Wal-Mart.com Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wal-Mart.com Case Study - Essay Example Given that a large number of Wal-Mart’s regular customers would get used purchasing various items online, the number of customers who will be dropping by Wal-Mart store outlets would eventually decrease. The shift from traditional shopping to online shopping will enable the company to cut down the number of its employee which will reduce its customer-borne transaction costs. Yes. In general, the use of web-site services and Wal-Mart’s decision to close a deal with Fingerhut Business Services and Books-a-Million enables the company to reduce its operational costs. (Zellner, 1999) Given that Fingerhut Business Services and Books-a-Million has the expertise on distributing the customers’ orders directly to their home (Zellner, 1999), there is a lesser chance for Wal-Mart to have serious problems related with the transportation of goods from the warehouse straight to its customer’s home. Aside from the huge reduction on the cost of operations, the fact that Wal-Mart announced its plan to expand its online store service will enable the company to have take advantage of economies-of-scale. Since the company has already invested on Wal-Mart.com, expansion of its online store offerings is expected to open new business opportunities for Wal-Mart. Since Wal-Mart will be able to save a lot of money from operational costs, the company will have the competitive advantage of being able to offer consumer products at a discounted price. Yes. It is most likely that Wal-Mart will capture the value created by Wal-Mart.com. Since the website is accessible 24/7, the use of Wal-Mart.com can reach millions of people around the world. For this reason, more people in other countries will be able to acknowledge the brand Wal-Mart. As soon as Wal-Mart has already dominated the domestic market, the management behind Wal-Mart will have to start expanding its business in the international market. This can be done by establishing several

Residential Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Residential Project - Essay Example Furthermore, any activities that result in wastage of time shall be eliminated. Also, activities that can be done simultaneously shall be grouped for quick results. The desired result of the message is to be able to graphically demonstrate that I have been successful in complying with the schedule. Furthermore, the message shall invite feedback from the audience regarding which activities need to be grouped or which need to be eliminated. This shall ensure that there is communication between my boss and myself. Not only will it allow my boss to keep track of the direction I’m taking in my work but also allow him to provide feedback on the work I’ve completed. This shall further allow him/her to make recommendations for any improvements which I can incorporate into my project to complete it on time. Any bottlenecks shall be identified to which improvements shall be made over time. Although the message is complete in itself, it shall serve as the building block for future discussions. The intended audience is my boss. Assuming that I work in a construction firm as a construction manager, and I am presenting the results of my team before the general manager. The results shall show the number of housing units completed under the private sector, residential housing project. The audience is expected to be knowledgeable about the concepts used in the message; hence, technical terms may be used. Since the graph shall convey its intended meaning through the illustrative element rather than words, display type shall not be used to draw audience’s attention. Using display type may distract the audience from the overall meaning of the message in this case which is to compare the scheduled and actual outcomes. Few words shall be used in the copy area and shall primarily comprise of the graph’s legend.

Practical to Become Aware of Values

Practical to Become Aware of Values

Novel/Movie Difference Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay -- essays rese

In reading the book Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and watching the by the same title, I discovered several large differences. Primarily, the edited and modified parts were changed to make the movie more interesting. In the book, Marry Shelley described everything in great detail. She included details that may not pertain to novel’s storyline directly, but more to the timeframe of the novel. When a movie comes out made after a specific novel, the screenplay eliminates most of these minute differences. For example, the letters in the beginning of the novel were depicted as high action scenes rather than in letter format. The introduction of the movie was my first difference listed. In the book, the captain of Frankenstein’s ship, R. Walton, wrote letters home to his sister about his voyage to the north pole. In the movie, it depicted these letters as action sequences happening in real time. A couple of in-depth differences in the introduction that jumped out were the big storm at the beginning and how the boat hits a bunch of Ice. Also they see Frankenstein’s monster in a dogsled. One very important difference was the absence of a background story for Elizabeth. In the movie, you have no idea where Elizabeth came from. She could have been born from a cow or something. She could have been released from purgatory to relive her life in the midst of the Frankenstein family. The story of Frankenstein’s youth was trimmed back to a mere twenty minutes as opposed to one-third of th...

Logical Fallacies

?TUDENT HANDOUT LOGICAL FALLACIES Explanation of Logical Fallacies * What is logic? * Logic is reasoning that is conducted according to strict principles. * How is logic related to expository writing? * When you write an expository essay, you are using logic to provide the layers of proof for your statements. * You are proving your thesis when you construct your topic sentences. * e. g. , answering the â€Å"Why†, â€Å"How†, â€Å"What are they† questions about the thesis * You are proving your topic sentences when you construct your primary supports * e. g. answering the â€Å"Why†, â€Å"How†, â€Å"What are they† questions about the topic sentence * You are proving/fleshing out your primary support when you construct your secondary supports. * e. g. , answering the â€Å"What do you mean†, â€Å"Tell me more†, â€Å"Why†, â€Å"How†, â€Å"What are they† questions about the primary supports * You can thi nk of logic/reasoning as the answers to the questions that prove the thesis, topic sentences, and primary supports. * What is a logical fallacy? * A logical fallacy (a. k. a. rhetorical fallacy) is an error in reasoning. In expository writing, it is the wrong answer to one of the questions.There are many reasons why people come up with the wrong answers. Some of the most common reasons are listed below (see Different Types of Logical Fallacies). * Logical fallacies in writing signal two assumptions about the writer: * The writer is not honest; * The writer is not smart. * Uses for Logical Fallacies * Writers of advertisements, editorials, and political propaganda will use logical fallacies to their advantage. Different Types of Logical Fallacies * Circular Logic (a. k. a. smoke and mirrors) – an argument in which the writer supports his/her position by partially restating it. Another effect of academic failure is negative feelings. Depression, resulting from academic failure, will lower a person’s self-esteem. Similarly, depression will increase based a person’s despondency about the lack of employment options available to them because of their academic setbacks. * The topic sentence states that one result of academic failure is negative feelings. Thus, the reader will expect the writer to explain HOW academic failure causes negative feelings. The reader may also expect the writer to explain WHAT the negative feelings are. Depression is one type of negative feeling.However, the writer does not show how academic failure causes depression. Instead, he/she states that depression will lower a person’s self-esteem, which is very similar to depression. In the next sentence, the writer states that depression will increase based on a person’s despondency about the lack of employment. Because despondency is the same as depression, the writer has said absolutely nothing by making that statement. Moreover, he/she has lost the direct con nection between academic failure and negative feelings when he/she chose to include employment. * Non Sequitur (a. k. a.Lying) – â€Å"It does not follow. † A statement in which the conclusion does not logically follow the premise. * Another problem with the current drinking age of 21 is that it results in abusive consumption. One way it results in abusive consumption is the long anticipation for the appropriate age, which is likely to create excessive drinking after it becomes available. A lot of young people who reach the legal age tend to go overboard when they are finally able to drink whenever they want. They do not care about their limits and the consequences of irresponsible drinking because nobody can tell them not to drink.As a result, they end up drinking too much. Another way it causes abusive drinking is that teenagers under the age of 21 are driven by the temptation of illegal activity. The age limit has not eliminated drinking for people under 21. Instead , it has pushed them to do it in private environments, where they can hide from parents and the law. * The topic sentence specifies that the current drinking age results in the abusive consumption of alcohol. In order to prove this topic sentence, the writer would have to answer the HOW question with regard to the topic sentence.To be specific, HOW does current drinking age lead to the excessive consumption of alcohol? Although the writer does answer the question, he/she provides incorrect answers. First, the writer contends that people who have to wait until a certain age to drink alcohol go overboard because they’ve waited so long. This is not true! People who are unable to control their behavior are likely a certain personality type, not a certain age. Even if the age were to change to eighteen (as the writer of this paper suggested), people with this particular personality type would still have the same problem.Second, the writer contends that people under the age of 21 a re driven by a temptation to participate in illegal activity. Again, this is not true! People who have an affinity for illegal activity can be any age. Unless the writer can cite several reputable studies that confirm his/her claim, it is entirely false. * Slippery Slope (a. k. a. Exaggerating) – assuming that one thing will cause something extremely drastic. * Smoking marijuana will lead to cocaine addiction. When young people smoke marijuana, they normally become addicted to the feelings of pleasure that they derive from the activity.Once people become used to those feelings, they will seek something stronger. Eventually, they will try harder drugs. Cocaine is one of the harder drugs and very addictive. As young people seek a harder drug that will allow them to feel the â€Å"high† that they seek, they are likely to try cocaine and, unfortunately, become addicted. * The topic sentence makes a claim that is REALLY PRESUMPTUOUS! What evidence does the author have that people normally become addicted to marijuana? Has a study proven that?Even if some people do become accustomed to the feelings of pleasure associated with marijuana, it is a big assumption to determine that they will â€Å"need something stronger†. It is an even bigger assumption to determine that they will try cocaine as the â€Å"stronger† drug. * Ad Hominem (a. k. a. low blows) – a personal attack on an opponent rather than dealing logically with the issue itself * Another reason why teenagers should not be allowed to drive is because they do not make good decisions. Teenagers have not developed the social skills needed to be ourteous drivers. They are self-centered people whose negative attitudes are clearly seen in the ways that the currently behave while on the road. * The topic sentence states that teenagers do not make good decisions.The writer’s first primary support does begin to prove the TS because it answers the WHY question about the TS. How ever, the secondary support is erroneous. Instead of providing more evidence about the PS (by answering one of the appropriate questions associated with it), the writer insults teenager by saying they have negative attitudes and poor behavior. Red Herring (the hidden ammunition) – an argument in which the writer introduces an irrelevant point * Another way that illegal immigrants contribute to the economy is by working. Despite doing back-breaking work, many of the immigrants are barely paid minimum wage.People who hire illegal immigrants can pay them lower wages than a regular U. S. worker because the illegal immigrant has no rights. Employers who hire illegal immigrants know they can save money if they hire them, and they know the immigrants will not tell anyone because of the fear of being deported. The writer has lost his/her focus. The topic sentence specifies that the illegal immigrant workers contribute to the economy. Thus, readers will expect to see the different way s that the workers do that (e. g. , the jobs they obtain and HOW those jobs contribute to the economy, perhaps the goods they buy and HOW they contribute to the economy). However, the writer spends the entire paragraph focusing on how the illegal immigrant workers are unfairly treated. Their unfair treatment has nothing to do with their contribution to the economy. Logical Fallacies ?TUDENT HANDOUT LOGICAL FALLACIES Explanation of Logical Fallacies * What is logic? * Logic is reasoning that is conducted according to strict principles. * How is logic related to expository writing? * When you write an expository essay, you are using logic to provide the layers of proof for your statements. * You are proving your thesis when you construct your topic sentences. * e. g. , answering the â€Å"Why†, â€Å"How†, â€Å"What are they† questions about the thesis * You are proving your topic sentences when you construct your primary supports * e. g. answering the â€Å"Why†, â€Å"How†, â€Å"What are they† questions about the topic sentence * You are proving/fleshing out your primary support when you construct your secondary supports. * e. g. , answering the â€Å"What do you mean†, â€Å"Tell me more†, â€Å"Why†, â€Å"How†, â€Å"What are they† questions about the primary supports * You can thi nk of logic/reasoning as the answers to the questions that prove the thesis, topic sentences, and primary supports. * What is a logical fallacy? * A logical fallacy (a. k. a. rhetorical fallacy) is an error in reasoning. In expository writing, it is the wrong answer to one of the questions.There are many reasons why people come up with the wrong answers. Some of the most common reasons are listed below (see Different Types of Logical Fallacies). * Logical fallacies in writing signal two assumptions about the writer: * The writer is not honest; * The writer is not smart. * Uses for Logical Fallacies * Writers of advertisements, editorials, and political propaganda will use logical fallacies to their advantage. Different Types of Logical Fallacies * Circular Logic (a. k. a. smoke and mirrors) – an argument in which the writer supports his/her position by partially restating it. Another effect of academic failure is negative feelings. Depression, resulting from academic failure, will lower a person’s self-esteem. Similarly, depression will increase based a person’s despondency about the lack of employment options available to them because of their academic setbacks. * The topic sentence states that one result of academic failure is negative feelings. Thus, the reader will expect the writer to explain HOW academic failure causes negative feelings. The reader may also expect the writer to explain WHAT the negative feelings are. Depression is one type of negative feeling.However, the writer does not show how academic failure causes depression. Instead, he/she states that depression will lower a person’s self-esteem, which is very similar to depression. In the next sentence, the writer states that depression will increase based on a person’s despondency about the lack of employment. Because despondency is the same as depression, the writer has said absolutely nothing by making that statement. Moreover, he/she has lost the direct con nection between academic failure and negative feelings when he/she chose to include employment. * Non Sequitur (a. k. a.Lying) – â€Å"It does not follow. † A statement in which the conclusion does not logically follow the premise. * Another problem with the current drinking age of 21 is that it results in abusive consumption. One way it results in abusive consumption is the long anticipation for the appropriate age, which is likely to create excessive drinking after it becomes available. A lot of young people who reach the legal age tend to go overboard when they are finally able to drink whenever they want. They do not care about their limits and the consequences of irresponsible drinking because nobody can tell them not to drink.As a result, they end up drinking too much. Another way it causes abusive drinking is that teenagers under the age of 21 are driven by the temptation of illegal activity. The age limit has not eliminated drinking for people under 21. Instead , it has pushed them to do it in private environments, where they can hide from parents and the law. * The topic sentence specifies that the current drinking age results in the abusive consumption of alcohol. In order to prove this topic sentence, the writer would have to answer the HOW question with regard to the topic sentence.To be specific, HOW does current drinking age lead to the excessive consumption of alcohol? Although the writer does answer the question, he/she provides incorrect answers. First, the writer contends that people who have to wait until a certain age to drink alcohol go overboard because they’ve waited so long. This is not true! People who are unable to control their behavior are likely a certain personality type, not a certain age. Even if the age were to change to eighteen (as the writer of this paper suggested), people with this particular personality type would still have the same problem.Second, the writer contends that people under the age of 21 a re driven by a temptation to participate in illegal activity. Again, this is not true! People who have an affinity for illegal activity can be any age. Unless the writer can cite several reputable studies that confirm his/her claim, it is entirely false. * Slippery Slope (a. k. a. Exaggerating) – assuming that one thing will cause something extremely drastic. * Smoking marijuana will lead to cocaine addiction. When young people smoke marijuana, they normally become addicted to the feelings of pleasure that they derive from the activity.Once people become used to those feelings, they will seek something stronger. Eventually, they will try harder drugs. Cocaine is one of the harder drugs and very addictive. As young people seek a harder drug that will allow them to feel the â€Å"high† that they seek, they are likely to try cocaine and, unfortunately, become addicted. * The topic sentence makes a claim that is REALLY PRESUMPTUOUS! What evidence does the author have that people normally become addicted to marijuana? Has a study proven that?Even if some people do become accustomed to the feelings of pleasure associated with marijuana, it is a big assumption to determine that they will â€Å"need something stronger†. It is an even bigger assumption to determine that they will try cocaine as the â€Å"stronger† drug. * Ad Hominem (a. k. a. low blows) – a personal attack on an opponent rather than dealing logically with the issue itself * Another reason why teenagers should not be allowed to drive is because they do not make good decisions. Teenagers have not developed the social skills needed to be ourteous drivers. They are self-centered people whose negative attitudes are clearly seen in the ways that the currently behave while on the road. * The topic sentence states that teenagers do not make good decisions.The writer’s first primary support does begin to prove the TS because it answers the WHY question about the TS. How ever, the secondary support is erroneous. Instead of providing more evidence about the PS (by answering one of the appropriate questions associated with it), the writer insults teenager by saying they have negative attitudes and poor behavior. Red Herring (the hidden ammunition) – an argument in which the writer introduces an irrelevant point * Another way that illegal immigrants contribute to the economy is by working. Despite doing back-breaking work, many of the immigrants are barely paid minimum wage.People who hire illegal immigrants can pay them lower wages than a regular U. S. worker because the illegal immigrant has no rights. Employers who hire illegal immigrants know they can save money if they hire them, and they know the immigrants will not tell anyone because of the fear of being deported. The writer has lost his/her focus. The topic sentence specifies that the illegal immigrant workers contribute to the economy. Thus, readers will expect to see the different way s that the workers do that (e. g. , the jobs they obtain and HOW those jobs contribute to the economy, perhaps the goods they buy and HOW they contribute to the economy). However, the writer spends the entire paragraph focusing on how the illegal immigrant workers are unfairly treated. Their unfair treatment has nothing to do with their contribution to the economy.

