History of Magazines in Kenya

HISTORY OF MAGAZINES IN KENYA Magazines are a form of print media that are printed periodically for a specific group of people with a common interest. Magazine publishing started way back in the 1660s with Erbauliche Monaths-Unterredungen (Edifying Monthly Discussions) being the first magazine to be published in Germany and in the world as a whole. This was in the year 1663. However, the next magazine that followed was much different than the first. The Gentleman’s Magazine published in1731 in England included more entertainment in form of essays, stories, poems and political commentary.Magazines then looked like books, printed in black and white. They were merely a channel where literate men passed on their points in the above mentioned forms of entertainment. In 1739, The Scots Magazine was published and is still published up to date though as a daily business newspaper. In the year 1741, the first magazine in America was published and named American Magazine just three days before Benjamin Franklin’s General Magazine was published. Several magazines were then established until in 1933 when the first men’s magazine, Esquire was published.This was the beginning of special-interest magazines. Further on into the 1950s to 1970s, magazines were inclusive of models gracing their covers. Magazines in Kenya started publishing way back in the 1970s. An example of a magazine published then is Joe Magazine which was founded by Hilary Ng’weno, the publisher and Terry Hirst, the artist. This magazine was full of humour, used art and fiction to narrate cultural, political and social aspects of daily Kenya living. It target was the urban residents but after Ng’weno left in 1974, Hirst tried changing it to include the rural residents as well.However, it lost market and shut down in 1979. Ng’weno however did not end his publishing career there. He did some other publishing works such as Weekly Review, which nurtured important persona lities such as Hanningtone Gaya. In this era of modernity, magazines are grouped into three; * Consumer magazines: these are sold by subscription and at newsstands, in bookstores and supermarkets. * Industrial, company, and sponsored magazines: are produced by companies specifically for their employees, customers and stockholders and by clubs and associations for their members. Trade, professional, and business magazines: carry stories, features and ads aimed at people in specific professions and are either distributed by the professional organizations themselves or by media companies. (Baran) A lot of magazines have come up in Kenya in this century. These are such as the first men’s magazine in Kenya and East Africa known as HM (His Magazine) which is produced by Media Seven Group(Kenya) Limited. This magazine basically aims for men in between 21-40 years of age and it is all about knowledge and insights men could grasp to better their relationships.Media Seven Group also pr oduces Her Magazine, Monthly Motor, Mum and Dad, Teen Life, Business Monthly and G Magazine. Other magazines in Kenya are such as Samantha’s Bridal Weddings Magazine, Passion, Pregnant, True Love, Parents (possibly the oldest magazine), The Insyder, Tupike, and Salon among others. SAMANTHA’S BRIDAL WEDDINGS MAGAZINE Samantha’s Bridal Weddings Magazine is a consumer magazine that is based on weddings and acts as a guide for people planning their weddings. It was started in 2005 by Dr. Catherine Masitsa.The inspiration to begin Samantha’s Bridal Weddings Magazine came from Going Out, a magazine that talked about interesting sites in Kenya. Dr. Catherine Masitsa saw the need for an informative magazine on weddings and all that is involved and thus Samantha’s Bridal Wedding Magazine. However, immediately after Going Out ended, she ventured into Business Woman, another magazine and later Samantha’s Bridal. Samantha’s Bridal Weddings Magazi ne is the first Kenyan wedding magazine and is named so after Dr. Catherine Masitsa’s mother and because it is â€Å"girly† and has a soft touch to it.PERSONNEL People involved in production of Samantha’s Bridal Magazine are editor at large (Catherine Masitsa), sub editor (Christabel Ododa), creative director, contributors, printers, advertising sales executive, advertising sales coordinator, distributors, photographers, models, make-up artists and advertisers. PROCESS AND PERSONNEL ROLES This magazine’s production technically has four stages. Stage one is research. The editorial team comes up with a blueprint which is the rough outline of what the magazines should look like.The Blueprint has the themes, how every page should look like, what should be included and who needs what for the magazine to come up. The editors look for material to write about in connection with the theme, enter contractual agreements with the models and photographers and search f or venues to build up the magazine. The editor is also involved in copyrighting which basically involves coming up with the words of the theme. In the latest issue of Samantha’s Bridal the theme was Dress trends, the writers thus had to look for something to write on dresses.The next stage is the design stage. In this stage is where the sub editor puts together the articles, arranges the articles and puts words in the advertisements. The work is then sent to the designer who lays out the tempo and the photos to come up with an authentic layout. After the designer has done his work its back to the editor for proof reading then to the designer again to prepare the artwork for print in PDF format in cd form to send to local printers and in transfer file protocol to send to international printers. The third stage is printing.The printer makes digital print outs of final look of the magazine which is sent back to the office for approval by the chief editor who has to sign every pa ge. The digital print outs are called proofs. Once the proofs are approved they are sent back to the printers then final printing begins. This process of printing begins when artwork is electronically transformed into a film which is then checked and transformed to the printing plate. The printing plates are then mounted on the web off-set printer which transfers the artwork on paper.Color separation on the papers is done through a process of colors, â€Å"CYMK†. This is cyan, yellow, magenta and black. The pages are mixed with these colors to differentiate between pictures and words. Printing starts with the light colors first and onto the dark colors. The machine sorts the papers from the first to last, binds the magazine and trims it into the size of that particular magazine. The last stage: the distribution of the magazine. Samantha Bridal Magazine uses PDS to distribute their magazine to all their advert clients and to supermarkets all over Kenya.Samantha’s Bridal Magazine produces 10,000 copies each selling at 495 Kenyan shillings. TREND CHANGE * Comparing magazines today and those in the past, there is evidence of a big difference embraced by the magazine industry. * There is use of more graphics and colored images to brighten and liven up the magazines. * Magazine publishers have ventured into the internet to meet the competition posed by other forms of media. * Publishers now are focused on concentrating on their defined audiences rather than the whole multitude. ETHICS Every magazine has a house style that makes it unique and distinct.A house style is the set of standards for the writing and design of an organization. House style identifies a particular company. This is seen in the font size, flow of articles, number of pages, size and layout of magazine. The magazine Industry is very cautious in terms of confidentiality and ethics. This is so in that, when a company wants an advertisement design made for them by the designer; it has to be sent back to the company for its approval. The proof is another example of cautiousness where every page has to be signed to show approval before the printer can go ahead.When a venue for taking photos is chosen the owners of the place have to approve the use of their place as well. Apart from approval by the concerned, magazines rarely face ethical dilemmas in terms of what they write about. This is because, they do not write on real life stories apart from events that have occurred such as parties or dinners. FUNDS Advertisements are what keep a magazine running. Samantha’s Bridal Weddings Magazine has a sales team whose main work is to source for people who want advertisements. The team approaches agencies like Scan group to get companies to advertise with them.A full page advert cost 185,000 and this is basically how a magazine makes money. GOVERNING BODIES AND REGULATORS Government: it offers licenses to the publishing company of the magazine. For instance, Samantha bridals magazine is licensed to produce the magazine and air the TV show. Editorial style book: it governs how the magazine will look like. It is an organizational book that determines the layout of the magazine. THEORY APPLICATION According to Baran, Social Cognitive Theory states that people learn through observation- and applying it to mass media.We either imitate what we see or identify with it. When women look through the magazine, others get ideas of how they would want their weddings to be (imitation) while those who are already married appreciate what they see since they know the feeling (identification). CHALLENGES According to Hanningtone Gaya, publisher of the Media Seven Group magazines, these are the challenges magazine publishers in Kenya face; * Kenyan advertisers do not believe in advertising in magazines, therefore there is no advertising revenue to sustain magazine publishing. Kenyans do not like reading books or magazines, which undermines magazine circulation and subscription. * Most magazine publishers carry very shallow articles which are not well researched. * The magazines appear periodically and therefore disappointing to loyal readers, subscribers and advertisers. * The high cost of printing and poor quality in color printing is a major disadvantage in Kenya. { http://www. gvpedia. com/Kenya/Hanningtone-Gaya-Top-Magazines-Publisher. aspx} REFERENCES www. amanthasbridal. co. ke Stanley Murage- Creative Director, Samantha’s Bridal (0720316292) http://www. infoplease. com/ipea/A0154485. html#ixzz1bQvU4EoQ http://www. media7group. com/component/search/magazines%2Bhistory/%252F? ordering=&searchphrase=all http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Joe_%28magazine%29 http://www. gvpedia. com/Kenya/Hanningtone-Gaya-Top-Magazines-Publisher. aspx Baran S. J. , (2010), Introduction to Mass Communication. Media Literacy and Culture, 6th Ed. , McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

