Explain the Post 16 Options for Young and Adults

Explain the post 16 options for young people and adults Once a young person finishes year 11 they have different options available to them they can choose to go on to further education this can be either within the school in the sixth form or they could go to college. The qualifications that can be gained through further education are:AS and A levels- are full time courses studying mainly academic subjects but also some work related subjects and are generally taken over 2 years. Diplomas- are when the student is still based in their school or college but they have the chance to learn in other settings such as the work place or a college giving them a taste of what to expect in that particular occupation.Key skills- these are designed to prepare students for the working environment and are usually run alongside or are included in other courses although are available on their own. Other options are: Apprenticeships-a more hands on role, learning through work in an apprenticeship where they gain qualifications while working within the job position, with this option they can gain valuable hands on experience, training as well as gaining a qualification while earning a wage at the same time.BTEC’s- are usually studied at school or college they are work based qualifications that are a mix between practical and theory and some work experience.NVQ’s- these can be taken either at school/college, through a placement or in the work place. They are based on the students skills,knowledge and their competence of doing the job.Explain the post 16 options for young people and adults:It's easy to figure out. A lot these kids were pampered, chauffeured, over protected, over parented and just plain spoiled. They also have a tremendous sense of entitlement. Hell, getting a car at age 16 has become a rite of passage! I have friends who regularly allowed their kids boy and girl friends to â€Å"sleep over†, now that's crazy. There are millions of unfilled jobs i n the USA but people (young and old) are fearful of pulling up and moving to where the work is. My parents gave us this advice ‘Get an education, Get a skill, and Get Out† They did all that working class folks could do to help us. Then we were on our own. Simple. To their extreme credit, they paid extra taxes so we could have excellent schools, Many school activities, and anything else we needed to get a good start. ( remember Drivers Ed, at school?) The draft helped too. The war was terrible, but most of us, who served, are better for it. Our generation abandoned this commitment to education and service and became â€Å"the most selfish generation†. Selfishness is not a very good trait to pass on. So now the folks who are still strapped with their older kids are paying, and paying. God bless you, and kick your kids out.

Racism In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

Racism is about control.   In southern literature this control is very prevalent.   In this essay the focus of racism in southern literature will be scrutinized, dissected, and analyzed.   Since racism is about control, the unfettering of such belligerence becomes didactic in the making of a novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird racism is ubiquitous with the young culture in the town.   Just as Atticus is a lawyer in the book, Scout the narrator and child depicts the scene of racism thusly, â€Å"My fists were clenched I was ready to make fly. Cecil Jacobs had announced the day before that Scout Finch’s daddy defended niggers.† Though Scout continually defends Atticus on the playground and in other parts of town, the racism remarks do not stop.   Even Scout’s cousin Francis is overwhelmingly supplied with racist remarks, â€Å"At a safe distance her called, `He’s nothin’ but a nigger-lover’.†Ã‚   It is in racism, and the reality of that prejudice that the entire town’s lives are changed, and the political arena of the courtroom shows itself as discriminatory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell the story is thriving with racism.   Of course the novel takes place during the Civil War and this was the apex of the struggle for slave freedom.   In the novel it almost seems as though slavery is glorified because of the way they are depicted: as subservient, and loyal. Scarlett herself, in the novel, is ebullient with her way of life, she loves to be pampered and catered to by both men, and servants.   Slavery for her is ideal because she does not have to do anything for herself.   The analysis then, is that in order for her to become a dynamic and more than a flat character she must give up her antebellum Southern ways, and accept that in a free world her type of egoism is no longer warranted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the novel taking place during the Civil War it is to be expected that slavery is a crux by which the author writes.   Slavery in the South has always been an issue.   There lies deep-seeded resentfulness towards the history yet racism is still alive today.   The reason that southern literature still focuses its story line after such prejudice is to make readers aware of the sentiments in southern culture.   Just because the history of slavery is over with, doesn’t mean that racism isn’t a stigma still exercised in the South today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel, Fried Green Tomatoes by Fanny Flagg, the issues of bi-racial marriage and racism tear the town asunder while at once building an umbrage by which the main characters form a support for each other, and defend each other against such prejudices.   What racism in southern literature ultimately teaches is that even though decades have transpired, the issues of racism that were current during the Civil War and prior are still in societal conceptions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is through language use, and the continual torturing of blacks in each novel, and the prejudices that they suffer and their friends are exposed to that the authors of southern literature want their audience to realize happened, and is still happening.   In To Kill A Mockingbird Lee wants to represent how racism filters in through all facets of society. In Southern Literature it is not about how racism affects only the black population but how it affects the entire community, how demonic a person can become because they seek power and control over another person, and how that persuasion can emphasis the evil in humanity.   Southern black literature represents how racism destroys a person, how in each novel, characters either succumb to the power or it depicts how protagonists rise with subjective humanity and try to scotch the brutality that is racism. Racism is such a strong theme in each of these books because the characters in the books fight against a juggernaut force, and against odds, hopefully overcome the misconceptions that thrive in racism.   Southern black literature and especially in the aforementioned novels, needs to present racism in order for racism to be stopped, for only after the causes are found can the entire prejudice cease, that is the purpose of the novels. Bibliography Harper, L.   (1988).   To Kill a Mockingbird.   Grand Central Publishing, New York.

