Analysis of Barclays Bank Essay

Introduction The process of restructuring the telecommunication sector truly got under way in Cameroon in June 1995, when the authorities decided thoroughly to reform network industry sectors such as water, electricity and telecommunications with a view to creating a favourable environment in which to develop their infrastructure and services and thus to satisfy increasingly exigent demand. The process took the form of liberalization, State withdrawal from the sectors concerned and the establishment of a  market structure enabling Cameroon to remain in step with the especially rapid global developments in the telecommunication sector; indeed, in spite of the investments made, the coverage rate and quality of service offered had remained largely inadequate. The process was carried out not only by defining the conditions and mechanisms liable to guarantee the sector’s opening to private initiative, but also by enacting regulations and taking measures intended to enable the sector to play t he decisive role incumbent on it in Cameroon’s economic development. Telecommunication sector reform in Cameroon is not limited to the establishment of new regulations and legislation, to the revision of the institutional framework and the establishment of an interconnection regime or to the introduction of competition. It should also comprise bringing behaviour in line with the times. One of our chief concerns is therefore also effective application of the regulations with a view to fulfilling the universal service obligation, ensuring consumer protection and providing for effective and appropriate regulation of true competition. The acquisition of the required know-how is the biggest challenge we face. The institutional players on Cameroon’s telecommunications scene are, as in many other African countries, of the opinion that any society that delays in jumping on the NTIC train will remain mired in a state of underdevelopment. Observations Background Before 1990, as in most African countries, telecommunication services were managed by a national publicly-owned monopoly. The administration in charge of telecommunications set the rules, ensured they were applied and was itself an operator. The results did not always live up to expectations. In June 1990, the President of the Republic signed the order on the programme to privatize public and semi-public enterprises. The telecommunication sector was added to the programme in June 1995. In July 1998, law 98/014 governing telecommunications in Cameroon (the Telecommunications Act) was promulgated. It established the Telecommunication Regulatory Agency and attributed sector responsibilities to a variety of players: the operation of  telecommunication networks to operators, regulatory matters, i.e. application of the rules and supervision of operators, to a regulatory body, the definition of sector policy and the enactment of market regulations to the telecommunication administration. In September of the same year, two public enterprises, CAMTEL for the fixed telephone service and CAMTEL MOBILE for the mobile telephone service, were set up to take over the telecommunication activities of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and of the public enterprise INTELCAM, which was in charge of operating and developing international telecommunication installations. The Telecommunication Regulatory Agency was set up at the  same time. Immediately after, the sale of a mobile telephone licence and the process of privatizing CAMTEL and CAMTEL MOBILE got under way. In June 1999, a mobile telephone licence was granted to a private enterprise. The privatization of CAMTEL MOBILE was completed in February 2000. The privatization of CAMTEL is not yet complete. A third mobile telephone licence is to be issued. In less than two years, the sector has undergone sweeping change. Suffice it to mention one indicator: in January 2000 there was one mobile telephone operator with about 5 000 subscribers; on 31 March 2001 there were two operators with over 140 000 subscribers. This rapid and in-depth transformation is taking place within a constantly improving legal framework. II A liberal legal framework The development of new technologies and liberalization have permitted access to new telecommunication services which, depending on their specific natures, require appropriate regulation. The Telecommunications Act sets forth a new regulatory framework, opening the telecommunication sector to competition. The framework, which distinguishes between public and private networks, provides for three legal arrangements: concessions, authorizations  and declarations. 1 Concessions The State can grant one or several public or private corporate bodies all or part of its rights to establish and/or operate telecommunication networks. The concession is subject to strict compliance with the requirements set forth in a list of terms and conditions. This arrangement allows the State not only to keep a watchful eye on the harmonious development of modern telecommunication infrastructure, but also and above all to heighten its control over the development and supply of the basic services and facilities us ually demanded by the majority of users. 2 Authorizations The arrangement of prior authorization applies to the establishment and/or operation of telecommunication networks by physical persons or corporate bodies with a view to providing the public with a basic telecommunication service, a value-added service, a bearer service or any other service by using one or several radio frequencies. A list of terms and conditions containing the requirements to be met is attached to the licence issued to the bearer of a prior authorization. The authorization is issued for a fixed period and can be withdrawn under certain circumstances. 