Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Role of Mother Tongues in Second Language Learning Essay

The Role of Mother Tongues in Second Language Learning - Essay Example The impact of first language on second language can bring problems especially in intercultural communication where the speakers use a lingua franca such as English or another language, hence causing misunderstandings and problems in communication. This research will look at how second language is acquired with a close look at the impact of the first language on second language learning. Literature Review/Discussion Second language is any language that a person learns in addition to his/her first language. The term can also be used to refer to learning a third, fourth and subsequent languages. Second language acquisition is therefore the process in which people or learners study that language. Errors made by second language learners have been proved to originate from the speech of their first language by majority of linguists. This occurs as a result of influence of the first language commonly known as language transfer. The errors are mostly lexical or phonological. The learners†™ mother tongue influences the way the second language vocabulary is learnt and recalled for use. Learners at their disposal compensate their lack of knowledge by constructing difficult lexical items that are characterized with errors emanating from their first language. ... What happens in the classroom, for example, is greatly attributed to the social needs of both teachers and learners. According to Chomsky, human beings are endowed with the capability to acquire any language in the world since learning a language involves learning its rules. The rules are systematic for every language though learners make mistakes in the process. These mistakes have been attributed to mother tongue interference. This paper will also look at how mother tongue can enhance or hamper a learner who is using the vocabulary of a second language. This usually happens when a learner acquires a new vocabulary, when he/she is attempting to remember the already leant vocabulary or in the process of constructing a complex lexical item that has not been learnt. Comparison between Languages Different languages construct meanings in different ways and the equivalents only exist depending on what is exactly meant. Though different speakers tend to divide themselves from others, the c onceptualization of some lexical items remains the same. For example, the term dressing is conceived the same by various speakers, a term that generally serves all clothing including shoes, jewellery, glasses among others. Differences in conceptual organization can be as a result of ways in which words are assigned to parts of speech. For instance, Japanese equivalents of English are mostly nouns and verbs. Lado (103) notes that elements that are similar in the fist and second languages will be simple for the learner to grasp. On the other hand, those that have no correspondence will be more difficult to learn. Cross Linguistic Influence and Ease or Difficulty of Learning There are a

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Computer System Infomation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Computer System Infomation - Essay Example It is constantly upgrading its search engine. Apart from this it has constantly tried to add value to its Google search users like Google alerts, Google news. Till now Google's main raw material has been in the domain of free content, whereas the new business it is entering requires partnerships and networking for content. For doing the new business the organization will require new skills in customer service, negotiations and networking. Meeting customers' expectations and partners needs will become very important. As an organization it has been leveraging its technical skills to drive the company. As of now, as an organization, it has not been able to adequately respond to problems related to customer satisfaction. Many of its customers have suffered using their AdWords product. Some of its products have created conflict with its partners in copyrights and other Intellectual property related aspects, which have not been adequately resolved. This is an area which Google does not seem to have identified as a problem area and looked for solutions. Google has attracted a large pool of talent in the IT sector to develop innovative products for its growth. Now it needs to translate organizational needs to be met through human resources.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Study On The Financial Sources For SMEs

