Total Quality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Total Quality Management - Essay Example Various ways of improvements that can lead to its success and development of the company in a more holistic way has also been discussed in this study. Total Quality Management (TQM) at Toyota Japanese organisations were the first to adopt quality management principles during the early 1950s (Ho, 2011, p. 12). The fundamental concepts behind TQM which include methods like Just-in-Time (JIT) and "jidoka" meaning in-station quality were not originally developed by Toyota. However the production followed by Toyota are widely studied and followed by many organisations operating their businesses worldwide. Kaizen or continuous quality forms the basis of Toyota Production System (TPS). Kaizen is found to be enforced at almost every levels of the company. It helps in increasing the commitment levels of the employees of the organization, thereby helping it to reduce its costs and increase in its performance levels. The total quality management system followed by Toyota is commonly known as To yota Production System (TPS). ... The organisation needs to have a top-down approach towards implementing TQM to have any kind of meaningful effects generating out of it. Hence the TQM strategy needs to be initiated by the top management of the organisation and from there it would percolate down to all the management levels of the organisation. 2) The Scope: The scope of TQM within an organisation is not limited to certain people or departments. To implement TQM in the organisational system it is necessary to involve each and every individual working for the company and it also needs to include all the business processes carried on within the organisation. There must be some pre-defined goals or objectives of the organisation and each of the departments of the company would be working together for the fulfilment of the goals of the organisation as a whole. 3) The Scale: Each and every person working for an organisation are meant to have some responsibilities at the personal levels for the improvement and maintenance of quality of the products or services offered by the company and ensuring the satisfaction of its customers. Along with the external customers associated with a business organisation, the internal customers who are mainly the employees of the organisation are also required to be satisfied with the working environment within the company. Proper communication levels and teamwork must be ensured through concerted efforts by all the internal customers of the organisation. 4) The Philosophy: The philosophy behind the concept of TQM is that it does not aim for detection of any kinds of defects or errors but is aimed at the prevention of occurrence of such defects or errors. Hence in

The challenge for a self regulatory organization arbitrator Essay Example for Free

The challenge for a self regulatory organization arbitrator Essay An effective arbitration system requires competent, impartial and just arbitrators who will discharge their duties with great care. It is essential for arbitrators to realize that the disputing parties consider them to be akin to judges and that their power in some respects exceeds that of the judges in the sense that with the exception of a few causes, their decisions cannot be reversed. Arbitrators should not only be impartial but they should also appear to be so. â€Å"In arbitration, even more than in court, not only must justice be done, but justice must also be seen to be done . † Ethical Responsibilities. Sometimes, the arbitrator’s position in respect of a dispute could lead to a conflict of interests. Whenever such an event occurs, the arbitrator has to appraise the Director of Arbitration in this regard or in the alternative the arbitrator may decline to sit on the arbitration panel. The reason for such stringency is that arbitrators, in the course of their work, decide on issues that are of immense importance to the disputing parties, who must at all times be assured that their dispute has been accorded the fairest hearing possible and that justice to the fullest extent possible has been rendered. Independence and Impartiality The concept of independence and impartiality occupies a central place in civil justice and both the Online Dispute Resolution or ODR service provider as well as the individual arbitrator must not only be independent and impartial but must also appear to be so. Further, they should not have any vested interests. Moreover, it should be necessary for individual arbitrators and mediators to strictly adhere to a code of professional ethics. Such a code of professional ethics should ensure that arbitrators and mediators reveal personal interests in the dispute. Further, it should ensure that the arbitrators and mediators avoid conflicts of interest. The extent of the job security and remuneration of third parties should be adequate to ensure neutrality. The ODR user should be granted access to information in respect of the compliance of the arbitrators and mediators with these requirements. Moreover, third party arbitrators and mediators should be allocated on a strictly random basis and no single party should be permitted to select a particular arbitrator or mediator . It is important to note that the rules of international arbitration require the arbitrators to be invariably impartial in their reasoning. Further, these arbitrators have to be independent of the parties involved in the arbitration. The rules however do not specify this applicability in practice and in this respect, Article 7 of the American Arbitration Association’s International Rules allows this impartiality to vary if the parties involved have agreed to so. This Article 7 states that â€Å"Unless the parties agree otherwise, arbitrators acting under these rules shall be impartial and independent. † In an inflexible manner, the ICC Rules provide that â€Å"every arbitrator appointed or confirmed by the Court must be and remain independent of the parties involved in the arbitration† and that they shall make disclosures accordingly . The London Court of International Arbitration makes it mandatory that arbitrators â€Å"be and remain at all times wholly independent and impartial, and shall not act as advocates for any party† . The UCITRAL states that â€Å"Any arbitrator may be challenged if circumstances exist that give rise to justifiable doubts as to the arbitrator’s impartiality or independence† . The process of arbitration entails an impartial, independent third party that considers the statements of the disputing parties prior to resolving the dispute by issuing a decision that is binding on all the parties involved in the dispute. This process is utilized in a wide range of disputes. Arbitrators are required to have better knowledge and better focussed expertise on the subject matter in comparison to the ordinary judges or jurors. Moreover, they should deal with the disputed matter with greater efficiency and logic. Due to these requirements, arbitral firms generally maintain information about prospective arbitrators and such information includes the specialised expertise of these arbitrators. However, in cases involving intellectual property, technical know-how though helpful may not always be desirable. Disputes arising out of contractual terms could differ and arbitrators having legal knowledge invariably have greater expertise than arbitrators without such knowledge. This explains the reason why parties always prefer a lawyer to be their arbitrator. In intellectual property matters the chances of a non legal person becoming an arbitrator are remote . In general, arbitration is characterized by parties who consent to use the process, privacy, the determination of the outcome by a third party, a legally binding and absolute process and the existence of narrow grounds on the basis of which an appeal can be made. Such hearings are usually less formal than court hearings and some forms of arbitration are conducted solely on the basis of documents and do not involve hearings . In A. S. M Shipping v. T. T. M. I it was held that in accordance with the precedent set by the European Court of Justice, the English law required the determiner of a bias to be fair minded and knowledgeable. In the case of Porter v. Magill the court created a test whereby it could be ascertained whether a fair minded, informed observer, â€Å"having considered the facts, would conclude that there was a real possibility that the Tribunal was biased. Trade Arbitrations, like the London Maritime Arbitrators Association of the LMAA, the Grain And Feed Trade Association or GAFTA, the Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Association or FOSFA, the London Metal Exchange or the LME, etc, constitute a major characteristic of London arbitration. A sizable amount of the world’s shipping and commodities trading utilize contract forms that specify London as the venue for trade arbitrations. The persons who are members of these arbitral bodies are required to possess widespread experience in the trade and at times they have to be active traders. Accordingly, in Rustal Trading Ltd v Gill Duffus SA one of the consultants of Rustal was being censured for his commercial character. The facts were that previously, one of the arbitrators had been embroiled in trade arbitration against him. While setting aside the challenge to this arbitrator, Moore-Bick J held that it could fairly be assumed that one of the reasons why the parties have agreed to trade arbitration is that they wish to have their dispute decided by people who are themselves active traders and so have direct knowledge of how the trade works. However, if the arbitrators themselves are to be active traders there is every likelihood that at least one member of the tribunal will at some time have had commercial dealings with one or both parties to the dispute. That is something which the parties must be taken to have had in mind . Conclusion The past two to three decades have been witness to the fact that disputes in international business have been resolved by international commercial arbitration. The success of this system is reflected in the resolution of important disputes that had their origin in the nationalization of oil concessions in the 1970s and 1980s, mammoth international construction projects such as the subterranean tunnel under the English Channel and crises brought about by incidents like â€Å"the French sinking of the Rainbow Warrior on its green peace mission. † Moreover, its success has been proved by the tremendous growth â€Å"in the number of arbitration centers, arbitrators and arbitrations . † The world of business has been subjected to tremendous growth with the result that it has become imperative to have in place a reliable and competent business disputes resolution mechanism. In general, businesses are partial to settling their differences in a manner that does not create animosity with the resultant hampering of their business relationship. Thus, arbitration, which entails rapid, pragmatic and efficient dispute resolution, is uniquely suited to such an endeavour. The process of arbitration differs from the usual judicial process as it is carried out by neutral arbitrators who are chosen by the disputing parties. Arbitration involves either one or three arbitrators and the particulars of the arbitration, like organization, arrangement, location and extent are incorporated in their contract. The arbitration clause, which contains these particulars, is in general agreed upon at the time of formulating the initial contract. The process of arbitration consists of a voluntary method of settling disagreements by obtaining a concluding and obligatory verdict from an unbiased third party regarding business disputes between parties. The value of this method is immeasurable in international business transactions which involve business parties who are on several occasions ignorant of the foreign legal systems . This essay examined the role of arbitrators in international trade disputes. The requirement that arbitrators should be impartial and independent had been analyzed by resorting to the decisions in relevant cases, scholarly journals and the United Kingdom’s Government’s Websites, which revealed that in the majority of the cases these arbitrators were functioning in an impartial and independent manner. The challenges faced by arbitrators and the court’s decisions have been discussed at length. International arbitrations are beset with a host of problems that are unique to such arbitrations; this situation arises due to the fact that opinion regarding what is deemed to be acceptable commercial practice differs from country to country. Due to the proclivity of the domestic courts to adopt a more or less laissez faire attitude, international arbitrations are to a large extent self-regulatory. In general, international arbitrations entail commercial disputes in construction, international sale of goods and commodities, and shipping . From the foregoing analysis it can be concluded that in the majority of the cases international arbitrators are impartial and independent. ? Bibliography 1. Arbitrator’s Manual. Available at http://www. nasd. com/ArbitrationMediation/ResourcesforArbitratorsandMediators/GeneralInformationandReference/ArbitratorsManual/EntireDocument/index. htm 2. A. S. M Shipping v. T. T. M. (2005). EWHC 2238. 