Friday, January 31, 2020

Emergence of Integrated Marketing Communication Essay

Emergence of Integrated Marketing Communication - Essay Example The integrated marketing campaign cannot be successful if the different deliverables are not put in a direct fashion towards the target audience; no matter it is the primary one or the secondary target market. The marketing plan, however, remains the key in such a situation and it cannot be counted off, no matter how difficult the undertakings or executions of the IMC turn out to be. Thus IMC and MC must go hand in hand towards a successful execution of the product and/or service’s message geared towards the relevant target audience. Message consistency is indeed a significant aspect of the integrated marketing campaign since the old campaigns might just get mixed with the newer campaigns that are brought forward by the relevant brand, which could either be a product or a service and in some cases, a hybrid also works to some effect. The message must remain geared towards a selected target audience as this ensures that there are no shortcomings on the part of the people for which the message is put out, in the first place. With that, we must understand that a well balanced IMC campaign looks to plug the shortcomings which usually arise in the wake of changing messages and when certain strategies and tactics are amended for one reason or the other. The reasons could be aplenty but the most important thing here to understand is the fact that the message must remain synchronized and there are no double meanings or embedded messages beneath the new campaign brought forward by the product and/or service. Message consi stency within an effective and efficient IMC campaign suggests that the brand team has done its homework well and that there are no hindrances in the wake of it achieving short-term benefits and long-term, strategic profits.  

Thursday, January 23, 2020

People know what they do; they frequently know why they do what they do

People know what they do; they frequently know why they do what they do; but what they don't know is what what they do does. Introduction With technology moving at such a rapid pace, etiquette and ethics have a hard time keeping up. Five years ago few people had even heard of electronic mail or "e-mail" and even today, whether to add a hyphen or not it is of trivial debate. As a society, we hold dear the value of privacy and confidentiality as a basic fundamental right. Access to the new technology of electronic mail can jeopardize both values. What privacy rights should employees enjoy, and how can these be reconciled with the legitimate need of organzations to control and manage their network? People have come to depend on email as a way to communicate, even actually creating less of a divide for families that live far away or even in another country. But there are quite a few ethical concerns that we, as a society, should begin to consider. The hardest part, as with most ethics, is definition of what is right or wrong and ultimately . . . compliance. Does electronic mail present ethical dilemmas in the areas of confidentiality, security, and ownership? And further, will the actual tone of writing create ethical and social implications in the way that we communicate? This is an essential issue for society as a whole. If this newly created "cyber-community" doesn't have some kind of consistency then frequent misunderstandings can and will occur perhaps even causing social turmoil. A Bit of History In 1775, the colonies needed a way to communicate with each other. Statesman Benjamin Franklin, the first Postmaster General, helped develop the postal system we know today. This system helped bind the new natio... ...uman Resource Management. " Workplace Privacy Poll." 1999 Online. Available:http://www.shrm.org/surveys/privacy.htm Soden,A., "Protect Your Corporation From Email Litigation," Corporate Legal Times, May 1995. http://www.stedwards.edu/stubook/comput.htm www.aptosjr.santacruz.k12.ca.us/computers/page9.html USPS History: http://www.usps.gov/history/his1.htm http://www.nua.ie/surveys, Apr. 16,1999. "300 Million Online by 2005 Asia, South America to Lead Way," http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/demographics/data.html (March 31,1999) University of Massy. http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwits/emailpol.htm Haisting, Larry J. EDI: A New Way of Doing Business, St. Paul, MN,1993. Moore, Dinty W. The Emperor's Virtual Clothes, Workman Publishing, 1995. Sims, C. (1993 Dec. 6) Reporter discipled for reading his co-workers email. New York Times, P.A3.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Micro Environment

