History of Brazil Essay Example for Free

History of brazil nut EssayIt is a matter of fact that Brazil is a country of contrasts. One can easily observe that the development of this nation is incredibly uneven. Taking into consideration their past experience, the Brazilians are seeing some very(prenominal) good times as a nation. Certainly, they have overcrowding problems. However, each country has its own difficulties and tries to overcome them. Thus, the diversity of this country and its amazing history has brought a motley bowl of culture preparing a bright future for Brazil. It is widely known that four major groups make up the Brazilian population. They are the Portuguese, who colonized Brazil in the 16th century Africans brought to the country as slaves various European, Middle Eastern, and Asian immigrant wads who have settled in Brazil since the mid-19th century and indigenous people of Guarani and Tupi language. (Skidmore, 131) Brazil is the only Latin American nation that takes its language and culture main ly from Portugal. Intermarriage between indigenous people or slaves and the Portuguese was a common phenomenon.Despite the fact that the major European social culture of Brazil was once Portuguese, waves of immigration have greatly contributed to a diverse ethnic and cultural heritage. Admiral Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed Brazilian territory for Portugal in 1500. The early explorers brought back a wood with them that produced a red dye, pau-brasil. This is where the land received its original name. Portugal began village in 1532 and made the area a royal colony in 1549. During the Napoleonic Wars, fearing the advancing French armies, King Joao VI left the country in 1808 and set up his court in Rio de Janeiro.He was brought home later in 1820 by a revolution, leaving his male child as regent. When Portugal wanted to nullify Brazil to colonial status again, the prince declared Brazils independence on Sept. 7, 1822. Thus, he became Dom Pedro I, emperor of Brazil. Harassed by his Pa rliament, Pedro I resigned in 1831 in favor of his five-year-old son who became emperor Dom Pedro II in 1840. Emperor Pedro II ruled to 1889 when a federal republic was established as a result of a coup detat organized by Deodoro da Fonseca, marshal of the army. A year earlier, while Dom Pedro II was in Europe, the Regent Princess Isabel had abolished Slavery. Abreu, 311) Dom Pedro II was a popular monarch. Yet discontentedness grew up and, in 1889, he had to resign because of a military revolt. Although a republic was proclaimed at that time, Brazil was ruled by military dictatorships until a revolt allowed returning gradually to stability under civilian chairs. From 1889 to 1930, the government was a constitutional democracy. The presidency was alternating between the dominant states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais. This period stop with a coup detat that placed a civilian, Getulio Vargas, in the presidency. He remained as a dictator until 1945.From 1945 to 1961, presidents of B razil became Eurico Dutra, Vargas, Juscelino Kubitschek, and Janio Quadros. When Quadros abdicated in 1961, he was succeeded by Vice death chair Joao Goulart. (Abreu, 329) Goularts years in office were marked by high inflation, total economic failure, and the increasing influence of radical political parties. The armed forces alarmed by these developments organized a coup detat on March 31, 1964. The coup leaders chose Humberto Castello Branco a president, followed by Arthur da Costa e Silva (1967-69), Emilio Garrastazu Medici (1968-74), and then Ernesto Geisel (1974-79). all(prenominal) of them were senior army officers. Geisel began a liberalization that was carried further by his successor, General Joao Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo (1979-85). In the last of a long series of military coups, General Joao Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo became president in 1979. He pledged a return to democracy in 1985. Figueiredo not only allowed the return of politicians exiled or banned from political activity during the mid-sixties and 1970s, yet also permitted them to run for state and federal offices in 1982. (Alden, 284)However, at the same time, the Electoral College consisting of all members of Congress and also six delegates chosen from each state continued its activities of choosing the president. The election of Tancredo Neves on January 15, 1985, the first civilian president since 1964, brought a nationwide wave of optimism and activity. He was elected from the opposition Brazilian popular Movement Party (PMDB). (Alden, 287) However, when Neves died on April 21, Vice President Sarney became president. The latter was widely distrusted because he had previously been a devoted member of the military regimes political party.Collor de Mello win the election of late 1989 with 53% of the vote in the first direct presidential election in his 29 years. (Abreu, 378) Mello promised to lower the persistent hyperinflation by following the path of free-market economics. Ha ving faced impeachment by Congress because of a corruption scandal in December 1992, Mello finally resigned. Vice President Itamar Franco took his place and assumed the presidency. Fernando Cardoso, a former finance minister, won the presidency in the October 1994 election having 54% of the vote.He took office on January 1, 1995. (Skidmore, 232) Cardoso has organized the disposal of bad government-owned monopolies in the galvanizing power, telecommunication, port, railway, mining, and banking industries. His timely proposals to Congress included constitutional amendments in order to open the Brazilian economy to greater foreign participation and to implement such sweeping reforms as social security, government administration, and taxation so as to reduce excessive public sector spending and considerably improve government efficiency. Alden, 298) During his condensed time in the office, Cardosos economic wisdom has made a measurable progress in overcoming Brazils poverty level. It is remarkable to observe how the Brazilian government makes veritable efforts in order to address basic needs of its people such as education, distribution of meals, health care, and the promotion of childrens rights.Co-signed by the President of Brazil and 24 state governors, the Pact for the Children is intended to fully implement the constitutional and legal obligations providing for protection of children and adolescents. Several federal agencies supervise the execution of government programs for children and adolescents aimed to give Brazilian youth opportunities for a better life, shelter, education, and love. Thus, if not forgetting about the past mistakes and taking care of its nation, the Brazilians will surely come to the brightest future.

The Aim and Importance of Literacy and Numeracy Essay Example for Free

The Aim and Importance of Literacy and Numeracy EssayLiteracy and numeracy ar an extremely important part of daily vitality and the 2 key subjects taught in rail Literacy is the basis of communication, Speaking Listen, on with Reading and Writing. We talk to and listen to people all the time and we contact people we deposet speak to by letter or email. Then numeracy is in the very least the centre of problem solving coin use weighing and measuring along with handling data which we all do on a near daily basis, with activities such as cooking, shopping and keeping check on our bills and confide account . It is important that every child develops these skills as early on as possible so the foundations are there to build on as they get older. For the majority of children this should begin at home with family members talking as much as possible with them to encourage their speech and crayons to scribble and gradually incite them to write their name etc. Parents can count things with them and sing counting songs to promote understanding of numbers and by the time a child starts school/pre-school they should be read to daily.The aim is to make sure every student can effectively access literacy and numeracy from a young age as it exit later be important across the course of instruction. Regardless of their ability create should be tailored to meet their specific needs. It is also to promote numeracy and literacy skills in their everyday situations by introducing activities and events which are suitable to their affectments and cover the planned outcomes. All young people need to develop these abilities in set up to progress in their development and education as well as developing their life and social skills ready for almost students to successfully gain employment and or to lead item-by-item lives.Numeracy is applied across the curriculum in several ways In science and cooking, with the use of weights and measures, timing, problem solving and c alculations, science also covers data handling and predictions along with the use of graphs. It is also promoted in activities such as shopping and using a cafe where students have to recognise money calculate amounts deed out which coins they need and how much change should be given.It is introduce in practical activitiessuch as wood work where students plan and design something they exit make, they measure wood, count screws and possibly use problem solving during the activity if it doesnt go to plan. Students may be encouraged to grow plants, so they can measure and record growth along with plotting the recordings and showing this in a graph. They are encouraged to analyse the data and explain their findings. Other examples of numeracy across the curriculum are geography, history and PE.Geography may be using graphs to see such things as rainfall through out a year or in different places, soreading and understanding data is required, and history may use numeracy by putting even ts in chronological date order and knowing which occurred fist etc. PE uses measurement in high jump, long jump, discuss, javelin and any other activity where distance or height need recording.Numeracy skills involving money management, addition, subtraction, weights, area, space and measure will be implemented in daily life when shopping, paying bills, checking wages and bank account transactions, along with planning meals, cooking, decorating, order of magnitude curtains, gardening and most DIY projects.Literacy is more easily promoted across the curriculum as all lessons and activities involve speaking and listening which is generally the main form of communication, and most will involve reading and writing.The majority of mainstream subjects implicate reading a text book, so good reading skills are essential. Many instructions for work to be completed are given orally and listening skills are required. Students need to be able to learn or answer questions verbally higher(preno minal) order questioning may be used to ascertain knowledge and understanding and to provoke moreindependent thinking, so speaking and listening abilities are used here.Good reading skills also help students with their spellings when writing which helps with presentation in every subject. Strong and confident reading and writing skills will advance the students interpretation of exam papers and lead to better qualifications being gained at the end of their education. Our young people are encouraged to look at part in verbal dialogue as much as possible, often prompted by questioning which should be aimed at the students train this promotes their listeningskills as well as their speaking.Some students use PECs to communicate to other, but these students are still verbally and gesturally prompted to speak. Students are encouraged to ask for things they need, rather than it just being given to them, which is done to promote their communication capabilities. Literacy skills involving Speaking, listening, reading and writing will be implemented in everyday life when communicating, whether in a verbal conversation or via a social networking site, or in correspondences such as a letter or email.In conclusion, numeracy and literacy are the basis to everyday life, so backbreaking foundations need to be established as early as possible to ensure a strong structure to build up on, in order to develop the essential skills for a successful education and more importantly for the life skills we all require to maintain a good standard of independent living as adults. Every effort should be made to ensure all students develop the strength to communicate to the best of their ability as soon as possible, as this is crucial to the continued development of their learning, independence and theirsocial skills, as well as an effective life after school.The delivery of literacy and numeracy should enhance students confidence and individuality along with their personal and social skills. All outcomes, achievements and progress should be clearly recorded with indicators of the next step to be delivered to the young person. With the use of a personal learning plan work should be resourced to meet the level and needs of a student. Numeracy and literacy can be introduced in each subject or task at the appropriate level and often implemented in a practical manor if necessary.