Starbucks Hr Management

Strategic Human Resources Management The emergence of strategic human resources management is rooted in manpower planning but it is the work of affirming the importance of managing people effectively as well as pursuing towards more flexible and innovative in order to be able to deliver services in constantly changing environment. Most of the literature review suggested that the advantage of valuable knowledge, unique set of skills and decision making capabilities can results in firm’s competitive advantage and value creation as well (Rochling et all, 2005).Therefore, an appropriate Human Resources practices can develops organizational capabilities such as empowerment, selective hiring, extensive training, performance evaluation, team based work and performance based pay work. Based on these six practices, the initial impact is on what employees have and feel. Selective hiring and extensive training are all aimed at building certain skills that enabling employees to effectivel y perform their jobs.In the addition on these practices along with rewards, performance evaluation, empowerment and team based work will create employee’s perceptions on the company’s fairness and desirability and then, will influence their commitment, motivation and motivation where it will directly affect on the firm’s performance. However, although these six practices being analyzed individually, they are not necessarily being practiced individually. This means that some of these can be combined together in order to get better results such as the combination of empowerment, team based work and rewards.This can be proved from the Whole Food Market case. The unique human resource practices in Whole Food Market was well known and thought to be the main drivers of its growth and profitability in the industry of natural and organic food retailers. The work culture in Whole Food Market was centered on the firm’s grassroots, which are the frontline level of m anagement which helped to eliminate bureaucracy. The firm empowered the existing team member to choose their own new recruits where they feel comfortable with in their team.Besides that, the firm also uses team based incentive (combination of team based work and reward) to improve cost saving as well as productivity. Each department within a store that runs by a team will be given a monthly payroll budget where the unspent payroll money at the end of the month will be divided among the team members. This method has successfully reduces unwanted costs and increases the firm’s performance financially. Extensive training has the potential side where training tends to develop more skillful expertise that eventually will boost up the employees confidents and motivation while performing their job.Whenever the firm did not provide sufficient training and development to the less skillful employees, this may lead to demoralization among the employees and then, reduces the productivity and firm’s performance. For example, Delta Airline, where the firm focuses more on cost reduction and did not put much effort on employee commitment. The firm has deducted training costs which considers as crucial expenses in the airline industry and causes lack of employee engagement in the firm. Consequently, Delta has dropped to the bottom of the industry in performance as compared to its competitors such as Southwest Airline.Every human resource practices costs money to develop and time to implement and these costs however, will go directly to the organization bottom line. For example, being selective in hiring may result in better employees but it will cost more in term of interviewing and testing. Providing more extensive training will increase their skills and potentially their attitudes but it will cause substantial amount of money spent to the firm. Thus, it is vital to implement a high performance human practices that increases productivity and at the same time do not let their costs surpass the benefits or that will bring no real gain for the firm.

Gas-filled Liposomes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gas-filled Liposomes - Essay Example In medicine, MRI is an invaluable tool for soft tissue assessment as it analyses the absorption and transmission of high frequency radio waves absorbed by water in high magnetic fields to derive cross-sectional images of soft tissue (Alexander et al, 1996; Maresca et al, 1998). The use of GFLs as components of tracer materials may enhance the use of this technology in medical diagnostics (Klibanov, 1999). A recently developed method of GFL preparation (Vangala et al, 2007) involves the homogenization of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero3-phosphorocholine (DPPC) or 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorocholine DSPC in aqueous medium below their transition temperatures to effect a stable GFL formation. Biophysical assessment indicated that the initial vesicle size was 10microm, which increased to approximately 12 microm for DPPC and 23 microm for DSPC containing vesicles in 7 days at 25C. The addition of cholesterol 1: 0.5 or 1:1 to the DPPC lipid homogenate produced significant increases in vesicle size as well as enhanced stability compared to DPPC alone (Liu et al, 2000). Surface charge induction was implemented by the addition of stearylamine at a molar ratio of 0.125 or 0.25. The surfactant did not appear to be incorporated into the bilayer. Microscopic analyses demonstrated that spherical structures ranging from 1-8 microm were produced by this method. When used as cardiographic contrast agents in cardiac assessment in experimental animals, GFL performed with greater sensitivity than aqueous liposomes (Mohammed et al, 2004; Unger et al, 1992, 1993). 2-Aim and Objective The objective of this research is to prepare Gas-filled liposomes (GFL) and to characterize their biophysical properties. The goal is to prepare liposomes that are gas-filled (air) using experimental lipid components and to assess their stability and biophysical properties. This assessment may facilitate the use of GFL for both medicinal purposes in MRI and in environmental studies such as novel methods for oil recovery. 3-Materials Sigma-Aldrich (Poole, Dorset, UK) 1,2-dimysteroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorocholine DMPC(C14) 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorocholone DPPC (C16) 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine DSPC (C18) methyl cellulose cholesterol stearylamine phosphate buffered saline tablets Lipid Products (Nutfield, Surrey, UK) egg-phosphatidylcholine (PC) double-distilled water 4-Methods Gas-filled liposome preparation: GFL will be prepared using a modified method first developed by Unger (1999). This method involves the following steps: 1. 50 mg of DSPC or other lipid added to 5ml of doubly-distilled water in a 50ml beaker to hydrate the lipid. Cholesterol or stearylamine should be added if these components are to be included in the vesicle preparation. 2. Mixture is homogenized for 4 minutes below the phase transition temperature of the lipid using a high speed homogeniser (Ultra -Turrax T8). 3. A gas (air) filled lipid layer will form above the aqueous layer following homogenization: this constitutes the GFL fraction. 4. Varying GFL concentrations will be prepared by mixing varying volumes

