Thursday, November 28, 2019

Napoleon Essays (1135 words) - Russia, French Emperors,

Napoleon The Campaign of 1812 should have been a another crusade for Napoleon, but he now faced 2 new policies that he had never faced before, the severe Russian winter and the notorious scorched-earth policy. On June 23, 1812 Napoleon's Grande Armee, over 500,000 men strong, poured over the Russian border. An equal amount of Russian forces awaited them. The result of the campaign was a surprise. Two authors, General carl von Clausewitz and Brett James, show similarities in reasons why Napoleon had lost this campaign to Russia. Napoleon believed that after a few quick victorious battles, he could convince Alexander to return to the Continental System. He also decided that if he occupied Moscow, the Russian government would crumple and ask for peace. A single blow delivered at the heart of the Russian Empire, at Moscow the Great, at Moscow the Holy, will instantly put this whole blind, apathetic mass at my mercy. pg 6, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia This was his belief he expressed in March 1812. However, when Napoleon eventually took over Moscow, the Tsar still did not surrender. Napoleon, sent a message to the Tsar, demanding a immediate surrender. However, the Tsar could not surrender because if he did, he would be assassinated by the nobles. Clausewitz replies by saying, Napoleon was unable to grasp the fact that Alexander would not, could not negotiate. The Tsar knew well that he would be disposed and assassinated if he tried so. pg 256, The Campaign of 1812 in Russia\ General Clausewitz said, Napoleon believed if he defeated the Russian Army and occupied Moscow, the Russian leadership will fall apart and the government would call for peace. pg 253, The Campaign of 1812 in Russia Brett James also agreed that Napoleon's occupation had no result. The occupation of Napoleon in Moscow did not have a effect on the government. pg 13, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia With his battle plan set, Napoleon prepared his troops for the attack on Russia. But, Napoleon did not consider the fierce Russian winter which awaited him. According to Ludwig Wilhelm Gottlob Schlosser, a onlooker, he described the army by saying, The French, down to the lowliest drummer were very fastidious. These poor French devils were not satisfied with less than soup, meat and vegetables, roast, and salad for their midday meal, and there was no sign of their famous frugality. They were completely devoid of the coming winter. pg 13, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia Napoleon was even warned by General Rapp about the extremities of the oncoming winter in Russia. The natives say we shall have a severe winter, Napoleon retorted scornfully, Bah! You and your natives! We shall see how fine it is. pg 147, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia Napoleon should have heeded Rapp's words. As the Grand Armee marched toward Moscow, many horses and men were lost in the freezing snow, and for those who remained, their morale and effectiveness was at the nadir. General Clausewitz states his point by saying, With more precaution and better regulations as to subsistence, with more careful consideration of his marches, which would have prevented the unnecessary and enormous accumulation of masses on one and the same road, he would have preserved his army in a more effective condition. pg 255, The Campaign of 1812 in Russia Brett James also shared the same opinion, Napoleon appeared to have made no effort to discover the facts in Russia, or prepare his troops for it. pg 140, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia As Napoleon and his army was making their way to Moscow, they encountered typhus, colds, and dysentery. Even the mighty Napoleon had caught a mild case of the flu. However, his soldiers had received the brunt of the attack. Captain Thomas- Joesph Aubry relives this ordeal, After this the typhus made appalling inroads in our ranks. We were fourty-three officers in our ward. All of them died, one after the other, and delirious from this dreadful disease, most of them singing, some in Latin, others in German, others again in Italian - and singing psalms, canticles, or the mass. pg 210, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia General Clausewitz wrote, The bad water and the

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Flatland essays

Flatland essays Edwin A. Abbott starts his book Flatland with a very dry description of the figures in Flatland. This sets the reader up for the rest of the book, and quite simply, the rules of this foreign planet. The book is set in a world of only two dimensions, a flat land in you will. All shapes are seen as straight lines, this hardship is explained further in the later parts of the novel. Houses are next to be explained simply a pentagon with two doors. One door for men, and one for women. The flatland caste system is based on regularity and number of sides. The lowest of the inhabitants of flatland are the women. Mere straight lines, of up to a foot in length. Soldiers and the working class follow next as acute isosceles triangles. The Middle class being equilateral triangles. Professional men and Gentlemen are squares or pentagons, and so forth. Here also, the genetic rules of flatland come into play, and define how a family can progress to the top of the social structure. In so few words, after progressing to the working class, each successive child will have one more side than the father. These rules, however basic will control the rest of the novel; a civilization of geometry. An interesting aspect of the way this story is written, is how it uses geometry to symbolize things much bigger, and more historic. With out a doubt, the most important uses of symbolism can been seen in the beginning of the novel, with the definition and structure of the mathematical social society. Soldiers and the lowest working class are very distinct. This is continuous with third world countries, and most places around the globe that are less advanced than ourselves. The pointy shapes of the soldiers also associated them with the shape of a woman. All three of these social levels are not very respected, and while distinct, they can blend into the crowd, and be forgotten. A thought provoking issue raised in the book was the ...

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Walmart’s Key HR Functions Underperforming The WritePass Journal

Walmart’s Key HR Functions Underperforming Introduction Walmart’s Key HR Functions Underperforming ). This is clearly a violation of workers rights. Wal-Mart which was initially a corporate fortress seems to be headed to a downfall. Even its operations in the US indicate the possibility of a failure in the giant retailer. More recently, Wal-Mart warned its investors that its comparable store sales may be slightly negative after the third quarter. This is also evident in the huge layoff of 2300 workers at Sams club, one of its stores. The layoff was attributed to their poor performance. Whereas Wal-Mart still remains the corporate fortress in the retail sector due to its massive size, its underperformance in the US and emerging markets indicate the possibility of a failure in the near future. Walmart’s bad business practices Wal-Mart has on several accounts been criticized for poor wages. Why should employees suffer in one of the giant retail stores that make billions of profit annually? Wal-Mart is ranked among the best 100 corporations by Forbes magazine yet most of its employees take on average less than $250 a week. Full-time employees are paid between $6 and $7.50 an hour. A further a third of the employees who are part-time are limited to working up to 28 hours a week and are not eligible for benefits. Such pay scale places them and their families below the poverty line. The lack of rewards demotivates and discourages them from performing well. Perhaps Wal-Marts bad business practices are more evident with the Rana Plaza tragedy which led to the loss of over 1000 lives. The tragedy exposed some of the profound flaws in the industry. Rana Plaza produced private garments for some of the giant retailers including Wal-Mart. Evidence provided by the Bangladesh center for Worker Solidarity showed that Wal-Mart had been producing its garments in Ether Tex factory situated on the 5th floor of the building (Steven 2013). Some documents were found in the rubble detailing purchase orders for certain garments which were to be delivered to Wal-Mart. Further, at the time of the tragedy, Wal-Mart was already listed in Ether Texs website as one of the main customer. Although Wal-Mart denied knowledge of their operations at the factory building, it announced its plans to put in place new safety measures at some of their factories in Bangladesh. The corporate fortress, however, promised to stop production if urgent safety problems were uncovered at some of its factories. The company further assured the Bangladeshi government of their support and commitment towards improving workplace safety. But the company stopped short of committing to these improvements and distanced itself from the Rana Plaza tragedy. This is a clear example of bad business practice. Why these particular functions are considered to be underperforming Last year, Wal-Mart reported $11 billion in net income yet it has not been able to remedy some of its questionable workplace practices. Wal-Mart has been filed in over 5,000 lawsuits for poor employment practices such as inadequate health care, wage law violations, worker exploitation and their anti-union retailer stance. Wal-Mart anti-union stance can be seen in their recent threat to close one of its stores in Quebec after workers successfully unionized. Citing economic reasons; Wal-Mart announced their plans on shutting the store. However, this argument was rejected by Quebecs labor relations and Wal-Marts firings found illegal. Further, the move to extend operations to overseas markets including setting up factories in emerging markets such as Bangladesh and China was driven by the desire to take advantage of cheap labour. For example, Wal-Mart pays much less its employees in China compared to those in the US and the UK. A further criticism has been the lack of employment benefits. Part-time employees are limited to working up to 28 hours a week and are not eligible for benefits. While, workers who are eligible for benefits pay way over the odds to get health insurance and other benefits. The company has often come under criticism for not providing employees with affordable access to health care and employees are overburdened. For example, in 1999, 36% of the total costs were paid by the employees. In 2001, there was a 42% rise in employee burden. The health of its employees has been deteriorating at a faster rate. According to the companys internal memo discovered by New York Times, Wal-Mart workers were sicker compared to the national population. This begs the question: Why can’t such a giant corporation provide its workers medical retirement benefits given the huge profits that they make? This question was once raised by one of Wal-Mart’s managers only to be fired by the CEO and reasons of disloyalty cited as the reason for being quitted. (Jordan 2008). As Michael Porter (1980) once pointed out that a company would rely on three basic competitive strategies to maintain their edge in the market: differentiation, cost leadership, and focus strategy. Wal-Mart has obviously taken the cost-leadership strategy by reducing the cost of recruitment, providing low pay, no rewards, requiring overtime, and cheap children labors. It currently faces a barrage of lawsuits for extensive violations of labour laws. Wal-Mart also faces law suits for extensive violations of state regulations that require time for breaks and meals. In some instances, minors are forced to work late for the performance appraising. Outcomes for business Wal-Mart may be headed for a downfall. Its customer service is already low and their low-cost strategy has led to many cut offs of employees. Since recession, Wal-Mart has been cutting down on their staff. Without enough manpower for their retail operations and with workers on site underpaid, its merchandize remains stacked on pallets in warehouses instead of the shelves where customers can reach them. What then is the value of offering lower prices if the products are not accessible to the customers? Further, the check-out lines are painfully long and there seems to be a decline in the overall customer shopping experience. Customer shopping experience has been deteriorating due to the longer checkout lines, disorganization and less staff help. Last year, the giant retailer was placed last among in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a six year in a row in which Wal-Mart has taken the last spot (Ungar 2013). Lessons must be learnt from the experience of the other low end retailers. McDonalds earnings have fallen significantly due to their poor terms of employment. Similarly, Wal-Mart needs to consider the potential upside of their aggressive policies. Despite the poor employment practices, Wal-Mart still remains among the leading retail giants. Its remains ahead of its competitors such as Target and JC penny. However, Wal-Mart faces a threat from Costco, its primary competitor. Costco has been experiencing a fairly healthy 8% growth in annual sales (Ungar 2013). In fact, a significant number of customers are moving to this retailer for their shopping experience. Could this be attributed to the good employment practices at Costco? Unlike Wal-Mart, employees at Costco get a decent living and are paid in excess of the minimum wage. Given the aggressive HR policies employed by Wal-Mart, it begs the question: what then is the role of HR managers in this company? Since, as HR professionals, they are required to put in place strategies oriented towards the employees. To some point, however, employees seem to be encouraged to think of themselves as servant leaders. For example, employees are called associates showing that the company values their contribution. Such kinds of HR policies are employed in most of the best performing companies. These policies and practices serve to motivate employees to increase their performance and can aid in developing good corporate culture. However, employees may not feel appreciated if they are paid less than minimum wages and denied rewards and opportunities for professional growth. There seem to be no opportunities for enhancement and professional growth. Wal-Mart does very little training and developments of its human resources and as such, opportunities for enhancement of professions especially for women are limited. In fact, several claims have been filed against Wal-Mart for discriminating against women in terms of employment positions and the lack of opportunities for advancement. Improving employee motivation and employment practices at Wal-Mart As HR professionals continue to seek bright, talented and highly engaged workforce, motivational theories can provide insights on how Wal-Mart can improve employee motivation and engagement. Several motivational theories have been suggested including the Expectancy Theory, Maslows Hierarchy of Needs theory, Herzbergs motivator Hygiene Theory, Goal Setting Theory, and Equity theory (Lockwood et al. 2010) Herzbergs motivator Hygiene Theory is perhaps more applicable to the case of Wal-Mart. The theory suggests that two main factors must be met for employees to become satisfied with work. These are: the hygiene factors and motivator factors. The hygiene factors include meeting the basic needs such as adequate pay, comfortable working environment, effective supervision and good relationships with the core workers. On the other hand, motivation factors include advancement and professional growth, and rewards or opportunities for recognition (lockwood et al. 2010) Wal-Mart needs to consider applying the two-factor theory of motivation if they are to improve on the performance of their employees. They need to revamp their policies, increase the salary of their employees, and the safety and security of the employees. Further, they need to consider motivators that are intrinsic to the job which include providing rewards for achievement and increasing their growth opportunities. Pundits, policymakers and activists outraged by the companys low wages have been calling for protests. According to Robert Reich, a professor at U.C. Berkeley, Walmarts net income is estimated at $17 billion meaning that they can easily afford to give its workers a small pay-rise (Atner 2013). The Chancellor professor of public policy has in fact urged shoppers to boycott Wal-Mart since they do not want to share even a little bit of their income with their employees (Atner 2013). Conclusion In todays highly competitive marketplace, motivation of employees and employing the best employment practices is key to success. Underperformance in the workplace has recently been a major concern in Wal-Mart stores. Several lawsuits have been filed against Wal-Mart for violation of workers rights including low wages, lack of employment benefits, being required to work overtime and denied to participate in union activity. Bad employment practices are clearly evident in Wal-Mart. This has affects employee productivity as it demoralizes and demotivates them. Wal-Mart needs to consider applying the two-factor theory of motivation if they are to improve on the performance of their employees. Incentives are key to maintaining a motivated workforce and ensuring business success. Appraising and offering hardworking employee with incentives will motivate them to go the extra mile of putting the company first. Employee valuations need to be implemented and growth opportunities made plenty. HR managers at walmart need to understand the benefits of employee motivation and engagement. By sharing their profit, employees will feel appreciated and more passionate about their work. Ultimately, this will result in improved performance and greater customer satisfaction Reference Ciura, B., 2014. Is Wal-Marts empire about to fail? Viewed on 29th March 2014. Available from fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/01/is-wal-marts-empire-about-to-fall.aspx Covert, B., 2014. Walmarts labor practices backfire. Viewed on 29th March 2014. Available from http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/02/10/3271221/walmart-downgraded-understaffing/ Gusdorf, M.L. and Reed, S.M., 2009. The role of mission and values in strategic human resource management. Society for Human Resource Management. Jordan, T., 2014. The good, the bad and Wal-Mart. Workplacefairness Lockwood, N., Anderson, C., Fiester, M. and Samers, K., 2010. ‘Motivation in today’s workplace: the link to performance’. Research Quarterly. The Society for Human Resource Management Rasouli, R., 2013. ‘Modelling the impact of HRM practices on knowledge workers job satisfaction and intention to stay: re-examining the Herzbergs two-factor theory of motivation’. World of Sciences Journal Steven, G., 2013. As firms line up on factories, Wal-Mart plans solo effort. Viewed on 29th March 2013. available from nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/six-retailers-join-bangladesh-factory-pact.html?pagewanted=all_r=0 Thomasson, E., 2014. Bangladesh factory inspections highlight safety risks as anniversary of Rana Plaza tragedy looms. Retail Marketing. Ungar, R., 2013. Wal-Mart pays workers poorly and sinks while Costco pays workers well and sails-proof that you get what you pay for. {Viewed on 30th March 2014} available fromforbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/04/17/walmart-pays-workers-poorly-and-sinks-while-costco-pays-workers-well-and-sails-proof-that-you-get-what-you-pay-for/