3. Bank Mellat v Helleniki Technik (1984) QB 291. 4. Bank Mellat v GAA (1988) 2 LI 44. 5. Bazerman, Max H. , Farber, Henry S. Arbitrator Decision Making: When Are Final Offers Important? Industrial Labor Relations Review. Ithaca: Oct 1985. Vol. 39, Iss. 1; pg. 76. 6. Bremer Handles GmbH v EtsSoules e Cie (1985) 2 IR119. 7. David L Dickinson. A Comparison of Conventional, Final-Offer, and Combined† Arbitration for Dispute Resolution, Industrial Labor Relations Review. Ithaca: Jan 2004. Vol. 57, Iss. 2; pg. 288 8. Dezalay, Yves and Garth, Bryant. G. Dealing in virtue: International Commercial Arbitration and the Constitution of a transnational†¦1996, University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 0226144224. 9. Hammond v Bradford City Council (1970) 1 WLR 937. 10. Hornle, Julia. Online Dispute Resolution in Business to Consumer E – Commerce Transactions. Available at http://www2. warwick. ac. uk/fac/soc/law/elj/jilt/2002_2/hornle/ 11. http://fdcc. digitalbay. net/documents/Lanzone-SU04. htm 12. http://www. onlinedmc. co. uk/a_s_m_shipping_v__t_t_m_i. htm 13. IBA Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration, available at http://www.sccinstitute. com/_upload/iba_guidelines_22_may_2004. pdf 14. Icori v KFTCIC Paris Court of Appeal 28 June 1991. 15. International Arbitration. Available at http://www. osec. doc. gov/ogc/occic/arb-98. html 16. Judicial Review: A Proposed Pre – action Protocol. A Lord Chancellor’s Department Consultation Paper. 2001. Department for Constitutional Affairs. Crown Copyright. Available at http://www. dca. gov. uk/consult/judrev/judrevanna. htm#anna1 17. LCIA to publish challenge decisions, 2006, available at http://www. lcia.org/PRINT/NEWS_print. html 18. Lerma, Jose Manuel Iborra. Worldwide Forum on the Arbitration of Intellectual Property Disputes: Geneva, 1994. World Intellectual Property Organization, p. 157-158. ISBN 9280504983. 19. Porter v. Magill (2002) AC 357. 20. Rustal Trading Ltd v Gill Duffus SA (2001). 1 Lloyds Law Reports 14. 21. SA Coppee Lavalin v Ken Ren (1994) 2 WLR 631. 22. Susan T Mackenzie. Compulsory Arbitration: The Grand Experiment in Employment, Industrial Labor Relations Review. Ithaca: Jul 1999. Vol. 52, Iss. 4; p. 648.

The Status Of Women In Pakistan

The Status Of Women In Pakistan 1.1 Demographic Transition and Status of Women in Pakistan Womens empowerment has more than one component: their right to make a decision; their access to opportunities and resources; authority to be in charge of their own lives, both inside and outside the home. Female empowerment has many dimensions. It includes access to knowledge, possession of social and economic resources and more autonomy in political and economic decision-making processes. All these components and dimensions of female empowerment are interrelated and an alteration in one component will not bring a huge transformation unless all change. If females have access to the productivity of men, then both genders can work simultaneously towards the betterment of the country, and this will lead to a sustainable way out of poverty. Therefore, women should get equal work opportunities. But women have greater challenges, as they do not get the same economic opportunities as men do. They do not get access to the decent working condition and lag behind men in decision making. In Pakistan, women do not has proper identities, as she is owned by her male peers. Their integrity and health are often beyond their own control. They are taken as invisible, underserved and undernourished. The culture of Pakistan is greatly patriarchal, there are many old and conservative traditions of women having a subservient and subordinate role. Decisions for female individuals are made by men in her family, especially in under-developed and distant regions. In Pakistan, specific religious beliefs are deeply rooted in citizens beliefs, on which many traditions and social perspective surfaces. Gender empowerment means that females ought to gain equality under the law and it must be implemented and enforced. Womens empowerment essentially contains legal fairness, equal access to education and practical exercise, females management at the national level, positive action for jobs with one and the same pay, and a gender-sensitive justice system. 1.2 Factors Effecting Women Empowerment In Pakistan Women consist of more than 50 percent of population in Pakistan and to deprive this half population of empowerment is to deprive our economy of growth. Women empowerment will not only result in the empowerment of women but also the economic well-being of the country. The development of the country also should result in equitable distribution of development benefits especially to the women sector. Economically empower women have more autonomy and resultantly this can transform their children and family lives. As she is a pivot about which entire family unit revolve, therefore an economically enriched woman has a constructive impact on the future generation. Countries who dont take benefit of its full population and ignores half of it, it is actually misallocating its resources, which will only lead to the reducing their development potential. All countries should focus on its weakness and learn from more successful countries. It should also set up such policies which take advantage of the whole population, as in both female and male. As successful countries are the one who recognize the potential in the women force as well for development. Throughout the world, there is not a single country which can boast of gender equality and full women empowerment. Women still out there face discrimination and are lagging behind in one way or the other. Gender equality in two critical sections is very important like economic and political empowerment of women. There is improvement in health and education with the advent of technology and as globally economies are developing but yet there is a long way to go as women are still very behind men especially in decision making and income earning. With the past trend it is quiet visible women are actively participating in to take charge of their own lives and this is in fact effecting the communities and society as a whole. But there is a big problem as women are not consistent class, they vary by race culture, society, brought up and opportunity, thus these factors also plays an important part in the disparity of women as these factors affect the behavior of society members. The objective of this research is to find out what political and economic determinants effect the women empowerment especially in Pakistan. The main goal is to find out what past variables have been selected and to learn from them and find new determinants. 1.3 Incidence and The Extent Women Empowerment In Pakistan As Pakistan is a growing and developing country and for the past few years its condition is not much improving, this in act is further affecting the condition of women. As more and more people are effected and thus poverty is increasing. Thus women have to strive hard to contribute to the family income, so that their family is at least above poverty line In Pakistan, apparently through the perspective of Islam this country says it gives equal right to both men and women but there is another side to the picture. Women constitute a small portion in decision making and they contribute very less o the development of the country as there labor force participation with respect to men is very less. The status of women in this country represents the traditions and the social customs, which led women to this condition. Women are always underprivileged then man in Pakistan, they get less education, food, decision making and health. As it is consider men are the lords of women, and women are deprived from their basic rights. Women destiny is controlled by men. This is not the case in Pakistan only but also in many countries men are considered superior than women. To achieve development, we have to convert our weakness to strengths. It is also known that increase women participation in the labor force will benefit the growth and resources can be distributed more easily to disadvantaged people. Thus women should get decent work, social protection and voice at work. As most of the time women are subjugated to lower wages than men and their wages have barely increased over time and they are offered low skilled, low paid atypical jobs, mainly performed from home. One of the greatest achievements in Pakistan, during the last decade has been the increasing proportion of women in the labor force, enabling women all over the country to use their potential in the labor market and to achieve economic independence. But yet we still have a long way to go. From Global perspective higher percentage of female are working in the developed countries than ever before, yet at the identical time these women continuing raise children to bear new burdens. But these women face tradeoffs as it will be difficult to find good demanding jobs with children to look after too as well. That is why there is not equal opportunity for men and women. Not only the family but also the society, government and the whole nation will benefit from the empowerment of women. Versatile aspects contribute to the passive functions played by women in the Pakistan Society. Great emphasis has been laid on removing gender inequality and improving women empowerment as Millennium Developmental Goal, resultantly many efforts have been initiated by the Government and NGOs in Pakistan on this issue According to (Pakistan employment trends for women) , international Labor Organization (ILO), has the objective of the promotion of opportunities for women and men to obtain productive employment is also the overall objective of the four fundamental ILO Conventions stressing gender equality cover: (1) equal remuneration (2) non-discrimination in employment and occupation, (3) workers with family responsibilities and (4) maternity protection. The Millennium Development Goals that emerged from the UN Millennium Declaration of September 2000 are specific measurable targets, including the one for reducing the extreme poverty that still grips more than 1 billion of the worlds people by 2015. Essential to this promise are the MDGs interrelated to educational results: (1) Guarantee that all youngsters complete primary education by 2015. (2) Remove gender inequalities in primary and secondary education. By 2006, most countries have already fallen well behind the necessary targets to meet these goals (Millennium Development Goal, 2006). As stated in millennium development goal 3 the promotion of gender equality and empowerment is fundamental to achieving the remaining MDGs .Likewise, there is evidence that addressing gender issues benefits individuals and families, workers and employers, society and national economies. Improving womens wages and earnings has been identified as a key element in tackling poverty and achieving the MDGs. Yet there are Country specific activities to promote gender equality and decent work as in Pakistans constitution ensures all fundamental human rights and guarantees equal employment opportunities for men and women. Existing labor legislations do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of sex, but women are not allowed to work in a few areas for health and safety reasons, but the society as a whole plays a big part. the traditions of Pakistan forces