Literature in the Trash Essay

Society has almost forgotten how to appreciate literature. These are the themes of both Mario Vargas Llosa’s essay entitled, Why Literature, and Bob Swift’s On Reading Trash. Both writers believe that people nowadays are not delving into books because of misconceptions regarding reading. However, they have written their ideas using very different and contradictory approaches. Llosa’s belief is that people are so engrossed in their own worlds or professions to provide time for reading good literature. Society has learned the wrong notion that great books can only be read by those who can afford to devote time to it. Since work is the priority in most people’s schedules, literature has to be put aside. He also believes that this miserable state of literature in society is caused by the fast development of science and the other scholarly aspects of life. Llosa states that â€Å"in our time, science and technology cannot play an integrating role, precisely because of the infinite richness of knowledge and the speed of its evolution, which have led to specialization and its obscurities.† However, Llosa strongly feels that literature is a binding force that helps humans reconnect with each other through their experiences, dreams and ambitions. He writes that â€Å"the brotherly link that literature establishes among human beings, compelling them to enter into dialogue and making them conscious of a common origin and a common goal, transcends all temporal barriers.† His most controversial claim is that â€Å"genuine literature is always subversive, unsubmissive, rebellious, a challenge to what exists.† He simply wants to imply that good stories or readings usually depict a life that is much better than what reality has to offer. This normal characteristic of literature is a driving force that makes humanity attempt to copy the fictional worlds in books so as to live better lives. Bob Swift’s very brief essay, on the other hand, recounts how he has grown to love reading. His story does not directly point out society’s weaknesses but it is evident to the reader that he is attacking the wrong notion that appreciating literature is only for those who like classical readings. He clearly believes that children should be free to read even popular books (a.k.a. â€Å"trash†) because their appreciation for these simpler to understand books can lead them to love good classical literature. Although both writers are criticizing society for not reading enough, Llosa and Swift have written their essays in very different ways. Llosa used lengthy, descriptive sentences that can easily tire and lose the reader. His use of words that are not commonly heard in daily living can really be very boring to a young reader. Words like â€Å"solipsism† and â€Å"arcane† are deterrents in getting his message across. It might have been easier to understand these words if they were not part of such long sentences that seem to be saying more than just one message at a time. Swift was direct to the point and frank in every way. His use of brief but very concise words allowed the reader to quickly pick up his point. The hardest word in his essay seemed to be â€Å"omnivorous.† However, because the word was used in a very short sentence, it was easy to understand what it meant. Llosa’s approach encompassed the whole world. He even used Spain’s surveys to prove his point. Swift’s farthest distance to get his message across was the local library. Somehow, Llosa’s essay tends to be arrogant and cynical. Statements like â€Å"I feel sorry for these men† and â€Å"they earn my pity† forces the reader to look up to him and feel his judgmental tones. His sentences such as â€Å"When we close the book and abandon literary fiction, we return to actual existence and compare it to the splendid land that we just left. What a disappointment awaits us!† gives a peek to how negative this writer is about his surroundings. Although Llosa claims he loves literature, he delved too much on the subject of what hinders good literature from being read to the point that the reader does not feel the passion in his words. The author’s perspective dwelt so much on current and historical problems that it was inevitable for the reader to feel anxious throughout the essay. It seems he has alienated himself from the world because of literature. Swift’s love for reading is very much felt in every paragraph of his essay. His personal approach and overflowing description of his excitement when he is reading books was contagious. One cannot help but reach out for a story to read after finishing his essay. Swift’s very practical and positive outlook is evident in the way he has written his essay. His own theory that states â€Å"if you get kids interested in reading books – no matter what sort – they will eventually go to the grander literature all by them selves† shows how down to earth the author is. It also shows how much faith he has on beginning readers. Mario Vargas Llosa and Bob Swift both recognized that society’s misconception about literature is a problem that needs to be addressed. Their approaches to the subject provide clues to their own outlooks in life. Whichever approach may be preferred, it is still to a reader’s advantage to learn his lesson from these authors and read a good book soon.

