Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man Essay Example

Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man Essay In line with the doctrine of separation of powers, which is a cardinal feature of a democratic system, the Nigerian Constitution guarantees the independence of the Judiciary. The doctrine of seperation of power was introduced by French political philosopher, Baron de Montesquieu in order to protect the people from dictatorship or authoritarianism. Under this arrangement, three branches of goverment were formed: the executive, legislature and judiciary. The legislature is responsible for making laws, the executive implements while the judiciary interpretes the laws. It was Madisons system of Checks and Balances that would keep the three in check. No one branch would be able to exploit its power without the scrutiny of one of the other branches. Montesquieu did specify that the independence of the judiciary has to be real, and not apparent merely. The judiciary was generally seen as the most important of powers, independent and unchecked, and also considered the least dangerous. That the judiciary all over the world is regarded as the last hope of the common man needs not be over-emphasised. This is why stakeholders in the justice sector often refer to it as a strong fortress, standing sure and strong, providing succour and shelter for the defenceless and vulnerable of the society; a safe haven where the oppressed, the injured, the dismayed, the upstanding, the expectant, indeed the whole society, looks up to for succour, protection and justice. But in Nigeria today, many see this statement, not only as literary expression, but as a cliche that is fast becoming a mirage to the common man because of the multitude of problems plaguing this hallowed instituton. We will write a custom essay sample on Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nigerian Judiciary and the defence of the common man specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A well functional judiciary is a central element of the civil society. It is the sole adjudicator over the political, social and economic spheres. But despite the encomiums the Nigerian judiciary has received in recent time, the justice sector has practically collapsed under the weight of abject neglect by past administrations. The sector is slow in dispensing justice. Laws are archaic and antiquated, court infrastructures are obsolete and the prisons are over-crowded resulting in the collapsed of civil and criminal justice system. The Nigerian judiciary has come a long way since its establishment during the colonial era. The Nigerian legal system has had a lot of influence from English law on its growth. According to Obilade (1979), English law has a tremendous influence on the Nigerian legal system, and English law forms a substantial part of Nigerian law. Both the suspended 1979 constitution and the never implemented 1989 constitutions, as well as the new constitution promulgated on May 29, 1999 provide for an independent judiciary. In practice, the judiciary is subject to executive and legislative branch pressure, influence by political leaders at both the state and federal levels, and suffers from corruption and inefficiency. Under the 1999 constitution, the regular court system comprises federal and state trial courts, state appeals courts, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Supreme Court, and Shariah (Islamic) and customary (traditional) courts of appeal for each state and for the federal capital territory of Abuja. Courts of the first instance include magistrate or district courts, customary or traditional courts, Shariah courts, and for some specified cases, the state high courts. In principle, customary and Shariah courts have jurisdiction only if both plaintiff and defendant agree, but fear of legal costs, delays, and distance to alternative venues encourage many litigants to choose these courts. Trials in the regular court system are public and generally respect constitutionally protected individual rights, including a presumption of innocence, the right to be present, to confront witnesses, to present evidence, and to be represented by legal counsel. However, low compensation for judges, understaffing, poor equipment, bribery, special settlements, and a host of developmental factors decrease the reliability and impartiality of the courts. The Nigerian judiciary has indeed come a long way and has evolved over the years from the 1st republic through the various military interventions to the present 5th republic. The judiciary has not been immune to the turbulent and capricious changes in leadership. Nigerias chequerd political and social evolution has indeed taken its toll on this indispensable institution of Government. Our prolonged romance with military regimes has unarguably wrecked the greatest havoc on the judiciary. The military regimes, notorious for their trademark of arbitrariness, authoritarianism and contempt for the rule of law did not regard the judiciary as an arm of government. Instead, these corrupt and unconscionable military regimes with intimidation and inducements manipulated the judiciary and effectively debased this institution. The decay of the Nigerian judiciary can therefore be traced to the military era. The soldiers always suspend the constitution when they come to power and enact decrees that guide their actions. Intimidation, extra judicial killings and assasination of dissenters which is usually the hallmark of military government all contributed to the castration and destruction of the judiciary. The massive corruption that takes place under military regime also lures some unscrupulous and rapacious judicial officers who make themselves stooges in the hands of the evil men in power just for a share of the filthy lucre. So, the military rule has had a particularly corrosive effect on the judiciary. As Justice Agboola recently put it: The aberration of military regimes dealt a dangerous blow to law because military regimes engendered lawlessness. You cannot have law when sombody is above the law. Law must be supreme. Nigeria, as a country has not lived up to the expectations of her founders in terms of overall development in different aspects of life. Nigeria is still bedevilled by various problems which has successfully impeded our adancement as a nation. Corruption is generally regarded as the bane of this country. Corrution at the different levels of government in different institutions has curtailed development in all critical sectors. Basic amenities like steady electricity, water and good roads are still beyond the reach of the citizenry. Free and fair elections have eluded us and power is still in the hands of a few privileged elite class who continue to manipulate the electoral process to install their stooges to continue the cycle of self enrichment and political aggrandizement. Corruption is indeed endemic in Nigeria; it is a way of life and in this situation, one would be stretching optimism to its greatest boundaries to expect the judiciary to be above board. With the pervasve and chronic corruption in this country and its evil offsprings: opportunism, nepotism, incompetence and mediocrity, no institution of government is wholly functional and efficient. Corrution has infiltrated all institutions and parastatals and even our learned judges are not immune. In a corrupt system like ours, meritocracy and competence are substituted with mediocrity and incompetence. A corrupt system throws up unscrupulous and incompetent individuals who are bereft of selflessness and patriotism. These individuals are greeedy and selfish, and are susceptible to financial inducements and gratifications. In such an unfortunate scenario, justice becomes a product which is sold to the highest bidders. The comon man, who do not have the finacial muscle to buy judicial favors or manipulate the process is left with the short end of the stick. In such an ill-concieved system, there certainly can be no justice for the commin man. The return of Nigeria to democatic rule was heralded by great joy and overflowing optimism. The Nigerian masses were full of hope that the years of suffering, poverty and injustice were over. The newly sworn in administration made mouth watering promises. We were told that our decaying infrastrucures will be revamped, that the educational and health system will be refurbished and upgraded, that there will be masive industrialization which will create jobs for the swarm of unemployed youths. The new government also promised to address the numerous human rights abuses of the autocratic military regimes and to respect the rule of law. Nigerians gullibly swallowed all the lofty promises and with high hopes, prepared themselves for the ride to the promised land. Alas, the implementation of the sweet promises proved not to only be an ardous task, but an impossible one. The first indication that the status quo was not about to change in the judicial system was the failure of the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa panel which was set up to investigate and resolve cases of human rights abuse during the military era. Victims attended the hearings and passionately presented their cases. But the various individuals, especially the ex military rulers indicted, snubbed the panel and