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How Teachers Can Create a Great Lesson Students Love

How Teachers Can Create a Great Lesson Students Love The best teachers can captivate their students’ attention day in and day out. Their students not only enjoy being in their class, but they look forward to the next day’s lesson because they want to see what is going to happen. Creating a great lesson together takes a lot of creativity, time, and effort. It is something that is well thought out with lots of planning. Though each lesson is unique, they all have similar components that make them exceptional. Every teacher has the ability to create engaging lessons that will mesmerize their students and keep them wanting to come back for more. A great lesson engages every student, ensures that every student is meeting the learning objectives, and motivates even the most reluctant learner. Characteristics of a Great Lesson A great lesson...is well planned. Planning starts with a simple idea and then slowly evolves into a tremendous lesson that will resonate with every student. A terrific plan ensures that all materials are ready to go before the lesson begins, is anticipatory of potential issues or problems, and takes advantage of opportunities to extend the lesson beyond its core concepts. Planning a great lesson takes time and effort. Careful planning gives each lesson a better chance to be a hit, to captivate each student, and to provide your students with meaningful learning opportunities. A great lesson†¦grabs students’ attention. The first few minutes of a lesson may be the most critical. Students will quickly decide whether or not they should devote their full attention to what is being taught. Every lesson should have a â€Å"hook† or â€Å"attention grabber† built into the first five minutes of the lesson. Attention grabbers come in many forms including demonstrations, skits, videos, jokes, songs, etc. Be willing to embarrass yourself a little bit if it will motivate your students to learn. Ultimately, you want to create an entire lesson that is memorable, but failing to grab their attention early on will likely keep that from happening. A great lesson†¦maintains students’ attention. Lessons should be outrageous and unpredictable throughout captivating each student’s attention. They should be fast-paced, loaded with quality content, and engaging. Time in class should fly by so quickly that you hear students grumbling when the class period is over each day. You should never see students drifting off to sleep, engaged in conversation about other topics, or expressing general disinterest in a lesson. As the teacher, your approach to every lesson must be passionate and enthusiastic. You must be willing to be a salesman, comedian, content expert, and magician all rolled into one. A great lesson†¦builds on previously learned concepts. There is a flow from one standard to the next. The teacher ties previously learned concepts into each lesson. This shows the students that various concepts are meaningful and connected. It is a natural progression of old into new. Each lesson increases in rigor and difficulty without losing students along the way. Each new lesson should be focused on extending learning from the previous day. By the end of the year, students should be able to make connections quickly as to how your first lesson ties into your last lesson. A great lesson  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦is content driven. It has to have a connected purpose, meaning that all aspects of the lesson are built around critical concepts that students at a particular age should be learning. Content is typically driven by standards such as the Common Core State Standards that serve as a guide for what students are supposed to learn in each grade. A lesson that does not have relevant, meaningful content at its core is senseless and a waste of time. Effective teachers are able to build upon the content from lesson to lesson continuously throughout the year. They take a simple concept early on continuing to build upon it until it becomes something complex yet understood by their students because of the process. A great lesson†¦ establishes real-life connections. Everyone loves a good story. The best teachers are those who can incorporate vivid stories that tie in key concepts within the lesson helping students to make connections to real life. New concepts are typically abstract to students of any age. They rarely see how it is applicable to real life. A great story can make these real-life connections and often helps students remember concepts because they remember the story. Some subjects are easier to make these connections than others, but a creative teacher can find an interesting backstory to share on just about any concept. A great lesson†¦provides students with active learning opportunities. A majority of students are kinesthetic learners. They simply learn best when they are actively engaged in hands-on learning activities. Active learning is fun. Students not only have fun through hands-on learning, they often retain more information from this process. Students do not have to be active throughout an entire lesson, but having active components mixed in sporadically at appropriate times throughout the lesson will keep them interested and engaged. A great lesson†¦Ã¢â‚¬â€¹builds critical thinking skills. Students must develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills at an early age. If these skills are not developed early on, they will be almost impossible to acquire later on. Older students who have not been taught this skill may become discouraged and frustrated. Students must be taught to extend their answers beyond the ability to provide the correct answer alone. They also should develop the ability to explain how they arrived at that answer. Each lesson should have at least one critical thinking activity built into it forcing students to go beyond the typically straightforward answer. A great lesson†¦is talked about and remembered. It takes time, but the best teachers build a legacy. Students coming up look forward to being in their class. They hear all the crazy stories and cannot wait to experience it themselves. The hard part for the teacher is living up to those expectations. You have to bring your â€Å"A† game every single day, and this can become a challenge. Creating enough great lessons for each day is exhausting. It is not impossible; it just takes a lot of extra effort. Ultimately it is worth it when your students consistently perform well and even more importantly express how much they learned by being in your class. A great lesson†¦is continuously tweaked. It is always evolving. Good teachers are never satisfied. They understand that everything can be improved. They approach each lesson as an experiment, soliciting feedback from their students both directly and indirectly. They look at nonverbal cues such as body language. They look at overall engagement and participation. They look at diagnostic feedback to determine if students are retaining the concepts introduced in the lesson. Teachers use this feedback as a guide to what aspects should be tweaked and each year they make adjustments and then conduct the experiment again.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Goals of the Change Initiative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Goals of the Change Initiative - Essay Example Our main aim will be to create a leaner centralized structure of organization that will provide the best practices and the required expertise in all aspects of the business success, efficiency, and communication. Other critical sections that will also be addressed are legal governance, human resource management, Information Technology architecture, and yield Monetization (Glinow & Mohr man 1990). We shall evolve our research team so that everyone gets an opportunity to contribute to change in creative innovation process. With the help of our Computer Aided Design designers, we shall renovate our technology infrastructure to allow open APIs, simplify the sales strategy by ensuring that we keep track of our partner account strategy and finally push forward for more effectiveness via organization. Having carried out this business examination, today, we will make imperative changes to our business organization. These changes will include even the most difficult decisions that can be made about workforce reduction (Reduction in Force). However this time I believe we can do without the RIF- Reduction in Force rather we will go the attrition way. This is whereby some positions will be done away with incase those holding them retire or quit the job (Glinow & Mohr man 1990). I believe this is better than layoff and we will have to enhance communication among our workers. These changes will enable this business to concentrate more on the leading brands and focus on our strengths in research, the widely known wind tunnel technology. We will also be able to focus and propel our efficiencies throughout the company. A lot of support has been requested from the management especially the human resource department since the reorganization about to be effected is going to be work intensive. The following is an overview of the transformation that is going to take place; Employees: There has been a problem with our employees for quit sometime now. Many employees feel like the company is disintegrating due to the difficulties in communication which, in turn, makes it more difficult to get the projects completed in a timely manner (Heller 2006). This has led to rumblings among the staff about quitting. Since Pegasus is located in a highly concentrated technical area of the country, there are other companies that pay better and seem to be more competitive for contracts. The leadership is scared of losing their best and brightest employees and feels the urgent need to streamline their organization to remain effective, efficient, and competitive. The company is concerned about this issue since it's these employees who have contributed to its success and it's very disheartening to watch our colleagues leave! These changes we intend to make are part of our long term growth and development strategy. I have organized for the employees to meet their specific managers so that they can have discussion on more specifics and how these transformations will influence their personal ambitions and individual roles at the company

