The Underlying Issues Of Cannabis Abuse - 3504 Words

The Underlying Issues of Cannabis Abuse Jeoffery Walton English 102 The International College of the Cayman Islands The topic outline 1) The cannabis plant and its ingredients 2) Abuse of cannabis a) Smoking Cannabis b) Addiction to cannabis c) Withdrawal symptoms d) Effects on the mental health cognitive development in adolescence e) Cancer and other illnesses 3) Cannabis for medicinal purposes 4) Law enforcement 5) Conclusion Abstract This paper examines the effects that cannabis abuse has on human health over an extended period. Over the years, some researchers have concluded that continuous use of the drug during adolescence, but not adulthood, could permanently impair cognition and increase the risk for psychiatric diseases. Other studies suggest that heavy use amongst users can cause changes in subjective mental status, brain functioning, and neuropsychological performance. Approximately 9% of those who experiment with cannabis will become addicted, and the treatment for addiction can be challenging, as it often leads to withdrawal symptoms. Consequently, most governments around the globe decided to enact legislation in the early to mid 20th century, to help control its abuse; however, recently, some countries in the Western World have begun to allow its use for medicinal and recreational purposes. All information for the writing of this paper has beenShow MoreRelatedShould Cannabis Be Legalised?1595 Word s   |  7 PagesShould cannabis be legalised in Australia? Your response should provide a considered discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of both legalisation and criminalisation which shows evidence of wide and varied reading. Cannabis originated from Central Asia generations ago, with references to Cannabis dating back to medical and religious Chinese and Indian texts. Cannabis was also used in the West as hemp fibre, for industrial purposes, before it was used for medical use by W.B. O’ShaughnessyRead MoreModels in the Substance Abuse Field 1206 Words   |  5 Pages4th edition) whether it is legal or illegal. Substance abuse refers to the utilization of a drug or other substances for non-medical purposes with the aim of engendering a mind-altering effect in the utilizer (MOH, 2005). It involves the utilization of illegal substances such as cannabis, misuse of licit drugs or utilization of a drug or substances for purposes other than that prescription (MOH, 2005; Rehm Eschmann, 2002). Substance abuse is one of the expeditious growing public health and convivialRead MoreThe War On Drugs And Its Effects On The United States1413 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The launching of the 1960’s brought with it a public health issue concerning the use and abuse of illegal drugs. Responding to the crisis, the US department of Justice established the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous drugs, which was designed to control illegal drugs, specifically marijuana. Building on the prohibition, in 1971 President Richard Nixon officially declared a â€Å"war on drugs†, which resulted in an increased federal role in the warfare by providing the federal governmentRead MoreMarijuana Should Be Legal Debate Over The United States1071 Words   |  5 Pageshemp plant known as Cannabis Sativa. In 2727 B.C, the Chinese were the first to document the use of marijuana for medicine. Chinese would use the seeds of the hemp plant for food (Borges, 2014, Ch. 15). Marijuana has been known for a lot more than just getting high though. In the past it’s been used for fabric, food, incense, cloth, and much more. In the last few decades America has come up with a variety of nicknames for the Marijuana. Some common nicknames include Cannabis, Skunk, Ganja, MaryjaneRead MoreMany Have Long Argued That Prohibition Simply Does Not987 Words   |  4 PagesToday, the strict policy on cannabis is reinforced by severe punishment. In reality, police forces have been growing more lenient to cannabis use, prioritising more pressing areas, indicating a change in law enforcement attitude to the drug. ( ) This may also suggest a change in social culture. The flaws of prohibition are present today regarding the so-called ‘War on Drugs’. People who are otherwise innocent are swept into the criminal justice system because of cannabis use. (6) Thus, they face theRead MoreMany Women Across The World Cause Complications To Their1657 Words   |  7 Pagescomplications to their unborn child when they choose to abuse substance. There are many types of substance abuse such as alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse. Most likely when women choose to e ngage in these types of activities it causes harm to the child and birth defects. Long term and short term deformities and conditions are present in the child. Other factors play a part into why women abuse, substance such as stress, depression, and mental issues. More treatment and pre-education should be providedRead MoreLegalization Of Marijuana For Medical Applications1717 Words   |  7 PagesLegalization of Marijuana for Medical Applications: A consideration of aspects of the issue INTRODUCTION In its brief overview of palliative care (Improving palliative care, August 2003), the Institute of Medicine emphasized purpose: â€Å"to prevent or lessen the severity of pain and other symptoms and to achieve the best quality of life for people dying or suffering from a long-term disease† (p. 2). Immediate pain reduction, if not outright elimination, facilitates satisfaction of other, more emotionalRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Marijuana1203 Words   |  5 PagesMarijuana, also known as cannabis, is referred to as many different names by people from different parts of the world. It is used for both medical and recreational purposes. Smoking marijuana, eating it within foods, vaporizing it, and using it as an extract are some of the ways individuals consumed it. Some people use Marijuana because of the physical and mental effects it has on the physical body. After consuming marijuana, a person experiences feelings like heightened mood, increase in appetiteRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legal?1356 Words   |  6 Pages Marijuana has been used as