Anselm’s Cosmological Argument

Anselm seeks to explain the existence of a greatest being, i. e. God. He approaches this task not via our experience of the universe, but rather attempts to explain it solely based upon reason. Anselm attempts to prove the existence of God by providing us with a logical explanation, based upon our understanding, definition, and necessity of God. It is inconceivable for God not to exist. There is a certain nature through which everything that is exists, Anselm explains, is caused to exist by something.Everything that is, exists by virtue of something, and nothing is able to exist through nothing. The underlying assumption here is that things do not exist through themselves for there is no need for their being. Leading to conclude that it is implausible that anything at all is able to exist because of nothing, and that nothing should exist because of something. Building upon earlier argument, Anselm concludes that â€Å"whatever is [†¦] does not exist except through something. Si nce, according to him, this premise is true and since, as pointed out earlier in his argument, everything that is exists either through itself or through something, there must be one, or many, beings though which all things that are exist. Our existence and the existence of everything there is, therefore, must be explained by a virtue of a higher being, or several of them. Anselm identifies and explores several possibilities of existence of a higher being, or beings.He points out that there may be several beings, rather than one, that are the ultimate cause of everything that exists, and presents one with his critical analysis of such idea. Anselm argues that if there is more than one of such beings then they themselves must exist either through (a) one being, (b) separately through itself, or (c) mutually through one another. If, he states, these beings exist through one supreme being, then all things that exist cannot exist through more than one being. Following this premise, Anse lm concludes that all things that exist must therefore exist through this one supreme being.If, however, there are many beings, which exist separately and each through itself, then there must be a certain â€Å"power or property of existing through self†, by which they are able to exist. Building upon this premise, Anselm goes on to explain that it is because of this particular â€Å"power or property† that each of these beings is able to exist. Thereby concluding that these beings exist by virtue of one greater power, without which they cannot exist. Once again we are back to the same argument that only one being can exist, for plurality does not explain itself.Lastly, a third alternative proposed by Anselm deals with beings existing mutually through one another. He argues that such thought is contrary to reason. For, it is irrational that â€Å"anything should exist through a being on which it confers existence. † In other words, there cannot be a being that i s a giver and a taker. That, which exists by its own virtue and is yet dependent on itself for existence. Taking all of the arguments and points stated above, Anselm concludes that there can only be one greatest being, i. e. God, and it is through him that everything that is exists.If everything that is, exists by virtue of something, and nothing is able to exist through nothing, then God simply cannot be conceived not to exist. God is that, â€Å"which alone exists in the greatest and highest degree of all† and nothing greater can be conceived. For, everything that exists, exists through this greatest being, but it alone exists through itself. One aspect of Anselm’s argument that stands out in particular is a premise upon which the whole argument is based. Explicitly, â€Å"Everything that is, exists either through1 something, or through nothing.But nothing exists through nothing. For it is altogether inconceivable that anything should not exist by virtue of somethin g. † This, he holds to be the self-evident truth. Once again, the underlying assumption here is that things do not exist through themselves for there is no need for their existence. Such things therefore cannot be the cause of their own existence. Therefore, it must exist by virtue of a greater being. BIBLIOGRAPHY S. D. Deane, (Trans. ), St. Anselm, Basic Writings (Second Ed. ), La Salle, Illinois: Open Court Publishing Company, 1994.

Proposal Eye Clinic System

Table Content 1. Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 2. Planning Phase 1. Problem statement†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 2. Objective†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 3. Scopes 1. User Scope†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 2. System Scope†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 3.Software Requirement†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 4. Analysis Phase 1. Methodologies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 1. Planning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 2. Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 3. Design†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦ 7 4. Implementation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 5. Diagram 1. Flow chart†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ – 15 2. Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 16 3. Data Flow Diagram (DFD)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 17 – 19 6. Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 20 7. Appendix 1. Interface design†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 21 – 42 INTRODUCTION LaserPro Eye Centre Clinic System is a system where it is an eyes specialist clinic and is a place where the patient gets supervision from doctors about eyes diseases.Laser Pro Eye Centre clinic system is having unstable and lack of capability in managing the clinic. For example, this system cannot store the information of the patients and the diagnosis of the doctors. This is due to they are still using the manual ways in handling their patient records. Therefore, they will need to look for the records and it will be troublesome if the records have been kept for a year. Besides that, there will be a need in calculating the medical fees. It will be not efficient if they are still using the manual way to do the calculation.After that this system also will print the receipt and the report. Therefore, this system is developing to make the management of the clinic more systematically, easier and smooth. This clinic will do some charity, like didn’t count the consultation fee for all the patients, the poor people also afford to pay the medical fee. Because some patient not affordable to pay the expensive medical fees, they will choose don’t want go for treatment, maybe will cause the disease become serious.This system is a system were using the first come first serve method, so it will not provided appointment for the patients to book the appointment, because this is not fair for those walk in patients if they come early in the morning but because of the appointment patients, they have to wait until doctor finished the appointment patients first only diagnose them. In this system, I will include some modules. These modules are login, searching for the staff information, product information, and patient information, calculation for medication fee, delete and update module, clear, print receipt PLANNING PHASE Problem StatementThere is a few problem that occur if there is no systematic system for this clinic. It will be taking longer time to look for the records of the patient and medical dispenses. Besides that, it also require larger storage place, not environment friendly since they are using papers in keeping the records and the inactive records which have been put aside must have been lost. Besides that, some of the records are missing due to the large amout of patients record or information. In addition, manual method which required many processes such as finding old details that have been kept for a year is quite troublesome.OBJECTIVE The main purpose is to automate LaserPro Eye Centre clinic management system. The derivative are as follows: †¢ To automate the staff information system. †¢ To automate the product information system. †¢ To automate the patient information system. †¢ To automate sales report and product list. †¢ To automate the calculation of the medical fee. SCOPE User Scope: The target user s of this system are the doctors and nurses of LaserPro Eye Centre Clinic System. With this system,admin are able to : 1. Login into the system using security password. . View, update, add, and search details of staff information. 3. View, update, add, delete, and search details of product information. 4. View, update, add, delete, and search the patient information. 5. View sales report, and stock report according to overall sales, by day. Print out the report. 6. Calculate for the medication fees and print the receipt. With this system, staffs are able to: 1. Login into the system using security password. 2. View, update, add, and search details of staff information, but can’t update particular details. 3.View, update, add, delete, and search details of product information. 4. View, update, add, delete, and search the patient information, but can’t add or update the treatment of the patient. 5. View sales report, and stock report according to overall sales, by day. P rint out the report. 6. Calculate for the medication fees and print the receipt. System scope: The system use in LaserPro Eye Centre and its major function are: 1. Security password is required to allow admin and staffs to login into the system. 2. Store records of staff in database. 3. Store details of product in database. . Store details of patient in database. 5. Can calculate the medication fees and print the receipts for the patient. 6. Searching function which enables the admin and staff to look for patient records. 7. Help function to guide user in using this system. Software Requirement: 1. Microsoft Visual Basic. Net 2008: use to create or build interface of †LaserPro Eye Centre Clinic System†. 2. Microsoft Office Access 2007. 3. Microsoft Office Visio 2007. ANALYSIS PHASE Methodologies The methodology that was used to create the LaserPro Eye Centre is the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC).It comprises of 4 stages which are planning, analysis, design and impl ementation. PLANNING †¢ The system is built for easily search and find needed information of the clinic for the Admin and the staff of the clinic. †¢ The users would want search and find the staff information, patient information, product information in a quick and effective way. And also calculate the medical fee for the patient. †¢ The system is to be built by using the Visual Basic. Net programming language from the Visual Studio. Net software. ANALYSIS The users of the system are people who want to search, add, update, clear and delete the staff information, product information, patient information. †¢ The LaserPro Eye Centre will display the staff information, product information, patient information, calculation for medical fee, and the sales report that the users searched. †¢ Besides, there is a print button to let the user print out the receipt of the medical fee, sales report, product information the users has counted and searched. †¢ The syste m can only be used in LaserPro Eye Centre Clinic. DESIGN In the manager menu and the main menu, the users can select the staff, product, and patient information that they want to search or update. †¢ When the users choose to search the information, the information will be display. †¢ The users can calculate the medical fee using the calculation page. After calculated the medical fee, also can print out the sales report and the stock report. †¢ When the users choose to update the information, the users are allow to add, update, edit and delete the information. †¢ They can exit the system any time they feel like doing so.IMPLEMENTATION †¢ The system is supposed to be delivered by the 14th week and presented on the 15th week. †¢ The system is test before deliver. Flow Chart Login [pic] Forget Password [pic] Manager MenuMain Menu [pic] Staff Information [pic] Product Information [pic] Patient information [pic] Sale Information [pic] Sale Calculation [pic] E ntity Relationship Diagram (ERD) [pic] Data Flow Diagram (DFD) Context Diagram [pic] †¢ Level 1, Process 1 and Process 2 : [pic] †¢ Level 2, Process 1, and Process 2 [pic] †¢ Level 1, Process 3 and Process 4 : [pic] CONCLUSION:After going through all the processes and procedures involved, I have succeeded build the LaserPro Eye Centre Clinic System. With this system, users will no longer have difficulty in searching, editing, adding, calculating and deleting the details that they wanted. Besides that, they can save their time and easy in doing so. This system is created for two users to use which are admin and staff. Other than that, these systems have some feature that can be use and seen by staff so these systems can be avoiding the staff to see other user feature. Besides that, if user have forgotten their password. They can