|Chapter | | 1 | Introduction 1. 1 Problem Background There are about three billion people, half of the world’s population, living on the income of less than two dollars a day. Among these poor communities, one child in five does not live to see his or her fifth birthday. One study in 2006 showed that the ratio of the income between the 5% richest and 5% poorest of the population is 74 to 1 as compared to the ratio in 1960, which was 30 to 12.To enhance international development, the United Nations Organization (UNO) announced the millennium development goals,aimed to eradicate poverty by 2015. In this regard, microfinance is the form of financial development that has its primary aim to alleviate the poverty. Governments, donors and NGOs around the world responded enthusiastically with plans and promised to work together towards the realization of these goals.In the recognition of microfinance, the UNO celebrated the year 2005 as a year of micro-credit, as a result this financ ing instrument is perceived worldwide as a very effective mean against hunger and poverty, mainly in developing countries. Microfinance is a credit methodology, which employs effective collateral substitute for short-term and working capital loans to micro-entrepreneurs. The level of a country’s poverty has long been linked with measures of its economic development. Little consideration was given to the social reorganization of the natural resources (e. empowerment vs. alien ation of people, sustainable use vs. depletion of the environment). The economies with positive growth rate of Gross National Product (GNP) were measured by their poverty mitigation. This gratitude emphasized on the achievement of wealth and technology as a path for development and assumed that improved lives for all would be the natural consequence. Microfinance is not a new development. Some developed countries as well as developing countries particularly in Asia hav e a long history of microfinance.Dur ing the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in number of European countries, microfinance evolved as a type of the informal banking for the poor. Informal finance and self-help have been at the foundation of microfinance in Europe. The early history of microfinance in Ireland can be traced back to 18th century. It is a history of how self-help led to financial innovation, legal backing and conductive regulation, and creating a mass microfinance movement. But the unpleasant regulations prompted by commercial bankin g brought it down.The so-called Irish loan funds appeared in early eighteenth as charities, initially financed from donated resources and offering interest free loans. They were soon replaced by financial intermediation between savers and borrowers. Loans were granted on short–term basis and instalments were scheduled on weekly basis. To enforce the repayment, monitoring process was used. In Latin America and South Asia, the microfinance has grown out of experiment s, but the best-known start was in Bangladesh in 1976, following a widespread famine in 1974 and a hard-fought war of liberation in 1971.Its origin can be traced back to 1976, when Muhammad Yunus set up the Grameen Bank, as an experiment, on the outskirts of Chittagong University campus in the village of Jobra. The inspiration of Grameen Bank came to Muhammad Yunus’ mind when he lent the equivalent of $26 to $42 to exploited women who were working as bamboo furniture maker. He saw that, they were enthusiastic about it and paid back their loans on time.In the beginning, Muhammad Yunus focused the activities of Grameen Bank mainly on savings and small loans, and decided to put the interest rates high enou gh to cover the expenses. Finally yet importantly, he asked borrowers to organize themselves in solidarity groups of five people (who have to meet every week in order to repay their loans and to ex change their opinions). Inspired by the success of his experiment, he decided t o spread out this system to other villages in Bangladesh. In 1983, this institution became a bank.Today it operates in almost 36000 villages and serves more than 3500000 people. On 13th October 2006, the Nobel Peace Prize went to Muhammad Yunus and Gramen Bank, the microfinance institution he founded 30 years ago. Muhammad Yunus has shown himself to be a leader who has managed to translate visions into practical action for the benefit of millions of people, not only in Bangladesh, but also in many other countries. Loans to poor people without any financial security had appeared to be an impossible idea. 2 Eventually we are in a situation, in which Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, tells us the goal spread of micro-credit and finance, which give us the hope, may be our great-grandchildren will go to museums to see what poverty was like. This report is about microfinance and its contribution to the improvement and poverty alleviation for millions of the poorest people of Ba ngladesh. Micro finance has a huge impact on the lives of millions of poor people..Numerous scholars and NGOs have been working to take microfinance within the reach of poor people, who are still not benefited by the conventional financial system. It was believed that microfinance is not important for all people but most groups can benefit from this idea. In this report, we try to present evidence of the important contributions made by microfinance in the eradication of poverty by increasing the income generating activities, empowerment of poor people to access development services such as health and education, and reduction in vulnerability. 1. 2 Problem StatementIn the light of problem, background leads to the following problem statement, Impact of Microcredit on poverty alleviation of the poor people in Bangladesh 1. 3 Objectives of the study To be meaningful, every work must have to formulate the objectives of the study. In the light of the topic of the report, the objective of this study is to show how microcredit works, by using group lending methodology for reducing poverty and how it effects the living standard (income, saving access to health and education, etc. ) of the poor people in Bangladesh. 1. 4 Methodology of the studyData & information are mainly collected from secondary sources. We have used several books, research literatures, articles, journals and report, as secondary sources for our study. Internet sources were also used as a secondary source for our report. Since the internet sources are less reliable, we have limited the use of those sources to the web pages of prominent organizations like Grameen Bank. Most of the sources, we tried to use, are reliable and are acceptable almost everywhere. Nevertheless, from them we had to choose the most appropriate literature for our report.For this reason, we had to go through numerous references related to this topic, to find the suitable materials. Besides these, Google Scholars were also used to find the suitable research material. The keywords used when searching for scientific articles and literatures were; microcredit, microcredit and Bangladesh, poverty reduction and microcredit, Muhammad Yunus and microcredit,living standards and microcredit etc. 1. 5 Limitations Due to shortage of time, the accuracy of information may not have been completely flawless. 1. Definitions and Key Concepts Microcredit It is a component of microfinance and is the extension of small loans to entrepreneurs, who are too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. Especially in developing countries, micro-credit enables very poor people to engage in self-employment projects that generate income, thus allowing them to improve the standard of living for themselves and their families. Poverty Poverty is a condition in which a person of a commumity is deprived of the basic essentials and necessities for a minimum standard of living.Since poverty is understood in many senses, the basic essentials ma y be material resources such as food, safe dringking water and shelter, or they may be social resources such as access to information, education, health care, social status, political power, or the opportunity to develop meaningful connections with other people in society. According to the World Bank’s (1980 ) definition of poverty, condition of life so characterized by malnutrition, illiteracy, and disease as to be beneath any reasonable definition of human decency. Extreme Poverty/Absolute PovertyExtreme poverty is the most severe state of poverty, where people can not meet their basic needs for survival, such as food, water, clothing, shelter, sanitation, education and health care. Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 is a Millennium Development Goal set by UNO. To determine the number of extreme poor people around the world, the World Bank characterizes extreme poverty as living on the daily income of US $1 or less. It has been estimated that around 1. 1 bill ion people currently live under these conditions. Moderate povertyIt indicates the condition where people earns about $ 1 to $2 a day, which enables households to just barely meet their basic needs, but they still have go for many of the other things – education, health care –that many of us take for granted. Relative Poverty It means that a household has an income below the national average income. Micro finance Institutions (MFIs) A microfinance institution is an or ganization, engaged in extending micro credit loans and other financial services to poor borrowers for income generating and self-employment activities.An MFI is usually not a part of the formal banking industry or government. It is usually referred to as a NGO (Non-Government Organization). |Chapter | | 2 | Theoritical Framework 2. 1 What is microcredit? Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty who are not consi dered bankable. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit.Microcredit is a part of microfinance, which is the provision of a wider range of financial services to the very poor. 2. 2 Features of microcredit †¢ Size – loans are micro, or very small in size †¢ Target users – micro entrepreneurs and low-income households †¢ Utilization – the use of funds – for income generation, and enterprise development, but also for community use (health/education) etc. †¢ Terms and conditions – most terms and conditions for microcredit loans are flexible and easy to understand, and suited to the local conditions of the community. Usually micro-credit is provided to a particular geographical area or community. †¢ Micro-credit funds are sometimes initiated in response to the needs of a particular group . †¢ Some loan circles and lending institutions require participants to attend ongoing business training and mentoring programs, which is not the case with traditional debt lending. †¢ Micro-credit is recognized as having increased risk and is treated as a separate class of product by lenders. †¢ Its mission is to help the poor families to help themselves to overcome poverty. It is targeted to the poor, particularly poor women. 2. 3Classification of microcredit I. Traditional informal microcredit (such as, moneylender's credit, pawn shops, loans from friends and relatives, consumer credit in informal market, etc. ) II. Microcredit based on traditional informal groups (such as, tontin, su su, ROSCA, etc. ) III. Activity-based microcredit through conventional or specialised banks (such as, agricultural credit, livestock credit, fisheries credit, handloom credit, etc. ) IV. Rural credit through specialised banks. V. Cooperative microcredit (cooperative credit, credit uni on, savings and loan associations, savings banks, etc. VI. Consumer microcredit. VII. Bank-NGO partnership based microcredit. VIII. Grameen type microcredit or Grameencredit. IX. Other types of NGO microcredit. X. Other types of non-NGO non-collateralized microcredit. |Chapter | | 3 | Major MFIs and their role in Bangladesh Back during late 1970s, when the Jobra experiment was underway under Professor M. Yunus, the Dheki Rin Prokolpa was initiated by the Bangladesh Bank in collaboration with the Swanirvar Bangladesh, and several other pilot schemes were initiated by a handful of the NGOs who were active then.At that time, it was difficult then to conceive that these initiatives would lead to a major micro-credit movement, which would make Bangladesh known to the rest of the world. Even during the 1980s, in spite of Grameen Bank’s success, the main discourse amongst development practitioners in Bangladesh centred on the desirability of micro-credit program as opposed to concie ntization. By 1990, unhindered experimentation in the fields led to a quiet resolution of the debate and the country experienced a massive expansion of micro-finance activities during the 1990s.This is borne out by the figures on the time path of MFI expansion (see Figure 1), [pic] Many studies and surveys have been carried out by different agencies regarding the working of MFIs and their impact on the poor people in Bangladesh. The agencies like Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and World Bank have found strong evidence that functioning of MFIs have helped the people in meeting their daily needs and at the same time building their assets.It has been stated in The World Bank Economic Review that microfinance has not only helped people to develop in their material capital but also in the human capital, by better access to health care and education system, and general awareness among the people about their rights and duties towards society. However, there are numerous MFIs w orking in Bangladesh at present so it is almost impossible to mention all of them. Therefore, we have chosen four of the most important ones and try to give the overview of them. 3. Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) With a vision of â€Å"a just, enlightened, healthy and democratic Bangladesh free from hunger, poverty, environmental degrad ation and all forms of exploitation based on age, sex, religion and ethnicity†, BRAC started as an almost entirely donor funded, small-scale relief and rehabilitation project to help the country overcome the devastation and trauma of the Liberation War. Today, BRAC has emerged as an independent, virtually self-financed paradigm in sustainable human development with its motto ?Alleviation of poverty and empowerment of the poor. It is the largest in the world employing 97,192 people, with the twin objectives of poverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor. Through experiential learning, BRAC today provides and protects liveliho ods of around 100 million people in Bangladesh. Diagnosing poverty in human terms and recognizing its multidimensional nature, BRAC approaches poverty alleviation with a holistic approach. BRAC's outreach covers all 64 districts of the country. 3. 1. Microfinance Programs of BRAC, at a Glance (Source: BRAC Annual report 2005) |Inception of micro finance programme |1974 | |Programme coverage |Districts 64,Thanas:507 | |Total No of Area/Branch Offices |1,381 | |Total No of village Organizations |160,197 | |Total No of Members |4,837,099 | |Percentage of Women Members |98% | |Outstanding Borrowers |4,159,793 | |Cumulative Loan Disbursement |165,794 million (US $3,094) | |Members’ Savings |9,159 million (US 141 million) | |Average Loan Size |9,452(US $145) | |Repayment Rate |99. 49% | 3. 2 Grameen Bank The history of origin of Grameen Bank can be traced back to 1976, when Professor Muhammad Yunus, head of the Rural Economics Program at the University of Chittagong, launche d an action research project to examine the possibility of designing a credit delivery system to provide banking services targeted at the rural poor.The initial activities started from Jobra village (adjacent to Chittagong University) and some in th e neighboring villages in the following years. Later in 1979, with the sponsorship of central bank and support of the nationalized commercial banks, the project was extended to Tangail, a district north of Dhaka. Later the Grameen Bank became an autonomous organization through the government legislation of October 1983. Today, Grameen Bank is mainly owned by the people whom it serves and they own 90% of its shares and remaining 10 % are owned by the government. 3. 2. 1 Microfinance Programs of Grameen bank, at a Glance (Source: Gra meen Bank annual report 2007) |Numbers of Members |7. 