A Very Short History of Tanzania

It is believed that modern humans originate from the rift valley region of East Africa, and as well as fossilized hominid remains, archaeologists have uncovered Africas oldest human settlement in Tanzania. From around first Millennium CE the region was settled by Bantu speaking peoples who migrated from the west and north. The coastal port of Kilwa was established around 800 CE by Arab traders, and Persians similarly settled Pemba and Zanzibar. By 1200 CE the distinctive mix of Arabs, Persians and Africans had developed into Swahili culture. Vasco da Gama sailed up the coast in 1498, and the coastal zone soon fell under the control of Portuguese. By the early 1700s Zanzibar had become a center for the Omani Arab slave trade. In the mid 1880s, the German Carl Peters began exploring the region, and by 1891 the colony of German East Africa had been created. In 1890, following its campaign to end the slave trade in the region, Britain made Zanzibar a protectorate. German East Africa was made a British mandate after World War I, and renamed Tanganyika. The Tanganyika African National Union, TANU, came together to oppose British rule in 1954 -- they achieved internal self-government in 1958, and independence on 9 December 1961. TANUs leader Julius Nyerere became prime minister, and then, when a republic was proclaimed on 9 December 1962, he became president. Nyerere introduced ujamma, a form of African socialism based on cooperative agriculture. Zanzibar won independence on 10 December 1963 and on 26 April 1964 merged with Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanzania. During Nyereres rule, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Revolutionary State Party) was declared the only legal political party in Tanzania. Nyerere retired from the presidency in 1985, and in 1992 the consitution was amended to allow multi-party democracy.

Summary Of Wicked And Lawless Men By Anne Marshall

In 1865 the Freedmen’s Bureau was created by Congress to help former black slaves and poor Southern whites after the Civil War. In chapter three, Wicked and Lawless Men, in Anne Marshall’s book, she stated that the Freedmen’s Bureau was to â€Å"provide a legal voice for the freedmen by negotiating labor contracts between African Americans and their employers and attempting to quell racial violence†¦ (Marshall 61).† The bureau was to also help provide education, housing, as well as food distribution and land redistribution - 40 acres and a mule. But, since the beginning the Freedmen’s Bureau â€Å"faced stiff resistance from conservative whites (61).† The conservative whites made sure that their attitudes towards Reconstruction were clearly presented to the public not only by their cartoons in the newspapers, but also by terrorizing the bureau’s supporters. This cartoon from Harper’s Weekly depicts what most white men believed: the Freedmen’s Bureau allowed African Americans to be idle while the white man worked hard for his money to support his family and also to â€Å"supporting† the African American. Thus angering the white man and causing violence throughout towns, especially in the South and because of this idea of giving money to African Americans, the white man hated the Freedmen’s Bureau.) Conservative white men expressed their dissatisfaction of the Freedmen’s Bureau in many ways. One way white men indicated their anger was by being passive aggressive though newspapers and

Theraputic Relationship Free Essays

meantime I communicated with my best with her do that she felt comfortable. Asa result, she gave a good cooperation and enjoyed the meal until finished. In my evaluating, I feel I make the right decision to accompany and assistMrs. We will write a custom essay sample on Theraputic Relationship or any similar topic only for you Order Now A in feeding. Furthermore, I could develop my nurse-patient relationship. Although McCabe (2004, p. 44) would describe it as a task-centredcommunication as one of the element caused the lack communication amongnurses, but I think my nurse-patient relationship communication both involved agood patient-centred communication and task-centred communication. In mypersonal opinion, I attended to Mrs. A as a patient to show my empathy becauseshe was unable to feed herself. It was also as my duty to feed her so that I couldmake sure the patient get the best care in the ward. So my involvement in thisnurse-patient relationship does not only restrict to the task-centredcommunication because (Burnard 1990, and Stein-Parbury 1993, cited inMcCabe 2002, p. 44) define attending as a patient-centred process as wells as tofulfil the basic conditions as a nurse to provide the genuineness, warmth andempathy towards the patient. I was able to improve my non-verbalcommunication skills in my conversation with her during the feeding. As she washaving a hearing problem and could not communicate in the first languageproperly, so the non-verbal communication plays a role. Caris-Verhallen et al (1999, p. 809) state that the non-verbal communication becomes important whencommunicating with the elderly people who develop a hearing problem. Hollman et al (2005, p31) suggests some effective ways to maximize the communication 5 ith hearing impairment people such as always gains the person’s attentionbefore speaking, visible yourself to prevent them feel frighten and try to usesome sensitive touch. I feel this is a good experience to me because I learn todevelop my non-verbal communication. I used most of the body gesturersbecause of the language barrier was being a gap in my conversation with Mrs. A. She could speak very limited in the first language so I tried to speak in her dialect. Furthermore, Wold (2004, p. 6) mention that gesturers are one specifictype of non-verbal communication intended to express ideas and are useful for people who cannot use much words. However I also used my facial expressionsto advise her to finish the meal. It might be not so delicious because shewithdraws the meal after few scopes but I smiled and assured Mrs. A that it wasgood for her health to finish her meal. In addition, the facial expressions are mostexpressive which are not limited to certain cultural and age barriers (Wold, 2004,p. 6). Therefore my facial expression worked out to encourage her to finish themeal. Although I could not explain detail to her about the important nutrition dietthat she should take, but I could advocate her to finish the meal served becausethe meal was prepared according to her condition. In order to analysis of the event, I could evaluate that, my communicationskills are very important to provide the best nursing care to Mrs. A. Mycommunication with Mrs. A was the interperso nal communication. This isbecause the interpersonal communication is a communication which involved of two persons (Funnell et al 2005, p. 438). I realized that my nonverbal 6 communication did help me a lot in my duty to provide the nursing care to Mrs. A. Even though she could understand few simple words when I was asking her but Inoticed that one of the problems occurs within the communication was thelanguage barrier. As the patient was not using the official language and thesecond language, I tried to speak in her language. I still could manage thecommunication in our conversation. However, it was quite difficult to promote theeffective verbal communication with the patient. Besides, White (2005, p. 112)recommend that a nurse should learn a few words or phrases in the predominantsecond language to put a patient at ease for better understanding. Although itwas quite difficult but using the nonverbal simultaneously with the verbalcommunication did encourage her to speak on her best to make me understandher words. In the event showed that, there was a response from Mrs. A. when Iwas asking her questions. Funnel et al (2005, p. 38) point out that acommunication would occur when a person responds to a message received andassigns meaning to it. She nodded her head to assign that she agreed with me. Delaune and Ladner (2002, p. 191) explain that the channel is one of thecomponent of the communication process which act as a medium during themessage is sent out. In addition, Mrs. A also gave me a feedback that sheunderstood my message by transmitting the message via her body gesturers andeye behaviour. Thus I could consider that the communication channels used inmy conversation were visual and auditory. Delaune and Ladner (2002, p. 191)state a feedback is that the sender receives the information after the receiver react to the message. However, Chitty and Black (2007, p. 218) define feedback 7 is a response to a message. In my situation, I was a sender who conveyed themessage receiving the information from Mrs. A, the receiver who agreed to takelunch and allow me to feed. Consequently, I could analyse that mycommunication with Mrs. A involved of five component of communication processwhich are sender, message, channel, receiver and feedback (Delaune andLadner, 2002, p. 91). In a nutshell, for my reflection of this event explores about on how thecommunication skills play a role on the nurse-patient relationship in order todeliver the nursing care towards the patient especially the adult. She neededquite sometime to adapt the ability changes in her daily activities living where Iwas trying to help her in feeding. I was concerning my feeling and thoughtsduring the feeding so that I cou ld improve more skills in my communication. Isuccessfully communicated with her effectively as she enjoyed finishing themeal. So it is vital to build rapport with her to encourage her ability to speak upverbally and non-verbal. Moreover, this ability could help her to communicateeffectively with other staff nurses. Later, she would not be neglected because of her age or her disability to understand the information given about her treatment. (Hyland and Donaldson 1989, cited in Harrison and Hart 2006 p. 22) mention thatcommunication express what the patients think and feel. In order to communicatewith adult, it is important to assess her common communication language andher ability to interact in the other languages. As I used some words in her dialect,I essentially encouraged the patient to speak out verbally and communicate non- 8 verbal so that the message could be understood and do not break the nurse-patient communication. In my opinion, I evaluated that it does not a matter whether it was a patient-centred communication or task-centred communicationbecause both communication mentioned by McCabe (2004) actually doesinvolves communication to the patients. So it was not a problem to argue whichtype of communication involves in my conversation with my patient. After analysed the situation, I could conclude that I was be able to know the skills for effective communication with the patient such as approach the patient, askingquestions, be an active listening, show my empathy and support the patientemotions (Walsh, 2005, p. 34). Actually helping the adult was a good practice indelivering the nursing care among adults. My action plan for the clinical practice in the future, if there were patientsthat I need to help in feeding or other nursing procedure, I would prepare myself better to handle with the patients who would have some difficulty incommunication. This is because, as one of the health care worker, I want thebest care for my patients. So in related to deliver the best care to my patients, Ineed to understand them very well. I have to communicate effectively as this isimportant to know what they need most during warded under my supervision as anurse. According to my experience, I knew that communication was thefundamental part to develop a good relationship. Wood (2006, p. 13) express thata communication is the key foundation of relationship. Therefore a goodcommunication is essential to get know the patient’s individual health status 9 How to cite Theraputic Relationship, Papers