Price Quotes and Pricing Decisions Applied Problems Assignment

Price Quotes and Pricing Decisions Applied Problems - Assignment Example Jessica is a famous actress and her name is common in most households. She may even have a cult like following meaning everything she endorses will be popular with the masses, this factor can make penetration pricing successful. The products they are dealing with are basic consumer products used in the house hold on a daily basis. Penetration pricing would set of a â€Å"price war" enabling them to market a product at the price that is the  lowest in comparison with all competitors.   Though the price is lower that the value of the product, it will draw in new customers to try the products The products that the â€Å"Honest Company† deals in are in a growing market as the population is more demanding and knowledgeable requiring more quality cleaning items, more nutritious food stuffs etc. hence penetration pricing is recommended. Penetration pricing can prevent competitors from cutting into your market at lower price points. If your upfront price is low and your product or service is of reasonable quality, the burden falls on other providers to justify higher prices on similar offerings Yes they will continue to make profits in the long term. The Honest Company will be able to enter the five different markets faster using penetration pricing as potential customers will venture to try the product. This will in turn grow their market share and generate economic profits based on this market share even in the long term. Penetration pricing also creates high stock turnover throughout the  distribution channel which will result in economic profits and increased enthusiasm and support in the supply chain for the product in the long term. No they will not continue to make profits. It is argued against penetration pricing in that in the long term penetration pricing establishes long term price expectations for the  product, and image preconceptions for the  brand  and company. This makes it difficult to

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

H.I.V in the Homeless in San Francisco, CA Essay

H.I.V in the Homeless in San Francisco, CA - Essay Example San Francisco is located within California, USA and is one of the leading regions in HIV prevention amongst other services such as, care, and treatment from the initial stages of the epidemic within the United States. The region is recognized for provision of high quality HIV care that also involves administration of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Such healthcare services within San Francisco benefits all residents regardless of their financial abilities. San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) has considered health of the community as priority since such initiatives are crucial in reducing morbidity and mortality in those living with HIV-infections. However, methods of initiating and administering ART have changed over time. Originally, ART was recommendable only for those who were immune compromised (either a CD4 cell count under 200 cells) (Kushel et al., 2006). However, there has been increase towards CD4 count on which ART was recommendable. This was due to availability of information on the adverse effects of HIV even in the presence of moderate immunodeficiency. This was also because of record decline in ART-related toxicity and pill burden. In the year 2011, there was pronounced evidence of the effect of ART on reduced risk of sexual transmission of HIV. The publication of such information triggered debate over the risks involved in delaying therapy. However, in 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reviewed its policy and advised citizens on recommendations that ART.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Globalization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Globalization - Assignment Example In this paper, I will provide the ten most expensive items I own, their place of manufacture and also write a brief review of my findings and the impact globalization has had on my life and purchasing habits. Of the 10 items on the list, only 1 (Seiko watch) is produced in its manufacturer’s country of origin. 4 items are produced in China, while 2 are manufactured in Germany. This shows that a majority of multinational corporations favor producing goods in other countries where it is cheaper to do so. By doing this, they avoid paying high or extra taxes levied upon them and hence make the final products cheaper. They are also able to incur minimal expenses in terms of production labor, since human resources are very expensive in their countries of origin. Globalization has had a massive impact on consumers all over the world. Actually, it does not matter how much one earns; it is now possible to purchase items that were previously deemed too expensive by some consumers. Personally, globalization has affected me in a number of ways, both positively and negatively. The positive effects include the fact that I am now able to afford certain products that I could not fathom buying because they were costly for me. I can say that my purchasing power has increased significantly over the last two years, hence allowing me to enjoy the benefits of owning some products. Despite this, my financial capability has not improved much, so I am convinced that products have become cheaper. There has also been an increase in the availability of foreign products. I now have a wider variety of brands to choose from when buying items, and this is because the goods are produced cheaply and therefore can be made available to just about everybody. Negative impacts include an increase in the number of counterfeits being produced. I have been a victim of counterfeiting before, so I know the pain and disappointment of buying something only to discover (later)

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Feminist Movement Development Essay Example for Free

The Feminist Movement Development Essay Different sources offer different information regarding exactly when the feminist movement started. Some references state that the feminism thought dates back to the sixth century BC. The New Internationalist (1992) states: There have always been independent feminists. In sixth century BC Greece, Sappho wrote lesbian poetry and ran a girls school. The fifteenth century French writer Christine de Pisan is now regarded as a feminist thinker. In the seventeenth century English adventurer and political activist Aphra Benn was getting embroiled in the West Indian slave rebellion and writing 13 novels. The radical way in which some men were thinking during the Age of Reason incidentally changed attitudes towards women. Thinkers like Newton, Locke, Voltaire and Diderot believed that science and reason could explain the world. They began to analyze women in terms of what they deemed natural rather than what was divinely ordained. This was not necessarily better for women. From the 17th century onwards below are the major feminist movement developments according to the New Internationalist (1992). Women played a major role in the 1789 French Revolution and the ideal of Republican Motherhood took shape. But, some argued, if women had the task of bringing up the new citizens, they should also have status. Feminist pamphlets proliferated. In her Rights of Woman, Olympe de Gourges wrote: Woman is born free and her rights are the same as those of man if women have the right to go to the scaffold, they must also have the right to go to Parliament. Parisian women formed political clubs and associations to campaign on issues affecting them. But the male leaders of the Revolution were basically hostile and in 1793 they outlawed all womens clubs. A womans place was in the home, they ruled. This hostility persisted through the nineteenth century. The Napoleonic Code gave all management of family funds to the husband. Not until 1909 did French women have control over their own earnings. Not until 1944 did they get the vote. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2004) states the below developments on feminism from the 1800s onwards: In the mid-1800s the term ‘feminism’ was used to refer to the qualities of females, and it was not until after the First International Womens Conference in Paris in 1892 that the term, following the French term feministe, was used regularly in English for a belief in and advocacy of equal rights for women based on the idea of the equality of the sexes. Although the term feminism in English is rooted in the mobilization for woman suffrage in Europe and the US during the late 19th and early 20th century, of course efforts to obtain justice for women did not begin or end with this period of activism. So some have found it useful to think of the womens movement in the US as occurring in waves. On the wave model, the struggle to achieve basic political rights during the period from the mid-19th century until the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 counts as First Wave feminism. Feminism waned between the two world wars, to be revived in the late 1960s and early 1970s as Second Wave feminism. In this second wave, feminists pushed beyond the early quest for political rights to fight for greater equality across the board, e. g. , in education, the workplace, and at home. More recent transformations of feminism have resulted in a Third Wave.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Changes to Spending Capacity in the US Under Obama

