Restaurants with great discounts for students

Restaurants with great discounts for students The great thing about being a student is an opportunity to receive discounts on many products. You have an opportunity to claim special offers on tickets, clothes, entertainment, and of course food. Today, we will focus on twenty restaurants that offer delicious meals and the same tasty discounts for students with valid ID cards. Ask Italian This restaurant gives a staggering 40% off the bill on Monday and Tuesday. If you visit it on Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday, 25% discount will be offered. Bill’s Visit Bill’s with three of your friends on any day of the week, excluding Friday and Saturday, and knock 20% of your bill. The offer is not valid for the set menu. Deliveroo If you decide to visit Deliveroo for the first time, you can receive  £4 discount if your order is over  £15. They provide tasty launches, so it is worth visiting it during your break between classes. Byron Burgers Download UniDAYS app and head to Byron Burgers to try one of its delicious burgers that come with chicken or beef. Students get a 20% discount there. McDonald’s Order Wrap Meal or Extra Value after 10.30 am and receive one of its famous cheeseburgers, mayo chicken or ice-cream for free. Pizza Express Are you fed up with fast food? Visit Pizza Express for a slice of delicious Italian pizza. Do not forget your NUS card to receive from 25% to 40% discounts on food and drinks there. Offers depend on the day of the week. Pizza Hut This popular chain offers 20% off the menu price for students. The discount is available on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in certain places. Check its website for more details. Bella Italia If you are a fan of Italian cuisine, but the pizza is already too boring for you, do not pass by Bella Italia. Students with UniDAYS app receive 50% off the bill. The offer is available for all pasta and some pizzas. Ed’s Diner Ed’s Diner has lucrative offers for students with UNiDAYS card. They can order 2 for 1 breakfasts and main meals for up to eight people at a time. La Tasca Do you want to spend an enjoyable evening in a company of friends and tasty Spanish tapas? Do not hesitate to visit La Tasca. This place offers 25% off the bill for the company of up to eight people. YO! Sushi This list would not be complete without a sushi bar! Just join YO! Love Club and receive a 25% discount. Print out the voucher on its website to claim that offer. A voucher is valid for one person only. The Real Greek If you are winning to try new national cuisine, visit The Real Greek. Students with valid ID card can knock 25% off the bill there. Prezzo This restaurant has a mouthwatering dessert, and you can try them with a 25% discount. This offer is available from Sunday to Thursday for up to four people per card. Giraffe World Kitchen This restaurant offers students 30% off the bill for up to 8 people. This discount cannot be combined with other promotions and set menu. Wasabi Make an order in-store and receive a 10% discount. The offer is not valid at MS retail stores.

Battle of Cape St. Vincent - Horatio Nelson Battle of Cape St. Vincent

Battle of Cape St. Vincent - Horatio Nelson Battle of Cape St. Vincent Battle of Cape St. Vincent - Conflict Date: The Battle of Cape St. Vincent was fought during the Wars of the French Revolution (1792-1802). Jervis won his victory on February 14, 1797. Battle of Cape St. Vincent - Fleets Admirals: British Admiral Sir John JervisCommodore Horatio Nelson15 ships of the line Spanish Don Josà © de Cordà ³ba27 ships of the line Battle of Cape St. Vincent - Background: In late 1796, the military situation ashore in Italy led to the Royal Navy being compelled to abandon the Mediterranean. Shifting his principal base to the Tagus River, the commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, Admiral Sir John Jervis instructed Commodore Horatio Nelson to oversee the final aspects of the evacuation. With the British withdrawing, Admiral Don Josà © de Cà ³rdoba elected to move his fleet of 27 ships of the line from Cartagena through the Straits of Gibraltar to Cadiz in preparation for joining with the French at Brest. As Cà ³rdobas ships got underway, Jervis was departing the Tagus with 10 ships of the line to take up a position off Cape St. Vincent. Having left Cartagena on February 1, 1797, Cà ³rdoba encountered a strong easterly wind, known as a Levanter, as his ships cleared the straits. As a result, his fleet was blown out into the Atlantic and forced to work their way back towards Cadiz. Six days later, Jervis was reinforced by Rear Admiral William Parker who brought five ships of the line from the Channel Fleet. His work in the Mediterranean completed, Nelson sailed aboard the frigate HMS Minerve to rejoin Jervis. Battle of Cape St. Vincent - The Spanish Found: On the night of February 11, Minerve encountered the Spanish fleet and successfully passed