Strategic Management on Honda Motors Essay Example

Strategic Management on Honda Motors Essay Off-Campus Executive Summary The key to a firm’s success is its fit between the organization and its environment. We study Porter’s Five Forces and Porter’s Value Chain activities for Honda’s strategic planners to analyse the organisation’s role in itself and how it copes with the environment. The strategic planner’s role is to forecast and direct the organisation into future strategies. Honda’s market positioning faces many challenges for example, the company’s core competencies in engine design and its engineers’ pursuit of technological mastery are not in accordance with market demand. onda’s positioning is not moving beyond the conservative Civic and Accord models, despite attempts to come up with other innovative cars. How the global automobile industry configures its activities across borders is largely dependent on how it deals with the opposite demands of global integration of activities and handles demand for local responsiveness. Prof. Whittington’s Classical and Processual Schools of Thought identifies with how differently strategies are developed. On one hand, strategic managers would like to forecast the future and to orchestrate plans to prepare for it. On the other hand, experimentation, learning and flexibility are required to deal with unexpected future events. The two model are applied on Honda Motors and we analyse which one is more suitable for Honda Motors. Global strategic management is conducted by managers all over the world. Its success depends on clear communication and understanding between them. The cultural dimensions are discussed from five aspects. They are power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long term/short term orientation. In the systemic perspective, the international strategic manager at Honda Motors will take into account the cultural dimension in building productive relationships. Table of Contents Individual Assignment Case Study – Reconciling Managerial Dichotomies @ Honda Motors in De Wit Meyer (2004:671) â€Å"Structural transformation through E-Business† Module Leader: Dr. Augustus Osseo-Asare Submission Date: Monday, 10th January 2011 Word Count: 3,000 words SIM336 Strategic Management Sunderland Business School We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management on Honda Motors specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management on Honda Motors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management on Honda Motors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

