Product life cycle and its stages Essay

In today’s world, where market is unpredictable, strategies play crucial role in defending a firm’s product position. â€Å"The main reason why companies must continually develop new products is because products have life cycle†, (Bittel, 1980). Just as operation managers must be prepared to develop new products, they must also be prepared to develop strategies for both new and existing products. First and foremost, before proceeding into the product life cycle strategies, lets define what a product life cycle is. According to Griffin and Ebert (2002), a product life cycle is a series of stages through which it passes during its profit -producing life. Depending on the product’s ability to attract and keep customers over time, a product life cycle may be a matter of months, years, or even decades. Anyway, there are four phases that every product undergoes in a market since it was produced and launched to its out-of market position. They are the introductor y, growth, maturity and decline phases. Below follows the figure of a product life cycle and all phases’ detailed descriptions shall be described later. Also, considerations must be given to how far the product is along the product life cycle. A new concept / product just entering the product life cycle may require intensive distribution to start with to launch it on to the market. As it becomes more established, perhaps the after sales-service will play a more important role which leads to a more selective distribution, with only those dealers that are able to offer the necessary standard of after sales-service being allowed to sell the product. In simpler words, in every phase of a product life cycle, a product should undergo different, suitable strategy in order to stay competitive in the ever changing market. Below follows the product life cycle stages along with their definitions and beneficial strategies†¦ Introductory Stage: According to Stevenson (1999), the introduction stage begins when a product  reaches the market place. When an item is first introduced, it may be treated with curiosity by the buyers. Demand is generally low as buyers are not yet familiar with that item. This often leads to the drop of the product’s price. Therefore, along with time, production and design improvements, many new products became more reliable, less costly, and also the increase in awareness in buyers lads to the increase in demand. Also, according to Griffin and Ebert (2002), during this stage, marketers focus on making their target markets aware of the products and their benefits. Also, during this stage, the particular product is represented with innovation (diffusion of innovative curve), product development (Ansoff Growth Matrix) and problem children (Boston Consulting Group). Among the common characteristics, according to Smith et al – 1997 are: – new products; – low sales; – low market share; – Specific type of customers willing to buy new products. During this phase, as compared to the other phases, profits are negative or low because of low sales and high distribution and promotional expenses. Promotional expenditures are high as the company is eager to inform customers’ about the product’s availability and get them to try it. Since the market is not ready for new products at this stage, the firm focuses on selling such items to those who are the readiest to buy. A company that wishes to be a market leader for its product must choose to launch a strategy that is consistent with the intended product positioning. The company, when deciding on which strategy to implement for the product’s long-term, life and will have to continuously formulate new pricing, promotion and other marketing strategies. Growth Stage: It is the second stage of product life cycle process. Only if the new product satisfies the market’s demand and need, it will enter this stage. According to Heizer and Render (2001), in the growth phase, product design has begun to stabilize, and effective forecasting of capacity requirements is necessary. Adding capacity or enhancing existing capacity to accommodate the increase in product demand may be necessary. Also, customers who have tried the product earlier may remain loyal. In the face of such opportunity, new competitors will start entering the market and they will introduce new product features and hence, expanding the market, leaving the product’s price constant or fall slightly. Here, a company, in order to stay competitive in the market, should keep on promoting its product. In addition, profits start to increase. The firm has several strategies to stay in the rapid growing market as long as possible. Also, the firm improves the product quality, adds more distribution channels, changing the advertising theme – from promoting the product to the market to reminding the market on the availability of the product as well as to increase awareness. The firm also lowers the price in order to attract more buyers. During this stage, usually firms that have successfully passed their product’s introduction stage have high market share and are highly profitable. On the whole, as said by Smith et al – 1997, this phase is represented by: – sales and profits growth; – more widespread usage; – development of the market; – high market share; – Increasing competition. Maturity Stage: The third stage for a product to go. As stated by Pride et al, (1988), sales are still increasing at the beginning of the maturity stage, but the rate of increase has slowed. Later in this stage, the sales curve peaks and begins to decline. Many products maturity stages lasted longer than the previous stages. Industry profits decline throughout this stage. During this stage, sales growth starts to slow down. Hence, the firm as well as its market competitors starts lowering down their prices, increases advertising and sales promotions. Also, the intense market led weaker competitors to quit. Only those strong enough will be able to precede the competition. A company should consider a different strategy when its product cines ti maturity, either by redesigning the market or its product. Modifying market is when the company tries to increase consumption if the current product. The currently matured product can also be redesigned its package or style. It is an effective way of strengthening a firm’s market share. Consumers may also be encouraged to use the product more often or in new ways. Pricing strategies are flexible during this stage, such as markdowns pr price incentives. Marketers may offer incentives and services to declare offering such matured products, especially from competitors. Sales promotions and aggressive personal selling can e effective during this period, when competition may require large promotional expenditures. On the whole, just as adopted from Smith et al (1997), this phase is represented by: – market maturity and a slow-down in sales growth’ – conversion of late majority of customers, and – trying to increase market penetration and share. Decline Stage: The final stage of the product life cycle. According to Lancaster and Jobber (1994), it is when sales begin to fall and already slim profit margins are depressed even further. Customers have begun to become bored with the product and are looking forward to newer, latest products. Dealers begin to de-stock the product in anticipation of reduced sales. Here, sales and profits sank lower, due to various reasons such as advancement in technology, shifts in consumer tastes or intense competitions. Such factors have forced many companies to quit the market and for the other remaining companies, they may have to redesign their strategies to stay longer in the market by raising the price to cover cists, re price to maintain market share, or lower the price to reduce inventory. The firm can also cut down or tighten the product’s advertising and promotional budget so it will be easier for the company to lower down the price. In addition, the company can also â€Å"downsize† its market and focuses on smaller segment as well as their trade channels. In other words, distribution of the declining product will be narrowed to te most profitable existing market. Also, the product will not be highly promoted, although advertising and promotions may be used to slow down the decline. Instead, the firm may even decide to drop the product entirely at the end. Just like the above three phases, this stage is also represented by: – declining sales and profits; – rationalism in the marketplace through mergers, acquisitions and take-over; – some products will be milked for the profits; – often products may need to be harvested; and – in a few cases, product extensions can be developed. Detecting Maturity and Decline: â€Å"The need in strategy development is to detect changes in the trend of  industry sales, to detect when the product life cycle will enter a new phase†, (Asker, 1984). In other word, it is very essential for a firm to view and analyze all market factors involved when its product’s growth phase of the product life cycle changes to a flat maturity phase and when the maturity phase changes into a decline phase. Below are some factors that supply as market indicators that serve as an aid for a firm in detecting its product maturity and decline†¦ – Price pressures caused by overcapacity and the lack of product differentiation; – As the product matures. Buyers have become familiar with the related product and hence, they are unwilling to pay finest price for the product in order to obtain brand security; – Technology advancement and substitute products may lead to the decline of a product. A suitable example for this case is the black and white television sets which due to technological development have lead to the production of color televisions – a definite unpredictable effect on sales of black and white television sets; – When the number of potential first time buyers for a particular product decreases, the market along with the company sales and profits happen to decline; – The market is fully penetrated and there are no sources of growth from existing and new users; and – Existing customers may start to be disinterested in the product and are probably looking forward to switch brands. Actually a product life cycle is conceptually simple yet powerful. However, it is not easily applied. The stages described above are not easily forecasted or predicted or even easily determined. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine and analyze the product definition and finally, even  if the stages in the life cycle are determined, the strategy implications are not always obvious. Therefore, on the whole, I would like to conclude that a company should be aware of the life cycle stages of each product it is responsible for. The company should also predict on how long the product is expected to linger in that stage. Such thinking is very important for setting up strategies such as let say, if the product is expected to remain the maturity stage for a long time; a replacement product might be introduced later in the maturity stage. On the other hand, if the maturity stage is expected to be short, however, a new product should be introduced much earlier.

Gender Roles In Macbeth Essay

It is important to understand the role that gender plays in today’s society, as compared with the gender roles portrayed in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Gender can be seen as a bias both today and in the time in which Macbeth takes place. Masculinity is a strong symbol used within gender throughout the play, and is a parallel with icons today. Today, gender can be played as a bias in jobs, job interviews, political systems, and social classes. Women are typically labeled as the weaker sex, and the same applies to Macbeth’s time. Women tend to have a harder time today when trying to get jobs that were previously only held by males, for example, the president of the United States. The president is seen as powerful, and a symbol of strength representing the U.S. Unfortunately, because the stereotypical woman is seen as weak, women typically aren’t voted into high-ranking offices. The same unfair balance of gender is seen the same way in Macbeth. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are striving towards masculinity. The importance of masculinity to the both of them is an issue of power. Lady Macbeth aspires to be a man so that she can show supremacy and be more of a ruler. Macbeth has a mental struggle with his masculinity, mostly because Lady Macbeth convinces him of it. Because Lady Macbeth cannot really become a man, she has to work vicariously through Macbeth, making him become king. To control Macbeth, she must use his aim to become more masculine, to drive his killing of Duncan. In Act I, Scene I, on line 51, Macbeth affirms, â€Å"I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares [do] more is none.† Macbeth is replying to Lady Macbeth when she asks if he is afraid to do the task of killing Duncan. It is important to see how Lady Macbeth uses her husbands strive for masculinity to achieve her virile nature. When identifying the roles that gender plays today, and contrast them to the way gender is depicted in Macbeth, we can see the two of them are very similar. To date in the United States, we have not had a female president, the highest-raking political office in America. In Macbeth’s time, no women were allowed to be king, which was the highest symbol of power during the time the play took place. Lady Macbeth faces problems with the gender roles,  because she wants more power than she is allowed. To work around this, she needs to do her work through her husband, provoking him using his struggle with manhood.