a medicine for millennia by cultures spanning the globe. Ever since 1937, that medical necessity has fallen in America to political pressure, and the cannabis plant remains illegal regardless of intended use. Since then, patients have continued demanding marijuana s therapeutic effects, thus prompting the pharmaceutical industry to find a legitimate means of meeting their needs without violating federal law. This quest for legal weed resulted in the introduction ofRead More Drugs and Alcohol Essay1599 Words   |  7 Pagesbecame legal and thoroughly regulated by the government. As this took place, our nation has witnessed the dangers and health issues arising from alcohol consumption and abuse. For example, drunk driving kills many Americans each year. In comparison to marijuana studies where the World Health Organization stated, â€Å"There are no confirmed cases of human deaths from cannabis poisoning in the world medical literature† (qtd. in â€Å"Marijuana Facts† 1). From an outsider’s perspective, one has to ask why

Essay on The Relevance of Philosophy in Every Day Life

The entire world does not exist; everything people knew was not real, and humans are nothing but an electromagnetic pulse. In other words, we might be living in a mind of another superior, and practically do not necessarily exist. It is metaphysics, a branch of philosophy that people ponder upon. As obscure it might seem, philosophy does apply to everyday practical life and it does not only deal with existential queries. Philosophies’ relevance to life can be seen in many aspects, from our general everyday knowledge, to the questions of right and wrong, and even stemming to the whole structure of society itself. Humans are naturally curious; for thousands of years, people ponder over reasons such as the common question, â€Å"Why are things†¦show more content†¦Ethics gives life value and happiness for man to live. Happiness, as Aristotle claims, is achievable by man using â€Å"all his abilities and capabilities† (115). He divides happiness into three components: pleasure, freedom, and knowledge. Humans hold virtues in high regard such as liberty, the right to happiness, independence, to exercise free will, prudence, the act of being wise, and others such as productivity, honesty, pride, and integrity. People hold certain virtues closer than others since an individual’s ethic constitutes their own interpretation for happiness resulting in multitudes of definitions. Ethics are essential to any human being separating them into individuals and because humans act ethical based on their own principles, philosophy is expressed every day. Mankind begins to congregate into a more functional society as humans become more knowledgeable and develop their own principles. Aristotle is correct when he criticize man as a â€Å"political animal† that it was absolutely necessary to convene into groups for any success. However, each individual has his own perspective and interest therefore there will be conflict within society. Citizens are influenced by the government as they create regulations and restrictions on the people to remedy these problems, hence political philosophy. Aristotle endorsed three forms of government which are monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy; all are different functional examplesShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Philosophy Essay1311 Words   |  6 PagesThe Importance of Philosophy ‘Philosophy is to be studied, not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions, since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves.’ (Bertrand Russell, Problem of Philosophy, pp. 93-94). Discuss the usefulness (or the lack of it) of studying philosophy with referenceRead More My Philosophy of Teaching Essay1212 Words   |  5 Pages My Philosophy of Teaching Teaching is the most rewarding and self-fulfilling career that I could imagine myself doing. The satisfaction that is received when watching a child’s eyes light up when they have comprehended and understood the topics that I have been teaching is a feeling of great achievement. Teaching children to become productive adults helps the foundation of our society. Today’s children are tomorrow’s adults. I want to help society the best way that I know how. I want to be aRead MoreThe Ethical Issue Of Physician Assisted Suicide1580 Words   |  7 PagesIn Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle establishes that â€Å"every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim† and explains this through the dialectic of disposition, particularly between vice and virtue. In chapter four, Aristotle affirms that since â€Å"all knowledge and every pursuit aims at some good†, we inherently seek the highest form which is known to both the massesRead MoreDr. Martin Luther King Jr.1410 Words   |  6 Pagesminister and had a degree in Theology and Divinity2. Since he had such an active and stellar political career, his political and social beliefs and his achievements in those areas have received a lot more attention than his religious beliefs and philosophies that he conformed to. In this article an attempt is made to highlight his religious contributions to the American theology. Martin Luther King was born on 15th January in the year 1929 in the rural parts of the state of Georgia2. His family wasRead MoreThe Enlightenment Paradigm Shift Within The Era1628 Words   |  7 Pagesphilosophical theories. The ages after the Enlightenment were certainly affected, so much so that, to a significant extent, the paradigm shift within the Enlightenment era still influences our thinking today with both societal and intellectual relevance. To understand why the Enlightenment movement was so influential for both its own time period and today’s society, an analysis of the periods that came before it is required. Total state domination ruled the Ancient period (29CE), as ChristianityRead MoreExplain Finnis’ Natural Law Theory Essay757 Words   |  4 Pagesmarks) John Finnis, an Australian legal philosopher has tried to resurrect the natural law tradition in moral philosophy and law since the mid-1960s. He tries to offer a neo-Aquinian natural law philosophy which does not presuppose a divine being. By focusing attention on goods rather than a single