Hand Hygiene free essay sample

We are surrounded by pathogens. Preventing the spread of disease causing microorganism in health care facilities is crucial. You have to protect yourself, staff and your patients by washing your hands frequently. The article â€Å"hand hygiene: It does make a difference,† written by Maryellen Guinan and Maryanne McGuckin, discusses the importance of handwashing and the steps of properly washing your hands. Handwashing is a skill that is especially important in health care facilities. Some examples of when hand washing should be used is whenever coming into contact with patients, after contact with intact skin, before donning sterile gloves to insert a central intravascular tube, or any other situation that exposes you to body secretions. The proper way to wash your hands is to first wet your hands to allow for better distribution of the soap. It is important to use warm water and lather the soap for a minimum of 20 seconds, make sure to use friction and wash your hands thoroughly. We will write a custom essay sample on Hand Hygiene or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A much quicker alternative to washing your hands is to use antibacterial sanitizers. When using alcohol-based hand rubs apply them to the palm of your hand and keep rubbing until your hand becomes dry. Wash your hands or using sanitizers whenever possible will help keep the health care worker and residents safe from illness This article emphasizes the importance of keeping your hands sanitized. The main concern as a healthcare worker is to keep patients safe and provide them with the best care they could possibly receive. Taking 20 seconds to thoroughly wash your hands you are not only protecting yourself but you keeping everyone you come into contact with safe. Antibacterial sanitizers are a great alternative to washing your hands when you may not have the adequate time to thoroughly wash your hands. Keeping your hands clean can make a big difference and can lead to a healthy and safer environment.

Free Essays on Minimum Wage

The Minimum-Wage Controversy When receiving paychecks, most employees will agree that one can never be paid enough, however, their employers may disagree with that statement and believe that they are getting paid far greater than they are entitled to. Thus creating a conflict between minimum wages. Minimum wage is the least amount of money that an employer may pay their employees. The federal minimum wage that is experienced by many members of the United States, currently is at $5.15, and is under debate as to whether or not it should be raised an additional dollar per hour, to make the minimum wage $6.15 (1). As a result of dissatisfaction with the minimum wage, debates whether or not the wage should be lifted to please more workers are currently taking place. The process to finding the perfect minimum wage to please both employee and employer are still under way, and has been an important controversial issue for many decades. For many, a raise in minimum wage would be fantastic, ma inly employees. For others such as employers, they look down upon the idea of increasing the salary for their workers. The process for increasing the minimum wage would start by paying fifty cents more on January 1st of 2001, and adding the other fifty cents exactly one year later on January 1st of 2002 (1). â€Å"Through this proposal, it would allow for business tax breaks worth $76 billion dollars over ten years, which is down from $122.7 billion in an earlier House version of the bill† (1). As unemployment has reached a recent 30-year low, some employers are looking to change this fact around by hiring in greater numbers (3). But as employers may in fact do try to change this unemployment trend, this also means more money will be spent on trying to match the minimum wage. If they should try and match the minimum wage, the employer will be spending more money just to have more workers that he may not need. Say the minimum wage stayed the same for a while, ... Free Essays on Minimum Wage Free Essays on Minimum Wage It’s Time to Raise the Minimum Wage The current minimum wage does not allow a full-time worker supporting a two-person family to reach the federal poverty line. However, increasing the minimum wage is not a simple undertaking. There are many concerns and questions to address. Business owners are concerned about the expense of raising the minimum wage. Many legislators believe the majority of the minimum wage workforce is teenagers earning money for luxuries. This report will discuss the history of the minimum wage, exceptions to the regulation, demographics of the minimum wage workforce, real value of the minimum wage, and economic feasibility of raising the minimum wage. Based on my research, it is my recommendation that the minimum wage should be raised. The Beginning of the Minimum Wage: The Fair Labor Standards Act The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 set the work week and overtime guidelines, child labor restrictions, and the first minimum wage. Opponents of the act resented the governmental mandates on private business operations. Organized labor unions were concerned that the minimum wage would become a maximum rather than a beginning point. The proponents of the action wished to improve the living conditions of the working poor and create new jobs by shortening hours and setting overtime standards (Cong. Dig., 2000). The federal minimum wage is currently $5.15 per hour. Exceptions to the Minimum Wage Regulation Employers are allowed to pay only 50 percent of the minimum wage to employees who regularly receive $30 per month in tips. The employee must receive at least the minimum wage when the hourly pay and tips are combined. Several states wage/hour laws remove this exception from the law (Cong. Dig, 2000). This exception shifts the burden to pay employees from the employers, to the customers and employees themselves. Earning tips is difficult in businesses with fewer customers, low... Free Essays on Minimum Wage The Minimum-Wage Controversy When receiving paychecks, most employees will agree that one can never be paid enough, however, their employers may disagree with that statement and believe that they are getting paid far greater than they are entitled to. Thus creating a conflict between minimum wages. Minimum wage is the least amount of money that an employer may pay their employees. The federal minimum wage that is experienced by many members of the United States, currently is at $5.15, and is under debate as to whether or not it should be raised an additional dollar per hour, to make the minimum wage $6.15 (1). As a result of dissatisfaction with the minimum wage, debates whether or not the wage should be lifted to please more workers are currently taking place. The process to finding the perfect minimum wage to please both employee and employer are still under way, and has been an important controversial issue for many decades. For many, a raise in minimum wage would be fantastic, ma inly employees. For others such as employers, they look down upon the idea of increasing the salary for their workers. The process for increasing the minimum wage would start by paying fifty cents more on January 1st of 2001, and adding the other fifty cents exactly one year later on January 1st of 2002 (1). â€Å"Through this proposal, it would allow for business tax breaks worth $76 billion dollars over ten years, which is down from $122.7 billion in an earlier House version of the bill† (1). As unemployment has reached a recent 30-year low, some employers are looking to change this fact around by hiring in greater numbers (3). But as employers may in fact do try to change this unemployment trend, this also means more money will be spent on trying to match the minimum wage. If they should try and match the minimum wage, the employer will be spending more money just to have more workers that he may not need. Say the minimum wage stayed the same for a while, ...

