'Students' learning and achievement increase substantially when Dissertation

'Students' learning and achievement increase substantially when teachers work in learning communities supported by school le - Dissertation Example In this assignment, I look forward to discussing how crucial collaborating with the other colleagues is in order to bring about a drastic change in the teaching and the development of the teaching resources. For a clear sense of understanding, this assignment is divided into the following sections. Firstly, I’ve tried to point out the various benefits and challenges that were presented to me during the course of my collaboration with the other professionals. Secondly, I’ve tried to point out how my planning abilities were strengthened by my on-going communication with these professionals, and how it helped me with my teaching. Lastly, I’ve discussed how this collaboration has benefitted my students and their learning abilities. In recent years, the shift from a perception of the teachers as solely responsible for educational outcomes to the perception of education as a process that includes collaboration colleagues (teachers and support staff) and other professio nals e.g. a speech and language therapist, etc. has change the way we think about team dimension and working with our colleagues. Team-work is highly important for the success of any activity. Be it a workplace, a football field, or the members of a certain community, teamwork can bring forth amazing results. However, working together as a part of the team is not always as easy as it sounds. Although the benefits that you can derive from the successful implementation are immense, it also requires a great deal of compromise as well as hard work. (Woloch, 2008) There are several ways in which professionals today work together within schools for e.g. in middle schools across the globe teachers usually collaborate in an informal way all the time. These interactions help build up more formal modes of professional collaboration which are directed towards improving teaching and learning. These collaborations are very important for effective learning in any educational institution because t he sum of parts is better than the parts itself. (Wheelock, 2000) Many schools are encouraging teacher collaboration. For example, peer coaching (Joyce & Showers, 1988) and interdisciplinary curriculum development (Brandt, 1991) are premised on teachers' collaborative relationships, as are current trends in the design and delivery of professional development programs (Barth, 1990). Many aspects of currently recommended school reforms call for greater collaboration among teachers (Goodlad, 1984). The trend toward school-based decision making is also consonant with the recognition that collaboration is becoming an essential ingredient in successful schools. Smith and Scott (1990) have asserted that the collaborative school is easier to describe than define. In my opinion, in order to educate children successfully it is very important to clearify your role in the process of collaboration, and also respect the roles of the others. This is important in order to use our input and knowledg e for the purpose of delivering the best quality of education to the children. This is the best gift that you can give to any child: quality education. As in the immortal words of Aristotle, ‘Those who educate children well are more to be honoured than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well.’ Hindrances in collaboration: The two major barriers that I

Management of people and organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management of people and organizations - Essay Example This report consists of an organizational structure of the Walgreen Company. The company follows rigid departmentalization, which is a centralized set-up. The departments are not expected or needed to interact with each other on a daily basis. There are times when inter department communication is necessary but they are not expected to work in collaboration for the fulfillment of their routine tasks. It consists of levels of functional setup with centralized reporting and authoritative work processes. The original structure consists of three levels of management; the CEO on the first level, CFO and Departmental heads on the second level, supervisors and managers in the third level. There is a recommendation given to re-structure the set-up. Instead of three levels, Area Managers can be located at level two who will be responsible to give directives to the departmental heads. As Walgreens is providing services at national and international platforms, it is necessary to locate Area Man ager. During this process, some authority and decision-making powers of CEO can be transferred to the Area Managers. It is bureaucratic organization with very less communication between the departmental heads. However, there can be some delegation of work within the department. Supervisors can take the role of the Line Managers in the organization. However, there is a need to define their responsibility. Managers and Departmental Heads can play an effective role in filling communication gap and provide solutions within the department.