Decision Making using Critical Thinking Assignment

Decision Making using Critical Thinking - Assignment Example The inhabitants of the country are an ethnic mix of indigenous South Pacific tribes, Asians particularly Chinese, African, French, Spanish and Americans. In designing the strategies for the company, it must take into consideration the different culture, beliefs and values of the residents of Kava. While most of these people are known coffee drinkers, the tastes and preferences might vary. Another challenge which the company faces is the threat of disasters which often confront the people of Kava. This phenomenon greatly impacts on the economy of Kava, which in turn affects the buying behavior and purchasing power of the people of Kava. Buying specialized coffee might not be one of their priorities if they hardly have food to eat on their table. However, there also presents an opportunity for the company for the untapped â€Å"foreign† or expat market whose income are barely affected by the disasters that are experienced by the people of Kava. Finding the right mix of people to be employed by the company is another issue that besets the company. Being an employee for the company means forging a partnership with the organization. It is therefore imperative that the people to be hired by the organization must share the same mission and vision as what the company holds. They should be willing to learn and grow with the company. Building a profitable organization in Kava means having to work harmoniously with the government. The company must be ready to help support the different communities in Kava. The organization must be ready to create partnerships with other organizations to improve the lives of the people of Kava. There several forces involved in the formulation of the problem. Specifically, the problem on hand is about establishing a greater presence in Kava. One of the forces involved in the formulation of the problem is the leadership of Chris. One is

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 39

Essay Example After the data collection, average method has been used to derive monthly averages of currency exchange rates. The analysis starts from correlation test to understand the nature of relationship. After that graphical interpretations have been developed to analyse the trends in data. Finally, criticism on data has been presented with a few recommendations to improve the method of data collection. Moreover, primary data collection sheets have been also presented to improve the quality of data. Correlation analysis has been done to analyse the nature of relationship between exports and imports and exchange rates of the countries. For example, how the collected eleven months data of Chinese Yuan is correlated with Chinese exports and imports. The correlation of Yuan with Chinese exports gives 0.59, which means that a positive correlation exists between Chinese exports and Yuan (Table IV – Appendix). In other words, with increase in the value of Chinese Yuan against Dollar, the exports of China to the United States will increase. Although the data has been collected from very reliable resource still, the derived values of correlation are giving very different results. According to economic concepts, the devaluation of currency is positively related to the exports and negatively related to imports of an economy. The reason is that devaluation of currency makes the products of the country cheaper in the international market and the demand of exports in international mar ket increases. Although the prices of the products decline however, the increased volume of exports enhances the exports value of the country. On the other hand, when goods become cheaper because of devaluation of currency, people need more money to buy the imported products therefore, the imports of the country from other states decline. Because of this relation between trade balance and currency exchange,

Proof read Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Proof read - Essay Example 3 Opportunity This report was designed to enhance the understanding of the benefits of donating recycled electronics or â€Å"e-waste† through Free Geek. It seeks to answer the following questions: Why is it necessary to recycle e-waste? What is Free Geek and how does it promote environmental sustainability and education? How can Intel’s donations to Free Geek benefit the e-waste problem locally and globally? What benefits can Intel expect if they donate to Free Geek? Background Over the last couple of decades, Intel has been a leader in technology, advancing not only technology, but the way the world interacts with it. Intel is at the forefront of the computer chip manufacturing industry and is possibly the most influential technology companies in the past century. Intel’s leadership and influence has set standards for similar companies for the betterment of the environment. Free Geek, a local non-profit organization in Portland Oregon, describes itself in the c ompany’s mission statement as an organization that firmly believes that recycling is best done through â€Å"reuse†. Owing to this philosophy, the company refurbishes whatever it can and gives it back to the community â€Å"with a new lease on life†. This way the stuff doesn’t get thrown into the garbage or used for landfills to filter toxins from the soil nor is it dumped to developing countries to be disassembled by young ones. The company makes sure that all electronic materials that are not reused are recycled in a responsible manner within the confines of North America. Imagine the possibilities if two forward thinking companies worked together with a common goal for the greater good of all humanity.   This report shall shed light on the downfalls of e-waste, the benefits of cooperation, and the positives of donation.   While e-waste is a global calamity, this report shall focus on a smaller scale, primarily the United States.    Discussion of Findings Hazards and Effects of E-waste E-waste has many negative effects on the livelihood of humans, animals and their natural habitats. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers are a component of e-waste that is used as flame retardants in plastics in high tech electronics. This chemical compound is synthetic and is not a product of nature. It mainly includes bromine with some amounts of chlorine, fluorine, iodine and astatine. This compound works by releasing bromine atoms that depletes the surrounding oxygen in the air. PBDEs are toxic in that they are responsible for the disruption of thyroid hormones, deficits in neurodevelopment and cancer (Hooper and McDonald). These PBDEs have been detected in marine mammals everywhere from the Baltic Sea to the Great Lakes and are found in humans in the United States at higher levels than anywhere else in the world (Grossman 113). Since only 15-20% of e-waste is recycled in the U.S. it is questionable where the rest goes (U.S Environmental Protecti on Agency). â€Å"On the outskirts of Ghana’s biggest city sits a smoldering wasteland, a slum carved into the banks of the Korle Lagoon, one of the most polluted bodies of water on earth† (WGBH Educational Foundation). Exported e-waste has a huge impact in a lot of developing countries. These developing countries offer a very inexpensive recycling service although most workers work in extremely unsafe environments. Tests revealed the presence of purely acidic soil near some of the work areas having a pH level of 0 (Grossman 187). Impact of Corporate Recycling of

