Ghana, the mixed capitalist Essay Example for Free

Ghana, the mixed capitalist Essay Gold Coast, now Ghana had his independence in 1957 after a long struggle with our colonial masters, the British by Kwame Nkrumah and others who helped in diverse ways such as â€Å"the Big Six† and others. Colonized by the British, Ghana has gone through a lot of systems of governance; Monarchical, autocracy and now democracy. So is with economic systems which go with any form of governance system. Currently there are about four (4) economic systems in the world which are; socialist, capitalist, mixed economy (Socialist and Capitalist) and Islamic economic jurisprudence. The Economic Systems All these are economic systems and it is defines those who controls and owns the economic resources which forms the â€Å"means† in economics. Every economy is measured by the usage of its means and the nature of the â€Å"means† owners determines the kind of economic system the country runs. Socialist system of economy is a one that has its resources highly controlled by the central government. E. g. USSR (Russia, Ukraine, Yugoslavia etc), the Capitalist economy is that whose resources is highly owned and controlled by private individuals or a body other than the government. E. g. USA, UK, part of Europe etc. The Mixed economy is that which combines both the socialist and the capitalist economic systems to run the country’s economy. In that, the central government controls part of the economy whiles the other part is controlled by private participation. Functions of the Economic Systems There are multiple components to economic systems. Their interaction may be coherent or result in instability. Decision-making structures of an economy determine the use of economic inputs (the factors of production), distribution of output, the level of centralization in decision-making, and who makes these decisions. Decisions might be carried out by industrial councils, by a government agency, or by private owners. Every economic system represents an attempt to solve three fundamental and interdependent problems: What goods and services shall be produced and in what quantities? How shall goods and services be produced? That is, by whom and with what resources and technologies? For whom shall goods and services be produced? That is, who is to enjoy the benefits of the goods and services and how is the total product to be distributed among individuals and groups in the society. E. g. the current load management by the VRA and the ECG. Thus every economy is a system that allocates resources for exchange, production, distribution and consumption. The system is stabilized through a combination of threat and trust, which are the outcome of institutional arrangements. An economic system possesses the following institutions: Methods of control over the factors or means of production: this may include ownership of, or property rights to, the means of production and therefore may give rise to claims to the proceeds from production. The means of production may be owned privately, by the state, by those who use them or be held in common. A decision-making system: this determines who is eligible to make decisions over economic activities. Economic agents with decision-making powers can enter into binding contracts with one another. A coordination mechanism: this determines how information is obtained and used in decision-making. The two dominant forms of coordination are planning and markets; planning can be either de-centralized or centralized, and the two coordination mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and often co-exist. An incentive system: this induces and motivates economic agents to engage in productive activities. It can be based on either material reward (compensation or self-interest) or moral suasion (for instance, social prestige or through a democratic decision-making process that binds those involved). The incentive system may encourage specialization and the division of labour. Organizational form: there are two basic forms of organization: actors and regulators. Economic actors include households, work gangs and production teams, firms, joint-ventures and cartels. Economically regulative organizations are represented by the state and market authorities; the latter may private or public entities. A distribution system: this allocates the proceeds from productive activity, which is distributed as income among the economic organizations, individuals and groups within society, such as property owners, workers and non-workers, or the state (from taxes). A public choice mechanism for law-making, establishing rules, norms and standards and levying taxes. Usually this is the responsibility of the state but other means of collective decision-making are possible, such as workers’ councils. The Ghana’s Economy Ghana’s economy is purely a mixed type with the resources sharply divided between the public and private participation. The service sector is highly controlled by the government while the production sector is dominated by private and group participation. Decision making, which determines the direction of the economy and the type system, is done a lot of the times, through consultations with stakeholders of the economy. Example; when the power and water companies wanted to review utility tariffs to a certain percentage, there was a lot of consultations thereby; getting the rate we have now. Ghana, before the independence was purely capitalist. After independence, the then government focused on turning the economy into a communist/socialist system. They invested so much in agriculture which was the only sector controlled by the government and also reached out to industrialize the economy. Currently, Ghana is well-endowed with natural resources and agriculture accounts for roughly one-quarter of GDP and employs more than half of the workforce, mainly small landholders. The services sector accounts for 50% of GDP. Gold and cocoa production and individual remittances are major sources of foreign exchange. Oil production at Ghanas offshore Jubilee field began in mid-December, 2010, and is expected to boost economic growth. Finally, I may agree with the statement but require more facts to completely justify its truth. Ghana is a mixed economy but capitalist oriented on the face assessment value of the various sectors. But can justify, if all percentages of public/private participation of the economic sectors are well defined. This will couple with the clear policy direction of the present governments which has state on record as being social democrats and has manifestoes seeking to provide a lot for the people.

Golden Ratio :: essays research papers

What is the Golden Ratio The golden ration can occur anywhere. The golden proportion is the ratio of the shorter length to the longer length which equals the ratio of the longer length to the sum of both lengths. The golden ratio is a term used to describe proportioning in a piece. In a work of art or architecture, if one maintained a ratio of small elements to larger elements that was the same as the ratio of larger elements to the whole, the end result was pleasing to the eye. The ratio for length to width of rectangles is 1.61803398874989484820. The numeric value is called â€Å"phi†. The Golden Ratio is also known as the golden rectangle. The Golden Rectangle has the property that when a square is removed a smaller rectangle of the same shape remains, a smaller square can be removed and so on, resulting in a spiral pattern. The Golden Rectangle is a unique and important shape in mathematics. The Golden Rectangle appears in nature, music, and is often used in art and architecture. Some thing special about the golden rectangle is that the length to the width equals approximately 1.618†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Golden Ration = Length = 1.6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Width The golden rectangle has been discovered and used since ancient times. Our human eye perceives the golden rectangle as a beautiful geometric form. The symbol for the Golden Ratio is the Greek letter Phi. The Fibonacci Series was discovered around 1200 A.D. Leonardo Fibonacci discovered the unusual properties of the numeric series, that’s how it was named. It is not proven that Fibonacci even noticed the connection between the Golden Ratio meaning and Phi. The Renaissance used the Golden Mean and Phi in their sculptures and paintings to achieve vast amounts balance and beauty. The Golden Ratio in Architecture and Art Throughout the centuries, artists have used the golden ratio in their own creations. An example is â€Å"post† by Picasso. When using a golden mean gauge you can see that the lines are spaced to the Golden Proportion. The Golden Ratio also appears in the Parthenon in Athens. It was built about 440 B.C.; it forms a perfect Golden Rectangle. The exterior dimensions form Golden Rectangle. The Golden Ratio also appears in the front face, which is found to be Phi times as wide as it is tall, so therefore it is a Golden Rectangle. The height of the roof is Phi times the space between the tops of the columns and the bottom of the roof.

Being Human

As we all know that we are all human beings with uniqueness. Each one of us has different and unique traits, personalities, features and is in total different from an animal or any creatures on the earth. This means to say that we as a human being cannot be like another animal or machine on earth. We have our own set of feelings, habits, likes and dislikes, etc. In fact it can be said that we are probably the only creatures on earth that give priority and importance to relationship and love. However, since these aspects are basically the study of mind we cannot claim that love does not exist among other creatures.Many of us who are used to having pets at home understand the extent to which an animal can express love. However, we cannot judge of the concepts of sin, reasoning, self-awareness, critical thinking, individuality, emotions, empathy, etc. in case of animals. Individuals with psychological problems, sadistic personality disorder, transgressive behavior, cannibals and murdere rs can therefore be considered as being inhuman. There are also instances when human beings under the effect of drugs, neuroscience, introspection, and experiences cause irreversible changes in their traits and characteristics.There are several literatures that talks about the stories of people who were inhuman. There are people who are more â€Å"humane† than the humans around them. This, perhaps, is what really the meaning of being human. There are many people today who are arguing that the present trends in science and technology has kept man and god together. For instance, technologies such as cloning and stem cells have brought in the capability to create a whole new organism. Human beings or for that matter any organism is a result of natures cloning.However, today manmade cloning is a subject of controversy and has raised several ethical questions. There are several arguments made for and against cloning. Some have put forth valid arguments stating the immorality of cl oning. Others use the religion argument saying it goes against God's intention (McCoy n. pag). For any technology to progress and produce beneficial results it is essential that we look at the positive impacts that these technologies may have on the society. There are several researchers who have tries to divine the word being human. For instance, â€Å"Rev. Mitsuo Aoki, Ph.D has said that â€Å"The greatness of aging is to enable you to realize for the first time the deeper meaning of that it means to be human. Not the religious, not that, but more human and it's only in this process of aging that this quality of being human is realizable. You begin to understand the nature of faith, the meaning of hope. And so hope is not about something you achieved, but the life that is always shining in front of you†¦ Is beckoning you. And you only understand that in the process of aging. It's amazing what has been manifested in this process. That beyond all these things is something we call love†¦love. † (KGMB9) Different group of people define this term differently. For instance, â€Å"the constructivists state that Human Nature is a simple cultural artifact†. Sociobiologists, however, are determinists. They consider that human nature – being the inevitable and inexorable outcome of the inhuman ancestry – cannot be the subject of moral judgment†. Human dignity is indeed used to indicate that all human beings have intrinsic worthiness. Every human deserves unconditional respect and is not related to any difference in age, sex, anthropological origin, health, political boundaries, religion, or personal history.In other words it can be said that these are exclusively human. According to the Catholic thought â€Å"human dignity† is linked to an array of human life issues. For instance, it includes health care ethics. In other words catholic moral thoughts are the basic tradition’s understanding of common justice, th e common good, and the right to life and the right to health care in all aspects (Ascension Health). We as human beings have the right to choice and can select what we want in our life. This is not true in the case of animals.Self organizing is another aspect of human beings that is rare in other animals. We live as a social being and participate in the political system. The term being human can be easily understood if we know the meaning of being inhuman. Inhuman means lacking kindness, pity, or compassion or being cruel to other human beings, nature, or any organism. These acts are easily recognizable and are to a greater extent disliked by the majority of us. Besides, the ability to communicate to each other using different languages, the educational background, the society and the impact of religion makes us more human.Morality and immorality is the term that is used to define if a human being can be considered being human or inhuman. Additionally, the concepts of mortality/immo rtality mirror on the promises of life and the predictability of death. It is throughout human development, even for early man called the Neanderthals, this concept has been dominant and in some cultures it is believed that life after death is a reality. The present state of knowledge of the human being is one which has been developed using the special skills and intelligence of human beings.However, it is more by the materialistic thinking of modern technological science. We as human beings need to be more compassionate towards other creatures, nature and think of the development in a sustainable manner. It is also important to realize that we are human beings and not machines. Often times, in today’s run for success and fame, people are not realizing the basic needs of self, family as well as other related organisms. Cooperate world is more like using humans as machines to make profit, to achieve targets and generally think of the human body as being merely an elaborate mac hine which is a real problem.It is essential to realize that we as human beings need to be human to ourselves and other fellow human being with all the non-material aspects of the human being- thinking, feeling, attitudes, emotions, mores, imagination, etc. Work cited Ascension Health. Principle of Human Dignity (2007) KGMB9. The Deeper Meaning of Being Human†¦ Love (2008) McCoy, L. Lloyd's pro cloning essay. (1998).

Definition and Examples of Personification