The Reconstruction of African History

The Reconstruction of African History This context will analyze the contribution of historian B.A Ogot in the reconstruction of the African History. It will explore Kenya as one of the African nations and/ or countries where the work of B.A Ogot has contributed a lot in historical reconstruction. His significance in history can be accredited to the fact that his life was surrounded by the major events with specific reference to the independence period among other events that has built the history of this nation. In order to understand his contributions to the study topic, both his past and current dispositions will be analyzed by reviewing his literature that he has produced over the years. Following this, this study will also highlight various historical processes from the pre-colonial time to colonial administration in Kenya based on the Mau Mau organization, composition and its impacts. His reconstruction of Africans History The work of B.A Ogot presents various aspects of both pre-colonial history and colonial era in Africa. According to the researches conducted based on his contribution into the African history with reference to Atieno (2002) in The challenges of History and leadership in Africa, his main role was to offer defense for humanity, durability, historicity, complexity and wealth of African societies together with their culture. He offered criticism on studies based on African institutions and customary practices that were said to have failed in offering any defense to African history through adherence to African ideas of the universe, destiny and its existence. He examines the main aspects of Nilotic societies and cultures based on the concept of Jok  [1]  . This term is found in different forms of Nilotic languages whose meaning is God, spirit, Ghost among others. Ogot had immense interest in the institutional practices and the history of African thought for instance religion which was captured in his three essays he wrote. On making of a sanctuary is the essay that examines padhola religion that has been said to be contented in Jok concept and cannot be understood beside Nilotic culture. Ogot trace changes imposed in Padhola religion by the migration of Nilotes to the south, establishment of Bura shrine as a worshipping place, other denominational rivals and the infiltration of strangers among padhola in nineteenth century. Ogot embarked on effects of European religiosity on the lives of the Luo people, which led to religious contradictions in Nyanza. According to Ogot, there exists a complex process of converting first African Christians based on their motivations, training, sacrifices and evangelical activities among others. He presented how the first African Christians faced troubles from the European missionaries, African chiefs and the c olonial government. The religious struggle led to the establishment of Anglican Church in which Mango broke and founded his own church the holy ghost church. Both religious contradictions and conflicts resulted to the murder of Mango in 1934 during an attack that sprouted on the village he belongs. The essay A community of their own Ogot looked at both the rise and effects of the Maria legion of African church that resulted from a reformation of Roman Catholic Church in Nyanza. Ogot is argued to have been normalizing African initiatives, cultural systems, choices, activities and adaptations through analyzing religious based on their terms. He also showed how religion resisted toward the colonial rule in Africa. The emergence of the Nomiya Luo church and Church of Christian Africans offer a better indicator of resistance to colonial rule and/ or power. In his essay on Kingship and statelessness Among the Nilotes, he challenged the racist hypothesis that holds that, there exists a correlation between degr ee of political evolution and the peoples hamitic blood. Based on this hypothesis, he suggested that the establishment of both Shilluk and Bunyoro kingdoms was based on factors such as political, economic and military. In his work, Ogot identified segmentary states that were observed to be less advanced as compared to the Bunyoro Kingdom. Examples of these segmentary states include the Ruothships that belongs to Luo and Acholi and the stateless societies of the Dinka and Nuer. The work of Ogot showed that the process of state formation comprises different groups of people and other historical contexts. Ogot produced many essays that enable one to trace his contribution to the reconstruction of the African history from Kenyans independence to date  [2]  . There was only one essay that concentrated on the colonial state alone while others lay emphasis on the anti-colonial resistance: For instance, the Mau Mau movement that was Kenyas liberation movement during the colonial period or