The Concepts Of Sex And Gender - 1225 Words

The concepts of sex and gender define the majority of our behavior within society. The irony within this is that sex is not the same in gender. However, the way society pushes roles in gender, the difference between gender and sex is rarely noted. It isn’t just society, but the media as well that pushes for a differentiation of behaviors between the two sexes, resulting in overall social constraints as well as personal experiences that are defined by gender. The first thing is to distinguish between sex and gender. Sex is the biological characteristics that distinguishes males from females. This consists of primary characteristics of sex and secondary characteristics of sex. Primary sex characteristics consists of the penis and the vagina†¦show more content†¦Although factors such as sex do play a role in the behavior of an individual, more often than not, a misinterpretation of what a certain sex is supposed to do leads to the creation of the gender characteristic that is present in behavior of the different sexes. Gender roles relate to personal life in everything we do. For example, the places people will go to urinate or emptying their bowels is dictated by gender roles. One simply has to pay attention to the restroom scandals happening recently with the Transgender community. As of recently, various southern states have recently passed bills with regards to gender restrictions within each bathroom. This restricts transgende r people from using public bathrooms that matches their gender identity from using these bathrooms. Some bills stop at restricting with fines as where others criminalize it. These states include Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee (Bendery and Signorile, 2016). Gender roles also dictate what the people who belong within the status quo binary more accepted genders that are masculine and feminine do. For example, within the work environment, men are paid much higher in wages than women are. According to Henslin (2014), as the pay scale increases every 10 dollars, the wage gap also increases between the men and the women

Essay about American Teenagers and Plastic Surgery

American Teenagers and Plastic Surgery Plastic surgery is not a new field of medicine. Traditionally, plastic surgery dealt with fixing abnormalities of the body, but recently people are enjoying the luxury of plastic surgery simply because they are not happy with their appearance. People make appointments with plastic surgeons for procedures such as rhinoplasty, liposuction, tummy tucks, face lifts, and most commonly breast augmentation. These people look forward to desired results from such procedures without considering the risks. Many risks accompany plastic surgery, but they are rarely discussed in the media. Death is even a possible conclusion of the surgery. Why would people subject themselves to such conditions as having†¦show more content†¦Television shows such as Nip Tuck (FX), The Swan (ABC), Extreme Makeover (NBC), Doctor 90210 (E), and I Want a Famous Face (MTV) influence teenagers to alter their appearance. Through watching these television shows young people are able to view common plastic su rgery procedures. These television shows that teens are viewing, however, lack an accurate depiction of what could go wrong in any given plastic surgery procedure. It is no question that peer pressure is a big issue when it comes to teenagers, but appearance can literally become an emotional issue. Teens simply follow the norm of society and ask their parents if they can get a nose job or even breast augmentation. It amazes me how many times I have heard people tell me that they got a boob job for their graduation gift from their parents. Why would parents permit their children to undergo the unnecessary risk of injury or even death? Not to mention the cost of plastic surgery is extremely expensive. Common procedures that teens undergo include: rhinoplasty, otoplasty, liposuction, face lifts, laser hair removal, botox injections, collagen injections, and of course breast augmentation. Rhinoplasty is the reshaping of the sculpture of the nose, and this procedure is the most customary among teenagers. Otoplasty is the reshaping of the sculpture of the ears. These procedures range from $3000 to $4000. Laser hair removal costs about $600. Collagen and botox injections, which get rid of theShow MoreRelatedTeenagers and the Plastic Surgery Epidemic Essay1090 Words   |  5 PagesToday, an overwhelming number of American teenagers choose to alter their body in order to fit the unrealistic standard of physical attractiveness created by our beauty-obsessed culture. Teens feel an immense amount of pressure to look â€Å"beautiful† from the media, peers and even parents. Teenagers are going to extreme lengths to reach this physical perfection, but when it comes down to it, jus t how far is too far? The numbers of teens going through with plastic surgery is startling and will continueRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Teens Under The Knife By Kaitlyn Ali And Tiffany Lam1351 Words   |  6 PagesIn the article entitled Teens Under the Knife written by Kaitlyn Ali and Tiffany Lam readers are informed on the possible risks that are exposed to teens who have cosmetic surgery. Ali and Lam state, There are many risks in plastic surgery, such as permanent numbness, infections, blood clots, and even death (par. 9). The developing bodies of teens are still changing which could lead to altering the effects or future displacement of the surgical procedure. The article states, Because teens Read MoreTeenagers Should Never Have Cosmetic Surgery Essay1555 Words   |  7 PagesTeenagers Should Never Have Cosmetic Surgery In 2012, over 236,000 teenagers from the ages of 13-19 years old, went under the syringe to have a cosmetic procedure done (Gilbert, Web). Teenagers should never be able to have cosmetic surgeries because of the harmful effects the procedures have. Teenage minds and bodies are not fully developed until they are in their early twenties. Therefore, doctors are unable to fully comprehend the risks these