Are These Not Also Men essays

Are These Not Also Men essays Are These Not Also Men? In 1511, Fray Antonio Montesinos spoke the words, Are these not also men? His famous quote was a response to the mistreatment of the indigenous peoples that inhabited the Americas, by the conquering Spanish. Immediately upon discovering and colonizing the New World a widespread debate arose in regards to the usage and treatment of the native Indians. This debate was primarily focused on how to classify the Indians. Many people believed that the Indians were not human at all and should be allowed to be treated merely as slaves. The opposing side, the church, argued back that the Indians, no matter how seemingly uncivilized they lived, were humans. A major argument resulted and the question as to how a human being is classified as being a human became a fiery debate among many. The Spanish conquerors believed that, like animals, the Indians did not have rational souls, or the ability to reason. Also, in conjunction, the Conquerors used the views of a medieval Dominican named Thomas Aquinas as justification for their reasoning. Aquinas once stated that a rational soul was determined by the ability to become a Christian. Those not capable were considered to be brute animals. The Indians were often compared to parrots, or horses in the way they lived their lives. The conquerors needed the indigenous people to be considered less than human because if they were considered animals, forms of forced labor with out time off for religious learning could be used. An example was the encomienda. The Churchs point of view was that in order to have and maintain power in the New World they would need the numbers of the Indians to be included in their community as followers. Patricia Seed, the author of this journal offers her line of thinking. It is that both sides of the debate were trying to monopolize the Indians for their own benefits. The Spania ...

Fast Food in the United States Essays

Fast Food in the United States Essays Fast Food in the United States Essay Fast Food in the United States Essay Fast Food in the United States Food prepared quickly for consumers is how we define fast food. Fast food restaurants main purpose is to provide food in a short amount of time for the customers. They are inexpensive, quick, and convenient. The first or the earliest fast food restaurant that had started this fast food chain is the infamous McDonalds. The first McDonalds was not how the current one is like now. It was actually a restaurant that served barbeques foods in the sass. The brothers, Dick and Maurice McDonald were the first ones to come up with the idea of eating quickly. : Therefore, they developed the idea of preparing food in a speed like way and so they changed their menus and started with hamburgers, French fries, and milkshakes. The business was successful and the brothers decided to expand their company and therefore opened their restaurants in different locations (Cannel, 2007). Although fast food is inexpensive and convenient, consuming too much of it can impact the human health and environment. McDonalds is the most popular fast food chain. Currently, every McDonald is open in every state in the U. S. Not to mention internationally too. We see McDonalds everywhere even if we go on a road-trip there will be McDonalds in the middle of nowhere. McDonalds is located in every local area for convenience. Since it is very convenient, many American consumers would drop by because it is quick and easy. Fast food chain expanded very quickly because it became high in demand because of the convenience (USDA). Thus, more and more people with busy lives start to rely on them because they are fast and ready to go. According to CBS news, in the year of 2009 Americans spend over $110 billion on fast food more than theyll spend on movies, books, magazines, etc. Very day about one quarter of the U. S. Population eats fast food. This shows that many Americans have become highly obsessed with fast foods. Since this article was published in 2009, then in 2012 Americans most likely would spend more. The price of each meal attracts consumers, making them believe that having more amount of food for that price is a great deal. Those who are in financial crisis rely on these fast food chains to survive. That is why fast food businesses like McDonalds are very successful. Their advertisement also targets children by including toy figures in the meal, which entices them to consume the eels. Im sure that many children in the U. S. Has eaten McDonalds, even I used to love eating them when I was a kid. I loved to collect the toys from happy meals, and in order to collect them I had to consume their meals. Since McDonalds attracts many children, nowadays children are having the issue of obesity. Even though McDonalds and other food chains are very convenient and inexpensive, however it can lead to other problems such as our health. Money is important in life and without money surviving in this society would be difficult, however health should be the priority in life. I believe that being healthy profits so that we can live an easier life. If something were to happen, then we would have to spend an enormous amount of money to recover our health. Therefore, staying healthy can help conserve money. Consuming fast foods frequently can affect the health of the individual. According to the National Institutes of Health, adolescents who often eat at fast-food restaurants tend to gain additional weight and have a higher chance of increasing insulin resistance. If they continue to frequent at these fast food chains then there could be a high risk of attaining type 2 diabetes. Diabetes can also be the cause of heart disease (NIH). The reason why people can gain weight so easily through frequent fast food consumption is because of the calories intake. They consume more calories than they usually need per day, and whatever that is left over, the extra becomes fat especially foods that have trans fat in them. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U. S. Population that consumes fast foods which contains sodium exceeds the amount the body needs. Excessive sodium consumption increases blood pressure, which is a high possibility in getting heart diseases and strokes. CDC stated, 51% and 27% of sodium consumed came from foods obtained at fast food/pizza restaurants. People need to value their eating habits, the alternative from fast food chains to home made foods can make a great difference in life. The infamous McDonal ds food productions are similar to all of the other fast food restaurants. According to food safety magazine, McDonalds purchase their ingredients from different suppliers. They work with not Just hundreds but thousands of suppliers so that the foods would be stocked up. The meat, bread, vegetables, and packaging all have their own factories (Food Safety Magazine, 2006). Each one of them produce that certain product and McDonalds purchases it from them and puts all the ingredients together then serve it to the customers. McDonalds food production process is not simple, for example they not only have to produce the food but also test every single one of them. The McDonalds system requires constant quality checks throughout the supply chain process and proven traceability programs, at least one step back to the ingredient supplier, and in some cases, tracking all the way back to the farm. (Food safety magazine, 2006) Their suppliers re required to meet the standards of food safety so that there wouldnt be anything wrong with the product when the customers co nsume it. McDonalds was also one of the first ones to test the safety of fresh-cut produce in packages for distributing to other restaurants (FDA). They tried this so that in hope it could reduce any microbial hazards. McDonalds is the ideal role of a fast food restaurant, and many others try to follow its standards. McDonald consumption does not only affect health but it also impacts the environment. Due to McDonalds food packaging many individuals liter and that trash harms the wildlife. Since McDonalds is located everywhere in the city, state, and country the area always has McDonalds packaging remains. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), they have been trying to reduce the packaging at fast food establishments. They tried to develop this reduction program for those take out food containers, which are the largest documented contributor of trash in urban waterways that flows into SF Bay, and, with partner cities, conduct outreach at fast food establishments (EPA). This shows that McDonalds is also the other fast food chains also contribute to this. Since McDonalds has expanded and as survived for all these years that means food production factories has expanded also to keep the restaurants in stock. Which means that the cattle have increased and seizing more land for the factories. This also involves in harming the environment because that means more wastes from factories and cattle. McDonalds is one of the largest fast food chains in the world. According to business week, McDonalds corporation annual earnings in 2011 are $5. 27 per share as of January 24, 2012. McDonalds corporations third quarter of 2012 revenues is about 7. 2 billion dollars, which has increased compared to before. As you can see McDonalds profits are quite a lot. By selling inexpensive food you would think that they probably wouldnt earn much, however having many customers consuming everyday in all of U. S. Is very profitable. Food Safety Magazine stated, as of 2006 including all around the world, around 13,700 restaurants served nearly 26 million customers per day. Since this article is published in 2006, that means at present, 2012 McDonalds most likely expanded their restaurants twice as much and most likely restaurants would be serving at least 26 million customers per day. With that any consumers, fast food companies especially McDonalds profit a lot. Honestly, I used to eat McDonalds at least once in every two weeks and I was under the category of overweight. I liked eating it because it was very fast and convenient especially every time I get hungry, it satisfies my hunger. However, after watching this video in middle school called Super Size Me. It changed my perspective on fast food restaurants. The video portrayed about this man who tried to eat McDonalds Food everyday for a month. He bought everything super sized and constantly consumed it for thirty days straight. You could see that he has gained a lot f weight and he Just didnt look healthy at all, but sick instead. At some times he would throw it up. This video had changed my eating habits, and I have been eating healthy. Eating healthy has energize my body and exercising is easier because eating healthier helps you lose weight. After watching this video, I have not eaten McDonalds as much. Maybe once in awhile lets say about once in six months, but my body felt great without eating fast foods. Overall, fast food companies at present are everywhere and people especially those who are not financially supported through Jobs are relying on these inexpensive foods. Foods that are able to satisfy their hunger but is unhealthy.

