Online railway reservation project Essay

Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Objective 1.2 Product Scope 2. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION 2.1 Requirement Analysis 2.2 Requirement Specification 3. SYSTEM REQUIRMENTS SPECIFICATION 3.1 External Interface Requirements 3.1.1 Hardware Requirements 3.1.2 Software Requirements 3.1.3 Display Mode 3.2 Project Description 3.2.1 Performance 3.2.2 Reliability 3.2.3 Availability 3.2.4 Security 3.2.5 Maintainability 3.2.6 Portability 4. Design and Technical Specification 4.1 Context Diagram 4.2 Data Flow Diagrams 4.3 Data Dictionary 4.4 ER diagram 4.5 Table Description 4.6 Architectural Diagram 5. Code Development 5.1 Flowchart 5.2 Component Level Design(Pseudo Code) 6. Testing Document 6.1 Black Box Testing with Test case design 6.2 White Box Testing 6.2.1 Flow graph 6.2.2 Independent Paths 6.2.3 Cyclomatic Complexity 7. Project Management 7.1 Function Point and Effort 7.2 Schedule 7.3 Risk Table 7.4 Timeline Charts 8. Best Practices for Software Development 9. References Introduction This project aims at development of an Online Railway Reservation Utility which facilitates the Railway customers to manage their reservations online, and the Railway administrators to modify the backend databases in a User-Friendly manner. The Customers are required to register on the server for getting access to the database and query result retrieval. Upon registration, each user has an account which is essentially the ‘view level’ for the customer. The account contains comprehensive information of the user entered during registration and permits the customer to get access to his past reservations, enquire about travel fare and availability of seats, make afresh reservations, update his account details, etc. The Railway Administrator is the second party in the transactions. The administrator is required to login using a master password, once authenticated as an administrator, one has access and right of modification to all the information stored in the database at the server. This includes the account information of the customers, attributes and statistics of stations, description of the train stoppages and physical  description of coaches, all the reservations that have been made, etc. The railway administrator has the right to modify any information stored at the server database. The Indian Railways have been described as the best way to travel through India, as it is only a train journey that can truly help you connect with the country and its people. The Indian Railways have been divided into different zones namely: The Central Indian Railways Eastern Indian Railways Western Indian Railways Northern Indian Railways Southern Indian Railways The Indian Railways were divided under these categories to facilitate management and functionality and even though the booking system for Indian Railways is centrally computerised, managing such a huge network can be challenging and hence the Indian Railways decided to introduce online railway reservation to make booking train tickets easier and more convenient. To take advantage of the Indian Railways online railway reservation users need to go to the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd) website (https://www.irctc.co.in), in addition to making bookings one can check the status of departing and arriving trains, train itineraries, ticket accessibility, postponing and cancelling railway bookings, make tatkal reservations, Indian Railways time table among others. The special benefits of using the online railway reservation facility is that passengers can reserve their tickets from the comfort of their home or office without having to stand in long queues at railway stations or having to take the trouble to go to a travel agent. An online railway reservation can be done up to 90 days before your desired date of departure, but it is advised to plan your journey way ahead as the availability of tickets can be difficult, especially during vacation and wedding season. An online railway reservation can be made right till the final reservation  chart is made, that is usually 6 hours before the train leaves the station. The person in whose name the online booking has been made needs to prove his identity and may need the produce an identity document during the course of his journey. These identity cards must be issued by a reputed organization in the Central/State Government and include: PAN Card Voter ID Card Drivers license Student ID Card Passengers travelling on tickets that have been booked online need to take a print out of the e-ticket and keep it with themselves during the course of the journey a produce it when required 1.1 Project Objectives Designing the application and of Railway Reservation System for the purpose of reserving railway tickets and database maintenance about train and passenger details by the railway department only. This database helps railways to retrieve data as and when required in future. 1.2 Project Scope The scope of project included evaluation of the application and was primarily concerned with the transactions related to booking of tickets from the terminals operated by the railway personnel. Application controls and simulation were used to evaluate data validation and program logic. The selected data, as made available, for substantive checking of the completeness, integrity and consistency of data using computer assisted applications such as MS Access. The records maintained in the database of the railways reservation centre were also reviewed. Discussions were held with the database users to gain understanding regarding the various functional aspects of the system. The booking database has passenger’s details like- Name, Age, Gender, Total Number of Passengers Traveling, Date of Travel and Class of Travel. The train database has train details like- Train Name, Train Number, Route, From, To, Train Time, AC First Class, AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper, Second Sitting and Quota Management like General, Takkal. 2. Requirements The train details consist of train name, train no, destination reached by the train, number of passengers traveling and number of seats available. We can add a new train details. We can delete it in case of his repair. We can modify the train details in case of any Inconvenience the name and number of train can be changed its destination can also be changed. The reservation details consist of passengers name, age, and sex destination they wanted to reach, ticket numbers, and seat number. 2.1 Requirement Analysis- Due to this development project it will be easier for the railway system to make the customers journey as comfort as possible and so that to maintain the financial crisis of the system. Internet facilities can’t be provided within the time schedule. The integration of this software with existing system is more complex in the limited schedule. 2.2 Requirement Specification- The need for railway reservation system is to organize the records of railway system in the computer based software. The main objective of this system is to provide an automated method to organize the files in order for easy observance. This system will allow adding, removing, modifying and updating the details of the trains and customer to database. 3. SYSTEM SPECIFICATION 3.1 External Interface Requirements 3.1.1 Hardware Requirements: 1. Processor – Pentium 4 2. RAM – 1 GB 3. Hard Disk – 40GB 4. Mouse – Standard Mouse 5. Keyboard – Logitech Keyboard 6. Processor Speed – 2.4GHZ 3.1.2 Software Requirements: 1. Operating System – Microsoft Windows XP With Service Pack 2 2. Front-End – Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 3. Back-End – Microsoft Access 2003 3.1.3 Display Mode: 1. Color Quality – Highest[32 bit] 2. Screen Resolution – 1024 by 768 Pixels Development and operating environment- This project is developed by, Using WIN 32 platform. Designing of screen shots with VB.Net. Coding by VB.Net Slide representation by MS power point. Documentation by MS word. 3.2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 3.2.1 FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS Functional requirement for this project is Function 1: â€Å"Train Details† The staff of railway system must be able to view the details of the train (i.e.) name, numbers of the train, destination, etc. of the train. Description: When a customer approaches they must be able to update the train details for customer convenience. INPUT: Details of train (internal and external). SOURCE: Trains. OUTPUT: Number of passengers. DESTINATION: Area to be reached. ACTION: To update the train details we require the train name, number, destination, timing, number of seat available. REQUIRES: The Database table having the details of the trains. PRECONDITION: None SIDE EFFECTS: None Function 2: â€Å"Railway Reservation Details† The staff of railway system must be able to view the customer details for their reservation (i.e.) customer name, age, sex, seat number, ticket number. Description: When passenger approaches they must be able to update the train details for passenger’s reservation in particular train. INPUT: Passengers details. SOURCE: Trains. OUTPUT: Reserved seats for the passengers. DESTINATION: Area where the passenger to be reached. ACTION: To update the reservation details we require name of the passenger, age, sex etc. REQUIRES: The data base having the details of the reservation. PRECONDITION: The customer’s approach a week prior. POSTCONDITION: None. SIDE EFFECTS: None. 3.2.2 NON- FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS 3.2.1 Reliability- The system is realiable enough as the database permanently stored and backups can be kept easily , as well as the hard copies of various reports also plays major roles here. 3.2.2Availability- The system should be available all the time as and when required .The availibility may be complete for administrator or partial for others. 3.2.3 Security- The system is secure enough , as limited peivilages are given to other . They cannot make any modification to database. 3.2.4Maintainability- The system should be easy to maintain for the administrator . PROCESS MODEL DESCRIPTION- 1. Administrator: He is the super user responsible for managing system users, taking system backup,generating reports, maintaining organization details, Starting Sessions and ending Sessions and alsomanages various requests from different Types of users. Providing UserName, Password and other information required for the users to start an account. Starting Sessions: The Administrator creates the system users and will be assigned with the different roles. He is also responsible to start the session when a particular user wants to use the system every time(It is automatically managed setup). Managing Data Backup: The Administrator is responsible for managing entire details by taking the backup periodically. He also takes the Backup of the database in order to prevent loss of data on system crashes or inorder to prevent malfunctioning. He can take a backup of entire database or a particular section. Crash Recovery: The Administrator manages the crash recovery at the time of system crash orfailure occurs. Ending session: The administrator is responsible for ending the session when the particular user logged out of the system(It is automatically managed setup). 2. Train Master The Train Master is Admin side module. The Administrator only can Add, modify and Delete the train Details. The Train Master contains the following details. a) Train Name b) Train No c) Source d) Destination e) Departure Time f) Arrival Time g) Total Seats h) Kilometers i) General Seats (1A, 2A, 3A, 2S, SL, CC) j) Takkal Seats (1A, 2A, 3A, 2S, SL, CC) k) Routes and Timings 1.TICKET BOOKING The Ticket Booking is user (Employee of Railway Dept.) side module. The user can book the ticket using this module. The user should follow the steps for the ticket booking. a) First you should select the Source and Destination. b) Next, you should select the Date. While the date textbox got focus, the calendar will display. By clicking the calendar, the date will be selected. And you can’t select the yesterday and before date. c) Select the Quota (General or Takkal). d) Click the Find button to find the trains which are available. Note: 1. If you select the Takkal Quota and the date is day after tomorrow in the sense, you can’t book the ticket for Takkal Quota for that day. The Takkal Quota will enable only today and tomorrow only. e) After clicking the find button, the available train list will be displayed in the flex grid. f) By clicking the train number or train name in the flex grid, the â€Å"Route† button enabled. By clicking the route button, the corresponding train route, timings, and kms. g) By clicking the class column to the corresponding train whichever you want to travel, then â€Å"Book† button will enable. h) Click the â€Å"Book† button to enter the Name, Age, Sex and Berth. i) After Enter the details, Click the Proceed Button. j) The frame will display the overall details like Source, Destination, Travel Date, Booked Date, Total Members, Quota and Total Fare. k) Click the â€Å"Confirm† Button to confirm the details. Then only the Booking details will be stored and PNR Number will be generated. TICKET CANCELING The Ticket Canceling is also user (Employee of Railway Dept.) side module. The user can cancel the ticket using this module. The user should follow the steps for the ticket Cancel. a) Enter the PNR Number in the Textbox and Click Find. b) It will show the details like Train No., Train Name, Booked Date, Travel Date, Source, Destination, Class, Quota, Total Fare, Kms in the Frame. c) It also shows the passenger names, Age, Sex, Berth, Class, Fare and status in the flex grid. d) Click the Name in the flex grid which you want to cancel and where the status is â€Å"Booked†. e) Click the â€Å"Cancel† Button to cancel the ticket. REPORT The Report Module is also user (Employee of Railway Dept.) side Module. The user can take two types of reports by giving the PNR Number. a) Booked Tickets b) Canceled Tickets 3. Design and Technical Specification 4.1 Context Diagram- DATA FLOW DIAGRAM- Data flow diagram is graphical representation that depicts information flow and the transforms that are applied as data move from input to output. The basic form of a data flow diagram, also known as a data flow graph or a bubble chart. The data flow diagram may be used to represent a system or software at any level of abstraction. The data flow diagram are mainly classified into two module they are, Level 0 data flow diagram Level 1 data flow diagram LEVEL 0 DFD- The level 0 data flow diagram is also called as a fundamental system model or context model represents the entire software element as a single bubble with input and output data indicated by incoming and outgoing arrows, respectively. Additional Processes and information flow paths are represented. The level 0 data flow diagram of our project consists of module like passengersdetail, train detail, display etc. DFD for getting Display Train details. LOG ON Display TRAIN DFD Requesting For Booking Request for Booking Get Tickets Response LEVEL 1 DFD – The level 1 data flow diagram is similar to level 0 diagram, but here the modules where explained in detailed manner. But in this module the clear explanation for the project is represented. Data Dictionary: Here the data dictionary is again classified into two important data base they are Train Details. Reservation Details. DATA BASE NAME: Railway system. TABLE NAME: Train Detail. TRAIN NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER SPECIFIED FOR A PARTICULAR TRAIN NUMBER OF PASSENGERS TRAVELLING NUMBER NUMBER OF PASSENGERS TRAVELLING TICKET NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER SPECIFIED FOR A PARTICULAR TICKET NUMBER OF SEATS AVAILABLE NUMBER NUMBER OF SEATS AVAILABLE DATA BASE NAME: Railway System. TABLE NAME: Reservation Detail. FIELD NAME DATA TYPE DESCRIPTION PASSENGER NAME TEXT NAME OF THE PASSENGER PASSENGER AGE NUMBER AGE OF THE PASSENGER SEX TEXT SEX(i.e.) MALE/FEMALE TRAIN NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER OF THE TRAIN DESTINATION NUMBER DESTINATION REACHED BY THE TRAIN TIMING DATE/TIME TIME OF DEPATURE ER-Diagram- The other tool for problem analysis is the Entity-Relationship Diagram, often called as ER Diagram. In other words, a model that represents system data by entity and relationship sets is called E-R (Entity-Relationship) diagram. It is a detailed logical representation of the data for an organization. The entity-relationship (E-R) diagram is based on a perception of a real world which consists of a set of basic  objects. E-R diagram is consists of three main constructs, i.e. Data Entities, Relationships and their Associated Attributes. Entities: – An entity is a person, place, thing or event of interest to the organization and about which data are captured, stored or processed. For example, an employee is an entity. Relationship: – An association of several entities in an entity-relationship diagram is called relationship. There are three types of relationship exist among entities. These are: One-to-One One-to-Many Many-to-Many Attributes: – Each entity type has a set of attributes associates with it. An attribute is a property of characteristics of an entity that is of interest to the organization. I use an initial Capital Letters, followed by Lowercase Letters in naming an attribute. If an entity is something about which I want to store data, then I need to identify what specific pieces of data I want to store about each instance of a given entity. I call these pieces as data attributes. Code Development Flowchart- The program flow chart shows how the system proceed from the input from to the outout from of the system. It explain how the system is actually processed step. It represent the flow of control as the system is processed. There are three types of program flow chart: 1. Input flow chat- This flowchart depicts the basic input operation in the system. In railway reservation system, first of all the password is checked then if the password is valid then we process the input from if the data valid then the entries are updated in the data base otherwise the from id refilled. 2. Output flow chart- This flowchart depicts the basic output operations in the system. The user is required to enter the criteria for output. If it is for the reservation then the availability of seats is checked. If the seats are available then the confirmed ticket is generated  otherwise the user is asked for waiting and if he wants then waiting ticket is generated. If the user wants the seat to be cancelled it is done and the cancelled ticket is generated for the user. The information about all the above transaction is then transferred to the related databases. 3. Report flow Chart- This flow chart depicts the basic operations for the generation of reports. If the entries fr om basic operations for the generation of reports. If the entries from the processed database are valid the concerned report are generated otherwise the process will have to be repeated Component Level Design(Pseudo Code) 6.Testing Document Testing is basically a process to detect errors in the software product. Before going into the details of testing techniques one should know what errors are. In day-to-day life we say whenever something goes wrong there is an error. This definition is quite vast. When we apply this concept to software products then we say whenever there is difference between what is expected out of software and what is being achieved, there is an error. Software testing also provides an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software implementation. Test techniques include, but are not limited to, the process of executing a program or application with the intent of finding software bugs. Software testing can also be stated as the process of validating and verifying that a software program/application/product: 1. meets the business and technical requirements that guided its design and development; 2. works as expected; and  can be implemented with the same characteristics. Software testing, depending on the testing method employed, can be implemented at any time in the development process. However, most of the test effort occurs after the requirements have been defined and the coding process has been completed. As such, the methodology of the test is governed by the software development methodology adopted. 6.2 Black Box Testing with Test case design- Black box testing is a method of software testing that tests the functionality of an application as opposed to its internal structures or workings . Specific knowledge of the application’s code/internal structure and programming knowledge in general is not required. The tester is only aware of what the software is supposed to do, but not how i.e. when he enters a certain input, he gets a certain output; without being aware of how the output was produced in the first place. Test cases are built around specifications and requirements, i.e., what the application is supposed to do. It uses external descriptions of the software, including specifications, requirements, and designs to derive test cases. These tests can be functional or non-functional, though usually functional. The test designer selects valid and invalid inputs and determines the correct output. There is no knowledge of the test object’s internal structure. Typical black-box test design techniques include: 1. Decision table testing 2. All-pairs testing 3. State transition tables 4. Equivalence partitioning 5. Boundary value analysis White Box Testing- White-box testing (also known as clear box testing, glass box testing, transparent box testing, and structural testing) is a method of testing software that tests internal structures or workings of an application, as opposed to its functionality (i.e.blackbox testing). In white-box testing an internal perspective of the system, as well as programming skills, are used to design test cases. The tester chooses inputs to exercise paths through the code and determine the appropriate outputs. This is analogous to testing nodes in a circuit, e.g. in-circuit testing (ICT). While white-box testing can be applied at the unit, integration and system levels of the software testing process, it is usually done at the  unit level. It can test paths within a unit, paths between units during integration, and between subsystems during a system–level test. Though this method of test design can uncover many errors or problems, it might not detect unimplemented parts of the specification or miss ing requirements. White-box test design techniques include: 1. Control flow testing 2. Data flow testing 3. Branch testing 4. Path testing 5. Statement Coverage 6. Decision Coverage