5 million | |Percent of Women Members |97% | |Number of Canters |99,502 | |Number of Villages covered |59,912 | |Number of Branches |2,499 | |Number of A reas |81,334 villages | |Number of Zones |21 | |Cumulative amount Disbursed since Inception |256,497. 40 (Million Taka) | |Cumulative Disbursed during |2005 39,183. 49 (Million Taka) | |Amount of Loan outstanding |27,970. 31 (Million Taka) | |Members |20,138. 7 (Million Taka) | |Non-Members |11,521. 19 (Million Taka) | |Portfolio Growth Rate |39. 66% | 3. 3 Association for Social Advancement (ASA) ASA in Bengali means ‘HOPE’. ASA is a non-governmental organization based in Bangladesh, which provides micro-credit financing. It was established in 1978 by Shafiqual Haque Choudhury who is also the current chairman. Its functioning is basedon the institutional support system.Innovations and simplifications of staff training, monitoring and bookkeeping are the three areas responsible for ASA's ability to effectively manage established units and pursue bold growth initiatives simultaneously. This makes the operations smooth and efficient. This makes it simple and easy to operate both for the organization and for the clients, without the unnecessary delays of bureaucracy and red-tape. Its mission is to â€Å"reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of the poor through the provision of qualitative and responsive micro finance services in an innovative and sustainable way†. ASA offers a successful alternative microfinance model to that of the Grameen bank.ASA combines low cost operations and high growth to fuel its success. ASA continues to perfect the role of financial intermediation by developing a variety of savings p roducts that are quite successful at generating the necessary funds from local sources. The experiences of ASA's managerial dynamism and replication of its simple model have much to offer the diverse microfinance sector as it accommodates demand for quality Financial services by the poor masses. ASA is confident that a financially viable microfinance sector that provides competitive financial services to its customers will be able to expand outreach at a pace similar to its own. 3. 3. Microfinance Programs of ASA, at a Glance (Source: ASA Annual Report 2005) |Inception of micro finance programme |1978 | |Programme coverage |Evenly distributed over the country | |Total No of Area/Branch Offices |2,291 | |Total No of village Organizations or groups |178,904 | |Total No of Members |5. 99 millions | |Percentage of Women Members |Not sex biased | |Outstanding Borrowers |4. 8 millions | |C umulative Loan Disbursement |33,082 million (Taka) | |Total Members’ Savings |3,036 million (Taka) | |Average Loan Size |Taka 7,129 | |Avg. savings balance by members |Taka 748 | 3. 4 Proshika Immediately after the ‘WAR OF LIBERATION’ in 1971, a group of young men, who could realize the inadequacy of the conventional development practices, began to plan development activities with an alternative appr oach. With an objective to contribute to rebuilding the war-ravaged country, they formed Proshika M anobik Unnayan Kendra (Proshika Centre for Human Development).The development process of PROSHIKA, one of the largest NGOs of Ban gladesh, started in a few villages of Dhaka and Comilla districts in 1975, although the organization formally took its first step in 1976. Proshika is an acronym of three Bangla words, proshikkhan (training), shikkha (education) and kaj (action). PROSHIKA envisages a society, which is economically productive and equitable, socially just, environmentally sound, and genuinely democratic. The main mission of PROSHIKA is to conduct an extensive, intensive, and participatory process of sustainable development through empowerment of the poor.Through empowerment, the poor are or ganized and made aware of the real causes of their impoverishment, a leadership is developed among them, their material resources are mobilized, income and employment is increased, and capacities are developed to cope with natural disasters. Empowerment makes th e poor functionally liter ate, enables them to take better care of their health, to get involved in environmental protection and regeneration, get elected in local government bodies and community institutions, and provides the poor with better access to public and common property resources. 3. 4. 1 Microfinance Programs of PROSHIKA, at a Glance ((Source: PROSHIKA Annual Report 2005) |Numbers of Members |2. 7 millions | |Percent of Women Members |Approximately 60% | |Number of Groups |148,039 | |Number of Villages covered |23559 | |Number of Slums |2102 | |Number of Households |2. 3 millions | |Number of primary Groups |148,039 | |Cumulative Disbursed during 2005 |Taka 31,870 millions | |Number of Education Centres Set Up So Far |53,616 | |Persons graduated with technical skills |1. 11 millions | |Chapter | | 4 | Impact of Microcredit Program on Poverty Alleviation 4. What the microcredit clients do with the loan money In one of the country's large formal MFIs, it was found that about sixty eight per cen t of the clients used 54% of their total loans for small trades. A few clients used 64% of the loan money for buying homestead and cropland. A small number of clients used 67% of the loans to build new houses. Some spent 15% of the total loan for medical treatment of their relatives and themselves. Some spent 19% of the total loan money for consumption purposes. A few clients used 29% of loan money for sending their relatives abroad for jobs. A smaller number of clients used 18% of their loan for major repairing of their dwelling houses.A handful of clients used 42% of the loan for buying television sets, furniture and gold ornaments, while others used the loan money in buying rickshaws, livestock and lending to others in a modicum scale . In another large non-governmental organisation (NGO)-MFI, it was spotted that fifty per cent of the clients used 95% of the total loan money in trading businesses like vegetables, grocery, fish, and betel leaves, etc. A few clients used 40% of the loan money in repaying occasional borrowed debts. Some clients used 35% in agricultural farming. Some used 37% of the total loan for buying livestock for rearing. A few clients used 41% loan money for redeeming mortgaged cropland.Some clients used 61% of the loan money for sending relatives abroad. Again some used 34% of the loan money for meeting the debts from moneylenders. Some clients used 15% of the total loans in repaying loan installments of other NGOs. Some clients used 17% of the loan for medical treatment. Some used 100% loan for house construction, while others used the loans for buying land, rickshaw vans and consumption purposes. Yet again in another large NGO-MFI in the country, about fifty per cent clients were noticed using 66% of the total loan in running their businesses. Several clients used 43% of the total loan for marriage ceremony of their family members.A few clients used 38% of the loan for house construction and repairing. Some used 32% of the total loans in repaying loans of the local moneylenders. A few clients used 59% of the loan for various litigation purposes. Some clients spent 41% in food consumption. Some clients used 67% loan for weaving purposes. Others used the loans for medical treatment, buying livestock, cropland, taking others land for cultivation and repaying loan installments of other NGOs. In a mid-level MFI operating in the urban areas, cent per cent clients used 86% of the total loan in various types of businesses that include grocery, cattle hide, computer composing, photocopy service, commercial phone service, saree selling, etc.Some clients used 84% of the total loan for house construction. A few clients used 81% of the total loan in buying land in the villages where they hailed from. In a pretty tiny NGO-MFI, some clients were found using 74% of the total loans for buying fishing equipment like nets and boats, etc. Some clients used 46% of the loan for buying livestock. A few used 74% of the loans as business capital. Some kept 52% of the loans as savings in the commercial banks, while others used the loan money for repairing houses and meeting medical costs. 4. 