Industry Project for Sole Trading Company -myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theIndustry Project for Sole Trading Company. Answer: Introduction The purpose of preparing the reflective journal is to identify the structure of the organization, determine the skills and experiences that have been achieved by me during the critical learning phase. I have chosen the sole trading company, because it is much easier to determine how the company manages its human resources and how work has been organized within the organization. The company that has been chosen here as the case study is Simply Indian Restaurant in New Zealand (Simplyindian.co.nz, 2017). Host organization/ Industry Client The Simply Indian restaurant offers great quality fish curry, lamb corma and other Indian snacks and sweet items that can fulfill the tastes and preferences of customers easily. One of the major issues that was faced by the restaurant was lack of management and control of costs of operations and processes. This deteriorated the profit level of the company largely too. The company has a sole trading structure and because of this, it has been easy to set up and the starts up costs were quite low as well (Arends, 2014). The business processes are controlled with much ease and the profit is not shared with anyone. The organization is located at 225 High Street, Lower Hutt central 5010, Wellington in New Zealand. The company has 50 -60 staffs in total who have been employed within the organization and provides fine dining experience to the customers. The work is managed within the organization by keeping the workers motivated and encouraged to deliver high quality dining experience through providing good quality food and discreet services. It also hosts private and corporate parties and events to attract more customers and enhance the profit level too (Howarth Fredericks, 2012). Situation reflection Introduction I have managed to obtain a lot of skills and experiences based on critical learning about how to handle the customers and ensure that good quality and proper services are delivered to them for keeping them satisfied. I have been interacting with the customers at the cooperative education organization for determining who have been unsatisfied with the kinds of services and products delivered by the Simply Indian restaurant in New Zealand. Few of the customers have dietary issues like allergies for certain food items or ingredients used to prepare the dish. One such customer expressed concern and sense of dissatisfaction with the quality of food items by showing aggressive behaviors towards the hotel staffs (Kirkwood Price, 2014). There was also a situation when a group of customers entered the restaurant just few minutes before its closure and ordered the food items available in the menu that might take the longest time for preparation. I have obtained relevant knowledge and skills t o connect with the customers and make sure that they are handled responsibly to create positive brand name and image. Collaboration of employees and by combining charm, psychology, communication skills and impartial mediation can help in delivering the best quality services and even motivate the employees to perform to their potential. One of the challenges with the organizational culture was the inability to involve all the team members and make people informed about its culture (Kolb , 2014). First critical learning experience From my educational experience at the cooperative education organisation, I have learned to maintain consistency while managing a good organizational culture. It is not only essential for promoting good communication, but will also enhance my personal skills to handle the customers properly. The messages delivered to the customers at the restaurant must be clear, precise and consistent for making people know what are being sold and can keep them satisfied. I need to create a good culture that can allow the staffs to communicate with each other and work as a team for delivering the best quality services to people (Nosich, 2012). Second critical learning experience I have gathered experiences to enhance the brand image and for a new Indian restaurant that has been established in New Zealand, it is important to improve the brand image and identity. From my experiences, I have learned that social media is an essential aspect to create successful business nowadays. The involvement of social networking websites can grab attention of customers and generate good traffic, furthermore create brand awareness among the people (Schn, 2015). Third critical learning experience My third learning experience was based on the utilization of resources and inventories to increase the level of profit for Simply Indian restaurant in New Zealand. It is always important to manage the needs of suppliers and conduct a food and beverage inventory to ensure that all the resources are available properly and good quality food items are prepared to keep customers satisfied and maximize the level of profit. I have also obtained relevant leadership skills to organize the staffs by considering the views and opinions of the workers and make strategic decisions aligned with the organizational goals and objectives (Simplyindian.co.nz, 2017). Personal growth While being a part of the cooperative education organization, I have obtained necessary skills related to the various aspects of leadership, critical thinking and ability to handle challenging situations and customers who can create issues for the organization. These skills have improved my knowledge and experience to progress in my career and become successful in my personal and professional life too. Reflections on feedback from academic supervisor By obtaining the responses and feedbacks of the supervisor, I have understood how my performance has been at the present and how it will help in progressing in the career with ease. The verbal and written feedbacks have further helped in analyzing the various areas of weaknesses like an issue faced while doing the referencing in APA style (Tracey Baaki, 2014). I searched for the literature review section and obtained relevant knowledge and skills to do the in texting and referencing by putting commas and initials in the right place too. Correct referencing would help in finding related information by searching with the author name and obtain important data and information regarding the same. Future Career Direction and Preparation for future My experiences within the cooperative education organization have helped me to progress in my career and even determine my roles and responsibilities easily. I was not satisfied with the kinds of customers services while working as a Sales and marketing manager. This is why, I focused more on conducting market research to manage various surveys and ensure collection and analysis of data to determine the market conditions. This would also help me to analyse the current market scenario in New Zealand and deliver products according to their needs and requirements at Simply Indian (Arends, 2014). I require additional training to strengthen my skills in the field of marketing research, because my statistical knowledge is poor and it needs proper information to work on the statistics course and furthermore improve my ability to analyze data with ease. This would fulfill my personal development requirements and allow me to progress in my future career efficienctly (Howarth Fredericks, 2012). Work Ready Curriculum Vitae Name: . Address: Contact: Career objectives To perform to my potential by undertaking initiatives, remain creative and dynamic in job. Special skills Leadership skills, management skills, operations skills Professional experience Name of organization: New Zealand Association for Cooperative Education Duration of work: November 2014 to present Position: Studied about workplace integrated learning and studying various leadership and management skills to handle situations at Simply Indian. The skills that I have obtained will help me to achieve the requirements for progressing in my career and work as an efficient leader at Simply Indian for delivering the best quality services to customers. References Arends, R. (2014). Learning to teach. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Howarth, R., Fredericks, J. (2012). Sustainable SME practice: A reflection on supply-chain environmental management intervention. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 23(6), 673-685. Kirkwood, A., Price, L. (2014). Technology-enhanced learning and teaching in higher education: what is enhancedand how do we know? A critical literature review. Learning, media and technology, 39(1), 6-36. Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press. Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum. Schn, D. W. (2015). Teaching artistry through reflection-in-action. Simplyindian.co.nz. (2017). Simplyindian.co.nz. Retrieved 11 October 2017, from https://www.simplyindian.co.nz/ Tracey, M. W., Baaki, J. (2014). Design, designers, and reflection-in-action. In Design in educational technology (pp. 1-13). Springer International Publishing.