buy custom Canada’s Health Care essay

buy custom Canada’s Health Care essay The health care system of Canada is slowly growing to be a big concern in the contemporary society. Many people from Canada do not have doctors to assist them. Moreover, there are not enough emergency rooms to cater for admission cases. The wait times for the special tests to be done have increasingly become long that an individual could easily succumb to a serious illness they have been diagnosed with, before they receive any proper treatment. Understaffing has led to overworking of nurses since the Canadian government has created cut-backs to the health care system that was meant to protect the welfare of citizens. The training of doctors is normally at a slow pace, and thus, cannot accommodate the increasing population and the doctors themselves could not even stay in Canada after training (Health care system, 2012). Some move to the United States and other developed countries due to high remuneration offered, which is not the case in Canada. Essentially, Canada lacks an authentic public health care paradigm. Health care in Canada is apparently a privilege and not a right for the citizens (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). Illness is emerging as a very serious issue because of insufficient health care professionals and facilities in Canada. The modern society is living longer than was the case in the past. Consequently, there is a need for a much better health care. Patients, who recover from these procedures, are discharged quickly than it was the case in the past. The lack of hospitals and palliative care facilities has forced terminal patients be sent home very fast. Such circumstances prove that the health care system of Canada requires standards uplift for the citizens to live and die with decorum. The health care system in Canada makes the citizens beggars since they cannot choose any health care service. The Canadians seem to have gotten used to the bad health care plan in their country. The premiums they pay and the long time they have to wait before they get health care is becoming part of the system. People have to wait for five hours in the Emergency Room. Between 1993 and 2003, the median wait for health care treatment for a patient after being referred to a general practitioner moved from about 9 weeks to almost 18 weeks (Hoar, 2004). This would probably be a huge surprise to many people in Canada since the annual budget for Canadas healthcare system is $46 billion. The number is thought to have been downplayed since it is not the amount that determines the health of the Canadians. The cures for a number of medical cases are scarce, while the research is very expensive in Canada compared to that in the United States. Health Care System in Canada and other Advanced Countries Health care systems are very different in different parts of the world and Canada seems to be lagging a lot behind some developed countries. Most of the developed countries have designed their health care systems to address health matters of their populations (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). Unlike in Canada, the focus is in the provision of good health and quick response to the needs of the population and making sure that they have a fair financial contribution. This has been achieved through different methods. Some have been able to distribute the health care system planning among the participants in the market, whereas in others, planning is done centrally among charities, trade unions, governments and other coordinated bodies (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). The health care system is a multifaceted concept and can take various forms around the globe. In many nations, the health care system divides itself into private and state, even though there are fees, involved in both, there are some exceptions. In such countries like Australia, the present system co-exists with a private system of health care. All legal permanent citizens are entitled to free public health care (Commonwealth Fund Report, 2010). Treatment, offered by private doctors, is also free if the doctor bills the Health Department. In such places like Cuba, the health care system charges fees in treating certain international patients, even though the tourists, getting ill, are treated free in the hospitals in Cuba. In France, most of the doctors stick with private practice. The hospitals in India are operated by charitable trusts, the government and private organizations. Apart from the contemporary medicine system, conventional and indigenous systems of health care are pract iced all throughout India. Alternative health care systems are recognized by the Indian government. All the people, who are legal citizens of Ireland, are entitled to good health care through the Ireland health care system. It is only in some instances an individual would be expected to pay a certain subsidized fee for specific health care given. This relies on age, disability, illness and income. The Russians have the right to access government health care and free medical assistance. Even with the annual budget of $46 billion, Canada still uses fwer funds on health care, when compared to the United States, despite lacking a universal system. This is because the government of Canada sets schedules of fees for annual hospital budgets, doctors and prices for drug prescription. Research shows that Canada allocates $2,600 per resident less in a year than is the case in the United States. The fees for in-office visits are also considerably less. However, the budgets in hospitals are almost the same. After the government sets the annual budget, each hospital is supposed to operate within their assigned budget. Tight budgets only imply that the hospitals in Canada cannot invest in technology and equipment that could potentially save many people. Actually, the health care system in Canada would be more affected in the event that it was not geographically close to the United States, when the people of Canada need better and quick care. This is true because about 160,000 me dical treatments and services were carried out on Canadians outside Canada over a period of three years, most in the United States from 2007 to 2010 (Hinds, 2010). One critical set of issues, affecting both private and public policy-makers apprehension in Canada, could be the task of re-designing the care process to promote the delivery of patient-centered care. Patient-centered care is described as the health care that institutes a partnership amidst patients, practitioners and families to guarantee decisions that take into account the needs and preferences of the patients and solicit the input of the patients on support and the education needed to make decisions and take part in the healthcare process (Lasser et al., 2006). About forty years ago, Canada and the United States were relatively the same, concerning the health care systems. However, the case is different today. A joint study of the United States and Canada, conducted on health, compared income, age, immigration status, gender and race, using logistic regression in evaluating countries as an interpreter of health care access, satisfaction and quality of care and as a predictor of t he differences, based on these measures. Generally, Canadian health care system ranks second to last, when compared to such industrialized nations like Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the U.K and the United States as currently reported by a private United States foundation that examines and studies international health care systems. It only beat that of the United States in this group. The report relied on data from mail and phones surveys, carried out with patients and doctors in these countries (Valiante and Canwest News Service, 2010). Cathy Schoen, a co-author of this report and The Commonwealth Fund senior vice president attributed the position of Canada on health matters to inadequate basic care services and the slothful adoption of integrated information technology, which would be a useful system in keeping records (Health care transformation in Canada, n.d). Despite ranking high above the United States on health care system matters, Canada has been very slow in the use of electronic records in its system (Valiante and Canwest News Service, 2010). Wait times is a very big issue as reported by Canadian patients, going to see a doctor. Additionally, there are no after-hours care and a problem has been dealt with the use of emergency rooms for cases that cannot be reported as emergency. Looking at the United States, IT systems are of a very high standard and make it possible for doctors to know all the medications, given to a patient immediately. IT systems offer very early warnings and, at the same time, alerts on a persons recovery. With a system of universal health insurance, Canada spends almost half as much on health care per capita comparable to the United States, even though the people of Canada live between 2 and 3 years longer. A number of population-based information is available, concerning health care processes and habits of care in both Canada and the United States, which could be used to explain the difference in the life expectancy. Both the residents of the United States and the Canadians are not actually satisfied with their systems of health care. Moreover, the low-income earners in the United States appeared to have more issues, attaining care than their peers in other English-Speaking countries like in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand (Lasser et al., 2006). On a joint analysis between Canada and the United States, Americans are less likely to have a regular doctor and more likely to encounter un-addressed needs. A health care report in Canada in 2011 stated that the reasons for having such needs were different. Moreover, 7% of American respondents who were relatively less than the Canadian respondents by a mere 1% encountered unmet needs due to financial biases (Lasser et al., 2006). On another hand, 3.5% of Canadian residents had unaddressed needs due to waiting times, which was less than 10% of Americans, and most certainly were forced to forgo medicine. The Americans are less in a position to access health care than it is the case withh Canadians (Health care transformation in Canada, n.d). Universal coverage seems to cut down most differences in accessing health care. There seems to be high cost of healthcare in Canada than in the United States. Despite the good quality care, offered in the Canadian health care system, many Canadian patients have, in most cases, taken refuge in America since they could not obtain and afford intensive-care beds in Canada. The United States does not have a perfect health care system, even though it does have the best care system of handling emergency cases, compared to Canada and even around the world. Advanced medical technology in the United States has, however, not translated into better statistics of health for the Americans. Actually, the general performance of the United States in the health care system management is relatively lower compared to that of Canada. Another issue is the fact that America has the highest poverty level and income inequality compared to Canada and other rich nations (Rachlis, 2010). This is a very significant factor, highlighting one of the major differences between the health care system of the United States and Canada. Poverty affects the health of an individual much more than the restricted administration of a regular health care system. There are several income related health matters that have bonds with the healthcare inequality in America. The health care system in Canada is universal and permits the citizens to get any necessary health care and preventative care, when they feel it is important. The rate of mortality is very much stable in Canada than in the United States. Income relation mortality inequalities have been on the increase in America and that tells how ineffective the health care system is, compared to that of Canada. The socio-economic distribution, concerning infant mortality in Canada and the United States, is very different. Across these socio-economic groups, there has been a decline in Canada, while the mortality gap is widening in the United States of America (Lasser et al., 2006). Generally, the notion health is slightly lower in the United States, when compared to Canada, even though the difference is very small statistically. Health in America is found to decrease with age and is very high in Canada, compared to that of the United States, amongst the lowest education groups and the lowest income cluster (McGrail et al, 2009). Thus, the health care in both Canada and the United States centers on higher-income groups, even though there was a significant difference in America, where the higher-income cluster surpasses the lower-income highly. Therefore, while Canada has a somewhat imperfect health care system, it is generally better than that of the United States of America. Canada needs to come up with a way of providing fast, quality care and enhance responsibility and accountability to the entire system through the use of highly developed procedures of tracking and monitoring progress (Valiante and Canwest News Service, 2010). The health care outcomes in Canada, compared to other developed countries, are of great concern for the country. It may be considered better than that of the United States by some researchers, but it leaves a lot to be desired. This research is very important for policymakers and programmers of healthcare in the efforts of maximizing the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of care that should be delivered in the Canadian health care system. It is very much perceptible that a more conclusive research into the Canadian health care system, which particularly deals with the causes and nature of any link between outcomes and processes of care, be further developed. While some studies could report some better health care quality in this nation, socio-economic inequalities, encountered in health, prevalently seen as pervasive in the United States, are apparently less stark in Canada (Lasser et al., 2006). The things creating flaws and that need to be addressed in the Canadian health care system are long wait times, lack of doctors and other health care professionals, and the focus on treatment. These factors make the Canadian system far from a perfect health care system. Apparently, the Canadian system has basically forgotten that it was meant to protect the health of every Canadian and not merely the people who could afford to pay for the services. The Canadian health care system could be better. Canada could establish the same system as that of the United States, where all services are founded on the ability of an individual to pay. It would appear that the health care system of Canada cannot go backwards so it should keep going forward. Regrettably, it is becoming vivid that going forward would mean an increment in the long wait times, a larger shortage of the professionals in health care and more trips, made by Canadians across the border to acquire healthcare services. Therefore, the Canadian government should seek to address these flaws, highlighted here, to perfect the system. Buy custom Canada’s Health Care essay