2 Impact of Microcredit The major objective of microcredit (MC) is to create income among poor households and thereby alleviate poverty.In this respect the question can be asked at two levels, first, whether MC leads to an improvement in income and second whether the increase in income is sufficient to lift them above the poverty level. There is also a third aspect related to the second that is whether poverty alleviation takes place on a sustained basis. Though most impact assessment studies examine the impact of MC on income, the analyses concentrated on mainly the first question. It should be mentioned that most studies consider the total impact on growth of income and do not examine whether a redistribution of credit fund has a redistributive impact on poverty and income of households 4. 2. 1 Findings of PKSF ME Study by BID SPalli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) commissioned a longitudinal Monitoring and Evaluation Study (MES) which was conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). Started in 1997, the studies were completed in 2001. The study covered 3026 sample households spread over 91 villages located in 13 of PKSF POs operational areas. A census was administered in late 1997, covering 19151 households in 91 villages. The first and the second round surveys under the study were administered in 1998 and 1999 and the third and final round survey was conducted in 2000. Some findings on the impacts of microcredit as presented here are gleaned from the reports and papers prepared by BIDS. The summary of the PKSF-ME Study by BIDS is shown in the Table below- Table: Impacts of Microfinance (compared to non-participants) Broad Category |Indicatiors |Type of Change |Cause of Change | |Economic Impact |Income |+ |Self employment activities | | |Food Security |+ |Greater access to cultiv able land through the | | | | |rental market | | |Wage (land poor) |+ |Transport and other non-agril activities sup. by MC| | |Employment (land poor) |+ |better access to the land rental market | | | | |Wage emoloyment in non-ag. sector | | |Assets (land poor) |+ |av. ow land size than non-participants | | | | |larger operational holding | | | | |impact of MF (poultry livestock, bi-cycles, | | | | |rickshaw/van) | |Social and other |Fertility and contraceptive use |+ |program participation | |development impacts | | |female methods dominate | | |Health and Nutrition |+ |program placement effect | | |Sanitation and drinking water |+ |program participation | | |Literacy and school enrollment |+ |program participation | | |of children | | | | |Social mobility |? |do not vary significantly | | |Women articipation and HH |+ |participation in a MC program | | |welfare | |increasing women’s income | 4. 2. 2 Measuring the Impact of Microfinance Grameen Bank has been tracking the pro gress of its clients in achieving all ten indicators since 1997, and reports that 55 percent of its established members (Grameen annually surveys all clients who have been in the program more than five years) had crossed the poverty line by the end of 2004: [pic] (Source: CIA World Factbook: http://www. cia. gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bg. tml) This is an impressive achievement, and exactly the type of information that one might hope any MFI would be tracking. Though it might seem arbitrary to determine that achieving all ten indicators constitutes movement out of poverty, in fact all poverty lines are to some degree arbitrary, and they are meant to quantify whether or not families are meeting basic needs—such as those represented in the Ten Indicators. Knowing that 55 percent of established Grameen clients never go hungry, have access to safe drinking water, and send their children to school is important to Grameen. Table 1: Poverty rates among Grameen Bank members vs . Non-participants, 1984-85 |Grameen members |Target non participants |All households | | | |Grameen |Comparison |Grameen |Comparison | | | |villages |villages |villages |villages | |Moderately poor (percent) |61. 0 |83. 7 |80. 4 |61. 5 |76. 3 | |Extremely poor (percent) |48. 0 |76 |74. 4 |47. 1 |54. 6 | Table 2: Poverty rates among Grameen Bank members vs. Non-participants, 1996-97 |All households | | |Grameen |Comparison | | |villages |villages | |Moderately poor (percent) |18 |57. 5 | |Extremely poor (percent) |15 |54. 5 | Table 1 and 2 suggest that Grameen Bank members are substantially less poor than non-members, and that Grameen Bank’s activities affected the poverty levels of entire villages. The centerpiece of the findings of a survey is that every additional taka lent to a woman adds an additional 0. 18 taka to annual household expenditure—an 18 percent return to income from borrowing. Notably, the returns to male borrowing were considerably lower, only 11 per cent.The paper and the book reported a variety of â€Å"wider† impacts, including: †¢ A one percent increase in credit to Grameen women increased the probability of girls’ school enrollment by 1. 86 percentage points. †¢ A 10 percent increase in credit provided to women increased the arm circumference of girls by 6 percent. †¢ A one percent increase in credit to women increased the height-for-age of both boys by 1. 42 percent and girls by 1. 16 percent. Microcredit is not merely an instrument for credit extension to the poor borrowers. It is a movement to emancipate the poor to alleviate their poverty, improve their quality of life, and build their capacity and awareness and to integrate them economically and socially into the mainstream of the economy.The benefits of microcredit go beyond the quantifiable ones, there are other benefits, which are not seen, but are evident in the socio-economic transformation of rural Bangladesh. |Chapter | | 5 | Conclus ion We have come to the conclusions that there is a noticeable and positive impact of microcredit activities on the living standards, empowerment and poverty alleviation among the poor people in the society. If one can help, a poor person to stand on his own that cannot only bring about a revolution in their lives but also in the society. The dream of a healthy and educated society with no discrimination and biased can be achieved through this simple thought, the dream which seems to be coming true and becoming practical.The simple vision of one man, Muhammad Yunus has taken the shape of the revolution and has shown the ray of hope in the path of life to every human, irrespective of his background or status or position. The hope of a life that no one will sleep hungry, no one will die due to lack of medication, our children can read and write on their own and everyone will be the pillar of the society. Scope for further research The current study did not consider the reasons of moti vation to join the microfinance program. Another area that has not been investigated is the difficulties that the borrowers face to repay the loan. These areas deserve to be studied by future researchers in the field. There is also another field, which is neglected in our study that the supply gap of MFIs.Actually, to what extent the MFIs are capable to deliver their service to the poor people. Further research could be conducted in this area and for finding the reasons for the gap between demand and supply in terms of microfinance services. References www. google. com Grameen Bank official website (www. grameen-info. org/) ASA official website (www. asabd. org) BRAC official website (www. brac. net) PROSHIKA official web site (www. proshika. o rg/) Rahman, R. I. , 1994, Impact of Credit for the Rural Poor: An Evaluation of Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation's Credit Program, Report Nr: 1207, BIDS, Dhaka. (found on the internet)The World Bank, 1996, Staff Appraisal Report, Bangladesh Po verty Alleviation Micro-finance Report 1, South Asia Region. (Found on the internet) Khandker, S. R, 1998, Micro-credit Programmes Evaluation —- A Critical Review, IDS Bulletin of International Development Studies 29 (4), 11-19. (Found on the internet) Measuring the Impact of Micro? nance: Taking Stock of What We Know (December 2005) – by Nathanael Goldberg. (Found on the internet) Impact of Microfinance on Living Standards,Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation of Poor People: A Case Study on Microfinance in the Chittagong District of Bangladesh. -by Mohammad Arifujjaman Khan and Mohammed Anisur Rahaman.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

