The need for a strategic leadership role

The need for a strategic leadership role Strategic Leadership provides the vision and direction for the growth and success of an organization. To successfully deal with change, all executives need the skills and tools for both strategy formulation and implementation. Managing change and ambiguity requires strategic leaders who not only provide a sense of direction, but who can also build ownership and alignment within their workgroups to implement change. Leaders face the continuing challenge of how they can meet the expectations of those who placed them there. Addressing these expectations usually takes the form of strategic decisions and actions. For a strategy to succeed, the leader must be able to adjust it, as conditions require. But leaders cannot learn enough, fast enough, and do enough on their own to effectively adapt the strategy and then define, shape and executive the organizational response. If leaders are to win they must reply on the prepared minds of employees throughout the organization to understand the strategic intent and then both carry out the current strategy and adapt it in real time. The challenge is not only producing a winning strategy at a point in time but getting employees smart enough and motivated enough to executive the strategy and change it as condition change. This requires the leader to focus as much on the process used to develop the strategy-the human dimension, as the content of the strategy-the analytical dimension. Strategic Leadership is the ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility and empower others to create strategic change as necessary. Strategic Leadership Process The company Gobind Industries Gobind Industries was founded in 1978 in Barabanki (INDIA), with the aim of providing farmers with Quality of Agriculture implements, at an affordable price, services, lower Horsepower (H.P). They now operate more than 100 stores in India. (Kushal Kumar Agarwal) The Products Gobind Industries offers Threshers, Harrow, Cultivator, Razor, Reapers, Levelers, Rotovator, Trolley, and other small accessories. Part I Culture A culture cannot be precisely defined, for it is something that is perceived, something felt. (According to Charles Handy, 1998) Organization Culture When a group of people works together and live together for any length of time, then form a belief in them what is right and wrong. This behavior based on the beliefs and there actions become habit that they follow routinely. These behaviors constitute the organizations culture. Culture reflects the peoples are performing tasks in an organization, for the objectives and goals to achieve them in a given period of time. It affects the way they make decisions, think, feel and act in response to opportunities and threats. The culture of an organization is therefore related to the people, their behavior and the operation of the structure. It is encapsulated in beliefs, customs and values, and manifested in a number of symbolic ways. (Strategic Management, 5th Edition, by John Thompson with Frank Martin) The impact of the culture in an organizations Location/ National culture Environment The organizations past Size The Mission The Aims and Objectives Management/Leadership Style Levels of consultation, participation and acceptance (Hand notes: Organization Culture) In organization, there are deep-set beliefs about the way work should be organized, the way authority should be exercised, people rewarded and people controlled. (Acc. to Charles Handy) When executives articulate and publish the values of their firm, which provide patterns for how employees should behave. E.g.: If I am not going to submit my assignment on given prescribed time, and faculty doesnt ask me or I submitted my assignment late then next time also I am going to do same, while looking to me other guys also started submitting there assignments late, then slowly-slowly the same process is going to be converted into habit then culture in college of submitting late assignments. In my work place the culture of speaking with the customers in Hindi, therefore for selling the product we required a salesperson those can speak good Hindi which helps the customer to understand the product properly, which will be beneficial to my organization, if I am going to keep those sales person who speaks in English then there is no use of it, but in India after every fourteen miles language changes, so for dealing in the market we had to keep that employee who can speak at least three different languages. So therefore the cultural impact on the organization is very much. Organizational specific, Legal, Regulatory and ethical requirements impact on strategic leadership As per my organization Legal Requirements Regulatory Requirements Ethical Requirements Regional, local laws and regulation. Government operating permits, licenses and approvals. Contracts and other documents that include legal obligations. Regulatory Requirements ensures that the organization identifies, accesses and evaluates laws, regulations and internal organizational requirements that apply to the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services. Identify these regulations helps to evaluate their potential impacts on the company and its products, activities and services. Ethical requirements in an organization for employees is to work for the company not for the personal interest, that the employee is trying to make money for himself, which will be against the ethics of the organization. Impact on Strategic Leadership Impact on Strategic Leadership Impact on Strategic Leadership If all these requirements doesnt fulfill by the company then it will be very costly for leader and as well as for the organization. E.g.: Painting work shop is not there in an manufacturing industry and the organization painting in the open air, then legally there is going to be problem for the organization by the government. So at this time leader had to think for the proper painting workshop that will be not harmful for any one. In an organization the employees doesnt follow the rules and regulation, then it will be affecting on the activities, product and services, for those the leader had to take initiative, and to control the people in an organization so that they can follow the regulation. E.g.: The regulation in the college is that no one should smoke in the campus, if it occurs then the leader can take hard and fast action on the particular person, who had broken the rules. If leader caught any of the employees doing any un ethical work that is against the organizational law, then he/she can be fired from his/her job or otherwise the employee can be handover to the police. Its all depend upon the leader that at what sought of problem is their with that employee. The leader can leave him while giving warning, its all depend upon the situation. The impact on the strategic leader is always a problematic one because if any one break any of these requirements then it will very costly for the organization and as well as for the strategic leader, if any problem occurs then he had to use his skills to resolve those problem, so that the organization should run in a smooth way. Current and Emerging social concerns and expectations impacting leadership in the organization Leaders impact organizational culture and that, in turn, determines levels of individual, group, and organizational effectiveness. These workshops are designed to help individual leaders strengthen thinking and behavioral styles that promote their effectiveness and moderate styles that prevent them from realizing their potential. It also helps leaders understand the impact they have on culture, and its implications for effectiveness at the individual, group, and organizational level. Leaders from the top-down in