Introduction to Financial Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Introduction to Financial Accounting - Assignment Example The researcher states that it is important to recognize that there are various types of financial statements; the balance sheet, the income statement, the statement of retained earnings and the fourth one is the statement of cash flows. The balance sheet also abbreviated as BS is the one that includes records that show the financial position of the organization as at a certain time. It is particularly charged with offering information on the organization’s assets, liabilities and lastly the capital outlay. Through the balance sheet, the various stakeholders are able to analyze the strength and potential of the enterprise. The income statement, on the other hand, gives information on how the enterprise performed within a certain period in time. It usually includes operating and non-operating activities that resulted into bringing in revenue or incurring of expenses by the firm. Therefore, when the two are drawn together the end result is a loss, a profit and rarely an equal bal ance and for this reason it is in other words termed as the profit and loss account or statement abbreviated as P & L. The third is the statement of retained earnings which gives information on the various changes that have occurred to retained earnings of an organization within a certain period. It shows how the retained earnings as at the beginning of a certain period was affected during the period to arrive at the closing balance of that period. The last record is the statement of cash flows which shows where a company’s financing is derived from and the various spending channels of the said finances. It shows an account of cash and cash equivalents and how these are flowing in and out of the company.

Polar Bear Essay Example for Free

Polar Bear Essay The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a bear native largely within the Arctic circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the worlds largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak bear, which is approximately the same size. [3] An adult male weighs around 350-680 kg (770-1 ,500 while an adult female is about half that size. Although it is closely related to the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrow ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold emperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. [5] Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea (hence their scientific name meaning maritime bear) and can hunt consistently only from sea ice, so spend much of the year on the frozen sea. The polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species, with 8 of the 19 polar bear subpopulations in decline. 6] For decades, unrestricted hunting[clarification eeded] raised international concern for the future of the species; populations have rebounded after controls and quotas began to take effect. [citation needed] For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key fgure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of Arctic indigenous peoples, and the hunting of polar bears remains important in their cultures. The IIJCN now lists global warming as the most significant threat to the polar bear, primarily because the melting of its sea ice habitat reduces its ability to find sufficient food. The II-JCN states, If climatic trends continue polar bears may become extirpated from most of their range within 100 years. [7] The polar bear was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act by the United States Department of the Interior in 2008. Habitat The polar bear is often regarded as a marine mammal because it spends many months of the year at sea. [28] Its preferred habitat is the annual sea ice covering the waters over the continental shelf and the Arctic inter-island archipelagos. These areas, known as the Arctic ring of life, have high biological productivity in comparison to the deep waters of the high The polar bear tends to frequent areas where sea ice meets water, such as polynyas and leads (temporary stretches of open water in Arctic ice), to hunt the seals that make up most of its diet. [30] Polar bears are therefore found primarily along the perimeter of the polar ice pack, rather than in the Polar Basin close to the North Pole where the density of seals is low. 1] Annual ice contains areas of water that appear and disappear throughout the year as the weather changes. Seals migrate in response to these changes, and polar bears must follow their prey. [29] In Hudson Bay, James Bay, and some other areas, the ice melts completely each summer (an event often referred to as ice-floe breakup), forcing polar bears to go onto land and wait through the months until the next freeze-up. [29] In the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, polar bears retreat each summer to the ice further north that remains frozen year-round.