through it without being detected. Reaching Jervis, Nelson came aboard the flagship, HMS Victory (102 guns) and reported Cà ³rdobas position. While Nelson returned to HMS Captain (74), Jervis made preparations to intercept the Spanish. Through the fog on the night of February 13/14, the British began to hear the signal guns of the Spanish ships. Turning towards the noise, Jervis ordered his ships to prepare for action around dawn and stated, A victory to England is very essential at this moment. Battle of Cape St. Vincent - Jervis Attacks: As the fog began to lift, it became clear that the British were outnumbered nearly two-to-one. Unfazed by the odds, Jervis instructed his fleet to form a line of battle. As the British approached, the Spanish fleet was divided into two groups. The larger, consisting of 18 ships of the line, was to the west, while the smaller, made up of 9 ships of the line stood to the east. Seeking to maximize the firepower of his ships, Jervis intended to pass between the two Spanish formations. Led by Captain Thomas Troubridges HMS Culloden (74) Jervis line began to pass the western Spanish group. Though he had numbers, Cà ³rdoba directed his fleet to turn north to pass alongside the British and escape towards Cadiz. Seeing this, Jervis ordered Troubridge to tack to the north to pursue the larger body of Spanish ships. As the British fleet began to turn, several of its ships engaged the smaller Spanish squadron to the east. Turning to the north, the Jervis line soon formed a U as it changed course. Third from the end of the line, Nelson realized that the present situation would not produce the decisive battle that Jervis wanted as the British would be forced to chase the Spanish. Battle of Cape St. Vincent - Nelson Takes the Initiative: Liberally interpreting Jervis earlier order of Take suitable stations for mutual support and engage the enemy as coming up in succession, Nelson told Captain Ralph Miller to pull Captain out of line and wear ship. Passing through HMS Diadem (64) and Excellent (74), Captain charged into the Spanish vanguard and engaged Santà ­sima Trinidad (130). Though severely out-gunned, Captain battled six Spanish ships, including three that mounted over 100 guns. This bold move slowed the Spanish formation and allowed Culloden and subsequent British ships to catch up and join the fray. Charging forward, Culloden entered the fight around 1:30 PM, while Captain Cuthbert Collingwood led Excellent into the battle. The arrival of additional British ships prevented the Spanish from banding together and drew fire away from Captain. Pushing forward, Collingwood pummeled Salvator del Mundo (112) before compelling San Ysidro (74) to surrender. Aided by Diadem and Victory, Excellent returned to Salvator del Mundo and forced that ship to strike its colors. Around 3:00, Excellent opened fire on San Nicols (84) causing the Spanish ship to collide with San Josà © (112). Nearly out of control, the badly damaged Captain opened fire on the two fouled Spanish vessels before hooking onto San Nicols. Leading his men forward, Nelson boarded San Nicols and captured the vessel. While accepting its surrender, his men were fired upon by San Josà ©. Rallying his forces, Nelson surged aboard San Josà © and compelled its crew to surrender. While Nelson was accomplishing this amazing feat, Santà ­sima Trinidad had been forced to strike by the other British ships. At this point, Pelayo (74) and San Pablo (74) came to the flagships assistance. Bearing down on Diadem and Excellent, Captain Cayetano Valdà ©s of Pelayo ordered Santà ­sima Trinidad to re-hoist its colors or be treated as an enemy vessel. Doing so, Santà ­sima Trinidad limped away as the two Spanish ships provided cover. By 4:00, the fighting effectively ended as the Spanish retreated east while Jervis ordered his ships to cover the prizes Battle of Cape St. Vincent - Aftermath: The Battle of Cape St. Vincent resulted in the British capture of four Spanish ships of the line (San Nicols, San Josà ©, San Ysidro, and Salvator del Mundo) including two first-rates. In the fighting, Spanish losses numbered around 250 killed and 550 wounded, while Jervis fleet suffered 73 killed and 327 wounded. In reward for this stunning victory, Jervis was elevated to the peerage as Earl St. Vincent, while Nelson was promoted to rear admiral and made a knight in the Order of Bath. His tactic of boarding one Spanish ship to attack another was widely admired and for several years was known as Nelsons patent bridge for boarding enemy vessels. The victory at Cape St. Vincent led to a containment of the Spanish fleet and ultimately allowed Jervis to send a squadron back to the Mediterranean the following year. Led by Nelson, this fleet achieved a decisive victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile. Selected Sources British Battles: Battle of Cape St. VincentNapoleon Guide: Battle of Cape St. VincentHMS: Battle of Cape St. Vincent