era. Ogot highlighted the colonial rule and its contradiction nature in Kenya and Africa as a whole. His work presented the view that the colonial state and/ or the conquest were observed to be both authoritarian and weak as it lacked legitimacy. Another contribution of Ogot is that through his work, he describes how illiterate and incom petent officials in Africa struggled to cope with colonial version of administration, the missionarys roles, impacts of both the first and Second World War, religious movements and the reformist political associations that resulted from the educated elite. Through the work of Ogot, it is clear that a connection exists between local and national manifestations of what was referred to as nationalism. Ogot explains why the nationalist party KAU failed to establish itself in Nyanza. He argued that Kikuyu leadership in KAU was the major cause of its failure in Nyanza since they only focused on land grievances in kikuyu, which had little connection with Nyanza. According to Ogot, Mau Mau movement had historical significance since it was based on Kenyas decolonization. The goals of this movement were to make Kenya a nation in other words, to nationalize Kenya but we cannot call this movement a national movement since it was confined to one part of Kenya that is the Central Kenya. In addition, B.A Ogot focuses on both the ideology and social composition of Mau Mau and its origin in the context of African imagination and colonial era.  [3]  His writing focused on the people especially those who supported the movement and who opposed it amon g the kikuyu community. He indicated that the class and ideological divisions among kikuyu people mainly implicated the variations between the loyalist and fighters. These variations were based on access to land, affinities to Christianity and traditional culture, attitudes based on constitutionalism among others. He further showed that the differentiation of memories, age, political ecologies in terms of location and dreams about the future accounts for variations. It has been argued that, songs played a major role in peoples culture because people use songs to express their visions, problems, social values and appropriate possibilities. It was therefore through songs that the Mau Mau movement came into practice in Kenya as people expressed their demand for decolonization after a long period of suffering from the colonial states. Through songs, people were able to mobilize each other therefore reinforcing their strength and spirits of other supporters. According to him, the use of songs implicated that the Mau Mau movement was anti-colonial movement fighting for the decolonization of Kenya. These songs were sang in kikuyu language, symbols, history and legends and this explains why they were said to limit their accessibility and their national appeal. Another contribution of B.A Ogot in the reconstruction of African history is showed on his analyses of The birth of national language. During colonial era most of Africans in Kenya lacked national language since the European language used by the elite lacked nationality in it The researches conducted by B.A Ogot on national language showed that kikuyu was first made a national language because the origin of Mau Mau movement took its roots in Central Kenya  [4]  . The elites borrowed their language from the European and/ or colonial state but were few to make the language a national one. Mau Mau left behind legacy in Kenya based on the inherent biases and propaganda that its still in practiced in Kenya of today. He analyses how different and important figures of Mau Mau movement were arrested and detained with unintended outcomes. Ogot has addressed several critical issues that faced African societies from the colonial period to independence. He examined Africa in terms of politics, leadership, culture, development, identities, and functions of universities and impacts of globalizalisation on Africa. Through his work, Ogot urge writers to investigate more into the social realities that resulted to the current forms of leaders and treat Africans as evil.  [5]  The corruption presented by the modern African elite began during the colonial period with writers such as Elspeth Huxley who was said to have had distrusted the over educated African elite. It was argued that most of African nationalist used political slogans of the western during their struggle against the colonial states. In conclusion, the African history is a complex process of historical events that occurred from colonial era to date. The study highlights that the struggle for African history began with the view of Ogots generations and continue s to the current generation meaning that as we come up with new topics, theories and methodologies we must adhere to the mission that Inspired Ogott generation.

