Essay on History of Roman Citizenship - 688 Words

Citizenship is highly coveted in many nations, so coveted in fact that through only a few processes can one become a citizen for most nations, might that process be natural birth or naturalization. Citizenship and its privileges were also highly valued in Rome, except becoming a citizen was extremely difficult if not impossible. Roman citizenship also leads to assassinations and war within the Italian peninsula. There is a complex history to Roman citizenship. Roman citizenship dates back to the founding of Rome in 753 BC. In the beginning, citizenship was only granted to those living in Rome. Providences and territories were excluded. Citizenship was deemed to be highly valuable because with it came the right to vote. But as†¦show more content†¦Subsequently, the Gracchi brothers were both assassinated for their attempts at reform. The provinces were growing more and more desperate and frustrated with the more time that passed. So in 91 BC another Roman politician made an attempt to reconcile with the provinces. Marcus Livius Drusus again tried to offer citizenship to the provinces. And again the Roman people were aghast at the outrageous attempt. Similarly he was assassinated, except now the provinces within the Italian peninsula had had enough. Consequently, the Social War erupted in 91 BC. There were two main tribes associated with the conflict, the Marsi and the Samnites. These two tribes, along with various others revolted against Rome in the hopes of obtaining citizenship, more specifically the right to vote. In the end of the war, Rome defeated and regained control of all of its land; however, the provinces did achieve their goal. In 90 BC Rome granted full citizenship to all the tribes who had not revolted and to those tribes that would return peacefully. Then in 89 BC another cession was made giving citizenship to all Italian that applied for it within sixty days. Roman citizenship now essentially covers the entire Italian peninsula. With the Social War new ways of becoming a citizen were also won. Before one of the only ways to become a citizen was to be a child of a legal marriage of a RomanShow MoreRelatedRoman Citizenship1198 Words   |  5 PagesThe Roman Republic became one of the most powerful and ruthless Empire s on the face of the planet and to be a citizen was very appealing. This was such an admirable and highly sought after position; that it would cause envy throughout the people of that time. There were also pre-requisites recorded in the requirements of becoming a Roman citizen and keeping that role. Roman citizenship itself was originally difficult to obtain but once won, life as a citizen was easier and more refined thanRead MoreGreek and Roman Concepts of Citizenship and Government1361 Words   |  6 PagesGreek and Roman Concepts of Citizenship and Government Joe Wickenden, Sarah Dowling, Ginger Snyder, Leone Hansen HIS/341 October 27, 2014 Joel Getz Greek and Roman Concepts of Citizenship and Government The definition of citizenship in Greek and Roman cultures can be described much differently than the current democratic definition of contemporary nations. The Roman Empire differed from the Athenian Amphictyony and the Assyrian Empire as well as the sunder later emperors such as VespasianRead MoreIssues of Citizenship of Indigenous Populations in Republican Rome1601 Words   |  6 PagesTable of Contents Introduction 2 Indigenous populations in Republican Rome (ca. 500 BCE 31 BCE) 3 Citizenship in colonial era 4 IV Comparison and Contrast 5 Conclusion 7 References 8 Introduction The issues citizenship of indigenous populations in the Roman Republic and during the colonial era in Europe provides comprehensive information regarding how the indigenous populations were treated by Europeans. The right to get justice and to self-determine their politico-social life is the mainRead MoreIs National Citizenship Irrelevant Outside the United States?1256 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Introduction The question of whether national citizenship is still relevant as a nationally-ascribed designator of membership and rights is best answered with a single word: Depends. Within the United States, national citizenship has conferred rights and duties that remain viable hundreds of years after their creation. Outside the United States, national citizenship is essentially irrelevant. National Citizenship Is Still Relevant as a Nationally-Ascribed Designator of Membership and RightsRead MoreA Brief History Of Rome And Its Strategic Relationships With Latium863 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction To answer this question, I will first provide a brief history of Rome and its strategic relationships with Latium in particular over the period from the 7th to the 2nd centuries BC. I will then explore why the treatment of the outlying Latium towns was so important to the Roman government. Latium refers to the coastal plains south of the river Tiber. Today it forms part of the Lazio region. Etruscan city-states were to its north-west, the Sabines occupied the north and there were GreekRead More The Fall of the Roman Empire Due to Army, Citizens, Barbarianism1587 Words   |  7 Pageseventual fall, of the Roman empire. The deficient Emperor role led to the lacking military response to invasions, civil war and peasant uprisings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ROMAN EMPIRE AND ITS EMPEROR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ever since the adoptive system which was installed by Marcus Aurelius was never reinstalled after his death, effective leadership in governing Rome was lacking. It was clearly visible that the Roman Emperor was the backbone of Roman stability and therefore the strength of the Roman army was also crucialRead MoreThe Period Of The Punic Wars918 Words   |  4 Pagesorganisational chart fashion, reflecting structural similarities, there were important differences in the allocation of responsibilities, concepts of citizenship and the scope and exercise of power. I will firstly provide a brief history of governance in the two societies and then depict the structural similarities before highlighting important differences. Brief history of governance Rome’s early government was essentially a democratic monarchy. It comprised a king, a senate (council of elders) and a ComitiaRead MoreEssay about The Fall of the Roman Empire1275 Words   |  6 PagesThe Fall of the Roman Empire A reason that leads to Romes inability to remain self-sustaining as an Empire was its lack of technology. Technological advance did not increase at a rate proportional to the increase of the people per square mile. This lead to the inability of the Romans to become self-sustaining. Once again the slave trade was a reason that their technology levels failed to increase. The bulk of work done in the Roman Empire was always carried out by the slaves. This providedRead MoreSimilarities Greeks and Romans Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesRome. | Essay. | | Zack Skone | 4/18/2013 | This document is about the similarities and differences between Ancient Greece and Rome. | Comparisons and differences between the Ancient Greeks and Romans The Ancient Greeks and Romans both began their histories as city-states. While the coastline and the mountainous terrain of the Greek peninsula isolated the various Greek cities from one another, the city of Rome was located in the middle of north-south boarder. Bordered onRead MoreRoman Republic And The Roman Empire1146 Words   |  5 Pages Roman Military The Roman Republic and the Roman Empire together lasted for over one-thousand years,and at its height, their extensive territories stretched from the Atlantic Ocean in the West, to the rivers of Mesopotamia in the East, and from the Sahara desert in the South, to the River Rhine in Northern Europe. The one factor that made this spectacular feat possible was the exploits of the Roman Military. The military had succeeded in their expansion campaigns and had successfully defended

Essay about The Tyger - 1558 Words

â€Å"The Tyger†- Magnificence of a Tiger Many of the creatures of the world have exquisite and beautiful characteristics in their appearance which puts us in a state of awe and wonder. According to the speaker in â€Å"The Tyger†, the tiger is a creature with an admirable appearance and leaves the speaker in awe and amazement. â€Å"The Tyger† consists of a series of rhetorical questions that attempt to reconstruct the process of the formidable animal’s creation (Explanation of: The Tyger by William Blake), a trochaic tetrameter rhythm with a catalexis, vivid imagery, an apostrophe, an allusion, and a compelling use of metaphors. The employment of all of these literary devices helps the speaker conduct a powerful meditation of whom, how,†¦show more content†¦The line â€Å"Burnt the fire of thine eyes† is directed at God. These are God’s eyes. Blake is asking, who was the God who created the Tyger. Was he the God in heaven/†skies† or was he created by Lucifer i n hell / â€Å"distant deeps† (Dickie). Blake realizes, of course, that God made all the creatures on earth, however, to express his bewilderment that the God who created the gentle lamb also created the terrifying tiger, he includes Satan as a possible creator while raising his rhetorical questions (Cummings). It makes us wonder if the tiger was created in Heaven because of it beautiful aspect or in Hell because of its malicious acts. In the third stanza, the question about how the tiger was formed comes about. â€Å"And what shoulders, and what art, could twist the sinews of thy heart?† This is asking the tiger, what ability and what bodily strength can create the courage and strength of your heart. In the fourth stanza, the question was what were the tools used in order to create the tiger. â€Å"What the hammer? What the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil?† The list of items that the speaker asked about was referring to the tools that a bla cksmith uses. This also refers to the ability of forming an amazing creature. In the fifth stanza the speaker asks the tiger what was the reaction of his creator when he saw that his work was finished. This question makes the reader think about how satisfied was the creator when he saw hisShow MoreRelatedThe Lamb and the Tyger Essay1437 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tyger and The Lamb by William Blake, written in 1794 included both of these poems in his collection Songs of Innocence and Song of Experience, takes readers on a journey of faith. Through a cycle of unanswered questions, William Blake motivates the readers to question God. These two poems are meant to be interpreted in a comparison and contrast. They share two different perspectives, those being innocence and experience. To Blake, innocence is not better than experience. Both states haveRead MoreThe Tyger By William Blake Essay969 Words   |  4 PagesThe Tyger is a six-stanza poem written by an American poet, William Blak e. This poem has many interpretation, in a way you could say it is a biblical as well as a symbolic poem, as ‘The Tyger’ is actually the contrast to one of Blake s other poem, The Lamb, both poems are from the book of â€Å"Songs of Innocence and Experience†. If you are familiar with the Christian Bible, it states â€Å"Jesus is the Lamb of God.† The Tyger is comprised of unanswered questions as to who could have created a terrifyingRead MoreWilliam Blake : The Tyger900 Words   |  4 PagesFerociously Created (Favorite Poem Written by William Blake: The Tyger) Poetry often has a way of speaking to certain people. Maybe not everyone can connect to every poem, but more so a specific poem. Maybe they can relate something that happened to them in their life that is similar to that in the poetry. Many times that is the case, sometimes others just simply like poems as well. They hear the words that it is saying and get exactly what it is trying to say and it speaks to them. This is a greatRead MoreThe Lamb And The Tyger Essay1931 Words   |  8 PagesDerrick Warren English 102 Professor. Scott McWaters Research paper (Title later) 11/19/15 (Rough Draft) Research Paper (The Lamb and The Tyger; Creativity) When reading the poem, The Lamb and The Tyger written by William Blake, it was extremely confusing as the reader has no idea what Blake is talking about without doing further research. As the reader begins to research more about the author and the poem itself, the reader will come to find out that the poem was a part of one of William Blake’sRead MoreThe Tyger Analysis Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesAn Incomprehensible Mystery William Blake’s The Tyger, in my opinion, is an intriguing poem that looks at the idea of how God is a mystery and how humanity is at a loss to fully understand his creations by contemplating the forging of a beautiful yet ferocious tiger. Blake begins the poem by beginning a conversation with the tiger and almost immediately begins his questions of who could make such a fierce creature. He wonders if God could really create such a creature or maybe it is a creatureRead MoreRelationships: Wall and Tyger986 Words   |  4 PagesHow do we know when we can trust someone? What is a true relationship? Why do we repair relationships? What is the value of putting up a fence (O’Brien)? All of these questions can be answered with the poems â€Å"Mending Wall† by Robert Frost and â€Å"The Tyger† by William Blake. In these poems both speakers question why to create or build something that is either destructive or will be destroyed. The â€Å"Mending Wall,† by Robert Frost, describes a story about two men who come together each spring to walk alongsideRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper And The Tyger878 Words   |  4 Pages God is viewed very differently in â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† and â€Å"The Tyger.† In â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† god is a source of hope and control. If you do your job and stay out of trouble everything will be okay. In â€Å"The Tyger† God is questioned how could someone who made the gentle lamb also make the creature like a tiger. â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† paints God in a light that if you keep your head down and do what you are told everything will be okay. The author uses the voice of a child to represent theRead More Following A close study of Tyger Tyger by William Blake and Hawk1475 Words   |  6 PagesFollowing A close study of Tyger Tyger by William Blake and Hawk Roosting by Ted Hughes, discuss the poets attitudes towards the animals in the poem. I am following a close study of the poems Tyger Tyger by William Blake and Hawk Roosting by Ted Hughes. Tyger Tyger is about an evil fearful tyger and was written in the 18th century during the industrial revolution and this is shown in the text as it is written in old-fashioned language. The second poem I am studying is Hawk RoostingRead MoreWilliam Blakes The Tyger1115 Words   |  5 PagesJacob Lopez Period: 2 English 4 The Tyger Analysis It was said once that â€Å"Who wants flowers when you’re dead? Nobody.† Many times our own misconception can lead us to different perspectives and different point of views that cause a disunity between our ways of thinking. However nothing can be further than the truth and staying true to yourself. As for William Blake this is the exact concept efforted in his poem â€Å"The Tyger† as he introduces the concept of life’s creation and questioning the creatorRead MoreThe Lamb and The Tyger Essay955 Words   |  4 PagesThe Lamb and The Tyger In the poems The Lamb and The Tyger, William Blake uses symbolism, tone, and rhyme to advance the theme that God can create good and bad creatures. The poem The Lamb was in Blakes Songs of Innocence, which was published in 1789. The Tyger, in his Songs of Experience, was published in 1794. In these contrasting poems he shows symbols of what he calls the two contrary states of the human soul (Shilstone 1). In The Lamb, Blake uses the symbol of the