3 Declarations Declarations apply to the establishment of private internal networks, low-range and low-capacity private independent networks (that are not radio networks), low-range and low-capacity radio installations (to be determined  by the Administration), and the provision to the public of telecommunication services other than those subject to the arrangements of concession and authorization. Telecommunication terminal equipment is either freely provided or subject to type-approval. Certain provisions of the Telecommunications Act are detailed in decrees and implementing legislation. We shall not examine all of them here; indeed, some of them are still being drafted. The reform in Cameroon established the separation between the regulatory and operating functions. It works in favour of operators being entities controlled by private capital. The general framework for competition is governed by legislation on competition. The legal framework is supplemented by institutions. III 1 A revised institutional framework The telecommunication administration Spectrum management and the legislation and regulations relating to telecommunications are the exclusive domain of the State. The telecommunication administration has been invested, on behalf of the government, with general jurisdiction over the sector. It sets the general regulatory framework. It therefore establishes and implements telecommunication sector policy, whose aim must be to safeguard the missions of public service, to promote harmonious network development throughout the national territory and effective private sector participation in the sector’s wealth and employment-generating activities, and to ensure compliance by all operators with the applicable treaties, laws and regulations. In addition, the administration supervises the telecommunication sector, oversees public telecommunication enterprises, represents the State at international telecommunication-related organizations and events, and manages the radio spectrum on behalf of the State. The Telecommunication Regulatory Agency, which technically answers to the telecommunication administration, is the specialized body in charge of  facilitating actual application of the regulations issued. 2 The Telecommunication Regulatory Agency The organization of the Telecommunication Regulatory Agency established by the Telecommunications Act is set forth in decree No. 98/197 of 8 September 1998. The Agency has three main duties: – to ensure the regulations are implemented; – to guarantee respect for the regulations and the exercise of competition; – to settle certain disputes between operators. The Agency’s regulatory authority is subject to performance of the following activities: – definition of the principles governing tariffs for services; – examination of requests for authorization and declaration and of type-approval files for terminal equipment to be connected to public networks; – establishment of principles for calculating interconnection costs; – establishment and management of numbering plans; – management of the frequencies attributed to telecommunications; – submission to the government of proposals aimed at developing and modernizing the sector; – opinions on draft legislative and regulatory texts concerning telecommunications; – control and penalties for infractions. The Agency is specifically competent to settle disputes concerning interconnection, access to a public network, numbering, cases of harmful interference, and sharing of infrastructure. The Telecommunications Act provides the Agency with a quasi-judicial body and an arbitration procedure can be set in motion should one or the other of the parties be opposed. The parties remain free to bring their case before the competent court. IV Human resources Human resources are the key to management and progress, for they have knowledge, that rarest of economic commodities in the 21st century. The current transition from a monopoly environment to that of controlled competition has given rise to new demands in terms of basic knowledge and know- how in telecommunication regulation. Telecommunication leaders and staff in Cameroon were still dealing with the transition from analogue to digital when circuit switching was suddenly replaced by packet switching. This recent change has reshaped the concept and definition of telecommunication networks and services. Everything must therefore be done to make sure the human resources acquire the skills they need for their own development and that of companies, which create wealth for the well-being of peoples. The Ecole Nationale Supà ©rieure des Postes et Tà ©là ©communications, an independent facility run by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, provides basic instruction in telecommunications and ICT to technicians (technical and operating staff), supervising technicians (operating technicians and supervisors) and senior technical managers (works engineers and operating inspectors). It plans to organize standing professional certification for the staff of public and private enterprises and of the public administrations in charge of telecommunications and ICT. V International cooperation Cameroon has always been present and active in regional and international telecommunication organizations. It is a member of the Administrative Councils of both the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It has had very few bilateral exchanges of experience and information with other African countries. The ineffectiveness of regional (ATU) and subregional organizations (CAPTAC) has precluded the launch at subregional level of cooperation activities aimed at developing telecommunications in Cameroon. At the international level, ITU  has not been closely involved in telecommunication sector reform. In the past eight years, it has provided some technical assistance but otherwise almost no support for telecommunication development projects in Cameroon, possibly because the Area Office in Yaoundà © is not functioning. The capacities of the Area Office in Yaoundà © should be reinforced. Its main duties should be: – To disseminate ITU documents and information in the area. For this, it should have the means required to provide the documentation centres of the main players in each of the area’s countries with the documents and books needed to acquire knowledge in telecommunications and ICT, for most of the sector’s African managers will have to teach themselves. In this respect, hard as opposed to electronic copies remain invaluable in Africa.

