Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation in Education

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation in Education As life goes on, I am starting to learn more and more about what motivates me step forward and can be successful in education; I recognize that when I plan or want to do something, I have a motivation for that specific thing. In other words, when I do something, I have a reason why I should do that thing. According to the book â€Å"Drive† by Daniel H. Pink, it makes me thought-provoking about motivation 2. 0 and motivation 3. 0. So the question comes in my mind is what is the difference between motivation 2. 0 and motivation 3. , and which motivational system is more effective either for education. Motivation 2. 0, what we know as extrinsic motivation assumes that human beings are best motivated by rewards and punishments (carrots and sticks). On the other hand, motivation 3. 0 what we know as intrinsic motivation suggests that humans are primarily motivated to learn, create and better the world (learning and creating). In educa tion, I prefer that motivation 3. 0 is more effective than motivation 2. 0 because motivation 3. 0 leads to success and good behavior and motivation 2. leads to decreasing of students’ progress. The first thing, motivation 3. 0 is more effective than motivation 2. 0 because motivation 3. 0 leads to success. Students are most likely to show the beneficial effects of motivation when they are intrinsically motivated to engage in classroom activities. Intrinsically motivated students tackle assigned tasks willingly and are eager to learn classroom material, more likely to process information in effective ways by engaging in meaningful learning, and more likely to achieve at high levels.In contrast, extrinsically motivated students may have to be enticed or prodded, may process information only superficially, and are often interested in performing only easy tasks and meeting minimal classroom requirements. To understand how these two motivations work, I want to give out a specific example. I have two friends, Sang and Anne. The first person, Sang he does not enjoy accounting and is taking the class just because earning an A or B in the class will help him earn a scholarship at Business Department.The second person, Anne she has always liked accounting. The class will help her earn a scholarship, but in addiction, Anne really wants to become a good accountant. She sees its usefulness for her future profession as an accountant. Through this example, we can see the first person exhibits motivation 2. 0. Students who belong to motivation 2. 0 may want the good grades, money, or recognition that particular activities and accomplishments bring. In contrast, the second person exhibits motivation 3. 0. Students who belong to motivation 3. may engage in an activity because it gives them pleasure, helps them develop a skill they think is important, or seems to be the ethically and morally right thing to do. According to the book â€Å"Drive†, in chapter 3 Pink describes â€Å"They're working hard and persisting through difficulties because of their internal desire to control their lives, learn about their world, and accomplish something that endures† (77). In some cases, motivation 2. 0 can get students on the road to successful classroom learning and productive behavior. Yet motivation 3. 0 leads students over the long run.It will encourage them to make sense of and apply what they are studying and will increase the odds that they will continue to learn. Moreover, motivation 3. 0 is more effective than motivation 2. 0 because motivation 3. 0 leads student to good behavior. When student comes to motivation 3. 0, this basically means that student is motivated to do a particular task of the pleasure or satisfaction that they get in performing the task itself. In other words, intrinsically motivated student comes from within an individual rather than from extrinsic rewards such as money, grades, or class rank.A student who tends to be intrinsically motivated could be motivated by internal factors such as recognition, responsibility, growth and advancement. If a student is to be motivated by intrinsic rewards, then this means that what the student really wants is a job that interests him, a challenging work environment, and  the responsibility to perform the task in order  to motivate him. For example, an intrinsically motivated student will perform a task given to him willingly, either because he might find the task challenging or else interesting and satisfied with completing it.This is due to the fact the external rewards hardly motivate these students. In chapter 3 of the book, Pink points out about type I behavior â€Å"Type I behavior is self-directed. It is devoted to becoming better and better at something that matters. And it connects that quest for excellence to a larger purpose† (78-79). This explains that motivation 3. 0 leads student to good behavior and tends to be very much effective in the long run as the students perform the tasks willingly because it interests them, rather than trying to escape from it once the task is done. Furthermore, motivation 3. increases effort and persistence in activities and affects cognitive processes. As we discovered in chapter 4 about autonomy, Pink explains â€Å"According to a cluster of recent behavioral science studies, autonomous motivation promotes greater conceptual understanding, better grades, enhanced persistence at school and in sporting activities, higher productivity, less burnout, and greater levels of psychological well-being† (88-89). Motivation 3. 0 increases the amount of effort and energy that students expend in activities directly related to their needs and goals.Intrinsically motivated students are more likely to continue a task until they’ve completed it, even if they are occasionally interrupted or frustrated in the process. In general, motivation 3. 0 increases students’ time on task, an important factor affecting their learning and achievement. Besides that, motivation 3. 0 affects what and how students mentally process information. For one thing, intrinsically motivated students are more likely to pay attention because they are sitting in class, doing the task for the long run purpose and larger achievement. So attention is critical for getting information into working memory.Intrinsically motivated students also try to understand and elaborate on material to learn it meaningfully rather than simply go through the motions of learning in a superficial, rote manner. One special thing is intrinsically students have higher self-esteem. Through the description type I behavior promotes greater physical and mental well-being in chapter 3, Pink states â€Å"According to a raft of studies from SDT researchers, people oriented toward autonomy and intrinsic motivation have higher self-esteem, better interpersonal relationships, and greater general well-being than those who are extrinsically motivated† (78). Thereby circumventing the intrinsic barrier.This can understand that the more students are motivated to achieve academic success, the more proud they will be of an A and the more upset they will be by an F or perhaps even a B. The more students want to be accepted and respected by their peers, the more meaningful the approval of the â€Å"in-group† will be and the more painful the ridicule of classmates will seem. As a last result, motivation 3. 0 is more effective than motivation 2. 0 because motivation 2. 0 leads to decreasing of students’ progress. Motivation 2. 0 what stands for extrinsic motivation comes when the students are thus motivated by means of external rewards.External rewards basically consist of money and grades. Motivation 2. 0 leads students are involved in performing a particular task is because of the external rewards that gives them satisfaction and pleasure, and not because they are interested in it. In ot her means, motivation 2. 0 drives students to do things especially for tangible rewards or pressure, rather than for the desire of it. Extrinsic motivators basically focus the students on rewards rather than actions. For example, students will perform tasks though they are not quite interested in it, thus because of the rewards involved with it.Some students will not want to do the work willingly, but rather they are motivated to do so by external rewards. According to Drive, in chapter 3 Pink argues â€Å"When people use rewards to motivate, that’s when they’re most demotivating† (70). When students are not interesting in doing tasks and learning and they are just focus on the rewards that they can receive, instead of trying to improve skills and get stronger performance that may affect on their long lives, this explains why motivation 2. 0 leads to decreasing of students’ progress. Therefore, if we can apply motivation 3. to students, we can reduce the emphasis on external rewards such as grades, class rank, and â€Å"pay for performance† (giving student money for good grades) and instead try to design tasks that allow students choice, challenge and purpose. Most students will be happy to work on their tasks in which they can determine things such as the product they will produce, or with whom they will work, especially if the task requires creative and critical thought, and if they see a real-life application to what they are doing. However, we need to recognize that most schools are still operating on motivation 2. . That is a problem between how we prepare students for work and how work actually operates. Moreover, the basic problem with Motivation 2. 0 is â€Å"if-then† rewards. In the summary of chapter 2, Pink explains why â€Å"if-then† reward is not good that â€Å"Traditional â€Å"if-then† rewards can give us less of what we want: They can extinguish intrinsic motivation, diminish performance , crush creativity, and crowd out good behavior† (220). Actually, â€Å"if-then† rewards often give less of what we are hoping to achieve and generally crush the stuff we want, like high performance, creativity, and good behavior.Anyway, motivation 2. 0 with external rewards is one of causes leads to decreasing of students’ progress because it motivates student only short term. This is because the extrinsically motivated students will do their task only as long as they receive their rewards and thereafter will stop performing the tasks, once the rewards are no longer there. Through the book â€Å"Drive† by Daniel H. Pink, I have a look at both motivation 2. 0 and motivation 3. 0; I could say that motivation 3. 0 is far stronger than motivation 2. 0 when it comes to motivate students in the long run.For me, I consider I need to apply the three elements of Motivation 3. 0 according to Pink to move forward in education. First, I need to gain autonomy which is my desire to be self-directed. Second, mastery in which is my desire to get better and better at something that matters. And third, purpose in which is my desire to be part of something larger than myself. Even though the system right now makes this very difficult to do, but I will not ignore standards, I believe I can and will find ways to engage myself in self-directed and meaningful work.

