Freedom Rides

Prior to the freedom rides indigenous people were mistreated and weren’t considered to be first class citizens of Australia. However, when people became aware of the mistreatment, they started to protest in many places in New South Wales, this was known as the freedom rides. This movement was led by Charles Perkins, who was one of the first indigenous people to attend university. The mistreatment of indigenous people started when the European’s took over Australia, and escalated over time. They were considered to be second class citizens. By the time of federation, in 1901, aboriginal people were not included in the constitution or the census and were excluded from society which was known as protectionism. The white Australians believed that they were helping the Aborigines by using the protection policies. But in reality these policies isolated them from their families, traditional land and removed them from their natural heritage and culture. The Aborigines were taught to live like the white Australians so the could assimilate into the white society and were often trained to be slaves for White People. Charles Perkins was an aborigine who like many was taken from his family and land. He was however treated well compared to what most Indigenous Australians faced when taken under the protection policies. In 1965, over thirty Sydney University students, led by Charles Perkins and Gary Williams, represented Student Action For Aborigines (SAFA) and travelled in a bus all over north and west of New South Wales. This was called the Freedom Ride, and the students became well known as the ‘Freedom Riders’. The aim of the freedom riders was to highlight the racism portrayed in the ‘White Australia Policy’ which was brought into effect during Federation by Sir Edmund Barton. The policy meant that the Aborigines were banned, or in some cases separated from whites, in shops, cinemas, hotels and clubs and public swimming pools. The freedom riders were verbally and physically abused in most towns they visited during protest. The freedom rides were influenced by the racism which was taking place in the US, where there was also segregation between the white and black community. This was an international break through. Charles Perkins was also a soccer star which gave him the opportunity to travel quiet often. On many occasions he witnessed racial abuse in the country towns of New South Whales, where many Aboriginals were degraded in society. Charles Perkins did not experience much racism as he was raised in the city compared to other Aboriginals who were treated harshly. After witnessing discrimination against his own race he immediately took action. The freedom rides that were taking place in the US inspired him to act in a similar manner. Charles Perkins along with his University support travelled all throughout New South Whales. Perkins observed the racism that took place in a town called Moree where Aboriginal children were to shower before entering the pool and leave at a certain time. There was a lot of violence that took place in Moree due to its racial outcasts. Charles Perkins used his stardom to get his word out there that Aboriginals should not be degraded in any way. The students were both physically and verbally abused, and so decided to protest along with many other Aboriginals. The Freedom Riders goal was finally achieved in the 1967 referndum which stated that Aboriginals would be classed as citizens of Australia and would be counted in the census votes. From the above mentioned facts it can be concluded that the freedom ride movement and charles perkins had a positive impact on raising racial awareness. The freedom rides attracted a lot of media attention at both the National and international level. It generated discussions about the indigenous people’s rights and put a lot of pressure on the Government for reform.

Case Study Cultural Considerations of Shanghai Disneyland Essay

Shanghai Disneyland resort opening 2015 will have the biggest and tallest Cinderella castle in the world. The key players are the Chinese government, Disney, Shanghai Shendi Group and Mike Crawford, with the key event being the Chinese governments approval in 2009. The political, social considerations, education and economic environments are then explained. The context approach and dimensional approach are used to discuss the cultural considerations. The case will go on to discuss that while there are no current implications affecting the domestic and international business, it will tell of how Disney will benefit the Chinese economy, through growth in income, employment etc. It is recommended that Disney improve the cultural considerations through character costumes, food and by broadening their target market. The essay will look at the case of Shanghai Disneyland and discuss key players. Events and discuss case context through an international context. It will continue to determine the case issues and the relevant theories used to develop solutions to understanding the cross-cultural understandings of culture. The essay will then show the implementations that domestic and international businesses face that operate within the theme park industry, and give recommendations to improve the cross-cultural understandings. The Article looks at Disneyland opening in Shanghai in 2015 thanks to the Chinese governments approval on November 4, 2009 (Rapoza, 2013). The resort will compromise of two Disney hotels, 46,000 square meters for retail, dinning, entertainment venues, recreational facilities, a lake, parking and transport hubs (Rapoza, 2013). Shanghai Disney will have the biggest and tallest Cinderella’s castle in the world, will be interactive and called the Enchanted Storybook castle (Rapoza, 2013). Shanghai Disney sits on nearly 1,00 acres, and is three times bigger than Hong Kong Disney (Rapoza, 2013). The resort is budgeted at 24.5 billion Yuan ($3.7 billion) for the theme park and an additional 4.5 billion Yuan ($700 million) to build hotels and restaurant venues (Rapoza, 2013). Disney itself will own 43% of the property while the Shanghai Shendi Group will own the remaining 57% (Rapoza, 2013). Mike Crawford, Disney’s general manger states that ‘We are excited to see the resort development move into an intensive phase of construction’ and ‘We look forward to providing more updates in the future, as we reach key milestones’ (Rapoza, 2013). Key players in the case are the Chinese government, who hope to improve the local economy. The Shanghai Shendi Group, Disney and Mike Crawford are excited to reach key milestones towards the opening of Shanghai Disneyland. Disney have used various initiatives to lead to the approval of Shanghai Disneyland, included are television, motion pictures and consumer products (Yang, 2012). Key events started with the Chinese government’s approval for Disneyland to be China’s first mainland resort on November 4, 2009 (Rapoza, 2013). Hong Kong Disneyland then recorded profits of $14.1 million (Rapoza, 2013). Shanghai Disney has revealed that there will also be two themed hotels, with the grand opening late 2015 (Rapoza, 2013). In understanding culture it is imperative to understand the control of political, economic, educational and social variables (Kelley & Worthley, 1981). In China, political environments of both domestic and international companies operate under government control (Zhu & Xu, 2010). The Chinese government has been in talks with Disney for more than ten years, and has kept smooth communication (Zhu & Xu, 2010). It is important for Disney to have good relationship with the Chinese government as they share ownership of Shanghai Disneyland (Zhu & Xu, 2010). Due to China still being a developing country, Shanghai Disneyland has had to set a much lower entrance fee to catch more Chinese consumers (Zhu & Xu, 2010). Social considerations that Shanghai Disneyland has had to face are their main target group. Disneyland’s main target are children, in China however, children are expected to succeed academically before socially (Zhu & Xu, 2010). Most people in China do not speak English, and so Disney opened a chain of language schools in Shanghai, with the goal to teach children to speak English, Disney is also employing English and Chinese communicators (Brooks, 2009). High context cultures and low context cultures are used in understanding cross-cultural considerations, and can often lead to unintentional problems I the workplace and negotiations in governments (Beamer &Varner, 2011, p. 102). In a high context culture such as China, communication relies heavily on unspoken conditions or assumptions, whereas in a low context culture such as America (Disney), communication is usually taken at face value however, the context approach only represents one dimension (Peng, 2013, p. 37). However Hofstede’s dimensions of culture represent several dimensions and is far more influential and consists of long-term orientation, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and femininity, individualism and collectivism and power distance (Peng, 2013, p. 37). Individualism and collectivism have impacted the case, due to Disney coming from an American/western culture, which is vast on individualism, and the Chinese being collectivists. Individualism values individual achievements, failures and rights over the collective (Beamer &Varner, 2011, p. 43). Collectivism values the group above the individual needs or rights (Beamer &Varner, 2011, p. 43). Disney was able to understand this particular issue and took advantage to use local companies instead of American resources to help build the technological environment and will help improve their reputation (Zhu & Xu, 2010). While there are no implications yet for domestic business in china, the Shanghai Disney project has already attracted many industries and corporations, including culture industries, restaurants, hotels and content production industries (Crawford, 2010, p.13). With a 330million target market population within a 3hour drive or train ride, and recent transportation investments will make Shanghai accessible by key provinces to Disneyland, which will all become a catalyst for growth (Crawford, 2010, p.13). This will generate income, employment, investment and infrastructure developments that can be leveraged by other industries (Crawford, 2010, p.4-20) There are no implications yet affecting international business in China. Shanghai will become a major destination for business travel with the opening of Disneyland in 2015 and for many state-owned enterprises establishing headquarters in the city (Jian, 2013). Shanghai has 230 international direct flights and all the worlds major hotel groups have hotels in the city to meet the business traveller demand (Jian, 2013). Through looking above it is shown that Shanghai Disneyland will improve the Chinese economy, and build growth towards their tourism industry in both domestic and international businesses. It is recommended that for Shanghai Disney to improve cultural perspectives, they should dress Disney characters in the Chinese Tang costume, and the food served to be Chinese-American. Disney would also need to adjust their main target in China, as students are more academically inclined and could therefore prepare for young couples and young families.