Arts and Literature essays

Arts and Literature essays Art, Literature and Society from 1955-1970 Fear and Loathing in a Clockwork Age Ah! The noble search for identity. That intangible achievement that all artists lust after and lay in torment over. And during the post war era that struggle reached incredible magnitudes. The world cried out for legions of anti-heroes, who were only virtuous in their unapologetic and brutally honest lack of virtue. And the art world provided as many counter culture messiahs as was needed to "Damn the Man". The Beats, hippies, and punks are evidence that behind the white picket fence of suburbia lay an America that wanted more out of life than the sugar coated portrayals of domesticity and patriotism it received from pop culture. The unfortunate side of authenticity often lead to the conclusion that autonomy was an impossible dream and that just mere existence required an individual to compromise his integrity. The post-war generation developed an interesting love-hate relationship with the mass culture of its time. Some, like Andy Warhol, embraced the inevitability of mass cultural ization in order to control the beast (yes, this is a reference to Revelations). While others recognized the American Dream as being a hypocrisy and so chose the Golden Eternity instead. The Beat generation and early hippies sought to separate themselves from mainstream society where they believed they could start anew and fully experience life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The flower child philosophy was in fact very Transcendental, minus the stuffy New England mentality. The sexual, spiritual, and intellectual freedom and autonomy that characterized the Haight-Ashberry scene were closer to the Whitmanesque ideal than anything achieved during his life time. Postwar America was extremely prosperous from the stand point of the middle class white suburbanite. The only problem was that not everyone fit that mold. And even those who were born into that envir ...

