The role of transparency in public procurement process Literature review

The role of transparency in public procurement process - Literature review Example In a nonprofessional language, transparency alludes to the kind of operations that are open to every person and where others can easily see what one is doing. For instance, when one goes to a shop and carries out a transaction, the exchange of the good/service with currency is done in a very transparent manner where both the buyer and the seller is entitled to confirm through counting the amount received as change or as the pay for the products bought. The verification through counting and confirmation that a right currency is in use would illustrate transparency in the simplest way. A close analysis of transparency shows that it is universally applied concept in such fields as in management, corporate, research, technology, sports, politics and media among other fields. In management and corporate circles, transparency may imply the openness in disclosure of information concerning revenues, wages and administration while in research; it may allude to ease of access to and sharing of information. It has almost a common meaning to all other disciplines with ease of accessing and sharing information in a manner that is not hidden to any person. It is a concept that dates far back in history where it has been mostly applied in morality and ethics to allude to openness as against secrecy. However, the application would reveal some minor differences in application from one field to another. Accountability is often used concurrently with transparency where the latter is used in transactions for the purpose of accountability1. It is actually seen as a precondition to ensuring that public officials uphold high standards of accountability especially in matters of public procurement, tendering and awarding of contracts. In order to effectively participate in public procurement process, the public requires to have access to the most available and necessary information as possible. Transparency in this regard therefore ensures that the public get the information and hence are in a position to contribute in the procedures of decision-making. In this regard, the discipline of public procurement is greatly dependent on accountability and as such relies much on transparency. In such a case as the public procurement, the authorities involved have a responsibility of ensuring that transactions carried out are done in the most open manner possible and that the information engaged is available to the scrutiny of the public and the government. Transparency confers power to the third party just as to the parties involved to raise a concern and question the procedures followed in transacting public deals. Transparency therefore entails availing the public procurement information and the mechanisms followed in according tenders to particular bidders to the public for possible scrutiny. This therefore ensures accountability of public resources while undertaking such transactions that involves the public as against private resources2. Literature review In a study to evaluate these aspects the republic of Serbia was put into perspective within the context of the global economic crisis by Rikalovic, Knecevic as well as Mikic. One of the findings to this study was that proper procurement practices would lead to large savings off the budgetary

Evaluation of the national energy investment opportunities in wind Essay

Evaluation of the national energy investment opportunities in wind generation in Uk - Essay Example The current energy market consists of nuclear energy technology, hydroelectric systems, fossil fuels (i.e. coal and petroleum), with a sudden emergence in recent years of wind power development processes. This research project will focus specifically on electrical energy, with major players including nPower, E-On, Scottish Power and EDF (Boilers Prices, 2012). Currently, 91.4 percent of all electricity utilised in the UK come from traditional, non-renewable sources which indicates a need for further growth in renewable technology in this market. The entire UK energy market is currently valued at over ?28 billion (Research and Markets, 2008), which represents significant profit opportunities for the Big 6 energy providers, corporate investment and various venture capitalists looking for return on investment in energy. Passing of the Planning Act in 2008 provided new opportunities for all of these firms and independent investors to contribute more capital to infrastructure development by establishing a singular consent regime advocating more liberal government-mandated policies for what is referred to as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (Sustainable Development Commission, 2012). 3. UK renewable energy strategy The European Union has been integral in dictating policy regarding the renewable energy strategies for member nations. In 2001, the EU Renewables Directive proposed a target for member nations to achieve 22.1 percent development of renewable electricity (Dept of Energy and Climate Change, 2010). This Renewables Directive highlights specific, incremental steps necessary to achieve this target including solar photovoltaic, hydroelectricity and wind power. The UK share of this directive was to be 10 percent renewable electricity by 2010 (DECC, 2012), a target met when including wind and other renewable project developments in the UK. Currently, renewable electricity accounts for 9.6 percent of total UK renewable delivery with a significant surge in wind technology since 2007, a rise in output of 120 percent annually (Guardian.co.uk, 2011). Figure 1 illustrates the significant growth in renewable with an emphasis on wind power from 1997 to 2007. Figure 1: National Statistics Illustrating Growth in Renewable Energy Sources Source: uk-air.defra.gov.uk/reports (2009). Statistics on Renewable Energy Improvements 1997-2007. Growth in renewable technology is being promoted by national government, local community government, corporate investment, and even consumer sentiment about sustainable living that influences both policy makers and development of investment firms dedicated to improving renewable energy source production. For instance, the Carbon Trust, an independent yet governmentally funded company is currently a major advocate for renewable energy sources, reinvesting capital from various commercial activities and reapplying this capital to achieve this mission (Carbon Trust, 2012). Partnerships between governmental actors , corporate investors, and independent companies like Carbon Trust have assisted in making progress to have more transparent renewable markets internationally and domestically. They have influenced the implementation of the Climate Change Bill, a measure providing liberalisation, incentives