The Resource Curse in Africa

The Resource Curse in Africa Chapter 1: Introduction The resource curse is the theory that countries with an abundance of natural resources, such as oil and minerals, achieve less economic growth than countries that are not endowed with natural resources. There are authors that argue this point (Auty 1990, Gelb 1988, Sachs and Warner 1995, 1997, 1999) and there are those that believe the resource curse is less to do with resources and more to do with political management (Brunschweiler 2008a, 2008b, Ross 1999, 2001). This theory appears to be contrary to the immediate instinct felt by many that natural resources will provide an opportunity for countries to develop by using increased revenues associated with a discovery of resources or an increase in world prices of such resources. The first section of this paper discusses a few of the most important mechanisms in which the resource curse can manifest itself. These are through institutions, corruption, conflict, Dutch disease and human capital. The second section studies the case of Botswana by providing an understanding of Botswanas economic and development path I will investigate how Botswana avoided some of the traps resource abundant countries usually fall into and how Botswana managed diamond mining in order to benefit the country. I will also perform a small comparison between Botswana and Sierra Leone to highlight the different channels in which resource abundance can affect economies. In my final chapter I will analyse whether Botswana has been successful in fully escaping the resource curse symptoms by discussing any problems the diamond mining may have caused. This paper, whilst small, highlights the importance of investigating phenomena such as the resource curse. Many countries have fallen into poverty since the emergence of extractable resources in their economies, yet Botswana has managed to avoid such problems. It is important to analyse how Botswana did this, so that lesson may be learned and used to help other countries avoid such problems in the future. The Resource Curse Literature Review Explanation of resource curse There are examples of resource poor countries outperforming resource rich countries throughout history. In recent times the Asian Tigers have achieved fast industrialization and economic growth despite having few natural resources, where as diamond rich countries such as Sierra Leone still remain low on world economic and social indicators (World Bank Development Indicators 2009). But do natural resources always lead to poor economic development? Or are there other variables in the context of which the natural resources are placed that determine economic development? There has been much discussion on the resource curse topic. Prominent among them are studies by Sachs and Warner (1995, 1997, 1999). Although in the conclusion to the paper Sachs et al admit their findings are far from definitive the general findings are that there is evidence for a negative relation between natural resource intensity and subsequent growth (Sachs and Warner 1995:p27). They analysed data from 95 developing countries by looking at annual growth rate between 1970-1990 and resource based exports in 1970. Sachs and Warner classified high abundance of natural resources as exports of agriculture, mineral and fuel as a percentage of GDP. From this simple analysis they discovered the existence of the so-called resource curse and they then tested the theory by controlling a number of other variables that could explain the relationship between resources and slow economic growth. The following discussion will provide a summary of the key mechanisms identified in the literature. Critique However it is important to note that not all academics support the literature on the existence of the resource curse, Brunnschweiler (2008a) is the most prominent. The main critiques of work by Sachs and Warner are the variables used to measure resource wealth. Brunschweiler for example believes per capita mineral wealth is more appropriate. The question is also raised as to whether Sachs and Warner were right to include agriculture in their regressions. Although agriculture is indeed a primary natural product, as it is the outcome of utilising the resource of land, it can be said that agriculture takes a different path in the economy than minerals or fuel. It may be better to classify agriculture separately when considering the resource curse, especially in the context of the third world where many economies are agricultural based. Further in this paper I will analyse whether agricultural resources cause the same effects on the economy as mineral resources. Arguments against the Resource Curse Big push theory Whilst there is no denial that the resource curse has effected countries like Venezuela, Nigeria and the Congo (Wenar 2008) there have been cases such as Botswana and Norway that have given strength to the opposing big push theory. In the big push model, developing economies are stuck in a trap. In order to develop their economies they need to industrialize so they are able to create wealth of their own. However there are large fixed costs associated with industrialization that developing economies cannot afford. Thus, the name big push comes from the idea that developing economies require a large injection of capital in order to develop. This injection of capital can be used to invest in economic infrastructure and will allow a more rapid accumulation of human capital which further allows social and economic development. (Murphy, Shleifer and Vishny 1989, Birdsall et al 2000) Ironically, this injection of capital could arise from large resource revenues, which suggests that the resource curse may be avoided if the capital is handled in a productive manner, for example a long-term and sustainable plan. An important point made by Walker and Jourdan (2003) is that as access to resources and minerals is becoming easier due to decreased transportation costs, countries are able to sustain industry without having a large natural resource base. This is could mean that countries who are not resource abundant might be better off, as they experience less adverse side-effects that I will discuss in this paper than resource rich economies. Dutch Disease The first effect, cited by Sachs (1995) and many others (Norberg 1993, Gelb 1988) is the Dutch Disease. Although it is often linked to the discovery of a natural resource, Dutch disease can occur when there is any positive income shock. For example a significant rise in primary product world prices can create sudden increased revenues for primary product exporters. The earliest Dutch Disease model I can trace was first created by Corden (1984) and the model has been constantly remodelled and analysed by other academics since. There are two strands of the Dutch disease model, the resource movement effect and the currency appreciation effect. Currency Appreciation Effect Dutch disease is often known as de-industrialisation because as one sector of the economy booms, (in the case of this paper we are talking about the tradable natural resource sector) other tradable sectors of the economy become less competitive. This is because a sudden increase in exportation of a natural resource of any kind can cause currency appreciation (Dutch disease). Whilst this is good for the country as it makes imports cheaper, it makes all the exports from the country (apart from the natural resource) less competitive in the world market as it costs other countries more money to from that particular country. The same path is also true for investment in this sector. This is why the manufacturing sector of resource abundant countries often shrinks. Resource Movement Effect The resource movement effect is the relocation of production factors away from the manufacturing sectors towards to booming (natural resource) sector. Davis and Tilton (2005:238) believe the Dutch disease actually allows a country to benefit from its new found mineral wealth by encouraging resources to flow from other sectors of the economy to the booming sector: However, this resource movement is also a cause of the shrinking of the manufacturing sector noted above. An important point argued in Sachs and Warner (1997) is that the shrinkage of a manufacturing sector itself is not a problem. The problem arises when the shrinkage causes slow economic growth, such a case may occur when an economy becomes more dependent on their natural resources. The advisability of this is not good (Jefferis 1998) as the economy becomes more vulnerable to world price changes in the natural resource. In turn, these often volatile price changes make it hard for governments to make mid or long term economic plans and policies. This is often said to be what happened in the oil rich Middle East in the 1970s (Auty 1990) governments were over optimistic about the earning power of their resources and then the oil prices fell dramatically. However the shrinkage of the manufacturing sector can have a negative impact on the economy because productivity grows faster in the manufacturing sector than in the resource sector (REF) and a decline in this sector means the economy is losing out on this productivity. A similar argument is made by Gylfason (2001) about learning-by-doing and technological advances. The shrinking of a tradable manufacturing sector also creates job losses; usually this could be compensated for as the primary product resource sector expands. But most minerals and oil sectors are capital intensive and not labour intensive (Sarraf 2001), so they are not able to absorb the unemployment. Institutions Another strand of the resource curse theory is the analysis of the relationship between resource abundance and institutions. Defining institutions is a difficult job as it can involve many different aspects of a countries history, culture and government. The main reason why institution analysis is vital to discovering the relationship between resource abundance and economic growth is that institutions affect policy structure and policy structure sets the arena in which an economy and resources are managed. Colonisation Firstly, the history of a nation can go a long way to explaining the current situation a nation faces today. Acemoglu et al (2001) notes the importance of colonisation is the determination of institutions. In his view there are two types of colonisation. There is settlement colonisation whereby the colonisers decided to settle in the region, perhaps due to a low incidence of deadly infectious diseases, as occurred by the British in North America. The settlement colonies are mostly made up of the new world, such as North America and Australasia. The second type of colony are extractive colonies, whereby the colonisers extracted resources that they found valuable, be it people as slaves or minerals. Naturally, these two different paths have caused quite different outcomes in institutions. Intuitive thinking would lead us to believe that traits of a colonisers such as property rights and rules of law would be embedded in there colonies. Indeed, Murshed (2001) and Acemoglu et al (2001) publish papers along the same lines. This theory leads to the thinking that colonies with exploitative colonisers tended to not establish foreign good institutions to the same strength as settled areas. It could be argued, as by Murshed, that patterns of exploitative behaviour with regard to resources were learned and inevitably repeated by colonies. On the other hand, settled colonies tended to retain institutions of law and property rights that European colonisers may have brought over. Acemoglu has raised the point that different colonising nations have left very different institutions behind. For example, he argues that the British colonies inherited better institutions with regard to respect for the rule of law and democracy (Acemoglu et al 2001:p12). In either case it is evident that institutions brought in from Europe have remained in some form. However, we must not forget that the colonies of Africa, Asia and Latin America existed long before they were discovered by the Europeans. Prior to colonisation these countries had their own functioning political and social institutions and it could be that European invaders only adapted these institutions to fit their needs and left many existing ways intact. A small but important point to note is that colonisation could also have had an impact on the ethno linguistic and ethno fractionalisation of a country because artificial country borders were placed upon areas of land with no regards to considering the existing, and it could be argued natural, borders. These artificial borders were emplaced for the ease of the colonisers and very little consideration was given to existing social borders, for example between tribes or geographical boundaries. This enforced ethno fractionalisation can be the cause of conflict within a country, even if natural resources are not in the equation, a prime example of this is in Rwanda. Leite and Weidmann (2002) are of the opinion that resource wealth does not directly affect economic growth, but that it resources affect the likelihood of corruption, which therefore influences economic growth. Bulte, Damania and Deacon (2005) further this argument by pointing out it may not be the existence of institutions that matter but the quality. In Bulte et al (2005) analysis they differentiate between two types of resources. Point resources which are geographically based and therefore an abundance of these resources are typically associated with inequality in terms of power and the division of the surplus, and often are accompanied by vertical relationships between agents (shareholders, managers, labourers). (Bulte et al 2005:p1031). Whereas diffuse resources, such as agricultural land, are more geographically spread and are therefore more equally distributed and less able to be protected by an elite. It is the belief of Bulte et al (p1034) that point resources attract worse quality institutions than diffuse resources with regard to corruption and government performance. Corruption An abundance of natural resources provides substantial revenue for an economy but unfortunately in many developing countries where there are weak infrastructures and poor people, the temptation of this revenue can cause corruption especially in the political sphere. When a government experiences large flows of finance, especially if these flows are relatively sudden, for example a discovery of minerals or oil, or new technology that helps extract resources, it can be hard for a government to manage such flows (Dietz 2005). They may not have had experience in dealing with large sums of money. These sudden windfalls increase the opportunity for corruption as it is hard to keep track of the money and therefore it is easier and to steal and waste. Corruption also comes in the form of laziness. The political elite may chose to ensure they remain in power by buying political favour using the resource revenues. This undermines democracy, but as politicians are able to obtain large sums of money from resources it is easier to buy political favour than to develop good policies and there is little incentive to build infrastructure in other areas of the economy, as resources are the main source of income. One would assume that if areas of the economy were to start failing or not being developed and maintained to a satisfactory standard of the citizens then the citizens would demand action from the government. However, in circumstances where an abundance of resources are in the country, the government often tries to buy favour from the people by not taxing the citizens, instead they use the resource revenues to provide basic infrastructure, such circumstances could be classed as the rentier effect cited by Mehlum (2006) and Brunschweiler (2008a). On the other hand, the government could decide to use the resource revenues to aid them in an effort to block the formation of social groups. The government might try to do this because they fear groups independent of the government may demand more from a government that is unwilling to give more. As Ross (2001: p335) argues Scholars examining the cases of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, and Iran have all observed oil-rich states blocking the formation of independent social groups; all argue that the state is thereby blocking a necessary precondition of democracy. This is one of the many ways resources appear to affect politics. Whilst the basics are still provided and the people have more money in their hands, the situation can cause problems as the government is not longer held accountable as it is not using the peoples money. Therefore the relationship between government and citizens breaks down. This leads to a less democratic society and one that Karl (1997) believes would be one more vulnerable to civil war. Conflict As previously discussed weak institutions and corruption can both lead to conditions that breed conflict as they diminish the governments ability to function properly. Although a lot of studies are unable to show a strong link between resource extraction and civil conflict (Ross 2004), in recent history there have been many examples of the internal conflict within countries that are abundant in diamonds, such examples are Sierra Leone and Angola. Collier and Hoeffler (2001) cite that war emerges as either a product of grievance or greed. In the case of natural resources it appears that greed is most likely due to the enormity of the revenues compared to other forms of government revenue. The conflict often takes the form of civil war within a country as fractions of society jockey for control over the resource wealth (although the conflict can also take the form of hidden conflict within governments). Collier (2004) suggests that high social and economic inequality, lack of political rights and religious or ethnic divisions in society cause civil wars. The presence of natural resources can act as a catalyst by highlighting these faults and at the same time creating a financial incentive for war. If conflict does occur then (Brunschweiler 2008b) believes it could be the case the conflict makes countries dependent on resource extraction which is the default response when other economic sectors are not performing well. This indicates that once a country enters into conflict due to resources, they may have entered a vicious cycle that will be hard to stop. Fractionalisation within resource abundance societies has been greatly studied (Easterly and Levine 1997, Brunschweiler and Erwin 2009) as it is believed that societies that are fractioned by class struggles, ethnicity or religion have weaker institutions (Hoedler 2006). In turn weaker institutions lead to a diminished ability of the government to control situations and therefore fighting is more likely to erupt (Arezki et al 2007). Whilst the fragmentation in society is the basis for the fighting, the presence of resources can be seen as the trigger or catalyst for conflict. Fighting is bad for economic growth as it decreases productive activities, which lowers productions and lowers incomes (Hoedler 2006). Therefore in general the consensus is that the more homogeneous the society, the less likely the risk of conflict. Having high revenues from resources can also lead to rentier state symptoms as discussed previously. In this case it may be that those in control of resource revenues are constantly on the lookout for opposing groups trying wrest control from them. Unfortunately as they are the ones controlling the revenues, they have money to repress citizens by not only repressing social groups but by employing armed conflict if they require. This is why (Brunschweiler 2008b) believes that as governments are able to fund themselves they are more likely to be authoritarian. Although Rosss (2001) paper primarily discusses the Middle Eastern oil states, he admits that his findings can relate to other mineral economies outside the Middle East. This repression can also distort the economy by squashing entrepreneurial talent (Alayli 2005) However there are some scholars who believe that resource abundance can actually help avoid conflict, for example, Brunnschweiler and Bulte (2008b) say resource wealth raises income, and higher incomes, in turn, reduce the risk of conflict. However, they admit it is a small reduction in risk and it could be that the large prize (resource revenue) that people are able to fight over is a stronger incentive than higher incomes. The link between ethnic fragmentation and the resource curse has been investigated in a paper by Roland Hodler (2006). The aim of his paper is to explain why resources can be a blessing for some countries and a curse for other. For him, there are two effects of natural resources. Firstly, income of a country rises if the country chooses to use the resource for its own industrial benefit or exports them to other countries; this is a direct positive effect. Secondly, an indirect negative effect is natural resource wealth increases conflict, but only (according to Hodler) if there are multiple groups opposing each other. Hodler focuses on rivalling ethnic groups, but other groups that could affect the equilibrium are class groups and political groups. In Hodlers model the resource abundance is a blessing to a country if the direct positive effect is greater than the indirect negative effect, but a curse if the negative outweighs the positive and thus a relatively homogenous society is l ess likely to experience a resource curse as there are less opposing groups challenging the equilibrium. Linked with this argument is that of Bannon and Collier (2003:3) that ethnic dominance alongside resource richness breeds conflict. Ethnic dominance especially in government or institutions has an important advantage because that race then have the power in moderating and equalising ethnic relations, or neglecting and perhaps exacerbating them (Good 2005:p31) The magnitude of the negative effect in Hodlers paper is determined by the number of opposing groups. The higher the number of groups the weaker property rights. I take my definition of property rights from Acemoglu et al (2001) whereby people have secure property rights (rights against expropriation and that those with productive opportunities expect to receive returns on their investment and that a broad cross-section of society have the opportunity to invest. Furthermore Acemoglu et al (2001) make the point that relative political stability is needed in order to maintain these property rights. Human Capital As we can see that the resource curse is interlinked with many aspects of economics. It is also linked with human capital: education and health. Education is important in economic development as it raises labour efficiency, provides a more participative society and a better quality of life (Barro 1997), but is educational development being affected by the resource curse? Evidence by Gylfason (et al 2001: p850) shows that school enrolment at all levels tends to be inversely related to natural resource abundance, as measured by the share of the labour force engaged in primary production, across countries. Questions could be raised about the validity behind using such measures and whether other measures are more appropriate but there is plenty of evidence from other authors such as (Birdsall et al 1997) which come to the same conclusion. There are two prominent arguments about the effect the resource curse has on education and vice versa. Firstly, the vast revenues created by an abundant resource can be used by forward thinking governments to fund education (Sachs and Warner 1997). On the other hand, it has been argued by Gylfason that some resource dependent economies choose not to invest in education infrastructure as they see little immediate need for it because high skill labour and high quality capital are less common in primary production then elsewhere (Gylfason 2001: p10). However focusing on resources (and neglecting education) hinders the learning-by-doing process. This process is more likely to develop, along with gains in technological advances, in the manufacturing sector (Sachs and Warner 1995). Thereby depending on resources and neglecting education can slow economic growth as a whole as there is no incentive to increase the earning power (both at individual and national level) that can be achieved thr ough education. It is also worthy to note that education is strongly linked with a higher rate of absorbing new technologies from other countries (Birdsall 1997). The Case of Botswana Although in the previous section I discussed ways in which an abundance of natural resources could lead to slow economic growth, there have been countries that are resource rich and have had good economic development: for example Norway and Botswana. Norway became one of the top scoring countries on both economic and social indicators in the world (Larson 2003) since the extraction of oil in the early 1970s. Graphs showing growth of Botswana compared to other African nations here In this section I aim to discuss the experience of Botswana through the same key mechanisms I used in the previous chapter. These mechanisms are Dutch disease, institutions, conflict and human capital. By using the same key mechanisms I hope to show how Botswana has avoided the problems that cause the resource curse. Botswana has developed relatively rapidly considering that Botswana was the third poorest country in the world before independence (Beaulier 2003:p233) As Acemoglu et al (2001) points out there were only 22 graduate Batswana, who studied outside the country and only 12km of paved road. It seems that Botswana was in the same position as the majority of Sub-Saharan Africa. But since the average growth in Africa has been negative since 1965 (Acemoglu et al 2001) how has Botswana managed to achieve the highest rate of per capita growth of any country in the world in the last 35 years (Acemoglu et al 2001)? Especially considering that as a resource rich country it could be expected that Botswana would have slower growth than those without resources. Dutch Disease There are contradicting views as to whether Botswana experienced Dutch disease and whether this was due to the presence of diamonds. Mogotsi (2002:129) thinks that a mild Dutch disease occurred in Botswana as there was no large pre-existing manufacturing sector, so when mining occurred, the skilled labour from the small manufacturing sector moved to mining. Less skilled agricultural workers filled the place of the old manufacturing workers. As they are less skilled there is some loss of productivity and efficiency in the manufacturing sector. However Pegg (2009:p2) believes that there is little evidence that agriculture or manufacturing in Botswana has suffered from Dutch disease effects like the Dutch Disease model predicts when there is a large tradable mining sector. This is because there is very little resource movement as the diamond industry in Botswana as diamond mining is capital intensive and site specific (Jefferis 1998). This lack of movement means that few positive externalities are present in Botswanas mining industry. This is evident in the employment rates. Whilst Botswana has many good economic and social indicators, unfortunately a high unemployment rate is not one of them. While mining production contributed 40% to GDP, it absorbed only 4% total employment (Iimi 2006a:p7). This has large implications for income distribution and inequality in Botswana. As wages are higher in the diamond industry (REF) it distorts wealth in the economy. It has been said that only around half of the population have benefitted from the increased revenues, outside of gains in education, healthcare and infrastructure. This is reflected in around 50% of the population still living below the poverty line despite GDP per capita being around $1000 as there is a small workforce for diamonds and a high unemployment rate in general. (http://www.thuto.org/ubh/bw/bhp5.htm) However, in the resource curse theorem if Dutch disease were to occur then imports would be cheaper. As Botswana is 80% Kalahari Desert (Beaulier 2003) agriculture is not a major industry and as such Botswana imports most of its needs. 75% of imports come from neighbouring South Africa (Iimi 2006b:p18) there are very little visible effects of the negative sides of Dutch disease. Currency appreciation is the most obvious side-effect of resource related Dutch disease. But large diamond revenues have not caused Botswanas currency, the Pula, to be consistently overvalued. (Pegg 2009:p4) Although Botswana faces a difficult situation with regards to exchange rates. Botswana must managed the exchange rates carefully as it imports 75% of its goods from South Africa (REF) but Botswanas exports are valued in US dollars. Therefore Botswana must try to keep the Pula stable against both the South African rand and US dollar at the same time to avoid increased prices of food or decreased earnings due to falling dollar prices. So far Botswana has managed this well. Botswana has also been forward thinking by accumulating large foreign exchange reserves (Jefferis 1998) which are important and useful to have because it gives them the ability to manipulate exchange rates to aid the domestic currency should it need it. The government also created the Public Debt Service Fund (PDSF) in 1972. It recognises that the diamond revenues may be beyond the governments absorptive capacity and so the PDSF allows the government to save money rather than overheat the economy by spending it. (Pegg 2009:p3).The Revenue Stabilization Fund (RSF) is especially useful in times of economic downturn like the current financial crisis, as they government are able to finance normal spending by using the savings rather than borrowing. Of course, although good governance has caused what is seen to be a success with regards to revenue management (Samatar 1999; Leith 2005), it has also been said (Pegg 2009:p2) that stability of rent streams also helped Botswana control the massive flows and not fall into resource related Dutch disease. This has also led Botswana to move upper middle income status in the World Bank classification. This is impressive as before independence Botswana was classified as a low income country. (World Bank Income Classification). Institutions Several authors have put forward the argument that inclusive pre-colonial institutions are responsible for Botswanas economic development as institutions are a reason why food policies are chosen and also enable good policy choices to stick. Beaulier 2003) Before colonisation it seems that Botswana society was generally inclusive. An important institution of traditional Botswana society is the role of kgotlas which are an assembly of adult males in which issues of public interest were discussed (Acemoglu et al 2001) Botswana society allowed open dissent of the King and chiefs in kgotlas which provided a fair and accountable society. A further point argued by Acemoglu et al (2001) and also by Englebert (2000) and Iimi (2006a) is that the relatively unintrusive nature of British colonialism left a lot of traditional and functional institutions intact. During the scramble for Africa in the 1800s Britain agreed to granted Botswana protectorate status requested by Batswana chiefs in 1885 (Beaulier 2003). The chiefs wanted protection from the South African Boers who were moving towards Botswana. However, Britain apart from protecting fr

