What Must Be Done to Improve Ethics in Finance and Corporate Governance free essay sample

Corporate governance can be referred to the rules, processes, or laws by which businesses are operated, regulated and controlled. It can also refer to internal factors defined by the officers, stockholders or constitution of a corporation. After finding the meaning of Corporate governance, which can also be referred to corporate responsibility, I thought about the policies in which the company I work for have. I work for Northrop Grumman, which is one of the leaders in global security. My company does strive to remain committed to maintaining the highest of ethical standards, embracing diversity and becoming an ideal corporate citizen ,taking responsibility for the quality , delivering customer satisfaction, demonstrating leadership as a company, acting with integrity, valuing people, and regarding our suppliers as essential team members. A lot of training programs and ethics training must be completed every year in order to have access to computer systems. They have strict policies on which business associates are to conduct business. We will write a custom essay sample on What Must Be Done to Improve Ethics in Finance and Corporate Governance? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page So there are a lot of regulations on not sacrificing integrity to achieve business objectives. The goal is to abide by the highest principles and integrity and concern for others. With the reputation Northrop Grumman has, they strive on doing what is right, so respect and support is gained. Corporate governance has received a lot of attention because of the scandals involving abuse of corporate power, alleged criminal activity and unethical or illegal acts on the name of the company. Corporate governance matters because there is a level of confidence that is associated with a company that is known to have a good reputation. Having the presence of a directors and board members contributes a great deal towards ensuring confidence the market. Since Northrop Grumman works in the US and internationally, investors are depending on this information, to know whether to invest in them or not. Having corporate governance makes it easier for companies to source capital at more reasonable costs. When you think about corporate governance and the scandals that come to mind is Enron. This turned out to be scan in which Enron lied about its profits, shady dealings and concealing debts. A lot of regulations came down from the government regarding corporate responsibility and regulations. Big businesses had a lot of freedom to do what they wanted to do. Directors, Shareholders, and Presidents of companies needed to take another look at how their businesses were being run. What needs to change and what needs to be implemented so this doesn’t happen to us? The Securities and Exchange Commission voted on three measures that are intended to better inform and empower investors to improve corporate governance and help restore investor confidence. The Commission proposed requiring public companies receiving money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to provide a shareholder vote on executive pay in their proxy solicitations . The Commission also voted to propose better disclosure of executive compensation at public companies in their proxy statements, and approved a New York Stock Exchange rule change to prohibit brokers from voting proxies in corporate elections without instructions from their customers. Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) in an effort to protect U. S. capital markets and millions of American shareholders. SOX promote accountability and transparency in corporations. It also has a few provisions that enhance the effectiveness of corporate directors, in-house and outside counsel, and internal and external auditors. Some ways that the SEC can enforce these compliance regulations is to develop an inspection program to review corporation’s financial statement and accounting practices. Shareholders should be given a greater role in voting, through nominations, election of individual candidates instead of slates, and majority instead of plurality decisions. The boards compensation committee should be required to approve the compensation of all top-tier executives. The boards audit committee should obtain control over the internal audit function as well as over the outside auditors, including the power to terminate personnel and to approve compensation. Tying ethics to finance isn’t that hard. Ethics is the moral correctness of specified conduct, the study and practice of appropriate behavior, regardless of the behaviors legality. Certain industries have professional organizations setting and promoting certain ethical standards. When we look at the banking industry for an example, we are putting our money into in a company, who is supposed to protect it, give us interest on it and possibly advise on making investing decisions. With investing, ethics helps inform the investment decisions of some individuals and companies. But recently large banking has failed. The U. S. Financial system was rather free and didn’t have many regulations to control greed and fraud. Wrong and risky moves were made and in turn it affected the customer. There are more fees, less interest and failing banks. There are many ethical violations that affect finance but there are ways to improve financial ethics. Improving standards, such as creating a plan. The first step, as should be the case with any initiative, is to create a clear plan that focuses on addressing particular situational needs of the organization. Each plan should be unique to fit the business, typical activities would include items such as improving the hiring process, clear communication of the ethics policy and codes of conduct, establish a systems of checks and controls to ensure wrong doing is discouraged and discovered in a timely manner, and finally a clear policy and procedure for investigating and handling breeches in ethics appropriate to its level and severity. Finding weak links in the business and once it has been identified; implement steps to improve the ethical environment. Hold the training classes, circulate the code of conduct annually with each employee signing a statement that they have read it and will comply. Follow the plan for hiring even if it is inconvenient to check references and background. identified by the plan, develop clear policies and procedures for key processes, and then conduct training to ensure all relevant employees understand the expectations of how processes should be carried out. Clear policies and procedures communicated and followed by organizational members is a critical piece of an internal control. Ethics is a part of the organizational culture, besides developing and executing a plan, the most important way for a business to improve ethics is for the organizational leaders to display the highest degree of ethical behavior in how they conduct business on a day to day basis. In conclusion, ethics in finance and corporate governance go hand in hand. The importance of honesty and integrity plays a critical part in any organization. In my professional career, I have witness both sides of the correct way of conducting business and the incorrect.

