International trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

International trade - Essay Example The major types of jobs that I have been seeking from various potential employers are business oriented as per my qualification and academic credentials. Before I started looking for part time employment, my first step was to seek information about recruitment process. The major recruitment processes that employers use are identification of vacancy or need, specifying the job, advertisement of the specified job, managing the response of job seekers, shortlisting, planning for the interview, conducting interviews and making decision on who to recruit. When recruitment processes are taken into account, my areas of interest are how the employment agency identifies and advertise its vacancies, managing responses to job applications, how it plans and conducts the interviews and the appointments formalities (Garner & Alty,2001,p.72). Currently, most of job vacancies are usually advertised through media outlets. However, some job vacancies may be advertised through social networks in social arenas such as clubs, churches and family gatherings. Everyday, I go through job advertisements in the media in order to get a vacant position that fits my academic credential. My academic qualifications are bachelor of business management major and diploma in marketing. I always look for business and marketing related vacancies, check the level of work experience needed and other miscellaneous skills such as advanced computer skills. The media outlets that I use when searching for jobs include daily newspaper job advertisements, internet advertisement through job sited such as linked, and television job advertisements. I am active in social interactions especially with professionals and so I use the social networking opportunity to inquire about job opportunities. In my view, searching for job vacancies in different outlets h as been assisting me in locating many job vacancies, which I apply and get positive feedback and in some cases, employment opportunities. When one applies

Relationships Between Risk And Criminology

Relationships Between Risk And Criminology Explore the relationship between risk and criminology. To what extent, if any, have ideas about risk influenced our concepts and management of crime? This essay will explore the relationship between risk and criminology. In doing so, it will examine arguments surrounding a modern day society of risk, to demonstrate a strong intrinsic link between the two. This argument will show the direct link by highlighting how crime prevention approaches seem to control and manage the opportunities for crime. It will shown how arguments and the foundations of risk communication (Beck, 1992: 4; Denney, 2005: 82-103) have helped shape the modern day view of crime management, by presenting examples formulated from a perspective of risk management. Early theoretical attempts to crime management, as suggested by Foucault (1977), revolve around the individual where rehabilitation or conformity is obtained from the individual via controls, such as surveillance (Denney, 2005: 114-6). Prisons are particularly relevant, where Foucault progresses theses ideas of attempting to regulate the individual into an accepted behaviour. Foucault (1977: 25) was suggesting that society had developed technologies of power which were then used to discipline and punish individuals who strayed from what society felt tolerable. Furedi (2002: 12) states: an enlightened society recognizes that human beings need to take risks and that in so doing, they will sometimes experience an adverse outcome. Risk is part of life and a society that adopts the view that preventing injury is an end in itself will have to ban a variety of creative and challenging activities. By offering this definition, Furedi was accepting that we live in a risk society as described by Hardy (2006: 41) as technical factors outweigh social ones and risk analysis is increasingly developed in relation to technological domain and therefore demonstrates how technology has been used in society to determine risk within that society. Thus offering evidence of high risk areas utilising insurance models, as endorsed by the Home Office, to construct crime reduction strategies. OMalley (2009b) also highlights that risk society is an integral part of modern day life and connects risk management techniques to most problems, including criminology. OMalley (2003: 449) eludes to the fact that there has been a noticed shift from crime management of individuals where behaviour control was the kingpin, drawing on actuarial and insurance based approaches. Cohen (1985: 82) was the first to highlight the fact that there was a rapid change to crime prevention involving situational crime prevention, which involved mapping out opportunities for crime and reducing the risk of its occurrence. Feeley and Simon (1994: 175) view risk as the use of statistical models of prediction to reduce harm, whilst Rose (2000: 322) claims that risk involves the use of non-statistical models to minimise risk based on models of uncertainty. Criminologists appear to favour a mixture of both since Haggerty (2003: 193-194) points out that crime prevention techniques seem to involve the management of risk with little reference to statistical models but involves encouraging members of the community to keep a watchful eye over their surroundings, i.e. Neighbourho od Watch. Risk is viewed by people in many different ways for example, victims view risk in terms of the fear of crime a factor becoming more focused by the Government and the actual risks that a criminal is prepared to take in order to achieve their goal or reward. OMalley (2009a: 2) highlights two reports published in the 80s: The Floud Report (1982) and the Greenwood Report (Rand Corporation 1982) which brought in a new approach to crime management by recommending that risk considerations should be embedded in to the Criminal Justice System. OMalley (2009a: 2) writes that recommendations from the Floud Report included implementation of protective sentences which he argued could restructure risk and would not focus on the individual but on the size of the community most at risk from the offender. Likewise, he states that the Greenwood Report argued that the use of statistical models to identify high risk offenders would be an efficient way to allocate longer sentences in order to minimise the risk they present to the community. The resultant was that a few Criminologists (Cohen, 1985; Feely and Simon, 1992; OMalley, 2003) began to shift from correctional theories to develop predictive models to manage crime. Feeley and Simon (1994) pushed the idea of actuarial justice for decisions on sentencing durations by displacement due to incapacitation, thus managing the offender via the Criminal Justice System. A working example of this is the Prolific Priority Offender (PPO), where an individual is categorised and then receives enhanced attention via the Criminal Justice system, (Home Office, 2008). Generally, this approach has been met with criticism (Rose, 2000: 333) where predictive models may criminalise and incapacitate individuals who may not re-offend. There is also a danger of creating further offenders via the labelling theory (Vold et al, 2002: 210-216; Newman and Marongiu, 1997: 158-9). Both the American three strike rule and fact that within the UK convicted sex offenders must inform the Police of their address in order to be risk managed signalled a move within the Criminal Justice System where risk assessment was a part of the whole process. Baumann (2000: 208-10) identified the use of risk management within the pe nal system creating two separate groups the high risk ones who are not given much rehabilitation and the lower risk groups who are viewed with high suspicion regarding their ability to reform and are then excluded from society. Feeley and Simons (1994) research goes a long way to corroborate Baumanns position as it found that predictive models of actuarial justice appeared to target Black and Hispanic working class people in America. Risk management within the Criminal Justice System attempt to minimise the opportunity for criminals to re-offend. As part of risk management, the UK Government has expanded its Protective Services and ensures that agencies work closely together in order to manage specific risk offenders. The probation Service leads DMAPP and CMAPP meetings where an offender on licence can be judged to be a risk to the community and if so may have some draconian powers utilised to restrict and control them. As pointed out by OMalley (2003: 450) situational crime prevention is not concerned with causes of crime and does not encroach on rehabilitation or incarceration of the offender. Instead, it is concerned with how to manage the risk of crime. OMalley recognises the actuarial characteristics of situational crime prevention is more aligned with neo-conservative, rationalist and the New Right whose beliefs are concerned with population management, increased punishment for offenders and displacing the risk to help reduce the fear of crime and enhance societies economic status. Previous theories identified opportunities such as open windows as a high crime risk, situational crime prevention goes further and introduces the concept of the offender having a rational choice (Vold et al, 2002: 203). Cornish and Clarke (2003: 43) allude to prompts and suggest that situational cues are what can trigger criminal behaviour. Therefore, whilst situational crime prevention is concerned with risk manag ement, it introduces the concept that the offender chooses to offend for specific reasons. Rational choice (Vold et al, 2002: 203) suggests that the offender weighs up the risks associated with committing the offence against the benefits from successfully completing the actions to see if the crime is worth committing. Therefore, OMalley (2003) proposes that actuarial justice draws heavily from rational choice theory by doubting the reasons for the offence and constructs the individual as abstract, universal and rational (OMalley, 2003: 451). In the same way that individuals feel they have a right to freedom, rational choice allows such freedoms to do good and therefore when an individual chooses to do harm, then they must be judged accordingly. Foucault noticed that the Criminal Justice System was created with a notion that there were other factors responsible for crime, thus reducing the opportunity for responsibility (Foucault, 1977: 252). OMalley (2003: 451) maintains that the criminal abstract, using an arterial justice framework, the issue of responsibility and its place within the Criminal Justice framework is once again prominent and matched by the New Right philosophy of punitive and just deserts sentencing framework. Incapacitation seems to be the main argument used by supporters of situational crime prevention because they feel it removes the offender from the opportunity of committing further crime and indeed the prison population in the UK and America are at an all time high. Race, class, gender are not routinely a considered factor within situational crime prevention and when they are, OMalley (2003) states: If bothered with at all, they are taken to be predictive of behaviours, not explanatory of meaningful actions (OMalley, 2003: 452). Situational crime prevention brings the victim back to the centre of crime management and criminal justice techniques, placing public safety at the forefront. Although situational crime draws from rational choice theory to explain the behaviour of the offender, it does the same for the victim. This model is about the victim also taking a lead role and being part of the crime prevention model by being aware of any vulnerabilities they are exposing by the surroundings or their actions. This thinking, as proposed by Cohen and Felson (1979) are the foundations of Routine Activity Theory. They claim that criminology concentrated on the offender and paid little attention to the criminal act itself. They increased the argument that lifestyle changes, such as employment, leisure and education influenced the occurrence of crimes and that individuals needed to evaluate these risks and make rational decisions, thus making them less likely to be targets. Cohen and Felson (1979: 593-7) concentrat ed on the location where the crime actually occurred and the surrounding conditions that contributed to making the crime viable. Routine activity theory articulates that a crime can only happen when one or more criminals are motivated and the individuals see an opportunity to commit the crime. The associated argument that managing risk is part of routine activity theory further supports the fact that the criminal must be able to observe few preventative barriers that would make the commission of the crime unsuccessful. From these arguments, Cohen and Felson (1979: 588) highlighted that changes in the way property and valuables are dealt with would have an impact upon the opportunity for crime. The impact of risk analysis, according to Cohen and Felson (1979: 588) is significant, as the risk of crime can be reduced by implementing preventative measures which make the commission of the crime unattractive to the criminal. Smith, Clarke and Pease (2002: 75) highlight research that shows crime prevention initiatives often have anticipatory benefits. These benefits broadly surround change, but are ultimately connected to communication a risk to the potential offender. These principle ideas on managing risk have had a tremendous influence on how crime is policed. Interestingly, Felson (1987) extended his application of routine activity theory to include white collar crime and organised crime. With the development of situational crime prevention Felson (1987) hoped to prevent crimes that were caused by changes in routine activity. Situational crime prevention sees the offender calculating the risks associated with committing the crime, for example, the likelihood that they will not be apprehended. By causing this, the consequences are a reduction in crime by reducing the opportunities. Therefore the risk considerations for both the victim and offender are significant in crime prevention strategies such as improved street lighting (Farrington and Welsh, 2006: 209-224) and the installation and use of closed circuit television (CCTV) (Welsh and Farrington, 2006: 193-208), together with more police patrols (Poyserm, 2004). Policing is increasingly using situational crime prevention strategies and techniques through risk assessment to study crime patterns and implement intervention. As part of the analysis, police use crime data together with environmental and social factors in vulnerable areas to identify who are likely targets and for what reasons. By utilising these techniques they are able to develop bespoke crime reduction strategies for that specific problem. Hamilton-Smith and Kent (2005: 423-5) explain have situational crime prevention techniques have been tailored to target dwelling burglary. They recognise and acknowledge that there have been many models developed to help achieve the reductions and management, but specifically highlight a recognised model by Cornish and Clarke, which is called the 25 techniques (Hamilton-Smith and Kent, 2005: 423; Cornish and Clarke, 2003: 42). Jones (2005: 471) utilises the Oxford English Dictionary (1989) to give a suitable definition of surveillance, which appears quite appropriate: Watch or guard kept over a person, etc., especially over a person, a prisoner; or the like often, spying, supervision; [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] supervision for the purpose of control, superintendence. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] of devices, vessels, etc., used in military or police surveillance. Modern crime fighting techniques have positively developed from new forms of surveillance, starting with the prison which was the focus of Foucaults (1977) gaze and saw authorities monitoring the behaviour of prisoners in a structured manner. Braithwaite (2000: 224) took inspiration from Foucaults (1991) reference to the term governmentality and suggested that the state had developed many technological models to manage the risk of deviant behaviour and ensure order is kept to that considered acceptable by general society. These technologies concentrate on the management of risk to control crime and maintain social order. These methods are usually directed at crime control in order to affect social order. The management of some technologies are governed by legislation such as Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, (OPSI, 2000), yet they can still be abused, which can taint public perception (Big Brother Watch, 2009). Rose (2000) progresses the theory of modulation where the behaviour of social members is controlled by various agencies. Rose believes that this is also a form of risk management aimed at reducing deviance. Rose states: Control society is one of constant and never ending modulation where the modulation occurs within the flows and transactions between the forces and capacities of the human subject and the practices in which he or she participates. (Rose, 2000: 325) The view of Rose supports that of Deleuze (1995: 3-7) who states we live in societies of control. Basically, both commentators hypothesis that prison is no longer the sole place where deviance and risk are controlled, but where the use of digital technology are an important part of the risk assessment toolbox in order to monitor behavior and reduce crime through analyzing risky situations. Melossi (2000: 296-7) argues that the representation of the criminal is not static and therefore surveillance methods and crime control have to change to reflect this contextual dynamism. It is for this reason that continuous risk assessments of hot spots, vulnerable areas and criminal behavior is touted by supporters of situational crime prevention as necessary in order to maintain public order, protection of the public and to control the fear of crime. A relatively new concept in policing is the introduction of hotspots which are used to enhance the service and reduction of crime in a cost effective manner. Hotspots (Braga, 2006: 179-190) are usually busy urban areas, low level crime but high frequency or a pocket of heavy crime occurrence. Risk management is not without its issues and when things go wrong they can have a significant impact on the publics confidence with agencies designed to prevent such failings (BBC News, 2008; BBC News, 2010). The Police service is reacting and learning from these and similar failings and by using risk management techniques has brought a new term in to their daily assessment process, this being People Susceptible to Harm (PSH). Sherman and Weisburd (1995: 634) feel that strategic work around hotspots is more successful than general beat patrolling. They suggest that the police often do not have enough resources to adequately offer sufficient patrols, therefore by concentrating on hotspots, this will give the police a greater chance of observing the hotspot areas and increase the risks for the criminal, thus reducing their likelihood of committing a crime. This argument was supported by their research in Kansas, United States, where they analyzed the influence of police presence in hotspot areas. They found that the increase in patrols in hotspot areas reduced crime which was attributed to criminals apprehension of being caught. Risk has also contributed to the development of community policing within the UK. The success of community policing is based on the ethos that individuals who belong to a community are more likely to be attentive to reducing crime opportunities in their area. It also encourages the community to work with the police to improve crime prevention and their environment, such as lack of good street lighting, overgrown shrubs in alleyways and Neighborhood Watch Schemes. Skogan (2006: 29-31) proposes that community policing incorporates three factors that help police manage the risk of crime: community involvement, problem solving and decentralization. By depending upon the public to provide information to help the police in order for them to reduce the risk of crime, it is clear that modern policing shows how important managing the risk of crime is. Community Forums, where the community members are invited to help set policing priorities and together with other agencies, help tackle crime i s now well embedded in to all areas of the UK (Communities 2010). The application of the broken windows theory within policing has influenced crime management. According to the broken windows theory, consistent public disorder within a community that goes unchecked will lead to more and more serious crime and a downward spiral of urban decay (Kelling and Coles, 1996: 20). Drawing from situational crime prevention, the UK police encourage the community members to report litter, damage, graffiti and broken windows since it is thought that if they are left unchecked this would contribute to the deterioration of society and contribute to crime. The increased use of CCTV is further evidence of risk management influencing crime prevention. The use of CCTV may deter crime due to the increased risk the criminal will be aware of (Brown, 1995: 1-2). This point is extended by Edwards and Tilley (1994: 12) who demonstrate that the use of CCTV reduces crime due to its ability to provide evidence to help convict the offender. Not only does it act as a crime deterrent, but it also acts as a sign for potential victims who are then more aware of the need for them to take preventative steps to reduce potential opportunities for crime. An example of CCTV being used as a risk management tool to reduce crime is in publicity and visibility of the cameras, such as in many public car parks and trains. Such use of CCTV has significantly assisted in the reduction of theft and robberies on the transport system (Laycock and Tilley, 1995: 535). Hayden, Williamson and Webber (2007: 298-304) demonstrated how Nottinghamshire police used risk assessment methods to identify youth offending and correlated post codes to highlight areas of high anti-social behaviour among young people in specific locations for targeting. They show how police in the UK employ the use of geodemographic classifications, alongside statistical and operational data gathered from the police crime reports, and analyze the data using GIS system. There has been a significant increase in the use of GIS in many parts of the UK to map crime and use spatial analysis to identify hotspots for many kinds of crime and therefore inform policing measures to counter these occurrences. The increased effort to manipulate environmental factors which could cause crime and to encourage safer communities is directly linked to the polices use of risk management. Community crime prevention is a major part of social justice and community cohesion in the UK. The implementation of community prevention initiatives, such as Safer Cities, Safer Communities, Sure Start programmes are examples of how risk considerations have influenced crime prevention in the UK (Home Office, 2004). While they do not wholly employ a risk model, by rejecting socio-economic circumstances of offenders, they rely on risk management principles to identify areas which need policing and individuals who are at risk to commit crimes. Ekblom and Tilley (2000: 377) highlight that the police concentrate on the origin of the offence and distribute resources accordingly to make committing an offence more complex for the offender, which is another example of how risk management has influenced crime reduction. Crime prevention technologies, such as electronic tags (Denney, 2005: 128; McDougall et al, 2006: 123-4) and how police have increased their technology to monitor receivers, demonstrates the modern day crime prevention strategies in identifying and managing various risks of crime to occur. Installing and maintaining adequate street lighting is a technique used to enhance the belief by the offender that they are more likely to be observed and apprehended. Painter and Farrington (1999: 80-83) conducted research in to street lighting as a method of crime prevention which reported some success. Their case study of street lighting improvements in Stoke-on-Trent found that crime was reduced in areas which had lighting u pgrades. The theory of using street lighting to control the commission of crime is based on the theory that the offender will form the opinion that there will be a reduced reward and increased risk of being caught. A knock on effect is reducing the fear of crime within the community which has the effect of improving community cohesion (Painter and Farrington, 1999: 82). Likewise, the introduction of electronic entry/exit systems to hotspot areas such as estate buildings and problematic car parks increases the publics awareness and encourages them to burglar proof their dwellings and park their cars in garages as often as they can is evidence of risk management influencing crime control policy. The basic philosophy being that of reducing the appeal of potential targets to potential offenders. More recently, particularly after 9/11, risk management led crime prevention measures have contributed to intelligence led policing and how the crime authorities are able to prevent and respond to terrorism (Birkland, 2004: 186-89). The speed in which the London bombers were apprehended demonstrates the successful use of intelligence led policing (Denny, 2005: 136-138). Risk management strategies were effective in intercepting terrorist activities, especially via the use of CCTV. This is an example demonstrating that risk analysis of situational circumstances open to terrorists for crime have assisted policing in this area. Intelligence led policing is informed by problem oriented policing which seeks to analyze crime patterns to minimize the motivation of likely offenders and also to analyze and assess the police response to crimes committed and their effectiveness. In this manner, the policing of crime is constantly being improved in response to changing environmental and motivatio nal factors for crime (McGarrell et al, 2007: 143). Despite this, critics such as Hobsbawn (1994: 53) point out that increased risk assessments aimed to prevent situational crime has not reduced the crime rate. The UK is currently seeing its highest rate of prison population and this is expected to continue to increase further. One explanation for this increase in the recorded and detection of crimes is the rate of technological advancements, especially in relation to surveillance and intense policing. Hobsbawn (1994: 570) deliberates that modern day society is now in the crisis decades, whereby disorganization has reached unthinkable excesses. Melossi (2000: 314) contends that what we see today is the state increasing its control and risk technologies to temper the seemingly fractured and disorderly watched masses, while the imprisoned population increase and crime continues. It is clearly evident that there is now an intrinsic link between risk and criminology as the use of actuarial risk analysis methodologies is now an essential crime management tool within policing. Risk analysis in criminology is entrenched in the belief that man has a rational choice and the freedom to decide to do what is right or wrong. While risk methods have not being fully employed to secure incarcerations, measures such as Megans law in the United States the three strikes law, and the necessity for convicted sex offenders to report their addresses to police indicate that risk is being used to prevent crime. Furthermore, the prevalence of technologies such as CCTV, tagging, GIS to determine crime hot spots and increased street lighting initiatives demonstrate how actuarial models of risk are being employed effectively within criminology on a daily basis. Likewise situational crime prevention models are also being used on a daily basis to evaluate the risks of crime and reduce their opportunities.

