My Technologically Challenged Life Essay Example for Free

My Technologically Challenged Life Essay Monica’s parents play a huge role in limiting her access to technology. They choose to not use technology which I think is the main reason why they wouldn’t buy a computer for their daughters. Their reasoning sounds extremely familiar to me because my parents have done the same kind of thing to me. I begged my parents for a cell phone from seventh grade until my sophomore year when I finally bought my own but they would always tell me I don’t need a cell phone while my mom had one and my dad had THREE for his work. Anyways, I can relate to Monica on many levels. 2. I don’t think Monica is to blame for her technological difficulties at all. I think the main reason she is having troubles is her parents except for the lack of technology in her car which is obviously the manufacturers doing and not her parents. The lack of technology at the health-care facility is a pretty big issue if you ask me. The technology the workers could be and probably should be using would greatly improve the efficiency of the jobs they do. 3. Wunderlich’s reference to the weekend when terrorists were â€Å"supposed to be blowing up† the bridges in san Francisco was her way of adding some comedy to the story because there was probably a bomb threat that day and she could have potentially died simply because she didn’t have a GPS and got lost. If she had owned a GPS at the time, she wouldn’t have gotten so lost and never would have been on both of the bridges on accident.

Malaysian Film Industry Construct Malaysian Identity Cultural Studies Essay

Malaysian Film Industry Construct Malaysian Identity Cultural Studies Essay Malaysia is a Multiple ethic country, but the interesting situation is , the race that dominant the country are all imigrant, the malay was come from the Javanese. The Chinese is come from China and Indian people come from India. but nowadays they all citizen of the country, with these alieness history, how should Malaysian define their national identity? We have just celebrated the 25th anniversary of our independence. During this quarter ccentury we have reached a level of achievement which we can be proud of. We have succeeded in laying a strong foundation for the evolvement o f One citizenry, One language and One culture. It is on this foundation that we build a greater Malaysia.'(Malaysia : Crisis of Identity p8) What Malaysia needs are moderates of ends and not moderates of means who are eventually wMalaysia, an Indian Malaysia, a Malay Malaysia but a Malaysian Malaysia where the different races, languages, religions and cultures can flourish in Malaysia.'(p3) The first quote was adderssed by the BN Gorvenment after they win the election in 1982, at that days the gorvernment suggested the idea of Assimilation: A + B + C = A, where A, B, and C represent different social groups and A represents the dominant group. The subordination of minority cultures into a dominant culture.This approach may be likned to what some have called forced assimilation ((Alison Gibson. 1984. p 105) (National culture and democracy , Kua kia soon, p133) . The second quote was the respond from the people, espeacially the Chinese which represent the idea of Pluralism: A + B + C = A + B + C, where A, B, and C represent different social groups that over time maintain their unique identities. Cultural pluralism is fre-quently seen as a peaceful coexistence between groups. All cultures are to be allowed to exist separately and equally, harmonious or not. The harmonious version has been termedunity in diversity. (Alison Gibson. 1984. p 105) (National culture and democracy , Kua kia soon, p133). You can image when this two idea bump together, how much chaos it will make. The Malaysian have stay in this juncture for over 50 years, it is necessary to identify briefly the advocacy of various positions on National identity. First, i will discuss about what is National Identity, And then i will explore how the Malaysias film industry construt the image of Malaysians National Identity, And how the image change through the decade. What is National Identity. National identity is a complex idea, National identity erase difference by imposing a set of attributes on all menbers of the nation and unwilling ness to accept all these attributes threatens identity and therefore threatens expulsion from that community.(p62) The idea of erase all the difference doesnt mean to erase other culture, but erase any other identity that create by any individual group in the country because these are a power that will cause expulsion . National identity is one idea that can accept by all the individual group, and gather them in to one voice. National identity is only one of the many social identities available for citizens of multicultural countries such as Malaysia.National identity has a central role in promoting peaceful ethnic relations. (Malini ratnasigam, p3) In the book Ethnic relation and Nation Building Malini Ratnasingam claim that the national identity is the best form of identity should adapt by the Malaysian, beacause the other social identity content too much category that will tear the Malaysian into many individual pieces, but national identity will work well for the Malaysian, Because nation are crossed by those differences , a force of unite, a sense of belonging and nationess. So now we understand what is national identity. But now the question is who should decide what is our identity? At the begining of this dissertation, there are the arguement about chosing which idea shall we adapt, Assimilation or Pluralism? The nation is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion. (Benedict Anderson, p60) From the quote Benedict Anderson belieave that the nation is about all the member, even the smallest nation. National identity is a image that can imagined by every single nation. But In the book Cultural Contestatation author Zawahi Ibrahim disagree with andersons concept and suggested that the identity formation takes place within what he would call a two social reality which are authority-defined social reality, one which is authoritatively defined by people who are part of the dominant power structure. The second is everyday-defined social reality, one which is experienced by people in the course of thier everday life. These two social realities exist side by side at any given time. (Zawahi Ibrahim, 1998 ,pg18) The identity is a negotiation between these two social reality. How Malaysia film Indutry construt Malaysians National identity The Malaysian film indutry was founded on Chinese money,Indian imagination and Malay labour(Hamzah hussin,1994 ,p105) Although outside the screen, there are wonderful mullti cross ethnic relation on the movie production, but almost all the film are Malay movies. The only thing that really can consider as multi racial is the Old malay movie industry have strong influnce from indian bollywood style beacuse of the director, but very less of them had really mention about the multi ethnicity or religious relation. I chose to call this book 120 malay movie, because more than half of the movies were made before Malaysia was even created.(Plus they were made in Singapore) So what they have common were the languague and ethnic milieu they showcased. (120Malay movie , p26) The autor of 120 Malay Movie clearly state that the early film industry in Malaysia cant even consider Malaysias movie, It is only presented the early life of Malay in Malaysia, it maybe a very well materials for the Malaysias Malay identity, but obviously not suite the idea of National identity. But now it raise a question ,if the national indentity include everything, dont the Malay culture also part of the national identity? Yes, but now we talking about how the film industry help construt the national identity, at the old time, the Malay film are totally dominanted the film industry, which give an idea of the impression of the nation have owned by Malay, In the film Tajul Ashikin (see figure 1) there was a scene where two men try to peddle thier wares, but thier voices are drowned out by a newly arrived Chinese team that is offering dental services. This shows the Malay fear of being displaced in their own land by new arrivals who seem to be much better at buiness. (p25,120Malay Movie) Figure 1 Tajul Ashikin by M Amin But at that time, the stark economic disparity between Malay peasants and Chinese merchants didnt seem to have undue political repercussions because the populationwas sparse and times were good (120 Malay p269). So the movie show the worry of the Malay sovereignty instead of promoting peaceful ethnic relations. With this idea, it help to destroy the national identity instead of construt it. But still there is some exception.There is still some other racial tension pop up in these movie. On the film Mahsuri which release in 1959 (see fiugre 2), there was a part about a merciless indian teasing by the Malays about his skin colour. (p165) The plot is meant to be funny, in fact, it was directed by an Indian. Ethnic conflict often appear in Malaysian daily life, we can not avoid it, but we can face it with great attitude. This plot showed an attitude to face the difference between every ethnic, just laugh at it. Figure 2 Mahsuri by BM Rao The next film that have the multi ethnicity it is Ali Baba Pucang Lapok directed by Malaysian silver-screen legend P. Ramlee at 1960, P.Ramlee are one of the minority inside that can create the sense of Malaysianness in the movie in the decade. The movie itself are deliberate mish-mash of culture, inside the movie you can see different kind of culture image. But the most surprise scene will be when the Chinese trader being asked how long he have lived in the area, he answer that he have lived here for 80years, he not only counted his own 50 years age, but add up his father.