Insight into executive and non executive Board Directors

Behind the corporate fundamental law and corporate administration codifications lies one of the primary participants in a corporation, the managers. The board of managers is the top government organic structure, elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company. The board of managers have a legal responsibility to move as the stockholders ‘ agent with fiducial duty. Directors are responsible for guaranting the success of the concern and conformity with corporate administration. Basically the board has to move as the corporate scruples of the company. On an single degree, managers come in two signifiers, executive and non-executive. There is no legal differentiation made between executive and non-executive managers, the difference is that non-executive managers do non acquire involved in the daily running of the concern ( Business Link, 2011 ) . Executive managers are valuable because they possess cognition of the company and its operations and can efficaciously describe information about the house ‘s activity and execute operational and strategic concern maps. Executive managers are besides advantageous because they exercise a grade of accomplishment and attention and act in good religion in the involvements of the company as a whole. However the possibility of bureau theory could go on in which the involvements and ends of executive managers may non be aligned with that of the stockholders, they may change vastly and in bend these managers may non carry through their function and duty of moving in the best involvement of t he stockholders ( Nyberg et al, 2010 ) . From an bureau theory position, non-executive managers help cut down the ill-famed struggles between stockholders and company direction ; they are advantageous because they perform the map of supervising the board and present an independent voice in the council chamber ( Solomon, 2007 ) . They contribute both expertness and objectiveness in measuring direction ‘s determination, aid keep a balance of power and guarantee answerability of companies. Non-executive managers besides conveying consciousness of the external universe and the ever-changing nature of public outlooks to board treatments ( Clarke, 1998 ) . However companies may experience non-executive managers are otiose in a company that runs good without one. Non-executive managers determine wage of executive managers and frailty versa, hence there is the inclination to deter struggle which can impede the ability to lend efficaciously to the monitoring of the company and its ‘ scheme ( Keasey, Thompson & A ; Wright , 1997 ) . On a corporate degree, board of managers operate with sub-committees, typically an Audit Committee, wage commission and a nomination commission. Committees are at that place to set up formality and transparence and guarantee independency. Potentially the function of the board of managers can protect minority stockholders against bulk stockholders but besides have the power to protect non-shareholder stakeholder involvements such as employees. However the board of commissions consists of multiple persons who may differ in sentiment and many bring personal biass, political behavior and power dramas to board personal businesss. The corporate board with all its mix of expertness, independency and legal power is a potentially powerful corporate administration mechanism. In add-on to concern and fiscal issues, boards of managers must cover with challenges and issues associating to bureau theory and struggle of involvements. Corporate administration reforms and best patterns issued by a figure of administrations recommend uninterrupted instruction and rating of the managers but finally the duty of good corporate administration and the success of the company remainder with the board of managers.Question 2In recent old ages the audit commission has become one of the chief pillars of the corporate administration system in public companies. Following the publications of the Higgs and Smith Reports in 2003, there is now a greater apprehension of the demands of the audit commission in add-on to the strengthening of the function of the audit commission. The audit commission is the most of import of all board commissions ( Mallin, 2011 ) ; it is good to the company because it monitors the unity of the company ‘s fiscal coverage procedure, beef uping of internal control systems, reinforces the independency of external hearers and reexamining the direction of fiscal and other hazards ( Clarke, 2006 ) . Audited account commissions have the advantageous function of guaranting external hearers of public limited companies are transporting out their function efficaciously. However harmonizing to proposals from the Financial Reporting Council ( 2010 ) , the UK administration watchdog, audit commissions are non supplying detailed-enough studies about concern hazards to stockholders. The audit commission wage peculiar attending to direction ‘s usage of the traveling concern premise in the fiscal statements with the right to look into suspected jobs with accounting patterns or senior direction ( Lipman & A ; Lipman, 2006 ) , this function enforces internal controls and ensures direction and concerns are following with corporate administration. The Audit commission is of import because it has the function of moving independently from the executives and guaranting the involvements of the stockholders are decently protected. However audit commissions do non ever communicate good, unwrap all their duties and the extent to which the commission has filled its duties to the stockholders ( Keinath & A ; Walo, 2009 ) even though all revelations should be made in the audit commission charter. The function and the demands of the audit commission is one that is of importance in a public limited liability company such as a FTSE100 company every bit good as in corporate administration. The audit commission basically are in topographic point for confirmation intents, it is nevertheless a function that requires clip, experience and accomplishments. Consequently it is imperative that those executives bring with them the necessary adulthood, opinion and procedure direction accomplishments to guarantee that an appropriate grade of pragmatism is shown while go oning to look after stockholder involvements.Question 3Companies have duties to a figure of interested parties ; these parties are known as the stakeholders. Stakeholders range from stockholders and clients to managers and employees to loaners and providers. It is these stakeholders that are active participants in finding the public presentation of the company and play an of import function in act uponing how corporate admini stration systems work. Over clip, markets have become mostly institutionalized and the range of stakeholders has now exceeded the traditional outlooks of stakeholders. Companies have now been introduced to add-ons such as institutional stockholders, external hearers and recognition evaluation bureaus. A greater appraisal of their functions and duties will let companies to measure the functions they play in corporate administration. A stakeholder is defined as persons and groups who are affected by the activities of an administration. Stakeholder theory provinces that the concern owes a duty beyond their stockholders to those who have a ‘stake ‘ in whomever the entity impacts whilst finishing its concern ( Hannagan, 2007 ) . Overall organizational stakeholders are active participants with an involvement in the company and finding the public presentation of the concern. Stakeholders are besides good to the company as they play an of import function in act uponing the hereafter scheme and the corporate administration systems. However the ends and aims of each stakeholder vary vastly and may hold wholly conflicting measurings of success. The most common type of struggle is between stockholders and the company ‘s direction, this struggle is better known as bureau theory ( Nyberg et al, 2010 ) . Institutional stockholders are administrations, such as life insurance companies and common and pension financess, that invest in assorted houses by pooling a big amount of money from single investors. Institutional stockholders offer the advantage of safe investings ; they besides lower hazard than that faced by non-institutional investors owing to a wide and diversified investing portfolio. These houses tend to keep big shareholdings and can therefore wield considerable influence and have an active engagement in the administration of the companies. Institutional stockholders have become more active in supervising companies and besides have the ability to act upon a company ‘s solvency. The growing of institutional stockholders was thought to be the reply to the job of separation of ownership and control ( Goergen et al, 2010 ) . However the involvement and competency of the institutional stockholders to make so is questionable. Majority of the big UK institutional stockholder s groups do non straight pull off their investings and are normally without backgrounds that would assist them take a long term position about the value of the company. An external audit reviews an administration ‘s fiscal statements by an independent organic structure. External hearers are advantageous because they are an extra resource to carry