Hume’s critique of rational causation Essay Example for Free

Hume’s critique of rational causation Essay If you look out over the world, everything is held together by something philosophers have called Causation. The rain falls and feed the streams, rivers, and oceans that then evaporate back up into the atmosphere where it gathers in clouds waiting to come back down as rain. When it rains, trees grow, turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, and other living things thrive. The circle of life is but a chain of causes and effects, and Causation is the common sense idea that one thing or event causes another. The idea of causation can be rationally expressed in the following relation: If X, then Y. So, for example, I am used to the light coming on after I flip the switch. In this case, my flipping the switch causes the light to go on. But what if I flip the switch and the light does not come on? I may deduce that this is because the light has burned out. This is because, in my experience, whenever the light does not come on it is because the light has burned out. This is what Hume calls associationism; that is, the tendency that we have, as humans, to link up to things that we normally experience together or in sequence. The difference between rationalist causation and Hume’s associationism is that causation is meant to establish a relation of certainty between the cause and its effect, whereas the latter says that all we can know is that one is a correlate of the other – that is, that in the past X and Y came together in a sequence, but this in and of itself is n guarantee that this will be the case in the future. If Hume is right, then we have no way to know what the future will bring, and cannot make any predictions that might carry the weight of certainty. Hume critique of rational causation is based on his distinction between two kinds of objects of knowledge corresponding to two different and separate bodies of knowledge. He theorizes that there is knowledge that express the relation between ideas, and that this is different from knowledge that has to do with matter of fact things about the world. The relationship between there two epistemological realms is not necessary: that is, we can have certain mathematical knowledge about perfect circles, but this has little to do with human experience. Similarly, the rational idea of cause and effect (if X, then Y) expresses a logical relation, but it is a categorical mistake to assert that this principle can be used to gain or secure knowledge about the world. So, Hume argues that although we perceive one event following another, we can never be certain of it. We cannot say, of things in the world we perceive and experience, that one thing caused another in part because we cannot see (perceive) causation (because it is an idea, or a logical relation). What we perceive is one thing of event that we come to associate (through force of habit) with the other. So, for example, to take Hume’s example: you see a cue hit a ball, and the ball takes off across the pool table and goes into a pocket. Where is causation? If you cannot perceive it, then how do you know about it. (Hume assumes, along with the other Modern British Empiricists that there are no innate ideas and all human knowledge is based on human experience). Hume’s critique of causation is both simple and devastating to the sciences, where causation is the basis for both inductive and deductive logic. Not only can we not predict the future with certainty, but we cannot know causes by their effects (or the past from the present). This took the wind out of arguments for the existence of God that said that given that nature displays a certain order and beauty, that there much be some entity who made or organized nature, and this is what we call God, whom we know only indirectly through his creations (ourselves included). In one fell swoop, Hume took the ground out from under both Science and Religion. But Hume meant to give humans not cause for despair, but cause for hope. We may not know the world through the machinations of reason, but this should not lead us to assert that we do not know is any sense at all. In fact we do and must make all sorts of judgments about the world – it is just that our judgments are not based on certainty or reason. The explanation lies not with the world, but with human nature and human psychology. We would be judged mad if we repeatedly put our hand on the stove just because our past experience cannot with certainty predict the future. What does happen has to do with the way that we experience the world as repeating certain consistent patterns (even if we cannot prove it is so, it is still our experience), and through sheer repetition, we learn how to behave in the world inn such a way as to not put ourselves in dangerous position, and to put ourselves in good positions. Hume’s explanation is better that causation, liberating, because it leaves the future open to possibility – the future is in not wholly determined by the past. So, to take a trivial example: Hume talks about how â€Å"we† might be used to associating flees with dogs because, in our experience, these two things always arrive together. But today, now that most dogs and other pets wear flea protection, we do not necessarily associate dogs with flees (but perhaps only with irresponsible pet owners). This last example shows how from our experience in the world, we form expectations, but these expectations are open ended, changeable, and can be either fulfilled or disappointed. In this same way, on the basis of our past and where we come from , we as human form expectations about our future possibilities, but there is nothing at all to say that these expectations will or will not be fulfilled, or changed. Our expectations, buttressed through habit, may be the basis about out beliefs about ourselves and the world. In this sense of the world, belief is not an innate feeling or knowledge of some otherworldly entity, but it is defined as a being sensitive and attuned to our experiences in the world. Because if we are not, then we form bad habits, false expectations, and an inability to make sense of our very own lives. It should be no surprise, then, the Hume did not believe in God – the postulated original cause for all of existence. No causes in the world, no causes of the world – at least that we can know. There is just the world there, and us experiencing it.

