Anglo American PLC in South Africa

Introduction/ Situation Analysis Although company executives will always want their companies to expand and operate globally, the challenges of operating a business in the global economy are enormous. Anglo American PLC is one of the largest gold miners in the world, but the company is facing a threat in its operations in South Africa.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Anglo American PLC in South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although South African is a large gold producer, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has adversely affected the operations of Anglo American PLC. Essentially, South Africa has the highest number of people infected with the HIV in the world (Walker, Reid, and Cornell 17). About 60% of the South Africans are HIV-positive, and the rates of infection are extremely high. The most insinuating fact is that about 1000 South Africans die of HIV/AIDS on a daily basis (Daniles, Radebaught, and Sulivan 252). The deaths have significant effects on the country’s economy as the per capita growth is decreasing drastically. International companies operating in the country are suffering because of AIDS-related deaths among workers. At some point, Anglo American PLC was accused of defying the social responsibility tradition when operating overseas. Although various stakeholders had mixed reactions about addressing the epidemic, the company resolved to provide free antiretroviral therapy (ART) to its HIV-infected employees. In spite of the difficulties that the company encountered in its struggle to deal with the epidemic, its objective was to adopt an effective HIV/AIDS strategy. Stakeholders to consider Whenever the managers of a company decide to do something, it is always wise to consult the main stakeholders of the company. The directors, employees, the government, suppliers, the community, and the customers are some of the stakeholders of the company. However, the shareholders of t he company are the main stakeholders to consult about any project that the company intends to implement. The shareholders are the owners of the company, and if they pull back, the company’s operations may become crippled because of the lack of funds. Therefore, as Anglo American adopts an effective HIV/AIDS strategy, it should consider its shareholders.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Secondly, the company should consult the South African government and humanitarian organizations across the globe. The directors and employees can also be of great help in trying to convince fellow workers to agree to have part of their salaries channeled towards supporting the ART program. Pros and cons of adopting an effective HIV/AIDS strategy Since Anglo America has a huge investment in South Africa, the adoption of an aggressive strategy in combating HIV/AIDS among its South African workforce would be highly advantageous. Although the company operates in various nations across the globe, it dominates the South African economy, which is a core strength that would drive it into adopting an aggressive strategy of combating HIV/AIDS in South Africa. The number of employees and contractors that the company has in South Africa are infinite, and it cannot afford to pull back in its efforts to find a strategy of combating the epidemic. The adoption of an aggressive strategy to combat HIV/AIDS is the only way that the company can protect its majority-share ownership in various companies around the country. The entire exercise will be a major opportunity for the company to gain trust from the employees, investors, customers, and some stakeholders of the company. Moreover, since the company was among the first multinational enterprises to develop comprehensive strategies to combat the damages of the disease, trying to stop its efforts would portray an immoral sense of re sponsibility (Daniles, Radebaught, and Sulivan 255). On the other hand, it is noteworthy that the company would really encounter tough moments in trying to address the situation. The cost of providing free antiretroviral drugs increases daily, and the greatest threat is the significant rise of the prevalence of HIV-positive workers from one time to another. The vice president of the medical division reported that the number of HIV-positive workers increased at a rate of 2% annually (Daniles, Radebaught, and Sulivan 253). Therefore, the company has to increase its expenditure on the costly antiretroviral drugs by at least 2% per annum. The production costs of the company would increase concurrently, and the company may have problems in sustaining its costs after some years. The overstretched budgets, the overwhelmed stakeholders, and the uncooperative pharmaceutical companies are the main threats to the ART program.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Anglo America n PLC in South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, decreasing proceeds, insufficient funds, and dissatisfied stakeholders are some of the difficulties that Anglo American PLC will encounter because of the ART program. The worst scenario is that at the end of the day, the HIV/AIDS victims will be absent from work occasionally. Moreover, some of the patients will not respond to the antiretroviral drugs, and the company will have to retrain other workers and replace them in their job positions. The hospitalization payments and death benefits are overwhelming to the company. The mentioned costs that the company will have to meet translate into millions of losses, and thus are weaknesses associated with the ART program. Recommendations to the company The first thing that Anglo American ought to know is that struggling to combat HIV/AIDS in South Africa single-handedly is overwhelming. Anglo American PLC was bold enough to ann ounce that it would provide ART to its South African workforce at the company’s expense. However, the situation is now getting out of hand, and it is time the company admitted their defeat. The executives of the organization ought to approach the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Business Council on HIV/AIDS, the South African government, and other humanitarian organizations and inform them of their grievances. They should seek financial assistance from the mentioned organizations and other well-wishers who may be willing to assist. The main approach that the company will use to ensure that all infected employees are committed to the program is subjecting them to be responsible for managing and financing the ART program partially. The beneficiaries of the program should allow a small percentage of their salaries to be channeled towards financing the program. The HIV infected employees should be their brothers’ keepers, where, the employees should ensure that every infected person takes the antiretroviral drugs responsibly. Any person who transmits the HIV to another person willingly should face harsh criminal charges, and there ought to be a penalty for the infected people, who do not adhere to the prescriptions of the doctors. There should be guiding and counseling sessions for those people, who drop out from the treatment routines, as this could reduce the hopelessness that some people develop once they discover their HIV status.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Evaluation of the recommended courses of action Admitting defeat and asking for help from the government and other organizations would be the last thing that Anglo American PLC would desire. This is because it had bravely announced that it would provide ART to its workforce at the expense of the company. However, when matters are unbearable, the only way out is to ask for help instead of struggling to please some stakeholders at the expense of the company. Subjecting employees to be responsible in managing and partially financing the ART program would sound to be cruel at first. The beneficiaries of the program would feel overwhelmed, and they would distrust the company that they had trusted all along. However, the negative insights would diminish with time, and the HIV infected people would start being responsible for their actions. They would be their brothers’ keepers and it would be easier to control the entire situation, given the harsh criminal charges on irresponsible people. Migrant workers Migrant workers are very essential because they bring innovative ways of running the operations of the company. However, the migrants are likely to acquire and spread HIV/AIDS while in South Africa. Imposing a law to ban migrant workers will be very unfair in the contemporary world. Instead, Anglo American should embark on educating and bringing awareness to the migrants. They should find ways to encourage the migrants to participate in the awareness and prevention programs. The migrants ought to be cautioned about the possibility of acquiring the deadly virus if they engage in immoral behaviors. Prevention initiatives like the distribution and insisting on the use of condoms would play a significant role in containing the migrants. Skill related training, Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT), care, and wellness programs would help greatly in incorporating the migrants into the South African work environment. Pharmaceutical companies The pharmaceutical comp anies have a huge role to play when it comes to the issue of addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. GlaxoSmithKline’s approach of allowing Anglo American to purchase the antiretroviral drugs at a tenth of the market price is recommendable. Other drug makers should also employ GlaxoSmithKline’s approach of cutting prices for any non-profit making organizations. The South African HIV/AIDS epidemic is known globally and the help of the pharmaceutical companies towards saving the HIV-infected people in the country would be a great show of social responsibility. The companies ought to know that the entire world is depending on them, and if they fail to meet people’s expectations, the infected people would die mercilessly. Conclusion From the discussions, it is evident that multinational enterprises with businesses in South Africa are really facing tough moments. Apart from struggling to make profits, they have to address the unending needs of the ailing so ciety. However, investors should not shy away from investing in South Africa, as it is one of the thriving nations in Africa. They should join hands in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. The efforts employed by Anglo American PLC are commendable; however, it is a high time that the government recognized its efforts. Indeed, it would not be worthwhile for the company to keep on struggling to please some stakeholders while risking its existence in South Africa. The South African government should increase its budget allocations towards addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic and stop blaming Anglo America. Moreover, the South Africans should learn to behave responsively, accept to engage in voluntary counseling and testing, and adhere to medication willingly. Humanitarian organizations, NGOs, companies, the World Health Organization, the Global Business Council on HIV/AIDS, and all well-wishers around the world should rise up to find effective strategies to address the HIV/AID S epidemic that is adversely affecting the South African economy. Works Cited Daniles, John, Lee Radebaught, and Daniel Sulivan. International Business: Global Edition, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Higher Education, 2011. Print. Walker, Liz, Graeme Reid, and Morna Cornell. Waiting to Happen: HIV/AIDS in South Africa: The Bigger Picture, Claremont, South Africa: Juta and Company Ltd, 2004. Print. This essay on Anglo American PLC in South Africa was written and submitted by user Johnathan Knight to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The impact of globalization Essays