Kristin Decides to Try Her Hand at Investing Research Paper

Kristin Decides to Try Her Hand at Investing - Research Paper Example Younger persons also tend not to be responsible for dependents, large assets, and, in many cases of young professionals, their own health coverage. An older person, however, is by his or her nature more risk-adverse, since there is a more limited time span in which to make up potential losses due to investments. Consequently, investing is more confusing for the younger investor like, in this case, Kirstin who is a 26-year-old female potential manager. Although Kirstin has to build for the future by selecting more secure investment options, she should also try to maximize her gains by taking on more risk than the average investor did. This is not to say that Kirstin should become a gambler with her money on the stock market; rather, she should look to expand her capital in a safe, prudent manner. Regardless of an investor’s age or level of risk-aversion, one should always seek diversification as a first principle (Melicher & Norton, 2008, p. 8). Even though Kirstin does not hav e a large asset pool to pull from in terms of seeking out investments, she ought to seek out holdings in as many asset classes as she can. This means that spreading her assets between equities (blue chip and growth), bonds (corporate and municipal), cash equivalents, and commodities. Spreading assets around to the different classes means that Kirstin is hedging her risk against sharp declines in any of the specific categories, such that the other categories can support her portfolio in tough times. The majority of this portfolio must be concentrated in areas with highest growth potential, but diversifying between these instruments is a good strategy. If Kirsten decides to put most of her savings into blue chip or growth equities, she is likely to see a satisfactory return on her investment if the overall market is bullish or relatively stable. Depending on how long she expects to hold these investments, she may see a return on investment (ROI) at a percentage higher than any percent age offered by a corporate or municipal bond holder, or any cash equivalent offered by her local bank. Assuming that Kirsten’s idea of a â€Å"satisfactory return† is greater than the 3 percent interest paid by her bank for a Certificate of Deposit, then she is more likely to see desired returns if she invests in equities as opposed to other kinds of cash equivalents and bonds. Because Kirsten can be certain that her CD with her local bank is insured (that is, she cannot lose the principle amount, like she can with an equity or bond), she must be willing to accept only a return greater than 3 percent. Depending on the nature of the bonds Kirsten investigates, she is likely to find bonds that have greater than 3% interest. Especially corporate bonds of companies with lower credit ratings, which are consequently more risky, Kirsten could find rates of return nearing 10 percent. Kirsten’s decisions about where to put her money could be driven by any number of facto rs, including but not limited to tips from friends, independent research, consultations with financial planners, developments in the news, or developments in her own personal life (Lim, 2010, p. 19). Most likely, Kirsten will decide what to invest in based on her risk-aversion and the principles of good investing. As already discussed, the principle of diversification may draw her to look at both equities and bonds, in addition to the cash equivalent in which she plans to invest $3,000. In addition, Kirsten