Economic recession Essay

Economic recession is a period of economic decline; it means that there is a drop in the stock market, and an increase in unemployment but also a decline in the housing market. It also means that in Tourism, the residents of UK will have to will choose to holiday at home as the http://www. independent. co. uk infers ‘’ Grounded by the diminishing value of the pound and fears about the recession, record numbers of Britons will choose to holiday at home this summer. ‘’ Source – http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/its-an-ill-wind-uk-tourism-finds-recession-is-so-bracing-1522542. html Additionally, the research by Visit Britain, the tourism authority, has shown that 74 % of people are trying to reduce their holiday spending, and are spending more time planning their trips to maximize value, a cottage in Britain where you can just pack the car up and take all your own food suggests that you’ve got greater control. However reducing the holiday spending is not the major problem, as there has been a big change in visits to Britain – official figures have revealed that the number of tourists who visited the UK from overseas in 2009 suffered a 7% decline on the previous year to 29.57 million. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed that the number of UK residents who made trips abroad fell 15% last year to 58. 53 million. But visitors to the UK spent around ? 16. 48 billion, or 1% more last year than they did in 2008, a contrast to UK residents’ expenses while abroad, which amounted to ? 31. 85 billion – a 14% fall on figures from 2008. The recession also had an impact on the number of trips UK residents took abroad last year. The figure fell 16% to 38. 44 million, while business trips were down 22% and visits to friends and relatives (VFR) abroad fell 7%. By contrast, more foreigners visited the UK on holiday, with the numbers rising 3% last year, although the overall total suffered with business trips falling 20%. The ONS also recorded a fall of 10% in the number of VFR trips to the UK last year. Records also reveal that UK residents took 21% fewer trips to North America last year and 15% fewer trips to Europe. Source – http://www. statistics. gov. uk/hub/index. html Source – http://uk. reuters. com/article/2009/07/16/us-britain-travel-idUKTRE56F3FX20090716 QUALITY OF GOOD AND SERVICES Most visitors that come to United Kingdom have clear expectations about what they must pay for, but most of all; they are hoping that the quality of what they pay for is worth their money. The concept of value for money is closely related to price but also involves other quality criteria. The English Tourism Council’s has set up star rating that let the visitors to be informed before they book accommodation to recognise quality and to differentiate levels of facilities and services which as potential guests they can expect, so that it can help them to match their needs and ensure they are not disappointed. The star rating gives an overall judgement of quality including comfort, space, facilities, and cleanliness, and can be used by both domestic and inbound tourits. One star indicates that the place is acceptable overall of quality. There is also adequate provision of furniture, furnishings, and fittings. Hotels that have only one star are usually small, and privately owned. Dinner may not be offered. Two star hotels are also usually small, and privately owned, including resort hotels, and commercial hotels. Accommodation offers a good degree of space and convenience. Furnishings may be simple but are well maintained in all the bedrooms. Breakfast is offered daily to residents and their guests. Dinner is available at least five nights per week. Three star hotels indicates that it is a more formal style of hotel with a greater range of facilities and services such as colour television, telephones, radios, desk etc. There are also public areas including lounge seating, restaurants or bars. Dinner will be provided seven nights per week and light snack lunches are available in the bar or lounge, together with a wide range of drinks. Additionally, there’s also laundry service available. Four star hotels infers that there is a luxury quality with services to match, for example, there is a selection of catering options all offering cuisine and service of the highest international quality. There is also highly trained, professional staff providing exceptional levels of anticipatory service. Source – http://www. britainexpress. com/oxford-hotels/star-ratings. htm EXCHANGE RATES The value of one currency against another currency is known as the foreign exchange rate. Exchange rates are an important factor in determining patterns of holiday taking, as any rise in the value of the pound will encourage outbound tourism, particularly if it involves the leading destinations countries. The value of the pound, or sterling, against another currency affects the cost of coming here for inbound tourists. It can affect negatively if it is more expensive to visit UK, but also can affect positively it is cheaper to visit UK. It is more likely that the appeal to tourist will increase when sterling is weak, as they will get more pounds for their money. Conversely, if sterling is strong, overseas visitors get less pounds in exchange for their money and are less likely to want to come here. In recent years sterling has been very strong against the dollar, or the dollar has been weak against sterling – which amounts to the same thing. This has meant that it has been relatively cheap for UK outbound tourists to visit the United States and more expensive for Americans to come to the UK. As VisitBritain. org have suggested that due to the dollar being weak against sterling, America perceived United Kingdom, as an expensive place to visit – the cost of accommodation, transport, and food has been highlighted by Americans as being really high priced. If the pas is riding high against most other currencies, it allows the British to budget for their holidays abroad with unusual freedom of choice, because the UK holidaymakers get much more for their money. For example, the rate of exchange with the Spanish peseta, the French franc, and the US dollar influences over 60 % of the holidays taken abroad by the British. The exchange rates depend on the strength or the weakness of sterling but they are also affected by the internal strength of currencies in main destination countries like France or Spain. At the moment the strenght of the pound sterling against other currencies looks as following Source  http://fx-rate.net/

Qualitative VS Quantitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Qualitative VS Quantitative Research - Essay Example When we think about research, things that come to our mind are e.g. facts & figures, science, observation, logic, evaluation, etc. etc. Adopting the scientific approach and adhering to a focused approach to come-up with certain findings do not contain values, passions, politics and ideology of the researcher. Using this kind of research methodology is called a â€Å"positivistic† approach and it is the most commonly used approach in general public. In short, the qualitative research refers to the existence of reality which is analyzed and understood with less rigorous methods and procedures while the quantitative research is aimed to reach to an objective (quantified) solution on the basis of cause & effect and examining theoretical relationship into a practical scenario. However, the emerging social changes and globalization are posing ineffectiveness of traditional deductive approach and forcing social researchers to opt for the inductive approach. Assessing qualitative research through a social constructionist lens, however, is premised upon the belief that research findings are always already partial and situated; that they actively construct the social world which is itself an interpretation and in need of interpretation. If we reject the very notion of an empirical world untouched by the social and the political, how are we to assess the research claims we make? If we concede that â€Å"truth† and â€Å"objective knowledge† cannot be invoked unproblematically, upon what grounds are we to say one research claim is better (i.e., valid) than another?. It is a kind of cold war between the old and new generation qualitative researchers. The latter reject the quantitative, positivist methods and assumptions. Having poststructural and/or postmodern sensibilities, they argue that positivist methods are nothing but all about telling stories about societies. Many new qualitative researchers are of the opinion that these methods do

Democratization and Egyptian Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Democratization and Egyptian Revolution - Essay Example Democratization refers to a process, which promotes or upholds democracy in the society. Historians believe that quest for civil freedom played a great role in institutionalizing democratic societies (Brown 45). The power of the people defines the system that is suitable at each instant in any democratic society. Civil rights movements usually advocates for governmental systems, which would promote the greater interest of the common person. A focus into the Arab nations would create a different picture in ones mind because it seems as if the government of the day does not respect the basic freedom of the people. It is probable that failed governments are likely to face an internal revolt. Bodies advocating for rights of humanity play a vital role in influencing the thinking of the people. For example, Muslim Brotherhood has played a protracted role in influencing the beliefs of many Muslims in Egypt (The Future of Egypt’s Democracy). There presence and influence has a stake in the current situation of Egypt. In order to understand the role of Muslim Brotherhood, it is important to explore the root of Muslim Brotherhood. Hassan al-Banna formed Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 (The Muslim Brotherhood). ... However, the movement has endured the test of time to remain viable for very many decades. Muslim Brotherhood met its first rejection by the Egyptian government after the Israel-Arab war. Muslim Brother has participated actively in political activities in Egypt. For instance, in 2005 the movement was able to clinch 88 of seats in the parliament through its â€Å"illegal† members (The Muslim Brotherhood). It became apparent that Muslim Brotherhood was a party that had influence on the lives of the Egyptians. The activities of Muslim Brothers in the last six months include active involvement political system of the country and sensitizing people to take an active role in uprising. The move by Muslim Brotherhood to take an active role in Egypt uprising aimed at changing autocratic system of governance that characterized Egypt system of governance. Arguable, political freedom occurs when the public have a stake in forming and participating in political deliberation that influence social life of the people. It is not surprising, that despite calls by human right activists in Egypt and the world, the previous regime did not acknowledge respect to human rights. History records atrocities and execution of activists that fought for democracy. The Egyptian society has embraced the teaching and objectives of Muslim Brotherhood, which have influenced the lives of Muslims across the Arab world. Currently, Muslim Brotherhood has issued threats to other Arab nations about the revolt that is eminent when democracy does not find an opportunity in the society (Brown 49). Muslim Brotherhood has a lot of influence to the politics in Palestine. Largely, the movement believes that it would influence the termination of peace treaty between Israel and Egypt if the Israelites do

Antz Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Antz - Movie Review Example In addition, there is a hierarchy of different offices in the movie as well as in the general society. Moreover, the movie ANTZ depicts the rights of individuals in the community as well as the role of democracy in the commonwealth. On the other hand, the works of Plato also elaborates on the ability of individuals to make their choices regarding their leadership. For instance, Plato puts it that the community is primarily formed to for mutual benefits to satisfy especially certain common needs. Plato goes ahead to explain what makes up the community. For instance, he describes the community to be an economic structure maintained by the working class and the merchants. Moreover, he explains that the military and leadership continue the guardians guarantee security needs. However, this entire are indicated the movie ANTZ in that; the film gives a clear indication of direction and author as well as a hierarchy of offices. The tension is viewed in the society in that, it majority who makes up the community in that; the rule of democracy governs them. On the other hand, Aristotle has the same view when it comes to his opinion about the community. That is, Aristotle has the same political point of view just in Movie ANTZ and Plato’s point of view. In Aristotle works, he agrees that the community is created with an objective towards some kind. That is, the leadership of the people needs to bear the needs of the population and make them be their responsibility. However, a tension exists in an individual as well the community in both works of Plato and Aristotle in that; they both have a clear definition on how justice should be implemented. In addition, they all explain the merits of having the rule of democracy in place. That is, the state of the majority should be followed. However, there are various characters in the play as well as in the works of Plato and

