Africas Slow Growth And Development Politics Essay

Africas Slow Growth And Development Politics Essay This paper examines the causes of slow growth and development of Africa with emphasis on some selected countries. The paper argued on the basis of Madison’s (1995:65) estimates of per capital Gross Domestic Profit (GDP) for a sample of countries that, during the first half of the century, Africa had grown considerably more rapidly than Asia. By 1950, the African sample had overtaken the Asian sample. In the 1960s, Africa’s future looked bright, especially that the continent was gradually disengaging from the bondage of colonial imperialism. But today, Africa is the poorest continent in the world. While there has been a steady growth in countries of Asia, such as Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, African states have lagged behind. Why is African development growing slowly? What went wrong in Africa? How can these problems be solved? This paper attempts to provide answers to some of the fundamental issues that have bedeviled the continent in the 21st century. In order to assess the level of growth and development in the continent, the concepts of ‘growth and development’ is critically examined within the confines of Africa in the paper. The paper attributed the slow growth and development of Africa to ‘Internal influences and external dimensions’. At the same time, the paper provides some plausible suggestions that would serve as a panacea to the problems militating against the growth and development of Africa. Introduction From what direction should one view the slow growth and development of Africa: is it from the perspective of bad leadership couple with wide spread corruption? Or is it that of policy failure, or geographic and demographic factors? Africa as well as the rest of the world is battling with this provocative question: Why does Africa continue to lag behind the rest of the world in terms of social and economic development? Mathew Paris writing in Times August (2002), believes the answer to the co ntinent’s development problem lies in four simple words: †swagger, Indolence, self indulgence and hot air †he points out †failure of leadership, the individual means that what is created or started is not maintained. Further more, it has also been argued that after 1960, particularly when majority of the countries in the continent gained political freedom, the potential of governments were not responsive to the people’s needs, aspirations and wishes, Mathew Parris (2002). The dream were shattered due to bad leadership, corruption, wars, poverty and eventually, economic underdevelopment. Could this entire unfortunate phenomenon be considered as factors militating against the growth and development of Africa? In terms of structure and for the purpose of understanding and clarity of the main thrust of this article, we have divided the paper into four parts. The first part focuses on the interpretation and application of the terms ‘growth and develo pment’ as concepts of analysis. It is necessary to understand that the two concepts were used based on what the paper takes them to be. Perhaps the greatest weakness in the literature of social sciences is striking lack of precision with which terms are used and under the conditions they are studied. However, a clear distinction between growth and development is explained in this part. The second part discusses African perspective. The rich complex of minerals, ecological hung provided by the continent, the continent’s archeological sites and the richness of African culture and its contribution to global community is captured in the first part. The third part investigates the causes of the slow growth and development in Africa. On this part different explanations were presented to justify the strength of points on the topic under review. However, few examples of some selected countries were cited. The fourth part poses a fundamental question: whether or not Africa will ever grow and develop? Perhaps, this is the greatest challenge to African leaders in the 21st century whose time has come. While the final section concentrates on the concluding remarks. This part provides some plausible suggestions that would change the predicaments in Africa, at least if not all, some parts of it.

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example The main goal of creating internal business policies dedicated to advancing corporate social responsibility is to ensure that the organisation takes direct responsibility for regulatory compliance and encourage the production of positive outcomes that impact a diverse group of organisational stakeholders. There are some members of society that believe corporate social responsibility detracts from the organisation’s primary objective which, according to respected business theorist Milton Friedman (1970) is to advance attainment of profitability. Other societal stakeholders believe that CSR is a fundamental obligation of businesses to protect the interests of society whilst also maintaining a dependability and conscientiousness, thereby providing a valuable good to all stakeholders in society. This paper critically examines the conception of corporate social responsibility, its historical ramifications, and the potential future implications of contemporary CSR policy for busines s leaders. The historical context of CSR By the late 1800s and early 1900s, with the advancement of modern commercialism and production capacity with thriving industrial businesses, CSR took on a more modern context that did not focus specifically around God’s potential condemnation for failing to abide by ethical and moral principles. Andrew Carnegie, a 19th Century business philanthropist and an influential figure in expanding the prowess of the American steel industry, was a well-respected theorist who often publicly condemned businesses for seeking profitability as a primary goal whilst abandoning social welfare as a business objective. In 1868, Carnegie drafted a letter which stated, â€Å"amassing of wealth is one of the worst species of idolatry. There is no idol that is more debasing than the worship of money† (Klein 2004, p.57). The philanthropist philosophy of Carnegie (as well as several other 19th Century businesspersons) served as a foundation for opening new avenues for business leaders to seek moral and ethical business behaviour as a primary business objective, which laid the foundation for much of modern corporate social responsibility that guides contemporary business practices. From a regulatory perspective, in 1976 the United Nations, utilising the ethical support of many member nations, began establishing a rigorous and strict code of conduct for businesses that would serve as the modern foundation for corporate social responsibility (Asongu 2007). Further, in the 1980s, the pro-business Ronald Reagan presidential administration in the United States began to seek corporate deregulation in an effort to open new trade channels internationally and expand overall corporate profitability. What occurred was a short-term stalling on negotiations that would enhance the UN CSR contract for ethical and responsible business behaviour as businesses sought to expand their domestic operations across the globe, thereby exploiting cheap labo urers and a wide variety of negligent environmental standards. The stalling of long-standing corporate codes of responsibility changed after the post-September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center which again put ethical and moral behaviours into the proverbial spotlight, giving such groups as Amnesty International and the

