Social Policy Essay: What is Social Policy?

Social Policy Essay: What is Social Policy? What is social policy? Social Policy Social Policy refers to the development of welfare, social administration and policies of the government used for social protection. Social policy is related to the governmental approach of development of social services towards formation of a welfare state (Alcock, 2003). British welfare state is associated with poor laws established to cater to the needs of the poor. Social policy is not just a mere academic subject but relates to social and economic conditions of a country, how to promote these conditions for the development of a welfare state. Social policy, administration and social work are all aimed at the administration of welfare and the main areas of concern include tackling of social problems, administration of health, education and employment services, community care, crime and disability. Social policy is also related to issues of race, poverty, gender and the relevant collective responsibility of society and community (Coffey, 2004). Social policy is heavily dependent o n related disciplines of social work, psychology, law, economics, sociology, politics, economics, philosophy and public health. According to Burch et al (1991), Policies are courses of action, whether intended or unintended, that are deliberately adopted or can be shown to follow regular patterns over time., and Social policies have to do with human beings living together as a group in a situation requiring that they have dealings with each other. (1991, p.2) Burch et al further claim that Social Policy is associated with de jure, de facto and default claims, which means that Social policy is rooted in legal framework and tends to follow a particular form of practice. Yet, social policies are also subject to failures and an absence of implementation. Explaining Social Policy Emphasizing on the need for proper implementation of policies, Krysik et al (1998) suggest that social policy is about decision making and choosing among many alternative courses of action. Giving a complete administrative and procedural description to social policy, they claim that implementation strategies towards particular goals should deal with: issues of financing and reimbursement, e.g., sources of revenue and formulas for sharing costs; whether to use market mechanisms or public provision, or some combination of both; appropriateness of administrative mechanisms for a particular policy; and level(s) of government involvement and appropriateness of roles. (Krysik et al 1998, p.3) Krysik et al bring out an important aspect of social policy suggesting that social policy and the concept of individual well being is mainly a consequent process of the Social Security Act 1935 that identified the following needs: economic security; employment (the Federal Employment Act of 1946 expressed the goal of full employment for everyone able to work); housing [the Housing Act of 1949 (P.L. 81-171) stated that all Americans have the right to decent housing, in decent surroundings of their choosing]; health (the Comprehensive Health Planning Act of 1967 stated that Americans have the right to the highest quality of health care services available); education for handicapped children (P.L. 94-142 of 1975 insured the provision of a free, appropriate public education for all). (Krysik et al, 1998, p.5) Social policy addresses two main aspects of welfare and administration. Welfare economics is understood in terms of utility or peoples well being and refers to the range of services that can protect people against sicknesses, old age and the associated term welfare state, is used synonymously with social protection referred to within the European union. Welfare is thus a broad term and a description of welfare state would aim to achieve not just a realization of peoples needs but a general physical and psychological well-being as well. Social policy towards a welfare state approach is guided by several humanitarian, democratic, religious and practical concerns. Humanitarian concerns are related to eradication of poverty and practical necessities deal with economic and social provisions and benefits (Hill, 2000). Religious aspects emphasize on the charitable duties towards the community at large and democratic concerns highlight social protection as a fundamental democratic right of every individual. In this sense social policy has political and sociological aspects concerned not just with well being but tends to highlight proper living as a fundamental right of an individual. Principles and values applied to social policy can refer to needs, interests or wants of people with conditions such as poverty being identified as projecting lack of well-being. Social well being is generally considered in the interests of families, communities and individuals as people depend on social interaction, education and cooperative work to achieve social targets and rely on social interdependence for personal well-being. Social policy and administration is closely associated with individual perception of society, social values and social interaction as a means to fulfill specific social responsibility aimed at common good. When considering the ideal conditions of a welfare state or the factors of a lack of well being, several aspects on poverty, necessity, unemployment, old age, mental illness, disability and social exclusion are brought into focus. These refer to problems or obstacles in attaining the condition of welfare or a state of well being for all. Poverty can mean a deprivation of basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter, education but along with economic deprivation can also mean social exclusion, poor material conditions of living and is defined