Good, Finnis skilfully articulates what he calls a theory of moral action for our day. Or, in other words, he seeks a theory of how to live well. Finnis identifies a number of equally valuable basicRead MorePersonal Philosophy : Philosophy And Philosophy1318 Words   |  6 PagesPersonal Philosophy Paper Introduction For the purpose of the paper, famous philosophies and a personal nursing philosophy is presented, including the personal definitions of the four phenomena of nursing namely person, environment, health, and nursing. The said philosophy will then be compared to other professionally-acclaimed philosophies. Included in the discussion is the importance of a nurse’s role in providing health care to persons, family, and the society and how it is able to address problemsRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Education : My Worldview1192 Words   |  5 Pages My philosophy of education is very much a reflection of my worldview. Although I wrote my philosophy of education over a year ago, I never had to write or even think about my worldview. When I started my Christian Worldview class and was introduced to what a worldview was. I had to think long and hard about my worldview and what is important to me, what influences me in the way I live, and how I look at life. This would come together as my worldview. My worldview impacts everything I do inRead MoreMy Personal Educational Philosophy Essay866 Words   |  4 Pages Educational Philosophy Essay My personal educational philosophy is a combination of perennialism and essentialism, which leaves me uniquely well-armed to teach my subject of choice: History. History, viewed as a whole, is a monument to the achievements of Man. It is unchanging, though new aspects may be found or brought to light, and it can be viewed from many angles, it is an unchanging truth that what happened, has indeed happened. Through a thorough and guided exploration of this subject, studentsRead MoreLiterature Review: Work Safety and Total Quality Management (TQM)1434 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationship between the assurance of workplace safety and an encompassing management strategy. In accordance with the literature incorporated into the present review, this encompassing management strategy is Total Quality Management (TQM), the relevance of which will also occupy an important part of this review. La Duke (2010) provides our discussion with a primary document regarding the correlation between the Total Quality Management model of organizational orientation and the assurance of

Data Storage Solutions for Data Analytics- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theData Storage Solutions for Data Analytics. Answer: Business Drivers Select a subject for analysis using data warehousing techniques from the operational data captured in the Microsoft Northwind database. (The operational ER model is included in this document) Answer: Subject for analysis are the main subject areas. In the case of operational data captured in the Microsoft Northwind data the subject of analysis will be customer. Customer is the intersection of every line answers about Northwind data. Customer as a subject of analysis can be easily be seen and it relationship traced. In addition, customer as a subject of analysis can be agreed upon and defined in the subject areas identified in the Northwind business model (Cox, 2018). The customer as the subject of analysis leads to categorizing into subject areas namely; CustomerCustomerDemo and customerDemographics. This will be achieved by developing some questions about the Northwind information. Data Modeling Develop and present a suitable schema for the data warehouse (data mart). Discuss your reasons for the design. The suitable schema for the Northwind data will be the star schema. The star will schema will separate the business process information into facts and which hold the amount, dimensions and which are descriptive characteristic related to the information, and qualitative data about business. Astar schemaincomputing, is the easiest type ofdata martschema to makeand is the method extensively employed to develop dimensional data marts and data warehouses. A star schema with many dimensions is referred to a centipede schema. While it is simpler to maintain, it has dimensions with a few attributes which result to enquiries with various table joins and makes the star easy simple to use (Wickham, 2016). Measurements or metric are recorded by facts table. These table normally consist of foreign keys and numeric values to dimensional data where descriptive data is stored. The design of facts table are low level uniform details known as grain or granulity meaning facts probably record events at atomic stage. Over time this can lead to accumulation of large records. In a fact table. Facts table are defined as follows Specific events are recorded by transaction fact tables Facts are recorded at any given time by snapshot facts tables Aggregating snapshot tables records accumulative facts at a particular point in time. Compared to facts table dimension tables have a moderately lesser number of records, however each record might have a huge number of characteristics to define the fact information. Dimension tables, as a rule, have a moderately modest records compared with fact tables, yet each record might have a wide range of attributes to define data. Dimensions might characterize a wide assortment of qualities, however, the absolute most regular traits characterized by dimension table comprise: Time dimension table portray period at the most minimal level of period granularity of occasions to be noted in the star schema Geography table depict area information, for example, state, nation, or city Time dimension table portrays duration at which most minimal level of granularity for which occasions are noted in the star schema Product dimension tables define items Range dimension table describe scopes of period, dollar esteems or other quantifiable amounts to rearranging detailing. Employee dimension tables depict representatives, for example, sales representatives Reference Cox, D.R., 2018.Analysis of survival data. Routledge. Wickham, H., 2016.ggplot2: elegant graphics for data analysis. Springer.

