Mexican Drug Cartels as a Security Threat Essay

Mexican Drug Cartels as a Security Threat - Essay Example question that in recent years Mexican gangs and drug cartels have had a significant impact on the politics of Mexico through the use of political violence. According to Reuters (2010) it is the case that Gunmen working for a mayoral candidate for the PAN Party (Partido Accià ³n Nacional) in Valle Hermoso as the candidate frequently spoke out against drug abuse and the dangers of drug violence. On the other side of the political spectrum it was the case that in Nuevo Laredo in May 2010 hitmen employed by the drug cartels killed two campaigners who worked for a ‘Leftist’ political candidate and then spread printed messages warning all people of the dangers related to supporting that political candidate. According to Ellingwood (2010) the best estimate of the death toll resulting from the Mexican war on drugs is approximately 22,000. With a death toll this high there is little question that the consequences of this war on drugs are severe. It is upon this foundation that the Drug Cartels utilize not only assassination as a direct means of enforcing obedience (Insofar as they simply kill political candidates that oppose them. These drug cartels also go so far as to employ a kind of psychological warfare by using murder as a significant threat to common people for supporting candidates that are against the drug cartels ex. â€Å"Look what happened to those who supported this candidate†¦ this could happen to you!† The former and the latter both represent a kind of terrorism insofar as they are by no means isolated incidents and by completely disregarding non-combatants, and utilizing policies that instill fear into the populous they are indeed committing acts of terror. Moreover the effect is felt across the border in the United States. Much of the drug trade involves smuggling drugs across the border and any intervention from American police forces, drug enforcement agency (DEA) etc. is likely to be met

Gaming management (topic not chosen yet) Research Paper

Gaming management (topic not chosen yet) - Research Paper Example In fact, the industries have contributed $15.3 billion annually to the economy; employed more than 135,000 Canadians; and generated an annual gross economic output of nearing $29 billion (Girvan, 2008). It has also become highly categorical; and take in the form of machine gaming, state controlled gaming, table gaming, riverboat gaming, charitable gaming and others (Merfels, 1995). In addition, Casino jobs are good jobs; in fact, the employee's average annual income is around $30,000, and generally, these jobs provide retirement benefits and health insurance. As an added plus, casino industry also has superior track record of hiring workforce locally and training the underemployed, the unemployed, and minority members of society. Other than that, casino gaming also produces indirect jobs, through the purchase The Role of Amenities 3 of both goods and services (Harrah's Entertainment, 2000). While its not very obvious, the history of marketing casino and the difficulties of measuring its marketing activities have greatly influence modern practices. In specific, many of today's activities in casino marketing practices rooted from a time when the conditions of supply and demand were very favorable; there were great population of gamblers while limited sites of casino (Lucas & Kilby, 2007). This research explores the role of amenities in the casino marketing success and profitability which can benefit many stakeholders like investors, consumers and the local industry prior to or even the existing operations. Problem Statement This research intends to explore the role of amenities in the marketing success and profitability of Casino industries. In particular, it seeks to address the following queries: 1. What are the existing amenities established in most casinos in the area of ____________________ ? 2. What are the diverse roles served by the amenities in most casinos? 3. Do amenities produce significant impact in the casino marketing strategies and profitability? 4. What is the level of marketing strategies and profitability in casino businesses with and without amenities? The Role of Amenities 4 5. How profitable is the casino business with and without amenities? Hypothesis Ho: Amenities have no significant impact in the casino marketing strategies and profitability. Literature Review The gambling industry is just the same as any other entertainment industry. The businesses utilize hotels, computers, video equipment, machines, croupiers, new games and new technologies for the purpose of selling the games, which are being invented. It is also linked with the plays or ballets production and operas, combined with hotels, theaters and concert halls which can also be added attraction. Consumers pay for the tickets, while singers, artists and theater-owners acquire the more money (Harrah's Entertainment, 2000). In a casino business a quality marketing activity and well-defined measurement plan must be set. An advance statistical methods must be r equired to calculate effectiveness of marketing strategies, because in the absence of these, will result to serious problems. The most common shortcomings of casino industries are the feedback and

The Common European Framework For Languages English Language Essay