Case Analysis: Mcdonald’s and the Hindu Culture

Case Analysis: McDonald’s and Hindu Culture Julia Evans Misericordia University Case Analysis: McDonald’s and Hindu Culture The case study discusses the struggles that McDonalds faced when it began to do business in India. The Hindu culture prohibits the consumption of beef because they look at the cow as being a sacred animal. In addition, India has a large Muslim population whose religion prohibits the consumption of pork products. These limitations completely contradict the traditional menu that McDonald’s has perfected.McDonalds had to find a way to accommodate these limitations and still be appealing to the Indian consumers. McDonalds created a version of the Big Mac that was made with chicken. McDonalds also created an extensive vegetarian menu. Just when they thought they perfected this they were sued for using beef products in their french fries. Concentrating on the other parts of their menu they overlooked a beef additive to their French fries. This pro ved to be a large mistake by McDonalds.It is surprising that McDonalds was as well received as it was. The Indian consumers could have boycotted the fast food chain because of the use of beef in their restaurants in countries other than India. McDonalds took a large gamble trying to accommodate Indian palates. Localization of products is the key strategy that international firms should do to maintain a customer base in other countries. Foreign ventures are very expensive and included in this cost is the cost of streamlining products and services to the local tastes and traditions.Without this streamlining the products may not be successful. Sometimes the people of other areas of the world may not even know what to do with a product unless it is customized to their way of life. McDonalds was lucky that their mistake of not eliminating beef products in their French fries didn’t taint their standing in India forever. They had their popularity in other parts of their world to kee p them afloat. Indian parents enjoyed taking their children to have an American experience and heir efforts to eliminate beef and pork kept their restaurants appealing to Indian consumers. If McDonalds could have avoided the mistake of leaving the beef in their French fries maybe Indian consumers would have considered not going a day without having a McDonald’s chicken burger. Works Cited Hill, C. W. (2009). McDonalds and Hindu Culture. In C. W. Hill, International Business (p. 103). New York: McGraw-Hill Company.

Taking Home The Wrong Message Essay Example

Taking Home The Wrong Message Essay Example Taking Home The Wrong Message Essay Taking Home The Wrong Message Essay How many times have you been cautioned of eating too many saturated fats? Manfully increase your risk of heart disease! Youll be diagnosed with diabetes if you dont stray away from those dreadful things! This has been the message from the U. S government since 1970. An article published in Scientific American by Melinda Moyer, noted that recently however, a spate of new research, including a meta- analysis of nearly two dozen studies, suggests Researchers were pointing their fingers at the wrong culprit (Moyer 19). In the article, Moyer offers three studies in which she attempts to pin refined carbohydrates as the guilty party threatening the heart. These studies seem to appeal mostly toward the female gender, rather than the population as a whole. For example, directing ones attention like so can raise questions from readers like, Why does this apply to me? This can make the articles purpose unclear, confusing, and ultimately misleading to readers if they are unable to identify with it. The first study that Moyer presents is very general. It could easily be understood by both men and woman and equally appeals to both groups. The study, overseen by Ronald M. Krause, combines nearly 350,000 peoples daily food intake over a period of almost 23 years and compares their risk of developing cardiovascular heart disease. Karakuls findings were extremely contradictory to the old logic because he found no association between the amount of saturated fat consumed and the risk of heart disease (Moyer 19). The biggest issue with the old logic being found now is that bad cholesterol is not the greatest predator of risk so to speak. The study could have easily included men and women, and the findings loud be applied to help both sexes. The next study that the author offers readers is very similar to the first study. Meir Stauffer, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, co-authored a study that followed three hundred twenty-two moderately obese individuals for two years as they adopted one of three diets; a low-fat calories restricted diet; a Mediterranean restricted-calorie diet high in vegetables and low in red meat; or a low-carbohydrate, restricted-calorie diet. His findings were that the individuals who ate the low-Carr diet had the highest Asia of saturated fat ended up losing twice as much weight as their counterparts (Moyer 20). This study, much like the first, has the ability to interest both men and women. The study of three hundred twenty-two people could have included a mix of the sexes, therefore allowing all to incorporate these findings into their lifestyles. Streamers findings ultimately mean that saturated arent so bad for us and it indicates that carbohydrates could be worse for everyone. And finally, the third study that Moyer offers readers was once again led by Meir Stauffer. In 1997 he co- authored in the Journal of the American Medical Association which evaluated sixty- five thousand women and they were able to find the percentage of women who had the highest glycerin index. Those with the highest index were forty-seven percent more likely to acquire type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest glycerin index score. This trend may be explained by the effect that high glycerin-index carbohydrates have on blood glucose, which stimulates fat production as well as inflammation (Moyer 21). Unlike the first and second study that Moyer presents be helpful and resourceful to the male gender, it doesnt necessarily apply to them. In conclusion, these studies seem to appeal more toward the female gender, rather than the population as a whole. The first study, a very general study, can be applied to everyone, both man and woman. The second study goes a little more in depth, but sticks with the idea that the findings can be applied to everyones life. And finally the third study, conducted with all women and no men, has the ability to capture the interest of mostly women. Although the findings could be found useful and interesting to a man, it would be imprecise how the study could be applied to him.

