Dunkirk and the battle of Britain Sources Questions

1) How useful is sources A, B and C in understanding what the battle for Dunkirk was like? Explain your answer. Source A is useful in the effect of giving us a first hand account of the events that occurred. The only problem with this source is that we don't know if it applied to many people, or if it just applied to Commander Thomas Kerr. We also need to know the date that this source was written to find out how accurate it really is. Source B also gives us a first hand account of what happened on the beach. But also, only gives us one mans views of what he was experiencing and we don't know how popular this sort of thing was, we would need more evidence to find out how useful this source is. Source C unfolds one mans views of a brave soldier attacking many planes. But this source may have only applied to this certain individual. After long hard thort, I have come to the conclusion that source B and C supports each other in the sense that the British army are fighting back. But sources B and C don't support source A. 2) â€Å"Dunkirk was a great deliverance and a great disaster.† Is there any sufficient evidence in sources d-j to support this interpretation? Use the sources and your own knowledge to explain your answer. This interpretation is correct in the sense that Dunkirk was a triumph and a disaster. It was written by A.J.P Taylor. Although at the time of Dunkirk it was only seen by people as a great triumph. Only after time as historians studied sources the thought of disaster was introduced. Source D shows the beaches with people being rescued from them. It also shows plains bombing. Its factual accuracy unknown. This is because it is on its own and on its own, the source is hard to tell how accurate it actually is. Also the government used to employ artists to paint ‘glorified' pictures of events. The painting was actually painted by a British man named Charles Cundull. If the government didn't employ this man his versions of events would have been bias anyway. The government also stopped all paintings during the war unless they were designed specifically for positive propaganda. Source E shows thousands of troops lining up on the beaches to be picked up. This source is pretty accurate because it is a photograph and photographs don't lie. But on the other hand we know that not all the troops were this well behaved. But because it is only a photograph we can only see one instant of time. And only gives us a glimpse of the events that unfolded. Source F shows the allied troops defending them self's and shooting at German plains. This source is interesting because it backs up source B. this source fits in well with other sources but again, only provides us with one instant of time. Source G is a speech about the spirit of the British army. It was written by Antony Eden. He was minister of war. It was written in 1940. This speech was almost certainly written and spoke to keep moral high. We can't exactly rely on this source due to the position that Britain was in at the time this was written. Source H is a source extracted from a British newspaper, published in 1945. The basic facts it explains are correct. What's not accurate is the way the people felt. The way they express this is a little bit bias. this source is also for boosting moral but not as much as source G. this source tells a bit more of what the conditions are really like. Source I is a historians view of the Dunkirk operations. This sources factual accuracy is very good as far as the facts go. This was written by A.J.P Taylor, and was published in 1965.

Labeled behavior Essay

After his release from Wiltwyck, Butch lived with his dad in a run-down tenement in the Bronx. Butch admired his father for his criminal exploits and his time imprison. Butch’s dad got drunk a lot and beat on Butch. Life degenerated into a nightmare and a series of tragedies for Butch. Rather than continue to live being beaten, Butch robbed a taxi driver at knife point and turned himself in to the police. The robbery was also part of his dream to become a real criminal. It was as if going to prison was the only future he could envision. Butch imploded from all the terrible forces within him, including his shattered home life and the terror of living by the code of the street. He became violently angry without provocation and acted as if he were mentally retarded. He claimed to hear voices and tried to choke another boy. Butch was sent to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation. The psychiatrist evaluating him found him seething with anger and ready to explode at any moment. Butch was also lonely and needed someone to love. Nevertheless, he was capable of explosive, homicidal behavior. He was labeled as having childhood schizophrenia, which psychiatrists at the time assigned to anyone hallucinating or claiming to hear voices. At age 14, Butch was sent to Rockland State Hospital. Butch became calmer there when he was removed from his parents’ troubles. A social worker discovered that his mother Marie was a prostitute and his father James, an alcoholic, was in the advanced stages of syphilis. The author speculates that congenital syphilis may have contributed to the family’s troubles. The psychiatrists at Rockland State Hospital diagnosed Butch as having childhood antisocial behavior marked by irritability, inattentiveness, and impulsivity. In adults, the syndrome is known as psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder. Discussion: (1) Heredity Study — For the first time a family history of congenital syphilis is noticed. The disease attacks the brain. Personality changes are another symptom. There is no way to know whether or not Butch was suffering from congenital or contracted syphilis and its effects without blood tests on him and the other family members. From the family history, this is a distinct possibility even back to slavery days. (2) Differential Opportunity Theory — People deprived of their basic needs such as food, water, shelter, safety, love, and self esteem will seek them any way they can get them. They may give up on their educational goals or not know about them. They fight because they know no other means of resolving conflict. After being beaten by his alcoholic father, Butch turned to crime to return to prison, a place where he would be safe, because he did not know how to escape legally. This theory fails to explain why other people in the same situation escape to live with other family members or turn to friends or some other source of safety other than commit a crime in order to return to prison. (3) Crime and Labeling Theory – Butch’s grandmother Frances has repeatedly told him he has the devil in him, like his father did. She really believed this. He is labeled at the Children’s Center when he begins to hear voices and hallucinate. He is sent to Wiltwyck, which is a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed boys, and he is given that label. He is labeled as paranoid, aggressive, and prone to violence. Once these labels are attached by professional diagnosticians, it is difficult to remove them. The labels themselves cannot explain Butch’s actions or why he hears voices and hallucinates. The labels describe what Butch says is happening. Example of Behavior #3: Butch tries to sell 150 pornographic pictures and their negatives to Dave Hurwitz in his pawnshop, called â€Å"Dave’s Tailor Shop†, in Milwaukee. Butch stole the pictures from his employer, the Evans Color Lab, which saw no reason to report the crime. Hurwitz told Butch to come back tomorrow, and he would pay him $50 for the pictures. The next morning, Butch confronts Dave, who denies all knowledge of the pictures. Butch sees his photos behind the case register and reaches around to reclaim them. Hurwitz starts pushing him out of the shop. Everything in Butch’s life comes together. Here is a man calling him a liar, trying to hustle HIM, and insulting him. Since he was a boy, he had learned that disrespect was the worst thing a man could do to you. He had been taught to use physical violence to meat that threat. The thought running through Butch’s mind was, â€Å"He is disrespecting me. † Butch goes wild with rage and grabs the long hunting knife from the sheath on his back. He stabs Hurwitz six times and a customer, William Locke, six times before he leaves, almost running over a witness at the door. Butch turns himself in, confesses to the police, never requests a lawyer, and receives life in prison, returning to the only safe place he knows. Discussion: (1) Heredity Study – We do not know if Butch’s genetics predisposed him to crime. There are no blood studies confirming the hereditary syphilis. There are many people with genetic abnormalities who do not become criminal. It is obvious that Butch has now learned he is safe in prison, and that the security there fits his needs. If genetics were involved, Butch’s male ancestors should exhibit the same behavior. The theory is not testable here. There is no way to ask Butch why he feels this way. It also does not explain his uncontrollable rage when the pawnbroker tries to avoid paying him. (2) Differential Opportunity Theory – Butch has access both to a job and to illegal means of making a living. He stole from his employer and continued his life of crime despite the better example and the trade he learned. Not all people with a trade and a job take advantage of their employers, even if their family male role models are criminals. (3) Crime and Labeling Theory – By now, Butch has been labeled by professionals as a young sociopath. This describes behavior but cannot stop it or predict it. This is a circular path. A person who is labeled as a sociopath will behave as one and the label will be confirmed. Sometimes no other reasons are sought for criminal behavior. The adult Butch has received no therapy or other treatment for any of his labeled behavior.