The Common European Framework For Languages English Language Essay The teaching and learning of languages in Germany in school contexts changed a lot in the last years. The trend in terms of education policy of standardization and competence orientation dominates more and more the German language teaching. The policy supports in an active way this reform. One of the most influential documents of this development is the Common European framework for languages. Its influence is in Germany especially strong since the authors of the German education standards for the first foreign language adopted nearly completely its concept. In this work I will show what the reform of language teaching in Germany mean. I will find answers for the question what competence orientated foreign language teaching is and I will consider how the Common European framework for languages and the German education standards for the first foreign language are related to this trend. Finally I will weight the positive aspects up against the problematic points of this development. 2. Reform of German foreign language teaching development of a competence orientated learning and teaching For quite a while the teaching and learning of languages in Germany in school contexts is influenced from a trend in terms of educational policy, called competence orientated teaching. (Hu 2008: S. 1) But what exactly is this trend, which dominates the discussion of the scientific community of those concerned with foreign language teaching and research? What is the potential of the changes which are accompanied by the competence orientated teaching and which aspects of this trend are controversial? A long time language teaching in German schools aimed to the instruction for four language skills: oral comprehension, written comprehension, speaking and writing. The teaching and learning of foreign languages was therefore clearly geared toward the language system of the respective language. (Hu, Leupold 2008: 52) Changes of the conditions of the external world, such as the progression of the globalisation, an increase of mobility of the people, relating to the evolution of globalisation and the phenomenon of migration lead to a different target of language teaching. The objective of language teaching in German schools was now the training of a so-called competence of communication. Before that time, the language system of the respective language was the focus of language teaching. After the change of the role of foreign languages in the life, the focus of learning and teaching languages was that the learners become able to express whatever it is they want to express. (Hu, Leupold 2008: 53) The Pragmatics, a subfield of linguistic, explained the complexity of the competence of communication by dividing it in several parts: linguistic competence, socio-linguistic competence, competence of discourse, strategically competence, socio-cultural competence, social competence. (Hu, Leupold 2008: 53) All in all, the development of language teaching in Germany is often described by scientific community as a change from orientation towards the input to an orientation towards the output. No longer the contents that the pupil has to learn are considered as the most important question of educational policy. The competences, abilities that the pupils can achieve by learning quite different contents are now the focus of the discussion in terms of educational policy. (Weil 2010: 16) In Germany that restructuring was especially driven forward after the so-called shock of Pisa in 2000. The Kultusministerkonferenz  [1]  (KMK) developed a strategy, a key element of which are the German education standards for the first foreign language (English/French) and the included idea of competence orientated teaching. The plan is to develop medium or long term aims for each subject of the German education system. The targets should be competence orientated and clearly fixed, so that it is possible to peer-review them. This project both challenged and changed the teaching and learning of languages in Germany. The idea of competence orientated language teaching is reflected in different parts of the German school system: in the education standards for the first foreign language, which is based on the Common European framework for languages, in exams comparing the accomplishment of all German pupils at a certain age, in types of exercises, which have to be involved in all language classes of German schools, etc. One of the most important or maybe the most important event of the described reform of learning and teaching languages is the Common European framework of languages in Germany. That is why this document will be the focus of the next part of my work. In the first part of this chapter I will look into what kind of document the CEFR is. In the second part I will show the implementation of the document in the German education system of language teaching. In the third part I will consider the reception of the CEFR and the idea of competence orientated teaching. 