Strategies of Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategies of Advertising - Essay Example By this time most people carrying out the advertisements were not in apposition to pay for the media expenses. However, currently viewers are in a better position to comprehend the advertisements much more easily as almost every body can access the media. This, subsequently have made the advertisements easily visible as well as audible (Amazon.com, 2007). The ultimate outcome normally depends on the manner advertising techniques are employed. There has been, on the other hand, a wide application of what is called custom publishing which usually aims at reaching a particular community segment. This, for instance may include anti-smoking advertisements which has been employed by the cancer charities and other anti-smoking groups in collaboration with several government health departments in trial to contain the tobacco advertisement (Sheriga, 2008). They thus establish their own advertisement in order to bring to lime light the negative impacts of smoking. Initially, several commercial advertisements usually assisting cessation of smoking as well as reduce to risk posed lung cancer and its aftermath. Several advertisers employ some sneaky strategies in order to get the attention of the consumers. Generally, advertisements are expected and as well accepted in every society. They are perceived to have nothing wrong in them by most people who usually view them every day. Most people have created the notion that the products advertised are always good ones and that the products being advertised on televisions have nothing wrong in it. Convincing the consumers to buy the products being advertised came about with some strategies. Several commercials which have nothing to do with a product on the other hand have been employing certain lifestyles (Carroll, 2009). Some of the commonly used strategies include: i). Ideal Families and Kids. Research by Raylight (2007) indicate that most TV adverts targeting families usually show up perfect families that appear to be having a hip looking modern styles such as latest hair cuts, hottest fashions as well as toys. These families appearing in the adverts acts as representatives of the type of ideal families the several children viewing the commercial would prefer their families or even themselves to appear. This subsequently leads the children's families to buying the product being marketed in these commercial adverts. The fact is that buying of these products can not make them perfect families. All what the advertisers want is for you to purchase their products. ii). Star Power Some celebrity stars have been employed to market several products through advertisements. Someone's music star, for instance, convincing them to purchase the products they are advertising would make the music fan to buy the goods without realizing that they don't necessarily possess those products or even use them but they are there just for the money. Celebrity stars are used to get attention of the fans as well as watchers who acknowledge them (Raylight, 2007). iii) Sounds Good The attention of the watchers is sometimes gotten in commercial advertisement by playing some good music and sounds which can add some excitement to the viewers. This mainly applies to commercial products meant for kids.

Sexual Harassment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Sexual Harassment - Research Paper Example The issue of sexual harassment affects the whole society and requires joined efforts to combat it. The starting point of handling the issue of sexual harassment is conducting research about the issue and understanding the various perspectives and contexts upon which sexual harassment takes place. This paper will start by discussing the origins, the evolution, and the global context of sexual harassment. It will also offer possible solutions of ways to decrease sexual harassment that is occurring in selected countries. Sexual harassment is an issue experienced by men and women of all ages, races, religions and nationalities, all over the world. The number of sexual harassment reports around the world continues to increase. The threat of sexual harassment affects the lives of millions, especially women, worldwide. Victims of sexual harassment often find it hard to recover from the trauma. They usually exhibit mental stress, depression, and low self-esteem. As such, the effects of sexual harassment may ultimately affect the lives of these people. â€Å"Incidences of sexual harassment are on the rise in most parts of the world particularly towards women† (Kenny, Samah and Chan 296). In Bahrain, most of the reported cases of sexual harassment are towards women, especially foreigners working in the country. In order to comprehend and know the dynamics and the importance of addressing the issue of sexual harassment, it is vital to assess the global trends of the matter in order to understand its severity. Most of the global research on sexual harassment has focused on women. Due to the increasing rates of sexual harassment in the world, there is a need for governments, organizations, and the international community, to take affirmative action towards the issue. â€Å"The world should not view incidents of sexual harassment as isolated incidences but as a construed aggression against the rights of people† (Akhtar 55). The world today is increasing

