Research Paper College Athletes free essay sample

While athletes work their rear ends off, the university makes millions and the coachs gets a six- Geiger yearly salary. Although people argue college athletes already have a scholarship, these athletes have no choice but to go the extra mile by maintaining high grades and performing at a high level in their sports; so they should be compensated for it. II. Opposition The main problem with paying students athletes is that it is not the colleges primary function. The primary function of a academic institution is to educate, says Koori Mishearing.It would not make sense for an academic intuition to run a multi-million dollar entertainment business, which is what allege football and basketball have become. The college experience is payment enough for these athletes. While the majority of students athletes are getting scholarship money which is money they dont have to pay back. Majority of students are taking loans that have to paid back with small interest involved. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper College Athletes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If students athlete get paid they will not take their education serious enough to get good grades.College athlete have so many advantages already, by them getting paid would be surplus. College already provides students with an invaluable benefit already; by obtaining a college degree, the outwork the athlete can create, and higher paying job opportunities. Student athletes should look at their education as plan A, and their professional career in sports plan be. The reason why is there is a very small percentage that makes it professionally and if a career is cut short because of injury, the athlete can depend on the education they received. Ill.Refutation Collegiate athletes cannot live comfortably with the time they have to dedicate for school and the time they have to dedicate to the sport they are committed to. Very few college athletes receive a full ride scholarship; which covers tuition, fees, room, board and textbooks. Some athletes receive scholarships that cover only a portion of these expenses, but many still receive exceedingly more aid than the average student. Which is fair since that are contributing more than an average student. College athletes and the talents they have, provide a huge source of the universities income. The university basically takes in money from ticket sales, television contracts, and sport-related merchandise. The athletes, on the other hand, receive their scholarship and little more. So the fact is the collegiate athlete, willingly or unwillingly, helps their university bring in millions of dollars while the athlete struggles for their basic needs. Read in Sports and Athletes page 96. According to an article in the Harvard Journal on Legislation, in the past twelve years, the amount of money generated by basketball and football programs has increased nearly 300%, such as they fund almost all other sports. Think of the amount of money a player like Johnny Minimize made his university Texas A. Adrian Peterson an elite running back in the NFG stated his first daughter was born while he was in college, adding responsibilities to his plate outside of playing football and going to class. He states: Nobody wants to live in the dorms for four years. You see the guys who are older, and they have responsibilities. I feel like, as much money as universities make, some of that should come down to the players, as well. We all know how fun it was watching Peterson his college years.

Computer Ethics Essays - Social Philosophy, Professional Ethics

Computer Ethics Essays - Social Philosophy, Professional Ethics Computer Ethics Abstract The computer is considered one of the most technological advances of the twentieth century. As the general public becomes increasingly ?computer literate,' the gap between technology and peoples' intellect notably shrinks. The readily available computers, software, and assorted output devices have enlightened many but, in turn, have increased the using of computers for unethical activities, privacy invasion and illegal purposes. Legal sanctions against abusive use of computers are a reactive approach. A proactive approach is to teach students about computer ethics in classrooms. An effective teaching method are the presentation of ethical scenarios. It is anticipated that through this method, students will personalize the need for developing ethical standards of behavior. The ultimate goal is for students, if necessary, to change their set of personal beliefs to include ethics. INTRODUCTION The computer is considered one of the most important technological advances of the twentieth century. Security and privacy issues have been in existence long before the computer became a vital component of organizations' operations. Nevertheless, the operating features of a computer make it a double-edged sword. Computer technologies with reliable error detection and recording capabilities, permit the invasion of a supposedly secure environment to occur on a grand scale and go undetected. Furthermore, computer and communications technology permit the invasion of a persons' privacy and likewise go undetected. Two forces threaten privacy: one, the growth of information technology with its enhanced capacity for surveillance, communication, computation, storage and retrieval and two, the more insidious threat, the increased value of information in decision making. Information has become more vital in the competitive environment, thus, decision makers covet it even if it viol! ates another's privacy. Violation of ones personal privacy, via computers, may in part be due to the incomplete understanding of responsibility on the part of those involved. Is it a management or a technical concern? Ethical standards that evolved over the history of Western civilization deal with interpersonal relationships. What is right or wrong? What one should do and not do when dealing with other people. Ethical behavior in a business environment has not been as clearly defined. When businesses were small and the property of a few individuals, traditional ethical standards were applied to meet different situations. However, as businesses became larger, the interpersonal ethical relations did not provide any clear behavioral guidelines. Likewise, the principles of ethical relationships were even less pertinent to the corporate environments. Recently, there has been an increased interest in ethical standards for computer professionals using computers. This concern is heightened by the current focus on the ?people side' of computer security. Is it a violation of copyright laws to copy software? Is this as serious as ?stealing' data or illegally infiltrating and viewing data in a computer database? NEEDS ASSESSMENT As the general public becomes increasingly ?computer literate', the gap between technology and people's intellect noticeably shrinks. Computer systems are no longer composed of one large, simple, straightforward batch-oriented computer. They are now integrated real-time query-based currently available computers, software, and assorted output devices have enlightened many. The danger is now more apparent that computer abuse will soon increase dramatically if it is not curtailed by legal sanctions and if people do not adapt some code of ethic. Sometimes people employ ethics when it is convenient and to their advantage. At other times they set any ethical standards aside by rationalizing that there is a greater good that should be considered. Unfortunately ethical behavior is not part of the law of nature, but part of a person's set of beliefs and behavior. An important aspect of computer users' ethical abuse includes the privacy question. Why exactly is a person's privacy important? There is no simple answer to this question, as long as people have concerns and commitments that may be harmed by personal disclosures. 1. There are several reasons why medical records should be kept private, having to do with the consequences to individuals that facts concerning them becoming public knowledge. The average patient does not realize the importance of the confidentiality of medical records. Passing out information on venereal disease can wreck a marriage. Revealing a pattern of alcoholism or drug abuse can result in a person losing his job or make it impossible for the person to obtain insurance protection. 2.