The impact of globalization Essays The impact of globalization Essay The impact of globalization Essay Write an essay on the impact of globalization on societal policy. Introduction: This essay will discourse globalisation in respects to societal policy, it will look on the impact it has made on societal policy. It will include a definition of globalisation, including what it is and how it works. Following it will discourse economic globalisation, what caused it and who is involved in the procedure of it. After it will analyze planetary administration, how this job would be solved and how other issues are resolved. Throughout these definitions it will look at transnational corporations, the nation’s province, international organisation and civil society organisations. Last it will reason with an sentiment on whether globalisation has impacted on societal policy. Globalization: Today we hear a batch about globalisation and the ways in how it’s altering out universe, it has affected many states in assorted ways including ; economically, politically and socially. Globalization has been used as a generic term to depict a assortment of economic procedures, including ; increasing internalisation of the production and exchange of goods and services, the deregulating of fiscal minutess, the resettlement and restructuring of productive activities in the universe and the spread of free trade on a universe broad graduated table ( Sykes, 2003 ) . Globalization has effects on the environment, on civilization, political systems, economic development and on human physical wellbeing in all different states in the universe. Globalization is non a new epidemic, for old ages people and corporations have been purchasing and selling from each other from great distances across the universe. There are many manifestations of globalisation, these include ; communicating, in gestion, finance and planetary money ( Schiarto and Webb, 2003 ) . It has been argued that the spread of globalisation means the economic links between state provinces in the universe market have become more competitory. Globalization is progressively seen as a cardinal characteristic of the development of universe capitalist economy taking to nationally managed economic systems, to the prostration of state provinces and to a loss of democratic control by ordinary citizens over their lives ( Ritzer, 2007 ) . The current moving ridge of globalisation has been driven by policies that have opened economic systems domestically and internationally. In the past two decennaries many authoritiess have adopted free market systems, increasing their ain potency and making new chances for international trade and investing. Governments besides have negotiated decreases in barriers and have established international understandings to advance trade and services ( Hopper, 2006 ) . Corporations have taken advantage of this and have built foreign mills and established production with foreign spouses, this is a defining characteristic of globalisation, an international industrial and fiscal concern construction. Another principal of globalisation is engineering ; the promotion in engineering has improved the economic life. It has provided all kinds of economic tools for placing and prosecuting economic chances including faster and more elaborate tendencies around the universe. Globalization can be really controversial, as some argue that it allows poorer states to better their life by developing their lives economically ; nevertheless some people believe that it’s a negative development, as because of the international free market economic system, the smaller local endeavors and local civilizations are affected. To happen the balance between benefits and costs with globalisations, people all over the universe demand to understand how globalisation works, and how the policies confronting them work ( Koivukoski and Tabachnick, 2004 ) . Economic Globalization: Economic globalisation is the increasing economic integrating and mutuality of national, regional and local economic systems around the universe, it focuses on the globalisation of production, finance, establishments, organisations and selling and engineering. While economic globalisation has been spread outing since the development of international trade, it has grown at an increased rate over the last 20-30 old ages, this has made states cut down trade barriers. This cut has led to accounted economic systems incorporating with less developed economic systems. Not merely has economic globalisation increased incomes and lowered consumer monetary values, it besides changes the power balance between developing and developed states and has an impact on the civilization of each affected state ( Cousins, 2005 ) . The ground for this economic globalisation is due to the rapid growing of engineering and scientific discipline, cut downing the cost of transit and communicating. This type of t echnological promotion has greatly reduced the cost of international trade and investing. For illustration Ford autos are designed in Germany, its pitching system in Korea, the pump in the USA and its engines in Australia ( Shangquan, 2005 ) . It is this exact type of technological promotion that has made this type of planetary production possible. If technological promotion and information engineering development were the driving force for economic globalisation, so the market orientated transmutation carried out throughout the universe would be considered as an institutional drive force for this tendency. Economic globalisation is organized by transnational corporations, which are its primary bearers. The transnational corporations ( MNCs ) organise production and designating resources in order for maximal net income. Economic globalisation in the fiscal sector has become the fasted growth and most influential facet of globalisation. International finance besides began to function the demands of international investing Acts of the Apostless and trade. Economic globalisation has intensified in the universe, which means the competition at the international market is tougher among the endeavors from different states around the universe. Both domestic endeavors and those from different states around the universe have been fall backing to amalgamations and aid from one another, in order to better their fight and to raise their places, in the terminal this consequences in moving ridges of industrial restructuring. In the procedure of economic globalisation it is the dominant states that play the dominant function. This function of developed states is besides apparent in the fact that they determine the regulations for international economic exchanges. Global Administration: Global administration is the different ways organisations, concerns and establishments manage their personal businesss, it includes the application of Torahs and ordinances, but besides the norms, ethical criterions and imposts ( WHO.ie, 2014 ) . It is a system used to accomplish common aims in a just and merely manner. This means that values, criterions and Torahs would wholly be the same, they they should be analysed, discussed and understood in the best manner possible. Normally the authorities has been associated with regulating establishments. However governance littorals for formal political establishments that aims to organize and command independent societal dealingss. Good planetary administration is when the personal businesss are good, non the Torahs and ordinances in topographic point. The demand for planetary administration is from the consequence of the globalisation procedure, it calls chiefly for the direction of market failures and their effects in interstate dealing ss. Typical illustrations of administration include weaponries control and free trade direction to get by with the hazards of weaponries race. Global administration can non work without power, without power in states there can non be any successful out comes ( Vayrynan, 1999 ) . There are three different parts of administration. First is international system, â€Å"composed of autonomous provinces, organized in logic that’s needfully the same as a decentralized mechanism† ( Lamy, 2010 ) . Most international organisations operate in this manner. Then there’s the European Union, the manifestation of an international organisation of integrating in which members have agreed to abandon laterality in order to beef up the effectivity of the state’s actions. Finally there’s the states province, the holder of power. That nation’s province is able to implement persons to pay revenue enhancements or to obey velocity bounds. The chief challenge of plane tary administration is to place leading, and to happen the balance between the three parts discussed. Cardinal Elementss That Influence Globalization: Globalization can be influenced by certain factors ; in this subdivision seven different factors that influence globalisation will be discussed ; historical, economic system, resources and market, production issues, political, industrial organisation and engineerings. First there’s historical, the trade paths used were made old ages ago so goods and services could be brought from one state to another. There is a well-known path from E to west, and this is an illustration of a historical factor. Next there is economic system, one time a merchandise has reached its purchaser, the cost and value of the good or service determines the motion of good and values add-on. This overall is a really of import factor of globalisation. Third is the resources and markets, this is a factor act uponing globalisation as all natural resources like oil, gas, H2O, coal or human resources contribute to it. Then there is production issues, if companies are over capacitated or the domestic market is slacking this will do companies travel planetary for better options for goods or services. The following factor that influences globalisation is political, if a state has political issues this may take to globalisation. The 6th factor would be industrial organisation ; this is where the developments of engineering in countries of production, houses and merchandise mix are assisting companies to spread out their work. The hiring service has a strong influence on globalisation. The last factor is engineerings, this gives a rise of importing or exporting of goods and services to and from different states ( Chand, 2014 ) . Positives and negatives of globalisation: There are both positive and negative facets of globalisation. The first benefit would be free trade. Free trade reduces the barriers that stand between states merchandising with one another. When there are no barriers to merchandise, states engage in free trade. This means that there are benefits for economic systems and consumers ( Bolderson and Mabbett, 1999 ) . There would be a greater pick of goods and services for consumers, there would be lower monetary values as the completion would lift and monetary values would drop. Another benefit of economic globalisation would be free motion of labor. This is where workers can travel from one state to another easy, where they can lend to different economic systems with their selling accomplishments. Free motion of labour allows economic systems to make full any spreads that are in the labor markets, by engaging workers from different states to make full occupations. This manner companies can engage workers from foreign states to work, ut ilizing their online tools and telecommunications. These benefits of free motion of labor besides works in a different way, for illustration if a state has really small occupations but excessively many workers, a worker may take to travel to different markets where a occupation may be better. Although free trade and free motion of labor are benefits for economic systems, they can besides hold a negative consequence. The biggest downside of globalisation is the injury to economic systems caused at early phases of development. Free trade forces all states to vie with each other, and this consequences in the smaller, less developed states falling behind the more developed 1s. Another downside was due to the possibility of workers traveling from one state to another, states would happen it difficult to promote their workers to remain in their ain state. Another negative consequence is the negative impact globalisation has on revenue enhancement. Since states are frequently merchandising with each other, a batch of larger states avoid paying revenue enhancements. States have really small control over the bigger states avoiding revenue enhancement, which means they have to raise the revenue enhancements in their ain states to seek and do up for the lost revenue enhancement aggr egations. Last, globalisation has a cultural impact on states that have a big in-migration record, go forthing a weakening in civilizations that favour greater cultural and economic authorization. Decision: To reason this essay, globalisation is the procedure of international integrating originating from the interchange of universe positions, merchandises, thoughts and other facets of civilization. It affects the environment, civilization, political relations, economic system, development and human well-being worldwide. Some people believe that globalisation is about competition, that the poorer, led developed states fall behind the more developed 1s. Following economic globalisation is the dependance of states, it includes their utilizations of finance, production, establishments and organisations. Economic globalisation is when states have had to cut their monetary values for goods and services as the competition in the more developed states is excessively high. After economic globalisation, there’s planetary administration. This is the manner states control their organisations and concerns, intending they introduce Torahs and ordinances. The cardinal elements that influence gl obalisation are ; history, economic system, resources and market, production issues, political relations, industrial organisations and engineerings, in other words globalisation is influenced depending on a states province or place. Last there are both positive and negative effects of globalisation. The positives include ; free trade and free motion of labor. The negatives are ; the injury to the economic systems, states unable to maintain their ain workers, revenue enhancement and the deficiency of civilizations left in specific states. Finally, I think that globalisation has affected societal policy, as different states all run otherwise. If every state was ran the same manner there would be no competition and every state would be equal, go forthing everyone with equal occupations and chances. Word Count:2096 Mentions: Bolderson, H. , Mabbett, D.. ( 1999 ) . Theories and Methods in Comparative Social Policy. In: Clasen, J.Comparative Social Policy Concepts, Theories and Methods. 2nd erectile dysfunction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. p48-49. Chand, S.. ( 2014 ) .7 Factors Influencing Globalization – Discussed! .Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.yourarticlelibrary.com/globalization/7-factors-influencing-globalization-discussed/22639/ . Last accessed 30th November 2014. Cousins, M. ( 2005 ) .European Welfare States.London: Sage Publications. P.44 Hopper, P. ( 2006 ) .Populating With Globalization. Oxford: Berg Publishers. p16-17. Koivukoski, T. , Tabachnick, D. ( 2004 ) .Globalization, Technology and Philosophy. United States of America: State University of New York Press. p9-13. Lamy, P.. ( 2010 ) . Of What Use is Global Governance? .The Global Journal. 110 ( 1 ) , p1-5. Ritzer, G. ( 2007 ) .A Blackwell Companion to Globalization. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. p30. Schirato, T. , Webb, J. ( 2003 ) .Understanding Globalization. London: Sage Publications. p2-5. Shangquan, G.. ( 2000 ) . Economic Globalization: Tendencies, Risks and Risk Prevention.Economic and Social Affairs. 10 ( 1 ) , p10. Sykes, R. , ( 2003 ) . Social Policy and Globalization. In: Alcock, P. Erskine, A. May, M.The Students Companion to Social Policy. 2nd erectile dysfunction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. p.161. Vayrynan, R. ( 1999 ) .Globalization and Global Governance. United States of America: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers INC. p25-28. Who.ie. ( 2014 ) .Trade, foreign policy, diplomatic negotiations and wellness.Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.who.int/trade/glossary/story038/en/ . Last accessed 30th November 2014 1

positin paper essays

positin paper essays There are new discoveries in science every day. There are so many of them that its hard to decide which ones to actually concern ourselves with. Is it right to just be oblivious to all of the scientific goings on that are happening around us? No it isnt at all. We should all be educated to an extent, especially when it comes to things like diseases that run in our families, or scientific discoveries that happen close to home, or even if there have been new findings in the food that we are eating every day. Cancer is one of the largest diseases in the world. So many people die from it every day and now, just about anything and everything causes or helps to cause at least one kind of cancer. There have been discoveries that even cell phones can cause certain types of cancer as well as abortion, being on the birth control pill, eating to much red meat, not having enough calcium, and even wearing a bra that doesnt fit properly . Now if a certain type of cancer runs in your family then you should be aware of the factors, but if it doesnt then you dont have to be as careful, though smoking two packs a day will still contribute to cancer whether it runs in the family or not. A big story that has been in the Canadian news recently is the one about the mosquitoes in Southern Ontario that were found to be carrying the West Nile Virus . This story is a little to close for comfort for me but there are two different approaches to take towards it. You can go about your daily routines and be aware of the mosquitoes, or you can lock yourself in your home until they are gone for good. Some people will take the whole thing to seriously and become paranoid while others will educate themselves about the issue but still live life. So you dont have to be ignorant, but you also dont have to be completely paranoid. Finally there is the big issue of genetically modified food. Personally I hav ...

