Women Entrepreneurs In Khulna

Women Entrepreneurs In Khulna Free Online Research Papers Existing sex ratio in demographic structure of Bangladesh indicates that women comprise almost 50% of the total population. They are essential part of nation’s human resources. Due to this demographic structure, the issue of the participation of women in the mainstream economy is imperative. Without a meaningful and active participation of women, half of the total population, in regular economic activities, a dynamic and sustainable economy is impossible. A sustainable economy is a precondition for national growth and prosperity including institutionalization of a democratic system. It is also impossible to achieve the target of a poverty-free society without incorporation of women in the mainstream economy. Considering the issue, a special emphasis has been given by the Government, donor agencies, NGOs, business community and all other relevant stakeholders through different interventions to ensure increased women’s participation in formal economic sector, especially in business and industry. The major initiatives undertaken by the Government so far included establishment of a separate ministry on women’s affairs, formulation of the National Policy for Advancement of Women-2008 and the National Action Plan. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which is now the main document for national development in Bangladesh, also incorporated some noteworthy issues to ensure women’s participation in social and econom ic life. The industrial and SME policies 2005 of Bangladesh Government have emphasized women entrepreneurship development, particularly in SME sector. Despite various initiatives from different corner of the state, the level of participation of women in the mainstream economic activities, especially private sector, remains insufficient and the percentage of women in business and industry is still below than that of their male counterpart. Due to govt. budgetary limitations for Khulna city, the once-titled â€Å"Industrial City† has lost its good days and also the business environment is yet to be congenial for business enterprises. Likewise other parts of the country, women in Khulna city have also been engaged in small-scale enterprises for their survival and these enterprises have benefitted their family and life.But here has been too few research efforts carried out in Bangladesh on particularly the women entrepreneurship of Khulna City so far. In this paper an attempt is therefore made to evaluate the nature of the women entrepreneurial ventures and their impact on the socio-economic development of these women taking Kh ulna city as the study area. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Women’s entrepreneurship needs to be studied separately for two main reasons. The first reason is that women’s entrepreneurship has been recognized during the last decade as an important untapped source of economic growth. Women entrepreneurs create new jobs for themselves and others and by being different also provide society with different solutions to management, organization and business problems as well as to the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities. However, they still represent a minority of all entrepreneurs. Thus there exists a market failure discriminating against women’s possibility to become entrepreneurs and their possibility to become successful entrepreneurs. This market failure needs to be addressed by policy makers so that the economic potential of this group can be fully utilized. While without a doubt the economic impact of women is substantial, we still lack a reliable picture describing in detail that specific impact. Recent efforts initiated by the OECD (1997, 2000) are responses to this lack of knowledge and have focused the attention of policy makers and researchers on this important topic. The second reason is that the topic of women in entrepreneurship has been largely neglected both in society in general and in the social sciences. Not only have women lower participation rates in entrepreneurship than men but they also generally choose to start and manage firms in different industries than men tend to do. The industries (primarily retail, education and other service industries) chosen by women are often perceived as being less important to economic development and growth than high-technology and manufacturing. Furthermore, mainstream research, policies and programs tend to be â€Å"men streamed† and too often do not take into account the specific needs of women entrepreneurs and would-be women entrepreneurs. As a consequence, equal opportunity between men and women from the perspective of entrepreneurship is still not a reality. In order for policy makers to address the situation the report makes a number of recommendations. Many economists, sociologists, psychologists and behavioral scientists have made attempt to define entrepreneurship in their respective fields. The concept in the field of entrepreneurship could be classified into two disciplines: Economic concepts and behavioral concepts. Schumpeter, 1967 clarified entrepreneur as an innovator with potentialities of doing new things, as an economic leader, as a chief conducive function in the process of economic development. McClelland, 1965 views that the supply of entrepreneurship is highly dependent upon the intensity of overachievement motivation, called the â€Å"need for achievement† (n ACH motive). Rahman, 1997 said that, entrepreneurship is the function that is specific to the entrepreneurs’ ability to take the factors of production – land, labor and capital and use them to produce new goods or services. Entrepreneurship is defined as a kind of behavior of a person that includes perceiving economic opportunities, initiat ive taking, creativity and innovation, organizing social economic mechanism to turn resources and situation to practical account and is the acceptance of risk to failure. Women entrepreneurs: A woman entrepreneur is defined as a woman who has alone or with one or more partners, started, bought, or inherited a business, is assuming the related financial, administrative, and social risks and responsibilities, and is participating in the firm’s day-to-day management. Such women are also known as women business owners or women entrepreneurs or self-employed women (LFS, 1996) More recently, a new trend has emerged where women are venturing as entrepreneurs and are contributing to the economic development. Women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh represent a group of women who have broken away form the broken track and are exploring new vistas of economic participation. Their task has been full of challenges (Begum 2000). More recent American research examines in great depth both by motivation by female start-up and the problems faced by a woman when starting a business (Hisrish and Brush, 1984). Motivations for business start-up as Bangladeshi were identified as a desire for job satisfaction, independence and achievement (Begum, R 2000).The major problems, identified by the female respondents in this study, were under capitalization and a lack of knowledge and training in business skills. A majority of the respondents reported difficulties in â€Å"overcoming some of the social beliefs that women are not serious as men about business.† A later study (Hisr ish and Brush, 1996) focused on different types of female-owned business and confirmed the lack of support offered to female proprietors in non-traditional sectors. In a more recent study, Goffee and Scase (1999) use a sample of 54 female proprietors to identify a typology of female entrepreneurs. Four types of female entrepreneurs were identified: a) Conventional entrepreneurs; b) Innovative entrepreneurs, c) Domestic entrepreneurs and d) Radical entrepreneurs. Chowdhury (1988) classified ten types of women entrepreneurs in her study as follows: a) Self made women individual entrepreneurs, b) Trained women industrial entrepreneurs, c) Women entrepreneurs who as wives of business people are involved in production, d) Women are share-holder of commercial firms, e) Women as administrative executives of enterprises, f) Women as inheritor of parents or husbands firms, g) Women as partners in business, h) Researchers turned entrepreneurs, i) Rural women entrepreneurs and j) Industrialis ts cum traders. In spite of women taking entrepreneurship in many challenging fields, the present women entrepreneurial activities in Bangladesh is not very high. Women are participating in starting small-scale industries in the country, out of which only 8% of the industries are run exclusively by women entrepreneurs (LFS, 1996). Entrepreneurial Quality: Entrepreneurial qualities are same for men and women to succeed as entrepreneurs. The major entrepreneurial qualities seen in Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs are that they have confidence, commitment, innovative and creative knowledge, need for achievement, profit oriented, hard work driving energy and risk taking ability (Begum R.2000). 