Morality and Humanity In Kants View Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Morality and Humanity In Kants View - Essay Example Second, recast that maxim as a universal law of nature governing all rational agents, and so as holding that all must, by natural law, act as you yourself propose to act in these circumstances. Third, consider whether your maxim is even conceivable in a world governed by this law of nature. If it is, then, fourth, ask yourself whether you would, or could, rationally will to act on your maxim in such a world. If you could, then your action is morally permissible. Throughout his moral works, Kant returns time and again to the question of the method moral philosophy should employ when pursuing these aims. A basic theme of these discussions is that the fundamental philosophical issues must be addressed a priori, that is, without drawing on observations of human beings and their behavior. Once we â€Å"seek out and establish† the fundamental principle of morality a priori, then we may consult facts drawn from experience in order to determine how best to apply this principle to huma n beings and generate particular conclusions about how we ought to act. Kant's insistence on an a priorimethod to seek out and establish fundamental moral principles, however, does not always appear to be matched by his own practice. The Groundwork, for instance, makes repeated appeals to empirical facts (that our wills are determined by practical principles, that various motivations are variable in producing right actions, and so on). Later ethical works rely even more heavily on empirical generalizations. Kant did not take himself to be employing these assumptions in seeking out and establishing the fundamental moral principle, only in applying it to human beings. Nevertheless, it is not always easy to tell whether Kant's arguments gain their plausibility only by relying on ideas established by observations of human being and the world they inhabit. Kant's example of a perfect duty to others concerns a promise you might consider making but have no intention of keeping in order to get needed money. Naturally, being rational requires not contradicting oneself, but there is no self-contradiction in the maxim "I will make lying promises when it achieves something I want". An immoral action clearly does not involve a self-contradiction in this sense (as would the maxim of finding a married bachelor). Kant's position is that it is irrational to perform an action if that action's maxim contradicts itself once made into a universal law of nature. The maxim of lying whenever it gets what you want generates a contradiction once you try to combine it with the universalized version that all rational agents must, by a law of nature, lie when it gets what they want. Here is one way of seeing how this might work: If I conceive of a world in which everyone by nature must try to deceive people any time it will get what they want, I am conceiving of a world in which no practice of giving one's word could ever arise. So I am conceiving of a world in which no practice of giving one's word exists. My maxim, however, is to make a deceptive promise in order to get needed money. And it is a necessary means of doing this that a practice of taking the word of others exists, so that someone might take my word and I take advantage of their doing so. Thus, in trying to conceive of my maxim in a world in which no one ever takes anyone's word in such circumstances, I am trying to conceiv

Political Participation by Latino Non-Citizens in the US Article

Political Participation by Latino Non-Citizens in the US - Article Example As the discussion highlights  the study’s resultant figure for the Latino non-citizens’ political participation was an insignificant 3.6%. Though this meager figure indicated less participation, the study still was able to present other rooms for interpretation of political behavior. For instance, it was found that Latino non-citizens were â€Å"about one and a half times more likely to participate† in local non-political groups and may indicate a perception of non-political activities as â€Å"directly relevant and †¦ more fun†.This paper outlines that political activities and levels of participation were divided into two types: the less demanding activities (i.e., â€Å"wearing a button or displaying a sign, signing a petition or   attending a public meeting†); and the more demanding activities (i.e. â€Å"volunteering for   a political campaign and donating money†). The trend for both citizen and non-citizen was similar: higher participation rates for less demanding activities and lower participation rates for the more demanding activities. Though the same trend appeared for both, the citizens still have a significantly, higher participation rate against the non-citizens.  The aforementioned figure of 3.6% also opened discussions for the relevance of understanding the variables behind the differences in the level of participation among the Latino non-citizens. The study delved and shed light on this through elaborating how â€Å"results show that participation is not random†.... Though the same trend appeared for both, the citizens still have a significantly, higher participation rate against the non-citizens. The aforementioned figure of 3.6% also opened discussions for the relevance of understanding the variables behind the differences in the level of participation among the Latino non-citizens. The study delved and shed light on this through elaborating how â€Å"results show that participation is not random† (Leal, 2002, p. 369). Moreover, active participation lies on at least six of these identified variables: 1) how politically-informed non-citizens were; 2) the perception on the existing differences between political parties; 3) the depth of political interest; 4) possession or lack of â€Å"a strong ethnic identity;† likelihood of participation for 5) the younger generation; and 6) those planning to naturalize (Leal, 2002, p. 369). The fact that the younger generation was seen as more likely to participate in political activities seemed to correct a former assumption: â€Å"age is seen as a close cousin of education; people are thought to gain more information as they age and therefore, grow more likely to participate† (Leal, 2002, p. 368). The author pointed out that the proliferation by such younger participators among Latino non-citizens maybe due to the increasing anti-immigrant stance adopted by the American politics (Leal, 2002). In other words, the current political environment created a new breed of political activists among the Latino non-citizens. As long as this political environment persists, high political involvement should be expected from the young ones of the Latino immigrants. Implications Political knowledge.