(see figure 3) Figure 3 The Chinese trader said that his father lived there 30 years before he borned. This blurs the line between immigrant and native and it is precisely this blurring that must continue untill all Malaysian feel they have the same stake in the nation. (p26, 120 Malay Movie) It is hardly seen a movie have such multi culture in Malay old film. The national identity is to create a sense of nation, it only can be done when the have the idea that the land doesnt owned by anyone, but they were all born equal in this place. This movie successfully deliver the message. and helped construct the sense of nation, althought it is only one short scene, but it is still a big step for the Malaysias industry at the decade. Another film also directed by P.Ramlee Sesudah Sebuh (see figure 4), The most multi cultural cast we have ever seen. said the Author of 120 Malay Movie Amir Muhammad. The Main cast include the 3 main race of Malaysian, Melayu, Cina and indian. And a conversation in the movie, create am ideal racial integration, In a bookshop by a customer to the owner :Even though youre Malay and im Chinese, we are both Malaysians. And Malaysians have a duty to help each other. The Idea cant be more clear, its simple and directly pointing the ideal without any decoration. Figure 4- Sesudah Sebuh directed by P.Ramlee Although there are some more film that really promotiong the ideal natiaonal identity for Malaysian, but these number are still only a drop in the bucket. There are still mile a part to fill the whole bucket. But atleast we can see the root of the idea of national identity growing inside. When it come to 1970s, the idea of multic ethic face a challenge. The 513 incident had drag the ethic relation into crisis situation. The racial riots led to a declaration of a state of national emergency. The riot ignited the capital Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding area of Selangor, Malay mobs, wearing white headbands signifying an alliance with death, and brandishing swords and daggers, surged into Chinese areas in the capital, burning, looting and killing. In retaliation, Chinese, sometimes aided by Indians, armed themselves with pistols and shotguns and struck at Malay kampongs (villages). Huge pillars of smoke rose skyward as houses, shops and autos burned.( http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900859,00.html) Tunku Abdul Rahmans multiracial style of government was successful until serious and widespread anti-Chinese riots broke out in May 1969. These riots followed a fall in support for the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) in the federal election and were indicative of Malay resentment of the economic success of the Chinese business community. (http://www.city.com.my/malaysia-history.htm) After the incident, the gorvernment came up a serial of policy that surpress the other ethnic, in order to restructure Malaysian society. The UMNO-dominated states aggressive attempt to conflate the nations linguistic identity with Malays status as the sole nationaal and official language threatened the constitutionally sanctioned freeedom to use thier mother tongue.'(Milthiethnic, pg220) The pro-Malay policy. The most significant result of the events of May 1969 was an attempt, announced in the five-year plan (1971-75), to restructure Malaysian society. The aim was to raise the percentage of ethnic-Malay-owned businesses from 4% to 30% by 1990, and to extend the use of pro-Malay (bumiputra) affirmative-action quota systems for university entrance and company employment. Economic expansion, it was hoped, would greatly ease this redistributive process and at the same time offer the opportunity to eliminate poverty among all Malaysians. (http://www.city.com.my/malaysia-history.htm) The National Cultural Policy(NCP) was formulated at a congress held at the University of Malaya in August 1971, and the announced Policy consisted of three main principles. The national culture of Malaysia must be based on the cultures of the people indigenous to the region; Elements from other cultures,which are suitable and reasonable may be incorporated into the natioonal culture; and Islam will be an important element in the national culture. (Mohad Talib Osman, pg95 ) All of these policy indirectly influence the relation between ethnic, all the unequal act make the ethnic hatred grown day by day. Causing the idea of national identity start changging. The change of the society have brought into the film industry , the multi ethnic that rarely seen from the film before 1970s completely obliterate after these policy untill recent years. Before then we have Malay culture dominant film industry. The segregate can also see from the statistics that correlate cinema atendance by ethnic groupwith the national or language origin of the film being viewed. (see figure 5) LanguageEthinic Malay Chinese Indian/Other Malay 23% 0% 1% Chinese 7% 81% 0% Indian 34% 1% 83% English 35% 18% 16% Figure 5 Language distribution of cinema attendance by ethinic group (1979) The quetion of the cultural identity of Malaysian film is a constant issue, even for the least culturally minded film producer, since it is related to the need to attract a broad-spectrum audience.It is still the case that more than 90% of audience for Malaysian films is Malay (Malaysia Cinema Asian film, pg154) From the statistic we can see that Bahasa Melayu cinema is a weak cultural force, despite the Malays being the most powerful political force in the counry. At that time, The chinese usually watch the Hongkong or Taiwanese films ; or the second choice will be the English Language film, but not Bahasa Malayu film. The same situation happen with the Indian autience. cinema is probably the most raciallly segregated activity in the country today'(Mansor bin Puteh, 1990, pg154) On top we discuss about crisis of ethnic realation that cause restrict the multi ethnic movie culture. In 1981, the idea of Malay sovereignty that set by the gorvernment start to invade the movie industry. National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) was established in 1981 to encourage the development of the local industry. ensure that a sizeable portion of the total volume of buimess done in the production, distribution and exhibition sectors would be handled by Malays'(Baharudin Latif, 1981, pg150) Control and restrict from the gorvernment have caused the other ethnic have lower chance to make their own movie, and also restricted the creativity of theme or topic. All of these restriction had bring the Malaysia film industry far away from their Golden age in 1950s -1960s. Film are censored or banned if it oppose government polucy or encourage anti-gorvernment feeling; glorify communism and socialism; glorify any particular race while denigrating others; gloriy crime and immorality; deal with sadism, cruelty and excessive violence; insult public dignity ; and show behavior not acceptable to Malaysian society (Mohd Hamdan Bin Haji Adnan, 1991) These policy had make the Malaysian confuse and question about thier naional identity, the policy have succesfully incite the desire of Malay that persuit for Malay sovereignty, the other ethnic like chinese and indian felt betray by the country, when there is no nation pride in them, the National identity become dominant by the Malay, and become the image that shown by the Movie industry, but it is not the image that the nation share along, from (figure 5) we can see the local Malay film have not accepted by the other ethnic. so it is not a National identity of that decade, the film on that decade have lose the concept of being a National cinema. The cinema is then a mean of speaking the nation in all its constructed uniqueness. The connection between speaking the nation and selling the nation become all the more invitable when the rhetoric of both nationlism and marketing emphasize qualities of uniqueness, distinctiveness and patriotism. The term representing the nation there fore accuires and ecmonomic as well as an analytical and cultural objective it is not just how a cinema represents the nation, but also how successfully it does so. (Malaysia Cinema , pg 107) New Malaysian Film The decade of Malaysian film might look like a decade that have controled by Malay, and their the relation with other ethnic race doesnt seem well. Althought the realation between the different ethnic group are peaceful in decade before 1960s, but the policy in 1970s created an long fight between ethnic group. Race has always been an issue in my country, even before independence but never has it been as serious and divisive as it is today.Almost every issue is seen from the perspectivve of race to the point where it is impossible to obtain a consensus of public opinion on any issue'(Kee Thuan Che,1993,p57) But where there is pressure, where there is resistance. The serious situation also created a trend, Never has it been as desire as today, people pursuit for the unity of the Nation. In the book Found in Malaysia have interviewed 54 influential Public figure who have different race, religion, culture, gender, sexual,genarational and political. But when it come to the question: Describe what kind of Malaysia you whould like for yourself and future generation? They all gave a same answer in many different way, but in the end, the main idea is the same. All of us regardless of racial/ethnic, regious, class and linguistic backgrounds, share one thing in common : we are all Malaysian citizens and we call this country our home and care for its future. We dream of future Malaysia that is equal to all, but takes into acount ourparticular wants, needs and aspirations and at the same time, is able to cater to the needs of others according to an inclusive logic of equal representation and equal right.(Azizi Khan, 2004, pg475) The idea become a trend, and start to appear in the recent ten years. Beacuse the inrternet have start to cover all the new genaration daily life. Internet is one of the most powerful sources in human history, the information can share in rapid speed, milllion of personal narratives or popular forms of expression which help construt the everyday-defined social reality was shared everyday. Causing the Balance between the authority-defined social reality and everyday-defined social reality started to change. So we will start from Malaysia Independence Film Industry, which have well used the internet as a state for them to spread thier idea and story . The first example for indipendence film is the Project 15 Malaysia . 