Proposal for primary research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

For primary - Research Proposal Example The study considers whether having a standardised international marketing strategy, relevant for all international cultures, is effective for multi-national companies. The study tests whether convergence or the antithesis, divergence, is the prevalent decision-making phenomenon when comparing different national cultures. In order to determine whether ethnocentrism still dictates consumption decisions, the study takes a quantitative approach to research, utilising a survey constructed with a Likert-type scale which measures the level of ethnocentrism in five countries: The United States, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and Hong Kong. Questions provided in the survey include, â€Å"It is always best to purchase American products† and â€Å"Americans should not buy foreign products because it hurts American business and causes unemployment† (Keillor and Hult 1999, p.71) assists in determining whether global convergence is a legitimate phenomenon. The article finds that ethnocentrism is still present in some nations whilst in other nations with unique cultures, divergence in cultural identity is still prevalent. The study found that the U.S., Mexico and Hong Kong maintain high ethnocentrism when making product decisions whilst in Japan and Sweden, there is divergence of ethnocentrism that is not aligned with other evaluated nations. The study is further important as it suggests implications for today’s multi-national company marketers that using standardised marketing strategies will not be effective and refutes the notion that global convergence is a legitimate fact. This indicates that marketers operating in foreign nations should develop marketing communications that are sometimes aligned with existing cultural norms and preferences. This article lends support for the notion of global convergence as a result of cross-cultural exposure in India. The research study is important as it illustrates that Indian cultural

How do managers measure organizational Effectiveness Term Paper

How do managers measure organizational Effectiveness - Term Paper Example There have been various attempts to explain organizational effectiveness; some believe it to be completely financial based, others explain it completely based on profits. The next section is a research that tries to explain what organizational effectiveness really is and what role managers play in this. Organizational effectiveness is one of the most essential and most elusive research subjects since the birth of organizational theory. There has been no one explanation for this. There is no ready literature on measures of organizational effectiveness; however there have been four key models that have been mentioned in the literature to measure organization performance. The models approaches are quite different in a few ways however they all aim at one common goal – organization effectiveness. To briefly touch upon these models, the first model focused on production which was considered as the companies output, leadership which highlighted the degree of influence and personal ability, inter - personal conflicts highlighted the possible misunderstanding between team members and team supervisors and lastly commitment which refers to the amount of attachment to the organization. The second model was mainly developed as a management tool. It focused on interrelated organizational processes. This approach used organizational survival and maximized returns as key to effectiveness. Also along with these variables it utilized a few other minor variables which were equally important to run the business smoothly and effectively. These variables were sensitivity to change, promotions, flexibility, adaptability, efficiency, transformations, etc. (Helms, 2008). The third model was a little different and believed that there were six indicators to organizational effectiveness. These indicators varied from internal communications, involvement of board of directors, volunteer involvements, political factors, management

Film Induced Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Film Induced Tourism - Essay Example In this report, the main focus will be on a case study, â€Å"Sea Change in Barwon Heads.