procedures will have on the teenagers, since theirRead MoreEffects Of Plastic Surgery Among Teenagers1467 Words   |  6 Pages Plastic Surgery amongst Teenagers is on the rise In the year 2015, where here in the United States following the lastest celebrities has become an influence on many teens across the Unites States, what I mean by influence is plastic surgery. You see it everywhere it s on TV, on billboards, on the radio and all over the magazines. It seems as if everything a well known celebrity does teens want to do also. And what celebrity has gottenRead MoreWhy The World Want Plastic Surgery1480 Words   |  6 Pagesa big nose. Bullying is not the only reason to get a plastic surgery but it is a big reason why people resort to such drastic measures. What problems specifically lead to plastic surgery? First, it is important to mention that plastic surgery has two branches. There is cosmetic surgery, people use it to improve there appearance while on the other side reconstructive surgery treats serious health issues. When you hear the words â€Å"plastic surgery† you thing about nose jobs, face lifting and breastRead MoreThe Age Of The Cosmetic Epidemic1042 Words   |  5 Pageswill go through whatever measures to be plastic just like her. An overwhelming amount of Americans teens are choosing to change their appearance to fit into a highly unrealistic and unattainable standard of beauty that was created and forced upon us by our physically obsessed culture. There is no doubt that teens feel an enormous pressure to look â€Å"beautiful† and feel obligated to do whatever necessary to reach â€Å"perfection.† Contrary to what many believe, American teens, like most teens around the worldRead MoreShould Teenagers Do Plastic Surgery?1128 Words   |  5 PagesXia oyan Gu Professor Perin English 294 11/17/2015 Should Teenagers Do Plastic Surgery? Have you noticed that some parents who are extremely young beauty pageant contestants contest that competitive can provide confidence for their children? Or students who are trying to show their individuality by negotiating abandoning uniform policy? Or, that some companies are more willing to hire a person when they are attractive? Nowadays, people are more focused on external beauty than inner beauty. SometimesRead MoreTeenagers and Cosmetic Surgery1573 Words   |  6 Pagesmany teenagers. As a result, teenagers from all around the world who are insecure concerning their appearances are more likely to have cosmetic surgery to blend in, to avoid peer harassments, and to stop further inner torments. Keep in mind that plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery are different even though both surgeries are used to fix someone’s physical body. Plastic surgery are used to mend looks that are ruined due to terrible accidents, and is pay by insurance, while cosmetic surgery are usedRead M orePlastic Surgery Operations For The Age1337 Words   |  6 Pages356 plastic surgery operations for the age group 13-19 in 2012 alone (Penningtons Manches) and surely the rate has increased in the past 4 years. Many people believe that it is up to the child to decide what they do to their bodies but those decisions can negatively affect their overall wellbeing. Understanding that there are certain exceptions, such as it being medically necessary, to this, teenagers under the age of 18 should not be allowed, even with parental consent, to get plastic surgery forRead MoreThe Development Of Cosmetic Surgery1556 Words   |  7 Pagesnot the only ones resulting to plastic surgery to maintain or enhance their appearance. Many people are riveted by the fact that at the age of fifteen years old, Jen Selter had plastic surgery because of her â€Å"large† nose (Victoria). Caitlin Clemons, age eighteen, had surgical breast augmentation in order to â€Å"fulfill† her self- est eem (Victoria). These cases are what have shifted natural beauty to the idea that reflection is everything. The development of cosmetic surgery has evolved from the need to

Event Management for Idea and Methodology †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theEvent Management for Idea and Methodology. Answer: Introduction Background Event management has become widely popular in different parts of the world due to its success as a marketing tool and in attracting large numbers of people. Event management consists of different aspects and the organisers have to take in consideration all these aspects to make an event successful. Since large numbers of people gather to enjoy an event, the experience of each and every person differs due to the cultural background, the preferences and other factors. Few factors in an event provide best experience and few gives worst experiences. Only experiencing an event is not enough but to provide a reflection over the event is essential. Reflection over an event helps in getting an overall idea of the event by other individuals who did not attend the event. Best experiences about an event encourage others to attend the event in future (Glow and Caust, 2010). Different factors work simultaneously behind attending an event by individuals. One of the factors is the motivation. Adela ide Fringe is such an event which has been attended by me recently. I have gathered huge experience from the event and in the present report a reflection has been presented. The present report will illustrate the details of the event and the marketing strategies of the event. Next the best experience and the worst experience from the event has also been described. Aim of the Report The main aim behind the report is to depict the experience gathered by me from the event Adelaide Fringe in Adelaide, South Australia. It will also help me to describe the purpose of attending the event and whether the purpose has been fulfilled or not. This will also help in taking decision whether to attend the event in the future or not by those people who were not present in the event. Description of the Event The name of the event is the Adelaide Fringe. This is considered to be the second largest festival in the world. This is mainly a festival of arts which is attended by large numbers