Saturday, October 5, 2019
The Role Of The Catholic Religious Education Specialist Teacher Article
The Role Of The Catholic Religious Education Specialist Teacher - Article Example Religious education encompasses various areas such as evangelisation, catechesis, giving witness, introduction to church, prayer, experience of faith, and knowledge of other faiths. At the same time, the Religious Education specialist teacher’s duties need to be performed on the basis of what the Catholic church teaches; what the government states: the curriculum for excellence; and what schools expect from them in the context of any extracurricular duties which are not expected of other teachers in the school. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the Catholic Religious Education (RE) specialist teacher, the various areas of religious education, and the influence on the RE’s role by the Church, the government and the school. Religious teaching can be understood as a ministry with a professional dimension (Cook & Hudson, 2006). Catholic educators need to think and act sentire cum ecclesia which refers to the ideal form of thinking and feeling with the church on the basis of individuals’ identity as Catholics. ... ng to Cook & Hudson (2006: 399), assessment of religious teaching as a profession can be based on a framework composed of the following characteristics: "essential service to society, motivation by a call to serve, special knowledge and skills, specialized and advanced university training, public trust and status, code of ethics and performance standards, and professional organization".Religious Education helps in students' development of the self, socially, morally and spiritually (SCAA, 1994). Research conducted by Sikes & Everington (2001) indicates that a religious education teacher's life history plays a vital part in determining their teaching skills and approach to work. Further, "the quality, range and flexibility of teachers' classroom work are closely tied up with their professional growth - with the way they develop as people and as professionals" (Hargreaves, 1994: xi). This evidence would be useful in screening potential candidates for training as RE specialist teachers, by addressing negative identities unsuitable to carry out the important work. Evangelisation and Catechesis Ecumenism is the essential task of the whole Church to bring the Gospel to the entire world. Ecumenism and mission, evangelisation and Church community converge in a common witness to the same God (Houtepen, 1998). The Church's evangelistic mission is expected to be carried forward by the RE instructor by imparting the Faith to all students in the classroom, including those students who do not share the Christian faith, in the interests of sharing the wisdom and benefits of the Catholic religion (Francis et al, 1996). Teachings of the Catholic Church are mainly through catechesis. Bishop O' Donoghue (2008) believes that the key element or essence of the aims of a
Friday, October 4, 2019
What is the effect of the recent information deluge on our Essay
What is the effect of the recent information deluge on our intellectual capabilities - Essay Example hich they had read and that which they had not read since moving between links disrupts memory and the transfer of information from working memory to the long-term memory. As a result, the conclusion was that hypertexts in documents did for learning and in any case, it lowered the ability to retrieve information from documents by affecting retention (Carr, 2010). People’s general misconceptions were that use of the internet actually made people smarter as there were more stimuli and there was increased brain activity as people go through then web. The rerouting of brain neurons allows people to be better at problem solving, which is apparently not since increased brain activity does not translate in improving brain activity or cognitive skills (Armstrong, 2011). Instead, it only serves to reroute people’s neural pathways for information. It is also a misconception that the web is making us smarter as; in fact, it only strengthens brain functions in relation to solving fast-paced problems. The reason behind web surfing and multitasking is the need to absorb information rapidly and within the shortest time possible in bits and pieces (Carr, 2010). This is meant to identify information quickly in order for one to choose whether he or she will read further for more information. This is such that web surfing is meant to allow one to be in communication with the rest of the world while at the same time obtaining information from the internet. Multitasking, on the other hand is a form of distraction from one task to the next or another task and it is done to the presence of multiple stimuli and search for relevance in everything people do in the web and beyond. Cognitive overload and switch cost has significant effects on our brains in that it corrupts our power to retain the knowledge that we acquire and the ability to relate between memories by creating connections between them. This way, cognitive overload affects the brain in that it influences our ability to
Thursday, October 3, 2019
The United States political system compared to The United Kingdom Essay Example for Free
The United States political system compared to The United Kingdom Essay The US and the United Kingdom are alike, although not as evidently, in many ways, and this likeness has contributed to their present relationship. History            The History of the United Kingdom is characterized by significant changes with each ruling Monarchy. In 1066, William, the Duke of Normandy was able to displace Harold II, the Saxon King (Emsworth 1-59). From then on, English History became filled with intrigues, and power struggles between members of the Monarchy. There was a time when no one was considered more powerful than the members of the Royal Line. It was during the reign of Henry III in the 13th century when the concept of the â€Å"Parliament†was created, when Simon de Montfort challenged the monarch (Emsworth 7). From then on, the branch evolved in power from what used very limited to the legislative and political whims of the monarchy at first, to its intermittent dissolutions and recalls during the reign of Charles I and Charles II, its survival of the battle between Catholicism and Protestantism, its increased influence in 1644, to to what it is today, a representative of the Sovereign (Emsworth 1-59). It was under the reign of George I when first â€Å"Prime Minister†was appointed (Emsworth 20). Although there were attempts to minimize the influence of this figure, it has continued to grow in power, together with the parliament. William IV was the last monarch who appointed a Prime Minister without the confidence of the Parliament and since then, the parliament had survived many changes in system and its influence in the government (Emsworth 1-59). The constitution of the United Kingdom, up to this day however, remains â€Å"unwritten†. Demographics            There were approximately 60.2 million people in the United Kingdom in mid-2005. The majority of the population, about 84% lived in England. There was an increase in the average age of the people from 34.1 years to 38.8 years. 1/5 of the nation’s population are below 16 and 1/6 are above 65. The ratio of males against females is almost equal. By mid-2005, the growth rate had increased from 0.3% to 0.6%. It is said that the population growth of the United Kingdom had been a result of natural change because there had been more births than death every year since 1901. However, this had changed because during the late 1990s, there had been an evident increase in the international migration which is a very significant factor that contributes to the increase in population (â€Å"Population Estimates: UK Population Grows to More than 60m.†). Executive            The Article II of the US Constitution states that the Executive power is held by the President of the United States who holds Office at a four-year term, together with the Vice President who is likewise elected at the same term. Whereas the US is Presidential in its system of government, the powers in the United Kingdom is dictated by the provisions of the Westminster System. As with any other country under the system, the executive power of the United Kingdom is theoretically held by the ceremonial figurehead or the monarch. At this time, the monarch in the United Kingdom is Queen Elizabeth II (â€Å"Politics of the United Kingdom†). But essentially, executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister as the head of the Government, the Cabinet and the Junior Ministers. Although theoretically, the powers of the executive are with Queen Elizabeth II, it is actually the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Junior Ministers who exercise this power, but under the ceremonial authority of the Monarch (â€Å"Politics of the United Kingdom†). The term of the Prime Minister is limited to a maximum of five years, but such length could still be shortened or â€Å"dissolved†by the Sovereign or the monarch. This could be done only upon the Prime Minister’s request. Some cases such as the passage of Motion of No Confidence by the House of Commons or its rejection of a significant Government Agenda could also compel the resignation of the Prime Minister or the Dissolution of the Parliament (â€Å"Politics of the United Kingdom†). The term of the US Executive can also be shortened, that is, in cases when a President becomes disabled, dead or resigned (â€Å"The Constitution of the United States†). The term can also be shortened by impeachment. The twenty-fifth Amendment of the US Constitution says that he/she should be succeeded in Office by the Vice President if such cases would happen. After the Vice President, the line of succession includes the Speaker of the House of Representatives, President pro tempore and the Cabinet members. A Vice President can be replaced in case of disability, death or resignation by the appointment of the President of the United States. In case the Office of the Prime Minister becomes vacant, it is the Monarch who is responsible for the appointment, based on the Constitutional conventions. In such a case, the Monarch is expected to appoint an individual who is supported by the House of Commons (Emsworth 27). It is expected that the Prime Minister as head of the government could control the majority of members of House of Commons. This must be so as to ensure that there is no significant opposition against them because support must be made by the Cabinet regarding policies (Emsworth 27). As it is in any country under the Parliamentary form of government, there is an overlap between branches of the government, in this case, the executive and the legislative. Section 2 of Article 2 of the US Constitution explains the powers vested on the President of the United States. Based on this, the President has the power to command the Military of the whole of United States for the service of the country. In the United Kingdom, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is the Monarch. As it is, the British Armed Forces swear allegiance to the Sovereign Monarch only. But, it is the Prime Minister who holds the decision over the deployment of the British forces. In addition, the Prime Minister has the power to authorize Britain’s use of nuclear weapons. However, because in the UK political system, the power of the executive is dependent on the Parliament, even with such powers, the Prime Minister’s status is dependent on the general confidence of the Houses. As said earlier, it is expected that the Prime Minister could control majority of the House members (â€Å"Politics in the United Kingdom†). The President of the United States also has the power to create treaties, appoint ambassadors, ministers, consuls, judges and officers but only with the consent of the two-thirds of the senate. Still, the Congress may allow the President, the Courts of Law and the Head of the Departments to appoint inferior Officers (â€Å"The Constitution of the United States, Article II). In the United Kingdom, the members of the cabinet, as part of the executive, are considered responsible in the positive and negative implications of the government policies. As with the convention, all decisions of the cabinet must be a consensus and in cases of supposed inadequacy, the Prime Minister has the power to control the