Lance Armstrong

For a period of 1 2 years, Lance Armstrong lied about doping to the entire world. In the process he selfishly ruined multiple live. A man who would ruin lives and Ile Just to ride a bike Is truly selfish. Because the drugs that Lance Armstrong used and lied about can enhance his performance, and are banned, he should get his medals taken away. Lance Armstrong has been racing since he was 19 years old and has gone to win 7 tour de France titles. He founded the Livestrong charity which helps out cancer patients. Lance Armstrong was accused of doping during all of his races.He sued those who accused him of doping and ruined their reputations and even lives In the process. He later on confessed to his doping after appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show. He also admitted that he has been lying about it for 12 years. Because Armstrong cheated, he does not deserve his medals. In the article by Ashling O'Conner â€Å"I'm the fall guy: Armstrong puts a historical spin on his cheating† Arm strong tries to Justify his actions. It is un-sportsmen like to try to justify cheating and lying the way he did. He obviously has no respect for the sport and others.In nother article titled â€Å"Lance Armstrong tried to donate around $250,000 to USADA† Brent Schrotenboer mentions Armstrong's attempt at a bribe. Someone who tries to bribe like that has something to hide. Armstrong knows what he did was wrong and is willing to do anything to cover it up. Even if it means ruining lives in the process. Armstrong ruined so many people's lives during all of this. In the article â€Å"admission' Just another Lance ploy† Greg couch explains how Armstrong ruined people's lives. Armstrong demonstrated how selfish he is by suing all those Innocent people for all that they have.He Is selfish and should have his medals taken away from him as a token for the lives he has ruined. In another article by Liz Clarke â€Å"Armstrong confesses to doping† it gives examples of Arms trong threatening people if they told about his doping. This is just more evidence the Armstrong is generally not a good person. It does not matter If he had to dope In order to win. If he needs performance enhancers to win a race, then he shouldn't be racing at all. Just because everybody Is doping doesn't make It okay. It should make him feel better knowing that he can beat a bunch of people that need drugs to do better.And the drugs that Armstrong used can badly harm your body after a while. Lance Armstrong admitted to doping and using performance enhancing drugs. Because he did not win any of his races in his career by his own abilities, he should have his medals and titles taken away from him. So what everybody Is doping. So what he wouldnt win If he dldnt. Because he thinks that he needs to dope In order to win a race, and he does, his medals should be taken away from him and given to the next person who did not test positive for banned drugs. Lance Armstrong By Agentbilly3 Fo r a period of 12 years, Lance Armstrong lied about doping to the entire world.In the process he selfishly ruined multiple live. A man who would ruin lives and lie Just to ride a bike is truly selfish. Because the drugs that Lance Armstrong used and lied those who accused him of doping and ruined their reputations and even lives in the Armstrong tries to Justify his actions. It is un-sportsmen like to try to Justify cheating Brent Schrotenboer mentions Armstrongs attempt at a bribe. Someone who tries to â€Å"admission' Just another Lance ploy' Greg couch explains how Armstrong ruined people's lives. Armstrong demonstrated how selfish he is by suing all those innocent eople for all that they have.He is selfish and should have his medals taken away they told about his doping. This is Just more evidence the Armstrong is generally not It does not matter if he had to dope in order to win. If he needs performance enhancers to win a race, then he shouldn't be racing at all. Just because e verybody is doping doesn't make it okay. It should make him feel better knowing that he can beat have his medals and titles taken away from him. So what everybody is doping. So what he wouldn't win if he didn't.

Pop Culture Media Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pop Culture Media Critique - Essay Example As observed ‘Will and Grace’ present the gay community as a society struggling for acceptance while the show ‘The New Normal’ portrays the gay community as an accepted part of the society, even the name suggests the acceptance as it refers to being gay as the ‘new normal’. The United States government thought the governance of George W. Bush greatly supported the theme presented by ‘Will and Grace’ and it offered great support through the broadcast of hundreds of commercials on the sit-com with the help of the Bush campaign during the presidential campaigns. The heterosexual women in both shows play the role of supporting the couple and are used as the audiences judge on the gay characters. They are greatly important as they help the gay couple in understanding their roles as partners and also enabled the audience in the acceptance of the gay in the society showing that they are simply as natural as any other community in the society. For example, the women in ‘The New Normal’ help the couple in acquiring an adopted child. (Will & Grace Season 1 Videos & Clips Online, Trailer: The New

Modernization of the World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modernization of the World - Essay Example Eventually, leisure became less influential, with most corporations giving their employees off in particular days to enjoy leisure. In other words, the world became a working nation as people struggled to expand their wealth base. Modernization did affect basic institutions as well. First, education became a serious concern because individuals needed to pass intelligence and stories from one generation to another. Schools developed ranging from lower level kindergartens to higher levels institutions of learning. Additionally, disciplines of study changed to cover many fields. For instance, psychology, law, engineering, and social arena expanded their subjects of study. Increasingly, the 20th century saw a link between the level of education and career that individuals pursued. Still, the family views on marriage because people assumed different roles. As more females entered the labor market and educated themselves, they became stable. Most women could raise children without necessarily having the support of male. Eventually, the concept of single mother became standard as professionals proved not keen on marriage. Some men and women preferred taking responsibility of their families as couples by sharing respo nsibilities but not based on traditional gender-oriented platforms. For instance, men and women could contribute equally to creating family wealth and shared duties at home equally. In fact, it was during the same period that feminism concepts became famous because women demanded equality on nearly all fronts.

Evaluate the main energy options currently available in the UK Essay

Evaluate the main energy options currently available in the UK - Essay Example In order to effectively source energy from the available means, machineries or end-use equipments such as turbines, motors and hydro-machineries among others are used at huge quantities. Contextually, in a majority of instances, a substantial quantity of primary energy is reported to be wasted due to inefficient design of machineries or equipments utilised to generate energy. From a general perspective, energy sources can be categorised in two broad sections, i.e., the primary or non-renewable sources of energy (such as natural gas, oil, coal and conventional nuclear power) and renewable sources of energy (such as wood, plants, geothermal sources, tidal wind and wave energy) (Crown, 2009). Notably, the United Kingdom is considered as one of the leading nations constituted with a large variety of renewable energy sources. The UK is also considered as a major production house of offshore wind energy where more than 700 wind turbines have been already launched (Committee on Climate Chan ge, 2011). Based on this context, the paper will aim at identifying and discussing the various energy options currently available in the UK. The Main Energy Options in the UK Wind Energy In the year 2011, the UK installed wind power of about 5.7 gigawatts. The nation is considered as one of the leading producers of wind power all over the world. In the UK, wind power sources are continuously developing in terms of its production capacity, which is further expected to increase by more than 2 gigawatts in the next five years. To be specific, wind power is considered as the second largest source of energy within the UK. In the year 2010, the UK wind industry was reported to have already installed several types of on-shore as well as off-shore wind energy production turbines. For instance, medium-sized UK wind-energy production companies such as Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Farm, Robin Rigg Wind Farm and Thanet Off-shore Wind Farms among others have been deemed eligible for government g rants. It has further enhanced their financial capabilities to install advanced technologies in order to generate more than 1.1 gigawatts of electricity per day. It is worth mentioning in this context that the wind-energy producing farms in the UK distribute electric power primarily to the manufacturing industries. In the next five years, the government of the UK is expecting to obtain 960 gigawatts of electricity on a yearly basis from this energy source (DONG Energy Power, n.d.; E.ON UK plc, 2012; GL Group, 2010). Energy Obtainable Through Tidal-Waves Apart from the wind-energy sources, the UK also has the capability to produce electricity from ocean waves by utilising the tidal power. In February 2007, the UK had established its first wave farm which was categorised as one of the world’s leading producers of electric energy from tidal currents of the ocean. In the UK, on a yearly basis, it has been observed that this particular energy source can generate more than 3 megawa tts of electricity through its four different types of Pelamis machines. In the UK, ocean currents are used to produce energy principally in two regions i.e. England as

Patholophysiology & Management of critical conditions Essay

Patholophysiology & Management of critical conditions - Essay Example pes of stroke that human beings can be affected by; Ischemic stroke is a kind of brain attack that arises when a vessel which transports blood to human brain is blocked by the blood clotting process (Richard, et al, 2009). In this case, the clot creates a barricade, blocking the routine flow of blood. This occurs in two main ways; first there can be a blood clot happening in a brain artery which happens to be very narrow, this process is referred to as â€Å"Thrombotic stroke.† Secondly, there may be a case where a clot breaks off from a completely different location. Alternatively, the blood clot can be transported to the blood vessels in the brain from a different part of the body, in both cases; the clot is a barrier blood flow in the brain. In the condition, the kind of stroke suffered from is referred to as â€Å"embolism† or â€Å"embolic stroke† Another kind of stroke happens when a weak blood vessel happens to burst up in the brain. This makes the blood to start leaking into the brain against the normal way that the brain is intended to function (Kenning, et al, 2012). In both cases, death is always knocking for the victim in case urgent effective medical care is not administered. When a person is affected by stroke, the kind of symptoms that are exhibited depends on the part of the brain that has been affected. It is possible for someone to experience the symptoms without being able to know that its stroke. People should be aware that symptoms of stroke develop unexpectedly and without due warning. For the first few days the symptoms occur on and off, making it hard for one to explain the prevailing body condition. When stroke first occurs, its symptoms are said to be very severe, however, this effects gets worse as time continues. If bleeding happens in the brain, the victim experiences headaches which start as mild but soon become severe. These headaches are prevalent when the victim is lying flat; the severity of the headaches wakes up the victim from

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Interview - Essay Example In this way, spirit of each epoch of the 20th century’s American history with its dynamics of a melting pot can be easily senses through musical legacy. Due to impact of social and cultural factors of modern days, our generation has come to give its affiliations mainly to contemporary popular music possessing easy-to-remember tunes, unpretentious lyrics and strong appealing dance rhythm and . Dynamic dance songs accompany us every day in many public places, even if we don’t listen to them willfully: shopping malls, cafà ©s or earphones of our fellow passengers in the underground. Development and popularization of such type of music has been gaining momentum for at least a decade. Pop music in this narrow sense has been a reflection of emotional state of the society and an imprint of its popular culture. On the other hand, each epoch of music history has its underground stage offering an alternative view on contemporary cultural values. However, it has been claimed by researchers, that modern society has become more prone to narcissism with all the more songs containing â€Å"me†, not â€Å"we† and all the more people living and feeling alone. In addition, modern songs contain more antisocial words than songs used to in 1980’s and even 1990’s. Personally, I have always valued various genres and trends in music, considering that they all pose some value for our culture – either supporting modern canons or denying them and adding a pitch of freshness and novelty. However, similar to the lion’s share of our generation, I prefer modern music, that is being â€Å"forged† in the present-day cultural and social environment – including both popular and underground music. However, my friend and interviewee called Tao Yi has a different type of affiliations, being a passionate fan of â€Å"old school† rock music that used to rock the world between mid-1970’s and late

