Monday, September 30, 2019

Death Penalty Should Not Be Abolished Essay

In the past, their lives who commit crimes were taken easily. The Code of Hammurabi has many stern laws to punish guilty people. It was said â€Å"If anyone ensnares another, putting a ban upon him, but he cannot prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death.† by the code of Hammurabi. This law shows that people were punished when doing something of illegal. Apparently the death penalty is one kind of warning punishment, and reminding people not to endanger the rights of other people. However, in the recently years, people pay more attention in the human rights. Some of people start thinking that the death penalty should be abolished. Moreover, there are contrary opinions to judge the issue of the death penalty. In my opinion, the existence of the death penalty is necessary. Especially we can save society resource, prevent the crime rate increase, console the population’s psychology. First, the society doesn’t have duty to costs much money for a murder all life in jail. It is very expensive to hold someone in prison for life. Life prisoners stay in prison on average for 30 to 40 years at a cost ofï ¼â€ž40,000 toï ¼â€ž50,000 per year. In the beginning the murder commit crimes which has encroach on other’s right. Every year the government has to pay much money on the prisoner of life imprisonment. On the other hand, if a murder is provided by all common people, it is unfair for all common people to raise the murder who is a killer. We work hard in the world, why do we have to pay our salary to a murder? Nothing the murder done, but the crime does. It seems too ridiculous to raise a murder who makes a big mistake for a life. Second, the death penalty can frighten and hinder committing crime. To prevent people not to take other people easily, they should know they would die if they kill somebody. For the investigation, enforcing the death penalty can save eighteen people’s life. Another reporter shows that the Korea has abolished the death penalty for seven years, but the crime rate has been increase. The important of death penalty can’t be ignored, and the death penalty has the position can’t be waved. The existence of death penalty warns people not to commit serious crimes easily, and prevent the crime rate increase. Third, the death penalty consoles the people’s psychology. Some people think that anyone has no right to take away other’s life, even to punish the prisoner. I agree that life is a valuable present which God gives us. So the life is very important for us. Otherwise, a murder who offended other’s the valuable right, he is not be excused. A murder may take more over one life. The same, he takes so many valuable present that he can’t be excused. Then we don’t punish him, and give him s chance to live. Who can give the chance for the victim to live? Finally, we don’t need to pay so much society resource to imprison a murder, and the government can use the money in education and improving the society. The power of executing the death penalty is a warning to tell people not to murder others. The human right is very valuable, so we can’t take other’s life easily. Enforcing death penalty is a way to confess the relatives of dead people. It stands for the justice of the society. So the death penalty cannot be abolished in this society.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

HP deskjet Essay

Case: Hewlett-Packard-Supplying the Deskjet Printer in Europe The DeskJet printer was introduced in 1988 and has become one of Hewlett-Packard’s (HP’s) most successful products. Sales have grown steadily, reaching a level of over 600,000 units in 1990. Unfortunately, inventory growth has tracked sales growth closely. HP’s distribution centers are filled with pallets of the DeskJet printer. Worse yet, the organization in Europe claims that inventory levels there need to be raised even further to maintain satisfactory product availability. THE DESKJET SUPPLY CHAIN The network of suppliers, manufacturing sites, distribution centers (DCs), dealers, and customers for the DeskJet product make up the DeskJet supply chain (see Exhibit 17.14). HP in Vancouver does manufacturing. There are two key stages in the manufacturing process: (1) printed circuit assembly and test (PCAT) and (2) final assembly and test (FAT). PCAT involves the assembly and testing of electronic components (like integrated circuits, read-only memories, and raw printed circuit boards) to make logic boards used in the printer. FAT involves the assembly of other subassemblies (like motors, cables, keypads, plastic chassis, gears, and the printed circuit assemblies from PCAT) to produce a working printer, as well as the final testing of the printer. The components needed for PCAT and FAT are sourced from other HP divisions as well as from external suppliers worldwide. Exhibit 17.14 HP DeskJet Supply Chain Selling the DeskJet in Europe requires customizing the printer to meet the language and power supply requirements of the local countries, a process known as â€Å"localization.† Specifically, the localization of the DeskJet of different countries involves assembling the appropriate power supply module, which reflects the correct voltage requirements (110 or 220) and power cord plug, and packaging it with the working printer and a manual written in the appropriate language. Currently, the final test is done with the actual power supply module included with the printer. Hence, the finished products of the factory are â€Å"localized† versions of the printer destined for all the different countries. For the European Market six different versions are currently produced. These are designated A, AA, AB, AQ, AU, and AY as indicated in the Bills of Materials shown in Exhibit 17.15. Exhibit 17.15 HP DeskJet Bill of Materials The total factory throughput time through the PCAT and FAT stages is about one week. The transportation time from Vancouver to the European DC is five weeks. The long shipment time to Europe is due to ocean transit and the time to clear customs and duties at port of entry. The plant sends a weekly shipment of printers to the DC in Europe. The printer industry is highly competitive. Resellers want to carry as little inventory as possible. Consequently, there has been increasing pressure for HP as a manufacturer to provide high levels of availability at the DC. In response, management has decided to stock the DCs so that a high level of availability is maintained. THE INVENTORY SERVICE CRISIS To limit the amount of inventory throughout the DeskJet supply chain and at the same time provide the high level of service needed has been quite a challenge to Vancouver’s management. The manufacturing group has been very successful in reducing the uncertainties caused by delivery to the European DC. Forecasting demand in Europe, though, is a significant problem. It has become common to have product shortages for model demands from some countries, while inventory of other models keeps piling up. In the past, the target inventory levels at the DCs were based on safety stocks that were a result of some judgmental rule of thumb. Specifically, target inventory levels, equal to one-month average sales, were set for each model carried in the DC. Now, however, it seems that the increasing difficulty of getting accurate forecasts means the safety stock rules should be revisited. HP has put together a team of employees to help implement a scientifically based safety stock system that will be responsive to forecast errors and replenishment lead times. They are to recommend a method for calculating appropriate safety stock levels for the various DeskJet models carried in  the European DC. The team has a good sample of demand data that can be used for developing the safety stock methodology (see Exhibit 17.16). HP hopes this new methodology will solve the inventory and service problem.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Three-Page Literary Analysis Paper on Night by Elie Wiesel Essay

Three-Page Literary Analysis Paper on Night by Elie Wiesel - Essay Example m the fear of disbelief, through the fear of the death, to the ultimate point of self-control and the fear of losing one’s self – the self which becomes and remains a guiding principle in his way to survival. Elie Wiesel’s Night is the story of an Orthodox Jew, living in Transylvania and studying religion. The story of Eliezer’s life begins with fear – a fear of disbelief about everything Moshe tells his students when he returns from his exile. â€Å"Moche had changed. There was no longer any joy in his eyes. He no longer sang. He no longer talked to me of God and the Cabbala† (Wiesel 17). However, even with all these signs of moral fatigue and shock on Moche’s face, Eliezer does not understand what it means to experience reak fear. No intuition or inner voice tells him that it is high time he did something to protect himself and his family from the tragic consequences of fascism. This fear of disbelief further transcends to the moment when Eliezer finds himself in the concentration camp at Birkenau: â€Å"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealedâ⠂¬  (Wiesel 34). Eliezer speaks of his feelings during the first night at the camp, when the brain still refuses to accept the reality of life. This is when the fear of disbelief suddenly transforms into the fear of the future, the fear of losing life, and the fear of time – time, which is indefinite, endless, but imminent. No one knows how much time will pass before Birkenau gives place to peace and safety (Bloom 102). The fear of death is everywhere. Bordered on madness, in the atmosphere of destruction and ambiguity, life almost manages to destroy itself (Wiesel & Cargas 75). Dozens of men and women are hanged every day. The fear of death and the wish of survival replace everything human in people. They turn into savages, fighting fiercely to survive, even when sacrificing someone else’s life is the only

Friday, September 27, 2019

The importance of integrity and leadership Essay

The importance of integrity and leadership - Essay Example As employees are instrumental in driving a company’s bottom-line integrity and leadership impact organizational performance. The review also found a positive correlation between profits and focus on corporate social responsibility. As the world is still struggling to come out of the 2008 financial crisis, people have realized the need to follow strong ethical conduct in business dealings. Most of the organizations in the early 21st century started following the practice of rewarding the managers, who showed high profits, with huge bonuses and pay packets with no regard to the means they were adopting. Corruption, back stabbing and data fudging by managers were accepted as part of the game and the performance linked bonuses increased their greed at every success. This review aims to understand how ethics and leadership impact an organization. It attempts to understand how a leader can demonstrate ethical behavior and what impact it has on the overall performance of the organization? The importance of integrity and leadership has always been an important topic for study by researchers. This can be demonstrated by a number of studies that were done during the late 20th century to show the link between ethics and business performance as well as leadership integrity. Preston conducted a research on 67 companies over a period of 11 years to find out whether there was any causal relationship between financial performance and the company’s CSR policy (Corporate Social Responsibility which can be considered as a proxy to integrity) (Verschoor, 1998). He found that there was no significant negative relationship between the two. However, he found that both were positively related implying higher the CSR performance (integrity perception) higher the business performance. Other studies too found a positive relation between the two. There were some studies which found no or mixed relation

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Business Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Analysis - Essay Example Cultural norms influence consumer buying behavior. For instance Chinese culture does not associate kitchen utensil with status symbol. Dishwashers in this country are often viewed as a problem creator, encompassing high costs. Hence the business strategy for this product needs to be inclined towards establishing a strong market position (Pringle, 2008). There is desirable percentage of individuals who belong to middle income group in China. Market penetration strategy shall be most suitable for this particular business idea. Low cost products with superior quality are expected to acquire wider base of customers. Segmentation, targeting and positioning are essential components when it comes to trading in foreign markets. Dishwashers are not a necessity in China. Segmentation for this product will be based on demographic factors such as gender and income group. The main target market for the product would be females, specifically housewives. They might understand the need for this product in terms of making their tasks simpler. Middle income group shall be targeted since product price would be low in initial stages of product launch. Positioning statement of the product will be – ‘an affordable cleaning power at doorstep’. This form of positioning clearly reveals that a product which is not a necessity can still prove to be beneficial for living beings (Wintzer, 2007). Market positioning of dishwashers will be aligned with the concept of low cost and high quality. Global marketing strategy is highly dependent on characteristics of customers. It can be stated that marketing mix elements revolves around customer’s needs in context of foreign market. The four P’s of marketing mix such as product, price, place and promotion shall outline marketing strategy of dishwashers in Chinese market. Product is an innovative mechanical device which cleans dishes or utensils in least time possible. Branded dishwashers are sold at 2174 Yuan or $350 via

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson Essay

The Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson - Essay Example Arising from the uncompromised opinions and struggle for power, between the politicians, the impeachment of the president turned out to be a most significant incident in American history. This essay examines the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson and the political conflicts that contributed to it. Andrew Johnson was the 17th president of United States. Andrew Johnson was born to a poor family in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1808. (â€Å"Andrew Johnson†). After his father’s death, he was apprenticed to a local tailor, at the age of fourteen. He learnt the trade for several years and then fled away, moving west to Greeneville, Tennessee, where he set up a tailoring shop and married Eliza McCardle. (â€Å"Andrew Johnson†). Born to illiterate parents, he had not mastered the basis of reading and grammar, until he met his wife. Even though he was holding very little formal education, he was gifted with great oration skills, which helped him in his political life. He was yet another example in the US history, after Lincoln, emerging from a poor family with no formal education, into becoming the President of a country. Whereas, Lincoln is esteemed for his contributions as a president, Johnson, his successor, turned out to be the most regretful example because of his impeachment. In the aftermath of American Civil War, the country was struggling with reunification of its Southern states through a plan of reconstruction. The formulated plan of reconstruction by the president Abraham Lincoln was intended to be carried out by Andrew Johnson, who became the president after the assassination of Lincoln. It was stated that the policy was lenient towards the defeated south, granting amnesty to the South, excluding the ex-Confederates. (Davidson).