Handling Errors and Exceptions in Delphi Applications

Handling Errors and Exceptions in Delphi Applications Unfortunately, building applications includes coding. Regardless of how carefully you write/debug your program, it will be impossible to imagine every situation that can go wrong. The inexperienced user might, for example, try to open a nonexisting file or input a bad value into a data field.Users make mistakes and we should be prepared to handle/prevent these errors wherever and whenever possible. Errors, Exceptions? An exception is generally an error condition or another event that interrupts the normal flow of execution in an application. Whenever an error results from processing a line of code, Delphi creates (raises) an object descendant from TObject called the exception object. Guarded Blocks An application responds to an exception either by executing some termination code, handling the exception, or both. The way to enable error/exception trapping within a given code, the exception must occur within a guarded block of statements. The general code looks like: try   Ã‚   {guarded block of code} except   Ã‚   on do begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   {exception block-handles SomeException}   Ã‚   end; end; A try / except statement executes the statements in the guarded block of code. If the statements execute without any exceptions being raised, the exception block is ignored, and control is passed to the statement following the end keyword. Example: ... Zero:0; try    dummy: 10 / Zero; except    on EZeroDivide do   Ã‚  Ã‚   MessageDlg(Can not divide by zero!,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   mtError, [mbOK], 0) ; end; ... Protecting Resources When a section of code acquires a resource, it is often necessary to ensure that the resource is released again (or you might get a memory leak), regardless of whether the code completes normally or is interrupted by an exception. In this case, the syntax uses finally keyword and looks like: {some code to allocate resources} try   Ã‚   {guarded block of code} finally   Ã‚   {termination blok - code to free resources} end; Example: ... AboutBox:TAboutBox.Create(nil) ; try   Ã‚   AboutBox.ShowModal; finally   Ã‚   AboutBox.Release; end; ... Application.OnException If your application doesnt handle the error that caused the exception, then Delphi will use its default exception handler - it will just pop up a message box. You may consider writing code in the OnException event for TApplication object, in order to trap errors at the application level. Break On Exceptions When building a program with exception handling, you may not want Delphi to break on Exceptions. This is a great feature if you want Delphi to show where an exception has occurred; however, it can be annoying when you test your own exception handling. Few final words The idea of this article is to give you just a quick look at what exceptions are. For further discussion on exception handling, consider On Handling Exceptions in Delphi Exception Handling, using a tool like Delphi Crash / Exception Handling with Bug Reporting and some of the following related articles:

Write the benefit part of the issue Is It Time to Think Seriously Essay

Write the benefit part of the issue Is It Time to Think Seriously About Climate Engineering - Essay Example and Atlantic ice sheets which pose a great environmental danger to the ecosystem thus an alternative measure to curb this â€Å"long term effects† menace. Carbon levels and other heat trapping gases have been on the increase and to some extent surpassed the tipping point; as of May 2012, carbon dioxide had reached 396.18 parts per million in the atmosphere which is way over the 350 parts per million upper limit, a stable climate’s relative point. With earth’s atmosphere monitoring stations over the last two decades indicating an increase in annual carbon emissions by 41% mainly from the fossil fuel combustions, indicate that the carbon concentration has approximately been increasing with 2 million parts per million each year; with this trend, it might be more than twice of the pre-industrial levels by the end of century resulting to further ecosystem damages. Geo-engineering measures more so the suggested strategies of pumping 5million to 10 million tons of sulphur dioxide in to the stratosphere; where they cannot be washed away easily by rain, intended to form microscopic particle to shade the planet from direct radiation, advancing bio-technological research on the algae fertilization to enhance carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere and invention of an alternative to fossil fuels, will go an extra mile in combating the global warming menace. Despite these measures being faced by a couple of limitations such as lack of effective understanding of ecological problems, increasing the acidity of the oceans, ineffective measure of full implication tests and barriers from the economically benefiting segments and organizations/governments with interests in these biodegrading activities, extensive research more so on the geo-engineering to curb the radiation and carbon emissions. A further global warming of 1 degree centigrade defines a critical threshold with the earth creating more Venus like conditions characterized by unhealthy and unlivable conditions

Theory report-Archtecture History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Theory report-Archtecture History - Essay Example Toward this direction it is supported that urban design ‘is geographically limited in terms that it can be applied in ‘areas of a limited size, about half a mile (0.8 km) square’12. It should also be noticed that modern architecture is characterized by a plethora of innovative plans and ideas which all contribute to the development of the specific science throughout the years. As an example we could refer to the case of Archigram which published in 1961 and included a series of architectural plans of very simple form as designed by Cook, Webb and other architects that participated in the whole effort (Design Museum, 2007). Archigram has been a representative sample of modern architectural ideas despite the fact that its application is not achievable. Apart from Archigram, a series of trends have been developed in architecture which was furthermore supported by theories related with the plans involved. In this context, Utopia – a term that is used a lot in the description of specific social and cultural conditions – has been related with architecture. The plans that were developed under the influence of ‘Utopian’ city present many simi larities although there are also elements that are unique in each one of these plans. It should be noticed that the application of the theory of ‘Utopia’ in architecture is not recent. In fact there are many studies that refer to the particular issue highlighting the importance of ‘Utopia’ for the development of ‘unreal’ but pleasant conditions of life for citizens around the world. Current paper presents a personal proposal on Courthouse project using the theory of Utopia as developed in the area of architecture. The particular aspects of Utopia are presented in order to understand its application of architecture and its potential use in the future towards the development of viable urban plans. Moreover, a series of architectural plans related with Utopia has been used in order to

Research and Development Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Research and Development Skills - Essay Example Poor image classification leads to poor study results. The research aims at ascertaining the principle behind image classification and as well as focussing on higher achievements to be made with regard to factual findings on the same. The main problems associated with image classification, is the failure to ascertain and clearly present picture. Considerable progress has been made in the 21st century with the development of artificial satellites. This has progressively improved the research on earth observation and environmental The development on image classification has been brought about with regard to research groups like Silicon Valley, NASA Research Centre, GTE and others leading to the development of Fourier transform techniques bringing about notable enhancement with classification of imagery data. This brings about the concept of research enhancement to considerably bring to record other spatial and planetary data needed to make out new findings. With regard to ethical issues, the research ensures adherence to the set ethical standards set with respect to electromagnetic properties researches. The search for perfect data should not deceive through data alteration, circumvention of existing laws and the transgression of reasonable and legitimate expectation of

Challenges Faced By Healthcare Leaders In Terms Of Decision Making Assignment

Challenges Faced By Healthcare Leaders In Terms Of Decision Making Within the Team Environment - Assignment Example According to the research findings, leadership is the ability to influence other individuals through one’s actions and behavior. It should be noted that an organization may have different objectives and goals. It is the duty of the organizational leaders to organize oneself and others effectively to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. In other words, leadership is all about the effective management of organizational resources in order to satisfy the needs of different stakeholders. In the context of the healthcare industry, the role of leadership is to address the needs of the healthcare staff and patients. In order to become a successful leader in the healthcare industry, a person should be able to improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients, develop and implement strategies to motivate healthcare staff, and ensure the healthcare organizations they run are managed well and demonstrate accountability for their use of resources. Healthcare industry consists of many segments such as aged care and disability health services. The needs of the aged and disabled may not be the same as that of other types of patients. For example, aged and disabled people may have lack of mobility and they require the support of others for completing their routine activities. It is necessary for a leader to formulate strategies based on the needs of the patients in order to make sure that all patients are able to receive quality healthcare services. Moreover, the expectations of the people about the health care services are more in the present era because of the rapid developments in medical science. At the same time, many of the modern patients, especially the aged and disabled patients are concerned about the growing hospital expenses even though they like to receive quality healthcare. Since healthcare industry is a profit-making industry, it is the duty of the leaders to make sure that the hospital management receives adequate returns on their i nvestments.