Changes to Spending Capacity in the US Under Obama TABLE OF CONTENTS (JUMP TO) HAS THE SPENDING CAPACITY OF AVERAGE AMERICAN INCREASED UNDER OBAMA? CONCLUSION APPENDIX TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Spending capacity presentation Figure 3: Spending in various sectors TABLES Table 1: Comparison between the spending capacity of Bush and Obama HAS THE SPENDING CAPACITY OF AVERAGE AMERICAN INCREASED UNDER OBAMA? There has been a drastic change in the economic condition of America under the political control of Obama. As per the statistics revealed in several of the sources, the spending of the Americans has fluctuated in some of the sectors (Hewitt 2012). As per the average spending calculated in the year 2012, the people are ready to spend  £489 in a week to complete their demands and desires whereas a decade ago, the spending was  £526 in reality. This change in the figures is due to the recession in States[a1] (Garon 2012). People have reduced their travelling expenses as the petrol rate has shown a rise in few years (MATT CHORLEY 2013). On the other hand the public has shown an interest towards clothes and many other things. The spending towards the gym membership and regular holidays has also increased to some extent. Figure 1: Spending capacity presentation (Source: mail online) As per the data of the last two years are concerned, people have spent in housing fuels and power  £66.40 in 2011 and  £68.00 in the year 2012 which clearly shows an increment in the spending. Along with this, there is also a decrement in spending on transport in 2012 than in 2011 (MATT CHORLEY 2013). The total spending in the year 2012 for transport was  £64.00 whereas in 2011 it was  £67.20. As per as the recreation and cultural section is concerned, there is a demotion in the spending in 2012 as compared to 2011. The figure of 2011 is  £64.00 whereas the figure of 2012 is  £61.50 which clearly shows a decrement in the values (MATT CHORLEY 2013). On the other hand, there is an increment in the spending of food and alcoholic drinks in the year 2012 that is  £56.80 whereas in 2011 it was  £56.60. At last, as far as the clothing and footwear sector is concerned, there is an increment in the year 2012 represented as  £23.40 whereas it was  £21.90 in 2011(MATT CHORLE Y 2013).[a2] In comparison to the spending capacity at the time of Obama with that of Bush, there is huge difference. In 2014, Obama declared the budget of $3.78 trillion where as in case of 2008; the budget revealed by Bush was 27% less than 2014. The spending done by Bush was more of a ravage than what is done in the era of Obama in Democracy. There was a trap cost included in the year 2008 with the budget and that is the reason behind the distort picture of budget growth. The spending figures revealed that there was a jump that was from $1.86 trillion in 2001 to $2.98 trillion in 2008 whereas the major thing was that in the year 2009 when the new president Obama came to power, the jump was recorded as $114 billion. In overall the actual comparison of the spending growth can be clear with the table given below:- Table 1: Comparison between the spending capacity of Bush and Obama Figure 3: Spending in various sectors (Source: mail online) Considering all the section on a separate manner, it has been analyzed that there has been a growth of 5 percent (Kuttner 2008). The figure recorded in the earlier years was 29 percent but as per the valuation of the current year, the figure is recorded as 34 percent. As per the research it has been found that on an overall basis there is a decrement in the spending due to the effect of inflation. In 2006, the spending was calculated as  £526.40[a3] (Kuttner 2008). If the transportation sector is considered in the research, there is a drastic downfall i.e. in 2001-02 the total spending in the field of transport was  £82.10 whereas in the current year it is almost  £64.10 (Garon 2012). Subdividing the total spending of the food sector, there is a distribution of spending between the veg and the non-veg section. The total spending on meat and fish is  £15 and in case of vegetable it is  £4.20. The total spending on the fresh fruits is  £3.20[a4] (Garon 2012). There are some of the graphs that are related to the discussion done above:- (Source: mail online)[a5] (Source: mail online) (Source: mail online) (Source: mail online) (Source: mail online) On a critical note, the spending in the year 2014 has increased. As per the report presented by the TD Securities economist Gennadiy Goldberg, without the increment in the wage rate, the growth in the field of spending will not last for a long time (Hajnal 2010). Taking in to consideration the government report has been analyzed that the spending of the Americans increases in the month of November and therefore the investment is seen in the field of electronic and healthcare. The value is estimated to be 5% rise in the following products. The automobile industry is also responsible for the increment in the spending of Americans. By determining and assessing the spending of the Americans, it can be stated that the American have made themselves free from the tension of rise in payroll tax (Okonkwo 2007). In the year 2014, the economic recovery of the U.S. will get accelerated as there is rise in the consumer spending. Along with this, the gross domestic product of U.S. has grown to 70% . There are high rate of job creation and development in the manufacturing sector in U.S. The upward fluctuation in the graph of consumption is also a positive sign for regarding future growth. As per the research of Alan Ruskin (head of currency strategy at Deutsche Bank Securities), there is a need to include the consumers. There is a 0.2 percent of increase in the personal income for November and 0.1 percent for October. This shows that the consumers are trying to sustain spending along with the management of saving (Okonkwo 2007). There are some of the Americans who are active in nature and due to them the consumer spending in the month of September, October, and November becomes high. Due to the regular effect of the recession, the workers are not getting any increment in the wages due and which automatically there is no growth in the spending part also. The Commerce Department’s November Report has declared that there is a downfall in the personal saving rate of the Ame ricans i.e. 4 percent. The savings are equivalent to the saving done by them during the period of financial crisis. There has been a huge growth in the annual rate as compared to the figures of 2005 to 2007. There are some of the reasons behind the increment in the spending part (Okonkwo 2007). The major is the demotion in the tax taken by the government. As the government has relaxed the Americans from the tax part and therefore the savings from the tax are spend in other necessities (MATT CHORLEY 2013). Along with this the government has improved the job opportunities for the public which increased the earnings of the public at the same time. The stock market has also shown a less downward fluctuation in the recent years and due to this the people who are depend on the share market for their earning are secured from getting definite return. But as per research in the economic market, it was analyzed this kind of the initiative of the government was partial to the some of the Ameri can rather than publically beneficial (Okonkwo 2007). In the month of November, the unemployment rate is calculated to be 10.8 percent. As per the report presented by the Labor Department, there are 10.9 percent of the Americans are still in search of a stable job for earning their livelihood. The stock market will also need time to cover the losses made to the shareholders during recession (Greenstein 2004). As per the recent data of the third-quarter gross domestic product, the economy has expanded to a level of 4.1 percent annually and 2% growth rate in the consumer spending. This reflects that there is less effect of all factors associated with the spending as the American has become more confidence to spend more in the upcoming years. CONCLUSION As per the research is concerned, there has been an increment in the spending capacity of the American under the control of the Obama government. It will take time for this government to improve the condition after the effect of double recession in U.S. with the change in some of the factors such as interest rates, housing prices, bank loan borrowing and tax rates, the government will be able to control the management of the total spending of the American and can improve the upcoming years. BIBLIOGRAPHY Garon, S., 2012. Beyond Our Means: Why America Spends While the World Saves illustrate., Princeton University Press. Greenstein, F.I., 2004. The George W. Bush Presidency: An Early Assessment, JHU Press. Hajnal, Z., 2010. America’s Uneven Democracy: Race, Turnout, and Representation in City Politics illustrate., Cambridge University Press. Hewitt, H., 2012. The Brief Against Obama: The Rise, Fall Epic Fail of the Hope Change Presidency, Hachette UK. Kuttner, R., 2008. Obama’s Challenge: Americas Economic Crisis and the Power of a Transformative Presidency illustrate., Chelsea Green Publishing. MATT CHORLEY, M.P.E., 2013. Why your cash really IS going up in smoke: Alarming new figures reveal how families’ biggest cost is now heating and looking after their homes Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2521821/Families-spending-revealed-Biggest-cost-heating-looki. MailOnline news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2521821/Families-spending-revealed-Biggest-cost-heating-looking-homes.html [Accessed July 29, 2014]. Okonkwo, U., 2007. Luxury Fashion Branding: Trends, Tactics, Techniques, Palgrave Macmillan. 1 | Page [a1]Reference? DONE [a2]Also mention George bush period from 2001 to 2009 then explain and compare changes in spending capacity with Obama period [a3]Reference? DONE [a4]Reference? DONE [a5]These graphs are irrelevant. We are talking about US why you are using UK graphs Delete all

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Graphic Design Essay -- Technology Communication Business Essays

Graphic Design Any paper you pick up was put together using graphic design. It is a very widely used art form incorporated into many different projects. The ultimate purpose is to communicate. The field takes a lot of knowledge to be able to produce a finished and printed product (Rogers, interview). Graphic design is an art that uses skill, information, and technology to communicate to the world. Graphic design, even though it may not have been called that, has evolved with technology. It always has been here to get our thoughts across, but they didn’t always use pictures and color. Graphic design started out as typography, letter writing, which quickly gained popularity. Carvings in wood blocks were used as stamps before Johan Guttenberg invented metal casting in AD 1450 (Kagy 27). The first poster made in 1472 used text to advertise a sale on a book in England. Letterpresses were then made. Even though presses were available, most communication was still verbal. The old technology using p rint presses didn’t start dominating the new art of advertising until the 1940s (Hurlburt 40). Designers then started to influence advertising. The balance began to shift from purely verbal concepts to image presentation. Then the letter types, typewriters, were made. Next came the photocopiers. Finally today we use computer publishing. Even though designers now use computers, they still need pen and markers to create some images. Felt-tip pens and colored markers replaced pencils and paints as a sketching medium. Technical pens have replaced ruling pens in finished artwork. The marker has not changed the idea of the line, but just made it more dominant. It gives the art a different tone in communicating. Throughout the change of technology, communication has also changed from Old English to our present grammar and slang. Though the language has changed, it is still an important transmission of ideas and information. Graphic design changed just as drastically as our language. It allows easier communication to be achieved between two parties. Individuals with dissimilar backgrounds still share communication with common experiences. Visual design permits individuals with different heritages to exchange ideas, information, and feelings (Knobler 30). From the first sign of communication, cave men, to commercials on television, visual images have communicated our ideas... ...the screen blocked with a stencil. When ink is put on the screen it is squeegeed through the screen into the open areas. Digital colors printing- the newest technology using a combination of lasers that make plates and offset printing. It is a shortly run, full color job that would be needed quickly. There are many more types of printing, but these should give a good idea of how much information is needed. This is only one aspect of the graphic design process, so there is more to learn in the field and more skill to pick up. Skill, technology, and an immense amount of information gives the designer their ability to communicate. Person to person was too slow for the world communication, so designers started using technology to get messages across oceans. It also got messages across the consumer’s brain. The skills of a graphic designer persuades the readers to purchase a product, go some place to try a product, use a service, vote for a politician, make a contribution, or e ven join the army. Graphic designers have to professionally display a campaign of persuasion, identity, and information to benefit both the company and consumer. Face it! We live in a communication-based world.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Charles Dickens - Depiction of the Hard Lives of Children :: European Literature

Every author has a certain theme to all of their novels, no matter how different they may be one can always see something within a story that links to another one of the authors stories. The themes are also different for each author, some being happiness where the characters have good luck, while other novels are sadder, and have darker themes to them. One author who has a darker theme that is connected through his books is Charles Dickens; the theme that can be found in most of his novels is one where the main character is mostly a child and they are going through a hard time in their life, but how he knew about the hard lives of children has been wondered about before and there is proof that he either had done research on it or experienced the oppression himself in his own life. Great Expectations was written in the 1800s and has escalated to the point of being one of Dickens' most well-known novels. In the novel the main character, Pip, is a child whose parents had died when he was younger. So he is forced to live with his older sister, Dickens gives the impression that Pip's sister actually hates her younger brother; she also beats him repeatedly with "The Tickler" when she sees that he has been disobedient. The only friend he truly has at the beginning is Mr. Joe, his sister's husband; who is also oppressed by his wife. Even Mrs. Joes friends oppresses Pip when they all come over for dinner, talking about him as if he doesn't exist or that he isn't there. As the story goes on he receives word that he will be sent to Miss Havisham's house to play. Pip's life changes throughout the story, the boy getting some good fortunes and some bad ones as well. (Dickens, 1999) Another one of Dickens' more famous stories in which the child character goes through a hard life is Oliver Twist. In this novel the boy, Oliver, is an orphan who is raised in a corrupt environment until he met his aunt. His mother had died when she was giving birth so he had no relatives other than his aunt. The orphanage he had lived at was abusive, and after asking for more food one time he was sold to an abusive man. He eventually ran away and joined