Animal Abuse Essay

The Greyhound is an ancient breed of dog. It is the only dog mentioned in the Bible, and has been depicted in many ancient Egyptian paintings, dating back over 4,000 years. Greyhounds were so revered, that the Greyhounds were allowed to share their tents. In ancient Arabic countries, the birth of a son was the most important event, the second was the birth of a Greyhound. The history of dog racing can be traced back to Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century when Greyhounds were brought over to England from Egypt, where her majesty created the first formal rules of dog coursing, naming it the â€Å"Sport of Queens†. In the 18th century, England exported the sport to America, and soon the sport was comprised of racing and gambling. In 1912, the dog racing as it is known today, was established by Owen Patrick Smith, the man who invented the mechanical lure used in today’s dog racing. The first official dog track was opened in 1919 in California, and in 1931, wagering was legalized in Florida, paving the way for the development of the Palm Beach Kennel Club. The Palm Beach Kennel Club operated permits for dog racing, which officially started in America in 1932. Unfortunately, the once grandeur and majesty of the sport is tarnished with the unethical abuse these animals endure. The definition of animal abuse is â€Å"the crime of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, usually a tame one, beyond necessity for normal discipline. It can include neglect that is so monstrous (withholding food and water) that the animal has suffered, died or been put in imminent danger of death. † (Hill, 2005). Many Greyhounds are the subject of abuse in the racing world. The Greyhounds are subject to horrible conditions. Many people enjoy watching a good race. The anticipation of the race and the thrill of their prized dog winning would make anyone want to attend a race. But it’s what happens before and after the race that has many people up in arms over the whole dog racing scene. When the dogs are not racing, they are kept in crates stacked one on top of the other. The dogs are not exercised regularly; the only exercise they get is from racing, and a race lasts for only a few minutes. If an Greyhound is injured during practice or during the race, the dog is killed and ground up for food for the other dogs. Many Greyhounds also die during the race due to exhaustion and dehydration. It is important to address this issue because animal abuse is a crime, and most people who commit these heinous acts are never brought to justice. It is also important to understand why someone could harm an innocent animal. According to the ASPCA, there are three main reasons why someone would be cruel to animals in their article titled, Why people abuse animals. The first reason is that some people abuse animals is that they do not know they are abusing the animal. Some people just don’t think about what they are doing to the animal, and others think excessive force is necessary to maintain control of the animal. A person who hits their dog when he or she does something wrong, like poop in the house, will use excessive force to show the animal that what he or she did was bad. Other people forget to roll down a window on a hot day with the animal in the car. The second reason a person would abuse animals is that the person will do it purposefully, but not for a continuous amount of time. Young kids who throw rocks at cats or kick a dog are an example of this type of abuser. Many young children can be taught through support groups and educational programs to show how an animal feels when it is abused in such a way, and many children learn to respect animals. The third reason a person would abuse an animal is the most serious form of animal cruelty. The third reason a person would abuse an animal is for power. Many of these types of people enjoy hurting the weak and helpless animals, as it makes them feel in control. Most of these people who intentionally hurt an animal have serious psychological issues that need to be addressed. If left unchecked, these issues may lead to more serious acts of violence. According the article, most people that were mentioned in the first and second reason for animal abuse can be educated through materials, counselors and educational classes. But even with the educational classes, what most people don’t understand is the psychological effects of the abuse has on animals. All animals want is to be loved and cared for, especially dogs. Humans have breed dogs to be our companions, and are the only animal that sets out to please us. When a human abuses an animal, we lose that trust that the animal places in us. The main psychological effect abuse has on dogs can be devastating. A dog may feel threatened by any human that it comes in contact with, and the dog can turn aggressive out of fear. Other dogs are fearful and maintain their fearfulness throughout the rest of their lives. These dogs may cower away from humans, shunning away when a human has an object in their hand or hide when they hear raised voices. L. Kalef wrote an article titled Psychological effects of animal cruelty, and in the article, he talked about the effects of animal abuse in Eastern Europe. For those who have traveled to Eastern European countries, it is not uncommon to be privy to packs of dogs roaming in some of the major cities, and sometimes being aggressive out of fear, hunger or abuse have led to provoke a similar reaction by the population by way of harm and abuse. Sadly, these neglected animals are under constant scrutiny and possible attack, which has become all too common. For years, welfare activists have been speaking up for the plight of the strays and the brutal inhumane abuse and killings; but no one until now has suggested that the constant exposure of this violence may instigate other and further violent activity within the community. In other words, growing up in a society being exposed to animal abuse causes further abuse and lack of compassion. (Kalef, 2012) But there are many people who argue that dog racing is not the only animal sport that has animal abuse and that it is part of the sport. Throughout the world of animal sports, there are some instances of animal abuse. In Mexico, bullfighting is a very popular sport, where the object of the game is to kill the bull or else the Matador will be stampeded or stabbed by the bulls horns. The bulls are starved and tortured, and they meaner the bull becomes, the more entertaining the sport. Also, horse racing has had its fair share of animal abuse cases. Many Thoroughbreds that receive an injury are killed, just like the Greyhounds, and made into meat that is sold for human consumption. J. Frater wrote an article titled 10 Debated acts of animal cruelty, which outlines a few instances that can be considered animal abuse. For those who have traveled to Eastern European countries, it is not uncommon to be privy to packs of dogs roaming in some of the major cities, and sometimes being aggressive out of fear, hunger or abuse have led to provoke a similar reaction by the population by way of harm and abuse. Sadly, these neglected animals are under constant scrutiny and possible attack, which has become all too common. For years, welfare activists have been speaking up for the plight of the strays and the brutal inhumane abuse and killings; but no one until now has suggested that the constant exposure of this violence may instigate other and further violent activity within the community. In other words, growing up in a society being exposed to animal abuse causes further abuse and lack of compassion. (Frater, 2010). But to most people, that is just the way the sport is. What is someone going to do with a prized race horse that has a broken leg and can no longer race? Why take the money to fix the injury, when the owner can make money off of selling the animal for food? It’s just part of the sport. But there is one question that needs to be answered. Which side is right? The truth is both sides are right. There will always be animal abuse in sports, as well as throughout the world. We as a people will not be able to completely stop the abuse, we can just diminish the amount of animals are abused. Through the use of stricter laws and more regulations, we as humans can help the voiceless. In conclusion, though there is no one way to solve animal cruelty in the world. There will always be animal cruelty in the sporting world, but as long as we humans can educate the younger generations, the amount of cases of animal cruelty will drastically decrease. Only one can hope that the â€Å"Sport of Queens† can return once again to the grandeur and majesty that the sport once was.

Post-Independence Power Vacancy and its Consequences Essay

Post-Independence Power Vacancy and its Consequences - Essay Example â€Å"From the very beginning, the 'native problems' of the colonial territories can be traced to the subordination of native authority and the imposition of European rule in its place† (Collins 166). This implies that there were numerous political, cultural and social changes that were put in place to ensure that the European powers would consolidate their rules in the nations they colonized. These systems had long-term repercussions that has had effects on the various political, social and economic trends after independence. Most of these developing countries have histories of armed conflicts, poverty and backwardness and these can be traced to the moves of the European powers that colonized these nations. The imposition of European rule over and above native authority and the subsequent policies of these European colonialists can be said to be the main causes challenges to developing nations. This can issue manifested itself in the form of power vacuums that were created af ter the independence of these nations. The purpose of this research is to examine the power vacancy that was created after colonized nations gained independence and the socio-political problems that ensued afterwards. The research hopes to achieve this end by exploring the following objectives: 1. Analysis of the colonial policies and systems that caused imperial European powers to rule over their colonies. 2. Assessment of the structures and systems of anti-colonial movements that eventually led to the independence of colonized lands. 3. Examination of power vacancies that came up after independence in relation to the Cold War, Ethnic Disharmony and the Third Wave of Democracy In this quest, the Rwandan situation will be examined in the research to help in the conceptualization of the various ideas that will be identified in the research. The Growth of Colonialism Colonialism and the political rule of peoples and nations around the world did not come about in a short period of time . Rather, it evolved over a period of time and has traces to various times and periods in European history. The earliest versions of colonialism of nations around the world by European powers can be traced to the Spaniards. The Spaniards established the Encomienda system which was inhumane but formed the basis of future colonization of nations around the world. According to Mahoney (87) The Spanish Crown's policy in the 1500s was to send soldiers to lands they sought to claim and since Spain had the most advance and effective military at that time, they often defeated the locals. After the locals were defeated, a Spanish government post was established in the area. The Spanish Conquistadors or soldiers and some civilians were given a grant by the Spanish Crown and this gave them the authority to enslave a set of natives and the responsibility of Christianizing these natives who were seen as backward and savage (Mahoney 87). Thus it can be seen that the Spanish expansionist policy es tablished three main things which became significant in the colonization of foreign lands by other European nations: 1. The State use of its military was an essential tool to protect the interest of a state in foreign lands. 2. Natives were savages and they needed to be Christianized 3. The concept of Christianization was the basis for 'civilizing' the savages By the

On DQ1Diversification and Based on DQ2 PepsiCo Essay

On DQ1Diversification and Based on DQ2 PepsiCo - Essay Example One of the reasons for the success of this company has been its ability to innovate. Innovation has helped the company create thousands of consumer products. It is important for companies such as P&G to create products that meet the needs, expectations, and desires of its customer base. â€Å"Effective business communication requires a certain skill set to determine the customer needs and then deliver on that information† (Highprofitsmarketing, 2013). When companies ignore the fact that satisfying the needs of the customers is of top priority they often struggle maintaining a high customer retention rate. It is important for companies that use diversification to add product lines that are aligned with the strengths of the firm. Another example of a company that implemented a diversification strategy was Microsoft with its successful entrance into the gaming industry. The XBOX 360 has taken a lot of market share away from Nintendo. Technological products are susceptible to being influence by innovation. An example of a technological product that has been constantly innovating is Apple’s iPhone. In six years the company has launched five versions of the product. All new versions have new innovative features. Innovation is often also found in luxury products. PepsiCo is the 2nd largest player in the soda beverage industry. The company is behind the industry leader Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has historically done a better job at marketing its brand globally which has helped the company maintain a higher customer retention rate. â€Å"One of the most important metrics to measuring your customer retention is your retention rate† (Newnorth, 2013). Pepsi has to do a better job at marketing its brand in order to gain the global recognition that Coca-Cola has achieved. A factor that differentiates both companies is the fact that Coca-Cola has greater popularity among international consumers. I think that

