A Socio-Economic Model for Sustainable Fashion

Abstract At times when sustainability seems to be the mantra for not only corporations but also the lay man, sustainable fashion is a much less understood term as â€Å"sustainability† alongside â€Å"fashion† are two seemingly contradictory concepts as fashion is all about change and sustainability is all about preservation. Sustainable fashion, in its purest form generates new ideas on how to produce fashion with a sense of ethics, organic or renewable resources, and socially responsible manufacturing techniques. Simply put, the term â€Å"eco-fashion† refers to stylized clothing that uses environmentally sensitive fabrics and responsible production techniques. Our first motive is to spread awareness amongst the mass about sustainable fashion and the affects its absence has on our environment. The fashion industry is based on a model of continual economic growth fuelled by ever-increasing consumption of resources. What needs to be retained is – continual economic growth and what needs to be changed is – ever-increasing resource consumption. So what I propose here is an idea which can possibly be a giant step towards sustainable fashion. The concept central to this idea is – reusability. So what is to be done is that there is a central organization called SFO, Sustainable Fashion Organization. The SFO buys all the to-be-thrown or to-be-wasted clothes on a massive scale. Then the clothes are analysed and classified on the basis of their reusable ratio. The clothes which are good enough have a high reusable ratio. The best breeds are recycled and reused to create new clothes that are eco-friendly, economic and sustainable. While the not so good breeds are used in other areas like manufacturing doormats and bags. In this paper, we try to present a model of business, that will be in optimal interest to industry, consumers, earth and ecosystem. A Socio-Economic Model for Sustainable fashion Sustainable fashion is creating a sustainable product with creativity and great innovation. Fashion is subject to creativity but sustainability is preserving, thus with fast moving competitive world it is hard to find the space for the word sustainable. There is lot of research taking place to find the most sustainable fiber but we all know that times flies and research continues. Many designers have begun experimenting with bamboo fibre, which absorbs greenhouse gases during its life cycle and grows quickly and in plenty without pesticides. Although it also causes environmental harm in production due to the chemicals used to create a soft viscose from hard bamboo. Hemp is one of the best choices for eco fabrics due to its ease of growth, though it is illegal to grow in some countries. Other alternative is synthetic fibers while critics still point to the chemicals used in making synthetic materials, this method significantly reduces water consumption and pollution, while cotton (organic or not) uses a tremendous amount of water during the growth and dyeing phases. Future holds a great deal of importance in our world but the present is equally responsible for it. All research and development is for future something which is uncertain, which is yet to be discovered. My business model is for present and preserving future. Current Scenario Gorman clothing, Stewart +Brown, Avita, Delano Collection, Look Organics etc are some of international brand which are into organic eco fashion but cost of production is still high due to the small market. Fashion industry is doing a lot to preserve the future but return on investment is low, the market share is small as the products are not readily available and they are expensive. People are not aware of fashion sustainability and they do not know which fibers life span is high with less carbon footprint. They are not familiar with the problems associated with fashion products as for most of the people cotton is sustainable and eco friendly; they are not educated on things like which garment is harmful, how to dispose the garment etc. What is the difference between the jute fibers or organic cotton is not known SFO We need to understand how SFO generate value for the consumers and how they generate revenue for their profitable running. Value Generations Maintaining sustainable development – the main reason and production of the sustainable fashion is eco friendly environment. Inculcating new habits – making the consumer understand the essence of sustainability and building loyal brand. Awareness – perception of fast fashion is quite wrong as it is actually not about throw away clothing but a management system that can improve the efficiency. Business Model SFO is an organization which is formed to help the other existing brand and organization working on sustainable fashion by reusing the fashion products and re design them for further usage. SFO is using the zero wastage method of sustainability and helps out other fashion organization in achieving zero waste. The method will be a continuous method of sustainability. The organizations will purchases the used garment or clothes and then check the life span of the garment. After evaluating the durability of the garment it is either reused to form a new garment or send to NGO’s. SFO will be having a tie with NGO’s and will be seeking cooperation from their end as well. Wearable will be given to NGO’s and those garments will be further utilized to the extent that they cannot be termed as wearable and then the NGO’s return the garment to SFO. Then the garment is again evaluated and divided in different slots according to their life span and fabric type. Garment is further cleaned and disinfected and made presentable in a form of raw material and once the procedure is completed it supply’s the garment to different brands. The brand then reuses recycle or redesign the garment and manufacture a new garment. Business functioning Step 1 – Understanding the working of different organization and brand and pursuing them to be a part of sustainable fashion. Taking help from NGO’s and seeking cooperation from their end. Step 2 – Purchasing the used garment from the public after evaluating the depression of the product. Step 3 – The garment is further studied and after understanding the durability it is supplied to NGO’s Step 4 – NGO’s will return the garment after using them. Step 5 – Then the used garment is cleaned and converted into raw material and supplied to different brands. Step 6 – These brands then manufacture a new garment by using the second hand raw material Revenue Generation Sustainable fashion can be profitable because shoppers today are looking for something more meaningful. Consumers are accepting the concept of reuse and recycle in a creative way. SFO will be affiliated with other organization or brand. So that SFO can afford and buy the used products from the public and keeps a certain margin with them. It is basically formed for readily available sustainable fashion therefore the garment wouldn’t be purchased or sold with high margin. The motto of SFO is employment and sustainable fashion with profitability. Risk Hesitancy level might be high as the products are used and then reproduced with new designs – people normally don’t like wearing second hand garment considering the health problem associated with it. Consumer might prefer to buy expensive organic product rather than going for low product sustainable fashion – with high economic growth rate people would like to spend more rather than going for redesigned products. Chaos among the brands associated with SFO – consumer might not have a clear picture of the product quality as every organization has its own quality measures. Opportunity Willingness to buy sustainable fashion – majority of people are fashion oriented and sustainable fashion is in demand. Consciously worried toward the environment – with rapid educations and consumer awareness people understand the importance of eco friendly environment and they are willing to be a part of it. Easy collaboration with other brands practicing sustainable fashion – existing brand association is not difficult with the help of their sustainable new ideas and concept of reuse , recycle and redesign can be inculcated. Low amount of investment – SFO doesn’t need huge investment as it will be associated with brand and organization. The purchase of the second hand garment can be done with the help of these brands. Employment – lot of people are working on sustainable fashion these people can be employed and given a platform to exhibit their ideas and concept. Sustainable institutes – the sustainable fashion academy, Danish fashion institute, refashion designers can be of great help. These institute and designers can work with SFO and help in achieving the goal of eco friendly environment. Recommendation Adequate awareness among the consumer is required regarding the SFO and its redesigned products. Any preconceived notion should be eliminated and customer helpline should be there to help out them with their questions. Not compromising on product quality should be maintained so that the consumer believes in the brand and its products. Hygiene should be given priority keeping in mind that people are hesitant towards the second hand products so one mistake can dilute the brand image. Initially the profit would be low as the market share is small. Therefore to attract huge market share product quality at low price should be done. Pricing strategy should be market penetration and later on price skimming can be adopted with new products. Brand should be responsible for their product quality and design. Each brand should remain a ‘brand’ without merging with SFO. The competition level remains the same within the brands. Each brand will use their own designing team to redesign the garment. SFO can be set as a standard mark for the organization for recognition and brand building. Conclusion Sustainable fashion will be really profitable and there is a huge potential, but first we need to create an ecosystem for that. Sustainable fashion organizations can be a milestone to set standard and accountability among different brands and organization. Every process is a continuous process but I believe time is money so while the research for sustainable fiber is in progress, we should restructure the existing industry to achieve certain sustainable development. Fashion is hard to stop but it can be preserved forever. The redesigning for the same garment gives more scope to innovation and creativity. With the big brand a small plan can be executed to make the consumer equally responsible for the eco friendly environment along with the industry. It is every individuals responsibility to play its duty properly considering the welfare of the society and rather than being completely dependent on government and industries. SFO is an organization which is awaking the public to stand and support the cause of sustainability. Reference Sustainable fashion meets eco-friendly energy, 27 October 2009 -http://www. meridianenergy. co. nz/AboutUs/News/SustainableFfashionMeetsEecofriendlyEnergy. htm Sustainable Fashion – http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sustainable_fashion Fashion conscious, may 15- July 13, 2008 , University of California Davis design Museum Davis CA – http://sustainablefashion. blogspot. com/ Sustainable fashion forum – http://www. fashionaccess. aplf. com/TheFair/OnsiteEvents/SustainableFashionForum/tabid/1106/language/en-US/Default. aspx

