Links Between Ancient Empire (Songhai, Ming and Mughul) Essay

| Ming China| Songhai| Mughal India| Government and Society| * Absolute rulers * Government followed out all emperor’s orders * Emperor seen as god| * Peace patrolling by navy * Surrounding chiefs kept more of their power if they paid tributes * Based on Islamic Principals. * Performance based NOT birth * Based on military and religion * Slaves did all manual labour| * Based on Islamic principals * Local rulers kept power but had to pay tributes * Centralised administration * Efficient bureaucracy * Practiced religious tolerance | Role of Women| * Good education to teach their sons * Got married – family finance * Thrice following (followed whatever they were told by men) * Only influential if wealthy| * Men didn’t talk to women in public * Respected by men but had to act shy and timid * Separate housing between men and women. | * No education, liberty or rights * If they gave birth to a female they were shunned upon * Not allowed to go anywhere without permission * Women were seen as inferior| Travel and Trade| * Traded silk, porcelain and tea * Trade to show off China’s wealth and power * Traded with West Asia and Europe along the silk route * Brought goods back from exotic places visited | * Gold and salt trade * Huge caravans regularly crossed the Sahara desert. * Timbuktu and Goa became large commercial centres of these routes| * Export of agricultural products * Shipbuilding – key industry (Europeans bought from them) * Private trading – voyagers to East Africa, Europe etc†¦ * China was an important trading partner.| Links/Contacts with the rest of the world| * Zheng He voyagers – linked China to India, Ar abian Peninsula and East Africa. * Trade connected them to Asia and Europe – silk road along Med. Sea * Communication routes created via military courier system| * Trade in gold and salt along Sahara desert linked them to the Arabs and Europe through gold trade * Arab traders were the link from Africa to the rest of the world. * Commercial centres were a place for merchants from Med. And Europe to trade. * Exploration of Portuguese| * Contacts with China and South East Asia * Europeans ships visited India and they bought from the Indians * The British set up BEIC to trade| Learning and culture| * Education was wide spread. * Standardised education * Stand was high because they could print text books at the time * Different pantheons of Gods * Practised Buddhism and  Taoism | * Timbuktu and Goa – main centres of learning * Recruited teachers from over-seas * Islam – dominant culture * Recorded as one of the largest Islamic in history| * Established libraries in different languages * Welcomed scholars to his courts * Islamic * Practised religious cultures| Technology| * Inventors of gun powder * Compass * Paper * Printing| * Mosque Architecture – detailed and big * Took years to build| * Invented concept of zero * Modern math * Celestial globe * Advanced architecture | Decline of the Empires| * Invaded by the Moroccan army * This was possible because modern weaponry – Songhai didn’t stand a chance even though they had more men * Succession battles between Mohammed Askia I’s sons in 1593 led to civil war * Lost total control of trade and wealth due to Portuguese explorations around West Africa. | * Threats of invasion by Mongols and Machu * Weakened by power struggles * Became isolated because of the Great Wall of China * Sever famine * Economic problems – people stopped paying taxes | * Main threat – BEIC * Wars of succession weakened empire after Akbar’s death. * |

Fiscal and Monetary Policy- the Response of Global Economic Crisis Especially in Eu Essay