Is the human security agenda influenced by nationalist political Essay

Is the human security agenda influenced by nationalist political ideologies based on fear Discuss in relation to Burma - Essay Example In view of this background, and in addition to the vast body of work which focused on the issues of human security, this research revolves around similar issues, fundamentally striving to sustain the hypothesis, whether or not the human security agenda in Burma, is influenced by nationalist political ideologies based on fear. In the process, various aspects concerning the issue of human security in relation to Burma are scrutinized, including, a deep rooted analysis of the persistent violence in the war torn country; the key reasons behind such clashes; the role of nationalist political ideologies in fuelling such persistent hostility as well as the issues and concerns regarding human security. Human Security, according to UNDP and World Bank (2004), means "freedom from pervasive threats to peoples rights, safety or lives; embraces the twin objectives of freedom from fear (referring to economic, health, environmental and other threats to peoples well being)."1 The issue of human security is a burgeoning paradigm for comprehending international susceptibilities whose advocates defy the conventional view of national security by contending that the appropriate testimonial for security should be the individual as opposed to the state. The ideology behind human security proposes that a people-centered outlook of security is crucial for ensuring national, regional and global stability. The notion primarily materialized from a post-Cold War, multi-punitive comprehension of security concerning a host of research areas, such as developmental studies, international human relations, tactical studies, as well as human rights. The widespread application of aggression, hostility, enforced labor, forced recruitment of children and forced immigration, acknowledged in large number of studies, conducted by various humanitarian organizations,

What are the main issues which an organisation must consider when Essay

What are the main issues which an organisation must consider when implementing strategic change - Essay Example me main issues which organizations must consider in the strategic implementation process are focusing on the redesigning and restructuring of the organization. Another significant issue may be caused by the ambiguous flow of communication and the manner in which information is handled. Measuring competencies and planning resources is another challenge. Most firms have resorted to utilizing shared resources and competencies. This is especially true for mergers and acquisitions or even in situations when two departments or divisions may be merged. One more critical problem in the implementation stage may be created due to the inability to translate the aims developed in the strategic change stage. In order to take care of these issues, a maturity model has been developed which is associated with sustainability and have diverse elements of evaluation and resourcing, results, managing capability and capacity, strategy and policy and managing programs. The change management maturity matri x in this case defines various stages of strategic change implementation by classifying them as immature, early maturity period, defined, managed and optimization. The last state is the one which a firm needs to attain when it has optimum allocation of resources and garners optimum levels of revenue by implementing strategic change. Another core issue in handling strategic change is lack of effective leadership in the organization. It is important to have an effective leader who is able to deftly handle change management strategy and drive motivation and employee engagement. Organizations also face issues in strategic implementation while managing the employees. Major hurdles are faced because strategic change efforts are resisted by personnel. The role of non financial and financial...Scholars have focused on certain elements encompassing strategy. These are as follows: a) Depending on uncertain market conditions, strategies are revised and reformulated. b) Strategies demonstrate t he manner in which resources may be utilized to fulfill the desires of entrepreneurs c) They provide a direction to in developing the organization d) Strategies are aimed to make and develop long term prospects of success by gaining competitive edge over rival firms (Markiewicz, 2011). Implementation of strategic change is a very challenging task. Successful strategic change implementation leads to business success whereas failure in implementing strategic change may lead to catastrophic outcomes which may sometimes wipe out the business enterprise. Critical strategic change process happens when supervisors use symbolic resources and discourses in order to obliterate existing systems in meanings and find out new ones to try to set a direction to the strategy formulated and implemented (Buchanan & Dawson, 2007). In fact, a survey conducted in the year 2009, comprising of 190 staff and line managers confessed that strategic change implementation is critically significant in the strate gic implementation process. There are several hindrances in the strategic change implementation processes. Sometimes time management in formulating and implementing the new strategy may also lead to failure in the strategic change process.

Marketing Information Of Slip Safe Australia Essay

Marketing Information Of Slip Safe Australia - Essay Example   The product is available in different colors such as and dark gray. The backing materials of the product include color bound stainless steel and zinc aluminum (Slip Safe Australia, 2015a).   Customers  The organization mainly deals with other business locations. The major consumers of the product are the tile shops, health care locations, old age care locations, shopping malls, residential apartments and hotels and restaurants such as Blue Nursing Service, Tweed Heads & Kingscliffe, John Flynn Hospital, and Grand Mercure Hotel. The product is highly considered by various local councils. A number of schools, clubs, pubs and swimming pool locations also prefer to utilize the Safety Plates and Step Edges product of the organization (Slip Safe Australia, 2015b). Competitors  The market of Australia possesses a number of slip prevention service organizations that have increased the competition for the Safety Plates and Step Edges product line of the organization. The competitors within the market include Anti Slip, General Staircase and Stair Care.   There are few stair designing companies which are also providing stair nosing facility such as OzStairs. The price competition is very high within the industry as most of the leading players are providing competitive prices. In this scenario, Safety Plates and Step Edges of Slip Safe can be considered to be higher priced which restricts the organization to achieve a competitive position (Riazi, et al., 2012).