Study On The Financial Sources For SMEs Introduction SMEs are those industries, which are unquoted in a stock exchange, run by few individuals or a type of family businesses having connection with shareholders. According to South West Venture Fund, SME is a company or business that has less than 250 employees and has an annual turnover not exceeding approximately  £24 million. SME sector is very large in UK economy. There are 3.7 million businesses in UK according to the survey conducted in 2003 by Department of Trade and Industries (DTI) and 99% of those are small and medium sized and survey also suggested that UK gains 50% of its total turnover from SME sector. On the other hand according to the report of HM Treasury 2008 there are 4.7 million SMEs in the UK and are responsible for more than 52 per cent of total UK business turnover. Therefore it can be seen that SMEs have an important role to play to drive UK growth and the average productivity of SMEs has increased in the last ten years. On the other hand SMEs are struggling in accessing to finance whereas there are many sources of finance available in UK. The main problem with SMEs to obtain finance is that of uncertainty. Investors most of the time dont rely on SMEs in investing because SMEs does not have a long track record of success. Banks are quite nerves of SMEs to investment because SMEs represent high credit risk. The problem is, banks are not increasing the loan amount without increasing security given and most of the SME owners are unable to provide security. There are many SMEs without tangible assets to use as a security for all lenders. All the financial sources for SMEs are listed below with brief description. Business Angles Business angles are private individuals who invest their own assets in SME or start-up businesses. Business angles also share their personal business experience with other entrepreneurs. LBA (London Business Angles) provides great services to innovative starting-up businesses who seeks the capital more than  £100 k for their future growth. London Business Angle runs by Greater London Enterprise (GLE). The main reason behind investing by business angles is that they are very experienced and successful entrepreneurs and they not only provide finance they also train new business through sharing their experience. The fact on the other hand is only few companies can find business angles, LBA receive 1000 business plan and after the whole selection procedure only 42 business have been invited to invest with. Another group of business angles BBAA (British Business Angles Association) is also working to provide financial help to early stage businesses. Every year private individual or these business angles invest between  £800 million to  £1 billion in starting-up business and SMEs. Overdraft Financing Overdraft financing is another most popular way of accessing to finance for SMEs. In overdraft financing, payments are made from the current account of business when the amount exceeds the available balance. Through the overdraft facility business gets short-term funds whereas the amount which is loaned is repayable according to the bank demand. There are some benefits of overdraft facilities such as the borrowed amount can be changed within the limit and interest is only payable on the amount borrowed. The main disadvantages of overdrafts are, bank can ask to pay back the money very sooner than expected time, overdraft limit can be changed at any time by the bank, overdraft facility cannot be used if large amount is needed and the interest rate is higher than the bank loan. Some other factors must be considered when using overdraft facility to obtain finance. Such as the amount that is borrowed should not go beyond the given or agreed limit, interest also differs according to the am ount borrowed and the interest rate is higher than the bank base rate , sometime bank can charge the overdraft fee and finally overdraft cannot be obtained for long term. One more difficulty for SMEs to obtain finance through overdraft is SMEs can be asked to provide some kind of security depending on the size of overdraft facility. Security may be of any type for an example it can be tangible fixed assets or personal guarantees given by company directors. Venture Capital Venture capital provides long-term, committed share capital, to help unquoted companies grow and succeed. If an entrepreneur is looking to start-up, expand, buy-into a business, buy-out a business in which he works, turnaround or revitalise a company, venture capital could help do this. Obtaining venture capital is substantially different from raising debt or a loan from a lender. Lenders have a legal right to interest on a loan and repayment of the capital, irrespective of the success or failure of a business . Venture capital is invested in exchange for an equity stake in the business. As a shareholder, the venture capitalists return is dependent on the growth and profitability of the business. This return is generally earned when the venture capitalist exits by selling its shareholding when the business is sold to another owner. Venture capital in the UK originated in the late 18th century, when entrepreneurs found wealthy individuals to back their projects on an ad hoc basis. This informal method of financing became an industry in the late 1970s and early 1980s when a number of venture capital firms were founded. There are now over 100 active venture capital firms in the UK, which provide several billion pounds each year to unquoted companies mostly located in the UK. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Introduction It being any country, small and medium enterprises has become an integral part of it and provides remarkable contribution to its economy. SMEs play a pivotal role in job creation and in progress of country. Like UK, many countries now understand the importance of small business and started to diversify it for job creation and also for the long term development of the countrys economy. . SMEs constitute the majority of economies around the world, these highly contribute in private sector and one of which seems to be growing in folds with time. According to the reports of Bank of England (2003), approximately 54% of the total value is added by small and medium firms in the UK. In fact, in some sectors SMEs have contributed more than larger firms Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurship The word entrepreneur has been defined numerous times by the researchers in their research. There is no specific definition of entrepreneurship but there is a generally accepted definition which highlights its significant contribution in the growth of economy. An entrepreneur has the ability to provide momentum for the change, innovation in the traditional strategies and approach. They always try to introduce new ideas in the business market. Entrepreneur is someone who can gauge the financial risk during the business startup and has the ability to capitalize the opportunity of benefit of an enterprise. Besides, various researchers have determined different characteristics of an entrepreneur. For instance, according to Adler, 2002; Aldrich, 1989; Alstete, 2003; Anderson et al, 1992; Anna et al, 1999, an entrepreneur is very creative, skilful, innovative and always keen to explore new ideas and strategies. While, according to others the traits are Hunger for achievement Desire of total control Need of independence and leadership Low traditionalism Risk taker Dominance Moreover, Yonekura in 1984 suggested the characteristics like assertiveness, insistence, forward looking, critical thinking, creative, innovative, broad minded, creative etc. On the other hand, Burk (2002) proposed that optimistic, hard working and desire to achieve are the qualities which are common in entrepreneurs. There are various reasons for people to choose entrepreneurship and start their own business. This area has also been widely researched (Walker, 2004). Result of most of the studies done in this area show that people are motivated by personal and financial reasons like achievement need, independence, and the creation of wealth (Bird, 1989; Birley and Westhead, 1994; Burns, 1996; Hisrich, 1986; Kuratko et al., 1997). Generally, most of the studies suggest that personal internal reasons are more important motivations as compared to financial reasons in going into entrepreneurship (Gray, 1993). Despite of the above mentioned reasons, his/her present job situation also plays an important part and can influence them for business adoption. According to the Moore and Buttner (1997), unfavorable conditions experienced within the organization, for instance- lack of opportunities and less salary may also push them to start their own business. Furthermore, people who are jobless are also sometimes forced to become entrepreneurs (Still and Guerin, 1991), even though the clarity of the entry of business and its form are not that clear to them at the start (Praag, 2003; Vodopivec, 1998; Walker, 2004; Walker and Brown, 2004; Burke et al., 2002; Burns, 1996; Buttner Moore, 1997; - Process Involved in Business Start up Over the period of time remarkable changes have taken place in the work environment and culture of small and medium enterprises. The failure or the success of any organization depends upon the initial or the kick off stage of the business. The start up of any business activity depends upon the manner or the way in which the business makes arrangements or provisions of funds. The growth of the firm is the most important aspect and has to be done with taking care so that it can grow up to its full potential (Carter et. al., 1996; Carter Anderson, 2001; Carter Cannon, 1988; Chaganti Parasuraman, 1996; Cliff, 1998). Steps involved in the start up of any business activity can be classified as under:- Business Start up:- The theoretical aspects behind the set up or start up of any business are quite different from the practical ones which can be classified as under:- The creation of an idea Theory:- The start-up of the business by the entrepreneur begins with the setting of an idea. Idea is the stepping stone on which the business relies and most of the aspects of the business are considered in the initial idea itself. There are pros and corns to everything and in the business set-up the setting of idea itself leads to the same. Opportunity Recognition The recognition of the right opportunity at the right point in time is what the entrepreneur must be able do. The task of recognizing opportunity for the same is not an easy task at all. There may be loads of opportunities which arise in the market like they may be in the form of a new product or service that has to be offered to the customer (Kotler, 1972; Deshpande, 1983). Research of the market and forming of the Business plan Research plays a key role before the starting up any activity and business also demands for the same i.e. to conduct research and then formulate a business plan. The key role in set up of any business plan is by carrying out SWOT analysis of the same which means to recognize the Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threats that the organization has to offer (Kotler, 1990; Dyer, 1994). Finance Arrangement Finance is the blood stream of any organization and without the induction of finance no organization can operate. There are loads of sources available for the firms both small and medium sized. Basically for the small and medium enterprises there are mainly two sources of finance internal and external. The basic difference between the internal and external source is the element of interest. Internal sources as the name suggest is from friends family and the saving element and external is all that which leads to the payment of interest basically borrowed funds from sources such as banks, financial institutions etc. (Feldman Bolino, 2000; Fielden et al., 2003; Fitzgerald and Muske, 2002; Leazar, 2002). The small and medium firms in the initial stage cannot afford to bear any additional cost and the interest element also becomes a burden for them and they are mostly concerned with the internal sources of finance i.e. the money invested in the firms by family and friends (Lee Mathews, 1999; Hisrich, 1986). The other aspect of business is the big business houses which have their operation on a large scale and the finance is procured by them from banks and other leading financial institutions. Optimum Use of Resources Resources are the tools and materials which form the crux of any organization and making a proper use of the same plays a very important role in the growth and overall development of the organization. It is vital to make the best possible use of resources as in small towns the scope of business activities is limited as compared to big cities wherein the opportunities as well as the resources required are more and readily available Gimeno, 1997; Gray, 1993; Gatewood et al., 1995; Gundry Welsch, 2001) Resources are portrayed as being distanced from main markets and main centres of business activity, have lower and more dispersed population, a weaker infrastructure, local markets are limited due to lower population. Despite the apparent difficulties in starting up and running a business to towns, the number of businesses has grownà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. (Anderson, 1997) Problems in Starting Up a Business When starting up a business, the owner is bound to face some problems. There are basic steps and procedures that should be followed by the entrepreneur, while starting a business. But the problem arises when the successful implementation of these steps becomes difficult, due to the problems in the market. Sometimes things do no happen in reality as they were expected and also it may take longer time than expected (Martins et al., 2002; Marschack, 1994; Morrison, 2000; Olson, 1992; Praag, 2003; Rainbird, 1991). Major problems in starting up a business can be classified as: Goodwill- When a business is new, it lacks good reputation in the market, which is called Goodwill. In business, it is very important to have goodwill. It means that the business has trustworthy image in the market. Sometimes, just because of lack of goodwill, customers dont trust the company (Reynolds, 2000; Robichaud et al., 2001). Market Prediction- It is essential for the entrepreneur to have the market predictions. The market trends keep on fluctuating. Thus the entrepreneur has to mould himself according to the market situations. If he does not maintain pace with the market trends it becomes very difficult to be in the race. This is not a very easy job (Robinson, 1994; Shane, 1995; Smith, 2000). Financial Gap- The existence of a financial gap arises because demand from small firms is greater than the willingness of financial institutions to supply the finance at current market conditions. For finance such as bank loans, these gaps may be termed as credit rationing (Stanworth Stanworth, 1997). Getting the premises in prime location- Getting a good location to set up the business is a very big issue. The entrepreneur should keep in mind to get the best location. If the location is good and is very close to all the available resources then he can grab the opportunities of using these resources (Taylor, 1980). Judging the customer expectations- It is very hard to match the ever changing expectation and demands of the customers. It is very difficult to have an exact idea about the choice of the customers. In this case it becomes very difficult for the new firms to have an idea about the customer expectations (Timmons et al., 1985). Small and Medium Enterprises in the United Kingdom Source: http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/sme/smestats2008-ukspr.pdf. According to the department for business innovation and skills the profile of the small and medium scale enterprises are as follows: As per to the reports there were approximately 4.81 million private sector enterprises in the UK during the starting of 2008, which showed the increase of 104,0003 (2.2 per cent) since the start of 2007. These are the highest levels after the time series began in 1994. Approximately, 23.1 million people were employed by these enterprises with an estimated combined annual turnover of  £3,000 billion. Moreover, 99.9 percent of all enterprises were together accounts by the Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 59.4 per cent of private sector employment and 50.1 percent of private sector turnover. Employment in SMEs is estimated at 13.7 million, 287,000 (2.1 per cent) higher than in 2007.Turnover in SMEs is estimated at  £1,500 billion,  £61 billion (4.2 per cent) higher than 2007.More industries experienced growth in the number of enterprises between the start of 2007 and the start of 2008, than experienced a fall. In percentage terms, the biggest increases were in the Mining and Quarrying; Electricity, Gas and Water Supply (19.3 per cent) and Financial Intermediation (10.2 per cent) sectors and the biggest falls in the number of enterprises were in the Manufacturing (- 6.9 per cent) and Other Community, Social and Personal Service Activities (-4.7per cent) sectors (http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/sme/smestats2008-ukspr.pdf).