Fiscal and Monetary policy- The response of global economic crisis especially in EU Introduction Monetary and fiscal authorities across the globe have responded quickly and decisively to these extraordinary developments. In particular, against the background of rapidly receding inflationary pressures and risks, the Euro system has taken monetary policy and liquidity management measures that were unprecedented in nature, scope and timing. Since October last year they reduced the interest rate on the main refinancing operations. They also provided unlimited liquidity support to the banking system in the euro area to maintain the flow of credit. Governments in the euro area have reacted swiftly to stabilize the financial system and to counteract the adverse impact of the financial crisis on the real economy. Both monetary and fiscal authorities will need to remain credible and effective, and to fulfill their respective responsibilities. In so doing, they will lay solid foundations for future economic recovery and long-term economic growth and job creation. The crisis has shown how important it is to have an independent central bank firmly committed to the objective of price stability. At the same time, governments must make a strong and credible commitment to a path of fiscal consolidation and thus comply with the Stability and Growth Pact. But they must also resist the temptation to further increase the size of the stimulus measures, as this could erode trust in the sustainability of public finances and undermine the effectiveness of the measures already adopted. Global economic situation The financial markets, which was triggered by a systematic under-pricing of risk, particularly in the US sub-prime mortgage market, has now developed into a fully-fledged financial and economic crisis at global level. While the world economy continues to face a severe and synchronized downturn, recent international business confidence indicators suggest that the pace of the decline in economic activity is slowing down somewhat. Most forecasters expect that the global economy is likely to recover in 2010. The economic prospects remain fraught with uncertainty. Compared with a few months ago, overall risks to global economic growth have become more balanced. A stronger positive confidence effect than expected triggered by the monetary and fiscal policy measures could lead to a more sustained recovery in global demand and in global trade, and a quicker normalization of financial market and credit conditions. If global policy actions fail to strike an appropriate balance between economic stimulus and longer-term sustainability, financial market conditions could turn unfavorable again. Global inflation rates have continued to diminish rapidly. This is mainly due to lower commodity prices, weaker labour market conditions and greater global economic slack. Risks to global inflation seem to be broadly balanced in the short to medium term. Inflation risks depend on how efficiently the authorities withdraw the policy stimulus. Euro activity In global developments, economic activity in the euro area has also contracted sharply since the second half of 2008. The euro area economy has shrunk by about 4% over the past two quarters, the worst decline since the start of Economic and Monetary Union. For the current quarter, there is evidence that the economy has shrunk further, though at a slower pace. The economy is no longer in free fall; we are seeing the first signs of stabilization. Indicators of consumer confidence and business sentiment have continued to improve somewhat. We are also seeing some encouraging signs of normalization in financial markets. The euro area economy is likely to be very weak for the remainder of past year. The real GDP growth are broadly in line with the most recent forecasts from the IMF and the European Commission. Both institutions expect the euro area economy to contract by 4% or more in 2009, followed by a gradual recovery in 2010. The projected gradual recovery reflects the significant macroeconomic stimulus under way and the measures taken to make the financial system function normally both inside and outside the euro area. Euro price development Inflation in the euro area has declined rapidly since it reached its highest level, 4%, last summer. In May, The decline over this period is primarily  due to the marked fall in global commodity prices, and particularly oil prices. Inflation rates are likely to enter negative territory during the summer, but we expect them to turn positive by the end of 2009. This can largely be explained by base effects from energy prices. These effects are of no concern to the ECB, which aims to maintain price stability in the medium term. In other words, its monetary policy strategy aims to ensure that short-term volatility in inflation rates does not lead to volatility in long-term inflation expectations. It is reinforced by the anticipation that prices will decline further in the future. As a consequence, inflation expectations become disanchored and negative, and firms and households may decide to postpone investments and major purchases. Medium-term inflation expectations remain well anchored at levels consistent with price stability, low or negative inflation rates for a short period of time may help to sustain real income and may therefore stimulate spending. But even if inflation rates to turn positive again by the end of this year, the weak economic outlook for the euro area is expected to keep domestic price pressures contained for some time. Monetary and financing conditions Financing conditions in the euro area, external financing costs have been declining since October last year, and particularly sharply since the start of this year. Following policy interest rate cuts, bank lending rates have fallen significantly. This indicates that the pass-through mechanism from policy rates to the real economy has continued to function in recent months, even though there is evidence that banks’ margins have widened. With credit spreads across all rating classes decreasing from their record highs and with stock prices rising, the overall cost of financing for euro area non-financial corporation’s is diminishing. In general, the recent positive signs from financial markets point to a gradual improvement in confidence among investors. Monetary policy The ECB has acted in a timely, decisive and appropriate manner since the start of the financial market. When the escalating financial crisis led to a rapid decline of inflationary pressures. The interest rate on the main refinancing operations now stands at 1.0%, its lowest level since the launch  of the euro. This level is appropriate taking into account all information and analyses. Money market rates have fallen even further to record lows, and the loan interest rates charged by banks have declined. Substantive monetary policy easing is already being felt in the real economy. In addition to lowering the policy interest rate quickly and sharply, we have resorted to highly non-standard liquidity operations in order to provide the financial system with the liquidity that was so urgently needed. Last October, They adopted a ‘fixed-rate full allotment’ procedure in all their open market operations. This gives banks as much central bank liquidity as they want at our key policy interest rate, against an expanded list of eligible collateral. Coupled with the fact that essentially all financially sound euro area credit institutions can participate in the Euro system’s refinancing operations, these measures have significantly eased the banks’ balance sheet constraints, thereby avoiding a sudden stop in the supply of credit and the emergence of a systemic crisis. Policy measures Both monetary and fiscal policy-makers have reacted in a forceful and timely manner, aiming to restore confidence. And indeed, as regards the Euro system’s monetary policy and liquidity management measures. Confidence has returned to financial markets, and business surveys are picking up. Global and domestic demand to increasingly benefit from the significant economic stimulus and the measures taken so far to bring the financial system back to normal functioning. Fiscal policy measures Fiscal authorities in the euro area have demonstrated their willingness and capacity to act rapidly and in a coordinated manner in exceptional circumstances. It is important to distinguish between measures intended to support the banking sector and fiscal policy measures aimed at stimulating demand. Support for the banking sector Government support for the banking sector was necessary; it has safeguarded the stability of the financial system. The price of this success, however, is that governments have incurred substantial fiscal costs and credit risks that are ultimately borne by taxpayers. Following the adoption of a  concerted European action plan on 12 October 2008, euro area governments announced national measures to support the banking sector. These measures consist of government guarantees for interbank lending, recapitalization of financial institutions in difficulty, increase the coverage of retail deposit insurance and asset relief schemes. Overall, euro area governments committed about 23% of euro area GDP to financial sector support measures. For the euro area, the various support measures adopted so far are expected to have only a small direct impact on government deficits, whereas the impact on debt is expected to be about 3% of GDP. Finally, contingent liabilities related to the financial rescue measures are expected to be about 8% of GDP, excluding government guarantees on retail deposits. These figures, however, do not reflect the very different developments taking place across euro area countries. Rising long-term government bond yields may only have a gradual impact on government borrowing costs, as changes in interest rates only affect the cost of newly issued debt and debt at variable interest rates. However, they may signal both a reduced willingness on the part of investors to provide long-term funding as well as difficulty in accessing capital market funds. So far, most euro area countries have enjoyed relatively low interest rates on new government debt issuance, despite facing considerably more difficult market conditions. Looking ahead, as the economy recovers and competition for financing increases, governments may face higher bond yields again. Use of fiscal policy In addition to providing financial support to the banking sector, euro area governments reacted forcefully to counter the negative impact of the financial turmoil on the real economy. Besides the operation of automatic stabilizers, which provide a significant cushion to the euro area economy by way of lower tax revenues and higher spending on unemployment benefits, the discretionary use of fiscal policy helped to mitigate the effects of the global economic downturn. However, fiscal stimulus measures need to remain temporary and be combined with measures that ensure fiscal sustainability over the medium run. This will preserve trust in the sustainability of public finances and support both the recovery and long-term economic growth. While the recent coordinated fiscal loosening has been broadly accepted as a legitimate and necessary step in the short run, given the exceptional economic circumstances, it also entails a significant fiscal burden. The latest available economic point to dramatic developments in euro area public finances. In addition to a rapidly deteriorating general government deficit, which is expected to be above 6% of euro area GDP in 2010, the euro area debt ratio will increase by about 15 percentage points to above 80% of GDP by 2010. These figures are very high, though they compare favorably with other major economic regions that have also provided a substantial fiscal impulse to their economy. The budget deficit in both the United Kingdom and the United States is projected to be about 14% of GDP in 2010. Against this backdrop, euro area countries must reject calls for additional fiscal loosening. In the current environment, any further fiscal stimulus is likely to be counterproductive as it could hamper the economic recovery in two ways. First of all, even higher fiscal deficits could fuel market concerns about a country’s ability to meet its future debt obligations, thus putting upward pressure on interest rates. Second, increasing budget deficits would also raise concerns about a higher tax burden in the future, thus inducing consumers to save rather than spend any additional income. The financial sector support measures, combined with the Euro system’s enhanced credit support measures, were successful in safeguarding the stability of the financial system. Together, these initiatives have the potential to tackle the crisis of confidence at its root also by taking into account the fundamental role of the banking sector in the functioning of the economy. The restructuring of the banking sector is the top policy priority, and progress in this domain is the key to economic recovery. Given the challenges which lie ahead, banks should take appropriate measures to strengthen their capital base and, where necessary, take full advantage of government support and in particular recapitalization measures. Fiscal policy can contribute to macroeconomic stability also through discretionary actions. When assessing the merits of the different measures  taken, we should differentiate between measures such as (1) expenditure increases and (2) tax cuts, and (3) measures like guarantees and loan subsidies to specific sectors of the economy. Moreover, this type of support would be difficult to reverse and might act as a brake on long-term growth. Turning to the effectiveness of fiscal measures to stimulate demand (spending increases and tax cuts), it crucially depends on the behavior of economic agents, and that in turn also affects the size of the fiscal multipliers (the GDP effect of fiscal stimulus measures). The expectation that higher government spending today may lead to higher taxation in the future would induce both households and firms to save rather spend any additional income, thus reducing the size of the fiscal multiplier. Therefore, the public perception of overall fiscal sustainability plays an important role in the impact of the respective national fiscal stimuli. The effectiveness of fiscal stimulus measures also depends on the extent to which private investors respond positively to tax policy, with their investments likely to be more responsive in the case of ‘temporary’ tax breaks, as they provide an incentive to bring forward future investment plans. At the same time, there is a risk that fisc al stimulus measures may crowd out private investment by putting upward pressure on interest rates. Fiscal stimulus measures should be ‘timely, temporary and targeted’. ‘Timely’ means that the measures take effect when they are needed; any delays in assessing the cyclical situation, in taking decisions and implementing the measures may fail to prevent a drop in output. ‘Temporary’ implies that the fiscal impulse should only last as long as the recession in question. ‘Targeted’ relates to the expected size of the multiplier effect. In addition to these ‘TTT’ criteria, the measures should be consistent with other policy objectives such as fiscal sustainability, long-term economic growth and the functioning of the market mechanism. Implications of policy measures The current crisis has increased the role of the government in the economy. Some bank rescue operations have involved outright nationalizations, so governments now have significant exposure to the financial sector. Similarly, the large fiscal stimuli packages adopted by many countries have led to a large increase in the size of the public sector in the economy. At the same time, the turmoil is being interpreted by some as a crisis of the market economy. It has encouraged critics of the market economy to speak out and demand a much larger role in the economy for governments.The financial system clearly needs a fundamental overhaul. Financial institutions have to take a different approach and adopt appropriate incentives. We need to strengthen the regulation of the financial system, and in particular, we must improve the international cooperation between national supervisors of the financial sector. But the policy-makers must not get carried away by recent events; they should act in a measured way, and not throw the baby out with the bathwater. While governments have had no alternative but to support systemically relevant financial institutions, they should, as a rule, keep their assistance to specific sectors or firms to a minimum. And when they do intervene, they should prepare clear and credible exit strategies. No matter how serious the current crisis is, the market economy remains the best way to organize our economic affairs. An exit strategy is a comprehensive programmed to withdraw and neutralize measures taken during the financial crisis, without causing any harm to the economy. If they have no well-defined exit strategy, governments may get bogged down and the positive impact of the measures taken may be undermined. A well thought-out exit strategy is needed to reassure economic agents that a timely restoration of the level playing field in the different sectors of the economy is the ultimate objective. As such, an exit strategy needs to contain clear criteria about the timing of the withdrawal of the financial support and the reversal of the fiscal stimuli. Euro area governments did not lay out clear exit strategies when they announced the stimuli. Some of their measures do not expire automatically or are not explicitly designed to be temporary. The possible difficulties of reversing the fiscal stimulus packages may hinder the return to sound fiscal positions in the short run. Under these circumstances, the peer pressure mechanism, on which the EU fiscal framework is based, may be weakened thus  making more difficult a return to sound fiscal policies. As a matter of fact, countries with high fiscal deficits may be tempted not to put political pressure on their peers. Protracted excessive deficits may undermine the credibility of the EU fiscal framework, thus casting doubts on fiscal sustainability and jeopardizing the Stability and Growth Pact. The current crisis has taught us an important lesson about the importance of preserving the public’s trust in the soundness of public finances. At the current juncture, euro area governments must make credible commitments to return to sound fiscal policies. Doing so in full compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact is the most credible exit strategy. This requires, first, a full reversal of the fiscal stimulus measures taken so far. This is necessary to ensure an efficient allocation of resources by minimizing distortions in the incentives of economic agents and by avoiding a permanent increase in the size of the public sector. Second, governments must live up to their commitment to maintain fiscal discipline. This means that credible fiscal consolidation plans have to be implemented as early as possible, including a consolidation effort of at least 1% of GDP per annum where necessary. Understanding the monetary policy from the crisis The current crisis demonstrates, once again, how important it is for central banks to remain independent of political influence. Even if we are experiencing the worst economic downturn since the 1930s, long-term inflation expectations in the euro area remain solidly anchored in line with the ECB’s definition of price stability. Although central banks may be charged with additional tasks in the aftermath of the crisis, their primary objective must remain the maintenance of price stability. We cannot allow any conflicts of interest to arise. The high-level expert group headed by Jacques de Larosià ¨re, former Governor of the Bank of France and Managing Director of the IMF, has identified a number of weaknesses in the supervisory framework both inside and outside Europe that contributed to the build-up of the current crisis. The important role played by monetary analysis – and in particular the role of asset prices – when assessing the risks to price stability over the  medium term. Price stability is our primary objective, but this does not imply that we only focus on short to medium-term movements in inflation. Any build-up of financial imbalances which could pose risks to price stability in the longer term could be overlooked under a restrictive short-term approach. The ECB’s assessment of risks to price stability is well equipped to detect these types of risk as it is based on a comprehensive economic and monetary analysis – its well-known two-pillar strategy. The first pillar, the economic analysis, is common to most central banks. This analysis basically consists of identifying risks to price stability in the short to medium term by analyzing the interplay between aggregate supply and aggregate demand in the economy. The second pillar, the monetary analysis, plays a more prominent role at the ECB than at other central banks. The ECB pays special attention to monetary developments in recognition of the fact that monetary growth and inflation are closely related in the medium to long term. Analyzing developments in credit, and in particular loans to the private sector, is helpful in extracting the relevant signals from the monetary developments. This analysis also implies a regular monitoring of asset price developments and their implications. This analysis will become even more prominent in the future. Conclusion The fiscal and monetary authorities have responded forcefully and their efforts are slowly starting to bear fruit. The pace of the economic contraction appears to be slowing down, and confidence indicators have improved somewhat. The crisis has highlighted the importance of sound public finances. Governments need to consolidate during good economic times in order to have room for man oeuvre during not-so-good times. With respect to monetary policy, the crisis has demonstrated the importance of having an independent central bank credibly committed to price stability. The fiscal and monetary authorities have an important role in sustaining the economic recovery. Governments must devise and enact credible strategies to exit from the banking sector and to ensure that the discretionary policy measures adopted during the crisis will be reversed. Their full compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact is the best tool to solidly anchor market expectations. Most importantly, we will continue to deliver on what we are expected to deliver, which is to maintain price stability, and to provide an anchor of confidence in difficult times. The current crisis has shown how important it is for countries to consolidate during good economic times and to build a ‘fiscal reservoir’ from which they can draw in periods of ‘drought’. Many euro area countries failed to do so. They suddenly found themselves in this turbulent environment burdened by high fiscal deficits and debt ratios. As regards monetary policy, it is equally important to draw up a strategy for withdrawing in due course the extraordinary measures that have been implemented or announced. The ECB obviously cannot maintain the current degree of support indefinitely. We are providing substantial short-term support to the financial system and the real economy, and thereby ultimately maintaining price stability. In fact, we are prepared to take appropriate actions once the macroeconomic environment improves. We will ensure that the measures taken can be quickly unwound and the liquidity provided absorbed. This includes, for instance, unwinding the increase in the average maturity of our refinancing operations. Being prepared to exit from our non-standard measures – as soon as the macroeconomic conditions justify such a move – helps to maintain price stability over the medium term and to ensure a firm anchoring of longer-term inflation expectations. References Alan Auerbach and Yuriy Gorodnichenko, 2012a, â€Å"Measuring the Output Responses to Fiscal Policy,†American Economic Journal: Economic Policy,  Alan Auerbach and Yuriy Gorodnichenko, 2012b, â€Å"Fiscal Multipliers in Recession and Expansion,† NBER Chapters, in Fiscal Policy after the Financial Crisis, edited by Alberto Alesina and Francesco Giavazzi (University of Chicago Press). Rà ¼diger Bachmann and Eric Sims, 2012, Confidence and the transmission of government spending shocks,† Journal of Monetary Economics Blanchard, O. and R. Perotti (2002). â€Å"An Empirical Characterization of the Dynamic Effects of Changes in Government Spending and Taxes on Output.† Quarterly Journal of Economics 117(4): 1329-1368. Nicoletta Batini, Giovanni Callegari and Giovanni Melina, 2012. â€Å"Successful Austerity in the United States, Europe and Japan,† IMF Working Papers 12/190, International Monetary Fund. Anja Baum and Gerritt Koester, 2011, â€Å"The Impact of Fiscal Policy on Economic Activity Over the Business Cycle – Evidence from a Threshold VAR Analysis† Deutsche Bundesbank’ Anja Baum, Marcos Poplawski-Riberio and Anke Weber, 2012, â€Å"Fiscal Multipliers and the State of the Economy,† IMF Working Paper, International Monetary Fund, December. International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (2008).†Fiscal Policy as a countercyclical tool.† October Ethan Ilzetzki, Enrique Mendoza & Carlos Vegh, 2011. â€Å"How Big (Small?) are Fiscal Multipliers?,† IMF Working Papers (International Monetary Fund.) Forthcoming, Journal of Monetary Economics. Daniel Shoag, 2012, â€Å"The Impact of Government Spending Shocks: Evidence on the Multiplier from State Pension Plan Returns,† Harvard Kennedy School. Antonio Spilimbergo, Steven Symansky, and Martin Schindler, â€Å"Fiscal Multipliers,† Staff Position NoteNo. 2009/11, International Monetary Fund. Perotti, R. (2002). â€Å"Estimating the effects of fiscal policy in OECD countries.† ECB Working Paper.