School Uniforms in Public School - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 710 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/02/15 Category Education Essay Level High school Tags: School Uniforms Essay Did you like this example? ABSTRACT Public school settings are not always the professional learning environments that we hope for our children. There are many factors that create a school’s culture, one of them is the way that the students dress. Some schools try to control dress with dress codes, other schools opt for school uniforms. While school uniform policies have their critics, the positive effects of school uniforms overshadow the criticisms. As stated by Holloman, LaPoint, Alleyne, Palmer Sanders-Phillips (1996) Many school stakeholdersstudents, teachers, staff, families, community members, and elected officials believe that uniforms†¦ curb negative behaviors associated with student dress such as teasing, absenteeism, tardiness, gang-related activity, and school violence† (as cited by Mitch Knechtle, 2003) and these beliefs are backed up by the fact that a large California school district reported to have made, â€Å"a remarkable decrease in†¦.sex offenses, weapon offenses, assaults and battery offenses† (West, Tidwell, Bomba Elmore 1999) after having implemented a school uniform policy. Mixing words such as â€Å"murder† and â€Å"assault† with the thought of children’s safety is terrifying, but there are still other equally terrifying problems in schools that uniforms may alleviate. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "School Uniforms in Public School" essay for you Create order Another student safety area that should be considered is of outside violence coming in to our children’s schools. Cohn (1996) asserts â€Å"Arguments for school uniforms include such claims as school uniforms promote student safety by making it easier to identify people who do not belong on school grounds† (as cited by West, Tidwell, Bomba Elmore, 1999). Given the increased frequency of school shootings in recent years, it is of the utmost importance to be able to easily distinguish between those who do and do not belong in the school. That means that students, teachers, security guards and administrators as well as visiting parents should be able to identify peculiar persons within schools, which could be more easily achieved if all those who belonged in the schools were in uniform. It is impossible to remove all negative aspects from our children’s public school environment and school culture, but if changing clothing requirements can help to make our children safer while in school, imagine the impact such a change can make in other areas that are equally important. Clothing affects culture, and school culture affects academics. Who does not want their child to be successful in life? Teaching children from a young age how to dress professionally is a step in setting them up to be the successful child that will grow into the successful adult, after all our children are future leaders. Do children who start out going to a school with a uniform policy always understand the importance of dressing professionally? They may not, but if they do not know anything else except for wearing a uniform, chances are the children will not fight a public-school uniform policy, and they may take more pride in their appearance. One study done by West, Tidwell, Bomba, and Elmore (1999) with parents of children in the fourth-grade shows that forty-six percent of parents surveyed believed that uniforms create a climate conducive to learning and forty-nine percent believed that uniforms promote a spirit of school pride. It is also interesting that seventy-four percent of participants believed that uniforms eliminate visible differences in family socio-economic background. By eliminating socio-economic competition, kids are less likely to compete with each other over inconsequential things, and we may anticipate that they will instead work harder to compete academically. By removing the stress of worrying about what they are going to wear, and having a precise set of rules and expectations. References DaCosta, K. (2006). Dress code blues: An exploration of urban students reactions to a public high school uniform policy. The Journal of Negro Education, 75(1), 49-59. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/222106654?accountid=37812 Mitchell, H. W., Knechtle, J. C. (2003). Uniforms in public schools and the first amendment: A constitutional analysis. The Journal of Negro Education, 72(4), 487-494. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/222122999?accountid=37812 Murray, R. K. (1997). The impact of school uniforms on school climate. National Association of Secondary School Principals. NASSP Bulletin, 81(593), 106-112. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/216036861?accountid=37812 West, C. K., Tidwwll, K. K., Bomba, A. K., Elmore, P. A. (1999). Attitudes of parents about school uniforms. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 91(2), 92-96. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/218184738?accountid=37812