Nine Dragons Paper Essay

How does Mrs Cheung think? What does she believe in when it comes to building her business? It is interesting to read how NPD gained its’ success through the waste or trash of the United States and Europe. I think this is right in line with how Mrs Cheung thinks; she wants to be ahead of all her competitors and gain every competitive advantage possible. By utilizing the paper waste of higher quality products in the US and Europe, she was able to bring this quality back to China where it was non-existent. As you can see in the reading as well, Mrs Cheung believes in rapid expansion to maximize revenue opportunity and that long term profits will come from taking on a lot of debt. But even as she said when speaking about the economic crisis: â€Å"Now the waves are so big, even some rocks are being washed away.† The economic crisis of 2008 did not only affect the small companies, but also the large and profitable ones like Nine Paper Dragons. How would you summarize the company’s financial status? How does it reflect the business development goals and strategies employed by Mrs Cheung? I would summarize the company’s financial status as struggling at the point this article was written. The company’s unsecured notes were rated as BBB- in April, 2008 and downgraded even lower to BB+ in October of 2008. On top of that, even though the company had a successful IPO in March of 2006, the debt accumulated after this IPO really hurt the company when the financial crisis hit in 2008. This demonstrates Mrs Cheung’s vision to take chances and be the market trend setter for her industry. It appeared though that she spread herself too thin through expansion and also through the large amount of debt she accumulated. Is NDP in trouble? How would you answer differ if you were an existing shareholder, potential investor, or analyst? Yes NDP is in trouble, In September 2007 NDP was at the peak of record share price HK$26.But in 2008 the share price of NDP started falling down and the company also announced they would delay of Rmb1.5 billion for the next 2009 fiscal year and they predicted the paperboard market would rebound but nothing great happen according to the market and they also said they would prepay $100 million of an existing $350 million. But according to the rating agencies the company market health is weak and being an existing shareholder, investor, or an analyst I would go with the rating agencies because they are expert in the share market and on the other hand the company itself issued profit warning, sales, profit forecast downward. And since company has an $350 million loan out which company said they would prepay $100 million to the bank and still on the balance amount the interest would keep on increasing and it means the debt of the company is increasing and even many bank’s have stopped answering there calls. As said by morgan Stanley the company earnings growth is based on expansion plans if they don’t expand it will effect the company target and growth.

In what ways were drama techniques and effects used?