Final exam Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final exam - Term Paper Example They can work for an unlimited number of years allowing them to refrain from political pressure. Moreover, the constitution prohibits slashing of judges’ salaries implying that neither the executive nor the legislature can threaten to demote these judges. Although the American constitution binds all courts, the judicial branch has the authority to construe the law. Courts are dependable for making the eventual choice regarding the law. Additionally, the judicial branch has the authority to consider all actions of the executive and legislative branch and deem any action that breaches the constitution as void (Zelden, 2007). Therefore, the judicial branch enjoys power called judicial review and uses it sparingly. The role of the executive branch is enforcing the law, with the president being the head (Neubauer, 2011). The president must swear to protect the country’s constitution before taking office. This branch comprises of the president and all other individuals that f all within the president’s purview such as appointees and administrative agencies. However, the president can neither establish legislation nor intrude the legislative branch. The legislative branch makes the country’s laws. Moreover, the American congress vests all legislative powers and comprises of a senate and House of Representatives (Little& Ogle, 2006). Apparently, the congress’ role within the government is legislation. Additionally, statutes refer to laws enacted by the congress. Apparently, the American constitution grants the congress the authority to make laws. Question 2: Theories behind administrative agencies Administrative agencies undertake diverse government functions such as making rules (Beermann, 2010). Regulations refer to rules made by the named agencies and assist in monitoring the activities of individuals governed by the agency and agency’s employees. Another function of these regulations is ensuring consistent law application. O ne theory behind administrative agencies is collective action theory. Apparently, this theory seeks to comprehend how individual groups have the ability to cooperate, with an intention of overcoming social dilemmas and assumes self-interest as the default position. A behavioral technique to joint action initiates with this argument; individuals have evolved the ability to learn cooperation standards and social regulations that have enhanced group success. Apparently, individual actions depend largely on social context. An example to illustrate this theory is organizing a demonstration because it entails considerable collective action. Therefore, administrative agencies enact regulations that they deem as the legislative intent The free market theory stipulates that in an unregulated environment, supply and demand naturally attain equilibrium, thereby achieving maximum social good. Generally, this theory implies that despite existence of misunderstandings amid two parties, they will still reach a compromise. An example to illustrate this theory is conflict resolution. Apparently, for both parties to reach a common understanding, both parties need to give their verdict regarding the issue. Similarly, administrative agencies propose regulations and allow interested parties to give their verdict. The fairness and redistribution theory advocates for fair justice to all individuals. It says that individuals advocate for fair rights and equivalent distribution of benefits. An example to il

Should the state or federal goverment put laws into place to prevent Research Paper

Should the state or federal goverment put laws into place to prevent bullying - Research Paper Example Furthermore, the consequences of bullying are even more lethal than the imagination of the bullies and their victims (Lines, pp. 19-20). More than 86 percent of the school shooting has been linked to the past improper treatment and bullying of the students. Furthermore, 10 percent of school droppings take place due to bullying (Rigby, pp. 21-22). Suicide rates amongst children under the ages of 14 are low but over the past couple of decades, they have been rising up. There is enough evidence to link these suicides with bullying of children (Barclay & Butler, pp. 6-10; Mattern, pp. 165-167; Rooney, pp. 171). The above-mentioned paragraph is just a glance at the statistics related to bullying of children and without any doubts; it does not paint a desirable picture. Over the years, bullying has become a common phenomenon in schools and our societies, communities and neighborhoods (Macfarlane & McPherson, pp. 85-89). Parents, schools, NGOs and others have played their part in trying to prevent bullying; however, it is time for the federal government to intervene for solution of this problem. Therefore, the major agenda of the paper could be defined as â€Å"Rather than becoming a silent bystander to bullying, it is the moral and legal responsibility of the federal government to intervene by making laws that could prevent bullying so that our children, who are the future of the country, could be saved from catastrophic results.† According to its definition, bullying refers to the aggressive behavior with which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes the â€Å"target†, pain, and discomfort. Bullying can be emotional, physical, or verbal. â€Å"Targets† or the subjects of bullying may face the same based on their race, sexual orientation, disability, personality, religion, gender, intelligence and others (Fort & Stevens, pp. 230-231). Bullying may take place in all possible settings with human contact such as schools, high schools, colleges, universities, churches,