The Cash Connection Essay Example for Free

The Cash Connection Essay The payday lending industry is a very competitive industry established in the 1990’s, designed to give citizens the option to receive a quick fix regarding financial issues, in an effort to make ends meet. The main objective for those in the payday loan industry â€Å"should be to serve customers in compliance with the rules of the industry and better educate them on the services and products they offer† (Personal Communications, 2012). This industry raises the controversial topic of ethical, or unethical, and to this day is still being disputed. Cash Connection’s strategy is â€Å"to provide financial products and services to the unbanked and financially underserved customers†(CashConnection. eu), also to set themselves apart their competition with the intention of becoming the most dominant franchise in the lending industry. The lending industry was established to provide citizens in a financial crisis with quick cash loans while adhering to the rules of the industry, and informing them of the importance of wise borrowing. A focused differentiation strategy is defined as â€Å"concentrating on a narrow buyer segment and outcompeting rivals with a product offering that meets the specific tastes and requirements of niche members better than the product offerings of rivals†. Cash Connection is taking this approach by offering attractive features to its customers that its competitors cannot offer. The different characteristics consumers find valuable when searching for a quick cash loan, such as lower interest rates, and larger loans have an impact on the consumer’s purchase decision. Cash Connection uses that to their advantage by focusing their strategy around those features in an effort to become the leading lending franchise in that industry. In the excerpt given by Paul Smith there is evidence that suggests that Cash Connection’s strategy and business model is ethical. â€Å"Individuals taking high interest loans were less likely to be in poverty, less likely to be hungry and less likely to have lost their job† (Personal Communications, 2012). Given this act, high interest loans have had a positive impact on society as a whole. Cash Connection explains the importance of wise borrowing before the customer receives the loan, in hopes of preventing the customer from getting into serious financial trouble, as a fair warning before the transaction is complete. â€Å"For companies that operate within this industry, a main objective should be to serve customers in compliance with the rules of the industry and better educate them on the services and products they offer† (Personal Communications, 2012). Certain liabilities are associated with almost every offered product, for example tobacco companies include a warning regarding the health risks associated with the product, and also, alcohol incorporates the same concept into its products. The evidence that suggests Cash Connection’s strategy and business model lies in the â€Å"Pay Loans Scrutinized† video, regarding a woman who carelessly used the system, and built up dependence for the instant cash received (CBS, 2008). In this video a lady reveals her financial struggles she has acquired through the use of high interest lending loans. She explains how lending loans are to blame for the debt she acquired, and states she would prefer to go without heat, water, and food than be in the financial position she is currently in. She obviously abused the privilege and got herself into a predicament. The only unethical argument that rises is the high interest rates that apply under the terms and conditions, making it difficult for those living in poverty to pay back borrowed money. The dominant economic characteristics that affect the payday lending industry consist of the different rules and regulations imposed by the government. The biggest threat the payday lending industry faces is the possibility of it becoming illegal. â€Å"A state that has permissive usury laws can always change its laws to lower ceilings on payday loan finance charges, or to make payday lending illegal†(Caskey, 2002). Also Caskey states some payday franchises require customers to be enrolled in a job position that provides income, along with a checking account. This can have a major impact on the payday lending industry by ruling out those customers that do not fit the necessary requirements established in order to receive a lending loan. â€Å"The five competitive forces include (1) competition from rival sellers, (2) competition from potential new entrants to the industry, (3) competition from producers of substitute products, (4) supplier bargaining power, and (5) customer bargaining power† (Rollins, 2011). Rivalry among the lending industry is very intense and competitive. Since the 1990’s when this industry was established, competition