women to sit at home and look after the children only , whether there husband give them money or not ,. Society or community does not approve females going out and raising voices for their rights. They also disapprove females working outside their homes. It is consider the work of women juts to look after their families. So to change this whole perceptive media is playing a big part but the government also needs to be active. As recently the Government initiated a number of activities to promote gender equality at the heart of decent work and to achieve MDG target calling for full and productive employment and decent work for all including women and young people. Those activities range from gender Sensitive revisions of constitutional and legal provisions to the establishment of new policy frameworks that help to accomplish the target. Therefore, the elevation of privileges of women and men in the domain of work and to achieve gender equality are reflected in a number of national development frameworks and policy documents including the Medium Term Development Framework (MTDF) for 2005-10, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and documents exclusively relating to labor markets such as the 2002 Labor Policy and the 2006 Labor Protection Policy. Pakistans Decent Work Country Program (DWCP) spells out the main strategy and plan of action to promote the creation of decent work with gender equality as a cross cutting theme. Overview of existing national policies and development frameworks that stress gender equality and decent work in the country. (Haq) 1.4 Managerial and Academic concerns My research will highlight the key determinants of women empowerment in Pakistan. As this issue is not only prevalent in Pakistan but is a global issue. as It is very important to conduct a research on determinants of women empowerment because it will stress on women troubles and bring them in to attention and it can facilitates and direct the policy makers to make such an intervention in their area, that could enrich these females not only economically but also politically and financially so that they can make a difference in their children lives and their individual living environment .Consequently providing her the individual safety and self-respect that is her essential right. this research is will also help independent institutions like NGOs to reach out to economically and politically deprived women as The negligence of women in development process will be big loss for Pakistan as it will result in loss in human potential and ultimately effect national development. Academically, this research is very significant for the undergraduates as it will help them pinpoint the economic and political determinants which effect the women empowerment in Pakistan. Student will find this research more realistic and precise. As now more individuals are getting conscious of this issue, so more instructors and undergraduates are doing research on women empowerment. They will find this investigation more helpful. 1.6 Keywords and Definitions Empowerment Refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities (Ouellette) Womens empowerment refers to the ability of women to transform economic and social development when empowered to fully participate in the decisions that affect their lives through leadership training, coaching, consulting, and the provision of enabling tools for women to lead within their communities, regions, and countries (Wise earth) Economic and political Determinants An identifiable element in economic and political that affects that limits or defines a decision or condition. 1.7 Study Objectives This study is an attempt to find the determinants of women empowerment in Pakistan as women being the core element of development and in Pakistan it consists of more than half of the population. To study the impact of the Economic participation on women empowerment. To study the impact of the health on women empowerment. To study the impact of the Power over economic resources on women empowerment. To study the impact of the Microfinance on women empowerment. To study the impact of the Political empowerment on women empowerment. To study the impact of the Education attainment on women empowerment. To study the impact of the traditions on women empowerment. End notes With the advent of technology and progress in development, yet in this era women still lack behind men in power because even though a lot has been done for the empowerment of women but there is still a long way to go. Especially in Pakistan, the norms and tradition practiced are such that which suppresses the rights of female. Since independences of Pakistan, women have not gained freedom from these discriminating norms. Even though there has been a progress but this progress is very slow but to empower women not only our government but also society as a whole has to work very hard. LITERATURE REVIEW: Measuring women empowerment Empowerment is a multi-dimensional procedure that aids women to achieve power and control over their individual lives. Empowerment gives due right to women. Yet measurement of women empowerment is difficult and it is challenging to judge country level performance as there is difficulty in gathering diverse data. Based on the findings of, Womens Empowerment: Measuring Gender Gap, five important dimensions have been selected for the examination of women empowerment. Economic participation refers to contribution of females to workforce in quantitative terms. Economic opportunity is related to how much women are involved in the economy, beyond their mere presence as workers. This problem is concentrated in developed countries where women gain access to employment easily but they have little chances of upward mobility. Political empowerment means women have contribution in the decision making and can influence policy making. Educational attainment is very important as women can get the same opportunities as men do and it can be a big step for development purpose. Health and well-being is associated with how much females have access to suffici ent nutrition, healthcare and reproductive facilities. It is very difficult to measure each dimension in each country and to implement policy as each country has many other factors effecting its women empowerment. The GEM quantitatively measures the liberation of women on a country level. This indicator comprises of the share of inequality in control over earned economic resources, involvement in governmental decision-making and economic decision-making. This variable measure how much a power woman holds. Drawing upon Womens Empowerment: Measuring Gender Gap, a report on Taking action: achieving gender equality and empowering women, takes a step forward and elaborates further more on that there are three main domains. These three domains are interconnected, and alteration in every one of three is significant in accomplishing Goal 3. Women: Current Reality In a report by Augusto Lopez-Claros, it is mentioned that the past three decades have witnessed a progressively aggregate awareness of the necessity to invest in women through measures to increase political justice, social, financial and wider access to important social rights but it is argued that changes in women state is a very slow process, up till now a lot of work has been done but yet still the picture is depressing. It is not only the issue in male dominated society but also in developed country as well. A spotlight on deprived female is acceptable for numerous causes. Unfortunate female have the furthermost requirements. It is regularly stated that female outnumber male among the underprivileged. One more important report, Taking action: achieving gender equality and empowering women, further elaborated that poor women have greatest need; investment in them will produce greatest benefit. Further, investment in the adolescent girls is very crucial as they experience more disadvantage than boys. Plus with progress in education and health, yet poverty among women has increased even in the richest countries where womens labor force participation has grown, but the terms and conditions of their employment have not improved. According to Linda Mayoux, Women also help in poverty reduction, if they are given liberty to save with no interference and or they are offered with loan, these women can cater to the need of their house hold eventually reducing poverty. Microfinance has been fruitful in reaching poor women through inventive methods to address gender-specific restraints. According to a report Womens Control over Economic resources and access to financial Resources, including microfinance, 2009, it is obvious that microfinance has a constructive effect on income, but this income expansion has definite limits. As females are subjugated to unfair customs and practices which limits their activities. Females face constraints in gain access to financial services. From all these studies it can be assumed that in spite of numerous accomplishments in giving power to women still women empowerment are effected by many factors .women should be given equal opportunities not only in education, health, and political, economic but also socially as well. Society as a whole should be targeted where new changes, changes in lifestyle and thinking should be accepted. To empower women in Pakistan all these determinants should be taken into consideration. Increasing socialism, religious fundamentalism, and traditionalism are main limiting reasons for womens safety and liberty. other than that self-regulating groups like NGOs and other self-governing research and academic organization, have been very energetic in formulating policy documents, raising public responsiveness and encouraging for gender-sensitive strategies and activities at all stages in order to progress womens empowerment in Pakistan. Womens Economic Activity Economic participation refers to contribution of females to workforce in quantitative terms. Economic opportunity is related to how much women are involved in the economy, beyond their mere presence as workers. This problem is concentrated in developed countries where women gain access to employment easily but they have little chances of upward mobility. With the passage of time and despite considerable work done on women economic enrichment yet this is still time-consuming as due to many norms and practices women continue to be missing from many important decision-making opportunities which result in the determining the distribution of economic and financial resources and opportunity, that makes women more underprovided. Depriving women from economic resources makes a nation less productive resulting in negative economic consequences. Several social practices seem as ordinary from culture and religious perspective move women out of the main stream. Paid employment for women continues to expand slowly and remains meager in many countries including Pakistan. As the global financial crisis does not create problems for men but also for women. With men finding difficulty in recruitment as fewer jobs available due to recession thus, less jobs available for females as well. As females previously were offered less employment the men now with recent event they are less proffered and they are at huge disadvantage then men. They are getting more menial jobs and are given less wage jobs. To a great extent of work of females remains imperceptible, as most of the work done by them goes unaccounted and invisible The segment of women in salaried employment separate to the agricultural segment has amplified only slightly over the years, this shows that women are not getting work in productive jobs which can lead to development. According to (Oxaal, 1997) , with the shortage of jobs, a woman does not have any opportunity except for to accept these kinds of job. With that those women who are not allowed to leave their house for income are also at disadvantage , as their men after recession are losing jobs , even than they are not allowed by their females to also take the burden of earning income thus , females due to poverty get undernourished and malnutrition makes them unhealthy , which resultantly effect their families. Poverty, unemployment and lack of economic prosperity further strengthen this aggressiveness in rural areas the large amount of time women spend on housework and caring for family members means that they had little