Politics and Power in Today’s Corporate World Essay -- Corporations Po

Politics and Power in Today’s Corporate World An effective organization focuses on strong leadership, power and political issues. These components are critical to creating an organization mindful of values, ethics, culture and innovation. Analyzing the use of power and politics are essential to understanding the behavior of individuals within organizations. There are two sides to power and politics. In one respect power and politics imply the shady side of leadership. However, power and politics can be positive tools that managers use to accomplish tasks. This paper defines power and politics and examines how one can be used to influence the other in a positive way, thus resulting in gain, and in a negative, corruptive way, which ultimately leads to destruction of an organization. POWER Power has been described as the last dirty word. Money is easier than power for most people to talk about. People who have power deny it; people who want power try not to appear to be seeking it, and those who are good at getting power are secretive about how they got it (Kanter, 1979). The essence of power is control. In organizational behavior power is defined as the ability of controlling the behavior of others. Power is the force one uses to get things done. Power and leadership should not be confused. Leadership achieves goals and power is the means to facilitate their achievement. Power focuses on the tactics for gaining compliance while leadership focuses on style. Power is not without influence. One has influence when one has power. Power and influence are key components when a person is trying to achieve organizational goals. Power is divided into two categories; position and personal (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, 2003). Power-based on a person’s position has six bases: coercive, reward, legitimate, process, information and representative (Schermerhorn, et al., 2003). The coercive power base is defined as being dependent on fear. A person will react to this power out of fear of the negative results that might occur. A manager has the power to suspend or terminate an employee this gives the manager coercive power over the employee. The opposite of coercive power is reward power. People comply with the wishes or directives of another because doing so produces positive benefits. In the organization context it can apply to promotions or favorable performanc... ...ely leads to destruction of an organization. Power and politics can be used to influence the success or failure of an organization. An effective organization selects strong leadership and takes precautious steps to control power and political issues. An organization that fully understands these issues creates a culture centered on values, ethics and innovation. By analyzing power and politics we are able to understand how they influence individual behavior in organizations. We can also better understand how they are used with good intentions and how to avoid them in destructive situations. References Kantar, R. (1979). Power failure in management circuits. Harvard Business Review, July-August, p.65. Iwata, E. (2004, July 9). Enron’s Ken Lay: cuffed but confident. USA Today. University of Phoenix. (Ed). (2003). Organizational Behavior, [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text]. John Wiley Publisher. Retrieved April 9, 2005 from University of Phoenix, Resource, MGT/331-Organizational Behavior Website: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp http://money.cnn.com/2002/05/07/news/companies/enron_board/index.htm http://www.gatesfoundation.org Politics and Power in Today’s Corporate World Essay -- Corporations Po Politics and Power in Today’s Corporate World An effective organization focuses on strong leadership, power and political issues. These components are critical to creating an organization mindful of values, ethics, culture and innovation. Analyzing the use of power and politics are essential to understanding the behavior of individuals within organizations. There are two sides to power and politics. In one respect power and politics imply the shady side of leadership. However, power and politics can be positive tools that managers use to accomplish tasks. This paper defines power and politics and examines how one can be used to influence the other in a positive way, thus resulting in gain, and in a negative, corruptive way, which ultimately leads to destruction of an organization. POWER Power has been described as the last dirty word. Money is easier than power for most people to talk about. People who have power deny it; people who want power try not to appear to be seeking it, and those who are good at getting power are secretive about how they got it (Kanter, 1979). The essence of power is control. In organizational behavior power is defined as the ability of controlling the behavior of others. Power is the force one uses to get things done. Power and leadership should not be confused. Leadership achieves goals and power is the means to facilitate their achievement. Power focuses on the tactics for gaining compliance while leadership focuses on style. Power is not without influence. One has influence when one has power. Power and influence are key components when a person is trying to achieve organizational goals. Power is divided into two categories; position and personal (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, 2003). Power-based on a person’s position has six bases: coercive, reward, legitimate, process, information and representative (Schermerhorn, et al., 2003). The coercive power base is defined as being dependent on fear. A person will react to this power out of fear of the negative results that might occur. A manager has the power to suspend or terminate an employee this gives the manager coercive power over the employee. The opposite of coercive power is reward power. People comply with the wishes or directives of another because doing so produces positive benefits. In the organization context it can apply to promotions or favorable performanc... ...ely leads to destruction of an organization. Power and politics can be used to influence the success or failure of an organization. An effective organization selects strong leadership and takes precautious steps to control power and political issues. An organization that fully understands these issues creates a culture centered on values, ethics and innovation. By analyzing power and politics we are able to understand how they influence individual behavior in organizations. We can also better understand how they are used with good intentions and how to avoid them in destructive situations. References Kantar, R. (1979). Power failure in management circuits. Harvard Business Review, July-August, p.65. Iwata, E. (2004, July 9). Enron’s Ken Lay: cuffed but confident. USA Today. University of Phoenix. (Ed). (2003). Organizational Behavior, [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text]. John Wiley Publisher. Retrieved April 9, 2005 from University of Phoenix, Resource, MGT/331-Organizational Behavior Website: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp http://money.cnn.com/2002/05/07/news/companies/enron_board/index.htm http://www.gatesfoundation.org