Financial Inclusion for Inclusive Growth in India

Financial Inclusion for Inclusive Growth in India Amartya Sen (2000) convincingly argued that poverty is not merely insufficient income, but rather the absence of wide range of capabilities, including security and ability to participate in economic and political systems. Franklin Roosevelt, the popular president of United States of America in 1932, referred to the American poor as the forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Today the term `bottom of the pyramid refers to the global poor most of whom live in the developing countries. These large numbers of poor are required to be provided with much needed financial assistance in order to sail them out of their conditions of poverty. Joseph.E.Stilglitz opines that, if economic growth is not shared throughout society then development has failed. Accordingly, there is felt a need for policy support in channeling the financial resources towards the economic upliftment of resource poor in any developing economy. This study is an attempt to comprehend and distinguish the significance of Financial Inclusion in the context of a developing country like India wherein a large population is deprived of the financial services which are very much essential for overall economic growth of a country. Our understandings and analysis on the topic are presented here below in the following sections. In Section-II, the importance of `Finance for economic growth has been established with adequate literature review. In section III, Inclusive Growth and its significance for achieving sustainable growth is discussed. Section-IV brings to fore the Financial Inclusion and its dimensions in detail. In Section-V, the importance of financial inclusion for achieving Inclusive Growth in India is detailed with a statistical analysis. Section-VI contains the Recommendations and the Conclusion is presented in Section-VII. II. FINANCE AND GROWTH The earlier theories of development concentrated on labor, capital, institutions etc as the factors for growth and development. The leading works hardly include finance as a factor for growth. Since then there has been numerous research analyzing how financial systems help in developing economies. A wide agreement exists among economists that financial development prompts economic growth. According to Rajan and Zingales (2003), development of the financial system contributes to economic growth. Empirical evidence time and again emphasizes the relationship between finance and growth. According to the works of King and Levine (1993a) and Levine and Zervos (1998), at the cross-country level, evidence indicates that various measures of financial development (including assets of the financial intermediaries, liquid liabilities of financial institutions, domestic credit to private sector, stock and bond market capitalisation) are robustly and positively related to economic growth. Other st udies also establish a positive relationship between financial development and growth at the industry level, like the one by Rajan and Zingales (1998). Since the groundbreaking contributions of King and Levine (1993a, b), economists have shown renewed interest in the finance-growth nexus. It is indeed irrefutable that considerable part of the differences in long run economic growth across countries can be elucidated by disparity in their financial development (King and Levine, 1993a; Levine and Zervos, 1998, Demirguc-Kunt and Maksimovic (1998) and Rajan and Zingales, 1998). Beck, Demirguc-Kunt, Laeven and Levine (2006) use Rajan and Zingales (1998) approach, which provides supplementary evidence that financial development increasingly props up the growth of smaller firms which constitute largely the priority sector lending in the case of Indian Financial sector. Recent survey evidence suggests that access to finance has a direct nexus with faster rates of innovation and firm dynamism consistent with the cross-country finding that finance promotes growth through increase in productivity (Ayyagari, M., Demirgà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¡-Kunt, A. a nd Maksimovic, V, 2007, Levine, 1998, 1999). Further, it has also been revealed that financial development plays a significant role in moderating the impact of external shocks on the domestic economy (Beck, T., Lundberg, M. and Majnoni, G, 2006 and Raddatz, C, 2006). Besides debate concerning the role of finance in economic development, economists have also debated the relative importance of bank-based and market-based financial systems for a long time (Golsdmith, 1969; Boot and Thakor, 1997; Allen and Gale, 2000; Demirguc-Kunt and Levine, 2001). Joseph Schumpeter argued in 1911 that banks play a pivotal role in economic development. According to this view, the banking sector alters the path of economic progress by affecting the allocation of savings and not necessarily by altering the saving rate. Largely, the Schumpeterian view of finance and development highlights the impact of banks on productivity growth (Schumpeter, Joseph A, 1934). Banking sector can wield a positive influence on the overall economy, and hence is of broad macroeconomic importance (Bonin and Wachtel, 1999, Jaffe and Levonian, 2001, Rajan and Zingales, 1998). It is established that better developed banks and markets are closely associated with faster growth (Levine, Loazya a nd Beck, 2000; Loayza and Ranciere (2002); Christopoulos and Tsionas, 2004). Improved functioning of banks can be able to boost resource allocation and hasten growth (Boyd and Prescott 1986; Greenwood and Jovanovic 1990; King and Levine 1993a; Levine, R. and S. Zervous 1998). Correspondingly, by aiding risk management, improving the liquidity of assets available to savers, and by lowering trading costs; banks can enliven investment in potential economic activities (Obstfeld 1994; Bencivenga and Smith 1991; Greenwood and Smith 1997). Banks do exercise significant and causal impact on productivity growth, which feeds through to overall GDP growth. The long-run association between prioritised banking and both capital growth and private savings are more tenuous (Levine, Ross; Loayza, Norman; and Beck, Thorsten, 1999). It is also ascertained by some researchers that the size of the banking sector can be safely considered a good predictor for future growth, especially when focusing on lon g term projects (Andrea Vaona, 2005). The research so far has not only looked at how finance facilitates economic activity but also social aspects like poverty, hunger etc. The consensus is that finance promotes economic growth but the magnitude of impact differs. Financial inclusion is intended to connect people to banks with consequential benefits. Ensuring that the financial system plays its due role in promoting inclusive growth is one of the biggest challenges facing the emerging economies. We therefore advocate that financial development creates enabling conditions for growth through either a `supply-leading (financial development spurs growth) or a `demand-following (growth generates demand for financial products) channel. Access to safe, easy and affordable credit and other financial services by the poor and vulnerable groups, disadvantaged areas and lagging sectors is recognised as a pre-condition for accelerating growth and reducing income disparities and poverty. Access to a well-functioning financial system, by creating equal opportunities, enables economically and socially excluded people to integrate better into the economy and actively contribute to development and protects themselves against economic shocks. III. INCLUSIVE GROWTH Development economists and states have often been for a long time interested in the relationship between financial development and economic growth especially in the period which is known as the era of the Washington Consensus. A growing GDP is an evidence of a society getting its collective act together for progress. As its economy grows, a society becomes more strongly organised, more compactly interwoven. Growth is good, Sustained high growth is better and Sustained high growth with inclusiveness is best of all. Inclusive growth in the economy can only be achieved when all the weaker sections of the society including agriculture and small scale industries are nurtured and brought on par with other sections of the society in terms of economic development. The major development challenge is to make the growth inclusive. Policies for inclusive growth are vital components of majority of government strategies for sustainable growth. Commission on Growth and Development notes that inclus iveness-a concept that encompasses equity, equality of opportunity, and protection in market and employment transitions is an essential ingredient of any successful growth strategy (Commission on Growth and Development, 2008). Three pillars of inclusive growth are; (i) Maximise economic opportunities (ii) Ensure economic well being and (iii) Ensure equal opportunities to economic opportunities (Ifzal Ali, 2007). An inclusive growth strategy encompasses the key elements of an effective poverty reduction strategy and, more importantly, expands the development agenda. Developing inclusive financial systems which are financially and socially sustainable, as a poverty reduction strategy, should be given priority (Amit K. Bhandari, 2009). Levine, (1998), (1999) and Beck, Demirguc-Kunt and Levine (2007) have noticed a positive effect of finance on poverty reduction. Economies with higher levels of financial development experience faster reduction of poverty. This has been explained by an extensive body of literature including Deininger and Squire (1998), Dollar and Kraay (2002), White and Anderson (2001), Ravallion (2001) and Bourguignon (2003). In an often cited cross-country study, Kraay (2004) proves that growth in average incomes explains 70 percent of the variation in poverty reduction (as measured by the headcount ratio) in the short run, and as much as 97 percent in the long run. Lopez and Servà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡n (2004) suggest that for a given inequality intensity, the poorer the country is, the more vital is the growth component in explaining poverty reduction. Thus, equitable growth is indeed an imperative for inclusive growth. IV. FINANCIAL INCLUSION Importance of financial inclusion arises from the problem of financial exclusion of nearly 3 billion people from the formal financial services across the world. The review of literature suggests that the most operational definitions are context-specific, originating from country-specific problems of financial exclusion and socio-economic