Jehovah's Witnesses and refusal of blood products. Describe an Essay

Jehovah's Witnesses and refusal of blood products. Describe an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you - Essay Example Or, should they respect patients’ religious beliefs and compromise on quality of healthcare? Since there is no straightforward answer to these questions, healthcare professionals will have to tread the balance between medical ethic and cultural sensitivity. Such discretion is all the more necessary in a country like the United States, where there is such diversity of race, religion and cultural background. For example, nearly a third of the population is derived from various racial minorities, while religious expression also varies from conservative to liberal. In this regard, it is a prerequisite for healthcare professionals to take into account the cultural restrictions and religious doctrines of individual patients before deciding on a course of treatment. Just like Jehovah’s Witnesses have their own code of conduct, so too do various other denominations of Christianity followed in the country. Similarly, Muslims have their own mandates to follow. Hence, understanding and accommodating diversity is important for those in the healthcare

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS - Research Paper Example A person would always be influenced, directly or indirectly, by a system of thought that may is usually universally acceptable. How then did whistle-blowing come about, and how does it affect ethical and moral systems per se? Whistle-blowing is an act wherein a person, normally the employee, is exposed to some grave wrong, illegal work, or unacceptable practice within a company, workplace, or among professionals. Due to the wrong committed, the employee publicly announces the wrong done, thinking of it as the only remaining effective way of helping put a stop to such practice, after all the other means prove to be a failure. In such situation, the person committing the act of exposing the company, or the employee/s thereof, is referred to as whistle-blower/s. As emphasized by McConnell, whistle-blowers expose a past or present wrongdoing that is committed by a company, an organization, or even by a group of medical experts (575). The act of whistle-blowing may be triggered by various reasons, depending on the circumstances of each case, but it all has the same purpose, which is to point an accusatory finger against an organization or company (572) for committing a wrong so grave, that it has to be publicized to the world. As to what degree a wrong done may be considered as worthy of whistle-blowing, that is for the whistle-blowers’ own prerogative. However, despite the fact that it is somehow subjective on the part of the whistle-blower to decide as to whether something is worth exposing, it can be said that the judgment arrived at by the whistle-blower is highly swayed by an ethical system or moral belief that he or she lives by. Benefits A person is generally a moral being. Whatever wrong or evil act a person does is most probably a deviation from the universal precept of what is considered as morally and ethically acceptable for humans. For example, it is morally wrong to kill. Law, jurisprudence, cultural norms, even religion (at least for the theist s), support this general rule. This is a universal moral law that most people would live by. In relation to a whistle-blower’s position, he or she publicly reveals a wrong done by a company or organization, not just because the wrong being done is contrary to acceptable practice within the industry or company mission, or criminal in nature, but more so, because the wrong committed is clearly an inexcusable violation of morally accepted principles. Aside from that, the wicked acts or practices employed produce either mass destruction or negative effects on the affected patients or clients. In this situation, it is irrelevant then if the act or practice is presently being committed or not, what is important is that a grave moral wrong exists that will harm people, whether it concerns a small or huge percentage of the population. Whistle-blowing does not only affect the parties involved, but it has a permanent and long lasting effect on society as well. For instance, whistle-blo wing serves as a reminder to companies and organizations that they cannot always get away with such things. Companies and organizations are always highly encouraged and expected to not just act within the confines of what is considered as acceptable within company regulations and governmental laws, but to act with reverence and respect of universal moral decrees and norms. Also, whistle-blowing incite companies and org

Regulatory Measures Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Regulatory Measures - Research Paper Example Regulatory measures are guidelines set to control irregularities in organizations for the efficiency in their operations. The regulatory measures in the corporate world are meant to implement the ethical conduct in organizations. First is the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for organizations which involves an effective compliance program. The main objectives of the FSGO are to work aggressively to deter unethical acts, self-monitor, and police, and punish those members of organizations who engage in unethical behavior. There are four considerations made in sentencing of organizations. One is that the court orders the organization to remedy any harm caused by the offense. The second is that in the instance the organization operated primarily for the criminal purpose, fines can be high to divest all the firm assets. The third consideration is that fines levied against the organization are based on the seriousness of the offense and organization culpability. The fourth involves probation for an organization defendant to ensure there is reduced future criminal conduct.The FSGO has tried more than 280 cases. It is evident that the most frequent offenses include antitrust offenses, tax violation, fraud and environmental. Since the implementation of FSGO, 91 percent of organizations have pleaded guilty of various offenses. Statistics shows that 65 percent were placed on probation. The probation may be costly to the firms as consultants may be required by the court to improve monitoring activities.

Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Buddhism - Essay Example More specifically, Buddhism has played an important role for spreading harmony within the society. There are several forms of Buddhism that has played an important role for the development of the society. Mahayana Buddhism as well as Theravada Buddhism is considered to be two principle branches of Buddhists’ belief (Rahula, 1996). The objective of the study is to provide a brief overview regarding the two types of Buddhist principle that include Mahayana Buddhism as well as Theravada Buddhism. The study will also focus upon the diversified attributes of both the principles. Buddhism is a religious believe developed by the Great Saint named Goutam Buddha. He was the prince of Sakya tribe, which belongs to Nepal. The key principle of Buddhism is to spread harmony and love around the world. The principle intention of Buddhism is to describe people about the purpose of their life. Moreover, Buddhism also provides information regarding the apparent injustice as well as inequality that are happening all around the world. In this regard, Buddhism provides a code of conduct or code of practice that will lead towards the actual happiness of life (Rahula, 1996). Mahayana as well as Theravada Buddhism is the two major principles of Buddhism based on which people following the religion are able to lead their life in a different way. It is also stated that both the principles are having different understanding along with different expressions towards life. In addition, the principles are identified to be having different meanings on the basis of purpose and meaning. Mahayana Buddhism is having the meaning of ‘The Great Vehicle’ and on the other hand, Theravada Buddhism expresses the principle of ‘The Teaching of the Elders’ (Jingpeng, 2012). The concept of Mahayana Buddhism originated in India. Subsequently, it spread throughout Korea, Japan, China, Central Asia, Vietnam, Tibet as well as Taiwan.

Peregrine Trucking Co Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Peregrine Trucking Co - Research Paper Example In 2008, a total of 758 companies in the trucking business went out of business because of rising fuel prices. This shows how crucial this issue is in any trucking company. With the uncertainty in the prices, companies lose a lot of money when there is a spike. This is why it is important to reduce the costs as much as possible. This document tries to evaluate available methods of reducing fuel costs in the company by using equipment that is the most efficient and socially conscious. It also looks at other ways that relate to rules and software which the company can employ. It also considers efficient operating methods that can help achieve this saving. Finally, it looks at the results the company can expect from employing the different methods. Body Looking at Peregrine Trucking Company, the fuel price is one of the highest direct costs it incurs in its operations. This is because it is in the transportation industry. These costs affect the performance of the company in terms of pro fits where an increase in costs leads to a decrease in the profits (Taylor & Weerapana, 2009). This is the reason why it is important to evaluate the potential of reducing fuel cost to gain a competitive advantage. ... Another rule is for employees to ensure that the mile-per-gallon is as high as possible. To ensure that they abide by this rule, the company can motivate employees by providing incentive plans in form of rewards for providing the best records over a period of time. Employees also need proper driving skills through training as some may be forceful when hitting the brakes, while others may tend to drive fast around corners, which results to an increase in fuel consumption. Training also helps reduce the period that the trucks idle as employees will learn to appreciate the effects of doing this. It is important for drivers to be informed of the importance of turning off the engine when the truck is not moving, in order to avoid burning up fuel unnecessarily (United States, 2008). Drivers are also required to be trained on avoiding shifting too many gears and try to keep the vehicles continuously moving instead of stopping and then starting again. They also need to be trained on the impo rtance of avoiding overspeeding and the use of natural speed instead of the accelerator when going up and down hills. All these will help to reduce fuel consumption. Training results in better drivers and efficient working. Looking at the equipment, the company can adapt, first and foremost, the use of speed governor. It may seem as be increasing the expenses of the company; however, the long term benefits are visible. Speed governor reduces the maximum speed in trucks, thus preventing drivers from overspeeding. An extra mile or two per hour that can be saved as a result of using the speed governor can save fuel, which, in turn, reduces the costs incurred by the company. The company can also adapt