Boon Rawd Brewery Company Essay

Throughout the years, Boon Rawd has diversified into an award-winning brewer and beverage maker, exporting its globally recognized products worldwide. The key to success and also be a mission statement is â€Å"Transparency! We do the right things. We live as a good citizen and don’t cut corners.† This principle is one of many that have helped Singha obtain the largest market share for beer in Thailand. Domestically, the company sees strong growth in the beer segment dominated by Singha. It expects local demand to grow 6 percent next year to 1.2 billion liters by inaugurating a new facility in 2009. Aside from Singha, Boon Rawd sells other beer varieties, soda water, drinking water, ready-to-drink fruit juices, ready-todrink coffee and tea beverages under various brands, such as Thai Beer, Leo, Moshi and B-ing, a flavored vitamin functional drink. Although Boon Rawd got many awards in â€Å"beer capitals† such as Brussels, Osaka, America, Australia and New Zealand but in the word of president â€Å"you have to dare to challenge the outside world† which makes them still not to  stop expanding their market and find new opportunities over time. Consequently, we decide to analyze and evaluate them for the purpose of getting insight in their international management plans, their competitive advantages, and their human resource management. Besides, this study is also included with countries analysis, industry analysis, and international market too. For the courses of action, we begin with SWOT analysis of Boon Rawd including with providing the company background. Then we do the countries analysis such as GDP, population size, inflation and business environment in those countries. Next, we also find the information that can be fit to Boon Rawd products by studying from primary and secondary sources and do PEST analysis. Lastly, we would examine the marketing strategies of Boon Rawd such as how they trained their employees, how they developed their products, how they could make and retained the international customer relationship in order to penetrate those international markets and find the best way that can make them success in long-term future. Corporate BackgroundWhich industry or industries is the firm operating in?†¢Define the company ´s industryBoon Rawd Brewery Co. Ltd. is the largest and the oldest brewery in Thailand. It was established in 1933 by Boonrawd Srethabutra, on whom HM King Prajadhipok Rama VIII bestowed the aristocratic title of Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi. In that time Thailand was called â€Å"Siam† until 1939 it was changed to Thailand. Nowadays the brewery is still under the Bhirom Bhakdi family management. At first the company produced and sold only beers like Singha, Leo and Thai beer, which Singha is the most famous and popular beer. Later when the company had grown to produce over 800 million liters of beer they started to producing soft drinks as well. They are producing drinking water, soda water, ready-to-drink juice, ready-to-drink green tea, B-ing â€Å"lifestyle functional drink† and some other soft drinks also. So The Boon Rawd Brewery specialized to Brewery and soft drinks industry. Today they have over 2000 employees in nine factories across the Thailand. They produce annually over  one billion liters of beer and much more other drinks. Who are the customers?†¢Identify and segment target customersThe Company has a versatile range of goods and that ´s one of the reasons to succeed. They sell necessary product like simply drinking water and everybody has to drink water to stay alive. Beer is also popular among adult and young adult nations and they have both quality and cheap beers so they can reach most of the customer, who drinks beer. Juice and that kind of soft drinks are for everybody as well, but especially children and teens like to drink juice a lot. Green tea and coffee are more for adults. So they can sell products to huge part of the population. Where does the company serve?†¢Define company ´s geographic scopeThe company primarily operates in Thailand, where it is headquartered in Bangkok. Network of The Boon Rawd Brewery Co. includes three breweries and six soft drinks factories all over the Thailand. Other factories located in strategic regions across The Thailand, in Chiangmai, Khonkaen, Singburi, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Surat Thani. The Boon Rawd Brewery Co. Ltd. owns two breweries in German. The first one located in the town of Mittweida, that brew Mittweida beer and the second one brews Gerand Hartmanndorf beer in the town of Gerand Hartmanndorf. Nowadays their products are exported to over 25 countries around the world. The largest export country is neighbor country Cambodia; followed markets are in United State, United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. In addition they sell their product to China, Philippine, Laos and Vietnam. Sometimes they sell product to some other neighbor countries as well, but sales are sporadic. What needs are being satisfied by the company ´s goods or services?†¢Define the company ´s core products/servicesBoon Rawd brewery has regained its market leader of beer in Thailand. Singha beer is the leading product of the Boon Rawd Brewery Co. Singha beer has been Thailand’s most popular beer for many years. Leo is also famous beer brand, but they have another strategy with  Leo, when Singha beer is high quality, good and nice beer, Leo is cheap and less quality beer. The company sells Thai beer as well, and lot of different soft drinks, like ready-to-drink juices, ready-to-drink green tea, drinking water, soft water and something like that. What are the company’s distinctive competencies?†¢What resources does the company have?†¢What capabilities does the company possess?As previously was mentioned, Boon Rawd Brewery has 2000 employees in 9 factories in various parts of Thailand. This eases the distribution in the country internally, but it also facilitates the company to respond to the already widespread demand throughout the world. If the demand will grow even further, it is necessary to add resources so that supply will keep up with demand. Boon Rawd Brewery has a ready customer base and especially Singha has been received positive welcome also widely outside of Thailand. Thus, if the company desires to internationalize to the wider world, it is a smaller problem, because it is already well underway and the groundwork for potential follow-up measures have already been made. Boon Rawd Brewery provides and offers different kind of products to different kind of customers and their needs. As previously mentioned, the Boon Rawd Brewery has a wide range, which includes various drinks from beers to juices and from energy drinks to soda water. This kind of range, which has planned with widely thinking, provides a more stable support for the company’s activities. So, if the company’s some of their individual product’s sales might drop surprisingly, the company is not so vulnerable. Which generic strategy in currently used by the company?†¢Based on the value-chain analysisCurrently, Boon Rawd Brewery invests to the visibility of company and making products more familiar among consumers. The company also makes its share of supporting important societal issues. It invests to sport, culture and environmental. It has brought to use A Waste Water Management System, which is designed to minimize the environmental impact on the Chao Phraya River. Boon Rawd Brewery has its own factories in Thailand and in addition, it currently owns 2 other factories in Europe. The company is expanding slowly but with certainty around the world. So far, customers are widely from different parts of the world, so it seems to be only a matter of time before the company decides to buy or set up new factories in other countries. The fact that the company has won several awards over the years in relation to the quality of beer, says that the company invests a lot of resources in the actual beer making process. Country analysis and attractiveness assessmentBrazil PEST analysisPolitical:1.Brazilian citizens are free to relocate throughout the country. In addition, all citizens are free to engage in any business activity, as long it is a legitimate activity. It’s a positive policy for us to take a share of Brazilian market. 2.Citizens or non-citizen, are allow owning private properties in Brazilian territory. Governmental offices issue a title of property, which guaranty one’s ownership of a real, personal, or intellectual property. The process of issuing a property title can be somewhat time consuming; however, when the process is due, the owner is protected by laws, and enforced by judicial system. In addition, some Southern cities had successfully settle negotiations over public land in order to help low income citizens to own a private property. This kind of law and political environment can ensure the safety for our intelligent property of beverage and ownership for brewery and all the assets we owned. 3.Brazil has no yet achieved institutional stability. Government, courts, school, business, and specially law enforcement are struggling to bring solid bases of stability for Brazil. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president, did a good job in recognizing the state’s responsibility for the injustices during dictatorship. On the other hand, violations of human rights still an issue in Brazil, Inflation seems under control for now, but Brazilians had experienced inflation as high as 5,000 percent a year, during late 80’s. Most recently, the revocation of rules, and addition of new  provisions are still happening in Brazil. Therefore, skepticism is among Brazilians, and international observers. 4.The banking system in Brazil has been improving over the past few years; however, more than 50% of the Brazilian population has no means to ever get a bank loan, neither open a bank account. The first problem is that millions of Brazilians have low income. The second problem lies on the credit bureau, which has a deficiency on tracking one’s credit history. Most Brazilians prefer to use the direct financing system, in other words, a store finances one’s purchase, breaking it in small monthly payments, and charging very high interests. If the individual do not pay his or her bills, then the store can confiscate the product, and report his or her name to the credit bureau. 5.Brazilian legislators are far from calling themselves effective in work. Brazilian economy still has non-satisfactory fluctuation, more than 40% of the population lives in total poverty, infant mortality is high, transportation and educational system have big issues to be solved, and crime and corruption are a huge problem. After Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president, first year in office, several denounces came about some Brazilian legislators being involved in scheme and corruption scandals. Such news did not surprise most Brazilians, except for the fact that someone had the courage to speak out. 6.Brazilian government has a long history of resisting the increase of minimum wages. Its main reasons are: a) if minimum wages increase the Brazilian government will not have enough money to pay for all the social security pensions, and governmental employees; b) factory companies say that if minimum wages are increased it would be catastrophic for the companies growth, since their budget for wages and benefits will increase tremendously. In addition, companies claim that if the minimum wages are increase some companies will be force to file for bankruptcy with leads to lay-offs, and increase of national unemployment rates. Our company should be much careful about this. 7.Brazil has some of the most strict environment protection laws in the world; such laws are design to protect citizens, the fauna, and flora of Brazilian territory. Despite of the governmental efforts, the process of reinforcing such laws has not been successful; part of it is due to the inefficiency of some governmental agencies. For example, the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renovaveis (IBAMA) is an the governmental agency responsible for the formulation, coordination, execution, and reinforcement of environmental laws. 8.Any country must protect and promote national enterprises; however, Brazilian government is being over protective. It causes an unbalance cycle of dependency among Brazilian enterprises, which have more to lose because free market would promote competition, and consequently it promotes the development of new technology and money flow. Brazilian government has a long history of being over protective toward its national enterprises. The means in which the government uses as protection strategies vary and it changes time to time. For example, Brazil has an extended list of shipping requirements for imported goods; these requirements cause a difficult time to foreign enterprise, and the process of shipping a nightmare. In addition, the import taxes are high, restrictions on foreign-produce advertising is a strict, and complex bureaucratic process–all make foreign enterprises less capable to compete with Brazilian enterprises in Brazilian territory. Economic:1.Brazilian government requires that all business transactions be made in Brazilian currency (reais), and all foreign currencies must be converted before any business transactions. 2.Brazilian government requires that only one currency be use inside the country, and the Brazilian currency is called the â€Å"real†. However, many businesses will accept dollar or euro as form of payment for good or services. Many Brazilians will save the foreign bills as form of investment because they believe that such currencies will rise in value, and if they not, at least it will not devalue as reais would. In addition, some fortunate business people prefer to be paid in dollar because it, later, will be transported outside the country. 3.Brazilian government has been consistently causing a budget deficit in its domestic budget. In other words, the Brazilian government has been spending more than it collects from taxes each year. 4.Many Brazilian citizens dream with the idea of opening their own business; however, due to high taxation, and labor benefits Brazilians are skeptical about the risks of opening a small or median enterprise. Nerveless, Brazilians citizens welcome new business enterprises because it generates jobs for the citizens. On the other hand, there is a popular believe that if one opens a business enterprise he or she must dodged taxes. Brazilians often avoid paying taxes, as much and as long as they can, because they not believe in the socialist system. 5.Between the years of 2001 through 2003, Brazil shows minimal signs of vulnerability to outside forces. Brazil’s foreign trade impact ratio was gradually increasing during the period from 1999 to 2008. It is likely that Brazil could create more wealth to its citizens by increasing its foreign trade impact. Social:1.In Brazil, one’s ability to create wealth is filled with barriers, especially for low background citizens. It is important to say that if one’s will is strong, he or she might have a chance to advance economically; however, such dream is not a reality to millions of young Brazilians. First, Brazilian education system does not embrace the minority groups. Ironically, the public universities, free education, are primarily composed of elite youth, and private universities are composed of poor or middle class youth. Several philanthropic entities focus on helping Brazilian kids to develop some kind of skills, in order to help them to get a job, but these entities mistakenly forget to encourage and educate kids to pursue an academic life. In general, Brazilian society believes that if one has born poor, he or she will never make a good living. 2.Crime rates in Brazil have been increasing, and many are not reported. This perception frequently can compromise one’s decision of opening a small or  media enterprise. Police fails to assure safety for citizens as well for business. Into the large corporations such fear is reduce due to fact that large companies can afford to pay for an team of security guards. These are what our company should focus and pay a attention to what will hurt our line of business. 3.Protection of public health and safety in Brazil is quite bad, because infant mortality and mal-nutrition are the leading reasons fo1r death among children between ages one to five. Mal nutrition still kills children and adults in Brazil. In addition, the Brazilian government has poor management of waste, and food inspections. The Brazilian government has a long way to go before infant mortality rate decreases to worldwide standards. Technological:1.Brazilian communication system is good. Cities and countryside are equipped with many means of communications (phone, cell phones, fax, television, radio) with exception of computer. The use of computers as a mean of communication is a process that has been growing in Brazil, but due to the high cost of computer hardware it stills a slow growth. The most popular mass communication is television, and Brazilians love soap opera. TV networks strategically start the TV news between the hours of the most popular soap opera, seven to eight p.m. In addition, house and cell phones became more affordable for Brazilians since the Brazilian government had privatized its telecommunication corporation. There is a real potential growth for computer in Brazil. It is believe that soon, the Brazilian government will facilitate and lower taxes for import of computers, which will make computers much affordable item to Brazilians. These infrastructures can ensure that our local communication and promotion can be done efficiently and effectively. 2.Brazilian transportation system is reasonable; it has some good and bad sides. Brazil has roads, rail, air, and ships, but not all works efficiently. Brazil is fortunate because it has south to north regions connected by the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the navigation system is good for transporting large volume of goods throughout the Brazilian coast, but it is not good for transporting people due to long journey. The Brazilian  air system excellent, and recently it is becoming more affordable to Brazilians, but still not cheap to many. The railroad system is, with exception of urban rails, in precarious condition. It requires a great amount of capital investment, mostly for repairs of rails, newer and faster trains, more employees, and newer distribution of rails throughout the country. In similar situation are the roads of Brazil. Highways and interstates are in great need for repair and expansion. Many enterprises have difficulties in transporting goods among states because the highways are very dangerous. Brazilian highways and interstates are filled with dangerous fissures on the road, not enough roads, and damaged bridges. To make things worse, highway pirates are a big problem in Brazil. Often, the news channel announces the robbery of a loaded truck, and the death of the truck driver. High rates of lost, employees and goods, forces enterprises to reevaluate the company’s expansion due to high costs and risks of transporting goods. This base can help us to which transportation tools we should focus and which we should avoid to use. India PEST analysisPolitical:1.slow-down in government decisions due to political instability2.adverse changes or unpredictability on foreign investment, import, ownership, pricing or tax issues3.unexpected delays and cost-overruns due to overlapping governmental jurisdiction4.In recent years, successive Indian Governments have sought to improve the performance of these programmers by decentralizing their administration, vesting village governments with greater responsibility for their monitoring and oversight. An academic literature hypothesizes that socioeconomic divisions within villages and the weak political strength of the poor reduces the effectiveness of decentralized programmers since, under these conditions, elites are able to ‘capture’ funds intended for the poor. This paper argues that the effect of administrative decentralization of poverty programmers and local public goods on the magnitude of benefits to the poor depends not just on their political strength but also on the incentives the non-poor have to improve the welfare of the poor. The design of policy pays insufficient attention to such incentive issues. Empirical analysis provides support for this belief. The regression analysis of the paper reveals that welfare receipts affect the labor supply decisions of the poor and that the  implementation of welfare programmers under control of village governments takes these effects into account.

Social relations

Technological advancements in recent times has actually brought the world closer, the use of internet and communication technologies has closed the large geographic gap between the people. Use of social networking sites, forums and portals has facilitated and addressed the common feelings, issues and concerns. The messages of people can be made public with minimal effort. Technology has made our life easier and faster, saving considerable amount of our valuable time, thereby easing the burden of manual task.Be it marketing or availing other useful online services, technology has provided a solution to every human need. Biotechnology and nanotechnology have added value to human life, in terms of medical treatment and opened the door of new possibilities. However, misuse of technology has posed a larger threat than ever expected. A lot of abuse cases are being increasingly reported.Threats like phishing and malicious e-mails containing viruses and Trojans have led to loss of data and p ersonal details. Due to use of communication and computer technologies, personal information flow comes into a network of marketers very easily. Once your personal details are divulged to a particular agency in the web loop, it is circulated incessantly. It hurts the privacy of innocent customers. Sometimes, culture and traditions are compromised in the name of technology.Social relations are hurt because of excessive use of technology; socializing has taken a back seat with most of the youth stay engulfed with short-cuts provided by technology. It also brings a social divide between â€Å"haves† and â€Å"have-nots†, as technology usage is mostly concentrated with the higher income group folks. Unfortunately, technology also makes the people lethargic and easy-going, thereby roping in increasing health related complications.

Health And Safety at Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Health And Safety at Work - Essay Example Risk assessment is a managerial process that involves qualitative and quantitative analysis of risks at work with the aim of adopting proper mechanisms to avert the potential risk factors. Health and safety practices are known to enhance morale at work, improve innovation, bring about teamwork and attract employees which make it at the centre of an organizations success. This research work compares an investigated situation with the current legislation on health and safety at work to provide appropriate recommendations. Areas of Health and Safety at Work Observed areas at work where health and safety measures forms a critical part of management and includes the building in which the work is hosted. The structures in which work related activities are performed should meet certain set conditions. As safety measures require, it should be ensured that sufficient space is availed for work place, space in this context defines the ease of movement within the office or the place of work. Eno ugh of it limits the number accidents from tools and objects besides the fact that it is more efficient to work in a spacious environment. Buildings housing places of work should have immediate response mechanism in the event of fire and this is facilitated by having fire extinguishers at several strategic points as seen in number of well organized offices. Obtaining such data requires a walk through the office. It shocks to realize that most offices only have a single fire extinguisher which increases the risk of casualties in the event of a fire breakout as it may not be sufficient when needed should fire start from different points simultaneously. Emergency exits or doors also forms part of safety measures as they are the most secure means of eluding deleterious situations and the significance lies in the number and location of exits. An office or building with more exits that are distant from one another is more secure since in the event of danger, people do not scramble to pass through one but have several safe exit options. Employees are safer in a working environment equipped with first aid kits in the event of an accident. Should an accident occur, then the first aid kit provides an opportunity of averting any potential risk before seeking the help of a doctor. Health with regards to the building or office requires that a healthy environment prevails throughout the working process. The building should be equipped with proper ventilation to circulate fresh air and reduce instances of suffocation. A choked up room poses a potential health risk and to provide healthy environment, the working place needs to be circulated with air or have more openings which aids in air circulation as seen in some of the offices or working place. This can be further achieved with the help of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems that is a requirement in all office buildings. With regards to human resource which also defines the level of health and safety at work, there be should seminars to emphasize on the health and safety at work because through these forums, employees obtain crucial information that helps them in observing safety and maintaining a healthy working environment. Seminars could be the place they get enlightened on the health and safety policies. Other measure not to be overlooked is organizing services such as gym, and retreats involving physical exercise activities of