time to spend on employment and personal care. Since beginning women face a lot of constraint and these restraints replicate womens difficulty in education; lack of power and confidence and negotiating authority; as from their household they are misjudge which effects in low self-respect plus with comparatively high participation in part-time or transitory professions; leads to less employment for women and discrimination against them. Despite womens increased participation in the labor market, there has been no significant increase in the sharing of unpaid work, which affects womens employment choices. Access to Education The living conditions of women, their poverty and huge family household prevent them from gaining education. Since the beginning girls are required to work with their mothers to look after the whole family and do household chores this, therefore limits their time and energy to get involved in education. Issue of illiteracy is the main priority for women. As only educated women can access to economic and political sphere. According to (Medel-Anonuevo, 1993) , providing education to women will develop self-esteem and self-confidence; they will have knowledge of their health and well-being plus they will have the aptitude to make their own choices and negotiate; further this will increase the ladies attentiveness towards their civil rights. In addition will be able to provide skills for income generation and will participate in community/society more effectively and this will prepare them to be good women leaders. As according to the report Taking actions, educated females are more operative at refining their own well-being and family. They are better prepared to get the most advantage from prevailing facilities and chances and to generate alternative chances. In underprivileged countries, girls from their childhood are given domestic work; this handicaps them in terms of education. Gender inequality in rural location is even more noticeable at the phase of tertiary education. Girls from poor and rural Families face higher obstructions to education. Boys are always preferred over girls in education in each level from primary to tertiary. But directed public policy and governance actions can help overcome gender disparities. According to The Millennium Development Goals Report, 2009 policies like removing school fees and providing incentives for girls to attend school can alleviate financial pressures on households. Building schools close to distant communities and recruiting local female teachers can also constricted the gender gap in rural areas. A lot of work must be done to finish inequality and discrimination based on gender especially in schools .hard work must be done to enroll all children in to school, especially girls. And to make sure that they complete their studies up till tertiary level as this can lead to good productive jobs and high economic growth for the whole country. Barriers in the Political Domain Institutions: Since the independence of Pakistan, Pakistani governments has passed many laws for the rights of women but the change in women condition is still very slow with the passage of time. There is a huge gap between the policy making and practical work. An analysis by (JAHAN, 1996) stated that after freedom, leading Muslim women in Pakistan continued to support womens political liberation through lawful reforms. According to (Haq, Khadija Haq on Womens Political and Economic Empowerment in South Asia), government is starting to take steps to surge womens political contribution through the founding of quota systems at countrywide and local levels. Introducing quota systems is nonetheless only single step on the road to female political empowerment. We are still facing inherent male-controlled traditions and approaches that limit chances for womens participation in public life. Environment for womens political empowerment Less number of women, who attain decision-making places in a political sector dominated by men, will be unproductive in manipulating decisions as large majority is needed. Women are less represented in civil service, government and other public establishments and still massive gaps continue in education and job opportunities. At the identical period, women face legal restrictions that halt them from gaining equal access to property and inheritance. We can achieve gender equality by promoting women in politics. According to (Moser, 2007), throughout the world women are still disproportionately represented .They remain a very small minority at the center of political power. One significant approach to assisting womens empowerment is the elevation of the participation of females in politics it comprises of encouraging women in administration and national as well as supporting womens involvement in NGOs and womens movements. In government, women concentration in decision-making positions should be in social, law and justice ministries Women in Pakistan face a lot of stereotypes like women are considered as unsuitable for leadership positions; and all men contemplate that if women have political influence she must be all knowing. Ever since beginning women are disqualified from leadership roles, they are deprived of chances for leadership skills preparation. Domestic errands make it difficult for females to go for training or further studies as they solely do not have the essential hours for study. Thus they lack the talent and ability of political contribution. Most women are linked to a male political leader: as wife of an assassinated leader or daughter of an older, if not late, politician. While most women ultimately emanate into their own as leaders, it does not alter the fact that women, compared with men, have partial access to the support of political parties and males. People have different expectations of male and female leaders. As females are responsible for their family needs with their political career simultaneously. But men have only their careers to concentrate on. When women are elected, they are expected to be all-rounder and all-knowing and in their initial stage of political career, they are expected to make a strong constructive influence in altering the situation of women or talking critical issues such as poverty, health care and education within a small time from their election. According to report ISSUES IN WOMENS POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION,Unjustified and inequitable beliefs results in insufficiency of females to consider entering into politics. This diminishes the group of prospect women leaders who can be confronted, motivated, prepared, and developed for politics. Womens plea for representation is not to substitute mens power but to create places for both women and men to grow their potentials and foster a collaboration that can take on the tasks of the new millennium. Culture barriers Taking the argument in a new direction by a report on Guidelines on Womens Empowerment, states that social issue also plays major role in empowerment. In Pakistan, the girl is still differentiated from the boys from the birth, through her childhood, and into her womanhood. In the tribal fragments of Pakistan, native men are grasping more power through religion and tradition. Girls are considered socially weaker in a Pakistani culture that discriminates against them. In rural areas they observes violence, male violence against their mothers and against them thus from start this becomes a part of their life. Brothers also then participate in this violence against the girls in the family to show their manhood to peers and family male members. Male children become more violent when they grow up. Extreme poverty is a major factor that will impede the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child .The state of extreme poverty is so severe that it leaves its victims inert to awareness, legal punishment or even religious obligations. The economic empowerment of girls and mothers is critical to the achieveme nt of equality. Females in Pakistan live in a domain, which is controlled by severe religious, family and tribal traditions. According to Zaheer Udin Babur, Pakistan, They are exposed to discrimination and viciousness on a daily basis .Islamic views are not properly interpreted , they are molded according to the views of men as Islamic views wrong interpretation results in females oppression physically, mentally and emotionally. Females in Pakistan are facing numerous methods of violence, discrimination and difference in nearly every part of life. Viciousness against womenfolk in many grounds is often not considered as a violation of civil rights but rather as a standard feature of lives of Pakistani people. They live in an atmosphere of fear, and their lives are guaranteed in exchange for obedience to social norms and traditions. Because of this fear and sense of being inferior, imposed by the traditional thoughts of a male dominated society, women are suffering immensely especially in their homes. The most abusive forms of violence being faced by women take place in their homes. A thesis by (Faridi, 2009) states that women are under the control of men as the decision about education, health, occupation, marriage and physical mobility are all made by her men folk from the selection of their dress to the selection of life partner is made by either her father or brother. Women especially in Pakistan are the property of their males and to give them empowerment they should be given their due right. Moreover, Segregation and veil as perceived by men folk ma The status of women in Pakistan The status of women in Pakistan Pakistani Society is highly patriarchal which is attributed to the age-old traditions of a subordinate role of women. Women constitute approximately half of the population in Pakistan. Gender relations in the country are based on two basic perceptions. First being the impression that woman are subordinate to men, and secondly that a mans honor depends upon the women of his family. Thus it is women duty to uphold the family honor. The disparities between men and women prevails in health, education, employment, income opportunities, control over assets and participation in the political process that make women less empowered as compared to men. There are many complicated aspects contributing to the submissive role played by the Pakistani women in the society, leading to a conservative society and to a vicious cycle of poverty under-nutrition and low level of education amongst Pakistani women. In order to ensure that women do not humiliate their families, society puts a limit on womens mobility and restricts her activities. For these reasons women live under purdah. Therefore women spend most of their lives within the boundaries of their homes. In many parts of the country other than in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and some other rich cities, it is considered shameless if womens mobility is not restricted. Moreover in Pakistan, working women poses a threat to male self-esteem and identity. Therefore women are mostly engaged in multiple home-based economic activities such as cooking, laundry, agricultural duties etc. and pays them very low wage. Not only are these tasks physically tough and demanding but they have robed girls of the opportunity to study. However, due to recent concern and emphasis on removing gender inequality and improving women empowerment as Millennium Developmental Goal, some efforts at social and official reform have been made to increase practical literacy of women, giving them more access to employment opportunities at all levels in the economy and promoting awareness of womens roles and status. The empowerment of women is one of the main issues in the development process for all the developing countries in the world. According to UNDPs Human Development Report, Gender Equality Measure (GEM) for South Asia shows the lowest value (0.235) among all the regions of the world. Furthermore, as per Gender development Index (GDI), Pakistan has been noted the poorest (0.179) among South Asian Countries where the average index is 0.226 (MHHDC, 2005). According to UNDP report of 2007-08, the HDI for Pakistan is 0.551, which ranks Pakistan on 136 out of 177 countries. Elements of the social, economic and political participation of women The low health status of women in Pakistan is the result of womens lower social, economic, and cultural position. Women