Ethics and social responsiblity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethics and social responsiblity - Essay Example These incidents are all manifestations of the failure of companies to act in a socially responsible manner. Always, at the other end of the supply chain – the consumers – bear the brunt of the failure of companies to act responsibly. For which reason, this research paper is now being carried out in order to establish ways with which the general public and concerned authorities can evaluate if a company is behaving in a socially responsible manner. This paper shall consider the growing role of ethical considerations in business, as well as the different moral philosophies and ethical standpoints related to CSR. It shall also consider ethics and corruption in its discussion. Practical examples shall be used in order to answer the details needed in this paper. This paper is being conducted in order to establish a comprehensive evaluation of corporate social responsibility and how the general public can be guided in their patronage and purchase of the various products and s ervices in the market. Discussion Corporate social responsibility defined Before any discussion or evaluation of this subject matter can be carried out, it is important to first understand and lay out a standard definition and conceptualization of corporate social responsibility, otherwise known as CSR. ... It is defined more in detail by Carroll (as cited by Kanji, 2009, p. 102) as a pyramid with four distinct elements. The first is economic responsibility; the second is, legal responsibility; the third is ethical responsibility; and the fourth is discretionary responsibility which is otherwise equivalent to philanthropy. This definition however is still considered incomplete because it does not take into consideration the dynamic relationship between corporations and society. The above definitions can be conceptualized on a more comprehensive plain when the elements of social fairness, ethics, environmental rights, human rights are all considered in the management of corporations (Kanji, 2009, p. 102). These elements all have standards of compliance and all help build knowledge and a strong basis for the evaluation of CSR among corporations. Approaches to evaluating CSR There are different ways of evaluating whether or not a company is acting in a socially responsible way. Schermerhor n, Jr. (2010, p. 70) suggests that a company’s CSR performance can be measured based on the following criteria: economic responsibility, legal responsibility, ethical responsibility, and discretionary responsibility. In essence, evaluating a corporation is taking note of the following: 1. Economic responsibility: Is the organization profitable? 2. Legal responsibility: Is the company obeying the law? 3. Ethical responsibility: Is the company doing what is â€Å"right?† 4. Discretionary responsibility: Is the organization contributing to the broader community? (Schermerhorn, Jr., 2010, p. 70). In the current age of the globalized market, mass consumerism has now become the running trend. For corporations wanting to fulfil their CSR, their ability to

Globalisation and Tourism and the impact on local and indigenous Essay

Globalisation and Tourism and the impact on local and indigenous cultures - Essay Example It is about establishing interconnected relations throughout the world. Through globalization one can eliminate the barriers that persist within nations, develop healthy trade, bridges communication errors and shares resources. One of the disadvantages of globalization is that it has increased crime level interstate. Los Angeles is one of the most densely polluted countries of the world. Pollution has literally damaged the entire city in such a way that its impact is very obvious. Tourism is an essential part of Los Angeles economy. Los Angeles is one of those countries that are a major tourist attraction, Los Angeles has the honour of housing the home of all legendary actors that is Hollywood. From amazing shopping malls to Hollywood and an amazing blend of various restaurants, Los Angeles offers everything that a tourist wants during vacations. While travelling the quality and the atmosphere of the environment go hand in hand. The environment is made up of natural as well as manmad e things which together build up the tourism in a state. The relation between tourism and environment tends to get very tangling at times. The effects of tourism are very controversial. At times they can be helpful in generating revenue for the state resulting in a fruitful economy and on the contrary it can damage and dent the city's environmental condition resulting in a disaster which can damage countries natural resources. Tourism leads to the development of the place with the construction of roads, parks, malls, resorts, restaurants, hotel, golf courses, airports etc. which eventually build up the infrastructure of a place. "The notion of a tourism system is extremely important when we start to consider the notion of impacts. If we are to evaluate the effects of tourism trips, we need not only to examine where in the system immediate impacts occur, but also to consider if there are system-wide effects that contribute to change in the broader environment. In the case of maritime ship emissions, for example, nitrogen oxide( NOx) have both local and global effects on atmospheric pollution. In the Los Angeles – Long Beach area of California, which is both the United States busiest port and the country's most polluted area, oceangoing vessels are among the largest source of NOx, emitting more NOx than all power plants and refineries in the region's air basin combined. This is significant because as well as being a green house gas (GHG) that contribute to global warming and climate change. NOx reacts with other volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere to produce ozone/smog. Particulates from marine vessels also create significant cancer risks, with an estimated more than 700 premature deaths caused in the Los Angeles area annually by these emissions as of 2008. Because of their often localized nature, the effects of NOx are not just felt in ports, but also along shipping transit routes. For example, Santa Barbara county in California, which has no co mmercial port, estimates by 2020, 67 percent of its NOx inventory will come from shipping traffic transiting the Californian coast." (Scott, 45). This particularly deals with the marine emission that has damaged Los Angeles brutally. This text

American Revolution. Events in American Revolution Essay

American Revolution. Events in American Revolution - Essay Example Born in every era they shape the history of the country. American Revolution was guided by many such people who led the revolution from the front and made it successful. However the events that trigger the revolution are merely momentous and act as a trigger. Reasons for revolution get accumulated over a period of time. The societal unrest reaches its peak. Any event that occurs after that triggers the change that has been so desired. The causes that led to American Revolution were many. As we look back we see them as many dots which could be connected now to make the event logical. Social Structure of American society at the time of Revolution - American society at the time of Revolution was divided into multiple classes at the time of revolution. While some of these classes participated in the revolution, there were also others who were dissociated from the revolution by virtue of their social status. There was nobility from England members of who were self-made land owners in Amer ica. They were resourceful and wealthy. Tradesmen, merchants and land owners looked at freedom of enterprise for expansion and growth. This was growing middle class and was an active participant in revolution. The lower strata comprised workmen, indentured prisoners and Indians. This lower stratum did not really care about revolution as they were unable to relate with the new found freedom and were not expecting the change in government to bring about change in their lives. World over rise of leadership for revolutions and rebellions has always been through middle class. American Revolution was no exception. Leaders from this class were enlightened by thoughts of leaders of French and European revolutions. They yearned to bring about same changes in American society as well. Rule of British Parliament - Parliament of Britain thought of America as a colony, one amongst many they ruled. Naturally they wanted to impose their rules and regulations over America. Although Britain had emer ged victorious in French and Indian War, her economy suffered badly. Wanting to recover a debt-ridden economy, Britain demanded more revenue from colonies. Even if French were defeated, the colonies did not trust Britain for their protection. Series of Acts - From 1763 to 1769 Britain passed series of legislation imposing new taxes on America as a colony with the primary motive of generating more revenue. Some significant acts passed were as follows: Sugar Act (1764) – increasing duties on sugar imported from West Indies Currency Act (1764) – banning American assemblies from issuing paper bills or bills of credit Quartering Act (1765) – colonists to feed and house British soldiers. Stamp Act (1765) – direct tax imposed on marriage licenses, playing cards, newspapers etc. the revenue generated from this tax was meant for colonies to pay for their defence. Townshend Acts (1767) - colonial officials were given independence to impose their own taxes apart fro m the ones that are already imposed by British parliament. This independence further incurred taxes on glass, tea, paper etc. These taxes created unhappiness and furore in American society and were viewed as unjust and uncalled for. These acts severely restricted freedom of enterprise shrunk the size of profits or revenue earned and along with that came additional burden of feeding and housing British army. This resentment kept boiling for more than seven years and finally erupted into a revolution. People in America viewed themselves as citizens of New World and they strongly demanded that they should have legislative authority to decide what is best for them. According to them these acts were merely for additional revenue generation without consideration of people on whom these acts were imposed.