through a full scope of internal auditing duties ; they have entree to expertise such as scrutinizing systems and exchequer accomplishments that may be unavailable to an internal hearer and can besides supply comparative experience ( O'Regan, 2002 ) . Essentially external audits are imperative to give assurance to investors, regulators and the populace that the fiscal informations and representations in the statements are true and non misdirecting. However external hearers can come with disadvantages as an unequal apprehension of the administration may earnestly halter the hearer ‘s effectivity ( O'Regan, 2002 ) . Hearers may be isolated from the informal webs of the administration, seting them at a disadvantage when voyaging the environment. Furthermore confidentiality may be compromised if ext ernal persons have entree to sensitive information. At the corporate degree, it is normally in the best involvement of a company to look for a recognition evaluation bureau to rate their debt. Creditor is a individual or company to whom money is owed, the term derives from the impression of recognition ( Blum, 2006 ) . Credit evaluations are an of import tool for borrowers to derive entree to loans and debt. They have besides been used to find the repute and trustiness of a company. Investors frequently basal portion of their determination to purchase bonds, or even the stock on the recognition evaluation of the company ‘s debt. Credit evaluation bureaus that provide companies with good recognition can merely heighten their ability to borrow from future creditors. However a negative evaluation, perchance as a consequence from experience with a old creditor can frequently minimise or decline a companies ‘ opportunity of obtaining recognition in the hereafter. It can besides be a hard procedure to acquire negative informatio n off of a recognition study. Stakeholders are critical to the public presentation of any company ; nevertheless each has its ain ends and aim for an involvement in the concern. Corporate administration is a system for optimizing the part of a figure of stakeholders to a intent which they are persuaded to portion ( Davies, 2006 ) . Companies have to accomplish a balance to fulfill all stakeholders whilst obtaining the administrations ends. The Administration for Economic Co-operation and Development ( 2011 ) states that the corporate administration model should recognize the rights of stakeholders as established by jurisprudence and promote active co-operation between corporations and stakeholders in making wealth, occupations, and the sustainability of financially sound endeavor.Question 4Regulative organic structures in corporate administration are public governments that are responsible for exerting independent authorization over corporate establishments, taking to keep the unity of the fiscal system. In the U K the chief regulative organic structures associating to corporate administration are the Financial Reporting Council and the Financial Services Authority ( FSA ) . As independent advocators they aim to actively advance assurance in corporate coverage and administration. With strong beliefs of their functions and duties impacting effectivity, the regulative organic structures regulate most fiscal services markets, exchanges and houses ( Financial Services Authority, 2011 ) every bit good as oversee the regulative activities of the professional accounting organic structures. There are other regulative organic structures in the UK for illustration the Office of Fair Trading and the Financial Ombudsman Service that significantly contribute to corporate administration. The functions of the chief regulative organic structures contribute greatly to corporate administration in the UK by increasing market assurance, set uping fiscal stableness and consumer protection and trying to cut down fiscal offense ( Financial Services Authority, 2011 ) . Regulative organic structures besides enforce corporate administration codifications such as the Revised UK Combined Code ( 2008 ) that set out criterions of good pattern in relation to board leading and effectivity, wage, answerability and dealingss with stockholders ( Financial Reporting Council, 2011 ) . In making so the regulative organic structures publishes a series of counsel notes to help companies in using the rules of the UK Corporate Governance Code. Regulative organic structures have frequently been criticised. They have frequently been regarded as reactive instead than proactive, with peculiar focal point on the sensed deficiency of action in many instances in add-on to inquiry being raised about the figure of staff and their competency ( Friedrichs, 2009 ) . The Economist ( 2005 ) stated that FSA ‘s processs are flawed ; regulator can non utilize blemished processs without destructing its effectivity. Similarly, the FSA relies on uninterrupted monitoring of financial-services companies to maintain it informed and let it to publish warnings when necessary. If the monitoring is ill constructed, so the FSA will happen itself fighting. The FSA has besides failed intellectually by concentrating excessively much on procedures and processs instead than looking at the bigger economic image. These regulative organic structures progressively rely on computing machines to uncover illegal activities ( Friedrichs, 2009 ) but the usag e of computing machines rises concerns about inordinate invasion and invasion of privateness. In general regulative organic structures have been criticised for its supposedly weak enforcement plan. The combination of legal model, ordinances and guidelines for companies, provided by the corporate administration codifications and administered through the chief regulative organic structures in the UK are a agencies of breeding public assurance in companies ( Mead, Sagar & A ; Bampton, 2009 ) . Regulative organic structures are necessary in implementing ordinance demands in the corporate universe. By making so, they provide a system that guarantee companies are following with corporate administration.Question 5At the nucleus of good corporate administration are the pillars of transparence and revelation ( Mallin, 2006 ) . Transparency has become a popular term amongst organizational leaders and stakeholders ( Garsten & A ; De Montoya, 2008 ) . The term refers to administrations that are unfastened and blunt with information. An reliable, crystalline administration deliberately discloses information beyond the board room with members and non-members likewise. Despite its desire for stakeholders ‘ trust, every association has information, or history it does n't desire accessed by rivals or possibly publicised to all members. But in this twenty-four hours and age greater organizational transparence and revelation is quickly going a demand for associations and effectual manner of following with corporate administration. Transparency and revelation is good because it encourages, honours and engages with public input by encompassing entree to information, engagement, and determination devising ( Meyer, 2003 ) , which finally creates a higher degree of battle within the company and instils trust among stakeholders. The benefits of transparence can hold a direct impact on top line public presentation and cost nest eggs, and spur competitory advantage which in bend drives the company ‘s public presentation ( Berggren & A ; Bernshteyn, 2007 ) . Increased and improved revelation is likely to cut down bureau costs as better information flows from the company to the stockholder, which in bend reduced dissymmetry ( Solomon, 2007 ) . However, it does non vouch that the right determinations will be made or that information will non be manipulated or misconstrued. Meyer ( 2003 ) states that plentifulness of bad determinations are being made in crystalline administrations, more practically, increased transp arence may necessitate extra clip and resources at all organizational degrees. The demand for organizational transparence have led to more revelation and information, profiting market participants, take downing the cost of capital ( Dallas, 2004 ) , and supplying more accurate information about the public presentation of executives such as the main executive officer and main fiscal officer. However within this lays the challenges of organizational transparence. There may be deformation of information as companies may non be willing to unwrap countries of the concern covering with those most sacred of things such as net income, borders and cash-flow, obviously intending that true transparence is non achieved. Modern companies are taking stairss to drive company public presentation through increased efficiency delivered by increased transparence. The ability to promote a high degree of unquestioning trust and true transparence requires the company mentality to be ready to put to death this end. Despite the challenges associated with transparence and revelation, current conditions and future premises are driving administrations to chew over on how greater organizational transparence can be achieved ( Meyer, 2003 ) . The stairss companies are taking to farther achieve organizational transparence are taking to aline every bit about as possible the involvements of persons, corporations, and society ( Fernando, 2009 ) which is said to be cardinal with effectual corporate administration.