The Problem of Tobacco Smoking free essay sample

One of the most common problems today that are killing people, all over the world, is smoking. Allot of people condone in this horrible habit because of stress, personal issues and physical pain. Almost everyone knows that smoking causes cancer, and heart disease; that it can shorten your life by 10 years or more; and that the habit can cost a smoker thousands of dollars a year. Why keep smoking you think, the answer is obviously, addiction. Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive. There are three main effects and causes of smoking.Teenagers these days mostly smoke to fit in cause there friends or family do it; but that’s not always the case for some people. Nicotine from cigarettes can have a calming effect on people which can be useful for people with anxiety, depression, and people who just be bored. Users with mental illness are highly vulnerable like veterans with PTSD, at one point of time the US military would supply their soldiers with cigarettes to â€Å"keep them alert and ready†. We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Tobacco Smoking or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Which could have the user become addicted to it so every time they have some type of problem they’ll turn to cigarettes to calm them down which takes us to our second effect.Psychological which means mental or emotional state of a person. It has a very big role of the very bad habit. In many cases smoking started at a young age due to wanting to fit in, stress and/or depression. For teens that’s going through allot with stress from school, home and friends; which makes them feel like they can run to cigarettes when they feel like it. That’s when the person becomes dependent on cigarettes.To our final effect have you ever wonder what’s in cigarettes that millions of people love to smoke every day. Cigarettes have over 4000 toxic substances in a cigarette. Some of these are: Arsenic (included in rat poison), Acetic acid (found in hair dyes), Ammonia (found in household cleaners), Benzene (found in rubber cement), Carbon Monoxide (found in car fumes) and plenty more. All of those toxic substances mixed together sure isn’t good for anybody’s health. From a smokers perspective it’s hard to kick the habit.Citation : (sanger,2018) APA CItation Entry Sanger, J.W. (2018,03 15). wikipedia. retrieved from (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/health_effects_of_tobacco

The Relationship between Microfinance, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in reducing poverty in LEDC (Less Economically Developed Countries). The WritePass Journal

The Relationship between Microfinance, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in reducing poverty in LEDC (Less Economically Developed Countries). Introduction The Relationship between Microfinance, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in reducing poverty in LEDC (Less Economically Developed Countries). IntroductionTheoretical FrameworkEmpirical EvidenceCritique of The LiteratureConclusionsReferencesRelated Introduction Theoretical Framework According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Microfinance can be defined as â€Å"the provision of a broad range of financial services such as deposits, loans, payment services, money transfers, and insurance to the poor and low-income households and their microenterprises† (ADB, 2000).   Another definition is provided in Ledgerwood (1999) who contends that microfinance is â€Å"the provision of financial services (like savings, credit, insurance and payment services) to low-income clients (the poor) including the self-employed†. The aforesaid suggests that there is a positive relationship between microfinance and entrepreneurship or microenterprises. Microenterprises promote income generating activities thus promoting repayment. Being able to repay microfinance loans by income generated from microenterprises enables microfinance to be sustainable. Microfinance is specifically designed to offer financial services to microentrepreneurs. Microfinance enables microentrepreneurs to expand and run their businesses. The foregoing shows that microfinance and entrepreneurship are mutually beneficial to each other. Microfinance witnessed an evolution in the 1970s. This evolution has been regarded as a means of breaking the barricade of access to capital by poor people who are interested in carrying out development projects. Microfinance empowers the entrepreneurial spirits that exist among small-scale entrepreneurs worldwide (Olu, 2009). It facilitates the establishment of microenterprises and encourages best practices among individuals involved in small and medium size enterprise (SMEs) (Olu, 2009).   Governments in developing countries have over the last two and half decades formulated great programmes to promote economic development. Lack of access to finance has been cited in developing countries as one of the major reasons behind the relative absence of SMEs in less developed economies.   Large firms can obtain finance from banks because they have an asset base that can serve as collateral. SMEs on the other hand do not have such and asset base and as such cannot gain access to large b anks. Rather, SMEs rely on small scale financing in the form of microfinance to finance small scale development projects (Olu, 2009). Approximately 90 percent of people in less developed economies do not have access to financial services from banks and other financial institutions. Most people neither save nor have access to credit facilities (Marguerite, 2002). The foregoing suggests that people in less developed countries have limited capacity to invest. Limited investment capacity results in restricted productivity which in turn limits incomes, domestic savings and productivity growth.   