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Xia Dynasty Essay

The first prehistoric dynasty is said to be Xia, from about the twenty-first to the sixteenth century B.C. Xia-dynasty was founded by the Si-clan, who were descendants of the clan’s foundation father, Yu. Because of the lack of written sources, historians have still not gained a correct idea of how the people lived at that time. According to the later tradition, Yu spent thirteen years to dig out channels and maintain dikes. When emperor Shun died, the officials disagreed with the imperial decision of letting Shun’s son inherit the throne. They wanted Yu instead, who after his death was followed by his son. It was Yu who founded the first imperial dynasty in China. Until scientific excavations were made at early bronze-age sites at Anyang, Henan Province, in 1928, it was difficult to separate myth from reality in regard to the Xia. But since then, and especially in the 1960s and 1970s, archaeologists have uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the existence of Xia civilization in the same locations cited in ancient Chinese historical texts. At minimum, the Xia period marked an evolutionary stage between the late neolithic cultures and the typical Chinese urban civilization of the Shang dynasty. Xia was conquered by Tang, and a new era had begun, the Shang-dynasty was founded. Created by Yang Lu Stunning Capital of Xia Dynasty Unearthed Chinese archaeologists recently found a large-scale building foundation in Erlitou Ruins of Yanshi, central China’s Henan Province, which belongs to the later period of Xia Dynasty. The discovery, the first of its kind in China, again excited the archaeological field after the heated discussion on the division of Xia and Shang dynasties . â€Å"The site causes great concern because it was founded at the key moment when the Xia Dynasty (c. 2100 BC – c. 1600 BC) was replaced by the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC – c. 1100 BC),† said Dr. Xu Hong, head of the Erlitou Archaeological Team under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. â€Å"Was it built by people of the Xia or the Shang? Further excavation will help find the final resolution and provide new materials for periodization of the two dynasties.† Erlitou Ruins, a new mystery The Erlitou Ruins were discovered by Chinese scholars in their field research of Xia culture. In the following 40 years’ outdoor excavation, they obtained rich relics and references. As a result, the Erlitou Ruins were confirmed as the ruins of an important capital existing between the Xia and Shang dynasties. The first-hand information and scientific materials laid a solid foundation for the research of Xia culture. Meanwhile, since its discovery, disputes about it have never ended. Situated in the central area of the Xia Dynasty as shown in historical records chronologized as in the Xia Dynasty, the Erlitou Ruins naturally became a key site in the exploration of the Xia culture as well as the division between Xia and Shang dynasties. The question remaining is whether it is a Xia-dynasty capital or the Shang capital Xibo. Disputes also center on the nature of the Erlitou culture. Some think it featured Xia culture in early period and Shang culture in later period, while others believe it was of pure Xia culture. After the periodization of the Xia, Shang and Zhou (c. 1100 BC – 221 BC) was completed, more and more experts tended to believe Erlitou was a site of Xia ruins and it once served as the capital during the dynasty’s middle and later periods. â€Å"This means people can almost touch the pulse of China’s first dynasty. I say ‘almost’ because many mysteries about the Erlitou Ruins remain unsolved,† Dr. Xu Hong said. â€Å"We’ve got only an outline of the information it has provided, such as the internal layout, evolution process, culture, social life, organizational structure and ethnics, of this capital.† â€Å"The final solution to the mysteries of Erlitou culture and Xia culture still depends on more historical witnesses, such as the creation of characters,† Xu said. â€Å"With further investigation, excavation and research on the Erlitou  Ruins, people will better understand the significance of the ruins in exploring the source of Chinese culture, Chinese early civilization and formation of state.† Palace complex: the earliest ever found Under the No.2 site of Erlitou Ruins, which is the foundation of a large-scale palace complex, archaeologists recently discovered a new site of rammed earth, which indicates an earlier, larger and more complicated structure once existed there. It pushes the age of China earliest palace complex back 100 years. According to Dr. Xu Hong, the site, encoded No.3, should belong to early-period Erlitou culture. To date, it has been confirmed that the structure was about 150 meters long, and its major body comprises at least three courtyards. Before the discovery, archaeologists believed the No.1 and No.2 sites of Erlitou were the earliest large-scale palaces in China, leading to the conclusion that the early period palace was simple in structure and usually had one gate and one courtyard. The excavation of No.3 site, however, made them change minds. The Erlitou Ruins, dating back 3,850-3,550 years, were found in 1959. As early as in 1978, archaeologists had noticed large-scale rammed earth under the No.2 palace site and decided to explore its scale, structure and date. In recent years, the Erlitou Archaeological Team has focused their field work on early buildings of Erlitou and its relationship with later buildings. Since autumn 2001, more than 3,000 square meters have been excavated. The result is the discovery of the more complicated No.3 and No.5 palace sites, which sit side by side, one in the east, the other in the west. Under the passageway between them, there is a 100-meter-long wooden-structured drainage culvert. In the middle and south courtyards of No.3 site, archaeologists also found rows of medium-sized tombs, of which five have been cleaned up. All of the tombs are paved with cinnabar and traces of coffins can still be seen. Burial articles unearthed include bronze, jade, lacquer and white pottery ware as well as glazed pottery inlayed with turquoise and artifacts made from seashells. Many items, such as white pottery in shape of wide-rimmed bamboo hat, jade ornament looking like a bird’s head, large vessel inlayed with turquoise and ornament composed of nearly 100 gear-like holed clams, had never been seen before. The discovery of the tombs with so many aristocrats is of great significance to the study of the nature of No.3 site and the burial ceremonies of the Erlitou culture. Basic structure of Erlitou made clear In the past half a century, Chinese archaeologists have dedicated themselves to seeking relics of the Xia Dynasty and their work centers on western Henan Province. Historical records show the western part of Henan Province was the central area for activities in the Xia Dynasty. In 1959, historian Xu Xusheng found the large ruins of Erlitou in Yanshi of western Henan Province. Since then, three generations of archaeologists have conducted more than 40 excavations. Research proves this was the largest living community in China and even in East Asia in the first half of c. 2000 BC. It boasted the earliest palace building group of China, earliest bronze sacrificial vessel group and earliest bronze smelting workshop. It is the earliest capital city which can be confirmed to date. Dr. Xu Hong, head of the Erlitou Archaeological Team under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stresses the academic significance of the work: it helps better understand the nature of Erlitou Ruins as a capital, the emergence of city, and the early form of state. The palaces in the Erlitou Ruins had three avenues: the one in the east was nearly 700 meters long, the other two in the north and south were over 300 meters each, with a distance of 400 meters between them. Also, several paths were discovered in the palace area. Between No.1 and No.2 sites, large areas of earth, hundreds square meters of pebble and some rammed-earth foundations were found. The latest exploration and excavation show the palace ruins were distributed in a northwest-southeast trend along the ancient Yiluo River. The longest distance from east to west was 2,400 meters, and that from north to south, 1,900 meters. The northern part of it had been damaged by the Luohe River, with only a three-square-kilometer area left. The most important part was the highland in the southeast, with palace foundation ruins, bronze smelting workshop ruins and medium-sized tombs. The western part of it was relatively low and used to be common residential areas. On the edge of the eastern part a ditch extending 500 meters intermittently was found. It was believed to be a ditch providing earth for construction or pottery making in the past. Also, it formed the eastern border of the palace. Background: Journey into the Xia Dynasty Erlitou is a common village on the northern bank of the Luohe River, Henan Province. Few has known it was the location of the capital of China’s first dynasty, Xia between c.1900 BC to c. 1600 BC. It witnessed the prosperity of the Xia and the transmission from the Xia to the Shang. However, the memory about the Chinese nation seemed to dim from people’s mind and some even doubted if there had been such a brilliance. In the 20th century, the discovery of inscriptions on tortoise shells or animal bones and excavation of the Yin Ruins of Anyang proved the existence of the Shang Dynasty. This greatly encouraged Chinese scholars, who hoped to restore the real appearance of the Xia Dynasty by seeking relevant relics. Since Erlitou was discovered by Xu Xusheng and his archaeological team in 1959, Chinese archaeologists have entered a new stage in the exploration of  the Xia culture. The continuous excavation brought to light ruins of large-scale palace foundations, large-scale bronze smelting workshop, pottery making and bone article workshops as well as buildings related to religious sacrifice, 400 tombs, sets of bronze and jade sacrificial vessels. All these have proven Erlitou was the earliest capital ever founded in China. Along with new discoveries, the disputes over Xia culture and the division of the Xia and Shang dynasties have heated up again, attracting both domestic and overseas scholars. The periodization of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties greatly promoted the study of Xia culture. The initial building of the Shang city in Yanshi has been confirmed as a boundary mark between the Xia and Shang dynasties, and Erlitou Ruins, a capital of the Xia Dynasty. More and more scholars begin to accept the view that the mainstay of Erlitou culture was Xia culture. Now the exploration on the source of Chinese civilization and Xia culture is still going on. Dr. Xu Hong, as well as other scholars devoted to this study, is fully confident of the future: â€Å"The discovery of the Yin Ruins astounded the world in the 20th century. We believe the Erlitou Ruins will lead the study of Chinese ancient civilization to a new stage in the 21st century.† The first prehistoric dynasty is said to be Xia, from about the twenty-first to the sixteenth century BC. Until scientific excavations were made at early bronze-age sites at Anyang, Henan Province, in 1928, it was difficult to seperate myth from reality in regard to the Xia. But since then, and especially in the 1960s and 1970s, archaeologists have uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the existence of Xia civilization in the same locations cited in ancient Chinese historical texts. At minimum, the Xia period marked an evolutionary stage between the late neolithic cultures and the typical Chinese urban civilization of the Shang Dynasty. The Xia Dynasty is traditionallly supposed to have begun with the reign of Yu the Great and ended with the fall of Jie,lasting for more than 400 years, from approximately the 21st century BC to a little earlier  to the 16th century BC. THere were altogether seventeen kings in fourteen generations. According to an ancient version of history, however, it was not Yu, but his son Qi, who founded the dynasty. Towards the end of the Xia Dynasty, social contradictions and confict grew sharper. Tradition has it that in the 16th century BC, the last ruler of Xia, Jie, abused his power and increased oppression. He exhausted the resources of the people to build palaces and pavilions for himself. The people were also forced to go to war. Filled with hatred for Jie, the people could no longer put up with his despotic rule and fled in large numbers. Even his court officials cursed him and wished his death, although that might mean that they themselves would perish. The origin of Xia Dynasty — The Great Yu and the terrible Flood Shang Tang sezed this opportunity. took a revolt and finally overthrew the Xia Dynasty and founded the house known as the Shang Dynasty. Legend has it that some four or five thousand years ago there occurred once in the Yellow River valley a terrible flood which washed away whole villages with their houses and inundated large areas of cropland. Many people lost their lives in the flood and those who were fortunate enough to survive were forced to abandon their homes and go and live on hillsides or migrate to places far, far away. At that time, the leader of the confederation of tribes was a man named Yao who at once summoned together the chieftains of all the tribes to discuss how to get the flood under control. At the meeting, a man named Gun was elected by unanimous vote to take charge of the fight against the flood. Under Gun’s leadership, the people spent nine long years building dams and dykes to stop the flow of the rivers. All the efforts however ended only in more disastrous floods. It happened more than once that no sooner was a dam or dyke built than it was destroyed by flood which carried sands and mud downstream until the mouth of the Yellow River was choked up and the afflicted areas became larger and larger while the number of victims  increased. By this time Yao himself was getting very old and so he yielded his place to one named Shun who attached great importance to flood control and went to the work sites for a personal inspection. When he found that Gun had failed in his mission, he first had him incarcerated on Feather Hill and then killed. After that he gave orders that Gun’s son Yu should carry on the work of fighting the flood. There have been many mythical stories about Yu’s birth. One is that three years after Gun was killed, his dead body still showed no signs of putrefaction and when someone cut it open, out bounded the boy Yu. Another has it that Yu’s mother gave birth to him after eating a kind of wild fruit. Anyway, in ancient times everyone seemed to believe that Yu was the son of a god, an ingenious, capable and peerless hero. It was barely four days after he got married when Yu received Shun’s order. Determined to have the flood under control and remove the menace to the people, he left his wife behind and set off for the work site. Yu first made a study of the causes that had led to his father’s failure. Then he made a careful survey of the afflicted areas and asked for advice from experienced workers. Knowing that water tends to flow from higher to lower regions, he abandoned Gun’s method of building dams and dykes to stop the flow of waters. Instead he led his men in digging ditches and canals to divert the flood and also in dredging the river channels so as to provide outlets for the floods into the sea. In those days there was a high mountain, Mount Longmen, in the upper reaches of the Yellow River that blocked the way of the river. When the turbulent waters reached the mountain, it overflowed the banks, causing floods in the vicinity. In order to cut a canal into the mountain, Yu turned himself into a bear and stole into the mountains to do the digging. He also enlisted the help of Ying Long, Huang Di’s brave warrior. Eventually, he succeeded in cutting a canal through Mount Longmen an d thus made it possible for the floods to flow by way of this canal and the dredged rivers into the sea. Rain or shine, Yu worked in the midst of his men, digging and taking earth away all through the four seasons of a year. His face became sun-burnt and his body spare and thin. Even the hair on his calves was worn away. But he was so dedicated that it was said that he had three times refrained from entering the door of his home when he was passing by. One story has it that he happened to be passing the door when his wife was giving birth to his son Qi. He heard the baby crying, but in order to get the flood under control as early as he could he turned away from his door. Thus after thirteen long years of continuous efforts, Yu and his men succeeded in dredging all the rivers, big and small, and in doing away with the evil of flood. Those who had gone to live on hillsides or