Confucianism- Religion or Not?

Confucianism- Religion or Not? Religion has always played a key aspect to societies, ancient or not. Whether to unify a group of people, or to provide a common thought to ensure that the civilization not fail, there is no argument as to the importance of religion. However, in every ancient society, religions share common characteristics which define the term religion itself. There are certain forms to which each religion has to mold to in order to be considered a religion in itself. Certain thought processes or beliefs are exempt from being considered religion. A prime example of this would be Confucianism- Confucianism cannot be considered a religion, but a thought process. Confucianism is not considered a religion for many reasons. First off, one must define the term religion as it pertains to ancient societies. The Princeton Dictionary defines religion as- â€Å"A strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that controls human destiny† From ancient societies, one could also tack on that with religion comes holidays or celebrations. After settling on a definition, one can then proceed to pick apart the parts of the definition, and identify as to whether or not Confucianism adheres to these parts. A religion is a strong belief in a supernatural power. In virtually every other dominant ancient religion this holds true. In the lands of Egypt, the belief in a great many Gods, all in charge of a specific task, was the religion accepted by the community. For a small time, the religion even was changed by the Pharaoh to monotheism, before switching back into polytheism. In the ancient lands of India, the belief of Hinduism was the accepted religion. Despite the fact that Hinduism is considered a way of life, a Dharma, there were still many Hindu Gods, such as Ganesha, that Hindus trusted and believed in. However, when one considers Confucianism, one would find no belief in any higher being or God. There is no higher force in Confucianism, which conflicts with a part of the definition of a religion. Looking further, we can see that with every religion follows with it certain celebrations and holidays. In the Hebrew religion, there are many holidays, such as Purim. In the ancient Egyptian religion, there were numerous holidays as well, all in honor of their many Gods. Each of these religions also had religions ceremonies held in temples, such as festivals performed by priests in the Hindu religion. However, Confucianism does not contain either of these practices. There are no holidays in Confucianism, and there are no religious ceremonies to be performed. Although ancient religions differed in viewpoints, there were many redeeming similarities between the religions. It is from these similarities that a definition of what a religion is was formulated from, and how to classify a thought system as a religion. Because Confucianism simply does not contain the bare necessities of other religions, it is not possible to classify Confucianism as a religion on its own.

Miller further Essay

Miller further continues the feeling of contempt towards John Proctor in the following Act through Elizabeth Proctor’s despair. Instantly we can see the tension and strain is the Proctor marriage as when her husband returns home late after a long day planting in the fields, Elizabeth is intensely suspicious of him. This tension is reinforced when the couple sit down for dinner as she uses a patronising tone with him and he secretly insults her by adding more seasoning to the soup she has made when she is not in the room, this is a metaphor showing how their marriage has grown bland and tasteless. This underlying tension between them is undoubtedly caused by Proctor’s affair with Abigail. When Elizabeth informs him that Mary Warren, their servant, had been in court that day as an official of the witchcraft trials, Proctor tells her how he knows the witchcraft accusations are all false as Abby told him when he was with her last week. Elizabeth is disturbed that the two were alone together, but Proctor tells her ‘I’ll not have your suspicion anymore’. He shouts at her with a ‘violent undertone’ to ‘learn charity’, as he has ‘tiptoed around the house for seven months’ since Abigail left. He tells his wife that he has honestly confessed to his sin and tells her that her ‘justice would freeze beer’. This represents him as being an uncaring man as his wife is obviously in distress and we feel sorry for Elizabeth as he is shouting at her and telling her that she is a cold woman when it is he who has been in the wrong when he had his affair with Abby. His callous way makes the audience assume that he will later not be hanged as it is thought that he will not care about admitting to witchcraft, and therefore sacrifice his family name for his life. However, this act also allows the audience to first see how Proctor is not all an evil man through his deep, utter regret, his guilt and his constant desire to cleanse himself of his previous sinful activities with Abigail. It is this break down that helps so show Proctor as no longer being wicked, but rather as being weak and pitiful. As a result, Miller represents Proctor as humanity, as he is someone who is at the same time strong and weak, someone who has made mistakes but who has the sense to learn from them, therefore becoming a better person. The inevitability of his death therefore starts to show, as his true character is honest. The audience further start to have some second thoughts about Proctor’s first cold hearted appearance in the way that Elizabeth seems to be a cold and demanding woman and Elizabeth herself believes that her chilly behaviour may have driven her husband to adultery. She is also withdrawn and distant, this has gradually given her home a silent and insecure atmosphere, and as she continues to punish her husband for his sin, their marriage becomes increasingly tenser. The tension continues to build when Mary Warren then enters, as she informs Proctor and Elizabeth of the many people that have been arrested and how some people will hang. She hands Elizabeth a poppet that she made in court that day, ‘I made a gift for you today, Goody Proctor’ and claims that Sarah Osburn sent her spirit out in court to get them, this shows how easily Abby influenced her and the increasing power Abby is getting as the girls are willing to do whatever she orders them to do. Proctor can not believe the power Abby seems to have over the girls at court and demands evidence of witchcraft from Mary Warren and forbids her to go to court again but she replies that she is ‘amazed you do not see the weighty work we do’ but he threatens her with a whip, ‘strangely she does not resist him’. This shows how although Proctor can use his strength and power to his advantage, he can also use it in a negative way. It also illustrates how Abby is gaining increasingly more power as even the girls themselves are starting to believe that there is witchcraft. Mary claims that she saved Elizabeth’s life today, for she was accused. Elizabeth then realises that Abigail wants to kill her, ‘she wants me dead, John, you know it’. Proctor underestimates Abby, as he never once thought that she would be as wicked or malicious as to accuse Elizabeth of witchery, as Elizabeth is such a good, honest woman who strongly believes in justice and sticking to moral principles. Elizabeth is a well-respected and dignified woman and to accuse her shows that Abigail must strongly hate her as it was dangerous to accuse such a honourable, devout Christian woman of sinful activities when she has such strong religious beliefs. The religious beliefs of Elizabeth and her husband are later questioned when Hale arrives at their house, ‘I thought sir, to put some questions as to the Christian character of this house’. Proctor tries to explain why he works on a Sabbath and has not to been to church as often, he criticises Parris and claims that he spends the church’s money wasteful. Hale asks why only two of Proctor’s children are baptized and asks him to say the Ten Commandments but he can only remember nine of the ten, Elizabeth instantly gives him a sharp and bitter reminder of the tenth, adultery. This is ironic as he broke this commandment when he had his affair with Abby. Proctor obviously knows how foolish he was to be unfaithful and now feels very guilty, this is shown in his constant desire to forget about his sins, and when Elizabeth reminds him, it is ‘as though a secret arrow had pained his heart’. When Proctor tries to tell Hale that witchcraft accusations are not true he does not believe him as he feels that many have confessed to witchcraft. It is here that the hypocrisy of the witchcraft hysteria is exposed as the only way for people to save themselves from hanging was to admit to witchcraft, this sent the witchcraft trials off in a vicious spiral as people would definitely confess to witchery and accuse others, if they would be hanged for denying it. This makes the audience consider if Proctor would confess to witchcraft like the majority of the village to save his life as although he has been represented as not being totally religious by not going to church all the time like the rest of the community, he has given good, moral reasons for not attending. Some of Proctor’s qualities are also helped to be further expressed in Elizabeth’s arrest on the charge that her spirit stabbed Abigail with a needle, ‘stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly he drew a needle out’. He says that he will ‘not give his wife to vengeance’ and when Reverend Hale insists that the court is just, Proctor calls him a ‘Pontius Pilate’. His deep passion and love for his wife mounts along with his anger against the charge and how he is willing to fight for what is right and moral is also expressed. This also shows how Proctor misjudged Abigail as is actually more cunning than he first thought, this seems to show how Proctor sees some good in everybody as he thought she was better than that. The poppet shows that Abigail is yet more wicked, it illustrates how she is jealous and envious of Elizabeth because John loves her so much and also shows how she is determined, unscrupulous, cold and scheming. In the first act, she behaved just in her own interests; she was ready to harm others, but only to save herself. However, in this instance she frames Elizabeth on purpose out of revenge, planting the poppet to murder her. When Elizabeth is taken away, Proctor demands that Mary Warren come to court with him, he uses his intelligence as he knows that he can use Mary to his advantage by making her give evidence against the charges of witchcraft and therefore to prove Elizabeth’s innocence. However, Miller adds irony here as Proctor can rely on one single person to save them from Abigail’s charges but this one person, Mary Warren, is one of the weakest characters in ‘The Crucible’. She alone has the power to stop the hysteria of the witchcraft trials, but does not have the strength or will to do it. Mary needs a lot of force from Proctor to even think about coming clean about the lie in court and as Proctor uses one of his qualities, power, as he is demanding her to give evidence against Abby. She sobs ‘I cannot, I cannot’ but Proctor further expresses his love for his wife as he cries that his ‘wife will not die for him’. His morals and principles allo w the audience to believe that his death will be inescapable. Act Three continues to defend Proctor by focusing on his good points. He enters the court in a powerful manner, presenting a piece of paper signed by Mary Warren saying that the accusations of witchery are false. This shows how he is a natural leader but this quality causes friction between him and Parris. This is revealed as Parris takes the evidence from Proctor as an attack on the court, and even as an attack on him, further, it illustrates how Parris is paranoid and foolish. When Proctor is told that his wife is pregnant by Danforth; although Proctor did not know if it is true or not, he tells everyone in the court that Elizabeth never lies so he believes it, this shows that even thought Elizabeth is often cold towards him, he still deeply loves and trusts her. When Abigail starts to pretend that she can feel a sharp cold wind, ‘a wind, a cold wind has come’, Proctor calls her a ‘whore’ and grabs her by the hair, finally admitting that he had an affair with her, he cries ‘I have known her sir, I have known her’. This again shows how Proctor’s energy and strength can be used negatively. However, he also illustrates deep shame and regret for his unfaithfulness but lets all of the truth be known even if it does mean that he will be charged and the once totally respected member of the community will have a dint in his reputation. He lets all the truth be known as he knows that many innocent people are dying for stupid reasons, this expresses how Proctor supports the theme of truth and justice. It also conveys how Proctor will not lie to defend himself, therefore portraying the idea that he will not later admit to witchcraft to save his own life, therefore expressing how his death may be inevitable. This scene is very ironic as to prove that he is innocent and to show that he is now faithful to his wife, Proctor has to openly tell everyone in the court about his affair. To save Elizabeth and to stop himself from being accused of witchcraft, he has to blacken his name. Even with this sin, Proctor is still shown as a martyr, as he sacrifices his good reputation in Salem, where public reputation is very important, in order to save his wife and others who have been accused of witchcraft even though they are innocent. His great belief in justice helps the audience to believe that his death will be unavoidable as it expresses how he will not carry on the accusations, which will undoubtedly cause many more unjustified deaths, and therefore his life will be lost to save other people.