organizations are using leadership strategies that cause people to behave in ways that are contrary to how they want these people to behave. The reason for this is that we have failed to move from controlling to leading. The average leader operates on the basis of untried and untested but very commonly held assumptions about how to motivate people and achieve excellence in performance. Part II 2.1 The relationship between Strategic management and leadership Strategic Management Strategy is the pattern of decisions in a company that determines and reveals its objectives, purposes or goals, produces the principal policies and plans for achieving those goals, and defines the range of business the company is to pursue, the kind of economic and human organization it is or intends to be and the nature of the economic and non economic contribution it intends to make shareholders, employees, customers and communities. (Kenneth Andrews) Leadership The task of leadership, as well as providing the framework, values and motivation of people, and allocation of financial and other resources, is to set the overall direction which enables choices to be made so that the efforts of the company can be focused. (Sir John Harvey-Jones) When there is an objective to be achieved, or a task to be carried out, and when more than one person is needed to do it. (Armstrong, 1990) The relationship between the Strategic management and Leadership is that the strategic management is used to establish missions, objectives, and strategies for an organization. Leadership work is to complete those missions, objectives, and strategies with the support of their team, who must be inspired or persuaded to follow them. Therefore leadership is about the encouraging the individuals to give their best to achieve those missions that had been given by the strategic management. A series of strategic management components whose formulation and implementation will require a leadership input, these components include decisions about: Planning style Strategic Intent Mission Objectives Ethos and ethics Performance management Financial strategy and management Core values and ideology Understanding and choice of the basis of strategy formulation Perspective-the conceptualization, purpose, and direction of the enterprise. How the process of strategy formulation and strategic decision-making is to be implemented and facilitated How the enterprise is to move forwards into the future. How relationship with key internal and external stakeholders are to be managed within the architecture of the organization. How to ensure understanding and consensus about the critical success factors of the enterprise. How power is to be used within the organization; and how the politics of internal and external relationships are to be managed. (Principles of strategic management 3rd Edition, Tony Morden) 2.2 Leadership styles and their impact on strategic decision Leadership Style and its Impact There are three major leadership styles by psychologist Kurt Lewin a) Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic) Authoritarian leaders provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. There is also a clear division between the leader and the followers. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently with little or no input from the rest of the group. Impact: Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian leadership. It is more difficult to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this style is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial. Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. As per my organization the authoritarian leader is the Chairperson of the Gobind Industries, sometimes he had to take it self decisions which is good for the organization but it was less creative, therefore he tries to make decision while having a meeting with the department leaders. b) Participative Leadership (Democratic) Democratic leadership is generally the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. Impact: In this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a much higher quality. Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. As per my organization the meeting is being held in every one month by leaders with the staff members to encourage them and to know something new for the organization, this meeting motivates the employee to achieve the objective that is being set by the leaders. c) Delegative (Laissez-Faire) Delegative (laissez-fair) leadership was the least productive of all three groups. The members in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently. Impact: Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. While this style can be effective in situations where group members are highly qualified in an area of expertise, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation. (http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/leadstyle.htm) 2.3 Leadership styles in different situations and its impact In the graph we can see that there are three stages as per the different situation in an organization. In first stage: the environment and the targets of the organization are soft and they are not under pressure, so the managers should adopt a soft leadership style to maintain the feel-good factor in the team. In this type of situation the leadership is must required to check there members because if doesnt then due to easiness of the environment then became laziness, therefore at this time also there should check on the members. If the leader doesnt do this then in future this will be converted into problem for an organization. In second stage: the environment becomes harder and targets and processes are under pressure, at this stage the manager had to adopt the harder leadership style, in order to focus the efforts of the team to achieve their goals. At this stage the leader had to take some harsh steps against the members of his team, so that they can achieve their goals. If they cannot do this then it will loss for the organization and the blame is going on the team leader, at this point he had use his skills, talents to bring out his team from the hard environment. In third stage: if the environment remains hard and targets and processes are under pressure, then the manager had to adopt hard and soft leadership style, so that the members should not frustrate with the leader, which will be again harmful for the organization, at this stage the manager had to motivate its members and as well as at some times he should harsh so that the work should not be pending, due to the soft behavior of the manager. Part III 3.1 A culture of professionalism, mutual trusts, respect and support within an organization A culture of professionalism in an organization: Developing a Culture of professionalism in my own organization while giving example, I am going to be the leader in this organization and developing a culture of professionalism. While entering into my organization, I felt that I just came into the fish market I cannot recognize any of organizational members at first time and the environment is not that much good as it should be in the organization, some of the members are wearing t-shirts, some of them wearing colorful shirts, while looking all these I decided to make a culture of professionalism so that our members can treat to the customers in value able manner, and it will be easy for the consumers to recognize the staff members easily. I provided them a dress material and ask them to enter in a this formal dress only which changes the culture and as well as the creates the professionalism in an organization, giving them training how to behave or deal with the customer, which incr eases our sale and gives satisfaction to our consumers. A mutual trusts: mutual trust means the beliefs, truth, reliability, ability