The Major General Environment Developments that Impinge Upon the Europ Essay

The Major General Environment Developments that Impinge Upon the European Automotive Industry - Essay Example Further Europe has highly evolved manufacturing facilities with automobiles constituting 36% of the total manufacturing of Europe. Of the five major automobile giants General Motors, Toyota Ford, Daimler-Benz, and Volkswagen, the last two are indigenous to Europe but all have a strong European presence with a number of smaller groups adding to the competition. GM markets its products under popular brand names of Opel and Vauxhall. The Ford Europe has staged major acquisitions in Europe by buying Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Volvo, Jaguar. Ford was the first US company to set up its manufacturing base in Europe as far back as 1920. Volkswagen, the German manufacturer is the most aggressive of all the European companies having acquired brands like Skoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Audi, Buggati, and Seat. Since the early twentieth-century European car manufacturers enjoyed the competitive advantage due to their location. Europe accounted for the maximum percentage of consumers while it also has the largest number of manufacturers. However, it faced the first trans-continental threats first from the US car majors like Ford, GM in the early twentieth century and then from the highly efficient Japanese cars in the 70s. Political: Europe is an economically integrated region of 27 countries. The industries have to conform to near equality in trade laws and manufacturing standards especially the emission standards of the European Union. European Commission, for example, wants to do away with the rigid system of national car dealers (Madslien). Since dismantling of the Communist regimes in the Warsaw Pact countries, a large East European market has opened up for the European manufacturer. Due to the advantage provided by a common culture and proximate culture, the European automotive manufacturers were quick to capitalise on it. Companies like Volkswagen, Ford Europe, Daimler-Benz, and Peugeot Citroen have set up manufacturing facilities in East Europe.  Ã‚  

The Effect Of Financial Constraints On Small And Medium Enterprises Finance Essay