World Wide Web and E-commerce Winter

Introduction to E-Commerce Revenue Models Objectives In this chapter, you will learn about: Revenue models How some companies move from one revenue model to another to achieve success Revenue strategy issues that companies face when selling on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 2 1 Objectives (continued) Creating an effective business presence on the Web Web site usability Communicating effectively with customers on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 3 Revenue Models Mail order or catalog model Proven to be successful for a wide variety of consumer items Web catalog revenue model Taking the catalog model to the WebAn Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 4 2 Computers and Consumer Electronics Apple, Dell, Gateway, and Sun Microsystems have had great success selling on the Web Dell created value by designing its entire business around offering a high degree of configuration flexibility to its customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 5 Books, Music , and Videos Retailers use the Web catalog model to sell books, music, and videos Among the most visible examples of electronic commerce Jeff Bezos Formed Amazon. com Jason and Matthew Olim Formed an online music store they called CDnow Used the Web catalog revenue model An Introduction to E-CommerceWinter 85, 6 3 Luxury Goods People are still reluctant to buy luxury goods through a Web site Web sites of Vera Wang and Versace Constructed to provide information to shoppers, not to generate revenue Web site of Evian Designed for a select, affluent group of customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 7 Clothing Retailers Lands’ End Pioneered the idea of online Web shopping assistance with its Lands’ End Live feature in 1999 Personal shopper Intelligent agent program that learns customer’s preferences and makes suggestions Virtual model Graphic image built from customer measurements An Introduction to E-CommerceWinter 85, 8 4 Flowers and Gifts 1-800-Flowers C reated an online extension to its telephone order business Chocolatier Godiva Offers business gift plans on its site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 9 Digital Content Revenue Models Firms that own intellectual property have embraced the Web as a new and highly efficient distribution mechanism Lexis. com Provides full-text search of court cases, laws, patent databases, and tax regulations ProQuest Sells digital copies of published documents An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 10 5 Advertising-Supported Revenue Models Broadcasters provide free programming to an udience along with advertising messages Success of Web advertising is hampered by No consensus on how to measure and charge for site visitor views Stickiness of a Web site: the ability to keep visitors and attract repeat visitors Very few Web sites have sufficient visitors to interest large advertisers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 11 Web Portals Web directory A listing of hyperlinks to Web pages Portal or Web portal Site used as a launching point to enter the Web Almost always includes a Web directory and search engine Examples: Yahoo! , AOL, AltaVista An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 12 6 Advertising-SubscriptionMixed Revenue Models Subscribers Pay a fee and accept some level of advertising Typically are subjected to much less advertising Used by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 13 Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue Models (continued) Business Week Offers some free content at its Business Week online site Requires visitors to buy a subscription to the Business Week print magazine An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 14 7 Fee-for-Transaction Revenue Models Businesses offer services and charge a fee based on the number or size of transactions processed DisintermediationRemoval of an intermediary from a value chain Reintermediation Introduction of a new intermediary An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 15 Fe e-for-Service Revenue Models Fee based on the value of a service provided Services range from games and entertainment to financial advice Online games Growing number of sites include premium games in their offerings Site visitors must pay to play these premium games An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 16 8 Fee-for-Service Revenue Models (continued) Concerts and films As more households obtain broadband access to the Internet, companies are providing streaming video of concerts and films to paying ubscribers Professional Services State laws are one of the main forces preventing U. S. professionals from extending their practices to the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 17 Revenue Models in Transition Subscription to advertising-supported model Microsoft founded its Slate magazine Web site An upscale news and current events publication Charged an annual subscription fee after a limited free introductory period Was unable to draw sufficient number of paid subscribers Now operated as an advertising-supported site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 18 9 Advertising-Supported to AdvertisingSubscription Mixed Model Salon. om Operated for several years as an advertisingsupported site Now offers an optional subscription version of its site Subscription offering was motivated by the company’s inability to raise additional money from investors An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 19 Advertising-Supported to Feefor-Services Model Xdrive Technologies Opened its original advertising-supported Web site in 1999 Offered free disk storage space online to users After two years, it was unable to pay the costs of providing the service with the advertising revenue generated Later switched to a subscription-supported model An Introduction to E-CommerceWinter 85, 20 10 Advertising-Supported to Subscription Model Northern Light Founded in August 1997 as a search engine with a twist Revenue model Combination of advertising-supported model plus a fee-base d information access service January 2002 Converted to a new revenue model that was primarily subscription supported An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 21 Multiple Transitions Encyclop? dia Britannica Original offerings The Britannica Internet Guide Free Web navigation aid Encyclop? dia Britannica Online Available for a subscription fee or as part of a CD package 1999 Converted to a free, advertiser-supported site 001 Returned to a mixed model An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 22 11 Revenue Strategy Issues Channel conflict Occurs whenever sales activities on a company’s Web site interfere with existing sales outlets Also called cannibalization Channel cooperation Giving customers access to the company’s products through a coordinated presence in all distribution channels An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 23 Strategic Alliances and Channel Distribution Management Strategic alliance When two or more companies join forces to undertake an activity over a long period of time Account aggregation servicesIncrease the propensity of customers to return to the site Channel distribution managers Companies that take over the responsibility for a particular product line within a retail store An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 24 12 Creating an Effective Web Presence An organization’s presence The public image it conveys to its stakeholders Stakeholders of a firm Include its customers, suppliers, employees, stockholders, neighbors, and the general public An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 25 Achieving Web Presence Goals Objectives of the business Attracting visitors to the Web site Making the site interesting enough that visitors tay and explore Convincing visitors to follow the site’s links to obtain information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 26 13 Achieving Web Presence Goals (continued) Objectives of the business Creating an impression consistent with the organization’s desired image Building a trusting relationship with visitors Reinforcing positive images that the visitor might already have about the organization Encouraging visitors to return to the site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 27 Profit-Driven Organizations Toyota site A good example of an effective Web presence Provides links to Detailed information about each vehicle modelA dealer locator page Information about the company and the financing services it offers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 28 14 Toyota U. S. Home page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 29 Profit-Driven Organizations (continued) Quaker Oats Web site does not offer a particularly strong sense of corporate presence Site is a straightforward presentation of links to information about the firm Redesigned site is essentially the same as the previous version An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 30 15 Quaker Oats Old Home Page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 31 Quaker Oats Home Page: 1999 RedesignAn Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 32 16 Not-for-Profit Organizations Key goal for the Web sites Information dissemination Key element on any successful electronic commerce Web site Combination of information dissemination and a two-way contact channel An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 33 Web Site Usability Motivations of Web site visitors Learning about products or services that the company offers Buying products or services that the company offers Obtaining information about warranty, service, or repair policies for products they purchased Obtaining general information about the company or organizationAn Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 34 17 Web Site Usability (continued) Motivations of Web site visitors Obtaining financial information for making an investment or credit granting decision Identifying the people who manage the company or organization Obtaining contact information for a person or department in the organization An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 35 Making Web Sites Accessible One of the best ways to accommodate a broad range of visitor needs is to build flexibility into the Web site’s interface Good site design lets visitors choose among information attributes Web sites can offer visitors multiple nformation formats by including links to files in those formats An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 36 18 Making Web Sites Accessible (continued) Goals that should be met when constructing Web sites Offer easily accessible facts about the organization Allow visitors to experience the site in different ways and at different levels Sustain visitor attention and encourage return visits Offer easily accessible information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 37 Trust and Loyalty A 5 percent increase in customer loyalty can yield profit increases between 25% and 80% Repetition of satisfactory service can build ustomer loyalty Customer service is a problem for many electronic commerce sites An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 38 19 Usability Testing Companies that have done usability tests Conduct focus groups Watch how different customers navigate through a series of Web site test designs Cost of usability testing is low compared to the total cost of a Web site design or overhaul to E-Commerce An Introduction Winter 85, 39 Customer-Centric Web Site Design Putting the customer at the center of all site designs Guidelines Design the site around how visitors will navigate the links Allow visitors to access information quicklyAvoid using inflated marketing statements An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 40 20 Customer-Centric Web Site Design (continued) Guidelines Avoid using business jargon and terms that visitors might not understand Be consistent in use of design features and colors Make sure navigation controls are clearly labeled Test text visibility on smaller monitors Conduct usability tests An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 41 Connecting With Customers Personal contact model Firm’s e mployees individually search for, qualify, and contact potential customers Prospecting Personal contact approach to identifying and reaching customersMass media approach Firms prepare advertising and promotional materials about the firm and its products An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 42 21 Connecting With Customers (continued) Addressable media Advertising efforts directed to a known addressee Also called mass media One-to-many communication model Communication flows from one advertiser to many potential buyers One-to-one communication model Both buyer and seller participate in information exchange An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 43 Business Communication Modes An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 44 22 Summary Models used to generate revenue on the WebWeb catalog Digital content sales Advertising-supported Advertising-subscription mixed Fee-for-transaction and fee-for-service Companies undertaking electronic commerce initiatives sometimes Form strategic allia nces Contract with channel distribution managers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 45 Summary (continued) Firms must understand how the Web differs from other media Enlisting the help of users when building test versions of the Web site is a good way to create a site that represents the organization well Firms must also understand the nature of communication on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 46 23