† Barwon heads is a small suburb where a popular television series, â€Å"Sea Change† was filmed. The issues and controversies at Barwon Heads will be discussed associated with this television series, which induced tourism in that area. Moreover, an analysis of these issues on hospitality and tourism sector will be discussed along with its implication on society in the 21st century (Beeton, 2001). An overview: Issues and Controversies in Film Induced Tourism Most of the people who have an interest in films festival visit different countries to gain experience of their culture and values that are being depicted through these films. The main focus of film induced tourist festival is to be successful in promoting good quality films, which can convert large audiences, who come to see these movies, into tourists (Claudia-Elena & Puiu, 2011). There can be many issues that the tourist sect or may have while promoting their films like; Finding which films or television series that can promote tourist activities and gather large audiences (Claudia-Elena & Puiu, 2011). If the tourist activity will subside once the film has reached its popularity level. If tourists will be attracted towards a site where there are shooting locations. Managing tourism during screening to encourage more tourists (Claudia-Elena & Puiu, 2011). How a tourist sector and film industry can work together to promote tourism. Highlighting and understanding the significance of tourism and film industry on the economy of a country can resolve these issues. There is also a need to understand how tourism has its effect on filming and vice versa. By studying these areas, tourism can be marketed effectively. Case Study: How film induced tourism has an impact on attitudes of a community Mostly People are inclined towards entertainment and celebrities and their perceptions are linked with these figures of th e film industry. When the tourist sector hosts a film it has socio-cultural effects on the people, which can be seen in changing perceptions of visitors about the destination. These perceptions are changing due to interaction among the hosts and guests while understanding the differences in their culture (Busby & Klug, 2001). However, there are changes in the behavior of the hosts and guests, which can have an impact on the community. The case of Australian television Series; Sea Change provides an understanding on the issues of physical changes that took place at the Victorian coastal village of Barwon Heads where this film was shooting. Moreover, the impact of this television series on residents and tourism sector will be discussed (Coast, 2013). Australian Television Series: Sea Change When the television series â€Å"Sea Change† was screened, the show gained immense popularity (SeaChange, 2010), and there was increased visitation at Barwon Heads, where the series was bein g filmed (Beeton, 2001). There were many studies through surveys and interviews that were conducted that showed the effects of these visitations on local residents. These studies were drawn after the screening finished and showed the issues and attitudes of local people and visitors at Barwon Heads. The opinions, which were generated, presented the impacts of â€Å"

Financial System and Formal Credit Services in Vietnam

Financial System and Formal Credit Services in Vietnam An overview of the Vietnamese financial system Over a 4-year period from 1988 to 1992, the Vietnamese government have initiated a wide ranges of economic reforms in order to enhance the transition itself from a centrally-planned to a market-oriented economy. Along with the implementation of state enterprise reforms and external trade liberalization, the Vietnamese government have promoted a huge number of banking sector reforms, which has resulted into a diversification of the financial system. First, a Soviet-style mono banking system has switched to a two-tier banking system in 1988s with the four sector-specialised state-owned banks separated from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and playing a key role in the banking system. These four state-owned banks include the Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank), the Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank), Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (VBARD) and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV). The SBV acts as the central bank, providin g both on-site and off-site inspection and supervising the operations of both banks and non-bank financial institutions. The public banking sector is comprised of the five state-owned commercial banks which altogether dominates the market. Second, the Vietnamese government also encouraged and created various opportunities for the influx of new players into the financial sector. These newcomers consisted of foreign banks, non-bank financial institutions such as insurance companies, join-stock commercial banks, join-venture banks, even credit funds and cooperatives. In addition, this policy has led to a dramatic rise in the quantities of branches and representative offices of existing state-owned commercial banks at that period. Bank for Foreign Trade, for example, has totalled 32 municipal and provincial branches (World Bank 2002). The branch network of the banking sector totally covers nearly 10,000 wards and communes throughout the nation. The economic reform process has, additionally, brought about the marked transformation in agriculture production sector. The presence of private family farms and non-farm enterprises in rural sites has increased pressures on the government for the establishment of credit institutions. Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (VBARD) and Vietnam Bank for Social Policy (VBSP) has then become the dominant financial service providers to the low-income population, and used the extensive network of political mass organizations to mobilize, appraise, and monitor clients (BWTP 2008). Like many other developing countries, Vietnamese credit markets is the coexistence of formal and informal credit markets. In general, rural financial system in Vietnam can be grouped into three main categories: formal sector, semi-formal sector and informal sector (Marsh et al. 2004; Lan and An 2005). The formal sector includes Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (VBARD), Vietnam Bank for Social Policy (VBSP) and People Credit Funds (PCFs) (World Bank, 2002). Semi-formal credit is provided by the National and International programs targeting at a selective range of borrowers and conforming to certain development targets (Pham and Lensink, 2007), and by Microfinance Programs of Mass Organizsations as well as by Savings and Credit Schemes supported by NGO and donors. The informal sector consists of private moneylenders, revolving credit associations (RCA), relatives, friends and other individuals. The informal sector has been the traditional provider of credit in rural a reas, as the result of an underdeveloped formal credit market (Marsh et al. 2004). In programs towards poor and vulnerable households, the Vietnamese Government included credit provision through microfinance institutions (MFIs) in their anti-poverty programs for the rural areas (Commins et al., 2001). These are programs focusing on female clientele who often join in groups, providing small loans for them to invest in income-generating activities (Armendariz and Morduch, 2005). The expected outcome is that rural female entrepreneurs can cope better with emergencies such as unfavorable natural events or be protected from further impoverishment during economic stress (Rutherford, 2002). The formal sector has been the key credit provider in the Vietnamese rural credit market, in which VBARD and VBSP are both the dominant. VBARD has the largest percentage of outstanding loans in the year 2010, accounting for 63%, followed by VBSP at 30%. The third position belongs to PCFs, at 6%. In contrast, microfinance institutions occupies merely 1% of outstanding loans. Figure: Percentage of outstanding loans of main sourcesto household borrowers Source: (PCFs 2010; VBARD 2010; VBSP 2010; Mix Market 2012) Source: Microfinance Resource Centre (2001) Regulations regarding banks With the aim of improving the provision of credit for individuals, households and firms in need and enhancing the effectiveness as well as the soundness of credit providing institutions, the Vietnamese government has promulgated a wide range of regulations on banking operations. These laws set numerous regulations for credit products offered, as well as for activities of credit institutions, ranging from capital norms, restrictions on asset/liability management and limits on credit institutions’ investment in real estate. In 2010, the government has issued the Decree No.41/2010/ND-CP on a wide range of credit policies aimed at agricultural and rural development. First, credit institutions should, under the decree, be encouraged to provide their credit services for rural areas with appropriate interest rates, in accordance with commercial lending mechanism. Second, lending procedures should be simplified, facilitating rural borrowers to get access to loans. Moreover, assistance policies for rural borrowers should also be built up so as to curb expected risks, say, natural disasters, earthquakes or epidemics. Third, the decree will operate as a legal framework for the political system and the whole society in the enhancement of the lending provision for the agricultural and rural development. Interest rate policy Interest rate policy is among crucial policies for the reform of banking sector regulated by The Law on Banks and Credit Institutions. Since 2000, the government has gradually liberalised interest rates. And it is the liberalization of the interest rate that gives financial institutions a little more freedom in determining the rates on lending and saving (WB, 2002). The replacement of the base interest rate mechanism plus margins for the ceiling mechanism regarding the domestic currency-based lending has then been applied for all formal financial institutions. Both base lending rate and margin, under this mechanism, acts as limits for the lending rate requirements of the banks. This new mechanism provides adequate flexibility to credit institutions and should help to enhance firms’ access to credit (IMF, 2002a). Furthermore, the Vietnamese government has also undertaken the regulation for the difference between lending rates and saving rates. According to this regulation, this spread cannot exceed 0.3% and 0.5% per