Movie Review on Seperate but Equal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

On Seperate but Equal - Movie Review Example When Clarendon County, South Carolina's the black students are not given the right for a school bus, a harsh and brave fight for justice as well as equality begins. The Thurgood Marshall is a lawyer for the NAACP and he put up a frantic fight for the civil rights and these rights were not given when slavery was abolished, the whole fight turns into a grand fight both in his private life and the court (Separate but equal. 1996). Sidney Poitier, also a DGA director member, starred in the film as Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP lawyer who successfully argued the Brown case and later himself famously served on the Supreme Court (Jerry 2004). John W. Davis is Marshall's opponent; both of them argue keenly and fluently in front a Supreme Court that is led via Chief Justice Earl Warren. Separate But Equal is a touching human performance of a very important court case in American history. The prosecuting attorney and the protagonist in the movie was Thurgood Marshall, the famous black lawyer who was played by Sidney Poitier. Defense lawyers headed by Thurgood Marshall were invited by the local black citizens of kansas so that they could represent them in NAACP. The case is lost in the Federal District Court thus they give a plea to the Supreme Court. ... Board of Education, Delaware, as well as Virginia, all these cases had the same mission . Through strong actors such as Poitier, the movie was very well done. John W.Davis John W. Davis portrayed by Burt Lancaster,one of the top litigator, hired by school board of Clarendon County, South Carolina to argue their case before the Supreme Court, opposed Thurgood Marshall's effort to turn over the Supreme Court decision that gave the verdict of segregation being legal in public schools . The case is bought in the Court, before any decision can be made Chief Justice has a heart attack and dies. His place is taken by Earl Warren, this character is played by Richard Kiley (Goldberg 1993). Earl Warren Earl Warren, played by Richard Kiley appointed as a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after the death of the last Chief Justice. Warren is extremely strong character, he is successful in convincing the court's other members to make a unanimous decision along with him to eliminate the tradition of segregation in the public schools all over the nation (Leonard, 1991). He had a diffcult time trying to convince one of the justices but finally he got him to agree with his decision. Kiley gives a brilliant and powerful performance, but the importance on Warren in Stevens' script seems like it is unpredictable. Harry Briggs Harry Briggs, the father of a black student in the movie. His original name was Tommy Hollis. He is sick and tired of watching his son walk long distances home from school, he feels sorry for his son, as his son is too tired too even do his home work after such a long and tiring walk (Brigid 2005). He enrolls his son's teacher to plead the local supervisor of schools to give a bus. The movie is

Cadbury and Mobil Management Organization Case Study

Cadbury and Mobil Management Organization - Case Study Example But as the technology evolved and organization faced more competition in the marketplace then the need for the new system implementation has increased. This new project for the implementation of the SAP R/3 will completely change the structure for the working of organization and also provide them the competitive edge. The second company is the Mobil Oil Australia Limited that is previously using Sap system for the data processing and as a core back-office system. But the company is not feeling well with this system implementation because the present working is still heavily paper-based. So they have aimed to implement the SAP R/3 project for the better organizational working and management. The most common factor in both companies’ projects is the renovation of the old organizational working environment to a new and efficient ERP system. In this scenario, both companies are aimed to implement the new fully automatic system for the better organizational information management. They also have the common aim regarding the gaining the competitive adage through the technology-based organizational system. Another common goal settled by both organizations is the adaptation of new IT-based system as a tool to transform our business processes. They want to the implementation of mySAP.com to create a standard IT platform and in doing so develop new transparent organizational processes. Another of the similarities in both companies project is the implementation of the process re-engineering for their already SAP based organizational management system. This re-engineering process will change and improve the functionalities of the already present SAP-based system to enhance the organizational working. Now I will discuss the main dissimilarities in both organizational projects.

Basel III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Basel III - Essay Example When the housing bubble collapsed before the financial crisis, the asset-backed securities loss value and many banking firms faced insolvency and required federal bailouts. This paper will review the Basel Accords and the economic impact on banks because of the Basel Accords. Basel I and II background Basel I, which centered mainly on credit risk, came into existence in 1988 and became legally enforceable in the G10 nations in 1992 (Barron, J 2011). The goals of Basel I was to mandate that banks preserve enough capital to absorb losses without creating universal difficulties. Basel I was criticized for being inadequate in its assessment of assets to risk categories because assets with different risk composition would be categorized into the same risk groups. The Basel III established the amount of reserves required by banks to avert losses and cushion the financial industry against possible future financial catastrophes. Basel II was created in June 2004 after concerns arose with Bas el I because of the regulatory arbitrage. Basel II was seen as a more risk-sensitive standard that applied bank’s own approximates of risk in deciding minimum capital demands. Basel II placed measures on the amount and usage of a bank’s capital to cover the risks they experienced. One of the fundamental modifications suggested by Basel II is the heightened sensitivity of a bank’s capital obligations to the risk of its assets: the quantity of capital that a bank has to capture is to be directly associated to the riskiness of its underlying assets (Drumond, I 2009). Because Basel II connected the riskiness of banking institution lending with the funds it held, basically making higher risk transactions have elevated reserve requirements than lower risk ones (Barron, J 2011). A chief concern of the Basel II imitative was the practice of securitization. Banks grouped risky loans into asset-backed securities and sold the securities to investors. This practice allowed the banks to move the risky assets off their balance sheets. This process allowed financial institutions to decrease their capital obligations, take on increasing risks and augment their leverage ('FOCUS: The Business Impact of Basel III' 2010).

Why I want to work in Critical Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why I want to work in Critical Care - Essay Example Most patients who are in Intensive Care Unit are not only in severe pain but also have life threatening condition. It is in this situation where patients need the utmost critical care because their lives and well-being are at stake. Without a nurse that would attend to the patient, their health condition will not only deteriorate but worst could also end their lives. As a nurse, my profession matters the most in this situation because the patients needed me the most to save their lives.I am aware that working in Intensive Care Unit will not be easy. Patients who need critical care must have health professionals who are competent and compassionate to look after them to make them better. As a nurse, this job would be very demanding because most cases that we will be handling are life threatening and extreme. This, however, will make me become better as a professional because I will be exposed to difficult cases that would stretch my professional capability thus making me a better nurse .As a personal health professional, I do not only want to excel in my profession but also would like to make a difference in other people’s lives. The best way to make a difference in other people’s lives is to be there both as a professional and a person during the patient’s direst situation. The satisfaction that will be derived from of making patiently’s better during their life-threatening situation cannot be remunerated by any form of compensation but can only be had by a unique opportunity to work.

Relationship Between Parent and Child Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Relationship Between Parent and Child - Essay Example Julie, as known by her father, started out as a â€Å"warm, sensitive, sweet child and very easy going† child. She was a bubbly little girl who was curious and creative and had a very positive disposition. Her profile was painted by her father with loving words, projecting an ideal daughter that brought her parents much joy and pride. This kind of personality usually results from having a secure attachment with her parents while growing up. In the first few years of life, a child with a secure attachment can learn how to balance separation and reunion. She is unafraid when she gets separated from her parents, trusting that they will be back for her. On the other hand a child with an insecure attachment to his mother manifests panic, anger and a desperate search for her, thinking that she will never come back. When the mother returns, a host of responses may be observed of the child. Some children would be delighted and warmly embrace the parent; others would appear to be indif ferent, withdrawn, hostile, uncertain or confused. The kind of response the child had led the psychological observers to develop the attachment categories of secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant and disorganized. Schore (2001) claim that infants’ attachment experiences are stored in the early maturing right hemisphere of their brain, which have long term effects on how they cope with stress in the future. Hence, it is suffice to say that attachment is crucial to the emotional development of the child, and this is reflected in Julie’s personality as a child.... He allowed them to make mistakes because from these, they learn too. He claims, â€Å"I never confronted the children directly when they made a mistake, I but always guided them until they got it right. I wanted to enrich their environment in order to boost their self-esteem and their confidence.† This reflects Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of learning where it is believed that children learn within a ‘zone of proximal development’ (ZPD) or the distance between a child’s independent problem-solving level and that obtained under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Wertsch, 1985). It is the space between what a child can do by himself and a more challenging level that he can achieve with help from someone. In the case of Julie and her sister, their parents provided ‘scaffolds’ or temporary supports in the process of learning which are gradually taken away when the children are already capable of learning without them. Mo st common conflicts/disagreements/challenges between parent and child Anthony remembers Julie as a very well-behaved child so there weren’t much conflicts or disagreements between them. The only challenging thing that he remembers is her insistence to choose her own clothes every morning, careful not to repeat outfits within close periods of time. If she had no choice but to wear pants two days in a row due to laundry problems, she would throw a fit. â€Å"That is the only time that I can remember when Julie would get mad, scream and cry and go to her room†. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing with Julie because she was quite mature for her age. The misbehaviour that Julie displayed was a manifestation of her growing up into a young lady who wants to prove that she is capable of making her own