Business Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Business Studies - Essay Example The paper is concluded with a review of making one of these secondment programmes abroad. Secondments have repeatedly been used by managers as a strategic approach to diversify employee skills and performance. The repeated use of this approach to increase the employee value has been the result of the advantages that is had on both the employees and the organisations fostering such a programme. These advantages are two-pronged in the light of the benefits that go to the employer, the employee undergoing the secondment programme. For us, such a programme makes our organisation to have a human resource pool with diverse knowledge on all the functions and processes of the organisation. With employees having the traits of occupational and functional diversity, there is security system in place to shield the effects of eventualities like sudden resignation, retirement, dismissal, death, or incapacitation from accidents. Secondly, the secondment programme would allow us train our employees in-house while keeping them on the same payroll. This results to significant savings for the company. To our employees, the secondment programme would enhance both personal and career development, thereby giving them the opportunity for varied responsibilities. Apart from paying the employees salaries we would also incur extra costs to complete the secondment programme. Such costs would be related to buying new equipment for training. It could also lead to a decrease in operational performance as time meant for work would now be reduced to train other employees. 3.1 To motivate our employees to apply for this programme, a number of incentives must be taken. This is an issue of in-house employee development programme and might come with characteristics of organisational change, the employees must be motivated to apply by making them know the importance of such a