month for short-term loans and medium-term and long-term loans respectively, which has in turn discouraged rural financial institutions from extending small loans to the rural poor and low-income households, given the high transaction costs for small loans (Dao, 2002). Lending technology In Vietnam, there are two prevailing lending methods namely individual lending and group lending. As shown in the table below, group lending has become more popular than individual lending, with the proportions for the year 1995, 1998 and 2001 standing at 98.1%, 92.1% and 87.6% respectively. Meanwhile, the percentages for individual lending method was much lower between 1995 and 2001. While individual lending technology typically focuses on the role of monitoring each individual borrower, the mechanism for group lending technology relies on the enforcement of joint liability of joining members. Generally, lending technologies can be distinguished based on different dimensions such as the primary source of information, screening and underwriting policies/procedures, structure of the loan contracts, and monitoring strategies and mechanisms (Berger and Udell 2006, hereafter BU06). Source: McCarty (2001) Collateral Under Decree No.41/2010/ND-CP, the mechanism of collateral for loans has been regulated as follows: First, credit institutions may take the provision of loans to customers with or without security assets into consideration under current regulations. Second, collateral-without lending conditions, procedures, and loan amounts must be in compliance with current provisions of law on credit institutions’ provision of loans to borrowers. For individuals and households engaged in agriculture, forestry, fishery or salt production, the amount of loan can total up to 50 million VND, whereas the figure for households operating business or production activities or providing services for agriculture and rural areas is up to 200 million VND. And up to 500 million VND for cooperatives and farm owners. Third, credit institutions consider providing trust-reliant loans for individuals and households on the basis of guarantee by sociopolitical organizations in rural areas under current regulatio ns. Sociopolitical organizations have responsibility of coordinating and performing all or some of the credit operation stages after reaching agreement with the lending credit institutions. In reality, collateral is regarded as one of mandatory requirements for loans by formal credit institutions. Credit institutions often ask for collateral from borrowers in order to ensure the probability of loan repayment, as well as reduce the asymmetric information between borrower and formal lender. The asymmetric information occurs since most of the banks stay far away from potential rural borrowers, and they find it difficult to acquire previous credit history information as well as current production/business information about those borrowers. In such a case, collateral requirements are given so as to mitigate these problems. Collateral is usually in the form of immovable assets such as land use certificates, buildings, fixed assets, bank accounts, and other valuable assets, in which land use certificates and real estate are the most preferred collateral by banks. In rural areas, there has been a small number of households that have met the collateral requirements imposed by fo rmal financial institutions, whereas a markedly bigger number of rural borrowers have faced the lack of of collateral for their loans. This has, in turn, confined rural borrowers from having access to loans from formal credit institutions. In such cases, these rural borrowers have to search for other credit providers that do not require collateral, say, private moneylenders, friends, or neighbours which all belong to the informal sector. Therefore, giving households the possibility to obtain land-use rights and use them as proof of collateral can give rise to the asymmetric information alleviation between borrower and formal credit lender, thus fostering credit transactions in rural credit markets accordingly. The formal sector Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (VBARD) Established in 1998 along with the the intense reform of the financial system and the reintroduction of commercial banks in Vietnam, the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (VBARD) has been regarded as a state policy bank and received subsidy from the Vietnamese government. VBARD has also been known as a legal entity with the sharp focus on the agriculture sector and rural areas. By the end of 2001, VBARD has become among leading commercial banks in Vietnam, having the most extensive branch network in Vietnamese rural areas. The bank then had an operating network of more than 2,300 branches and transaction offices nationwide at the end of 2010. There are the three following credit methodologies that VBARD has utilized for its lending operations. The first methodology is the the