How Has the Management of People Evolved In Recent Years Essay

How Has the Management of People Evolved In Recent Years - Essay Example In response, welfare officers performed the paternal role of caring for injured employees and advocating for better treatment among women and children. Further research into the management of labour discovered abuse of managerial power and resources at the height of bureaucracy, which showed no concern for the welfare of workers (Haston n.d. p.3). For this reasons, a humanistic perspective demonstrated the need to understand human behaviour and recognise control among workers as opposed to managers. This approach demonstrated increased productivity in institutions that treated their employees better. Trade unions were formed to serve as a bridge between workers and the management where representatives negotiated terms of services in the organisation. Unionism revolutionised interactions between industrial organisations and their employees by providing a united front against poor working conditions by negotiating for improvements (Edwards 2009, p.227). Similarly, trade unions advocate d for policy adherence and a standard compensation model for workers. In 1970s, the existence of a consistent set of regulations governing organisations’ relations to their employees provide an essential framework termed as personnel management (Aswathappa 2005, p.18). This aspect of management is charged with the responsibility of selecting and recruiting workers, training, offering compensation and rewards, employee welfare, and facilitating employee transition. However, personnel management was not without criticism where critics refer to the ambiguous nature that based on emphasis on workers’ welfare with little gain to the organisation (Watson n.d, p.1). Critics argue that personnel management should be reverted line managers who are familiar with... This report stresses that following globalisation, there has been marked increase in competitiveness across business organisations, which demands a strategic approach to the management of human resources. Strategic planning is illustrative of a methodical and structural process through which an organisation identifies direction, and develops an approach to allocate resources. This process is geared towards identifying and prioritising short-term as well as long-term goals in order to maximise efficiency and profitability. Presently, management of human resources adopts a strategic perspective in order to be aligned with the goals of the organization and to be integrated into the organization’s needs. This paper makes a conclusion that while personnel management and human resource management appear similar, there exists differences that are of significance to the success of an organisation. Personnel management is based on short-termed goals and addresses immediate concerns while on the other hand, HRM involves strategic planning of the institution’s workforce in a long-term perspective. Also, the personnel management approach illustrates the psychological contract as compliance and adherence of workers to the demands made by the employer. On the other hand, HRM subscribes to the idea that employees indicate commitment and willingness to participate in fulfilling the mandate of the organisation without authoritarian specifications.

From Literate to Electronic Communication Essay

From Literate to Electronic Communication - Essay Example Lorimer, et al. (2012, p 39) explains that there exists interpersonal and mass media in activities of media as it tries to define various aspects of the society. Interpersonal media links the sender to the receiver of information while mass media de-links the two. Apart from thee two categories of media, there has emerged a third one; network media. Its uniqueness is that it combines the other two. It can create a geographical network for sharing information where everyone in the internet is both sender and receiver of information depending on the circumstance one is in. Examples of network media in use include teleconferencing, the World Wide Web and email. Networking media has brought into perspective the overlapping nature of the other two such that we can not precisely define the boundary between interpersonal and mass media. This is because even the interpersonal media such as telephone can be used to reach most people through broadcasting. Today, media has recreated itself and as such, is categorized based on mode of operations which include: the channel of communication such as print or electronic, the sense of experience of the media whether visual or aural, economic modality such as direct cost, indirect cost and pay per usage costs. The ever changing nature of media has led to considerations to categorize media material based on the institutions that produce and distribute them. Technology level involved in the production of the media is also used to classify them. Availability of information on the World Wide Web through the internet has met great criticism and opposition from authorities in the society such as parents as well as the government and organizational administrators. People access... From Literate to Electronic Communication Evolution of communication Lorimer, et al (2012 p 26) suggests that the evolution from literate to electronic communication can be dated back to the discovery of the printing press which ultimately changed the landscape as the society switched from the overreliance on monks for information to typed and stored literary materials. Ultimately, the authority of controlling writing and translation moved from the church to secular world leading to the development of secular society and knowledge as opposed to the previous existing religious knowledge. The battle the ensued between the church and the secular writers and this was the jump pad towards information independence. The ability to retrieve, through scanning, such written materials enabled people to do critical analysis of information and point out inconsistencies. This was not possible with the spoken word which was considered highly perishable and could not be stored. Writing provided a form of interpersonal media other than mass media as people could communicate personally and individually through written messages. Media has transformed to become the identity of reality since it is through the media that truth is passed to the targeted audience. As such, there is the ambiguous concept of ‘mediamaking’ where as the media defines the direction of the world, the world also shapes the media to become what it should people. Media passes information while the people receiving the information improve the media to serve them best.

Personal Career Development Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Personal Career Development Project - Essay Example Most leadership researchers agree that leaders need to have important interpersonal skills such as empathy, motivation, and communication (Carlopio et al 32). What has received considerably less attention than the skills is that appropriate application of these skills requires a thorough understanding of one's social setting, or social intelligence. The main strengths I possess are confidence, high-self steam, ambitious, workaholic, forward-looking, always willing to learn, cautious. My leadership functions are partly a function of skilful deployment of personal qualities but probably more of the interactive processes between leaders and their followers and the more general processes through which purpose and commitment are generated and sustained within an organization. It is the willingness of people to follow that makes a person a leader. Moreover, since people tend to follow those who, in their view, offer them a means of satisfying their own personal goals, the more managers are able to understand what motivates their subordinates and colleagues, and the more they reflect this understanding in carrying out their management actions, the more effective they are likely to be as leaders. In my communication, I am concrete, time-limited, realistic, challenging and capable of evaluation (Cole 39). The main weakness is that English is my second lan... Decision-making is directed to reaching a goal/objective. It is about the how, what, why, when (and where) of a course of action and of how to overcome obstacles and to solve problems. Decision-making is what turns thought into action: it implies change and requires a decision to be made against a background of uncertainty and risk. Every person needs to be able to choose the action or course of action that is the best for you/your organization to meet its objective(s). An effective decision is one that produces the goods, ie gives the desired end result. It is important to be able to project ahead, to take the expected and unexpected into account, to have contingency plans in case events intrude in such a way as will turn a good decision into a bad one (Cole 35). The main opportunities are desire to learn and master new knowledge and skills, creativity and self-confidence. On the other hand, creativity can be encouraged in people (including oneself) by exploring some of the qualities and characteristics of creative thinkers and the activities/steps that can be undertaken to improve the processes involved. The main threats are lack of lack of business background. Communication should be good laterally and vertically (and flatter organizations should - in theory, at least - encourage good lateral communication). Managers should ensure a good flow of information - ideas can emerge as a result. Good administration is the hallmark of good management and the proper and efficient use of resources. Managers become leaders when their personality and character, their knowledge and functional skills of leadership are recognized and accepted by the others involved. These leadership functions need to

Barriers to the Growth of Electronic Marketing Essay

Barriers to the Growth of Electronic Marketing - Essay Example It has been able to exterminate the monopoly in goods an series which has been considered important for the growth of the electronic business. Though it has recorded growth in the recent past, there have been many barriers to the growth of the industry. There have been many issues with the conduction of the business over the internet and other electronic tools especially problems to do with mutual trust and privacy of the deals. Lack of security through the internet and other barriers have been a great block to the growth of the industry. This paper explores the barriers which have prevented the growth of the electronic marketing. In the first section the paper will explore the growth of electronic marking looking at the factors that have enabled the industry to make such great strides. This will give us an insight on how there have been compounding factors that have acted as barriers for the growth of the industry. The second section will look at the actual barriers to the growth of the industry and discuss them in details giving solutions to what could be done in order to minimize the barrier to the growth of the industry. The last section will be a general conclusion which will summarize all the details on the paper. The future of marketing has been defined. ... has been able to transform researches on marketing, products and services, and other information to the main street of the world and in a manner that they can be accessed by anyone in any parts of the world and at any time. The internet has been able to revolutionize the market the at the same time we have a luxury of watching events in the world as they unfold which has helped customers to access growth of marketing in all dimensions. There have been many criticism about the internet on the social front citing isolation and connection issues coupled with the political impacts that it has had on many governments but few have talked about the revolution that it has created on the economies of the world except the attention that has been paid on the stock market new that we receive over the internet. (Brown and Duguid 2002, p. 71) Since the 1990s when the internet was developed there has been tremendous growth in e-marking and a general growth of ecommerce. Companies have become open to the scrutiny of the whole world which has made it prerogative for the companies to open their operation and practice more ethics. But it is not only in the practicing of ethics in the corporation but also in the way the process of making business deals with these corporations that has been the main advantage of the internet to the consumers and to the corporations. There has been rising use of the internet as we clock to this decade and it seems to have become the centre of life of many people not only in America but also in the whole word. Recent researches shows that there have been a remarkable drop of about 8 percent on the number of hours that Americans have been spending watching TV and at the same time there have been increased number of house about 8 percent that they have

