Why do teens commit serious crimes Essay Example For Students

Why do teens commit serious crimes? Essay In California an off-duty high way patrol officer that was walking out from court was shot by a sixteen year old teenager who wanted to know how it felt like killing a cop. Then the officers family were informed that the suspect was caught and brought to justice. Furthermore, the teenager faced three life sentences, however he will not be given the death penalty. Many teens commit these serious crimes because of media, are brainwashed by older criminals, and get poor parenting. I believe in the old saying an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but young teenagers who are forced against their will to commit the crime or he or she committed the crime unintentionally should not get death penalty. When teenagers are young their victims not suspects and should not be given the death penalty. Juveniles are victims of being brainwashed into committing crimes. A teenager named Val hung around a gang full of criminals who were seeking for fame or attention. We will write a custom essay on Why do teens commit serious crimes? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Then one day the gang hassled Val into killing a cop and then one day he unexpected shot an officer. This might be considered as brainwashed because he had to kill someone to prove the gang that he was a man or maybe he wanted to join the gang. Also, teens who commit rape crimes might of being molested or where taught hardcore sex violence while they were a child. Juveniles arent well mature and do what they are taught. Some criminals lie and perform several crimes to convince younger people into thinking that its okay to commit the crime. This criminals who brainwash young minds are the ones who should be triggered and sent to death row. Some teenage violence is done because of the way they were raised. Parents that are careless to whom their child is hanging out with, this is a situation were the child might get involved with the wrong crowd. There is other times when single parents try raising their kids but when teenagers dont have that love or attention they seem to look for a certain group who will substitute for a parent. Many gangs develop this way and their the ones who recruit young minds. Whatever things are not taught at home might be taught in the streets. For example, getting involved in a crime and since the parent is careless the young teen will perform the activity of the group hes hanging around with. Maybe if careless parents where a little more discipline then teen violence wouldnt be a big factor. Maybe some parents really dont know how to be parents. The mass media is one of the reasons why teens commit some of the serious crimes. Movies that contain violence influence teens to commit or perform what they see. For instance, Gone In Sixty Seconds is a movie about a group of people who stole cars in sixty seconds. Furthermore, this movie might of influence some teens to perform the same task. Also, cartoons like South Park that contain killings. One of the most influential shows was Jackass according to World Wide Vision some teens after watching the show they copy cat and performed some of their stunts that might have harmed people or him or herself. These are examples of what might of cause teens to commit serious crimes that is why young people shouldnt get the death penalty. Teenagers who commit this serious crimes should be helped and instead giving them the death penalty they should investigate the teens background so that other teenage crimes could be prevented. There are other alternatives to convict the teen for his actions of wrong doing and by sending him to death row will not decrease or stop teenage crimes.

No Talent for Writing

No Talent for Writing No Talent for Writing No Talent for Writing By Maeve Maddox A reader writes: I have all these great stories in my head, but no talent what so ever when it involves writing it down. Is there any advice you could give me or am I stuck? Unless the questioner wants to become an oral storyteller and tell these great stories to a live audience, or record them as audiobooks, the answer has to be, â€Å"Yes, you’re stuck.† However, I suspect that the person asking the question has made some attempt to put stories into writing, but is unhappy with the result. Welcome to the tribe of fiction writers. We all have great stories in our heads. Getting them out of our heads and onto paper is the hard part. Talent is nice to have, but plenty of writers earn a living with a minimal amount of it. Persistence is far more important to a writer than talent. A large proportion of the world’s population is made up of extremely talented writers who have been working on the same book, or thinking about working on a book, for years. The word talent can mean simply â€Å"an inclination or a disposition† for something. Or it can mean â€Å"an innate aptitude.† Anyone who has the inclination to write can do it. Writing is a craft. Like any craft, it can be learned, and it must be practiced. Not everyone has the aptitude to produce a novel like Pillars of the Earth, War and Peace, or The Time Traveler’s Wife, but anyone who shows up at the computer every day will produce something. It’s in the rewriting that you’ll discover the extent of your talent. The best advice I can offer to the questioner is, â€Å"Start writing.† Pretend that one of the story ideas in your head is a movie that you’d like to tell a friend about. Pretend you’re writing a letter to that friend and then, start writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts225 Foreign Phrases to Inspire You13 Theatrical Terms in Popular Usage

National Interests Vs Human Interests in Takastand Case Study

National Interests Vs Human Interests in Takastand - Case Study Example Here, the response of the entire world to the human interests issues of people in Takastand would play a major role. However, in planning the international conference it is important to first analyze the issues of Takastand. Case study reveals that the primary issue of the country is unnecessary political influence which has subsequently increased breach of human rights from the side of government officials. This paper aims to plan the international conference for the human security problems in State through following three steps: Economic: Economic stability and long term sustenance plays the most vital role in bringing peace and prosperity to a nation (Strauss-Kahn). This becomes even more significant when the state is facing various internal and external threats. Hence agenda of conference should be based upon the resolution that the residents of Takastand must be given equal employment and business opportunities. They must not be discriminated on the basis of ethical or religious background. Political: Currently the politics of Takastand are solely handled by one political party which is against the rules and regulations of democracy. Since this political party is also found to be supported by international criminal networks while enjoying complete authority over the police and military forces therefore it has started attacking the minorities and less influential social groups. These issues should be tackled through ensuring complete implementation of democracy by allowing different political parties to acquire same status in the national and provisional assemblies. Military: The issues pertaining to military in Takastand are actually associated with the super influential political party which not only discriminates people but it also practices illegitimate military control over them.

Mitral valve prolapse and treatment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Mitral valve prolapse and treatment - Term Paper Example This paper shall discuss mitral valve prolapse, its causes, incidence, and risk factors, as well as interventions and treatment measures. This paper is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the condition, its impact on the health, as well as related nursing interventions. The mitral valve is the valve which ensures that blood on the left side of the heart flows in one direction (University of Maryland Medical Center, 2011). In effect, it prevents backflow of blood during heart contraction. Mitral valve prolapse manifests when the mitral valve fails to close properly, thereby causing the back flow of blood during contraction. Mitral valve prolapse can be caused by a variety of things, mostly by physical changes in the valve (WebMD, 2011). Physical changes, including the thickening of the valve can cause the prolapse. The causes of these physical changes are not entirely known. It may also be genetically inherited by family members. Health issues which affect the mitral valve, connective tissue and heart muscles can also cause mitral valve prolapse, however, these are very rare. Related conditions, including osteogenesis imperfecta and hyperthyroidism are also considerations in this condition (WebMD, 2011). For the most part, this condition is harmless and sometimes patients are unaware that they have this heart condition. In fact, about 10% of the population is known to have minor mitral valve prolapse, however, most of the time it does not affect their lives. In some instances, this prolapse can cause blood back flow. This is known as mitral regurgitation, and may sometimes require surgery and medical treatment (University of Maryland Medical Center, 2011). Mitral valves which have structural issues have an increased risk for bacterial infection. It is a condition which often impacts on thin women with minor chest deformities, scoliosis, or related disorders (University of Maryland