The Blue Sword CHAPTER FOUR

She stared out of her bedroom window at the moonlit desert. Shadows drifted across the pale sand, from one shaded hollow to the next clump of dry brush. Almost she could pretend the shadows had direction, intention. It was a game she often played. She ought to be in bed; she heard two o'clock strike. The location and acoustics of the big clock that stood in the front hall were such that it could be heard throughout the large house it presided over – probably even in the servants' quarters, although she had never had occasion to find out and didn't quite dare ask. She had often wondered if it was perversity or accident – and for whatever reason, why wasn't it changed? – that the clock should so be located as to force the knowledge of the passing of time upon everyone in the Residency, every hour of every day. Who would want to know the time when one couldn't sleep? She had had insomnia badly when she was fresh from Home. It had never occurred to her that she would not be able to sleep without the sound of the wind through the oak trees outside her bedroom at Home; she had slept admirably aboard the ship, when apprehensions about her future should have been thickest. But the sound of the ceaseless desert air kept her awake night after night. There was something about it too like speech, and not at all like the comfortable murmur of oak leaves. But most of that had worn off in the first few weeks here. She had had only occasional bad nights since then. Bad? she thought. Why bad? I rarely feel much the worse the next day, except for a sort of moral irritability that seems to go with the feeling that I ought to have spent all those silent hours asleep. But this last week had been quite as bad – as sleepless – as any she had known. The last two nights she had spent curled up in the window-seat of her bedroom; she had come to the point where she couldn't bear even to look at her bed. Yesterday Annie, when she had come to waken her, had found her still at the window, where she had dozed off near dawn; and, like the placid sensible maid that she was, had been scandalized. Apparently she had then had the ill grace to mention the matter to Lady Amelia, who, in spite of all the alarums and excursions of the week past, had still found time to stop at Harry's room just at bedtime, and cluck over her, and abjure her to drink some nice warm milk (Milk! thought Harry with revulsion, who had given it up forever at the age of twelve, with her first grown-up cup of tea), and make her promise to try to sleep – as if that ever had anything to do with it – and ask her if she was sure she was feeling quite well. â€Å"Very well, ma'am,† Harry replied. Lady Amelia looked at her with concern. â€Å"You aren't fidgeting yourself about, mmm, last week, are you?† Harry shook her head, and smiled a little. â€Å"No, truly, I am in excellent health.† She thought of the end of a conversation she had heard, two days past, as Dedham and Peterson left Sir Charles' study without noticing her presence in the hall behind them. † †¦ don't like it one bit,† Peterson was saying. Dedham ran his hand over the top of his close-cropped head and remarked, half-humorously, â€Å"You know, though, if in a month or a year from now, one of those Hillfolk comes galloping in on a lathered horse and yells, ‘The pass! We are overwhelmed!' I'm going to close up the fort and go see about it with as many men as I can find, and worry about reporting it later.† The front door had closed behind the two of them, and Harry proceeded thoughtfully on her way. â€Å"I hope you are not sickening for anything, child,† said Lady Amelia; â€Å"your eyes seem overbright.† She paused, and then said in a tone of voice that suggested she was not sure this bit of reassurance was wise, as perhaps it would aggravate a nervous condition instead of soothing it: â€Å"You must understand, my dear, that if there is any real danger, you and I will be sent away in time.† Harry looked at her, startled. Lady Amelia misread her look, and patted her hand. â€Å"You mustn't distress yourself. Sir Charles and Colonel Dedham will take care of us.† Yesterday Harry had managed to corner Jack when he came again to closet himself with Sir Charles for long mysterious hours. Harry had lurked in the breakfast room till Jack emerged, looking tired. His look lightened when he saw her, and he greeted her, â€Å"Good morning, my dear. I see a gleam in your eye; what bit of arcane Damarian lore do you wish to wrest from me today?† â€Å"What was it exactly that you said to Corlath that morning, just as he left?† replied Harry promptly. Jack laughed. â€Å"You don't pull your punches, do you?† He sobered, looking at her quizzically. â€Å"I don't know that I should tell you – â€Å" â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"But I will. In the days of Damar's civil wars, a man pledged himself so, to his king, or to the particular claimant he wished to support. It was a particularly dangerous and unsettled time, and so the ritual swearing to one's leader meant rather a lot – more, for example, than our Queen's officers taking an oath to her, as we all must do. The phrase still carries weight in Hill tradition †¦ but you see, my giving it to Corlath was a trifle, hmm, unprofessional of me, as Homelander protecting the Homelander Border from Corlath. A calculated risk on my part †¦ † He shrugged. â€Å"I hoped to indicate that not all Homelanders are †¦ unsympathetic to the Free Hillfolk, whatever the official attitude is.† Harry lay down in her detestable bed after Lady Amelia left her, and dozed, after a fashion, till midnight; but then the darkness and peacefulness wakened her, and she came again to her window-seat to watch the night pass. Two-thirty. How black the sky was around the stars; nearer the horizon were longer flatter glints in the darkness, unsuitable for stars, and these were the mountains; and the desert was shades of grey. Without realizing it, she drifted into sleep. There was the Residency, stolid and black in the moonlight. Faran and Innath would stay here, with the horses; it was not safe to take them any nearer. He would go the rest of the way on foot. Safe! He grinned sourly behind the safety of the grey hood pulled over his face, and slid into the shadows. The adventure was upon them, for good or ill. â€Å"Sola, not an Outlander,† Faran had begged, almost tearfully; and Corlath had flushed under his sun-darkened skin. There had been certain romantic interludes in the past that had included galloping across the desert at night; but he had never abducted any woman whose enthusiastic support for such a plan had not been secured well in advance. Corlath's father had been a notorious lover of women; unsuspected half-brothers and half-sisters of the present king still turned up occasionally, which kept the subject in everyone's mind. Corlath sometimes thought that his own policy of discretion in such matters only made his people nervous because they didn't know what was going on – or if anything was. For some time now there hadn't been, but by the gods, did his own Riders really expect him to break out by making an ass of himself over an Outlander – and now of all times? But, on the other hand, he could not well explain his reasons – even to himself – although his determination was fixed, as he had unhappily realized the moment the words were out of his mouth. But he hated to see his people unhappy – because he was a good king, not because he was a nervous one – and so, while he could rightfully have told Faran to let it be, he had given as much of an answer as he could. â€Å"This is an affair of state,† he said slowly, because he could not quite bring himself to say that his kelar was concerning itself with an Outlander, even to his Riders, who were his dearest friends as well as his most trusted subjects. â€Å"The girl will be a prisoner of honor, treated with all honor, by me as well as by you.† No one had understood, but they were a little soothed; and they avoided thinking about the unwritten law of their land that said that a kidnapped woman has been ravished of her honor, whether she has been actually ravished of anything beyond a few uncomfortable hours across somebody's saddlebow or not. It was generally accounted an honor for a Hillman or woman to be seduced by a member of the royal family – which was why kelar, originally a royal Gift, continued to turn up in odd places – if a somewhat uncomfortable honor, for who could be entirely at ease with a lover who must never quite meet one's eyes? And Outlanders were peculiar, as everyone knew, so who did know how they might react? â€Å"Sola,† Faran quavered, and Corlath paused and turned a little toward the man to indicate that he would listen. â€Å"Sola, what will happen when the Outlanders find her gone?† â€Å"What of it?† â€Å"They will come after her.† â€Å"Not if they do not know where she has gone.† â€Å"But – how could they not know?† Corlath smiled grimly. â€Å"Because we shall not tell them.† Faran, by his own choice, had not been one of those who accompanied his king to the council with the Outlanders; Forloy and Innath and the others who had gone were wearing smiles to match the king's. The Outlanders could not see what happened under their very noses. â€Å"You shall leave here at once, and travel, slowly, toward the mountains; and set up camp again where the Leik spring touches the surface. There you will wait for me. I will return the way we came, in secret, in three days' time, so that the girl will not disappear too soon after the Hillfolk were seen in the Outlander station. Then I shall take the girl from her bed as she sleeps in the big house, and ride back to you.† There was a meditative silence; at last Faran said: â€Å"I would go with you, Sola. My horse is fast.† His voice was still unhappy, but the quaver was gone; and as he looked at the faces of the six Riders who had been with Corlath when he spoke with the Outlander commissioner, he began to feel curious. He had never seen an Outlander, even from a distance; never looked upon an Outlander town. After three restless days at the deserted campsite, Corlath, Faran, and Innath rode swiftly back toward the Outlander town. Corlath thought: They can't see us even in broad daylight when we gallop toward them with cloaks flapping and horses whinnying. We creep like burglars to an empty house, pretending that it has an owner because we can't quite believe it is this easy. Faran and Innath knelt down where they were and did not look as their king left them, for they knew they would see no more than he wished them to. The horses waited as silently as the men, but the king's bay stallion watched him go. The only sound was the wind whispering through the low brush and the horses' long manes. Corlath reached the house without difficulty; he had expected none. Watchdogs ignored him, or mysteriously counted him a friend. There were several black-and-brown furry shapes lying about sullenly snoring in the Residency garden. Outlander dogs did not like the northeast Border of Daria; and Hill dogs, who would have awakened at once and watched him silently, did not get on well with Outlanders. He passed the stables, but the grooms slept as heavily as the dogs. He couldn't see in the dark, but even in the places where the moonlight was no help he knew where things were. He reached the wall of the house and laid a hand on it. Depending on what sort of a mood the kelar was in, he could occasionally walk through walls, without knocking them down first, or at least see through them. And then again, sometimes he couldn't. It would be tiresome if he had to break in like the common burglar he felt, and wander from room to room looking at faces on pillows. There was even the remote chance he could get caught at it. No. This wasn't going to be one of those times: the kelar was with him – since it had gotten him into this dilemma, he thought, at least it was going to help to get him out of it – and he knew almost at once where she was. His only bad moment was when that damned clock in the front hall tolled like a call for the dead, and seemed to reach up the stairs after him like cold pale hands. She was curled up, drooping and asleep on a cushioned shelf built out from a curved window; and for a moment pity struck him and he hesitated. What good will pity do me? he thought almost angrily; I'm not here by choice. But he wrapped the cloak around her with unnecessary tenderness as he breathed a few words over her head to make sure she would sleep. Harry struggled out of some of the oddest dreams she'd ever had into a dim and foggy reality full of bumps and jolts. Was she ill? She couldn't seem to make out what was happening to her, save that it was very uncomfortable, and it was not like her to have difficulty waking up. She opened her eyes blearily and saw something that looked like dawn behind something that looked like hills, although she was a long way from them †¦ Where she was, she then realized, was slung sideways across a horse's withers with her feet sliding across his shoulder with every stride – no more comfortable for him than me – and she was held sitting upright by an arm round her middle that clamped her arms to her sides, and her head appeared to be bouncing against a human shoulder. Her only clear notion, and it wasn't very, was that she was perfectly capable of riding a horse herself, and resented being treated like a bundle or a baby: so she struggled. She raised her head with a gasp and shook her face free of the deep hood pulled over it; tried to sit up a bit farther and turn a bit more to the front. This caused the rider to rein his horse in abruptly; except she realized there were no reins. The rider seized her a little more firmly and then there were two other men on horseback beside her, and they dismounted and came toward her at once. They were dressed like Hillfolk, with hoods pulled low over their faces; and quite suddenly, still not understanding what had happened to her, she was afraid. The rider who held her handed her down to the men beneath; and she noticed that the shoulder her heels were knocking was bright bay, and the mane long and black. Then as the two men caught her by the arms, her feet touched the ground, and she fainted again. She woke once again in twilight, but this time the red glow came from the opposite direction. This time she awoke feeling more like herself; or she thought she did, but her surroundings were so unlikely she wasn't sure. She sat up and discovered she could; she was lying on a blanket, still wrapped in a dark hooded cloak that wasn't hers; and underneath she discovered she was still wearing her nightgown, and the dressing-gown over it. She was barefoot; she spent a light-headed minute or two trying to remember if her slippers had disappeared or if she'd never put them on – last night, or whenever it was – caught herself here, and looked around. She was in a bit of a hollow, with a scrub-covered dune behind her. Over her was a sort of tent roof, pegged out in a square, but with only one side let down. The other three offered her a view of the dune; the sunset, if that was what it was; and three men crouching over a tiny smokeless fire, built against the opposite arm of the same dune. Around its edge she could see the black hills fading in the last light, and three horses. Three lumps that might be saddles lay near them, but the horses – a grey, a chestnut, and a blood bay – were not tethered in any way. She had only just looked at these things with a first quick glance, and had not yet begun to puzzle over them, when one of the men stood up from the fire and walked over to her. The other two appeared to pay no attention, remaining bent over their knees and staring into the small red heart of the fire. The third man knelt down near her and offered a cup with something in it that steamed, and she took it at once without thinking, for the man's gesture had been a command. Then she held it and looked at it. Whatever it was, it was brown, and it smelled delicious; her stomach woke up at once, and complained. She looked at the cup, and then at the man; he was wrapped in a cloak and she could not see his face. After a moment he gestured again, at the cup she held, and said, â€Å"Drink it.† She licked her lips and wondered how her voice was going to sound. â€Å"I would rather not sleep any more.† That came out pretty well. There was another pause, but whether it was because he did not understand her – his accent was curious and heavy, although the Homelander words were readily recognizable – or was choosing his answer carefully, she could not tell. At last he said: â€Å"It will not make you sleep.† She realized that she was much too thirsty to care whether or not she believed him; and she drank it all. It tasted as good as it smelled, which, she thought, gave it points over coffee. Then she realized that she was now terribly hungry. â€Å"There is food if you wish it.† She nodded, and at once he brought her a plate of food and some more of the hot brown drink. He sat down again, as if with the intention of watching each mouthful. She looked at him, or rather at the shadow beneath the hood; then she transferred her attention to her plate. On it, beside the steaming hump of what she took to be stew, was an oddly shaped spoon; the handle was very arched, the bowl almost flat. She picked it up. â€Å"Be careful,† he said. â€Å"The sleep you have had makes some people sick.† So I was drugged, she thought. There was a peculiar relief in this, as if she now had an excuse to remember nothing at all about how she came to be where she was. She ate what she had been given, and felt the better for it, although the meat was unfamiliar to her; but the feeling better brought into unwelcome prominence all her questions about where she was, and why, and – worst – what next. She hesitated, looking at her now-empty plate. It was a dull grey, with a black symbol at its center. I wonder if it means anything, she thought. Health and long life? A charm against getting broken or lost? Or a symbolic representation of Death to Outlanders? â€Å"Is it well?† the man beside her asked. â€Å"I would – er – be more comfortable if I could see your face,† she said, trying to strike a clear note among reasonable timidity, dreadful cowardice, and politeness to one's captor. He threw back his hood, and turned his head so his face was clearly visible against the fading light behind him. â€Å"My God,† she said involuntarily: it was Corlath. â€Å"You recognize me, then?† he inquired; and at her startled nod – Yes, Your Majesty, she thought, but her tongue was glued to her teeth – he said, â€Å"Good,† and stood up. She looked dazed; he wished he might say something to reassure her, but if he couldn't explain to his own people why he was doing what he was doing, he knew he would be able to say nothing to her. He watched her gathering her dignity about her and settling it over her stricken expression. She said nothing further, and he picked up her plate and cup and took them back to the fire, where Innath scrubbed them with sand and put them away. Harry was too busy with her own thoughts to suspect sympathy from her kidnapper. She saw him as a figure in a cloak, and watched him join his men at the fire; neither of them looked her way. One stamped out the fire and packed the cooking-utensils in a bag; the other saddled the horses. Corlath stood staring at the hills, his arms folded, his cloak shifting in the evening breeze; the light was nearly all gone, and she soon could not discern his still figure against the background of the black hills. She stood up, a little shakily; her feet were uncertain under her, and her head was uncertain so far from the ground. She walked a few steps; the sand was warm underfoot, but not unbearably so. The two men – still without looking at her – slid past her, one on each side, and dismantled the tent, rolled it up, and stored it away so quickly it seemed almost like magic; and as the last bag was fastened to a saddle strap, Corlath turned, although no word had been spoken. The red bay followed him. â€Å"This is Isfahel,† he said to her gravely. â€Å"You would say perhaps †¦ Fireheart.† She looked up at the big horse, not sure what response was required; she felt that patting this great beast would be taking a liberty. To do something, she offered him the flat of her hand, and was foolishly gratified when he arched his neck and lowered his nose till his breath tickled her hand. He raised his head again and pricked his ears at Corlath; Harry felt that she had just undergone some rite of initiation, and wondered if she'd passed. The other two men approached them; the other two horses followed. Am I about to be slung over the saddlebow like a sack of meal again? she thought. Is it more difficult to do the slinging when the sack in question is standing and looking at you? She turned her head away, whereupon the other two men were found to be looking intently at the sand around their boots. The baggage was all tied behind their saddles, and the hollow they stood in looked as bare and undisturbed as if it had never sheltered a campsite. She turned her head back to Corlath again. â€Å"I can ride – at least a little,† she said humbly, although she had been considered an excellent horsewoman at Home. â€Å"Do you think I might sit †¦ facing forward, perhaps?† Corlath nodded and let go the horse's mane. He adjusted the leather-covered roll of fleece at the front of the saddle, then turned back to her. â€Å"Can you mount?† She eyed the height of the horse's back: Eighteen hands if he's an inch, she thought, and that may be conservative. â€Å"I'm not sure,† she admitted. Then, to the horror of the other two men, the puzzlement of Fireheart, and the surprise of Harry herself, Corlath knelt in the sand and offered her his cupped hands. She put a sandy foot in the hands, and was tossed up as easily as if she were a butterfly or a flower petal. She found this a bit unnerving. He mounted behind her with the same simple grace she'd seen in the Residency courtyard. The other two horses and their riders came up beside them; they wheeled together to face the hills, and together broke into a canter; Harry could detect no word or gesture of command. They rode all night – walk and canter and brief swift gallop – and Harry was bitterly tired before the line of hills before them began to emerge from a greying sky. They stopped only once; Harry swung her leg over the horse's withers and slid to the ground before any offer of help could be made; and while she didn't fold up where she stood, there was a nasty moment when she thought she might, and the sand heaved under her like the motion of a horse galloping. She was given bread, and some curious green fruit, and something to drink; and Corlath threw her into the saddle again while his men bit their lips and averted their eyes. She wound her hands in Fireheart's long mane, stiffened her back, and blinked, and willed herself to stay awake. She'd said she could ride, and she didn't want to be carried †¦ wherever they were going †¦ but she wasn't going to think about that. Just think about sitting up straight. Once when they slowed to a walk, Corlath handed her a skin bag and said, â€Å"Not much farther now,† and the words sounded kindly, not scornful. She wished she could see his face, but it was awkward to twist around to peer at someone who was just behind one's shoulder, so she didn't. The contents of the bag burned her mouth and made her gasp, but she sat up the straighter for it. Then as she stared at the line of hills, and squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, and was sure that the sky was turning paler, she was not imagining things, the three horses pulled up to a walk, then halted, ears forward. Corlath pointed; or to Harry it seemed that a disembodied hand and arm materialized by her right cheek. â€Å"There.† She followed the line his finger indicated, but she saw only waves of sand. The horses leaped forward at a gallop that appalled her with its swiftness at the end of such a journey; the shock of each of Fireheart's hoofs striking the ground rattled her bones. When she raised her eyes from the lift and fall of the black mane over her bands, she saw a glint of white, and of grey shapes too regular to be dunes. The sun broke golden over the hills as the three horses thundered into the camp.