Visual technology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Visual technology - Assignment Example The artist creates this dimension. Therefore, art becomes unique as it comes to be the product of the artist’s imagination. Literally, reproduction of arts means to recreate art, a camera mimicking the way eye sees the object is an example of it. By introducing the term â€Å"politics† Benjamin referred to the manipulation of art for personal gains. It is similar to discovering nuclear energy but if it was going to be used to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki it was certainly not the intention of the scientist that discovered it in the first place. The politics of arts allows the images to be reused and modified with the use of text and sound and soft fares to produce the desired results. It is hard to come to a conclusive perception when I look at this painting. To me, this artwork is by far the most elegant and extraordinary work by Picasso. The simplicity in the play of color is exquisite. It should look unbalanced and smudgy with this unusual play of colors yet it is extremely balanced and has a serene effect on the emotional state of mind. Physically, I feel alive and liberated when I look at this artwork. The immediate impact on the physical state is the acknowledgement that this ‘renegade’ dimension exists and speaks directly to me. Intellectually, this painting does not fall into the conventional realm because it seems off-the-cuff or a deviation from the monotonous lifestyle. To me, it is the difference between listening to the symphonies of Mozart and hip-hop music. I instantly think about my childhood when I look at this artwork. Without a doubt, this painting triggers nostalgia in me. I start relating how I always wanted to be different, the way this painting seems different from the others. If Picasso could paint this today it would be a messy room of a teenager who plays guitar and loves football. The newness of this image is the comfort in knowing that something exists with which

Section of a reasearch paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Section of a reasearch - Research Paper Example As the TACO restaurant wants maximum exposure for its Street Tacos, it should set a reasonable price with the sole purpose of getting maximum exposure and space for its Street Tacos in the given market demand for that product. It can happen when the demand for a given product is elastic and the reasonable price will lure the customers in great number to purchase it, resulting in increased revenue to the restaurant. Other reason of using penetration pricing strategy is the possibility of economies of scale. The reason of using this strategy could be the fear of competitors and a restaurant wants to go ahead with its first mover entry (Pricing Strategy 2010). Penetration tactic is used for entering the generic market where competition is high; economies of scale are possible. It can decrease the demand of competitor restaurants’ Street Tacos. At the same time, the TACO restaurant will get another advantage from the penetration pricing by getting a ready market by inducing customers to try other menu items (Pricing Strategy 2010). For the TACO restaurant it is more important to capture the maximum market share first and then introduce other tactics by offering unique features like no other restaurant is offering. It can add a touch of distinctness by not putting beans and rice sides on the tacos and charging the same rate, as other restaurants are charging. In stead of rice and bean sides, customers can order some more items on the menu, which could be a more satisfying experience. The TACO restaurant should at the same time offer its customers the choice of separately ordering bean and rice sides to the Street Tacos while not letting the price increase in comparison to other restaurants selling tacos with bean and rice sides. Those customers will be tempted to save some dollars who don’t want their Street Tacos with bean and rice sides. This is a sort of

Relationship Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Relationship Analysis Paper - Essay Example My partner has that kind of nature in which, a person can cause damage itself without acknowledging the other or for the sake of others goodwill. My path crossed with my partner at college. We were classmate and members of the same group. Before development of our relationship, we became very good friends, then best friends, more intense than friends and eventually we realized the love conquering between us on daily basis. We’ve known each other since seven years. Somehow, we are still together but distant and lost due to some dilemmas & pushed duties intending to keep us apart. My partner has moved abroad 3 years ago, the contact between us has become very formal (hi, hello, how are you doing then a full stop to our conservation) from 5 months. We happen to talk twice/thrice in a month now. The status of our relationship is very serious & it has been very serious from the day we walked closer to each other. Living without one another can cause us both a nightmare, a life to b e lived without the heart & its beats. A stage where the partners thought themselves to last forever, but they fall apart with some regrets, disappointments & anger. Partners focus varies to each other’s flaws, & you struggle to change one back to the previous one you’ve lost. There are 2 ways: It is a stage where you decide to fix the relationship with your own or get the professional help. By fixing own your own, you accept each other’s differences, learn that pushing things won’t help, giving up your dreams while surrendering to life. My relationship best fit in this stage, as because the minimum amount of conversations & unclear matters has caused us both an emotional damage. It’s like, there’s a need of reset button to be pushed. The extent of disappointments is too high, which has put pause button to individual grief. We still choose to survive, driving with the understanding of sacrifice, compromise and providing

Stories of Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Stories of Change - Research Paper Example Reasons for organizational change may include changes in opportunities, changes in technology; customer needs changes, change as a result of globalization and financial wealth. Organizations need to have an ability of adapting effectively and rapidly to the change process for them to remain competitive in today’s rapidly  changing  world. Therefore, organizational managers need to determine ways of nurturing the change process required as well as determine the different approaches required to make the change process effective to ensure organizational feasibility (Gupta, 2011). It is essential for any organization to accept change process positively if it needs to stay viable in the competitive market. However change process is not an easy process, and there are so many points that can go immoral. Among them is opposition and resistance from employees regarding the change process. Therefore, it is essential to manage the process with an effort of reducing the chance of such confrontation (Hayes & Richardson, 2008). According to the stories of change, there are 3 significant errors presented in the McDonald, Hewlett-Packard, and Kodak organizations. For Hewlett-Packard organization, Carly in 1999 became the company’s new chief executive officer at a period when the company was faced with many business issues and lacked a proper direction. The main aim of Carly was to rearrange the organization to have a good effective flow of ideas. During the year 2002, the company merged with Compaq Computer Corp (CCP) that was a very major but a desperate change p rocess. It is essential for an organization to anticipate a change process for them to react pro-actively rather than reactively for it to be effective (Gupta, 2011). For Kodak change story, the organization biggest recommendation was communicating more effectively with workers on the desired change process. One of the big challenges that organization face is on how to

PE lessons a week Essay Example for Free

PE lessons a week Essay Along with the need explained above Lucy will need other needs as she is a child. Lucy is growing and developing her Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and social needs all the time. Due to this Lucy will need health care needs as she will need Jabs from the doctors as she will need to be protected against diseases and illnesses. The school achieve this need of Lucys the school have school nurses which give the jabs to the children. Also they help her stay healthy as they make sure they are healthy in the lunches they provide and have a balanced diet, do regular exercise and have a good hygiene. They also provide warmth for the children. They make sure that she is healthy and has a balanced diet they have school dinners which are healthy. They also provide health school dinners because a child needs to have food as it will help her brain to function well and learn properly. They provide these children with fruits at break time and healthy sandwiches and soups and rice and curry for lunchtime. It is important that Lucy gets some food like vegetables and fruits. They make sure that they have regular exercise the children have one or two PE lessons a week so they will be exercising at school even if they dont exercise at home. They also help them to keep fit because they have two playtimes and one lunchtime a day. During these times the children will be running around the playground and playing with toys and skipping ropes so they will be exercising their muscles. They provide good hygiene as they provide the use of clean toilets for the children to access. They also provide cleans clothes for the children when they urinate themselves or other accidents occur. These services helps Lucy physically as she will be active all the time and will be normal size and not overweight or obese. These services also help Lucy to build her stamina, suppleness and her strength so she is fitter than usual. It will help her intellectually as she is provided with education and experiences on new things everyday. It also helps her intellectually as she will be learning new skills and the main thing a new language which is the most important thing in her life. It will help Lucy emotionally as she will feel better about herself as she knows that people are there for her whenever she needs it. It will make her socially as she will have friends. The subject that Lucy learns at school that helps her with her intellectual needs are: * Mathematics: the teacher teaches mathematics to the students and to the students as she uses blocks and large numbers to help them understand with what they are learning for learners who are visual. She also writes the solutions on the board so they can also see it and check their answers with the ones on the board. * Science: they are taught science through little object which represent the topics that they are studying. They also get A3 sheets of paper which have some objects and word on them and the pupils have to match them. The teacher also uses worksheets and performs activities with them to help them understand in depth. * Literacy: they are taught literacy as the teacher reads to the children and then they are asked to answer questions on the story that the teacher has read out to them to see how much of the story they have understood. * Art: the teacher teaches them art mainly through making them draw pictures and paint them. The teacher also give the children printed versions of picture and make them colour inside the lines to make sure that they are neat. The developmental needs that Lucy will have are new experiences, education and books. The placement meets Lucys need about new experiences as they provide Lucy with different types of environment throughout the school year. They also take the children to trips where they learn about different places and their related topics. They provide education as Lucy is taught everyday in school and also sets reading tasks for Lucy to carry out at home with her parents. The provide books for the children as they provide free reading books for the children and free exercise books for the children to write on. They also provide free pens, pencils, and other equipment to do with art.