3. The Common European framework for languages 3.1 What is the CEFR? The CEFR was published in 2000 as result of many years of work on the European level. One year later a version in German language was published. The primary goal of the document was to create a closer unity between the member states. Therefore the target of the CEFR is first of all politically motivated. (Hu 2008: 4) Other important intentions of the CEFR can be summarized as follows: Intensification of learning and teaching languages, so that the people of the European Union have more mobility and so that a international communication can be more effective support of the concept of a European plurilingualism lifelong language learning to make the recognition of language qualifications easier to create the possibility of comparison of programmes for language learning, for language certificates to create more transparency and to describe realistic goals of language learning (chapter 1 of the CEFR) In the CEFR language is always considered, as we can see in the first chapter of the long document, as kind of a human action. In the concept of the CEFR learning a language serves for communication. The division of the complex ability to have mastered a foreign language in several parts, that can be assessed, has an especially huge influence of language teaching. Here you can see which different competences, considered as important for learning a language, are listed in the CEFR: declarative knowledge (savoir) knowledge about the world socio-cultural knowledge intercultural awareness skills and procedural knowledge (savoir-faire) practical skills intercultural skills competences of personality (savoir-à ªtre) ability to learn (savoir-apprendre) So the traditional targets of language learning are extended in the CEFR by up to other intentions, that where unconsidered until then: Techniques and strategies about how to learn are presented as important aspects of language learning. The cultural dimension of learning foreign languages is represented and the CEFR also pays some attention to the demands of the personality of the learner which are related to the process of language learning. Besides this, the process of learning languages was, in the CEFR, for the first time analysed in an instrumental-functional way by dividing the process of learning in six levels. (Caspari, Grà ¼newald etc. 2008: 1) The reference levels of the CEFR serve to describe the progresses in the process of learning. It is therefore evident that the underlying concept of language of the CEFR is an instrumental-functional one. Appropriate to his competences a language learner belongs after the concept of the CEFR to one of the three broad divisions, which can be divided into six levels. Here the structuring of learning languages which is developed by the authors of the CEFR: A Basic Speaker A1 Breakthrough or beginner A2 Waystage or elementary B Independent Speaker B1 Threshold or pre-intermediate B2 Vantage or intermediate C Proficient Speaker C1 Effective Operational Proficiency or upper intermediate C2 Mastery or advanced 3.2 The implementation of the CEFR in Germany: the CEFR as underlying concept of the education standards for the first foreign language After I have outlined what kind of document the CEFR is, I will describe his implementation in the German education standards for the first foreign language and with that his enormous influence on language teaching in German schools. In 2000, for the first time the international school study PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) was performed. This is an international evaluation of the scholastic performance of 15-year-old pupils, which is coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The relatively bad results of the German pupils (Born 2003) revealed the discrepancy between the targets and the requirements of the educational system and the real results. Because of the PISA results of 2000, the German educational policy was under big political pressure for action. (Caspari, Grà ¼newald etc. 2008: 1) In this conditions, the Kultusministerkonferenz passed education standards for the first foreign language (English/French) in 2003. These standards give information about the required standard of a pupil after having been at school for ten years, after the lower secondary school. These actions in term of educational policy should, at least at medium-term, improve the scholastic performance of German pupils and give Germany the chance to get a better ranking in the future. (Klieme, Leutner 2006: 876) The standardization of learning languages was a special case because a system of levels already existed from the CEFR. So the existing work form the Council of Europe was taken up. The B1 level was used as the basis for the level, which was expected at the end of lower secondary school. The educational standards describe consequently as well as the CEFR the expected normal level and not a minimal level. (Kunze 2007: 236) Since the educational standards practically adopted the skills of the CEFR, two more or less simultaneous developments in educational policy with original different intentions, coincided: the possibility to compare language competences in Europe and the goal in term of educational policy to describe accurately which competences are expected from the pupils at a certain grade, so that the scholastic performance can be assessed in a well founded way. (Hu 2008: 5) In spite of the different intentions the education standards for the first foreign language are clearly based on the CEFR. Also the division of the very complex competence to have mastered a language follows the example of the CEFR. Merely the terms and the presentation are different. The concept is nearly the same: skills of communication oral comprehension written comprehension speaking writing translating handling of the language system (grammar and vocabulary) vocabulary grammar pronunciation and intonation orthography intercultural competences socio-cultural knowledge comprehensive way to handle cultural differences coping with intercultural situations in practice competences of methods reception of texts (oral and written comprehension) ability to interact with texts production of texts (speaking and writing) strategies of learning presentation; to handle with mediums being conscious about the process of learning By the implementation of the CEFR in the German education standards, the European Councils document of learning and teaching of languages has a large influence on the language teaching in German schools. That is the reason why the CEFR is conspicuously often discussed by the German scientific community of those concerned with foreign language teaching and research. 