Global Health Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global Health Issue - Essay Example Since its foundation in 1948, it has developed into the largest healthcare system in the world which is funded through the public money. It is also considered as one of the most efficient and comprehensive healthcare systems in the world. (Gillies, 2003) NHS, with primary responsibility to administer healthcare in the country, however, works through the collaboration of different smaller organizations which contribute towards the overall achievement of healthcare. However, despite controlling most of the country’s healthcare system, there are also private sector providers of healthcare which offers important healthcare delivery services which are separate from NHS and are primarily funded through private contributions or through insurance. This paper will explore and study the healthcare system of England and will attempt to answer the question of how the healthcare is primarily delivered, how it is funded, how the care is delivered to chronically ill patients, patients who are dying and the selection criteria for patients for certain procedures. England has started to revamp its healthcare system since 2013 and new changes are being put in place to further rationalize and improve the healthcare system within the country. With the new changes, the roles have been redefined however, the primary healthcare delivery is still in the hands of National Health Service or NHS as it is called in the country. The overall healthcare services are delivered in England through the hospitals running under the management of NHS. Apart from the hospitals, there are smaller clinics which are located at various places within the country to offer easy and accessible GP services to the patients and mostly cater to the needs of the patients working as Outpatient Clinics. (Department of Health, 2014) Private clinics and certain other prescription services are also in place catering to the various needs of the patients. Such delivery services are offered either through the