Marshall Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marshall Plan - Research Paper Example The WWII also produced the most radical change in international power structure in over 500 years. The ERP lasted for four years from the April of 1948. (WERNER, 2011, p402). America was responding to the problems and strife faced by the European nations, e.g. the rebuilding of devastated infrastructure by removing trade barriers hence modernizing industries and in the whole making Europe regain its prosperity once again. In the early stages the soviets were offered inclusion in the plan however they declined since they viewed acceptance of the offer would ultimately mean a US control over the soviet communism albeit a small degree(GILLON,2012, p18) Although Europe was aware that there were mixed motives behind the American aid plan, the European countries eagerly embraced the plan. On 12th July 1947 the following countries and others met in Paris to create the CEEC (committee of European Economic Cooperation), Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Greece, France, Ireland, Iceland, Luxemburg, Italy, among others (SULLIVAN, 1997, p16). At any one time there were 150 American ships plying the trade routes carrying the much needed commodities for factories to resume production. The factories were able to employ workers who in turn had the power to purchase goods, in a sense the European were given a new lease of life (MEE, 1984, p248). Between the years of 1948 – 1952, tons of fuel, food and finished products crossed the Atlantic to Europe. There was a rise in industrial production which reached the previous levels before the war by 1959.ERP was noted to have had the best impact in West Germany, here the foreign trade was doubled between the years 1949 & 1950and grew again by  ¾ the following year. Steel production grew from 2.5 million tons to 14.5 million tons, unemployment decreased to nearly zero and houses were built hence West Germany could support its growing

The impact of World War II Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The impact of World War II - Term Paper Example The roaring 20’s also give the rise to employment laws and regulations, which consisted of minimum wage, 8 hour work shifts, and 5 days of regular work. Ford was the first company to introduce this idea behind a clever strategy of consumer spending. If it enabled its workers to have spare time, they would spend it in leisure which would boost the nation’s economy. The 1920’s also was marked by the Great Depression that occurred post World War I. In addition, the 1920’s signified the ban of alcohol through prohibition, which drastically reduced the death rate from drinking. The 18th Amendment was one of the critical elements that banned.One of the more prevalent and essential events that occurred during the 1920s was discrimination and racism that plagued the nation. The rise of William Simmon in 1920’s was drastic as the emergence of the new Klan began. As immigrants continued to pour in from nations, Simmons used this as fear tactic and as an oppor tunity to reap money where he sold memberships along with life insurances. The rebirth of the KKK continues to gain strong support as, Catholics, Jews and Chinese became target of hate crime. The whole nation and even Congress itself passed the National Origins Act, which limited citizenship to immigrants. Anti-immigration legislation such as this one was a critical element as it marked the beginning of restricting immigrants after the open door policy. The Progressive Era, which lasted until the 1920’s, was a response to an industrial era and a shout for reform.... The whole nation and even Congress itself passed the National Origins Act, which limited citizenship to immigrants. Anti-immigration legislation such as this one was a critical element as it marked the beginning of restricting immigrants after the open door policy. The Progressive Era, which lasted until the 1920’s, was a response to an industrial era and a shout for reform. Its effects touched virtually all Americans and transformed the role of government in American society. The Progressive Movement was successful as it was promoted by both parties in Congress. One of the prominent players in this reform was Theodore Roosevelt, who used his passive presence to dominate the political scene. In two terms of service, he solidified the navy, won the noble prize, aggressively pursued the building of the panama canal, and played a vital role in ending the Japanese-Russian war. He gained popularity amongst his supporters and tremendously helped the nation in the reform movement. Th e New Deal was one of the most essential legislation that continues to be prominent in American history. This deal was introduced by Franklin Roosevelt, who had a vision of reform to boost the United States economy back on its feet. FDR gained so much popularity by citizens that he was elected four times due to his reputation and the ongoing of the War. The New Deal enabled the American government to passively play the role of a â€Å"big government.† Prior to the depression, society felt that the government did not play a big role in regional community. However, that soon changed as the government began to directly implement programs and services that effected peoples’ lives