Professionalization of modern sport For Profit or Glory Essay

Professionalization of modern sport For Profit or Glory - Essay Example how it cooperates and competes; it also shows the connections between the practice of shareholder management and the achievement of different performance goals; it recommends attitudes and structures to the stakeholder management. For football industry, there is a need to capture stakeholder in order to re-examine its governance structure and practice, meet the increasing expectations and standards of accountability and maximize its economic performance. Otherwise, a conflict can arise between the football club and its stakeholders, where the fans are the main priority in the field of success of the certain football club (Hoye & Cuckelly, 2007). Besides, sport organizations are also the subject of scrutiny from such stakeholders as members, sponsors, consumers, and the government funding agencies that expect the football club will deliver the highest quality outcomes. The football supporters argue to make the sport’s governance a serious political issue (Rae, 2014). That is an evidence of a random survey conducted among the four thousand adults, the eighteen per cent of which consider their clubs are in the well financial state, while thirty-eight per cent call for the regulation connecting supporters to be involved in the ownership of the club directly. If to speak about the English football and in case of any conflict arises, the Company Law, protecting the clubs’ investors, can replace certain fans (Michie & Shay, 1999). With the introduction of the Companies Act 2006, its Section 172 states that â€Å"a director of the company should act in the way of good faith† and â€Å"most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole† (Companies Act, 2006). In that case, the director of the club should understand all the consequences of any decision in the long term perspective should care for the company’s business relationships with stakeholders and make an impact on the company’s operations in the community and the

Place attachment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Place attachment - Research Paper Example The paper outlines all the thoughts from different books about the place attachment of people. There are various factors that contribute to create a bond between individuals and their living places. Apart from cultural and social values religion plays a vital role to build up a relationship of people with their living region. In 2004 Mazumdar and Mazumdar presented a study of sacred places to show relationship between place attachment and religion. Religion strongly influences people`s lifestyle, and their daily practices specifically worship places and communal gatherings help people develop a strong bond with the area and other people living in the same community. The study shows that religious people like to live near their worship places, which facilitates them during worship and consequently an attachment is developed with the place mainly for religious purposes. Additionally, when a strong relation is formed with the other people come for collective prayers place attachment increases. This study explores that religion attachment also contribute to build an attachment with the new place which seem more attractive and religious to people with respect to their own religious rituals and practices. Architectural fame and popularity of the religious places has significance importance on other hand that attracts people from regions to visit or migrate to particular locations. Researchers highlighted examples from different religions including Islam, Hinduism and Christianity to view place attachment from a wider spectrum.

Actual families Essay Example for Free

Actual families Essay The views of actual families and perceived families on inner city family values are different in the sense that reality hits actual families. Our minds can perceive what should be done but if we check reality, poverty is a serious problem that should be dealt with fervor. Teaching family values is the foundation of all solutions to these problems. Why is that so? If children learn family values at home and the parents show them good example in practicing these values, children will most likely emulate the parents (Learning Family, 1999, p. 1). Then there will be no existence of violent crimes since people practice compassion. There will be no extreme poverty since people practice being industrious. All these could be perceived in the mind but can be transformed into reality. Finally, it is not true that inner societies should believe that poverty is part and parcel of the society they belong. Poverty can be eradicated by all means if cooperation of the people concerned can be given. However, there are people who become poor because of the things that they do not have control of. And other people experience poverty because they are too indolent to work hard. The former cause of poverty deserves to be treated as recoverable and can be solved. See more: Beowulf essay essay And there is nothing we can do for people who become poor due to idleness and slothfulness. Thus, family values of industry and integrity must be upheld in both actual and perceived families on inner cities. References Ashman, K. Hull, G. 1999. Understanding Generalist Practice. USA: Nelson-Hall, Inc. International Herald Tribune. 2008. Global Food Shortage; America’s light still shines; moving too fast. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from http://www. iht. com /articles/2008/03/13/opinion/edlet. php. Learning Family. 1999. Learning Family Values. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from http://www. learningfamily. net/about/values. htm. News 24 Website. 2008 August 25. Poverty, parenting cause crime. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://www. news24. com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2382088,00. html. Overpopulation Website. 2008 September 7. Impacts. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from http://www. overpopulation. org/impact. html. Vogel, S. 2008 August 24. Gazette Extra. Does Poverty Equal Crime? Scholars disagree. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://gazettextra. com/news/2008/aug/24/does-poverty-crime-scholars-disagree/. Wattenberg, M. , Edwards III, G. Lineberry, R. 2003. Government of America. USA: Addison- Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc.