of artists in every year. This event was first started in the year 1960 and it takes place every year on the month of February and March (Caust and Glow, 2011). The duration of the event is of 31 days. More than 5000 artists across the Australia take part in the event. In this Adelaide Fringe festival nearly 1100 events take place at different venues. In Adelaide Fringe festival large number of events such as the comedy show, cabaret, theatre, film and different interactive events take place. All these events are world class. More than 1.5 million participants visit the event every year and the present year is not an exception. These events have open access to all individuals and are an open platform to display their talent in front of large numbers of people. This provides an artistic platform to large n umbers of artists. Goals and Mission of Adelaide Fringe Adelaide Fringe has different goals and this festival has been able to fulfil the demand of people since long time and these are as follows: The primary goal of the event is to attract large number of talented artists to fulfil the satisfaction level of audiences. To attract as many visitors as possible at different venues To make audiences astonished and wow by the quality of event and enhance its discussion throughout the world (Allen et al., 2012). To make the financial base strong to improve the quality in the future. To get success in event organisaition and increase flexibility in the business. Marketing Strategies Marketing plays an important role in gaining popularity among people. The marketing techniques differ from one event to another. There are different marketing strategies which are adopted by event organisers and the success of the event depends on the selection of right kind of strategies. Since it is the primary objective of most of the event organisers is to attract maximum numbers of the customers in the event by adopting the most suitable marketing strategy (Lee et al., 2008). One of such festival is the Adelaide Fringe and it organises large numbers of events in the month of February and March. One of the most suitable marketing techniques is the marketing positioning, the market segmentation and targeting key markets. In case of the Adelaide Fringe festivals the main marketing strategy is the market positioning, segmentation and the targeting. In case of market positioning the main objective is to increase the popularity of these events among people. To achieve this, organisers take the help of rigorous advertisement at different places. The open platform which is one of the important features helps in attracting large numbers of visitors. The prices of events are also set in such a manner that people from different sections can attend in these events. Since, large numbers of events take place in the Adelaide Fringe, people from different age group can attend these events. The market segmentation is done on the basis of the demographic factors, the geographical factors and also behavioural factors. There were large numbers of cultural events, entertainments and rides for children. Therefore few events were suitable for children and others for people belonging to middle and elderly age group (Van d er Wagen, 2010). Finally event organisers also provided importance on targeting a section of people and this is essential for the setting event according to their preferences. Another marketing tool is the motivation and the motivational factor that works for visitor to attend the event is the environment that it provides to its visitors. People will surely gather some experiences those will be cherished by them to bring changes in their monotonous life. The atmosphere of the festival was favourable to attract large numbers of visitors from different parts of Adelaide. The facilities and convenience available at the event venues also acts as the motivational factor. Best Experience Visiting the Adelaide Fringe, I gathered different kinds of experiences which I am still cherishing. My best experience in the event is the opportunity to watch comedy show, which is very popular in this event. The name of the comedy show was Man of the Hour. The performer in the show was Merrick Watts who has gained large popularity in the recent years. I had the great desire to watch the show live. Before this event there were more than one opportunity to watch the show but unfortunately I could not attend. This time I did not want to lose the opportunity (Morgan, 2008). In this comedy show Merrick Watts made the show memorable for me. Therefore, this has become my best experience out of other experiences in the event. After the end of the event I was also fortunate enough to get the autograph. Nice arrangements were made by the event organisers. From the entry into the musical show to the exit from the show, all were organised perfectly. The seating arrangement, performance of mus ical band, the stage decoration and ambience, all made the event successful. Worst Experience I have also one worst experience and that has made me upset after getting out of the comedy show. The crowd was so huge that it was impossible to tackle them in an effective manner. The crowd management is one of the most important parts of event management. Though the organiser made enough arrangements for crowd management, but the crowd was beyond the expectation of the event organiser. This resulted in the crowd mismanagement. After the end of the show the rush was so high and the situation became so chaotic, that I lost my wallet. This made my whole plan disrupted. I could not enter in to other entertainment shows due to the lack of money. I also informed the customer care department, but I could not get my wallet back. This could be handled with the help of more numbers of volunteers and trained crowd control team. SWOT Analysis Analysing the internal and external environment in case of an event is imperative from the point of view of an event organiser. The environmental analysis helps in identifying various factors which help in improving the overall performance of the event (Jones, 2014). One of the tools is the SWOT analysis. It