Summative Assessment for Poverty as a Challenge Essay Example for Free

Summative Assessment for Poverty as a Challenge Essay A. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS 1. Every _________ person in India is poor. (a) third (b) fourth (c) fifth (d) sixth 2. Vulnerability to poverty is determined by the options for finding an alternative living in terms of (a) assets (b) education (c) health (d) all the above 3. Social exclusion denies certain individuals the (a) facilities (b) benefits (c) opportunities (d) all the above 4. How many people in India live below the poverty line? (a) 30 crores (b) 26 crores (c) 28 crores (d) 24 crores 10. What is the poverty ratio in the state of Orissa? (a) 50% (b) 47% (c) 60% (d) 57% 11. In which state has the high agricultural growth helped to reduce poverty? (a) Jammu Kashmir (b) West Bengal (c) Punjab (d) Gujarat 12. In which state have the land reform measures helped to reduce poverty? (a) Tamil Nadu (b) Punjab (c) West Bengal (d) Kerala 13. Which state has focussed more on human resource development? (a) Gujarat (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Maharashtra (d) Kerala (1 mark) 5. Which organisation carries out survey for determining the poverty line? (a) NSSO (b) CSO (c) Planning Commission (d) None of the above 6. Which social group is most vulnerable to poverty in India? (a) Schedule castes (b) Schedule tribes (c) Casual labourers (d) All the above 7. Which two states of India continue to be the poorest states? (a) Madhya Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir (b) Uttar Pradesh, Utarakhand (c) Orissa, Bihar (d) None of the above 8. Poverty line in rural areas (As per 1999 – 2000 prices) is (a) Rs 328 (b) Rs. 370 (c) Rs 454 (d) Rs. 460 9. Who are poorest of the poor? (a) Women (b) Old people (c) Children (d) All the above 14. In which state is the public distribution system responsible for the reduction in poverty? (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Both (a) and (b) (d) None of the above 15. What is the main cause of poverty in India? (a) High income inequalities (b) Less job opportunities (c) High growth in population (d) All the above 16. Which of the following is responsible for high poverty rates? (a) Huge income inequalities (b) Unequal distribution of land (c) Lack of effective implementation of land reforms (d) All the above 17. What is the biggest challenge to independent India? (a) illiteracy (b) Child labour (c) Poverty (d) Unemployment 18. In rural sector which of the following is not poor? (a) Landless agricultural workers (b) Backward classes (c) Rural artisans (d) Medium farmers 19. Nutritional level of food energy is expressed in the form of (a) calories per day (b) wheat consumption (c) rice consumption per day (d) none of the above 20. As per Planning Commission, minimum daily intake of calories for determining poverty line for rural area is : (a) 2100 (b) 2400 (c) 1500 (d) none of the above 21. Poverty ratio in India as compared to Pakistan is : (a) same (b) half (c) twice (d) two and a half times 22. Common method to measure poverty in India is based on (a) income level (b) subsistence consumption level (c) both (a) and (b) (d) none of the above 23. Decline in poverty in Kerala is due to (a) emphasising more on human resource development (b) land reform measures (c) efficient public distribution of foodgrains (d) none of the above 24. To generate wage employment our government has started (a) National Social Assistance Programme (b) National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (c) Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (d) None of the above 25. In which group of countries did poverty ratio remain constant? (a) South Asian countries (b) Latin American countries (c) Socialist countries (d) None of the above 26. Poverty line prescribed by World Bank (As per 2001 study) is : (a) $ 1 per day (b) $ 2 per day (c) $ 5 per day (d) $ 6 per day 27. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2005) provides assured employment to every rural household for (a) 120 days (b) 100 days (c) 60 days (d) 50 days B. QUESTIONS FROM CBSE EXAMINATION PAPERS 3. Which of the following programmes was launched in the year 2000 ? [2011 (T-2)] (a) National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (b) Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (c) Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (d) Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana 4. Who conducts the periodical sample surveys for estimating the poverty line in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) National Survey Organisation (b) National Sample Survey Organisation (c) Sample Survey Organisation (d) None of the above 2 1. Who advocated that India would be truly independent only when the poorest of its people become free of human suffering? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Indira Gandhi (c) Jawahar Lal Nehru (d) Subhash Chandra Bose 2. Which one of the following states in India has focussed more on human resource development? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Punjab (b) Karnataka (c) Kerala (d) Tamil Nadu 28. In how many states and Union Territories is poverty ratio less than the national average? (a) 20 (b) 22 (c) 16 (d) 18 29. Poverty line in urban areas (As per 1999 – 2000 prices) is : (a) Rs. 354 (b) Rs. 454 (c) Rs. 554 (d) Rs. 455 30. Poverty ratio in Bihar (As per Planning Commission Report 1999 – 2000) is (a) 40% (b) 43% (c) 46% (d) 47% 5. When was National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) Act passed? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2000 (b) 1995 (c) 2005 (d) 1993 6. Which category does not come under the category of Urban Poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) The Casual workers (b) The Unemployed (c) The Shopkeeper (d) Rickshaw-pullers 7. How many per cent of Indian people were poor in the year 2000? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 36% (b) 46% (c) 26% (d) 29% 8. Which state has the highest percentage of poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Bihar (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Assam (d) Orissa 9. Average calories required per person per day in rural areas in India are: [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2400 calories (b) 2800 calories (c) 3200 calories (d) 3600 calories 10. Which scheme was started in 1993 to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (b) National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (c) Rural Employment Generation Programme (d) Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana 11. For how many days NREGA provides employment? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 70 (b) 80 (c) 90 (d) 100 12. Who is considered as poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Landlord (b) Landless labourer (d) Businessman (c) A rich farmer 13. Which among the following is the method to estimate the poverty line in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Investment method (b) Capital method (c) Human method (d) Income method 14. Which one of the social groups is vulnerable to poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled caste (b) Urban casual labour (c) Rural agricultural household (d) All the above 3 15. By which year governments are aiming to meet the Millennium Development Goals including halving the rate of global poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2011 (b) 2015 (c) 2045 (d) 2035 16. What is the average calories required in rural areas for measuring poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2400 calories per person per day (b) 2100 calories per person per day (c) 2800 calories per person per day (d) None of these 17. What is not one of the major causes of income inequality in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Unequal distribution of land (b) Lack of fertile land (c) Gap between rich and poor (d) Increase in population 18. In which of the following countries did poverty actually rise from 1981–2001? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Sub-Saharan Africa (b) India (c) China (d) Russia GO YA L BR OT HE RS 19. The calorie requirement is higher in the rural areas because: [2011 (T-2)] (a) they do not enjoy as much as people in the urban areas (b) food items are expensive (c) they are engaged in mental work (d) people are engaged in physical labour 20. Which of the following is an indicator of poverty in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Income level (b) Illiteracy level (c) Employment level (d) All of these 21. Which one of the following economic groups is vulnerable to poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled caste (b) Scheduled tribes (c) Rural agricultural household (d) All the above 22. Which one of these is not a cause of poverty in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Low level of economic development (b) Migration of people from rural to urban India (c) Income inequalities (d) Unequal distribution of land PR AK AS HA N 23. Which of the following is not a valid reason for the slow progress of poverty alleviation programmes in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Lack of proper implementation (b) Lack of right targeting (c) Corruption at the highest level (d) Overlapping of schemes 24. What is the accepted calories requirement in urban areas? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2000 cal/person/day (b) 2100 cal/person/day (c) 2300 cal/person/day (d) 2400 cal/person/day 25. Which communities are categorised as economically vulnerable groups in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled caste (b) Agricultural labour household (c) Scheduled tribes (d) All the above 26. Which industry suffered the most during colonial period? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Jute (b) Textile (c) Indigo (d) All the above 27. Calorie requirement in rural areas is more than in the urban areas because: [2011 (T-2)] (a) rural people eat more (b) rural people have big bodies (c) rural people do more hard physical work (d) rural people have to take more rest (c) Lack of access to health care (d) Lack of job opportunities 32. Full form of NFWP is: [2011 (T-2)] (a) National federation for work and progress (b) National forest for wildlife protection (c) National food and wheat processing (d) National food for work programme 33. Who are considered as the poorest of the poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled castes (b) Scheduled tribes (c) Disaster struck people (d) Women, female, infants and old people 34. Which country of South-East Asia made rapid economic growth resulting in significant decline in poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) India (b) China (c) Nepal (d) Pakistan 35. In which part of the world poverty has remained the same during 1981 to 2001? [2011 (T-2)] (a) South Asia (b) Sub-Saharan Asia (c) China (d) Latin America 36. Which of the following states has the poverty ratio below the national average? [2011 (T-2)] (a) West Bengal (b) Uttar Pradesh (c) Assam (d) Maharashtra 37. In year 2000 what was the average Indian poverty ratio? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 15% (b) 43% (c) 26% (d) 47% 38. The organisation that conducts surveys for finding poverty levels in India is. [2011 (T-2)] (a) NSSO (b) USO (c) World Bank (d) None of these 39. The current anti-poverty programe consists of two planks, they are: [2011 (T-2)] (a) Socio-economic reasons and public distribution system (b) Promotion of economic growth and targeted poverty programe (c) Anti-poverty programe and public distribution system (d) None of the above 40. In 2000 the percentage of people below poverty line in India was: [2011 (T-2)] (a) 26% (b) 46% (c) 56% (d) None of the above 4 28. Poverty ratio in which of the following states is above the national average? [2011 (T-2)] (a) West Bengal (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Karnataka 29. The most vulnerable social groups for poverty are: [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled tribes (b) Urban casual labourers (c) Rural agricultural labourers (d) Scheduled castes 30. Which of the following states of India has the highest poverty ratio? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Bihar (b) Orissa (c) Punjab (d) Assam 31. Which of the following is not considered as a social indicator of poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Less number of means of transport (b) Illiteracy level

Gender Identity In the Fashion Industry

Gender Identity In the Fashion Industry Fashion is not what models exhibit in a magazine or a store window. It pervades every aspect of life. Fashion is mystifying, intimidating, irritating at time yet compulsive. It is an assertion or expression of identity. So long as identity is important, fashion will continue to be important. Fashion defines an individuals persona. Fashion designers define how people should dress up and how they look in different outfits. They continue to make contributions to cultural and social environment.In their zeal to create something unique, designers are always on the lookout for inspiration from history, cultural differences, themes, motifs and contemporary thoughts. But fashion cannot be moulded per the male or female outlook. It speaks independently of its creators. Role of designers need not be gender biased or biology biased. A detailed scrutiny into gender and sex shows one is biological and other societal. For instance, females, biologically are designed to give birth. Once they have given birth and performed the mammalian function, they can take up a role of hunter or a warrior. The terms hunter and nester refer to masculine and feminine. Masculine describes an approach that is abstract in nature, usually focused on a splendid thought, the way of a hunter. Contrary to this, feminine approach is considered to be orchestrating detailed decisions contributing to wider set of objectives, the way of a nester. Regardless of sex, fashion designers can be categorized into 3 groups- Hunter, Nester and nester- hunter designer. Hunter designers are those who have focused approach on one thing but to do that very efficiently. Designers in nester group have broad minded approach. They aspire to take steps in sequence contributing to a decision keeping i n mind long term objectives. It is striking to notice difference between male and female designs. There is a slight assumption that abstract skills are of higher value. Emphasis should be on both abstract and verbal reasoning, technical and aesthetics implying that Nester and hunter need to work hand in hand for best results. Many women have a masculine approach to a design and many men have a feminine approach to a design. Nester-hunter designers are a mix of both. It is important to understand these types of designer approaches as the best design teams have a combination of hunter and nester approach. It does make sense that a combination of abstract thought blended well with meticulous design and contractual management would lead to some of the best works getting designed. AT the drawing board one can work from a particular thought to a more general one. This can be done even vice versa. But the important thing is that one should have a clear precise perspective of the end design. Majority of the worlds fashion designing schools are run by women but have been organized by men. Fashion was not always a gendered occurrence. Until eighteenth century, both men and women decked themselves with elaborate dresses. Costume historians have elaborated that gender distinction in dress was not that prominent until nineteenth century. Men and women in elite class often emulated abundant show of rich velvets, fine silks, lace, decorative footwear, wigs, head embellishments and scented powders. Men in pink suits, gold and silver jewelry and embroidered shirts were considered very masculine, regardless of choice of color or ornaments worn. The more intricate the dress, the higher used to be the status of the wearer in the society. Fashion was not only a womens affair then. It became feminized since nineteenth century when gender representation became stronger than societal class. With the turn of century, not only fashion became more feminized, but male identity went through a distinct change with modernization. Early theorists related fashion to the social status of women. The affluent displayed their wealth by ornamenting their wives and daughters exuding an air