The Justice System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Justice System - Research Paper Example This generally helps in creating a peaceful society as the people are ensured of justice. Premised on this fact, disputes in a society are settled in an amicable manner thus reducing the conflicts that might arise. Without the criminal and civil courts it’s impossible for the justice system to operate as the need for a body to resolve issues is part and parcel of the justice system. The civil and criminal courts form the judicial system that ensures citizens of any country live safely as well as in a civilized manner. A society cannot do without a judicial system that ensures justice is done. Criminal courts Criminal courts form part of the judicial system that seeks to enforce justice in a society. The idea of criminal courts came about due to the need for an institution to enforce the criminal laws coded in the different states of various countries. Some acts and omissions have been criminalized under the Tennessee Criminal Code and as such the Tennessee criminal courts are institutions that ensure that the criminal justice system is enforced as provided in the law. The criminal courts came about to regulate alleged, potential and actual criminal activities within the limits that have been put in place by the law so as to protect the citizen of a particular country from the wrongful treatment as well as protection from wrongful conviction. The two main reasons why the criminal courts exists is, thus, to first ensure that people are protected from harm of any wrong doer. Secondly, to ensure that the alleged wrong doers are not convicted for a wrong they did not commit (Brown 65). Therefore, the criminal courts serve justice to the victim of the wrong doing as well as to the wrongdoer himself. In many countries it is wrong for citizens to take the law into their hands. For example mob justice is an example of a situation where citizen take the law into their hands and decide on the punishment of the wrong doer. The criminal courts are put in place to avo id such situation where fairness and justice are not seen to be done. Many a time the alleged wrong doer might not be guilty and as such it is important to determine his or her guilt in a free and fair manner through a fair trial and hearing. I addition to giving the alleged wrong doer a fair trial the criminal courts came about to give justice to the person who has suffered harm as a result of the wrong doing. Thus the criminal courts have to balance the interests of both parties of the wrong doing and ensure that justice is done. The idea of criminal courts also came about so as to determine the exact punishment of a guilty person. Every criminal act is known as an offence and various countries have provided for it in their status. Further for every offence provided the there is a punishment and in most cases the punishment provides for a fine not exceeding a particular amount or for a jail sentence not exceeding a particular number of years. This means that there is need to be a system that determines the specific amount of fine or number of years for a jail term. An example is where the Criminal Code of Tennessee provides that a person who commits Class A felony is to be jailed for a term not less than (15) years or more than sixty (60) years imprisonment. In addition to this, the code further provided that the jury may assess a fine not to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000). In such a case there is need for a criminal court which determines the gravity

Writing Assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Writing Assigment - Essay Example In fact, it can be considered to be one of the most controversial topics with regard to law in a civilized society. The United States along with many countries in Asia still have laws that can sentence a person to death unlike most European nations, where this practice has been abolished. Even within country, not all states adhere to this law. Sixteen states in the country including the District of Columbia have removed death penalty as a form of punishment, but all other states still consider it lawful. In other words, a majority of the states still follow this form of punishment. This practice was accepted in the country during the time of colonization from laws that existed in the host countries of the colonizers. They then became accepted or rejected among the different states as mentioned above. There are strong proponents and dissidents with regard to capital punishment. These attitudes could be based on religious beliefs, social customs, or their personal viewpoints. Those who are for capital punishment put forth the following arguments as justification. Their primary reason is that members of the society have to be protected from criminals who commit more serious crimes like murder and capital crimes. It is the duty of the government to protect its citizens and that by providing death penalty; a capital crime will not be committed by the same person again. Their second reason is that this form of punishment will act as a warning and deterrent to other people with criminal tendencies. A death penalty risk will act as a strong deterrent and can help to prevent similar acts by other members of the society. The third argument is that the relatives and loved ones of the victims are entitled to retribution. If someone has murdered a member of the family, then the members can o nly obtain justice, if the murderer is treated in the same manner. There are strong arguments against death penalty from various

Analysis (english) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis (english) - Essay Example However, why many modern people indulge in the race of acquiring more expensive products is not only because they want to show off, but it is their way of achieving the mental satisfaction that they are financially sound and can afford the most luxurious things available in the market. The author has been right in his finding that people do follow celebrities in order to upgrade their standard of living. In fact, this is what many advertising companies make use of. This is the reason why many celebrities are starred in the ads displayed on the television. However, the author did not identify the fact that it is the â€Å"information society† that has played a fundamental role in enhancing this competition of materialism among individuals in the modern society. It is the media that develops a lust in the people to get the latest model of an accessory that has just arrived in the market. In addition to that, I do not completely agree with the claim that middle class is declining in terms of number of individuals in the society. To me, the trend among people to compete with one another has fundamentally blurred the interfaces between individual economical classes. What to talk of a middle class, it is even difficult to distinguish between people from lower class and the elite class as both tend to purchase products that pertain to the same luxurious lifestyle. Difference between classes has also been removed to a considerable extent by the capacity of banks and money lending organizations to offer the people debts. People make us e of such opportunities to upgrade their life style, though there are not many who are able to fulfill all the requirements of the service. This has led the nation to an exaggeratedly indebted state than ever before. It is indeed, an undeniable truth that the advent of technology has retrograded the society as a whole in a number of ways. Over the time, people have

Potential Conclusions or Hypotheses Essay Example for Free

Potential Conclusions or Hypotheses Essay Based on my knowledge of differences between the north and south, I would say that there are a variety of cultural differences that lead to the discrepancy in physical activity levels. Additionally, I have found that there are a number of factors that affect an individual’s physical activity level. Therefore, I believe that there is not one single cause lying behind the different activity levels in northern and southern states. Instead, this is a complex issue that arises from urban/rural areas, educational activities, team sports environments, and socioeconomic factors. Supporting Argument for the Thesis In order to determine the validity of this thesis, much more information is needed. First, I would need more detailed statistics for each of these states, with physical activity levels sorted by county (with the county’s population to determine urban/rural environment), race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors. Second, I would need information about public information campaigns that have dispersed information about the national recommended physical activity level. Is the importance of physical activity being taught in schools? Which counties/school districts have daily physical education classes? Third, I would need more information about the availability of team sports: which sports are available, which age groups are targeted, how much do these sports cost? Fourth, I would need information about the incidence of obesity and overweight for these states in order to determine whether residents of these states are in general more health conscious. Excess weight might also prevent people from wanting to engage in physical activity. Finally, I would need information about the availability of facilities for adults. How many parks and gyms are available? What do these facilities cost? These types of information would certainly support my thesis that there are a variety of factors that lead to the discrepancy in physical activity levels between northern and southern states.

