curriculum that spring. And he later told me that he hadnt gotten a B on his report card since fourth grade. In some ways he was every parents dream child. But beneath his academic success, Perry faced a world of troubles, and while he took awhile to get to know, eventually the problems came pouring out. The problems werent what Id expected, though. Perry wasnt abused, he didnt do drugs, and his family wasnt driven by conflict. Rather, at first glance, his problems would seem more like typical adolescent complaints. And they were, in a way. But it was only as I got to understand him that I realized the adolescent problems Perry experienced werent just occasional irritations, as theyd been for me and my cohort as teens, but rather, had grown to the point where they cast a large shadow over much of his day-to-day world. Id later come to realize that Perry wasnt alone in that regard. One big problem was that while Perry was a strong achiever, he was not at all a happy one. I hate waking up in the morning because theres all this stuff I have to do, he said. I just keep making lists of things to do and checking them off each day. Not just schoolwork, but extracurricular activities, so I can get into a good college. Once he got started, Perrys discontent spilled out in a frustrated monologue. Theres so much to do, and I have to really work to get myself motivated because I feel like none of it really matters... but its really important I do it anyway. At the end of it all, I stay up late, I get all my homework done, and I study really hard for all my tests, and what do I get to show for it all? A single sheet of paper with five or six letters on it. Its just stupid! Perry was gifted enough to jump through the academic hoops that had been set for him, but it felt like little more than hoop-jumping, and this ate at him. But that wasnt his only problem. Perry was well loved by his parents, as are most of the young people we see. But in their efforts to nurture and support him, his parents inadvertently increased his mental strain. Over time, they had taken on all his household chores, in order to leave him more time for schoolwork and activities. Thats his top priority, they said almost in unison when I asked about this. Although removing the chores from Perrys plate gave him a bit more time, it ultimately left him feeling even more useless and tense. He never really did anything for anyone except suck up their time and money, and he knew it. And if he thought about backing off on his schoolwork...well, look how much his parents were pouring into making it go well. Sandwiched between fury and guilt, Perry had literally begun to wither. Reading Comprehension Worksheet Questions 1. This passage is narrated from the point of view of(A) a college professor studying the effects of bulimia on young males.(B) a young male named Perry, struggling with the effects of anorexia.(C) a concerned therapist who works with struggling young adults.(D) a doctor who treats eating, compulsive, and sleeping disorders.(E) a college student working on a thesis about eating disorders in young males. Answer with Explanation 2. According to the passage, Perrys two biggest problems were(A) being an unhappy achiever and his parents increase of his mental strain.(B) his poor attitude toward school and his consumption of everyones time and money.(C) his fury and guilt.(D) drug abuse and conflict within the family.(E) his inability to prioritize and anorexia. Answer with Explanation 3. The primary purpose of the passage is to(A) describe one young mans struggle with anorexia and, in doing so, provide possible reasons a young person may resort to an eating disorder.(B) advocate for young males who are struggling with an eating disorder and the decisions theyve made that have brought them to that struggle.(C) compare one young persons fight against his parents and the eating disorder that is ruining his life to the life of a typical teenager.(D) relate an emotional reaction to the shock of an eating disorder, such as that of Perrys, a typical young adult.(E) explain how todays youth often develop eating disorders and other terrible issues in their overactive lives. Answer with Explanation 4. The author uses which of the following in the sentence starting paragraph 4: But beneath his academic success, Perry faced a world of troubles, and while he took awhile to get to know, eventually the problems came pouring out?  (A) personification(B) simile(C) anecdote(D) irony(E) metaphor Answer with Explanation 5. In the second sentence of the last paragraph, the word inadvertently most nearly means(A) steadily(B) monumentally(C) incrementally(D) mistakenly(E) surreptitiously Answer with Explanation More Reading Comprehension Practice

Idea Development of Doggy Daycare (Opportunity Assessment of Doggy Research Paper

Idea Development of Doggy Daycare (Opportunity Assessment of Doggy Daycare Center) - Research Paper Example One of the interesting things about the people in Corvallis city is their increased love for pet animals, especially to dogs. Many of the compassionate and friendly pet owners in this city visit with their dogs, bringing joy to people in mental institutions, assisted living, nursing homes and homeless shelters†(PAL, 2015). Unlike people in many other countries, Americans have the habit of looking after their pet animals like dog just like how they look after their children. As a result of that many of them are worried about the life of their pet dogs when they work at their offices. Under these circumstances, the business prospect for a doggy day care centre in Corvallis city is extremely bright. This paper analyses the viability of a new venture Doggy Day care in Corvallis of Oregon. The purpose of doggy day care centre is to provide, a healthy happy environment for pet dogs. Many of the people, especially the working professionals in Corvallis city are worried about the loneliness facing by their pet dogs while they are in their offices. They wanted to make the life of their pet dogs enjoyable when they leave their home. Doggy day care centre offers a homely climate for dogs. It provides dogs to socialize with other dogs and to enjoy their life. Another purpose of doggy day care centre is to reduce the stress levels of the working professionals. When pet lovers are confident about the healthy development of their pets in day care centers, they will be able to concentrate more on their profession. â€Å"At a dog daycare (also known as a doggy daycare, doggie daycare or dog day care), owners drop off their pets for a day of socializing with other dogs, and then pick them up in the evening† (Fabjob Inc, 2015). As mentioned earlier, professional commitments prevent many of the pet lovers in Corvallis city from catering the needs of their pet dogs

Political Science - State and Society in Europe Essay

Political Science - State and Society in Europe - Essay Example propose a typology that is essentially concerned with cross-national differences that occur in three aspects; these include the association of the state with the market in the provision of welfare, the stratifying impact of welfare states and the value of social rights (Dale 2002). Using cross-national differences that occur along these aspects, Esping-Andersen classified welfare states into three main types. These three types were referred to as the three worlds of welfare: social democratic, liberal and corporatist. The social democratic welfare states encompassed the countries of the Scandinavian region, whereas the liberal welfare states included the countries from the Anglo-Saxon areas. The conservative corporatist welfare state was dominant in Central Europe (Dale 2002). For instance, the German welfare system is considered as a conservative-corporate regime because of its salient social policy features (Cochrane, Clarke & Gewirtz 2001). The three worlds of typology opened new frontiers for the interpretation of comparative welfare state research. The typologies have fueled extensive debate, theoretical criticisms and had led other sociologists to propose their own typologies to understand the social welfare dynamics (Dale 2002). In fact, criticism against the typology surfaced right after the time that the typology was proposed, which has resulted in the development of a series of typologies for welfare states. One of the most significant contributions of the Esping-Andersen typology lies in the fact that it was the first of its kind to initiate the process of researching welfare states from a novel perspective. Before the typology was proposed, much of the research on welfare states was conducted on the comparison between the values of degree outcomes and the quantitative worth of social security expenditures. The essence of the second cluster of welfare state typologies encompasses the connection between paid wor k and welfare as well as the implications