15Malaysia is a short film project. It consists of 15 short films made by 15 Malaysian filmmakers. These films not only deal with socio-political issues in Malaysia, they also feature some of the best-known faces in the country, including actors, musicians and top political leaders. You may think of them as funky little films made by 15 Malaysian voices for the people of Malaysia. ( http://15malaysia.com/) From the project name we can know that this film is dedicate to show 15 kind of story that happened in Malaysia. I going to take a few of them into discusstion. First i will start with the personal narrative story. House is a story about an indian family forced by the capitalist to give up their house for development, and also show the feeling of the indian kid(Rama) toward the house is more then a house, but a family.(see figure 6) The story attempt to explore the story inside the slums usually the indian race who have many family suffer with these problem in order to let the audience understand the country more. Figure 6 Rama express his feeling about the house. We will strat from Yasmin Ahmadm (see figure 6), Malaysias famous film director, writter and scriptwriter, in Malaysia, most of the ethnic used to avoid each other but inevitably bump together, no one can avoid, because this is just what live in Malaysia are look like, And most of her film are challenging the moment when different ethnic bump together, she narrate the spark of the moment and turn in into a moving picture. When most of the popular cultures movie deliberately avoid the ethnic conflict, her films break the boundary between ethnic and religion. She focus on emotion and the relationship between people, narate and present the story in a human perspective, not in Malay, Chinese or Indian, but back to the origin human emotion. It makes the audience to rethink about politic, religion and social issues in indirectly ways. The more we understand each other, the less we affraid. She is an ambassador of unity. An individual with amazing foresight who; work has bridged all the races in the country. Great loss to the nation and the creative world.'( Chandran Ravi. http://entertainment.malaysia.msn.com/photos/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=5080081page=13) Figure 6 Yasmin Ahmad Yasmin Ahmad first movie Sepet(see figure 7) is a story about a Chinese boy fall in love with a Malay girl. This might look normal in foreign country, but the relation between Chinese and Malay is not simple. Figure 7 Sepet The relation between Chinese and Malay always been complicate, that hatred between both of this race happen before incident 513, when in World war 2, the Japan invade and ruled this country for over 3 years. on that period, the Japanese surpress the Chinese but treated the Malay friendly and even form a Malay army to defence againts the communist, but who is communist? At that time many Chinese were the communist, the root of hate were start from here, and Malays fear of get replace by the Chinese in the econimic, then is the 513 incident, the unequal policy, Chinese fear of forced to join muslim if married a muslim and etc. All of these caused the relation between this two race are always controvertial. In the movie Sepet that is a scene the Protagonists(Jason) friend try to persuade Jason the relation between him and Heroine(Orked) is forbiden. Which clearly potrait the mind set of Chinese about the relationship of the interacial couple. (See figure 8 ). Figure 8 Keong (left) advices Jason not to get involved in relationship with Malay girls. Yasmin Ahmad used the traditional perception of Malaysians and confronted it in her movie. It cant be denied that she used a very creative way to show the relationship between history culture and innocent love. Malay films seldom touch on taboo topics like alcohol, dog, prostitution, suicide, etc. Many of the Malay films only showed the good side. Much of the time, they are hindered by those issues. But Yasmin Ahmad used reverse psychology to bring out the negative issues, because there are many grey areas to investigate in Malaysian culture. The following are some of the taboos in Malay tradition that is shown in the movie Muallaf (2007). A Muslim woman who despaired on her marriage ended up taking her own life by suicide. Young Malays play and get drunk in a snooker room. An Islam teacher touched a dog on his way to mosque. A sincere Malay Muslim girl works in a pub at night. These issues are a challenge to the traditional Malay society. However, the tasks that she undertakes must be lawful from the point of view of Islam. She must not work as a dancer, a model, a barmaid, a waitress, a film actress, a musician, or a prostitute to sell her femininity in order to make money, even with the consent of her husband. (A. Rahman I. Doi, 1990:147). Yasmin Ahmads movies use the sensitive issues faced by Malays as a discussion. Talking about sensitive issues is very challenging, especially on ethnicity. But it depends on how the director presented it. How much can the audience accept it, based on the issues? Yasmin Ahmand film has a power of introspection, Yasmin Ahmad film dig into the confilct between ethnic group instead of try to avoild these sensitive issue like other, Yasmin Ahmad bring the conflict right into audience eye without beautify it, only with the simplest emotion of human being, a way that lead us to undestand empathy. Only when Malaysian strong enough to really face themselves, then we can form our Identity Honestly. The next case will be opposite of Yasmin Ahmad film.Yasmin Ahmad film represent the reality side of ethnic conflict, now we are going to see the Malaysian utopia. Nasi Lemak 2.0(see figure 9) is directed by a controversial public figure Namewee, who have temper the national anthem and content with rasict, critic to gorvenment and religion in 2007. The song Negarakuku drag the attention of public, Public reaction towards the song is split, Immediate reactions in the form of YouTube comments range from being critical, in fair agreement, support, attacks and threats towards Wee. He became One of the most haterd public figure by the Malay ethnic at that time. Figure 8 Nasi Lemak 2.0 Nasi Lemak2.0 is the first Malaysian film that did not target one of the three population groups as its audience. And succesfully hit 7million ringgit gross. The movie is have many plot that content the relation between the different ethnic for example: the bright non-Muslim students unable to enroll into universities, authorities bias in favour of Malays, Chinese educated citizens speak poor English, immigrants issues, Hang Tuahs unsolved identity mystery, English educated Chinese lack of confidence in speaking Chinese language, Kuala Lumpur a busy and unsettling city, some non-Chinese could speak better Chinese, mix of Indian and chinese song, and culture of Baba and Nyonya. Different with Yasmin Ahmad film, althought in Nasi Lemak2.0 there is still some ethnic conflict, but most of the time, it show a utopia of how Malaysia ethnic group interact with each other, and create a whole new kind of culture. The song Curry Neh (see figure 9 ) in the movie, mixed the chinese and indian culture, There is more example like, the Malay chef teaching chinese matial art Taichi at the park (see figure 10) or the chinese tradition song sing with english lyric(figure 11). Attempt to question why cant a specific ethnic learn the culture of other ethnic. Figure 9 Curry Neh Figure 10 Malay teaching Taichi Figure 11 Tradition Chinese song sing with English Lyric The film was success because the intereact of different ethnic causing resonance among the Malaysian, the way of acting and some humour about the Malaysias gorvernment or stereotyping of ethnic is what Malaysia face in daily life. The second film of Namewee is Hantu gangster (see figure 12). The film continue the style of Nasi Lemak 2.0. Hantu gangster attempt to send the message of Nation unity before 1970s, and question about why todays ethnic relation become worst. The film style is same with Nasi Lemak2.0 The idea is the same but only the story had change, there are many ethnic intereact like Chinese only understand Malay when it speak in chinese accent, a Taoist priest that know different religion style of exorcism, a parody of the 513 incident, and a Indian Party song with Malay, Mandarin, Hokkien, Tamil lyric, etc. These ethnic mixture is what Malaysian Interested, although reality might not be the same, but from the sucess of these film we can see the future that Malaysian persuit, the future that Malaysian image. Figure 12 Hantu Gangster 2012 Conclusion Malaysia is a young country, there is many thing we have to experience to understand what are we today, what will be out future. Today Malaysia is in a turning point, where the politic have a new Atmosphere which will directly influence the authority-definedsocial reality. And the development of internet, liberty of speech help people to understand their capability, have the way to stand up and express thier emotion and their story, i believe in the future, when the authority-defined and the everyday-defined have found a way to line up, Malaysian will no longer quetion their identiry. References: http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Anderson.html (benicdic anderson)

Womens Education And Empowerment In India Sociology Essay

