Separation of Retail and Investment Banking Operations Essay

Separation of Retail and Investment Banking Operations - Essay Example The need to separate the two operations is the central focus of this paper, presenting arguments for and against the move in detail. Arguments in support of separation of retail and investment banking operations Financial crisis is not a new phenomenon for the banking sector in U.K and beyond. From time to time, economic hardships that have resulted in financial crisis have been observed around the world. Year 2008 global financial crisis adversely affected financial systems in various economies. This necessitated the need to manage risks in the financial sector, which is primarily dominated by banks. Following this and other affecting factors, regulation, control and reforming the banking sector is essential. Separation of retail and investment banking operations is a positive move to take in the context of the above pursuit. That is, regulation, control and reforming financial services providers. Separating retail and investment banks would mean that the each of the two becomes a s tandalone legal entity. It is important to note that retail banks handle short term and long term payments, accept deposits and offer credit services by lending funds (De Jonghe, 2010, p. 387). On the other hand, investment banks primarily deal with financial instruments. In this regard, they are also referred to as casino banks. With the separation, it would mean that adverse effects experienced by either of the banks would hardly affect the other. That is to say that if the investment banking operations experience huge losses, the resultant negative effects would hardly affect retail banking operations especially deposits. Splitting the retail and investment banking operations is an activity that would bring forth intensive regulatory frameworks in a bid to achieve the desired outcome. The regulatory frame work adopted would be one that addresses each of the two banks as a unit independent of the other. In the situation of financial hardships, the retail banking sector would recei ve the attention of both the government and the taxpayers. The investment banking sector on the other hand would be accounted for by shareholders and investors in the same context. As a result, the adverse effects of financial crisis can neither be transferred to the retail bankers nor the government when the investment banking sector is affected. Investment banks engage in highly risky financial instruments (Upper, 2007, p.64). Tax revenues are normally used to back banking operations with or without operational risks. However, separating retail and investment banking operations would ensure that the taxpayers’ money only backs retail banking operations. The involvement of investment banks in risky financial instruments and related activities would therefore not constitute any financial burden to the taxpayers. Over and above the alleviation of financial burdens to taxpayers in times of financial crisis, individual customers to both retail and investment banks would be at an advantage. In absence of the separation, deposits in retail banks are highly influenced by investment activities. This is more so if different parts of the same bank handles both retail and investment banking operations. With the separation, the opposite of this scenario is true. However, lending risks are inevitable, but they are relatively easy to address (Modigliani and Miller, 1958, p.261–

Big data technology optimizes and stores the user generated data in Essay

Big data technology optimizes and stores the user generated data in exabytes using the distributed backup mechanism which significantly increases the performance and storage space in the software industry - Essay Example In recognition of the magnitude of the problems involved in the management of big data, many companies are investing considerable amounts of money in researching better methods of big data management. These companies seek reliable ways of organizing, storing and managing their machine, user and application data, which is rapidly growing in size to exabytes and petabytes. The volumes of big data are considerably large, such that many organizations find it difficult to process, store and access the data they need using the traditional databases and systems of storage (BVT, n.d.). Further complexity comes about in the now common scenario, where companies dispatch teams to different places around the world, yet the nature of their work requires them to collaborate on the same data since they are involved in the same project. This highlights the need for data solutions that allow these companies to change, add, check in content and modify them without creating problems for other employees within the organization (Kumar, 2012). Conventional systems of storage typically require revision of the systems or tech refreshes every three years (sometimes four) so that the company can keep up with new requirements and growth. This, in many instances, requires expensive and disruptive data migrations, replacement of void storage capacity and regular upgrades of software licenses (Leavitt, 2013). This paper looks into how companies use big data technology to store data generated by users in exabytes by making use of the distributed backup method. The distributed backup method of storage provides companies with the opportunity to store more data in a scalable way across storage node networks. It is imperative to note that the main purpose of backing up data is so that an organization can have at least a copy of what may the company may consider as important. In the event that there is a failure in the storage systems within an organization,

How does faulkner portray the south book as i lay dying Essay