of sophistication. The women also spent endless efforts and hours to be ladies. At the end of eighteenth century bourgeois male went through the great masculine renunciation, as a result of which men gave up wearing all the bright colors and jewelry leaving it to the womens domain. In post industrial societies, men were guided by occupational spheres. Their business and casual attire were starkly different. Also age segmentation has played a very prominent role in defining mens style. Amongst women, age segmentation is only for those who want to believe in it. Although the designer fashion tends to extend beyond the boundaries of masculinity, the gender fashion still exists between male and female fashion. To that extent, fashion may be assumed to be cultural, affecting consumers perception and experience of design.The impact of gender is very evident in the visual appearances in consumers mind. For instance, pink for the girl and blue for the boy goes the clichà © defining gender by color coding. In the designer world, industrial design is thought as male and textile design as female. Even design is rendered into gender stereotypes like feminine lace, dolls for girls, masculine leather, etc. As industriliazation took place, social stratas on clothing transformed in eterms of occupation. The social chasm between lower class, middle and upper class was huge during the industrial era. Clothes were almost unavailable for the poor but were in abundance for the rich- for whom changes in fashions were created. Members of other social classes were just expected to emulate the rich if they wished to appear fashionable. By late nineteenth century clothes had become cheaper and accessible to lower classes of society. Middle and upper class women spent substantial amount of their incomes on fashionable clothes. Mens social clothing became more and more simplified. Infact the concept of uniforms and dress codes gained importance to showcase the ranks in the bureaucratic organizations. In the twentieth century, clothes seem to have lost their economic relevance but not their symbolic relevance. This is because clothes are available in all price ranges to suit all pockets. Those with l imited resources can still emulate fashion by creating personal styles which are expression of their identities rather than imitating styles of the affluent. Appearance of fashion indicated sudden appearance of a new social bond and a social temporality With time, fashion trends have changed. It has been dominated by cult, uniqueness , inspiration from local and foreign models. Fashion instituted the social power of minute signs which has an astonishing mechanism of social distinction of those who dress in an innovative way. It also draws inspiration from ancestral heritage and social norms. Fashion perhaps forms a major part in the construction of a social identity. It is an indication of how people in different eras showcased their positions and status boundaries. The most visible marks of social status and gender has been broadly showcased by Fashion. Fashion dictates the choices that people make in the form of culture, norms and appropriateness of the occasion. For instance, hats were a huge fashion statement and were worn to either showcase recognised or desired social status. Fashion clothing also revealed the occupation, social class and regional origin of a person. It distinguishes elite fashion from everyday fashion. There is very less in common amongst dressing style of a secretary a homemaker, a businessman and a law enforcement officer. As a social phenomenon, it has been treated as futile because of huge association of outward appearance with women. The face of fashion defines its phenomena. Female fashion emanates uniqueness and change. Mens interest in fashion is dictated by their occupation generally but womens interest depends upon their fascination with beauty. Now the nature of fashion seems to have changed. From nineteenth century when fashion was more on well defined standard of societal appearance has now evolved into being more contemporary. It has become indistinct, multifaceted and highly fragmented. New styles have been evolved over the years. Societies have changed dramatically in the past few decades. Social class has become less prominent in the contemporary society of today. Instead of class differentiation there is fragmentation of cultures within societies. 1960s was a special era in the sense where fashion emerged in lower status groups and adopted by the affluent. This fashion phenomena defied age and social barriers conveying pride to the trendsetter. In early 90s, designers tried to be innovative by adding feminine elements to menswear.Also there seemed to be a female dominance over the culture. Fashion for women fits the definition of conflicted supremacy. Women have held contrasting position in different times ranging from marginally unconcealed to conservative to acceptable fashionable to feminine dominance and empowerment in 90s. Turrow believes lifestyles are now in hypersegmentation which isolates each lifestyle in its own niche. People are more likely to frequent changes in their lifestyle now. The mulitplicity of changes that such lifestyle in a contemporary society presents the opportunity to an indidual to break away from tradition.Todays individual constructs a send of identity from his past, present and future events, commitments and aspirations. The individual styles have also gone through frequent changes in line with their changing lifestyles. Personal orientation, income, education, family careers, social position influence a persons taste in fashion. The younger generation today, usually with more affluent background have post modernist attitude towards identity. Attitude of younger women towards fashion is that of liberalization, power and personal panache. Men are now borrowing elements of costumes from women. Problems are faced when there is persistence to keep male gender above the female one . Today men spend lot of time and money on hair styling, appearance, fashionable clothing and skin products. These men are being coined as metrosexual. A metrosexual man willingly displays his masculinity from his ability to consume, showcase his toned physique to assert his identity as an urban middle class man.Yet again, fashion is being used to exhibit gender identity. Fashions most imminent characteristic is that it changes. With multiple demands on clothing and dressing, change is the only constant. Cross-dressing has come up as a welcome antidote to confining concepts of society and gender. It offers alternative ways to visualize and dress up a gender and might end up freeing the consumers restrictive thoughts on gender dressing. Realm of fashion in undergoing a radical change. Fashion contributes to newer definitions of social identities and newer attributes to personal preferences. Today because of globalization, fashion houses have to constantly innovate, think out of the box as consumers are no longer fashion victims. Gender studies in design have now challenged these contentious gender, sterotypes, cultural and societal outlook. Female designers earlier have been more prevalent in ceramics, textile designs and men more prominent in abstract art and advertising designs. These self, societal and cultural divisions are breaking down now. Men and women both have critical roles to play as consumers and producers of design. People select styles to suit their identity, lifestyle and societal norms. Fashion is a choice not a compulsion. It is not a simple process to achieve equivalence between design and customer preference. Designers today are pushing gender based boundaries in fashion and almost pulverizing them. They are bringing to life their vision of what they consider fashion. Designers are now teaming up with people who have different perspectives to make an impact in all their designs. They take pride in and gain strength from the richness of a multicultural society and recognize it as a continuous growth . They work in an environment where they contribute their thoughts freely and create designs. These designs are sated with utmost creativity, uniqueness, abstractness and intricacy at the same time. This has become the definition of success.