Engineering Reflective Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Engineering Reflective Statement - Essay Example that, I enjoy reading materials on engineering like the Mechanical Engineering Magazine monthly edition and the Mechanical Society of American Engineers which promotes the art, science & practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe. However, the main reason why I chose the article is an article I read on making coal a cleaner burning fuel. The global impact seen as a result of engineering solutions is the destruction of the ozone layer due to the use of various machines. A good example is the CFC used as a coolant because of its excellent heat capacity, but it ends up destroying the ozone layer. A lot of machines that have been invented contribute towards the destruction of the ozone layer through the fumes that they emit while in operation. The economic impact is felt in the manufacture and distribution of the various machines that have been invented. They provide a trading ground for many companies and individuals and at the same time create revenue for firms, individuals and governments (Huber, 23). The environment is also affected by engineering solutions in that there is increased pollution of the air and water sources. This is due to the fumes emitted by various machines and waste deposited by various industries. Automobiles have eased transportation problems but cause pollution and, as a result, global warming. The social impact can be seen in the way communication has been eased through various gadgets and social networks that have come up as a result of engineering solutions. Mechanical engineers need to understand the impact of their engineering solutions in order to come up with better ideas that will ensure the safety of everyone in the future. Their inventions have solved a lot of problems within homes, at work places and around us. However these solutions have come along with other negative impacts that are slowly affecting the natural ways of living and putting the future at risk. In order to understand these

The virulence factors of staphylococcus aureus

The virulence factors of staphylococcus aureus Staphylococcus aureus is faculatively anaerobic, catalase-positive, coagulase-positive, gram-positive cocci. It is non sporulating, non motile and non capsulated bacteria. 30% of Staphylococcus aureus can be found in skin, mucous of membrane and nasal passages in a healthy person as normal flora. However, Staphylococcus aureus infections are capable of leading to meningitis, pneumonia, osteomyetilis, spectic arthritis and septicemia. It is also difficult to treat Staphylococcus aureus infections if it is a methicillin resistant strain as the only antibiotic, vancomycin, is able to inhibit methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA). Virulence Factors Virulence factors from Staphylococcus aureus can be structural or secreted products that lead to pathogenesis. They are classified into catogeries such as surface proteins, secreting toxins and superantigen toxin. Surface proteins in Staphylococcus aureus provide attachments to host tissues which will colonize and lead to infections. Such proteins are protein A/B which binds to immunoglobulin G, clumping factor A and B to help adherence to bacterial cells. [Plata, Rosato et al. 2009] Alpha-heamolysin, beta-heamolysin, gamma-heamolysin and Panton Valentine Leucocidine (PVL) are examples of secreting toxins which form pores in the host membrane and lyses the cells while staphylococcus enterotoxins weaken the host immune system and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 causes toxic shock by food poisoning. These virulence factors that are produced [Plata, Rosato et al. 2009] by Staphylococcus aureus and often cause life-threatening diseases. These factors overcome and disguise themselves from th e body immune system so that Staphylococcus aureus can colonize and bind to connective tissues which lead to infections. They are also responsible for the symptoms of the disease. The main diagnostic features can be detected by having coagulase agglutination tests and test for the production of thermostable nuclease which break down DNA. [Greenwood, Slack et al. 2007] Exotoxins (TSST1-toxic shock syndrome toxin 1) TSST1 are one of the virulence factors that cause a variety of diseases in humans. TSST1 has short N-terminal ÃŽ ± helix which lead to ÃŽ ² barrel structure also known as B domain or oligosaccharide binding. It is then connected to C-terminal wall of the ÃŽ ² strands (Domain A). This structure cause cysteine loop which result in emetic activity. If there is no loop, TSST1 will be superantigenic [Orwin, Fitzgerald et al. May 2003]. As Staphylococcus aureus invade the body, TSST1 is produced in the bacteria and release to host. It then inhibits host immune responses. It crosses mucosal surfaces and reactivates bacterial cell wall induced arthritis. [Diages, Orwin et al. Jan 2000] TSST1 also stimulate proliferation of T cells. These T cells will not only increase its concentration in the body, but they are also unable to recognize specific antigen in the bacterial cells. Subsequently, T cells cannot eradicate Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, TSST1 is also known as superantigenicity, py rogenicity and boost the lethality of the toxins. Acquired heart disease in children is often associated with TSST1. Also, TSST1 is linked to women who use tampons regularly as it increases the exposure to Staphylococcus aureus infections. TSST1 helps to release massive amount of cytokines which results in fever, rash, low blood pressure, tissue damage and shock. [Dermnet.org] Exotoxins (Panton Valentine Leucocidin-PVL) Panton Valentine Leucidin (PVL) is usually found in community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). Tristan (2007) stated that it is categorized as bicomponent synergohymenotropic toxin which lyses host cell membrance and it targets on human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN), monocytes and macrophages. Plasma membrane of myeloid cells form octamer pores and target leukocytes by Panton Valentine Leucidin [Kobayashi and Deleo 2009]. Inflammatory mediators such as leukotriene B4, IL-8 and histamine are released to the cell surrounding as PVL activates Ca2+ channels to open leading to calcium influx in PMN, monocytes and macrophages. As long as Ca2+ channels are opened and inflammatory mediators concentration is greatly rising, it is a fatal outcome. Thus, neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages lyses as pores form in their cell membranes and this usually results in toxic shock or refractory hypoxemia. Panton Valentine Leucidin plays a major role in severe necrotizing fasciitis, pne umonia, leukocyte destruction and tissue necrosis. [Libert, Batjom et al. Jan 2009] Staphylococcus enterotoxins-SE Staphylococcus enterotoxins are the common cause of food poisoning. As individual digests a large amount of Staphylococcus aureusthrough contaminated water or food, enterotoxins are produced. It has a major cross linking with major histocompability complex (MHC) class II antigen and T cell receptor (TCR) [Fraser and Proft 2008]. T cell receptor will recruit neutrophils and release a wide variety of inflammation mediators to the stomach and small intestine. Accumulation of inflammation mediators results in hyperemic mucosa and crypt extension develops in jejunum. The disruption of the lining of the small intestine influences the rate of absorption of substances. Thus, gastroenteritis forms and will bring about the systemic symptoms such as fever and hypotension.[ Diages, Orwin et al. Jan 2000]. Vomiting and diarrhea is also a common symptom in SE food poisoning. Food poisoning by Staphylococcus aureusis less severe than other infections by the same species. It is often self limiting a s well. [Diages, Orwin et al. Jan 2000] Protein A Protein A is characterized as a cell wall associated monomeric protein. [Gomez, Lee et al. 2004]. It has role in causing pneumonia by targeting polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell migration in the airway passages. Protein A binds to the Fc region of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and causes opsonization. [Greenwood, Slack et al. 2007]. It also phosphorylates mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) as pro-inflammatory signaling. IL-8 is made and secreted out from epithelial cells. In addition, protein A also mimics TNF-ÃŽ ± (tumour necrosis factor ÃŽ ±) that will bind to TNFR1, which is distributed at airways (tumour necrosis factor receptor 1). This will recruit TRADD (TNFR1 associated death domain protein) and TRAF2 (TNF receptor associated factor 2). Both will be activated, protein A and TRAF2 with RIP1 will coimmunoprecipitate in the airways [Gomez, Lee et al. 2004]. Furthermore, protein A inhibits phagocytic engulfment. In the same paper, Gomez also stated that if Staphylococcus aureusis lacking in protein A or TNFR1, bacterial virulence will be lower and accumulation of PMN in the lung will be decrease as well. It is harmless to activate PMN as it is to protect the lung, however, when there is an increase in protein A binding to PMN, PMN is activated and enhancing the inflammatory mediators to be released in the airways. Therefore, an increase in protein A will generate a greater inflammatory response and subsequently pneumonia develops. Staphylokinase (SAK) Staphylokinase is an enzyme that produces by Staphylococcus aureus. When staphylokinase is released from Staphylococcus aureus and targeted to neutrophils, ÃŽ ±-defensins is produced and followed by neutralization of short peptides by Staphylococcus aureus. This results in inhibition of bactericidal effects of defensins by the activation of plasminogen and staphylokinase increases bacterial infection process. [Bergmann and Hammerschmidt 2007] Plasminogen is tightly regulated and it is a part of fibrinolysis mechanism which coagulates fibrin when a blood vessel is injured. Staphylococcus aureus changes plasminogen to fibrin with the help of fibrin as co-factor. Staphylokinase is encoded by the Sak gene and regulated by the agr gene. Its structure has a central ÃŽ ±-helix and 5 ÃŽ ² sheet strands. [Bokarewa, Jin et al. 2006]. Once neutophils is bound to the central ÃŽ ±-helix, it induces conformational changes. Consequently, plasminogen is converted to plasmin. Fibrin clots is then bro ken down by plasmin and kept the infection localized. Staphylokinase-plasminogen complexes also help Staphylococcus aureus to enter the host tissues. Furthermore, Maria stated that if 2 staphylokinase form a dimer due to the central ÃŽ ±-helical, it will reduce antigenicity. Several binding sites to neutrophils can be found in staphylokinase. This will induced in releasing of ÃŽ ±-defensins and affect the bactericidal properties as peptides are being neutralized. Staphylococcus aureusis then resistant to phagocytosis by neutrophils. [Bokarewa, Jin et al. 2006]. Staphylokinase infections are usually found in sepsis, immunocompromised and elderly patients as they are more prone to Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotics are the usual therapy of these infections. Virulence Factors in Staphylococcus aureusare the main components that causing life threatening diseases. It is mostly the mediators released by the immune system gives the symptoms for the diseases. If there are any mutations in these virulence factors, it will be less virulent to the bacteria and the symptoms of disease will lessen as these virulence factors will not target neutrophils, macrophages and other immune system components. Therefore, inflammation mediators are not released in a great amount at once.