Psychology essay - human motivation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Psychology - human motivation - Essay Example That is why; fear, positively, lead people to undertake challenges, to create order from chaos, to regulate their drives, or to become involved in interesting activities. For instance, if a man feels anxious to drive in a freeway, he could be compelled to conquer his fear by practicing freeway driving. Meanwhile on a negative note, the fear that the same man felt could motivate the non-self-determined behavior of yelling obscenities at someone who drove up beside him unexpectedly. In contrast to external motivation factors such as the use of food as a reward, fear, as with other intrinsic motivation factors, there are no rewards separate from the internal, spontaneous states that accompany or immediately follow the behavior. Here the â€Å"reward† is intangible because it takes the form of a certain set of feelings. Finally, the role of fear in motivation is best illustrated in the way behavior reinforces the responses that terminates fear. This analogy, which was set forth by Roderick Wong, is said to explain the incidence of compulsions in human behavior. According to Wong, â€Å"such behavior is assumed to be motivated by fear, and maintained by fear reduction.† (p. 192) 2. The theory that learning has something to do with human motivation falls in the realm of behaviorist approach, which argues that motivation is a result of factors generated by the environment more than arising within an individual. Here, a person’s current actions are determined by the successes or failures of past actions. To cite an example: My motivation to attend musicals is determined by the fact that my first and succeeding outings to the theater were pleasurable and it did reduce my stress, therefore the increasing frequency of my attendance to musicals was reinforced. Socialization hence is very important in learning as these provides a good amount of experiences – both good and

Implementation and Analysis of The Fiscal Cliff contained in the U.S Essay

Implementation and Analysis of The Fiscal Cliff contained in the U.S. Budget Control Act of 2011 - Essay Example Bush had enacted a string of tax cuts during the period of his administration in the United States. The question that is of concern at present is that which of these tax cuts are to extended and or what period. The provisions of the tax cuts reinforced in the years of 2001 and 2003 had been extended until the end of the year 2012 (Levit, 2011, p. 12). These tax cuts considerably reduced the rates of personal income taxes and eliminated the estate tax. It also had created low rates of tax on dividends. Critics of this tax system, mostly the Democrats, held responsible such reduction in taxes for fuelling the federal budget deficit. It has been found that the increase in â€Å"the top two marginal tax rates† (Huang & Marr, 2012) would not adversely affect many small businesses. If the Bush tax cuts are allowed to be extended then it would keep many affluent individuals’ income out of the taxable income zone. For the small businesses to thrive, they require the boost of hi gher sales. It is not likely that small businesses would expand following a tax cut, thereby creating more employment opportunity by hiring more workers, if they do not find a good market for selling their products. Tax cuts on high income brackets are not effective enough to boost economic growth in the long run. Therefore the argument is strong for the expiry of the Bush Tax cuts. From the extension of these tax cuts, it is estimated that almost $1trillion would get added to the deficits over the ten years from 2013 to 2022. Spending Component of the Act – Across-the-Board spending cuts in the Federal government budget â€Å"The Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011† (Saturno & Heniff, 2009, p. 17-5) presents the methods in which the across-the-board cuts in spending would be implemented. The across the board cuts on spending would be triggered if the Joint Committee fails to reach the agreement on deficit reduction. The report has two parts. The first part of the report outlines the method to be followed for the FY2013 and the second part caters to the process to be followed in the period of eight years between FY2014 to FY2021. The procedure planned for the span of the next eight years is quite different from that of the year fiscal 2013. The deficit reduction proposal released by President Obama in April 2011 includes the two components; â€Å"spending cuts and tax reform† (Levit, n.d., p. 4). This proposal includes a â€Å"Debt Failsafe† technique. This incorporates a debt-to-GDP ratio which is to be stabilized by the FY2014 and decline after that year. However, if it is not accomplished, â€Å"across the board spending cuts† (Levit, n.d., p. 4) would automatically be triggered and tax expenditures would also be reduced simultaneously. There would be an approximate cut of nine percent annually in non-defense programs as well as another nine percent in defense programs (Kogan, 2011). For FY2013, the funding for each of the di scretionary programs would be reduced proportionally. In this year the president can allow the military personnel funding to be exempted from the sequestration. Depending on this the cuts in spending on other defense programs would increase. In the fiscal years from 2014 to 2021, in each year there would be â€Å"reductions in the statutory cap on total funding for non-defense discretionary programs† (Kogan, 2011). â€Å"Sequestration† – what does it mean? Sequestration is a process in which certain policy goals of the budget are met or enforced through

(educatio)culture geography of childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

(educatio)culture geography of childhood - Essay Example onal researchers have mentioned culture and tradition play a vital role in acquisition of values, knowledge, beliefs, behaviours and expectations of a child’s life. Eminent psychological and learning theories such as social constructivism and cognitive theory underlines the significance of social or family interaction in character formation and learning. By Barbara M. Newman, Philip R. Newman remark; â€Å"Vygotsky considered the nature of reasoning and problem solving as culturally created.† (Newman & Newman 2008, p.60). This photographic essay the researcher investigates the role of culture and tradition in a person’s character formation and learning. The selected photograph is about a boy named Aissa from an Algerian Islamic family. The photographic essay reveals a story or evokes a sequence of emotions in the mind of the reader which discuss cultural beliefs and traditions of a child. The first set of the photographs reveals that the boy Aissa is very frankly mingled with his family members and one can easily find his positive attitudes towards his parents. The boy keeps a healthy relationship with his family members. The given image (figure1and 2) also expresses the boy has developed good and excellent personality because he respects all members of his family and his society. Erich Fromm, Michael Maccoby assert;† Village parents are serious about obedience, and they feel that to be playful for or to show enthusiasm about the child at this age would undermine respect.† (Fromm & Maccoby 1996, p.189). The boy in this photograph is a member of a conservative Islamic Algerian family and this picture shows the cultural and religious background of the family. The given photographs help the viewer to reach the idea that the boy has followed and sustained a structured behaviour and it also reveals the characteristics of his culture and tradition which follow the habit of respecting others. Don Tinkler argues that â€Å"Of major importance in the development of

Compare the nature and impact of nationalism in India and in Essay

Compare the nature and impact of nationalism in India and in sub-Saharan Africa in the 20th century - Essay Example By the end of the nineteenth century many Indians began feeling that to instill a sense of pride in the nation; Indian history had to be thought about differently. â€Å"By the time of the early civilizations there was a certain amount of interregional trade linking, for example, parts of the Middle East to North Western India. Separateness, in sum, was not an absolute.† (Peter N., 2012) It seems to handle a lot of tension when an individual deals with the long early history of humans or mankind. On one hand, it is very much tempting to study in detailed version and to go in depth to find new discoveries, information about human evolution, important connections between the history of humankind, and the history of earth prior to its creation. While on the contrary, dealing with situations happened or occurred ages ago that are very different from patterns in the world today. â€Å"Fundamental transformation is easy to claim, but it is also abstract. Childhood provides a concrete example.† (Peter N., 2012) It is said that by the late 1870s, there was a new modern stage already set for the development and progress of Indian intellectual life. â€Å"Scientific work has steadily expanded what we know about early humans, from their starting point in East Africa to their migrations to almost every habitable part of the world by 25,000 B.C.E.† (Peter N., 2012) Furthermore, there is a lot of variation in the sub Saharan Africa explained with the help of existing theories of nationalism which were build on certain theories of ethnic identity and nationalism. However, the ethnic share and the ethnic dominance shows a pattern different to the expectation that nationalism is directly proportional to the population which means nationalism increases with size. Nationalism completed a variety of needs in different parts of the world and it had become a significant and powerful political force by the 1900. IMPACT OF NATIONALISM IN INDIA The growth of the Indian nationalism basically started in the nineteenth century. This process had brought political unification in India. Also, the country saw a decrease in social and economic system. India was not largely dominated by agriculture. However, â€Å"Early human activities and changes thus established key aspects of the framework in which global societies still function- including wide geographic distribution and the capacity to increase food supply through agriculture.† (Peter N., 2012) Hindu nationalism is a reaction to two other nationalisms. In imagination about India’s national identity is that there was always an idea present for the Hindu nationalism. Therefore, nationalism process began due to the modern trade, industry, and the increase in social classes. Indians, from the beginning, never liked the two centuries of British rule so they started to follow their own political ideas. IMPACT OF NATIONALISM ON SUB SAHARAN AFRICA The south of the Africa was captured by the Europeans in the late nineteenth c entury. Initially, nationalism gained strength in that region after the Second World War and then, independence was achieved during the 1950s to the early 1970s. However, the newly independent Africa had issues with the political institutions as well as economic development. Furthermore, it did not have any proper cultural identity. However, the sub Saharan Africa relied on its