Nutrition, Metabolism, and Thermoregulation Essay

Nutrition, Metabolism, and Thermoregulation - Essay Example On the other hand, I also appear to take more eggs in some days than the recommended amount. In support of eating eggs, the Harvard Medical School identifies the important  role of eating one egg each day due to the nutrients the eggs provided. However, I need to restrict the number of eggs that I took daily since there are times that I can prepare four eggs in a single meal, which goes beyond the recommended amount of dietary cholesterol recommended. In this case, dieticians recommend 500mg of cholesterol in a day while an egg contains about 214mg of cholesterol (Sefcik, 2011). Therefore, four eggs contain more than the required  daily  dietary recommendation of cholesterol considering that I do not participate in physical exercises. One part of my diet, which I should improve on, regards the amount of veggies and salad that I consumed. In line with this, I should point out that eating salads and veggies gave me an energetic feeling each day. In addition, the same case applies the moment I eat apples, which are the only fruits that form my weekly diet. In this case, I find myself very energetic and in a buoyant mood when I eat apples. However, I have realized that my diet does not include allocations for many fruits as should be the case. Consequently, instead of taking a bottle of soda each day, I will ensure that I ate more fruits in order to maintain a healthy body. I discovered something else in the course of the week. In this case, I realized that I experienced changes in my body after taking some foods. For example, eggs made  me  have an itchy throat, made me hyperactive, and made me have dazed thinking. However, I should point out that this was only in instances when I took four eggs. Nonetheless, taking one egg did not give me any of these symptoms. Consequently, I realize that I need to stop taking this number of eggs in order for me

SWOT Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

SWOT Analysis - Essay Example Further, the same industry generated actual revenues during the 2009 and 2010 gambling periods. The 2009 gambling revenue reached $ 10,393 million. Favorably, the 2010 gambling period produced favorably higher actual revenues, $10,405 (Statistica, 2014). Client-centered innovative strategies boost gaming industry revenues. The company, Nevada Gold and Casinos Company, is engaged in casino gambling activities. The company is located within Nevada gambling area. The company caters to the resorts and casino needs of current and future customers. The gambling rooms include the popular slot machines (Nevada Gold Casino, 2014). The company offers several gambling game options. The options cater to the slot machine gamblers’ needs. The other gamblers will patronize the card games. The company delivers the bingo games to selected patrons. Other visitors will troop to the roulette gambling table (Twst.com, 2006). The company offers high quality hospitality service to its gambling patrons. The customers can easily buy beverage from the friendly and accommodating casino staff. The dedicated and sincere hotel room employees enthusiastically deliver quality hospitality services. As proof, Nevada Gold Casino generated $62,807,000 the year ended April 30, 2014. The company generated the same year’s $ 448,000 net profit (Nevada Gold Casino, 2014). The company is small in size. The company needs additional top quality line and staff employees to increase the company’s current revenue generating activities. With more line and staff employees, more customers will feel a reduction in the casino cashiers’ queue lines. The employees deliver quality casino restaurant services to the gambling customers. As a new company, the company lacks the actual experiences needed to ensure a synergistic coordination of all the casino’s activities (Twst.com, 2006). The Casino can open up more spaces to cater to other visitors. The

The personal selling process Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The personal selling process - Coursework Example This research will begin with the statement that personal selling forms a critical part of a marketing plan for a company that engages skilled salesperson in a successful deal with a customer. The salesperson should have the ability to successfully close the deal with the customer so that he/she is interested in the company products or services. The present research has identified that in order to successfully close a sales deal, a salesperson should be attentive to the present need of the customer and offer him/her the required products or services. It will be incorrect to state that the job of a salesperson is easy, as convincing a human being for a product or services is hard due to the different bent of mind of the consumers. The author has rightly presented that the companies lay emphasis on the art of selling and there is a definite process that is followed by a salesperson for converting a lead into the buyer. Thus, it is the most expensive form of marketing, where the salespe rson should follow definite steps in order to bring sales revenue to the company. Each of these steps is important for the salesperson and company. ThyssenKrupp AG is regarded as one of the largest steel producers in the world and it also engages in providing systems and component to the automotive industry, elevators, escalators and industrial services to its customers. It engages in business-to-business selling with the customers.