provision of individual loans for rural borrowers and enterprises. The mandatory requirement for this loan type is a proof of collateral, in which a land use certificate the so called â€Å"Red Book† for agricultural land or â€Å"Green Book† for forest land is the most widely used. Second, VBARD has also applied group lending mechanism in order to increase its coverage of rural households, as well as to reduce transaction costs associated with small loan collection. According to this method, each member of lending group bears equally the joint responsibility of loan repayment before a new round of loans is initiated. The eventual methodology involves the existence of guarantee groups formed by members of mass organizations, say, Vietnamese Women’s Union, Farmer’s Union or Youth’s Union in lending process. These m ass organizations play an important role in guaranteeing the loan repayment, and loans offered by VBARD are then channed through these groups to the target borrowers who are mainly unable to provide a proof of collateral. VBARD specializes in lending to rural households and small-scale enterprises involved in agriculture or off-farm enterprises, but the bank has recently expanded its urban branch network to capture the market of urban small enterprises (BWTP 2008). The outstanding loans granted by VBARD to the economy totalled up to 414,755 billion VND in the year 2010. While the percentage of loans for households accounted for 51%, the figure for non state-owned company was 43%. The proportions of loans supplied to state-owned company and to small cooperative enterprises were considerably lower, at 5% and 1% respectively. Figure. Outstanding loans of VBARD by sector Source: VBARD (2010) The flow chart 1 indicates the credit procedures adopted by VBARD. It is clear that there are thirteen distinct stages in the process of loan provision, beginning with the collection of loan application forms by bank officials and ending with the delivery of appropriate loans to the borrower. Chart 1: Lending procedures by VBARD in Vietnam Notes: 1. Bank officials receive loan application forms from the applicant; 2. After receiving loan application forms, bank officials report to the head of the credit department; 3. The head of the credit department assigns a bank official to examine the loan application forms to see if it is filled in properly; 4. The assigned bank official appraises the applicant, mainly based on collateral; 5. The assigned bank official informs the head of the credit department about the applicant; 6. The head of the credit department assesses the information and reports it to the director of the bank; 7. Director of the bank decides on the loan and informs the head of the credit department; 8. The head of credit department informs the assigned bank official about the decision; 9. The assigned bank officer informs the applicant; 10, 11, 12. Internal information among the bank’s specialized departments; 13. The treasury department disburses loans to the applicant, if accepted. Source: Adapted from Ninh (2003) Vietnam Bank for Social Policy (VBSP) The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies was established under Premier’s Decision No. 131/2002 QD-TTg dated October 4th, 2002 and the Government’s Decree No. 78/ND-CP dated October 4th, 2002 on the provision of credit for the poor and other policy beneficiaries. VBSP was set up on the basis of the reorganization of the Bank for the Poor and separated from VBARD with the aim of detaching the lending policy mechanism from the commercial lending mechanism. Since then, VBSP has developed its own network of 610 branches in 63 provinces/cities throughout the country and has extended loans to 46% of the poor in rural and mountainous areas (GSO Report on the results of VHLSS 2006). VBSP’s operations are under the supervision of the State Bank of Vietnam, whose the primary objective is to provide non-collateralized preferential loans of different rates and maturities to poor individuals, households, and organizations eligible for social benefits and policies. VBSP is conducting the method of entrusted lending via the four mass organizations, namely Women Union of Vietnam, Farmer Union of Vietnam, War Veteran Union of Vietnam and Youth Union of Vietnam. These four organizations take charge of some lending steps of VBSP such as establishing savings and credit groups; organizing certifying poor households, supervising borrowers in using loans properly etc, whereas VBSP has responsibility for conducting loan disbursement, loan collection and safe treasury management. The credit programs provided by VBSP has become increasingly diversified and appropriate with different borrowers. First, for the purpose of the implementation of the National Target Program on Hunger Eradication and Poverty Elimination initiated in 1988s, VBSP has established credit programs particularly targeting at poor households living in rural areas. The second customer group