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Psychology - Essay Example On the other hand, the human needs are classified by McClelland into three and these involve achievement, affiliation and power. These needs are what motivate people in their jobs and in areas where they are in. McClelland’s theory is also known as ‘three need theory’ or ‘learned needs theory’. In my workplace where power seems to motivate the higher rank, there is no reason to believe that McClelland was not right about his theory. Finally, Herzberg’s motivation theory is widely known as motivation-hygiene theory or two-factor theory. For Herzberg, there must be two essential factors that affect people’s performance especially in their jobs. Those factors that lead them to satisfaction are called motivation factors and those that cause them dissatisfaction are hygiene factors. Herzberg identified six top factors that will lead to dissatisfaction: company policy, supervision, relationship with boss, work conditions, salary and relationsh ip with peers. On the other hand, the identified top six factors that will lead to satisfaction among people are achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement and growth. These are specific factors but in reality, this is real and existing in my work place because many employees were actually dissatisfied with the management due to poor company policy and low standard supervision. When these three theories are to be compared, there is one single commonality that can be identified in them. These three try to consider the human needs. These needs are assumed to be what will motivate human in the most possible way. The three theories are all able to pinpoint the basic and general human needs in life and they all imply satisfaction when experience to the fullest. This satisfaction in general results to motivation to work and continue doing things that fulfill satisfaction. In short, the three theories do not eliminate the possibility of experience as tantamount to i dentifying what seems to be pleasing and ensure satisfaction. What differentiates these three theories from each other is their level of identification of the human needs. The identification of Maslow seems to be specific and hierarchical while the idea of Herzberg is two dimensional and involves great deal of clustering human needs. Finally, the idea of McClelland seems quite general but it still encompasses the all level of human needs. It is therefore clear that the difference lies on how these three theorists try to substantiate the issue of satisfaction and motivation. Figure 1. The three theories develop and overlap in my work Part II. Cultural dimension of motivation definition When humans arrived in the planet, everything did not start in an instant. Man required to understand his experience in order to perfectly create a series of normal pattern on how to live. It is also through experience he was able to understand his needs. It is clear therefore that the development of c ulture is based on the idea that experience has to exist prior to the creation of lifestyle, food to eat, occasions to celebrate, language to use and more. Amazingly, all of these are encompassed by culture. By looking at it from the perspective of Maslow, apart from self esteem and self-actualization, other needs are substantially defined and influenced by culture. These needs are all externally defined

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

HRM - Essay Example For the human capital and other organizational changes to be effective, the HR system will require business credibility and the capacity to work in coordination with other business leaders. HR Business Partners will ensure that strategies to ensure these are incorporated in business decisions. Thorough functional and theoretical knowledge in diverse aspects of HR is expected in the implementation of such changes. However, with frequent developments in the area of HR and other organizational aspects, it is difficult for individual business leaders to constantly acquire the required knowledge. Here the International HR Business Partners have an important role in supplementing the required functional knowledge. Their role is spread across the areas of organizational design, change management, cultural diversity and human system alignment (Jamieson, 2007). A very important role of Business Partners is to integrate the business decisions with that of other leaders so that there are positi ve strategic implications in terms of the rapid changes. They design, engage and maintain the human capital to be ready to face the challenges of the open global market. In general the area of HR has undergone a lot of changes in the last two decades. It has gained more strategic importance. There had been continuous changes in the theoretical modeling and increased concentration on training and certifications. More importantly, the process of outsourcing gained importance through the time (Ulrich & Brockbank, 2005). This development gave rise to the concept of becoming a business partner. This concept has gained momentum especially in the last 15 years. This was increasingly engaged at least partly by businesses to have simultaneously handle strategies and all other HR operations. The scope of HR was initially limited to managing the

NA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NA - Essay Example Blanchard, Ken Blanchard (Author) †º Visit Amazon's Ken Blanchard Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Zigarmi and Patricia Zigarmi (Author) †º Visit Amazon's Patricia Zigarmi Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Drea categorized the different types of people in four classes, according to their level of competence and commitment. The categorization is as follows: C1: These employees show low levels of skills but high level of commitment. These individuals are highly motivated therefore they cooperate and show eagerness to improve their skills. They take directions in a very positive and productive manner. C2: These employees possess reasonable level of skills, however, not enough to take the responsibility of the task independently. It might be a new task or nature of work for them but they show willingness to do the work. C3: Such employees possess high levels of skills and are very experienced in their line of work. However, they lack the confidence to take responsibility of the task independently. C4: These types of employees are very skilled and confident enough to take the whole responsibility of tasks on their own shoulders. ... styles of leadership for the management of different types of individuals (depending on their level of commitment and expertise): Directing: The roles are defined for the subordinates by the leader and the tasks are explained to them. The tasks are monitored very closely for their precision and accuracy. The leader has full power to make decisions therefore minimal suggestions are taken from the subordinates. Coaching: The leader is responsible for the definition of roles and tasks. However, the leader takes suggestions from the subordinates in the decision making process. Supporting: The decisions are made with mutual consent (between the subordinates and the leader) about the approaches that should be followed in the execution of tasks. More control is with the individuals who actually perform the task. Delegating: The leader participates in the decision making processes, however, the extent and time of his participation is decided by the subordinate. The subordinates (who are assi gned the work) have full control over the tasks. 2. Utilization of the Information in the Practical Field The book highlights an important aspect of leadership that is often ignored in the organizations; the match between the leadership style of the leader with the maturity level of his group members. Productivity can only be witnessed if the tasks and roles that are assigned by the leader fall under the competence level of the subordinates. The reader of the book gains useful knowledge about the different styles of leadership that seem to be simple enough to be practiced in real life. The authors have given simple explanations and details about the situational leadership theory that can be grasped and adapted by readers in an effective manner. The first step in the application of this

The theme in The Lord Of The Flies by William Golding Essay Example for Free

The theme in The Lord Of The Flies by William Golding Essay The pristine stillness of the sandy knoll was set off by the crystal shine of the waves slowly rolling toward shore. The waves gently lapped at the pure white sands of an island in the Pacific Ocean. The only object that stood out of from the perfectly even surface that only an undisturbed course of nature could create, at first glance appeared to be only a rock. The rough spiky surface of the object made the glass-like smoothness seem like a mahogany table with a nail driven into it. If one were to pass by it on a lonely beach they would think it only to be an odd stone, but if the shell were to be flipped over, it would reveal an aurora of pinks and creams. The smoothness to the touch is unsurpassed in almost any element of creation. Many are fooled by the unsurprising outside but the few who take the time to examine it closely are treated a sight incredible beauty. None could guess that this shell would play a strategic role in the survival of a group of boys stranded on that very island peace and euphoria. The theme of this book is the inevitable decline of civilization without rules and order. In almost every thing we do there is an order and society and everyone has a place in that society. A huge example could be government where the head of government rests mainly with the president and he decides how the country should run. While on a Soccer team there is a captain who decides many things for the team and how the game should be played. Its not always a leader but it could be a symbol of leadership, a scepter is a symbol of the kings power and it granted the right to state the persons opinion. Just like the scepter was a leadership symbol, and played an essential role in the society of the kingdom. The conch plays a vital role in the order of the boys society. The sound of the conch reverberated throughout the island and soon children the thick jungle and beach became alive with running children. Ralph and Piggy are the first ones to find the conch. From the very start the conch is the thing that brings the boys together and gets organized. At the first meeting of the children who were stranded on the island, Ralph began by making rules and putting to the vote that should become leader. Another rule, which was clearly defined, was that whoever was holding the conch had the right to say anything that he wished. Throughout the rest of the story the conch is used mainly to call meetings. During these meetings whomever had the conch had the right to speak. The conch was like a scepter, which granted rights to the speaker. Ralph and Jack, the rival leaders, one represents order and civility under desperate situations, the type of society and logic that would have made the best British proud. The other leader led his group the inevitable social decline of a society with no regulations or boundaries. The wild savagery of this group was displayed in their brutal murder of both Simon and Piggy who posed no harm to any of them. Every modern civilization has a symbol of justice and supremacy. The conch is the symbol of Ralphs tribe which looked for ways to be rescued and survival instead of becoming uncontrollably wild. Jack, who was the chief of the other tribe, immortalized the pig and hunting, the killing and eating of it. When Jack formed his own band, it is a turning point in the story. Ralphs plan of survival and rescue becomes threatened and eventually destroyed by the escalating savagery and cruelty of the savage tribe. It started innocently, almost a game. Jack and the choirboys were going to be the hunters for the boys stranded on the island. Unfortunately the pig hunting became an obsession and when they finally did kill a pig with their primitive means they began to act primitively. This is illustrated by when the boys during their feast at the castle rock failed to recognize the conch as the supreme authority. Piggy said right before he died: Stop it you are acting like a bunch of kids. Piggy was referring to what we would call terrible two-year-olds. They thought that they knew better, and like most two year-olds led them only to trouble and they always think that they are the authority on every issue. That is exactly what the hunters were doing, not listening to authority. They refused to pay attention to the voice of wisdom (Piggy) and not only did not listen but destroyed Piggy and the conch. Throughout the book Ralph had blown the conch to assemble meetings. They had used it as a symbol of authority, something to give the boys a sense of order and dignity. When Jack didnt listen to the call of wisdom all order and society collapsed. The theme of this book is the inevitable decline of civilization without rules and order. In almost every thing we do there is an order and society and everyone has a place in that society. A huge example could be government where the head of government rests mainly with the president and he decides how the country should run. While on a Soccer team there is a captain who decides many things for the team and how the game should be played. Its not always a leader but it could be a symbol of leadership, a scepter is a symbol of the kings power and it granted the right to state the persons opinion. Just like the scepter was a leadership symbol, and played an essential role in the society of the kingdom. The conch plays a vital role in the order of the boys society. This story clearly illustrated the fragility of civilization. The conch represents the systematic order that hold it all together. As was exemplified in this story man can easily go back to their wild unruly state. Draft horses can illustrate this point, The only thing that holds them from doing their own way is the bit in the horses mouth. Even though this piece of metal is puny compared to the half-ton of meat and muscle, without this vital part of equipment the horse would have no idea what to do or where to go. And all order and discipline would go to the dogs.