Essay --

As modern medical research begins to discover the deep-rooted genetic and environmental origins of many chronic diseases and illnesses, researchers have began to realize the complexity of illnesses that plague mankind. One prevalent disease among humans is Asthma, a chronic lung disease that irritates and tightens the airways, resulting in reocurring periods of coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Asthma’s phenotypic range does not follow the relative simplicity of Mendelian genetics, but is rather rooted in multiple genes, such as Interleukin-13 (IL-13), and specific environmental exposures such as air pollution. The IL-13 gene is one of several hundred candidate genes which are segments of DNA believed to contain nucleotide sequences affecting the asthma phenotype. The IL-13 gene is mostly expressed in T Helper cell 2 (TH2) as Interleukin-13 cytokines, operating through IL-13R (a heterodimer of IL-4RÃŽ ± and IL-13RÃŽ ±1) (4, 11, 6). These cytokines relay messages to other immune cells, warranting a coordinated immune response (6). However, the operation of Interleukin-13 is largely dependent on the presence and expression of Interleukin-4 (IL-4), another cytokine (11). Not only is a dimer of IL-4, IL-4Ra, critical to the reception of IL-13 cytokines, but IL-14 is crucial in the advancement of T cells in Th2 cells, the main producer of IL-13 cytokines (11). This epistatic dependency of IL-13 on the expression of IL-4 and other genes is another contributor to the complexity of asthma. In addition to various genes affecting the phenotype of asthma, multiple environmental factors like indoor and outdoor air pollution, tobacco smoke, and allergies to pets, molds, common pests (e.g. cockroaches) change gene expr... ...on and a related treatment option (10). The severity of an indivual’s asthma is based on many factors, including the prescence and epistatic interactions of the asthma susceptibility genes; even if the genes are present, if the complementary miRNA strand is actively synthesized, the genes won’t cause asthma. Genetic and miRNA expression can then be altered by environmental exposures through methylation and acetylation. The genetic and environmental contributions discussed here to the expression of asthma are a small fraction of the known factors. Due to the complicated intertwined relationship of the abundant factors contributing toward asthmatic phenotypes that have been discovered in approximately the last twenty years, the currently known complexity of asthma could very well be simple in relation to the verity of asthma’s genetic and environmental labyrinthe.

