Wal-Mart SWOT Analysis Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart SWOT Analysis Essay Wal-Mart has an abundance of strengths which is obvious due to its incredible success. Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the United States and the company is one of the few places left for people to get a decent job without a college education. Wal-Mart also has the second largest net sales in the world. This incredible number of sales is due significantly to Wal-Marts aggressive growth strategy. In 2003 alone they added 425 new stores all over the world. An increase in customer demand for SuperCenters encouraged the company to add 4,000 more. Overall they added 48 million square feet of retail space (Wal-Mart Company Profile 6). They can also attribute their large amount of sales to the fact that they have stores all over the world. Their truly global presence is apparent in their operation of around 1,350 Wal-Mart Discount Stores, 1,700 SuperCenters, 85 Neighborhood Markets and 550 Sams Clubs in the United States, with numbers continuing to grow†¦and about 1,300 locations in Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, Asia and South America (Wal-Mart Company Profile 5). One of Wal-Marts competitive advantages is their remarkable logistics system. They are able to ship merchandise from any of their numerous distribution centers in order to provide the cheapest and most efficient route. They even have their own distribution center for their online orders. The invention of sharing sales data with suppliers through computer programs has allowed Wal-Mart to consistently keep their shelves stocked with popular items. Technology in general is an unbelievable strength that Wal-Mart is able to invest in to improve their company. Having a website has allowed for increased sales all over the world. This not only provides convenience for customers, but with a logistics system like the one Wal-Mart has in place, online orders have become a breeze to fill. Even though Wal-Mart has been criticized for their low wages, they are actually doing a lot of good for lower income people. They can save a family about $1,000 a year with their low prices (Wal-Mart Storm 3). Wal-Mart can beat out many competitors with their aggressive pricing strategy. They have the ability to cut prices on some products, such as toys, by thirty percent in order to stimulate more sales. Wal-Mart has even been able to lure in higher-income customers when they open store in more urban areas. Since  Wal-Mart has become the nations largest food retailer, people from all income levels are shopping there for their necessity items. They have even been working on a more upscale appearance of their stores to attract these customers. The service that Wal-Mart offers to its customers is a great advantage as well. They have a strong image that it is a friendly and helpful place to shop where people are always willing to make your experience a good one. The added incentives are the constant price rollback, as well as the store-within-a-store. A great deal of Wal-Marts success can be attributed to the fact that the company was based on identifying, knowing, and understanding what exactly customers want from a retailer. A few final strengths are linked to the public criticisms that Wal-Mart has been facing. They are paying particular close attention to environmental issues and have vowed to increase use of renewable energy, reduce waste and carry environmentally sensitive products†¦Wal-Mart will soon be selling baby clothes made using organically grown cotton and has plans to improve its truck fleet efficiency by twenty-five percent in the next three years (Two Public Relations 3). Wal-Mart has also recently been pushing for a higher minimum wage, a step that is surprising to many other retailers in the industry. Weaknesses In the eyes of some of the general public, Wal-Mart has weaknesses that affect not only their image, but the lives of other people. Some view Wal-Mart as a retailing giant that has taken over the retail industry. Because of Wal-Marts low prices and well-known name, they have been able to capture the sales of an unbelievable number of consumers, and have therefore made it extremely difficult for small retailers to survive. Ethical shoppers, those who are concerned with the well-being of small retailers, are angry at the monopolizing power Wal-Mart has been able to gain in the past few decades. Most small shops have been forced to close due to lack of sales. Some people refuse to shop at Wal-Mart because of these issues. This poor image that Wal-Mart has in some peoples eyes has taken a toll on its stock price as well. Many environmentalists are concerned with the large scale buildings that are  not sensitive to the environment. These buildings also cause a problem of traffic pollution and congestion which can damage small communities. The employees of Wal-Mart can suffer a great deal as well. Many receive only poverty-level wages and horrible health care benefits. Problems with these healthcare benefits lead to employees applying for public aid, which in turn means that taxpayers are the ones paying for Wal-Mart employees healthcare costs (Wal-Mart Storm 2). Wal-Mart has been accused of discriminating against female employees and violating child labor laws. Because of these criticisms, employee morale has been decreased as well. Wal-Mart sometimes has a disadvantage in the location of their stores. Although Wal-Mart has grown and expanded a great deal into the international market, they still do not have a large part of the European market. They are only present in the UK and their competitors are gaining in the other surrounding countries. Wal-Mart also needs to consider the consequences of placing their stores too close together. Instead of increasing the volume of products per store, they open another one. Wal-Mart has already been facing a problem with a decrease in Saturday store sales. A lack of products, as well as a decrease in the quality of them, may be attributed to this loss of sales. They have also been said to have poor presentation and marketing of products on the floor. Price deflation is a serious dilemma that Wal-Mart and many discount stores are facing as well. They often buy too much of one product and then have to put it on sale or clearance in order to turnover the merchandise. Instead of increasing sales with low priced items, Wal-Mart is actually lowering their profits. Consumers will only buy so much of a particular product, even if it is priced low. Wal-Mart has a tendency to overstock and therefore reduce gross margins when they sell products for reduced prices. Also, after seeing disappointing numbers, Wal-Mart has repeatedly said that their company would have increased earnings in the following quarter. Unfortunately, they have not been able to keep this promise. Wal-Mart has a weakness in that they promise unrealistic earnings, and then do not meet their expectations. This causes their stock to constantly waiver. Even as  the economy is rising, Wal-Marts stock is not necessarily seeing an increase. Finally, Wal-Mart can have problems with their flexibility. Since Wal-Mart sells products across many sectors, such as clothing, food, or stationary, it may not have the flexibility of some of its more focused competitors (SWOT Analysis 1). These competitors have the ability to make changes and improve on a certain product lines when the needs of their customers