Strategic Marketing (SBU Competition) Research Paper

Strategic Marketing (SBU Competition) - Research Paper Example Among all the mentioned competitors of Star Hub SingNet is the largest internet service provider in Singapore with 372,000 broadband users and 71,000 dial up customers (about SingTel, 2013). As SingNet is the biggest internet provider company followed secondly by Star Hub and at third place stand M1 Net Ltd. The total broad band subscribers of Star Hub are 329,000. The broad band user of the third largest company M1 Broad band is over 10,000 . ... The stock price also increased compared to the price of last day Revenue for the companies (as according to available financial reports) 2012: 18,825 Million 2011: 18,071 Million 2010: 16, 871 Million 2012: 2,422 Million 2011: 2,312 Million 2010: 2, 238 Million 2012: 1,076,812 2011: 1,064,896 2010: 979.2 Million Customer base 557,000 are the total broad band internet users for the company 442,300 are the total subscribers of the broad band internet service provided by the company 173,900 are the total broad band internet subscribers for M1 Strengths Many of the strengths that are associated with the company includes: The first ever company to launch its broad band services in Singapore First broad band service provider to introduce supplementary surfing Being the pioneer and the largest company to hold the stake, trust of people in the service provided Star Hub being the second market leaders holds certain strengths as well including: Fastest growing broad band internet service provi der Provides the highest speed for surfing including the fastest speed internet for downloading and uploading in Singapore Provides unlimited surfing packages to make family time fun M1 as is the third largest leading broad band possess the following strengths: Introducer of the latest technology Pioneer in providing the fastest downloading speed where even needed with even in peak hours Connectivity choices are customized and available according to the need and requirement of the customers Faster and an easier way to access the international high bandwidth sites Competitive Advantage Pricing Bundles that are offered by SingNet is their competitive advantage and the factors which helps them gaining the highest market

The Influence of Buddhism on Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Influence of Buddhism on Japan - Essay Example Buddhist philosophy has changed over the centuries, but the impact on Japanese culture and politics remains a constant. Since being introduced to Japan, Buddhism has influenced Japanese society, almost as much as Japan has influenced Buddhism. Supposedly Buddha achieved enlightenment by sitting in this position under a tree. This posture promotes concentration which is part of the Eightfold path taught by Buddha. Buddha's fundamental teachings, the Eightfold Path, the Four Noble Truths, the idea of dependent origination, the five precepts, the five aggregates, and the three marks of existence, make up important elements of the perspective that Zen takes for its practice. All of the Buddhist sects allow Shinto to be mixed with Buddhism, even though the religions have conflicting views. This fosters superstitious ritual and beliefs that allow for Buddhist philosophies to grow. The mixture of religions allow for growth that makes the influence uniquely suited to the Japanese culture. It also allows for diverse worshipers. If one sect does not suit a citizen, Buddhism does not have to be abandoned. Another sect could be the answer to a dissatisfied worshiper. Buddhism is not rigid, like most Western religions. Maybe that is why the Japanese embraced Buddhism so wholeheartedly.

Power electornic lab2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Power electornic lab2 - Essay Example Transformers generally consist of two windings; primary and secondary as shown in the diagram below. If the primary windings consist of more turns than the secondary windings, the transformer is a step down transformer as the one shown below. Transformers with greater amounts of secondary windings than primary windings are known as step up transformers. Step down transformers are more common in industries where they are connected from the power grid to the households Transformers are also divided into two; high frequency and low frequency transformers. The low frequency transformers work best at 50/60 Hz while the high frequency transformers work best at 100 kHz. Each set of the devices posse’s advantages over the other in some situations. The low frequency transformer has low eddy current lose, lower stray capacitances and comparatively low antenna losses. On the other hand, the high frequency transformer has a lower magnetizing current meaning that it needs less inductance so that fewer turns fiord a larger gauge of copper wire. This minimizes copper losses. Deciding the best transformer relies on the costs and efficiency. Overall, the high frequency transformer is efficient while the low frequency transformer is less costly. Table 1.1 illustrates the difference between ideal and practical transformer. From the outset, it is conclusive that the ideal transformer doesn’t account for the losses in the circuit while the practical transformer does. The experiment included a single design calculation to determine the resistor needed for the power resistor. In the calculation, it was found that the value of the power resistor must exceed 30â„ ¦. This meant that the best resistor for the experiment was the 33â„ ¦ power resistor. The first lab question was about the meaning of load regulation. From research it was determined that voltage regulation is

Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Project - Essay Example The first component of the theory segment in this experiment will entail the isolation of a container beyond the precints of heat or errors prone to affect the experimental outcome. Another important parameter for measurement will be the can’s and containers specific heat capacity. This is moreso because it aid in slow or steady increase or decrease of temperature. Evidently, transfer of thermal energy between two objects is only feasible when they are at different temperatures. The experiment herein will investigate the thermal energy of a solid (ice) to liquid (water) state. In this regard, thermal energy will be lost by the ice and gained by the water. The design and construction of the calorimeter entails a can and container. There is a space between the can and container that functions as a heat insulator. Consequently, minimal exchange of heat occurs between the can and container. Furthermore, a digital thermometer is used in determining the liquids temperature within the container. In the middle of the container, a can is placed with ice in it. To aid in the equal distribution of heat throughout the vessel, a stirrer will be used in stirring the liquid. Laces are equally useful holding up the inner vessel suspended within the center of the outer container. A plastic lid or cover with holes is used in attaching the thermometer and stirring rod. The device used in the experiment for taking measurements of the energy changes within a system that is either physical or chemical in nature is known as a calorimà ¨tre. During the experiment, temperature recordings of the water inside the calorimeter were taken as the ice was melting. In this regard, measurements were conducted at intervals of every 30 seconds. Two trails of the experiment were conducted. Prior to recording the water temperatures, the stirrer was used in stirring the water for

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 84

Reflection - Essay Example 2). These points are the ones that appeal to me most from Sirico’s publication. I think the new concept highlighted in the publication is the fact that entrepreneurship is similar to other professions; therefore, it is prudent to afford entrepreneurs with the same level of respect. Judging them based on stereotypes originating from biased, archaic religious perceptions does little to encourage those in the vocation to engage in ethical business practice. Positive consequences result from applauding the innovative, intuition-filled actions of entrepreneurs, as it affirms their ability to create something in spite of dire circumstances. In my opinion, if the world regarded entrepreneurship as a vocation, there would be a limited need to use regulatory policies to coerce entrepreneurs to conform to business ethics principles. Ensuring ethical practices would become second nature, as entrepreneurs would regard these practices as their inherent duty to the public. They would endeavor to ensure their practices result in positive outcomes rather than harmful

Module 4 - SLP Training and Appraisals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Module 4 - SLP Training and Appraisals - Essay Example Skills gapping starts right from the recruitment stage in an organization, when the administrators compare the skills of prospective employees with the skills an organization lacks or needs. When the skills a job candidate posseses is of dire need to an organization, the candidate may be considered. Applicants with a higher degree of match between skills desired and skills acquired therefore have an upper hand in being recruited by the training authorities (Jones, 2000). The traning administrators then move further to establish if there exists a deficiency between the skills employees have and what they ought to have. Should they detect insufficiency in the desired skills, the immediate managers of the employees or their training administrators check if there is a set of courses in their training programs that can adress the staff’s challenges. Another thing that they look into is the possible events in that given organization which can offer training to its employees. In the process, organizations iron out their employees’ challenges in a personalised precision training program (Jones, 2000). In today’s business environment, both philanthropic and profit making organizations such as commercial banks are in dire need of employees who are computer literate. For banking institutions having employees deficient of computer skills, skills gapping must be conducted if an organization’s efficiency is to be improved (Jones, 2000). Conventionally, the program starts with examining job candidates for computer skills. What is sought by organizations with regard to computer skills may not be extreme technical skills possesion, but basic knowledge in operating computer applications, especially softwares that most befits the running of that given organization. Standardized tests may be administered on these prospective staffs. Mostly, candidates are often required to practically prove their assertions that