Tim McGraw essays

Tim McGraw essays Set This Circus Down, released in April of 2001, has already received RIAA platinum certification. The album has resided on Billboards Charts for 13 weeks and has peaked at number 1 for several weeks. The success of this hit album goes to, Grammy winner and multi-platinum country artist, Tim McGraw. Samuel Timothy McGraw, the full name of this chart-topping singer, was born on May 1, 1967 to Betty McMom Trimble and Tug McGraw. Although, McGraw was born in Delhi, Louisiana, Monroe is the city he considers home. During his upbringing, McGraw was always interested in sports. He always wanted to be an athlete. This pursuit landed him a sports scholarship Northeast Louisiana University. Even though, McGraw received his first guitar at the age of eleven, it was not until college that his interest in playing it peaked it peaked. He bought himself a new guitar on holiday and began teaching his self to play. His interest changed to singing, which took him to Nashville in the early ninetys. He signed a contract with Curb Records shortly thereafter and released his first self-titled album in 1992. This album failed to reach country radio audiences and things didnt look so good for McGraw. As he is quoted, "I was told by one producer to pack up and go home. I would never make it." Though the album didnt make it, some of the singles, when played live, sparked something in fans. In 1994 he released his second album titled Not A Moment To Soon, which became his first major hit. It contained his breakthrough song Indian Outlaw which stirred up lots of controversy over the Native American stereotypes depicted in the lyrics. Nevertheless, McGraw continued his success with the release of All I Want. In 1996 McGraw teamed up with country singer, Faith Hill, on The Spontaneous Combustion Tour and later that year the two tied the knot on October 6...