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory Model: Sanguine Personality

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory Model: Sanguine Personality Introduction Eysenck’s Personality Theory Model Eysencks personality of theory divided into two categories which are extraversion and introversion personality types. Extraversion type of personality person is usually relax and confident on their own while introversion type of personality person is often a quite person; focus on inner feelings and their emotional will be more negative and not stable as compared to extraversion type of person. Extrovert people are more likely to be out-going person, they like to social and attend event to meet with new people and make new friends. In contrast, introvert people keep things to their own and seldom share to people, they also less likely towards social things because of their shy personality. In this world, different types of people having different own personality, by understanding people’s personality is a key to unlock elusive human qualities. All humans are different, everyone has their own value, principles, special strengths, weakness and qualities in handling things in their life; different types of people will think and action in different ways. For instance, Eysenck’s categorize people into 4 types of human personality, which are choleric, melancholic, sanguine and phlegmatic. However, choleric and sanguine personality were fall under extraversion category while melancholic and phlegmatic were fall under introversion category. Features of Sanguine Personality Referred to Eyesenck’s Personality Theory Model, sanguine personality is playing a role as the extrovert, talker and optimist. They are emotionally stable compared to people who have melancholic and choleric personality. The characteristics of sanguine personality are sociable, outgoing, lively, easygoing, talkative, responsive, leadership and carefree. Sociable People who have sanguine personality are sociablen; they are supportive in engaging themselves in outside activities and talk to others. Sanguine people have a lot of friends and also have wide social relationship which may have friends that are from different fields or places. Besides, they can make new friends easily and adapt to the situation even in a new environment or with strangers. Outgoing People who having sanguine personality is an outgoing person; they are active in joining or participating outside activities. Sanguine people don’t like to stay at home and things that are boring. They like to join or see thing that are challenges and new and they are type of person who enjoy going out or hang out with friends and comfortable in social situation. Lively People who having sanguine personality is a lively person; they are active at most of the time and having positive energy in whatever things that they do. Besides, they bring fun and joy to people surrounded them and people will feeling comfortable and relax when with sanguine people as they less likely having negative thought compared to melancholic personality. This may one of the features of sanguine that attracted people to talk and make friends with them. Easygoing People who having sanguine personality is an easygoing person; they forgive and forgot mistake or bad thing that people done on them. They don’t hold grudges and usually behave in a relaxed and tolerate approach or manner. They have even-tempered and able to control their own emotional compared to melancholic and choleric personality. They seldom mad at people and don’t like to make things become complicated. For instance, if sanguine people commit a mistake they will readily apologize to the person. Talkative Sanguine playing roles as the talker and storyteller, they are talkative and like to repeat stories to their friends. They can talk anything with their friends; such as gossip or discuss things that from general problems until privacy with their friends without feeling tired or bored. They eager to express their own opinion or idea, wish people paid attention on them. Sometimes, due to the talkative personality they are likely to dominate the whole conversation when in a group activities. Responsive Sanguine people are responsive; they give quick and readily response to people. They are open to suggestions; accept people comment and improvement themselves from it. Besides, sanguine people usually are the type of active students in the class; they like to ask and also give response to their teacher questions. If sanguine friends are facing problems, they will response to it and always be there to listen and to give opinion or advice to their friends. Leadership Sanguine people tend to have strong leadership; they have the ability to guide a group of people and give direction to the members about actions that should taken in order to achieve a certain task. Sanguine people like to express their own opinion and ideas in group activities and sometimes they will be the dominant person throughout the whole conversation with their friends or activities. In a group, sanguine will act as opinion leader and they have the power to influence or swing people’s perception and action. Carefree People who having sanguine personality is a carefree person, they are relaxed and less worried. For instance, sanguine people behaving in a happy-go-lucky attitude, when everyone was stressing and rushing for group assignment, sanguine may be one of the most relaxed people among the group members. They are less likely to take thing seriously, free from care and they always enjoy their time in a happy and joy mood. Communication Style The communication style of sanguine personality is talkative. People who having sanguine personality are like to talk, they can talk anything from general problems until privacy without feeling tired or bored. Sanguine people talk in confident and relaxed manners; they talk things in more casual way and always share a lot of things with their friends. They like to repeat stories, always response to people questions and give comment or opinion. Their communication style will attract people attention and people will feel comfortable when communicate and interact with sanguine people. However, due to the talkative personality, sanguine people always talk and rush for conclusion. Sometimes, they didn’t give opportunity for others people to speak or express their opinion. Responsive: â€Å"My friend, I am here listening to your problems.† Carefree: â€Å"It is okay, don’t worry so much and everything will be alright.† Each personality has their pros and cons. The strengths of sanguine personality are they are an easygoing and sociable person. In contrast, the weaknesses of sanguine personality are they have a strong leadership and talkative. Strengths: Sanguine is an easygoing person, they do not hold grudges. They forgive and forgot people mistake. They have even-temper and able to control their emotion, which make people like to make friends with them. It is because sanguine people will not mad at people easily or for a long time. People will feel relax and comfortable when with sanguine people because of their easygoing personality. For instance, even thought if a person has done something bad to sanguine people, sanguine people will readily forgive the person if they apologize or admit the fault. Besides, sanguine people do not mind share their things to their friends such as foods or ideas. They are also open in accepting people judgement, if people commented something bad about them they will not keep it in heart for a long time but will takes it as opportunity for self-improvement. Sanguine is a sociable person, by having this characteristic it will help them easy to get along with others and also help to encourage effective relationship with outsider. Sanguine people will be having a lot of advantages in their life by having sociable personality such as in workplace, school and others. Sanguine person is likely to engage themselves in outside activities, they are active in joining any events which can helps them to extend their social relationship and make new friends. When they go out and know more friends, they actually can learn extra knowledge from other persons and also enhance interaction with other people. This could be a good opportunity for their education or business to go further, the chances that they get might be a good turning point for their life. For example, sanguine person looking for a job after graduation, they might will get job more easily than their friends as they have knew different friends that worked in different fields, it is way ea sier to approach someone when good relationship is established. Weaknesses: By having strong leadership personality it might be one of the weaknesses of sanguine people. People who are having strong leadership is usually self-centred, they want people to paid attention on them and wish to be dominant in group activities. They are eager to express their ideas and opinion, they hope whatever they said can be heard or followed by members. However, this personality will cause distancing between sanguine people and their friends. It is because to some extend leader having the power to instruct members to do something, for those people who are not obedience they will surely don’t like these type of person. Sometimes, sanguine person are assertive, they might over confident on their own and like to showing off and self-promoting. They are likely to take the full responsibilities as a leader when there is any job distributed among the members, due to the strong leadership personality Another weakness of sanguine personality is talkative. Sanguine people are likely to repeat or talk about the same things to their friends without feeling bored or tired. Due to talkative personality, sometimes people that friend with sanguine people may feel they are annoying For example, when sanguine people found that they are not satisfy with what they had they will keep asking and finding until they found out the satisfy answer or result. They need response and attention from others. They talk in a casual or fun way people will think that they are not taking things seriously. Due to the talkative personality, people will feel that they are exaggerating as sanguine people will give excessive information or overselling ideas when communicating to other people. Recommendations There are several ways to overcome the weaknesses of sanguine personality. First, sanguine person should learn to listen to others people words before they speak or express their view or ideas. In doing this, they can give opportunities for other people to express their ideas and sometimes the ideas given by people may be useful in their group activities instead of dominate the whole conversation. Second, they should learn to self-effacing which is to tone down their strong approach, avoid exaggerating and overselling own idea as it may help to gain more trust from friends toward them. Third, in whatever thing that sanguine people do they should always put themselves in other people shoes, should consider about other people interest and care more about other people feeling. Besides, it is always important to consider the seriousness of the situation first but not behaving in a carefree attitude at all the time. References Coon, D Mitterner, J.O. (2010). Introduction to psychology: Gateway to mind and behaviour, 12th ed. California: Thomas Wadsworth. Pastorino, E.E. Portillo, S.M.D. (2012). What is psychology. 2nd ed. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth. Delamater, J.D. Myers, D.J. (2010). Social psychology. 7th ed. CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Economy, Morality, Gender, and Ethnic Stereotyping Essay -- essays Pap