Future Outlook and Raising Capital in the Sports Drink Market

The approach and obstacles to raising capital and managing future change can make or break a new company that is trying to compete for market share in the sports beverage industry. According to a recent monthly labor report, most new businesses have the best chance of surviving during the first two years (Knaup, 2005). The young company must also determine how to best utilize legal services. It is one thing a new business venture should not only consider but plan for. Another area of concern and attention must go to the issue of raising money to fund the business. The competitive and lucrative sports drink market has in the past been dominated by two main players, Gatorade and Powerade. Together they have long held over two thirds of the market share. However, the future outlook shows that the market is starting to include a wider variety of sports drinks that are targeting a broader range of personal needs. LJ Enterprises will utilize more than one avenue in raising capital. This will help to ensure the new company is funded well from the start in order to give it the best chance to succeed. 1. Discuss the future outlook and industry trends related to the new venture. Future Outlook and Industry Trends The future outlook for the sports drink industry involves many new companies entering the market and offering different types of non traditional sports drinks. Gatorade has been leading the market for years but has yet to really come out with a new product. They have pushed different marketing campaigns and tried to repackage their product a bit, but the formula and product remain fundamentally the same. This is where new companies are able to gain ground against the bigger and more established market leaders. One new trend in the industry is to target a specific segment of the market such as kids or athletes. The now discontinued product Gatorade Tiger was one way the market leader and our competitor tried to innovate and take advantage of this trend. This product was heavily marketed to the endurance athlete and team sports. Powerade is now targeting the kid segment of the market with their product called Powerade Play for kids. This product contains 20% of the Daily Value (DV) of four B vitamins, 100% DV of vitamin C, 20% DV of zinc, a trademarked electrolyte system and 25% less sugar (Spano, 2005). Another industry trend being seen involves the concept of ‘nutrient timingâ€Å". This involves drinking certain nutrients around the time of physical exertion or exercise to allow for shorter recovery time and for specific needs such as strength training or endurance. So far, this practice has focused mainly on carbohydrates and protein but in the future the trend will be nutrient timing for non-nutrients. The most well known sports drink currently involving nutrient-timing are protein based recovery drinks or Ready-to-Drink beverages. LJ Enterprises new product offering, Sore-B-Gone will be a perfect fit for this emerging market trend. 2. Discuss the legal or concerns related to the venture idea Legal Services and Industry Concerns In most cases the entrepreneur will need to protect his or her intellectual property. The practice of acquiring patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets will ensure this property is protected by the courts and through the services of an attorney. An attorney can be specialized in one area such as patents or real estate. It is important for the attorney and the client to develop a good working relationship. This can help to give the entrepreneur much needed confidence and help to ease some of the risk launching a new venture. One if the first things a new company will want to do after hiring the services of an attorney is to have a conversation about patents. Most of the work will be done by the lawyer who will work to secure a patent for the new company. In doing this, the entrepreneur gains exclusivity regarding his or her invention for a limited amount of time. The time that the invention or product will be patented depends on which type of patent is acquired. A Utility patent will grant the owner protection for twenty years from other people or businesses making, using, or selling the invention that has been patented. This type of patent usually involves a process such as the mixture of ingredients. It is this type of patent that LJ Enterprises will seek in order to protect its intellectual property, such as our drink mixture. Another type of patent is called a design patent. This one has a term of fourteen years and involves the appearance of an object. For example, if a company wanted to protect a product or container configuration, this would be the type of patent that would be needed. It will be very important for any company looking to sell internationally to file for an international patent. This will protect the company from unforeseen laws or taxes involving the many different countries. 3. Discuss the approach and obstacles to raising capital for the new venture. Approaches to Raising Capital In the beginning stages of starting a new business venture, the entrepreneur will face many difficult tasks. One of these tasks will be deciding how to raise the necessary funds in order to get their product or idea off the ground. The best course may involve one or many sources depending on the business needs and initial capital already available. One easy and logical first step would be to ask friends and family. In most cases this group is excited about their relatives or friends taking on a new venture with the chance of making a lot of money. However, this approach can damage relationships if certain expectations are not met and/or investments are not paid back as promised. Another problem is that the capital borrowed is often small and not enough to cover all the initial costs. Another more effective approach is through Angel investors. This group has more money available to give the new business but one of the downsides is they may want a stake in ownership, stock options, or some other kind of compensation up front. This will not be an ideal option for the owner who wants full ownership of the company. Yet another option is the standard bank loan. The two key elements to obtaining this type of loan is the business owner’s personal credit history and having a soild bsuiness plan. It is the ntention of LJ Enterprises to first enlist the help of a wealthy uncle with very deep pockets. This initial investment from Uncle Taylor will be around $30,000. A decent sum of money but not enough to do all the things the company initially wants to do. The company will also need to try and secure a small business loan from a bank. We will ask for $50,000 in order to cover all the start up costs and to help out with daily living expenses while getting the product launched. Obstacles to Raising Capital One of the major setbacks to getting capital for a new business venture is the huge risk involved with such an undertaking. However, this risk can be somewhat averted if the business owner can create a good pitch to lenders and managing the money effectively once the loan is secured. Another obstacle to raising capital is not asking for enough money in the first place. In a 2004 U. S. Bank study of reasons for small business failures, 79 percent cited â€Å"starting out with too little money† as one of the causes of their collapse (Sugars, 2007) . Other barriers to getting the amount of capital needed are failure to get the proper legal documents, poor cash flow management, having too many lenders, and focusing too much on the idea and not enough on management. LJ enterprises has considered all of these factors and intends to due the following to increase its chances of being properly funded. First off, we intend to limit our lenders to only two. Secondly, an accountant will be hired to manage the cash flow and overall record keeping. Lastly, the services of an attorney will be utilized from the beginning so that no important legal documents are missed. The company hopes to maximize the chances of gaining its initial capital by following these guidelines. Conclusion Currently one of the most important trends in the sports beverage market is the concept of nutrient timing. It is for this reason that we feel our product, Sore-B-Gone, is being introduced at the right time. It is vitally important to the health and future on the company that the services of an attorney are obtained right from the start. An attorney can not only assist but increase the changes of the new venture obtaining much needed initial capital. If the new company can avoid some of the obstacles to obtaining capital such as managing money effectively and following the advise of the attorney, the company may just survive and thrive in the marketplace.

Verbs to Use in Your Research Paper

Verbs to Use in Your Research Paper When you conduct a research project, one part of your job is to assert your own original thesis with an effective argument. There are a few ways to enhance your research paper so it sounds more impressive. One method to sound convincing as an authority is to elevate your vocabulary by using great verbs. Remember, verbs are action words. The verbs you select for your writing should represent a specific action. This means you should avoid generic verbs like the following to keep your writing interesting and sharp. Dont bore your teacher or audience to tears! Stale and boring verbs to avoid: See  Is/wasLookedDidGo/wentSaidTurned Be the Authority No matter what your grade level, you must do your best to come across as an authority on your topic.  Think about the noticeable difference in these statements: I saw more mold on one piece of bread.I observed a distinct difference between the two pieces of bread. Most importantly, one piece of bread displayed a greater density of mold. The second statement sounds more mature, because we replaced saw with observed and had with displayed. In fact, the verb observe is more accurate. When carrying out a scientific experiment, after all, you use more than mere eyesight to scrutinize your results. You may smell, hear, or feel some results, and those are all part of observing. Now consider these statements when writing a history essay: Historian Robert Dulvany says there were three main causes for the war.Historian Robert Dulvany asserted that three events prompted the war. The second phrase just sounds more authoritative and direct. The verbs make all the difference! Also, make sure to use active rather than passive structure with your verbs. Active verbs make your writing clearer and engaging. Review these statements: The war on terror was launched by the United States.The United States launched the war on terror.   The subject-verb construction is a more active and powerful statement. How to Sound Like an Authority Each discipline (like history, science  or literature) has a distinct tone with certain verbs that appear frequently. As you read over your sources, observe the tone and language.   While reviewing the first draft of your research paper, conduct an inventory of your verbs. Are they tired and weak or strong and effective? This list of verbs may provide suggestions to make your research paper sound more authoritative. affirm ascertain assert cite claim clarify communicate concur contribute convey debate defend define detail determine develop differ discover discuss dispute dissect document elaborate emphasize employ engage enhance establish estimate evaluate examine explore express find focus highlight hold hypothesize identify illuminate illustrate imply incorporate infer inquire invest investigate involve judge justify limn observe ponder predict proclaim proffer promote provide question realize recap reconcile refer reflect regard relate relay remark report resolve respond reveal review sanction seek show simplify speculate submit support surmise survey tangle test theorize total transpose underestimate underline underscore understand undertake undervalue usurp validate value verify vex wander