Long Term Investment Decisions

Long Term Investment Decisions Outline of plan The plan for the company, which faces increases in costs of the major ingredients, is to lobby government for recognition of its products as important for consumers and intervene through fiscal policies like taxation to reduce the cost of ingredients.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Long Term Investment Decisions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Meanwhile, the firm will concentrate on product differentiation, which should allow it to have a unique value proposition to customers and increase the inelasticity of the product’s price. As for capital projects, the firm would consider outsourcing non-core responsibilities to reduce cost and achieve agility in response to market changes. A strategy for making products response to price less elastic and rationale The main reason for reducing the price elasticity of a product is the maximization of profits. An increase in price lowers the demand for a p roduct in a perfect economy when the product is a normal good. However, when the product does not behave as a normal good, its price can increase and the demand stays the same or increases too. In essence, the product’s response to price becomes less elastic (Forgang Einolf, 2007). Based on the above discussion, the company can make the product qualify as a necessity for consumers. When it achieves the objective, people will have to buy the products, even when the prices increase. Typically, the firm will have to reduce the threat of substitute goods by making its product unique in their value proposition. Customers should be able to get a significantly higher utility from the company products than they can obtain from the closest substitute. Consequently, the biggest focus of the firm should be on product differentiation and market research to ensure that its products meet consumer demand better than substitute products and consumers understand the value difference when mak ing purchase choices. Marketing campaigns using product samples would be a favorable strategy for the firm in this endeavor. Major effects of government policy The free market economy is often sufficient for rewarding risk takers with favorable business returns and in the process, ensuring that the demand for goods and services is fulfilled by the available supply. However, there can be loopholes in the system that give suppliers or consumers an unfair advantage, such that they are able to get more than a socially fair return for their investments or the price they pay for goods and services.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Government intervention through policy often comes as a way to correct the inability of the market to allocate resources where they are most needed. The government regulates trade. In doing so, it limits the extent to which producers and sellers can manipulate prices. It also regulates trade to limit the distribution of certain goods or services and it can also ban their trade. In regard to low-calories frozen, microwavable food, such a policy can be about increasing taxes on high calorific foods to limit their consumption and ensure that the populace remains healthy (Deng, Falvey, Blake, 2010). The second major effect of government policy is the equitable distribution of public goods that the market is unable to do. Entrepreneurs may not find it profitable to invest in low-calorific foods when there is a limited demand. Therefore, the government would intervene in the market to reduce the cost of production for producers such that the microwaveable foods are affordable to produce. Since the producers also want to increase sales, they will likely lower prices to match demand. On the other hand, consumers would have higher purchasing power for the low-calorie, frozen microwave foods because of the low prices. In this regar d, the effect of the government policy to lower costs of production would be an increase in the demand for the products, which would allow the company to increase its production capacity and distribution channels to match the new demand. A similar increase in demand could be achieved by government sensitization of the benefits of the product. In the end, the company will employ more people and contribute to the reduction of unemployment in the economy. Need for government involvement and reasons for involvement in market economics The reason for government involvement in a market economy is to correct possibilities of market failures. On the other hand, markets could qualify as failures when there is evidence suggesting that they do not supply goods, which in this case are low-calorie, frozen microwaveable food desired by consumers (Auerbach, Gale, Harris, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Long Term Investment Decisions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Secondly, interventions could also occur because consumers do not have enough information to make informed food choices. Lastly, interventions by government would rise to correct social consequences of individual food-consumption choices. While market failure situations outlined above justify government involvement, they do not guarantee the cost-effectiveness of the policy. The intervention by the government often mitigates the market imbalances for a short while and may not be very responsive to changing factors that influence supply and demand of low-calories, frozen microwaveable food (Suranovic, 2010). Two examples of government involvement in similar market economy to support the answer In the first example, the government can choose to own enterprises so that it is able to influence their business choices because of its powers as a major shareholder. In this case, the government would be able to direct investments and strategies tow ard the education of consumers and the reduction of manufacturing costs through the use of state resources. The second example is where the government establishes anti-competition laws to prevent mergers and acquisitions that would allow firms to become dominant in the market and be able to manipulate prices. Explain major complexities that would arise under expansion via capital projects After undertaking a capital expansion project, the business opens up itself to a set of new problems that are not necessarily the same problems experienced by the smaller business on a larger scale. Instead, these problems are brought about by a restructured nature of the business and its operation in different markets and trading environment. The business could have grown too fast to meet demand when management realizes that its present contractual agreements with suppliers curtail its growth. For example, the company could sign leases for warehouses and exclusive transport services for five years , but three years into the business it realizes that the provided capacity is not enough for additional growth. Indeed, the biggest problem with capital project is the underestimation or overestimation of the actual behavior of the market and the actual demand of the capital project from the business in the future.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When undertaking a major infrastructural project, the business has to update its systems of monitoring cash flow and tracking inventories and deliveries because some of its operations would be unique to its normal business operations. At the same time, when the capital project is complete, the business realizes that its payment obligations increase significantly that they may cause a problem for management. In addition, the project may stall midway as the business exhausts its available capital for expansion and misses out on opportunities to get more capital to finish the project. The consequence of such a scenario is a diminished ability of the business to meet the present demand due to the sunken capital costs and is yet to provide any returns to the business. On the other hand, capital projects create a business demand for new hiring in various positions and the business has to have the adequate hiring capacity. Otherwise, it could make mistakes in the evaluation and fulfillment of personnel needs such that it is unable to effectively operate competitively after commissioning the new project. Lastly, the business leadership faces the challenge of adapting to the changing roles brought by capital projects. The business leaders often fail to let experts in accounting, legal, and human resource matters assist, which makes the leader less capable of managing the expanded organization. Key actions that the company could take to prevent or address these complexities It would be advisable for the company to seek the services of consultants to help it increase its capital projects. The consulting services may be costly, but they allow the company to avoid making bad decisions that could jeopardize its ability to respond to demand in the future. A second viable action is the engagement of third-party firms in manufacturing and research to reduce the initial capital outlay for expansion. Lastly, the firm can use a long-term strategy that is responsive to market chan ges such that management retains the leeway to modify strategy parameters and go slow on expansion when the firm needs to reallocate capital. This way, the firm could hire more personnel when operational challenges arise. Finally, the important thing for the company would be to limit its contractual agreements such that it does not find itself in positions where its long-term obligations are too costly to terminate and do not add to its profitability and business opportunities. Suggest the substantive manner in which the company could create a convergence between the interests of stakeholders and managers It is usually hard to have CSR and good governance being executed concurrently in a smooth way. Even when a company chooses not to have its managers free of social responsibilities, problems still arise as the company tries to institutionalize the concept. On the other hand, expanding the responsibilities of managers to answer various stakeholder groups may worsen the problems of t he firm such that managers have a hard time of having effective discipline. According to Ferrell, Fraedrich, and Ferrell (2014), it is not greedy shareholders who are the enemies of other stakeholder of the firm. Instead, it is the lazy and greedy managers who operate in an unsupervised and unethical way who are the enemy of other stakeholders. The managers who lack a moral obligation can take the firm to profitability as desired by shareholders, but may also open up the firm to social inconsistencies and legal problems that expose it to the wrath of other stakeholder groups. The practical way of converging stakeholders and managers is by sacrificing profits and shareholder wealth so that that firm can meet its extra-legal and moral obligations. It is not always practical to sacrifice shareholder interest for overall stakeholder interest as the case is with corporate social responsibility. Such interventions fail because shareholders still have a right to compel management to increa se profits, which could mean abandonment of the corporate social responsibility strategy. Nevertheless, most firms still practice CSR, albeit on a small scale. Deliberately foregoing profitability of the firm causes the firm to lose its appeal to investors and may jeopardize its intentions to raise additional funds. It is not enough to have a system of stakeholder governance where managers are free to carry out profit-consuming CSR activities and strategies. Such an intervention is open to abuse by management, who would be shielded from shareholders. In addition, it is not possible to have all managers being motivated to act in stakeholder interests other than their self-interest. In light of the above discussion on the possible shortcomings of CSR or lack of it, the best way to balance the issues of stakeholders and managers is by making CSR as part of the firm, but only incorporates CSR activities that enhance the profitability of the firm. The activities should be measurable and visible to both managers and stakeholder groups. However, their contribution to profitability does not necessarily have to match the contribution of other core business activities. The aim here is to prevent managers from abusing their privileges to allocate funds for CSR related activities and for stakeholders to gain from the activities of the firm without curtailing its ability to exist in a competitive environment. Indicate the most likely impact to profitability of such a convergence When the convergence of stakeholders and managers takes place as proposed above, the firm will likely incur increased costs and have a slight drop in its profit, at least for the initial period of implementing the strategy. Nevertheless, when the CSR activities start to pay off by increasing the firm’s brand reputation and its market penetration, then profits will again grow to match the potential of the firm’s main business activities in relation to available market opportunities. Th erefore, long-term profitability of the company would be sustained by the convergence (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2014). Provide two examples of instances that support your response According to Karnani (2010), companies working on fuel-efficient vehicles were not common in the past as they are today because they had little demand for fuel efficiency. The demand arose with the sensitization of consumers by various stakeholder groups. Its acceptance by managers only arose when they saw a clear pathway to profitability. They could use the projected performance of their firms to convince shareholders to allow the firm to make investments on corporate social responsibility with the aim of reducing emissions. This would both allow the company to emerge as a pioneer in the new market and grow its reputation as a champion for fuel efficiency. Another example is managers being unable to go against shareholder interest of increasing profits such that they can only invest in social program s to meet stakeholder interest when they have a connection to future profit. According to Reinhardt, Stavins, and Vietor (2008), in Delaware, a court ruled that the business judgment law protects a corporate manager’s decisions as long as they are rational. However, the law does not recognize non-financial incentives as conflicts of interest. In this regard, it allowed managers of Occidental Petroleum to pay for an art museum named after the company CEO, even when the cost was almost half of the company’s profits (Reinhardt, Stavins, Vietor, 2008). In the first example, managers succeed because they focus on a profitable social intervention. In the second example, managers sacrifice profits for a cause that appeals to some stakeholders. References Auerbach, A. J., Gale, W. G., Harris, B. H. (2010). Activist fiscal policy. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 24(4), 141-164. DOI: 10.1257/jep.24.4.141 Deng, Z., Falvey, R., Blake, A. (2010). Swapping market access for tec hnology spillovers? Tax incentives and foreign direct investment in China. International Conference on Applied Economics-ICOAE, pp. 147-159. Web. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., Ferrell, T. (2014). Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases (10th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Forgang, W. G., Einolf, K. W. (2007). Management economics: An accelerated approach. New York, NY: M. E. Sharpe, Inc. Karnani, A. (2010, August 23). The case against corporate social responsibility. Wall Street Journal. Web. Reinhardt, F. L., Stavins, R. N., Vietor, R. K. (2008). Corporate social responsibility through an economic lens. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. Web. Suranovic, S. (2010). A moderate compromise Economic policy choice in an era of globalization. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Discussion on Evidence Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Discussion on Evidence Law - Essay Example Evidence must conform to certain rules in order to be admissible. At the trial of A, witness W1 indicated that A and another person was seen packaging white powder. Witness W2 indicated that A was heard telling to someone that B and A would be selling stuff in a few months. W1 again testified that A and B met H on a trip to Sydney who sold amphetamines and wanted A and B to sell these in Canberra. W2 further testified that A and B were seen injecting amphetamines. So the evidence for the cases can be summarised as follows: 2. W1 - seen A and B on a trip to Sydney where they met H who sells amphetamines and asked A and B for partnerships. This evidence may be relevant as it provides as clear lead that A and B were having business plans with H who sells amphetamines Here some of the elements of evidence are excluded as items 3 and 1. According to the evidence given here, it may be suggested that the other items of evidence are relevant as the facts of the issue are more or less likely (see in Odgers, 2004). Evidence that on four consecutive days in February 2005 A purchased packets of 'Polecat' brand pseudoephedrine to a total of twenty packets from three chemists in various Canberra suburbs. It is accepted that pseudoephedrine is a core constituent of amphetamines. EFTPOS records showing that various pieces of apparatus which can... 4. W2 - seen A and B using and injecting amphetamines. This is a relevant evidence as it suggests that A and B were habituated with the uses of amphetamines. The evidence is strong against A and B who are suspected of selling and encouraging the use of narcotics that is illegal and severely punished. Here some of the elements of evidence are excluded as items 3 and 1. According to the evidence given here, it may be suggested that the other items of evidence are relevant as the facts of the issue are more or less likely (see in Odgers, 2004). QUESTION 2 (10 MARKS) The prosecution will seek to lead the following evidence at the trial of A: Evidence that on four consecutive days in February 2005 A purchased packets of 'Polecat' brand pseudoephedrine to a total of twenty packets from three chemists in various Canberra suburbs. It is accepted that pseudoephedrine is a core constituent of amphetamines. EFTPOS records showing that various pieces of apparatus which can be used in the production of amphetamines and which closely resemble, but are not identifiable as, some of the items found in C's premises were purchased from a wholesaler in Sydney using A's EFTPOS card on December 13 2004. Evidence from a witness, W3 who worked at the wholesaler's Sydney premises, that J, with whom A has been living in a de facto relationship for some years, was the person who purchased the items. EFTPOS records showing that A's EFTPOS card was used to purchase petrol in Sydney on five occasions in November and December 2004 including on December 13 2004. Evidence from a witness, W4, that A habitually gave J his EFTPOS card to use. Is this evidence admissible and if so on what