Names of Stores and Shops in Spanish

Names of Stores and Shops in Spanish Planning to do some shopping when you visit Spanish speaking country? It would be a good idea to learn one of the most common suffixes used with Spanish nouns, -erà ­a, typically used to indicate where something is made or sold. Youll run into the word most often as the names of specialty stores, such as zapaterà ­a for shoe store  and joyerà ­a for jewelry store.  It is less commonly used for a place where an item is manufactured or processed, such as herrerà ­a for an ironworks or blacksmiths shop. Names for Stores and Shops Following are some examples of shop names using -erà ­a. All of these nouns are feminine in gender. This list is far from complete but includes most  of them youre likely to come across. aguardenterà ­a - liquor store (from aguardiente, moonshine or liquor)azucarerà ­a - sugar shop (from azà ºcar, sugar)bizcocherà ­a - pastry shop (from bizcocho, type of cake or biscuit; this term is most common in Mexico)boleterà ­a  - ticket office, box office (from boleto, admission ticket)cafeterà ­a - coffeeshop, snack bar (from cafà ©, coffee)calceterà ­a  - hosiery shop (from calceta, sock or knitting)carnicerà ­a - butcher shop (from caherrrne, meat)charcuterà ­a - delicatessen (from French charcuterie; term used in Spain)cervecerà ­a - brewery, bar (from cerveza, beer)confiterà ­a - candy store (from confite, candy)droguerà ­a - drugstore, variety store (from droga, drug)ebanisterà ­a - cabinet shop, place where cabinets are made (from ebano, ebony)ferreterà ­a - hardware store (from an old word for iron)floristerà ­a - flower shop (from flor, flower)fruterà ­a - fruit shop (from fruta, fruit)heladerà ­a - ice-cream parlor (from helado, ice cream)herboristerà ­a - herbalists shop (from hierba, herb)herrerà ­a - blacksmiths shop (from hierra, iron) joyerà ­a - jewelry shop (from joya, jewel)jugueterà ­a - toy shop (from juguete, toy)lavanderà ­a - laundry (from lavar, to wash)lecherà ­a - dairy (from leche, milk)lencerà ­a - linen shop, lingerie shop (from lienzo, linen)librerà ­a - bookstore (from libro, book)mueblerà ­a - furniture store (from mueble, piece of furniture)panaderà ­a - bakery (from pan, bread)papelerà ­a - stationery store (from papel, paper)pastelerà ­a - pastry shop (from pastel, cake)peluquerà ­a - hairdressers shop, beauty shop, barbershop (from peluca, wig)perfumerà ­a - fragrance shop, perfume storepescaderà ­a - seafood store (from pez, fish)pizzerà ­a - pizzeria, pizza parlor (from pizza, pizza)platerà ­a - silversmiths shop (from plata, silver)pulperà ­a - small grocery store (from pulpa, fruit pulp; Latin American term)ropavejerà ­a - used-clothing store (from ropa vieja, old clothes)salchicheria - pork butchers shop (from salchicha, sausage)sastrerà ­a - tailors s hop (from sastre, tailor)sombrererà ­a - hat shop, hat factory (from sombrero, hat) tabaquerà ­a  - tobacco shop (from tabaco, tobacco)tapicerà ­a - upholstery shop, furniture store (from tapiz, tapestry)tintorerà ­a - dry-cleaners (from tinto, red wine or dye)verdulerà ­a - produce store, greengrocers, vegetable market (from verdura, vegetable)zapaterà ­a - shoe store (from zapato, shoe) Shopping Vocabulary Here are some words you may see posted in stores: abierto - opencajero - cashiercerrado - closeddescuento, rebaja - discountempuje - push (on a door)entrada - entrancejale - pull (on a door)oferta - saleprecios bajos - low pricestienda - store or shop Here are some words and phrases you may find useful when shopping: Hola. - Hello, hiPor favor. - Please.Busco _____. - Im looking for _____. ¿Dà ³nde puedo encontrar _____? - Where can I find _____? ¡Me gusta! - I like it! ¡Cul me recomendarà ­a? - Which one would you recommend? ¿Hay algo ms barato (caro)? - Is there anything cheaper (more expensive)?Voy a comprar esto. Voy a comprar estos.  - Ill buy this. Ill buy these. ¿Habla inglà ©s? - Do you speak English?Horario de atencià ³n - Times when a business is open.Estar en stock, estar fuera stock - To be in stock, to be out of stock.Tamaà ±o - Size ¿Dà ³nde est el/la _____ ms cerca? (Where is the nearest _____?)Gracias. - Thanks. Etymology The suffix -erà ­a comes from the Latin suffix -arius, which had a far more general usage. In a few cases, the suffix can be used to form a noun from an adjective. For example, the state of being unmarried  can be called solterà ­a, from soltero, alone. The suffix exists in English in the form of -ary, as in apothecary, although that suffix also has a more general meaning than does -erà ­a.

World Literature (See attched Word Document for insutruction) Essay

World Literature (See attched Word Document for insutruction) - Essay Example Human justice is defined as one that takes vengeance on those that have done wrong against other. This moves into human injustice, which states that the murder is not committed against an external enemy, but is instead committed against the self. The divine justice is briefly referred to and is used to please the gods instead of to bring justice to society. In comparison to divine justice, this does not reward one for actions that are righteous, but instead punishes them for something that is believed as wrong. The system I would rather live under is divine justice. The ability to have compassion and reward for fearing God is one that allows one to live peacefully, as opposed to taking vengeance on those who have done wrong. The argument of all three friends would be to have human justice. Whenever something is wrong, there is the immediate desire to take revenge or to get even. Instead of living righteously, most build into a system that is based on vengeance. 2. According to the Bhagavad – Gita, the ability to be saved is one that happens when one recognizes God or the prophet of God and comes out of ignorance and irreligion. As this happens, the soul is able to progress through life cycles while coming closer to God. If one does not move out of this, then they reincarnate into a different form, either animal or human. The ignorance that they carry turns into karma and the things of the past they have done with good intent turns into dharma. As one progresses, the karma can turn into dharma, which helps the soul to progress and to be saved. Kabir has a similar concept about being saved and the progression of the soul. Kabir recognized that as one overcame ignorance and recognized the Supreme Being, they were able to eliminate karma. As this happened, the individual was able to become an enlightened soul. When one reached the highest realm of enlightenment, they were recognized as bahkti, which meant that they were an