Economy, Morality, Gender, and Ethnic Stereotyping Critical Essay on Pinocchio Disney's Pinocchio has been a long time favorite of American culture. However, time has changed and so has our culture. We are no longer described or categorized by being white, European, primarily heterosexual, Protestant, and bourgeois. I have to argue that that stereotype is still in effect. As times have changed so have our people and their values. Now, we are described as "The Melting Pot" of religions, race, sex, and class. Pinocchio was fitting for the culture of 1940 but as for now it not so appropriate. Industrialism, Capitalism, and the ruling bourgeoisie are the themes in this movie not only because they probably reflect Walt's own life but American life as well. Americans were thrust into the Capitalist ideal in the Post War years and I feel Pinocchio reflects that ideal. After WWII Americans wanted to boost the economy. One of the ways of doing this was by propaganda. Pinocchio is a prime example of such propaganda. The economy was ghastly, buildings were flattened in Europe, and the process of "rebuilding" was daunting because Europe was demolished. In 1946 Pinocchio was playing in Europe but â€Å"no revenue was coming in due to the damaged economy,†(). The ideal was to be white, heterosexual, masculine, Protestant, bourgeois, young, and American as listed in the "Text Book" on page 186. To drive society into this ideal mass media was utilized. In Classical Marxist terms, "The mass media are a 'means of production', which in capitalist society are in ownership of the ruling class. According to this stance, the mass media functioned to produce 'false consciousness' in the working-classes," ( ...g and racism is looked upon as ignorant and politically incorrect. We no longer have separate water fountains and schools for whites or blacks, which is a great accomplishment, and we no longer find "No Irish Need Apply" signs hanging in employing restaurants. Pinocchio is a confirmation to the many changes that have taken place in today's society. Yet, if it were played now instead of then I know the film would never make it in the theatres. We have grown far beyond the ideals that Walt Disney portrayed in his Pinocchio movie and I am proud of that accomplishment. Instead of viewing the film with the innocent mind of a child unknowing and trusting I viewed the film as a scholar. I saw the film as abrasive and obviously its motive to me was full of propaganda to get our nation to work harder. It is a shame that our children had to be used to subject us to that model. Economy, Morality, Gender, and Ethnic Stereotyping Essay -- essays Pap Economy, Morality, Gender, and Ethnic Stereotyping Critical Essay on Pinocchio Disney's Pinocchio has been a long time favorite of American culture. However, time has changed and so has our culture. We are no longer described or categorized by being white, European, primarily heterosexual, Protestant, and bourgeois. I have to argue that that stereotype is still in effect. As times have changed so have our people and their values. Now, we are described as "The Melting Pot" of religions, race, sex, and class. Pinocchio was fitting for the culture of 1940 but as for now it not so appropriate. Industrialism, Capitalism, and the ruling bourgeoisie are the themes in this movie not only because they probably reflect Walt's own life but American life as well. Americans were thrust into the Capitalist ideal in the Post War years and I feel Pinocchio reflects that ideal. After WWII Americans wanted to boost the economy. One of the ways of doing this was by propaganda. Pinocchio is a prime example of such propaganda. The economy was ghastly, buildings were flattened in Europe, and the process of "rebuilding" was daunting because Europe was demolished. In 1946 Pinocchio was playing in Europe but â€Å"no revenue was coming in due to the damaged economy,†(). The ideal was to be white, heterosexual, masculine, Protestant, bourgeois, young, and American as listed in the "Text Book" on page 186. To drive society into this ideal mass media was utilized. In Classical Marxist terms, "The mass media are a 'means of production', which in capitalist society are in ownership of the ruling class. According to this stance, the mass media functioned to produce 'false consciousness' in the working-classes," ( ...g and racism is looked upon as ignorant and politically incorrect. We no longer have separate water fountains and schools for whites or blacks, which is a great accomplishment, and we no longer find "No Irish Need Apply" signs hanging in employing restaurants. Pinocchio is a confirmation to the many changes that have taken place in today's society. Yet, if it were played now instead of then I know the film would never make it in the theatres. We have grown far beyond the ideals that Walt Disney portrayed in his Pinocchio movie and I am proud of that accomplishment. Instead of viewing the film with the innocent mind of a child unknowing and trusting I viewed the film as a scholar. I saw the film as abrasive and obviously its motive to me was full of propaganda to get our nation to work harder. It is a shame that our children had to be used to subject us to that model.

Crude Oil Refining or Petroleum Product Importation: Which Is Economical for Nigeria