Case Study Discussion: Walgreen Co. Essay

Please discuss the following: Review the Balance sheet of the latest Walgreen Co. 10k Filing. Select two of the following questions to review/discuss: 1. Which current assets are the most significant? 2. Which non-current assets are the most significant? 3. Asset the level of debt and risk that Walgreen has by looking only at the balance sheet. 4. Evaluate the creditworthiness of Walgreen based on the balance sheet 5. Does Walgreen use off-balance sheet financing? Explain your answer. 6. Compute the current ratio and debt ratio for the past two years. 1. Which Walgreen current assets are the most significant? In 2011, Inventories were the most significant current asset ($8,044 million). The Inventories section of Note 1, Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, advises Walgreen Co. valued 2011 inventories with the last-in, first-out (LIFO) cost method. Had Walgreen elected to use the first-in, first-out (FIFO) cost basis for the 2011 inventories would have been greater by $1,587 million. GAAP permits companies to select which inventory accounting method they will use to report inventories (LIFO or FIFO). Companies must state the method selected in the financial statement notes. Most companies calculate the value for both methods and select the method with the lower tax liability. For the past couple of decades, costs have risen (inflation). LIFO has been a popular choice as it produces the largest cost of goods sold expense, the greater the expense deduction the lower the taxable income. 6.Compute the current ratio and debt ratio for the past two years. Current Ratio = Current Assets Current Liabilities Debt Ratio = Total Liabilities Total Assets 2011 2010 Current Assets $12,322.00 $11,922.00 Current Liabilities $8,083.00 $7,433.00 Current Ratio 1.52 1.60 2011 2010 Total Liabilities $12,607.00 $11,875.00 Total Assets $27,454.00 $26,275.00 Debt Ratio 45.9% 45.2% Current Ratio measures a company’s ability to pay current liabilities as they come due. It is a measure of short-term liquidity, an indicator of how easily a company can pay amounts due for the next 12 months. A current ration greater than 1.0 is considered healthy as it indicates a company can meet all its upcoming expense for the next twelve months. With a debt ratio of 1.52, Walgreen appears very health. Of concern, is the decrease from a  2010 debt ratio of 1.60. Further investigation is warranted. If this trend continues it could indicate mismanagement of company assets. A look at the notes gives a clue into the reason for the decline. Note 4, Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, state in 2011 Walgreen completed several acquisitions. Through the acquisitions, Walgreen assumed additional debt. The increase in liabilities explains the decrease in current ratio. With this in mind, current ratio is within acceptable limits. Debt Ratio indicates the percentage of the company financed by debt. It measures solvency, an indicator of a company’s ability to pay back long term debt when due. A low debt ratio indicates less financial risk and strong solvency. Debt ratios greater than 100% indicate a company has too much debt and will have trouble paying back principal with interest. Walgreen’s debt ratio for 2011 is 45.9%, up 0.7% from 2010. Considering the increase in assets and liabilities from the acquisitions Walgreen completed in 2011, a 0.7% increase in debt ratio is acceptable. A debt ratio of 45.9% indicates Walgreen is solvent and should have no issues paying back long term debt as payments come due. References Schoenebeck, K. P., & Holtzman, M. P. (2010). Chapter 1 – Balance Sheet. In Interpreting and analyzing financial statements: A project-based appro2ach (pp. 38-39). Boston [u.a.: Prentice Hall. Ormiston, A., & Fraser, L. M. (2013). The Balance Sheet. In Understanding financial statements (10th ed., pp. 56-59). New York, NY: Pearson Education.

Principle Economics Essay

In your view, what is economics? Economics has been defined as the allocation of scarce resources among many different players.   Simply understood as mere supply and demand, Economics can also be made to apply to more complex systems such as production frontiers and economies of scale.   Put simply, economics can be understood as the study of how different market systems interact with each other in order to provide each with the resources that they desire. The law of diminishing returns is short run analysis. True or false? The law of diminishing returns is a long run analysis.   It basically postulates that for every additional input that is added to the production scale, the resulting output per unit will increase up to a certain point then start to increase.   This is a long run analysis because it factors in the effect of additional units of input vis-à  -vis output on the production scale over a long period of time.   Such effects cannot be tracked in a short term scale and if done would most probably be inaccurate. Demand and Supply are operating forces in the market. How then can the equilibrium achieved? The supply-demand model is one of the fundamental concepts of economics. The price level of a good essentially is determined by the point at which quantity supplied equals quantity demanded. To illustrate, consider the following case in which the supply and demand curves are plotted on the same graph. Supply and Demand On this graph, there is only one price level at which quantity demanded is in balance with the quantity supplied, and that price is the point at which the supply and demand curves cross. The law of supply and demand predicts that the price level will move toward the point that equalizes quantities supplied and demanded. To understand why this must be the equilibrium point, consider the situation in which the price is higher than the price at which the curves cross. In such a case, the quantity supplied would be greater than the quantity demanded and there would be a surplus of the good on the market. Specifically, from the graph we see that if the unit price is $3 (assuming relative pricing in dollars), the quantities supplied and demanded would be: Quantity Supplied = 42 units Quantity Demanded = 26 units Therefore there would be a surplus of 42 – 26 = 16 units. The sellers then would lower their price in order to sell the surplus. Suppose the sellers lowered their prices below the equilibrium point. In this case, the quantity demanded would increase beyond what was supplied, and there would be a shortage. If the price is held at $2, the quantity supplied then would be: Quantity Supplied = 28 units Quantity Demanded = 38 units Therefore, there would be a shortage of 38 – 28 = 10 units. The sellers then would increase their prices to earn more money. The equilibrium point must be the point at which quantity supplied and quantity demanded are in balance, which is where the supply and demand curves cross. From the graph above, one sees that this is at a price of approximately $2.40 and a quantity of 34 units.