do not play any major role is making social and political policies, however they are equally affected by them as the male members of the society are. Womens elimination from decision-making bodies deprives them of the opportunity to raise their concerns or advance their perspective. The male-dominated governance structure creates gender inequalities which lead to the social and economic deprivation of women. Womens exclusion from politics stem from the social and political discourses, political structures and institutions and the socio-cultural and functional constraints that put limits on womens individual and collective agency. Patriarchy as a system of male domination shapes womens relationship in politics. When the gender role ideology intersects with economic, social and political systems of a particular society; women continue to be defined as private across countries which resulted in their exclusion from politics. Male domination of politics, political parties and culture of formal political structures is another factor that hinders womens social, economic and political participation. Often male dominated political parties have a male perspective on issues of national importance that disillusions women as their perspective is often ignored and not reflected in the politics of their parties. Also women are usually not elected at the position of power within party structures because of gender biases of male leadership. The gender status quo is maintained through low resource allocation to womens human development by the state, society and the family. This is reflected in the social indicators which reflect varying degrees of gender disparities in education, health, employment, ownership of productive resources and politics in all countries. Additionally gender is mediated through class, caste and ethnicity that structure access to resources and opportunities. The socio-cultural dependence of women is one of the key detrimental factors to their political participation. Sources and the extent of women deprivation and exploitation In Pakistan, there is a huge diversity in the status of women across different classes and regions. Gender is one of the main ideologies of Pakistani society. An artificial divide between production and reproduction, has given women the reproductive roles as mothers and wives at home and men are given the productive role as breadwinners which eventually leads to a lower investment in women. Thus, low investment in womens human capital, along with the beliefs of purdah, negative social biases, and cultural practices lays the foundation for gender discrimination and inconsistencies in all aspects of life. Moreover early marriages of girls, excessive childbearing, high level of illiteracy and nutritional deficiencies negatively affect womens health. Gender biasness in the health service delivery system ranging from lack of female service providers, ignorance of womens essential and reproductive health needs further aggravates womens health status. Women are officially authorized to own property from their families, however very few women have access and control over resources. Mostly women in Pakistan lack ownership of useful property or assets. Similarly, formal financial institutions do not cater to womens credit needs. Commercial banks pay no attention to women clients due to their defined views on womens creditworthiness because of their dependency on men for physical collateral, high transaction cost of small loans.  [1]  The Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan and First Womens Bank Limited and now Khushali Bank are the only banks who have credit programs that cater to women. Other sources of credit to women include informal sources such as nongovernment organizations, friends, relatives, and moneylenders and microfinance institutions. Women in Pakistan are facing various forms of violence. Domestic violence is fairly widespread across all classes. Due to this fear and sense of being inferior, imposed by the traditional thoughts of a male dominated society, women are suffering immensely and this issue needs our utmost attention. An overview of the microfinance constitutions and microfinance lending Microfinance was started in the 60s and 70s, when organizations such as ACCION International Opportunity and Grameen Bank started to grant small loans (less than 100 dollars) to microentrepreneurs, mostly women, backed by a group guarantee, thus overcoming the collateral that was the main reason for the lack of attention paid by commercial banking to the low-income segments of the population. Microfinance has experienced considerable growth ever since. Mohammad Yunus was the first and the foremost person to introduce the concept of microcredit with the help of Grameen Bank into an ever more important instrument in the struggle against poverty. Inspired by the Nobel Peace Prize winning Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, there has been a growth of microfinance institutions in developing countries; Pakistan is no exception. Growth and diversity in its microfinance sector have been encouraged by the microfinance Ordinance 2001, which resulted in the establishment of the First Microfinance Bank in Pakistan. Before the promulgation of the microfinance ordinance, the main providers of microfinance services in Pakistan were NGOs and government-sponsored rural support programs. Gaining access to finance in Pakistan has an important potential for considerable advances in the economy. Credit to the private sector is equal to 29% of gross domestic product (GDP), individuals and SMEs prefer to rely on retained earnings to finance their working capital, investment, housing financing, and other financial needs. Of the total population, 14% have access to formal finance, and about 40% have no financial access to formal or informal financial systems altogether. However, access to financial services remains quite limited in Pakistan. The predominant share of the financial system, the banking sector, is mostly focused on large enterprise lending, with an increasing interest in consumer financing and neglects SMEs, rural areas, microfinance, and the poor. SMEs comprise of almost 90% of all the enterprises in Pakistan, they employ 80% of the non-agricultural labor force and their share in the annual GDP is 40%, approximately. This innate feature of an SME makes it esse ntial that there should be a system through which it support in business including technical up gradation, marketing, and human resource training development. The beginning of microfinance sector in Pakistan has its roots in the rural development project. The Agha Khan Rural Support Programs development model is used all over Pakistan. Along with poverty alleviation, microfinance in Pakistan has been seen as an important instrument for gender empowerment. Microfinance in particular has proven to be an effective tool for poverty easing and creation of employment prospects. The GOP has formulated comprehensive Microfinance Sector Development Programme with the assistance of Asian Development Bank to broaden the microfinance sector. This will be attained through the creation of conductive policy environment, developing appropriate financial infrastructure, promoting and strengthening microfinance institutes, developing linkages with NGOs and community organizations, investing in building social capital, mitigating risks of poor households and institutional development. The Government of Pakistan (GOP) and various rural support programs in the country feel that by providing credit to women, which is used for income generation and consumption, the social and economic status of women in the household and at the community level can be improved. Currently, the network of microfinance providers is 1,343 branches with about Rs 15 billion portfolio. Among microfinance providers, Khushali Bank alone provides coverage in 86 districts. The three microfinance entities, namely, National Rural Support Program (NRSP), Khushali Bank, and Kashf Foundation accounted for approximately 70% of the sectors active clients. However, there are two main challenges faced by the microfinance institutions of Pakistan. The first challenge for microfinance is for service providers to become profitable so that service provision to poor people can grow on a sustainable basis. A study of South Asian MFIs done in 2005 showed that only 42% of microcredit borrowers in Pakistan received services from profitable MFIs which is the lowest percentage in South Asia (Microfinance Information Exchange, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, and the World Bank (2006). Most microfinance providers rely on a combination of donor/noncommercial funding, and cannot claim commercial viability, with the exception of the recently formed Microfinance Banks (MFBs). The second challenge is that microfinance is almost exclusively focused on loans, while other financial services, savings, transfers/remittances, and insurance are often more in demand by poorer households. Gender norms of microfinance institutions and microfinance lending Microfinance programs are known to empower the poor men and women. In these programs, the relationship between the provider and the client is inherently empowering. As a result, microfinance has become a vital element of many donor agencies, poverty alleviation, and community development strategies. Micro-finance programs are not only known for giving both men and women credit and access to savings, they also reach people all over the world and bring them together in organized gropus. They play a significant role to promote gender equality and to empower women. By enabling women to earn income, these programs have the potential to increase the welfare of women and their families and hence empower them. Microfinance in Pakistan has been seen as an important instrument for gender empowerment. The Government of Pakistan (GOP) and various rural support programs in the country feel that by providing credit to women which is used for income generation and consumption, the social and economic status of can be improved. As a result, microfinance has gained immense popularity for poverty alleviation, women empowerment and community development strategies. However, capturing and measuring empowerment and emancipation is a particularly difficult task. Within the group of NGOs identified Kashf Foundation and ASASAH were appropriate for this study. Moreover, it should also be noted that Khushali Bank does not have a gender-specific program in rural areas but works with a third party retail organization, Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP), to give loans to poor women in urban slums of Lahore therefore khushali bank clients were strategically left out. Kashf Foundation, a non-profit NGO based MFI, started its operations in Lahore District in 1996. Kashf started with the mission to `provide quality and cost effective microfinance services to low income households, especially women, in order to enhance their economic role and decision making capacity.  [2]  Kashf provides four types of loan products: Firstly, the basic loan product is the general loan; secondly, it has an emergency loan which is confirmed only if the credit committee takes responsibility for repayment; thirdly, there is the home improvement loan for old and reliable clients; and fourthly, Kashf has introduced a business loan for the missing middle market. The most popular one is the general loan, which has to be repaid over a period of 12 months at an interest rate of 20%. Kashfs solidarity group lending model is a Grameen Bank replication with some adaptations. At the first, the branch officers find women in the local area who want to establish a center. The center is sub divided into five groups and each group has a leader. Together, these seven women form the credit committee and are responsible for maintaining credit discipline in the center. ASASAH is a non-governmental and non-profit organization established in 2003 with a mission to provide quality health and social services to underserved communities. One of the core objectives outlined by ASASAH is the empowerment of women. The organization has launched its microcredit program, as part of its commitment to work towards the training of women as agents of socioeconomic development. It sees a huge opportunity to fill the present gap in the microfinance industry by developing an innovative model that brings creates a sustainable and cost effective financial services institution serving the bottom of the pyramid. Keywords and definitions Microfinance: offers a broad range of financial services to low-income clients, including consumers and the self-employed. These services include housing loans, savings, health insurance and remittance transfers to help them grow very small businesses. The local MFI might also offer microfinance plus activities such as entrepreneurial and life skills training, advice on topics such as health and nutrition, sanitation, improving living conditions, and the importance of educating children. Microcredit: refers to the loans and credit needs of the poor people, especially farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs who cannot get access to normal bank loans and enables them to become self-employed. Empowerment: is a process of awareness and capacity-building leading to greater participation, greater decision-making power and control over ones life and other processes. Economic Empowerment: Womens access to savings and credit gives them a greater economic role in decision-making by giving them the power to decide the utilization of credit. When women can make decisions regarding credit and savings, they will optimize their own and the households welfare. Social and Political Empowerment: is a blend of womens increased control over income resulting from access to microfinance with improved womens expertise, mobility, and education status. Womens status: Womens position relative to that of men in a society. Grameen Bank: is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans (known as microcredit) to the poor without requiring collateral. Study objectives This study aims to look at and measure the status of women in selected semi urban areas in the outskirts of Lahore city. Furthermore we will determine the factors related to the empowerment of women. Lastly we will assess the role of microfinance lending upon women empowerment in Pakistan. In order to achieve this objective, the study seeks to understand how microfinance opens up economic opportunities for women and their families, increases earnings and reduces their vulnerability, and brings about potential changes in womens social and economic roles that ultimately can lead to greater empowerment of women. The study also seeks to determine different pathways through which such social and economic transformations are more effectively (or less effectively) managed and point out negative consequences that may be faced. Chapter 2 Literature Review To understand the impact of microfinance on women empowerment we look at two sets of literature; womens empowerment and microfinance institutions. In the first set of literature we review how microfinance institutions work and in the second set of literature we review what is understood as empowerment for women and how far microfinance institutions are successful in empowering women. 2.1 Informal credit markets in developing countries Informal credit markets are those which are not regulated or monitored by the banking authorities and these account for much of business credit in developing countries. Despite the development of formal financial markets, and the propagation of micro-credit institutions, informal lenders continue to play a key role in the provision of credit to rural households in most developing countries. This is so because the process of establishing and maintaining a network of rural financial institutions is expensive, and managing their operations is difficult especially in the absence of proper training, monitoring, and incentive structures. The informal sector has commonly been viewed as unregistered sources of credit, such as money lenders, pawnbrokers and traders, along with rationing services and credit associations (ROSCAs), accumulating savings and credit associations (ASCRAs) and deposit takers. Moreover, formal providers are those that are subject to banking laws of the country of oper ation, those which provide retail services to the customers and engage in financial intermediation. According to the World Bank, the conventional provider categories of informal and formal have been complicated by the arrival of microfinance institutions (MFIs) that may be regarded as semi-formal (World Bank, 1997). Capital is an important element in the development of any project. Kurwijila and Due (1991:91) state that the main hurdle to micro-enterprise development is lack of capital. When the poor lack access to the standard sources of credit, they are exploited by loan sharks and other illegal market operators. Following this reason, it is recommended that increasing state efforts are required to eliminate informal finance, while enhancing the availability of state-sanctioned financial intermediaries, especially microfinance programs devoted to poverty alleviation. Savings are an important determinant of wellbeing at both the individual and national levels. For individuals, savings may be motivated by investment opportunities, the desire to smooth consumption keeping unpredictable incomes in mind, or the need to accumulate resources for large purchases. Households in low-income countries have a variety of mechanisms available for saving. These mechanisms range from formal institutions such as banks and credit unions to less formal mechanisms such as holding cash, asset accumulation, and participation in rotating-savings-and-credit-associations (ROSCAs). It is important to highlight the distinction between formal and informal institutions for several reasons. Informal finance mechanisms are quite prevalent in low-income countries. The advantage of informal mechanisms such as ROSCAs is the ability to overcome some of the information and enforcement problems that often lead to the absence of formal markets. Since savings groups are usually localized, agents on both sides of transactions often know each other personally. This helps in overcoming the informational problems such as adverse selection, moral hazard, monitoring, and verification. Further, participants in informal savings committees share a common social bond (for example, they tend to form among friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers) which provides incentives against voluntary default. However, such institution is more vulnerable to local economic shocks affecting all group members. The formal sector is better on these grounds, and provides some additional advantages over the informal sector, both for the individual and the economy. For depositors, government insurance reduces the default risk of banking. A further distinction between the formal and informal sectors is that effective monetary policy typically relies on central bank or government control over the banking system. A large informal financial sector may compromise this ability. Limited access to various sources of credit is seen to harm women more as compared to men. This is due to the specific credit needs of women as their business requires smaller amounts of capital than are customarily lent, and repayment and collateral requirements must be fairly flexible. (Reichmann, 1989:135). Also, it is a legal requirement of many countries, asking women to get their husbands signed approval in order to obtain the loan. Lycette and White (1989:24) cite evidence from Peru that women borrowers usually receive smaller amounts of loans than men from the banks. However, there has been an ongoing debate that women are active in commerce and production activities which require less credit and therefore it is acceptable to provide them with smaller amounts of loan. For these reasons, it is not clear whether discrimination exists, preventing women from obtaining large loans or that women deliberately chooses to borrow less than their males. 2.2 Credit information, credit availability and access Poor women face much inconveniency and problems in acquiring financial services along with the standard barriers that lower income people have to face when dealing with financial institutions. Illiteracy is a key feature that hampers both women and mens capacity to complete application forms necessary to be filled in order to apply for loan. It is also a known fact that female is more illiterate as compared to male in most countries all over the world. Another drawback faced by women is that they lack the collateral which is required by the formal lending institutions to give out the loans. As already mentioned most of these institutions require the male head of household to sign the contract which makes it difficult for the female headed households to apply for the loan at the first place. On the whole, women especially in developing countries are unaware of their rights to apply for financial services. In most developing countries, both men and women lack the confidence to engage in private enterprise and take loans from the banks for business purposes. The structure of the formal credit system is usually very hierarchical and it may appear less user friendly to small women entrepreneurs. Low-income women are mostly less educated and therefore are not used to dealing with formal procedures. Since banks are perceived to be powerful institutions therefore many women may not have the courage to approach them. Despite the above listed difficulties, gaining access to finances can facilitate women to enhance their skills and eventually develop their own independent businesses. Women can boost their skills by accessing technology, raw materials and market information, thereby improving their economic roles. Improving womens economic position contributes to building their confidence, and ultimately improving their social and political role as well. 2.3 Microfinance products and services for deprived and vulnerable As most of the formal sectors banking institutions are unable to reach rural populations, microfinance programs are seen as a potential solution for overcome the gap between the supply and demand for rural finance. These Microfinance institutions are committed to serving customers that have been excluded from the formal banking sector and claim to work with the poorest of the poor. Many MFIs permit people to access useful lump sums through loans. The currently most popular product (that offered by Grameen Bank and copied by many other MFIs) allows borrowers to repay the loan in small and frequent installments. The participation of the poor is thus made possible by the key feature of lending tiny, often weekly, repayments (Matin and Sinha, 1998; Todd, 1996). Such an organization system allows borrower to repay out of existing income thereby allowing the borrower to invest the loan and utilize it the way that best fulfills their needs of the moment. For some borrowers these loans are directly invested in productive enterprises where the returns on additional investment is sometimes enough to make the regular repayments. Microcredit is seen as a way to improve the income an employment opportunities of poor who can be self employed in many ways (Hulme and Mosley, 1996; Yunus, 1983; World Bank, 1994). The main aim is to provide the household with capital and encourage them to involve in income generating activities, thereby increasing their income and consumption. In Bangladesh, there are more than 750 organizations that are working in rural areas to provide credit and non-credit services to the target population, mainly women from landless households (World Bank, 1996). Grameen Bank and Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) are the two main programmes. Grameen Bank is known for its innovative group-based lending programme. BRAC is famous for providing informal primary education and innovative health programmes to the poor. It lays emphasis more on human capital development such as literacy, skill-promoting training and awareness programmes. Inspired by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh there has been a rapidly increasing growth of microfinance institutions in Pakistan and as well as in other developing countries. Growth and diversity in its microfinance sector have been encouraged by the microfinance Ordinance 2001, which resulted in the establishment of the First Microfinance Bank in Pakistan. Table 1 below summarizes the nature of different microfinance institutions operating in the Punjab province of Pakistan, the year in which they were operationalized and the concentration of operations in rural or urban settings. It is clear from the table that most of the NGO based institutions have a gender specific solidarity group approach to microcredit, where they are catering mainly to female clients. Most of the microfinance institutions working in Punjab province, except for the rural support programs, are either specialized institutions or have a specialized window for microcredit. Except for ASASAH, most of the institutions have been in business for quite long to warrant an impact evaluation. For this study we are interested in specialized institutions using a group solidarity model with a women specific focus. Thus, the province of Punjab was an obvious choice with well recognized and established NGO-based microfinance institution (MFI). Given the time and resources available for the study, we have limited our attention to the Lahore district of Punjab, which is the hub of urban microfinance activity in Pakistan, accounting for more than half of the total borrowers in the province. 