The Role Of The Entrepreneur

The Role Of The Entrepreneur Previous studies have highlighted the changes by OECD countries from large companies consisting of mass production to smaller companies focusing on knowledge, initiative and flexibility. According to Karlsson et al, this change appears to have taken place from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. (Karlsson et al., 2004; Acs, 1996 and 1999; Acs and Audretsch, 2001; Audretsch and Thurik, 1997 and 2001; Audretsch et al, 2002) The large managed economies invested in production, distribution and management. (Chandler, 1990) A large distributional network meant the products could reach large market. The smaller entrepreneurial economies focus on knowledge and flexibility as part of production. (Karlsson et al., 2004) Karlsson et al highlights the factors that caused the change from a managed economy to an entrepreneurial economy such as increased global competition, changes in demand and demographics, intensified uncertainty and new technologies. (Karlsson et al., 2004) Definition of Entrepreneurship The name Entrepreneur can be used very vaguely as it can cover a number of different roles. Thurik and Wennekers identified up to thirteen roles that the entrepreneur can be responsible for: The person who assumes the risk associated with uncertainty The supplier of financial capital An innovator A decision maker An industrial leader A manager An organiser and coordinator of economic resources The owner of an enterprise An employer of factors of production A contractor An arbitrageur An allocator of resources among alternative uses The person who realises a start-up of a new business (Thurik Wennekers, 1999) After much studying regarding the history of entrepreneurship and the economy, Hà ©bert and Link came up with the following definition for the entrepreneur: The entrepreneur is someone who specialises in taking responsibility for and making judgemental decisions that affect the location, form, and the use of goods, resources, or institutions. Thurik and Wennekers then came up with the following definition of entrepreneurship, with the help of Hà ©bert and Link (1989), Bull and Willard (1993) and Lumpkin and Dess (1996): Entrepreneurship is the manifest ability and willingness of individuals, on their own, in teams, within and outside existing organisations, to: perceive and create new economic opportunities (new products, new production methods, new organisational schemes and new product market combinations) and to introduce their ideas in the market, in the face of uncertainty and other obstacles, by making decisions on location, form and the use of resources and institutions. (Thurik and Wennekers, 1999) The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) defines entrepreneurship as: Any attempt at new business or venture creation, such as self employment, a new business organisation, or the expansion of an existing business organisation by an individual, teams of individuals, or established businesses. (GEM, 2002) Invest NI simply defines entrepreneurship as: Someone who pursues business opportunities beyond known resources to create wealth. (Invest NI) History of Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth Theories Thurik and Wennekers split the historical entrepreneurial theories into three traditions: German tradition of von Thà ¼nen, Schumpter and Baumol Entrepreneur is the creator of instability and creative destruction. (Neo-)classical tradition of Marshall, Knight and Schultz Helps markets reach an equilibrium by carrying out entrepreneurial activities. Austrian tradition of Menger, von Mises and Kirzner The ability of the entrepreneur to realise opportunities for profit. Helps satisfy needs or improve market inefficiencies and deficiencies. Thurik and Wennekers attribute economic growth through entrepreneurship to three main entrepreneurial activities, enhanced competition, innovations and employment growth through firm start-ups. The following table, created by Thurik and Wennekers, shows the various schools of growth theory with the role of entrepreneurship: Growth Theories Neo-Classical Growth Theories Schumpeter/ Baumol Theory Karlsson et al highlights that the German traditions of Schumpeter in 1934 and Baumol in 1968, shows the entrepreneur as an innovator and inspirer, the implementer of creative destruction, creating instability, disequilibria and economic development. (Karlsson et al., 2004) A model by Aghion and Howitt tries to explain how creative destruction works. The Research and Development sector invents new production techniques, putting other techniques beyond use. As this new technique is used, the innovators are rewarded until a new technique superseeds his invention. (Aghion and Howitt, 1992; Thurik and Wennekers, 1999) Neo-Classical Theory While there have been a number of neoclassical growth models created over the years, the main one to have an impact has been that of Robert Solow in 1956. One of his main conclusions was that the accumulation of capital cannot account for historic growth per capita, nor the differences in international per capita output. Karlsson et al explains that the model is built where output is a function of capital and effective labour, where effective labour includes the knowledge and effectiveness of the labour force. Output therefore increases if either capital or effective labour increase, and with given levels of capital and labour, the only way growth can occur is through the expansion of knowledge, being the advancement of technology. The economy will eventually reach equilibrium, where output, capital and effective labour will all grow at a constant rate. This rate of growth is determined by the advances in technology. With this theory by Solow, the entrepreneur does not exist. Austrian Theory The Austrian Theory is where the entrepreneur spots an area of disequilibrium and attempts to profit from this situation by improving on the inefficiencies and deficiencies in the market. (Kirzner, 1973) Holcombe (1998) and Minniti (1999) agree that in order for opportunities to become available, they have to have been created by other entrepreneurs. Quite simply put by Karlsson et al, entrepreneurship generates more entrepreneurship. (Karlsson, 2004; Holcombe, 1998; Minniti, 1999) Endogenous Growth Theories (New Growth Theory) The Endogenous Growth Theory or New Growth Theory was developed in the 1980s as a response to the basic Neoclassical Theory of Growth. Many believe that the problem with the Neoclassical theories is that as growth is determined through the levels of technological changes, there is very little relating to the factors that affect technological progress. Romer (1986, 1990) and Lucas (1988) were responsible for the early development of this concept. (Hoque) It appears that generally within the endogenous models such as Romer (1986, 1990) and Lucas(1988), the entrepreneur does not hold a central role, however, Grossman and Helpman (1991) suggest that all Research and Development and investment decisions are made by forward-looking profit maximising entrepreneurs. (Karlsson et al, 2004; Grossman and Helpman, 1991) Hoque goes on to suggest that output and growth are dependent on the internal variable saving rate, which is converted into human capital investment used for innovating new ideas and methods. This variable saving rate allows for technological progress, resulting in the long-term growth of the economy. The endogenous growth theory focuses on a number of factors, including education, knowledge, research, training and experience. These factors help for growth