had migrated to remote places now came back to their native places. Under Yu’s leadership, they tilled the land and planted crops and developed agricultural production. As a result, people were beginning to lead a good life. Yu was held in great reverence by all the tribes who now addressed him as Yu the Great. Shun was convinced that Yu had both fine qualities and great competence and so recommended him as his successor. After the death of Shun, Yu became the head of the tribal confederation. Later his own son Qi set himself as the successor and it was Qi that set up the first slave-owning state in Chinese history – the Xia Dynasty Xia Dynasty 2100 BC – 1700 BC According to legend, the Chinese people originated in the Huang He (Yellow River) valley created by the god, Pan Ku. There is little archaeological evidence of this, although remains of Homo Erectus dating back 460,000 years have been found near Beijing. Several villages & farms from about 10,000 BC have been found by archaeologists in northern China. Although little is known about the Xia Dynasty, the Xia are assumed to be descended from the Huang He people. Until recently the dynasty was thought of as mythical but archaeological evidence has now proved its existence. In about 3000 BC the  Lungshan people emerged and were the first people of the Xia Dynasty. They made silk, fine pottery and bricks baked in ovens to build their homes. They learned how to control floods and irrigate fields and had great engineering skills. There are no written records although it is assumed that they had a writing system of some sort. This first hereditary dynasty lasted some 400 years and tradition says it ended when a Xia ruler started mistreating the people and was overthrown. The Xia Dynasty is portrayed as the tutorial missions in Emperor. In prehistoric ancient China several nomadic families joined together and settled along the fertile banks of the Wei River. The settlement of Banpo starts very small requiring only the basics of life but, as the years pass, the settlement prospers and they establish farms together with the manufacture of luxuries such as beautiful ceramics. Later still, explorers go out from the town to search for other communities and a new town is established on the plains of Erlitou and rudimentary trade between cities is started. At last the silk-worm and the beautiful fabric that can be made from it are discovered. As with most societies, war threatens and copper is mined to make weapons and arm soldiers. Taxes have to be levied with the tax collectors using wooden ledgers for record keeping. Finally the tutorials (and Xia Dynasty) end with victory in battle The establishment of the Xia Dynasty (21st – 17th century BC) is an important milestone in the history of Chinese civilization and marks the end of the Primitive Society and the beginning of the Class Society. It is the first dynasty in Chinese history, and lasted nearly 500 years including the reigns of 17 emperors. It is thought that most of the Xia people probably inhabited the western area of Henan Province and southern Shanxi Province. Political History It is Yu the Great who first set up the dynasty under the Abdication System (choosing the leader according to their ability). After he died, his son Qi broke up this system and made himself the Xia emperor. From that time onwards, the Abdication System gave way to the Hereditary System. Following the system of hereditary, 15 offspring of Qi succeeded him after  his death. Among them, emperors like Shaokang, and Huai made great contributions to the development of Chinese society. However, there were also many tyrannical emperors during this period such as Taikang, Kongjia, and Jie. Economy and Crafts During this dynasty, many achievements were made. People lived mainly through agriculture using tools made of stone or bone. The Jade ware at that time was quite delicate and bronze vessels were well smelted. Craftwork made of bronze embedded with jade also appeared. Commodity exchanges developed. A calendar system was devised which used both lunar and solar movements. Decline Xia ended under the reign of Jie, a very notorious tyrannical emperor in Chinese history. After he succeeded to the throne, he lived an extravagant life day and night without any thought for his country or its people. In addition, he killed the patriotic ministers who presented him with good advice. All of his actions enraged the people so much that at last they rose up under the leadership of Tang (the chief of the Shang tribe and latter set up Shang Dynasty (17th – 11th century BC) and overthrew Xia. The realm of China has been well renowned for its sundry and unique culture – that is why a lot of researchers, students, and tourists became very much fascinated with the historical background and roots of this culture. For decades, Chinese history and culture have undergone huge tons of changes – from the places, food, clothing, political beliefs, spiritual choices, attitude of people, structure of buildings and residences, government types, arts, and others alike. All of the alleged factors have undergone change and innovation throughout the point in time, living massive impact on its people. To better acquire an understanding of the up-to-date transformation in the ethnicity and traditions of China, it is better to be aware of the roots of modernization where innovation and colossal amendment took place. According to unswerving sources, there are proof and substantiation that the immense variations on the Chinese history and culture was distinguished and  took consign during the Xia Dynasty, roughly around 2100 B.C. to 1600 B.C. The Xia Dynasty lasted for nearly 500 years and during those long years, a lot of modification has been made doable under diverse leaders from one generation to another. All through those years, the nation of China has been under the leadership of 17 different emperors that has left a lot of remarkable changes in the country’s culture. The Origins and Development of the Xia Dynasty First, it is important to go through the origin of the Xia Dynasty – where did it all start? There are a lot of different versions and story lines on the subject of the roots of the Xia Dynasty but regardless of those speculations, lone factor will remain the same, and that is Xia was the very first established dynasty system in China. Long before, the Xia Dynasty had been established through battles between two tribes that had long existed – the two battling tribes are the Xia tribe and Chiyou’s tribe. The Patriarch of the Xia Tribe The Xia tribe was noted to progressively develop and took place during the time of Zhuanxu, who is well acknowledged as one of the five great emperors of China. According to classical research, reviews and historical texts, a lot of evidences have proved that Yu the Great, which is the first leader of China during the Xia Dynasty was the grandson of Zhuanxu. Other classical facts and historical rites profess that Xia is a member of the fifth generation of Zhuanxu. Whether of the alleged facts are true or not, the only fact that will remain the same is that the first conqueror and leader of China’s Xia Dynasty originated from the Zhuanxu, evidently making it possible that the Xia clan was mainly the descendants of the great emperor. Areas of Habitation and the Abdication System The development of the Xia Dynasty served as a very significant part of the Chinese history and culture since during those periods the development has marked the end of the Primitive civilization and highlighted the beginning of the class and more modernized society. Most people during the Xia Dynasty period localized in the western area of the province of Henan and some also inhabited the northern and southern part of the province of Shanxi. During  the earlier times of Xia Dynasty, the approach in selecting the right leader was first set up by Yu the Great, who made the Abdication System the way of choosing the right leader. The Abdication System is an approach where a leader is chosen according to their advanced ability and competence. Gun’s Mission to Stop the Flooding at the Yellow River Throughout the Xia Dynasty, the main problem that Yu the Great had to deal with was the flooding of the Yellow River. Long before the time of Gun, known as the earliest member of the Xia clan and also the father of Yu the Great, Gun and other tribe members attempted to solve the problems of flooding. Gun was appointed by Yao to stop the flooding of the Yellow river; Yao ordered the establishment and construction of large line of defense and blockade that would stop the flooding and destruction of their farm or field crops. The attempt of Yu’s father to build a defense and effective barrier to prevent and control the flood lasted for nine long years, but in the end they still failed to attain their goal since the flood became stronger and more uncontrollable. That failure has lead to the order of execution of Yu the Great’s father Gun, who was ordered by Shun the succeeding leader of the throne. Gun’s Execution and Yu’s Mission Gun was ordered to be executed on the mountain located between the Donghai countries – because of his father’s failure to solve the flooding, Yu the Great was motivated to continue his father’s attempt to stop the flooding of the Yellow River. Since Yu the Great was highly trusted by Shun, he was then assigned to continue his father’s work – the method and technique of Yu greatly differ from his father’s approach. As you can recall, the method used by Gun was to build a blockade that will redirect the path of the water to stop the flood but since it is a failure, Yu the Great tried a whole lot of different approach. The first step that Yu considered was to acquire help from other tribes. What he did was unite people coming from the different tribes and ordered them to lend him a hand in solving their flooding problems by effectively building canals in all the major rivers around China, which will redirect the water into its way to the sea, co nsequently preventing it from flooding their farms. Yu’s Dedication to Stopping the Yellow River Floods Yu the great has dedicated 13 years of his life in order to complete his mission and during those 13 years, he did not go home to see his family. It was said that throughout that 13 years he only passed by looking at his house without going inside and talking to his family. He was very much dedicated and highly motivated, he was an epitome of strength and intelligence may be that is the reason why all his hard work eventually paid off, and his technique was successful in leading the water directly into the sea, thus preventing the flood. Mission Accomplished: Prosperity Ensues The prevention of the flood eventually lead to the affluence and growth of the farm crops that was usually destroyed by the flood and this growth has lead to the strengthening of the Xia tribe, making Yu the leader of other surrounding tribes. Then eventually after several years, Shun abdicated his throne to Yu since Shun himself is getting old and needs to pass the throne and authority to a competent leader – he then chose Yu to succeed on his position. And that was noted as the first year of Yu’s leadership and also the birth of the Xia Dynasty. After several years of leadership, Yu was ought to pass the throne to a worthy leader but instead of choosing according to the competence and ability Yu chose to give the throne to his son Qi; that act marked the start of the Hereditary System in selecting a leader and began the era of clan leadership style of governing. The throne was continuously passed to sons of the kings, from generation to generation until the time of Jie took place. Jie was the last ruler of the Xia dynasty he was perceived as a corrupt leader, which lead to the rebellion of the people against his leadership that eventually lead him to be overthrown by Tang who started the Shang Dynasty. Xia Dynasty Technology & Innovation Other changes that were noted from the period of Xia Dynasty was subsequent, the use of stone tools like the hand axe, they also made use of fire in perfecting the stone tools that they created. Agriculture was also improved during the Xia period and pasturing was started. Irrigation technology was also greatly improved, the production of dried and earthen goods also took place, the use of ships and vehicles arose, the use of varnish became common practice. Silk production and weaving also took place during the Xia dynasty  as well as drilling and carving technology. But the most recognized innovation during this period was the creation of the calendar based on two different patterns, the use of jade, bronze vessels, and bronze casting also became popular at this era. XIA Dynasty Religion Government Geography Economy Society First Chinese Dynasty Marked the transition between primitive society and class society. First began with an abdiction system Choosing leader by ability. After Yu the great died, his son Qi changed to the hereditary system choosing the leader by the bloodline. The Xia Dynasty had no written records so at times they are considered myth. There society was based on slavery. Their culture was very into astronomy. They were among the first to chart constellations and supernovas. Most of the Xia was learned from ancient records from other civilizations because the Xia themeselves had no form of writing. Some of these records include the Bamboo Annals and the Records of the Grand Historian. They were believed to be Aryans who migrated into the area and they were able to take down the locals and conquer it. There are credited for discovering silk and an early lunar calendar. In the beginning they believed in natural religion. This included shamans, spirits, and cremation of the dead bodies. With time the larger population became Buddhist. Tangut monks translated many sutras to the Xia language. After the 11th century the Xia went into Lamaism Thats another form of Buddhism. Smaller religion present was Chinese Daoism. They were very family oriented, they honored their family. Most of the myths about the Xia had godlike leaders or gods included in them. They had a large amount of cattle herds that they used to make a lot of woolen products. They depended on their resources. For example fishermen depend on fish. They had no trade with others because they were involved in so much war. Had frontier market to supply their own country. Made coins to buy within their country. Made tools and weapons out of stone, bone, and wood. In the time of Yu the Great there were many floods that destroyed the crops and home of the people. Due to excessive floods, Yu built canals leading to the river and the sea. The canals also helped with agriculture when they began farming. There were a total of 17 emperors The first one was Xiayu, who was in power for 45 years The Xia was based on  slavery The leader that ended the Xia dynasty was named Jie he was a tyrant. Jie was in charge for 52 years They lived next to the yellow riverbend. The Xia were very good fishers. The Xia had descended from a wide-spread Yellow River valley Neolithic culture known as the Longshan culture. There is only some written records of this. The Xia dynasty lasted 500 years. On a warm spring day, in Xia times, some children went out in the fields to play. In those days, if you had a problem you went to see the local wise woman. In this village, the wise woman’s name was Loawnu. Alarmed at what they saw in the fields, the children ran up the hill to Loawnu’s house. â€Å"Loawnu,† they shouted. â€Å"The sky is falling down!† Loawnu smiled at the children. â€Å"Don’t be worried. Find all the pieces of sky that have fallen, and bring them to me. I’ll sew them together again in time for the festival.† The spring festival was nearing. This was a time when the young people gathered from many villages to meet one another and to find husbands and wives. The children’s village had been honored this year as the meeting village. It would be a horrible time for the sky to fall down. The village would be disgraced! Off the children ran to pick up the pieces. But some were missing! â€Å"Loawnu!† cried the children, as they tore up the hill, breathing heavily. Loawnu only smiled. The next day, the children ran outside and looked up. The sky looked as it always looked on a warm spring day, clean and fresh and blue. They were so happy. That night, they were amazed! The sky had always been dark at night. That night, it was filled with light! Loawnu had patched the missing pieces of sky with bright twinkling light! How beautiful! How clever! We shall have the happiest spring festival in all the land! How lucky we are to know Loawnu! All the village agreed. From the canals that Yu built, he was praised and was made him the leader of the Xia Dynasty Archeologists found bronze implements and tombs proving that the Xia dynasty lived through 2100- 1800 BC.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Assess Contribution of Ngos to the Community