The lack of access to financial services reduces the ability of entrepreneurs to engage in new business ventures which in turn limits economic growth. The sources and consequences of entrepreneurial activities are therefore neither financially nor environmentally sustainable. Microfinance serves as a means of empowering the poor and is considered as a valuable means of enhancing the economic development process. Despite the importance of microfinance in development, it has been argued that microfinance; entrepreneurship and su stainability tend not to have a great effect on alleviating poverty in less developed economies. Accordingly, microfinance they say can only successfully alleviate poverty if it is combined with entrepreneurial skills. This means that one should expect a positive link between microfinance and SME development or entrepreneurship. Despite this relationship, microfinance and entrepreneurship may have a negative relationship or may even have no relationship. In addition, some people with entrepreneurial skills tend to be risk-averse. This group of entrepreneurs may not use microfinance credit because they may not be willing to take on high levels of risk. As such their projects may remain unfunded even in the presence of microfinance loans. In addition, the poorest of the poor including the sick, the mentally ill and the destitute cannot adequately handle microfinance projects which means that microfinance cannot be used as a means of alleviating poverty for this group of the population . This group of the population would prefer direct basic assistance to microfinance. They are mostly interested in meeting their daily needs of shelter, food, clothing and food. Empirical Evidence Two competing theories have been advanced with respect to the relationship between entrepreneurship and microfinance. One school of thought advocates that lack of credit hinders the growth of microenterprises, indicating that microfinance and entrepreneurship have a positive relationship. The second school of thought on its part suggests that microfinance has a negative effect on the poorest in society. The first school of thought believes that lack of credit is a major constraint to the development of microenterprise and believes that microfinance plays a positive role in enabling a society achieve   its larger goal of deriving social and economic benefits (Hashemi et al., 1996; 1994; Schuler et al., 1997). According to the International Finance Corporation, more than 500 million poor people across the world are engaged in microenterprises (IFC, 2002). When asked what their major constraint is, most of them conclude that the main constraint to business growth is lack of credit. This evidence suggests that microfinance has a positive impact on entrepreneurship. Similar evidence is provided in Sen (1999) who argue that the greater the financial security of an entrepreneur, the higher is his probability of becoming more successful. Furthermore, Eversole (2000) contends that credit is important for the success of micro businesses. The impact of microfinance on poverty alleviation has also been studied. Nair (1998) identifies two schools of thought regarding the effect of microfinance on poverty alleviation. On the one hand, it has been argued that credit is one of the most important tools for alleviating poverty. This school of thought believes that microfinance credit is always invested in a productive investment which will help in poverty alleviation. However, this school of thought is flawed on because it makes the unrealistic assumption that microfinance credit is always invested in a productive investment. The theory ignores the fact that some investments may not be productive which indicates that not all microfinance credit can actually result in poverty alleviation. Rangarajan (2005) observes that microfinance is important for the evolution of â€Å"Self-Help Group† at three basic levels. These include: Level 1 where microfinance is used by households to satisfy their survival requirements by using small savings and loans as a buffer in emergencies; Level 2 where households use microfinance is used to meet subsistence needs; and Level 3 where households become mature enough to take on a higher degree of risk; at this level, microfinance can be employed in setting up enterprises or facilitating the creation of employment in one way or another thus promoting the sustainability of households. The aforesaid shows that the argument that microfinance cannot help the poorest of the poor lacks empirical support. This argument is further weakened by evidence from India, which shows that a large portion of the Indian population falls in the â€Å"poorest of the poor† category. Despite this, microfinance has had a significant positive impact on this group of the population in India. A study based on 20 microfinance institutions in India provide evidence that microfinance has made a significant contribution to both the savings and borrowings of the poor in India (Sinha, 2005). Kuzilwa (2005) provide evidence that credit has been very instrumental in the success of microenterprises in Tanzania. The study provides evidence that most business start-ups have been financed by own sources while expansion has mainly been finance by microfinance credit. The study further observes that inadequate credit resulted in the abandonment or postponement of