3.3 Reception of the Common European framework for languages in Germany In this last part of my work I will consider the controversial discussion about the CEFR, its positive aspects and its weak spots. First I will speak about the positive points of the CEFR. Later I will present aspects which are criticised and at last I will give a short personal view on the CEFR and the underlying concept of language learning. 3.3.1 Positive aspects of the CEFR The CEFR led to a fundamental discussion of the teaching and learning of languages and it brought up the question about what the global targets of learning foreign languages are. The function of the CEFR as a stimulus to think about the being of language teaching is clearly profitable for future teaching and learning of languages. The process of rethinking traditions which was activated this way has shown for example one more time that the grammar focussed language teaching can not be justified by the actual point of view. (Neuner 2003) Many see the standardization of language learning positively, especially in Germany. Since the sixteen federal states of the Federal Republic of Germany have developed their own targets up to that time, the demands in the various parts of Germany were often quite different. Therefore a standardization of the global intention and the expected competences from the pupil, was necessary to support the pupils in achieving mobility and to create more justice for the pupils in Germany. (Caspari, Grà ¼newald etc. 2008: 9) A great step forward for language teaching, which is related to the CEFR, is the change of perspective on the process of learning. Before that, the judgements of the pupils performance was usually made deficit orientated. Faults and aspects of the language at which the pupils arent good were the focus of traditional language teaching. The CEFR lead however to a perspective in which the already acquired competences are focused. (Caspari, Grà ¼newald etc. 2008: 9-10) Like this change of perspective, the division of the global language-competence in several parts, as well as the organization in six levels influence the motivation of learner and teacher in a positive way. The process of learning a language is getting more structured and can be better organized. (Caspari, Grà ¼newald etc. 2008: 10) 3.3.2 Criticised aspects of the CEFR and his implementation in the German education system After the presentation of all this positive aspects I will show some examples of important points that are criticised. Problematic in the reform of the German education system by the implementation of the described standards is, that the teachers arent sufficiently involved. There are only very little workshops for introducing the teacher to the new way. (Caspari, Grà ¼newald etc. 2008: 11) Besides the underlying concept of language is often considered as one-sided: only the instrumental-functional aspect of language is taken into consideration. Aesthetic, creative and cultural dimensions of language are for example neglected. (Caspari, Grà ¼newald etc. 2008: 12) Another paradox problem related to the concept of competence orientated teaching is, that competences like intercultural competences, that are hard to assess, will be probably neglected in this reform, even if it is listed in the CEFR and the German education standards. Under the pressure of proving, that certain targets are reached, it is not surprising, that at first those goals which are hard to assess will be neglected. (Hu 2008: 6) All in all the emotional aspect of learning a language is not sufficiently taken into consideration. The importance to consider the needs and interests of learners are not really appreciated. (Kà ¶nigs 2003: 115) 4. Conclusion The precedent considerations about the development in educational policy show that a reform of language teaching in Germany was necessary. The results of the Pisa-studies 2000 made this necessity obvious. Nevertheless the changes are discussed in a controversial way and there are many aspects which have to be criticised. Especially the concept of language which underlie the idea of competence orientated language teaching is in several aspects problematic. It is one-sided instrumental-functional and overlook the creative, aesthetic and cultural dimension of languages. In my personal experience this aspects of foreign languages were always very important in the process of learning a language a way which is sometimes hard to go. That is why the needs and interest of language learners are extremely important aspects in the language-learning-process and why they it is important to involve them more in the actual development.