Issues In Corrections Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Issues In Corrections - Research Paper Example In America, prisons are overcrowded with a large number of people from different races and cultures. Statistics and researches show that America has the highest number of prisoners in the world. Vicini (2006) states, â€Å"The U.S. incarceration rate of 737 per 100,000 people in the highest, followed by 611 in Russia and 547 for St. Kitts and Nevis†. Almost 25 percent of the world’s total imprisoned population belongs to the United States of America, which is really a very high percentage. Some prisons are overcrowded as much as 33 percent higher than their actual capacities (Montaldo, n.d.). On the other hand, the number of prisons in the United States is not big enough to meet the requirements of the incarcerated population. A couple of issues associated with overcrowding include increased costs and less number of proficient prison officers. Increased Costs An increased cost of prison management is one of the major problems associated with the issue of overcrowding or overpopulation in the American correctional system. It is a fact that, in prisons, costs increase with increase in the number of people incarcerated in the prisons. Costs, which include provision of appropriate living conditions, proper meal, and clothing of the prisoners, exceed the normal budgeted cost when the number of prisoners exceeds the calculated number of total prisoners a prison can accommodate. It is very big issue in the United States because it puts a direct impact on the overall economy of the country. Less Number of Prison Officers Another issue associated with overcrowding in prisons is the availability of professional prison officers. The problem is that a prison is sometimes unable to find proficient officers when the demand for officers increases. This gives rise to the issue of delayed and improper rehabilitation of the prisoners. Overcrowding gives rise to violence in prisons. Overcrowding also creates stress and tension among the prisoners. Prison officers ha ve the responsibility to take care of the prisoners’ activities and rehabilitation process. When less experienced officers are hired to manage the prisoners, rehabilitation process is affected and prisoners do not get the facilities that they need to develop good behaviors. How to Overcome the Issue of Overcrowding Let us now discuss the ways, which can be used to overcome the issue of overcrowding associated with the American correctional system. First, the administration should take steps to reduce noise pollution caused due to overcrowding. Carpet and acoustic tiles should be used instead of hard surface floors. Cushioned chairs and wall decorations can also be used in the correctional settings to reduce noise. Housing units should be built within the prison areas, which should accommodate 6 to 7 prisoners instead of accommodating 40 to 50 prisoners in a single unit. Increase in the number of private prisons is also an outcome of overpopulation in the state and federal pri sons. In America, the number of private prisons is increasing because the state and federal prisons are being unable to meet the requirements and costs of holding large number of prisoners. To reduce the costs of prison management, proper training and rehabilitation centers should be built which should be able to eradicate negative behaviors and promote positive behaviors among the prisone

NaCl solutions Essay Example for Free

NaCl solutions Essay The different concentrations of NaCl solutions led to the net movement of water molecules in the samples through osmosis. The samples soaked in higher NaCl concentrations, 0. 75 M and 1 M, slightly increased in mass due to less absorption of water. Samples soaked in less NaCl concentrations, on the other hand, became bulky due to considerably high absorption of water. As discussed by Bowen (2000), water molecules flow from the solution with low solute concentration to the part with higher concentration of the solute. Thus, there was a higher net water movement towards the fruit in solutions with low NaCl concentrations than in solutions with high NaCl concentrations. Therefore, water flows in response to the differences in molarity across a samples’ membrane. When sufficient water molecules moved to equalize the NaCl concentration on both sides of the membrane, equilibrium is reached and the net flow of water ceases. The Effect of Solute Concentration on Plant Cells The process of substance’s diffusion across the cell membrane is called osmosis. Osmosis is important to plants because low water content in their cells causes withering. This happens when water moves out of the cells by osmosis. Without enough water there is little pressure inside the cells (turgor pressure) through the vacuoles, thus, the plant sags. By, watering the plant, its cells become engorged with water, giving a firmer body for the plants. The Effect of Solute Concentrations on Red Blood Cells When red blood cells were placed in distilled water, it rapidly absorbed water until it bursts (plasmolysis), hence, cloudy appearance was observed. The distilled water represented hypotonic solution, hence, its molecules moved into the cells. This is the reason why plasma, the liquid portion of our blood is made of water with dissolved salts and proteins to prevent the unnecessary gain or loss of water by our blood cells. Discussion and Conclusions Diffusion in a Solid and in a Liquid Based on the results of this experiment, the rate of diffusion of solid particles is affected by its molecular weight. Since methylene blue has a higher molecular weight than KMnO4, it diffused slowly. The medium on which the particles diffuses, also affect the rate of diffusion. Liquid medium favors diffusion more than hardly vibrating solid particles. This is the reason why KMnO4 diffuses faster in liquid medium than in agar. Moreover, the temperature which denotes kinetic energy of the particles affects the particle movement. Particles in high temperatures or with high kinetic energy, move and diffuse faster that particles in low temperature. The Effect of Solute Concentration on Plant and Animal Cells The net movement of materials in and out of the cell is affected by the concentration of the solute. Based on concentration gradient, water flows from area of low solute concentration to region of high solute concentration. Thus, when the plant cells were exposed to a solution of low solute concentration (hypotonic), water flowed into the cell. The swelling of elodea plant in distilled water is an indication of the high solute concentration in its cells. Meanwhile, the cloudy appearance of the red blood cells in distilled water indicates plasmolysis or bursting due to the excessive absorption of water. The cell membrane protected the plant cells from bursting. References All About Agar. (n. d. ). Science Buddies. Org. Retrieved October 30, 2008, from http://www.sciencebuddies. org/mentoring/project_ideas/MicroBio_Agar. shtml Bowen, R. A. (2000). Osmosis. Retrieved October 30, 2008, from http://arbl. cvmbs. colostate. edu/hbooks/cmb/cells/pmemb/osmosis. html McCandless, Jr. J. R. (1997). Diffusion, Osmosis and Cell Membranes. Science Education Connection. Retrieved October 30, 2008, from http://biology. arizona. edu/sciconn/lessons/mccandless/reading. html Senese, F. (2007). Matter. General Chemistry Online. Retrieved October 30, 2008, from http://antoine. frostburg. edu/chem/senese/101/matter/index. shtml