Why English Is Important :: Education, Personal Experience

Being an AP Senior English student – what does it mean to me? In my opinion, this title – â€Å"AP Senior English student† – is a symbol of a larger commitment. A commitment, by definition, is dedication to a particular pursuit. In this case, I have chosen to pursue the study of English at such a high level (for a high school student) not simply because it is required by my diploma, but because I have a genuine interest in the subject and a passion for knowledge. Commitment to AP Senior English is also an investment in my own education and self-improvement. I know that, in this class, discussion will venture outside the norms of state-required curriculum and venture off into the realms of â€Å"outside-the-box† critical thinking. I recognize that just because a particular legislature or organization dictates what should be learned, I have an obligation to overstep these boundaries. This is because I have put myself on a higher path of learning known as the â€Å"IB Diploma Program.† An IB Diploma says its holder has universally-recognized mastery at the primary education level. I feel it is my duty to fulfill that obligation and to be an ambassador of County High School’s academic opportunities. My definition of an AP Senior English student is simple: a student who understands that knowledge cannot be measured with a ruler. This student pursues knowledge as its own reward. He (or she) recognizes that in order to be successful, and gain the respect and trust of others, one first has to invest in themselves. To me, this class is like a

An unsuccessful learning experience

My unsuccessful learning experience was when I was 16 and starting my Maths A level. We had 2 teachers who split the course material between them, one taking pure maths and the other applied maths. The teacher in charge of the pure maths, which had enjoyed up to A level and received an A for (in the days before A* existed, so top marks in other words), was a young man who had just qualified from his PGCE and came to teach us A level maths.The main problem wasn't the teacher's age, I'm sure plenty of young teachers are very capable, the issue was more that he didn't have the self confidence to stand up to the more lively characters in the class. He didn't know how to respond when a pupil would try and disrupt the class by talking about something irrelevant, like last nights television, therefore that pupil would carry on talking and valuable lesson time would be wasted. Even when he did ask people to be quiet a fair amount of disruption had already been made.The other issue was that h e didn't know his subject, in this case pure maths, well enough. I remember clearly one day the entire class followed him working out a complicated equation, writing down his calculations as we went along. After using up two blackboards worth of calculations he came to his answer, only for one of the pupils to check the answers in the back of out text book and announce it was the wrong answer. By then he had erased half of his calculation and he couldn't go back to see where he had made a mistake.It wasn't the only time his calculations were wrong or he was unsure of his subject, which made the pupils very nervous. The short term result was that my class was time-tabled extra maths lessons to try to cover for this teacher's lack of covering his subject, with the other maths teacher working longer lesson hours to try to get us through the exam. The longer term result was that the Pure maths results for that year were far lower than expected and the teacher was moved down to teaching 11-12 year olds maths.