has been fierce because of â€Å"The exiting of traditional financial institutions from the small-denomination, short-term credit market; a change largely due to its high cost structure,† and â€Å"The soaring cost of bounced checks and overdraft protection fees, late bill payment penalties, and other informal extensions of short-term credit† (Personal Communications, 2012). Competition from new entrants in the industry can impose a serious threat because barriers to entry are so low. The only ingredient necessary to enter this market is access to upfront cash. Competition from producers of substitute products contains the ability to be a serious threat because of the different types of loans that banks offer, along with the different characteristics regarding those loans, such as financing programs. Supplier bargaining power holds moderate strength which lies in the hands of the banks. Banks choose which payday franchise to do business with based on that company’s performance. Without the assistance of banks â€Å"the supplier† there is no opportunity for success, so the supplier bargaining power holds serious strength in determining the success of Cash Connection. Lastly, Customer bargaining power does not hold great power. The rates for each payday business are basically the same, and negotiating is not an option for consumers in this industry. The five forces model reveals that the payday lending industry is not ideal for those wanting to manage a successful business. It is very easy for competitors to enter the market, it is in danger of becoming illegal, competition is fierce, and the market already contains too many. The driving forces that currently affect the payday lending industry differ from tate to state. In South Carolina for example, the maximum loan amount is $550, the loan cannot exceed 31 days, and A licensee shall not charge, directly or indirectly, a fee for other consideration in excess of 15% of the face amount of the check† (Morton, 2012). Also several different acts were implemented by the Federal Government to address the different issues associated with payday lending that have an effect, forcing businesses like Cash Connection to create a strategy and approach that comply with these regulations.

The Importance Of Transparency In Lobbying Laws Politics Essay

The Importance Of Transparency In Lobbying Laws Politics Essay This paper underlines the importance of understanding that only setting laws for regulating lobbying practices as anti-corruption measures is not enough. Making the practice as transparent as possible is the key to reach out to civil society. This paper will focus on the lobbying system in Lithuania, where despite having lobbying laws/ regulation of interest groups it has been unsuccessful in integrating the support of civil society. I argue that this is due to the lack of transparency in the lobbying system. This essay will apply a model on how effective it would be to make lobbying costly combined with transparency, that would result in lowering corruption and integrate civilian advocacy in political systems to step up to the democratization process. Outline of Paper: SECTION I INTRODUCTION SECTION II INSIGHTS OF INTEREST GROUPS AND LOBBYING IN DEVELOPING DEMOCRACIES SECTION III CASE OF LITHUANIA SECTION IV ANALYSIS SECTION V RECOMMENDATION-MAKING LOBBYING COSTLY SECTION VI CONCLUSION SECTION VII BIBLIOGRAPHY SECTION I-Introduction All political regimes have organizations like interest groups whether the type of system is democratic, authoritarian or totalitarian. Interest groups have not been studied extensively or analyzed in developing democracies the way they have been in developed democracies. An important characteristic of interest group organization in developing democracies is the history of their authoritarian past. These better described as power groups, tend to dominate interest group and lobbying activities. They differ from the more institutionalized and formalized interest group activity of developed democracies. By institutionalization we are referring to an increasingly independent civil society, a rising range of interests and interest groups and a political culture that views interest group activity and lobbying as legitimate and vital to the long term sustainable democratization process. (Thomas, Hrebenar, 2008). In order for a constitutional democracy to emerge, general societal behavioral change must occur in which a) no significant political group attempts to overthrow the democratic regime; b) even during severe political and economic predicaments, the public will seek political change from within the democratic process; and c) all political players will act to resolve conflict through established constitutional standards. (Przeworski, 1991; ODonnell, 1992; Linz and Stepan, 1996). The objective of this paper is to show that making interest