Research and Analysis of Business Problems Essay - 2

Research and Analysis of Business Problems - Essay Example , the superficial view is quite deceptive as the company is facing challenges in the forms of union problems, huge debts and environmental ripples like price rise, etc. In this report I have presented an overview of the problems and tried to evaluate and analyze them. The prime problem at Ford is its debt. Concerned about the financials of the company, the management has decided to reduce the existing workforce in order to reduce the annual payroll budget and thus achieve some financial relief. This in turn has triggered employee unrest and has troubled the management-union relationship at Ford. It has been suggested that the company should take to brainstorming sessions through joint management councils to sort out problems and adopt a collaborative approach to find the solutions. Collective bargaining should be patronized to appease the employees and white collar compensation should be reduced to gain their confidence. The company should divest and at the same time protect employee rights through regulatory contracts. Ford Motor Company (Ford), headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, is a global leader in the automotive industry. The company has manufacturing facilities and distribution network spread over six continents. Globally it has 90 plants a workforce of more than 200000 employees (Ford Motor Company-a, n.d., â€Å"Ford Global†). Currently the company follows General Motors (GM) and stands at second position in terms of sales volume (Freep-a, 2010, â€Å"January Auto Sales†). The corporate goal of Ford, as reflected through its mission statement, is "to become the worlds leading Consumer Company for automotive products and services" (Samples-Help, 2006, â€Å"Ford Motor Company Mission Statement†). Ford has also encapsulated its organizational plans and goals in the form of â€Å"One Ford Mission† (Ford-a, n.d., â€Å"One Ford†). According to this composite statement, Ford wants to work as a goal oriented team which strives to attain automotive leadership

Healthy Eating Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Healthy Eating - Essay Example As the problem starts at young age it is best to overcome it at that time. The main motivators for obesity in children include junk foods, video games and television; as children's are mostly targets in the media for these advertisements. Parent's role also plays an important part; they are the ones to encourage their children for sports and exercises, and replace the junks with fruits and vegetables. Eating healthy food full of nutrition and vitamins is important in order to stay healthy, but if the problem increases it is best to consult a doctor, dietitian or a nutritionist. Due to the sudden increase in which America's children are becoming obese, it has been stated that "the current generation of American youth might live less healthy and possibly even have shorter lives than their parents (Bernstein)" if nothing is done about the deteriorating health of children. Obesity is one of the leading causes of health problems, which stays present as a person gets older. Obesity used to be an issue in adults, but today, obesity is something that often starts when a person is in their childhood, and their health worsens the older they get. "America must be getting thinner, right Mc Donald's has stopped super-sizing. Coke has launched its 'half the sugar, half the carbs' C2 cola and it seems like every week a new diet book hits the shelves and the best seller list (Dan Crane, 2009). In April 2005 the sesame street recognized the growing crises of childhood obesity in United States and introduced 'healthy habits for life' a segment in their episodes that featured tips on healthy eating and exercise. Health problems that are associated with obesity include diabetes, heart failure, and various kinds of cancer; unfortunately, many of these can lead to an early death. As aforementioned, the media has played a large role in encouraging obesity; due to the in crease in how many children are obese, the media has since turned around, discouraging the gorging of junk food products, urging children to eat better and to spend more time participating in physical activity. Being aware of obesity problems, a partnership was formed in 2005 by the American Heart association by the name of Alliance for a Healthier Generation with the help of U.S president Bill Clinton and the Nickelodeons. The purpose of this alliance was to protect the life threatening consequences of unhealthy lifestyle habits. They reached kids through vigorous public awareness campaigns. Speaking of his media company's role in the partnership, Nickelodeon Network resident Herb Scannell said, "We want kids to become personally invested in living strong, healthy lives. And if we do our jobs right, kids will believe that being healthy is cool". (2005) furthermore television networks designed mainly for children, such as Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, have taken it upon themse lves to encourage children to live healthier; there are even a few times a year that the networks shut themselves down for a few hours so that children do not feel as obliged to sit around and watch television, but are encouraged to go outside and

Final Synthesis Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final Synthesis - Research Paper Example The contemporary trends of early education which can be delved as most frequently practiced or emphasized issues are as follows: Social and cultural milieu of play of young children Educational technology in early education Cost of caring Global education Social status of early educator The above stated trends provide a lucid picture of what has been explored in past years related to the significance of education for children. In the social, cultural and cognitive set up of early literacy, it is required to resolve the dilemma of the educators in order to identify best practices which may be like a gust of zephyr for children rather than becoming an over burden for them. Goodman (1994) suggests that there must be a proper tradeoff between play and work so that children can carry their tasks according to the prescribed action plan. It is taken aback when some educators become extremists. They either pay the entire attention over play or work only aside. Contextual variation in play ar ises when a child moves away forward to his or her 2nd year of life. It is the most apt time for young kids to make partnerships in play and work development. This is the age when children are excited to make chums and foes to abet or loathe respectively (Glick et al, 1997). The environment for play is required to be generated in an acceptable way for all. The predicament responsibility and dilemma for educators is to have the option of play available for pupil apart from gender segregation. The choices for play for both male and female children differ in an observable manner for example male children are inclined towards block corner games whereas the female students are interested in kitchen games and household area (Hoffman & Powlishta, 2001). There are many solutions presented in this regard. It is a positive practice to design such kinder gardens which consist of several areas for male and female children (Theokas et al, 1993). However this choice is somehow difficult to be ada pted by the Montessori schools because of several reasons indeed, because it requires outside environment and the target pupil for this setting are a few. Furthermore Christie (1991) divulges that there is psychological connection found between play and work environment for children of young age. The connection can be enhanced with development in play environment in the milieu of work at preschools. Educational technology is one of the most contemporary and most frequently discussed debate in near past. During the last decade, especially, it was being dug out that there should be class room computers for young pupils while delving for its appropriateness is another issue (Swaminathan & Wright, 2003). Children at the age of three are expected to have interaction with computers in order to get general introduction and orientation with technology age. They are meant to be engaged with root level art and manipulations. This enhances the preschool interest and art sense in kids (Armstron g & Casement, 2000). However a question is still unanswered: can this technology meet up with the intended outcomes? Probably yes, may be no. the answer still possesses ambiguity because of no concrete results aroused from real settings. Every child behaves differently in the same environment because children are brought up with different psychological resilience. The buoyed responses from several

The use of the Historical Cost convention and the accrual concept for Essay

The use of the Historical Cost convention and the accrual concept for stewardship and for decision making - Essay Example It is this purchase price which is referred to as the "historical" cost. An extension of this discussion will lead to interesting questions. The asset must be shown in the books at the purchase price. It is not to be shown at the market value. This is done to ensure a "true and fair" picture of the financial position of the firm. It is commonly noted that the asset which is purchased by the company will increase/decrease in value over time, because of market forces. In such a case, the correct representation of the asset will lie only in showing them at their original, historical cost. Showing the asset at its market value will portray the asset at a value which may be inflated or deflated, as the market forces may be. This will defeat the purpose of financial accounting, which involves giving a "true and fair" view of accounts. In such a case, as per the historical cost principle, the value of this land will be $50,000 in the books. Showing it at the inflated price of $80,000 will be against the accounting principle of prudence2, and it will inflate the profits of the firm, which may influence prospective outsiders. We know that Assets less Liabilities equals equity. So, greater the assets, greater the equity. However, since investors, creditors and other outsiders need to know the accurate information, which can be provided only with an accurate stewardship, there has to be a method that makes the selection of asset-value uniform. And that method is the historical cost principle. Not only does the historical cost convention make the value of assets uniform and unambiguous - as the cost of acquisition is shown as the asset value - it makes the whole process of number crunching an easier one. Evaluating the assets at their market value allows a lot of ambiguity to creep in. Since market value is always subject to volatility, the value of assets would always be subjective. The historical cost principle, in such a situation, evaluates the assets at the cost of their acquisition, making the value objective and uniform3. In such a case, the historical cost convention is particularly useful for stewardship. As discussed earlier, the historical cost convention requires the asset to be valued at its acquisition cost only. This means that only the money which we have actually spent is to be shown in the books. An inflated value of the assets goes against the principle of prudence. Stewardship, which plays the important role of communication of information to outsiders, involves presenting the financial position of the firm as accurately as possible, and of course, keeping in mind all norms. The historical cost convention enables this function to be done with vital ease. Upon employing the historical cost principle, the books of accounts present an impartial view of the financial position of the business concern. This naturally, helps prospective outsiders make a fully informed decision,