To what extent was the First World War a catalyst for change in the Essay

To what extent was the First World War a catalyst for change in the Middle East - Essay Example Political The First World War shaped the Middle East by having its unity disbanded in a brutal manner that paved the way for the modern Middle East known to man in the present day. As such, the First World War set the stage for a series of never before witnessed events that have been in play to the current times in that there have been revolutions and reforms that have seen the Middle East become a widely divided location especially in terms of modernity and development (Iran Review 2012). Traditionally and conventionally, the borders of the Middle East were not clearly defined and two parties, mainly the chieftains, controlled them and the British coupled with the French. This was prior to the First World War, in which case the nation was largely united under a common religion and a form of belief in a single ethnicity. This was in spite of the presence of factions that were divided on religious and ethnic grounds because of the death of the Islamic prophet. In this case, there were significant revolutions in Iran and neighbouring lands of modern times where there were riots against the Iranian monarchy led by merchants in an attempt to cut back on the powers of the absolute monarchy that arbitrarily shifted its powers back and forth over the people. Prior to the First World War, the leaders who served administrative duties ceased to function due to lack of political support by the people. It was after the First World War that the monarchy received a substantial blow, which saw the monarchy weaken to the extent of having a mark on Iranian history. The culminations of the First World War set the stage for future confrontations against the governments of the time by causing massive disunity between the monarchy and the people to the extent that after the constitutional revolution, the Islamic revolution took place. Without the presence of the First World War and significant weakening of the monarchy, the Islamic revolution of 1978-1979 would not have taken place and the urban middle would not have participated to bring about change. In addition, the First World War saw the Middle East thrown into a state of turmoil or chaos following the constitutional revolution. This allowed the people to have greater control over the happenings in Iran, which was significant for the overthrowing of the then government. This was done in the early years that followed the world war through a military coup that saw Zia thrown out of power in 1923 and saw the establishment of new government after deposing the then monarchy. This set the stage for modern day Middle East, as we know it due to the rapid shift in power and the impact that other coups occurring in Europe had. This also had plenty to do with the crowning of Qajar Shah in 1921 and invasion by the Ottoman Empire, British and Russians. It is these events, of the first war, that also saw significant disunity in Iran and the open view that the government had no power whatsoever. As a result, of the Fir st World War, the stage was set for drastic change that lasts to date in that there have been significant uprisings against governments in an attempt to get improved governance and proper leadership, as well as reforms. Moreover, the First World War saw the development of numerous changes in modern times as seen in the case of the Hussein-McMahon correspondence that shows the great influence the First World War had in the Middle East. The above-mentioned correspondence saw Hussein seek

All About Me Letter Essay Example for Free

All About Me Letter Essay My favorite sports are football and basketball. I play the recorder. I participated in football for three years and basket ball for one year. I played the recorder for one year in the fourth grade and earned all the belts for each skill level. On the other hand I don’t like to read what so ever, but I’m going to improve my reading this year. I don’t like to read because I fall asleep as soon as I begin to read books. The books that I like are adventurous and action-packed books because they interest me so I won’t fall asleep. These kinds of books stimulate my imagination and help me visualize the story. In order to keep me interested in reading I would like to have audio or graphics books. I did great academically last year as I made A’s and B’s. My academic goals this year are to make straight A’s and to receive scores above 900 on the CRCT. Considering that I do not like to read, it’s hard for me to brainstorm ideas and write an essay. Therefore, I do not think of myself as a good writer, as I prefer digital images to awaken my creativity. The few times that I must write, I like to write narratives about my family vacations in new places. Narratives allow me to express my emotions. Unfortunately, brainstorming ideas causes me to have headaches that turn me off from writing. I hope to learn how to overcome this obstacle and improve my writing skills. In conclusion, you can help me achieve my academic goals by suggesting some action-packed or adventurous book titles for me to enjoy reading. I learn best by following examples and listening to instructions. The activities you can help me with are reading and sentence-structure in writing assignments. I welcome the opportunity to learn from your expertise. Sincerely, Phillip Harrington Phillip Harrington