group and lobbying activities transparent and regulated, could result in the emergence of not only a constitutional democracy but in decreasing corruption levels within the political system. In section 2, I will present the specificities of developing democracies interest groups, while in section 3 I will focus on Lithuania. I will analyze the Lithuanian findings in section 4, recommend a blend of transparency lobbying laws coupled with making lobbying costly (based on models) as a corruption deterrent in section 5, and conclude in section 6. SECTION II-Features of interest group systems in developing democracies One of the major roles that interest groups perform in established democracies is being a major medium of representation for various sections of society. This is not really the case in developing democracies. In advanced democracies, because a large percentage of the population belong to interest groups, there is more transparency in their activities and may be even more important than political parties in performing a mass representational task (Thomas, 2001). In developing democracies there are common patterns of interest group activity that are typical of their authoritarian days. This can obstruct the development of an independent civil society and the establishment of an extensive and effective interest group system. The restricted independence of interest groups from the past, where in some countries they were banned as in communist systems may influence their independent functioning under a developing democracy. Special interests were often generally viewed as illegitimate in authoritarian regimes. The general public was socialized to believe that interest groups worked against the national interest. Many developing democracies face a major challenge to foster a political culture that includes acceptance of interest group activities and a belief in their political efficiency so that extent that citizens will join and use them as a major means representational voices. (Thomas, 2001) Informal groups were the norm under the authoritarian regimes and remain a dominant force as opposed to institutionalized structures. Therefore, a very narrow range of groups likely exists when the system begins to transition to democracy. Elites have been very successful in using power groups and so have little incentive to develop formalized and institutional interests that might reduce and destroy their power. Therefore there is little interest group and lobbying structures in a newly democratizing country to provide the foundation for the development of a professional advocacy sector. In 2005 in Lithuania there were only seven individuals who could be considered contract lobbyists, (Thomas,2001) in Bulgaria there were none till 2006. (Thomas, 2004). There are less formalized lobbying strategies and tactics in developing democracies to voice political preferences as compared to those in established democracies. The main tactic used is through insider contact of elite-power groups with public officials. In many societies corruption and payoffs also form major influence. Though protest groups may emerge through the course of these actions, and demonstrations may be used, they seldom affect efficient public policy decision making. (Thomas, 2001). SECTION III-Case Study of Lithuania The lobbying community in Lithuania is underdeveloped, corrupt and negatively perceived by society. This is attributable to their legacy of communism which heavily influences the efficiency with which interest groups and lobbyists operate. This results in rising suspicion among the eyes of the public and government officials which impedes the development of an effective lobbying community. Lithuanian interest groups do not use sophisticated lobbying practices and access is largely based on personal connections and corrupt practices. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Two international indexes illustrated how modernized Lithuania has become since the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to the Heritage Foundation the 2006 Index lists Lithuania as the 23rd most Free Nation. Transparency Internationals 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index holds Lithuania as its 44th least corrupt nation. Overall these international indexes portray Lithuania as a country with moderate levels of corruption, a growing and active interest group system with business interests balanced by an efficient labor movement, with a civil society comprised of a responsible media and the general public willing to engage in regular interest group politics. This, however, is not the case according to a 2005 University of Utah research project, where they found that Lithuanian interest groups and lobbyists were majorly characterized by interests of government elites and business leaders. Interest group and lobbying activity