Importance of Stakeholders Essay Example

Importance of Stakeholders Essay Example Importance of Stakeholders Essay Importance of Stakeholders Essay The importance of stakeholders has increased over recent years. Previously, shareholders were deemed as the main consideration for organisations. After all, these are the people that invest in the company. This is known as stockholder theory and is closely associated with Milton Friedman (1970). Friedman believed that an organisations primary responsibility is to increase its profits for the benefit of shareholders. This was demonstrated in the Dodge v Ford Motor Company case in 1919. Henry Ford deemed that the company had made too much profit, and wanted to share these profits with the public (stakeholders potential customers) by reducing the cost of vehicles. However, shareholders challenged this development and won the case in the Supreme Court, when the court ruled that a business was for the purpose of making profit for its investors. This view has changed in the past 80+ years since this case. Whilst shareholders are an important element to an organisation, they are only one group of stakeholders that organisations have a duty to. It is now recognised that organisations have obligations to other groups that have a vested interest its operations. This change in thinking has led to the development of the stakeholder theory, advocated by Freeman (1984). This theory argues that there are a number of groups to whom businesses are accountable to when determining strategy and pursuing objective(s). The traditional belief is that only direct links to a business, such as shareholders, customers and employees have an input into organisational decisions. But as previously mentioned, stakeholders are not just internal to the organisation itself. When commenting on the importance of stakeholders, Halal (1996:64) referred to a stakeholder model of the organisation. This model views the organisation as a socio-economic system composing of various equally important groups, a view which links in with Freemans theory. Halal believes in the theory of the nature of the firm. In this theory, its stated that managers are dependent on stakeholders and have a need to combine the unique resource each stakeholder contributes, such as investor capital, talents of employees etc. This is a valid viewpoint and builds on the stakeholder theory by identifying the importance of such groups. An organisation that embraces the stakeholder theory is the ING group. In a speech at the Georgetown Business Ethics Institute in 2002, Ewald Krist, the CEO of ING stated: Greater influence is now put on organisations by external stakeholders, such as society itself. Shell fell foul of this in the early 1990s with its Brent Spar plant. The plant, decommissioned in 1991, was due to be dismantled by Shell and disposed of via Deepwater disposal. This created outrage from environmental groups with a belief that the seas should be kept clean. This led both Shell and the UK Government to look at alternate options, with Shell abandoning the deepwater plans in 1995. The plant was finally disposed of in 1999 after long discussions with various stakeholders, and the majority of the construction was used to form a new quay in Norway, a solution acceptable to environmental groups, along with other stakeholders. This showed that even large global companies had important stakeholders to answer to. Shareholders are still an extremely powerful stakeholder. Investors primarily concentrate on profit maximisation but this is not the most important consideration for other stakeholders such as customers, contractors or the local community. There have been numerous occurrences of shareholders ousting directors and chairmen. The most recent one occurred this month, when the chief executive of Deutsche Telecom, Kai-Uwe Ricke resigned after losing the support of key shareholders in the organisation (the German government and private equity firm, Blackstone). FT.com reported that support was lost due to poor results and plans to move 45,000 jobs to lower paid areas. This shows the difficulty in keeping all stakeholders happy. By moving the jobs, it should have increased the profitability of the organisation, and therefore would please shareholders. However, this conflicts with the unions viewpoint, which looks after the workforce and did not want to see profits increase at the expense of employees. Many organisations hit problems when trying to change their strategy. Even basic changes can be met with disdain from certain stakeholders, e. g.