or strength of every members are there in an organization. This had to be maintained by the leader within the members. The leader should not be partial with any of the member, if he does that then the others members trust he is being loosing and it is going to affect the organization, which is not a good leadership by the leader, he had to make faith equally with every members, As parents makes trust, faith and treats equally to all of their children in the same way the organization is also like a family. Respect: respect in an organization is must because without respecting each other you cannot move a single step also. If the staff member gives respect to the manager then he/she also had to give respect to his juniors. Respect can be in terms of listening to the seniors and giving respect to juniors, helping them in any of the problem. In an organization giving respect to the customer is must, it can while dealing them asking about water or tea or a coffee, or while receiving them in the reception area, these all shows the respect towards a consumer and as well as within the members of an organization. Support: within the organization the support can be given with in the team members, it can be one department to another department also. The example, if a employee is being given some work to do and he is not able to complete within the time period, then his team member can give support to finish his work on time. Example between two departments, in sales department if any of the member sales something to the consumer and to the consumer he had to give bill of the product, then the sales person request to the finance department to give their support to them for printing out bill as soon as possible. 3.2 Strategic leader focus on Organization in the achievement of objectives The leader must focus on the objectives as higher profits, shareholder value and customer satisfaction. To achieve results, the leader had to develop a solid, sound, customer-focused, and entrepreneurial strategy, aimed at market leadership, based on innovation, and tightly focused on decisive opportunities. He had to provide the feedback to the organization about the higher profits every month so that he can came to know that where he is failing to bring up higher profits. These can be done while increasing the market share, increment in the quality of a product, good after sales service. While providing all these he bring the higher profits for the organization and as well as customer satisfaction and the shareholder value in the market. Shares are rising of the company on the daily or weekly basis, which is again beneficial to the organization. 3.3 Strategic Leader supports and develops understanding of the organizations direction The organizational direction means the organization vision, mission, values and direction towards customers. The strategic leader supports the vision of the organization, as the vision of the organization is To become a most successful and respected thresher company in the India and the best after sale service provider in the market. So the strategic leader had to work as per their vision because Gobind Industries is already a respected organization in India and it is easy for the leader to make more successful organization and he can develop this by working on it or by providing best after sales service to the consumers as compare to their competitors. We will provide high quality of product so that the consumer can easily use multi crop threshers this is the mission of the company which the leader had to support while making corrections in the machinery to achieve more better quality of product as in the mission is being mentioned. The organization values are: believing in excellence service through Integrity, Innovation and Learning Integrity that the strategic leader develops and support is the honesty and doing right thing for their consumers and always honoring our commitments. Strategic leader develop and support the creativity and change for achieving continuous improvements and results in our jobs and in our organization. As the organizational direction is about learning then the strategic leader support and develop this part in itself also which will be helpful for himself and for the organization too. Organization believe in on going learning new things by getting knowledge from consumer, market, suppliers, dealers, friends or from any stakeholder about our product fault or any better need for an organization which will be beneficial for our consumer and for the organization. 3.4 Strategic Leadership Styles are adapted to meet changing needs and to enable organizational development and commitment With varying degrees of success, many leaders get their strategy making to this point and either stop or their process stalls. A major reason is the lack of understanding and commitment to the steps required to build more effective strategic leadership practices and a strategy dialogue in the operating groups below the senior managers. These groups and especially their leadership teams frequently do not know how to proceed and there is no consistent in-house resource to assist them. The net effect is the sense of excitement and momentum that was generated at the top of the house in the earlier stages of the strategy process is lost and the strategy team of employees is derailed before it is even gets started. One of the best ways to address this is to identify and train a cadre of high potential line managers in the middle of the organization that can serve as champions of the strategy process to those both above and below them. In this sense they serve both as a catalyst for the pro cess and as a bridge between formulation and implementation. They do not replace the leadership role of the senior teams in each of these operating group but they do serve as a critical additional resource that is dedicated to creating momentum and fostering consistency. This can be especially important if the strategy defined requires changes in the organizational culture as well as the business model. This resource also helps to ensure that the day-to-day running the business is not neglected as the demands of building a large-scale strategy dialogue come into play. To integrate both dimensions into strategy making in a way that creates a winning outcome and gets the whole organization understanding and committed to this common agenda requires leaders who are clear about the strategic capacity of each of their internal stakeholder groups and who have the perspective and insights to lead in a way that incorporates both dimensions as the strategy is developed. The steps described below are intended to provide the leader with techniques to do that. Taken collectively, they define a process that incorporates both the analytical and human dimensions, while challenging individuals throughout the organization to raise the quality and quantity of their strategic thinking and their strategic leadership. Conclusion Finally, when deciding what vocabulary and toolset is best to use while working across large populations, simpler is usually better. The simpler the language and the fewer the tools, the more accessible the strategy becomes to larger groups of people and the more people can understand it, know how they should think and talk about it, and identify how they can contribute. Some situations require more sophisticated (i.e. more complicated) tools because there is a need for much more thorough analytics. Many do not. The right balance point between comprehensiveness and simplicity will provide enough analytical complexity to adequately describe the marketplace, the customers, what you do and how you will compete, but nothing more than that. Simplicity, where it can be found, makes a significant difference when working across a large population.