Womens Education And Empowerment In India Sociology Essay Women constitute almost half of the population in the world. But the prevailing masculine ideology made them suffer a lot as they were denied equal opportunities in different parts of the world. The rise of feminist ideas have, however, led to the tremendous improvement of womens condition through out the world in recent times. India being a developing nation and having huge tussles among its political, religious and administrative organs resulting into blocked development and the worst effect of that we can witness into women condition .They do not have proper chance to learn and grow and access to education has been one of the most pressing demands of womens rights . Women education in India has also been a major preoccupation of both the government and civil society as educated women can play a very important role in the development of the country. History of Women Education in India(4,6): Although in the Vedic period women had access to education in India but as the time grew they lost this right to avail education and academic exposure. However, in the British period there was revival of interest in womens education in India due to Britishers strong influence to the core Indian education system. During this period, various socio religious movements led by eminent persons like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar emphasized on womens education in India. Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Periyar and Baba Saheb Ambedkar were leaders of the lower castes in India who took various initiatives to make education available to the women of India. They also ensured about their participation in the social gatherings and events by introducing them into polity and administration at all levels. However womens education got a fillip after the country got independence in 1947 and the government has taken various measures to provide education to all Indian women. As a result womens literacy rate has grown over the three decades and the growth of female literacy has in fact been higher than that of male literacy rate. While in 1971 only 22% of Indian women were literate, by the end of 2001 54.16% female were literate. The growth of female literacy rate is 14.87% as compared to 11.72 % of that of male literacy rate and is on growing path. Government has taken a step forward by making education compulsory and free to girl child till the age of fourteen. They are getting reservations in public sector exams and private sectors like Banks, Transport Services, Hospitality and Tourism, Healthcare etc. (4. Freedom Struggle By- Bipin Chandra Pal) Table The Literacy Rate in India 1901-2011 Percentage  Ã‚   of  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literates  Ã‚  Ã‚   to  Ã‚   total  Ã‚  Ã‚   population Year  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Persons  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Males  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Females 1901  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   9.8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0.7 1911  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.1 1921  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.8 1931  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   9.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.9 1941  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   16.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.3 1951  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   16.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  24.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.3 1961  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   34.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   13.0 1971  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   29.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   39.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  18.7 1981  Ã‚           Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   36.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   46.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24.8 1991  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   52.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   63.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   39.2 2001  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   65.38   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  76.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   54.0 2011(Recent data) 74.04 82.14 65.46 The above table shows that there is an improvement in women literacy in India during the years. But when we compare it with male literacy it becomes a concern area. (9. Censusindia.gov.in) Importance of Women Education in India(7): Women education in India plays a very important role in the overall development of the country. It not only helps in the development of half of the human resources, but in improving the quality of life at home and outside. Educated women not only tend to promote education of their girl children, but also can provide better guidance to all their children. Moreover educated women can also help in the reduction of infant mortality rate and growth of the nation. Education is a potent tool in the emancipation and empowerment of women. Its true that greatest single factor which can incredibly improve the status of women in any society is education. It is indispensable that education enables women not only to gain more knowledge about the world outside of her shell and home but helps her to get status, positive self esteem, and self confidence. It imparts necessary courage and inner strength to face challenges in life. Apparently it also facilitates them to procure a job and supplement the income of family and achieve social status. Education especially of women has a major impact on health and nutrition as an instrument of developing a sustainable strategy for population control. Moreover educated women can play an equally important role as men in nation building. Thus there is no denying fact that education empowers women. For example the different organs of the United Nations and experts on womens liberation argue for womens education as the basic step to attain equality with men. ( 7. Saraswathi Mishra, Status of Indian Women, Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi, 2002) Obstacles : As we have discussed earlier to improve women education and condition in India various initiatives and corrective measures have been done but still a lot is expected to be accomplished. THE ROOT CAUSES FOR LOW LITERACY AMONG WOMEN IN INDIA Women education is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. No single factor or cause can be held responsible for very low literacy rate of women in India. Subsequently it is associated with combination of many factors including social, cultural, economic, educational, demographic, political and administrative and so on. The following are the some of the important factors which could be attributed for the present poor state of affairs of womenfolk in education. The Lower Enrolment: The lower enrolment of girls in schools is one of the foundational factors which stand as stumbling block for women empowerment in India. Reliable sources indicate that more than 50 % of the Non-Starters (those who have never been to school) are girls.   According to the latest statistics, two out of every ten girls in the age group of 6-11 are still not enrolled in schools. (1) Higher drop-out rate among girls from schools: The incidence and prevalence of drop -outs among girls especially in rural, tribal and slums areas seem to be quite high. According to available sources, occurrence of drop-out and stagnation amongst girls is nearly twice that of boys all over India. (1) Girl Child as Second Mother: In many families girl children play the role of second mother by shouldering the responsibilities of household work such as looking after the sibling, fetching water, collecting firewood, bringing fodder for cattle, cleaning and cooking etc.   In rural India especially in poor families this traditional sex role makes girl child handicapped and conditioned by the attitude of mother and the family and discourages girl child to go school as it becomes secondary and unimportant. Hence girl child is getting deprived of her basic and fundamental right of education and freedom. (8) Bonded Labor System: This social evil is a quite discouraging phenomena which stand as barrier for girls education in rural areas for the underprivileged families of washer men and agricultural labor , scheduled caste and scheduled tribes. Caste System as a Barrier : Children belonging to low caste families are forced to learn skills and work ways and not encouraged to go to school due to various factors. Strict instruction /threat from high caste communities for their selfish motives of keeping them as domestic servants and child laborers in the farms or factory. We can witness this through the stories of various factories and farm houses in industrial cities of India. Media is also playing a crucial role here in promoting as well as resisting these mishaps. (8) Bane of Dowry: Dowry system and other social practices act as main causes of the neglect of the girl child and discrimination against girl child including the deprivation of right of education. In many families especially poor and down-trodden think that if their daughters are educated more, they have to accumulate more assets and properties to provide as dowry in large proportion at the time of marriage, so prefer rather to either stop their children with average education and so on but never higher education. This prevails more in underprivileged families and communities. (1) Child Labour Practice: A large segment of child population in India is engaged in child labour practices. According to UN sources   India is the most child labour populous nation in the globe with more than 50 million child labourers indulged in beedi works , carpet making , bricks,   mining , quarrying ,glass, bangles, match and fireworks, gem polishing ,handloom works. zari,   embroidery ,coir industry, domestic works, construction etc. In most of these industries girl children are preferred for high productivity and low cost. (8) Poor School Environment for girls: In general the school environment for girls in India is not really interesting and encouraging. The subjects taught in schools are also not related to the environment of girl children. The methods of teaching are mostly out dated, rigid and uninteresting. There are still hundreds of schools with poor basic amenities such as drinking water, latrine and toilet facilities, improper building, and inadequate number of teachers especially female teachers preferable for any parents for safety of their girl children from different types of exploitation and abuse. (7) Female age at marriage: There is high association of female literacy with female age at marriage.   