Grief Over Yellow River essays

Grief Over Yellow River essays The movie Grief over the yellow river showed the brutality of the Japanese during their occupation in China during the Second World War The whole movie revolved around Owen, an American veteran pilot who went back to China fifty years after World War II in order to pay visit to the places where a group of Chinese once helped him. It all started when Owens plane crashed and a Chinese boy rescued him yet; unfortunately the boy died later. Owen was later found by Angie, a Chinese woman surgeon and some members of the 8th route army. Owen was given shelter and food by the Chinese group. He also met the family members of the Chinese group. Owen saw the causalities done by the Japanese to the Chinese villages. The Japanese soon found out that Owen was with the Chinese and wanted to capture him. The Chinese protected Owen from the Japanese and willingly sacrificed their lives though there were some Chinese who worked to the Japanese. Owen and his little companion used the yellow river as an escape route from the Japanese. All the Chinese who helped Owen died. Owen was never captured by the Japanese and survived the Second World War. Lots of patriotism was shown during the whole film. Angie, let herself drown in the last chapter of the movie; one could have thought she would add as another burden to her fellow companions with her injuries and made the idea of sacrificing herself for the country. This kind of attitude was also shown by one of Angies comrade who was a one-man attacking machine against the Japanese. Angie depicted a true heroine during the whole film; she may not be that strong during combat but she had the heart to serve her country. The lives of every Chinese during the Second World War were at risk. They were living in sub-par conditions and death may always come up to them. The Japanese were in full control and had the power of killing anyone who comes over their way. The Americans were in th ...

Adolf Hitler Rise To Power History Essay

Adolf Hitler Rise To Power History Essay During the 20th century, the Germans faced a terrible economic depression during which time the people lost trust in their government, and taking advantage of this opportunity, Hitler rose to power. The Treaty of Versailles, established post World War I, led Germany to humiliation. They lost their land, military, respect, and a say in world affairs. Germany became isolated, and to the German people, Hitler was their ultimate savior. In a matter of years, Hitler quickly rose to power and boosted the economy. He had satisfied Germany, in the early years, and came to power in a legal manner. Along with the rest of Germany, Adolf Hitler was depressed after World War I due to the loss and the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler, still enlisted in the German military, was assigned undercover duty as an agent. His main task involved finding out who were Marxists, and on September 12, 1919, he investigated them at a hall in Munich, Sterneckerbrau, where a meeting took place. Duri ng the meeting, he gave an emotional speech that mesmerized his audience, and as a result, he was asked to join the German Worker’s Party, to which he accepted. Abandoning his undercover spy mission, he became enthusiastic about the group and came to be highly involved with their activities. In addition, he placed ads for rallies and public meetings in anti-Semitic newspapers. Soon enough, the German Worker’s Party was changed to National Socialist German Worker’s Party (NAZI). For the party’s platform, Hitler created the twenty-five points that involved nullifying the Treaty of Versailles, revoking civil rights for Jews, confiscating war profits, and seizing land by decision of state. In addition, the Swastika (à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ) was adopted as the party’s symbol. Hitler hoped that the party would allow him to gain national recognition as well as a respectable politician that the German people would favor. In addition, the party allowed Hitler to use S torm Troopers or Brown Shirts and this would help him gain support from the people. Deploying the Storm Troopers in rallies impressed the German people by raising nationalism. These Storm Troopers would be present in parades all across the country and during election rallies that would significantly influenced the vote of many. CITATION In addition, thousands would join the party because they were victims of hyperinflation and blamed the Jews for economic troubles. Joining the party would show that they supported Hitler and wanted serious changes in Germany, starting with the Jews. On November 8, 1923, Hitler held a rally at a beer hall in Munich, known as the Beer Hall Putsch, to declare a revolution, and he led over two-thousand men to overthrow the Bavarian Government. The men all wore Brown Shirts to emphasize how much they supported Hitler and his beliefs to make Germany better. CITATION However, the rally resulted as a disaster and Hitler was charged with treason. He was taken to trial, which he used to his advantage by promoting the Nazi platform, and he gained popularity. He was ruled guilty by the court and sentenced to prison for five years, however, he had only served nine months due to a recommendation from the governor of Landsberg who stated that his behavior conduct in prison was satisfactory.

Ethical Issues in nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Issues in nursing - Essay Example The level to which the DNP nurses meet the moral act of social responsibility is similarly the level to which this feature of the DNP will be moral or not. One significant ethical issue is justice as fairness. This moral principle of fairness means giving individuals what they are owed or due. Concerning the DNP and this moral principle of justice as fairness, issues relating to this arise when there is prejudicial dissemination of limited resources. The second one is do no harm. This moral principle comprises of protecting individuals from harm, offering benefits for them, and not harming them. Issues occur when there is lack of sufficient data to merit the DNP programs (Peirce & Smith, 2008). Task 2 The issue of justice as fairness can be compared to the act of prioritizing one patient over another. This is when nurses tend to select specific patients based on the simplicity of their cases or how they are related to the patient. Secondly, the do no harm issue can be compared to the issues of not offering good services to the patients and not caring about how they are getting on with medication. This shows the nurse lacks passion in what he or she is doing, and this may harm the patient as he or she may feel neglected (Ulrich et al., 2010). This norm is foundational to how the nurses have to act and think when endorsing important alterations in nursing like the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) that has an impact not only to the nurses but also to the larger society.

Professional Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Professional Work - Essay Example In this respect, attachment to the ideal of a rationally governed society is no exception. The acceptance of the basic norms of the model carry implications for the ideologies that shape the way we see our world and for the conceptions that govern our individual modes of political activity (Spragens, 1990). In ideological terms, the ideal of a rational society has distinctive but not entirely determinate implications. It clearly disqualifies some ideological conceptions. It tends to crosscut certain other conventional ideological cleavages. And it leaves some ideological space open as an area in which reasonable people may differ. Some ideologies seem clearly unable to qualify by the norms of rational practice. In these cases, it is either/or: one either must renounce the intrinsic norms of rationality or forfeit the ideological orientation. The overt antirationalism of fascist ideologies, for example, would seem to disqualify them immediately. One cannot deprecate the power or validity of rational discourse; argue for forms of political authority grounded in purely emotional appeal and manipulation rather than rational consent, and convert natural differences of race or ability into political hierarchies without decisively abandoning key standards of rational practice (Spragens, 1990). The ideal of a rational society crosscuts liberalism, conservatism, and democratic socialism -- each of these being a part of the larger tradition of Western liberalism in the broadest sense. It incorporates some of the leading values and goals of each of them. The liberal, for instance, would consider the rational society's insistence upon individual rights and civil liberties the most important part of the model. The socialist would emphasize the elements of equality and community. And the conservative would find the role of the human good and the norms of civility quite consistent with his or her dominant political concerns. The bearing of the conception of a rational society on these ideologies, then, is not so much to single one of them out as superior to the others. Instead, it would suggest that each represents a somewhat narrow and parochial conception of the good society -- one in which some aspects of the good society are given undue ascendancy while others are unnecessaril y subordinated or forgotten. In sum, acceptance of the rational process conception of liberal democracy exercises a broad influence over political practice by constraining ideological affiliations and shaping political self-images. Many possible orientations to the world of politics are precluded, obligations are mandated, rights and privileges validated -- all in ways that exert a pervasive control over what can be seen as acceptable political behavior. As we turn now to examine some more specific institutional patterns and policies suggested by the norms of rational practice, it is worth remembering that these more subliminal influences on our actions may be the most important of them all (Spragens, 1990). The heart of a rational society is democratic discourse about the common good. A society committed to the norms of rational process will therefore give continual and careful attention to measures that can sustain and strengthen this central social institution. A democratic society

Interpret the result in your report. Also, your report and model Essay

Interpret the result in your report. Also, your report and model (where possible) should analyse the following- - Essay Example In both cases, the major components of the statements are explained e.g. remunerations disclosures, segment reports and interests disclosures have been made. The reliability of the financial statements has also been made better by the better governance structure and the independence of the auditors. According to the auditor’s reports, the financial statements give a true and fair view of the positions of the company. Moreover, both M & S and Morrison have reported the financial performance in a comparable manner. The performance in 2011 has been compared to those of 2010 to help investors monitor the firms’ progress. Notwithstanding, the notes to the financial statements have been compiled to make the information better understandable. Comparatively, Mark Spencer notes are detailed. On the element of legislations, the companies’ strategies have incorporated their products and services to satisfy the expectation of the customers and the society. For instance, Morrison is committed towards reducing the quantity of carbon released to the environment. In both cases, the users to the financial statements are the shareholders, investors, customers, the government and competitors (Palepu & Healy, 2008). The government requires the information for determining the tax amounts, customers for purposes of knowing progress of the companies and shareholders for monitoring the companies return (Palepu & Healy, 2008). The complex nature of the financial statements and the accounting jargon is the limitation in the financial reports. In conclusion, the preparation of the financial statements in accordance to the accounting standards and the companies act is necessary for comparison purposes and uniformity in reporting. This explains why both the companies have largely there is no major differences in reporting. Wahlen, JM, Bradshaw, M, Baginski, SP, & Stickney, CP, 2011, Financial reporting, financial statement analysis, and valuation: a