Definition of Middle Income Trap Essay

As the name implies, the middle income trap is an economic development situation, where a country which attains a certain income (due to given advantages) will get stuck at that level. Part of this concept was firstly discussed in the 2006 World Bank report ‘Equity and development’ as the ‘inequity trap’. But this report does not state very clearly on the definitions, classifications and measures to avoid it, etc. Then in the famous 2007 World Bank report ‘An east Asian Renaissance’, this economic phenomenon was officially addressed. According to the latest definition of The International Monetary Fund in 2013, the ‘middle-income trap’ is the phenomenon of hitherto rapidly growing economies stagnating at middle-income levels and failing to graduate into the ranks of high-income countries (2013 The International Monetary Fund Working Paper: Growth Slowdowns and the Middle Income Trap). From the publications and journal articles, it seems there has not been universal and very concrete understanding on the details of this issue yet. For example, different researchers and even different journalist may have different classifications on it based on various standards. However, the principles applied are similar. The most recent World Bank classification with data for 2010 is as following: a country is classified as low-income if its GNI (Gross National Income) per capita is US$1,005 or less, lower-middle-income if its GNI per capita lies between US$1,006 and US$3,975, upper-middle-income if its GNI per capita lies between US$3,976 and US$12,275, and high income if its GNI per capita is US$12,276 or above. This classification was also used by The International Monetary Fund in its working paper in 2013: Growth Slowdowns and the Middle Income Trap. After the International Monetary Fund applies this classification to its sample of 138 countries in 2010, the result yields 24 low-income countries, 36 lower middleincome countries, 33 upper middle-income countries, and 45 high-income countries (2013 The International Monetary Fund Working Paper: Growth Slowdowns and the Middle Income Trap). It’s very clear that most of the countries are still in the situation of low income or middle income. In addition, middle income  countries are much more than low income countries, which ensure us that it is make sense to pay more attention to the countries in the middle income situation. In recent years the world turned to recognize the existence of a Middle Income Trap. The term Middle Income Trap is by now also being widely used in economic literature as well as businessoriented media. The Middle Income Trap occurs when the growth of an economy slows and eventually flattens after it reaches a middle income level. The problem usually arises when developing countries ï ¬ nd themselves stuck in between high and low income levels. On the one hand, with rising wages, middle income countries are less competitive compared to lessdeveloped, low-wage countries in terms of the cheap production of manufactured goods. On the other hand, they are unable to compete with developed cou ntries in terms of high-skill innovations. As the Asian Development Bank describes, these countries cannot â€Å"compete with low-income, low-wage economies in manufacturing† and similarly are disadvantaged against advanced economies in high-skill innovations†. In another word, these countries cannot continue to compete on cost for cheap goods, and they cannot yet compete on quality for more sophisticated items. Let us have a deeper look at this economic phenomenon. When low-income countries first begin to take off, they often do take the advantage of a low-wage. This allows the country’s manufacturers to offer competitive prices on the global market, since they have a lower cost base. However, as economic growth rates and productivity rise quickly, rapid wage increases tend to follow. Thus the trap is generally characterized by the fact that rising wages eventually begin to eat into the competitiveness that low-base wages originally offered. Once economies get closer to the development frontier, the growth model will become more complex. It is increasingly determined by innovation, investment in more sophisticated technologies and through the raising of the level and quality of education, notably secondary and higher education of the potential labor force. Among these factors, it must be noted that education dose matter. In addition, the second education is more important than the ge neral education. Lower level of education in the majority of the labor force definitely leads to insufficient qualified  workers. The risks of falling into the Middle Income Trap have increasingly become a focus of discussions in terms of the long-term economic and social development of developing economies. These risks, and how to minimize them, are being discussed at the highest levels of policy making in some of the fast growing emerging economies, even while these countries may still be sources of envy to the rest of the world, such as China, Russia and India. Countries in the trap and how to avoid the middle income trap As we mentioned above, due to a variety of factors, many countries risk getting stuck in this trap. According to the International Monetary Fund, most notably, several Latin American economies, at least until recently, would seem to belong in this category, having failed to achieve highincome levels despite attaining middle-income status several decades ago (2013 The International Monetary Fund Working Paper: Growth Slowdowns and the Middle-Income Trap). Actually it has been well accepted that countries across Latin America as well as the several Middle East economies saw catch-up growth in the 1960s and 1970s but then they hit an invisible ceiling and have mostly stuck in the â€Å"middle income trap† ever since, with per capita incomes far behind the rare â€Å"break-out† countries. Most of the evidence on the middle-income trap comes from these economies of Latin America and the Middle East. These are regions abundant in land and natural resources. They have had growth during commodity booms, often followed by growth crashes when commodity prices drop sharply. In Eva Paus’s article about the Latin America’s middle-income trap, she points out that the accumulation of technological capabilities is at the heart of the development process. Technological capabilities refer to the resources and organizational abilities needed to generate and manage technological change. In a changing national and global context, accumulation those capabilities is the key to sustained productivity growth and high-end economic development. She also mentioned Policymakers should promote entrepreneurship and innovation to begin reaping the benefits of information networks and skilled labor before the gains from cheap labor and knowledge  spillovers are exhausted. Nowadays people are more studying on Asian countries with more both low income and middle income countries. Through the evidence from countries already stuck in middle income trap and the current research in Asia, people could not only forecast the future in terms of economic development, but also make the policy maker to develop the suitable measures to avoid the trap. We could take a look at the middle-income Asian economies for our further investigation. There are eight countries that stand out in East and South Asia: the ASEAN-5 (Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam), China, India and Sri Lanka. But they are at very different levels of development. They could be divided into ‘high middle-income’ and ‘low middleincome’ groups. Malaysia is at the top of the high middle-income group. Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, India and Sri Lanka are in the low middle-income group. China and Thailand are roughly in the middle. As we will discuss China in every detail later, let us take Indonesia as an example. According to the Asian Development Bank, Indonesia could be the case of the country in the middle-income trap. It became a middle-income economy in 2003. It actually attained middle-income status in 1993, but fell back after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. It took six years to jump back to the middle income level. Now it needs to battle the â€Å"middle-income trap†. Indonesia is not unique to this problem. Regardless the different external international economic environment, many middle-income countries are without a viable high-growth strategy. They are faced with new challenges, including social cohesion, a large pool of young people in search of jobs, as well as millions who still live in misery and poverty. Typically, countries trapped at middle-income level have: (1) low investment ratios; (2) slow manufacturing growth; (3) limited industrial diversification; and (4) poor labor market conditions. The Asian Development Bank in its 2011 report ‘Asia 2050: Realizing the Asian Century’ raised the question that considering that the region has to face up to the daunting  opportunity that lies before it, how many countries will meet this challenge? The answer is still unclear. Given this reality and uncertainties about the future the report postulates two quantitative scenarios with very different outcomes. Most of the discussion in the report is based on the optimistic Asian Century scenario. This scenario assumes that the 11 economies (Armenia; Azerbaijan; Cambodia; P.R.China; Georgia; India; Indonesia; Kazakhstan; Malaysia; Thailand; and Viet Nam) with a demonstrated record of sustained convergence to best global practice over the past 30 years or so continue this trend over the next 40 years and that a number of modest-growth aspiring economies will become convergers by 2020. In this scenario, Asia will take its place among the ranks of the affluent on  par with those in Europe today; some3 billion additional Asians will become affluent by 2050. This is the desired or ideal scenario for Asia as a whole.  The Middle Income Trap scenario assumes that these fast-growing converging economies fall into that trap in the next 5 – 10 years, without any of the slow- or modest-growth aspiring economies improving their record; in other words, Asia follows the pattern of Latin Ameri ca over the past 30 years. This is the pessimistic scenario and could be taken as a wake-up call to Asian leaders. According to this report by the Asian Development Bank, there will be a huge difference in the outcomes of the two scenarios. The economic and social costs of missing the Asian Century are staggering. If today’s fast-growing converging economies become mired in the Middle Income Trap, Asia’s GDP in 2050 would reach only $65 trillion, not $174 trillion (at market exchange rates). GDP per capita would be only $20,600, not $40,800 (PPP). Such an outcome would deprive billions of Asians of a lifetime of affluence and well-being. The possibility of a â€Å"perfect storm† cannot be ruled out in thinking about Asia through 2050. A combination of bad macro policies, finance sector exuberance with lax supervision, conflict, climate change, natural disasters, changing demography, and weak governance could jeopardize Asian growth. In this worst case scenario, Asia could stumble into a  financial meltdown, major conflict, or region wide chaos well before 2050. It is impossible to quantify this scenario, but Asia’s leaders must be aware of the potential for such a catastrophe and avoid it at all costs. By contrast, several East Asian economies have in recent decades provided a template for success to get out of the trap and continue to grow rapidly after attaining middle-income status, and thereby attaining per capita income levels comparable to advanced countries (2013 the International Monetary Fund Working Paper: Growth Slowdowns and the Middle-Income Trap). So far, five Asian countries or regions have successfully escaped the middle-income trap, which are Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. What do we need to do to follow them? There is no uniform policy solution for avoiding the middle-income trap. South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore have made the transition to advanced ec onomies. As noted by the Economist 2013, even still little is known about why so few countries succeed in making the transition from middle-income to high-income status, however, it’s clear that their paths were different but they shared a willingness and ability to change course. To better understand this question ‘How did these east Asian countries escape the middle income trap’ and find the answer, it will be very useful for us to go back to the World Bank’s landmark report â€Å"The East Asian Miracle†, which was published in 1993. It has analyzed the catch-up growth of the several East Asian Tigers, and some of its conclusions are relevant to the middleincome trap. Its foremost conclusion was that it is vital to ‘get the basics right’: macroeconomic stability, relatively low distortions to domestic competition, openness to external trade, flexible labor markets, and investment in hard infrastructure as well as education. On the other hand, w e could analyze both low-income Asian countries and high-income Asian countries to further evaluate the situation in middle-income Asian economies which include China. For low income Asian countries like Cambodia, Nepal, etc., to get the basics right must still be the top – we may even include the less developed states in China and India. These countries and regions should be in the business of catch-up growth, which comes from maximum mobilization of capital and labor inputs, and large productivity gains from efficient resource reallocation. This is what Prof. Paul Krugman calls growth through ‘perspiration’. At the  other extreme, for high income Asian economies, from Japan down to Singapore, has to rely on ‘output-led,’ productivity- and innovation-based growth. This is what Prof. Paul Krugman calls growth through ‘inspiration’. To get the basics right is still important – note that Japan is hurtling in the opposite direction with wildly profligate fiscal and monetary policies. But this has to be complemented with more sophisticated structural and institutional reforms. These â€Å"second generation† reforms (sophisticated structural and institutional reforms) have to go beyond liberalization of product markets to encompass deregulation of factor markets (for land, labor and capital). They must also include opening up of services sectors, upgrading â€Å"soft infrastructure†, and improving the quality of public administration, regulatory agencies and judicial systems. Among them, being part of â€Å"soft infrastructure†, higher education and skills are of the most important factors. So what about middle income countries â€Å"in between†? They need a mix of getting the basics right and second generation reforms. But the balance should differ as between high middle income and low middle income countries. For example, high middle-income countries need to crack on with structural and institutional reforms for productivity-based growth. This also applies to China (especially its coastal provinces). Moreover, in a recent report of International Monetary Fund, economists suggest four ways to avoid that: 1. Invest in infrastructure. The International Monetary Fund analysis suggests that subpar infrastructure is a key factor that can check an emerging economy’s growth. India, the Philippines and Thailand are particularly exposed in this area and should focus on building new and upgrading existing public transit systems, freight channels, ports and energy infrastructure. 