government by appointing and dismissing ministers on such grounds (Emsworth 40-41). The Ministers act as leaders of the different Government Departments which are usually composed of the Members of the Parliament or â€Å"peers†in the House of Lords (Emsworth 40). The US President would be responsible for providing the Congress information about the State of the Union, receiving of Ambassadors and Ministers, the execution of law and the commission of officers. This is based on Article II of the US Constitution. The counterpart of the State of the Union in the United Kingdom is the Westminister System’s annual Speech From the Throne. Here, the Head of the State, the Monarch addresses the parliament about the possible policies that are to be expected in the next year (â€Å"Politics in the United Kingdom†). Other than these, there is no written constitution to limit to the power of the executive or the Prime Minister as long as he/she holds the confidence of the legislature. Legislative Since the United Kingdom also has a parliamentary system of government, its executive is also founded on its legislature. In other words, the executive is fused with the legislature. There is no limitation in the government powers because there is no written constitution in the United Kingdom. In addition, there is no written document that formally separates the powers of the executive and legislative branches. The government of the United Kingdom has no limitation on its power in the legislature as long as it holds confidence. It is Parliament vote that is necessary to break the government power over the legislature. Just recently, Tony Blair, the current Prime Minister was defeated on a proposal involving the extension of the detainment of some terrorist suspects (â€Å"Politics of the United Kingdom†). On the other hand, the United States has a Constitution that clearly defines the separation of each government branch, that is, the Executive and the Legislative branches hold separate, equal powers.            Article I of the US Constitution states the powers and responsibilities of the Legislature. The US Legislative Powers is held by the Congress which consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives, with the former having the power to approve treaties and nominations by the President, and the latter having the power to originate revenue bills.            Similarly, the British Parliament is bicameral, composed of two Houses: The House of Commons and the House of Lords (Zulueta 209). While the United States has both its legislative houses democratically elected, in the United Kingdom, it is only the members of the House of Commons who are democratically elected (Zulueta 209). The members of the House of Lords are usually members of the aristocracy and attain hereditary power (Emsworth 34). In addition, members of the US legislature are representatives of each of the 50 states in the United States. In the same way, members of the UK legislature are representatives of constituencies, with boundaries determined by the Boundary Commissions (â€Å"Politics of the United Kingdom†).            As with the case in the US, bills and financial concerns, based on convention, originate in the House of Commons and not in the House of Lords (Emsworth 32). But, unlike that in the US, which constitution allows for equal powers between its two Houses, the House of Commons is considered as more powerful compared to the House of Lords (Zulueta 209). Although, historically, this may not be the case, the House of Commons is always superior to the House of Lords because this chamber is democratically elected and can be considered as a repository of the people’s rights (Zulueta 209). In terms of financial matters, taxation, supply bills, the House of Lords are barred from proposing amendments (â€Å"Politics of the United Kingdom†). It can be said too, that the legislature, particularly, the House of Commons holds power over the Prime Minister who is considered as the wielder of Executive power because of the dependence of the executive power on the support of the legislature.            Section 8 of the US Constitution enumerates the powers of the Congress. Generally, it states that the Congress has power to impose and collect taxes, borrow and pay debts for the general welfare. It also has the power to regulate trade with other nations and states, establish rules for naturalization and bankruptcies, regulate the value of money and provide punishments for crimes such as counterfeiting. Others include the establishment of post offices, constitution of tribunals and courts that are inferior to the Supreme Court, definition and punishment of laws, declaration of war, maintenance and provisions for the Armed Forces, and to create laws which are necessary for the carrying out of the provisions of the Constitution.            At this point in time, the most notable among the powers of the US legislature is its power to declare war. It is clear then, that the US Executive has the power only to command the Armed Forces but cannot declare war without the consent of the Congress. This is the same with the case of the UK, whose Prime Minister can only declare war upon the approval of the Parliament, with him of course, as its head.            Because there is no written constitution that guides the legislature, the UK legislature, can, too, by convention, have unlimited power and proposals can be easily approved as long as it has gained the support of the House of Commons (â€Å"Politics of the United Kingdom†). Judiciary            The US Judiciary is comprised of the Supreme Court and the federal courts established by the legislature. The Judges of the Supreme and the inferior courts are allowed to hold their offices during good behavior unless impeached. The salary of the judges cannot be reduced during office but may be increased (â€Å"The Constitution of the United States†).            The power of the US Judiciary extends to all cases arising from the Constitution, Laws and Treatises in the United States involving all US citizens, including ambassadors, ministers, consuls, and also any other issue that involves the State. While there are some cases in which the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction is regulated by the Congress (e.g. appellate jurisdiction), the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction cannot be amended by the Congress (â€Å"The Constitution of the United States†). Section two of the US Constitution states that criminal cases require trial by jury, except for impeachment cases. The jurisdiction of Federal courts is limited to the subject matter to which it is involved. In the US, a person who already holds Office in the government cannot hold another position, that is, the head of the Supreme Court cannot be the President. This was not the case in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, the head of the judiciary is the Lord Chief Justice (previously held by the Lord Chancellor). Prior to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the head of the judiciary had power that encompasses the executive, legislature and judiciary branches. But since the passage of the act, such powers have been divided to new posts such as the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and the Lord or Lady Speaker. The counterpart of the US Supreme Court in the UK is the House of Lords (Emsworth 42). Like that in the US, the jurisdiction of the UK Judiciary extends in all civil and criminal cases. But, unlike in the US where the Supreme Court is considered as the last resort, UK has the Privy Council that could also perform similar function but with less jurisdiction, most of which involving only minor matters. Elections It is the appointed Electors of each State that choose both the President and the Vice President of the United States. There is no indicated limit the selection of Electors except that it can only be as many as the number of Senators and Representatives in the Congress and that no Senator, Representative or any person that holds an Office of Trust or Profit could be considered as Elector (â€Å"The Constitution of the United States†).            During the election, the person with the highest number of votes is immediately chosen as President and the next highest is chosen as the Vice President. In case there is a tie, the Senate decides who holds the Office of the President and the Vice President with a quorum consisting of two-thirds of the States and majority of all the States (â€Å"The Constitution of the United States†).            Only a person who is a natural born Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of the Constitution can run for President. In addition, the candidate must be at least 35 years of age and has completed at least 14 years of residence in the United States. A President cannot be elected thrice. The United States is composed of two Political Parties: the Republican and the Democrats (â€Å"The Constitution of the United States†).            The electoral system of the United Kingdom is done through the First-past-the-post system or the plurality voting system in which a candidate wins as long as he/she has the most votes regardless of whether he/she has the majority of votes. The UK is composed of three major parties: the Labor Party, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats (â€Å"Politics of the United Kingdom†).            The election of the Prime Minister is done by the members of the Parliament from among themselves. These members of the Parliament are elected by the Electors from different parliamentary districts (Emsworth 1-59). US-UK relations            More evident among any other reason for the alliance between the US and the UK is their common position at such times when there is a threat to international security. After all, most will remember how the US and the UK relationship flourished immediately at the end of the Cold War when the two nations, together with others, posed at the same side against Hitler. Just recently, the US and the UK were on the same ground against terrorism and the War in Iraq.            But it is interesting to note that such alliance can be traced back in history even before the US had its written Constitution. More importantly, the US-UK relationship can be said to be rooted to their political histories and ideologies.            The American concept of liberty, for example, can be traced to the British resistance to Absolute Monarchy in the 17th century. This concept of liberty highlighted the importance of the parliament particularly in its role in consenting to taxes, being the â€Å"people’s†representative, the concept of trial by jury, and the protection of citizens (Raymond 1-15).            The founding Fathers of the US were greatly influenced by the law-based state which is a British concept. The US documents, the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, for example, are based on the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights, the latter being the basis in writing the Constitution (Raymond 1-15).            It cannot be denied that the two countries’ shared experiences especially in wars and security issues have been a binding element in their relationship. But, more than anything, it is these similarities in concepts and ideologies, the US and the UK’s shared ideas about freedom, law, justice and experience that bind the nations together. Works Cited Emsworth. â€Å"UK Constitution and Government.†Boston, MA: Free Software Foundation, Inc. 2002. Politics of the United Kingdom. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 31 Mar 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 1 Apr 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Politics_of_the_United_Kingdomoldid=119272844. â€Å"Population Estimates: UK Population Grows to More than 60m.†National Statistics. 2006. Directgov. 31 Mar 2007 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=6. Raymond, R. â€Å"The US-UK Special Relationship in Hisotrical Context: Lessons of the Past.†US-UK Relations at the Start of the 21st Century. Ed. McCausland J and Stuart D. Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, 2006. 1-15. â€Å"The Constitution of the United States.†National Archives. 29 March 2005 http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution_transcript.html. Zulueta, F. â€Å"Foundations and Dynamics of Political Science.†Manila: Academic Publishing Corporation. 2003.