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? As such, out of the 4.81 million private enterprises in the United Kingdom, 99.9 percent are classified as small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and they are responsible for 59.4 percent of employment in the country as well as 50.1 percent of private sector turnover. The sector also experienced growth from 2007 to 2008 (http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/sme/smestats2008-ukspr.pdf). Most of these private enterprises are (see Table 1) small which is 99.3 percent of the total and they employ about 0 to 49 employees per enterprise while the medium enterprises is 0.6 percent which numbered at 27,000 enterprises and employs from 50 to 249 employees per firm. The large enterprises employs more than 250 employees per firm percent which numbered at 27,000 enterprises and employs from 50 to 249 employees per firm. ISSUES FOR SMEs AND ENTREPRENEURS According to Deakins and Freel (2003), small and medium sized firms do not easily get finance because of the restrictions imposed on them. Notably these SMEs have very less equity and very high risk is associated with them. As a result, most of the sources of finance are not accessible, for instance Stock Exchange. There are mainly two sources that entrepreneurs use that is Internal Source and External Source. Internal source includes personal equity, which are usually remortgages, savings and money taken from friends and family members. While external sources of finance comprises loan taken from bank, venture capitalist, formal investors. Few more sources include leasing, hire purchase and factoring. However, there are various sources of finance available for the SMEs; it is worth discussing the problems faced by the entrepreneurs and constraints of financing. Major issues for SMEs are Financial gap Getting finance from bank Role of security Credit scoring Financial Gap: It mainly occurs when the financial need of SMEs is not fulfilled by financial institutions because of the current market conditions the present situation (credit crunch) further adding problems to the same. It happens when the demand side of the curve exceeds the supply. However, it is still a debatable topic whether this gap is the result of information asymmetries or it is due to the reputational effects. Informational asymmetries are basically considered as the imperfect information provided to the financing institutions, which suggests that there will be insufficient funds available for the firms (Stiglits and Weiss, 1981). According to Shane and Cable (2008), it is likely that few firms specially manufacturing and technology based companies are often reluctant to give full information about their company to avoid the disclosure which can make it easier for others to use it. Moreover, there are few more categories which can face financial gap, such as young entrepreneurs and those who belong to remote areas. Young entrepreneurs mainly lack to provide the security, while for the entrepreneurs in the remote areas, it is quite difficult to get access with the banks (OCED, 2008) Getting finance from bank: However, banks are easily accessible; it is less likely that entrepreneurs get favourable offers from them. Short-term financing given by banks only looks theoretically attractive. Besides, banks also face issue in assessing the proposition from the borrower, which generally arises when both provider and borrower share different set of information. For banks, two main issues are: Adverse Selection Moral Hazard Adverse Selection: This arises when a bank is unable to assess a proposition correctly. For instance, when it refuses to provide for a proposition which could have been successful or when it accepts the position which results as failure. Moral Hazard: It causes more serious problem for banks and ultimately causes problems for the entrepreneurs having less/no security to offer. It can occur when a firm misuses the security-free financing from the banks, as there is no guarantee taken from the firm to repay the loan. This is a monitoring problem for banks and for comparatively smaller amount of loans; it is not economic to observe them closely. However, this creates problem for the entrepreneurs who lack sufficient equity and security. Role of security: This has now been widely used to overcome the shortcomings like moral hazard and adverse selection. However, bank officers can also choose to have frequent monitoring of the information to reduce the adverse selection, a cost minimisation approach (role of security) seems to be a better option. Furthermore, collateral seems to be a better option because it ensures commitment from the borrower and allows bank to make safer deal. It also enhances the chances of loss recovery in case of adverse selection. Credit Scoring:- Nowadays, this computerized technique has been widely used by banks. Credit scoring is based on considering various variables of the borrower such as, occupation, post code of home address, previous payment records and other commitments Taking all the above mentioned things into consideration, a computerized acceptance or rejection report is generated. Credit scoring has brought a remarkable reduction in decision making for the bank managers. In most of the leading banks of UK like NatWest, Barclays, Lloyds/TSB, Bank of Scotland, use different systems to measure credit of the loan applicant. Albeit, few above mentioned banks have adopted this technique completely, there are some banks still relying and using both methods (Credit scoring and decision making) However, credit scoring has proved to be a boon for the banks, it has some demerits as well. It only judges the applications on the basis of past records. This technique may reject the proposal which sounds beneficial and successful but dont have good credit history and past records. Study On The Financial Sources For SMEs Study On The Financial Sources For SMEs Introduction SMEs are those industries, which are unquoted in a stock exchange, run by few individuals or a type of family businesses having connection with shareholders. According to South West Venture Fund, SME is a company or business that has less than 250 employees and has an annual turnover not exceeding approximately  £24 million. SME sector is very large in UK economy. There are 3.7 million businesses in UK according to the survey conducted in 2003 by Department of Trade and Industries (DTI) and 99% of those are small and medium sized and survey also suggested that UK gains 50% of its total turnover from SME sector. On the other hand according to the report of HM Treasury 2008 there are 4.7 million SMEs in the UK and are responsible for more than 52 per cent of total UK business turnover. Therefore it can be seen that SMEs have an important role to play to drive UK growth and the average productivity of SMEs has increased in the last ten years. On the other hand SMEs are struggling in accessing to finance whereas there are many sources of finance available in UK. The main problem with SMEs to obtain finance is that of uncertainty. Investors most of the time dont rely on SMEs in investing because SMEs does not have a long track record of success. Banks are quite nerves of SMEs to investment because SMEs represent high credit risk. The problem is, banks are not increasing the loan amount without increasing security given and most of the SME owners are unable to provide security. There are many SMEs without tangible assets to use as a security for all lenders. All the financial sources for SMEs are listed below with brief description. Business Angles Business angles are private individuals who invest their own assets in SME or start-up businesses. Business angles also share their personal business experience with other entrepreneurs. LBA (London Business Angles) provides great services to innovative starting-up businesses who seeks the capital more than  £100 k for their future growth. London Business Angle runs by Greater London Enterprise (GLE). The main reason behind investing by business angles is that they are very experienced and successful entrepreneurs and they not only provide finance they also train new business through sharing their experience. The fact on the other hand is only few companies can find business angles, LBA receive 1000 business plan and after the whole selection procedure only 42 business have been invited to invest with. Another group of business angles BBAA (British Business Angles Association) is also working to provide financial help to early stage businesses. Every year private individual or these business angles invest between  £800 million to  £1 billion in starting-up business and SMEs. Overdraft Financing Overdraft financing is another most popular way of accessing to finance for SMEs. In overdraft financing, payments are made from the current account of business when the amount exceeds the available balance. Through the overdraft facility business gets short-term funds whereas the amount which is loaned is repayable according to the bank demand. There are some benefits of overdraft facilities such as the borrowed amount can be changed within the limit and interest is only payable on the amount borrowed. The main disadvantages of overdrafts are, bank can ask to pay back the money very sooner than expected time, overdraft limit can be changed at any time by the bank, overdraft facility cannot be used if large amount is needed and the interest rate is higher than the bank loan. Some other factors must be considered when using overdraft facility to obtain finance. Such as the amount that is borrowed should not go beyond the given or agreed limit, interest also differs according to the am ount borrowed and the interest rate is higher than the bank base rate , sometime bank can charge the overdraft fee and finally overdraft cannot be obtained for long term. One more difficulty for SMEs to obtain finance through overdraft is SMEs can be asked to provide some kind of security depending on the size of overdraft facility. Security may be of any type for an example it can be tangible fixed assets or personal guarantees given by company directors. Venture Capital Venture capital provides long-term, committed share capital, to help unquoted companies grow and succeed. If an entrepreneur is looking to start-up, expand, buy-into a business, buy-out a business in which he works, turnaround or revitalise a company, venture capital could help do this. Obtaining venture capital is substantially different from raising debt or a loan from a lender. Lenders have a legal right to interest on a loan and repayment of the capital, irrespective of the success or failure of a business . Venture capital is invested in exchange for an equity stake in the business. As a shareholder, the venture capitalists return is dependent on the growth and profitability of the business. This return is generally earned when the venture capitalist exits by selling its shareholding when the business is sold to another owner. Venture capital in the UK originated in the late 18th century, when entrepreneurs found wealthy individuals to back their projects on an ad hoc basis. This informal method of financing became an industry in the late 1970s and early 1980s when a number of venture capital firms were founded. There are now over 100 active venture capital firms in the UK, which provide several billion pounds each year to unquoted companies mostly located in the UK. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Introduction It being any country, small and medium enterprises has become an integral part of it and provides remarkable contribution to its economy. SMEs play a pivotal role in job creation and in progress of country. Like UK, many countries now understand the importance of small business and started to diversify it for job creation and also for the long term development of the countrys economy. . SMEs constitute the majority of economies around the world, these highly contribute in private sector and one of which seems to be growing in folds with time. According to the reports of Bank of England (2003), approximately 54% of the total value is added by small and medium firms in the UK. In fact, in some sectors SMEs have contributed more than larger firms Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurship The word entrepreneur has been defined numerous times by the researchers in their research. There is no specific definition of entrepreneurship but there is a generally accepted definition which highlights its significant contribution in the growth of economy. An entrepreneur has the ability to provide momentum for the change, innovation in the traditional strategies and approach. They always try to introduce new ideas in the business market. Entrepreneur is someone who can gauge the financial risk during the business startup and has the ability to capitalize the opportunity of benefit of an enterprise. Besides, various researchers have determined different characteristics of an entrepreneur. For instance, according to Adler, 2002; Aldrich, 1989; Alstete, 2003; Anderson et al, 1992; Anna et al, 1999, an entrepreneur is very creative, skilful, innovative and always keen to explore new ideas and strategies. While, according to others the traits are Hunger for achievement Desire of total control Need of independence and leadership Low traditionalism Risk taker Dominance Moreover, Yonekura in 1984 suggested the characteristics like assertiveness, insistence, forward looking, critical thinking, creative, innovative, broad minded, creative etc. On the other hand, Burk (2002) proposed that optimistic, hard working and desire to achieve are the qualities which are common in entrepreneurs. There are various reasons for people to choose entrepreneurship and start their own business. This area has also been widely researched (Walker, 2004). Result of most of the studies done in this area show that people are motivated by personal and financial reasons like achievement need, independence, and the creation of wealth (Bird, 1989; Birley and Westhead, 1994; Burns, 1996; Hisrich, 1986; Kuratko et al., 1997). Generally, most of the studies suggest that personal internal reasons are more important motivations as compared to financial reasons in going into entrepreneurship (Gray, 1993). Despite of the above mentioned reasons, his/her present job situation also plays an important part and can influence them for business adoption. According to the Moore and Buttner (1997), unfavorable conditions experienced within the organization, for instance- lack of opportunities and less salary may also push them to start their own business. Furthermore, people who are jobless are also sometimes forced to become entrepreneurs (Still and Guerin, 1991), even though the clarity of the entry of business and its form are not that clear to them at the start (Praag, 2003; Vodopivec, 1998; Walker, 2004; Walker and Brown, 2004; Burke et al., 2002; Burns, 1996; Buttner Moore, 1997; - Process Involved in Business Start up Over the period of time remarkable changes have taken place in the work environment and culture of small and medium enterprises. The failure or the success of any organization depends upon the initial or the kick off stage