2. Guard against excessive capital inflows. Money flows from abroad can energize an economy and give domestic consumption a boost, but can send an economy south if investors retreat in a hurry. Policy makers should have macro-prudential controls in place to mitigate potential rapid outflows, according to the International Monetary Fund. 3. Boost spending on research and development and post-secondary education. Both are needed to foster the innovation that’s a hallmark of advanced economies. According to the International Monetary Fund data, Malaysia and Thailand have the highest college enrollment rates among emerging Asian countries. However, China is rapidly catching up. China far outstrips other developing Asian countries on R&D, with 2009 spending at more than 1.5% of GDP. 4. Get more women into the workforce and raise the retirement age. Aging population is a problem in a lot of Asian countries. Governments should take actions to reduce â€Å"dependency ratios† by raising the age when workers are eligible for pensions and encouraging girls to enter university and vocational training. Anyway, avoiding the Middle Income Trap entails identifying strategies to introduce new processes and find new markets to maintain export growth. Ramping up domestic demand is also important—an expanding middle class can use its increasing purchasing power to buy highquality, innovative products and help drive growth. The biggest challenge is moving from resource-driven growth that is dependent on cheap labor and capital to growth based on high productivity and innovation. This requires investments in infrastructure and education. As the several East Asian countries has proven, building a high-quality education system which encourages creativity and supports breakthroughs in science and technology is the key. As Asian countries have approached or are approaching the technological frontier, the role of education does matter a lot. Many Asian countries have noted for their commitment to improve the quality of their education, and already have some of the highest educational attainments in the world. Yet the fiscal and institutional challenges to lifting educational performance in the way that is needed to sustain economic growth is another thing altogether. The success or failure in that will be a major determinant of whether Asia fulfils the expectations of its long-term economic growth. Looking at China Many observers believe China’s amazing growth is nearing its limits. A joint report by the World Bank and China’s Development Research Centre has warned that the low-hanging fruit of statedriven industrialization is largely exhausted. According to this joint report, ‘If countries cannot increase  productivity through innovation, they find themselves trapped. China does not have to endure this fate’. This report emphasized that China has reached another turning point in its development path when a second strategic, and no less fundamental, shift is called for. For China, it can no longer rely on imported technology to keep up robust growth of averaging 9.9 percent since the economy was open in 1978. The report said China’s growth of economy will slow to 7 percent later this decade and even 5 percent by the late 2020s even if China does not perform deep reform. However, this report also point out, if everything goes smoothly, China will be a â€Å"high-income† economy by 2030 and perhaps as dominant as Britain in 1870 or the United States in 1945, or indeed as flourishing as the Qing Empire itself in 1820 before the onset of catastrophic decline. As Economists 2013 points out, for all problems of China, in the coming 10-15 years it is still likely to reach several symbolic milestones. The International Monetary Fund predicts that in 2016 it will become the world’s largest economy on a purchasing-power-parity basis. The Economist Intelligence Unit reckons that on the basis of market exchange rates China will attain that glory in 2020. By the end of this decade, according to Daiwa Securities, GDP per person in Shanghai, China’s richest city, could be almost the same as the average for America in 2009. Now, officials and experts discuss endlessly whether China is slowly heading towards a â€Å"middleincome trap†. According to Economists 2011, China was already a lower-middle-income country in 2010, with a GDP per person of around $4,400. The fear is that it might suffer the same stagnation and turbulence as Latin American economies in the 1980s and 1990s. Nevertheless, with trend GDP growth in China slowing to around 8% a year from as high as 11% previously, it’s no wonder economists are asking whether it and other fast-growing Asian economies will fall victim to the middle-income trap. Income inequality The relationship between equity and development was thoroughly illustrated in  the World Bank’s World Development Report 2006: Equity and development. According to this famous report, equity means that individuals should have equal opportunities to pursue a life of their choosing and be spared from extreme deprivation in outcomes. The main message is that equity is complementary, in some fundamental respects, to the pursuit of long-term prosperity. Institutions and policies that promote a level playing field— where all members of society have similar chances to become socially active, politically influential, and economically productive— contribute to sustainable growth and development. Greater equity is thus doubly good for poverty reduction: through potential beneficial effects on aggregate long-run development and through greater opportunities for poorer groups within any society. The complementarities between equity and prosperity arise for two broad sets of reasons. First, there are many market failures in developing countries, notably in the markets for credit, insurance, land, and human capital. As a result, resources may not flow where returns are highest. The inequality of education is taken as an example in this report. Some highly capable children from poor family may fail to complete basic education even primary schooling, while others, who are less able, may finish university. When markets are missing or imperfect, the distributions of wealth and power affect the allocation of investment opportunities. Correcting the market failures is the ideal response; where this is not feasible, or far too costly, some forms of redistribution— of access to services, assets, or political influence—can increase economic efficiency. From the World Bank’s perspective, the second set of reasons why equity and long-term prosperity can be complementary arises from the fact that high levels of economic and political inequality tend to lead to economic institutions and social arrangements that systematically favor the interests of those with more influence. Such inequitable governments can generate economic costs. When personal and property rights are enforced only selectively, when budgetary allocations benefit mainly the politically influential, and when the distribution of public services favors the wealthy, both middle and poorer groups end up with unexploited talent. Society, as a whole, is then likely  to be more inefficient and to miss out on opportunities for innovation and investment, which will accordingly have negative impact on the economic development. At the global level, when developing countries have little or no voice in global governance, the rules can be inappropriate and costly for poorer countries. These adverse effects of unequal opportunities and political power on development are all the more damaging because economic, political, and social inequalities tend to reproduce themselves over time and across generations. Such phenomena was named by the economists of the World Bank as ‘â€Å"inequality traps’, as we mentioned in the very beginning. Disadvantaged children from families at the bottom of the wealth distribution do not have the same opportunities as children from wealthier families to receive quality education, which really does matter for a qualified labor force in the future. So these disadvantaged children can expect to earn less as adults. At the same time, because the poor have less voice in the political process, they—like their parents—will be less able to influence spending decisions to improve public schools for their children. And the cycle of underachievement continues. This report documents the persistence of these inequality traps by highlighting the interaction between different forms of inequality. It presents evidence that the inequality of opportunity that arises is wasteful and inimical to sustainable development and poverty reduction. It also derives policy implications that center on the broad concept of leveling the playing field— both politically and economically and in the domestic and the global arenas. If the opportunities faced by children from the poor families are so much more limited than those faced by children from wealthier families, and if this hurts development progress in the aggregate, then public action has a legitimate role in seeking to broaden the opportunities of those who face the most limited choices. Furthermore, this World Bank report addresses three considerations which are  important at the outset. First, while more even playing fields are likely to lead to lower observed inequalities in educational attainment, health status, and incomes, the policy aim is not equality in outcomes. Indeed, even with genuine equality of opportunities, one would always expect to observe some differences in outcomes owing to differences in preferences, talents, effort, and luck. This is consistent with the important role of income differences in providing incentives to invest in education and physical capital, to work, and to take risks. Of course outcomes matter, but we are concerned with them mainly for their influence on absolute deprivation and their role in shaping opportunities. Second, a concern with equality of opportunity implies that public action should focus on the distributions of assets, economic opportunities, and political voice, rather than directly on inequality in incomes. Policies can contribute to the move from an â€Å"inequality trap† to a virtuous circle of equity and growth by leveling the playing field—through greater investment in the human resources of the poorest; greater and more equal access to public services and information; guarantees on property rights for all; and greater fairness in markets. But policies to level the economic playing field face big challenges. There is unequal capacity to influence the policy agenda: the interests of the disenfranchised may never be voiced or represented. And when policies challenge privileges, powerful groups may seek to block reforms. Thus, equitable policies are more likely to be successful when leveling the economic playing field is accompanied by similar efforts to level the domestic political playing field and introduce greater fairness in global governance. Third, there may be various short-run, policy-level tradeoffs between equity and efficiency. These are well recognized and extensively documented. The point is that the (often implicit) cost-benefit calculus that policymakers use to assess the merits of various policies too often ignores the long-term, hard-to-measure but real benefits of greater equity. Greater equity implies more efficient economic functioning, reduced conflict, greater trust, and better institutions, with dynamic benefits for investment  and growth. To the extent that such benefits are ignored, policymakers may end up choosing too little equity. As emphasized by the World Bank, income inequality is not all. However, as a lot of people believe, the greatest challenge ahead is still income inequality. All attempts will fail if this greatest challenge is not tackled. As state redistributive mechanisms have been weakened in the transition toward a market-oriented economy, China has turned into one of the most unequal countries in the world. Inequality, if not reduced, will be a huge barrier of future growth as it undermines consumption, constrains development in poorer regions, and generates social tensions. Income redistribution policies and social safety nets need to be strengthened to close the inequality gap, through increased budget support and improved government’s transfers to poorer provinces and households. In China, the gap between the rich and the poor and between cities and countryside has continued to widen. Since 2003, absolute poverty has dropped remarkably. But at the same time, the number of people in relative poverty (with 50% or less of the median income) grew from 12.2% of the population to 14.6% between 2002 and 2007, according to research by Terry Sicular of the University of Western Ontario and Li Shi and Luo Chuliang of Beijing Normal University. In addition, in 1981, at least 77 per cent of Chinese were in absolute poverty (that is, with family incomes below $1.25 a day). By 2008 this figure had fallen to 13 per cent. But, the bank notes, a far, far smaller group of people have been able to rise above $2 a day, and hundreds of millions appear stuck in this awkward space between the end of starvation and the beginning of actual comfort and hope. Wang Xiaolu, the economist of national economic institution of China reform foundation, thoroughly elaborated the inequality and economic development in China in his 2006 report. Wang mentioned in his report that before China’s economic reforms, the income gap between urban residents was quite small due to the unified wage policy. On the other hand, in rural areas, the income  gap within one region was relatively small. But there was a very large urban rural income gap, as well as significant differences between different regions. To demonstrate the income gap, let us take a look at China’s Gini coefficient. This index is a measurement of the income distribution of a country’s residents. The number, which ranges between 0 and 1 and is based on residents’ net income, helps define the gap between the rich and the poor, with 0 representing perfect equality and 1 representing perfect inequality. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in 1980 when wa s the very early stage of the economic reforms, China’s Gini coefficient stood at 0.320, which is quite low and indicates a more equal distribution of wealth. After the rural reforms in the early 1980s, farmers’ income significantly increased which led to the reduction of the urban-rural income gap. The Gini coefficient once dropped to 0.257 in 1984, which meant China had been into the more equal income countries ranks of the world. However, in the subsequent period of China economic reforms, the income gap between urban and rural areas, different regions, and different social strata is rapidly expanding regardless the acceleration of economic growth, the rapidly increasing of per capita income. Until 2001, the Gini coefficient reached 0.447, ranking 88 in the world’s 120 countries and regions in the order from low to high. Most of the countries behind China are those in Latin America and Africa with intense social conflicts, of which a considerable part is in a long-term economic stagnation (data from the World Bank, 2004; World Institute for Development Economics, 2004). In recent yearly the situation might be worse. This index has been retreating gradually since hitting a peak of 0.491 in 2008, slight ly dropping to 0.49 in 2009, 0.481 in 2010 and 0.477 in 2011, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Most recently, the Gini index reflecting the gap between rich and poor reached 0.474 in China in 2012, which is still higher than the warning level of 0.4 set by the United Nations. According to the data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in terms of the urban rural income gap in China, the urban per capita disposable income is 2.5 times of the rural per capita net income in 1980, 1.9 times in 1985 and 3.2 times in 2004. With the data mentioned above, if we use the average urban per capita income of each province to measure regional income gaps, we could find out that the figure of eastern regions is 1.3 times of that of western regions in 1980 and 1.5 times in 2004. The statistics are incomplete in terms of the income gap among different social strata, but the huge inequality is an indisputable fact. If we look at urban per capita income in 1985, the highest 10% of households in the income is 2.9 times of the lowest 10% of households in; while in 2004 the highest is 8.7 times of the lowest. If we look at rural per capita income in 1980, the highest 10% is about 7 times of the lowest 10% (rough estimate number), up to approximately 11 times in 2004 (rough estimate number). We should also take into account that household income and expenditure survey for the highest and the lowest income residents are more likely to be missed, as well as high income underreporting of cases. As a result, the actual income gap will be larger than the income gap based on surveys. More than likely the increasingly widen of income disparities between different classes has become the primary factor of income inequality. Growing gap in income distribution is seriously ch allenging the social justice, which easily leads to social instability and economic stagnation. In addition, we must pay great attention to the rich caused by corruption and other non- normal channels and the poor caused by unfair distribution of wealth (such as landless farmers and laid-off workers are not properly compensated, etc. ), which are the important reasons of the widening income gap and induction of social conflict. As we mentioned above, a lot of researchers and economists further noted that the distribution of income reversely has a very important impact to economic growth and severe income inequality will hinder economic growth (e.g. Galor and Zeira 1993and Bourguignon 2003). In a situation of economic stagnation, poverty and income inequality become more difficult to resolve, which turns to be an important reason of pushing many economies into Middle-Income Trap. In several studies of the World Bank in recent years, the economist point out that economic growth plays a decisive influence in reducing poverty, but its effect varies in different. Meanwhile, economic growth shows no significant role in reducing income gaps. In contrast, if the income gap is too large, it will indeed lead to frequent social conflict and accordingly directly affect economic growth. Therefore, for the eradication of poverty and reduction of the huge income gap, the economic growth is a necessary, but only economic growth is not enough (The World Bank reports, 2000, 2003 and 2004). In a research of Wang Xiaolu and Fan Gang in 2005, it was concluded that China’s urban residents’ income gap, rural residents’ income gap as well as the income gap between urban and rural areas have continued to widen with a clear trend, but data of their study does not confirm that the income gap will automatically have the tendency to shrink when per capita GDP reaches a certain level. If the income gap continues to expand, China’s Gini coefficient of income will soon break 0.5 (some articles have concluded that in fact it has exceeded 0.5), and China will become one of the world’s most unequal countries in terms of income. Generally, equality and efficiency may be alternative of each other. The increase of equality in the distribution of income will lead to a decline in economic efficiency, which in some cases exists. However, if several factors discussed below are adjusted, the economic efficiency will not be lost, and the wealth equality will c ontinue to be improved. First, social security is an important measure of reducing the income gap, as it can provide protection and assistance to residents to reduce their financial burden or increase their income when they are in the face of illness, unemployment, retirement and low income, etc. But this approach is constrained by the level of economic development. As Wang and Fan point out in their report, social security and transfer payments beyond the affordability will result in heavy social burden and negatively affect economic development, investment and employment initiative. At present, China’s pension insurance, basic pension insurance, unemployment insurance and minimum living security system are still running in a very low level, and only conditionally implemented in urban areas and a few rural areas. Fully implementing these social securities in all rural areas will go beyond the current financial affordability. Even in cities and towns, the current  social security system does not play an active role in reducing the income gap. On the contrary, it has the effect of widening the income gap between urban residents. This is mainly because this social security system is still with a considerable degree of coverage limitations, particularly in the low income people and the mobile labor force. More importantly, the population without coverage is precisely the low income population which is most in need of social protection by these insurance systems. On the other hand, high income residents benefit from these social security systems significantly higher than low income residents. According to a survey of the National Economic Research Institute, the Medicare reimbursement for medical expenses in low income urban residents is much lower than that in high income urban residents. Moreover, the proportion of Medicare reimbursement for the former is lower than the latter, while the proportion of self-paid medical expense in the expenditure for the former is significantly higher than the latter. Therefore, how to ensure the current social security systems to cover urban workers not in the social security system yet as soon as possible will be a critical issue to be addressed. At the same time, social security issues of rural residents need certainly also be placed on the agenda as soon as possible. Long-term difference in treatment between urban and rural residents is not fair. However, this issue needs a longer period of time to gradually resolve due to limited financial resources. A few wealthy rural regions have already established a unified social security system conditions. For residents of most rural areas, although the conditions of establishment of a comprehensive social security system are not mutual, some pressing issues still need to be prioritized to solve, such as the problem of farmers have no money to see a doctor. The new rural cooperative medical care system needs to be quickly spread. Experiences of some rural areas have demonstrated that cooperative medical care system is very effective to protect the low income population. On the other hand, according to international experience, financial transfer payment is also one of the main approaches to eliminate the income gap and regional disparity. As Wang Xiaolu points out in his report in 2006, in this regard in China, in addition to financial support for agriculture, pension  and social welfare and supporting underdeveloped regions expenditures, tax return from central government to local government as well as the construction investment of key projects in the less developed regions, in fact, have been performed financial transfer payment function. The total amount of financial transfer payment is quite large. However, some studies have found that financial transfer payment did not play a significant role in reducing income disparities and regional development gaps. In Wang’s opinion, this is mainly caused by the following reasons, First, the transfer payments are lacking of a rigorous and standardized system as well as standards of implementation. Hence the transfer payments’ strongly subjective profile makes their role in reducing income disparities and regional development gaps greatly reduced. Second, the transfer payments do not have clear objectives and their structures are not reasonable. The proportion of the transfer payments for general investment projects and government expenditures is too high while that for alleviating poverty and decreasing the bottle neck of development of backward areas (such as insufficient education and other public expenditure, weak infrastructure, etc. All of those are impediments to economic development) underfunded. It makes the transfer payments difficult to play a critical role in reducing the income gap. Third, there are no strict and effective measures to oversee the usage as well as the effect of transfer payments. For example, in some poor areas, the government poverty alleviation and disaster relief funds were frequently misappropriated to cover office buildings, luxury cars and government staff bonuses. Due to lack of management and supervision, some of the earmarks turned into waste, and provided the chances for some rent-seeking and  corrupt government officials. Therefore, for transfer payments, the main problems now seem not to be the quantity, but rather setting up clear objectives and rationalization of the system to regulate the management and to strengthen supervision. These measures will reduce the income gap. At the same time, they will not reduce economic efficiency, but improve efficiency, reduce corruption and promote development. In addition to social security system and financial transfer payments, education and infrastructure also play the similarly important role in the relationship of equality and economic efficiency. According to Wang’s research, many domestic and foreign literatures have pointed out that education plays a crucial role in the promotion of economic development; moreover, education to the whole population helps to reduce the income gap. In 2004 the National Economic Research Institute conducted a survey on the income of mobile labor force. Across the country, 3,000 randomly selected migrant workers and self-employed persons from rural areas were classified according to the average monthly income. The results are as following: for those not graduated from primary school the average monthly income is 769 yuan, for primary school graduated 815 yuan, for junior high school graduated 960 yuan, for high school graduated 1268 yuan, for college and above 1554 yuan. This very clearly illustrates the level of education greatly impacts on income levels. Obviously, improving education is a fundamental way to improve the employability and income levels of low income population. On one hand, currently there are hundreds of millions of rural labor force migrates into cities and towns to work. On the other hand, there are three hundred million people who are still engaged in agriculture, with wages of a small fraction of the average urban per capita. They are waiting to continue to transfer to cities. But most of them are facing low level of education, lack of vocational skills and oversupply in the labor market. Meanwhile, a lot of city workers returned to the status of poverty due to layoffs and unemployment. It’s very difficult for them to get reemployment because of the lack of professional skills. However, the labor market needs workers with a higher level of education and professional skills but has to facing  the reality of supply shortage. Therefore, in order to narrowing the income gap, it is very critical to enhance the popularity of primary and secondary education and expanding vocational education. In Wang’s research, he found out that China’s per capita level of education exhibits unexpected negative impact on urban residents income gap. Surprisingly, higher level of education led to a widening income gap. This is a strong signal that China’s education -age population is facing unequal educational opportunities, and educational opportunities for high income groups are significantly greater than the low income population. As a result, the per capita level of education increases, while the income gap has not narrowed. Instead, the income inequality is expanding. If we look at the popularization of compulsory nine years education in China, you will find in recent years, pupils’ dropout rate in rural areas was significantly higher than that in urban areas, with many dropout of school due to poverty situation in rural areas. This point can also be reflected from the allocation of education funds. Especially a few key universities get large amount of fund s, while a great number of rural primary and secondary education underfunded. Compared the situation in 2003 with that in 1999, the state financial allocations to universities increased by 40.4 billion yuan (in another word, increase 85%), while state financial allocations to ordinary primary and junior high schools increased by 52.5 billion yuan (increase 79%) and 49.8 billion yuan (increase of 65%), respectively. Although the situation has improved to various degrees, but this increase did not exceed the revenue and expenditure growth rate (90% and 87%). Even so, in 2003 the national average education budget per 420,000 primary schools is only less than 30 million, of which the budget allocation in rural schools is far less than that of urban schools. Some individual prestigious university obtained an education funding up to ten billion. Excessively unbalanced distribution of educational resources not only will exacerbate income inequality, but also is not helpful for efficient allocation of education resources. Another educational problem to be solved is how to correctly handle the relationship of general education and vocational education. Although in China currently there’re more than 4million people each year go into  colleges for education, but there are also more than 17 million people directly get employment without higher education. For the labor market, each year the number of demand for workers with the level of secondary education as well as specialized skills far exceeds in number of the demand for college graduates. However, the current dominant position of general secondary education is still basically to provide students into college In another word, the main objective of general secondary schools is the examination-oriented education and does not pay attention to skills training. The dominant ideology of the entire education system is to measure the success of education by entering the university or not. Four out of five school-age youth entered the labor market as the losers of their education. This reality has incalculable negative impact on workers’ skills, work ethic and healthy psychology, according to Wang’s report. At the same time, secondary vocational and other professional education live in a subordinate position in the education system, with very limited quantity. Compared the situation in 2003 with that in 1999, the state financial allocations to secondary vocational schools increased by 300 million yuan (an increase of 2.5%), and state financial allocations to technical schools decreased by 400 million yuan (down 16% )and vocational schools increased by 3 billion (an increase of 42% increase ). These increases are negligible compared to the funding’s growth of universities and ordinary primary and secondary. Such education dislocation makes the most of new entrants to the labor market is lacking of professional skills, and their low level knowledge on employment helps rather limited. In addition, local education and vocational education system’s exclusion for migrant workers and their children is also need to be carefully addressed. Like South Korea, China needs to focus on creating a highly qualified workforce so that they can increase innovation. South Korea adopted a policy to intensify investments in education and innovation in preparation for this. This policy aided South Korea in developing a plan for long term growth as opposed to short term consumption driven growth. Meanwhile, the World Bank has just released its detailed report: China 2030: Building a Modern, Harmonious, and Creative High-Income Society. In this report the World Bank believes that the export-led model that has delivered the past  30-years of growth and development in China has now run its course. From the World Bank’s perspective, China can only succeed in becoming a modern, high income country if it implements a six-step series of reforms. Not surprisingly, to increase innovation and to reduce inequality are among these six reforms as following, ï‚ · Accelerate the pace of innovation and create an open innovation system in which competitive pressures encourage Chinese firms to engage in product and process innovation not only through their own research and development but also by participating in global research and development networks. Essentially, the World Bank recommends that China seek to move away from being an imitator to an innovator in its own right. Reducing inequality by expanding opportunities and promoting social security for all by facilitating equal access to jobs, finance, quality social services, and portable social security. With regard to infrastructure construction in recent years, transportation, communication and other conditions as well as the urban landscape have significantly improved. But we should note the imbalance in the allocation of resources. In many areas, much more emphasis and attentions were put on the facade construction, highway construction and urban centers transformation than that on rural infrastructure in remote areas. On the one hand, highways are vacant or rarely used in some less developed regions. On the other hand, there are 173 towns and more than 50,000 administrative villages still inaccessible by road, the latter accounting for 8% of the total number of administrative villages across the whole country, according to Wang’s research. For these remote areas, the weak infrastructure is an important cause leading to poverty and backwardness. In summary, China’s development level is still at the low level. Hoping to rely on transfer payments to drastically eliminate the income gap is unrealistic. What the governments should focus on is to provide more equal opportunities and conditions in education, infrastructure and other areas. Investment in these  areas will provide human resources and infrastructure supply better meeting the social and market needs. By doing them, it is entirely possible to improve residents’ economic situation. China is facing the continually widen income gap. If this critical issue could be reasonably resolved, Chinese social justice, harmony and long term economic development will be able to be ensured. . Otherwise, China may turn into a society with huge income gap, serious social conflict, power and money collusion, corruption and plunder prevailed, which will eventually result in economic stagnation. Middle-income trap will be impossible to avoid in this case. As we mentioned above, there are several factors leading to the current expansion of the income gap or blocking reduction of the income gap. These factors include that social security system is not sound, the financial transfer payment system is with flaw, educational opportunities are not fair enough, the education system is not conducive to the promotion of employment, weak infrastructure in rural and backward areas, lack of job opportunities as well as the irrational distribution of resources and corruption and other social in equities due to the not perfect system. To resolve these issues, it’s urgent to perform further reform and development. The following most crucial problems need to be addressed: to solve the fairness of education, to solve the disjointed issues between educations, economic development as well as employment, to create more job opportunities through economic development and urbanization, to correct government’s action, eventually eliminates the problem of corruption and unfair distribution through administrative reform. Resolving these problems not only will not affect economic efficiency, but also will ensure the impartiality of Chinese social harmony, economic efficiency and long-term sustainable development.