By and large the female age at marriage of 18   ( recently 21 years ) as prescribed by various legislations not at all followed in India .It is very much ignored and neglected by the families of parents with low literacy and illiteracy background. This obnoxious practice discourages female children to continue their schooling and higher education as they enter into family life at the early age which is not advisable from the physical and mental health point of view and also of social development. (7) Inferiority, subservience and domesticity : The female child in Indian culture especially in rural, tribal and poor families is expected to develop the qualities of inferiority; subservience and domesticity which place sever limitations on her education and development. They are considered to be lesser important for getting knowledge of outside world and exposure to education and liberty. (6) Poverty as a Barrier: In many poverty stricken families, children especially girls are considered as economic  Ã‚   assets as they bring income for livelihood as well to save from economic crises due to death or incapacity of parents (sick/ handicapped/aged). Ineffective Law Enforcing Machinery: Indian constitution and various legislations pertaining to education to children assure free and compulsory education all children of this nation but unfortunately the enforcement machinery fail to discharge its duties and responsibilities to the satisfaction of the public interest and welfare of women. Due to this wrong implementation of right policies also women of our country is getting severely affected. (5) Demographic Factors: The high population growth rate, rapid urbanisation, migration etc also attribute immensely for the poor literacy level of women and girls in India. In these frequent transition girl Childs and women are getting neglected, uncared and unheard. (5) Poor Political Will and Conviction: Government officials, policy makers, politicians etc of our country have neither political will nor conviction for the empowerment of women in general. The only think about their personal benefits and money making ignoring the welfare of the community for whom and by whom they have reached to that position. It is a very sad and disappointing aspect of Indias democracy. (5) Gender discrimination: It still persists in India .Male are still dominating and commanding the social structure of the nation and lot more needs to be done to improve womens participation in this regard e.g. womens education. The gap in the male-female literacy rate is just a simple indicator. While the male literary rate is more than 75% according to the 2001 census, the female literacy rate is just 54.16%.Prevailing prejudices, low enrollment of girl child in the schools, engagements of girl children in domestic works and high drop out rate are major obstacles in the path of making all Indian women educated. (6) Poor Academia: Another reason for poor quality of women education here is the poor quality of teachers in government schools .Government schools are unable to attract good quality teachers due to inadequate teaching facilities and low salaries. The government currently spends only 3% of its GDP on education which is inadequate and insufficient. To improve the quality of education, the government needs to spend more money from its coffers on education. (4) Steps to improve their Participation : A A significant development in recent years has been the mushrooming of community-based organizations and initiatives at the local level for women. Reports indicates that self-help programs, often in the form of savings and credit or micro credit schemes, have succeeded in changing the lives of poor women, enhancing incomes and generating positive externalities such as increased self-esteem. Micro credit is about much more than access to money. It is about women gaining control over the means to make a living. It is about women lifting themselves out of poverty and vulnerability. I is about women achieving economic and political empowerment within their homes, their villages, their countries. (5) In this whole paper we have discussed about women condition in India in terms of access to education, opportunity to learn and grow and problems in achieving the same and at last some of the measures to rectify the errors and making things happen. B-One more initiative taken by the government is the voucher system. Under the voucher system, parents are allowed to choose a school for their children and they get full or partial reimbursement for the expenses from the government. But however, the voucher system has also a draw back because it will further aggravate the problem of poor quality of education in government schools. Such a system will shift resources from government schools to private schools. This will worsen the situation of government schools which are already under-funded. Moreover, if the same amount given as vouchers can be used to build infrastructure in schools then the government can realize economies of scale. (6) C -The government of India has also felt the need to put in place an appropriate institutional mechanism to look after the Education Rights of Women and thus instituted the formulation of All India Womens Conference, National Womens Commission and State Womens Commission. At the same time government has approved special grants and allowances to NGOs working for the cause of women upliftment and social mobility. Self Help Groups have also been constituted at Panchayat level to provide a platform for the rural women to discuss issues such as family planning, child marriage, widow remarriage, Sati, domestic violence. Mother Teresas Women University has greatly helped in the cause of women empowerment who received Noble Peace Prize for her genuine social work. (6) D India is getting a great help from World Bank for the betterment of women education and their empowerment in the country .It has approved funding for Andhra Pradesh Rural Poverty Reduction Programme (APRPRP) thus garnering international support for the upliftment of women. Womens reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha has gained momentum with Govt. of India promising the reservation of one-third seats in Parliament for the women. (8) E One of the recommendations of National Policy on Education (1986) by the Government of India is to promote empowerment of women through the agency of education and it is considered to be a land mark in the approach to womens education of illiterate. The National Literacy Mission is another positive step towards eradication of illiteracy in the age group of 15-35 years. Women education has assumed special significance in the context of Indias planned development, as it is incorporated in every Five-year plans as the major programme for the development of women. Universalization of elementary education, enrolment and retention of girls in the schools, promotion of balwadies and crutches, raising number of schools and colleges of arts , science, and professional for girls , Politechniques, girls hostels, multipurpose institutions and adult education programmes are some of the steps being   taken by both central and state governments in India to boost-up womens education. (5) F    Since the prevailing situation of poor or less enrolment of girls in schools closes the doors for development and prosperity of future generation of women, concerted efforts must be initiated jointly by the government, parents and civil society to achieve universal enrolment for girls without any compromise. The enrolment can be made even mandatory for every girls by the government in the realm of compulsory education. (5) G -The Ministry of Education both at Centre and State level should work out strategic steps to stop firmly the ongoing high drop -outs among girls especially in rural, tribal and slums areas with the serious involvement of voluntary organisations in every locality to realize zero drop-out among girls. (7) H -The poverty stricken families can   be identified through proper research and necessary poverty alleviation   services be provided to strengthen the income   thereby to enable the families to send their children to schools and colleges without much financial difficulties I -Bonded Child labour and Child labour   practice must be abolished with strict administrative measures and the relieved children form bondage   should be integratedinto schools with suitable defence social mechanism. J Appropriate steps should be taken by the educational authorities with the participation of communities in order to bring the girl children to the main stream of education and development at every level including family and community. K -The female child in every Indian family irrespective of socio-economic status should be moulded to overcome the challenges of inferiority; subservience and domesticity which place sever limitations on her education and development. Every family irrespective its socio-cultural and economic background can take it a challenge to bring up their girl children as dignified human being with empowerment in physical , mental, economic and social dimensions of life. (7) L The Midday meal scheme and other educational supportive services like free text books,   Note books , Fee uniforms , Free Bicycles, Free bus , scholarships Free bus pass and so on   as done in the state of Tamil Nadu can be provided in all states and union territories to lift up the literacy level among girls. (6) M As social evils like dowry, child marriage , caste system and other practices deprive rights of education for children belonging to poor and underprivileged families and communities, they should eliminated through well-designed packages of mass awareness programmes and social welfare measures with full support of   public, political parties, NGOs and government agencies. (7) N The electronic and print media can play significant role in building a good and positive image about girls and women in general in the society by giving no focus for such advertisements and news fetching commercial gain at the cost of depicting women as an object. This would help in changing the society s attitudes towards girls and their roles to treat every girl or woman as human being with self respect and dignity. (7) O Government, voluntary sector and philanthropic organisations and individuals should come forward to provide free education for poor girls and provide free   hostel facilities   for girls studying in schools and colleges in every state of India. This will certainly encourage children of poor families to pursue good and higher education without much impediments. (6) P The schools of social work, departments of women studies, Women Universities and other educational institutions in hand with   NGOs   and social service organisations such as Rotary Clubs , Lions Clubs , women lib organisations associations can work together to improve the educational status of the womenfolk in this country on mutual respect and