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION - Essay Example The chapter has addressed a way of initiating a relationship. There are relationships of circumstance and those of choice. (172) the former is characterized by individuals’ lives overlapping, which enhances contacts, while the later is defined by the relations made with friends or partners. Both relationships are however not mutually exclusive. In the same page, the author reveals a number of issues that would define personal attraction particularly what is referred to as short term initial attraction and long-term maintenance attraction. Away from sexual and physical attraction, it is also noted that intellectual, spiritual and personality attraction plays a huge role in personal attraction. In their further arguments, the author identifies a few more things that they believe plays a very important role in defining interpersonal attraction. Some of these issues that have been identified include; similarity. By this, it is noted that there are things that brings individuals together based on characteristics, attitudes, values as well as interests, which are common among them. Others that have also been noticed are physical attraction, sexual attraction, the proximity with which one is to another, the complementarity of others specifically people whose interests and activities differ but complement one another. The chapter looks in details, what one would say first and in what context does one say something. In the process of saying things for the first time, one would certain ask questions. The chapter is quick in highlighting things that are believed to come out in questions and therefore provides some clue on how one can ask great questions. The author describes what he believes to mean a great question. Asking a great question is noted to mean tailoring the question to the person as much as possible then using what one has learnt and observed to formulate the question. The chapter provides a hint on how people can