Fears in The Most Dangerous Game :: Most Dangerous Game Essays

Fears in The Most Dangerous Game   [ADM1]  Ã‚      All around it was quiet.   [ADM2]The birds were chirping and the leaves were blowing.   Suddenly, a man fled from the brush, holding only a knife in his right hand.   After the fleeing man had ran some distance, another man came out of the brush holding a revolver.   This man walked calmly after the fleeing man not worried that the he would escape.   The old, erect man stopped, and loaded his revolver.   He then took aim, shot a round and hit the fleeing man just as he turned around.   The man dropped as he died instantly.   The old man then walked over to the game he had just killed, grabbed the body by the shirt, and dragged the body into the brush.   Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game is a story based on a man who thrives for hunting humans[ADM3].   The way Connell wrote this short story reveals some characteristics about him.   The Most Dangerous Game is a psychological story about the author facing and overcoming fear. [ADM4] The general's eyes had left the ground and were traveling inch by inch up the tree.   Rainsford froze there, every muscle tensed for a spring.   But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reached the limb where Rainsford lay; a smile spread over his brown face.   This story is filled with the same type of fear Connell experienced in his life.   Perhaps he felt 'hunted' at one point in his life and decided he had to run away from all the pain and anger.   For instance, his father may have been abusive to him, so he decided to run away from the fear of being emotionally as well as physically hurt[ADM5].   Rainsford slid down the tree and struck off again into the woods...   Following the trail with the sureness of a bloodhound came General Zaroff.   Connell ran and ran and ran, but no matter how far he ran, his fears were always behind him.   Connell would soon figure out what to do. [ADM6]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Connell also showed the ability to overcome his fears.   At the end of the story, Rainsford confronts Zaroff in Zaroff's own bedroom.   Zaroff offers a truce, but Rainsford does not accept and they fight until the death.   Rainsford had successfully faced Zaroff, his fear.[ADM7]   Connell is showing that he overcame the fears he had in his life by facing them with confidence.

Disabled, Wilfred Owen

The dictionary meaning of disabled is having a physical or mental condition that limits movement, senses or activity. In Wilfred Owen’s poem Disabled through imagery, irony, tone, similes and contrasting the life of a soldier before and after war, Owen shows what it is like to be disabled by war. Owen uses imagery to help the reader picture the soldiers life post World War I. â€Å"legless sewn short at elbow† and â€Å"his back will never brace† help to demonstrate a clear understanding of how the soldier would look; sitting in a wheel-chair, unable to do simple everyday tasks without assistance.Owen uses imagery referring to blood throughout the poem â€Å"leap of purple leaped from his thigh† which helps picture the brutality of war and what the soldier went through to end up disabled. The girls in the poem also help to demonstrate the difference in the soldier’s life pre and post war. Using imagery Owen shows the differing reactions of the girls . â€Å"to please his Meg† and â€Å"to please the giddy jilts† show that the reason for enlisting was to satisfy the girls. â€Å"The women’s eyes pass from him† show that post war he is no longer desirable and girls no longer look at him they way they did.The use of irony in Disabled is used to portray the message that the propaganda and celebrations of war are all false. As stated before, he joined the army to please his girlfriend Meg, as in those days soldiers were attractive to women. However it is ironic that it is because of war that ‘he will never again feel how slim girls waists are’. The soldier was a football player before he enlisted and â€Å"one time he liked a blood-smear down his leg†. This is ironic because before the war the soldier was proud to be injured. However, he was wounded at war and feels not proud, but shame. Some cheered him home but not as crowds cheer goal† demonstrates that the glory he felt from soccer is nothing like the shame he gets from being a disabled war veteran. He was cheered off to war, however returning home just a torso wasn’t appealing to the people he knew and they celebrated a goal in soccer more than his return from war. Owen uses various tones throughout the poem to show the many different aspects involved with war. In the first stanza, the tone is negative, sad and depressed. Giving the reader a clear idea of how the soldier feels post ar and what he looks like.In the middle stanzas (1-5) the soldier is reflecting on his former life and contrasting to what it is like now. The tone is envious of his old life as well as resentful of his mistakes. He is also bitter toward the enlisting officers who â€Å"smiling wrote his lie, aged nineteen† aiming blame toward them for not preventing him from being sent to the front. The middle stanza’s portray a tone of loss and deprivation. The sixth stanza is the soldier criticizing the war through th e use of rhetorical questions â€Å"why don’t they come? The soldier is no longer able to put himself to bed and nobody is there to help him. Symbolling that the war has left this soldier all on his own, no football team, no Meg, no anybody. The most evident aspect of the poem is the contrast between the soldiers life pre and post war. Before the war he was young, fit and popular. He had Meg, his football team and was un-reliant on others for everyday tasks. He is now an old, physically disabled and mentally depressed man, who is unable to put himself to bed.Owen uses similies to help support the contrast â€Å"all of them touch him like some queer disease† this helps show his present life and is contrasting o the previous lines where he talks of his old life when ‘town used to swing so gay’. In the poem Disabled Wilfred Owen successfully uses contrast, irony, tones and imagery to portray the idea that war is not all glory, and for millions of men it was the end of their life. Through his own war experience Owen was able to demonstrate what it was like for a World War I soldier to be disabled by war.