and lead to innovation. Hoque mentions two types of innovation: Horizontal Innovation The Research Sector develops a variety of goods leading to a spillover effect on the economy. These goods can be patented and sold to the immediate goods sector who then have a monopoly power on each design and can therefore earn a monopoly return. Vertical Innovation This is where improvements are made to existing products, leading to a temporary increase in productivity and a sustainable increase in output growth. East Asian Miracle: 1965 1990 Thurik and Wennekers (1999) refers to the economic growth of East Asian countries in the past decade. These eight countries are referred to as the High-Performing Asian Economies (HPAEs) and include the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. During the period of 1965 to 1990, they experienced an average GNP growth rate per capita of 5.5%. This growth can be taken from both exports of goods, as well as domestic demand. A number of public policies led to growing physical and human capital, the allocation of resources to productive investment and the gathering and perfecting of technology. Thurik and Wennekers, however, state that the innovation, private investment and marketing does not necessarily come from entrepreneurial activity and there is no obvious proof of an increase in entrepreneurship. Phelps commented on the paper by Mankiw (1995), claiming that with such an increase in human capital, entrepreneurship must be the reason, helped by the governments. Porter (1990) has also supported this viewed when writing about Emerging Korea in which he states two factors, being the willingness to take risks and the intensity of competition. Entrepreneurship and the Competitive Advantage of Nations An analysis by Porter (1990) was conducted in order to highlight the factors or conditions and determine the competitive strength of nations. Porters model was made up of four sets of factors in what was called the diamond model. Thurik and Wennekers describe these determinants below: Factor Conditions Porter distinguishes basic factors (e.g. natural resources and cheap, unskilled labour) from advanced factors (highly skilled personnel, modern networks infrastructure); Demand Conditions These have three main elements: the nature of buyer needs (e.g. sophisticated instead of basic), the size and the pattern of growth and the existence of mechanisms by which a nations domestic preferences are transmitted to foreign markets; Related and Supporting Industries The presence of internationally competitive supplier and related industries stimulates rivalry and partial cooperation; The Structure and Culture of Domestic Rivalry This encompasses a wide scope such as opportunities provided to possible new entrants, the nature of competition between incumbent firms, dominant business strategies and management practices. (Thurik and Wennekers) This diamond model is summed up by Porter (1990) as, Invention and entrepreneurship are at the heart of national advantage. With this model, Porter suggests that innovation comes directly from entrepreneurship. As well as this, he claims that international competitiveness is a vital link between entrepreneurship (innovation) and economic growth, with domestic rivalry being important in leading to international competitiveness. He also mentions that entrepreneurship is not a trait associated with smaller firms. (Thurik and Wennekers, 1999) Evolutionary Economics The concept of this theory is that each individual has a set of routines, which gradually evolve. These routines are tested in the market environment and due to natural selection, the most suitable one survives. (Karlsson et al., 2004) In this model, each individual has entrepreneurial spirit, human capital and venture capital. (Grebel et al., 2001) Eliasson (1994) mentions that in order for a firm to survive, competence is the most important factor and that accumulation of competence is the determinant of success. This was also backed up by a study conducted by Eliasson and Braunerhjelm (1998), claiming that economic growth stems from human-embodied tacit competencies. (Karlsson et al., 2004) Linking Entrepreneurial Activities to Economic Growth Competition Within the U.S., Acs (1996) suggests that employment growth is due to the increased competition. Geroski (1994) agrees that competition is important by stating that competition plays a significant role in stimulating productivity, with both new firms and new ideas provoking movements to, and outwards movements of, the production frontier which, the data suggest would not have occurred in their absence. Gort and Sung (1999) conclude that an increase in competition will lead to an increase in efficiency. This competition will affect efficiency in four ways: Greater incentive to stimulate demand Higher quality of capital inputs Lower monitoring costs Greater efficiency of firm-specific organisational capital and rivalry leading to innovation Dennis (1995) mentions how competition stimulates some people, but not everyone. These people will try to find a better and more profitable way of doing things in order to maintain or improve their position in the market. These people have chosen innovation rather than working harder. (Dennis, 1995; However, he also mentions how there are policy-imposed limits on competition which vary from country to country, giving the example that the U.S Postal Service who are owned by the government, are the only company allowed to deliver first class mail. This can allow a monopoly to form over a certain market and prevent competition occurring. Innovation The innovative activity of small firms has a different level of importance depending on the type of sector a firm is involved in. (Acs and Audretsch, 2001) Baldwin and Johnson (1999) mention a number of small firms in which innovation is important including electronics, instruments, medical equipment, steel and biotechnology. Acs (1996) goes further than this by calculating the number of innovations per 1000 employees in different industry sectors. When this measure was carried out in 1982 in the U.S., it was found that firms with less than 500 employees produced more innovations in fields such as electronic computing equipment, process control instruments, electronic components, engineering and scientific instruments and plastic products. (Karlsson et al., 2004) In studies conducted by Acs et al (1994), as well as Audretsch and Vivarelli (1996), it was found that innovations by small firms was greater if the firms were close to Universities. This shows the effect of education on innovation. Other studies have found that small firms are more likely to innovate in unexplored areas of technology, with the larger companies focusing on more established areas. (Acs, 1999) Rothwell and Zegveld found that all outputs from the UK which they studied were radical breakthroughs, with only 27% of U.S. firms producing these radical breakthroughs, 30% as major technological shifts and 37% as improvement type innovations. (Rothwell and Zegveld, 1982; Karlsson, 2004) Ernst and Young make a number of observations with regards innovation and entrepreneurship: Theres no time like a downturn to take advantage of entrepreneurial thinking A recent Ernst and Young survey found that the majority of entrepreneurs saw the economic slowdown as the perfect time to explore new opportunities. More than half of the companies on the 2009 Fortune 500 list were founded during a recession or bear market. The market leaders of today are not necessary the market leaders of tomorrow Entrepreneurial enterprises grow