CRUDE OIL REFINING OR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS IMPORTATION: WHICH IS ECONOMICAL FOR NIGERIA? ABSTRACT: One of the most crucial challenges facing Nigeria is being able to meet the energy need of the energy hungry populace; the exponential population growth makes it even more challenging. The approach adopted to meeting this need has impacted severely on the economy of the nation as reflected in the year-on-year economic figures. This can be attributed to her choice of net importer of petroleum products status to the much more economic domestic refining option. This paper analyses the best economic option between refining crude oil and importing the products in Nigeria, at the end making probable suggestions. TABLE OF CONTENT ABBRECIATIONS 1. NTRODUCTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 2. CRUDE OIL REFINING AND PETROLEUM IMPORTATION IN NIGERIA †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 2. 1 Overview †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 2. Challenges of Petroleum Product Refining in Nigeria †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 3. CRUDE OIL REFINING AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS ECONOMICS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 3. 1 The Economics of Crude oil Refining †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 3. 2 The Economics of Petroleum Products†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 4. CRUDE OIL REFINING, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS IMPORTATION AND THE ECONOMY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 0 5. CONCLUSION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 ABBREVIATIONS BPSD Barrels per Stream Day B/D Barrels per Day CBN Central Bank of Nigeria GDP Gross Domestic Product NNPC Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NPRC Nigerian Petroleum Refining Company PHRC Port Harcourt Refinery Company 1. INTRODUCTION The role of crude oil remains key among the energy sources, hence we have to still live with the consequences that are associated with it, one of which is economical. This obviously is an aspect no country, importer and exporter have been able to overcome, though its impact on some countries is less than in others. Nigeria is definitely one of those countries whose economy has been monumentally impacted, ironically though, a leading crude oil producer and exporter in the world. However, this is not to take away crude oil’s enormous contribution to the Nigerian macro-economy over the years it holds sway. The discovery of oil in Nigeria was thought to be a big respite to the growing energy supply challenges facing her and to bring economical gains, especially as the price of oil has often been on the increase. Hence, should have made huge sums of money from it. Incidentally, this is not to be, as oil suddenly took shine off the hitherto major sources of the country’s GDP. Sectors like agriculture and manufacturing went moribund, making Nigeria a mono-economy, with oil being the mainstay of the economy. It provides 95% of foreign exchange earnings and about 80% of government budgetary revenues[1]. The Nigeria economy plays into the hands of the volatility of extremely vulnerable external shocks, particularly the vicissitude of world oil market prices, and the consequent inflations that characterise it most of the times. With the production of 229,008,126 barrels of crude oil and condensates increased in the third quarter of 2010 with an average of 2. 49 million barrels per day of domestic production in recent years, four refineries of 445,000 b/d refining capacity, the issue of meeting domestic oil demand should have been substantially addressed. However, with the 0 – 15% refining capacity in 2009[2], which is often the case over the years, importation became the only available alternative. Hence, Nigeria though a leading exporter of crude oil in the world is also, ironically, a net importer of petroleum products. This paper is divided into four chapters; chapter 2 looks at crude oil refining in Nigeria, offering an overview and challenges that confronts it. In chapter 3, crude oil refining and petroleum products economics is examined and chapter 4 looks at the implications of both crude oil refining and importation vis – a – vis the economy. The chapter 5 concludes the paper with few suggestions as to what the best economic option should be in meeting the petroleum products demand in Nigeria. 2. CRUDE OIL REFINING IN NIGERIA 2. 1OVERVIEW The petroleum products consumed in Nigeria had been imported from refineries abroad; this continued even a couple of years after the discovery of crude oil in a commercial quantity in the country. However, as the demand for the products increased and with the availability of the feedstock, the two Multinationals operating in the country then saw it as a viable business to establish refinery that would serve the domestic demand. This lead to the 50/50 joint venture refining company between Shell Darcy Petroleum Company and British Petroleum called the Nigerian Petroleum Refining Company (NPRC) in 1960. The construction of the refinery took two years to complete; by 1965 it commenced operation at an installed refining capacity of 38,000 bpsd[3] to refine local crude into five petroleum products. It was located at Alesa–Eleme, near Port Harcourt, some kilometres away from the crude oil production location. In order to meet the ever increasing demand for the products, the refinery was de–bottlenecked to increase its production capacity from the initial 38,000 bpsd to 60,000 bpsd. Running as a private entity, the company was able to run efficiently, profitably and met the omestic product consumption demand. In 1970, the Federal acquired and paid for a 60 percent equity share in all private international companies working in the Upstream and Downstream sectors of the Petroleum Industry in the country[4], NPRC inclusive. Despite been the major shareholder, the Federal Government allowed NPRC to operate without interference. It was only represented by its own corporation, th e Nigerian National Oil Corporation (NNOC), on which the shares were invested on to represent it at the board meetings of NPRC. Hence, the company was commercially profitable, well maintained and ran very efficiently. A decree in 1977 gave birth to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which was later to appoint the Chairman of NPRC, and then acquired the remaining 40 percent stake in NPRC. This in effect made the NPRC a full Government entity under the Refinery Division of the NNPC, headed by a general manager. The name was changed to NNPC Refinery, Alesa–Eleme, now headed by a managing director and having a new management structure. It was under the general manager of NNPC Refinery Division at the headquarters. A wholly Government built Refinery commenced operation in 1978, after a 30–month construction. It was located at Warri, and had an installed refining capacity of 100,000 b/d. But was de – bottlenecked in 1985 to have a total capacity of125, 000 b/d. The Warri Refinery was essentially built to process crude oil products and to add value to some of the refinery by-products such as propylene rich stock and decant oil[5]. Soon after, in 1980, another refinery, the Kaduna Refinery came on stream. It was meant to cope with the ever growing demand for petroleum products, especially in the Northern axis of the country. The refinery consisted of two streams, 50, 000 b/d fuel units and 50, 000 b/d lubes, Asphalt plants. It was designed to produce 3,857mt/d of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 1,686mt/d of Kerosene, 3,000mt/d of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 1,796mt/d of Asphalt, 91mt/d of LAB, 657mt/d of Base Oils, 620mt/d of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), 2,100mt/d of Fuel Oil. The existing products pipeline linking Warri Refinery to Kaduna was converted to pump crude oils for supply to the new Kaduna Refinery. Again, like the previous refineries, the fuel section of Kaduna Refinery was de-bottlenecked from the 50, 000 b/d to 60, 000 b/d. This brought the Kaduna Refinery to overall 110, 000 b/d capacity[6]. The fourth and final refinery was a new grassroots refinery, adjacent to the existing Port Harcourt Refinery, with an install capacity of 150, 000 bpsd. With this, Nigeria total installed refining capacity is 445, 000b/d, which was originally built to serve both the domestic and international petroleum product demand. Unfortunately, the purpose for these refineries were short-lived, serving only for a couple of years before each began to experience various man-made challenges that made them cost centres instead of the originally intended commercially profitable centres. The ever growing domestic product demands were no more met, as acute scarcity became a normal phenomenon. This led, unfortunately to the return of high propensity of petroleum product importation in order to meet the energy need of the nation. 2. 2 CHALLENGES OF PETROLEUM PRODUCT REFINING IN NIGERIA The Nigerian state-owned four refineries have undergone, and still undergo several man-made challenges that have made it more of a liability to the country than an asset. One of the issues that reduced the refineries to cost centres is bureaucracy. Immediately NNPC took over the running of the first refinery, bureaucracy silenced the commercial cultures that make a business thrive. Tens of signatures would have to be appended on a letter seeking to fix or procure working materials. These unnecessarily delay maintenance and impact the efficient running of the refineries. Also, being fully under the control of Government, all the funds for running the refineries would have to come from Government coffers. This occasioned delays and outright insufficient funding. Working capital especially meant to procure the needed spare parts, chemicals and all other necessary items for operations was not forthcoming, hence leading to the continues breakdown often experienced in the various refineries. The recommended 24-36 months normal industry Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) was hardly done[7]. It took years, far above the recommended time in between for TAM at the various refineries. The results were failures, wear and tear of the equipment, frequent shutdowns and complete non operations. Efficiency of the refining industry is such that needs well trained manpower. However, most of the refinery staff like any other state- ran enterprise were employed or appointed on ethnic or political sentiment. In such case, proper management and efficiency is thrown to the wind. Dedication and commitment to duty is hardly there, and the consequence is obvious. The big one is corruption. The refineries have over the years become conduit pipes of siphoning tax payer’s money. Some individuals in Government seem to have become rich by the comatose state of these refineries, hence would do everything within their powers to make them remain so. These challenges have rendered the refineries helpless and never operating at the capacity utilization. Because of these, the country never really enjoyed product sufficiency with its vast reserve and refineries it ordinarily should have. Hence, Nigeria has always been a net importer of petroleum products. 3. CRUDE OIL REFINING AND PETROLEUM PRODUCT ECONOMICS 3. 