of the business. The start up of any business activity depends upon the manner or the way in which the business makes arrangements or provisions of funds. The growth of the firm is the most important aspect and has to be done with taking care so that it can grow up to its full potential (Carter et. al., 1996; Carter Anderson, 2001; Carter Cannon, 1988; Chaganti Parasuraman, 1996; Cliff, 1998). Steps involved in the start up of any business activity can be classified as under:- Business Start up:- The theoretical aspects behind the set up or start up of any business are quite different from the practical ones which can be classified as under:- The creation of an idea Theory:- The start-up of the business by the entrepreneur begins with the setting of an idea. Idea is the stepping stone on which the business relies and most of the aspects of the business are considered in the initial idea itself. There are pros and corns to everything and in the business set-up the setting of idea itself leads to the same. Opportunity Recognition The recognition of the right opportunity at the right point in time is what the entrepreneur must be able do. The task of recognizing opportunity for the same is not an easy task at all. There may be loads of opportunities which arise in the market like they may be in the form of a new product or service that has to be offered to the customer (Kotler, 1972; Deshpande, 1983). Research of the market and forming of the Business plan Research plays a key role before the starting up any activity and business also demands for the same i.e. to conduct research and then formulate a business plan. The key role in set up of any business plan is by carrying out SWOT analysis of the same which means to recognize the Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threats that the organization has to offer (Kotler, 1990; Dyer, 1994). Finance Arrangement Finance is the blood stream of any organization and without the induction of finance no organization can operate. There are loads of sources available for the firms both small and medium sized. Basically for the small and medium enterprises there are mainly two sources of finance internal and external. The basic difference between the internal and external source is the element of interest. Internal sources as the name suggest is from friends family and the saving element and external is all that which leads to the payment of interest basically borrowed funds from sources such as banks, financial institutions etc. (Feldman Bolino, 2000; Fielden et al., 2003; Fitzgerald and Muske, 2002; Leazar, 2002). The small and medium firms in the initial stage cannot afford to bear any additional cost and the interest element also becomes a burden for them and they are mostly concerned with the internal sources of finance i.e. the money invested in the firms by family and friends (Lee Mathews, 1999; Hisrich, 1986). The other aspect of business is the big business houses which have their operation on a large scale and the finance is procured by them from banks and other leading financial institutions. Optimum Use of Resources Resources are the tools and materials which form the crux of any organization and making a proper use of the same plays a very important role in the growth and overall development of the organization. It is vital to make the best possible use of resources as in small towns the scope of business activities is limited as compared to big cities wherein the opportunities as well as the resources required are more and readily available Gimeno, 1997; Gray, 1993; Gatewood et al., 1995; Gundry Welsch, 2001) Resources are portrayed as being distanced from main markets and main centres of business activity, have lower and more dispersed population, a weaker infrastructure, local markets are limited due to lower population. Despite the apparent difficulties in starting up and running a business to towns, the number of businesses has grownà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. (Anderson, 1997) Problems in Starting Up a Business When starting up a business, the owner is bound to face some problems. There are basic steps and procedures that should be followed by the entrepreneur, while starting a business. But the problem arises when the successful implementation of these steps becomes difficult, due to the problems in the market. Sometimes things do no happen in reality as they were expected and also it may take longer time than expected (Martins et al., 2002; Marschack, 1994; Morrison, 2000; Olson, 1992; Praag, 2003; Rainbird, 1991). Major problems in starting up a business can be classified as: Goodwill- When a business is new, it lacks good reputation in the market, which is called Goodwill. In business, it is very important to have goodwill. It means that the business has trustworthy image in the market. Sometimes, just because of lack of goodwill, customers dont trust the company (Reynolds, 2000; Robichaud et al., 2001). Market Prediction- It is essential for the entrepreneur to have the market predictions. The market trends keep on fluctuating. Thus the entrepreneur has to mould himself according to the market situations. If he does not maintain pace with the market trends it becomes very difficult to be in the race. This is not a very easy job (Robinson, 1994; Shane, 1995; Smith, 2000). Financial Gap- The existence of a financial gap arises because demand from small firms is greater than the willingness of financial institutions to supply the finance at current market conditions. For finance such as bank loans, these gaps may be termed as credit rationing (Stanworth Stanworth, 1997). Getting the premises in prime location- Getting a good location to set up the business is a very big issue. The entrepreneur should keep in mind to get the best location. If the location is good and is very close to all the available resources then he can grab the opportunities of using these resources (Taylor, 1980). Judging the customer expectations- It is very hard to match the ever changing expectation and demands of the customers. It is very difficult to have an exact idea about the choice of the customers. In this case it becomes very difficult for the new firms to have an idea about the customer expectations (Timmons et al., 1985). Small and Medium Enterprises in the United Kingdom Source: http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/sme/smestats2008-ukspr.pdf. According to the department for business innovation and skills the profile of the small and medium scale enterprises are as follows: As per to the reports there were approximately 4.81 million private sector enterprises in the UK during the starting of 2008, which showed the increase of 104,0003 (2.2 per cent) since the start of 2007. These are the highest levels after the time series began in 1994. Approximately, 23.1 million people were employed by these enterprises with an estimated combined annual turnover of  £3,000 billion. Moreover, 99.9 percent of all enterprises were together accounts by the Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 59.4 per cent of private sector employment and 50.1 percent of private sector turnover. Employment in SMEs is estimated at 13.7 million, 287,000 (2.1 per cent) higher than in 2007.Turnover in SMEs is estimated at  £1,500 billion,  £61 billion (4.2 per cent) higher than 2007.More industries experienced growth in the number of enterprises between the start of 2007 and the start of 2008, than experienced a fall. In percentage terms, the biggest increases were in the Mining and Quarrying; Electricity, Gas and Water Supply (19.3 per cent) and Financial Intermediation (10.2 per cent) sectors and the biggest falls in the number of enterprises were in the Manufacturing (- 6.9 per cent) and Other Community, Social and Personal Service Activities (-4.7per cent) sectors (http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/sme/smestats2008-ukspr.pdf).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? As such, out of the 4.81 million private enterprises in the United Kingdom, 99.9 percent are classified as small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and they are responsible for 59.4 percent of employment in the country as well as 50.1 percent of private sector turnover. The sector also experienced growth from 2007 to 2008 (http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/sme/smestats2008-ukspr.pdf). Most of these private enterprises are (see Table 1) small which is 99.3 percent of the total and they employ about 0 to 49 employees per enterprise while the medium enterprises is 0.6 percent which numbered at 27,000 enterprises and employs from 50 to 249 employees per firm. The large enterprises employs more than 250 employees per firm percent which numbered at 27,000 enterprises and employs from 50 to 249 employees per firm. ISSUES FOR SMEs AND ENTREPRENEURS According to Deakins and Freel (2003), small and medium sized firms do not easily get finance because of the restrictions imposed on them. Notably these SMEs have very less equity and very high risk is associated with them. As a result, most of the sources of finance are not accessible, for instance Stock Exchange. There are mainly two sources that entrepreneurs use that is Internal Source and External Source. Internal source includes personal equity, which are usually remortgages, savings and money taken from friends and family members. While external sources of finance comprises loan taken from bank, venture capitalist, formal investors. Few more sources include leasing, hire purchase and factoring. However, there are various sources of finance available for the SMEs; it is worth discussing the problems faced by the entrepreneurs and constraints of financing. Major issues for SMEs are Financial gap Getting finance from bank Role of security Credit scoring Financial Gap: It mainly occurs when the financial need of SMEs is not fulfilled by financial institutions because of the current market conditions the present situation (credit crunch) further adding problems to the same. It happens when the demand side of the curve exceeds the supply. However, it is still a debatable topic whether this gap is the result of information asymmetries or it is due to the reputational effects. Informational asymmetries are basically considered as the imperfect information provided to the financing institutions, which suggests that there will be insufficient funds available for the firms (Stiglits and Weiss, 1981). According to Shane and Cable (2008), it is likely that few firms specially manufacturing and technology based companies are often reluctant to give full information about their company to avoid the disclosure which can make it easier for others to use it. Moreover, there are few more categories which can face financial gap, such as young entrepreneurs and those who belong to remote areas. Young entrepreneurs mainly lack to provide the security, while for the entrepreneurs in the remote areas, it is quite difficult to get access with the banks (OCED, 2008) Getting finance from bank: However, banks are easily accessible; it is less likely that entrepreneurs get favourable offers from them. Short-term financing given by banks only looks theoretically attractive. Besides, banks also face issue in assessing the proposition from the borrower, which generally arises when both provider and borrower share different set of information. For banks, two main issues are: Adverse Selection Moral Hazard Adverse Selection: This arises when a bank is unable to assess a proposition correctly. For instance, when it refuses to provide for a proposition which could have been successful or when it accepts the position which results as failure. Moral Hazard: It causes more serious problem for banks and ultimately causes problems for the entrepreneurs having less/no security to offer. It can occur when a firm misuses the security-free financing from the banks, as there is no guarantee taken from the firm to repay the loan. This is a monitoring problem for banks and for comparatively smaller amount of loans; it is not economic to observe them closely. However, this creates problem for the entrepreneurs who lack sufficient equity and security. Role of security: This has now been widely used to overcome the shortcomings like moral hazard and adverse selection. However, bank officers can also choose to have frequent monitoring of the information to reduce the adverse selection, a cost minimisation approach (role of security) seems to be a better option. Furthermore, collateral seems to be a better option because it ensures commitment from the borrower and allows bank to make safer deal. It also enhances the chances of loss recovery in case of adverse selection. Credit Scoring:- Nowadays, this computerized technique has been widely used by banks. Credit scoring is based on considering various variables of the borrower such as, occupation, post code of home address, previous payment records and other commitments Taking all the above mentioned things into consideration, a computerized acceptance or rejection report is generated. Credit scoring has brought a remarkable reduction in decision making for the bank managers. In most of the leading banks of UK like NatWest, Barclays, Lloyds/TSB, Bank of Scotland, use different systems to measure credit of the loan applicant. Albeit, few above mentioned banks have adopted this technique completely, there are some banks still relying and using both methods (Credit scoring and decision making) However, credit scoring has proved to be a boon for the banks, it has some demerits as well. It only judges the applications on the basis of past records. This technique may reject the proposal which sounds beneficial and successful but dont have good credit history and past records.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Sir Thomas More - A Narrow-minded Hypocrite :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Sir Thomas More - A Narrow-minded Hypocrite "What did nature ever create milder, sweeter and happier than the genius of Thomas More? All the birds come to him to be fed. There is not any man living so affectionate to his children as he, and he loveth his wife as if she were a girl of fifteen" (Erasmus). Sir Thomas More is often viewed as a Catholic saint and martyr. He is viewed this way because More took a stand against King Henry VIII’s divorce of Catherine of Aragon and later was beheaded for his Catholic beliefs. Many people think of Sir Thomas More as the freethinking Renaissance humanist author of Utopia. However, there is a more accurate third view of Sir Thomas More; he is a narrow-minded hypocrite who persecuted those who opposed his views. The only good quality that Sir Thomas More showed was loyalty to his beliefs. In the age of kings, More could have followed King Henry VIII and believed he was serving God. â€Å"In serving Henry VIII, he would be serving God. Or so he could allow himself to think, until Henry demanded he swear an oath acknowledging the king to be the supreme authority on all matters temporal and spiritual, thus severing the English church's ties with Rome† (Rubin). In Peter Ackroyd’s book The Life of Sir Thomas More, he viewed Sir Thomas More as a martyr; Ackroyd also sees no inconsistency between More’s worldly success and his devout religious beliefs. There are, however, inconsistencies which will be shown later. Sir Thomas More may hold some Catholic beliefs dear to him, such as divorce, yet he does not embrace the more important belief of Thou shall not kill. His skewed views are apparent in James Woods’ Sir Thomas More: A Man for One Season. Woods’ writes, â€Å"as Lord Chancellor, he [Thomas More] had imprisoned and interrogated Lutherans, sometimes in his own house, and sent six reformers to be burned at the stake, and he had not done this just so that he might die for slender modern scruple, for anything as naked as the naked self.† Does this sound like a free thinking humanist and Catholic Saint? More’s actions against others who do not share his views speak for itself. In the 1520’s a man named Tyndale wrote a translation of The New Testament. In Tyndale’s translation, he included some of Martin Luther’s notes.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Gay Rights