Is state government an effective form of government Essay

Is state government an effective form of government - Essay Example This is a step forward in the process of decentralization out of federal power and of achieving efficiency by the state governments. Dr. Weiher stated that there are four general purposes of a written Constitution: "(1) Create a Form of Government; (2) Limit Governmental Power; (3) Define Who is a Citizen; and (4) Identify society's central values" (Weiher, 2002). This last point has to be emphasized. The values of any given society change frequently from territory to territory. People from different states have very different sets of values and a written Constitution is a reflection of the diversity of values among citizens of different states. For example, people from Utah have in common their unique religious beliefs. The same can be said of other people from other states. The federal government provides the unity within the diversity, and each state is a symbolic pluralistic unit in the spectrum of all the states bound together under the U.S. Constitution. The Wikipedia points out that "the most obvious advantage of a codified constitution is the coherent and easily understood body of rules. A codified constitution at the least is simple to read, being a single document.

Challenges In A Teenage Marriage Young People Essay

Challenges In A Teenage Marriage Young People Essay In announcing on Monday that her daughter Bristol was five months pregnant, Sarah Palin, John McCains choice for a running mate, added a quick qualification that might, in another era, have eliminated the potential for embarrassment: The 17-year-old girl was to be married to the 18-year-old father of the baby. (Kershaw, 2008) He would be the gentleman, she would be the lady, and with the backing of a strong family they would do what was expected of them. Since Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin announced her daughter is pregnant, teen marriage and teen pregnancy have been hot topics among parents. But it is teenage marriage today, not teenage pregnancy that is the rarity. Why am I writing paper on such a topic? Well I will tell you why. I chose to write my paper on teen marriages because I am very interested in how the teens get themselves early into the institution of marriage and face problems later. Im also interested in why they divorce at such an early time in their marriage. The age and the reason of marrying today have changed dramatically over the years. Many young people today are starting to get married at a very young ages and they are doing it all for wrong reasons. Young generations today rush into marriage without even understanding what they are getting into. Marriage is a lifetime commitment which the teenagers dont take seriously. Todays teenagers dont believe in the name of trust, faith and love. Teenage marriage has become a challenge in the todays era. Instead of just talking about how much fun it will be to live together, talk about the aspects of daily life that wont be so much fun, and how you will deal with that. Some teens want to get married because they feel that it will give them more control over their partner to crush a lot of jealousy issues. One should understand that marriage is a partnership, its not about control. Various reasons leading to teen marriage would be pregnancy, freedom, ensuring relationship, religion, living in together, etc. As a consequence of which, teen marriage serves to be a problem when a couple has disagreements over money, over children and also physical or mental abuse. Todays youngsters are married young, but their marriage doesnt last as long. For example, my friends, Mehraze and his ex wife Khushnaz, married at the age of 17, but they are divorced at the age of 19. Their marriage lasted for just 2 years after they realized that their love for each other was just a toss. According to me, they should not have thought of marriage at that age and that time of their life. Both of them were busy in their own lives and both had decided their future goals. Neither of them had thought of getting married at 17. They took such a step because they thought that they were in love and should just go ahead and take an extra step to get married. I am not saying that getting married at such a young age is wrong. What I am against are the reasons which one chooses to get married. Reasons mentioned earlier are not enough. People take love as a reason for granted, on which most of the marriages are based on. But, unfortunately, its not. Oh no, theres a baby on the way. We have to get married. This is one of the topmost reasons for getting married. Teen pregnancy rate is very high in U.S. Christie Silvers wrote in her article Can a teen marriage last? that in the U.S there are 1.3 million babies born out-of-wedlock each year. Of course this doesnt include all of the babies born in a teen marriage. Overall, 71.5 pregnancies per 1000 women aged 15-19 occurred in 2006. (Facts on American Teens Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2010). Guys normally think that if they get their girlfriend pregnant, then its their responsibility to marry and take care of her, which should never be the case. If you are not ready enough to take the big step of getting married and supporting each other, the feeling of taking care of your child should not come to mind. This will only cause confusion for the child and may in turn lead the child to hate their parents. Marriage is not a solution to an unplanned pregnancy. In the book called Teens at risk, Isabel Sawhill argues that encouraging teenage parents to marry will not solve the problems associated with teen pregnancy. She grants that children fare better when their parents are married than when they are not married, but notes that teenage marriages have an extremely high failure rate. In addition, she claims that by focusing their efforts on getting teen parents to wed, government programs fail to address why teenagers get pregnant in the first place. The best way to reduce the problems associated with teenage pregnancy, according to Sawhill, is to encourage abstinence, but also to teach teens about birth control. Births to teens have increased in recent years. 