of VBSP is university/college students whose families are ranked as poor households at the commune level or village level. The objective of this lending is to support financially for those students in order that they have opportunities to fulfill their study. The third credit program of VBSP is for households living in disadvantaged and remote areas where there is very poor infrastructure or challenging climate conditions. The fourth credit program involves an implementation of the national strategy on clean water supply and environmental sanitation in rural areas for living conditions improvement, and the target customers are still poor households in rural places. Fifth, VBSP also builds up credit programs for job creation aimed at poor households and small business enterprises. Apart from credit programs listed above, there are still other various programs supporting for poor households in rural areas. The table below gives a comparison in terms of the percentages of outstanding loans allocated by VBSP for numerous credit programs between 2004 and 2010. It is evident that credit programs for production and business of poor households made up the largest percentage in both years, with 82% in 2004 and 40% in 2010. The second largest in 2010, which occupied 29% of the total outstanding loans, was credit programs for education. In contrast, that for migrant workers to go abroad accounted for only 1%. Table: The proportions of outstanding loans by credit programs. Source: (VBSP 2004; VBSP 2010) In regard to the loan interest rate, in 2013, the annual lending interest rate of the market was 10.8%, while the figure for VBSP was merely 6.0%. That means VBSP subsidized 4.8% of the lending interest rate for the poor (World Bank 2004). Since the decision No. 579/QÄ -TTg dated May 6, 2009 on the support of the lending interest rate for VBSP’s loans was issued, the annual interest rate on loans for agricultural production and off-farm jobs reduced by 5%, from 7.8% to 3.8%, while that of the market was standing at 10.5% on average. By late 2010, VBSP’s total outstanding loans mounted to 89,461 billion VND, 14 times higher compared to that in 2001. People’s Credit Funds (PCFs) People’s Credit Funds were established in 1993 after the collapse of rural credit cooperatives. According to Hung (1998), PCFs were constructed on the model of the Caisse Populaire system in Quebec, Canada, with the technical support from the Development International Desjardins (DID). PCFs were funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and supervised by the State Bank of Vietnam.

It’s Time to Ban the Use of Landmines :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

It’s Time to Ban the Use of Landmines      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   El Salvador, 6 April 1992--Three siblings died near the Guazapa volcano last weekend when they stepped on a mine planted during the period of civil warfare. Ironically, their parents had returned to the area only a few days earlier. The children were four, six and eight years old. Parts from the three children's bodies were found as far as 30 metres from the explosion site. (qtd. in Grant 25)    Antipersonnel landmines kill thousands of people every year. Antipersonnel landmines do not recognize a cease-fire; they continue killing or maiming for many years after the conflict is over. Antipersonnel landmines do not discriminate between soldiers or civilians. On the contrary, more and more they are being used in an indiscriminate way, terrorizing civilians and transforming agricultural fields into killing fields. In addition, de-mining is a very slow and very expensive process, and after a war most countries are not prepared to cope with the constant health care demands imposed by the number of injured by landmines. Finally, landmines make it very difficult for refugees to go back to their cities and villages. As response to the landmine problem, the international community has come up with a treaty to ban landmines. On March 1, 1999, the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty came into effect; so far 134 countries have signed the treaty. Unfortunately, the U. S. is not one of them.    The Encarta Encyclopedia defines a landmine as "an encased explosive device that is concealed below the surface of the ground." It can be made of "metal, plastic, glass, or wood" (n. p.). Probably the concept of landmines is almost as old as the existence of organized armies. Philip C. Winslow, in his book Sowing the Dragon's Teeth, describes how Roman soldiers, before the beginning of the first millennium, used a plant with spikes as a landmine in order "to delay pursuers" (126). The Chinese, according to Delbruck, used "ground mines" made out of explosives in the year 1232 (qtd. in Winslow 126). Six hundred years later, in 1840, the use of landmines was introduced in the United States; they were used "in large quantities" during the Civil War (Winslow 126, 127).