Impact of the Nigerian Business Environment on Shell

Impact of the Nigerian Business Environment on Shell ABSTRACT Since the advent of crude oil production half a century ago in Nigeria, other parts of the productive economy such as agriculture and manufacturing have been neglected by the government and also the countrys poor and shambolic infrastructure has made doing business too costly for investors. There is a major exodus of Manufacturing companies from Nigeria presently as the rising cost of running their business is eating deeply into their profits for example Michelin, closed its operations in Nigeria two years ago citing the high cost of production, while chocolate maker, Cadbury has found it cheaper to move production to neighbouring country (like Ghana) and re-import its goods. Cheaper imports from China have closed a high percentage of factories in Nigerias once-thriving textile industry. Investors who bought equipment with foreign exchange component said they now need more naira to pay for their loans. They linked what is happening to their investment now to the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) or pre-SFEM days when importers suddenly had huge accumulated debts resulting from the adjustment of the exchange rate, over dependant on foreign goods, and high level of corrupt within the system. The micro and macro economic factors impacting on the running costs of manufacturing and production companies doing business in Nigeria makes it difficult for continued business activities in Nigeria by expatriate companies unless they are really making profit or they have a business that do not depend largely on the infrastructural amenities in Nigeria or can build a mini city that generates and produces its own power and other resources necessary to run its business such as Royal Dutch Shell. This report looks at the impact of the Nigerian business environment on Shell Plc and analysed the risks involved with macro-environmental factors. The report also analysed the strengths and weakness of shell Plc and strategies employed to take advantage of its strengths and opportunities in dealing with the various challenges they face. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.0 NIGERIA The Federal Republic of Nigeria comprises thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory (Abuja). The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the south. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba (see appendix, fig 1). Nigeria has a population of almost 148 million and is the most populous African country and the 9th most populated country in the world. It has about 400 Languages (Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo Etc) and its official Language Is English but its Lingua Franca in the North Is Hausa, Yoruba in the West, Ibo in the East and Pidgin English in the South. The Nigerian currency is Naira and Kobo (see appendix, fig 2). Nigeria has a dual economy with a modern segment dependent on oil earnings, overlaid by a traditional agricultural and trading economy. At independence in 1960, agriculture accounted for well over half of GDP, and was the main source of export earnings and public revenue. The oil sector, which emerged in the 1960s and was firmly established during the 1970s now making Nigeria the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and 8th largest exporter is now of overwhelming importance to the point of over-dependence: it provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 65% of budgetary revenues. Competition between ethnic and regional groups for power and access to the countrys oil wealth has been at the root of politics in Nigeria. The per capita income of Nigeria is $2,300 as at 2008 base on the reports from the World Fact book. Nigeria is governed by a democratic government but not politically stable because Nigeria is a country of extremes. Great wealth and great poverty sit cheek by jowl, and tensions between different communities can boil over into civil strife especially in the delta region. While a few parts of the country remain problematic, the vast majority is as warm and welcoming to visitors as anywhere. The country have an image problem as corruption seems to be the order of the day, also email scams (419) has become known as a lot of innocent yet greedy people have been a prey to this scam. Conducting business in Nigeria is characterized with so many factors and this report will critically analyze the business environmental factors, degree of risk involved and the advantages of operating in such an environment (Nigeria). 1.1 ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC The Royal Dutch Shell Plc is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies founded by Alfred Donovan, was formed in February 1907 with the amalgamation of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company (legal name in Dutch, N.V. Koninklijke, Nederlandsche Petroleum Maatschappij) and the Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd of the United Kingdom, a move largely driven by the need to compete globally with the then predominant US petroleum company, John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil in the ratio of 60:40. Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) is engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, transportation and marketing of natural gas and electricity, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals. The company also has interests in renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar; and hydrogen. The company has extensive operations in more than 140 countries around the world. Its headquartered is in The Hague, the Netherlands and employs more than 300,000 people across the globe. The company recorded revenues of $318,845 million during the fiscal year ended December 2006, an increase of 3.9% over 2005. The operating profit of the company was $45,777 million during fiscal year 2006, an increase of 0.3% over 2005. The net profit was $26,311 million in fiscal year 2006, an increase of 0.2% over 2005. The current supplies earnings for year 2008 were $31.4 billion compared to $27.6 billion for year 2007 with an increase of 13.7%. 1.2 Management The Non executive chairman of Shell is Jorma Ollila, former Chairman and CEO of Nokia, he was appointed on the 1 June 2006. Ollila is the first Shell Chairman to be neither Dutch nor British. Other non-executive directors include Maarten van den Bergh, Wim Kok, Nina Henderson, Lord Kerr, Adelbert van Roxe, and Christine Morin-Postel. Jeroen van der Veer is the present CEO of Shell. 1.3 Shell Plc in Nigeria Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) started onshore operations in Nigeria since 1958 as part of a consortium led by NNPC (The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) with 55 percent and including Shell (30 percent), Elf (10 percent) and Agip (5 percent). SPDCs operations concentrate in the Niger Delta and offshore shallows nearby, where it holds oil mining leases covering an area of 31,000 km2. There, it has installed more than 6,000 km of pipelines and flow lines, 87 flow stations, eight gas plants and more than 1,000 producing wells. In 1997, SPDC produced 899,000 barrels per day from this system (about 40 percent of Nigerias OPEC crude oil quota). The SPDC workforce stands at more than 10,000 people of whom 4,500 are employees; the remainder work for contractors and of total workers, 98 percent are Nigerians (see appendix, fig 3 for Niger delta oil field in Nigeria). Shell also has three other companies which are NLNG (Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas) a gas company to produce Liquefied Natural gas and natural gas liquids for export. Shell is in joint venture with Nigeria with a 25.6% interest in NLNG (Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas) together with NNPC (49%) while SNEPCO (Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company) and SNG (Shell Nigeria Gas) are both 100% owned by Shell. SNEPCO comprise Shell Plc, Total, Exxon Mobil, and Chevron Corporation. CHAPTER TWO 2.0 SHELL PLC AND OIL INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA 2.1 Oil and Gas The Oil and Gas Industry has played a major role globally. It has always been a central global player in international development and geopolitics and because of the critical importance of hydrocarbon based energy as the engine of rapid industrial growth in modern economy, either capitalist or communist. Due to the intrinsic dependence of this centurys growth model on access to ever-greater reserves, the industry has had to deal with increasing complexity in its relations with developing countries and environments. This in turn has led to increased cost of operations to match the growth models demands (Meadows et al, 1972; Nordhaus, 1973). WCED (1987) agreed that since 1970s, continued hydrocarbon-based Growth model is only justifiable if profits are ploughed into technological advances that would ensure a timely and less painful transition to alternative energy. 2.2 Challenges Faced By Shell Plc in Nigeria Since Shell started producing Oil in Nigeria, it has faced a lot of challenges in dealing with the government, micro and macro economics factors in Nigeria and most especially the communities, as Shell production led to oil spillage, gas leakage and so many more. It has affected the soil and water which is the main source of earnings for people in the Niger delta, as the agriculture and fishing has almost become impossible which is source of living for the people. This has raised a lot of community clashes with Shell so much so that their operations in Nigeria has been globally criticised and has also affected the image of company. In 1995, the company faced two major challenges; firstly, the Greenpeace occupied its Brent Spar platform in the North Sea to prevent its being decommissioned by sinking. Secondly, the Nigerian government executed Ogoni human rights activists: Ken Saro Wiwa, the head of the MOSOP (Movement for the survival of Ogoni people) a campaigning organization representing the ogoni people in their struggle for ethnic and environmental rights and eight others, this problem led to boycotts, public outcry and violence against the company. The crises arose soon after Shell began to review its societal relations, and further catalyzed internal support for transformation. Unfortunately, they occurred at a moment when the company was casting about for ways to avoid exactly such crises, leading Shell officials to heed those who internally promoted a new approach. CHAPTER THREE 3.0 ANALYSIS OF NIGERIAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS For management of Shell Plc to apply effective Strategy that will work at international level and which will also reflect the Companys Vision, Mission, and Objectives, they need to understand the international business environment (both internal and external environment) of the host country (Niger delta, Nigeria). A good international strategic planner must recognise all relevant factors within the environment before pushing it through the process of analysing, decisions making and actions taking. Putting the relevant factors into consideration and testing them will help to create sustainable competitive advantages over other competitors. After critical analysis of the international business environment by the team of strategic planners for Shell Plc regarding Nigeria Oil Industry, decision needs to be taken to determine the mode of operation that should be employed by the company in order to compete effectively and efficiently within the oil industry of the host country. Decisions are of no use unless they have been implemented (acted on and monitored); Shell Plc needs competent strategists that will utilize the available resources effectively to bring the intended operations and strategies to reality. Shell Plc has been in Oil business since 1886 and operates around the world. The company has been able to maintain good name (goodwill), good customers loyalty, and strong customer database. The company construct meaningful strategic planning for Nigeria business environment before/after operating in the country, while the strategy is monitored and reviewed quarterly to reflect the companys true vision, mission, and objectives. 3.1 SWOT ANALYSIS The Strengths of Royal Dutch in Nigeria includes SPDC (Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria) is the Oldest Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria. It was the first company to begin the production of Oil and Gas in Nigeria as a result, the company was able to monopolise the Oil Sector in Nigeria for a long period and established herself as a for-runner with a higher percentage than any competitors in the market. SPDC has a long standing name as one of the biggest Oil and Gas Company in the world as such it has the necessary equipment and money to invest in exploration of oil in Nigeria. Shell has been in business for over a century and they came to Nigeria with wealth of experience, technology, innovation and machinery. Shell operates autonomy of Shell Companies in a decentralized structure allowing Shell Offices in different countries to deal with the regulations, culture and behaviour of the communities in the best suitable way to meet their needs and concern. The Weaknesses of Shell Plc in Nigeria are: Shell faces the challenges that most companies encountered when they come into other countries as they have to learn the new rules, regulations and behaviours of the country and this can be a weakness from the start. Shell was not prepared for the challenge of dealing with the expense of ameliorating socio-environmental concerns which escalated and caused a lot of criticism internally and damaged the image of the company globally. The Opportunities of Shell Plc in Nigeria are: Nigeria was a virgin ground and shell Plc had the opportunity of being the first oil and gas to start production of oil and since then more and more oil fields were been discovered in Nigeria which has led to continuous production and increased production and business for the company. Shell had the opportunity for developing new business ideas as Nigeria gave them the licence to do that which led to joint venture between Shell Plc and Nigerian government, then the discovery of Natural gas led to LNG (another Joint venture) with Nigerian government and other opportunities opened up and shell now has SNEPCO and SNG, wholly owned. Also, Shell has the financial background to go into deep water exploration that led to new discoveries and new business expansion. The Threats of operating in Nigeria are: Fear of persistent interruption in their operations or damages to their properties and machineries by the militants in the delta region from which they conduct the drilling. Oil Gas extraction will someday reach a limit point but technical improvements in seismic exploration and extraction efficiencies have ensured continuing growth in reserves at the resource frontier. Growth of alternative sources of energy particularly renewable such as biomass and solar might changed their modus operandi. Continuing criticism on their image globally will increase costs spend on company and brand image. The new oil reform bill that would allow the Nigeria to retake acreage that has not yet been explored by their owners. Fear of new players into the oil sector from China and Brazil that will break its dominance in Nigerian oil and gas sector. It may be the target for other competitors. 