quickly, replacing the market share of many dominant corporations. Innovation can, and often must be, disruptive Disruptive innovation is often the turning point for business in an industry undergoing significant change. (Christensen, 1997) Applegate states, Disruptions in the business environment cause economic shifts that destabilise industries, companies and even countries. They allow new entrants or forward thinking established players to introduce innovations in products, markets, or processes that transform the way companies do business and consumers behave. (Applegate, 2007) She goes on to mention a number of factors which companies must consider when faced with disruptive business conditions: Technology Important emerging technologies and how they are being used by others to help create an advantage. Business Models New business models need to be created or adapted to help improve how business is done. Industry Dynamics Fragmented industries where significant value can be delivered through consolidation. Globalisation Adapt to how companies in another part of the world perform. Regulatory, macroeconomic, political and societal factors Changes in regulations, political power and society that disrupt major companies, providing opportunities for new companies. (Applegate, 2007) Never too big to be an entrepreneur Large firms are often weighed down by institutional structures that may see unconventional ideas or strategies as impractical or threatening. However, they can still innovate successfully by building and sustaining innovation-oriented cultures. Large companies have found that in addition to internal research, they can seek innovation through partnerships, joint ventures, licensing and investing in up and coming companies. Government policies that encourage entrepreneurship are most likely to result in increased innovation A 2009 report from the Ernst and Young Conference Board states, Policies that protect firms or industries can result in reduced incentives for entrepreneurs to invest in innovative ideas and for large firms to invest in Research and Development because they no longer face the competitive pressure to constantly improve their product in order to improve (or maintain) their market share. Ernst and Young highlight that the governments which are viewed as most effective when they stay out of the business sectors way, play an important role in helping the engines of growth which are entrepreneurs. They also highlight some ways in which the government can help: Strengthen and invest in education systems Encourage businesses to connect with global, cross-border markets Cultivate confidence in capital markets Simplify procedures and requirements Champion robust Research and Development programs Allow for failure Encourage sound public/private partnerships Make the tax framework friendly to innovation (Ernst and Young, 2009) Industrial Structure, Start-ups and Job Creation When it comes to the differences between large and small firms, Carree and Thurik (1998), as well as Vosloo (1994) highlight a number of advantages in smaller firms. Mentioned is the fact that a greater number of smaller firms dispersed geographically allow for customers to cut travelling distances. As well as this, variety can only be created by small firms and the entrepreneur running the firm is more likely to be energetic and motivational. Vosloo highlights advantages of small firms in developing economies, such as less capital per worker on average, higher likelihood of innovation per employee, greater flexibility, higher growth and job creation rates, as well as being able to serve a more niche market. Studies by both Audretsch et al (2002), as well as Carree and Thurik (1998), have found that on average, the employment share of large firms had a negative effect on growth of output and that smaller firms have helped economic growth. With regards to Germany, Wengenroth (1999) concluded that Small business was the catalyst of industrial growth in providing the background of skills and services which alone made possible the mass consumption of industrial product. Davis et al (1996) mentions that the entrepreneurship in start-ups makes a smaller contribution to job growth than expansion of existing firms in the U.S. This is also backed by a study conducted by Bednarzik (2000). It has to be noted however, that smaller firms have a higher gross job creation, with larger firms providing more in terms of net job creation. Carree and Klomp (1996) dispute this claim from Davis et al, arguing that relative to employment share, small firms created more net jobs relative to employment share. (Karlsson, 2004) What has regularly been found is that small firms can have a volatile job situation, with plenty of job growth, but also a lot of job destruction. Investec, a UK asset management group, have predicted a large number of job losses within the public sector with the hope that entrepreneurship will offset this. Their research also found that two thirds of Britains entrepreneurs expect to increase employment, with only 8% expecting job losses. (Investec, 2010) Ed Cottrell, from Investec Private Bank highlighted what is required by the new Coalition Government in the UK. With a new government formed, severe spending cuts will have to be enforced to help tackle the countrys debts, and this could lead to job losses, especially in the public sector. We need to make sure that entrepreneurs, which are the lifeblood of our economy, are properly incentivised to grow their operations and therefore hire more people. Philip Shaw, the chief economist at Investec Bank added, Entrepreneurs look for an environment that provides them with opportunity, reward and a flexible environment to operate in. They also look for stability and support, be that from the banks or the government, and it is in the best interest of the economy to provide this to them. (Investec, 2010) Entrepreneurship and Large Firms Entrepreneurial activity is not limited to small firms. Corporate entrepreneurship occurs in large organisations with Drucker (1985) claiming that they will not survive unless they acquire entrepreneurial competence. Stopford and Baden-Fuller (1994) explain that there are three types of corporate entrepreneurship: Creation of new businesses within an organisation often referred to as intrapreneurship. Transformation or strategic renewal of existing organisations. Carrying out an innovation that essentially alters the industry. (Stopford and Baden-Fuller, 1994) He also highlights five attributes common with corporate entrepreneurship: Proactiveness Aspirations beyond current ability Team orientation Capability to resolve dilemmas Learning capacity Stevenson and Jarillo (1990) refer to corporations acting entrepreneurially, pursuing opportunity, whether through specific company structures or not, constitutes the core of entrepreneurship, both individual and corporate. They highlight how dependant management are on the individuals within a firm to create this corporate entrepreneurship. Bridge et al (1998) highlight the difference between inventors and intrapreneurship. Inventors are usually individuals, but intrapreneurship is frequently carried out by groups or teams. Thurik and Wennekers (1999) concludes by stating that corporate entrepreneurship plays an essential role in the process of strategic renewal of large and incumbent firms. In the short-term, corporate entrepreneurship can occur at the same time as downsizing and the loss of jobs, however, in the long-term, it enhances competitiveness and leads to sales growth. Thurik and Wennekers (1999) also mention how studies