refused to answer the summons. The government did nothing to make these people respect the panel which really undermined the credibility of the panel. Obviously, the hands of the government was tied because some of the indicted individuals bankrolled the campaign of the sitting president. At the end of the hearings, the renowned Justice Oputa and his colleagues made recommendations to the government which it contemptuously ignored and failed to implement till this day. Another case that comes to mind is that of the Apo 6 victims. These were 5 young men and a lady who were brutally murdered in cold blood on 7th june,2005 on the orders of a ruthless senior poice officer, Assistant commissioner of police Ibrahim Danjuma. At the time, the case generated much controversy and outrage. The police officers tried to lie by labelling the innocent victims armed robbers. These accusations were unanimously rejected by people who knew these young men as honest men engaged in legitimate business. Owing to the furore generated by the massacre, the federal government under former president Olusegun Obasanjo set up a judicial panel of inquiry which investigated the circumstances leading to the death of the victims. The panel rejected the police accusations and indicted the policemen for the gruesome murder of the innocent citizens. The federal government apologized to the families of the victims and gave them monetary compensation. The case was then transferred to court for the prosecution of the indicted police officers. One would expect that given the international attention attracted by the case and the intense media scrutiny, that the federal government would spare no efforts to ensure a expeditious and sound trial. Unfortunately, that was not the case, a year and two months after this welter of incontrovertible evidence was gathered, two of the accused, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Danjuma and Police Constable Emmanuel Acheneje were granted bail by Justice Isaq Bello of Abuja High Court. That was on Wednesday, August 2, 2006. The two were admitted to bail on medical ground. While Danjuma was said to be suffering from diabetes, ulcer and heart problem, Acheneje was said to have contracted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and in the Justices opinion, granting Bello bail would enable him seek adequate medical treatment while that of Acheneje was predicated on the excuse that he could afflict other inmates with other ailments, which come with HIV/AIDS. And you would have thought that if for any reason whatsoever, such a man standing trial for so dreadful a crime was to be granted bail, the conditions would be so stringent, particularly bearing in mind that Danjuma had made several attempts in the past to escape from detention and also the fact that one of the principal suspects, Othman Abdulsalam, the DPO of Garki Police Station at the time the crime was committed escaped from the police detention facility and is still on the run. The case narrated above is just one of numerous cases in which average citizens are denied justice and the privileged are allowed to commit crimes with impunity. I am sure that there are cases that are far worse than this, but this one happened to come to limelight. The situation in Nigeria today is that the ordinary man has lost hope in the Nigerian judicial system. The problems are numerous and apart from corrruption, which is clearly at the root of all problems in this country, the system is run by unpatriotic and mediocre people. Approximately seventy percent of the inmates in all the prisons in this country are awaiting trial. The judicial process is so tardy and sluggish in this country that some people serve out the term of their alleged crimes before the completion of their trials. The case is even worse for poor people who may not be able to afford legal representation. The Nigerian prison system is a mess and the conditions in most of them are worse than that in Hitlers concentration camps. The police have no respect for the rule of law and ordinary citizens are sometimes treated like animals. Sometimes, people arrested for various crimes are held in police detention for extensive periods of time without reference to the stipulations of the law book for the maximum period people can be detained without trial. The police force being one of the most corrupt institutions in this country also exploits the masses blatantly by charging outrageous fees for bail and demanding financial inducements from the weak and desperate. Most analysts and stakeholders have concluded that unnecessary and frequent delays experienced in judicial proceedings have great adverse effects on the administration of justice in Nigeria. This situation is brought about by the congestion of cases in the courts as well as unnecessary adjournments sought by counsels in both civil and criminal proceedings. Recently, eminent jurist, Justice Chukwufudi Oputa, (JSC) identified delay and huge expense as twin weaknesses of Nigerias justice system. Justice Oputa said: The administration of the justice in our courts suffers from two major constraints, namely delay and expense. If it takes seven to ten years to decide a case, prospective litigants may decided not to go to court at all. But the one thing that frightens prospective litigants from the court is the inordinate expense which has to be incurred with the result that a very large proportion of our countrymen are as it were, priced out of our legal system. The present administration of President Umaru go slow Yaradua which made lofty promises of respecting the rule of law has failed to live up to expectations. There has been no reforms designed nor implemented in this institution and the status quo has been maintained. The rich are still sheltered from justice and there are still cases of judicial witch hunt. This is evidenced by the shabby handling by the EFCC of the prosecution of the corrupt ex-governors like James Ibori. The Federal government if anything has gone out of its way to protect these corrupt politicians fro the hands of justice. We all watched with shame as the Attorney general succesfully frustrated the prosecution of Ibori and his accomplices by the United kingdom. such a macabre dance can only make credible nations to scoff at the governments anti-corruption battle and further distance themselves from this cursed land. It is well known that there are two sets of rules in this country,one for the poor and another for the rich and privileged. The only area in our judicial system where we have recorded marginal success is in the election petition tribunals although it can be argued that this does not directly apply to the common man, because in most cases,the litigators are affluent members of the society. Nevertheless, this piece cannot be complete without mentioning the landmark judgements that has come out of the election tribunals in recent times. The success of Gov peter Obi at the electoral tribunals and his subsequent reinstatement by the supreme court is worthy of mention. Also, the victory of Adams Oshiomole was also remarkable given the fact that he was clearly elected on a popular mandate. Some other noteworthy judgements were bastardized by the sleazy and stinking INEC, Nigerians corrupt electoral body notorious for being an appendage of the ruling peoples democratic party. This is evidenced by the cases in Kogi,Enugu and most recently, Ekiti where the gubernatorial elections were upturned only for the shameless electoral umpire to reenact the same electoral sham. Lately, Nigeria once again made mockery of itself in the international community following the mayhem that occured in some northern states during the crash of the radical islamic sect, Boko harem with security agencies. The leader of the sect was captured and killed in police custody igniting widespread international condemnation. It is indeed, very unfortunate and distressing that in the year 2009, when less endowed countries are making progress and undergoing widespread advancement, Nigeria is still indulging in extrajudicial killing. No matter the magnitude of the crime committed, every individual is entitled to fair hearing. All accused remain innocent until convicted by a legitimate court of law. This is a basic knowlege and for the police force to disregard that shows that we still have a very long wy to go as a country. In conclusion, the fate of the common man in the hands of the Nigerian judiciary is bleak and forlorn. Infact, there is no justice for the common man in our present judicial system. The judicial system needs to be completely overhauled for it to function in line with international standards. Of course, reforming the judicial system cannot be effective without overhauling the police force which is in an even worse shape. We have to purge this country of corruption for us to make any tangible progress in this regard. We need responsible, honest and committed leadership and only a credible electoral process can produce that. Only a responsible and selfless government can implement people-oriented reforms which will impact on the various institutions in this country including the judiciary so that they can function in line with the prevailing standards in developed countries. Till then, the fate of the common man in this country remains in Gods hands.