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay Example for Free

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay WP is a refrigeration case company and their goal is to create value for its customers. They are dedicated to lead the industry towards sustainability by providing energy efficiency and sustainability of their operation as well as the product they provide to their customers. WP vision is to use their knowledge and resources to improve the current economic conditions. They began in New Jersey searching for a solution to a problem. They have a mission to provide industry –leading solutions that can help their customers stay competitive in their market. WP has an amazing time-line since they opened in 1887. In 1977, WP opened up the Engineered Systems division in Georgia. Through acquisitions since 2009, they now have eight locations and plan to acquire more companies in the future. This paper will indicate what type of market structure WP competes and why the market structure was decided upon. It will also show how the market structure differentiates from any other alternatives. WP manufacturer refrigeration and specialty cases based on their customers want and needs. They also cater to the aftermarket sector in order to provide fresh ideas and parts in order to serve their customers better. WP has increased their market shares by creating innovative products that cannot be found at any other competitor. They listen to their customers and utilize their knowledge and resources to manufacturer exquisite cases for the retail grocer. It is important to WP that their customers know how they are an intricate part of their business. Maintaining the leader in the industry by providing innovative products continue to attract more grocery store owners to their business. With the increase in exposure, creates higher sales, which, will lead to overall increase in profits margins. A supply chain group (STARS) was developed to create alliance partnerships between the customers, suppliers, and various departments at WP. The STARS group has years of success in increasing the supplier and customer alliances. WP has a monopolistic competition market structure. Monopolistic competition is  sellers of a product sell similar profiles but makes it somewhat different and take less emphasis on the price. The various companies decide on their own pricing structure of the product there are selling and the output of that product. The price is based on the current market and the cost to product the product. There can be many producers of the product because no one company has total control over the market place. There are few barriers to entry. Some include capital, as there is the need to have capital order to start up the business. In addition, there is inelastic demand, which means their strategy to penetrate the market by selling at a lower price than their competitors sell. Finally, another barrier to entry is economy of scale, which is the increase in efficiency of production as the number of cases being produced increases. Advance technology can affect the cost advantages as they can reverse as quickly as technology changes. Competitive strategy is how a business competes in the market that they are in. WP competitive strategy includes product differentiation, control cost, technology, and maintain market shares. WP differentiates between their products versus their competitors because they provide outstanding quality cases built with quality-inspected parts. They also provide outstanding field service support to their customers, which enable WP to charge a higher price in order for them to maximize their profits. Another competitive strategy is controlling cost. By controlling the cost, WP is able to minimize their loss. They control their cost by creating alliance partnerships with their suppliers with agreements set into place so that cost stay consistent. Pricing is not able to increase unless if reaches an agreed upon threshold, then and only then are the suppliers allowed changing their price annually. This allows WP to maximize their cost by keeping the cost down and not passing along price increa ses to their customers as material cost increase. In a bad economy is become even hard to maintain market shares. WP motto is to â€Å"never say no to our customers†. They never let a customer go. In order to keep the customer happy, WP provides a four to six week lead-time to their customers compared to the industry standard of eight weeks. Custom color matching makes WP a specialty center in which a customer can see a color and describe it to them in order to have that same exact look in their stores. Technology changes every day. In order  to keep up with the growing technology, WP has a large marketing team and IT department. They are constantly researching trends and what drives consumers to shop in the grocery stores. Fresh foods and lighting are a few triggers to a consumers loyalty to a store so WP developed a website to market their products to be more energy efficient and provide cases that will keep the freshness in. The website show the various types of cases available and the total fan color charts to pick from. Internet is today’s way of communicating and customers do not want to take time to pick up the phone. They want to research on-line first to see if what is offered a potential product for their store. It is the only way to touch the customer interest the fastest. WP also participates in yearly shows to allow hands on changes to technology and trends in the market place. WP might want to consider branding as additional strategies in their organization in order to maximize their profits before their product hits the road; there are quality inspections and testing done. To ensure that they stay number one in market position as well as staying in a competitive market, WP should put their name on all cases. This will put their name out in the market. Branding of their product needs to large enough for anyone to see that WP manufactured this case and that they care about moving into the future with energy efficient product. If needs to differentiate between them and their competitors so that there is no mistaken identity of the manufacturer contact information. References Merriam-Webster (2014) Monopolistic Competition. Retrieved on February 1, 2014 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monopolistic%20competitionConsumer

Process of Recruitment Selection

Process of Recruitment Selection Executive Summary: The assignment is prepared to explain the process of Recruitment Selection Which involves identifying and attracting the potential candidates from within and outside the organization and evaluating them for future employment. Todays tight labour in the market is making it more difficult for organizations to find, recruit, and select talented people. The competition for talent is intensifying, as there is a huge talent in the market. This makes it more important for the organizations to effectively select and retain quality candidates. Better recruitment and selection strategies result in improved organizational outcomes. The more effectively organizations recruit and select candidates, the more likely they are to hire and retain satisfied employees. The study is based on the process of Recruitment Selection of the candidates on the basis of which they will be utilizing their skills for the growth and functions of the organization. Introduction: In the current scenario, there is a lot of talent in the market so the process of Recruitment selection has also been made difficult. For instance, Getting into IIMs is really a tough job or getting into a firm called Golden Gate, really calls for competition. So particular attention is given to core skills required in a selection interview such as planning, avoiding potential distortion, questioning, listening and evaluation. Process of recruitment attracts three stages: Identify define the recruitment, attract potential applicants and selecting the appropriate people, this also helps in determining the organizational objectives. Objective: The objective of making this report is to examine the overall process of Recruiting selecting in the interest of the organization. In other words, it is also important to note if the HR plans are implemented or not. Recruitment Selection: The process of recruitment selection deals with the attainment of organizational objectives by selecting the most appropriate candidate. Internet has become the most effective method of recruitment as it saves time and cost of the Recruiters and the Candidates too. In order to achieve the objectives of the organization the HR also follow some practices like Ability Tests, Behavior based interviews and also analyze the candidates knowledge required for the concerned job. Initially, it involves short listing of those candidates who are eligible for the mentioned profile. Then, the candidate is required to present his ability and knowledge by undertaking some tests which are based to analyze the knowledge of the candidate. Then the candidates are required to take interview on the basis of which the skills of the candidates are evaluated. Then after this stage, HR selects those candidates whom he thinks will prove to be beneficial for the organization. The role of the human resource function is two-fold: 1. To participate in the decision process by providing information and opinion on each option, including: * Redundancy or recruitment costs * Consequences on morale * Redeployment/outplacement opportunities * Availability of skilled staff within the organization * Availability of suitable people in the job market * Time constraints * Development/training needs/schedules * Management requirements. This forms part of the information collated from the organization as a whole 2. To support line managers dealing with the people consequences of implementing the decision. Information already gathered provides the basis for a human resource plan.) (Human Resource Management, R P Mohanty) Issues Related to Recruitment Selection: In order to perform a suitable criteria for selection, there exists different issues as it entails high competition on the technical aspects of different organizations. The recruitment process has been very challenging in todays scenario, since there is lot of competition in the market and to employ the best workforce, the best practices should be adopted, like Reliability, Validity, Costs, Professional Image and Candidate Reaction.. Validation is a process of establishing a relationship between performance on a selection method and other independently observable measures of the attributes being tested. Costs of employing a candidate is also measured both in quantitative qualitative terms, like Training costs and employee costs (salary). Apart from this the recruitment process also depends upon factors like the economy situation, the companys performance, its reputation, its market share If the economy is doing well then there would be more hiring in the organizations. Other issues like Gender Bisedness, dominancy by seniors also prevail in the market The cost and time of following through the selection procedures Employment processes can be long and costly giving rise to the temptation to take shortcuts. However a rushed employment process can be more time consuming and costly in the long run. The aim is to get the best applicant for the job in open competition. There should be no short cuts in the selection process, particularly at the short listing stage. All members of the panel should have the opportunity to see all applications and have an opportunity to have input into the short list of applicants. Conflicts of interest If a panel member is closely related or in an intimate personal relationship there is a potential conflict of interest which should be declared and a replacement found. When an applicant is known personally to members of the selection panel, or is part of their social or professional network there may be a conflict of interest or the perception that one exists. In this case it is extremely important to be vigilant in following the set procedures. The selection committee should not receive additional information (e.g. anecdotal material) about an applicant outside the recruitment process. Such information could be based on hearsay or may be influenced by the personal bias of the member who presents the information. Use of personal characteristics as selection criteria Problems may arise as a result of requiring that an applicant be ‘assertive’, ‘dynamic’, ‘enthusiastic’ rather than clearly identifying what skills the job requires. (LA TROBE UNIVERSITY) According to Mr SUSAN.R. MEISINGER, There exists four Cs in HR Profession: Competent, Curious, Courageous and Caring. Competent: An HR Professional must be competent enough to face all the challenges that come in front of him/her and able to work in a competitive environment in the interest of the Organizational objectives. Curious: The HR must be curious to know the information related to candidates which must be in the interest of the organization. It should not be against the interest of the candidate. For example, he should not be asked any question which him feel uncomfortable. Courageous: The HR must be courageous enough to employ the best staff vis-Ã  -vis taking into consideration the costs of the organization. Here is a case explained that Nokia Company wishing to hire some Professionals in the company, the HR (Mr. Halstein Moerk) was courageous enough to deal with the costs benefits of the organization.(nokia.com) Caring: It is a saying that Money is not everything, so the HR should be caring in terms of providing monetary benefits and other amenities like Transporting Facility, fooding etc. Conclusion: Above all, the process recruitment selection has all the way become more difficult. Since the organizations want to hire more talented and effective employees and can create a difference in the interest of the organization. The organizations have adopted different methods of recruiting a candidate. Different kinds of agencies are used to recruit for positions at different levels. Temporary and government agencies are used mainly to recruit non-management candidates. Employment agencies, colleges, and professional organizations are used more often to recruit managerial/professional. Although nearly all (97 percent) the organizations already use behavior-based interviews to some extent when selecting employees, nearly half (49 percent) plan to use them more frequently in the future. This type of structured interview can be used to validly predict future behavior in dimensions (or competencies) critical to job success. Less than 20 percent of organizations currently use testing or assessment methods extensively in their selection process. However, organizations plan to increase their use of applicant testing and assessment in the future. These structured approaches to assess skills, abilities, and knowledge can significantly reduce the candidate pool by eliminating those who fail to meet the minimum job qualifications. Finally, better recruitment and selection strategies result in improved organizational outcomes. The more effectively organizations recruit and select candidates, the more likely they are to hire and retain satisfied employees. In addition, the effectiveness of an organizations selection system can influence bottom-line business outcomes, such as productivity and financial performance. Hence, investing in the development of a comprehensive and valid selection system is money well spent.