Nigerian Out Of Wedlock Births Health And Social Care Essay

Nigerian Out Of Wedlock Births Health And Social Care Es distinguishThe concept of boorbearing, profusion and marri jump on ho engross constant quantityly been linked to disembowelher in Nigeria. In the mid-nineties, out of wedlock birth was rapidly increasing despite Nigerians cultural warp on its cosmos. Nigerians marry to curb children, and marriage has basaling only when a child is born or in fact survives (Uche C. Isiugo-Abanihe, 1994). According to Olusanya(1982), marriage in Nigeria is so closely linked with childbearing that a change in the pattern of marriage necessarily influence birth rate and the rate of population maturation. information presented in this report are derived from the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in Nigeria in 1990. This was done by Federal stain of Statistics, Nigeria, and IRD/Macro Inter interior(a), United States. This go off interviewed 8,781 women time-worn 15-49. All statistical data and sample in this project was obtained from this article.In this dissertation, we leave behind focus on the steep level of un valued maternal quality and out of wedlock birth occurring in Nigeria as a result of low levels of antifertility use among women in many parts of the country. This project will reveals wide variation in levels of contraceptive use among unite and sexually industrious unmarried women. Both groups bind a significant unmet need for family be after, further the reasons for their need differ. we will use old and previous data and canvasss collected and conducted during the 1990s by the Nigerian federal office of statistics to explain and solve theoretically and statistically the purpose of this project which is to explain the out of wedlock birth per char among 1950s and 1980s in Nigeria. All statistical chemical element of this project will be done exploitation sampling and measurement error. Selection from the entire country to determine the fertility, determinants of fertility and fertility regulations that lead to an improver in out of wedlock birth during the 1970s to 1990s. Relatively, little empirical work has been conducted for out of wedlock birth in Nigeria. The statistical used in this project has been conducted by the NDHS(Nigerian Demographic Health Survey) mostly drawn from the guinea pig Master Sample for the 1987/1992 National Integrated Survey of Households (NISH) and the 1973 Nigerian census result. in that respect is wide regional variation in the timing of marriage among Nigerian women. More than nine in 10 women sr. 20-24 in the northmost eastward and uniting West had married by age 20, compared with half to collar fourths of women in the three southern regions (The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2005 series, No4).Nigeria is one of the gravidst countries in Africa and the most populated pitch-black Country in the world with a population of over 100 million stack, nearly twice the size of any other African country. The North eastbound and Nort h West regions are predominantly Muslim, the southwesterly East and South regions are mostly Christians, each with its own values and traditions regarding marriage, sexual demeanour, educational activity and childbearing. There are major regional and educational differences in fertility. Women in the north bemuse, on average, one child more than women in the south and women with no education fetch dickens children more than women who completed secondary or heightser schooling. According to the NDHS survey, the fertility rate of a Nigerian woman between the ages of 15-49 from 1978-1990 moved from 5.9 to 6.0 significantly with an average of 6 children.Source Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 1990.Source Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 1990.The project reveals a big difference in levels of contraceptive use among married and sexually active unmarried women. Both groups have a significant unmet need for family planning, but the reasons for their need differ. The st udy directs t poleing toward far-reaching health policy and program responses that affect birth rate in Nigeria. The numerous ethnic groups found in Nigeria contribute considerable cultural diversity. In 1960s, Many article described the growth in Nigerias out of wedlock birth rate as a brief excitement amongst the Nigerian people that they had achieved independence finally, some presumed it to be illiteracy but a close study proved otherwise (study show that out of wedlock birth was more frequent among the most educated women (meekers, 1994b Calves2000 Emina 2005), excitement of motherhood amongst teenage girls played a minor role, and also the brief civil war that began in 1967 and cease in 1970 played a bigger role in the whole analysis. The Nigerian fertility survey during 1981/82 put the average number of child birth per woman at 6.4 %( mostly out of wedlock). Although the data here suggest a slight decline from in the 1970s rate, the level is pacify relatively high.(www.onl inenigeria.com). During the civil war, many women were reluctant in getting married to prevent bearing the pain of macrocosm widows and war casualties. This effected their judgement and led to more pregnancies among women that are unmarried. According to some data analysed during that period by Donald Jonathan, Approximately 45% of children born among teenage women in Nigeria at that time were conceived alfresco of marriage double the level recorded during the same period among women aged 18 and older (Donald 1979). This was a huge jump in the growth of the countries flying growing general population. The World Bank estimated Nigerias yearbook growth rate was rising during the 1950s. Although other sources differed on the exact figure, virtually all sources agreed that the annual rate of population growth in the country had increased from the 1950s through most of the 1980s. The government estimated a 2% rate of population growth for most of the country between 1953 and 1962. Fo r the period between 1965 and 1973, the World Bank estimated Nigerias growth rate at 2.5%, increasing to 2.7 percent between 1973 and 1983. Before 1970, the brand of unwed motherhood was so great that few women were willing to bear children outside of marriage.Total fertility rate for the three years preceding the survey end mean number of children constantly born to women age 40-49, by selected background characteristics, Nigeria 1990BackgroundcharacterisesNDHS NFSMean number Mean numberof children of childrenTotal ever born Total ever bornFertility to women fertility to womenRate age 15-49 rate age 15-49ResidenceUrban 5.03 6.01 5.79 4.81Rural 6.33 6.61 5.98 5.56Region northeast 6.53 5.75 5.95 4.34Northwest 6.64 6.21 6.38 4.49Southeast 5.57 6.99 5.72 6,53Southwest 5.46 6.84 6.25 5.30EducationNo education 6.50 6.41 6.14 5.45Some primary 7.17 7,3 6.81 5,99Completed primary 5.57 6.54 7.59 5.71Some secondary 5.07 6.44 3.90 4.31Completed 4.18 5.82 NA NATotal 6.01 6.49 5.94 5.41Source Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 1990.Premarital sexual activity is most common among more educated women, who tend to postpone marriage the longest. In the southern regions, where educational levels are highest and the infinitesimalest proportions of young women are married, 41-69% of women aged 20-24 had had premarital intercourse by age 20. This compares with only 6-14% in the North West and North East, where educational levels are lowest and marriage before 20 is most common. The above diagram compares three-year total fertility rates as estimated by the NDHS and NFS. The two surveys, nearly a decade apart, yield almost the same total fertility rates (5.9 for the NFS and 6.0 for the NDHS. Both surveys do indicate that the fertility of uneducated women is fifty dollar bill percent higher than the fertility of the most educated women.Reasons for increase in out of wedlock birthThree quarter of Nigerian women in the 1990s were married. Age at first marriage differed by reg ion. In the north, women married early, at an average of 15 years of age. In the south, however, women are marrying afterward in life. Among younger women, the average age at first marriage is over 19 in the southeast and over 20 in the southwest. Women who marry later in life are more likely to have premarital sex which is a clear example of out of wedlock birth. Although the society does non approve of this behaviour, in regions where women stay in school longer and are, therefore, slight likely to marry at a young age, premarital sexual behaviour is common. In the Southwest, where a great proportion of women aged 19-49 have completed secondary/ higher education and about one-fourth had not married by age 20, 69% had had premarital sex by this age. In contrast, in the little developed North West region, where only one in fivesome women aged 19-49 have completed secondary/higher education, only a hand full said they had had premarital sex by age 20. These findings elaborate t hat in the northern regions, where most women in their early 20s have received no more than primary schooling, most sexual activity occurs within the condition of marriage.In 1978-1982, Nigerias total fertility rate was 6.4 children per woman. By 1990, it had dropped to 6.0. The distribution of women by number of children ever born within the 1960s to 1980s is presented in the fudge below for all women and married women. This survey was conducted by the NDHS and documented statistically. The mean number of children ever born for all women increases rapidly with age,so that by the end of her childbearing years a woman has given birth to almost seven children. The distribution of women by number of births indicates that almost one quarter of teens have already borne achild, and nearly one-third of women age 45 and over have borne nine or more children.Nationally and in all regions of the country, women aged 15-49 are having more children than he want.Source Nigeria Demographic and H ealth Survey, 1990.Rural women have about one child more than their urban counterparts (6.1 vs. 4.9), and women in the less developed northern regions also have more children than women in the south. Yet women in the South South and South East regions have the largest gaps between their wanted and actual fertility rates, while women in the North West are nearly matching their fertility goals. Overall, women living in both rural and urban areas have more children than they want.Contraception Knowledge and Use in the survey conducted by the NDHS, it indicates that less than half (46 percent) of all Nigerian women age 15-49 experience of at least one method of family planning. This means that over half of the women reported that they did not know any method of family planning. Knowledge of methods was slightly lower among married women and higher among never-married. Although the level of contraceptive knowledge in Nigeria is low, there has been improvement over time. In the 1981/82 N igerian Fertility Survey (NFS), only 34 percent of all women reported that they had heard of any method Thus, in the 10 years between the NFS and the NDHS, the level of contraceptive knowledge increased by 35 percent. There were also large increases in the proportion of women who knew and used specific methods.Contraceptive use among married and sexually active unmarried women aged 15-49Married women sexually activeUnmarried women% employ % using a % using % using aAn effective traditional an effective traditional raw method modern methodMethod methodTotal 7 6 33 14RegionNorth Central 9 4 32 5North East 2 2 10 3North West 2 3 23 3South East 12 10 20 27South South 12 13 35 16South West 21 11 53 13Education7 years 16 11 38 17Source Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 2003.Contraceptive UseA small proportion of married women in Nigeria use a contraceptive method as seen on the above diagram. Contraceptive use in Nigeria is rare in all probability because of the preference for larg e families. In 2003, only 7% of married women aged 15-49 were using an effective modern method of contraceptive method (implants, IUDs, the pill, the male condom, and female or male sterilization). Another 6% were relying on withdrawal, periodic abstinence, lactational amenorrhea or traditional folk methods. There are wide regional differences in boilers suit levels of Contraceptive use Only 2% of married women in the North East and North West regions are using effective modern methods, and 2-3% is using traditional methods. In the South West, in sharp contrast, 21% of married women are using effective modern methods, and an additional 11% are using traditional methods. In the remaining three regions, 9-12% of married women are using an effective modern method. It is noteworthy that overall contraceptive use is more than three times as high among married women with seven or more years of education as among those with less education (27% vs. 8%).