How Is the Extract of Jekyll and Hyde Dramatic

The realisation of the reader from this extract, that Jekyll has only been experimenting with science produces dramatic tension. Throughout the extract, Jekyll confesses that he can only speak ‘by theory alone' regarding his attempts to create the potions to transform himself into Hyde. This represents his constant uncertainty about the results of his experiments. Therefore if even Jekyll, the man performing the experiments, is uncertain of the results, dramatic tension is caused for the reader to discover the results of the experiment. Jekyll also confirms that he doesn’t know anything for certain, as he only speaks what appears ‘to be most probable'. Since the results are uncertain, the reader doesn't know the effect the experiment would have on Jekyll. The reader also discovers that no-one has attempted the experiment before, which builds up tension and suspense about the end result and makes the reader intrigued to continue reading in order to discover it. The unknown of the experiments Jekyll performs builds drama and is dramatic since the unexpected may happen. Stevenson’s imagery of imprisonment in this extract makes it more dramatic since it portrays the idea of Jekyll being trapped. Jekyll presents being Hyde as a disguise ‘like a thick cloak’ in order to abandon his life as Jekyll, which is boring and tiresome, as if he is escaping from prison in order to live a new and free life. The ‘thick cloak’ could represent protection and by suggesting it is like a piece of clothing, this shows that transforming into Hyde is effortless and comforting to do but the constant interchanging between the views of Jekyll, when he is himself, and Hyde is dramatic. Jekyll likens the potion to a drug by saying that it had ‘no discriminating action’, explaining that it is addicting once he has tried it. However it then became impossible to prevent the change describing it as falling into ‘slavery’ and by being trapped this leads to the extract becoming tense and exciting. Metaphors are used through the extract to provide imagery for the reader. Jekyll explains that Hyde was pure evil and that it was ‘written broadly and plainly on his face’ suggesting that when people saw Hyde, it was immediately clear that he was a cruel person. By using this metaphor, Stevenson is attempting to show the personality of Hyde through his face and that his characteristics were clear from his physical appearance. After drinking the potion, Jekyll ‘had come to the fatal cross-roads’ which is a crucial moment in the novel for him, as he can choose only choose option suggested by the ‘cross roads’. This is dramatic because as there is a decision to be made which is extremely important, this builds suspense, especially as the decision carried the possibility of death which requires Jekyll to ponder his options carefully. Since the cross roads are ‘fatal’ this may imply that the cross roads will lead to disaster or death. It could also indicate that the cross roads were unavoidable as it was fate that determined Jekyll would have to make this decision. The dangerous decision that has been forced upon Jekyll makes the extract dramatic, since his decision may lead to his death. The use of violent and dramatic language by Stevenson in the extract increases the pace of the novel and makes it more engaging and exciting. Jekyll is uncertain about the result of him drinking his potion which creates tension and by ‘hurrying back to my cabinet’ this shows that there is urgency from Jekyll to discover the effects of the potion which leads to the extract being exciting and dramatic and it is building up tension. When Jekyll had transformed into Hyde he was aware that people were frightened of him and took an instant dislike. He said that people couldn’t approach him without ‘a visible misgiving of the flesh’ and by using violent language to describe their reaction, it demonstrates the severity of the cruelty that Hyde possessed. By saying ‘the flesh’ instead of skin, this shows that people were unable to hide beneath their skin, the reactions they felt regarding Hyde. This language engages the reader with the emotions felt by the characters towards Hyde, producing anxiety among the reader resulting in a dramatic confrontation that is described. The exposure of many mysteries is revealed all at once which creates a dramatic atmosphere. In the extract we learn that Edward Hyde ‘was pure evil’ which is the reason behind people such as Utterson and Enfield ‘taking an instant dislike to him’ as we learn previously. We also discover the motive for Jekyll to transform into Hyde which is because he ‘began to profit by the strange immunities’ of his position, as he is taking advantage of the freedom he has when Jekyll is Hyde. The answers to the questions which were formed by the reader earlier in the novel were slowly being revealed throughout it. However in this short extract, lots of answers are provided to the reader from Jekyll, because he is explaining the actions of both himself and Mr Hyde. Also since the novel is told in third but in this extract it is in the first person perspective, it leaves few questions remaining, allowing the reader to piece together Utterson’s perception. This therefore results in dramatic tension as the reader now understands the actions Jekyll has taken and is intrigued to discover the fate of Jekyll and Hyde.

The Reach of Sovereigns Essays - Philosophy, Political Philosophy

The Reach of Sovereigns Essays - Philosophy, Political Philosophy The Reach of Sovereigns Thomas Hobbes and John Locke both discuss the ideas surrounding government and people in their writings. Both agree that, at a minimum, a government must protect its people and their property, but Locke proposes that a government's obligations extend beyon d that. Before one can discuss the purpose of society's government, the reason society and government arose in the first place should be investigated. Hobbes and Locke both wrote about the period before government, or the state of nature, and how it relate s to government. Although they differ in many regards, they have some overlapping principles; for instance, both feel that man is essentially free to do what he wants when he is in a state of nature. What Hobbes and Locke disagree on is what man does with this freedom. Hobbes feels that man is violent and selfish in the state of nature; therefore, man must fear other people. Locke, on the other hand, feels that man has an ingrained sense of morality, and while the s tate of nature is chaotic, is is not a war zone where people live in constant fear of one another as Hobbes proclaims. I tend to agree more with Hobbes's idea on humans in nature because, before anything else, man is an animal. Although people are born with traits such as empathy and compassion, m orals are a learned behavior as opposed to innate, so a man without society to teach him morals would be immoral. For example, without a government to regulate fishing rights on rivers, two people wanting to fish from the same bank would physically fight o ver it. The biggest and strongest would win, and the winner could fish. People had to fear each other. Although it may be possible for people who are afraid of each other to work together for long enough to build a society, it is highly unlikely. Something had to dispel people's fear of each other before a society could form, and nothing dispels a fear more quickly than a bigger fear. For instance, a student may be walking around late in the evening the night before an exam, very afraid that they may fail t he exam. If a mugger comes along threatening their life for their wallet, the student's worries about their exam will have disappeared completely because they are now occupied by this more imminent threat. This situation is analogous to an ancient person a nd their sovereign. Originally, the person is worried about their physical safety and the safety of their possessions when they are with other people, but once a powerful sovereign appears, the person and the people that would assault him or steal from him have something greater to fear. Potential assailants and thieves are too afraid of what the sovereign would do to them if they were caught committing crimes to commit said crimesgranted in primitive society they would not be called crimes. Regardless, t he rate at which people are assaulted and stolen from goes down enough under the rule of this sovereign that people do not have to constantly live in fear of other people. Over generations, they can even learn to live with others and develop a complex s oci ety. If people were not naturally animalistic and bruteish, society could stem simply from cooperation, and the presence of a sovereign who instills fear in people would be unnecessary. However, for people to cooperate, they need to trust each other, and w hen people are afraid of each other, as they are in nature, they cannot trust each other. The role of the sovereign is therefore to protect people and their possessions. However, this raises some questions. First of all, assuming that protecting people and property is the sole purpose of the sovereign (or government), to what extent can they go to protect their people or their people's property? In addition, what constitutes a person's self and property? Lastly, while Hobbes and Locke both agree that it is the sovereign's duty to protect their people's natural right to life and property, does a sovereign's duty extend past that? In absolute monarchies, Hobbes's idea of the structure of government, the sovereign's reign

Aramco Supply Chain Management Essays

Aramco Supply Chain Management Essays Aramco Supply Chain Management Essay Aramco Supply Chain Management Essay A Users Conference ID#: 2965 Improving Supply Chain Management through Real-Time Operations Monitoring Track: MES Topic: Enterprise Integration Presenter: Ramadan Fan Company: Saudi Aramco  © Copyright 2008, Saudi Aramco. All rights reserved. Agenda Saudi Aramco Overview Saudi Aramco Distribution Operations Supply Chain Management Challenges SIMATIC IT XHQ Implementation Enterprise Monitoring Solution Key Benefits Next Steps Page 2 Saudi Aramco Overview – Global Offices Saudi Petroleum Overseas Ltd. Ltd. Vela Marine Intl. , Ltd. Intl. , Ltd. Saudi Petroleum Intl. , Inc. Intl. , Aramco Overseas Company, AOC (BV) Company, Saudi Petroleum Ltd. Ltd. Aramco Services Company Saudi Aramco Headquarters Page 3 Saudi Aramco Overview – Upstream Downstream Gas Sales Grid Upstream Gas Plants Downstream Gas Plants OIL GAS Wells GOSPs Bulk Plants Refineries Crude Treatment Stabilizers Page 4 Crude Terminals Saudi Aramco Distribution Operations Responsible for domestic fuel distribution through its Bulk Plants and Air Fueling Operations Meet the Kingdom’s growing fuel demand in the most safe, reliable, and environment friendly manner Enhance customer satisfaction through world class services Page 5 Supply Chain Management Challenges Managing remote facilities scattered across the country Tracking product transfer via trucks, pipeline and marine Accessing different operation and business systems Generating operation reports in a timely manner Coordination between sending and receiving plants Responding quickly to customer complaints Page 6 SIMATIC IT XHQ Implementation Corporate strategy to standardize on a single Enterprise Monitoring Solution (EMS) Easy direct access to key operational data Common view of aggregated information Integrate real-time process data with business data Improve performance monitoring through KPI measures Replicate best practices across the enterprise Page 7 Enterprise Monitoring Solution – Distribution Operations SAP System HR LP Finance BW Non-SAP Applications LIMS SAIF Oracle Servers OSI PI Servers PQAS TIIS HCM PM OCRCS Terminal Management Systems Field Automation Lab Systems Siemens Honeywell Tank Gauging Test Instruments Page 8 Enterprise Monitoring Solution – Distribution Operations Site-Specific Dashboards Product Inventory Sales and Transfer Orders Truck Loading/Unloading Pipeline Shipping Quality Assurance Operations Compliance Data Source SAP-HCM, PI SAP-HCM TMS (Siemens/Honeywell) OSI PI PQAS * OCRCS * In-house developed application based on Oracle Page 9 Enterprise Monitoring Solution – Distribution Operations Common Dashboards Management Dashboard Maintenance Dashboard Equipment Dashboard Inspections Dashboard TI Dashboard Safety Dashboard Quality Dashboard Data Source SAP-HR, PM, Finance SAP-PM SAP-PM SAIF * TIIS * SAP-LP LIMS, PQAS * * In-house developed applications based on Oracle Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Enterprise Monitoring Solution – Key Benefits Empowered plants to make quick and informed decisions Enhanced Saudi Aramco customers relationship Graphically related daily operation to production targets Data transparency and sharing among plants Focus on problem areas with data views and drilldowns Page 21 Enterprise Monitoring Solution – Next Steps Visualization of full supply chain Dashboards for high management level Integration with SAP Portal Integration with GIS system Integration with planning and scheduling tools Page 22 Enterprise Monitoring Solution – Distribution Project Team Siemens Ahsan Yousufzai, Manager Ayman Al-Mutawa, Tech. Lead Zulfiqar Naushad, Consultant Ahmed Al-Sahaff, Team Lead Zubair Hassan, Team Lead Maher Al-Khaldi, Developer Asif Iqbal, Developer Faruk Bansir, Developer Saudi Aramco Ahmed Marzooq, IT Mohammed Shabeeb, IT Faris Omar, IT Ziyad Saleh, IT Ali Sallout , Distribution Ramadan Fan, Distribution Mohammed Hazmi, Distribution Murtaza Hussein, Distribution Khalid Khelaiwi, Distribution Khalid Zaid, Distribution Page 23 Closing Remarks â€Å"You can’t improve what you can’t measure† â€Å"Provide the right information, to the right person, at the right time† Page 24 Thank you For more information, please contact: ramadan. [emailprotected] com Page 25

How to Write a Good Marketing Essay

How to Write a Good Marketing Essay How to Write a Good Marketing Essay The Purpose of Marketing Essays Marketing essays can help put a good marketing strategy in place by conveying information about competitive market advantages and financial profits. Marketing essays express thoughts and ideas and persuade people in understanding opinions and viewpoints relating to marketing strategy initiatives. Tips for Writing a Good Marketing Essay Begin with deciding on a relevant topic and thesis. This includes conducting relevant research about the marketing aspects that pertain to your chosen subject. Three important aspects of marketing are: image, the competition, and customer service. It is important to focus on these three marketing aspects when writing a marketing essay. In addition, the following tips will help you with your essay: The Topic – Choose a topic based on a logical framework within your field, such as those researched by past marketing experts like Philip Kotler and Michael Porter. The Framework – The framework of your marketing essay should have a theoretical approach such as with those by marketing experts. It is important to study other companies and products to understand market positioning, using reliable research sources, for a relevant essay. Reliable research sources include those from publications and universities such as JSTOR, EBSCOhost, Harvard, or Cambridge. Next, construct an outline of your essay to use as a blueprint for writing the essay. The Introduction and Thesis Your introduction should outline your main idea and should contain your thesis statement. Here is where you build your argument and a case for your thesis. The Body – This is where your argument is outlined and reasoned. It is a good idea to use previous case study information to help the reader understand your topic, as it pertains to marketing. Approach your argument logically, step-by-step so that the paper flows. Expand on details and use examples. Be sure to use your researched information to set up a good case for your thesis, so that the reader can easily understand your purpose. The body of the essay will also contain your research findings, conclusion, recommendations, and author opinions. These aspects of the essay should wrap up and tie in all of the research, information and viewpoints to answer marketing research questions and expand on whether further research is needed. Editing and Revision – This step is essential to the flow and cohesiveness of your marketing essay, and includes revision. Revision includes ensuring that all relevant information is included in the essay, such as a marketing issue or ideas. Editing entails ensuring the document is free from grammatical, spelling, and language use errors. Writing a marketing essay is not an easy task, but following these tips can certainly help you complete the task and deliver a well-researched, well-written, and informative essay. At you will get professional Marketing essay help from academic experts.