Study On The Objectives Of Micro Finance Institutions Finance Essay

Study On The Objectives Of Micro Finance Institutions Finance Essay A sustainable economic growth and development has its foundation on economic agents access to financial services (credit, savings, pension funds etc). Studies have shown that there has been a failure of both the government and financial institutions to provide access to loan able funds to the grass root level of the economy (GCAP, 2010; Sundaresan, 2008), for this reason it has become increasingly fashionable for national economies to set up Micro-finance Institutions to meet the need of these groups of people. Microfinance is becoming widely accepted especially in the developing countries and it is now playing a major role in reduction of poverty and the economic development in the world. This essay seeks to analyse both theoretical and empirical evidence with the view to ascertaining whether MFIs have lived up to their objectives as key drivers of economic growth and development. In addition, the essay will look at the impact of MFIs in Nigeria in relation to poverty eradication wi thin the following perspectives: Provision of Financial Services Access to Finance and Regulatory and Legal Framework for access to finance Nigeria Financial Services Sector is made up of the commercial banks, the Microfinance Banks, Discount houses, Cooperative societies, Insurance sector and Pension funds, Savings and Loans, Leasing companies etc. The essay will focus on those financial institutions that are licensed to take deposits and create loans. Microfinance is defined in terms of the services they offer; the provision of a wide range of services including deposit taking, advancement of loans, payment services, money transfers, and insurance services to the low income members of the economy (ADB, date). Microfinance can simply be seen as the provision of quality financial services to the poor. The theory of Microfinance dates back to 1975 to Mohammed Yunus, an Economics University lecturer in Bangladesh. In his classic research project he designed a credit and delivery system to provide banking services to the rural poor (Hulme et al, 2009). The research gave birth to what is known today as the Grameen bank; that has grown both in assets and operations (Grameen, 2009). The provision of financial services within the Nigeria context has been an abysmal failure. Recent survey by the FinScope found some staggering fact about the level of banking participation in the economy FinScope (2008). According to the study 74% of the adult population have not been banked, 15% of women at the time of the survey have no bank account and 86% of rural adults are not unbanked (FinScope, 2008). A comparison of the level of access to financial services particularly the deposit money bank done amongst four countries in African including; Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania found that Nigeria has the second largest number of non-banking population see Fig. 1 (Isern et al, 2009). The level of financial services illiteracy amongst the adult population is equally very low according to the survey (FinScope, 2008). See Fig 3. The close proximity of Microfinance banks to the rural population offers them a great advantage to reach the nonbanked populace unfortunately; emp irical studies showed that only 3 percent of adults use Microfinance as their main bank (Bun et al, 2007). The Small and Medium Enterprises have been identified as the engine room of growth and development in most economies (Malik and Teal, 2008). However, this very important sector of every developed and developing economy has been very dormant in Nigeria. A World Bank study in 2008 (World Bank, 2008) have identified access to finance amongst others as one of the top constraints of the development of SMEs in Nigeria. In a study that compared the Sectoral contribution to GDP, it was observed that Nigeria SME sector was much smaller than that of other developing countries; according to the study, the SME accounted for about 50% of the nations GDP very little when compared with the 80% of the other developing economies. To improve on this the country need a well funded and operationally strong Microfinance institutions, it is arguable though whether the MFIs operating in the country have lived up to their expectations. For instance, a study done by Malik and Teal (2008) showed that only 5% of firms have received loans from Microfinance Institutions even when 80% applications were received from the SMEs. See Fig.4. The study showed the extent to which access to and cost of financing are a problem for Nigerian SMEs. Access to loan able funds was seen as a function of size; according to the survey, about 59% of small firms faced varying degrees of difficulties in accessing finance compared to 35% of medium firms and 11% of large SME firms. A world comparison of access to and cost of credit done on India, China, South Africa, Indonesia and Brazil saw Nigeria closely following Brazil as countries with the highest impediments to access to credit see Fig 5 (ICA 2008). The study of Isern et al (2009) showed that households, rural populace and SMEs are not very interested in accessing investment funds from MFIs. Part of the reasons adduced for this lacklustre attitude include high interest rates (cost of funds), collateral requirements, maturities mismatch etc. However, the study done by ICF in 2008 showed that cost of funds is cheaper in Nigeria relative to the other 5 countries surveyed. The supply of Microfinance services has a very long history in Nigeria, although this was frequently done in informal ways. A study done by Food and Agricultural Organisation in 2004 estimated that 25% of Nigerians accessed some informal sources of financing (FAO, 2004). USAID in 2005 carried out a survey that estimated that a majority of funding for Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises came from personal savings, informal lending schemes known as esusu and gifts from family members (USAID, 2005). The FinScope survey in 2008 equally revealed that 24% of SMEs used informal sources of funding for their businesses. Various forms of Non-Governmental Organisations NGOs which are not for profit oriented micro-credit schemes have been in place since the 1980s. For instance Ford Foundation began supporting households and SMEs in 1993 and as 2004 have provided capacity building grants to 123 organisations worth $180,000 US dollars at the 2000 exchange rate, and the Foundation have refinanced loans to 241 organisations to the tune of $1.7 million (Isern et al, 2009). The study noted that majority of the NGOs used Grameen solidarity groups model to provide loans to small groups of people. The 2005 Microfinance framework made provision for traditional community banks that were operating in the country to be re-licensed as microfinance institutions with a minimum capital base of NGN 20 million (CBN, 2005). The community banks operating in the country before the re-licensing were privately held companies licensed to take deposits from the public as well as provide credit services. CBN reports showed that these banks became very successful in deposit mobilization but failed in their functions as lenders to the rural households and SMEs within the communities that they operated (CBN/OFID Reports, date). As at July 2008, about 125 Microfinance licenses were processed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and most of these licenses were for internationally experienced Microfinance organisations such as ACCION International which is a partnership between Citibank-Nigeria, Ecobank, Zenith bank, IFC and SME manager. Other international organisations like K-REP (Kenya), BRAC (Bangladesh), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have provided both funding and technical expertise to MFIs. The traditional commercial banks were not left out of the Microfinance arrangements as most of them opened subsidiaries that undertook the functions of MFIs (CBN reports, 2008). The growth of MFIs in Nigeria was encouraging. See Fig 6. The international capital flows as well as the technical expertise helped to build the much needed confidence that was lacking when the banks operated as community banks. However, the growth and concentration of MFIs may become too risky; as majority of them are serving the same market. CBN data showed that 100 of MFIs were operating in Lagos State alone and 16 in Abuja the Federal Capital. Reports from the CBN showed that as at the end of October 2008, a total of 724 MFIs were fully licensed and in operations, with 607 of them being community banks that were re-licensed as MFIs, about 86 MFIs have been given approval in principle during the period under review (CBN, 2008) Again another important source of risk is from the very low capital base that is required for the MFIs and poor regulatory and supervision framework. The CBN in their current reforms are taking some major steps to mitigate these risks; with the proposal of merging and consolidations within the sector. If the various reforms pull through, the country may see more financial strong MFIs that are able to perform their functions as key drivers of national growth and prosperity. Despite the rapid growth of the MFIs in both size magnitude and operations; lending to rural households and SMEs has continued to stagnate. The growth in MFIs have failed to translate into easy access to investment funds, SMEs and households have continued to bedevilled by high cost of funds and collateral requirements. Adverse selection within the financial services sector has continued to persist as a result of information asymmetry. Information asymmetry in the sense that the MFIs have no way of fully guiding and protecting their loanable funds to the public, as a result of this; higher risk premia are demanded to provide financial services which excludes high quality borrowers. The table showed the low reliance of SMEs in the country on capital from financial institutions; clearly borrowed funds from the banks including the MFIs have remained very low, largely as a result of the factors mentioned before. The result is even worst when compared with that of other developing economies like Brazil, South Africa, China, India, Indonesia and Kenya. Source: ICF Survey (2008) the result showed is for short term financing as in the case of long term financing firms depend entirely on personal funding. Table 8 clearly shows that only 4% of SMEs have access to lines of credit/loans while 8% have access to various forms of overdrafts. MFIs account for a very low percentage of financial services funding in Nigeria, largely because of loan ceiling that is active within that sector. Microfinance institutions operating in Nigeria are mandated to keep 60% of their loan portfolio below the NGN 500,000 (US$4310) loan threshold. Central to the Microfinance regulatory framework is the CBN guidelines for licensing of microfinance banks (MFBs). The guidelines provide two licensing options; unit MFBs that are licensed to operate within the local government area in which they are registered with a minimum capital base of NGN20 (US 172,000) million naira. The unit MFBs according to the guideline may expand their operations subject to the NGN20 million capital requirement per branch. State MFBs are licensed to operate in all parts of the state in which they are registered and are subject to a minimum capital requirement of NGN 1 billion (US $8.6 Million). For the state registered MFBs to raise additional funds and open more branches; they are required to have covered at least two-thirds of the state and raise additional NGN 20 million to open a branch in another state. The prudential regulations of MFIs are designed to manage credit risks that are part of the Microfinance operations; the capital adequacy ratios of the MFIs are set with the notion that the institutions will be engaged in mostly unsecured credit financing, the capital adequacy ratio is set at a risk-rated 10:1 ratio (CBN2005). In addition, there are strict guidelines setting up reserves and dividend pay-outs. Microfinance prudential regulations are designed to reduce risk concentration by putting a cap on the amount of credit an individual and groups can access. The Microfinance prudential regulation is designed to reduce risk concentration by putting a ceiling on individual loans (1% of unimpaired shareholder funds and 5% for group borrower), a 100% provisioning is required for loans over 90 days in arrears or restructured (Isern 2009). Microfinance deposits up to NGN 100,000 (US $862) are protected by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Fund (CBN 2008). The Supervision of microfinance is based on both on and off-site supervision, box 2 shows a summary of the regulatory and supervision principles of microfinance institutions in Nigeria. Interest Rate policy of Microfinance institutions in Nigeria ranges above 20-30% for loans, advances, overdraft facilities and other types of lending services (Isern, et al 2009). The interest rates charged by the MFIs are quite high when compared to that charged by the conventional money deposit banks see Table 13. The high rates of interest reflects the high risk premia of the targeted audience that the MFIs are designed to serve. The high rate of interest rate has been identified as one of the key factors that limit rural households and businesses from access to credit through the MFIs (Philips 2002). This imposes distortion in the flow of credit as companies that cannot afford the high cost of borrowing look for informal sources which are marred by risks and uncertainties. The review of the operations of Microfinance Institutions in Nigeria has clearly revealed that there should be a trade-off between high cost of funds on one hand and provision of financial services on the other hand. From what they are designed to achieve, they are supposed to provide some sort of lose collateral lending and as such have a higher risk than the conventional commercial banks. Microfinance Institutions in developing economies like Nigeria faces some challenges both in their operations and in the environment in which they operate. One of these challenges as noted by Cerven and Ghazanfer (2008) includes some cultural practices that discriminate against women such as specific cultural, familial and personal circumstances other important considerations to women empowerment in Nigeria are religious issues like Purdah: (seclusion of women) which is rampant in Northerner Nigeria. Technical know-how and in-adequate regulation has been identified as one of the internal and external factors that militate against the growth of MFIs in Nigeria (Campion 2002). Microfinance been in a somewhat embryonic stage; developments and regulations are still evolving is expected that the sector could face some hiccups before stabilizing. Microfinance Institutions have enormous growth opportunities in Nigeria as a result of most of the factors highlighted in this essay; the nature of their operations and the Acts establishing them makes them a better preferred choice for consumers of financial services. However, this comes with a high cost to both the MFIs and their customers. To the MFIs the potential for high loan defaults are present; this may if not managed properly lead to financial fragility in the sector. To their customs; the high cost of interest and cumbersome application process that they have to face is a big challenge; there is an irony in the interest rate charged by MFIs in Nigeria, a country that has a forecasted average growth rate in GDP of between 5-6% per annum, has a cost of fund of between 20- 30%, this presupposes that businesses should grow more than the countrys GDP. Despite all the challenges of the MFIs in Nigeria, they remain substantial to the growth and development of any economy; and in Nigeria in particular the MFIs have large un-tapped markets and are set for long-run profitability if the relevant infrastructures are put in place. Fig 3 Percentage of adults who have never heard of the listed services and products