Neurofibtomatosis NF1 and NF2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Neurofibtomatosis NF1 and NF2 - Essay Example Thereafter, this affliction is also known as von Recklinghausen’s disease. (Von Recklinghausen, 1882). Crowe, Schull and Neel estimated that the prevalence of NF1 in the general population was 1 in 5000. Moreover, though all persons having the NF1 genes will show features of the disease, there is a large amount of variation shown in the presentation of this disease even in the same family. (Crowe, Schull and Neel, 1956). Moreover, sporadic cases are known to occur (without any family history of the disease), believed to result from germ cell mutations. (Mulvihill etal, 1990). Neurofibromatosis 2 Kantner, Eldridge, Fabricant, Allen, and Koerber found that amongst patients thought to suffer from neurofibromatosis, a certain subset of patients had propensity to develop central nervous system tumors, especially, tumors of the auditory nerves (acoustic neuromas). These patients were genetically and clinically distinct from the other neurofibromatosis patients and were subsequently identified as NF2. (Kantner, Eldridge, Fabricant, Allen, and Koerber, 1980) The prevalence of NF2 is less, estimated to be in the range of 1 in 210 000 population. (Husom, 1989.) Body Systems Affected NF1 mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, optic nerve, iris and long bones (e.g. those of the extremities) of the body. NF2, on the other hand, affects the central nervous system and causes the premature formation of cataract in the eyes. Characteristics of the Disease Gutman etal have summarized the features of the diseases. (Gutman, 1997). Neurofibromatosis 1 is characterized by the presence of cafe-au-lait spots, brownish colored patches on the skin. They may also display freckling in the axilla or groin. They develop tumors of the peripheral nerves called neurofibromas, which can arise in the nerve endings in the skin (cutaneous neurofibromas), peripheral nerves (nodular neurofibromas) or optic nerves (optic gliomas). Extensive tumor formation in the peripheral nerves is the most easily identifiable feature of NF1, leading to grotesque disfiguration of the face and limbs, a condition known as plexiform neurofibromatosis. The so-called Elephant Man, Mr. John Merrick is believed to be a victim of this condition. In addition, patients with NF1 may suffer from thinning of the long bones of the body. Some patients develop typical tumors in the iris of the eye called Lisch nodules. Patients with NF1 also have an increased tendency to develop other tumors like those of the adrenal gland (phaeochromcytoma), thyroid and parathyroid glands (as part of a syndrome called Multiple Endocrinal Neoplasia), small intestinal tumors and chronic myeloid leukemia. These patients often have a larger than average sized skull (macrocephaly) and are shorter in stature. Abnormalities in the functioning of the pituitary gland may lead to precocious puberty and growth hormone deficiency. They may also have learning disabilities. Other problems associated more frequently with this condition are epilepsy, headaches and deafness. The characteristic feature of NF2 is bilateral vestibular schwannomas or acoustic neuromas (tumors of the 8th cranial nerve – the auditory nerve). As a result, these patients present with gradual, progressive hearing loss. Other central nervous s

Johannas Kepler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Johannas Kepler - Essay Example Kepler's epistemology was profoundly concerned with astronomical practice, with methodological issues, and with the results of their application to the serious problems of late-renaissance astronomy. Kepler not only was able to ask questions in a way that no one had before asked, but he was able to provide answers to those questions that even now are worthy of continued study. From this perspective, Kepler was less the last great cosmologist of the classical tradition that includes Ptolemy and Copernicus; more was he the first cosmologist of the modern tradition. In the middle of the sixteenth century, fourteen centuries after the death of Ptolemy (c. A.D. 100-170), his Almagest still dominated all of astronomy. With the renaissance of interest in the works of the ancients, the relevance of the Ptolemy's great work had not only not diminished, but was on the increase (van Helden, 42). But by the end of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth the Ptolemaic system was facing serious challenges. The subsequent revolutionary transformation from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview has been almost universally attributed to the works of Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543). Copernican astronomy is best known for the radical proposition that the Earth is in motion about the Sun rather than vice versa. Copernican heliocentrism emerged from a profound dissatisfaction with the fundamental principles upon which Ptolemy had based his system of the heavens. In particular, the Ptolemaic assumption of the punctum equans Copernicus vie wed as contrary to the admissible explanations for the true motions of the planets. The punctum equans, or equant point, is an eccentric point about which the planet is supposed to subtend a uniform angular speed. Historically, published in 1956, Johannes Kepler's first and evidently most influencial astronomical work Mysterium Cosmographicum was the first major treatise after Copernicus' De revolutionibus to argue for heliocentrism (Gingerich, 347). Although Kepler has been defending the theory of Copernicus from the very beginning, with Mysterium Cosmographicum scientist provided a new kind of theory of the planets. His theory of the planets has been classified as new because it was the product of the first explicit and thorough attempt to consistently unify the epistemological structures of the hitherto divergent sciences of astronomy and physics (Koyre, 119). Kepler's objective in Mysterium Cosmographicum was nothing less than the development of a theory of the absolute structur e of the world system. Kepler was certainly not the first to attempt to provide a general cosmographic account of the planets, that is, an account that seeks to explain the proportions of the universe as a whole. Both Ptolemy's and Copernicus' respective theories each maintain not only an ordering of the planetary orbs, but contain estimates of the ratios of their dimensions. But in the theory of Ptolemy these estimates are empirically underdetermined because of the independence of each planetary hypothesis, and in the theory of Copernicus, the estimates are strictly a posteriori consequences of the heliocentric hypothesis and, because of their reliance on Ptolemaic observations and mathematical constructions, no better corroborated

Fashion, Culture and Region Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fashion, Culture and Region - Research Paper Example The paper "Fashion, Culture and Region" explores the region, fashion and culture. Many individuals including great scholars have come up with a variety of definitions concerning the meaning of fashion. According to Severini (2015), fashion is a popular trend, in particular in manner of behavior and style of dressing. The above definition with other definitions that individuals and great scholars have come up with have a common concept, feeling and looking great. If an individual is fashionable, that individual is considered as being confident. That individual is sure that the right message is being conveyed to provide a specific impression to other individuals. This implies that being fashionable surely assists an individual in getting the courage to take the first step towards achieving set goals. In light of this, does the culture of a particular region play an important role in affecting its trend in its fashion industry? If it does, what fashion design programs can be created for this type of culture? This memo report will address these two questions. Let us begin with the history of fashion. Throughout history, fashion has had a long history of errors and trials. What was known to be fashionable in the past might be similar to destroying fashion in the present times. Likewise, what is known to be fashionable in the present times might have been seen as fashion suicide by people living in the past. Therefore, the period of time and beliefs held by the individuals living in it.

Classical music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Classical music - Essay Example Indeed classical and romantic composers developed a genre of music that many folks instantly loved and related to. However, contemporary classical works such as those of Boulez and Stockhausen are not as popular in present times as Mozart and Beethoven were in theirs. Even in movies, television series and so on, very little classical music is promoted in the form of themes, soundtracks, and content, as other forms of music take center-stage. Another reason why this decline has been inevitable is the rise of new music genres such as hip hop, rock, and RnBs, that have so effectively won over hearts. Stereotypically hence, and with research evidence pointing to the same too, most blacks are now into rap music as whites are with rock, with most females taking into Rhymes and Blues. These claim a huge chunk of the fan base that was once a domain of classical music. Many of our children are now growing into the world where rock and hip hop are the way to go. And with the financial and repu tation glamour these new genres offer, many young aspiring talents opt for these forms over classical music. There are also the rivalries predominant in such other forms as hip hop and rock that serve to excite fans and at the same time better artists’ performance and wittiness. These other genres are getting better and their artists seriously getting down to business, always striving to best one another – a trait sadly missing in contemporary classical music (Horowitz, 413).