Determinants Of Health Care Utilization Health And Social Care Essay

Determinants Of Health Care Utilization Health And Social Care Essay All people around the world could not access to health care service as there is a significant unmet need for health care. In order to improve the quality of human life, the health care providers and policy makers should have a better understanding of why people utilize or not utilize the health care services. In the changing of global environment such as population growth, increased health problems, higher demand for medical care and advanced medical technologies, health care expenditure is increasing in every country around the world. As health care expenditure has been escalating, financing for health care is becoming one of the challenges for governments especially in low and middle income countries. In many developing countries, the financial source for health care is dominated by private sector as house-hold out of pocket payment. However health insurance schemes are becoming an increasingly recognized tool in recent decades to finance low and middle income countries. As one of the poorest countries in South-East Asia, Myanmar health care financing mainly relies on private financing source in a form of out-of pocket payment. According to (NHA 2008-2009), 85% of total health expenditure comes from private household. In Myanmar, there are some financial schemes initiated by the government in order to protect the financial lost and impoverishment of the people. Among those health financing schemes, Social Security Scheme (SSS) plays a role to pool the risk of financial burden among insured workers. Myanmar government started the social health insurance in 1956 to provide social assistances and health care services to the insured workers. Regardless of the long period of implementation, the coverage of social health insurance is only 0.97% of total population and 1.96% of working population. There are 93 clinics in 110 townships to provide health care services to insured workers (Social Security Board 2012). The clinic time is from 8:00 am to 4:00pm which is during working hours of insured workers (Social Security Board 2012). The social security clinics locations are mostly not closed with the work places. The director of Social Security Board (SSB) mentioned about health care services in the news interview that, The current health care system is not enough for workers as the social security clinics cannot provide 24-hour service. Social security clinics cannot be found all over the country so workers in areas where there are no social security clinics can face difficulties.(The Myanmar Times, April 16-22, 2012). Apart from the difficulty in accessibility, the insured workers have to bear travelling cost and time cost to access health services from social security clinics. Moreover, there is very limited in equipments, medicines and facilities to provide enough health services to the insured workers. So some insured workers dont visit to social security clinics and get the medical care from nearby clinics and treat with traditional medicines. One of the SSB member expressed her experience from a boards clinic in Yangon as not be pleasant. She mentioned, There was a long queue of patients and I was particularly upset by the poor service from the doctors and nurses and I really dont trust them they dont have specialists, they have only general practitioners. I only went there to claim the cost of my medicines.(The Myanmar Times, April 16-22, 2012). Because of difficulties for workers to visit the clinics, health care teams from clinics have been trying to provide health care services in work places; however the very limited number of vehicle and cost of patrol are the big challenging issue for the health care providers. Despite of monthly contribution from their salary, because of hardly to access health care facility from social security, the insured workers could not get their benefit from social security board. However, Myanmar has been opening a new chapter of reform after 2010 general election and adopting democratic system in the country. As the country opening up, there are many reforms have been doing in order to move along with the ASEAN and global community. Myanmar SSS has been reformed to extend its coverage not only in formal but also to informal sectors. A new Social Security Law has been enacted in 2012 and will be implemented in 2013. Currently, the board has been preparing to introduce the new law for the insured workers. Along with the reform process, understanding the behaviors and factors affecting health care utilization is very important for the policy makers to improve the quality of services in order to attract the private workers to enroll in the scheme. By studying determinant health care utilization among insured private workers, we could observe that who pay for and who get benefit from the scheme. Apart from this we could also determine the most influencing factors which hinder and encourage the insured workers to utilize health care services from social security scheme. RESEARCH QUESTIONS General research questions What are the determinants of health care utilization among insured private workers under Social Security Scheme in Hlaing Thayar Township, Yangon, Myanmar in 2012? Specific research questions What are the barriers to access health care services for insured private workers under Social Security Scheme in Hlaing Thayar Township, Yangon, Myanmar in 2012? Research Objectives To identity the determinants of health care utilization among insured private workers under Social Security Scheme in Hlaing Thayar Township, Yangon, Myanmar in 2012 To identify the barriers for insured private workers to access health services from Social Security Scheme in Hlaing Thaya Township, Yangon, Myanmar in 2012 Scope of the study This study will be focused on insured private workers under the Social Security Scheme in Hlaing Thayar industrial zone, Hlaing Thayar Township, Yangon, Myanmar. The insured workers with the age of over 18 years and currently employed by private owned factories and firms will be included in this study. The cross-sectional data will be collected in February and March 2013. Hypothesis The age, gender, marital status, number of children, ethnicity, religion, educational status, occupation, income, distance from work place to health facilities, perceived travelling cost, hospitality of the health care personnel, satisfaction to the services, number of health facilities other than social security health facilities in the area, perceived health status and presence of underlying illness or disabilities influence the health care utilization among insured private workers under Social Security Scheme in Yangon, Myanmar. Myanmar Health care system Myanmar health care system is pluralistic with the mix of public and private providers. As the countrys administrative system has been changed, the key providers in health care services also have changed. However, ministry of health is still the major provider of the health care services through public health facilities while other ministries also provide some health care services (Ministry of Health, 2012). Ministry of Health is taking responsible to implement holistic health care including preventive, curative and rehabilitative care to the people according to social objectives of the country laid down by National Health Committee. There are 7 departments under Ministry of Health and Department of Health is one of the departments to provide comprehensive health care to all citizens. Apart from Ministry of Health, other ministries such as Ministry of Defense, Railway, Mine, Industry, Energy, Home and Transportation also provide health care to their employees. Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security established Social Security Board with 3 general hospitals and 93 clinics across the country to take care of insured workers under Social Security Scheme. Myanmar Pharmaceutical Factory which is under the Ministry of Industry supplies medicine and therapeutic agents for domestic market. One thing special for Myanmar health care system is that there is traditional medicine along allo pathic or modern medicine. Apart from public health facilities, local NGO such as Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association and Myanmar Red Cross Society and international donors are also provide some fragments of health services to fill up the gap in the community (Ministry of Health 2012). Financing of health care services are from three main sources; government as general taxation, private household contribution as out-of pocket payment, social security system and community contribution. External donation in form of assistances is also play a role in Myanmar health care financing. Community Cost Sharing Scheme Community Cost Sharing (CCS) scheme is established in 1992. It is simply a user fees system with the intention to charge curative cost for health care services from the rich and provide exemption to those who could not effort for their health care expenditure. According to SSC scheme, the cost for laboratory, radio imaging, private room, drug and medical equipments are asked to pay for those who can effort. The revenue from CCS scheme is broken down into three portions 1) 50 percent is for government revenue, 2) 15 percent go for purchasing medicine and medical equipments and 3) the last 15 percent use for maintenance. However, there are no clear criteria for the poor to provide exemption and many challenges are coming up in the implementation level.(Aye et al.) Revolving Drug Fund Revolving Drug Fund was introduced in 1990 by Myanmar Essential Drug Program. The program started in 9 townships as pilot project and then extended into 100 townships in 1995. The fund is started by WHO, UNICEF, Sasakawa Foundation and the fund is used as a seed grant.(Aye et al.) Trust Fund Trust Fund is another finance source for health care and the objective is to finance to poor patient who cannot pay the cost of health care at public hospitals. The policy for Trust Fund is ONE BED ONE LAKH; and it is raised 100,000 Kyat per bed to hospital by the donation from community. Trust fund are normally kept as saving count at bank and the annual interest from that is utilized according to trust fund management committee or hospital management committee(Aye et al.). Social Security Scheme Social Security Scheme (SSS) is the solely health insurance scheme in Myanmar. It was introduced in 1956 according to 1954 Social Security Act. The SSS is implemented by SSB under the Ministry of Labor which has recently transformed into Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security. The objectives of SSB are; to improve the health of the insured workers, to enhance their working ability and to boost productivity, to provide effective benefit in times of social contingencies such as sickness, maternity and employment injury, unemployment, old-age, and death etc, to support the insured workers and family members for living when the formers are unable to work and to make the social security scheme concern the entire population. In order to achieve these objectives, social security board is carrying its duty and functions by ensuring workers enjoy rights and protection granted under the various labor laws, providing social services for the workers, promoting higher productivity of l abors and participating in international labor affair ( Social Security Board, 2012). The premium for Social Security Scheme is mandatory contribution from employee and employer. The contribution is based on tripartite contribution by 2.5 % of the workers salary from employer, 1.5% from the employee and government supports the capital investments as necessary. The contribution is collected according to 15 wage classes. The coverage groups are state enterprise employees, temporary and permanent employees of public or private firms with five or more employees in certain establishments such as railways, ports, mines and oilfields. The employment with less than five employees, construction workers, agricultural workers and fishermen are excluded from the coverage of social security scheme (Social Security Board, 2012). At first, it is started from the cities and then extended into other towns gradually. One 250 bedded workers hospital in Yangon, one 150 bedded hospital in Mandalay and one 100 bedded TB hospital and 93 clinics have being run under the Social Security Board in order to provide health care services to insured workers.(Social Security Board, 2012). In benefit package, it is divided into cash sickness benefit, maternal benefit, and medical benefit. For cash sickness benefit, 50% of the insured workers average earning will be included from the first day of illness up to 26 weeks for one illness. Benefit of temporary and permanent disability and survival benefits are also included in cash benefit. As funeral grant, 40,000 (Kyat) is paid to the deceaseds surviving spouse and child. The maternal cash benefit includes 66% of insured workers average earning for 12 weeks (6 weeks before and 6 weeks after delivery). For medical benefit, free medical services are directly provided by Social Security Boards clinics. Medical services include the medical care at the clinic, emergency home care, specialist and laboratory services at diagnostic center, necessary hospitalization, maternity care and medicine(Social Security Program Throughout the World : Asia and the Pacific 2010, 2011). Literature review The literature review for this study will be broken down into empirical studies on health care utilization and determinants of health care utilization. Health Care Utilization A study in Canada(Curtis MacMinn, 2008) about health care utilization in twenty-five years of evidence to identify the relationship between the socio-economic status and utilization, controlling and demographic characteristics. The study describes pattern of health care utilization under public health insurance scheme. They investigated about physician, specialist and hospital care utilization between 1978 and 2003. The data from Canada Health Survey (1978), General Social Survey (1991), and Canadian Community Health Survey (2001 and 2003) were extracted to analyze the different in utilization over 25 years period. It shows that health care utilization is growing through time. The populations with lower level socio-economic status (income, education, or employment) have on average less likelihood of visiting physician than those with middle socio-economic status. Individuals with lower levels socio-economic status have lower utilization of specialist care than those with higher econ omic status. For hospitalization, poorer individuals have slightly longer stay than with middle and higher income groups. The results also shows that health care utilization of publicly insured individual have strongly related with the health status of them. A Vietnamese scholar(Nguyen, 2012) analyzed the impact voluntary health insurance on health care