change. Wal-Mart, however, may have too much merchandise and not be able to focus in on sectors that need to be improved. They also might not have the available information, resources and know-how to make any changes. Opportunities Since Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the United States, it has a very good opportunity to become the largest retailer in the world. They do not always carry a diverse selection of products, so they could expand stores and merchandise to attract more customers. An area that could especially be increased is their musical products. Wal-Mart does not carry a large quantity or mixture of musical products such as instruments, and these can be high profit items. Their image could be improved if they focused on having certain products, such as CDs and DVDs available on their release dates. Along the same lines, Wal-Mart could diversify their store types. They have been successful with implementing Neighborhood Markets, and have even tried a mall store recently. By focusing on a specific target market in a specific area, Wal-Mart could be the number one retailer for everyone. They already have the available resources to try new store types in new segments. It is also a logical step to increase and expand their current SuperCenters, which are expected to increase sales dramatically in the future. The reason it is expected to drive growth so affectively is SuperCenters are considered extremely high growth stores, more productive than supermarkets and expecting to produce $500 in sales per square foot (Wal-Mart Company Profile 8). Wal-Mart has yet to penetrate to many East and West Coast food markets that occupy the top 50 (food retailing markets) (New Competitors 1). Another great opportunity is to improve on the areas which they have been criticized. Wal-Mart has already announced a new health care plan which would increase benefits to employees. They are very concerned with child labor laws, so they have said that they will pay especially close attention to their overseas suppliers and their labor practices. Also, Wal-Mart has the opportunity to work on improving the environment. They have such a large image that any programs they support have the ability to produce tremendous results. By working on solutions to these concerns they can help improve their image and increase their market share. Wal-Mart is such a major player in the retail industry that its decisions can have an effect on the global economy, the environment and society. They have the ability to slightly decrease the price of inflation because of their low prices. Also, due to their low prices, there is an increase in wages in developing countries. For the United States, wages may be low, but in other places where manufacturing goods is cheaper, wages can actually be considered high. By offering jobs and increasing the wealth in other countries, it is possible for a substantial middle class to exist there and also increase Wal-Mart sales by having stores in those areas (Wal-Mart Storm 4. Continued international expansion is a huge strategic opportunity for Wal-Mart. There is actually more opportunity for growth in developing countries and Asian markets than there is in the United States (Variety Stores 8). Creating alliances and licensing agreements are ways to move into these market segments. Other growth opportunities include the Internet and improved supply chain management through radio-frequency identification (RFID). Threats In order to keep prices low, Wal-Mart has had to cut costs in other areas. This includes squeezing suppliers to offering their products at much lower prices. This has driven competitors to do the same, which is causing profits to plunge downward drastically. A threat to Wal-Marts image is the fact that for the few years after they open up a new store, the wages of  that county fall by three to five percent. Another threat is the rapidly growing chain of Dollar General discount stores. These stores are able to open in smaller areas where there are not enough customers to support Wal-Mart. The deep discount that is offered at Dollar stores competes greatly with Wal-Mart. The economy has a slight effect on Wal-Marts customers. They have an advantage because the do offer cheap products that appeal to people in the time of a recession. However, most of Wal-Marts customers do not directly experience most of the governments attempts to stimulate the economy. Wal-Mart must work very hard to compete in times of uncertainty. Another threat that Wal-Mart faces is brand-name recognition. Although they carry and have increased their assortment of name brand products, most consumers searching for name brand products will not look at Wal-Mart to find them. Wal-Mart lacks a direct sales force to increase sales, whereas smaller retailers are focusing more and more on this aspect therefore increasing their competition. A major threat to Wal-Mart is the areas that they are expanding into may not be easily attainable. It will be difficult for them to gain a good part of the market share of hard-line products such as home improvements. These areas have greater competition and Wal-Mart does not have a clear cost advantage. International expansion may also create slow or rough short-term growth. The international market is predicted to have excellent long-term growth success, but these earnings may not be seen in the near future. Also, Wal-Mart has huge expansion plans that are very public. If these stores do not open on time, or are subject to delays and build issues, then analysts predictions will not be met and share price may suffer (Wal-Mart Company Profile 9). On the contrary, if Wal-Mart successfully meets all of its deadlines, investors may still be hesitant to invest in their company. In the past, when retailers meet their expectations, and the economy is doing well, they tend to under perform. Also, two of Wal-Marts main product lines, apparel and food, are very slow growth sectors, and Wal-Marts dominating position in the industry may make investors believe there is little room for the company to grow. Wal-Marts image has been seriously threatened by the numerous accusations of being bad for the country (Two Public Relations 1). The documentary movies that are being produced could seriously hurt the companys sales, especially since they are being premiered right as the holiday shopping season is starting. The shopping experience some customers have at their store is also a threat to Wal-Mart. Customers are often complaining about the long checkout lines and the insufficient quality of the products that are offered. Once this idea is spread throughout a community, it is difficult to change the publics opinion. Also, RFID could possibly be a threat to Wal-Mart by ruining relationships with suppliers. This system promises to do a great deal for supply-chain management. However, there is always the possibility that technology promises more than it can actually offer. Some manufacturers of low-cost consumer products may not see the advantages of implementing such a system and not want to comply with Wal-Marts mandate for the new system. Recommendations Wal-Mart has been extremely successful in the past, and has a very promising future ahead of them. Unfortunately, there is always a negative side to success. For Wal-Mart, they are faced with opposition from people who are concerned with the little guy. The fact that Wal-Mart has the ability and resources to be such a major