Acupuncture :: essays research papers fc

Acupuncture is considered to be a new alternative medicine in western society, and has recently become very popular in the United States (â€Å"All About Acupuncture†). Acupuncture is the insertion of hair-fine needles into the body’s surface, which is supposed to cause psychological effects on the body to cure the patient of an illness. These illnesses may be emotional mental or physical (Singer). But some doctors question the validity of this practice, and believe that acupuncture may be unsafe (Barrett).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first basis of acupuncture was probably first theorized by Shen Nung about 5000 years ago in a document called â€Å"Huang Di Nei Jing† (Singer). Shen Nung believed that there is an energy force running through the entire body called â€Å"Qi† (pronounced chee). Qi travels through the body in â€Å"meridians† or channels. These meridians run vertically up and down the body’s surface (Singer). The Qi is supposed to be the mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects of life. The Qi reacting with the forces of the â€Å"Yin† and â€Å"Yang† influence a person’s health (Singer). The Yin and Yang represent the positive and negative forces in the universe (â€Å"All About Acupuncture†). â€Å"Yin is signified by female attributes, passive, dark, cold, moist, that which moves medially†¦ Yang is signified by male attributes, light, active, warm, dry, that which moves laterally†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Singer). If the Qi in a person’s body is not in balance with the Yin and Yang then an illness will befall the person, and he or she should be treated with acupuncture, which corrects this imbalance (Singer).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The process of acupuncture requires the placement of needles at acupuncture points so the Qi can be balanced. There are about nine different kinds of acupuncture needles, although six needles are commonly used today (Singer). The needles vary in size, length, and shape of the head. These needles can be placed between 15 ° and 90 ° angles depending on the treatment that is required. Also the needles may be raised, pushed, twirled or plucked (vibration of the needle) to cause sensations called â€Å"deqi† to correct the Qi imbalance in the body. Electrical currents may also be applied to the needles to allow stimulation at the acupuncture points. Acupuncture is often accompanied by acupressure and burning of herbs near the skin to help correct Qi imbalances (Singer).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several different theories as to how acupuncture possibly works. First acupuncture might possibly cut pain off from reaching the spinal cord or the brain since many acupuncture points are located on neural structures.