in Lithuania is underdeveloped and unsophisticated in the sense that it is repressed by low perceptions of political effectiveness by the general mass and dominated by business interests. Negative perceptions of lobbying and the ineffective lobby laws contribute to the burgeoning and unrefined state of lobbying in Lithuania. These pessimistic public attitudes are amplified by the effects of communist attitudes and the Lithuanian lobbying law which presents significant obstacles to the formation of interest groups (extensive registration processes) and the implementation of lobbying activities. The prevalence of corruption and long-established personal connections are major lobbying tactics and result in a dichotomy in the minds of the public in differentiating between private and public interests. The present law also fails to elucidate increased transparency and legitimacy of lobbying activities, which are the core artifices of an efficient democ racy. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Labor is weak as a political and lobbying force in Lithuania due to the legacy of its control by communist leaders, and it results in its failure to use modern strategies of lobbying. The labor sector is small and fragmented. However, the business community has transitioned to sophisticated interest group and lobbying systems. This is due to its extensive resources and contacts that the business communities have with the Lithuanian Parliament and the executive branch. It can be said that only those interest groups with a great deal of resources have power in Lithuania. A significant factor to take into consideration in business lobbying is the financial resources that these communities have and that there are more than 100 members of the Lithuanian Parliament that have business connections and interests but only four that represent labor. There are few professional lobbyists who are registered (only 11 registered lobbyists in Lithuania in 2005). Many groups come to the Lithuanian Par liament with their complaints but fail to suggest possible solutions and courses of political action to solve these problems. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). The lack of a professional lobbying community in Lithuania may persist in the future because the use of personal contacts to contact public officials makes the development of a lobbying bodies redundant, the lack of knowledge among groups about sophisticated lobbying tactics may include a lack of knowledge about the value professional lobbyists, and the small population of Lithuania infers that informal politics prevails as a result of personal contacts. Hence, there is not enough pressure or incentive to develop advanced interest group techniques including professional lobbying groups. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Corruption is widespread in Lithuania and affects the interest group system. It affects how people go about lobbying, including using bribes to public officials, passing contracts to friends etc. Corruption in the system contributes directly to the very negative view of interest groups and lobbying by the public (Baltic Times, 2004). Corrupt methods of lobbying (bribery and gratuities) are not accepted as ethical, but identified as the most effective and practiced methods of lobbying that can be used for interest group to achieve desired results. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). The lobby law is unsuccessful in Lithuania because it is too restrictive. While many individuals engage in activities that are legit lobbying, negative views on the part of the public and public officials along with a troublesome registration process and expensive registration fee, dissuades most individuals engaged in lobbying activity from registering. The general consensus is that the lobby law is not feasible, is ineffective and is likely not applicable to a developing democracy with an emerging interest group system like Lithuania. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Since there are very few registered lobbyists, most lobbying is conducted through unregulated and non-transparent means. Thus the law does not account for the predominant amount of the actual lobbying that takes place in Lithuania. A regulatory system that would be more efficient is a monitoring system which requires reporting of lobbying activity, more information and transparency on lobbyists and their interests, and also providing information on the money that is spent on lobbying. Since the Lithuanian lobbying law is associated with corruption and negative perceptions, registering is a major disadvantage to those who legally register as paid lobbyists. (Hrebenar; McBeth; Morgan, 2008). Overall, there is a disincentive to do so. By simply integrating lobbying laws into a regulatory system will not result in dramatically reducing