Small and Medium Enterprises Essay example -- Business, Environment, P

Introduction Environmental practices among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are increasing being supported as the vital approaches that are needed to shapes and sustains the environment (Schaper 2002; Hillary 2004; Redmond, Walker et al. 2008; Rasi, Abdekhodaee et al. 2010; Revell, Stokes et al. 2010). Many large organizations have taken considerable steps to reduce or eliminate pollution that might occur from their operations. Small and Mediums Enterprises (SMEs), however, continue to be overlooked on it consequences on environmental management issues (Melton 1999). While, some SMEs are generally aware of the substantial impact of their operations on the environment (Williamson and Lynch-Wood 2001), most SME believe environmental initiatives as peripheral issues and may not be important to the organizational survival (Redmond, Walker et al. 2008) Ensuring SMEs to realize and accomplish its environmental objectives are crucial. The notions that SMEs are not yet engaged in the environmental practices are intimidating since the facts that most environmental pollution is originates from SMEs. An earlier study by Smith and Kemp (1998) identifies that 70 percent of manufacturing pollution are created by SMEs. The Marshall Report (1998) estimates that SMEs generates 60 percent of carbon emissions. More recently, a report for The European Commission, Directorate General Environment, indicates that more than 50 percent of commercial and industrial waste are produced by SMEs (Berends, Morà ¨re et al. 2000), whilst the UK Environment Agency estimates that UK SMEs are responsible for 60 percent of commercial waste and 80 percent of pollution accidents (Netreg 2003). Again, work by the Wales Environment Centre in rural Wales, indicat... ...tivities. The strategy requires a structural investment in operations that involves process or product based changes in effort to gain a competitive advantage (Klassen and Whybark 1999). Compared to former strategies, proactive strategies imply creative problem solving and collaborative exchanges with stakeholders (Sharma and Vredenburg 1998). For example, organizations implementing proactive approaches can improve various managerial aspects by continuously monitoring their activities and learning to optimize and utilize their green technological investment (Biondi, Frey et al. 1998). In addition, strategic collaboration with stakeholders enables SMEs to share tacit knowledge that are useful to make a successful transition to new environmental technologies. Table 1 depicts the differences between a reactive approach and a proactive approach as discussed above.

Southwest Marketing Strategy Essay -- essays research papers

Southwest Airlines is the industry leader in low cost airfare. They began its operation in 1971 with three Texas based routes and began interstate routes in 1978. When Southwest entered the market in 1971 they employed a market penetration pricing approach. They wanted to provide the best service for the lowest possible price. They saw that if they cut out certain unnecessary benefits they could lower their ticket price to a level far below that of the competition. They do not have in flight movies, meals, or first class sections. This strategy has been very cost effective and Southwest passes the savings on to the customer. They chose to focus on pleasure travelers and low-income travelers opposed to business travelers. This allowed them to take advantage of a market, which was often ignored by other airlines. Southwest is not concerned with the prices of other airlines. They do not engage in pricing to meet competition, or pricing below competition. CEO Herb Kelleher stated, â€Å"We’re not competing with other airlines. We’re competing with ground transportation.† This philosophy has led them to be very successful because they are priced below the competition, but don’t raise their prices when the competition does. Cost controlling is very important in the airline industry. Southwest is very good at controlling their costs. They offer a no frills service for people who want to get to their destination for as little as possible, and are not concerned about the bells and whistles like in-flight movies. Southwest also realized that when their planes are on the ground, they aren’t making money. They decided to keep their planes in the air as much as possible and have worked hard to keep a low turnaround time. They manage to unload passengers and load new passengers for the next flight within twenty minutes, which is shorter than the industry average. Southwest also uses only one kind of plane, the Boeing 737, in order to reduce costs of parts and training employees to use different types of planes. All of these methods have lowered the cost of operations for Southwest and allowed them to have a profit of $4.7 billion, which is twice that of United Airlines. And because they are so efficient they can pass the savings on to customers. There is no first class at Southwest and therefore all the customers are treated the same. They all receive the same level of atte... ...ly buy Southwest’s inexpensive tickets. College students also aren’t concerned about in-flight movies, meals, or other perks. Southwest would crush the competition in that route and make a large profit. Even families going on vacation would fly Southwest Airlines to Mexico. It is cheaper than other major airlines and it is a respected airline, unlike some no name airlines that run flights to Mexico. Advertising would be best done on television because America has become lazy and watches too much TV. They should advertise their great customer service by having customer testimonials and pictures of smiling customers and employees. They should also advertise during family oriented shows, because they are a form of inexpensive travel that a family could take advantage of. In conclusion, I feel that Southwest has taken advantage of its inexpensive flights and family oriented atmosphere to prevail despite the September 11th tragedy. Southwest has been a profitable business for 26 consecutive years and has twice the profits of United Airlines. They have been doing a great job providing customer service and will continue to be successful as long as they continue with their current plan.

Essay --

Children In The Civil War For my project on the Civil War, I researched the children that were around to see it. I think it’s important to know how this war impacted children, or even the involvement of children, because of what kids are like today. Today kids sit around and play video games about shooting people, back then, sometimes kids had to. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, kids from both the Union and the Confederacy said goodbye to some of their family members or even joined the military themselves. In fact, roughly twenty percent of Civil War soldiers were younger than eighteen. For the Union, this was the minimum recruitment age. However in times of war, laws were easily overlooked. The Confederacy, however, had no set age limit. Most youngsters weren’t exactly the fighters, but rather musicians. Technically, their job description didn’t include fighting, but if need be, it wasn’t uncommon for one to arm themselves and defend their lives. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/grant-kids/) I find it interesting to think that teenagers today’s biggest concerns compared to those during the war. Today you’ll find teenagers whose biggest problems in life are getting a five page essay on the Civil War in on time, acne, or those shoes they saw at the mall being ten dollars over the spending limit that their mom gave them. Back then teenagers were running through a hailstorm of bullets, watching as their friends and brothers fell inches away from them. They were thirsty for clean water, hungry for food, yearning for their mothers, or sometimes, even just wishing to be dead so it would end. Some assisted surgeons and sawed off damaged arms and legs. They endured the terrors that were associate... ...ive. (http://www.ducksters.com/history/civil_war/life_during_the_civil_war.php) Slave children were also impacted by this war, however slightly more positively. For many, this war meant freedom. Before the war had quite started, enslaved children had escaped to the North, either with their families or individually. When the war started, many of these families and children would slip into Union territory. Once Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, floods of these families came over. Homes for freed slaves was often no more than a wooden packing crate. Food was treasure, and disease was everywhere. Hope was not lost though. Northerners established schools that would teach blacks of all ages how to read and write. Soon, young African Americans â€Å"pulled a white teenager† and joined the army. They fought for the Union cause and thus experienced the terrors of war.