Is WTO a Necessasity for Global Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Is WTO a Necessasity for Global Trade - Essay Example The article takes a deeper look at the WTO (World Trade Organisation) as the sole international organisation that deals with the global trade rules between countries. The main function of WTO is ensuring that global trade flows predictably, smoothly, as well as freely as possible. The organisation can be looked at in several ways. First, it is an organisation, which fosters opening of trade. Second, national governments negotiate agreements on trade through the forum. Thirdly, national governments settle diverse trade disputes through it and finally, it operates a trade rules’ system. Essentially, WTO is an effective place in which the member governments attempt sorting out various trade problems they encounter with each other. The WTO entails a set of rules: the core of the agreements of WTO, which were negotiated as well as signed by majority of the trading nations in the world, forms its basis of operations. The agreements provide the member governments with legal ground-ru les for smooth international commercial activities. The agreements are essentially contracts, which bind national governments to stick to their policies of trade within agreed limits and boundaries. Although the agreements have been negotiated as well as signed by national governments, the objective is helping goods and services’ producers, exporters, as well as the importers to carry out their business operations while permitting governments to meet the environmental and social objectives. (Aaronson 1996). The overriding purpose of WTO system is to aid trade to flow freely so long as it has no undesirable side effects since this is imperative for the overall well-being and economic development. That partly implies removal of obstacles. It also implies ensuring that individuals, governments, and companies know the existing trade rules across the globe as well as giving them confidence there won’t be sudden alterations of the policy. In simple terms, the rules must be p redictable and transparent (Jackson 1994). The WTO has many benefits but there are also some critics to its operations and this forms the basis of this paper. Thus, the paper shall examine the functions of the WTO and its achievements and gauge them against the criticism presented by those opposed to its operations to help in giving a comprehensive conclusion regarding whether the WTO is a necessity for global trade or not. Basic Information about the WTO The WTO is based in Geneva, Switzerland. It began its life on January 1 1995 though its system of trading is about fifty years older. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) has since 1948 provided the system with effective rules. GATT was born by the General Agreement as an unofficial, de factor global organisation. This unofficial defector organisation evolved via a number of rounds of negotiations as members tried to compile an effective plan for their operations. The largest and last GATT round, which established the WTO, is the popular Uruguay Round that lasted between 1986 and 1994. While GATT had chiefly dealt with essential trade in goods, WTO and its accords currently, cover the trade in services, as well as in traded designs and creations and inventions (the intellectual property). By 10 February 2011, the body (WTO) had a membership of 153 nations while its budget for 2011 amounted to 196 million Swiss Francs. The head of WTO is Pascal Lamy (the director-general) who leads its 640 secretariat staff (WTO 2012). Functions of WTO The body is run and managed by its member state governments. All the major decisions of WTO are reached upon by its membership either by their delegates or by ambassadors (who meet frequently in Geneva) or ministers (who typically convene a meeting at least once for every two years). While the member states drive it, the WTO cannot function effectively without its Secretariat coordinating its activities (Aaronson 1996).

Event management planing for Playwright Media in Birmingam Essay

Event management planing for Playwright Media in Birmingam - Essay Example They also offer projects that are aimed at giving young people practical skills that they can utilize. Their C.O.M. Youthnity Project is a 6 week media program that gives students an introduction to basic film, photography and radio. They also take volunteers to help with these youth oriented programs and this helps since they are able to connect better with the students. Since its establishment in October 2009 Playwright Media has successfully worked with a number of Third sector organizations to promote and showcase their services. Through the success of smaller projects Playwright has managed to sustain lengthy contracts. In particular Playwright Media has played a key role in the growth and sustainability of several small organizations. PlayWright believes 'your goals are our goals' and their consultants work hard to achieve them, whether they be increasing profit or turnover, attracting and retaining customers or simply maintaining competitive advantage, PlayWright can always he lp. Right now, PlayWright is looking to create an event that will help push its client base when it comes to corporate events and reach out to its target audience. It also wants to make people aware of the youth centric programs it handles. Objectives: PlayWright Media has two specific objectives to plan this event. 1. To significantly increase their client base for their corporate services, with a focus on companies based in South Birmingham. 2. To significantly increase the awareness of their organization and its services to its target audience. Solution An event targeted at SMEs, that is, Small to Medium Enterprises that will help them realize that they are in fact the future of the nation, and how the right marketing will help them increase their productivity and give them better output. It has always been a misconception that media services are targeted mainly at large scale enterprises. This, due to the fact the most obvious and main stream of promotional media such as televis ion and newspaper advertisements are very expensive due to their wide coverage. Smaller agencies do not allow such expenses in their budget, one, because they do not need to reach out to such a wide audience and two, because spending on such activities seems nothing short of frivolous to them. They concentrate on servicing their immediate geographic area and bank on word of mouth to spread word of their services. Pettit and Singer (1985) state that SMEs normally operate in less concentrated markets, with greater competitive pressure. In the last three decades, the economy of Birmingham has gone through a tremendous change with manufacturing being replaced by the service sector as the principle source of employment. This is expected to create over 50,000 additional jobs in the city in the next decade. (birminghameconomy.org.uk) A new research has shown that only nine per cent of Birmingham’s SMEs have created over 50,000 jobs in the city in the last three years. (birminghampos t.net) Thus, we can say that SMEs are the future of Birmingham and to take them to a higher level, they must be given the right guidance, support and coverage. Event: â€Å"SMEs: Brightening Birmingham† The event will be a corporate style seminar followed by a group discussion revolving around Small and Medium Enterprises and the future prospects they have in Birmingham. The theme of the event will be â€Å"SMEs: Brightening Birmingham†. SMEs in the area of South Birmingham will be invited to this event. The idea is to make people

Critical issue in globe health Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Critical issue in globe health - Assignment Example Global health is a critically important issue, but many people are still unable to fully comprehend the ginormous nature of this problem. More people are killed every year in the African countries than can be killed by wars or natural disasters. Stupart (2012) validates this idea offered by Nye that not much reasonable or useful foreign aid has been seen over recent years which could be considered powerful enough to address either poverty or global health. Many campaigns are identified in Stupart’s video to explain their usefulness and how they cannot eliminate poverty in countries like Somalia and Ethiopia. Duflo (2010) also suggests the same idea as offered by Nye in her ted talk that there is not much change made by foreign aid which is why poverty is still a gigantic issue. This aid has not done much to fight poverty. This is due to such development efforts made which hurt more than heal. These are the kind of development efforts which are highlighted by Stupart (2012) in his

OSMOREGULATION IN CLAMWORMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

OSMOREGULATION IN CLAMWORMS - Essay Example They are the large common estuarines. They are also found on the brackish waters. (Oglesby, 1968). Now they are also found at Africa, coastal Europe and Southern Australia. They grow to a height of 190 mm and lives for one year. They reproduce sexually. The most important characteristic of this species is that they are able to withstand the temperature range of 12 - 35Â °C and survive at a salinity range of 65 ppt for long time and 80 ppt for short time. They are good osmoregulators. Osmoregulation is na active regulation of the osmosis pressure of the body fluids (mainly water) with that of the environmental conditions. Osmosis is maintained both by the terrestrial and marine animals. They do so by excretion through the organs such as kidney and skin. Osmoregulation is of two types, they are osmoregulators and osmo conformers. Osmoregulators are strict regulators of salt and water concentration in the body to that of the environment. osmoconformers match their body fluid concentrat ion to that of the environment.(Masterson, 2008). Neries virens species is able to withstand the salt water content from 5 % to 100%. Some studies have found that they are also able to withstand twice the salt concentration that of salt water. They are only slightly hyperosmotic whereas most of the worms are in osmotic equilibrium with the sea. Review of literature: The body fluids of Nereis are isoosmotic for the sea water. Osmoregulation is one of the important functions of the gut, dorsal pores and the body surface. The salts are transported by active transport and the water by osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of the water (solvent) from high concentration to low concentration across a semi permeable membrane. Here the cell membrane acts as the semi permeable membrane. The influence of the sea water on the weight of the body. The greater the dilution, the greater the increase in the body weight. The worm tends to accommodate itself to the new environment. After the increase in th e body weight, they tend to return back to the normal weight if they are left in the original sea water. These euryhaline osmoregulators are thus capable of surviving in reduced, increased salinity levels. They are found to show two types of blood osmo regulation. First they act as hyper osmotic in the diluted sea water with greater osmo regulatory control. Two important mechanisms are stated for this hyper osmotic capability. The transport of the body salts from the body surface to the body fluid through the medium. The second mechanism is by the reduction of the permeability of the body surface to the solutes and solvents. (Oglesby, 1968). For increasing salt concentrations of upto 2 times the salt concentration they act as hypo- osmotic. The concentration of salt in sea water is 1000 m – Osmole / liter and the blood of Nereis contains about 340 – 500 m – Osmole / liter at marine conditions and 280 – 360 m – Osmole / liter at the fresh water leve ls. The pH of the coelomic fluid was found to increase as the salinity of the water increases. If the salt concentration is higher at the outer environment, the water moves out of the body of the Nereis and thus loses its weight in order to maintain the osmotic pressure as constant. They adapt to the environment very quickly because of the well developed excretory organs. Pronephridia are the excretory and osmoregulaatory organs that are able to drive out the excess water and the waste products. (Whitton, 1975). Another study investigated the osmotic stress due to the long term assimilation and short term assimilation of salinity changes. A single worm was exposed to different salt concentration at different time intervals for a period of 14 days and the changes in weight were measured at continuous time intervals. Another worm

Discuss the importance to businesses of having a good knowledge of Essay

Discuss the importance to businesses of having a good knowledge of elasticity's for planning and pricing policies, using examples and diagrams as appropriate - Essay Example th a price elasticity of 1.5, a 10 percent increase in the price of a bar of bath soap would cause a 15 per cent drop in the quantity demanded of the product based on the formula E = ΔQ / ΔP. The demand is relatively elastic (the demand curve is somewhat flat) if it is greater than 1, such as the one shown in the graph below, and relatively inelastic if less than 1, such as 0.9. Cross elasticity of demand is used when one products affects another because they are either complements or substitutes. An example would be coffee and sugar which are complements because an increase in demand in coffee raises the demand for sugar. So instead of the quantity demanded of coffee changing as its own price changes, we measure the quantity demanded of coffee to a change in the price of sugar. If we take another example, such as a cross elasticity of 2.0 for PC in relation to a printer. If the price of computer printers fell 3 per cent, demand for laptop will rise 6 per cent because the cross price elasticity is -2. These products are complements. In case of substitutes, a drop in the price of Japanese cameras will cause the quantity demanded of American cameras to drop. 1.3 Income elasticity of demand. When an individuals income increases, his demand for a computer laptop, for example, increases if the product is a normal good. If it is an inferior good such as canned sardines, an increase in income will reduce the quantity demanded of sardines because the individual might prefer to consume steak or chicken instead. If the demand is very elastic - that is, the elasticity is much higher than 1.0, lets say 3.0 - any increase in the price of a commodity or service would result in a loss of revenues for the marketer. This is because a 10 per cent increase in price would trigger a reduction in quantity demanded of 30 per cent. On the other hand, if the firm reduces his price, this can result in a three-fold increase in the quantity demanded, and therefore he makes more

Buddhism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Buddhism - Research Paper Example Second one is the practicality check measurement in the Buddhists beliefs to explore its flexibility and modernism that may lead to the problem handling processes in the modern era of science and technology. Self-awareness is the primary motive behind such critical constructive reflections. Generally there are two ways to explore any religion as the beginner. The first one practiced commonly is researching and observing the ideas and beliefs of a particular group of people with a defined school of thought in order to validate the truth and purity behind the theoretical and practical aspects of a religion. Second one is to make an unbiased research on the personality of central concern to the followers of certain religion. Its little bit more productive to do a critical reflection in a way to first explore the central character and then to observe the followers community. Siddhartha Guatarna is the central focus of the Buddhist community. Siddhartha Guatarna was bold and visionary soul with a mission to drive his live. He left his house to explore the world, the research out the source of happiness and to discover the cause of being. It was indeed a hard journey – journey towards the truth. He was a kind soul and wanted to help out the people in misery situations, he worked hard to aid people suffering, he applied his knowledge to save people’s life, and collectively he was much more than an ordinary man [AE12]. He was the brave soul and practical example of noble people for those who found no one to help them out. Some of the practices in the Siddhartha Guatarna period were simply astonishing. For women, Buddhism allowed the ownership of private companies and personal Sangha at that time. The time when no strong set of moral values was any more practiced in the society, such freedom of choice provided to women was indeed worthy appreciation [PG10]. It was the same time when talking about women

Discuss the importance to businesses of having a good knowledge of Essay

Discuss the importance to businesses of having a good knowledge of elasticity's for planning and pricing policies, using examples and diagrams as appropriate - Essay Example th a price elasticity of 1.5, a 10 percent increase in the price of a bar of bath soap would cause a 15 per cent drop in the quantity demanded of the product based on the formula E = ΔQ / ΔP. The demand is relatively elastic (the demand curve is somewhat flat) if it is greater than 1, such as the one shown in the graph below, and relatively inelastic if less than 1, such as 0.9. Cross elasticity of demand is used when one products affects another because they are either complements or substitutes. An example would be coffee and sugar which are complements because an increase in demand in coffee raises the demand for sugar. So instead of the quantity demanded of coffee changing as its own price changes, we measure the quantity demanded of coffee to a change in the price of sugar. If we take another example, such as a cross elasticity of 2.0 for PC in relation to a printer. If the price of computer printers fell 3 per cent, demand for laptop will rise 6 per cent because the cross price elasticity is -2. These products are complements. In case of substitutes, a drop in the price of Japanese cameras will cause the quantity demanded of American cameras to drop. 1.3 Income elasticity of demand. When an individuals income increases, his demand for a computer laptop, for example, increases if the product is a normal good. If it is an inferior good such as canned sardines, an increase in income will reduce the quantity demanded of sardines because the individual might prefer to consume steak or chicken instead. If the demand is very elastic - that is, the elasticity is much higher than 1.0, lets say 3.0 - any increase in the price of a commodity or service would result in a loss of revenues for the marketer. This is because a 10 per cent increase in price would trigger a reduction in quantity demanded of 30 per cent. On the other hand, if the firm reduces his price, this can result in a three-fold increase in the quantity demanded, and therefore he makes more