American War of Independence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American War of Independence - Essay Example For the measurement of success of any social movement, factors like skilful organisation, optimum use of resources and the identification of opportunities, are vital indicators. Although the United States is usually regarded as a nation-state, supporters of American exceptionalism may prefer to see it as a state bathed in the glory of its own unique light. The country clearly has a sense of national identity and history, Americans refer to an 'American people'. Thus, patriotism is prominent in public life. Nationalism is the appropriate and recognized term for the associated ideology and political movements, within the present United States, and during its history. That does not necessarily correspond with current usage of the term in American politics, or with the views of self-described 'American nationalists'. (Bradford, 1999) In this regard, the British were more corrupt in America during the 19th century than any other colony. They could have established a more urban society and structure in order to lull the Americans into a false sense of rest as a strategy to curb the rebellion. (Smith, 1898) There are no two same theories about when the United States became a nation-state, and developed a sense of national identity. Some historians think that the United States was already a nation-state at independence, others that this occurred during the 19th century, either before or after the American Civil War. The United States was formed from a group of colonies under the authority of the British Crown, each established and governed independently of the others. For most of colonial America's history, a colonist had a duty to the colony and to the Crown, but not to other colonies. (Bradford, 1999) This attitude changed noticeably when the colonies faced a common threat in the French and Indian War. The Albany Plan of Union, although unsuccessful, served as a reference for future discussions. Soon after, the colonies faced another common grievance over taxes enacted by the British Parliament. As the dispute escalated, colonists started to view the British administration as hostile, and sought cooperation with other colonies in response. This cooperation produced the Continental Congress and ultimately independence as a confederation. Ties between the states strengthened with the ratification of the United States Constitution. (Smith, 1898