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Aging and Health Among the Senior Population Essay

Aging and Health Among the Senior Population - Essay Example These items were reviewed individually and then summed up as a total to establish an assessment about the driver. The covariates of the study were age, gender, race, health status, physical functioning, vision and driving exposure. Driving exposure was calculated by the DHQ assessment, among other things. Further covariates were self-filled by the drivers. The sample included participants from an ongoing Senior Driver Research Project, which was designed to examine the validity and reliability of the OFOV test. There was collaboration with State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and licensed drivers aged 75 and above who live in Alabama were chosen. The potential participants were contacted via a letter, were given a toll-free number to return to, and those who had agreed to participate were met by trained staff at 11 designated locations. There they were tested in the UFOV and performed satisfactorily in the test and were eligible for the study. A total number of 1,543 people participated, their mean age was 79.73. 41.7% were women, 2.7% were non-Caucasian. The University of Alabama approved all the procedures, and participants signed on consent to the study (Ozioma, Okonkwo, Virginia & Karlene, 2008). The study found that drivers of over 75 avoided driving in bad weather more than they avoided any other type of situation. Other avoidance situations were driving at night, at traffic roads, in unfamiliar territories and making left-hand turns. Another important find of this study was that drivers with higher risks for motor vehicle accidents due to deficits in visual attention reported greater avoidance relative to those who had a lower risk of being involved in car crashes. This was fairly the same in all the situations (Ozioma, Okonkwo, Virginia & Karlene, 2008).. These findings were consistent with previous ones,

Monday, September 23, 2019

Mobile Computing and Social Networks Term Paper

Mobile Computing and Social Networks - Term Paper Example Mobile computing and social networks have increasingly become popular around the world. There are thousands of iPhone Apps, iPad Apps, and Android Apps that have been developed to perform a myriad of tasks and processes. These applications use mobile and web-based technologies majorly in turning communication into interactive communications and dialogue(s) among organizations, individuals, and communities around the world (Hinchcliffe et al, 2012). The fact that mobile computing and social networks have witnessed exponential growth within a very short period of time compared to other communication and business tools in the history of human beings is nearly incontestable (Rainie and Wellman, 2012). This fact is evidenced by the statistics indicating that while it took about 13 years for television to attract close to 50 million viewers and approximately 38 years for radio to attract nearly 50 million listeners, internet technology only took about 4 years only for to attract over 50 mi llion participants. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter much shorter time; about one and a half years to attract the same number of participants (Hinchcliffe et al, 2012). Mobile computing has witnessed a more robust growth in recent years. While initially most of the mobile applications were games that were intended for playing on mobile devices, they have gained popularity as businesses ponder whether some of their business process applications running on desktop platform and the Web can be redesigned to run on mobile devices that run on desktop platforms and the Web could be redesigned to run on mobile devices (Rainie and Wellman, 2012). In order to have a better understanding of mobile computing and social networks, this paper will discuss mobile-based applications and their various aspects relating to access and processing of data. The first aspect to address is in regard to the effectiveness and efficiency mobile-based applications provide to capture geo-locat ion data and customer data, and quickly upload to a processing server without users having to use a desktop system. Presently, there are numerous smartphones and iPhones that use applications and specific processes relating to mobile devices (Kumar and Rahman, 2012). Considering the advancements that have been made in mobile computing, as well as in regard to social networks, many companies around the world are making preparation for the use of mobile-based applications using tools that can capture geo-location data and customer data. Apple iPhone and Android smartphone platforms are the most used currently for this purpose and this has seen the huge expansion of their market. Available evidence indicates that these applications have been successful in capturing geo-location data; they have been successful in tracking driving behaviors, providing unbiased feedback during driving, and measuring acceleration among others (Dye, 2011).

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Admissions Essay - What personal characteristics do you posess that

Admissions - What personal characteristics do you posess that may help you reach your goal of becoming a registered nurse - Essay Example Therefore, I went to college where I majored in communications and minored in psychology. After my 2001 graduation from Campbell University, I moved to dazzling lights of Connecticut to work in the big city as a big shot public relations executive. But even so I was restless and knew that the time had come for me to move on to more greener and exciting pastures. So I treated myself to the option of entering the field of Education and enlisted into the National Service as an Americorps Volunteer, while all the time searching for contentment or as they call it ‘job satisfaction.’ Though there is no getting away from the fact that to a certain degree I did enjoyed all the company of children and their families over the past few years, yet the niggling at the back of my mind did not disappear because I felt that this was not what I wanted to spend the rest of my life on. After a lot of soul searching over the years, I began to clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel that flashed these words – â€Å"Home is where the heart is.†! It was then that I was hit like a bolt from the blue, that all that I had achieved so far was not my calling. Though it was a rather rude awakening call, I surrendered to it realizing that it was time to come home to my roots and surrender into the noble calling of the nursing profession. The beautiful quote of Gail Devers sums up the characteristics that I have imbibed through my professional journey: â€Å"Keep your dreams alive. Understand, to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe. â€Å" Yes, I do believe that all the experiences of my past have guided and prepared me professionally for the challenges of Nursing School and the Nursing Profession. I love to end this with some of the sweetest lines by Lewis carol from her classic story of â€Å"Alice in

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Provide support to maintain and develop skills for everyday life Essay Example for Free

Provide support to maintain and develop skills for everyday life Essay Skills for everyday life allow people to do the things that meet their daily needs. These are also known as activities of daily living that have a direct affect on any individual’s health and well-being. It is often thought that care workers look after people by doing things for them. Another approach is to do things with people. Today care workers should work in partnership with individuals and groups of individuals. Partnership is about working together as equals in order to : -Support the individual to make as many decisions about their care as possible -Support the individual to do as much for themselves as possible. Activities of daily living – skills that directly affect an individual’s everyday health and well- being Partnership – working together as equals. Working in partnership can maintain and develop individual skills . Care workers can still involve the individual even when doing things for them. They consider individual needs when maintaining skills for everyday life. Doing things for individuals: Providing too much care can make people’s problems worse: Individuals can lose skills they once used Individuals do not learn new skills -Individuals do not regain skills they have lost. Read more:  Outline Agreed Ways of Working That Relate to Managing Pain and Discomfort At different stages of life individuals might have different health problems that affect their skills for everyday life.Being aware of the activities of daily living helps care workers understand the problems that individuals might have. Problems with everyday living skills: -Physical health ( Feeling unwell such as with a fever leads to tiredness and inability to carry on with the usual activities of daily living. -Learning disabilities (An individual with learning disabilities might take longer to learn new everyday skills) -Mental health (An individual with mental health problems might neglect themselves so they do not eat and drink) People may not be strong enough to dress themselves or prepare their own meals. -Physical disability (Some physical disabilities prevent individuals  going shopping unsupported) -Social isolation (An individual who is lonely is less likely to communicate with others) Care workers can develop their understanding of an individual’s condition and how best to work in partnership to maintain, regain and develop their skills.If a condition prevents an individual from using skills of everyday life, the result can have a significant impact on the person’s quality of life. The effect of conditions on everyday skills: -Pain -Inconvenience -Isolation -Humiliation -Distress -Discomfort

Friday, September 20, 2019

Customer Satisfaction in the Singapore Hotel Industry

Customer Satisfaction in the Singapore Hotel Industry Introduction Hotel is one of the most important organizations in the field of tourism industry in providing service. Therefore, they play a full role in improving and expanding the tourism industry and also in improving and developing economic circumstance. Today, customer satisfaction is a specific requirement for the improvement of service organizations such as hotels, and increase profitability. Thereby maintaining the system of measurement and evaluation of customer satisfaction is one of the most important aspects of improving the quality, but the basic needs of the recent organization. On the other hand, by expanding the borders of the global village, the need for only standard regulations to assess the quality of certain products and services, is to measure the situation of the organizations in the international market competition, may be felt more than ever Study background Customer satisfaction is a business philosophy, is a measure of how products and services offered by a company meet or exceed customer expectations. It is considered an important indicator of performance in business and is part of four of the Balanced Scorecard. Customer satisfaction with a companys products or service is often seen as the key to a companys success and long term competitiveness (Klee, 1998). Identify and forecast customer demands and to be able to meet them is important to achieve customer satisfaction. Due to the costs of attracting new customers costs more than retaining existing customers, to be successful managers must focus on retaining existing customers, effective implementation of policies Customer satisfaction and loyalty. This is especially true in the hotel industry. Today, managers in the hotel industry is facing one of the most important challenge is to provide and maintain customer satisfaction. Consequently, quality of service has become a factor important in the overall tourism experience, and one which ultimately dictates the success of the tourism business (Kandampully, 2000). According to Lewis and Booms (1982), service quality is measure of how well the service delivered matches customer expectations. Positive relationships can make higher commitment of customers and increase their rate of return. Long-term relationships between customers and hotel is becoming more important as the positive correlation between overall satisfaction levels of visitors and their ability to return to the same hotel. Hotels are increasing their investments to improve service quality and perceived value for customers to achieve customer satisfaction and loyalty better of them, thus achieving a better relationship with customers. Competition is increasing dramatically as variety of hotel industry; hence, the hotel management has always tried hard to provide the best service quality and the best satisfaction for customers in the hotel industry including hotels in Singapore. Study area This report covers of the main literature on customer satisfaction and retention in the hotel industry in Singapore. The hypothesis of the report will research based on the issues of the customer satisfaction and how a hotel management use effective policies to providing services and goods with a high quality to satisfy the customers and go through a lot of effort in maintaining their customer satisfaction, develop and make profits in their business focusing on Singapore area. Research structure The report focus mainly on Customer satisfaction emphasize on the area of hotel industry in Singapore. First chapter introduces background of the Customer satisfaction and briefly summarized importance of relevant issues. Second chapter identifies customer satisfaction in the hotel industry, purpose applying the best strategies to provide quality services to customer, reasons why need to maintain old customers and attract new customers. How to build customer loyalty, hotel attributes what services to customers and the legal regulations, strategic considerations will be explained. And fourth chapter concludes the best methods to proposing improvements in customer satisfaction management in the hotel industry. Research objectives The aims and objectives of this research are: What is customer satisfaction and how to achieve it? Hotels need to adopt effective strategies and create product attributes to customers to satisfy them. How the service quality related to customer satisfaction? Provide good service quality will gain customer satisfaction. Definition of customer loyalty and how to remain customer loyalty? To gain customer loyalty, hotel needs to have a good relationship with customers. What services quality is hotel need to provide to customer in order to get customer satisfaction, loyalty and repeat patronage? Cleanliness, location, security, room rates, service quality and reputation or chain of hotels. CHAPTER 2 / LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction of main issues In todays competitive market, the company provides services throughout the world effort to achieve a better position than its competitors through the only advantage to please their customers satisfaction and therefore retain their loyalty. On the other hand, customers are always looking for suppliers of goods and services of better quality and meet their expectations. But most vendors are now providing quality products with relatively equal, so customers always have multiple choices Therefore, in the hotel industry, considering the quality of service and customer satisfaction is very important, so it is necessary to adopt appropriate measures and procedures for recognition and improvement many services as possible to meet the hotel guests and customers. Analyze Customer satisfaction in hotel industry Customer satisfaction is an important topic for both researchers and managers, because of high levels of customer satisfaction leads to an increase in repeat patronage among current customers and aids customer recruitment by enhancing an organizations marker reputation. Being able to successfully judge customer satisfaction levels and to apply that knowledge are critical starting points to establishing and maintaining long term customer retention and long term competitiveness (Yuksel and Yuksel, 2002). Customer satisfaction brings many benefits, the satisfaction increases of customers retentions and customers retentions is dependent on the nature of the relationship between the parties which are also affected by the service delivered. Satisfaction is an overall customer attitude towards a service provider, or an emotional reaction to the difference between what customers anticipate and what they receive (Zineldin, 2000), regarding the fulfilment of some need, goal or desire. For most products, services and aspects of performance can be made to reflect objectively measured. Some customers may be taken to a house fit their criteria, but not suitable to the taste of individual customers to assess customer service as uncomfortable as they do not see a list of their choice. Kano, Bentler and Li-tze (1984) developed a model to categorize the attributes of a product or service based on how well they are able to satisfy customer needs. Consideration of the Kano model, we can see how it might not be enough to just satisfy customers by meeting their needs and performance basis only. In a highly competitive marketplace, organizations need to adopt strategies and to create product attributes targeted specifically at exciting customers and over satisfying them (Tan Pawitra, 2001). In the real estate to please and satisfy customers, agents will need to have a comprehensive knowledge and extensive list of all the local area. In essence, it is the experience and attitudes of individuals closest contact with customers that are likely to affect whether customers are satisfied and ready to go back to the company. It is also the people in direct contact with customers who determine who the retained and satisfied customers are, and their experience determines how they treat the customers (Hansemark Albinsson, 2004) thus impacting on the service quality delivered Advantages of providing good Service quality to customers The concept of service quality as a whole building is large and diverse. The theory has been elaborated on by many researchers. Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithaml (1985) write service quality as perceived by consumers stems from a comparison of what they feel service firms should offer with their perception of the performance of the firm providing the services. . Quality of service received is considered as the degree and direction of the difference between the perceptions of consumers. For example in real estate, this is what customers expect from the agent compare to which is actually distributed by that agent. In real estate, that interaction occurs from the moment the client and agent speak either verbally or electronically. It is evident that research on goods quality is inadequate in the service field, which has three inherent characteristics: intangibility, heterogeneity and inseparability between production and consumption (Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithmal, 1985). In this scenario, providing high quality services and improving customer satisfaction are widely recognized as fundamental factors boosting the performances of companies in the hotel and tourism industry (Barsky Labagh, 1992; Le Blanc, 1992,; Le Blanc et al., 1996; Stevens et al., 1995, Opermann, 1998). Hotels with good service quality will ultimately improve their profitability (Oh Parks, 1997). In a competitive hospitality industry which offers homogeneous services, individual hoteliers must be able to satisfy costumers better than their counterparts (Choi Chou, 2001). Strategies to maintain customer Loyalty There are three ways to determine customer loyalty that are Behavioural measurements, attitudinal measurement, and Composite measurements The measurements considered appropriate behaviour; buying behaviour is repeated as an indicator of loyalty. One problem with the approach to repeat purchase behaviour is not always the result of a psychological commitment to the brand. For example, a traveller can stay at the hotel because it is most convenient place. When a new hotel opens on the street, they switch because the new hotel offers better value. Therefore, repeat purchase does not always mean that commitment. Attitude measurement use attitudinal data to reflect the attitudes and psychological feelings associated inherent in loyalty. The attitudinal measurements are concerned with the sense of participation, loyalty and faithfulness. There are instances when a customer holding a favourable attitude for a hotel, but he or she does not stay at the hotel. One can appreciate a hotel, recommend the hotel to others, but feel the hotel for him too expensive to use on a regular basis. The above approaches measure loyalty uni dimensionally. Composite measurements of loyalty combine the first two dimensions and measure loyalty by customers product preferences, propensity of brand switching, frequency of purchase, regency of purchase and total amount of purchase. The use of both attitude and behaviour in a loyalty definition substantially increases the predictive power of loyalty (Pritchard and Howard, 1997). Two-dimensional composite method has been applied and supported as a valuable tool for understanding customer loyalty in many fields, such as retail, entertainment, luxury hotels and airlines. For this study, customer loyalty is customer attitude favourable to the company, committed to purchase products or services, and introduce products to them. According to a survey carried out by Barsky Nash in 2006, regarding the main hotel chains worldwide, between 2002 and 2005, the importance of loyalty programs for guests decision on where to stay increased from 32% to 34%. Although the search for new locations is certainly the most important factor for many tourists, several studies highlighted that there is a good portion of customers that chose to repeat their holidays destination, showing a certain degree of loyalty (Oppermann, 1998; Fyall et al., 2003). According to the study of loyalty found that, there are five major factors affecting the repetition of trip to the same tourist place. They do not want to make wrong choice when choosing the other tourist destinations. They want to meet those familiar. The emotional affection to a specific place. The possibility to explore the place better, and want to recommend the place to others. Customer satisfaction is the starting point to build customer loyalty, so a long term relationship. This creates a loyaltys stock in enterprises to improve corporate image. Strengthening relationships with customers leads to repeat patronage. On the other hand, an unsatisfied customer may represent a danger to the enterprise. A research, conducted by Cherubini (1997), shows that only 4% of unsatisfied customers complains to the business explaining the reason of their unsatisfaction, and each client who doesnt officially complain generates a negative WOM which can involve also 1000 people. Important role of Hotel attributes Research into hotel selection criteria has focused on the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality of services and facilities. Because of the intangibility, inseparability, variability, and perishables of service, consumers perception of satisfaction criteria may include contextual cues that they use to evaluate the service quality and to make decisions about future patronage, whether or not they experienced the hotels products and services before (Bitner, 1990; Parasuraman et al., 1985). Alpert (1971 and Kivela (1996) viewed consumer product and services as a bundle of attributes, or features, and benefits, and stated that those attributes that directly influence consumer choice are termed determinant attributes. These attributes, which may be different from competitors services, may be important factors in determinant consumers intention to purchase in the future. Wuest et al. (1996) defined perceptions of hotel attributes as the degree to which travellers find various services and facilities important in promoting their satisfaction with hotel stays. To get loyalty and value than other competitors, suppliers must be able to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction for services provided. There have been many studies on the needs and characteristics of tourists. Reviews of literature that most travellers would consider following hotel attributes when giving the hotel choice decision: cleanliness, location, security, room rates, service quality and reputation or chain of hotels. Atkinson (1988_ found that cleanliness of accommodation, followed by safety and security, accommodation value for money, and courtesy and helpfulness of staff were the top attributes for travellers in hotel choice selection. Hoteliers need to fully acknowledge which service attributes are most likely to influence customers choice intentions (Richard Sundaram, 1993). Customer satisfaction practices can help them to identify the crucial favorable word of mouth (WOM) publicity (Berkman Gilson, 1986; Choi Chu, 2001; Fornell, 1992; Halstead Page, 1992; Knutson, 1988; Pizam, 1994). A satisfied guest promotes positive WOM at no cost for the enterprise and with effect and credibility that are superior to those of conventional advertising (Lee et al., 2006, Tarn, 2005, Villanueva et al., 2008). WOM effect is also amplified by the World Wide Web (Dominici, 2009; Trusov et al. 2009). CHAPTER 3 / CONCLUSION 3.0 Conclusions Hence, both exploring the importance for customers of single attributes in hotel selection and to systematically survey their level of satisfaction are indispensable. Research on the topic of guests leads to negative evaluations of the hotel, thus restricting the chance of repeat patronage guest satisfaction, which translates into the consideration of whether or not customers will return to a hotel or advice it to other tourists, is pivotal to the success of the hospitality business. Neglecting to pay attention to those hotel attributes considered most important by. CHAPTER 4 / REFERENCES