The Effect Of Financial Constraints On Small And Medium Enterprises Finance Essay CHAPTER 1 Introduction The relation between financial constraints and the survival and growth of the SME has been document across Africa and world. The researcher will look at the economy of Kenya and make evident of the financial constraints that are facing the small and medium enterprise hence affecting the survival and growth of small and medium size enterprises. There is a need to research in this field since the SME are the backbone of the Kenyan economy. In fact with the growing inflation, not to mention the difficulties the SME have in accessing the financial aids they are barely making it to the second birthday. Overview of the Context Kenyan is a developing country in Africa. The increasing role of the SME sector is confirmed by the recently completed Kenya 2003 Economic Survey, According to the survey, total employment recorded in the informal sector increased from 3.7 employees in 1999 to 5.1 million in 2002, while the formal sector increased only from 1.74 million to 1.76 million employees during the same period. However, the growth of the informal sector in number of employees does not necessarily reflect growth and high productivity of the enterprise itself, as the number of informal sector companies grew largely because of the depressed formal economy and under employment in the formal firms. Having said that, the SME in Kenya faces a lot of challenges and one of them is the financial constrains which really inhibits its growth and survival. Hence the call for this research paper. The researcher will use the research methodologies to extract evidence that really financial constraints is a major factor that affect the growth and survival of the SME in Kenya. Statement of the problem. In Kenya, SME have little access to finance, which thus hampers their emergence and eventual growth and survival. Financial constraint remains a major challenge facing SME in Kenya Wanjohi and Mugure (2008) and this will be evidence in this research paper. Their main sources of capital are their retained earnings and informal savings and loan associations, which are unpredictable and not very secure. SME can rarely meet the conditions set by financial institutions, which see them as a risk because of poor guarantees and lack of information about their ability to repay loans. The financial system in most of Africa is under-developed however and so provides few financial instruments. The researcher has come up with some of the reasons why SME find it hard to access finance in Kenya: High interest rates by the financial institutions Delay in the loan processing due to lack of securities and other requirements by the financial institutions. Some of the SME do not have a good track records hence most of the local banks fear to give them the unsecured loans. Banks are particularly nervous of smaller businesses due to a perception that they represent a greater credit risk. Kariukis (1995) study of bank credit access in Kenya illustrates this point further. A survey of 89 small and medium-scale firms in manufacturing and service industries, combined with secondary information from commercial banks, found that from 1985 to 1990 the average real volume of credit for the sample firms fell, except for the year 1986 which showed a marginal increase of 1.5 per cent. Small scale borrowers were found to be faced with higher nominal interest rates at higher inflation rates in the latter half of the 1980s. Moreover, the explicit transactions costs of borrowing were found to be high in relation to interest costs. Because the information is not available in other ways, SME will have to provide it when they seek finance. They will need to give a business plan, list of the company assets, details of the experience of directors and managers and demonstrate how they can give providers of finance some security for amounts provided. The researcher recognized that in the current context of the most severe financial and economic crisis in decades, various factors such as increased risk aversion, decreased liquidity, bleak prospects for economic growth, etc. are having or are expected to have a highly negative effect on SME and entrepreneurs access to short and long term financing. Small firms are particularly vulnerable because: It is more difficult for them to downsize since they are already small. They are individually less diversified in their activities. They have weaker financial structures or lower capitalization. They have lower or no credit ratings. They are heavily dependent on credit. They have fewer options for finance, especially in financial markets. With this in view, the measures that most governments are taking or planning to take to counteract the effects of the crisis and stimulate their economies should include easing SME and entrepreneurship access to finance. Numerous money lenders in the name of Pyramid schemes comes up, promising hope among the SME that they can make it to the financial freedom through soft borrowing. The rationale behind turning to these schemes among a good number of entrepreneurs is mainly to seek alternatives and soft credit with low interest rates while making profits. Objectives The general objective of the research is to establish the effects that the financial constraints have on the survival and growth of the small and medium enterprises in Kenya. Some of the specific objective that the researcher will bare in the study will evolve around the small and medium sized enterprises in Kenya. To establish effect of economic activities on the survival and growth of the SME in Kenya. To assess the impact of high interest rates by local commercial banks on the survival and growth of the small and medium sized enterprises in Kenya. To establish the effect of commercial banks lending policies and access to credit on the growth and financial performance of SME in Kenya. To establish the effect of the firm capital structure on the growth and survival of the small and medium enterprises in Kenya. To establish the impact of government policies in Kenya on the economic growth on the survival and growth of the small and medium business. 1.5 Research Questions How do high interest rates affect the survival and growth of the firm in Kenya? What effect do the banks lending policies and access to credit have on the growth and survival of the SME in Kenya? How do the government policies in Kenya on the economic growth affect the survival and growth of the small and medium sized business? What effect do the external borrowings have on the survival and growth of the small business enterprises in Kenya? How the economic activities affect the growth and survival of the firm in Kenya? 1.6 The significance of the study. Small and medium sized enterprises are the backbone of virtually all economies in the world. However, the process has long been constrained by the limited availability and accessibility of financial resources to meet a variety of operational and investment needs within the SME sectors. SME and entrepreneurs play a significant role in all economies and are key agents of employment, innovation and growth. A significant number of entrepreneurs and SME could use funds productively if they were available, but are often denied access to financing, thus impeding their creation, survival and growth. Although SME form a broad spectrum as far as their relative size, sector of activity, seniority, location and performance are concerned; there is a vital need for innovative solutions for their financing in particular for innovative and high- growth SME in a globalised knowledge-based economy. The researcher however will be interested to know how does this financial constraints really affect the growth and survival of SME and she will undertake the study t establish the necessary fact that make the growth of SME restrained in Kenya. 1.7 The scope of the study. The Kenya government is commitment to foster the growth of SME emerged as one of the key strategies in the 1986 report Economic Management for Renewed Growth. It was reinforced as a priority in the 1989 report, The Strategy for Small Enterprise Development in Kenya a document that set out the mechanisms for removing constraints to growth of the SME sector. In 1992, the government published the SME policy report, Sessional Paper No. 2, Small Enterprises and Jua Kali Development in Kenya. This report was reviewed in 2002, leading to a new policy framework that provides a balanced focus to SME development in line with the national goals of fostering growth, employment creation, income generation, poverty reduction and industrialization SME in Kenya have not seen much development since Kenyan independence due to financial constraints and other factors that are not going to be discussed on this research paper. Small enterprises have a potentiality of boosting a kenya economy. Although they are faced by many challenges, they still have opportunities to grow. These include linkage with multinational companies, networks with other businesses, diversification of market and products, enabling environment and franchising opportunities which is geatly being encouraged the coalition government that is currently running the government of Kenya although the impact has yet to felt on the small and medium enterpeises due to its size and limied resources. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction. Kenya being a developing country, the researcher will borrow some of empirical research done by experts in other developed and developing countries. A large number of empirical studies have addressed the issue of financial constraints, mainly in order to study the relation between the firms investments and the availability of internal and external funds. Under perfect capital markets, internal and external sources of financial funds are perfectly substitutable Modigliani and Miller (1958), so that the availability of internal funds should not affect investment decisions. Small firms cannot exploit economies of scale in the same way as large firms can they face more financial constraints. Since young companies have not accumulated sufficient cash flow and are unable to rely on bank financing, they have to depend on the equity investments. The analysis of the effects of financial constraints on the firm survival and growth therefore is important. 2.2 Theoretical account of financial constraints The financing constraint literature has been the first to recognize that partitioning firms helps to provide important insights into their behaviors. The pioneers in this field have undoubtedly been Fazzari, Hubbard and Petersen (1988) who point out the fact that firms are definitely not homogeneous. They classify firms according to their dividend payout ratio. Their main aim in doing this is to show that firms that have different dividend payout ratios and therefore belong to different categories, have differential access to finance. Some firms are financially constrained while others are not. Following Fazzari, Hubbard and Petersen (1988), a number of studies have tried to distinguish between various categories of firms. For instance, Whited (1992) uses measures of indebtedness, interest coverage, and whether or not a firm has a bond rating to discriminate among firms. Kaplan and Zingales (1997) use both quantitative and qualitative data to distinguish among firms.Bond et al (1999) classify firms according to whether a firm operates in a bank-based or market-based system.Cleary (1999) uses a financial constraint index to differentiate between firms, which takes into account a number of factors such as firm liquidity, leverage, profitability, and growth. Carpenter and Guariglia (2003) use the number of employees to distinguish between large and small firms. However, the factor common to all these studies is that they have tried to discriminate only within firms that have access to capital markets. A high percentage of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises remains in the informal sector with limited opportunities for growth. Africa has one of the largest informal sectors in the world, World Bank, (2006). In Kenya the availability of finance tends to be extremely limited and difficulty to get external financing as researcher came to find out on this quest on the Kenya town and from the SME managers. The SME financial resources are usually restricted to equity capital and bank debt to those who are able to access it. As the business establishes itself, however, it gains access to resources from its own productive activity and sources of external finance. According to Aghion (2007), access to external finance improves market selection by allowing small firms to be more competitive. Additionally, financial accessibility significantly facilitates the growth of firms. Unlike large firms, SME are restricted in their funding options. Therefore, a new hierarchy of sources of finance for SM E can be defined. In this new hierarchy of sources of finance for SME there are three sources of finance, internal finance, debt finance and new capital contributions. Large firms that have access to capital markets are able to issue equity; however, SME do not normally have access to this form of finance of new capital contributions Cost of new debt financing Cost of internal finance 2.3 The Financial constraint variables According to many studies, small firms do not even recognize their own growth potential Scott Rosa (1996).This is more evident in the research since most of the managers of the small and medium size enterprises are more concerned about the survival of the firm rather than the growth of the firm in most Kenya region. This research however will look at some of the variables that help to clarify this phrase in the Kenyan market. 2.3.1 The effect of government policies. Similar evidence regarding the lack of importance given by small scale enterprises to tax policies is also found in Southern Africa, including Niger, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi, and Zimbabwe Mead (1994). Studies for these locations found little concern for government regulations, except from those enterprises concentrated in targeted locations and specific sectors such as food processing. Instead the greatest concern for the majority of those surveyed was the lack of access to working capital, credit and finance. 2.3.2 The effect of commercial bank lending rates and access to credit. According to Holmes and Kent (1991), SME are characterized by 2 factors: they cannot issue equity and are concerned about ownership and control. Small firms usually do not have the option of issuing additional equity to the public. Even if they were able to issue private equity, managers of SME would restrain from doing so as issuing equity would lead to a dilution in ownership and control. Therefore, managers of SME will usually prefer to go for debt financing, mainly comprising of bank financing. On the other hand, managers of larger firms usually consider a broader range of funding options. As Steel (1994) highlights, high transactions costs and risks associated with small loans, a lack of collateral and an historical orientation towards larger enterprises, continue to restrict small scale enterprise access to formal credit. This no different from Kenya where access to credit is really issue and Kariukis (1995) study of bank credit access in Kenya illustrates this point further. 2.3.3 The impact of government policies Data on the SME sector in Kenya is scarce, although the National SME Baseline Survey provides comprehensive and reliable information; it has not been updated since 1999 and does not contain information for medium-sized firms. The survey indicates that the contribution of the SME sector to GDP increased from 13.8 percent in 1993 to 18.4 percent in 1999.Thia shows that the government policies put in place in Kenya also do affect the growth and survival of the small and medium size enterprises. 2.3.4 The effect of internal capital structure. It should be noted that growth is not the objective of all firms. For example, when firms are faced with serious difficulties during periods of economic downturns, they may shift their objective from growth to survival waiting for better economic conditions to expand. This has been observed in crisis economies where firms downsize and try to keep their costs as low as possible until the economic situation improves. Some firms may choose to remain small if their entrepreneurial capabilities are inconsistent with large size because financial constraints force the poor to start small business, the lack of firm growth could result in social immobility where the small firms remain poor. On the other hand, if small firms have the potential of becoming large, poor firm owners could become rich as their firms expand. Moreover, firm growth in Africa, where technology is usually labour intensive, is usually associated with job creation, which in turn is the key to poverty reduction. Therefore, whether firms have potential to grow or remain small has important policy implications. Slow growth of firms in Africa has been explained as being the result of the lack of access to financial resources McCormick et al. (1997) and Biggs and Srivastava, (1996). This is particular to developing economies where financial markets are under-developed. 