The Immediate Constituent Analysis In Linguistics English Language Essay

The Immediate Constituent Analysis In Linguistics English Language Essay   Also called IC Analysis,  in linguistics, a system of grammatical analysis that divides sentences into successive layers, or constituents, until, in the final layer, each constituent consists of only a word or meaningful part of a word. (A constituent is any word or construction that enters into some larger construction.) In the sentence The old man ran away, the first division into immediate constituents would be between the old man and ran away. The immediate constituents of the old man are the and old man. At the next level old man is divided into old and man. In grammatical study we are concerned with morphemes and their arrangements but not save in an ancillary way with the phonemic shapes which represent morphemes.Cinsequently in the present sections we shall usually cite examples in their traditional orthography provided the language in question had one and that it involves only the Latin alplhabet.Claddical Greek and Chinese examples are given in well established transl iterations or romanixastions. Genuine phonemic notation will be unused only when advisable for some special redone or for languages like monomania ethic have no traditional orthography. Most modern textbooks of linguistics attach great importance to that is called immediate constituent analysis. The term immediate constituent analysis was introduced by Bloomfield as follows any English speaking person who concerns himself with this matter is sure to tell us that the immediate constituents of poor john ran away there the two forms poor john and ran away that each of these is in turn a complex form that the immediate constituents of ran away are ran and away and that the constituents of poor john are poor and john. We can easily capture through going the given below example. The dog killed the poor cat In this sentence the noun phrases are given but we can easily divide and then make an understand to analysts in immediate constituent that is also one of the important one in linguistic. so there is an obvious parallelism between immediate constituent analysis and the traditional procedure of parsing sentences into subject and predicate and each of these where appropriate into words phrases and clauses jof various types. Bloomfields sentence phrases made up of the now john modified by the adjective poor and whose predicate is a verb phrase consisting of the Vern ran modifies by the adverb away. Underlying both approaches to ;grammatical analysis is the view that sentences are not just linear sequences of elements but are made up of layers of immediate constituents ;watch lower level constituent being part of a higher level constituents can be represented graphically in a number of ways we may use brackets or we may construct a tree diagram. These two methods of representation are equ ivalent. The symbols are employed here merely for convenience jof reference to the diagram the tree diagram given above is to be interpreted as follies the ultimate constituents jof the sentence the elements out of which the sentence is constructed are poor jog ran and away the words poor and gone are the immediate constituents of one construction poor john so the branches leading to them derive directly from one node the words ran and away are the immediate constituents of another contraction being related through the names highway node common to them both and the two constructions poor john and ran away are the immediate constituents of the highest level constriction the sentence itself so they b9oth derive directly from the node it will be observed that neither in the reprewntation of the constituent structure jof the sentence by mend of betray chest nor in the tree diagram have we in corporate the information that poor is an adjectival a that poor john is an noun phrase or of th e notion of ,codification in these respects jour analysis jof the sentences into its constituents differs from ad so far is poorer than the analysis that would be given in terms of the categorizes of traditional grammar. One can distinguish three periods of development in the the airy of constituent structure. L; Bloomfield himself did little mortem than introduce the nn9otion ad explain it by means of examples he spoke of a proper analysis of the sentence into constituents as one which takes accent jof the meanings. his followers notably wells and harries formulated the principles of constituent anal7sis inn greater detail an replaced Bloomfields somewhere vague reference to taking account of the meanings with explicitly distributional criteria. Finally in the last few years the theory loft constituent structure has been formalized and subjected to mathematical study by Chomsky land jot her scholar who have given considerable attention to the nature jof the rules requluired to gene rate sentences dwoth the appropriate constituent structure. There are five kinds of analysis in immediate constituents as follows: 1. Hierarchical Structure 2. Ambiguity 3. Markers 4. Discintious IC 5. Simultaneous IC In the immediate constituent structure five of them given above are seminal things in linguistic so, it is very difficult to analysis of these things without making diagrams so lets to analysis of these things without having an analysis of morphemes as grouping things together in the fight way an analogy who is very keen to make a new kind of solution is so complicate. In our treatment of the general principles of formal grammar in immediate constituents we deliberately adopted the view that all sentences had a simple linear structure that every sentence of the language could be satis Facvtyorilyu described from the grammatical point jof view as a string loft; constituents As a abstract illustration of what is meant by the term string which is the technical term used in mathematical treatments of the grammatical structure of language few may consider thane following instances. 1. Hierarchical structure: The manly on the street is inclined to identify language with words and to think that to study words is to stuufyul; language this view l incorporates two errors. we obviate lone when we realize that morphemes rather than words are unimportant the other error is mow subtle the notion often unstated that we need only examine words as isolated units longer utterances being simply mechanical combinations jof at the smaller units. If lathes were the case then all we would have to learn kin studying a foreign language fowls; be the individual ljmorphemes and their meanings. the meaning jof any whole utterance wools be immediately obvious; jonn the basis of the meanings of the ultimate constituents .Anyone who has lacteally studied a foreign language knows that this is not true. for a striking example loft the falsity loft they assumption we turn to Chinese which is better than French or German jerk Spanish jfodrkl this purpose because ;it differs more drastically from English to any other languages. As leis evidently; some of these English morphemes have meanings which are not easy to describe precisely in English one meets similar trouble in trying rot describe the meanings of some English morphemes inennglishj on general the meanings of morphemes in any one language bias any other language. A careful scrutiny of the meanings of; the seventeen constituent morphemes; of the sentence can at best yield some ague notion of what the whole sentence is about. The meaning of the whole sentence happens be this kind of the matters carries by what he hears. BY virtue of this advance orientation thane active speaker hears the cadence not as a linear string go morphemes but as it were in depth automatically grouping things together in the rightly lay. An; analogy list in order. when we kook at the middle assemblage ;of line segments Jon a either jay on a flat surface the depth that we perceive lies in ;us; not; ;in the figulure.yet our experience in visa perception is such that it ills hard to see as a complicated plane figure rather than I three dimensions the depth which tulle native speakers combination is common and that it carries the rather special partly unpredictable meaning probably likewise have automatically groups together as in fire but in a more complicated ;way if few are to ask that meads he would be pzzled for does not mean anything l;he would probably be unaware that he had heard this particular morpheme sequence inn the sentence and the speaker of the sentence weld scarcely realize that he had said it. All the above is applicable also to fenglish or any other language a meaningless sequence of morphemes like a man are can easily lube found in normal speech. It; occurs; in the dog has killed the poor cat. 2. Makers: We must account for the slanting lines appearing in some of the diagrams. For example, the diagram indicates that the Ics of are the two words in a larger form without being a constituent jof it. Of course a different interpret ratio would be possible but the one we have chosen indicates that and rather than being Joni of the ics of what we may call a structural marker jar signal. some morphemes that is serve leno directly nas carriers of meaning but only as markers of the styrctural relationshjops between other forms.ad marks the fact that something before it ad something after it large the Ics larger grammatical form and ad also marks that a larger form as being of a certain type ;we would choose a similar interpltretration for the markers. 3. Ambiguity: It is possible for a single sequence of segmental morphemes to have two alternative hierarchical organizations; unusually with a difference do; meaning sometimes but in the sentence he was dancing jw3oth the stout major person. We cannot tell whether the mans dancing partner is stout or not. the ambiguity jof its Ic structure is shown in the expression and such ambiguities remind us again jof the analogy with value perception. 4. Discontinuous Ic: Our examples so far have had another property which is common but not nn9oversal forms which belong together as Ic of a larger form have been next to each other in linear sequence .Discontinues constituents are ninety at all uncoil for example in the English sentence the jot her is the discontinuous sequence. But constituents are not at all uncommon framing easy built is parenthesized lotto indicate that it is knot actually spoken there we laved lithe duplication but place a heavy line below the entry and mark with a dotted arrow the section between. 5. Simltaneosly Ic: An intonation morpheme is probably always to be interpreted as one ic of the macro segment which includes the remainder of the macro segment no matter how complex constituting the other. In order to show this diagrammatically we have to introduce another special device, illustrated in their positions of the pills and tic correctly since any alternation in their position mighty yield a different sentence. In grammatical ambiguity we can divide as follows that is also seminal thing in immediate constituent analysis: A) They can fish. B) Beautiful girls dress. C) Some more convincing evidence. Conclusion: Traditional grammar is a family of linguistic theories represented in the grammars written before the advent of scientific linguistics. I use the expression family of theories rather than the word theory, since traditional grammar is not a single, unchanging conceptual object. I assume, however, that it has certain fairly stable defining features. For convenience, I take many of my examples from the Latin grammar of Allen and Greenbush (1931) and the Greek grammar of H. W. Smyth (1916), since both these works are still in print and can be consulted by interested readers.