Thursday, September 19, 2019

A Brief Overview of Feminism Essay example -- essays papers

A Brief Overview of Feminism Feminism can be roughly described as a movement that seeks to enhance the quality of women’s lives by impacting the norms and moves of a society based on male dominance and subsequent female subordination. Although feminist literary writings began to gain popularity in the 20th century, feminist characters have been around for ages. â€Å"Feminist criticism’s self transformations over the past several decades as it engages with both critiques from within and encounters from without- encounters with psychoanalysis, Marxism, Post-Structuralisms, ethnic studies, post-colonial theory, and lesbian and gay studies- have produced a complex proliferation of work not easily subsumed to a single description. (Rivkin 527)†. According to Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan in their essay â€Å"Feminist Paradigms†, feminist criticism includes several other ideas. Gayle Rubin, author of â€Å"The Traffic in Women: Notes on the ‘Political Economy’ of Sexà ¢â‚¬ , also adds: The literature on women- both feminist and anti-feminist- is a long rumination on the question of the nature and genesis of women’s oppression and social subordination.† Some of the earlier feminist characters include Kate, from The Taming of the Shrew and The Wife of Bath from the Canterbury Tales. Unfortunately, during their times these women were viewed as either crazy or troublesome. There was little respect for their opinions and ideas. Trailblazers such as Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and Geo...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Hamlet in the Holodeck Essay -- Literature Shakespeare Essays

Hamlet in the Holodeck missing works cited As computer technology moves from the domain of industrial utility to the realm of communication, its seemingly limitless possibilities prove to be both exciting and intimidating. Artists and storytellers are especially intrigued by the new capabilities found in the development of technology; the computer's approach to presenting information makes it an innovative tool for self-expression. In the book, Hamlet on the Holodeck, author Janet Murray discusses the challenges of working creatively with the digital environment. In explaining the elemental properties of this media, Murray shows us how we may use the expressive power of technologies to create a more compelling form of storytelling (67). Murray compares the current advances in technology to the birth of cinema. She explains that the invention of camera technology did not necessarily denote the arrival of movies as an artistic medium. Cinema originated as an additive art form, combining the film technology of a stationary camera and the traditional art of theater in order to make narrative films called photoplays (66). Filmmakers experimented with the fundamental properties of film for decades in order to create the series of conventions that now define the movie. By utilizing the properties of film editing, sound, color, and camera angle, the technology of film evolved into an expressive and original way to recreate and enhance reality. According to Murray, the advancement of modern computer technology parallels the development of the movie camera. When confronted with the combination of sound, video, picture, word processing, and global networking of current computing, computer pioneers mirrored the behavior of the 1... ...of the fictional universe seem limitless" (87). Currently, The Sims creators are planning an Internet version of their game, which will combine the technologies of hypertext and simulation. Human users all over the world will be able to chat and interact with each other in a variety of landscapes in real time, creating "the opportunity to tell stories from multiple vantage points and to offer intersecting stories that form a dense and wide-spreading web" (84). Forums like these subtly introduce interested computer users to the tools for understanding the nuances of narrative devices. It seems that Murray's hypothesis is gradually becoming reality; the world's growing interest in detailed storytelling, found in programs like The Sims, reveals that computers are helping us to think about "the many systems we participate in, observe, and imagine" (93).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

English essay part one Essay

In this essay I am going to explain how Conan Doyle adds tension and suspense to â€Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band† I will be discussing descriptions of the setting and characters also the language he uses, I will also look into the time period it was written. Sherlock Holmes was written during the Victorian era. This was a time in London when there was much crime and poverty, London was a vile and dangerous place. Victorian people greatly feared crime with Jack the Ripper on the loose, the police couldn’t catch him because their methods were inefficient and many officers were corrupt. Victorians resented the police in London because they did not appear to be protecting the public. In 1887 Arthur Conan Doyle created, Sherlock Holmes, Victorians immediately fell for the fictional character. They liked him because he cracked every case and always got the bad guy. He was seen as the perfect detective. When Doyle tried to kill off his famous character, in 1893, he received death threats warning him to keep Holmes alive! Even know over 100 years on from Holmes birth in 1887 he is still popular. The story is called â€Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band. † it starts with a frightened Helen stoner telling the story of her sister Julia stoner, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death and her concerns for her own life. Sherlock Holmes investigates and finds that Julia had been murdered by Dr. Roylott who was trying to kill Helen as well, but before Holmes could catch Dr. Roylott, the snake that he was using to try and kill the two girls, turns on him and he gets bitten and killed by it. The setting adds tension to the story because they create a spooky atmosphere, it does this in many ways, like in the description that Helen Stoner gives of Stoke Moran Manor, she says â€Å"Indian animals wonder freely over his grounds and are feared by the villagers† this gives the impression that he doesn’t want anyone on his property. When the reader learns that â€Å"‘Vagabonds†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. encamp’ in the grounds† this causes tension because they are another suspect and it makes the reader wonder why he does not want others on the grounds. The reader feels intrigued when Helen Stoner says â€Å"we had no feeling of security unless our doors were locked† because, for most people, their home is the safest place in the world but Helen needs her door locked to feel safe. When the night is described as being â€Å"A wild night. The wind was howling out side and the rain was beating† this creates anticipation because something always happens during a storm, this is called pathetic fallacy. The description â€Å"windows blocked by old-fashioned shutters with broad iron bars. † makes it sound as if Helen is a prisoner and Dr. Roylott is like a guard, and a prison is designed so, no one can get in or more importantly no one can get out. The description of Stoke Moran as a â€Å"building of grey†¦.. stone†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ with†¦.. two curving wings link the claws of a crab â€Å"uses a simile create the feeling that the house is alive and closing in on its occupants. The words â€Å"gathering darkness† makes it sound as if the darkness is alive and trying to consume everything How does Conan Doyle create tension and suspense in â€Å"The Adventure of the Speckled Band†?

Monday, September 16, 2019

Understanding the Supply Chain Sunil Chopra

CHAPTER ONE Discussion Questions 1. Consider the purchase of a can of soda at a convenience store. Describe the various stages in the supply chain and the different flows involved. When a customer purchases a can of soda at a convenience store, his purchase represents the end of a supply chain’s delivery of an item and the beginning of information regarding his purchase flowing in the opposite direction. The supply chain stages include customers, retailers, wholesalers/distributors, manufacturers, and component/raw material suppliers. A customer’s purchase moves product towards the customer and dollars and information towards the retailer.The retailer places an order from the wholesaler/distributor to replenish stock, thereby moving information back up the supply chain while moving product down the supply chain. As the order is filled, the retailer will move dollars back up the supply chain. The wholesaler/distributor transmits information and dollars to the manufacture r who produces product and ships it down the supply chain to the wholesaler. Finally (or initially, depending on your perspective) the manufacturer moves orders (information) and dollars towards suppliers in exchange for material flow into their production processes. 2.Why should a firm like Dell take into account total supply chain profitability when making decisions? Dell realizes that their ultimate success lies with the success of their supply chain and its ability to generate supply chain surplus. If Dell was to view supply chain operations as a zero sum game, they would lose their competitive edge as their suppliers’ businesses struggled. Dell’s profit gained at the expense of their supply chain partners would be short lived. Just as a physical chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the supply chain can be successful only if all members cooperate and focus on a lobal optimum rather than many local optima. 3. What are some strategic planning and operational decisions that must be made by an apparel retailer like The Gap? As The Gap plans supply chain strategy it must first consider the marketing function’s pricing plans in order to structure a supply chain consistent with these plans. Strategic considerations such as the capacity of each supplier and assembly operations, sourcing decisions and how logistics are to be handled are all part of the design. The supply chain must also settle on communication channels and frequencies.Supply chain planning takes the strategic decisions as a given and seeks to exploit efficiencies in the chain to maximize supply chain surplus. The entire chain should collaborate in forecasting and planning production to achieve a global optimum. The forecasts should take into account planned promotions and known seasonal fluctuations in demand. The operational decision takes the plans as a given and makes day-to-day decisions to process customer orders, allocate resources to certain customers, trigger or ders from supply chain members, and deliver product. 4. Consider the supply chain involved when a customer purchases a book at a bookstore.Identify cycles in this supply chain and the location of the push/pull boundary. All supply chain processes can be broken down into four process cycles that connect the five stages of the supply chain; the customer order cycle, the replenishment cycle, the manufacturing cycle, and the procurement cycle. The customer order cycle connects the customer with the retailer; this connection is made as the book, perhaps Supply Chain Management by Chopra and Meindl, is selected and paid for by the customer. The replenishment cycle connects the retailer and the distributor and is triggered by the retailer’s need to fill the empty shelf space with nother copy of this tome. The manufacturing cycle connects the distributor and the manufacturer. As demand for the book is realized and distributors empty their warehouses, they signal the manufacturer to p rint another million copies to fill their empty warehouses. Finally, the procurement cycle connects the manufacturer and the supplier. The manufacturer requires raw material inputs of paper, ink, etc. , to begin the assembly process for another batch of Supply Chain Management. The push/pull boundary exists where demand switches from reactive (pull) to speculative (push) production.For most bookstore supply chains the push/pull boundary is between the customer order cycle and the replenishment cycle. The customer order pulls the book from the book store shelf but the initial production of the book was triggered by a build order that moved materials along the supply chain to the retail outlet. 5. Consider the supply chain involved when a customer orders a book from Amazon. Identify the push/pull boundary and two processes each in the push and pull phases. In Amazon’s original operations design the push/pull boundary existed betwixt the retailer (Amazon) and their distributor.A mazon ordered product from the distributor and the customer order arrived. Today, Amazon has six warehouses where it stocks an inventory of items it is confident that will sell. In this scenario, the push/pull boundary exists between the customer and the retailer. Processes in the pull phase are the order fulfillment, shipping, customer returns, and customer billing. Processes in the push phase are production, stock replenishments, shipping, and payment. 6. In what way do supply chain flows affect the success or failure of a firm like Amazon?List two supply chain decisions that have a significant impact on supply chain profitability. The success or failure of a company like Amazon is decided by the effective function of its supply chain. The flow of products from publishers to distributors to customers must be rapid and reliable in order to satisfy customers. The flow of information back through the supply chain allows all members to coordinate efforts. The flow of money allows all supply chain members to maintain operations. Supply chain profitability is influenced by sourcing, promotion, and fulfillment decisions.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Grown up woman Essay