Designing and Implementing E-procurement
Designing and Implementing E-procurement CHAPTER ONE: Background Study Overview The project is designing and implementing e-procurement on business-to-business transactions, it first identifies current procurement process and explores how to implement procurement that involves mainstay drivers and problems of e-procurement system usage and investigate the effect on the performance of the Ministry in terms of e-government and transparency in the Federal Ministry of Science and technology. The solution essentially involves in creating all the requirement details/ specs, of a tender to be floated electronically, in parameterized form; so that subsequent evaluation comparative chart preparation exercises could be automated to a large extent. The term procurement can be referred to as the buying of tangible and intangible merchandise for organizations which can be executed through agency or company. Procurement is not an event. It is a process and signifies a continuing relationship between the government and its suppliers. Procurements are always taken as an important task in the government environment and always handled in a strictly secured and controlled manner (Dunleavy, 1994). According to Nwokak, et al. (2007) procurement is also one of the sectors that remains insulated against any process improvements. At the moment, it is been recognized world over, that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can eliminate the existing bureaucratic problems and make the governments performance more resourceful, easily reached and clear as crystal, besides being cost-effective. The procurement process in the Ministry of science and technology (www.fmst.gov.ng)is a complex process that starts and ends in a cycle. Procurement cycle starts from Raising of the requirements for an item or a service and ends only after settlement of supplier payments as shown in the diagram below. The Concept of E-Procurement Electronic Procurement can describe as purchasing order that release a communication over the internet through authorized internet seller catalogue. E-procurement is the electronic purchase of goods and services for an organization; Turban et al. (2006) from an easy phrase, electronic purchase can be described as procedure to purchase tangible and intangible merchandise by the use of internet for a company or institution. For example, within Nigeria, the majority of companies in the petroleum Industries, United Parcel Service, Plc.(Ups) Federal Express Plc (Fedex), communication industries etc are some of the few organizations that practice e-procurement in material purchase (Nwokak et al, 2009). The reason is so, because the industries have advanced and developed their technology usage of e-procurement keeping up with the changes in the business environment as it pertains to information and technology. Furthermore, electronic procurement or merchant trade is the business-to-consumer (B2C) or company-to-company (C2C) acquisition as well as trade of tangible and intangible goods by electronic means and various information and network system, like the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) (Nwokak et al, 2009). Electronic procurement systems permit competent and valid user to search for buyer or seller of tangible as well as intangible merchandise. No matter which method, buyer or seller may as well state the outlay and request for bidding. Dealings can then be welcomed. Other Concepts in E-procurement Reverse Auction The traditional auction is a Forward Auction. It is a process through which a seller offers an item for auction, and prospective buyer competes with one another other for acquisition. By doing this, the price continue to move up upon the time nobody will be able to go up further. In the reverse auction, several dealers of a product vie for the trade of one single purchaser. In such a way the price moves downward. There are 3-4 flavours of reverse auction, called as: English Auction, Dutch auction, Sealed Bid Auction etc. How it works There is no contact or conciliation with the bidders during the auction. The Buyer also watches the progress of bidding from his office. Identities if bidders are available to him. In reverse auction competition is high; bidders get tempted to bid lower and lower to clinch the deal, until they are unwilling to go any further. At the conclusion the lowest bidder emerges as winner of the auction. Benefits To Buyers: Significant reduction in cost due to Dynamic Bidding process. Inefficiencies in the supply chain reduce. With real time competition, suppliers are on their toes It is an effective way of measuring and assessing price discovery and making the negotiation process an easy effort. Often used along with Tendering. To Vendors: Ensures Savings in marketing cost / distributor margins Facilitates flexibility in pricing decision. Transparency increases Allows vendors to assess their pricing power from close quarters of competition. E-payment Commonly available modes for effecting EMD/ Fee/ other payments electronically, from within a software Application, are: Online payment through Credit cards/ Debit cards or Direct Account Debit (using Gateway for Internet Banking) Depending on the actual need and usage constraints, the appropriate mode could be chosen and integrated into the s/w application. Credit cards could conveniently be integrated for use if the payment amounts involved are not substantial. For all other cases where payment amounts could be heavy, payments through Direct Debits from concerned accounts, using Internet Banking is the only alternative. Scope of E-procurement solution to the Ministry Purchasing of all kinds of goods and services, works etc. Types of Tenders Open, Limited, Expression of Interest Hybrid Mode of Operation Electronic and Paper Based Bid Submission (Initial Stages of Implementation) Mode of Payments (Tender Fee, EMD) e-Payment, as well as Conventional Payment Modes (DD etc.) The Importance of Procurement The purchasing of merchandise, works, and services has a main effect on the efficient execution of an assignment. To a great degree the quality, cost, and judicious achievement of a task determined on the supervision and managing of purchase of materials needed. Use of articulated policy and practice, considered by unbiased, just, and transparent measures, is vital, not only to create reliable and steady market that will be capable to catch the fancy of competent contractor and supplier, but also to uphold the paradigm of accountability and the cost-efficient use of civic treasury. The importance of procurement in delivering key aims and mission of the ministry, and as a result the procurement of merchandise, facility and services is of strategic significance to the Ministry: It has an undeviating force on the Ministrys general overheads, and price of service prerequisite to public. Can have direct effect with delivery of its services by Ministrys. Can have direct effect on the accomplishment of business, department and service mission. It provide the system to deliver key plan objective, together with sustainability, corporate work environment, egalitarianism and cost-effective improvement. It operate in multifaceted dog matic structure that should be followed. Benefits of E-Procurement to Ministry of Science and Technology. For years, improvement to purchase has been attempted, frequently by means of information technology. The concrete opportunity for development today lies in the use of e-procurement, the electronic process of obtaining goods and services for an organization Nwokak et al, (2009). They further to ascertain that by automation and reformation the thorough and arduous routine of obtain task, purchase professional will have the opportunity to pay more attention, on other tactical purchase, in order to achieve these set of objectives: Growing the efficiency of purchase agent (by giving enough period as well as decreasing the work stress) Reducing the procure price by merchandise homogeny reverse auctions, quantity price cut, and also through purchase consolidation. Getting better information stream and organization (for example supplier information and price). Reducing or elimination of the purchase through unqualified vendors, in that way eliminating nonconformist buying. Getting better the disbursement procedures and savings due to expedite disbursement (for seller) Ensure just in time delivery always Slash order-fulfilment and handling period through the use of computerization Reduce skill as well as instruction need of purchase agent. Reduce numeral figure of supplier Reformation of purchase procedure, creating it easy, better and speedy (may involve authorize) Requests to carry out purchase on their desktop, bypassing purchasing unit. Reformation of account statements and difference of opinion decision Reduce organizational handing out expenditure for each bid a s to a great extent of 90% Getting fresh supplier and vendor that will be able to provide goods and services quicker and more so, More cost effective due to better sourcing. Integrate budgetary measures in purchase procedure. Reduction or elimination of individual error in trade or transport procedure Monitor as well as regulate exchange activities. The various benefits are listed below Transactional Benefits Electronic purchase enable purchaser to process transaction through internet. For instance, an internet-base transacts means through which things can be chosen mostly from an identified catalogues and submit for authorization. The device can be connected in same direction of the backside part of ERP structure for access, imbursement of invoice, and arrangement of organization information. Electronic procedures (together with computerization of p-card purchase) lead to immense period saving as well as effectiveness owing to: universal, computerized process incorporate finest tradition as well as eliminate needless actions; electronic processing enable affiliation with supplier, which speed purchase phase period and facilitate contractor feat improvement; and better data correctness, which minimize order in accuracy as well as provide the necessary base for enhanced supervision from side to side control and scrutiny. Compliance Benefits A lot of instances in a company, conformity and unconventional expenditure is an important problem not for the reason that workers intentionally procure outside of favoured arrangements, but to a certain extent through be short of knowledge. Electronic purchases address this from side to side apparatus such as catalogues and benchmark order procedures and authorized process. Conformity will be achieved owing to: easy and speedy request-to-pay procedure together with a easy to use interface and pre-source catalogues modified to the needs of different client; easy and speedy tactical source procedure with benchmark purchase process and apparatus, without difficulty accessing information Electronic purchase structure, the only purchase method obtainable. Management Information Benefit This statement analyze the important of datas cost centre, commodity codes, etc. is hard coded in opposition to the user significantly reduce code error and provide extremely exhaustive as well as effortlessly available data. This is very important information to make the rule of the monetary revenue of tactical source. A successful e-procurement performance will give high value, complete management information and will reverse the need for data warehousing or resource heavy data mining, by David Eakin (2002). The capability to display to your supplier that you are using e-procurement as an apparatus to make sure final user do respect their union significance will augment ability to bargain along the prices through: Better improved capture and as a result, trustworthiness of expenditure information; and Better assurance that costs volume can be assured from better conformity with the structure, hence allow degree price breaks and discount to achieve. These include the capacity to improve management of business cash flow as well as control the proficient imbursement of supplier because of the further rationalized procurement procedures giving additional suitable and precise information to the accounts payable department. Possible benefit includes limited staff a hard benefit only if improvement can bring about head count decrease) and brings down expenditure