3. PROBLEM STATEMENT Our report paper was constructed with a view to analyzing the present entrepreneurial situation of women in Khulna city and how these entrepreneurial ventures have helped to make them self –reliant in their socio-economic life. In recent years, with the growing tendency to flourish businesses, women are not lagging behind in their contribution to their family and self existence. Although there have been researches in area of entrepreneurship, no specific research has been done on women entrepreneurial ventures on Khulna city. So for a detailed knowledge on women businesses and their motivation to be engaged in such ventures have a special concern for the NGOs, micro-credit institutions and for the policy holders. So this is a effort to have a detailed analysis of women entrepreneurial businesses. 4. OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT As mentioned earlier, the main objective of the study was to evaluate the nature of women entrepreneurship in Khulna city, its socio-economic impact and also to identify problems and suggest guidelines. Following were the specific objectives of the study: i. To analyze the main entrepreneurial ventures run by women entrepreneurs in Khulna. ii. To show how these enterprises are creating an overall positive impact on their family status and for economic solvency. iii. To identify the major constraints for women entrepreneurship development and giving recommendations for the rapid flourishment of women entrepreneurial ventures. 5. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The study was undertaken in Khulna city which is located in the South-western region of Bangladesh. It is the third largest city in the country. Before proceeding to the formal study, a literature review has been covered on women entrepreneurship. For the convenience of time and resources, the main women entrepreneurial ventures in the metropolitan city have been interviewed and questioned. An emphasis was given on hearing the experience of the women entrepreneurs. The policy recommendations have been suggested with regard to the current scenario and also from the research and report papers of national NGOs.. 6. LIMITATIONS OF THE REPORT The study report faced the concrete statistic data regarding the women entrepreneurial activities of Khulna city. There are no updated numerical figures about the entrepreneurial ventures in the internet and in journals. To be authentic and representative, it has to survey a minimum number of women entrepreneurs from each sector, which was time consuming and demands more time and, the survey does not flow such objective, it aims to work out program for women entrepreneurs of the Khulna City. However, a good number of women entrepreneurs were distributed questionnaire for their uses. Being involved in women entrepreneurship development activities we recognize that there should be an all-covering broad-based survey in this regard to gain a concrete idea for supporting and integrating women entrepreneurs in Khulna city. 7. METHODOLOGY For the completion of the report, we used both primary data and secondary data from various sources. 1. Primary data: The main source of primary data was a number of interviews with women entrepreneurs from several entrepreneurial sectors and structured questionnaires which were answered by the entrepreneurs. For every sector, five entrepreneurs were interviewed. The questionnaires included questions regarding their educational background, family background, family support, initial capital, scope of businesses, services, profit margin and the probability of sustaining businesses amidst various problems. Then our second goal of assessing the impact of these ventures were achieved through giving the entrepreneurs questions regarding the monthly income, supporting family, decision-making skill and have more say in family matters. 2. Secondary data: The main source of secondary data was internet-based journals and research papers for covering literature review on women entrepreneurial situation in Bangladesh. For covering the solutions of the problems of women entrepreneurs, different proposals that have been made were also analyzed and included. 8. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION In this section, results of data analysis is shown and interpreted. Collected data were analyzed and interpreted in line with the report objectives stated before. Hence, the discussions in this section are divided in main three parts: the first part will include the nature and current scenario of entrepreneurial ventures of women including the constraints of these ventures.. The second part will involve the impact of these entrepreneurial activities on their socio-economic life. The third part will suggest some solution proposal for removing the current barriers of women entrepreneurship development in Khulna city. Scopes and nature of women entrepreneurial venture of Khulna city Through detailed analysis of the answers of the questionnaires, some common women entrepreneurial ventures were identified. ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURES OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS SL. No. Type of Businesses 1. Beauty parlors 2. Butique shops 3. Poultry farming 4. Tailoring 5. Dairy farming 6. Others 8.1 BEAUTY PARLORS In recent times beauty parlors have become the lucrative business for women entrepreneurs in Khulna. Starting with home-based services they are entering into this venture in a separate commercial basis. As it is mainly a home based entrepreneurship, women are very much interested about the prospect of this business. Actually beauty parlor is such a place where women care women; that means here service provider is women and the customer is also women. For that reason the women who are related with this business, can conduct their business conveniently. It is also a risk less business as women don’t need to invest a lot for their material of beautification. Along with that, a woman is very much interested to make her self stylist and fair in every circumstance for that this is very momentous for her to get help from a beauty parlor. It is found that the main locations of the beauty parlors are South Central Road and New Market. Around South Central Road, there are about 5 beauty parlors, and there are 4 beauty parlors in and around New Market. From the interview with some openers of beauty parlors of South Central Road, we found that the initial capital of starting a parlor few years back was much lower than the present modern well equipped parlors for the emergence of new beautification techniques. The first parlor of this area (Pleasure Beauty Parlor) started its business with only 80,000 taka. But newest parlor of this area (Nanking Beauty Parlor) has started its business with around 12,00,000 taka. And obviously it is very much modern and customers are very interested to go there. For the competition, the other parlors are also trying to give better service to their customers. The parlors of new market have begun their business almost at the same time and the market there is very much competitive. But the pa rlors of this area are not much more popular than those of South Central Road. Here is a table regarding the 10 parlors of Khulna City. For making our study more representative and credible, small medium as well as large parlors were taken as samples. The sample results are given below: Initial investments of the entrepreneurs Amount (in taka) No. Of entrepreneurs Percentage Below 20000 2 20 20001- 90000 2 20 90001- 200010 3 30 200011- 370000 2 20 Above 370000 1 10 total 10 The average monthly turnover of the entrepreneurs is also satisfactory. The average turnover of the studied parlors is Tk. 25000 ranging from Tk. 18000 to Tk. 45000. Profit margin is also very high (40%). The monthly income of the enterprises Amount (in taka) No. of entrepreneurs Percentage Average income Below 20000 1 10 35000 20001 26000 2 20 260001- 35000 3 30 35001- 40000 2 20 40001 45000 2 20 total 10 100 Percentage of profit Percentage of profit No of entreprenurs Percentage Average profit (%) Below 15% 1 10 40 16% 20% 3 30 21- 28% 2 20 29% 36% 2 20 37- 44% 2 20 total 10 100 With the starting of home-based and separate business-location based beauty parlors, women entrepreneurs are now able to supplement their family with handsome income