Units Of Sound In The Ict Suite Education Essay

The purpose of this assignment is to measure a piece of package happening out the benefits the programme has to offer for kids with extra demands in ICT. The package that is traveling to be evaluated is Unit of measurements of sound. The unit of sound programme was created in 1972-3 by Walter Bramley. The programme contains a Cadmium ROM which is installed on a computing machine ; a user usher and a reading book are besides provided. Unit of measurements of sound are besides associated with the Dyslexia Action Organisation Group. The package was chiefly designed to assist Dyslexic readers. Rice and Brooks ( 2004 ) found that â€Å" Unit of measurements of Sound was designed to assist dyslexic readers but has been used to assist non-dyslexic hapless readers – in line with the research that ‘ordinary hapless readers ‘ benefit from the same instruction and larning methods designed for dyslexic pupils † . The Unit of measurements of sound is a structured cumulat ive and multisensory programme learning kids reading, spelling, memory and command, it involves the kid to work at their ain gait independently. ‘Information and Communication Technology has a alone and valuable part to do to the acquisition experiences of students with particular educational demands ‘ ( Aquilonis, 2007 ) It is an extra programme that helps back up Particular Educational Needs ( SEN ) kids with Literacy, assisting the kid to construct on their vocabulary, reading and replying simple comprehension constructing on their ego assurance. The advantage of Unit of measurements of sound it has the capableness to alter the background coloring material fount size if the kid types in an wrong spelling or grammar it highlights by altering the coloring material text, besides it has a programme that would read the sentence back to you in full. If you can non recognize the spelling the word can be heard before composing the text. Data is provided which shows how the kids are bettering over the term efficaciously monitoring and entering the kids ‘s advancement. There are three phases of Unit of measurements of sound stage1 Basic is coloured Green stage2 Functional is coloured Blue and stage3.Independent is coloured Orange. Each phase has two elements to it reading and spelling there are four programmes for the kids to finish at each phase. First the kid is assessed with a little reading and spelling trial of 50 words to see if they are successful to get down the programme utilizing the computing machine which is ocular and auditory. The single kid ‘s degree is set depending on their mark by the computing machine to the reading page, and the spelling sets. Unit of measurements of sound is a literacy programme that is used to excite a kid ‘s head by memorizing ocular, there are besides benefits parents every bit good as instructors can back up their kid signifier place with Unit of measurements of sound if they have a Personal computer. Before get downing my observations I spoke to the parents of the kids I would wish to detect by inquiring for their consent to take exposure of their kids working on the computing machine accessing Unit of measurements of sound for portion of their course of study in literacy. Guaranting the parents all their kids ‘s picture taking would merely be used for the school internal web page and my assignment. ( See appendix ) Under The Data Protection Act ( 1998 ) and the Freedom of Information Act ( 2000 ) command the utilizations of information produced by schools. Such web sites must protect the individuality of kids and if, for illustration, exposure of kids are to look, permission from the parents or carers must be obtained and care taken non to supply information that could be misused ( pg4 ) . Title: Unit of measurements of sound in the ICT suite Date: 24.11.09 Time: 8.55am Duration: 35 proceedingss Observer Jacqueline Wildman Purposes: To detect Child A deriving entree to the package Units of sound. Observation: Child A comes into the computing machine suite he says hullo and goes over to the chair pulls it out and sits on it. Child A switches on the computing machine, delaies for a piece and says this computing machine is taking it ‘s clip. Child A bends to another kid and what are you making? The screen comes up child A logs in and entree the package Units of sound, Child A asks â€Å" should I make the reading foremost miss, † I said yes Child A puts the earphone over his ears he looks over and smile. Child A puts his manus up and says lose my earphones are non working I said you have plugged it in the incorrect socket, Child A says, oh! and carries on. Child A accesses the reading and starts the activity Child A reads what is on the screen in the mike hearing his voice what he has said, Child A completes the reading undertaking and clicks the mouse onto the spelling screen.Child A listens to what word is said and so types out what he heard. Child A completes the spellings and asks if he can salvage and publish it out I said yes and please can I see the consequences. Evaluation: Child A accesses the computing machine and the package really easy, the lone clip he wanted aid was when the earphones were non working. Child A seems really confident and knowing with how to utilize a computing machine. Title: Unit of measurements of sound in the ICT suite Date: 25.11.09 Time: 12.00pm Duration: 30 proceedingss Observer Jacqueline Wildman Purposes: To detect Child H entree the package Units of sound. Observation: Child H switches on the computing machine she logs in her name and watchword and says girl I ca n't log on because my watchword wo n't allow me in. The instructor tells her to seek once more she tries the instructor comes over and tells her the watchword she logs on. Child H put her manus up and says girl I ca n't retrieve were to travel the instructor shows her the icon, Child H waits for the programme to come up on the screen she turns to Child A and asks him if she should travel on the reading Child A says yes. The instructor comes over to see if she has accessed the programme Child H says, â€Å" look miss I got on myself. † The instructor says, â€Å" that is first-class. † Child H smiles Child A shouts out! â€Å" Miss I showed her † . She moves the mouse around the desktop and says it ‘s non doing noise the instructor inquire her â€Å" where is your earphones? † Child H replies â€Å" I do n't cognize lose it is non in my draw à ¢â‚¬  . The instructor asks Child H â€Å" where is it? † she shrugs her shoulders ; the instructor gives her another earphone. She plugs the earphone in the socket and listens to the sound and reiterate what she hears in the mike. Child H calls the instructor and says, â€Å" I do n't cognize what the individual is stating, † the instructor takes the earphone and listen and tells her he said dab the kids are asked to log off and close down the computing machine Child H asks if she should salvage her work because she did non complete her reading Evaluation: Child H switches the computing machine on all right but logs in her watchword falsely she could non retrieve what icon she should snap on. The instructor praises her when she entree the reading screen Unit of measurements of sound Child H did non successfully finish a reading page, but with this programme kids can work at their ain gait independently non experiencing that this has to be rushed. In my professional function I use Information Communication Technology ( ICT ) about every twenty-four hours with the kids with limited experience. ICT is linked with portion of the course of study used efficaciously in the schoolroom with different types of demands. ICT besides enhances kids larning which enriches the learning potency for kids who are particular educational demands ( SEN ) with ocular damages, address and linguistic communication damages, medical demands, physical disablements, emotional and behavioral troubles and dyslexia. Katz ( 1995:109 ) cited Nutbrown and Clough ( 2006, p 13 ) states â€Å" about what should be learned and how it would best be learned depend on what we know of the scholar ‘s developmental position and our apprehension of relationships be early experience and subsequent development † . Children are taught the simple and basic instructions which is differentiated to their abilities, such as how to exchange on the computing machines, logging into their history with their username and ain watchword. Children are non afraid to do errors they are confident and knowing scholars who jump to a challenge. Nutbrown and Clough ( 2006 P, 13 ) province that â€Å" Development progresss when kids have chances to pattern freshly acquired accomplishments every bit good as when the experience a challenge merely beyond the degree of their present command † . Monitoring and recordings of the kids advancement would be on traveling procedure publishing out kids ‘s single informations sharing the information with the category instructor and the particular demands co coordinator ( SENCO ) . Benefits of a Particular Educational Needs they are able to entree all installations at their ain gait. Wall ( 2003 p164 ) states that â€Å" inclusion exists where all kids have a right to be able to entree all installations offered and are hence a portion of that community † . Every Child Matters suggest that ‘The Government believes that every immature individual should see the universe beyond the schoolroom as an indispensable portion of acquisition and personal development, whatever their age, ability of fortunes ‘ . Evaluation: In my mundane function I support my SEN kids in utilizing Unit of measurements of sound from every twelvemonth group for 20-30 proceedingss a twenty-four hours. Working and be aftering with the SENCO how the kids are movitative and have benefited from this programme accomplishing good consequence at their ain degree.