How does faulkner portray the south book as i lay dying - Essay Example In this novel, â€Å"William Faulkner portrays all of his themes in the actual human drama of the South† (Faulkner) the lack of communication, the poverty; ignorance and alienation are clearly engrained in the fabric of â€Å"As I Lay Dying.† Throughout the novel, the theme of lack of communication and alienations are the key factors for each and every character. The very nature of existing side by side with people is to communicate with each other for a better understanding. Lack of communication is one of the most common universal problems shown in As I Lay Dying. In the novel the characters methods of communicating with each other are many and vary. In most cases it depends on the characters relationships with one another. The characters do not communicate effectively with one another which lead to many confusion heartache and alienation. In the novel, the characters don’t always communicate with words, but they sometimes communicate through unspoken words. The communication between Dewey and Darl is often unspoken yet powerful. Yet part of Dewey Dell hates for this closeness: "And thats why I can talk to him with knowing with hating because he knows" (Faulkner 23). Darl feels that the words which he speaks, an d yet words, his words, can be seen as â€Å"†¦just a shape to fill a lack†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Faulkner 172) with the lack of communications, the characters can only guess at the motivations, beliefs, and feelings of others. This results in misunderstandings and alienation with each other. As a result of this communication gap, the Bundren family lives an alienated life from each other. In his interview in 1959 Faulkner said about his character, "His tragedy is the impossibility-or at least the tremendous difficulty-of communication. But man keeps on trying endlessly to express himself and make contact with other human beings" (Faulkner). In the novel, Faulkner depicts the harsh reality of living in the south with empathy and grace but,

Basic Assessment of a Cuban American with limited English proficiency Assignment

Basic Assessment of a Cuban American with limited English proficiency - Assignment Example Here, the nurse might face linguistic difficulties because they speak different languages. Whereas the nurse speaks English, the patient does not even understand it. For a nurse to deal with such a situation, they need to be patient, understanding and tolerant. Besides, they should sharpen their communication skills. Meaning, they should not shun away the patient, but look for an interpreter to intervene. It would be advisable to incorporate the intervention of an interpreter as it would facilitate the communication process between the nurse and the patient. It is only through effective communication that the nurse would manage to interact with, listen to and understand the patient before offering any required services. Communication is a paramount activity in the nursing profession. When it is effectively done, the nurse would definitely involve the patient in the treatment process as they offer benevolent

Poetry Comparison Compare Blakes London and Wordsworths Composed upon Westminster Bridge Essay Example for Free

Poetry Comparison Compare Blakes London and Wordsworths Composed upon Westminster Bridge Essay The two poems London and Composed upon Westminster Bride, offer differing views on the city of London. Blake presents London as lifeless, dismal and monotonous, whereas Wordsworths London is very different. He feels it as beautiful, magnificent and exciting. Blakes poem consists of four different stanzas all of equal length. This gives a sense of order and regularity. This demonstrates that the people of London live a controlled life, which has no variety. Blake uses repetition, which gives a sense of anguish, And mark in every face I meet, Marks of weakness, Marks of woe. This stresses the tedious pace of life. Blake also shows that the people of London are trapped in themselves, In every voice, in every man, the mind forged manacles I hear. This demonstrates that the people of London cannot express themselves as they are trapped in their own minds. Blakes London shows the poets anger towards some members of the community. Blake blackens the city by painting images of child labour, how the chimney sweepers cry; every blackening church appals. This shows that the church is a hypocrite as they are using chimneysweepers themselves. Blake also dislikes the rich aristocrats by describing how the hapless sigh, runs in blood down the palace walls. This emphasises that the poor work very hard and fight pointless battles while the rich reap the rewards and benefits. In stanza four Blake paints a disgusting picture of prostitution, the youthful harlots curse, blasts the newborn infants ear, this tells the reader that prostitution leads to disease and plagues, many unwanted. Married men spilt up with their wives. Prostitutes have children, so the cycle continues for years. Blake combines ideas of marriage and hearse, this to show that the life cycle for people in London is death and suffering. Also Blake horrifies the reader by using different sounds to describe the feelings of people who live in London. He describes moans and cries to show the reader the depression of the people in London. The city of London is full of sorrow for every man and every infant every cry of every man, in every infants cry of fear. Also it is very negative and everyone feels depressed harlots curse soldiers sigh. Blake intensifies this gloomy atmosphere further, by using iambic meter in his poem. The use of iambic meter and an (ABAB) rhyming scheme for example streetflowmeetwoe, illerates to the reader how monotonous everyday life in London is, I wandered though each chartered street. The fact that Blake is wandering through London suggests that the city is boring and has no aims or direction. The reader can work out that Blake is blaming his apathy on the city itself and perhaps it is Londons fault that the population has marks of woe. Blakes poem is clearly written about life in the slums of London, while Wordsworth, in his sonnet Composed Upon Westminster Bridge focuses on a more general way