Kingship In Anglo saxon Britain Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Kingship In Anglo saxon Britain - Term Paper Example The kingdoms stood alone for several centuries during which there occurred Christianization of the citizens. Before the 10th century, these kingdoms were rivals as their respective leaders wanted to gain control over other kingdoms. However, it was the threats of possible Viking as well as Danish settlers’ invasion of the island of Britain that saw the unification of the seven kingdoms into one known as England under the hegemony of Wessex between the ninth and tenth centuries. With the unification and the formation of the new kingdom, an English medieval kingship that is still in use to date came into being. This kingship started with Alfred of Wessex and his succession line gave the English state substance2. The kingship acted as the institution, which had the maintenance of social order as its ultimate responsibility. A medieval king, one needed to adopt delicate approaches that aimed to pay attention closely to the sensibilities of the locals in order to attain success. As such, different rulers of England employed codes that have differences and similarities at the same time. These codes have gone a long way in defining the modes of leadership, the direction it takes, as well as the codes and laws o f the generations of administration that followed them. Alfred’s succession was unexpected with him having four older brothers, which meant that he was fifth in line of succession. However, with the deaths of all the older brothers, Alfred took the throne aged 21 at a time when the kingdom of Wessex was in conflict with the Danes and the Vikings as in all kingdoms in the British island at the time. However, his greatest battle was with the Danes with whom he delved into guerilla tactics and finally defeated them. He also resorted to dialogue when he realized that he could not remove the Danes from the island, with a few intermarriages occurring and even resulting in the conversion of the Danish king into

Estimation of pH Essay Example for Free

Estimation of pH Essay Acid-base titration calculations Aim: This experiment is designed to train our skills of calculation in titration as well as help us to be familiar with the procedures of titration. Background: 1. Titration is a technique which involves measuring the volume of one solution which just reacts completely with another solution. 2. A pipette is designed to deliver exactly the same volume each time it is used. 3. A burette is equipment fitted with a tap and is calibrated so as to accurately measure a variable volume of solution. 4. Tire is the volume of the second solution required in titration. Method: The whole experiment is based on computer simulation. To train our calculation skills in titration, two trials are set. One is titration between a strong acid and a strong base. The other is between a weak acid and a strong base. In this experiment, the strong acid is HCl, the strong base is NaOH and the weak acid is CH3COOH. Strong acid and strong base 1. Set up the apparatus. 2. Measure 25ml Ba(OH)2 by pipette. 3. Transfer the Ba(OH)2 into a beaker. 4. Add Bromothymol Blue which is and indicator. 5. Add HCl into the burette. 6. Turn on the pH meter. 7. Insert the probes into the beaker. 8. Read the reading on burette. 9. Start titrating. 10. Read the final volume. 11. Remove the probes. Weak acid and strong base 1. Set up the apparatus. 2. Measure 25ml Ba(OH)2 by pipette. 3. Transfer the Ba(OH)2 into a beaker. 4. Add Bromothymol Blue which is and indicator. 5. Add CH3COOHhe burette. 6. Turn on the pH meter. 7. Insert the probes into the beaker. 8. Read the reading on burette. 9. Start titrating. 10. Read the final volume. 11. Remove the probes. Apparatus: Pipette 25ml Burette 50ml pH meter Beaker 80ml Chemicals: Barium Hydroxide, Ba(OH)2 Hydrochloric Acid, HCl Ethanoic Acid, CH3COOH Bromothymol Blue Safety: Follow the rules in the laboratory and wear the safety goggles. Set up of apparatus: Procedure: Strong acid and strong base 1. I set up the apparatus. 2. I measured 25ml Ba(OH)2 by pipette. 3. I transferred the Ba(OH)2 into a beaker. 4. I added Bromothymol Blue which is and indicator. 5. I added HCl into the burette. 6. I turned on the pH meter. 7. I inserted the probes into the beaker. 8. I read the reading on burette. 9. I started titrating. 10. I read the final volume. 11. I removed the probes. Weak acid and strong base 1. Set up the apparatus. 2. Measure 25ml Ba(OH)2 by pipette. 3. Transfer the Ba(OH)2 into a beaker. 4. Add Bromothymol Blue which is and indicator. 5. Add CH3COOHhe burette. 6. Turn on the pH meter. 7. Insert the probes into the beaker. 8. Read the reading on burette. 9. Start titrating. 10. Read the final volume. 11. Remove the probes. Data collection: Strong acid and strong base Initial pH in the beaker 15.03 Final pH in the beaker 2.79 Volume of HCl added 41.02ml Weak acid and strong base Initial pH in the beaker 14.90 Final pH in the beaker 2.57 Volume of HCl added 38.60ml Data processing: Strong acid and strong base The chemical equation for this reaction 2HCl(aq) + Ba(OH)2(aq) BaCl2(aq) + 2H2O(l) Weak acid and strong base The chemical equation for this reaction 2 CH3COOH (aq) + Ba(OH)2(aq) (CH3COOH)2Ba (aq) + 2H2O(l) Graph: Strong acid and strong base Screenshot of the software Graph of the pH in the beaker against volume added Weak acid and strong base Screenshot of the software Graph of the pH in the beaker against volume added Conclusion: The concentration of hydrochloric acid in the first trial is The concentration of ethanoic acid in the second trial is Evaluation and improvement: 1. As what I have discovered, all the graphs of a certain reaction in this software are the same. There is no difference in the graph if the concentration is changed. Also the graph is distinct points rather than a curve. During the experiment, sometimes failure occurred. Thus the only improvement could be done is to change another software.

Chemistry Report on Explosives

Chemistry Report on Explosives Chemistry Report on Explosives What is meant byoxidation and show how oxidation reactions are used to cause explosions. Oxidation is the term used for the combinationof a substance with oxygen, or in general any reaction where an atom ormolecule loses electrons. This can be shown as: C(s) + O2 (g)CO (g) S=solid, g=gas Gunpowderor black powder is the oldest explosive we know. It is made up of a mixture ofpotassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre or KNO3), charcoal, andsulfur in different proportions. When gunpowder is manufactured today, it ismade with the ratios 7.5:1.5:1 by mass (2). Bothgunpowder and dynamite have within them substances which are readily availableto oxidation. The oxygen which is used for the oxidation is an intrinsic partof the mixture, and is held within them in the same manner that oxygen isstored in the chemical potassium chlorate. Whengunpowder is ignited, this oxidation is extremely rapid, and a large volume ofgas is produced. The gasses are under extreme pressure, which causesthem to expand rapidly. Heat is produced causing the gas particles toaccelerate, creating even more pressure. If the gas expands faster than thespeed of sound, this creates a shockwave. The pressure produced by the gassesis what causes parts of the bomb (shrapnel) to be propelled far and wide atvery high speeds(1). Thespeed at which something oxidises is dependant on its potential to interactwith oxygen. The greater number of unstable electrons that a molecule or atomhas to lose, the quicker it will be oxidised (3). b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Give an account of thedevelopment of chemical compounds for use in explosives. Describe theadvantages of each new chemical explosive over its predecessors, and describehow the explosives were adapted to make them safer and more effective. (9marks) It is thought that the firstexplosive discovered was black powder, originating in 10th Century China. Itwas used for ceremonial fireworks. In Europe, 1242 saw the formula for blackpowder being published by Roger Bacon. The refinement of the substance closelyfollowed after the gun was invented by Berthold Schwartz in 1300. Around thistime, black powder was being used for removal of rocks, the teqnique was knownas fire setting, but this was replaced with blasting at the beginning of the17th Century. There are records of blasting in America from 1773 (4). The production of black powderwas rapidly increased during the American Revolution. By the turn of thecentury, the commercial production of the explosive had grown from 25 millionto 100 million (2). In 1846, Nitroglycerin wasdiscovered by Ascanio Sobrero. Nitroglycerin plasticizes collodion which is aform of nitrocellulose to form blasting gelatin. This is a very powerfulexplosive. The discovery of this action led to the advancement of ballistite, thefirst double-base propellant and a precursor of cordite. Alfred Nobel built a factory toproduce it in 1861 in Sweden. An advantage of nitroglycerin was its massiveexplosive power, but it was very difficult to transport as it is a liquid,which used black powder to ignite it. It could also freeze and had toxic fumeswhich caused severe headaches (5). In 1867, Nobel accidentallyinvented Dynamite and he went on to patent his mixture. It was a greatdiscovery, being more powerful than black powder, with a higher detonationvelocity which made it much more effective breaking rock as it not only moved,but broke apart the rock Ammonium nitrate was initially synthesizedin 1659 by J. R. Glauber by blending ammonium carbonate and nitric acid. It wasmostly used for fertilizer and blasting and to replace a portion ofnitroglycerin in dynamite (1). Dupont introduced Nitramon in1935. This was seen as a breakthrough. They had safe handling, were inexpensiveand did not cause health problems. It was known as ANFO (AmmoniumNitrate Fuel Oil) when it was developed in 1955. During its production itcaused a large Texas City explosion. It was easy to load and transport andcheaper than dynamite, it is not a Class A explosive until mixed, but itsaction could be decreased by water. Over 2.2 billion pounds of it were producedin 1974. Water gels were developed from researchto solve the water problem with ammonium nitrate products (early 1940s). Themarket was small though as most applications needed a small product and therewas no economical sensitizer was not available. c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discuss, with reference to highand low explosives, the ideal features of an explosive reaction, explaining,with examples, how chemical reactions produce energy and how they causeincrease in pressure. (6 marks) There are three categories of explosives: high explosives,primary explosives and low explosives. Gunpowder is a low explosive so thereaction occurs slowly. Expanding gasses are used to propel, not destroy, suchas bullet propulsion from a gun (3). In high explosives, destruction is caused by the expandinggasses, and the extreme pressure causes a shockwave, if the gas expands morequickly than the speed of sound. The shockwave contributes to the demolitionpower of trinitrotoluene (TNT). Primary explosives are intended to explode not burn. Theyare used for fuses and blasting caps to initiate an explosion. Shockwaves are acrucial factor in explosions. It is a wave formed from a zone of enormously highpressure in a fluid, including the atmosphere that travels faster than the speedof sound. It moves from the point of the explosion carrying energy and has a severedamaging effect on solid objects it bounces off (5). In the chemical reaction of the explosion, compounds are brokendown to form various gases. The original chemical compounds (reactants) have muchenergy stored up as chemical bonds between atoms.When molecules break apart, the products (gases) may use some of this energy toform new bonds. Most leftover energy takes the form of extremeheat. d) Describehow UK methods of manufacture of propanone have changed since the beginning ofthe First World War. (3 marks) Propanone isalso known as Acetone, 2-propanone, methyl ketone and dimethyl ketone. It hasthe chemical formula: (CH3)2C=O. Prior to theFirst World War, it was manufactured by hydration of propene from crackedgases. This was revolutionized during WW1 when the chemist Chaim Weizmann showed that propanone could beproduced by the bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum, this was acontinuation of the studies originally performed by Louis Pasteur showingfermentation was promoted by microbes in the 19th century (2). e) Discuss how attitudes to health and safety in chemicalresearch and industrial chemistry have changed over time. Use examples from thehistory of the development and manufacture of explosives and medicines.(4marks) In modern times, we have a numberof health and safety legislations which govern the manufacturing and use ofexplosives for their various purposes. One example is the 1996 USA Departmentof Commerce directive on the manufacturing of fireworks and explosives (6).There are now very tight regulations ensuring that everyone working in thesector is protected as far as possible. It is also accepted that the companiesinvolved have responsibility to protect their workers from harm and mustprovide safety equipment (3). Historically there have been huge numbers of accidentsduring explosive production. At one gunpowder mill in the early 19thcentury, situated in Roslin, Scotland, explosions killed two men shortly afterthe mill opened in 1805 and three more were killed by 1815. Many more followed.Deaths caused during the manufacturing process would have numbered greatly asthis was just from one of the thousands of mills worldwide during a shortperiod. Old attitudes focused on worker responsibility, were nowresponsibility should be shouldered by the company also. Conclusion Explosions are due to combustionwhich involves the use of the oxidation process. Depending on how available thesubstance is to interact with oxygen will depend on how quickly it is oxidised.The more quickly it is oxidised, the more quickly the gases will expand and themore devastating the explosion will be. References Chang, Raymond, General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts 4th Edition 2004 Kotz, John C., Paul M. Treichel, and Gabriela Weaver Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity 6th Edition 2003 Spencer, James N., George M. Bodner and Lyman H. Rickard Chemistry: Structure and Dynamics 3rd Edition 1999 Infelta, Pierre Introductory Thermodynamics 1st Edition 2005 Smith, E. Brian Basic Chemical Thermodynamics 5thEdition 2004 USA Department Commerce, 009, Manufacture of Fireworks June 2002