10% (Ten percent) of all U.S. births are to teens. (Facts on American Teens Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2010). According to the data from the Natality Data Sets, National Vital Statistics System, Teenagers accounted for 23% of nonmarital births in 2007. Another most common reason for the teens to consider marriage is freedom. They want to get out of their parents home. Most teens do not like listening to their parents and feel they know more than their parents. Teenagers dont like the rules set by our parents. They have a feeling that parents expect a lot from them. If parents have denial for certain person, they might have their own reasons why they think that way. However, many teenagers fail to understand that their parents are really trying to help them. They think that parents are making their life miserable and not giving them enough freedom. Unfortunately, they dont understand the importance of parents. Being married is definitely not about freedom. A person has a lot of responsibility including household work, paying bills, etc. and most importantly responsibility and commitment to another person. If couple argues, none can just walk away and leave home. You wont have the liberty to go in and out as you did before because other person will also be involved in his/her decisions. Some teens may also want to marry to ensure their relationship. They may feel that marriage would not lead the other person to ditch them. Well, that is not the case. The high divorce rates are sufficient enough to nullify this assumption. Figures released from the National Center for Health Statistics found nearly half of marriages in which the bride is 18 or younger end in separation or divorce within 10 years. (Chan, 2002) Eleanor H. Ayers writes in her book, Teen Marriage, that: A girl married at 17 is twice as likely to be divorced as a girl 18 or 19. If a girl waits until she is 25 the chances that her marriage will last are 4 times better. Another reason why people marry so young may be because of religious reasons. This means having sex the right way. They figure out that if they are going to have sex then they might do it the right way by getting married. This should not be the reason for getting married. Marriage should be based on how much you love each other and not expecting something from each other. Marriages dont succeed this way. Another different reason for teen marriage would be of living in together. Teen may want to live in together before marriage but their parents may not agree to the same. This reason would sometimes encourage their parents to sign the papers for their children to get married because they fear the teens will live together anyway. Tradition and cultures in some countries have also led to teen marriage. For example, the Brahmin community in India is known to practice early marriages. In this community, a girl is searched for a suitable suitor the moment she is born. The girls family negotiates for dowry and once the girl is eleven or twelve, she is forced into early marriages to perhaps a man of forty of fifty years. This trend is however on a decline with the government passing The Child Marriage Restrain Act, 1929. Some marriages work and some dont. Todays generation live their lives differently. Many marriages between the ages of 16-21 usually dont last very long. The reason is nothing but the rush for marriage without realizing the outcomes of it. For example: When teenagers under the age of 18 get married, they are just leaving their parents care and are not accustomed t taking care of themselves such as paying bills, groceries, car insurance, etc. Money is the most common which leads to divorce among young adults. Things change when one gets married. Never rush into marriage if you are not ready otherwise the worst is the future. The happiness of the marriage may not last longer when one understands and recognizes the consequences of it. The first and the main problem that shakes a teen marriage are over money. Marriage consumes money and time of both the partners. According to an old saying, Money does not buy happiness but the fact cant be ignored that tight monetary situations could create tensions between couples. Youngsters will have to set up a home of their own and bear all the costs of running the house and taking care of the family. They generally do not like to take help from their parents as they have decided to venture out on their own. It is not easy for teens to bear all the financial expenses at such an early age, as they are not so educated to earn a lot of money. As a consequence of which teen marriage turns out to be a costly affair. Also, if one person is frugal and the other is free-spending, the conflict that arises can be extremely difficult to manage. Financial problems in a teen marriage would often lead to them staying in poverty. Living in poverty would affect the future offspring of the teenage couple. The health and psychological states of the children of teen couples would be affected. It is important to think carefully before getting into an early relationship so that such monetary problems cant destroy what could otherwise be a very beautiful relationship. Unplanned pregnancy is the most common problem that the teenagers face. Teens body is not ready for pregnancy at such a young age which may be dangerous for the mother. Brides of early marriage are at an