Sports Essay On The Importance Of Health Essay Example for Free

Sports Essay On The Importance Of Health Essay For maximum realization of human potential, interplay between health, wellness, and fitness is essential. Health refers to a state of complete mental, physical, and social well-being, and not just in absence of infirmity or diseases. Wellness refers to condition of physical and mental health. Fitness refers to a quality that enables someone to carry out a certain role or task. The topic will be essential in exploring the importance carried by the interaction between health, wellness, and fitness in people. The paper will start by discussing health, its dimensions, and the factors influencing it. After health, wellness will be discussed in regards to the descriptions, the dimensions of wellness, and the factors influencing it. Physical fitness will also be discussed, and then lastly the value of having health, wellness, and physical fitness. Health Health, according to World Health Organization, refers to a state of complete mental, physical, and social well-being, and not just in absence of infirmity or diseases. The dimensions of health include physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social. I think physical health refers to the state the body is in regarding its compositions, functions, development, and maintenance. The intellectual dimension is the ability to come up with skills and knowledge essential in enhancing our life. The emotional dimension means one’s ability in accepting and coping with their situation, and the feelings of others. Social dimension refers to the ability in building and maintaining relationships that satisfy our needs naturally. This is vital because we are social beings. Spiritual dimension refers to our ability to search for the purpose, and meaning of life (MD-Health.com, 2013). Factors influencing our health include the economic and social environment, our individual behaviors and characteristics, and the physical environment. The economic factors affect our choices regarding health. The rich can easily access vital services that can help transform health status. Issues explored regarding the physical environment include clean water and air, healthy work environments, good roads, and safe houses with favorable  neighborhoods. The individual behaviors for instance social networks are associated with good health. The genetic aspect, as well as the gender aspect are associated with our making, and are essential in determining our health. Accessibility to health services also influences our health in the sense that information and services regarding our health are readily available (MD-Health.com, 2013). Wellness Wellness is defined as the condition or state of being in good mental and physical health. Every aspect of our wellness is affected by stress. The dimensions of wellness include social, spiritual, emotional, occupational, environmental, physical wellness, and intellectual well being. Social wellness refers to our ability in relating and connecting with the other people in our places. Emotional fulcrum is our ability to understand ourselves, and cope with challenges brought by life. Our ability to establish peace with ourselves is categorized as spiritual wellness. Recognizing our own responsibility regarding the quality of air, water, and land is entailed in environmental well being. Occupational wellness is our ability to get fulfillment from jobs or in the careers we choose. The ability to open our own minds to ideas that are new is inclusive in intellectual wellness. Physical wellness refers to our ability to maintain healthy quality of life that permits us to go on with our daily activities (University-of-California, 2012). Factors influencing wellness include the health habits, family history, environment, access to health services, attitude, and media and technology. Health habits for instance smoking can lead to heart disease. Our daily health choices affect our level of health. The family history plays a role in pre disposition to a wide variety of conditions that affect our wellness. Examples of these conditions include heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. The physical environment refers to the things that we get exposed to in our work places, schools, and the general environment. They include air, radiation, water, sounds, crime, and recreational facilities. Our access to health services for instance vaccination, screening, and early treatment is essential in improving our quality of life. Our attitude, for instance optimism affects wellness by interacting with our decisions (University-of-California, 2012). Physical Fitness Physical fitness refers to being in good physical condition sometimes referred to as being in condition or in shape. The health related factors to physical fitness include muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibly, and body composition. Muscular strength is the ability of our muscles to exert maximal force in a given motion range. Muscular endurance is the ability of muscles to exert sub maximal force through a certain range of motion, or at a certain point over a specified period of time. Cardiovascular endurance refers to the ability to go on with training of the system over a longer period of time. The ability of a joint to move through full motion range is called flexibility. Body composition is the ratio of lean mass of body to the fat body mass. The skills related factors to physical fitness include speed, agility, power, co ordination, balance, and reaction times (Hoeger Sharon, 2011). The Value of Having Health, Wellness, and Physical Fitness The interaction between health wellness is quite essential in our lives because of many benefits that encapsulate. They include reduced risk of premature death, reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, decrease in resting heart rate, regulation of normal blood pressure, decrease in body fat, increase in HDL and decrease in LDL, and reduced risk of diabetes. Other benefits we gain include joint stability, strengthened bones, increase in muscle mass, increase in resting metabolism, improved core strength, improved balance and coordination, improved body image and self-esteem, reduced depression, and stress management (Sharkey Gaskill, 2006). How to Maintain Your Body Healthy, Well and Fit It is of crucial importance that we maintain our bodies healthy, well, and fit. Measures in maintaining our bodies healthy, well, and fit include engagement in aerobic exercise daily. The exercises increase our stamina and heart health. Another measure is choosing nutritious foods that offer minerals, vitamins, and elements to the body for optimal running. Lifting weight also offers us a way of trimming fat, increasing muscle mass, and boosting the immune system. Reducing stress is also an important option in  shaping the health of our minds. Stress leads us to eat for comfort, overeat, sink onto depression, and avoid exercise. These attributes are not favorable to good health. It is vital for us to meet with friends or join community groups in order to maintain good health (Hoeger Sharon, 2011). For maximum realization of human potential, interplay between health, wellness, and fitness is essential. Several factors as explored here above are important in determining health, wellness, and fitness in our lives. There seems to be a closer relation between wellness and health, as well as the factors that affect the components. There is also an enormous value in maintaining fitness in regards to the health status attained. Stress needs to be avoided for attainment of highest level of wellness, health, and physical activity . http://collegepapersamples.com/essay-samples/the-importance-of-health-wellness-and-fitness

Case Study Of Child Abuse And Neglect Social Work Essay

Case Study Of Child Abuse And Neglect Social Work Essay The following describes a case study scenario in which I am an experienced, protective services worker about to do the first home visit with a new family. It goes on to speculate what might happen, the families reactions, cultural variations and engagement tools and recommendations. While many service bureaucracies focus on a single family member as the client or patient, my site visits suggested that the needs of children in particular (and probably other family members as well) may be impossible to solve, and perhaps even to diagnose, if a programs focus is on the individual child rather than the family. In fact, programs may need to learn a great deal about the family as a whole if they are to diagnose and solve the problems of children. At the simplest level, an example is a problem for a baby that is caused by interaction between a teen mother and her own mother, the babys grandmother: [One caseworker:] Most of the grandparents will tell them, Dont hold the baby, youre going to spoil it. . . . I spend a lot of time trying to talk to grandparents. [Another caseworker:] [You] have to go back to the grandparents. These kids [the teens] all they hear is Youre stupid. I didnt do it that way. So after a while they figure, If I touch this baby, its wrong. So, Her e, momma, take it (Jones, 2004). Two examples are shown below, to illustrate more fully the way in which childrens needs are nested in a family context and intimately connected with the parents and other family members own personal well-being. The first example comes from Oklahomas Integrated Family Services (IFS) System, which serves multiproblem families: A seven-year-old boy came to the attention of a school principal because of both physical and emotional health problems. The boy had long been prone to seizures and self-destructive behavior and was just starting to threaten other children. When the principal called IFS, he found that IFS was already working with the family because the mother was on AFDC and herself had multiple problems. The IFS worker called a meeting of all of the agencies who had contact with the family to talk about the childs needs. As a result, the boy was admitted and sent to a diagnostic center for several months of testing and treatment; the mother received needed services such as mental health treatment and literacy training; and the Child Protective Services worker changed her mind about the possible outcomes for the case and concluded that the mother had the potential to be an adequate parent (Huston, 2003). In this example, the needs of the child turned out to be related to the needs of the mother and, perhaps more important for the service delivery system, part of the solution to the childs needs lay in providing services to the mother so that she could help him. According to an IFS case worker, What the child really [may] need is a mother who can cope (Herr, et al 1999). In the second example, in which meeting a childs needs again depends on an adults well-being, serving the child depends critically on the service deliverers relationship with the adult. The illustration comes from a site visitor who accompanied a case manager on a home visit: The case manager made a home visit to a young (18-year-old) mother who had suffered physical and sexual abuse as a child. During the visit, the case manager picked up and played with the young womans 8-month-old child and observed how the child responded. Then she asked the mother a specific question about her experience with the child: Did she ever feel as though she were climbing the walls and just had to get out of the house when the baby was crying? The young woman said yes, and the case manager asked what she did at such times: Was there anyone she could leave the child with so that she could go on a walk? The teen responded that either she left the baby with her friend downstairs and went for a walk, or she put the child in the crib, closed the door partway, and went into another room. The case manager seemed satisfied with these responses, and she later told the interviewer that, while she has no reason to suspect any abuse or neglect in this case, she realizes that the teen i s somewhat unstable and under great stress, so she likes to keep close watch on what is going on (Pelton, 2008). In this example, the case managers key contribution to the childs wellbeing comes through her attention to and friendship with the mother. Only the case managers strong personal relationship with the teen enabled her to keep a constant eye on the case while not being perceived by the teenager as intrusive, only the strong relationship permitted her diagnosis that the child was doing fine, and only the relationship permitted her to provide preventive services in the form of low-key advice. These links between a childs needs and the well-being of the family as a whole reinforce the conclusion that effective family service deliverers need a trusting relationship with the family and an ability to reach out across systems (Crosson, 2010; pg 12). In particular, the links between child and family well-being suggest that serving children in multiproblem families requires that the service deliverer know both child and family well and be able to reach out across the service system to help all family members. 2.) We shall now discuss the three types of preventions with examples. Many of the preventive services offered by the sites (Wolock, 1984) parenting education and support for parents ability to nurture their children-occur not through formal services but through the relationship between the family and the case manager. However, several of the sites also provide more formal services, such as support groups, classes, or workshops. For example, all three of the teen parent programs provide teen support groups that touch on parenting issues as well as other topics such as self-esteem, health and nutrition, and family planning. In addition to knowledge about parenting, these programs generally emphasize providing mothers with the warmth and support that they are seen to need in order to be warm and supportive, in turn, to their children. Some of the programs also emphasize the actual practice of new attitudes and skills in interacting with children (Herr, et al 1999). For example, in the TASA Next Step program, teen parent support groups are paired with on-s ite child care, and the sessions are planned so that mothers meet without their children for the first portion of the visit and with the children for the second. What exactly does it mean to serve children through this case management relationship? What does the relationship offer besides referral to specific, functional services like those already discussed? More generally, the family-oriented case managers in the site programs serve children by: 1 Keeping an eye on children themselves and helping families gauge how their children are doing; 2 Providing parents with support and friendship, assistance in improving important family relationships and in dealing differently with their children, and information about parenting or children; 3 Providing friendship, support, and role models for a child directly; and encouraging other service deliverers to respond more effectively to a childs needs. In several programs, case managers struggle to bring together their role in relation to a single client, such as a teen mother or a school age child, with their role in relation to the family as a whole. In these successful examples, case managers reported integrating those roles to see the child in a family context rather than advocating for one family member against another, but not all experiences were as successful. In addition, case managers operated with quite different levels of training in child development and family functioning; again, the examples illustrated in this paper show what is possible with training and, in several cases, expert backup support. 3. The following discusses the societal changes that should be made to protect children in the twenty-first century. Children who are growing up in poverty or other kinds of need are likely to come into contact with other large public agencies besides the welfare system: the public schools, community health clinics or city hospitals, and, perhaps, sadly, the states child protective services agency. What are the implications of the findings presented here for the other large public agencies that see poor children and families? To put the question slightly differently, what principles would we apply to each system if we wanted to create a coherent network of services to children? While this study was not designed to investigate other service systems in any detail, the research sites do suggest several intriguing speculations (Crosson, 2010). First, other agencies besides the welfare department can and should consider what it means to be two-generational. As the research sites and the evidence of other researchers suggest, family needs are often intertwined, whereas the services offered by many of the large systems are limited to a single family member (Jones, 2004). A number of program examples from the site visits and other sources illustrate what it means for service providers other than the welfare department to be two-generational in their focus: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The PACE program in Kentucky, with its combination of adult literacy and preschool education operates within the public schools. In addition to offering two-generational services to families that are directly enrolled in PACE, the program director sees PACE as a vehicle for changing the thinking of the public schools toward a greater inclusion of parents and other family members. Child protective services workers in several of the research sites found that working with intensive case managers helped them appreciate the demands on parents that made it difficult for the latter, in turn, to respond to the needs of the child. This insight lies behind a variety of family support and family preservation programs now being deployed as part of the child welfare services continuum in a number of states. The aim of these programs is to offer services to both parent and child to improve family functioning and enable the child to stay in the home (Wolock, 1984). Visiting nurse programs enable health care providers to see parents and children together and serve the whole family. Maternal and child health clinics with other collocated services also offer the opportunity to meet the needs of several family members. In several locations in New England, Head Start programs are planning or already operating programs jointly with education and training programs for mothers on welfare. These programs include cooperative projects with vocational high schools and with a community training agency. The ways in which welfare agencies have overcome these barriers may well offer insights to other agencies (Jones, 2004). For example, welfare agencies at the successful sites have overcome the limitations of their initial mandate by developing a clear and sustainable mission that makes dear why services to children and families are part of the welfare agencys job. In order to expand services, schools, health clinics, and child protective services agencies may similarly need to articulate connections between an initial, narrower mission and the broader, family-centered mission that they would like to achieve (Crosson, 2010). Thus, schools may conclude that they cannot teach children without a collaborative rel ationship with parents, that they cannot teach children without addressing the problems that keep them from being ready to learn, or that they cannot teach teen mothers effectively without addressing their roles as parents as well as students. Child protective services agencies may conclude that functions such as enhancing family stability and averting foster care are more effective over the long run than providing after-the-fact treatment. 4.) Discuss the key similarities and the differences between the residual effects of neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. What implications does this knowledge have for future prevention, intervention and treatment efforts? While both formal and informal services at the sites are geared to preventing child abuse and neglect, program case managers sometimes find that they need to take stronger, more drastic measures to ensure a childs safety and well-being. Case managers in a number of the programs call on child protective services workers for informal consultation and help when they are worried about a family, and several said that they had made child protective referrals (hotlined a family) at least once (Pelton, 2008). The informal consultation appears to go both ways: Child protective services workers in several locations reportedly ask the site case managers to keep an eye on families which they worry about but cannot serve themselves, given their caseload of even more urgent crises. The worker must be able to cross professional boundaries to meet a wide variety of family needs. In order to serve the child, he or she must also develop a relationship with the whole family, since the childs well-being is often intimately bound up with the well-being of other family members. No agency attempting to move in a two-generational direction should expect the change to be easy (Wolock, 1984). Many of the obstacles experienced by welfare agencies apply just as forcefully to the other large service systems for poor children and families. For example, difficulties of mission plague both schools and child welfare agencies that consider reaching out to parents, just as they hamper welfare agencies that consider reaching out to children. In the school setting, teachers, administrators, and elected overseers may worry that a mission of academic excellence will be compromised by too much attention to the multiple needs that children and their families bring into the classroom. For child welfare agencies, the conflict is even more stark: In an agency whose mission is to protect children, many of whom are in urgent danger, how can it be legitimate to pay comparable attention to their parents? Similarly, each system suffers isolation from other service deliverers and lack of expertise in the multiple problems of families. Each experiences its own set of demands on workers and on the organization as a whole, demands that must be balanced against the needs of families in any successful solution.