corruption levels. Lobbying practices should be transparent to the public, the civil society needs to understand the need for the lobbyists activities and be active advocates of it, and therefore transform them into a crucial component of a functioning democracy. SECTION IV-Analysis In order for a successful democracy to emerge, it is vital that the civil society has the confidence in their political infrastructure. Interest groups and lobbyists work towards the benefits of society, and it is important that the general public feel safe and confident in order to integrate voices in parliament. Building an effective interest group and lobbying system in burgeoning democracies requires taking more aggressive steps to fight corruption altogether, since it lies deeply rooted in their systems. Interest group politics and lobbying must be included into the medias discussion of politics. As a matter of fact, in order to tackle it from the bottom, regulated media scrutiny is required. Taking into account the suspicion that most citizens hold and is wary of most political moves, they must learn and understand that such politics are legitimate and acceptable. To achieve this, it may be plausible to introduce studies of legitimate lobbying activities in school/university curriculums. In the Lithuanian system the more difficult aspect to change is probably the civic society ideals and beliefs and the attitudes of the Lithuanian population and elites. An effective interest group and lobbying system is especially difficult to build in a post-authoritarian state, given their ingrained be lief systems and ideals. Lithuanian democracy is nearly two decades old and clearly the interest group and lobbying system has not emerged as a strongly constructed cornerstone. The lack of citizen knowledge about the significance of an independent and politically sophisticated civil society to modern democratic politics indicates that the core requirement of a transparent lobbying system was amiss from the beginning. SECTION V-A Recommendation-Making lobbying costly A way in which extraneous and meaningless lobbying can be overcome is by making the activity itself expensive. Someone considering whether to become a lobbyist has to consider the costs of lobbying activities. These costs consist of organizational costs and informational costs. If they want to perform seriously as lobbyists, they have to show that the information that they obtain is reliable and based on sound evidence and information. In some cases, intricate technical information is difficult and costly to obtain. Lobbyists may have to pay for high costs to obtain expert information to credibly provide what is demanded by the authorities in question. These high costs may sometimes dissuade certain lobbyists from entering the entire race altogether unless they have credible motives to do so. We can refer to Potters and Van Winden (1992) model of persuasive costly lobbying and try to understand it in mathematical equations: Lobbyist incurs a cost C ≠¥ 0 when lobbying  · when C = 0 informative lobbying only occurs when d ≠¤ ( ÃŽ ¸H ÃŽ ¸L ) / 2  · when ÃŽ ¸=ÃŽ ¸H there is no risk of false reporting  · when ÃŽ ¸= ÃŽ ¸L and C > 0, the lobbyist now has to incur a cost to report. Hypothesis: policy maker takes lobbyists claims at face value, and interprets lack of lobbying as ÃŽ ¸= ÃŽ ¸L To understand the incentive for the lobbyist at equilibrium cost, when ÃŽ ¸=ÃŽ ¸H the lobbyist incurs the costs only when (qH qH d) 2 C ≠¥ (qL qH d) 2 C ≠¤ (qH qL) (2 d + qH qL) when q = qL the lobbyist refrains from lobbying only when (qL qL d) 2 ≠¥ (qL qH d) 2 C C ≠¥ (qH qL) (2 d (qH qL) ) There is a range of lobbying costs for which the lobbyist communicates with the policy maker in the high states of the world. In this case the policy maker acknowledges this and always implements his preferred policy. Is the lobbyist better off when costs are positive and d > ( ÃŽ ¸H ÃŽ ¸L ) / 2? C = 0 ⇒ p = E ( ÃŽ ¸ ) and E (ul(p,q)) = 0.5 ( ( E ( ÃŽ ¸ ) ÃŽ ¸H d)2 + 0.5 ( ( E ( ÃŽ ¸ ) ÃŽ ¸L d)2 C > 0 : E (ul(p,q)) = 0.5 ( d2 C ) + 0.5 ( d2 ) = d2 C/2 the lobbyist is better off when C < (qH qL)2 / 2 From this model, we clearly get the intuition that if registered lobbying activities are made costly the lobbyist will have lesser incentive to engage in unnecessary meaningless lobbying activities. Therefore, transparency coupled with making lobbying costly could discourage selfish lobbying practices. SECTION VI-Conclusion In any political power structure the actual bodies that create laws as well as the tools for implementing them are usually at the top of the political hierarchy. Here, we seem to be finding more and more, that it is easier to compromise amongst themselves than to continue guarding and representing the more plebeian interests. This is even more true today where we have a vital separation between national