Democracy Essay

In its simplest term, democracy literally means the rule of the people. It came from the Greek word â€Å"demos† which means people and â€Å"kratos† which means rule. (â€Å"Democracy†) The term democracy was first coined in Ancient Greece. Democracy in Greece was understood to mean the selection of ordinary citizens to government office and courts and the assembly of all the citizens. Through the years, however, democracy as a form of government has evolved into a complex form of government. Despite the changes the concept has undergone, it still espouses the principles of popular sovereignty, political equality, popular consultation and the majority rule. (Austin Ranney, 1995) This essay is concerned with presidential democracy as a form of government. I aim to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the presidential system. In the concluding part, I will take a stand on this issue. The Advantages of Presidential System It is the essence of every presidential democracy that the three main powers of government are constitutionally divided into thee different departments. Read more: How does big states vs small states guard against tyranny essay The three departments are: a) the legislative branch; b) executive branch; and c) judicial branch. The legislative branch has the power to propose, enact, amend and repeal the law. The executive branch has the power to execute the law. The judiciary has the power to interpret the law. The doctrine of concentration of powers is intended to prevent a concentration of authority in one person or group of persons that might lead to an error or abuse to the prejudice of the whole state. It is believed that any concentration of powers in a single branch is tyrannical and only true separation of powers will protect the liberties of the people against the aggressions of government. (Austin Ranney, p. 240) Moreover, the essence of presidential democracy does not only lie in the constitutional separation of powers but it also lies in the system of checks and balances. The separation of powers in the three branches of government is not synonymous to isolation. In the words of Justice Frankfurter in the case of Connally v. Scudder (160 N.  E. 655), he states that while it is desirable that thee be a certain degree of independence among the several constitutional agencies, it is not in the public interest for them to deal with each other at arm’s length or with a hostile jealousy of their respective rights as this might result in frustration of the common objectives of the government. This means that in reality, these three departments actually share their powers for the purpose of establishing a system by which one department could resist encroachment made by another department. Although there is a separation of powers in a democracy, one department is given the prerogative to check whether another department is exceeding its power and prerogative. For example: the Executive department has the constitutional prerogative to check the power of the Legislative branch to make laws by exercising its veto power. This means that the president of a country has the power not to sign into law or veto a particular bill passed by the legislative branch if the president, thinks that the law is not proper e. g. f the law is not timely. The same is true for the legislative branch of government which has the constitutional prerogative to check on the powers of the president by means of the procedure known as impeachment. The same is true with the President who has the constitutional prerogative to check on the functions of the Judiciary. For example, the president has the power to grant amnesty and pardon to those already convicted and have undergone the process in the judiciary. Another essence of democracy lies in the Rule of Majority. This is best manifested in the process known as election by which the people, in accordance with the principle of popular sovereignty, have the power to choose which among the candidates will govern them for a limited period of time. Disadvantage of Presidential System Though the presidential system may have its advantages, one main objection to this system is the delays caused by too much political conflict and gridlock between the President, Senate and the House of Representatives. Several times in the past that needed legislations have been delayed and blocked because of the political bickering that is always inherent in a Presidential system. It must be stressed that laws are passed to address the concerns of the people. If the passage of laws will be delayed because of the disagreements between the executive and the legislative then the people are the ones who will suffer. Conclusion The democracy is adopted by many countries including the United States. I think presidential democracy is better than the other forms of government. Though it has also its weakness, it is only in a democracy where there is a better balance between the powers of the government and the right of the people. It is this balance that ensures that those in the government will not abuse their powers that the constitution has granted to them. It is also this balance that ensures that the people will not abuse their sovereignty. The fusion of the two essential powers of government such as the power to execute laws and to make and amend laws in the hands of a single person will expose the whole state and the citizenry to the possibility that those in power will abuse their position.