utilization in Vietnam by using a descriptive and modeling study with secondary data. He looked at the trend of voluntary health insurance members, categories, revenues and expenditures and health care utilization in the whole country for 5 years period (1993-1997). The study shows that the trend of health care utilization is increasing during 5 year period but the number of hospital visit of voluntary health insurance members is lower than those paying by out-of pocket payment. The results of the study only can predict the utilization rate based on the macro factors and could not include other factors that could affect health care utilization among insured individuals. Health insurance does effect the health care utilization and it is revealed in a study from Burkina Faso by (Gnawali et al., 2009). They investigated the impact of community-based health insurance on health care utilization in rural Burkina Fuso. The results show that the individuals who insured under community-based health insurance scheme utilized out- patient services 40% more than those who are not insured however in-patient utilization rate is not significantly changed. Moreover, the study explains that low income groups are less likely to enroll in the scheme and even though they are once insured, health care services utilization is still lower than middle and higher income groups. Health insurance has a statistically significant effect on utilization of health care. In Sri Lanka, (Priyanjith H. 2008) studied the factors affecting health care utilization with three common diseases; Bronchial Asthma, Ischemic Heart Disease, Viral Fever. He has conducted cross-sectional descriptive survey and the respondents were selected randomly. The results demonstrate that patients age, health care expenditure and household monthly income, number of dependents in the family and religion have significant relationship with utilization of health care facilities. Age, family income level, perception and religion (Buddhist and Sinhala) have positive influence on health service utilization while health care expenditure, distance to access health facilities, number of family members and dependents in the family negatively correlated with health care utilization. Determinants of health care utilization Socio-demographic Factors Age A study in Ethiopia by (Girma, Jira, Girma, 2011) shows that children the age under five-year old used health facilities 3.5 times than those above the age of 65. A study in Nigeria by (Aigbe Osariemen, 2011) concluded that maternal age is the main predisposing factor to utilize antenatal care service. The women with age of 15-19, 40-44 and 45 years old utilized unorthodox source (traditional birth attendants, home assistance and church) 63.6 %, 65% and 55.6% respectively and the middle age pregnant women with the age of 20-39 used unorthodox source between 30 to 40.5%. The middle age pregnant women have significantly lower rate of using unorthodox sources for antenatal care. The individuals older than 24 years old were significantly more likely to utilize health care services than younger age (Hu Podhisita, 2008). A study in New Mexico counties, USA by (Anderson, 1973) shows that age has negative effect on hospital admission rate. Gender In Nepal, when holding other variables constant, boys have 43% more likelihood to seek external health care given illness than girls (Pokhrel et al., 2005). Men were 0.46 times tendency to utilize health care services than women(Girma, Jira, Girma, 2011). In Myanmar culture, women are usually given equal chance and not regarded as socially inferior. There is strong relationship between gender and using health care facilities and women visited health services more than men among Myanmar migrant workers in Ranong, Thailand (Aung, 2008). Marital Status In Ethiopia, married individual were 8.1 times more likely to visit health facilities than those unmarried one. (Girma, Jira, Girma, 2011). Ethnicity A study by (Anderson, 1973) conclude that ethnicity is one of predisposing factors for health care utilization. Hospital bed-population ratios are higher in the counties with larger ethnic minority group. However (Hu Podhisita, 2008) reveals that if the ethnic groups have the same opportunities(predisposing, enabling factors), health care utilization will be likely similar. Educational status In Nigeria, the choice of antenatal care sources between orthodox and unorthodox is associated with the education of mother. They pointed out that the usage of unorthodox sources of antenatal care is 83% among with primary education level. The choice for orthodox source is 53% among the mother with secondary education and which is tripled with those of primary education(Aigbe Osariemen, 2011). In Curacao, Netherland, educational level is strongly related with utilization of dentist and physiotherapist. The results indicates that people with the highest educational level in the study utilized dental service a year almost five times than those with the lowest educational level(Alberts, J, Eimers, Den, 1997). Income Annual household income is associated with the level of utilization of health care services. Low income group was 0.26 times likely to use health care facilities (Girma, Jira, Girma, 2011) Accessibility to Health Care Services Distance to the health facilities A study by (Nemet Bailey, 2000) shows the relationship between distance and utilization that as the distance increase, health care utilization is reduced. Another study in Nigeria by (Aigbe Osariemen, 2011) concludes that distance to health facility from their residence is important factors for women to seek ante natal care. They found out that majority of women (76%) utilized the nearby health center which takes less than 30 minute with vehicular transportation from their residence while only 5.9% of women travelled to access health care services from facilities that need more than 45 minute to arrived. In Ethiopia, distance to the nearest health facilities is one of important factors on utilization of health facilities, the study concluded that the individuals who live in 10 kilometers or less to the nearby institution were 1.5 time more likely to use health facilities. Waiting time at health facilities Almost two-third (62.8%) of pregnant women who visited primary health care or private hospitals for antenatal care is for the reason of promptness of the services (Aigbe Osariemen, 2011). Perceived travelling cost In comparison, among the individuals who perceived travelling cost as cheap ,the health services utilization were 2.5 times likely to be higher than those perceived it as expensive. Need Factors Perceived health status A study in Ethiopia by (Girma et al., 2011) revealed health care utilization was associated with individuals perceived health status. They mentioned that in compared to individuals with good health status, those with poor and very poor health status, utilized 11.7 and 13.1 times more respectively. A study by (Fernandez-Olano et al., 2006) shows that perceived health status affected the health care utilization pattern among elderly people. It can be concluded that 36% of elderly users and 60.2% of non-users graded their health status as good and they reported their health status as fair 46% and 29% respectively. Presence of underlying disease or disability The individuals with disability are 3.3 times likely to use health care services and those who had health problems utilized health care 28 times(Girma et al., 2011). (Liu, Tian, Yao, 2012) studied the effects of health profile on health care services utilization in Taiwan. Health profiles were divided into 4 groups: Relatively Healthy, High Co morbidity, Frail Group and Functional Impairment and they found that, High Co morbidity group had more likely to utilize health care services heavily than Frail Group and Functional Impairment while Relatively Healthy regarded as a reference group. A study in Philippine shows that the need factors have strongly associated with the hospital stay. The patients with intensive cases stayed at hospital longer than ordinary cases(Loquias, Kittisopee, Sakulbamrungsil, 2006) Summary The literature review shows some variables influence the health care utilization of individuals. This study will be included the variables that could possibly affect health care utilization decision of insured workers under Social Security Scheme. RESEARCHMethodology Conceptual Framework The conceptual framework for this study is based on the Andersons Behavior Model for health care utilization. Many studies on health care utilization have been done based on Adersen Behavior Model. The model composes of three main factors; predisposing, enabling and need factors. Predisposing factors are the individuals tendency to utilize health care which include demographic characteristics (age, sex, marital status) and social structure (occupation, education, ethnicity, religion). Enabling factors refers to the ability of an individual to make use health services; they include the family and community resources that can affect health care utilization. Need factors is the individuals need for health care by representing perceived health status and present of chronic disease and disability. Predisposing Factors (Socio-demographic) Age Gender Marital status Ethnicity Religion Education status Occupation Enabling Factors Community Resources Distance to health facilities Waiting Time at the clinic Perceived Travelling cost Hospitality of health care personal Satisfaction to the service No. of other hospitals/ clinics near workplace Family Resources Income No. of children (family size) Health Care Utilization Go to social security health facilities Go to private health facilities Go to public health facilities Buy drug from drug store Need Factors Perceived health status Present underlying disease or disabilities Study Design Cross- sectional descriptive quantitative design will be used for this study in order to explore health care utilization pattern among insured private workers under Social Security Scheme in tow industrial zones ( Hlaing Thaya and South Dagon) in Yangon, Myanamr. Study Area Yangon is the largest city and formal capital of Myanmar with population approximately 6 million in 2008. The population growth rate of Yangon division is 2.2 percent per annum in 2008 which is higher than national growth rate. The population density is 666 per square kilometer in 2008. As Yangon is logical site for export- oriented lighted manufacturing, it attracts the people from rural to immigrate and settle in the city. Yangon is located on a peninsula near the confluence of the Yangon and Bago rivers, about thirty kilometers north of the Gulf of Martaban. The city has been extended recently to the east, west, and north both for residential and industrial zones. In Yangon Division, there are 45 administrative townships and 33 of them are in Yangon city municipal and administered by Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). The study will conducted in Hlaing Tharyar Townships in Yangon city municipal area. Study Duration The study will be conduct from February to March 2013. Study population The study will be conducted among the insured private workers under the Social Security Scheme in two industrial zones Hlaing Thaya Township Yanagon, Myanmar Sample size The sample size for this study will be calculated based on Yamane (1967: 98-99) formula. n= Nz 2 pq/Nd 2 +z2pq If we assume z =2 (1.96 for the 95% level of reliability), then n = N/ 1+Nd2 n = sample size N= population size d = precision (0.05) z = reliability coefficient p = proportion of the target population utilize health care (assuming that 50%) q =1-p (so q= 50% too) The population of insured workers in Yangon division is approximate 350,000. I calculated my sample size based on the total no. of population and I got 399.49 and 10% is added for non responded participants. So the sample size is 439.49 (340). Sampling techniques The multi-stage sampling method will be employed in this study. Hlaing Thayar industrial zone is purposively selected and the participants will be randomly selected from total study population. Including Criteria The workers from private sectors The workers who are insured under Social Security Scheme (SSS) The workers who are working in Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone, Yangon The workers who are over 18 years old Excluding Criteria The workers who are not employed by private factors or firms The workers who are not insured under social security scheme The insured private workers who are not willing to participate in the interview Study variables Dependent Variable The dependent variable will be multinomial variables. Health care utilization will be categorized into 4 categories; 1) go to social security health facilities 2) go to private health facilities 3) go to public health facilities 4) buy drug from drug store. Independent Variables The independent variables are: age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, religion, educational status, occupation, family size, distance from work place to health center, waiting time, perceived travelling cost, hospitality of health care personnel, perceived health status, presence of underlying disease or disability Summarized table of independent variables # Variables Abbreviation Expected Sign 11 Age ( continuous variables) age +/- 22 Gender (dummy variable male=1, female=0) gen +/- 33 Marital status (category dummy variable ms + 44 No. of children (continuous variables) child 55 Ethnicity ( dummy variable Burma=1, other ethnicity=0) eth +/- 66 Religion(dummy variable Buddhist=1, Other religion=0) rg +/- 77 Educational status( category dummy variable primary=0, secondary=1, higher =1) edu + 88 Occupation (category dummy variable. occ +/- 99 Income( continue variable) inc + 110 Distance from work place to health facilities (continue variable) dis 111 Waiting time at health facilities(continue variable) wt 112 Perceived travelling cost (dummy variable expensive=1, cheap=0) ptc 113 Hospitality of health care personnel (dummy variable yes=1, No=0) hhp + 114 Satisfaction to the services (dummy variable yes=1, No=0) sts + 115 No. of health facilities other than social securitys health facilities ( continue variable) nhnw + 116 Perceived health status (category dummy variable excellent=1, good=1, fair=0, poor=1, very poor=0) phs + 117 Presence of underlying disease (dummy variable yes=1, No=0) pud + Multinomial Logistic Regression Model Log(Pr(Y=yi)/Pr(y=0))=ÃŽÂ ²0+ÃŽÂ ²1age+ÃŽÂ ²2gen+ÃŽÂ ²3ms+ÃŽÂ ²4eth+ÃŽÂ ²5rg+ÃŽÂ ²6edu+ÃŽÂ ²7occ+ÃŽÂ ²8 ln(inc)+ ÃŽÂ ²9dis+ ÃŽÂ ²10wt+ ÃŽÂ ²11ptc+ ÃŽÂ ²12hhp+ ÃŽÂ ²13sts+ÃŽÂ ²14nhnw+ÃŽÂ ²15phs+ÃŽÂ ²16pud +ÃŽÂ µi Pilot Testing The pilot test will be conducted in one of the townships in Yangon with the similar characteristic of insured workers before actual survey. The questionnaire will be revised and adjusted based on the results from pilot testing. Data collection tools The primary data will be collected suing the structured questionnaires. About 5 interviewers will be hir