Edna Pontellier’s Broken Wings in Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Broken Wings in The Awakening  Ã‚  Ã‚   Between the caged parrot with a huge cage â€Å"outside the door† that repeated â€Å"Get away! Get away! Damnation!† and Mr. Pontellier ‘s rebuke to his wife that she was â€Å"burnt beyond recognition,† and the description of him looking at his wife as â€Å"a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage.† the antenna went up. There is not a welcoming beckon in the very beginning and we are alerted to the dysfunction of a marriage all with a page or two. It is a sad beginning. The introduction of Robert Lebrun along with Edna sets up the triangle. We are told that â€Å"Robert talked a good deal about himself. He was very young, and did not know any better. Mrs. Pontellier talked a little more about herself for the same reason. Each was interested in what the other said.† Robert from the onset has â€Å"plans† although he and Edna talk she has none. When Mr. Pontellier returns from Klein's hotel and awakens Edna, with criticism about her care of the children , after a night out with the boys. We begin to see him as thoughtless and as eligible as Edna for the same criticism. She goes into the adjoining bedroom and cries. This indifference on the part of her husband triggers, â€Å"An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish.† At this point the antenna were up and the story began to accelerate. We are told that Mrs. Pontellier was not a â€Å"mother woman†. The mother women in the story are easy to know â€Å"they (were) fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood.† They grew wings as â€Å"ministering angels†. I noticed along with the caged birds in the opening of the story the number of bird images throughout. It is Mademoiselle Reisz that tells Edna, â€Å"The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.’†Edna refers to her new home as â€Å"the pigeon-house†. It pleased her. â€Å"It at once assumed the intimate character of a home, while she herself invested it with charm which it reflected like a warm glow.

Clinging to the Past in Faulkners A Rose for Emily :: A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner

Clinging to the Past in Faulkner's A Rose for Emily       The end of the American Civil War also signified the end of the Old South's era of greatness. The south is depicted in many stories of Faulkner as a region where "the reality and myth are difficult to separate"(Unger 54). Many southern people refused to accept that their conditions had changed, even though they had bitterly realized that the old days were gone. They kept and cherished the precious memories, and in a fatal and pathetic attempt to maintain the glory of the South people tend to cling to old values, customs, and the faded, but glorified representatives of the past. Miss Emily was one of those selected representatives. The people in the southern small-town, where the story takes place, put her on a throne instead of throwing her in jail where she actually belonged. The folks in town, unconsciously manipulated by their strong nostalgia, became the accomplices of the obscene and insane Miss Emily. Faulkner tells the story in first form plural, where the narrators represent the folks in town, which gives a feeling of that this description is the general perception. One immediately gets involved in the story since they first retell what actually happened and then add their own interpretations and assumptions. The double perspective one gets invites to draw one's own conclusions from a more objective point of view, which mine hopefully is! Miss Emily was brought into the spotlight the same moment as her father died. Being the last remaining person from the high ranking Grierson family in town, she became the new ambassador of the old days. The people welcomed her with open arms, without actually knowing anything more about her than her admirable name. Her father's death also meant that Miss Emily's unrevealed secret was brought into the grave. It is well known that insanity is a hereditary disposition, and Miss Emily's great-aunt, lady Wyatt, had "gone absolutely crazy"(80) before she passed away a couple of years earlier. Emily's father had since then dissociated from that branch of the family, as if to run away from a dishonorable influence. I believe that he was aware of her condition, and he therefore had kept her from social life and driven away the long road of suitors to prevent her from causing another scandal, which could spot his and his family's remaining reputation.