Gay Marriage in the United States Gay marriage has divided the American people for over a decade. Yet such a sharp divide has occurred recently. Only a decade ago, gay marriage was nothing but an afterthought on the plates of many U. S. leaders. Many Liberal Democrats did not even support or condone the idea that same sex couples should be able to marry. However in early times, same-sex marriage was not considered exotic and in many cultures, it was encouraged. It was not until the rise of Christianity that a negative attitude towards same-sex marriage upraised.The turn of the 21st century has rought a new life and perspective onto this issue, and at this moment in time, a substantial majority of the American people actually supports same-sex marriages (Karaim, 2011). Marriage should be viewed as the union of two people based upon love and commitment. Marriage is an expression of our desire to create a social partnership, to live and share life's Joys and burdens with the person we l ove, and honoring these desires in all people strengthens society's bonds (Karaim, 2011).A marriage consisting of two males or two females is Just as natural as a marriage between a man and a woman. After many years of fghting this battle it is time for the U. S. federal government to enact a nationwide law granting civil right to marriage for everyone including the homosexual community. State legislatures have been deeply involved in the public debates about how to define marriage and whether the official recognition of marriage should be extended to same-sex couples. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia currently have laws that allow same-sex marriages.While other states are facing court challenges to keep same-sex marriages banned or to ban gay marriage from happening. In 2013 seven U. S States all through legislation and federal court decisions adopted the â€Å"Freedom to Marry' and now allow same-sex couples to marry. These states are Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Dela ware, Minnesota, Rhode Island and California. Out of the sixteen total states that recognize same-sex marriages, ten states and the District of Columbia have acted through legislation, five through court decisions, and one through public initiative.The debate for same-sex marriage became noticeably public in the late twentieth century; it was not until 1993 during a case in Hawaii, that the issue became national news. The ruling of the case stated that the restriction of marriage and its benefits to opposite-sex couples were unconstitutional. The Hawaiian case, declared that no state would be required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state, and also defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman† (Axel-Lute, 2002, p. l).By the end of that same year, a majority of states passed laws prohibiting same-sex marriage. Since then, states have defined their own definition of marriage, the Defense of Marriage Act stating a marriage is between a man and a woman h as been struck down as well. On a more recent note Hawaii's House of Representatives heard 56 hours of public testimony over five days. And on November 1 lth 2013, the House passed the marriage y a 30 to 19 vote . This made Hawaii the titteentn state to legalize same sex marriage in the Unites States.Earlier this year this same-sex marriage bill hit legislative roadblocks. It wasn't until the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the federal Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional. Governor Neil Abercrombie then called this piece of legislature back into special session to pass a compromise easure that added rights for religious figures who oppose same-sex marriage. The most influential reason against same-sex marriage is based on religion, and the â€Å"traditional† marriage is known as the social contract between a man and a woman.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Dark Dreams Essay