competitor in the retail industry scares some people. Small stores in small communities, as well as employees, target Wal-Mart because they know it is a large company with the resources to defend itself. In order to improve its image in the eyes of these people, Wal-Mart may want to address these issues head on. Wal-Mart has already taken giant strides to be seen as a more environmentally friendly organization, as well as to increase the benefits of its employees. They should continue this approach, possibly even more publicly than other retailers in the industry. Wal-Mart could even start a campaign to help the little guy. Since they have such a global impact, any issue they raise will undeniably get a great deal of attention. In a campaign of this sort, Wal-Mart could focus on promoting the  other small specialty stores in their community. They could help advertise for local shops that do not sell competing products, but complimentary ones. Instead of taking sales away from themselves, Wal-Mart could change their image to one of a company that cares about the community. Along with this, Wal-Mart should focus on their employees. Publicly giving employee benefits or rewards will increase morale as well as their image. Once Wal-Mart has invested in their image in their home country, they should also focus on increasing their market share in the international markets that they are not already involved in. Some other countries hold the greatest growth potential and these areas should be seriously considered by Wal-Mart. References Cramer, James J. Wal-Mart, Fess Up to Weakness Within. Wake-Up Wal-Mart.com,17 August 2005. 18 November 2005. Retrieved from . Kalra, Ritu. Wal-Mart Storm Swirling. The Hartford Courant. 2 November 2005. 3 November 2005. Retrieved from . Lindeman, Teresa F. Two Public Relations Campaigns pit Wal-Mart Against Critics. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1 November 2005. 3 November 2005. Retrieved from . McClenahen, John S. Wal-Marts Big Gamble. www.industryweek.com. April 2005. 3 November 2005. Retrieved from New Competitors Move on Supers. MMR. 22(10) p.162. 10 June 2005. 3 November 2005. Retrieved from . SWOT Analysis Wal-Mart. Marketing Teacher. 18 November 2005. Retrieved from . The Story of Wal-Mart. The Cultural Marketplace The NUR Network. 3 November 2005. Retrieved from . Variety Stores. Encyclopedia of American Industries Online Edition. Gale, 2004. 3 November 2005. Retrieved from . Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Company Profile. www.Datamonitor.com. April 2005. 3 November 2005. Retrieved from .

Drug Trafficking Laws And Penalties Criminology Essay

Drug Trafficking Laws And Penalties Criminology Essay Drug trafficking laws and penalties should be stricter worldwide because drug use and overdose is becoming more prevalent throughout the world and is destroying the lives of innocent people, especially teens. The effects of drug use and drug trafficking damage our global economy, affects the youth of the word, and spurs violence amongst people. The world must join together to stop drug traffickers from transporting illegal substances all over the world. Economic costs that are related to substance abuse and drug trafficking are extremely high. Drug trafficking cartels can become powerful enough to corrupt a country. The UN Drug Control Program has noted the difficulty of maintaining an honest and democratic government while fighting a drug war when they said: In systems where a member of the legislature or judiciary, earning only a modest income, can easily gain the equivalent of some 20 months salary from a trafficker by making one favorable decision, the dangers of corruption are obvious [United Nations International Drug Control Program]. When a drug trafficking organization gains enough money, they begin to bribe local officials and destroy countries. As the Un Drug Report said, People are easily bribed when they are able to make an equivalent of a 20 month salary in a few days [United Nations International Drug Control Program]. Once a drug cartel corrupts one official, it becomes a chain reaction of corruption. Eventually a dr ug cartel can grow enough to control a country as a whole. Pablo Escobar and his drug cartel are a great example of this corruption. During the 1980s, Escobar became known internationally as the Medellin Cartel gained notoriety. During Escobars era, he and his Medellin Cartel were said to have controlled about 80 percent of the drug shipments that entered illegally to the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Most of his drug plantations were located throughout Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia because Colombian cocaine was considered to be of the highest quality. Escobars business and products spread across North and South America, and small parts of Asia as well. Escobar bribed and corrupted countless Colombian government officials, judges and other politicians with execution as his main punishment for not agreeing to his bribes. Escobars cruel ways resulted in hundreds of deaths for people that did not comply with his demands. His strategy was referred to as Plata o Plomo; Spanish for silver or lead, which was intended to mean accept a bribe or face assassination. Escobar seized control of all of Colombia and used his power to grow his drug empire [The Medellin Traveler]. Drug Trafficking affects the global economy through health care and welfare costs as well. Drug use can cause HIV and other illnesses amongst people. When drug addicts shoot heroin and other drugs into themselves they do not use sanitary needles and most addicts share needles with others. If one drug user was previously infected with HIV and uses a needle to do drugs. That needle has infected blood on it and when another user uses that same needle, he becomes infected as well. Most drug addicts end up in the hospital and the cost of their treatment is very expensive. Most drug addicts are very poor because they spend most if not all of their money on drugs and alcohol. A large amount of drug addicts are on welfare and are given food stamps and places to live. The costs of providing drug addicts with food and shelters are very expensive as well. Most of these drug addicts do not stop using because they are too addicted. Then there are the recovering drug addicts of the world that create large costs to the economy as well. As I mentioned, most drug addicts are very poor and if they do try to recover, they have to go to treatment centers. The government usually pays these treatment centers for the recovering drug addicts that they treat. Some drug addicts eventually are cured and are then able to word and contribute to the growth of our economy. But, there are millions of drug addicts that leave treatment centers only to come back to them in a few months for the same reasons. Drugs also create productivity losses including deaths, victimization, incarceration, and crime careers. This means that there could have been more people working and stimulating the economy that have been either killed or incarcerated because of their involvement with drugs. A study prepared by The Lewin Group for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimated the total economic cost of alcohol and drug abuse to be $245.7 billion for 1992 in the United States. The Lewin Group also estimated that 40% or $97.7 billion of that was due to drug abuse. The costs of treatment and prevention as well as other healthcare costs, job productivity, lost earnings and welfare were also included in this number [National Institute on Drug Abuse]. These costs were paid for by the millions of tax payers of the United States that worked hard and did not get involved with drugs. Drug trafficking and abuse is very prevalent among the youth of world. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, young people who persistently abuse substances often experience an array of problems, including academic difficulties, health-related problems (including mental health), poor peer relationships, and involvement with the juvenile justice system [Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention]. Additionally, there are consequences for family members, the community, and the entire society. Usually adolescents that use or are involved with drugs often disengage from school and community activities. Drugs deprive students peers and communities of the positive contributions that they might have. These students stop playing sports and do not join extra-curricular activities. There are countless teenagers across the world that have so much talent that is wasted because of drug use. Some kids might have potential to be superstars in sports and c lubs but because of drugs they cannot do so. Substance-abusing youth are at a higher risk for mental and physical problems than nonusers. Youth who abuse drugs are prone to many problems including depression, conduct problems, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, and suicide. Most kids who begin using drugs become outcasts in schools and do not have many friends. Because of this, they use drugs even more to ease their pain. This causes thousands of suicides and overdoses throughout the world. Drug use is becoming more and more prevalent in very young children as well as well as youth in high school. The percentage of 8th graders reporting lifetime use of any illicit drug declined from 20.9% to 19% from 2006 to 2007. Although the percentage of use has declined, 19% of 8th graders are still a tremendous amount of 13 and 14 year olds using illicit drugs. While the amount of 8th graders doing drugs went down, the amount of 12th graders using drugs has increased. In 2007, 15.4% of 12th graders reported using a prescription drug without a prescription within the past year. Between 2005 and 2007, past year abuse of Ecstasy increased among 12th graders from 3.0% to 4.5%, which makes a 50% change in just two years. Also between 2004 and 2007 abuse of Ecstasy increased among 10th graders from 2.4% to 3.5% [U.S Drug Enforcement Administration]. Aside from personal adversities, the abuse of drugs by youth can jeopardize many other aspects of life for youth, especially family life. Sometimes drug abuse can result in family dysfunction where families do not communicate and sometimes stop living with each other. Substance abuse can also drain a familys financial and emotional resources. Arrests and interventions by the juvenile justice system are eventual consequences for many of the youth that are involved with drug use. This can place unnecessary stress on families causing them to shift apart from each other. Having to constantly worry about your childs safety and security is hard for anyone, especially parents whose children are involved with drugs. The International Narcotics Control Board has urged an international collaboration to stamp out internet trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances around the world, wrote Rohit Sharma in her article about drug trafficking [Sharma, Rohit]. Internet Drug trafficking is becoming much more popular throughout illegal drug organizations. It seems to be safer and more profitable than physically selling drugs. Internet Trafficking also allows these organizations to sell drugs all over the world from one single warehouse or destination. Two internet pharmacies in Bangkok and one in Chiang Mai, Thailand, mainly serving the US market, were closed down between November 1999 and January 2000 after raids by Thai authorities with the close collaboration of US Drug Enforcement Administration. These pharmacies were sending parcels of drugs to US citizens, including many drug addicts, who could not get their prescription from US doctors [Sharma, Rohit]. Since then, millions of pharmacies like these have opened and are constantly selling drugs to people all over the world. The UN should create a new taskforce designed solely for tracking down drug sales over the internet. They can stop these pharmacies by ordering drugs with fake names and addresses so that they can shut down these illegal pharmacies. Other than internet trafficking, many countries have increased their efforts to stop physical drug trafficking by strengthening borders, arresting drug cartels and destroying crops. The International Narcotics Control Strategy Report says, Efforts to restrain the activities of global drug trafficking and money laundering operations gained ground, even in the face of war, corruption, insurgency and economic disruption. Here are some examples of what some countries have done: President Obama and his administration have designed a new plan with the Government of Mexico to stop the transportation of drugs across our borders [Homeland Security]. In Colombia, the Colombian police destroyed more than 124,000 hectares of coca crops in 2003, a third record year for eradication, said Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Robert Charles [Porter, Charlene]. Germany hosted a seminar for Drug Trafficking on Jan. 29, 2010. There were 91 participants from 61 countries. The seminar examined how terrorists can use narcotics profits to fund terrorist activities and how they can make countries corrupt. All of the participants conversed with each other on a strategy to help stop international drug trafficking [Tudor, Jason]. Although some countries have done a lot to stop drug trafficking, West Africa is a country in need of major help. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates at least 50 tons of cocaine transits through West Africa annually. The availability of narcotics to the public in the region is increasing as well because traffickers pay transportation cost with drugs instead of money. The UN needs to help West Africa in the global war against drugs because it has been a crucial area for drug traffickers to transport drugs from. West Africa is a notably poor country and barely has enough money to support itself let alone stop drug trafficking. Over the past several years, an estimated $2 billion of cocaine was transported from Latin America to Europe via West Africa. More money and Drug task forces should be sent and activated in West Africa to stop this area from being the massive drug transport area that it is [Kruzel, John]. The United States has done a lot to stop drug trafficking throughout the US as well as the rest of the world. The HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) Program is the main government run program that works to stop drug trafficking across America. They have about 30 headquarters around the country and use different strategies to stop drug trafficking depending on the region in which they are located. One of the greatest examples of their work has been in Philadelphia, PA and Camden NJ. Being that Philadelphia and Camden are very close to New York City, they have become one of the busiest illegal drug transit routes on the eastern seaboard. There are major