Moral Quandary of Race Essay

In his book, â€Å"I am not a Racist, But†¦The Moral Quandary of Race,† Lawrence A. Blum, a professor of Philosophy and Liberal Arts, ventures into unrecognized and little known aspects of racism. His definition and analysis of racism and its implications, projects the vastness of the subject, which had generally been regarded as just a white attitude. Blum describes racism as antipathy towards individuals of a racialized group, stemming from â€Å"inferiorization† or the idea that the group is inferior in relation to other groups. Blum considers a person to be a racist only when he intentionally makes racist comments or jokes, driven by racial antipathy. He feels that the moral significance of the term ‘racism’ seems to be losing its value, as it is being overused or too commonly used. Today, in practical life, any direct or indirect references which affect feelings of racial groups are considered racist. This not only dilutes the very meaning of racism but also weakens its power of ethical condemnation. The word ‘racism’ and its related terminology needs to be more clear, due to its relevance in personal racism, racist, racist beliefs at various levels. The author feels the term ‘racism’ is being more used out of context, like black students intending to sit with other black students for lunch or white teacher being uncomfortable talking with the black parents, which are all regarded as racism. The book also emphasizes the need to report race-based statistical data with greater care and concern as they influence individual perceptions. The statistical differences among the views of racial groups must be projected without any overracialization (p35). Overstating the differences of such views would only reinforce A book review 3 an individual’s racist opinion and close them to persuading arguments or rational conversation. Opposing the general notion that racial groups have a common agenda with regard to their group, Blum emphasizes the need to recognize the existence of internal diversity within social groups. Racial groups with a sizable population cannot have a single opinion or viewpoint. Several factors including age, gender, religion, culture etc. influence the formation of a viewpoint of an individual (p55). Blum therefore attributes it to misrecognition or inadequate recognition rising from ignorance, when any single viewpoint is attributed to an entire race. Although Blum feels that whites should not forget their relevance and association with racism, he adds that racism is not confined only to the whites. For instance Chinese, Japanese, and blacks too exhibit racist attitude to other colored people and whites. The belief of their racial superiority is developed by colored people, which makes them regard other groups inferior (p33). In this book, Blum indicates our hypersensitivity to the word ‘racism’ and suggests that racist insensitivity and subconscious racial intolerance are indeed acts, which need to be eliminated, but need not be tagged as ‘racist’. Blum is of the opinion that racial prejudice is an unavoidable consequence of cultural diversity. Our view and way of life today is associated with racist ideologies, which we have inherited. The concept of race had developed from the sixteenth century, A book view 4 reaching its peak in the late nineteenth century. History holds the key for our present interpretation on human diversity in terms of similarity, differences and superiority among races (p109). Blum explores the idea of doing away with the concept of race, but warns that it should be only after all associated wrongdoings are fully addressed. The book covers all vital aspects of racism including its history and, what we actually mean and think of race. It incorporates much useful information on the topic, carefully thought and reasoned, illustrated by suitable examples. â€Å"I am not a Racist, But†¦The Moral Quandary of Race† is indeed an important book not only to scholars but also to the common man in quest of understanding racism.

Organizational behavior term paper

Dear Sir I am delighted to submit an original term paper entitled â€Å"Study of Organizational Behavior in Bangladesh Organization† by my own for consideration of participating n a part of your instruction. We previously reveal all the portion of the course – Organizational Behavior through your smooth direction, and this term paper builds from our fascinating sketch to determine the condition of behavior management through the industry in this country. In this work I tried to elaborate a abbreviated picture of behavior management in Bangladesh organization.I believe that this manuscript is appropriate to find the satisfactory requirement of your consideration whatever you demanded. I hereby declare that this term paper is my own work and the paper has not copied from anyone. Effort and all other sources of information contained therein have been acknowledged. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, University of Asia Pacific. Acknowledgement First I am very grate ful to my Almighty for whom I can compose this research paper successfully in due time. I am obliged to my honorable instructor, Mr..Cadenzas Chowder under whose guidance and support, this term paper is composed with patience and sincerity. He always motivated us to work on this topic. I would also like to thank Mr.. Human Kabuki, deputy general manager of Crony Group who helps me y giving his valuable time to complete the survey in his own place. The theoretical abstract I have used in this paper is based on the text part of the course – MURMUR and on the lecture of the instructor. I also insert some theoretic division from other eBooks. Table of Content Chapter Title Page No Chapter 1 1. 1 Introduction 8 1. 2 Objective 1. 3 Methodology 9 1. 4 Limitation 1. Scope Chapter 2 Literary Study Chapter 3 Company Profile 32-36 Chapter 4 Findings of Study 37-42 Chapter 5 Conclusion Chapter # 01 Introduction Management is the set of obligations which manage an organization by planning , organizing and leading and directed at an organization's resources with the aim of achieving organizational goal in an efficient and effective manner. In an organization every manager has to manage the organizational resources and the goal would be always as productivity. In early age the managerial role of every organization find the financial, physical and human as a tool of resources to get the goal like productivity.But today the management of organization rethink that the human resources are not only as a tool of business. They have a colorful mind which works differently in the time of work in terms of productivity. It has to be managed to reflect a better output in terms of productivity. So from when the management starts to manage the behavior of human resources then a new theory of management was spring upped through the society of organizational management called behavior management or organizational behavior. Organizational behavior is the systematic study of human beha vior, attitudes and performance within an organizational setting.In every organization there are some people who work in it. Different people has different act of behavior. Sometimes the company is affected by these different behaviors in terms f productivity. Then it would be essential to manage their behavior by the managerial role of the organization. When they do so, then it would be called that the organizational behavior is applied through the organization. In modern time every organization need to manage the behavior of their human resources in order to survive within competition, because it has an ability to arise some extra output by the same resources in terms of productivity.In order to provide an understanding of what goes on at the organization, we need to study about the whole animation of the organization. In this term paper I observe the managerial action of a company and find out some level of observation to identify the nature of management. The whole work whatever I performed in this study was based on the behavioral management that ponders the management of the human resources in terms of behavior to bring out a better productivity in an organization. The main objective of this study is to find out that the behavior management is applied or not in an organization in real life.Dodo so, I had gone too very popular garment factory ;Bantu Color Tex' the mother factory of the ;crony Group† in Marrying. This is a labor intensive industry which deals with huge number of labors in terms of management within their daily operations. In order to survey the study I had meet with their some top and mid level employee as well as managerial role especially ;Mr.. Human Kabuki† the depute general manager who assemble me with their whole management of behavior management for their workers. 1. Methodology All the information of this study was collected on both primary and secondary sources. The secondary sources were used for fixing the theoretica l part of the paper and the primary sources was used to gather the information that related to the analyzing section. All the findings of the research section is animated by my own piece of study that gathered from the direct meetings with the deputy general manager of ;crony Group†. During the time of study there are some limitations which arise and biased my direction of efficiency.First of all the time shortage was a big problem to complete the paper effectively. Secondly the unmanageable path through which I had to go to the managerial role to complete the survey. Thirdly the time of interview, this was too short to know the complete sketch about the company. And after all the immunization via; the communication via with the people during the study was in local language. So it kills my lot of time to translate their word to our program language. And I have also need to explain some basic concept of organizational behavior briefly to the manager.During the time of the surve y of this report I also face a unique problem to meet the requirements. That was the weather. The report covers the whole picture of behavior management of Crony Group. This report especially emphasizes on the different categories of the managerial role to manage the labor to upgrade the productivity. In future if any report or research paper or term paper is processed to make about human behavior management then this piece of work will help and indicate some scope to implementation in effect.Chapter # 02 Meaning of Organizational behavior Organizational behavior is the systematic study of human behavior, attitudes and performance within an organizational setting; drawing on theory methods and principles from such disciplines as psychology, sociology and cultural anthropology to learn about individual perceptions, values, learning capacities and actions while working in groups and careful application of knowledge about how people- as individuals and as groups- act within the total o rganization; analyzing the external environment's effect on the organization and its human resources, missions, objectives and strategies.Fundamental concepts connected with Organizational behavior Fundamental concepts are basic principles that form a strong foundation for BOB. B has a set of fundamental concepts revolving around the nature of people and organizations. The Nature of People The six basic concepts relevant to the nature of people are: Law of individual differences-Each person is substantially different from all others in arms of their personalities, needs, demographic factors and past experiences and/or because they are placed in different physical settings, time periods or social surroundings.This diversity needs to be recognized and viewed as a valuable asset to organizations. Perception- Perception is the unique way in which each person sees, organizes and interprets things based on their background of individual differences. Each person reacts not to an objective world, but to a world Judged in terms of his/her own beliefs, values and expectations. Sometimes it may lead to selective perception in which people tend to pay attention to only those things that are consistent with or reinforce their own expectations.Selective perceptions may lead to misinterpretation of single events at work or create a barrier in the search for new experience. Managers need to recognize the perceptual differences among the employees and manage them accordingly. A whole person- People function as total human beings. People are physical, mental, social and spiritual beings and the organization actually employs the whole person rather than certain characteristics.There are spillover effects between the work life ND life outside work and management's focus should be in developing not only a better employee but also a better person in terms of growth and fulfillment. If the whole person can be developed, then benefits will extend beyond the firm into the larger socie ty in which each employee lives. Motivated behavior- Individual's behavior is guided by their needs and the consequences that results from their acts. In case of needs, people are motivated not by what others think they ought to have but by what they they want.Motivation of employees is essential to the operation of organizations and the biggest challenge aced by managers. Desire for Involvement-Many employees actively seeks opportunities at work to become involved in relevant decisions, thereby contributing their talents and ideas to the organization's success. Consequently, organizations need to provide opportunities to the employees for meaningful involvement. Value of the Person- People wants to be treated with care, dignity and respect and increasingly they are demanding such treatment from their employers.They want to be valued for their skills and abilities and to be provided with opportunities to develop themselves. For performing these roles, skills required by the managers are: 0 Technical Skills- The ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise 0 Human Skills-The ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people, both individually and in groups Conceptual Skills-The mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations Framing the study of Organizational behavior The study of B involves A. He Organization's Environment B. The Individual in the Organization C. Interpersonal Influence and Group Behavior D. Organizational Processes, Structure and Design Models of Organizational Behavior Models of Organizational Behavior constitute the belief system that dominates management's thought and affects management's actions in each organization. It is very important for the managers to recognize the nature, significance and effectiveness of their own models as well as the models of others around them.Assumptions about Employees- Theory X and Theory Y by Mac Gregory (1957) THEORY X The typical person dislikes work and avoids it if possible The typical person lacks responsibility, has little ambition and seeks security above all Most people must be coerced, controlled, and threatened with punishment to get hem to work With these assumptions the managerial role is to coerce and control employees THEORY Y Work is as natural as play or rest . People is not inherently lazy.They have become that way as a result of experience People will exercise self direction and self control in the service of the objectives to which they are committed People have potential. Under proper condition they learn to accept and seek responsibility. They have imagination, ingenuity and creativity that can be applied to work With these assumptions the managerial role is to develop the potential in employees and help hem release that potential toward common objectives.Five Models of Organizational Behavior- The five models of Organizational Behavior – Autocratic, Custodial, Supportive, Collegial and System, in the order mentioned, represent the historical evolution in management practice. Organizations differ amongst themselves in the model practiced by it. The practices may vary within the departments or branches of one organization. Also, the practices of individual managers may differ from their organization's prevailing model because of the manager's personal preference or different conditions in their department.The models of organizational behavior Autocratic Custodial Supportive Collegial System Basis of Model Power Economic resources Leadership Partnership Trust, Community, Meaning Managerial Orientation Authority Money Support Teamwork Caring, compassion Employee Orientation Obedience Security and benefits Job performance Responsible behavior Psychological ownership Employee psychological result Dependence on boss Dependence on organization Participation Self discipline Self motivation Employee needs met Subsistence Security Status and recognition Self actualization Wide range Performance result MinimumPassive cooperation Awakened drives Moderate enthusiasm Passion and commitment to organizational goals. Motivation MOTIVATION Motivation: the processes that account for an individual's intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal, specifically for B, toward attaining an organizational goal. Intensity: how hard a person tries to meet a goal. Direction: efforts are channeled toward organizational goals. Persistence: how long a person maintains effort toward a goal. The Motivational Framework Visualizing how motivational processes occur Need: Anything an individual requires/wantsNeed deficiency: Leads to need to satisfy the need Goal-directed behaviors: Result from trying to satisfy the need deficiency Rewards/ Punishments: Consequences of the goal directed behavior EARLY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION Mascots Hierarchy of Needs Theory Figure: The Hierarchy of Needs Adapted from Abraham H. Moscow, â€Å"A Theory of Human Motivation,† In this, perhaps best known (and least supported) of all motivational theories, Abraham Moscow proposed that there are five levels of human needs. As each of the lower level needs are satisfied, the next unsatisfied need becomes dominant.Satisfied needs no longer motivate, only unsatisfied needs motivate people. Physiological: lower order need, includes hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs. Lower order needs are satisfied externally, through forces outside of the person. Safety: lower order need, includes security and protection from physical and emotional harm. Social: upper order need, includes affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship. Upper order needs are satisfied internally, that is, from within the person. Esteem: upper order need, includes internal (self-respect, autonomy, and achievement) and external