Free Essays on Vocational Education

Since the early 1990's vocational education and training in schools has become progressively established and now accounts for a significant number of Year 11 and 12 students. While most of the effort has been in developing programs that fit within the curriculum and assessment framework provided by State Boards of Study and Accrediting Agencies, a new direction has been fostered by the policy initiative of the Commonwealth under the New Apprenticeships banner. At the heart of this is the notion of accredited, part-time, paid training being undertaken during the final years of senior schooling. This has generated both skepticism and approval, has in some ways re-ignited the debate over general versus vocational education, and might inexorably be changing the face of post-compulsory education. The rationale for extending traineeships and apprenticeships into senior schooling revolves around improving the access of young people to training and employment. Against a national decline in the uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships for 15-19 year olds to 55% in 1996 (see MacDonald 1998, p 29), and a significant decline in employment opportunities for the same cohort, the New Apprenticeships policy initiative seeks to both expand the number of places and to increase the range of industries offering training. By making the system less complex, it is expected that New Apprenticeships will be better understood and hence be more likely to be used by industry. By making entry-level training available as part of senior schooling, it is anticipated that training and employment opportunities will be increased, school-based learning will be more attuned to industry needs and industry will better understand the potential benefits of working with them. Despite extensive marketing of New Apprenticeships the uptake, in terms of numbers of current senior secondary students engaged in school-based or part-time programs is comparatively low. It is estimat... Free Essays on Vocational Education Free Essays on Vocational Education Since the early 1990's vocational education and training in schools has become progressively established and now accounts for a significant number of Year 11 and 12 students. While most of the effort has been in developing programs that fit within the curriculum and assessment framework provided by State Boards of Study and Accrediting Agencies, a new direction has been fostered by the policy initiative of the Commonwealth under the New Apprenticeships banner. At the heart of this is the notion of accredited, part-time, paid training being undertaken during the final years of senior schooling. This has generated both skepticism and approval, has in some ways re-ignited the debate over general versus vocational education, and might inexorably be changing the face of post-compulsory education. The rationale for extending traineeships and apprenticeships into senior schooling revolves around improving the access of young people to training and employment. Against a national decline in the uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships for 15-19 year olds to 55% in 1996 (see MacDonald 1998, p 29), and a significant decline in employment opportunities for the same cohort, the New Apprenticeships policy initiative seeks to both expand the number of places and to increase the range of industries offering training. By making the system less complex, it is expected that New Apprenticeships will be better understood and hence be more likely to be used by industry. By making entry-level training available as part of senior schooling, it is anticipated that training and employment opportunities will be increased, school-based learning will be more attuned to industry needs and industry will better understand the potential benefits of working with them. Despite extensive marketing of New Apprenticeships the uptake, in terms of numbers of current senior secondary students engaged in school-based or part-time programs is comparatively low. It is estimat...

Jury-rigged vs. Jerry-rigged

Jury-rigged vs. Jerry-rigged Jury-rigged vs. Jerry-rigged Jury-rigged vs. Jerry-rigged By Maeve Maddox A reader asks to know the difference between jury-rigged and jerry-rigged. Of the two, the older term is jury-rigged, a nautical term dating from the days of sail. Because they were often damaged in storms, sailing ships carried a spare mast called the jury-mast. Apart from scholarly speculation, the etymology of jury in this context is unknown. The jury-mast was like a spare tire, to be used only in an emergency and replaced by the real thing as soon as possible. The adjective jury-rigged came to be applied to anything intended to be of temporary use. Here are some examples of the term in current usage: Andrew Gill, had coolly waited for the weather to calm down after his vessel lost its mast and communications equipment in rough weather, and then jury-rigged a sail to get him to his destination.- SailWorld, 2012 Despite great hardship caused by limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of potable water, and the critical need to  jury-rig  the carbon dioxide removal system, the crew returned safely to  Earth  on April 17.- Princeton University site. A second expression that is earlier than jerry-rigged is jerry-built. As with the jury in jury-rigged, the origin of the jerry in jerry-built remains a mystery. First (1881) came the term jerry-builder: It is unfortunately too often the habit of builders- or rather jerry builders- to use the worst possible description of bricks. A jerry-builder was a contractor who put up shoddy houses for a quick sale. The first citation for the adjective jerry-built to describe shoddily built houses is dated 1869. Here are two recent examples of the use of jerry-built: In their need for access to varied sources of employment and cheap housing, immigrants were restricted to decaying or jerry-built housing.- The American Landscape, Stephen F. Mills, Routledge, 2013   Central to nearly all the semi-abstract paintings in â€Å"With a Tug and a Hold† are what appear to be architectural structures, or fragments of the built environment: a jerry-built wood shack here, a bit of metal scaffolding there.- The Washington Post, 2012. â€Å"Jerry-rigged† conflates â€Å"jury-rigged† with â€Å"jerry-built.† In American usage, jerry-rigged refers to something devised or repaired with materials at hand. Here are some examples: Our presentation was jerry-rigged because we hadn’t been able to get the software to work correctly in time.- The Accidental Millionaire, Gary Fong, BenBella Books, 2009. With the Afghan army also lagging in explosives experts, its members often resort to jerry-rigged tactics to locate and defuse IEDs, officials say.- The Washington Post, 2014 It was the very definition of jerry-rigged: She’d cut some slits in the back of a gel skin phone cover that would serve as credit card slots, taped a piece of cardboard on as a makeshift cover, and added a string to form a wristlet.- Huffington Post, 2014 Frustratingly, in this case, my attempt to use my iPad as a jerry-rigged solution has actually  created  problems I didn’t have before.  - MIT Technology Review, 2012. Although not in either the OED or Merriam-Webster, the verb to Macgyver is used with a similar meaning by some speakers: to Macgyver: to invent useful devices from ordinary materials. A device or mechanical solution created by Macgyvering is a Macgyverism. The words derive from the name of Angus MacGyver, a television character noted for his ability to resolve dangerous problems by non-violent means. Instead of a gun, this hero carries duct tape and a Swiss Army knife. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Slang Terms for Money35 Genres and Other Varieties of Fiction30 Words for Small Amounts