politics and globalization which in principle are at loggerheads. As a result politicians are even more compromised and helpless against the over-powering globalized corporate interests and instinctively know that it is a losing battle to fight against them. As we are now witnessing, politics everywhere is bereft of political ideology and entirely married to economic priorities. In such an atmosphere, creating moral strictures to hem the growing influence of special interest bodies (a majority of which are corporate or backed by very powerful groups (NRA and the Jewish Lobby in the USA are examples) is a dead cause. The BEA scandal in the UK is a fine example of how Politicians hide under a a blanket cover (they have specially created for their own benefit) of national security a catch 22 situation, because, according to them, it cannot be transparent for the very same reason that it is secretive. Increasing, governments everywhere have found this the most useful tool to degrade democracy everywhere. Organizations which use corrupt practices will not take to transparency operation and regulation of lobbying. They will feel exposed as this is associated with changes in laws such as the political parties in proportion to its funding, in terms of laws governing the methods of financing campaigns. While discussing lobbying, unions should also be taken into account, which often become the most influential lobbyists. In the process of building a representative democracy it is necessary to create mechanisms which openly discuss issues that they can be resolved in favor of society and not just for the benefit of private or group interests. A cornerstone to this objective may be a combination of effective and modern lobbying laws, meeting the goals of representative democracy based on principles of transparency and publicity. In developing democracies like Lithuania, it is vital to keep the civil society informed about regulated lobbying activities which are designed to benefit the public . Otherwise there is the risk of them being left to speculate the evils of interest group activities, which their legacies have socialized them to do so.

Security Risk Management SRM and Auditing Essay -- essays research pap

Abstract The term â€Å"be prepared† applies especially well to today’s business environment, where enterprises across all industries and locations are challenged by a volatile, increasingly unpredictable world. In addition to protecting their internal resources, organizations must consider the security and well-being of their employees, partners, suppliers and customers, as well as the reliability of the web of networks and systems on which most now depend. Stop Managing Security. Start Managing Risk. The way forward lays in a security risk management (SRM) approach that protects your company from the most severe threats to critical IT systems and operational processes. SRM helps your organization understand its assets and analyze the vulnerabilities it must address. Security risk management also facilitates internal and external compliance initiatives. It enables your organization to enforce policies that relate to the integrity of customer data, the configuration of corporate applications and databases, and the accuracy of financial reports. Companies that take a systematic approach to SRM reap additional benefits: operational efficiencies that lead to better management of resources and reduced costs. It's up to all the parties involved in the IT operations and security mission to demonstrate that they can take on the demands of this new challenge. Security is a wide concept, it is a separated subject with its own theories, "which focus on the process of attack and on preventing, detecting and recovering from attacks" (William 1996). Certainly, these processes should be well organized in coping with the complex system issues. A coherent approach should be taken, which builds on established security standards, procedu... ...om norm', Network World Canada, Jun 24, Vol. 15, Is. 12, pp1-10, Gulati R, 1999, 'Network location and learning: the influence of network resources and firm capabilities on alliance formation', Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 20, Is. 5, May, pp 397-399 Osborne, Keith (1998), 'Auditing the IT Security Function', Computers &, Security, Vol. 17, NO.1, pp35-39. Hampton D K, Peter R &, Walker H T D, 1996, Relationship-Based Procurement strategies for The 21st Century, Vis, Canberra. Johnson, Jim (1995), 'CHAOS: The Dollar Drain of IT Project Failures', Applied Development Trend O’Brien, James and Marakas, George (2007) Introduction to Information Systems, 13th ed. McGraw-Hill William C &, Dennis L &, Michael S (1996), Information Security Handbook, NY: MacMillian Press LTD Gladstone D, 1988, Venture Capital Investing, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.