Japan and Capitalism

Japan: Capitalism and the Economic Miracle The global triumph of capitalism was the most important historical issue of the nineteenth century. It was the triumph of a kind of society that believed in the fact that economic development was based on competitive private enterprise and the success of buying as much as possible from the market.It was considered that an economy resting on the solid foundations of the middle class, would not only create a world of properly distributed wealth, but also it would educate people, develop reasoning and increase human opportunity. Summarizing, a world of continuous and rapid material and moral development. The few obstacles that remained in the path of this development would rapidly be solved or overcome. The history of this period is characterized by a massive breakthrough in the global economy of industrial capitalism.Certain regions of the world beyond capitalism were put under pressure by the capitalist countries who tried to gain insight in their economies by opening new markets, these regions were forced to choose between a determined resistance towards capitalism in accordance to their traditions and ways of life or a modernization process which would bring different cultural changes. Given this logic, Japan was during the mid-nineteenth century under pressure from the foreign powers and the crisis of their system based on the Shoguns.This situation led to Japan, to carry out a complete transformation process (economic, political and social) known as the Meiji Restoration, which marked the starting point of modern Japanese society. The introduction of the United States in the Pacific finally brought Japan to the center of Western attempts to â€Å"open† their markets. Direct resistance was impossible, the weak attempts to organize had already be shown. The simple diplomatic concessions were no more than a temporary expedient.Already in 1853-1854, Commodore Perry, from the United States Navy had forced them to open certain ports through the regular method of naval threatening. In 1862 the British, bombed the city of Kagoshima with complete impunity in retaliation for the murder of an Englishman by the Japanese. The presence of Western forces was, at this point, a legitimate fact of the everyday Japanese life. Finally in 1868 the Meiji Restoration was proclaimed, the Restoration based itself on the transfer of state power from the Shogun to the Emperor.This started a political, economic and social process that, after ten years of turmoil and provincial agrarian revolts led to the modernization of the state and national unity. Due to these facts the Meiji Restoration is considered the starting point of modern Japanese society. To carry out the task of â€Å"modernization† economic resources were anxiously needed in order to master the noble’s resistance, to suppress revolts and upheavals of provincial farmers, to compensate land owners, to protect, to promote the industry and to install  state manufacturing complexes.It was also important to modernize and equalize the state, the military and the bureaucratic system. Due to the limited development of industrial capital, the new government was forced to seek financial resources within the land, based on property taxes. But, in order to adapt to the changing needs of the state, these charges became tax money. These financial arrangements, established by the government of the restoration were the starting point of the land reforms.As for the early development of capitalism, the Japanese case marked clear differences with respect to what Western Europe had already experienced. In the West the state centralized manufacturing were disappearing during the bourgeois revolution, while in Japan state factories developed across the country, based on the steel market. Cloth factories and their machinery were quickly upgraded through a process known as industrial revolution â€Å"from above†, which is based o n the help of the state to upgrade the existing industry.The number of state factories kept rising and peaked in the decade of the 1870-1880. After the 1880s, these companies protected by the government were then exposed to public auction and were then bought by the capitalists monopoly, some of these industries grew as rich as Mitsui or Mitsubishi, who maintained close contact with the state. The Japanese revolution, allowed the development of commercial activity and usurer capital of the old type, in order to avoid the abolishment of the feudal relations of land property, and to assure the freedom and autonomy of the independent peasantry and small craftsmen.Although the classic capitalistic revolution involved the change from commercial capital to industrial capital, the Japanese revolution followed another path. In Japan the industrial revolution as well as the transformation of commercial capital into industrial capital came about under the monopoly of the rich capitalists, whi ch showed the main difference from that of Western European capitalism. It is clear that this particular structure was determined by the agricultural and the feudal systems of land property, which ensured the survival and multiplication of feudal relations of production within the Japanese agriculture.Revolutionary activists recognized that in order to carry out their purpose of saving the country, they required a process of systematic Westernization. By 1868 many had had contact with foreigners, some had even traveled abroad, people then began to recognize that conservation involved transformation. The driving force that moved Japan towards this transformation was its pursuit to become more Western. It looked like the West clearly had the secret of success and therefore Japan had to imitate it at all costs. Taking a set of values nd institutions of another society and implementing it into the Japanese society was a surprising, traumatic, and problematic attempt. However this attem pt could not be done in a superficial and poorly controlled way, especially in a society which was profoundly different from the West. Many began with a strong passion for the West and anything that came from across them. For some people, the renovation seemed to imply the abandonment of all that was Japanese, as they considered that all the past was barbaric and out of date.The proposals reached even to the renewal of the Japanese race, considered genetically inferior, and was began to be improved through interbreeding with the Western â€Å"superior race†, these suggestions were based on Western theories of racism and social Darwinism, they really found support at the higher and wealthy Japanese classes. Certain styles of life, such as clothing or food, were less adopted than the technological or architectural styles and ideas from the West. Westernization here raised a major dilemma, unlike what had happened prior with the adoption of Chinese elements by the Japanese.Since â€Å"all the Western† was not as simple and as coherent, it was a whole complex of institutions and ideas which in many cases were opposite to the traditional Japanese culture. In practice, the Japanese chose the British model, which naturally served as guide towards the development of the railroad, the telegraph, textiles, and many other methods of business. France inspired the legal reform and set the basis for the military reform. Universities based themselves on the German and American examples, as well as primary education, agricultural innovations and mailing systems.In 1875-1876 over five hundred foreign workers were employed, this number rose to three thousand by the 1890s. However choosing between the different political and ideological aspects was not that easy. Japan was politically against the liberal bourgeois systems of Britain and France. Liberalism was naturally opposed to the absolutist state, which was adopted in Japan after the Restoration. In turn, Weste rnization also was based on the adoptions of ideas, including Christianity which the Japanese people did not relate to.After some time, a strong systemic reaction against Westernization and the liberal model began to rise within the country. This reaction manifested itself in the constitution of 1889, mostly because of a neotraditionalist reaction which virtually invented the Shinto, a new religion based on the worship of the emperor. At this time the combination of selective neotraditionalism and modernization kept rising and was creating and giving shape to the new system. However, there was tension between those who believed that Westernization meant a complete revolution and those who believed that it was the key to economic progress.Beyond these internal contradictions, Japan carried out an incredible process of modernization that made it a formidable modern power, setting them apart from the rest of the Asian countries. At this time it was hard to imagine that, after half a ce ntury, Japan would be a great power capable of defeating their European counterparts in an armed confrontation. After the Restoration, the Meiji government had the task of fulfilling two main goals. On the one hand, they had to decide on whether or not to strengthen the army, in other words, to develop a military that allowed Japan to face the West.This decision marked the beginning of a disaster, as it is an important aspect to explain the origin of the conflicts that led to Japan to participate in the Second World War. The second goal of the Meiji policy dealt with economic development. The decisions taken in this field would undoubtedly be the most successful and enduring aspects of the Revolution. The war left Japan with major problems: over ten million unemployed, many demobilized former combatants, widespread destruction of homes and industrial plants, rising inflation, etc. Material losses were estimated to be at over a quarter of the national wealth.However, not all conseque nces were adverse. Unemployment meant that there was a lot of â€Å"labor† ready to use, the war had also raised the level of technology and production capacity of heavy industry in the field of iron, steel, machinery and chemicals. In addition to making use of these advantages, Japan had the United States behind their back. At first, the American aid was aimed towards achieving national self-sufficiency, taking measures to stop inflation (the Dodge plan 1949), coupled with substantial injections of capital and advanced technology.Another important event that had a direct impact on the Japanese movement towards capitalism was the Korean War. This war led the U. S. to invest twenty-three billion dollars in military spending. The occupation forces ordered every closed arm factory in Japan to be put into service, in full production, representing a major incentive for the Japanese production. In turn, the United States  boosted the Japanese trade, especially in Southeast Asia, where treaties were signed ordering Japan to provide different articles and services to countries that had previously been occupied.None of this would have been possible without a regeneration of the Japanese industry itself. From 1946, Japan started to create a series of economic, financial and banking institutions in order to stimulate economic recovery. The Council of Economic Stimulation was created with the mission of coordinating production and economic growth, and the Reconstruction Bank which had to channel capital to certain industries to achieve the stimulation. Following this, in 1948, the Economic Stabilization Board was formed, aiming to rise production levels, the following year the Ministry of International Trade and Industry was established.These institutions, along with the contribution from the United States, had laid the foundation on which the splendid building of Japanese economic development would later be later erected. Several factors contributed to this alon g with a consistent policy of official support. The world’s economy had entered a period of expansion, the Japanese industry enjoyed good relations between companies, facilitating the movement of employees to different industries and to higher productivity jobs, making it to be the key to further economic development.Other factors were; the United States transfer of technology to Japan, social changes such as land reform and the development of trade unions, which contributed to the improvement of the distribution of income and an expansion of the domestic market. With these stimuli the Japanese industry quickly recovered and was then beginning to expand. In the 1960s, the Japanese economy was dominated by a relatively small number of large-scale manufacturing firms such as Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Fuji and Sumtono, every one of which had at least seventy different affiliates.Besides these groups there were several companies that offered relatively new products such as electronics and automobiles. Including many of what today are worldwide firms such as Hitachi, Toyota, or Nissan. Because of the control from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), they all enjoyed certain protection against foreign competition, while at the same time they were competing for a position in the domestic market, in order to avoid national monopolies.Another feature at this time was the development of products that needed advanced technology and heavy capital investment; this included industries such as steel and petrochemicals, consumer goods, cameras, televisions, boats, motorcycles and of course, cars. Japan was then becoming one of the largest producers of boats, cameras, televisions and cars in the world. In 1970, just over 30% of exports went to the United States, about 15% to Western Europe and more than 15% to Southeast Asia, where the main buyers were Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines and Singapore.As 1973 finished the oil crisis began, resulting in the wo rldwide economic changes that ended the Japanese phase of exceptionally rapid economic growth. As a country dependent on oil, Japan experienced a huge increase in their import bills and a general rise on their prices. Rising oil prices had their biggest impact on high users of energy such as the steel industry and petrochemical industries which were once the center of the â€Å"Japanese economic miracle†. On the other hand, the global recession caused a fall in foreign demand for products such as boats, machinery and tools.When these changes began to take place, politicians from the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry decided to reorient the industry: moving away from the manufacturing of products that heavily relied on imported raw materials and focusing (especially through technological innovations) on the new technologies that reflected higher and newer principles. This category included the automotive industry, by 1980 Japan produced more cars than the U nited States, the computer industry also suffered a major development.Balance between trade imports and exports in Japan had a surplus for twenty years, which allowed substantial capital outflows in the long run. After some years and because of this Japan became one of the major creditor countries in the world. By the late 1987, Japanese investment abroad had reached a profit of twenty-three billion dollars. United States was the country where most of the investments were made, six hundred Japanese factories were based on American soil, about a hundred of which were electronics, automobiles or any other kind of technological machinery.The Meiji Restoration marked the beginning of modern Japanese society, introducing a process of modernization in a western manner. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the global triumph of capitalism, and the ideas and beliefs that seemed to legitimize it, were moving certain regions of the world (apart from the west) towards this new set of ideas. Resistance to outside pressure did never occur, and modernization presented itself as the only means towards conservation and tradition.For a hundred years, the conflict on whether to live by an Asian fashion or by modern Western fashion was a constant theme of Japanese society. The first move towards modernization took place during the Meiji Revolution: Westernization was the driving force for the transformation of Japan, since the West had the key to success and therefore, the rest had to imitate them. Almost every event that took place since 1945, seemed to strengthen the trend towards modern Parliamentary Democracy; the government bureaucratic structure, trade unions, the education system, etc.Everything had its origin in European and American culture and was imitated later on by other countries. Same happened in all aspects of daily life: buses and trains, offices and factories, television, newspaper, clothing, even food. On the other hand, I need to say that the code of ethics is still largely Confucian. Nor should we ignore religion as a link with tradition because, after the war, there has been a considerable rise of new religious movements, most of whom claim to have traditional backgrounds. These phenomena are not something â€Å"modern†, and certainly not Western.However, it may now make sense not to identify the Japanese as â€Å"Asians†. Much of the Japanese culture and tradition traces its origins to cultures outside of Japan, but these different habits had been so completely assimilated over time that had become in fact Japanese. It is in this sense why Japan cannot completely be defined as having an Asian identity; neither can it be framed within the set of traits defined by the West. Japan must be understood as a society with their own characteristics which constitute a nation economically and culturally unique.Bibliography: Gerlach, Michael L.. Alliance capitalism the social organization of Japanese business. Berkeley: Un iversity of California Press, 1992. Print. Marshall, Byron K.. Capitalism and nationalism in prewar Japan; the ideology of the business elite, 1868-1941. Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1967. Print. Sakakibara, Eisuke. Beyond capitalism: the Japanese model of market economics. Lanham, MD: University Press Of America, 1993. Print. â€Å"Shinto (religion) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia.Web. 28 March. 2011. . Tavares, Maria da Conceicao, Ernani Teixeira Filho, y Leonardo Burlamaqui. Japon: un caso ejemplar de capitalismo organizado. Santiago de Chile: CEPAL, Comision Economica rica Latina y el Caribe, 1993. Print. Meiji Restoration (Japanese history) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. . â€Å"Meiji Restoration/Revolution in Japan. San Jose State University – Powering Silicon Valley. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. . â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [ 2 ]. â€Å"Meiji Restoration/Revolution in Japan. † San Jose State University – Powering Silicon Valley. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. . [ 3 ]. Tavares, Maria da Conceicao, Ernani Teixeira Filho, y Leonardo Burlamaqui. Japon: un caso ejemplar de capitalismo organizado. Santiago de Chile: CEPAL, Comision Economica rica Latina y el Caribe, 1993. Print. [ 4 ]. Gerlach, Michael L..Alliance capitalism the social organization of Japanese business. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992. Print. [ 5 ]. Marshall, Byron K.. Capitalism and nationalism in prewar Japan; the ideology of the business elite, 1868-1941. Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1967. Print. [ 6 ]. Marshall, Byron K.. Capitalism and nationalism in prewar Japan; the ideology of the business elite, 1868-1941. Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1967. Print. [ 7 ]. Tavares, Maria d a Conceicao, Ernani Teixeira Filho, y Leonardo Burlamaqui.Japon: un caso ejemplar de capitalismo organizado. Santiago de Chile: CEPAL, Comision Economica rica Latina y el Caribe, 1993. Print. [ 8 ]. â€Å"Shinto (religion) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 28 March. 2011. . [ 9 ]. Sakakibara, Eisuke. Beyond capitalism: the Japanese model of market economics. Lanham, MD: University Press Of America, 1993. Print. [ 10 ]. â€Å"Meiji Restoration (Japanese history) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 1 Apr. 2011.