includes the Strengths, weakness, opportunity and threats in relation to the event. The SWOT analysis has been done below: Strengths: Popularity: The main strength of the event is its popularity among large numbers of people in Adelaide and also across the world. Popularity of any event helps in attracting huge gathering without taking the help of less marketing strategies. Number of Events: Large numbers of events take place in Adelaide Fringe and it is an open platform to display the art of different artists. Huge Gathering: Large numbers of visitors from different parts of the Adelaide and other parts of the world attend these events (Cravens and Piercy, 2006). Festival time: The time of festival is also very conducive for attracting large number of visitors. The pleasant weather allows people to enjoy the event thoroughly. Weaknesses Venues: since these events take place at different parts of the Adelaide, therefore it is difficult to avail all events by people. Crowd Management: Due to huge gathering it sometimes becomes difficult to manage crowd at the event venue. This sometimes makes a negative impact on the mind set of people. Costly Events: Since few events are popular due the popularity of an artist, people from different section of the society cannot afford these events due to its high price. Opportunities New talents: Large numbers of new artists get the opportunity to display their talent in front of large section of people. This will also act as an opportunity for the event to increase its popularity Profit: These events help in gaining large profit due to the demand of these events by people from different parts of Adelaide. Sponsorship: Since large numbers of people gather at the event venue, therefore different entrepreneurs and organisations provide sponsorship to make people aware of their products. This acts a financial source to organise these events in an effective manner (Ghazinoory et al., 2007). Food Stalls: Varieties of food stalls attract people from different age group. These food stalls get the opportunity to promote their food products among people. This fulfils the purpose of both food vendors as well as the event organisers. Threats Competition: there are large numbers of other events which are organised by other event organisers in Adelaide and these acts as competitors for Adelaide Fringe. Transportation: It becomes difficult for people to attend the venue due to large distance from one event venue to another. Due to limited public transport system it becomes difficult to reach the event place for few sections of society (Pahl and Richter, 2007). In case of few expensive events the ticket price set by the event organisers are high enough to discourage people to attend these events and affects the competitiveness of the event. Recommendations My overall experience in the event was mixed. Organisers made large effort to make the ambience beautiful and charming. Due to few reasons I think the situation can be improved in the future. Few recommendations in this regards are as follows: The crowd management must be improved significantly. Since the crowd is increasing day by day, it is important to tackle them with the help of effective crowd control team. This will help in reducing the chaos due to the huge gathering at the event venue. The whole area must be under CCTV surveillance, so that any unwanted events can be handled easily. Though the comedy show gave me high level of satisfaction, but more numbers of shows have to be incorporated to attract customers from different age group and cultural background (Morgan, 2008). To improve the popularity of these events it is important to take the help of more rigorous advertisement and promotional strategies. Proper transportation system has to be arranged for those people who are coming from far away. This will also act as a motivational factor behind increasing the number of visitors in the event. Conclusion From the above report it can be concluded that the Adelaide Fringe is one of worldwide most popular event. It has gained popularity due to its few unique features. People not only from Adelaide but also from different parts of the world come to enjoy this festival season in Australia. I have also visited this event this year. On the basis of my own experience it can be said that various marketing strategies and motivational techniques work behind attracting visitors in any event. In case of Adelaide Fringe the most important marketing strategy was the market segmentation and target market. The show which I visited was a comedy show and it gave me mixed experience (Caust and Glow, 2011). The crowd was so large that it was beyond the capability of the crowd management team to handle any unwanted situation. This situation has to be improved immediately. Beside this the public transportation system also acts as a barrier for people coming from far distance. This issue also has to be addr essed. References Allen, J., O'toole, W., Harris, R., McDonnell, I. (2012).Festival and Special Event Management, Google eBook. John Wiley Sons. Caust, J., Glow, H. (2011). Festivals, Artists and Entrepreneurialism: The Role of the Adelaide Fringe Festival.International Journal of Event Management Research,6(2), 1-14. Cravens, D. W., Piercy, N. (2006).Strategic marketing(Vol. 7). New York: McGraw-Hill. Ghazinoory, S., Esmail Zadeh, A., Memariani, A. (2007). Fuzzy SWOT analysis.Journal of Intelligent Fuzzy Systems,18(1), 99-108. Glow, H., Caust, J. (2010).Valuing Participation: Artists and the Adelaide Fringe Festival(Doctoral dissertation, Common Ground). Jones, M. (2014).Sustainable event management: A practical guide. Routledge. Lee, Y., Lee, C., Lee, S. Babin, B. J 2008, Festivalscapes and patrons emotions, satisfaction and loyalty, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 61, No. 1, pp. 56-64 Morgan, M. (2008). What makes a good festival? Understanding the event experience.Event Management,12(2), 81-93. Pahl, N., Richter, A. (2007).SWOT analysis: Idea, methodology and a practical approach(pp. 3-4). Grin Verlag. Van der Wagen, L. (2010).Event management. Pearson Higher Education AU.