3.2 PEST ANALYSIS AND RISK ASSESSMENT If organisation is able to know that only one thing that constant in this world is change, it would be able to make plan for emergent situations by understanding its business environment. It is very important for any organisation that intends to operate in Nigeria business environment to conduct environmental analysis before and after starting a business. In fact, continuous process should be applied to all aspects of planning because Nigeria business environment is not predictable despite its attractiveness. The companys strategic planners must be able to identify its marketing environment that is made up of the following: The internal environment is the staff (or internal customers- hired contractors), office technology, finance, wages etc. The microenvironment is the organisational external customers, suppliers, distributors, other competitors etc. Company with strong internal forces can still set up strategies to dictate the mode of its operations. The macro-environment cannot be control but company can set up strategies that will help in adapting to the business environment, which is known as PEST FACTORS- Political Factors (and Legal), Economic Factors, Socio-cultural Factors, and Technological Factors (see appendix, fig 4). 3.2.1 POLITICAL/ LEGAL FACTORS political/legal factors influences the environmental regulations which participants in the oil industry must comply with. As with many factors in the general environment, changes that benefit one industry may damage others. For example, on the political front, government legislation can affect oil production by increasing the leasing charges on oilfield and then charge taxes per barrel produced. In a broader view, the following constitutes the numerous political and legal issues to be considered in any business environment: Political stability Risk of military invasion Legal framework for air pollution Intellectual property protection Industrial safety regulations Anti-trust laws Pricing regulation Taxation and incentives Wages legislation Hours work per week Mandatory employee benefits RISK ASSESSMENT ON POLITICAL/LEGAL FACTORS Nigerian political/legal history was characterised by military intervention, civil war, ethnic sentiments, and marginalisation. The country has a bad record in democratic set up and abuse of human right practices. The high level of corruption and political instability did not allow the rule of law to reflect in the society and also, the problem of instability in government policy due to lack of continuity in governance. Shell Plc assessed Nigerian business environment and capitalised on the corruption practices of the people. The company involvement in the execution of environmental activist (Ken Saro-wiwa) and eight Ogoni people that protested against the company reckless operations on their farm lands (in Niger Delta) cannot be dismissed. The political/legal factors do not possess any risk to Shell Plc if it knows is way. It is not necessary also for the company to follow all the legislations laid down for the Oil Industry. Legislations on industrial safety, air pollution control, wages, maximum hours work, mandatory employee benefits etc were not observed by the company. 3.2.2 ECONOMIC FACTORS the economy has an impact in all industries, from suppliers of raw materials to manufacturers of finished goods and services as well as all organisation in the service, wholesale, retail, government and non-profit sectors of economies. Key economic indicators include the following: Interest rates Unemployment rate Type of economic system in countries of operation Government intervention in the free market Comparative advantages of host country Exchange rates and stability of host country currency Efficiency of financial markets Workforce and labour cost Business cycle stage (e.g. prosperity, recession and recovery) RISK ASSESSMENT ON ECONOMIC FACTORS Nigeria operates mixed economy system which helps Shell Plc to manipulate the system because of government intervention in the economy. The interest rate does not pose any threat to Shell Plc because it did not take loans from any Nigerian banks. The companys bankers (the foreign banks) finance and support all their financial activities which favour Shell Plc because of devaluation in Nigerian currency. The major economic risk assessment to Shell Plc operating in Nigeria is increase in unemployment rate (especially in Niger Delta) due to exploitation of crude oil in that area that leads to job lost. The effect of this action has turned thousand of youths into militant groups that kidnapped foreign workers employed the company in exchange for money while some stole extracted oil from Shell. Despite the problem encountered from the militants, the company still operate in Nigeria because of prosperity attached to Oil Industry in Nigeria. 3.2.3 SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS -socio-cultural forces influence the values, believes, and lifestyles of a society. Examples include a higher percentage of women in civil service and more men engineering related jobs, holidaymaker, dual-income families, night out orientation, increases in the number of temporary workers, greater concern for healthy diets and physical fitness, greater interest in the environment, and postponement of having children. Some of these factors affect Oil Industry in Nigeria. RISK ASSESSMENT ON SOCIAL-CULTURAL FACTORS The risks that associate with Social-Cultural factors are many especial to the indigene of Niger Delta where eighty percent of the population are illiterate and have strong believed in their local tradition. Most of the indigene want to work for Shell Plc as a security officer or domestic assistant but their level of literacy does not matched the companys requirement. Shell Plc has employed some of the indigene on temporary basis and gives them opportunity to integrate within the system. The company give out scholarship to the indigene of Niger Delta to increase their level of literacy and give them sound orientations that meet the companys standard in order to tackle some of the problems associated with these factors. 3.2.4 TECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS development in technology leads to new products and services and improve how they are produced and delivered to the customers. Innovations can create entire new industries and alter boundaries of existing industries. Issues to be considered in technological analysis include the following: Recent technological development Technologys impact on product offering Impact on cost of production Impact on value chain structure Rate of technological diffusion RISK ASSESSMENT ON TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS The only major risk on technological factors is problem of electricity power supply which can hinder technological advancement. This problem has been taken care for by using Power Generator to support the power system but add to the cost of production. There are no standard infrastructural facilities in place when Shell Plc moved to Nigeria but the government is now committed to modern technological development. Shell Plc imports most of its equipment with foreign expertise that operate it and then arranged with the expertise to train home workers. This process improves technological adoption and diffusion which also reduce the cost of production in long run. The company have used different methods to attract young talented graduates (in all disciplines but priority to engineering students) and trained them to become an expert. The number of Macro- environmental factors is virtually unlimited. In practice, the oil producers must prioritise and monitor those factors that influence the industry. It may be difficult to forecast future trends of any international business environment base on the macro-environmental factors with an accurate level of acceptability because of its complexity. 3.3 STRATEGIES EMPLOYED BY SHELL PLC FOR DEALING WITH CHALLENGES Shell Plc used corporate alliance strategy to shed off threats from competitors and to maintain its dominant position. The company operates joint venture with Nigerian government (NNPC) and also in partnership with Total, Chevron Corporation, and Exxon Mobil Corporation to form Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO). The company was also in partnership with Globacom (a Nigerian telecommunication company) to create employment impact that will enhance the companys operations (Shell Plc) in Nigeria. Their strategy involved helping communities to leverage income and improve their quality of life in conventional ways, such as creating jobs and assisting to defray costs of social overheads such as roads, schools and hospitals. The company set up a committee that look into complain by the farmer(s). The committee assessed complains and compensate appropriate to their loss. The company also support the government initiative on amnesty by giving support to militants that submit their gun(s). The company want to support training or education of militants that surrendered their ammunition for to better life (see appendix, fig 6 for the images of militants surrendered their guns). The company is using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to build its image locally and globally to show more concern on corporate governance and sustainable development. The CSR campaign by Shell Plc is to accelerate developmental and employment-generating opportunities across the Nation but especial Niger delta. Two special partnerships have been entered into by the company with USAID (United States Agency for International Development)- a 5 year worth $20 million agreement to develop Nigerian capacity in agriculture, health and business enterprise; and with Africare- a 3 year worth $4.5 million partnership that focus on reducing deaths from malaria. Security strategy was used to crush the militants through cooperation between Shell and State Security Forces but proved ultimately counterproductive as youth militancy increased and the security deteriorated across the wider Delta. The militants target (kidnap) the foreign workers and key officers in Shell Plc in exchange for money (compensation) which nearly put an end to Shell operations in that region (see appendix, fig 5 for images of workers kidnapped). The company outlined a new approach of CSR and community engagement which aimed to build a security-development nexus in partnership with local people. This approach has worked well for the company but now it has led to uncivil tensions along gendered and ethnic lines which undermine the prospect of a long term solution. 3.4 NIGERIAN COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE- Porters Diamond Model SWOT analysis was used to determine the advantages, the level of attractiveness and risk involved in Nigerian business environment in line with the macro environmental factors for Shell Plc to operate in Nigeria (especially in Oil Gas Sector). Despite the problems and criticism encountered by Shell Plc, the company still operate and increase investment in Nigerian Oil and Gas Sector, and also extend partnership across the sector because of Nigerian comparative advantage. The Nigerian business environment possesses most of the qualities and characteristics that determine national competitive advantage as stated by Michael Porter in his theory (see appendix, fig 7 for porters diamond model). He identifies four sets of conditions that are essential in determining country competitive advantage: Factor conditions- human, knowledge, physical, technological and capital resources. Demand conditions- quality and quantity of home demand, demand that internationalised the domestic market will stimulate innovation faster in the domestic market. Related and supporting industries- availability of aid to trade (banking, insurance, transportation, warehouse and telecommunication). Firm strategy, structure and rivalry- local rivals and strategy that works with business environment. There are two other factors that can play an important role for any company to fully enjoy competitive advantage of any nation: chance (war, politics, financial movement and serendipity) and government (government policies, subsidies, training/education, and effective capital market). We have discussed most of these factors in our SWOT analysis and PEST analysis on Shell Plc. CHAPTER FOUR CONCLUSION What is Shell Plc comparative advantage in economic reform, competitiveness and economic governance when viewed in the light of activities initiated by other bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, and the Government of Nigeria? Shell Plcs broad comparative advantages are in government institutional strengthening and promoting private sector-led growth. Shell Plc has the most impact when it targets its activities in these areas at operational levels, where they can have sustainable effects, rather than at broad consensus-building (except in public awareness activities). In a vast bureaucratic environment like Nigerias, support must be highly selective, focusing on agencies and institutions in key leverage positions. These activities will complement the comparative advantages of other donors (who are operating at different sector but in partnership with Shell plc like Globacom and USAID). Globacom will continue to focus on telecommunication, and its technical and operational activities in the technology area can coordinate with Shell Plc. The USAIDs comparative advantage is in developing and implementing programs that actually address agriculture, health and business development. Shell Plcs CSR campaigns and partnership with international body (like Africare and USAID) will go a long way to redeem the image of the company internationally and also help to maximise their competitive advantage over others (like BP- British Petroleum). Their support to Nigerian government amnesty to educate and employ militants that surrendered their guns will reduce the number of youth that join militant group to survive. It is very important to be realistic about the strengths and weaknesses of any organisation when using SWOT analysis; it is of most important to identify the organisational current strengths and weaknesses then future chances. The macro environmental factors need to be mirrored with the organisational competitive advantage. Continuing evaluation of organisation strategy will help to check how effective they are in practice and then helps to inform of future environmental challenges. References Best, M. (1990) the New Competition: Institutions of Industrial Restructuring. Harvard University Press, Cambridge Dabbs and Bateson (1998), corporate impact of addressing social issues in projects of the developing world, Pro-Natural. Lima, Peru Davis, J (1998), a Commitment to Sustainable Development, WBCSD, London. Elkington, J (1998) Contributing to Society, a personal view. In Shell International, Ltd. Profits and Principles: does there have to be a choice? London. pp. 46-47. Environmental Resources Management (ERM), 1996, Camisea: Increasing Social Capital. London, May Faulds, E, F. Morrison and A. Wilkinson Shell, UK (1998) Engineering in a Show Me Frynas, Jedzrej George Oil in Nigeria: conflict and Litigation between Oil Companies and Village Communities Hamburg Lit 2000 Hastings, M, Corporate Incentives and environmental decision making: A case study and workshop report Centre for Global Studies, September 1999 Marketing Teacher (2008), Analysing the Environment- Five Forces Analysis retrieved on 08, December 2009 www.marketingteacher.com The World Fact Book (2009), Country with top per capita income retrieved on 03, December 2009 Wade, B.N