(The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2005 series, No4).Other baptistery of ctraceptionContraceptive use is much higher among sexually active unmarried women.In all regions of the country, probably because of widespread societal disapproval of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and births, sexually active unmarried women are more likely than married women to use a contraceptive method (47% vs. 13%-Table 2). In the South West region, 53% of sexually active unmarried women are using an effective modern method and 13% a traditional method, compared with 10% and 3%, respectively, in the North East region. And unmarried women with seven or more years of education are more than twice as likely to be practicing family planning as their less educated counterparts (55% vs. 22%). In addition, 46% of unmarried women who use contraceptives choose condoms, compared with only 15% of married users (not shown).Low awareness, disapproval and uncertain supply asseverate contraceptive use low.Various performers help explain the low level of contrac eptive use among married Nigerian women. Foremost among these is that women generally want large families. Yet low awareness of family planning, conservative cultural attitudes and uncertain contraceptive supply are also important influences. More than 20% of women aged 15-49 have never heard of any method to prevent pregnancy, traditional or modern. The women who are most aware of contraception live in urban areas, have at least seven years of education, or listen to the radio or watch television regularly (about 90% of each group). Even if women have heard of family planning, many do not know where to obtain contraceptives Of the 78% of women who are aware of any method, only half know where they can get it. In the North East and North West regions, only 28-36% of married women and 24 28% of sexually active unmarried women who are aware of family planning know where to go for contraceptive services. A much higher proportion of aware women in the South West region know a come-at-a ble source of methods-77% of married women and 82% of sexually active unmarried women.Low contraceptive use is also partly attributable to the fact that four in 10 married women disapprove of family planning. A data survey conducted by the NDHS shows the reasons for not using contraception given by women who do not cogitate to use a method. Of the 68 percent of married nonusers who say they do not recall to use family planning in the future, almost half say they do not intend to use because they want children (47 percent). Other reasons given are religion (12 percent), lack of knowledge (12 percent), and fatalism (6 percent), which encompasses responses that imply that there is nothing the woman can do about the number of children shewill have. Women under age 30 are more likely to say that they do not intend to use because they want children, while those age 30 and over are more likely to cite reasons such as being menopausal or lack of knowledge.SAMPLE METHODNDHS sample method u sed in this project is as a result of a two-stage stratified design, and, consequently, it was necessary to use more complex formulas. The computer package CLUSTERS, developed by the International Statistical Institute for the World Fertility Survey, was used to compute the sampling errors with the veracious statistical methodology. The CLUSTERS treats any percentage or average as a ratio estimate, r = y/x, where y represents the total sample value for changeable y, and x represents the total number of cases in the group or subgroup under consideration. The variance of r is computed using the formula given below, with the threadbare error being the square root of the varianceSampling errors for the NDHS are calculated for selected variables considered to be of primaryinterest. The results are presented in this appendix for the country as a whole, for urban and rural areas, and for the four health zones Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest. For each variable, the type of statistic (mean or proportion) and the base population are given in Table B. 1. Tables B.2 to B.8 present the value of the statistic (R), its measuring stick error (SE), the number of unweighted (N) and weighted (WN) cases, the design effect (DEFT), the relative standard error (SE/R), and the 95 percent confidence limits (RSE), for each variable. In general, the relative standard errors of most estimates for the country as a whole are small, except for estimates of very small proportions. There are some differentials in the relative standard error for the estimates of sub-populations such as geographical areas. For example, for the variable EVBORN (children ever born to women aged 15-49), the relative standard error as a percent of the estimated mean for the whole country, for urban areas and for the Southeast zone is 1.5 percent, 2.3 percent, and 2.7 percent, respectively. The confidence interval (e.g., as calculated for EVBORN) can be interpreted as comprises the overall averag e from the national sample is 3.311 and its standard error is .051. Therefore, to obtain the 95 percent confidence limits, one adds and subtracts twice the standard error to the sample estimate, i.e., 3.311+.102. There is a high probability (95 percent) that the true average number of children ever born to all women aged 15 to 49 is between 3.209 and 3.413. 148Conclusion According to the NDHS, fertility remained high in Nigeria during the1980s. The total fertility rate may actually be higher than 6.0, due to underestimation of births. This is why out of wedlock birth has constant increased during these periods. In a 1981/82 survey, the total fertility rate was estimated to be 5.9 children per woman. One reason for the high level of fertility is that use of contraception is limited. Only 6 percent of married women currently use a contraceptive method (3.5 percent use a modem method, and 2.5 percent use a traditional method). Levels of fertility and contraceptive use are not likely to change until there is a drop in desired family size and until the conceit of reproductive choice is more widely accepted. At present, the average ideal family size is essentially the same as the total fertility rate vi children per woman. Thus, the vast majority of births are wanted. The desire for childbearing is strong in Nigeria. Half of women with five children say that they want to have another child. Another factor leading to high fertility is the early age at marriage and childbearing in Nigeria. Half of all women are married by age 17 and half have become mothers by age 20. More than a quarter of teenagers (women age 15-19 years) either are pregnant or already have children. National statistics mask dramatic variations in fertility and family planning between urban and rural areas, among different regions of the country, and by womens educational attainment. Women who are from urban areas or live in the South and those who are better educated want and have fewer children than other women and are more likely to know of and use modem contraception. For example, women in the South are likely to marry and begin childbearing several years later than women in the North. In the North, women continue to follow the traditional pattern and marry early, at a median age of 15, while in the South, women are marrying at a median age of 19 or 20.Although fertility rates are declining as modernization is increasing, Many women are still experiencing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies, with consequences ranging from interruption of schooling to health risks and scotch hardship, all of which hinder efforts to improve their socioeconomic status. By educating and empowering both married and sexually active unmarried women to make informed and responsible decisions about contraceptive use and their desired fertility, the Nigerian government can improve both the health and the economic productivity of its citizens.BIBLOGRAPHY REFERENCEFederal Ministry of Health Nigeria . 1988. NationalPolicyonPopulationforDevelopment,Federal Office of Statistics Nigeria. 1963. Population Census of Nigeria, 1963 Combined National Figures. Lagos, NigeriaFrank Falkner and J.M. Tanner, Vol. 3, 241-262, New York Plenum Press.NIGERIAN DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEY 1990 -federal office of statistics. Lagos NigeriaUnity,Progressand Self-Reliance. Lagos, Nigeria Department of Population Activities.London, Kathy A., Jeanne Cushing, Shea O. Rutstein, ass Cleland, John E. Anderson, LeoMorris, and Sidney H. Moore. 1985. Fertility and Family Planning Surveys An Update.Population Reports, Series M, No. 8. Baltimore, Maryland Johns Hopkins University,Population Information Program. Martorell, R. and J.P. Habicht. 1986. Growth in EarlyChildhood in develop Countries. In Human Growth A Comprehensive Treatise, ed. byNational Population Bureau Nigeria and World Fertility Survey. 1984. The Nigeria FertilitySurvey 1981/82 brain Report. Vol. 1 Methodology and Findings. Lagos, Nigeria National Population Bureau.National Population Bureau Nigeria and Institute for Resource Development/Westinghouse 1988.National Demographic Sample Survey (NDSS) 1980 Nigeria National Report. Columbia, MarylandIRD/Westinghouse.Ransome-Kuti, O., A.O.O. Sorungbe, K.S. Oyegbite, and A. Bamisalye, eds. 1989 Strengthening PrimaryHealth Care at Local Government Level The Nigerian Experience. Lagos, Nigeria Academy Press Ltd.Rutstein, Shea Oscar and George T. Bicego. 1990. Assessment of the Quality of Data Used to AscertainEligibility and Age in the Demographic and Health Surveys. In An Assessment of DHS-I Data Quality, 3-37.Institute for Resource Development/Macro Systems. DHS Methodological Reports, No.1. Columbia,Maryland. cut UNWANTED PREGNANCY IN NIGERIA BY the Alan Guttmacher Institute

Rising interest on entrepreneurship