on the majesty and splendour of London. Wordsworth was a nature lover who normally didnt like the cities but in the early morning he sees something wonderful and glorious about London. Wordsworth realises that this moment is only temporary never did the sun more beautifully steep in his first splendour, valley, rock or hill. It was pollution less city bright and splendid. Nothing evil dark or dismal like Blakes London. This city now doth like a garment wear, it demonstrates that it is an out of this world experience. He personifies the city, bringing it to life, in order to show how this is a transient moment. Wordsworth also respects the city for its beautiful buildings, unlike Blake who sees it as a city of degraded humanity noting the harlots curse. Wordsworth sees many beautiful towers, domes, theatres and temples open into the fields and to the skys. This shows the stillness and emptiness. This is a laying affect to show that man made objects can be as good as nature, unlike Blake who sees misery. Wordsworth uses a very calm and tranquil tone to describe London. This poem is written in the firm pentrarchian sonnet, with iambic pentameter utilises an (ABBA, ABBA, CDCD) rhyme scheme unlike Blakes continuous (ABAB) rhyme scheme. This creates an unhurried pace with a peaceful mood lacking the intensity of Blakes poem. It also provides a slow pace to take in the beauty of London in the early morning. Wordsworths surprise at the beauty of London is seen when he directly addresses Dear God! Using an exclamation mark, Wordsworth address God twice to stress his personal reaction to Londons beauty-he wants the reader to see the awe of London, the exclamation mark stresses the shocked pleasure by his reaction. The mighty heart demonstrates that the people are the heart of the city-sees London as alive and living part of city working together. Wordsworth values people, as they are the centre point of London. Wordsworth tries to tell the reader that the Thames is working in harmony with the rest of the city. However, although the imagery of London Blake creates through its depressed state and every cry of every man. In my opinion I prefer Wordsworths poem Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, because he uses personification and makes the city feel beautiful. He states how dull of soul anyone would be if they didnt admire the beauty of London in the early morning. The way Wordsworth describes the cities buildings has a positive effect on the poem and this is why I prefer Composed Upon Westminster Bridge.

Global population aging trends and issues

Global population aging trends and issues Population aging, as a global issue, has become increasingly important in these few decades. Regarding to this issue, the U.S. State Department and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has hosted a report named Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective in March 15, 2007. This report covered nine trends related to population aging which present a snapshot of challenges and opportunities showing why population aging matters. In which the first five trends describe the global demographic changes in recent years and the last four trends show the challenges and opportunities that caused by population aging. We appreciate the effort of the authors in raising global awareness. Every report, however, have strengthens and limitations. By arguing with some points mentioned in the report, we try to perfect it by replenishing it with more information. Methodology Aimed at raising public awareness about global aging problems, encouraging more cross-nation scientific research and international studies and stimulating biochemical, economic, behavioral and political dialogues, this report used plenty of statistics to show the impacts of population aging on nations. To show the whole picture of the global issue, the researchers did not conduct interviews and solicit the statistics by themselves; rather, they gathered the existing data from different part of the world. Generally, these data are from the United Nations, US Census Bureau, and the Statistical Office of the European Communities as well as some regional surveys. Summary of the report Trend 1 The overall population is aging According to the research done by United nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the global percentage of young children is decreasing while the percentage of older people increases sharply especially in the coming decades. In around 2017, older people will outnumber young children in estimation. In 2006, almost 500 million people are older people, who share 8% of global population, and it is expected that the number will increase to 1 billion in 2030. Besides, the speed of population aging is higher in developing countries than in developed countries. For example, France, as a developed country, has taken 115years for the proportion of the older people to increase 7%. However, in some developing countries like Singapore, 19 years is enough to reach the same rate. Population aging is a global trend in which the degree of development of the countries affects the rate of it. Trend 2 Life expectancy is increasing Change in Life expectancy reflects a health transition which is characterized by many changes including a shift from high to low fertility, a steady increase in life expectancy at birth and at older ages and a shift from the predominance of infectious and parasitic diseases to the growing impact of non-communicable diseases and chronic conditions. Some scientific research shows that the human survival curve in both women and men shifted upward. The life expectancy at birth has increased from 45years in 1950 to more than 79 years today. It implies that the life expectancy increases in every single age and deaths are highly concentrated at older ages. Trend 3 The number of oldest old is rising People aged 85 or about are defined as the oldest old. Currently, the oldest old constitutes 7% of the worlds 65- and-over population, in which 10 % was in