Plastic Money Essay

The study assesses the impact of outsourcing on organisational performance and it is done in Century Bottling Company Limited. It focuses on the benefits and challenges companies face in outsourcing their non-core activities. The study uses the objective of assessing the impact of outsourcing on organisational performance to get data presented in the findings. These show that companies benefit from outsourcing though they face some challenges in their bid to outsource their non-core activities to outside providers. Organisations always prefer letting specialists in different fields accomplish certain tasks in their companies and this means that organisations can benefit from outsourcing as shown in the Literature Review The Data was collected and then analysed to fit the purpose of the study though with several limitations ranging from financial constraints to time constraints. see more:types of plastic money The findings show that companies outsource to access special expertise, speed up delivery of services, reduce costs and get  enough time to concentrate on their core activities. In the long run companies have benefited from outsourcing in several ways like reduction in costs and company staff getting enough time to concentrate on their core activities to promote the company`s competitiveness in the market. In conclusion, companies should outsource some of their services so as to reduce costs and concentrate on core activities. This therefore shows how important outsourcing is and other companies should adopt it just like Century Bottling Company has done and get good quality services from experts as well as more time for core activities. CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INRODUCTION. This chapter looks at the background, problem statement, objective, research questions and significance of the study. 1.1Background The rationale to outsource was rooted in the cost constraints facing asset managers as they struggled to survive the bear market. Traditionally, the outsourcing market focused on infrastructure, data operation and cost takeout as primary drivers but in addition enterprises are looking at outsourcing business areas to achieve greater flexibility and gain greater ability to respond easily as outsourcing is evolving into a strategic tool for change. Lysons 2000, says outsourcing developed as a reaction to the over diversification that took place in the 1970’s and early 1980’s and has led many enterprises to review their core and concentrate on them. In Uganda, business processes that were kept inside the firm such as cleaning and transport are increasingly being outsourced to places where costs are cheaper and back-off operations can be provided like in Century Bottling Company Limited, cleaning, security and part of transport have been outsourced to outside providers. Century Bottling Company Limited located at Namanve and it deals in production of soft drinks like sodas in different brand names say, Sprite, Coke, Fanta, Novida, Stoney, Datsan and Minute maid among others. It has a range of activities some of which are core 1  and not outsourced. Those that are considered non-core are outsourced to different service providers. It gets a list of service providers, looks at their terms, kind and quality of services provided and the costs involved. It is from this list that it selects the most favourable to outsource to. For instance, Century Bottling Company outsources activities like part of its transport is given private vendors who have trucks in good mechanical conditions, negotiate the price and terms of service. These pick the products from the company premises and deliver them to the agreed destinations like depots and various customers. Cleaning is also done by A&A for all departments in the company and this gives the employees a good working environment and more time to perform their duties. However, despite outsourcing these activities are still having weaknesses like late deliveries due car mechanical breakdowns and unsatisfactory cleaning which is at times due to personal character of the cleaners and poor supervision. Looking at outsourcing as a way of reducing on the work load of the company staff and giving core activities more time for companies to perform to their best, Century Bottling Company also outsources its non-core activities so as to concentrate on the core activities to improve its performance in important areas like the production department since the quality of a company’s products is very crucial for its performance in the market. In its bid to outsource, Century Bottling Company has not forgotten what outsourcing is all about. This gives a relationship between what outsourcing is and what Century Bottling Company is doing. 1.2 Problem statement Outsourcing is a very crucial function in an organisation because it directly affects the firm’s operational activities. Following the identified problems such as late delivery, poor cleaning, high transportation costs in Century Bottling Company, steps have been taken to solve the problem by bringing trusted and better qualified people to provide the services. Despite the steps taken, the contribution of outsourcing to organisational performance is still low. Therefore, the study is to establish the impact of outsourcing on organisational performance with a  case study of Century Bottling Company. 1.3 Objective of the study. The study aims at assessing the impact of outsourcing on organisational performance. 1.4 Research questions (i) Which activities are out sourced and which are not? (ii) How is outsourcing beneficial to an organisation? (iii)What are the challenges encountered in carrying out outsourcing? 1.5 Scope of the study The study focuses on the procurement department of Century Bottling Company Limited. It establishes the impact of outsourcing on organisational performance and the study covers the procurement staff, user department and providers of different services. The study looks at the outsourced activities, benefits of outsourcing and the challenges in connection with the organisational performance. 1.6 Significance of the study (i) The study will help business managers to minimise losses through minimising costs and creating value for money. (ii) The research CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW. 2.0 Introduction This chapter looks at a review of issues and factors that have been explored and studied in the existing literature on outsourcing and examine the existing gaps. 2.1 The concept of outsourcing. Baily, 1998, many organisations today are turning to external procurement, where we even find that functions such as transport, accounts, computer services, even purchasing can be outsourced. This gives the company employees time to perform their duties to the company’s satisfaction and this improves the organisational performance which is every company’s objective to achieve competitive advantage. Eyaa, 2006, defined outsourcing as a decision by firms to have an external supplier to take over an activity that would have otherwise been performed in-house by organisation employees. Usually organisations look for the best service providers to whom to outsource their  work, this gives them a chance to get their work done by experts which means good quality work leading to a good company name. Lysons and Gillingham, 2003, states that outsourcing is the strategic use of resources to perform activities traditionally handled by internal staff and their resources. It is a management strategy by which an organisation outsources major non-core functions to specialised and efficient service providers to help the organisations perform best where it is best capable. Axelsson and Wynstra, 2000 defines outsourcing as a decision and subsequent transfer process by which activities that constitute a function that earlier have been carried out by a company are instead purchased from an external supplier. Usually companies that provide outsourced services choose what they can do better, this means training their workers to perform to the best of the clients expectations. This means specialisation with all its benefits to organisations. Different Authors like, Bendor, Bona and Lysons suggest that the following activities should not be outsourced or if done it should be done with great management consideration; management of strategic planning, management of finance, management of consultancy, control of supplies Quality and environmental management. The ranges of services that are outsourced are timeless and these include; Waste disposal, research and development, transmission service, estate management, customer brokage, catering, Asset repair and control library and cleaning. Although various organisations have tried to look at what the different Authors have written and put it in consideration in their bid to outsource, they have not fully met their intentions like cost reduction, efficient and effective service provision from the service providers to whom they outsource their activities. This is partly due to the ever increasing prices of products which also mean increase in prices of services being outsourced. 