Vertical Structure and Horizontal Structure of Organizations Assignment

Vertical Structure and Horizontal Structure of Organizations - Assignment Example Horizontal structures involve lateral relations, such as liaison functions, task forces, frequent unplanned meetings, and the use of formalized integrator roles. The advantage of a horizontal structure is a possibility of liberal and informal communication. The disadvantage is that this structure is effective and possible only in small organizations. The decentralized decision-making process allows employees greater involvement and fast decision-making. The advantage of vertical structure is greater control and delegation of authority. The disadvantages are lack of flexibility, decision-making from the top, centralization of authority and bureaucratic control of all activities. The examples of a vertical structure are Ford Motor Company, Toyota and Microsoft. These organizations have centralization of all management functions and require a high level of lateral interdepartmental coordination and communication involving unplanned face-to-face meetings and mutual adaptation. Coordination of sequential technologies is best accomplished through plans and schedules, whereas coordination of pooled technologies can be accomplished by the use of stan dard operating procedures (Mullins 304).

Tight Control in Beverage Operation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tight Control in Beverage Operation - Assignment Example Conversely, this has created a paradox in these arguments (R11). Therefore, the paper seeks to discuss three operational elements where tight control can affect customer satisfaction and operational ease and vice versa. Many organizations have policies and procedures that govern all its operations in service delivery to its customers. These policies and procedures ensure ease of operation and customer satisfaction. However, there may be elements of operation within a company where tight control affects customer satisfaction and the operational ease. For customer satisfaction, important operations elements must be put in place. However, in case of a tight control of these operations, both customer satisfaction, and operational ease may be affected. For instance, good service, right strategy application, and beverage expertise are good examples of operational practices that enhance a smooth operational ease. If these operational practices are taken care of appropriately, customer satisfaction would also be achieved (Slack & Stuart 28). The operational practice, therefore, improves efficiency and visibility hence enhancing profitability, competitive advantage, and customer service. Expertise in a beverage is an essential component that enhances the operational ease and customer satisfaction. For a beverage company to achieve these, a team of experts of beverage should be in charge of handling the business. Operations and supply chains needs should guide these operations. These include technology and software selection, network design for the supply chain, and management of the workforce. These strategies need to be regulated depending on the customer needs and expectations in order to maintain customer satisfaction (Tamime 24). However, if a tight policy control is put in place without considering the customer needs, the satisfaction of the customers may be affected.

American Nurses Association Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Nurses Association - Essay Example They include, fostering high standards of nursing practice, lobbying the Congress and the healthcare regulatory agencies on such issues that re capable of affecting nurses and the public, protecting both the positive and realistic view if nurses and promoting and protecting the right of nurses at the workplace. The ANA organization addresses various issues including those dealing with leadership, nursing quality, staffing, compensation, professional standards and improving nursing practice, which are all under nursing practice. On the other hand, the association also handles ethical issues such as the end of life, code of ethics as well as courage and distress. Looking at staffing, for example, there are various issues that the association is addressing. The association acknowledges that staffing issues are those of going concern that affects both the nurses as well as the patients being served. The nurse-to-patient ratio usually determines the satisfaction level of the patients taken care of by the nurses. As such, the higher the ratio is, the more satisfied the patients usually are. Sometimes, when the ratio of nurses to patients is low, the patients may have to stay longer in the hospital waiting to receive services. This increase in the length of stay in the hospital has a lot of losses to the patient. One such loss is that the patient may stay longer to contract new infections, and the hospital bill will also be higher when a patient stays longer in the hospital.