Source of Sustainable Competitive Advantage †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Source of Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Answer: Introduction: Silver Fern farms are a Primary Producers co-operative Society registered in the year 1948. In beginning the company started with trading as PPCS while changing itself to Silver Fern Farms in 2008. The company recognized in 1948 as the Primary Producers Cooperative Society. It was formerly situated in the South Island ofNew Zealandas a meat marketing cooperative primarily selling sheep. The company formerly transformed into PPCS Limited till the deployment of new management team. The over-capacity in meat industry gave a chance to utilise its profitability generated in the previous decade. It expanded formal functioning in 1980s from small processing operations via meat giving out cooperatives originally in the South Island and later the North Island (Council, 2016). Later in 1986, the released asset value was returned to the farmer shareholders through the holding company Apex Limited. Acquisition of Canterbury Frozen Meat and consolidation of the New Zealand meat industry sustained during the 1990s with PPCS. This includes business competence by not getting trapped out by the competitors like AFFCO Holdings. However, in 2006, the company Hawkes Bay based Richmond Meats to determine issues regarding the undisclosed investment created in the late 1990s. This burdened the cooperative with debt. As a result the Silver Fern Farms in 2008 based on the long standing brands. The company was unable to complete the equity lifting required finance offered. They had to pay $42 million in compensation to Silver Fern and write off a total of $50 million for the compensation and due diligence expenses. They are important for managing tasks in an appropriate way. The brand revamped itself On 1 October 2014, by reorganizing the business into three species-based units. They created two new 100% subsidiaries, Silver Fern Farms Beef Ltd and Silver Fern Farms Venison Ltd. In October 2015, Silver Fern Farms underwent a partnership proposal for an investment of NZD $261M with a subsidiary of Bright Food Group. The company underwent a deal with a Chinese company that will help in global expansion. The deal was completed in June 2016(Hutching, 2016). The vision of Silver Fern Farms Beef Ltd is to create an inspirational Food by Passionate People. The company is thinking of ways to manage individual interest by developing an effective ways to enjoy a meal by the people. There strategy is to identify the needs of the consumers and developing the same accordingly. As a cooperative society, Silver Fern Farms has a target to manage the organization to gain market competency. They are highly focusing over the high quality, grass-fed, red meat that is made i n New Zealand. As a long term strategy, the brand wants to establish itself as the consumers brand to deliver reliable and sustainable chain of care for farmers. Their central plan is to deliver what is promised. For the reason, they are meeting consumers needs by working consequently with the team. Silver Fern Farms Co-operative Limited distributed a special dividend of $34.5 million on 14 February. The shareholders received 30 cents per share on all Ordinary Shares and Rebate Shares after the completion of Shanghai Maling Aquarius $267m investment in Silver Fern Farms Limited (Silver Fern Farms, 2017). Potential Risks and Benefits New Zealand is a stable and globally competitive business environment. They have a positive economic growth. For the reason Trade has been an essential element in order to gain economic affluence. The prospective investment opportunity in the coming years will gradually impact the business growth. This will gradually help in handling of free trade agreements, pro-competitive regulation, an efficient tax regime in gaining innovation and an efficient and competitive economy. In some way the country is using the foreign funds preferable to manage the export and import. FDI provides with different risk sharing options to the business organization by supporting capital investment. FDI is an important parameter that offers greater stability of funding in the business organizations in New Zealand. It is a a smaller amount liquid form of investment which reduces the risk of the firms due to rollover risk. The Debt to direct investors does have favourable terms. These features help in reducing the economy from risk. They however help in reducing risks to macroeconomic steadiness. It is evident for an economy that FDI can amplify the chances of supplementary investment into New Zealand. Multiple investments in the country will eventually. Silver Fern Farms and Chinese company Shanghai Maling have signed their partnership In June 2016 appointing present SFF chairman Rob Hewett as a co-chairman along with Xia Xu Shen. The deal amounts to $267m investment into Silver Fern Farms acted as a game-changer for Silver Fern Farms. The International deals act as an appropriate platform to manage the strong and sustainable capital structure. This will eventually help in managing the resources to speed up strategy in ongoing and upcoming market. It will allow the business organization in optimising production facilities and capability. Outstandingly, this will help in managing the fastest growing red meat market in the world. Potential risks Foreign Direct Investment has a direct focus on resources other than the investors home country. The foreign direct investment at times hinders domestic investment. At times, the FDI causes problem in managing the local resources. There can be problems in term of political issues. There is a difference in the political environment of China. This might cause a direct risk in managing business opportunity. The investment is very risky in that case creating problems. Certain risk factors in FDI are very risky and the chance of loss is extremely high (Kumar, Jones, Venkatesan Leone, 2013). Foreign Direct Investment has a Negative Influence on Exchange Rates. This can occasionally affect exchange rates in the favor Silver Fern (Pearce, 2015). At times one can notice that it is more expensive to export goods. This is imperative to prepare sufficient money to set up your operations. There can be issues in relation to the economic viability while managing the resources derived from outside (Hinton Hamilton, 2013). This is eventually important to consider foreign direct investments may be capital-intensive for investors. They are at times considered to be very risky for the investors. This is to manage the political changes to expropriation, where the government will control property and assets. In such a situation, FDI has negative implications on the country. It is possible to manage the changes taking place in the global environment. This is important for taking care of the global factors while considering the expansion. It is evident for the business organization in matching up with the international competition. This is applicable in matching up with the expectations of the consumers (Massa Testa, 2009). Competitive advantage Global competition is creating multi-fold business opportunity. This helps in generating sales with a superior margin. Competitive advantage with the different factors helps in managing the competition in an effective way. It provides with a cutting edge while generating ability against the competitors. Porters generic strategies are "Cost Leadership", "Differentiation" and "Focus Strategy. The focus strategy is divided into two parts: "Cost Focus" and "Differentiation Focus." It creates sustainable cost leadership in between the organizations while developing better goals (Wagner Hollenbeck, 2014). This strategy helps in deriving economies of scale in order to manage the organization in a best possible way. Silver Fern Farms and Chinese company Shanghai Maling have signed their partnership In June 2016 appointing present SFF chairman Rob Hewett as a co-chairman alongside Xia Xu Shen. The deal amounts to $267m investment into Silver Fern Farms acted as a game-changer for Silver Fern Farms (Completion of investment by Shanghai Maling, 2016). The International deals act as a support in managing the strong and sustainable capital structure. This will eventually help in managing the resources while focusing upon strategy in the upcoming global markets. It will allow the business organization in optimising production facilities and capability (Spencer, 2017). Prominently, it helps in shared and associated partnership in the fastest growing red meat market in the world. The deal will help in gaining competitive advantage in order to manage growth in an effective way. The deal is important from the point of view of gaining effective business opportunity globally. It is important to manage the organization in a better way by generating global competition. It is important for managing long term sustainable market. It is evident for the business in managing the issues in the best probable way. A Business entity can gain market effectiveness in an effective way (Madsen Walker, 2015). The primary focus is to create quality meat by forming alliance with the international brand. In this way the company can expand its business while considering the future advancement. The demand will be increasing in coming future creating a better opportunity for the global expansion. In this way, the company can expand its business operations. The cooperative will be receiving 50 percent of its future dividend after receiving board approval (Goetsch Davis, 2014). The global advancement will help in managing the business opportunities in an effective way. This is important for gaining effective business results. This is evident for a business in managing business overseas. This has a potential to establish a unique position in the fastest growing red meat market in the world (Hutching, 2016). Shanghai Malings has an integrated supply chain model that will permit them in developing product and consumer marketing skills in order to gain competitiveness. The business culture in New Zealand is moderate as compared to the other countries. This is an effective way through which the culture can easily be managed by the control of the employees at each and every level. The organizational culture motivates employee in an effective way. This is one of the effective way through which the company is organizing its resources. This is important for gaining effectiveness in order to manage the organizational goals. While expanding business internationally, it is evident for the business to manage the business operations by adopting the local culture. The business culture in China is different from that in New Zealand. There can be challenges in terms of performing business in China due to difference in culture. It is highly importance to adopt the culture and develop certain level of functions that help the company in mitigating the cultural gaps. For long term sustainability, it is important for a business to develop effective business policies . This will be helping in gaining better cultural understanding and managing the culture in the most appropriate way (Baker Saren, 2016). The trade and cultural barriers in the country can be mitigated with the help of organizing an effective business opportunities. In such a competitive atmosphere, it is evident for business to manage the culture in an appropriate way to fill the gap. It is evident in the current context while managing the business opportunities to gain competencies. This is important for managing better results by organizing better organizational goals. While managing the organization, it is important to manage the circumstances in the best and effective way. This is important for the business in deploying the resources in an effective way. This is important from the point of view of gaining organizational growth (West, Ford Ibrahim, 2015). Policy prescription For gaining effective results, it is important for the country to develop policies supporting business culture, this is important for a business organization in managing the results in the best and appropriate way. For an organization, it is important to manage the results in an effective way. It is important for gaining important business results and managing organizational goals. It is important for a country to develop a sound business law and regulations. These regulations are important for carrying out the business in the appropriate way (Vitalis Scott, 2015). This is important for a business in gaining market competencies for expanding business. It is important for the business organization in mastering the effective growth opportunities. These market opportunities can only be realised if the country has ample of business growth. It is necessary for a business in gaining effective measures in arranging results (Kelsey, 2015). The policies need to be framed that support business organization evidently. It should help business in gaining a competitive advantage and developing an effective market place. This is important from the point of view of managing the business operations across the border. It is important in dealing with the cross-border transactions. With the expansion in the business, it has become evident to use a progressive business technique helping in gaining competitive advantage. The FDI policies should allow business enterprises to make advancement while expanding business. Business Opportunities are important to gain an appropriate advancement in the right direction. These business policies are important for business in making appropriate result (Buckley, Burton Mirza, 2016). References Baker, M. J., Saren, M. (Eds.). (2016).Marketing theory: a student text. Sage. Buckley, P. J., Burton, F., Mirza, H. (Eds.). (2016).The strategy and organization of international business. Springer. Completion of investment by Shanghai Maling,(2016) (Online).Retrieved from: Council, T. R. (2016). Silver Fern Farms Ltd Waitotara Monitoring Programme Annual Report 2014-2015. Goetsch, D. L., Davis, S. B. (2014). Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Hinton, M., Hamilton, R. T. (2013). Characterizing high-growth firms in New Zealand.The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation,14(1), 39-48. https://www.silverfernfarms.com/our-company/latest-news/completion-of-investment-by-shanghai-maling/ Accessed on: 26 October 2017 Hutching, G.(2016). Silver Fern Farms and Shanghai Maling tie knot. (Online).Retrieved from: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/87274271/silver-fern-farms-and-shanghai-maling-tie-knot Accessed on: 26 October 2017 Kelsey, J. (2015).Reclaiming the future: New Zealand and the global economy. Bridget Williams Books. Kumar, V., Jones, E., Venkatesan, R., Leone, R. P. (2013, May). Is market orientation a source of sustainable competitive advantage or simply the cost of competing?. American Marketing Association. Madsen, T. L., Walker, G. (2015).Modern competitive strategy. McGraw Hill. Massa, S., Testa, S. (2009). A knowledge management approach to organizational competitive advantage: Evidence from the food sector.European Management Journal,27(2), 129-141. Pearce, D. G. (2015). Destination management in New Zealand: Structures and functions.Journal of Destination Marketing Management,4(1), 1-12. Roche, M. (2014). Changes and Challenges Facing the Export Meat Industry in New Zealand. Spencer, A. (2017). Meat industry association news.Food New Zealand,17(1), 44. Vitalis, H., Scott, R. (2015). Joint ventures in the public sector: Translating lessons from the private sector to New Zealand government departments.Proceedings of the 2015 Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management. Wagner III, J. A., Hollenbeck, J. R. (2014).Organizational behavior: Securing competitive advantage. Routledge. West, D. C., Ford, J., Ibrahim, E. (2015).Strategic marketing: creating competitive advantage. Oxford University Press, USA. Silver Fern Farms, (2017). $34.5m Dividend For Co-Op Shareholders, (Online). Retrieved from: https://www.silverfernfarms.com/our-company/latest-news/34-5m-dividend-for-co-op-shareholders/ (Accessed on : 19 November 2017)