Humanity Essays

Globalisation and its effect on Individuals/Humanity Essays Globalisation and its effect on Individuals/Humanity Essay Globalisation and its effect on Individuals/Humanity Essay Globalization is good for individuals but bad for humanity. While Globalization may have many beneficial traits that have improved economical, social and political aspects of life here on Earth, I believe it still remains a detrimental operating method when applied to humanity as a whole. Globalization itself is rife with International exploitation and promotes unfair practice In many ways. The term globalization refers to a modern phenomenon based on the connection of nations, cultures or businesses, often through economic activity (Archibald lamination 2002). Specifically it refers to these groups becoming interdependent with one another on a global scale and therefore having more of a potential impact when decisions or actions are carried out (Crane Matter 2007). Much can be said to refute or support the statement that globalization Is bad for humanity and beneficial to Individuals but a lot of the ethical theories concerning this topic do seem to support the claim. It is important to acknowledge that humanity can suffer through the impact of globalization because if we dont things will become worse for the lane as a whole and leave only certain individuals to benefit. It is well known that globalization Is the cause of many ethical problems for the manager of the multinational corporation (Velasquez 2000, p. 343). The way that they choose to react to this potential for Injustice seems to be largely dependent on the ethical principles that can be applied to the situation. Ethical relativism is one theory that has perhaps been a contributor to the failings of globalization in the business world and the multinational managers implementing this theory arent even fully expansible as this contemporary approach is one that has been approved since the early sasss (Velasquez 2000). Ethical relativism asks that to consider whether something Is right or wrong one simply needs to apply the cultural norms of the society that the situation Is taking place. However having no universally acceptable moral standards has meant that when managers try to deal with internal problems involving workers from different cultural backgrounds, relativist theory wants them to simply apply the norms of the local culture. Velasquez (2000) asks us to consider how American and Muslim cultures approach sexual discrimination differently to one another. If the people of these cultures were to find themselves in the same work environment and an issue such as this had to be dealt with it would be considerably difficult to do so using ethical relativism. In terms of globalization this would mean that while the business itself might not suffer the relations of the people in the work place and indeed of those two cultures would not be able to achieve any sort of mutual understanding and progress forward together. More disadvantaged nations. A point often but forward is the noticeable expansion libations offers to the western world. Multinational corporations move into countries where there are no labor unions or where the business is largely privatized and then make economic decisions based on their own interests. This is the case in many capitalist economies where globalization exists. The Mars theory of surplus value as discussed by Parker and Pearson (2005) emphasizes this by pointing out when a capitalist makes a profit, they are essentially stealing value which is produced by labor. It is quite simple to realize that whilst libations like this does create Jobs, it also takes away the potential for local production of goods to be made by workers at a fair price. This can create animosity and resentment between people who lose their Job because their company decides to manufacture its product offshore and the workers who then take on these Jobs for a fraction of the former employees wages. It also encourages unhealthy competition for factories and manufacturers to decrease their wages or costs in order to poach a multinational corporations business (Shaw, Barry and Sandburs 2009). Within this type of society there is no ensue of co-operation or togetherness, it is merely every man for themselves and that is a scenario that does not stand to benefit humanity in the short or long term. The more sinister side of globalization is evident when examining multinational corporations treatment of workers in various countries, particularly developing nations. Violations of basic human rights seem to be ignored as economic importance and political power takes precedence in a lot of cases. Sneaker and apparel corporation Nikkei are a perfect example of how humanity has suffered at the hand of libations. Below-average wages and poor working conditions plagued their Indonesian manufacturing plants, while child labor crimes were uncovered in their factories in Pakistan (Locke 2002). The theory of Kantian ethics directly disagrees with this sort of behavior as Kant argues that cutting costs to maximize profits through cheap labor is not a moral or ethical way for a company to act (Baron 1987). As discussed by Crane Matter (2007) the non-consequentiality theory known as Ethics of Duties, developed predominantly by Emmanuel Kant, raises the argument hat human beings use ration to make their decisions and therefore can be considered moral beings who know the difference between right and wrong. Kant subsequently developed a framework called the Categorical Imperative, made up of three different conditions by which every moral issue could be tested. The first condition is based on the theory that an action should reflect everyones principle beliefs (Crane Matter 2007). Nines treatment of workers in the earlier examples would certainly not be consistent with the beliefs of many human beings and Hereford supports the claim that globalization in this case seems to only benefit the individual. It is imperative that this sort of immoral behavior be eradicated from everyone. Focusing our attention on the effects of globalization that arent related to the economy still produces some negative drawbacks. Multinational corporations have been under attack for some time over their lack of accountability in regards to environmental destruction. Rather than working together democratically to reach decisions on what is best for the planet big business seems to be able to manipulate ales and regulations in order to suit their own needs. Bannered (2008) raises the instance of the 1992 environmental summit at ROI, in which non-government organizations demands were ignored to usher in a code of conduct that was developed by a council made up of multinational corporations. Humanity will only see more detriment if these corporations have nothing to answer to when they are killing the planet. Globalization is also a major cause of the erosion of indigenous communities around the world, particularly those who live in areas that have a high resource-value Blench 2001). The case of the Kabuki uranium mine development that was approved by the Australian government is Just one example of globalization moving in to a world heritage listed area in order to create economic profit. The mine would sit in a location rightfully owned by the Aboriginal people, many of who had openly objected to the project. Their objections were largely ignored due to the nature of the project and also the parties involved who stood to benefit greatly (Bannered 2000). The fear that continued globalization could cause the eradication of regional diversity ND therefore kill off native cultures to make way for more western traditions to be implemented is very real. If the trend keeps going towards this homogeneous way of life then this would be detrimental for humanity from a historical point of view. We would lose a lot of unique aspects of various cultures and natural parts of the world purely to make manufacturing and economic profitability simpler (Assailants Cope 2006). Unfairly forcing people to change their views and beliefs Just to make it that little bit easier for profit mongers to make a dollar is not an appropriate way for unanimity to act. Although globalization was never created in order to level the playing field between the rich and the poor nations, it doesnt seem to be doing enough to combat the problems caused by the economic greed that is inherit in its system. Globalization brings with it the risk that economical figures will be more focused on than the real world problems that are attached. If some of these multinational corporations were to collapse then the effect would ripple through many different countries, some of which would struggle to find their way back as well as others due to their economic taxation. The creation of globalization has in-turn created centers of power that dont have humanities best interests at heart.

Free Essays on Black Religion

Essay Response-Black Theology According to Cone, Black theology is representative of the â€Å"historical fight for justice.† Black theology cannot be separated from power and politics. Black theology is what gave Black people the motivation to fight for their future and go against society, politics, and discrimination. â€Å"The term ‘Black Theology’ was created in this social and religious context. It was initially understood as the theological imagination in the struggle of freedom independently of white theologians† (570). Cone defines Black Theology as a â€Å"theology of black liberation†(571). Black Theology is said to have been â€Å"born in the context of the black community as black people were attempting to make sense out of their struggle from freedom†(571). Cone says, â€Å"Black theology can be found in our songs, prayers and sermons†¦it is the black vision of truth, preeminently the certainty that we were created not for slavery but for freedom. It began when white theology degraded black people and it gave them the hope to move on from this. In addition to theological issues, Black Theology provided freedom from white oppressors. Cone says â€Å"We felt the need to explain ourselves and to be understood from our own vantage point and not from the perspectives and experiences of whites†(569). Black theology helped black people to be set free from white racism. While whites used Christianity to give reason for slavery, blacks used it to go against the immorality of slavery. Faith empowered the weak and distraught black community into restoring itself. Society has degraded the black community, and their faith in God has uplifted them. â€Å"The recognition that comes from seeing Jesus as Liberator and the Gospel as freedom empowers black men to risk themselves for freedom and for faith. This faith we affirm in the midst of a hostile, disbelieving society†(565-6). Social reform is necessary but inadequate, an... Free Essays on Black Religion Free Essays on Black Religion Essay Response-Black Theology According to Cone, Black theology is representative of the â€Å"historical fight for justice.† Black theology cannot be separated from power and politics. Black theology is what gave Black people the motivation to fight for their future and go against society, politics, and discrimination. â€Å"The term ‘Black Theology’ was created in this social and religious context. It was initially understood as the theological imagination in the struggle of freedom independently of white theologians† (570). Cone defines Black Theology as a â€Å"theology of black liberation†(571). Black Theology is said to have been â€Å"born in the context of the black community as black people were attempting to make sense out of their struggle from freedom†(571). Cone says, â€Å"Black theology can be found in our songs, prayers and sermons†¦it is the black vision of truth, preeminently the certainty that we were created not for slavery but for freedom. It began when white theology degraded black people and it gave them the hope to move on from this. In addition to theological issues, Black Theology provided freedom from white oppressors. Cone says â€Å"We felt the need to explain ourselves and to be understood from our own vantage point and not from the perspectives and experiences of whites†(569). Black theology helped black people to be set free from white racism. While whites used Christianity to give reason for slavery, blacks used it to go against the immorality of slavery. Faith empowered the weak and distraught black community into restoring itself. Society has degraded the black community, and their faith in God has uplifted them. â€Å"The recognition that comes from seeing Jesus as Liberator and the Gospel as freedom empowers black men to risk themselves for freedom and for faith. This faith we affirm in the midst of a hostile, disbelieving society†(565-6). Social reform is necessary but inadequate, an...