by normative or felt needs. However, poverty has its own stigma and can carry implications of inequality as poor people are the ones considered socially inadequate, who adapt themselves to a culture of poverty and poor due to the inequalities in social structure. Unemployment and social exclusion are other negative factors that tend to retard social policy towards welfare aims. Unemployment can be due to inadequacy in appropriate skills, or due to physical limitations such as old age and disability. Illness and old age are associated as health of old people are below average and most elderly individuals also suffer from some disability. All this is added to problems of isolation and mental dissatisfaction or some sort of psychological crisis in old age. According to the World Health Organization disability is however either an impairment as in problems in bodily structure or functions, a disability or inability to perform certain activities or a handicap which relate to problems with social participation (WHO, 2005). Disability of any form of permanent illness can have social, physical or psychological implications and forms a significant aspect of welfare considerations. Although social policy is focused on the more politically active and conscious younger generation and tends to attend to social needs of employment and rights and justice issues that concern young people. Social policy is thus an all-inclusive diverse di scipline with varied academic and socio-political aspects with active concerns on public health and welfare. Daly (2003) emphasizes on the importance of governance as a frame of analysis in social policy and investigates the usage and utility of governance as a discipline to study aspects of social policy. Using governance and political decisions as tools for development of social policy in the UK, Daly considers the public sphere, policy implementation, societal incorporation and policy making through governance examining the various strengths and weaknesses of governance including it focus on power and different levels of action and analysis. Daly approaches an important question as to whether a strong focus on state and governance leads to residualization of social policy and society. Taylor (1998) takes on a different approach and emphasizes the importance of social identity in social policy research. Taylors attempt was to go beyond for or against postmodernism arguments and argues that identity and difference from a social perspective and an analysis of social relations should also be considered alongside structural inequalities within the theoretical considerations of social policy. Taylor suggests that there are problems in the understanding of the concept of social policy which according to him is clearly misunderstood and delineates the necessity of a provisional theory that can distinguish between ontological and categorical identity in social policy. This he suggests would help to improve an understanding of the role of soils policy in the process of social identity formation. Franklin (2003) analyses the concept of social capital as an important instrument to political change. Franklin writes that the idea o social capital reconfigures the dynamics between social justice and economic efficiency and makes social relationships a key factor in explaining levels of inequality, economic prosperity and political participation (Franklin 2003, p.349). The concept of social capital as the focus of social policy shifts the focus of responsibility from government to individual, from economy to society informing policies that highlight social behavior reducing costs to government providing in turn economic solutions to social problems. The human as agency has also been taken up in social policy research extensively and Deacon and Mann (1999) focus on individual behavior in sociology and social policy research. The focus of the article is on the individual and the increasing moral and ethical dilemmas faced by an individual in a contemporary society, an aspect that has broad implications of social policy that is concerned with a general well being of every individual and a sense of well being is an important part of moral and ethical values. The authors suggest that moralists such as Field and Mead share the need for restructuring welfare to encourage responsible moral behavior. However sociologists Beck and Bauman believe that such a forced method might prove not only futile but even dangerous. Individualistic approaches and theories face considerable resistance from quarters that fear any support for atavistic individualism. However, the authors realize the need for a revival of theories based on the individual hu man agency that can create opportunities within social science and make it more sensitive to the activities of poor people and to the necessities and differences of a contemporary diverse British society. Conclusion: In this essay we analyzed the definitions of social policy and highlighted the all-encompassing nature of social policy and practice and how this is related to the concept of British welfare state. In this context we also analyzed the concept of welfare as government action to promote well-being considering the necessities of unemployed young people as also disabled or ill elderly persons. The needs of the poor and socially excluded are also considered in drawing up polices based on national health system and social security concerns. In our analysis of recent research papers, we discussed individual behavior, social identity, moral and ethical responsibility, and political issues in governance as important aspects of social policy research. Bibliography PC Alcock. 