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The ability to detect remote sensing has made great strides over the past few decades. Mars has been a major center of speculation and inquisition during these studies. By using Remote sensing, scientists are able to view, analyze, hypothesis, and gain better understanding of what can be detected on and under the surface of Mars. In 2006 Baldassare Bartolo published work that suggested that remote sensing is the act of gaining information about an object/phenomenon without making any actual physical contact. Remote sensing is most commonly used with aerial sensor technologies in order to detect and classify the objects on Earth via signals (electromagnetic radiation emitted from aircraft and/or satellites) (Bartolo 2006). The process of how the remote sensing works has been modified and improved over the past few years into what we use today on earth as well as on the various Mars exploration missions. Remote sensing works with energy. Scientists have found that remote sensing works because all objects on the earth emit an electromagnetic energy (Chee, 2008). The energy includes a visible light and other radiations in the electromagnetic spectrum (Bartolo 2006, Anderson 2013). The portion of the spectrum that is visible to the human eye is tightly limited to wavelengths in the 0.4 micrometre (â€Å"blue†) to 0.7 micrometre (â€Å"red†) range. Just past the red end of the spectrum is the infrared region and it’s subdivisions that are reflected by the earth's surface, and thermal infrared given by the objects (Plaza et al. 2009). Researchers have been able to develop different sensors and cameras that are able to detect and record the energy being transmitted from earths surface. These cameras and sensors on satellites relay th... ...ut the researchers hypothesis states that the small amount of hydrogen is likely to be more chemically bound to the minerals in the soil, than in the form of water ice (Dartnell 2013, Ezell 2004). Therefore, with having water ice at the poles and water in the surface rocks, it is far more likely for the various carved channels to be formed from a liquid than that of lava (granted there are lava channels as well.) By observing images, researchers are able to speculate how the channels formed by simply comparing it to the conditions on earth. Water erodes away sediment and leaves specific clues to look for. Researchers will continue unveiling what is on and under the Red Planet's surface with new and improved methods. They will be able to use remote sensing and other means to gain better knowledge of the exact conditions of what lies above and underneath the surface.