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Can you make up a topic for me - Essay Example times still carries out illicit affairs but they are done secretly and the wife may never be aware of what is happening and when a discovery is made, it completely shatters the marriage. In this type of marriage just like in a polygamous one, the woman is still the one to suffer and do it alone as she is expected to remain faithful. Engels does not see anything wrong with such an arrangement which I also disagree with as it is not only unreasonable but it disregards the woman’s sexuality as well downplaying it to no importance at all. The question heavy in my mind is whether monogamous marriages are really worth it if the men are still picking up the polygamous culture but doing it secretly (Engels 2004). I agree with the explanations Yuval-Davis provides about how women and their decision making ability even on their own reproduction is denied to them. They are made to listen to the policies being made and follow the directives given to them but not to complain. Women are not given a choice when it comes to their reproductive system as they are forced to have babies to continue the bloodline, fill a nation or even for social status. In cases where Malthusian theory is being practiced, the female children born or unborn are killed and only the male survive and this is decided by the man and not the woman. Women simply have no powers whether it is productive or reproductive roles and they are simply like automatons controlled by the men and made to do what the men want and this is absolutely unfair (Yuval-Davis 1997). I agree that the society has continually put pressure on women to agree with them about each and everything concerning their lives and have even moved to their reproductive life. Reproduction is the one thing that is and should remain private in a woman’s life and she should therefore hold all the reins when it comes to decisions about her reproductive health. She should be the one to make decisions about whether she wants a child or not and

Unit operation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Questions - Essay Example The executive branch is conferred â€Å"with exemptions and qualifications† in the President of the United States; he also has the power to veto laws (Davis 1). The president is not obliged to enforce the law; instead, the president’s minions should perform these duties. Lastly, the judicial branch of the government has the authority to decide over cases and disputes. This power is conferred to the Supreme Court and lower courts as recognized by the Congress. Each branch of the United States national government possesses powers that it can utilize to check and balance the functions and activities of the other two branches. Declaring George Washington’s greatest achievement would always be subjective and indefinite in nature; but, in all probability, he desisted from taking more power than what was appropriate (Wood 105). After his resignation as the Commander-in-Chief of the continental Army, the people wanted him to become the King of the newly-formed nation; nevertheless, he refused to accept this fate, and instead, he wanted to have a democratic and free country. He was thorough of upholding a good standing by precluding political conspiracy. He showed no attention and notice over partiality and cronyism. Perhaps his greatest failure was when he approved the passing of The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, which provided slaveholders the right to regain their property; also, to help a runaway slave is a grave crime, which eventually permitted the proliferation of slave chasers within the United States’ territories. This is a rather subtle move to sustain slavery, which is contradictory to his desire to create a democratic and free country. On the whole, Washington’s administration led the successful emancipation of the slaves, which although hampered in his initial decision to implement The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, eventually

Are Circumcisions Necessary Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Are Circumcisions Necessary - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to give an in-depth analysis of circumcision outlining its merits and demerits. In the religious point of view, circumcision is observed to be commandment. From the biblical teachings, Abraham was instructed to be circumcised and all his decedents to follow that. As a result, the Jewish culture ensured that all men had to be circumcised in order to live by the religious teachings (Glass 1). Thus, circumcision is observed a means of adhering to the biblical teachings and preparing the heavenly kingdom. In the Muslim faith, circumcision derives its roots from the religious teachings (Rizvi and Hassan 1). Sexually transmitted diseases have been on the increase in the recent past and have threatened the future. Due to the illness, many persons have left their families and the number of orphans has been on the increase. Furthermore, the problem reduces the human labor of a country, which is necessary for its economic development. In a bid to address this, numerous researc hes has been conducted on the possible ways of controlling the spread of sexually transmitted infections (Barbieri 1; Jozkowski et al 1). According to a research conducted on circumcision and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Uganda, South Africa, and Kenya, it was observed that circumcised men were less prone to contracting STIs. Prior to the research, all persons were given same advice on how to prevent the spread of STI. In addition, circumcision is observed to reduce the chances of developing urinary tract infection and cancer of the penis. During infancy, the foreskin of a child is not retractable until the age of six month. During this period, the bacterial colonization is very high which places the child at a risk of developing urinary tract infections. Sex is essential in the reproduction of human race. In the realization of pleasure, the sensitivity of the head of the penis plays a significant part. For an uncircumcised man, the head of the penis is more sensit ive as it is usually covered from interacting with the clothing. In the case of a woman, the removal of the clitoris and the labia reduces pleasures realized during sex. Thus in terms of pleasure, circumcision reduces it by a significant margin. Circumcision usually entails conduction of a surgery. As such, it is prone to the emergence of health complications. Bleeding is a common phenomenon during circumcision. In most traditional practices, very few measures were implemented to reduce bleeding. As a result, it resulted to excessive bleeding which sometimes lead to death. Currently, there has been technological advancement, which has led to the identification and implementation of various medicines and practices that reduces bleeding. Despite this, it still poses a danger to the patients. During any surgical experiment, sterilization of the tools and equipment to be used is very necessary. This is aimed at reducing the chances of contracting infections. Despite this, some circumcis ion has resulted in the contraction of infection by the victims especially when the tools used are not properly sterilized. Furthermore, when one is circumcised, the wound provides an easy avenue for attack by disease causing organism. Thus, if proper hygiene is not maintained, then the patients may get the infection. For the case of uncircumcised men, they are not exposed to such health risks. Thus, circumcision increases the chances of post-operative infections. Many persons and organizations have continuously

Interpretation of diagrams Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interpretation of diagrams - Assignment Example t indicates that many patients receiving home medical care may not be in a position to access the services of the national government vaccine program. This knowledge may be applied to device ways that will ensure that patients receiving medical home care are provided with the vaccination services. Diagram 2A indicates a scenario whereby; the provision vaccine services through the current program does not have any significant effect in regard to the increase or decrease of death rates. On the other hand, the probability of increasing the national vaccine services under the government structure leads to a significant reduction in the average number of death in the country and vice versa. This information is important to policy makers in the sense that it facilitates them to device ways that can be applied to increase the probability of undertaking vaccine program under the government’s program. In addition, the policy makers may also use this data to determine the reasons why the current program is not effective with regard to the reduction of death rates among the

In your opinion, would having different times for different ages to Essay

In your opinion, would having different times for different ages to Trick-or-Treat be a good idea, why or why not - Essay Example However, the fear, anxiety and to the extreme trauma caused by these images to the young children has raised recent discussions on the means of reducing their impact on these children. Arguments raised in objection of the treat-or-treat these images may be very disturbing to the children, as they exposes the children to all types of horrific characters. As a suggestion therefore, some people propose age and time restr4ictions to these events. The argument hold that the young should go on the door to door trick-or-treat visit early in the day, while the juveniles wait until later in the night to seek their treat. Personally, I do not think this will solve any problem due to a number of reasons, as expressed in this essay. The argument appears to disobey the very meaning of the event, â€Å"Halloween†. Additionally, the children, whether indoors or outdoors, cannot avoid the images of Halloween as they can see them anyway. Finally, It is not the treat associated with Halloween t hat is the biggest fun, and largely, some children do not need the treat anyway. In fact, most the teenagers who take part hope to miss the candy and the goodies, for them to do their trick. As such, it is the fun, the eerie feeling presented by the horrific images, and the fear that teenagers instil on other people with their dressing that is the greatest fun. What is the main reason for dressing in such attire if not to create fear and anxiety? Some of the costumes that children put on cost a fortune, one that the candy and the goodies cannot repay. Choosing to dress in the scariest and horrifying costumes, the children hope to have as much fun as they can. After all, this is an annual festival. Therefore, a policy that seeks to separate children and teenagers into different groups would spoil the much fun that Halloween offers. The children choose their most convenient time to go for the treat-or-trick event. When they feel ready to go, they alert their parents, who tag along and take care of them, especially by providing security. Therefore, Halloween is an optional event only the interested people take part in. They stay indoors, protecting their children from the trauma and the anxiety created by the images. By being not a mandatory festival, most of the parents who wish not to take part in the Halloween leave their goodies and candy at their gate or doorstep, where the Halloween children would find them and leave without any tricks or showing their Halloween costumes. Those who feel that the event causes too much fear, anxiety, and trauma to their children should adopt this method of protecting their children, instead of spoiling the entire event. Further, such parents can, if their children want to take part in the event, decide to let them take part early in the day, and by evening let them in to avoid the images caused by Halloween. Children, whether indoors or outdoors cannot avoid the Halloween images completely. Being indoors, other children seeki ng for a treat have to visit their homes. Children, with their curiosity can peep through the windows to see the Halloween costumes that other children have put on. This way, they can see them, therefore creating the fear and anxiety in them. Outdoors, there are countless billboards and posters, as well as live advertisements of Halloween parties in

Influencing Other’s Behavior and Its Impact Essay Example for Free

Influencing Other’s Behavior and Its Impact Essay As an individual, we have the capacity to affect other’s behavior, characters and attitudes. in fact, what we did to influence othetfr has the more impoact thyan what an anidicidual do it to himself. However, the power to persuade depends upon on what kind of persuasion we did and how the manipulation takes place. As an individual, we have then eytnmdecy to believe hwat opthewrs said and what others do towards us. Actually, it is more likely to believe other’s idea. Influencing others thohuhts and actions msut be continually improve his perception and quality towards quality and productivity (Seminar Information Service, 2007). However, how could we do this and what is the inpact of persuading our thought s and isea upon others? II. Influencing Others Thgoughts and behavior Communication with a person is one of the major concern on how to persuade others upon your ideas and belkifs. Constant communication will build a strong confidence and will mark trust and support when you are arguing or discussing something with him. It is also a way to get his attention ans support when you are in the midst of conversation with him. In fact, inidivucdual and group victory towards others mainly depends on the ability on how to communicate woth others. The process on how a person cvommunicatye wotu pthers strogly influence others perception on you. If you have the capability and skills in persuading others ideas to your own by means of well-built communicatiuon, you have also the powers to be understood and the influence to be inculcated toerda others. The communication skills are the key on how to exploit individual and even group potential and beliefs. Indeed, individual and group success mainly rooted from their ability to exchange words clearly and with persuasion. Explore and examine another person’s way of communication stryle in ordewr to adapt the implication and delivery and idea to the approach of that person. Well-defined relationship can sway other’s actions and judgments. However, how could a person buiuld strong relationship without the ability to communicate well? Building good relationds comes from building good communication skills. As constaent communicatiuon build authority, good relkationship also build power to plead one’s case. However, before entering to the relationship, it is important to underdtanr anf analyze forst one’s style of communication and relationship towdrs opther. The skill to analyze them will improve one’s way and strategy on how to relate woith them. The dynamica of the communicationa and rekationships of others pave the way on how to approach them in suach a way that they could handle our means of camaraderie amd acquaintance. The analysisi and defining our approach and goals and identifying the most effecvtove methopd will emphatically influcnec positively anothers’ behavior and their way of perception. In terms of psychological approach, assess and analyuze how the style natuarally encourage others type of relationship. Plan an influence strategy, and use an examined and analyzed techniques for association and rapport. There are studies conducted shoews that conformity has a strong influence towards individual. It increases conformity towards individual. The deegeree of comfomiryt is basewd on the levels of sympathty being shown and felt for that person (GERHART, 2006). There are many well-known studies in social psychology that demonstrate various influences on conformity. Conformity is defined as a change in behavior, belief, or opinion so that the change is more congruent, or agreeable, with an influential individual or group. Among these influences are group pressure, guilt, and authority (Kiesler Kiesler, 1969). Research has also indicated that these influences hold much more power on conformity than originally preconceived. They can potentially become very powerful tools for subtle, human manipulation when used correctly. Due to this, it is very surprising that no direct research on the influence of sympathy on conformity exists. Sympathy is defined feelings of sorrow or concern for another person (not to be confused with empathy). Although no solid, empirical evidence for the influence of sympathy on conformity exists, it is often used effectively. Many strategies for donation collection aim at getting other people to conform to the belief that money is needed, and sympathy is typically used as a marketing tool. People in everyday situations also, either intentionally or unintentionally, elicit sympathy in others so that they may conform to their beliefs or comply with their requests. For example, Perina (2002) found that college students admit that 70 percent of their excuses for missed assignments are lies. A vast majority of these lies concern health problems and deceased relatives, which is likely to elicit sympathy in the professor. Another example of the influence of sympathy on conformity is the Christian religion. The Bible states that God gave His only Son, Jesus, so that no one else would have to suffer. People could sympathize with this, which would influence their conformity to the religion. Yet even with these powerful implications, no direct research can be found on this probable relationship. There does exist, however, some research where sympathy is applicable. Many psychologists and philosophers have suggested that sympathy mediates altruistic behavior (Eisenberg Strayer, 1987; Wispe, 1991). Altruism is defined as intentional, voluntary behavior the benefits another and is not performed with the expectation of receiving external rewards or avoiding external punishment. Given this definition, conformity could be labeled as a subcategory of altruism. In many cases, people intentionally conform to the beliefs of others with no intent other than to please, or benefit, them. More recently, Eisenberg, Zhou, and Koller (2001) reported findings of sympathy predicting prosocial behavior. The only difference between altruism and prosocial behavior, by definition, is that prosocial behavior lacks a specified motive (Eisenberg Strayer, 1987). Again, conformity can be identified as a subcategory of prosocial behavior, which is closely related to altruism. Other research can be interpreted as sympathy being a confounding variable, influencing conformity. Studies of guilt on conformity (Freedman, Wallington, Bless, 1967) suggest that when participants experience guilt, they are much more likely to comply. Guilt is defined as feelings of responsibility for offensive actions. In their research, participants were induced to perform a negative behavior (e. g. , knocking over a thousand ordered note cards) at the expense of the perceived researcher, subsequently producing guilt. It could be argued, however, that the negative behaviors alone are likely to elicit sympathy, which in turn, could influence conformity to requests. Basically, the experimenter’s exposure to negative behaviors, regardless of the person responsible, could elicit sympathy and influence the participant’s conformity. This could have been controlled for had there been a group where confederates, followed by measurement of participant conformity, performed the negative behaviors. Therefore, sympathy is potentially applicable to this research. The purpose of this study is to examine the direct influence of sympathy on conformity. It is predicted that sympathy will promote the onset of conformity with the assumption that participants will only conform to the sympathized person. It is also predicted that women will display higher conformity, because they are more likely to be influenced by sympathy (Bond Smith, 1996; Ickes, 1997). It is hypothesized that people experiencing sympathy for an individual are more likely to conform to that individual’s opinions than people of the general population. GERHART, A. D. (2006) THE INFLUENCE OF SYMPATHY ON CONFORMITY. SEMINAR INFORMATION SERVICE, I. (2007) Communicating with Influence: Building Successful Interpersonal Team Communication.