Introduction This chapter introduces the background of the problem, objective of the study, statement of the problem, research questions and significant of the study. 1. 0 Background of the Studies According to World bank, NGO’s are defined as private organizations that pursue activities to relieves suffering, promote the interest of the poor, protect the environment, provides basic social services, or undertake community developments( World Bank criteria defining NGO,2007). Historically, Non-Governmental Organization at international level have a history dating back to at least 1839.It have been estimated that by 1914 there were 1098 NGO’s. The international Ngo’s were important in the anti slavery movement and the movement of women suffrage, and reached peak at the time of world disarmament conference. Non Governmental Organization only comes into popular use with the establishment of United Nation Organization in 1994 with the provisions in the article 71 of c hapter 10 of the United Nations chapter for consultative role of organizations which are neither government nor member state. Davis, 2007). The vital role of NGOs in sustainable development was recognized in the chapter 27 of agenda 21 in the UN conference, In the 20th century during the establishment of globalization the importance of NGO’s was recognized, where many problems could not be solved within a nation, Hence NGO’s have developed to emphasize Humanitarian issues, development aids and sustainable development (Howell, 2000). According to World Bank, There two purposes of NGO are operational and advocacy .Operational is the primary purpose of NGO’s . Primary purpose of NGO’s to design the implementation of development related projects, Example Community Based Organization. The primary purpose of Advocacy NGO’s is to defend or promote a specific cause. As opposed to operational project management, these organizations typically try to raise aw areness, acceptance and knowledge by lobbying press work and activist event (Wikipedia, 2011).Non Government Organization has been an engine towards improving the living standard of the people, since not all the problem could be solved within the nation tracing back the Tanzanian history, since 1961, Tanzania has been at war against three development enemies such as ignorance, poverty and diseases. However in 1996 the overall policy has included special forms of poverty reduction in additions to measures to sustain sound macro economic levels (URT, 2007). The progress of minimizing three enemies is mixed, towards achieving development of the community.Indicators in measuring development are range, others show sign of improvement, and others remain the same while others get worse. Many disparities still exist such as gap between the poor and rich, the bridge between urban and rural, female and male, able and disabled. It is also clear that children, youth, and the elderly and people with disabilities have their own problem especially poverty that all problems are felt at different extent in different parts of the country, Hence Low living standard is inevitable (chambers, 1983). One of the indicators of the standard of living is health. In 1990, the health situation in Tanzania was mixed.Diseases like tuberculosis among elderly, youth, youth and children increased, The availability of drugs were scarce, many people in rural areas were have to travel to distance for the health facilities and get many drugs were very expensive for the poor to afford. For stance 90% of the children’s’ deaths in local communities and some urban areas are due to preventable causes (National Strategy of Growth and Reduction of Poverty, 2005). Education is also among the major aspect of living standard of the community. Several tactics, programs, have been enrolled in the improvement of education situation in Tanzania.Despite the improvement of enrollment in education co nsiderably in the last five years in 2004, as the results of primary education development Program(PESP), still many problems and challenges are inevitable, such as shortage of text books desks, chairs, teachers, latrines holes and teachers houses remarkably wanted in primary schools, especially in rural areas. Moreover the edges of poverty torn the education situation in Tanzania. in most student in Rural areas passes primary education but there were no room to accommodate them. Also, others lack school uniforms and tuition fees due to hardship of the economy that parents are facing. NSGRP, 2005). Living standard of Tanzanian and African at large depends on agriculture as the economy backborn. 45% of Agriculture contributes in the GDP and 60% of the of the export earnings in the year. Still the living standard of many people are low, since they produce for consumption and practice poor farming methods that result to low harvest (NSGRP,2005). Non Government Organizations play vital remarkable roles in improving the living standard of people among the local communities in Tanzania. NGO’s are involved in a very diverse range of human activities and human influence on the environment.These strata of societies they are involved at, children and youth, conflict resolution, education, health and nutrition, human rights and relief services. (Wikipedia, 2011). The effectiveness of Non government Organization in improving the living standard of people has been achieved at some extent. In a case of Moshono, in Arusha, the international organization called World Vision, Intervene in that society with efforts to eradicate poverty and bring about good living standard among the people in the society The intervention of WV in the Moshono ADP has brought positive impact toward the society.Through ADP many project such as water projects, education projects, environmental projects and agriculture projects(including livestock arming and beekeeping) are undertaken so as to solve socio-economic problems in Moshono, and hence improve their living standards at large extent. Before intervention World vision as any NGO, observe the political admistration of the area, population size, poverty, socio-economic available, commitment of the local leaders . World vision use sustainable livelihood approach ( Moshono ADP, 2007). 2. 0 Statement of the problemThe effectiveness of NGOs in improving the living standard of local communities has brought a significance results to various communities towards poverty alleviation. Poverty is the major problem facing the societies that means they are characterized with endless lack of the resources, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of the living standard (Maccihato, 2009). The World Bank notes that â€Å"the incidence of poverty in the world is higher than past estimates have suggested that 1. 4 billion people live under poverty line.In Sub Saharan African Growth and Economic performances over the pa st two decade have been described in recent scholarly writings as â€Å"tragic† (The World Bank Economic review, 2000). There are various ways which will help to reduce and eradicate poverty improve the living standard of the people such as support provision of social services, example education, water, infrastructure mobilization of people for collective action such as development projects, provision of soft loans to individuals through Non Government Organizations, Particularly in the case of Moshono ADP under World Vision is concerned with the improvement f local community living standard through its various projects such as water supply project, primary school classrooms construction, health care projects, have been established to eradicate poverty in the area and the life of many have been improved (Moshono ADP, 2010). In this context there are various things which will be examined to measure effectiveness of NGO’s in improving the living standard of people.The cr ucial aspect will be identifying how NGO are supporting local community, where there are various measures done by NGO to contribute towards alleviation of poverty such as reduced illiteracy rate, improved farm fertility, improved supply of safe and clean water, improved health services, increased individual and household income. ( Moshono ADP, 2007). 3. 0 Objectives of Studies 3. 1 General Objective To assess the contribution of NGO in improving the living standard of the local communities. 3. 2 Specific Objectives 1.To identify how NGO’s are supporting community welfare. 2. To find out how the assistance provided to the local communities has positively affected their living condition. 3. Challenges that NGO’s face in improving the living standard of the people. 4. 0 Research Question 1. What support does NGO provided Moshono ADP? 2. To what extent does the Moshono ADP contributes in changing the living standard of local communities? 3. What are the problems faced by t he NGO in improving the living standard of Moshono people at Moshono ADP? 5. Significance of the Study 1. The study will be resourcefully to the areas of development program as it will provide data and various relevant information and improving social and economic activities for sustainable development and effective intervention. 2. Also, the study will be instrumental to policy maker’s institution, economic planners and other NGOs with mission of improving the economic and social status of the local communities because it will act as a self evaluation instrument. CHAPTER TWO 6. 0 Literature review IntroductionThis chapter shows contribution of different authors and documents on the research topic. It emphasizes the views, theories principles and polices given out by individuals’ organizations, agencies, the government and group on the research topic. 6. 1 Theoretical Review Non Government Organization play a vital role to promote the living standard of the local commu nities, the major important of the NGO’s increases â€Å"social capital† by providing people with opportunities to build trust in each other and capacity to work together towards common goal.NGO’s promote pluralism, diversity, and tolerance in society while protecting and strengthening cultural ethics, religious, linguistic and other identities. Moreover, NGO’s advances science and thought develop culture and arts develop culture and arts, protect environment and support activities concerning civil societies, NGO’s is a facilitator of citizen through it advocacy and operational mission as classified with World Bank (ICE, 2002). NGO’s mainly are doing to encourage socio-economic development and the community at large in less developed countries particularly in Tanzania (UN human Development report, 2000).There are various indicators that an organization may be labeled an NGO if it ha four characteristics identified by the commonwealth foundat ion, a London based NGO group. These characteristics are the guidelines for the good practices of NGO’s. These characteristics includes Voluntary membership, independent and autonomy where NGO’s are independent within the laws of society and owned by the members and controlled by board elected from members, Non-for-profit, NGO’s are not for private personal gains, but NGO’s may involve in income generating activities for pursuing organization mission.Another indicator for the good performance NGO’s should not self-serving in aims and related value, The aims of NGO’s is to improve the circumstances and prospects of people and to act on concern on issues detrimental to wellbeing and peoples prosperity (Commonwealth Foundation, 1995). NGO’s have indirect and direct relationship in the content of poverty. This is because of the purposes of the NGO’s and their nature to fight against poverty. According to the president of the Egypt where he rgue that NGO’s have rendered a great efforts in poverty eradication not only in Egypt but also in sub Saharan nations, He further stated â€Å"There can be hope only for society which act as one big family and not as many separate one† ( Sadat 1981). NGO’s provides humanitarian aids example food during natural calamities all over the world, protects children and youth, conflict resolution, education, environmental, human rights, relief services (Wikipedia,2010).In the context of poverty an NGO, example World Vision a case of Moshono ADP, this organization has rendered great significant efforts in improving the living standard of Moshono people through the provision of clean and safe water, improve health situation, cars for orphans, Build classrooms and hospitals, this contributes a lot to poverty alleviation. (Moshono ADP). Standard of Living is a level of material comfort that an individual or group aspires to or may achieve.Standard of living is mea sured by various indicators, Example life expectance, access to nutrition foods, safe and clean water supply, and availability of medical assistances. (Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, 2000). 