Current Pop Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Pop Culture - Essay Example The current pop culture exercises its control over the thought of the people by generating the aspect of â€Å"opinion† through mass media. That is to say it becomes an artistic expression of the people, thus creating solidarity, as Kidd (2007) explains (Fedorak 3). To enhance the role played by pop culture in the lives of the people, I would undertake the examples from television and film fraternity. The television series The Sex and the City and the film The Hunger Games, both adapted from the book series, not only explain the blatant influence created by the pop culture, but also cover the wide genre of pop culture, namely literature and technology, in order to generate a striking effect on the mass consumption. The Sex and the City (1988-2004) is generally applauded for showing the prevalent theme of individualism and the society that rules our lives. It features single women as strong, honest, independent and happy, who are striving to find their individual identity in th e facets of societal foundations. The show is regarded as a post feminist exploration of single women living in New York City. It is a show about women and their friendships, their sex lives and their experiences. It is perhaps because of the issues like identity, the relation between an individual and society, and the underlying theme of sexual sovereignty that The Sex and the City can be used as the foremost example in explaining the workings of the pop culture. The protagonist Carrie Bradshaw is a sex columnist for the fictional paper The New York Star; it is through the lens of her columns that each episode is shaped. This characterization is quite important for the consumer. He meets an individual who is not only a strong, independent woman with a critical point of view, but also a sex columnist discussing sex lives of women, thus claiming sexual sovereignty. Her honesty and imperfection highlight the general thought of the public that make them identify with her. Other female characters, Miranda, a cynical attorney, asserts her independence as a woman reconciling with her motherhood and her marriage; Charlotte, a hopeless romantic lives in a world of fairy tales but eventually realizes the stark distinction between fantasy and reality; and Samantha, the self-proclaimed sex- loving, hyper sexualized old woman dealing with her state of menopause, different yet embodiment of feminism, gives a glimpse of different shades of a modern woman. They are reflection of an era where women were exercising control over their lives without the male interference. They highlight the concept of choice where an independent woman is free from the bounds of motherhood and marriage, where parents are never seen and the family mentioned is of female friendship, thus highlighting the notion of pop culture as an indicator of shared value. The Hunger Games (2012) is the most recent example of human identity being shaped by the interplay of media and individual choice in construct ing personality. It showcases the tenuous division between reality and fabrication through a violent competition in which children and teens are

Research Paper about Divorce Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

About Divorce - Research Paper Example There are various factors that can be attributed to the growing number of divorces including social, financial, religious and psychological elements. According to a survey report, 43 to 46 percent of all marriages that have taken place in the US in the year 2000 will eventually end in divorce (Smith et al., 1453). This paper explores the reasons behind divorce and its impact on children. Getting a divorce is not a simple task and cannot be obtained on the day the concerned couple decides to separate. It is a prolonged process that needs to go through various legal formalities. The initial phase of decision making can take several months or years, and even after final decision is taken the end process may not be a fast one. In many cases, couples attempt to reconcile failing which they again separate. Throughout the entire process, the partners make important decisions regarding rebuilding separate lives. Often a couple takes the decision to separate after weighing the advantages and disadvantages of staying together. A marriage becomes difficult to sustain when personalities clash and no one is eager to compromise. The aggrieved partner often finds multiple issues to deal with before making the final decision to divorce like â€Å"religious constrictions, obligations to children, the financial costs and consequences of divorce, and social pressure to stay marriedâ €  (Clarke-Stewart & Brenatno, 52). Divorce is always perceived as a curse on modern society. One major cause has been identified as early marriage. In general, people who marry early have high probability of divorce than those who marry after completing their education and stabilizing their career. Records have shown that the probability of divorce is twice for women who get married in their teens than women who get married after the age of 22. Most of the times, young people are emotionally and socially inexperienced for entering into a