Monday, December 30, 2019

Formal Organizational Design And Informal Culture - 946 Words

Apply a diagnostic approach to a problem, issue, or challenge that you have experienced or observed in the workplace. Your analysis should include consideration of the formal organisational design and informal culture(s) of your chosen organisation, applying scholarly concepts theories and models from the field of Organisational Behaviour. Definition of the Issue I once worked in the HR department of an organisation in Saudi Arabia and was responsible for recruitment and training of the company’s personnel. Although we used to attract top talent, the company experienced a high rate of turnover among the recruited personnel. The company never seemed to maintain the top talent, the loss of personnel affected the image of the company, and it accrued losses related recruitment and training processes. In most cases, challenges related to high employee turnover are a result of different factors with the main contributing factor being low satisfaction among employees, which could be attributed to different elements. Low satisfaction could be predicated by poor interpersonal communication problem among employees, which lowers their levels of satisfaction. Analysis The organisational culture of the company evaluated the performance of employees based on their individual efforts with seniority being the primary factor in determining compensation for employees and their promotion. Since the culture of an organisation develops over time, the management has reinforced this culture overShow MoreRelatedAn Introduction to Organizational Behavior1638 Words   |  7 PagesAn Introduction to Organizational Behavior 1. 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Buchanan (1979) defines job design as â€Å"the specification of contents, methods and relationship of jobs in order to satisfy technological and organizational requirements as well as the social and personal requirements of the jobholder.† Job design arranges and often rearranges responsibilities and relationships associated with various tasks and determines authority and interdependence of various jobs so asRead MoreOrganizational Change Essays1078 Words   |  5 PagesOrganizational change can be intimidating for business leaders. The internet hosts several sites for small consulting firms that specialize in helping corporate leaders initiative positive change in their organizational culture. One such firm, Change Management Solutions, Inc., (CMS) uses a five-step change model, which encompasses contemporary collective and collaborative theories and models of change and change leadership. The firm considers culture, organizational leadership, and change planningRead Mor eorganizational behaviour1261 Words   |  6 Pages Organizational Behavior MG6013 The exploration of the theories, research and practices that allow a better understanding of human behavior in organizations. Topics include motivation and job satisfaction; decision making; group dynamics; work teams; leadership; communication; power, politics and conflict; organization culture, structure and design; impact of technology; management of work stress; organizational change andRead MoreThe Implementation Of Adaptive Leadership Essay1129 Words   |  5 PagesChapter is intentional about three specific areas requiring action that all leaders must focus on to mobilize a system of change. Section 3 is comprised of five chapters: 1. Make Interpretations (2), Design Effective Interventions (3), Act Politically (4), Orchestrate Conflict (5) and Build an Adaptive Culture (6). MAKE INTERPRETATIONS In Chapter Eight the authors confer that there are several precepts that every organization and its leadership must adhere to and practice in order to effectively move

Saturday, December 21, 2019

The Homeless Population Is After The Rise - 898 Words

The homeless population is shortly on the rise. In New York City, we see the current issue as about 800 individuals right now live meandering the roads and the metro stations. There has been a surprising development of the homeless and as of late in the news, Pennsylvania station has seen an enormous increment in the quantity of homeless. In 2010, New York saw the homeless populace diminish by an incredible 29 percent from the 2005 record numbers. Shockingly for each 2,688 individuals in the city of New York City, it is assessed that one is homeless. As of late New York City has modified its notoriety as in it no more has a focus as extensive as equivalent cities. Strangely, on the off chance that you examine the homeless populace in Chicago you can see that for each 1,810 individuals, one is homeless and with respect to Los Angeles 1 in 154 are homeless. Things being what they are, is the homeless populace in a smooth decay or is this just a mathematical error? The material introduced in this article is liable to be of enthusiasm to the wide assortment of open and private associations giving administrations to homeless families and people. Among the significant goals of this aide: to upgrade offices information of homeless people; to give direction on the sorts of homeless persons that are most (and minimum) prone to profit by occupation and preparing administrations. Distinguishing the full scope of administrations liable to be required by homeless people to be fruitfulShow MoreRelatedHomelessness Essay1158 Words   |  5 PagesAs the years have gone on, the rise in homelessness has increased. Especially for New York and Los Angeles, people walk down the streets seeing more and more homeless people. According to Social Solutions, almost 600,000 people are living without a home in the United States (â€Å"2016s Shocking Homelessness Statistics.†). Holland and Smith from the Los Angeles Times concluded that the homeless rate in Los Angeles has increased 23% in just one year. This is a serious problem as large cities are nowRead MoreHomelessness Is The Main Driving Force Behind The Rise Of Homelessness889 Words   |  4 PagesHomelessness affects an estimated 650,000 Americans in the United States daily and the number of people experiencing homelessness is continuing to rise across the United States and more specifically in Massachusetts. According to the 2014 Annual Homelessness Assessment, between 2013-2014 Massachusetts saw the fourth largest increase in homelessness in the United States and on any given night an estimated 3000 individual shelter beds are occupied (Basic Facts on, 2016). Furthermore, homelessnessRead MoreRace and Homelessness in New York City1120 Words   |  4 Pagesunsheltered homes, those living on the streets or in parks, abandoned buildings, cars, subway tunnels or other places that are not meant for human habitation. The homeless population has always been around in the United St ates. It is a social phenomenon that can be traced back from the colonial era through the present day. In the 1800s, homeless people went to almshouses or â€Å"alms†, meaning charity that is given to the poor. The only help for the poor back then came from concerned individuals, churchesRead MoreHealthcare and the Homeless Geriatric Population738 Words   |  3 Pagesunnoticed: America’s homeless. For a long time, the homeless were amongst some of the very few who did not qualify for quality healthcare services. The new Obama Administration has established funding and programs that allot Americans free health care, however, not all are aware of how to receive these services. 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It is a multitude of individual contributing factors that turned them from mole hills to mountains. The most popular opinion among Americans is that the housing crisis caused many to become homeless. As adjustableRead MoreThe, The Land Of Opportunity1604 Words   |  7 Pagesassist and rehabilitate the homeless, the homeless population continues to rise (according to a 2013 U.S. Mayors report, 52% of surveyed cities reported growing homeless populations) (Cochran, 8). For those unfortunate enough to find themselves without a home, clawing their way out of homelessness on their own has proven to be extremely difficult. Not only are the homeless at a disadvantage in the job marketplace, but many homeless grow a strong connection to the homeless community that welcomed them