more developed countries and 5% was in less developed countries. On a global level, the 85-and-over population is projected to increase 151% between 2005 and 2030.More than half of the worlds oldest old live in China, the United States, India, Japan, Germany, and Russia. Living from birth to age 100 may have risen from 1 in 20 million to 1 in 50 by 2030 for females in low-mortality nation, say, Japan, in estimation. Trend 4 Non-communicable diseases are becoming a growing burden There is an epidemiological transition that the non-communicable diseases have become the focus in light of global aging. In the past, a large number of people were killed by infectious and parasitic disease. However, non- communicable and chronic diseases are the major cause of death in both developed and developing countries nowadays. Regarding to this trend, there are three elaborations of the situation: 1) Compression of morbidity decrease in disability as life expectancy increases; 2) expansion of morbidity increase in disability as life expectancy increases; and 3) decrease in severe disability but increase in milder chronic disease. With the increase in life expectancy in general and the non-correspondent disability rate in different countries, it requires more studies and research to see which elaboration offers a better explanation of the real situation Trend 5 Aging and population decline Simultaneous population aging and population decline are happening in some countries. Where the global population is aging, more than 20 countries are projected to experience population declines in the upcoming decades. A research done by U.S. Census Bureau shows that Russias population declines the most rapidly (-18 millions) between 2006 and 2030. Following is Japan. The projected population decline in Japan is 11 millions between 2006 and 2030. Trend 6 Changing family structure In trend 6, it is about the world trend of changing family structure. Low fertility rate means older people have less family care and support. Family structure is change from nuclear or extended family change to other types e.g. divorce, remarriage, non marriage, voluntarily childless. Many people are living alone in older age. According to the reading, in some European countries, more than 40 percent of women age 65 and older live alone. And the diagram also show the trend in Japan, the older people living alone have growing faster in 1960-2000. Therefore, the cost of long-term care is a burden to families and society. Trend 7 Shifting patterns of work and retirement People tend to work at older ages. From the figure, we can see the European employment rate at age 55-64 have clear increase during 1994-2005. Beginning in the 1990s, a workforce participation rate for older women has been a steady increase. That means women have ability to accumulate and control economic resources in older age. But the job types of elderly are from full-time job changing to part-time job or transition job. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), life expectancy has increased and the retirement ages have decreased. In 1960, men on average could expect to spend 46 years in the workforce. In 1995, the number of years in the workforce had decreased to 37. Therefore, if we want to increase workforce, we should set up a high retirement age to maintain enough workforce in the market. Trend 8 Evolving Social insurance systems As the situation of population ageing, the increasing pension expenditure. According to our readings 25 EU countries consumed one-eighth of gross domestic product in 2003. Many countries reform their old-age social insurance programs. For example, Japan rose the pension age: mens pension age from 60 to 65, women from 57 to 65. In order to support the economic security, some government Increase tax rate on workers e.g. Twenty-four Europe countries now have payroll tax rates that equal or exceed 20 percent of wages.(P.21) Trend 9 Emerging economic challenges It says that population ageing is affecting on local and global economies. Therefore many countries have some social programs that are target to the older population- principally health care and income support programs. 1) Fully fund program: This describes a superannuation fund whose assets are sufficient to meet all the funds liabilities 2) Pay-as-you-go system: A method of paying income tax in which the employer deducts a portion of an employees monthly salary to remit to the IRS. On the other hand, we should be concern is high level of population aging, labor force tends to decline. That make government need high tax rate to solve the problem of growing older populations. The tax burden may discourage future workforce participation. Overall review Significance of themes Population aging is a global issue that can affect many parts of our society in the sense that it takes parts in the changes and adjustment in the economy, labor force, medical system, residential issues, continued development etc. It is important and meaningful for us, the people, to realize the effects it may bring. Though population aging is a global trend, there are only a few governments had taken actions to plan for the long term and tackle the possible challenges that may soon happen in their societies. Clearly, more research and policies are needed regarding to this problem. Raising global awareness regarding to the population aging issue is significant. Use of data In this report, many statistics are used to illustrate the trends. However, as a report talking about the global situation, we expect the data should provide us with the whole picture of the world. Since the data are not collected for the sake of supporting this report, some data are not general enough to explain the global situation. Say for example, when illustrating the increases in life expectancy in every age, data of white female survival in the US between 1901 2003 is used. Yet, the situation in the US, a developed country, may differ from other developing countries. Race and sexual difference may also lead to different outcome. In-depth review Population aging is driven by declines in fertility and improvement in health and longevity.  [1]   This statement is partially right. It is true that population ageing arises from increased longevity and decreased fertility. An increase in longevity rises the average age of the population by increasing the numbers of surviving older people and a decline in fertility reduces the size of the most recent birth cohorts relative to the previous birth cohorts, hence reducing the size of the youngest age groups relative to that of the older ones. Apart form these, migration, as another demographic effect, also contributes to population aging. Thought immigration usually slows down population aging, for example the women holders of One-way Permit in Hong Kong are likely to be younger and have more children, the other types of migration tend to worsen the situation that the immigration may not make up for the population aging. Obviously, emigration of working-age adults fastens population aging especially in some Caribbean nations. These people migrate for career development or for money, so they tend not to have or have fewer children. There is also immigration of elderly retirees from other countries. Return migration of former emigrants who are above the average population age is common in some region. It is estimated that migration will have a more prominent role in population aging in the future, particularly in low-fertility countries with stable or declining population size. The effects of migration on population aging are usually stronger in smaller populations, because of higher relative weight of migrants in such populations.  [2]   Non-married women are less likely than non married men to have accumulated assets and pension wealth for use in older age.  [3]   We agree with the statement because we find some support from studies. In the table from Health and Retirement Study Wave 1(1992), it shows that the total wealth of non married men is $191,836 and the total wealth of non married women is $157,098. And a finding of the International Longevity Center-USA, it found that unemployment of women who are in the labor force: in 1993 the rate was 24% for women compared with 8% for men.(ILC-USA, 2002) The high rate of economic activity for older men may make low level of old-age pensions. Preparing financially for longer lives and finding ways to reduce aging-related disability should become national and global priorities.  [4]   As suggested in trend 6 to 9, it is true that population aging leads to great challenges and demands for changes and adjustments in policy making. Financial preparation and improvement in reducing aging-related disability are important as the large number of old population will definitely increase the burden of the economy as well as the social insurance system. However, in tackling aging problems, we consider other aspects as the same important as the two mentioned in the report. Firstly, increase fertility is fundamentally important to deal with aging population. As it is rather impossible to shorten people life expectancy and disallow people to migrate due to econ reason, increasing fertility rate seems to be the only feasible way to deal with aging population; in which subsidized child care and childcare leave are possible ways to increase fertility. Subsidized child care enables women to combine work and family. When comparing the levels of womens labor-force participation and family size country by country, Daly, an economist, found that in societies that made it easier for women to combine paid employment with children Sweden, for example the rate of womens employment and the birth rate were both high. Also, High employment rates for women would also help countries with aging populations cope with a shortage of workers  [5]  . Moreover, baby bonus and childcare leave can also boost fertility. Parents in those countries who can get more help from the government will have relatively high fertility rates. Consider the experience in France. Pregnant women has at least 16 weeks of mandatory, paid maternity leave, as well as guaranteed job security and get a monthly stipend of up to 1,000 euros for a year if she has the third child. The fertility rates of those countries which practice these policies for decades are approaching 2.1, roughly the point where a population can sustain itself without immigration  [6]  . Secondary, for the problem of elderly living alone, we think that consolidating the traditional value of Filial piety is rather important. In the table below, we can see most of older people are living with children or grandchildren in Asian country. However, older people who are living with children or grandchildren are three times more compared to Europe and North America. Asian country can have such result because they have strong value of Filial piety. Such as China, they have strong confusion value that adult children may think take care of the older parents is their responsibilities and they do not think living with elderly is burden. Because elderly not only is care receiver but also can be the care giver. Nevertheless, adjustments in policy that favorable to longer working life are also the way out. Population ageing is a burden of government in the sense that it increases the pension expenditure and decreases the supply of labor force. It may lower the economy growth of the country. For that reason, increase the pension age is a good suggestion to tackle the aging problem. Elderly also have their ability to work. We can see the example of Singapore. The Minister for Manpower in Singapore wants to encourage older workers to stay active: 1) to remain at work to pay for a more comfortable retirement 2) to ease financial strains on the government 3) to ease strains of reducing younger workforce. As a result, the retirement age in Singapore increased to 62, . According to preliminary results from Ministry of Manpowers comprehensive mid-year Labor Force Survey, the employment