Leading causes of morbidity and mortality

Leading causes of morbidity and mortality Abstract Background: Communicable diseases can be the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among population affected by major disasters or public health emergencies. Cyclone Nargis which was the worst natural disaster in Myanmar hit the delta area during May 2008. The objective of this study is aimed to assess the situation of communicable diseases under national surveillance in the areas one year before and after the Cyclone Nargis incident. Methods: Monthly data during 2007 and 2009 from routine reporting system for disease surveillance of the Myanmar Ministry of Health (MMOH) were reviewed. Weekly reporting from Early Warning and Rapid Response (EWAR) were also used to compare with the routine reporting data of MMOH; and the data from some UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (INGOs/NGOs) and Tri-Partite Core Group (TCG) periodic reviews were also extracted for comparisons with Sphere and Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) for global health cluster communicable diseases control indicators. In addition, focus groups regarding community perception on health sector responses to Cyclone Nargis and hospital surveys on public health emergencies preparedness including surveillance capacity were conducted. Results: Among the communicable diseases, acute respiratory infection (ARI), diarrhea, dysentery and malaria were the most disease burden of the community in terms of both morbidity and morality. During the study period, mortality rate for diarrhea and malaria were decreasing while the mortality rate for ARI appeared to be similar before and after the Nargis incident. Community members also reported that diarrhea diseases, ARI and pneumonia were common health problems immediately after Cyclone Nargis but later declined. Other diseases under national surveillance were also changed. Tuberculosis control program reached the targets of 70% case detection and 85% treatment success rate in 2007 and 2008. Even though the morbidity for STDs such as genital ulcer rate and male urethral discharge rates were not change over time but the coverage of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services was expanded in the year after Nargis. For the expanded program on immunization ( EPI), the coverage of DPT 3rd dose reached the target of around 90%, which was the highest, after Cyclone Nargis; but the measles coverage still did not reach the Sphere target. The sanitary latrine coverage in the Nargis affected area was 72% in 2009 as compared to the national sanitary latrine coverage of around 80%. Conclusion: In general, health services as well as prevention and control measures provided to the Nargis affected population had reduced the excess morbidity and mortality of the communicable diseases recommended by Sphere. However, the distribution of such health services varied among townships within the affected areas. There is still considerable need for equity in distribution of health services for the public health emergency management. Background There are approximately 450 to 800 major emergencies, disasters and crises per year; and these has been shown as increasing trends due to global warming, increase population movement, environmental damage, poverty and inadequate or underfunded public health system [1]. The general effects of disasters or emergencies include injury, death, infectious diseases outbreak, displacing a large number of people, disruption of essential services, destruction of property and infrastructure, economic loss and psychological effect [2, 3]. The magnitude and causes of excess morbidity and mortality caused by emergencies and disasters may vary according to the underlying demographic and epidemiologic profile of the population [4]. During emergency and disaster situation, communicable diseases can cause high mortality and morbidity because of disruption of health services, poor access to health care, malnutrition and inadequate logistic supply [5, 6]. Disaster-affected people are particularly vulner able to communicable diseases due to malnutrition, stress, fatigue and unsanitary living conditions [6]. Cyclone Nargis struck the coast of Myanmar on 2 and 3 May, 2008 and causing many deaths, destroying infrastructure, affecting on economic and social activities. It was the most devastating natural disaster in history of Myanmar and the most deadly cyclone in Asia since 1991 with 2.4 million people were severely affected by Nargis [7]. The common water and food borne diseases in the affected area before Cyclone Nargis were diarrhea diseases including cholera, typhoid, shigellosis, hepatitis A and E and acute watery diarrhea. Dengue and malaria has been the major vector borne diseases endemic in the affected area. Measles, acute respiratory infection (ARI), diphtheria, pertusis and meningococcal diseases were reported as associated with the overcrowding in the area. Others diseases endemic in the region were tuberculosis, snake bites and sexually transmitted infection (STIs) [8]. Early Warning and Rapid Response (EWAR) was set up after Cyclone Nargis with involvement of other national and international agencies working in Nargis affected area [9]. EWAR covers 16 common diseases and conditions in the affected area. This study was carried out to examine communicable disease burden and the changes in morbidity and mortality of the diseases under national surveillance in Cyclone Nargis affected area. The study also attempted to assess the effectiveness of control measures of these diseases employing health management information system indicators of the Sphere and Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) for global health cluster communicable diseases indicators [10, 11]. Materials and Methods Study sites The focus of data collection in this study included 10 townships in Ayeyarwady and Yangon divisions which were severely affected by Cyclone Nargis. These townships in Ayeyarwady division included Ngapudaw, Labutta, Bogale, Pyapon, Dedaye, Kyaiklat and Mawlamyinegyun townships while those in Yangon division Twantay, Kawnmu and Kungyangon townships. There were about 2.8 million people living at these townships in 2007 [12]. Secondary data sources In examining communicable diseases burden and changes in mortality and morbidity of diseases under national surveillance, system data were extracted from the Health Management Information System (HMIS) of the Myanmar Ministry of Health (MMOH). The HMIS is the routine reporting system for 17 diseases under national system in Myanmar, with monthly reporting from township to central level [12]. The official secondary data during 2007-2009 from the Department of Health, and Department of Health Planning regarding communicable diseases prevention and control programs such as immunization and water-sanitation program were also extracted for assessing the situations of such communicable diseases at the township level. In addition, other related data such as distribution of relief items from EWAR, Myanmar Red Cross Society and Myanmar offices (WHO, UNICEF, Save the Children, Merlin and MSF (Holland)) were also requested for exploring the strength and weakness in the communicable diseases man agement. Moreover, data from the periodic reviews released by Tri-partite Core Group (TCG) are also used for supplementation of population data [13]. Primary data Sources The study employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection method. The questionnaire regarding public health emergencies preparedness, particularly on disease surveillance capacity, was developed and sent to hospitals under Department of Health. The questionnaires were sent to 65 hospitals (25% of the total 252 hospitals in coastal Myanmar which includes all 5 states/divisions (i.e., Yangon, Ayeyarwaddy, Mon, Tanintharyi and Rakhine). The questionnaires were responded by hospital directors from those hospitals by means of self administered method. Focus group discussion was used to find out the community perception on health sector response to Cyclone Nargis. The totals of 6 focus groups discussion were carried out in 3 villages among the selected townships in the affected areas. Only issues related to communicable diseases were presented in this paper. The detailed analyses of hospital preparedness and community perceptions were reported elsewhere. Ethical Consideration This study received ethical approvals from Myanmar Ministry of Health and Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University. Results Disease surveillance in study areas For disease surveillance, MMOH sets up the coordinating health sectors for disease surveillance, outbreak detection and response. The diseases surveillance data were submitted form local level up to national health information management system (HMIS). After Cyclone Nargis, the MMOH also set up EWAR with rumor verification of the system for disease monitoring and management, particularly for early warning and rapid responses. It was recognized by the MMOH that there are still challenges regarding timeliness of notification and complete data reporting in both HMIS and EWAR. As shown in Table 1, among the 40 out of 65 hospitals that responded the survey, it was found that about 90% of the hospitals have surveillance system for 17 diseases under national surveillance [14]. More than 60% of the response hospitals have syndromic surveillance system but only 27.5% have microbiological surveillance system, with especially low percentage in primary referral hospitals with less than 10%. Insert Table 1 here- Diarrhea Dysentery Among the communicable diseases reported in the HMIS, acute respiratory infection, diarrhoea, dysentery and malaria are the highest diseases burden for the communities within the Nargis affected areas. Morbidity of acute diarrhea in 2007 was 571.40 per 100,000 person year and increased up to 755.80 in 2008 due to Cyclone Nargis while remained and was slightly higher than baseline in 2007 as 610.56 in 2009. From the EWAR Weekly Report, diarrhea cases after Nargis incident represented 6.30% of total consultation (4341 cases) in June 2008 (week 23-26) and reduced to 2.04% (3931 cases) in July 2008 (week 27-31). The number of cases was stable to less than 2.00% of total consultation during August to December 2008 (926 cases to 1601 cases). In contrast to normal monthly report of severely acute watery diarrhea (suspected cholera) of less than 5 cases, the suspected cholera was reported the highest during June 2008 (21 cases) and serge again a year after Nargis in March 2009 (15 cases). Th e participants from focus group discussion also revealed that diarrhea diseases, ARI, influenza and pneumonia are prevalence immediately after Cyclone Nargis. One participant mentioned that Villagers suffered mostly diarrhea and common cold. Pneumonia was common especially among children. Dengue and malaria were not common among villagers. (35 years old woman) Despite such increasing disease incidences, mortality rates for diarrhea were reducing during study period, from 0.68 per 100,000 person year in 2007 to 0.40 and 0.28 in 2008 and 2009 respectively. This finding was also corresponding to the high percentage of treatment with ORT among diarrhea children (>95%) in the health facilities and decreasing in severe dehydration among diarrhea children (2.31% in 2007 to Besides diarrhea diseases, dysentery was also one of the leading causes of morbidity among study population; about 350.90 per 100,000 person year was reported in 2007 and slightly increased to 475.40 and 374.39 during 2008 and 2009 respectively. However, mortality and case fatality rate for dysentery was quite low with nearly 0% during study period. Acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) ARI has been reported as the major cause of morbidity and mortality among communicable diseases at study townships. Morbidity of ARI in 2007 was 4041.91 per 100,000 person year among under 5 children, highly increased to 599,621 in 2008 due to Cyclone Nargis, and 4661.59 in 2009 which was slightly higher than that of at baseline 2007. For morbidity rate among under 5 years old children, as reported by EWAR showed that there were 7.93% of total consultation (5452 cases) after Nargis in June 2008 (week 23-26), and it dropped to around 5.00% of total consultation (8842 cases and 5131 cases) in July and August 2008 respectively., and subsequently back to normal stable level at less than 3.00% during October (3615 cases) to December 2008 (1991 cases). Interestingly, mortality rate for ARI was lower in Nargis year; that is 4.86, 3.14, and 4.11 per 100,000 person year in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. On the other hand, case fatality rate for ARI has been improving from 0.12% in 2007 to 0.09% in 2009. Malaria and dengue Vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue cases were decreasing significantly in 2009, compared to 2007 and 2008. Malaria morbidity was more 324.44 and 352.51 per 100,000 person year in 2007 and 2008, and then dropped to 227.18 in 2009. Similarly, percent of malaria inpatient among general clinic attendance has been decreasing during study period, 3.17% in 2007 to 1.63% in 2009. In contrast, the mortality percentage among malaria inpatient was increasing, 1.16% in 2007 to 3.31% in 2009. It was shown, however, that malaria morbidity and mortality varied among different townships. From the EWAR report, malaria confirmed cases represented about 0.25% of total consultation (465 cases) in July 2008, then dropped to 0.10% of total consultation (77 to 237 cases) during August to December 2008. Dengue hemorrhagic fever cases are 35.65, 15.76 and 12.40 per 100,000 person year respectively. Confirmed dengue hemorrhagic fever cases were also surge after Nargis during July 2008 which was 273 cases or 0.14% to total consultations. Normally during other period the numbers of cases ranged from 1 to 95, making the rate of approximately less than 0.10% of total consultation. Mortality rate and case fatality rate for dengue hemorrhagic fever were decreasing trend during study period. Tuberculosis, HIV, and other diseases HMIS data also shows that morbidity and mortality rates for tuberculosis had been decreasing in the study area during the study period (67.11, 57.12, and 47.54 per 100,000 person year in 2007 to 2009). Morbidity for sexually transmitted infection (STIs) such as genital ulcer rate (>2 per 100,000 person year) and male urethral discharge rates (>1 per 100,000 person year) had not changed over time and thus it could be assumed that these diseases burden for STIs were the same before and after the Cyclone Nargis. According to EWAR, STIs constituted less than 0.5% of total consultations during June 2008 to May 2009. Interestingly, as part of the surveillance, mortality rates for snake bite had not changed much during 2007 to 2009 but case fatality rates for snake bite and meningitis were quite high in the study area. It was also found that vaccine preventable diseases such as diphtheria, pertusis, neonatal tetanus and measles were not the major causes of morbidity and mortality among the under 5 children during study period. Morbidity for viral hepatitis and typhoid constituted