Rising interest on entrepreneurship1.0 INTRODUCTIONThe rising interest on entrepreneurship has require a systematic topics discussed among academician and politician and there argon some evidence posterior be seen worldwide (Levenburg and Schwarz, 2008). In the U.S al atomic figure 53, for the past 10 years, on averaged 600,000 new aires was integrate separately year (Kuratko, 2005). in that respect is as well a signifi locoweedt increase in endowment received by short letter schools in the U.S. for entrepreneurship activities. Since 1995 US$10 million had been contributed compargond to an average US$500,000 to US$1 million in early 1990s (Katz, 2003). Studies on forty countries entrepreneurship activities by Global enterprisership Monitor (GEM) wipe out seen the sharp increased from 2 per cent to 29 per had confirm this fact (Levenburg and Schwarz, 2008).There atomic number 18 many reasons for it and why it is becoming much classic nowadays. delinquent to the advan tages and attractiveness of entrepreneurship in the scrimping, Lambing and Kuehl (2007) noted a remarkable increase in new business in the U.S. for the past 10 15 years. The practice of lay off by king-sized firms as well believed to contribute into the increasing number of people considering entrepreneurship as a career not only because of un oeuvre but as well lessen interest of people pursuing career in a big corporation. They feel that the organizations arouse no longer provided the job security and career opportunities that they in one case did. The use of technology in the working places had taking away many jobs in the organization and reduced the need for intentness and manager in big firms. Due to these factors, many people deciding to become independent in pursuing their stinting needs (Lambing and Kuehl, 2007).Entrepreneurial firms had a crucial contribution into the economy as they become a part of renewal process of declining economies with its innovation which lead to technological change and product in productivity. Not only that, they also become the main employment provider which enable all walk of life to access the scotch accomplishment (Kuratko, 2005).In Malaysia, the seriousness of the government in promoting entrepreneurship among Malaysian good deal be seen with various(a) programs and incentives offered to the current and future entrepreneur. In 2007, Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato Seri Abdullah bin Hj. Ahmad Badawi had presented in the National budget a particular(prenominal) agenda that cater to rail competitive Bumi congealera entrepreneur. Several public and private agencies had also be formed much(prenominal) as the formation of Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB) in 1991 which has successfully positive Bumiputera entrepreneurs in strategic industries and trade heavenss such as in oil and gas, electrical and electronics and ICT (2007 Budget Speech by Prime Minister). In bless to support this childb ed pecuniaryly, financial institutions such as Bank Simpanan Malaysia and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia leave behind providing micro credit facilities to Bumiputera entrepreneur and become one of the proof to the government labor to set up entrepreneurial quest among its citizens.There is no doubt on the important of entrepreneurship for the nations economy as Ibrahim and Soufani (2002) found in their research. The nonaged business sector in Canada plays a significant role in the economy. However, without proper training and guidance there is a likelihood that the entrepreneur give face the business disaster as found out by Ibrahim and Soufani (2002). They had identified the major cause of the high failure rate in a new business venture is the entrepreneur lack of managerial skills and competencies and agreed that entrepreneurship training is a key strategy to reduce the high failure rate in the low-pitched business sector. This is supported by Sullivan (2000) who stated that entr epreneurial learning is of critical importance to the survival and growth of SMEs in most marketplaces. Henry et al (2005) suggested that in order for entrepreneurial development programs to be effective, learning must be based in real work situations so that a person can implement what they have learnt better. The use of Kolbs learning cycle that is take ond in experiencing, reflecting, conceptualizing, and experimentation concept during the process of learning will help them to apply what they have learnt in the real organizational or business setting into their own venture. This is when the entrepreneurship learning can play its role and becoming the instrument in creating more and more entrepreneur in the confederation. However it is crucial to understand who is entrepreneur and what are their traits so that the learning process can be programmed in such a way that benefit to the target audience and able to reach its objectives.2.0 THE GENERAL CONCEPT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIPTo be tter understand the topic, this part will explain the theory-based concept of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship traits, and pauperization factors of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is a dynamic subject to discuss and there are many angles it can be viewed, critics, and studied and there is no one fixed definition for it (Zimmerer et al, 2008 Brooks, 2009 Barringer and Ireland, 2008). The definitions are different from one writer to an otherwise where most of it are derived from their readings or research they had conducted. Brooks (2009) viewed entrepreneurship from the classical economic exemplification and defined entrepreneurship as a factor of production, or an input to production such as labor, physical majuscule, human capital, and land and entrepreneur is an respective(prenominal) who put the element of skills and risk that they add into the inputs.Joseph Schumpeter (an Austrian economist) describes entrepreneurship as an economic force that had droved capitalism in the western world which mainly characterize by the will to succeed, competitiveness and success in the economic activity (Brooks, 2009). Brooks (2009) adds that entrepreneurship success comes from the creativity and innovativeness of an case-by-case or organization which transmits enormous impact to the economy by creating of new jobs and employment opportunity. According to Wenneker and Thurik (1999) entrepreneur can be split up into three intellectual traditions according to the German, neo-classical, and Austrianwhich summarized the function of entrepreneur as a leader to market stability by dint of entrepreneurial activities, profitability opportunist, and creator of instability finished its creative destruction. Based on this study Hebert and come to (1989) defined the entrepreneur as someone who specializes in taking responsibility for and making judgmental decisions that affect the location, form, and the use of goods, resources, or institutions(Wenneker and Thurik, 1999). Entrepreneurship is reach of entrepreneur that is an single who creates new business in the face of risk and uncertainty for achieving profit and growth opportunities (Zimmerer et al, 2008). These individuals than assembles necessary resources to capitalize those opportunities in order to materialize its goals. There are different views on which entrepreneurship traits that really turn someone to become successful entrepreneur. Table 1 summarized some of the entrepreneurship traits in the view of different writers and researchers.AuthorEntrepreneurship TraitsZimmerer et al (2008) from David McClelland1. Desire for responsibility2. Preference for moderate risk (risk eliminators)3. Confidence in their ability to succeed4. Desire for immediate feedback5. High level of energy6. coming(prenominal) orientation (serial entrepreneurs)7. Skill in organization8. Value of achievement over moneyZimmerer et al (2008)1. High degree of commitment2. Willingness to accept risk, work knotty and t ake action3. FlexibilityBarringer and Ireland (2008)1. Passion for the Business2. Product/Customer Focus3. Tenacity Despite Failure4. Execution IntelligenceDavid A. Kirby (2004)1. Risk-taking capability2. remove for achievement3. Locus control4. Desire for autonomy5. Deviancy6. Creativity and opportunism7. IntuitionTimmons et al from David A. Kirby (2004) 1. Total commitment, determination, and perseverance2. Drive to achieve and grow3. orientation to goals and opportunities4. Taking initiative and personal responsibility5. Veridical knowingness and a sense of humour6. Seeking and using feedback7. Internal locus control8. border of ambiguity, stress and uncertainty9. Calculated risk-taking and risk sharing10. Low need for status and power11. Integrity and reliability12. Decisiveness, urgency and patience13. Learning from failure14. Team builder and hero makerMario Rutten (2001) on Chinese entrepreneur1. Strong emphasis on personal feeler2. Hard work and self-devotion for the fa mily honour, community, and ancestors. Alina M. Zapalska and Will Edwards (2001) on traditional authority and entrepreneurial culture for direction in life1. Confucian culture to the family2. A strong tendency to promote the collective or the group3. A deep respect for age, hierarchy, and authority4. Importance of reputation achieved through hard work and successful enterpriseColette Henry, Frances Hill, and Claire Leitch (2005)1. Entrepreneur is someone who involved in the process of creating something different in the business.Donald F. Kuratko (2005) on entrepreneurship characteristics1. Opportunities seekers2. Beyond security risk taker3. Tenacity to push idea through domainTable 1 The summarize entrepreneurship traitsWhat motivate individual to become an entrepreneur?What motivate a person to become an entrepreneur? There are many authors or researchers that had conducted on such matter had varies in views from the aspect of psychology, sociology and economic anthropology. Fr om the view of psychology, this research try to look into the mental model of an entrepreneur whether their motivation or air is based on thought that they see from surrounding which relate one part to another that finally have the consequences to their actions. For example, research by Autere and Autio (2000) had found that from their qualitative study on the teeny software firms in Finland, mimicking demeanour of success businesses plays a role in creating new entrepreneur and their deportment orientation can be acquired through imitation. The mental model of the anxiety in the big firms also influenced the behavior of new and small firms, and therefore can be learned through set out and external influences. The growth-oriented of the external model perceived by the new entrepreneur also influence their behavior toward advancement of their business. By exposing the growth-oriented mental models into the management of the new business, this will induce great growth orientati on among their managers. They also found that if the exposure to growth-oriented mental models is introduce in front in the business life, this will instill a growth-oriented culture in the firm and lead to faster growth in the future.There are also many questions on whether there are different motivating factors on individual from different culture. Many researchers try to explain this human economic behavior and this is what the economic anthropology comes into the picture. Economic anthropology is a description and analysis of economic life, using an