Managing in an IS Environment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing in an IS Environment - Case Study Example Alex has also engaged in monitoring the daily routine work so as to make sure that all things are done in a standardised way. Alex is also involved in interaction with people in form of scheduled meetings to discuss the daily issues with the regional manager. Alex also communicates through telephone conversations usually with suppliers about orders and deliveries. The unscheduled meetings are mainly either brief exchanges with customers as they pay their bill or they are interruptions from staff - requests for information or assistance. Alex doesn't perform any type of decisional role in his job. Because his job is predominantly one of routine paperwork and helping out' to the staff members. Rose who is a manager of domestic service unit is responsible for the cleaning and housekeeping of a large National Health hospital plays various managerial roles while on job. Rose is involved in a little bit of office paper work to manage the hospitals legal documents and other important documents. She is involved in lot of external work for the hospital. She spends a significant amount of her time out of the office, either at meetings or touring the hospital, speaking to domestics, nurses or administrative staff and checking the progress and quality of work. She also plays her informational role while monitoring the day to day activities of her staff members that all the work is done accordingly and the quality is maintainted well. She also helds scheduled meetings like committee meetings, policy meetings or negotiations, involving a wide variety of people, and unscheduled meetings or conversations - with domestic, nursing and administrative staff. As a decisional role she is eng aged in negotiations with the different authority levels of the hospital and is involved in seeking out people to obtain or give information, to deal with problems and to request or give assistance. Stewart's Demands, Constraints and Choices' Model: ALEX Alex is bounded by certain demands that he has to fulfil while on job that includes Ordering and controlling materials, Controlling money, Monitoring operational performance, Maintaining company quality standards, Planning and maintaining staff levels. These are some of the most important demands of Alex job. Along with it he has certain contraints given the number of rules and procedures within which alex has to work like standard menus and prices, methods of food preparation and presentation and etc. That's why he make choices according to situation and does spend much of his time in office doing paper work. ROSE Rose is bounded my certain important tasks that she has to do which includes Planning and ensuring staff level, Good industrial relations, Standard of cleanliness, Cost of domestic service function and etc. Although there are many constraints that she faces in day to day activities like Atmospheric crisis and uncertainity, restructuring issues is what must peoccupy her she has many restictions from within the organizations from different factors. But although she makes considerable choices about how she handles it. She chooses to make the job people-oriented and political', trying to reconcile competing interests, ameliorating the impact of change on domestic staff. The Internal Environment ALEX Alex is influenced by many factors of the organizations internal

Evaluating the supervisors skills in high schools in the state of Essay

Evaluating the supervisors skills in high schools in the state of Kuwait - Essay Example The educational system is, and needs to be a system that is based on an informed open door policy. This in turn is based on achieving a balance between the dimension of maintenance and adaptation, and hence is able to achieve responsible and informed stability, growth and development (Albakr, 2001). Technical supervision may be considered an important means of developing education. It not only raises the professional competency of teachers, but it also helps to ensure continuous growth. It is also important for solving problems that crop up in a teaching situation. as one of the main components in the education-learning situation, problem solving takes place when required educational experiences are provided, and information about these experiences are spread across the board, educational research is undertaken and used in organizing courses, and providing the facilities required by teachers. (Fiver and Don lab, 1997). At present, there are no legal guidelines that may be used by a court to determine whether supervisors have the skills to support teachers in Kuwaiti schools. This research study was proposed as a means of evaluating the skills of supervisors across three dimensions of teaching. These are, Methods of Teaching and Learning, Communication Skills and Tutorial Skills as defined by the ministry of education in the State of Kuwait. Silver and Kilpatrick (1994) have pointed out that the goals of educational research tend to reflect the diversity and complexity of its subjects of inquiry. At a basic level, the goal of research is to produce new knowledge and reaffirm already established units of knowledge. In a field that is still in the process of defining itself, this knowledge provides an important base for progress. This is very true of Education as a field of study. How one characterizes such progress,

Human - Religion Essay Example for Free

Human Religion Essay I really have to give credit for my religion beliefs for my search on the meaning of life. I’m a fully baptized Catholic, and a part of God’s Church. 17 years of being a Catholic and in search of the meaning of life, I have always thought it is about the Call to Holiness. My religion taught me that being a part of God’s Church is no accident, but because God wanted to share in His own blessed life, and in doing so He wanted me to desire serve Him freely by following His will. And by following his will, God will grant me eternal happiness which will lead to my salvation. All Catholics knew that God sent His son, Jesus, to set an example for us. Jesus showed the perfect example answered the call to Holiness. He showed us that we should love our neighbors as God showed His love for us; and that is what the Call to Holiness is. In search for the true meaning of life, it will take plenty of years, but for now I plan to stick with what my religion has taught me. Carl Rogers Carl Rogers emphasized focused on self-actualization. He believed that a person should develop his/her potential to the fullest, and in good condition. In doing so, the environment of a person should be inherently good. A person will only stop developing if constraints block the development. A fully developed person shows that he/she achieved the highest level of being a right fully-functioning human being. Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi, which means â€Å"great soul,† was an ideologist during the Independent movement of India from the British. As an ideological leader he believed violence should never be an answer to fight for his people’s rights, and should never take discrimination. He also believed that harmony, truth equality exists between all religions. With these 2 influential personas, I have noticed similarities between them. They both talk about human beings having a common good inside of them. They emphasized that all humans were born good, but because of destructive  environment, they tend to turn their backs on what is right. Sources: http://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html. http://www.ask.com/question/what-were-gandhi-s-beliefs.