How to make a choice in marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to make a choice in marketing - Essay Example Although the purpose of technology is to simplify and improve our lives, it actually complicates our lives; we end up spending more money and enjoying less of life. Every single day a new phone or a laptop is introduced in the market by different companies making it impossible for the consumer to choose any one model. Earlier, there was a scarcity of choice, now consumers are feeling a pull on their pockets in order to not make unnecessary purchases and falter with their bank accounts. Keeping a track on money has become hard because newer technology helps to simplify a person’s life however, how much does a person purchase? Earlier, when GPS systems did not help man to find directions or iPods did not assist him during his long journeys, the distances were still covered. The use of technology has brought about an ease of access with respect to life itself - but at a heavy price. (Montgomery, Joseph) Therefore, one way by which technology is complicating a man’s life is by making it more and more expensive as well as creating excess competition among individuals as well as companies with regard to who produces or who buys the better technology. Soon enough, a man becomes caught up with his expenses and the amount that he has been setting aside in order to purchase newer and better forms of technology. It is true, no man has ever been at peace since scientists have begun research on technology that will make life simpler. If today a phone helps a person to call and send text messages appeals to a man and he goes ahead and purchases it at a high price, tomorrow he will shun that phone away for another, albeit more expensive one, that can send e-mails and video call as well. People get so caught up keeping a track on what is new and what will launch in the future that they forget about enjoying the simpler things in life. Most older people these days complain that life was very different when they were younger and it was not as fast paced and hurried as it has become with the use of technology today. Earlier, it was only businessmen who were caught up in the daily hustle and bustle of putting through calls and sending messages to each other and their clients, back and forth. However, today, people have become so hooked on to social networks that their phones and laptops never stop beeping. These websites were created in order to make life easier for people so that they could find their friends from all around the world and connect with them, however, now it seems like this technology has bridged entire distances among people living in different parts of the world. Nonetheless, it has led students and adults alike to get distracted and lose their concentration because they are constantly attached to a virtual world which helps them believe that all that they need is available right there. Moreover, technology helped to bring about e-banking; a process that would help to make transactions and money withdrawal and deposition much easier for people. With the help of e-banking people are also able to shop online and get things delivered for their loved ones all over the world. Flight tickets, dinner reservations, gifting flowers and chocolates can all be done with the help of entering the digits of one’s credit or debit card. However, such interesting technology also has demerits attached to it. E-Banking was created to help people and simplify their work by making it faster and

Chile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chile - Essay Example Chile was marred with a lot of Europeanization and institutionalization of political parties. (Lederman, Daniel, 27) The ideological gaps were subsequently filled by the emergence of those organizations that were determined to do away with the ideologies of Gen. Augusto Pinochet Urgarte. Rather than been involved into political parties through the ideologist, the Chilean systematically found themselves involved with democratization specifically the working class. Study reveal that the appearance of populism was systematic and always did that in partial form. Mostly it came about through leadership style, as a redistributive program or as a multiclass collision. Several individuals have been associated with the move from populism to social democratization. One of these individuals was Arturo Alessandri Palma, particularly through his role, where he pioneered a demagogic crusade among the working class promising them of redemption. Alesandri eventually managed to be the president of Chile where he advanced the democratic socialism among the masses. (Lederman, Daniel, 40) In 1938, Carlos Ibanez got to power with the Chilean Nazis, also known as National Social Movement. Ibanez had managed to bring populist together, which was later utilized by Frei of Christian Democratic

Reading reflection Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reading reflection - Article Example Applied statistics is defined as statistics but with more emphasis on practically applying statistics rather than studying its theoretical basis (Business Dictionary, 2013). There are numerous areas where statistics is used by statisticians to make sense of a situation including weather forecasting, stock prediction of market prices and market research to find demand of a product. In Chatfield’s paper, there are two main themes that are discussed. The first theme, understanding strategy is as important as knowing technique, and the second theme, avoiding trouble is complementary to and perquisite for, achieving optimally and therefore deserves at least equal attention (Chatfield, 1991). There are ways in which these two main themes can be implemented when working with clients. A client who owns a health clinic may want to know the relationship between types of patients that come to the clinic and the diseases they have. Before examining the first theme, we should understand wh at understanding strategy is. Understanding strategy is seen as being based on factors including processes, mechanisms and forces. In implementing the first theme, the first step will be to apply understanding strategy to find out the patients diseases and demographics of the patients (age, height, eye color, weight). The second step will be to go through the patients’ diseases data detailing the type of disease, where the disease came from, the circumstance leading to getting the disease among others. The third step will be to know the relationship between disease and the patients’ information or data. Since, the data had been understood while examining the demographics of the patients and the disease the patients are having, it becomes easy to know the relationship between disease and the patients’ data. Moving on to the second theme, avoiding trouble while conducting statistical study is crucial in order to obtain uncompromised results. There can be a scenari o where a client has a running sports shoe as a product and wants to know its demand before launching it in the market. In order to avoid the trouble of introducing this product that is not needed in the market, a proper statistical research has to be conducted. Just as Chatfield (1991) suggests, questions will need to be asked concerning the background of the product and the objectives it wants to accomplish in the market. In this case the objectives may be concerned with selling the shoes to a demographic group that loves running sports shoes. The demographic group will consist of people from ages 18 to 35 years living in the United States living in the rural or urban areas. This will ensure that good data is collected that best describes the demographic group. In case the demographic data collected is not sufficient or is not trusted, questions concerning untrusted information should be asked to clarify any issues. In the end, examinations should be carried out to address whether the objectives have been fulfilled or whether there are some changes that have to be carried out to make the collectable statistical data even better. This will ensure that the client gets the best statistical results concerning the demand of running sports shoes in the market before launching it. Chatfield (1991) approaches statistics in a more elaborate sequential manner. The first step he takes is formulating the problem by asking relevant questions about the background

Review of Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Review of Literature - Essay Example Research elements were not used in this article. The article concludes that if done in the right way, physical activity, and physical fitness can assist in the reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and thus, improve the health of the United States. The information in the article is very important since it will assist nurses offer the best care possible such as the recommended time for doing exercise. Lauer, M. S. (2012). And what about exercise? Fitness and risk of death in â€Å"low risk† adults. Journal of the American Heart Association, 1, 1-3. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.112.003228 The article speaks of the controversy about the possible risks of being harmed by exercise. Many researchers have attempted to indicate that exercise can harm individuals. However, the author of the article is quick to note that these guidelines are founded on weak evidence. On the other hand, some researchers have shown that exercise below the recommended time had significant impact on the physic al fitness of an individual. Research elements were not used in this article. The article concludes that exercise is important in the reduction of cardiac-related events, and there is need to find better ways of improving public health. The information is important to the nurses in that it will assist them in making the right choice about the care to be given to a patient suffering from cardiac-related complications. The best decision will assist in rapid recovery of the patient. Galan, A. I., Palacios, E., Ruiz, F., Diez, A., Arji, M., Almar, M., Moreno, C., Calvo, J. I., Munoz, M. E., Delgado, M. A., & Jimenez, R. (2006). Exercise, oxidative stress and risk of cardiovascular disease in the elderly: Protective role of antioxidant functional foods. Bio Factors, 27, 167-183. The authors of the article state that exercise is a crucial component in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Exercise is an important element in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases; however, in elder ly people, it can enhance oxidative stress. Oxidative stress and vigorous exercise can cause oxidative injury and antioxidant depletion. It is important that balance between beneficial and harmful effects of physical activity to be achieved, particularly, in elderly people. The design of the study was a long-term intervention study, and was conducted as a controlled and randomized investigation based on the practice of nutritional antioxidant treatment and regular exercise. A group of 320 aged individuals was chosen (86 men and 234 women aged between 58 and 86 years old). The results of the research showed that moderate and regular exercise enhances cardiorespiratory function and decreases cardiovascular disease in elderly individuals. This information is important since it will help nurses in caring elderly individuals suffering from the condition and those not suffering from the condition. Li, J., & Siergrist, J. (2012). Physical activity and risk of cardiovascular disease  œ A meta-analysis of perspective cohort studies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 9, 391-407. doi: 10.3390/ijerph9020391 The article did a comprehensive analysis of the association between physical activity and cardiovascular disease. From the analysis, it was evident that leisure time and occupational physical activity