The Lack of Professionalism within the NYPD's Applicant Processing Thesis

The Lack of Professionalism within the NYPD's Applicant Processing Division - Thesis Example The NYPD was established in the year 1845. However, it traces its roots as far back as 1625, when New York City was known as New Amsterdam (Wilson & Grammich, 2009). The NYPD is a combination of different forces which include Transit Police and New York City Housing Authority Police Departments the latter of the two being integrated into NYPD in 1995. The NYPD offers a number of services such as air support, criminal intelligence, public housing, narcotics among others. The mission of the department is to "enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear, and provide a safe environment." The department is made up of both sworn officers and support staff. The NYPD has been faced by many problems since its inception. There are many challenges that the department needs to overcome so as to live true to its mission. The department has a division known as the Recruit Processing Division. The recruit processing division is charged with the important task of determining who gets to join the NYPD. The task of recruiting for the NYPD does not reach the required standard and, there is need for an overhaul. This paper looks at the problems which affect the recruit processing department (RPD). The paper analyses the source of the problems and, their impact on policing. Finally the paper makes recommendations which, if implemented, would help in professionalizing the NYPD. I am grateful to Professor Jeffrey Katz and Suzanne Murphy, my Thesis advisors. I am indebted to them for the useful insights they gave while I was writing this work. Their input was useful in helping me to come up with the topic and also giving me guidelines on how to go about researching in such a difficult field. I am also grateful to my family who gave me useful insights on how I would improve my research and to cohort 117 for keeping me motivated. I appreciate those who read through my drafts and gave me tips on how I would improve my work. I am also very grateful to Manhattan College School of Continuing and Professional Studies for offering the resources which made the research for my thesis easier. Chapter One 1.0 Introduction The New York Applicant Processing Department (NYPD) is within the New York Police Department. The primary role of the division is getting candidates suitable for employment in the NYPD. This is a critical department since it sets the tone for policing

Patient centred care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Patient centred care - Essay Example But as time has passed by increasing the number of patients many times amongst the system, centre of attention has not been a patient's personal health care rather then saving the system itself. Patient-centered care helps in bringing patients voice to the center of the health care system. It is responsive to the individual patient's preferences, needs and values. It ensures that the patient's voice your voice guides all clinical decisions. Patient centeredness is becoming a widely used, but poorly understood, concept in medical practice. It may be most commonly understood for what it is nottechnology centered, doctor centered, hospital centered, disease centered. Definitions of patient centered care seek to make the implicit in patient care explicit. Such definitions are, we recognize, oversimplifications which help in teaching and research but fail to capture the indivisible whole of a healing relationship. Perhaps qualitative research comes closer to conveying the qualities of such care. What is Patient Centered Care Do patients need and do doctors really practice it What are its benefits We will focus it through these two questions.

Future of Moderinization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Future of Moderinization - Essay Example The central concept in the study of social change is modernity, where social patterns emerge from the lap of industrialisation. In everyday terms, modernity refers to the present in relation to the past. Sociologists use this gross concept to describe different social patterns, set in motion by the Industrial Revolution of Western Europe during mid-eighteenth century. Modernisation, then, is the process of social change begun by industrialisation. Modernity shelters â€Å"the progressive weakening, if not destruction, of the . . . relatively cohesive communities in which human beings have found solidarity and meaning throughout most of history† (Berger, 1977, 72). Small, isolated communities still exist in the United States, but they are sheltering only a tiny percentage of the nation’s population. These days, any physical isolation is only geographic: Cars, telephones, television, and computers give most far-flung and remote families the pulse of the larger society and the accessibility to the entire world. People in traditional, preindustrial societies lived their lives as at mercy of forces that is gods, spirits, or simply fate that is beyond any human control. As the power of tradition weakens, people come to see their lives as an unending series of options, a wide-open cielo of choices. Modernisation introduced a more rational and scientific viewpoint as tradition loses its hold and people adopted more and more individual choice. The growth of cities, the expansion of impersonal bureaucracy, and the socio-cultural mix of people from various backgrounds combine to encourage diverse beliefs and behavior. Modern people are not only forward-looking but also optimistic about new inventions and discoveries, which will improve their lives. Modern people organize daily routines down to the very minute. With the introduction of clocks in the late Middle Ages, Europeans began to think not in terms of

Patient centred care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Patient centred care - Essay Example But as time has passed by increasing the number of patients many times amongst the system, centre of attention has not been a patient's personal health care rather then saving the system itself. Patient-centered care helps in bringing patients voice to the center of the health care system. It is responsive to the individual patient's preferences, needs and values. It ensures that the patient's voice your voice guides all clinical decisions. Patient centeredness is becoming a widely used, but poorly understood, concept in medical practice. It may be most commonly understood for what it is nottechnology centered, doctor centered, hospital centered, disease centered. Definitions of patient centered care seek to make the implicit in patient care explicit. Such definitions are, we recognize, oversimplifications which help in teaching and research but fail to capture the indivisible whole of a healing relationship. Perhaps qualitative research comes closer to conveying the qualities of such care. What is Patient Centered Care Do patients need and do doctors really practice it What are its benefits We will focus it through these two questions.

Can Religious and Political Groups Combine Essay Example for Free

Can Religious and Political Groups Combine Essay Can Religious and Political Groups Combine? page 1 Denise Rodriguez Can Religious and Political Groups Combine? Eng 122 Composition II Instructor Schmidt 5/6/2013 page2 Outline I. The balance of politics and spiritual groups i. Can Spiritual groups and politics be combined? ii. Can politics and spiritual groups balance together? II. The combination of political and religious groups. i. How politics can affect a congregation? ii. Politician and pastor relationship. III. Affects of politics against religion iii. Law passing religions are against. iv. Politics advocates don’t have the same meaning as religious groups. IV. Conclusion i. Reason for political and religious groups can combine. Running Head: Can Religious and Political GroupsCombine? page3 CAN RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL GROUPS COMBINE? Organized religious groups can be political advocates as well as tend to spiritual needs of people. There is a possibility that they will strike a balance. Religion is a way of life, a cultural behavior. People work in their churches and live through the laws of the practice. Political advocate is the act of  pleading  or arguing a case or a position; forceful persuasion The Fee Dictionary, Farlex, 2013). Politics and religion are equally influential. It will be possible for the two to strike a balance and cannot be combined. Christian Cultural Center (CCC) on several Sunday’s there has been several visits from different political parties. Mayor Bloomberg has visited the church on many occasions. CCC is a spiritual environment where people go to learn the word of God. Pastor A. R Bernard stated in the daily news blog. â€Å"I’m not driven by political ambitions. It would be motivated by my love and concern for this city. I have 35,000 members who will be impacted by whatever happens,† The effects of his candidacy in the running for Mayor in the U. S. may have had an effect on his congregation. If Pastor Bernard were to lose, it may not have an impact on the church. If he were to win the church would no longer have him as a religious leader. To become a Mayor requires the person to be available for to work with the government, to better New York A. R. Bernard backs up Mayor Bloomberg along with several other pastors. Such as Rev. Timothy Birkett, â€Å"We have to come to his foundation sooner or later,† said the Rev. Timothy Birkett, pastor of the Church Alive Community Church in the Bronx, who is backing the mayor this year. â€Å"We hope that he will be receptive. † There are so many different types of religious practices that it would be difficult to incorporate them all. If politicians were to include one of many, that religious group would have an advantage over all the rest. The complications of political and religious groups combining, is the passing of laws that religions are against. Two of the most sensitive subjects are same sex marriage and abortion. Currently there are several states that allow same sex marriage while religions like Christianity are against them, as explained in the Holy Bible. The government states that a fetus is not considered a baby until it has been born. There are issues that have been raised from abortion. Under Colorado law, a fetus is not a person and plaintiffs claims for wrongful death must therefore be dismissed, the hospital argued. A 7 month pregnant mother and her Running Head: Can Religious and Political GroupsCombine? Page4 twins died at a catholic hospital in Nashville, Tenn. The doctors did not perform an emergency cesarean and ended in death of the mother and her two unborn children. The hospital would not speak publicly about the case that went in front of a judge. A hospital may not be a political or a spiritual facility, the issue of the hospital being a catholic hospital that abides by the bible and refused to perform an abortion on the mother to be. Simply because of what the BIBBLE says about it being a sin. Deuteronomy 5:17   Thou shalt not kill. Numbers 12:12   Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mothers womb. Political and religious groups are balanced in the way people follow what they believe in. Every group has a leader and rules to follow, whether it’s for the whole country or for people who share the same beliefs. If all religions had the same laws as politics, maybe they can be combined. CCC church is a church of political advocates. There are political parties from all over, which are involved in the church or even just with A. R. Bernard. Several other pastors around the world all commend Mayor Bloomberg for his involvement in the churches as well as how much money he has donated to the churches. Even after poster Bernard decided not to run for Mayor. He still continues to keep in communication with politicians. Known for its institutions of politics, finance, fashion and media, it is also one of the most religiously diverse cites in the world. Without that diversity, from small storefronts to large mega ministries, over 7600 churches in Christian ministry throughout the five boroughs. Religious groups can be political advocates, just like Christian Cultural Center. Both groups may have different values when it comes to law decisions. They are both groups with a great deal of influence on the public and religious groups vote for political parties to run New York. It is important for religious groups to keep involvement in politics, because it is what makes the state what it is. There are laws to abide by and reasons to continue to reach out to others as one. Resources Bible Verses about Abortion from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance http://www. kingjamesbibleonline. org/Bible-Verses-About-Abortion/ Christian Cultural Center http://cccinfo. org/ Daily News http://www. nydailynews. com/news/rev-bernard-christian-cultural-center-set-endo se-mayor-bloomberg-3rd-term-article-. 370774 http://www. nytimes. com/2009/10/29/nyregion/29ministers. html? pagewanted=allamp;_r=1amp; HighBeam Research http://www. highbeam. com/doc/1G1-293418641. html Stassen, G. (2008, Senator obama: Add healing to your message. Tikkun,  23, 44-46. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/212256663? accountid=32521 The Fee D ictionary, Farlex, 2013 http://legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/Political+advocacy USA Today http://www. usatoday. com/story/news/nation/2013/01/24/fetuses-not-people-catholic-hospital-says-in-court-case/1863013/