rate for older residents aged 55 to 64 in Singapore is 57.2%, said Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Manpower. Therefore, the employment rate for older men in Singapore has increased from 73.8% to 74.7% in 2008 to 2009. After increase the pension age, the supply of workforce will increase and the pension expenditure of government will decrease. Supplementary information As we know that, as other parts of the world, population aging becomes serious in recent decades in Hong Kong. We provide the below information about Hong Kongs welfare provision towards the elderly as supplement of the report in hope of that more people, including the government, can aware of the aging trend happened in our society and take active roles in planning our future. According to the social welfare department, there is about 60% of elderly who are receiving CSSA. It is a burden of Hong Kong economy. As the World Bank published the report Averting the Old-Age Crisis: Policies to Protect the Old and Promote Growth. Therefore, the government provides some scheme to solve the problem. They are the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), the Universal Retirement Protection Scheme and the Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme (MPF) respectively. In the following, a slight discussion will be provided in comparing these social insurance schemes. Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) is the layer of social safety net. Nowadays, People seem to more relay on the safety net because we see the increasing tend on application. The value of Hong Kong people had changed, people try to fight for more welfare from the government. And people think that government had the responsibility to care of the elderly. So the government spending on CSSA is higher in these years and she need to concern. Universal Retirement Protection Scheme is a retirement fund that can cover the basic spending of the retirement life. In case of many poor elderly in Hong Kong, Legislative Council urges the Government to set up a sustainable universal retirement protection scheme, so that all senior citizens can enjoy financial security to maintain a basic standard of living immediately after retirement. proposed by Hon Lee Cheuk-yan. But this scheme may be a burden of Hong Kong government. Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes (MPF) is a financial security system to protect the working population in their retirement years. After the implementation of MPF, around 87% of the total employers are now covered under retirement schemes. However, it cannot solve the problem immediately because the scheme is only practice for a few years, the fund may not have enough financial support for the elderly and the cumulative of the fund highly depends on the employees salary and whether the investment program can receive a good return. Therefore it has limitations that may not be able to protect all people after retirement. Conclusion: To conclude, the nine trends suggested in the report are significant in the sense that a global perspective is useful for us to understand the challenges and opportunities brought by population aging. However, we think that both of the method of data collection and the content of the report are to general that may ignore many parts in illustrations. We argue some points mentioned in the report by providing more information regarding to the issue. Moreover, we think the views on population aging held in the report are a bit negative. Actually, older people have ability to contribute to the society by involving in social service. For example, Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) announced that there are more than 135,000 new volunteers in America last year. Last but not least, the report only pointed out the trends without many suggestions and solutions to the problems. It is hope that more international studies can be done to determine the best ways to address the situation before it is too late.

Teenage pregnancy in Europe

Teenage pregnancy in Europe Compare and contrast how two named health care systems deal with one specific health issues. The aim of this assignment is to choose two countries, and compare and contrast how these two countries deal one specific health issue. One country has to have a good rate of the health issues and the other one has to have a bad rate of the same health issue. The two countries that this assignment chooses to about talk are the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and the health issue that is going to be concentrated on is teenage pregnancy. This assignment will focus on comparing how both countries are tackling teenage pregnancy, the assignment will also talk about the amount of money both countries spend on sex education, also if teenage pregnancy has always been a problem, if both countries raise effective awareness on conceptions and etc, furthermore this essay will discuss about why teenage pregnancy is good in Holland and why the rates of teenage pregnancy keeps on going up in the United Kingdom. Introduction The reason why this topic is being explored is because the United Kingdom always seems to have a high rate in teenage pregnancy in Europe, and in countries like Netherlands teenage pregnancy always seems to be low. Therefore it will be good to compare these two countries and see why one country has a good rate of teenage pregnancy and why the other one has a terrible rate of teenage pregnancy, this can help understand where the united kingdom is going wrong for them to be always having a high rate in teenage pregnancy, and maybe they can see what the Netherlander do to prevent having such high rates of teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is a contemporary health issue because the cost of teenage pregnancy is shocking. Teenagers who end up getting pregnant are less likely to complete secondary school, they are also less likely to get married, and also they normally end up going on benefits, when their children are born they