understanding. (7) Q The parents of children belonging to poor, underprivileged families   must be specially educated with proper social formula to help them   to understand the significance of education   for their girl children as foundation for empowerment. (1) R Government, NGOs and public should work hand in hand to implement the minimum age at marriage (21and above) Awareness should be created to institutionalise it as a traditional practice cut acrossing castes, religions, community etc. (5) S Government officials, policy makers, political parties and others should have adequate political will and conviction to empower women in India without double standard mind T The law enforcing machinery should be made really effective with efficient monitoring vigilant system to implement the constitutional and legislative provisions and administrative measures to assure free and compulsory education for all children of this nation without any gender discrimination. (7) Its true that there is great deal of requirement to uplift women education in India at the grass root level because majority of the female population live in the rural areas .They do not avail the basic things in their life and to get education is still a distant dream for them. However Indian government is coming up with various scheme in their five year plan to make the situation healthy and encouraging for these women. In 1990s, grants from foreign donor agencies enabled the formation of new women-oriented NGOs(3). Self-help groups and NGOs such as Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA) have played a major role in womens rights in India. Many women have emerged as leaders of local movements. For example, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Companies like NIIT Ltd. (2) has come up with the project called Affirmative Action where they are taking girls from the down trodden areas and training them about English language, basic computer knowledge and after that helping them to get jobs in Retail, BPO ,Hospitality sectors. In this way the are educating them and by providing jobs women are getting empowered in taking decision, participating in family income and by helping their kids to make the future bright and opportunity oriented. (2 , 3) There is no doubt about the fact that development of women has always been the central focus of planning since Independence. Empowerment is a major step in this direction but it has to be seen in a relational context. A clear vision is needed to remove the obstacles to the path of womens emancipation both from the government and women themselves. Efforts should be directed towards all round development of each and every section of Indian women by giving them their due share. The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the bad phases of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been on better track. In modern India, women have acquired high offices in India including that of the President, Prime minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition, etc. The current President of India is a woman. (5) A review of governments various programmes for women empowerment such as Swashakti, Swayamsidha, Streeshakti, Balika samrudhi yojana and another two thousand projects reveal that little has been done or achieved through these programmes. The discrepancy in the ideology and practice of the empowerment policy of women in India constitutes its continued social, economic and social backwardness. Women make up 52% of our countrys population. Hence there can be no progress unless their needs and interests are fully met. Empowerment would not hold any meaning unless they are made strong, alert and aware of their equal status in the society. Policies should be framed to bring them into the mainstream of society. It is important to educate the women. The need of the hour is to improve female literacy as education holds the key to development. (2 , 3) There is no doubt about the fact that development of women has always been the central focus of planning since Independence. Empowerment is a major step in this direction but it has to be seen in a relational context. A clear vision is needed to remove the obstacles to the path of womens emancipation both from the government and women themselves. Efforts should be directed towards all round development of each and every section of Indian women by giving them their due share. I believe with the likes of Pratibha Patil, Sonia Gandhi, Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kochar etc. bagging the top jobs, it would not be long when India would be boosting of its Gender Equality Index (GEI) and Gender Development Index (GDI).Lesser will be the social stigma of women exploitation which have haunted it for many years gone by. Summary: Empowerment can be defined as the totality of the following or similar capabilities: Having decision-making power of their own Having access to information and resources for taking proper decision Having a range of options from which you can make choices (not just yes/no, either/or.) Ability to exercise assertiveness collective decision making Having positive thinking on the ability to make change Ability to learn skills for improving ones personal or group power. Ability to change others perceptions by democratic means. Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated Increasing ones positive self-image and overcoming stigma Conclusion: From these discussions we can say that the most common explanation of womens empowerment is the ability to exercise full control over ones actions. The last decades have witnessed some basic changes in the status and role of women in our society. There has been shift in policy approaches from the concept of welfare in the seventies to development in the eighties and now to growth in the nineties and now trumpet of empowerment. This process has been further accelerated with some sections of women becoming increasingly self-conscious of their discrimination in several areas of family and public life. They are also in a position to mobilize themselves on issues that can affect their overall position.

Intellectual Property Essay -- Intellectual Property Essays

Intellectual property are the legal rights (control and ownership) of creations, such as ideas; inventions; designs, etc. for the use in commerce (Bainbridge, 2012). Intellectual law in countries seeks to deter individuals or organizations from copying or capitalizing upon another’s work. The main areas protected by protect intellectual property law include: patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret. Intellectual Property can be categorized under the following: Monopoly Right to prevent copying De Facto Monopoly Contractual Patents Unregistered Trade Marks Trade Secrets Confidential Information Registered Trade Marks Unregistered Designs Know-How Registered Design Copyright This essay focuses on Patents, Registered Designs, Unregistered Design Right and trademarks. A patent is needed to increase innovation and competition. It is an issued document which is applied for and is granted by a governing body that states that an invention which is patented is legally bound to its owner for exploitation i.e. manufacturing, use, sales and imports. A patent is generally issues for 20 years and their costs generally depend on the stage of the application process. In the UK, the total cost of a patent could be estimated at  £5000 over 5 years. International patents (PCT) on the other hand could total  £7000 over 2.5 years. This is because within the UK, the examination of patentability stage is generally cheaper ( £1500) compared to the International equivalent ( £300) but most importantly the closing process in the International patent application could be in a range of  £0 –  £30,000, whilst the UK patent end stage is approximately  £100 (HGF, 2014). Patents could give the product or idea not only a competitive a... ...ion of Time Warner Price paid: $147 billion, of which $128 billion was for IP (87%) Examples of the value of patents include: †¢ Nortel, a former Canadian telecommunications company, had a patent portfolio of over 6000 patents. Notable companies like Google bidding; later sold to other notable companies including Apple, Microsoft, RIM, EMC, Ericsson and Sony for $4.5Bn. REFERENCES Bainbridge, D. (2012). Intellectual Property. Pearson; 9 edition. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Intellectual Property Office, (No date). Designs: How to Protect your Design. London: HMSO Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Intellectual Property Office, (No date). Trade Marks: Quick Facts. London: HMSO Harrison Goddard Foote LLP, (2014). Intellectual property workshop World Intellectual Property Organization, Intellectual Property Handbook, (2008).

The Application of Information Technology Systems Essay -- Essays Pap

The application of Information Technology Systems As the application of IT systems is the usage of said systems, it is hard to define how this may be either morally or ethically wrong. The Internet could be considered to be morally dangerous, as a young child could easily stumble across pornography. However, the Internet makes the sharing of information easier for society as a whole, particularly in organisations and gives the individual access to this information. Another aspect of IT systems that could be considered to be morally wrong is the theory of ‘Big Brother’, as so much information, from shopping preferences (loyalty cards) to your address (driving licence number) is held on computers – giving fast and easy access to personal data. The data protection Act is designed to protect individual privacy, so only the people that need to can access your data. But how do you decide who has access to your data? On a police database, records of criminal convictions are stored, to people have the right to know that a criminal is moving into their neighbourhood or does the individual have the right to keep that information private? A worker may feel that the application of IT systems in the workplace may have more lasting benefits. For example opening a file on a word processor and correcting a mistake in comparison with producing the same work on a typewriter and having to redo it, will likely give more of a sense of satisfaction. An individual may feel the lasting benef...