Multiple choice question and 3 short answered question Term Paper

Multiple choice question and 3 short answered question - Term Paper Example The law of demand states that for a rise (fall) in price, ceteris paribus, the quantity demanded of a good will fall (rise). The instances we saw were changes in factors that determine the quantity demanded at each price, or the demand. Changes in these factors causes changes in demand, while changes in price causes changes in quantity demanded. A change in quantity demanded for every given price constitutes a change in demand. Thus the instances discussed above are not about exhibitions of the law of demand. Rather, they exhibit the effects that changes in factors that influence demands have on quantity demanded at every price. THIS QUESTION DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. IS IT A RISE IN THE PRICE OF RIVAL CARS? OR CARS MANUFACTURED IN OTHER COUNTRIES? AN INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF CARS IN THE FRAMEWORK CONSIDERED IMPLIES AN INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF CARS IN EQUILIBRIUM AND THAT IS TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASE IN DEMANDS OR A FALL IN SUPPLY CAUSED BY SOME UNDERLYING CHANGES IN FACTORS THAT AFFECT THESE LIKE INCOMES OR PRICE OF INPUTS ETC. The effects are unclear until we know how these manufacturing plants were related to the Australian cars. If they produced substitutes for markets where the Australian car makers also compete, then the demand for Australian cars will increase. The effect will be similar to case a) shown above. If however these are unrelated, then there will be no effects at all and the equilibrium point will remain unchanged. There are two potential effects on the supply. First, introduction of robotics may lead to increase in costs per unit. However, the labour that the robots replace will lead to savings on labour costs. Secondly, there will be an increase in efficiency that will lead to a reduction in costs. Thus on the net it is likely that the per unit costs of production will go down. In that case for every price a higher amount of supply

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 3

Leadership - Essay Example This essay discusses that  these leadership duties were performed up to certain extent by Mr. X who is the Director of the Middle East operations in my company. Certain extent in the sense, although he exhibits effective leadership traits during various scenarios, he falls short in some other situations. I work for a heavy-lifting manufacturer, which is one of the top level companies in the world in the sector of lifting. The company is an American one and is made up of two segments, heavy- ­lifting and food making machines, and is a global leader in both. The company has a global reach, with operations all over the world spanning, North America, Asia as far as the manufacturing plants are concerned.  According to the report findings  as leaders are the people in lead, they usually have a major impact on how the group initially defines and sets into an organization. Typically, the founders as leaders have strong assumptions about the nature of the world, the role that organiz ations play in that world, the characteristics that make up human nature and relationships, how truth is arrived at, and how to manage time and space.  This initial stage imposition of leader’s assumptions, as a form of good culture is one of the good leadership traits exhibited by Mr. X. As he is one who is the initiator of operations in Middle East, he started imposing his ideas and assumptions as form a organizational culture and it was widely accepted by the employees.

What comparisons do the calculations of financial ratios enable us to Essay

What comparisons do the calculations of financial ratios enable us to make Take two of these comparisons, and say why the process enables management to make better decisions - Essay Example It indicates that the liabilities have increased during the year or some assets have been sold. Similarly, current ratio can be used to make comparisons with similar business. For example, a steel manufacturer may have a current ratio of 2 while another has the current ratio of 1.5. Thus, current ratio of the former is higher but it may also be due to a lot of unused assets affecting its profitability. Gross Margin, which is a profitability ratio and is the ratio of gross profit to sales, makes a lot of sense for competitor analysis. Higher gross margins as compared to other companies in similar business lines indicate healthy position of the firm. Similarly a comparison with past periods is important. For manufacturing industries, the gross margins generally reduce over time and it is the volumes that drive the profitability (Analyzing your financial ratios). Price Earnings (P/E) Ratio is the most widely used investment ratio. An increased price earnings ratio as compared to past years may indicate positive outlook for the company but if the ratio increases above a certain limit say 20, it indicates overheating and chance of immediate correction in the stock price. A continuously decreasing P/E ratio may indicate bad stock fundamentals. Similarly, comparisons with similar companies can be used by an investor to take a rational investment decision (Drake, Pamela P). Inventory Turnover ratio is a widely used investment ratio. It is the ratio of Cost of Goods sold to average inventory and indicates the speed of replenishment of stock. An increased inventory turnover ratio over previous years implies better inventory management and faster sales. However, it could also be due to lower production due to some issues. Similarly, comparison with similar businesses can be used to analyze whether the company has been able to catch up with consumer demand for its products (How to Analyze Your

International HRM PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International HRM - PowerPoint Presentation Example Other studies suggest that there are certain aspects to business organisations like technology, structure and other common practices that transcend culture and form a commonality between how businesses operate across cultures (Kerr et al, 1973 & Hickson et al, 1979 cited in Mullins, 1999). In Hofstede’s words, â€Å"effective multinationals have created practices that bridge the national value differences† (1997). This suggests that uniformity in organisational structure may in fact help the organisation create its own culture regardless of national culture differences. These common practices are what help international managers operate effectively beyond their own cultures. Identifying Cultural Differences and Prejudices: â€Å"One’s own culture provides the ‘lens’ through which we view the world; the ‘logic’ by which we order it; and the ‘grammar’ by which it makes sense† (Avruch and Black, 1991) Hofstede (1994, 199 7), argues that ethnocentrism, the behaviour where one considers their own culture to be superior over others, has no place in a world that is getting smaller due to globalisation. The same applies to management, as Evans et al (1989) suggest that managerial styles designed in one culture may not easily translate to another because of the differences in traditions and values of the management and workforce. Globalisation has increased pressure upon firms to invest across cultures to maintain their competitive advantage and to be open for new opportunities. This calls for international managers to be prepared for the challenges they may face as they venture into unknown cultures. Understanding people requires understanding their background, as their background has provided them with their culture and would help one predict their present and future behaviour (Hofstede, 1991 cited in Tulder & Zwart, 2006; Scullion and Linehan, 2005). This calls for an understanding of historical origin s of culture in terms of religious beliefs, values and norms (Hofstede and Bond, 1988). In most cases cultural traits can be identified through culture-specific literature, for example, the Holy Bible, which has historic significance in the evolution of both American and British cultures. Both cultures, argues Cleary (1991), are derived from belief in Biblical texts, which suggest an absolute truth outside of oneself, and as a consequence, one evaluates issues in terms of absolutes and fixed goals. So both Brits and Americans, or westerners in the general sense, according to Trompenaars (1993), tend to be goal oriented and tend to rely on legal contracts during business negotiations. Also, as multicultural nations, both offer a weak culture (Robbins, 2003), which is flexible to change. People in both cultures also tend to be more short-term oriented in their association with organisations. Evans et al (1989) suggest that in the west in general, â€Å"workers ‘sell’ the ir time to the company for wages and do not owe any allegiance to the company in their own time† (pg130). The Five Cultural Dimensions: Hofstede’s five dimensions of cultural values can be now applied to both cultures to better understand the challenges of cross-cultural management, and to derive suggestions for the International