2.4 Community participation and group lending experience in microfinance Grameen Bank is famous for introducing and expanding its relationships with its customers in a unique relationship which is without utilizing legal contracts of requiring collateral, Grameen bank assigns borrowers to solidarity groups of five members. Each group is than responsible for the debts of the other four, and in case any group members defaults on her loan, the others must repay the defaulted loan or lose eligibility for further loans from Grameen Bank. This compulsory interdependence is seen to powerfully encourage trust and mutual aid within the solidarity group (Hung, 1997:15). The group-based lending is very attractive to women in low income societies. Very few women in Pakistan and Bangladesh work in the wage labor market. Therefore their productive inefficiency is associated with the lack of womens labor market participation which motivates them to become self employed by borrowing capital. Group lending schemes have an informal advantage over outside lenders. Often obtaining information about each member of a group by an outside lender is costly and subject to misinterpretation, therefore group members can monitor each other with relative ease as well as train and help the other low-productive members. In Pakistan, social custom restricts direct contact between potential female borrowers and male outside lenders. In the case of a credit program, it is easier for women, when in the company of larger group to interact with the male coordinator. Therefore, informational advantages of group lending are thus greater for the women as compared to men. Moreover, adverse shocks may have an effect on the ability to repay loans and decrease income and consumption. There is evidence that women are more prone to adverse shocks, related to pregnancy, illness associated with child bearing, and care giving to other household members who fall ill, making them riskier for poorly informe d outside lenders (Rashid and Townsend 1993). 2.5 Microfinance experience and gender empowerment Some aspects of poverty are owed to the inequality between women and men, therefore it is important to understand and interpret the meaning of the term gender. Women and men have different responsibilities in a given culture or location. Gender refers to the social roles of women and men, and is not to be confused with the biologically determined sexes of male and female. Gender is hence a relational concept that analyses womens social roles in relation to the roles of men and vice versa. Gender roles are subject to perceptions and expectations which arise from factors like class, ethnicity, age and religion. Research done by UNDP, U

Customer Loyalty Essay -- Business, Customer Relationship Management

The Customer loyalty has been a major and unanimously acknowledged as a valuable asset in competitive markets according to Srivastava, Shervani, & Fahey, 2000. As a result, it becomes more important to give power to in loyalty panel particularly when the consumers faces very low switching or moving cost to other product or service, because they are not locked in by a contract (Shapiro & Vivian, 2000). It is also become important in competitive markets due to availability of more lucrative and easily available options. The concept of customer loyalty has been around and present throughout in all parts/activities of numerous industries in the past decade (Lewis, 1997). The development of loyalty includes building and supporting a relationship with a customer, which leads to the repetitive purchase of products or services over a given period of time. A loyal customer base also permits companies to offer their expertise and skills to other business matters (Gefen, 2002; Rowley & Dawes, 2 000). In order to understand what drives customer loyalty or how your business defines customer loyalty we can look at the behavioral aspect of it. Customers can show their loyalty in a number of ways. They can prefer to stay with a firm, whether this persistence is distinct as a relationship or not, or they can increase the number of purchases, or they can do both (Reinartz & Kumar, 2003; Rowley & Dawes, 2000). The purpose of this research is to link loyalty to the up-and-coming theories of CRM (Macintosh & Lockshin, 1997) or as the key element, of effective CRM. Although some authors, such as Dick & Basu (1994), have different view of each element of it and make a distinction between brand loyalty, store loyalty, sales people loyalty, product and ser... ...ection of cognitive and affective elements was analyzed by Oliver (1999). Attitudinal loyalty can at times lead customers to provide exceptional value to the company through positive word of mouth researched by Dick & Basu, 1994; Hagel & Armstrong, 1997; Reichheld, 2003. Letdown to relation for attitudinal loyalty could lead to false loyalty (Dick & Basu, 1994). Thus, to attain true loyalty, firms should in tandem focus on building both behavioral and attitudinal loyalty. So if we look at both the service management and the marketing literatures both suggest that there is a well-built theoretical foundation for an experiential examination of the linkages among customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profitability. Storbacka argues that there is comparatively little amount of empirical research performed on these relationships to date (Storbacka et al., 1994)

A Pyrometer Is A Non Contacting Device

A pyrometer is a non-contacting device that intercepts and steps thermal of a radiation, a procedure known as pyrometer. Its a device that can be used to find the temperature of an objects surface. It has an optical system and a sensor. The optical system can concentrate thermic radiation onto the sensor. The end product signal of the sensor is related to the thermic radiation or irradiance j* of the mark object through the Stefan-Boltzmann getaway, the invariable of proportionality ? , called the Stefan-Boltzmann invariable and the emissivity ? of the object j^ { star } = varepsilonsigma T^ { 4 } This end product of the pyrometer is to used to deduce object ‘s temperature. There is no demand for direct contact the between pyrometer and the object, as there is with thermocouples and opposition sensors ( RTDs ) . hypertext transfer protocol: //www.instrumentationtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Radiation-Pyrometer.jpgRadiation pyrometerThe radiation pyrometer is the organic structure or the fluid is emitted of the temperature is to be measured and besides to focused on a thermic receiving surface, it is normally in the froth of a really thin strip of blackened Pt besides the alterations in temperature of this surface is measured. Therefore in a radiation thermopile a big figure of thermocouple in the signifier of strip are connected in the series and besides arranger side by side so that all the non junction which are blackened to increase the energy, when it absorbing ability the pyrometer besides fall within a really little mark country. The thermoelectric features of the thermopile are really stable because the thermocouple are seldom connected straight to the furnace and besides non present at a temperature of more than a few hundred grades. The thermopile has more advantage over othe r sensors, and besides give the same response to incoming radiation in the scope of 0.3-20Â µm irrespective of wavelength within the scope. The standardization of a entire radiation pyrometer is done with black organic structure radiation. For illustration the end product temperature T4 since the pyrometer is use to mensurate the temperature of a fluid or a hot organic structure, the emanation is non right known, so the temperature that measured will non be corrected and some grade of mistake will be present. The mistake are calculated and some grade of mistake will be present. The mistake are calculated as the end product thermometer temperature is straight relative to T4. E = K?„T4 The ‘K ‘ is a changeless by distinguishing we will acquire: DT/T = d?„/4?„ 10 % of the mistake in the value of emanation will ensue in 2.5 % mistake in the temperature of the radiant object that is measuredPyrometric conehypertext transfer protocol: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Figure_6.gif It ‘s the device that seldom used to estimate heat work during the fire of ceramic stuffs. The cones, frequently used in sets three as shown in the illustration, are positioned in a kiln with the wares to be fired and supply a ocular indicant of when the wares have reached a needed province of adulthood, a combination of clip and temperature. Therefore, pyrometric cones give a temperature equivalent and besides are non simple temperature-measuring devices.Resistance thermometerFile: Rtdconstruction.gif Resistance thermometer besides called opposition temperature sensor ( RTDs ) are detectors used to measured temperature by collating the opposition of the RTD component with temperature. Most RTD element consist of a length of mulct coiled wire wrapped around made from a pure stuff, Pt, Ni or Cu. The stuff has a predictable alteration in opposition as the temperature alterations.ThermometerFile: Thermometer CF.svg The thermometer is chiefly used to mensurate the temperature of the organic structure. The other utilizations are a pendulum can be constructed from a thermometer attached to a light twine by which approximative gravitative acceleration could be calculated and by mensurating clip needed for a thermometer released from the top of a edifice to hit the land, in this manner, approximative tallness of that edifice could be obtained. Apart from it max thermometer and min thermometer are used to mensurate air temperatureQuestion 3hypertext transfer protocol: //i.cmpnet.com/planetanalog/2010/08/C0614-Figure3.gif Electrocardiogram ( ECG ) There are several preciseness amplifier and instrumentality amplifier chances in ECG application. The diagnosing is in a ( clinical ) Electrocardiogram with up to 12 leads. Key block lead devices are the electrode addition amplifier, high-pass filter ( normally 0.5 Hz ) , low-pass filter ( around 150 Hz ) and right-led thrust circuit. Each electrode required a preciseness instrumentality A to pull out a really little signal that rides on a 300 millivolt to 700 millivolts common-mode electromotive force. Typically, this amplifier will utilize a higher supply electromotive force to enable a high addition without inveighing the amplifier in the presence of the common-mode electromotive force from the organic structure. This A can be a distinct instrumentality amplifier or an incorporate instrumentality amplifier. Second and 3rd phase active-filter amplifiers are needed to put a really specific set ( 0.5 Hz – 150 Hz ) to capture the EKG wave signal. Basically these will be low noise, 5V amplifier with good appropriate bandwidth. In add-on, low-noise, low-power amplifier are needed for the right-leg-drive feedback map. In multi-channel from system, it normally is a 12-lead ECG proctor will be utilizing for a common users, it is to multiplex signal into a common ADC system. The cardinal typical demands for the multiplexer ( mux ) are low on-resistance and low charge injection on the system. By and large a specific mux is selected to fit the electromotive force demands of the filter amplifier and the ADC. It is besides common for multichannel ECGs