2003. The Subject of Social Policy (In The Students Companion to Social Policy, second edition, PC Alcock, A Erskine, M May (Joint Editors), Oxford, Blackwell, ISBN: 1405102918). Publication: 14532. Pete Alcock   Social Policy in Britain: Themes and Issues. Macmillan Press. 2003 Hobart A. Burch, Donna G. Michaels; The Whys of Social Policy: Perspective on Policy Preferences Praeger Publishers, 1991 Coffey, Amanda,  1967- Reconceptualizing social policy :  sociological perspectives on contemporary social policy /  Amanda Coffey. Maidenhead :  Open University Press,  2004. MARY DALY Governance and Social Policy Journal of Social Policy, Volume 32, Issue 01. January 2003. pp113-128 ALAN DEACON, KIRK MANN Agency, Modernity and Social Policy Journal of Social Policy, Volume 28, Issue 03. June 1999. pp413-435 Strengthening social policy :  lessons on forging government-civil society policy partnerships /  editors Laura Edgar, Jennifer Chandler. Ottawa, Ont. :  Institute on Governance,  c2004. Hankivsky, Olena A. R.  (Olena Areta Renata) Social policy and the ethic of care /  Olena Hankivsky. Vancouver, B.C. :  UBC Press,  c2004. Jane Franklin Social Capital: Policy and Politics Social Policy and Society, Volume 2, Issue 04. October 2003. pp349-352 PAUL HOGGETT Agency, Rationality and Social Policy Journal of Social Policy, Volume 30, Issue 01. January 2001. pp37-56 Heck, Ronald H. Studying educational and social policy :  theoretical concepts and research methods /  Ronald H. Heck. Mahwah, N.J. ; London :  Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,  2004. Howard Glennerster   British Social Policy since 1945. Second Edition. Blackwell. 2000 Michael Hill   Understanding Social Policy. Sixth Edition. Blackwell. 2000. Lowe, Rodney. The welfare state in Britain since 1945 /  Rodney Lowe. 3rd ed. Basingstoke, Hampshire :  Palgrave Macmillan,  2005. Nicholas Timmins   The Five Giants: A Biography of the Welfare State. HarperCollins. 2001. Thomas and Dorothy Wilson   The State and Social Welfare the objectives of policy. Longman. 1991. Michael Hill Glen Bramley   Analysing Social Policy. Basil Blackwell.   1986. Eric Midwinter   The Butskellite consensus (c.1951-1973/9) (Chapter 7) in The Development of Social Welfare in Britain. Open University Press. 1994. DAVID TAYLOR Social Identity and Social Policy: Engagements with Postmodern Theory Journal of Social Policy, Volume 27, Issue 03. July 1998. pp329-350 Social Policy and Social Work: Critical Essays on the Welfare State Judy Krysik, Robert M. Moroney; Aldine De Gruyter, 1998 WHO www.who.int/en/

Are People Unwise to Pursue Love Even When They Know It Will Cause Them Pain? Essay

Love is an important aspect of life, as it is a powerful bond of closeness, trust and understanding. History, literature and science are filled with examples of people aspiring after their love when consequences can be seen easily. These historical figures achieved great height and are remembered by people. Loss and pain are inevitable, and they are worth it when love, whether of a person , a cause or a country, is pursued. Facing pain is not unwise but rather heroic. Love can be sudden attraction that could pull people in, even when they know this love will not last and is forbidden. Marie Curie was a passionate physicist and chemist who is famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity, as she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her husband was also an instructor at the school of physics and chemistry; it was their mutual interest in natural sciences that drew them together. However only after eleven years of marriage, Pierre was killed in a road accident, leaving Marie devastated by his death. After five years of his death, in 1911 it was revealed to the public that she was having an affair with physicist Paul Langevin, who was already a married man and a former student of Pierre’s. After the news broke, the Swedish Academy of Sciences even banned her from receiving her Nobel Prize. Marie challenged the Academy and attended the ceremony and this perhaps was her most courageous act. If then she had retreated, her career would have been over. She did not fear and staunchly believed that eventually her reputation and honor would be restored. Marie Curie, knowing the consequences of what her love might lead her to, decided to pursue it publicly, knowing it will risk her entire career. We can certainly not call her love unwise. It is a passionate love and it is to be remembered for ever. Even though pain of loss is an unavoidable consequence of love, it should not stop people from being in love. Life is followed by opposites: if we gain success then we also must be ready to lose something we possess. If we have good morals, then they will be ultimately challenged by corrupt forces. However these negative forces should not be a reason to stop us from reaching our goal and cherish every moment of love we can pursue. Recently I have received heartbreaking news from a relative saying his friend’s partner passed away from a fatal car accident. The woman clearly loved the man a lot, even after he was gone she suffered mental depression for several weeks. But the times they were together were the most prized moments of his life. They had a wonderful journey in life together, and even though they are forever apart, he can keep the thought of his wife in mind to gather courage and overcome difficulties in life. This shows determination and also shows that love is never unwise to pursue as long as it is true love. There is no doubt that a life pursuing love is greater than one that is blend. Love is a natural emotion that every living creature experiences. It will only be selfish and an act against way of life to deny the wonderful experience of closeness, peace, and happiness that everyone is meant to have. History, literature and life itself bear witness to that idea every day.