Creation vs. Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Creation vs. Evolution - Essay Example His investigation techniques entailed interviewing adept scholars who possessed extensive knowledge on creationism and evolutionism. Strobel outlines his arguments in a systematic way, easy to critic, understand and draw valid conclusions. However, relying solely on the arguments presented in Lee Strobel’s literal pieces limits ones understanding of the creationism vs. evolutionism argument. Therefore, discussed in this paper is a review of the philosophical foundations for both arguments and their impact on people’s understanding of earth’s origin (Moore 203). Arguments for the existence of God surfaced in the era of philosophers who lived in a period where logic and reasoning proved crucial to understanding and explaining the occurrence or existence of different phenomena. Majority of these philosophers’ beliefs, values and moral principles had their basis in religion, which revolved around the premise of the existence of an all-powerful, good God. An ov erview of the pre-historic philosophers indicates that each group believed in a superior element that had control over the functioning of all other elements. It is presumable that their choice of superior elements such as fire, water, and air functioned as a symbolic reference to a supreme deity that controlled the functioning of other aspects such as sustaining life on earth. Through dogmatic indoctrination, individuals’ beliefs and knowledge concerning their origin and that of the earth centered on God. Moreover, Science was still a relatively new discipline characterized with continuously surfacing schools of thought that advanced different theories in their attempt to explain existing phenomena. As a result, both philosophers and the individuals who relied on their teachings found themselves embracing the creation account detailed in the Bible as an explanation to earth’s and other organism’s origin. Genesis provides a chronological order of the worldâ€℠¢s creation by an all-powerful, omniscient being (God). The zeitgeist of the philosophers’ era played a significant role in predisposing individuals to believe in creationism (Ross 166). The previously held presumptions soon changed with the advancement of Charles Darwin’s evolution theory. Darwin asserted that evolution guided the transformation of systems from simple forms to complex forms by undergoing mechanistic processes such as natural selection and mutation (Bowden 115). According to Darwin, the microevolution changes that occur to form complex structures are random and are not pre-designed by a supernatural force. Darwin asserted that these changes result from the innate need to survive, which causes organisms to adapt to their changing environment or risk facing imminent death that might result in the species extinction. Darwin’s evolution theory gained acceptance among many during the scientific era where people resorted to using empirical methods to test hypothesized theories. It is important to note that the scientific era sort to discredit religious explanations with regard to various phenomena (Bowden 116). The scientific era saw people critiquing issues using similar subject matter; for example, the principle of non-contradiction was used to refute the existence of God. The non-contradiction principle states that a statement cannot be true and false at the same time. In relation to the existence of

The Human Reproductive System Essay Example for Free

The Human Reproductive System Essay The human reproductive system requires both the female and male to procreate. Although the reproductive organs will function separately, they will not create another human being without each other. The Male Sperm   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The male reproductive system is more external than the female. Sperm must be created to fertilize the female’s egg and this is done in the testes or testicles of the male. Sperm are mobile cells that contain the male’s chromosomes, to be passed on the offspring. There are hundreds of thousands of sperm produced during a male’s lifetime, all of which have the potential to fertilize an egg. Sperm die off and are recreated at the rate of 1% day and sperm that are released from the body live only a few hours. Scrotum The testes are contained in a fleshy pouch known as the scrotum, which hangs outside the male body in the groin area. The testes themselves are actually over 850 feet of tiny tubing, curled into two balls inside the scrotum. It is in these tubes that the sperm are formed. The scrotum is a highly sensitive area. Normal body temperature will kill the sperm due to their sensitivity to high temperatures; this is why the scrotum lies outside the body rather than internally. In cold weather, the scrotum will pull the testicles closer to the body to maintain the proper temperature. Once formed the sperm must pass through into the epidiymis, which is a larger tube that stores the sperm and lets them mature until it is time to be ejaculated into the female. The epidiymis is encased in the scrotum along with the testes. Ducts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When the sperm is ready to be ejaculated it leaves the epidiymis and travels through the vasa deferentia. The vasa deferentia extend from the epidymis and go around the bladder in many different directions. The ends of the vasa deferentia are called ejaculatory ducts. These ducts are located behind the bladder and empty into the urethra. Before the sperm reach the urethra they must also travel through the seminal vesicles, which are also located behind the bladder. Accessory Glands   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The seminal vesicles are part of a group of accessory glands. The seminal vesicles add the semen that coats the sperm during ejaculation. The seminal fluid â€Å"contains mucus, amino acids, fructose as the main energy source for the sperm, and prostaglandins to stimulate female uterine contractions to move the semen up into the uterus.† (biology.clc.uc.ed, 2007)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inside the body, at the beginning of the urethra, is the prostate gland. The prostate gland is considered an accessory gland and is the largest of these glands. It secretes directly into the urethra and mixes with the seminal fluid. The secretions of the prostate gland are high in alkaline. Alkaline neutralizes the acid left by urine and produced by the female body. It protects the sperm as they make their way through the female to the egg.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hanging from the front of the abdominal cavity on the outside of the body, in front of the scrotum, is the penis. It is made from several cylinders of spongy, erectile tissue. When the male becomes sexually excited, the spongy tissue becomes filled with arterial blood and the veins, which allow this blood to drain off to other areas, seal off. This causes an erection, which is required for ejaculation. The erection is also required to be able to enter the female’s vagina and fertilize the egg. Running through the center of the penis is a hollow tube called the urethra. It allows semen or urine to be released from the body. The male reproductive system  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookREPROD.html The Female   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The female reproductive organs are internal and produce eggs rather than sperm. The eggs are produced in the ovaries, which are located on either side of the abdominal cavity. The â€Å"eggs† are not like chicken or other animal eggs but more like a collection of special cells. While a female has almost a half million eggs at birth, only about 500 will be released from the ovaries during the time that she is fertile and able to reproduce. Eggs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The eggs are formed with a process known as â€Å"meiosis†. This means that the egg only has half of the chromosomes needed to complete a new being. The process known as fertilization provides the other half of the needed chromosomes, thus giving the offspring half from each contributing parent. Of the hundreds of thousands of eggs a female is born with, only about 300 of these are ever released to be fertilized. Ovaries   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ovaries, located on either side of the abdominal wall, create the eggs that are released for fertilization. The ovaries are connected to the fallopian tubes and store the unused eggs as well.   Ovaries also produce the female hormone estrogen, which affects mood, weight and other aspects of the body. Fallopian Tubes From the ovaries are the fallopian tubes, which extend from the ovaries on each side and down into the females uterus. The fallopian tubes lead into the uterus where the fertilized egg will remain as it gestates. In the female human, hormones contribute to the egg being released into the fallopian tubes. This is normally limited to one egg per cycle. Ovulation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ovulation is the period when an egg matures and is released into the fallopian tubes. This is â€Å"due to the stimulation of leutenizing hormone (LH), which then stimulates the remaining follicle cells to turn into a corpus luteum which then secretes progesterone to prepare the uterus for possible implantation. If an egg is not fertilized and does not implant, the corpus luteum disintegrates and when it stops producing progesterone, the lining of the uterus breaks down and is shed.† (biology.clc.uc.ed, 2007) Uterus   Ã‚  Ã‚   The uterus is located in the female abdominal cavity. It is lined with millions of cilia. These are tiny follicles that both attach the egg to the wall of the uterus and sweep the lining out when the egg disintegrates. At the end of the uterus is the cervix. The cervix has thick walls and a tiny opening leading into the vaginal canal. The cervix will open to pass the baby through when it is time for it to be born. Vaginal Canal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The vaginal canal extends from the cervix to the outside opening of the female vagina. It allows the penis to be inserted to fertilize the egg, pass menstrual blood out of the body and allow a baby to pass from the body. The walls are highly elastic and will stretch to accommodate the baby’s head. The Vagina   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The vagina is the outer area of the female reproductive system. It contains the opening leading to the vaginal canal and a tiny opening located right above it. This is the urethra and it allows urine to pass from the body. Directly above the urethra is the clitoris. This is the female counterpart to the male penis and is also highly sensitive. Covering the openings is the vulva. This consists of inner and outer labia, which are folds of skin. The vulva becomes covered with body hair when the female matures. Fertilization   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fertilization of the egg occurs when the sperm meet the egg at the far end of the fallopian tube. The sperm fertilize the egg, the egg implants itself into the lining of the uterus and a new human is created. The female reproductive system  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookREPROD.html References http://emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookREPROD.html http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio105/reproduc.htm http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/female_reproductive_system.html