Unforgettable Moment Essay Example for Free

Unforgettable Moment Essay When I arrived at the area of the stadium I saw hundreds of peoples. A lot kinds of peoples. All of them have look very happy. At that time, with age as young as I, I feel so excited and enthusiasm. My whole body also able to taste it. The area of the stadium is full with stall, stall that sold everything that connected to football such as jersey, football merchandise, teams flag and many else. I also do not miss to get my favourite team jersey which is Selangor FC and also well-known as The Red Giants. After satisfied walking around the stadium compound. Me and my brother decide to enter the stadium. After my first food step in the stadium the feel of excited strike me again. If the outside of the stadium I can see hundreds of peoples, at the inside I can see thousands of peoples. The place is so crowded and noisy, when I talked to my brother he cannot hear what I am talking about even he is right next to me. After take a seat, I saw every corner of the stadium and the stadium is so huge . At that moment, I bet this must be the biggest stadium in the world. Before the match started all peoples in the stadium need to stand up and sing the national anthem, Negaraku . I sing it with enthusiasm. My adrenalin is rising at the moment. The national anthem ends with a thunderous applause by supporters who come, and again the feel of excited strike me again. Match on that day involving Selangor FC and Perak FC. During the match I did not stop cheering for my favourite team. I think I almost lost my voice on that day. After the 90 minute full game, whistle is blown and match that day ending in a draw. Although the match ending in a draw which do not affect my enjoyment of the day. After all, I back home with feeling very happy. When I arrived at home and I rewind what just happened to me will become my special moment in my life, and guest what, I am true ,the first experience to step foot in stadium watch my favourite team play has become my unforgettable, sweetest and special moment to me until now, and probably until forever.