entrepreneurial projects. Some st udies have concluded that microfinance credit contributes to the growth of enterprises although the impact of finance has not been very significant. Empirical evidence shows that after receiving finance, the firm’s output increased by 40 percent. This evidence shows just how important microfinance is for the growth and expansion of enterprises and thus emphasises the positive relationship between microfinance and entrepreneurship in poor countries. In order for microfinance to help foster entrepreneurial activity, the activity must be sustainable. This means that only enterprises with the potential to evolve from micro to small and to medium enterprises can be considered entrepreneurial businesses (Harper, 1998; Kuzilwa, 2005). Businesses that are merely surviving to sustain a family cannot be considered entrepreneurial (Harper, 1998). The operating cycle of microenterprises is relatively short compared to that of large enterprises. Microenterprises are therefore in need of short term loans in small amounts. Due to their short-term operating cycles, microenterprises are in constant need of small scale loans to finance their business. Consequently, sufficient and timely capital is necessary for the success of microenterprises. According to Alagappan and Nagammai (2003), any entrepreneur’s main problem is finance. Adequate finance is required at reasonable cost to meet the expectations of any entrepreneur (Alagappan and Nagammai, 2003). Small scale entrepreneurs find it difficult to access large financial institutions. This is mostly because of information asymmetries between large financial institutions and small scale businesses. Moral hazard and adverse selection bias often make it difficult for small firms to gain access to finance from large institutions. The process is often complex and may result in delays. Consequently, the only hope for small scale businesses is microfinance. According to a study by Vincent (2004), an initial loan of approximately $100 helped in reintegrating entrepreneurs into formal networks as well as promoting structural and sustainable development in communities. However, the study observed that only 5% of entrepreneurs in these communities were able to obtain micro credit thus hindering the growth and development potential of communities in less developed economies (Vincent, 2004). Vincent (2004) concludes based on this evidence that sustainable entrepreneurship and microfinance can c ontribute tremendously to poverty alleviation in less developed countries. While credit is important, it is not the only factor that can facilitate entrepreneurship in less developed economies. According to a study by Roy and Wheeler (2006) on 12 microfinance institutions in four West African economies, growth of microenterprises is not restricted only by poor access to credit. Rather, other factors such as poor training, lack of trust and corporation as well as risk aversion are other factors that must be taken into account when evaluating the factors that restrict the growth and expansion of microenterprises in less developed economies (Roy and Wheeler, 2006). While microfinance can help in stimulating growth of microenterprises, its availability is only an important part of the story (Roy and Wheeler, 2006). Microfinance needs to be provided only to entrepreneurs who satisfy a host of other requirements such as adequate training, risk tolerance, trust and corporation. While other factors may affect the growth and expansion of microenterprises in less developed countries, Adams and Pischke (1992) believe that lack of funds is the most important problems facing microenterprises. Adam and Pischke (1992) argue that access to small and short-term credit is more beneficial for poor microenterprises than large long-term credit. The evolution of microfinance has been very important because it has enabled microfinance institutions to handle small scale transactions efficiently as well as establish long lasting links with borrowers. The main focus of microfinance institutions is on small and short-term loans which can help small scale entrepreneurs finance short-term investment projects and thus alleviate poverty in the community as a whole. As mentioned earlier, a second school of thought believes that microfinance has a negative impact on the poorest in society (Adams and Von Pischke, 1992; Buckley, 1997). While microfinance programs can create a positive impact on the poor, these programs often fail to reach the poorest people when trying to achieve sustainability. While the programs can serve the poor, they do not necessarily help the poorest of the poor (Copestake et al., 2001; Hulme 2000; Hulme and Mosely 1996; Mosely and Hulme 1998). While superficial analysis shows that microfinance can foster entrepreneurial growth and thus reduce poverty in society, deep analysis suggests that microfinance credit does not create opportunities. Rather the ability of the community to generate income and thus alleviate poverty depends heavily on the entrepreneurial nature of people in the community (Kulziwa, 2005). This does not amount to saying that credit is not important for entrepreneurship. Credit certainly plays a significan t role in improving the competence of the entrepreneur to make use of the opportunity available. However, the entrepreneurial skills must be there to fully realise the benefits of microfinance. Empirical evidence suggests that microfinance has not had a positive impact on entrepreneurship in very poor countries. Shaw (2004) investigated the impact of microfinance on poverty in Sri Lanka. The