The Rodeo Song Essays (212 words) - Bullfighting, Rodeo,

The Rodeo Song THE RODEO SONG Well it's 40 below and I don't give a *censored*, got a heater in my truck and I'm off to the Rodeo, Well it's an alaman right and an alaman left, come on ya *censored*in' dummy get your right step right, get off the stage ya God damn goof ya know, you piss me off, you *censored*in' jerk, ya get on my nerves. Here comes Johnny with his pecker in his hand, he's a one ball man and he's off to the Rodeo, Well it's an alaman right and an alaman left, come on ya *censored*in' dummy get your right step right, get off the stage ya God damn goof ya know, you piss me off, you *censored*in' jerk, ya get on my nerves Well it's 40 below and I don't have a truck and I don't give a *censored* 'cause I'm off to the Rodeo, Well it's an alaman right and an alaman left, come on ya *censored*in' dummy get your right step right, get off the stage ya God damn goof ya know, you piss me off, you *censored*in' jerk, ya get on my nerves. Here comes Johnny with his pecker in his hand, he's a one ball man and he's off to the Rodeo, Music Essays

Free Essays on Human Nature- Lord Of The Flies

â€Å"What we call human habit in actuality is human nature† (Jewel, Pieces of You). Society has cultivated the human mind into a sponge, which filters knowledge and moral values that are taught from birth. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding places fictitious characters on a remote island to test human instinct without outside influences. Golding uses objects such as the Island, the Conch, and the Beast to reflect aspects of our society socially, politically, and psychologically. Golding uses the island to represent the social structure of human nature. One aspect of our social structure is how different each individual is from the next. The plane, which crashed, delivered a variety of personalities with different backgrounds: Ralph, from a loving mother and father, Piggy from his overprotective Aunt, and Jack from a rebellious childhood. These boys are defined by different ages, backgrounds, and characteristics, which represent individuality among the population that exists today. Another aspect of our society is the tendency to form groups. Jack forms a rebellious group of hunters and says, â€Å"We hunt and feast and have fun.† (140). The other, more conservative group, is led by Ralph who states, â€Å"I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning.† (142). This reflects how humans tend to group together and have contrasting beliefs. Political parties today, in which one is more conservative or libera l than the next exemplify a parallel to this statement. The last aspect of society is shown in the war, which displays how socially, humans tend to fight with violence and animosity. â€Å"The ululation rose behind him [Ralph] and spread along, a series of short sharp cries, the sighting call† (199). Jack’s Savages start a fire to kill Ralph, the enemy, but cease to realize that they are only destroying their shelters, food supply, and sanity. This is much like the wars fought in modern ... Free Essays on Human Nature- Lord Of The Flies Free Essays on Human Nature- Lord Of The Flies â€Å"What we call human habit in actuality is human nature† (Jewel, Pieces of You). Society has cultivated the human mind into a sponge, which filters knowledge and moral values that are taught from birth. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding places fictitious characters on a remote island to test human instinct without outside influences. Golding uses objects such as the Island, the Conch, and the Beast to reflect aspects of our society socially, politically, and psychologically. Golding uses the island to represent the social structure of human nature. One aspect of our social structure is how different each individual is from the next. The plane, which crashed, delivered a variety of personalities with different backgrounds: Ralph, from a loving mother and father, Piggy from his overprotective Aunt, and Jack from a rebellious childhood. These boys are defined by different ages, backgrounds, and characteristics, which represent individuality among the population that exists today. Another aspect of our society is the tendency to form groups. Jack forms a rebellious group of hunters and says, â€Å"We hunt and feast and have fun.† (140). The other, more conservative group, is led by Ralph who states, â€Å"I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning.† (142). This reflects how humans tend to group together and have contrasting beliefs. Political parties today, in which one is more conservative or libera l than the next exemplify a parallel to this statement. The last aspect of society is shown in the war, which displays how socially, humans tend to fight with violence and animosity. â€Å"The ululation rose behind him [Ralph] and spread along, a series of short sharp cries, the sighting call† (199). Jack’s Savages start a fire to kill Ralph, the enemy, but cease to realize that they are only destroying their shelters, food supply, and sanity. This is much like the wars fought in modern ...