Sheila is disappointed with her lover (Gerald) she angry with her parents, because they seem more anxious to impress the inspector with their social position then to look deep into their own hearts â€Å"and can’t you see both of you, you’re making it worse†. She’s irritated at the blindness of those who can not see what she has come to realize. Gerald’s confessions are followed by what is revealed about Mrs. Birling heartless refusal to help Eva Smith. Sheila’s reaction is very very important. Her own feelings of guilt, her changed feelings towards Gerald, her irritation with her parents must be shown. AT the same time the audience must see how she reacts to the inspector as someone who is changing their lives of many in that room. Towards the end of act 2 tensions builds up when the inspectors’ investigation and Mrs. Birlings reply begin to be pointing towards Eric having had a connection with Eva. Sheila tries desperately to stop her mother making a bigger fool of herself â€Å"mother- I begged you and begged you to stop† she says at the end. It is at this moment that Eric appears the panic and distress and helplessness must be shown in your face. In act 3 events move towards the climax and Sheila is a key figure in the action even she may not be one stage all of the time. The inspectors questioning have began to draw out each character an admission of responsibility for what happened to Eva Smith though not all of them feel guilt in the way in which Sheila and later Eric come to see. What comes to light about Eric is deeply upsetting to Birling and his wife. He drinks heavily he’s the father of Eva’s child, he has stolen money from his father. The respectable outside of the Birling family is seen to be full off hypocrisies and dishonesty. Both Birling and Mrs. Birling are rattled. â€Å"But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget that.† Birlings reaction too the disclosures about Eric is typical â€Å"I’ve got to cover up this up as soon as I can†. By fouls means he must prevent the scandal from getting known. He even begins to appeal to the inspector â€Å"look inspector- I’d give thousands yes thousands†. He feels no guilt but he only wants to use his money to hide the truth from getting known. The inspector leaves having made one final speech about â€Å"fire and blood and anguish† that will follow if people do not realize that â€Å"we are responsible for each other†. It is one of the most important dramatic scenes in the play. Sheila and Eric are completely affected by what the inspector has said. The senior Birlings feel no guilt they don’t think they have done anything wrong â€Å"it turned out unfortunately, that’s all†. There is no change of heart. When Sheila repeats the fathers last words â€Å"that’s all† she says it scornfully because she realizes her parents will not change. AT this stage you should show through your facial expression and the way in which you speak that your meeting with the inspector has been almost a religious experience. Later on when the inspector proved to be a hoax the others relax but not Sheila or Eric. To Sheila the inspector is a supernatural being â€Å"there was something curious about him. He never seemed to be an ordinary police inspector†. It is in relation to this that the audience must judge the reactions of the senior Birlings and Gerald when they learn that there is no inspector Goole . To you that is irrelevant because he has already changed your life and Eric’s also. He is more then a real inspector. When Birling says â€Å"it makes all the difference† your reaction must be one of bitterness and disbelief as you say â€Å"I suppose we’re all nice people now†. You can not believe that their moral sense can be so distorted. There are discussions later about the photographs of Eva Smith followed by news at the end of a woman who is indeed dead. This is dramatic but the real climax is when it becomes obvious to the audience that the inspector’s message about our responsibility for others that â€Å"we don’t live alone† has been forcefully made. It will remain true regardless of whether the inspector was real and whether there ever was an Eva Smith. It is important for you too show the change that takes place in Sheila Birling through the reactions to the inspectors question your disgraced about the selfishness of your parents and the part you also played. You must show the entire change from you being a naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve girl turning into a grown up woman.  Priestly passes a great moral message in this story and enforces several times. We are all equal and we do not live alone we must look out for each other regardless of social class.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Aphrodite of Melos

Greek artists tried to create ideal beauty. Statues were not made to represent real, living people, but they were carved to show how the human body should look like. The picture in front of you is a sculpture of Aphrodite of Melos (Venus de Milo, in Roman mythology). For hundreds of years, the statue remained buried in an underground cavern, where it had been damaged and discovered in two parts. It was in 1820 AD (anno domini) when a peasant named Yorgos found her body on the Aegean island of Melos. Later, the sculpture was taken out of Greece under unclear circumstances and was taken to the Louvre Museum in Paris, France where it was admired by the millions of visitor’s of the country. This sculpture is considered by many art historians to be the ideal of Hellenistic beauty. It was carved out of marble and stands approximately 205 cm (6 ft 10 in) high. By looking at her we think, not of wisdom, or force, or power, but just of beauty. She stands resting the weight of her body on one foot, and advancing the other on a bent knee. The posture causes the figure to sway slightly to one side, describing a fine curved line. The lower limbs are draped, but the upper part of the body is uncovered and in some mysterious way, the sculptor has imparted to the marble a seeming softness as of real flesh. The head is as exquisitely set as a flower on its stalk. The parted hair is drawn back in rippling waves over the low forehead. The eyes are not very wide open, having something of a dreamy languor (tiredness). Melting eyes† are indeed characteristic of Aphrodite, and an analytical critic has explained that this effect is produced in sculpture by a â€Å"slight elevation of the inner corner of the lower eyelid. † The nose is perfectly cut. The mouth and chin are molded in adorable curves. Many wise heads have been puzzled to know the position of the missing arms. A hand holding an apple was also found on Melos, and this may have been a part of the figure; if so, Aphrodite was represented as the goddess of the â€Å"apple island†. Some have thought that the goddess carried a shield, and others ave fancied her holding the traditional apple. There have also been many discussions as to the date of the work. Now if the statue had been made in the fifth century B. C. , the goddess would have been fully draped; if in the fourth century, entirely without drapery. Our sculptor then belonged to neither of these periods, and combined the characteristics of both. It is a fault on his part to have placed the drapery in an impossible position, whence in actual life it would immediately fall of its own weight. The beautiful body rising above the drapery reminds us of the myth of Aphrodite emerging from the sea foam. Aphrodite was thus born and arose on a large shell, which was then carried to land,). Her beauty is a union of strength and sweetness, a perfect embodiment of a nature at harmony with itself and its surroundings. Venus de Milo (Aphrodite of Melos), famous marble statue of Aphrodite found on the Greek island of Melos in 1820 and now in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Although it is of a grandiose style that recalls the Classical Period, the Venus de Milo is from the late Hellenistic Age. Beside it stood a herma (stone pillar) on which the arm of the goddess rested. On the base of the herma was inscribed the signature of an artist, Alexandros, or Agesandros, from Antioch on the Meander, and by this signature the work can be dated from 150 bc to 100 bc. A hand holding an apple was also found on Melos, and this may have been a part of the figure; if so, Aphrodite was represented as the goddess of the â€Å"apple island† (Greek melos, â€Å"apple†). The original on which the artist based his work was probably an Aphrodite of the 4th century bc, which showed the goddess holding the shield of Ares with both hands. In the Melos statue, however, Aphrodite may have held her garment in her (now lost) right hand.

Populist Party’s Platform

The Populist Party commonly refereed to as the peoples party was a relatively short lived political party within the United States during the 19th century. It was particularly popular within western farmers since it was directly opposed to the gold standard system of international trade. However the party did not last long in United States politics. Regardless of this fact the party’s ideas or manifestos have been employed in United States politics even to date. In essence the party grew out of an agrarian uprising especially after the collapse of agricultural prices in 1873. It arose from a farmer’s alliance of farmers who had an economic target of collective action against merchants, brokers and rail roads as well as an integrated nation wide policy. Most importantly the driving force towards the creation of the party arose from the refusal of both the democrats and the republicans to accept the farmers’ alliance idea of the use of silver as the national model of coinage. SHORT HISTORY: The Populist Party or the people’s party was formed by the farmers’ alliance in collaboration with the knights of labor. This initial formation took place between the years 1899 and 1890. The actual realization of their dreams was in 1892 when the party held its annual convention in Nebraska. This is the time that the party actually nominated members for the first time for national elections. In 1896 the democrats incorporated ideas of the people’s party 1892 platform and this negatively impacted on the party’s progress. In addition the ensuing collaboration between the democrats and the Populist Party did not auger well with the already existing relation between the populists and the republicans in the south. This marked the onset of the party’s decline in United States politics. THE 1892 PARTY PLATFORM: The Populist Party’s 1892 platform was commonly refereed to as the Omaha platform since it w3as held in Omaha Nebraska. In this platform the Populist Party demanded the following; Complete overhaul of all national banks. This was aimed at reducing the risk to citizens of excessive exploitation by these corporations. Immediate Imposition of direct election of senators within the United States was demanded as well. This was directed at reducing the prevalence of corruption and bribery in the voting system. It was also aimed at increasing public participation in the electoral process, as well as to reduce instances of insider trading within the big parties. The platform also sought immediate introduction of civil service reforms. In the preamble of the manifesto the party claimed that the time had come for the railroads to own the people or the people to own the railroads. For the later to happen there was need to introduce constitutional amendments to make sure that the government would not use the power of the employees to intimidate the people. Thus civil service reforms and regulations had to be introduced to prevent this. The platform also demanded the introduction of a national wide graduated income tax system. The introduction of a legal eight hours working day and the introduction of government control of all railroads. The platform also demanded the introduction of unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the existing ratio of 16 to 1. The platform also demanded that the state introduce postal savings banks for the interest of all citizens in order to facilitate foreign exchange. The platform also claimed that land and any other natural sources of enrichment remains the people’s heritage and thus should not be monopolized or misused and further alien ownership of this should not be entertained. ANALYSIS: The Omaha platform was well received throughout the United States. This was mainly due to the fact that most of the party’s ideas were overly practical and implemental. In addition the party was trying to prevent a scenario of continued dominance by the democrats and republicans for what the party called political power and plunder. The party also sought to return power to the people by reducing the vices inflicted by the capitalists on laborers by reducing the dominance of gold in trade. The Omaha platform also sought to return the powers of the government to the â€Å"plain people† from where the powers actually originated. The purposes of the platform the party claimed were to be identical to the purposes of the national constitution. Despite its decline in popularity in United States politics, some of its ideas have come to be endorsed in mainstream governance and politics. A good example of this is the abolition of the gold standard. In this field the party’s 1892 platform highly demanded the abolition of this sys tem but it was not until the 1970s that the gold-standard was actually abolished as the common exchange system. In earnest we can thus argue that the demands put forward by the party were not only progressive in nature but also widely visionary, since it has taken more than a generation for the other political party’s to adopt/implement these policies. In addition the party’s platform could be described as having been Progressive in the sense that the introduction to the manifesto detailed splendidly the causes that made their demands justifiable. Among these issues included; the fact that the party claimed that there was widespread corruption compounded by political and moral degradation within the American public. CONCLUSION: Although the people’s party 1892 manifesto contained quite progressive ideas the party was quite short-lived in American politics. By 1896 during the next national elections, the Democratic Party took most of the people’s party ideas and incorporated them in their platform. In addition the party nominated a democrat (William Jennings) as their presidential candidate. After this scenario the party started to decline in popularity within national politics. In the year 1984 plans were already underway to revive the Populist Party. These efforts did not bear fruit due to internal party conflicts. In 2002 a new group emerged â€Å"the populist party of America† emerged. It is actively opposed to the bush administration especially on the issue of the war in Iraq. It also advocates for strict adherence to the bill of rights as well as direct democracy. It has yet to field presidential candidates. REFERENCE: http://www2.wwnorton.com/college/history/eamerica/media/ch22/resources/documents/populist.htm   