Relationship Between Divorce and Family Models | Proposal

Relationship Between Divorce and Family Models | Proposal Aim and Hypothesis â€Å"The conventional nuclear family is already a thing of the past,† writes Madeleine Bunting, author of ‘Willing Slaves: How the Overwork Culture is Ruling Our Lives[1]’. Current statistics do indeed paint a worrying picture; in the past 30 years the rate of divorce has doubled[2], Britain now having the highest divorce rate in Europe. Concurrently, the proportion of women in full-time employment has trebled, with maternal employment having increased by 8% to 65%[3]. As a firm believer in the Nuclear Family model, these findings and predictions are of particular personal concern. For this reason I have chosen this area as the focus for my sociological research. I have chosen to concentrate my study on the relationship between the ever-changing female sex stereotype, and the heightened rates of divorce. My test hypothesis is therefore as follows: â€Å"Divorce is more prevalent amongst families where the mother does not willingly accept the traditional female sex employment stereotype.’ Contexts and Concepts: The context of this hypothesis is best understood in light of two research studies which have been conducted previously in this area. The first was an exploratory research study conducted by Geoff Dench of Middlesex University into men’s family roles, entitled â€Å"The Place of Men in Changing Family Cultures.[4]† In this study, Dench identified two main family types; the ‘conventional family’ and the ‘deregulated family.’ The conventional family model represents a traditional family formulation in which each member has interpersonal rights and obligations arising from their marriage [or birth, if children]. The reciprocal support structure inherent in this model results in individual free choice being limited; purely personal interests may therefore need to be compromised. Dench identified that members of this group would be more inclined to see a distinction between what may be good for them as an individual, and what may be good for the family as a whole. The deregulated family model represents an individualist family formulation in which each member is responsible for upholding their own rights and negotiations of those rights. To this extent, individual choice is prevalent within this group; autonomy being the over-arching ideal. Respondents in this group expressed a view that traditional gender roles were a source of social injustice, and rejected the notion of the ‘conventional family’ as ideal on this ground. Dench identified that supporters of this model tended to be young, childless couples. Whilst this study yielded several very interesting findings, it is one conclusion in particular which is most relevant to the study of this paper: Dench discovered that the ‘highest levels of personal and marital satisfaction were among people who lived in traditional families. The highest levels were connected to families in which the man worked and the woman was at home. The lowest levels occurred when the woman worked and the man stayed at home.’ This is the very conclusion which I am attempting to prove within this research study, via my hypothesis that â€Å"Divorce is more prevalent amongst families where the mother does not willingly accept the traditional female sex employment stereotype.† The concept of ‘traditional female sex employment stereotype’ describing the situation where the role of the husband is as breadwinner of the family [i.e. provides the primary family income], and where the role of the wife is as ‘housewife’ [i.e. the primary domestic labourer]. The second research study is entitled â€Å"The growth of Lone Parenthood: Diversity and Dynamics[5]†, and was conducted by Karen Rowlingson, Stephen McKay and Richard Berthoud on behalf of the University of Derby’s Economic and Social Research Council. Their findings, whilst not specifically concerned with the issue of the female sex employment stereotype, suggested that divorce occurs more frequently in families where the woman leaves her full-time employment to look after a newly arrived child. Prima facie, this finding would suggest that my conclusion is flawed; after all, surely a woman who leaves work to look after her newly born child is adhering to the traditional employment stereotype, and should therefore be less likely to engage in divorce or separation from her partner. This finding however does not contradict my hypothesis, rather helps to contextualise it; this finding from the study concerned women who had previously been non-traditional employment stereotype conformists, but had been forced to give up their work and look after their child through circumstance. A woman who does not willingly accept her traditional role is of course more unlikely to be unhappy, as her ‘individual autonomy’, which as discussed by Dench is held as the over-arching ideal by a subscriber of the non-traditionalist model, is not being allowed to predominate. This helps to explain why my hypothesis is limited to/focussed upon women who do not ‘willingly accept’ the traditional gender employment stereotype. Main Research Method and Reasons: In light of the obvious difficulties with actually asking random adults about their marital status and employment, I have decided that the best way to glean this information is by asking my fellow students at school to complete a survey questionnaire [a method usually associated with the positivist school of sociology]. It is of course necessary that a significant proportion of my sample population have parents who are divorced, and visa versa. The problem with this requirement is that a random sample of students may not throw up sufficient of the former category. What I therefore propose is a one day trip to Somerset House in London, and armed with a complete list of all students at my college, I will cross reference their surnames against the Divorce Register[6]. Once I have identified all the students whose parents are now divorced, I will randomly select a proportion of these students to take part in my survey by assigning each student with a number and using a random-number gene rator program on my computer to decide which students will be selected. By the same random-sampling technique, I will select an identical number of students whose parents are not divorced. The benefit of conducting this prior research to identify students whose parents are divorced is that it means that the questionnaire itself does not need to ask these people whether or not their parents are separated. To ask this question may prove to upset the students; after all the divorce of their parents is not something which most students would wish to discuss or even recall during a sociological study such as mine. For the student’s whose parents are apparently still together, married, it is important to confirm that the student still lives with both parents; after all just because the parents of these student’s do not appear on the Divorce registry doesn’t mean they are still living together- they could be separated without divorce, or in the process of applying for a decree nisi/absolute. The questionnaire itself will ask questions designed to glean the following information: From those students whose parents are now divorced: If the student’s mother, for the majority of the student’s life, was engaged in full-time employment prior to separation. If the students mother, for the majority of the student’s life, was engaged in part-time employment prior to separation. If the students mother, for the majority of the student’s life, was a ‘housewife’ prior to separation. The reasons for the above answers, if known. [e.g. my mother always though that it was important to look after the family while the man went out to work etc.] From those students whose parents are still married, and living together: If the students mother has been employed on a full-time basis for the majority of the student’s life. If the students mother has been employed on a full-time basis for the majority of the student’s life. If the student’s mother has been a ‘housewife’ for the majority of the student’s life. The reasons for the above answers, if known. [e.g. my mother always though that it was important to look after the family while the man went out to work etc.] In light of the fact that I will need to compare all the data if I am going to test my hypothesis, I plan to use the above information to calculate a total ‘employment score index’ for each student sample. One simple way to achieve this is by structuring the questions of the survey as score lines, i.e. On a scale of 1-9 was your mother, for the majority of your childhood, 1= fully employed 2= fully employed but took some time of work to look after me in my early years 3= was fully employed for some of the time, but also spent a good proportion of those years at home as housewife†¦ 9= has always been a housewife since I was born. In this way the indexes of each student sample whose parents are not separated can be compared with the indexes of each student sample whose parents are divorced, a comparison from which a trend may or may not be identified, and may or may not be in line with my hypothesis. 2 pre-tests will need to be conducted by a sample of 25 students in order to tweak the questionnaire[7], so that we can be assured that the final questionnaire is appropriately constructed. This survey will create qualitative results; the limited size of the sample study precludes there being any reliable quantitative conclusions, and besides, there are clearly other factors which cause couples to separate, and therefore from such a study, we can only sensibly be interested in identifying a qualitative trend. Potential Problems: One problem associated with proposed study is the fact that due to the time restraints in which I would be operating, the limited size of my sample frame would perhaps not yield sufficient results from which a reliable trend/conclusion could be drawn. This problem could of course be rectified without changing the method, but rather by increasing the sample frame, and as such is not what could be described as an inherent problem. Another problem is the fact that we are questioning students about their mothers employment history throughout their childhood. Whilst some students may remember these details with great clarity, it may well be the case that certain students are unable to recall this information with sufficient accuracy. One solution to this problem, and a way of avoiding erroneous results through sample guesswork, would be to ask each student on a scale of 1-5 how accurate they believe their assessment to be. Finally, it may also be the case that there are simply not enough students from divorced families in my school to provide sufficient and therefore reliable data for this side of the comparison. If this is the case, it may be essential to extend the survey across several additional local colleges, although the time-frame available would not make the necessary research for this sample frame extension feasible. When asking the students to confirm that their parents are still married and living together, students may not be willing to admit that their parents are currently in the process of divorce or separated, as this is often perceived to be shameful by the children of such parents. This will mean that data from students whose parents are in fact separated [but not divorced] will be erroneously attributed to the data for students whose parents are still married and living together, thus causing inaccuracies to any trend which is identified. One solution to this problem would be to allow each sample student to conduct the survey in the privacy of their own home etc., in this way there is no reason to lie as no-one will ever discover their identity. Footnotes [1] June 21st, 2004. Harper Colins Publishing. ISBN: 0007163711 [2] http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=4140 [3] http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/article.asp?ID=355Pos=ColRank=1Rank=224 [4] The Place of Men in Changing Family Cultures (London York: ICS/Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1996); [5] Rowlingson, K and McKay, S (1998) The Growth of Lone Parenthood: Diversity and Dynamics, London: PSI [6] Principal Register, Divorce Registry, Room G45, Somerset House, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL. [7] Converse and Presser (1986: 65) argue cogently that a minimum of two pre-tests are necessary, with pretest sizes of 25 – 75.

Evolution Is :: Science Biology Essays

Evolution Is Has the narrative of Mayr and his fellow naturalists—those evolutionists who include natural selection in their explanations and who comprise a strong majority of evolutionist voices today—now entered a sort of evolutionary stasis? Not yet. For example, consider Mayr's central theory of speciation as it applies to a creative species such as humans. There are cultural and creative aspects of our so-called "higher level" species that have the potential to perturb whether and how new species taxa might evolve from homo sapiens: mobility and its effect on isolation, technology applied to environmental and physiological conditions, artificial constraints on reproduction, social cultures, and our creative abilities. Whether our species is better equipped to survive or more likely to accelerate towards extinction may, in part, be determined by these factors and their interactions. Evolution is. Therefore, we are. The human species is an infinitesimally improbable out-come of countless, unrepeatable iterations of a process that itself is a fluke. To paraphrase the late naturalist Stephen J. Gould, erase the tape, have one player move a few feet to the left for good measure, do a retake, do a trillion trillion retakes, and nothing akin to homo sapiens is likely to emerge. Evolution is not intuitive, nor would any sane gambler bet on its odds. There are no "proofs," no conclusions based upon experimentation and testing. What we know about evolution derives from historical narrative—the evolutionary biologists' reconstruction of what might have happened. Their scenario has also evolved through iterations of accumulating, adapting, and eliminating ideas according to new findings, new observations, and new knowledge. In the process, the narrative's woof and warp have tightened. Gaps narrowed to the point that, in "What Evolution Is," biologist Ernst Mayr coul d proclaim, "Evolution is not merely an idea, a theory, or a concept, but is the name of a process in nature, the occurrence of which can be documented by mountains of evidence that nobody has been able to refute...It is now actually misleading to refer to evolution as a theory, considering the massive evidence that has been discovered over the last 140 years documenting its existence. Evolution is no longer a theory, it is simply a fact" [Mayr 275]. Central to this "simple fact" is the concept of speciation, which was developed in the 1930s by Dobzhansky and Mayr. According to them, allopatric speciation is contingent upon the spatial and temporal integrity of a population, a species taxon. Evolution Is :: Science Biology Essays Evolution Is Has the narrative of Mayr and his fellow naturalists—those evolutionists who include natural selection in their explanations and who comprise a strong majority of evolutionist voices today—now entered a sort of evolutionary stasis? Not yet. For example, consider Mayr's central theory of speciation as it applies to a creative species such as humans. There are cultural and creative aspects of our so-called "higher level" species that have the potential to perturb whether and how new species taxa might evolve from homo sapiens: mobility and its effect on isolation, technology applied to environmental and physiological conditions, artificial constraints on reproduction, social cultures, and our creative abilities. Whether our species is better equipped to survive or more likely to accelerate towards extinction may, in part, be determined by these factors and their interactions. Evolution is. Therefore, we are. The human species is an infinitesimally improbable out-come of countless, unrepeatable iterations of a process that itself is a fluke. To paraphrase the late naturalist Stephen J. Gould, erase the tape, have one player move a few feet to the left for good measure, do a retake, do a trillion trillion retakes, and nothing akin to homo sapiens is likely to emerge. Evolution is not intuitive, nor would any sane gambler bet on its odds. There are no "proofs," no conclusions based upon experimentation and testing. What we know about evolution derives from historical narrative—the evolutionary biologists' reconstruction of what might have happened. Their scenario has also evolved through iterations of accumulating, adapting, and eliminating ideas according to new findings, new observations, and new knowledge. In the process, the narrative's woof and warp have tightened. Gaps narrowed to the point that, in "What Evolution Is," biologist Ernst Mayr coul d proclaim, "Evolution is not merely an idea, a theory, or a concept, but is the name of a process in nature, the occurrence of which can be documented by mountains of evidence that nobody has been able to refute...It is now actually misleading to refer to evolution as a theory, considering the massive evidence that has been discovered over the last 140 years documenting its existence. Evolution is no longer a theory, it is simply a fact" [Mayr 275]. Central to this "simple fact" is the concept of speciation, which was developed in the 1930s by Dobzhansky and Mayr. According to them, allopatric speciation is contingent upon the spatial and temporal integrity of a population, a species taxon.