conditions. Thus, the context-specific dimensions of financial exclusion assume importance from the public policy perspective. The operational definition of financial inclusion, based on the access to financial products or services, also underscores the role of financial institutions or service providers involved in the process. Furthermore, the operational definitions have also evolved from the underlying public policy concerns that many people, particularly those living on low income, cannot access mainstream financial products such as bank accounts and low cost loans, which, in turn, imposes real costs on them -often the most vulnerable people (H. M. Treasury, 2007). Thus, over the years, several definitions of financial inclusion/exclusion have evolved. In the Indian context, Rangarajan Committee on Financial Inclusion in India (2008)) defines it as: Financial inclusion may be defined as the process of ensuring access to financial services and timely and adequate credit where needed by vulnerable groups such as weaker sections and low income groups at an affordable cost. The financial services include the entire gamut savings, loans, insurance, credit, payments etc. The financial system has to provide its function of transferring resources from surplus to deficit units but both deficit and surplus units are those with low incomes, poor background etc. By providing these services, the aim is to help them come out of poverty. Measurement of Financial Inclusion is not universally the same. Different countries adopt different indicators to measure financial inclusion. Definitional Aspects of Financial Inclusion / Exclusion and their indicators as recommended by United Nations, World Bank, Committee on Financial Inclusion in India (Chairman: C. Rangarajan), Asian Development Bank [ADB] and Treasury Committee, House of Commons, UK are presented in Table-1 in Annexure-1. Global Experiences In the developed countries, the formal financial sector serves most of the population, whereas in developing countries, a large segment of the society, mainly the low-income group, has modest access to financial services, either formally or informally. Consequently, many of them have to necessarily depend either on their own sources or informal sources of finance, which are generally at high cost. According to Peachy and Roe (2004) developed countries have experienced good levels of inclusion (99 per cent in Denmark, 96 per cent in France, 96 per cent in Germany and 91 per cent in the USA) have bank accounts. However, it is reported that (ADB, 2007), in the developing countries, formal financial sectors serve relatively a small segment, often not more than 20-30 per cent of the population, the vast majority of who are low income households in rural areas Recent data (Table-2 in Annexure-2) shows that countries with large proportion of population excluded from the formal financial system also show higher poverty ratios and higher inequality. Further, it is observed that, often countries with low levels of income inequality have a propensity to have lower levels of financial exclusion, whereas high levels of exclusion are associated with the least equal ones. According to Kempson (2006), for example, While in the case of Sweden, lower than two per cent of adults did not have an account in 2000 in Germany, it was around three per cent. In comparison, less than four per cent of adults in Canada and five per cent in Belgium, lacked a bank account (Buckland et al, 2005). Countries with high levels of inequality record higher levels of banking exclusion. To illustrate, in Portugal, about 17 per cent of the adult population had no account of any kind in 2000 (Kempson, 2006). Policy Response to Financial Exclusion Country Experiences The policy responses to such exclusion have been varied. Two major kinds of policy responses have been implemented by central banks in response to financial exclusion: codes of practice and specific legislation. Table-3 (Annexure-3) presents the financial inclusion initiatives in different countries. Table-4 (Annexure-4) illustrates the extent of financial inclusion in some select countries. Initiatives for financial inclusion in India The broad strategy for financial inclusion in India in recent years comprises the following elements: (i) encouraging penetration into unbanked and backward areas and encouraging agents and intermediaries such as NGOs, MFIs, CSOs and business correspondents (BCs); (ii) focussing on a decentralised strategy by using existing arrangements such as State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) and district consultative committee (DCC) and strengthening local institutions such as co-operatives and RRBs; (iii) using technology for furthering financial inclusion; (iv) advising banks to open a basic banking `no frills account; (vi) emphasis on financial literacy and credit counselling; and (vii) creating synergies between the formal and informal segments (Thorat, 2008). V. FINANCIAL INCLUSION AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH IN INDIA The importance of this study lies in the fact that India being a socialist, democratic republic, it is imperative on the policies of the government to ensure equitable growth of all sections of the economy. With only 34% of population engaged in formal banking, India has, 135 million financially excluded households, the second highest number after China. Further, the real rate of financial inclusion in India is also very low and about 40% of the bank account holders use their accounts not even once a month. It is universally opined that the resource poor need financial assistance at reasonable costs and that too with uninterrupted pace. However, the economic liberalization policies have always tempted the financial institutions to look for more and more greener pastures of business ignoring the weaker sections of the society. Some of the features of financial exclusion in India are captured in Figure-1 (Annexure-12). It is essential for any economy to aim at inclusive growth involving each and every citizen in the economic development progression. It is in this context that a study has to be made to understand the importance of priority sector lending in ensuring the inclusive growth in the Indian context. Select macro-economic and financial indicators of Indian economy are presented here below in Table-5 (Annexure-5). Analysis Based on the well accepted approaches for evaluation of the coverage of financial inclusion and to assess its impact on inclusive growth the study endeavors to analyse the following: Spatial Distribution of banking Services Regional Distribution of Banking Services Impact of Financial Inclusion on Inclusive Growth 1. Spatial Distribution of banking Services In order to analyse the spatial distribution of banking services in the country, data for the periods 1991 and 2005 has been verified. Further, bank offices in the country have been classified into Rural and Urban areas. This has been considered in order to get a clear understanding about how the spread of formal banking services has been affected in different parts of the country. The total number of saving accounts, considered to be a better indicator of banking penetration than other deposit accounts, as per cent of number of households, was 137 in rural areas and 244 in the urban areas on the eve of reforms in 1991. By 2005, despite the reforms, the differential continues to be similar. In the case of credit accounts, the situation have deteriorated for rural households while showing significant improvement in the urban areas (Table-6 in Annexure-6), corroborating the very significant increase in retail credit. 2. Regional Distribution of Banking Services An effort has been made to analyse the extent of financial inclusion in different regions of the country such as Northern, North-Eastern, Eastern, Central, Western and Southern regions apart from All India level. A purposeful analysis is made by comparing the data for the period from 1991 to 2005. Further, this data has been further split into rural and urban areas in the country in order to get an exact view about the distribution services in these areas. Further, the analysis is made in terms of population coverage per bank office, Number of Savings accounts per population of one hundred and Number of Credit (loan) accounts per population of one hundred. Table-7 (in Annexure-7) captures the data related to Financial Inclusion, Poverty levels, Population density and Literacy. Table-8 (in Annexure-8) presents the data related to Bank Branches, Workers, Population of Scheduled Castes and Percentage of Households with bank accounts in India. This data is largely sourced from the websit e of Census India and Reserve Bank of India publications. In terms of financial broadening, the scope for improvement remains. Table-9 (in Annexure-9) illustrates the level of financial inclusion in India with region wise statistics. It is discernible that Southern and Northern regions have population coverage below the national averages. All the other regions in the country have coverage well above the national average calling for urgent improvement in the population coverage of the population. Again in terms of rural and urban areas there has been a distinct progress in the coverage of the population by the bank branch offices. Table-9 provides further clarity by providing a break-up of the deposit accounts. Both the deposit and credit accounts are lower in rural households than urban households. Hence despite the rural-push, the rural population has not come forward and avail even basic banking services Impact of Financial Inclusion on Inclusive Growth In order to involve a comprehensive measure of financial inclusion in the Indian context, we consider Priority Sector Lending as a measure of financial inclusion. We are of the opinion that, mere opening of bank account would not be a true indicator of financial inclusion, but availment of financial services, more importantly; the much needed credit for the excluded sections of the society would definitely depict the measure of financial inclusion. Further, this measure would meet the requirements of the definition for measurement of Financial Inclusion provided by United Nations, wherein it is said that the indicator should measure the Access to credit, insurance, savings and payment services. Priority Sector Lending as an indicator in our study addresses all the above aspects. In view of this an attempt has been made to establish the relationship of priority sector lending (as a measure of financial inclusion) with the indicators of inclusive growth such as rural poverty. Rural pov erty is