Financial Report and Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Report and Analysis - Research Paper Example In 2012, it was ranked as the 2nd largest firm in terms of number of employees around which are around 435,000 globally, the 4th biggest firm in terms of market capitalization, the 9th most profitable company and the 19th in the list of highest revenue generating business. It has 12 laboratories and the company has on its credit record for creating the most patents for the consecutive 20 years. Overall industry sales are increasing globally since 2013. In the current year 2013-2014 sales are expected to increase by 6.5% and in the next year growth are expected to reach 7.5%. The expected growth rate is higher than the growth rate in the last two years that are 5.5% in 2012 and 0.4% in 2011. The impact of these expectations will definitely have positive impacts on the company in terms of growth in sales revenue and high profits as well as healthy cash flows (Stephen, 2013). There is a continuous decline in the sales revenue since last two years. It has gone down by 2% in 2012 and 4.55% in 2013. This decline is in contrast with the industry expectations mentioned above. The chairman of the company in her report to shareholders mentioned the reason for the decline that there in an adverse movement in the currency exchanges because it is operating in more than 170 countries around the world. Especially, there is a sharp decline of 4.2% in the revenue from Global Technology Services and 1olost 19% decline in revenue from Systems and Technology (IBM, 2013). In total, the net profit has declined by $121 millions in 2013 representing fall of 0.73%, but there is a continuous improvement in the net profit ratio since 2011. It has increased from 12.48% to 15.89% in 2012 and 16.52% in 2013. This year to year improvement is due to the effective controls over administrative expense for instance in total they decreased by $51 millions in 2013 as compared to last year, whereas, cost of sales is reasonably consistent as indicated by consistency in the gross profit

Answer the question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Answer the question - Essay Example This can be achieved through integrating technology with other courses in the curriculum or enabling them to apply technological concepts in their day to day living. When we refer to reforms in the curriculum, this should be one of the most important which is necessitated by the changing trends and innovation. The use of modern technology in education is a motivating factor to the students because they can relate to their daily usage of such applications and also promotes performance, efficiency and accuracy in learning. As a result of these reforms there is excellence movements and academic performance of student in school such as increase in number of teachers graduating, establishing minimal competency standards for both teachers and students and trying teacher accountability to standardize test scores. In my opinion, this was a very creative way of engaging the students to use applications in their assignment. This was a great way for a teacher to incorporate technology into the classroom. Not only did they assimilate technology into the assignments, but they also used technology that students are familiar with and enjoy using. I think incor porating technology and other things students use in the modern society will help them feel more involved and engaged in life and motivate them to do

Bizumic’s work Essay Example for Free

Bizumic’s work Essay Mladen Bizumic was born in Yugoslavia and is considered as a promising multi-disciplinary mix media artist. Receiving art education from the University of Auckland, he has had a number of successful exhibits in Australia, the most recent of which with the Sue Crockford Gallery in Auckland (â€Å"Mladen Bizumic†, 2009). In his 2007 exhibit in the Physics Room Gallery, Bizumic presents cinematic hybrids from the Jean-Luc Godard’s 1967 film Weekened in conjunction with The Rolling Stones’ song Under My Thumb. The juxtaposition of the two works provided insights on the conceptualization of progressive society and how the changing social standards can impact the relationship of an individual with tohers and the space of their context or existence. In the his show for the Sue Crockfrod Gallery, Bizumic’s work shows greater incorporation of space which can be challenging viewers to experience the artist’s work as an element of the said space. However, this is not to imply that the artist has limited traditional visual or aesthetic appeal, in fact the Bizumic’s work can be an effective transition towards more modern art styles. His work are studies in the relationships of â€Å"subjectivity and representation, physical locations and psychological states, notions of memory and the experience of displacement† (â€Å"Mladen Bizumic†, 2007, para 1). There is a realization of the power of media and technology in Bizumic’s work and how it has become as a medium of expression. Viewing Bizumic’s work, viewers are being engaged and are challenged to make realization about regarding unconscious elements of human production and imagination. More than anything else, what is most appealing as well as promising about Bizumic’s work is that though it is distinctly forward, it does not rely on shock and awe to establish it modernistic identity but really positive represents a good example of what the new crop of artists has to offer. References Mladen Bizumic (2007). Gallery Exhibits 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2010 from http://www. physicsroom. org. nz/gallery/2007/bizumic/ Mladen Bizumic (2009). Artnews. Org. Retrieved January 15, 2010 from http://artnews. org/artist. php? i=4668 Mladen Bizumic (2009). Sue Crockford Gallery. Retrieved January 15, 2010 from http://www. suecrockford. com/artists/biography. asp? aid=29