and the women are supposed to have more decision making and participating skills in their family. One particular parlor-owner in South Central Road stated that she was having more confidence in maintaining her family through her steady income. With the flourishment of modern and highly instrument-based parlors, the employment opportunity has been created in those parlors. The parlors in south Central Road on an average have created employment for five women. So, this parlor business is creating a overall impact on their socio-economic lives. The role of BRAC Bank, EBL, and Eastern Bank is significant for financing this SME. BRAC bank is giving is providing low-interest short-term credit to women entrepreneurs in this sector. CARE, UNNAYAN and some few other NGOs are providing low-interest credit to parlor-owners. But st ill govt. banks are reluctant to provide financial support for SMEs. So there should be more proper govt. policies for the growth of beauty parlors and other women SMESs 8.2 BUTIQUE SHOPS Butique shops are the second largest business sector where we found more women entrepreneurs. There are many Butique shops situated in Khulna city. Lion’s shares of these shops are owned by women entrepreneurs. In Butique shops new designed and fashionable dresses are made and sold. They also take orders from the customers. Customers suggest their own design or select from their catalog. Embroidery, batic, applic, karchupi and different types of design are done in these Butique shops. These shops are mainly small business and very few workers work in these shops. We have found that not more than five workers work in a shop and average number of workers are three. These shops need not too much capital to start but the return is much more appreciable. We have found many Butique shops in New Market, Baitur Nur Shopping complex, Jalil Tower and Daulatpur Bazar in Khulna city. The following table shows some Butique shops in Khulna city. Initial investments of the entrepreneurs Amount (in taka) No. Of entrepreneurs percentage Below 20000 3 30 20001- 90000 2 20 90001- 200010 2 20 200011- 370000 1 10 Above 370000 2 20 Total 10 100 The monthly income of the enterprises Amount (in taka) No. of entrepreneurs Percentage Average income Below 20000 2 20 25000 20001 26000 1 10 260001- 35000 3 30 35001- 40000 2 20 40001 45000 2 20 Total 10 100 Percentage of profit Percentage of profit No of entrepreneurs Percentage Average profit (%) Below 15% 2 20 30 16% 20% 3 30 21- 28% 2 20 29% 36% 2 20 37- 44% 1 10 Total 10 100 Because of less capital needed and also for the demand this sector becomes much attractive to the women entrepreneurs. But the competition also becomes higher and higher in recent years. 8.3 POULTRY FARM Poultry is another thriving sector in which women entrepreneurs are getting the advantage of running it as home business. In an interview with five women entrepreneurs from different regions of Khulna we found a positive ground for being engaged in such business, although the fear of Bird-flu is causing some discouragement among women regarding the continuation of poultry. Five women entrepreneurs from Sonadanga, Boyra, and Daulatpur have been interviewed. The average initial capital for starting a firm having 500 chickens has been observed to be Tk. 2 lakhs. Women entrepreneurs reported that they calculate their income and profit margin in terms of sale of chickens and eggs at every term, One entrepreneur from Boyra has reported that for the sale of a 500 chicken package, on an average tk. 30000 is earned as profit margin. On another study from an entrepreneur from Sonadanga, this particular layer firm owner has stated that, from the selling of every piece of egg, 50 paisa is earned as profit margin. So, for the sale of 1000 eggs, Tk. 500 remains as profit margin. So, by selling 500 eggs daily, this women entrepreneur earns 250 tk. profit margin daily. So, considering this women entrepreneurs are being more encouraged to run such business, because they can run it with their household chores side by side. Generally, no employment opportunity is being created for other women except for the self-employment of the entrepreneur. But for the bigger socio-economic impact, women are adding income to their family matters and women are becoming self-reliant by being engaged in poultry. Estimate of expense and income margin Quantity of output Approximate expenses(tk) Approximate revenues(tk) 300 chickens 60,000 90,000 500 chickens 100,000 140,000 500 eggs 2,500 250 1000 eggs 5000 500 Considering the present scenario, women entrepreneurs have identified the following problems and obstacles in their running poultry firm : Increased price of poultry feed items Not rising the price of chickens in proportion to the production cost Lack of financial support from financial institutions Losing encouragement due to Bird-flu Profit margin not increasing much So, in removing the present barriers, most of the poultry owners have reported the following remedies for the smooth completion of their business : Govt. To take initiative for not spreading the fear of Bird-Flu Providing regulatory measures by the govt. not to increase the price of feed items Training facilities from govt. and NGOS. Low-interest rated credits 8.4 TAILORING Most of the women seeking for doing something prefer to start a tailoring shop. As they are normally introvert so they like to work in the environment dominated by her and the stakeholders will be women. It is tailoring shop which fulfills all the requirements. Mainly girls and women are customers here so tailors shop is a good choice for the women to start a business. With the initial capital like thirty to fifty thousands taka women start a tailoring shop. Before that women have to train for tailoring. And in the tailoring shop they act both as tailor and master. We have found that average workers work in a shop is about three to four. Business and demand of the service of a particular shop depends on the updated fashionable dress. Initial investments of the entrepreneurs Amount (in taka) No. Of entrepreneurs percentage Below 20000 2 20 20001- 90000 2 20 90001- 200010 3 30 200011- 370000 2 20 Above 370000 1 10 Total 10 100 The monthly income of the enterprises Amount (in taka) No. of entrepreneurs Percentage Average income Below 20000 2 10 25000 20001 26000 2 15 260001- 35000 3 25 35001- 40000 2 25 40001 45000 1 25 Total 10 100 Percentage of profit Percentage of profit No of entrepreneurs Percentage Average profit (%) Below 15% 2 10 25 16% 20% 2 20 21- 28% 3 20 29% 36% 2 25 37- 44% 1 25 Total 10 100 8.5 DAIRY FARMING Dairy Farming is another profitable venture in which poor and lower-income classes of women are being involved more. From interviews with five women entrepreneurs in this sector, we identified the following reasons for growing it more : Family business Capital is not too high compared to other home business Easy for maintenance and care of cattles Usage of cow dungs as the fuel for poor women Making of fertilizer through processing cow dungs Satisfactory profit through selling milk Considering the haphazard and irregular estimate of their buying and selling of cattles, women entrepreneurs could not give accurate estimate of their business. But, on an average, their whole cost of rearing and feeding cattles are compensated through the selling of milk. Occasional selling of cattles although dont help the women. So, 6 out of the five women said their dairy farming was unsatisfactory and they would rather give it up. The rest of the 4 women expressed their businesss is running well enough to support their family. The result of their monthly income is as follows. Monthly income of the entrepreneurs Amount (in tk) No.of entrepreneurs Percentage (%) Average monthly income Below 3000 3 30 3500 3001-4000 4 40 4001-5000 2 20 5001-5500 1 10 In an effort to analyze the positive impact of the dairy business in the life of women is their solo dependence of this family venture. Women have been able to support the education of their children and making savings in the local Samites and NGOs. Women have become more sensible in their family matters and their decision-making capability has been reported to be more extensive than ever before. On giving policy recommendations for the flourishment of such cattle business, the following measures have been suggested: More easy micro-credits from local NGOs. Expansion of govt. training programs in such fields Innovation of nutritious cow and goat feeds 8.6 OTHER SECTORS TEA-STALL Another sector of women entrepreneurship is tea-stall. Women are starting these shops to contribute in the family income. These shops need too little investment. So, lower middle class and poor women are