“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare Essay

In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth’s desire for power prompts her interest in controlling Macbeth’s actions; consequently, when she loses control of Macbeth, she loses control of herself. Lady Macbeth relies on Macbeth to be the brawn so she can be the brain; she has somewhat of a  symbiotic relationship with him. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth slowly starts losing the need for and interest in Lady Macbeth. This loss of interest removes Lady Macbeth’s access to power and eventually begets her demise. However, in the beginning she is a key factor in Macbeth deciding to follow through with the murder. Lady Macbeth’s impetus for Macbeth to kill Duncan shows she is able to control Macbeth. She sees Macbeth as a weak man who is unable to carry out any wrongful act. Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"[†¦] I do fear thy nature; / it is too full o’ the’ milk of human kindness / to catch the nearest way† (1.5.16-18), which implies that she feels Macbeth is too kind to kill Duncan. She decides the only way to get what she wants is to intimidate Macbeth. When Macbeth says, â€Å"Bring forth men-children only; / For thy undaunted mettle should compose / Nothing but males,† (1.7.72-74) Mabeth’s fear of his wife really come to surface. She has a very masculine and powerful personality. Carolyn Asp, in her essay Tragic Action and Sexual Stereotyping in Macbeth says, â€Å"Masculine and feminine impulses are at war within her; she is unable either to fuse them or to polarize them† (Asp 203) which shows how she would like to be able to act like a man, but is unable to fully change because she still has many feminine influences on her life. Lady Macbeth asks to have her womanliness stripped from her when she says: [†¦] Come you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. (1.5.47-50) Cumberland Clark states in A Study of Macbeth that, â€Å"she prepares herself to resist the whisperings of her better nature and the interference of conscience† (Clark 93) by saying this. She wants to be able to not have a guilty conscience about what is about to happen. When Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"I would while it was smiling in my face, / Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums / And dashed the brains out† (1.7.64-66), she shows she has no regrets and no conscience to get in her way. She is now able to control herself; however, she now has to find a way to control Macbeth. Asp says that Lady Macbeth sees her role is to bring out the â€Å"noble strength† in Macbeth and that she must appeal to his manliness while at the same time appearing very masculine herself (Asp 203). Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth’s manliness by saying that he is weak and afraid. Asp states, â€Å"When she describes him as a lover/husband who, like his hope of glory, has become ‘pale,’ ‘green,’ and ‘waning,’ she challenges an essential element of his self-image, that of potent male, which is the foundation of all his other roles† (203). Macbeth wants to defend his manliness; therefore, he decides to go through with the murder of Duncan. She also tells Macbeth there is no way for the murder of Duncan to go wrong and that he need not worry. However, after the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth becomes less important to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth starts losing her control. After Duncan’s death, Macbeth starts to lose control of himself and reality; the control that Lady Macbeth once possessed is quickly fading. After Macbeth kills Duncan, instead of leaving the daggers with the servants as he was instructed, he brought them back with him. This leaves the murder weapon in Macbeth’s hands and makes it more likely that he is discovered as the killer. This inability to remember instructions is the first sign of Macbeth losing control. Then, in his chamber he starts hearing voices, which is another sign he is losing touch with reality. However, at the banquet, Macbeth starts to really lose his mind. Alan Hobson states in The Even-Handed Justice that, â€Å"When [Banquo’s ghost] appears, Lady Macbeth is at [Macbeth’s] side trying to brace his courage by the sharp rebuke that was once so effective in moving him to a determined purpose; but we soon realize that he is hardly conscious of her presence† (Hobson 177). When Macbeth sees the ghost, he thinks that everyone else can see him. However, when Macbeth  learns that the ghost is all in his head, he is unable to just ignore it. When Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"You have displaced the mirth, broke the good / meeting / With most admired disorder† (3.4.132-134), she is finally realizing that she has lost all power over Macbeth because she was unable to control his actions. After the banquet Lady Macbeth disappears from the story until she returns near the end and has gone insane from her utter loss of control. Even before the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth has slowly been losing control over herself and her ability to remain in power. When Lady Macbeth says that she cannot kill Duncan because he looks too much like her father, Lady Macbeth is showing a lack of competence because she has a soft spot in her heart for her father. When planning a murder, this lack can really complicate matters. Also, when Macbeth makes the decision about the murder of Banquo and Macduff’s family, Lady Macbeth starts to feel overwhelmed with all the killing when she says, â€Å"Here’s the smell of blood still. All / the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand† (5.1.53-55). This shows that she is unable to handle all of the blood that is being shed. She wants to be able to cleanse herself of these murders. When Lady Macbeth finally reappears she is sleepwalking and acting like she is washing her hands. While sleepwalking she starts mindlessly blabbering about all the killings and secrets that Lady Macbeth is trying to hold because she loses control subconsciously. This is the last time Lady Macbeth is seen alive. When Lady Macbeth kills herself, Macbeth is not in the least upset because he no longer finds Lady Macbeth important. Lady Macbeth lost power over Macbeth slowly. However, once she lost control of Macbeth, she lost control of herself. Lady Macbeth’s suicide is the final time that she shows weakness because she is unable to handle not having control as well as her feelings of helplessness while around Macbeth. Lady Macbeth may seem powerful because of the choices she makes, but on the inside she is a very weak person and relies on Macbeth to be the force behind her choices. There is obviously a very dear connection between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth because when he loses interest in her, she loses her outlet for her choices and can no longer function on her own. Lady Macbeth  as well as many other people have symbiotic lifestyles; if the person they rely on is no longer there, they lose all their power and without that power they lose control of their lives. Works Cited: Asp, Carolyn. â€Å"Tragic Action and Sexual Stereotyping in Macbeth.† Major Literary Characters: Macbeth. Ed Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1991. 198-210 Clark, Cumberland. A Study of Macbeth. Stratford-upon-Avon: Shakespeare Head Press, 1926. Hobson, Alan. â€Å"This Even-Handed Justice.† Major Literary Characters: Macbeth. Ed Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1991. 170-188. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Eds. Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992.

Operations Technology and Organization Structure: An Empirical Reappraisal Essay

Organizations are in constant states of change in structure, procedures, competition, and technological advancement and there is an ever growing desire to improve on performance and service delivery. For the successful integration of change, organizations must administer and implement processes that revolve around employees, process and structure. The sole reason for integration is because one cannot be changed without altering the other. If the integration proves to be difficult, then the organization has to break down and sometimes bits of it either crumble or become separate entities. This was the initial reason for the split of Intercos Asia Pacific from Intercos group. From the staunch differences in strategic planning as well as direction between management personnel, Intercos Group made it possible for the managers with different opinions to have a separate entity, Intercos Asia Pacific. Many companies validate the theory that organizations most often assume a linear progression from the time of its birth to that of its decline. This concept is based on the organizational life cycle. According to Hayes & Wheelwright (1979), as companies evolve, they are faced with both new challenges and opportunities and, therefore, they must adopt superior management controls and systems. On the other hand, according to Kilzer & Glausser (1984), the challenges faced by companies can be successfully managed through careful planning and growth timing, contingency and tactical planning, maintaining an operational budget and the equitable treatment of all stakeholders. Tice (2007) stated that in order for a business to be successful and remain in competition, then it must be adaptable, decisive, collaborative and self aware, thus fostering innovation and surgically executing the set strategy. Research collected from interviews conducted with management personnel at Intercos Asia Pacific reveals that there are several factors that companies like Intercos Asia Pacific should learn in order to remain competitive, command a sizable market and have the capacity for growth. The first major step would be to align the company’s goals with the internal and external environments of the company. Being a new business, Intercos Asia Pacific has to find its footing in the market, being a competitor of Intersco Group that has a big head start. Having to start building itself from the ground up is not an easy task for the company given that the market is already cut throat. Several drastic changes shall have to be implemented in order to become competitive and remain profitable as a separate entity from Intersco Group. Target Group for Research             The main reason why the interviews were conducted with the target being managers was because, at the time of interviews, the managers were not confined to specific departments. The managers involved understood the running of the business in general. Oliver (2004) pointed out that the main ingredients for organizational growth being â€Å"talent management† whereby the leaders are able conceptualize. In order to accommodate the challenges that come with growth as well as startups, managers at Intercos Asia Pacific have to develop their management skills, implement strategies at the right time and finally make sound adjustments to their attitude and character. Managers at Intercos Asia Pacific understand that change or transition entails them to