Impact of Chinas Joining the WTO for SSA Countries

Impact of Chinas Joining the WTO for SSA Countries INTRODUCTION 1. INTRODUCTION For China, the worlds 7th largest and most populous economy, November 2001 was a momentous period when it made a giant leap into the much quested free market by becoming a member of the world trade organisation (W.T.O). Although, China had embarked on market liberalization policies since the 1970s membership into the W.T.O. was a compelling opportunity to standardise its trade principles and practices in accordance with those of other free market economies and assimilate into the new era of globalization. The implication of this great milestone is remarkable not only for China itself, but also for the global market system. However, for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the accession of China into the W.T.O. marked a new era of economic milieu, due to the fact that, conventionally, the western powers were the countries with substantial interest in trade, aid and economic partnership and, unfortunately, due to recent domestic challenges facing these western nations, or what some policy analysts would call the marginalization of Africa, the attention given to SSA has been fast declining. However, the last ten years have brought China closer to the need of African countries. As observers would note; this increasing role does single-handedly invalidate the growing marginalization of Africa by the much traditional European and American powers (Mandy, 2005). In contrast to the western powers, by offering aid with fewer preconditions, China has presented a more attractive alternative to conditional W estern aid and debt cancellation together with a boom in Sino-African trade, while gaining valuable diplomatic support to defend its international interests. It should be noted that in 2001, China was the 7th largest economy in the world, although, this status has presently changed, however it is pertinent to state that the researcher takes into account Chinas status when it became a W.T.O member in 2001 (See: UNCTAD, Global Investment Report 2002). While the continuous engagement of China with SSA has continued to spawn important policy implications for growth and investment distribution, there are growing concerns about its adverse effects on key developmental areas such as manufacturing, inward foreign direct investments, production and other key sectors. In fact, its much advertised benefits for commodity boom for African countries is ambiguous since this apparent benefit is inextricably linked with erratic exchange rates and institutional corruption. Thus, the aim of this study is to contribute to literature on the implication of Chinas accession into the WTO for Sub-Saharan African countries. This study assesses both its positive impacts and negative implication for trade, manufacturing and FDI, while it also explores the underlying factors behind the growing involvement of China in SSA. In order to achieve these aims; this research has identified a number objectives which will inform its scopes and direction. 1.1 Research Aims and Objectives The overarching aim of this study is to critically explore the impact of Chinas accession into the WTO for SSA countries and identify the specific channels through which this impact manifests. Objectives: Identify andanalyse the specific vector channels through which the impact of Chinas accession into the WTO is transmitted to SSA countries. Examine the overall impact of Chinas accession into the WTO on Sub-Saharan SSA countries Investigate into the primary drivers of Chinas increasing interest in SSA Conduct a case study analysis of two SSA countries aimed at illustrating and understanding the extensive influence of China on SSA 1.2 Background There is mounting evidence in literature to suggest that while Sub-Saharan African economies are economic winners on one hand. They are losers on the other, from Angola, to Nigeria; SSA countries have been reaping the enormous gains of commodity boom during the past ten years. In fact Chinas demands for these commodities have in many cases been less fulfilled and thus its growing interest for more and more imports. Stevens and Kennan (2005) noted that economies which are endowed with natural resources demanded by China will continuously record an exponential growth in their export and consequently earn more money. While countries that produce what china produces like (apparels and garments) will see a huge decline in exports and consequently earn less money. This concept from both perspectives points to the SSA example: while on one hand, individual countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have enjoyed huge financial gains from commodity exports. On the other, these huge gains are in turn use d to purchase manufactured goods from China, thus, killing the local industries and genuine small scale manufacturers. Stevens and Kennan (2006) in their further examination of the impact of China on developing economies proposed a method which was subsequently termed as the typology of â€Å"winners† and â€Å"losers† (Goldein et al, 2006). â€Å"winners† are those economies for which the number of sectors recording trade gains are associated with lower costs of imports or where higher prices for exports is greater than the number of sectors incurring losses due to increased competition from China or higher import prices resulting from higher Chinese demand for a given product. Regarding the winners, Stevens and Kennan assess the gains from trade to check whether the gains arise primarily from lower import costs, from greater export revenue, or from both; and conclude that all the SSA countries (except South Africa) gain primarily from lower import costs. Other empirical studies (see e.g. Razmi, 2006; Qureshi and Wan, 2006) have explored the phenomenon of lower import costs and interestingly, their results shows that SSA countries have indeed enjoyed importing more products from China due to the lower import costs involved and even if SSA countries do not import from China, their local industries will not be as competitive as it should be because of stiff competition from china. 1.3 Problem Discussion Africas quest for a more cordial relationship with China is grounded in its depth of poverty and genuine need for foreign direct investment as an incentive to accelerate economic development and consolidate recent democratization efforts. However, the increasing interest of China in Africa is questionable and in fact has been the focus of several policy and research studies during recent years. The possibility that the biggest economy of the 21st Century will not be a democratic or western state serves to challenge conventional â€Å"international relation theories† that have emanated since the culmination of the World War II through the pre-eminence of the western economies in global affairs. Chinas current friendship with Africa are not traditionally restrained to the post Cold-War era, but China admits, it is more dynamic and influential to international politics and indicate a new background for South-South collaboration. China insistently advocates, that its considered af fairs with African economies has stemmed from a common history and is based on bilateral understanding and fairness in a climate that ensures fair-play and mutual benefits. The EU, US and an array of important observers, voice concerns about the real objective of China in Africa. London and Washington however, considers Chinas new affairs with Africa as a long term obstruction to their interest and a threat to their strategic-partnership with African countries. On top of these growing opposition and concerns, there are more worries that the risk-adverse keenness of China to parley with corrupt African governments can undercut democratic reforms and conflict resolution on the continent where the west have keen interest. The questions remain, whose claims have more validity and legitimacy and how can the truth be substantiated? Should the neo-realists proposition which is well grounded in empirical positivism be relied upon in coming to terms with the corrupt leaders of Africa? Or do we rely on the theories of the west whose well grounded postulation provides a combination of free-market experience, albeit with little self-interest. Or do we simply put forward unconventional epistemologies that will provide an expanded collection of truth possibilities about Sino-African engagement? This study theoretically explores these extant perspectives and seeks to bridge existing gaps in literature within the context of the current study. 1.4 Motivation During the last ten years, policy observers have noted that China and Sub-Saharan Africa have become more cordial such that Beijings interaction with Africa has significantly increased and as such spawned impressive growth in bilateral trade. This relationship has been demonstrated by the establishment of 700 Chinese firms with an investment of around  £1 billion in SSA over the last ten years, (Bejing Times, 16. December, 2003). As evidence to this growing relationship, the UNCTAD investment report of 2008 shows that Chinese FDI stock in Africa has grown from under  £35 million in 1990 to over  £1.5 billion in 2006. This translates to 30% growth in annual trade and investment since the late 1990s between Africa and China. However, in spite of this growing and impressive development, there is consensus amongst policy makers in SSA that key sectors of the economy have been declining since the engagement of China. These sectors usually include the manufacturing, the textile indus try, productive sectors and the Small business sectors (UNCTAD, 2004; ANIP, 2005). Notwithstanding the negative implications, Chinas engagement with SSA have been growing exponentially and by 2010, China is forecast to be the number one trading partner of SSA, ahead of the United States, France and the United Kingdom. This study therefore, seeks to examine why in spite of the adverse implication for SSA, the Sino- African relationship is still growing, in addition to the investigation of what specifically underlies Chinas continuous interest in Africa. The Non-Aligned movement gave meaning to the concept of south-south cooperation as a concerted effort by developing states (often newly independent) to avoid being sucked into the dichotomy of the Cold War power struggle (Murray, 2008). 1.5 Research Questions The research question for this study was inspired by the definition of (Rea and Parker, 2005) who defined it as a question or set of questions that can help in bringing out evidence based facts which provide answers to research problems. As they further suggest, it not only provide answers to research problems but also helps in the development process of new research ideas (Rea and Parker, 2005). Primary Research Question RQ1: What are the inherent economic implications of Chinas increasing engagement with Sub-Saharan Africa? Secondary research questions RQ2: What are the channels through which the impact of Chinas accession into the W.T.O transmits into SSA countries? RQ3: What specific sector(s) does the Sino-African relationship play the highest positive role? RQ4: What is the underlying factor behind the interest of China in Africa? RQ5: Is there a significant relationship between economic development and Chinese investment in SSA countries? 1.6 Research Outline Following the first chapter where the objectives and research problems have been rightly identified, the subsequent chapters are ordered with the following sequential arrangement. Table 4: Chapter Mapping Source: Researchers Conception Chapter 2 is the review of extant literature relating to the present investigation and conceptualization of empirical framework with an identification of theoretical support for the previously established facts. This chapter is followed by Chapter 3, which is the research methodology where the research approach, strategy and data collection methods were discussed and explained. In this section, the researcher provides an explanation for the case study approach and introduced the Complimentary-Competitive impact framework. This was followed by Chapter 4, where the case studies presented were analyzed. This chapter further considers the impact of China on SSA countries using the earlier introduced Complimentary-Competitive framework; this was followed by a critical discussion of the impact. Chapter 5 is the conclusive part where the researcher considers the implications of the result for SSA countries and the future of Sino-African relationship.. LITERATURE REVIEW 2. INTRODUCTION Existing literature offers a reasonable amount of information about the scale and size of bilateral-trade between China and SSA. We learn for example that trade between these two regions have increased tremendously, particularlyfollowing the years after2001. Available data-records can be explored to give us more information as to what is traded and by whom. The literature, nonetheless, is ambiguous about how this bilateral trade and relationship actually affects Africa or how the impacts of FDI manifest. Which particular SSA economies benefit and in what particular sectors? Who are the winners and who are the losers? Why? It is so apparent that trade is not the only vector channel between China and SSA, and that other channels may also create positive or negative implications. The aim of this chapter is to identify and explore other vector channels through which the impact of Beijings interaction with Sub-Saharan Africa manifests. Following this identification is a conceptual framewo rk developed by the researcher in order to deeply understand the inherent research issues and broad problems with the Sino-African relationship. 