The Relationship between Rationality of Investors and Market Essay

The Relationship between Rationality of Investors and Market Efficiency - Essay Example In an efficient market, significant information is freely accessible to all participants. Researchers argue that with the current availability and utilization of complicated modeling in capital markets and with substantiality superior revelation and analysis, superior approximations of returns may be made by expert investors (Keim & Ziemba, 2000, p. 255). These computations of returns approximations are possible where there are efficient market mechanisms. Therefore, there is a positive relationship between market efficiency and rationality of investors. (Jones, 2009, p. 329).The Efficient Market Hypothesis   In 1900, Louis Bachelier developed hypotheses of investment payoffs. Keim & Ziemba The Efficient Market Hypothesis is one of these theories of investment payoffs. The Efficient Market Hypothesis hypothesizes that, at any given time, equity prices fully replicate all accessible information. The propositions of the efficient marketplace hypothesis are profound (Fama, 1995, p. 4) . Most traders who sell and buy equities do these under the postulation that the equities they are selling are worth below the selling price while equities they are purchasing are worth in excess of the price that they are disbursing. However, if there is an efficient market and current prices fully replicate all information, then selling and purchasing in an endeavor to outperform the marketplace will efficiently be a game possibility rather than expertise (Jones, 2009, p. 329).... 5) notes, Simon suggested three ways which a resolution maker can endeavor to optimize their returns. First, using max-min rule of the game theory, every investor deems the worst possible result for every investment and builds a portfolio, which will generate the biggest value when made up of a mixture of these minimum values. However, it is worth noting that there is no rational investor who would select securities, given that the worst likely result for equities is loss. Secondly, an investor can build a mixture of investment alternatives where the likelihood of every outcome is maximized. The combination of these investment alternatives will depend of the risk profile of every portfolio. Jones (2009, p. 325) observes that investment risk is positively related to the returns of that investment, implying that the investment with high risks generates higher returns. Rational investors will undertake investments which correspond to their risk tolerance categories. Thirdly, Simon visua lizes the investor selecting one entire portfolio from a set of alternatives which will maximize the value. This may be selecting a portfolio containing bonds only, equities only, from accessible investment alternatives. Simon deems that the complexity of computation in relation to real human choice circumstances is beyond the average investor; however, with market efficiency these calculations can be performed. In an efficient market, significant information is freely accessible to all participants. Researchers argue that with the current availability and utilization of complicated modeling in capital markets and with substantiality superior revelation and analysis, superior approximations of returns may be made by expert investors (Keim & Ziemba, 2000, p. 255). These

Week 2 Emergency Management 670 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 2 Emergency Management 670 - Essay Example In most cases, the emergency manager has to be prepared for any possible circumstances without knowing much about the actual danger. The greatest risk mitigation scheme available to emergency managers is to procure resources before any disaster occurs. Historically, the funding available to local emergency managers was low which caused a multitude of problems when it came to handling active emergencies and disasters (Fagel, 2011). Emergency managers need to emphasise primarily on political strength in order to procure the required resources before a disaster strikes. The second area for focus is planning that result from vulnerability assessments. The emergency manager has to keep an eye out for what kind of situations his team might have to face. Some threats may be common such as the risk of terrorist attacks but other risks may be confined to a particular geographical region. For example, emergency managers in Alaska would have to be prepared against snow storms while emergency managers in Louisiana would have to look out for hurricanes. The emergency manager must possess the necessary vision to demarcate what risks his team might have to face and how these threats would be handled on a planning basis (Canton, 2006). The third area for focus is the response made available when a disaster situation arises. Given the fact that emergency managers are adequately equipped and supplied does not mean that they would be able to handle emergencies just as well too. A proper appraisal of the response system must exist such that the response system is dynamic so that it can adapt quickly to situations. Moreover, any disaster situation will entail by-products that are not wanted but are nonetheless outcomes of the situation. For example, emergency workers in the field would be subject to hazards as well as stress that they must know how to deal with. The emergency manager has to ensure that these

Ethics Physical Privacy Burlington Northern Railway case 3 Essay

Ethics Physical Privacy Burlington Northern Railway case 3 - Essay Example Also the use of newer and more innovative technology and equipments, and also services has caused the company to be better recognised. Also the efficiency in usage of the energy and cost of savings and speed has grown the company and has built a history as big as the west. The company has been accused for testing its employees for genetic tests. These tests have been taken without the knowledge of the workers and the test have mainly been undertaken to ensure that the workers do not have any genetic defects. This is a very incorrect step that has been undertaken by the company and it is accounts for actions that are unlawful and also pushes the company into committing the mistake of discriminating the employees based on the disabilities or even unnecessarily. These steps that have been undertaken by the company has cost the company a lot of money to be paid out as compensation to the employees. It is to be noted that the employees who became a part of this and had been victimised, were given a compensation of $2.2 Million to settle the charges of illegally testing the workers for the genetic defects in the case of the government against workplace DNA discrimination. This company is one of the biggest railroad companies in the country and the company h as denied the violation of the law which turned the company to create a new milestone in the world of medical privacy. Also it has created a mark in the DNA based job discrimination. The company has violated the law and has also caused to breach the rules of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Burlington Northern railways have been charged by the EEOC for testing thirty six employees without their knowledge for a specific genetic disorder. This was majorly done for the people working on the tracks to ensure that they did not have carpal tunnel syndrome. The tests have been conducted along with the comprehensive diagnostic exam of the employees. Also a few of the

Health and Social Care Essay Example for Free

Health and Social Care Essay Our campaign was a drugs campaign our main aim was to inform people on drugs and what effects it can have and to not stereotype drug users as they can be anyone. M2- Positive influences I felt our group were very well prepared as we had a good use of resources. This included plenty of leaflets to give out on drugs to inform people on the effectiveness on drugs. We also had a laptop with the Talk to Frank game on it available for people to play, and other drugs game activities that were available for people to take part in. We also gave out questionnaires and cakes which rewarded those for taking part. We also had plenty of space to set up the table and all the activities. This was important as not having enough space would have meant not being able to set up all the activities we made. We also, had plenty of time as we had a good time slot of 2 hours between 11 – 1 to implement the campaign. This gave more time for us to hand out questionnaires and inform and teach more people on the effects of drugs. We all took part equally in the campaign as we were involved in the stereotyping activity where we all attached signs to us asking â€Å"do you think I take drugs? where we asked people with regarding what we looked to like to whether we took drugs or not. Read more: Identify ways of working that can help improve partnership working  essay This involved us dressing up in particular clothes which seemed to be very effective rather than showing pictures of people. I believe we also taught lots to people as many people were shocked at the information gave to them especially about the â€Å"legal highs activity†. Negative influences I felt we didn’t all equally participate in preparation as the questionnaire and research I made were not used and a different questionnaire was made. This in effect made it seem as if my contribution was not necessary. I also, felt that I didn’t take part in setting up the campaign as the presentation tasks went to other group members. However, the campaign involved dressing up as characters and I believe that we all did a good job of dressing up except certain members of the group didn’t dress up as they should of as originally, we had the plan of someone dressing up in a suit to show that your appearance doesn’t affect whether taking drugs or not. This was important as not only were we raising awareness we were teaching about tereotypes. Also, the people that came to the campaign didn’t engage in all activities as we hoped as there was so many to take part in and so much information to give out. Also, our target audience were teenagers as there was evidence most drug users were around this age However, mostly adults came. I felt we had a limited audience and not as many people as we thought came to the campaign and a lot of the people had learning disabilities in which we weren’t prepared for and didn’t cater for. M3 – Ethical issues One of the main ethical issues in our campaign was confidentiality.  Confidentiality is important as during the campaign someone may come forwards and confide in you about drugs or there drug intake and it is important that confidentiality is not breached and that person’s name is not discussed and their privacy is kept. As we gave out questionnaires, they were kept anonymous so therefore, all information received from the campaign can be kept confidential as one of the questions was â€Å"Do you know anyone that takes drugs† which although this was a closed question it was quite personal and anyone answering might of felt uncomfortable if the questionnaire was to ask your name. This then links to safe guarding. During the campaign no one came forward with any information that could of lead them to be unsafe However, it was important that information we gave out was correct and that we weren’t giving false information which could lead someone to danger when taking drugs. This I felt we did successfully as all research given out was from drug websites such as Talk to Frank. Also, other ethical issues include choice and own beliefs. I believe that when giving out information we didn’t preach any of our own beliefs to anyone. It was completely factual. As this could of lead someone to feel uncomfortable as everybody has the right to choose whether they take drugs or not and if it is important that when teaching that you are not preaching your beliefs about people taking drugs as this could lead to offending someone who is taking them. Finally, it is important to not ask any inappropriate questions as this could lead to someone feeling uncomfortable. All personal questions that needed to be asked during our campaign were on an anonymous questionnaire which didn’t involve any questioning from anybody from our group. Therefore, making people feel comfortable in answering. Other questions asked by us were â€Å"do you think I look like the type of person that takes drugs? † as we were dressed up as characters. However, this question was asked after we explained that we were dressed up as characters as part of the campaign so people felt comfortable in answering without offending. Also, the question â€Å"would you like a cake? † for those who didn’t want to take part in any of the activities. D2 – During our campaign we gave out questionnaires after people took part in the activities. However, only 32 people answered the questionnaire. According to the questionnaire 22 people out of 32 knew someone who takes drugs that left only ten people who didn’t know anyone who took drugs. According to the Shropshire star â€Å"16 local Shrewsbury men had a powerful and overbearing’ influence on others in the drugs chain and was said to be taking ? 15,000 a month from the trade. † â€Å"Phoenix Car centre was aware of the extent of drugs operation and played significant part in getting drugs to the street of Shrewsbury under orders from other people. Some of these men are parents to teenagers in Shrewsbury and therefore, it is possible that some of the people that filled out the questionnaire knew these men. http://www. shropshirestar. com/news/2013/03/03/how-police-smashed-shropshire-drugs-cartel/ Also, 28 out of 32 people were made more aware of the effects of drugs after the campaign whereas only 4 people didn’t. This could of meant that they already knew about the effects drugs had on someone or they didn’t feel out campaign gave much information on the effects drugs have one someone. However, more than three quarters did find out more about the effects of drugs which is positive. This could suggest that existing campaigns aren’t using the correct technique as we did to inform people on the effects of drugs. Talk to Frank is a website that only offers online information and a call centre in which people are able to access to talk about drugs. However, although our campaign used most of the Talk to Frank information we implemented it in a different way which was more effective to informing people on the effects of drugs. â€Å"Since 2011 the Talk to Frank website has had a 6% increase in feedback† Therefore, It could suggest that people are using the website a lot more than previously. This could be why some people didn’t learn anymore about the effects of drugs and as our campaign was implemented directly through explaining we were able to teach more people about the effects. http://www. clear-uk. org/talk-to-frank-is-back/ 29 out of 32 people found out more information about drugs after the campaign was implemented. This meant that only 3 people didn’t learn anything from the campaign. This could have meant that they already knew or that our campaign wasn’t very informative. However 29 people did find it informative, which is more than 3 quarters of the people that were involved. Therefore, I feel as though our campaign did inform people well. Also, when questioned how useful the campaign was statistics show that 19 people thought our campaign was really good 11 people thought it was good and only 2 people thought it was average. And nobody felt our campaign was poor or really poor. Therefore, more than half thought out campaign was really good and useful and the rest thought it was good or average. This is positive results. Overall, our campaign results are very positive. This means that our campaign was very beneficial. I feel that our campaign went really well due to the positive feedback that we got of the audience. This is proved with results from our questionnaire which we gave to the audience to get their personal opinions on how well our campaign was to them. When giving out the questionnaire I felt we were present and observant when the questionnaire was filled out. Therefore, I feel that the results we got back from the questionnaire may be slightly warped due to people not wanting to be judged or questioned about their answers if they were negative as although it was anonymous it was very overt. Other campaigns use the questionnaire online and get feedback from the public, such as the Talk to Frank website and if I were to do the campaign again I would allow people to step aside to fill in their questionnaire and ask them to put it into a box I feel this covert way of gathering information is much better as it gives the public privacy which makes them able to write down their real thoughts and opinions about the campaign and not put answers to be polite. However, I felt our campaign nformation was as good as Talk to Frank as we had the talk to Frank games available and we were able to use a good range of information from the Talk to Frank website to bring awareness about the effects of drugs. http://www. talktofrank. com/? gclid=CLf-1dOy6bcCFQ3KtAod_Q4AnA A National campaign launched by the Australian government in 2011-2012 also used public speaking and posters to communicate to the public about the awareness of drugs and it was also very effective for them. They also collected results from their campaign on how it affected certain people and how it has made a difference for these certain people, how they’ve become more aware of drugs and the dangers, how they now feel about drugs and if they would ever attempt to take drugs. Which is slightly different from our campaign questionnaire but it is still the same method of gathering information and still very similar to the way in which we implemented our campaign. http://www. drugs. health. gov. au/internet/drugs/publishing. sf/content/campaign4 This proved very good in some aspects as there has been an increase in showing that drugs are harmful and helping people avoid using drugs which is very similar to our campaign in the fact it is bringing awareness by showing that drugs are bad and harmful by looking and there effects. Also, other statistics show that more adults are talking more to their children about substances after the campaign which again is bringing awareness and also p romote two way communications.