Chattel Slavery Essay

Indentureship was supposed to differ from slavery, however, the servants were treated as harshly as the slaves Chattel- African slaves were treated as commodities System of slavery whereby an individual and their offspring are recognised by the law as being the property of another person for life. This system was established by Europeans and formed the basis of transatlantic slavery With due respect to the I’s good intentions, from all that I have read and studied it would be a mockery to compare Indian indentureship to African chattel slavery in the Caribbean. Firstly, Indians were allowed to retain: their family (Africans had theirs split up); their language (Africans had the use of theirs forbidden); their religion (Africans had theirs banned); their music (Africans had the drum – representing the voice of their gods – banned by laws, some of which remain on the statute book in Barbados to this day). This highlights the all-important difference between indentureship and slavery: The heart of slavery was not the horrible labour conditions. If that were so, slavery and indentureship might be comparable. The heart of slavery was the stealing of the African’s soul – his language (the eyes through which one sees the world), his gods, his family, his musical sounds. That is why some 169 years after Emancipation, many Africans in the Caribbean remain enslaved. Some say enslaved mentally (in distinction to physical slavery), but this is misleading. SLAVERY IS MENTAL. Captivity is physical. Why the Africans have taken longer to restore their race – as opposed to Indians, Jews and other ethnic groups that suffered at the hands of White Supremacy – is because no other people were ever subjected to what the Africans suffered. If you capture a people and reduce them to harsh, brutal conditions of exploitation, once they survive, when that is brought to an end the people will soon rehabilitate themselves. But when you take away a people’s tongue, their connection to the ancestors, their gods; when you smash their family life so that the male loses respect for the female and vice versa; when you teach them to hate their skin, their lips, their hair, so that they hate anyone that looks like them – then you will have destroyed the culture and soul of that people and recovery will be almost like a resurrection. That is why it has taken Rastafari, Vodun, Orisha and the other spiritual potencies to awaken and heal the descendants of the African slaves. Secondly, millions of Africans died on the dreadful crossing from Africa. How many Indians perished on their way here? The Trans-Atlantic trade in captive Africans and African chattel slavery lasted roughly from 1473 to the 1880s – some four centuries. Indian indentureship lasted from the 1840s until when – the end of the 19th century? Thirdly, the trade in African captives depleted the African homeland tremendously. Consequently, up to this day, in contrast to the huge populations of India and China, the African continent is badly underpopulated. In fact, it has been estimated that even if all the Black people returned tomorrow to Africa, it still would not be fully populated. Walter Rodney in   provides some Statistics to give an idea of the devastating effect that the trade in Africans had on Africa for four centuries. Whole towns and villages were wiped out. Ethnic groups disappeared. Others were driven to war on their neighbours or face the prospect of having their own group captured and shipped to the ‘New World’. The natural line and trajectory of material and spiritual development for millennia in Africa’s history up to the time of the Trans-Atlantic Trade in captive African was interrupted, disrupted and corrupted. While it is true that India suffered horribly as a result of the British penetration of India during the period of indentureship, history attests that neither the scale nor the time period of this penetration can match the reality of the impact of the Slave Trade and Slavery on Africans and their Motherland. But while the enslaved Africans – unlike the indentured Indians – had their ancestral cloak ripped from them, the White man could not take the living nucleus of their culture and its memory from them. So (as they say ‘whoever loses his life shall gain it’) they took this breath of their culture and created the living soul of Africa in the Caribbean – they recreated their musical forms, they reconceived their ancient gods through new prisms (likje Judedo-Christianity, for example in Haitian Vodun and Rastafari), they revived their sense of an organic connection to the earth, they rediscovered the taste of their traditional cuisine, and so on. And that is why we find that almost all that is distinctive about indigenous Caribbean culture owes its inspiration, its image and likeness, to Africa. It is also probably why there is no enduring large-scale mass Back to India or Back to China movements coming out of the Caribbean. In a sense, Mother India and Mother China were not taken away from their indentured children in the Caribbean since they continued to wear their traditional dress, listen to their traditional music, speak their traditional language and worship ther traditional gods. When the true history of the last 5 centuries of the recently past millennium is finally placed in proper perspective, the incomparable tragedy of the African people during the era of the slave trade and slavery will come fully to light. It is without precedent in human history. I close by suggesting that the Indian people – who are essentially of African origin as Rashidi has documented – have a secure place in Rastafari, and as the Mansinghs have shown in their research, they have made a valuable contribution to the development of the Rastafari way of life. Indentured servants were working â€Å"on contract† to repay a debt, usually for transportation to America. â€Å"Chattel† means personal property, so â€Å"chattel slaves† were legally considered property, the same as a mule or a goat. An indentured servant worked for his/her master without pay until the debt was paid off. Typically, for repayment of the cost of being taken from England to America, the time of service was seven years, although it ranged from four to ten. At the end of that time, the indentured servant was free to leave and find other, gainful employment. There were cases of abuse by masters in which additional time was added by charging the servant for things like rent, food, lost or broken tools or products, etc. , because indentured servants were usually not well-educated and could be taken advantage of. The only ways a chattel slave could be released from a lifetime of unpaid service were manumission (being legally given freedom by his/her owner) or purchase, either by himself/herself – rare, but possible – or by a third party, such as societies of abolitionists who purchased slaves’ freedom for them. The best-known of these groups bought land in west Africa and founded there the nation of Liberia, for the purpose of resettling freed American slaves. Interesting sidelight: the term â€Å"indentured† is related to words like â€Å"dentist† and â€Å"dental. † An indentured servant had a written contract with his master. At the time the contract was signed, it was torn in two. The master kept one half and the servant kept one half. To ensure that these halves were part of the original document, the tear-lines were deliberately made irregular and jagged so that no other piece of paper would match. The jagged tearing was â€Å"indented† – it looked like teeth