US Criminal Justice System Analysis

US Criminal Justice System Analysis The Criminal Justice System (CJS) consists of three elements, the Police, Courts and Corrections. It is no secret that the CJS has been heavily criticized over the years about its overall effectiveness, some skeptics have gone as far as to say the criminal justice system is not a system at all based on its current operation and fragmentation, it is merely a process. A process that involves the decision and actions taken by an institution, offender, victim, or society that influence the offenders movement into, through, or out of the justice system (Peak, 2010, p.5) Some observers contend the justice systems are a network. Steven Cox and John Wade describe the justice system as a television of radio network whose stations share many programs but each station presents programs the network doesnt air on other stations (Peak, 2010, p.7) Others argue that the justice system comprises a criminal justice nonsystem, a system that deal with criminal behavior not always functioning in harmony and is neither efficient enough to create a credible fear of punishment or fair enough to command respect for its values (Peak, 2010, p.8) Police Officers are the first line of defense in this complex organization of the CJS. They have a wide range of responsibilities and layers which includes apprehending criminals, maintaining public order, preventing and detecting crimes. They are also trained in counter-terrorism, surveillance, child protection, VIP protection, and investigation techniques into major crimes such as fraud, rape, murder or drug trafficking. Community-oriented policing and problem solving (COPPS) is the dominant strategy of policies whose approach to crime detection and prevention provides police officers and supervisors with new tools for addressing problems in the communities. The S.A.R.A process (Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessment) is a necessary tool that provides officers with a logical step-by-step framework to identify, analyze, respond to, and evaluate crime, fear of crime and neighborhood disorder. When used effectively, these tools are essential in combating crimes in the community, and ensuring a cohesive relationship between officers and residents. Some of the most important and challenging positions in our society are those of police administrator, manager, or supervisor. Henry Mintzberg described three main roles of the Police Chief or Sheriff: the interpersonal, informational, and the decision-maker. The Interpersonal has three components: the figurehead who attends ceremonial functions, civic events, swearing-in ceremonies, the leadership motivates and coordinates workers while achieving the mission, goals and needs within the department and community, the liaison interacts with other organizations and coordinates work assignments. The Informational engages in tasks relating to monitoring/inspecting, dissemination, and spokesman duties. The Decision-Maker serves as an entrepreneur, a disturbance handler and a negotiator (Peak, 2010 pp. 89-91). The Chief of Police or Sheriff is at the top of the Police organizational chart, his effectiveness or lack thereof will determine the success or failure of their agency(s). Law enforcement officers have responsibilities that outweigh many of our challenges as a civilian. These responsibilities are often plagued with deeper issues both personal and professional that negatively affect the ability of officers to effectively perform their duties. For example, there have been several incidents involving the use of force and abuse of authority by officers. Profanity is part of police culture, used in everyday speech (Peak, 2010, p.118). Unfortunately these verbal and psychological abuse tactics are used by some police officers. Therefore, if it is used as a means to communicate on a daily basis, it is surely used in a situation to gain control of a situation when dealing with civilians. This form of intimidation is a way of demeaning someones character, making them defensive and exacerbating a smilingly innocent interaction into a chaotic confrontation. As in the incident involving the videotaped beating of Rodney King by several police officers after he was pulled over for a moving violation. Officers claim he resisted arrest, the videotape proved otherwise. This incident prompted the U.S. Supreme Court to make a ruling on the use of force at arrest it must be objectively reasonable in view of all the facts and circumstances of each particular case, including the severity of the crime at issue, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, and whether he is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight (Peak, 2010, p.117). Two reports that followed the Rodney King beatingthe 1991 report of the Independent Commission to Study the Los Angeles Police Department and the 1992 Los Angeles County Sheriffs Report by James G. Kolt and staffquestioned the effectiveness of existing psychological screening to predict propensity for violence (Scrivner, 1994). Agencies require their officers to be objectively reasonable in their use of force and have adopted the definition by the International Association of Chiefs of Police: In determining the necessity for force and appropriate level of force, officers shall evaluate each situation in light of the known circumstances, including, but not limited to, the seriousness of the crime, the level of the threat or resistance presented by the subject, and the danger to the community (Peak, 2010, p.120). The DRRM (Dynamic Resistance Response Model) which combines a use-of-force continuum with the behaviors of suspects was developed to more accurately reflect the intent of the law and the changing expectations of society (Peak, 2010, p.120) Two publicized contagious shooting incidents have plagued officers in the past years. In 1999, Amadou Diallo, a 22 year old West African street vendor was shot 19 times by four undercover New York police officers who mistook him for a serial rapist. In April 2007, three undercover New York Police officers were indicted for the manslaughter and reckless endangerment for killing Sean Bell in a hail of 50 bullets discharged at him and passengers in his vehicle while unarmed. Officers assumed one of the victims had a weapon (Peak, 2010, pp.120-121). The DRRM model was clearly not utilized in these two incidents, assumptions cost the lives of two innocent civilians at the hands of overzealous police officers. Suicide by cop and vehicle pursuits, are incidents that require split second decisions by police officers as it pertains to the public safety of the community but with dangerous and deadly consequences putting innocent bystanders at risk. Biased-based policing or Racial profiling occurs when the police target someone for investigation on the basis of that persons race, national origin, or ethnicity. This practice has become more controversial toward the end of the 20th century as the potential for abuse by law enforcement came to light. Race or color may be a factor to consider during certain police activity but race or color alone is insufficient for making a stop or arrest (Schott, 2001). With the increase in crime and the need for 24 hour round the clock police presence, police officers are dealing with shift work and sleep deprivation. Both issues can have deadly consequences for both the officer and civilians. An officer suffering from sleep deprivation cannot make judgmental decisions when apprehending a suspect; determine the use of force if a suspect resists arrest, vehicle pursuits or firing a weapon. When a person is deprived of sleep, actual changes occur in the brain that cannot be overcome with willpower, caffeine, or nicotine. The decline in vigilance, judgment, and safety in relation to the increase in hours on the job cannot be trivialized. Community perceptions of fatigue-related risk have changed and now are viewed as absolutely unacceptable, as well as preventable. As a consequence, law enforcement professionals face a greater reactive pressure both politically and legally to rethink and implement proactive strategies to reduce fatigue-related inciden ts (Lindsey, 2007). COURTS The courts were established to try the accused, have a jury of their peers determine their fate based on evidence presented by the prosecution and the defense. The judge is the mediator between both parties; he allows or overrules statements, comments and evidence that could prejudice the jurys opinion. Once the evidence and closing statements have been presented on both sides, the judge instructs the jury to deliberate and return with a verdict of guilt or innocence. Most people would agree that the purpose of our courts is to provide a forum for seeking and through the adversarial system of justice obtaining the truth (Peak, 2010, p.187). An Adversarial system is a system of law which relies on the contest between each advocate representing his or her partys positions and involves an impartial person or group of people, usually a jury or judge, trying to determine the truth of the case. There are many layers of the courts that make up its functionality. The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest and one of the oldest courts in the nation formed in 1790. Composed of 9 justices: one chief justice and eight associate justices. They are appointed by the President and serve their terms for life. Each new term of the Supreme Court begins, by statute, on the first Monday in October (Peak, 2010, pp.187-188). There are 94 U.S. district courts, 89 of which are located within the 50 states (Peak, 2010, p.191). There are three methods used to select judges: partisan elections which are concentrated mostly in the southern states, nonpartisan elections are held in the West and upper Midwest, while legislative and executive appointments in the East and merit selection west of the Mississippi (Peak, 2010, p.206). The pros and cons of each selection method are as follows: Partisan elections: Based on the nominees party affiliation. Pro- The candidates success of being nomination is based on the amount of campaign funds and or endorsements by the particular party. Con-The candidate may not be endorsed by his or her party affiliation, resulting in low campaign funds and lack of support. Non-partisan elections- No party affiliation: Pro- Election is fair across the board without any prejudices associated with a party affiliation; candidate can obtain votes from both parties as well as undecided voters. Con- The lack of affiliation may negatively affect the candidates chance of being elected. Legislative elections and executive appointments: Vacancy filled by the Governor. Pro- The selection is not based on voters party affiliations. Con- The appointment is based on the decision of the Governor to fill a vacancy that has occurred Merit selection (Missouri Bar Plan): involves the creation of a nominating commission; composed of lawyers and laypersons. Pro- The committee presents the most qualified lawyers to the Governor, who chooses one person as judge. The Judge stands uncontested before the voters. Cons- The lawyers and laypersons of the committee decision may be compromised by the lack of qualified candidates and or biased opinions of the candidates party affiliation (Peak, 2010, pp.206-207). With many people rotating in and out of the courtrooms, problems will occur. Several issues plaguing the US court systems include, courthouse violence and how to perform a threat assessment, how problem-solving courts are expanding, the dilemma of delay, the concept of how ADR (alternative dispute resolution) is used, media relations and the courts, gender bias, juveniles being treated as adults, shackles in courts, use of cameras in the courtrooms and plea bargaining (Peak, 2010, p. 224). Courthouse violence occurrences are few and far between but one case can spark concern within the community. Non-targeted courthouse violence is described as violence with no pre-existing intent but evolves from a ruling after court proceedings. Targeted courthouse violence is deemed as the opposite, intent to cause harm and often creates plans to circumvent security measures (Peak, 2010, p.226). In 2004 and early 2005, the Maricopa County Superior Court reevaluated its security policies and put in place, through Administrative Order No. 2004-031, a new policy to tighten court security, which was vigorously opposed by some. This article discusses how a court views court security in terms of the interest groups affected and how they may hinder or help court security, the range and depth of issues encompassed by court security, and, finally, the pressing need for the court to educate the public and other interest groups about critical security concerns (Campbell Reinkensmeyer, 2007). Good threat assessments involve three principles: (1) Targeted violence is the end result of an understandable and often discernible process of thinking and acting. (2) One must distinguish between expressing a threat and posing a threat. (3) Violence is the product of an interaction among the potential attacker, his or her current situation, the target, and the setting. Metal detectors are commonplace in courtrooms to prevent any violence but there are times when violence strikes courthouse personnel and/or individuals outside the courts. As in the case of a federal district court judge in Chicago whose family members were the target of violence based on a contempt of court charge (Peak, 2010, p.225). The backlog of cases within the court system has been an ongoing issue in the past years; it has had a negative effect on the accused violating their Sixth Amendment right of a speedy trial. In certain select federal districts (but only in those districts), the Department of Justice (DOJ) operates fast-track sentencing programs through which it grants deeply below-Guidelines sentences to illegal reentry defendants in exchange for quick guilty pleas (Siegler, 2009). The best-known legislation addressing the problem is the Speedy Trial Act of 1974, amended in 1979. It provides firm time limits: 30 days from the time of arrest to indictment and 70 days from indictment to trial (Peak, 2010, p.230). Although this legislation has a proven track record, it is most effective in less violent cases such as drug trafficking, and petty crimes. Problem-solving courts are proving that they can absorb a sufficient share of the court systems overall caseload to justify their existence. Early evaluations suggest that problem-solving courts can be as expeditious as the traditional courts hearing comparable types of cases (Casey Rottman, 2005). They have been successful in eliminating the backlog of court cases and providing alternatives to jail time such as community service, drug rehabilitation, and mental health assistance. CORRECTIONS Prison or correctional facility is a place of confinement for people who have committed serious crimes. Prison organizational structures have changed considerably to respond to external needs. They were administered by state boards of charities, boards composed if citizens, board of inspectors, state prison commissions, or individual prison keepers. (Peak, 2010, p.256) A Warden is the official in charge of the prison. Correctional officers (COs) preside over the inmates. COs are categorized into 5 types: (1) Rule enforcers, (2) Hard-liners, (3) People workers, (4) Synthetic officers, and (5) Loners. Generally the rule enforcers were most likely to hold bachelor or masters degrees. (Peak, 2010, p.287) There has been debate as to whether COs should be required to have degrees. The state of Florida has incentives for COs with degrees: The Florida Department of Corrections provides $30 extra a month to an officer with an associate degree and $80 extra a month for officers with bachelors degrees or higher (Florida State Board of Community Colleges 1996). The Arizona Department of Corrections provides an educational allowance for Corrections Officer III and above. A Corrections Officer III and above receives a 2.5 percent annual salary increase for an associate degree, a five percent annual salary increase for a bachelors degree, and a 7.5 percent annual salary increase for a masters degree. (Bynum, 2009) Michigan Department of Corrections currently requires new officers to complete at least 15 hours of college as a condition of employment. These courses included two college classes in corrections, two in counseling/human behavior, and one involving legal issues in corrections. The courses were in addition to the basic academy (Bynum, 2009). Correctional Officers endure stressful situations as do police officers in the field. COs deal with heavy workloads, understaffing, overcrowding, inmate contact, lack of participation in decision-making and job danger. (Peak, 2010, p.292) Some COs spend more time at work than at home and often times engage in inappropriate staff-inmate relationships with the integration of female officers working in male prisons. Sexual activity is common in prisons; the ongoing debate is whether condoms should be issued to the inmates. Although sexual activity is not condoned, it still exists. The state of Vermont and several jails including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Washington, DC have condom programs (Peak, 2010, p.308). Sexual risk behaviors such as multiple partners, history of STDs and lack of condom use before incarceration have been reported among males in correctional settings as well as in a national survey of inmates (Bernstein,  Chow,  Ruiz,  Schachter,  Ã‚  et al.  2006). Prisons should adopt the condom program in the efforts to prevent an ongoing epidemic of STDs and HIV within the prison population. The outsourcing or privatization of correctional operations and programs is a great proposal. Creating educational programs for example would benefit inmates who reenter into society an opportunity for job placement and self improvement. Medical, dental and mental health services are beneficial in their overall care. (Peak, 2010, p.317) There are several alternatives to incarceration. Some states have adopted successful programs: The Minneapolis Anti-Violence Initiative (MAVI) is a partnership between the Minneapolis Police Departments Gang Strike Force and the Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections. It targets violent adult and juvenile gang members and provides intensive supervision, joint home visits, and joint neighborhood patrols. It was started in mid-1997. Project One Voice is a partnership between the New Haven (Connecticut) Police Department and adult and juvenile probation and parole agencies begun in 1997 to provide intensive surveillance for high-risk, gang-involved offenders who are on probation, parole, or pretrial release in two New Haven neighborhoods. The Maricopa County Adult Probation Department operates neighborhood-based probation services in the Phoenix area. Each service is a partnership among the probation department, the Phoenix Police Department, and community organizations in the neighborhoods. The three neighborhood probation projects have two goals: (1) to reduce recidivism and (2) to expand the definition of probation to include providing services to the entire community. (Anonymous, 2009) CONCLUSION Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary describes system as a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole. In my opinion, there is no clear definition of the U.S legal system, each component (police, courts and corrections) play a major role within the system. Their mission and purpose within the organization is clearly defined but they function independently instead of cohesively causing major conflict and discord.