considered to portray inclusive growth as more than 70 percent of India lives in rural areas. The required data for the analysis is obtained largely from the most reliable and official sources such as Reserve Bank of India website, NABARD website, India Development Report 2008 and other related sources. Economic Reforms in Indian economy were initiated in the year 1991-92. As such, to cover equal number of years of priority sector lending and inclusive growth during pre and post-Liberalisation period, data for the period from 1974-75 to 2007-08 has been analysed for understanding the trends. For the purpose of analysis the most popular statistical measure Multiple Regression (OLS) Analysis is used (Andrea Vaona, 2005, Andrea Vaona and Roberto Patuelli, 2008 have also used the same kind of analysis for similar studies). The objective of this section of the paper is to recognize the determinants of Inclusive Growth which can be captured in Rural Poverty (RU_POV) (measured in percentage against that of the total population in rural areas and these figures are provided by the Census of India data) in India and ascertain the impact of Priority Sector Lending (PSL) on rural poverty in India. Priority Sector Lending in the Indian context refers to the bank credit under the directed lending towards the private firms and individuals which is an important parameter that determines the measure of development that can significantly contribute to inclusive growth (Andrea Vaona, 2005). Domestic Savings (SAV) (measured in Rupees in Crores) is included as a determinant in order to account for the argument that savings propels economic activity in the system at large and helps in inclusive growth process (Beck, Levine and Loayza 2000). Rural Employment is one of the significant measures of economic development and consequently of inclusive growth. A greater level of rural employment can be taken as evidence of greater economic development (Cole Shawn, 2007). In recognition of this argument, Employment in Rural Primary sector (EMP_RP) (expressed in million numbers) is included as one of determinants to study their impact on inclusive growth. Agricultural Production is another important determinant that affects the inclusive growth process in rural India. As a large population of weaker sections of the society still depends to a large extent on agriculture, Agricultural Production (AGRI_PRO) (expressed in Kilograms/hectare) determines their upward movement in the income ladder (Andrea Vaona, 2005 also considered production as an important variable in a similar study). Accordingly, agricultural production is also considered as a determinant in the analysis. There is also an indisputable argument that overall credit has profound impact on inclusive growth process (Andrea Vaona, 2005). In view of this, Credit to Gross Domestic Product (CRED_GDP) (measured as a ratio in percentage to GDP) is included as a determinant. If there is an increase in Per Capita Income (PCI) (measured as per capita NNP at factor cost expressed in Crores in Rupees) there certainly will be an increase in inclusive growth process. As such, Per Capita Income (as used as a determinant in a similar analysis by Andrea Vaona and Roberto Patuelli, 2008, Srinivasan 1994, Streeten 1994, and Sugden 1993) is commonly accepted measure of standard of living of people and consequently is a major factor that enhances inclusive growth and hence it is included in the analysis. The regression model can be; Y = à   + à ¡1X1 + .. + à ¡nXn + à ¦ -> Accordingly, Rural Poverty can be better explained and estimated with the following version of equation; RU_POV = f (PSL, SAV, EMP_RP, AGRI_PRO, CRED_GDP, PCI) + à ¦ > In order to control for other factors associated with economic growth not linked to financial development, the regression results are presented by using a simple conditioning information set, including the constant, the logarithm of all explanatory variables. Due to potential nonlinearities, the natural logarithms of the regressors are considered (Levine, Loazya and Beck, 2000). Accordingly, when we log-transform this model (also called a log-log, double-log) we obtain: Log (RU_POV) = à   + log (PSL, SAV, EMP_RP, AGRI_PRO, CRED_GDP, PCI) + à ¦ > `à   represents the `Y intercept, à ¡1,?n represent the respective regression coefficients for explanatory variables X1 .. Xn and `à ¦ represents the error term. Where, `Y represents the `RU_POV , i.e, Rural Poverty and `X1, `X2 , ., `X14 represent the predictor variables and `à ¡1 , `à ¡2, .., `à ¡n represent the partial regression coefficients of `PSL i.e, `Priority Sector Lending, `SAV-Savings, `EMP_RP-Employment in Rural Primary sector, `AGRI_PRO-Agricultural production, `CRED_GDP-Credit to Gross Domestic Product and `PCI-Per Capita Income respectively. `à ¦ represents the `error term. The results of analysis are presented in Table-10 (Annexure-10) for the period from the year 1977 to 2007. Inferring from the results of this analysis, it can be concluded that Priority sector lending has significant impact on rural poverty. Graphical presentation of the trend of priority sector lending in the pre liberalisation period from 1974-75 to 1990-91 and post liberalisation period from 1991-92 to 2006-07 is illustrated in Figure-2 (Annexure-13). It is clearly evident from the figure that priority sector lending has taken a gradually upward moving curve indicating a steady rise in the post liberalisation era. Further, the Nature and strength of the impact of the various determinants on Inclusive growth are captured in Table-11 (Annexure-11). A graphical presentation of the trend of the inclusive growth in India is presented in Figure-3 (Annexure-14). It is orchestrated by the rhythmic forward movement trends of the above discussed determinants during the study period. Rural Poverty is on a declining trend more pronouncedly during the post liberalisation period. Findings of the Study The study found that Priority Sector Lending has a very high significant impact on inclusive growth, which is in line with the findings of Kraay (2004) and Beck, et all (2007). Domestic Savings (in line with the conclusions of Levine, Ross; Loayza, Norman; and Beck, Thorsten, 1999), Credit to Gross Domestic Product (as established by Ayyagari, M., Demirgà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¡-Kunt, A. and Maksimovic, V, 2007, Narasimham, 2002, Obstfeld 1994; Bencivenga and Smith 1991; Greenwood and Smith 1997) and Per Capita Income (as stated by Levine, 1998, 1999) are found to have significant impact on reducing rural poverty in India. The model developed in the study explains the trend of rural poverty (Lopez and Servà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡n, 2004) to the extent of 93.5 percent involving the important determinants such as Priority Sector Lending (Rajan and Zingales 1998), Savings, Employment in Rural Primary sector, Agricultural Production (Andrea Vaona, 2005), Credit to Gross Domestic Product (Andrea Vaona, 2005 ) and Per Capita Income (Andrea Vaona and Roberto Patuelli, 2008, Srinivasan 1994, Streeten 1994 and Sugden 1993). Further, it is also demonstrated (Figure-2) that financial sector reforms have indeed had a positive impact on reduction of rural poverty. VI. RECOMMENDATIONS AND POLICY CHOICES Based on the outcome of the above analysis, we present here below our recommendations. Strategize the Provision of Bank Credit Need is felt to strategize the provision of bank credit to the rural farmer households. Majority of the marginal farmer households are not at all covered by the formal finance. As such public sector banks and the co-operative banks in the rural areas have to sensitize about the need for provision of timely and cheaper credit to these segments. Reserve Bank of India in consultation with NABARD should come out with a comprehensive strategy for revitalizing the quiescent rural credit mechanism. Cover the Poor It is imminent to encompass the tenant farmers, oral lessees and share croppers, marginal farmers with small un-economical land holdings, agricultural laborers, rural artisans and people involved in making handicrafts and also majority of weavers in handloom Sector. Extensive use of Co-operatives The large number of PACS and primary cooperatives under the parallel Acts located in rural areas are not functioning effectively. Many of these cooperatives are in districts where the DCCBs are defunct or moribund. Such PACS could provide valuable services to their members if they get access to a commercial bank. In view of these there is a need to revitalize these cooperatives as per the Vaidyanathan Committee recommendations and use them extensively for financial inclusion in the rural areas. Undoubtedly a Greater Role for NABARD NABARD ha to play a pro-active role by partnering with the rural credit institutions in the field and identify new initiatives that will contribute to effectively improving the extent of financial inclusion involving SHGs, MFIs, etc. Procedural / Documentation Changes It is inevitable on the part of the regulators to find out an easy way of procuring the documents for opening of bank accounts and availing loans. The present guidelines are more tedious and result in huge costs for the poor in accessing the banks for any kind of services. Exemption from Stamp Duty for Loans to Small and Marginal Farmers, Simplifying Mortgage Requirements, Saral Documentation for Agricultural Loans. Proactive Role of Government State Governments should asked by the Centre to play a pro-active role in facilitating Financial Inclusion. Issuing official identity documents for opening accounts , creating awareness and involving district and block level functionaries in the entire process, meeting cost of cards and other devices for pilots, undertaking financial literacy drives are some of the ways in which the State and district administration have involved themselves. A role for Rural Post Offices Post Offices in rural areas can be asked to provide their services in accelerating the financial inclusion activity. In view of the postmans intimate knowledge of the local population and the enormous trust reposed in him post offices can be good use in the process of financial inclusion Effective use of Information Technology Solutions Financial Inclusion initiatives. Adequate Publicity for the Project of Financial Inclusion In a huge country like India, there needs to be huge publicity for popularizing the concept and its benefits to the common man. In this direction, a comprehensive approach has to be developed involving all the concerned at all levels to impress upon the need for financial inclusion for accelerating th