Political System in the UK

Political System in the UK United Kingdom has a unique parliamentary democracy which has been shaped by the country’s rich history which has created a political system that has had a fundamental continuity as its mainstay. Most political systems have been born out of revolutions and strife, but the United Kingdom has not experienced any invasion or revolution for over a thousand years (Barrington, 2012, p. 170). The 1642-1651 English Civil War, could be said to be the British revolution although its political consequence, the abolition of the monarchy lasted for a short period of eleven years however, the restored monarchy has lasted for over three hundred years, although it has undergone some considerable changes to date (Barrington, 2012, p. 171). Thus, the lack of revolutions, such as the French or the American revolutions means that the political development in Great Britain evolved gradually albeit in a different manner from the other world major democracies (Pryor, 2007, p. 79). One significant di fference is that the United Kingdom is the one of three countries in the world without a written constitution, the other two being New Zealand and the State of Israel. The political system is a mixture of monarchy, lords, and commoners making it a very complicated system which may not always be democratic. However, much as change has been gradual, it has been largely pragmatic and based on consensus (Barrington 2012, p. 173). As a nation, United Kingdom has been involved in a quiet struggle to shift political power from the powerful monarchy, which claims that it’s power is derived from God to a national parliamentary system that is increasingly representative of the common people and accountable to ordinary people (Pryor, 2007, p. 81). This struggle has seen the achievement of considerable milestones towards full democracy with the monarchy being reduced to mere ceremonial roles in the political arrangement of the nation. The first Model Parliament was constituted in 1295 by King Edward the First, when he convened the first representative assembly (Ingle, 2008, p. 5) It can be observed that, unlike the other absolute monarchs in Europe, the King of England needed the approval of Parliament to institute taxation to the subjects, which literary means that the ability to raise funds was central to exercise of power (Ingle, 2008, p. 6). In 1341, the British political system achieved another milestone with the establishment of the bicameral Parliament (Barrington, 2012, p. 174). What this meant was that the parliament was to be made of two chambers, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. the Bills of Rights, which was enacted In 1689, laid down the limits of the power exercised by the monarchy and gave guidelines on the rights of parliament and rules governing freedom of speech in Parliament, called for regular Parliamentary elections, and importantly, the right to petition the Crown without victimisation (Barrington, 2012, p. 176). The UKs political system is headed by the monarch albeit in a ceremonial manner however, the monarch exercises power through the appointment of a member of Parliament, ordinarily, the leader of the party with most seats in the House of Commons to form the government (Pryor, 2007, p. 83). The monarch, albeit a ceremonial head of state, exercises subtle influences on the legislature through a provision in the constitution that requires senior members of the royal family to be consulted about legislation that could affect their private interests and accorded the opportunity to have a say on the amendment of such legislation(Ingle, 2008, p. 10). The Monarch could be seen effective in terms of advice for successive governments though, this can be debated. One could say that, in contrast the monarchy is a relic of bygone society and that the most poignant role they play is exemplifying a class system. It’s effectiveness as a political branch is subjective. It’s historic value has great significance with operations such as the ceremonial roles mentioned; It gives us our unique identity as a sovereign state. If you believe in the ideals of Monarchy, ‘yes’ It provides continuity and plays a vital role in our constitution. If you don’t believe in it’s ideals, ‘no’ it’s simply an ineffective, overcomplicated relic and should be removed to simplify our political system. Like in most democracies, the United Kingdom state is made up of the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary (Pryor, 2007, p. 85). The separation of power, however, is not a clear as it would be expected in a democratic state, such as the United State of America, whose constitution demands a clear separation of power, for example the president cannot be a member of congress, and cabinet ministers cannot be appointed from elected members of Parliament (Barrington, 2012, p. 178). In the United Kingdom, all ministers are drawn from the legislature, whilst some senior judges sit in the upper house (House of Lords) of the Parliament, and the head of the judiciary is a minister. The British Parliament is housed at the Palace of Westminster; hence, it is commonly referred to as Westminster. This a bicameral parliament, meaning it is composed of two chambers, the upper house, commonly referred to as the house of lords, and the lower house, or the house of commons (Ingle, 2008, p. 14). Most parliamentary authority rest with the Lower Chamber or the House of Commons, which is lead by a speaker, however, unlike many democracies, this position is non-political and political parties avoid contesting in the constituency held by the speaker (Barrington, 2012, p. 179). This means that the speaker is a politician since he represents a constituency in the House of Commons, but cannot play politics while he leads the House of Commons (Stater, 2004, p. 241). This obviously sounds very complicated, but that’s the way things are, and it works perfectly within the United Kingdom political system. Another deviation from most modern democracies, the United Kingdom parli ament, does not operate with a fixed parliamentary term, meaning the general elections are called when the Prime Minister called for it. The Prime Minister does not have a term limit; rather, he can run for re-election so long as he has the support of his party (Barrington, 2012, p. 183). The Prime Minister, who is normally chosen by the head of state, in the case of United Kingdom the head of state is the monarch, from among the elected members of the legislature, is the chief member of the cabinet and as such, the head of the government (Stater, 2004, p. 242). The Prime Minister is normally the leader of the party which controls the house of common. Historically, the Prime Minister office evolved from the growing assertive power of Parliament in the seventeenth century and as the power of the Prime Minister grew, that of the monarch declined (Barrington, 2012, p. 187). It is the practice within the British parliament that the Prime minister appears before the House of Commons to respond to questions from the members of Parliament as part of his accountability to the members of Parliament and by extension to the electorate. In a presidential system, such a practice only happens at the pleasure of the President since he is not directly responsible to parliament on acc ount of having been elected directly by the voters (Stater 2004, p. 243). This is an example on the differences between a parliamentary and presidential system of government. There are many ways in which parliament holds the executive to account. One of the ways is through parliamentary select communities. These are comprised of 11 MP’s and are a group that can investigate any issue they give credence to. They usually investigate matters of public interest and can seek to resolve issues in any department directly linked or has ties with government. Parliamentary select committees could enter into party politics disrupting any proper investigations into conduct of government. It’s also could be seen as difficult to get a honest, coherent and straight answers from people they interview. Furthermore, Liaison Committees which are group of chairmen from all the select committees. The committee will meet with the Prime Minster twice a year and ask questions on pressing issues. This ensures that the Prime Minster, part of the executive, is held to account. These features help keep order within the structure of government and ensure nothings gets overlooked. There may be some flaws in the level of scrutiny, but the whole system doesnt work to appease or manipulate our democracy but ensures some credibility. An Idea to improve could be if a larger, independent and solely dedicated force could scrutinise the executive. The House of Lords is the upper chamber but with little authority, with its main duties being to revise legislation and watch over the government. It is characteristically British and has no parallel in the world. The membership is not fixed and sometime they can be as many as eight hundred active members (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 