Financial Performance Of Selected Commercial Banks In Uganda Finance Essay

Financial Performance Of Selected Commercial Banks In Uganda Finance Essay Persistent poor financial performance in commercial banks in Uganda yet stakeholders continuously alleged that corporate governance of these banks was doubtful, provoked the writing of this paper. Disclosure and trust, which constitute the integral parts of corporate governance, provide pressure for improved financial performance (Mark2000). This paper aims at establishing the relationship between the core principles of corporate governance and financial performance in commercial banks of Uganda. Findings indicate that Corporate Governance predicts 34.5 % of the variance in the general financial performance of Commercial banks in Uganda. However the significant contributors to financial performance include openness and reliability. Openness and Reliability are measures of trust. On the other hand credit risk as a measure of disclosure has a negative relationship with financial performance. It is obvious that trust has a significant impact on financial performance; given that transpar ency and disclosure boosts the trustworthiness of commercial banks. Banks both local and international should enforce full disclosure practices and transparency practices thereby enhancing trust in order to survive in the competitive financial landscape. Introduction The International financial landscape is changing rapidly; economies and financial systems are undergoing traumatic years. Globalization and technology have continuing speed, financial arenas are becoming more open, new products and services are being invented and marketed and regulators everywhere are scrambling to assess the changes and master the turbulence. An international wave of mergers and acquisitions has swept the banking industry as boundaries between financial sectors and products have blurred dramatically. In this brave new world, one fact remains unchanged. The need for countries to have sound resilient banking systems and strong banks with good Corporate Governance then will use competition to strengthen and upgrade their institutions that will survive in an increasingly open environment (Kaheeru, 2001). According to James Wolfensohn former World Bank Group President, Corporate governance is about promoting corporate fairness, transparency and accountability (Financial Times, 1999). Governance is a requisite for survival and a gauge of how predictable the system for doing business in any country is. In developing countries, the importance of governance is to strengthen the foundation of society and chip into the global economy. International standards and guidelines on corporate governance have been established by many multilateral organizations including the OECD and the Basle Committee in the effort to ensure improved legal; institutional and regulatory framework for enhancing corporate governance in institutions such as banks and financial markets (Kibirango, 2002). Specifically, the World Bank has proposed guidelines for good corporate governance in the financial sector, because of the critical role of the sector as the main vehicle for robust economic growth and effective transmission of monetary policy In Uganda, the factors responsible for poor corporate performance especially in banks emanate from lack of transparency, accountability and poor ethical conduct (Kibirango, 1999). Commercial banks failures have been linked to self-inflicted causes resulting from bank owners; ICB(International Credit Bank), GBL(Greenland Bank), and Coop Bank were afflicted with the one-man management syndrome of corporate governance exemplified by Thomas Kato (ICB), Sulaiman Kiggundu (GBL) and USAID (Co-op Bank). There was no separation between senior management and the board of directors in ICB or GBL and that management took little account of depositors interests. The board of ICB consisted of 4 members of the Kato family including a six -year- old child GBL had two boards of directors but neither had a say in the running of the bank for instance ICBs audit report cited connected or insider lending to a tune of UShs. 4 billion In the case of GBL the July 1998 Bank of Uganda (BOU) Audit Report stated that as per30th June 1998, Insider lending stood at Ushs.22, 722 million representing 47 percent of customer deposits and accounting for 5 5 percent of the total loan portfolio yet the maximum amount the bank could lend according to FIS 1993 was Ushs.975 million only. The report also cited that in most cases credit was extended on sole instructions of then Managing Director without any or minimal documentation (BOU, 1999). At the time of removing the Managing director in December 1998, the bank was more illiquid than what the financial statements were showing. Greenland Bank had tried to cover up the shortfall through kiting cheques between them selves and Uganda Commercial Bank and this involved instruments worth about Ushs. 4 billion. At the time of handing over, Kigundu admitted having made huge investments (UShs. 37bn off-Balance Sheet) mostly in related companies without disclosing these in books of the bank. In addition, he had secretly solicited for substantial deposits UShs. 20 billion which were kept off the financial Statements of the bank (BOU, 19, 1999). The B.O.U. closure of the above mentioned banks was intended to awaken the owners, directors and managers of the other commercial banks to institute sound corporate governance principles and foster better financial performance. It is worth highlighting that, insufficient financial disclosure evidenced by high level of off-balance sheet items, lack of transparency resulting from gross mismanagement and dubious accounting actions as observed in cases of ICB, GBL (Yunusu, 2001) and TransAfrica Bank Ltd (B.O.U., 2002) are detrimental to interests of banks stakeholders especially the depositors. The banks capital, asset and earnings values are affected and as a result the financial performance is questionable. This may be due to poor corporate governance. Amazingly, even after the intervention by Bank of Uganda through the closure of at least three commercial Banks in 1999, a number of Commercial Banks in Uganda have continued to register poor financial Performance, for instance, National Bank of Commerce in 2001/2002 reported a loss of 729,000,000/= and the banks liabilities swelled to 5bn/= in year 2002 from Ug. Shs 2.3bn in 2001.Citibanks profits fell from Ug. Shs. 4.1bn. in year 2001 to 2.3bn/= in year 2002 (Aggrey, 2003), Similarly, the Balance sheet position of Stanbic Bank (U) ltd. for year 2001 declined by 14.24 per cent compared with a growth of 19.19 per cent in 2000. Loans and advances, which comprised 32.95 percent of total assets declined by 24.42 percent, and the efficiency ratio deteriorated from 31.65 percent to 35.07 percent (Stanbic Bank Uganda, 2001). The overall aim of this paper is to investigate the link between, financial performance and the Core pillars of corporate governance; transparency, disclosure and trust in commercial banks in Uganda, within International and local Commercial Banks with headquarters in Kampala District, Stanbic Bank, Cairo Bank, Orient Bank and CERUDE Bank were the key focus in this paper. In order to achieve this aim bank annual reports formed a major source of financial data used to gauge financial performance. Financial performance was measured using CAEL Model which was later correlated with corporate governance variable. An Overview of the Key Variables To understand corporate governance and financial performance variables in relation to commercial banks, the major corporate governance pillars i.e. financial transparency, disclosure and trust are dissected. Financial performance especially relating to commercial banks is also reviewed based on the performance dimensions comprising capital adequacy, asset quality, earnings and liquidity. The significance of stakeholders in commercial banks is also highlighted. These are compressed in a conceptual framework Revenue Authority and Bank of Uganda, the expectation of government is that, information from these enterprises should not be biased and misleading. Management has to take into account the stakeholders expectations when they set a strategic direction but this can only be attained through sound corporate governance. Corporate Governance Corporate governance is about building credibility, ensuring transparency and accountability as well as maintaining an effective channel of information disclosure that would foster good corporate performance. It is also about how to build trust and sustain confidence among the various interest groups that make up an organisation. Indeed the outcome of a survey by Mckinsey in collaboration with the World Bank in June 2000 attested to the strong link between corporate governance and stakeholder confidence(Mark, 2000). Given that a study has already been carried out on the extent to which board composition affects team processes (orientation communication feedbacks, coordination, leadership and monitoring), board effectiveness and performance of the selected financial institutions in Uganda (Rosette, 2002), the researcher picked three basic tenets of Corporate Governance; Transparency, Disclosure and Trust in relation to commercial bank financial performance in Uganda, these tenets fall under the accounting field. The constructs/tenets are reviewed in the following sections. Transparency Transparency is integral to corporate governance, higher transparency reduces the information asymmetry between a and bondholders), mitigating the agency problem in corporate governance (Sandeep et al, firms management and financial stakeholders (equity2002). In Uganda lack of transparency is attributed to the closures of commercial banks (Yunusu, 2001). Bank Transparency The concept of Bank transparency is broad in scope it refers to the quality and quantity of public information on a banks risk profile and to the timing of its disclosure, including the banks past and current decisions and actions as well as its plans for the future. The transparency of the banking sector as a whole also includes public information on bank regulations and on safety net operations of the central bank (Enoch et al, 1997 and Rosengren, 1998). Weak transparency makes banks asset risks opaque. Stock market participants including professional analysists such as Moodys encounter difficulties in measuring banks credit worthiness and risk exposures (Poon, Firth, and Fung, 1999, Morgan 1999, and Jordan, Peek, Rosengren, (2000)). Ball (2001) argues that timely incorporation of economic losses in the published financial