Home Guard in Britain 1940-1944

Home Guard in Britain 1940-1944 The Home Guard in Britain 1940-1944: Simply Dads Army or Valuable Fighting Force On the night of 14th May, 1940, Anthony Eden, then in his role as Foreign Secretary, made his first speech as Secretary of State for War, in part broadcasting a message asking for volunteers for the LDV (Local Defence Volunteers): We want large numbers of such men in Great Britain who are British subjects, between the ages of seventeen and sixty-five, to come forward now and offer their services in order to make assurance [that an invasion would be repelled] doubly sure. The name of the new force which is now to be raised will be the Local Defence Volunteers. This name describes its duties in three words. You will not be paid, but you will receive uniforms and will be armed. In order to volunteer, what you have to do is give your name at your local police station, and then, when we want you, we will let you know (Arthur, 2004) The Home Guard was formed when there was a clear and present threat of invasion by the German forces. Britain had watched from the relatively safety of its island position as many European countries succumbed to the Blitzkrieg, culminating in the devastating occupation of France. Most British men who could fight were already in the forces, those that were left were either too young, too old, or in reserved occupations vital to the war effort, however, many possessed the desire to in some way play an active role in Britain’s defences. Neither Churchill nor his government had previously shown any enthusiasm for policy which involved a civilian militia, fearing imminent invasion, being allowed to actively arm themselves and possess the right to confront, detain, arrest and even attack the enemy on British soil, instead of relying on the orthodox forces of security and public order from the police and the regular army. When reports began reaching the War Office regarding the disturbing appearance up and down the country of bands of civiliansarming themselves with shotguns (Steele,2003), it had been clear that the government needed to address this very real public concern. It is still unclear whether the aim was to support and nourish this burgeoning grass-roots activism, or to restrain and curb the unofficial, unsanctioned and technically illegal actions which may result from unregulated, armed civilians under the grip of fear from invaders. Nonetheless, Eden and his advisors proceeded to improvise the initial plans to endorse a civilian defence force and, as one observer put it, thus evoked a new army out of nothingness (Carroll, 1999). The publicly released rationale for the formation of the Home Guard, though vague, made references to delaying an enemy invasion force for as long as possible, thereby giving the Government and the regular army the crucial time to form a front line from which the enemy invasion could be repelled. When they were first formed, under the epithet of the Local Defence Volunteers, the Home Guard were allegedly expected to fight highly trained, well-armed German troops using nothing but shotguns, old hunting rifles, museum pieces, and a collection of unorthodox, makeshift weaponry involving pikes, sawn-off shotguns and Molotov cocktails (MacKenzie, 1995). Subsequently, these unconventional arms were officially sanctioned unintentionally, following an instruction from Winston Churchill to the War Office, in 1941, that â€Å"every man must have a weapon of some kind, be it only a mace or pike. â€Å"Initially intended to focus efforts towards the appropriate equipping of the Home Guard, this instruction was unfortunately interpreted literally, and resulted in the War Office ordering the production of250,000 long metal tubes, including gas pipe, with surplus sword bayonets welded in one end (Carroll, 1999). The issue of the pikes generated an almost universal feeling of anger and disgust from the ranks of the Home Guard, demoralised the men and led to questions being asked in both Houses of Parliament. In many instances the pikes never left Home Guard stores as area and unit commanders were aware of how the men would react (Steele, 2003). However, this incident illustrates the conflicting appreciation of the capabilities and value of the Home Guard from Churchill and his wartime Cabinet. While Churchill appeared, both officially and unofficially, to acknowledge the driving need of some civilians to actively participate in practical defence strategies, the War Office continually conveyed its view that the Home Guard was nothing more than a hobbyist faction of retired soldiers, to be tolerated, humoured and indulged without expending valuable resources, time or effort better served towards the regular army. Winston Churchill, in contrast, saw the Home Guard as an example of the British resolve, seen, in part, by his changing their title, in the summer of1940, from Local Defence Volunteers to the more proactive, aggressive-sounding name of Home Guard. The Home Guard exemplified the â€Å"nation at arms ideal, and it was hoped that the presence of the Home Guard would send a signal to both the United States and Germany that the British would indeed fight German invaders on the beaches, fields, and streets. Whether deliberately or unintentionally, the reputation of the Home Guard as an amateurish, unprofessional and crude mismatched collection of elderly soldiers ineffectually attempting to defend the country was only exacerbated by the War Office’s apparent deficiency of any comprehensive planning with regards to the logistics of such a defence force. The Local Defence Volunteers was launched without any staff, or designated funds and premises of its own. Listeners to Eden’s broadcasting the spring of 1940 had only the scantest of instructions to follow, to hand in their names at a local police station and wait to be called upon. In agreement with the popular post-war public and media opinion, the wartime reality was shambolic. Eden’s message was considerably more welcome by the British populace than the government may have realised, and, before the broadcast had ended, police stations in all regions of the nation were deluged with eager volunteers. By May 15th, twenty-four hours after the initial broadcast, 250,000 men had registered their names, a number which equalled the peacetime Regular Army (Calder,1969). Officially, it was the intention of the government that this new defence force would only accept citizens within the age range of 17 to65, however, this was not strictly enforced in the early stages of the development of the Home Guard, and several pensioners, such as Alexander Taylor, a sprightly octogenarian who had first seen action in the Sudan during 1884-5, contrived to serve (MacKenzie, 1995). Membership continued to grow at a remarkably rapid rate, and by the end of May, 1940, the total number of volunteers had risen to between300,000 and 400,000. By the end of the following month registered volunteers exceeded 1,400,000, a number approximating 1,200,000 more than any of the Whitehall bureaucrats had anticipated (Donnelly, 1999).The majority of new recruits were forced to wait several weeks before official uniforms were sent out, and even when they arrived many were missing essential elements. In many instances, the denims came without the caps, or vice versa, and the volunteers were resigned to donning armbands in an attempt to differentiate between Home Guard and other civilians. While the uniforms were necessary to impart a sense of coherency and organisation, however, the most frustrating aspect of the initial Home Guard involved the severe lack of equipment’s and weapons. The men, who had been called upon at a time when both the government and the public were in experiencing the fear of imminent and overwhelming invasion by the German army, were now facing the possibility of having to defend king and country armed only with homemade or debilitated weaponry. While the War Office searched for suitable arms from abroad, the eager volunteers proceeded to improvise, with rolled umbrellas, broom handles and golf clubs adapted for military service, and all kinds of antique fowling-pieces, blunderbusses, carbines and cutlasses dusted down for action (Smith,2000). The Home Guard was eventually issued with more conventional weapons, but these also had their problems, with many having first been issued to the British Army in World War One. The British infantry rifle of World War One, the .303 SMLE, was issued to the Home Guard, and in addition, a number of World War One era P14 and P17 rifles were also supplied from the US and Canada later that first summer. The P14 andP17 looked almost identical, the only real difference being that theP14 took the SMLE .303 ammunition whilst the P17 took the American.30 (30-06) ammunition. To prevent accidents, the P17 had a red band painted on it to identify the 30-06 calibre. Eventually, the War Office supplied Home Guard units with such cheaply-made devices as the Stengel and the North over projector. The Stem gun experienced a pitiable reputation among the Home Guard volunteers, and was summarised by one resigned volunteer as a spout, a handle and a tin box (Carroll,1999). Similarly, the North over projector, which fired grenades with the aid of a toy pistol cap and a black powder charge, in addition to being considered unsafe for the user, was likened to a large drainpipe mounted on twin legs (Steele, 2003). With such a chaotic start, it is scarcely surprising that the first enthusiasm of the volunteers quickly waned. The lack of uniforms, weapons and training syllabus resulted in the majority of the public, Home Guard volunteers and civilians alike, questioning the Government’s commitment to the defence force. These problems were exacerbated by the nature of the Home Guard membership as a high proportion of the volunteers had previously seen service in war, World War One and the Spanish Civil War among others. Former officers enlisted as Home Guard soldiers, for example, the Kensington-Belgravia unit had some eight retired generals in its ranks (Long mate, 1974), and these decorated, experienced officers were not hesitant in indicating the shortcomings of higher authority. It rapidly became apparent that the Government, in responding to one political difficulty, the need to respond to invasion fear, had created a new, more articulate and influential pressure group. In its formative months, the LDV may have had virtually no comprehensive military utility, but it carried great political weight and was not restricted by the normal restraints of military hierarchy. Matters became so difficult, potentially damaging to British