Look at the significance of chapter five to the novel as a whole. Essay

Look at the significance of chapter five to the novel as a whole. Focus on the relevance and effect of the writer’s language to describe setting, character and what it shows about social and historical influences. Frankenstein is a Victorian novel written in the gothic genre. It is about a man, Victor Frankenstein, giving life to an inanimate being and abandoning it. The monster then seeks revenge and the love of what he believes to be his mother, Frankenstein. The author, Mary Shelley, wrote the book at the age of nineteen but was not able to get the book published at first, as she was a woman. Her husband, Percy Shelley, finally got the book published by an unknown author. It took years for Mary Shelley to officially become known as the author of Frankenstein. At the time the ideas portrayed in Frankenstein were grotesque and many thought it unbelievable for these thoughts to have come from the mind of a woman. Chapter five is the most significant chapter within the book as this is where the monster is created, which is the main beginning to the story. The first four chapters are to set the scene for the story and to show why Victor Frankenstein was so determined to bring life to an inanimate object. The novel addresses many important issues. Mary Shelley writes about how Frankenstein chose the most perfect body parts for his creation but once it is complete he finally sees the monster he has created. ‘No mortal could support the horror of that countenance’, this shows that when Frankenstein finally sees what the monster looks like he becomes afraid. Frankenstein had been blinded by obsession and has no sense of reality, ‘ how can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe’. He has taken such ... ...d. She shows this in the story as the monster was infused with life by electricity. Mary Shelley has a lot of social influence in the novel as she talks about the monster losing his mother, which symbolises the loss of her own mother. She was also shunned by society when she married Percy Shelley, which is like the society shunning the monster. When she talks about Frankenstein abandoning his creation she is symbolising the death of her own children. Also when she talks about the monsters sense of abandonment she is symbolising her life as at a young age as her mother died. She then ran away with Percy Shelley and was shunned by society and her father. Her and Percy had three children, two of whom died, and then Percy drowned leaving her with a two-year-old child and no money. The novel of Frankenstein reflects some of the pain within Mary Shelley’s life.