Tony Robbins Use Of Teams Essay Example for Free

Tony Robbins Use Of Teams Essay Tony Robbins use of teams is novel and seeks to enhance leadership potential by a process of self empowerment and team learning. Thus the high potential of individuals is used to empower teams as a whole which in turn improves leadership potential of individuals. Thus a virtuous cycle of team based learning is achieved. This is done by enhancing potential of team members through intense coaching before exposure to the team, rigorous strategy sessions are held with each of them, to increase the faith of members within a team which in turn contributes to team efforts. This technique is most effectively used by Tony Robbins in his program, Date with Destiny to improve leadership. (www.tonyrobbins.com). Date of Destiny is a two stage training program which uses teams for building leadership potential. In the first stage empowerment is achieved by coaching individuals using expert trainers. In the second stage these empowered individuals are formed into teams which through a process of learning from each other further hone up their skills, thereby achieving their true potential. It is seen that team members overwhelmed by the contribution that they make selflessly to the each other partake of the joy of team participation. These experiences are said to be life changing for those striving to be leaders. On the other hand by interaction and leading a team, even those who are good leaders in their own right are particularly benefited by the program, Date with Destiny as they get to learn from leading new teams and are exposed to different experiences in interacting with people in a structured team environment. This is a novel and powerful concept of self learning used by Tony Robbins. References http://www.tonyrobbins.com/solutions/EventsDetail.aspx?ProductID=640