Understanding Stroke Essay -- health

Understanding Stroke Diagnosis and Clinical Features of Stroke Several researchers have attempted to determine the general public's knowledge about stroke risk factors and warning signs. The most commonly cited risk factors were hypertension and stress; the most frequently identified warning signs were dizziness, severe headaches, and unspecified weakness. Knowledge about warning signs may prompt early recognition of strokes and, hence increase the speed and aggressiveness with which people seek medical attention. The five stroke warning signs identified by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and stroke include: (a) sudden weakness of the face, arm, or leg on one side of the body; (b) sudden dimness or loss of vision particularly in one eye; (c) sudden difficulty speaking or trouble understanding speech; (d)sudden severe headache with no known cause; and (e) unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness, or sudden falls. These symptoms are seen especially in conjunction with other warning signs. Facts about Stroke Strokes are the most common cause of disability and leading cause of death in the United States. Estimates of the number of stroke survivors in the United States exceed 3 million, and nearly 150,000 Americans died from stroke in 1995. The frequency with which strokes occur and the devastating effects they can have on survivors and their families make provision of general information about prevention and management an essential element of public health education. Previous researchers have found that between 14% and 40% of adults cannot name a single risk factor associated with stroke. This is reason for concern among the medical community. Neuropathology/Neurochemically speaking Ischaemic str... ...rain. Glutamate antagonists have been successful in treating various animal models of epilepsy and by effectively protecting against epilepsy brain damage. Works Cited Albers, MD, Gregory W. (1997). Rationale for Early Intervention in Acute Stroke. The American Journal of Cardiology. 80:4(3); 4D-10D. Atkinson, R. P.; & DeLemos, C. (2000). Acute Ischemic Stroke Management. Thrombosis Research. 98:3; 97-111. Koroshetz, W. J.; & Moskowitz, M. A. (1996). Emerging treatments for stroke in humans. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 17:6 (Jun); 227-233. Lees, K.R. (1991). Therapeutic interventions in acute stroke. Brit J Clin Pharmacol. 34; 486-493. Rothman, S.M.; & Olney, J.W. (1986). Glutamate and the pathophysiology of Hypoxic-Ischemic brain damage. Ann Neurol. 19; 105-111. For information Stroke: http://www.caregiver.org/factsheets/stroke.html

Managing Oil Wealth: An Exploration Of Lessons Emerging Oil Nations Can Learn From Norway And Uk

Abstract Several oil producing and exporting countries have fallen under the pitfalls of the resource curse phenomena and the â€Å"Dutch disease’. Research studies have explored extensively in this area with most studies taking the view that resource rich countries experience slow economic growth compared to resource poor countries. Contrary to what should constitute common sense, countries that are endowed with abundant natural resources experience unbalanced economic growth compared to countries with fewer resources Against this popular view, this proposal seeks to demonstrate how emerging economies in Africa can escape the resource curse. In particular, the proposal seeks to demonstrate how oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK can assist emerging oil nations like Ghana and Uganda to manage their natural resources. The paper identifies important literature sources which will be reviewed and outlines the methodological framework that will be used. The paper also identifies some of the limitations to its research approach and highlights ways in which reliability, validity and research limitations are to be addressed. Introduction The impact of natural resources on economic and social development of a nation has been a controversial discussion for decades. Whilst oil exploration is associated with wealth creation and economic development, the nexus between oil, conflict and democratic failures is widely documented in literature (Basedau & Lay 2009). Despite evidence that oil exploration can act as a catalyst for development, many of the resource-rich countries have not benefited from oil production but have instead experienced great poverty and unstable living conditions, a phenomenon known as the ‘resource curse’. Nigeria and Angola are prime examples of the resource curse. Despite being the largest oil producers in Africa and despite generating higher revenues from oil booms, Angola and Nigeria still remain amongst the poorest countries in the world. The natural endowment in both of these nations has not been positively correlated with economic growth and social progress (Andre 2010). In Angola, for instance, majority of its population still live in extreme poverty, living on less than $2 per day (Hammond 2011). Similarly in Nigeria, despite having explored substantial oil for 50 years, oil production has not translated to substantial socioeconomic development and poverty rate remain extremely high with majority of the population living on less than US$1 per day (Muller 2010). In fact, the current poverty rate of 50% in Nigeria far exceeds that before the oil boom (35%) (Mahler 2010). Further, oil exploration in Nigeria has led to chronic internal instability and violent conflicts (Muller 2010). Recently, Uganda discovered commercially viable oil deposits in the Albertine Graben region which will see the country joining the club of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) (Bainomugisha et al. 2006). The discovery of oil in Uganda has raised hopes that the country will generate substantial growth from the oil revenues and escape the fangs of biting poverty. Similarly, in December 2010, Ghana joined the ranks of oil exporting countries. Just last year, the average oil production in Ghana was reported at 68,000bbl per day (Kapela 2012). This production is expected to continue over the next 20 years. Problem statement With the emerging countries such as Uganda and Ghana positioning themselves to join the club of oil producing and exporting countries (OPEC), it remains unclear whether the pitfalls that have faced may of the resource-rich countries in Africa will similarly affect these economies. How can the emerging economies leverage their oil wealth to become economic stars without succumbing to the pitfalls of the ‘resource curse’(Bainomugisha et al. 2006). Whilst the availability of commercially viable oil resources may present these economies with an opportunity to boost their growth and reduce the biting fangs of poverty; the nexus between oil exploration and conflict and governance issues is widely documented. Can Ghana and Uganda find a way out of the resource curseHow would these economies address issues of governance, accountability and transparency which have seen resources in many of the oil producing nations in Africa becoming a curse instead of a blessingThese are some of the questions that linger in the minds of many people especially considering that countries like Angola, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea have not been able to escape the resource curse (Bainomugisha et al. 2006) Research aims/ objectives: The specific objectives of this study will be as follows: To explore the potential challenges new oil nations such as Ghana and Uganda might face in oil and gas wealth management To critically examine and evaluate the oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK. To study the differences and similarities of the petroleum policies of Norway and UK. Literature review A number of research studies have explored extensively in the area of resource curse. Before examining some of these studies, it is worthwhile to first consider the resource curse thesis and explain what is meant by the popular ‘Dutch disease’. As such the literature will first begin with a description of the resource curse phenomena and the so called ‘Dutch disease’. This shall be followed by an analysis of transparency and accountability, good governance, revenue management and fiscal policies which have enabled Norwegian government to limit the ‘dutch disease effects and to build a competent national oil industry. Resource curse and the Dutch disease The two terms ‘resource curse’ and the ‘Dutch disease’ are somewhat related. Both presumably arise from resource riches but take on different forms. On the one hand, resource curse refers to a phenomenon in which countries that are rich in natural resources tend to experience slow growth despite their abundant and rich resources. Contrary to what should constitute common sense, countries that are endowed with abundant natural resources experience unbalanced economic growth compared to countries with fewer resources (Cotet & Tsui 2009). On the other hand, the Dutch disease is a term used by scholars to describe a phenomenon in which exports of the resource result in a rapid contraction in the non-resource traded goods sector (Larsen 2004). In essence, the ‘Dutch disease’ describes a situation where in export of natural resources bring about appreciation in real exchange rate which make exportation of non-natural resource commodities difficult (Andre 2010). This has been particularly the case in Angola where oil exploration has led to the reallocation of productive factors and an appreciation in real exchange rate. As a result, most of the sectors have either declined or stagnated with exception of the oil sector. A large volume of literature have explored on the resource curse phenomenon, often linking the extraction of natural resources to conflicts, corruption, civil war and economic decline. For example, studies by Humphreys (2005), Ross (2006) and Fearon (2005) have found natural resources as providing both finance and motive for armed conflict. Auty (2001) also points out that resource rich countries have since the 1960s underperformed in terms of economic growth, often being outperformed by the resource-poor countries by a considerable margin. Similar findings have been reported by Sachs & Warner (2001), Gylfason et al. (1999) and Leite & Weidmann (1999). Recently, a study by Neumayer (2004) which explored on the relationship between natural resource abundance and economic growth, with growth measured in terms of ‘genuine income’ (GDP less the depreciation of natural capital), produced the same results. Studies by Ross (2006), Fearson (2005) and Humphreys (2005) have similarly provided evidence supporting the resource curse thesis. Indeed a large number of authors have shown that the resource curse thesis is a demonstrable empirical fact. This thesis has become a popular view and is even encountered in the popular press. Scholars have widely acknowledged this view as a fact. Rather than critically exploring this causal relationship further to determine other variables that may be shaping this relationship, most of the scholars have instead researched the various ways through which the decline in growth is manifest (Cotet & Tsui 2009). As such, there exist relatively fewer studies that dispute the resource curse hypothesis. Against the popular view, this proposal argues that nothing is inherently cursed about oil and that oil exploration does not have to take a grim picture as has been the case in the past. The UK and Norway have responsibly managed their oil exploration activities and bore sustainable, fully integrated economies and stable welfare societies (Bainomugisha et al. 2006). Similarly, it is possible for Uganda and Ghana to avoid the so-called resource curse and to translate their oil discovery into sustainable gains. Transparency and accountability Corruption is without doubt a huge problem that has continued to hinder growth and development in resource rich countries. It is central in explaining the resource curse phenomena. Two prominent contributions by Mehlum et al. (2006) and Robinson et al. (2006) point out to corruption as key issue, in the form of rent seeking and patronage. However, there is an emerging consensus that transparency and accountability can help curb corruption and other dysfunctions of resource-rich developing countries (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). A number of initiatives have been undertaken to improve transparency and accountability in resource rich countries. For example, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has been developed to increase transparency in revenues generated from extractive industries such as oil and minerals (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). Other initiatives include the Transparency obligation initiative of the EU, and The IMF Guide on Resource Revenue Transparency. The proposal, however, does not seek to elaborate on these initiatives in detail as it is beyond the scope of study. Whilst there is strong empirical evidence pointing to the relationship between transparency and less corruption, it should be recognized that transparency on its own is not sufficient to address the resource curse. The effect of transparency on corruption is in fact conditional on education (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). At an individual country level, it is difficult to illustrate the conditional effect of transparency. However, if we a draw comparison between countries such Angola and Liberia, it becomes easier. Both countries have become more transparent following the end of the civil wars. Despite being transparent, the level of corruption has only been reduced in Liberia, as measured by the Kaufmann control of corruption index (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). Angola, on the other hand, has not seen any significant improvements. Furthermore, transparency may not necessarily address issues of corruption and may instead further exacerbate this problem. For example, whilst transparency makes it possible to identify corrupt officials, it can as well make it easier to identify relevant officials that may be bribed. That is, it reveals to potential bribers persons who can be contacted in order to acquire an unfair advantage. The identification effect may thus dominate the detection effect thereby further exacerbating problems of corruption. Whilst transparency is one of the ways through which countries can avoid the resource curse, at present, there exist no systematic studies exploring the relative