Federalist Papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Federalist Papers - Essay Example For Madison, the faction in a government creates a problem because a certain select individuals who are minorities are inimical to the greater good. Individuals being men, are predisposed to advance interests favorable to him and this creates a problem in public service. Moreover, when faction rules the government, the people belonging to such faction will only advance their own self interests rather than public good. Being such, government agencies will just become a vehicle of private greed instead of an instrument that will serve greater good. Madison pointed out that a government dominated by a faction is no longer a democracy because it only serves the narrow interest of few people. In sum, factions create problem in government because self-interest will rule instead of advancing public interest and public service. The strength of the Federalist Paper No.10 lies in its proposal on how to address the faction in government and how to at least minimize its adverse effects. In the Federalist Paper No.10, the idea of a republic is proposed as a solution to the problem posed by a faction. This proposed republic is different from the pure and populist democracy because it is capable of protecting minorities and promotes greater good than pure democracy which could become a vehicle that will be used by factions. According to the Federalist Paper No.10, the weakness of a republican government can be reduced through the mechanism of representation. This kind of mechanism allows a greater probability for capable leaders to be elected than just those who are popular but only represents the interest of a faction. Having capable leaders to be elected in office is favorable to people because they would tend to craft policies that serves the greater good and will tend to advance the interest of the many instead of the few such as those interest inherent in a faction. Also,

Macroeconomics. US markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macroeconomics. US markets - Essay Example Given all of these statistics and the facts that the USA is the land of opportunity, how is it possible to witness in our lifetime, an economic period rarely ever seen before, both in the US and the world All of this has led the big companies of America and of around the world to counter these crises by increasing the shareholder's value and increasing the investor's drive. This will enable these companies to stop the spiral where no investment and severity of the crises are going to lead the world to bigger problems. By providing incentives to shareholders in terms of shareholder's value and increasing the investor's drive, some money is going to be pumped into the economy that will have the convalescing effect on the injured economy of the world. (Allbusiness, 2010). Shareholder's value is a broad term depicting more than what is being shown in the financial statements of a business. In the earlier years, many people used financial results of a company as a measure of Shareholder's value. However, this approach had plenty of loopholes and due the fact that there was no widely acknowledged definition of shareholder's value. Many people changed the way they used to measure the shareholder's value. ... This crisis continued till 2008, matured and gnawed the world economy. Many arguments were given about how this financial crunch started. Many people argued that it was started by the booming oil prices, whereas other people stated that this crisis is a result of poor economic policies of IMF and World Bank which overheated the global economy and resulted in the financial crunch. Whatever the reason of this crisis, one can almost be sure that this crisis has affected subprime mortgages, declining house prices and caused investor bankruptcy. Although global financial crisis result in more problem than those stated above. How is this related to shareholder's value and investor's drive First of all investors usually invest in a company where they see they can earn reasonable return on their investments. However, due to reckless lending by banks and other financial institutions (DFIs), many potential investors in the banking sector became worried about their returns. They predicted that these lending by the banks are risky and hence they could lose a big deal of money if they invest in the banking sector. Hence, they decided not to invest in this sector. Many organizational psychologists predicted that this is a result of value delivery system which was very low in the banking system at that time. In other words, potentials investors could see more harm if they invest than if they do not. The reasons behind this behavior of the investor's were that they see little or no drive to invest. As a result, there was a shortage of investments in the banking sectors. The banking firms who had lent the money found themselves in the liquidity crises and many of these institutions filed bankruptcy.

Constructing a motorway (civil engineering project) Essay

Constructing a motorway (civil engineering project) - Essay Example This essay discusses that a motorway can be defined roughly as a main road or highway, with two or more lanes on opposite direction, and where fast motor traffic occurs. A motorway has to be well constructed with all the required plans, materials and skilful engineering needed to provide a long-lasting use for motorists. As the Junior Site Manager of a 30-mile motorway, my job is to provide the plan and the necessary activities to have a smooth flow of construction, maintenance and completing of this motorway. But before going on an analysis of the construction parameters, I deemed it necessary or compulsory on my part to study history and the great accomplishments of the engineers and architects who made the British Motorway System, on how it was visualised, planned, and made to action to provide the future generation with a quality highway for the vast land transportation that we have today. First, the planners used geographic and topographic maps. Although technology and computers were not yet very effective at that time, the information the planners had was enough to make them achieve their great objective. Present planners and engineers have all the information from computers and databases before they embark on such a gargantuan task. The vision that the planners had is mastery itself, considering that in the nineteenth century, motor vehicles were just beginning to be invented. Engineers and builders of motorways are faced with multiple and complicated tasks. In the initial steps, they are concerned particularly of the volumes of earth to be moved during embankments and cuttings. There is also the concern of the cost of moving those volumes of earth. Present engineers try to balance these two activities – the cut and fill. The aim is to avoid borrow or spoil, which adds costs to construction. Formation of cutting and embankments Cuts and embankments are needed in constructing a motorway or an elevated highway. In doing this, there are excavations a nd earthworks involved. Earth movement will involve a lot of activities in road construction. The first job of a builder of a motorway is to balance the cut and fill by calculating quantities to be moved. Calculating the volumes to be moved will involve measuring the horizontal and vertical sections using a planimeter, and in order to be accurate about this step, it has to be done at least three times. (Gallagher, 2004, p. 415) The principle in calculation is analogous to measuring the volume of a ship, which is measuring the displacement and tonnage. To do this means to measure the area of vertical cross section in successive lateral points. This technique of measurement was first introduced by Matthew Baker when he applied it in a cross section of a ship in 1586. The series of measurements were then compiled by George Parker Bidder in a paper titled â€Å"Table of Cutting and Embankments† on the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway in 1836. (Gallagher, 2004, p. 415) An important factor to be considered in earth work or excavation is to determine the material a junior site engineer like me will be working with. I will have a lot of site investigation and analysis of the materials. A lot of information from our databases regarding the site, the materials and equipment that we will be using, will help a lot in the success of the motorway project. A common way of classifying the soil to determine its ease of excavation is known as the Ease of Digging scale. This is common in the United Kingdom. According to this theory, the soil is classified into four categories: E – for Easy digging, e.g. sands, fine gravels, etc. M – for Medium, example is cohesive soil like clay, gravel, etc. M-H – for Medium to Hard – refers to rock broken to pieces, heavy clay, gravel with boulders, etc. H – Hard refers to hard materials that require blasting. (Durham. Ac.uk.) Foundations Foundation engineering involves an analysis of the soil mechanics and judgment on the part of the engineer on the complex blend of the