Plato Essays (602 words) - Platonism, Theory Of Forms,

Plato Plato's theory of knowledge is found in the Republic, particularly in his discussion of the image about the myth of the cave. Plato distinguishes between two levels of awareness: opinion and knowledge. The myth of the cave describes individuals chained deep within the recesses of a cave. Bound so that vision is restricted, they cannot see one another. The only thing visible is the wall of the cave upon which appear shadows cast by models or statues of animals and objects that are passed before a brightly burning fire. Breaking free, one of the individuals escapes from the cave into the light of day. With the aid of the sun, that person sees for the first time the real world and returns to the cave with the message that the only things they have seen are shadows and appearances and that the real world awaits them if they are willing to struggle free of their bonds. The shadowy environment of the cave symbolizes for Plato the physical world of appearances. Escape into the sun-filled setting outside the cave symbolizes the transition to the real world, the world of full and perfect being, the world of Forms, which is the proper object of knowledge. Plato established the Forms as arranged hierarchically; the supreme Form is the Form of the Good, which, like the sun in the myth of the cave. There is a sense in which the Form of the Good represents Plato's movement in the direction of an ultimate principle of explanation. Ultimately, the theory of Forms is intended to explain how one comes to know and also how things have come to be as they are. In philosophical language, Plato's theory of Forms is a theory of knowledge and a theory of being. The cave is the world The fetters are the imagination The shadows of ourselves are the passive states which we know by thinking. The learned in the cave are those who possess empirical forms of knowledge (who know how to make predictions, the doctors who know how to cure people by using empirical methods, those who know what is going on, etc.). Their knowledge is nothing but a shadow. Education, he says, is, according to the generally accepted view of it, nothing but the forcing of thoughts into the minds of children. For, says Plato, each person has within himself the ability to think. If one does not understand, this is because one is held by the chains. Whenever the soul is bound by the chains of suffering, pleasure, etc. it is unable to contemplate through its own intelligence the unchanging patterns of things. No doubt, there are mathematicians in the cave, but their attention is given to honors, rivalries, competition, etc. If anyone is not able to understand the unchanging patterns of things, that is not due to a lack of intelligence; it is due to a lack of moral stamina. In order to direct one's attention to the perfect patterns of things, one has to stop valuing things which are always changing and not eternal. One can look at the same world, which is before our eyes, either from the point of view of its relation to time, or from that of its relationship to eternity. Education means turning the soul in the direction in which it should look, of delivering the soul from the passions. Plato's morality is: Do not make the worst possible mistake of deceiving yourself. We know that we are acting correctly when the power of thinking is not hindered by what we are doing. To do only those things which one can think clearly, and not to do those things which force the mind to have unclear thoughts about what one is doing. That is the whole of Plato's morality.

Small Business in South Africa

Small Business in South Africa Introduction With the world population increasing at an alarming rate, the rates of unemployment are expected to increase and people will have to find alternatives to the formal employment by finding other means through which they can make a living.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Small Business in South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From all spheres of the world, it has been lately discovered that creation of small businesses is one of the way through which a country citizens can reduce their reliance on the nation and that small businesses play a very important role in the economic, political, and social development of a country. This sector however has been faced with many challenges on their establishments particularly in the developing countries such as in the Asian and African states. The small business faces quite a number of challenges from taxation issues to lack of funding and corruption. The obj ective of this study will be to analyze the challenges small businesses face in South Africa and recommend on the likely solutions to these challenges. The reason for choosing South Africa rather than Sudan is the fact that in South Africa small business enterprises are very important particularly to the majority of the low skilled population[1]. It is a fact that: â€Å"Small, medium and micro-enterprises (â€Å"SMMEs†) contribute 36.1% of the country’s gross domestic product (â€Å"GDP†) and employ 68.2% of the workforce in the private sector. In the agriculture, construction and retail sectors, SMMEs employ more than 80% of the total workforce. Over the last few years, the growth in employment by SMMEs has exceeded the growth in their contribution to GDP, highlighting the job creation potential of this sector of the economy†.[2] That is the reason why many refer small businesses as the development engine for most countries as they aid in economic growt h and job creation. In the last few years, they have been the sole means which has accelerated growth in rather poor economic conditions as most of them create employment and enhance poverty reduction[3]. Definition of Small Business It is a very difficult process of defining what a small business is because it all depends on the perspective you look at it. The few characteristics one may look when defining a small business include the potential market size, the management, the size of the employees and many other factors. Some people define a small business as a business having less than 20 employees[4], categorizing them as non employing businesses, micro businesses and other businesses.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Others define small businesses in terms of ownership and management characteristics. These classes of small businesses include the independent ow ned, close control by owners and partnerships. In consideration that this study is based on South Africa, we will use the country’s definition according to the National Business Act that a small business is a business with not more than 50 employees with the turn-over rates varying according to the sector. There is quite a big distinction in small businesses between service and manufacturing small businesses. The policy makers and business owners of small manufacturing businesses attribute old technologies and management strategies as some of the challenges they face on their way to growth while the service businesses are all about one’s attitude and adaptability of the business. In terms of size, the service industries are also known to be larger than the manufacturing businesses and their out put per worker is higher compared to the manufacturing businesses due to the simple fact that while manufacturing rely on physical capital