Flannery OConnor and William Faulkners Characters and Morality Essay

Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner's Characters and Morality Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner refuse to surrender to the temptation of writing fanciful stories where the hero defeats the villain and everyone lives happily ever after. Instead, these two writers reveal realistic portrayals of death and the downfall of man. Remarkably, O’Connor and Faulkner’s most emotionally degraded characters fail to believe that an omnipotent deity controls their fate. This belief directly correlates to the characters’ inability to follow a strict set of morals or value human life. On the other hand, one might expect Faulkner and O’Connor’s â€Å"Christian† characters to starkly contrast the vile heathens who deny the existence of God. However, these characters struggle to follow their own standards of morality. The southern culture places much value on community, courtesy, and the standard of morality: the Bible. But under this facade of civility lie slanderous gossip, impure motives, and hidden iniquity. Faulkner’s character, Cora Tull, is a prime example of this. Though she openly admits that she has no right to pass judgment on Addie Bundren because, â€Å"It is the Lord’s place to judge,† Cora Tull later hypocritically states, â€Å"I realized out of the vanity of her heart she (Addie) had spoken sacrilege.† Cora’s desire for Addie’s repentance blinds her from seeing her own sin. On the other hand, Mrs. Turpin, a character in O’Connor’s â€Å"Revelation,† struggles with this same sin but in a different manner. Mrs. Turpin appears to politely encounter strangers with kindness but, alas, her kindness is corrupted. Though Mrs. Turpin’s sincere smiles and courteous small talk make her appear to truly care ab out others around h... ... refuse to believe in God. In fact, the â€Å"Christians† could probably be condemned more readily because they have a standard of morality and choose not to abide by it. On the other hand, when a person knows that there are no consequences he acts accordingly. For instance, the â€Å"Misfit† kills people and thinks nothing of it because he merely lives for the moment without thinking through his iniquity. Conversely, Whitfield recognizes his wrong doing but simply lowers his standards of morality thereby causing only more grief. Works Cited Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying. New York: Vintage Books, 1990. O’Connor, Flannery. Collected Works: Stories and Occasional Prose: â€Å"Revelation.† New York: Penguin, 1988. 285-327. ---. Collected Works: Stories and Occasional Prose: â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find.† New York: Penguin, 1988. 328-340.

prime minister :: essays research papers

"I would anticipate that the major combat engagements are over," Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. He said U.S. forces are moving into a phase of "smaller, albeit sharper fights." McChrystal said the number of daily air missions had dropped to 700 or 800 in recent days, down from about 1,000 or more a day. And Monday, he said, marked the last day that aircraft from all five aircraft carriers would fly missions over Iraq. Plans were announced to scale back the American naval presence in the Persian Gulf by bringing home two carrier groups in the coming days. The USS Kitty Hawk and USS Constellation could leave the Persian Gulf in the next several days, officials said. That would leave the USS Nimitz, which recently replaced the USS Abraham Lincoln, as the only remaining carrier group in the gulf. Officials also said one of the two groups in the Red Sea, the USS Harry S. Truman or the USS Theodore Roosevelt, could depart soon. Coalition fighting Monday against Iraqi targets in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, was not as fierce as some expected. McChrystal said the Iraqi forces there lacked a "coherent defense." Still, he cautioned against any suggestion that danger had passed for coalition forces. Meanwhile, U.S. troops believe they have found 11 mobile chemical and biological laboratories buried south of Baghdad outside Karbala, a U.S. general said Monday. (Full story) No chemical or biological weapons were found along with the labs, but soldiers recovered "about 1,000 pounds" of documents inside them, said Brig. Gen. Benjamin Freakley of the Army's 101st Airborne Division. U.N. weapons inspectors in February "found nothing untoward" at an ammunition filling plant close to where the United States says troops have found the labs, a U.N. inspection team spokesman said Monday. In February, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the U.N. Security Council that Iraq had mobile biological weapons labs on at least 18 flatbed trucks. Disarming Iraq of its alleged weapons of mass destruction had been among the coalition's foremost goals entering the war, officials said. To date, there have been no confirmed discoveries of any such weaponry. The "only significant combat action" Monday took place in Tikrit, the lone major Iraqi holdout, said Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks of U.S. Central Command. After heavy airstrikes and sporadic battles Sunday, coalition forces from the south, west and north moved early Monday into the center of the north-central Iraqi city, the hometown of the deposed Iraqi president.