Projects, Processes and Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Projects, Processes and Systems - Essay Example Developing the right products at the right times is a serious concern among organizations which have important goals to achieve prior to obtaining competitive advantage and excellent performance in their industries. One example of an organization facing this kind of situation at all times is Apple Incorporated. Other high-tech firms that try to incur strategy of developing products at the right times may also include but not limited to Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell, Compaq, Toshiba, Acer, IBM/Lenovo, Asus, and Sony. All these firms have R&D departments trying to ensure completeness of projects on a concurrent and timely manner. For instance, at Dell, it is the firm’s primary concern to deliver product offerings on-time to their customers in order to provide high value for customer satisfaction, and ensure high productivity, efficiency and achievement of organisational goals. Developing the right products at the right times In the age of technology and tough competition, those fir ms in the industry where companies like Apple identify themselves to be integral components continuously faced with choices to remarkably create important image, so as to acquire potential target market, which at the bottom line will support their product and service offerings. The R&D departments of these companies play a very elemental role in order to come up with products that could grasp the opportunity and eventually address the prevailing market needs with timeliness. In reality, R&D department has projects to accomplish on a timely manner in order to provide a strong support for the achievement of organizational goals. These projects are multiple in nature such as developing the right products, harmoniously and at the right times, which make R&D project management a complex and challenging corporate activity (Verma et al., 2011, p.462). Developing the right products at the right times is a very important objective in the case of companies like Apple, IBM, Dell and other comp eting firms having the same nature of business. This is an essential project at Apple’s R&D department prior to formulation of highly innovative products that could satisfy its strategy prior to obtaining competitive advantage in its industry. Toyota on the other hand has to tie up R&D with its marketing department in order for it to formulate new models of cars prior to the changing needs and demands in the market. In reality, the R&D department of Toyota has to develop products at the right times in order not to stay far behind the competition. The company has to ensure that there must be something new to offer in the market. Therefore, the principle in reality behind the development of new products at the right times as one of R&D projects could reflect on the actual impact of understanding customer needs, ease of manufacture for new products, monitoring of development cost, minimization of time to market, and ensuring that the actual development is due to actual customers ’ needs, so it is important to integrate R&D, production and marketing (Hill and Jones, 2009, p.138). Thus, R&D projects, like developing the right products at the right times could only be successfully implemented if R&D has to be integrated with other working departments of an active organisation. After all, product

Persuasive Letter or Career Paper on Geography Essay

Persuasive Letter or Career Paper on Geography - Essay Example We do not want to be part of the statistic. In 2005, the United Nations and government agencies said the tsunami in Indonesia result to a death toll of 169,752 and the number of missing people at 127,294. (CNN) In 2010, it was reported that more than 50,000 people died from the earthquake that hit Haiti while 3 million were in need of help. (The Associated Press) In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan left the Philippines and 4.4 million homeless people in its wake, not to mention the number of deaths and cost of damaged infrastructure. Do we really want to be in the news this way? We can avoid this. Natural disasters are uncontrollable. Still, we can make sure that when they strike, the damage is not as immense as it has been for the past years. For example, the number of casualties brought about by the tsunami in Indonesia could have been decreased if resort owners were considerate of their surroundings, instead of constructing building structures on almost each and every space available at the waterfront. Trees absorb water. Maybe there would have been less disastrous consequences had there been more trees and higher ground area where the tsunami struck. The wrath of Typhoon Haiyan was inevitable. But the degree of destruction from the ensuing flooding could have also been minimized if the local government had been more prudent, when developing infrastructure, of the island’s location in reference to the surrounding bodies of water. An aerial shot of Tacloban a place greatly affected by Haiyan showed structures positioned tightly beside each other along the coastline. The green spaces were way behind the developments. (Mirchandani) The officials failed to consider the effect of flooding or a strong typhoon. Indeed, natural disasters are beyond man’s control. Nevertheless, if man does his share in nurturing the environment, then he would not need to cope with such kinds of devastation in the aftermath of natural

The Vietnam War Did war prove to be a successful means of achieving Essay

The Vietnam War Did war prove to be a successful means of achieving political objective Examine this from both the US and North Vietnamese perspectives - Essay Example It is â€Å"an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will†¦ War is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, carried on with other means.2 The Vietnam War was initially a conflict between two new countries that came out of the French colonization of Indochina. But, the US intervention led to a change in the circumstances. In the end, the essential reality of the struggle, wrote Hendrik Hertzberg in his book, Politics (2005), â€Å"was that the Communists, imbued with an almost fanatical sense of dedication to a reunified Vietnam under their control, saw the war against the United States and its South Vietnamese ally as the continuation of two thousand years of resistance to Chinese and later French rule.† (p. 37) Although there are three main players in the Vietnam War: North Vietnam, South Vietnam and the United States, there is the important addition of the Soviet Union as an actor and to a certain degree, China, that the Vietnam War came to be characterized by the conflict of two factions, the Communist and the US-South Vietnam alliance. On the Communist side, there is North Vietnam, Soviet Union and China. Here, the Vietnamese communist is holding the center stage. The Vietnam War was said to be an undeclared war between the Soviet Union and the United States or an extension of the Cold War, with Vietnam as the battleground of the West and the Communists war for global influence. The strategy in this regard is that these major powers were involved in their war against each other using the weaker countries as a battleground. In this approach, their troops are kept at a minimum and that they – the US and Soviet Union - are protected, themselves, from risk of direct attack. The Vietnam, was primarily a conflict between the North and the South for control over

The Glass Menagerie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Glass Menagerie - Essay Example C. He feels like a trapped animal that finally escapes its shackled existence. III: Amanda Wingfield’s illusionary world. A. Amanda is an old Southern belle who cannot accept her new status. B. She is partially guilty for her children’s faults. C. She tries to live in the present and past, unsuccessfully. The Difficulty of Accepting Reality Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie offers a minimal approach at the cost of an abundant plot and dramatic realism, so that he can portray â€Å"the totality of experience†¦ through symbolic implications, psychological action and lack of other distractions† (Bloom 19). His characters face such transformation that they find it impossible to relate to and cope with their present reality. Each member of the Wingfield family is unable to overcome this difficulty and each one of them withdraws into a private world of illusion where they find the comfort and meaning that the real world does not seem to offer. The phy sically and emotionally crippled Laura lives in a private world populated by glass animals, which are, just like her own inner self, dangerously delicate: â€Å"Oh, be careful - If you breathe, it breaks!† (Williams 64). Despite her problems, she harshly contrasts the other members of her household, with their selfishness and grudging sacrifices, by exalting pure compassion. She is also compared to a unicorn, a mythical being which is being referred to as extinct by Jim, and is also lonely, just like Laura due to its uniqueness. Once broken, it loses its magical traits and becomes just an ordinary horse which she gives to Jim as a souvenir, because it does not belong to her imaginative glass menagerie world any more, an enticing world grounded on fragile illusions. Unlike his sister, Tom is capable of functioning in the real world, as it is noted in his holding down a job and talking to strangers. He reads literature, he writes poetry and dreams of higher things in life, of e scape and adventure. Yet, he is inextricably bound to the squalid, petty world of the Wingfield household, as this is the only thing we get a deeper insight into. He bares his thoughts on his sister, mother, his warehouse job, precisely the things he claims he wishes to escape from. It becomes all too obvious that he has no more motivation than his sister in trying to obtain personal success, romantic relationships or even ordinary friendships, but just retreats into fantasies that literature, movies and drunkenness provide for him, until finally he leaves both his mother and sister behind, because as Williams puts it: â€Å"to escape from a trap, he has to act without pity† (Williams xiii). Their mother Amanda’s relationship with reality is the most complicated one. As an aged Southern belle who has lost all the major traits of one, she is partial to real world values and longs for social and financial success. She cannot accept her new status in society, Lauraâ€℠¢s peculiarity, the fact that Tom is not a real and successful businessman, and that she herself might be partially responsible for the flaws of her children. She yearns to make things better for all of them, yet she does it in all the wrong ways. Her retreat into illusion is in many ways more pathetic than that of her children’s, because she wistfully distorts reality, while at the same time, being painfully convinced she is not doing so. She tries desperately to hold on to both worlds, that of the present and the past, but realizes that both are crumbling beneath her

Funeral Customs of Hispanics and Italians Essay

Funeral Customs of Hispanics and Italians - Essay Example As well, in some cultures, men and women are treated differently. In order to come to a more clear and knowledgeable understanding on this subject matter, we will be thoroughly investigating and appropriating the funeral customs of two cultures in particular: Hispanics and Italians. The aim of this paper is to thoroughly discuss all of the key elements involved in Hispanic and Italian funerals; the customs, the beliefs, the traditions, as well as any and all other key elements in regards to this. By doing this, we will come to a more intellectual and understanding viewpoint on the issue at hand. This is what will be dissertated in the following. According to the U.S. Census 2000, the largest minority population belongs to people of Hispanic origin. Although this population might share the same language - Spanish - they might be of any race. Furthermore, their spiritual belief systems might vary depending upon their current or historic country of origin. Therefore, as they plan for honoring the departure of their loved ones, cultural differences will often times emerge and will therefore need to be considered. Hispanics are often more accepting of death because it is such a part of their religion and heritage. In fact, Mexico and Puerto Rico observe The Day of the Dead each year. Like African Americans, for example, Hispanics express their grief openly at funerals, with most customs following the Orthodox-Catholic service. Some, however, reflect earlier influences. "For example, small yellow flowers strewn about the house or on the path to the cemetery mirror Aztec traditions for Mexican Americans." (Planner, 2006). In regards to Italian funeral customs, there are few similarities with many more significant differences. The Italian village system of behavior surrounding death and burial has endured through the Italians' emigration, with the most striking characteristic of the persisting funeral pattern being that of the fact that the pattern itself is in fact borrowed. The rural Italian family will deprive itself of limited comforts and will sacrifice any small reserve it might have accumulated in order to pay for the funeral expenses including new clothes for the deceased. "In fact, behavior surrounding death and burial so permeates daily life in the rural south that the peasants may be described as 'death oriented'." (Moss & Thompson, 1959, pp.35-41). Funeral expenditures are considered to be a necessity, however regardless of disproportion to the other expenses of life. In order to calm the soul, useful objects such as cigarettes and matches and small change are placed near the body, and objects which the deceased had been particularly fond of are sent with him in the casket. "If something of importance was forgotten it would often be sent in the casket of another villager who died later with hope that the two souls would meet." (Mathias, n.d.). As well, in order that the soul would not be able to find its way back into the house if it returned, the body was always carried out by the feet first; by not seeing the door as it left it would not be able to locate it again later. Once the funeral itself is over, the mattress of the deathbed is taken out and washed and a meal is brought from a neighbor's house for the family and close friends. It is with this meal that the acts directly concerned with the funeral are ended. "From now o n the soul will be assisted