Executive Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Executive Summary - Essay Example The graph below shows the increase in illegal apartments in New York between 1983 and 2013. Despite the opposing views on illegal housing units and its impact to New York, reforms are key to ensure that people access affordable safe habitable housing, as opposed to expensive and luxurious housing. The DOB issues annually more than 4,440 violations for illegal conversion of basements, cellars, and attics: - which are not fit for human occupancy due to health and safety risks. These violations can end only by adjusting the The New York City Building or Housing Maintenance code, Article 5- Occupancy of cellars and basements. Amending the policy will guarantee that the priority of the city council to ensure safety for its tenants is achieved. City officials mandated to provide proper and affordable housing are required to consider this proposal to make sure that no city dweller dies or falls sick due to the pathetic unsafe conditions of the illegal housing units. Suggested opinions to warrant safe housing units include introducing policies on; Asthma free housing, issuing of rental permits, yearly remodeling to maintain policies, and provision of adequate finances for building safe units. These measures ensure equality and safety for all the tenants who are inconvenienced by the existing policy regulations. Stakeholders’ decision to permit these changes will effect change and eradicate conflict with authorities Political and financial constraints may delay the achievement of the above suggestions. However, it is necessary to consider these options to increase the sustainability of the reforms. Political goodwill towards this policy will guarantee fairness and equity for the tenants and give room for other amendments of this nature to ensure a comfortable nation. With this effect, institutions have the responsibility to address

Discuss The Communication Process And Its Elements English Language Essay

Discuss The Communication Process And Its Elements English Language Essay This essay will discuss the communication process and the elements it consists of. I will then critically applying these theories to my own case study, that will be discussed in more detail at a later stage, and relate it back to the various elements of the communication process. The Communication Process The word communication originated from the Latin verb communicare. The meaning of this words translation (which is to share or to make common) provides the first half of the meaning of the English word communication. The second half is related to information and meaning. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 13) So, ultimately, communication simply means to share or make ones meanings or information in ones possession common? Unfortunately it isnt that easy. Almost every author of a publication regarding the science of communication assigns a different definition to the concept of communication. In the following definitions its quite clear that information is more often incorporated into these definitions than meaning. Its also clear that an interaction that seems to be simple is actually quite complex when investigated. A few definitions include: Communication is the sharing, giving and receiving of information Communication is the transfer of information from one or more people to one or more people (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 13) Communication is the symbolic process of sharing meanings (Galvin, K.M. Wilkinson, C.A. 2006. The Communication Process: Impersonal and Interpersonal. The Communication Process. Roxbury Publishing. 5) Communicationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(is) the transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver in an understandable manner (Sanchez, N. Communication Process. And according to Dr Appalayya Meesala for the transfer of the information, a certain vehicle (medium) is assigned, which loads itself with the message and passes it on to the intended receiver(s). The way the mediums transport the information in such a way that the receiver understands it as its intended to, is the communication process (Meesala, Dr A. Understanding the Communication Process The Key to Organisational Success. Meaning Meanings greatest limitation is that even though it is present in ones mind at all times, it is never fully. The meaning received by the by the individual on the receiving end of the communication is hardly ever the same as the meaning intended by the sender. This is because of their uniqueness regarding their individuality, sensory organs and cognitive functions. Various factors can influence the accurate transfer of the intended meaning from the sender to the receiver. These include: Word or phrase usage, the register of language, the structure of sentences, the individual characteristics of each communicator, the non-verbal messages sent, the pre-existing knowledge each communicator possesses of the other, the relationship between the communicators, method used to deliver the message, the audience and the surrounding events or interference. These influential factors are also referred to as the context in which the message is transferred. It is thus easy to conclude that the accurate transferral of ones meaning to a receiver(s) is a science as well as an art. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 14-16) Even more, although the use of verbal and non-verbal codes allow us to transmit thoughts and emotions, the mediums used in a communicative interaction should be mutually understood by both communicating parties for meanings to be more accurately shared. Common meanings make it possible to communicate. And communication mishaps occur due to missed meanings (Galvin, K.M. Wilkinson, C.A. 2006. The Communication Process: Impersonal and Interpersonal. The Communication Process. Roxbury Publishing. 7). Sending and receiving Messages One would usually use the word channels to describe how messages are sent and received but so many experts assigned completely different meanings to this concept. Thus I will use Dr Gordon Coatess choice of words i.e. Instead, I will simply say that messages passed between two people need a way to get out of one person and a way to get in to another person. Therefore, I will talk about output and input (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 18). By output I will refer to information going out from sender to receiver and, thus, input will refer to that information being received by the receiving party. The input system is sometimes wrongly confused to be a passive process and the output process is an active process. Regarding the human brain, taking in information is indeed an active process as well. Inputs are achieved by means of sensations and outputs by means of actions. With that said, when referring to sensations I mean signals received by ones sensory organs, then transferred to ones brains via nerve fibres and then processed. Organs that are particularly involved in this process are the eyes, ears and tactile sensory systems (their importance follow in that very order too.) (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 18-19) Various people seem to use one of these three organs more effectively than the others. Although a preference towards using one doesnt exclude using the other, it does reduce the effectiveness to which the others are used. And when two interacting communicators dont share a mutual preference towards a certain input, communication mishaps may occur when it comes to understanding meaning. Outputs are achieved by means of specific actions like talking, writing or physical gestures. They are also named after the input used to receive them i.e. visual, auditory and tactile. For example, when a gesture is made, a visual output is employed. Other than inputs, the actions used to achieve outputs are performed by body parts and NOT by the sensory organs. Thus inputs and outputs use different parts of the body. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 22) Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Verbal communication refers to written as well as spoken words used to communicate as it means using a language to share information. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 39) Non-Verbal communication gets most of the attention in most publications regarding communication science. Non-verbal communication refers to any communication that is achieved without solely relying on the use of words or symbols to transfer information. This type of communication may even provide more information than the spoken words used during interactions and provide all this additional information simultaneous to the spoken words. (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 48) Aspects of non-verbal communication include: First Impressions, Distance, Orientation, Posture, Movements, Gestures, Facial expressions, Eye contact, Sound effects, Direct contact, Consent issues and Personal qualities. Components of the communication Process Case study To effectively explain the components, or elements, of the communication process I will apply them to a case study, thus a realistic experience. The interaction I have chosen is a conversation with a friend via the widely popular social network called MXit. I have chosen this case study because I think it represents each component in the communication process quite clearly and accurately. The elements I will discuss on the basis of this case study are: Communicators (sender and receiver), Message, Noise, Feedback and the Setting/Context. These elements are not mutually exclusive but they are indeed considerably interlaced/interdependent. During the communication process the sender and receiver (the communicators) switch in the roles they play, but everything else stays the same. Thus the direction of information changes but the process itself stays unchanged. The sender is also known as the source or the initiator of the communication process. (Nordquist, R. Communication Process. http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/Communication-Process.htm?p=1. 2011. 1) He is faced with the first step which involves the encoding or translating of a cognitive idea or information onto understandable words and using the appropriate medium to transfer this message in such a way that the receiver will understand it. It is of immense importance that the sender uses mediums that are mutually familiar between him and the receiver. A good thing to keep in mind is the saying say what you mean and mean what you say. In my case study I was the sender who initiated the conversation by greeting my friend and thus sending the first message using a mutually understood language. The receiver is the other person involved in this interaction who decodes the message sent by the sender, thus my friend on the other end of the waves transferring our messages from and to each other. The receiver must be sufficiently accessible to receive the message (Coates, G.T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Definitions of Communication. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com. 152). In the case of my MXit conversation, for a fluent conversation to take place my friend must be in an area with sufficient signal. This communicator must also possess and employ both sensory capacity (good eye-sight to be able to read my messages coming through and that are displayed on his cell phones screen) and cognitive capacity (be bright and mentally clear in order to understand my sent messages and intended meanings). All the receivers interpretations of the senders message are influenced by his experiences, attitudes, knowledge, ski lls, perceptions and culture. The same aspects influence the senders encoding process (Sanchez, N. Communication Process. http://web.njit.edu/~lipuma/352comproc/comproc.htm. 2000. 2) The message is the encoded thoughts of the sender taking the form of the chosen code. It is the essential content of information to be passed in communication (Meesala, Dr A. Understanding the Communication Process The Key to Organisational Success. http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-the-Communication-ProcessThe-Key-to-Organisational-Successid=876670. 2007. 2). It can be written, verbal or non-verbal, pictures, diagrams or numbers and should be in the language mutually understood my both sender and receiver. Messages usually have hidden or clear meanings that the receiver has to unravel in order to understand the message the sender is trying to convey. Seeing as textual social networks mainly rely on eye-sight as means of input and output only, non-verbal messages accompanying the verbal messages cant be observed and so misunderstandings in the effect of the messages can occur. Thus my friend and I have to carefully choose the wording of our messages to avoid uncomfortable mishaps. Noise refers to any distraction or interference in the environment in which the communication is taking place and can be physical or psychological (Johns, T. 1995. Business Basics: Organisational behaviours. The Communication Process. BPP Publishing Limited. 9) Noise can also refer to a problem in the chosen medium or encoding or decoding of the message in some stage of the process that can lead to misunderstandings (Meesala, Dr A. Understanding the Communication Process The Key to Organisational Success. http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-the-Communication-ProcessThe-Key-to-Organisational-Successid=876670. 2007. 2) In my case study the MXit service was unstable and either me or my friends phone will occasionally disconnect from the service temporarily and so messages will get lost and wont be received by the intended receiver. This caused frustration as the receiver will keep waiting ignorant to the fact that the message got lost in a bad connection and will start thinking the sender is ignoring him. This just creates an uncomfortable atmosphere that can influence the fluid continuation of the conversation. Feedback is the final step in the communication process. This is when the role of the sender and receiver swaps and its the receivers turn to send a message which will be a response to the senders message he decoded. This is of immense importance as this is an evaluation of the senders communication abilities. The efficiency of the senders ability to communicate will be determined by the receivers reaction which will determine whether the senders meaning was effectively transferred or not. In my case study feedback will be any response to any message sent between my friend and I. These responses determined whether we have the same meaning assigned to some of the slang and abbreviations we used and enable us to apply changes in our encoding where needed. Context in the communication process refers to the idea that there is a suitable time and place for every message that needs to be conveyed. There is physical context (the environments one chooses to communicate in), social context (the occasion during which one chooses to communicate in) and cultural context that involves an even bigger set of rules in certain societies which will restrict the way you communicate (Dimbleby, R. Burton, G. 1998. More Than Words: An Introduction to Communication, 3rd ed. Routledge) In my MXit conversation the context refers to the context of each individual communicator. For instance, it would be rude to chat on MXt while one is sitting at the dinner table or having a personal conversation with another person. To converse in a MXit conversation one has to be at ease and alone in the comfort of ones privacy and not be interacting with other people. Conclusion Thus I just proved Dr Gordon Coatess statement correct. Through investigating and discussing the components and elements of the communication process in more depth and then applying the theory to reality, it is clear that although it seemsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that the process by which communication occurs is very simple in concept, (it) can become extremely complex if it is inspected closely. Biograghy Johns, Dr Ted. 1995. Business Basics: Organisational behaviours. BPP Publishing Limited Meesala, Dr Appalayya. Understanding the Communication Process The Key to Organisational Success. http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-the-Communication-ProcessThe-Key-to-Organisational-Successid=876670. 2007 Sanchez, Nick. Communication Process. http://web.njit.edu/~lipuma/352comproc/comproc.htm. 2000 Galvin, Kathleen M. Wilkinson, Charles A. 2006. The Communication Process: Impersonal and Interpersonal. Roxbury Publishing Coates, Gordon T. 2009. Notes on Communication: A few thoughts about the way we interact with the people we meet. Free e-book from www.wanterfall.com Dimbleby, Richard. Burton, G. 1998. More Than Words: An Introduction to Communication, 3rd ed. Routledge Nordquist, Richard. Communication Process. http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/Communication-Process.htm?p=1. 2011 Steinberg, Sheila. 2007. An Introduction to Communication studies. 1st ed. Juta Co.

An Analysis of Narrative Style of Leo Lionnis Frederick Essay

An Analysis of Narrative Style of Leo Lionni's Frederick Frederick, a children’s book written by Leo Lionni, is considered a classic in this genre. It received the Caldecott Honor, was an ALA Notable Children’s Book, and was a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year. The book is a fable of a mouse, Frederick, who is the dreamer in a group of tiny field mice. Frederick, the main character, demonstrates the importance of dreams and imagination by giving his fellow field mice a feeling of comfort through his memories of warmth, color, and words during a drab cold winter. Through Frederick’s supply of memories, the mice were able to make it through a hard time. Through the narrative style and structure, Lionni finds a way for children and adults alike to find a message on their own and learn from someone as small as a tiny field mouse. Frederick is written in a third person’s point of view. The narrator is not Frederick or one of the other field mice in the story, but rather an outside person, or perhaps a mouse, who tells the story. By telling the sto...