service, businesses rely on human capi tal which can be increased or decreased according to the situation. Small services businesses are also not entitled to registration for taxation in contrast to the manufacturing businesses which have to register and pay taxes. For example, a small manufacturing business will require capital to buy the plant machinery while a service industry such as the hair salon requires the human effort only to earn the money. Another challenge lies on the differences in the costs of acquiring assets. It makes it more beneficial to start a small service business rather than a manufacturing one. According to the South African law â€Å"small business means a separate and distinct business entity, including co-operative enterprises and non-governmental organizations, managed by one owner or more, which including its branches or subsidiaries (if any) is predominantly carried on in any sector or sub sector of the economy†[5] And the amendment of the bill in 2003 classified small businesses und er the following categories (see appendix for the table)[6]. Overview of the Small Business Context Small businesses in South Africa do not contribute more to the GDP compared to other developing countries due to several challenges which include the high unemployment rate and inflation. Many studies show that the small business sector contributes 30 to 50 % of the country’s GDP. SEDA puts the figures at 42% as of year 2002, 46% as of 2004 and at 30% as of 2007.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Small Business in South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Aswani[7] estimates south Africa had 2.5 million enterprises as of 1999 with 45% of south Africans working in the sector which represented 4.8 million people and at that time the small businesses contributed about 50% of the GDP. With the poverty rates having risen from 15.5 % in 1995 to 30.5% in the year 2002, the small business contribution has since redu ced to the above said level. To the employment, the small business sector absorbed 57% as of 2002[8]. Constraining Issues As in any other sector in the economy, the small business sector faces quite a number of challenges as they try to improve and increase their contribution to the south African’s GDP. According to the SADE SMME (Small Medium and Micro Enterprises) development and support plan, the major factors hindering the growth of small businesses are: â€Å"Finance, structural demands, intensity of competition, cost of labour, labour legislation, managerial skills, and managerial style†[9]. These above constrains will be covered in this study as under infrastructure, corruption, inflation, lack of credit and the human resources. Corruption: (Legal – Political – Economic) The act of unfair or illegal influence in decision making process by use of power or wealth, for example, the act of giving or receiving a bribe in order to give service or an ille gal substance can be described as corruption. This vice occurs in every country in the world and in every level be it in the private or the public sector[10]. The giver and the receiver of the bribe are beneficially of the crime and thus both need to be punished by the existing laws. Instance of corruption have been reported in south Africa for example in places where crime rates are high, small business owners are reported having given policemen money in order to access their protection from the criminal activities[11]. Analysis:Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More If the small businesses are not protected from the criminals, they will continue losing their millions of investment but paying policemen in order to acquire their services (while that is the job they are assigned to do) amounts to corruption and losses to the already endangered small business enterprises. Implication: Corruption in South Africa is a major hindrance to the country’s small business sector and action need to be taken against corruption as it reduces the productivity capability of the small businesses. Inflation: (Economic) Small businesses are also vulnerable to the low inflation rates which increase the cost of doing business and leads to a probability of businesses making huge losses as a result of the decreased prices. In the year 2010 the country recorded a 3.2% as of September this is very risky for those doing business within[12]. Analysis: When inflation is at very low rates it reduces the chances of recovering the borrowed capital. For example, let†™s say you bought an item for 10 Rands and then next time the price falls to 5 Rands that means if the money was from a borrowed source you will have to find ways of sourcing for 5 Rands per item and this makes the banks to take higher precautions when giving out loans. Implication: Low inflation rates while they may be healthy for the population as a whole do not favour businesses in realizing their profitability due to the decreased prices of commodities. Infrastructure: (Technological – Economic) Despite the good infrastructure network in South Africa, a research based on Soweto youth entrepreneurs shows that infrastructure is a major barrier to the success of small businesses in that area. They cites examples of the city of Johannesburg making some efforts in tarring the roads and providing taxi facilities but the report also complains that the city is doing nothing to support business activities in Soweto. The report also indicates that improvements in the transport se ctor would allow more people to move easily within the Soweto area and this could enhance their business activities[13]. Analysis: If the infrastructure connecting major towns and rural areas such as Soweto could be improved, the small business sector could improve a lot as this would enhance cheaper movement and exchange of goods and services between the major and the minor players in the business sector. Implication: Poor infrastructure increases costs of conducting business in any place and thus to increase the contribution of small business sector in South Africa infrastructure need to be improved in all places. Lack of credit funding: (Economic) Commercial banks and other financial institutions are unable to fund small businesses due to internal capacity problems. Most of the small business owners requiring financial assistance from the finance and banking sectors are unable to provide the banks with adequate reliable information which can allow their evaluation on their credit worthiness. This makes the commercial banks in South Africa provide credit facilities to only those businesses which provide reliable information fulfilling the credit worthiness criterion. Offering loans to small business owners is also difficult in South Africa as most banks offer loans with high return rates and this increase the cost of borrowing in the country. Information from Investors Network indicates that on average when people present their business plans to financial institutions this is what happens: â€Å"60% are rejected after a 30 minute review 25% are rejected after a 3 hour appraisal 10% are rejected after a full day evaluation 3% are rejected following failed negotiations 2% succeed in raising funds Yes, read it again, only 2% of businesses seeking private equity are successful.