anthropological perspective which approaches and locates aspects of peoples individual and collective lives (personal and society) and how its linking with one another (Carrier, 2005). Durrenberger (2005) describe the economic anthropology as a system in which people produce, distribute, and consume goods in order to meet their material needs and this systems look into how it was organized, operate, created, and connected to other s ystems. Dalton (1968) mentioned that the economic anthropology is concerned with the organization of economy and its connection between economic and social organization and the outlets of economic process which relates to productivity. Because of this reasons, the entrepreneur exist due to the needs of the society that need to be filled and this existence benefit the society with systematically organized economy where the exchange of needs can be met.What drive an entrepreneur can be said that human wants are no longer limited and LeClair Jr. (1962) mentioned that contemporary economist have long since adopted a broader view of human wants. A person has to deal with the fact that their aspirations always exceed their capabilities and they have to economize their capabilities with the significance of meeting their desires to the fullest extent possible (LeClair Jr., 1962). This can be filled with the association of economic process which described by LeClair Jr. (1962) as an event o f producing goods or ser wrong-doings for utilization or use of goods and assistances of the produce goods or services for the satisfaction of human wants.One of the major paradigms in economic anthropology is culturalism. One of the focus in this study would be hard to determine whether culture play an important role in encouraging the entrepreneurship behavior among member of its society. It is crucial to understand what culture is all close out front we know what role it plays in the entrepreneurship. Schein (2004) defined culture as a pattern of shared basic assumptions that group learned as it solved its problems through external adaptation with the internal integrations. When this has worked well enough to be considered valid, therefore it is taught to new members as it is a correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to the problems. Schein (2004) classified the level of culture from the surface to the deepest level based on the degree of visibility of the cultur al phenomenon to the observer. Artifacts such as architecture, language, technology, products, etc. are at the surface of cultural level which is the visible organizational structures and processes that can be sees, hears, and feels (Schein 2004). A person interpretation on others will be predictably being the projections of his feelings and reactions from his experienced. Related to this, a person motivation to become an entrepreneur can be from his experienced by looking what the benefits and rewards that entrepreneurship can offer from his surrounding. If he saw it as a positive experienced, there is a positive tendency that he will also motivated to do the same and vice versa.The motivation to become an entrepreneur can also cause by the personality of different individual. Different culture does have different perception on how a person develops their personality. People from Asia are known as less focused on differentiating the individual from the group and put less emphasis o n self-actualization compare to the westerners which have a strong concepts of the individualistic where being different from the group is not being seen as indifferent (Schein, 2004). Asiatic sees group vista or set is more important than taking own actions and benefits to the group is more important than their own and always put their own interest last. For example, Asian Chinese entrepreneurs hold a strong belief in collective organization management and see challenges as a group endeavors rather than individual objectives (Zapalska and Edwards, 2001). This is why some successful entrepreneur is found to come from a group or families. Berger (1991) explains that family entrepreneurship is directly responsible for Hong Kongs extraordinary economic success. Paternalistic management personal manner in the traditional Chinese family where the father in the family had the autocratic power is responsible for adding family wealth had become the reason of the family economic advancem ent. This creates competition among families and this style was brought into the business which finally creates vicious competition among firms. However because of this competition, researchers found that family based firm does not last long. Their estimation is between two and a half to three generations (Berger, 1991). The role of family as the most critical element in maturation individual entrepreneurial character was also supported by Gupta (1991) from her interviews on Indian entrepreneurs.The rise of economic success of Chinese businessmen in recent years also being said to be contributed by the solidarity, casualness and strong ties between family and clan that they had portrayed. Unlike their counterpart on the West which emphasized more on individualistic spirit, collectivism is being the core values that they hold in doing business. Rutten (2001) believed that combining with personal loyalty to family and group welfare, social and family environment with strong traditi onal values and practices, has contributed to the development of entrepreneurship in Asia.However, a province advancement and progress do not take place in a single society as a whole but through the network of diversified collective of its social life. To flourish, small-scale entrepreneurs have to develop their technical and social skills. They have to build the external networks between suppliers, sellers, customers, entrepreneur and others and made them become part of the institutional structures that they had built (Berger, 1991). In order to success, network had become an element which play an important role in doing business (Gidsell, 1991).This institutional structure is not only in the form of family relations but also in the heathenish group they belong. It is believed that entrepreneur from the same ethnic had the advantages and benefited from be to the group because of they shared same ethics and cultural norms. Landa (1991) found that the shared ethics and cultural n orms had functioned as social capital where they can reduce constitute of business by receiving low interest or even interest free loan from fellow ethnic entrepreneur. Gidsell (1991) found that entrepreneur from the same ethnic groups not only providing initial capital and stock but also the running the day-to-day operation of business. Social capital is not the only capital that this ethnic entrepreneur received. Godsell (1991) mentioned that network built in the ethnic groups did provide the entrepreneur with spiritual capital. This network becomes the way of their survival and as a result prospering the community. Tangible recognition in the form of honorary doctorates and other public awards (Godsell, 1991) and the structural factors such as religion, culture and socio-political conditions of community support (Gupta, 1991) would also help the entrepreneur to move forward. The cultural aspect had become the interest of many researchers that study entrepreneurship and had emerg ed as study of ethnic entrepreneurship (Light, 2004 Greene and Chaganti, 2004 Iyer, 2004). This study had ranged from the entrepreneurial behavior into the financial aspect of the business. Light (2004) seen ethnic entrepreneurship as an economic activity that had result from the actions of minority ethnic group to reduce their disadvantage and exclusion from the labor market. Self-employment or entrepreneurship had played a major role in this community and as a result, ethnic entrepreneur are always seen as an employment provider to fellow co-ethnic when the employment opportunities is limited for them. 3.0ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATIONBecause of the challenges and uncertain future face by the people today, there will be a greater need for them to have entrepreneurial skills and abilities so they can deal it with. Factors such as reduction of trade barriers due to the globalization of economy, technology advancement, privatisation of public service has created complexity and uncertaint y in the society which cause changes in organisational management and even individual perception towards employment (Henry et al, 2005). The changing landscapes of economic environment give important role for entrepreneurship education to play.The important of entrepreneurship education can be seen as it becomes the political agenda and the priority for both industrially developed and developing countries. It is agree that the entrepreneurship education can increase the quality and quantity of graduate entrepreneurs which enter into the country economy. Education they received in the higher education institutions had abruptly influence their attitude towards entrepreneurship and equips them with necessary knowledge and skills for entrepreneurial activities (Matlay, 2006).With the increasing demand for study of entrepreneurship, there have been seen the explosion of sudden increase in the number of entrepreneurship courses offered in the higher education institution where 2,200 cour ses had been offered at over 1,600 schools in the United States alone (Katz, 2003), and it also believed the same growth of interest had occurred in other countries as well such as in Europe and Asia. There are also a number of major academic institutions in the U.S which had developed programs in entrepreneurship research. With the research conducted combined with symposium and conference, it has become the means of acquiring for latest developments in entrepreneurship (Kuratko, 2005).Even though the gaining popularity and interest of entrepreneurship education in higher education institutions, this field is said to be at its early life phase which debates are still continuing on conceptual and methodological issues. Henry et al (2005) said that previous research from various disciplines had been conducted without developing its theoretical framework had cause many different analyses and outcomes from the research conducted on the subject. Until now, the different views prolonged b ecause each of researchers or experts involved do not use each others work and the huge knowledge generated on entrepreneurship research had cause the discipline to be disjointed and never been cumulated (Henry et al, 2005).There are continuous debate (Henry et al, 2005) on entrepreneurship definition and interchangeable term use to describe entrepreneurship such as entrepreneur, enterprise and small business may not give advantage for the studies of entrepreneurship and as a result it is difficult to assess the current situation of entrepreneurship education. Matlay (2006) suggested the need for better revue for such programmes because of the existence of content difference and its quality among business schools that had offered such courses and had continuously creating debates among academician related to its appropriateness and effectiveness. In auxiliary of the difficulties of conceptualizing and contextualizing the field of entrepreneurship education, will lead to a puzzle and mislead policy maker which cause the credibility of academician involves affected