Anorexia nervosa- Is it all in the mind or is the media to blame Dissertation

Anorexia nervosa- Is it all in the mind or is the media to blame - Dissertation Example This paradox explains that it is psychological since it is irrational. The psychological therapy alone is the ultimate remedy for this ailment. It is therefore concluded that anorexia nervosa is a mental condition and that media is entirely to blame. Table of contents Sl no Particulars Page No Abstract 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 3 1.2 Prevalence and distribution 3 1.3 Media’s role 4 1.4 Problem statement 5 1.5 Conclusion 6 Chapter 2 Literature Review 7 2.1 Evolution or genealogy of anorexia nervosa 7 2.2 Treatment 10 2.3 The Biological Model 11 2.4 The Psychodynamic Model 11 2.5 The Family Model 12 2.6 The Cognitive-Behavioral model 13 2.7 Media role in the treatment of anorexia nervosa 17 2.8 Conclusion 29 Chapter 3 Research Methodology 20 Chapter 4 Findings and Discussion 27 Chapter 5 Conclusion 31 References 33 Chapter1 Introduction Anorexia Nervosa was identified as early as in 1873 when William Gull coined the term. (Giordano, 2005). In 1874, Lasegue termed it as â€Å"ano rexie histerique’ and later ‘anorexie mentale’ (Bruch H. , 1980) Mara Selvini Palazzoli called it ‘anoressia mentale’ i.e mental anorexia so that it avoided confusion with neurological and endocrine disorders. Yet, ‘anorexia nervosa’ continues in usage internationally. Etymologically, the meaning of anorexia is ‘lack of appetite’ though anorexia nervosa does not mean lack of appetite. On the other hand, it is a condition of trying to suppress the feeling of appetite in spite being hungry. (Giordano, 2005). Moreover, starved of food, anorexics tend to always think of food (Bruch H. , 1980). This is the reason why Selvini Palazzoli states that mental anorexia is not a case of lack of appetite but a desire to be thin for achieving which anorexics willingly indulge in self-denial of food (Palazzoli M. S., 1998). In Germany, the condition is known as ‘adolescent mania of thinness’ (pubertatsmagersucht) (Gordon, 1990) . 1.2 Prevalence and distribution Anorexia affects 0.5 to 1 % of the population as reported by the American Psychiatric Association in 1999. The data available on the prevalence is inconsistent because of methodological problems involving several years of screening (Giordano, 2005) Prevalence denotes the number of cases in the population and incidence is the number of new cases in the population involving eating disorders (Hoek H. W.). In addition, there are cases never reported in the case of silent sufferers who would not seek help and never admit that they have the problem resulting in their data never entering statistical estimates (Giordano, 2005). In addition to anorexia nervosa, there are other eating disorders such as bulimia and binge eating all of which are exclusive to the Western and Westernized and other developed countries (Wardle, Bindra, Fairclough, & Westecombe, 1993). Eating disorders such as anorexia have been recognized only in the recent past as a syndrome. They appear in the 1992 version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) though anorexia nervosa appears in ICD-9 itself. It was a rare syndrome in the 1970s (Hill, 1977). However, the eating disorders have been on the increase since 1970s to 1990s. Because of the alarming increase in the incidence, anorexia nervosa along with the other eating disorders is now being called ‘a social epidemic’. Researchers are however, unsure of cause of the increase as they speculate on variables such as â€Å"demographic changes, public awareness of the condition, diagnostic criteria etc which are

Asia History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Asia History - Essay Example Same holds true for Africans and Americans. In fact, there is little difference between Europeans and Americans. Many people in the two continents conventionally have similar way of living. Most of the tribes in African states have exactly same style of living, traditions and culture. Many even retain the same financial status. Such trends are least likely to be observed in Asia. In Asia, people generally tend to associate with one another on the basis of some similarity. Religion is largely considered as a means of association irrespective of the difference of race, ethnicity or origin. People tend to develop irremovable differences with people even in their own race on the basis of religion. Two Asians, one from India and the other from Pakistan might look exactly the same apparently, but the two are very different from each other in every day life. This is because the way of life of the two people is governed by the religions they belong to. Let’s assume that the Indian is a Hindu and the Pakistani is a Muslim. The vastness of distance between the beliefs the two of them hold can be estimated from the fact that the former worships a cow while the latter slaughters it, and both of them have religious reasons for doing so. Similar examples can be quoted while comparing Pakistanis to Chinese, Chinese to Srilankans and Iranis to Russians. Apart from religion, other fundamental causes of differences among Southeast Asian countries are political systems and differing sizes of population (Pope, n.d., p. 2). This can, hence, be stated that religion plays a fundamental role in deciding the relations between a vast majority of Asians. This is because many in-flowing religions have had influence on the already existing ones in Asia from time to time. Asia’s history is much influenced by religions. Buddhism has long been the religion of Asians. The teachings

Midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Midterm - Essay Example However, comparing the two, there are major differences which make the film more articulate and detailed in detailing the motives, desires and intricacies that led to Frank’s murder, which the novel does not address critically. The short story begins as Matt thinks about Frank’s funeral, which creates suspense at the beginning as readers are not introduced to the motive behind Frank’s death. The suspense at the begging slowly wears out as the story progresses to Frank’s burial and the planned revenge which makes the audience to learn what really happened to Frank. On the contrary, the film offers a good background of the story and beings as Natalie and Frank run in an open field kissing one another in a romantic scene, which creates a deception that the film would be a romantic one. However, the film still prepares the audience not to expect a romantic scene as the lovers are only seen half way, their faces are not visible, while a strong wind blows through the trees, a case that is not ideal for a love scene. This crates some difference in the plot, which affects the relationship of events. The novel delves directly into death and the revenge as Frank’s farther ponders about hi s next move, the revenge. However, the film plot first brings about the theme of love and passion, and a plot with complex relationships as the story starts to unfold. These incidences are descriptive of what really happened to Frank, and why he was killed. While in the short story the plot is laid by Matt’s feelings and thoughts of a possible revenge (Dubus, 105), the film organizes the plot in a chronological order, which offers the audience enough information regard the murder while the novel does not. The killings are narrated purely from the Fowler’s viewpoint, and present his thoughts as pure revenge through exploring his emotions and bitter feelings regarding his son’s death, which alters his moral judgment and perception of morality (Dubus,

Argumantative Resarch Paper - Feminism Research

Argumantative Resarch - Feminism - Research Paper Example Issues related to women rights and equality, which are yet to be achieved form the basis of justifying that feminism is still relevant in today’s world. Feminism is classified into three waves, which have taken place in different times. Each wave has had its main advocacy in attempts to fight for women equality in the society. Some of the objectives within each wave have been achieved while others have been unachievable, making the debate of feminism continue (Aikau et al 23). Feminism is derived from a Latin word â€Å"Femina†, which refers to a woman. The first wave of feminism was mainly focused on fighting for women rights in relation to voting processes. In early days, women were not given the right to vote during elections. In the UK, a feminist movement referred to as Suffragettes fought for voting rights of women. Members of this group engaged in violent demonstrations and even went to the extent of fasting to ensure that women got the right to vote. Today, it is difficult to see such violent feminism movement. During the early days of feminism, there was less support for feminist movements (Tandon 13). In relation to the first wave of feminism, many countries later accepted to allow women to participate in the voting process. Australia was among the first nations to allow women to vote, but other nations were reluctant is issuing their women the right to vote. Of most surprising is countries such as Saudi Arabia and Brunei still deny their women the right to vote. Considering that it is only a few countries, which still deny women the right to vote, one can sum up that the first wave of feminism has achieved its objectives. Therefore, feminism has lost its relevance as far as women voting rights are concerned (Aikau et al 28). The second wave of feminism began in the 1960s with the main objective of ensuring that men and women were equal in all aspects of life.

Why a Graduate Degree Essay Example for Free

Why a Graduate Degree Essay When I started writing this paper I had hundreds of reasons why I am pursuing a graduate degree. My objective was to recognize which ones were more important and to find out what were the real reasons. As I sat in front of my piece of paper I came to realize the most important reasons as to why I want to purse my MBA. I graduated in 2001 from a school in Bolivia, South America. I moved to Virginia in January 2002 to start a new life. I began looking for a job related to my degree, Industrial Engineering, but the offers I received came nothing close to a job I desired. After months of searching I realized that it maybe because most companies don’t want to hire someone who graduated from a university they never heard of, especially one abroad. It is then when I realized that I needed something to be more competitive in the labor market, so the solution was to enroll myself in a graduate program. Another reason is because of a disadvantage in my major. My major does not provide specific knowledge in specific areas, but basic knowledge in different areas. I want a major that specializes in one specific area, such as Management Technology. I am young and have a lot of spare time. I am 26 years old and I think it is time for me to establish my career. I am not content with my current job and I want to develop a career that is going to take me farther. I am 100% certain that a MBA is going to take me where I want to go. Financial security is something that for me right now is not a major issue because I am single and have no children; but one day I do want to build a family and when that day comes I want to be financially stable. Pursuing a graduate degree will help and be an important factor to my financial security in life. I also want to pursue a MBA for personal satisfaction. I have always believed that knowledge is something that makes you a better person for the society. I also want my mom to be proud, she worked hard to put me through college and now it is my turn to show her and my family I can do this on my own and I can do it right.