interstate rail and highway systems along with a major airport that have become the key shipping terminals for illegal drugs in the region. The Philadelphia/ Camden HIDTA division has setup a total of 11 squads in Philadelphia to reduce the amount of drug trafficking to and from the city. The Regional Investigative Support Center was made successful by assigning full-time Philadelphia Police Department officers and supervisors manning the Watch Center, 8:00 AM-10:00PM, Monday through Friday. The HIDTA also works with Internal Revenue Service which provides the HIDTA with financial information on people being investigated and reports suspicious activity to the HIDTA as well. Lastly, field drug identification training is currently offered to the newly assigned Philadelphia police officers to teach how to distinguish people who are under the influence with people who are sober. Since the establishing of the program in 1995, the Philadelphia / Camden HIDTA have decreased the flow of drug trafficking by 30% until now [Office of National Drug Control Policy]. Drug trafficking cartels spread violence and lawlessness throughout our border region and reach into all of our communities, large and small, said Attorney General Eric H. Holder. Drug dealers create violence because they have their own wars with each for profits. During these wars, innocent people are put at risk because of the constant shootouts and gun fights that happen. Two ongoing gang wars over drug markets in Chicago accounted for more than 100 homicides during 1987-1994. This total represents 11% of all gang-related homicides in Chicago in that time span [Howell, James]. Los Angeles, California is one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. Los Angeles is also known for the two major gangs that are constantly at war throughout the city. The Bloods and the Crips are one of the two most dangerous gangs in America. The profits from each of these gangs come from their drug trafficking and selling. With these profits they buy weapons which then create more violence and catastrophes across the state. Drug trafficking and gang violence go hand in hand with each other around the United States. Where there are gangs, there is drug trade and vice versa. I believe that if we eliminate drugs in this country, we eliminate gang violence once and for all. Drug Trafficking is causing gangs to spread all over the U.S and put more and more towns in danger of gang violence [Howell, James]. Drug trafficking efforts have to drastically increase throughout the world and the United States. Although a lot is being done, there has to be more done if we ever want to stop the horrors of drug trafficking. The affects of drugs destroy our economies and our youth. They do nothing but bring violence and mayhem to the world.

Effect of Gender Equality in the Economy

Effect of Gender Equality in the Economy Michael .O. Sanni Hypothesis: There is a positive correlation between gender equality with respect to economic development. My Initial Hypothesis In the labor market, one may assume that a rà ©sumà © and credentials are the only significant factor contributing to securing a job in an organization, but that proves to be wrong especially for women. Increasing job opportunities and decent work for women is essential for growth that vital for advancing social and economic development (ADB, 2003). After careful observation of countries where social, behavioral, and cultural attributes are the criteria by which individual’s performance is evaluated. I wondered whether or not gender equality had an effect on how well a country’s economy is developing. Based on the mental representation of what we know and expect about girls and women, we tend to be bias in our perception of females being less intelligent, under-skilled and not being clever enough to partake in economic activities. If employers have this type of mindset, I am curious to know under what circumstances gender equality affects the development of a country’s economy. The Empirical Evidence There are numerous factors that determine the social and economic development of a nation, one of which is gender equality. It is a critical component of economic development, it is a basic right that does not need economic vindication. Gender inequality proves to be the causes of poverty in the society as a whole. Yet gender equality has broad and positive implications for social and economic development. A number of studies have attempted to establish a positive correlation between them.Kuznets (1995) thesis regarding a curvilinear relationship between economic development and inequality, propose that economic development and gender equality also exhibit a non-monotonic relationship, marked by three phases. Economic development should improve gender equality in the first phase; in the second phase equality increases or decline slightly; and in the third phase, it should rise again (Eastin Prakash, 2012). Every sector of a nation affect the economy directly or indirectly, take for instance; equality in the educational sector. Hill and King (1993) estimated that the correlation between female education and the gender gap in primary and secondary enrollment on gross domestic product (GDP) per capita between 1975 and 1985 is statistically and economically significant. Countries with a lower level of inequality have higher GNP compare with similar countries that have a higher level of gender inequality. Which means the more equality we have in a country the greater the impact on the economy development. Breaking the barriers of inequality in education matters instrumentally, because greater equality contribute to economic efficiency, achievement and other key developmental outcomes. Human capital is define as the skill, knowledge and physical capacity that allows the labor force to be economically productive. Increasing educational opportunities for women offers them the freedom to accumulate greater skills and expertise in the labor force and thus raise the potential for economic development. More so, women who are learned can undertake valuable economic activities. Abu-Ghaida and Klasen (2002) further provides empirical reseach indicating that a country failing to close the gender gap in education could experience a decrease in per capita income by 0.1 to 0.3 percentage points. Countries are rarely wealthy if they have poor gender equality in education. It has become widely understood that promoting gender equality is crucial for of an effective economic and human development strategy. According to world bank(2013)â€Å"Development community have come to understand that development policies and actions that fail to take gender inequality into account and fail to address gap between males and females will have limited effectiveness and serious cost implications.