Different Ways Of Doing Work At Home Business Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 13 Words: 4012 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? The term Entrepreneur is defined by many scholars. A common definition says Entrepreneur is a French term for any person who develops and undertakes a new enterprise at some risk (or failure or loss).  [1] WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEFINED: Marlow (2002) gave an insight into the concept of Gender Entrepreneurship that it is not restricted to only one gender now, somewhat due to many pressures faced by women; they have found the sight of their own and of their familys economic survival by working alongside men (Kalim, n.d.). In the words of Moore and Buttner (1997) and Brunetto (2009), women entrepreneurs are defined as those who avail their knowledge and possessions to initiate a new venture, who are vigorously involved in organizing their undertaking, and are the owner of at least 50 percent of the business (Rashid Anwar, n.d). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Different Ways Of Doing Work At Home Business Essay" essay for you Create order INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: The concept of Women Entrepreneurship is gaining importance among various classes of societies across nations. Female entrepreneurship is creating magic capacity to craft huge miracles all over the world and bring out potentially privileged women in the business environment and providing females with the ultimate joy of her decisions. Despite the importance of late, but well recognized women entrepreneurship; business is still regarded as a sphere of influence amongst men in any society due to various social aspects and prejudices against the women business phenomenon. Academic circles and government of developing countries have not properly highlighted female business owners, in spite of their momentous mark in entrepreneurial junctions. The business world has implanted gender gap and this incongruity is abundant in developing nations, which are socially and culturally towards the back and is characterized by societal discriminations. Wennekers (1999) discusses that worldwid e, females are believed to be having a feeble gender in both physical and an emotional sense. Hence, the panoramas to expand into business experts still needs to be discovered and requires more concentration (Kalim, n.d.). Hisrich (1999) believes that women stay hesitant in startups merely because of the trends and pressures of the community and society. In developing countries, particularly, there are more of other aspects which influence a woman to stay at a distance in becoming a potential entrepreneur (Kalim, n.d.). Pakistan, being a developing country in the Asia pacific region has more number of women than men. Adhering to the patriarchal roles of both sexes in the country, a females position is believed to be fit in the home and not in the place of work, where a man is the sole income earner of the family. Thus, investment in women business or education is by far very less as compared to that of men. Pakistani women undergo a dearth of opportunities.  [2]  According to the Pakistan Economic Census, 2005 by the Federal Bureau of Statistics, there are 70,658 women business owners operating in Pakistan. It represents 3 % of all ventures in Pakistan, It is estimated that the majority of women fall into the category of firms belonging to SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises). The level of women participating in the development of the business currently is around 16%.  [3]  According to GEM, 2011 report, women in Pakistan, represents as only one-tenth of entrepreneurs.  [4] In Pakistan, the number of individuals having a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship is less than the average of its factor driven peer economies. Moreover, the female population has a less positive attitude towards entrepreneurship in Pakistan as compared to the male population (A.Mian Qureishi, 2010). The Pakistani women venture growth is meager, but still, there are gradual signs of progressions. Roomi Parrot (2008) discusses that there are different socio-ec onomic factors which obstruct the promising escalation of female self-employment opportunities and calls for the spotlight given by the government and academicians. These factors create barriers to fold many of the dimensions that can be related not only to motivational factors, but also to the operational issues associated for running a female owned undertaking. Due to these factors, in spite of having a greater and productive number of women, the nation is deprived of proper utilization of their unleashed potential which is essential for its economic development and prosperity. Even, the capable women of Pakistan do not enjoy the luxury of self-owned business. This particular study has a specific aim of establishing the fact that there exists an alliance among various important aspects acting as antecedents to the business related performance which is at the disposal of Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan. EVOLUTION: The entrepreneurial study traces back to the work of Richard Cantillon and Adam Smith in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, but was overlooked until the late 19th and early 20th centuries until a radical upswing in the business and economics in the last 40 years. In the 20th century, the insight of entrepreneurship is to be indebted to the efforts of economist Joseph Schumpeter in the 1930s and other Austrian economists such as Friedrich Von Hayek, Carl Menger and Ludwing Von Mises. The evolution of women entrepreneurship was started by Marxists bloc who came up with the idea that supports women liberation and empowerment. Pakistani women were involved in the production for centuries. In 1988, Benazir Bhutto (daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto) turned out to be the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the first women elected to head a Muslim country. She proclaimed plans to set up females courts, police stations and womens development banks. Womens Studies Center s at five universities were created in Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and Lahore in the year 1989 by the Ministry of Women