HRM Innovation and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

HRM Innovation and Change - Essay Example ctive team work combined with strategic performance metrics like using internal and external benchmarking are important tools to evaluate performance outcome. The continuous learning environment provides the workers with a wider scope for professional growth in the area of core competencies and making them responsible for advocating and nurturing a high standard of ethics and quality work. The measurement of change vis-Ã  -vis performance, innovation and customer satisfaction are few of the critical success factors that have significant impact on the market positioning of the organization. The empowered workforce that thrives on shared learning and collective goals greatly facilitates improved performance. TQM and benchmarking promote quality assurance at various levels of business processes through measures that drastically reduce the percentage of error within the production and become cost effective. Thus, organizations continuously make effort to identify factors and issues that would help meet the challenges with efficiency and unmatched proficiency. The organizational change can broadly be defined as the ability of management to identify and incorporate the factors that increase output and improve the performance outcome of the organization. Through focused approach, the companies develop dynamic business strategies to identify the critical factors of change and meet the challenges with creative inputs through collective vision and shared goals. The strategy involves simultaneous inputs from various different departments so as to measure, analyze, improve and control the production of new products and services. Hence, the companies through regular surveys, feedback processes and R&D activities are able to identify the opportunities for new products. Evaluation and implementation of performance metrics gives a competitive edge to

Constructing a motorway (civil engineering project) Essay

Constructing a motorway (civil engineering project) - Essay Example This essay discusses that a motorway can be defined roughly as a main road or highway, with two or more lanes on opposite direction, and where fast motor traffic occurs. A motorway has to be well constructed with all the required plans, materials and skilful engineering needed to provide a long-lasting use for motorists. As the Junior Site Manager of a 30-mile motorway, my job is to provide the plan and the necessary activities to have a smooth flow of construction, maintenance and completing of this motorway. But before going on an analysis of the construction parameters, I deemed it necessary or compulsory on my part to study history and the great accomplishments of the engineers and architects who made the British Motorway System, on how it was visualised, planned, and made to action to provide the future generation with a quality highway for the vast land transportation that we have today. First, the planners used geographic and topographic maps. Although technology and computers were not yet very effective at that time, the information the planners had was enough to make them achieve their great objective. Present planners and engineers have all the information from computers and databases before they embark on such a gargantuan task. The vision that the planners had is mastery itself, considering that in the nineteenth century, motor vehicles were just beginning to be invented. Engineers and builders of motorways are faced with multiple and complicated tasks. In the initial steps, they are concerned particularly of the volumes of earth to be moved during embankments and cuttings. There is also the concern of the cost of moving those volumes of earth. Present engineers try to balance these two activities – the cut and fill. The aim is to avoid borrow or spoil, which adds costs to construction. Formation of cutting and embankments Cuts and embankments are needed in constructing a motorway or an elevated highway. In doing this, there are excavations a nd earthworks involved. Earth movement will involve a lot of activities in road construction. The first job of a builder of a motorway is to balance the cut and fill by calculating quantities to be moved. Calculating the volumes to be moved will involve measuring the horizontal and vertical sections using a planimeter, and in order to be accurate about this step, it has to be done at least three times. (Gallagher, 2004, p. 415) The principle in calculation is analogous to measuring the volume of a ship, which is measuring the displacement and tonnage. To do this means to measure the area of vertical cross section in successive lateral points. This technique of measurement was first introduced by Matthew Baker when he applied it in a cross section of a ship in 1586. The series of measurements were then compiled by George Parker Bidder in a paper titled â€Å"Table of Cutting and Embankments† on the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway in 1836. (Gallagher, 2004, p. 415) An important factor to be considered in earth work or excavation is to determine the material a junior site engineer like me will be working with. I will have a lot of site investigation and analysis of the materials. A lot of information from our databases regarding the site, the materials and equipment that we will be using, will help a lot in the success of the motorway project. A common way of classifying the soil to determine its ease of excavation is known as the Ease of Digging scale. This is common in the United Kingdom. According to this theory, the soil is classified into four categories: E – for Easy digging, e.g. sands, fine gravels, etc. M – for Medium, example is cohesive soil like clay, gravel, etc. M-H – for Medium to Hard – refers to rock broken to pieces, heavy clay, gravel with boulders, etc. H – Hard refers to hard materials that require blasting. (Durham. Ac.uk.) Foundations Foundation engineering involves an analysis of the soil mechanics and judgment on the part of the engineer on the complex blend of the

Observing or Reading the Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Observing or Reading the Behavior - Essay Example According to him home makes him feel more relaxed and studies can be done in relaxed and calm environment. The peace of mind that he gets at home could not be available anywhere else. He is able to concentrate better in the familiar and relaxed surrounding of his home rather than a public place like library where people keep on moving around. Movement of people can be a cause of distraction. Since people in a library are mostly strangers and strangers make him self conscious. At home the presence of siblings does not matter as they keep themselves busy with their own chores. He also acknowledged that there might not be other books and references available at home instantly if he needs them. However, he can make use of Internet for the references and other relevant material at home. Also he thinks he could easily take a break from say continuous study of two hours and watch TV or listen to his favorite songs and resume his studies. At library continuous studies can cause exhaustion as mind needs breaks every now and then. He also considers the fact the one can sit in a relaxed easy manner at home while at library one has to sit in a well-mannered and socially acceptable way. Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs devised this method commonly called Myers Briggs Test based on the work of Carl Jung. This method has emerged as the widely used test for personality assessment. Like millions of Americans the interviewee has also taken Myers Briggs Test. The test presents a summary of personality. A person's type might be INTJ or ESFP, or some other combination. Like other he was also forced choice questionnaire. The test uses two basic orientations that is E and I for extraversion and introversion two choices for information uptake that is S for sensing and N for intuition, two choices for judgment that is T for thinking and F for feeling, and two choices for decision making that is J for judgment and P for perception. So according to this model people could be extrovert or introvert. The results shoed that the interviewee is an introvert as his model started with I. Te rest of his combination turned out to be INFP. The result therefore finally showed that the interviewee is an introvert and mostly makes his decisions on the basis of his intuition. The person is sensitive and feeling and impulsiveness dominates his personality. Accuracy of Myers Briggs Test Results According to Myers Briggs Test the results were INFP. The interviewee mostly agrees with the overall picture or assessment done as a result of test taken. He himself considers an introvert and Myers Briggs Test also confirm his own views. However for other indicators he has his own reservation. Despite agreeing to his introversion he does not totally agree with other results. For example, he was asked whether he would like to plan an evening beforehand or not. This question could be asked to determine Judgment or Perception traits of a person based on their inclination for planning or impulsiveness. The interviewee though plans well in advance but sometimes remains unable to enjoy or execute his plans due to his spontaneous or impulsive