study provides evidence that not all microfinance projects have been able to alleviate poverty in Sri Lanka. The study contends while microfinance can work well for those very close to the poverty line, it can only help those who are interested and able to engage in high-value entrepreneurial activities (Shaw, 2004). According to Shaw (2004) microfinance loans are not sustainable in that they only serve to protect current consumption levels while offering limited opportunity for exiting poverty. For microfinance programs to be successful, they must be complemented by investment in physical and social infrastructure. Another argument against microfinance programs is that these programs are capable of pushing the poor into a debt trap. This is because the programs often turn out to be unsustainable if the poor are not able to engage in an activity that can generate enough income for repayments (Mead Liedholm, 1998). A study was conducted on NGO led microfinance programs in several developing countries. The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of microfinance programs in these countries using a set of four indicators including their ability to target the poor, their ability to increase assets of the poor, their ability to generate income and their ability create skill employment and financial viability. Comparisons were made with state-led credit based poverty alleviation programs such as the Integrated Rural Development Project (IRDP) and the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) in India (Chavan Ramakumar, 2002).   The study provides evidence that microfinance programs have helped in achieving a marginal improvement in the income of their beneficiaries. However, the evidence suggests that the beneficiaries have not obtained any significant benefits in terms of technological improvements because the programs focus primarily on survival skills (Chavan Ramakumar, 2002). Focusing on Ban gladesh, the study observes that microfinance programs which are designed to help customers repay Grameen Bank loans through fresh loans from moneylenders has resulted in the creation debt cycles (Chavan Ramakumar, 2002). Anand (1994) examine the performance of microenterprises in Botswana the balance between lending and borrowing activities of microfinance institutions. The study observes that Microfinance institutions focus more on lending than borrowing. Lending activity constituted 75% while borrowing constituted only 10% of their total activity (Anand, 1994). This clearly shows that finance cannot be considered a constraint for entrepreneurs in Botswana. The foregoing shows that in order for microfinance to be sustainable, it has to be complemented by savings and other factors. There is a common misconception that the poor cannot save. However, the evolution of microfinance has proven that this is a misconception. Microfinance loans are often made based on the saving capacity of the borrower (Stemper, 1996). Savings are used as a means of establishing the history of the borrower and serves as a important input to evaluating the loan application (Stemper, 1996). Savings can also serve as collateral for borrowers who do not have landed property. This view has been reinforced by Buckley (1997) who views savings as the means of achieving financial independence and self sufficiency for micro enterprises. India created Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs) which serve as microfinance institutions in the country. These associations support the need of financial services for the small scale entrepreneurs in India. They are popular because of their simplicity and the freedom that they provide on using funds (Buckley, 1997). Guha and Gupta (2000) provide evidence suggesting microfinance institutions improve the saving habit of the poor by creating income generating activities and improving their loan repayment habits. Critique of The Literature The empirical evidence above suggests that microfinance institutions play an important role in alleviating poverty in developing countries. This is achieved through their impact on entrepreneurship. Microfinance institutions are sustained by promoting savings and investment schemes for the poor. This suggests that microfinance institutions. A key short-coming with the studies above is that most of the studies focus on the relationship between entrepreneurship and microfinance, with little emphasis on sustainability. Sustainability of entrepreneurship and microfinance are important if they have to be used as a means of alleviating poverty in the long run.   Despite the importance of sustainability, the existing literature has not exploited it in great detail. Togo has witnessed significant developments in its microfinance industry. Microfinance was initiated in Togo by the Association for Community-Based Self-Promotion (ACOMB), which operates in two very low-income districts that have experienced excessively high levels of HIV/AIDS with very little government or foreign support (Parker, 2000). The goal of the association was to provide health education, information, and referrals to clients as an important complement to financial services (Parker, 2000). In addition, the Faà ®tià ¨re des Unità ©s Coopà ©ratives dEpargne et de Crà ©dit (FUCEC) is a Togolese-based Microfinance institution which comprises of credit unions aimed at offering credit with eduction as one of its financial products (Dunford, 2002). FUCEC provides underprivileged people (especially poorer women) to join a credit union. The Microfinance institution provides members with the opportunity to save and obtain credit to