In the novel Dark Dreams page 47 â€Å"The Waves to Freedom: The Story of Nga-Huynh Diep† (by Gracia Diep, aged 15), it tell us how the Vietnamese were treated. It says that the communist parties were to come and strip away everything that was precious in Vietnam from its people. The Vietnamese were forced to live without any freedom either under the tough supervision of the communist party or in a re-education camp. It also says that the only happiness these people have was hope of escaping the country to have another chance at freedom in another land. In this story Nga-Huynh’s family risked their lives to escape Vietnam and she was only twenty-one years of age. They went through an emotional and a painful journey. The only way to travel to Australia was by boat and they had to follow the smugglers. The smugglers not only let her family travel by boat but also other families as well. So it was risky. The boat may sink and they will run out of food. Nga-Huynh sacrificed a lot for a chance at freedom and has come out maintaining her strong character. It says that the experiences of her escape from Vietnam haven’t weakened her they have made her into an even stronger person. Anyways she is now happily married, working woman with two daughters. She also lives in Melbourne and has found life in Australia very pleasant and would even call it her â€Å"home. † However she would like to go back to Vietnam and see what has happened to the country since she left it in 1979.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Essay on Managing Operational Risks in Financial InstitutionsEssay Writing Service

Essay on Managing Operational Risks in Financial InstitutionsEssay Writing Service Essay on Managing Operational Risks in Financial Institutions Essay on Managing Operational Risks in Financial InstitutionsHistorically, RBS was one of the most reputable and renowned banks of the UK, which though used to operate in Scotland mainly. However, the changed economic environment opened large opportunities for RBS to expand its business throughout the UK first, and then internationally. The 2000s marked the unparalleled growth of the bank with acquisitions, which do not always related to the banking industry. As a result, within less than a decade, from 2000 to 2007, RBS became one of the largest banks in the world. However, such expansion eventually resulted in the crisis that led RBS to the bailout. At the same time, one of the major factors that contributed to the downfall of RBS was the poor operational management which prevented the bank from the adequate assessment of risks and threats. Acquisitions made by the bank in the 2000s were too large for the bank to complete them successfully and safely, but the bank’s operatio nal risk management failed to uncover any threats.Operational risks and problems faced by RBS in 2008The moment, which sealed RBSs fate, came in October 2007, with the  £49 billion takeover of ABN Amro, the biggest bank in the Netherlands. However, this acquisition was a big but not the only one within less than a decade. In this regard, it is worth mentioning acquisitions of Royal Insurance, Churchill Insurance and Charter One were among the major deals which followed (seven in 2003 alone) as RBS steadily climbed the league table of Big Banks (Boonstra Gravenhorst, 2008).However, the problem of RBS was that the bank was buying companies when their share price was at its peak, rather than when shares were at rock bottom (Crosby, 2009). As a result, the bank paid the possibly higher price but could not manage the purchased companies properly. In fact, often acquisitions were close to failures. At any rate, the restructuring and integration of new companies into the bank’s s tructure became extremely challenging and almost always caused a considerable downturn in the performance of companies acquired by RBS. RBS, in its turn, also deteriorated its performance, while risks grew stronger as the bank continued to acquire new companies, while deals grew more and more costly.In December 2007, RBS eases investor fears when it reveals lower-than-expected write-downs of  £1.5bn for both RBS and ABN Amro following the meltdown in the US sub-prime mortgage market. The bank offsets  £250m of the write-downs by using its own cash reserves instead of turning to the increasingly expensive wholesale credit markets (Hamel Prahalad, 2009).However, by April 2008, RBS reaches the extremely high level of credit crunched write-downs which have reached UKP 5,9 billion (Hamel Prahalad, 2009). In actuality, the overall losses of the bank turned out to be much more significant and totaled with a loss of  £28 billion, the biggest in British corporate history (Hamel Prah alad, 2009). After such a loss, RBS’ share prices collapsed from  £6.03 in March 2007 to 11.6p in 2008 (Hamel Prahalad, 2009).In such a situation, the bank faced considerable financial problems by that time and the disaster was just coming up. In this regard, the major problem of RBS was the fact that the share of high-risk assets owned by RBS became too high, while top executives of the bank failed to notice the upcoming disaster that reveals the ineffectiveness of operational risk management of the bank. At any rate, top executives of the bank should have noticed that every new acquisition becomes more and more challenging and the larger the acquisition is the more difficult it is for the bank to complete the acquisition successfully. In this regard, the acquisition of ABN Amro was the last straw, while the financial crisis in the US and bankruptcy of largest American banks trigged the disaster that had to happen because of too risky policies conducted by RBS in regard t o its assets. In 2008, it became obvious that RBS failed to balance its assets and high risk assets became the unbearable burden that led RBS to the bailout.RBS’ response to the problemsIn response to the obvious threat of the rapid and steep downturn, RBS asks shareholders to pump in UKP 12 billion. Europes biggest rights issue forces chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin on the defensive, although he dismisses talk of him resigning (Hamel Prahalad, 2009). Nevertheless, the bank’s troubles became obvious and the urgent need for the government support became essential for the survival of the bank.In 2013, RBS still had  £54.6bn of what it calls non-core assets (RBS Key Financial statistics, 2014). Therefore, even five years after the crisis that put the bank on the edge of survival, the share of non-core assets, which are potentially risky is still very high. More important, the problem of those non-core assets is not just risks associated with them but it is rather the risk that such a large share of non-core assets will prevent RBS from the successful recovery.Experts (RBS Key Financial statistics, 2014) recommend to manage the run-down of high-risk assets of around  £38bn by the end of 2013. The goal is to remove 55-70% of these assets over the next two years (RBS Key Financial statistics, 2014). However, the bank has not done it so far.In such a way, the current financial position and policies conducted by RBS show that the bank is recovering but its recovery is too slow and uncertain. In this respect, the poor operational management of the bank is evident since the bank cannot get rid of high risk assets and non-core assets, which are often all the same. Probably, the government involvement prevents the bank from the effective management of operational risks that would allow RBS to sell off its risky assets fast, even if it resulted in job cuts and possible negative effects on certain companies or local economy. Instead, the board and execut ives of the bank are currently taking cautious decisions and cannot cut off high-risk assets immediately.Recommendations to RBS to manage operational risksOn analyzing roots of the problem of RBS and its deepest crisis in 2008, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the major problem of RBS was the poor operational risks management. The bank pursued fast growth and leadership in the industry at cost of purchasing high risk assets at the peak of their price, when they were the most expensive. However, these assets did not bring the bank desirable effects. Moreover, the accumulation of such assets made the bank incapable to resist to the negative impact of the financial crisis. Therefore, it is non-core, high risk assets that are the primary cause of the operational risks and problems of the bank at the moment.Hence, willingly or not, the bank will have to get rid of all of its high risk, non-core assets. This step may confront the opposition within RBS as well as from the part of the government but this decision is essential to help RBS to recover faster. Otherwise, RBS will keep stumbling until its final downfall since any new downturn in the economic development of the world or financial markets of the US, the UK or the EU, and RBS will be on the edge of survival again with its high risk assets.Furthermore, the bank should enhance its operational risk management through regular auditing and monitoring of its assets to identify immediately risky assets. At the same time, auditing and monitoring will help to assess the actual potential of the bank. In other words, auditing and monitoring will help the bank to assess adequately its resources and position in the market. Therefore, the bank will not take risky decisions, which may lead to uncertain effects, because executives will be aware that those decisions will be unaffordable for the bank.At the same time, it is possible to recommend changing the system of control over top executives. In fact, the downfall of RBS in 2008 was, to a significant extent, the result of policies conducted by Sir Fred Goodwin. In this regard, the model of decision making needs changes since the CEO of the company should not take decisions one-sidedly. Instead, it is the board that should participate in the decision making process that means that all top executives should conduct the marketing analysis and the analysis of existing risks and threats before taking the final decision of the board.Finally, the bank should consider options to change its asset policies. What is meant here is the fact that the bank should integrate acquired assets or sell them off (Brown, 2003). There are no other alternatives for RBS so far. The bank cannot spend substantial resources on the maintenance of assets that pulling the bank down and the bank may eventually sink, if it fails to optimize its assets not only through sales but also through organisational changes that will help the bank to integrate non-core assets and make them either core or just refuse from those assets.ConclusionThus, the financial crisis of 2008 revealed the vulnerability of RBS to numerous risks and threats associated with the unreasonable investment into non-core assets, many of which are high risk and, therefore dangerous for the stability of the bank. Moreover, the main problem of RBS was and, to a significant extent, remains the problem of the large share of non-core assets which the bank cannot fully and successfully integrated into its organizational structure. As a result, after making an expensive acquisition, because RBS often made acquisitions at the peak of share price of target companies, the bank acquired high risk assets that required substantial financial resources, while their performance and the performance of the bank deteriorated consistently. The bank is trying to recover but it fails so far because of its non-core assets that still comprise a large share of the bank’s total assets. In such a s ituation, it is possible to recommend RBS to sell off non-core assets finally. At the same time, the bank should conduct changes in its operational risk management introducing auditing and monitoring policies to control top managers of the bank and to assess adequately the current position of the bank as well as to forecast decisions that the board is going to take. Finally, the bank should consider ways of optimization of its complex organisational structure with the possibility of integration of existing assets that still can be used effectively by the bank.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Perl Array Splice() Function - Quick Tutorial