Summary of Story Essay Example for Free

Summary of Story Essay * A man of God, who went through the ups and downs of life, who walked through the valley and the shadow of death by choosing to ignore what God wants for him. He spent his early childhood as one who fears God, but as he grew old, he wandered away and chose a different path. As a teen, he had done nasty things and as he grew older, he became worse. He started doing bigger criminal works, even started using and dealing drugs. He was caught a couple of times, went in and out of prison, and still chooses to do bad things. But then came a night, when he double crossed one of his fellow drug dealers, he knew that they would come to seek and kill him for what he has done to them. As he tries to hide, avoid what’s coming, he turned to God. He asked God to save him, and if God would give him this favor, he will give his life to Him by coming back and serving Him. Henry’s story is somewhat alike to the story in the bible â€Å"The prodigal son†, for he chose to go away but later comes back for mercy and acceptance. We all make mistakes in our lives, but it’s never too late to ask God for forgiveness. God doesn’t look at a clock and counts how long a person has taken to ask for forgiveness. God is always more than willing to accept someone who seeks to be forgiven and guided through his life. Favorite line: â€Å"Faith is about doing, you are how you act and not just how you believe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  * Albert Lewis Faith is something that we may all believe. Even though it varies in form, process, rituals or language, it is always present anytime anywhere. Faith can be defined in many ways than one, but what’s important is how a person believes in it and lives with it. You can say you have faith but you cannot be called faithful unless you practice what you preach. Believing is not enough if you don’t fully understand what you believe in. Likewise, if you only believe in faith but you don’t give it as much importance as you give to other things, then it will be not more than just a word. As the saying goes, â€Å"actions speak louder than words†, so if you know how to embody and practice the faith you believe, then that defines that you are what you believe. Morale of the story: â€Å"Mistakes are ever present in our lives. But it’s our choice to do what is right and what is wrong. Life is full of challenges that may affect us in many ways. It’s always up to us to coupe up with life and face everything it has in stored for us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In the story have a little faith; there are some citations that indicate some character that have committed something that was far from what is accepted. Here are some examples; the first one would be about Albert Lewis. It happened when he was studying to be ordained as a Rabbi, he failed to pass so he chose to stop and not to continue anymore. But then he came to know a boy who was so insubordinate and impolite. He tried his best to talk to the boy, loosen him so as for him to be understood. After a couple of days, the boy came home as a changed child. And with this, the boy’s family was so thankful for what Albert has done, and in coincidence the boy’s father was a pastor. The father convinced Albert to try again if he really wanted to be ordained as a pastor. Giving up for what you want will only lead to grief and unsatisfactory with one’s self.

raising cattle :: essays research papers

Raising Cattle across America Cattle are being produced all across the United States. From Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and from California to the Atlantic Ocean there are several thousand head of cattle being raised. However these cattle are all being raised the some way or under the same conditions. Ranchers in the north have to deal with snow and ice while the southern ranchers are dealing with mud, water, and, mosquitoes. The people raising cattle in the Midwest are faced with droughts and having to keep their crops and cattle watered. Raising cattle in the northern part of the United States is more than just raising cattle and being cold while you do it. Keeping your cattle with fresh water, feed, and, hay is sometimes a task anywhere in the country much less when you have to deal with temperatures that are twenty degrees below zero. When it is this cold outside your cattle do not have fresh water until you go and break the five to ten inches of ice on top of their water trough. Feeding your herd also creates problems. When you get the hay for your herd to make it through the winter it can not be just any hay. You have to send your hay to a laboratory to get it tested. By having your hay tested this tells you if your hay has enough protein for your cattle to make it through the harsh winters. â€Å"We’ve had cattle starve to death with full bellies† says Paul Walker, extension livestock agent of Alamance County, North Carolina. â€Å"They received plenty of hay but it was not enough to meet the ir nutritional needs.† The hay you feed needs to be at least nine to fourteen percent protein. The higher the protein the better the hay is and the better the hay you feed the better your cows will be. Just below the extreme northern part of the country is where droughts are a

The Techniques of Advertising Essay -- Advertisements Media Essays

The Techniques of Advertising Advertisings are created to make us buy things. All the companies want to sell their products, because they want to make profit. When a company knows that a product that it manufactures is not very good they do not share that with their customers. On the contrary, they make a very impressive advertising for the product, because all they want is to sell it. Everyone knows that advertising a product is not really done because the product is just wonderful and everyone should know about it. Companies sure do care about their customers and they want these customers to come back and buy more. They care about that because they want to make profit, not because they want their customers’ hair to be dandruff free, nor because they want their customers to be slim, nor because they want their customers to smell good. They do it for the profit. You know it. They know it. Everyone knows it. The best way to sell a product is to advertise it and let everyone know how wonderful this product i s and how much better your life will be if you use it. A type of techniques that advertisers use is making us believe that their product is just what we have always wanted, another type is using our fears or weaknesses and another one is using famous people and role models that tell us what they use in order to be so popular and good-looking. How do advertisers know what I want? A Burger King commercial says:†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦chicken, just how you like it†. There is no way that everyone likes their chicken the same way. If one million people are watching this commercial there is no way that this is exactly how everyone likes his chicken. The advertisement says it though, and if you do not pay attention and you do not dig under the surface ... ...rd of before, no matter whether it is the greatest or the worst thing in stores. People have their fears and their weaknesses. No one is perfect. That is why it is so easy to play with people’s minds and intentionally make them think about products and make them want to have and use these products. Advertising has been around for a long time and people that create commercials know a lot about those fears and weaknesses and even desire and dreams that the regular people have. So they use them in order to be profitable and in order to sell their products. Every business is really competitive in current times so the company that manages to attract more customers will be the most profitable and most successful. That is why these companies have to use all the possible methods and all the techniques that they can think of. The more creative and unique they are the better.