Censorship Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Censorship - Research Paper Example If these are made public, for example issues concerning crimes against humanity, corruption etc the affected leaders may face criticism or even sanctions which may be humiliating to the affected leadership. This essay is a critical evaluation of censorship from the perspective that it is not a fair practice with examples of leaderships that has practiced it such as Soviet Union and other societies. Freedom of expression is a human right that should be protected in all societies. This is due to the fact that it enhances democracy since everyone would be accorded equal chances to air their views regarding administration and governance as well as accessing the right information from sources which are not influenced by politics or any superior sources. It is therefore against the spirit of democracy for any institution to exercise control on the sources of this information especially the media, which has a wide influence through expansive coverage and viewership it receives across international boundaries. Due to this influence, the media has been targeted by administrations whereby materials being disseminated to the public are monitored first to ensure that the content regardless of whether it is correct or not, does not create fears among the public (Patterson 2000 p 92). In the Soviet Union, censorship was practiced on the media such that there was no independent journalism. A ll the reporting was influenced by the communist party so as to ensure that all the information contained in the reports favored the party as well as the rule of the land. It went further to prohibit foreign newspapers from entering the country unless the agents, who had to be communists, sympathized with the policies of the government of the time. In addition, the government had illegalized the ownership of printing and copying machines so as to prevent publication of books and articles which the government classified as illegal, failure to