Perl Array Splice() Function - Quick Tutorial The Perl splice function takes the following form: Perls splice() function is used to cut out and return a chunk or portion of an array. The portion that is cut out starts at the OFFSET element of the array and continues for LENGTH elements. If the LENGTH is not specified, it will cut to the end of the array. Example of the Perl Splice Function Think of the myNames array as a row of numbered boxes, going from left to right, numbered starting with a zero. The splice() function would cut a chunk out of the myNames array starting with the element in the #1 position (in this case, Michael) and ending 3 elements later at Matthew. The value of someNames then becomes (Michael, Joshua, Matthew), and myNames is shortened to (Jacob, Ethan, Andrew). Using the Optional REPLACE_WITH As an option, you can replace the portion removed with another array by passing it in the REPLACE_WITH argument. In the above example, the splice() function would cut a chunk out of the myNames array starting with the element in the #1 position (in this case, Michael and ending 3 elements later at Matthew. It then replaces those names with the contents of the moreNames array. The value of someNames then becomes (Michael, Joshua, Matthew), and myNames is changed to (Jacob, Daniel, William, Joseph, Ethan, Andrew). You might want to check out some other Perl array functions such as reverse() to reverse the order of your array.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Adverse Effects Of Technology On Student Learning

Adverse Effects Of Technology On Student Learning As I was sitting in my room one night reading through articles on technology and its effect on education, a single idea sparked my interest in the topic: how students in my generation were being seen as negatively affected in the academic sphere by the advent of the iPhone, iPads, and constant television streaming. This idea got me thinking about my own life and use of technology both inside and outside the walls of my high school. It is hard for me to imagine a life without my devices, but the concerns by teachers across America are almost impossible to ignore. In today’s society, technology is a huge part of the lives of the current generation of high school students and will be even more ingrained in the lives of younger generations. The use of technology in schools will not slow down in the future, it will only grow more rapidly each year. Technology in education has caused students to lose focus in the classroom and become less analytical problem-solvers in regards to cri tical thinking questions. Clearly, the use of technological devices in the niche of education hampers the learning ability of students in the classroom. Initially, technology use in educational settings impedes students’ focus on scholastic tasks. Obviously, students do not always regard school as entertaining. Historically, students that were uninterested in a subject or lesson would often not have a way to escape from listening to the teacher; however, in today’s culture, students can turn to a tiny, pocket-sized treasure chest of games on their cell phone when they get bored in class. As technological advances have evolved, cell phones have made it easier and more accessible for students to become distracted from learning. Writer for the New York Times, Matt Richtel, in his article for the Times, â€Å"Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say†, published in the New York Times on November 1, 2012, addresses the topic of technology in education and argues that students have minimized the ability to focus on schoolwork since the technological boom. He supports this claim by examining one large-scale survey conducted by the Pew Internet Project, a branch of the Pew Research group, then analyzing another large-scale survey conducted by Vicky Rideout of Common Sense Media, a non-profit, San Francisco-based organization which counsels parents on childhood media use, and finally he uses interviews from teachers who spend time daily observing students in their classrooms. Richtel’s purpose is to show that students of the current generation have shifted dramatically in their approaches to learning and how the impact of technology has made it more difficult for students to keep attention on their responsibilities in school in order to help educators and parents rethink the amount of use of technology their student should be allowed to use. From the article, Richtel claims that, â€Å"There is a widespread belief among teachers that students’ constant use of digital technology is hampering their attention spans,† and this quote is spot-on in the culture of our soci ety. In Richtel’s quote, he illuminates how teachers, the people spending almost eight hours a day with students, have been seeing a noticeable decline in their students’ ability to focus on specific tasks in academia. If teachers, given their extensive time spent with students, have all had a similar experience with students’ waning attention spans, it is hard to discount that evidence against students. Evidently, teachers have been noticing as obvious degeneration in students’ ability to focus since the introduction of technological devices in student possession. Likewise, in the New York Times article, â€Å"Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction† (2010), author Matt Richtel, writer for the New York Times, asserts that the attention spans of contemporary students has diminished and suggests that technology is to blame for the decline. He backs up this claim by doing the following: first, he begins the article as the story of seventeen-year-old Vishal, a once bright and attentive student who’s grades have plummeted since he discovered technology in seventh grade, next, he uses research done by a Duke University professor and The Kaiser Family Foundation to supplement his thesis, last, he includes more stories of students and how they feel their use of technology has impacted their academic life. In this article, Richtel states, that â€Å"Several recent studies show that young people tend to use home computers for entertainment, not learning, and that this can hurt school performance, particularly in low-income families.â €  This quote is significant because, Richtel explains how studies that have been done in the recent past have supported the thesis of home computers being used by students for purposes other than those that are educational. For example, students at home may use their computers for social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or video streaming sites like YouTube instead of using the computer to play learning-centered games, read e-books, or work on homework. Furthermore, students are also apt to spend more time on these non-educational sites than on sites which could help them study for quizzes and tests or further their knowledge on subjects that they are not strong in and thus, hindering academic performance. It is well-defined that it is tremendously easy for students to lose focus on academic subjects while distracted by technology. Additionally, technology in education has also been shown to lessen the amount of critical thinking done by students in complex problems. Matt Richtel also discusses the topic of reduced problem-solving skills in his article â€Å"Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say†. In this article, Richtel states, â€Å"Lisa Baldwin, 48, a high school teacher in Great Barrington, Mass., [who] said students’ ability to focus and fight through academic challenges was suffering an ‘exponential decline’.† He goes on further to say that, â€Å"She said she was the decline most sharply in students whose parents allowed unfettered access to television, phones, iPads and video games.† Clearly, teachers have taken notice of the decline of students’ critical thinking skills in recent years. Whether it be in math, science, English, or any other subject, there will always be challenges to students that they may not be necessarily confident on how to solve the anticipated problem. As technology advances, students will be more enabled to use the internet to find the answers to such complicated problems instead of learning how to work through them, which will in turn, cause them to slowly lose the critical thinking skills necessary to adulthood. As in the quote from Ms. Baldwin, the â€Å"academic challenges† that are proposed to students will not just go away with the evolution of technology, and students will have to become more skilled problem-solvers than they currently are in order to succeed academically. The importance of preserving problem-solving skills in future generations is unimaginable, and it is recognizably a problem that many teachers, including Ms. Baldwin, are experiencing. Moreover, the ability of students to solve multifaceted problems has also been recognized by students to be a clear issue in education due to the use of technology. Matt Richtel also discusses the topic of the weakening ability of students to solve complex problems in his article â€Å"Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction†. In his article, Richtel observes the class of teacher Marcia Blondel, an expert teacher, who has been forced to resort to reading aloud in a senior English class because students have lacked the ability to read the assigned passages at home. Ms. Blondel states, â€Å"You can’t become a good writer by watching YouTube, texting and e-mailing a bunch of abbreviations.† This quote shows how teachers like Ms. Blondel are particularly alert to the fact that student learning capacities have taken a considerable shift from students being proactive to barely reading an assigned group of pages in a senior English class. It is more than understand able for an elementary-level English class to verbally read passages in class to bolster comprehension, but in a high school-level class, verbal reading is almost non-existent. The claim made by Ms. Blondel is not uncommon, technology has taken over aspects of students’ lives that were once filled by semi-meaningful actions. Discernibly, the use of technology has significantly hampered students’ ability to solve intricate problems. Conclusively, technology in education has huge implications on student achievement. The use of digital devices in educational settings has impeded on this culture’s students’ ability to focus and maintain attention in the classroom, as well as technology diminishing the ability of students to solve complex mental problems presented in classroom situations. Clearly, the use of technology in education has had a negative impact on today’s society’s students in the areas of focus and problem-solving. This thesis is bad for our culture because unless a restriction is placed on technology use by students, the dependency on technology will only grow and the problems proposed in the thesis will only become exacerbated by future generations of students. As thousands of students enter the school system each scholastic year, it is necessary to understand the true impact that iPhones, iPads, television, and video games have on developing minds. It is up to educators and parents to change this growing trend.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Analysis of Lewis Structures Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Lewis Structures - Research Paper Example The following are examples of the structures in a monoatomic form: Lewis structures are also used to indicate bonding in the form of a dash (-) for covalent bonds or a charge (+ or -) for ionic bonds (Schodek and Bechthold 301). Some examples: The bonds that are formed in the polyatomic structures usually have angles. The angles result in molecular geometry, which is best represented experimentally with the use of balls and sticks. The bonding angles that are involved in the analysis include linear, tetrahedral, trigonal pyramidal, trigonal planar, or bent. These are the geometries used in the Lewis structure experiments, though there are other geometric formations, where the structure does not adhere to the octet rule. Experimental Use The experimental representation of the Lewis structure requires the use of the following materials: A ball that has four holes, to be used as the central atom Inflexible sticks or straws for the single bonds a Flexible sticks or connectors for the dou ble or triple bonds The lone pairs around the central atom requires inflexible sticks NB: the balls used should be different in color as well as size to ease the representation of the elements and the electrons, with the central ball preferably larger. Arranging the experimental balls requires adherence to the guidelines for arranging the atoms, electrons, and bonds in the structures. Guidelines Involved In Using the Structures The rules in the experimental process of producing the Lewis structures follow these steps: 1. Draw the dot and structure diagram of the molecules or ions in question. For this step, knowledge on the bonds formed, their angles as well as geometry is important. The arrangement of the elements in the molecules is first established at this point. The central atom has to be established, the central atom, the element that holds most of the bonds is the structure. The following step to get involved into is the calculation of the valence bonds that are involved in t he bond formation, for a molecule (Schodek and Bechthold 501). The individual atoms and their configuration have to be considered in this case. The periodic table of elements is handy at this stage. The follow-up is the identification of bonds, following the octet rule i.e. a stable atom has to obtain a stable gas configuration in bond formation. 2. Determination of the overall and molecular geometry of the dot structure Using the knowledge of the geometry of formation, only as the octet rule applies, studying the dot structure allows inception of whether the structure is a linear, tetrahedral, trigonal pyramidal, trigonal planar, or bent formation. The main concept regarding the bond formation and geometry is the bond angles, which are 180 ° for the linear, 120 ° for the trigonal planar, 109.5 ° for the tetrahedral, 90 °, 120 ° and 180 ° for the trigonal by pyramidal, 90 ° and 180 ° for the Octahedral, etc (Schodek and Bechthold 492).  Ã‚  

Human resources system for employee self-self of royal mail Essay

Human resources system for employee self-self of royal mail - Essay Example It offers several services through these subsidiaries, which include parcel delivery system, postal mail services, general logistic system, and general services related to post (Russell, 2005 p45). Royal Mail focuses on delivering letters and packages to all part of the world. Currently, this company has 14,300 post office branches and 113,000 post boxes throughout the UK, which collect packages, letters and parcels from over 87,000 individuals and businesses. These commodities are collected through a diverse collection and transportation network that includes 33,000 bicycles and 30,000 vehicles (Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons Committee: Trade and Industry, 2006 p23). This paper provides strengths and weaknesses (internal analysis) of Royal Mail’s human resource management system for employees, and recommendation that should be adopted to improve its human resource management system and employees’ performances and efficiencies. Strengths The highly skilled and hard working employees, who are regularly motivated by the financial resources and efficient management, form the key strengths of Royal Mail. The company’s employees are offered improved new range of training and assured performance related pays (Plunkett, 2009 p76). Some of the Royal Mail’s employees are regarded as the company’s valuable assets. ... esource management system, and they include: the present contracts were renewed, and new standardized contracts were awarded to the employees; the newly introduced techniques and machinery help the employees achieve a world class standard performance, the newly revised Pension scheme plans were going to be directed to those employees in the Royal Mail pension plan (Russell, 2005 p58); the new plan for early retirement and temporary redundancy were going to be implemented with an immediate effect, and the minimum wages and working hours were also revised. The Royal Mail’s human resource management also puts employees’ safety in the forefront of the priority list. In order to motivate its staff members, this company has improved its working condition, stress relief exercise, self appraisal process, first aid facilities, and changes employees’ job duties over some time. The HRM has also included increments and promotions into the new plan. The Royal Mail has also de veloped a new method of dealing with the Trade Union. The trade union has been given a vital position in the company’s management activities. The union has also been requested to help employees to conform to the Organizational rules and regulations, and achieve sustainable competitive advantage (Chancery House, 2008 p26). An effective system of communication between the HRM and the trade union was also developed. Weaknesses There have been frequent complaints from customers regarding missing parcels and letters in some Royal Mail’s retail outlets. Careful investigation revealed that some of the company’s staff members have been involved in a series of mail theft over the past few years (Brooks, 2003 p118). This has reduced the Royal Mails reputation and prestige before it esteemed customers. This

Nursing 220 topic, any age group, relatd to oncology, hematology, Essay

Nursing 220 topic, any age group, relatd to oncology, hematology, immunology, acute neurology, emergency or critcal care nursing - Essay Example ach utilizing the evidence from current nursing research literature so the best nursing practice in this specific area of oncologic nursing practice is established. Review of Literature: Stanley in her note, "Partners in Cancer Care" published from Oncology Nursing Society has highlighted the importance and availability of best evidence for managing common cancer symptoms. Evidence in support of nursing practice in this area is known to be accumulating exponentially, which demands utilization of these evidences in the clinical practice. Literature consistently demonstrates identifiable evidence base for oncology nursing and the impacts of these evidence-based interventions in patient outcomes as far as the oncology nursing practice is concerned. It is also important to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions used for cancer symptom management, so recommendations for future practice can be made to result in improvement in patient care that can be measured. (Stanley, KJ., 2006). Nausea and vomiting continues to be significant side effects of cancer therapy that add to the distress of the patients. Optimal antiemetic prophylaxis in cancer patients receiving chemo and radiotherapies has been the subject of many trials. The Antiemetic Subcommittee of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) in their review presents the findings up to the year 2004. Classically, the chemotherapeutic agents have been classified with high, moderate, low, and minimal emetogenic potentials. The current recommendations support a three-drug regimen that includes a 5-HT3 antagonist such as ondansetron 32 mg, dexamethasone 12 mg, and aprepitant 125 mg on day 1, followed by dexamethasone 8 mg daily on days 2 to 4, and aprepitant 80 mg on days 2 to 3 provides a complete response of no emesis with no use of rescue antiemetic in prevention of vomiting and nausea induced by chemotherapy of high emetogenic risk. Likewise, there are recommendations for moderate