Friday, September 13, 2019

Chapter 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Chapter 7 - Essay Example Team work emphasis Ordinarily, the claim of hatred of people in different functions by Richard Palemo of Xerox is true and binding. The variation in attitude of hatred could be as a result of many reasons. The members do not show respect with one another. When an organization lacks respect among the employees there would be hatred and no unity will be in the organization. The problem of superiority complex and lack of appreciation in the organization has also been the source of hatred. Most of the employees cannot stand to work in the place where there is no appreciation and promotion. Hatred towards the senior develops when the demand for the workers are not met. In addition lack of common purpose could also be a source of hatred. To solve these problems in the departments, I will institute a proper mechanism that will make the employees to have same vision and purpose.Ordinarily, same purpose will promote collaboration and this reduces hatred. There is also need for motivation and appreciation among the employees. Hatred will reduce when employees are promoted or given incentives when they perform. Above all, there is also the need for proper communication among the

Thursday, September 12, 2019

The impact of american TV series 'Gossip Girl' on young adult females Essay

The impact of american TV series 'Gossip Girl' on young adult females (consumerism, product placement, luxury lifestyle) - Essay Example The effort to induce positive perception in the consumers is so overwhelming that it has a tendency of affecting decisions of even the most knowledgeable buyers (Romeo, 2009, pp. 18-25). Television is a powerful medium that reaches billions of viewers on a daily basis (Turow, 2005, pp. 105-113). Trends introduced through this medium affect millions of young viewers on daily basis (Spalding, 2010). The same ambition is apparent inour targeted TV series Gossip Girl. The TV series is based on a best-selling series of novels written by Cecily von Ziegesar about rich families living on Upper Eastside in New York City. Although researches of Turow (2005, pp. 105-113) and Saplding (2010) illustrate how TV, especially sitcoms, affect behavior and preferences of consumers; Keum et al. (2004, pp. 372-391) present a different opinion by saying that media creates social consciousness and status consciousness which leads to spurring an awareness of the social responsibilities associated with cons uming and a pursuit of status-oriented lifestyles. This approach asserts that Gossip Girl also helped young women in becoming aware of latest fashion trends and also making informed decisions because of knowledge regarding substitutes of different products (Keum et al., 2004, pp. 372-391). Gossip Girl demonstrates lives of girls having strong liking for high-street brands which does not provide a reflection of a regular young girl. This research is intended to examine how young female adults are affected by TV shows like Gossip Girls and how the spending patterns and overall lifestyle of youth is affected by it globally (McRobbie, 2008, pp. 536-542). Similar TV series have been madewith the aim to inspire women and help them empower themselves howeverthese series have ultimately became tools of prestigious fashion brands for the purpose of targeting rather mature segment of women. Sex and the City is one of such series that transformed the fashion sense in women worldwide.Unlike regular TV series and sitcoms like Big Bang Theory having a waitress as a lead character and Two Broke Girls showing waitresses trying hard to make their ends meet, Gossip Girl has shown a diversion from regular girls’ persona to affluent and powerful outlook (Toffoletti, 2008, pp. 72-5) . Amongst young demographics, the most lucrative market segment is young, ready-to-spend, attention seeking teenage and adolescent girls (McRobbie, 2008, pp.534-37). With steady changes in consumer’s preferences, young females are always looking for the next big thing (McRobbie, 2008, pp. 534-536). It is observed that the pace of fashion brands launching new collections is much faster than it was some ten years ago. Although there can be various reasons for thatsuch as market competitionor increased consumer awareness, however, intention to capture major market share acts as a motivation for manufacturers to introduce new brands rather quickly (Hines, 20070.Surprisingly long females queue in lines to get their hands on the latest products which encourage companies to speed up their manufacturing and excessively use highly influential marketing campaigns such as ATL (above the line) and BTL (below the line) marketing techniques (Sands and Sands, 2012).In case of TV series, ATL activities are more effective as it involves use of search engines, social media and other media like TV, cinema, radio, newspaper etc. On the other hand, BTL activities include sales promotion strategies such as kiosk, email marketing etc. These techniques influence the buyer significantly and owning a product becomes a source of pride (Sands and Sands,

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

The Creative Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

The Creative - Assignment Example This product is portable and would promote the integration of technology and enable access to the hotel services through an electronic device (Nyheim, McFadden & Connolly, 2005). It would allow the customer the customer to manage the hotel services before arrival, upon arrival and within the booked room. The product targets different segments of the market such as the hotel industry and home movers. The company will differentiate prices according to the needs of different target markets. However, the product will face competition from companies that offer tour travels, apps that enable the customers to book a hotel in advance. On the contrary, due to the numerous advantages the device brings, it will overcome the challenges. HosTech will need to engage in extensive advertising and promotion activities. The promotion will be through social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, blogs and Company website. The messages will market the product and more so, it will act as a platform to encourage customer loyalty by involving them in open discussion forums about the MRD. Furthermore, the message acts as a marketing tool to ensure the customers that the product is high-end and does there is no cuurent technology to beat

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Negative Effect of Reality TV Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Negative Effect of Reality TV - Essay Example These shows are very entertaining but many professionals are expressing concerns over the harmful implications. They point out that negative impacts of reality TV are higher for children and teenagers than adults. Studies have shown that children within the age of 9-12 who were depressed believed that money, popularity and beauty are key elements of gaining happiness because reality shows reinforce this concept (Genesis Health System , 2003).  A lot of stunt shows illustrate people doing risky, disgusting and scary stunts which often result in detrimental consequences when duplicated by the audience. These people tend to ignore the fact that participants in the reality show have stunt coordinators who ensure proper safety measures. Therefore, people should not follow what they see on the TV and should objectively comprehend and assess the messages and images being shown. Reality TV shows are real and profitable but the primary basis of such stunt shows seems to put people in pain o r humiliation for the audience to watch and derive enjoyment out of it. This way youngsters are turning into heartless individuals who delight in the distress and humiliation of others.Furthermore, reality TV shows often stress on superficial characteristics such as outward appearance over inner beauty consequently leaving a distorted impact on teenagers’ young and innocent minds (enotes, 2011).   Getting plastic surgery to enhance looks and becoming famous on the basis of beauty without having much talent are shallow messages. being conveyed to t

Monday, September 9, 2019

What am I Learning in Global Perspectives Essay

What am I Learning in Global Perspectives - Essay Example These views have been cultivated, transmitted, and declared functional at all times. Thus, cultures are viewed as not only end results of past behavior but also shapers of upcoming behavior. The tendency of equating culture with an ethnic group is very common in people. In connection with this claim, it is apparent there is diverseness in cultural values. The paper expounds on cultural perspectives, the impact of an individual on others and the immediate environment, and the contribution of the module used in discussion in learning. Sharing personal values to strangers is very difficult. Many people including me consider sharing personal values with people different from me as not only an unsafe practice but also the exposure of oneself weaknesses. As a result of this, it is normal to see some people avoiding at all cost to share their personal values with people different from them. However, my engagement in the discussions and lead events changed my perception on personal values. First, I learnt that it is important to share personal values. The sharing of values enables people to learn each other’s interests and to allow each other to be what they are without any confrontation. In addition to this, it is apparent that sharing of values with other people enables individuals to learn the values that they have in common. The sharing of values not only makes individuals compatible but also strengthens the foundation of relationships between people. In addition to this, the discussion proved that people le arn many things in life through sharing their personal values with other people. Many people in the society correlate well with people from their race or ethnic groups. In tandem with this claim, I can affirm that majority of my friends are from my ethnic group. We cope up well with people from my ethnic group. However, this cultural practice is declining in institutions because of people’s diverseness.

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Extra assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Extra assignment - Essay Example The article talks about the evil practice of evading taxes and the topic has been narrowed down by the author and primarily focuses upon the citizens of Switzerland. There are about 52000 American depositors who have intentionally hidden some information regarding tax evasion with the help of their Swiss Bank accounts, the Swiss authorities are known for their secrecy and this is a double edged weapon and it is certainly proving out to be that way. The US government is putting extreme pressure on the Swiss government to provide them with information of the American citizens who have Swiss bank accounts. The US government has even launched a civil suit in Miami to get access to this pivotal information. The US government firmly believes that the American citizens have hidden their potential worth of about $ 14.8 billion in various Swiss bank accounts and recently a Swiss bank by the name UBS provided information important information to the US authorities of as many as 250 US citizens who have their bank accounts with the bank. The Swiss government is trying really hard to implement a tax system which will complement their secrecy but this has not been implemented yet. The French president has also got involved in this and he recently said that Switzerland would be put in a black list of the G-20 members for being a tax- haven nation. The Swiss president has assured the US authorities that they have set up a panel to deal effectively with this potential problem of tax evasion. The Swiss officials have acknowledged that they have not been invited in a conference that deals mainly with reforming the international financial system. This is quite unfair, the officials should have invited to the conference in order to solve this problem. Avoiding these officials will not help in solving this colossal problem, the whole world is facing the same problem and this does not mean that the officials involved in solving this

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Scholarly Critique Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scholarly Critique - Assignment Example Therefore, the study contributes meaningful evidence that can be used in the nursing practice. This is because it gives the health care institutions the knowledge of understanding that the nurses need a break from their work just as other employees in other areas of work (Garrett, 2008). Additionally, the research has given the government some insight where they should increase the patient to nurse ratio in all health care institution to reduce nurse dissatisfaction and burnout. The researcher indicates the implications of the study for the clinical practice. In that, the researcher indicates that nurse burn out puts the patients at risk because the nurses do not have the capacity to treat the patients properly as they are tired. The implications are reasonable and complete because they have clearly elaborated the causes of nurse dissatisfaction and burn out. In the sense that, there is inadequacy of nurses in the United States, where the government has been given the obligation to ensure that all hospitals have enough nurses to reduce the workload of the present nurses, which will in turn reduce job dissatisfaction and nurse

Friday, September 6, 2019

The role of agricultural sector as an accelerator for economic growth in Nigeria Essay Example for Free