statements (that is, conservatism) increases the effectiveness of corporate governance, compensation systems, and debt agreements in motivating and monitoring managers. For instance, improved governance can manifest in a reduction of the private benefits that managers can extract from the company or in a reduction of the legal and auditing costs that shareholders must bear to prevent managerial opportunism Governance research in accounting exploits the role of accounting information as a source of credible information variables that support the existence of enforceable contracts, such as compensation contracts with payoffs to managers contingent on realized measures of performance, the monitoring of managers by boards of directors and outside investors and regulators, and the exercise of investor rights granted by existing securities laws. There are a number of issues to consider in this regard. First, the existence of a strong financial accounting regime is likely a precondition for the existence of a vibrant stock market and in its absence the notions of equity-based pay and diffuse ownership of firms become moot (Ball (2001) and Black (2000)) Institutional Variables Used to Measure Corporate transparency comprises. Financial accounting disclosures of major stakeholders, Timeliness of disclosures, Information dissemination and completeness of information. Robert Abbie (2001) concur with BPS especially on institutional transparency, they outline the transparency dimensions as; Completeness of financial information, Release of information, Timeliness, and Means of dissemination. Disclosure Given the recent corporate scandals (US Based; Enron, WorldComà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Heidi and Marleen (2003) and Uganda Based; Greenland Bank Ltd, ICB(Japheth (2001)) restoring public trust is at the top of the agenda of todays business leaders. Greater information provision (disclosure) on the companys capital and control structures can be an important means to achieve this goal. High quality and relevant information is crucial for exercise of governance powers. Full Disclosure seeks to avoid financial statements fraud(Beasley, 1996; Beasley et al, 2000). Prior studies have concentrated on disclosure of items such as management earnings forecasts (Johnson et al, 2001; Lev and Penman1990) or interim earnings (Leftwich and Zimmerman 1981), or have examined a very general disclosure index of financial and/or non financial items (Chow and Wong Borren, 1987). The CIFAR Index (i.e. a disclosure index created by the Center for Intentional Financial Analysis and Research (CIFAR) rates annual reports on the inclusion or omission of about 90 (rather traditional and mandatory financial) items from the following categories; general information, income statements, balance sheet, funds flow statement, accounting standards, stock data and special items (Laporta et al, 1998). Dangers of Voluntary Disclosure The most common arguments against voluntary disclosure from a managerial perspective are fear of giving away sensitive information to competitors and procurement of extra costs for collecting and disclosing the information (Eccles and Mavrinac (1995), Healy and Palepu (1993), Reich and Cylinder (1997).However, it is worth noting that as competition continues to bite, the basket of secret information tends to reduce. Financial Disclosure Financial disclosure, which is a key component of the newly proposed Basel Capital Accord, is reviewed in the following paragraphs. In April 2003, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS, 2003a), headquartered at the Bank for International Settlements in Switzerland, released the new Basel Capital Accord, which replaced the1988 Capital Accord with an attempt to set regulatory capital requirements that are comparable across countries. The purpose of pillar three is to complement the other pillars by presenting an enhanced set of public disclosure requirements focusing on capital adequacy. This pillar is examined in more detail than the first 2 pillars given that disclosure represents one of the key variables in the scope of this study. Details of Pillar Three Pillar Three addresses the issue of improving market discipline through effective public disclosure. Specifically, it presents a set of disclosure requirements that should improve market participants ability to assess banks capital structures, exposures, management processes, and, hence, their overall capital adequacy. The proposed disclosure requirements consist of qualitative and quantitative information in three general areas: corporate structure, capital structure and adequacy, and management. Corporate structure refers to how a banking group is organized; for example, what is the top corporate entity of the group and how are its subsidiaries consolidated for accounting and regulatory purposes. Capital structure corresponds to how much capital is held and in what forms, such as common stock. The disclosure requirements for capital adequacy focus on a summary discussion of the banks approach to assessing its current and future capital adequacy. The Concept of Trust Trust means many things. Everyone knows intuitively what it is to trust; yet articulating a precise definition is not a simple matter (Wayne Megan 2002). Trust is difficult to define because it is so complex, in fact, Hosmer (1995) has observed. There appears to be widespread agreement on the importance of trust in human conduct, but unfortunately there also appears to be an equally widespread lack of agreement on a suitable definition of the construct. Trust is a multifaceted construct, which may have different bases and phases depending on the context; it is also a dynamic construct that can change over the course of a relationship (Wayne and Megan, 2002). Facets of trust There are at least five facets of trust that can be gleaned from the literature on trust (Hoy Tschannen-Moran, 1998; Tschannen-Moran Hoy 2001). Benevolence, reliability competence, honesty and openness are all elements of trust (Wayne Megan 2002). Benevolence perhaps the most common facet of trust is a sense of benevolence confidence that ones well being or something one cares about will be protected and not harmed by the trusted party (Baier, 1986; Butter Cantecell, 1984; Cummings Bramily, 1996; Deutch, 1958 Frost, Stimpson Maughan, 1978; Ganbetta, 1988; Hosner, 1995; Hoy Kupersmith 1985; Mishra 1996). Reliability at its most basic level trust has to do with predictability that is, consistency of behaviour and knowing what to expect from others (Butter Cantrell, 1984; Hosmer1995). In and of itself, however, predictability is insufficient for trust. We can expect a person to be invariably late, consistently malicious, inauthentic, or dishonest when our well-being is diminished or damaged in a predictable way, expectations may be met, but the sense in which we trust the other person or group is weak. Competence: Good intentions are not always enough when a person is dependent on another but some level of skill is involved in fulfilling an expectation an individual who means well may nonetheless not be trusted (Baier 1986; Butter Cantrell, 1984; Mishra, 1996). Competence is the ability to perform as expected and according to standards appropriate to task at hand, many organisational tasks rely on competence. Honesty: Honesty is the persons character, integrity and authenticity Rotte r (1967) defined trust as the expectancy that the word, promise, verbal or written statement of another individual or group can be relied upon. Statements are truthful when they confirm to what really happened from that perspective and when commitments made about future actions are kept. A correspondence between a persons statements and deeds demonstrates integrity. Openness: Openness is the extent to which relevant information is shared; it is process by which individuals make themselves vulnerable to others. The information shared may be strictly about organisational matters or it may be personal information, but it is a giving of oneself (Butter Cantrell, 1984, Mishra, 1996) such openness signals reciprocal trust a confidence that neither the information nor the individual will be exploited and recipients can feel the same confidence in return. Individuals who are unwilling to extend trust through openness end up isolated (Kramer, Brewer Hanna, 1996). In Uganda, as in many oth er countries, there is a rooted distrust in most of the public sector Shleifer, and Vishny, (1993) this may also be the case for the private sector in which the commercial banks fall. Macro-Economic Variable Macro-economic variables through factors such as inflation and changes in interest rates may either enhance or distress commercial banks financial performance. Cordella levy Yeyati (1998a) point out that if the shocks of the economy are wide and banks cannot control their asset portfolio risks, then full transparency of banks risk positions may destabilize the banking system. A countrys macro economic environment may also affect transparency levels therefore it becomes difficult to relate to financial performance of commercial Banks. Consider Uganda where the economy is shaped by a number of straining factors like unemployment, 38% of entire population under the poverty line. Such factors have a serious impact on the behaviour of potential account holders or even those who operate accounts. This means that even if there is proper transparency, full disclosure and trust in the banking industry, the above challenges may negatively affect financial performance in Uganda. In this paper, these together with other social, political and technological factors are assumed invariable. Relationship of Transparency, Disclosure, Trust and Financial Performance Transparency, disclosure and trust, which constitute the integral part of corporate governance, can provide pressure for improved financial performance. Financial performance, present and prospective is a benchmark for investment. The Mckinsey Quarterly surveys suggest that institutional investors will pay as much as 28% more for the shares of well governed companies in emerging markets (Mark, 2000). According to the corporate governance survey 2002, carried out by the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange and accounting firm Price Water House Coopers (PWC), the majority of investors in Malaysia are prepared to pay 20% premium for companies with superior corporate governance practices. Financial Performance and financial institutions Financial soundness is a situation where depositors funds are safe in a stable banking system. The financial soundness of a financial institution may be strong or unsatisfactory