Root

40 International Journal of Management Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 The Impact of Bank Board Composition, Top Management Equity Interest and Audit Committee Effectiveness on Top Management Transparency Udoayang Joseph Offiong University of Calabar, Nigeria Uket Eko Ewa Cross River University of Technology, Nigeria The aim of this study was to determine the impact of bank board composition, top management equity interest and audit committee effectiveness on top management transparency on the performance of Banks in Nigeria.Data were collected from thirteen Nigerian banks using a Four Point Scale Likert questionnaire and analyses using percentages and ratios. Multiple regressions were used in testing the hypotheses. The study revealed that top management equity interest influences the level of correct financial disclosures and transparency that Audit Committees are not effective and independent of management and members’ appointments are not based on integrity, competence and expert ise of individuals.The study concluded that forensic accounting practice if incorporated in the banking operations will improve top management transparency and good corporate governance in the Nigerian banking sector which ultimately will improve the performances of Nigerian Banks. Based on the findings, we recommend independence of bank’s audit committees as well as integrity, competence and expertise as pre-requisite for appointment as Audit Committee membership. IntroductionBusiness failures have an economic implication which is disastrous to the economy of any nation. In fact big investment frauds and trading scams have resulted in the loss of billions of dollars from gullible people. Nigeria is not an exception. There are various advanced fee frauds in Nigeria and other investment frauds that have bedeviled the Nigerian economy and the world. Bernard Ma doff, a former chairman of Nasdaq Exchange was arrested for running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.It is alleged that his o peration is the largest ponzi scheme in history. (Nikhil, 2009). In Nigeria, we have experienced many failed banks and finance houses in the late 1980s and 1990s. Many of the banks chief Executives absconded abroad while some were tried due to their involvements in employee related frauds and money laundering scams. Nigeria has witnessed corruption in all facets of her polity and economy which includes the banking sector.Ajayi, (2005) as cited in Adegbaju and Olokoyo, (2008) maintained that banking sector reforms in Nigeria are driven by the need to deepen the financial sector and reposition the Nigerian economy for growth; to become integrated into the global financial structural design and evolve a banking sector that is consistent with regional integration requirements and international best practices. It also aimed at International Journal of ManagementVol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 41 addressing issues such as governance, risk management and operational inefficiencies which forensic accounting practices is geared towards achieving. After the appointment of Sanusi Lamido as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian banking sector experienced turbulent crises as a result of the reforms introduced by him. Most banks that hitherto were adjudged liquid were declared insolvent.The management boards of many quoted banks were dissolved by the Central Bank of Nigeria and some top management staff were reported to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission for prosecution for fraud and mismanagement of funds and so constituting economic crimes. The Banks’ overall risk management was questionable. Against this background, the research is geared towards ascertaining the impact of bank board composition, top management equity interest and audit committee effectiveness on top management transparency.Theoretical Framework Fraud or intentional deception is a strategy to achieve a personal or organizational goal or satisfy a human need. A threat to survival or satisfy a need may cause one to choose either dishonest or honest means. The fraud triangle theory propounded by Donald Cressey states that every fraud has three things in common: (1) Pressure sometimes referred to as motivation and usually a â€Å"un-shareable need†; (2) Rationalization of personal ethics; and (3) Knowledge and opportunity to commit the crime.Pressure according to Singleton et al (2006) in their work on the fraud triangle theory stated that pressure or incentive or motivation refers to something that has happened in the fraudster’s personal life that creates a stressful need for funds and thus motivates him to steal. This motivation centers on some financial strain but it could be the symptoms of other types of pressures. Other types of pressures or motivations include; social and political survival (egocentric and ideological motives) and psychotic.Kenyon and Tilton (2006), Management or other employees may find themselves offered incentives or pl aced under pressure to commit fraud. They sighted as an example that when remuneration or advancement is significantly affected by individual, divisional or company performance, individuals may have an incentive to manipulate results or to put pressure on others to do so. Likewise, pressure may come from the unrealistic expectations from investors, banks or other sources of finance.They therefore stated that incentives or pressures may take a variety of forms within an organization. These include; bonuses or incentive pay representing a large portion of an employee or group’s compensation, triggers built into debt covenants tied to share price targets and levels, significant stock option awards throughout the organization but particularly to top management, and aggressive earnings-per-share and revenue targets set by top management and communicated to analysts, investment bankers, and other market participants, ith resultant pressure from these groups. Rationalization and att itude according to Kenyon and Tilton, (2006) in their write up on Potential Red Flags and Fraud Detection Techniques stated that some individuals are more prone than others to commit fraud. That all things being equal, the propensity to commit fraud depend on people ethical values as well as on their personal circumstances. 42 International Journal of Management Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 They asserted that ethical behavior is motivated both by a person’s character and by external factors.External factors include job insecurity such as during a downsizing or redundancy or a work environment that inspires resentment such as being passed over for promotion. Also external environment includes the tone at the top – the attitude of management toward fraud risk and management’s response to actual instances of fraud. They posited that when fraud has occurred in the past and management has not responded appropriately, others may conclude that the issue is not taken seriou sly and they can get away with it.Instances may exist that create opportunities for management or other staff to commit fraud. When such opportunities arise, according to Kenyon and Tilton, (2006), those who might not otherwise be inclined to behave dishonestly may be tempted to do so. They stated that absent or ineffective controls, lack of supervision or inadequate segregation of duties may provide such opportunities. Also according to Cressey’s research (i. e. , the Fraud Triangle), fraudsters always had the knowledge and opportunity to commit the fraud.Tommie and Singleton et al stated that the ‘Report To The Nation (RTTN) (2004) research carried out by Association of Certified Fraud Examiners showed that most employees and managers who commits fraud tend to have a long tenure with a company. A simple explanation deduced by the scholars is that employees and managers who have been around for years know quite well where the weaknesses are in the internal controls and have gained sufficient knowledge of how to commit the crime successfully.Skalak, Alas, Sellitto (2006) in their contribution ‘Fraud: An introduction’ in the book â€Å"A Guide to Forensic Accounting and Investigation† stated that, the increased size and impact of financial reporting scandals and the related loss of billion of dollars of shareholder value have rightly focused both public and regulatory attention on all aspects of financial reporting fraud and corporate governance.They postulated that some of the issues upsetting investors and regulators – for example, executive pay that could be considered by some to be excessive are in the nature of questionable judgments, but do