Leadership at Amazon.com Essay

Amazon.com is an internet giant in terms of e-commerce. It was incorporated by Jeff Bezos in 1994 under the name Cadabra. In 1995 he changed the name to Amazon because he decided the former sounded too similar to â€Å"cadaver† and because he wanted a name beginning with â€Å"A† so it would potentially be at the top of any search results returned in alphabetical order. Amazon.com has headquarters in Seattle, Washington but has retail websites across the globe. It is the world’s largest internet company. Jeff Bezos has a solid reputation that is appreciated by colleagues, employees, and customers alike. Forbes magazine touts his status as â€Å"our greatest living CEO† while his employees perhaps know him best for leaving an empty seat open at conference meeting tables. The empty chair is symbolic of the customer at Amazon.com and Bezos often refers to it as â€Å"the most important person in the room† (Hartung 2013). While many leaders in retail recognize the importance of customer satisfaction, by making the customer an active presence at meetings Jeff Bezos sends a powerful message to his constituents. Some of the characteristics of Jeff Bezos leadership style are that he always challenges idle thinking, he makes customer service a main priority, and he continuously renovates his approach. Bezos does not accept that there is one truth about the way things should be done, even if that way has proven to be successful previously. An example of how Bezos challenges idle thinking also illustrates his stark belief that failure is an opportunity to progress: Years ago, when the bulk of product was written and spoken language the company hired editors to write book and music reviews then decided to use customers critiques instead (Anders, 2012). That relatively small decision speaks volumes of Jeff’s commitment to truth and to customer satisfaction. A hallmark of Jeff Bezo’s leadership style is his innovative reinventing of any process, idea, or task regardless of how big or small it is. Bezo has a critical eye for improvement, and the intestinal fortitude to make changes where and whenever he sees fit. An example of this is Bezo’s solution to shipping fees. Instead of the expected shipping and handling fee added to  each item at checkout, he invented a unique solution. He implemented Amazon Prime, a service that charges an annual fee for unlimited 2 day shipping on eligible items, of which there are thousands. This has significantly reduced the hassle of checkout for several reasons. Subscribing to Amazon Prime eliminates calculating extra fees based on distance and the timeframe for delivery of items. It also promotes a positive customer experience by not seeing totals continue to increase as tax and shipping fees are tacked on during the last few clicks of checkout. Lastly, it speeds the checkout process by offering one click ordering using previously saved information such as address and payment info. A simple solution to the sometimes painful fees associated with product delivery has made a huge impact on the customers Amazon.com shopping experience! My own individual leadership styles and characteristics are similar to Jeff’s in regards to reinventing. Though I have never used that word to describe my approach it is in line with how I tackle and solve problems. I am never satisfied with one way to do things, and I abjure routine. At the forefront of my leadership style I am always considering my resources whether it be an innovative new process or lesson, considering the ideas my partner or team presents, and utilizing help in any fashion to carry out effective leadership. To be an effective leader, all of the leadership styles commonly associated with powerful leadership abilities would apply and they include Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating. The challenge for the leader is the flexibility to recognize the dynamics of the situation and be versatile in the application of the different styles. Consider a Mass Casualty Incident, or â€Å"MCI† such as the recent tragedy in Boston, the marathon bombing. MCI leadership would first be responsible for establishing command and Delegating others to oversee patient triaging, which is the sorting of victims by severity of injury or illness. As Emergency vehicles and personnel respond to the scene, MCI leadership would Direct resources to the appropriate locations. Because there may be so many different levels of personnel at the scene of an MCI, leadership may have to Coach lesser trained personnel to effectively carry out necessary tasks involved in scene management. Finally, an effective leader in this scenario would recognize where Supportive care, resources, and needs of the team should be addressed. Some of the leadership characteristics I share in common with Jeff Bezos are  passion, fearlessness, and confidence. Environmental or Societal factors that might influence my approach to leadership at this organization would be politics and inexperience. Even as I feel as though my leadership characteristics are similar to the CEO of Amazon’s, it would be a challenge to understand how they apply in a business model. In contrast, I have achieved efficiency and success with similar styles in a healthcare setting which can somewhat be comparable to business in the interest of organization, responsibility, and professionalism. Even if I were in a different organization I do not feel as though my style or characteristics would alter. I may adjust them to meet the demands of the current situation, organization or environment but I would always be functioning on a core set of values that would adapt to my needs, versus my needs adapting to my values. Economic conditions would influence my approach to leadership affecting budget and finances. Like Jeff Bezos, I support spending a significant amount of resources dedicated to customer service and evaluations of what the customer wants. In times of a strong economy I would want to expand the Amazon product and consider a restaurant line to the online retail chain as a means of satisfying 2 venues: a retail storefront, and a new experience for fine dining. Diners would be able to experience the Amazon style of purchasing by specifically choosing what ingredients, cooking methods, and dinging decor they want by placing orders through the website at tableside mounte d computers. Amazon Prime members would receive a discount or some type of special privilege, and orders would be delivered in a timely manner to the customer. References Amazon.com. (2014, February 9). Retrieved September 2, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com Anders, G. (2012, April 23). Jeff Bezos’s Top 10 Leadership Lessons. Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeanders/2012/04/04/bezos-tips/ Hartung, A. (2013, January 8). Why Jeff Bezos is Our Greatest Living CEO. Retrieved September 5, 2014. McGinn, D. (2013, October 18). How Jeff Bezos Makes Decisions. Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/how-jeff-bezos-makes-decisions/