Succubus Revealed Chapter 2

It took me a moment to really comprehend that in thirty seconds, the conversation had gone from a deeply seriously mystery about my love life to bowling for demonic bragging rights. And yet, this wasn't a particularly unusual pattern in my world. â€Å"And by ‘we,' † added Jerome, â€Å"I mean you four.† He nodded toward Peter, Cody, Hugh, and me. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. â€Å"Let me make sure I'm following this. You've signed us up for some sort of bowling league. One that you aren't even going to participate in. And this is somehow going to prove your employees' ‘evilness' to the world.† â€Å"Don't be silly. I can't participate. Bowling teams only have four people.† He didn't comment on the proving evilness part. â€Å"Well, hey, I'll totally yield my spot to you,† I said. â€Å"I'm not that great a bowler.† â€Å"You'd better become one.† Jerome's voice grew cold. â€Å"All of you had, if you know what's good for you. Nanette will be impossible to live with at the next company meeting if you lot lose.† â€Å"Gee, Jerome. I love bowling,† said Carter. â€Å"How come you never mentioned this to me before?† Jerome and Carter held gazes for several heavy seconds. â€Å"Because, unless you're ready to take a fall for the team, you can't really compete with us.† A funny smile fell over Carter's face. His gray eyes glinted. â€Å"I see.† â€Å"I don't really like your use of ‘us,' seeing as you've already written off any participation on your part,† I pointed out to Jerome, imitating his earlier snide tone. Peter sighed, looking rather woebegone. â€Å"Where on earth am I going to find tasteful bowling shoes?† â€Å"What's our team name going to be?† asked Cody. That immediately degenerated into a conversation of truly terrible suggestions, such as Soulless in Seattle and Split Decision. After almost an hour, I couldn't handle any more. â€Å"I think I'm going to go home,† I said, standing up. I had kind of wanted dessert but was afraid I'd be drafted for beach volleyball and cricket if I stayed much longer. â€Å"I brought the wine. You guys don't really need me anymore.† â€Å"When you get home, tell my wayward offspring that I need him to coach you guys,† said Jerome. â€Å"By ‘home,' I actually meant Seth's,† I said. â€Å"But if I see Roman, I'll let him know you've found a good use for his formidable cosmic powers.† Roman – Jerome's half-human son and my roommate – actually was a pretty good bowler, but I didn't want to encourage Jerome. â€Å"Wait!† Peter sprang up after me. â€Å"You have to draw for Secret Santas first.† â€Å"Oh, come on – â€Å" â€Å"No complaining,† he argued. He hurried to the kitchen and returned with a ceramic cookie jar shaped like a snowman. He thrust it toward me. â€Å"Draw. Whatever name you get is who you're buying for, so don't try to get out of it.† I drew a piece of paper and opened it up. Georgina. â€Å"I can't – â€Å" Peter held up a hand to silence me. â€Å"You drew the name. That's who you've got. No arguments.† His stern look stopped me from any more protests. â€Å"Well,† I pointed out pragmatically, â€Å"at least I have a few ideas.† To his credit, Peter sent me home with some chocolate fondue sauce and a Tupperware bowl filled with fruit and marshmallows. Hugh and Cody were running forward with the bowling team plan, trying to come up with a practice schedule. Jerome and Carter said little and instead kept watching each other in a speculative, knowing way that was typical of them. It was hard to read much on their faces, but for once, Jerome gave off the vibe of having the upper hand. I left Capitol Hill for Seattle's University District and Seth's condo. All the windows were dark when I pulled up, and I couldn't help a smile. It was almost eleven. Seth must have called it an early night, something I'd been urging him to do for a while. Thinking of that, my smile faded as quickly as it had come. A few months ago, Seth's sister-in-law, Andrea, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The disease had been pretty far advanced when caught, and although she'd almost immediately gone into treatment, the outcome still wasn't promising. Worse, the treatments had taken a huge physical toll on her, one that was testing the family's strength. Seth was frequently helping them out, especially when his brother Terry was working, since it was harder for Andrea to care for their five daughters now. Seth had been sacrificing both sleep and his writing career to look after them. I knew it was necessary. I loved Seth's family and had helped them out as well. But I still hated seeing Seth run himself down and knew that it hurt him to put his work on hold. He claimed his writing was the least of his problems right now and had time before deadlines were an issue, particularly since his next two books were queued for printing next year. I couldn't argue against that, but the sleep issue? Yeah, I was on him a lot about that and glad to see my words had gotten through tonight. I used my key to let myself in and slipped through the condo as silently as possible. I practically lived here lately and had no trouble finding my way around furniture in the darkness. When I reached his bedroom, I could just barely make out his form wrapped up in covers, softly outlined in the light of his alarm clock. I quietly took off my coat and then shape-shifted into a cotton babydoll nightgown. It was sexy but not blatantly so. I planned on sleeping with him tonight, for real. I slid into bed and pressed myself up against his back, lightly tossing an arm over him. He stirred slightly, and I couldn't resist pressing a kiss against his bare shoulder. The scent of cinnamon and musk washed over me as he snuggled closer. Despite sternly chastising myself that he needed to sleep, I lightly ran my fingers along his arm and sneaked in another kiss. â€Å"Mmm,† he murmured, rolling over toward me. â€Å"That feels nice.† A few things hit me at once. First, Seth didn't wear any sort of cologne or aftershave that smelled like cinnamon. Second, Seth's voice didn't sound like that. Third, and perhaps most important, Seth wasn't in bed with me. I didn't mean to scream as loudly as I did. It just kind of happened. I was out of the bed in a flash, groping for the light switch on the wall while the intruder attempted to get up. He ended up getting tangled in the covers and falling off the bed with a loud thump, just as I found the light. I promptly reached for a weapon, but seeing as this was Seth's bedroom, my options were limited. The heaviest, most dangerous object I could readily grab ahold of was Seth's dictionary, a leather-bound monstrosity that he kept on hand because he â€Å"didn't trust the Internet.† I stood poised and ready to literally throw the book at the intruder as he scrambled to his feet. As he did and I got a good look at him, I noticed something crazy. He looked . . . familiar. Not only that, but he kind of looked like Seth. â€Å"Who are you?† I demanded. â€Å"Who are you?† he exclaimed. He seemed more confused than anything else. I don't think he found the threat of a five foot four woman with a dictionary all that frightening. Before I could answer, a hand touched my arm. I yelped and threw the dictionary out of instinct. The guy dodged, letting the book crash harmlessly against the wall. I spun around to see who'd touched me and found myself looking into the eyes of a white-haired woman with gold cat-eye glasses. She was wearing flowered pajama bottoms and a pink sweatshirt with a crossword puzzle on it. She was also wielding a baseball bat, which was pretty astonishing – not just because it was more dangerous than a dictionary but also because I hadn't known Seth owned one. â€Å"What are you doing here?† she asked fiercely. She glanced over at the shirtless, dumbfounded guy. â€Å"Are you okay?† For half a second, I actually toyed with the idea that I had somehow let myself into someone else's condo. Like, maybe I was just one door over. This scene was so ridiculous that a mix-up seemed far more likely. It was only the obvious evidence – like my key and Seth's University of Chicago teddy bear watching this spectacle – that drove home the fact that I was indeed where I was supposed to be. Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening and closing rang through the condo. â€Å"Hello?† came a blessedly familiar voice. â€Å"Seth!† exclaimed all three of us in unison. Moments later, Seth appeared in the doorway. As usual, he looked adorable. His reddish brown hair was typically unkempt, and he was wearing a Dirty Dancing T-shirt that I'd never seen before. Despite my panic and confusion over this current situation, the concerned part of me still noted the little signs of fatigue on Seth's face, the dark circles and lines of weariness. He was thirty-six and usually looked younger than his age. Not today. â€Å"Seth,† said the bat-wielding woman. â€Å"This lady broke into your house.† He looked at each of us in turn before resting his gaze on her. â€Å"Mom,† he said quietly, â€Å"that's my girlfriend. Please don't bludgeon her.† â€Å"Since when do you have a girlfriend?† asked the guy. â€Å"Since when do you have a baseball bat?† I asked, recovering my composure. Seth cut me a wry look before gently trying to remove the bat from the woman's hands. She didn't let go. â€Å"Georgina, this is my mom, Margaret Mortensen. And that's my brother Ian. Guys, this is Georgina.† â€Å"Hi,† I said, feeling surprise of a different sort. I'd heard a lot about Seth's mother and younger brother but hadn't expected to meet them anytime soon. Seth's mother didn't like to fly, and Ian was . . . well, from the stories Seth and Terry told, Ian was just hard to track down in general. He was the wayward Mortensen brother. Margaret relinquished the bat and put on a polite but wary smile. â€Å"It's very nice to meet you.