† The process of development may also lead to the adoption of institutions that favor gender equality. For example, if women are given the chance to participate in various sectors of the economy such as; agriculture, can help put an end to gender discrimination barrier to improve agricultural productivity. Breaking the obstacles of unequal distributions of resources, including credit extension, labor, and fertilizer that leads to inefficiencies which lower yields and profits; and markedly reduces incomes in some countries. This is mostly true for low-income countries, notably sub-Saharan Africa, where agriculture makes up a large proportion of the total economy and where a large number of women participate in this sector. Gender equality will provide educational and employment opportunities for women which will help in alleviating poverty and hunger. More so, children who receive more education are likely to profit more, but girls typically benefit more from extra education than boys according to Psacharapoulos Patrinos, (2002). In many developing countries, this benefit seems greater from secondary and tertiary education than from primary education. Women will also receive higher wages from entering the formal sector than from the agricultural sector, implying that expanding these opportunities for women will further alleviate poverty (Kingdon Soderbom, 2007). The accessible of health care and antenatal health care services will be easier for educated women and those in employment, thus reducing child mortality rates also has an impact on economic development. My Current Opinion My hypothesis was supported. After reading the empirical evidence regarding the effect gender equality has on economic development, I believe it is critical to societal progress both socially and economically. We live in a male-dominated world, but to foster economic growth, alleviate poverty and provide a better standard of living, both male and female have their roles to play, and we need to have a shift in our thinking. Feminist have argued that women and men are born with equal human capacity to learn, develop, and contribute to shaping the world. In 1995 more than 47,000 women and men participated in the creation of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action. The Platform clearly stated that the empowerment of women and gender equality were critical to international development, peace, and human right. Investing in women education as Lawrence Summers (1992) says, ‘may well be the highest return investment available in the developing world’. Creating opportunities for girls and women to acquire knowledge has reduced the gender gap in almost all countries. In secondary education, these gaps are closing rapidly and have reversed in many countries, especially in Latin America, the Caribbean, and East Asia. Among developing countries, girls now outnumber boys in secondary schools in 45 countries and there are more young women than men in universities in 60 countries (ADR 2012). Empowering women as economic, political, and social stand-in characters can change policy choices and make institutions more representative of a range of voices. In India for instance, giving power to women at the local level led to increases in the provision of public goods, and basic social amenities which mattered more to women (ADR 2012). The mismanagement of women’s skills and talent comes at a high economic cost, gender equality can have large impacts on productivity. Women now represent a majority of the global labor force, 43 percent of the agricultural workforce, and more than half of the world’s university students. Women’s skills and talents should be engaged in activities that make the best use of those abilities, for an economy to be functioning at its optimum capacity. References Doepke, M., and M. Tertilt. 2010. â€Å"Does Female Empowerment Promote Economic Development?† BREAD Working Paper 281, Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development. 20 Dollar, D., and Gatti, R. 1999. Gender, Inequality, Income, and Growth: Are Good Times Good for Women? Background paper for Engendering Development. World Bank, Washington, D.C. Klasen, S., and Lamanna, F. 2009. The Impact of Gender Inequality in Education and Employment on Economic Growth: New Evidence for a Panel of Countries. Feminist Economics 15 (3): 91-132 World Bank. 2011. World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development. Washington DC: The World Bank. Munshi, K., and Rosenzweig, M. 2006. Traditional Institutions Meet the Modern World: Caste, Gender, and Schooling Choice in a Globalizing Economy. American Economic Review 96 (4): 1225-52. Klasen, S. 1999. â€Å"Does Gender Inequality Reduce Growth and Development? Evidence from Cross-Country Regressions.† Background paper for Engendering Development, World Bank, Washington D.C. Klasen, S. 2002. Low Schooling for Girls, Slower Growth for All? Cross-Country Evidence on the Effect of Gender Inequality in Education on Economic Development. World Bank Economic Review 16 (3): 345-73 Hill, A., and E. King. 1993. â€Å"Women’s education in developing countries: an overview† in Women’s Education in Developing Countries. Ed. Elizabeth M. King and M. Anne Hill, 1-50. Baltimore, MD: The John Hopkins University Press. Bertocchi, G. 2008. The enfranchisement of women and the welfare State. Center for Economic Research (RECent) 018, University of Modena and Reggio E., Dept. of Economics.

Budget Deficit & National Debt :: essays research papers

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the short- and long-term effects of current budget deficits and the nation debt. In order to do this; I first had to find out exactly what they were. I will also discuss whether I think the government should operate with a balanced budget. Budget deficit is the amount by which total government spending is more than government income during a specified period; the amount of money which the government has to raise by borrowing or currency emission in order to make up for the shortfall in tax revenues. National debt denotes the total sum of the outstanding debt obligations of a country's central government. I discovered that many people use the term somewhat more broadly to refer to the total indebtedness of all levels of government, including regional and local governments and sometimes also the indebtedness of government owned business entities such as local transit and communications systems or nationalized industries as well. The national debt represents the accumulated total of all the government budget deficits of past years, less the accumulated total of all the government budget surpluses of past years. In the United States, the national debt consists almost entirely of interest-bearing "IOU" instruments that are usually re-sellable on organized financial markets such as, for example, U.S. bonds, U.S. treasury notes, and U.S. treasury bills. These IOUs are originally purchased from the Treasury by private individuals, private corporations, insurance companies, pen sion funds and banks (both inside the United States and outside its borders), and the Treasury then uses the money it raised to bridge its spending gap when its budget is in deficit. The Treasury also sells IOUs to other Federal agencies that operate so-called trust funds -- primarily the Social Security Administration and other Federal retirement programs. The complication here is that since this is money that the government "owes to itself," it is not counted as part of the national debt in any realistic system of accounting. I find this to be really strange. Money to pay the annual interest owed to the owners of the government's debt instruments has to be provided through appropriations in every year's Federal budget. These interest payments on the national debt constitute as one of the largest spending categories in the budget. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is an estimate of the total money value of the entire final goods and services produced in a given one-year period using the factors of production located within a particular country's borders.