Management and Leadership Essay -- Manager Business Leading Essays Lea

Management and Leadership Within the organizational structure of most businesses you will likely find management and leadership coexisting. Commonly, the words are often substituted for one another. However, each word has a distinctly different definition. A manager does not necessarily make a good manager. Management is defined as those individuals in an organization that have the authority and the responsibility to manage the organization through the control of production processes and ensuring that they operate efficiently and effectively. Leadership is defined as the skills and ability to set future goals in accordance with the organizational goals and to communicate those goals to other employees in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously work together to accomplish those goals for the benefit of the organization. In this paper, I will differentiate between management and leadership. Any organization needs to be managed, even a one-person company has to be managed. A manager has four key responsibilities: 1) planning, 2) organizing, 3) leading, and 4) controlling. Management can also be defined as the function that determines how the organization?s human, financial, physical, informational, and technical resources are arranged and coordinated to perform tasks towards achievement of strategic goals. Leadership implies that the manager has fundamental knowledge about critical processes. A leader is focused on ensuring the creation of strategies, systems, and methods for achieving excellence and building knowledge and capabilities. Leaders are focused more on creating an enthusiastic work environment for all of a company?s employees. In other words leadership is to help people do a better job through coaching, facilitating, and by creating environments that support the aim of the organization. Leadership is the ability of a manager to train employees, remove institutional roadblocks, and empower employees. (Stern and Kren, 2002). The common thread in differentiating between management and leadership seems to be that management is more involved with monitoring the details of the daily operations and leadership is about invoking the changes necessary to continuously move towards an organization?s vision. I have also found that in all of the success stories read, the common points are that the leaders took a different approach into the... ... successful. I attribute the main reason to the fact that they are in control of the reward along with the recognition. In summary, management is about control through a series of control mechanisms and although leadership is one of the four principles of management, leadership is a combination of personal traits and skills that directly affects the opinions and attitudes of people, leading to changes in behavior. A person can be an effective manager but that does not necessarily make that person an effective leader. Leadership is about insight towards the future and helping individual employees and groups of employees to accept uncertainty, because they have confidence that the leader will provide solutions to any problems that may arise. References Stern, Kenneth and Kren, Lawrence (2004, December 9). Machine design. Know and grow. Retrieved January 17, 2005, from University of Phoenix Online, ProQuest Database Website: http://web22.epnet.com/externalframe. asp?tb=1&_ug=sid+553EA1C5%2D2133%2D4C4D%2D976B%2D01F560CA7714%40sessionmgr4+dbs+aph%2Cf5h%2Cbuh%2Cawh%2Cufh+cp+1+6C31&_us=hs+False+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+%2D1+dstb+KS+ri+KAAACBSC00041487+ED56&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db Management and Leadership Essay -- Manager Business Leading Essays Lea Management and Leadership Within the organizational structure of most businesses you will likely find management and leadership coexisting. Commonly, the words are often substituted for one another. However, each word has a distinctly different definition. A manager does not necessarily make a good manager. Management is defined as those individuals in an organization that have the authority and the responsibility to manage the organization through the control of production processes and ensuring that they operate efficiently and effectively. Leadership is defined as the skills and ability to set future goals in accordance with the organizational goals and to communicate those goals to other employees in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously work together to accomplish those goals for the benefit of the organization. In this paper, I will differentiate between management and leadership. Any organization needs to be managed, even a one-person company has to be managed. A manager has four key responsibilities: 1) planning, 2) organizing, 3) leading, and 4) controlling. Management can also be defined as the function that determines how the organization?s human, financial, physical, informational, and technical resources are arranged and coordinated to perform tasks towards achievement of strategic goals. Leadership implies that the manager has fundamental knowledge about critical processes. A leader is focused on ensuring the creation of strategies, systems, and methods for achieving excellence and building knowledge and capabilities. Leaders are focused more on creating an enthusiastic work environment for all of a company?s employees. In other words leadership is to help people do a better job through coaching, facilitating, and by creating environments that support the aim of the organization. Leadership is the ability of a manager to train employees, remove institutional roadblocks, and empower employees. (Stern and Kren, 2002). The common thread in differentiating between management and leadership seems to be that management is more involved with monitoring the details of the daily operations and leadership is about invoking the changes necessary to continuously move towards an organization?s vision. I have also found that in all of the success stories read, the common points are that the leaders took a different approach into the... ... successful. I attribute the main reason to the fact that they are in control of the reward along with the recognition. In summary, management is about control through a series of control mechanisms and although leadership is one of the four principles of management, leadership is a combination of personal traits and skills that directly affects the opinions and attitudes of people, leading to changes in behavior. A person can be an effective manager but that does not necessarily make that person an effective leader. Leadership is about insight towards the future and helping individual employees and groups of employees to accept uncertainty, because they have confidence that the leader will provide solutions to any problems that may arise. References Stern, Kenneth and Kren, Lawrence (2004, December 9). Machine design. Know and grow. Retrieved January 17, 2005, from University of Phoenix Online, ProQuest Database Website: http://web22.epnet.com/externalframe. asp?tb=1&_ug=sid+553EA1C5%2D2133%2D4C4D%2D976B%2D01F560CA7714%40sessionmgr4+dbs+aph%2Cf5h%2Cbuh%2Cawh%2Cufh+cp+1+6C31&_us=hs+False+or+Date+ss+SO+sm+KS+sl+%2D1+dstb+KS+ri+KAAACBSC00041487+ED56&_uso=tg%5B0+%2D+db