Classical Music Criticism and Judgment Essay

Classical music is one kind of the art music from various style of music. On Oxford Dictionary give the meaning of classical music as serious music following long-established principles rather than a folk, jazz, or popular tradition, and even give more specifically meaning by the period of music(since the music has 6 periods; middle age, renaissance, baroque, classic, romantic and contemporary) that classical music is the music written in the European tradition during a period lasting approximately from 1750 to 1830, when forms such as the symphony, concerto, and sonata were standardized. How do we judge the classical music, and what is the musical value of classical music? I think this is the hard thing to critics about the good or bad of the things that we call it as one kind of art. We could analyze music by their elements such as the musical form, the harmony, the rhythm, orchestration, register of that piece etc. But also the problems is everyone has different taste and also some have the same taste too such as one composer love the way dominant chord run to sub median chord and then resolve to dominant again then end with tonic chord but another one like the way to begin the phrase with sub median then dominant for two bars to extend the dominant longer (could call it as dominant prolongation) until tonic in the last bar. The question is what is the best chord progression of those two ideas? , and how do we judge what is the best chord progression? And interesting question is how do we judge that one piece copy from any other pieces? Another example is if we judge one of the phrases in symphony no. 9 by Beethoven â€Å"Ode to Joy† as the best phrase that compound with many good melodies, best chord progression and orchestration and great idea to add choir to that movement but there is also a question that who judge that this phrase is the best. How do they judge? , and what is the material that they use to judge this kind of classical music to make it the best of Beethoven’s pieces? The Best music in all kind of area not only includes by best music by creativity composers but also has to have best performers that can perform the best performances too. In classical music the performers have to do analyze and interpretation the music that they will perform, have to know the period of that music so they could play as the style of each period, have to practice in the right way to gain more techniques to their muscles to control their musical instrument, have to perform as natural as possible like they are speaking, eating or walking. The best performers have to bring all emotions and energy from the music that is just a music note on the paper to touch their audiences’ heart. The problems are what is the best performance? , and how do we judge the performance? As a classical guitarist I used to compete in one competition. All juries have to fill in the form for all competitors there topics are Technique, Dynamics, Balancing, Precision and Rhythm, Style and Expression, and Stage Performance. Maybe those topics could judge the best performance but the problem I could see was one song that I performed called Marley’s Ghost by Andrew York the main part of first section was the melody on the bass line. One of jury wrote on the Balancing blog that I played too loud but another on said I played too soft so I got the question that who is correct? This could show that it is hard to judge the best performance. It is depend on what do you like? What is your feeling? What are the things that you used to experiences. At last the way we critic and judge classical music could be judge from both quality of pieces and the quality of performance. The performers should know the aesthetic of composers who composed the songs that they will perform so they can perform in the way right way from performers’ interpretation. And definitely the listeners will judge it by their experience and feeling.

Profile of Kirsten Gillibrand - Biography of Kirsten Gillibrand

Profile of Kirsten Gillibrand - Biography of Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten Rutnik Gillibrand Position Representative for New Yorks 20th Congressional District from January 3, 2007 - January 23, 2009Appointed by New York Governor David Paterson to New Yorks second seat in the US Senate on January 23, 2009, filling the vacancy created by Senator Hillary Clintons appointment as US Secretary of State. Childhood and Education Born in Albany, NY on December 9, 1966, she was raised in the tri-city Capital Region of New York State. Attended the Academy of the Holy Names, Albany, NYGraduated from Emma Willard School in Troy, NY in 1984Graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH in 1988, B.A. in Asian StudiesGraduated from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1991, earning her J.D. Professional Career Attorney in the law firm Boies, Schiller FlexnerLaw Clerk, Second Circuit Court of Appeals Political Career During the Bill Clinton administration, Gillibrand served as Special Counsel to the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Andrew Cuomo.Elected to the 110th and 111th Congress as Representative for New Yorks 20th Congressional District which stretches from the city of Poughkeepsie in the Hudson Valley to Lake Placid in the states North Country. She is the districts first female representative. Congressional Career Served on the House Armed Services Committee and two of its subcommittees: Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities; and Seapower and Expeditionary Forces. Served on the Agriculture Committee and three of its subcommittees: Livestock, Dairy and Poultry; Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research; and Horticulture and Organic Agriculture. Co-founded the Congressional High Tech Caucus with the goal of ensuring that the US remains at the forefront of emerging technologies and high tech industries. Gillibrand is strongly pro-gun. She comes from a family of hunters and has stated that preserving [gun ownership] is a priority of mine in Congress....I will continue to oppose legislation that will restrict the rights of responsible gun owners. She is also pro-choice and has received the highest rating given by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). Gillibrand is a fiscal conservative, earning her the label  Blue Dog Democrat; representing a primarily rural district, she voted against the $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill in 2008. She acknowledges that her voting record has veered conservative;  she opposes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and in 2007 voted for funding to extend the Iraq war. Family Political Connections Gillibrands father is Douglas Rutnik, an Albany lobbyist with strong political ties  to several once-prominent and powerful New York Republicans including former Governor George Pataki and former Senator Al DAmato. Personal Life Gillibrand is the product of a single-sex education, having attended two all-female schools: the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, a Catholic college preparatory school, and the Emma Willard School, the first school for girls established in the US. Married to Jonathan Gillibrand, she is the mother o two children four year old Theo and infant Henry . The family resides in Hudson, New York.

Book Club Discussion Questions for When You Reach Me

Book Club Discussion Questions for 'When You Reach Me' When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is a young adult novel that will delight adults and youth alike. Use these book club discussion questions on When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead to lead your book club or reading group into Steads book. Book Club Discussion Questions  for  When You Reach Me Spoiler Warning: These book club discussion questions reveal important details about When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Finish the book before reading on. How did the 20,000 Pyramid play a role in the story? How did her mothers quest with the game show mirror Mirandas quest to make sense of her life?Did you have trouble understanding the concept of time travel allowing something to happen before the person actually traveled back in time? Or did Malcolm and Julias explanations make sense to you?Malcolm tells Miranda, Einstein says common sense is just a habit of thought. Its how were used to thinking about things, but a lot of time it just gets in the way of whats true (51). Do you think thats true? Have you ever had to let go of assumptions in order to see the truth? Have you ever known anyone who was very smart but did not seem to have any common sense? Would you rather have a lot of common sense or the ability to see a few profound truths that other people miss?At what point did you realize the laughing man was Malcolm?Were you satisfied with the way all the mysteries came together in the end?A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline LEngle has a big impact on Miranda, but also on Rebecca Stead and the idea for this book. Did reading When You Reach Me make you want to read A Wrinkle in Time again? Is there any book that took hold of you the way A Wrinkle in Time took hold of Miranda―that you read and reread either as a child or an adult?How does Miranda change in this book? In what ways do her relationships with her mother and friends mature?Rate When You Reach Me on a scale of 1 to 5.