Magic Rocks Crystal Growing Kit Review

Magic Rocks Crystal Growing Kit Review Compare Prices Magic Rocks are a classic instant crystal growing kit. You pour a magic solution over magic rocks and a fanciful crystal garden starts growing as you watch. Are Magic Rocks worth trying? Heres my review of the Magic Rocks kit. What You Get What You Need There are different Magic Rock kits on the market. Some of them only include the Magic Rocks and the Magic Solution. I bought a kit that included a plastic display tank and some decorations. If you dont get a kit that includes a display tank, you will need a small plastic or glass bowl (a small fishbowl works). For any kit, you will need: room temperature water (~70 °F)measuring cupplastic spoon or wooden stick My Experience with Magic Rocks I grew Magic Rocks when I was a kid. I still think they are fun. They arent a fool-proof project, though. Success depends on one thing: following the directions! Read the directions before beginning this project. The exact instructions will depend on your kit, but they go something like this: Read the instructions.Mix the Magic Solution with the amount of water indicated in the instructions. Be sure the water is room temperature and not hold/cold. Mix the solution well (this is important).Place half of the Magic Rocks on the bottom of the display tank. The rocks should not touch each other or the sides of the tank.Pour in the diluted Magic Solution. If any of the rocks were disturbed, use ​a  plastic spoon or wooden stick to put them back in place. Do not use your finger!Set the container somewhere where it wont get bumped. This location should have a stable temperature and should be out of reach of young children and pets.Look! The crystals start growing immediately. Its pretty cool.About 6 hours later, add the other half of the Magic Rocks. Try to avoid landing them on each other or against the side of the container.After another 6 hours, carefully dump the Magic Solution down the drain. Flush this solution away with lots of water to be sure no one will acciden tally touch it. Gently fill the tank with clean room-temperature water. If the water is cloudy, you can replace the water a couple more times to cleanse the tank.At this point, your Magic Rocks are complete. You can top off the display tank with water to keep the crystal garden as long as you like. What I Liked and Didnt Like About Magic Rocks What I Liked Instant gratification. Crystals begin to grow as soon as you add the Magic Solution to the Magic Rocks. You dont have to wait around for something to happen.The crystal garden is beautiful. Nothing looks quite the same.The project is easy.You can keep your creation indefinitely. What I Didnt Like Magic Rocks are not non-toxic. The ingredients are harmful if swallowed, plus they are a skin and eye irritant. That makes them unsuitable for very young children. Keep them away from pets, too. It is safe to rinse the materials down the drain, but clean-up is a little more critical than with non-toxic projects.You can get poor results if you dont adhere to the instructions. If the rocks are too close together, your crystals will look flat and uninteresting. If your water is too warm or too cold your crystals will be too spindly to support themselves or will be stunted.The instructions dont explain the science behind how Magic Rocks work. In case you are wondering, you arent really growing crystals in this project. You are precipitating colored metal salts. Its still awesome. The Bottom Line Magic Rocks have been around since the 1940s and are still around today because this project is a lot of fun, is easy to do, and makes an interesting chemical garden. I might hold off on playing with Magic Rocks if I had very young children in the house (recommended age is 10), but otherwise, I think they are great. You could make your own Magic Rocks, but most kits are inexpensive. Magic Rocks are a memorable science project. Compare Prices