Week 5 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 5 questions - Essay Example ly defined roles and responsibilities, availability of required resources, and delegation of adequate authorities to facilitate faster and appropriate decision making, would lead to smoother communications amongst themselves, ultimately translating into realization of the organization’s corporate goals. External stakeholders include consumers, suppliers, competitors, creditors as well as the community at large. These groups form an inevitable part of organizational growth and hence satisfying their requirements is of utmost significance for any organization. The organizations, thus, should strive to establish long term strategic relationship / partnerships with the external stakeholders to gain maximum leverage from the same and to realize the ultimate organizational goals of growth and profitability. This could be achieved by providing high quality products / services to the customers, establishing solid long term relationships with the suppliers, offering a cost effective and niche product line, as well as good payment terms for the creditors. This would ensure a satisfied team of individuals which would help in sustaining and developing the overall organizational goals. Long term goals define the vision of the company, which may include the goals of becoming the largest manufacturer in the world, attaining a specified percentage of market shares, or becoming a global leader by creating a niche for its products / services. Long term goals help the organizations in creating a fixed route which they have to follow in order to realize their specified objectives. For instance, for a company, if the long term goal is to be a world leader of a particular product, in terms of customer service, technology as well as quality, the management thus has to devise ways to reach the ultimate objective such as improving cycle times by speeding up the process of product availability, as well as reducing or minimizing the production costs by use of best technological aids

The Glass Menagerie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Glass Menagerie - Essay Example C. He feels like a trapped animal that finally escapes its shackled existence. III: Amanda Wingfield’s illusionary world. A. Amanda is an old Southern belle who cannot accept her new status. B. She is partially guilty for her children’s faults. C. She tries to live in the present and past, unsuccessfully. The Difficulty of Accepting Reality Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie offers a minimal approach at the cost of an abundant plot and dramatic realism, so that he can portray â€Å"the totality of experience†¦ through symbolic implications, psychological action and lack of other distractions† (Bloom 19). His characters face such transformation that they find it impossible to relate to and cope with their present reality. Each member of the Wingfield family is unable to overcome this difficulty and each one of them withdraws into a private world of illusion where they find the comfort and meaning that the real world does not seem to offer. The phy sically and emotionally crippled Laura lives in a private world populated by glass animals, which are, just like her own inner self, dangerously delicate: â€Å"Oh, be careful - If you breathe, it breaks!† (Williams 64). Despite her problems, she harshly contrasts the other members of her household, with their selfishness and grudging sacrifices, by exalting pure compassion. She is also compared to a unicorn, a mythical being which is being referred to as extinct by Jim, and is also lonely, just like Laura due to its uniqueness. Once broken, it loses its magical traits and becomes just an ordinary horse which she gives to Jim as a souvenir, because it does not belong to her imaginative glass menagerie world any more, an enticing world grounded on fragile illusions. Unlike his sister, Tom is capable of functioning in the real world, as it is noted in his holding down a job and talking to strangers. He reads literature, he writes poetry and dreams of higher things in life, of e scape and adventure. Yet, he is inextricably bound to the squalid, petty world of the Wingfield household, as this is the only thing we get a deeper insight into. He bares his thoughts on his sister, mother, his warehouse job, precisely the things he claims he wishes to escape from. It becomes all too obvious that he has no more motivation than his sister in trying to obtain personal success, romantic relationships or even ordinary friendships, but just retreats into fantasies that literature, movies and drunkenness provide for him, until finally he leaves both his mother and sister behind, because as Williams puts it: â€Å"to escape from a trap, he has to act without pity† (Williams xiii). Their mother Amanda’s relationship with reality is the most complicated one. As an aged Southern belle who has lost all the major traits of one, she is partial to real world values and longs for social and financial success. She cannot accept her new status in society, Lauraâ€℠¢s peculiarity, the fact that Tom is not a real and successful businessman, and that she herself might be partially responsible for the flaws of her children. She yearns to make things better for all of them, yet she does it in all the wrong ways. Her retreat into illusion is in many ways more pathetic than that of her children’s, because she wistfully distorts reality, while at the same time, being painfully convinced she is not doing so. She tries desperately to hold on to both worlds, that of the present and the past, but realizes that both are crumbling beneath her

Week 5 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 5 questions - Essay Example ly defined roles and responsibilities, availability of required resources, and delegation of adequate authorities to facilitate faster and appropriate decision making, would lead to smoother communications amongst themselves, ultimately translating into realization of the organization’s corporate goals. External stakeholders include consumers, suppliers, competitors, creditors as well as the community at large. These groups form an inevitable part of organizational growth and hence satisfying their requirements is of utmost significance for any organization. The organizations, thus, should strive to establish long term strategic relationship / partnerships with the external stakeholders to gain maximum leverage from the same and to realize the ultimate organizational goals of growth and profitability. This could be achieved by providing high quality products / services to the customers, establishing solid long term relationships with the suppliers, offering a cost effective and niche product line, as well as good payment terms for the creditors. This would ensure a satisfied team of individuals which would help in sustaining and developing the overall organizational goals. Long term goals define the vision of the company, which may include the goals of becoming the largest manufacturer in the world, attaining a specified percentage of market shares, or becoming a global leader by creating a niche for its products / services. Long term goals help the organizations in creating a fixed route which they have to follow in order to realize their specified objectives. For instance, for a company, if the long term goal is to be a world leader of a particular product, in terms of customer service, technology as well as quality, the management thus has to devise ways to reach the ultimate objective such as improving cycle times by speeding up the process of product availability, as well as reducing or minimizing the production costs by use of best technological aids

Chronic Diseases Essay Example for Free

Chronic Diseases Essay Finding out that you have any type of cancer will change your life and wonder how and why it happens to them. Even after many years and billions of dollars of research, we still dont know exactly what causes cancer. But we do know how to identify people who are at higher risk of developing specific cancers. A well-known cancer that majority women get but also men can get as well is breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast. Everyone has a risk factor; a risk factor is anything that affects your chances of getting a particular disease. They are risk factors that you cannot change and those are: age, gender, family history of breast cancer, genes, and menstrual cycle. Your risks of developing breast cancer increases as you get older; most advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50. Women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men, but men have their chances as well. You may also have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have a close relative who has had breast cancer or other cancers such as: uterine, ovarian, or colon cancer. Some people have genes that make them more likely to develop breast cancer. Women who got their periods early, before age 12 or went through menopause late, after age 55 have an increased risk for breast cancer. Other risk factors are if you drink two or more glasses a day you can increase your chance of getting breast cancer. Also, being overweight is a risk factor of developing breast cancer. Many risk factors, such as your genes and family history, cannot be controlled. However, eating a healthy diet and making a few lifestyle changes may reduce your overall chance of getting cancer. Maintained a physical activity that will allow you to be at a healthy weight can help you reduce of getting cancer. Watch what you eat and how much you consume, it is said that if you reduce your intake of red meat will help you reduce your risk of getting breast cancer or any other cancer. Eating vegetables and eating more whole grain should be added or be a good portion in your daily diet. Also if you are aware of your risk factors you are already doing something to help you prevent getting cancer. Getting a screening test is also important to do even if your risk isn’t that high. A screening test looks for signs of cancer in people who have no symptoms. Also if you feel that you have symptoms, going to your doctor to check and do the screening test is important. Also when you have your daily check up at the doctors allowing them to do a simple regular breast examine. Your doctor will check if you have any abnormal lump in your breast. They are things you can do to help you prevent getting cancer but even so there is that small chance of you getting cancer. Talking to your doctor and being informed in what you can do is a very good option.