Academic Performance of International Students Problems

Academic Performance of International Students Problems Gaw, K. F. (2000). Reverse culture shock in students returning from overseas. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24(1), 83-104. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.rit.edu/docview/57515934?accountid=108 Personal and academic challenges faced by the international student in Australia Abstract: This research study aims to determine the problems faced by an international student resulting in poor academic performances and also some of the factors that are responsible for the weakness in their study of Kings own Institute (KOI) Sydney. Being new to the abroad learning experiences,students certainly will face many challenges interms of their academic and personal life. Therefore,it will try to identify the problems behind the failures,which not only reduce their grades, but also creates problems in their personal and economic life too. The purpose of this study is to understand the learning experience of international students in this new learning environment. New culture, differences in the learning style, not knowing the proper ways of doing the class assignments,difficulties on managing the job schedule and management of class,difficulties in discourse, the difficulties on language problem further creates a difficulty of adjustment in the new environment. International stud ents from different countries at KOI makes valuable contribution of cultural and language diversity,but at the same time it creates cultural and language differences among student to another student and student with the lecturer and other staff member of the KOI. When student encounter new environment with unfamiliar face,certainly they feel awkward and shy to ask anything or anyone for help which further becomes problematic for them. Hence; the research will look at how things from the new environment are perceived by international students. The consequences of the research will not only be in finding the problems and its causes but also in finding the proper and positive ways to improve and resolve the existing problems and to lessen them somehow by finding out the causes behind the issue. What are the major issues that international students have to face? When they are newcomers in Australia will be the focus question for research. The significance of the study will benefit both the staff member and the future international students who will encounter similar problems at an early phase of starting new abroad experience away from their home. These issues and problems can help the department of KOI to try for more progressive ways to help out and solve the issues of students who are totally lost and confused. Qualitative research method was used for this research project where face to face interviews to try to understand the issues was conducted with the participants. Five international student from different nationality were taken as the respondent for the research interview and questions. Even though the research has its own significance,scope,aims and objectives,the research had some limitation which was unavoided. Because of the limited time and few respondents . The study would have been more authentic if larger group of people from diverse background and disciplines were interviewed to explore more things and see the comparability. The findings of the study showed other challenges apart from language barrier ranging from time management,adopting the Australian culture,the proper ways of doing the assignment without plaigairism and proper referencing of the source,accommodation,social isolation,and financial complication. In addition,the interview question with the international students highlighted how educational workshops,help from friend and colleagues,and individual study improved their difficulties and challenges and turn into a better experience of the new learning environment. All in all, the study will try to understand the views and the opinions of the various participants and try to resolve the issues by comparing and contrasting the problems faced by each participant and also will look at the experiences of the students on their journey of being an overseas student in a different country with different ways of learning. KEYWORDS: Determine, consequences, conducted, resolve, qualitative method, contrasting. The research problem: Studying aboard is a challenging thing for students interms of being able to adjust in every thing that will make things difficult in a new learning environment. The basic purpose of this research will be to seek out the various factors that cause problems for leading to academic failures and also in personal life at Kings Own Institute, Sydney. This research aims to investigate the factors that cause stressful situations for students resulting in poor academic performance and various other issues affecting their lives adversely. Most of the international students are from a second language background, which does not include learning in their first language. Even though they have to take some proficiency test (IELTS) in order to meet the entry criteria to the University and campus, they will have a hard time accessing the resources and also in understanding the lectures because of the new information in the new language too. The main complication faced by the international students is regarded with language and skills needed for academic reading and writing. (Ballard, B. Clanchy, J. (1997). Even though, language difficulties appears to be a problem for many international students,research has shown that mixture of academic experiences,expectations and differences in the learning and teaching practices also creates problem for them. (Ames, 1996; Bilbow, 1989). At a social level, the sense of loneliness, cultural shock, the necessity to find work, managing the class timetable and work schedule at the same time make them feel more isolated and frustrated in the early months. All of these problems are combined with the study and students also have to pass the demand of KOI to remain in the college here as mentioned in their visa status. The danger of failing the KOI subjects brings additional and heavy stress on students as this also decides their permission to stay in Australia too. There are many benefits offered by KOI at academic and social level but students are sometimes too occupied to benefit from these program and as a result,they fall behind their studies. Therefore, the scope of this research will be limited to International students at KOI who will be from non-English background countries, who will be both from the Bachelors as well as Masters strands. If the existing problems are not identified and resolved, then, it may lessen the motivation for the students to move ahead in their life and may cause long-term effects. Background: Australia is regarded as one of the most popular destinations for studying, especially for international students. Educational institutions are of high quality and so regarded around the world. Enrolment for higher studies has increased considerably in recent years. Universal understudies pick Australia for the Australian instruction encounter on offer and for the all around perceived, excellent capabilities. The chance to coordinate with a different scope of residential and universal understudies improves this experience. Australian organizations are additionally looking to widen and expand their understudy populace by creating solid associations and coordinated efforts with establishments abroad and encouraging the development of understudy trade through these organizations. Global understudies, aside from their prompt review pathways, set their sights on their future vocation ways, regardless of whether that is at home, in Australia or a third nation. The entrance to work is an ex ceptionally important resource in pulling in understudies to Australia, particularly in connection to contender nations, for example, the United Kingdom and United States(Australia,Educating globally advice from international education advisory council, p-50-58) Acceptance and demand for Internationalization and Globalization of the world have increased the flow of students from different parts of the world to Australia. The world is going thorug numerous changes in the field of science,technology,media and medicine which is revolutionisng the field of education too. ( NorzainiAzman, Yang Farina Abd. Aziz,2006) . Striving for better opportunities and dreams of a better life has always attracted overseas students to come to Australia. Multiculturalism and biodiversity among the people have further led overseas students to be positive about this country too. International students have always made a positive contribution to their Universities, or college. The flow of cultural diversity and exchange, the increment of financial revenue for the colleges through payment from tuition fees by international students and the cost of living expenses has further had ensured warm welcome for international students in various universities and educational institutes across Australia. Source:  Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Student visa program,Accessed on 18th January,2017,Retrieved from Australian social trends December 2011(ABS) The above graph clearly shows the variation and origin of students in Australia from various backgrounds because of which, all students both native and non-native have developed sensitivity to other students as a result of dealing with students from different backgrounds too. Having students from overseas have always made a positive contribution in Australia. Australia has always been regarded as a developed country in terms of providing facilities to the people in various fields. Employment, education, and the technological field have always been focused on and achieve success in various important fields and given opportunities to the people too. Renowned universities and colleges are found in Australia which provides the best education both practically and theoretically. International students have to deal with many problems. Differences in the education system compared to their home country makes it more confusing for them while doing the assignments and not knowing the accepted way to solve their problems too. Knowledge about the library resources ,proper style of referencing and formats are very necessary for students but they lack such skills which creates further problem for them. (Martin Zimerman, (2012),pp. 290 299). The important part for academic writing is to acknowledge the concerned sources, hence, not knowing the right way to reference the text and sources makes them more confused ,which in a way must be solved by seeking out help form the instructors who can help in summarizing the complex text through academic style. Furthermore, the Instructors can also arrange workshops appropriate for tutoring (Rebecca Moore Howard, p-799-781) Ways of performing their work and carrying it out have to followthe accepted method of the country in which they are working. The language barrier is another factor that makes it difficult for them understand the lectures being given because of their lecturers accent they are not familiar with. Students pretend to understand the lessons in order to be equal to the native speakers because of the limited language proficiency. When students are new to the learning environment they are unfamiliar with the people and the context of the study which makes them shyand introvertwhich makes them worried and tense during social interactions(Australian psychological association,2012) A Better Education determines a better future for the student. Education shapes the students present career and makes them ready for future opportunities so that they can sustain their living and have a better life. Therefore, it is required to address the personal and academic challenges faced by international students and find a possible solution to resolve those issues too. Not only students but the concerned and responsible organization should also show some interest in solving the issues faced by the students in order to help them progress in a more organizedway. Universities and colleges should also organize a workshop program where the international students can be a part of it and be familiar with Study Materials such as the library and make-up classes and extra language and also with other fellow classmates and also with the languages being used for the interaction. The arrangement of the cultural and recreational activities by the Educational institutes can develop a sense of group understanding among other students. Assisting students with clear guidelines required for the assignment, and helping them by providing the sample answers can make them do their assignment better. For the language barriers to be overcome, educational institutions must organize English Development Classes every week (like the ones existing at KOI) in order to be familiar with the various accents (lectures delivered in English), vocabulary, and words. This way, students can understand the topic being discussed in the class and contribute to their conversation being taught in the class too. Universities and colleges should be willing to assist the students socially, culturally and academically. Proper guidance from the teachers, Universities staffs, head of the Faculty members, and a support from their fellow classmates can surely make students lessen their problem regarding the assignment problems, language barriers and other related issues faced by the students. Better and mutual understanding among the teachers and the students will develop the sense of communication, which will help in notifying the issues being raised, existed and the ways to solve those problems in an effic ient and effective way too. Ethical consideration: Being ethical means that your project does not bring harm or disadvantage to anyone who takes part, including yourself-(Lambert, M. 2012). Carrying out an ethical research means to involve the collection of the information and data from people without any intention of harming them and putting them at risk. Therefore the researcher has to conduct the research in an ethical way. Research needs to be undertaken under the Legal frameworks and regulation which must be followed as per the rules and regulations of the concerned institutions. The research project needs to have a detailed plan of the research for the approval to prove the relevance of the research in order to start a research. After that, there needs to be approval from the participants too. Participants of the research have every right to know about the subject matter and need to agree before starting the research. The researcher needs to get approval from the participant and also should provide a consent form. The main aim of the research will be to find a reasonable solution rather than being used for the personal benefit of the researcher. Therefore some of the other factors to be followed during the research process are: Honesty: The researcher should be honest about the information given by the informants and try not to misinterpret or misrepresent it. It should be recorded in the way it is. The researcher should also avoid mis-leading the participants inorderto get an honest answers from them. . So, the researcher needs to be clear in front of the