Safaricoms Mobile Banking

Safaricoms Mobile Banking Analyzing Summarizing the Innovation Environment  Safaricom’s Mobile Banking Introduction In 2005, Safaricom, a mobile phone company based in Kenya launched M-PESA, a mobile money transfer technique. This innovation was however a brain child of Vodafone, which is Safaricom’s subsidiary company based in the United Kingdom.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on Safaricom’s Mobile Banking specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With funding from UK based Department of International Development (DFID), Safaricom, which is Kenya’s leading mobile service provider agreed to roll out the M-PESA on a trial basis in the East African country. The pilot program which commenced in October 2005 saw one mainstream bank and a microfinance institution partner with the mobile service provider for purposes of providing it with the banking infrastructure needed during the pilot period. Kenya as a market Kenya is an Af rican country located on the east side of the continent. The country is astride the equator and borders Tanzania on the South, Uganda and Ethiopia on the North and Somalia on the North East border. To the Southeast lies the Indian Ocean. 2007 estimates indicate that Kenya has a population of approximately 37 million people with annual growth rate estimated at 2.8 percent (Fan, 2009). Although fairly late adopters in mobile telephony, People in Kenya have caught up pretty fast. In 1999, two mobile operators, Safaricom and Celtel ventured into the Kenyan market. By the end of 1999, only 17,000 Kenyans had subscribed to mobile telephony. By December 2007 however, 11.3 million Kenyans had subscribed to mobile telephony. Meanwhile however, other mobile telephone companies had entered the market. Fortunately for Safaricom, it remains the largest mobile service provider gauged by the subscriber base. According to Omwansa (2009), the company has 80 percent share of the entire market size. W hen Safaricom launched M-PESA, it commissioned agents in different parts of the country; the agent’s work was primarily to receive deposits from customers and electronically transfer this to the client’s M-PESA account. This electronic money transfer would then be registered as a cash float on the clients phone account. The agents also allowed clients to withdraw money from their accounts by simply entering the amount they wanted to withdraw on the cell phones M-PESA menu, followed by the agent number. In a country where commercial banks are few and wide apart, this financial innovation was embraced by both the banked and the unbanked population largely due to the convenience and the ease of transaction.Advertising Looking for thesis on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Safaricom however maintained that the M-PESA account was not a bank account mainly because people could neither earn interest on money deposited nor take up loans as is the case with ordinary banking accounts. How M-PESA works Once a person opens an M-PESA account through an authorized agent, Safaricom registers this as an electronic account that one can use to receive, send or withdraw money. Any money deposited in the account is managed by Safaricom, which pools the amount in a mainstream bank in the country. By pooling the money in the commercial bank, Mas Morawczynski (2009) notes that the amount is backed as liquid deposits in the commercial bank. The agents spread through out the country allow people an easy access to money as compared to the limited number of automated teller machines or banks. Mino (2009) notes that ever since its launch, M-PESA has eased the domestic money transfer as previously people would use couriers, money orders or bank transfers to send money, which would be time consuming and often inconveniencing considering that most financial services are located in towns whi le quite a significant number of recipients lived in rural areas. Figure 1: M-PESA screen shot Source: Hughes Lonie (2009) Stage of industry evolution – life cycle The industrial life cycle model indicates that a business or an innovation like M-PESA would have four stages of growth (Shaun, 2009). They are: Start-up; growth; maturity; and decline.Advertising We will write a custom thesis sample on Safaricom’s Mobile Banking specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gauging by the events and the time-line that has passed between the trial phase and now, it is easy to place M-PESA on the growth cycle. It is obvious that the start-up period for the money transfer service was between 2005 and 2007, when M-PESA was operating as a pilot project. At this stage, it only attracted early adopters and it registered approximately 1700 users and recruited about 250 agents across the country. After the successful pilot program, M-PESA was formally launched as a mobile money transfer method in Kenya. This not only increased the consumer base and the agent numbers, but the second-mobile service provider in the country Celtel launched a similar service dubbed Sokotele to compete against Safaricom’s M-PESA. Unlike Safaricom however, Celtel lacked the infrastructure that Safaricom had laid during the two year pilot program thus meaning that Safaricom still had an advantage over its competitor. The fact that money transfer could only be done between people within the same network, who had to be registered with M-PESA, gave Safaricom another advantage. At this point in its life cycle, the company was (and still is) able to capitalize on consumers who are catching up and hence the mobile telephone company still stands a good chance to consolidate as much market share as it can. In this study’s opinion, the M-PESA product is still in the growth phase mainly because the Kenyan market still has a wide untapped mob ile telephony potential. Still, Safaricom does not appear to face much competition from the other three mobile service providers especially since Sokotele (now Zap after a change of name) lacks the penetration that M-PESA has in Kenya’s rural areas. Still, M-PESA is still venturing to new markets and in 2008, Kenyans living in the United Kingdom could use their cell phones to send money to their relatives in Kenya. In May 2010, a local bank (Equity Bank) partnered with M-PESA to allow M-PESA account holders to open a savings account (M-KESHO account) with the bank. This would in turn allow M-PESA account holders to transfer money from their mobile phone accounts to the bank’s account without having to go visit the bank physically. In view of this, it is clear that Safaricom is still venturing into new frontiers and hence is still developing the M-PESA product. As such, M-PESA is yet to hit the â€Å"maturity and decline stages of the product development life cycleâ₠¬  as defined by Bradford et al. (2000). Strategic planning in Safaricom Bradford et al. (2000) states that strategic planning â€Å"allows a firm to define its objectives, assess its internal and external environment, formulate a strategy that fits and implement the same† (p. 121). Further, a strategic plan has provisions where the firm is able to evaluate its progress and make the needful adjustments. Accordingly, a strategic planning process has five processes namely: Mission and objectives; environmental scanning; strategy formulation; strategy implementation; and evaluation and Control.Advertising Looking for thesis on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Internal Analysis Of special interest to this study is Safaricom’s environmental scan since it defines the company’s operating environment, which is of special significance to its success or failure in its business operations. To understand the internal environment, this paper will use a â€Å"Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats† (SWOT) analysis in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses facing the company. Bradford et al (2000), observes that a â€Å"SWOT analysis is essential in matching a company’s capabilities to the available resources, and the competitive environment it operates in† (p. 121). Safaricom’s SWOT Analysis Strengths According to Hughes Lonie (2009), the two representatives from Vodafone who lay the ground work and the partnership needed to roll off M-PESA, Safaricom had core competencies which made rolling M-PESA on its network less challenging The company had the systems and connectivity capabilities needed to roll the money transfer product. This meant that whatever commercial product that was developed by the innovators had to fit within the existing systems and network capabilities. The company had an already existing network of dealer outlet. Having worked with Safaricom previously, most dealers had no problem becoming M-PESA agents once they were convinced the project was economically viable. Safaricom was not the developer of M-PESA and hence the burden of innovation and implementation lay squarely on the shoulders of Vodafone. However, as Hughes Lonie (2009) notes, Vodafone is too big a company to be interested in a small market like Kenya. This means that the benefits of a successful money transfer service would be passed to the Kenyan people as well as the partnering mobile-service provider. Weaknesses Bradford et al. (2000) holds the opinion that the absence of specific strengths in business is perceived as weakness. Fortunately for Safaricom, and in this studyâ€⠄¢s observations, the weaknesses are not as many as to deter the innovative product from existence. One of the outstanding weaknesses in Safaricom is that its 80 percent market share presents both fortunes and bad-tidings at times. The former happens when the communication lines are jammed by too many calls thus jamming the communication networks. While this was initially a problem encountered in the voice and SMS products only, M-PESA also encounters such problems from time to time. Luckily, the problem never lasts for long although it inconveniences quite a number of clients whenever the problem occurs. Opportunities With Mobile money transfers gaining popularity by the day, opportunities for Safaricom abounds not only in the Kenyan Market, but also in the extensive east African Market. Omwansa (2009) observes that M-PESA has already been launched in neighboring Tanzania, and the prospects of partnering with local banks to extend the service to mainstream banks have already cau ght up. As of June 2010, three commercial banks in Kenya had already signed up with Safaricom to allow money transfers from the M-PESA accounts to their banks accounts. The banks were identified as Equity Bank Kenya Limited, Kenya Commercial Bank and Family Bank of Kenya. Loose regulations by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) have also afforded M-PESA room for growth unmatched by any other institution in the financial sector. Omwansa (2009) reports that CBK has maintained that M-PESA is not a banking account and hence cannot be regulated as commercial banks. Since it is a fairly new product that has benefited a lot of the Kenyan populace, Omwansa (2009) also observes that the regulatory agencies seems to have an â€Å"unwritten† agreement to let M-PESA be. This is largely thought to be spurred by fears that regulating it may stifle its growth. Threats Although Safaricom is the dominant mobile service provider in the Kenyan market today, one cannot rule out the possibility of more intense competition from other players in future. Omwansa (2009) for example observes that more mobile service providers are investing in the Kenyan market offering competitive rates compared to the rates offered by Safaricom for its voice and SMS products and this could change the market dynamics in the future. Industry Analysis Bradford et al (2000) holds the opinion that a company should evaluate the industry environment before venturing into the same. This allows the company to know what to expect, the barriers it is likely to face, substitute products available in the target market and the intensity and kind of industry rivalry to expect. One of the ideal ways of gauging all these is the Porter’s five forces framework, which this study uses to evaluate M-PESA’s operating environment. Rivalry According to Porter (1998), competition among rival firms has the ability to reduce profits that the firms get from their respective market shares. In Safaricomâ€℠¢s case however, the main competitor in the market was Celtel, which had no product to compete with M-PESA. This presented an advantage to Safaricom, which would have ample time to lay its mobile money transfer at its own pace without fears that the main competitor would out do it. As noted by Omwansa (2009), Celtel only tried out the mobile money transfer after Safaricom had tried it and succeeded. The lack of penetration of Celtel’s part meant that Safaricom remained and still remains the largest provide of mobile money transfer services in Kenya. As such, the would be rivalry failed to be because Celtel’s initiative did not succeed as one would expect especially in a market where it has already been proven that most people transacting on the mobile phone platform do not own bank accounts. According to Porter (1998), rivalries between firms operating in the same environment intensify for a number of reasons. They include: many firms in the same market; a slow growing market; high-fixed costs; uncompetitive storage costs; low or inexistent switching costs; low brand identification; high barrier to exit the market; diversity of rival firms; industry shakeout leading to overcrowding. Analyzing the competitive environment which Safaricom and its product M-PESA operates in, one realizes that none of the factors mentioned above are true in the Kenyan Mobile telephony market and least of all the mobile money transfer sector. This therefore means that Safaricom can only anticipate for probable rivalry in future, but is free to dominate the market presently, just as was the case when M-PESA was launched. Threats of substitutes According to Porter’s view, the threat of substitutes occur when better performing products or services are available in the market. Cheaper products or services also affect the consumer choices. Analyzing M-PESA and its core competitor Zap (changed name from Sokotele when Celtel was acquired by Zain); the latter has fair ly lower transaction costs when compared to the former. As indicated in the diagrams graphics below, Zap is much fairer in its pricing than M-PESA. While this would have given Zap a price-based advantage over M-PESA, the statistics on the ground suggests otherwise. Although acquiring statistics on Zap usage was not successful, this study easily obtained statistics from M-PESA, which indicates that the customer base for the service was at more than 2 million people in the 2007/2008 financial year, with 2,329 agents through out the country. In the 2008/2009 financial year, both the customer and agent numbers had increased with records indicating that there were over 6 million M-PESA customers and 8, 650 agents. By November 2009, the number had yet again gone up to 5 million customers and 14, 764 agents (Safaricom, 2009). Figure 2: M_PESA tariffs Source: safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=747 Figure 3: ZAP tariffs Source: ke.zain.com/opco/af/core/home/channel.do;jsessionid=4CF576366FC37A 870DEB57F35D7EFB02.node0?channelId=-11711selectedChannels=-11704,-11711#lang=en Although this study would like to believe that Zap poses a real threat of substitute to M-PESA, it is apparent that the former would have to strengthen its subscriber base as well as its ZAP network across the Kenyan market in order to pose a real substitution threat to M-PESA. Buyer Power In Porter’s, buyer power is considered a major consideration that a firm must make when analyzing the industry environment in which they seek to operate. Buyer power refers to the impact that consumers of product and services have on the industry. Most consumers would rather have a situation where they have satisfactory products and services at low prices. However, this is only possible in a competitive environment where the there are few buyers in a rather large market share; the products are standardized; or where buyers can attain backward integration which would in turn threaten market players. In M-PESAâ €™s case, the buyer power does not seem to be such an applicable concept because Omwansa (2009) reports that the mobile money transfer services has been received and adopted by the banked as well as the unbanked population in equal measure. More to this, there seems to be a wide acceptance among the M-PESA clients of not only the appropriateness of the services in a country where banks are mainly located in town centers, but also the speed of transfer is something that is much appreciated by the Kenyan market. Upon making a deposit to one’s account through an M-PESA agent, there is an instant notification through an SMS of the money transfer. One can then choose to use the money deposited in their account to pay bills, transfer money to someone else’s account or electronically buy airtime for use of one’s phone (Safaricom, 2010). Barriers/ threat to entry According to Porter (1998), barrier or threats to a company entering a specific market can arise from different source. Key among them is barriers created by the government. Luckily for M-PESA, the Kenyan government was more than willing to create a facilitating environment. According to Omwansa (2009), this readiness by the Kenyan government can be explained that Kenya is a developing country that understands that innovation holds great potential that could aid in the country’s development. More to this, Kenya is among the African markets that are fast catching up on technology and the developments so far have only brought better prospects for the government and the population. Patents are also identified by Porter (1998) as other barriers restricting firms’ entry into a market. Fortunately for Safaricom, though the initial innovation was Vodafone’s, the latter had no patenting issues and had in fact come up with the mobile money transfer idea through the encouragement of DFID in order to take innovative banking solutions to developing countries in Africa and o ther parts of the world (Hughes Lonie, 2009). This gave Safaricom a free reign and could in turn patent this innovation hence Celtel’s adoption of the same two years after the M-PESA pilot program kicked off. Supplier power According to Porters, a firm operating within the producing industry is more prone to influences exerted on it by the suppliers. Such influence can lead to higher costs in raw materials. Being a service oriented product, M-PESA does not suffer from any pressures that could arise from the suppliers. The only contact between the service provider and the customer is the agent, and so far as Omwansa (2009) observes, the relationship between the agents and Safaricom have not suffered any major hiccups. Leadership Safaricom seems to have taken its position as the mobile telephone service provider in a fairly good manner. Gerson Lehrman Group (2010) notes that even taxi drivers know the Safaricom chief executive by name thus suggesting that the company has mai ntained a close relationship with its clients. Kenya being a fairly small market, this does not seem like such a hard task to achieve. Omwansa (2009) also notes that the company has managed to engage the media very well and as a result, it has not only kept a constant image in the eyes of the public, but has also made sure that every new development in the company is reported to the public promptly. By releasing its annual performance statistics Safaricom has endeared itself to the public not only because of its profit making, but also because it has incorporated innovation in its customer service. M-PESA is one such innovation that has indeed improved the company’s share as a market leader as Ombok (2010) notes; â€Å"The growth in M-PESA and data markets are the main growth drivers for Safaricom, and will still remain so going forward† (p. 1) Controls According to Omwansa (2009), M-PESA regulation is something the Kenyan regulators do not seem very eager to do at the moment. However, noting the expansion of M-PESA into different sectors and the links developed between the product and the financial institutions in Kenya, regulation seems like a necessary step. Apart from regulatory controls however, the money transfer system has instilled control measures that not only ensure the security of money transfer, but also ensure that users stand nothing to loose when using M-PESA. The person identification number (PIN) that one is required to have before carrying out any transaction on the M-PESA platform is one such control. Safaricom encourages the services users not to share the M-PESA pin numbers with anyone because it is the only thing that guarantees security for their money. Omwansa (2009) also notes that there have been incidences where a person transfers money to a wrong account. When this happens, Safaricom encourages people to call the M-PESA customer care services with the details of the recipient account. The customer service representati ves are then able to reverse the money to the sender’s account. However, the money can only be reversed if the recipient had not withdrawn the money already. Strategies and Tactics Delving into the strategies adopted by most Kenyan firms is not an easy task especially because such strategies are guarded as business secrets. In Safaricom’s case however, Fan (2009) observes that the company is not only intent at delivering services to the locals, but is also focused in adding the value that consumers receive from its products, while fortifying its brand at the same time. Quoting Safaricom’s CEO Michael Joseph, Fan (2009) observes that the mobile service provider has made use of the opportunity granted to interact and accompany its clients through the mobile phones. Among the principles that Safaricom seems to have adopted not only for M-PESA but for other product lines is â€Å"think globally, act locally† concept. Like elsewhere in the world, Safaricom und erstands that its Kenyan clientele needs a combination of good, efficient services at low prices, which it has worked hard to achieve. The organization has also been consistent in not only its performance but also in strengthening its brand name. Fan (2009) notes that currently, the main Safaricom’s competitor –Zain, has changed its name thrice since its inception in the Kenyan Market. Initially, it was Kencell, then Celtel and now Zain. While this change of name had no significant effect on service provisions, a cautious market like Kenya had its doubts about the sustainability of a brand that keeps changing its name. Safaricom on the other hand seems to have adopted a naming strategy that resonates with Kenyans thus giving them a sense of pride in the product. Quoting CEO Joseph once again, Fan (2009) observes that Safari is a Swahili name Journey. The PESA on M-PESA is also a Swahili derivative meaning money. As such, the firm is working hard to assure Kenyans that the firm belongs to them, a factor that has been translated to reality by enlisting the firm in the Kenyan Stock Exchange, where locals can buy shares into the company. Financials Although statistics are not quite clear about M-PESA’s contribution to Safaricom’s profit, the money transfer service is among the key growth drivers as noted elsewhere in this study. The firms CEO was quoted by Fan (2009) stating that the firm had hit the 4.5 million customer mark in 2009 and 7,000 agents through out the country. Statistics provided in 2009 indicated that peer-to-peer transactions conducted on the M-PESA platform on a daily basis were around Ksh. 160,000 ($2,133). This not withstanding, the amount of profits generated for Safaricom is quite significant considering that the lowest charge for each transaction is Ksh. 20 ($ 0.26). Above the fixed amount that attracts this rate, customers are charged 3.6 percent of the entire amount they are sending or receiving. Recommendations Conclusion Mino (2009) notes that the fact that Vodafone initially developed M-PESA as a peer-to-peer mobile money transfer method has put several limitations to the innovation. For starters, the amount of money that one can deposit in their account or transfer to another person’s account is limited at 35,000Kenyan shillings (approximately $500). This therefore means that merchants who would like to use the service to conduct payments for an amount exceeding the stated limit cannot do so. Notably, Safaricom does not hold or manage M-PESA operations rights since the M-PESA software is legally a possession of Vodafone. According to Mino (2009), this means that Safaricom, which is on the ground in Kenya, cannot create or distribute supplementary tools which would enable the M-PESA system to consider the interactions needed by merchants in order to conduct their business transactions without any limitations. Since Kenya is a vibrant developing market, it is only a matter of tim e that another person notices the opportunity that exists through the needs presented by the merchants. This is especially considering that the deposit limit is too low to many Kenyan businessmen. As such, Safaricom should seize the moment before anyone else does it and expand their deposit limits. This will not only allow merchants to hold huge amounts of money in their M-PESA accounts before transferring it elsewhere, but will also allows Kenyans to carry huger transactions on the M-PESA platform conveniently. There is also the unending challenge of agents not having enough liquid cash to meet the withdrawal requirements presented to them by M-PESA customers. Safaricom in conjunction with the agents need to find a lasting solution to this problem if indeed the mobile money transfer is to offer wholesome solutions to the financial challenges facing Kenyans. Overall however, M-PESA has been an innovation that has not only received recognition at home, but also elsewhere in the world . In 2007 and 2008, the innovation won the Kenya Banking awards, while in 2008, it won the GSMA best broadcast commercial, Stockholm Exchange (economic development category) and also won the GSMA best-mobile money service award in 2009. This however is not to mean that M-PESA is not facing challenges. The good thing however is that the leadership in Safaricom is willing to handle the various challenges through technology and innovation so as to beat the odds and make the product a lasting service in the Kenyan Market and elsewhere in the African continent. References Bradford, R., Duncan, J. Tarcy, B. (2000). Simplified strategic planning: a no-nonsense guide for busy people who want results fast! Worcester, MA. : Chandler House Fan, J. (2009). Voice from Operators- Safaricom taking Kenyans on a pleasant Safari. Win 2. Retrieved from huawei.com/publications/view.do?id=5914cid=10948pid=10664 Gerson Lehrman Group. (2010). MPESA challenges incumbents: the new payments rail in emerging markets. Retrieved from glgroup.com/News/mPesa-Challenges-IncumbentsThe-New-Payments-Rail-in-Emerging-Markets-48515.html Hughes, N. Lonie, S. (2007). M-PESA: Mobile money for the â€Å"Unbanked†: Turning Cell phones into 24-hour Tellers in Kenya. Innovations. Winter Spring, pp. 63-81. Mas, I. Morawczynski, O. (2009). Designing Mobile money services: Lessons from M-PESA. Innovations 4(2), 77-91. Mino, T. (2009). Will the real banks please stand up? Business Daily. Retrieved from businessdailyafrica.com/Opinion%20%20Analysis/-/539548/621718/-/view/printVersion/-/xmkpkxz/-/index.html Ombok, E. (2010). Safaricom of Kenya’s profit to rise 21% RenCap says (update 1). Bloomberg Business week. Retrieved from businessweek.com/news/2010-05-25/safaricom-of-kenya-s-profit-to-rise-21-rencap-says-update1-.html Omwansa, T. (2009). M-PESA: Progress and Prospects. Innovations/ mobile world Congress 107-122 Porter, M. E. (1998). Competitive Strategy: techniques for analyzing Industr ies and Competitors. Lafayette Detroit, MI: Free Press. Safaricom. (2009). Key performance statistics. Retrieved from safaricom.co.ke/fileadmin/template/main/images/MiscUploads/M-PESA%20Statistics.pdf