The Constitution :: American America History

The Constitution A case for the connection of America's colonial and revolutionary religious and political experiences to the basic principles of the Constitution can be readily made. One point in favor of this conclusion is the fact that most Americans at that time had little beside their experiences on which to base their political ideas. This is due to the lack of advanced schooling among common Americans at that time. Other points also concur with the main idea and make the theory of the connection plausible. Much evidence to support this claim can be found in the wording of the Constitution itself. Even the Preamble has an important idea that arose from the Revolutionary period. The first line of the Preamble states, We the People of the United States... ." This implies that the new government that was being formed derived its sovereignty from the people, which would serve to prevent it from becoming corrupt and disinterested in the people, as the framers believed Britain's government had become. If the Bill of Rights is considered, more supporting ideas become evident. The First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom could have been influenced by the colonial tradition of relative religious freedom. This tradition was clear even in the early colonies, like Plymouth, which was formed by Puritan dissenters from England seeking religious freedom. Roger Williams, the proprietor of Rhode Island, probably made an even larger contribution to this tradition by advocating and allowing comple te religious freedom. William Penn also contributed to this idea in Pennsylvania, where the Quakers were tolerant of other denominations. In addition to the tradition of religious tolerance in the colonies, there was a tradition of self-government and popular involvement in government. Nearly every colony had a government with elected representatives in a legislature, which usually made laws largely without interference from Parliament or the king. Jamestown, the earliest of the colonies, had an assembly, the House of Burgesses, which was elected by the property owners of the colony. Maryland developed a system of government much like Britain's, with a representative assembly, the House of Delegates, and the governor sharing power. The Puritan colony in Massachusetts originally had a government similar to a corporate board of directors with the first eight stockholders, called freemen" holding power. Later, the definition of freemen" grew to include all male citizens, and the people were given a strong voice in their own government.

My Career in Psychology Essay

As I was doing the MBTI test, I was thinking about my career goal, and I was hoping, the results gave more motivation to keep studying Psychology. At first, some of the question didn’t make sense to me because they were repeat it, but when I was done with test I started to review the answer sheet and every single that was asked made sense. When I finished reviewing my score my results came to ESFJ. ESFJ fits perfect with me because I love to work with people; I have always felt that I’m connected to everyone around me and I have to value that connection. I’m hoping to continue to work with people after I accomplish my goal of becoming a therapist or a counselor. As an ESFJ, your method of living is to focus externally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit in with your personal value system. The secondary method is internal, where you take things n via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. ESFJ is consider to be the caregiver and therefore, people has the options to choose for their career like nursing, teaching, child care, family practice physician, counselors/ social worker, and etc†¦ Like, I have mentioned before I want to be a therapist/counselor and work with the young population. I wan to give back to my community by teaching others that nothing is impossible. I will guide others by example. When I got pregnant at the age of fifteen, people thought that it was going to be end for me. My family used to tell me that I was not going to finish high school or college, and I have proved that they wrong. I received my high school diploma, and I achieved two associates degree one in Accounting and one in Liberal arts. Through my experiences, I feel more sensitive around other people. I consider myself a caring person who always put others first, and I leave myself last. I’m very please with my MBTI result, and I have no disagreement or question. Now, I know that being sensitive is not a bad thing or weakness. Being sensitive to other is quality because it makes me understand others. ESFJ will keep me motivated to achieve my main goal of becoming a therapist later in my life.

Craft-Oriented Objects Essay

We encounter many craft- oriented objects day to day. I do not think I really thought about how objects were made and their value in life until I received this assignment. As I was thinking about all of the things that are craft- oriented, I especially thought about things at work and my home. I actually work at a dress shop and I’ve thought about how those dresses were made. Every dress company has a location where they make their dresses, like China. Each dress is handmade and takes many hours and hard work to make. I believe this is an art of craft and has high value in a woman’s world. I also own many dresses of my own from going to prom and participating in various pageants. The next time I am wearing one of these delicate dresses I am going to take a minute to think about the hard work and long hours that it took to make my dress just for me. Another one of the many craft-oriented objects that I see and use every day is my home. My home is one of the most important places to me and it has several qualities that make it unique to me. It is amazing to think about all the hard work and the time that went in to building my house. Although my house has many craft-oriented objects in it, my house as a whole is a huge craft-oriented object in my everyday life.