† â€Å"Ditto,† said Ian. I now understood why he looked familiar. Aside from the fact I'd probably seen a picture of him somewhere, he also shared some of Seth's and Terry's features. He was tall like Seth, but with Terry's thinner face. Ian's hair was all brown, with no coppery hint, but it had that same messy look that Seth's did. Except, on closer examination, I had the feeling Ian's had been purposely styled that way with the help of much time and product. Seth suddenly did a double take between Ian and me. He didn't even have to say anything for me to guess the question on his mind. Or questions, perhaps. My nightgown and Ian's shirtlessness undoubtedly raised a number of them. Ian's defense came swift and certain. â€Å"She got into bed with me.† â€Å"I thought he was you,† I said. Seth's mother made a strange noise in her throat. â€Å"You were supposed to be on the couch,† said Seth accusingly. Ian shrugged. â€Å"It's uncomfortable. And you weren't home yet, so I figured there was no harm done. How was I supposed to know some woman was going to come manhandle me in my sleep?† â€Å"I didn't manhandle you!† I cried. Seth rubbed his eyes, again reminding me how exhausted he was. â€Å"Look, what's done is done. Why don't we all just go to bed – where we're supposed to – and then get to know each other in the morning, okay?† Margaret eyed me. â€Å"She's going to sleep in here? With you?† â€Å"Yes, Mom,† he said patiently. â€Å"With me. Because I'm a grown man. And this is my home. And because in thirty-six years, this isn't the first woman to stay over with me.† His mother looked aghast, and I groped for a more comfortable topic. â€Å"Your shirt's great.† Now that she wasn't threatening to strike me, I could see that the crossword spelled out her five granddaughters' names. â€Å"I love the girls.† â€Å"Thank you,† she said. â€Å"Each one of them is a blessing, born within the holy confines of wedlock.† Before I could even fumble a response to that, Ian groaned. â€Å"Lord, Mom. Is that from that Web site I told you not to order from? You know their stuff's made in China. I know this woman who could have made you one out of sustainable organic fabric.† â€Å"Hemp is a drug, not a fabric,† she told him. â€Å"Good night, you guys,† said Seth, pointing his brother to the door. â€Å"We'll talk in the morning.† Margaret and Ian murmured their good nights, and she paused to kiss Seth on the cheek – which I actually thought was pretty cute. When they were gone and the door was closed, Seth sat on his bed and buried his face in his hands. â€Å"So,† I said, coming to sit beside him. â€Å"Exactly how many women have stayed over in thirty-six years?† He looked up. â€Å"None who were caught by my mother in so little clothing.† I plucked at the skirt of the nightgown. â€Å"This? This is tame.† â€Å"I'm sorry about that,† he added, waving vaguely toward the door. â€Å"I should've called and warned you. They just drove into town tonight – unannounced, of course. Ian can't be expected to do what people expect. It would ruin his reputation. They showed up at Terry's, but there's no room for them there, so I sent them on ahead since they were so tired. I had no idea it would result in you trying to sleep with my brother.† â€Å"Seth!† â€Å"Kidding, kidding.† He picked up my hand and kissed the top of it. â€Å"How are you? How was your day?† â€Å"Well, I tried my best to keep Santa from getting drunk and then found out Jerome signed us up for a Hellish bowling league.† â€Å"I see,† said Seth. â€Å"So. The usual.† â€Å"Pretty much. What about you?† The small smile that had been tugging at his lips fell. â€Å"Aside from unexpected family? The usual too. Terry was out late with work stuff, so I was there all night with the girls while Andrea rested. Kendall has to build a papier-mache solar system, so that was fun for everyone.† He held up his hands and wiggled fingers coated in white powder. â€Å"And let me guess. No writing?† He shrugged. â€Å"It's not important.† â€Å"You should've called me. I could've watched them while you wrote.† â€Å"You were working and then . . . what, it was fondue night, right?† He stood up and stripped off his shirt and jeans, getting down to green flannel boxers. â€Å"How did you know that?† I asked. â€Å"I barely knew that.† â€Å"I was on Peter's e-mail list.† â€Å"Well, regardless, it doesn't matter. And that mall job is nothing. I could have been over here in a flash.† He stepped into his bathroom and returned a few moments later with a toothbrush in his mouth. â€Å"That job is nuffing. Haf any of your interfeews panned out?† â€Å"No,† I said, not adding that I hadn't gone on any other interviews. Everything paled compared to Emerald City. The conversation was put on pause while he finished brushing his teeth. â€Å"You should be doing something better,† he said, once he was done. â€Å"I'm fine where I'm at. I don't mind it. But you . . . you can't keep going on like this. You're not getting enough sleep or working.† â€Å"Don't worry about it,† he said. He turned off the light and crawled into bed. In the dimness, I saw him pat the spot beside him. â€Å"Come over here. It's just me, I promise.† I smiled and curled up beside him. â€Å"Ian didn't smell right, you know. I mean, he smelled good, but not like you.† â€Å"I'm sure he spends gratuitous amounts of money to smell good,† muttered Seth through a yawn. â€Å"What's he do for a living?† â€Å"Hard to say. He's always got new jobs. Or no job. Whatever money he's got goes toward carefully maintaining his hard-fought, effortless lifestyle. Have you seen his coat?† â€Å"No. The only clothing of his I've seen is his boxers.† â€Å"Ah. Well, it must be in the living room. It looks like it came from a thrift store but probably cost four figures.† He sighed. â€Å"Although, I shouldn't be too hard on him. I mean, yeah, he'll probably hit me up for money while he's here, but I can't knock him and Mom coming out to help. At the very least, they can help watch the kids now.† I wrapped my arms around Seth and breathed in his scent. It was the right one, and it was intoxicating. â€Å"And you can catch up on some writing.† â€Å"Maybe,† he said. â€Å"We'll see how it goes. I just hope I'm not babysitting Mom and Ian more than the girls.† â€Å"How bad of an impression did I make on her?† I asked. â€Å"Not that bad. I mean, no worse than any woman – scantily clad or otherwise – would've made who was spending the night with me.† He kissed my forehead. â€Å"She's not so bad. Don't be fooled by her conservative Midwest grandma act. I think you guys will get along.† I wanted to ask if Maddie had met Margaret and, if so, how they'd gotten along. I bit my tongue on the question. It didn't matter. It was in the past, and Seth and I were the present. Sometimes, especially staying here as much as I did, I felt a little weird remembering that Maddie had lived with him too. There were still little touches here and there that bore the mark of her influence. For example, Margaret was most likely staying in Seth's office, which had a futon, courtesy of Maddie's ingenuity. She'd been the one to suggest he get it to help make the office double as a guestroom. Maddie had gone; the futon had stayed. I tried not to think about those things very often, though. In the big picture, they didn't matter. Seth and I had come through too much for me to get hung up on something like that. We'd overcome the problems in our relationship. I'd accepted his mortality and his decision to risk his life by being physical with me. True, I still rationed our sex life, but the fact that I allowed it at all was a big concession for me. Meanwhile, he accepted the terrible truth that I was often out sleeping with other men in order to sustain my existence. They were difficult things for us both, but they were worth it for us to be together. Everything we'd gone through was worth it. â€Å"I love you,† I told him. He placed a soft kiss on my lips and pulled me closer. â€Å"I love you too.† Then, in an echo of my thoughts, he added, â€Å"You make it all worthwhile. All this stuff I'm dealing with†¦. I can do it because you're in my life, Thetis.† Thetis. That was his longtime nickname for me, coming from the shape-shifting goddess in Greek mythology who'd been won by a steadfast mortal. He called me that all the time – and Letha, only once. I thought again about that night. The troubled feelings it stirred never seemed to go away, but I once again tried to force them aside. It was another of those little things that I was trying not to let bug me. It was nothing compared to the greatness of our love, and like my friends had said, Seth had probably overheard the name. I fell into a contented sleep, only to be awakened abruptly around dawn. My eyes flew open, and I sat upright. Seth shifted and rolled over but wasn't awakened by my sudden movement. I stared around the room, my heart racing. I'd been jolted out of sleep by an immortal presence, one I didn't know. It had felt demonic. There was nothing here now, visible or invisible, but I knew for a fact some servant of Hell had just been in the room. This wasn't the first time I'd had unwelcome visitors in my sleep, often ones with nefarious intentions. Of course, I'd felt this demon just now, and demons – being higher immortals, not a lesser human-turned-immortal like me – could mask their immortal signature. If he or she had wanted to sneak around or hurt me unannounced, it could have done so. Whoever this was hadn't cared about discovery. I slipped out of bed and continued studying the room, looking for some sign or reason for the demon's passage. I was certain there would be one. There. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of red – in my purse. There was a business envelope sitting on top of it. I hurried over and scooped up the envelope. It was warm to my touch, but as I quietly opened it, I began to feel cold. That feeling intensified as I pulled out a letter printed on official Hell stationery. No good could come of this. Sunset had filtered more than enough light into the room to read by. The letter was addressed to Letha (alias: Georgina Kincaid), from Hell's HR: This is the thirty-day notice for your trans fer. Your new assignment will begin on January 15. Please make travel arrangements to leave Seattle and report to your new location in a timely manner.