The Apprenticeship of duddy Kravitz :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In society, most people have an obsession to some extent, these may include such things as a hobby – collecting antiques; or even as simple as having to have things a certain way. For others though, obsession has a different meaning, they might become obsessed with one special object, or possibly attaining a certain goal. They might go about achieving this goal no matter what the consequences to others might be. Mordecai Richler’s book the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, illustrates one such case of obsession, the title character, Duddy Kravitz becomes obsessed with his grandfather’s saying, â€Å" ‘ A man without land, is nothing.’†, thus starting Duddy on his quest to attain a piece of land. Throughout his quest, Duddy has no regard for the feelings or the relationships he destroys in the process, weather it in his family relations, business relations, or even his personal relations to those that are closest to him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Duddy was not born into money, his father, Max, was a taxi driver, and pulled in a low income. Max’s brother, Benjy had money and always played favourites with Duddy’s brother, Lennie by giving him money and opportunities. Duddy always had to struggle for his money, and in one his many struggles he borrows his father’s taxi cab, which is his only source of income, but does not return it for three days. He was delivering pin ball machines that he had sold. When he returns he finds his father is furious at him just taking off with the cab without permission. â€Å"They found Max at Eddy’s, and he was furious, ‘who do you think you are?,’ he said ‘that you can run off with my car for three days? Just like that.’† (Richler, 213). Duddy has a way of burning bridges with the people that he most needs, he only thinks of himself, and has no consideration for the feelings of others, even those who does not want t o hurt the most. Duddy’s grandfather, also known as the Zeyda, is Duddy’s mentor and the only person Duddy really looks up to, and the one he does not want to hurt, but ends up hurting him the worst. â€Å"‘Yvette came to see me.’†¦. ’she told me what you did,’ Simcha said, ‘And I don’t want a farm here.’ †¦. ‘I can see what you have planned for me, Duddel. You’ll be good to me. You’d give me everything I wanted. The Apprenticeship of duddy Kravitz :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In society, most people have an obsession to some extent, these may include such things as a hobby – collecting antiques; or even as simple as having to have things a certain way. For others though, obsession has a different meaning, they might become obsessed with one special object, or possibly attaining a certain goal. They might go about achieving this goal no matter what the consequences to others might be. Mordecai Richler’s book the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, illustrates one such case of obsession, the title character, Duddy Kravitz becomes obsessed with his grandfather’s saying, â€Å" ‘ A man without land, is nothing.’†, thus starting Duddy on his quest to attain a piece of land. Throughout his quest, Duddy has no regard for the feelings or the relationships he destroys in the process, weather it in his family relations, business relations, or even his personal relations to those that are closest to him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Duddy was not born into money, his father, Max, was a taxi driver, and pulled in a low income. Max’s brother, Benjy had money and always played favourites with Duddy’s brother, Lennie by giving him money and opportunities. Duddy always had to struggle for his money, and in one his many struggles he borrows his father’s taxi cab, which is his only source of income, but does not return it for three days. He was delivering pin ball machines that he had sold. When he returns he finds his father is furious at him just taking off with the cab without permission. â€Å"They found Max at Eddy’s, and he was furious, ‘who do you think you are?,’ he said ‘that you can run off with my car for three days? Just like that.’† (Richler, 213). Duddy has a way of burning bridges with the people that he most needs, he only thinks of himself, and has no consideration for the feelings of others, even those who does not want t o hurt the most. Duddy’s grandfather, also known as the Zeyda, is Duddy’s mentor and the only person Duddy really looks up to, and the one he does not want to hurt, but ends up hurting him the worst. â€Å"‘Yvette came to see me.’†¦. ’she told me what you did,’ Simcha said, ‘And I don’t want a farm here.’ †¦. ‘I can see what you have planned for me, Duddel. You’ll be good to me. You’d give me everything I wanted.