participants about the research and the processes involved in tithe participants of the researcher should be made very clear about the purposes of the study, and also about the methods being used while conducting the research Objectivity: The researcher should be neutral and should avoid biasness interms of sex,race and ethnicity. Prevention of harm and risks, honest and truth, Privacy, confidentiality, anonymity intervention are some of the things to be kept in mind before and during the research. The researcher should avoid bias between the participants too. Confidentiality: The researcher should protect the confidential information and the recorded data given by the informants. Personalinformations and secrets shared by them should not be disclosed and should be kept confidential. Anonymity: In some case the informants are not willing to share their name and contact details. Therefore their anonymity should alswyas be respected and protected making sure that it is not disclosed anywhere. Anonymity of individuals and organisations also has to be maintained(Bryman Alan and Emma Bell,2007) Legality: The researcher should follow and obey the rules and regulations thats needs to be followed without any intention of harming or causing problem to anyone. Survey of Literature: The literature review will look at the research that has been done in the past and published by various authors on the subject matter and the solution for resolving the issues for the challenges faced by an international student for the backwardness in their study and poor performances making their life more stressful. Some of the literature review on the regarded subject matter is mentioned below; Loneliness and international students an Australian study,2008, Journal of studies in international education. United States: Sage Publications, Inc. , 2008. Vol. 12, no. 2 (Summer 2008), p. 148-180. In a study of international student security, consisting of 200 intensive interviews with students, resident onshore in Australia, it was found that two-thirds of the group had experienced problems of loneliness and/or isolation, especially in the early months where students feel more lonely because of having no friends at all and also because of the loss of regular contact with their families, relatives, and friends. According to Higher Education Research Development, Volume 10, Issue 1, 1991, Overseas students bring to Australia a very different cultural, social and intellectual experience from that which awaits them. Reviews of previous studies suggest that their beliefs, values, and attitudes to knowledge, to styles of learning and study, can lead to study shock. A questionnaire survey of a sample of 133 first year overseas students mainly from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, most of whom were studying for a Bachelor of Business degree, and 76 Australian-born first year students mainly of British and European origin from the same classes, showed that compared to local students the overseas group had significantly greater difficulties adjusting to academic requirements, particularly with regard to managing the demands of study, specifically study methods, independent learning, language skills, participation and time management. Danny Ong, 2009, A UNSW press book, The international students handbook, Living and studying in Australia. The last two decades have seen a second wave statistics of international students coming to Australian Universities. The enormous growth in the number of such students is unequaled around the world. The majority of these students have very positive experiences and surveys generally show a high level of satisfaction. However, many hazards await students, and the Universities and the relevant government have shown a varying ability to address these optimally. Issues such as finding suitable accommodation, health care including a mental health care, homesickness, the costs of living and travel, and the safety of the students are all significant concerns. Andrade, Maureen Snow, (2006) writes, International students in institutions of higher education in English-speaking countries make valuable educational and economic contributions. For these benefits to continue, universities must become more knowledgeable about the adjustment issues these students face and implement appropriate support services. This review identifies factors that influence the adjustment and academic achievement of international students. Adjustment challenges are primarily attributable to English language proficiency and culture. Achievement is affected by English proficiency, academic skills, and educational background. Understanding international student adjustment issues has global implications for intercultural education too. Learning at University: The International Student Experience, Meeri Hellsten and Anne Prescott,  volume 5, no. 3, 2004, International Education Journal: The The journal explains how lack of communication between students and teahers adversely affect the students learning. The stereotype of Asian background students of being slow,and passive infornt of their colleagues and teacher makes them feel like they cant contribute in class discussion because of the inferiority of making mistakes. Yes. Um they [teachers] think its a job. They ask something. We say nothing cause we wanna say but (inaudible) shy. And Im afraid sometimes Ill make a mistake. The above statement from one of the student from the journal mentioned how assumption of an individual can create problems for communicating and also in learning process. The journal also stated how leaving away from family,friends and relatives is an awful experience for younger international students interms of acculturations,adaptation to the new learning environment,and communication problem which lacks support from the teaching staff too. The findings from the study in the journal mentioned the busy schedules of the teaching staff because of which even the students wanted help from the teacher,the student was unable to get any support to solve the issue. Aims and objectives of the Research: The international students come to Australia with the aim of studying and getting a qualification which will lead them to a better life in Australia or other English speaking countries. The aim is to become proficient in English and live possibly in English speaking countries. This is one of the pressures on the students as their parents are pressurizing them . Thats an external challenge but there are numerous challenges arising during their study and stay in Australia. The students not only have to be aware of the program but at social level and academic level the students have to be aware of how they use their English on different profession, socialpeople,academic reading and writing. This review expects to give keen data furthermore, direction not just for ebb and flow and future universal research understudies in Australian colleges, additionally for different instructive administrations and significant government organizations to give more successful support to them (Joanne sin Wei Yeoh,University of Tasmania,pg-1) The social challenges are cultural, in that Australia has very different culture part of which is based on English culture and but part of it now is based on mixed race background of the many other country people who live in Australia. For example; as stated by the (Australian bureau statistics ABS, 2012), the second most spoken language in Australia is Mandarin (1. 6per cent), Italian (1. 4 per cent) and Arabic (1. 3 per cent) respectively. There are many Chinese; there are many Italian and many Arabic and people from all over the world. Andtherefore, there are different cultural habits, and attitudes with which the student must become familiar and must learn not to object to the practices of other people. Thats a very difficult thing for some people. Therefore, the research will look at some of the issues and the questions, which will help for getting more informations. How the international students cope with various challenges occurring in the new learning environment? As a part of the social challenge, there is the food, much of which can be very different to their home country and then there is the behavior of people that are regarded a bad mannered, not standing back for other people or for women. For example in Australia, walking on the left is important, especially in the crowded areas. These are all the things to which students have to get used. But, intellectual or mental problems are also considerably important. The education in Australia is of much more personally oriented rather than group oriented. In that its aimed at individuals and therefore, in that one has to learn virtually twolanguages. One is the language of social interaction and one is the language of professional interaction and the vocabularies of each of those are very important. The research basically aims to evaluate the different factors behind the poor academic performance of the international students of KOI and its effects on their personal life which challenges their stay in Australia. The objectives of the research will be to identify the various challenges faced by the students of KOI and try to find effective solutions and accomplish the aim of resolving those issues and problems in order to make it easier for them to tackle such problems in an easy way. How will they try to understand the different methods of learning? The method of learning in Australia is very much the personal responsibility of the student and they have to get involved in learning as a person not as a member of a group. They have to individualize their learning because the learning that they were doing is the learning so that the person can cope in the society. So, they must as said above have two different vocabularies for personal interaction and the vocabulary language needed for academic interaction. These two languages are very important and are too often neglected by incomers to the society in Australia. The Personal interaction and personal vocabulary for one on one conversation is regarded as extremely important in Australia. The ability to get on with other people in on one on one talk is very important. Inbusiness or in professions there are specific vocabularies and there is almost a specific grammar and this has to be learned by practice. So, in school or for the new comers they have to learn, how to get on with people they dont know and thats important. What are the disadvantages and advantages of being a Non-Native speaker at KOI? Firstly the language used in class is English and the language used by the lecturers and teachers is also English and may be of a kind of English that is different to what you learned because while the lecturers are English speakers, many of them are from non-English speaking cultures. So, some of them would make a difference. The disadvantage also is that the learning of vocabulary learned is specific and one has to learn all the words that deal with that language and in order to get control of the vocabulary needed to cope with that particular profession. Are there a advantage of being a non-native speaker, there are some, in that everyone at KOI, there are many different language background and therefore everyone is forced to speak a clear version of the English language and they are expected to deal with students being aware of that kind of problem and how you use the English at different sector socially, professionally and academically. Research Design: This research study will use a qualitative approach. This methodology will have great role as regard to researcher as they will be involved in every steps taken before and during the research process, planning and reporting. Qualitative approach helps for doing the social issues as there is an active participation and interaction both between the researchers and the individuals involved in it. Thematizing(What is going to be studied), how the research should be designed,How the interviews will be conducted and recorded, are some of the key points to be followed during the process of research based on qualitative research. Here, qualitative researcher must be personally involved in every research process as researcher is the final person to decide what must be included in that particular subject of research. (Anne Sofia Fink, 2000). Interviews have a moral issues; they concern interpersonal exchange of information resulting data about the human personal life and condition. Maintainingconfidentiality,informed consent and secrecy is problematic issue to handle during the data collection from this methodology. The qualitative method will help us get the information through in-depth interviews of the related focus group. It is at this point that the information from the focused group is emphasized. Center gatherings are thought up settings, uniting a particularly picked area of the populace to examine a specific given topic or subject, where the connection with the assemble prompts to information and results. Theresearch will be reliable only if the research question is carried out in similar group of respondents in similar context to get similar results(pg-284-290,Louis cohen,Lawrencemanion and Keith morrission). Since the focused group is normally at the undergraduate level and post-graduate level (dependin g on the countries they are originated from), the participants will be limited and would randomly be selected as its not possible to include every one of them. Students ranging from 4-7will be included from diverse subject background and nation. Interview with several respondents and questions of same topic increases comparability which reduces bias among the participant and their opinon about the topic. (p-355,6th edition,Louis cohen,Lawrencemanion and Keith morrission) Quantitative research is based on numbers and statistics but Qualitative research is not related to the numeric data and  information so everything needs to be recorded as the methodology seek to collect information about a small  number of respondents (Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill, 2009). Recordings from audio will be taken with the approval of the participants in order to study the tone and their way of expression. Everything must be recorded and analyzed in order to include all information and not to miss out on any information provided by the participants. As mentioned above, Interview was taken among students which included the following question: 1. What were the major difficulties you faced while you were new in Australia? 2. What measures did you take to resolve those challenges? 3. What were your expectations before applying and coming to Australia? 4. What were the differences you found in terms of culture between Australia and your home country? 5. What did you do to cope up with following things? Differences in culture Homesickness Job schedules and class management Assignment stress And language problem References: American Psychological Association. (2012). Shyness. Retrieved on January 31st 2017, from http: //www. apa. org/topics/shyness/index. aspx Andrade, Maureen Snow. International students in English-speaking universities Adjustment factors. Journal of Research in International Education 5. 2 (2006): 131-154. Ames, M. (1996). Oxford Brookes: The international student experience. Oxford: Oxford Brookes University.