Cheating Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cheating - Term Paper Example These companies, while advertising, will use every term or means possible to portray the image that a consumer loves as being of lesser value than their product. It can be argued that most adverts aim at the destruction of the image of all other activities that individuals may be involved in and instead work towards the promotion of only those activities that are related to their product. As a result, it can be argued that cheating the customer for promoting a product is part of advertising and the morality, or lack of it, behind the adverts the basis upon which they are founded. Therefore, most adverts, no matter their nature, rarely hold any truth to what they are saying, since they often aim at making the customers believe that the product will fulfill their desires, when in reality, these product do not have that ability. The advertising of products, especially those from internationally recognized brands, is not only done at a local level, the advertising campaigns are also done at a regional, national, and international level. This is often considered the best way to ensure that the advert reaches a wider audience than it would normally have if the campaign were done at only the local level. It can be argued that the professionalism of the advertising company is often brought into question during such campaigns, because despite there being a code of conduct specifying how companies should conduct business, the adverts often create images for their customers which are not based on reality. It can be further argued that the fact that many of the adverts often convince their customers to select their products and shun others of the same quality is a stark example of how these adverts cheat their potential customers. It can be said that adverts are more often than not aimed at ensuring that a company’s products are able to compete effectively against other companies attempting to market similar products and in fact, these adverts are perhaps what can b e used to provide an edge against rival products. An argument can be made that companies are more interested in making as many sales as possible in their target markets and are not at all interested in the wellbeing of their customers (Baker 1213). This is the reason why they will do anything; even make false promises to their customers concerning their products, when advertising, in order to persuade them to purchase them. The main objective that can be made concerning the advertising of products is that it is aimed at ensuring that the sales of the said products are maximized. All manner of images and senses are used to ensure that this aim becomes a reality, meaning that companies will more often than not create products, not because they have the best interests of the customer at heart, but because they wish to increase their sales. Such tactics are more often than not psychological, because the actual product may not meet the standards which are mentioned I the advert. It can b e argued that companies often weave dreams for their customers and not their reality since they often go to the extent of making promises to the consumer about the product being able to fulfill their dreams and aspirations. Some of the most successful companies rely on advertising and their ability to convince their customers, through their adverts, that their products are the

Employee Relations Evaluation Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Employee Relations Evaluation Report - Essay Example Strong bonding among employer and employees are established by communication. Support: Each and every organizational members need to support each other for achieving goals and objectives of the company. Employers guide the employees for performing their work effectively. Employees support the employers by enhancing the productivity of the company. Gratitude: In employment relationship, gratitude is an important element. The employers appreciate and recognize the performances and efforts of employees and show gratitude to them. When the employees receive support or help from the employers they also express their gratitude towards them. There are various perspectives for managing employee relations of a company. By implementing any of the three perspectives of employee relations the companies try to improve their relations with the organizational members. Work place conflicts and various organizational issues are solved with the help of employee relations. Unitarist perspective: According to this perspective organization is perceived as a family where all the employees and management of the company emphasize on achieving organizational goals and objectives. Unitarist focuses on employee’s loyalty, common values, objectives and interest. Employees’ dissatisfaction is expressed by conflicts which is bad for the company. Organizational conflicts should be solved tactfully. Trade union is unnecessary thing for a company. If strong trust is present between employees and employers then trade union is not required. Pluralist perspective: According to this perspective companies perceive that employment relationship is made up of various powerful subgroups which have their own leaders, objectives and values. Trade unions and management are the important subgroups which affect employment relationships. For the different aims and objectives of these groups conflicts arises in the company which are solved by implementing