morale at home and reputation abroad, that Churchill focused on the new force. His personal interest, in turn, became problematic for those charged with bringing it into being, and documentary evidence indicates prolonged arguments between Churchill and Eden. Although Churchill forced through, against considerable opposition, a change in name from Local Defence Volunteers to the Home Guard, he also gave priority to uniforms and weapons and assisted the Home Guard in becoming a more cohesive, structured fighting force. The feelings of frustration, however, never faded: too many men, for too long a time, found themselves continually mismanaged and poorly equipped, many using unfamiliar, makeshift and unorthodox firearms forth duration of the war. The enduring image of Britains home guard defences during World War Two remains that of Dads Army; an amateurish and uncoordinated operation staffed largely by old men and incompetents (Donnelly, 1999). To some extent the image from the classic 1970s comedy television series reasonably reflects Britain ‘slack of preparedness for hostilities in June 1940. But by the middle of1941 the British mainland was virtually a fortress, with a public mentality of confronting the enemy in any guise he chooses. However, The Dads Army image is a false one: had German forces managed to cross the channel in 1941, they would have found considerable resistance on British soil, their passage effectively blocked in many locations, and would have faced unorthodox and unfam iliar weaponry in the hands of determined, experienced and highly indomitable civilians. Chapter 2 Historiography The study of World War Two is extensive, and has been comprehensively researched and analysed for many decades. Less well-documented, however, is the Home Guard, with only a select number of influential texts available for scrutiny. The Home Guard is, primarily, discussed as part of a greater abstraction of the Second World War; a review of the military, or a generic analysis of the Home Front. Less common is the committed and detailed account of the Home Guard and its effect during the war. Similarly, those literature pieces that do exist appear to focus, predominantly, on the related shortfalls of the contemporary government, the lack of equipment and the disorganised structure of the volunteer units. An example of this can be seen in Graham McCann’s Dads Army: The Story of a Classic Television Show. McCann approaches the comparison of the real and fictional Home Guards in a relatively derogatory fashion, implying throughout that the volunteers stood very little chance against any official invading army. The implication throughout this text is that the fictional Dad’s Army bore more than a passing resemblance to the real Home Guard; a collection of ill-equipped, elderly men who fortunately never faced combat on home soil. The Home Guard is presented here as comical and ineffectual, and McCann insists that ‘if Hitler had invaded in strength, it is unlikely that the Home Guard, casting around for lengths of tram line to incapacitate tanks, or hurling lethal glassware at motor-cyclists, would have lasted long’(McCann, 2002). As the initial fear of invasion receded, the Home Guard was left with fewer bridges and reservoirs to guard and fewer checkpoints to control, and McCann focuses on the mistakes of the Home Guard, regaling the fatal challenges at Home Guard checkpoints during the ‘early nervous days’ (McCann, 2002)). As such, McCann’s presentation of the value of the Home Guard relies predominantly on the Civil Defence projects in blitzed cities, and the manning faint-aircraft guns by ‘some of the more able-bodied’ of the volunteers, allowing them to finally engage the enemy ‘if only at five miles up’(McCann, 2002). Though McCann concedes that the Home Guard volunteers numbered 1,793,000 at its peak, that a total of 1206 volunteers were either killed on duty or died from wounds, and that the unit had nationally been awarded two George Crosses and thirteen George Medals, the overall presentation of this section of British history is remarkably disparaging. Relatively few references are made towards thematic-tier purposes of the Home Guard, the bravery of the volunteers or the successes during a substantially stressful and tumultuous period for British citizens. Comparatively, Simon Mackenzie’s analysis of the Home Guard during World War Two contrasts markedly with the Dad’s Army view of the volunteers. In his publication The Home Guard: A Military and Political History (2005), MacKenzie recognises that the Home Guard during the Second World War entered the memory of that nation more through a BBC television comedy than reality, however, his intention to reintroduce the reality of the World War II Home Guard to the national conscience is admirable. MacKenzie traces the Home Guard from its origins as locally organized militia groups preparing to meet the invader, through its evolution into a component of His Majestys forces, and its final disbandment at the end of the war, and also includes the re-creation of the Home Guard for domestic service in response to the growing threat from the Soviet Union during the 1950s. The result is a mostly political history of support and opposition of the Home Guard in British society and government. By the time that the Home Guard is unreasonable military order and has a better allocation of weapons, Mackenzie asserts, the threat of invasion has totally passed. The problem then existed in how the government was to keep the members motivated. Documenting arguments in Cabinet about the diversion of 1.8million men to playing soldiers when the country desperately needs to increase industrial production, MacKenzie is generous in his conclusions, believing that the advantages to national morale and there leasing of regular soldiers from guarding duties outweighed the costs. He accepts that there is no evidence to show the existence of the Home Guard had any effect on German invasion plans, and to many it will seem that Mackenzie’s catalogue of muddled professional advice, political posturing and misallocation of scarce resources during a war of survival is a lesson for the future. His concluding section on the short-lived successor Home Guard of the early 50s suggests that few of the lessons had been learned. While MacKenzie concedes that the men of the Home Guard were never given an opportunity to prove themselves in battle, and that there are many more distinguished units that had actual disasters in war, the television comedy series Dads Army virtually destroyed the post-war reputation of a dedicated home defence organisation. Events commemorating the Home Guard war effort are scarce, and Mackenzie claims that it seems Churchill was mistaken in forecasting that: â€Å"History will say that your share in the greatest of all our struggles for freedom was a vitally important one. Professor MacKenzie has written a serious analysis of the policy history of the Home Guard. Inman ways this well-researched, cross-referenced, academic study shows that the saga of this volunteer force was funnier and more confused than any scriptwriter could invent. Yet the topic is an important one, not just for the historian but also for todays military planner, particularly with regard to the allocation of priorities made between the front line combat forces and this last ditch defending army of civilians, the sensibility of the operational concept, and the existence of such a force having a deterrent effect on the enemy. MacKenzie, as an American professor, compares and contrasts the British Home Guard with their American counterparts, and a primary similarity involved the general lack of opportunities to confront the German invaders. The British Home Guard did, however, become heavily involved in the less glamorous but nevertheless necessary work of civil defense and manning anti-aircraft weapons. Despite Mackenzie’s contention that the Home Guard existed more out of political than military necessity, the Home Guard became increasingly valuable to the British Army as regular soldiers became scarce on the home islands. For this reason, Churchill, as well as many Members of Parliament who also belonged to Home Guard battalions, supported the Home Guard in its quest for a combat role, though this part of the Home Guard’s history is only briefly mentioned by MacKenzie. Primary sources indicate that Home Guards relished the idea of fighting the Germans and did not quietly accept War Office plans for using the Home Guard for guarding bridges or simply reporting the presence of Germans. The question over guerrilla warfare or static defence was never completely settled. The War Office always pushed for static defence, with units fighting to their last bullet, while many Guards, as well as their political supporters, clearly favoured partisan warfare behind the lines after a German invasion. MacKenzie does, however, illustrate that the Home Guard formed as a result of local initiative, but survived and sometimes thrived because of government support. However, when local enthusiasm waned, such as the removal of the threat of German invasion after the Allied invasion of Normandy, government support could not keep it alive. From a non-academic perspective, A. G. Street’s From Dusk Till Dawn: The Sedgebury Wallop Home Guard Platoon Prepare for War (1989) records the history to the Home Guard from personal experience. In this text, Street has recorded the story of the Home Guard from its birth in 1940,through its teething troubles and adolescence, to the mature and efficient force that it quickly became. As a farmer and an enthusiastic country Home Guard, Street recounts the story of the Sudbury Wallop Platoon in the Wessex district. According to Street, the force itself was an example of British improvisation, and every one of the early volunteers, officers and men alike, improvised in various ways to give his unit the highest possible efficiency in the shortest possible time, in expectation of the universally predicted invasion by German military forces. As a non-academic, first person account, Streets text is unashamedly biased in favour of the Home Guard’s role in World War Two, however, compared to many academic research pieces, which tend to focus on the problems, assumed in competencies, and believed ineffectuality in the event of an invasion, this text redresses the balance and avoids focussing overwhelmingly on the inabilities of the Home Guard. Addressing the history of the Home Guard from the perspective of photographic evidence, David Carroll’s research in The Home Guard recalls the activities of the auxiliary force otherwise known to