and questions the need for further funding in this field. However, the effort to centralize the studies on entrepreneurship for its excellence can be seen with the establishment of consortium of research center across the U.S. (Kuratko, 2005).According Kurako (2005) among the sources of understanding on entrepreneurial activities are coming from academic research and publications, observation on entrepreneurs, speeches and presentations from conferences or seminars. Kuratko from literature reviewed had seen suggestion from various researchers regarding the entrepreneurship education pedagogy which among it is the important to deal with the ambiguous disposition of business entry, developing skill-building courses such as negotiation, leadership, new product development, creative thinking, and exposure to technological innovation. Awareness programs such as entrepreneurship as employment choice, fi nancial and legal aspects of business management, into out of the class approach such as field trips, consultation with practicing entrepreneurs and even competitions can also be seen as a good approach in educating future entrepreneurs.There are also suggestions on the important of considering who the target audience is in designing such programs. There will be different learning needs of entrepreneur at different stages of business development they currently have. It is necessary to have different pedagogic approach for different target audience so the educators and trainer or training provider can improve their approach in entrepreneurial learning. And it is important to match and characterized between what are perceived by entrepreneurial characteristics and how to educate it (Henry et al, 2005). As illustrated by the following table, the framework of entrepreneurship education can be divided into three level. Approach on Entrepreneurship EducationJamieson (1984)Garavan and OCi nneide (1994)Cox (1996)McMullan and Boberg (1991)Level 1 Graduate or undergraduate students awareness creation specific objectives on various aspects of setting up and running a business theoretically perspective foster skills, attitude, and values to increase number of people who knowledgeable about small business and will consider it as a career in the future objectives promoting self-efficacy with regard to new venture creation provides mastery experience to entrepreneurship experience or opportunities exposure to real-life entrepreneur Case method was effective in developing analytical skills and ability to synthesise information. Project method perceived to develop and enhance knowledge and understanding of subject area.Level 2 preparation of aspiring entrepreneur career of self-employment specific objective setting up a business and running the business practical skills for small business set-up and management preparation of business plan provide practical help to those wh o want to make transition from traditional employment to self-employment focus raising finance, marketing problem, and legal issues.Level 3 management training for establish entrepreneurs focused on growth and future business development product development and marketing training will provides skills, knowledge and attitudes continuing small business education. Focused to enhance and update their skills.Table 2 The framework of entrepreneurship educationRole of academic entrepreneurship must orientated towards innovative and need to change rapidly in order to become the leader in creating entrepreneur effort (Kirby, 2004). He feels it is important for the business school to look into the process of developing entrepreneurial skills, attributes, and behaviours of its student in addition to their understanding on the business management by specifically designed the modules and courses and by changing the learning environment that can help to develop their awareness and strengthen th eir entrepreneurial characteristics and skills. He proposed that the traditional way of learning had to be shifted to more students oriented which gives students ownership of their learning, more involvement in real phrase situation, encourages students to formulate decisions on incomplete data, immediate and dubious, and providing role models to them.Education is not the only factors that had motivate graduates to become entrepreneur as Matlay (2006) found that other reasons for such as the current socio-economy and educational conditions together with personal, family and peer influences often affect their desires, motivation, and prospect. 4.0RESEARCH QUESTIONSThe question now is whether entrepreneurship education can be developed based on the entrepreneurship traits? And is it possible to teach entrepreneurship to others? Zimmerer (2008) argues that entrepreneurship can not be taught to others but the necessary skills of small business management are teachable and as Kirby (200 4) noted that entrepreneurship is about possessing or acquiring a particular set of attributes, skills and behaviors and this can be possessed by learning. The following will be the sub-questions for this research What is the motivation for an individual to become an entrepreneur based on cultural perspective? Are there any differences in motivation factors between ethnic in Malaysia? What are the required traits by the entrepreneur in the industry? Can entrepreneurship traits be transferred? Is the entrepreneurship program in the higher technical institutions address the requirements by the entrepreneur involve in the industries? If the required traits are addressed by the higher technical institutions, what is the right way to transfer it to the students?5.0EMPIRICAL STUDIESThe choice of research method depends on the record of the research problems. It is proposed that the research will be using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Based on the literature review and the th eoretical c

UK Insurance Industry Analysis

UK Insurance Industry AnalysisDiscuss the background to trade that exists in todays economyAbstract This case study focuses upon AEGON in the UK, AEGON specializes in the indemnity sector which was created in 1983 in the get together Kingdom, as a result of merger between a Netherlands based Dutch policy company called AGO Ennia. AEGON has a long history for pillow slip it operates in the linked States, which is based in Balti more(prenominal) and has been insuring people since 1858, plot in the United Kingdom, AEGON stinting Equitable has been in existence since the early 1830s and since then it has a remarkable history of providing excellent insurance packages to the general publicAEGON has recently expanded its outside(a) carriage, gaining access by providing its services in new growth groceryplaces such as the Americas, the Central and Eastern Europe and Asia in extra, presently AEGON has its business interests in more than 20 countries cross fresh the globeAEGON is ane of the worlds largest terceting nominaters of life insurance, investments and annuities companies which likewise specializes in pensions, life insurance, asset management and adviser businesses in the UK. This particular case study basically illustrates the success that embracing and pursuing change has brought to AEGON in the UK.AEGON has a motive goal of becoming the best long-term nest egg and protection business indoors the UK. The AEGON Group has more than 27,000 employees and more than 25 million guests worldwide. The major shargon market for AEGON is in the United States of America and Netherlands. Since 1994, United Kingdom has become a nonher major and increasingly important market for AEGON,In recent years mainly receivable to recession the life insurance and pensions pains, in which AEGON operates, has had a poor study. Some organizations attain been charge of mis-sellingby not providing consumers with the best product for their claims. To prevent simila r situations arising in the future, (FSA) the Financial Services consent has put significant amounts of regulation on the labor, many of the service products which falls in spite of appearance the monetary sector are quite often difficult to lowstand. to the highest degree of the People who choose the range of financial products and services are not sure where to seek support advice for their investments. Keeping in mind the falling set on the Stock Exchange collapse considerably affected the investment feed on some of the insurance products, namely mortgage, endowments etc. that is to say for instance some people the product they bought has not delivered the financial return which they have expected, due to which it has created hesitancy in regards to the financial services industry. Industry has as well been characterized by intense competition. AEGON faces competition as in other businesses which sell directly to consumers which are erupt known in the UK. AEGON who distributes its products services to customers mainly through its appointive financial advisers, AEGON with its reputed speck image had to oercome and address these industry related issues in order to remain competitive over its competitorsHistorically AEGON had been successful as yet with the Government imposed restrictions related to price controls which had reduced its profitability, comparing with its competitors, AEGON had developed good products and services and had a good reputation with distributors specially in the pensions sector, unluckily other than pensions AEGON was not well recognized in other areas such as offshore investment products which were more productive.Today if a consumer wants to invest for a product in the long term, first they want to make sure and know more about the organization which they are going to deal with for precedent they would like to recognize the brand understand more about the brand, its value which it represents, AEGON is financial ly starchy which is rated AA by Standard Poors rating agencyEvaluate the violences and helplessness of the organizationAbstract The strength and impuissance related to a business or organization is its positive elements, which they do something well and within their control, the strengths and debileness of a company or group is based on its values which gives it the edge in areas over their competitorsFollowing is an outline and main strengths of AEGONMaking alliances with strong ordinary businesses is a major plus point for AEGON as it helps in bringing new customers and make business more effectivelyKeeping the overall cost lower than their competitors and maintaining the cost advantages helps AEGON to pass on some of the benefits to its consumersAEGONs marketing strategy has proved to be very effective which helped in raising Profiles Profits which is one(a) of its major strengthAEGON has a large extensive customer base, which is a major strength in regards to sales and profitsBeing financially strong rated AA by Standard Poors rating agencyhelps AEGON deals extensively with any threats problems arising in profits and can out perform their rivalsKeeping competitive pricing is one of the vital element for AEGONs overall success, as this defys them ahead of their competitorsRiding high in the highly competitive insurance industry and has helped boost AEGON which raised its reputation and turnoverAEGONs continuous founding over its products keeps it as a front-runner in the insurance sector with its regular tuning of new patents and proprietary technologyAEGON has a strong brand image which is well