Foreign Policy Analysis : Compare and Contrast Nigeria’s Relationship with the U.S.A. Essay

INTRODUCTION: A country’s foreign policy is a set of goals outlining how the country will interact with other countries economically, politically, socially and militarily, and to a lesser extent how the country will interact with non-state actors. The aforementioned interaction is evaluated and monitored in attempts to maximize benefits of multi-lateral international cooperation. Foreign policies are desired to help project a country’s national interest, national security ideological goals and economic prosperity. This can occur as a result of peaceful cooperation with other nations or even through exploitation. Foreign policy analysis is the systematic study of and research into the processes and theories of foreign policy. This paper seeks to evaluate the relationship (economic and military) that has existed between Nigeria and the United States of America. (U.S.A) in two very different epochs. (1960-1966), post independence, and between 1999- 2003, the immediate democratic era after a lengthy post-military  interregnum. The paper shall consist of an introduction and segments on conceptual clarifications, theoretical framework, X-ray of topic under study, and the conclusion drawn from the study shall also be presented. CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION International Relations: Rossenau, (1961). Views international relations as the study of the transactions, contacts, flows of information between and among separately organized nation state. Holsti, (1972). Defines international relations to encompass all forms of interaction between the members of distinct societies. Adeniran, (1983). submits that international relations is an area of study which focuses on the political, economic and other interactions among international actors and the inter-state systems. Economic relations: is a relationship between two or more states that revolves around the promotion, exchange of finance, industry and general trading activities. Military relations: A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military is made up of a force or forces with a capability to execute national defense policy. Military relations deal with the interaction between and among nation states to enhance capability development especially as it affects the strategic, operational, logistic and tactical requirements their military forces. Military relations are characterized by the exchange of combat arms and support services. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The theoretical framework within which this study shall be conducted, is the decision making approach. The theory focuses attention on the processes of public decision making. A political action has the character of a decision taken by some actors in a specific situation through a particular process. Political actions can be understood by referring to the person who took the decision and the inter-active processes by which the decision was reached. While following the decision making approach, the political scientist has to encounter a complex set of social psychological and institutional processes. Hence, this approach has to draw on several concepts developed in sociology, social psychology and psychology. Mahajan, (2000:39). The decision making approach has two fundamental purposes one is the identification of â€Å"crucial structures† in the political realm where changes take place, where decisions are made, where actions are initiated and carried out. While, the other is a systematic analysis of the decision making behaviour which leads to action. In other words, the decision approach focuses inquiry on actors called decision makers and on the state defined as the decision unit. Hence, the actions of the state are seen through the actions of the decision makers. The crux here is that if a sufficient knowledge of the behaviour and activities of the known actors is established, it can lay the foundation for the explanation of a decision. Okere, (2000:115) NIGERIA’S FOREIGN POLICY OBJECTIVES Foreign policy objectives are built upon some general principles or national interests which is embodied in the nation’s constitution. Foreign policy objectives of any nation can be classified into a trinity of military strategic, political/diplomatic and economic/cultural imperatives. In the first republic, (1960-1966) which constitutes a part of this study’s focal point the principal objectives that guided Nigeria’s foreign policy, were enunciated by sir, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa the first prime minister of Nigeria, to include among others; -Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states. -Non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. -The promotion of functional cooperation among African states. Chapter II, sub section 19 of the 1999 constitution outlines the foreign policy objectives of Nigeria between 1999-2003. Which constitutes the second leg of the study’s time frame. What is however certain is that under the two different epochs that Nigeria’s foreign policy is to be subjected to scrutiny by this study, the principal objective of the foreign policy has been to promote and protect the country’s national interest in its interactions and relationships with specific countries in the international system. (Abdullahi: 2004). NIGERIA-AMERICA RELATIONS: Motives for Collaboration President Kennedy once noted that: â€Å"Every nation determines its policies in term of its own interest† The traditional American foreign policy encompasses both moral idealism and raw self-interests. The United States’ primary interest in relation to Nigeria is oil. As a voracious consumer of the country’s â€Å"sweet† (i.e., low-sulfur) petroleum, America recognizes Nigeria’s worth as the largest oil producer in Africa and the fifth largest in the OPEC. Nigeria has been one of the largest exporters of crude oil to the United States. American companies such as shell, Exxon Mobil, and Chevron have substantial investments in the lucrative Nigerian oil industry, which, along with other Western oil companies, they dominate. Nigeria led a peacekeeping mission as part of the Economic Community of West Africa States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) that helped to stabilize long-time U.S. allies Liberia and Sierra Leone. A third U.S. interest is the maintenance of America cultural-historical linkages to the country of Nigeria. A great number of Americans trace their roots to Africa. Many of those Americans, including entertainer-scholar Paul b. Robeson (1898-1976), trace those origins to Nigeria. Last, but certainly not least, America needs Nigeria’s help in its campaign against international drug trafficking. The economic hardships in Nigeria, resulted in the emergence of a significant drug-dependent culture and in the conversion of Nigerian borders into a major route for the trafficking of cocaine and heroin into the United States. The United States also looks to Nigeria to help reduce the number of Americans victimized by the offer of Nigerian business opportunities that are â€Å"too good to be true.† according to one estimate, â€Å"Americans lose $2 billion annually to white [collar] crime syndicates based in Nigeria.† Nigeria sees in the United States a steady buyer of its oil. Although Nigeria’s share of the U.S. market has fluctuated over the years, the United States remains a primary purchaser of Nigerian crude oil. Second, Nigeria values political ties with America. The United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world, and the two countries share similar demographic features such as ethnic, economic, and religious complexities. Nigeria relies on these political connections as it experiments with a presidential style of government. Third, like many developing countries, Nigeria seeks to tap into America â€Å"technological capabilities† for its manpower development needs. Tens of thousands of Nigerians have flocked to the United States in search of higher education. Nigeria will maximize the benefit of its relationship with the United States by identifying and exploiting the points at which the two nations’ interests overlap. Nigeria and U.S. interests converge with respect to the purchase and sale of crude oil and the necessity of maintaining cordial political relations. (Aka, 2005) It should be noted that in the period under review, (1960-1966), it was the prime minister that maintained a near monopoly of control over the country’s foreign policy (Aluko, 1977). For Nigeria on the other hand, there was a compelling need to industrialize the economy and modernize agriculture immediately after independence. To achieve this objectives, the country would require foreign aid and the diversification of the country’s overseas market – America was one of the countries she looked up to for the injection of the required capital to f und her development plans. NIGERIA UNITED STATES’ RELATIONS (1960-1966) For centuries, United States foreign policy has been outwardly characterized by its diplomatic and economic encouragement of fledging democracies around the world. In particular, the nations of Africa and particularly Nigeria are seen to benefit from America’s idealistic foreign Agenda. (Aka, 2005). It should however be noted that few foreign political actions are based entirely in good will; they are more often rooted in prudence and rationality. Although promoting democracy may, as was earlier stated, be a sufficient national interest in and of itself, such idealistic abstraction is usually augmented by more concrete or material considerations. This is certainly true for the United States’ interest in relations with Nigeria. (Aka, 2005). There are a plethora of cultural, historical and political reasons why Nigeria has been important to the U.S. These range form population, oil, resource and strategic military importance. Nigeria’s colonial history left behind external economic relations policy that was closely linked with the west. This continued to have profound impact on the country’s external behaviour even after independence on 1st October, 1960 (Aluko, 1977). Therefore, The Nigerian foreign policy between 1960 – 1966 was politically and economically aligned (in spite of the non-alignment principle) to the west especially Britain and America. In main, due to colonial hangover (Abullahi, 2004). In recognition of the newly independent Nigeria’s potentials for a mutually beneficial relationship, the United States of America was represented at the independence celebrations by the Governor of New-York State, Mr. Nelson Rockefeller. Immediately after, on October 7, 1960, Prime Minister Balewa traveled to New-York to register Nigeria as the 99th member of the United Nations thereby becoming a recognized member of the international community. While in the U.S, the prime minister met and invited President Eisenhower to visit Nigeria at the earliest opportunity. Thus, it is clear that from the first week of independence, Nigeria had established a cordial relationship with the United States of America. (Clark, 1991). It was in the spirit of this warm relationship between these two giant states that President Kennedy extended an invitation to Nigeria’s prime minister to visit the U.S. on 21st July 1961. While in America, the Nigerian Head of Government was accorded the r are honour of addressing a joint session of the United States congress. Wherein he stated, â€Å"Our affinity with the U.S is two fold – a history of common struggles to achieve freedom from anything that is oppressive to the human spirit. Also, a blood affinity- between our two countries, there resides the largest concentration of peoples with African blood†. (Clark, 1991) The Americans stated that Nigeria was a very important friend of the United States. Balewa held a meeting with President Kennedy at the oval office together with secretary of state Dean Rusk to discuss military relations between the two states as well as the situation in Angola and Congo. Situations where the two nations had conflicting interests. On the economic front, Nigeria appealed to the U.S for assistance in building the Niger dam for power generation purposes, comparing the project to the Tennesse Dam Authority. At the end of the visit, a joint statement was issued by the two nations emphasizing the U.S economic aid to Nigeria in the areas of agricultural production and public health care services. American investments into the Nigerian economy grew and amounted to over $800 million and over a third of American total investments in Africa. (Clark Ibid, Aluko: 1977) In concluding this part of the work, it is evident that America had a profound security, political, and economic interest in Africa and Nigeria as a regional power was seen as bellwether nation in the period under study. This explains the warm economic and military relations between the two nations. NIGERIA – AMERICA: 1999 – 2003 (The years of Restoration) The election of Olusegun Obasanjo, a retired general and former military head of state from 1976 to 1979 marked a historic point in the history of the Nigeria-U.S relations. Obasanjo’s ascendancy to the Nigerian Presidency was warmly received by the United States especially because the preceding regime of Gen. Sani Abacha had a very strained relationship with the United States over a wide range of issues that included Human rights violations and Democratization. The optimism and excitement of the Americans derived from a past experience of friendly relations with General Obasanjo as Head of state. In fact, the first American President to visit Nigeria was Jimmy carter when Obasanjo was military Head of state. (Abdullahi, 2004). At the political level, shortly after assumption of office in May 1999, president Obasanjo had paid a visit to then President Bill Clinton to hold bilateral talks and also with incumbent President Bush. American-Nigeria relations grew in bounds within this period. The removal of visa restrictions, increased high-level visits of US officials, discussions of future assistance and the granting of a national interest certification on counter-narcotics effective in March 1999, strengthened the ties of friendship between the two nations and Nigeria emerged as a key partner of the U.S on the continent. (Msn.com) Two American Presidents, Bill Clinton and George Bush visited Nigeria in August 2000 and July 2003 respectively. ECONOMIC RELATIONS Economic assistance from the U.S to Nigeria increased within the period under study. Rising to $78.5 million in 2000 from 23.6 Million in 1999. In 2003, US economic assistance to Nigeria is estimated at $ 65.2 million. The American challenge in its policy towards Nigeria was to formulate a substantive partnership against the background that Nigeria provides 8  percent of America’s oil needs. (Msn.com) The United States worked closely with the central bank of Nigeria and other relevant institutions to improve the environment for investment in agriculture through policy reforms at the national and state levels. Other trade initiatives by the U.S government included capacity building in customs operations, policy reforms to encourage trade exchanges, African growth and opportunity act (AGOA) incentives for bilateral trade. Nigeria also benefited from the initiative to end hunger in Africa plan, among several other programmes. (Msn.com) What all of this demonstrates is the fact that between 1999-2003 the economic relations between Nigeria was not only very cordial and engaging, but it was characterized by the inflow of several technical aid packages intent to help boost the fortunes of the Nigerian economy. MILITARY RELATIONS In the area of defense relations between Nigeria and the U.S, the United States has supported the peacekeeping and simulation centres at the war college in Abuja-the only one of its kind in Africa. Other areas of U.S Nigeria defense relations in the period under review included personnel training, developmental and technical aid, arms sales to Nigeria, law enforcement co-operation in border control and against arms smuggling and oil theft. Military cooperation between Nigeria and U.S has been clearly manifested in the effort at resolving the Liberian crises. Wherein the U.S provided logistical equipment to the Nigerian military. The training of Nigeria military personnel in American institutions intensified. The United States also offered to provide specialized training and some facilities to the Nigeria police within this period. However, the military relationship between Nigeria and America was not without challenges or even tensions, for example, Nigerians, civilians and military alike were not keen on U.S military presence in their country. Many still attribute General Obasanjo’s replacement of Victor Malu as army chief to Malu’s open opposition to the increased military co-operation with the United States. It is the thought out opinion of this paper, that Nigeria-U.S relations within this period, especially as it concerns the economic and military ties, was in a state of growth and expansion (Aka; 2005). A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TWO EPOCHS American – Nigerian relations in the first republic (1960-1966) was predicated upon a mutual need for each other by the two nations. It was a relationship of mutual respect and friendliness. But most importantly, it was a dignified relationship for Nigeria which though a very young independent state, had effectively mobilized her resources to earn a respectful height within the community of nations in such a short time. (Clark 1991). Nigeria had cause to request for the in flow of American capital into her economy but even this did not diminish her sense of pride and independence. Whenever the need arose, Nigeria did not shy away from taking a different position to that of America. e.g. on the division of the world into blocs, Angola etc. The Head of Nigerian government in this period, Sir, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was awarded a honorary doctorate of laws by the university of New York. He was also made an honorary citizen of three cities: Chicago, New York and New Orleans (Clark: 1991). Between 1999 and 2003, was a period of reengagement for the two na tions after a near total breakdown in relations. But this, time the power dynamics were radically different from what obtained between 1960 and 1966. In 1999, the United States’ of America was not just an alternative power bloc in the world that had another power bloc to contend with. She was now a sole, undisputed world power with an unrivalled economic and military might. (Abdullahi, 2004), whereas Nigeria, in spite of the potentials she is endowed with and the promise she had held in 1960, was a nation almost on her knees, a nation that had retarded in just about every aspect of its life and was attempting to rediscover itself. Prior to 1999, the U.S had stood with the Nigerian people in their struggle against dictatorship. In this era, it was not a relationship of two equals or near equals, No! It was an interaction between a world power and an oil producing strong state, that had fallen into a deep socio-economic comma. It was a â€Å"hand out† relationship. Nigeria looked up to the United States for every form of assistance. The U.S provided much for Nigeria supposedly, in the spirit of encouraging democratic g overnance. Especially, in form of economic and military aid packages. However, American oil corporations had unfettered access to Nigeria’s oil in return. But despite the exchange of visits between the presidents of the two countries, and the increased co-operation between the two countries, America refused to grant Nigeria’s request for a debt cancellation. It maintained that Nigeria had the resources to pay off her debts. The best Nigeria was offered is a  debt rescheduling. CONCLUSION In conclusion, this work was introduced within the frame work of foreign policy analysis, a conceptual clarification of relevant theoretical framework within which the study is located has been stated, Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives has been examined, motives for the collaboration between Nigeria and the U.S was X-rayed. The work also attempted an incisive analysis of the economic and military relationship between the countries in the two different epochs as it was required to do. This work shall now proceed to state some recommendations that should form the basis of a policy of relationship between Nigeria and the United States of America. First, greater consistency in the U.S-Nigeria military-security relationship. Washington should recognize that its national interest is best served if Nigeria is able to be a force for democracy and stability in the region. Military and security collaboration between the two countries and in Africa generally, can only increase, given t he threat of terrorism world wide. Second, increasing America’s diplomatic reach within Nigeria by establishing arenas for U.S. Exchanges with critical areas, such as its oil-producing areas in the Niger Delta and in Northern Nigeria where the U.S closed consular offices. Such diplomatic reach could help the U.S to make a contribution to conflict management in Nigeria. Third, developing a strategy for an economic action agenda in Nigeria, which must involve business and government actors in the U.S and Nigeria, as well as inviting input from the non-governmental sector. Such a strategy should focus on three priorities: first, an acknowledgement of the business community’s responsibility to be a constructive player in Nigeria’s economic and democratic transition; second, a focus on restructuring the extractive industry to curb corruption; and third, a focus on restoring agricultural industries to help alleviate rural poverty, curb rural-urban pressures and strengthen trade and export. Fourth, eliminating debt overhang and investing in education, health and human development; and fifth, strengthening democratic institutions and governance structures which involves supporting democratic dialogue across the political spectrum, as well as assisting in training for elections and parliamentary and political party development. Lastly, America ’s support for Nigeria should now be stronger than ever, with the re-institution of  democratic government. The touchstone should be â€Å"genuinely reciprocal and mutually beneficial† relationships unaffected by the vagaries of power and party affiliation in Washington; a policy that constantly engages the people and the leaders of Nigeria, that is not an appendage of any general policy that constantly engages the people and the leaders of Nigeria, that is not an appendage of any general policy, and that recognizes the fact that only a fundamental restructuring of the political and economic systems can bring about true democracy in Nigeria. (Aka, 2005; Clark, 1991; Abdullahi, 2004) REFERENCES Adeniran, T (1983). Introduction to international relations. Lagos Macmillan Johari, J.C. (1982). Comparative politics London: Sterling publishers. Okere, J.O (2000). Theory, theorizing in international relations and politics Owerri: Achugo Publishers. Mahajan, V.G (2000) Political Theory New Delhi: Chand Publishers. Abdullahi M.Y. (2004). The web of Nigerian politics. Abuja: AnnyPrints Productions. 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