Human Trafficking: The different risk factors Essay

Definition of Human Trafficking According to Jac-Kucharski (2012), â€Å"human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjective to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery†(p.151). The risk factors that used in the research are, age in regards to traveling alone, poverty, unemployment and sexual abuse. Poverty Factors Human trafficking is a worldwide issue and one of the causes are poverty (Jac-Kucharski, 2012). According to the United States Census Bureau (USCB) (2013), poverty is defined â€Å"as a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty†(p. 11). For instance, a family is considered to be in poverty if the total house income is less then their maximum income (USCB, 2013). Poverty makes people feel desperate and look for other means to gain money, and as a result they may get into bigger problems without knowing it. Jac-Kucharski (2012), research states that human traffickers take advantage of peoples’ economic situations and with lies take over their victims’ lives. Woman and men in poverty conditions are easy targets for human trafficking. Through the years, women have been seen as prey for human trafficking, particularly in sexual trafficking, and this problem is not just in the United States but around the wor ld (Hodge, 2008). The business of sexual trafficking continues to grow notably against the other forms of human trafficking: sexual trafficking makes up 79 percent of all human trafficking, and some of the cases result in bride-enslavement (Kim, 2010). It is well known that the majority of women who enroll in the international marriage agencies come from poor homes, and this is advertised in the agencies’ websites. This type of advertising allows American men to feel they are rescuing these powerless  women, so they expect their brides to do everything they want them to do. These relationships turn into powerful dominant men and weak brides. The men believe that they can exploit and dominate their brides because they rescued them. The women experience domestic violence, rape, and emotional distress (Kim, 2010). Jones (2010) states that rarely people see or hear the media reporting on male human trafficking, but it takes place. Thus, the other group that also is targeted to human trafficking i s men. The male victims are poor and usually from other countries, but in some cases the men are Americans. For instance, one of these cases was homeless men in the state of Florida; they were forced to work in detrimental conditions and did not receive payment for their work. The men who are brought to the United States come with hope of prosperity, but once they get here they lose their freedom. Some are employed to work in restaurants, construction sites etc. But the majority of them are forced to work in farms. Furthermore, the human traffickers take their victims’ passport, money, and any other possessions making it difficult for them to leave (Jones, 2010). Unemployment Factors This paper will further explore unemployment as a risk factor for human trafficking and the reasons that unemployment makes human beings so vulnerable to being trafficked and taken against their will. This paper will also explain that there is a difference in human trafficking and human smuggling (Jac-Kucharski, 2012). An estimation in 2008 estimated that almost if not more than 800,000 humans were trafficked within the borders of the United States as well as across United States borders into other countries (Jac-Kucharski, 2012). The United States unemployment average was 5.8%, the highest average the country had ever seen up until that year. Since 2008, the unemployment rate on a month to month basis has not been lower than 6.7% (Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 2014). That is a lot of people to be unemployed and looking for work. Many human traffickers prey on people who are looking for a way to provide for their families. They promise a job and plenty of work for a person to do. Before the person can realize what is happening, they have been taken against their will to work in a factory for no pay, or they are being forced to commit sexual acts for no pay. This paper will explore reports made by survivors of human trafficking. Different people experienced different situations, but they all experienced one like  factor: they were not able to leave or communicate with their family. They all also experienced the thought process of thinking they would die before they were released. This leads to the research being done on the traumatic experience of being victim of human trafficking, and the impact it has on the lives of people who survive (Cross, 2013). Traveling Alone Factors As the research continues about the different factors of human trafficking, traveling alone as a minor has become one of the concerns in human trafficking. There are different reasons why minors travel unaccompanied. In the research of (Derluyn, et al. 2010), states some of the reasons may consist of holiday traveling and traveling with migration motives. Traveling unaccompanied makes easy pray for the criminals of human trafficking. The average traveling age for unaccompanied by an adult, caregiver, parents or legal guardian is five through twelve years of age (Derluyn, et al., 2010). Approximate one-third of the children that travel under the age of 18 years old are traveling unaccompanied. When the minors are traveling alone without any guardian, makes them at risk for traffickers. The traffickers will see them as vulnerable and unprotected making it easier for the traffickers to allure the victims. The traffickers will try to allure the minors with false papers and obtaining acce ss into the country. The children not being knowledgeable and not guided by an adult protector they will believe the traffickers. The minors will be in fear of getting into trouble or not getting through into the country. Resulting in the trafficker making false promises and the victim becoming prey (Derluyn, et al., 2010). After the traffickers have allured the minors and they entered the country it is more often than none they disappear. The study of research by (Derluyn, et al., 2010) shows out of less than 2,000 minors traveling by themselves and flying into the London area, there were a fourth of the minors that stayed at a higher risk to encounter smugglers and traffickers. Following (Derluyn, et al.’s, 2010) a special team designed to assist in the lost minors found that out of 25 of the forth of the children ended up finding no single trace of them. Teenage girls that came from West Africa were the primary interest of the traffickers. Because these children were never found it is a strong possibility they became targets of mistreatment and cruelty (Derluyn, et al., 2010). With the small amount of research that has happened with the  factor of children traveling alone there have been significant results to conclude it is safer for the minor to tour with an appropriate adult. Sexual Abuse Factors â€Å"Sexual abuse is defined as the involvement of a child younger than the age of consent by means of force, threat, cheat or deception in every kind of act resulting in the sexual satisfaction of a sexually adult person in the absence of consent and equality or conniving at its occurrence† (Bilginer & et. al,. 2013 p.56) There are several factors that put people at risk to become targets for those in the human trafficking trade, the risk factor discussed here is sexual abuse and how it can lead to prostitution and the sex trade side of human trafficking (A Review of the literature, n.d., para. 4.1 p.7). Sexual abuse affects females and influences their transition into prostitution and the sex trade. An introduction to sex at an early age is one of the ways that children can be led into prostitution as it skews their sense of self; the place sex has in their lives, and the role of the person who abused them. Children are introduced to sex through abuse at increasingly younge r ages anywhere from 13 to 15 years old or younger (Wilson & Windom, 2010). The girl’s age range is between 7 and 14 (Bilginer & et. al., 2013). This abuse can also lead the victims to act out utilizing other risky behaviors that put these children at even more risk such as doing poorly in school or juvenile criminal activity (Wilson & Windom, 2010). These females, who have no coping skills or life experience to deal with the abuse, especially when it comes from those they are supposed to be able to trust, end up either distancing themselves from sex, or using it to gain a false sense of intimacy. Such behaviors’ put them at risk as candidates for prostitution (Wilson & Windom, 2010). Second discussed is how sexual abuse affects males and how it influences their transition into prostitution and the sex trade. Many of the same factors stated for the females also apply to males. The boy’s age range for when abuse occurs is marginally higher, approximately between 9 and 12 year old (Bilginer & et. al., 2013). Boys who were abused are more also likely to become prostitutes and have high-risk sexual encounters that p ut them at risk; however they do not have the same dysfunctional issues that females deal with when it comes to their view of sex after abuse. Dysfunction in males arises more often in  conjunction with neglect from their family not abuse alone (Aron, 2012). References Aaron, M. (2012). The pathways of problematic sexual behavior: A literature review of factors affecting adult sexual behavior in survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 19(3), 199-218. doi:10.1080/10720162.2012.690678 Bilginer, C., HesapcÄ ±oglu, S., & Kandil, S. (2013). Sexual abuse in childhood: A multi-dimentional look from the view point of victims and perpetrators. Journal of Psychiatry & Neurological Sciences, 26(1), 55-64. doi:10.5350/DAJPN2013260106 Bureau of Labor and Statistics. (2014, January 27). Labor force statistics from the current population survey. Retrieved from http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000 Cross, A. L. (2013). Slipping through the cracks: The dual victimization of human-trafficking survivors. McGeorge Law Review, 395-422. Derluyn, I., Lippens, V., Verachtert, T., Bruggeman, W., & Broekaert, E. (2010). Minors Travelling Alone: A Risk Group for Human Trafficking?. International Migration, 48(4), 164-185. doi:10.1111/j.146 8-2435.2009.00548.x Human trafficking into and within the United States: A review of the literature. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/07/humantrafficking/litrev/index.pdf(American Psychological Assoc.) Hodge, D. (2008). Sexual trafficking in the United States: A domestic problem with transnational dimensions. Social Work, 53(2), 143-152. doi:10.1093/sw/53.2.143 Jac-Kucharski, A. (2012). The determinants of human trafficking: A US case study. International Migration, 50(6), 150-165. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.2012.00777.x Jones, S. (2010). The invisible man: The conscious neglect of men and boys in the war on human trafficking. Utah Law Review, 2010(4), 1143-1188. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy194.nclive.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer KIM, J. (2010). Trafficked: Domestic violence, exploitation in marriage, and the foreign-bride industry. Virginia Journal of International Law, 51(2), 443-505. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy194.nclive.org/eds/pdfv iewer/pdfviewer Merriam-Webster. (2012). An american dictionary of the english language. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, Inc. United States Census Bureau. (2013, February). Poverty. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/methods/definitions.html U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2007). Human trafficking into and within the United States: A review of the literature. Washington, DC: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Wilson, H. W., & Widom, C. (2010). The role of youth problem behaviors in the path from child abuse and neglect to prostitution: A Prospective examination. Journal of Research on APA.