2.1 Previous Research The accession of china into the WTO and its rise as a great economic power-house is one of the defining events of the 21st century. Consequently, there has been a rising interest of literature studying its impact on various factors. But notwithstanding this considerable attention, there is relative dearth of systematic research on the Sino-African relationship impact especially relating to Chinas accession into the WTO (Geda, 2006). Notable exceptions of this trend are the IMF qualitative research of (Wang 2006) which finds that Africas needs for trade, road and rail networks including foreign direct investment are the prominent factors drawing the continuous interest of china. Another study by World Bank (2004) examined the limitations and policy restraints for increasing Sino-African trade and investment. Since these two prominent studies, more and more studies have been investigating how Chinas engagement affects Africa in one way or the other. The study of Mayer and Fajarnes (200 5) conducts a comprehensive analysis of the advantages that Africa can anticipate from Chinas increasing trade engagement and finds that, while the advantages are liable to be modest, the predilections have been considerately adapted to African export capabilities. The quantitative study of Eichengreen et al(2008) analysed the competitive issue between China and some African countries using a gravity model. Their results indicate that countries at different level of development are affected very differently. Whereas an increase in Chinas output positively affects the exports of high-income African countries. However, it negatively affects those of the less-developed countries in the East African region of SSA. In another study, Stevens (2005) identified possible winners and losers among African countries as China becomes more prominent in world trade; they found that while African countries are winning on one hand, they are losing on the other. Shafaeddin (2002) studied the impact o f Chinas accession into the WTO on exports of developing countries. He found that Chinas accession into the WTO will increasingly give its industries a better domestic value leading to more competitive advantage over other exporters and this could be a threat to the local industries of those developing economies. In 2008 another study exploring the growing relationship between China and Africa observed that â€Å"A key factor underlying Chinas recent rapid expansion in Africa is Beijings desire to gain secure access to supplies of oil, gas, and key minerals. As a late entrant to the global oil market, Africa perhaps represents the last major sources of oil reserves that are not primarily managed by major Western energy companies, and hence available for Chinese corporations to invest in, and ultimately resulting in partial control† (Besada et al, 2008). (Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris, 2006) studied the impact in four vector areas; Aid flows, trade flows, FDI flows, technolo gy transfer and integration. Other recent studies have also explored the specific vector areas through which the impact of Chinas accession into the WTO manifests on SSA using GDP growth, income distribution, governance, competition, diversification and many others. (Geda, 2006; Tull, 2006; Goldstein et al, 2006; Palley, 2003) 2.2 Assessing the Impact of China on Sub-Saharan Africa As aforementioned, there is a growing body of evidence in literature to suggest that the Sino-African relationship is manifesting through different specific channels. Within each of these channels, it is possible for the Sino-SSA relationship to either be competitive or complementary (Geda, 2006; Kaplinsky et al, 2008). Looking at the trade channel, for instance, China may provide SSA with appropriate capital goods and cheap consumer products and SSA may in turn provide China with the commodities it requires to fuel its continued economic expansion. Both economies gain from this relationship. On the other hand, Chinas export of consumer goods to SSA may displace local producers leading to competitive impacts on workers and entrepreneurs in these sectors. (Kaplinsky et al, 2006) The impact of these relationships for Africa has been both significant and positive. Growth rates have been elevated, with a positive impact on poverty alleviation. These flows provide substantial and largely untied development finance for Africa (in contrast to present conditional OECD flows). The continent may therefore present only a small part of a rapidly changing global economic structure in which China is centrally involved, but for Africa this will likely prove to be of high significance (Besada et al, 2008). What lies behind this development are a number of factors and motivated by chinas need to secure natural resources to sustain its economic boom at home. More so, there are little doubts that natural resources are at the core of Chinas economic interests in Africa and also Chinas share in the increase in global demand for some mineral resources such as aluminum, Nickel, copper and mostly oil consumption (Besada et al, 2008). This increasing development also reflects a high-level Chinese decision to contribute to South-South cooperation via mutually beneficial commercial relationships with the African continent. But at the same time, it also reflects commercial decisions made by individual Chinese enterprises (ibid). One claim that is supporting this theory is that Chinese firms have been successful in delivering comparable infrastructure projects at prices in the range of 25 percent and 50 percent less than those which other foreign investors charge (Besada et al, 2008). In assessing the impact of China on SSA, various studies have employed several empirical measures. However, prominent amongst this is the method devised by Kaplinsky (2008) who integrated a three vector channel of this impact into one synthetic framework; called the complementary-competitive and direct-indirect impacts. As shown in the (table 1) this framework shows that complementarity and competitiveness is easily understood. By contrast the distinction between the direct and indirect impacts is less obvious, and its significance is less widely recognized. The direct impacts are relatively simple and clear. Both complementary and competitive impacts occur as a result of direct bilateral relations between China and SSA. These impacts can be measured, by charting the direct trade flows between China and SSA, breaking these down by sectors and countries, and over time. The indirect impacts occur as a result of Chinas relations with third countries, working their way indirectly through to SSA. Staying with the trade example, Chinas demand for commodities may raise their prices at a global level, and even though a country like Ethiopia does not export animal feed to China (a direct relationship), it sells animal feeds into a global market in which prices have been raised by Chinas growing imports (indirect impact). As we shall see below, and particularly in the case of trade, the indirect impacts of China on SSA are sometimes much more substantial than the direct impacts. However, almost all of the analysis of the impact of China on SSA focuses on direct, bilateral relations, and hence tends to miss some important issues. Table 5: Complimentary-Competitive Framework Source: (Kaplinsky et al, 2006) Since this study is focusing on other vector channels as the one seen above, it might be pertinent therefore to have a specific framework in analyzing the impact China on SSA. Thus, the need for the next section 2.3 Conceptual Framework Figure: 3 Conceptual Framework Source: Authors conception This conceptual model shows the four conceptualized vector channels through which the impact of china transmits on SSA. Theoretical explanation is further given in support of each of these vectors channels. 2.3 TRADECHANNEL There is evidence to suggest that trade between China and SSA since 2001 is a small percentage of each regions total trade. However, its rapid growth suggests that the trade channel is a momentous source of impact (Kaplinsky et al, 2008). The volumes of Trade more than quintupled from over  £5 billion in 2002 to over  £25 billion in 2005 and more than  £50 billion as at 2006 (ibid). The basis for Chinas rising trade links with SSA has been its particular impressive growth since its accession into the WTO. One of the main features of this growth has been its deepening trade orientation, with the trade-GDP ratio in excess of 70 percent, well above the â€Å"norm† for large countries. Within this, China has become a major exporter of manufactures and a significant importer of commodities (Zafar, 2007). In 1990, SSAs total imports from China were less than 1.1% of its imports from industrialized economies, but by 2006, it had risen to over 8 %. In the same vein, SSA exports to China were less than 1% of its total exports to industrialized economies, but by 2006 the proportion had risen to eleven percent. However, Since 2002 after china joined the WTO, imports from China have been expanding more slowly than exports, allowing SSAs trade balance with China to turn from negative to positive ( Kaplinsky et al, 2008) Figure 4: Sino-SSA: Balance of Trade Source: (IMF Dots: Kaplinsky et al, 2008) For some SSA economies, the importance of China as a direct destination of exports grew particularly rapidly. In the case of oil, for example, exports to China account for almost around 86 and 100 percent of all oil exports for Angola, Sudan, Nigeria, and Congo. A similar picture is true for the DRC, which sends 99.6 percent of its basic metal exports to China. On the import side, only seven SSA countries source a significant share of their total imports from China. Sudan, which has growing and policy-related energy links with China stands out, with 14.2 percent of its imports coming from China, followed by Ghana and Tanzania (9.1 percent), Nigeria (7.1 percent), Ethiopia and Kenya (6.4 percent) and Uganda (5.1 percent) (Jenkins and Edwards, 2005). Almost all of these imports were manufactured products. With that historic picture as background, we look forward to areas of potential bilateral trade between China and SSA. 2.4 EXPORT CHANNEL Positive impact for SSA is sufficiently provided in the literature assessing when assessing export links between China and Sub-Saharan Africa. However, unlike this present study, most authors have assessed this vector as an indirect trade channel. Several studies has however, attempted to explore the impact of this indirect trade channel. For example, the study of (Kaplinsky and Santos-Paulino 2006) investigated the similarity between China and SSA exports (Jenkins and Edwards 2006) classified losers and winners and from exports with China, The losers are those economies which export products which China exports or import products which China imports (Stevens and Kennan (2006). All these empirical investigations have provided constructive insights into the export impacts of Chinas trade on SSA. Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris (2008) noted however that, the fact is apparent that only a small amount of engagement exists between China and SSA in intermediate products thus, it appears th at there exists little Sino-African integration in coordinated global value chains. More so, owing to the reason that most if not all of the previous analysis have been conducted at fairly high levels of trade aggregation they have tended to impede the severity of Chinas indirect trade impact on SSA exports. Thus, it is better if the real impacts are examined sectorally or through particular products (Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris, 2008). Table 9 Share of particular commodities in exports to China Sources: IMF, Direction of Trade Statistics Each of this graphs shows how Chinas trade has grown over the years, figure 9 shows the share of exports to China by particular natural resources while figure 10 shows how the exports of Africa has grown notably since 2001 at the inception of China into the WTO. Figure 11, shows that Sino-SSA trade, although is increasing but relatively small in the global perspective: 16% of total African exports is accounted for by china (19 percent of exports from SSA) in 2006, a proportion well less than that of the U.S.A and the E.U. The graph also shows that while U.S.A. and the E.U have persistently contributed significantly to the growth of Africas export, China is playing a fast catch. 2.5 FDI CHANNEL FDI is one of the notable channels through which many extant researchers have assessed the impact of China on SSA. Interestingly, this channel has proven positive for SSA from the perspective of many studies. See e.g. (Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris, 2008; Zafar, 2007; World Bank, 2007). This is so because FDI inward into SSA has apparently increased considerably in the last 10 years since Chinas accession into the WTO. According to Morris (2009): â€Å"As China began to emerge in the international global scene, its outward FDI flows remained small; equivalent to just $916mIn 2000, not much higher than the $830m registered in 1990. However, post 2001; FDI outflows have been rising, reaching $17.8bn in 2006. The flows are expected to continue to increase and to reach $72bn by 2011 (Morris, 2009) According to Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris (2008) there literally exists little FDI inflow from China into SSA before the 1990s. Then from less than  £15 million per annum for Africa as a whole, FDI from China climbed to over  £200 million in 2002 and reached  £1 billion in 2008 (Zafar, 2007). According to UNCTAD (2007) this growth represents higher FDI inflow into SSA than anywhere in the world. More so, it is a notable FDI stock in contrast with inflows from Europe and America particularly because it has come from fully or in some measures state owned corporations who have more access to very low-cost capital, and hence can operate with much longer time-horizons. According to UNCTAD (2007) most FDI from China usually comes in the variety of equity joint ventures with local business partners of SSA or state and national government agencies. The most recent and instances are those of the big energy and transport investment in Angola, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Mali amongst many. Other areas of Chinese interest driving FDI growth is the import of oil, manufacturing and investment in other local businesses. For example: China have made Investments valued at $757m in Sudanese Oil and $2.7bn in Nigerian oilfields in the past few years (Africa Frontier Advisory March, 2008) Table 7: FDI Flows to Africa, 2002-05 and the Top five FDI spots The World Bank (2004) observed that in spite of the usual picture of China as a resource hunger and raw material driven investor in SSA. The reality is that almost 48% of the amount invested in SSA since the 1980s till 2001 was in the productive and manufacturing sector. Slightly over (18%) of investments went into services and construction business. Agriculture (7.1%), Resource development accounts for just over one quarter of the investments, slightly over (27 %), though and other (.9%) claimed the balance. Although, this figures has slightly increased, (ibid). According to UNCTAD (2007), by 2005, chinas investment had grown into 48 African nations. Table 8: Distribution of Chinas Outward FDI Stock in Africa, 1990, 2005 (%) Source: UNCTAD (2007a) Consistent with several empirical perspectives, Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris (2008) also suggest that the increasing account of FDI into SSA is due to its involvement four major economic areas: Although, this study will be looking at only two of these areas, the first and second as they tend to have more significant impact on FDI Increasing investments in the energy and resource sectors Participation in infrastructural projects Integration to production systems globally Small scale entrepreneurial investments 2.7 Investments in the energy and resource sectors Owing to the increasing energy quest of China to fuel its own economic growth, inter