Impact of Globalisation on the Music Industry Essay -- Globalization E

Define and explain globalisation, then critically evaluate and illustrate the impact globalisation has had on a particular business, the industry it operates in, its country of origin and the country or countries the business has expanded into. In this paper I will be discussing how globalisation has impacted the Music Industry in recent years, and in particular the multi-national giant Universal Music Group (UMG). Globalisation is a noun that is hard to define; it has many definitions depending on which scholar you talk to, which dictionary you reference, and the viewpoint you take. The Oxford dictionary will tell you that globalisation is â€Å"the process by which businesses or other organisations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale† (Definition of globalization in English). People’s perspectives on defining the word vary depending on the place they were born, where they have lived, the religion they follow, their social status, political ideology, cultural background and wealth, amongst other things, because all of these will affect whether they view globalisation to be a positive or negative occurrence. My favourite definition comes from Kenichi Ochmae; a Japanese organisational theorist most recognised for introducing Japanese management methods, such as the just-in-time method of production, to the Western world. In 1992, Ochmae said that globalisation is the â€Å"onset of the borderless world† (Al-Rodhan, 2006). This is my preferred explanation of globalisation because it is so simple to digest. From the phrase â€Å"borderless world† alone you can begin to understand exactly what globalisation is all about, however the simplicity of this definition is also its downfall because it is very non... ...ndi, a Paris-based multi-national who in 2012 declined an offer of 8.5 billion US$ for the company from SoftBank (Staff, 2013). Universal Music Group operates in over 60 countries across the world – with its corporate headquarters located in Santa Monica (California) and Broadway (New York City) (FAQ's, 2014). The firm owns many hugely successful record labels including Deutsche Grammophon Capitol Records, Decca, Def Jam Recordings, EMI Records, Interscope Records, Island Records, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Polydor Records, Republic Records, Virgin Records and many more. This puts them is an extremely fortunate position in the music industry because they own many back catalogues of artists who have experienced huge fame and have the ability to attract new talented artists because of their history and the prestige linked to the names of the labels they own.

Air France essay

Describe how you would assess how a row (keyword-engine pair) is performing and how to manage it To figure out how a row (keyword-engine pair) is performing, we need to do cost-benefit analysis first. In other words, since company’s goal is to sell tickets and create value, it would be useful to assess by measuring dollar amount earned from a dollar of cost (= Amount/Total cost). However, the row is already in ascending order of dollar amount relative to total cost. Also, there are only 368 data out of more than 4,000 data overall. Therefore, looking at the sales figure only is not the best way to assess keyword-engine pair performance.I took out all the numbers that have no conversion rate. That means, it did not generate any sales and these will not be helpful in assessing the performance. Then, among those numbers with conversion rates, I only looked at the numbers of which the amount is bigger than the cost. Otherwise, company is losing money whenever it pays advertising. Then, I multiplied average position with click through rate and conversion rate so that to calculate how people relatively choose to pick up Air France and buy tickets via website. This will tell how its keyword performs with search engine to generate sales over cost.However, to manage well, we also have to consider Ad rank. QS is determined by click thru rate and bid strategy is actually average CPC. If we multiply together, we can get Ad rank. To perform well, we need have higher click thru rate rather than higher CPC. Therefore, we also need to look at relative CPC assuming same position. That’s why I looked at other numbers without conversions rate too. Apply your performance metrics to each of the keyword-engine pairs (i. e to each of the rows) and identify the â€Å"top 10† keyword-engine pairs to pursue   Below are the top 10 results based on performance metrics that I mentioned above.However, we can see that most keywords already contain france . I believe pe ople who typed france will look at Air France site automatically, so the company should not focus highly on the word. I confirmed this logic by looking at numbers without conversion rate. See below. And also, the first one should be an outlier, since only one click generated 900% of sales. So, I calculated again filtering these two words out. Below is the result. As we can see from above, both â€Å"cheap†and â€Å"paris† are a good match with â€Å"Google†.