1CRUDE OIL REFINING ECONOMICS The overall economics or viability of a refinery depends on the interaction of three key elements: the choice of crude oil used (crude slate), the complexity of the refining equipment (refinery configuration) and the desired type and quality of products produced (product slate). Refinery operating cost, utilization rate and environmental considerations also influence refinery economics[8]. The type of crude used would determine whether there would be investment in the upgrading processes of the refinery. Light, sweet crude require less upgrading, heavy crude do need more upgrading. Also, the product demand in the market determines the configuration of the refinery. For instance, the U. S. refineries are configured to process a large percentage of heavy, high sulphur crude and to produce large quantities of gasoline and low amounts of heavy fuel oil. The Canadian refineries are configured for light, sweet crude, hence would upgrading to process heavy crude. Most of the European refinery configuration favours the production of diesel; gasoline accounts only 20% production[9]. Obviously, the Nigeria refineries were configured for the light crude the country produces and produces a wide range of products meant for her market and other markets. The refinery utilization rate is a very critical component of refining economics. High percentage capacity utilization is needed for a refinery to increase operating efficiency and reduce costs per unit of output. A utilization rate of about 95% is considered optimum as it allows for normal shutdown required for maintenance and seasonal adjustments. The operable capacity of Nigerian refineries has on average 0 – 15% utilization, which make them grossly under utilized. High utilization capacity is one of the things that make for profit margin scenario for refineries. The refinery industry has historically been a high- volume, low- margin industry, characterised by low return on investments and volatile profits. Profitability is measured by return on investment, defined as the net income contributed by refining/marketing as a percentage of net fixed assets (net property, plant, and equipment plus investments and advances)[10]. One way to represent the economics of a refinery is to calculate its Refinery Gross Margin[11]. For example, if a refinery receives $80 from the sale of the products refined from a barrel of crude oil that costs $70/bbl, then the Refinery Gross Margin is $10/bbl. The Net or Cash Margin is equal to the gross margin minus the operating costs (excluding income taxes, depreciation and financial charge. If a refinery experiences operating costs of $2 per barrel, then the Net Margin is $8/bbl[12]. The refinery margins are normally set on a competitive market, where the market is open. The contrary is the case in the Nigerian environment, the refineries are not working, and whenever they do, profit is never the aim. 3. PETROLEUM PRODUCT ECONOMICS Refined products market is different from crude oil market in a number of ways, owing to the scale of operation ( much smaller for refined products: a typical crude oil transaction involves 500,000 or even one million barrels of oil, while a typical refined products sale may involve only 5,000 to 10,000 bbls), quality considerations, price di fferentials and market size. In a competitive market, refined product prices are determined by supply, demand and inventory conditions at a given location and time[13]. International (border) price comes to play in the economics of refined products. The exchange rate used to convert the dollar value of imports into the domestic currency is the interbank exchange market rate, which is market determined. A freight charge (including insurance margin) is added to the value to get the landed cost. Import duty, domestic distribution, storage, marketing, and transportation margins are then added to obtain the order price at retail level[14]. Imported petroleum products also has additional cost like; Port charges, taxes and export duties at source country, insurance costs for transportation and brokerage costs for agents. The obvious reality is that there exists a wide range of domestic prices for petroleum products, determined mainly by the market and subject only to taxes and special charges in the developed countries. However, in developing countries like Nigeria, the prices are fixed by the government. Hence, the products are bought at the international price with a very high interbank exchange rate, and sold at a heavily subsidized, domestic rate, which has serious implications to the economy. 4. CRUDE OIL REFINING, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS IMPORTATION AND THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY. For a start, the estimated daily crisis-free demand for petroleum products in Nigeria today, are 30 million litres of petrol (PMS), 12 million litres of kerosene (DPK), 18 million litres of diesel oil (AGO), and 780 metric tons (1. 4 million litres) of cooking gas (LPG)†¦. †(Braide, 2003)[15]. Nigeria with a population of 158. 2 million (UN, 2010) and increment to workers salary in the recent years, which have empower ed quite a number of people to acquire some petroleum products demanding appliances, is much more pent-up now than in the last ten years. This makes it more challenging to satisfy. Government have obviously chosen a very hard alternative, importation, to have the demand met. With a weak currency (of N153 = $1), at a current price of crude on the international market and heavily subsidized domestic price of petroleum products. For instance, PMS have been at N65 ($42 cents)/litre in Nigeria for a couple of years now, as against the expected open market price of N131. 32 ($84 cents)/litre[16]. Importation, though the only alternative to the non-functional refineries, is economically catastrophic. For instance, Government spent $1. 34billion[17] from January to March, 2011 to import petroleum products to the country. In a year, this will amount to $5. 36 billion for importation alone, this excludes importations from marketing companies in Nigeria, tax waivers, demurrage and other implied costs that makes the total amount of importing the commodities extremely high. Government Petroleum Support Fund (PSF), which was established to disburse funds to the importing companies and the NNPC have between January, 2006 and July 2008 spent US$ 9. 2 billion[18] for subsidy alone. The fund also spent over US$ 3 billion from 2009 to the first quarter of 2010[19] for subsidising the importation of PMS and HHK within the period. The Year-on-year importation of petroleum products keep depleting the country’s external reserve, thereby putting the economy in bad standing. On the other hand, the KRPC, WRPC and PHRC (new) were built with lump sums of $525 million, $478 million, and $850 million respectively[20]. Unfortunately, with the poor management, the refineries from every statistics available have become liabilities to the country. With ultra low capacity utilization, a huge staff, high operating cost, no profit from NNPC year-on-year accounts[21], the refineries at present state are not economical. The implication of these is that the cost of crude oil, refining, importation, and distribution of the products are borne by the country’s treasury. A private sector run refinery industry is the only answer for meeting domestic demand at a very huge economic gain and energy security to the country. This will also revive the ailing petrochemical industry, which has a massive ripple effect on job creation, directly and through other dependent industries like Paint and Plastic industries. But before this can be realised the unavoidable deregulation has to take place. Little wonder why the over 18 private licensed refinery companies are yet to mobilise to site. Therefore, Government should revisit the issue of deregulation, and then privatise the state-run refineries. This massive importation does no good at all to the country, and should be reduced to near zero minimum. 5. CONCLUSION Government should be commended for taking up the challenge of building the capital intensive refineries, being beyond the ability of any local company at the time. It created energy security, jobs, averted looming crisis arising from massive shortage of supply of petroleum products and saved so much cost. But its continual running of the refineries is, to say the least wasteful and harmful to the economy. Refineries are commercial ventures, with huge financial implications, and do not provide much employment opportunities to warrant such protectionism by Government[22]. Obviously, it is only a few that benefits in a State-run refinery at the expense of many. Privatisation of the refineries holds more prospects economically to the country than what obtains. At the time being, the unenviable net importer position of the country is no more sustainable. Less Importation would save so much cost and the Nigerian economy shielded from the unstable, volatile international petroleum price. Subsidy has caused considerable loss of revenue and a rapid growth in domestic oil consumption as low price does not reflect real cost for consumption. It has contributed to the collapse of local refineries, as price of fuel do not show cost of supply. Reluctance of private players to invest in refineries, persistent fuel shortages at filling stations, dilapidated supply and distribution infrastructures, smuggling, and product adulteration, all of which impact substantially on the economy are the consequences of the continues subsidy regime in place. Everything should be done to encourage a functional refinery industry to check the crippling importations. An efficient refinery industry in Nigeria would have massive market both within the country and in the neighbouring ountries, and this brings immeasurable economic gains that are able to change the economic outlook of the country. BIBLIOGRAPHY PRIMARY SOURCES NATIONAL LEGISLATIONS The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Act, 1977 The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Act, 2003, No 8, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria SECONDARY SOURCES BOOKS Gary, J. H. , Handwerk, G. E. , Kaiser, M. J. , Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, (5th Edition) (United States of America, Florida, CRC Press, 2007). OTHERS INTERNET SOURCES Braide, K. M. The Mechanics of Fuel Scarcity in Nigeria, http://www. nigerdeltacongress. com/marticles/mechanics_dynamics_fuel_scarc. htm. (assessed 13/04/2011). CBN, http://www. cenbank. org/Out/2011/pressrelease/gvd/CommuniqueforMPCMeetingofMarch 21 22 2011_21st Mar_. pdf (assessed 01/05/2011). CIA, The World Factbook, http://www. cia. gov/library/Publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni. html (assessed 18/04/2011). Hossain, M. S. , Taxation and Pricing of Petroleum Products in Developing Countries: A Framework for Analysis with Application to Nigeria, http://www. imf. rg/external/Pubs/ft/wp/2003/wp0342. pdf (assessed 20/04/2011). Iba, L. , Fuel Crisis: Still waiting for private refineries, http://64. 182. 172/webpages/news/2010/july/12//busines-12-2010. 001. htm (assessed 09/05/2011). Nigerian Refineries: History, Problems an d Possible solutions, http://www. businessdayonline. com/NG/index. php/oil/3256-nigerian-refineries-history-problems-and-possible-solutions-1 (assessed 09/05/2011). NNPC, Annual Statistics Bulletin, http://www. nnpcgroup. com/Portals/0/MonthlyPerformance/2009ABS Web. pdf (assessed 01/05/2011). NNPC, Subsidiaries, http://www. npcgroup. com/NNPCBusiness/Subsidiaries/ (assessed 09/05/2011). PPPRA, Report on the Administration of the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF), http://www. pppra-nigeria. org/briefonadministrationofPSF. pdf (assessed 01/05/2011). Refinery Economics, http://nrcan. gc. ca/eneene/sources/petpet/refraf-eng. php (assessed 19/04/2011). Refining & Product Specifications – Overview, http://www. petroleumonline. com/content/overviemCont. asp? mod=8&ord=10 (assessed 19/04/2011). ———————– [1]CIA-The World Factbook, at http://www. cia. gov/library/Publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni. tml (assessed 18/04/2011) [2] N NPC 2009 annual report and EIA Nigeria Energy Data, Statistics and Analysis-oil, Gas, Electricity, coal [3] This is the maximum number of barrels of input that a distillation facility can process when running at full capacity under optimal crude and product slate condition with no allowance for downtime. [4] Nigerian Refineries: History, Problems and Possible solutions, at http://www. businessdayonline. com/NG/index. php/oil/3256-nigerian-refineries-history-problems-and-possible-solutions-1 (assessed 09/05/2011) [5] Ibid [6] Ibid [7] Ibid [8] Refinery Economics, at http://nrcan. gc. a/eneene/sources/petpet/refraf-eng. php (assessed 19/04/2011) [9] Ibid [10]Ibid [11] The difference in dollars per barrel between its product revenue (sum of barrels of each product multiplied by the price of each product) and the cost of raw materials (primarily crude, but also purchased additives like butane and ethanol) [12] Refining & Product Specifications – Overview, at http://www. petroleum online. com/content/overviewConti. asp? mod=8&ord=10 (assessed 20/04/2011) [13]Gary, J. H. , Handwerk, G. E. , Kaiser, M. J. , Petroleum Refining Technology and Economics, (5th Edition) (United States of America, Florida: CRC Press, 2007) at 18-19. 14]Hossain, M. S. , Taxation and pricing of Petroleum Products in Developing Countries: A Framework for Analysis with Application to Nigeria, at http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2003/wp0342. pdf (assessed 20/04/2011) [15] Braide, K. M. , The Mechanics of Fuel Scarcity in Nigeria at http://www. nigedeltacongress. com/martiles/mechanics_dynamics_of_fuel_scarc. htm (assessed 20/04/2011). [16] Ibid [17]CBN, http://www. cenbank. org/Out/2011/pressrelease/gvd/CommuniqueforMPCMeetingofMarch21 22 2011_21stMarch_. pdf (assessed 02/05/2011). [18]PPPRA, Report on the