Portfolio Management Essays -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Portfolio Management Introduction: Portfolio management is a conglomeration of securities as whole, rather than unrelated individual holdings. Portfolio management stresses the selection of securities for inclusion in the portfolio based on that security’s contribution to the portfolio as a whole. This purposes that there some synergy or some interaction among the securities results in the total portfolio effect being something more than the sum of its parts. When the securities are combined in a portfolio, the return on the portfolio will be an average of the returns of the securities in the portfolio. For example, if a portfolio was comprised on equal positions in two securities, whose returns are 15% and 20%, the return on the portfolio, will the average of the returns of the two securities in the portfolio, or 17.5%. From this we will discuss the process of creating a diversified portfolio. The diversified portfolio is a theory of investing that reduces the risk of losing all your money when â€Å"al l your eggs† are not in one basket. Diversification limits your risk an over the long run, can improve your total returns. This is achieved by putting assets in several categories of investments. Portfolio Process: The portfolio process is as follows: 1. Designing an investment objective; 2. Developing and implementing an asset mix; 3. Monitoring the economy and the markets; 4. Adjusting the portfolio and measuring the performance Due to the intensity of each of the four items, we will be covering only the first two. 1. Investment Objective: This topic is broad and contains three major divisions. They are foundation objectives, constraints and major objectives. Foundation Objectives: These objectives generally receive the most attention from investors and are determined by thorough determination of your needs, preferences and resources. ï‚ · Return – you need to determine whether you prefer a strategy of return maximization, where assets are invested to make the greatest return possible while staying within the risk tolerance level, or whether a required minimum return with certainty is preferable, generating only as much return with emphasis on risk reduction. ï‚ · Risk – There are many ways to assess the risk tolerance of any particular investor, from the least knowledgeable of investments to the very sophisticated investor. Beside... ...the market as a whole. Diversifying among a number of securities can reduce nonsystematic risk. Both of these types of risk can be avoided when you correctly evaluate your risk guidelines and determine the maximum amount of risk that you are willing to handle. Conclusion: Once your portfolio has been established then next step in the management is to evaluate your portfolio’s performance. The success of your portfolio is determined by comparing the total rate of return of the portfolio to the average total return of comparable portfolios. It is essential to develop a system to monitor the appropriateness of the securities that comprise the portfolio and the strategies governing it. The process is twofold as it involves monitoring: ï‚ · The changes in your goals, financial position and preferences; ï‚ · Expectations in capital markets and individual companies; Remember that diversification is more than placing your eggs in different baskets. It is also making sure that all your baskets aren’t made from the same material. References: Wall Street 101, www.familyinternet.com Learning to Invest, www.learningtoinvest.com Your Money Coach, www.yourmoneycoach.com

Essay --

Damon Perez Mrs. Mcgillivray 8th Grade Science 18 December 2013 Incarceration is the process of being sent to prison. The top 10 reasons people are sent to prison are: larceny, drug possession, public intoxication, fraud, theft, aggravated assault, armed robbery, DUI, homicide, and rape. Women are 20% of people arrested. About 15% of people that are arrested are released within 4 hours or less - and about 66% are released within 48 hours. Some people that are arrested are released on bond - 46%. Some people who are arrested are charged with felonies - 25%, the other people were charged with misdemeanor offenses - 75%. There are differences between prison, jail, and juvenile detention. Prisons are operated by state governments and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). They are designed to hold individuals convicted of crimes. People serving long sentences (over a year) go to prison. Jails are most often run by sheriffs and/or local governments. They are designed to hold individuals awaiting trial or are serving short sentences. People serving short sentences (a year or under) go to jail. A youth detention center, also known as a juvenile detention center or, known as juvie, is a secure residential facility for young people. They are called juvenile delinquents. They are waiting court hearings and/or placement in long-term care.(www.BOP.org) There are approximately 1494 prisons in the United States. Jail is where people serve time for the bad stuff they did, a place where a person convicted of a crime is detained. Prison is a place for those convicted of serious crimes. Felony charges are more serious crimes that carry much higher jail time. Misdemeanor charges are still serious crimes just not as dangerous nor se... ...y will schedule a hearing to think about the sentence at a later date. In most felony cases the judge waits for the results of a presentence report, prepared by the court's probation office, before making the sentence. If the defendant pleads not guilty, the judge will proceed to schedule a trial. People charged do not have to prove their innocence. Instead, the government must provide evidence to convince the jury of the person’s guilt. The level of proof in a criminal trial is proof "beyond a reasonable doubt," which means the evidence must be so strong that there is no logical doubt that the person charged committed the crime. (http://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts/UnderstandingtheFederalCourts/HowCourtsWork/CriminalCases.aspx) Works Cited: www.fbi.gov www.uscourts.gov www.fedstats.gov www.state.gov www.zellislaw.com www.avvo.com www.wisegeek.com

General George S. Patton Jr. Essay -- essays research papers

General George Smith Patton Jr. was born November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, California. He was known as a complicated man, and having an intemperate manner. He was also known for carrying his pistol with ivory handle. He always strived to train his troops to the highest standard of excellence. Patton always dreamed of being a hero. His ancestors had fought in many wars, and grew up listening to their stories. He attended the Virginia Military institute for one year and went on to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point on June 11, 1909. He was then commisioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 15th Cavalry Regiment. Patton got married to Beatrice Ayer, whom he dated while attending West Point, on May 26, 1910. Patton competed in the Stockholm Olympics in the first modern pentathlon in 1912. This was considered a rigorous test of the skills a soldier could possess. He was 26 at the time and did remarkably well in all the events which included, pistol shooting from 25 meters, sword fencing, a 300 meter free style swim, 800 meters horse back riding and a 4-kilometer cross-country run. Patton placed fifth overall. Patton started taking lessons at the French cavalry school, and learning French sword drills. Patton reported to the Mounted Service School in Fort Riley, Kansas, where he became the school's first Master of the Sword. He designed and taught a course in swordsmanship while he was a student at the school. Patton's first real exposure to battle took pl...