Nfc Awards In Pakistan Economics Essay

Nfc Awards In Pakistan Economics Essay Pakistan is a federation consisting of four provinces, federally administered tribal areas, northern areas and Islamabad Capital Territory. Pakistan is a federation but its government is highly centralized, so majority of the revenues are collected at the center and then re-distributed vertically between federal and provincial governments, and horizontally among provinces through National finance Commission (NFC) awards. Then the provinces further re-distribute the resources to local governments through a revenue-sharing formula framed by Provincial Finance Commission (PFC). The criteria of revenue sharing has always been a bone of contention between the federation and the provinces. This is mainly because the federal government keeps a larger part of the revenues to themselves while provinces are left with fewer resources to carry on their development activities, thats why they face budget deficits very frequently. Moreover, there is a little autonomy and capacity for provinces to c ollect taxes on their own, so mainly they have to rely on the revenues relocated to them by the Federal government through NFC awards. The share provinces get from the Federal government is not sufficient to carry on the development projects, which is the reason they get into budget deficits very frequently. For proper service and delivery there is need of a higher share for provinces in NFC awards. Systematic Resources transfers among governments occurs at 4 levels. Firstly, from federal governments to provincial governments through National Finance Commission (NFC). Secondly, from provincial governments to local governments through Provincial Finance Commission (PFC). Thirdly, from federal to local, and lastly from local to local. In this report, I will focus mainly on systematic resource transfers from Federal to Provincial governments through National Finance Commission awards. National Finance Commission is constituted under Article 160(1) of the 1973 constitution for the smooth and thoughtful revenue transfers between Federal and Provincial governments. Constitutionally, it is to be held every 5 years by the President of Pakistan to review the resource sharing mechanism for the equitable fiscal transfers between Central and Provincial governments. Certain taxes collected from provinces are added in the distribution pool and then re-distributed to provinces according to the revenue sharing formula. NFC decides what percentage of the total revenues will be retained by the Federal government and what share will go to the provinces. What taxes to include in the distribution pool has always been a question of debate. The chairman of the commission is the Federal Finance Minister, and its members include all provincial finance ministers and experts to be nominated by the president of Pakistan in consultation with the provincial governors. The main charter of NFC is concerned with the following matters. Distribution of specified taxes and duties between the federation and the provinces. Payment of financial grants to provincial governments. Borrowing power exercised by the Federal and Provincial governments. Any other financial matter referred to the commission. As per law, NFC was supposed to be constituted for smooth and equitable revenue transfers between the Federal government and provinces. But in reality, it faced difficulties which hindered its development. Only 7 NFC awards have been given up till now, of which 3 were conclusive. The rest 4 remained inconclusive because federal government and provinces couldnt reach an agreement on the distribution criteria of revenues, therefore an interim award was awarded by the President in this situation. This paper will evaluate all the NFC awards in the history of Pakistan. Its related issues will be highlighted and improvements in the resource transfer mechanism will be recommended. 2. THE EVOLUTION OF NFC AWARDS 2.1 PRE-INDEPENDENCE REVENUE SHARING (NIEMEYER AWARD) Before independence of Pakistan, Niemeyer Award was followed in British India for the distribution of revenues between the Federal government and provinces, under the Government of India Act, 1935. All the financial matters between Federal and provincial governments were ruled by this act. Under this award, sales tax was a provincial subject, and 50 percent of the income tax collections were subjected to be redistribute. Even after the independence, Niemeyer award was followed till March 1952 with some adjustment in railway budget, sharing of income and sales tax. 2.2 POST-INDEPENDENCE REVENUE SHARING (RAISMAN AWARD) After the independence of Pakistan, Sir Jeremy Raisman was asked to devise a revenue sharing mechanism for allocation of revenues between federal and provincial governments. Thus he formed a revenue sharing formula called Raisman award in 1952. Considering the poor financial condition of the newly born state, a 50 percent share of sales tax was given to the federal government. Out of incomes of 50 percent income tax, 45 percent was given to East Pakistan, while the rest of the portion was given to the West Pakistan. 2.3 REVENUE SHARING UNDER ONE UNIT During 1955, Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were professed as one unit- The West Pakistan. East Pakistan and West Pakistan were declared as the two separate units. The two awards, of 1961 and 1964, distributed the revenue between East Pakistan and West Pakistan. 2.3.1 The 1961 Award In this award, the share of East Pakistan from divisible pool was decided to be 64 percent, while that of West Pakistan was 46 percent. 30 percent of the sales tax was relocated to provinces on the basis of their respective collection. While the remaining duties on agricultural land and capital value tax on immovable property were given to the units as per their collection. 2.3.2 The 1964 Award Under this award, the divisible pool consisted of sales tax, income tax, export duty and excise duty. 30 percent of the sales tax were relocated to each province according to its collection. The share of center and provinces from the divisible pool was decided to be 35 percent and 65 percent respectively. While the share of East Pakistan and West Pakistan remained the same as in previous award i.e. 64 percent and 46 percent respectively. 2.3.3 National Finance Committee 1970 A committee was formed instead of a commission in April 1970 to devise a formula for revenue sharing between federation and the federating units. The divisible pool remained unchanged, though the federal and provincial governments share in the divisible pool was declared as 20:80 respectively. 54 percent of the provincial share was given to East Pakistan, while the rest 46 percent went to West Pakistan. The distribution among the provinces of West Pakistan was: Punjab 56.5 percent, Sindh 23.5 percent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 15.5 percent, and Baluchistan 4.5 percent. After the separation of East Pakistan, their revenue share was transferred to the provinces of West Pakistan. The revenue proportion remained the same, but the size of the pie was changed. NATIONAL FINANCE COMMISSION 1973 The 1973 constitution made mandatory for the government of Pakistan to make a National Finance Commission every 5 years for fair revenue distribution between Federal government and the provinces. From that point of time, West Pakistan started its journey after the separation of East Pakistan. From 1974 onwards, all the awards have been given under the National finance Commission. In reality, NFC has not been constituted every 5 years, contrary to what the law demanded. Lets briefly go through the various NFC awards in the history. First NFC Award 1974 After an increase in the number and amount of taxes between 1951 and 1970, there was a contraction in both in 1974, reducing the size of the divisible pool. The divisible pool only included income tax, sales tax, and export duty. The distribution ratio between federal government and provinces remained the same as 20:80 respectively. The criteria for horizontal distribution among provinces was decided to be population. Punjab, being the biggest in population, was advantaged. Its share was increased from 56.50 percent to 60.25 percent. While the other three provinces suffered, Sindh suffering the most. The resource distribution among provinces is presented in the table below. Table 1 1974 NFC Award-Provincial share Punjab Sindh Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Baluchistan 60.25% 22.50% 13.39% 3.86% To combat the weak fiscal position of the provinces, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were granted aid of Rs.50 million and Rs.100 million respectively. Second NFC Award 1979 The second NFC was constituted by the President general Zia-ul-Haq in 1979. But it held no meetings, consequently no award was given. Therefore, the award of 1974 was followed as an interim award. After census was held in 1981, the population ratios changed and so did the provincial share in NFC awards. The provincial share was adjusted according to the new census, which led some improved conditions in Baluchistan and Sindh, whereas the share of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained unchanged. The new provincial resource distribution according to the changed population is illustrated in the given table. Table 2 1979 NFC Award- Provincial Share Punjab Sindh Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Baluchistan 57.97% 23.34% 13.39% 5.30% Third NFC Award 1985 The third NFC was also constituted in Zia-ul-Haq regime in 1985. It held nine meetings in 3 years but failed to produce any fruitful results, mainly due to political instability. So the award of 1974 was followed till 1990. Fourth NFC Award 1991 After a long time, NFC became successful in giving recommendation in 1991. NFC is supposed to announce an award every 5 years, but there was a gap of 17 years between the previous award of 1974 and the 1991 award. This award came with some improvements and expansion in the divisible pool. Central excise on tea, tobacco, and betel nut was added in the divisible pool. So the divisible pool consisted of income tax, sales tax, export duty, and excise duty. However, custom duty still remained with Federal government. Federal government also took the responsibility of financing the provinces in case of deficits. The Federal and provincial share remained to be at 20 percent and 80 percent respectively. It can be said that the 1991 award was so far the best deal for provinces. But this award could not make any development regarding the diversification in the revenue sharing mechanism. The sole criteria for revenue sharing among provinces remained to be population. Disagreements among provinc es hindered the development in the resource sharing criteria. However, if we look at the positive side, this award considerably expanded the volume of provincial share in the revenues collected by the Federal government by around 18 percent as compared to 1974 award. This was mainly due to the addition of excise duty on certain items in the divisible pool. The 1991 award was a step forward to fiscal decentralization and provincial autonomy in the country. The 1973 constitution acknowledged the right of provinces to get royalty on natural resources on the basis of collection by each province. Royalty on gas and crude oil, development surcharge on gas, and profits from hydro-electricity were relocated to provinces in the form of straight transfers. As a result, the transfers to provinces increased from 28 percent (Rs. 39 billions) to 45 percent (Rs. 64 billion) of federal tax revenue. The share of each province under this award is given in the table below. Table 3 1991 NFC Award-Provincial Share Punjab Sindh Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Baluchistan 57.88% 23.28% 13.54% 5.30% Provincial share didnt have any changes because population was still the sole criteria for revenue distribution and no census was held since 1981. However, the volume of provincial share increased due to the inclusion of new taxes in the divisible pool. In addition to this, special grants were also provided to provinces to meet their developmental needs. The amount of these grants is illustrated in table 4. Table 4 1991 NFC Award-Provincial Grants Amount/Years Punjab Sindh Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Baluchistan Amount 1000 700 200 100 Next Years 3 5 3 3 (Rs.in million) However there was an increase in the flow of funds to the Provincial governments, provinces were advised to generate their own funds, but the autonomy and funds generating capacity were not sufficient as needed. Fifth NFC Award 1996 The 5th NFC award was announced in late 1996 by the care-taker government of that time. This award included all the federal taxes in the divisible pool. Which comprise: income tax, sales tax, capital value tax, wealth tax, excise duties (except the excise duty on gas charged at wellhead) and any other tax collected by federal government. Royalty on crude oil and development surcharge on gas were also relocated to provinces in the form of straight transfers. The incentive of matching grants was also given to the provinces but up to a certain limit; only if provinces exceeded their revenue target of 14.2 percent they would get matching grants. However, numerous objections have been made by the members of parliament elected to the provincial and federal governments following the 1997 general elections. With the expansion of federal divisible pool, the federal-provincial ratio in this award changed radically. Earlier it was 20 percent for federal government and 80 percent for provinces. In this award, the ratios were changed to 62.5 percent for federal government and 37.5 percent for provinces. One reason for decreasing the provincial share in the divisible pool is the overestimation of GDP growth rate. During the period when this award was being exercised, the country faced internal and external upsets which negatively affected the economy. Some say that provinces would be in a better financial situation if previous award of 1991 award was continued to follow that time. The sole criteria for resource distribution continued to be population. No development was made in this area. Considering the miserable situation of Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, special grants of 4 and 3.3 and billions rupees were awarded to them respectively for the next 5 years. Sixth NFC Award 2000 The 6th NFC was constituted in year 2000 by the President General Pervez Musharraf. It held 11 meetings but could reach to any conclusions due to disagreements among the members of NFC. Provinces were demanding a share up to 50 percent, as well as diversification in the resource distribution criteria. Another NFC was constituted on 21st July, 2005 during President Musharrafs regime. But it too, like the previous NFC, stuck in a deadlock among its members and failed to give any recommendations due to the conflicting demands of its members. After an unsuccessful attempt to generate consensus on the resource distribution mechanism, all the provincial Chief Ministers asked the President to give a fair and justified award which would be acceptable to all stakeholders. So General Musharraf amended the Distribution of Revenues and Grants-in-Aid Order, 1997 by issuing Ordinance No. 1 of 2006. Thus after a deferral of 6 years, the 1997 award was amended and came into force on 1st July, 2006. Under this award, due to the constant demand from provinces, the provincial share from the divisible pool increase to 45 percent (share in total divisible pool + grants), with gradual increase of 1 percent every year up till the next 5 years. All the taxes of 1996 award were included in the divisible pool. The grants to provinces were increased from Rs.8.7 billion to Rs.27.75 billion. Punjab and Sindh, which didnt receive any grant in the 1997 award, were also given grants of Rs.3.05 billion and Rs.5.83 billion respectively. Seventh NFC Award 2010 The most recent NFC award of 2010 was given in the present democratic government. 