Importance of and Benefits of Active Listening

Importance of and Benefits of Active Listening Active listening skill as a way that determines patient understanding, professed need and of disseminating psychological support. Practice skill, context and stakeholders Active listening as a skill is executed in a haemodialysis component propagate within a remote General hospice where important numerals of persons suffering from End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) are tended after by employing renal dialysis. Maintenance support is administered frequently to the terminally ill who return to the health centres time an time again for cognitive interception by psychologists as patients grapple with the precincts of their cure, health status and the implicit underlying their everyday undertakings. The fact that patients are dynamic accomplices in care management, their frame of reference is an imperative aspect for the running of the renal facility. Consequently, (Gobet, F. 2005) wide-ranging care of renal patients demands proficiency in care managements, this includes, a keen interest to moral, psychosocial as well as sacred concerns associated to foundation, systematic, maintenance, and terminating dialysis course of action. Persons suffering from renal co mplications expect more information as well as early intervention of care management debate. In this case, information should be inclined to focus more on the individual and how the disease and interceptions would hamper their existence as well as likeness and what they treasure the most. Hayes, B. and Adams, R. (2000) affirms that, determining supposed advantages of care management besides recognizing persons suffering from renal anomalies, in addition, to their personal empowerment is elementary for proficient framing of enhanced care management and implicitly for determining patients ability to take part in assisted care management. The declarative component Being with renal patients for almost two decades I am confident in receiving their signals of distress and their need for someone to be there for them before even they say a word. As a nurse I am aware of other symptoms of renal disease comprises of anti-psychotherapy, irritation and emotions which are constraints to chronic ailments like this in addition the symptoms will assist the nurse in actively listening to the renal patients. Indeed, Gopee, et al (2004), contents that the skilled use of non-verbal communication via silence, facial expression, touch and closer physical proximity appeared to facilitate active listening, and aided to bring up compassion. Discourse should be initiated by the health expert as this will allow the patient to express and share their emotions and incidents this requires creation of retreat and emotional break. Quietly being with renal patients and communicating non-verbally was an effective form of communication, it is suggested that effective communication is dependent on the nurses talent to listen and utilise non-verbal communication skills. In addition it is clear that manifestation on practical experience can be a significant technique of uncovering and exploring tacit knowledge in nursing. Reflective individual knowledge is the most substantive form of knowledge and must properly constitute the body of knowledge of a practice discipline. As a health care provider, I was meant to be positive as it is important in helping to comprehend and learn from patients emotions. Moreover, Howard-Jones, P. (2002), expansion practice skill involves caring for difficulty episodes as a self assessment tool and tool learning experience hence, self-assurance is the ultimate aspect in the practice knowledge. Creating records depicting the treatment of the disease is significant as it will help in the analysis, assessment and widen the comprehension of useful incidents. Consequently, in the framework of recent studies, experiences gained through demonstration should be shares with other colleagues. Demonstration offers an opportunity to learn from previous occurrences whats more to produce original thoughts or examine ideas to find out which might be harmless and achievable. The process component At these moments, I shall make use of the accessible resources; thus of mind, body as well as the spirit to vividly drum sense into the patients head, consequently, an indescribable eminence logically emerged in our rapport. As Pearson (2004), puts it plain and clear as ‘present tense concern or ‘being there, declaring: â€Å"the ability to for individual charisma, that aspect of tending after, and caring for the sick closely to a level where the shared civilization is accredited, is the basis of much of nursing as a caring custom†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Besides, instinctive understanding as presence and believes that: â€Å"presence is basically affording oneself to someone as a treasure, in this case, this is approved by the nurse as well as the renal patient†¦Ã¢â‚¬ During this phase, I was more alert to patients, listening closely to their needs as well as wishes and ready to act as per their demands. I was more concern about grasping diverse perspectives of experience, the expressive; precisely, the ‘joints are paining me severely, the sequential (how things unfolded), the figurative; the patient could start enlisting about the life at home an aspect that expected my sympathy and later optimistic encouragement. Being more sensitive to the message I was conveying enabled me to create and adapt this in a more caring and individual way. Interestingly, on the other hand, nurses perceived their inter-individual style as tending to the authoritative rather than facilitative. Perhaps my inter-individual style was normally more authoritative; on the other hand, by adapting and expanding the active listening features of my communication it had become facilitative. Moreover, by abandoning professional detachment in favour of closeness amid the renal patients, and me, empathic affinities developed. Ideally this phase is all about my recognizing and blending of signs and symptoms with knowledge of the past patient. For instance, a previous patient exhibited symptoms of depression an aspect that would easily usher in suicidal syndromes. In this case a patient who portrays the same symptoms would require a psychiatrist attention that might assist in determining the impact of treatment and the side effects of the treatment on the patient. Ultimately, after a close examination, and listening keenly, on top of reviewing the patients previous accounts regarding the disease, I was able to administer the effect of the medication and determine if alternative conduits could improve the patients condition, and all this was to be done by observing the treatment protocol of the same disease. Underpinning knowledge Ian McWhinney (1989) asserts that ‘If we could all just learn to listen, everything else would fall into place. Listening is the key to being patient centered. Anyone can learn how to be a better listener; however this kind of learning is not like learning something that is added to what we know. This Kind is a peeling away of things that are get in the way of listening, like our fears, our worries, of how one can might respond to what is hear. Therefore, according to Kennedy, C.M. (2004), effective communication call for the comprehension of active listening features of nurse in connection to renal patient associated. Even though accessing the right data at the correct time seem to be difficulty. In addition, Fowler, L. (1998) states that psychological of interpersonal communication; this form of knowledge requires that listeners comprehend, construe and assess what they heard. Communication is significant in active listening as it enhances personal relationships by reducing c onflicts, supporting cooperation, as well as encouraging understanding. However, interpersonal communiquà © is hindered by in adequate knowledge mainly in the case of cultural disparities and use of scientific jargons leads to misinterpretation. Therefore, for effective emotional of interpersonal communication emotions, considerations of the patients background should be evaded during dialogue. Psychology of chronic illness and coping; it could be of great benefit if renal patient and practitioners complying with active listening sills. Practitioners need to bear in mind the emotions needs of chronic patients because in many instances they express and share their experiences non-verbally. Forte, P. and Forstrom, S. (1998) affirms that, it is imperative for medical experts to collect non-verbal information as it will them respond faster to their needs as argued by Forte, P. and Forstrom, S. (1998). As a nurse I usually focus on attaining frameworks associated to assessment of competency and not emotions to help the renal patients or even impacts of medication on the patients self-esteem, as noted by Gask, et al. (2005), because these concepts are portrayed as difficulty initiated by insufficient knowledge. In addition the performance settings are more demanding with extremely patients being treated with short period of communication. Therefore, knowledge centres can be evaluated by means of short trainings courses that where a lot will be covered in pragmatic manner. How decisions are made While its not easy working in the renal care field, it is also not easy being a renal patient. In some cases, the therapeutic dilemma (in this case, there is usually a congregation and they come chunky and speedy as the patient brazen out a series of anomalies, contagions, dialysis scientific intricacies, contacting facilities, exhaustion, malformed body image†¦) at hand represents the scariest, most earth-shattering experience of the renal patients life. According to Dowding, D. and Thompson, C. 2004, the individuals physical and financial worlds might have been shaken to the core by their therapeutic condition. Chances are, the renal patient is feeling extremely vulnerable and out of control. Therefore, if for example a patient, who is not complying with diet or therapeutic leadership, avoids cautioning the individual, this in part might serve to accomplish little part from raising defences. Then reiterate why its significant to stay on the particular diet or to take the regim en of prescribed medications. End by asking if there is anything can do to aid set up things more convenient for them. This approach wont guarantee success, but it will allow the renal patient to save enough face to stay in a game in which both desperately need cooperation (Douw, K., Vondeling, H. and Oortwijn, W.2006). In scenarios where the patient expressed their home condition was rather tricky in the sense that it required me to preclude pitiable judgements and alter precision when evaluating the patients current symptoms with the previous one. This pattern comparison is necessary. After listening keenly to the patients emotional expression, I was in a position to a variety of options ranging from what ought to be prioritised, the area that required more listening and choosing the best intervention strategy. The issues enlisted by the patient granted me the audacity to pick on ultimate decisions while I was reviewing the historical accounts of the patient, (Kennedy, C.M. 2004). With the accessible information I was able to identify indicators that would have helped me determine novel pattern of characters that reflect incredible ideas about the condition. Again, by using the accessible data and posing further query while keenly listening to the patient I grasped the technicality in summarizing the suppositions that comprehensively describe the occurrence and recommend the best prescription. The decision making phase is a stage where ethics guided me with regard to the options I embarked on. Emotions were muted off as that killer punch move was contemplated. This is the most critical phase, by which a patient might fully regain or can as well die. In short the options that an expert will take are a matter of life and death, Dornan, T. and Bundy, C.2004). Conclusions Research findings deduce that active listening is an imperative facet especially when caring for the sick. For instance, Leach, D. (2002) ideas enlisted in a case study involving patients suffering from chronic renal complexities, active listening has been enlisted as the underlying factors towards complete recuperation. This is so because; through active listening medical experts have the audacity to determine a way forward. Consequently, active listening in one way or another facilitates faster healing owing to the fact that various ailments are psychological propagated and simply require empathic response. Active listening, on the extreme end is imperative in the sense that it helps experts determine indicators with that accessible information an aspect that prompts for deep investigations to unravel the underlying issues. Grouping signals is significant, since it will help the practitioners to determine novel pattern of characters that reflect incredible ideas about the condition . On top of that, myriad aspects are associated in line to every call for vigilant assessment. Foremost, the practitioners can come up with an outline of skills which is very descriptive; this is significant since it helps in establishing the right medication for a patient. References Kendall-Raynor, P. (2007) ‘Cautious Welcome for Plans to Reform Professional Regulation, Nursing Standard, 21 (25), p.5. Kennedy, C.M. (2004) ‘A Typology of Knowledge for District Nursing Assessment Practice, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 45 (4), pp.401-409. Dornan, T. and Bundy, C. (2004) ‘What Can Experience Add to Early Medical Education? Consensus Survey, British Medical Journal, 329 (834). Douw, K., Vondeling, H. and Oortwijn, W. (2006) ‘Priority Setting for Horizon Scanning of New Health Technologies in Denmark: Views of Health Care Stakeholders and Health Economists, Health Policy, 76 (3), pp.334-45. Dowding, D. and Thompson, C. (2004) ‘Using Judgement to Improve Accuracy in Decision-making, Nursing Times, 100 (22), pp.42-44. Forte, P. and Forstrom, S. (1998) ‘Work Complexity Assessment: Decision Support Data to Address Cost and Culture Issues, Journ Nursing Administration, 28 (1), pp.46-53. Fowler, L. (1998) ‘Improving Critical Thinking in Nursing Practice Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 14 (4), pp.183-187. Gask, et al. (2005) ‘Evaluating STORM Skills Training for Managing People at Risk Suicide, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 54 (6), pp.739-750. Gobet, F. (2005) ‘Chunking Models of Expertise: Implications for Education, Applied Cognitive Psychology, 19, pp.183-204. Gopee, et al (2004) ‘Effective Clinical Learning in Primary Care Settings, Nursing Standard, 18 (37), pp.33-37. Hayes, B. and Adams, R. (2000) ‘Parallels between Clinical Reasoning and Categorization in Higgs, J. and Jones, M. (Editors) Clinical Reasoning in the Health Professions, Edinburgh, Butterworth Heinemann, pp.45-53. Howard-Jones, P. (2002) ‘A Dual-state Model of Creative Cognition for Supporting Strategies That Foster Creativity in the Classroom, International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 12, pp.215-226. Ian McWhinney (1989) ‘Clinical Education Facilitators: A Literature Review, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 14 (6), pp.664-673. Leach, D. (2002) ‘Building and Assessing Competence: The Potential for Evidence-based Graduate Medical Education, Quality Management in Health Care, 11 (1), pp.39-44.