extremely high risk for fistulas and they have a higher risk of being infected with sexually transmitted diseases and at an increased risk of chronic anemia and obesity. Francis Hosein states in his article, Relationship Teen Marriages that Some teens are having sex at an early age of 12 and becoming pregnant and having kids. He further states to imagine kids having kids and they (many of them) are having difficulty in taking responsibility for raising their children. Lack of experience in bringing up children could generate ill-feelings towards each other. Having to live on their own and with no guidance from adults can cause much strain on the young couple, who have to handle children at an early age. Young women dont do very well when raising a family. The responsibility that comes in with the birth of a new life is not tolerated by the teens. How can they be responsible for their child if they are not settled in their own lives? Another problem faced by the teenagers is that of physical and mental abuse. Physical abuse in the context of dating relationships includes punching, biting, slapping, stabbing, and any other method that one person can use to physically harm another with or without the aid of a weapon. Teens at this age are not mature enough. Immaturity often becomes a cause for a broken marriage. Lack of personal maturity can make it difficult for teenagers to handle situations. They often quarrel over petty issues, and sometimes end up in an early divorce. Lack of maturity or self confidence and trust may also lead to jealousy and anger. Jealousy becomes a sufficient reason for broken marriage. Trust is the key in any relationship. Young teen brains are still maturing and they are working through the different steps of growth. Household problems may often lead to physical abuse, which may in turn lead to an unsuccessful marriage. The next issue that they are likely to face is the problem of housing. Where are they going to live? Will they have enough money to buy or rent a house? Then the realization comes that marriage in their teens would involve the taking up of adult responsibilities and giving up the joys of youth. Teenagers lose out on fun and play by marrying early. Since they have to shoulder responsibility at an early age, they do not have time for leisure and relaxation. Emotional and psychological stress due to inexperience can create disharmony between the young couple. Handling everything on own at such an early age can be difficult and demanding. Another important problem arising out of teenage marriage is that the teens have to give up on their education after marriage. They are unable to get the time to devote for studies. They miss out on many opportunities in life on account of this. The added responsibilities of family budget deprive them of focusing on their education. Lack of education also doesnt provide teenagers with good employment opportunities. The partners would have a hard time looking for a well-paying job to support a family because of the absence of a diploma. They are not offered with high paid jobs, since their education level is low. Teenagers should take into consideration that marriage comes in with lots of responsibilities and that handling these responsibilities is not easy. Teenagers feel very grown up and decide their life on their own. They often feel marriage can strengthen their relationship and solve the problem of teenage pregnancy. It all sounds very cool, but definitely there are many problems to be faced. They would be an added burden to the society if they do not consider the implications of such an early marriage. Involving into marriage is a real adjustment and even a significant challenge for many couples. Think about yourself at 15. How much had you changed by 18? By 21? By 25? Those 10 years between 15 and 25 are so critical to learning, to development of ones self, and to life success. It is easy to see why those who attempt the giant step of marriage in the same time period may well be in for a rough road ahead. The Department of Health and Human Services is showing efforts to reduce teen pregnancies through abstinence from sex. The department initiated programs such as the abstinence education program, grants for community-based abstinence education, adolescent family life program, community coalition prevention demonstrations, and school-based prevention work groups, among others (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002). According to Christie Silvers, teens should consider some premarital counseling. This would help them take an important decision whether they should be married or not. She also states that the prospective bride and the groom should talk to other experienced teens. This would give them insight on what consequences would their marriage have. She also suggests reading teenage books as a handy solution. Teenagers do become responsible with time. They do eventually grow and change. Some will grow apart once they are older. Some will learn that they really did not love their spouse as much as they thought they did. Some may also regret the decision of getting married. The best way to deal with this problem is to wait until you are older, mature and more established in life. One doesnt want to regret the feeling of lost teen days. One should consider all the fun things that one gets to do if one marries few years later in life. Marrying young wont make one feel what its like to live by oneself or to do things with friends that one wont do as a couple. Its not necessary that teen marriage has to fail. But getting married is not a game. As a stated fact, life is tough for married teens. So its a wise decision to be taken in the end. If you enter this phase of life slowly and know what to expect, then teen marriages can be as successful as other marriages.