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

History - Essay Example On the other hand, the issue of religious conflicts is also on the rise. Historical Perspective of Terrorism and Religious Conflicts 1. Terrorism Terrorism refers to the acts of warfare staged by a group of enemy combatants who usually targets a clique of people or institution in a bid to make the victim to give in to certain demands (Cole 2011). Take a case of the September 11, 2001 attack; the al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack and demanded that the United States desists from attacking Iraq. In the past, terrorists’ actions were quite predictable and as such, it was easier to thwart, there acts. However, terrorists have taken a new twist; they have gone viral to say the least. Terrorist of the 21st centuary have the most sophisticated weapons, which makes it hard to fight them. The Middle East has been the traditional territory of the terrorist where all the plans of terrorists are executed. Lutz & Lutz (2011) say that lately, the terrorists exits everywhere even in the place you least expect them. It is no longer a surprise to find that Native Americans have been assimilated into terrorism. Moreover, they execute terror attacks against their own country. Take a case of the September 11 bombing; some of the culprits were the Americans. The terrorist have taken terrorism a notch higher. They have incorporated nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and chemical weapons. Several attempts through both diplomatic and military intervention have been put in place to thwart the growth of such dangerous weapons (Cole 2011). These weapons are very dangerous and possess threat to the entire humanity. The nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons can wipe out man out of the surface of the earth. 2. Religious Conflicts Religious conflicts are rife in the society today owing to the religious intolerance among the various religious groups. A perfect example of religious conflict is the one pitting Christians against Muslims. Arab-Israeli conflict has dragge d on for decades and there is no end in sight. The Arab nations are at war with the Israeli and as such, they use Islam as an avenue to mobilize the Arabs against non-Muslim nations such as Israel. The Islam religion commenced around the 7th centuary in Middle East (Lutz & Lutz 2011). Mohamed, who would later introduce the concept of Jihad, started the religious outfit. The idea of Jihad was to spread Islam religion by the use of force. To date almost all Arab nations in the Middle East and Northern Africa profess the Muslim faith. The Islam have always been associated with the issue of violence popularly known as Jihad which champions for aggression against other religious groups such as Christians. It is worth noting that Islam extremists have gone to an extent of staging war against Christians through terror related attacks. In fact, the September 11 attacks show the extent to which Muslim extremist have taken the conflict between Christian and Muslims. Effects of Terrorism and R eligious Conflicts It is worth noting that terrorism and religious conflicts has adverse social, economic and political effects to the society today. The aftermath of terror attacks or religious conflicts is always greeted with loss of lives, injuries, and loss of property. The September 11 attack was an epitome of the adverse negative impacts to the society. Several people lost their lives resulting to untold metal torture and agony to their friends and relatives. Losing a loved

Thomas sankara the upright man review Term Paper

Thomas sankara the upright man review - Term Paper Example Do not expect any change of heart from such powers; their circumstances might have changed and their position to defensive at present. Thomas Sankara’s mind must be thinking on similar lines when he thought of self-reliant economy and he was averse to receive loans from the World Bank. He did not want any traces of colonial empowerment in his land. His acts of promotion of local food and textile production are a precedent-shattering commercial move, which gave great fillip to rural employment and provided recognition and status to the local artisans. That was a leader who had confidence in himself and in the capacity of his people to build the nation. The scene in the movie when I saw the how local African textile designs was encouraged was great. Not only his country, but the entire African Continent had a leader worth the whole-hearted support. 2. What men and women in a country that owns newly tasted independence want is confidence—the feeling that they are being car ed for and their voice is being heard in the new set up. Sankara was a great psychologist, besides being a man with the practical vision. He hit the right spot when he addressed the poor peasantry of the Nation and outlawed compulsory payments and labor (a sort of a bonded labor) to village chiefs. Rural poll tax was done away with. His most daring step in the tradition-fearing and male dominated African Society was to promote gender equality by outlawing polygamy and female circumcision. He often appeared in media to announce his popular measures. How women must have felt elated when he instructed the men to do shopping so that women had enough time as home makers. Some of his progressive measures were, the extraordinary immunization program, building new railway lines and public housing building programs. Literacy initiatives got a strong push, he addressed the issue of river blindness seriously and his most important measure—hard steps against corruption in the administrat ion, was the master-stroke and this well-meaning initiative made him popular amongst the masses. To Sankara, reformation and rehabilitation was a way of life and not mere political propaganda. He cut short the luxuries that go with the bureaucracy and urged them to be simple in their lifestyles. He advised that his picture should not be displayed in public buildings and put a ban on chauffeur-driven Mercedes and first-class airline tickets to his ministers and top bureaucracy. 3. Where is the scope and honorable place for principled politicians? Sankara was a dynamic leader who was in a hurry to show the results. His politics was unconventional. He was a planner and creative man. A man who would decide and act start and finish. His socio- economic reforms have no precedent in any African country. Some undemocratic principles crept into his style of functioning. But what he did was not for self-interest but for the overall welfare of the Nation. He was the envy of the fellow military leaders; he challenged the former colonial masters and the French hegemony. By 1987, opposition to his leadership was both from local leaders and the fresh establishment. He had humiliated President Francois