finance local projects. This means that most me mbers of FUCEC and net borrowers (Dunford, 2002). Despite these developments, the role of microfinance in alleviating poverty in Togo has not been exploited. Likewise, the relationship among microfinance, entrepreneurship and sustainability are yet to be exploited in Togo. It is against this backdrop that this study aims at investing the relationship among microfinance, entrepreneurship and sustainability in Togo. This will help in the formulation of policies regarding microfinance, entrepreneurship and sustainability in future. This paper will look at two hypotheses as follows: Microfinance programs have a positive impact on entrepreneurship in Togo; Entrepreneurship has a positive impact on the sustainability of Microfinance in Togo. Conclusions Based on the literature above, it can be concluded that there is a significant link between entrepreneurship and microfinance. Despite the apparent importance between sustainability and microfinance, very limited research has been conducted to explore this relationship. In addition, most studies on microfinance in less developed countries have focused on other countries thus ignoring Togo altogether.   This study extends the paper by incorporating sustainability into the relationship between entrepreneurship and microfinance using Togo as a case study. References Adams, D.W. Pischke, J.D. V. (1992). â€Å"Microenterprise credit programmes: Dà ©j vu†,  World Development, 20(10), pp. 1463-1470. ADB (2000).  Finance for the Poor: Microfinance Development Strategy.  Manila: Asian Development Bank. Alagappan, V. Nagammai, R.M. (2003). â€Å"Entrepreneurs response to Financial assistance from Institutions†,  SEDME, 30(4). Anand,V. (1994).  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Performance of Microenterprises  in  Botswana: A case study of selected urban and semi urban locations†,  Indian  Journal  of  Economics, 75(296). Buckley, G. 1997. â€Å"Microfinance in  Africa: Is it Either the Problem or the Solution?†Ã‚  World Development  25:1081-93. Chavan, P. Ramakumar, R. (2002). â€Å"Micro-Credit and Rural Poverty: An Analysis of Empirical Evidence†Ã‚  Economic and Political weekly, March 9, 2002. Christen, R.P. (1997). Issues in the regulation and supervision of microfinance in a transforming economy. Paper presented at the 10th  conference of financial Institutions in  Tanzania, Arusha, 7-9. Dunford, C. (2002), Microfinance as a vehicle for educating the poor, Development Bulletin, vol. 57 Eversole, R. (2000). â€Å"Beyond Microcredit- The Trickle Up Program†,  Small  Enterprise  Development, 11(1). Guha, S. Gupta, G. (2005). â€Å"Microcredit for income generation: The role of ROSCA†,  Economic and political weekly, April 2, 2005. Harper, M. (1998). Microenterprise or growth? Which do we want, and which bring development? Paper presented at the conference on the growth of small and medium enterprises in Africa, theKenya  institute of management,  Nairobi, 23-28 March 1998 Hashemi, S., S.R. Schuler, and A.P. Riley. 1996. â€Å"Rural Credit Programs and Women’s Empowerment in  Bangladesh.†Ã‚  World Development  24:635-653. International Finance Corporation (IFC), 2004. Sustainable Financial markets facility.  www.ifc.org Kuzilwa, J.A. (2005). â€Å"The role of credit for small business Success: A study of the national entrepreneurship development fund in  Tanzania†,  Journal of entrepreneurship, Vol. 14 , No.2. Nair,  T.S.,(1998),â€Å"Meeting  the  credit  needs  of  the  micro  enterprise  sector issues   in  focus†Ã‚  Ã‚  Indian  Journal  Of  Labour  Economics,  Ã‚  41(3). Rangarajan, C. (2005). â€Å"Microfinance and its future directions† High level Policy Conference on microfinance in India- May 3, 2005- New Delhi, Keynote Address by Dr. C. Rangarajan Chairman Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. Roy, M.A. Wheeler, D. (2006).â€Å"A survey of microenterprise in urban  West Africa: Drivers shaping the sector†Ã‚  Development in Practice, 16(5). Schuler, S.R., S. Hashemi, and A.P. Riley. 1997. â€Å"The Influence of Women’s Changing Roles and Status in  Bangladesh’s Fertility Transition: Evidence from a Study of Credit Programs and Contraceptive Use.†Ã‚  World Development  25: 563-575. Sen, A. (1999). Development as Freedom,  Oxford:  Oxford  University  Press. Shaw, J. (2004). â€Å"Microenterprise occupation and poverty reduction in microfinance programs: Evidence from  Sri Lanka†.  World Development, 32(7), pp.1247–1264. Olu, O. (2009) Impact of Microfinance on Entrepreneurial Development: The Case of Nigeria, The International Conference on Administration and Business. Marguerite, R. S., (2002), â€Å"The Microfinance Revolution: Sustainable Finance for the Poor†. Sinha, F. (2005). â€Å"Access, Use and Contribution of Microfinance in  India: Findings from a National Study†,  Economic and Political Weekly, April 23, 2005. Stemper, G.A. (1996). â€Å"Commercial banks and Microentrepreneurs in  Latin America†,  Small Enterprise Development, 7(3). Vincent, G. 2004. â€Å"Sustainable Microentrepreneurship:  The Roles of Microfinance, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in Reducing Poverty in Developing Countries†, www.gdrc.org/icm/micro/guy_sustmicro.pdf Parker, J. (2000) The role of microfinance in the fight against HIV/AIDS, A report to The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Planning Softwares in todays Project Management Research Proposal

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Fast, global,and entrepreneurial; supply chain management , hong kong Case Study

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