Learn How to Conjugate Parler (to Talk) in French

Learn How to Conjugate Parler (to Talk) in French The French verb  parler  literally means to talk or to speak. Youll find it used in a variety of idiomatic expressions and in order to use it properly, youll definitely want to know how to conjugate it. A quick lesson will introduce you to this very useful verb while learning many common phrases. Conjugating the French Verb  Parler We must learn how to conjugate verbs in order to place them in the correct tense for our sentences. By understanding how to do so, youll be able to use  parler  in the past tense, talked, the future tense will talk, and the present tense am talking. French students will be happy to know that parler is a  regular -er  verb. It follows the most common conjugation pattern in the French language, so learning how to conjugate it is relatively easy. If youve studied other regular -er  verbs, you can apply what you learned with those to this one. To begin, we must identify the verb stem, which is  parl. To this, we will add a variety of endings that match both the subject pronoun and the tense of the sentence. The most common forms of this are the indicative moods, which are found in this first chart. Using it, you will learn that I am talking is  je parle  and we will talk is  nous parlerons. Practice these in context to help speed up your memorization. Present Future Imperfect je parle parlerai parlais tu parles parleras parlais il parle parlera parlait nous parlons parlerons parlions vous parlez parlerez parliez ils parlent parleront parlaient The  present participle  of  parler  is  parlant. This is formed by adding -ant  to the verb stem. Another form of the past tense is the passà © composà ©. To form it for  parler, you will use the auxiliary verb  avoir  along with the past participle  parlà ©. For instance, we spoke is  nous avons parlà ©. Among the other basic conjugations you may need for parler are the subjunctive and the conditional. These two verb moods imply that the act of talking may or may not happen depending on circumstances and there are rules for using both. Also, the passà © simple and the imperfect subjunctive may be useful, particularly if you do a lot of formal reading or writing in French. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je parle parlerais parlai parlasse tu parles parlerais parlas parlasses il parle parlerait parla parlt nous parlions parlerions parlmes parlassions vous parliez parleriez parltes parlassiez ils parlent parleraient parlrent parlassent The imperative verb mood is used to say short commands such as, Talk! When using it, skip the subject pronoun and simply say, Parle ! Imperative (tu) parle (nous) parlons (vous) parlez Expressions With  Parler Learn how to babble, be a good speaker, make small talk, and more with these expressions that use  parler. When the expression defines a subject, the proper conjugation is included for you. Others will require you to use your new conjugations skills to form a sentence. Ways to Talk   There are many forms of talking and ways to describe this action. Each requires some form of  parler  and many of these will need to be conjugated. parler to talk to parler tort et travers to talk drivel, babble parler au coeur to speak to the heart parler du fond du coeur to speak from the heart parler avec les mains to speak with ones hands se parler to talk to oneself; to talk to one another le parler speech, dialect le parler de tous les jours everyday language le parler vrai straight talking le parler vulgaire vulgar/coarse way of speaking parler par nigmesparler par paraboles to speak in riddles parler par gestes to use sign language Describing How Someones Talking You can use adjectives to describe the manner in which someone is talking. Here are a few common examples to give you a good foundation for saying such things in French. parler crment to speak bluntly parler distinctement to speak distinctly parler franc to speak frankly parler dor to speak words of wisdom parler pour ne rien dire to talk for the sake of talking You Speak Well (or  Not) There are also many common phrases that refer to how well someone speaks. These are useful, especially when youre new to the language. parler bien to speak well, be a good speaker parler mal to speak poorly, not be a good speaker parler comme un livre (derogatory) to talk like a book parler le franais comme une vache espagnole (informal) to speak French terribly, literally to speak French like a Spanish cow parler le franais couramment to speak French fluently Parlez-vous anglais ? Do you speak English? Parlez-vous franais ? Do you speak French? Voil qui est (bien) parl ! Here! Here! Well said! Things to Talk About In conversation, you will have many things to talk about. Using these phrases as a base, you can substitute words and explain that youre talking about almost anything. parler de to talk about parler affaires to talk about business parler boutique (informal) to talk shop parler de choses et dautres to talk about this and that, to make small talk parler de faire quelque chose to talk about doing something parler de la pluie et du beau temps to talk about this and that, to make small talk parler politique to talk politics To Complain Talking does come with complaining at times, so you might need these phrases on occasion. parler du nez to speak through ones nose parler en lair to talk without acting, to complain but not do anything parler mal de quelquun to speak ill of someone aimer scouter parler to like to hear oneself talk, to like the sound of ones own voice I Heard... Other common French expressions refer to hearing someone speak about something or someone else. Remember to conjugate  parler  as needed for these. dire quelquun sa faon de parler to tell someone what one thinks/feels entendre parler de... to hear (someone talking) about... faire parler to make talk, loosen ones tongue, draw out faire parler de soi to get oneself talked about ne jamais en parler to never talk about something Talk About Yourself When you want to tell someone about yourself, youll find these expressions helpful. Je parle franais. I speak French. Je parle un peu de franais. I speak a little French. Je ne parle pas franais. I dont speak French. Mais je parle, je parle... But enough about me... moi qui vous parle I myself/personally Talk About or To Someone Else In other instances, you might be speaking about someone else. There are also a few phrases in this list that can be used when talking directly to someone. parler pour quelquun to speak for someone, on someones behalf vous parler franc to be frank with you Vous navez qu parler. Just say the word. On parle beaucoup de lui comme... Hes being talked about as a possible/likely... Nous ne nous parlons pas. Were not speaking (at the moment). Ne men parlez pas ! (informal) Youre telling me! Tu parles ! (informal) Youre telling me!, You must be joking! Parlons-en ! (informal) Fat chance! You must be joking! Tu peux parler ! (informal) You can talk! Youre a fine one to talk! Tu parles si... ! (informal) You must be joking if...! A fat lot of... ! Tu parles dun... ! Talk about a...! Nen parlons plus ! Lets not talk about that any more. On ma beaucoup parl de vous. Ive heard a lot about you. Quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue). Speak of the devil (and he appears). Just to Clarify When you need to clarify a point in French or ask someone else to do so, knowing these phrases will come in handy. Parle pour toi ! Speak for yourself! Parlez plus fort. Speak up. Parlons peu mais parlons bien. Lets get straight to the point. sans parler de... not to mention..., let alone... ...et je ne parle pas de... not to mention... Everyones Talking   Is everyone talking about something? If so, then youll want to know how to tell someone else. On ne parle que de a. Thats all people are talking about. Tout le monde en parle. Everyones talking about it. Toute la ville en parle. Its the talk of the town. Unusual Uses of  Parler While  parler  means to talk, there are instances in which it has other meanings. As you can see in the following expressions, the verb can be deceptive at times and its all about the context of the sentence. Tout me parle de toi. Everything reminds me of you. parler limagination to appeal to the imagination parler aux yeux to appeal to the eye trouver qui parler to meet ones match faire parler la poudre to start a gunfight/war Cest vous de parler. (card game) Its your bid. Figures of Speech Well finish up with a few common figures of speech that also use  parler. These are nice additions to your French vocabulary and can help you remain part of any conversation. Cest une faon de parler. Its (just) a figure of speech. Ce ... me parle. This... really speaks to me. Ce ... ne me parle pas. This... doesnt do anything for me. Cest parler un mur. Its like talking to a wall. Le devoir a parl. Duty called. Les faits parlent deux-mmes. The facts speak for themselves.

Cover Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Cover Letter - Essay Example I am also hardworking and flexible, so I can meet the changing needs and demands of my job. My value for a systematic and collaborative environment is an added advantage for your organization to realize its goals in a timely and effective manner. I understand that achieving performance improvement and government expenditure growth is a difficult task for the government. However, for whatever the government can accomplish, it should to be accountable to the taxpayers. In other words, the taxpayers should be aware of how their money is used. One of the most successful methods of achieving accountability is to publish and release data annually and semi-annually in order to provide the public with information on how public funds are spent and how well the government is performing in terms of service delivery to the public. Providing information about public service and performance ensures that the government becomes accountable and improves its efficiency (Erkkilä, 2012). Data of expenditure should be published to enable the public to track the money paid to civil servants, money spent on contracts, and other types of government expenditure. Releasing public data should be done in public and through the print media so that a ll citizens can access them. The local government can become more open, transparent and accountable to its constituents by providing open data, disclosing sufficient financial information on annual financial statements, and engaging the public in decision making. Publishing data on financial expenditure enables the public to assess government performance; hence holding the government accountable for its service delivery and performance. This openness builds public trust on the government. The government should also discuss various issues with the public concerning public service and how the government is using public funds to meet its expenditure. Financial information

Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate Strategy - Essay Example The company changed its name to Air France KLM, though the two companies operate separately. Delta Airlines had a merger with Northwest Airlines in the years between 2008 and 2010 that made the former become the world’s No.2 passenger carrier after United Airlines. The company still maintains the Delta name. We also visit United Airlines that merged with Continental Airlines in 2010 to become the world’s largest airline company/carrier. Airline acquisitions and mergers have implications on airline customers and employees. These business moves have some interlinked factors that are important in understanding what really takes place; Efficiency, approvals, competition, strife and benefits to the airline customers (Kelly et al, 2002). In the airline industry, mergers and acquisitions are purely strategic and are pursued after putting several factors into consideration: Service quality and image of the other airline, possibility of the other airline company to have partners hips with airlines considered industry rivals and the area covered by the other airline, which is of interest. Strategically speaking, an airline entity would merge with another airline company that operates on different routes from those that it operates. This expands flight coverage and helps in avoiding overlapping of flights in any given routes. One of the effects of acquisitions and mergers on airline customers is that air fares increase. Such business moves reduce the number of operators thus reduction in competition. The result is an increase in fares and rates. Acquisitions and mergers are most active when there are equity markets with low volatility and low rates in interests. There is also an upward trend in mergers and acquisitions, when stocks trade in low multiples. Mergers and acquisitions have the tendency of being instigated and driven by market conditions and factors that are favorable (Kelly et al, 2002). The drive to transact mergers and acquisitions mainly starts with the parties involved who have strategic objectives that are to be achieved at the tail end of such transactions. The strategic objectives of selling and buying converge in a manner that fuels the transaction process. For instance, the parties involved may enter into such agreements in order to stay afloat in the market or the merger and acquisition plan will facilitate a leaner, profitable, and successful company. These transactions could be done with the objective of strategically positioning the resultant business entity for the necessary growth. There are strategic reasons that explain the existence of these kinds of businesses: financial growths, achievement of vertical integration, outdo competition, asset acquisitions, expansion into new markets, gaining of intellectual property (IP), acquisition of new customers and clientele, expansion into complimentary services and products, and the need to outdo threats on entity services and products (Bierly & Coombs, 2004). There were developments that led the above named airline companies to venture into these kinds of agreements. United airlines merger with continental airlines was driven by the urge to create the world’s most lucrative airline that would taste success in the competitive domestic and global airline sector. The resultant entity would offer unique and superior services and products to its prospective customers. The resultant company would also serve a global airline network of 370 destinations. The