dont really have a good health, their cognitive development is normally slow, and they always tend to have behavioural problems. Being a teenage parent sometimes comes with its own consequences such experiencing mental health problems, sometimes if the teenage mother is not getting any support from family and friends, they feel isolated and they always tend to find it hard to cope, so they start getting stressed out, having a low self esteem, feeling anxiety and depressed which can lead to mental health. Teenage mothers that end up getting pregnant always tend to come from a lower working class, and living in deprived areas, and they always tend to have their second child quickly, this causes more stress on their well being, because they might be struggling with finance. Main body The United Kingdom has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy across Europe, and whereas the Netherlands have one of the lowest teenage pregnancy rate. The reasons why the Netherland have such a low rate of teenage pregnancy could be because they are more opened to talk about sex with their children then parents and schools in the United Kingdom. The Netherland have a low rate of teenage pregnancy because they do sex education in schools, and parents normally have open talk sex with children, and adverts on televisions on how to prevent getting pregnant. The United Kingdom and the Netherlanders sex education are similar, but there are also differences between the two countries on how and what they teach about sex education. The reason why the Netherlands sex education is more effective than the United Kingdoms one is that, the Netherlander tell there children how to protect themselves from STIs and unwanted pregnancy and how to avoid risky sexual behaviour, and when and how to use contraceptives. Whereas in the United Kingdom instead of teaching teenagers how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and how to prevent pregnancy, they promote more on how they should not be having sex. Sex education in the UK is called (PSHE) and in Netherland they call it (CARE). (Hardy, J.B. and Zabin L.S. 1991) believe that sex education is less controversial in the Netherlands, mainly at political level, and there society is more open when it comes to issues about sex, but people sometimes tend to mistake their openness for permissiveness. Studies believe that there is a political opposition to sex education from the smaller Christian parties in Netherlands; Politicians have the tendency to pass the issue over to professional sex educators, whereas in the United Kingdom the politics of sex education have been unfavourable, with major discussions about taking place over legislation passed in 1986, 1988, and 2000. Some politicians and families believe that sex education in schools is too explicit and it promotes homosexuality, and doing sex education in schools causes teenage pregnancy rather than prevent it. This can be argued that having sex education in school does not promote or encourage teenagers to get pregnant, because by having sex education in school, teachers are informing teens how to avoid risky sexual behaviour and they are also teaching them how to use contraceptives correctly, and also by teaching them about sex they will know how to protect themselves, also they will be aware of the consequences of having one or more children at a young age. Teenagers who get pregnant at an early age tend to come from poorer backgrounds and from areas that are high with unemployment rates, daughters of teenager mothers, which always ends up being a vicious circle, and also young people that are in care. Being under age and pregnant cost the British government  £166,000 to raise a child until they reach their 21st birthday. 90 per cent of teenage mothers rely on benefits in order for them to survive. The British public fund course that cost around  £100,000 that allows young teenage mothers as young as 14 to take these courses, this course is about helping them to be writing things up like CV, and teaching them the dangers of smoking whilst pregnant, and by them attending these courses they get paid  £30 a week, and if they finish the 16 week course without missing any lessons they get  £100 bonus. This could be argued that all the money that they are spending on these young mothers to do these courses could go towards trying to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy. The British government are working towards their target of reducing the rate of teenage pregnancy by 2010. Their aim is to make sex education compulsory in all schools both in primary and secondary schools like in Netherlands, and to be going more in details about sex education, this will include teachers talking about contraception and relationship issues. The British government seems to be following the Netherlands footsteps in the way they approach sex education, with openness about sex from a younger age. The reason why the British government wants to follow the Netherlands approach is because the Dutch children get taught about relationships from an early age, so they get comfortable as time goes by with talking about sex and contraception, so by the time that they are ready to be having sexual intercourse with the opposite they will know how to use contraception in order to avoid pregnancy and STIs, and this will have a good impact on the country, because they will be a low rate of teenage pregnancy, so if the British government following these approaches, it could work for them also by having a low rate of teenage pregnancy across Europe. Although this kind of approach could be argue that it is encouraging young people to have sex, but statistics in Netherlands stated that there are fewer teenage pregnancies and the age that most young people in Netherland first have sex is higher than in most other developed countries. Another way the British government is trying to tackle with teenage pregnancy is adverting young people to be responsible about sex and contraception on