not necessarily constitute fraud. On the other hand, there have been more than a few examples of willful deception directed toward the investing community via fabricated financial statements, and many of these actions are gradually being identified and punished.They stated that t he investing public may not always make a fine distinction between the outrageous and the fraudulent – between bad judgment and wrongdoing. However, they stated that professionals charged with the deterrence, discovery, investigation and remediation of these situations, a systematic and rigorous approach is essential. They therefore formulated what they called ‘Fraud Deterrence Cycle’ which they opined without an effective regimen of it, fraud is much likely to occur.They acknowledged that even with fraud deterrence regimen effectively in place, there remains a chance that fraud will occur. Thus absolute fraud prevention is a laudable but unobtainable goal. Fraud deterrence elements include establishment of corporate governance, implementation of transaction-level control processes often referred to as the system of internal accounting controls, retrospective examination of governance and control processes through audit examinations and International Journal of M anagement Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 43 investigation and remediation of suspected or alleged problems.Corporate governance is an entire culture that sets and monitors behavioral expectations intended to deter the fraudster. In order to execute effective governance, boards and management must effectively oversee a number of key business processes including strategy and operation planning, risk management, ethics and compliance, performance measurement and monitoring, mergers, acquisitions, and other transformational t ransactions, management evaluation, compensation, and succession planning, communication and reporting, governance dynamics.Transaction-level controls or system of internal accounting Controls: They are accounting and financial controls designed to help ensure that only valid, authorized, and legitimate transactions occur and to safeguard corporate assets from loss due to theft or other fraudulent activity.These procedures the authors stated are preventive because they m ay actively block or prevent a fraudulent transaction from occurring. Retrospective Examination: According to Skalak, Alas, Sellitto (2006), the first two elements of the Fraud Deterrence Cycle are the first line of defense against fraud and are designed to deter fraud from occurring in the first place.Oyejide, and Soyibo, (2001) in their paper â€Å"Corporate Governance in Nigeria† cited (Rwegasira, 2000) stated that Corporate governance, as a concept, can be viewed from at least two perspectives: a narrow one in which it is viewed merely as being concerned with the structures within which a corporate entity or enterprise receives its basic orientation and direction; and a broad perspective in which it is regarded as being the heart of both a market economy and a democratic society (Sullivan, 2000).The narrow view perceives corporate governance in terms of issues relating to shareholder protection, management control and the popular principal-agency problems of economic theo ry. In contrast, Sullivan (2000), a proponent of the broader perspective uses the examples of the resultant problems of the privatization crusade that has been sweeping through developing countries since the 1980s, and the transition economies of the former communist countries in the 1990s, that issues of institutional, legal and capacity building as well as the rule of law, are at the very heart of corporate governance.Hamid, (2009) in his article ‘The impact of the Composition of Audit Committee on organizational and physical controls of Banks in Nigeria’ stated that there is no generally accepted definition of corporate governance which enjoys a consensus of opinion in all settings and countries of the world. That the concept is defined and understood differently in different parts of the world depending on the relative powers of the owners, managers and providers of capital.Klapper and Love (2002) as cited by Hamid, suggested four components of an effective Corporat e Governance; Board Composition, Board Size, Power Separation and Audit Committee composition. In its preface on the Code of Corporate Governance in Nigeria document, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Commission stated as follows: †¦ Long before the highly publicized corporate scandals and failures worldwide, the global community has shown increasing concern on the issues of corporate 44International Journal of Management Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 governance. The reason for this trend is not far to seek. There is growing consensus that corporate governance, which has been defined as the way and manner in which the affairs of companies are conducted by those charged with the responsibility, has a positive link to national growth and development. The Commission further stated that the importance of effective corporate governance to corporate and economic performance cannot be over-emphasised in today’s global market pla ce.Sir Adrian Cadbury Committee set up in May 1991 in its report â€Å"Report of the Committee on the Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance† on 1 December 1992 in an effort to stem the financial scandals and generally improve corporate governance of United Kingdom companies gave rise to accompanying Code of Best Practice which was adopted by the London Stock Exchange on 30 June 1993 and proposed a system of self regulation by listed companies.Ramaswamy, (2005) further stated that the failure of the corporate communication structure has made the financial community realize that there is a great need for skilled professionals that can identify, expose and prevent weaknesses in three key areas: Poor corporate governance, flawed internal controls and fraudulent financial statements.The author further said the recent corporate scandals came as a shock not just because of the enormity of failures like the Enron, Adelphia communications, WorldCom, Lehman Brothers, Stamford Group and AIG in the US, Cadbury in Nigeria and Parmalat in Italy, but because of the discovery that questionable accounting practice was far more insidious and widespread than previously envisioned. A definite link between these accounting failures and poor corporate governance is thus beginning to emerge.According to Ramaswamy (2005), presently an increasing number of researchers are finding that poor corporate governance is a leading factor in poor performance, manipulated financial reports and unhappy stakeholder. In their research on corporate governance and bank performance in the US, Spong, and Sullivan, (2007) stated that individuals with much of their wealth concentrated in a bank are likely to have a strong incentive to put forth greater effort and also to be more careful in the risks they choose to take than managers with significant motivations and financial incentives.They asserted that the separation between management and ownership in financial theory is referred to as pri ncipal-agent problem which may lead hired managers to maximize their own utility rather than that of the firm. Glassman and Rhoades (1980) compared financial institutions controlled by their owners with those controlled by managers and found that the owner-controlled institutions had higher earnings. Allen and Cebenoyan (1991) found that banking holding companies were more likely to make acquisitions that added to firm value when they had high inside stock ownership and more concentrated ownership.Cole and Mehran (1996) discovered higher stock returns at thrifts that had either had a large inside shareholder or a large outside shareholder. In Nigeria in the contrary, Orogun, (2009) citing Adedeji stated that bank failures in Nigeria are attributed to inadequate capital base, fraudulent, self serving and corrupt practices of the owners and managers, meddlesome interference of board members in the day to day running of the institution and regulatory laxity. On the application of Audit Committees as components of good International Journal of Management Vol. 0 No. 1 March 2013 45 corporate governance in Nigeria, Hamid (2009) citing Wilson (2007) stated that Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) Act of 1988, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act of 1991, the various prudential guidelines issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the listing requirements of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules and Securities and Exchange Commission code of corporate governance 2003, the Central Bank of Nigeria code of corporate governance for banks 2006 must be abided by banks.Hamid (2009) in his research published and titled, ‘The impact of the composition of audit committee on organizational and physical controls of banks in Nigeria’ observed that a number of banks did not adhere to the composition requirement for good corporate governance in the Banks and thus affects the quality of control mechanisms that are i nstituted to safeguard operations in the banking industry. Also the study revealed that unrestricted appointments of executive directors on audit committees decreased the monitoring provided by the committees and it’s effectiveness in checking management scandal and sustaining the effectiveness of ccounting and internal control systems. The study also revealed that the composition of audit committees have an impact on physical control of banks in Nigeria. This result is consistent with earlier findings by Uzun, Szewezyk and Varma (2004) which indicated that a higher degree of independence of the audit committee is associated with a higher control thus lower likelihood of corporate fraud. Transparency and accountability has been a hot debate in the management of businesses and governance all over the world. In fact it is a barometer for measuring business competitiveness among nation states.According to Oladoyin,, Elumilade, and Ashaolu, (2005), the issue of transparency and a ccountability in financial institutions is one that cannot be readily glossed over. That transparency and accountability constitute pivotal features of any respectable public official or professional practitioner. In recent years, there has been great concern on the management of banks’ assets and liabilities because of large scale financial distress. Adam,(2009). The banking sector has been singled out for the special protection because of the vital role banks play in an economy.Bank supervision entails not only the enforcement of rules and regulations, but also judgments concerning the soundness of bank assets, its capital adequacy and management. Volcker,(1992). In Nigeria, the rising cases of bank distress have also become a major source of concern for policy makers. McNamara, C (2009) stated that performance management is a relatively new concept to the field of management. That performance management reminds us that being busy is not the same as producing results. It re minds us that training, strong commitment and lots of hard work alone are not results.That the major contribution of performance management is its focus on achieving results — useful products and services for customers inside and outside the organization. Despite the recent attention to achieving maximum performance, McNamara (2009) stated that there is no standard interpretation of what 46 International Journal of Management Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 that means or what it takes to get it. However having stated what people are suggesting that it takes for organizations to achieve maximum performance he stated that, we should be aware of the various views and be able to choose our own.The efficiency and competitiveness of financial institutions cannot easily be measured, since their products and services are of an intangible nature. Idialu, and Yomere, in their article â€Å"Stochastic frontier analysis of the efficiency of Nigerian Banks† cited Berger, Hunter and Timme (1993) as defining efficiency as the ratio of the minimum costs that could have been expended to produce a given output bundle to the actual costs expended. Arshadi and Lawrence (1987) on the other hand, measures bank performance using normal correlation analysis.Srinivane (2009) capsulate that banks are exposed to credit risk, liquidity risk, interest risk, market risk, operational risk and management/ ownership risk. He stated that it is the credit risk which stands out as the most dreaded one. Considering the Nigerian banking history and customers attitude to credit obligations, this is the most dreaded risk in Nigeria. Though often associated with lending, credit risk arises whenever a party enters into an obligation to make payment or deliver value to the bank.Srinivani (2009). The nature and extent of credit risk, therefore, depend on the quality of loan assets and soundness of investments. Based on the income, expenditure, net interest income and capital adequacy one can comm ent on the profitability and the long run sustenance of the bank. Research Methodology The study employed the survey research method using the technique of interview to complement the questionnaire administration and review of documentary sources.The questionnaire was structured in a four point likert scale model where strongly agreed was assigned 4 points, agreed assigned 3 points, disagree assigned 2 points and strongly disagreed assigned 1 point. Scope of Research Area Thirteen publicly quoted commercial banks were selected as the study population from the twenty four commercial banks operating in Nigeria. The selection covers both the first generation Banks, second generation Banks and Banks that emerged from mergers of more than one bank during the recent bank consolidation in Nigeria. Their choices are premeditated on their size and their banking coverage.Model Specification To examine the impact of bank board composition, top management equity interest and audit committee eff ectiveness on top management transparency in the Nigerian banking sector, hypothesis formulated was developed into models and was subjected to empirical test using multiple regression analysis, percentages comparison and ratio analysis. y = ? 0 + ? 1x 1+ ? 2Ãâ€"2 + †¦+ ? nxk +? ijk Where ? 0 = Regression Constant and ? 1, ? 2, ? 3 †¦ ? n are = regression coefficients Where ? 0 and ? 1 are obtained by solving simultaneously the equations: International Journal of Management Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 47 y = ? 0N+ ? 1? X ?XY = ? ? X + ? ?X2 0 1 Where y = Dependent variable, x = Independent variables Estimation and validation To determine the use-ability of the questionnaire on the Impact of Bank Board Composition, Top Management Equity Interest and Audit Committee Effectiveness on Top Management Transparency in the Nigerian banking sector, the questionnaire was built on a four point Likert scale on one hundred and forty eight respondents. To determine the use-ability, item-te st correlation coefficient were computed. All item-test correlation lie in the range r=0. 6  ±0. 1. They were considered significant and useable.Analysis of Data Table 1 shows that 50(34%) respondents strongly agreed that their top management equity interest in their banks influences their level of financial disclosure. 46(31%) respondents also agreed that their top management equity interest in their banks influences their level of financial disclosure while 52(35%) respondents strongly disagreed that their top management equity interest in the bank influences their level of financial disclosure. Table 1. Top Management transparency, Banks Board composition, Top Management equity interest and Audit Committee effectiveness Research Question Whether top anagement equity interest in the Bank influence her level of financial disclosures. Whether Audit Committees are effective, efficient and independent of management. Whether the composition of Bank boards is based on director’ s individual integrity, knowledge of industry and competence high? Whether top management is transparent in her decision making? Opinion of Respondents Strongly (%) Agreed (%) Disagreed (%) Strongly (%) Total Agreed disagreed 50 34% 46 31% 52 35% 0% 148 0 0% 50 34% 98 66% 0% 148 4 3% 48 32% 96 65% 0% 148 0 0% 35 24% 113 76% Source: Data from questionnaire analysis based on responses 0% 0% 148 48International Journal of Management Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 In a related matter, 35(24%) respondents agreed that their top management is transparent in her decision making process as it affects the bank and their personal interests. 113(76%) respondents however disagreed that their top management is transparent in her decision making process as it affects the bank and their personal interests. 