Development (MWD). Conversely, due to lack of administrative and financial support, four of these centers became non-functional. Womens financial needs were dealt by launching the First Women Bank Ltd. (FWBL) in 1989. By 1990, women made up in making up only 19 percent of the labor force. The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) held a national study in 1992 on womens contribution in the economy and set forth for the policy planners and donor agencies to realize and cut the parables of womens participation in labor force. Information from this study was also incorporated into the 8th Five-Year Plan (1993-98). At that time, there were assorted groups supporting small-scale projects all through the state incorporating the All-Pakistan Womens Association, Womens Action Forum, Business and Professional Womens Association, and the Pakistan Women Lawyers Association. Protection against stalking of women at the workplace Bill 2009 was signed by President Asif Ali Zardari on 29th January, 2010, which the parliament espouse on 21st January, 2010. Business women in the formal sense, is still a new concept. The entrepreneurial atmosphere for females in Pakistan reflects complex interplay of many factors, which consists of the social, cultural, religious and traditional. For ages, they are embedded in the patriarchal system and are clearly reflected in the form of lower status of women. CURRENT STATUS: Females involvement in the current society extends beyond agricultural economy. They are majorly migrating to metropolitan areas in search of employment in a variety of cottage industries. Many women are coming under the horizon of entrepreneurial world. Women representing 51% of total population in Pakistan has shown that they have been playing a highly anticipated and a challenging task fuelling the economic growth of the country in the past decade. What is interesting in this context is 3.7% increase in 2008-09 for the people, of which the growth rate of women in the labor market is higher than their counterparts. (Economic Survey of Pakistan, 2009-10). The opportunities are to a great extent much more open now. More role models and encouragement is being provided with much more women coming out in the entrepreneurial world. Yet, there is still a strong scarcity of considerate initiatives that is required by existing business facilitation institutions and government. Th e new scenario is raising woman as an entrepreneur as there is own chamber of commerce. The women bank is in place and there are other institutes providing support to female business owners. Moreover, there are lots of females entering the entrepreneurial junctions as in services sector, apparel, education and likewise in many such horizons. 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT Over all Objectives: To explore and identify the factors that affects the performance of women entrepreneurs. Specific aims: To identify the factors that limits women mobility, economic participation and business activity. Reviewing the operating environment under which women are constraint. Identifying what supports are given to women entrepreneurs (by institutes/organizations) to solve problems they face. Acknowledge womens worth and work and their contribution in all spheres of life which in major circumstances is being ignored plus their role as equal partners in development and for making economic, social and political progresses. 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The importance of conducting this study is that it will be beneficial to all those information seekers and many more. The imperativeness of this study is as under: The study would help me better understand the realistic factors that lead to confining the performance of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan and this thesis will serve as a strong basis for my future educational and professional life. It can provide as a source of valuable information to anyone specially women undertaking entrepreneurial junction. It can be a valuable source of information for government and institutes with the purpose of providing support to women entrepreneurs. Moreover, information exchanges between these institutes and different organizations will be increased. The study conducted can be a reliable source to the research based organizations. Linkages with the international women organizations and other international bodies would be made. The study can be an impulsive reference material for teachers and students. 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY This study is curbed to the premises of Karachi. The research information will be collected from women entrepreneurs engaged in various businesses in multi unit industry, and organizations which are working for the expansion of women capabilities in different fields of work and taking care of their interests. 1.5 DELIMITATIONS The project is limited to the views of the Women Entrepreneurs and the Women support Organizations in Karachi. There is a possibility that the respondents can be biased and are not willing to express their true feelings. Moreover, due to changing economic conditions, or any change in the structure or services of the women support organizations after the submission of the report will not be taken into account. 1.6 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS BUSINESS VENTURE: A start-up enterprise developed with the purpose of financially profiting. It may also be taken as a small business. COMMUNITY: A community is a group of interacting organisms sharing an environment. In human communities, intent, beliefs, needs, preferences, resources, risks and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness. SOCIETY: Generally, people living collectively with laws and conventions in arranged communities, directing the way that they act towards one another. It can also be a club or organization of people who holds a special interest or who indulges in a particular activity. PATRIARCHY: It is a form of social institute, where a male is the prime head of the family. Kinship and title are traced through the male line. Any such society or role governed by such a belief is known to be a patriarchal society/role. SMEs: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are autonomous, non-subsidiary firms employing less than a given number of employees. This number varies across countries. EMPOWERMENT: It is giving the authority or command to someone to carry out something. In other words, it may also be termed as making someone certain and more confident, particularly, in controlling their lives and claiming their rights. DISCRIMINATION: It is the unfair or ill-treatment of a person, racial, group, minority, etc, i.e., the actions based on prejudices. STALKING: It is a criminal activity consisting of the repeated followings and harassing of another person. GEM : Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is the worlds largest research association of entrepreneurship. It is the yearly assessment of the entrepreneurial activity, ambitions and attitudes of people across various nations. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: It is the progress in an economy, or the qualitative measure of this. Adoption of new technologies, transition from agriculture-based to industry-based economy and general improvement in living is referred as economic development. COUNSELING: Counseling refers to one individual (the counselor) assisting another individual (the client) to work on some painful or complex emotional relationship or behavioral dilemma or difficulty. A form of guidance or advice by an educated person is known as Counseling. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: A form of business network, e.g. a local organization of business with the aim of promoting the business interests. FACTOR-DRIVEN ECONOMIES: The countries that live on for basic requirements. From subsistence agriculture to extraction of natural resources is the dominant basis or key development focus of factor-driven economies. EFFICIENCY-DRIVEN ECONOMIES: These countries key development focus is on increased industrialization and producing more advanced products and services highly efficiently. INNOVATION-DRIVEN ECONOMIES: Research and development, growing services sector and knowledge intensity is the central source of the advantage of Innovation-driven nations. These economies have i ncreased potential for innovative entrepreneurial activity. 1.7 DIFFERENT WAYS OF STARTING OWN WORK SITTING AT HOME In our patriarchal system, most women, especially after marriage becomes too busy that they do not prefer a 9 -5 job as a feasible option with kids and family, but that is not the end of the roads. According to a famous proverb When there is a will, there is a way, holds true for such women who may start their own work and be able to earn money by sitting at home too! Various opportunities are stated as under: Tuition: There are many students who want to be assisted and tutored in one or many subjects, if any women at home can handle any subject; the option is open for her/them. Organizing Children Parties: Most of the children celebrate their birthdays and their parents often offer such event organizing to various event managers or other people interested in the work. So, this is a very good opportunity for women to knock. They may start off with a little painting, making birthday decoration banners, cards or goodie bags for the party. Food and Catering This is an excellent means for those who have a good hand in cooking. Those women who have an expertise in this arena may provide excellent hygienic homemade food to the working people. After setting contacts with offices, bakery, homes or any other spot, they can offer their catering to these junctions by sitting at home. Moreover, if these women have well teaching skills, they may also conduct cooking classes too. Resume Making Impressive resumes are the gateways for getting good jobs. So, women seeking home based work may start their careers with pitched and designed resume making business. A resume writer is in great demand, so the women with this skill and interest might enter this area with a deep understanding of how different industries appoints employees, the qualification they look in for the candidate and the manner in which recruitments are carried out. Graphic Designer A graphic designer also requires animation, logos and graphic for websites. Women can design the jobs of their dreams by creating brochures, menus, invitation and more for clients in need of their graphic skills. Equipped with good illustrated talents, imaginative skills and aesthetic senses, anyone can take the plugs into this much in demand occupation. Women need to have the latest knowledge about design software, such as Photoshop, illustrator, GIF animator and QuarkXPress. Women adopting this occupation should be ready to take criticisms and rejections in their stride and be open for suggestions coming in from their respective clients. Editorial Services If a woman has an excellent command over the language, good grammar, spelling skills and an ability to translate ideas into words in an interesting and lucid way with a good imagination, then she is just the right person to run an editorial service. Managing an editorial service essentially involves writing copy texts, slogans and articles for publications, at firms or at a public relations organization. If suitably skilled, women can add the news letters of legal, medical or technical organizations as well. As an unspecialized editor, they may also render services to ad agencies, PR houses and general publication. Computer Instructor Women should have a complete command over the machine and be able to explain complicated jargons in simple terms, good communication skills and effective interpersonal rapport will make them a favored instructor. They can teach basic computer skills to adults, children, senior citizens, new employees, students and to the people in their own locality. Internet Researcher With a few clicks and keywords, a woman can surf her own way into profit with an internet research business. All they know is the way around Alta Vista, Lycos, Hotspot, Yahoo, Google and other search engines. The essential qualities to be a successful internet researcher are sharp research skills, a thorough familiarity with the net and leading websites/journals on various topics and flair of sorting out important fact from the content. Image Consultant The job basically stands for offering service on personality enhancement, ranging from how to dress, speak and significantly advice on body language. Women can consult individual clients or organize community workshops to make people be more confident of their looks and disposition. Counseling If any woman has the desired qualification or practical experience, they may council people for marital, teenage, depression-related problems with the help of proper mental and emotional healing. Writing blogs A large number of women are engaged in writing blogs and they have been able to earn lots of money. Apart of just making money, women develop networking as well, where people acknowledge them. This is one of the most flexible jobs women can undertake. In Pakistan, this concept is gaining awareness and women are engaging in this own home-based working. Madrassa A large number of religious families find it difficult to send their women outside of their homes. Opening up of a madrassa for teaching of kids and ladies is a very effective way of working at home at own-set schedule. Starting a business on social media The most demanding and hype creating arena for a woman to work sitting at home is by starting a business on social media. The business may be ranged from offering candles to designing of dresses is done. This is the most common and the latest trend of doing business. 