Dharma in the 21st Century: “The Life of Tibetan Buddhist Nuns” Essay

Living in the 21st century connotes a busy and modern life, a life that is influenced by materialism, globalization and modern technology; a life with hardly any room for spirituality. This is the kind of life that is common in the Western world where everything is fast paced and humans have moved from relying on a greater being on to highly relying on gadgets everyday. We rely heavily on modern contraptions to make living easier for us – from a simple alarm clock in the bedroom to a high-powered microwave oven in the kitchen, from the multi-functional mobile phone in our pockets to our Internet-connected computers everywhere. From living based on religion, we now live based on technology. We cannot imagine life with out modern technology; we need it to cook our food, we need it to get to work, we need it to communicate; we just simply need it, or so we think? In this modern life of ours, we have become so engrossed with materialism and technology. We try to find ways to make things easier for us through technology but the more we use gadgets, the more complicated life seems, and as it gets complicated we forget about our inner being. We have forgotten what it is like to live simply and what it is like to be truly happy and be at peace without all the materialism. This is life with modernization but in places where materialism is not important and spirituality is highly upheld, all that we know and live by in the 21st century is absurdity for them. Theirs is a life of simplicity, meditation and seclusion; a life of being one with nature and their creator; a life of gaining wisdom and inner happiness. This is the life of Buddhism. Buddhism is not only a religion; it is a philosophy and a way of life (White 1). It is slowly growing in the Western world[1], where some try to look for peace in their everyday modern chaos (ibid). In the Orient, where Buddhism originated, modernization and a western way of life is slowly influencing the people due to economic reasons, such as in Thailand, but they still keep in touch with their spirituality, and monasteries where monks and nuns live still abound. In Tibet, Buddhism is their religion and politics; the Dalai Lama used to be both their religious and political leader (Simhanada Home page). With China taking over their country 50 years ago, the Tibetan government is in exile[2] and the more than 6,000 monasteries and nunneries in the Tibetan regions of U-Tsang, Dotà ¶ and Domey were damaged and destroyed by the Chinese (Office of Tibet 1). The Tibetan people and the few Tibetan monks and nuns in Tibet still seek spiritual guidance from the Dalai Lama in the North Eastern borders of India. With Tibetan monasteries built outside of Tibet after China’s invasion and with a few Tibetan monks and nuns still living in Tibet, it is of great interest how Tibetan Buddhist monastics, particularly the nuns, live like now and view the world especially with most of them in exile, with China as an economic tiger ruling over their land and with modernization happening all over the world. This paper will look into the lives of Tibetan Buddhist nuns in this present day and what has changed in their ways from the earlier times. A brief history of the Tibetan Buddhism will be given in order to understand the role of Tibetan nuns. Views on the role of women in Buddhism will be given and excerpts from the stories of different Tibetan nuns will also be shown in order to understand their belief and values system, and more importantly the condition of their life today. History of Tibetan Buddhism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Generally, Buddhism is a love of wisdom and it has three paths: (1) to lead a moral life, (2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions and (3) to develop wisdom and understanding (White 1). It has four noble truths which are (1) suffering exists, (2) suffering arises from attachment to desires, (3) suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases and (4) freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the eightfold path, which is to have the right view, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and contemplation (Simhanada 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Buddhism was introduced in Tibet by Buddhists in India in 173 CE and it was gradually assimilated, disseminated and integrated into the Tibetan way of life due to the efforts of the religious kings of the country (Office of Tibet 1). Tibetan Buddhism as described on the Simhanada Tibetan Buddhism page is as follows: Tibetan Buddhism makes use of a wide variety of practices, i.e., the entire scope of Buddha’s teachings from the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayan levels. Tibetan Buddhism successfully preserved the Vajrayana tradition†¦it is based most directly on the view that appearances can be used and transformed in order to recognize one’s Buddha nature and the emptiness of the mind†¦emphasis on intense Calm-abiding and Insight Mediation is stressed, along with the gradual accumulation of merit and purifying of obstacles. Extensive study of scripture, astrology, medicine, math and debate are common for Tibetan practitioners. Meditation on enlightened deities†¦is a unique feature of the Vajrayana†¦it uses the technique of having the practitioner identify themselves with an enlightened deity —in order to realize the nature of enlightenment. The religion spread because gurus from India were invited into Tibet to teach the Buddhist scriptures and translate them for the people. The religious king Tri Ralpachen introduced a decree that every monk should be supported by seven households, and thousands of temples were constructed in his time. Unfortunately, the king’s successor did not support the Buddhist teachings and monks were made to disrobe and join the army (ibid). Buddhism entered into a dark age but was revived after some time when three monks escaped the Domey region of Tibet and established monastic lineages in other parts of Tibet and eventually revived it in central Tibet (Office of Tibet 1). In Western Tibet, the most vigorous revival of Buddhism was taking place care of Lha Lama Yeshe Ãâ€". He helped spread the doctrine through translation, teaching and establishing of monasteries with the help of the great translator Rinchen Zangpo and Legpai Sherab (ibid). Lha Lhama also composed the famous Buddhist test A Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment, which set the pattern for all graded path texts found in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition (ibid). Four schools of Tibetan Buddhism[3] were also established from the practices and the Buddhist gurus. These are the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelugpa. Nyingma literally means â€Å"old school† (ibid)that places a great deal of emphasis on meditation to achieve merit and wisdom; Kagyu is the Oral Lineage that is concerned with the experiential dimension of meditation where there is single-minded contemplation exercises and meditative therapy to attain psychic good health. Milarepa, an eleventh century Tibetan mystic practiced this tradition and meditated for many years in caves prior to reaching enlightenment. Sakya represents the scholarly tradition and means â€Å"gray earth† (ibid), and the Gelugpa school translates into the â€Å"virtuous school† (ibid) where scholastics are emphasize highly and monks are encouraged to achieve the Geshe degree of the Doctor of Buddhist Philosophy where a student practices lamrim or the paths[4]. Meditation is encouraged as well, like in all Buddhist practices and development of compassion is an essential part of the teachings of this school, which is also the basis of Tibetan Buddhist schools. The special features of Tibetan Buddhism are the status of the teacher or â€Å"Lama†, preoccupation with relationship between life and death, important role of rituals and initiations, rich visual symbolism, element of Bà ¶n, the earlier Tibetan faith, and mantras and meditation practice (BBC 1). Role of Women in Tibetan Buddhism There are two sectors in the Tibetan community: the lay people and the monastics (Chodron Home Page). The monastics, which are the monks or bhikshus and the nuns or bhikshunis, chose to vow to a life of simplicity, â€Å"a life directly related to the preservation and dissemination of the Dharma[5] to benefit others† (Chodron Home Page). Though women have been admitted by Buddha himself into his Order thousands of years ago due to pressure that women had become nuns in the Jaina religion (King 40), women are belittled in the orders. There are sutras or teachings that say â€Å"women could never become Buddhas† (SGI 1), and for centuries this conception has persisted. It has been commonly believed that women would have to be reborn as men to attain Buddha-hood (ibid) because there is â€Å"absolute preference for a male body†¦no Buddhist in her right mind desires a female body† (Buddhist-Christian Studies 220). The book Himalayan Hermitess: The Life of a Tibetan Buddhist Nun (Buddhist-Christian Studies 221) the author wrote about the life of Orgyan Chokyi who is a Buddhist nun that had reached high levels of understanding by the end of her life. This was not common during her time since she was living in the late 17th century to the early 18th century, and during this time women in Buddhism were really inferior to the men. The book revealed and translated manuscripts of her life, and this was really rare because manuscripts of nuns were not written by the scholars during the early times since their stories are thought to be not worth recording (Buddhist-Christian Studies 222). It is said that Orgyan Chokyi laments to be a woman and female rebirth in general, and she prays often that no being should be subject to a female rebirth (ibid). This is clearly indicative of how sexist Buddhism was then. She became a significant figure because of her life ordeals- she was born to parents who mistreated her because they wanted a son and she would often weep and one day a monk observed her and told her that if she studied the Dharma, she would soon develop great compassion. Like other nuns she was required to do manual labor in the monastery and this was the time she laments her gender. After being a novice, she received meditation instructions form the master of the monastery and a senior nun; she was made to do Tibetan oral traditions and go on pilgrimages to sacred sites of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite these, she was still made to do manual labor for more years but she was filled with joy and she wrote songs about this. Later on, she changed her attitude about female rebirth and writes that â€Å"a woman’s body is a ground for samsara† (Buddhist-Christian Studies 223). In her death, she clearly defied what was believed then: that enlightenment cannot be achieved in a female body (ibid); her meditation master told her that she did not need to do more meditations because she had â€Å"fully protected her vows and commitments† (ibid). This meant total enlightenment and she laid the path for Buddhist nuns to achieve Buddha-hood as well and to call for equality from society. Some also say that women enter the nunneries because they cannot wait for a man to wed them, they are too old to marry or they are orphans or widows (King 41). This shouldn’t be so since Buddhism calls for equality as seen in the Lotus Sutra, which is also called the teaching of non-discrimination, reveals that â€Å"there is no difference between men and women in terms of their capacity to attain Buddha-hood† (Soka Gakkai International [SGI] 1). Guru Rinpoche, who taught the dharma in Tibet, even had a principal disciple that was a woman called Lady Yeshe Tsogyal (Simhanada 1). In these early years of Buddhism, it was recorded that â€Å"women engaged in learned debates with the Buddha himself† (King 40) and that there is a recording of more than 500 verses in the Therigatha created by Buddhist nuns in the ancient Pali Canon (ibid). This shows that they are as capable as the monks. Nuns have been seen as inferior due to traditions way before Buddhism came and due to the impositions of patriarchal and sexist values in societies where Buddhism flourished (Shih 1). For a woman to become nun means liberation, however, they are bound by rules â€Å"over and above those followed by monk[6]† (King 40). These rules may have been developed at a later time to restrict women’s freedom or to simply express the existing social inferiority of women (ibid). Though she gains some freedom, a nun receives little recognition of her status from society since â€Å"rituals performed by monks are considered more efficacious and meritorious than those performed by nuns† and the donations given to monks are greater because it is considered to produce more merit for the donor than when given to a nun† (Buddhist-Christian Studies 220). Education for nuns was also quite limited because they had to do manual labor or housework to earn money for their supplies or to build their cells; thus, opportunities for them to perform their religious practices were limited (ibid). Even if the nuns have completed the required number of mantra recitations, they have to call on a monk to perform the ï ¬ re puja or burnt-book offering to perform it on their behalf (ibid). The Dalai Lama says that â€Å"all Buddhist nuns have a unique role to play in the evolution of Buddhism where the universal principle of the equality of all human beings takes precedence† (Chodron Home Page). Other Tibetan religious leaders have also stated publicly in a faith international congress that â€Å"men and women have an equal capacity for enlightenment† (Buddhist-Christian Studies 221), thus erasing the traditional beliefs that nuns are of inferior status to monks and that a woman must be reincarnated as a man to achieve enlightenment. And even if the prophecy that the Dharma will cease to exist after 500 years of admitting women into the Buddhist order, since it has already been 2,500 years (Fitz-Gerald 1), some traditionalists are still disregarding this idea because nuns are proving themselves to be more capable than what traditional norms have been dictating for years. Tibetan Buddhist Nuns Today In the recent decades, equal treatment of nuns with monks are being called for and with conferences being held yearly for Buddhists and other faiths, the pressure is great. Buddhism was not inherently sexist, but with the male domination in India where the Tibetan Buddhism came from, it just came to be because of the culture at that time (Fitz-Gerald 1). And this culture is changing in the 21st century. The Venerable Chodron (Home Page) says that in these times, Buddhist nun have three levels of ordination: sramanerika or novice, siksamana or probationary, and bhikshuni or full. The bhikshuni, for the Tibetans, means that it is already possible for them to attain the geshe or Doctorate degree, some are already taking the Vinaya class[7] which entails that the first generation of geshe-mas nuns will be produced and will earn them the degree equal to the monks (ibid). Before 1953, the highest rank that a nun could attain was even lower than the lowest rank of the monks (Shih 1). The Dalai Lama even made a statement about this topic, saying that â€Å"This is the 21st Century. Everywhere we are talking about equality†¦Basically Buddhism needs equality†¦the key thing is the restoration of the bhikshuni vow† (ibid). In this modern world, women are challenging the male-dominated social structures and â€Å"Buddhists need not only to tolerate such change, but to actively support it both within the general social structure and within Buddhism itself. Not only is change along feminist lines not incompatible with the teachings of the Buddha, it will be necessary for the continued flourishing of the Dharma† (Fitz-Gerald 1) since the number of monks is decreasing while the number of nuns is increasing (Chodron Home Page). Also though times are changing and the Buddhist nuns are gaining respect, their monastic life is more difficult now than it was before; as Shih (1) states, â€Å"Monasteries are by no means harbourages for those who seek easy lives. Therefore, there would be no reason for one to take on the challenges of such a life with much more hardship unless it were for the sake of religious pursuit.† Women no longer want to become nuns just because they are widowed, orphaned, abandoned or could not be wed, they enter for spiritual and religious purposes, thus they should gain the respect of everyone. The access women now have to education has brought them the want for enlightenment. In a research conducted by Arai (Shih 1), in the past for forty years, the average age of nuns entering in the order was 16; they were either raised in a temple or entered it because of their parents requests. Recently, however, the age of nuns entering the nunneries has risen to 43 and are single or married, and have definitely had more life experiences that those who were entering the nunneries in the 1950s (ibid). This suggests that nuns are more competent now and are making a more conscious and mature decision to commit themselves to the religion and to the life of seclusion; they are more capable of fulfilling their social roles and responsibilities (ibid).   Aside from earning equal respect and treatment with monks, nuns are facing a bigger problem which all of Tibet is experiencing, and that is the occupation of China in their land. Tsultrim Doma, a Buddhist nun in Tibet, says â€Å"The Chinese want our land, but they don’t want the Tibetan people. The women in our village were called to be sterilized, one by one. Those who refused must pay a fine. They have no money, so they have no choice† (Vincanne 77). Tibetans are experiencing a cultural and physical genocide; the Chinese are forcing Tibetan women, even nuns, to marry and Chinese nationals and bear their children. Tibetan women are forced to abort their babies just to reduce the Tibetan population (ibid). The Chinese are torturing the nuns and monks because they are the bearers of Tibetan culture, which is heavily rooted in religion; the monks and nuns are the suspects of political criminality in Lhasa (Vincanne 80). Hundreds of nunneries and monasteries have moved out of Tibet since the Chinese occupation and into the countries of India, Thailand, Nepal, Australia and others. Though Chinese are also Buddhists, they are persecuting the Tibetan Buddhists and they are faced with the challenge of renewal and reformulation (Shih 1) not only with their ways in treating the Buddhist nuns but with their survival. A Tibetan nun said that â€Å"the strength of our devotion frightens them† (Vincanne 81) since it is their devotion and religion that may liberate them. Their Buddhist belief in peace and liberation from suffering is timely with what they are experiencing, and together with their belief in karma, this enables them to endure their torments[8] and fight a rather peaceful battle for liberation than the Chinese government’s choice of using artillery and blood shed. The values of tolerance, inner transformation and enlightenment also enable the Tibetan Buddhists to be patient with what China has been doing, however, with the recent news of riots being broken out in China by the Tibetans, where monastics are accused of heading it, we do not know until when the Tibetan Buddhists- monks, nuns and lay people, can tolerate the injustices of China. Conclusion Buddhism was introduced in Tibet by the Indians in Tibetan in 123 CE and it replaced the mystic religion of Tibetans which was Bà ¶n. This mystic religion, however shaped the beliefs of the Tibetan Buddhists and made them somewhat different from other Buddhist sects. Their specific features are their distinct belief in life and death, important role of rituals and initiations, rich visual symbolism, element of Bà ¶n, the earlier Tibetan faith, and mantras and meditation practice. The Buddhist nuns have gone a long way from being admitted into the order by Buddha 2,500 years ago and only attaining a rank that is lower than that of the lowest rank for monks, to being ordained as a bhikshuni or a full nun and allowing the possibility of earning a geshe-ma or doctorate degree for them that will make them equals with monks. Though they are facing opposition from traditional lay-persons and monastics, the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist sects are on their side, calling that now is the time for equality and that Buddha-hood can be achieved by both man and woman. This is so because it was believed that women cannot achieve enlightenment, only men can achieve Buddha-hood and women must be reincarnated to do so. Some say that though Buddhism teaches equality, the patriarchal society in which Buddhism spread into has caused such inequality among men and women, thus making the lives of Buddhist nuns much harder than their monk counterparts. Women entering the nunneries today are much older than the women who were entering in the 1950s; from the average age of 16 it has risen to 43 in the past 40 and more years, showing that women have a more conscious decision to commit themselves to the Dharma and the religious life and shedding the notion that they are entering it because of lack of choice. In this time and age, were equality is being called for in all sectors of society Buddhists are being pressured and as said the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist Leaders are supporting the Buddhist nuns. Also, another challenge is faced by the Tibetan Nuns and that is they are forced to be disrobed and be sterilized, that is marry into a Chinese national and give birth to a Chinese child. The nuns, together with the monks are the ultimate symbol of Tibetan culture since their culture is deeply rooted in religion, therefore they are the ones tortured by the Chinese government’s cleansing of Tibetan from their people. As one Tibetan nun said, the Chinese only want their land and not the people that is why they are being physically and culturally erased. Because of the Chinese occupation many nunneries in Tibet have been destroyed by the Chinese and the nunneries have moved out together with the government-in-exile of Tibet into India and other countries. Their belief in suffering, peace and karma allows them to endure the tortures they are receiving from the Chinese that are occupying their land. Tibetan nuns are not only fighting for their equality they are also the voice, together with the monks and the Dalai Lama that is calling for a peaceful fight for the liberation of their land. Works Cited BBC Religion & Ethics Web Site. 2008. BBC. 1 April 2008 . Buddhist Christian Studies Book Review. 8 October 2006. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press. 2 April 2008 King, Ursula. â€Å"World Religions, Women and Education†. Comparative Education, Special Number (10): Sex Differences in Education. 23.10. (1987): 35-49. 31 March 2008 Tibet Website. 10 November 1997. The Government of Tibet in Exile Family of Sites. 3 April 2008 . Shi, Juo-hsueh. â€Å"Buddhist Nuns from a Modern Perspective† and Fitz-Gerald, Kerry. â€Å"Buddhism Needs Feminism.† Sakyaditha Newsletter. 3.2 (2002). 2 April 2008 . Soka Gakkai International. â€Å"Enlightenment of Women.† SGI Quarterly Magazine. (April 2000). 2 April 2008 . Simhanada Family of Sites.2006. Simhanada Buddhists. 2 April 2008 . Venerable Thubten Chodron’s Web Site. (n.d.) Ven. Thubten Chodron. 2 April 2008 from . Vincanne, Adams. â€Å"Suffering the Winds of Lhasa: Politicized Bodies, Human Rights, Cultural Difference, and Humanism in Tibet.† Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 12.1. (1998): 74-102. 31 March 2008 White, Bryan. A 5 minute Introduction to Buddhism. 1993. Buddha Dharma Education Association Network. 2 April 2008 . [1] See online articles and publications of Buddha Dharma Education Association [BDEA] for more information on Buddhism in Western countries. [2] Refer to the official webpage of the Tibetan Government in Exile: http://www.tibet.com [3] The Tibetan Buddhist Canon discusses this more extensively and can be found at the BDEA Web page, as well as in the eSSortment Web page. [4] 3 Principles of the Path is the (1) intention leave cyclic existence, (2) generate the intent to free all sentient beings and 93) correct view of emptiness (Simhanada   1) [5]Dharma refers to the Buddhist teachings or the path to truth and enlightenment. [6] A nun is subject to eight basic rules while a monk is only to follow four; when fully ordained a nun must observe 311 daily rules and the monk only 227 (King 40) [7] Vinaya class is the last class taken prior to taking the geshe exam and is required for the geshe degree. [8] Refer to Vincanne’s article of Suffering the Winds of Lhasa for detailed accounts