usually found in this business. In this shop biri, cigarette, snacks, paan etc are also sold. We interviewed some of the entrepreneurs and found that average initial capital needed is approximately five thousands taka. No worker is usually needed because here the owner is the seller. Monthly income is about fifteen thousands taka and the profit is about approximately four thousands taka. Fish selling, vegetable cultivation, mat weaving are some other minor sectors in which women are doing better and bringing a minimal income to their family. In New Market, Nirala Bazar and Natun Bazar and in footpaths, women have been reported to be involved in fish and vegetable selling. Although no overall reliable data have been found, yet fish and vegetable selling are their major source of income. VENDORS women became involved in selling as vendors or hawkers, because they didnot have other sources of support. Majority of these women had to fend for their families as amale breadwinner was absent due to divorce, separation, death or disability of husband.Some said that their husbands left them or married again and they had to take care of thechildren. Some started work after they returned to their fathers home. Some women startedworking to support their families after their husband died. A couple of women said theirhusbands were disabled and they had to take the main responsibility to look after the family.In pursuing businesswomen received support from other women entrepreneurs and NGOs.Some male business persons also helped the women. In describing the advantages of being a vendor, women said they receive a greater return ontheir sales. They also felt that if more women vendors came to the market, then more womenbuyers would also come. Some women who go to the market as buyers said that if the pricewas right, they would prefer to buy from women. They feel more comfortable buying theirpersonal items from women.From the vulnerability matrix exercise, among potential women vendors and existing womenvendors, availability of and access to capital emerged as the main constraint for women. Men have more resources and social connections which provide them greater access to capital. That gives them a competitive edge. Moreover, women face gender bias when trying to get their space in the market. Vegetable vendors in Bagerhat described the harassment they faced, some times face hazards from the Izaradaar to sit on the vegetable platform. They have specific area but sometimes someone else occupies the spot by giving more sit ting charge. Capital constraint is an even bigger issue for women who operate fixed shops. The three fixedshops started by women without government assistance are shabby and very small.. Women had said that if they had the capital, they would decorate the shop to make it look more attractive. The barriers which have been found by women in this regard are as follows: Unavailability of suitable places in the sides of markets Dominance in business by male counterparts Lack of effort for cultivating vegetable through scientific process Lack of financial support for starting a large-scale business 9. OBSTACLES SPECIFIC TO STARTING NEW WOMEN BUSINESS VENTURES Firstly, women in general lack human and financial capital and that their opportunities are related to their idiosyncratic experiences it is difficult to separate out if they are discriminated against because of their sex, or because of lack of human and financial capital. If it is the latter, then the financial institution has not discriminated against a person based on his or her sex. The financial institution has just tried to optimise its loan portfolio based on those that probably have the highest chance to make a firm survive and prosper. Secondly, three areas have been identified as potential or real problems for women when it comes to financing: a) women may be disadvantaged in raising the initial capital to start a new firm; b) collateral needed for external financing may be above the wealth level of most women; c) finance for an existing firm may be less available, because women are less likely than men to penetrate informal financial networks. Thirdly, results indicate that women still perceive a negative attitude from financial institutions such as banks and other lending institutions. This negative attitude arises due to two possible reasons as discussed in the literature: a) women are not viewed as entrepreneurs due to the attitudes formed by traditional gender roles; b) women engage in industries that the financial institutions are not used to handle (as personal services, care, etc.). Also in the personal networks and the family it is harder for women to find financial resources to start a business. 10. KEY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS Based on these findings, policy measures to support women’s entrepreneurship can be several types: Ensuring the availability of affordable child care and equal treatment in the work place. More generally, improving the position of women in society and promoting entrepreneurship generally will have benefits in terms of women’s entrepreneurship. Listen to the voice of women entrepreneurs. The creation of government offices of women’s business ownership is one way to facilitate this. Such offices could have programme responsibilities such as providing women’s business centres, organizing information seminars and meetings and/or providing web-based information to women. Incorporate a women’s entrepreneurial dimension in the formation of all SME-related policies. This can be done by ensuring that the impact on womens entrepreneurship is taken into account at the design stage. Govt. and NGOs providing loan at lower interest rates and creating opportunity for training and facilitating the environment of business More research work on women entrepreneurs and the strengthening of Women and Child Ministry. Knowledge about women’s entrepreneurship and valuable tools for its development and promotion. Co-operation and partnerships between national and international networks can facilitate entrepreneurial endeavors by women in a global economy. Periodically evaluate the impact of any SME-related policies on the success of women-owned businesses and the extent to which such businesses take advantage of them. The objective should be to identify ways to improve the effectiveness of those that should be retained. Good practices that are identified in this way should be disseminated and shared internationally. 11. CONCLUSION From the detailed analysis of the women entrepreneurial ventures, women are observed to be more willing to achieve self-employment and self-reliance. The selected women entrepreneurs of Khulna city have mainly started their business for their survival rather than meeting self-actualization needs. Some sectors like beauty parlors, boutique and tailoring are really doing a lucrative job for women entrepreneurs whereas the performance of other business like dairy farming and vendors are not satisfactory as to be more growth-oriented. But, still lots of possibilities are there and if govt. women policy gives more emphasis of women entrepreneurship, then women entrepreneurs will be more encouraged. Besides, Women Entrepreneurs Association (WEA) can arrange more financial capital and technical knowledge for women in Khulna. For one thing, low govt. budget for Khulna region has severely harmed the women entrepreneurship. So, for building up more varied women ventures and rapid growth of exi sting ventures, a clear cut SME and women entrepreneurship policy needs to be formulated and through this , women will be capable enough to bring a positive socio-economic impact in their life. 12. APPENDIX 12.1 QUESTIONNAIRE: 12.2 REFERENCES: 1. Islam, Nazrul: Entrepreneurship Development With special references to Bangladesh 2. Womens Access to Markets Vulnerabilities and Constraints: Project of care Bangladesh 3. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2006). Statistical Year Book of Bangladesh 2006 4. Agnello and Moller (2006). Women Micro-entrepreneurs and their Business Needs, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Urban Sector group ILO 5. managementhelp.org/aboutfml/privacy.htm 6. erim.eur.nl/entrepreneurship 7. entrepreneurship-sme.eu/index.cfm/12,html?nxt=ctm_publikatiebestelnummer=R200809 8. http://ideas.repec.org/stepbystep.html Research Papers on Women Entrepreneurs In KhulnaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Fifth HorsemanMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductResearch Process Part One19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraDefinition of Export QuotasPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionTwilight of the UAW