2.2 Cost reductions. Sabiti, 2003, says that, the organisation that outsources is cutting administration cost of maintaining or doing the activity in house, the overriding factor in outsourcing decision is cost cutting, but where as this may make business sense in the beginning, in some cases it 6  could bring complications and put the whole exercise at a high risk if all concerns are not adequately assessed. This means that the outsourcing organisation should not only look at the costs being low but also consider the outcomes of process of outsourcing at the end of everything to the organisation. Manzi, 2004, states that the most common economic factor that influences the decision is the need to reduce costs. Where the benefits analysis has been carried out and has been established that it is most economic to outsource rather than continue to operate a given function looks forward to making profits in business. Kulumba, 2005, states that, outsourcing is a popular phenomenon with managers because they believe that outsourcing vendors are inherently more efficient due to economies of scale. The outsourcing organisation benefits from getting the services from the provider at a reduced cost since it is provided on a large scale and usually for a reasonable time if it is good work. Antonuccci 1998, advised that, if the vendor is efficient than the prospective client, organisations could reduce its own costs through function consideration and resource optimization. Due to experience in the field and knowledgeable experts, it leads to proper and efficient use of resources yet with good quality work. 2.3 Key factors necessary for outsourcing 2.3.1Competence Bourassa 1988, says that organisations should focus on core activities and leave the noncore activities to outside providers who have the skills to do them better. The providers who have all the required competence, skills, and service providers should be of desired level to be able to meet the company requirement. K Farrington, 2006, also shows how important competence is, it is the core activities of the company that tell or manifest the performance of the organisation. These activities need much more time so as to come out at their best and give the company competitive advantage over others. This can be achieved through outsourcing non-core activities and concentrate on its core competence. 2.3.2 Management support Peter Jeans 2008, suggests that when it comes to outsourcing, it should be supported by all departments of the organisation so as to get the best of the benefits of outsourcing in the  organisation. To achieve success, we always have to stand together to share ideas for better organisational performance. Garry Petty, says that any activity in the company done without management consent and support is a manifestation of failure in that activity. This shows how much important management support and involvement is in all company activities outsourcing inclusive. 2.4 Drivers of outsourcing 2.4.1 Quality actual capacity Lysons and Gillingham 2006, state that, it is temporarily insufficient to comply with demand; the quality motive can be subdivided into three aspects, that is to say; Increased quality demand, shortage of qualified personnel and outsourcing as a transitional period. Therefore companies have various reasons for outsourcing their non-core activitie s. 2.4.2 Finance Frankwood and Sangster, according to them, the company has a limited investment budget. The funds must be used for investments in the core activities which are long term decisions and leave non-core activities to outside providers to do them on behalf of the organisation. 2.4.3 Core business Erick Bartz, shows that, Core business is a primary activity that enables an organisation to generate revenues to concentrate on core business activities. All subsequent activities are supportive and should be outsourced to give enough time to the core activities. 2.4.4 Benefits of outsourcing Outsourcing is beneficial in the following ways; 2.6.1 Cost saving This is the lowering of the overall cost of the service to the business. This involves the score defining quality levels, repulsing, renegotiations, cost restructuring, access to lower cost economies through off showing cold labour arbitrage 2.6.2 Specialisation Lysons and Gillingham, say that, Outsourcing allows an organisation to concentrate on areas of business that derive competitive advantage and outsource non core activities to specialist with better skills and expertise. 2.6.3 Access to innovation There are opportunities to have access to capabilities of suppliers into the products and services of the customer organisation rather than attempt to replicate the capabilities of a supply network (www.pwc.com) 9 2.6 Challenges of outsourcing Like any restructuring exercise and management decision making in business, there are risks associated with outsourcing that procurement managers or top management need to consider carefully (Procurement News December,17th,23rd 2003) and these may be; The possibility of over depending on or leveraged by suppliers which make switching costs to other suppliers in future prohibitively expensive. Over a long time, a supplier of outsourced service may become complacent or change ownership and also a risk of a fall in employ morale for fear of being made redundant, confidentiality links of company matters and in some instances loss of intellectual property rights. Eyaa, 2006, says that, high prices being imposed on suppliers due to increasing trends in outsourcing, the demand for suppliers is so high and has pushed the rates being charged by the suppliers to be high. This later increases the costs yet outsourcing is all about helping firms cut costs. Too much expectancy from suppliers as Company employees tend to expect too much from supplier firms as far as service provision is concerned because they are specialists yet things can go wrong once in awhile. Such issues should not be ignored. Manzi, 2005, according to him, there is a possibility that vital company information may be at a risk of being linked to the company’s competitors which is dangerous since some suppliers may be spies to the company. Conclusion. Organisations always want to let specialists in a particular area accomplish a certain task for them. This implies that business can benefit from the practice of outsourcing. 10 Outsourcing is growing at an exponential rate and could deliver desired benefits if proper choices are made at the inception of the arrangement. When companies choose to outsource, they should give themselves room to monitor performance, renegotiation, or terminate the arrangement with the service providers. The outsourcing client must also ensure that their employees are informed about the progress of discussions regarding outsourcing their department and properly treated when the arrangements come into effect. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction This chapter provides an over view of the methods used to collect and process data. It gives the research design the sample selection methods, size, and data processing. 3.1 Research Design The study uses both qualitative and descriptive study designs. Both methods are used to help carry out self report data collection from the interested sample and allowing a thorough and easy analysis of the respondents’ opinion. Both survey designs adequately lead to collection of reliable information by description of the impact of outsourcing on organisational performance in the study area. 3.2 Data Collection Methods Data is collected from interviews conducted in Century Bottling Company as well as responses from the questionnaires. Some of it is from secondary sources such as magazines, text books, internet and Newspapers and this is quoted where necessary and used to draw deductions as per the study. 3.3 Data processing and analysis The information is assessed, edited to eliminate the errors, the data is then coded and grouped according to the study to ease analysis, it is then analysed using SPSS. The findings are interpreted in light of the research objective and reviewed in order to attach meaning to the Data collected. 