The Status Of Women In Pakistan

The Status Of Women In Pakistan 1.1 Demographic Transition and Status of Women in Pakistan Womens empowerment has more than one component: their right to make a decision; their access to opportunities and resources; authority to be in charge of their own lives, both inside and outside the home. Female empowerment has many dimensions. It includes access to knowledge, possession of social and economic resources and more autonomy in political and economic decision-making processes. All these components and dimensions of female empowerment are interrelated and an alteration in one component will not bring a huge transformation unless all change. If females have access to the productivity of men, then both genders can work simultaneously towards the betterment of the country, and this will lead to a sustainable way out of poverty. Therefore, women should get equal work opportunities. But women have greater challenges, as they do not get the same economic opportunities as men do. They do not get access to the decent working condition and lag behind men in decision making. In Pakistan, women do not has proper identities, as she is owned by her male peers. Their integrity and health are often beyond their own control. They are taken as invisible, underserved and undernourished. The culture of Pakistan is greatly patriarchal, there are many old and conservative traditions of women having a subservient and subordinate role. Decisions for female individuals are made by men in her family, especially in under-developed and distant regions. In Pakistan, specific religious beliefs are deeply rooted in citizens beliefs, on which many traditions and social perspective surfaces. Gender empowerment means that females ought to gain equality under the law and it must be implemented and enforced. Womens empowerment essentially contains legal fairness, equal access to education and practical exercise, females management at the national level, positive action for jobs with one and the same pay, and a gender-sensitive justice system. 1.2 Factors Effecting Women Empowerment In Pakistan Women consist of more than 50 percent of population in Pakistan and to deprive this half population of empowerment is to deprive our economy of growth. Women empowerment will not only result in the empowerment of women but also the economic well-being of the country. The development of the country also should result in equitable distribution of development benefits especially to the women sector. Economically empower women have more autonomy and resultantly this can transform their children and family lives. As she is a pivot about which entire family unit revolve, therefore an economically enriched woman has a constructive impact on the future generation. Countries who dont take benefit of its full population and ignores half of it, it is actually misallocating its resources, which will only lead to the reducing their development potential. All countries should focus on its weakness and learn from more successful countries. It should also set up such policies which take advantage of the whole population, as in both female and male. As successful countries are the one who recognize the potential in the women force as well for development. Throughout the world, there is not a single country which can boast of gender equality and full women empowerment. Women still out there face discrimination and are lagging behind in one way or the other. Gender equality in two critical sections is very important like economic and political empowerment of women. There is improvement in health and education with the advent of technology and as globally economies are developing but yet there is a long way to go as women are still very behind men especially in decision making and income earning. With the past trend it is quiet visible women are actively participating in to take charge of their own lives and this is in fact effecting the communities and society as a whole. But there is a big problem as women are not consistent class, they vary by race culture, society, brought up and opportunity, thus these factors also plays an important part in the disparity of women as these factors affect the behavior of society members. The objective of this research is to find out what political and economic determinants effect the women empowerment especially in Pakistan. The main goal is to find out what past variables have been selected and to learn from them and find new determinants. 1.3 Incidence and The Extent Women Empowerment In Pakistan As Pakistan is a growing and developing country and for the past few years its condition is not much improving, this in act is further affecting the condition of women. As more and more people are effected and thus poverty is increasing. Thus women have to strive hard to contribute to the family income, so that their family is at least above poverty line In Pakistan, apparently through the perspective of Islam this country says it gives equal right to both men and women but there is another side to the picture. Women constitute a small portion in decision making and they contribute very less o the development of the country as there labor force participation with respect to men is very less. The status of women in this country represents the traditions and the social customs, which led women to this condition. Women are always underprivileged then man in Pakistan, they get less education, food, decision making and health. As it is consider men are the lords of women, and women are deprived from their basic rights. Women destiny is controlled by men. This is not the case in Pakistan only but also in many countries men are considered superior than women. To achieve development, we have to convert our weakness to strengths. It is also known that increase women participation in the labor force will benefit the growth and resources can be distributed more easily to disadvantaged people. Thus women should get decent work, social protection and voice at work. As most of the time women are subjugated to lower wages than men and their wages have barely increased over time and they are offered low skilled, low paid atypical jobs, mainly performed from home. One of the greatest achievements in Pakistan, during the last decade has been the increasing proportion of women in the labor force, enabling women all over the country to use their potential in the labor market and to achieve economic independence. But yet we still have a long way to go. From Global perspective higher percentage of female are working in the developed countries than ever before, yet at the identical time these women continuing raise children to bear new burdens. But these women face tradeoffs as it will be difficult to find good demanding jobs with children to look after too as well. That is why there is not equal opportunity for men and women. Not only the family but also the society, government and the whole nation will benefit from the empowerment of women. Versatile aspects contribute to the passive functions played by women in the Pakistan Society. Great emphasis has been laid on removing gender inequality and improving women empowerment as Millennium Developmental Goal, resultantly many efforts have been initiated by the Government and NGOs in Pakistan on this issue According to (Pakistan employment trends for women) , international Labor Organization (ILO), has the objective of the promotion of opportunities for women and men to obtain productive employment is also the overall objective of the four fundamental ILO Conventions stressing gender equality cover: (1) equal remuneration (2) non-discrimination in employment and occupation, (3) workers with family responsibilities and (4) maternity protection. The Millennium Development Goals that emerged from the UN Millennium Declaration of September 2000 are specific measurable targets, including the one for reducing the extreme poverty that still grips more than 1 billion of the worlds people by 2015. Essential to this promise are the MDGs interrelated to educational results: (1) Guarantee that all youngsters complete primary education by 2015. (2) Remove gender inequalities in primary and secondary education. By 2006, most countries have already fallen well behind the necessary targets to meet these goals (Millennium Development Goal, 2006). As stated in millennium development goal 3 the promotion of gender equality and empowerment is fundamental to achieving the remaining MDGs .Likewise, there is evidence that addressing gender issues benefits individuals and families, workers and employers, society and national economies. Improving womens wages and earnings has been identified as a key element in tackling poverty and achieving the MDGs. Yet there are Country specific activities to promote gender equality and decent work as in Pakistans constitution ensures all fundamental human rights and guarantees equal employment opportunities for men and women. Existing labor legislations do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of sex, but women are not allowed to work in a few areas for health and safety reasons, but the society as a whole plays a big part. the traditions of Pakistan forces women to sit at home and look after the children only , whether there husband give them money or not ,. Society or community does not approve females going out and raising voices for their rights. They also disapprove females working outside their homes. It is consider the work of women juts to look after their families. So to change this whole perceptive media is playing a big part but the government also needs to be active. As recently the Government initiated a number of activities to promote gender equality at the heart of decent work and to achieve MDG target calling for full and productive employment and decent work for all including women and young people. Those activities range from gender Sensitive revisions of constitutional and legal provisions to the establishment of new policy frameworks that help to accomplish the target. Therefore, the elevation of privileges of women and men in the domain of work and to achieve gender equality are reflected in a number of national development frameworks and policy documents including the Medium Term Development Framework (MTDF) for 2005-10, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and documents exclusively relating to labor markets such as the 2002 Labor Policy and the 2006 Labor Protection Policy. Pakistans Decent Work Country Program (DWCP) spells out the main strategy and plan of action to promote the creation of decent work with gender equality as a cross cutting theme. Overview of existing national policies and development frameworks that stress gender equality and decent work in the country. (Haq) 1.4 Managerial and Academic concerns My research will highlight the key determinants of women empowerment in Pakistan. As this issue is not only prevalent in Pakistan but is a global issue. as It is very important to conduct a research on determinants of women empowerment because it will stress on women troubles and bring them in to attention and it can facilitates and direct the policy makers to make such an intervention in their area, that could enrich these females not only economically but also politically and financially so that they can make a difference in their children lives and their individual living environment .Consequently providing her the individual safety and self-respect that is her essential right. this research is will also help independent institutions like NGOs to reach out to economically and politically deprived women as The negligence of women in development process will be big loss for Pakistan as it will result in loss in human potential and ultimately effect national development. Academically, this research is very significant for the undergraduates as it will help them pinpoint the economic and political determinants which effect the women empowerment in Pakistan. Student will find this research more realistic and precise. As now more individuals are getting conscious of this issue, so more instructors and undergraduates are doing research on women empowerment. They will find this investigation more helpful. 1.6 Keywords and Definitions Empowerment Refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities (Ouellette) Womens empowerment refers to the ability of women to transform economic and social development when empowered to fully participate in the decisions that affect their lives through leadership training, coaching, consulting, and the provision of enabling tools for women to lead within their communities, regions, and countries (Wise earth) Economic and political Determinants An identifiable element in economic and political that affects that limits or defines a decision or condition. 1.7 Study Objectives This study is an attempt to find the determinants of women empowerment in Pakistan as women being the core element of development and in Pakistan it consists of more than half of the population. To study the impact of the Economic participation on women empowerment. To study the impact of the health on women empowerment. To study the impact of the Power over economic resources on women empowerment. To study the impact of the Microfinance on women empowerment. To study the impact of the Political empowerment on women empowerment. To study the impact of the Education attainment on women empowerment. To study the impact of the traditions on women empowerment. End notes With the advent of technology and progress in development, yet in this era women still lack behind men in power because even though a lot has been done for the empowerment of women but there is still a long way to go. Especially in Pakistan, the norms and tradition practiced are such that which suppresses the rights of female. Since independences of Pakistan, women have not gained freedom from these discriminating norms. Even though there has been a progress but this progress is very slow but to empower women not only our government but also society as a whole has to work very hard. LITERATURE REVIEW: Measuring women empowerment Empowerment is a multi-dimensional procedure that aids women to achieve power and control over their individual lives. Empowerment gives due right to women. Yet measurement of women empowerment is difficult and it is challenging to judge country level performance as there is difficulty in gathering diverse data. Based on the findings of, Womens Empowerment: Measuring Gender Gap, five important dimensions have been selected for the examination of women empowerment. Economic participation refers to contribution of females to workforce in quantitative terms. Economic opportunity is related to how much women are involved in the economy, beyond their mere presence as workers. This problem is concentrated in developed countries where women gain access to employment easily but they have little chances of upward mobility. Political empowerment means women have contribution in the decision making and can influence policy making. Educational attainment is very important as women can get the same opportunities as men do and it can be a big step for development purpose. Health and well-being is associated with how much females have access to suffici ent nutrition, healthcare and reproductive facilities. It is very difficult to measure each dimension in each country and to implement policy as each country has many other factors effecting its women empowerment. The GEM quantitatively measures the liberation of women on a country level. This indicator comprises of the share of inequality in control over earned