5 Free Assessment Apps for Teachers

5 Free Assessment Apps for Teachers Teachers are always looking for new ways to assess their students work. Regardless of what curriculum you teach, assessment is something that teachers must do every day, even informally. Thanks to the latest in mobile technology, assessing students work has never been easier! Top 5 Assessment Apps Here are the top 5 assessment apps that will assist you in observing and assessing your students. Nearpod The Nearpod app is a must-have application if your school has access to a set of iPads. This assessment app has been used by over 1,000,000 students was awarded the Edtech Digest Award in 2012. The best feature of Nearpod is that it allows teachers to manage content on their students devices. Heres how it works: First the teacher shares content with their students, through materials, lecture and/or presentation. This content is then received by the students on their devices, and they are able to participate in activities. Then teachers are able to access students n real time by seeing the students answers and having access to post-session activity reports. This is by far one of the best assessment apps out on the market today. A Spelling Tests The A Spelling Tests app is a must-have for all elementary classrooms. Students can practice their spelling words, while teachers can track how they are doing. By each spelling test, students and teachers can see their results. Other great features include the ability to instantly see if you are right or wrong, unscramble mode to help sharpen spelling skills, and the ability to submit tests through email. GoClass App The GoClass app is a free iPad application that allows users to create lessons and share them with their students. Documents can be broadcasted through student devices and/or by projector or TV. GoClass allows users to formulate questions, draw diagrams, and share materials with students in the class. Teachers can also keep track of what students are using which lessons, and when they are using them. To check for student understanding, the teacher can post a question or poll and get immediate feedback. This will help the instructor tailor his/her lessons to make sure all students are understanding the concept that is being taught. Teacher Clicker If youre looking for a way to engage students while getting results in real time, then Socrative made this mobile app for you. Not only does this app save you time, but it will grade your activities for you! Some features include the ability to: ask open-ended questions and get real-time answers, create a quick quiz and receive a report with the quiz graded for you, have students play a fast-paced space race game where they answer multiple choice questions and you receive a report of their graded answers. There is a separate app called Student Clicker that must be downloaded for students tablets. MyClassTalk MyClassTalk was designed to assess students participation in the classroom. With just a tap of your finger, you can easily award points and rank students class participation. Users can even upload students photographs for an even better visual. Forget about writing names on the board for not participating, this easy-to-use app is all you need. Additional Assessment Apps Worth Mentioning Here are a few more assessment apps that are worth checking out: Edmodo - This is a great app for assigning quizzes and collecting homework.ClassDojo - If youre looking to assess student behavior this is a great app.Easy Assessment - Rubric Creation - This costs $1.99 but you can easily create a rubric in two steps.