recognized and wishedBy providing high quality products and services it is a vital strength which in turn ensure customers to return to AEGONAEGONs with its vast distribution chain can be listed as one of their strengths and links to its successAEGON is equipped with experienced employees which is a observe success of AEGON helping to drive them for ward with expertise and knowledge in their respective fieldAEGON keeps high percentage of the market share due to its brand image which keeps them ahead of their competitorsProducts and Services which is offered by AEGON are authentic/original, which means people will turn to AEGON to purchase or obtain themOnline presence for AEGON is strong which means it is ahead of many competitorsAEGONs with its international operations has a wider customer base, strong brand image with its presence in the global marketInnovation and Development is the prime concern for AEGON in regards to the products and services which is a major strength for its overall performanceWith its high quality offices, advanced new-fashioned equipment and well trained personnel which ensures the job is done to the utmost standard, which is a big strength AEGONAEGONs has a strong reputation which the consumer / people view it with respect and believe in their products servicesA weakness for any company or organizat ion is needed to be improved for better performance which is under their control. Weaknesses can also place behind the competitors, when a company or organization stops to meet their objectivesFollowing is an outline and main weaknesses of AEGONLimited customer base is considered as a major weakness for AEGON which means they have fewerless people to sell their products in the marketThe weak market blot for AEGON is a limitation to their overall success, as they will be considered behind their rivals.A serious weakness for AEGON means that their services or products are of low quality, and then people opt for better-quality substitutes.Reputation is very important, and once its damaged for AEGONs it will be a major weakness where consumers will not trust the firm anymore and will not borrow their productsBy not reducing costs the same way as their competitors which means AEGON is outlaying more for their profits, maintaining higher costs than their competitors will be considered as a major weaknessIf AEGONs Research development RD flow is low and insignificant, which is a major weakness in insurance as it is constantly creating new productsLack of inexperienced staff will be a major downfall for AEGON as it could lead to mistakes and negligence which could tarnish the image of AEGON in the long runUnstable with stock exchange are a weakness for AEGON as they need to keep up with demandOnline presence is vital for success these days, and lack of one is a limitation for AEGONOverpricing is one of the reasons and setting higher prices for AEGON products/services could make them uncompetitive, which is a major weakness.The lack of business alliances is a major weakness for AEGON, as they will struggle to get deals, favors and partnerships.AEGON is in a poor financial position which makes it weaker than its competitors.AEGONs lack of innovation limits its success, as there is no forward thinking.Good companies need loyal employees, but AEGON has a poor relations hip with staff which affects performance.If AEGON does not function internationally, it will have an effect on its success, when they do not reach consumers in overseas markets.AEGONs underdeveloped distribution chain has a label effect on performance as it affects the distribution of their products/services.Lack of original services products is a major flaw in AEGONs future success, as it shows a blinkered outlook.AEGONs location is weakness for the firm, as it means they miss out on many opportunities.AEGONs lack of patents/proprietary technology puts it behind its rivals and is deemed as one of their weaknesses.The weak brand name compromises success for AEGON as it doesnt inspire people to buy their products/servicesCompare alternative forms of organizational developmentAbstract With the impact of change which affects the organization in both ways internally and outerly this is influenced on how people behave and also how they communicate with each other and when the organiza tion becomes more focused on the customer. With such emphasis of making clear information for the customer in order to understand the company of making business easier, to enter such values and behaviors, AEGON established a new relationship with Shirley Robertson, the famous yachtswoman and the only British female athlete to have won meretricious medals at consecutive Olympic Games. By associating AEGON with an individual who embodies similar values, it was able to bring the values and behaviors to life for their staff, AEGON had to further develop their brand and its reputation, which AEGON maintain in couple of ways for exampleAEGON carried out external promotional campaigns in order to accent the relationship between Scottish Equitable and AEGON which helped to reinforce the local anaesthetic knowledge and the global power of AEGON within the United Kingdom with such refreshing of the brand internally and externally resulted in strong positive feedbackAEGON also launched new er and advanced products for instance the 5 for Life annuity which helped to change the way in which consumers look at their retirement income support which provides with more certainty levels of income for the consumer, providing the levels of return as promised by AEGON of creation responsible for any risks associated with doing soAEGON today with its brand image has a position within the financial services industry which over the years has posted record results with significant growth in the underlying earnings, AEGON has also increased its business across a mix of their profitable products and services, reflecting its continued strengthAcronymsTermsThe alternative forms of organizational development which AEGON had figure out is to fully integrate organizational structure where employees are best integrated while their service offerings are best coordinated cross-selling opportunities and best tracked and pursued, with the recent analyses of organizational development which su ggests a growing concern with the tempo of change, pattern of work or activity, such a change which is in contrast with continuous change on such basis of implied metaphors of organizingDevelop systems for understanding and involving others in the function ofchange. Identify systems to involve purloin stakeholders in the introduction of changeAbstract In todays developing environment any product development is a interlacing process which needs to be consider new demands from diametrical stakeholders which can be analyzed how these demands can be fulfilled while sharing entrance stakeholder information is important, however it can only be beneficial when the information is used effectively.When an induction of change arises the information must be shared across stakeholders, such process relies up to a large extent on the individual common understanding for stakeholders involved in order to help end the interests of different stakeholders and their related functions. With such a process we need to identify the relevant stakeholders and their relation to the product, normally such a requirements from different Stakeholders can be negotiated and balanced in order to develop a competitive productIn order to make a well-balanced product it is therefore needful to take a broader approach by taking into consideration not only the end-users, but also all the other stakeholders throughout the products life stave hence the stakeholders play according to their interest they use such power and influence the product in the direction they desire.A stakeholder can be defined as an individual or a group of people and a stakeholder could either be external or from the internal organizational stakeholders could also be addressed or regarded such as Primary or Secondary wherein primary stakeholders are those stakeholders who has a direct stake in an organization and to its success, secondhand stakeholders are those who have a special or public-interest stake in the org anization.Stakeholders interacts each other in different ways such as exchanging information, products, providing encouraging tasks, instructions etc. Stakeholders can also be external or internal AEGON had historically been successful however with the government-imposed price controls which had reduced profitability over its competitors, AEGON had developed good products and services and had a good reputation with distributors, particularly in the area of pensions which were a key strength of AEGONCulture refers to the personality and military capability of an organization. It also includes the shared beliefs, values and behavior of the employees. These determine the ways in which the organization and its people make decisions and solve problems.The goal of AEGONs CEO helped to provide a vision for change. Financial objectives were important as the path for future developments depended upon these. It was also important to create more clarity about who AEGON was. With limited awar eness of AEGON in the UK, it was important to explain what it had to offer, how big the organization was within the UK and how strong it was globally.At the heart of this strategy was the need toSimplify financial services and provide more customer focus. It was important that consumers understood more precisely what they were buying, as well as the benefits and services they receivedDevelop the workforce. The objective was to develop the skills needed within the business to help it change. AEGON also created opportunities for progression from one job to another in a way that provided individuals with a coherent career path.Create a more distinct presence within the marketplace. This involved refreshing the AEGON brand in a way that made it more distinctive from its competitors and more harming to customers.Analyze and evaluate these systemsAbstract In order to analyze and evaluate such systems it is important to understand the environment in which key issues which needs to be resp onded in order to improve decision-taking which reduces uncertainty. In recent years few industries have experienced such changes in their external environment especially in the financial services sector.Saving for retirement is a good concept that is sometimes difficult for people to understand. Within the United Kingdom life foresight has risen in recent years where people can be expected to retired in the long run, there are many examples where an individual have not purposened properly for their retirement and later in their life they may experience a shortfall in the amount of money accessible to them, there is also a drive by the government to reduce dependency on the State in old age with such uncertainty looming over many companies have introduced less expensive pension schemes and has insisted on employee pension contributions which did not exists in the past, with such factors people have to make wise decisions to invest properly at an early stage of their lives. Keepin g in mind of the old age investing in the future helps people to rig out financial security towards their old ageLife insurance and pensions industry, in which AEGON operates, has had a poor reputation in recent years. Some