Racism in South Africa

It is easy for people to shut their eyes to things they do not witness, like bigotry, racism, and the cruelty of South Africa. According to Blob Kiwanis â€Å"It has been nearly a decade and a half after the end of apartheid† and South Africans are finally realizing there Is a problem with racism (Swank, 2008). This realization occurred after white students from the university of the Free State, made a racist video. This video showed the students degrading and humiliating four black workers. The racism portrayed by these students was said to be deep-seated.These students even went so far as to allegedly, urinate in the four lack workers food (Kiwanis, 2008). In 1994 a man was fed up with his black worker, so the black man was fed to the lions (Kiwanis, 2008). This type of cruelty is not as common as it once was, but any act such as this should not be allowed to take place in the free world. Imagine living every day in fear, never knowing what the day is going to be like. What about tomorrow? This behavior is something most people never have to experience in their lifetime, but what about those that get to witness these events first hand?The violence and hatred that has caused a country to live In ear, was said to be a symptom of globalization, by a country that calls Itself a â€Å"Rainbow Nation†, yet was not supposedly about racism at all (Perry, 2008). 3 It became apparent in 2008, when 42 black people were killed. These people were raped, neaten, eroded, Ana Turned alive. I Nils type AT loathing NAS lave a country (Perry, 2008). These types of incidents have diminished over time, but are still evident in the culture. The cultures in South Africa are many and most are still high in the masculine beliefs. Ethnicity is the differences in culture and is diverse in SouthAfrica. The many different tribes and people have similar yet different beliefs. Race refers to the social construction on the difference of skin color, or nationalities (South Afri ca and its Culture, 2011). Polygamy is still carried out and a dowry is still permitted in most of South Africans cultures. Cattle are a sign of wealth and also used as a symbol for sacrifice. The Zulu is one of the strongest surviving black culture in South Africa (South Africa and its Culture, 2011). Xhosa are also a strong presence in the South African culture, and are referred to as the red people.The red people are called this because the red dye they use on their clothing, worn by most adults. The Indelible are related to the Red people, but live in the North-western corner of what now is called Mulligan, in vibrant painted homes (South Africa and its Culture, 2011). Then there are the Dutch settlers along with the British, these people are known as Afrikaners, and are the majority of the South African population (South Africa and its Culture, 2011). Surprisingly there is a large Jewish population that resides in South Africa; no doubt the survivors of Hitler and his brutal re in.Brutality is not the only problem that has affected the people of South Africa. Because of this racism the poverty level has remained a problem. If a company only hires white people to work, how are people of color ever going to rise above poverty? The Jobs available to black people in South Africa are almost non-existent. If there are no Jobs then there is no money to be made. No money means no food, no shelter, and no means to support a family. This is another instance of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. 4 Are people so blind and callused, as to not care how the actions and the words thrown out will affect others?What about the future of innocent souls to come? Why is one color any better than another? Who gets to decide these types of things? If a person were to close their eyes and solely Judge another based on their personality, or the way they are treated by a person, our world would be a different place to live. Discrimination has kept the people of South Afric a in poverty for way to long, it is time to break the chains of bigotry and learn to live together in a peaceful place. A place where color does not mean you are rejected for a Job, or for housing. A place where everyone is color blind seems ideal, does it not?Education is a factor for the people of South Africa. People are more concerned with finding a Job; instead they are worrying about whether or not they can attend school. And the sad part about that is that in order to get a good Job or even a Job, education would be beneficial. This is one of the excuses for not hiring people with black skin, they are not as educated. This is one way companies get around race (Reuters, 2001). The companies use this as their reason for hiring the white person applying for the Job and not the black person. It is a vicious circle for the people of South Africa.