Logistics and E-Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Logistics and E-Commerce - Essay Example Products and services ordered over internet require more delivery trucks on the road to homes and businesses. This is where Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) relevance to E-commerce is to be construed. Intelligent Transport System is defined as the application of information technology to the surface transport system. ITS covers all modes air, sea, road and rail and components of each mode – vehicles, fixed, infrastructure and control and operational systems. ITS seeks to improve the existing transport system rather than adding vehicles physically resulting in congestion. ITS stresses on reducing traffic congestion, thus reducing travel time, reducing sound and air pollution and also avoiding delays in delivery consequently keeping in time with production schedules (Jerzy Kisielnicki, 2002 ). â€Å"It often seems that net is changing every aspect of our lives, yet in other ways, it has had little effect. There are two opposing ideas of what effect of the net will have on supply chains and logistics. One view suggests that increased efficiency will pay rewards for all parties in a supply chain. The other view is that the net will overwhelm the supply chains, spot markets will make it impossible to plan and instability will dominate. But we have seen stability even during recessions in most of the economy. Important point to note is that web enabled supply chain may be the future but a manufacturer survives on the quality of the goods and relationship with customers and suppliers.

The Work-Family Interface Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Work-Family Interface - Assignment Example My family bill of rights considers the need for flexible working hours and right for pro-rated benefits for reduced working hours in order to ensure equity in compensation after reduction of the working hours (Major & Burke, 2013). Furthermore, I believe my family bill of rights is more comprehensive and better since it grants transport benefits and on-site clinical, counseling and physical exercise facilities in order to reduce job-related stresses. Accordingly, my bill of rights has provided for paid vacations and holiday visits. The rights that I have identified in my Workers’ bill of rights are not universally accessible. Some of the rights that are universally accessible include the right to equal opportunities and safeguards from discrimination due to the various laws such as the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964, the American with disabilities Act and various regulations of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The workers have access to fair disciplinary and dismissal procedures. However, the workers lack access to fair salaries and wages due to the low minimum wage requirement, the high influx of immigrant workers and high unemployment rate in the economy. The workers have no access to adequate health insurance cover and retirement benefit plans since there are stringent regulations of enforcing such rights (Major & Burke, 2013). Private companies cannot provide share-ownership plans due to the nature of their business organization while some companies have instituted measure s of discouraging their employees from joining labor unions. The desire by employees to maximize production has led to excessive working hours especially for the casual workers and such employers have failed to provide overtime pay for work in excess of 40 hours per week due to lack of clear legislation to guide the number of official working hours per week. One of the work-family policies that promotes work-life balance among employees is the

OPERATIONS management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

OPERATIONS management - Essay Example By extension, adoption of standards in business operations leads to market fragmentation due to the rise of divergent requirements of resources for new products. However, implementation of various standards within an organization may come with challenges and disadvantages in the short run which nonetheless can be overcome in the long run. Research has shown that standards are vital in efficiency promotion especially during operations in manufacturing processes. Standards avail modalities through which processes can be carried out in large quantities without changes. In this regards, there is a reduction in technical errors which routinely occur during production of goods. When standards are put in place, a permanent design and materials necessary for production are specified which rarely change except when the standards are revised. By using the internationally acclaimed standards, organizations are at a vantage point where they can negotiate for favourable deals to boost their profi tability. In the end, contract ambiguities are avoided which often undermine smooth and efficiency running of organizations (Goldenhar and Schulte, 1994, 770). According to Aitken, Chaudhry, Boxall and Hull (1999, 190), conformation to accepted standards provides a means through conveyance of complex information with regards to a product is done. There are enormous challenges to organisations on how to inform the public about the suitability of their products. This is because some methods of manufacturing are widely used to produce products that are complex and hard to explain to the public. However, with standardised mode of operation and conformance, a shorthand mode of communication can be developed based on standards specifications. The standards even come with simplified ways and information on how different operations are carried out without including the highly technical details. In this regard, there is a common language which is easily understood by both designers and consu mers of different products. Reliability of the way operations are carried out within area of manufacturing is increased due to rationalisation and consistency of processes. When standards are put in place, mass production becomes easy because goods are produced within an accepted set standard which eliminates the need for constant check of quality. Therefore, many costly processes are eliminated such as inventory control and quality assurance processes which dig in the profitability of an organisation. In addition, training of workers to participate in the use of standardised procedures is efficient since the amount of time spent is little. In the end, there is streamlining of operations which results in production of goods and services that are internationally accepted (Nicholson, 2004, 147). Standards are very important to the management team of an organization since they help it in entrenching the culture of operational excellence. Operational excellence is vital for an organisat ion to realize its set targets and objectives efficiently without using many resources. Every organisation has its set business operations which must be conformed to acceptable standards within its sphere of operation. As such, business operation processes are important tools through which an organisation can achieve sustainable competitive advantage over other competing firms. In order to attain a sustainable

Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Compare and contrast - Essay Example The Detroit Pistons had one real offensive threat, and he was regarded too small to play in the NBA. A player that had the capability of scoring 20 to 25 points was Richard Hamilton. The strategy of the Pistons was not to try to outscore their opponent, but instead play a defensive game and hold their opponent for up to under 90 points per game. This idea worked all through the season and the way into the playoffs. The Pistons won 50 games during the regular season, which made them the number one contender during the playoffs. The Pistons won two of their playoff by using defense alone. The tournament ended with the Western Conference champions San Antonio Spurs defeating the champions of Eastern Conference New Jersey Nets 4 games to two in the Finals. For the second time, Tim Duncan was voted NBA Finals MVP (landofbasketball, 2013). This postseason also witnessed the first time all series was shown in a best-of-7 format, and it was then in the playoff history that no single team was swept in a first round. From 1984 to 2002, the first-round series were in a best-of-5 format. The Detroit Pistons progressed to the Finals of the Eastern Conference for the initial time and it is at this point that ended their quest for a third consecutive

International Tourism - Sweden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Tourism - Sweden - Essay Example These flows had sturdy environmental and economic consequences leading to enhanced shareholders within the tourism sector. These groups fit in to both the public and private sectors hence emerging a broader perspective of public account, which is compared internationally with the general actions of different financial activities. In Sweden, several factors comprising of substitute price, as well as comparative income was not well thought-out as an important criteria for establishing demand models of international tourism. Rather, meaningful events have been established for determining the demand models of tourism within Sweden. Other factors comprising of natural attractions, travel regulation of government, cultural significances and climate also influenced tourism demand of Sweden. Geographical Overview Basing on geographical nature of Sweden, the country is considered small but contains forests with approximately 100, 000 lakes, which attracted tourists (Goeldner et al., 2000). Sw eden is thought to be a parliamentary realm due to the presence of milder climate presented by the Atlantic Gulf Stream of Sweden. The most tourist attraction in Sweden is its uniqueness basing on new, intact, fertile thrilling countryside having attractive water and ever green vegetation site for tourists. Mountains on the other side also contribute to attracting visitors to the country. This was confirmed in the 19th century whereby the Alpine associations were the origin of the tourists’ institution. In the year 1885, the Sweden Touring Club became the major tourist’s attraction nationally. History of Sweden History is considered one of the major attractive magnitudes of tourist intentions and as well, it is a major tool that enhances distinctive experience of tourist (Goeldner et al., 2000). Legends, stories and the local historical sites of that country establish the enduring experience towards the country’s tourists. History is known to distinguish and as well bring together the United Nations and this resulted in another country visiting the other. This is because momentous move become the trendiest and as well, the country’s branded image are the thriving examples, which enhanced the application of historic sites as among the attracting features of the country. Tourists visited Falun copper mine in Sweden situated in the Dalarma province in the year 1615. A German visitor tripped it and a French envoy visited it in 1634. The mineralogist and an English doctor further visited the scene whereby the tourists’ book endured since 1760s and the duty guides were also present at that time within the mining site. Another tourist booklet, which draw attention towards the tourists in the first spa of Sweden dated back in 1682 and was named â€Å"Les divertissements de Medevji†. This booklet consisted of numerous sequences of transcripts and letters that were issued to the manor houses and castles. Culture According to Goe ldner et al. (2000), culture involve a group of behaviors, wants, basic values and perceptions discovered by the societal member within family and various significant institutions. All this established the general