†[14] Analysis: With the high costs of borrowing most of the South African small business owners are unable to source for extra capital that may be required to expand their business es and also the low probability of accessing loans in south Africa makes it hard for small businesses to succeed as in other countries. Implication: The small businesses in the country will continue to suffer unless legislations are enacted which can allow most of the small business entrepreneurs access loans without much scrutiny as far as there are collaterals to the loans. Human Resources: (Social Culture) There is the inability of small businesses to obtain well trained and qualified personnel as they are unable to provide comfortable and better pay working conditions and most of the time they offer wages which are way below the current market rates[15] . As a result, larger businesses remain way above small businesses. Most small businesses as we saw with the country’s guidelines are made of few employees thus higher chances of understaffing. The apartheid era employed an inferior education system and unfair patterns of population settlements. Thus, it has been evident t hat most of the South Africans of the African origin are inadequately skilled in any field they are participating in and this has been a major challenge as they start up and run their small businesses. Analysis: The low education among the South Africans of African origin is one of the major causes of the limitation of small business staffing particularly those owned by the blacks. Understaffing is also a major problem as most small business want to gain higher profits; the result is exhaustion and poor workmanship. Implication: As long as the small businesses are understaffed, their productivity will always remain low compared to the large business enterprises. Recommendations To improve the small businesses situation in South Africa, the small business owners need to access funds for their business activities. The government and the banking institutions need to agree on the requirements one has to fulfil when acquiring loans. To the question about infrastructure, the government sh ould ensure that the transport network is well established in all places whether in the major towns or in the ghettos so as to promote the growth of small businesses in the country. The challenge of inflation is more of a global issue but the central bank in the country should control its releasing and hold up of money so as to avoid high inflation or deflation rates on the country’s currency. Action Plan: To reduce inflation the government should design policies which enable its currency value to be at a stable position to avoid unexpected changes in prices. For the corruption part if the country authorities could ensure that every citizen is safe when doing business and that bribes are not given out in order to gain favours, small businesses will move miles ahead. Understaffing is brought about by the inability of small businesses to acquire enough capital to run the business and thus by enabling small business owners access loans at lower costs will enable them hire more w orking personnel. Conclusion The small business contribution to the country’s GDP is very low compared to other countries and thus for their contribution to be higher, challenges they face such as corruption, poor infrastructure, inflation and inadequacy in human resources need to be addressed and a good solution reached. Bibliography Anonymous. â€Å"Small business in Australia.† Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, abs.gov.au/ausstats/[emailprotected]/0/97452F3932F44031CA256C5B00027F19?OpenDocument . Aswani, Frank. â€Å"Barriers and facilitators to transitioning of small businesses (SMME’s) from the second to the first economy in South Africa: Gordon Institute of Business Science.† University of Pretoria, 2007, http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03182010-160845/unrestricted/dissertation.pdf . Centre for Development and Enterprise report. â€Å"Young Soweto entrepreneurs.† CDE, June 2007, cipe.org/regional/africa/pdf/CDEReportYoungSowet oEntrepreneurs.pdf . Foreign Investment Advisory Service of the World Bank Group. 2007. South Africa Investors Network. â€Å"Private Equity Financing for SMEs in South Africa.† Investors Network, Not Dated. investorsnetwork.co.za/component/idoblog/viewpost/105 . Minnaar. â€Å"BUSA Anticorruption Working Group.† Newsletter, 2008, busa.org.za/docs/BUSINESS%20ANTI-CORRUPTION%20NEWSLETTER.pdf . Molapo, Sekoala. â€Å"Financial sector support for small business development.† University of Johannesburg, 2007, http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za:8080/dspace/bitstream/10210/620/1/Final%20Draft%203.pdf . National Small Business Act. Republic Of South Africa, 1996. National Small Business Amendment Bill. Republic of South Africa, 2003. Newham, Gareth. â€Å"Tackling police corruption in South Africa.† Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, 2002, csvr.org.za/docs/policing/tacklingpolicecorruption.pdf . Okpara John Wynn, Pamela. â€Å"Determinants of Small Business Growth Constraints in a Sub-Saharan African Economy.† SAM Advanced Management Journal, 2007. Trading Economics. â€Å"South Africa inflation rate.† Tradingeconomics, 2010, tradingeconomics.com/Economics/Inflation-CPI.aspx?Symbol=ZAR . Xhariep SMME Development and Support Plan. Small Enterprise Development Agency, 2009. Footnotes Foreign Investment Advisory Service of the World Bank Group. 2007. South Africa Foreign Investment Advisory Service of the World Bank Group. 2007. South Africa p.15 John, Okpara., Pamela Wynn. â€Å"Determinants of Small Business Growth Constraints in a Sub-Saharan African Economy.† SAM Advanced Management Journal, 2007. Anonymous. â€Å"Small business in Australia.† Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, abs.gov.au/ausstats/[emailprotected]/0/97452F3932F44031CA256C5B00027F19?OpenDocument . National Small Business Act, 1996. clause XV National Small Business Amendment Bill, 2003 Frank, Aswani. â€Å"Barriers and facilit ators to transitioning of small businesses (SMME’s) from the second to the first economy in South Africa: Gordon Institute of Business Science.† University of Pretoria, 2007,http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03182010-160845/unrestricted/dissertation.pdf . Xhariep SMME Development and Support Plan. Small Enterprise Development Agency, 2009. Xhariep SMME Development and Support Plan. Small Enterprise Development Agency, 2009. p.14 Minnaar. â€Å"BUSA Anticorruption Working Group.† Newsletter, 2008, busa.org.za/docs/BUSINESS%20ANTI-CORRUPTION%20NEWSLETTER.pdf . Gareth, Newham. â€Å"Tackling police corruption in South Africa.† Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, 2002, csvr.org.za/docs/policing/tacklingpolicecorruption.pdf . Trading Economics. â€Å"South Africa inflation rate.† Tradingeconomics, 2010, tradingeconomics.com/Economics/Inflation-CPI.aspx?Symbol=ZAR . Centre for Development and Enterprise report. â€Å"Young Sowet o entrepreneurs.† CDE, focus number 11 of June 2007, cipe.org/regional/africa/pdf/CDEReportYoungSowetoEntrepreneurs.pdf . Investors Network. â€Å"Private Equity Financing for SMEs in South Africa.† Investors Network, Not Dated. investorsnetwork.co.za/component/idoblog/viewpost/105 . Sekoala, Molapo. â€Å"Financial sector support for small business development.† University of Johannesburg, 2007, http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za:8080/dspace/bitstream/10210/620/1/Final%20Draft%203.pdf .