Lower division capstone IP 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lower division capstone IP 2 - Essay Example tput of every industry and then takes away the intermediate inputs coming from other industries in order to come up with the residual value-added (Wells & Krugman, 2009). The income approach calculates the income gained by the several factors of production (Wells & Krugman, 2009). The last method is called the expenditures approach, which displays what is going on in all different types of spending all over the economy. This method is normally done every year (Wells & Krugman, 2009). While GDP can be determined in three different ways, the total value of the production, income and expenditure must be identical for all of these methods. In the case of the United States economy, the history of its GDP growth rate reveals erratic trends of highs and lows, particularly during the advent of the 2008 financial crisis and onwards. Based on the data gathered by Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), in 2011, the GDP growth rate has been observed to rise by 0.8% from its first two quarters of the year with a 2011 GDP of 2.5%. This data is an indicator of the growing potential of the United States despite the financial crisis in 2010 and the automobile industry crisis that cropped up recently. Additionally, in 2013, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the United States economy gained a GDP of 3.2% in the final quarter of 2013 (BEA, 2013). This expansion has been attributed to several aspects of its economy. The United States has one of the most varied and most technologically advanced economies in the world. It embraces the industries of banking and finance, real estate, healthcare automobile, education, social assistance among ot hers, which contributes to more than 40 per cent of the United States’ GDP. The retail and wholesale industries also contribute to the 12 percent of the country’s GDP. As a leading center for all these services, the United States GDP growth rate is expected to growth in the succeeding years. Comparatively, between 2008, in which the global economic

How does the internet affect the international strategy Use Porter's 5 Essay

How does the internet affect the international strategy Use Porter's 5 Forces and tell how internet shape and change the busine - Essay Example Most companies in the modern business environment have executed some or the other form of Internet machinery into their business operations. While some enterprises faced a major conversion when emerging into an e-business function, others may have enjoyed an edge of this technology before the use of the Internet became pervasive to the present extent. (Kotler, 1997; Rainer, 2009) Internet creates economic value for business either by creating new industries such as online auctions and digital marketplaces, or by reconfiguring existing industries through reduced communication costs, easier transactions and faster information dissemination. Though catalogue retailers and toll free numbers have been always there, the internet provides a more efficient mode to order products and services. For instance, distance learning has been prevalent in the education sector for decades with almost a million students enrolling annually for various correspondence courses. But a modified and improvised version of distance learning is E-College. It is a full-service provider that works in collaboration with many universities and publishes their courses over the internet and operates the delivery network for a fee. The profitability of a business is influenced by the internet based on two main factors- industry structure and competitive advantage. While the former determines the profitability of an average competitor, the latter imparts the capacity to outperform an average competitor. (Castells, 2003; Chadwick, 2009) In today’s rapid pace of technological change in business environment, industrial analysis becomes all the more important. The structural attractiveness of an industry, whether old or new, is governed by five forces of competition. These forces, alternately known as Porter’s Five Forces, are existing rivalry among competitors, threat of substitutes, barriers to new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers and bargaining power of buyers. Though the nature of the five forces varies across industries, the profitability of an enterprise still depends of these. Due to the variable nature of the five forces, it is difficult to draw any general conclusion about the impact of the internet o business environment. But some dominant trends can be inferred through an inspection of a wide range of industries where the internet plays a vital role. Most of the industries show a positive trend owing to the expansion of markets, improved position compared to rivals and new channels to reach out to customers. (Porter, 1979; 2008; Karagiannopoulos, 2005) However some negative impacts of internet on businesses have also been in picture. It enables the buyers to have an easy access to information about products and services, thus strengthening their bargaining power. It helps in growth of new substitutes due to birth of new approaches to meets costumers’ needs. By reducing the need for an established sales force or affiliation to existing channel s, it removes barriers to entry. It dissolves geographical borders and expands the geographical market, bringing more companies into competition with each other. The increase in fixed costs, accompanying the favourable decline in variable costs, leads to the promotion of destructive price competition amongst the existing industry rivals. (Seybold, 1998; Angell, 1994) The inherent paradox is that the benefits offered by the internet expand the market through reduced operational costs, enhanced