on postages as well as stationeries. Throughout negotiations the procurement manager can further credibly guarantee the supplier a level of prompt payment, which was not possible prior to e-procurement. David Eakin (2002). However, the electronic invoice benefit is frequently unexamined and uncared for. Reduction in Procurement Contracts cycle time Cost Reduction Efficient streamlined Procurement Processes New Supplier Discovery Close Monitoring of Activities/ Vendor Performance Rich MIS and Analytics New Improved Image Standardized formats and Uniform tendering practices Increased visibility/ Less artificial barriers Increased business opportunities, Greater degree of transparency Cycle time reduction in participation and award of Contract Supplier Enablement and Ease of Participation For high-value items, purchasing personal in the Ministry spends most of their work period on procurement activities. These functions involve developing relationship with considered supplier, negotiating prices as well as terms, qualifying supplier, and bringing out suppliers certification as well as evaluation. When buyer is occupied in the midst of information of lesser things (especially MROs), they have less period to adequately engage in the purchase of the high value item. Other problems can happen in traditional purchase. These include delay in paying a lot for hasten order. Purchase inadequacy is nonconformist exchange, (impromptu procurements of merchandise needed hurriedly, unintentionally at non-pre-negotiated soaring price. The conventional purchase procedure, as discuss over, is therefore ineffective. In other to avoid a repeat of this event, the ministry needs to re-engineer the process of purchasing, by carrying out of new purchasing models in general, through the int roduction of electronic purchase. From this stage, we shall gaze at what e-procurement means in B2B market. The issues are summarized below: Lack of a general Public Procurement Policy. Nigeria lack up to date regulation on Public Procurement and enduring supervision and supervise purchase entity. Transparency in Procurement Act, The finance Control and Management Act, 1958, jointly with Financial policy which sets basic regulations for managing public expenses have gap, deficiency as well as defective execution of existing set of laws on procurement (for example, inadequate in the arrangement for controlling and supervision) which make opportunity for unethical behaviour. Lack of model bidding documents and contract documents -because of inflations, inadequate and regularly adjustment to threshold of the favourable limit of the Tenders Board, their approval were regularly gnarled consequential in abuse, top amongst include is split of contract. Complicated procedures for approvals, bidding and payments. There is a large number of tenders board that are alleged by the private sector as a source of delay as well as non intelligibility. Furthermore, those tenders board appear to encompass inadequate mandate amid power to choose contracted faction active through the permanent Secretary as well as Minister/ Commissioner. Inadequate skilled resources. There is no centralized system of registration of suppliers. Delays in making payments to suppliers whos Procurement are sometimes executed through staffs that substantially lack the required experience. E-government procurement is the collaborative purchase of tangible and intangible merchandise by the civic division using electronic methods at every stage ensuring transparency and efficiency. Ideally, it covers the full life cycle of procurement. The intention is to automate, possibly, the whole purchasing processes, along with tender offer submission as well as payment from supplier; in an automated computerized concurrent situation .E-procurement could resolve many of the constraints/ delays of traditional procurement. In David Eakin (2002).Summary, e-Procurement is the business-to-business buying and selling of supplies and services online. The e-procurement helps both the buyers and the suppliers to decrease the cycle time, needless paper work, waiting in long queues and at the same time maintain the simplicity in the entire process. David Eakin, (February, 2003). Which are to:- Reduce cycle times of procurement Increase supplier access to ensure wider participation Reduce costs of procurement through competitive bidding and Reverse Auctioning Remove cartelisation by supplier groups (Reverse Auctioning) enhance transparency in the procurement procedure Almost complete elimination of paperwork, for speedy and efficient functioning Inefficient function In the Ministry is because of: Lack of a general civic procurement policy Lack of consistency in enforcing procurement practice procedures Low competence labour-intensive process call for of intelligibility in procurement leading to fraud pilferage of the treasury unethical practice by suppliers Cartel creation Influence selection by bribing unit personnel Advances in electronic procurement by the use of safe internet-enabled means have not being used in an extensive method Approach to a Procurement Solution Before looking for an e-Procurement solution, a relook on existing procurement procedures/ practices is essential: As Is Analysis, Re-engineering for optimized processes Optimization/ reduction in process-flow steps Uniformity/ standardization in formats/ practices/ procedures Organization wide use of unified item-codification structure Automation of Processes Critical Determinants of a procurement Solution Good authentication Role based access Security, Secrecy (of bids) Signing, Encryption Ease of Use, Tender Templates, e-Payment integration etc. Integrated Document Management features, Good Analytics Good Audit trail/ traceability features Access for Financial Audit, Legal and RTI needs Good Archival Retrieval features/ policy Safe and secure Probing for seller so as to get and contrast supplier and product occasionally can be in reality awfully time-consuming and expensive. Most Ministries as a way out invite sellers to fulfill orders and create market place. Procurement is used to refer to the purchase of goods and services for an organization, (Martin et. al., 2001). Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) are among of the important parastatals of the Federal Government. The major term of office is providing access to technology for the Majority of Nigerian Populace. The ministry is made up of 8 (eight) departments. The Department of Administration and Supply within the Ministry is responsible for: Planning, management and entirely documenting the procedure to purchase both tangible and intangible merchandise. use of active Continuing Service Agreement for products to attain program needs; management, soliciting and contract award procedures is done prudently and unprejudiced method that is fair and treat every potential vendor and bidder; ensures that contract for good, service as well as building is planned to offer the most excellent value to government; ensures that every ministry acquisition and disposal is unswerving with guidelines, appropriate legislature as well as trade agreement; Declare products excess as soon as their utilization to the ministry has finished. The department is therefore responsible for procurement of goods and services in the Ministry. The Nature and Scope of E-Procurement According to Nwokak et al, (2009) different methods are employed to procure goods and services by companies depending on what and where they buy, the quantities needed, how much money is involved, and more. They further mentioned some important procurements method to comprise the listed below: To buy from an internal buyers catalogue in which company-approved vendors catalogues, including agreed upon prices, are aggregated. This approach is used for the implementation of desktop purchasing, which allows the requisitions to order directly from vendors, bypassing the procurement department. Buy directly from manufacturers, wholesalers, or retailers from their catalogues and possibly by negotiation. Frequently, a contract implements such a purchase. Buy from the catalogue of an intermediary (e-distributor) that aggregates sellers catalogues. Conduct biding or tendering (a reverse auction) in a system in which suppliers compete against each other. This method is used for large-ticket items or large quantities. To buy at private or public auction sites in which the organization participates as one of the buyers. Collaborate with suppliers to share information about sales and inventory, as to reduce inventory and stock -outs and enhance just-in-time delivery (Turban et al 2006). Join a group-purchasing system that aggregates participants demand, creating a large volume. Then, the group may negotiate prices or initiate a tendering process. The Procurement Process Procurement cycle starts from Raising of the requirements for an item or a service and ends only after settlement of supplier payments. By Category of Goods Services Goods Services Civil Contracts By Nature of Procurement Tenders Rate Contract Catalogue Buying Auctions, Reverse Auctions By Size / Volume of procurement High Values, low volumes Low values, High Volumes By Portfolio of services needed Requisition, Bid Process Evaluation, Award, PO Supply, Quality check, Inventory Management Payment, Accounting, Audit MIS, EIS The traditional procurement process has been widely criticized as an ineffective procurement method because it often involves time and cost overrun (Dunleavy, 1994). Yet the method is still being widely used in Nigeria most especially for the procurement in Ministry of Science and technology. Inefficiencies in Traditional Procurement Management According to Nwokak et al (2009) precisely 80% of organizations purchase item, especially for Maintenances, Repairs as well as Operating items (MROs), constitutes 20- 25 percent of the total purchasing values. Furthermore, Nwokak; OzuruUgoji (2009) affirmed that a portion of corporate buyers time is spent on non-value-added activities such data entry, correcting errors in paper work, expediting delivery or solving quality problems. For high-value items, purchasing personal spend a great deal of time and effort on procurement activities. These activities include qualifying suppliers, negotiating prices and terms, building rapport with strategic suppliers, as well as carrying out supplier evaluation and certification (Nwokak et al, 2009). If buyers are busy with details of the smaller items (usually MROs), they do not have enough time to properly deal with the purchase of the high -value items. Other inefficiencies also may occur in conventional procurement. These range from delays to paying too much for rush orders. Procurement inefficiency is maverick buying, (unplanned purchase of items needed quickly, often at non-pre-negotiated high prices. The traditional procurement process, as discussed above, often is therefore inefficient (Mills, 1996). In order to correct this situation, the ministry needs to reengineer their procurement systems, implementation of new purchasing models and in particular, introduce e-procurement. At this juncture, we will look at what e-procurement is in a B2B marketplace. Issues in Ministry Procurement Lack of a common Public Procurement Policy: Nigeria lacks a modern law on Public Procurement and Permanent oversight and monitor purchasing entities. Lack of model bidding documents and contract documents -due to inflation and lack of regular adjustments on the thresholds of the approving limits of the Tender Boards, their authorization were constantly being eroded resulting in abuses, prominent among which is splitting of contracts. Complicated procedures for bidding, approvals and payments. That there was proliferation of tender boards which were perceived by the private sector as sources of delays and non transparency. In addition, these tender boards appeared to have limited mandates with powers to decide contracts de facto resting with the permanent Secretary and the Minister/ Commissioner. Lack of skilled resources. No centralized system of registration of suppliers. Delays in making payments to suppliers that Procurement is often carried out by staff who substantially lack relevant training. Conclusion Not until June 2008 was the procurement bill recently signed into law, previously there was no Federal or state law governing the practice of public procurement in