impact of transparency in comparison to other feasible policies (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). Whether transparency is more appropriate to other policy alternatives thus remains an issue for further research. Good governance The issue of transparency and accountability is closely tied with good governance. Recent studies exploring the resource curse phenomena have stressed the importance of having in place good governance to ensure transformation of resource rents into favourable development outcomes. In particular, two prominent contributions see good governance as key to avoiding the resource curse. According to Mehlum et al (2006), resource rents tend to draw skilled workforce out of productive activities and into rent-seeking. As such, the key to addressing this problem is to increase attractiveness of the productive sector by having in place good institutions. Sharing a somewhat similar view, Robinson et al. (2006) argues that patronage is the main cause of resource curse. Hence, they suggest that the key to avoiding it is putting in place institutions that will limit the government’s ability to distribute public sector positions to political supporters. Revenue management Democracy is yet another issue of great importance. Studies by Ross (2001) and Aslasken (2007) have shown that oil hinders democracy. These authors have attributed this hindrance to the rentier effect. Since governments have control over substantial revenues from oil booms, they can hinder democracy through patronage, that is, by providing its supporters with certain advantages such as public sector positions. In order to address the resource curse, there is need for proper management and optimal use of revenues. Natural resources are exhaustible in nature and as such may be rendered obsolete. Measurements of permanent income thus have to take account of these characteristics. Spending must be based on present value of expected revenues, having taken into consideration uncertainty of the prices and the time of resource depletion (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). In other words, revenues ought to be saved and properly managed to ensure a permanent stream of income. Fiscal policies Fiscal policies also have an important role to play in addressing the problem of resource curse and the â€Å"Dutch disease† which can be minimized through decoupling of fiscal policy from revenue fluctuations. This is made possible through containment of fiscal spending, inflation and containment of nominal exchange rate appreciation (Coutinho 2011). Norway is a prime example of a country that has benefited from its fiscal policies. To avoid overspending its oil revenues, Norway adopted fiscal guidelines in 2001. Norway’s fiscal guidelines include a rule that ensures that the central government’s non-oil structural deficit is within 4% of the expected real return on Petroleum Fund assets (Coutinho 2011). This conservative approach which the Norwegian government has taken has enabled it to counter the uncertainty of its oil wealth. As pointed out by Jafarov & Moriyama (2005), Norwegian’s oil revenue policy has enabled the country to limit the Dutch disease effects by protecting the non-resource sectors from the impact of fluctuations in petroleum prices. Whilst the Norwegian oil policy could be regarded as a prime example of a successful policy framework, Humphrey & Sandbu (2007) have pointed out that the institutional restrictions imposed by Norway’s fund on policy makers are weak and may not be effective in environments with weak institutional framework. Nonetheless, the Norwegian oil policy has enabled the country to built a competent national oil industry which has been well-managed up to date (Ryggvik 2010). UK and Norway as oil and gas countries. The UK and Norway are prime examples of countries which have successfully managed their natural resource wealth. In particular Norway, which is currently the second largest export of oil across the world, shows no symptoms of a resource abundance curse. However, one factor that may be pointed out that differentiates the experience of Norway from the other oil producing countries is the timing of natural resource discovery. Unlike many other OPEC countries, the discovery of oil occurred at a time when Norway was already a developed country (Mehboob 2012). Nonetheless, the Norwegian government has successfully managed its natural resources, escaping the resource curse which has afflicted many of the OPEC countries. In fact, Norway was ranked as number one in the democracy index by a recent UK economic intelligence report. This decision was based on a number of criteria including transparency, accountability, election freedom and fairness, influence of foreign powers and ability to implement policies (Campbell 2012). Voluminous research has also shown that good policies and good governance have been central to the success of Norwegian oil sector. From this lengthy literature survey, two observations can be made. First, whilst there is strong evidence pointing to the association between natural resource abundance and adverse outcomes on the economy, the evidence is by no means conclusive. The second observation is that there are no adequate accounts for the role of social forces or political environments in shaping development outcomes. Research has tended to take a reductionist approach, explaining development performance solely in terms of the size and a country’s endowment of the natural resources. Although a consensus is emerging that the relationship between a country’s resource wealth and development outcomes may be shaped by certain political and social variables; scholars have tended to ignore these variables and instead taken the view that resource rich countries experience slow growth compared to resource poor countries. Contrary to this view, this proposal demonstrates how emerging economies in Africa can escape the resource curse which has afflicted many of the petro-countries. Whilst there is strong evidence linking the ‘resource curse theorem’ with poor development outcomes in many of the resource rich countries in Africa, emerging economies such as Uganda and Ghana can avoid this phenomena by ensuring good governance, transparency and accountability, effective revenue management and implementing fiscal policies that would help build competent national oil industries. The UK and Norway are prime examples of countries that have successfully managed their oil wealth. Emerging economies can learn from these two countries. Research questions This research study seeks to address the following research questions: How can new and emerging oil nations ensure realization of oil and gas policies to avoid the resource curse How can the oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK assist emerging oil nations like Ghana and Uganda Research methodology Research strategy/Approach Whether one is familiar with a dissertation topic or not, it is important to have in a place a research strategy that will help the researcher to collect the necessary data for analysis. In this regard, a research strategy is a methodological approach that is taken by the researcher to investigate a particular research issue. As defined by Saunders et