korean temple essays

korean temple essays Talk about irony. Buddhist monks, those shaven-headed figures in gray robes, choose to leave this earthly world (that is, mundane society) in favor of an ascetic existence based on prayer and self-denial. But now their unworldly lifestyle is becoming a tourist product... with the monastics' approval! Monastic life as a tourist attraction? It's part of a global craze for monasticism. From the Himalayas to the Hudson River, monks are in. Japanese salarymen are chucking their jobs and fleeing to monasteries. In Taiwan last year, monasticism become big news. Hundreds of families were shocked when their promising sons and daughters opted for Buddhist monastic life instead of comfy careers in business. Meanwhile, in the United States, at least one monastery finds it necessary to turn away would-be novices. we are not soliciting vocations, the monastery says gently The worldwide renewal of interest in monasticism has reached out to Korean Buddhists too. People are interested in Buddhist monks and how they live. Many people, whether seeking enlightenment or just fed up with the noise and glitz of consumer society, would like to try the monastic way of living. So why not give them a taste of it? That is precisely what monasteries in Korea are doing. They offer tourists a brief but revealing look inside Buddhist Monasticism. Western usually think of Buddhism as a religion of vegetarians who expect to be reincarnated after leaving this world at death. Buddhists aim to correct this oversimplified image. Buddhism has a long and complex history. It originated in India some 2,600 years ago and was introduced to Korea in about the fourth century A.D. Since then, Buddhism has exercised a tremendous influence on Korean culture and produced many widely admired works of art. Pulguksa Temple are Sokkuram Grotto, built in the eight century, are two of the most famous examples of Buddhist art and architecture. ...

A contract to enter into a contract is not enforceable. when contract Essay

A contract to enter into a contract is not enforceable. when contract is subject to Negotiation, it is too uncertain to have a binding force - Essay Example ses the Courts have generally demonstrated a tendency to render a decision on the basis of interpretation of such agreements, taking into account all the circumstances of the case. In the case of contracts where the price for a service or transaction is to be determined, this element of uncertainty has become even more relevant. The extent to which Courts have allowed recoveries in some cases has been determined by the extent to which damages may be suffered by one party, but when there is uncertainty introduced into the contract or pre-contractual agreement, such recoveries may be difficult. In the case of Courtney and Fairbairn Ltd v Tolaini Bros(Hotels) Ltd2 the appellants were property developers and had secured finances for the defendants to develop a hotel. Prior to the appellants securing the monies, they had entered into negotiations with the defendants; there was a written agreement between them that the defendants would negotiate to use the services of the appellant to develop the hotel property. However, when the appellant actually secured the finances, the defendants went ahead and hired different property developers rather than using the services of the appellants. This led to the legal action. Lord Denning, in providing the judgment on the case, pointed out that there had been some preliminary steps taken by both parties as an act of good faith in pursuance of their negotiations. Mr. Courtney of the appellants found a person willing to finance the property development, while the defendant Mr. Toliani appointed a quantity surveyor with a view to negotiating the price with Mr. Courtney. There was a written agreement between them; however Lord Denning did not equate this to a contract. He held that there was no actionable contract between the two parties because the agreement between them was only an agreement â€Å"to negotiate fair and reasonable contract sums†, and no agreement could be found â€Å"on the price or on any method by which the price was to

Formal Analysis Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Formal Analysis Assignment - Essay Example The art places Christ in a liminal state transforming from death to life. The picture depicted is much calm and motionless as the final moments described by the Scripture1. For an artist who painted modern paintings, religion appears as an odd space indeed for Manet’s artistic skills. The style in which he composed Christ and the angels (with a careful attention to detailed copying of costumes, models, and stage) in design relation to the other parts of the piece, it definitely sums up to a notion of admiration. By looking at the piece of the dead Christ, It is difficult to establish whether a controversial effect was Manet’s objective with the piece. The intent is obviously contentious, but the level of artistic amazement is unquestionably classic. A profound streak of color is used by Manet to thicken Jesus’s face. Closer to his forehead top, varying smudges of maroon represents the appearance of desiccated, scaly blood. Manet uses Harsh yellow hues to emphasize the tip of nose of Christ, the curves just beneath Christ’s eyebrows and the apples of his cheekbones, while his nose and sunken-in eyes sockets are depicted using darker hues. Christ’s mouth and eyes are half-open. The spread of shadow transversely on face results in his head appearing to recede in the background. The white shading of fabric covering up his lower body justly dominates the composition. On both sides of this imposing corpse of Christ, two women, costumed in bright, colorful clothes and unusual angels’ wings, appear to attend to the lifeless body. The angels’ colorful looks fail to overshadow the Christ’s body’s overwhelming grimness. Out of the combination of repugnance and beauty, pallor and color, a to tally comfortless Christ emerged. The artist is demonstrative in his pallet exploration, and there’s no mix up with the pathos created in the scene. The Dense folds of clothes that cover Christ’s body instill the artist’s mastery of