50(34%) respondents agreed that their banks audit committees are effective, efficient and independent of management while 98(66%) respondents disagreed that their banks audit committees are effective, efficient and independent of management.Also, 4(3%) respondents strongly agreed that the composition of their Bank Boards is based on the fact that the individuals’ integrity, knowledge or expertise of the industry and competence are very high. 48(32%) respondents also agreed that the composition of their Bank Boards is based on the fact that the individuals’ integrity, knowledge or expertise of the industry and competence are very high. However, 96(65%) respondents disagreed that the composition of their Bank Boards is based on the fact that the individuals’ integrity, knowledge or expertise of the industry and competence are very high. HypothesisNull (N0): Top management transparency does not depend significantly on Bank board composition, top management equity interest and audit committee effectiveness. Alternate (N1): Top management transparency depends significantly on Bank board composition, top management equity interest and audit committee effectiveness. Let y = represent dependent variable and Let x1-3 = represent independent variables Variables in the Hypothesis Dependent Variable (y) = Top management transparency Independent variable (x1) = Top management equity interest. Independent variable (x2) = Audit Committee effectiveness Independent variable (x3) Bank board composition To test the hypotheses, multiple regression analysis was used with top management transparency variable as the dependent variable and bank board composition, top management equity interest and audit committee effectiveness as independent variables. The means are not equal, at least among the predictor variables suggesting that they may not have the same predictive ability. The standard deviation though small gives us the assurance that there is variation in the variables as we move from bank to bank as reflected in table 2. The inter-variable correlations were computed via the Pearson product moment formulae.These correlation coefficients are given in tabl e 3. From table 3, we observed that the three independent variables correlates significantly International Journal of Management Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 49 with the dependent variable (first row and column) since the associated probabilities are all less than the chosen level of significance. The inter correlations among the independent variables are also significant. Though this phenomenon is desirable in a multiple regression analysis, it validates our claim that they are all elements of the one variable called good corporate governance in forensic accounting practice.The significance of their correlation with the dependent variable suggests that they may be significant predictors of top management transparency. To test the significance of their predictive ability collectively, the prediction model parameters were estimated and tested for significance using the F-ratio test. The results are presented in table 3. From table 4, the estimated F-value (77. 233) is greater than the cr itical F-value (2. 600) with 3,144 degrees of freedom and at 0. 05 levels. Also, the probability associated with the observed F-value (0. 000) is less than the chosen level of significance.Consequently the null hypothesis is rejected in favor of the alternative. This means that top management transparency depends significantly on top management equity interest, audit committee effectiveness and bank board composition as elements of good corporate governance in forensic accounting practice. The R-squared value of 0. 617 and its adjusted form of 0. 609 together indicate that between 60. 9% and 61. 7% of the total variation in top management transparency is accounted for by top management equity interest, audit committee effectiveness and bank board composition with a standard error of estimate of 0. 67. Table 2. Mean and standard deviation of the four variables Variable Top management transparency Top management equity interest Bank Boards Composition Audit Committee effectiveness Mea n 2. 237 2. 987 2. 378 2. 338 Standard deviation 0. 426 0. 833 0. 540 0. 475 Source: Data from questionnaire analysis based on responses Table 3. Inter correlation among Top Management transparency, Management equity interest, Board composition and Audit Committee effectiveness. Variable Y X1 X2 X3 Y 1. 000 0. 680* 0. 779* 0. 762* X1 0. 680* 1. 000 0. 872* 0. 829* X2 0. 779* 0. 872* 1. 00 0. 932* *Significant at 0. 05 level, p < 0. 05 Y = Top management transparency X1 = Top management equity interest. X2 = Audit Committee effectiveness X3 = Bank board composition Source: Data from questionnaire analysis based on responses X3 0. 762* 0. 829* 0. 932* 1. 000 50 International Journal of Management Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 The relative contribution of each of the independent variables to the prediction of top management transparency is estimated as regression coefficients and tested for significance using the t-test. Table 5 is summary of the results.From the table, the computed t-value for the regression constant (5. 336) and audit committee effectiveness (3. 320) are greater than the critical t-value (1. 976). Their associated probabilities (0. 000 and 0. 001) for the regression constant and audit committee effectiveness respectively are less than the chosen level of significance. This means these are the significant contributors to the prediction of top management transparency. The contribution of the other two variables: top management equity interest and bank board composition do not contribute significantly to the prediction of top management transparency.All the same, the obtained prediction model is: y= 0. 616 – 0. 009Ãâ€"1 + 0. 487Ãâ€"2 + 0. 215Ãâ€"3 Where y= x1 = x2 = x3 = Top management transparency Top management equity interest Audit Committee effectiveness Bank Board Composition. Table 4. Model summary and ANOVA for the prediction of top management transparency. R R-Square 0. 785 Source of variation Regression Residual Total 0. 617 Sum of S quares 16. 480 10. 243 26. 723 Adj. R-Square 0. 609 Df. 3 144 147 Std Error 0. 267 Mean Square 5. 493 0. 071 R. Square Change 0. 617 F Sig. 77. 233* 0. 000 * Sig. at 0. 05 level. F(3,144) = 2. 600Source: Data from questionnaire analysis based on responses Table 5. Regression constant and coefficients for the prediction of top management transparency. Variable Constant Top Management equity Audit effectiveness Bank Board Composition Un-standardized Coefficients B Std Error 0. 616 0. 115 -0. 009 0. 054 0. 487 0. 147 0. 215 0. 113 Standard Coefficients Beta * Significant at 0. 05; p < 0. 05. Source: Data from questionnaire analysis based on responses -0. 02 0. 542 0. 272 T Sig. 5. 336* -0. 172 3. 320* 1. 903 0. 000 0. 864 0. 001 0. 059 International Journal of ManagementVol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 51 Findings The study revealed that top management equity interest in the banks influences the level of correct financial disclosures of the banks and their level of transparency. This ran contr ary to recent research findings in the United States where it was revealed that individuals with much of their wealth concentrated in a bank are likely to have a strong incentive to put forth greater effort and also to be more careful in the risk they choose to take. Audit Committees are not effective, efficient and independent of management of the banks.Likewise, the appointment of the committee members is not based on integrity, competence and expertise of candidates. Conclusions The Nigerian Banking sector which constitutes over 70% of volume trading in the past four years being the most active sector in the capital market will strive for better if the issue of good corporate governance and ethical conduct by bank directors and management is addressed. The study therefore recommended that the composition of banks audit committees should be based on integrity, competence and knowledge or expertise of individuals and it should be independent of management.Those banks should have as one of their reporting requirements a statement on compliance to good corporate governance. References Ademola, T O and Soyibo A (2001), Corporate governance in Nigeria. Paper presented at conference of Corporate Governance, Accra, Ghana. 20-30 Adegbaju, A. 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(2004), Board composition and corporate f raud, Financial Analysts Journal, 60(3), 33-43 International Journal of Management Vol. 30 No. 1 March 2013 3 Wilson, I. (2007), Regulatory and institutional challenges of corporate governace in Nigeria post consolidation. Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) Economic Indicators, April-June, Vol. 12, No 2. Contact email addresses: [email  protected] com [email  protected] com Copyright of International Journal of Management is the property of International Journal of Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.