Innocence project paper Essay

Since 1992, almost three hundred people in the United States have been exonerated by the Innocence Project. What this means is that almost three hundred people have been acquitted for a crime that they were falsely convicted of committing and were then released back into society. Many of these false convictions were the result of a lack of technology back in the time of the trials which lead to unvalidated or improper use of forensic science. Some additional reasons that people are wrongfully convicted are misidentifications from eyewitnesses and false confessions. In this paper, I plan to write about Kenneth Ireland. His story shows how wrongful convictions and exonerations are issues in the United States. On September 3, 1986, when Kenneth was only sixteen years old, a thirty year old woman named Barbara Pelkey was found dead in the factory where she worked overnight. She had been raped and suffered a massive blow to the head. Kenneth heard about the crime while watching from his bedroom and was stunned that something that horrific could happen to someone in his small town. There was an autopsy done on the victim as well as a rape kit being collected. The rape kit found that there were sperm cells present on the vaginal and anal swabs. The investigation continued for another year without any arrests, but soon after two informants came to the police and accused Kenneth Ireland and two other men of committing the crime. The police said that the two witnesses had claimed that Kenneth and the other men were making statements to them about their involvement in the crime. In addition to that information, these informants had also given additional unpublished details about the crime and had told the police that their knowledge of this information had come straight from Kenneth Ireland. Six months later, a third informant came to the police and told them that Kenneth had admitted to committing the crime. The informant wasn’t sure if Kenneth was awake at the time he had made the statements, nor was she sure that she hadn’t imagined them being said. All she was sure of that night was that she was drunk. Ultimately, because of these three informants, Kenneth Ireland was charged with felony murder, first degree sexual assault and third degree burglary. Despite being one of the three men that were accused of committing the crime, only Kenneth Ireland was tried for the crime. One of the three men had drowned before the trial took place and the other was never tried for some reason unknown to me. The trial was held in 1989, and Ireland’s attorney tried to prove that the initial two informants had presented false information to the police. They were thought to be protecting another potential suspect in the case. This other potential suspect had admitted to making inconsistent remarks to the police while the investigation was still ongoing. However, Ireland’s attorney was stopped by the judge when he attempted to present evidence regarding this other suspect. A police officer had stated during the trial that the fingerprints at the crime scene were not a match to Kenneth’s fingerprints and in addition to that a forensic analyst confirmed that the hairs from the scene were different from those of Kenneth. It was determined via the same analyst that the semen found in the rape kit was from a non-secretor. A non-secretor is a person whose blood type is not exhibited in their bodily secretions. Kenneth Ireland, along with twenty percent of all men, is a non-secretor, and the sample was also consistent with that of the victim. This meant that nobody could be excluded from the crime. During the first round of the deliberations, the jury was split 6-6. After three additional days, the jury had found Kenneth Ireland guilty and he was sentenced to fifty years in prison. It was said that Kenneth Ireland was convicted because he could not be ruled out of the blood or seminal evidence, his lawyer didn’t challenge that evidence, and his lawyer didn’t put Kenneth on the stand. In 1991, Ireland had appealed his conviction, stating that the two informants had been given a twenty thousand dollar reward in exchange for his implication. Ireland also declared that his attorney was unable to present evidence that would indicate another alternative suspect. This appeal would ultimately be denied. They again tried to appeal in 1999, when the biological evidence was put into DNA testing but results were proved nothing. It wasn’t until 207 that the Connecticut Innocence Project started to review Ireland’s case. With the help of new DNA testing methods, they were able to test the DNA evidence and rule out Kenneth as the person responsible for Barbara Pelkey’s murder. It then took another two years for Ireland to get a new trial, where he was proven innocent and allowed to be a free man. He ended up spending nineteen and a half years in prison for a crime he did not commit. As of today, Kenneth Ireland has not been compensated for his wrongful conviction and prison time. However, he and his lawyer have filed an eight million dollar claim against the state of Connecticut for the wrongful conviction. I’m not sure that eight million dollars is enough to compensate for almost twenty critical years of his life. He missed out on some of the most important years in anyone’s life and it is very difficult to put a price on something like that. Some good news is that the real killer has been found. In 2009, the blood evidence at the scene that was tested turned out to be that of Kevin Benefield. Kevin was initially a suspect when the investigation began, but the focus shifted towards Ireland. He worked at a deli near Pelkey’s workplace and was connected to her sexually but he denied the murder. Kevin was convicted in January of 2012 of the murder and felony murder of Barbara Pelkey. Both of those crimes carry twenty five to sixty years of prison time penalties. I think that it will be much harder for things like this happen in the future in the manner that it did in Kenneth Ireland’s case. It seemed to me that one of the major areas of evidence towards his conviction was the semen sample. He could not be ruled out because it was the semen of a non-secretor and he was a non-secretor. With the advances in DNA testing technology, they can test the semen and easily identify whose it is. This would have immediately been great evidence in proving that Ireland was innocent. I don’t really understand how the hair and fingerprint evidence weren’t weighed more heavily. If it was proven that the fingerprints and the hair at the scene of the crime weren’t his, that seems to me that it should have been pretty good evidence in his favor. To me it seems like he wasn’t given a fair chance at being proven innocent. In my opinion, this was a rather unfortunate trial for Kenneth Ireland. The fact that people were being paid off to implicate him was unlucky, and I feel like this is what really pushed him into the situation he was in. Even though his hair and fingerprints weren’t at the scene, because these three people came to the police saying that Kenneth had admitted to committing the crime really set him up for conviction. The blood and semen, which wasn’t able to be thoroughly examined due to the limitations in technology couldn’t save him because he was one of the twenty percent of all men who are non-secretors. Due to this, he could not be ruled out, even though to me it seems that if his hair and fingerprints weren’t present at the crime scene it wasn’t him who committed the crime. It also seems that his lawyer didn’t do a great job either. They had evidence to show the court that was denied that would have been really good for Kenneth’s case and he never had Kenneth go on the stand. I don’t know everything about the rules of a trial, but if there is evidence that can prove someone’s innocence, there must be something that you as a lawyer can do to get the court to see it. It is that important. It is terrible that Kenneth had to suffer for almost twenty years in prison for a crime that he did not commit and I couldn’t imagine what he must have went through. It really is a shame that the DNA testing technology couldn’t have been implemented or used earlier to at least lessen the nightmare that he had to endure. In conclusion, the amount of wrongful convictions that have taken place in the United States is too high. Lying informants, incorrect eyewitness reports, and the improper use of forensic science are many reasons that people are wrongfully convicted. Thankfully, there have been incredible advances in the technology used to test DNA that can now be used to help these wrongfully convicted people get back to the free world. It’s terrible to think of the years that they lost or even the lives that they might have lost if they were given the death penalty, but at least organizations like the Innocence Project are doing what they can to exonerate these wrongfully convicted people. The story of Kenneth Ireland is a sad tale of a young man falsely committed of raping and murdering a woman. He spent nineteen and a half years in prison for a crime he did not commit, missing out on his entire twenties and most of his thirties. These years are critical for people as they go to college, begin a career, and start a family. These are years that he cannot get back, but he is very fortunate to have the ability to move on as a free man as he looks towards the future. Works Cited Davis, Mark. â€Å"Freed by DNA, Ireland Speaks out.† WTNH TV. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . â€Å"The Innocence Project – Know the Cases: Browse Profiles:Kenneth Ireland.† The Innocence Project – Know the Cases: Browse Profiles:Kenneth Ireland. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . â€Å"Kenneth Ireland.† Kenneth Ireland. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . Kovner, Josh, and Alaine Griffin. â€Å"Man Wrongly Imprisoned Plans To Skip Convicted Murderer’s Sentencing.† Hartford Courant. N.p., 21 Mar. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . â€Å"Sentencing Today In 1986 CT Murder After Earlier Wrongful Conviction.† CBS New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. .