2.4 Conceptual Framework. The financial constrained as outlined above is a diverse business phenomena that need to be researched since its the back bone of any business growth and survival may it be a small business in the slums or a major manufacturing business. The researcher is mainly focused on the small and unquoted firms in Kenya. The local commercial banks have a role to play in all this and so is the government. The firm own capital structure also do contribute a lot to the survival and growth of the firm. In Kenya the economic activities that are carried out also influence a lot the GDP of the country hence the economic growth. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction The researcher will mainly use secondary research methodology although the tertiary methodology or the search tool will also be used for the purpose of this research. This will include books, magazines, newspapers to collect data and information regarding the topic. The researcher will also make use of the internet to obtain information about SME and other related information. Secondary data are data that have been collected for some other purpose. Secondary data can provide a useful source from which to answer the research question(s). Punch (1998) mentions several advantages of using existing data. Expenditure on obtaining data can be significantly reduced and data analysis can begin immediately, so saving time. Also, the quality of some data may be superior to anything the researcher could have created alone Thomas (2004). On the other hand, the chosen research method also has several disadvantages such as data that have been gathered by others for their own purposes can be diffic ult to interpret when they are taken out of their original context. It is also much more difficult to appreciate the weak points in data that have been obtained by others. 3.2 Research Area The propose research area is the SME in Kenya. The length of time within which to finish this project will be estimated one month since time and resources might be a major constraint. The researcher proposes to choose at least 15 major towns in Kenya since Small business are all over the country and do research in a at least 10 firms in each town, so as to capture the operation of financial reporting in the country so as to ascertain whether financial constraints are really a major constraint in the survival and growth of small and medium size business in Kenya. As a mean of testing the hypothesis of the study, the researcher will apply the methods below of data collection. 3.3 Observation To judge the effect of financial constrains on survival and growth of a small business in Kenya. The researcher will have to visit the local banks and financial institutions and find out how ones access to finance limits the growth of the business. I propose to use time-series method to judge the observation. The observation will assist me to ascertain that the formal financial sector has provided very little or no service to small business men hence they are unable to finance their small business. 3.4 Interview This will be conducted individually. Structured and unstructured questions will be used to collect information on the subject under investigation. This is to help the researcher obtain responses to questions like; in your view is business growing? How best can it be financed? ,and others. I propose to conduct the interview in such a manner that each sector will have equal probability of being selected. Interviews will enable me to do most of the qualitative part of my research, and the information gained here is usually more realistic. 3.5 Questionnaire I will prepare systematic and well organized questions that will enable me; have responses to the questions raised in the introduction and moreover test the hypothesis of the research. This is demonstrated in Chapter 1 where several questions to this effect have been formulated. 3.6 Data Analysis I will not only rely solely on the information from the various responses from the varied sectors but, also the statistical publications from international organization in Kenya who have done a similar research on SME. I propose to make a thorough analysis of the official and unofficial data received. I will propose the use of quantitative and the qualitative analysis. REFRENCES Punch, K F. (1998), Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Kariuki N (1995) The Effects of Liberalization on Access to Bank Credit in Kenya, Small Enterprise Development, 6 (1), 15-23 Central Bureau of Statistics, International Center for Economic Growth, and K-Rep Holdings, National Micro and Small Enterprise Baseline Survey, 1999. Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning and National Development, Economic Survey, 2003 Wanjohi, A.M. and Mugure, A.(2008). Factors affecting the growth of MSEs in rural areas of Kenya: A case of ICT firms in Kiserian Township, Kajiado District of Kenya. Republic of Kenya (1992). Sessional Paper No. 2 on Small Enterprises and Jua Kali Development in Kenya. Government Printer, Nairobi Biggs, T. and Srivastava, P. (1996) Structural Aspects of Manufacturing in Sub-Saharan Africa: Findings from a Seven Country Enterprise survey, World Bank Discussion paper No. 346. Modigliani, F. and Miller, M. (1958), the cost of capital, corporation finance and the theory of investment. Aghion, P., Fally, T. and Scarpetta, S. (2007): Credit constraints as a barrier to the entry and post-entry growth of firms, Economic Policy, vol. 22 (52): 731-790. Savignac, F. (2008): The impact of financial constraints on innovation: what can be learned from a direct measure? Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Volume 17 (6):553-569. Petersen, M. and Rajan, R. (1994): The benefits of firm-creditor relationships: Evidence from small business data, Journal of Finance, 49, 3-38. Aghion, P., Fally, T. and Scarpetta, S. (2007): Credit constraints as a barrier to the entry and post-entry growth of firms, Economic Policy, vol. 22 (52): 731-790. World Bank. (2006) Doing Business in 2005. The World Bank. Washington D. C., USA. Scott, M. Rosa, P. (1996). Opinion: Has Firm Level Analysis Reached its Limits? Time for a rethink. International Small Business Journal 14, 4, 81-89. Mead D (1994) The legal, regulatory and tax framework and small enterprises, Small Enterprise Development, 5 (2), 10-17 Steel W (1994) Changing the institutional and policy environment for small enterprise development in Africa, Small Enterprise Development, 5 (2), 4-9 Kaplan, S. and L. Zingales (1997), Do investment-cash-flow sensitivities provide useful measures of financing constraints? Quarterly Journal of Economics, 112, pp169-216. Whited, T. (1992), Debt, Liquidity Constraints and Corporate Investment:Evidence from Panel Data, Journal of Finance, 4 ,pp1425-1460. Kaplan, S. and L. Zingales (1997), Do investment-cash-flow sensitivities provide useful measures of financing constraints? Quarterly Journal of Economics,112, pp169-216. Carpenter R.E and A. Guariglia (2003), Cash Flow, Investment and Investment Opportunities: New Tests using UK panel Data, Unpublished. Fazzari, S., G. Hubbard, and B. Petersen (1988), Financing Constraints and Corporate Investment, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 1, pp141-95. Holmes, S. and Kent, P., (1991), An Empirical Analysis of the Financial Structure of Small and Large Australian Manufacturing Enterprises, Journal of Small Business Finance, 1 (2), pp141-154. QUESTIONNAIRES. Why did you choose to start a business in this area? Does your business follow the government policies in regard to paying taxes Yes â‚ ¬Ã‚  No â‚ ¬Ã‚  What is the number of the employees in your business? How is the business in this area affected by the economy trends preferring at the moment? Who is the highest ranking member of your business? What is the annual turnover of your business? Where does your business get the initial capital to start it up? What is your source of financing? What form of financial instruments do you have in place? Which banking or financial sectors do you operate in your business? How do the interest rates affect your business? What are some of the difficulties do you experience when getting bank access? What can you say is the reason for your business failure to grow? How is the government policies put in place in Kenya helping you achieve your financial goals? What are the major issues does your enterprise face when accessing credit facilities in the banking sectors in the Kenya? What would you say is the challenge facing the small business in Kenya in terms of finances?