The role of agricultural sector as an accelerator for economic growth in Nigeria Essay 1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY Agriculture is a systemic and controlled use of living organism and the environment in the improvement of human condition. It also covers farming, husbandry, cultivation of plants, animals, and other life forms for food, fiber, bio-fuel, and drugs. Agriculture is the science, art, or occupation concerned with cultivating land, raising crops, and feeding, breeding, and raising livestock; farming (Dictionary.com). It also is the practice of cultivating and farming animals, food and other life forms that are used to sustain life. It is a science and was key to the rise of human civilisations as agriculture enabled man to be able to feed himself and produce surpluses (Ask.com). Economic Growth, defined as the increasing capacity of an economy to produce goods and services, compared from one period of time to another. Economic growth can be measured in nominal terms, which include inflation, or in real terms, which are adjusted for inflation. For comparing one economic growth to another, GDP or GNP per capita should be used to take into account population difference between countries (Investopedia). The growth of an economy is thought of, not only as an increase in productive capacity but also as an improvement in the quality of life of the people of that economy. The agricultural sector plays a major role in the provision of food, security of raw materials for industries, employment, market for industrial goods such as agro-chemical, tractor and fertilizers, and foreign exchange within the context of capital formation. Before oil, Nigeria had oil; with oil, she had additional opportunity of crops like groundnut, cocoa and rubber. These crops were cultivated in large quantities and exported to Europe and America in the pre-1960s and early-60s, (Nigeria’s founding fathers built the nation from agricultural resources; but since the days of the oil boom we have abandoned all the great opportunities that come with the business of Agriculture). With Military incursions into Nigerian government and the dependence on petroleum products as the foremost foreign exchange earner, the attention to the agricultural sector dwindled. Nigeria’s groundnut pyramids disappeared, the oil palm plantations vanished and farming went back to the subsist ent level. With an increasing population, it became increasingly difficult to feed the masses, and the  country resorted to importing food to supplement the ones grown at home. The agricultural sector has played a crucial role in the social and economic growth and development of Nigeria; however, its full potential has not been reached. In the last two decades, government has paid very little attention to the growth of the agricultural sector, though there has been increased farm output at great cost through major projects, massive investments in rural infrastructure and the introduction of modern seed varieties and chemicals. The agricultural sector is yet to boast of any contribution whereas about 75% of export earnings in the 1970s were from agriculture. Agriculture as a major sector of the Nigerian economy can provide up to 70% of the population with employment. The sector in recent times is being transformed by commercialization at the small, medium and large-scale enterprise levels. Major crops include beans, sesame, cashew nuts, cassava, cocoa beans, groundnuts, gum Arabic, kolanut, maize (corn), melon, millet, palm kernel, palm oil, plantains, rice, rubber, sorghum, soyabeans, and yam in the area of land cultivation, and Fish Farming, Piggery and Poultry in the area of animal husbandry, but this is yet to assure the nature of food security and enough foreign exchange earnings desired. Wikipedia recorded that in 1990, 82 million hectares out of Nigeria’s total land area of about 91million hectares were found to be arable, although only 42% of cultivatable area was farmed; leaving us with unused arable land of about 58%. In 2013, the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) was introduced by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. The Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) has a great potential in enhancing the role of agriculture as an engine of inclusive growth leading to rural employment, Wealth creation, and diversification of the economy. A major policy accomplishment in the sector is the liberation of seed and fertilizer supply, which had until now been controlled by the federal government, undermined the private sector and did not deliver the inputs to genuine farmers. Since September 2011, fertilizers and seeds are being sold by the companies directly to farmers. Lending commitments from commercial banks has been leveraged using guarantees issued by th e Ministry of Finance. In order to provide a legal framework for the establishment and perpetuity of staple crop processing zones, and transform the Nigerian agricultural sector with significant multiplier effects on the entire economy, an Act to provide a legal framework for the establishment of  Staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZ) is currently being drafted prepared to the National Assembly for adoption. Agriculture has a stronghold in any economy, for without it, a country will always have to depend on foreign countries to feed her population thereby exposing herself to the issues of food security. Moreover, the growth in the agricultural sector could be a catalyst for national output through its effect on rural incomes and provision of resources for transformation into the industrialized economy. Therefore; it is clear that agricultural growth has played a historically important role in the process of economic development as evidence from industrialized countries like China and India. Countries that are just rapidly developing today have also indicated that the sector has been the engine that contributes to the growth of the overall economy like China. 1.2STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Agriculture is the single largest contributor to the well-being of the rural poor in Nigeria, sustaining about 86% of rural household in the country. Improved agricultural development and growth, can offer a pathway out of poverty. But until very recently, agriculture has suffered the effect of several decades of neglect. Nigeria’s agricultural policies have been inconsistent, uncoordinated and ad hoc. After very slow growth during the 1970s and 1980s, agricultural growth began to pick during the 1990s and, since 2000, has averaged 5.6 per annum. However, even with the rapid agriculture growth of the past decade, Nigeria still has one of the highest poverty rates in the world. A paradigm shift towards a sound evidence-based policymaking process is needed to promote more equitable, gender sensitive and environmentally sustainable growth in the agricultural sector. The recent food price surge has made this shift even more important. It is clear that Nigeria has an arable land of about 82 million hectares and only 48% has been farmed. It is also clear that the agricultural sector is sustaining about 86% of the rural household in the country. There has also been a lack of coordination of agriculture policies. The reason Nigeria still has one of the highest ratings of poverty in the world. This research work is targeted at reconciling the opportunity inherent in the Nigeria’s poor/rural population; vis-à  -vis the massive uncultivated arable land through small scale agricultural support from the government. It will further re-echo  existing solutions as well as provide additional information on our challenges in agriculture as a nation, with a view to providing thought provoking and inciteful analysis of the opportunities inherent in an agricultural based economy, particularly for a blessed nation like Nigeria with quality arable land, and enough water resources to support animal husbandry. 1.3OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The main objective of this research work is to study the roles of agricultural sector as an accelerator for the economic growth in Nigeria. Specific objectives: The study is aimed at: 1. Assessing the various policies and programmes used in promoting the agricultural sector in Nigeria, failures and successes. 2. Evaluating the performance of the agricultural sector of Nigeria over the years, that is1980-2012 and the way forward. 3. Making suggestions as to how the full potential of the sector could be realized in line with the successful policies and other developments. 1.4RESEARCH QUESTIONS This study seeks to find answers to the following research questions; 1. What are the roles of the agricultural sector in relations to the growth of the Nigerian economy? 2. What efforts has the government made to restore the agricultural sector in Nigeria? 3. What is the performance of the agricultural sector of Nigeria over the years? 4. What could be done to make the agricultural sector achieve its full potential? 1.5RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS The research hypothesis is to create a relationship between the growth on agricultural sector and the Nigerian economy as well as the inverse relationship between them. = Growthof the agricultural sector playsno significant roles in the economy. = Growthof the agricultural sector plays significant roles in the economy. 1.6SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The significance of this study depends on the fact that with an improved economy, Nigeria stands to gain in its effects towards economic growth. It is advantageous to both the government and citizens; in the sense that its  serves as a guide for future governmental policy on agriculture and when this is well implemented, we will notice that the welfare and standards of living of the citizens will be improved. 1.7THE SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY This study examines the timeframe of 1980-2012. The purpose of choosing this period is to empirically test the significance or the extent to which the agricultural sector contributes to the economy’s growth despite the several years of government’s neglect, and to re-emphasize the need to properly coordinate Government policies and reconcile the opportunity of our rural population with the available natural resources, particularly the arable land for optimum usage and the renewal effects towards stabilizing the agricultural sector. The performance of Nigeria’s agricultural sector shall be evaluated in detail as well as efforts of the government at restoring the sector examined. This study will also go further to discuss the major constraints on the performance of the Nigeria agricultural sector. The limitations are due to lack of available data information, time factor, and cost involved in carrying out this type of research. 1.8DEFINITION OF TERMS. i. Capital Formation; this can be defined as the transfer of savings from individuals or households to the business sector, directly through investment or indirectly through banks. ii. Husbandry; this is defined as the science of raising crops or food animals or the cultivation and production of edible crops or of animals for food. iii. Labour-Intensive; is a process or industry that requires large amount of labour to produce its goods and services. iv. Global Warming; an increase in earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect. v. Greenhouse Effect; an atmospheric heating phenomenon, caused by short wave solar radiation being readily transmitted inward through the earth’s atmosphere but longer wave length heat radiation less readily transmitted outwards, owing its absorption by atmospheric carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, and other gases; thus the rising level of carbon dioxide is viewed with concern. CHAPTER TWO 2.1 INTRODUCTION This section presents the theoretical, methodological and empirical review of literature. The theoretical review covers various theories on the subject matter, while the methodological review also cover various methodological issues used in the past studies and the empirical review present various findings that results from the methodologies. 2.2THEORETICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE The study of economic history provides us with ample evidence that an agricultural revolution is a fundamental pre-condition for economic development (Eicher and Witt, 1964, Olusanmi, 1966, Jones and Wolff, 1969). The agricultural sector has the potentials to be the industrial and economic spring board from which a country’s development can take off. Indeed, agricultural activities are usually concentrated in the less developed rural transformation, redistribution, poverty alleviation and socio-economic development (Stewart, 2000). Agriculture can be advanced beyond its primary function of supplying food and its primary cultural sector has the potential to shape the landscape, guarantee the sustainable management of renewable resources of many rural areas (Humbert, 2000). In fact, through its different spheres of activities at macro and micro levels, the agricultural sector is strategically positioned to have a higher multiplier effect on any nation’s quest for socio-ec onomic and industrial development. It is very obvious that a sustainable agricultural growth has been highly instrumental in Brazil’s rapid rural transformation, the empowerment of Brazilian peasant and the alleviation of abject poverty. Interestingly, the Nigerian economy like that of Brazil during the first decade after independence could reasonably be described as an agricultural economy because agriculture serves as the engine of growth of the overall economy (Ogen, 2003: 231-234). From the stand point of occupational distribution and contribution of GDP, agriculture was the leading sector. During this period, Nigeria was the world’s second largest producer of cocoa, largest exporter of palm kernel and largest producer and exporter of palm oil. Nigeria was also a leading exporter of other commodities such as cotton, groundnut, rubber and hides and skin (Alkali 1977: 15-16). The agricultural sector contributed over 60% to the GDP in the 1960s and despite the reliance of the Nigerian peasant  farmers on traditional tools and indigenous farming method, the farmers produce 70% of Nigeria’s export and 95% of its food needs (Lawal 1997: 195). However, the agricultural sector suffered neglect during the hay days of boom in the 1970s. Ever since then, Nigeria has been witnessing extreme poverty. Historically, the root of the crisis in Nigerian economy lies in the neglect of agriculture and the increased dependence on a monoculture economy based on oil. The agricultural sector now accounts for less than 5% of Nigeria’s GDP (Olagboju and Falola 1996: 263). It is against this back drop that this paper sets out to draw comparative analysis from the Brazilian experience for possible replication in Nigeria. Such an approach is particularly feasible given the fact that Nigeria shares so much in common with Brazil in terms of a highly conducive agricultural climate, huge and diverse population as well as the availability of natural resources. 2.2.1MEANING OF ECONOMIC GROWTH According to Turrets (1987) â€Å"the economic growth of a country can be defined in various ways as an increase in gross domestic product, in real GDP or in per capital GDP†. It is clear therefore, that the rate of growth of the real GDP country. If we want to determine the growth in Nigeria for example, the rate of growth of its real GDP stands as the most appropriate measure. Alternatively, we can also examine the meaning of economic growth through the use of production possibility curve. A production possibility curve is used to depict the maximum quantities of two goods or types of goods that can be produced when all the resources of the country are fully and efficiently utilized. However, smith (1996) visualised that economic growth results from specialization of labour, application of new technology as well as through international trade. But one important fact to note is that, since economic activities tend to or shift outward, countries will always record a positive g rowth rate and sometimes negative, such as inward of country’s production possibility curve (PPC) (Clawer, Graves and Sexton, 1989).Nigeria’s economy had in some ears of the late1980s and through 1990s recorded some negative growth rate and in fact, still does till date and even beyond. 2.2.2AGRICULTURE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH Development economists in general and agricultural economists in particular,  have focused on how agriculture can best contribute to overall economic growth and modernization. Many early analyst (Fel and Rani, 1954; Jorgensen 1961; Hirschman 1958; Scitovsky 1954; Lewis 1954; Rosentein-rodan 1943), have highlighted agriculture because of its abundance of resources and its ability to transfer surpluses to the more important industrial sector. The conventional approach to the roles of agriculture in economic growth concentrated on agriculture’s important market-mediated linkages, and they are: i. Providing food for the expanding population with higher income. ii. Providing labour for an urbanized industrial work force. iii. Supplying savings for investment in industry. iv. Enlarging markets for industrial output providing export earnings to pay for imported capital goods and v. Providing primary material for agro processing industries (Timer 2002, Delgado et al 1994, Ravis et al 1990, Johnson and Mellor 1961). Rapid agricultural productivity growth is a prerequisite for the market mediated linkages to be mutually beneficial. Productivity growth that resulted from agriculture has had enormous impacts on food supplies and food prices and consequent beneficial impacts on food security and poverty reduction (Hazel and Hag blade 1993, Binswanger 1980, Hayami and Herdt 1977, Pinstrup Anderson 1976); Alston et al (1996), posit that because a relatively high proportion of any income gain made by the poor is spent on food, the income effect of research induced supply shift can have major multinational implications, particularly if those shift results from technologies aimed at the poorest producers. Agricultural productivity growth also triggers the generat ion of non-market mediated linkages between the agricultural sector and the rest of the economy. These includes the indirect contribution of a vibrant agricultural sector to food security and poverty alleviation, safely net and buffer role; and the supply of environmental services (FAO, 2004). While agricultures direct private contributions to form households are tangible, easy indirect benefits tend to be over looked in assessing rate of returns. Ignoring the whole range of economic and social contributions of agriculture underestimates the returns to investments in the sector (Valdes and Foster, 2005). Some empirical evidence exists on the positive relationship between agricultural growth (Valdes and Foster 2005). The transformation of agriculture from its  traditional subsistence roots induced by technical change, to a modernizing agricultural sector is a phenomenon observed across the developing world. Concluding, it is clear that agricultural growth has played a historically important role in the process of economic development. Evidence from industrialized countries that are rapidly developing today indicates that agriculture was the engine that contributed to growth in the non-agricultural sectors and to overall economic wellbeing. Economic growth originating