art :: essays research papers

Beginning with the media of watercolor her senior year, Sara Dosenberry, realized her love for the world of art, creativity, and beauty. Jan Alfano, the inspiring art teacher favored watercolor, which is how Sara developed much of her technique. With her love of the all art she has realized an influence from music coming into play in some of her more current works. Another more current influence and most prominent in her works has been her past three vacations in Hawii. Displaying a very organic, realistic feel to her works, Sara enjoys potraying this through natural tropical scenes including seascapes, landscapes, and her favorite subject that appears repeatedly, palm trees. She is self expressive with her use of warm and bright colors, loose brush stroke, and realistic portrayals she is creating wonderful movement and fluidity. This provides a calmming relaxed and clean composition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the future, hoping to find a career restoring paintings, Sara has choosin Kendall College of Art and Design to fufill her education in this creative field. Included in her foundation classes is three dimentional design class, which Sara find to be especially enjoyable and very open to creativity, unlike most other foundation classes which are mostly teaching technique. She is allowed freedom of expression while she still maintains her organic, soft and relaxed style.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beginning the semester with a very unique and original assignment, Sara responded using those same elements, using her very theme of palm trees. The project was a first and successful attempt to the beginning of three dimentional design. The nest objective was to create a modular form which she thought to be difficult and uncreative in terms of her exploring the projects limits. She was unsatisfied with her use of neitive space but still has learned a great deal from the project. A more current sculpture was developed with a media which was new to her, sculpey, a type of clay.

Teacher and Student Relationships :: Education Discipline Essays

The teacher student relationship is very important for children. Children spend approximately 5 to 7 hours a day with a teacher for almost 10 months. We ask ourselves what is considered a good teacher? All of us have gone through schooling, and if fortunate had a favorite teacher. A positive relationship between the student and the teacher is difficult to establish, but can be found for both individuals at either end. The qualities for a positive relationship can vary to set a learning experience approachable and inviting the students to learn. A teacher and student who have the qualities of good communications, respect in a classroom, and show interest in teaching from the point of view of the teacher and learning from a student will establish a positive relationship in the classroom. I will be focusing on the relationship between the student and teacher, involving a setting in the primary grades, which I have found second grade to be extremely important for the student to gain a po sitive attitude for their future education. Children have different strategies for learning and achieving their goals. A few students in a classroom will grasp and learn quickly, but at the same time there will be those who have to be repeatedly taught using different techniques for the student to be able to understand the lesson. On the other hand, there are those students who fool around and use school as entertainment. Teaching then becomes difficult, especially if there is no proper communication. Yet, teachers, creating a positive relationship with their students, will not necessarily control of all the disruptive students. The book, Responsible Classroom Discipline written by Vernon F. Jones and Louise Jones discuss how to create a learning environment approachable for children in the elementary schools. According to the Jones, â€Å" Student disruptions will occur frequently in classes that are poorly organized and managed where students are not provided with appropriate and interesting instructional tasks† (101) . The key is, teachers need to continuously monitor the student in order for him or her to be aware of any difficulties the student is having. Understanding the child’s problem, fear, or confusion will give the teacher a better understanding the child’s learning difficulties. Once the teacher becomes aware of the problems, he or she will have more patience with the student, thus making the child feel secure or less confused when learning is taking place in the classroom.

Compare and contrast the main principles in psychoanalysis therapy and behavior therapy Essay

In generally, the majority of people are experienced in any condition of anxiety and depression as part of their life. Good mental health is defined as a person whose ability to satisfy in any condition as well as sustain his/her brain’s health in good relationships to others. (Grohol, 2008) However, Kendra Cherry (2010) educator also indicated that social contact must be needed in order to maintain their life balance.(p5-8) Undeniably, too many emotions have been brought about a huge amount of mental health problem which caused a very moody. The aim of this essay is to focus on the principles of mental health problem in psychoanalysis and behavior therapy, comparing these two therapies in detail. The main argument of this essay is to evaluate these two therapies whether they are effective or not. Main Body: Psychoanalysis therapy: According to Anthony Elliott (1995), ‘The relevance and importance of psychoanalysis is to concern the proliferation of approaches in social-theoretical thinking and the concept of physical health problem as it related in this essay.(p.5) Simply, psychoanalysis therapy is tend to release repressed emotions including addiction, anxiety and depression which used to treat and relax patient’s mind. To clarify human psyche of psychoanalysis therapy, psychoanalysis seems to be focused on early childhood. Steps in integration According to the book ‘Psychoanalysis, Literature and War’ (Steiner , 1997: 64-69), psychoanalytical process is likely to be reflected in early infantile development. For the psychological perspective, scientists discovered that the early infantile object relationships tend to influence deeply the whole of psychological work. For instance, when the happen to people during childhood could be affected later act as adults. Obviously, psychoanalytic therapy is made as a treatment which solve the conflicts between unconscious and conscious mind.In short, frequently, psychoanalysis therapy is tend to be clarified as a treatment to look how the unconscious influence the human’s thoughts and behaviors, especially during the early  childhood experience. Behavior therapy Behavior therapy also can be involved as a treatment which is focused on the idea we learn from the environment as well as influenced by observing the behaviors of others. Generally, the majority of people who have anxiety disorder, phobias and depression due to their behavior changes. These symptoms are likely happened because the behaviour change to emerge any problems which caused by the systematic desensitization. Behavior therapy of personality According to the book ‘Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’ (Lawrance, 2002) demonstrated that a type of techniques: respondent conditioning, operant conditioning and social learning are relied on the principles of operant conditioning. For example, teachers utilize punishment to attempt or alter students’ behaviour. Moreover, a child who finishes his works will get as a reward to go to the park. This practices mean that whether it is punishment or reward, reinforcement could be used to strengthen, develop or enhance behaviour. Moreover, behavior therapy also is likely to about observation. Observational learning basically refers to a type of processes. According to Art Markman (2013), ‘Attentional process is the act of perceiving or watching and learning from others.’ When people focus on goals and actions, the process is tend to allow for those who want to achieve that goal. Simply, the behavior would be reflected person’s actions across situation automatically. The another main process is retention process which refers to memorizing that has been observed. For the positive perspective, in order to achieve the goal, it is important that the person participants in the process actively rather than being a passive spectator. Obviously, behavior therapy is likely to be a function in prescribing curative procedures that will lead to improved behavior. Evaluate the treatment of efficacy Psychoanalysis therapy Generally, psychoanalysis treatment is done by face-to-face individually with the patient rather than group work. The psychologists focus in treatment are usually analyze the patients’ situation and the way related to their  conflicts or problems. First of all, in the short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy general target in social functioning and clarify what psychiatric symptoms is. According to Erik Driessen (2011, 74(1):58-71), Short-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (STPP) is used to treat in personality and depression disorders. Utilizing the time-honoured approach is likely a way to evaluate a patient for their development. He has also done the research that 68% of 341 patients for major depressive disorder have been counted in the primary analysis for 3 months. Although the consequence has no significant differences between on any treatment, psychodynamic psychotherapy is tend to be effective treatment only when it analyses the slowly growing body of work. In the other hand, due to the insufficient short-term psychotherapy, psychologists examine the efficacy to long-term psychotherapy in complex mental health. During in their experiment lasting for least a year, 971 patients have been included to conduct a meta-analysis of Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP). The result demonstrated that the participants (LTPP) compared with the less intensive forms of psychotherapy between 0.48 – 0.68 (effect size). That means LTPP is superior than less intensive forms of psychotherapy in complex mental health. Obviously, long-term psychotherapy is tend to be more essential and efficient than other psychotherapy. (Leichsenring, 2011) Behaviour therapy Behaviour Modification is the importance of experimental analysis of behaviour development which are based in operant conditioning or the practical development in order to alter behaviour. According to the University Complutense of Madrid, (Labardor, 2004) the research indicated that psychotherapy could be used to control the sense of trying to recover or alter behaviour.( p178-187) For example, if the individual who is depressed, create a new possibility: encourage he/she to seek out reinforcers through hobbies or social activities which the problem could be extinguished. For any disorder, utilizing behavioural programmes lead to let the patient learn or identify the problem behaviour and solve. Furthermore, a group of people who are experienced in long working hour, tend to be encountered the problem of insomnia. When the situation is inability to obtain adequate amount of sleep within 15 minutes, it is recommended to set a limit hours in every night. (Peter, 2011) Sleep restriction is a behavior  therapy of treatment for insomnia. Sleeping in the limiting time, sleep efficiency would be improved by your behaviour change as applying the psychotherapy. However, the treatment of behaviour therapy could not apply all circumstances due to the restriction of person. For example, in some case, a loss of important information of the person of causes or the person’s history to determine current behaviour. Conclusion In this essay, it compare and contrast the differences between psychoanalysis therapy and behavior therapy. Psychoanalysis therapy is the method which used to extinguish a person’s depression with using the social-theoretical thinking and the concept of physical health problem. Comparing with the behaviour therapy, it appears to emphasize the idea we learn from the environment thus behavior change. Indeed, living in a modern world, ‘imitation’ is the technical ability which is inherent – belonging to the basic nature of someone. The human’s behaviour is led to follow by observing the behaviors of others. Although, these two therapies aims to deal with a range of psychological difficulties, behaviour therapy tends to contribute directly to the patient for treating his/her feelings or action. However, in another way, behaviour therapy is not the best treatment which use to approach serious psychological disorder such as depression and anxiety disorder. Reference list: 1. Cherry, K (2010). The Everything Psychology Book: Explore the Human Psyche and Understand Why We Do the Things We Do . 2nd ed. 0: Adams Media Corporation. p5-8 2. Driessen E. (2011). The efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for depressive disorders with comorbid personality disorder. Psychiatry 74(1):58-71. 3. Driessen E; Cuijpers P; de Maat SC; Abbass AA; de Jonghe F; Dekker JJ: The efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for depression: a meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev 2010; 30:25–36 4. Elliott, A (1995). Psychoanalysis in contexts. USA: Routledge. P2. 5. Freud, S (2002). Sigmund Freud. London: Routledge. p. 5-7 6. Grohol, J. (2008). What is Good Mental Health?. Psych Central. Retrieved on October 20, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/06/02/what-is-good-mental-health/ 7. Lawrance A. Vitulano, Jacob Kraemer Tebes. Child and adolescent behaviour therapy. In: Melwin Lewis Ed: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, A Comprehensive Textbook. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2002:998-1015 8. Leichsenring, F. (2011). Long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in complex mental disorder. The british Journal of Psycharity. 10 (2), p15-22. 9. Labardor, F. (2004). The spanish Journal of Psychology. Skinner and the Rise of Behavior Modification and Behavior Therapy. 7 (2), p178-187. 10. Markman ,A. (2013). Psychology Today. Available: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/201306/culture-affects-attention-goals-and-processes. 11. Peter, B. (2011). Sleep Restriction is an Effective Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. 12. Steiner, J . (1997). Earky infantile develoment as reflected in the psychoanalytical process: step in integration. In: Elizabeth Bott Spillius psychoanalysis, literature and War. New York: Britush Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. p64-69