Nigeria. With the advent of the new law, a number of challenges with regards to transparency, accountability and good governance in the area of contracts and procurement of supplies and services by government. In Nigeria it is pertinent to note that e-procurement is not prominently featured in law, this project sets out to make e-procurement prominently featured. With the advent of digital technology and globalisation, Nigeria as a third world country needs to be aware of the challenges and opportunities with regards to the e-procurement process. Furthermore, this project seeks to classify the meaning as well as the benefits of the E-procurement process in Nigeria. This project will also highlight the challenges in transforming Nigeria into a transparent and corrupt-free business environment and also ways of overcoming the challenges of adopting e-procurement in Nigeria. (E-Public Procurement in Nigeria: Some Lessons from EU, 2009) Investigation of Security Issues Security E-procurement platform transacts confidential procurement data and is exposed to several security threats. Agencies world over face threats to their online e-procurement and usually desist from sending sensitive information over the Internet for security reasons. The growing number of cyber crimes has added doubts regarding the reliability of the Internet. Security measures such as authentication and encryption are therefore employed while passing sensitive information between companies. Another major issue concerning e-procurement is the type of goods that are procured through the online medium. Companies usually prefer to source smaller, inexpensive goods such as office stationery (Miller, 2006). Larger complex orders that usually take weeks or months for negotiation are done in the traditional manner but this can be addressed by employing a combination of security features and security best practices which result in reduced threat of data loss, leakage or manipulation. Security and secrecy of tender data is of paramount importance as the portal handles sensitive procurement transactions of departments and has foreseen the security concerns. Security mechanisms provide a secure communication interface, mainly for the exchange of documents between procurement authorities and Economic Operators. Standards constituting adequate and acceptable security need to be provided for the implementation of services during each stage of the procurement process. Importance of Security in e-procurement Security is one of the major factors restricting the growth of e-procurement. Without proper security measures this could lead to the loss or corruption of sensitive information on e-procurement. Security breach could also lead to fraud and financial loss, also includes misappropriation of funds and revealing of sensitive information (The Economist, 1995). This project outlines various security issues faced by e-procurement in Nigeria and possible solutions that can be implemented to reduce such risk. (NATIONAL E-PROCUREMENT PROJECT SUPPLEMENTARY GUIDANCE NOTES, 2004) The major objectives measured for the creation of a safe environment include the following: Verification: guarantees that the service is only available to users with a confirmed identity. Agreement: guarantees that authenticated users can only contact services or data matching their task and access rights. Confidentiality: guarantees that the data exchanged between the person requesting it and the provider cannot be intercepted or accessed by a third non-authorised party. honesty: guarantees that data exchanged among the person requesting it and the contributor has not been tampered with by a third non-authorised party. Non repudiation: guarantees that the sender of the message cannot reject, at a shortly point in time, that he/she sent it. Accordingly, following stringent security measures are already implemented in the system to ensure that transactions on e-procurement portal happen in the most secured manner: Physical security of Data Centre. Entry to the Data centre is with Bio metric smart cards, round the clock CCTV monitoring and under strict personal supervision of Data Centre personnel. Web security through 128 bit Secured Socket Layer (SSL) Technology from client end to server for secured passage of data. Fire walls, intrusion detection system, online virus check, up to date antivirus system, online OS patches to prevent malicious attacks. Network monitoring system to monitor the service levels of the site. Sound back up methods for storing data. Comprehensive Audit Logs of all events that are taking place on the platform. Access controls, sharing of functions between system administrator and data base administrator Third party security audit of e-procurement system. M/s. PWC has conducted security audit in pilot phase (2003) and has expressed that security is unco Designing and Implementing E-procurement Designing and Implementing E-procurement CHAPTER ONE: Background Study Overview The project is designing and implementing e-procurement on business-to-business transactions, it first identifies current procurement process and explores how to implement procurement that involves mainstay drivers and problems of e-procurement system usage and investigate the effect on the performance of the Ministry in terms of e-government and transparency in the Federal Ministry of Science and technology. The solution essentially involves in creating all the requirement details/ specs, of a tender to be floated electronically, in parameterized form; so that subsequent evaluation comparative chart preparation exercises could be automated to a large extent. The term procurement can be referred to as the buying of tangible and intangible merchandise for organizations which can be executed through agency or company. Procurement is not an event. It is a process and signifies a continuing relationship between the government and its suppliers. Procurements are always taken as an important task in the government environment and always handled in a strictly secured and controlled manner (Dunleavy, 1994). According to Nwokak, et al. (2007) procurement is also one of the sectors that remains insulated against any process improvements. At the moment, it is been recognized world over, that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can eliminate the existing bureaucratic problems and make the governments performance more resourceful, easily reached and clear as crystal, besides being cost-effective. The procurement process in the Ministry of science and technology (www.fmst.gov.ng)is a complex process that starts and ends in a cycle. Procurement cycle starts from Raising of the requirements for an item or a service and ends only after settlement of supplier payments as shown in the diagram below. The Concept of E-Procurement Electronic Procurement can describe as purchasing order that release a communication over the internet through authorized internet seller catalogue. E-procurement is the electronic purchase of goods and services for an organization; Turban et al. (2006) from an easy phrase, electronic purchase can be described as procedure to purchase tangible and intangible merchandise by the use of internet for a company or institution. For example, within Nigeria, the majority of companies in the petroleum Industries, United Parcel Service, Plc.(Ups) Federal Express Plc (Fedex), communication industries etc are some of the few organizations that practice e-procurement in material purchase (Nwokak et al, 2009). The reason is so, because the industries have advanced and developed their technology usage of e-procurement keeping up with the changes in the business environment as it pertains to information and technology. Furthermore, electronic procurement or merchant trade is the business-to-consumer (B2C) or company-to-company (C2C) acquisition as well as trade of tangible and intangible goods by electronic means and various information and network system, like the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) (Nwokak et al, 2009). Electronic procurement systems permit competent and valid user to search for buyer or seller of tangible as well as intangible merchandise. No matter which method, buyer or seller may as well state the outlay and request for bidding. Dealings can then be welcomed. Other Concepts in E-procurement Reverse Auction The traditional auction is a Forward Auction. It is a process through which a seller offers an item for auction, and prospective buyer competes with one another other for acquisition. By doing this, the price continue to move up upon the time nobody will be able to go up further. In the reverse auction, several dealers of a product vie for the trade of one single purchaser. In such a way the price moves downward. There are 3-4 flavours of reverse auction, called as: English Auction, Dutch auction, Sealed Bid Auction etc. How it works There is no contact or conciliation with the bidders during the auction. The Buyer also watches the progress of bidding from his office. Identities if bidders are available to him. In reverse auction competition is high; bidders get tempted to bid lower and lower to clinch the deal, until they are unwilling to go any further. At the conclusion the lowest bidder emerges as winner of the auction. Benefits To Buyers: Significant reduction in cost due to Dynamic Bidding process. Inefficiencies in the supply chain reduce. With real time competition, suppliers are on their toes It is an effective way of measuring and assessing price discovery and making the negotiation process an easy effort. Often used along with Tendering. To Vendors: Ensures Savings in marketing cost / distributor margins Facilitates flexibility in pricing decision. Transparency increases Allows vendors to assess their pricing power from close quarters of competition. E-payment Commonly available modes for effecting EMD/ Fee/ other payments electronically, from within a software Application, are: Online payment through Credit cards/ Debit cards or Direct Account Debit (using Gateway for Internet Banking) Depending on the actual need and usage constraints, the appropriate mode could be chosen and integrated into the s/w application. Credit cards could conveniently be integrated for use if the payment amounts involved are not substantial. For all other cases where payment amounts could be heavy, payments through Direct Debits from concerned accounts, using Internet Banking is the only alternative. Scope of E-procurement solution to the Ministry Purchasing of all kinds of goods and services, works etc. Types of Tenders Open, Limited, Expression of Interest Hybrid Mode of Operation Electronic and Paper Based Bid Submission (Initial Stages of Implementation) Mode of Payments (Tender Fee, EMD) e-Payment, as well as Conventional Payment Modes (DD etc.) The Importance of Procurement The purchasing of merchandise, works, and services has a main effect on the efficient execution of an assignment. To a great degree the quality, cost, and judicious achievement of a task determined on the supervision and managing of purchase of materials needed. Use of articulated policy and practice, considered by unbiased, just, and transparent measures, is vital, not only to create reliable and steady market that will be capable to catch the fancy of competent contractor and supplier, but also to uphold the paradigm of accountability and the cost-efficient use of civic treasury. The importance of procurement in delivering key aims and mission of the ministry, and as a result the procurement of merchandise, facility and services is of strategic significance to the Ministry: It has an undeviating force on the Ministrys general overheads, and price of service prerequisite to public. Can have direct effect with delivery of its services by Ministrys. Can have direct effect on the accomplishment of business, department and service mission. It provide the system to deliver key plan objective, together with sustainability, corporate work environment, egalitarianism and cost-effective improvement. It operate in multifaceted dog matic structure that should be followed. Benefits of E-Procurement to Ministry of Science and Technology. For years, improvement to purchase has been attempted, frequently by means of information technology. The concrete opportunity for development today lies in the use of e-procurement, the electronic process of obtaining goods and services