varying from one bank to another (BOU, 2002). External factors such as deregulation; lack of information among bank customers; homogeneity of the bank business, connections among banks do cause bank failure. Some useful measures of financial performance which is the alternative term as financial soundness are coined into what is referred to as CAMEL. The acronym CAMEL refers to the five components of a banks condition that are assessed: Capital adequacy, Asset quality, Management, Earnings, and Liquidity. A sixth component, a banks Sensitivity to market risk, was added in 1997; hence the acronym was changed to CAMELS. (Note that the bulk of the academic literature is based on pre -1997 data and is thus based on CAMEL ratings.) Ratings are assigned for each component in addition to the overall rating of a bank s financial condition (Jose, 1999). The ratings are assigned on a scale from 1 to 5. Capital Adequacy: This ultimately determines how well financial institutions can cope with shocks to their balance sheets. The bank monitors the adequacy of its capital using ratios established by The Bank for International Settlements. Capital adequacy in commercial banks is measured in relation to the relative risk weights assigned to the different category of assets held both on and off the balance sheet items (Bank of Uganda, 2002). Asset Quality: The solvency of financial institutions typically is at risk when their assets become impaired, so it is important to monitor indicators of the quality of their assets in terms of overexposure to specific risks trends in non- performing loans, and the health and profitability of bank borrowers especially the corporate sector. Credit risk is inherent in lending, which is the major banking business. It arises when a borrower defaults on the loan repayment agreement. A financial institution whose borrowers default on their repayments may face cash flow problems, which eventually affect its liquidity position. Ultimately, this negatively impacts on the profitability and capital through extra specific provisions for bad debts (Bank of Uganda, 2002). Earnings: The continued viability of a bank depends on its ability to earn an adequate return on its assets and capital. Good earnings performance enables a bank to fund its expansion, remain competitive in the market and replenish and /or increase its capital(Bank of Uganda, 2002). A number of authors have agued that, banks that must survive need: Higher Return on Assets (ROA)., better return on net worth/Equity (ROE), sound capital base i.e. the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), adoption of corporate governance ensuring transparency to stakeholders that is equity holders, regulators and the public. Liquidity: Initially solvent financial institutions may be driven toward closure by poor manage ment of short-term liquidity. Indicators should cover funding sources and capture large maturity mismatches. An unmatched position potentially enhances profitability but also increases the risk of losses (The Ugandan Banker, June 2001). The M represents Management, given that this paper is hinged on financial performance, the management component in not considered in the measure. Generally, literature on corporate governance comprises attributes such as financial transparency, disclosure and trust among others and it is revealed that financial transparency and disclosure enhance trust between the stakeholders and organisations like commercial banks. Capital Adequacy, Earnings and Liquidity are the key dimensions of measuring financial performance in Commercial Banks. In summary, this literature forms an underpinning for the establishment of the association between corporate governance and financial performance. Methodology This study was conducted as a cross sectional and correlational investigation. Given that the key focus was to investigate the relationship between Corporate governance and financial performance. The managers of commercial banks in Uganda may be ensuing the arguments of Eccles Mavrinac (1995), Healy Palepu (1995), and Reich Cylinder (1997) whose studies make a note that voluntary disclosure of information for instance on Total capital bases Tier 1 2 capital, and preference shares may directly give away sensitive information to competitors and the disclosure process itself may lead to extra bank operating costs. Analysis Level of Trust in Commercial Banks On average the Commercial banks are not open to their clients on matters concerning the banks the majority indicated that manages do not tell them what is really going on in the bank; over 62 % were not sure and affirmed this statement. The lack of openness in these commercial banks may raise distrust as noted by Beatty Cantrell (1984), and Mishra (1996) who note that openness signals reciprocal trust a confidence that neither the information nor the individual will be exploited and recipients can feel the same confidence. Many authors conclude that reliability implies a sense of confidence. From URA, it was shown that the commercial banks are open to URA officials about what is going on in the bank (62.5%), it was also found out indicated that the commercial banks are competent in doing their work. The majority of URA officials also indicated that commercial banks are honest to URA and it is also indicated that commercial banks are reliable to URA , Overall analysis from the findings institutes a piece of evidence that URA trusts commercial banks activities. Level of Financial Performance in Commercial Banks As noted earlier, financial performance was considered the dependent variable in this paper, before correlating it with governance variables its magnitude within the commercial banks was ascertained. Secondary data especially from respective commercial banks annual-reports (from 2000 to 2003) were used to extract the summary of the banks financial performance Based on Capital Adequacy, Asset Quality, Earnings and Liquidity as recommended by BOU for measuring Financial Performance (BOU 2002). Capital adequacy, which is measured by CK/RWAs ratio(Core Capital / Risk Weighted Assets), in most banks was above the central banks, required level of 12%. Asset Quality, which was measured by NPA/ Total advances and Specific Provisions, also indicated that most banks were above the FIS (1993) requirement of 25%. Earnings, which are measured by ROE and ROA ratios, indicated that some banks earnings performance was below zero for instance Bank R. Some other banks indicated a steady movement upwards especially on their ROA Ratios. Liquidity which is measured by Liquidity Assets/Total Deposits and Total Advances/Total Deposits ratios, indicated that in the overall commercial banks were highly liquid over the trend 2000 to 2003,for instance for bank Z the Liquidity Assets/Total Deposits ratios were 119%, 140%, 112 % and 129% respectively, this implied a weakness in the financial performance of commercial banks. Relationship between Corporate Governance and Financial Performance in Commercial Banks. It was disclosed that all the dimensions of financial transparency, Disclosure and trust had positive relationships with most of the financial performance dimensions in commercial banks in Uganda. For instance capital adequacy, earnings, assets quality highly showed positive correlations with openness competence honestly and kindness. This is also in agreement with the McKinsey quarterly Survey Mark (2000) and the Corporate Governance Survey (2000) by the Kuala Lumpar Stock Exchange and accounting firm PWC that noted that there is a link between corporate governance and financial Performance due to the investors willingness to inject more funds in a wellgoverned firm. The extent to which corporate governance influences Financial Performance Regression analysis was used to find the influence of the independent variable Corporate Governance (financial transparency, disclosure and trust) on the dependent variables financial performance (capital adequacy, asset quality, earnings and li quidity). An analysis of Variance was produced reflecting the variables corporate Governance and financial performance. Results indicated that Corporate Governance (Transparency, Trust and Disclosure) predicts 34.5 % of the variance in the general financial performance of Commercial banks in Uganda. The significant contributors to financial performance were openness and reliability. Openness and Reliability all these are measures of trust. On the other hand, credit risk as a measure of disclosure had negative relationship with financial performance, this is in harmony with extant finance literature which highlights that, it is probable that when risky lending increases the payback declines. This in turn negatively affects commercial banks earnings. Conclusion and Recommendations Disclosure whose strongest dimension was ascertained as Credit Risk in this paper is in agreement with the New Basel Capital Accord (2003) and Lopez (2001). On the side of Trust; reliability, openness and honesty came out to be the strongest dimensions to gauge trust in commercial Banks this is in conformity with the study undertaken by Butter Cantrell (1984); and Wayne Megan (2002).Whereas completeness came out as the significant dimension when measuring financial transparency. Recommendations based on the above finds include: Given that the corporate governance can influence over 34% of the financial performance of banks, commercial banks need to adopt and strengthen the corporate governance principles especially on dimensions of timeliness in delivering the financial reports to Bank of Uganda and presenting the details of Loan Advances This means that issues regarding transparency where timeliness and completeness fall should not be underestimated by such banks. After the Commer cial Banks have established mechanisms to enforce proper governance practices such as financial disclosure and transparency. They will automatically build a bond of trust with their numerous stakeholders including customers, society, and government among others. Some of these stakeholders especially customers will in turn invest their funds in these banks. For instance, they buy shares when the respective commercial bank is listed both on the local capital market like Uganda Stock Exchange (USE) or on international Capital Markets like The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or any other capital market. Commercial Banks operating in Uganda, like any form of business organisation, in todays dynamic financial landscape should focus on proper Governance Practices and Principles not only to boost and enhance their financial performances but as path to gaining a better publ