Micro Finance and Women Empowerment

‘Micro Finance and Women Empowerment ’ By Ms. Varsha Parikh Lecturer Department of Extension and Communication Faculty of Family and Community Sciences The M. S. University of Baroda Vadodara 390002,Gujarat, India E-mail : [email  protected] com Micro Finance and Women Empowerment By Ms. Varsha Parikh ABSTRACT Self-help groups intermediated by microcredit have been shown to have positive effects on women. Micro finance refers to small savings, credit and insurance services extended to socially and economically disadvantaged segments of society. At present one of the successful ways through which microfinance services are being provided to poor people is through Self-Help Groups. The performance of different states SHGs data presented by different authors in different states shows new direction where microfinance is helping poor women coping with vulnerable situations building of assets, new livelihoods and accumulated savings help the coping strategies of the poor. Thus, present paper focus on the concept of SHGs and Micro Finance in India, Performance of SHGs and Microfinance scenario in different states of India, SHGs and Bank linkages in India and impact of microfinance on empowering women along with suggestions. Key Words : SHGs, Micro Finance, Statewise performance of SHGs & Microfinance, SHGs and Bank linkage, suggestions Micro Finance and Women Empowerment By Ms. Varsha Parikh Empowerment is defined as the processes by which women take control and ownership of their lives through expansion of their choices. Thus, it is the rocess of acquiring the ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability has previously been denied. The core elements of empowerment have been defined as agency (the ability to define one’s goals and act upon them), awareness of gendered power structures, self-esteem and self-confidence (Kabeer 2001). Empowerment can take place at a hierarchy of different levels – individual, househ old, community and societal – and is facilitated by providing encouraging factors (e. g. , exposure to new activities, which can build capacities) and removing inhibiting factors (e. . , lack of resources and skills). â€Å"The status of women is a barometer of the democratization of any state, an indicator of how human rights are respected in it† (Mikhail Gorbachev). The root cause of women’s oppression in India is patriarchy which has snatched off their legitimate powers leaving them completely defenseless and weak. Despite more than five decades of interventions to raise the status of women since independences, women in rural areas continue to be overwhelmed by social and economic bosses. Rural women throughout India, irrespective of caste and religion, continue to have a subordinate status both within home and outside. Extent of awareness and access to credit, higher level of education and training are prime determinants of women’s status and role in the process of development. Thus for women, two vital processes have been identified as important for empowerment. The first is social mobilization and collective agency, as poor women often lack the basic capabilities and self-confidence to counter and challenge existing disparities and barriers against them. Often, change agents are needed to catalyse social mobilization consciously. Second, the process of social mobilization needs to be accompanied and complemented by economic security. As long as the disadvantaged suffer from economic deprivation and livelihood insecurity, they will not be in a position to mobilize (UNDP 2001). Concept of Self Help Groups (SHGs) in India In India, Self – Help Group (SHG) is a small voluntary association of poor people, preferably from the same socioeconomic background. They come together for the purpose of solving their common problems through self-help and mutual help. The SHG promotes small savings among its members. The savings are kept with a bank. This common fund is in the name of the SHG. The term Self Help Groups (SHGs) is generally used in India to refer to unregistered groups of 10 to 20 members involved primarily in savings and credit activities. Over 90 percent of these groups have only women members. The concept of SHG is based on the following principles: ? Self-help supplemented with mutual help can be a powerful vehicle for the ? poor in their socioeconomic development; ? Participative financial services management is more responsive and efficient; ? Poor need not only credit support, but also savings and other services; ? Poor can save and are bankable and SHGs as clients, result in wider out reach, lower transaction cost and much lower risk costs for the banks; ? Creation of a common fund by contributing small savings on a regular basis; ? Flexible democratic system of working; ? Loaning is done mainly on trust with a bare documentation and without any security; ? Amounts loaned are small, frequent and for short duration; ? Defaults are rare mainly due to group pressure; and Periodic meetings non-traditional savings. Concept of Micro-Credit Micro credit refers to a programme that provides credit for self employment & other financial and business services (including savings and technological assistance micro). Credit refers to small amounts of Credit both for production and consumption to poor households who remain or choose to remain outside the reach of formal credit system and have demonstrated their credit worthiness Why Mic ro Credit – Because it is a powerful tool for sustainable development of the poor and removal of poverty on a term basis. Micro Credit – A Pathway to Empowering SHGs women The lack of access to credit for the poor particularly women is attributable to practical difficulties arising from the discrepancy between the mode of operation followed by financial institutions and the economic characteristics and financing needs of low-income households. For example, commercial lending institutions require that borrowers have a stable source of income out of which principal and interest can be paid back according to he agreed terms. However, the income of many self employed households is not stable, regardless of its size. A large number of small loans are needed to serve the poor, but lenders prefer dealing with large loans in small numbers to minimize administration costs. They also look for collateral with a clear title – which many low-income households do not have. In addition bankers tend to consider low income households a bad risk imposing exceedingly high information monitoring costs on oper ation. Over the last ten years, however, successful experiences in providing finance to small entrepreneur and producers demonstrate that poor people, when given access to responsive and timely financial services at market rates, repay their loans and use the proceeds to increase their income and assets. This is not surprising since the only realistic alternative for them is to borrow from informal market at an interest much higher than market rates. Community banks, NGOs and grassroot savings and credit groups around the world have shown that these microenterprise loans can be profitable for borrowers and for the lenders, making microfinance one of the most effective strategy of empowerment. Empowering women socio-economically through increased awareness of their right and duties as well as access to resources is a decisive step towards greater security for them. Women are in for a new deal today as they are the focus of economic development. SHGs are considered as one of the significant tools to adopt participatory approach for the economic development of women. It is an important institution for improving the life of women on various social components. It plays an important role in differentiating between consumption credit and production credit. Self help group disburses of making them enterprising women and encouraging them to enter entrepreneurial activities. Credit needs of the rural women are fulfilled through the SHGs. Thus SHG is considered as a variable organization of the rural poor particularly of the women for delivering micro credit in order to undertake entrepreneurial activities. Some of the studies on SHGs of the rural poor particularly those managed by women, successfully demonstrated how to mobilize and manage thrift activities, maintain credit linkages with banks and effectively undertake some income generating activities etc. Micro finance programmes are currently being promoted as a key strategy for simultaneously addressing both poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment. Before 1990s, credit schemes for women were almost negligible. There were certain misconception about the poor people that they need loan at subsidized rates of interest on soft terms, they lack skills, capacity to save, credit worthiness and therefore are not bankable. Nevertheless, the experiences of several and SHGs reveal that rural poor are actually efficient managers of credit and finance. Availability of timely and adequate credit is essential for them in their enterprises rather than subsidies. Earlier government efforts through various poverty alleviation schemes for self-employment by providing credit and subsidy received little success. Since most of them were target based involving various government agencies and banks. During the economic crisis, self-help microcredit groups served as important cushions and safety nets. A high proportion of the funds made available for self-help microcredit schemes were utilized by women, enabling them to meet the subsistence needs of their families during those difficult economic times (ESCAP 2002). Many self-help programmes have also incorporated elements of savings, which can be used for purposes such as health insurance and emergency loans, thereby serving as private safety nets. In all, one of the successful ways through which microfinance services are being provided to poor people in India is through Self-Help Groups. It all started with experiments of some non-government organizations (NGOs) working in south India during early 80s and has now come to be known as Self-Help Group approach to microfinance. With intervention of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) and other organisations, So, in this manner in contrast to the Grameen model of Bangladesh, the SHG based microfinance in India encourages SHG members to manage group’s financial affairs like savings and loan recovery and funds are deposited in a local commercial bank in the name of the SHG. Members’ savings are initially used to issue small loans to needy members. Self Help Group bank linkage has become a supplementary channel for providing financial services from formal financial institutions to poor people. Under this linkage arrangement, SHGs are assessed by bank for bank credit after about 6 months of their functioning. If SHGs are found functioning well, then, bank credit is sanctioned up to four times the savings of the SHG. After gaining some experience of credit handling, SHG is issued bigger amount of loan by a ommercial bank and members are free to decide the end use of this loan, its purpose, repayment instalment, etc. without any interference of the promoting NGO or the bank since SHG is responsible to the bank for repayment of the loan. Women managed self-help groups have shown remarkable growth during the last decade in India. SHGs have proved to be very versatile and their members have successfully taken up both economic and community related inter ventions. SHGs provide poor women an opportunity to take decisions involving themselves, their groups and their lives. Savings and credit is normally used as an entry point for formation of SHGs since it gives the members a chance to participate in decision-making and satisfies their short-term credit needs. Realising that they can be a promising tool in capacity building of rural poor especially women, central and state governments have vigorously supported the SHG-centric models of development in India. Sarojini Ganju Thakur and Anand Mohan Tiwari in their article reports ‘Whether SHG-based Micro-credit Programmes can Remove Poverty? A case study of SHG-based programmes in Patan District of Gujarat, reported that, besides Swa-Shakti Project of Department of Women & Child Development (DWCD) which was launched in 1998, many other agencies have taken up programmes for supporting women’s SHG movement. NABARD has launched a major initiative for accelerating credit linkage to SHGs and over 3,25,000 SHGs are now accessing bank credit. Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK, an autonomous organisation promoted by DWCD), Swarnjayanti Gram Swa-rozgar Yojana (SGSY) and Watershed Development Projects of Ministry of Rural Development, Mahila Samakhya of Department of Education, Women in Agriculture, Swayamsiddha of DWCD, Jeevika Project of Government of Gujarat, Stree Shakti, Mission Shakti, SHG Missions in some other states are supporting formation and strengthening of SHGs in a big way. After success of the initial pilot, this strategy was extended to every commercial and Regional Rural Bank. Some second-tier micro-finance institutions (MFIs) like RMK, Friends of Women World Banking (FWWB), Basix, Sanghmitra Rural Financial Services and SIDBI Micro-credit Foundation, etc. have emerged in the last decade. It is estimated that around 2. 5 to 3 million borrowers, mostly women, are linked with this mechanism in India. Status of SHGs and Microfinance in different states of India The regional development of micro credit programmes under self help groups has wide variations in terms of growth and performance among the states in India. Das, Nanda and Rath reported about the performance of southern region, especially Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and states that it has been the best in the promotion of Self Help groups in India. According to them these two states account for more than 66 percent of Self-help groups receiving loans through bank linkage. Andhra Pradesh has 53 percent of total SHFs due to more women enterprises, higher level of literacy and strong co-operative institutions. They also reveals that the southern region has the best performance where Rs. 5242. 