How Small Coffee Shops Can Succeed Using Social Media Essay Example for Free

How Small Coffee Shops Can Succeed Using Social Media Essay Everyone has a local coffee shop that they consider to be their favourite. That one place where they know they’ll be welcomed with open arms and the people behind the counter know their name (or at least their face). The place that even if their coffee costs almost double as much as Tim Hortons (Starbucks); that this is the place they’ll always recommend to their friends. A few years ago, it was nearly impossible for a local coffee shop to compete with the deep pocket coffee shops. Today, even the smallest cafe with the a very little marketing budget can compete. All they need – is a story worth telling and of course, a coffee worth brewing. If they have those, the clients will keep coming back – the main concern is usually getting them there in the first place. Here are some ways that social media can be used to help local coffee shops compete with the big players. Two Tweets and One Sugar As I write this post, twitter has become one of the biggest buzzwords of the year. However, the buzz isn’t unwarranted. Twitter is one of the largest social networking channels in North American consisting more than 15Million accounts. And while its still in its infancy; it provides businesses an unparalleled opportunity to communicate with consumers and current customers in real-time. So what does this mean for coffee shops? It means that they can communicate more effectively than ever with consumers. If that means setting up a search that tracks their brand and sending a simple thank you or going as far as taking a pre-order, so be it. Twitter gives these brands a chance to create a personal connection with their consumers and make their brand worth talking about. By being active in the twitter community an opportunity exists for coffee shops to offer their space for events such as tweet ups. Hosting these live events at your venue not only gaurantee that you’ll be selling your products, but also guarantees some buzz (tweets) about your brand. On top of that, some of these new customers were probably never in your shop in their life; however, because you got involved in twitter and hosted this event you were able to attract new customers to experience your shop. What more can you ask for? I’m glad you asked. How about 1 Blog Latte While blogging can be an important part of a social media strategy, its not worth having if you don’t have a strategy behind it. If your main goal is to develop an online community; it might be in your best interest to blog about different beans or maybe do a Wine Library TV segment – Coffee Style. However, if your strategy is focused around getting more butts in your cafes seats, it might be in your best interest to discuss offers on the blog. As great as a blog can be for an organization it can also be their downfall. A company that views their blog as being a great way to only talk about their brand and how great they are will never find readers. Well maybe they’ll have their spouse and employees; but customers won’t be interested. If you can provide your readers with something of value they will return. I often tell people looking to start a blog to try and offer the three E’s of Social Media. Entertainment, Education or Engagement An Extra Large Facebook Facebook has become the grand-daddy of them all when it comes to social networks. It has recently gone from being a questionable place to have your brand, to a necessity for many companies in the food industry. With its most recent changes to the facebook pages; it has become obvious that brand experience on facebook is back. Brands are now able to create facebook pages with more customization than ever and truly deepen their relationship with their customers. The frazzle-dazzle applications aren’t the only way for a local coffee shop to set itself a part from other stores. It can also use Facebook to promote other content that they have created. This means they can post links to their blog, videos, pictures and even coupons; reaching an audience that may not be present on the other social networking channels. With that said, we can’t forget the meat and potatoes that Facebook was built upon. The ability to get your message out to a number of people is one of the key reasons why businesses have found such success on facebook. Those tweetups we discussed earlier can easily be cross-promoted using a Facebook event. The opportunities available on facebook are great – its up to you, to turn them into something remarkable. Whose your Manager Mayor?! Foursquare is the new kid on the block in the social media world. It will be the most talked about social networking platform for the rest of this year and will definitely be playing a big part in several social media plans. James Hoffman explains on his blog why, You have people competitively visiting you, talking about you. More than that there is a pretty sensible business model in there too, meaning that foursquare could well be around in a few years. Coffee shops seemed pretty quick to embrace twitter, and it will be interesting to see if that experience has soured social media for them, or if they’ll embrace foursquare too. Something tells me that they’ll embrace foursquare like a seat-belt embraces impact. Mayorship TechCrunch One of my favourite tactics that coffee shops can use in Foursquare is promoting the idea of becoming mayor. The basics behind this tactic is that you tell the consumers that if they become the mayor of your shop they get their beverages for free. Seeing that there is an incentive now for going to the shop more and more – You’ve ultimately created a competition that will keep the people swarming your shop. The whole idea of providing customers with rewards for loyalty has been going on for years. This race to be the mayor however, takes customer loyalty, flips it upside down and turns it into a competition. Lets not get our Mochas in a Bunch With all that said, you must always remember your companies core strategy and goals. These channels discussed above may take a similar route as hi5 or geocities in a few years time. For that reason, it is important to not put all your eggs into one basket. Facebook is already talking about their new function that will be the â€Å"Foursquare Killer.† (Keep your eyes open) Finally, remember that the value you provide your customer in the store will always out weight the value you can provide them with a social networking tool. While its important to do things to get your customers in the door – its just as important to make sure they’ll want to come back.

Traditional Dance as the Way to Understand the Culture Essay -- Cultur

â€Å"Dance has no language†- it is often said at the concerts and festivals. Indeed, in order to understand the beauty of the dance and what dancers want to express you do not need to know particular language, so Kazakhs, Russians, Koreans, Germans, Chinese etc. will perceive dance performance in the same way. Traditional dance involves not only dance performance, but traditional national music, costumes and attributes as well. So, through the traditional folk dances people can get acquainted with one or another’s culture. However, according to Bridget Rose Nolan (2008, 8) the nature of the traditional dances are very complex, and the question about to what extent such dances are traditional is arguable. She states that â€Å"dance is arguably one of the hardest forms of cultural expression to pass from one person to another unchanged, let alone from one generation to another through hundreds of years†. As Brennan (1999, 15)said â€Å"dance is, by its nature, ephemeral†. Brennan points that traditional dance itself underwent the process of evolution. Nevertheless, culture is learnt, so it can be changed and it changes slightly from one generation to another, and traditional dance as a part of culture changes as well. This will not be the eradication of culture. Therefore modern traditional dances can be regarded as part of culture and they can be considered as the way to understand particular culture. This paper is focused on this way, to be precisely, how traditional dances affect the understanding of culture. Firstly, the research problem will be described. Then essay will proceed to the description of the practical part, particularly, of the fieldwork, methods and expectations of the participant observation. Furthermore, there will be an an... ...ered that choreography students do not identify with any culture, including their own one, during the dance performance. So, the expectations about the changes in the behavior by the influence of the folk costumes and attributes were met, though the expectations about the feelings of the other cultures were not met. Therefore, folk dances can present culture of the particular folk, but the performances of the folk dances not always involve the understanding of the culture. Bibliography Brennan, H. The Story of Irish Dance. Ireland: Mount Eagle Publications, 1999. Haviland, William A., Harald E.L. Prins, Bunny McBride, and Dana Walrath. Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge. Wadsworth Publishing, 2011. Nolan, B.R. "Tradition, Modernity, and Authenticity in Riverdance." American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Boston, 2008. 1-17. Traditional Dance as the Way to Understand the Culture Essay -- Cultur â€Å"Dance has no language†- it is often said at the concerts and festivals. Indeed, in order to understand the beauty of the dance and what dancers want to express you do not need to know particular language, so Kazakhs, Russians, Koreans, Germans, Chinese etc. will perceive dance performance in the same way. Traditional dance involves not only dance performance, but traditional national music, costumes and attributes as well. So, through the traditional folk dances people can get acquainted with one or another’s culture. However, according to Bridget Rose Nolan (2008, 8) the nature of the traditional dances are very complex, and the question about to what extent such dances are traditional is arguable. She states that â€Å"dance is arguably one of the hardest forms of cultural expression to pass from one person to another unchanged, let alone from one generation to another through hundreds of years†. As Brennan (1999, 15)said â€Å"dance is, by its nature, ephemeral†. Brennan points that traditional dance itself underwent the process of evolution. Nevertheless, culture is learnt, so it can be changed and it changes slightly from one generation to another, and traditional dance as a part of culture changes as well. This will not be the eradication of culture. Therefore modern traditional dances can be regarded as part of culture and they can be considered as the way to understand particular culture. This paper is focused on this way, to be precisely, how traditional dances affect the understanding of culture. Firstly, the research problem will be described. Then essay will proceed to the description of the practical part, particularly, of the fieldwork, methods and expectations of the participant observation. Furthermore, there will be an an... ...ered that choreography students do not identify with any culture, including their own one, during the dance performance. So, the expectations about the changes in the behavior by the influence of the folk costumes and attributes were met, though the expectations about the feelings of the other cultures were not met. Therefore, folk dances can present culture of the particular folk, but the performances of the folk dances not always involve the understanding of the culture. Bibliography Brennan, H. The Story of Irish Dance. Ireland: Mount Eagle Publications, 1999. Haviland, William A., Harald E.L. Prins, Bunny McBride, and Dana Walrath. Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge. Wadsworth Publishing, 2011. Nolan, B.R. "Tradition, Modernity, and Authenticity in Riverdance." American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Boston, 2008. 1-17.