in agriculture can have a particular strong impact in reducing poverty and hunger. Increasing employment and income in agriculture stimulates demand for non-agricultural goods and services, thereby providing a boost to non-farm rural income earners as well. 2.2.3AGRICULTURE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. The contribution of agriculture to economic development lies in: i. Providing more food to the rapidly expanding population increasing the demand for industrial product, and thus necessitating the expansion of secondary and tertiary sectors. ii. It can release workers needed for the production of non-agricultural goods and services. iii. It can provide a source of capital that can be invested in improved productive facilities in the rest of the economy (Timer 2002, Delgado et al 1994, Ravis et al 1996. Johnson and Mellor 1961). A progressive urban industrial economy contributes, in turn, to the rapid development of agriculture by expanding the market for agricultural products; by supplying the farm machinery, chemical fertilizers and so on, that raise the level of agricultural technology; by expanding productive employment opportunities for workers released from agriculture by technological change; and by making possible improvements in the quality of rural life by raising standards of consumption both in urban and rural areas (Binswanger, 1980). A rise in rural purchasing power, as a result of the increased agricultural surplus, is a great stimulus to industrial development. The market for manufactured goods is very small in an underdeveloped country where the peasant farm labourers and their families, comprising typically two goods in addition to whatever they need. There is lack of real purchasing power thus reflecting the low productivity in agriculture. The basic problem thus is low investment return caused by small size of the market. Increased rural  purchasing power caused by expansion of agricultural output and productivity will tend to raise the demand for manufactured goods and extend the size of the market. This will lead to the expansion of the industrial sector (Lewis, 1954). Moreover, the demand for such inputs as fertilizers, tractors, better tools, implements, irrigational facilities in the agricultural sectors will all lead to the greater expansions of the agricultural sector. Besides, the means of transport and communications will expand to urban areas and manufactured goods to the rural areas. The long run effects of the expansion of the secondary and tertiary sectors will be towards higher profits in them whether they are operated in the private or the public sector. These profits will tend to increase the rate of capital fo rmation through their re-investment. That is what Kuznets calls the â€Å"market contributions† of agriculture when it trades with other sectors of the economy. Underdeveloped countries mostly specialize in the production of a few agricultural goods for export. As output and productivity of the exportable goods expand, their exports increase and results in larger foreign exchange earnings. Thus agricultural surplus leads to capital formation when capital goods are imported with this foreign exchange. As development gains momentum due to industrialization, the proportion of agricultural export in the country’s total exports is likely to fall as they are needed in large quantities for domestic production of imported articles. Such articles are import substitutes and conserve foreign exchange. Similarly, increased marketed surplus of food grains leads to a net saving of foreign exchange, as the economy tries to achieve the goal of self-sufficiency in food production. Larger productions of food and export crops do not only conserve and earn foreign exchange, but also leads to expansion of the other sectors of the economy. Foreign exchange earnings can be used to build efficiency of other industries and help the establishment of new indus tries by importing scare raw materials, machines, capital equipment and technical know-how. Kuznets calls it the â€Å"product contribution† of agriculture which first argues about the growth of net output of the economy and the growth of per capita output. An underdeveloped needs large amounts of capital to finance expansion of the infrastructure and for the development of basic and heavy industries. In the early stages of development, capital can be provided by increasing the marketable surplus from the rural sector without reducing  consumption levels from population. According to Johnson and Mellor (1961) â€Å"an increase in agricultural productivity implies some combination of capital formation when it is reduced on the farm and employed in construction works†. But the possibility of utilizing unskilled surplus form labour on capital project requiring skilled labour is limited. The second possibility of increasing capital formation through reduced agricultural prices is also not feasible in the early stages of development when the rise in price is not feasible. Reduction in agricultural prices is not feasible. Reduction in agricultural prices is possible in the long run but democratic countries may not be able to follow this reasoning for political reasons. A more practicable solution is to stabilize the prices in farm products. The third possibility of increasing farm receipts is perhaps the best way for capital formation. This can be done by mobilizing increased farm incomes through agricultural income tax, land registration charges, s chool fees, for providing agricultural technical services and other types of fees that cover all or part of the farm population. But â€Å"political and institutional problems makes it difficult to translate the increased potential for saving and capital accumulation, made possible by increased agricultural productivity, into an actual increase in investment in underdeveloped countries. According to Wald, special assessments have had their widest application in the United States. In view of the fact that they are specially designed for financing such developed projects as irrigation works, flood control system and certain classes of roads, all of which are extremely important for underdeveloped countries like India that â€Å"the penalties of too light taxation on agriculture are a stagnating farm sector, a financially starved public sector and a retarded rate of economic growth in the country as a whole; (Wald, 1995). Thus countries were agriculture dominates, the taxation of agriculture in one form or another is essential for mobilizing agricultural surplus in order to accelerate economic development. Kuznets calls it the â€Å"factor of contribution† when there is a transfer of resources to the other sectors, these resources to the other sectors, these resources being productive factors. Agriculture also expands and diversifies employment opportunities in rural areas. As agricultures productivity and farm income increases, non-farm rural employment expands and diversifies. Landless and marginal farmers are primarily engaged in  non-agricultural pursuits which includes the manufacturers of textile, furniture, tools, handicraft, leather and metal processing, marketing, transport, repair work, construction of houses and other buildings, education, medicine and other services, as these activities satisfy local demand. Lastly, increase in rural incomes as a result of the agricultural surplus tends to improve rural welfare. Peasant starts consuming more food especially of a higher nutritional value in the form of superior quality cereals, eggs, ghee, milk, fruits etc. They build better houses fitted with modern amenities like electricity, furniture, radio, fan etc. provide themselves with bicycles, motorcycles, watches, readymade garments, shoe etc. they also receive direct satisfaction from such services such as schools, health centres, irrigation, banking, transport and communication facilities. Thus increased agricultural surplus has the effect of raisi ng the standards of living of the mass of rural people. 2.2.4NIGERIAN ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT Nigeria was and is still basically an agricultural country despite the fact that there is significant growth in the other sector of the economy since her independence in 1960. Agriculture remains the single largest sector of the economy since it provides employment to a large segment of the work force and constituting the main stay of Nigeria’s rural population. Since 1985, the percentage of gross domestic product attributable to agriculture has been maintained about 31%, well ahead of mining and quarrying, which includes crude petroleum and gas as well as whole sale and retail trade, which are also the other two major contributors to GDP in Nigeria. Before 1970, the agricultural sector has enjoyed a relatively abundant supply of farm labour and cultivable land for agriculture was able to respond quite steadily to a rising demand. An expansion of land under cultivation and increased absorption of rural labour constituted a ready means for output expansion. However, the 1970s o il boom saw a high rate of rural-urban population migrating, which resulted into supply demand imbalance in the food subsector, while traditional export declined sharply in both absolute and relative terms. From 1970, Nigeria’s agriculture has been characterized by excess demand over supply due to high population growth rate, stagnant declining economic growth, high rate of globalization, increased demand for  agricultural raw materials by an expanding industrial sector and the rising per capita income which is stimulated by an oil export revenue boom. The decline in production of tradable has raised serious domestic and external balancing problems. The output of domestic inputs using agro-allied firms is constrained by output fluctuation, which reduces the size of export revenues and market shares. This adversely affects the balance of payment. The agricultural sector was estimated to decline at an annual average of 0.43% between 1970 and 1985 while the periods between 1975 and 1978 recorded the highest level of decline of 7.88%. The agricultural export crop sub-sectors contribution to the total foreign earnings declined from an average of 58% in the 1960s to only 5.2% between 1971 and 1985. Indeed, by 1980, Nigeria had become a net importer of food and most of its tradable export crops had either disappeared from the export list or merely maintained an insignificant presence. As it were, the agricultural export sub-sector became increasingly unable to meet the raw material needs to the primarily processing industries and furthermore, inflationary pressure characterized the economy, general degeneration of rural life and rural urban migration. Notwithstanding, the observed agricultural decline, agricultural policy appeared to have been more active in the 1970s than in the 1960s. In the formal period, the government implanted successful programme like National Agricultural Food Production Programme (NAFP), Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) and green revolution programme, also banks assisted Agricultural Development Programme (ADP). Government also tried to improve marketing system for agricultural export crops by reforming the marketing board system in 1973, 1976 and 1977. Agricultural sector did not improve; as a result there was introduction of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1986, which necessitated the deregulation of exchange rates and abolition of marketing board system. 2.2.5AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION DURING THE STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMME (SAP) One of the most important debates the structural adjustment programme (SAP) has centred on the impact of the programme on agricultural sector. It was anticipated that the measures adopted under this programme will bring about increased domestic production of food and eventual elimination of food import, increase supply of manufacturing industries of agricultural raw materials such as cotton, cocoa, oil palm, rubber etc. was also anticipated (Obadan and Egbase, 1992). Also, the  diversification of export base of the economy would be enhanced with the increase in the agricultural prices and boom in the sector, production was expected to translate into rising rural employment, income and standard of living. Therefore, the agricultural production will be viewed from two perspectives, which is agricultural food production during SAP and agricultural export during SAP. 2.2.6AGRICULTURAL FOOD PRODUCTION DURING SAP Following the introduction of SAP in 1986, some writers have claimed that food production have been on the increasing sides. Since one of the expectations of complimenting this programme is to bring food and to make sure that the importation of food is eradicated. Iwayemi in 1994 found out that one of the positive developments in recent years is a merging trend of upward turn in the production of agricultural tradable (rice, soya beans and maize) and of the non-traded food category and cassava has performed impressively. Furthermore, it was discovered that immediately after the introduction of SAP, there were sharp increase in the prices of staples such as yam, cassava, rice, maize, etc. for instance the average market retail price in Kwara state rose from â‚ ¦450 per tonne to â‚ ¦560 per tonne in 1986 and â‚ ¦686 per tonne in 1986. Also, the average market price of rice in Kaduna state rose from â‚ ¦1500 in 1985 to â‚ ¦1700 and â‚ ¦2213 in 1992. These increases in the price of staples are adduced to high inflationary pressures resulting from SAP. Also Edgbai (1988)argued that the devaluation of the Naira following the advent of the SAP lead to spectacular increase in the prices of most agricultural inputs, implements and machinery. The percentage price increase of these inputs between 1985, the last pre-SAP year’s ranges between 50% and 70% using official prices subsequently there have indeed been increases in the producer prices of maize development. Finally, Iwayemi (1994) concluded that the most pressing problem in the sector is the lack of adequate production capacity to meet domestic food requirement of rapidly raising large population. 2.2.7AGRICULTURAL EXPORT DURING SAP The major aim of introducing SAP was to improve the agricultural export through the depreciation of the country’s currency. However, different researches hold different opinions concerning this. For instance, Obadan (1993) found out that SAP policy of exchange rate adjustment was an  important factor that positively affected supply of rubber and suggested that real depreciation of the naira for example, tends to stimulate rubber farmers to increase supply of export, thus talking advantage of the improved international competitiveness. In modern development, with the exception of rubber, the export elasticity of cocoa, palm kernel and processed or semi processed product with respect to change in exchange in Nigeria was generally of low order even in the long run. Hence, Obadan and Egbase (1992) concluded that export base production activities especially agriculture, have benefited from the SAP incentive arising particularly from naira to depreciation and trade liberalization. Thus, quantity of natural rubber exported rose from 32000 in 1985 to 108600 in 1991, changes in naira exchange rate significantly affected natural rubber supply under SAP. In contrast, Ajilim and Agba, (1986) claimed that there is over whelming evidence that SAP has very slim prospect for stimulating non-oil export e.g. cocoa. Also Dayo, (1996) discovered that the low elasticity estimate was due to limited volume of agricultural export earning in response to devaluation of the naira. Also, Ajayi (1988) and Osagie (1985) posit In that in Nigeria, exchange rate devaluation is stagnant and have no significant effect on the external trade balance because of low prices elasticity generally associated with the excess import and export demand functions. In other words Balogun (1987) estimated agricultural export function with exchange export has the redress and the result showed unresponsiveness of aggregate agricultural export to exchange rate, price and imported and agricultural input. He thus, concluded that the agricultural sector, which is dominated by smaller hold farming, is insulated from external trade variables or shocks. Finally, Obadan and Egbase (1992) argued that export base production activity, especially agriculture, have benefited from SAP incentives arising particularly from naira depreciation and trade liberalization, for example in response to the price and exchange liberalization, the quantity of natural exported rose from 32000tonnes in 1985 to 33000 in 1986 and 108800 in 1991 changes in naira exchange rate significantly affected natural rubber supply under SAP. However Obadan (1993) argued that the main objective of SAP has not been realized even though that the number of agricultural export have increase, the value is still in significant. 2.2.8THE EFFECT OF SAP AND THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Warder (1995) analysed  the economic and political development on Nigeria’s agricultural sector including the application of the structural adjustment programme (SAP). He discovered that with the application of SAP, that the country was able to orient her agricultural production toward the production and exportation of cash crops while Husia and Farugee (1994) found out that for any developing country like Nigeria to experience the turn-around in our country, the country should establish and maintain macro-economic stability, eliminate discrimination against agriculture and take measures to remove anti export bias. Furthermore, Obadan (1994) stated that the agricultural sector during SAP was able to reverse negative gro wth of the economy during the early 1980s, because of more favourable more weather conditions and adoption of a floating exchange rate system which favoured agriculture deregulation of agricultural prices and the priority according to the implementation of the key public sector agricultural programs. Stanley (1987) added that SAP policy consisted of measures that are aim at achieving viability in the medium term balance of payment why the level and rate of growth of economy activity was maintained at the optimal level of operation. In addition Ojo (1988) stated that the effect of SAP on agricultural and rural development has brought about an increase in agricultural production and there was an improvement in rural development.He however, noted that the fundamental problems of Nigeria agriculture still persist. In contrast, since the theoretical bases of SAP is based on the invisible hand or market mechanism, Obadan and Ekuarhare (1993) opined that a Pareto system which required a free market economy may not be idea for a developing or even a developed country. This is because the market mechanism may faster efficiency but not equity. The price mechanism which is concerned with state resources allocation undermines economic growth and development in developing countries. ‘â €™consequently, without governments intervention in economic activities, the market leads to misallocation of present and future resource or at least to one which may not be in long run in the best interests of the society’’ (Torado 1977, 164 quoted in Obadan and Ekuarhare 1993). Finally, Obadan and Ekuarhare opined further that the fiscal monetary exchange policy mix contained in SAP is inter-consistent with economic recovery from a recession (from which the country has been battling due to external shock and the crisis of accumulation within the domestic bourgeoisie). Recovery  from this cyclical downturn characterized by below capacity nation production would require an increase in government expenditure to provide greater employment and increased social benefit. In other words, the deflation an economy coupled with deregulation and liberalization will not lead to an upturn of the economy. Therefore,Obadan (1993) discovered that the main objective of SAP has not been realized even though the number of non-oil manufactured agricultural export items have increased the value and is still insignificant. For instance, exchange in-flow from non-oil exports reduce from $557million in 1985(per SAP) to $538 million in 1987. It increased to $613 million in 1988 bu t reduced drastically to $406million in 1990 and by 1992; the sector only contributed 3.6% of the nation’s foreign exchange. The value of agricultural export which stood at an average of â‚ ¦408.7 million before declining sharply to â‚ ¦270.8 million in 1981-1985, owing largely to decline in cash crop producers. During SAP, export earnings grew to â‚ ¦1822.9 million in 1986-1990 for primary agricultural commodities such as tubers, fruits and spices coming on board. In addition, export of manufacturers and semi manufacturers of agricultural products which earned only â‚ ¦37.2 million in 1891-1985 recorded the sum of â‚ ¦214.9 million in 1986-1990 as Nigeria became exporter of textile, soap, detergent, beer, beverages and skin in addition to cocoa products. Emmanuel (2002) viewed productivity as the wealth of a nation. According to him, Nigeria is generously endowed with abundant natural resources. He further argued that if this enormous resources base is well managed, through increased productivity, the wealth of the nation is bound to increase. He argued that a farmer plants a seed and reaps several harvesting period, productivity has increased and the wealth of a nation has increased too. The mercantilists (18th century) argued that productivity in the agricultural sector contributed the least to the economic growth. They said that it only promoted domestic trade and did not fore see mechanization and modernization that took over manual labour in the agricultural sector, as agricultural commodities are not only traded domestically but exported to other countries. 