economic resources, involvement in governmental decision-making and economic decision-making. This variable measure how much a power woman holds. Drawing upon Womens Empowerment: Measuring Gender Gap, a report on Taking action: achieving gender equality and empowering women, takes a step forward and elaborates further more on that there are three main domains. These three domains are interconnected, and alteration in every one of three is significant in accomplishing Goal 3. Women: Current Reality In a report by Augusto Lopez-Claros, it is mentioned that the past three decades have witnessed a progressively aggregate awareness of the necessity to invest in women through measures to increase political justice, social, financial and wider access to important social rights but it is argued that changes in women state is a very slow process, up till now a lot of work has been done but yet still the picture is depressing. It is not only the issue in male dominated society but also in developed country as well. A spotlight on deprived female is acceptable for numerous causes. Unfortunate female have the furthermost requirements. It is regularly stated that female outnumber male among the underprivileged. One more important report, Taking action: achieving gender equality and empowering women, further elaborated that poor women have greatest need; investment in them will produce greatest benefit. Further, investment in the adolescent girls is very crucial as they experience more disadvantage than boys. Plus with progress in education and health, yet poverty among women has increased even in the richest countries where womens labor force participation has grown, but the terms and conditions of their employment have not improved. According to Linda Mayoux, Women also help in poverty reduction, if they are given liberty to save with no interference and or they are offered with loan, these women can cater to the need of their house hold eventually reducing poverty. Microfinance has been fruitful in reaching poor women through inventive methods to address gender-specific restraints. According to a report Womens Control over Economic resources and access to financial Resources, including microfinance, 2009, it is obvious that microfinance has a constructive effect on income, but this income expansion has definite limits. As females are subjugated to unfair customs and practices which limits their activities. Females face constraints in gain access to financial services. From all these studies it can be assumed that in spite of numerous accomplishments in giving power to women still women empowerment are effected by many factors .women should be given equal opportunities not only in education, health, and political, economic but also socially as well. Society as a whole should be targeted where new changes, changes in lifestyle and thinking should be accepted. To empower women in Pakistan all these determinants should be taken into consideration. Increasing socialism, religious fundamentalism, and traditionalism are main limiting reasons for womens safety and liberty. other than that self-regulating groups like NGOs and other self-governing research and academic organization, have been very energetic in formulating policy documents, raising public responsiveness and encouraging for gender-sensitive strategies and activities at all stages in order to progress womens empowerment in Pakistan. Womens Economic Activity Economic participation refers to contribution of females to workforce in quantitative terms. Economic opportunity is related to how much women are involved in the economy, beyond their mere presence as workers. This problem is concentrated in developed countries where women gain access to employment easily but they have little chances of upward mobility. With the passage of time and despite considerable work done on women economic enrichment yet this is still time-consuming as due to many norms and practices women continue to be missing from many important decision-making opportunities which result in the determining the distribution of economic and financial resources and opportunity, that makes women more underprovided. Depriving women from economic resources makes a nation less productive resulting in negative economic consequences. Several social practices seem as ordinary from culture and religious perspective move women out of the main stream. Paid employment for women continues to expand slowly and remains meager in many countries including Pakistan. As the global financial crisis does not create problems for men but also for women. With men finding difficulty in recruitment as fewer jobs available due to recession thus, less jobs available for females as well. As females previously were offered less employment the men now with recent event they are less proffered and they are at huge disadvantage then men. They are getting more menial jobs and are given less wage jobs. To a great extent of work of females remains imperceptible, as most of the work done by them goes unaccounted and invisible The segment of women in salaried employment separate to the agricultural segment has amplified only slightly over the years, this shows that women are not getting work in productive jobs which can lead to development. According to (Oxaal, 1997) , with the shortage of jobs, a woman does not have any opportunity except for to accept these kinds of job. With that those women who are not allowed to leave their house for income are also at disadvantage , as their men after recession are losing jobs , even than they are not allowed by their females to also take the burden of earning income thus , females due to poverty get undernourished and malnutrition makes them unhealthy , which resultantly effect their families. Poverty, unemployment and lack of economic prosperity further strengthen this aggressiveness in rural areas the large amount of time women spend on housework and caring for family members means that they had little time to spend on employment and personal care. Since beginning women face a lot of constraint and these restraints replicate womens difficulty in education; lack of power and confidence and negotiating authority; as from their household they are misjudge which effects in low self-respect plus with comparatively high participation in part-time or transitory professions; leads to less employment for women and discrimination against them. Despite womens increased participation in the labor market, there has been no significant increase in the sharing of unpaid work, which affects womens employment choices. Access to Education The living conditions of women, their poverty and huge family household prevent them from gaining education. Since the beginning girls are required to work with their mothers to look after the whole family and do household chores this, therefore limits their time and energy to get involved in education. Issue of illiteracy is the main priority for women. As only educated women can access to economic and political sphere. According to (Medel-Anonuevo, 1993) , providing education to women will develop self-esteem and self-confidence; they will have knowledge of their health and well-being plus they will have the aptitude to make their own choices and negotiate; further this will increase the ladies attentiveness towards their civil rights. In addition will be able to provide skills for income generation and will participate in community/society more effectively and this will prepare them to be good women leaders. As according to the report Taking actions, educated females are more operative at refining their own well-being and family. They are better prepared to get the most advantage from prevailing facilities and chances and to generate alternative chances. In underprivileged countries, girls from their childhood are given domestic work; this handicaps them in terms of education. Gender inequality in rural location is even more noticeable at the phase of tertiary education. Girls from poor and rural Families face higher obstructions to education. Boys are always preferred over girls in education in each level from primary to tertiary. But directed public policy and governance actions can help overcome gender disparities. According to The Millennium Development Goals Report, 2009 policies like removing school fees and providing incentives for girls to attend school can alleviate financial pressures on households. Building schools close to distant communities and recruiting local female teachers can also constricted the gender gap in rural areas. A lot of work must be done to finish inequality and discrimination based on gender especially in schools .hard work must be done to enroll all children in to school, especially girls. And to make sure that they complete their studies up till tertiary level as this can lead to good productive jobs and high economic growth for the whole country. Barriers in the Political Domain Institutions: Since the independence of Pakistan, Pakistani governments has passed many laws for the rights of women but the change in women condition is still very slow with the passage of time. There is a huge gap between the policy making and practical work. An analysis by (JAHAN, 1996) stated that after freedom, leading Muslim women in Pakistan continued to support womens political liberation through lawful reforms. According to (Haq, Khadija Haq on Womens Political and Economic Empowerment in South Asia), government is starting to take steps to surge womens political contribution through the founding of quota systems at countrywide and local levels. Introducing quota systems is nonetheless only single step on the road to female political empowerment. We are still facing inherent male-controlled traditions and approaches that limit chances for womens participation in public life. Environment for womens political empowerment Less number of women, who attain decision-making places in a political sector dominated by men, will be unproductive in manipulating decisions as large majority is needed. Women are less represented in civil service, government and other public establishments and still massive gaps continue in education and job opportunities. At the identical period, women face legal restrictions that halt them from gaining equal access to property and inheritance. We can achieve gender equality by promoting women in politics. According to (Moser, 2007), throughout the world women are still disproportionately represented .They remain a very small minority at the center of political power. One significant approach to assisting womens empowerment is the elevation of the participation of females in politics it comprises of encouraging women in administration and national as well as supporting womens involvement in NGOs and womens movements. In government, women concentration in decision-making positions should be in social, law and justice ministries Women in Pakistan face a lot of stereotypes like women are considered as unsuitable for leadership positions; and all men contemplate that if women have political influence she must be all knowing. Ever since beginning women are disqualified from leadership roles, they are deprived of chances for leadership skills preparation. Domestic errands make it difficult for females to go for training or further studies as they solely do not have the essential hours for study. Thus they lack the talent and ability of political contribution. Most women are linked to a male political leader: as wife of an assassinated leader or daughter of an older, if not late, politician. While most women ultimately emanate into their own as leaders, it does not alter the fact that women, compared with men, have partial access to the support of political parties and males. People have different expectations of male and female leaders. As females are responsible for their family needs with their political career simultaneously. But men have only their careers to concentrate on. When women are elected, they are expected to be all-rounder and all-knowing and in their initial stage of political career, they are expected to make a strong constructive influence in altering the situation of women or talking critical issues such as poverty, health care and education within a small time from their election. According to report ISSUES IN WOMENS POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION,Unjustified and inequitable beliefs results in insufficiency of females to consider entering into politics. This diminishes the group of prospect women leaders who can be confronted, motivated, prepared, and developed for politics. Womens plea for representation is not to substitute mens power but to create places for both women and men to grow their potentials and foster a collaboration that can take on the tasks of the new millennium. Culture barriers Taking the argument in a new direction by a report on Guidelines on Womens Empowerment, states that social issue also plays major role in empowerment. In Pakistan, the girl is still differentiated from the boys from the birth, through her childhood, and into her womanhood. In the tribal fragments of Pakistan, native men are grasping more power through religion and tradition. Girls are considered socially weaker in a Pakistani culture that discriminates against them. In rural areas they observes violence, male violence against their mothers and against them thus from start this becomes a part of their life. Brothers also then participate in this violence against the girls in the family to show their manhood to peers and family male members. Male children become more violent when they grow up. Extreme poverty is a major factor that will impede the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child .The state of extreme poverty is so severe that it leaves its victims inert to awareness, legal punishment or even religious obligations. The economic empowerment of girls and mothers is critical to the achieveme nt of equality. Females in Pakistan live in a domain, which is controlled by severe religious, family and tribal traditions. According to Zaheer Udin Babur, Pakistan, They are exposed to discrimination and viciousness on a daily basis .Islamic views are not properly interpreted , they are molded according to the views of men as Islamic views wrong interpretation results in females oppression physically, mentally and emotionally. Females in Pakistan are facing numerous methods of violence, discrimination and difference in nearly every part of life. Viciousness against womenfolk in many grounds is often not considered as a violation of civil rights but rather as a standard feature of lives of Pakistani people. They live in an atmosphere of fear, and their lives are guaranteed in exchange for obedience to social norms and traditions. Because of this fear and sense of being inferior, imposed by the traditional thoughts of a male dominated society, women are suffering immensely especially in their homes. The most abusive forms of violence being faced by women take place in their homes. A thesis by (Faridi, 2009) states that women are under the control of men as the decision about education, health, occupation, marriage and physical mobility are all made by her men folk from the selection of their dress to the selection of life partner is made by either her father or brother. Women especially in Pakistan are the property of their males and to give them empowerment they should be given their due right. Moreover, Segregation and veil as perceived by men folk ma The status of women in Pakistan The status of women in Pakistan Pakistani Society is highly patriarchal which is attributed to the age-old