Microfinance for Poverty Reduction Essay

INTRODUCTION Microfinance is not something new in Malaysia. It has been operated by credit unions, co-operative banks and specialised credit windows of banks. Microfinance services of financial credit range for about RM10,000 (USD2,631) and mostly to finance small businesses, agricultural loans and loans for poverty reduction. Microfinance program in Malaysia has been implemented since 1987 as one of the poverty eradication strategies in the country. There are three large microfinance institutions in Malaysia namely AIM, YUM and TEKUN that targeted to different groups of people. Each of the microfinance institution has its own lending systems and has been subsidized by the government since their existence. Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), council of trust to the Bumiputera and Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) are some of the pioneers to introduce microfinance loans to its borrowers. The rural credit institutions comprising of Agriculture Bank of Malaysia (BPM), Farmers Organisation Authority (LPP), Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), and agro-based Co-operative Societies provide micro credit for the agriculture sectors. There are a number of non-government organisations (NGOs) that engaged in microfinance. These include Yayasan Usaha Maju operating in Sabah, Koperasi Kredit Rakyat in Selangor and the best and significantly known microfinance institution (MFI) is Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM). Background of the study This study research about microfinance and its strategy to reduce the poverty among Malaysia’s citizen. Microfinance was introduced in Malaysia during the last three decades. Two types of institutions namely banking institutions and non-bank institutions offer microfinance programs. Banking institutions that offer microfinance products are Public Bank, AM Bank, EONCAP Islamic Bank, CIMB Bank, Alliance Bank, United Overseas Bank, Bank Simpanan Nasional, Agro Bank and Bank Rakyat. The issue of poverty has been a major concern to many nations, particularly the developing countries. Poverty has been defined as a situation where a population or a section of the population is able to meet only its bare subsistence, the essentials of food, clothing and shelter, in order to maintain a minimum standard of living (Balogun, 1999). Low productivity and poorly functioning markets for agricultural outputs are among the causes of poverty as indicated in the government’s poverty reduction strategy paper. Small scale farmers rely on rudimentary methods and technology and they have limited skills and inputs such as improved seeds that would increase yields. Rural poverty in Malaysia Remarkable progress has been achieved in poverty eradication in Malaysia. In the early 1970’s almost half of households were classified as poor while in 1997 the incidence of poverty had significantly declined to 6.1% However, the crisis brought a slight upward swing at 8.1% in 1998. Efforts by the Malaysian government to counter the effects of the crisis bore positive results when the incidence of poverty was reduced to 7.5% in 1999. By 2005, the incidence of poverty was targeted to reduce further to 0.5% (Abdul Rahman Hasan and Sa’idah Hashim, 2001). Poverty is both a social and an economic problem. Eradicating poverty from society is everyone’s dream but in reality it is still around even in economically developed countries. Governments have responsibilities to eradicate the poverty or, at least reduce poverty rates. In fact, poverty reduction is everyone’s social responsibility. This is significant because Malaysia is shifting towards an industrialized economy and starting to enjoy economic growth but there are still so many people who are under the poverty line. Definition of terms 1. Microfinance Microfinance is a provision of a broad range of financial services such as savings, credit, insurance and payment services to the poor or low-income group who are excluded from the normal banking sectors (Ledgerwood, 1999). While, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) defined microfinance as the provision of small loans/financing ranging from RM1,000 up to RM50,000 (USD16,129) to microenterprises or self-employed individuals, for their business activities. Microfinancing is meant for business financing only, such as for working capital and for capital expenditure. It is not a personal loan. Microfinance is defined as the provision of financial services to low-income clients, including consumers and the self- employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services (Gonzalez-Vega, 2008). Microfinance is a place for the poor and near poor clients to get access to a high quality financial service, which include not just credit but also savings, insurance and fund transfer. However, Conroy (2002) stated that microfinance is the provision of a broad range of financial services such as deposits, loans, payment services, money transfers, and insurance to poor and low-income households and their micro-enterprises. The term evolved from the concepts of â€Å"microcredit† and â€Å"microenterprise† financing, to include the importance of savings as well as borrowing. Although the terms are used interchangeably, microfinance represents the field as a whole, while the other two terms are more technical and refer only to credit provision (Maria, 2004). The World Bank defines microfinance as â€Å"†¦. Small-scale financial services – primarily credit and savings – provided to people who farm or fish and who operate small enterprises or microenterprises where goods are produced, recycled, repaired, or sold; who provide services; who work for wages or commissions; who gain income from renting out small amounts of land, vehicles, draft animals, or machinery and tools; and to other individuals and groups at the local levels of developing countries, both rural and urban† (Robinson, 2001). Microfinance activities usually involve giving small loans to customers for working capital, group guarantees, compulsory savings, insurance and access to repeat loans for a larger amount based on repayment performance. 