Womens Roles in Ancient Times Essays -- Females Sociology Sociologica

Women's Roles in Ancient Times For years, people have said that since the beginning of civilization our society has been patriarchal. This assumption is wrong. Archeological evidence proves that in the beginnings, the cultures were female-centered, with a creator goddess. Women's roles were valued as more important than men's role specially because they could give birth. Although this is true, no evidence suggests that these cultures had a matriarchal society. In fact, the evidence found supports the idea of a society where men and women worked side by side sharing the labor, with different roles or tasks, but all equally important. This idea declined over time until we got to the point where women were treated as slaves, and societies were completely male-centered. To prove that women did actually have a very important role in the beginnings of times, we will look at evidence from three archeological sites: Paleolithic Europe, the Neolithic "Old Europe" and the Neolithic Catal Huyuk. First, Paleolithic period in Europe which contains information for the oldest civilization we know up too now, covers the years 40,000 to 10,000 BCE. In this period, people saw the universe as an all giving mother, a very powerful force that gave life. The birth giving process, was looked upon as miraculous in this times, therefore women were venerated for them posses that ability. Evidence to support this theory, can be found in the paintings on the caves discovered in this site. Fist, in these paintings female figures or feminine symbols where always placed in the center, surrounded by the masculine symbols. Also whenever animals' drawings were found in those painting, they were often drawn with big bellies implying pregnancy. E... ...a society where women took on not only an important role, but perhaps the most important role that of the creator of life. However, as society developed and cultures were born the world changed, and we came upon what we have today. A world, where women not only do not have the important role it had before, but had to fight to get the minimal human rights that any human is entitled to. After generations, today we are able to support the importance of the role of women in the creation of many of the principal societies have been built upon such as agriculture and art. In spite of the many changes through the generations, there is one irrefutable fact that will always ensure the place of women in history, we will always be the giver-of-life. Even if that role has been cast down from that of a Goddess to that of an everyday woman, the miracle of it still remains intact.

Energy-Auto Inc. Essay

Read the Hypothetical Case Problem #1 at the end of Chapter 1 and respond to these questions: 1. If Javier sued Energy-Auto Inc., identify who would be the plaintiff and the defendant. 2. In which state or states can the suit be brought? 3. Assume that Javier incurred $100,000 in damages. a) Analyze whether the suit can be brought in federal court b) Explain the advantages and disadvantages of federal versus state court for this type of suit. Case 1. Javier is traveling from his home in New York to Dallas, Texas. While driving through Oklahoma, his brakes fail and he is injured in the ensuing crash. Javier wants to sue the maker of his car, Energy-Auto Inc. Energy’s headquarters is in New York. It does not have any dealerships in Oklahoma or do any advertising in Oklahoma. In this case Javier was driving his car from New York to Dallas, Texas when his brakes failed in Oklahoma where he injured himself. Javier would be the plaintiff because he is the one suing, and Energy- Auto Company would be the defendant in this matter because this company is the one being sued. The suit would then have to be brought in the state of New York considering that this company does not have dealerships in Oklahoma nor does it do any advertising. This would give personal jurisdiction to New York and not Oklahoma. Had this Auto Company adver tised or had any dealerships in Oklahoma then this case could be brought to the courts of Oklahoma for jurisdiction. New York courts can refuse to hear this case and with Javier being a resident of Dallas could possibly have his case heard there considering the fact that Javier has incurred $100,000 in damages he could possibly be immobile from an accident like that. This case can also be brought to federal court for the simple fact that both the plaintiff and defendant are both out of state parties, and would be heard at federal court under diversity jurisdiction. The advantage of federal versus state court would be a judge wouldn’t lose its job for making the wrong ruling in this case which is why its sent to federal court and rulings are heard from a judge that has been appointed forever or until he/she is impeached or reaches retirement. This allows in my opinion, room for fair equal treatment. Disadvantage would be state vs. federal court is the state wouldn’t hav e subject matter jurisdiction in this  case and wouldn’t know how to handle it.

Love and Suffering essays

Love and Suffering essays The way love and suffering have shaped my life is through my childhood. It was a difficult childhood but I learned as I watched my mother go through trials and tribulations with my father. Being raised in a home where the man ruled the house, at a very young age I witnessed my mothers love for my dad and her extreme suffering because of the way my father reciprocated that love. My mother gave so much only to get nothing in return except infidelity and shame from my fathers extracurricular activities which included cheating on my mother constantly and pilfering money from the family business to spend on his mistresses. I remember waking up in the middle of the night finding my mother in the living room crying because my father didnt come home. She loved him so much and really believed in marriage - that no matter what, you stay married even if you are being treated unfairly. Making things worse, was the fact that my family was living in one of my grandmothers houses. My mother was not allowed to make any decision without my grandmothers approval even when it came to her own children. As I look back while I write this journal about love and suffering, I cannot deny the fact that the way I loved in my past relationship has a lot to do with what Ive observed as a child and experienced. In my past relationship I remember loving someone so much that I was willing to endure whatever difficulties I had to face. I stayed with my boyfriend at that time even though he was not very nice to me. I was pregnant at that time and he was hardly there to help me out. He was always out and about with his friends and other women. Sometimes he wouldnt come home till the next day. I remember the tears I shed over this man, and I will never forget the hurt I felt. At that time, I was willing to suffer not only because I loved him but because of my love for my unborn child. I went through all the heartache and...