1.8 LAYOUT OF THE PROJECT CHAPTER NO.2 RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY 2.2 RESEARCH STRATEGY 2.3 RESEARCH DESIGN 2.4 UNIT OF ANALYSIS 2.5 TIME HORIZON 2.6 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT 2.7 DATA COLLECTION 2.8 DATA ANALYSIS 2.9 CONCLUSION 2.0 INTRODUCTION This chapter identifies and explains the conceptual framework and tools used in conducting the study. 2.1 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY According to Easterby-Smith et al (1997), the research philosophy is important to be explored because it assists the researcher to specify the research methods and to clarify the overall research strategy to be used in the study. Likewise, there are two major types of research philosophies, namely positivism and interpretivism (Fisher, 2004). Davies (2007) also identified research philosophies as positivism and interpretivism. In the words of Collis and Hussey (2003, pg:52), Positivism relies on the fact that human behavioral studies should be conducted the same way as the studies conducted in natural sciences. The fundamental assumption in this philosophy is that there exists an objective reality which is independent of human behavior. Furthermore, Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Law (2002) states that positivist approach relies on statistical studies and it gathers those observations that can be quantified. Whereas, the other philosophy, namely interpretivism assists in better u nderstanding of intentions and goals behind peoples actions and reactions (Saunders et al, 2003). In the words of Saunders (2007, p:107), this philosophy is suitable for business and management research as they are concerned with the social world in which we live. This philosophy favors qualitative data. The researcher is open to new ideas throughout the study. Moreover, unlike positivism, interpretivist philosophy is not confined to what can be physically observed. According to Web (1989), the disparity between the philosophies is overstated to some scholars. Polit (2001) also state that triangulation of methods in current day research is common. Moreover, in the words of Scheurich (2007) management and business research is often a mixture of both philosophies. Therefore, adhering to all this, the research would mainly incorporate interpretivist approach but some elements of positivist philosophy are also included as the research mainly examines human beings, their behavior and experiences in an in-depth way and also it will study the realities that have an effect on humans. 2.2 RESEARCH STRATEGY Research strategy is a roadmap for a researcher to further his study. Yin (2003) and Saunders et al (2009) recognized different variety of research strategies with underlying consideration to identify the advantages and disadvantages of all these and to select the most appropriate one(s). Collis and Hussey (2009) identified some common research strategies as: experiment, survey, case study, action research, grounded theory, archival research and ethnography. Feminist perspective is another research strategy  [5]  . Multiple research strategies are adopted for this research project keeping in line with its objectives. The survey method is also taken into account of this research. In this method, the researcher adopts two techniques (i.e. by spreading questionnaire and conducting semi-structured interviews) to collect relevant data for my research work. The researcher will develop a personally administered questionnaire inquiring the view points of women entrepreneurs in accor dance with research problem. The other technique that I will employ is by conducting a semi-structured interview with organizations supporting women entrepreneurial junctions by asking relevant questions. Feminist perspective is the third strategy adopted in this research. This strategy focuses on knowledge grounded in female experiences and is beneficial to everyone, especially women. In the business sense, study revolves around womens role in a business or organization and on their views, roles, influences and concerns. 2.3 RESEARCH DESIGN To conduct this research, both exploratory and descriptive study will be considered. As exploratory study will help the researcher in aiming to explore factors that affects the performance of women entrepreneurs and descriptive study will help the researcher in describing the characteristics of people, organizations and environments surrounding these women entrepreneurs as essential for the research. Moreover, both qualitative and quantitative data would comprise the study. 2.4 UNIT OF ANALYSIS The units of analysis are the respondents of this research report, which would be: The women entrepreneurs of Karachi with a sample size of 35 to provide greater heterogeneity. The questionnaires were filled out by face to face meetings, using social networking websites and also via email correspondence. Organizations/Institutes supporting women entrepreneurs. 2.5 TIME HORIZON 2.6 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT: Interview Questionnaire Observation 2.7 DATA COLLECTION For the data collection process, it is very necessary to identify and select the appropriate data collection method for the research. Saunders et al (2007) identified five methods of gathering data: Interviews, Sampling, secondary data, questionnaires and observation. Additionally, there are two main types of data collection sources as primary and secondary. Primary data sources for the research include: Questionnaire to women entrepreneurs in multi-unit capacities across Karachi Semi-structured Interview from Organizations supporting women entrepreneurs Observation would be used in order to get authentic and pertinent acquaintance to note down the gestures and behaviors of the respondents involved in the study. Secondary data sources for the research include: Internet Articles/Journals and Websites Magazines Newspaper Information/Articles Dissertations Blogs Conference Proceedings 2.8 DATA ANALYSIS The ultimate objective of the analysis is to identify the factors that are affecting the performance of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. So, for this purpose, the data will be analyzed using both the qualitative and quantitative forms. The presentation would be done as: Questionnaires will be analyzed using excel and simple mathematical techniques. Charts and graphs will also be used to present the data collected. Verbal interpretation will be utilized to explain the findings of the research. Thus, the data analysis in this course of action would fetch valuable conclusions for the dissertation. 2.9 CONCLUSION The methodology adopted for the research was the underlying focus in this chapter. In-depth understanding of the research process and design were presented. The next chapter will highlight the reviews of the literature for women in business, their issues and factors that affects their performance.