Causes of Poverty in Mauritius

Causes of Poverty in Mauritius Over the past two decades, Mauritius has continuously experienced considerable improvements in both social and economic levels. Mauritius is ranked as an upper middle income country since 2003, with a GDP per capita of $4000. Substantial improvement in life expectancy and literacy, Mauritius has shifted from medium to a high human development country during same period. This is evidenced by the latest UN Human Development Indices: Mauritius is ranked 81 (182 countries) in 2007, with an HDI value of 0.804. Challenge Despite these considerable improvements, poverty does exist in Mauritius. Rapid modernization and industrialization has lead to income inequality in the population, leading to an increase in number of pockets of poverty. This is a common phenomenon experienced by most developing countries. Governments or organizations have to reconsider their policies to decrease the level of income inequality in order to eradicate the problem of poverty. Meeting the challenge In Mauritius, government has implemented several social welfare programmes to bridge the gap between poor and non-poor. This include the distribution of social aid to needy people, subsidies on basic food item, ZEP programme in schools to enhance level of education, micro-financing to small and medium enterprises, female empowerment in labor market . In the 2008/09 National Budget, the Government provided Rs 395 million for the setting up of the of the Eradication of Absolute Poverty (EAP) Programme, an integrated development project which targets the households in the 229 pockets of poverty. In 2009, the Government has set up the National Empowerment Fund as an institutional framework to strengthen the role of various policy programmes such as the Empowerment Programme, EAP, Decentralised Cooperation Programme (DCP), etc. Despite the government policies, reforms and actions, poverty is still persistent in Mauritius. Poverty perceptions Poverty is a complex issue and multifaceted. This has always been of concern for everybody. Many studies and policy programmes have been put forward to assess poverty situation in the country and also to target the poor. It is worth noting that the proportion of people living below $1.25 per day, international poverty line, is almost negligible in the country. In contrast, past studies have shown that there are people living in severe poverty. The Relative Development Index for administrative regions, Municipal Wards and Village Council Areas (Central Statistics Office, 2000) identified the least developed regions in the country. The Trust Fund of Social Integration for Vulnerable Groups (set up in 2001) identified 229 pockets of poverty. The qualitative study conducted by DCP pointed out that there were people struggling for basic food. As a matter concern poverty has even been linked to a particular ethnic group that is, poverty perceived as malaise creole. These perceptions of poverty are evidence that people show their concern and this concern has accentuated the need for good measurement. Objective of study The complexity and sensitivity of poverty has accentuated the interest of people in targeting the poor and assessing poverty. Debates, focus group discussions and studies regarding poverty alleviation are still going on. Researchers are looking for new measurement and approaches to assess poverty in the country. Policy makers are looking for high quality inputs to formulate targeted strategies and programmes. In light of this, this study aims at identifying the determinants of poverty which are very crucial for policy analysis and the design of effective poverty reduction strategies. Given poverty is a multi-dimensional and cut across various factors, it is of paramount importance to know the factors increasing the likelihood of being poor. So far, there has been no poverty study on the determinants of poverty; most of the studies have mostly dwelled on the profiles of the poor and non-poor based on descriptive statistics. So, this study provides the opportunity to identify the determinants of poverty of the poorest poor using rigorous econometric models. The study also provides the opportunity to study poverty not as a dichotomy but as a spectrum. There have been several debates on poverty as a dichotomy that is, poor and non-poor (R. Kanbur). Poverty is a spectrum which comprises several grades of being poor. A multinomial logistic regression model is used to analyse the different groups of the poor. This will help policy makers to target the priority areas and formulate proper budgetary measures. The study also offers the opportunity to assess poverty using the qualitative and quantitative data. The first and last poverty assessment on such data was done in 1996. Today, poverty is assessed on quantitative data only (CSO. Poverty Report). Quantitative and qualitative data allows better understanding of poverty. Today, maximum emphasis is laid on poverty participatory that is to hear the voices of the poor. This approach is widely used. However, this study attempts to show that perception survey allows spurious responses and thus, poverty should be assessed on both quantitative and qualitative data. During the recent years, the study of the poorest poor has been a topic of growing interest for policy makers and researchers. So, an attempt is also made to study the poorest poor people. A threshold on food poverty is derived on the basis of available survey data. The determinants of poverty will be identified using this threshold. It would be desirable to study the malaise creole. However, given data on ethnicity is not available it is not possible to assess poverty in this particular population group. The study also analyses the consequences of poverty using the qualitative data of the LCS that is, how poorest poor people had to borrow money from relative/friends, living in poor dwellings etc. Last but not the least, the study also elaborates the various aspects that need to be addressed to enhance poverty assessment in the country for better formulation of policies and strategies at the conclusion. The welfare of the population and success of Government policies largely depend on the quality of statistics; good quality statistics allows government to monitor and adjust policies to ensure sustainable social and economic development. This study will, thus, be based on the data collected at the 2006/07 Household Budget Survey (HBS) data and the 2008 Living Conditions Survey (LCS). The HBS is the major source for poverty analysis. Together with income and expenditure data, it contains detailed information on the demographic, educational and economic status of the household members. The LCS is sub-sample survey from the HBS; this survey differs from the usual household survey conducted by the CSO; it is an opinion based survey based on Participatory Assessment approach; together with socio demographic details of the household members, it contains the assessment details of the households with regards to their life style. The information of the LCS survey allows a more in-depth analysis of the living condition of the people. CHAPTER 2 COUNTRY PROFILE AND ASSESSMENT 2.1 Background information The Republic of Mauritius is a group of islands located in the south-west of the Indian Ocean, consisting of two main islands, the island of Mauritius and island of Rodrigues. The island of Mauritius and Rodrigues has a total area of 1865 sq. km. and 140 Sq. Km. respectively. The Republic of Mauritius is a multi-racial country comprising the general population that is, mixed European and African origin, Indo-Mauritians and Sino-Mauritians. The official language being English, but French is widely spoken. Mauritius has been successively a Dutch, French and British colony. It became independent of Britain on 12 March 1968. Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has achieved considerable progress in both its economic growth and standard of living. In the economic sector, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agricultural based economy to an upper middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial and tourist sectors. With the continuous expanding economy, Mauritius has continuously moved ahead from the primary to tertiary sector. The share of GDP in agricultural sector has continuously decreased from 7.1% in 1999/2000 to 4.4% in 2008/09; the share of GDP in the tertiary sector has continuously increased from 67.8% to 72.6% during same period. Mauritius is ranked among upper middle-income countries (e.g. example of countries) with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of around $4,000 in 2004. Recent figures as at 2007 show that the GDP per capita worked out to above Rs 149,049 (Figure 1); the annual growth rates worked out around 5% for the past three years; the growth of inves tment (Gross Domestic Fixed Capita Formation) increased significantly from +19.2% in 2006 against -8.3% in 2000. The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as a percentage of GDP worked out to 3.5% in 2006 against 1.5% in 2005. Modernisation and expansion of the economy is apparent from the increasing use and availability of telephones (28.6 per 100 people in 2008), mobiles (81.2 per 100 people in 2008), computers (24.2 % of households in 2006) and internet subscribers (15.8 per 100 people in 2008). Together with economic development, Mauritius has achieved remarkable progress in the social development; the standard of living has changed over the years in terms of increased life-expectancy, lowered infant mortality, high literacy, high participation rate of children in schools, improved infrastructure, leisure and sports etc; Mauritius has a life expectancy at birth of 72 years in 2006 compared to 69 years in 1990; The adult literacy rate rose from 79.9% in 1990 to 84.3% in 2000; the primary school enrolment is almost 100%; the infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) dropped from 20.4 in 1990 to 14.4 in 2008; the unemployment rate, being a major concern for the country, has decreased from 9% in 2000 to 7% in 2008; the extreme poverty is almost negligible (less than 1% of the population is found below the poverty line of $1 a day). Due to sustained development in the social sector, Mauritius, second Sub-African country, now stands among high Human Development countries. In 2003, Mauritius shifted from medium development to high with a Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.800; based on the latest UN Human Development Report 2009, Mauritius has an HDI value of 0.804 and ranked 81 among 182 countries. (Refer figure 2 HDI trend) According to the progress to tract the 8 Millennium Development Goals , Mauritius, through sustained policies and actions, have already achieved almost 6 goals in the eradication of extreme poor, achievement of primary school enrolment, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, sustainable environment, and economic development. Despite these remarkable economic performances and sustained social developments, Mauritius still has to respond to many challenges; there are a number of short and medium term challenges; these relate to productivity, erosion of trade preferences, exchange rate fluctuations, budget deficits and unemployment. Consequently, these are impacting on social development thus leading to environmental degradation, poverty issues such as problem of social exclusions etc. An overall assessment of the poverty situation in the country is highlighted in the following paragraphs. Poverty Poverty is not highly prevalent in Mauritius as compared to the Sub-Saharan African countries where millions of people are struggling to live below a $1 a day, millions people dying due to diseases and hunger, millions of children in labour instead of being a school etc. However, poverty does exist in Mauritius; there exist pockets of poverty across the country. According to the CSO publications on poverty analysis report 2001/02 and 2006/07, it is noted that extreme poverty is almost negligible in Mauritius; the proportion of population living below the $1.25 (PPP) a day, so called US $ 1 a day, is estimated to be less than 1%. As compared to other Sub-Saharan African countries like Zambia, Nigeria, etc., poverty is relatively very low in Mauritius. According to the Millennium Development Goal 1 Eradicate extreme poverty hunger and the target being to halve the proportion of poor by 2015, Mauritius has already achieved this target. However, an analysis on qualitative assessment on poverty conducted by Decentralised Cooperation Programmes relates that there are Mauritian people who are struggling for basic foods (DCP, 2009). Mauritius does not have a national poverty line. However, on the basis of relative poverty measurement and data collected at Household Budget Surveys, the poverty situation is assessed by using a poverty line defined as half median monthly household income per adult equivalent. In 2006/07, the poverty line is estimated at Rs 3,821, around 8.5% of the population is deemed to be poor. The reports relate that poverty is highly prevalent among single member households (10.3%), female headed households (11.9%), one parent households with unmarried children only (13.5%), households with large number of dependent children; heads of households with educational attainment below Standard VI (13.2%) and being inactive (11.0%) were found most vulnerable. The report also highlights that the income disparity between poor and households that is, the household income for the poor (Rs 7,055) was three times lower than that of all households (Rs 22,242); poor households were found highly reliant on go vernment social security benefits that is, basic pensions and social aid. It was noted that if government social security benefits are discontinued the poverty incidence would double; poverty rate would increase from 7.9% to 15.9%). The report also sheds light on the household tenure of poor persons. It was found that 82% of the poor households owned a dwelling against 92% for all households. In terms of household goods and durables, poor households were more likely to possess television (85%), refrigerator (63%) , fixed telephone (41%); in particular, mobile phone (48.5%); it is worth noting that the proportion of poor households with mobile phones in 2001/02 was almost negligible. As regards principal use of cooking fuels, poor households have already switched off to cooking gas. In 2006/07, nearly 90% of the poor households used cooking gas and thus, only 10% of them had recourse to cheaper fuels like wood and kerosene. The share of expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages, also a measure of economic wellbeing, decreased from 42% in 1986/87 to 32% 2006/07. This implies that people are better off. The modernization, industrialization and increasing economic growth has lead to the growing income inequality in the population and increasing number of pockets of poverty (NMDG report, 2002). Indeed, this phenomenon is quite common in most developing countries. The Gini Coefficient,a measure of income inequality, dropped from 0.445 in 1980/81 to 0.388 in 2006/07. A Gini nearing to 1 means perfect inequality and 0 no inequality. However, according to the past three Household Budget Surveys, the 2006/07 Gini has deteriorated to some extent (0.387 in 1996/97, 0.371 in 2001/02 and 0.388 in 2006/07) Refer figure 3. The ratio of share of