Persuvasive essay on oil drilling.

Persuvasive essay on oil drilling. A Fair Trade?"The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth." This Native American wisdom from Chief Seattle says that as dwellers on the Earth, we are caretakers who must respect and protect the environment and all the gifts that Mother Earth has provided for us. There is not a limitless supply of resources, which we have been known to use and abuse for selfish gain. This planet Earth is meant to be shared with all other living organisms in equal harmony and balance. In contrast to this moral philosophy stands the question "Should we trade America's last great wilderness for money and commercialization?" Big Oil seems to think so. They believe they can create the illusion that Americans can avoid paying two dollars per gallon at the pump if they permit drilling in the Alaskan Arctic Refuge. It is the intention of oil company lobbyists in Washington D.C.English: Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refu...to persuade Congress for drilling rights in Alaska where oil is for t he taking and up for grabs. A position of moral responsibility recognizes that the coastal plain of the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge is a vast, undisturbed habitat where nature is submerged in isolated tranquility. It is antinomian to invade such a pristine refuge land for three significant reasons: it would threaten and destroy homes of both indigenous people and animals, it would produce a damaging impact on the physical features of the area, and ultimately it would not solve our long-term energy demands or energy problems.A gloomy fate awaits the population of native people and animals of the Arctic coastal plain if drilling were to happen. For the past 20,000 years, the Gwich'in Indians and the Inupiat Indians have depended on the area, which is sacred to them, for their lifestyle. The caribou is of...

Should You Be a Communications Major

Should You Be a Communications Major SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Most colleges offer a communications major. In fact, you probably know at least a few people who plan to major or are currently majoring in the field. What exactly does a communications major entail in terms of coursework and skills? And what kinds of jobs and salaries can you expect with a communications degree? Read on to learn what a communications major is, what the most popular jobs for communications majors are, and what the job outlook is for each major job option. We’ll also provide you with some tips on how to determine whether a communications major is the right path for you. What Is a Communications Major? A communications major (also called a communication major or a communication studies major) is the study of how to effectively communicate different types of information in various fields such as journalism/media, business, politics, and law. As a communications major, you’ll learn how to research and analyze information and how to clearly and cogently communicate topics through writing and speaking. You will take courses in research strategies, theory, rhetoric, public speaking, writing, and journalism/media. According to the website Communication Studies, undergraduate communications courses can be grouped into two categories: theory-based courses and skills-based courses. Whereas theory-based classes deal with different types of communication (e.g., political vs virtual communication), skills-based courses emphasize the application and mastery of key skills, including public speaking, group communication, and public relations. For most undergraduate communications programs, you’ll be required to take a handful of core communications courses. These are typically taken during the first two years of undergrad in order to provide you with a basic foundation for your communications major. The exact core courses your communications major will require depends on the school you attend. For example, communication majors at Stanford must take an introductory comm course in addition to classes on research methods, media processes, and writing. Similarly, comm majors at UCLA must take intro comm courses as well as area courses centering on mass communication, interpersonal communication, communication technology, and political and legal communication. Because communications is such a broad field, many colleges offer specific concentrations to communications majors. This allows comm students to specialize in a particular area. At UMass Amherst, for instance, possible comm subfields include interpersonal communication and culture, media and popular culture studies, and film studies. Meanwhile, comm majors can specialize in one of three subfields at The Ohio State University: Communication Analysis and Practice, New Media and Communication Technology, and Strategic Communication. What Can You Do With a Communications Degree? Now that you know exactly what a communications degree entails, what can you do with it once you graduate college and enter the workforce? What are popular communications major jobs? As I mentioned, communications is a pretty broad field- meaning there’s actually a lot you can do with your major, depending on what your concentration is, what kind of job/career you want, and whether you plan to get an advanced degree. Here are some common fields communications majors often work in: Advertising Business Corporate management Customer service Education Film production Government/politics Graphic design Healthcare Human resources (HR) International relations (IR) Journalism Law Marketing Public relations (PR) Sales Social media Social work Writing/editing Below is a list of potential communications major jobs you could get. Note that for some jobs, such as lawyers, you must have further education in the form of advanced degrees, training, etc.: Announcer Author Brand manager Communications director Creative director Educational administrator Event planner/manager Foreign correspondent Graphic designer HR specialist/manager/coordinator Journalist/reporter Labor relations specialist/manager Lawyer Lobbyist Market researcher Marketing director Media planner/coordinator Media relations manager Newscaster Political scientist Politician Producer Professor PR specialist Sales representative Social media manager Translator/interpreter Writer/editor (including copywriter, scriptwriter, speechwriter, and technical writer) Communications Major: Salary and Job Outlook As we saw above, there’s a big number of jobs and careers you can have with a communications major. Consequently, your job outlook and salary potential as a communications major will depend mostly on the field you enter. Here is an overview of the (median) salaries for various communications major jobs and their job outlooks in terms of projected employment growth rates. Note that any number in the negatives means that decline in employment is expected instead of growth. All information is from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Currently, the average employment growth rate in the US is 7%. Any rate that is more than 1% higher than this average signifies growth, while any rate more than 1% lower indicates a decline. All jobs in the chart below are arranged from highest to lowest (median) salary: Job Title Median Salary (2017) Employment Growth Rate (2016-2026) Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers $129,380 10% Sales Managers $121,060 7% Lawyers* $119,250 8% Political Scientists* $115,110 3% Public Relations and Fundraising Managers $111,280 10% Human Resources Managers $110,120 9% Training and Development Managers $108,250 10% Art Directors $92,500 5% Postsecondary Education Administrators* $92,360 10% Postsecondary Teachers* $76,000 15% Technical Writers $70,930 11% Purchasing Managers, Buyers, and Purchasing Agents $66,610 -3% Social and Community Service Managers $64,100 18% Market Research Analysts $63,230 23% Labor Relations Specialists $63,200 -8% Writers and Authors $61,820 8% Human Resources Specialists $60,350 7% Public Relations Specialist $59,300 9% Editors $58,770 -1% Insurance Sales Agents $49,710 10% Advertising Sales Agents $49,680 -4% Graphic Designers $48,700 4% Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners $48,290 11% Interpreters and Translators $47,190 18% Reporters, Correspondents, and Broadcast News Analysts $40,910 -9% Announcers $31,500 -9% *Master’s and/or doctoral degree typically required. As you can see from this chart, there is a big array of salaries and employment growth rates for communications majors depending on what job you get. The highest-grossing jobs are typically managerial positions and jobs that require advanced degrees, such as lawyers, political scientists, and college professors. Know, however, that it’ll likely take a lot of time and experience before you can reach this salary level (or higher). In other words, don't expect to be getting this salary straight out of undergrad. By contrast, jobs with the lowest salaries are usually those that require a high amount of independent work and little leadership skill, from designers and translators to announcers. Many of these positions can be considered entry-level jobs, as they're more likely to be open to those with minimal work experience. By looking at the employment growth rates for all the jobs listed above, we can see that there are clear differences between the communications jobs that are in high demand and those that are gradually falling in importance. Jobs with faster-than-average growth rates include market research analysts (23%), interpreters and translators (18%), and social and community service managers (18%). These are excellent jobs for communications majors to get, as there is a growing demand for them. Meanwhile, jobs that can expect declines include reporters and correspondents (-9%), announcers (-9%), and labor relations specialists (-8%). As a result, communications majors will be better off avoiding these types of jobs, since they're not in demand right now. Is a Communications Degree Right for You? So far, we’ve taken a look at what a communications major is, what kinds of jobs you can get with a communications degree, and what salaries and employment growth rates you can expect. With all this information in mind, you’re probably wondering: is a communications degree right for you? Here are three questions to ask yourself to help you decide whether you should go for a communications major or not: #1: Do You Have a Passion for Communicating With Others? First things first, are you absolutely passionate about communicating with others? Do you enjoy facilitating and improving communication, be it in written or spoken form (or both)? If so, then a communications major sounds like a great fit for your skills and career goals. Remember, communications is ultimately about, well, communicating. So if you love writing, connecting with audiences, and giving presentations, you'll most certainly enjoy this major- and be more likely to utilize it in a career you love. #2: Do You Have a Specific Field or Concentration in Mind? Although you don’t need to have everything decided before you declare a communications major, it’s a good idea to take some time to think about what types of subfields or concentrations within the communications field interest you most. For example, if you’re a great writer, you might want to explore a concentration in journalism or media. A fan of politics? Look into political communication. Hoping to break into graphic design? Consider an emphasis in visual communication. It's your choice and yours alone. (Note that the communications concentrations available to you will ultimately depend on what’s offered at your particular college.) Being able to narrow your focus early on can help you eventually look for (and land) jobs that target your specific area of expertise, since you’ll know exactly what kind of field you're hoping to work in and will have all the applicable skills and knowledge necessary to do well in it. It’ll also help you figure out ahead of time whether your field will be easier or harder to break into (i.e., whether it has a high employment growth rate or a low/negative growth rate). If you don’t have a specific concentration in mind, you might find it harder to figure out what it is you want to do with your communications degree once you graduate college. Ultimately, it’s better to spend your time as a communications major developing specific skills that’ll serve you well in a particular field rather than overly general skills that won’t make you stand apart from other job applicants. #3: Are You OK With Getting an Advanced Degree If Necessary? As we discussed above, some communications majors go on to enter specialized professions in fields such as law, politics, or education. If your interest lies in a specialized field, be sure to ask yourself whether you’d be OK with having to get a master’s degree or doctorate after receiving a bachelor’s degree in communications. This isn’t just about time but also money. Do you have enough funds to get yourself through multiple years of grad school? If not, are you open to taking out loans? Do you have a particular career in mind that you believe is worth going to grad school for? That being said, having an advanced degree and meeting all prerequisites for a job doesn’t guarantee that you'll get hired. This is especially true for college professors. If your goal is to become a full-time professor, you can bet that it’ll take far more than a doctorate to actually get you there. Why is this? The reality is that many jobs that require applicants to have an advanced degree also expect them to have ample experience (e.g., internships) and/or a prominent professional presence (e.g., academic publications). These high expectations for candidates are mainly due to how competitive certain jobs have become in recent years. In short, be sure to weigh the pros and cons of attending grad school for the communications career you’re considering pursuing. Should You Be a Communications Major? Key Takeaways Communications is one of the broadest majors out there, letting students study tons of skills and pursue an array of careers. In general, a communications major is the study of communicating, interpreting, and analyzing different types of information. Most colleges that have a communications major offer specific concentrations or subfields for students to select from as part of their communications degree; these often include themes such as visual communication, political communication, and media. Communications majors can choose from many career paths and fields, from public relations and advertising to graphic design and translation. Job outlooks can vary significantly depending on the field, so it’s important to keep this factor into consideration as you decide which concentration you want to do for your communications major. Finally, in order to determine whether a communications degree is right for you, ask yourself the following three questions: Do you have a passion for communicating with others? Do you have a specific field or concentration in mind? Are you OK with getting an advanced degree if necessary? No matter what you decide to major in, know that a communications major is a great choice for many students- and you might just be one of them! What’s Next? Considering studying journalism or graphic design in college? Then take a look at our lists of the best journalism schools and the best graphic design schools in the US! Struggling to figure out what you should major in? Check out our five expert tips to help you select the best college major based on your interests and goals. If you're looking for a low-key major, we also have a guide to the easiest majors for your bachelor's degree here. Do you love to communicate in foreign languages, or hope to be able to do so one day? Then you'll definitely want to read my guide on why you should consider majoring in a foreign language. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Opinion Writing (Intellectual Property Law) Essay