Green Banking In India Environmental Sciences Essay

Green Banking In India Environmental Sciences Essay Moving to a prosperous low carbon economy can drive innovation, increase productivity and generate new well paid jobs. However, to achieve this, significant new investment will need to be found and, though government can provide the necessary incentives, it will be the private sector that will provide the bulk of this investment. Climate change is a significant issue for India. But while the effects of climate change are increasingly a risk to the health, economy and the environment of the country, economists are also recognizing that there are financial rewards from controlling climate change and developing a low carbon economy. Banks can provide important leadership for the required economic transformation that will provide new opportunities for financing and investment policies as well as portfolio management for the creation of a strong and successful low carbon economy. In this report I have tried to examine how banks can be catalysts for change. Discussing how banks are providing commitment and leadership in creating a low carbon economy and also the challenges to investment. A carbon credit is a generalised term used for any tradable certificate or permission representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon di-oxide [CO2]   The goal of carbon trading is to allow market mechanisms to drive industrial and commercial processes in the direction of low emissions or less carbon intensive approaches than those used when there is no cost to emitting  carbon dioxide  and other GHGs [Greenhouse Gases] into the atmosphere. In simple terms carbon credits gives a monetary value to the action of polluting the atmosphere and hence reduce greenhouse emissions, thus playing a pretty important role in saving the planet. Of late there has been a lot of discussion regarding the environment management in industrialised countries. However, because of the financial globalisation and ever increasing environmental regulations, there has been a large development in the banking sector which has been operating in developing and emerging countries and is pressed to better manage risks from environmental liabilities. As other economic players and industries, banks also consume natural resources. However, in developing countries this type of environmental impact can potentially be high in view of the insufficient availability of clean sources of energy. [Banco Itaà º, one of the largest banks in Brazil, recycles 2,200 tons of shredded paper annually] INTRODUCTION CLIMATE CHANGE-BACKGROUND 1.1 CLIMATE CHANGE-THE SCIENCE We all know that the climate change is a serious issue and which needs to be taken great care of in the near future or else we will have to face serious consequences in the future. A study conducted by The Climate Group with Price WaterHouse Coopers indicates an increase of more than 0.7 ËÅ ¡C over the last century and will continue to rise. The current projections of global average temperature change are in the order of 0.2 ËÅ ¡C per decade (from 1990 2050) or between 1.1 ËÅ ¡C and 6.4ËÅ ¡C within a century. CLIMATE CHANGE-THE INTERNATIONAL POLICY RESPONSE There have been international conferences and concerns on how to save the environment and efforts have been taken to gain consensus on how to save the environment since the early 1990s. In 1997 UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] introduced the Kyoto Protocol [1] India being a non-Annex 1 party to the UNFCCC is under no legal obligation to curtail its greenhouse gases [GHGs] emissions, but India has announced a voluntary plan to reduce the carbon emission intensity by 20-25% by 2020. The Indian Government is very keen and has shown great interest in finding the solution to this problem and is actively involved in discussions that will lead to a Post Kyoto regime that tackles the problems. UNFCCC also held a recent conference in at Copenhagen called the CoP [Conference of Parties], which did not deliver any legal binding commitments, but the Accord it produced had led to all the major developing nations to publish their plans on how they will cut or reduce the gas emissions over the coming decades. Also a massive financial help was pledged, which can be counted as a success of the summit [US$ 30 Billion by the end of 2012 and a total of US$ 100 Billion by 2020] for the mitigation and help of developing countries to implement the plans for cutting down the emissions, along with the deployment of latest technology and techniques. India is sure to receive a major part of these funds but our authorities need to ensure that the necessary framework is in place to take best advantage of them. 1.3 CLIMATE CHANGE-INDIAs RESPONSE India s National Action Plan on climate change essentially proposes eight national missions , namely , Solar ; Enhanced Energy Efficiency ; Sustainable Habitat; Water; Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem ; Green India ; Sustainable Agriculture; and Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change India holds a major position and is signatory to both UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The Clean Development Mechanism [CDM] provided by Kyoto Protocol has provided India with a significant opportunity for reducing carbon emissions at a relatively low price through renewable energy projects and energy efficient projects. The above also provides India with a wonderful opportunity of creating and trading carbon credits via (through) the help of regulated carbon emission trading schemes, in exchange of money. The CDM also allows and helps developed countries like USA to invest in emission reduction globally where it is the cheapest. The success of CDM can be gauged by the fact that since its inception in 2001 till 2012 it would have 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon-d-ioxide equivalent emission reductions. India along with CDM has also been working to develop a National Action Plan on Climate Change which enumerates a number of steps to simultaneously advance Indias development and climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives. Finance especially the BANKING SECTOR is a key element of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, outlined in the plans National Missions. Example 1: NATIONAL MISSION ON ENHANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY The proposed National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) has been designed to focus on the creation of mechanisms that supports financing of demand side energy management programs by capturing the financial benefits of future energy savings. The Partial Risk Guarantee Fund has been developed with a purpose of providing commercial banks with partial coverage of risk exposure against loans made for energy efficiency projects. India has set voluntary targets to reduce carbon emissions intensity by 20-25% by 2020. The targets are being supported by legislation that requires mandatory fuel efficiency norms for all automobile vehicles, introduces green building codes, techniques and provides an amendment to the Energy Conservation Act to make it necessary for an initial group of 714 energy intensive businesses to take part in a scheme to cap energy usage and subsequently trade energy efficiency certificates. BANKING SECTOR RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE We are all aware of the fact that banks play a very important role in mobilizing financial resources across the economy-in particular for providing investment money i.e. capital for large scale infrastructure and low carbon technology deployment. As of now the climatic changes have only effected/influenced the financial decisions only on the margin i.e. to a very less extent. That too the impact is much less in India as compared to other developed or developing countries. The following are a few international examples of the same: In all over 180 financial institutions support the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) which is the oldest association between UN and banking, insurance and investment worlds There was an increase in the pace of the global clean energy investment from US$ 60 billion in 2006 to US$ 150 billion in the year 2007 Banks that have been controlling more than 80% of global project finance volume have adopted the Equator Principles[2]. 2.1 BANKING RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN INDIA IBA [Indian Bank Association] and TCG [The Climate Group] conducted a study know about how banks in India are responding to the climatic changes. The survey which was carried out focussed basically on following five themes: COMMITMENT LEADERSHIP Questioning the commitment of the bank and how is it demonstrated. MANAGEMENT To what level does the management take interest and participate in and around the climate change issues and how is the bank tackling its own impact. ENABLERS What are the key enablers for pushing the climate change agenda as perceived by the bank? PERCIEVED BARRIER What are the major barriers and key inhibitors which hinder the climate change agenda as perceived by the bank. INNOVATION AND ACTION What are the core business activities, products and services which the banks are offering to fight the climatic changing conditions. 2.2 THE SOLUTION: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA For the last one and a half decade India is on a higher growth trajectory and the industrial sector has been playing a very important role in Indias growth. However, Indian growth has always been limited due to the challenges faced in controlling the environmental impact of their business activities i.e. reducing pollution and emissions of their clients. Though environmental legislations and laws are being framed by the government to address the issue and it also encourages the industry to follow the environmental technologies and practices, but they are not enough considering the poor track record of enforcement, public awareness and inability to derive competitive advantage by producing eco friendly products. Just for the fact-book India is the sixth largest and the second fastest growing country in terms of producing green house gases. To add to your surprise three of Indias metropolitan capitals are amongst the worlds ten most polluted cities. The industries which contribute to making these cities most polluted majorly are: (a) Metallurgical Industries (b) Paper Pulp (c) Pesticides/Insecticides (d) Refineries (e) Tanneries/Fertilizers (f) Sugar etc. Thus the banking operations and investment by the financial institutions should take care of these polluting industries which can be done by improving the overall environment, the quality and conservation of life, level of efficiency in using the materials and energy, quality of services and products and hence in this context, the role of banking sector, which is the major source of financing for these industries, which is used for the implementation of the eco-friendly measures. The environmental regulations in India can be broadly classified in two broad categories: Command Control Regulations. Liability Laws. However, there is no law in India which can hold banks responsible for the checking and scrutinizing investment projects and granting/denying the financial aid to a company on the basis of environmental damage to be caused by the client. The most important thing here is that because of the growing concern for the environment legal framework for the environmental pollution standards are being formulated in India and once the formulation is done the companies violating these rules will either have to shut down or will have to make the necessary changes in terms of investment and methodology which will require the help of banking sector, thus proving the importance of GREEN BANKING. In the above process the above companies are sure to loose their viability and competitiveness in the international market and this will eventually affect the Indian Economy and the Banking Sector. Thus for the future prospects and the current scenario it is very important for the banks to protect themselves from the changing of their performing assets [3] to non performing assets [4]. If the banks realize these facts then the adoption of GREEN BANKING becomes fast and easily acceptable to them. One thing which is very obvious is that the industries that are ill equipped in preventing pollution today are the possible polluters of the future Example 2 Non Compliance to the Mandated Environmental Standards About a hundred and fifty SSI (Small Scale Industries) units around Agra and Delhi had been forced by the government authorities to make changes in the methodology or were made to shut down the entire units because of non compliance to the mandated environmental standards and were hence declared nonperforming assets for the banks that financed them. These rigorous steps were taken with the ultimate goal of protecting the Taj Mahal situated in Agra from the Greenhouse Gases and thus eventually losing its charm. Apart from the list above there are a number of companies that have been closed down due to non compliance of the standards in such a scenario the banks are the only ones incurring a financial loss due to the increase in bad asset and liability. The following Table1 reflects category wise summary status of pollution control in 17 categories of industries in India where we find that the industries are increasingly complying with pollution control norms. Refer to Table 1 in the appendix. 