traditions of a subordinate role of women. Women constitute approximately half of the population in Pakistan. Gender relations in the country are based on two basic perceptions. First being the impression that woman are subordinate to men, and secondly that a mans honor depends upon the women of his family. Thus it is women duty to uphold the family honor. The disparities between men and women prevails in health, education, employment, income opportunities, control over assets and participation in the political process that make women less empowered as compared to men. There are many complicated aspects contributing to the submissive role played by the Pakistani women in the society, leading to a conservative society and to a vicious cycle of poverty under-nutrition and low level of education amongst Pakistani women. In order to ensure that women do not humiliate their families, society puts a limit on womens mobility and restricts her activities. For these reasons women live under purdah. Therefore women spend most of their lives within the boundaries of their homes. In many parts of the country other than in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and some other rich cities, it is considered shameless if womens mobility is not restricted. Moreover in Pakistan, working women poses a threat to male self-esteem and identity. Therefore women are mostly engaged in multiple home-based economic activities such as cooking, laundry, agricultural duties etc. and pays them very low wage. Not only are these tasks physically tough and demanding but they have robed girls of the opportunity to study. However, due to recent concern and emphasis on removing gender inequality and improving women empowerment as Millennium Developmental Goal, some efforts at social and official reform have been made to increase practical literacy of women, giving them more access to employment opportunities at all levels in the economy and promoting awareness of womens roles and status. The empowerment of women is one of the main issues in the development process for all the developing countries in the world. According to UNDPs Human Development Report, Gender Equality Measure (GEM) for South Asia shows the lowest value (0.235) among all the regions of the world. Furthermore, as per Gender development Index (GDI), Pakistan has been noted the poorest (0.179) among South Asian Countries where the average index is 0.226 (MHHDC, 2005). According to UNDP report of 2007-08, the HDI for Pakistan is 0.551, which ranks Pakistan on 136 out of 177 countries. Elements of the social, economic and political participation of women The low health status of women in Pakistan is the result of womens lower social, economic, and cultural position. Women do not play any major role is making social and political policies, however they are equally affected by them as the male members of the society are. Womens elimination from decision-making bodies deprives them of the opportunity to raise their concerns or advance their perspective. The male-dominated governance structure creates gender inequalities which lead to the social and economic deprivation of women. Womens exclusion from politics stem from the social and political discourses, political structures and institutions and the socio-cultural and functional constraints that put limits on womens individual and collective agency. Patriarchy as a system of male domination shapes womens relationship in politics. When the gender role ideology intersects with economic, social and political systems of a particular society; women continue to be defined as private across countries which resulted in their exclusion from politics. Male domination of politics, political parties and culture of formal political structures is another factor that hinders womens social, economic and political participation. Often male dominated political parties have a male perspective on issues of national importance that disillusions women as their perspective is often ignored and not reflected in the politics of their parties. Also women are usually not elected at the position of power within party structures because of gender biases of male leadership. The gender status quo is maintained through low resource allocation to womens human development by the state, society and the family. This is reflected in the social indicators which reflect varying degrees of gender disparities in education, health, employment, ownership of productive resources and politics in all countries. Additionally gender is mediated through class, caste and ethnicity that structure access to resources and opportunities. The socio-cultural dependence of women is one of the key detrimental factors to their political participation. Sources and the extent of women deprivation and exploitation In Pakistan, there is a huge diversity in the status of women across different classes and regions. Gender is one of the main ideologies of Pakistani society. An artificial divide between production and reproduction, has given women the reproductive roles as mothers and wives at home and men are given the productive role as breadwinners which eventually leads to a lower investment in women. Thus, low investment in womens human capital, along with the beliefs of purdah, negative social biases, and cultural practices lays the foundation for gender discrimination and inconsistencies in all aspects of life. Moreover early marriages of girls, excessive childbearing, high level of illiteracy and nutritional deficiencies negatively affect womens health. Gender biasness in the health service delivery system ranging from lack of female service providers, ignorance of womens essential and reproductive health needs further aggravates womens health status. Women are officially authorized to own property from their families, however very few women have access and control over resources. Mostly women in Pakistan lack ownership of useful property or assets. Similarly, formal financial institutions do not cater to womens credit needs. Commercial banks pay no attention to women clients due to their defined views on womens creditworthiness because of their dependency on men for physical collateral, high transaction cost of small loans.  [1]  The Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan and First Womens Bank Limited and now Khushali Bank are the only banks who have credit programs that cater to women. Other sources of credit to women include informal sources such as nongovernment organizations, friends, relatives, and moneylenders and microfinance institutions. Women in Pakistan are facing various forms of violence. Domestic violence is fairly widespread across all classes. Due to this fear and sense of being inferior, imposed by the traditional thoughts of a male dominated society, women are suffering immensely and this issue needs our utmost attention. An overview of the microfinance constitutions and microfinance lending Microfinance was started in the 60s and 70s, when organizations such as ACCION International Opportunity and Grameen Bank started to grant small loans (less than 100 dollars) to microentrepreneurs, mostly women, backed by a group guarantee, thus overcoming the collateral that was the main reason for the lack of attention paid by commercial banking to the low-income segments of the population. Microfinance has experienced considerable growth ever since. Mohammad Yunus was the first and the foremost person to introduce the concept of microcredit with the help of Grameen Bank into an ever more important instrument in the struggle against poverty. Inspired by the Nobel Peace Prize winning Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, there has been a growth of microfinance institutions in developing countries; Pakistan is no exception. Growth and diversity in its microfinance sector have been encouraged by the microfinance Ordinance 2001, which resulted in the establishment of the First Microfinance Bank in Pakistan. Before the promulgation of the microfinance ordinance, the main providers of microfinance services in Pakistan were NGOs and government-sponsored rural support programs. Gaining access to finance in Pakistan has an important potential for considerable advances in the economy. Credit to the private sector is equal to 29% of gross domestic product (GDP), individuals and SMEs prefer to rely on retained earnings to finance their working capital, investment, housing financing, and other financial needs. Of the total population, 14% have access to formal finance, and about 40% have no financial access to formal or informal financial systems altogether. However, access to financial services remains quite limited in Pakistan. The predominant share of the financial system, the banking sector, is mostly focused on large enterprise lending, with an increasing interest in consumer financing and neglects SMEs, rural areas, microfinance, and the poor. SMEs comprise of almost 90% of all the enterprises in Pakistan, they employ 80% of the non-agricultural labor force and their share in the annual GDP is 40%, approximately. This innate feature of an SME makes it esse ntial that there should be a system through which it support in business including technical up gradation, marketing, and human resource training development. The beginning of microfinance sector in Pakistan has its roots in the rural development project. The Agha Khan Rural Support Programs development model is used all over Pakistan. Along with poverty alleviation, microfinance in Pakistan has been seen as an important instrument for gender empowerment. Microfinance in particular has proven to be an effective tool for poverty easing and creation of employment prospects. The GOP has formulated comprehensive Microfinance Sector Development Programme with the assistance of Asian Development Bank to broaden the microfinance sector. This will be attained through the creation of conductive policy environment, developing appropriate financial infrastructure, promoting and strengthening microfinance institutes, developing linkages with NGOs and community organizations, investing in building social capital, mitigating risks of poor households and institutional development. The Government of Pakistan (GOP) and various rural support programs in the country feel that by providing credit to women, which is used for income generation and consumption, the social and economic status of women in the household and at the community level can be improved. Currently, the network of microfinance providers is 1,343 branches with about Rs 15 billion portfolio. Among microfinance providers, Khushali Bank alone provides coverage in 86 districts. The three microfinance entities, namely, National Rural Support Program (NRSP), Khushali Bank, and Kashf Foundation accounted for approximately 70% of the sectors active clients. However, there are two main challenges faced by the microfinance institutions of Pakistan. The first challenge for microfinance is for service providers to become profitable so that service provision to poor people can grow on a sustainable basis. A study of South Asian MFIs done in 2005 showed that only 42% of microcredit borrowers in Pakistan received services from profitable MFIs which is the lowest percentage in South Asia (Microfinance Information Exchange, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, and the World Bank (2006). Most microfinance providers rely on a combination of donor/noncommercial funding, and cannot claim commercial viability, with the exception of the recently formed Microfinance Banks (MFBs). The second challenge is that microfinance is almost exclusively focused on loans, while other financial services, savings, transfers/remittances, and insurance are often more in demand by poorer households. Gender norms of microfinance institutions and microfinance lending Microfinance programs are known to empower the poor men and women. In these programs, the relationship between the provider and the client is inherently empowering. As a result, microfinance has become a vital element of many donor agencies, poverty alleviation, and community development strategies. Micro-finance programs are not only known for giving both men and women credit and access to savings, they also reach people all over the world and bring them together in organized gropus. They play a significant role to promote gender equality and to empower women. By enabling women to earn income, these programs have the potential to increase the welfare of women and their families and hence empower them. Microfinance in Pakistan has been seen as an important instrument for gender empowerment. The Government of Pakistan (GOP) and various rural support programs in the country feel that by providing credit to women which is used for income generation and consumption, the social and economic status of can be improved. As a result, microfinance has gained immense popularity for poverty alleviation, women empowerment and community development strategies. However, capturing and measuring empowerment and emancipation is a particularly difficult task. Within the group of NGOs identified Kashf Foundation and ASASAH were appropriate for this study. Moreover, it should also be noted that Khushali Bank does not have a gender-specific program in rural areas but works with a third party retail organization, Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP), to give loans to poor women in urban slums of Lahore therefore khushali bank clients were strategically left out. Kashf Foundation, a non-profit NGO based MFI, started its operations in Lahore District in 1996. Kashf started with the mission to `provide quality and cost effective microfinance services to low income households, especially women, in order to enhance their economic role and decision making capacity.  [2]  Kashf provides four types of loan products: Firstly, the basic loan product is the general loan; secondly, it has an emergency loan which is confirmed only if the credit committee takes responsibility for repayment; thirdly, there is the home improvement loan for old and reliable clients; and fourthly, Kashf has introduced a business loan for the missing middle market. The most popular one is the general loan, which has to be repaid over a period of 12 months at an interest rate of 20%. Kashfs solidarity group lending model is a Grameen Bank replication with some adaptations. At the first, the branch officers find women in the local area who want to establish a center. The center is sub divided into five groups and each group has a leader. Together, these seven women form the credit committee and are responsible for maintaining credit discipline in the center. ASASAH is a non-governmental and non-profit organization established in 2003 with a mission to provide quality health and social services to underserved communities. One of the core objectives outlined by ASASAH is the empowerment of women. The organization has launched its microcredit program, as part of its commitment to work towards the training of women as agents of socioeconomic development. It sees a huge opportunity to fill the present gap in the microfinance industry by developing an innovative model that brings creates a sustainable and cost effective financial services institution serving the bottom of the pyramid. Keywords and definitions Microfinance: offers a broad range of financial services to low-income clients, including consumers and the self-employed. These services include housing loans, savings, health insurance and remittance transfers to help them grow very small businesses. The local MFI might also offer microfinance plus activities such as entrepreneurial and life skills training, advice on topics such as health and nutrition, sanitation, improving living conditions, and the importance of educating children. Microcredit: refers to the loans and credit needs of the poor people, especially farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs who cannot get access to normal bank loans and enables them to become self-employed. Empowerment: is a process of awareness and capacity-building leading to greater participation, greater decision-making power and control over ones life and other processes. Economic Empowerment: Womens access to savings and credit gives them a greater economic role in decision-making by giving them the power to decide the utilization of credit. When women can make decisions regarding credit and savings, they will optimize their own and the households welfare. Social and Political Empowerment: is a blend of womens increased control over income resulting from access to microfinance with improved womens expertise, mobility, and education status. Womens status: Womens position relative to that of men in a society. Grameen Bank: is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans (known as microcredit) to the poor without requiring collateral. Study objectives This study aims to look at and measure the status of women in selected semi urban areas in the outskirts of Lahore city. Furthermore we will determine the factors related to the empowerment of women. Lastly we will assess the role of microfinance lending upon women empowerment in Pakistan. In order to achieve this objective, the study seeks to understand how microfinance opens up economic opportunities for women and their families, increases earnings and reduces their vulnerability, and brings about potential changes in womens social and economic roles that ultimately can lead to greater empowerment of women. The study also seeks to determine different pathways through which such social and economic transformations are more effectively (or less effectively) managed and point out negative consequences that may be faced. Chapter 2 Literature Review To understand the impact of microfinance on women empowerment we look at two sets of literature; womens empowerment and microfinance institutions. In the first set of literature we review how microfinance institutions work and in the second set of literature we review what is understood as empowerment for women and how far microfinance institutions are successful in empowering women. 2.1 Informal credit markets in developing countries Informal credit markets are those which are not regulated or monitored by the banking authorities and these account for much of business credit in developing countries. Despite the development of formal financial markets, and the propagation of micro-credit institutions, informal lenders continue to play a key role in the provision of credit to rural households in most developing countries. This is so because the process of establishing and maintaining a network of rural financial institutions is expensive, and managing their operations is difficult especially in the absence of proper training, monitoring, and incentive structures. The informal sector has commonly been viewed as unregistered sources of credit, such as money lenders, pawnbrokers and traders, along with rationing services and credit associations (ROSCAs), accumulating savings and credit associations (ASCRAs) and deposit takers. Moreover, formal providers are those that are subject to banking laws of the country of oper ation, those which provide retail services to the customers and engage in financial intermediation. According to the World Bank, the conventional provider categories of informal and formal have been complicated by the arrival of microfinance institutions (MFIs) that may be regarded as semi-formal (World Bank, 1997). Capital is an important element in the development of any project. Kurwijila and Due (1991:91) state that the main hurdle to micro-enterprise development is lack of capital. When the poor lack access to the standard sources of credit, they are exploited by loan sharks and other illegal market operators. Following this reason, it is recommended that increasing state efforts are required to eliminate informal finance, while enhancing the availability of state-sanctioned financial intermediaries, especially microfinance programs devoted to poverty alleviation. Savings are an important determinant of wellbeing at both the individual and national levels. For individuals, savings may be motivated by investment opportunities, the desire to smooth consumption keeping unpredictable incomes in mind, or the need to accumulate resources for large purchases. Households in low-income countries have a variety of mechanisms available for saving. These mechanisms range from formal institutions such as banks and credit unions to less formal mechanisms such as holding cash, asset accumulation, and participation in rotating-savings-and-credit-associations (ROSCAs). It is important to highlight the distinction between formal and informal institutions for several reasons. Informal finance mechanisms are quite prevalent in low-income countries. The advantage of informal mechanisms such as ROSCAs is the ability to overcome some of the information and enforcement problems that often lead to the absence of formal markets. Since savings groups are usually localized, agents on both sides of transactions often know each other personally. This helps in overcoming the informational problems such as adverse selection, moral hazard, monitoring, and verification. Further, participants in informal savings committees share a common social bond (for example, they tend to form among friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers) which provides incentives against voluntary default. However, such institution is more vulnerable to local economic shocks affecting all group members. The formal sector is better on these grounds, and provides some additional advantages over the informal sector, both for the individual and the economy. For depositors, government insurance reduces the default risk of banking. A further distinction between the formal and informal sectors is that effective monetary policy typically relies on central bank or government control over the banking system. A large informal financial sector may compromise this ability. Limited access to various sources of credit is seen to harm women more as compared to men. This is due to the specific credit needs of women as their business requires smaller amounts of capital than are customarily lent, and repayment and collateral requirements must be fairly flexible. (Reichmann, 1989:135). Also, it is a legal requirement of many countries, asking women to get their husbands signed approval in order to obtain the loan. Lycette and White (1989:24) cite evidence from Peru that women borrowers usually receive smaller amounts of loans than men from the banks. However, there has been an ongoing debate that women are active in commerce and production activities which require less credit and therefore it is acceptable to provide them with smaller amounts of loan. For these reasons, it is not clear whether discrimination exists, preventing women from obtaining large loans or that women deliberately chooses to borrow less than their males. 2.2 Credit information, credit availability and access Poor women face much inconveniency and problems in acquiring financial services along with the standard barriers that lower income people have to face when dealing with financial institutions. Illiteracy is a key feature that hampers both women and mens capacity to complete application forms necessary to be filled in order to apply for loan. It is also a known fact that female is more illiterate as compared to male in most countries all over the world. Another drawback faced by women is that they lack the collateral which is required by the formal lending institutions to give out the loans. As already mentioned most of these institutions require the male head of household to sign the contract which makes it difficult for the female headed households to apply for the loan at the first place. On the whole, women especially in developing countries are unaware of their rights to apply for financial services. In most developing countries, both men and women lack the confidence to engage in private enterprise and take loans from the banks for business purposes. The structure of the formal credit system is usually very hierarchical and it may appear less user friendly to small women entrepreneurs. Low-income women are mostly less educated and therefore are not used to dealing with formal procedures. Since banks are perceived to be powerful institutions therefore many women may not have the courage to approach them. Despite the above listed difficulties, gaining access to finances can facilitate women to enhance their skills and eventually develop their own independent businesses. Women can boost their skills by accessing technology, raw materials and market information, thereby improving their economic roles. Improving womens economic position contributes to building their confidence, and ultimately improving their social and political role as well. 2.3 Microfinance products and services for deprived and vulnerable As most of the formal sectors banking institutions are unable to reach rural populations, microfinance programs are seen as a potential solution for overcome the gap between the supply and demand for rural finance. These Microfinance institutions are committed to serving customers that have been excluded from the formal banking sector and claim to work with the poorest of the poor. Many MFIs permit people to access useful lump sums through loans. The currently most popular product (that offered by Grameen Bank and copied by many other MFIs) allows borrowers to repay the loan in small and frequent installments. The participation of the poor is thus made possible by the key feature of lending tiny, often weekly, repayments (Matin and Sinha, 1998; Todd, 1996). Such an organization system allows borrower to repay out of existing income thereby allowing the borrower to invest the loan and utilize it the way that best fulfills their needs of the moment. For some borrowers these loans are directly invested in productive enterprises where the returns on additional investment is sometimes enough to make the regular repayments. Microcredit is seen as a way to improve the income an employment opportunities of poor who can be self employed in many ways (Hulme and Mosley, 1996; Yunus, 1983; World Bank, 1994). The main aim is to provide the household with capital and encourage them to involve in income generating activities, thereby increasing their income and consumption. In Bangladesh, there are more than 750 organizations that are working in rural areas to provide credit and non-credit services to the target population, mainly women from landless households (World Bank, 1996). Grameen Bank and Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) are the two main programmes. Grameen Bank is known for its innovative group-based lending programme. BRAC is famous for providing informal primary education and innovative health programmes to the poor. It lays emphasis more on human capital development such as literacy, skill-promoting training and awareness programmes. Inspired by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh there has been a rapidly increasing growth of microfinance institutions in Pakistan and as well as in other developing countries. Growth and diversity in its microfinance sector have been encouraged by the microfinance Ordinance 2001, which resulted in the establishment of the First Microfinance Bank in Pakistan. Table 1 below summarizes the nature of different microfinance institutions operating in the Punjab province of Pakistan, the year in which they were operationalized and the concentration of operations in rural or urban settings. It is clear from the table that most of the NGO based institutions have a gender specific solidarity group approach to microcredit, where they are catering mainly to female clients. Most of the microfinance institutions working in Punjab province, except for the rural support programs, are either specialized institutions or have a specialized window for microcredit. Except for ASASAH, most of the institutions have been in business for quite long to warrant an impact evaluation. For this study we are interested in specialized institutions using a group solidarity model with a women specific focus. Thus, the province of Punjab was an obvious choice with well recognized and established NGO-based microfinance institution (MFI). Given the time and resources available for the study, we have limited our attention to the Lahore district of Punjab, which is the hub of urban microfinance activity in Pakistan, accounting for more than half of the total borrowers in the province. 2.4 Community participation and group lending experience in microfinance Grameen Bank is famous for introducing and expanding its relationships with its customers in a unique relationship which is without utilizing legal contracts of requiring collateral, Grameen bank assigns borrowers to solidarity groups of five members. Each group is than responsible for the debts of the other four, and in case any group members defaults on her loan, the others must repay the defaulted loan or lose eligibility for further loans from Grameen Bank. This compulsory interdependence is seen to powerfully encourage trust and mutual aid within the solidarity group (Hung, 1997:15). The group-based lending is very attractive to women in low income societies. Very few women in Pakistan and Bangladesh work in the wage labor market. Therefore their productive inefficiency is associated with the lack of womens labor market participation which motivates them to become self employed by borrowing capital. Group lending schemes have an informal advantage over outside lenders. Often obtaining information about each member of a group by an outside lender is costly and subject to misinterpretation, therefore group members can monitor each other with relative ease as well as train and help the other low-productive members. In Pakistan, social custom restricts direct contact between potential female borrowers and male outside lenders. In the case of a credit program, it is easier for women, when in the company of larger group to interact with the male coordinator. Therefore, informational advantages of group lending are thus greater for the women as compared to men. Moreover, adverse shocks may have an effect on the ability to repay loans and decrease income and consumption. There is evidence that women are more prone to adverse shocks, related to pregnancy, illness associated with child bearing, and care giving to other household members who fall ill, making them riskier for poorly informe d outside lenders (Rashid and Townsend 1993). 2.5 Microfinance experience and gender empowerment Some aspects of poverty are owed to the inequality between women and men, therefore it is important to understand and interpret the meaning of the term gender. Women and men have different responsibilities in a given culture or location. Gender refers to the social roles of women and men, and is not to be confused with the biologically determined sexes of male and female. Gender is hence a relational concept that analyses womens social roles in relation to the roles of men and vice versa. Gender roles are subject to perceptions and expectations which arise from factors like class, ethnicity, age and religion. Research done by UNDP, U