57). Historically, the House of Lords was composed of the hereditary peers, who essentially were drawn from the aristocracy. Membership to the House of Lords is by nomination, unlike the membership of the House of Commons, which is by election, originally done by the monarch, but in modern times this is done by the Prime Minister (Stater, 2004, p. 244). Once an aristocrat is appointed to the House of Lords it became an entitlement to that family and the membership was passed from one generation to the other, a practice that goes against the principles of democracy (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 58). The Labour Government has, however, abolished these rights he reditary peers to sit in the House of Commons (Morrison, 2013, p. 134). This left what is referred to as life peers, who are members appointed by the monarch on the advice of the government of the day, however, unlike the hereditary peers, they can sit in the House of Lords for life but cannot bequeath the same to progeny (Stater, 2004, p. 246). Most of the life peers are drawn from retired senior politicians, distinguished achievers in various fields such as education and health, and Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 60). The House of Lords is being subjected to massive reforms with a prospect of enacting legislation to have membership of the House of Lords being through election. Many people disagree with a system of hereditary peer-ship and do not think that hereditary peers have any right to a say in the running of the country, feeling they are appointed by blood rather than achievement. Moreover, the fact they are appointed and not elec ted by the public is another aspect of criticism for the House of Lords. The British voting systems or electoral systems are the elective methods through which representatives for the various parliamentary and municipal are elected to office. The electoral system basically determines the rules that govern the election exercise both at the party and national level (Morrison, 2013, p. 134). The First–Past-The-Post (FPTP) voting system is used for the election of Members of Parliament and for local elections in Wales and England. Under this system, the country or the local authority is divided into small voting regions such as constituencies for members of parliament and wards for local authority (Cabinet Office, 2013, par. 4) The voters are issued with a ballot paper with the names of the candidates at the voting centre and they just put a cross adjacent to their preferred candidate and deposit the market ballot in the ballot box (Morrison, 2013, p. 135).. The ballots are tallied and the candidate with the highest votes is declared as duly elected to represent the ward or constituency. Each constituency has one vote in parliament and the party that achieves the number of seats for a majority wins (Cabinet Office, 2013, par. 8). The advantage of FPTP voting system is that it is an easy system to administer and ensures that to a large degree that one party wins the majority in parliament avoiding coalition’s governments (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 65). The system enhances the production of a two party system which in turn produces one party government which does not have to rely on the coalition partners to pass registration (Catterall, Kaiser Walton-Jordan 2000, p. 45). It also enhances the linkage between the representative and the constituents consequently, giving a better geographical accountability and collaboration. FPTP is a straight forward system allowing for faster voting and quick tallying of votes which helps in giving faster declaration of winners (Catterall, Kaiser Walton-Jordan, 2000, p. 46). The disadvantages of the FPTP system are that it is disproportionate to the actual share of votes won, allowing for a party to get a large percentage of votes cast but not win majority seats in parliament. The system also makes it impossible for small parties to win seats in parliament (Smith, 2010, p. 46). The system enhances the production of a two party system which in turn produces one party government which does not have to rely on coalition partners to pass registration. The system encourages the setting aside of marginal and safe seats, with safe seats being less competitive than marginal seats since they are guaranteed (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 8). Voter turn out for safe seats is normally low reducing the overall voter turn-out tally. The system has been accused of restricting voter’s choices since parties are coalitions of different interest groups and viewpoints. The voters with differing views from the elected candidate do not have a way of expressing those sentiments. The system rewards the popular parties and not the candidates (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 65). Much as the FPTP system is favoured in Britain because it reduces electoral competition to two parties, the 2010 election did not produce a winner with majority votes, necessitated the formation of a coalition government, the first since 1930s (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 9). This occurrence has reignited the debate on electoral reform with the coalition government mooting the idea of holding a referendum on whether Britain should replace the FPTP electoral system with the Alternative Vote system (Cabinet Office, 2013, par. 9). Those who support the FPTP system argue that the general purpose of holding elections is to get a crop of leaders who represent the views of the majority of the citizenry which supposedly are reflected by the popularity of the winning party. They point out that when people are unhappy with a government, they replace it with the other party who may have gained popularity at the expense of the government in power policies (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 9). However, such an arrangement only gives the party in power enough strength to legislate their favoured policies ignoring good ideas and policies from a representative from the opposing party. Much as the argument for proportionate representation as found in the FPTP system is desirable and at face value seem to represent the will of the majority, it, however, denies the citizens independent representation by individuals who can effectively and actively put the government to account for its actions (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 10). This system only manages to recycle the two competing parties by removing one party from power because they are unhappy with it and replacing it with the opposing party, not because they have better governance policies but purely on the demerit of the incumbent (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 10). This scenario has seen the clamour for changes to the FPTP electoral system and replaces it with Alternate Vote system. The AV system is a complicated voting system that calls for voters to rank the candidates with their preferred candidate being ranked first and so on. Candidates are perceived to be elected if they garner more than half of the preference votes cast (Ruhnau, 2 013, p. 12). If such on outcome does not happen, the candidate with least votes is dropped and their votes tallied again to the next marked preference. The tallying process continues till one candidates get the requisite fifty percent of preference votes, and that would be the candidate the AV system declares the winner and duly elected representative of the given constituency. The discussion on the changes to the election system was put to a referendum in 2011 where the United Kingdom citizens were asked whether the electoral system should be changed from First Past the Post with Alternative Voting system, the referendum returned a resounding no vote against the Alternative Voting system. References Barrington, L 2012, Comparative Politics: Structures and Choices, Boston, Cengage Learning. Cabinet Office, 2013, Reforming the constitution and political system https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reforming-the-constitution-and-political-system Catterall, P, Kaiser, W Walton-Jordan, U 2000, Reforming the Constitution: Debates in Twentieth-century Britain, Oxford, Psychology Press. Hockman, S Bogdanor, V n.d., Towards a codified Constitution. http://www.6pumpcourt.co.uk/files/articles/Towards a codified constitution[1].pdf Ingle, S 2008, The British Party System: An introduction, Routledge. Morrison, J 2013, Essential Public Affairs for Journalists, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Pryor, J 2007 Unwritten constitutions? European Journal of English Studies, Vol. 11 no. 1, pp.79-92 Ruhnau, S 2013, The British Electoral System A Democratic One? Munich, GRIN Verlag. Smith, R 2010, The American Anomaly: U.S. Politics and Government in Comparative Perspective, London, Taylor Francis. Stater, V 2004, The House of Commons 1690-1715, Seventeenth Century News, Vol. 62 nos. 2-3, pp. 241-246, Turpin, C Tomkins, A 2011, British Government and the Constitution: Text and Materials, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.