2. Poverty A state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials to enjoy a minimum standard of life and well-being that’s considered acceptable in society. According to Carlton G. Davis (1977), â€Å"the word poverty has assumed a multiplicity of meanings at different times and places. Moreover, the term now has different meanings for different persons even within the same academic discipline.† For Marshall (1998), poverty is â€Å"a state in which resources, usually materials but sometimes cultural, are lacking. It is common to distinguish between absolute and relative definitions of poverty. Poverty defined in absolute terms refers to a state in which the individual lacks the resources necessary for subsistence. Relative definitions, frequently favored by sociologists, refer to the individual’s or group’s lack of resources when compared with that of other members of the society†¦in other words their relative standar d of living.† The causes of poverty are sometimes pointed to areas where business establishments are not successful and the poor depend on assistance from government and agencies. PROBLEM STATEMENT Poverty is a harsh and undesired phenomenon in mankind. Reducing, if possible eradicating poverty is unquestionable. Thus, microfinance programs have been considered as one of the main instruments in poverty reduction in recent development agenda. It has been observed that microfinance play a major role to the socio-economic development and alleviating poverty. Rural banks and micro finance institutions were established in response to the need and the demand to make institutional credit and banking services available to small-scale farmers and rural entrepreneurs. Microfinance institutions were created to operate using local initiatives and local commitment to mobilize resources locally and to lend them to deserving customers using simplified procedures and eligibility criteria. However, microfinance institutions are faced with lots of problems of saving mobilization, and utilization of funds. For instance there is lack of knowledge in risk management, long procedures accessing funds and others. According to David Hulme, microfinance has become an increasingly important component of strategies to reduce poverty. However, knowledge about the achievements of such initiatives remains contested. While some researchers argued that microfinance has positive economic and social impact on the poor, others warn of its negative impacts on the poor. Still others in the middle contend that microfinance indeed has a positive impact, but not on the poorest, as is so often claimed. Therefore, this research, is to analysis and see how microfinance is used as an effective poverty reduction strategy in Malaysia. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The main objective of the study is to examine the impact of microfinance in poverty reduction in Malaysia. The specific objectives are to: 1. Find out the role of microfinance in poverty alleviation or reduction. 2. To show how microfinance works, by using group lending methodology for reducing poverty 3. To find out the impact of microfinance on poverty reduction 4. To examine the challenges or barriers to credit delivery by microfinance institutions. 5. To use the services/products of microfinance with good. Research questions The guiding research question is ‘to what extent and in which way microfinance services of the two cases can lead to poverty reduction in Malaysia?’ Based on this guiding question, it is hoped that the study will answer the following specific questions: 1. What are the role(s) of microfinance in poverty alleviation or reduction in the country? 2. What is the effectiveness of microfinance institutions in the country? 3. What are the impacts of microfinance on poverty reduction? 4. What are the challenges faced by microfinance institutions in the country? Limitations While interviewing the people, we have faced problems in explaining the questions as most of the people, who are involved in microfinance program, are illiterate and living in villages. Therefore, it was too difficult to make them understand some of the technical terms: like capital, income etc. Due to the non-co-operative attitude of some of the respondents, the number of people given questionnaire was smaller than the researcher had originally intended. Financial constrain also affected the effort of the researcher thereby, making it difficult for the researcher to gather the necessary data. Time constraint was also limiting factor for the researcher. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY A study of this nature would make a significant contribution by assisting government and other stakeholders to find lasting solutions to problems facing micro financing in the country. The study is very significant because it will add to the existing literature or the research has added to the stock of books and works already written on microfinance in Malaysia. The study will help Micro Finance Institutions to put in place flexible policies and programs that will help SMEs to access their facilities to ensure its development and expansion. ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT PAPER The study consists of three chapters. The first chapter consists of the background to the study, significance of the study, definition of terms, statement of the problem, Objective of the study, research questions, and limitations of study and lastly the organization of the study. Chapter two deals with literature review of concept relevant to the study. While in chapter three, deals with the methodology adopted to conduct he research. This chapter deals with issues such as the research design, population and sample size, instrument, procedures, proposed data analysis and summary.