Effectiveness Of Leadership At Mcdonalds Management Essay Essay

I had the opportunity of working at a McDonald’s chain of restaurants after completion of my undergraduate studies. I was able to observe the role played by members of a team, their team work and leadership of the Manager of the restaurant. I would like to analyse the leadership styles practiced, evaluate the effectiveness of leadership at McDonald’s restaurant and make recommendations indicating how leadership and team work can go hand in hand to improve the performance of the organisation. The first McDonald’s opened its doors to customers in the UK in 1974. Currently, over 2. 5 million people in the UK place their trust in McDonald, expecting that the multinational would provide them with food of a high standard, quick service and value for money. Models and theories that will be discussed in the later portions of this essay are Adair’s Leadership Model and Maslow’s theory of hierarchy which will be applied to McDonald’s. Leadership styles such as autocratic, democratic and persuasive are also discussed to find out which of the three is the ideal model for McDonald’s. A team is a collection of individuals who are interdependent in their tasks, who share responsibility for outcomes, who see themselves and who are seen by others as an intact social entity embedded in one or more larger social systems (for example, business unit or the corporation), and who manage their relationships across organisational boundaries (Susan Cohen and Diane Bailey, 1997). A team is defined as a small number of people, with a set of performance goals, who have a commitment to a common purpose and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable (Katzenbach & Smith 1993). There are several factors that influence the success of a team. Team members must have the required skills and attitudes and must create an ambience in which everyone can work with devotion. There should be transparency within the team which is possible if there is effective system of communication between all members. All members of the team must have set responsibilities and must be aware of what is expected from them. In this way all members of the team will be accountable. All members must have harmonising skills and must coordinate among themselves to eliminate any uncertainties or reservations. Members of a team must genuinely appreciate the efforts of fellow members. An effective leader is one who does the right things. Leaders can effectively develop and lead teams if they have the ability to create and communicate a vision what the organization should be. They should have the ability to communicate with and gain the support of all team members. They should have the perseverance to head in the desired direction under bad conditions and create the suitable culture to obtain the needed results. Levine, R. (2000) is of the opinion that leaders need to focus on moving people and organisations forward by increasing the competency of staff and the co-operation of teams in order to improve the organisation. Leadership is related to motivation, interpersonal behaviour and the process of communication. Leadership is important in attempting to reduce employee dissatisfaction (Crow M. 995). The responsibilities of the Restaurant Manager or the team leader at McDonald’s are to set targets, plan budgets, maintain and control stock, recruit, train and motivate a team, create and drive marketing campaigns and build and foster customer relations. Leaders ate McDonald’s restaurants do not lay down any fixed rules on how quickly individuals of a team can progress. Opportunities are given to team members to become managers if they perform well. For this to happen, the crew member must contribute to the success of the team. The management style adopted by team leaders at McDonald’s is to create outlets which are fun places to work. This is called â€Å"team-building†. Leaders at McDonald’s foster accountability and understand the social responsibility culture and incorporate these activities into their businesses. In fact the team leaders have all the characteristics that were used by Stogdill (1950) to define leadership. The characteristic include: traits, behaviour, influence, interaction patterns, role relationships and occupation of an administrative position; articulating visions (e. g.  Bill Gates), embodying values and creating environment for the things that can be accomplished; entities that perform one or more acts of leading; the ability to affect human behaviour so as to accomplish a mission and Influencing a group of people to move towards its goal setting or goal achievement. (Stogdill, 1950) The McDonalds Model is that of Adair’s Model which is called action-centred leadership. This is a constructive model according to which the leader inspires others by their own enthusiasm, commitment and the ability to communicate enthusiasm to people (Adair, 1993). Teams were developed by team leaders so that a common task could be accomplished. Adair (1993) identifies three different approaches to leadership which can be called leadership functions (1) accomplishing the task, (2) maintaining the team and (3) meeting the individual needs of the team members. Adair believes that leaders are not born but emerge from situations. The leader who emerges can adopt any ‘style of leadership’ that warrants the situation. According to Adair a leader is one who has certain innate characteristics which are required to perform his/her role. A leader according to him must have personality and character. Adair quotes Harold Macmillian, â€Å"that a man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man that nobody trusts†. His leader must have integrity, a wholeness and a moral sense. According to Adair, the three functions of meeting the demands of the task, maintaining the team and meeting the needs of individual team members must be kept in balance and none of them should be neglected. The team leader areas of responsibility must include qualities and competencies such as (a) to behave with the highest level of authenticity and integrity by building a trusting relationship with all team members; (b) to be committed fully to the development of the team; (c) to be open and communicate, but must practice good listening skills; (d) be willing to share perceptions, assumptions and views openly with team members; and (e) to allow team members to work independently but in a self-organised manner. Team leaders must take time required to do the work and support team’s efforts and also reflect on its actions. They must maintain and practice accountability and at the same time have a good working relationship with the team members. They should always be ready to monitor and evaluate how the team functions. They should clearly state the purpose of work without being ambiguous or complex. They must try to experiment and share experiences without blame. They should also provide coaching and mentoring support to the team (Barry Stevenson, 2004). The organizational structure of McDonald’s Corporation is centralised but that of its retail outlets is different. In McDonald’s outlets the employees work as a team to ensure that customers’ requirements are taken care of in a short period of time. Besides the manager the rest are all attendants who take orders and deliver as fast as they can. There is division of labour among members of the organisation, and the co-ordination of their activities are directed towards the goals and objectives of the organisation. Structure is the pattern of relationships among positions in the organisation and among members of the organisation. Structure makes possible the application of the process of management and creates a framework of order and command through which the activities of the organisation can be planned, organised, directed and controlled. Structure defines tasks and responsibilities, work roles and relationships, and channels of communication (Mullins and Laurie. J, 2008). At McDonald’s the span of control of the manager is narrow. The span of control refers to the number of subordinates working under the supervisor. So if there are five subordinates working under the supervisor or manager, the span of control is five. If the span of control is narrow there are certain advantages (Jenkins and Tessa, 2000). One of the merits is that there is tight control over subordinates and the manager is able to closely supervise the daily operations resulting in better co-ordination. Managers have time to think and plan and they are not burdened with too many problems. A narrow span of control reduces delegation and managers are able to do more work. On the contrary, a flat organisation implies a wide span of control. Theorists are of the opinion that tall organisation structures are inefficient, despite the advantage of a narrow span of control (Robbins, Stephen P, 2007). One can learn to use leadership approaches to develop high-performing teams and individuals at McDonalds. Team leaders were aware of the importance of team building and used suitable tools and techniques to help teams reach their full potential. McDonalds Crew Members are responsible for customer service, food preparation and cleanliness and hygiene. Crew members will be asked to work in any of these areas depending on the individual’s preferences. I worked as a Customer Service Crew member and my job entailed taking orders and delivering meals to customers at the counter. I learnt to be courteous and polite as I was responsible for maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. The responsibility of the Food Preparation Crew Members was to prepare and cook McDonald’s menu. The teams are self managed and all team or crew member works with team spirit. There is a sense of respect for each other. However it can be said that most crew members do not understand the organisation strategy as they do not have access to this information. The communication between crew members is informal which enables every individual to maintain good harmony within retail outlets. The crew members at McDonald’s are committed because their needs are met by the team leadership. The leadership has developed an ideal and committed team which can be easily motivated. A committed and motivated team is always successful. Larson and LaFasto (1989) studied to understand the characteristics of successful teams and found that all the highly effective teams always had the characteristics such as a clear, elevating goal, a result-driven structure, competent team members, unified commitment, a collaborative climate, standards of excellence external support and recognition as well as principled leadership (Larson and LaFasto, 1989). From this finding it is evident that effective teamwork has a strong relationship with motivation. According to Maslow’s theory the hierarchy of human needs are classified into five levels. This theory advocates that the higher level needs of an individual will become motivating factors only when the lower level ones are satisfied. The five levels starting from the lowest hierarchy to the highest level, are: Physiological – At McDonald’s the motivating factors of the crew members are salary, over time, daily lunch/meal and transportation facilities. Safety – The next important factor is safety which includes elements such as job security, medical insurance and sick leave. Social – There is very good interaction among crew members and customers. This has resulted in excellent teamwork. Self-esteem – Crew members are motivated as the team leader/manager has full confidence in their abilities. They have reputation because of the McDonald’s brand equity. They are recognised and appreciated by fellow colleagues, subordinates, and supervisors. Self-actualization – The crew member reach their full potential when all his needs are taken care off (Maslow, 1987). The disadvantage that I observed was that subordinates are unable to make any decision. They have to always obey and listen to the orders of the manager. However the crew members (team members) had flexible schedules. There were team members from various parts of the world working together. They had different backgrounds and different interests and all worked together to make an ideal work force. In fact there was diversity. I would like to now give a detailed account of my observations on leadership styles and its impact on teamwork in McDonald’s restaurants. The leadership style practised in McDonald’s restaurants is autocratic and therefore crew members are not involved in any decision making. It is also a fact that suggestions from crew members are not welcomed as most of them are new. Crew members are young and work in these restaurants during summer vacations and therefore cannot offer ideas to the leader. Crew members are young and therefore motivated if they are paid wages on time and given extra benefits such as lunch and transportation. This motivates the crew to work in spite of the autocratic leadership. Autocratic style of leadership doesn’t fulfil the self esteem requirements reflected in Maslow’s hierarchy. However at McDonald’s crew members get self respect and also respect each other. McDonald’s will not adopt another style of leadership as the management fears that a persuasive or democratic style will not deliver the goods, viz. , delivering quality food on time to its customers. I would like to compare persuasive and democratic styles of leadership with that of autocratic leadership before arriving at a conclusion: which one of the three styles will ideally suit McDonald’s and at the same time have an impact on team work. Persuasion is one of the requisites of all leaders by which act they can move people toward a new situation. Persuasion does not include rational arguments. A leader can use persuasion as a tactic to gain the support of diverse groups of people using basic human emotions. It is normal that persuasive strategies may provoke team members and some of them may oppose ideas or suggestions. The democratic leadership style or participative style encourages employees to be a part of the decision making allowing more participation of teams in the decision making process.