income going to richest decile and share of income going to poorest decile worked at 7.4 in 2006/07 against 7.9% in 1986/87. The unequal distribution of income in the population gives rise to growing number of pockets of poverty. The CSO publication on Relative Development Index based on 2000 Housing and Population Census data shows the administrative reg ions with least developments. These least developed areas are more concentrated in the island of Rodrigues and the east, west and south part of the island of Mauritius. In 2006, the Trust Fund of Integration of Vulnerable Group has come up with a list of 229 pockets of poverty across the island of Mauritius. In 2009, the Decentralised Cooperation Programme has come up with a report on qualitative study on poverty assessment. In the overall assessment, the author has highlighted the profiles of the poor and some assessment of policies in the country. The report also presents that poverty is highly correlated with gender, employment, level of income, level of education, geographical areas etc. It is also noted that poverty is also related to ethnicity. The author raised the issue where poverty was characterized as Malaise Creole. And also that poverty is prevalent among fisherman living in coastal areas. The main assessments of the pilot study are as follows:- people are finding it difficult to enjoy even a basic diet; high degree of indebtedness in poor households; and difficulty in paying utility bills and purchase of basic food items In 1997, the Appavoo Associate, together with Data Research Africa has come up with a report on poverty analysis in Mauritius. The report highlighted the poverty incidence in terms of monetary approach in the country, together with an assessment of people perceptions on policies in education, transport, health etc. The report also highlighted the prevalence of poverty in connection with regions, households with large number of dependents, female headed households etc. 2.3 Poverty policies and actions The eradication of poverty is on the agenda of the government. Government, together with private organisations and assistance of international agencies like the UNDP, IMF, World Bank etc. is making concerted effort to eradicate poverty in the country. Various social welfare programmes and polices have been implemented. Some examples of the social welfare programmes are as follows:- Distribution of social security benefits old age pension to ensure proper standard living for elderly people aged 60 years and over, widows pension, invalid pensions, social aid for poor households etc. Subsidy on flour, ration rice and cooking gas; Free education at primary and secondary education; distribution of books in primary education; distribution of daily bread pain maison in primary schools; distribution of food in selected schools under Zone Education Prioritaire programmes; Industrial and vocational training for children having not passed the final stage of primary education; distribution of computers in schools. Free health services in government hospital and area health centres; health services through Caravane de Sante in different regions of the country; school and domiciliary visit of health personel; Sensitization campaign on HIV in schools and workplaces; Free transport facility to elderly, invalids and school going children Low interest housing loan for building of houses; Empowerment Programme set up in 2006 in view of empowering unemployed people and also women having lost their jobs; Financial services such as Micro-credit scheme to empower women entrepreneurs According to figures published by the CSO, the government expenditure on Community and Social Welfare worked out around Rs 30 Billion every financial year over a total government expenditure of Rs 50 Billion, thus indicating that Government disburse more than 50% of the government expenditure to social and welfare development. Together with these social welfare programmes, several poverty alleviation programmes were set up which are as follows:- Trust Fund for the Social Integration of Vulnerable Group (2001) set up in view of addressing the need of the poor people who are excluded from the main stream of socio-economic development A Nou Dboute Ensam (1999) aims at promoting subsidies and micro credit schemes to the vulnerable groups. IFAD, Community Development Programme (2000) aims at bringing disadvantaged people within an organizational framework Levà © Deboute (1999) focuses at income generating activities and community developments in Rodrigues Decentralised Cooperation Programmes (2006) funded by European Union to fight against poverty Alleviation of poverty in Mauritius and Rodrigues by improving the delivery of social services and complementing the resources of vulnerable groups National Empowerment Fund (2008) aims to fights against poverty. Eradication of Absolute Poverty 2.4 Poverty measurement The measurement of poverty depends on how poverty is perceived. According to the description of poverty assessment in Mauritius, it is clear that there is no single measurement of poverty. Poverty is assessed in terms of Absolute, Relative and Subjective. The approaches are succinctly described below:- Mauritius does not have a national poverty for example the minimum vital which is frequently updated with price inflation as in the context of absolute poverty. The World Bank $1 purchasing power parity a day international absolute poverty line is found not relevant to the context of Mauritius. The advantage of using an absolute poverty line is that it allows comparison over time thus enhancing continuous poverty assessment and monitoring. In the absence of the absolute poverty, the CSO uses the relative poverty measurement based on half median household income where adjustment for household size and composition and economies of scale are considered. The relative poverty measurement reveals the prevailing poverty situation for a given time period. This approach is the most commonly used measure particularly in developing countries. The relative poverty measurement still varies because some of the assessments are based on income/expenditure, mean/median income, 40%, 50% or 60% median income etc. Subjective poverty is the assessment of the poverty situation based on the participatory of the poor persons for example the poverty assessment in 1996 (Appavoo Associates). Poverty has also been done on the basis of non-monetary approach that is, other than using income/expenditure data. The Relative Development Index which attempts to identify the least developed administrative regions is based on housing and socio-economic variables at the Housing and Population Census. CHAPTER 5 METHODOLOGY 5.1 Introduction This chapter presents the methodological part of the study. It gives a broad description of the statistical models used and also the determination of the different thresholds used. Given that this study aims to present the determinants of poverty for extreme poverty and also an in-depth analysis of the various sub groups of poor population, two econometric models are being used namely the logistic regression model and the multinomial logistic regression model. 5.2 Regression model Regression analysis plays an importance role in statistics; it is a very powerful and commonly used technique. This technique provides more meaningful results and conclusions as compared to descriptive statistics. In the context of analysing the determinants of poverty among various explanatory variables, the relevance of using regression model is elaborated on the World Bank website. 5.2.1 Selection of model Starting with the simplest linear of the General Linear Model (GLM). The simplest linear regression model that can be used for the analysis is the multiple regression (MR) model where the outcome variable, Y is regressed on a set of predictors X. The MR is in the form of, Y: outcome continuous variable X : set of p predictors/ explanatory variables E : Error term, normally distributed with Mean 0 and variance à Ã†â€™ 2 ÃŽÂ ±: intercept term ÃŽÂ ²: coefficients of explanatory variables However, given that our dependent/response variable in the analysis is a dichotomous/ categorical variable, the MR is not appropriate. The MR requires the response variable to be continuous and to be normally distributed. In fact, the MR has also been used to identify determinants of poverty, where the response variable was log expenditure of households and Ordinary Least Square was used to estimate parameters. The regression analysis of categorical response can be made possible by using the models of the Generalised Linear Models (GzLM) family where it relaxes the assumptions of normality. This property of the GzLM has widened the scope of data analysis. The GzLM is, indeed, an extension of the class of linear model. It provides the opportunity to analyse response variables which follow distributions other than normal distribution; and also the distribution should belong to an exponential family. Both logistic and Multinomial regression model forms part of GzLM. The application of such regression model is well known in statistics. They are implemented in various fields (educational, health, poverty etc.) to analyse complex data with categorical response variable. It is worth noting that logistic regression model has largely been used in social sciences since early 1980s. Its application in social sciences has known no bounds. This technique has been used in education research (success or failure), health(death /survival, with/without of disease) etc. Similarly, in the analysis of poverty, researchers have largely made use of this model and came with useful and effective solutions for decisions makers. The Multinomial model has also been used to show the poverty as a spectrum. 5.2.2 Description of model LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODEL Logistic Regression (LR) is a member of the GzLM family where the response variable is dichotomous (1, 0) representing success/failure and presence /absence (Princetone, Chapter 3). It is also called Binary Logistic regression. So, in this study of the determinants of poverty based on an extreme poverty line, the application of a logistic regression model is relevant where response variable (Y) is binary (poor/non-poor). The explanatory variable /predictor (X) can be either categorical or continuous. Starting with the simplest logistic model is as follows: The logistic model predicts the logit of Y from X. The logit is the natural logarithm of odds of Y and odds are the ratio. The log of the odd ratio, log (à Ã¢â€š ¬/ 1-à Ã¢â€š ¬), is the link function called the logit which map the probabilities (0, 1) to (-à Ã¢â‚¬ °, +à Ã¢â‚¬ °) that is linearising the distribution and making it unbounded. The logit, thus, links the response variable (poor/non-poor) to the set of predictors (socio-economic, demographic and housing variables) Using the logit (à Ã¢â€š ¬), the intercept (ÃŽÂ ±) and (ÃŽÂ ²) is calculated. And, using antilog, the probability (à Ã¢â€š ¬) is expressed in the form of Multiple Logistic Regression In the case of several predictors, the Multiple Logistics Regression is used. The model is expressed as follows:- the probability is derived by taking antilog and expressed as follows:- In this case, for each predictor we have a ÃŽÂ ²; the coefficients in (LR) are estimated using maximum likelihood. The interpretation of results can be done using the odds ratio or even the probabilities. à Ã¢â€š ¬ = conditional probability of being poor, P(Y=1 / X1, X2, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.,Xp); it is assumed that the probability of being poor depends on the set of combinations of predictors X. Y= 1, being poor and Y= 0 being non-poor the odd ratio is the ratio of the probability to its complement that is, ratio of being poor to non-poor. An odd ratio greater than 1 implies the increase in the likelihood of being poor; if it is less than 1, it decreases the likelihood of being poor. Evaluation of predictors in model The contribution of a predictor is assessed by examining the reduction in deviance G statistics, brought by the inclusion of the predictor in the model relative to the null model. The null model, logit (à Ã¢â€š ¬) = ÃŽÂ ±, is the simplest model with maximum deviance; it indicates that the probability of being poor is constant for all categories. The reduction is deviance is then tested to a chi-sq distribution. Goodness of Fit Statistics Goodness of fit of the model is assessed using the Hosmer Lemeshow test. This test is considered more robust than the traditional chi-square test particularly if covariate is in the model or sample size is small. A finding of non significance corresponds to the researcher concluding the model adequately fits the data. MULTINOMIAL LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODEL The Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR) model is an extension of the Logistic Regression (LR) model, where the response variable has more than 2 categories. For example, in this study four thresholds of poor are defined which are as follows:- Poorest Households with total income below 40% median income Poorer Households with total income > 40% median income but less 50% median Poor Households with total income > 50% median income but less 60% median Non-poor- Households with total income >= 60% median If the Non-poor is chosen as the reference category, the logits for other categories are defined as Logit (à Ã¢â€š ¬j) = log (à Ã¢â€š ¬j/ à Ã¢â€š ¬4) = XjTÃŽÂ ²j j= 1, 2, 3 categories (poorest, poorer and poor) XT= transpose of set of predictors Î’ = set of coefficients of explanatory variables The estimated probabilities are presented as Estimated à Ã¢â€š ¬j = Estimated à Ã¢â€š ¬1exp (XjTÃŽÂ ²j) 5.2.3 Model analysis In this study, the forward regression is used where the analysis begins with null model and the explanatory variable is added one by one, till the preferred model is generated. After the inclusion of each explanatory variable, the contribution of the variable is measured based on the G statistics (reduction of deviance). The significance, contribution and interpretation of variables is analysed by considering positive and negative signs of coefficients of explanatory variables the z statistics [ÃŽÂ ²/SE(ÃŽÂ ²)] P values G statistics Reduction in deviance Odd ratios The Maximum Likelihood is used to estimate the parameters ÃŽÂ ± and ÃŽÂ ² in both regression models. 5.3 Choice of poverty line Mauritius has no official poverty line. In order to assess poverty in the country, the CSO uses the relative poverty line defined as half median monthly household income per adult equivalent. Thresholds for the poorest poor The poorest poor are those households in the poorest quintile group of household income per adult equivalent which satisfy the following three conditions. (i) household is having difficulty to obtain daily basic food (ii) household consume government rice (iii) household buy food on credit Food is, in fact, the basic requirement for a person to survive; Government rice is the cheapest rice in the country; if a person is borrowing money to spend on food, it means the person is in severe poverty. at international, food poverty line is used to measure extreme poverty for example UN Millennium Development Goals calls to eradicate hunger worldwide. Multiple groups of poverty The 40%, 50% and 60% median of household income per adult equivalent is used. In 2006/0