Economic recovery program of Ghana

Economic recovery program of Ghana CHAPTER ONE 1.0 Introduction This chapter attempts to provide an overview on the problem statement of the entire research work, objectives of the study, relevance of the study, methodology applied as the research unfolds and the organization of the study. 1.1 Background Ghana is one of the fast emerging developing countries in West Africa with twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. With well endowed natural resources, Ghana still relies heavily on international financial and technical assistance. Gold, cocoa and timber are the major sources of foreign exchange. The introduction of Ghanas Economic Recovery Program (ERP) in 1983 to recover the initially very weak private sector participation did improve consistently but although still levels were modest during 1987-91. Over the past years Ghana has witnessed dynamic changes in its private Sector. The number of banks has increased from 9 in 1989 to 21 at May 2006 (www.bog.gov.gh). These banks serve a prominent role as corporate entities that provide investment capital in the economy to support employment opportunities, human resources development and contribute towards national and community development programmes (Aryeetey, E. Gockel, F. 1990). They primarily furnish loans to individuals and companies to finance various projects which lead to economic and private sector development. Brownbridge, M., Gockel, A.F. (1997) are also of the view that these financial institutions support savings and investment in the economy, which plays a major role in the overall development in terms of increasing productivity of resources in the economy. They further highlighted that this role of banks in the Ghanaian economy is crucial, in that shortcomings in the industry directly affect the trend of economic growth. In recent times Ghana has discovered crude oil, which is expected to boost the economic growth by bigger margins. Ghana has a unique welcoming attitude towards foreign investors; the long political stability of the country has attracted a lot of business investors to establish businesses in the country. The rate of foreign investors has not reduced as better prospects in doing business in Ghana are yielded in the long-run. The political state of the country has also been very peaceful with a vibrant atmosphere to establish businesses. During the fifth banking awards ceremony in Accra, Dr. Paul Acquah (Governor of Bank of Ghana) revealed that the banking industry in Ghana has become highly competitive due to the increased sophistication of customer needs coupled with tremendous global competition. He further stated that these reasons over the years have been the driving force for banks, in particular private owned banks, to focus on increasing shareholders value, delivering superior services aimed at achieving over all customer satisfaction and value. The concept of competition has introduced an overwhelming challenge among organisations worldwide. Most organisations are forced to compete by promptly responding to changes in national and world economies, technological changes, new business environments, cultural diversity and deregulation in emerging capital markets to improve overall organisational performance. Privately owned businesses in Ghana are constantly entwined in this fierce battle of global competition and the pressing need to sustain its existence in the growing rate of change in its environment. Recent trends in the Ghanaian economy have revealed that keen competition in the business sector has been as a result of an open market which promotes private sector participation. Though most private owned organisations have managed to survived, a considerable number of them do fail due to reasons not limited to economical and financial factors. A study conducted by Dun and Bradstreet (cited by Gaughan Patrick A. 1999, pp. 432) reveals that there are three most common factors that cause business failure such as economic, financial and experience factors (refer to Table 1). In some developing countries market forces are completely eliminated as a result of controls imposed by the ruling governments. These controls create adverse effects on the economy such as large fiscal deficits coupled with weak macroeconomic management leading to high inflation in the economy. The consequences are generally felt by banks and other non-banking institutions, in that, loans borrowed by individuals or organisations are not paid back due to economic hardship (Brownbridge M., Gockel A.F., 1997). According to Pfeffer J. (1994; p. 6), People and how organisations manage them are becoming more important because many other sources of competitive success are less powerful than they once were. He emphasises the fact that in recent times most organisations rely extensively on the traditional sources of competitive success such as product and process technology, regulated markets, access to capital resources, and economies of scale which provide an insignificant competitive influence as compared to the past. He further argues that organisational culture and potential employee contributions derived from managing employees in an organisation are crucial as compared to the traditional sources of competitive success. Employees have been referred to as assets to a firm or an organisation when they possess the right skills needed to work effectively and efficiently (Odiorne G. S, 1984). However, these employees may possess diverse capabilities that lead to various potential contributions to an organisation because of previous education, experience, or individual qualities. In view of the fact that employees contribution to the organisation determines extensively competitive success, their individual skills are considered vital (Pfeffer J. 1994). 1.2 Problem Statement The gradual transformation of Ghana has had a lot of positive feedback from other nations, but will this transformation termed economic growth survive the long-term or would it collapse somewhere in the future? What are the main strengths and weaknesses of the private sector? Will the private sector support sustainable development? Has Ghanas initiative to increase private sector participation been successful? What measures has Ghana taken liberalize its economy to encourage private sector participation? Recent discovery of crude oil (black gold) in Ghana has brought higher hopes to accelerating the countries development goals into reality. This is what the recent ex-president of Ghana, President John Kufuor had to say in an African programme with the BBCs Focus Were going to really zoom, accelerate, and if everything works, which I pray will happen positively, you come back in five years, and youll see that Ghana truly is the African tiger, in economic terms for development. Will this oil discovery further attract new entrants into the financial sector and in the affirmative will this promote a competitive private sector environment? 1.3 Objectives of the Study The main objective of this thesis is to show the role of the private sector in contributing to business competitiveness and economic growth. The research limits its focus on the inflow of private non-financial and financial institutions in the Ghanaian economy as a result of the introduction of Financial Sector Adjustment Programme (FINSAP) in Ghana. The economy over the years has witnessed an increase in private sector participation, which has significantly promoted business competitiveness and contributed to a vibrant economy at large. Table 2: SMART Objective of the Study Strategic Operation Tactical Specific Evaluate the role of the private sector (Privately owned financial institution) contributing to business competitiveness and economic growth. Present a platform for private sector participation in economic development. Provide a primary evaluation for developers and investors who aspire to do business in Ghana. Measurable To fall within the framework of the private sector and factors leading to business competitiveness and economic growth. Increase real GDP. Impact of the private sector on economic growth. Note government policies that would prevent adverse effects on critical sectors of the economy. Attainable To recommend effective and sustainable business development strategy and policies that will enhance more participation in the private sector. Increase economic growth and improve effective and efficient business plans. Embark on comprehensive business competitiveness and productive performance within the various business sectors. Realistic The research will look extensively into government development goals as well as the private sectors role in development. Access to economic reports surveys from IMF. Ghana Government reports on development projects. The IMF monitors on a yearly basis the economic situation in Ghana. Time-Limited To complete the thesis within two months. This thesis expects to propose recommendation based on the information available at the time of writing. The recommendations and proposals are expected to be considered and if applicable implemented by other developing countries as well. Source: Self-prepared. Specifically, the thesis critically focuses on the following: The role of the private sector (privately owned financial institutions) contributing to economic growth in Ghana. To investigate the driving forces of Ghanas emerging markets. The role of the government promoting the private sector. The challenges and constraints facing the private sector. To evaluate the strategies being employed by Ghana in the private sector and its impact on the economy. 1.4 Significance of the Study The study will be beneficial in many respects: To help identify the success and bottlenecks of the significant economic contributions from private sector with regards to its contribution to economic growth business competiveness. It also reviews the strengths of the financial sector to support expansion of the private sector development and more importantly availability of credit facilities to promote businesses. It will help investors to get a fair idea of business establishment opportunities. To help formulate strategies to help implement better policies and promotions for the private sector development. 1.5 Methodology This study uses secondary data and literature to evaluate the topic. It also uses SWOT analysis to examine the strategic position of Ghana in improving its economic and business areas. The research will employ the use of CAMEL approach as the overall framework to evaluate the financial strength and stability of the Banking Industry in Ghana, where; C Capital adequacy, A Asset quality, M Management capability, E Quality and level of earnings, L Adequacy of liquidity 1.6 Organisation of the study The paper is divided into five chapters. Chapter one presents the introduction, problem statement, objectives of the study, significance of the study, methodology and the organisation of the study. Chapter two gives an overview of the Ghanaian financial sector as well as reasons that led to the financial sector reforms. Chapter three gives an overview of the Ghanaian private sector. Chapter four uses CAMEL approach to analyse 4 major privately owned financial institutions. The final chapter looks at the overall findings, conclusions and recommendations. CHAPTER TWO 2.0 Overview of the Ghanaian economy This chapter provides an overview of the Ghanaian economy and the Ghanaian Financial System. The chapter also looks at reasons that led to the introduction of the financial sector reforms, a SWOT analysis of financial sector adjustment program (FINSAP I II). Ghana is one of the developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa that introduced structural and economic reforms to address its extensive macroeconomic shortcomings, reduce poverty and to liberalize the financial sector. The broad money/GDP ratio fell significantly to 12.5% in 1983 as compared to 29% in 1976, whiles currency/M2 ratio also decreased from 35% in 1970 to 50% in 1983. Bank deposits decreased from 19.5% of GDP in 1977 to 7.4% of GDP in 1984 because there was lack of confidence in the banking industry (Brownbridge, M., Gockel, A. F. 1997). During the 1980s the Ghanaian economy was hit by the most devastating economic crisis (www.bog.gov.gh). This gave rise to numerous extensive economic drawbacks in the Ghanaian economy. Leechor Chad reveals in an article published by the World Bank the following economic crisis that plagued the Ghanaian economy between the years 1982 to 1983: The countrys power systems, communication, postal and railway services ceased to function properly and the whole country was in a state of chaos. Tax collection had declined to about 5% to GDP, investment dropped drastically beyond the level required to maintain capital stock. Real income per capita which was continuously diminishing for a decade was a third below the level reached in the early 70s as at 1983. Foreign exchange reserves deteriorated considerably. The Ghanaian economy was heavily controlled by the government in terms of setting unrealistic interest rates and sectoral credit ceilings; banks were forced to focus on lending to priority sectors (agriculture, export and manufacturing) regardless of the borrowers performance in terms of profitability and their capability to payback the loan. The economy was regulated to foreign investments and the strong existence of strict capital flow regulations (The Corporate Guardian, July-September 2006). Governments heavy intervention in the financial system set the stage for economic shortcomings a few such as lack of competition, high incidence of inefficiency, hardship and the escalating rate of non-performing loans (Leith, C. J., Sderling, L. 2000). Since the late 1980s, the government of Ghana continued to implement financial sector reforms as an integral part of its ongoing Economic Recovery Program (ERP) (Brownbridge, M., Gockel, A. F. 1997). Ghanas enthusiasm to initiate the ERP with close collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the year 1983-85 was to liberalise the financial sector and establish an open market-based economy by eliminating price ceilings, reducing the influx of foreign imports, diversifying viable sectors of the economy and stabilizing fiscal deficit. Ghana in 1984 launched the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) with the primary aim of reducing its involvement in the economy and allowing the free interaction of demand and supply (The Corporate Guardian, July-September 2006). However, during the period 1983-88 the performance of the banking industry deteriorated with high levels of non-performing assets (NPAs) and inefficient deposit mobilization which made most public banks insolve nt (Leith, C. J., Sderling, L. 2000). The government launched the first phase of the Financial Sector Adjustment Program (FINSAP) in 1988. This was to fully deregulate as well as liberalize the financial sector and improve resource allocation within the various sectors of the economy (www.oecd.org). Since 1983, Ghana has attached great importance to its divestiture initiative program. About 200 stated-owned enterprises (SOEs) were being considered for diversification under governments ongoing privatization initiative. At the end of the last two years, government still owned 35 enterprises valued at more than 60% of GDP in 2003 (IMF Survey, 2005). Governments expenditure during 1986-1991 increased and this called for policy reforms to enable government to meet its high spending. Government depended on the tax system to support its high level of spending. The Parliament of Ghana in 1993 increased tax on petroleum. However, the tax system could not supplement its GDP share to match the expenditure. Consequently this brought about deficit financing. Government resorted to other forms of financing its expenditure such as extensive borrowing from the Central Bank (issuing new notes), public and foreign borrowing, and privatization of sate-owned enterprises (Leith, C. J., Sderling, L. 2000). Over the years, Ghana has witnessed a massive transformation in its economy as a result of continuous implementation of financial sector reforms to deregulate the economy and stimulate savings, investment and growth. The Central Bank is constantly implementing policies adopted under FINSAP to ensure the entrants of privately owned financial institutions, free interest rates, stabilize the cedi against foreign currencies, encourage the flow of foreign investment and allow easier access to credits (www.bog.gov.gh). The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) was set up in 1989 as a private company limited under the Company code. The Stock Exchange act of 1971 (Act 384) allowed it to function as an authorized Stock Exchange. The Securities Industry Law PNDCL 333 (1993) as amended bestowed regulatory rights to the Security Regulatory Commission (SRC) with its main function to register, protect, assist and supervise all stakeholders in the securities market. In April 1994 the Ghana Stock Exchanges status became a public company limited (www.gse.co.gh). At the end of 2003, listed companies equity increased to 26 as compared to 22 in 2002 (www.gipc.org.gh). The performance of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) has improved tremendously. All-share Index increased by 91.3% in 2005 as compared to 154.7% in 2003 (ISSER 2005). Flow of foreign investment increased from $110.0 million in 2003 to $139.3 million in 2004. In 2004 the cedi depreciated by only 2.2% against the US dollar, 10.7% against the Euro and 12.1% against the pound sterling. There was quite an improvement in the value of the cedi as compared to the previous year (2003) when the cedi depreciated by 22.5% against the Euro and 13.0% against the pound sterling. Average inflation fell from 26.7% in 2003 to 12.6% as at December 2004 (ISSER 2005). Ghana is the second largest producer and exporter of cocoa; the agriculture sector accounts for about 50% of GDP and is considered the backbone of economic development (www.ghanaweb.com). Real GDP growth in 2004 was 5.8% (www.gipc.gh). The tremendous performance of the Agricultural sector has supported Ghanas remarkable rate of economic growth over the years. The Agricultural sector contributes significantly to GDP growth. In 1990 GDP increased by only 3.3%, this was due to the negative 2% growth rate in the Agricultural sector that year. The year 1991 witnessed a GDP growth rate for the Agricultural sector by 5.8% which consequently increased the whole Ghanaian economy GDP by 5.3% in that year. The sector has also contributed immensely to the countrys foreign exchange earnings; 38.5% in 1999, 35.4% in 2000, 33.9% in 2001, 35.5% in 2002. (www.fao.org/es/esa). Other main exports are gold, timber, bauxite, manganese ore and diamond (BOG Quarterly Economic Bulletin, April June 2005). The performance of the agriculture sector over the years has immensely improved with growth rate of 7.5% in 2004 as compared to 6.1% in 2003. The production of cocoa for export contributed 46.7% during the year 2004, a significant portion of over all growth (ISSER 2005). The crops and livestock contribution increased from 2.3% in 2003 to 5.4% in 2004, the largest contribution to the agricultural sectors GDP. The forestry and logging sub-sectors increased by 6.1% in 2003, but dropped with a growth rate of 5.8% in 2004. (www.gipc.org.gh).The elimination of maximum lending rates and minimum time deposit rates succeeded to some extent in the liberalization of interest rates in 1987. Direct controls in the form of credit ceilings were also abolished. During the 1990s banks were at liberty to price deposits and loans and to distribute loans accordingly; however the Bank of Ghanas high reserve requirement limited the funds available for allocation (Brownbridge M. Gockel A. F 1997). These h igh reserve requirements prevented banks from developing their loan portfolios and consequently, most banks preferred to invest in attractive and somewhat risk-free government securities (strategis.ic.gc.ca) Interest rate dropped steadily owing to the Monetary Policy Committee (set up by the Bank of Ghana in 2004) decreasing prime rate from 21.5% in 2003 to 18.5% in 2004. Consequently, the commercial banks base rate has decreased from 29% to 25.4%. Interest rate for 91-Treasury bill fell from 18.71% early part of the year to 17.08% at the end of 2004. Interest rates for the 182-Day Treasury bill dropped from 19.78% during the early part of the year to 17.85% at the end of 2004. Inter-Bank interest rate also fell from 17.12% in January to 16.23% at the close of the year 2004 (www.gipc.org.gh) The Banks spread (21.3%) is still too high as compared to the other African countries (see table 3*). The banking industry has been structured in a way that banks are able to adjust their interest rates according to policy rates. Banks maintain a high spread to ensure that their profits are not significantly influenced by their interest margins (BOG financial stability report 2004). However, according to the BOG financial stability report 2006 the emergence of new banks will lead to an efficient financial sector which is expected to reduce the pressure on lending spread due to the fact that banks will continuously try to gain market share by competing for customers. Table 3: Selected Commercial Bank Interest Rates, 2000 and 2004 Deposit Rate Lending Rate Spread 2000 2004 2000 2004 2000 2004 Gabon 5.0 5.0 22.0 18.0 17.0 13.0 Ghana 16.8 7.5 47.0 28.8 30.2 21.3* Kenya 8.1 2.4 22.3 12.5 14.2 10.1 Mauritius 9.6 8.2 20.8 21.0 11.2 12.8 Mozambique 9.7 9.9 19.0 19.2 9.3 9.3 Nigeria 11.7 13.7 21.3 19.2 9.6 5.5 Tanzania 7.4 4.2 21.6 13.9 14.2 9.7 Uganda 9.8 7.7 22.9 20.6 13.1 12.9 Zambia 20.2 11.5 38.8 30.7 18.6 19.2 Source : International Financial Statistics, IMF Fiscal and Monetary Policy The financial policies implemented by monetary authorities in Ghana before the implementation of FINSAP were direct government controls on all sectors of the economy. Government excessive control in the economy by setting price and interest ceilings coupled with weak macroeconomic problems lead to a high level of inflation (Ziorklui, S. Q. 2001). Ghanas fiscal policy primarily aims at decreasing domestic debt, ensuring economic stability, cutting down on the increasing level of interest payments to achieve the required real interest rates. Consequently, the Bank of Ghana has adopted numerous strategies to address fiscal deficit and governments borrowing (www.gipc.org). Budget deficit was 0.55% of GDP during the second quarter of the year 2005 as compared to 1.18% of GDP during the last quarter of 2004. This showed significant decrease in the overall budget balance (Bank of Ghana Quarterly economic bulletin, April-June 2005). The Bank of Ghana in 2004 set up the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to mainly focus on formulating effective monetary policies, making available statistical data and providing necessary support in terms of advise for monetary policy formulation (www.bog.gov.gh). The MPC seeks to control inflation, stabilize price and exchange market, manage external debt and develop the capital market (www.gipc.org.gh). 2.1 The Ghanaian Financial System in Brief Ghanas banking sector has evolved over the years. There are 23 major banks (refer to table 7) operating in the banking sector in Ghana as at 2006. The Ghanaian banking sector is made up of 19 universal banks, 2 Development Banks, 2 Commercial banks including Apex Bank and 121 Rural Banks (www.bog.gov.gh). The introduction of universal banking in Ghana is overwhelmingly changing the way banks function in the economy. Unfortunately, not all banks operating in Ghana are eligible to be universal banks. To be eligible for banks to operate as universal banks they are expected to have at least 70 billion as shareholders capital (www.agighana.org). According to the Bank of Ghana universal banking substitutes the famous three-pillar banking model, namely development, merchant and commercial. Table 4: List of Major Banks in Ghana 2006 INITIALS BANK DATE OF ESTABLISHMENT NATURE OF BUSINESS ABL Amalgamated Bank 2000 Universal Bank ADB Agricultural Development Bank 1965 Development Bank BBG Barclays Bank Ghana 1918 Universal Bank CAL CAL Merchant Bank 1991 Universal Bank EBG Ecobank Ghana Limited 1990 Universal Bank FAMBL First Atlantic Bank 1995 Universal Bank FBL Fidelity Bank Limited 2006 Universal Bank GCB Ghana Commercial Bank 1952 Universal Bank GTB Guaranty Trust Bank 2006 Universal Bank HFC HFC Bank Limited 2002 Universal Bank ICB International Commercial Bank 1996 Universal Bank INTER Intercontinental Bank Plc 2006 Universal Bank MAB Metropolitan Allied Bank 1995 Commercial Bank MBG Merchant Bank Ghana Limited 1972 Universal Bank NIB National Investment Bank 1963 Development Bank PBL Prudential Bank Limited 1997 Commercial Bank SBL Stabic Bank Ghana Limited 2000 Universal Bank SCB Standard Chartered Bank 1896 Universal Bank SG-SSB SG-SSB Bank Limited 1976 Universal Bank TTB The Trust Bank 1994 Universal Bank UBA United Bank for Africa 2005 Universal Bank UNI Unibank Ghana Limited 1999 Universal Bank Zenith Zenith Bank 2005 Universal Bank Source:http://www.bog.gov.gh/privatecontent/File/BankingSupervision/Licensed%20Banks%20%20Addresses%20November%202008(1).pdf Until 1957 the West African Currency Board (WACB) acted as the only board under the Colonial regime conferred with the authority to exchange sterling to Gold Coast pound. Government of the then Gold Coast declared its intention to issue its own currency after independence. Politicians and economists were of the strong opinion that with the establishment of a Central Bank, Ghanas independence will have a significant meaning in political history. In view of this, preparations started which ended up in the establishment of the Bank of Ghana on the 4th of March 1957 under the Bank of Ghana Ordinance (No.34) of 1957 passed by the British Parliament. The whole idea for the establishment of a Central Bank was to meet the financial needs of vast indigenous sectors of the economy as well as the new independent Ghana government. After the establishment of Bank of Ghana (replaced WACB) as the central bank, the 1957 ordinance empowered the bank to primarily assume the following role in Ghana when it first begun formal operations on 1st August 1957 (www.bog.gov.gh): Printing out and redeeming bank notes and coins. Lender of last resort for banks in Ghana. Using fiscal and monetary policies to regulate money supply and maintaining monetary stability. Advise the government and be the main source to finance to the government of Ghana. Supervise and regulate all banks in Ghana. The legal and regulatory frameworks in which financial intermediaries operate in Ghana are as follows (www.bog.gov.gh): Bank of Ghana Act 2002, Act 612 Banking Act, 2004 (Act 673) Financial Institutions (Non-Bank) Law 1993, PNDC Law 328 Companies Code Act 179, 1963 Bank of Ghana Notices /Directives / Circulars / Regulations Non-Banking Financial Sector Ghana has achieved significant success in the economy particularly in the non-banking sector as a result of initiating the structural adjustment program, liberalizing the economy and by passing the Banking law in 1989 and the Non-bank financial law in 1993. These initiatives embarked by the government of Ghana have paved way for new entrants in the private sector and also transformed the existing financial institutions to diversify into the financial system. Consequently, there has been a rapid growth of Non-Bank Financial Institutes (NBFIs) with the prime aim of providing financial services to potential target groups outside the banking system (Ziorklui, S. Q. 2001). According to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre the financial system in Ghana includes the following licensed non-Bank Financial Institutions: Insurance companies Stock exchange Building Society Mortgage Finance Co. Venture Capital Funding Financing Trust Company Credit unions Discount houses Financial houses Leasing companies Savings and loans associations 2.2 Objectives of Financial Sector Adjustment Program (FINSAP) According to Ziorklui S. Q. (2001), FINSAP was introduced and implemented in two phases. He further outlines the main objectives in both phases of the implementation. The first phase was implemented in 1988 with its main objectives as follows; FINSAP I Embark on restructuring to address financially distressed banks. Mobilize savings and strive to improve efficiency in the allocation of credit. Establish an effective regulatory and supervision system to monitor and improve the banking sector. Improve and strengthen the money and capital markets. To establish a non- performing assets recovery trust. The second phase of FINSAP was implemented in 1990 with the following objectives; FINSAP II Promote foreign investment and increase private participation in the banking sector in Ghana. Continue the implementation of policies adopted under the first phase of the financial sector adjustment program (FINSAP 1) to restructure the financial sector. Better manage the collection of non-performing loans by Non-Performing Assets Recovery Trust (NPART). Promote and develop non-Bank financial Institutions (NBFIs) to be more effective and efficient in savings mobilization. 2.3 SWOT Analysis Financial Sector Adjustment Program (FINSAP) This section seeks to determine whether the main objectives under the implementation of the financial sector reforms (FINSAP) are attainab