Effectiveness of Matatu Saccos a Case Study Ofnairobi County

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Background of the Study The transportation industry sector is comprised of a wide range of service providers covering all modes of transport; air, road, sea and rail. In Kenya, both private and public providers offer transportation to the public.Due to the diversity of the transport sector in Kenya, the infrastructure group; the department of Price Waterhouse Coopers-Kenya that deals with researches on industries and infrastructures, had classified roads as the prime link between all the economic sectors since they account for 80% of Kenya’s total passenger and freight transportation as well as value of output (PWC Kenya 2009). The word matatu is derived from the local kikuyu vernacular word mang’otore matatu which means â€Å"thirty cents† which was the standard charge for every trip made. Chitere. O and Kibua. N, 2004). Majority of Kenyans do not own private cars, thus they use matatus as their mode of transportation. By 2003, the nu mber of matatus operating in both urban and rural areas was estimated at 40,000 and they provided employment to 160,000 people and paid up to Ksh. 1. 09 billion per annum to the government in taxes (Chitere and Kibua, 2004). The origin of matatus in Kenya can be traced back in the late 1950s. After Kenya’s independence in 1963, Africans migrated to Nairobi to search for employment opportunities.Informal settlements began to expand in areas where there was limited transport. These people were too poor to own private vehicles. Recognizing the opportunity for financial gains while providing the much needed service, mini-bus taxis (which were largely owned by middle-income people) began offering transport services from rural areas and informal urban settlement around the city. Due to high demand, the number of matatus increased but was operating illegally until 1973 when the then president (Mzee Jomo Kenyatta) issued a decree officially recognizing matatus as a mode of public tra nsport.This made them to be the main mode of transportation in Nairobi metropolitan up to today, with an estimated number of 15,000 matatus. (Graeff J, 2009). The benefits that are attached to matatus as a mode of transport by various parties include: Owners get income inform of profits, workers such as drivers, conductors and stage workers also get income in form of salaries, passengers get mobility and safety, other road users such as cyclist, motorists and pedestrians also get safety, and institutions such as local authorities get revenue.Despite all this, there is still a struggle for regulatory and economic sphere of influence in the matatu sector (Khayesi. M, 1999). It has been reported that there is insufficient consistent data about matatus. If any, there is limited access to the database and can only be found through SACCOs (Graeff. J, 2009). Since the official recognition of the matatu as a means of transporation in 1973, the sector grew to the extent that the owners forme d a national association to control the operations of the sector and also advocating for their rights and demands.All matatu operators were expected to belong to this association, that is, The Matatu Vehicle Owners Association (MVOA). They had a rule that forced new matatu operators to register with the association in order to be allocated a route of operation. The association attracted the attention of both the Government and political opposition groups who saw the association as an important ally to advance political moves. The association was disbanded by the Government and was accused of having been penetrated by rich individuals who were oppressing the weak members by assigning them to routes that had fewer passengers.The Government then left individual members to operate on any route although it did not end the influence and support that politicians had for the matatu owners and operators (Khayesi. M, 1999). The Government then introduced SACCOs in the matatu sector as one of the reforms strategy that targeted to manage transport systems (Graeff. J, 2009). These SACCOs played an important role in addressing the concerns of the stakeholders and integrating the matatus into a comprehensive system. They are the professional transport firms as they act as the key takeholders. They act as the liaison between the members of the SACCO and the other stakeholders including the Government. They have the ability to unify the industry and strengthen the voice of the stakeholders which is an important incentive. Although SACCOs are important, they compete with each other thus creating a dangerous and stressful environment (Graeff. J, 2009). A Savings And Credit Co-Operative (SACCO) is an association of like-minded people registered under the ministry of cooperatives.It is owned and operated by its members, according to democratic principles, for the purpose of encouraging savings, providing credit facilities and other related financial services (The SACCO bill, 2005) . In Kenya people are eligible to form a SACCO if; they have a similar occupation or profession or are employed by a common employer or within same business district or market area; they have common membership in association or organization including, but not limited to: religious, social, cooperative, labor or educational groups; who reside, worship or work within the same defined community (the SACCO bill, 2005).It extends to any form of industry, not exclusively transport. In the case of matatus, a group will register to become a SACCO identifying itself mainly with the route where it is operating, although many people refer to the SACCOs as route associations (Graeff. J, 2009). 1. 2 Statement of the Problem There have been several benefits that have been accrued to the use of SACCOs as a mode of matatu management in Kenya. They include; creation of employment and additional revenue in form of taxes to the Government (Chitere. O and Kibua.N, 2004), professional management, financ ial support and reduced conflicts to the owners and employment benefits, credit services and employment contracts (Khayesi. M, 1999). The proponents of managing matatus individually argued that, operating matatus individually earns a lot of profits due to reduced costs such as SACCO contributions, the taxes paid to the Government and the salaries paid to the professionals and employees and poor financial management (The Citizen, 2010). There has been an argument that operating matatus on individual basis makes it easy to reach decisions faster than when in SACCOs.This was based on the argument that in the SACCO; there will be a split of decision among the members on different issues concerning the SACCOs thus delaying the decision making process. The financial management in SACCOs can be poor simply because the leaders who manage the finances have no basic knowledge of financial management with the addition of poor working environment and increased political interference (The Citize n, 2010). While the benefits of matatu SACCOs are undisputed, there have been several concerns about its success in terms of financial benefits, handling matatu industry challenges and improving road safety.Investors and other stakeholders need guidance concerning this. This study was used to guide the entrepreneurs interested in the matatu sector on the mode that would bring full benefit to them which took the form of studying the performance of matatu SACCOs, before and after their formation and that of individual management. 1. 3 Objectives of the Study 1. 3. 1 General Objective To assess the effectiveness of SACCOs in the management of matatus in Nairobi 1. 3. 2 Specific Objectives To find out the difference in the financial revenues and costs before and after the formation of matatu SACCOs.To examine the role of matatu SACCOs in handling the challenges facing the transport industry. To find out the level of road accidents before and after the formation of matatu SACCOs. 1. 4 Re search Questions What are the financial benefits that come with SACCOs as a mode of matatu management? How do matatu SACCOs handle the challenges that face the transport industry? Has matatu SACCOs helped in dealing with road safety? 1. 5 Significance of the study Matatu SACCOs operate in environments surrounded by communities who depend on them for jobs, tax revenues and quality services.All stakeholders have interests in the well-being of their SACCO. This SACCOs also operate in environments which are characterized by political interests, markets existence, culture, values, technology, regulations and taxing authorities (Agumba. N, 2008). This study would be of great benefit to the matatu owners as it found out the challenges that matatus and matatu SACCOs face in these environments. This uncertain environment leaves doubt in the stake holders. This study would also benefit the stake holders as it would aid them to make decision in order to improve the services of this industry.Th ere is SACCO leadership for efficiency and probity and that SACCOS are responsible, responsive, accountable, transparent, competitive and sustainable. Through the study, the new entrepreneurs would want to be reassured that; Matatu SACCO enterprises are viable, sustainable and competitive; are held accountable and not left to run amok; are competitively attractive to investments; are responsible corporate citizens and that they comply with legal framework and remain relevant and legitimate in society (Agumba. N, 2008)The majority of matatu owners has reasonable educational and training qualification and occupational experience in fields such as banking, accountancy as well as teaching and is well informed of about the industry. Mostly they have other sources of income and can use credit to improve their vehicles. This shows that the industry still attracts new entrants and entrepreneurs with funds to invest in the industry, they will therefore need some guidance on which form of man agement they should use for their business. 1. 6 Scope of the StudyThis study was conducted to find out the financial gains that matatu owners get when they are operating their business through SACCOs. This covers credit facilities to acquisition and maintenance of the mini-buses, repair costs, level of income and generally the issue of security in order to help the owners acquire loans from the financial institution. The study also covers how productive the SACCOs manage the matatus better than if it was to be managed on individual basis and if there are any savings made if the matatus are managed through SACCOs.This study also found out the benefits that SACCOs give to other stakeholders in the matatu industry, the differences that SACCOs have brought to the welfare of the workers in the matatu industry, the levels SACCOs aid in the reduction of road accidents and how far they aid the road traffic department in bringing order to the roads, the safety that the users (customers) fee l while using the SACCO owned matatus in comparison to the individually run matatus and the challenges that matatu SACCOs face during their operation.This study also covered the transport industry in Kenya, and because of the diversity in the industry, the research will focus on the road transport in Nairobi. This was through finding out how effective the matatu SACCOs have been in the management of the matatu industry. 1. 7 Limitation of the Study For a general conclusion to be reached, this research needs to be conducted within the whole country, but in this case, the study is limited to Nairobi alone. As an addition, there are other factors that can be used to measure the effectiveness of the matatu industry other than the ones that this research has used.The results of this study did not put in to consideration the other variables that affect the functionality of the matatu SACCOs. Usually, it is always difficult to make people reveal the amount they benefit from a given busines s or enterprise. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 1 Introduction The matatu as a means of transport has an array of businesses and individuals who are involved in it. Apart from the regulatory dominance that has been shown, there are economic interests pursued by the owners and operators.The matatu is not just a business for the low-income and the self- employed workers, it is a big time enterprise now involving the affluent in the society (Khayesi. M, 1999). There are cases where one individual owns several matatus. There are also other businesses that are linked to the matatu industry, for example insurance firms, motor vehicle body builders, vehicle assemblers, vehicle importers, garages, petrol stations, driving schools and commercial banks/ money lenders but in this case SACCOs will be our main concern.This means of transport employs drivers, conductors and stage workers. All these people are stakeholders in the matatu industry and therefore they have benefits that they attach to the industry hence a need for effective management of the industry (Khayesi. M, 2002). This chapter explores what other researchers have found on how the stakeholders have gained from managing the matatus on individual basis in comparison with SACCO mode of management. 2. 