Protest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Protest - Essay Example In this age of democracy, the people’s opinion can be made to reach its destination via the help of the internet and it has been greatly helped by the parallel creation on anonymous profiles on the Internet. Back in 2000, when the Zapatista Air force bombed the Mexican barracks with paper planes with messages on them, the people found a common method of attacking and making their voice felt. It was soon realized that consistent and continuous jamming of sites can draw the attention of the concerned authorities. In the Zapatista online Tribal Port Scan people could mount their attack on any site. The common people had found a way to express their concerns now. This form of attacks are particularly effective, as, if it is launched on a government website, it can practically stall it and also forcefully attract the attention of the authorities and register the protest. It can also be interpreted as a sign of warning. The Electronic Digital Theater, an attack portal and organization, developed tools for ‘International Hacktivism’ by which any protest against the globalization and its problems can be dealt with. In Estonia, this form of cyber protest was promoted to a full scale war. In this case the Russians in Estonia jammed official websites by repeatedly transmitting data to a website, disabling vital services and incurred costs for the country. This was a protest for a decision that the government took to move a bronze statue of a Russian soldier, and this has been termed the First Web War. Such attacks on sites have been made possible for many reasons. Firstly, the people participating remain anonymous and can enable users to be far aggressive without the fear of being caught. Secondly, group norms were set in. As the protests became popular, friends joined in, and others who read the blogs and saw others doing it, got involved as well.