Insert Figure 1 here- Insert Table 2 here- Health services utilization Based on the data in HMIS, the general clinic attendance was 15.13, 23.18 and 21.33% in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively; this reveals that general clinic attendance had been increasing significantly since 2008 compared to 2007. However, percentage of average visit per patient attending clinic and referral hospitals did not change much during 2007 to 2009. The data from EWAR which includes statistics from international NGOs indicated that there was a total of 754,852 consultations in 15 townships at Nargis affected area one year after Nargis incident, from June 2008 to May 2009. It was also estimated that the total consultation per person was about 0.3, and there was a total consultation of more than 300,000 to mobile clinics sent by MMOH. As shown in Figure 2, monthly general clinic attendance did increase during May 2008 to July 2008 which was 3 months after Cyclone Nargis, and subsequently attendance slowly decrease start from August 2008. During 2009, monthly attendance appears t o be stable with not much variation in months. In assessing accessibility to health facilities, it was found that there was not significantly change during 2008 to 2010 for the presence of health personnel at health facilities at most of the time. In contrast, drugs availability at health facilities for most of the time has been dramatically increased from 76% to 92%. On the other hand, average number of clinic visit by household head count has decreased from 1.9 in July 2009 to 0.5 in 2010; this falls short when comparing to the international standard target of 2.0-4.0 (as set by Sphere). Insert Table 3 here- Insert Figure 2 here- Prevention and control measures During May 2008 to April 2009, there were a total of 50,000 pamphlets, 2,945 posters, 12,000 booklets about diarrhea diseases and childhood infections distributed to the Nargis affected areas by National Health Programs and other organizations. Interestingly, most of the participants in focus group discussion pointed that they were not interested in health education and went to health education only for receiving relieve items. Health education was given on dengue, malaria, diarrhea diseases, and other communicable diseases. Most of the villagers did not go because they were busy with activities such as building shelter. (57 years old farmer) It is found that rapid diagnostic test and artemesinin combination therapy (ACT) were available in about 70% of rural and sub rural health centers. The national health programs and other organizations distributed a total of 191,718 ACT strip and 282, 532 insecticide long lasting nets (ILLN) during May 2008 to April 2009. Availability of information education and communication (IECs) materials for dengue in health centers was high, with more than two-third of the health center have IECs materials for dengue. On the other hands, IECs material for malaria was present in about 50% of health centers. The vector-borne diseases control program distributed 37,000 pamphlets on vector-borne diseases during May 2008 to April 2009. Particularly in a malaria high endemic area, Ngapudaw, the training program for malaria case management was carried out for 80 hospital staffs. Insecticide residual spray had also been carried out in high endemic area with population coverage of 40,122. Mass larvicidi ng activities were carried out with population coverage of 347,231 in study area for dengue control. It was found that distribution of malaria drug was well covered as one health personnel mentioned that During Cyclone Nargis, a lot of malaria drugs supply was given to my health center but malaria is not prevalence in my area. I was afraid of malaria drugs to be expired. Tuberculosis control program reached the targets of 70% case detection and 85% treatment success rate before Nargis incident since 2007. However, the case detection in the Nargis affected area of 70% was slightly lower than the national average of 77%. It was found that the case detection was quite different among townships, in some townships is lower than 50%. During May 2008 to April 2009, the national health program distributed 2000 pamphlets, 1000 posters and 8800 booklets on education for tuberculosis to the study area. Coverage of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services increased from 2 townships in 2007 to 7 townships in 2009. Performance of PMTCT services such as percentage of treatment taken by HIV (+) pregnant mother (61% in 2007 to 80% in 2009) and percentage of new born HIV (+) have been improved overtime (14% in 2007 to In terms of expanded program immunization (EPI) coverage, it was found that the coverage reached highest in 2008 after Cyclone Nargis; the DPT 3rd dose reached the target of around 90%. However, measles coverage was lower, around 84% during the study period. The EPI IECs materials were presented in around two-third of health facilities in the survey done by UNICEF during December 2008 [14]. One health personnel also confirmed in focus group discussion that immunization services were successful after Cyclone Nargis. The sanitary latrine coverage was increased after Cyclone Nargis in 2009 compared to 2007 both in urban and rural area. The sanitary latrine coverage for population was 72.36 in 2009. However, the sanitary latrine coverage on 2009 was still low in certain rural area, i.e., in Ngapudaw, Labutta and Bogale townships. During May 2008 to April 2009, the total of 316,891 pamphlets and 200,415 posters were distributed to disaster affected area by several organizations. The TCG survey reported that the population receiving improved drinking water has been increasing from 66% in December 2008 to 72% in July 2010, but there was approximately 43% for improved sanitation facilities which was contradict with MMOH surveillance data of 70%. The national health Programs also rehabilitated 4235 ponds, 1028 wells in study area. A total of 236 ponds, 760 shallow wells and over 200 deep tubes well were also constructed in study areas. Participants from focus groups discussion mentioned that sanitary la trine constructions by villagers were associated with the supply of both latrine pan and construction cost. Latrine pans were distributed. However, I could not construct latrine because I had no money. (25 years old man) and In our village, most of the villagers were constructed sanitary latrine because the organization () provided not only gave latrine pans but also provided the construction cost. (18 years old student) Insert Table 3 here- Insert Figure 3 here- Discussion MMOH had established HMIS for routine reporting disease surveillance system and the system has been fully functioning in almost all levels of hospitals. However, the hospitals especially in the secondary referral level should consider strengthen the microbiological surveillance because of weakness in laboratory capacity at such hospitals. Microbiological surveillance is important for early detection of public health emergencies especially communicable diseases outbreak. Currently, the there are only about 20-30% of hospitals that have microbiological surveillance system, compared to 64.5% of hospitals in China in preparation for public health emergencies [18]. World Health Organization recommended that major diseases/syndromes that should be included in emergency surveillance are bloody diarrhea, acute watery diarrhea and suspected cholera, acute respiratory tract infection (ARI), measles, meningitis, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, and neonatal tetanus [6]. Setting up of EWAR with participation of national and international organizations working in public health emergency response is best practice for public health emergency management and should be maintained in future public health emergency management. It was found in this study that surveillance system is also compatible with the diseases impact in the affected area but there are rooms to improvement for areas such as recording and calculation of actual proportion such as timeliness for surveillance and sensitivity for outbreak detection [12]. However, it is also recommended the necessity of setting up the database for logistic and drugs supply for health sect or with involvement of other organizations working in public health emergencies [17]. The national surveillance data coincided with the EWAR reports suggested that morbidity of communicable diseases highly increased for about 3 months after Cyclone Nargis. Diarrhea diseases, ARI and malaria have been reported as major communicable diseases, in this area. The diseases increased significantly during the months after Cyclone Nargis which was similar to other disaster incidents elsewhere in which the diseases that could cause major morbidity and mortality in emergencies including ARI, diarrheal diseases, measles and, malaria in endemic area, epidemic meningococcal disease, dengue, tuberculosis, tetanus, pneumonia, relapsing fever, yellow fever, and typhus [6,16]. With early diagnosis and prompt treatment with trained staff by using standard protocols at all health facilities, the management of communicable diseases would help solve the situation [5]. Thus, it might be due to the good predisposition of drugs for common diseases in risk areas and the strengthened preparatio n for disaster management by both governmental programs, international organizations and NGOs. The morbidity and mortality of common communicable diseases seem to be in better situations after the Nargis incident. In 2009, acute diarrhea diseases in the affected area have been compatible with the national average of morbidity and mortality of 667 and 0.65 per 100,000 person year respectively. Case fatality rate for diarrhea diseases such as typhoid, dysentery etc. was less than 1% and it achieved the standards set by communicable diseases management in public health emergencies [10]. This finding coincided with the observable fact of high percentage of treatment with ORT among diarrhea children in the health facilities, decreasing in severe dehydration among diarrhea children, and effective case management for diarrhea diseases as well as early diagnosis. The morbidity and mortality of ARI which was the most communicable disease burden revealed increasing trends in the study. Both ARI and diarrhea are still a public health burden and require effective prevention and control programs in this coastal area. In contrast, mortality and morbidity for vector-borne diseases, particularly malaria and dengue, reveal decreasing trends during 2007 to 2009, except high peak in months of Nargis incident. Malaria morbidity and mortality rates in study area were lower compared to national rate of 1075 and 1.84 per 100,000 person year respectively. Overall, major vector-borne diseases control in the study area has been functioning well. However, it was noted by healthcare providers that supply of drugs should be based on risk assessment of malaria in that area. The situation of other diseases also shows improving trends. Tuberculosis program reached the targets of case detection and treatment success rates but varied in different townships. More efforts are needed in townships that did not reached the national targets. Despite the fact that morbidity rates of sexual transmitted diseases did not change much, but the PMTCT coverage was improved. It was noted by healthcare providers though that PMTCT services should be secured at all townships by national health programs with financial and technical support. This involves many stakeholders that manage PMTCT services in the country. Immunization plus program with nutrition services has shown effective practice for public health emergencies management and it should be maintained or even improved not only for future emergency incidents. It was suggested that if measles vaccination coverage rates are lower than 90%, it should be given priority to prevent an outbreak of measles in emergency situations [5, 6]. Measles immunization coverage in the study area was at 84% but it was still considered not reaching the target of 95% coverage set up by Sphere [10]. On contrary, DPT 3rd dose coverage was about 90% reaching the target of national health program but was again less than the IASC indicators of 95% coverage [11]. In all, it was found that all immunizations coverage is slightly lower after Nargis incident in 2009 compared to 2008. Sustainability of immunization services should be considered as part of the routine national health program with involvement of donor agencies and township health department. Community awareness program should be strengthened because community awareness on early treatment and proper case management are important in reducing the impact of communicable diseases [6]. It is found that almost all of the organizations distributed several IEC materials regarding communicable diseases; however, most of the participants in the focus group discussion reported not interested in health education programs. The evaluation of effectiveness of health education programs should be then carried out to assess future public health emergency management. Utilization rate of health services such as general clinic attendance has been improving during the study period but it is still quite low in consideration with the target achievement of 50% target. Clinic attendance rates of some townships were less than 15% while TCG survey also reported that health services utilizations did not reach the Sphere target of 4 visits/person/year. It is necessary to research on factors influencing the utilization of health services. Sanitary latrine coverage in townships at the affected areas was still slightly lower than the national sanitary latrine coverage of around 80%. It was also found that distribution of water and sanitation items were quite varied among communities. Water and sanitation program should be strengthened in townships which are below the national average by cooperation among stakeholders. Conclusion Overall, health sectors have achieved the Sphere targets of management of communicable diseases in the coastal townships. The excess mortality and morbidity of the communicable diseases was reduced in the Nargis affected area by means of health services given by Department of Health, MMOH and other several organizations including NGOs and international NGOs. However, communicable diseases are still the high burden in these townships and health sectors including all stakeholders should strengthen the health services. Lesson learned in terms of strengths and weakness for communicable diseases prevention control during Cyclone Nargis could be applied for setting up policy and plan for preparation and management of public health emergency in Myanmar. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors contributions NWM, JK, PS were involved in the conceptualization and design of the study. NWM prepared research instruments and other study logistics, collected data in Myanmar. SLN and TTM assisted in study management and data support in Myanmar. KC, PS, AKM, PP provided conceptual framework and technical support for the study. NWM and JK performed analyses and drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements We