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My personal philosophy - Essay Example This is why my biggest motivation and mission is to proudly offer nonjudgmental and unbiased care particularly to those in need regardless of their class in life, race, lifestyle choices, spirituality, disability and financial status. My philosophy therefore makes me understand that as a nurse I have a responsibility to my patients and must offer them with holistic, safe, patient-centered, round the clock care. In addition, it makes me bear in mind that patients under my care are not mere statistics, medical conditions or just room numbers but individuals that need and deserve personalized care and attention. Professionally, nurses are supposed to use clinical judgment so as to assist the requirements of their patients. Being an advocate, I am obligated to empower my patients by encouraging them to engage in active partnership as far as their individual care is concerned and participate in mutual setting of goals between patient and care providers. As a nurse I should maintain and uphold patient confidentiality with the exception of when the law mandates us to report as a duty. My philosophy also reminds me that I must constantly educate not only my patients but their families as well especially on treatments, healthy behaviors and diseases so as to enhance their outcomes. Lastly I am also obligated to strive to positively model healthy behaviours in my own life in the belief that I will offer better care to patients if I care for myself first. In conclusion, my philosophy enables me to be committed to keeping myself with the up to date skills and knowledge together with seeking self-enhancement via perpetual learning. This ensures that I do not remain in my belief but instead progress professionally via evidence-based technological and practice advances. My philosophy ensures that I will always keep on learning, not only from journals and textbooks but also from various interactions with my colleagues and involvement

Human Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Human Development - Essay Example It was also interesting to see how human behavior changes through various stages of life and is also affected by genetics and environmental factors. After completing this course, I have developed an appreciation towards the subject that clearly is an important part of human life. Q2. I found chapter 8 on Human Development most significant because I was able to understand and appreciate behavioral changes in my son as he is growing up. It was interesting to know how children progress through life and exhibit various behavioral characteristics based on their changing environment and maturity in life. Where eight-month-old baby smiles and coos when it recognizes familiar faces, the same child exhibits stranger anxiety as a part of its survival strategy when a stranger approaches it. It was also interesting to learn that familiarity is a sign of safety and contentment for children, while young adults are willing to take more risk and explore new areas in their life as they search for the ir identity. Learning about behavioral changes in children as they transition from babies to adults was the most significant learning experience in this course. The various examples that were used to explain the reasons why children behave in a certain way made it very clear to me that it is very important to ensure that children grow up in a healthy and safe environment. I was also able to appreciate the differences in the way boys and girls behave through the examples of learned social behaviors. Q3. I enjoyed learning about our bodies, especially about how the human brain is designed and how each structure within the brain helps to encode, store and retrieve memories. It was fascinating to learn that our brain encodes information and stores it away as sensory, working or long-term memory and retrieves the information when we need it. I was also amazed at how our sensory organs like eyes, ears, and nose transmit information to the corresponding sensory cortices in the brain to sto re the information which may last for only a few seconds, while more meaningful and emotional information is encoded into long-term memory which can last a lifetime. I would have preferred more activities and inclusion of case studies to make this subject more interesting. Q4. In order to improve the way this course is taught, I would include more of hands-on work, games, and activities so that learning becomes more fun filled. That way it would be easier to learn and remember the various topics taught in the class. One thing that would improve student interaction in this course is ‘role play’. Each week a team of 4-5 students is given a small scenario to enact in front of the class. The scenarios or cases should be very specific to the topic being taught in the class.

Cultural Dimensions Essay Example for Free

Cultural Dimensions Essay 1)Give the definition and objectives of â€Å"your† cultural dimensions (what does the dimension measure? what do you want to measure? For instance : ability to work in groups, individual empowerment (for the individual/collective dimension). Diffuse and Specific orientated cultures – The most apparent difference is the ability to separate private from professional life. In diffused cultures, the private and professional lives are closely linked whereas specific cultures keep them separate. Additionally, specific cultures promote directness, precision, and transparency. Also, people from specific orientated cultures are able to remove themselves from a situation in regards to principles and values. This means that specific orientated cultures encourage objectivity. This is in contrast with the diffuse orientated culture that is more indirect and highly subjective. Furthermore, it can be said that this culture is more informal and social-orientated. 2)Illustrate the dimension referring not only to the professional life. Describe situations in which the dimension may impact behaviors. For instance : when somebody cries in the classroom, (for the neutral/ affective dimension). For example, if a manager is invited to dinner by employees, in a specific-orientated culture, the manager might decline the invitation as he or she wouldn’t feel it is appropriate whereas in a diffuse orientated culture this might be seen as an opportunity to bring informality to the relationship. So in a company based in Germany, this invitation would be seen as inappropriate because Germany has a more specific culture whereas in Finland this wouldn’t necessarily be frowned upon as it is more diffuse orientated. 3)In order to measure â€Å"your† dimension among persons of different nationality, prepare a series or questions (MCQ or Yes/No type are easier to analyze).

Mithraism :: essays research papers fc

Mithraism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is the third day of December, only twenty-two days remain till the celebration of Mithra begins (Cunningham, 197). Myself and a few of my army comrades have big plans for this upcoming occasion, it is just a shame though that some of our fellow country men, and our own wives even, are trying to spoil our Mithristic festivities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It seems the beliefs of Mithra are becoming quite unpopular in Rome. Only a small portion of my fellow soldiers still belong to the brotherhood, and the soldiers are the only ones who follow the ways of Mithra. Most of the Roman people will not even admit of an existence of my religion, women do not like it because they are not aloud to partake in it (197). That is for their own good though, Mithraism is not meant for women or the weak, their are some things they just can not understand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No, the people of this land do not believe in Mithraism, but they do have their own god to worship. In fact it is all my wife can speak of, this Christianity. The faith the people of Rome are demonstrating for this man Jesus and his teachings is very uncanny, and it is only hurting my creed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nerve these Christians have, putting their most holy of days on the same day as ours (197). This must be some sort of conspiracy in trying to finish off a dying religion. If that is not enough, they even tore down my place of worship and built a church of their own in place of it (197). Now I must travel two hours by horse just to fulfill my spiritual needs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My wife, she cannot understand anything. We argue continuously over how to raise our son. Before my church was torn down there was little to fuss over, now all she does is complain. She says that it is to far of a trip for him to journey with me every week, and that he should go with her to the Christian church. She also protests that our ways are to barbaric, and he should not take part in some of its activities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She is in great dismay over what I have in store for our young lad this coming twenty-fifth. In my religion only men can join, and the men must follow certain rites of passage to be aloud to enter. One of the more important rites is the sacrifice of a bull (197). She believes that she is going to take him to her chuch in celebration of the Christian god Jesus.