2 Conceptual Frame Work The management of the matatu industry in Kenya has taken two main forms of management.These are management through SACCOs and managing the matatu business as an individually. This research took the matatu SACCOs as the dependent variable on to which the effectiveness of the industry will be measured through the factors as the independent variables. These are the financial benefits of using SACCOs as a mode of managing the industry. In this case, costs and gains, access to credit and other financial benefits, effectiveness in terms of handling of matatu industry challenges, effectiveness in improving road safety and reducing road accidents.The outcomes of the results can be affected by the i nvolvement of the Government but during this research its effects were kept constant. Figure 1 Conceptual Framework | | |Financial Benefits/Revenues | Independent Variables (Factors) Dependent Variable (Outcomes) | | |Effectiveness Of Matatu SACCOs | | | |Matatu SACCOs | | | Road Accidents | Source: (Researcher, 2012) 2. 3 Theoretical Review According to Aline. J, (2011), the first Kenyan co-operative society, the Lumbwa co-operative society was formed in 1908 by the European farmers with the main objective of purchasing farm inputs at radically reduced prices because of their numbers and on friendly terms to the members who paid in installments or when they harvested and then market collectively market their produce. Lumbwa was replaced in 1930 by the Kenya Farmers Co-Operative to take over the role of farm input supply.After seeing the success of European co-operatives, the smallholder African farmers fought for the formation of their own co-operatives, in which they were allowed to form in the late 1950s and register co-operatives for cash crops like coffee and pyrethrum. Consequently at independence in 1963, there were 1,030 co-operative societies with 655 being active with total membership of 355,000(Aline. J, 2011). Since independence investment in Kenya has empowered and energized by the existence of the co-operative sector where pooling of resources was closely linked to Mzee Kenyatta’s call of Harambee.Presently, matatu SACCOs are dominating the city route in form of route associations (Graeff. J, 2009). In Kenya, SACCOs are co-operatives which are formed by an association of people who come together with a common purpose of pooling together resources for mutual economic and social benefit (Aline. J, 2011). According to Mikwamba. E and Ng’ombe. W (2003), a SACCO is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic and social needs through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise or busi ness.The objectives of forming SACCOs include; organizing and economic interests of its members; promoting thrift among members opportunity for accumulation of savings, loans at fair and reasonable terms; providing opportunities for members to improve their economic and social conditions; and perform the functions that they were formed to (Aline. J, 2011). According to the SACCO society’s regulatory bill, 2005, a SACCO is registered by writing an application to the registrar of SACCO societies who will register the SACCO if it has complied with the provisions of the Act.This research found out if the objectives of forming SACCOs in the matatu industry are being realized by using them in the managing of the matatus in the Nairobi’s transport sector and their effectiveness. 2. 3. 1 The Management and Operation of SACCOs According to Mikwamba. E and Ng’ombe. W (2003), members are the heart of the SACCO and the reason for the SACCO’s existence. The members ar e the owners and the only â€Å"users† of the SACCO and no more persons has the monopoly in a SACCO regardless of one’s share and savings.Usually SACCOs are democratically run and controlled organizations. According to the SACCO society’s regulatory bill, 2005, one thing that is clear is that the affairs of a SACCO are managed and administered by a board of directors elected at annual general meeting. It is this board of directors which will hire a manager and support staff to run the day to day operations of the SACCO. In most cases the manager and the staff hired are qualified and competent people with skills and knowledge of SACCOs (Chitere. O and Kibua.N 2004). According to Mikwamba. E and Ng’ombe. W (2003), a SACCO is a financial business and it has to be managed as such. Its major commodity is the money the members bring in as their savings for the safe keeping, convenience and as a form of investment. The savings earn competitive interest rates. Me mbers who have established their credit worthy can borrow from the SACCO. The interest on loans, investments and the other income is used to cover operational costs as well as paying interest on members' savings.The next surplus is used to pay dividends to the members and the building of SACCO capital reserves. Specific duties and responsibilities in a SACCO are assigned to different committees to ensure smooth running and coordination of SACCO activities. All the committee members are elected from the general membership. According to Chitere. O and Kibua. N, (2004), owners of the matatu are employees and professionals in different fields like, banking, accountancy and teaching and thus they don’t involve themselves in the hand on management of their matatu businesses.This study found out how effective the employees of the SACCOs will be effective in the running of matatus on behalf of their employers and ensuring that they receive the benefits they are entitled to as provide d in their values. 2. 3. 2 Effectiveness of SACCOs SACCOs create the opportunity for people to take responsibility for their own financial organization, these is facilitated through democratic processes. SACCOs pay dividends on shares to their members once the SACCO is established and profitable. Members therefore take pride in owning their own SACCO.SACCOs educate their members on financial matters by teaching prudent handling of money, how to keep track of finances, how to budget and why to keep away from hire purchase and loan sharks, this encourage saving culture for their members. Loans of SACCOs are usually insured thus death of a member the estate will not have to repay the outstanding loans to the SACCO. After deducting all the working expenses from the income, the profit is usually shared among members according to their patronage (South African Reserve bank, 2011). . 3. 3 Effectiveness in Terms of Financial Benefits According to Mudibo. E, (2006), SACCOs have been in exist ence for a long time starting with the Raffeissen movement in Germany in the middle of the 19th century. The movement has since spread to most countries, both developed and developing world and throughout the decades they have been important for small-scale savers and borrowers. This has been embodied in the co-operative and SACCO principles which was summarized as: user-owned financial services.In this case the savers/ borrowers own and govern their institution which provides them with the financial services that they need. This was the fundamental quality of the SACCO since its set-up provides for demand-led services decided by members in a democratic and participatory manner. It is the clients who are the members, as well as the owners themselves, who decide on which type of financial services to benefit them, how these are to be provided and where the external forces cannot take advantage of members need for the services.Not only did SACCOs provide savings facilities from their formation but they also generally applied a holistic approach to the needs of their members. Loans were provided for productive purposes and variety of needs for example for welfare and consumption purposes (Mudibo. E, 2006). This research reflects these financial benefits to the case of matatus, whereby according to Chitere. O and Kibua. N, (2004), the initial capital to invest in matatus is large and hence difficult to rise together with the insurance costs and taxes.The other benefits will be in terms of operating costs like fuel, costs of repair and maintenance which can be reduced when operating in SACCOs (Chitere. O and Kibua. N, 2004). 2. 3. 4 Challenges of Matatu SACCOs Cartels have positioned themselves in the name of SACCOs to take advantage of new operators seeking to join the industry. The high financial requirements demanded from new by established SACCOs have forced some operators to miss out on this business while some operators use fake stickers of unregistered SACCO s (Mwaniki, W 2011).Some SACCOs have invested in other line of businesses and when a new member comes it becomes a challenge. 2. 3. 5 Effective in Terms of Handling Challenges According to Agumba. N, (2008) SACCOs operate in an environment surrounded by communities who depend on them for jobs and tax revenues and customers for quality products and services. All stakeholders have interests in the well-being of their SACCO. These SACCOs also operate in an environment which is characterized by political interests, markets existence, culture, values, technology, regulations and tax authorities.Despite these challenges, SACCO values under the principle based model – voluntary membership, democratic member control, member economic participation, autonomy and independence, education, training and information, cooperation among SACCOs and concern for community are key to enhancing performance in handling challenges within and out of the SACCO (Agumba. N, 2008) According to Chitere. O , (2004), most drivers and conductors do not observe traffic rules and are responsible for many accidents in both rural and urban areas.Other problems include harassment of owners and workers by the police, corruption, government and local authority taxes, lack of control of the industry by the vehicle owners and exploitation by cartels. A larger study was carried out that examined policy, legal and regulatory framework; institutional arrangements; costs and benefits; and the internal capacity of the industry at the local level and their training was weak and conditions of work poor (Chitere. O, 2004). This research found out how effective the matatu SACCOs have been in the handling these challenges. 2. 3. 6 Road Safety in KenyaThere has been a rapid increase in the number of matatus on Kenyan roads from the time they began operating till today. Unfortunately, the industry’s vast growth has been accompanied by increasing road traffic accidents that have threatened the safety of Kenyan passengers. The accidents tripled from 3,578 in 1963 to 10,106 in 1989, and 11785 in 1994 (Chitere. O and Kibua. N, 2004). In these accidents, 2,014 persons were killed, 6,650 were seriously injured and 11,094 had minor injuries. The cause of these accidents are majorly reckless driving, driving non-roadworthy vehicles and poor conditions of the road.Research by Odera, Khayesi and Heda (2003) found that 3,000 people are killed annually on Kenyan roads, which translates to 68 deaths per 1,000 registered vehicles. This is the leading trend in whole world (Chitere. O and Kibua. N 2004). Transport Licensing board (TLB) is supposed to license all PSVs, allocate them routes and regulate their operation timetables. It has been unable to allocate routes and monitor or even ensure PSVs have operation timetables which might be as a result of the board not being conversant with the routes (Chitere. O and Kibua. N 2004).Due to this the Government has tried to put in some measures in t he form of the famous Michuki rules in order to reduce the rate of accidents on roads. These reforms included; Fitting speed governors to all PSV and commercial vehicles to a speed of 80km/hr. Fitting seat belts to all vehicles (both public and private). Issuing of badges and uniforms to all drivers and conductors. Indication of route details for purpose of easy identification. Re-testing drivers after every two years. Displaying of drivers passport photograph together with the identification details.These rules (Michuki rules) proved difficult to maintain owing to the level of expenses attached to it. This research found out how the SACCOs have helped in the reduction of reckless driving through enforcing the reforms that were put in place by the government and also found out how far the SACCOs have gone to reduce accidents in Nairobi. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3. 1 Introduction This chapter looks at the methodology used to conduct the study. It highlights and expounds on the research methods employed in conducting the research, methods that were used in collecting data, how the data was analyzed and reported. 3. 2 Research DesignResearch design is the plan and structure of investigation so conceived so as to obtain answers to research questions. The plan is the overall program of the research and includes an outline of what the investigator did from writing the hypothesis and their operational implications for the final analysis of data. Cooper and Schnielder (2003) summarize the essentials of research design as an activity and time based plan; always based on the research question; guides the selection of sources and types of information; a framework for specifying the relationship among the study variables and outlines the procedures for every research activity.In conducting this research, descriptive research design was used in collecting the data from respondents. The design was preferred because it was concerned with answering questions such as who , how, what, which, when and how much (Cooper and Schnielder, 2001). A descriptive study was carefully designed to ensure complete description of the situation, making sure that there is minimum bias in the collection of data and to reduce errors in interpreting the data collected. 