Political science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Political science - Essay Example As Hoffman and William say. A further reason why the Middle East is becoming more important is high oil prices. Although oil prices are far below their 2008 peak of US$147/bbl, they are expected to remain high due to rising demand from China, India, and other emerging markets. Despite efforts by international oil companies to tap into new sources, such as the Caspian Sea, West Africa, and Brazil’s offshore deposits, and despite moves to develop alternative energy sources, oil is likely to remain paramount. Meanwhile, the windfall of high oil prices should continue to boost investment in the Middle East, making it an important economic region. Apart from Israel, Lebanon and Turkey, no Middle Eastern state has an entirely democratic political system. Iran has competitive elections, but ultimate power rests with the ruling clerics. The other countries are all absolute monarchies or led by authoritarian presidents, although there are varying degrees of parliamentary representation. As a result, most leaders have questionable legitimacy. Opposition groups tend to be suppressed, and governments maintain powerful security services to keep their populations in line. This system of government has fostered patronage and corruption, in turn adding to public dissatisfaction. Arguably, the biggest question for the Middle East is whether it can continue to be an exception to the spread of democracy worldwide or whether democracy will eventually take hold. As per Wunderle openion. Over the coming decade, we expect several Middle Eastern states – notably Egypt and Saudi Arabia – to face succession issues, as incumbent heads of state pass from the scene. In Egypt, the outlook is highly uncertain, amid signs that President Hosni Mubarak is grooming his son Gamal to succeed him and opposition to this. In Saudi Arabia, the succession procedure is clearer cut, but a power