Modern philosphy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Modern philosphy - Essay Example Essentially, Descartes was seen as deigning to question the dependability of science based on empiricism since scientific investigation can only be inference from by means of sensory examination. To prove his point, Descartes underwent what is commonly referred to as an intellectual rebirth and to achieve this he had to deconstruct everything he had learnt from birth since he had leant it through his senses and he wanted to prove that they could deceive. To this end, he postulated a few arguments among them the dream theory, suggested that when one dreams of say a fire, they feel warm and experience the selfsame experience they do when they are actually basking in a fire. The same argument can be extended to cover other sensation that people perceive even the absence of stimulating agents or situations. For example, one can dream they are falling and they will wake up with a sense of terror and probably break in to a sweat with fear exactly as they would have if they had actually bei ng falling. Similarly, he makes an argument about whether God actually exists or whether a deceiving demon or evil genius manipulates humans. He argues, can one know that they have no body but they simply exist in the form of a mind in which information is fed and the physical sensations are actually imagined. This concept has been demonstrated in several works of art more so films such as â€Å"inception† where the plot involves a situation in which the characters are able to move and manipulate events in the lives of others by accessing their brain while they dreamt. In the wax example, Descartes further demonstrates the unreliability of the senses by claiming that a piece of wax in its solid form will look, feel and smell very differently from itself if it were melted. Therefore, someone not familiar with wax may see two entirely different things by looking at wax in its different forms although essentially they are the same thing. At the end of the day, Descartes wishes t o invite his audience to abandon their blind, (so to speak) reliance of scientific enquiry and investigate everything from a rational point of view. In the famous cogito argument , he claims I am therefore I exist, to prove this he chooses to doubt everything including his own existence which is after all only aware of by means of sensory powers (Kaufman 12). When he figuratively scraps of all his knowledge, he remains with the only bit that is not based on empiricisms, and the fact that he doubts everything means that not everything might actually exist. Nevertheless, that he is capable of doubting is proof of the existence of his doubt and this translates into this existence since he must be existing to doubt. This argument while seeming farfetched and illogical to the non-critical eyes actually bears a point that almost everyone including his greatest critics would agree. An individual cannot know much about something else than about himself because as proved by Descartes, one do es not need to apply sensory powers to prove their own sense of being (De Marzio 312). Therefore, the most qualified way of understanding one’s self is the one that does not use empirical reasoning, why them, Descartes seems to

Film vs Book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film vs Book - Essay Example The film versions of the books One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Breakfast at Tiffany’s amply testify to the fact that it is pragmatic and necessary for the film versions to be different from the actual books on which the films are based so as to bring out the appeal and context of the overall plot as per the requirements of the cinematic genre (McFarlane 164). In that context there tend to be marked differences between the book and the film version of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The book tends to deal with the plight of a mental institution in 1963. The movie got released in 1975, which is about 12 years after the book got published. Before delving into the differences between the movie and the book, one does need to know that the movie version of the book was utterly successful that won all the five major categories of Academy Awards. The primary thing is that the book is dominated by the point of view of Chief Bromden, a gigantic Indian, who is in the s ame ward with McMurphy. It is true that the writer Ken Kesey backed out from the film project when he came to know that the point of view of Chief Bromden had been removed from the movie and he no more stands to be the narrator in the film version of the book. It goes without saying that this alteration of the point of view in the book and the movie lead to major differences in the book and the film version of the story. When one reads the book with Chief Bromden being the chief narrator, the overall mood tends to be quiet slow and poised. The narration facilitated by Chief Bromden delves into the essential traits, characteristics and inclinations of the varied characters in the asylum in a threadbare, sophisticated and lilting manner. However, it is but natural to assume that in the film version of the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the producer had to adapt the storyline in consonance with the needs and requirements of the cinema. The film version of the book simply does not afford to be slow paced and languid as the book. Yet, if one reads the book before watching the movie one does miss the edgy, disturbed and cynical point of view facilitated by Chief Bromden as he says, â€Å"If my being half Indian ever helped me in any way in this dirty life, it helped me being cagey, helped me all these years (Kesey 4).† However, in the film version of the book, it is the trio of McMurphy, Nurse Ratched and Chief Bromden that bring out the story. The film version simply sets aside the pain and hurt inherent in Chief Bromden reveries, to display a larger view that incorporates an array of characters, thereby relying on the variety and the interactions between varied characters to move the story forward. Hence, if on the one side the plot in the book is poised, slow, emphatic and gripping, the storyline in the movie happens to be racy, action-oriented, emotive and multi-faceted, exactly the way it ought to be in a successful movie. The film versions do h ave their limitations and one simply could not expect a film version to stick diligently to the storyline and plot as it is given in the book (McCreadie 126).