International Business Finance Report Research Paper

International Business Finance Report - Research Paper Example Most of the green building material firms in China and high-end architecture designs are widely influenced by foreign players, who account for approximately 30% of the whole market share within the republic (EU SME Centre, 2013). Among the 200 leading international companies dealing with green building materials, over 140 have already invested in the Chinese market. For instance, in the 2008 Olympic competition, nearly 121 organizations participated in designing of all the athletic stadiums, 74 of which were either overseas or foreign-owned (EU SME Centre, 2013). Moreover, key global engineering consultancies have their branches in China, participating in numerous large-scale projects nationally. Besides foreign organizations, Chinese firms, particularly the ones with government support, are powerful players in the market, towards realizing large-scale government projects. Relating to building materials, the organization is likely to face stiff competition from foreign firms. Nevertheless, there are more local Chinese producers utilizing the price benefits in the market, even though the standard is relatively low. OzGreen should brace itself for a stiff competition in the Chinese market. As a consolation, the market is still big enough to get a share of the cake (EU SME Centre, 2013). Some of the most establish green building material firms in China include Hunter Douglas, an international firm which boasts of building and furnishing the red skin for the Chinese Pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 international Expo. Philips is also one of the key players in the market, having developed a sustainable lighting design and supply for Guangzhou Tower. Another likely competitor is OMA, which came up with the CCTV building in the heart of Beijing. Finally, we have Soeters and Grontmij, which recently won the contest of Wuhan New Energy Centre. The centre will be the most energy efficient tower in the planet (EU SME Centre, 2013). The building of

Discussion - of hypothesis testing results (dissertation) Essay

Discussion - of hypothesis testing results (dissertation) - Essay Example In this model, logistics regression was applied to test the probabilities that young people consider price, effect of brand image, design, trendiness of fast fashion cloths, and effect of advertising on their decision to make a purchase. Categorical variables were considered to show how various variables affect the predictability of the decision to purchase of not within the population. Based on gender, age, and education the logistic regression provides a platform of identifying fit within the model. The application of the Chi Square in this analysis is to identify the relationship or association of two cross-tabulated variables within a population (Kocherlakota, 2010). The null hypothesis in this case is considered to show that an association exists between the cross-tabulated variables of the population. The alternative hypothesis using the chi square analysis is used to refute the null and reinstate the hypothesis (Kocherlakota, 2010). In this case, the chi square method is applied to test the association between young people’s decisions of making a purchase with price, effect of brand image, effect of advertising, design, and/or trendiness of fast fashion cloths as influencing factors. The log likelihood statistics method was used in this analysis to show the fit between coefficient estimates and data (Kocherlakota, 2010). Since data is fixed, coefficients influence the likelihood that certain outcomes will take place. In the current case, the method was applied to show how different parameters influence the likelihood of young individuals to purchasing fast fashion or not. The parameters include price, design, brand image, trendiness, and advert effects on the decisions made. H1: As it mention in the literature by Jackson (2001), price is a major determinant of the decision to buy fast fashion. In addition, a conflicting factor is also identified. The cost of fast fashion cloths does not matter to young buyers

Pros and Cons on Death Penalty Essay Example for Free

Pros and Cons on Death Penalty Essay Ms. Pat Johnson ENG-099 Pros and Cons of Assisted Suicide: Argument Essay When death is knocking at your door, do you answer or ignore the call? Unfortunately, some people answer the call willingly. Euthanasia is painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. All motives are compassionate for a patient, whether the killing is by a direct action, such as a lethal injection, or by failing to perform an action necessary to maintain life. The euthanasia movement started in l935 in Britain, in l938 in the U S A, and in l980 in Canada (catholicapologetics). Opinion polls show average support of 60 percent in the USA, 74 percent in Canada, and 80 percent in Britain (catholicapologetics). Many people disagree that death is a decision upon GOD but, why make a person suffer more pain being alive? Today, many people are against euthanasia because; they feel that it is murder. This is because there are certain cons of euthanasia that compel them to think this way. Firstly, medical science has made great advancements in the recent years. There is almost always a cure available for a disease. So euthanasia should not be kept as a viable option. One of the other cons of euthanasia is that sometimes there is pressure from family members who want to induce death for their own gains. The doctor may get influenced by the ideas that are put forward by them. In that case it becomes very difficult to decide whether euthanasia was completely necessary or was influenced by the family members. Sometimes even medical science cannot predict with certainty the fate of a patient. In such cases, euthanasia would mean snatching away the chances of a patient’s survival. There are many cases where mercy killing has often been misused. To prevent such manhandling euthanasia should be prohibited. Something that concerns the life of a person should not be left in the open for people to play around with.