2.2.9AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND EXPORT The breakdown of agricultural production into its component parts reveals the problems during 1985 period. While food production recorded only a marginal  increase export crop production declined sharply. The inadequate domestic food production is reflected in Nigeria’s massive food imports, especially in the 1970’s to argument domestic supply. The supply in the production of some of Nigeria’s cultural export commodities was most worrisome for instance, Nigeria that was ranked as the world leading producer and exporter of palm oil in the 1960s had become the net importer of this commodity in the mid-70s. Similarly, Nigeria’s cocoa production, which reached its peak of 309000 tonnes in 1970-71, fell drastically to 160000 tonnes in 1985. The sharp turn down in the gross value terms of trade in agriculture was equally serious. The ratio of agricultural exports to food imports which stood at 143% in 1970-1975 suffered significant deterioration and reached th e lowest at 38% by 1976-1982. The performance of agriculture during the review period was underdetermined mainly by its neglect coupled with a chain of distributive created by the oil boom. 2.3THE METHODOLOGICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE Several policies as well as policy instruments have been put to place over the year by successive government in Nigeria. Some had positive effect while the others had negative effects. Olayami (1985) identified three distinct agricultural policy era under which the agricultural sector developed for the past three decades, these includes; the 1960-1969 era, the 1970-1985 eras. These policies were targeted at improving the performance of the sector during this period. A review of these policies would be discussed; Agricultural policy during these periods was limited to marketing and pricing for which the marketing board was established. Actually, at the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939, government owned marketing boards were setup in British, West Africa to assure orderly marketing and to protect British supplies of raw materials (Adegbola and Akinbode, 1986). Government was involved in agricultural research and extension of services but the issue of self-sufficiency in agriculture for food and raw materials was not pursued. Also investment in agriculture with initiatives to improve employment was left to the initiative in farming. During this period, there was decentralised approach to agriculture with initiatives being left to the regions and the states while the federal government played a supportive role. Regional government were executing abhor policies, programme and  projects. There was no institutional federal responsibility for agriculture and there were no specific agricultural sector objectives. There were a number of policies and programme and some of them are discussed below; 2.3.1AGRICULTURAL MARKETING POLICY The agricultural marketing board system was used extensively in marketing agricultural products during this period. The system started with the establishment of a commodity marketing board in 1947 and for groundnut, palm produce and cotton in 1949. In 1954, the board became regionalized with one multi commodity marketing board for each of the regions, and later for each of the states. The board accumulated huge trading surpluses which were used to mobilize substantial savings for the government. These surpluses were generated at the expense of the stability of farmers’ income. The farmers’ income was kept low and with increasing risk on the farm declining world commodity prices of the mid 60s, there was an incentive for peasant increase production (Adubi, 1966). 2.3.2AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION PROJECTS The regional government of the east and western Nigeria stared this project and then later the north, to encourage the development of these crops. There financed from surpluses of the marketing boards. This was before the creation state, the UNIX oil palm plantation (now in Rivers and Cross Rivers), the Hushin rubber estates (now in Ogun state), and the upper Ogun cattle ranches etc. 2.3.3FARM SETTLEMENT SCHEME In the early 1960s the regional government assisted school leavers who were willing to go into agriculture establishment farm settlement scheme in places like Edo, Ilora, Ikenne, Ibadan and so on. The farm settlement were setup as model for other farmers who often look up practises being carried out by settlers and had easy access to farm equipment and services. However, due to non-ownership pattern of the scheme, farm and house power supply problems and the limited individuals’ holdings, most settlers were not committed. The owned land outside the greater settlement and mainly used the opportunity to obtain services through membership of a settlement scheme (Adegbola and Akinbode, 1986) 2.3.41970-1985 ERA (PERIOD OF MAXIMUM  GOVERNMENT INTERVENSION) Agricultural production started to decline towards the end of the decades of 1960s. Export crops outputs were stagnating while export volumes begin to decrease, and there was evidence of food shortages in the country. The 1963 G DP figures for example shows that agriculture crops, livestock, fishing and forestry accounted for 64% of total GDP and the average for 1960s decade estimated at 56%. Similarly, in the export sector, the percentage of agricultural produce was declining (Adubi, 1966). The problem of agricultural production decline was ascribed partly to the civil war and partly to the declining commodity process in the world market and the incentive to production due to taxation of the commodity board. There was therefore greater involvement of the government in agriculture. The expenditure of government and therefore for its investment increase in the sector specific sector emphasis of policy was on accelerating production of the staple food crops and some export crops. There was a fundamental shift in the strategy compared with the decade of 1960s and the federal government became more involved in the sector.The strategy taken, led to the launching of several special programme and projects. Also specialised in institutions were setup to ensure smooth implementation of the agricultural policies; the period witnessed many macroeconomic and sector specific policies, which directly or indirectly affects agricultural production. Many of the macroeconomic policies of the government had wide spread effect on agriculture, though not targeted at the agricultural sector, until there are some programme which includes marketing policy, input supply and distribution policy and input subsidy policy. Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) and River Basin Development Authority (RBDA) were also established to promote agricultural developments. 2.3.5THE 1985-1999 ERA (SAP AND POST SAP PERIOD) With the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1986, government admitted the failure of past policies to significantly improve the economy and reverse the declining trend of production in the agricultural sector. The SAP relied most especially on the agricultural sector to achieve the objectives of its far reaching refunds on diversification of export and adjustment of the consumption structure of the economy. The philosophy of SAP for the agricultural sector was that only the interplay of the market  forces could foster efficiency in the sector. The government was therefore expected to play minimal role for private sector initiative in the sector. Many of the policy measure adopted in SAP and macro in nature and those that affect agriculture also fall directly into fiscal, monetary, trade and exchange rate policies as well as institutional policy refunds. Many institutions such as National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFR RI), National Agricultural Insurance Company (NAIC), National Land Development Authority (NALDA) were established to assist new farmers and promote agriculture development in the rural areas. Essentially, these policies and programme were implemented until 1999. The changes in the government during the review period 1985-1999 also led to modifications of some of the policies above, which essentially formed the major focus of government on agricultural development. 2.3.6THE NEW MILLENNIUM AGRICULTURAL POLICIES (1999-2003) At the inception of the new democratic administration in May 1999 and shortly before then, several institutional changes were made in order to realize the sector’s objectives and in line with its belief that agricultural and rural development are sine que non for improved economy recovery (Olamola, 2003) these includes the relocation of department of cooperatives. Division of the ministry of Water Resources to the ministry of agriculture all before 1999, the scrapping of the erst while National Agricultural Land Development Department, the scrapping of the Federal Agriculture Coordinating Unit (FACU) and the Agricultural Project Monitoring and Evaluating Unit (APMEU) and the setting up of Project Co-ordination Unit (PCU) and the stream lining institution for agricultural credit delivery with the emergency of the Nigerian Agricultural Co-operative and Rural Development Bank (NACRDB) and the peoples bank and the asset of the Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP). New inst itutions are also evolving to enable the Nigerian agricultural sectors respond to the imperative of the emerging global economic order. The new agricultural policy has a clear statement of objectives amid the structural transformation necessary for the overall socio-economic development of the country as well as the improvement in the quality of life of Nigeria. This objective reflects the current policy recognition of agriculture as a vital sector under the poverty reduction  programme (FMARD, 2003). The government also seeks to pursue the following specific objectives: i. Attainment of self-sufficiency in basic food commodities with particular reference to those which consume considerable shares of Nigerian’s foreign exchange and for which the country has comparative advantage in local production. ii. Increase in production and processing of exportable commodities with a view to increase their foreign exchange earning capacity and further diversifying the country’s export base and source of foreign exchange earnings. iii. Increase in production of agricultural raw materials to meet the growth of an expanding industrial sector. iv. Modernization of agricultural production, processing, storage and distribution through the infusion of improved technologies and management so that agriculture can be more responsive to the demand s of other sectors of the Nigerian economy. v. Creation of more agricultural and rural employment opportunities to increase income of farmers and rural dwellers, productivity absorbed and increasing labour force in the nation. These objectives are properly in agreement with the whole concept of agricultural sustainability and inter-linkage between agriculture and each of the relevant sectors of the economy. As it is usual with the specification of agricultural policy objectives from time immemorial, these objectives are clearly presented and are basically consistent with the overall strategy of diversifying the productive base of the economy for an increased foreign exchange generation, higher level of employment and productivity and improved economy recovery. Specification of policy objectives had been the most easily accomplished component of agricultural policy formulation in particular and development planning experience in the country in general. It is therefore not surprising that the specified objectives in the new policy document are indeed comprehensive and quite appropriate. 2.4POLICY EVALUATION It might be difficult to evaluate all the policies objectively given the space and the focus. However, evidence from some authors (Olayemi 1995, Olamola 1998, Garb 1998) has indicated minimal positive impact of these policies. Also, the performance of the sector is far from being fully satisfactory. The evidence of these is the decaying rural infrastructure, decline domestic and foreign investment in agriculture. In fact the  increasing withdrawal of manufacturing companies from their backward integrated agricultural ventures has reduced investment in the sector considerably. Input supply and distribution have been inefficient and most agricultural institutions are ineffective. The evidence of ineffectiveness is the scrapping in the year 2000 of some of the institutions established for agricultural production, a critical examination of the policies and there implementation over the years to show policy instability. This problem is not unconnected with the political instability in t he country. Between 1979 and 1999, the country has passed through five military and civilian regimes. In between the minister of agriculture at the federal level and the various commissioners for agriculture at the state level were changed several times on the average of one per two years. Several policy measures were stated and changed without sufficient rating for policy effect or result. 2.4.1POLICY INCONSISTENCIES. With respect to agricultural production, the sector has passed through several periods of production and unbridled opening up for competition. It has also passed through eras of no government and less government involvement in direct agricultural production. The consistencies of policy transparency, leads to poor implementation and mismanagement of policy instruments. 2.5EMPERICAL REVIEW Oji-Okoro (2011) investigate the contribution of agricultural sector on the Nigerian economic development and reveal that foreign direct investment on agriculture contribute the most (56.43), this means that for every unit of change in FDI on agriculture there is a corresponding change of 56.43 unit in GDP in Nigeria. Suleiman and Aminu (2010) conducted research on the contribution of agriculture, petroleum and manufacturing sector of the Nigerian economy and found out that agricultural sector is contributing higher than both petroleum and manufacturing sectors. The paper reveals that agriculture is contributing 1.7978 units to GDP while petroleum is contributing 1.14 units to GDP which is less than the contribution of agriculture. Awe and Ajayi (2009) conducted research on the diversification of the significant when the log of revenue from agriculture was tested on the revenue from agriculture. About 60 percent of the movement could be  explained in the relationship. The findings from the study further revealed that dynamic relationship exists between the revenue from the non-oil sector economic development. Ekpo and Umoh (2012) revealed that the contribution of agriculture to GDP, which was 63 percent in 1960, declined to 34 percent in 1988, not because the industrial sector increased its share but due to neglect of agriculture sector. It was therefore not surprising that by 1975, the economy had become a net importer of basic food items. The apparent increase in industry and manufacturing from 1978 to 1988 was due to activities in the mining sub-sector, especially petroleum. Muhammad and (2006) conducted study on production of agriculture in Nigeria and revealed that the negative coefficient of the value (-0.07) of the food imports indicates that as food import increases, domestic agricultural production decreases. This might be due to the fact that food importation exposes the local farmers to unfair competition by foreign producers who usually take advantage of economies of scale in production due to their access to better production technology. The positive coefficient (286.91) of t he GDP growth rate indicates that increase in the GDP also moves domestic agricultural production in the same direction. This shows that increased domestic economic activity has the impact of increasing the domestic agricultural production. This may be due to the fact that most economic activity in the country is related to agriculture. The result also shows that population increases has been a major contribution to domestic agricultural production in Nigeria with the coefficient (18424.73). This may be due to the fact that majority of the populace are engaged in agriculture, meaning more hand on the farm as population increases. The coefficient of consumer price index was positive (8.49). This shows that as consumer price increases domestic agricultural production also increases’, meaning that domestic agricultural production is positively related to increase in consumer prices. This may be due to the fact that increase in price stimulates supply on the farmer’s side leading to more production of food. More agro-processing activities must therefore be embarked upon in order that farmers may be able to dispose of their produce at fairly reasonable prices. The result of the coefficient (0.04) of government expenditure was positive, that is domestic agricultural production is positively related to increase in government expenditure, meaning that as government expends more on agriculture, domestic  agricultural production also increases. The reason why it was not significant might be due to the fact that government has not been investing so much on agriculture over the years.