Bauhaus History of Design Essay

The Bauhaus was the first model of the modern art school. The Bauhaus curriculum combined theoretic education and practical training in the educational workshops. It drew inspiration from the ideals of the revolutionary art movements and design experiments of the early 20th century. A woodcut (shown right) depicted the idealized vision of Walter Gropius, a â€Å"cathedral† of design. Bauhaus 1919-33 The Bauhaus began with an utopian definition: â€Å"The building of the future† was to combine all the arts in ideal unity. In order to reach this goal, the founder, Walter Gropius, saw the necessity to develop new teaching methods and was convinced that the base for any art was to be found in handcraft: â€Å"the school will gradually turn into a workshop†. artists and craftsmen directed classes and production together at the Bauhaus in Weimar. This was intended to remove any distinction between fine arts and applied arts. Of course, the educational and social claim to a new configuration of life and its environment could not always be achieved. And the Bauhaus was not alone with this goal, but the name became a near synonym for this trend. The Bauhaus occupies a place of its own in the history of 20th century culture, architecture, design, art and new media. One of the first schools of design, it brought together a number of the most outstanding contemporary architects and artists and was not only an innovative training centre but also a place of production and a focus of international debate. At a time when industrial society was in the grip of a crisis, the Bauhaus stood almost alone in asking how the modernisation process could be mastered by means of design. Founded in Weimar in 1919, the Bauhaus rallied masters and students who sought to reverse the split between art and production by returning to the crafts as the foundation of all artistic activity and developing exemplary designs for objects and spaces that were to form part of a more human future society. Following intense internal debate, in 1923 the Bauhaus turned its ttention to industry under its founder and first director Walter Gropius (1883–1969). The major exhibition which opened in 1923, reflecting the revised principle of art and technology as a new unity, showcased the full spectrum of Bauhaus work and prototypes. The Haus Am Horn provided a glimpse of a residential building of the future. In 1924 funding for the Bauhaus was cut so drastically at the instigation of conservative forces that it had to seek a new home. The Bauhaus moved to Dessau at a time of rising economic fortunes, becoming the municipally funded School of Design. Almost all masters moved with it. Former students became junior masters in charge of the workshops. Famous works of art and architecture and influential designs were produced in Dessau in the years from 1926 to 1932. Walter Gropius resigned as director on 1st April 1928 under the pressure of constant struggles for the Bauhaus survival, He was succeeded by the Swiss architect Hannes Meyer (1889–1954) whose work sought to shape a harmonious society. Cost-cutting industrial mass production was to make products affordable for the masses. Despite his successes, Hannes Meyer’s Marxist convictions became a problem for the city council amidst the political turbulence of Germany in 1929, and the following year he was removed from his post. Under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) the Bauhaus developed from 1930 into a technical school of architecture with subsidiary art and workshop departments. After the Nazis became the biggest party in Dessau at the elections, the Bauhaus was forced to move in September 1932. It moved to Berlin but only lasted for a short time longer. The Bauhaus dissolved itself under pressure from the Nazis in 1933. Architecture â€Å"The building is the ultimate goal of all fine art,† the Bauhaus manifesto proclaimed back in 1919. Architecture training at the Bauhaus in Weimar was initially the prerogative of Walter Gropius private architectural practice and for a short time courses were run by his partner Adolf Meyer and in association with the â€Å"Baugewerkschule† (building trades school) in Weimar. The Bauhaus workshops were involved in these efforts through Gropius’s office. This collaboration produced the Haus Am Horn in 1923. Some new methods based on specific types and standardisation were employed not only to produce new architecture but to anticipate a new lifestyle through this architecture. In 1927 Walter Gropius offered Hannes Meyer a position in charge of architecture classes. That year Hannes Meyer began to put together a curriculum which included all relevant subjects such as planning, design, draftsmanship, construction, town planning. Architecture for Walter Gropius and Hannes Meyer alike mainly denoted the â€Å"design of life’s processes†. Hannes Meyer went far beyond Gropius’s â€Å"study of essentials†, which focused too much on the object for his taste, turning his teaching programme into one where the concrete conditions in society and the factors determining architecture and its use formed the starting point for all planning and design. The habits of the future residents of an estate or a house were studied in scientific detail. From 1930 to 1933 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe carried on with much of what had been started under his predecessors. At the same time Mies van der Rohe streamlined the curriculum to produce something like a system of courses which left almost no room for utopian experiments. The majority of the new student intake at the Bauhaus had already completed a course of studies, and the Bauhaus became a â€Å"postgraduate school†. Mies van der Rohe’s teaching focused on the design of specific buildings whose appearance owed nothing to Gropius’s â€Å"study of essentials† or to the collective satisfaction of â€Å"the people’s needs†, but which were to be â€Å"the spatial implementation of intellectual decisions† (Mies van der Rohe) in an aesthetically consummate fashion.