Explain Essay example -- Drama

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William Shakespeares 18th and 55th Sonnets Essay -- Shakespeare 18 55

William Shakespeare's 18th and 55th Sonnets Both William Shakespeare’s 18th and 55th sonnet’s are full and complete examples of poetry at its best, and, while studying Shakespeare’s form is very important, it is equally so to look at the content and even further deep to its true meanings. His techniques which have immortalized him over several centuries are displayed at their best while still capturing his goal of honoring his lover. Although the two poems were written separately, the shared theme is evident and they almost seem to flow together. In the 18th sonnet, Shakespeare begins by comparing his lover to a summer’s day, which may be seen as a high compliment. Upon reading further, you find that not even the sun and all its’ glory can possibly compare to his dearest. As summer is shaken by the rough winds, its’ lease held short, and â€Å"his golden complexion dimm’d,† his lover is perpetual, always bright, never fading. It is interesting to see how he equates the existence of his writing to that of the unknown lover, saying â€Å"so long lives this and this gives the...

An Open-Minded University :: Argumentative Culture Diversity Essays

An Open-Minded University Colleges and Universities have long played a role in emphasizing a common past or history, which, we as Americans must certainly all share. Our culture has certainly been dominated by viewpoints of those who have written about it, those in the media, and more specifically, those in power. As a society we are all quite aware of the fact that those in power and, therefore, those who have shaped a large part of our society are made up of a majority of white, male, upper class citizens. Yet, as our society is constantly changing, growing and becoming enriched with a diverse people from all over the world who do not share experiences, culture, skin color or even values, we must ask ourselves how productive we are when we teach the culture of the few to the faces of the majority? I, therefore, feel that not only should it be the responsibility of all colleges and universities to teach a wide variety of diverse cultures that encompass the people who make up our society, but it should also b e their duty. America was made by the people and for the people. "People" is the key word we must remember and take notice of. Who is it that makes up our "people", and how can they be represented in our history, our educational institutions and in our society? By understanding the people that encompass the true America and incorporating a knowledge and respect of all cultures we will be more productive as a society and, more importantly, better able to communicate, relate and build relationships, which will enrich our individual lives. The article by Bell Hooks entitled, "Keeping Close To Home: Class and Education" seemed to touch on the issue of incorporating an education that encompasses a variety of people in a profound way. Recognizing the unique perspectives that can be drawn from a diverse people will, eventually, change the once valued American attitude that we must all assimilate to one voice, one common outlook, one moral and educational perspective. In knowing one's past, by naming it and then taking ownership of the past, and by learning about other people's past from an objective point of view we are expanding our sense of history. More than that, we are actively incorporating all different people into our every day lives. Obviously, a greater sense of cultural awareness is not always as easily attainable as we might hope.