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Evaluation report Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evaluation report - Personal Statement Example The coordination role involved communicating with the facilitators and the entire relevant department in immersion programs. After development of immersion programs such as the dual immersion program, monitoring and evaluation of the program effectiveness are carried out. Monitoring involves the evaluation of student participation in the programs and individual achievement of the students (Baker 23). Participatory evaluation was conducted by the use of team activities and personal reflections on every task undertaken. As a coordinator, I evaluated individual student participation through roll call and attendance registers. The evaluation of effectiveness was done in cooperation with the facilitators. The monitoring process was successful, and the program recorded an improvement in language proficiency of the learners. In terms of offering logistical support, the purchases of relevant materials have been done on time with the focus being on effective administration of the designed program. The inclusion of immersion outreach programs and visitation to other ISO immersion centers. Additionally, the designing of the programs and plans was undertaken after serious consultation with all stakeholders. The logistical challenges associated with immersion programs have been considerably reduced through interactive program development. The development of the isolation immersion program facilitates simulation of the real life activities with the language learnt. The program takes up to three days and involves the use of one language strictly. As a coordinator, the development of plans and participation in the Isolation immersion program with the students is vital. The designing of isolation immersion program entails designing planning and execution of the set plan (Baker 121). As coordinator, I organized a number of three day immersion events for students

Strategy and organizational learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategy and organizational learning - Essay Example Flow of information, knowledge, technology and capital has transcended geographic and national boundaries due to globalization. With such fast, easy and fluid flow of information, knowledge and technology the major asset of an organization has become knowledge and not production. Rate of an organizations ability to learn and adapt is considered to be the only real source of competitive advantage. How organizations can become a learning organization? Does individual learning and social learning has any relationship with organizational learning? What is the difference between an organization that learns and a learning organization? Is it just mastery of words or there is some substance in it? This paper aims at answering all these questions with the help of theory and its critical analysis along with the examples from the business world. Emergence of Knowledge/ Learning Organizations Charles Darwin said â€Å"It is not the strongest of the species who survive, nor the most intelligent ; as a matter of fact, it is the ones who are the most agile to change†. The same point stands valid for organizations too. The organization who wishes to remain relevant and thrive in the long run, learning better and faster is the solution or the technology. Learning is not only the key to success but perhaps vital for survival for today’s organizations. For this purpose organizations must strive to enrich knowledge through continuous internal and external learning. A learning organization is one that encourages and values learning and realizes the role learning can play in enhancing organizational effectiveness. This attitude and importance of learning is reflected in the vision of the organization and a learning strategy that supports the inspiring vision for learning. Building a Learning Organization A learning organization depends on a lot of internal and external factors. External environment includes economy, society, polity and technology. The subsystem of lear ning organization includes organization, people, knowledge and technology. Each subsystem not only interacts with each but also support for learning to permeate all across the organization. The importance of learning is communicated by leaders. An effective communication system is developed to avoid the development of silos and ensure smooth lateral flow of knowledge across structural boundaries. Both planned and emergent learning needs are emphasized. For building effective learning organization following steps must be taken, strategy development, collaboration mechanism, knowledge sharing and learning, management techniques and knowledge capture and storage (Serrat, 2009). Social Complexity and Organizational Learning Organizational learning is a very complex social phenomenon. Emergent and fluid nature of organizational learning makes it more complex. The two most important determinants of complexity science are schemas of diversity and interaction interdependence. Presence of bo th in learning organizations makes it a complex. Tensions within and between internal and exte

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Elements of a Contract for a business Research Paper

Elements of a Contract for a business - Research Paper Example Contracts make clear what each party’s expectations are, and what each party is ready to give in return for the expected results. Elements of a business contract are many e.g. the Parties of a contact, which are the entities that are involved in the agreement. There is also the Consideration, which states and explains what the involved parties stand to gain from the agreement or arrangement. Terms and Conditions of business contacts do stipulate the obligations and rights of each party. Competent Parties; the parties involved must also be competent ones since a contract can be considered invalid in case it can be conveyed that a party was not mentally competent at the time of the contract agreement and signing. A business contract has to be of or for a Legal Purpose so that it can be regarded as being valid (www.expertlaw.com). Consideration is what both parties give to the other as the approved price for the others promises. Regularly, but not a must, the consideration is the payment of cash. It can be anything valuable including the promise of not doing something, or to desist from applying some right. The payment does not need to be fair. The courts will not intercede where a party has made a hard negotiation unless unconscionable conduct, duress or fraud is involved. If the consideration is there, then I as the former employee to the fabulous hotel will have to compensate them in one way or the other. Together with the hotel, would agree on what the compensation should be (www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au). With in a contract, only what has been offered can be accepted. This implies that the offer has to be accepted precisely as it has been offered without conditions. If any new terms are suggested, then they are considered to be a counter offer which can be rejected or accepted. There can be numerous offers and counter offers before an agreement is reached. Who makes the final offer is not significant;

Strategy and organizational learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategy and organizational learning - Essay Example Flow of information, knowledge, technology and capital has transcended geographic and national boundaries due to globalization. With such fast, easy and fluid flow of information, knowledge and technology the major asset of an organization has become knowledge and not production. Rate of an organizations ability to learn and adapt is considered to be the only real source of competitive advantage. How organizations can become a learning organization? Does individual learning and social learning has any relationship with organizational learning? What is the difference between an organization that learns and a learning organization? Is it just mastery of words or there is some substance in it? This paper aims at answering all these questions with the help of theory and its critical analysis along with the examples from the business world. Emergence of Knowledge/ Learning Organizations Charles Darwin said â€Å"It is not the strongest of the species who survive, nor the most intelligent ; as a matter of fact, it is the ones who are the most agile to change†. The same point stands valid for organizations too. The organization who wishes to remain relevant and thrive in the long run, learning better and faster is the solution or the technology. Learning is not only the key to success but perhaps vital for survival for today’s organizations. For this purpose organizations must strive to enrich knowledge through continuous internal and external learning. A learning organization is one that encourages and values learning and realizes the role learning can play in enhancing organizational effectiveness. This attitude and importance of learning is reflected in the vision of the organization and a learning strategy that supports the inspiring vision for learning. Building a Learning Organization A learning organization depends on a lot of internal and external factors. External environment includes economy, society, polity and technology. The subsystem of lear ning organization includes organization, people, knowledge and technology. Each subsystem not only interacts with each but also support for learning to permeate all across the organization. The importance of learning is communicated by leaders. An effective communication system is developed to avoid the development of silos and ensure smooth lateral flow of knowledge across structural boundaries. Both planned and emergent learning needs are emphasized. For building effective learning organization following steps must be taken, strategy development, collaboration mechanism, knowledge sharing and learning, management techniques and knowledge capture and storage (Serrat, 2009). Social Complexity and Organizational Learning Organizational learning is a very complex social phenomenon. Emergent and fluid nature of organizational learning makes it more complex. The two most important determinants of complexity science are schemas of diversity and interaction interdependence. Presence of bo th in learning organizations makes it a complex. Tensions within and between internal and exte

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

An Early Marriage Essay Example for Free

An Early Marriage Essay An early marriage, is an issue where argued by many now a days. Some people are advocated for early marriage because it is healthy. Prophet Mohammed said that it is better to marry early, but if you can’t then you should fast instead if you still can’t control your desire. I believe that early marriage had a lot of advantages. But people would argue that younger married couples are not matured enough to take the responsibilities. But this is not a big issue to argue for, since a most succeeded marriages in the past 10 years are a younger married which lasted longer. Personally, any person should have a step to marry early. People says , married earlier is the best way to destroy your life in such a young age besides drugs. Young people are not ready for responsibilities. They have not done any thing important in their life. But , I believe if people waited until they were older to marry theyd be a lot more careful about selecting a mate. That would be a terrible blow to the divorce industry. Although divorces didnt depend on the age of the couples. It depends on how they faced and solved their problems. Moreover, I would say that it would be nice to have your children younger, and will be able to join them in many things, be closer to understanding their generational viewpoints, fashion, trends, etc. When your children have your grandchildren, you will be young grandparents able to enjoy your grandchildren, do more things with them, live longer to see them prosper as well. The nice thing is that once your children leave home, you will be still young enough and most likely healthy enough to do more things such as travel, or physical activity. Others says , that many females refuse to live with in lows , so as a consequences males most ready to assist their own financial situations first before they getting married, which may cause to delay marriage . Well, it is all about whether they want to get married and your partner is supportive or not. It is about maturity levels, how much they care for each other and how much they want the marriage to work. You have those marriages which do turn out to work. These marriages seem to work because the couple has worked things out and have thought out every way possible to keep this marriage going and will work out the problems that come their way. If the couple is prepared, most likely the marriage will continue to go strong it both spouses take an equal part of the marriage and work it out.