Breakfast of Champions: Life With Others Essay -- Breakfast of Champio

Breakfast of Champions: Life With Others  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      For anyone who has ever wondered what the meaning of life is, it is to be the eyes and ears of the Creator of the Universe, if one believes Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions (1973). In Breakfast of Champions the protagonist, Kilgore Trout, is a lonely science fiction writer who lives in a hole in the dredges of New York City. His only work published was "to give bulk to books and magazines of salacious pictures" ( 21). Finally catching his break, Trout is invited to the Midland City Arts Festival, home of Dwayne Hoover. Hoover, who is a wealthy car salesman, owns a share of virtually everything in Midland City. However, Hoover is on the brink of insanity at this time and is thinking that one of the artists at the festival will help him find the solution to his quest for fulfillment. Vonnegut uses characters from diverse lifestyles to develop his discouraging views of humanity. Through comical writing, Vonnegut shows how love, relationships, ideas and even gossip can have strong effects on humans and society. Sometimes people don't realize the effects of words on other people. In Breakfast of Champions, Dwayne Hoover comes to this realization the hard way. Already having a bad day, Hoover runs into one of his employees named Harry. Not too fond of the way Harry dresses, feeling he is too bland, Hoover addresses him. "Harry, why don't you get a bunch of cotton waste from Vern Garr, soak it in Blue Suncoe* and burn up your f-cking wardrobe?" (46). Later in the chapter, he ridicules Harry's appearance again. "I have some news for you: modern science has given us a whole lot of wonderful colors, with strange, exciting names like red!, orange!, green!, and pink!"(48)... ...54). Hoover got up from the table to go on a eleven person beating rampage which included: his son Bunny, mistress Francine and Kilgore Trout. "It shook up Trout to realize that even he could bring evil into the world-- in the form of bad ideas" (15). Due to Hoover, Trout realized how powerful his words were, went on to win the Nobel Prize for medicine. Trout and Hoover's derogatory comments and unthoughtful actions served to discourage and devastate people's lives around them. The satirical comedy which the novel is perceived by the reader makes it humorous, but as the story unfolds it becomes depressing. There is a sense of truth in Vonnegut's disturbing view of humanity. The road of life is set out for people to travel, being careful of ones actions will make it less bumpy. Work Cited Vonnegut , Kurt. Breakfast of Champions. Dell Publishing Co. 1973