organizations have been accused of mis-selling by not providing consumers with the best product for their needs. To prevent similar situations arising in the future, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has put significant amounts of regulation on the industryPeople do not perpetually feel equipped to choose between the range of financial products and services as financial services products are often difficult to understand, most of them are not sure where to seek support and advice. With the recession falling values on the Stock Exchange have affected the investment return on some products, such as mortgage etc, which for some people means the product they bought has not delivered the financial returns as they had expected.The financial industry has also bee n characterized by intense competition where AEGON is no exception and in terms of competition with organizations which sell directly to consumers and which are better known in the UK. AEGON distributes its products and services to customers mainly through financial advisers. AEGON being a reputed company had to address and overcome these industry-wide problems to remain competitive among their competitorsAdapt an appropriate model for changeAbstract AEGON had a good historically record of being successful however with the government-imposed price controls which had reduced profitability comparing with their competitors, AEGON was not well known by consumers. It had developed good products and services and had a good reputation with their distributors, particularly in the area of pensions which were a key strength of Scottish Equitable.If consumers are to invest in a long term product, they need to know more about the organization they are dealing with. They need to recognize the br and and understand more about the brand values that it represents. As AEGON traded under a number of brand names it was not eer easy for financial advisers and consumers to recognize the breadth and depth of the company in the UK, however, AEGON had to develop the brand and its reputation by carrying out the following tasksAEGON carried out external promotional campaigns in order to emphasize the relationship between Scottish Equitable and AEGON. This helped to reinforce the local knowledge and the global power of AEGON in the United KingdomChief Executive Officer talked to the media about the need for change. The refreshing of the brand internally and externally resulted in strong positive feedback.AEGON has launched new and innovative products. For example, the 5 for Life annuity has helped to change the way in which consumers can look at their retirement income. It provides more certainty about levels of income for the consumer, with AEGON providing the levels of return promised and being responsible for any risks associated with doing so.Today the AEGON brand has a position from which it is influencing the financial services industry. It has posted record results with significant growth in underlying earnings. It has also increased its new business across a mix of profitable products and services, reflecting its continued strength.Change is continuous. The process of change is a journey. External factors will always be there to influence business organizations.AEGON responded well to such factors by simplifying, clarify and strengthening its brand in the UK. As organizations change, their patterns of behavior and business agriculture develop. As AEGON is concerned as an organization it has to move positively towards achieving its full potential and to remain competitive in an increasingly difficult marketHow was the plan implemented, its process and outcomesAbstract AEGON underwent a discovery phase with its new Chief Executive (CEO) in place. The main purpose of this process was to find out what it had to do to meet the CEOs goal. This goal was to build the best long-term savings and protection business in the UK. The discovery focused on three main key questions such asWhat do we stand for in the UK?AEGON owns life and pensions, asset management and advice businesses. AEGON name to be known for helping their customers build better financial futures and as a result they are actively raising their brand profile in the UK.What do we want to stand for in the UK?AEGON responded to these factors by simplifying, clarifying and strengthening its brand in the UKWhat should we be doing about it?This has helped AEGON as an organization to move positively towards achieving its full potential and to remain competitive in an increasingly difficult marketDescribe the purpose of the eight behaviorsAbstract The main purpose of eight behaviors for AEGON is to develop a behavior framework to support its brand values, it was designed keeping in min d to influence how people at all levels within the organization could work and make their decisions. Such behaviour would emphasize the values of the organization which AEGON have helped to build its culture and to be influenced its performanceFollowing are the eight behavioursDecisive actionWork together deal and growRelate and communicateThink customerEmbrace changeEncourage excellenceAct with integrityEvaluate the role of an audit within and outside an organization. To what extent can a process of audit form the basis for a business strategy?Brand auditTo answer these questions AEGON undertook a brand audit. This audit looked at two aspectsthe company internallyhow the organisation was positioned externally.The purpose of the audit was to find out more information about the organisation. This helped AEGON to provide a more informed approach to the decisions that were needed to start the process of change.The audit showed that AEGON was solidly placed within the market. Its staff were known for their considerable expertise, innovation and clarity of communication.The external audit also helped to discover where AEGON was positioned in relation to its competitors. People who were aware of AEGON saw it as being a refreshing and different organisation. However, there was evidence that people were confused about the breadth of what AEGON did because it traded under a number of different company brands

Japanese Katana Essay -- Art, Sword, Samurai

A popular ancient Japanese saying states that The vane is the soul of the warrior. (Buchanan 120) The warrior in the proverb pertains to the samurai of feudal Japan and the firebrand refers to their most prominent weapon, the Katana. An ancient blade made through a complicated forging process, the Katana is truly a work of art. Also known as the Japanese long sword or the samurai sword, the Katana is a curved, single-edged blade with ridges along its exterior. It is primarily used as a weapon to cut down or slash its foes (Robinson 28). The ridges along the blade, called the hamon, divides the whacky metal components, the shingane, from the hadagane of the hard metal components used to forge the sword to give it its trademark razor sharp edge and flexibleness (Turnbull 12). The blade of the Katana is around sixty to seventy centimeters in length and is often likened to the arc of the new moon. With its signature curved edge and its fusion of hard and soft metals, the Katana is cons idered to be the greatest offensive weapon ever constituted (ONeill 114,116). It is a hallmark of Japanese sword history and is a noteworthy aspect of Japanese craftsmanship. The Japanese Katana is an important symbol of Japanese culture whose signifi squirtce must be asserted.Stories about war and implements of such can be observed throughout the lead of Japanese history. This shows the prevalence of martial training and the profession of arms as a tradition that has not faded since ancient times (Friday and Humitake 13). Japanese sword history spans several centuries. It is commonly divided into five major periods, the Jokoto and Koto periods or the ancient swords, pre-650 A.D, and the old swords from post-650 A.D. until 1596 A.D. when the Shinto... ...h their swords. All lived by a code that valued destruction over defeat. They were the samurai, the elite warrior class who ruled Japan for nearly 700 years, leaving an indelible mark on a land Japan. (ONeill 101) This quote taken from a National Geographic publication is one of many others that speak of the tenacity of the samurai. Noble and aggressive, the samurai wield their swords with killing intent, confident that a simple strike from their blades can cause certain death to their foes. This was the primary reason the Katana is made in such a way. It is to create a weapon of absolute destruction. An implement comprising of aspects that stage elegance and devastation, the Katana not only is the finest weapon ever made, it is also a beautiful work of art (Yumoto n.p.).The elegance of the Katana stems from its shape and the method used to create it.

The Devastating Suicide in Bone Essays -- Bone Essays

The Devastating Suicide in Bone In Bone, by Fae Myenne Ng, the acknowledgment Ona Leong grows up in a Chinese-American family in San Francisco. Ona shared her home with two sisters that are extreme opposites, a mother who works in sweatshops and a cause who works out at sea for long periods. Ona grew up loving every member of her family and each one of them believed that she was on the road to success. But on a day like any other, Ona commits suicide by jumping off of the thirteenth floor of the Nam building. Without any warning of her unhappiness, the family finds themselves only be fit to guess as to why she would do such a thing. How did Ona express her unhappiness? And how does Onas choice of suicide affect loved ones? Suicide often follows depression, proving trumped-up(prenominal) the stereotype of depression being only general sadness. Depression can be anything from temporary to extreme, and from insignificant to greatly significant. What significant might be charac terized as could be the outcome of a loss of ones life. In a case where a womans husband committed suicide, the woman later said, He was like anybody else with depression. But it was frequently more extreme than he ever let us know (Robinson, R. 33). However, Ona Leong appeared no different up to the day that she jumped never even appearing depressed. Throughout the novel, the involve of suicide is seen from within the home, leading back to early childhood. When thinking back, every detail of a persons life can be thought of as being a clue to the mystery of suicide. After Onas death, both mother and sister alike, ask themselves, What could stick saved Ona?... If Id been living at home with Ona on the Alley, could I have had that talk with... ...the case of leaving a suicide note, can sometimes only explain so much, but actions do in fact enunciate louder. Taking your own life, in the case of Ona wanting to make a point, could quite possibly be the loudest action there is, an action impossible to ignore. whole kit and caboodle Cited Robinson, Rita. Survivors Of Suicide. Van Nuys Newcastle, 1989. Barrington, Mary Rose. The Right to Suicide. Problems of Death. Ed. Bender, David L. Anoka Greenhaven, 1974. 114-119. JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Regional variations in suicide rates - United States, 1990-1994. (From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Sep 24, 1997, v278 n12. Robinson, Edward Arlington. Richard Cory. The hammock Book of Modern Verse. New York Washington Square Press, 1954. 153. Ng, Fae Myenne. Bone. New York HarperCollins, 1994.