2.3 DISAPPOINTMENTS FACED: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA The financial banks and institutions are running far behind the schedules as compared to the global trends. None of the Indian banks or financial institutions have adopted the equator principle [2] even for the sake of records. None of our banks are signatories to the UNEPFI [5]. The British business newspaper and Financial Times in a joint effort nominated for Sustainable Banking Awards in 2006 for leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance objectives into their operations did not find a single Indian nationalized bank or major private bank in the list except Yes bank (which is a small player in Indian Banking sector) which was nominated in Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year category. The other nominations have been shown in Table-2. It was very evident that there was no systematic attempt to integrate the environmental concerns into the business operations here by our nationalised banks. Though there has been a little improvement as in the previous years as for the year 2007 ET sustainable banking award two banks namely YES Bank and ABN AMRO Bank had filed nominations. Though its a little improvement but it also shows the ignorance in the part of our banks about the green banking initiatives at international levels. As we all know today the products of the countries violating the human rights or child labour laws are denied in countries like US and UK (European Markets), so it would not be surprising if the export of the domestic polluting industries get a severe jolt if they continue to neglect the degrading environment. If such a thing happens then the major blow would be to the Indian Banking sector because most of the SSIs have sponsored by the Indian Banks and if they do not comply with the environment standards then they would be worst hit by such an act. Therefore, banks in India need to be more careful about the environment aspects of both clients and products because: The future of exports and product markets will be going through stringent environmental rules and eco-friendly products will have a better future. Increased demands for pollution control equipments will want more and more financial aid from the banks. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may also follow environmental friendly rules and regulations hence enforcing them on other banks just like the IFC [6] and Asian Development Bank [7]. Recent announcement by the government to use economic instruments for environmental control may also include banks also. Big investment projects supported by international organizations like The World Bank and ADB [7] require EIA [8]. 2.4 THE BRIGHTER SIDE: COMMITMENT AND SENIOR LEADERSHIP CHANGE IN INDIA Number of Banks Participating in: Carbon Disclosure Project 5 UNEP FI 2 UN Global Impact 2 Equator Principles 2 Climate Principles 1 Four Indian Banks named the challenges due to climate changes as very important and in the Top Ten Priorities Critical To Success Seven out of the eight banks surveyed believe that commercial lending banks in India can play a leadership role in the business community in addressing the challenges of climate change. The top management has been driving the climate change agenda in majority of the surveyed banks. Banks that demonstrate a high level of senior support for addressing climate change also demonstrate a high level of activity around initiatives that address the issue. All private sector and international banks involved in the climate change activities through formal partnership or relationships with external partners at a regional, national or international level. Public sector banks have not been taking part voluntarily but have been postponing the work until the legislations have been forced upon. Participating banks have highlighted that they have been forming partnerships with government agencies as well as industry associations to effectively discuss and act on issues. The RBI has issued notifications on corporate social responsibility for banks with reference to the role of banks in sustainable development and non financial reporting Six out of eight banks highlighted that the change in climate will highly affect the way they conduct their business and hence they would want to take advantage of the situation and enforce their business by being well prepared for the coming situations. 2.5 ROLE OF MANAGEMENT: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA Policies and Programs: Most of the banks have a formal written statement which describes the purpose and objectives of the organizations commitment to climate change. Such statements are usually included in the annual report of the company. Most of the banks have also been putting in place the policy of saving/reducing the footprints of the electricity consumption by implementing energy efficient systems in the offices and also by replacing the older systems. Most of the banks have a specific policy in place to consider the environmental issues associated with energy use, purchasing, transport, recycling and waste minimization. 2.6 MANAGING CARBON EMISSION Majority of the banks have been calculating their energy consumption and carbon footprint. Banks are getting external audits done for their energy consumption and follow it as a norm as opposed to the exception. The findings of such audits are being used to reduce their bills of energy consumption. All the banks have been indicating that the issue of climate change and sustainability was important to the organization. Example 3 Union Bank of Indias Energy Efficient Measures The union bank of India has decided to take an annual electrical energy audit. The bank has also installed solar power water heaters at the various facilities they maintain. Its the support service department of the bank that has been identified to implement such an energy reduction program. 2.7 EXTERNAL REPORTING All the participating banks communicate their actions on climate change as a part of their Environment or Corporate Social Responsibility Reports and statements. Almost 5 out of the 8 banks surveyed maintained their own greenhouse gas inventory such as calculating their carbon foot printing and undertaking annual energy audits. Seven out of the eight banks have a energy reduction or emission reduction plans on the agenda. Example 4 IDBI Bank IDBI bank is a member of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The bank is also an authorised signatory to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). CDP aims to create a relationship between shareholders and corporations regarding the shareholder value and commercial operations because of the climatic changes. 2.8 INTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT All the participating banks claimed that the issues relating the climatic changes were communicating internally to the concerned employees. Five out of the eight bank also informed that they have also initiated employee engagement programs so as to tackle the situations arising out of climatic change. Majority of the banks have also put up information regarding the climatic change on their intranet sites. Many banks have also been training their employees on specific technical fronts such as, sustainability screens on lending portfolios, enhanced investment criteria for low carbon projects. Banks have also been implementing car pools for their employees, hence encouraging not only clerical staff but also higher management to share transport so as to save the environment. Example 5 HSBC Global Research: Climate Change The HSBC Climate Change Centre of Excellence which had been established in 2007 has been ever since investigating the likely risks and opportunities of climate change for the financial markets and HSBCs business unit. About 30 reports were produced by the Centre in 2009, which also included a comprehensive analysis of fiscal stimulus for climate related investments. These reports have helped over 3000 customers to identify the opportunity and plan for potential climate change risks. 2.9 ENABLERS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES Internal Factors: The top internal factors which have an effect on the climate change activities can be broadly classified as: Economic Benefits and Profitability Board influence Marketing benefits Refer to Table 3 External Factors: The top external factors can be specified as: Environment benefits Competitive advantage/new business opportunities. 2.10 PERCIEVED BARRIERS TO CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES In the survey conducted by TCG and IBA it was concluded that the following are considered to be the major barriers for the cause: The Indian system lacks regulatory benefits and policy. The personnel lack technical knowhow. The cost implications. One interesting fact that came in light after the survey was that many banks in the survey wanted more legal regulations that provide an enabling framework. Some banks also raised the point that lack of general awareness about the climatic changes and its implications hindered their efforts to implement the green banking concept. Cost implications were also highlighted as a major hindrance, by three of the eight banks, to addressing climatic changes. However they believe that due to the added advantages and features such a s improved reputation or increased customer loyalty can overcome the financial concerns. Refer to Table 4 2.11 INNOVATION AND ACTION The Climate Principles framework have been represented in the research innovation and action by the banks as findings from key business lines. Research: The survey revealed that only two out of the eight banks currently have research on climate changes being carried on. The research being carried on by the Indian banks are less sophisticated as required by the cause. As most of the research is based on global level and is based on international standards the personnel here in India lack the technical knowhow of implementing the survey. Retail Banking: Half of the participating banks reported that they have implemented/incorporated carbon and climate issues to their retail banking arena. The banks also claimed to convince their clients to use paperless as a part of their green campaigns at retail outlets. Corporate Banking: Many of the banks that participated responded that many initiatives in corporate banking are underway which facilitates a transformation to a low carbon economy. Banks are also cognizant of how client defaults may increase from unanticipated `or underestimated mitigation. Project Finance: As there is a lack of knowhow to evaluate the risks associated with the changing climate and also the opportunities arising out of such a condition thus it acts as an hindrance for the consideration of finance of projects relating to climatic changes. Lack of technical knowhow often tends to raise the total cost of the project and hence restrains banks from entering into such a project finance. Asset Management: This field of the finance sector is still in its preliminary/infancy stage in India. So far only one bank has been thoughtful enough to launch a fund that takes account of ESG [9] issues. LEADING INDIAN BANKS AND GREEN BANKING 3.1 STATE BANK OF INDIA SBI Example 3.1.1 SBI Green Home Loans The State Bank Of India has started a new policy which they call as SBI Green Home Loans. It has been started with the objective of supporting the cause against the climate change and its implications. One of the initiatives which the bank has taken is the bank provides incentives to customers who choose green projects i.e. those projects which will be helpful in reducing the gas and carbon emission and help saving energy. Green Housing or Green Home is one of the types of loan identified for this purpose. The new Green Home Loan Scheme supports environmentally friendly residential projects and offers various concessions like reduced margins lower interest rates and zero processing fee. Example 3.1.2 Generation of Green Power SBI State Bank of India became the first bank in India to venture into the generation of Green Power on its own for by the installation of windmills for captive use. This action has been carried out as a Green Banking initiative, SBI has installed 10 windmills with the total aggregate capacity of around 15 MW in various parts of the country like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The future plans by the banks are even more lucrative as they plan to install additional 20 MW capacity windmills in Gujarat and soon touch a total production of 100 MW power generation through windmills in the coming five years. The officials of the bank believe that the bank consumes around 100 MW of energy in an year and hence by this initiative they are trying to be energy neutral and reducing their carbon footprints. The project has been carried on by Suzlon Energy and as one of the employees tells the cost of installation of one windmill of 1.5 MW is around Rs. 10 Cr. And the bank believes that the initial investment will be recovered in a short period of four years In an interview Mr. Tulsi R.Tanti CMD Suzlon Energy said that the mission of Suzlon Energy is to make all the Indian Banks go green and he also informed of being in talks with 25 banks. 3.2 ICICI BANK ICICI Banks Environmentally Sustainable Finance Initiative Example 3.2.1 Corporate Environmental Stewardship Initiatives ICICI Bank pioneered the corporate environmental stewardship programme with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to sensitize various corporate bodies, financial institutions/banks and government agencies involved in the project planning on issues regarding biodiversity, wildlife habitats, various environmental laws and conventions. As a part of the programme BNHS has initiated Green Governance Award to recognize the efforts of the company working for this cause. Example 3.2.2 ICICIs Clean Technology Initiative ICICI bank has been assisting many government and non government organizations to undertake clean energy and environmentally sustainable projects/initiatives. ICICI bank has been assisting projects that would specifically promote energy efficiency, renewable, demand side management by utilities etc. ICICI bank has also assisted ESCOs [10] in facilitating various urban local bodies and manufacturing companies in reducing their energy bills. 3.3 IDBI BANK Example 3.3.1 IDBI Carbon Desk IDBI bank has a separate team working on the CDM advisory service. The bank provides end to end services from the documentation to registration of the CDM projects for the commercialization of carbon credits. The bank also provides an upfront financing against the carbon credits/carbon credit receivables. The bank also facilitates the registration of the projects with UNFCCC and trading of carbon credits generated by the CDM Projects. There is also a refinance scheme initiated by the bank for energy saving projects for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.