3.4 Limitations of the study i. Financial constraints Relatively a lot of money is required in this study. This involves photocopying of articles, making phone calls, word processing, binding, transport. These increase the cost of the study. ii. Language barrier Questionnaires written in English are only limited to respondents who only know English. This is quite a problem while extracting information from the illiterate respondents. iii. Lack of adequate cooperation Some respondents are busy and others suspicious of the study thereby not willing to fully cooperate. Officials in the procurement department are busy attending to their normal schedules and meetings and had no time to answer some of the questions. This affected the quality and quantity of data collection. iv. There is a threat of time limit and deadlines that need attention considering the fact that the study is carried out alongside other activities like course works, lectures and tests as well. CHAPTER FOUR PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS 4.0 Introduction. This chapter presents findings from literature review, primary data from the interview and questionnaires filled by Century Bottling Company staff. The study is guided by the objective of assessing the impact of outsourcing on organisational performance. 4.1 Relevance of outsourcing. To Century Bottling Company, outsourcing is relevant in different ways, say, it easies the working process, it is cost saving and provides more time to the employees to concentrate on the core activities. This helps the company to keep in business with competitors in the industry as lack of concentration may have a very big impact on the company’s performance and customers may be taken. Century Bottling Company outsources its non core activities leaving the core activities to their staff. In Century Bottling Company, all core activities such as the, production of all their products, the cooler department, the ware house, managerial staff recruitment, among others have not been outsourced for reasons like protecting the quality of the company’s product, protect company secrets and records. However, non core activities have been outsourced to outside providers who have more expertise and these include the following; Medical services to staff are provided by International Medical Centre which renders medical services to the staff whenever they need it. Cleaning services in all departments of the company is done by A&A cleaning services Motor vehicle repair and servicing is done by City Tyres Company Limited to the company cars. Security services are provided by Saraceen security services limited. Part of the transport of the company’s products is done by individuals with trucks that are in conditions good enough to deliver company products to the various destinations. Catering services are  provided by Sunset Hotel where staff is able to get their meals in time and get back to their duties in time. The other findings indicate that outsourcing is a manifestation of hurdles that are associated with the functionality of internal departments. This is because some senior organisation executives have a feeling that there is no return on expenditure, in sourcing does not meet the needs of the business and forecasted games in productivity that are used to justify that never materializes. As a result of this perception, top executives find outsourcing more relevant as a means of cost saving and focusing on their core business activities. 4.2 Nature of organisational performance Century Bottling Company considers outsourcing of non core activities as the best option. It looks at identifying potential providers, establishing both short term and long term relationship with the service providers without compromising the objectives of the organisation as a way of having good organisational performance through outsourcing. 15 This is because the services that have been outsourced are also important to the organisation as well as its performance in the long run. 4.3 Whether outsourcing improves organisational performance It is seen that the impact of outsourcing on the performance of an organization depends on which stake holder is making the analysis. In Century Bottling Company, many of the non core activities are outsourced in order to give the organisation ample time to concentrate on core activities such as production and the cooler department. Looking at the way activities were done before outsourcing, for instance, in the transport department, it was at times hard to deliver company products to the customers in time more especially the ones in the remote areas, but with the idea of outsourcing part of transportation to capable individuals, such customers have been catered for as they are now able to get what they need in time. This promotes customer loyalty and creates a good company image leading to competitive advantage. This indicates an improvement in organisational performance through the transport department. Source: primary data. Table 1 above indicates that, majority of the people are degree holders. This implies that the company is in position of making good decisions about outsourcing. 4.4 Conclusion Century Bottling Company carries out outsourcing to gain access to special expertise, to speed up delivery of services, reduce costs, focus on core activities and improve technology among others. Since the inception of the concept of outsourcing, organisations find outsourcing as the preferred method of procuring non core services and enjoy benefits of outsourcing by concentrating on core activities thus improved management performance CHAPTER FIVE SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 5.0 Introduction. This chapter looks at the summary of the findings, conclusions and recommendations drawn from the study. 5.1 Summary Basing on the case study of Century Bottling Company and other literature by various authors, it is believed that organisations outsource services that are noncore to the organisation. It is established that outsourcing has a long term as well as short term bearing on the organisation. The study establishes why organizations outsource many of their non core activities. This is seen by analyzing and discussing the literature review and the interview conducted in Century Bottling Company 5.2 Conclusions Basing on the study above, it is clear that outsourcing positively increases on the performance of organisations, that is to say, it reduces on costs, increase access to new technology, new expertise, core competence concentration, speed up delivery and increase revenue / profits. Therefore, the rate of organisational performance as a result of outsourcing is high in both short and long- term and many business executives are committed to attach their success to the outsourcing process. In the previous chapter, we find that to a greater extent, outsourcing is very relevant Century Bottling Company, however, it is not in order to judge outsourcing as trouble free since it is associated with some calamitous results and firms need time to apply clear outsourcing methodolo gies in order to realize its full usefulness. 5.3 Recommendations Organisations should outsource their noncore business to outside providers that can bring great competitiveness. This is because outsourcing gives company staff more time to concentrate on core competences to produce better quality products and outcompete their competitors in the market hence a competitive advantage. Organisations should establish a partnership with the service providers to establish tools to measure the performance where organisational requirements should be matched with the implementation process through identifying new skills, abilities and knowledge for each project, thus, encourage organisations to obtain front-edge outsourcing. The choices are many for service outsourcing as well as their providers, therefore, this puts organisation on attention to strategically assess their partners. Organisations should not only consider cost reduction and base on low prices and big players to fill their requirements, but should also emphasize the type of relationship and the trend of behaviour between the outsourcing organization and the service providers. Organisations should come up with clear acknowledgement on whether the provider will be able to respond reasonably to the expectations and frequent changes in business and technology requirements to ensure continuity in service provision. For organisations to measure outsourcing effectiveness as regards performance, they should put in place a standard format of measuring performance such as performance evaluation, performance ratios and performance appraisal such that the success from outsourcing g management point of view is the same as what clients deem to be success. 5.4 Areas for further research Opportunities for further research still exist in this area. The study examines outsourcing and its impact on the performance of