Pedatritions essays

Pedatritions essays In Michael Rich MD and Miriam Barons MD study, Child Health in the Information Age: Media Education of Pediatricians, they conduct a survey of 209 pediatric residency programs. This survey compares with and updates information in the 1986 survey The Impact of Television on Children: Current Pediatric Training Practices. Many questions were designed to elicit comparable information as the previous survey as well as incorporating other aspects that were not as significant in 1986, such as the internet and video games. Hypothesis: The objective of this study was to determine what pediatric residency programs are teaching trainees about media and the influence of media on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents. Methodology: Surveys were sent to 209 different pediatric residency programs in 44 states and Puerto Rico. The survey of residency curricular training consisted of 17 items about childrens exposure to media including television, movies, popular music, computer/video games and the Internet, the effects of this exposure on specific health risks, and associations between program characteristics and media education in the residency curriculum. Results: The data collected showed that there is little training for the affects of media. Across the board only one item scored more then 30%. In the category of Interventions on Media Exposure in regards to whether residents are taught to discuss media us with patients or parents, only 47% checked of yes. While the rest of the items scored even lower out of the 7 items from the 1986 survey all improved, 5 of which either almost doubled or id infact double the percentage from the previous survey. They concluded that there needed to be a media education curriculum for pediatritricians in training and provide formal faculty training in the teaching of media issues. The research was conducted in a very adiquate fashion. I cant think of a bett...

The Earth Has 3 Trillion Trees

The Earth Has 3 Trillion Trees The calculations are in and a recent study has revealed some rather shocking results regarding the number of trees on the planet. According to researchers at Yale University, there are 3 trillion trees on Earth at any given moment. Thats 3,000,000,000,000. Whew! Its 7.5 times more trees than previously thought! And that adds up to roughly 422 trees for every person on the planet. Pretty good, right? Unfortunately, researchers also estimate that it is only half the number of trees that were on the planet before humans came along. So just how did they come up with those numbers? A team of international researchers from 15 countries used  satellite imagery, tree surveys, and supercomputer technologies to map tree populations around the world - down the square kilometer. The results are the most comprehensive count of the worlds trees that has ever been undertaken. You can check out all of the data over at the journal Nature. The study was inspired by the global youth organization Plant for the Planet- a group that aims to plant trees around the world to reduce the effects of climate change. They asked researchers at Yale for the estimated global population of trees. At the time, researchers thought there were about 400 billion trees on the planet- thats 61 trees per person.   But researchers knew that this was just a ballpark guess as it used satellite imagery and forest area estimates but it did not incorporate any hard data from the ground.  Thomas Crowther, a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and lead author of the study, put together a team that studied tree populations using not only satellites but also  tree-density information through national forest inventories and tree counts that had been verified at the ground level. Through their inventories, researchers were also able to confirm that the largest forest areas in the world are in the tropics. Roughly 43 percent of the worlds trees can be found in this area. The locations with the highest densities of trees were  the sub-arctic regions of Russia, Scandinavia and North America. Researchers hope that this inventory- and the new data regarding the number of trees in the world- will result in improved information about the role and importance of the worlds trees- particularly when it comes to biodiversity and carbon storage. But they also think that it serves as a warning about the effects that human populations have already had on the worlds trees.  Deforestation, habitat loss, and poor forest-management practices result in the loss of over 15 billion trees each year, according to the study. This affects not only the number of trees on the planet, but also the diversity. The study noted that tree density and diversity drops drastically as the number of humans on the planet increases. Natural factors such as drought, flooding, and insect infestations also play a role in the loss of forest density and diversity. Weve nearly halved the number of trees on the planet, and weve seen the impacts on climate and human health as a result, Crowther said in a statement released by Yale. This study highlights how much more effort is needed if we are to restore healthy forests worldwide. Source Ehrenberg, Rachel. Global count reaches 3 trillion trees. Nature, September 2, 2015.

Leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership - Research Paper Example Contingency leadership Contingency theory of leadership emphasizes that effective leadership depends on matching a  leader’s  style  to the appropriate situation (Da Cruz et al, 2011, p 7). The theory  is based  on the assumption that people’s styles and behaviours cannot be influenced or modified in any way. The  leadership  theory  is formed  by a combination of three factors, which are, leader-member relation,  task  structure and positional power (Da Cruz et al, 2011, p.9). Leader-member  relation  measures  acceptance  between all hierarchies within the organization where  acceptance  is determined  by trust, confidence a  feeling  of adequacy and  motivation  by leaders. In relation to  task  structure, it refers to a measure of clarity that a project or a defined task carries and the methods used to  achieve  the product. These allows progress to be tracked, this is because of the  presence  of clear guideli nes as to how a task should be performed. Positional power, on the other hand, is a measure of the amount of  authority  that a leader has, ad its ability to influence the  productivity  of the workers. This is in reference to the ability that a leader when it comes to reward and punishment. It also has a  part  in hierarchies where the workers  are required  to report to their leaders. ... on, in order to exert influence on one’s workers or followers, there is the need to  use  people skills and communicative skills in order to  influence  the outcome of their followers (Da Cruz, 2011, P. 17). Concerning contingency theory, there are several groupings of leaders and their  outright  performance  situations based on the power and  influence  they exert. The theory proposes that a  task-oriented leader stands a better chance at getting better performance due to its dynamic nature. The  nature  is it can be used when there is too much  control  or too little control over workers. In addition, in positions where a  leader  has  moderate  power, the theory proposes that  best  performance  is yielded  for  relationship-oriented leaders. Transformational leadership Transformational leadership is a leadership  style  in which leaders and followers  elevate  each other to levels above  present  level of  morali ty. In order to account for  power,  influence  and  leadership  in transformational leadership, it  is based  on four components. Influence  is exerted  on followers or workers according to how admirably the  leader  behaves. This, in turn, has an  influence  on the followers on whether they would like to emulate them (Hoffman et al., 2011, p. 781). Leaders in this theory  follow  a set of  clear  values that they  demonstrate  in their actions. This allows the  leader  to be a role model for their followers creating trust between leaders and followers. Therefore, the leader does not just  wield  the  power  to  lead  his or her followers but works by appealing to their values to the followers.   However, the leadership style holds an unethical edge, as unscrupulous leaders to suit their own purpose or personal interests can exploit it. Therefore, it

The Effects Of Welfare Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Effects Of Welfare Reform - Essay Example Welfare reform are a great source of assistance for many individuals who are unable to earn their living for any of reason and depends on the social welfare programs to get their share of livelihood. This dependence on the welfare programs may be attributed to their some physical or mental disability, natural calamity or age factor. The large number of dependents in our society requires a comprehensive mechanism to address the issues pertaining to their requirements and needs. Additionally, some other facets of the society who require some economic enabling assistance may get the benefits of the reforms. Taxpayers are also the legitimate beneficiaries of the system. The social response to these needs shapes into the welfare systems arranged, managed and run by individuals, state, social security groups and societies, state owned welfare schemes like Medicaid and Medicare or similar services. Welfare of these needy and dependants is not a simple task, enormous spending are required to keep these programs running and a huge managerial effort is required address the issue in a befitting manner. Moreover the coordination among various social welfare programs and scheme is of core importance to avoid wastage of hard generated resources. More recently there is an increased awareness among masses to ensure that their contributions in these social welfare programs are used purposefully for the wellbeing of the targeted populations.