al. (2009), it is a general plan that guides the researcher in investigating a particular research issue. In a similar vein, Bryman (2008) defines research strategy as â€Å"a general orientation to the conduct of research† (pp698). Saunders et al. (2009) further states that a particular strategy has to be selected based on research objectives and questions, extent of existing knowledge about the topic under study, time and availability of resources, and the philosophical underpinnings of the researcher ( Saunders et al. 2009, p.600). Based on this criterion, different research strategies may be employed by the researcher. Whilst there are various research strategies, Saunders et al (2009) and Yin (2003) acknowledge that a large overlap exists among these strategies. As such, of great importance would be to select the most advantageous strategy. Among the most commonly used research strategies are survey, experiment, case study, ethnography, grounded theory, cross sectional studies and participative inquiry among others. The proposed dissertation seeks to employ a case study research strategy. While examining the overall emerging economies in Africa, the study will devote particular focus to Uganda and Ghana as the case studies. Rationale for selecting case study research approach According to Robson (2002), a case study research strategy refers to a research strategy that involves an observed investigation of a particular phenomenon within a real life context (Robson 2002: p.178). Case study is considered ideal for the proposed dissertation as it allows the researcher to focus on the specific context, and for in-depth investigation of the issue at hand. Further, Case study research has been preferred over other research strategies as the research questions take the form of ‘how’. This research study has been developed to answer to the research questions: 1. how can new and emerging oil nations ensure realization of oil and gas policies to avoid the resource curse2. How can the oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK assist emerging oil nations like Ghana and Uganda? It is evident that the research questions predominantly consist of ‘how’ type of research questions, hence suited for a case study research. Chetty (1996) also points out that case study research is important as it leads to the observation of new insights that would otherwise not have emerged with other research strategies such as surveys. The qualitative case study will explore the oil and gas management policies and theories in Norway and UK, and examine how emerging nations, particularly Uganda and Ghana, can learn from these countries which have built competent oil sectors. The case study strategy is expected to capture the complexity surrounding management of oil wealth in these emerging economies. Qualitative method A number of scholars have differentiated between qualitative and quantitative research. One of the key issues that have been used to draw distinction between the two is the nature of data. With quantitative research method, the data is hard, objective and standardized. But with qualitative method, the data is rich and deep (Corbetta 2003). Bickman et al. (1998) and Maxwell (1998) have further added interactivity as one of the features of qualitative research. The nature of data needed for the proposed dissertation is rich and deep. The richness of the information is necessary in order to identify the current management practices employed by Norway and the UK in the management of their oil wealth which will then be reflected in designing an applicable management model for emerging countries such as Uganda and Ghana. Data collection The research question: ‘how can new and emerging oil nations ensure realization of oil and gas policies to avoid the resource curse?’ requires an extensive amount of investigation. As such in-depth interviewing is deemed more appropriate for this study. Interviews will be used as the primary source of collecting data. Interviews will be conduct with key informants in Norway and the UK who will shed a light on the policies governing the management of oil and provide an explanation as to how these economies have been able to escape the resource curse phenomena and the ‘Dutch disease’. The interviewees will comprise of key informants in the oil industry such as the local leaders and policy practitioners, international and national diplomats, and policy drivers in transnational agencies, consultants and experts in the oil industry. A total of 30 respondents will be interviewed. Further, a desk study will be conduct to supplement the primary data. This will involve collecting secondary qualitative data which will be derived from previous research studies. Both documentary and on-line material related to the research topic will be reviewed. The secondary qualitative data will be obtained from archival documents, official government publications, policy papers, statistical data and several other publications including books and academic journals. Peer reviewed journals will include the European Economic Review, Journal of Peace Research, Cyprus Economic Policy Review, Journal of Conflict Resolution, The Economic Journal, and Journal of Development Economics among others. This secondary information will supplement the primary data collected and improve accuracy and validity of the research findings. Data analysis The data obtained from in-depth interviews is rich in detail, contextually laden and subjective. Such data must be reworked or reduced to represent major themes that describe the phenomenon under study. As such, thematic analysis has been chosen as the main approach to analyzing the qualitative data in the proposed in dissertation. As defined by Saunders et al. (2009), thematic analysis refers to quantitative content analysis that involves the identification of patterns and themes within data. Thematic analysis is particularly common with qualitative research. It involves identification of a number of emerging themes which reflect the textual data. Whilst it may sound easy, thematic analysis require the researcher to be familiar with their data in order to provide insightful analysis. Data familiarization is thus key to thematic analysis. Limitations of qualitative research Whilst positive that research objectives of this research can be achieved, there certain challenges that may be encountered with the methodological approach. As pointed out by Bryman (2004), qualitative findings tend to rely much on researchers often unsystematic views on what is important and significant, and research findings may be influenced by the researcher’s biases. Moreover, the findings obtained from a qualitative case study may not be generalizable given the set of few respondents. The scope of qualitative research is often limited to single cases and as such, it becomes difficult to generalize the findings. Also, respondents may choose to provide false information which may affect the accuracy of the findings. Despite these criticisms, qualitative research has been chosen as the research approach in the present study. Generalizability, validity and reliability The researcher will avoid the bias associated with qualitative research by deliberately seeking data from various sources