Business Empowerment Using ICT In Poultry Farming Commerce Essay

Business Empowerment Using ICT In Poultry Farming Commerce Essay This study investigates factors affecting poultry farmers in Fufore Local Government area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. It also discusses ways through which these farmers can be empowered through the use of ICT. In this research, mixed research methods were adopted in obtaining the data that was used; this includes the quantitative and qualitative research methods. The study discovered that a general support to build up the poultry production is necessary in the area of ICT and business to empower their businesses. This is necessary for extensive improvements in the contribution of the project to domestic production and economic well being of poor farmers. Also this research demonstrates that the implication of high degree ICT may have extremely excellent effects on empowering business to the Rural Farmers and also increase their economic development, by providing the poultry farmers with well access to ICT, to enhance their business to greater and better general and global markets. Introduction Poultry farming is one of the major forms of Agriculture practiced in Nigeria and many other countries in the world. It provides employment with high income to many both in the rural and urban places. For example, the United States, The average net income of poultry farmers can vary from $13,900 per year to $20,000 or more per year. (Poultry Farmer Job Description, 2010). Apart from this, poultry farming also contributes to the gross domestic product GDP of many countries. Based on the research we conducted, we found out that poultry generates about 27% of the livestock share contribution to Nigerians gross domestic product (GDP). Poultry Eggs and meat contribution of the livestock share of the GDP increased from 26% to 27% in 1999 (Ojo, 2003). Based on this statistics and the neglect of poultry farming by the Nigerians Government especially in the rural areas, we intend to show the rural poultry farmers how they can empower their poultry business by using ICT and some of the recent technological devices. In this paper, we will be focusing our research on a rural part of Adamawa State know as Fufore Local Government Area. Fufore is a small town (a local government) located in the southern part of Adamawa State. The town is mostly dominated by the Fulani tribe of Adamawa state. Majority of them are into cattle rearing and poultry farming while a few of them are into farming. The main aim of this research is to introduce ICT to these rural people and show them ways they can use it to improve their business. Fufore poultry famers The poultry famers of this region (Fufore) are practicing the kind of poultry farming know as the backyard poultry farming. In this kind of backyard poultry farming, they rear their poultry chicken in the backyard space of their house instead of putting them in a chicken coop. A chicken coop is a structure where live chickens are kept either on a chicken homestead or, in our case, a backyard chicken farm (My Back Yard Chicken farm 2007). The kind of poultry farming practiced by these people has so many disadvantages, because in our opinion, the most important aspect of poultry farming is the housing. This is because poultry chickens are fragile and they easily get infected by diseases, harsh weather e.t.c which ends up killing many of the chickens if not wipe up the entire poultry. To avoid this, it is expected that the chickens are kept in an isolated place that is clean and well protected. A chicken house is not only designed as a place for keeping chickens or shelter for your hens to lay their chicken eggs, but for protection as well. Protecting your chickens from cold drafts or other sorts of poor weather should be your #1 concern when building your first chicken coop. (My Back Yard Chicken farm 2007). Methodology Mixed research method is used in this research, both quantitative and qualitative. Hence using survey data was collected from poultry farmers where some also practiced aquaculture residing in rural areas of Adamawa state, Nigeria. The population consists of rural dwellers and most of its inhabitants depend on subsistence poultry farming, crop production, and animal herding. The word rural can be defined as places with low level of services (e.g transport, water, and medical services), non-urban settlements (such as Fufore villages) and a very high incidence of poverty ( IJEDICT, 2008). Geographically, the Fufore areas utilize both raining rainy season and dry season utilizing the river bank of Benue. It is purely a domestic food producing community. Interviews with some elders in the community show all tribes have their own pattern of traditional industries. There are lots of tribes such as Bata, Verre, Laka and Pere and the largest the Fulani tribes all largely professing the Islamic faith. Some of their local industries include, stools, mortals, pestles, hoe handles, axe handles, axe, hoe etc (Ayaga: 2009). Using structured questionnaire to interview the respondents who are poultry farmers. In some situation where our respondents cannot understand English, their native language namely Fulani was used as medium of communication. This present finding on Which poultry farming resources are used by rural poultry farmers? Which ICT resources are used by rural poultry farmers and why? How do ICTs enhance rural poultry farmers and quality of life? What problems those poultry farmers experience when accessing and using ICTs. Profile of Respondents Respondents were between the ages of 20 40 yrs. The respondents were asked questions that sought to determine personal information with regard to their field of occupation, education. These were questions common to the rural environment. Table of ICTs used by rural people {n=10} to access educational, business/trade, health, poultry farming. Table Shows use and availability of ICTs in the rural areas of Fufore district ICTs Education of poultry farming Business of Poultry farm Health of poultry Radio 77% 88% 65% Television 38% 21% 19% Films 15% 13% 7% Cell-phone 5% 8% 2% Telephone 1% Video Computer/internet 1% Respondents felt that ICTs were too costly or entirely unavailable. ICTs particularly the radio and TV are what the often see and sometimes use to listen to current affairs and music which highly enrich their lives. In this rural area computer/internet and mobile phone is hardly seen or available in this area. Most likely only the community chief can afford computer/internet or mobile phone. Major Challenges Faced by Fufore Poultry Farmers The poultry farmers in this region are faced with a lot of problems ranging from technological to housing. Some of these problems includes: Lack of conducive atmosphere for poultry (coop), Lack of efficient machineries for the poultry, lack of proper maintenance of the poultry, lack of efficient medication for the chickens. Lack of efficient machineries Based on our research, we found out that these farmers not only do not use machineries for their poultry, but they dont even know about these machineries not to think of using them. With the aid to ICT, we will be able to introduce these poultry farmers to some of the machineries that will help promote their poultry business. An example of machinery that is used for poultry is the egg incubator. The egg incubator comprises a transparent chamber and the equipment that regulates its temperature,  humidity, and ventilation. For years, the principle uses for the controlled environment provided by egg incubators is used for hatching poultry  eggs (Frank 1991). The first incubators were used in ancient China and Egypt, where they consisted of fire-heated rooms in which fertilized chicken eggs were placed to hatch, thereby freeing the hens to continue laying eggs. Later, wood stoves and alcohol lamps were used to heat incubators. Today, poultry incubators are large rooms, electrically h eated to maintain temperatures between 99.5 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.5 and 37.8 degrees Celsius). Fans are used to circulate the heated air evenly over the eggs, and the rooms humidity is set at about 60 percent to minimize the evaporation  of water from the eggs. In addition, outside air is pumped into the  incubator  to maintain a constant oxygen level of 21 percent, which is normal for fresh air. As many as 100,000 eggs may be nurtured in a large commercial incubator at one time, and all are rotated a minimum of 8 times a day throughout the 21-day  incubation period (Frank 1991). With recent technology, there are small egg incubators that fit up to 30 eggs and cost ranging from $49.95 dollars. These incubators are cheap and with the aid of these incubators, the rural fufore poultry famers will be able to hatch the eggs of their chickens. By so doing, they will save a lot of cost buying chicks. An example of this kind of incubator can be seen below. Lack of proper housing for poultry The poultry farmers around here lack proper housing for their chickens. Instead of caging the chickens in an isolated area to prevent them from getting infected by some diseases and also to help insure their safety from animals like cats and dogs, they simply allow them to roam about in the backyard during the day. At night, they lock them up in a room where they spend the night. In order words, the chickens are only allowed to feed in the day time. All this is because they lack a proper housing because, in a well organized and standard poultry farm, they chickens feed day and night with the aid of light at night. This makes them get mature on time and also insure more productivity. Lack of Medications Medication is an important aspect of poultry; this is because poultry chickens are fragile and easily gets infected by germs and diseases. Based on our research, we found out that poultry disease is one of the major difficulty those farmers are facing. According to one of them named Musa, we lack medicines for these chickens and because of this, when one of the chickens is affected the others also follow suit and without proper medication which we lack, it results to the death of many (Musa, 2010). Lack of skills for poultry management The poultry farmers here lack the basic skills of managing and running a poultry farm. The farmers simply concentrate on the eggs that the chickens produce, and nothing else. They depend on those eggs as the major and only source of their poultry income meanwhile; the eggs are just one of the sources of income of a poultry. With the aid of ICT, we will be able to show these people some ways they can make money out of the poultry farm apart from the sales of eggs. Some of these include: slaughtering the old less productive chickens and supplying the meat to an organization like the American University of Nigeria or fast food like Yahaya Restaurant. Using their remains as manure on their farms or selling them to the farmers e.t.c Proposed Model Given an increasing digital divide, we need to ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially ICT, are available to all. (UN: 2000). To achieve this and empower poultry farmers on the use of ICT, the government should do the following Establish Telecentres (Information Access Centers). Telecentres will provide poultry farmers information services on in the area of health of poultry, efficient poultry farming techniques, pest management, possible poultry business activities and market price information as well as skills training. The use of Telecentres should be free. The description includes the multipurpose community centre whose aim to demonstrate how to use technology for Poultry farming. The telecenters carry web-sourced information made available through various media such projectors, televisions, radio. Telecentres should have a website that has links to other websites which carry rich content on Poultry farming techniques, pest management, possible poultry business activities and market price information. Village telecenters should be equipped with computers with Internet capability, fax machines, telephones, televisions, VCRs and various printed materials. The village telecenters should also be network-linked with those established in other neighboring rura l telecentres; this will facilitate the exchange of experiences, information, and advertisement of community produce. Telecentres should provide services like voice telephony to fax, Internet and videoconferencing services to rural poultry farmers.. Telecentre requires the involvement of various institutions for the information processing and dissemination activities. Telecentres will also enlighten the rural dwellers of Fufore on information on basic government services such as health care, information for farmers and other essential support services in rural areas which the inhabitants are interested thus increase the use of ICT. Telecentres staffs should be well trained and have the eager and potential to learn in order to help rural poultry farmers who cannot read and write to get the appropriate information they need. Public call offices/public pay phones The government should install public pay phones or public call offices in rural area of Fufore. This will improve both connectivity and accessibility in rural Fufore by providing various levels and types of public ICT opportunities in the area. The objective is to provide information about poultry farming, e-commerce, ensure financial sustainability and bringing benefits directly to the local poultry farmers. Advantages of ICT to Poultry farmers in the rural areas Better Access to price information of Poultry products: With the use of ICT poultry farmers can be aware best prices of their products. Poultry Farmers in rural areas such as fufore are often found to be unaware of the value of their Poultry products ( e.g eggs, chickens ) markets. Poultry farmers often find themselves in a poor negotiating position with customers in the price of chickens and feeds, which farmers pay an inflated price for. Farmers are unaware of opportunities within their surrounding regions: for example which poultry breeds and commodities are fetching higher prices in surrounding towns; which products are in high demand, and so on. Accurate information on market standards can help the farmers in their cash returns. Better Access to national and international Markets. It is important to work towards increasing the level of access of information farmers have to potential markets, to facilitate contact between sellers and buyers, promote agricultural exports, facilitate online trading, and make producers aware of potential market opportunities including consumer and price trends in international markets. Greater access to poultry and agricultural information: Local farmers with the use if ICT will be educated concerning better practices in poultry farming, such as access information about poultry health thereby reducing disease of chickens(e.g Newcastle disease). And also to bridge the gap between information needs of farmers and the information provided, which is insufficiently localized and overly scientific in its presentation. With access to poultry farming/ agricultural information will give farmers greater awareness about new adapting techniques on droughts, changing weather, diseases and pests and hence increase their production efficiency. Conclusion This empowerment will go a long way in changing the lives of not only Fufore poultry farmers, but it will serve as enlightenment to as many Rural Poultry farmers as possible. If adopted, it will perceive an improvement in their income, social status; get greater sense of confidence in poultry business. ICT will ensure the provision of the following to the rural dwellers: Employment, improved market access, improved negotiation position, change in their levels of income, improved levels of cooperation, improved access to information about efficiency and production methods, improved infrastructure/connectivity in the rural areas and access to price information among others.