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A Soldiers Home â€Å"A Soldiers Home† by Ernest Hemingway takes place during the late summer of 1919, during the post-war era of WWI. Krebs, the main character in the story, returns to his small hometown in Oklahoma much later than when the rest of the soldiers had returned. â€Å"The men from the town who had been drafted had all been welcomed elaborately on their return†(Hemingway, 145). The â€Å"people seemed to think it was rather ridiculous for Krebs to be getting back so late, years after the war was over†(Hemingway, 145). Krebs returns from war to live in the same dysfunctional home and environment with his mom, dad, and two younger sisters. â€Å"Krebs’ noncommittal father is obviously dominated by his wife; she makes the decisions†(bridgewater, 1). She has determined that Krebs â€Å"should live in God’s â€Å"Kingdom,† find a job, and get married like a normal local boy†(bridgewater, 1). Krebs has not yet recovered from his various psychological post-war wounds, and is trapped by the sick marriage of his parents. â€Å"By the time Krebs returned to his hometown in Oklahoma, the greeting for heroes was over†(Hemingway, 145). At first, he did not want to talk about the war at all. As time went on, â€Å"he felt the need to talk, but no one wanted to hear about itâ€Å"(Hemingway,145). This was due to the great deal of hysteria which the town had endured years ago when the other soldiers returned from the war. This was all old news, and they were tired of hearing about the war(Hemingway, 145). The town’s atmosphere was not helping his state of post-war mental anguish because they â€Å"had heard too many atrocity stories to be thrilled by actualitiesâ€Å"(Hemingway, 145). â€Å"Krebs found that to be listened to at all he had to lieâ€Å"(Hemingway, 145). Krebs lived in a â€Å"Mayberry† kind of town. It was small and everybody seemed to know each other. The pool hall, the library, the schoolyard and the First National Bank, where his dad works, is all within walking distance from his house. Krebs would sometimes walk to the schoolyard to watch his sister play baseball. Krebs day consisted of little more than sleeping late in bed, walking downtown to the library to get a book, or reading on the front porch until he became bored. Krebs would walk down â€Å"through the town to spend the hottest hours of the day in the cool dark of the pool room†(Hemingway, 146).

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When the time came to choosing a potential career path, in my mind I had absolutely no doubt that I aspired to pursue dental hygiene. I believe that dentistry is one of the careers that has continual advancements in treatments and patient care, which provides endless opportunities to specialize in different branches of dentistry. Most importantly I find this profession to be rewarding. I have always envisioned to take on a profession which combines not only scientific appli-cations but also patient care that improves peoples' quality of life and this happens to be the best career which combines both of these important elements. My ambition to study dental hygiene has been further reinforced over the course of my gap year experience, working and studying as a dental nurse. I have become more aware of the growing importance of helping educate the general public about oral health paying closer attention to causes of some of the most disastrous oral conditions. Whilst working at the Ivory Dental Studio in London, I observed numerous procedures such as tooth onlays, root canal treatment...