poverty and the failure of macro economic policies

With the increasing tendencies of poorness and coupled with the failure of macro-economic policies in supplying recognition services to the hapless, micro-financing is progressively being advocated as an alternate agencies of recognition bringing to the hapless. Microfinance has bit by bit developed to be a world-wide motion, no longer being a capable affair of microfinance practicians entirely, Governments, givers, development bureaus, Bankss, foundations, corporations, concern communities, civil societies, research workers, universities, advisers, altruists and others are taking increasing involvement in it ( Latifee, 2006 ) . Microfinance is a general term that refers to the proviso of fiscal services for the hapless who conventionally have been excluded from the formal Banking system. Microfinance is hailed as a tool for poorness relief because entree to fiscal services assist the hapless families in run intoing their basic fiscal demands, protects against hazards and develop societal and economic authorization. Notwithstanding these potencies of microfinance towards helping the hapless, other surveies elsewhere have shown that microfinance does non relieve poorness as claimed by some surveies. In Nigeria, like most other developing states microfinance proviso is both undertaken by formal and informal agreements. Between 1977-1999 the Nigerian authorities have initiated and implemented no fewer than 5 microfinance plans in the signifier of microcredit to help the hapless as a manner of relieving poorness. However, with the drastic decrease of authorities subvention to them, they all ceased to run as all of them depended chiefly on Government support. ( Mohammed & A ; Hassan, 2008 ) . Sing the failure of the so top-down attack, the Government in 2005 came up with a new microfinance policy under the supervising of the Central Bank of Nigeria. The execution of this new policy led to the active engagement of the private sector runing along-side with the bing government-owned microfinance establishments in supplying fiscal services to the economically active hapless.1.1 Statement of jobBing a developing state and the most thickly settled state in Sub-Sahara Africa, Nigeria harmo nizing to 2006 nose count figures has a population of 150 million people. Available statics shows that out of the 150 million Nigerians, 70 million people are populating below poorness line ( World Bank, 2009 ) . Further, the highest poorness rate of 72 % is recorded in the Northern portion of the state compared to 43 % recorded in the southern portion of the state ( Kpakol, 2009 ) . This is an indicant that the incidence of poorness is more outstanding in the Northern portion of Nigeria. In an effort to turn to the job of poorness, Government had between1977-1999 initiated and implemented no fewer than 5 poverty relief plans in the signifier of microcredit proviso to help the economically active hapless as a manner of relieving poorness. However, with the drastic decrease of authorities subvention to them, they all ceased to run as all of them depended chiefly on Government support ( Mohammed and Hasan, 2008 ) . Sing the importance and increased protagonism of microcredit as a agency of relieving poorness, the Government in 2005 came up with a new microfinance policy under the supervising of Central Bank of Nigeria. Under the new policy, authorities and private persons are granted licence to open and run microfinance establishments. This development led to the outgrowth as of today, more than 900 registered microfinance establishments runing in the state which hitherto been entirely a authorities matter. Available statistics indicates that the formal microfinance establishments merely service less than one million clients in a state where over 50 % of the state ‘s population of 150 million unrecorded below poorness line ( Felix and Adamu, 2007 ) . In add-on, the formal fiscal system provides services to about 35 % of the economically active people, while the staying 65 % do non hold entree to fiscal services ( CBN, 2007 ) . In separate surveies about microfinance in Nigeria utilizing different sets of variables, shows that engagement in microfinance by and large improves the life conditions of its participants which constantly consequences in relieving poorness ( see for illustration, Irobi N C,2008 ; Felix & A ; Adamu, 2007 ; Mohammed & A ; Hasan, 2008 ; S B Williams et Al, 2007 ) . Of involvement to observe nevertheless, most of available literature on microcredit in Nigeria focused on the impact appraisal of microcredit towards poorness relief and more significantly, the surveies were carried out in southern parts of the state. However, small or nil is known about the state of affairs of microcredit in the northern parts of the state which statistics have shown to hold higher prevalence of poorness. The intent of this survey hence, was to understand the perceptual experience of selected communities in Northern Nigeria towards microcredit and how it has contributed towards elating the populating criterion of clients1.2 Significance of the surveyTaking into consideration the developmental challenges posed as a consequence of poorness peculiarly in developing states, the significance of the survey can non be over-emphasized. The variables involved in the survey viz. ; microfinance and poorness relief are of import issues environing modern-day development circles. Most surveies conducted on the viability and effectivity of microcredit towards poorness relief reveals that microcredit greatly enhances the life conditions of the hapless. In position of the foregoing, it is expected that the recommendations offered at the terminal of the survey, will travel a long manner in supplying informed advice and policy sentiment on ways and agencies of germinating echt microfinance activities pa rticularly in countries where poorness is still prevailing. Similarly, the findings of the survey will greatly lend to the bing literature for usage in academic and policy issues.1.3 Research QuestionsThe research inquiries are ; What is the general perceptual experience of these selected communities towards microcredit? In what ways does microcredit alleviates poverty among donees of microcredit?1.4 Purpose of the surveyThe survey seeks to understand the general perceptual experience of some selected communities in northern Nigeria towards microfinance. In making so, the survey will besides find the viability and effectivity of microcredit as a scheme for poorness relief. Contrary to earlier surveies on same issue that chiefly focused on formal microcredit establishments and the impact of loans peculiarly to adult females, this survey will analyze the function of the informal sector that is believed to be supplying fiscal services to more than 60 % of the economically active hapless with a position to understanding whether the informal microcredit can every bit lend towards relieving poorness as is obtained in the formal sector. Furthermore, the survey besides seeks to understand the ways in which the microcredit helps in elating the life conditions of the hapless.1.5 Restrictions of the surveyThis survey investigated the research job based on the relevancy and or effectivity of microcredit in selected communities in Northern Nigeria. Due to fiscal and clip restraints, the survey was limited to merely two communities where two community leaders were selected as samples of the survey. Similarly, the Chief Executive officer of Yerwa microfinance Limited was besides used, and two ( 2 ) donees of loans from the said Bank besides serve as samples of the survey. Otherwise, the sample would hold been much larger than this. One other thing to see as restriction in this survey is the inability of the research worker to be in the field for the behavior of interview. As such, a research helper had to carry on the in-depth interview with the respondents based on the interview usher sent to him, except for the CEO of Yerwa microfinance Bank who granted interview to the research worker straight through SKYPE. Chapter TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The construct of microfinance As mentioned earlier, the failure of the conventional banking system to supply recognition services to the hapless led to the outgrowth of microfinance establishments as an alternate beginning of recognition bringing with the purpose of supplying little loans to the hapless without collateral. Microfinance hence, is a manner of funding to hapless for their concern, to relieve their poorness, authorising them and giving societal benefits on sustainable manner. Due to microfinance activities, many possibilities have emerged including widening markets, cut downing poorness and fostering societal alteration ( Agion & A ; Morduch, 2005 ) . Microfinance Bankss are establishments that are established to supply fiscal services to the active hapless. They can be non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) , nest eggs and loan co-ops, recognition brotherhoods, authorities Bankss, commercial Bankss or non-bank fiscal establishments ( Ledgerwood, 1999 ) . One of import facet of microfinance to observe is its comparative success in intentionally making out to the hapless life in different socio-economic environment. It has been argued nevertheless, that the successes of microfinance mediation recorded in some cases can non be generalized taking into consideration the heterogenous nature of societies within which a microfinance establishment operates. Many research workers had conducted the impact assessment surveies on microfinance plans. Some of the research workers have concluded the positive impact of the microfinance on the socio-economic development ( Tripathy, 2006, Sundarapandian, 2006 ; Pandin, and Eswaran, 2002 ) in India and across the universe ( Hiatt and Woodworth, 2006 ) . At the same clip, some other surveies found that the microfinance intercession had small impact on the socio-economic development of people ( Kabeer, 2005 ; Shamsuddoha and Azad, 2004 ) . Besides ( Kabeer, 2001 ) found out with the negative impact of mic rofinance in Bangladesh. So, taking into awareness the conflicting results of assorted impact surveies conducted utilizing different methodological analysiss in different state of affairss the positive impact of microfinance can non be generalized and universally accepted in this regard. 2.2: Microfinance Approachs There are two diverse attacks in the literature handling microfinance ; the welfarist ( besides called the direct recognition attack ) and the institutionists approach ( or fiscal market attack. The welfarist attack focuses on the demand side, which is to state on the clients. This attack support the thought of subsidising microcredit plans in order to take down the cost for the microfinance establishments so that they can offer low involvement rates on their loans, the public presentation of the MFIs are measured through family surveies with focal point on the life criterions of the persons, figure of nest eggs histories, figure of loans, productiveness betterment, incomes, capital accretion, societal services such as instruction and wellness every bit good as nutrient outgos. ( Congo, 2002 ) The Institutionists criticize the subsidisation because it leads to high, unpaid rates dealing costs, which have led to the failure of many microcredit plans. They mean that it is non sustainable for the MFIs to be subsidized and that the subsidies lead to an inefficient allotment of the fiscal resources. The economic experts back uping this position mean that the welfarist made the incorrect premises when they say that the repayment involvement rate must be low, that the clients are non responsible and unable to salvage and that commercial Bankss can non last in rural countries because of high cost of offering fiscal services to the hapless families. The institutionalists suggest that the MFIs should run harmonizing to the conditions of the market, bear downing high involvement rates because of high costs and in that manner operate on a sustainable mode. They mean that hapless persons are willing to pay high involvement rates in order to hold entree to recognition. The public presen tation of MFIs is measured through the refund rates, dealing costs, fiscal autonomy of MFIs etc ( Congo, 2002 ) In malice of holding advanced thoughts for concern, if there is no entree to fiscal resources, these thoughts go in vain. Microfinance alterations whole scenario and reaches to the hapless to happen their thoughts and acquire fiscal benefits. Harmonizing to Sengupta, Aubuchon ( 2008 ) there are now about 70 million people who are acquiring benefits from 2500 MFIs in over 100 states by microfinance. Conditionss of the hapless are different in different states of the universe. These conditions are related to societal, ideological and political issues ( Weiss, Montgomery, 2004 ) . Therefore, there are typical differences between attacks and motivation of microfinance. We will see briefly two attacks, one is the celebrated Grameen theoretical account originated from Bangladesh and the other is Banco Sol, in Bolivia.2.2.1 Grameen ModelIn Grameen theoretical account, primary unit is a group of 5 members that organize and apply for a loan. In first unit of ammunition, loan is granted for tw o members to put in their concern. If these two members become successful to refund back, so four to six hebdomads subsequently, the following two members are granted besides. The last one will be eligible upon successful refund of the old two. If one member of the group defaults in refund, the whole group will be disqualified for farther loan. Similarly, alone and advanced attack of group loaning is used. As Sengupta, Aubuchon ( 2008 ) described that group loaning has many benefits. First, groups are normally organized in members who are neighbor to each other, those that can understand each other good and acknowledge their demands. Second, if any of the group members will non be present in a meeting, the leader or other group member can pay its installment. We can state there is common apprehension among members. Third, in south East Asia by and large, and in Bangladesh specifically, there are societal force per unit areas among members of society with societal binding in them. If one member of group will non pay even one installment, societal force per unit area will be levied from all eight groups on this member. Ultimately, this leads to decrease of hazard.2.2.2 Bonco Sol of Bolivia.While the Grameen theoretical account of microfinance emphasize on loaning to villagers, the other nucleus construct is the formation of groups and these groups are eligible to take loans, no option of loans to persons. The thought of Bonco Sol of Bolivia is progressive loaning where the sum of loan will increase after completion of every refund agenda. But other features of Grameen model ( Group loaning ) are included in this method like aiming to hapless, adult females, group formation and public payment. No uncertainty, progressive loaning is an extension of group imparting which many microfinance establishments are now following this attack. In this theoretical account of progressive loaning, micro-lenders are flexible about collateral and lend loan to groups and persons b esides. This method is really helpful in countries with low population densenesss or high diverse population where group forming is non so easy due to different ratio of safe and hazardous borrowers. While appreciating the differences in attacks as indicated above, one can state that microfinance are evolved due to different political, ideological and societal conditions. Harmonizing to Weiss Montgomery ( 2004 ) â€Å" Microfinance in Latin America developed under rather different conditions. In Bolivia, a fall ining democrat government led to widespread unemployment. Bonco Sol, a pioneering microfinance establishment in the part was developed to turn to the job of urban unemployment and supply recognition to the cash-strapped informal sector. The impression of commercial profitableness was embraced comparatively early in this attack.2.3 Microfinance- a Development ToolIn developing states, people from low income communities have advanced thoughts for their concern, even as shop-keepers or family merchandises maker, but they have no fiscal resources to implement their thoughts. This low economic activity in low income communities due to miss of fiscal resources lead them to more poorness and hapless life criterions. By and large, fiscal services screen nest eggs and recognition activities and there is same construct about MFIs. But harmonizing to Ledgerwood ( 2000 ) , MFIs work for general fiscal services with this they provide insurance and payment services to their clients. But of import facet of MFIs is non merely fiscal mediation but besides supplying societal intermediation and societal services to their clients. Social mediation and societal services contain many activities including preparations, direction development and fiscal literacy activities. Furthermore, many MFIs, arrange get-together where experient people guide others, where they give utile suggestions, tips and other tactics for their concern. Therefore, microfinance is supplying fiscal services with societal services. Normally, societal services are non applicable in general banking system. So, microfinance is non merely banking system but development tool, uniting both fiscal and socie tal intermediation. Therefore, microfinance provides the undermentioned services ;2.3.1 Fiscal IntermediationFiscal intermediation is by far the most primary aim of MFIs because without loan/money societal intermediation can non work. MFIs in this respect, becomes a span to entree finance and this consequences to poverty relief, wellness attention and instruction literacy ( Ledgerwood, 2000 )2.3.2 Social IntermediationSocial intermediation that covers the issues of group formation, leading preparation and concerted acquisition is secondary function of microfinance for borrowers of MFIs. Development in societal capital is a basic ingredient of sustainable development in hapless ‘s life and particularly in society. Social capital really links between clients of a group and multiple groups and between MFIs and borrowers ( Agion & A ; Morduch, 2005 ) . The ratio of societal capital will increase with the addition in concern activities among members and fiscal dealing between loane rs and borrowers.2.3.3 Enterprise Development ServicesMFIs provides support to persons or groups in different endeavor development services like selling, concern and accounting services etc. this service can be divided into two parts, endeavor formation and endeavor transmutation. In endeavor formation, MFIs provide proficient support to group or person in start up of concern with thoughts and accomplishments. While, in transmutation of endeavor, MFIs arrange preparations for borrowers, workshops and get-together for developing latest accomplishments in their concern countries ( Ledgerwood, 2000 ) .2.3.4 Social ServicesHarmonizing to microfinance practicians, poorness can be addressed by funding hapless for productive activities which in consequence come up to their entree to life necessities. Ledgerwood ( 2000 ) observes that MFIs serve to their clients with extra societal services and fiscal intermediation. The best manner to reach with their clients is in the signifier of group, that is the easy manner to educate them, giving wellness attention and other installations. So in this manner, MFIs function is productive in the life of hapless by offering fiscal services with supportive services. These supportive services really play of import function in sustainable human development and support of the hapless ( Khan, Rahman, 1998 ) .2.4 The Goals of MicrofinanceThe ends of Microfinance Bankss are ; To supply diversified, reliable and timely fiscal services to the economically active hapless. To mobilise nest eggs for fiscal intermediation. To make employment chances. To supply regular avenues for the disposal of the micro-credit plan of authorities and high net worth persons. To render payment services such as wages, tips and pensions on behalf of assorted grades of authorities. To affect the hapless in the socio-economic development of the state ( Egbu, 2006 ) .2.5 The Concept of PovertyThere is no individual definition of the word ‘poverty due to the relativity of the construct, it can take assorted signifiers depending on the context within which the construct is defined. In a more luxuriant definition, The United Nations defines poorness as â€Å" Fundamentally, poorness is a denial of picks and chances, a misdemeanor of human self-respect. It means deficiency of basic capacity to take part efficaciously in society. It means non holding plenty to feed and dress a household, non holding a school or clinic to travel, non holding the land on which to turn one ‘s nutrient or a occupation to gain one ‘s life, non holding entree to recognition. It means insecurity, impotence and exclusion of persons, families and communities. It means susceptibleness to force, and it frequently implies populating on fringy or delicate environments without en tree to clean H2O or sanitation † ( UN, 1998 ) . Poverty in many developing states is mostly a affair of non holding plenty on their tabular arraies to eat. Supplying the hapless with fiscal services is one manner to increase their income and productiveness e.g. through self-employment and therefore get away poorness ( Chowdhury, 2001 ) . Poverty is farther classified into three variables ; income poorness, exposure and authorization. Income poorness bases for deficiency of income to afford minimal basic necessities of life. Vulnerability involves the chance of hazards of today being in poorness or to fall into deeper poorness in the hereafter. Sing authorization, based on the focal point of this survey, to find the manner ( s ) microcredit alleviates poorness, most MFIs are working towards authorising economically active to partake in one signifier of endeavors or the other. Here, authorization is farther classified into three classs viz. ; Economic, societal and political authorization. They are defined as follows ; Economic authorization refers to economic security of oneself. Social authorization refers to the ability to take part in decision-making in the community including the family and non-family groups. Political authorization refers to the ability to interact in the populace sphere.2.5.1 What causes Poverty?Poverty is a macro job. The causes are every bit broad as they are deep besides. Some of the cardinal grounds why people all over the universe are hapless and remain hapless are political instability, natural catastrophes, corruptness, socio-economic disparities and bias, deficiency of entree to instruction, deficiency of substructure etc. Some other causes of poorness can be from acute conditions like warfare. The stuff and human devastation that is frequently caused by warfare is a major development job ( World Bank, 2000/01 ) . Apart from devastation caused by natural events such as hurricanes, environmental forces ever cause acute periods of crisis by destructing many harvests and animate beings every bit good.2.5.2 Measuring PovertyWhen poorness is defined in a broader sense, it can raise the inquiry of how to mensurate overall poorness and how to compare accomplishments