Issues in Sme Development in Ghana and South Africa

International Research Journal of Finance and Economics ISSN 1450-2887 Issue 39 (2010)  © EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2010 http://www. eurojournals. com/finance. htm Issues in SME Development in Ghana and South Africa Joshua Abor Department of Finance University of Ghana Business School, Legon Peter Quartey Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research University of Ghana, Legon Abstract This paper discusses the characteristics, contributions of SMEs to economic development, and the constraints to SME development in developing countries with particular reference to Ghana and South Africa. SMEs in Ghana have been noted to provide about 85% of manufacturing employment of Ghana. They are also believed to contribute about 70% to Ghana’s GDP and account for about 92% of businesses in Ghana. In the Republic of South Africa, it is estimated that 91% of the formal business entities are SMEs. They also contribute between 52 to 57% to GDP and provide about 61% to employment. Notwithstanding the recognition of the important roles SMEs play in these countries, their development is largely constrained by a number of factors, such as lack of access to appropriate technology; limited access to international markets, the existence of laws, regulations and rules that impede the development of the sector; weak institutional capacity, lack of management skills and training, and most importantly finance. The paper provides some relevant recommendations to policy makers, development agencies, entrepreneurs, and SME managers to ascertain the appropriate strategy to improve the SME sector in these countries. Keywords: SME Development, Ghana, South Africa 1. 0. Introduction There is growing recognition of the important role small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play in economic development. They are often described as efficient and prolific job creators, the seeds of big businesses and the fuel of national economic engines. Even in the developed industrial economies, it is the SME sector rather than the multinationals that is the largest employer of workers (Mullineux, 1997). Interest in the role of SMEs n the development process continues to be in the forefront of policy debates in most countries. Governments at all levels have undertaken initiatives to promote the growth of SMEs (Feeney and Riding, 1997). SME development can encourage the process of both inter and intra-regional decentralization; and, they may well become a countervailing force against the economic power of larger enterprises. More generally, the development of SMEs is seen as accelerating the achievement of wider economi c and socio-economic objectives, including poverty alleviation (Cook and Nixson, 2000). According to an OECD report, SMEs produce about 25% of OECD exports and 35% of Asia’s exports (OECD, 1997). International Research Journal of Finance and Economics – Issue 39 (2010) 219 SMEs represent over 90% of private business and contribute to more than 50% of employment and of GDP in most African countries (UNIDO, 1999). Small enterprises in Ghana are said to be a characteristic feature of the production landscape and have been noted to provide about 85% of manufacturing employment of Ghana (Steel and Webster, 1991; Aryeetey, 2001). SMEs are also believed to contribute about 70% to Ghana’s GDP and account for about 92% of businesses in Ghana. Similarly, in the Republic of South Africa, it is estimated that 91% of the formal business entities are Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) (Hassbroeck, 1996; Berry et al. , 2002). They also contribute between 52 and 57% to GDP and provide about 61% of employment (CSS, 1998; Ntsika, 1999; Gumede, 2000; Berry et al. , 2002). SMEs therefore have a crucial role to play in stimulating growth, generating employment and contributing to poverty alleviation, given their economic weight in African countries. How do SMEs in Ghana compare with their counterparts in South Africa and what policy lessons can be drawn for both countries to enhance the contribution of the sector remains the focus of this paper. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section two reviews the various definitions of SMEs. Section three discusses the characteristics of SMEs in developing countries. Sections four and five examine the contributions of SMEs to economic development and the constraints to SME developments. The paper concludes in section six. 2. 0. What is an SME? The issue of what constitutes a small or medium enterprise is a major concern in the literature. Different authors have usually given different definitions to this category of business. SMEs have indeed not been spared with the definition problem that is usually associated with concepts which have many components. The definition of firms by size varies among researchers. Some attempt to use the capital assets while others use skill of labour and turnover level. Others define SMEs in terms of their legal status and method of production. Storey (1994) tries to sum up the danger of using size to define the status of a firm by stating that in some sectors all firms may be regarded as small, whilst in other sectors there are possibly no firms which are small. The Bolton Committee (1971) first formulated an â€Å"economic† and â€Å"statistical† definition of a small firm. Under the â€Å"economic† definition, a firm is said to be small if it meets the following three criteria: †¢ It has a relatively small share of their market place; †¢ It is managed by owners or part owners in a personalized way, and not through the medium of a formalized management structure; †¢ It is independent, in the sense of not forming part of a large enterprise. Under the â€Å"statistical† definition, the Committee proposed the following criteria:: †¢ The size of the small firm sector and its contribution to GDP, employment, exports, etc. †¢ The extent to which the small firm sector’s economic contribution has changed over time; †¢ Applying the statistical definition in a cross-country comparison of the small firms’ economic contribution. The Bolton Committee applied different definitions of the small firm to different sectors. Whereas firms in manufacturing, construction and mining were defined in terms of number of employees (in which case, 200 or less qualified the firm to be a small firm), those in the retail, services, wholesale, etc. were defined in terms of monetary turnover (in which case the range is 50,000-200,000 British Pounds to be classified as small firm). Firms in the road transport industry are classified as small if they have 5 or fewer vehicles. There have been criticisms of the Bolton definitions. These centre mainly on the apparent inconsistencies between defining characteristics based on number of employees and those based on managerial approach. The European Commission (EC) defined SMEs largely in term of the number of employees as follows: †¢ firms with 0 to 9 employees – micro enterprises; 220 International Research Journal of Finance and Economics – Issue 39 (2010) †¢ 10 to 99 employees – small enterprises; †¢ 100 to 499 employees – medium enterprises. Thus, the SME sector is comprised of enterprises (except agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing) which employ less than 500 workers. In effect, the EC definitions are based solely on employment rather than a multiplicity of criteria. Secondly, the use of 100 employees as the small firm’s upper limit is more appropriate, given the increase in productivity over the last two decades (Storey, 1994). Finally, the EC definition did not assume the SME group is homogenous; that is, the definition makes a distinction between micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. However, the EC definition is too all-embracing to be applied to a number of countries. Researchers would have to use definitions for small firms which are more appropriate to their particular â€Å"target† group (an operational definition). It must be emphasized that debates on definitions turn out to be sterile, unless size is a factor which influences performance. For instance, the relationship between size and performance matters when assessing the impact of a credit programme on a target group (Storey, 1994). Weston and Copeland (1998) hold that definitions of size of enterprises suffer from a lack of universal applicability. In their view, this is because enterprises may be conceived of in varying terms. Size has been defined in different contexts, in terms of the number of employees, annual turnover, industry of enterprise, ownership of enterprise, and value of fixed assets. Van der Wijst (1989) considers small and medium businesses as privately held firms with 1 – 9 and 10 – 99 people employed, respectively. Jordan et al (1998) define SMEs as firms with fewer than 100 employees and less than â‚ ¬15 million turnover. Michaelas et al (1999) consider small independent private limited companies with fewer than 200 employees and Lopez and Aybar (2000) considered companies with sales below â‚ ¬15 million as small. According to the British Department of Trade and Industry, the best description of a small firm remains that used by the Bolton Committee in its 1971 Report on Small Firms. This stated that a small firm is an independent business, managed by its owner or part-owners and having a small market share (Department of Trade and Industry, 2001). The UNIDO also defines SMEs in terms of number of employees by giving different classifications for industrialized and developing countries (see Elaian, 1996). The definition for industrialized countries is given as follows: †¢ Large – firms with 500 or more workers; †¢ Medium – firms with 100-499 workers; †¢ Small – firms with 99 or less workers. The classification given for developing countries is as follows: †¢ Large – firms with 100 or more workers; †¢ Medium – firms with 20-99 workers; †¢ Small – firms with 5-19 workers; †¢ Micro – firms with less than 5 workers. It is clear from the various definitions that there is not a general consensus over what constitutes an SME. Definitions vary across industries and also across countries. It is important now to examine definitions of SMEs given in the context of Ghana and South Africa. 2. 1. The Ghanaian Situation There have been various definitions given for small-scale enterprises in Ghana but the most commonly used criterion is the number of employees of the enterprise (Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). In applying this definition, confusion often arises in respect of the arbitrariness and cut off points used by the various official sources. In its Industrial Statistics, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) considers firms with fewer than 10 employees as small-scale enterprises and their counterparts with more than 10 employees as medium and large-sized enterprises. Ironically, the GSS in its national accounts considered companies with up to 9 employees as SMEs (Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). The value of fixed assets in the firm has also been used as an alternative criterion for defining SMEs. However, the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) in Ghana applies both the International Research Journal of Finance and Economics – Issue 39 (2010) 221 â€Å"fixed asset and number of employees† criteria. It defines a small-scale enterprise as a firm with not more than 9 workers, and has plant and machinery (excluding land, buildings and vehicles) not exceeding 10 million Ghanaian cedis. The Ghana Enterprise Development Commission (GEDC), on the other hand, uses a 10 million Ghanaian cedis upper limit definition for plant and machinery. It is important to caution that the process of valuing fixed assets poses a problem. Secondly, the continuous depreciation of the local currency as against major trading currencies often makes such definitions outdated (Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). In defining small-scale enterprises in Ghana, Steel and Webster (1991), and Osei et al (1993) used an employment cut-off point of 30 employees. Osei et al (1993), however, classified small-scale enterprises into three categories. These are: (i) micro – employing less than 6 people; (ii) very small employing 6-9 people; (iii) small – between 10 and 29 employees. A more recent definition is the one given by the Regional Project on Enterprise Development Ghana manufacturing survey paper. The survey report classified firms into: (i) micro enterprise, less than 5 employees; (ii) small enterprise, 5 29 employees; (iii) medium enterprise, 30 – 99 employees; (iv) large enterprise, 100 and more employees (see Teal, 2002). 2. 2. The South African Situation The most widely used framework in South Africa is the definition of the National Small Business Act 102 of 1996, which defines five categories of businesses in South Africa. The definition uses the number of employees (the most common mode of definition) per enterprise size category combined with the annual turnover categories, the gross assets excluding fixed property. The definitions for the various enterprise categories are given as follows: †¢ Survivalist enterprise: The income generated is less than the minimum income standard or the poverty line. This category is considered pre-entrepreneurial, and includes hawkers, vendors and subsistence farmers. (In practice, survivalist enterprises are often categorised as part of the micro-enterprise sector). Micro enterprise: The turnover is less than the VAT registration limit (that is, R150 000 per year). These enterprises usually lack formality in terms of registration. They include, for example, spaza shops, minibus taxis and household industries. They employ no more than 5 people. †¢ Very small enterprise: These are enterprises employing fewer than 10 paid employees, except mining, electricity, manufacturing and construction sectors, in which the figure is 20 employees. These enterprises operate in the formal market and have access to technology. Small enterprise: The upper limit is 50 employees. Small enterprises are generally more established than very small enterprises and exhibit more complex business practices. †¢ Medium enterprise: The maximum number of employees is 100, or 200 for the mining, electricity, manufacturing and construction sectors. These enterprises are often characterised by the decentralisation of power to an additional management layer. The National Small Business Act’s definitions of the different categories of business may be summarised as set out in Table 1 below. 222 Table 1: International Research Journal of Finance and Economics – Issue 39 (2010) Definitions of SMMEs given in the National Small Business Act Number of Employees Fewer than 100 to 200, depending on industry Fewer than 50 Annual Turnover (in South African rand) Less than R4 million to R50 million, depending upon industry Less than R2 million to R25 million, depending on industry Less than R200 000 to R500 000, depending on industry Less than R150 000 Gross Assets, Excluding Fixed Property Less than R2 million to R18 million, depending on industry Less than R2 million to R4. million, depending on industry Less than R150 000 to R500 000, depending on Industry Less than R100 000 Enterprise Size Medium Small Fewer than 10 to 20, depending on industry Micro Fewer than 5 Source: Falkena et al. (2001) Very Small From the above, two key contrast can be drawn between the definitions of SMEs in Ghana and their counterparts in South Africa. First, Act 102 of 1996 defines SMEs in South Africa wh ereas there is no such legislation in Ghana. Secondly, the cut off points for the various SME size categories in South Africa are much higher than that of Ghana. This may be a result of the fact that South Africa has a much higher income levels than Ghana. 3. 