Fast Food and Childhood Obesity Essay

In the past decade there has been a rise of obesity in children. I believe along with many credible sources that a lot of the reoccurring obesity problems we face with children have to do with fast food. You could almost say that fast food is kind of like a drug for kids. It is always fun to go out to eat as well as take in food that is high in calories and saturated fat. Although fast food may be a large factor in childhood obesity, it is also safe to say that it’s not the only factor. Are we placing too much blame on the fast food industry for making our kids obese, or is it our fault as parents and caregivers? Fast Food Then and Now Compared to how fast food chains functioned when they first opened and how they operate now you will see a huge difference; not only in their food selection but also in the portion sizes. For example, when McDonald’s first opened in 1955 their cheeseburger was only 1. 6 ounces and now you can get a cheeseburger for almost 8 ounces (Monte, 2008). The sizes are almost a 400 calorie increase—400 calories could be more than one whole meal for a child. Every year portion sizes are essentially getting larger and larger. A small now would have been a medium just five years ago (White, n. d. ). Not only have the portion sizes gotten larger but so has the menu. Fast food chains now have been offering smoothies, sundaes, pie slices, and even cinnamon rolls. They offer more menu options that offer more calories and saturated fats. Along with these they have also gotten better with offering some healthy options too like apples and low fat milk, but who goes to a fast food restaurant to get apples and milk? There are 3,039 possible kids’ meal combinations and out of that only 12 combinations meet the nutrition criteria for preschooler’s and 15 for all other children (Oren & Dodson, 2010). The only kind of company who would essentially poison children like that is ones who are trying to make a fast buck and that is the goal for all of these fast food companies. They don’t realize or they do and just don’t care that they are poisoning our youth and even adults. Advertisements For the past ten years or so fast food chains have been advertising to children. Kids spend more time watching TV than any other activity they do besides sleeping (Nestle, 2006). Fast food chains have taken advantage of this by placing most of their ads on programs like Nickelodeon, Disney, and even PBS. They know that if they spend millions on advertising on children networks that they will get their return on investing in them. Children see more than 32% more fast food ads on TV now than in 2003 (Oren & Dodson, 2010). In 2009, McDonald’s spent the most out of all the fast food companies on advertising to children. They spent almost 900 million dollars targeting ages 6-11. Subways was in a very far out second spending a little over 400 million dollars targeting 12-17 year olds (Harris, Schwartz & Brownell, 2010). Studies have also shown that Hispanics and African American children see more than 50% more fast food ads than white children (Oren & Dodson, 2010). With this there are more fast food chains in African American and Hispanic dominated neighborhoods. Family Statistics You can probably assume that every family in the U. S. goes to fast food restaurants on occasion but some go more than others. Studies have shown that families with lesser income are more exposed to fast food than other families who have a higher income (Block & Scribner, 2004). With the economy the way it is, much more people are making much less and this is causing more and more families to visit fast food places rather than eating at home. You can go to a fast food joint and spend ten dollars for the whole family to eat rather than spending hundreds of dollars at a grocery store. In an article I just read, less than one third of Americans are eating their meals from scratch; meaning actually cooking and serving them to their families (Voigts, 2005). This was published seven years ago—just think of where we are now! I conducted an interview with my sister, Morgan Dutton, who is an extreme fitness guru, health nut, and she also has children. I asked her what she thought about this obesity epidemic in our youth and she said, â€Å"I cannot believe all of the staggering statistics regarding kids and fast food. I am not sure why parents wouldn’t want their kids eating the healthiest food option rather than the fastest. Kids are starting to get diabetes earlier and it reduces their life span by years. Fast food is essentially killing our kids, it may be slowly but it is happening (personal communication, October 15th, 2012). † Drawing the Line So whose fault is it that our children’s generation is getting more and more obese? Should we blame it on fast food—when can we blame ourselves? As a parent I want my child to live the longest healthiest life they can live and when I take them to places like McDonald’s and Burger King I am basically poisoning their body. It may be fast food that is making them obese but isn’t it our fault for taking them there in the first place? Exposing them to that kind of food especially early on in their life is only going to make it harder for them when they get older and can make their own decisions. Conclusion Rather than placing blame for the obesity problem with our children maybe we should be taking action. You could blame fast food chains for making your kid obese or you could even blame yourself because you took them there. Parent’s need to start making better decisions on what they are putting in their kids bodies because they may outlive their own child. There are so many chemicals and toxins in fast food that people are not aware of. Fast food may be cheap and it may be fast but in the long scheme of things, it is killing our kids.