Theory And Evidence Of Microfinance And Poverty Economics Essay

Theory And Evidence Of Microfinance And Poverty Economics Essay 2.0 Introduction It is widely believed that, together with improvement in their geographical surroundings, micro finance is a powerful tool to alleviate poverty and empower women in their development. However these facilities are not restricted to women only. It is also extended to all those who are struggling to combat poverty or to indulge in their own entrepreneurship. Therefore, this chapter will review definitions in the field of microfinance and poverty. To enlighten further the study, empirical evidence are being analysed and discussed more appropriately below. 2.1 What Is Microfinance? image1.png The idea of microfinance started in Bangladesh around 1976 with Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank who has recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his achievement. Microfinance refers to the supply of loans, savings and other basic financial services to poor. With innovative means and development microfinance has been adopted and practiced in most developing countries where it has gained unbelievable success. Moreover, from December 1997 till December 2005 the number of microfinance institutions increased from 618 to 3,133. Supplementary evidences regarding its developments have been attached at Appendix I. However, different people have different views and opinions in respect of Microfinance. For instance, Otero (1999) classifies Microfinance as the provision of financial services to low income, poor and very poor self-employed people. Whilst Ledgerwood (1999) believes that it is a sustainable poverty solution and it includes savings, credit and other financial services such as insurance and payment services, on the other hand Schreiner and Colombet (2001) described it as an attempt to phase out poverty by improving the access to small deposits and loans for poor households who were being neglected by formal banks and financial institutions, mostly because of their poor credit worthiness. Generally speaking microfinance is becoming an imminent economic tool to politicians to up bring those people who are vulnerable or beyond the minimal level of income holders. It is a way to extract the arts, qualities and skills that these people possess in front of the society by upgrading their enterprise, image and standard levels. In some countries, during the financial crisis that hit the global economy, governments have emphasised heavily on these instruments to combat a way out of this turmoil. Such facilities, inclusive of small loans with low interest rates, counselling and bumper advertising campaign to promulgate the concept of microfinance were brought to the poorest, especially in rural areas. Microfinance involves short term savings and lending which are different to that of formal banks. Such facilities bear low interest rates and repayments facilities with the aim to cover the delivery costs only. The costs of capital are recouped upon maturity and whole administrative and transactions cost are ignored. Counselling is done through direct marketing where the cost involved in creation of awareness is low as these institutions target mostly low or no profit at all. Their main objective is to improve the living conditions of those being afflicted by the curse of poverty. 2.2 Historical Background on Poverty Poverty is a complex issue which has always existed at different levels of society and in various forms across the world. Poverty has always existed but the fundamental question what causes it. However, according to the western conception, poor people are themselves accountable for their precarious situation. As the source of poverty lies in the socioeconomic system, the solution also must be at the societal level. A brief sketch of povertys history is given in Appendix II. It is difficult to define poverty as there are various dimensions of poverty. Hulme and Mosley (1996) stated that microfinance is not a panacea for poverty alleviation and in some cases the poorest people were made worse off by microfinance institutions. On the other hand Rogaly (1996) argued that Microfinance Institutions had encouraged single sector approach to distribute resources to fight poverty. It did not prove to be beneficial to poor people as there was inadequate learning and change taking place. At times they even failed to reach the poor, the more so as they had a limited impact on income. They encouraged women to greater dependence on their husbands but were unable to provide additional services which were desperately required. Therefore, poverty is a growing concern for all governments. They have taken a multi-dimensional approach to reducing poverty, with efforts including: promotion of economic growth; delivery of public services to all; transfer of assets to poor people and introduction of a social protection system. Thus, the persistence of poverty and inequality is clearly a key concern for government policy. 2.2.1 Poverty Approaches The literature on poverty is divided into two categories namely the monetary approach supported by utilitarian, and the non-monetary approach supported by the non- utilitarian. This utilitarian approach places the conceptualization of welfare in the utility space where satisfaction determines the level of welfare. But since utility is not directly observable, resources .i.e. income has been used to measure welfare whereas the non-utilitarian view consists of the faith based, livelihood and capability approach. This is illustrated below. Figure 2.1: Poverty Approach Source: Adapted by International Development Research Centre From the above diagram, the monetary approach identifies poverty as a shortfall in consumption or income. An income below what is considered necessary to consume a minimum basket of basic goods would then be defined as the poverty line. The main assumption made by this approach is that consumers objective is to maximize their utility and that the ensuing welfare can be measured by their total consumption whereas the livelihood approaches emerged in the 1990s as a holistic framework for analyzing the factors that influence men and women in fulfilling their livelihoods, reflecting their perceptions of poverty and well-being. It also refers to the participatory approach of getting poor themselves to be able to understudy the root, causes and the victims of poverty. Poverty is not a modern day phenomenon. It has been around almost since the beginning of civilization from the time man was expelled from the Garden of Eden whereby he had had to start providing for himself. Poverty has always existed in human societies for thousands of years. This is all about the faith based approach of poverty. Moreover, the capability approach, pioneered by Sen in the 1980s and 1990s, argues that monetary poverty approach measures individuals well-being but fails to address the utility that individuals gain from others, their welfare. For Sen, capabilities are the abilities to satisfy certain crucial functioning up to certain minimally adequate levels. Thus according to him, poverty is the malfunction of some basic capability. The concept of poverty is universally regarded as a multidimensional one. There is no unique formulation but it may consist in any form of inequity, which is a source of social exclusion from the basic essentialities of human dignity. Thus, the Oxford Poverty Human Development Initiative (OPHI) uses an index namely the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)  [1]  index which complements a traditional focus on income to reflect the deprivations that a poor person faces with regard to education, health and living standard. It is the first international measure of its kind, and offers a valuable complement to income poverty measures because it measures deprivations directly. According to me, a multifaceted definition of poverty would be:- the lack of, and inability to afford, basic human needs, such as clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter; and the scarcity of opportunities that are important in improving human capital and facilitating social mobility. Thus, to address the dramatic effects resulting from poverty, various multilateral organizations such as the United Nations have left no stone unturned to combat this destitution. Moreover, different poverty reduction strategies and instruments have been developed in order to improve the poors standard of living and help them sever the vicious cycle of poverty. Moreover these approaches can be broken further. This can be shown in the following diagram. Figure 2.2: Factors Affecting the Poverty Approach Source: Adapted by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) The monetary approach includes all income in money metric and in practice omits social goods. Under this approach mainly income and consumption are affected. Whereas, the livelihood approach comprises the capabilities, assets and activities required for a means of living. It enhances livelihood opportunities and shows how they relate to one another. The faith-based approach consists of religious faith. Religious faith and humans have coexisted since the beginning of civilization and have played a very important role in human life. The religious attitude is always based on the belief that there exists an all embracing, transcendental, moral law and that we human beings are bound to submit to its commands. Moreover, capabilities included not only basic individual ones such as nourishment and health but also more complex social ones, such as taking part in the community and achieving self-respect. Health and education, for example, are both functioning achievements in themselves as well as capabilities that allow people to achieve other valued and crucial performance. For instance, a woman can have a monetary income but, because of gender discrimination, can be unable to buy food for her family: She lacks the capability to achieve a basic functioning for life. A capability seems to combine the concepts of ability and capacity. The main focus of the dissertation is based on this approach. 2.3 Conceptual Theory Since microfinance can make a contribution to eradicate poverty, to better understand its significance, each of the poverty approaches is considered below. 2.3.1 Link between Microfinance and Monetary Approach In terms of economic policy, it recommends the reduction of poverty by increasing labor productivity, through interventions of a general nature. Therefore, microfinance has evolved as an economic development approach intended to benefit low-income groups. These programs are an effective way to provide lowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ cost financial services to poor individuals and families as claimed by Miller and Martinez, (2006); Stephens and Tazi (2006). Once they benefit from microfinance services, they will be able to earn more, save more ultimately smooth consumption. In turn they will enjoy a good health conditions among family members. 2.3.2 Link between Microfinance and Non- Monetary Approach From the economic policy standpoint, the non-monetary approach usually proposes targeted interventions which have the advantage of reducing the selection bias in favor of the poor relative to general kinds of interventions. Each non monetary approach has been considered below. 2.3.2.1 Microfinance and faith based Poverty and prosperity were considered to be the will of God. Thus religion is defined as an all round movement in the light of faith in one God and a sense of responsibility for the formation of thought and belief, for the promotion of high principles of human morality for the establishment of good relations among members of the society and the elimination of every sort of undue discrimination and injustices including poverty. Thus with the help of microfinance, people are able to have a decent earning. 2.3.2.2 Microfinance and Livelihood Microfinance can help to establish or expand family enterprises, potentially making the difference between grinding poverty and economically secure life. Furthermore, these programs increase access to healthcare, making preventative healthcare measures more affordable to the poor. Alternatively, more children are sent to school and stay enrolled for longer periods. 2.3.2.3 Microfinance and Capability Approach Given that microfinance services are primarily focused on women, it is argued that women were empowered, through opportunities to take on leadership roles and responsibilities, breaking down of gender inequalities. Small loans can transform lives, especially those of women and children. The poor can become empowered instead of disenfranchised. Homes can be built, jobs can be created, businesses can be launched, and individuals can feel a sense of worth again. Woman are able to participate in the society, they are recognised for their help in their families. This in turn increases the monthly income for the family which ultimately increases standard of living. Generally, the most important crisis and the main reason for failure to repay loans by poor families is illness. However, households of microfinance clients appear to have better nutrition, health practices, and health outcomes than comparable non-client households. Larger and more stable incomes generally lead to better nutrition, living conditions, and preventive health care. Increased earnings and financial management options also allow clients to treat health problems promptly rather than waiting for conditions to deteriorate. Along with financial services, some microfinance institutions also provide health education, usually in the form of short, simple preventive care messages on immunization, safe drinking water, and pre-natal and post-natal care while other programs provide credit products for water, sanitation, and housing. A growing number of microfinance institutions have forged partnerships with insurance providers to offer health insurance to clients. Moreover, another use of the microfinance services among the poor people is to invest in childrens education. Children of microfinance clients are more likely to go to school and study longer ultimately student drop-out rates are much lower. Hence there is no disparity in education. Thus, it is clear that what microfinance can do for the poor depends on the poors ability to utilize what micro-finance offers them. In many countries, micro-finance provides a window of opportunity for the poor to access a borrowing. These facilities also provide organizational help, training, safety nets, empowerment, and financial and other help during crises. Once they benefit from these services, they will be able to make decisions that are better informed, smooth the consumption pattern, increase the expenditure on medical, education and other social occasions. 