have shown that there seems to be a strong evidence to support a positive impact of corporate entrepreneurship on economic growth. They created a table to show the differences between individual and corporate entrepreneurship: Figure 2 Individual and Corporate Entrepreneurship According to Cole and Neumayer (2003), neoclassical growth theory predicts that poor economies grow faster than rich economies. This is taken from the theory that if all economies are assumed to have the same steady state, then the only difference between countries is the initial level of capital and poor economies will grow faster as they are further away from their steady state. Measuring Entrepreneurship GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor is a global measure of entrepreneurial activity to assist in entrepreneurship policy research. The project has now been running for 12 years and covers over 34 countries worldwide. GEM aims to fulfil a number of research questions similar to this dissertation: How much entrepreneurial activity is taking place in each county? Why do levels of entrepreneurial activity differ between countries/regions? What are the links between entrepreneurial activity and economic growth and productivity? Surveys conducted by GEM are used to collect information on different types of businesses at a range of entrepreneurial activity. These three business types are: Start-ups Young businesses Establishes businesses Research from GEM continues to associate a positive correlation between start-up activity and economic development, highlighting key indicators of entrepreneurial capacity and tendencies. A Background to Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of four countries located in the United Kingdom. With a population of 1.7 million people as of 2004, it is the smallest of these countries. (UK Statistics Authority, 2004) Traditionally, Northern Ireland has been known for having an industrial economy, for example, in the shipbuilding and textiles businesses. This has since been replaced by the services industry. For example, Harland and Wolff, a shipbuilder located in Northern Ireland, once employed around 35,000 people. Nowadays, there are only around 500 employees focused on the repairing of oil platforms and the assembly of wind turbines. Northern Ireland has for a long time suffered from a troubled past, with the most recent referred to as The Troubles. This has been dated from the late 1960s to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. (Aughey, 2005) During this time, threats of bombings, the high cost of security and the lack of a stable market, meant large companies were reluctant to invest. This also drove away many of the existing businesses. (Rowthorn Wayne, 1988) Confidence gradually built up within Northern Ireland since the mid 1990s, when many paramilitary groups initiated cease fires and political parties began to work together. However, the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 proved to the rest of the world that the majority of Northern Ireland were willing to move on from the troubled past. Twelve years on and unemployment has fallen sharply, as well as many people immigrating to Northern Ireland from other EU countries. (BBC, 2008) The current rate of unemployment stands at 6.8%, amongst one of the lowest of the regions in the United Kingdom, compared with a peak in 1986 of 17.2%. (DETINI, 2010) (BBC, 2001) Entrepreneurship within Northern Ireland Previous research into the effect of entrepreneurial activity on economic growth by organisations such as the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), have shown a direct correlation. (Hegarty, 2006) According to the GEM survey in 2009, Northern Ireland was ranked 9th out of 12 UK regions for Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA). There has still, however, been a rise in the TEA rate since 2002, despite the impact of the economic recession. (GEM, 2009) Figure 1 below shows the change in Total Entrepreneurial Activity since 2002: Figure 3 Total Entrepreneurial Activity in Northern Ireland and the UK (2002 2009) (GEM APS) This TEA value is calculated using the percentage of early-stage entrepreneurial activity among the adult population, aged 18 64 years. (Pfeifer and Sarlija, 2010) In order to qualify and be included in the TEA value, respondents have to be involved in either: Nascent Ventures The firms generally referred to as start-ups. Any respondent actively involved in creating a new business that they would own or part of and had not paid any salaries or wages to anyone for more than three months. Young Businesses More established, owner-manager businesses but have not been paying salaries for more than 42 months. Lee et al explains that there are two academic approaches to categorise entrepreneurship. The first way is to focus on the entrepreneurs and understand why they chose to start a new business and be an entrepreneur. The second way is to study regional variation in the formation of new businesses. (Lee et al., 2004) For this study, both approaches will be used. A number of factors can be studied in order to determine how entrepreneurship affects economic growth. Storey (1994) focused on factors such as personality, human capital and ethnic origin whereas Evans and Leighton (1990) focused more on factors such as educational attainment and work experience. Previous research has linked a higher educational attainment with new business formation. (Evans and Leighton, 1990) Evans and Leighton also found that men with greater financial resources and greater confidence in their ability are likely to be self-employed. (Evans and Leighton, 1989) Regional factors that affect birth rates of businesses include unemployment, population density, industrial clustering and the availability of financing. (Reynolds et al., 1994) Armington and Acs (2002) also highlighted factors such as income growth and population growth. Factors Affecting Entrepreneurship Gender Female entrepreneurial activity within Northern Ireland between 2002 and 2009 has been significantly below the UK average. In 2009, 2.4% of females were engaged in early stage entrepreneurial activity compared to the UK average of 3.7%. This value is also under a third of male entrepreneurial activity within Northern Ireland, which stands at 8%. Figure 2 shows the female early-stage entrepreneurial activity for Northern Ireland compared with that of the UK average. A report by Crimson Business Limited, highlighted possible reasons why women are less likely to be entrepreneurial than men: Under-capitalisation of ventures Low levels of self-confidence Visibility of appropriate role models The report indicates that these barriers to women becoming entrepreneurs needs to be overcome with greater support from the government. (Crimson Business Limited, 2006) These barriers are not seen globally however, with different parts of the world having different cultures and customs with regards the participation of women in the economic growth of countries. For example, in countries such as Tonga and Guatemala, women are more likely to be involved in early-stage entrepreneurial activity than men. (Bosma and Levie, 2009) Age In 2009, total entrepreneurial activity for those aged 18 24 in Northern Ireland was 2.3% of the adult population. This is compared with a UK average of 3.4%. Northern Ireland remains, as it has done in recent years, with a peak in total entrepreneurial activity between the ages of 25 and 34. A surprising decline in entrepreneurs between the ages of 35 and 44 has been seen in 2009, against the trend of the rest of the UK