Aquinas for Armchair Theologians by Timothy Renick Essay

Aquinas for Armchair Theologians by Timothy Renick - Essay Example If God is as powerful as we are led to believe, he should have the ability to eliminate Satan. However, saying that God cannot get rid of Satan brings into question a possible limitation of God’s power. Furthermore, if God is all good, he should want to terminate evil and injustice, and thus Satan. By continuing to allow Satan to wreak havoc on God’s marvelous creation, God’s goodness is being undermined. In an attempt to understand the presence of evil in the world, believers and skeptics alike are throwing God’s entire being into a circle of doubt and confusion. Aquinas steps in and tries to set the argument straight. Aquinas believes that God does not make evil; he is only capable of creating good. Evil is not a substance, a physical thing, but simply the removal of some of the good from a wholly good object. This still causes people to believe that God is the creator of evil. The Manichees believe that God is a co-creator with Satan; evil is a substanc e, and Satan is its source. Aquinas, as well as many others, refuse to accept this, as it puts Satan on the same level with God. Aquinas enforces the idea that evil is not created, but a subtraction of good. As an example, Renick turns to Adolf Hitler, claiming that, under Aquinas’s ideals, Hitler was wholly good, but a portion of this good was removed. He used his created talents for evil ends. God made good, but Hitler did evil. In the first chapter of Genesis, God made the world and â€Å"it was very good.† There are no exceptions to this. God created Satan to be completely good, though not perfect. When Satan rebelled against god, he did not become evil; his angelic abilities were still there and they were good, but he used these attributes for evil. Satan is good, yet his actions are evil. Nevertheless, we now must figure out who or what causes this removal of good. If God is the cause of the removal of good, that would make God responsible for the existence of ev il, which brings us back to the beginning of the argument. Aquinas’s perception of this part of the debate is that we, as imperfect human beings, must expect and accept that good has the ability to decay. God may be the cause of all the things that happen, but he is not morally responsible for the evil acts of human beings. The argument of God and evil turns into an argument of human beings having free choice. John Calvin and Martin Luther were under the impression that humans could not possibly have free choice, otherwise it would undermine God’s ability to be all-knowing. Calvin believed that everything we say and do is predestined by God. We have no choice but to do it, and therefore have no free will. Aquinas’s argument is more accepted by Christians, and some skeptics. Aquinas believed that if we lacked tree freedom and all is predestined by God, God could not be just. If humans have no free choice because everything is a product of God’s control, th e God punishes people for actions that are not their own. God would be unjust, which is a characteristic that goes completely against who God is. Aquinas pushes the concept that God is timeless to help further straighten out the argument. Humans may see what is behind them, and they may aware of what is ahead of them, but only to a certain point. God sees everything as it happens at once, but not before

Immigration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Immigration - Assignment Example Firstly, it is untrue that Asian-Americans are new immigrants in United States. Just like the whites and black Americans, this community moved to U.S many years ago following the discovery of this new continent. The economic and political chances of America continent made the Asian community into this new land. In fact, by 1790 population counting the Asian-American community was part of the races known as one of the main races that had occupied the U.S soil since its beginning (Hoffel & shahid 2010p.7). It was this first racial census that brought into the light the racial equation in the socioeconomic and political domains. It is, therefore, misleading to point out that this community entered U.S recently1. Since the start of the racial census in 1790, there has been more evidence that point out that Asian-American, community is part of the primary citizens with similar population distribution with other communities (Hoefel & Shahid p. 18). The point that this community is rich and new immigrants is not true because the poverty index report of 2010 census portrayed Asian-American population as a community with rich and poor members. Just like Indians, Blacks, whites and any other community in the U.S they struggle in a competitive economic reality in commerce, energy and manufacturing enterprises. There is no community having rich members. The U.S socio-economic reality provides for equal opportunity for all. In addition, there are no known special incentives or subsidies given to this community that confers an advantage to them over the other members of the United States. The argument that this community has a similar origin is both untrue and misleading. While the Asian-American population may appear to share a lot in terms of social and religious beliefs, it is a fact that they origin is different. Firstly, it is important to understand what Asian population comprises of, first in 1860;