3. 3 Target PopulationThis research considered all matatus operating in Nairobi County. Those operating on the routes that ferry people to the city were the main target population. This gave the researcher easy access to the workers of the matatus as they were at their respective stages (matatu terminus). In the sample frame, more consideration was awarded to the major matatu SACCOs with offices in Nairobi metropolitan operating large occupancy vehicles. This was efficient and effective in terms of cost and accessibility to the researcher.Table 1 Target population | Route |North of Nairobi (a) |East of Nairobi (b) |South of Nairobi (c) |West of Nairobi (d) |Long | |(Population Size) | | | | |Distances (e ) | |Capacity | | | | | | |(Population Category) | | | | | |High Occupancy | | | | | | | |30 |30 |30 |30 |30 | |Low Occupancy |40 |40 |40 |40 |40 |Source: (Researcher, 2012) 3. 4 Sample Design Majorly stratified and clustered sampling was used to select a sample that will represent the entire population. Stratified sampling was the best procedure as it gave the chance to group the matatus in accordance with their capacity i. e. , high occupancy and low occupancy. In addition, clustered sampling supplemented stratified sampling.This technique helped in accessing all routes (Nairobi County has several routes) which gave a fair ground for the acquisition of different opinions since different routes have different matatu SACCOs that have varying strategies in attaining their goals. This method was the major source of primary data. Table 2 Target sample size Route |North of Nairobi (a) |East of Nairobi (b) |South of Nairobi (c) |West of Nairobi (d) |Long | | |(50%) |(50%) |(50%) |(50%) | Distances (e) (50%)| |Capacity | | | | | | |High Occupancy | | | | | | | |15 |15 |15 |15 |15 | |Low Occupancy |20 |20 |20 |20 |20 | Source: (Researcher, 2012) 3. 5 Data Collection InstrumentsIn this research, the use of both primary and secondary sources of data was adopted. Personal interviews were done through appointments with the managers or phone call interviews in case an appointment failed, questionnaires which were given in a period of one week and then collected by the researcher and direct observation on physical basis were the source of primary data. The use of relevant literature like; Matatu SACCO’s website, business magazines, daily newspapers and government authorities (traffic department) journals available for the public was an ideal source of secondary data. 3. 6 Data Analysis and Presentation The data collected in this study was both qualitative and quantitative in nature.This was for the analysis of data to show the effectiveness of SACCOs in the managemen t of the Matatu Industry. The analysis applied the use of percentages to show the effectiveness of SACCOs. This analysis made it possible to draw appropriate conclusion about the study and pave way for reporting and documenting the study. In order to infer the data that was collected into a form that is understandable to the users of this study, the researcher used tables for quantitative analysis and cross comparison analysis and pie charts that depict the trends and frequency distribution of the research. CHAPTER FOUR DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND INTEREPRETATION 4. 1 IntroductionThe study aimed to establish the effectiveness of SACCOs in the management of the transport industry in Nairobi County. This chapter discusses data analysis and findings of the research. Descriptive analysis was used and represented by the use of tables and pie charts. Qualitative analysis was used to summarize the respondents’ final comments in the questionnaire so as to get a better insight on their opinions on Matatu SACCOs as a mode of transport industry management. 4. 2 Respondents The sample size comprised of 100 respondents drawn from selected Matatu SACCOs. Out of the 25 SACCOs that were given questionnaires, 5 of them gave their feedback. Table 3 Sample and number respondents MATATU SACCO |Sample size |Returned |unreturned |percentage | |MWI Sacco |20 |18 |2 |90% | |Double M |20 |20 |0 |100% | |Super highway 45 Sacco |20 |15 |5 |75% | |City hopper |20 |16 |4 |80% | |KBS |20 |18 |2 |90% | |TOTAL |100 |87 |13 |87% | The research targeted the owners, managers and employees (drivers, conductors and stage workers) of the SACCOs to provide information. Table 4 Type of respondents |SACCO |OWNERS |MANAGERS |WORKERS | |MWI SACCO |5 |5 |8 | |DOUBLE M |2 8 |10 | |SUPER HIGHWAY 45 SACCO |4 |3 |8 | |CITY HOPPER |3 |4 |9 | |KBS |0 |6 |12 | |TOTAL |14 |26 |47 | 4. 3 Findings The financial revenue benefit was indicated by 85% of the respondents saying that there are financial re venues gained by the use of SACCOs as a mode of matatu management and 15% supported individual management and that the financial status before SACCOs were formed was the same as that of individual management which was prominent in the past. Figure 2 Pie chart presentation on increase in financial benefits [pic]When it comes to the reduction of the operational costs, 83% of the respondends accept that there is a significant reduction in the operational costs of the matatu sector. This is attributed to the fact that some SACCOs have their own petrol station thus reducing the costs. On the other side, the remaining 17% don’t see any reduction in the operational costs as there are contrubutions made by the SACCO every morning or evening of the day. Figure 3 Pie chart presentation on the reduction of operation costs [pic] In reference to the level of profitability, 25% of the respondents said that the profitability of the SACCOs was high compared to individual management. 58%, of the respondents said that the profitability of SACCOs is medium but etter than individual management, and 17% retained that the profitability of the SACCOs was low compared to individual management since daily contributions are made by the SACCO which reduces daily production. Figure 4 Pie chart presentation on the level of profitability [pic] To the challenges facing the transport (matatu) sector, majority of the respondents at 50% still maintain that SACCOs have done nothing to manage the challenges. They attribute this to the fact that the SACCOs are just a statutory requirement and not a free will initiative while others state that the challenges facing the transport industry is a responsibility of the government for example, bad roads and that the work of the SACCO is to support them financially not in terms of handling challenges. 2% of the respondents said that the management of the challenges by SACCOs is better than individual management. This is mainly due to the fact that finances are also a challenge and that the services offered by the SACCOs are part of the solution to the challenges. 18% of the respondents are satisfied with the way SACCOs are handling the challenges that face the industry. Figure 5 Pie chart presentation on the level of handling challenges by SACCOs [pic] In response to the level of accidents, 54% of the respondents support that SACCOs have reduced road accidents supported by the fact that they ensure that their drivers maintain road safety while others said that they service their vehicles in order to enhance safety standards. TThe remaining 46% of the respondents said that accidents have not reduced because they are not only caused by public service vehicles alone but others like personal cars, long-distance Lorries, motor cycles, and other users. Figure 6 Pie chart presentation on the level of road accidents [pic] In terms of general effectiveness, 85% of the respondents said that the SACCOs have been effective in the manage ment of transport industry and have brought order in the matatu industry. 13% of the respondents said that matatu SACCOs are not effective in the management of the transport industry. Figure 7 Pie chart presentation on Effectiveness of SACCOs [pic] 4. 4 Qualitative analysisFrom the findings we can see that the introduction of SACCOs as a mode of transport industry management has benefited the owners, workers and other stake holders of the matatu industry with 85% of the respondents supporting that SACCOs have been effective in the management of the transport industry. To the owners, there has been a benefit in terms of accessing credit facilities, sharing of operation costs with other matatu owners and monthly or yearly dividends received from the SACCO with or without operation since 83% of the respondents supported that the SACCOs have reduced operational costs. Drivers also get financial support from the SACCO as a means of self -help.They gain credit facilities from the SACCOs a t an affordable rate as compared to the other financing institutions like banks. The Owners and other stakeholders like the Government also benefit financially in terms of taxes and profitability since 85% of the respondents supported that SACCOs have increased financial benefits and the profitability gained through them are as follows: High-25%, Medium-58% and Low-17% The other beneficiaries of the Matatu SACCOs are passengers, who enjoy safety and quality services and other road users benefit from the relatively good order on the roads and discipline in both conduct and service with 54% of the respondents who have supported that SACCOs have reduced road accidents and have increased road safety.Unfortunately, the SACCOs have not been able to curb certain challenges within the transport sector such as corruption, harassment by the police and reckless driving by their drivers with 50% of the respondents saying that they have not done enough to handle these challenges. CHAPTER FIVE DI SCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5. 1 Introduction. This chapter presents the summary of the research based on the analysis of the responses received from the relevant respondents. It is a summary of the main findings of the research and how they relate to the nature of the study. This chapter also includes suggestions for further action and research. 5. 2 Discussion of the Findings Matatu SACCOs have been effective in the management of the transport industry at 85%.This is attributed to the increase in financial revenue benefits at 85%, reduction in the operation costs at 83%, level of profitability being medium at 58% and reduction of road accident at 54%. Despite being unable to manage the challenges facing the industry, SACCOs are still able to manage the challenges of the industry at 32% – better and 18% – best, 50% of the respondents indicated that SACCOs are worst managers of the challenges facing the industry. The passengers indicated that the use of matatu SACCOs as a mode of transport industry management has set standards of service in order to satisfy the customers. Other road users indicated their satisfaction towards the improvement in the level of order and road ethics. In comparison to management by Matatu SACCOs, the effectiveness of management on individual basis stood at 15%.This was indicated by the financial revenue benefits at 15%, reduction of costs at 17%and profitability at 42%. Generally, passengers were dissatisfied with the services offered by the matatus and they saw the industry as a house of insanity and disorder. This was attached to reckless driving and high level of accidents as a result of this. 5. 3 Conclusion With use of Matatu SACCOs as a mode of transport industry management, there is a sign of relief to the stakeholders of the matatu industry. SACCOs give the owners professional service in terms of management. Therefore, the profitability of SACCOs is medium and it gives satisfaction to the owners since they benefit financially from the SACCOS.In the long run, there is anticipation by all stake holders that the problems and challenges facing the industry will be handled through the SACCOs and in turn this will improve the Matatu Sector. 5. 4 Recommendations The challenges facing the SACCOs can be helped by the government. This includes improvement of road networks. This will help reduce the cost of maintaining the vehicles. The Government should put the right structures in the right places in order to reduce the procedures regarding the registration and legislations of the SACCOs. The dealers in the petroleum industry, should try to reduce the cost of fuel. This will be of great benefit to the other stakeholders.To reduce the level of road accidents, that should be taken as a responsibility of everyone who makes the use of the road from motorists to pedestrians. The government should enforce the road safety (the famous Michuki rules) to the latter. To the SACCO man agement, there should be additional training to the staff in areas such as financial management and customer service. The drivers and other workers should be employed on relatively permanent basis for better accountability. 5. 5 Limitations No SACCO accepted to give their financial report. The SACCOs termed the financial reports as private and could not be issued for research. Most of the Matatu SACCOs are new (less than 3 years old) since the government legislated them.Therefore it is difficult to obtain financial information covering the whole period. 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