Creative Spark Talk Analysis Essay

Sir Ken Robinson is an educator, respected author and leading advocator for changes to the educational system. A Professor believes that the education system needs to be more creative and stop preventing creativity. Sir Robinson speech on â€Å"How Schools Kill Creativity†; given on February 2006; at TED conference in Monterey California. It focuses on the education system goals and the educators understanding the process of developing a successful system. The focus of his speech is how schools do everything they can to dissuade children from being creative. He is advocating for a monumental change in current educational systems that nurture and promote creativity. The education system profound way of how the selection process of the employee, prevents the out-of-box thinkers from maintaining their creativity growth. Stages of Creativity Robinson begins his talk referencing how we have become a society that deeply vested in education. He goes on to say today’s children have incredible talent but we waste it through our current educational systems. He discusses how we have become a society that is educating for 50 years in the 2065 we really have no idea what the future will look like in five years. In looking at the four stages of creativity, it is easy to see how the current educational systems stifle creativity. Stage one according to Ryan Ruggiero is searching for challenges or â€Å"meeting challenges in an imaginative, original, and effective way† (Ruggiero, 2012). Robinson discusses how our educational systems have become more about mathematics and science and less about the arts. Young children are willing to take a  chance. If they do not know an answer to a question, they are not afraid to go for it or of being wrong according to Robinson. Robinson makes an excellent point that â€Å"if you aren’t prepared to be wrong then you will never come up with anything creative† (Robinson, 2007). Stage three, which probably the most important deals with investigating the problem. It is important to make sure you obtain the necessary information to deal effectively with the problem. The last stage is stage four, which involves producing ideas. It is importa nt to make sure you generate enough ideas to decide which action you should take. Concepts of imagination and Curiosity Almost the entire talk Robinson gave revolved around creativity and imagination. Robinson discusses how today’s society has become dependent on rising through the ranks by achieving different degree levels. He explains that in order to rise to different levels there is too much focus on answering questions accurately and too much focus on when mistakes occur. Personal experiences and Benefit Society I remember not doing well in my Biology class and my instructor challenge me to change location in the classroom. I did not believe that the seat selection was the problem, but changing the seat eliminated the surrounding distraction and my grades highlighted the improvement. I took that same approach to the rest of my classes and the results astonishing. I believe at that time most of my teachers had written me off, but as an educator you have to seek ways more creative approach to capture and develop the students minds for thinking out of the box. I have learn from that experience and lecture, we as educators in the educational system have to be open to ideas and develop different methodology that will help our learners to mature and produce different avenues of approach to accomplishing a task. Sir Robinson talk was quite eye opening for me and has made me take a more analytical approach to how I even educate my children. References Robinson, K. (2007, January 6). Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? [Video file]. Retrieved from Youtube.com website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY Ruggiero, V. R. (2012). The Art Thinking. The art of thinking: A guide to critical and creative thought (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Longman.

Language & Literacy for Young Children Essay

This paper will discuss developmentally appropriate methodologies in teaching language and literacy to young children across a developmental curriculum. Also to be discussed will be the aspects/knowledge’s of language, language diversity and Theoretical Perspectives. In the Beginning There is now evidence that it is never too early to teach a child. Through research it has been discovered that the infant even before he/she is born can hear sound and as we know that is how we acquire language, by hearing spoken words. According to Otto (2010), language development begins when language speakers assume that an infant is a participating partner in conversational settings, even though it is months before the child is able to begin using conventional words. In an article written by Dr. Carmelita Lomeo-Smrtic,Ph. D, she wrote that â€Å"Teaching children to become literate members of society is a daunting task, often relegated to the elementary teacher. However, research on teaching children to become literate suggests that this process must begin well before kindergarten. Research suggests that children are primed for learning language in utero. Also from the Otto text, â€Å"research on children’s perception of speech and the development of the auditory system in utero has determined that the fetus can perceive sounds beginning with the 25th week of gestation and at the 35th week a fetus’s hearing acuity is at a level similar to an adult’s(2010). Knowing all of this has prompted mother’s and some father’s to read to their unborn infant and even â€Å"talk† to him/her. Documented research suggests that infants can distinguish their mother’s voice from the voice of others-including other female voices a first few days after birth (Otto,2010). Aspects of Language It has been established that children begin learning at a very early age, even though they do not begin speaking words for many months. Now we will move on to speak about howthey learn. There are five aspects or knowledge’s of language. -Phonetic, Semantic, Syntactic, Morphemic, and Pragmatic.