the British public as Dads Army. The book draws on the early days of the Local Defence Volunteers from the moment when Anthony Eden broadcast an appeal, to the official stand-down of the Home Guard in 1944. This title evokes memories of World War Two in a domestic setting and asserts life on the Home Front from the perspective of those left behind to defend it. Carroll approaches the historiography of the Home Guard by the analysis of more than 200 photographs of Home Guard duties. After a brief introduction to the Home Guard, this 125 page paperback book displays page after page of photographs and detailed annotations showing the Home Guard in its different forms and fulfilling many different functions. While not the dissecting analysis expected of academic research, this methodology allows the historian to review the history of the Home Guard from a form of primary evidence otherwise unobtainable. One of the most influential historiographies of the Home Guard, with regard to its efficiency in the event of a significant invasion, is Norman Long mate’s If Britain Had Fallen (2004). The question of what would have occurred if Germany had invaded the British Isles has long preoccupied writers, but few have dealt with the subject as comprehensively and effectively as Long mate. If Britain Had Fallen attempted to cover every phase of the subject, from the Germane-invasion manoeuvring and preparations, and the landing of troops, to the German seizure of power. Long mate has endeavoured to present contemplation of what may have occurred following an attempted invasion by the German army, and how Britain may have been able to repel such an attack. Under the supposition of the Luftwaffe defeating the Royal Air Force and winning the Battle of Britain in the summer and early fall of1940, Long mate provides an in-depth recount of what might have happened if this â€Å"counterfactual† event had occurred: that the Germans would have successfully launched Operation Sea lion in September 1940 and occupied Britain. As a result, the British Isles would not have become the â€Å"unsinkable aircraft carrier† from which the Allies could launch their own invasion of Fasting Europa, and the history of both World War Two and the world would have been drastically different. Although other authors have written about a successful invasion and occupation of Britain, these works cover a single phase, the preparations, landing, or subsequent campaign. Long mate, however, has attempted to address all aspects of a successful invasion and the defence strategies in place to counterattack them. Only three of the seventeen chapters are fictional, and although it is uncertain what actual effect the Home Guard volunteers would have had on repelling an invasion, Long mate has addressed their value in a counterstroke campaign, and during the initial invasion stages. Although Long mate has drawn on documents collected by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), which produced television film of the same name, the key to this alternate history is Goring and Hitler’s decision during the Battle of Britain to continue attacking Fighter Command and British radar stations until German forces defeated the RAF, rendering it unable to stop a cross-channel invasion. The Nazi leaders realized they needed air superiority over the English Channel for a successful invasion. However, they in fact ordered the Luftwaffe to bomb cities, especially London, in early September 1940, a critical decision that gave the RAF breathing room to recoup its losses and prevent the Luftwaffe from establishing air superiority. As a result, the Germans postponed Sea lion several times, finally cancelling the operation (Cox, 1977). There are only two blatant criticisms of such an approach to historiography. While valuable in the sense of a hypothetical, this form of historiography reneges on crucial factual accounts of the capabilities of the Home Guard. Additionally, although the author discusses his references in bibliographical essay for each chapter, Long mate provides no notes to identify the sources of specific passages. However, his acknowledgement that, despite the presence of the defensive and committed Home Guard, Britain would probably have been successfully invaded should the English Channel have been secured illustrates the continued awareness that the Home Guard provided no adequate defence in a full-scale invasion scenario. Regimental records, while not complete, do assist in the analysis of the Home Guard during the Second World War. In addition to records commemorating decorations awarded to Home Guard volunteers, there are also primary sources in the form of newspaper accounts, particularly with regard to civil defence during blitzkrieg incidents, andante-invasion records to the defence strategies of the British Isles. Acknowledging that Britain was existing during a time of extreme propaganda, where civilians were frequently and routinely warned that ‘walls have ears’, newspaper accounts of civil defence can only be relied upon to a limited degree. Morale in Britain would have severely suffered had the media regularly reported, correctly or incorrectly, that the civil defence measures, including the Home Guard, were in some way failing. However, the anti-invasion records provide something of asocial history of the pillboxes and other roofed defence structures which are so widespread over great tracts of the landscape. Many lie in remote locations, overgrown, and with easy access through unblocked entrances and other openings, and can be readily seen as providing ideal sites where misdeeds and accidents might happen. The database records one wartime tragedy: a pillbox at Kenmore in Perth and Kinross was the scene of a fatal Home Guard shooting of a tramp who did not respond to a sentrys challenge. First comes the understanding of the intensity of the militarisation of Britain, in particular during the Second World War. In particular, an appreciation of the structure of the anti-invasion defences of 1940-41 shows not a few badly sited pillboxes manned by gallant, octogenarian Home Guards with pikestaffs, which is still the popular mythology, but an intensely planned and implemented defence strategy, involving a totality of defence over the entire landscape that can only be appreciated when the original documentation is analysed. It is true to say that there was not one square foot of the United Kingdom that was not included in some military or civil defence scheme. By the summer of 1941, when the defences had reached their most complete state, most of Britain had been planned, measured, and armed for defence roads were blocked, fields were strewn with obstacles, bridges were mined, factories, railways, airfields, and ports were protected, the coastline, towns and villages, the length and breadth of the country bristled with fortifications and with troops and weapons to man them. If the Germans had invaded in June 1940, then there would have been few defences, and even fewer weapons, to stop them. By the end of the year, however, and into 1941, the situation had changed dramatically. Even if the Germans had managed to cross the Channel, they would have had a very hard battle to fight themselves ashore. Records relating to the Home Guard volunteers frequently include detailed lists of defence works with the Home Guard units who were responsible for manning them, often with maps. However, contrary to the popular view that the majority of Home Guard regimental records were destroyed, it is imperative to understand that certain aspects of World War Two were only semi-documented. It has also been ascertained that the Home Guard deliberately set out to be a â€Å"paperless army†, and thus its records are relatively sparse. (Lord,1999). It is, therefore, necessary to analyse as many reliable sources as possible, and hence literatures, such as Carroll’s The Home Guard, which rely on non-orthodox historiographies have value within this period of research. When analysing events from an era where spies abounded and there was the continual fear of the enemy gaining access to valuable material evidence, it is important to not disregard unusual or unofficial evidence without extensive consideration. Records suggest that the relationship between the Home Guard and active army differed from the American practice. While the U.S. War Department insisted on the distinctness of State Guard uniforms, British Home Guards were soon required to wear the standard British khaki uniform. With the heavy threat of invasion in the early years of the war, the training schedule of the Home Guard was far more intense than that of their American counterparts. Home Guards were expected to train 48hours each month, exhaustive when compared to the infrequent and limited training required of American State Guardsmen. The American State Guardsmen complained when the federal government replaced rifles with shotguns, however, the British Home Guards found themselves issued an odd assortment of cheap weapons, including homemade Molotov Cocktails, sticky bombs and self-igniting phosphorous grenades, designed more to give each man a role rather than a real weapon. The lack of effective weapons caused Home Guard supporters to question whether the War Office truly expected the Home Guard to provide creditable opposition to a German landing (Calder, 1969). Although most Britons realized that British industry and finances were hard pressed to arm all active forces, some suspected that the Home Guards role had more to do with channelling enthusiasm and creating propaganda, than in providing real security. Official and unofficial primary sources indicate that the inclusion and official acceptance of the Home Guard was neither immediately nor warmly embraced by all in the Home Guard or in the government. Many of the initial enthusiasts of the Home Guard had served in the Spanish Militia during the Spanish Civil War and hoped to see the Home Guard become a similar leftist militia of British workers. The War Office, by gaining control over the Home Guard, effected the exclusion of radicals on the left as well as the right. The inclusion of the Home Guard into His Majestys forces never placed the Home Guard on equal status with the army. Originally, Home Guard units functioned without commissioned officer or NCO ranks. Instead, leaders held authority only by their position. As a result, discipline remained almost wholly voluntary. Many in the Home Guard preferred the situation as it was, but records indicate that the movement for greater control and efficiency led tithe introduction of ranks. However, whereas American State Guard officers held comm