Friday, December 13, 2019

Media Violence Effects on Youth Free Essays

Media Violence: Is It Corrupting Our Youth? Ever since the Columbine massacre, there has been many people who blame video games for violence among our youth. In the past few years, it has become normal for all branches of media to depict violence as an everyday thing. Because a vast majority of children watch television or play video games, it is no wonder that adults try to make the connection between the two. We will write a custom essay sample on Media Violence: Effects on Youth or any similar topic only for you Order Now Although the media can have an affect on kids, there are also a great many socio-economic factors involved in a child’s behavior. This is the problem our society faces now that some people say the media can influence your psyche, perspective, and overall behavior, but so do your friends, so do your parents, so do your teachers, so do books. The real question is who is to blame? Movies, music, television shows, video games, none of these things actually make people commit crimes. Violence in the media and the real world rise in violence among children is not a cause but merely a coincidence. A person is an accumulation of their real life experiences. Children do not turn into a crazed maniac after playing a computer game or seeing a movie with violence. The easiest place to obtain a mind for violence is from a home setting. Adults want to find an outside source for the growth in violence among children instead of taking the blame first hand. It is the parents, those actually responsible for this corruption, who try to suggest otherwise and negligence on the part of those who seek to find a different cause. Adults seem to steer away from the increasingly true fact that our whole American society is doing this to its younger generation, and not just the media. To prove this, news reports after the Columbine massacre in which two troubled teens go on a murderous rampage, attribute the kids actions to a violent game called â€Å"DOOM†. The media is not the problem, because kids will act violent regardless. This tragedy was a result of a mixture of bad peers, bad home life, and the friendship of two people who had anger problems. The parents would have based their actions off of something else if they did not have games like â€Å"DOOM† to avoid scrutiny. Many times kids have outbursts of odd or dangerous behavior that they know will get them in trouble, but instead of taking the blame, they attribute it to some other source, although in this case, it is the parents and news media who do this. An example of this type of behavior is the circumstances surrounding the famous Salem witchcraft trials, where young girls resorted to blaming their unholy actions solely on another person or the devil. These days, the â€Å"devil made me do it† and â€Å"witchcraft† excuse has lost its credibility. Now people have to find something else to take the blame and what easier target than a violent videogame. It was not DOOM that made these kids do what they did, but a mental instability, a penchant for violent behavior, and other psychological factors that did. Sure, they can model their multiple homicides after their favorite video game or death metal lyric, but in the end, they still killed people because they were mentally unstable and antisocial. I firmly believe a greater fault in issues like these lay with the parents, as they are ones that are supposed to teach their kids right from wrong. Later in the investigation, the attention did finally turn to the parents and what they did wrong, but the bad light that had already been put on those types of media has never vanished. With each of these types of cases, rarely do we ever hear of investigations of how these children were raised or what their environments they grew up in were like. A cause for the rise in violence is the fall in interaction between kids and their parents, which can create mental separation where the child does not feel important. This could cause kids to act out, mainly through violence, to get attention from the adults. Parents need to step up their parenting skills and do what they need to do, instead of pointing fingers at everyone else. If these kids are troubled, anything can trigger violence and misbehavior. We have natural logics that develop to what is right and wrong and what is fact and what is fiction. One of the key factors in this development is the parents and other adults in the child’s life. Adults are more influencing to kids than TV shows and video games, so adults should take responsibility for how the child acts. If parents seriously believe that violent media is doing this to their kids, then they should control what the kids can and cannot be exposed to. There are plenty of examples of how not to behave out there. It is up to each person and/or their parents to decide what is and is not acceptable behavior to emulate and fill his or her head with. At the end of the day, regardless of the outcome, we are responsible for our actions. If a person were to compare violence in youth here in the United States and violence in youth in the rest of the world, the person would see that there is little if any correlation between media and violence. It is the people who raise the kids who corrupt them and not the media. Personal responsibility has been slowly eroded over the last twenty years to a point where people are no longer responsible for being morbidly obese or going on crime sprees and murdering people. Personal responsibility is not only a moral and ethical imperative for society; it is liberating and strengthening for an individual. This type of blame shifting is at the core of what is wrong with society today. People need to stand up, take responsibility, and finally make a change. How to cite Media Violence: Effects on Youth, Papers