2.4 Empirical Evidence Most of these studies were carried out in least developed countries and developing countries where poverty is really a root problem for the country. These findings are the clearest evidence that micro finance is working in the way intended to bring sustained aid to those suffering from hardship cases. Thus the following sub sections are empirical studies performed in least developed country, developing countries and small island economies. They are classified by their corresponding approach of poverty namely the monetary and capability. 2.4.1 Developing Countries 2.4.1.1 Monetary Approach Joy M Kiiru, John Mburu, Klaus Flohberg (2007) attempted to measure the impact of microfinance on household incomes. They used a pooled data set collected from the south western part of Makueni district in Kenya to study the households access to microfinance credit and how the credit affects their incomes as Cross sectional analysis fails to show any significant positive impact of microfinance on poverty reduction. They found a weak positive significance of microfinance on household incomes, education and household head. Furthermore, in the research of Gertler et al. (2003), he found more positive conclusions in terms of the ability of micro finance to reduce vulnerability who find access to micro finance that helps households to smooth consumption despite declines in health of adult family members. These authors have tried to find a relation between access to a financial institution and consumption shortfalls associated with ill health. They used geographic distance as a measure of access and find that for households in an area with a BRI branch; health shocks have no effect on consumption. 2.4.1.2 Capability Approach K. Rajendran and R.P. Raya (2010) study the impact of microfinance on the empowerment in psychological, economic and social aspects and managerial skills of leaders of SHGs and their attitude in Vellore district. They surveyed 90 leaders and 90 animators of SHGs. Using the OLS they found that microfinance and SHGs are effective in reducing poverty, empowering women, creating awareness and ensure sustainability of environment which finally result in sustainable development of the nation. But age and education does not have any influence on empowerment among the rural women. Moreover, the case study carried out in 2007 by Eduardo C. Jimenez and Pia Bernadette Roman in Philippines found on average 96.2% of the people who borrow in groups pay back their loans on time. More than 160 microfinance institutions have adopted the principle of no collateral but weekly repayment of loans with lending at commercial rates so that they can cover their costs; and they were allowed to make a profit. During that period, they have been able to target 436, 000 clients, 98% being women. The loan repayment rates of 96.2% were far higher than that recovered by most commercial banks. Luckily the project had increased the clients income by more than 28%. Their spending was mostly on school and food. So, for Philippines, this had an impact on its economy, thereby enhancing the life span, the literacy rate and also improving the standard of living of those people. 2.4.2 Least Developed Countries 2.4.2.1 Monetary Approach Khandker (2005) reported the direct effects of microfinance programs on poverty. He examined 1,638 households that participated in two waves of the BIDS World Bank 1991/92 and 1998/99 surveys in Bangladesh and found that moderate poverty in the sample villages declined by 17% between the two waves of the survey, and extreme poverty declined by 13%. Among those households that participated in the microfinance programs, the poverty rate declined by 20% in the same period, with more than half of the nearly 3% annual moderate poverty decline among participants attributed to the microfinance programs alone. He further found that access to microfinance programs contributed to the reduction of both moderate and extreme poverty of individuals particularly women as well as for the village as a whole where inflow of microfinance funds to rural areas impacted the local economy and raised per capita household consumption for both participants and nonparticipants. Morduch (1998) attempted to look specifically at the role microfinance plays in helping the poor, and reported mixed results, including some positive and some negative impacts of microfinance in alleviating poverty and helping the poor. He used survey data collected in 1991/92 by the Bangladesh Institute for Development Studies, in collaboration with the World Bank, covering 87 villages and nearly 1800 households. Survey data was collected at three points during the collection period to capture seasonal variations in household circumstances and found that the microfinance programs benefited the moderately poor more than the destitute. Further, he found that households that are eligible to borrow and have access to the programs do not have notably higher consumption levels that control households. Additionally, he found that households eligible for programs have substantially lower variation in consumption and labour supply across seasons. Thus the most important potential impacts of microfinance programs are with reducing ones financial vulnerability, and not necessarily poverty. 2.4.2.2 Capability Approach Morris and Barnes (2005) attempted to provide an overall assessment of the impact of microfinance, and examined the impacts of three microfinance programs in Uganda. Baseline data was first collected in the winter of 1997 following a survey via random sample in respect of three program areas from programs clients and nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ clients. To assess the impact thereof, the survey was repeated in the winter of 1999. The researchers found that microfinance programs did not help to alleviate poverty in program areas, though results from these impact studies indicated positive impacts on participants entrepreneurial business endeavours and within their own households. The authors further found that microfinance programs help to reduce financial vulnerability of poor individuals through the diversification of available income sources and the accumulation of assets. 2.4.3 Small Island Developing State (SIDS) 2.4.3.1 Livelihood Approach Paul B McGuire (1996) has provided an assessment of microfinance in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) namely Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa. Thus, he concluded that these people faced a number of constraints to sustainable microfinance, including low and highly dispersed populations, the lack of transport and communications infrastructure in many areas, and the continuing importance of the non-monetised subsistence economy in many countries. Apparently, the stylised fact is less than clear. Despite the huge number of studies on microfinance and poverty alleviation in the developing countries, there exists little studies for small island economies. Thus this study attempts to fill the gaps by analyzing the impact microfinance on poverty and the welfare of households in Mauritius. As argued above, the facts and findings that were used have clearly indicated that microfinance is becoming a phenomenal contribution in building those economies that were previously struck by wars, natural calamities and turmoil. Websites Bank Of Mauritius Website: http://www.bom.mu Central Statistic Office Website: http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/cso (Accessed 23 October 2010) Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Website: http://www.dti.gov.uk Government of Mauritius Website: http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/citizenhomepage (Accessed 23 July 2010) http://businessafrica.net/africabiz/countries/mauritius.php http://faithbasedmicrofinance.info/default.aspx http://internationaldevelopment.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID1320549_code910083.pdf?abstractid=1291508 http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/MAURITIUSEXTN/0,,menuPK:381980~pagePK:141159~piPK:141110~theSitePK:381974,00.html http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/countries/southern-africa/mauritius/ http://www.africanexecutive.com/modules/magazine/articles.php?article=3715 http://www.blueorchard.com/jahia/Jahia/pid/341 http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj17n2-5.html ( accessed 1st december) Homepage http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/Mainhomepage/menuitem.cc515006ac7521ae3a9dbea5e2b521ca (Accessed 23 July 2010) http://www.idrc.ca http://www.intracen.org/wedf/ef2006/global-debate/Resource-Person-papers/Appanah_Paper.pdf http://www.kiva.org/about/microfinance, http://www.localhistories.org/povhist.html http://www.lww.com/static/docs/product/samplechapters/978-0-7817-7525-0_Front%20Matter.pdf http://www.mcci.org/business_finance_dbm.aspx http://www.microfinancefocus.com http://www.microfinancegateway.org http://www.mixmarket.org/mfi/trends http://www.nef.mu/documents/Liste_des_poches_de_pauvrete.pdf http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/en/ http://www.ophi.org.uk/publications/ophi-working-papers/ http://www.poverty-wellbeing.net/en/Home/Livelihood_Approaches http://www.rbapmabs.org/home/index.php/mabs-approach-training-and-technical-services/courses-and-training-offered-as-part-of-the-full-mabs-technical-assistance-package/mabs-approach-to-microfinance http://www.unohrlls.org/en/ldc/related/62/ International Monetary Fund Website: www.imf.org/ National Women Entrepreneur Council: http://nwec.intnet.mu Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Website: http://www.oecd.org/home SEDHA Website: http://sehda.org/links.php Small and Medium Industries Development Corporation Website: http://www.smidec.gov.my books1Books, Publication Thesis Damodar N. Gujarati (1996), Basic Econometrics, 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill International, Economics Series Googoolye Heema Devi , 2004. An appraisal of the contribution of the DBM Ltd in the development of SMEs. Dissertation Ministry Of Womens Rights, Child Development Family Welfare, 17 October 2002. Finding Hope Amidst Poverty Ministry Of Womens Rights, Child Development Family Welfare, 2001/02. Bilan, Republic of Mauritius Suresh M. Sundaresan, Microfinance: emerging trends and challenges Journals Adrian Gonzalez, M.A., 2008. Microfinance, incentives to repay, and overindebtedness: evidence from a household survey in bolivia, Dissertation (PhD) Ohio State University. Chandni Ohri, Microfinance and health: a case for integrated service delivery, Social Enterprises Associates. Claudio Gonzalez- Vega, Richard L.Meyer, Sergio Navajas, Jorge Rodriguez- Meza and Guillemo F. Monje, 1996. Microfinance market niches and client profiles in Bolivia, Economics and Sociology Occasional paper no 2346. Copestake, J. Bhalotra, S. and S. Johnson, 2001. Assessing the impact of micro-credit: A Zambian case study, Journal of Development Studies, 37(4), pp. 81-100. Dean Karlan, Martin Valdivia, 2010. Teaching Entrepreneurship: Impact of Business Training on Microfinance Clients and Institutions, pp. 1-45 Essentials, 1999. Microfinance, a synthesis of lessons learned. Gertler, Paul, Levine, David I., Moretti, Enrico, 2002. Do Microfinance Programs Help Families Insure Consumption against Illness?, California Center for population research online working paper series. Guush Berhane and Cornelis Gardebroek, 2009. Does microfinance reduce rural poverty? Evidence based on a household panel data from Northern Ethiopia, International association of Agricultural economists Conference, Beijing, China, 16-22 August 2009. J.T.O Oke, R. Adeyemo and M.U Agbonlahor, 2007. An empirical analysis of microcredit repayment in South-western Nigeria, Humanities and Social Sciences Journal, 2(1), pp. 63- 73. Jon Westover, 2008. The record of microfinance: the effectiveness/ ineffectiveness of microfinance program as a means of alleviating poverty, Electronic Journal of Sociology, pp.1-8. Joy M Kiiru, John Mburu, Klaus Flohberg, 2007. Does participant in microfinance program improve household incomes: Empirical evidence from Makueni District, Kenya, Centre for development Research, Bonn University, pp. 405-410. K. Rajendra and R. P. Raya, 2010. Impact of microfinance- An empirical study on the attitude of SHG leaders in Vellore District:Tamil Nadu, India, Global Journal of Finance and Management, 2(1), pp. 59-68. Maldonado, Jorge H. and Claudio Gonzalez-Vega, 2008. Impact of Microfinance on Schooling: Evidence from Poor Rural Households in Bolivia, World Development Matthew Ruben, 2007. The discovery of microfinance for poverty relief in the developing world, Discovery Guides. Available from: http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/discovery guides-main.php (accessed 14 October 2010) McIntosh, Craig and Bruce Wydick, 2005. Competition and Microfinance, Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 78, pp. 271-298. Morduch, J., 1999, The microfinance promise, Journal of Economic Literature 37(4), pp. 1569-1614. Morduch, Jonathan and Barbara Haley, 2002. Analysis of effects of microfinance on poverty reduction, NYU Working paper 1014, 28 June 2002. Morris, Gayle and Barnes, Carolyn, 2007. An assessment of the impact of microfinance, Journal of microfinance, 7(1), pp. 40-45. Nicolas Gachet, Virginie Staehli, 2006. Formalisation through micro-finance:an empirical study in Egypt, Working paper 52. Perumal Koshy and V.N Parsad, 2007. Small and micro enterprises: a tool in the fight against poverty, Munich Personal REPEC Archieve, paper number 22827. Rajesh Kumar Shastri, 2009. Microfinance and poverty reduction in India: a comparative study on Asian countries, African Journal of Business Management, 3(4), pp. 136-140. S. Khandker, 2001. Does microfinance really benefit the poor- Evidence from Bangladesh, Asia and Pacific Forum on Poverty. Schreiner, Mark, 2000. Credit Scoring for Microfinance. Can It Work? Journal of Microfinance, 2(2), pp. 105-117. Susan Johnson, 2004, The dynamics of competition in Karatinas financial markets: assessing the impact of microfinance in Kenya, Institute for Development studies, Imp-Act Working Paper 9, pp. 1-31. Tara. S. Nair, 2001. Institutionalising microfinance in India: an overview of strategic issues, Economic and Political Weekly, 36(4), pp. 399-404. Tassel E Van, 2004. Household bargaining and microfinance, Journal of Development Economics , pp. 449-468 Tiyas Biswas, Women empowernment through microfinance: a boon for development