Social Work in College Agency Essay Example for Free

Social Work in College Agency Essay From the observations that have been made, it seems the agency is very committed to excellence. This can be deduced by how they ensure that the environment is friendly and comfortable and thus enabling both the staff and the clients to feel at home and be able to work comfortably. One is happy in such an environment and is motivated to come back the next day (http://sme.osha.europa.eu). The peoples morale is high and so the students feel welcome in such an environment and this makes them work even harder thus improving their rate of output. It seems that the practices that the agency uses is to provide incentives to the students to make them come back again. The policies in place take into consideration that the students are disenfranchised in the society and need much more incentive to believe in themselves and be able to change their lives by getting quality education in an environment that is comfortable for them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The place is also very clean and this means that the people work in a healthy place. The students are very happy with the cleanliness status of the college. Every student has a right to study in a clean and healthy environment. This is usually denied to the disenfranchised students in most public schools. This college strives to ensure that they provide this to the students. The building used by the agency to provide education is very professional. Inside this building, silence is maintained thus enhancing the possibility of the learning process taking place. The clients range from young ex-gang members to older non-traditional students of around 40-70 years. By ensuring that they are learning in a clean, healthy and quiet environment that is also comfortable and appealing, the agency is protecting their rights and promoting the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From its arrangement, the environment seems to be giving more care to the clients than the staff. This can be deduced from all the effort put into making sure that the place is conducive for learning. The classes are well arranged and the students are happy with how the space has been utilized. The colors used in the classes are also very student friendly and they are happy with the colors chosen for their classrooms. In the whole building people talk in whispers including the staff. This is for the benefit of the students who are reading. It however, oppresses the staff members who may want to talk but can only do so in whispers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The students are provided with food but the staff are supposed to bring their own or buy from outside. On the overall, the school benefits the students and their families most but also the general public.   This is because there is provision of good education to the students who were otherwise considered to be degenerates in the society where public schools failed. The executives also benefit from the environment because it attracts more students who will mean that more money comes to the school. However, by providing education to these people the policy makers benefit because the policies regarding education have been fulfilled. It seems that the executives and the policy makers have most authority while the social work department which is supposed to advocate for the rights of the staff seems to have failed since the staff are considered to be non-entities in the agency. The students’ needs are catered for while the staff members are given no incentives. Their rights are oppressed for the benefit of the students and this shows that the social work department has little or no authority in the agency. The staff members are not adequately represented. This means the social work department in the agency has no power at all to influence the decisions that are made nor the policies and even how they are implemented.      Ã‚   Reference: European Agency for safety and health at 2005 improving poor working conditions. Retrieved on 17th September 2007 from   http://sme.osha.europa-eu/publications/fs2002/2003/en/index-65.htm

Allah Is All Powerful And All Knowing

Allah Is All Powerful And All Knowing Muslims are guided by the following main provisions, which are recognized as infallible truth and are binding for all believers: belief in Allah, the sanctity of the Quran, appointment through Mohammed, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection, the Day of Judgement, a belief in heaven and hell, devils, demons and angels. A basic knowledge of the Muslim religion is very different in different people and in different countries of the traditional Islam. Every Muslim knows the meaning of the creed of Islam: Allah. There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme in glory. (Quran 2:255) It expresses two main precepts of Islam: there is a single, unique, and eternal God Almighty Allah; his messenger Allah chose an Arab from Mecca, Muhammad, through him God gave people the text of the holy book the Koran, and by his hands he founded a community of believers. That is, belief in Allah is the primary tenet of faith in Islam. (Sell 2000) According to Islam beliefs, Allah is all-powerful and all knowing, as well as merciful and compassionate. His greatness is expressed in many statements (for example, Allah Akbar) that are well known to all Muslims, which they often repeat in their speech, prayers, which can be found written on the monuments of Muslim architecture in Asia, Africa, Europe and America. Muslims believe that Allah at any time can create any miracle, just as in one command he created the heavens and the earth, mountains, rivers, flora and fauna. In the representation of Muslims he can at any moment break the natural course of history, to violate the laws of nature, for he is almighty: God is the Creator of everything. He is the guardian over everything. Unto Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. And No creature is there crawling on the earth, but its provision rests on God. He knows its lodging place and its repository (Sell 2000). Muslim believer should not, have no right to doubt the omnipotence of Allah, otherwise, he commits great sin, which can only be redeemed with gifts to clergy, or Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca and other holy places. (Sell 2000) It is important to mention the main pillars of Islam which unite all believers, whatever other differences they may have. An observant Muslim must follow Five main pillars of Islam: The Shahadah, or profession of faith: This is the essence of Islam. One must say aloud, sincerely and purposefully, There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet. Prayer: One must pray, in a ritualized manner, five times a day, in congregation if possible. Zakat, or tithing: One must give a certain percentage of ones assets to the poor each year. Fasting: One cannot eat, drink, or smoke from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar. Hadj, or pilgrimage: One must journey to Mecca at least once, if its possible to do so. (Oxford Islamic Studies Online) Almost every Muslim knows at least a few phrases from the holy book of Islam Quran. The Quran was written in Arabic and in the ritual is used the Arabic original. For Muslims, the Quran is the direct word of Allah, addressed to Muhammad, and through him to all people. In it both the ordinary Muslims and theologians are seeking answers to questions of privacy and public life, to justify their actions. According to Islam, there are different ways of knowing Allah, and much can be said about him, as the great wonders of the world are like an open book, in which we can read a lot about God, who resides out of this world. God Himself comes to help us by sending envoys and sending his revelation, in which he tells about everything that we need to know about God. The Islamic religion is full of recognition of the teachings and guidance of Allah, in the form in which it was opened by His Messenger Muhammad. Islam requires belief in the unity and sovereignty of Allah, making people aware of the significance of the Universe and his place in it. This belief frees person from any fear and prejudice, leading him to realize the presence of Almighty God and to the understanding of human responsibilities toward Him. However, this belief must in some way find expression and be tested in practice, as one only faith is not enough. (Esposito 2000) Belief in one God requires that people must treat all mankind as one family, completely ruled by God, who is Creator of all and gives sustenance to everything. Islam rejects the idea of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹chosen people, as only faith in God and good deeds are the only ways leading to heaven. (Esposito 2002) It is also necessary to say that in todays world there are few Islamic schools, branches and sects, which represent different views and ideas. The earliest and most major split was caused by the emergence of Shia and Sunni. In the Shiite movement along with believing in the authority of the Quran and teachings of the Muhammad, people believe that his family, the Ahl al-Bayt, have special spiritual and political rule over the community, and in Ali ibn Abi Talib. (Esposito 2000) The other important Islamic movement are called the Sunni. Its supporters recognize the legitimacy of Sunnah, the normative example of Muhammads life. The Quran and the Sunnah (the example of Muhammads life) as recorded in hadith are the primary foundations of Sunni doctrine. (Esposito 2000) Later, in Islam there was the Sufi doctrine, which was influenced by the ideas of Mazdaism, Buddhism, and even neo-Platonism. Sufis originally did not recognize importance of external ritualism, and sought the true knowledge of God, a mystical merging with the deity, gave special importance to the names of God from the Quran. (Esposito 2000) Despite the various trends in Islam, all Muslims believe the idea of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹belonging to one community of people united by a common faith, common traditions, common initial history and common interests in the modern world.