for an organization Nwokak et al, (2009). They further to ascertain that by automation and reformation the thorough and arduous routine of obtain task, purchase professional will have the opportunity to pay more attention, on other tactical purchase, in order to achieve these set of objectives: Growing the efficiency of purchase agent (by giving enough period as well as decreasing the work stress) Reducing the procure price by merchandise homogeny reverse auctions, quantity price cut, and also through purchase consolidation. Getting better information stream and organization (for example supplier information and price). Reducing or elimination of the purchase through unqualified vendors, in that way eliminating nonconformist buying. Getting better the disbursement procedures and savings due to expedite disbursement (for seller) Ensure just in time delivery always Slash order-fulfilment and handling period through the use of computerization Reduce skill as well as instruction need of purchase agent. Reduce numeral figure of supplier Reformation of purchase procedure, creating it easy, better and speedy (may involve authorize) Requests to carry out purchase on their desktop, bypassing purchasing unit. Reformation of account statements and difference of opinion decision Reduce organizational handing out expenditure for each bid a s to a great extent of 90% Getting fresh supplier and vendor that will be able to provide goods and services quicker and more so, More cost effective due to better sourcing. Integrate budgetary measures in purchase procedure. Reduction or elimination of individual error in trade or transport procedure Monitor as well as regulate exchange activities. The various benefits are listed below Transactional Benefits Electronic purchase enable purchaser to process transaction through internet. For instance, an internet-base transacts means through which things can be chosen mostly from an identified catalogues and submit for authorization. The device can be connected in same direction of the backside part of ERP structure for access, imbursement of invoice, and arrangement of organization information. Electronic procedures (together with computerization of p-card purchase) lead to immense period saving as well as effectiveness owing to: universal, computerized process incorporate finest tradition as well as eliminate needless actions; electronic processing enable affiliation with supplier, which speed purchase phase period and facilitate contractor feat improvement; and better data correctness, which minimize order in accuracy as well as provide the necessary base for enhanced supervision from side to side control and scrutiny. Compliance Benefits A lot of instances in a company, conformity and unconventional expenditure is an important problem not for the reason that workers intentionally procure outside of favoured arrangements, but to a certain extent through be short of knowledge. Electronic purchases address this from side to side apparatus such as catalogues and benchmark order procedures and authorized process. Conformity will be achieved owing to: easy and speedy request-to-pay procedure together with a easy to use interface and pre-source catalogues modified to the needs of different client; easy and speedy tactical source procedure with benchmark purchase process and apparatus, without difficulty accessing information Electronic purchase structure, the only purchase method obtainable. Management Information Benefit This statement analyze the important of datas cost centre, commodity codes, etc. is hard coded in opposition to the user significantly reduce code error and provide extremely exhaustive as well as effortlessly available data. This is very important information to make the rule of the monetary revenue of tactical source. A successful e-procurement performance will give high value, complete management information and will reverse the need for data warehousing or resource heavy data mining, by David Eakin (2002). The capability to display to your supplier that you are using e-procurement as an apparatus to make sure final user do respect their union significance will augment ability to bargain along the prices through: Better improved capture and as a result, trustworthiness of expenditure information; and Better assurance that costs volume can be assured from better conformity with the structure, hence allow degree price breaks and discount to achieve. These include the capacity to improve management of business cash flow as well as control the proficient imbursement of supplier because of the further rationalized procurement procedures giving additional suitable and precise information to the accounts payable department. Possible benefit includes limited staff a hard benefit only if improvement can bring about head count decrease) and brings down expenditure on postages as well as stationeries. Throughout negotiations the procurement manager can further credibly guarantee the supplier a level of prompt payment, which was not possible prior to e-procurement. David Eakin (2002). However, the electronic invoice benefit is frequently unexamined and uncared for. Reduction in Procurement Contracts cycle time Cost Reduction Efficient streamlined Procurement Processes New Supplier Discovery Close Monitoring of Activities/ Vendor Performance Rich MIS and Analytics New Improved Image Standardized formats and Uniform tendering practices Increased visibility/ Less artificial barriers Increased business opportunities, Greater degree of transparency Cycle time reduction in participation and award of Contract Supplier Enablement and Ease of Participation For high-value items, purchasing personal in the Ministry spends most of their work period on procurement activities. These functions involve developing relationship with considered supplier, negotiating prices as well as terms, qualifying supplier, and bringing out suppliers certification as well as evaluation. When buyer is occupied in the midst of information of lesser things (especially MROs), they have less period to adequately engage in the purchase of the high value item. Other problems can happen in traditional purchase. These include delay in paying a lot for hasten order. Purchase inadequacy is nonconformist exchange, (impromptu procurements of merchandise needed hurriedly, unintentionally at non-pre-negotiated soaring price. The conventional purchase procedure, as discuss over, is therefore ineffective. In other to avoid a repeat of this event, the ministry needs to re-engineer the process of purchasing, by carrying out of new purchasing models in general, through the int roduction of electronic purchase. From this stage, we shall gaze at what e-procurement means in B2B market. The issues are summarized below: Lack of a general Public Procurement Policy. Nigeria lack up to date regulation on Public Procurement and enduring supervision and supervise purchase entity. Transparency in Procurement Act, The finance Control and Management Act, 1958, jointly with Financial policy which sets basic regulations for managing public expenses have gap, deficiency as well as defective execution of existing set of laws on procurement (for example, inadequate in the arrangement for controlling and supervision) which make opportunity for unethical behaviour. Lack of model bidding documents and contract documents -because of inflations, inadequate and regularly adjustment to threshold of the favourable limit of the Tenders Board, their approval were regularly gnarled consequential in abuse, top amongst include is split of contract. Complicated procedures for approvals, bidding and payments. There is a large number of tenders board that are alleged by the private sector as a source of delay as well as non intelligibility. Furthermore, those tenders board appear to encompass inadequate mandate amid power to choose contracted faction active through the permanent Secretary as well as Minister/ Commissioner. Inadequate skilled resources. There is no centralized system of registration of suppliers. Delays in making payments to suppliers whos Procurement are sometimes executed through staffs that substantially lack the required experience. E-government procurement is the collaborative purchase of tangible and intangible merchandise by the civic division using electronic methods at every stage ensuring transparency and efficiency. Ideally, it covers the full life cycle of procurement. The intention is to automate, possibly, the whole purchasing processes, along with tender offer submission as well as payment from supplier; in an automated computerized concurrent situation .E-procurement could resolve many of the constraints/ delays of traditional procurement. In David Eakin (2002).Summary, e-Procurement is the business-to-business buying and selling of supplies and services online. The e-procurement helps both the buyers and the suppliers to decrease the cycle time, needless paper work, waiting in long queues and at the same time maintain the simplicity in the entire process. David Eakin, (February, 2003). Which are to:- Reduce cycle times of procurement Increase supplier access to ensure wider participation Reduce costs of procurement through competitive bidding and Reverse Auctioning Remove cartelisation by supplier groups (Reverse Auctioning) enhance transparency in the procurement procedure Almost complete elimination of paperwork, for speedy and efficient functioning Inefficient function In the Ministry is because of: Lack of a general civic procurement policy Lack of consistency in enforcing procurement practice procedures Low competence labour-intensive process call for of intelligibility in procurement leading to fraud pilferage of the treasury unethical practice by suppliers Cartel creation Influence selection by bribing unit personnel Advances in electronic procurement by the use of safe internet-enabled means have not being used in an extensive method Approach to a Procurement Solution Before looking for an e-Procurement solution, a relook on existing procurement procedures/ practices is essential: As Is Analysis, Re-engineering for optimized processes Optimization/ reduction in process-flow steps Uniformity/ standardization in formats/ practices/ procedures Organization wide use of unified item-codification structure Automation of Processes Critical Determinants of a procurement Solution Good authentication Role based access Security, Secrecy (of bids) Signing, Encryption Ease of Use, Tender Templates, e-Payment integration etc. Integrated Document Management features, Good Analytics Good Audit trail/ traceability features Access for Financial Audit, Legal and RTI needs Good Archival Retrieval features/ policy Safe and secure Probing for seller so as to get and contrast supplier and product occasionally can be in reality awfully time-consuming and expensive. Most Ministries as a way out invite sellers to fulfill orders and create market place. Procurement is used to refer to the purchase of goods and services for an organization, (Martin et. al., 2001). Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) are among of the important parastatals of the Federal Government. The major term of office is providing access to technology for the Majority of Nigerian Populace. The ministry is made up of 8 (eight) departments. The Department of Administration and Supply within the Ministry is responsible for: Planning, management and entirely documenting the procedure to purchase both tangible and intangible merchandise. use of active Continuing Service Agreement for products to attain program needs; management, soliciting and contract award procedures is done prudently and unprejudiced method that is fair and treat every potential vendor and bidder; ensures that contract for good, service as well as building is planned to offer the most excellent value to government; ensures that every ministry acquisition and disposal is unswerving with guidelines, appropriate legislature as well as trade agreement; Declare products excess as soon as their utilization to the ministry has finished. The department is therefore responsible for procurement of goods and services in the Ministry. The Nature and Scope of E-Procurement According to Nwokak et al, (2009) different methods are employed to procure goods and services by companies depending on what and where they buy, the quantities needed, how much money is involved, and more. They further mentioned some important procurements method to comprise the listed below: To buy from an internal buyers catalogue in which company-approved vendors catalogues, including agreed upon prices, are aggregated. This approach is used for the implementation of desktop purchasing, which allows the requisitions to order directly from vendors, bypassing the procurement department. Buy directly from manufacturers, wholesalers, or retailers from their catalogues and possibly by negotiation. Frequently, a contract implements such a purchase. Buy from the catalogue of an intermediary (e-distributor) that aggregates sellers catalogues. Conduct biding or tendering (a reverse auction) in a system in which suppliers compete against each other. This method is used for large-ticket items or large quantities. To buy at private or public auction sites in which the organization participates as one of the buyers. Collaborate with suppliers to share information about sales and inventory, as to reduce inventory and stock -outs and enhance just-in-time delivery (Turban et al 2006). Join a group-purchasing system that aggregates participants demand, creating a large volume. Then, the group may negotiate prices or initiate a tendering process. The Procurement Process Procurement cycle starts from Raising of the requirements for an item or a service and ends only after settlement of supplier payments. By Category of Goods Services Goods Services Civil Contracts By Nature of Procurement Tenders Rate Contract Catalogue Buying Auctions, Reverse Auctions By Size / Volume of procurement High Values, low volumes Low values, High Volumes By Portfolio of services needed Requisition, Bid Process Evaluation, Award, PO Supply, Quality check, Inventory Management Payment, Accounting, Audit MIS, EIS The traditional procurement process has been widely criticized as an ineffective procurement method because it often involves time and cost overrun (Dunleavy, 1994). Yet the method is still being widely used in Nigeria most especially for the procurement in Ministry of Science and technology. Inefficiencies in Traditional Procurement Management According to Nwokak et al (2009) precisely 80% of organizations purchase item, especially for Maintenances, Repairs as well as Operating items (MROs), constitutes 20- 25 percent of the total purchasing values. Furthermore, Nwokak; OzuruUgoji (2009) affirmed that a portion of corporate buyers time is spent on non-value-added activities such data entry, correcting errors in paper work, expediting delivery or solving quality problems. For high-value items, purchasing personal spend a great deal of time and effort on procurement activities. These activities include qualifying suppliers, negotiating prices and terms, building rapport with strategic suppliers, as well as carrying out supplier evaluation and certification (Nwokak et al, 2009). If buyers are busy with details of the smaller items (usually MROs), they do not have enough time to properly deal with the purchase of the high -value items. Other inefficiencies also may occur in conventional procurement. These range from delays to paying too much for rush orders. Procurement inefficiency is maverick buying, (unplanned purchase of items needed quickly, often at non-pre-negotiated high prices. The traditional procurement process, as discussed above, often is therefore inefficient (Mills, 1996). In order to correct this situation, the ministry needs to reengineer their procurement systems, implementation of new purchasing models and in particular, introduce e-procurement. At this juncture, we will look at what e-procurement is in a B2B marketplace. Issues in Ministry Procurement Lack of a common Public Procurement Policy: Nigeria lacks a modern law on Public Procurement and Permanent oversight and monitor purchasing entities. Lack of model bidding documents and contract documents -due to inflation and lack of regular adjustments on the thresholds of the approving limits of the Tender Boards, their authorization were constantly being eroded resulting in abuses, prominent among which is splitting of contracts. Complicated procedures for bidding, approvals and payments. That there was proliferation of tender boards which were perceived by the private sector as sources of delays and non transparency. In addition, these tender boards appeared to have limited mandates with powers to decide contracts de facto resting with the permanent Secretary and the Minister/ Commissioner. Lack of skilled resources. No centralized system of registration of suppliers. Delays in making payments to suppliers that Procurement is often carried out by staff who substantially lack relevant training. Conclusion Not until June 2008 was the procurement bill recently signed into law, previously there was no Federal or state law governing the practice of public procurement in Nigeria. With the advent of the new law, a number of challenges with regards to transparency, accountability and good governance in the area of contracts and procurement of supplies and services by government. In Nigeria it is pertinent to note that e-procurement is not prominently featured in law, this project sets out to make e-procurement prominently featured. With the advent of digital technology and globalisation, Nigeria as a third world country needs to be aware of the challenges and opportunities with regards to the e-procurement process. Furthermore, this project seeks to classify the meaning as well as the benefits of the E-procurement process in Nigeria. This project will also highlight the challenges in transforming Nigeria into a transparent and corrupt-free business environment and also ways of overcoming the challenges of adopting e-procurement in Nigeria. (E-Public Procurement in Nigeria: Some Lessons from EU, 2009) Investigation of Security Issues Security E-procurement platform transacts confidential procurement data and is exposed to several security threats. Agencies world over face threats to their online e-procurement and usually desist from sending sensitive information over the Internet for security reasons. The growing number of cyber crimes has added doubts regarding the reliability of the Internet. Security measures such as authentication and encryption are therefore employed while passing sensitive information between companies. Another major issue concerning e-procurement is the type of goods that are procured through the online medium. Companies usually prefer to source smaller, inexpensive goods such as office stationery (Miller, 2006). Larger complex orders that usually take weeks or months for negotiation are done in the traditional manner but this can be addressed by employing a combination of security features and security best practices which result in reduced threat of data loss, leakage or manipulation. Security and secrecy of tender data is of paramount importance as the portal handles sensitive procurement transactions of departments and has foreseen the security concerns. Security mechanisms provide a secure communication interface, mainly for the exchange of documents between procurement authorities and Economic Operators. Standards constituting adequate and acceptable security need to be provided for the implementation of services during each stage of the procurement process. Importance of Security in e-procurement Security is one of the major factors restricting the growth of e-procurement. Without proper security measures this could lead to the loss or corruption of sensitive information on e-procurement. Security breach could also lead to fraud and financial loss, also includes misappropriation of funds and revealing of sensitive information (The Economist, 1995). This project outlines various security issues faced by e-procurement in Nigeria and possible solutions that can be implemented to reduce such risk. (NATIONAL E-PROCUREMENT PROJECT SUPPLEMENTARY GUIDANCE NOTES, 2004) The major objectives measured for the creation of a safe environment include the following: Verification: guarantees that the service is only available to users with a confirmed identity. Agreement: guarantees that authenticated users can only contact services or data matching their task and access rights. Confidentiality: guarantees that the data exchanged between the person requesting it and the provider cannot be intercepted or accessed by a third non-authorised party. honesty: guarantees that data exchanged among the person requesting it and the contributor has not been tampered with by a third non-authorised party. Non repudiation: guarantees that the sender of the message cannot reject, at a shortly point in time, that he/she sent it. Accordingly, following stringent security measures are already implemented in the system to ensure that transactions on e-procurement portal happen in the most secured manner: Physical security of Data Centre. Entry to the Data centre is with Bio metric smart cards, round the clock CCTV monitoring and under strict personal supervision of Data Centre personnel. Web security through 128 bit Secured Socket Layer (SSL) Technology from client end to server for secured passage of data. Fire walls, intrusion detection system, online virus check, up to date antivirus system, online OS patches to prevent malicious attacks. Network monitoring system to monitor the service levels of the site. Sound back up methods for storing data. Comprehensive Audit Logs of all events that are taking place on the platform. Access controls, sharing of functions between system administrator and data base administrator Third party security audit of e-procurement system. M/s. PWC has conducted security audit in pilot phase (2003) and has expressed that security is unco
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Roman Woman Profile Essay -- Sculpture Art Roman Essays
Roman Woman Profile The sculpture that we have observed has been dated to the first half of the first century C.E. This places the portrait during the Julio-Claudian period in Roman history. From the information we have gathered about the time period, the woman's style of dress and of the types of sculpture prevelant during the period, we have formed a possible profile of the daily life of the subject. It was determined that the women in the portrait was most likely a freeborn, upper-middle class citizen of Rome. The portrait seems to have been a part of a funerary monument, a conclusion which was drawn due to the pattern of cleavage observed at the back of her head and the sides of her face. It was also observed that there was a piece of metal in the back of the head which could have been used to clasp the head to the monument. Comparisons with other known funerary monuments corroberate with this explanation. Since this is the likely case, several determinations can be made. Not many funerary monuments were made for the lower class, but for the upper class, parents often prepared funerary monuments for their daughters after having married them off (Pomeroy 149-189). Using this rationale, it can be concluded that she remained in the upper class after marriage, as upper class women were often married to upper class men (Pomeroy 149-189). The veristic form of sculpturing used led us to believe that she was not a part of the elite court class, for during the Julio-Claudian period, most portraits of upper class women were of the idealistic, eternal youth imagery, exhibiting smooth, beautiful features (Kleiner 139). The portrait of our Julio-Claudian matron, however, exhibited many realistic features that would not exemplify be... ...ed only women and some at which both men and women were present. She had leadership over her household, including her children and slaves, though she was subservient to her husband. Works Cited Cormack, S. (1996). The Domestic Realm. In D. E. Kleiner and S. B. Matheson (Eds.) I Claudia: Women in Ancient Rome (pp. 167). University of Texas Press. Austin, TX. Johansen, F. (1994). Catalogue. In A. M Neilson (Ed). Roman Portraits I. (pp. 246-7). Bianco Luno Copenhagen. Kleiner, Diana E. (1992). Art under the Julio-Claudians. Roman Sculpture. (pp. 139). New Haven, Bt: Yale University Press. Peradotto, J. (1984). Women in the Ancient World. (pp. 241) New York, NY: State University of New York Press. Pomeroy, S. (1976). The Roman matron of the late republic and early empire. Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves. (pp. 149-189). New York, NY: Schocken Books.
Moses Herzogs Confused Identity Essay -- Literature Narration Papers
Moses Herzog's Confused Identity While Moses Herzog sits in the Chicago police station after he has crashed his rental car, the narrator of Saul Bellow's work exclaims angrily, "See Moses? We don't know one another" (299). This is the lone moment in the book where the narrator explicitly suggests some separation between himself and Herzog. Much of the rest of the novel provides an unclear division between the narrator and the main character. I would argue that this unclear division occurs because these two figures, the narrator and Herzog, are in fact the same person. There are small logistical hints in the text that this is true. But these small elements of the text exist alongside much larger similarities between Herzog, and the narrator. In the largest sense, the uncertainty, the subjectivity that the narrator evinces in telling Herzog's story shows just how similar he is to the character he is describing. In the end even the quote that began this paper, the remark that ostensibly creates the strongest divis ion between the narrator and Herzog, is evidence that these two figures are really the same - that Herzog is really narrating his own story. The most visible element of the book that suggests some conflation of the narrator and Herzog is the narrator's confused pronoun use for Herzog. On occasion, the narrator confusingly refers to Herzog not in the third person as "he" but instead in the first person as "I," seemingly adopting Herzog's voice. Some of the times that this happens, it seems a stylistic device, such as when the narration is given in Herzog's voice, directly after Herzog's letters. Herzog writes to Madeleine's mother Tennie, before thinking about what he has just written: "It's in the vault, in Pitts... ...rose colored glasses. Similarly, Herzog having this emotional experience would not allow the narrator to empathize with, and thus understand Nachman. But it does. The narrator is, and would only be able to utilize Herzog's own emotional intelligence in narrating the story, because the narrator is Herzog. The confused pronoun references throughout the text strongly suggest that the narrator and Herzog are one. But the less overt moments, where the reader is brought to see the emotional closeness of Herzog and the narrator, are the truly convincing signals that these two figures are one. Even the question that ostensibly sets the two figures apart, in fact contains many of the similarities between the two figures. When Moses tells himself, "See Moses? We don't know one another," Moses is, in fact, keeping with all the uncertainties that define him as a character.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Adolescence is the period Essay
Adolescence is the period of transition from childhood to adulthood, which is between 13 to 20 years of age. The term â€Å"adolescent†refers to the arraignment of psychological maturity. Puberty, on the other hand, refer to the stage wherein adolescents become physically and biologically ready for reproduction. Most people refer to this stage as a period that is highly stressful and volatile although teenagers nowadays successfully meet these challenges. Every individual is born into a family with several generations of cultural traditions, norms and social patters. They belong to a specific family, race and community with its own language and religion. The social setting with which the child is brought up may have an effect on his growth and development, including his ability to think, his emotions as well as the behavior he exhibits. Children fundamentally learn through the adult’s modeling and instructions. Social settings include the child’s home, the school, the community at large, as well as religious organizations. Positive relationships with family members serve to protect individuals from the risk of negative behaviors. These relationships provide as secure and fundamental base for which individuals learn to grow and develop positively. The family exerts a considerable influence on shaping the individuals concept of self and his outlook towards those outside the family. The family serves as role models so that the child learns which behaviors are socially acceptable, the enhancement of relationship skills as well as maintaining effective communication patterns. In addition, conflicts within the family that are effectively resolved are also important since the child will be using these as the basis during his dealings with those outside the family See more: Beowulf essay essay According to Piaget, changes occurring inside the individual’s mind as well as his broadening exposure to various social settings allow the adolescent to achieve the highest level in terms of intellectual development, which is known as formal operations. The adolescent develops the ability to determine possibilities, rank possibilities, solve problems and make decisions through logical operations. The teenager has the ability for abstract thought and is able to effectively answer questions or problems that may be hypothetical in nature. Adolescents have the capacity to reason with respect to possibilities and new cognitive powers allow the adolescent to do more far-reaching problem solving including their future and that of others. Although adolescents have the capacity to think as well as an adult, they lack experiences on which to build their decisions which may also result in conflicts between teens and their parents. Piaget acknowledged that biological maturation plays a role in this developmental theory but believed that rates of development depend upon the intellectual stimulation and challenge in the child’s environment. An adolescent may perform at different levels in different situations based on past experiences, formal education, and motivation in the use of logic and effective deductive reasoning. Erik Erikson established the psychosocial development of human beings that consists of eight stages starting from infancy until the late adult stage. During each stage of psychosocial development, the individual is confronted with several challenges that he must master and be able to successfully master the conflicts within each stage as the inability to do so would result to future problems. The major task of adolescent psychosocial development according to Erikson is the search for personal identity. Teenagers may become isolated socially during their inability to establish close relationships within their social environment. The primary danger of this stage is identity versus role confusion. Adolescents work at becoming socially independent from their parents while retaining family ties. Furthermore, they need to develop their own ethical systems based on their own personal values and principles. Choices, especially regarding lifestyle, vocation and future education must be made by the adolescent. Indecisiveness and the inability to make an occupational choice are behaviors indicating negative resolution of the developmental task at hand. According to Kohlberg’s Moral Developmental Theory, adolescents are at the â€Å"Post Conventional Level†wherein individuals find a balance between basic human rights and obligations and societal rules and regulations in this level. Individuals move away from moral decisions based on authority or conformity to groups to define their own moral values and principles. Individuals at this stage start to look at what an ideal society would be like. Under this Level, are 2 stages namely: Social Contract Orientation and Universal Ethical Principle Orientation. Under social contract orientation, an individual may follow societal law but he recognizes the possibility of changing the law to improve society. The individual may also recognize that different societal groups may have differing views as well as values although they may be in agreement on several fundamental concepts such liberty and life. On the other hand, the universal ethical principle orientation defines the â€Å"right†by decision of conscience with self chosen ethical principles. Kohlberg himself questioned this stage because he found out that very few subjects reasoned at this stage and thus termed it a â€Å"theoretical†stage. References: Behrman, R. , Kiegman, R. and H. Jenson. Nelson textbook of Pediatrics. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 2000. Bukatko, D. , and M. Daehler. Child development, a thematic approach. 4th ed..Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Edelman, C. , and C. Mandle. Health promotion throughout the Life Span. 5th ed.. St. Louis: Mosby, 2002. Hockenberry , M. J. Wong’s nursing care of infants and children. 7th ed. St. Louis: Mosby, 2003 Howe, D. , Brandon, M. , Hinings, D. and Schofield (1999). Attachment Theory, Child Maltreatment and Family Support. A Practice and Assessment Model. Palgrave: Houndmlls, Basingstoke, Hampshire and New York. Kohlberg, L.. â€Å"Review of child development research. â€Å"Hoffman, ML. 1964.
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