42 million are distributed among the self help groups. The eastern region has second best performance where cumulative number of SHGs bank loan up to 2005 is Rs. 123256 million and per capita credit per SHG is Rs. 20428. 5 million. Sarojini Ganju Thakur and Anand Mohan Tiwari in their article reports ‘Whether SHG-based Micro-credit Programmes can Remove Poverty? A case study of SHG-based programmes in Patan District of Gujarat, mentioned that the SHG-driven micro-finance movement has flourished in Gujarat. Besides the State Government which is promoting these institutions in a big way, many NGOs are actively involved in formation and nurturing of SHGs. Although the overall focus of individual interventions vary, development of micro-finance and micro-enterprise appears to be a common theme in majority of these programmes. Besides the Government and other Public sector organizations like NABARD, a large number of NGOs, including few nationally recognized ones like Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Agha Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), Sadguru and many other NGOs have formed women’s SHGs with the support from various government programmes. The recent earthquake in Kutch and neighbouring districts motivated many NGOs from outside to start work in these areas and they also formed some women’s SHGs. At a conservative estimate, more than 200,000 SHGs are functioning in the State, with Rural Development Department alone supporting over 100,000 SHGs. Of these, close to 60,000 SHGs have been linked with commercial banks that have extended credit of approximately Rs. 200 million. SGSY claims to have formed 23,000 in the State of Gujarat. The role of Micro Finance Institutions on Socio-Economic Development Rural Poor in Orissa described by Das, Nanda and Rath. They reported that; – Costly loans from informal sources have been significantly reduced as a proportion of a household’s debt portfolio. – The interest rates have come down drastically. – It has helped the poor to diversify livelihood options. – It has helped in generating incremental employment. – It also has helped in reducing poverty. Debadutta Kumar Panda added that, through the microfinance revolution, rural villagers of Orissa, the most backward state of India, have undergone a remarkable social upliftment. The value and acceptance of women has also increased substantially and is analyzed through a series of case study. Table : Inter-state performance of SHGs up to March, 2005 (Rs. In million) |S. N. |Region and State |Cumulative No. of SHGs Bank Loan |Per Capita Credit per SHG | |Northern region | |1 |Himachal Pradesh |17798 |31746. | |2 |Rajasthan |60006 |23564. 9 | |3 |Haryana |3351 |59871. 6 | |4 |Punjab |3091 |47156. 2 | |5 |Jammu & Kashmir |1647 |34353. 8 | |6 |New Delhi |125 |10512 | | | |7 |Orissa |123256 |20428. 5 | |8 |Bihar |28015 |24339. | |9 |Jharkhand |21531 |33195. 3 | |10 |West Bengal |92698 |13622. 4 | | | |11 |Madhya Pradesh |45105 |2462603 | |12 |Chhatisgarh |18596 |92605. | |13 |Uttar Pradesh |119648 |26375. 6 | |14 |Uttranchal |14043 |41020. 4 | | | |15 |Gujarat |24712 |2777. | |16 |Maharashtra |71146 |31401. 7 | |17 |Goa |408 |74068. 6 | | | |18 |Andhra Pradesh |492927 |55709. | |19 |Karnataka |163198 |33710. 7 | |20 |Kerala |60809 |41038. 8 | |21 |Tami lnNadu |22698 |76026. 9 | (Source: As quoted in Das, Nanda and Rath, â€Å"Micro Finance and Rural development in India’(Ed. ),2008. Such instances have shown that microfinance has proved very relevant and effective in India and offers the rural and urban poor the possibility of gradually breaking away from exploitation and isolation. Over the years, the provision of microfinance has brought significant increased productivity among the rural poor. Self reliance and sustainability of income generating and micro enterprise development programmes of self help groups have been successfully achieved with effective linkage and networking. The interplay between the two sub systems of socio-economic development, i. . , micro enterprise development and the micro credit and saving mechanism has been quite smooth and effective in the case of SHGs linkage to mainstream institutions. On the other hand the progress of the SHG-bank linkage programme is also rapidly taking stride. Since inc eption as shown below the programme took off with a humble beginning of linking 255 groups in the first year i. e. 1992-93 with a loan disbursement of Rs 2. 9 million only. Average loan per SHG was about Rs 11. 37 thousand in 1992-93 whereas it has grown to Rs 61. 68 thousand in the year 2006-07. There has been a tremendous growth in the number of groups over time. More than 29. 2 million SHGs with a membership of 40. 95 million households are linked to bank credit till March 2007 as shown below. No. of   SHGs linked to Banks in India (1992-93   to 2006-2007) |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Year |Cumulative No. of   SHGs |Bank loan (Rs. Million) | |1992-93 |255 |2. 9 | |1993-94 |620 |6. | |1994-95 |2122 |24. 5 | |1995-96 |4757 |60. 6 | |1996-97 |8598 |118. 4 | |1997-98 |14317 |237. | |1998-99 |32995 |570. 7 | |1999-2000 |114775 |1929. 8 | |2000-01 |263825 |4809. 0 | |2001-02 |461478 |10263. 0 | |2002-03 |717360 20487. 0 | |2003-04 |1079091 |39042. 0 | |2004-05 |1628476 |68984. 6 | |2005-06 |2238565 |113980. 0 | |2006-07 |2924973 |180410. | (Source: Various Reports of MCID, NABARD; NABARD (2004) and NABARD website  ) The Table above shows that there has been a rapid growth of SHGs that are linked with banks i. e. Commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative banks for meeting credit requirements and other financial needs of SHG members in recent years. Particularly after 2000 the number of SHGs linked to banks has grown exponentially. In addition, there is other experience e. g. the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh model is being replicated in various parts of India. SIDBI is also promoting microfinance through NGOs who are in the business of microfinance. Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) is also in the business of promoting microfinance in India through NGOs. It is estimated that the total outreach of Microfinance Institutions is about 7. 5 million (Sa-Dhan website). If 40 million of SHG-bank linkages are added to this, the total outreach of microfinance in India would become truly significant keeping in mind that there are about 60 million poor households in India. Empowering SHG women through Micro Finance in India The basic objective of SHG is that it acts as the forum for members to provide space and support to each other. SHGs comprise of very poor people who don’t have access to formal financial institutions. It enables its members to learn to cooperate and work in a group environment. The essential principle of SHG is strong saving programme, which helps it to reduce dependence on financial institutions and develop self-reliance. Saving help the group members to diversify their income generating activities and imbibe financial discipline in the group. Self Help groups create confidence for the economic self-reliance of rural poor, particularly among women who are mostly invisible in the social structure. These groups enable them to come together for a common objective and gain strength from each other to deal with exploitation which they are facing in several forms. Further, micro financing i. e. provisioning of small financial services and products to poor people is contributing to the process of development by creating conditions that are conducive to human development. It has a strong gender orientation. About 90% SHGs that are linked to banks are reported to be of women as mentioned earlier. Through these groups, women empowerment is taking place. Their participation in economic activities and decision making at household and at society level is increasing. It is making the process of development participatory, democratic, independent of subsidy and sustainable. Therefore, microfinance through SHGs is contributing to poverty reduction in a sustainable manner. Studies have shown overall positive impact of SHG bank linkage programme on the socio-economic conditions of rural poor (Puhazhendi and Badatya, 2002;   MYRADA, 2002). It is reported that significant changes in the living standards of SHG members have taken place in terms of increase in income level, assets, savings, borrowing capacity and income generating activities. There are signs of empowerment taking place among women members of SHGs. An important aspect of the empowering impact of micro-credit is related to the process of organisation of women into groups. For women who have been confined to households, their mobilisation into a collective, which could be of self help groups, smaller groups, cooperatives, etc. propels them into a more community-oriented entity, which gives them the basis for negotiating, sharing and bargaining at multiple levels   – the house hold, community and government. Such groups give women the strength and self-confidence to resist the exploitation that they face within the household and community. There are innumerable examples of the nature of strength women have acquired after joining a group. At the same time there are illustrations to show that organisation without changing the resource base is not a sufficient condition of empowerment. However, many practitioners have not fully understood the approach of SHGs. Women members of the SHG have shown increased levels of socio-political awareness and empowerment in the community, raised levels of negotiating power, and changes in community norms, particularly in terms of changing attitudes to gender expectations. (Dash A. , 2003). As stated by Ghosh Rajshree in her article Women’s indicators of empowerment through icrofinance highlighted following major aspects of the empowerment. †¢ Ability to save and access loans †¢ Opportunity to undertake an economic activity †¢ Mobility-Opportunity to visit nearby towns †¢ Awareness- local issues, MFI procedures, banking transactions †¢ Skills for income generation †¢ Decision making within the household †¢ Group mobilization in support of indiv idual clients- action on †¢ social issues †¢ Role in community development activities Suggestions and Conclusion There is no doubt that micro finance can provided micro solution to poor women but it will yield moderate economic benefits. The SHG-bank linkage yet to make substantial impact in poverty belts of India. Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have been successful in organizing self-help groups and other states should develop the self-help groups in our country. There is an urgent need for Government initiative into the self-help groups. And also more dedication and commitment of the NGO personnel is needed to make the group members understand the concept and essence of forming the group. Unless the group is fully aware and convinced regarding the concept of self help outside push will hardly work. The dedication of the functionaries coupled with a little more professional input to the NGO would definitely lead to a self-sustainable self-help regime in the area. The members should be provided training in micro enterprises so that the credit availed by them can be used productively. The commercial banks must provide a greater linkage to self-help groups in providing them higher amount of bank loans. Further, for micro finance programme to be cost-effective in bringing about the empowerment of women, it would require, 1. providing business training, 2. investing in women’s general education and literacy, 3. roviding guidance in balancing family and work responsibilities 4. providing a forum for dialogue on social and political issues, such as, women’s rights and community problems, 5. giving women experience in decision – making promoting women’s ownership, control and participatory governance in their micro finance programmes. Micro finance programmes , thus, has been very successful in reaching women. This gives micro finance institution an extra-ordinary opportunity to act intentionally to empower poor women and to minimize the potentially negative impacts some women experienced. References : Das S. K. , Nanda B. P. and Rath J. , Micro Finance and Rural Development in India (Ed. ), New Century Publications, New Delhi, India. 2008 Karmakar K. G. , Micro Finance in India(Ed). Sage publications, New Delhi, 2008 Debadutta Kumar Panda , ‘Self Help through Microfinance: A Paradigm Shift in Orissa, India’ Ghosh Rajshree, Women’s indicators of empowerment through microfinance Sharma K. C, Microfinance through Self-Help Groups-Status and Emerging Challenges   http://www. birdindia. org. in/admin/Literacy/413. doc. Thakur S. G. and Tiwari A. , Whether SHG-based Micro-credit Programmes can Remove Poverty? A case study of SHG-based programmes in Patan District of Gujarat. http://www. wiego. org/ahmedabad/papers/Tiwari_Can_SHGs_remove_poverty. doc. http://www. edarural. com/impact/execsums. pdf. http://www. trcollege. net/articles/40-empowerment http://www. gdrc. org/icm/conceptpaper-india. html http://www. ivcs. org. uk/ijrs/April2008/Self%20Help%20through%20Microfinance%20in%20Orissa%20India. pdf. http://www. unescap. org/drpad/publication/bulletin%202002/ch6. pdf. http://unpan1. un. org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN024232. pdf. http://74. 125. 153. 132/search? q=cache:gzRW9N7hv7YJ:www. yesweb. org/2006/Publica