Rogue Waves Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rogue Waves - Essay Example However, author critiques this factor as "rather unrealistic". Second factor is temporal-spatial focusing which is the result of applying dispersion to a wave group with chirped spatial distribution of frequencies. Author notes that this mechanism can work for the "forced" wavetrains only which can not develop spontaneously. Finally, third factor is nonlinear focusing which produces solitons and so-called breathers as model representations of rogue waves. About real mechanisms of the rogue waves forming in the open ocean, author concludes that 'nobody knows the answer to these questions yet.' My Comments: This paper shows that there are some fields for researches with no direct and clear answers. Real mechanism of the rogue waves forming in the open ocean is yet unknown. Existing mathematical models for explanation of these phenomena are refined but not realistic. Indeed, considered mechanisms for the wave energy focusing are operable only for narrow sets of cases or for unnatural conditions. Details of mathematical notations (especially in Appendix) were not clear for me. Article Summary: This is short but comprehensive introduction to the freak/rogue waves phenomenon. It contains well adjusted set of facts and ideas about rogue waves, namely: informal definition, brief history of observations with examples, discussion about causes of its origin, typical values of the break forces, sea conditions that may create (or accompany) freak waves, etc. There are no formulae at all. This article serves as global pattern for the rogue waves problem whereas numerous articles concentrate upon mathematical details and minor features of this phenomenon. My Comments: As for me, this is one of the best articles about rogue waves. Some facts are just amazing. For example, cases from the article show that freak waves greater than 25 meters in height are real and much more common than expected. Obviously, this phenomenon is far beyond so-called linear model. Than, actual causes and mechanisms of rogue waves are unknown (cf. previous article). Here, unpredictable freak waves are real miracles of the Nature, not mirages. It is important to distinguish freak waves and tsunamis. Then, article contains tremendous facts about the force of a breaking freak wave. It is about 100 MT/m2 for a 12-meter rogue wave which is much more than for wave in linear model. Article reading was easy and fascinating. Article is highly recommended for any scholar at the beginning stage of studying this phenomenon. Source: Proceedings of Rogue Waves 2004 Conference, Brest, France - October 2004. Off the Internet at: http://www.ifremer.fr/web-com/stw2004/rw/fullpapers/haver.pdf Article Name: Freak waves: a suggested definition and possible consequences for marine structures.

Analysis of the Impact of the Macro Environment on the Pharmaceutical Assignment

Analysis of the Impact of the Macro Environment on the Pharmaceutical Industry - Assignment Example â€Å"Changing market forces and growing public expectations† (Wilson, 2000, p.12) have added business ethics to the mix. The external environment includes both competitive and industry factors. Interestingly, Johnson et al (2008) expect all competitors to be within the same industry when this might not be the case. Equally, not all industry players compete in the same markets. Thus the diagram reflects the less-than-tidy reality of players who exist within any industry, yet compete across industry boundaries and within different competitive environments, falling outside the rational approach to strategy. The underlying factor is the organization’s ability to control the external environment. An organization has influence in the competitive arena, using marketing tools to influence others, but no control over the macro (PESTEL/STEEPLE) factors and must react to changes when they happen. Strategy traditionally focused on rational future planning, what Whittington (2001) calls â€Å"classical† and Mintzberg and Waters (1985), â€Å"deliberate† strategy. But the effects of changing macro factors fall within Whittington’s (2001) â€Å"systemic† and Mintzberg and Waters’ (1985) â€Å"emergent† strategy as such changes cannot be predicted and consequently would not feature in any strategic planning. In analyzing the external environment, de Kluyver and Pearce (2009 p.59) use global tectonics, defined as â€Å"the process by which developing trends in technology, nature, and society† change the external environment. Three tectonics are identified:

Total reward system proposal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Total reward system proposal - Coursework Example to the overview provided above, it is clear that Rational Holidays will only be capable of meeting its HR needs if it adequately accomplishes a number of crucial elements. According to WorldatWork (2007), the primary aims of a TR strategy are to communicate a unique value proposition that sufficiently meets the needs of current and potential employees in order to minimize unnecessary employee turnover. Secondly, the strategy aims to offer a framework for the design, administration and communication of rewards programs by employers. To achieve these objectives, Rational Holidays must conceive a suitable strategy involving the various elements: The first element is to lay out the company’s strategies. In other words, the firm must first articulate its core values together with its business strategies. Particularly, the firm must spell out how the proposed strategy will ensure that the business needs as well as aims are met. In addition to this, the company will need to stipulate exact timelines when goals are set to be achieved. The second vital element that be encompassed in the TR strategy is the statement of the firm’s overall objectives. It is well-known that multinational companies operate in an environment that is highly diverse, from a number of perspectives. Apart from the diverse legal requirements involved, multinationals have to respond to different customer needs, just the same way that it has to deal with the demands and conflicting opinions of numerous shareholders. As a result, the TR strategy for Rational Holidays will need to include distinctive statements that outline how the system will uphold these diverse needs. To accomplish this, the approach will need to clearly delineate the roles that will be played by every reward element. The third element is prominence. Every TR strategy ought to give a general description of the superiority of compensation rewards over other tools with an impact on actions as well as decisions. To achieve this

Psycological study of sleep depravation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Psycological study of sleep depravation - Essay Example These include restoration of physiological function, energy conservation and facilitation of the healing process (Dotto, 1996). Adequate sleep is thus required for all these purposes. Moreover, studies have elucidated that in addition to adequacy of sleep, the quality of sleep acquired also has major bearing on one's functioning. This fact is emphasized by Dr. Carlyle Smith, professor of psychology at Trent University in the following words: "Whether you're studying for university exams, memorizing the script of a play, learning to drive a car or training intensively for an athletic competition, your performance can be affected not only by how much sleep you have had, but also by what type of sleep you got and when you got it (Dotto, 1996)." Sleep disturbances are fairly common in today's society and with the pressing demands of work, education, etc and the ever-increasing time constraints, sleep deprivation is inevitable and studies have shown a 20% sleep reduction amongst Americans over the past century (Colten & Altevogt, 2006). Sleep deprivation and sleep related problems have been found in an alarmingly high number of people and some studies suggest figures as high as 50 to 70 million amongst Americans (Colten & Altevogt, 2006). ... The degree of sleep deprivation has been shown to vary according to different factors such as one's age, occupation, lifestyle, etc. Sleep related issues are most common amongst teenagers, women and adults who are aged greater than fifty years (Virginia Mason Medical Center, 2009). Almost one third of the young adults have been found to be insomniac (Bonnet & Arand, 1995) and almost 58million Americans have been shown to suffer from symptoms of excessive sleepiness throughout the day which impairs their social and functional capacities (Virginia Mason Medical Center, 2009). These figures reflect the gravity of the situation from a public health perspective. The magnitude of the burden of this disorder can also be judged from the exorbitant medical costs, both direct and indirect, which can be attributed to this disorder. Some studies report the costs associated with sleep deprivation and its hazardous consequences to be as high as 56 billion dollars per year (Bonnet & Arand, 1995). The duration of sleep varies within and amongst populations and hence it is difficult to determine the level of sleep which can be defined as adequate. Various studies have concluded that individuals require a minimum of eight hours of sleep per day (Bonnet & Arand, 1995) and recent estimates show that amongst adults, the average number of hours spent sleeping is six hours and 57 minutes which considerably less than that termed as adequate (Virginia Mason Medical Center, 2009). However, these values vary from individual to individual. Thus it becomes relevant to assess the sleep need on an individual basis. This is achieved by letting the individual go to bed in