Public Companies Essays - Types Of Business Entity, Legal Entities

Public Companies Essays - Types Of Business Entity, Legal Entities Public Companies PUBLIC COMPANIES Public Companies are those which are listed on the stock exchange. The public may buy and sell shares in them. A public company will have the word 'limited' after the company name (usually abbreviated to Ltd). Characteristics The characteristics of a public company are that they are limited by shares and have limited liability. 'Limited by shares' means that shares in the company can be bought and sold freely (shares are featured in the stock-exchange). While 'limited liability' mean that in the event of company failure e.g. bankruptcy, the financial responsibility of the individual shareholders is restricted to the face value of his/her shares. In other words personal assets cannot be touched. Another characteristic of a public company is the Limited or Ltd after the companies name. It distinguishes between public and private companies clearly. Process involved in setting up In order to set up a public Company, 5 or more people need to follow the procedure stated in the Company Law Review Act 1998. That is, they need to fill out form 201 (refer to Appendix 1) from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). This form contains particulars of the initial members, office holders and office addresses. In the past, companies had to have a memorandum and Articles of Association. Now, they may need either a single set of rules known as a 'constitution' or have no constitution and rely on basic rules of internal management set out in the law known as 'Replaceable rules'. These rules can be replaced by a constitution at any time, hence it's name. When a company is registered ASIC issues the company with a unique nine-digit number called the Australian Company Number (ACN). After the issuing of the ACN number, the company is officially registered as a Public Company. The operation of a public company has it's advantages and it's disadvantages due to it's function and it's influences from it's external environment. Advantages J The shareholders have limited liability J The company has perpetual succession (if the main owner dies, their shares can be sold to other people or his/her nominated succession). J Shares are easily bought and sold on the stock exchange. J Finance can be easily arranged. J The management normally has a large degree or experience and expertise in a variety of fields. J It is a legal entity. Disadvantages L Government regulations effect company activity L There are usually limits placed on the power of the board of directors. L Companies can be expensive to maintain and organise. L the ease with which shares can be bought and sold may sometimes be a disadvantage because if every shareholder sells their shares, due to an unstable period in the economy, the value of the company will decline. Cessation Cessation of a public company means that the company stops trading. One reason a company may stop trading is because it can not pay it debts. It is the liquidated which means it's assets are distributed to it's shareholders according to the number of shares each person has. Sometimes, when the company has difficulty paying it's debts, the courts may appoint a receiver to decide if the business should continue to trade or close it down. The receiver is an independent manager, usually an accountant. Bibliography business and accounting By Pat Whoo Copyright 1997

A Profile of the Blue Button Jelly

A Profile of the Blue Button Jelly Although it has the word jelly in its name, the blue button jelly (Porpita porpita) is not a jellyfish  or sea jelly. It is a hydroid, which is an animal in the class Hydrozoa. They are known as colonial animals, and sometimes just referred to as blue buttons. The blue button jelly is made up of individual zooids, each specialized for a different function such as eating, defense or reproduction. The blue button jelly is related to jellyfish, though. It is in the Phylum Cnidaria, which is the group of animals that also includes corals, jellyfish (sea jellies), sea anemones, and sea pens. Blue button jellies are relatively small  and measure about 1 inch in diameter. They consist of a hard, golden brown, gas-filled float in the center, surrounded by blue, purple or yellow hydroids that look like tentacles. The tentacles have stinging cells called nematocysts. So in that respect, they can be like jellyfish species that sting. Blue Button Jelly Classification Heres the scientific classification nomenclature for a blue button jelly: Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: CnidariaClass: HydrozoaOrder: AnthoathecataFamily: PorpitidaeGenus: Porpitaspecies: porpita Habitat and Distribution Blue button jellies are found in warm waters off Europe, in the Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, New Zealand, and southern U.S. These hydroids live on the ocean surface, are sometimes blown into shore, and sometimes seen by the thousands. Blue button jellies eat plankton and other small organisms; they are typically eaten by sea slugs and violet sea snails. Reproduction Blue buttons are hermaphrodites, which means that each blue button jelly has both male and female sex organs. They have reproductive polyps that release eggs and sperm into the water. The eggs are fertilized and turn into larvae, which then develop into individual polyps. Blue button jellies are actually colonies of different types of polyps; these colonies form when a polyp divides to form new types of polyps. The polyps are specialized for different functions, such as reproduction, feeding, and defense. Blue Button Jellies...Are They Hazardous to Humans? Its best to avoid these beautiful organisms if you see them. Blue button jellies do not have a lethal sting, but they can cause skin irritation when touched. Sources: Climate Watch. Blue Button: Porpita porpita. Larsen, K. and H. Perry. 2006. Sea Jellies of the Mississippi Sound. Gulf Coast Research Laboratory - University of Southern Mississippi. Meinkoth, N.A. 1981. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashore Creatures. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. SeaLifeBase. Porpita Porpita. WoRMS. 2010. Porpita porpita (Linnaeus, 1758). In: Schuchert, P. World Hydrozoa database. World Register of Marine Species on October 24, 2011.

Journey to the West Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Journey to the West - Essay Example In most European countries, it is referred to as â€Å"Monkey† because it focuses on the Tang Monk as well as his monkey disciple Sun Wukong. The first edition was written in Chinese by Wu Chengen in the sixteenth century, however, since then there have been numerous other publications in English translation. I used the fourth volume of the revised edition translated by Anthony C. Yu. This version lays its focus on the pilgrimage itself, the journey towards getting the Holy Scriptures and bringing them back to Tang dynasty, which is in China. In its twenty-five chapters, it gives the exaggerated adventures, encounters and challenges that the monk, Tang Tripitaka, and his three disciples Great Sage Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie Wuneng and Sha Wujing faced during the pilgrimage. His disciples were meant to serve and protect their master from any harm and ensure the success of the pilgrimage. The book begins with chapter seventy-six of the original book giving a tale whereby some demons have captured the Great Sage Sun-the monkey disciple of Tang Monk. One of the demons has swallowed him, and he is causing it distress from the insides of its stomach (Yu 2). Sun Wukong, in a smart and tricky way and with the help of his magic manages to salvage himself from the situation and coerce the demons to agree to transport him, his brothers and their master Tang across the mountains (Yu 4). We then see a battle of muscle and wits between the demons and the Monks on pilgrimage as the demons try to devour the Tang Monk. They do so because they believe his meat will grant them immortality and free them from their sins (Yu 17). In the following chapter, the demons trick and seize all the four and prepare to eat the monk. However, Sun Wukong uses his wits, magic and to save himself, his brothers and his master from these demons (Yu 28). As the book continues, the monk runs into numerous demons and evil creatures, a land