Interventions for Maternal and Child Health in Nepal Essay

Macro- and micro-nutrient malnutrition is a major public health problem and a key factor in determining morbidity and mortality. Its underlying determinants include poverty, education, sanitation, climate, food production, cultural norms, and accessibility and quality of health care. Pregnant women and young children are particularly at risk owing to the extra nutritional demands of rapid growth. Malnutrition is the direct cause of approximately 300,000 deaths per year (Muller & Krawinkel, 2005), and a contributing factor in over a third— 3.5 million—of all child deaths annually (Horton, 2008). These deaths are largely preventable. For infants, there is a â€Å"golden interval† for intervention from pregnancy to 2 years, during which improvements in nutritional status can have long-lasting benefits (Horton, 2008). Strong associations exist between maternal and child undernutrition and reduced adult economic productivity and other negative outcomes (Victoria et al., 2008). While Nepal has recently demonstrated progress toward improving general maternal and child health (MCH), there are still opportunities to further improve nutritional status of mothers and children. This paper examines and makes recommendations about interventions that have the potential to improve maternal and child nutritional status in Nepal. The interventions discussed in this paper address the underlying causes of nutrition-related maternal and child mortality and morbidity, as outlined by the UNICEF Conceptual framework for maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity (UNICEF, 2008), and are organized based on the period of intervention, including antenatal care, delivery care, and post-partum and early childhood care. Antenatal care: Within the antenatal period of development, maternal supplementation has been one of the most studied interventions. Evidence is strongest in support of maternal supplementation of multiple micronutrients, calcium, and iron-folic acid. Given the staggering rates of micronutrient deficiencies among pregnant Nepali women and the low cost of supplementation, maternal supplementation of multiple micronutrients, calcium and iron-folic acid is highly recommended. These micronutrients have a range of benefits, including reduction of maternal anemia, maternal mortality, pre-eclampsia, hypertension, puerperal infection, and low birthweight (LBW). This paper also examines the evidence around maternal smoking cessation interventions because of the extraordinary potential for impact of such programs in a population where smoking rates among women are high and knowledge about negative outcomes associated with smoking is low and because maternal smoking cessation appears to have not been a focus of government and other programs in Nepal. However, there is a lack Executive Summary i of solid evidence to suggest that a particular intervention to reduce maternal smoking could be both effective and efficient in developing countries. Delivery care: This paper also examines interventions during delivery that can have an impact on nutritional status. Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) play a crucial role in decreasing nenonatal and maternal mortality during delivery. They also dispense advice regarding antenatal, perinatal, and postnatal care, including nutrition and diet, breastfeeding, and immunizations. One important aspect of training for TBAs, as well as other health professionals, is the promotion of delayed umbilical cord clamping. Due to the high rates of anemia and iron deficiency in children, delayed cord clamping is a critical intervention because it is a cost-effective way to improve hematologic status, increase blood volume, and decrease anemia in infancy. Post-partum and early childhood care: Finally, nutritional interventions in the post-partum and early childhood period can reduce childhood morbidity and mortality and ensure that children are developing in a healthy way. This section of the paper focuses on the promotion of breastfeeding, infant and child vitamin A supplementation and growth monitoring and promotion (GMP). There exists decades of research showing that breastfeeding is a highly effective strategy to reduce all-cause mortality, diarrheal morbidity and mortality, and the risk of gastrointestinal infections and respiratory infections. There is a wealth of empirical data supporting the promotion of breastfeeding in developed and developing countries alike. Vitamin A supplementation for infants and young children has already been successful in Nepal, and it should remain a priority there. Vitamin A supplementation is associated with reductions in night-blindness, Bitot’s spots, xerophthalmia, and severe morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases, and when given before certain immunizations, it can enhance the immune response to the immunizations, making them more effective. Also, the use of GMP, measuring and charting the growth of children and using this information to counsel parents to motivate behaviors that promote growth, provides a cost-effective opportunity to identify growth issues before severe malnutrition manifests. For summary information on recommended interventions, refer to the one-page briefs after this Executive Summary. The interventions examined in this paper collectively have an enormous potential for impact in Nepal. At the same time, it is important to consider some of the challenges and feasibility concerns that these interventions may face. These may Executive Summary include: access to and utilization of antenatal care and other health services; the status of the health system infrastructure; financial resource availability, and cultural considerations. Also, while these recommended interventions can be successful in addressing the underlying causes of malnutrition-related morbidity and mortality, long-term solutions for improving maternal and child nutritional status must address the basic causes, such as political, economic and social conditions. While challenges and other considerations exist, the interventions recommended have the potential to make a real and lasting impact in Nepal by reducing the burden of nutrition-related morbidity and mortality. These interventions are cost-effective tools that should be central to any plan to create a bright and healthy future generation in Nepal.