including official government documents, policy papers and other relevant secondary sources. This secondary information will be used to supplement the findings obtained from the primary interviews. Ethical considerations A number of ethical issues may arise with interviews with key informants. Given the secrecy of information of this nature, some participants may not be at liberty to reveal certain sensitive information. However, the researcher assured the participant about confidentiality of their information. Another ethical concern relates to the issue of utilizing secondary sources without the author’s permission. To address this concern, the researcher is going to acknowledge the contributions made by the original authors of the secondary sources in the proposed dissertation. Conclusion Clearly, we have seen that many resource rich countries especially the African countries such as Nigeria and Angola have suffered from ‘resource curse’ and the ‘Dutch disease’. Despite being the largest oil producers, these resource rich countries still remain at amongst the poorest in the world. Their natural endowment has not been positively correlated with economic growth and social progress. We’ve also seen a close and strong link between ‘resource curse’ and corruption, bad governance, lack of accountability and transparency, poor revenue management and poor fiscal policies. On a lighter note, we’ve seen some of the resource rich countries which have been able to escape the ‘resource curse’ and ‘Dutch disease’. We’ve seen that the UK and Norway have successfully managed their natural resources. This is explained by the fact that they have pursued good policies in some areas and have enjoyed the advantages of having resource rent. However, we’ve noted that unlike many other OPEC countries, the discovery of oil occurred at a time when Norway was already a developed country. This perhaps point to the differentiated experience in the management of oil wealth between Norway and other oil producing countries. Nonetheless, we argue that the emerging economies such as Ghana and Uganda can learn from Norway and the UK, and leverage their oil wealth in order to emerge as economic stars without succumbing to pitfalls of the resource curse. Clearly, this research is of paramount importance and would contribute significantly to the management of natural resources. Resource requirement To successfully execute this dissertation, the researcher intends to use a variety of secondary sources. In particular, articles and academic journals would inform this analysis. The internet, online-library and computers would aid in the data collection and analysis. There is a plethora of literature on management of oil wealth. The dissertation will thus be based on a critical review of published literature such as journals, articles, and textbooks. In addition, the researcher intends to review press releases, government documents and annual work plans such as the 2012 Work Plan of Environmental Management in the Oil and Gas Sector. This would ensure that the dissertation is consistent, professional and of the highest quality. Given the great deal of research conducted on this topic, the researcher is positive the dissertation will be successfully accomplished without much cost or future hindrance. Further, frantic efforts and time would be devoted towards analyzing the published literature and augmenting it with the primary data collected. Timetable/ Gantt chart Activity September October November December January weeks 12341234123412341234 A review of prior studies and any relevant literature draft of the literature review research design and strategy Design of interview questions Communication with key informants and scheduling of interviews Interviews with key informants Data collection Data analysis (Thematic analysis) composition of the draft of the project submit to tutor for the revision final check of the data and accuracy of the written project final submission Reference Andre, G., 2010. The management of the Angolan oil revenues: are there any chances to change course of the ‘resource curse’University of Dundee Aslaksen, S., 2007. Oil, democracy and country fixed effects. Mimeo, Department of Economics, Trondheim: Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Auty, R. M., 2001. ‘The Political Economy of Resource-Driven Growth’. European Economic Review, 45 (4-6): 839-846. Bainomugisha, A., kivengyere, H. and Tusasirwe, B., 2006. Escaping the oil curse and making poverty history: a review of the oil and gas policy and legal framework for Uganda. ACODE Policy Research Series, No. 20 Basedau, M. and Lay, J., 2009. ‘Resource curse or rentier peaceThe ambigous effects of oil wealth and oil dependence on violent conflict’. Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 46 (6), pp.757-775 Bickman, L., Rog, D. J., and Hedrick, T. E. 1998. â€Å"Applied Research Design: A Practical Approach† in Bickman and Rog., D.J., (eds.) Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage publications. Bryman, A., 2008. Social research methods, 4th edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Burnham, P. and Gilliand, L., K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., 2008. Research methods in politics. 2. ed., Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Campbell, 2012. A tale of two petro-states: Norway manages its oil wealth much better than Canada does. 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What Is a Chemical Symbol Definition and Examples

Element names and other words in chemistry may be long and cumbersome to use. For this reason, IUPAC chemical symbols and other shorthand notation are commonly used. Chemical Symbol Definition A chemical symbol is a notation of one or two letters representing a chemical element. The exceptions to the one- to two-letter symbol are the temporary element symbols assigned to designate new or to-be-synthesized elements. Temporary element symbols are three letters that are based on the elements atomic number. Also Known As: element symbol Examples of Element Symbols Certain rules apply to element symbols. The first letter is always capitalized, while the second (and third, for unverified elements) is lowercase. H is the chemical symbol for hydrogen.C is the chemical symbol for carbon.Si is the chemical symbol for silicon.Uno was the element symbol for hassium. Uno stands for unniloctium or element 108. Chemical symbols are found on the periodic table and are used when writing chemical formulas and equations. Other Chemical Symbols While the term chemical symbol usually refers to an element symbol, there are other symbols used in chemistry. For example, EtOH is a symbol for ethyl alcohol, Me indicates a methyl group, and Ala is the symbol for the amino acid alanine. Pictographs are often used to represent specific hazards in chemistry as another form of chemical symbol. For example, a circle with fire above it indicates an oxidizer. Sources Fontani, Marco; Costa, Mariagrazia; Orna, Mary Virginia (2014). The Lost Elements: The Periodic Tables Shadow Side. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199383344.Leal, Joà £o P. (2013). The Forgotten Names of Chemical Elements. Foundations of Science. 19: 175–183. doi:10.1007/s10699-013-9326-y