6. 2 Empirical Review According to Anup (2001) in his research on â€Å"poverty facts and stats on Global issues†22,000 children die each day die to poverty and they die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the concise of the world.Being weak and weak in life make this dying multitudes even more invisible in death. Around 27-28 percent of all children in developing countries are estimated to be underweight or stunned. The two regions that accounts for deficit are South Asia and Sub –Saharan African. If the current trends continue the millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) target having the proportional of underweight children will be mused by 30 million children. Largely because or low progress in Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Af rica.According to Sachs(2005) ,UN project on the research â€Å"Ending African’s poverty trap†, The thirty three Sub- Saharan countries on which this study focuses had a combine population of 617 million in 2001 with the population heightened average annual income of $271 per person or a mere 74 percent a day. Every county in Sub-Saharan is a low income country according to world bank country classification, At least only four countries (Angola, Cameroon, and Congo) with income per capital $500 because their oil exporters and only cote d’ ivory which is currently vertiginous political nd economic crisis, is a non oil exporter. Sub-Sahara countries have a life expectancy at birth below 60 years and in all but Ghana. Madagascar and Sudan life expectancy at birth is below 55 years. Child mortality rates (Death before the age of five (5) per 1000 live births) are above in every Sub-Saharan countries. According to (Mbelle, 2003) in their research on poverty alleviati on (school enrollment performances and access to education in Tanzania) the decision to invest in education is guided by cost benefit consideration.At the Micro level the question whether education contributes to economic growth and how this contribution of physical capital becomes a paramount importance. Demand fof education by individual and household needs to be sustained at high level if access is to improve. This can be achieved through empowering individuals and households economically. Maintaining macro economic stability and perusing pro-poor expenditure are keys in reducing the general level of raising the level of demand for education at both individual and household level.The gap is identified on where the NGO’s operating in local communities found to face various problems that can possibly hinder their efficiency and effectiveness in supporting local development. It is doubtful, however other studies shows that the NGO’s have a lot to contributes in eradica ting poverty, in local communities. Basing on such theoretical contradiction makes the need to go through findings and analyzing the facts on the extent to which NGO’s have been supportive agent to the local are as development and eradicating poverty in the area they operates. CHAPTER THREE 7. Research methodology 7. 1 Research Design Is the logic that link the data to be collected (and the conclusion to be drawn) to the initial question of a study. Research design addresses the planning of scientific enquiry that is, designing a strategy for finding out something (Kothari, 2004). The descriptive study will be employed to portray accurate information since the research is concerned with issues related to social development studies. 2. Description of the Study Area. This study will be done in Arusha Region with a case study of Moshono ADP in Arumeru district council.The economic activities in Moshono ADP are mainly farming and livestock. This is the sample for the Non governme ntal Organizations in assessing their effectiveness in improving the living standard of the local communities in Tanzania. Therefore, From Moshono ADP enough information can be accumulated which will represent the whole population.. 7. 3 Data Collection The data will be collected by using different instrument/methods. There will be both primary and secondary data collection (document review) primary information shall be collected by using interviews, questionnaires and observations. 1. Type of Data.Both primary and secondary data will be collected from the field. Where by the primary data will be obtained from respondent directly though questionnaire and interviews as well as observation while Secondary data will be obtained from documents that contains relevant information about the study. 2. Sources of Data. Both primary and secondary data will be used as sources of data in this study. 7. 3. 2. 1 Primary Data These are new data which will be gathered to help solving the problem at hand the researcher will collect primary data from selected respondents from different groups in the entire community.Interviews, questionnaire and observation will be used to obtain primary data at Moshono ADP. 7. 3. 2. 2 Secondary Data These are data that has already existed some where; this involves reviewing of literature and documentation, document such as livelihood, gender, poverty, and social services journals and reports for the purpose of findings tangible information about the issues of living standard of local community in Tanzania and suggests possible solution for that problem. 3. Techniques of Data CollectionThe following techniques will be applied in this study 7. 3. 3. 1 Interview, This method will involve the prepared questions that a researcher administers through face to face interrogations with respondents. The researcher shall record all conversation in the interview. 7. 3. 3. 2 Questionnaire This popular method will be employed for data collection. Questionna ire will be open and closed. The researcher should use this tool to the key respondents like Moshono ADP Staffs, Community Leader and Community Member. 7. 3. 3. 3 ObservationThe resercher will use this technique of data collection. The researcher shall directly ask questions to the respondents and make physical observation of the environment. Through observation the researcher will be able to observe some of the causes, effects and measures taken by different stakeholders towards solving this problem in the study areas. 3. Sampling. Sampling is a part of statistical practice concerned with the selection of an unbiased or random subset of individual intended to yield some knowledge about population.Sample type which will be used is descriptive random sampling in order to give an equal chance to every selected sample element. Under this sampling both probability and non-probability method will be used. 1. Sampling Frame/Population Sampling frame is a list which consists of all sample units. Sample frame consist of a list of items from which sample is drown (Kothari. R, 2003) generally sample frame consist of name of respondents, total number of respondents and the sample size in percentage.Sample frame, therefore the total sample size will be 50 respondents from this units sample size will be (6) Moshono ADP staff, (2) WEOs (4) VEOs, (20) Community members (6) Teachers (6) Health worker (6) P/school student 2. Sample Size The sample will be drawn from 14 wards of Moshono division in which Moshono ADP operate the researcher select three ward randomly namely Moshono, Mlangarini and Bwawani. The sample size will be 50 respondents from different level on the community. The category and numbers of respondents who will be interviewed in this research is shown in the table 1, below. Table 1. Sample Size Distribution NO |CATEGORY |NUMBEROF RESPONDENTS |PARCENTAGES (%) | | |OF RESPONDENTS | | | |1 |WEOs |2 |4 | |2 |VEOs |4 |8 | |3 |Community Members |20 |40 | |4 |Teach ers |6 |12 | |5 |Health worker |6 |12 | |6 |ADP staff |6 |12 | |6 |P/School students |6 |12 | | |TOTAL |50 |100 | Source: Researcher’s own manipulation 7. 4. 3 Sampling TechniquesIn order to collect and acquire enough data and information from different respondents the researcher will use various techniques to capture enough information from the respondents. The researcher will use a purposive technique of sampling though random sampling technique. 5. Data Analysis Techniques The researcher will use the different techniques to analysis and manage the data such as quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques . Also the data will be presented by using of matrices, percentages, and flow diagrams. Reference: Anidah Maccahato (2001) Book in Research Relevance Poverty. )University of Mandanao. Chamber (1983) Rural Development Putting the last first, Longman Inc. New york Chronic Poverty Report (2005) [http://www. chronicpoverty. rg/page/vulnerability-cprc-s-work] Commonwealth f oundation (1995), Non Governmental Organization, Guidelines for Good policy and practice [www. peacecorpsvolonteers. org. com] Community Development Journal an Inter. Form VOL. 31 (2002) [www. undp. org] Davies, Thomas Richard (2007). The Possibilities of Transnational Activism: the Campaign for Disarmament between the Two World Wars. ISBN  978 9004162 58 7, [Http://enwikipedia. org/wiki/non-governmentorgarnization. au] Jude, Howell and Jenny Peace (2000) new roles and relevance; Develop NGO’s and the challenges. Kumarian Press Kothari C. R (2004), Research Methodology, Methods and techniques 2nd edition, New Age International publication. Moshono ADP, Annual Reports, 2006.NSRGP, (July, 2005)Growing out of poverty By Haki Kazi and Catalyst, Tanzania. Nepal National Development Report on poverty alleviation (2004) [www. nepal. gvt. nd] Research on poverty Alleviation. Amon Mbelle and Jovieter Katoboro (2003) [www. repoa. or. tz] Shah Anup(2001) Poverty Facts and Study on Glo bal Issues. UN, Human Development Report (2000) www. undp. org UN Project Research on Ending African Poverty Trap. Jeffrey . D. Sachs (2005) URT 2002, Tanzania Census Report World Bank Economic Review (2000). Volume 14, Number 3. World Bank Report on Poverty (1997) [www. wb. org] World vision (2004), Evaluation report of Moshono ADP [www. world vision. org]