0. Characteristics of SMEs in Developing Countries Fisher and Reuber (2000) enumerate a number of characteristics of SMEs in developing countries under the broad headings: labour characteristics, sectors of activity, gender of owner and efficiency. Given that most SMEs are one-person businesses, the largest employment category is working proprietors. This group makes up more than half the SME workforce in most developing countries; their families, who tend to be unpaid but active in the enterprise, make up roughly another quarter. The remaining portion of the workforce is split between hired workers and trainees or apprentices. SMEs are more labour intensive than larger firms and therefore have lower capital costs associated with job creation (Anheier and Seibel, 1987; Liedholm and Mead, 1987; Schmitz, 1995). In terms of activity, they are mostly engaged in retailing, trading, or manufacturing (Fisher and Reuber, 2000). While it is a common perception that the majority of SMEs will fall into the first category, the proportion of SME activity that takes place in the retail sector varies considerably between countries, and between rural and urban regions within countries. Retailing is mostly found in urban regions, while manufacturing can be found in either rural or urban centres. However, the extent of involvement of a country in manufacturing will depend on a number of factors, including, availability of raw materials, taste and consumption patterns of domestic consumers, and the level of development of the export markets. In Ghana, SMEs can be categorized into urban and rural enterprises. The former can be subdivided into â€Å"organized† and â€Å"unorganized† enterprises. The organized ones mostly have paid employees with a registered office, whereas the unorganized category is mainly made up of artisans who work in open spaces, temporary wooden structures, or at home, and employ few or in some cases no salaried workers (Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). They rely mostly on family members or apprentices. Rural enterprises are largely made up of family groups, individual artisans, women engaged in food production from local crops. The major activities within this sector include:- soap and detergents, fabrics, clothing and tailoring, textile and leather, village blacksmiths, tin-smithing, ceramics, timber and mining, bricks and cement, beverages, food processing, bakeries, wood furniture, electronic assembly, agro processing, chemical-based products and mechanics (Osei et al. , 1993; Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). Majority of SMEs are female-owned businesses, which more often than not are home-based compared to those owned by males; they are operated from home and are mostly not considered in official statistics. This clearly affects their chances of gaining access to financing schemes, since such International Research Journal of Finance and Economics – Issue 39 (2010) 223 programmes are designed without sufficient consideration of the needs of businesses owned by females. These female entrepreneurs often get the impression that they are not capable of taking advantage of these credit schemes, because the administrative costs associated with the schemes often outweigh the benefits. Prior empirical studies in Ghana have shown that female-owned SMEs often have difficulty accessing finance. Females are mostly involved in sole-proprietorship businesses which are mainly microenterprises and as such may lack the necessary collateral to qualify for loans (Aryeetey et al, 1994; Abor and Biekpe, 2006). Measures of enterprise efficiency (e. g. labour productivity or total factor productivity) vary greatly both within and across industries. Firm size may be associated with some other factors that are correlated with efficiency, such as managerial skill and technology, and the effects of the policy environment. Most studies in developing countries indicate that the smallest firms are the least efficient, and there is some evidence that both small and large firms are relatively inefficient compared to medium-scale enterprises (Little et al. , 1987). It is often argued that SMEs are more innovative than larger firms. Many small firms bring innovations to the market place, but the contribution of innovations to productivity often takes time, and larger firms may have more resources to adopt and implement them (Acs et al. , 1999). 4. 0. Contributions of SMEs to Economic Development There is a general consensus that the performance of SMEs is important for both economic and social development of developing countries. From the economic perspective, SMEs provide a number of benefits (Advani, 1997). SMEs have been noted to be one of the major areas of concern to many policy makers in an attempt to accelerate the rate of growth in low-income countries. These enterprises have been recognized as the engines through which the growth objectives of developing countries can be achieved. They are potential sources of employment and income in many developing countries. SMEs seem to have advantages over their large-scale competitors in that they are able to adapt more easily to market conditions, given their broadly skilled technologies. They are able to withstand adverse economic conditions because of their flexible nature (Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). SMEs are more labour intensive than larger firms and therefore have lower capital costs associated with job creation (Anheier and Seibel, 1987; Liedholm and Mead, 1987; Schmitz, 1995). They perform useful roles in ensuring income stability, growth and employment. Since SMEs are labour intensive, they are more likely to succeed in smaller urban centres and rural areas, where they can contribute to a more even distribution of economic activity in a region and can help to slow the flow of migration to large cities. Due to their regional dispersion and their labour intensity, it is argued, small-scale production units can promote a more equitable distribution of income than large firms. They also improve the efficiency of domestic markets and make productive use of scarce resources, thus facilitating long-term economic growth (Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). SMEs contribute to a country’s national product by either manufacturing goods of value, or through the provision of services to both consumers and/or other enterprises. This encompasses the provision of products and, to a lesser extent, services to foreign clients, thereby contributing to overall export performance. In Ghana and South Africa, SMEs represent a vast portion of businesses. They represent about 92% of Ghanaian businesses and contribute about 70% to Ghana’s GDP and over 80% to employment. SMEs also account for about 91% of the formal business entities in South Africa, contributing between 52% and 57% of GDP and providing about 61% of employment (CSS, 1998; Ntsika, 1999; Gumede, 2000; Berry et al. , 2002). From an economic perspective, however, enterprises are not just suppliers, but also consumers; this plays an important role if they are able to position themselves in a market with purchasing power: their demand for industrial or consumer goods will stimulate the activity of their suppliers, just as their own activity is stimulated by the demands of their clients. Demand in the form of investment plays a dual role, both from a demand-side (with regard to the suppliers of industrial goods) and on the supplyside (through the potential for new production arising from upgraded equipment). In addition, demand 224 International Research Journal of Finance and Economics – Issue 39 (2010) is important to the income-generation potential of SMEs and their ability to stimulate the demand for both consumer and capital goods (Berry et al. , 2002). 5. 0. General Constraints to SME Development Despite the potential role of SMEs to accelerated growth and job creation in developing countries, a number of bottlenecks affect their ability to realize their full potential. SME development is hampered by a number of factors, including finance, lack of managerial skills, equipment and technology, regulatory issues, and access to international markets (Anheier and Seibel, 1987; Steel and Webster, 1991; Aryeetey et al, 1994; Gockel and Akoena, 2002). The lack of managerial know-how places significant constraints on SME development. Even though SMEs tend to attract motivated managers, they can hardly compete with larger firms. The scarcity of management talent, prevalent in most countries in the region, has a magnified impact on SMEs. The lack of support services or their relatively higher unit cost can hamper SMEs’ efforts to improve their management, because consulting firms are often not equipped with appropriate cost-effective management solutions for SMEs. Besides, despite the numerous institutions providing training and advisory services, there is still a skills gap in the SME sector as a whole (Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). This is because entrepreneurs cannot afford the high cost of training and advisory services while others do not see the need to upgrade their skills due to complacency. In terms of technology, SMEs often have difficulties in gaining access to appropriate technologies and information on available techniques (Aryeetey et al. , 1994). In most cases, SMEs utilize foreign technology with a scarce percentage of shared ownership or leasing. They usually acquire foreign licenses, because local patents are difficult to obtain. Regulatory constraints also pose serious challenges to SME development and although wideranging structural reforms have led to some improvements, prospects for enterprise development remain to be addressed at the firm-level. The high start-up costs for firms, including licensing and registration requirements, can impose excessive and unnecessary burdens on SMEs. The high cost of settling legal claims, and excessive delays in court proceedings adversely affect SME operations. In the case of Ghana, the cumbersome procedure for registering and commencing business are key issues often cited. The World Bank Doing Business Report (2006) indicated that it takes 127 days to deal with licensing issues and there are 16 procedures involved in licensing a business in Ghana. It takes longer (176 days) in South Africa and there were 18 procedures involved in dealing with licensing issues. Meanwhile, the absence of antitrust legislation favours larger firms, while the lack of protection for property rights limits SMEs’ access to foreign technologies (Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). Previously insulated from international competition, many SMEs are now faced with greater external competition and the need to expand market share. However, their limited international marketing experience, poor quality control and product standardisation, and little access to international partners, continue to impede SMEs’ expansion into international markets (Aryeetey et al. , 1994). They also lack the necessary information about foreign markets. One important problem that SMEs often face is access to capital (Lader, 1996). Lack of adequate financial resources places significant constraints on SME development. Cook and Nixson (2000) observe that, notwithstanding the recognition of the role of SMEs in the development process in many developing countries, SMEs development is always constrained by the limited availability of financial resources to meet a variety of operational and investment needs. A World Bank study found that about 90% of small enterprises surveyed stated that credit was a major constraint to new investment (Parker et al. , 1995). Levy (1993) also found that there is limited access to financial resources available to smaller enterprises compared to larger organisations and the consequences for their growth and development. The role of finance has been viewed as a critical element for the development of SMEs (Cook and Nixson, 2000). A large portion of the SME sector does not have access to adequate and appropriate forms of credit and equity, or indeed to financial services more generally (Parker et al. , 1995). In competing for the corporate market, formal financial institutions have structured their products to serve the needs of large corporates. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics – Issue 39 (2010) 225 A cursory analysis of survey and research results of SMEs in South Africa, for instance, reveals common reactions from SME owners interviewed. When asked what they perceive as constraints in their businesses and especially in establishing or expanding their businesses, they answered that access to funds is a major constraint. This is reflected in perception questions answered by SME owners in many surveys (see BEES, 1995; Graham and Quattara, 1996; Rwingema and Karungu, 1999). This situation is not different in the case of Ghana (see Sowa et al. , 1992; Aryeetey, 1998; Bigsten et al. , 2000, Abor and Biekpe 2006, 2007; Quartey, 2002). A priori, it might seem surprising that finance should be so important. Requirements such as identifying a product and a market, acquiring any necessary property rights or licenses, and keeping proper records are all in some sense more fundamental to running a small enterprise than is finance (Green et al. , 2002). Some studies have consequently shown that a large number of small enterprises fail because of non-financial reasons. Other constraints SMEs face include: lack of access to appropriate technology; the existence of laws, regulations and rules that impede the development of the sector; weak institutional capacity and lack of management skills and training (see Sowa et al. , 1992; Aryeetey et al. , 1994; Parker et al. , 1995; Kayanula and Quartey, 2000). However, potential providers of finance, whether formal or informal, are unlikely to commit funds to a business which they view as not being on a sound footing, irrespective of the exact nature of the unsoundness. Lack of funds may be the immediate reason for a business failing to start or to progress, even when the more fundamental reason lies elsewhere. Finance is said to be the â€Å"glue† that holds together all the diverse aspects involved in small business start-up and development (Green et al. , 2002). 6. 0. Conclusion This paper has reviewed various definitions of SMEs and also discussed the characteristics, contributions of SMEs to economic development, and the constraints to SME development. In reviewing the definitions of SMEs, it was concluded that there is no single, universal, uniformly acceptable definition of SMEs. Several measures or indicators have been used to define the SME sector. The most commonly used is the number of employees of the enterprise. However, in applying this definition, confusion often arises in respect of the arbitrariness and cut-off points used by various official sources. The definitions of SMEs within the context of Ghana and South Africa were also examined, given that this paper focuses on these two countries. SMEs often fall into two categories, that is, urban and rural enterprises. The former can be sub-divided into â€Å"organized† and â€Å"unorganized† enterprises. The organized groups have registered offices and paid workers, whilst the unorganized ones are mainly made up of artisans. Rural enterprises are largely made up of family groups and individual artisans. The activities in the SME sector range from pottery and ceramics to manufacturing of spare parts and electronic assembly. SMEs in Ghana and South Africa have a lot of similarities in terms of their characteristics as well as the vital role they play in the two economies. However, they differ in terms of size and regulation. For instance, the cut off point for the various categories of SMEs in Ghana are much lower than they pertain in South Africa. Secondly, whereas a national legislation defines an SME in South Africa, no such Act exist in Ghana. The study also observed that SMEs constitute a vital element of the development process, and their contributions in terms of production, employment and income in developing countries is widely recognized. Hence, interest in the role of SMEs in the development process continues to be high on the agenda of policy makers in the two countries. Notwithstanding the recognition, the development of SMEs is always constrained by a number of factors such as, lack of access to appropriate technology, limited access to international markets, the existence of laws, regulations and rules that impede the development of the sector; weak institutional capacity and lack of management skills and training. However, access to finance remains the greatest concern for the majority of SMEs. This study suggests that, to improve access to credit to SMEs, entrepreneurs should be encouraged to form cooperatives since financial institutions believe peer pressure often reduces the risk 26 International Research Journal of Finance and Economics – Issue 39 (2010) of default, Secondly, the government through tax incentives can encourage certain training institutions and NGOs to provide training to entrepreneurs on simple record keeping and managerial know-how. Also, a national legislation in Ghana to define what constitutes an SME and their leg al as well as tax obligations will help to integrate a number of informal enterprises into the formal framework. This should be complemented with steps to minimize the legal procedures involved in doing business in both countries. It is also suggested that technology transfer through simple, inexpensive and adaptable technology should be promoted to enhance the productivity of SMEs. References [1] [2] Abor, J. and N. 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