How To Rejuvenate A Mature Bus :: essays research papers

The last two decades has seen a revolution in management accounting theory and practice due to the challenges of the competitive environment in the 1980s. Kaplan and Johnson (1987) identified the failings and obsolescence of existing cost and performance measurement systems which led to re-examination of traditional cost accounting and management control systems. Conventional financial and management accounting methods have developed primarily as a result of corporate legislation in the 1930s forcing companies to provide externally published financial accounts. Management accounting is primarily focused as a decision making tool for running a business, hence they require more flexibility. According to Kaplan management accounts have become a subset of financial accounts and that they reflect more on the external rather than internal requirements of the company. Most of the managerial decision-making and control systems in use in the late 1980s were described by Johnson and Kaplan as stagnant. As a result, they went onto research in new accounting systems raising the profile of internal accounting systems by use of financial and non-financial measures although their work was seen as controversial by Drury but is now considered of key importance to manufacturing industries aiming to become world class. This essay aims to discuss the ways in which new management accounting techniques can bring life into mature businesses, in particular those using non-financial measures. Most companies still use the same cost accounting and management control systems that were developed decades ago in a competitive environment drastically different from today. These systems have major drawbacks described below: „h They distort product costs i.e. absorption of production overheads into product costs for the purpose of stock valuation. The external financial reporting process was purely driving this allocation of overheads for stock valuation. „h They do not produce the key non-financial data required for effective and efficient operations, hence they are of little help to operating managers ¡Ã‚ ¦ seeking to reduce costs and improve productivity. „h The data produced reflected on external reporting requirements far more than the reality of the new manufacturing environment. „h Failure to provide accurate product costs as they were distributed by simplistic and arbitrary measures usually direct labour based. „h The short term profit pressures led to a decline in long term investment. These poorly designed or outdated systems can distort the realities of manufacturing performance. As companies become more efficient by using new technologies, labour costs are accounting for a smaller proportion of a company ¡Ã‚ ¦s overall cost, hence the allocation of overheads to labour hours will become irrelevant and counter-productive to the company ¡Ã‚ ¦s operations.

Emily Dickinson, TS Eliot, Robert Frost Essay -- Informative, Authors

The three authors that I chose were Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), TS Eliot (1888-1965), and Robert Frost (1874-1963). I chose them because first they all were born in the eighteen century and most of their writings dealt with death and dying. I do not believe the elements that Emily Dickinson would be a good source for me to incorporate into my writing because with her writings I found them very hard to understand, possibly because of the timeline or the fact that she wrote in such a secretive code with words. If we have some familiarity with these means, or formal elements of poetry, our understanding and enjoyment of the poem will be greatly increased (Charters page 762). There were very few of her poems that I could understand or even enjoy reading, I felt a sense of bleakness, despair, loneliness in most of the poems that she wrote. In her poem â€Å"She died—this was the way she died. There was the use of eye rhyme (Charters page 764) when she used the word spied and ended the poem by saying â€Å"upon the mortal side†. Also in her poem I’m nobody! Who are you? Sounds as if she also had a low self esteem by stating that she was a nobody. Today, in the 20th century if a person wrote words as such they would probably be diagnosed with depression with suicidal ideology, mostly because of the poems â€Å"I felt a funeral in my brain, and There’s been a death in the opposite house† all very bleak and gloomy. The best poem of Emily Dickinson to me would be the one â€Å"I never saw a moor† because I like the rhythm of the poem and can completely agree with the direction that the poet is taking the readers and once again I can see eye rhyme (Charters Page 764) with the words Heaven and given within the poem. I actually really enjoye... ...ll become old and to remember our youth, don’t take it for granted. Also, his poem â€Å"To Earthward† was a mixture of lyric poetry (Charters page 811), ode (Charters page 815) and alliteration (Charters page 762). The examples of this mixture would be the use of the words: musk, dusk, honeysuckle, knuckle, salt, fault, love, clove, hand, sand, enough and rough. His writings were not as dreadful and bleak as Emily Dickinson’s poems. The poem â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† was easy to read with a constant rhythm, and there was no question what he was talking about. I believe if I was to choose any of the above writers and incorporate their unique form of writing into my own would be Robert Frost because of his direct approach, the tone that he used, and the rhythmic way he put his words together to make it work for the poem and the audience.