Opinion Writing (Intellectual Property Law) - Essay Example rge companies often operate in order to entertain needs and wants of elite social class because of its higher buying power whereas, smaller competitors work in order to cater consumerism of middle and lower classes of the community. 6. The first one has its eyes fixed on construction industry whereas, the second one is producing toys for kids and any reasonable man is going to ask how can Loge overcome Clinker’s market share or hurt its brand image because they are not targeting construction managers to buy their products. 7. In simple terms, it is madness to consider Loge as a competitor for Clinker. The court of law will presumably say that Loge has no apparent intention to hurt Clinker and if they want to then they cannot do that because of lack of resources and relevant market strategy. 8. More clearly, Loge has no distant plan to enter construction industry and on the other hand, Clinker has no plans to produce toys for kids in future and when they develop such strategic outlines then they are most welcome to fight the legal battle out until then they should remain at peace with each other. Clinker will be advantageous by not firing the weapon on Loge and that benefit will be discussed at a later stage of the paper. 2. The Clinker can also send the company a legal notice threatening it about legal action if they do not remove their logo which is using Clinker’s registered items such as the Grey Background Color and Bricks. 3. However, the case can be filed under Section 8 of American Constitution. However, the application of the law is going to be problematic at best because it is only commonsense not to consider Clinker and Loge as competitors because the law states that competitors cannot have the right to copy each others’ colors and logos as it will cause them to eat away brand image and market share. 4. The case will not stand on solid logical grounds in the court of law whereas, the Loge will most probably walk away with the logo and both the

Different aspects of domestic violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Different aspects of domestic violence - Essay Example It is this definition that has been the basis of evolution for policing policies as applied to domestic violence. The trend in policing today is for the police department to compose of a triage. For example, in many police departments across the United States, when an officer responds to a domestic violence call, he/she may contact the dispatcher, who will call the Crisis Center for Women 24-hour hot line. Then the Crisis Center sends a response van to the scene and will transport the victim and children to the Center's shelter. The Center will also provide transportation to court appearances and provide court advocacy. This on-scene response is available for all situations, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After the on-scene response is complete, the case is turned over to the domestic violence unit, which consists of two full-time investigators who handle all incoming cases. Defenders of mandatory arrest and prosecution policies contend that battered women are too helpless and fearful to make appropriate decisions about the arrest or prosecution of their attackers. While this may be true for some women, preliminary evidence shows that the option to decide sometimes provides the perfect avenue for expressing unrealized strength and power. Accordingly, it is premature to judge whether the mandatory rule is actually working. A great deal of the responsibility for preparing for and responding to terrorist events rests with local police departments. Community policing presents an overarching philosophical orientation that agencies can use to better deal with the threat of terrorist events and the fear that they may create. The community policing philosophy can be roughly divided into three interrelated elements: organizational change, problem solving, and external partnerships. Each element applies to the issues of terrorism prevention and response, as well as to fear. Since 9/11, the federal government has greatly increased terrorism prevention and response efforts. However, a large degree of responsibility for dealing with these threats and for alleviating citizen fear rests at the local level. To some degree, the majority of local police departments in the United States have worked to reduce the fear of future terrorist attacks and to prevent and plan for attacks. Law enforcement officials are strategi cally rethinking public security procedures and practices to maximize the potential of their resources. The philosophy of community policing is important for police in preparing for possible terrorist acts and in responding to the fear they may create. Community policing involves broadening the nature and number of police functions compared to traditional policing models. It emphasizes organizational change, active problem solving, and external partnerships to address issues that concern both the police and citizens. In recent years, the philosophy of community policing appears to have been adopted to differing degrees by a large number of law enforcement entities in the United St