Global Tax Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Tax Management - Essay Example To absorb a reduction in the corporate tax rate, the US government will have to extend the corporate tax base and remove or scale down the corporate tax expenditures: accelerated depreciation, domestic manufacturing production deduction, and the research and development tax credit, that reduce capital costs, increase new investments, and encourage job creation. This will result in an increase on the cost of new investments and reduced wages and productivity. Therefore, America should not increase the corporate tax rate and should retain the territorial system, but also combine it with worldwide territory to ensure the government does not lose revenue. The biggest factor that determines Foreign Direct Investment in the country is GDP, a study of 46 countries established that there is a direct correlation between corporate tax rates and foreign direct investment. Countries with low corporate taxes attract more foreign investments compared to countries with higher rates. To increase profits, Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) invest in countries with favorable economic conditions and tax rates. Empirical evidence for Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries shows the negative FDI inflows and increased taxation. There is increased lobbying for the Internal Revenue Code to be revised, for simplification of corporate and personal taxes. Globally there has been a shift towards the flat tax regime, where citizens and business are charged at a harmonized tax rate, with everybody paying an equal amount. Advocates of the flat system argue that there are many benefits that accrue from using this system, the system itself is very simple, with easy to comprehend tax codes, both the taxation authority and the taxpayer benefit. Governments primarily adopt the system, as an enticement to attract companies and the general citizenry to paying taxes. Because everyone will be paying