televisions, radios, internets and billboards. These kinds of promotions can be a good thing, because some young people might feel comfortable to be talking about sex amongst their peers, and these advertisements may even encourage some teenagers to talk about sex issues with their parents. Even though some people might argue that advertising sex and contraception will not solve teenage pregnancy, but it can be argued that it will not make the situation any worse, and these advertisements could be a break through towards teenage pregnancy, because some young people might think about their actions and use contraception more sensibly, because they have a knowledge of what the consequences are of not using contraception can lead to. As we already know the United Kingdom has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy across Europe. Figures have shown that during 1996 there were 44,000 that gave birth below the age of 20, which signified around 7 per cent of all births in Britain. The birth rate was 29.8 per 1000 women aged 15 to 19 years, compare with 65.5 per 1000 for women aged 20-24 years. This could be argued That in order to reduce such figures government should concentrate more on sex education in schools. Teenage pregnancy in Britain is usually identified as a problem for society, According to (Peckham, S.1993) stated that reports of medical, financial and social problems for mothers and children following teenage pregnancy, is linked with sex and education, and suggest how they should both be improved. teenage pregnancy rates in the Netherlands have always being low due to the high quality, explicit and early sex education in both primary and secondary schools. (Dr Loon 2003) believes that sex education in the Netherlands starts at younger age then The UK, its also more explicit, he also stated that the Netherlands are more Independent than the United Kingdom and parents and the government in the Netherlands have more power over what is being taught at school and also their Influence of church helps a lot. This can be argued that there is a huge difference in A way both countries approach sex education overall. The awareness of teenage pregnancy is more effective in the Netherlands, than the United Kingdom, because they start talking to children about sex at the age of 11, parents talk to the children about as well, so from a young age they know about sex, and they know what they consequences are of having sex are, and even if they are ready to be having sexual intercourse they know how to protect themselves from getting pregnant and STIs because they have being teaching them how to use contraception from schools, parents and media. Whereas the message is not really effective in the United Kingdom, even though the kind of messages that both countries is kind of similar, but one is more out there than the other, that why works more. The UK provide the correct information about the risks associated with sexual activity the also talk about contraception and birth control, and how to avoid Intercourse, they also focus on reducing specific risky behaviours. They dont really promote safe sex on televisions as much as the Netherlands does, or start sex education at an early age. But recently the UK has started advertising safe sex on televisions and radios. Research have shown that about 93 per of young people in the Netherlands use contraception, whereas in the UK 53 per cent of young people use contraception. This could be because in Netherland they give out the message more about safe sex in schools, homes, and media than in Britain. Studies shown that teenagers in both countries found that boys and girls in the Netherlands gave love to each other, as one of the main reasons of losing their virginity, and boys in the UK do it because they are getting peer pressure. Teenagers in the Netherlands are obviously doing it for the right reason and they are having sexual intercourse they probably feel they are ready, but they are being responsible by taking the percussions needed, because adults like teachers and parents have being telling them about safe sex from an early age, and they understand the consequences of what will happen if they dont take the right percussions needed. And some teenagers in Britain dont know or understand the consequences of safe sex, because they dont talk about sex at home, and at school the message that they send the most in sex education is dont have sex, and obliviously by telling young people not to have sex, they are more likely to do it, so its better off telling them what percussions to take when they feel like they need to starts having sexual intercourse with opposite sex. Conclusion In conclusion this essay has found out why The United Kingdom has a bad rate of teenage pregnancy and why the Netherlands have a good rate of teenage pregnancy. They reason why the UK has a bad rate of teenage pregnancy, its because they dont really talk about sex and contraction, you see they dont feel comfortable talking to their children and student about sex and contraception, so in order for them not to talk about it they just tell the young people not to have sex, instead of telling them about it and how to use contractions and where to go and get it from. They just promote by telling them they are not allow to have sex, whereas in the Netherlands they are more open about telling their children about sex and contraception, and also there children are taught sex education at an early age, unlike in the United Kingdom. The UK is working towards halving the teenage pregnancy rate by 2010, by following the approaches that the Netherlands use, by starting sex education at an early age, obliviously at age that they feel is right for the children, talking about sex and using contraception more, than promoting young people not to be having sex, also promoting using contraceptions on television, radios, internet, and on billboards. By doing is it can eventually make a change towards teenage pregnancy rate in the United Kingdom. Word Count 2, 464