have to adjust their personal goals, managerial abilities, operational and strategic abilities. If they are to remain competitive, they have to make the utmost use of their limited resources, because they no longer ha ve the vast resources provided at Intersco Group. However, their experience in Intersco Group should come in handy for the managers since they understand the market, thus not making them completely helpless. Great managers are always characterized as administrators, integrators and entrepreneurs and the degree in which they utilize these characteristics depends largely on the situation Therefore, the manager’s needs and those of the business have to be in synchrony in order for growth to take place and in the case of Intercos Asia Pacific, for a business to get started. Combating the problem of sales growth can be a tall order for a new business. However, being a small fish in a big sea can have its advantages such as easy maneuverability within the waters. Most large companies are more intent on preserving their reputation and so there is some clientele that they would rather keep away from. For a company like Intercos Asia Pacific such is not the case and this new market should be exploited with zeal and decorum. Although this business has to remain 100% legal, this new market can help Intercos Asia Pacific gain ground. The resources at the disposal of Intercos Asia Pacific may be limited, but this does not mean that that the company has to be a total failure. The business that this market provides can most likely end up being the major source of income for the company. Customer retention is another problem that Intercos Asia Pacific faces during its maiden days in the market. It is better to have ten loyal customers than to have fifty prospect clients because business can be snatched from the organization’s hands if it does not keep the customers satisfied. Osborne (1994) concluded that successful companies are not primarily based on the management’s competencies, credentials and experience alone. Success of Intersco Asia Pacific has been attributed to the company’s ability to generate income, its team of employees and its business concept. For this reason, retaining customers is a step in the right direction for Intersco Asia Pacific especially being a company dealing with cosmetics. This kind of business heavily relies on recommendations and consistent customers. For this reason, when Intercos Asia Pacific gains ground, it should strive to maintain the newly found clients who in turn shall be the stepping stones for the compa ny. Having to build Intersco Asia Pacific from the ground up shall help Intercos Asia Pacific understand the needs of the clients, the changing trends in the market and the new demand patterns. For this very reason, the company shall have a strategic advantage over Intersco Group who depend on the trends that they have become accustomed. The managers revealed that they were ready to work from the grassroots levels in order to have a customer base that has the services and products from Intercos Asia Pacific tailored for them. Transformation of Intersco Asia Pacific             According to Ford (2005), an effective transformation in any organization requires changes in the behavior of the workforce. Ford indicated that organizations have to train their employees to be ready to shift tasks in case this was needed of them. This strategy is best executed in line with the company’s vision and mission statement. When interviewed about this, the managers agreed that because of their limited resources at the newly formed company, employees had to serve different roles in different capacities, all for the successful running of the business. Sometimes, managers had to chip in physical effort, not just administrative effort. However, they also reiterated that the expected changes can only be achieved if understanding can be reached in terms of the vision and the strategies of the company. Strong leaders are able to communicate about their values and the values of the company, which in turn leads to improved company-level performance. Managers also made it clear that Intercos Asia Pacific requires its employees to attend work-related learning so that they can have their cognition, skills attitudes and behaviors sharpened. As per a study conducted by Hayes and Wheelwright (1979), it was decided that in as much as organizations have to keep up with market and technological trends, they also have to maintain a steady learning curve. The split between Intersco Group and Intercos Asia Pacific led to some major structural changes in both companies. This crisis point led to the loss of managerial personnel in Intersco Group and the formation of a company without enough managers in Intercos Asia Pacific. The managers in the course of the interviews indicated that they understand that for a company to thrive in any market, it has to develop strategies in the form of new systems and structures in order to accommodate the adverse effects of growth and crisis management. Previous research indicates that the company’s size often determines its structure. For example, a company that largely depends on other companies or social environments in most cases has a concentration in authoritative management. Intercos Asia Pacific being a small company with the potential of becoming a market contender has its focus on structure and coordination rather than authority and command. From the interviews conducted through the managers, it was evident that changes in the structure of management are the result of the company’s transition into growth from start-up and it is sometimes characterized by complexity, decentralization and in some instances, formalization. This was in line with the theory proposed by Olson and Tetra (1992). However, this theory is comparable to that proposed by Pugh that identified six years of company structuring that required specialization, formalization, standardization of control and workflow, configuration and centralization. According to Churchill and Lewis (1983), small companies like Intercos Asia Pacific are largely influenced by the availability of resources, workers, technology. On the other hand, the workforce in a large company like Intersco Group is influenced by the level of technology. From the research carried out on Intercos Asia Pacific, managers agreed that in order to record continuous development, managerial hierarchies, structures, processes, human resource developments and growth projections were essential and they had to be put in place. The managerial hierarchies that would be implemented in Intercos Asia Pacific would assist the company to match individuals to specific tasks and, therefore, facilitate the creation of value through specialization. When hierarchies are in place, then other benefits like creativity, morale and productivity can increase with measurable input (Jacques, 1990). The structure of tasks in a company largely depends on the technological advancement and the indu stry. Since Intercos Asia Pacific is just a small company still in its bare foundation stages, the technology and structure requirements are not as complex as they would need to be if the company was effectively and decisively rooted in the market. Restructuring of Intersco Asia pacific to suit the Market             After an extensive review of the information collected from the research at Intercos Asia Pacific, it is clear that for the transition to be effective in a company there is dire need for a restructure in behavior and the organizational systems in the company. The interviews conducted revealed some of the organizational changes that needed to be affected before a company can commence business. The company maybe undergoing the normal struggles of a small organization, but Intercos Asia Pacific has the advantage of having experienced managers who have worked in a bigger company. This advantage over other small companies shall boost Intercos Asia Pacific to new heights because their management system shall be firmly rooted and invested in the company. Being a company that deals with cosmetics, skin products and pencils, Intercos Asia Pacific has had to deal with some obsolete goods. It is for this reason that new market survey had to be carried out in order to determi ne what the new market requires of them. Being a small company with limited resources, Intercos Asia Pacific faces the problem of a large lead time in the delivery of their products. This problem is common to them because they cannot order in large quantities, which can be placed in a warehouse or stores. Unlike during the times in Intersco Group where orders and shipments were not a problem in terms of lead time, Intercos Asia Pacific has to deal with the small quantities that deplete quickly and sometimes there is a delay in the replenishment of their supplies. However, as soon as the company gains ground in the market, then the managers have implemented strategies to purchase products on credit in order to satisfy both the needs as well as the trends of the ever growing market of cosmetics and skin care products. Conclusion             In conclusion, the literature provided in the research indicates that there is a clear struggle during the startup of the company and Intercos Asia Pacific is no different. However, with experienced and dedicated managers all hurdles, potholes or bumps along the way can be effectively dealt with proper strategies, careful planning, division of labor, and employee education. When Intercos Asia Pacific split from Intersco Group, a major challenge was surviving in a market that already had market leaders and well rooted companies. However, the ability of a small company competing against market giants requires careful timing, strategic location, through research about the market and efficiency in service delivery. The managers interviewed were very cooperative in provision of information necessary to produce this paper. Their insight into marketing, running of the company and remaining competitive was invaluable in the writing of this paper. However radical or rash their decisions might have been at Intersco Group, the managers seemed to have done terrific work with Intercos Asia Pacific. Possible expansion and market dominance are in the horizon for the company and this is evident in their vision and mission statements. As leaders, role models and mentors, the managers believe that Intercos Asia Pacific is going to be the next big thing in cosmetics and skin care market. They might have had fallout with Intersco Group, but they strongly believe that their strategies shall keep Intercos Asia Pacific as worthy competitors for a long time to come. The managers acknowledged that the road might be tough for them, but it is only when the going gets tough the tough lace their boots and get going. References Baum, R. J., Kirkpatrick, S. A., Locke, E. A. (1998). A longitudinal study of the relation of vision and vision communication to venture growth in entrepreneurial firms. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83 (1), 43-54. 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