to hold automated lead sensing to enable multi-configuration operations. Generally, a low on-resistance switch is used in this circuit every bit good Multiplexers like the ISL43681 and ISL43640 series are first-class picks for medical devices as they can run a scope from 2V to 12V. In add-on, they have low-on opposition of 39 to 60 ? , which lower deformation and reduces ‘kick-back ‘ electromotive force from the system. Their low charge injection of 0.3 personal computer ( picocoulombs ) reduces error part on charge-redistribution on a ACDs system. For 3-lead portable ECG application, low-power instrumentality As from a CMOS procedure may be a better choice on the multiplexers. Since CMOS inputs of course provide a high-impedance input, the demand for external is eliminated, salvaging cost. A good pick for the input amplifier can present active feedback with a really precise base line compensation electromotive force, low 1/f noise, highly low beginning, and low impetus versus temperature. What ( electrically ) is being measured? It is electrical activity of the bosom musculus as it changes with clip, normally printed on paper for easier analysis. Like other musculuss, cardiac musculus contracts in response to electrical depolarization of the musculus cells. It is the amount of this electrical activity, when amplified and recorded for merely a few seconds that we know as an ECG. How is the electrical signal gaining control? A signal-averaged EKG is a more elaborate type of ECG. During this process, multiple ECG tracings are obtained over a period of about 20 proceedingss measuring several hundred cardiac rhythms to observe elusive abnormalcies that increase hazard for cardiac arrhythmias. These elusive abnormalcies are normally non detected on a field ECG. A computing machine captures all the electrically signal from the bosom and averages them to supply the physician item sing how the bosom ‘s electrical conductivity system is working and shown on the ECG system. It show a radio detection and ranging on the system, it ‘s a heart-beat frequence rate. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.maximintegrated.com/images/appnotes/4693/4693Fig02.gif Complete circuit of a functional block diagram ( ECG )QUESTION5Voltage to frequency From the BASIC of electromotive force to frequency the LM231/LM331 convertors ideally suited for in simple low cost circuit from parallel to digital transition, the preciseness frequence to voltage transition, long-run integrating, additive frequence transition or demodulation, and many other map. The end product when used a electromotive force to frequency convertor is a pulse train at a frequence exactly relative to the applied input electromotive force. The transition of electromotive force to frequency it provides all the built-in advantages of the electromotive force to frequency convertor techniques, and easy to use in all standard electromotive force to frequency converter application. Further, the LM231A/LM331A series attained a new high degree of truth versus temperature which could be attained with expensive electromotive force to frequence faculties. The LM231/331 are ideally suited for usage in digital system at low power supply electromotive forces and can supply low-pri ced parallel to digital transition convertor can be easy channeled through a simple exposure isolator to supply isolation against common degrees The LM231/LM331 use a new temperature-compensated band-gap mention circuit, to supply first-class truth over the full operating temperature scope, at power supplies every bit low as 4.0V. the preciseness timer circuit has low prejudice currents without degrading the speedy response necessary for 100kHz voltage-to-frequency transition. And the end product are driving 3 TTL tonss, or a high electromotive force end product to 40V, yet is short-circuit against Vcc. Frequency to voltage The LM 2907/LM 2917 series are frequency to voltage convertor with a high addition op A or comparator designed to run a relay, lamp, or other burden when the input of frequence reached are exceeds a selected rate. Most of the tachometer uses a charge pump technique and offer frequence duplicating for low rippling and full input protection in two versions ( LM2907-8, LM2917-8 ) or end product swing to land for a nothing frequence input. The op A or comparator is to the full compatible and the tachometer has a drifting transistor as its end product from the frequence. This characteristic allows either a land or supply referred load up to 50mA. The aggregator may be taken supra Vcc up to a maximal VCE of 28V. The indistinguishable basic constellations include an 8-pin device with a below referenced tachometer input and its internal connexion between the tachometer end product and the op amp non-inverting input. This version is good suited for individual velocity, either dual velocity or frequence shift or to the full buffered frequence to voltage transition application. The more frequence is configure and supply a differential tachometer input and uncommitted op A inputs. With this version the tachometer input may be floated and the op amp become suited for active filter conditioning of the tachometer end product.Question 6Differential force per unit area flow measuring is dependable with the assistance of microprocessor engineering discharge coefficient can be stored on the instrument and measurement temperature absolute force per unit area allows to rectify unstable parametric quantity such as denseness and speed to obtain the mass flow rate. This are called multivariable mass flow metres. The beginning of differential force per unit area flow measuring is the Bernoulli equation represent energy preservation for a fluid component Orifice home base Orifice home bases are most normally used for uninterrupted measuring of fluid in pipes. They are besides used in some little river system to mensurate flow rate at locations where the river passes through a culvert or drain. Merely a little figure of rivers are appropriate for the usage of the engineering since the home base must stay wholly immersed i.e. the attack pipe must be full, and the river must be well free of dust. In the natural environment, big opening home bases are used to command forth flow in flood alleviation dikes. In these construction a low dike is placed across a river and in normal operation the H2O flows through the opening home base unimpeded as the opening is well big than the normal flow cross subdivision. However in inundation, the flow rate rises and inundations out the opening home base which can so merely base on balls flow determined the physical dimension of the opening. Flow so held back behind the low dike in a impermanent reservoir which is easy discharged through the opening when the inundation subsides Venture The Bernoulli rule and its corollary, the venture consequence, are indispensable to aerodynamic every bit good as hydrodynamic design construct. Airflow and hydrofoil designs to raise and maneuver air and H2O vass ( aeroplanes, ships and pigboats ) are derived from application of the Bernoulli rule and the venture consequence, as are the instruments that measure rate of motion through the air or H2O ( velocity index ) . Stability indicant and control mechanisms such as gyroscopic attitude indexs and fuel metering devices, such as carburettors, map as a consequence of gas fluid force per unit area derived functions that create suction as demonstrated and mensurable by gas/fluid force per unit area and speed equation from the Bernoulli rule and the venture consequence. Nozzle A nozzle us a device to command the way or features of a fluid flow ( particularly to increase speed ) as it exist ( or enters ) an enclosed chamber or pipe via an opening. A nose is frequently a pipe tubing of changing transverse sectional country, and it can be used to direct or modify the flow of a fluid ( liquid or gas ) . Nozzles are often used to command the rate flow, velocity, way, mass, form, or the force per unit area of the watercourse that emerges from them Pilot tubing The basic pilot tubing consists of a tubing indicating straight into the fluid. As this tubing contain fluid, a force per unit area can be measured, the traveling fluid is brought to rest ( stagnates ) as there is no mercantile establishment to let flow to go on. This force per unit area is the stagnancy force per unit area of the fluid, besides known as the entire force per unit area or ( peculiarly in air power ) the pilot force per unit area

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Who will win this year’s presidential election? With just a little than 3 months away from the 2004 elections, the counts are still close. So, what will determine this year’s elections? Youth. That’s right; today’s youth is expected to bring a large part of the swing votes to determine who the next president will be. That is why many different organizations, television programs and famous celebrities have joined together to help boost young voters to get registered and vote. In these efforts, MTV, which is viewed by many young people nationwide, launched their campaign â€Å"Rock the Vote† early in 2004 to get America’s youth to vote. The need for young people to vote is crucial, but it is also important to exercise the right to vote because every American was given the right to vote. According to the U.S. Constitution the 26th Amendment was added in 1971, which gave 18 year olds the right to vote. Since then in Texas alone, there has been a decline of eight percent in young voters who are not voting. In surveying 10 people at Baylor, only three were registered to vote. Focusing at Baylor, students need to learn about the importance of voting because many of us come from different areas and we are also the voice of tomorrow. If a difference can be made, it can be made at Baylor. In Baylor statistics, students come from all 50 states, especially from Texas, California, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and New Mexico. Of these states, many students come from small towns with a population much less than the 13,927 of students currently enrolled. â€Å"The town I come from has roughly about 3,000 people,† sophomore Liz Morales from Robstown, Texas said, â€Å"we are also predominately Hispanic and we are not really well represented so I saw a need to change that.† (MORE) These towns, that many of us come from are not even heard of or very well known. We need to be the voices ... Free Essays on Right To Vote Free Essays on Right To Vote Who will win this year’s presidential election? With just a little than 3 months away from the 2004 elections, the counts are still close. So, what will determine this year’s elections? Youth. That’s right; today’s youth is expected to bring a large part of the swing votes to determine who the next president will be. That is why many different organizations, television programs and famous celebrities have joined together to help boost young voters to get registered and vote. In these efforts, MTV, which is viewed by many young people nationwide, launched their campaign â€Å"Rock the Vote† early in 2004 to get America’s youth to vote. The need for young people to vote is crucial, but it is also important to exercise the right to vote because every American was given the right to vote. According to the U.S. Constitution the 26th Amendment was added in 1971, which gave 18 year olds the right to vote. Since then in Texas alone, there has been a decline of eight percent in young voters who are not voting. In surveying 10 people at Baylor, only three were registered to vote. Focusing at Baylor, students need to learn about the importance of voting because many of us come from different areas and we are also the voice of tomorrow. If a difference can be made, it can be made at Baylor. In Baylor statistics, students come from all 50 states, especially from Texas, California, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and New Mexico. Of these states, many students come from small towns with a population much less than the 13,927 of students currently enrolled. â€Å"The town I come from has roughly about 3,000 people,† sophomore Liz Morales from Robstown, Texas said, â€Å"we are also predominately Hispanic and we are not really well represented so I saw a need to change that.† (MORE) These towns, that many of us come from are not even heard of or very well known. We need to be the voices ...