2010 NFC award is a milestone in the history of Pakistan, which has bring improvements and variation in the resource distribution criteria. The demands of Sindh, Baluchistan and KPK have been recognized. The most prominent and distinguishing feature of this award is that it has followed a multi-dimensional revenue distribution criteria. In addition to population, other parameters have also been included, such as poverty, underdevelopment, and inverse population density criteria, as demanded by Sindh, KPK and Baluchistan. Baluchistan being the largest in area and scattered in population, demanded the criteria of inverse population density to include in the revenue sharing formula. While Punjab wanted population to remain the only criteria because it is in the provinces advantage. Since 1973 constitution, it is for the first time that resources are not distributed among provinces according to the old popu lation standards, but an advancement has been made in the resource sharing criteria. The formulation of multiple criteria for resource distribution is a commendable step and a way further to fiscal autonomy of provinces. It has been measured as a success of democratic system and provincial partners. Economists have measured it groundwork for Fiscal Federalism in Pakistan. No disputes came in the way of approval of 7th NFC award. It is marked by sacrifices and compromises by all the stakeholders for the sake of national unity and development. The big provinces exhibited flexibility in their approach to accommodate the demands of smaller and backward provinces. The center has sacrificed more than 10 percent of its share for provinces i.e. about Rs.225 billion more were granted to provinces during FY 2011-12 budget [Pakistan Economic Survey (2011)]. All the stakeholders have decided to cut the cost of revenue collection to 1 percent (previously it was 5 percent) to increase the flow of real transfers to provinces. Resultantly, the provincial share from the divisible poo l increased from 47.5 percent to 56 percent in the first year and 57.5 percent for all the remaining years of the award. This award is also significant in a way that all the provinces and center have shown a considerate behavior towards the most backward province Baluchistan. Acknowledging its special development needs, all the stakeholders have agreed to provided Baluchistan Rs.83 billion (9.09 percent) of the provincial pool in the first year of the Award. Punjab has given up 1.27 percent, Sindh 0.39 percent, and KPK 0.26 percent of its share. Whereas Baluchistan has gained 1.82 percent. The federal government has given up more than 10 percent of its share for provinces, which has increased the flow of revenues to provinces. The number one beneficiary of this award is Baluchistan with an additional budget of 175 percent. While KPK, the second most benefitted, received 79 percent, Sindh 61 percent, and Punjab 48 percent additional budget. The resource distribution among provinces is illustrated in table 5. Table 5 NFC Award 2010- Resource Distribution Province % Share in Divisible Pool under 7th NFC % Change in Share Additional Budget % Punjab 51.74 1.27 48 Sindh 24.55 0.39 61 KPK 14.62 0.26 79 Baluchistan 9.09 +1.82 175 Source: Pakistan Economic Review (2010) If we talk about the distribution parameters, 82 percent weightage has been allocated to population, 10.3 percent to poverty, 5 percent to revenue generation/collection, and 2.7 percent to inverse population density. Table 6 illustrates the different parameters and its weightage against each province. Table 6 NFC Award 2010-Revenue Sharing Formula (in percentage) Parameters Weight Punjab Sindh KPK Baluchistan Population 82 57.36 23.71 5.11 13.82 Poverty/backwardness 10.30 23.16 23.41 25.61 27.82 Revenue Collection 5 44.0 50 1.0 5 Inverse Population 2.7 4.34 7.21 81.92 6.54 One of the greatest achievements regarding this award is that it has aimed to reduce disparities among the provinces. This award benefits the two relatively more backward provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan, as compared to Sindh and Punjab. Before this award, provinces were getting Rs.550 billion. But in the first year of enforcement of this award provinces got more than Rs.850 billion, and in the next 5 years this amount will increase up to 1250 billion. The greatest achievement of this award is the reduction in inequalities regarding revenue collection in Sindh and Punjab, gas development surcharge from Baluchistan, and hydel profits from KPK. Considering the role of Khyber Pakhtun Khwa in war against terrorism, it has been provided a share of 1 percent from the divisible pool. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF NFC AWARDS OVER TIME Financial resources play the fundamental role in the development of any country. A well thought-out resource distribution is necessary for the development of backward areas so they can be at par with the national growth and progress. The current state of revenue distribution in Pakistan has evolved over time. Various improvements and advancements have been made in the revenue sharing formula since the formation of National Finance Commission. In this section I will analyze the impact of various NFC awards on the fiscal decentralization of the country. In Pakistan fiscal federalism has always been an issue which has never received a serious approach. Out of Seven NFC awards, only four have come up with additional parameters of revenue sharing between the federation and its units. Federal government has taken a less systematic approach to decentralize fiscal powers and functions and made the provinces depend on the center. This has negatively affected the performance and efficiency of provinces to work effectively. In a federation, the basic functions of Central government are maintaining law and order, defense matters, making a sound foreign policy, communications, currency management, general administration, debt servicing, industrial development, and work on public welfare including health and education. The rest of the matters fall within the sphere of Provincial and local governments. But not much effort has been put by our politicians to devolve powers and functions to lower tiers of government. With the passage of time, federal government has over-stretched itself into such matters which are of purely provincial nature, like irrigation, construction of roads, agricultural development, culture and tourism, youth affairs, and rural development. This has increased financial and administrative burden on the center. Federal government has taken too much responsibilities on its shoulders which certainly require more finance. If government is aiming toward devolution of power from center to provincial and local level, these tiers of government must be empowered and enabled to generate their own finance. Federal government generates 93 percent of the resources, while its share in the total expenditure makes up only 72 percent. On the other side, the total expenditure of provinces is 28 percent, and they generate merely 7 percent of the resources. It results in heavy dependency on the center. The argument behind the higher collection by the federation is based on the achievement of equity, efficiency, economy, and the federal governments ability to levy and collect [Kardar (2006)]. As most of the resources are already used up by the Federal government, provinces are left with less opportunities to generate their own resources. Resultantly, provinces have to rely heavily on the resources transferred to them by the center. If we closely look at the historical trend, we can easily understand that the journey of fiscal federalism In Pakistan has always been uneven. Fiscal federalism has always been a dilemma. It is interesting to note that out of seven NFC awards given after 1973 constitution, only few came up with additional parameters to share the revenues with the provinces. Only 3 out of 7 NFC awards were conclusive, the remaining 4 were inconclusive due to disagreements among the members of the commission. Historically, the problem of revenue distribution has never been taken seriously by our politicians and it always faced difficulty because consensus of all the parties involved is must for a new NFC award to be enforced. The resource distribution mechanism/criteria has always been a bone of contention among the provinces. Population, being the sole distribution criteria in all NFC awards (except the recent one) has always been a matter of friction among provinces. This shows a lack of coordination in our policy making. Sindh, Baluchistan and KPK have always demanded the diversification in revenue sharing formula with the inclusion of other factors with population, like poverty, backwardness and revenue generation capacity. Whereas Punjab has stressed over population to remain the sole criteria for revenue distribution because Punjab, being the most populated province, has always got the larger piece of pie in NFC awards. It is interesting to note that Pakistan is the only country in the world which follows one-dimensional formula for revenue distribution. Otherwise everywhere in the world various dimensions are used in view of the needs and economic conditions of the provinces. Due to inflexibility in the resource distribution formula, disparities among the economic conditions of people could not be reduced and diversified needs of provinces could not be catered as it should have been. In the above section, we have discussed each NFC award in detail, its pros and cons, and the percent allocation to provinces under each award. There are substantial disparities in the living standards amongst provinces, and also among the rural-urban areas of each province. Although the removal of discrepancies between urban and rural areas is the responsibility of Provincial Finance Commission, but without provision of adequate amount of resources/funds by the center, provinces will not be able to work on development and reducing inequalities at local level. If we compare the real per capita GDP of all the provinces, we find out that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been facing highest inconsistency among rural and urban income, next to Sindh and Punjab. While the gap between rural and urban income in Baluchistan is lesser, the reason is lack of development in its urban areas. Its urban areas are less developed as compared to that of other provinces, because of lesser economic opportunities i n cities. If we look at the historical trends, the first NFC award of 1947 had fewer taxes in the revenue pool. But in 1991 award, some improvements were seen in the revenue distribution. More taxes were made part of distribution pool. In addition, the right of provinces to get royalty on natural resources was given to them on the basis of collection by each province. The divisible pool was further expanded in 1996 award by the inclusion of all the federal taxes. 1996 award moved a step forward towards fiscal decentralization. It also introduced the incentive of matching grants to provinces. But if we look at the grey areas of this award, the expansion of distribution pool resulted in the contraction of provincial share. The federal-provincial share in the pool changed drastically from 20:80 to 62.5:37.5 percent respectively. So practically, no significant developments were observed in actual revenue transfers to provinces. Consequently, provinces fell short of funds and trapped in budget defi cits. Considering the miserable situation of Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, special grants of 4 and 3.3 and billions rupees were awarded to them respectively for the next 5 years. Due to the constant pressure and demands from the provinces, government increased their share in the revenue pool to 45 percent in 2006 interim award. Just the provincial share was increased, no innovation was made in the resource sharing mechanism and it was still at its old population standards. Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtun Khwa were demanding revenue distribution on the basis of poverty. The poverty ratio in Baluchistan is 37 percent and that of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 44 percent. However, no diversification was made in the distribution criteria. One of the main reason which hindered the development of NFC awards is the conflicting demands of provinces over the resource sharing mechanism. The criteria of revenue dispersal between the center and provinces has always been a matter of conflict between these two tiers of government. Four out of seven NFC awards remained unproductive and unsettled amid this hostility. The complaints of the provinces were heard when the central government agreed to give provinces 40 percent share in the divisible pool with addition of 1 percent every year till the next 5 years. But there is an argument from Federal governments point of view that whenever the share of provinces has increased it gave rise to non-development expenditure which is unproductive. The reason is provincial governments don not have specific development programs in place as well as capacity to raise the living standards of people. The poverty ratio in Baluchistan is 37 percent and that of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 44 percent, but provincial governments failed to formulate an appropriate strategy to reduce these disparities. This relates to the issue of political economy and public choice. Our electoral system can bring about such a state in which the federal government can be taken over by the larger province due to its majority seats in the National Assembly. Although, in Senate all provinces have equal representation but Senate has power only to discuss on the policy matters, but the decision making right resides with the National Assembly. So it is the National Assembly who has the constitutional supremacy to devise a reasonable resource sharing formula. Furthermore, the federal government does not want to give up its powers to provinces and let them grow autonomously as it will reduce their control on policy matters. This could be seen as since independence, 10 awards have been recommended for justified resource sharing between the center and provinces, but out of them only 3 (1974, 1991, and 2010) initiated by elected governments. The most significant development of the year 2010 was 7th NFC award which brought about some innovation in the revenue sharing criteria. After the independence of Pakistan, It was for the first time that a diversification was brought in the revenue sharing mechanism and some other factors were taken into account with population, like backwardness/ poverty, area and revenue collection. The long-ignored demands of provinces were accepted. With