Role of Criminal Justice System and Illicit Drugs. essays

Role of Criminal Justice System and Illicit Drugs. essays There is considerable debate about the role that the Criminal Justice system should play in the control of illicit drug use (Study Guide 1001CCJ 2003, p.69). The Australian drug policy currently operates within a prohibition model, which states that the production, distribution and use of illicit drugs are criminal offences (Cherney s drug problem, and there seems little doubt that combinations such as law enforcement, medicalisation and harm minimisation based alternatives will be the drug policy of the future. To begin, however, a brief description of the historical origins of prohibition is offered, followed by a review of the criminal justice systems goals in dealing with the control of illicit drugs. The prohibition of illicit drugs originated from a variety of reasons in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These included political economical, public health considerations as well as pressures from medical and moral groups (Study Guide 1001CCJ 2003, p.69). The rationale behind toughening illicit drug use in the 1960s and 1970s was, and continues to be primarily deterrence (Makkai 2000, p.64). De...

Managed Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managed Care - Essay Example Reference is made to the context and the forms of managed care, as described through the literature and the relevant empirical research. Furthermore, the critical examination of the current activities of managers in health care organizations has led to the assumption that these activities can be influenced by the policies related to managed care but the power of these policies to introduce radical changes in these activities is not standardized, being related to the conditions in the internal and external organizational environment and the personal perceptions/ background of the individuals (managers) involved. In order to identify the potential influence of managed care policies on the activities of managers in health care organizations, it would be necessary to refer primarily to the elements of the managed care framework, as it has been extensively developed across USA. Different approaches have been used in order to describe managed care, probably because of the extension of the particular framework. In accordance with Rickel and Wise (2000) managed care can be described as a framework ‘establishing networks of service providers who agree to the conditions of a contract and choose providers based on the cost, quality and range of services they provide’ (Rickel and Wise 53). ... work is described in the study of Edmunds (1997); in accordance with the above study, managed care ‘imposes limitation on utilization of health care services by specifying which practitioners and which services are covered – often, also the number of allowable visits’ (Edmunds 41). In other words, managed care involves in the critical examination of a case (referring to the patient visiting a health services organization) and the referral of the case to appropriate specialists who have the skills and the experience to handle it. Of course, there are chances that the health problem of a patient can be effectively addressed at the first level of the network – i.e. by the primary care provider. Through the above process, the costs related to the health care services are reduced, in the terms that unnecessary expenses on health are avoided, a fact that can significantly benefit the patients but also the state – in cases where medical expenses are covered by the state. From another point of view, the time and the resources spent on each case are appropriately filtered, increasing the effectiveness of health care organizations, which, through the managed care plans can handle more cases, i.e. they are able to respond to the needs of more patients, a fact that increases the effectiveness of the entire health care system. In order to understand the potential influence of the policies of managed care plans on the activities of managers in health care services organizations (HSO), it would be necessary to describe the environment in which these plans are developed; it would be also necessary to refer to the participants, at the level that their decisions and initiatives could affect the activities of managers in HSOs. In accordance with McKenzie and Pinger (2008) the

Written response; What is the purpose of Mama's retelling of familiar Essay

Written response; What is the purpose of Mama's retelling of familiar stories, specially the cuentos, during afternoon coffes - Essay Example Cofer shares the significance of Mama to her in these words, â€Å"I saw her as my liberator and my model. Her stories were parables from which to glean the Truth† (Cofer 69). The characters in Mama’s stories might be fake, but they were knit into stories that depicted the realities of life. The girls were in the age of adolescence and thus, in a state of transition from childhood to adulthood. They needed an interesting way of being informed of the challenges lying ahead in their lives, and Mama’s cuentos exactly addressed that concern. Cofer shares how she would reflect upon Mama’s stories together with Sara to draw conclusions from them in these words, â€Å"Sara and I discussed everything we heard the women say, trying to fit it all together like a puzzle that, once assembled, would reveal life’s mysteries to us† (Cofer 70). Mama’s house was a very suitable place for the cuentos to be narrated in as there was no intrusion of any sort from men in there; â€Å"Then Mama’s house belonged only to us women†¦and the women telling their lives in cuentos are forever woven into the fabric of my imagination, braided like my hair that day I felt my grandmother’s hands teaching me about strength, her voice convincing me of the power of storytelling† (Cofer 70). The stories Mama narrated depicted, in one way or another, realities of the lives of her own daughters. Storytelling not only provided Mama with a unique and interesting way of developing a strong connection and understanding with the young grand-daughters, but also of raising them into well-educated, civilized, and decent girls who would not trust the love of men until they signed the contract of marriage with them. Mama’s stories had lessons hidden in them. Giving those stories deep thoughts would lead Cofer to the realization that a woman loses to nothing and nobody but her own self by letting herself fall into love; â€Å"We understood that neither the name nor any of the facts were