in different dimensions. Below is how the different dimensions of poorness can be measured. Measuring material want: Under this we have the income and ingestion degrees of the family. This is measured by utilizing the national poorness line, a critical cut off in income or ingestion below which an person is deemed to be hapless. Measuring Vulnerability: Poverty can non be to the full alleviated in a sustainable manner unless mediators are designed to undertake the multi-dimensional nature of poorness. Vulnerability being a dynamic construct has its measuring centered on the variableness to income or ingestion and on the handiness of other dimensions of wellbeing like physical assets, human capital, societal capital and prevalence of non-income hazards like force, natural catastrophes and so on ( World Bank, 2000 ) . Measuring Authorization: Measuring authorization may change harmonizing to the context i.e societal, cultural and political context of a given society.under this we have: Economic authorization: This can be measured harmonizing to the ability of single to command sufficient resources. Social authorization: This can be measured in footings of the ability of single to partake in determination devising. Political authorization: This has to make with persons ‘ ability to take part in political personal businesss.2.6 Microfinance Profile in Nigeria.Variously described as the giant of Africa, Nigeria is the most thickly settled state in sub-sahara Africa with an estimated population of 150 million people. Divided into 6 geo-political parts, operates a federal system of authorities. Bing the 7th largest exporter of rough oil manufacturer in the universe which constitutes 70 % of the states gross and yet more than 70 % per centum of its 150 million people are populating below poorness line. In line with the desire to contend poorness, consecutive disposal in the yesteryear have initiated and implemented assorted poorness relief plans with a position to turn toing such job. Notwithstanding these far-reaching policies the issue of poorness has continued to be a repeating job as most of these plans failed to accomplish the coveted aims and by 1999 all authorities poorness relief plans ceased to work due to inadequate subvention from the authorities. In realisation of its duties to its citizens peculiarly the hapless, the authorities in 2005 came up with a new microfinance policy under the supervising of the cardinal Bank. Under this policy, prospective persons, corporate organisations and NGO ‘s willing to partake in microfinancing were granted licence to run. This new policy saw the outgrowth into operation of more than 900 microfinance Bankss across the 36 provinces of the federation. Of involvement to observe nevertheless, these MFIs provide services to merely 35 % of the 70 million economically active hapless Nigerians, the staying 65 % do non hold entree to credits ( Soludo, 2009 ) . One other upseting facet of microfinance activities in Nigeria is uneven spread of its operations to the hurt of the Northern parts of the state as most of these establishments are concentrated in the Southern parts of the state. By and large, microfinance establishments in the state are faced with legion jobs runing from deficient financess to deficiency of managerial accomplishments which in bend effected on the hapless outreach of its operations and their inability to provide for the pullulating economically active hapless. As specified by the new microfinance policy, microfinance establishments have the undermentioned aims: To better the socio-economic conditions of adult females, particularly those in the rural countries through the proviso of loan aid, skills acquisition, generative wellness attention service, grownup literacy and miss kid instruction ; To construct community capacities for wealth creative activity among enterprising hapless people and to advance sustainable support by beef uping rural antiphonal banking methodological analysis ; and To eliminate poorness through the proviso of microcredit and skill acquisition development for income coevals ( Anyanwu, 2004 ) . Chapter 3 Methodology3.1 Research Design:The survey is of qualitative nature which is besides referred to as inductive attack. Inductive attack is done by taking into consideration the empirical informations foremost and so research worker goes on to construct hypothesis which leads to the development of and consideration of new theories or doing add-on in bing theories ( Bryman, 2004 ) . It is of import to observe here that the pick of this attack was informed by ; non-sufficient informations of the researched subject and besides because of the argument on the impact of microcredit as a medium of poorness relief. Otherwise, the survey would hold employed the deductive attack in turn toing the research inquiries. Furthermore, it is appropriate to utilize qualitative attack as the survey seeks to understand the perceptual experience of donees of microcredit. It is believed that this method will supply rich and thick description from the participants sing their experiences, perceptual experience and apprehension of microfinance.3.2 participants and scene:The participants involved in the survey include the Chief Executive Officer of Yerwa Microfinance Bank, Maiduguri, 2 community leaders and 2 loan donees of the said Bank. The Chief executive officer who is holding 5 old ages experience in microfinance activities besides serves as the current director of the aforesaid Bank. He was chosen because of his wealth of experience and besides runing in one of the countries with high prevalence of poorness. The two back-to-back interviews he granted to the research worker through skype have provided an institutional position on the general nature of Nigerian microfinance industry. Two community leaders of Matara and Bulangu identified as samples of the survey represent the voices of the said communities that are considered to be among those countries worst hit by poorness. Their perceptual experience towards microfinance is by and large believed to stand for the position of their co mmunities. Similarly, the two donees were identified in coaction with Chief Executive Officer of Yerwa community as his clients, gave a self-account of their perceptual experience, experiences every bit good as their apprehension of microcredit as being direct donees. 3.3: Ethical Measure Attached as appendix 1 is the consent missive served to all participants seeking their consent to take part in the survey as respondents. The aim of the survey was clearly explained to them and were assured that all informations obtain from them will entirely be used for the intent of the survey and that they are at autonomy to retreat at any clip they deemed appropriate to make so. In add-on, they were promised a transcript of the work should at that place be a demand for them to verify the intent for which the survey is intended. 3.3: Ethical Measure Bing a qualitative attack, the research worker is the instrument of the survey. Data aggregation was at the same time obtained by both the principal research worker and the research helper employed due to some restrictions encountered as a consequence of the inability of the principal research worker to be in the field. While the principal research worker conducted an in-depth interview with the Manager of Yerwa microfinance Bank through Skype, the research helper conducted same with the community leaders and the donees of loans who every bit served as respondents guided by the interview usher prepared and sent to him for that intent. By and large, the following semi-structured inquiries guided the behavior of the interview ; Would you wish to state us about yourself and what you do for a life? Would you wish to state us what Yerwa microfinance Bank is making in this community? Have you of all time collected any loan from the bank? If yes, when? Would you wish to state us what has happened to you since you obtained that loan? Would you wish to state us who introduced you to Yerwa microfinance Bank as a client? What has been the procedure of obtaining the loan? How did you see that your life has changed as a consequence of the loan you collected. What advice would you give to others like you who have non collected the loan? Have you completed refund of the loan? If yes, would wish to travel for farther loan? All interviews were audio-taped and subsequently transcribed. Having transcribed the information, common tendencies and forms associating to the respondents ‘ perceptual experience of microcredit and its impact on the general betterment of their life conditions were marked and coded suitably. In add-on, similarities between coded statements were compared which enables grouping into major subjects for concluding presentation. In all, a sum of 49 codifications associating to the general perceptual experience towards microcredit and the ways in which it has improved the criterions of life of participants emerged. These codifications were farther categorized into major subjects as will be presented in the concluding analysis of the informations.Chapter FOURINTERVIEW RESULTS AND ANALYSIS Founded in 2006, the Bank as of today has a sum of 3,000 clients with one caput office every bit good as a subdivision office wholly situated within Maiduguri township. The operational system is fashioned along the Bangladeshs ‘ Grameen Bank in which loans are offered to groups of between 5-6 members. The sum of loan offered to groups scopes between N500,000 to N700,000 for the intent of puting into broad scope of economic activities like cowss rise uping, orienting, agricultural activities depending on the pick of donees. The sum of involvement charged harmonizing to the Bank Manager is for every N100,000 given out as loan, the Bank charges 5 % as service charges. These charges are chiefly used for employee rewards and payment of rents and other administrative costs. Though comparative new with a small capital base, deficient figure of staff and comparatively few clients, the Bank was able to go on with the hope of spread outing its services in the hereafter. 4.2 Data analysis Based on the informations generated from the interview, a sum of 56 statements refering to perceptual experience of the respondents every bit good as the impact of microcredit on donees were coded. These codifications were farther compared based on their similarities and subsequently grouped into two major subjects dwelling of several sub-themes as will be presented hereunder. The two major subjects are ; the general perceptual experience of the donees of microcredit and impact of microcredit towards poorness relief. Table 1 Percept towards microcredit Impact towards poorness relief Trouble in accessing loans. Limited finance. Default in loan refund. Lack of consciousness on the activities of MFIs Increase in income. Social coherence. Table 1 above shows the classs of major subjects with sub-themes.4.3 Data reading.4.3.1 Trouble in accessing loans: Most of the respondents interviewed complained about the trouble in treating a loan with the Bank. Harmonizing to one of the donees it took them as a group about six months before they eventually obtained the loan. This has to make with the weak capital base of Microfinance Bank. As found out in the survey this microfinance Bank is one of the few microfinance establishment operational in province that is estimated to be holding more than 1.8 million economically active hapless that require one signifier of recognition or the other to enable them partake in economic ventures that would take to fiscal betterments. Another factor responsible for the hold in treating the loans is that the Bank deficiencies adequate work force and even the available 1s lack proper preparation to run into the increasing client demands. The Bank harmonizing to the Manager has merely 10 employe es in its wage axial rotation. This figure is rather deficient compared to the figure of clients of the Bank. 4.3.2 Limited finance: One of the disclosures in this survey which is mentioned by both loan givers and receiving systems is deficient financess. Insufficient capital harmonizing to the Bank Manager is one of the jobs the microfinance industry is confronting. This has a attendant consequence on the figure or sum of loan the Bank is able to give out as loans. Apart from that, the bank could non ship on enlargement undertakings such as staff enlisting and preparation, gap of other mercantile establishments to diversify its operations etc. One of the donees interviewed besides testified to that fact he had ab initio applied for N100,000 but eventually secured N40,000 which harmonizing to him is grossly unequal to take attention of his planned enlargement of concern. 4.3.3 Default in loan refund: loan default is besides one of the jobs associated microcredit. Although harmonizing to the Manager the Bank was able to enter 87 % and 90 % in the preceding old ages, but still the Bank is seting all necessary steps to guarantee impressive rates in the coming old ages. On the portion of donees they normally complained of higher involvement rates and high inflationary rates as factors responsible for their refund as and when due. Short refund period is besides mentioned by clients as one of the grounds for their inability to refund back harmonizing to agenda. 4.3.4 Lack of consciousness on the operations of MFIs: though comparative new in their operations, Microfinance Banks are still non known to bulk of the hapless and even if they know they can non appreciate the differences between them and other conventional Banks. Most of the donees interviewed said that they were introduced by friends who have been clients of the Bank and they were besides told that it is a topographic point where one can borrow money even if do n't hold a house or land to demo as collateral. Harmonizing to the Bank Manager, due to the weak capital base of MFIs, they can non be able to patronize adverts in the print and electronic media and as such they have to trust on the bing method to make out to their clients. This, he added will be a history as the Bank is bit by bit turning twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours. 4.3.5 Increase in income: by and large, most of the donees acknowledge though non significantly, alterations in the general conditions of their life as a consequence of the loans they collected from the Bank. One of the donees said that because he has invested the loan he received, after paying back the loan he noticed an addition in his overall capital base from N200,000 to N500,000. With the enlargement of his concern he was able to use an helper and at the same clip enroll into grownup flushing category which he is about to graduate in the following three months. To him this loan has brought succor as it has empowered him economically and educationally. Similarly, another donee besides said that as a consequence of the loan was able to purchase a reasonably used bike which he uses for commercial intents. As a consequence, he is now gainfully employed, able to purchase another new bike which he will give out for same commercial intent. In add-on, he was able to buy a little piece o f land that he hoped to develop bit by bit. 4.3.6 Social Coherence: apart from the fiscal mediatory function that microcredit dramas, the survey besides found out that engagement in microcredit unites its participants socially as a consequence of group loaning policy of microfinance establishments. As pointed out earlier, the microfinance establishments merely lend money to groups. Coming together of group members to use for a loan has afforded them the chance to carry on meetings on how to obtain, use and pay back the loans. The single groups besides register themselves under one umbrella of association of microcredit donees within the whole community. This has non merely further their sense of belonging but besides afforded them the chance to organize themselves into a formidable group that in most instances influences the determinations taking by the community. As one of the respondents remarked, â€Å" â€Å" Because of the formation of this association we are now politically empowered as most of the political parties ev er seek our support and input as a group, we support campaigners that we feel capable of protecting our involvement. In this regard we can state that our engagement in microcredit has given us a stronger voice to be heard even by the leaders contrary to what it used to be before our engagement in microcredit † . In another case, another donee besides said â€Å" â€Å" Because we are now formed into a strong group, we ever during our meetings raised and help in work outing personal jobs of our members such as sing infirmaries to help the bed-ridden, go toing societal assemblages like matrimony and appellative ceremonials. Most significantly, we were able to enroll a instructor who conducts flushing grownup literacy category to us on hebdomadal footing. Besides, field officers from the Bank educates us on the rudimentss of accounting and record maintaining which has greatly helped us in carry oning and pull offing our concerns † .Chapter FIVECONCLUSION AND POLICY RECOMM ENDATIONS: In decision, the survey has succeeded in understanding the perceptual experience of some donees of microcredit in Northern Nigeria. The survey found out that though microfinance establishments are faced with series of jobs runing from deficient fund to give out every bit loans to prospective clients, inability to spread out its operations to make out to the bulk hapless who largely live in the rural countries. In add-on, the operations and ends of these microfinance establishments is non known to bulk of people due to their concentration in urban countries. Yet, with the small they were able to loan out, has made an appreciable betterments on the life conditions of its clients in different respects. As other surveies have indicated the positive every bit good as the negative impacts of engagement in microcredit plans, the findings of this survey suggest that microcredit has impacted positively in bettering the life conditions of participants. In position of the foregoing and as revealed by this and other old surveies I wish to propose as follows ; Government should as a affair of precedence, happen a agency of supplying more sufficient and accessible financess to this microfinance establishments so that they excessively can hold plenty to impart out to prospective clients. As most microfinance Banks are concentrated in urban countries to the hurt of rural countries where bulk of the hapless resides, the Bank should ship on witting attempts in opening their subdivisions in rural countries. By taking their services to the door stairss of the hapless, it is believed the that this will pull more clients and thereby ensuing in the enlargement and growing on the portion of the Bank and to function as a agency of relieving poorness amongst the generalization of rural inhabitants. Another issue that needs to be observed and which has ever been complained of by donees is the duplicate issues of high involvement rates and short refund periods. Government and these fiscal establishments should look into this facet with a position to supplying microfinance services with easiness to the hapless. It is believed that high involvement rate and short refund periods are the major obstructions militating against popular engagement of the economically active hapless section of the society in microcredit plans. Intervention of the Government and all stakeholders of Nigerias ‘ microfinance industry in this way will promote the hapless to take part and prosecute in micro-enterprises activities that will finally better poorness. Mentions A D Mohammed and Z Hassan ( 2008 ) Microfinance in Nigeria and the chances of presenting its Islamic Version, MPRA Paper. 2008. Agion, B. A.d. & A ; Morduch, J. , ( 2003 ) , â€Å" Microfinance, Where do we Stand? â€Å" , The Anyanwu, C.M. ( 2004 ) . â€Å" Micro finance establishments in Nigeria: policy, pattern and British Association for the Advancement of Science Meetings, University of Salford, UK, 3, pp.136-144. Bryman, A. , ( 2004 ) , Social Research Methods, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press Inc. , New York. 2004. CBN, ( 2007 ) Annual Report and Statement of Account for the year-ended 31st December 2006. Congo, Y. , Performance of Microfinance Institutions in Burkina Faso, Discussion Paper No. 2002/01, UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research potencies † paper presented at the G24 workshop on bottlenecks to growing in Sub-Sahara, Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, November Felix, M A and Adamu G ( 2007 ) Support to the Development of Sustainable Microfinance in Nigeria. Mid-term Evaluation Report. UNDP/UNDCF 2007. Khan, M.A & A ; Rahaman, M.A, ( 1998 ) , â€Å" Impact of Microfinance on Living Standards, Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation of Poor Peoples: A Case Study on Microfinance in the Chittagong District of Bangladesh † , Master thesis, diva-portal.org, pp.14-30. Ledgerwood, J. , ( 1999 ) , â€Å" Microfinance Handbook: an Institutional and Financial Perspective † , Washington DC: The World Bank, pp.1-2, 63-90. M Kpakol ( 2009 ) The Role of Government in Poverty Eradication. A public Lecture series held in Minna, Niger State 2009. Sengupta, R. & A ; Aubuchon, C.P. , ( 2008 ) , â€Å" The Microfinance Revolution: An Overview † , Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, Volume 90 ( 1 ) , pp. 9-30. UN – United Nations Capital Development Fund, Special Unit for Microfinance ( 2002 ) Weiss, J. , Montgomery, H. , ( 2004 ) , â€Å" Great Expectations: Microfinance and Poverty Reduction in Asia and Latin America † , ADB Institute Discussion Paper No.15, pp.3-7APPENDIX 1UNIVERSITY PUTRA MALAYSIA ( UPM )DCE 5920: Introduction TO QUALITATIVE RESEARCHINTERVIEW CONSENT FORMI, Sule Ahmadu a pupil of the above mentioned class is required to set about a qualitative survey entitled â€Å" Microfinance and poverty relief in Nigeria: perceptual experience of microcredit donees in Northern Nigeria † . You have been invited to be in this survey due to your experience either as an operator of microfinance Bank or as a client. Note that your engagement in this survey is wholly voluntary and you may make up one's mind to retreat at any point you may hold it appropriate. If you decide to take part you will be asked to give an history of your perceptual experience on microcredit. You will every bit good be asked to besides depict in what manner ( s ) does microcredit improves the life conditions of donees as a consequence of their engagement. As you may make up one's mind to conceal your individuality, you are assured that anonym will be used to depict your individuality throughout in the presentation and analysis of the research work. Additionally, if you wish to cross-check the genuineness of the informations obtained from you, a transcript of the research work will be forwarded to you for that intent. For farther elucidation and information, I can be reached on 0102737786 Thank you for your cooperation! Signature of participant Date aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. Bukar Modu Name of research Assistant Date & A ; SignaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. Sule Ahmadu Name of Researcher Date & A ; SignaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦..