Corporate control and governance practices in Russia

In Russia, the problem of corporate governance has become a frequent subject for discussion. Stories now abound about questionable corporate governance practices, such as share dilution, asset stripping, transfer pricing, complex ownership structures, limiting shareholders from attending the shareholders meetings. These practices, which have come to constitute corporate governance abuses to company shareholders, are considered to be factors adversely affecting the investment climate. At first glance, these non-transparent practices are a collection of independent cases of managerial malfeasance that are abusive to investors. However, there seems to be an internal logic in these widely used practices, as they have been functional for Russian corporates to navigate through circumstances characterised by an imperfect formal framework. The aim of this paper is to analyse such functionalities of the practices in light of an evolution of corporate Russia. Taking Yukos Oil Company as a case study, the paper demonstrates that resorting to these practices was instrumental in a process of ensuring corporate survival and strengthening market position by establishing a coherent corporate entity. This paper emphasises that these practices represent rational and logical responses by economic agents to the prevailing conditions shaped by policy choices, political and macroeconomic environment, and institutions

Dramatic Theories and Criticism: Impetus for Creative Intellection

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Simulating Relativistic Laser Matter Interactions

With recent advances in laser technology we have seen laser intensities reach the order of 10^22 W/cm2, with higher intensities anticipated in the near future. This thesis concerns a classical approach to the simulation of laser matter interactions for intensities above the relativistic threshold of 10^18 W/cm2. A pulsed plane wave model is used to simulate the laser fields. In particular this thesis aims to determine the effect of radiation reaction on relativistic interactions as well as proposing an effective method of vacuum laser acceleration from rest. We consider the equations of motion accounting for radiative effects and present their analytic plane wave solution. A novel numerical scheme to solve the equations of motion for arbitrary field configurations is presented. The method is manifestly covariant and exact for constant fields. Radiative reaction effects are explored using the numerical method and we find that the electron gains energy from the radiation field produced by its acceleration. Methods of vacuum laser acceleration are studied and we predict a significant acceleration using two co-propagating lasers where the frequency of the two lasers differ significantly. We also look at analytic and numerical solutions of the radiation spectrum, observing an increase in oscillations in the spectrum for larger intensities. We see more photons radiated when we include radiative terms in our calculations

Translation, Principles and Application in Theatre and Media Studies.

Theoretically, the paper discusses the principle and practice in translation as broadly applicable to theatre and media studies. It characterises translation as one of the literary triplets to which also belong adaptation and transposition; each a phenomenon of artas imitation, capable of extending its frontiers of knowledge through processesual recycling of an existing original source text to a target text, also capable of ideally observing a good measure of literary fidelity; in respect of its original source text, diachronically and synchronically, with all its semiological essences. Thus thepaper discusses, among other subtitles in focus, the essence of its message, a history of translation as encapsulated from the renaissance to postmodernism, emphatic on African experience in translation, perspectives on translation, principles and application. It dwells on faithfulness in translation with appropriate examples visà-vis salient elements of subversive translation; translation as conditioned by sociocultural milieux and related concepts in the process of recycling, cloning and updating of historical, metaphysical and philosophical circumstances and constructs. Like adaption and transposition, it is an aspect of irreducible and inalienable mythos, in allits literary essence. In this regard, it is a transcultural, intercultural and intracultural phenomenon, with coordinate interlingual, translingual and intralingual paradigms, promotional to civilization, growth and enrichment of multiculturalism. Translations have afforded generation after generation opportunities to share in the ich ideas, ideals, discoveries, inventions and theories of iconic figures like Christ, Aristotle, Plato, Galileo and Kopernicus etc; enriching humanity immeasurably, timelessly and pricelessly

Love Learning And Create Change In Science And Technology Through Effective Mathematics Education At The Upper Basic Education Level In Benue State, Nigeria.

It is obvious that change is the only permanent thing.  This change however, require a pragmatic education to remain; and for this education to become pragmatic requires a change of attitude by learners from negative to positive especially at this era of science and technology.  Science and technology is properly driven with sound mathematics.  Implication of this is that adequate mathematics education is required at the foundational level of education. This paper therefore considered how improving learners’ love (attitude) for learning mathematics could create change in science and technology if mathematics education is properly positioned at the upper basic education level in Nigeria.  This is because the Nigeria nation intends to be one of the twenth economically viable nations in the world by the year 2020.  It is therefore, targeted at empowering both students and teachers at this level of education, for the purpose of actualizing this very import vision of the nation.  The study was carried out in Benue State, Nigeria and covered all the upper basic education level students and their mathematics teachers.  Simple survey design was adopted, while instrument of study was a questionnaire called upper basic education mathematics questionnaire (UBEMQ) with 40 items.  Results collate was analysed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation.  It was found among other things, that learners’ strong love for mathematics is a primary catalyst for actualizing the nations desire for scientific and technological development which is a basic ingredient   for the nation’s vision 20:2020.Recommendations such as improving the capacity of mathematics teachers should be encouraged as well as ensuring that mathematics teachers use instructional materials in their mathematics classroom among others. Adequate conclusion was made. Keywords: Love learning, Create change, Science and Technology, Mathematics  education, Upper basic education leve

Biological performance and gastrointestinal development of broiler chicks fed diets varying in energy : protein ratio

(South African J of Animal Science, 2000, 30, Supplement 1: 136-137

Impacts of Dramatic Theory and Criticism on the Development of Drama and Theatre: A Periscopic Survey

The paper discusses, periscopically, the paradigmatic impacts of critical theory and criticism on the development of drama and theatre through the ages; from the classical periods; through the medieval, the Renaissance, the Romantic, Neoclassical to the modern period of realism and naturalism. It alludes to how each of these periods as well as the postmodernist period attempts to show its own temper as being radically different from their predecessors, and how; though the reader would note, unequivocally, that the apple hardly falls far from its tree progenitor. This is how the relationship between the anti-realistic modes and their realistic cousins can be perceived and interpreted. It briefly discusses the recurrent controversies between the Western dramatic weltanschauung vis-à-vis the African cosmology in terms of the theoretical impacts of the former on the latter, concluding that the need for African theory and criticism to come of age cannot be overemphasized.LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research, 8(1), 167-183, 201

Effect of Metalinguistic Learning Approach on Students’ Achievement in Secondary Schools Statistics in Makurdi Metropolis, Benue State, Nigeria

Statistics is an indispensable aspect of mathematics that affects every facet of human endeavour. However, empirical evidence shows that students achieve poorly in mathematics at the School Certificate level due to poor attempt of statistics related questions. Research findings further indicated that this low achievement may be attributed to pedagogy and this has necessitated this study. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The study made use of a quasi-experimental design of non-randomized Pretest- Posttest control group. A sample of 350 SS2 students was drawn from a population of 2,665 SS2 students in Makurdi Metropolis using Yaro-Yamen’s formula. In each of the four secondary schools, intact classes were used.  Two sets of lesson plans on the topics under study were developed for the experimental and control groups respectively. Data were collected using Statistics Achievement Test (SAT).Research questions were answered using means and standard deviations while the hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. Findings among others   include that metalinguistic learning approach improved students’ achievement in statistics and MLA did not significantly differentiate between male and female students’ achievement scores in statistics. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that mathematics teachers should be encouraged to use MLA in their mathematics classroom among others. Adequate suggestions were further made.  Keywords: Metalinguistics, Learning approach, Students’ achievement, Statistics, Mathematics teachers