Matisses Painting - Purple Robe and Anemones essays

Matisses Painting - Purple Robe and Anemones essays Henri Matisses painting Purple Robe and Anemones, from 1937, hangs in the Baltimore Museum of Art. This painting depicts his model Lydia Delectorskaya in a purple robe with a vase of anemones in the foreground. Matisse did not intend to capture his subject realistically. Instead, the painting explodes with color, rhythm, space, and line and dares to manipulate reality. In Purple Robe and Anemones, Matisse manipulates line to create harmony throughout the painting. The black serpentine lines on the vase echo the serpentine shape of the robe on the model as well as the white lines on the back wall. The patterns he creates with lines on the table that holds the vase echoes the pattern on the models skirt. Lines here are used to describe different degrees of form, giving the vase a 3 dimensional form, but flattening other objects such as the model herself. The bold lines define the objects yet give the model a flat form with no variation in line. All the lines are very clear, and not blurred giving a static feel to the painting. They do not vary greatly to create an illusion of depth; rather they have a boldness one would not expect. Matisses use of line imbues a sense of calmness to the work. In addition to Matisses use of lines to create visual echos, Matisse uses vivid color to create contrast as well as areas of abstract color. Bright bursts of color explode out of the flowers, vibrant reds, purples, and white petals splash in the center, which are repeated throughout the painting. The reds from the lines in the wall visually connect diagonally to the red flowers then to the red patterned couch behind the model. This echo is repeated with the purple from the robe to the purple flowers, as well as with the teal color of the table, and the skirt of the model. To intensify his colors further, Matisse places complementary colors next to each other, Matisse intensifies the purple robe, by painting the yellow stri...

An Examination of the Team Development Stages in the Movie 12 Angry Men

An Examination of the Team Development Stages in the Movie 12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men: Team Development Stages Team development is a crucial aspect of any group setting and consists of six stages: stage one – forming, stage two – storming, stage three – norming, stage four – performing, and stage five – adjourning (or deforming). In the movie 12 Angry Men, the 12 jury members go through these stages at various points of the deliberation; this paper will serve to explore how and when the jury went through the stages of team development. Forming The movie starts out with our group already been formed, as they were selected to be part of the jury; they really begin the team development process at the beginning of the deliberation, as the jury members all sit down and define what their goals and obligations are, saying that if the defendant is found guilty, they must send him to the electric chair. The forming stage continues as jury members start falling into their respective roles; the members find out that juror 3 and juror 10 are alpha type males, that juror 8 takes his civic duty seriously, but has some biased views (he is just a youth, how could he commit such a crime?), and general introductions from members of the group. Storming The storming stage follows the forming stage, and starts after the jury’s first round of guilty/not guilty voting; the storming stage is set off by juror 8’s not guilty vote, which is the first and only difference among the group at the time. The storming stage is furthered by the jury member’s perception of civic duty, and ignited to another level when juror 8 is attempting to make a case, while some of his fellow jury members are playing games and goofing off. In the storming stage the alpha males of the group try to insert and enforce their brand of â€Å"leadership† through verbal force and intimidation, such as Juror 3 cutting off other jurors during the initial deliberation, telling the group that they are going to skip the set speaking rotation. This struggle of power, juror 3’s intimidation technique versus juror 8’s logical argument technique, continues throughout the story. Norming The norming stage starts when juror 8 starts making his arguments for a not guilty verdict, while persuading others to his side; it is also the stage that lasts the longest throughout the deliberation and takes place in non-connected stages. Once there are a few jurors on the not guilty side of the verdict, open discussion becomes much freer flowing and direct; the jury members start having an actual debate about the facts of the case and whether they could be debated. The discussion, and norming stage, really takes off when juror 8 slams the similar knife into the table; before this the discussion was fairly closed off, with most of the other jury members saying that there was no way the kid was not guilty. Performing The performing stage gradually takes over from the norming stage as more solid arguments are made in favor of the defendant being not guilty. Juror by juror realizes that they may have indeed been so close to sending a potentially innocent person to jail, and feel further obligated to explore the facts in order to render a fair verdict. Jury members put together their individual experiences and knowledge in order to help each other come to a not guilty verdict, such as Juror 8 trying to recreate the witness who had to walk to his door with a limp, or questioning Juror 4 about his week in order to establish that memory can be fuzzy. The final sense of civic obligation come when Juror 9 notices Juror 4 rubbing his nose, making the final argument about one of the witnesses not using her glasses regularly. Adjourning The adjourning stage is the stage where the team evaluates its processes and performance, disbanding on either a temporary or permanent basis; the jury members do not disband on a temporary process, and any breaks are portrayed as short breathers, therefore the focus will be on the disbanding of the jury upon rendering a not guilty verdict. The movie does not go into too much detail about the aftermath of the team’s decision, but the audience could tell through the interactions of Juror 8 with Jurors 3 and 9 that the process took place in the manner it should have, and that the team was happy with their process and performance.

Evaluating Models of Executive-Legislative Relations Term Paper

Evaluating Models of Executive-Legislative Relations - Term Paper Example The reason for this is because, the structure of a democracy, has an influence on the democracy’s effectiveness and performance. The effectiveness of these three democratic systems can as well be evaluated using different criteria. This paper evaluates the democratic systems of the presidential democracy, majoritarian parliamentary democracy, and consensual parliamentary democracy, using the criteria of accountability, representativeness, and effectiveness. Accountability is an important aspect in a democratic system, as it acts as a cornerstone in good government. This term might lack a definite definition because of its vast applications. However, in a democratic system, accountability presents itself, when there is a relationship, and an individual or organization is answerable to the other for their actions and decisions. This way, one party is subject to the oversight and direction of the other. Therefore, answerability and enforcement is core of accountability. In a demo cratic system therefore, the government is answerable to the citizens. ... Representativeness in a democratic system is whereby a few individuals are selected from the majority, mainly through elections, to represent the majority in government. These therefore, have to listen to the concerns of the public and represent them in government. Additionally, the elected few have to listen to the opinions and views of the public and other political actors, and present these in government, for action to be taken, where necessary. Therefore, in representativeness, the elected minority are the voice of the public. Effectiveness in a democratic system involves the level of performance of the system. In an effective democratic system, the government performs its responsibilities appropriately. This ensures that the citizens are comfortable, with basic needs, employment, and secure in all ways. Effectiveness of the government is also reflected in its policies, if they are successful or not, the nature of rights of people, freedom, and liberties of the citizens. An effec tive government therefore, registers positive performance in all these aspects. The aspect of representativeness is best utilized by parliamentary democracies, specifically the majoritarian parliamentary democracy. Gallager, Laver and Mair note that most European countries are characterized by the parliamentary democracies, except a few (47). The reason why the majoritarian parliamentary democracies are in a better position to represent the public appropriately is because; the majority people in the constituencies elect their members of parliament, who will represent them in the parliament. Therefore, the parliamentarian serves as the voice of the people of their constituency. This way, it is easier for the wishes of the majority people