Lafarge Tarmac Essay

Task One 1.1 Strategic context of Lafarge Tarmac Introduction When it comes to the construction business there are two main things that come in mind noise and risks along with the high costs and professional skills. However there are some construction companies in the world that are committed to their work so much that they have found a way to do the construction in a sustainable and environmental friendly way. United Kingdom is one of finest constructed countries in the world on a macro level, and the construction companies of the UK are also very good at their work. Lafarge Tarmac is one of those names in the United Kingdom which are not for their dedication for the construction business (Lafarge, 2014). Lafarge Tarmac follows a very simple strategy make a goal and follow the direction as per the strategy in order to achieve it and remove any difficulty that comes in that way. The company is well known in the entire United Kingdom for their role in construction business. The company joined forces in the year 2013 to be an Ultimate Solution co mpany for the entire construction sector (lafargetarmac.com, 2014). Basic vision of the company is very simple and dedicated to the sustainability, along with the great dedication to the safety on the construction sites. The values of the company are very diverse but united under a common set (lafargetarmac.com, 2014). Role of strategy is very important part of the business cycle. As per the annual report of the Lafarge tarmac for the year 2013 the company stated very clearly that safety is their uttermost priority and they will focus on the safety before anything even before profits and revenue. The commitment of the company is to improve the health in the construction sector continuously by doing right things in a right way at right time. Along with the health the company is also involved with the improvement of the construction company’s performance towards the environment. Lafarge Tarmac is registered under various acts and it is their duty to maintain the standards of those acts and to make sure that all the companies they work with also follow their respective standards (Lafarge, 2014). Visions, Objectives and Goals of the company As per the marketing of the Lafarge Tarmac the company has very simple vision  that is to understand the needs of the customers and make sure that the customers get the same goods and services as they require, in order to achieve the target as per the vision of the company, the employees at the company works at their highest level, however there are some other visions of the company as well. One vision of Lafarge Tarmac is dedicated to the safety of the people at the construction sites, as per the health and safety of the company the goal of the company is to operate in such a way that it becomes a zero harm business (lafargetarmac.com, 2014). If under any case the harmful situation arises the workforce of the company is always willing to tackle it and do not walk by under any circumstances. The other objective of the company is to protect the environment, the basic vision of the companies for this is to operate in such a way that the environment get least affected due to the opera tions of the company. The company tries to prevent pollution during the construction activities and improvement in the field by any means. In case the company needs to be defined in one word Lafarge Tarmac will be known as the sustainable and sustainability is what they operate for as per the objectives of the company (lafargetarmac.com, 2014). 1.2 Issues in Strategic Planning at Lafarge Tarmac Planning is the basic duty of the manager as no activity can be done without doing a proper planning. However there are some issues for the managers during the planning processes and setting up the targets of the organization (James, n.d.). The targets for the Lafarge Tarmac are very different from any other construction company in the United Kingdom as unlike Lafarge Tarmac almost 80 percent of the construction companies just do their tasks and do not take the safety and environment as their responsibility at all. During the strategic planning of the Lafarge Tarmac the environment of the operative area is analyzed very thoroughly and plans are made according to the results. Being a construction solution provider it is also a responsibility for the company to be updated about any new technology that can improve the construction in an eco friendly manner (lafargetarmac.com, 2014). The Thinking of the company’s managers is also very important as the needs of the customers of the company are different the company will also have to make the strategy in such a way so that it can keep the advantage point to itself in the market. In order to formulate the strategic plan the  Matrix given by the Ansoff is a great tool. According to the matrix the strategy can be made by performing four activities (James, n.d.). Market penetration is done for understanding the needs of the customers and tries to grow its existing roots in the market. Lafarge tarmac has used this technique as they have tried over and over to give the best product and services by improving their products. Market Development on the other hand is done in order to enter the new markets and expand the business. Lafarge Tarmac is one of the largest construction solution providers in the United Kingdom and they have tried to reach the customers by opening up the branches in almost every part of the UK. Product Development is done for growing in the existing markets by introducing the new products and services or by re-launching the existing products and services with increased performance. One of the best example for the Lafarge Tarmac is instead of a long and lengthy process at the construction site they came up with readymade concretes th at are buy ready to be used in construction. Diversification is done to introduce in the new offers in the market. It is very important and risky stage for any company as in order to do this all three activities of the matrix needs to be done properly in order to perform the diversification. Lafarge Tarmac was started by making a deal among the American Anglo and Lafarge for the construction material supplier but now the company has made the deal with the other companies as well and soon it will be the largest producer of the cement in the world. Portfolio analysis is also an issue for the manager while making strategies for the organizations as the growth rate of the construction market is constantly changing in the market and the rate for the Lafarge Tarmac is very constant. One other major issue for the company is to decide as what kind of plan needs to be made by the organizations as there are different kind of plans like upside down plan, top down plan, bottom up plan, informal plan and every other plan in the book. However the mangers of the Lafarge Tarmac came up with something new which was a combination of every aforesaid plan. 1.3 Planning Techniques in context with Lafarge Tarmac There are many techniques that can be used by the Lafarge Tarmac in order to develop their strategic plan the following are few tools that can be used by the organization. Directional Policy Matrix According to this tool of strategy formulation there are two elements that are important for the strategy formulation, first is the position of the business in the market, which is also known as the capability of the market, broadly the company can be defined as weak, average or strong in the market (McDermott, 2014). The other element is the position of the sector under which the business is involved which can be categorized as Unattractive, average or attractive and the strategy can be formulated by using the given Matrix. For Lafarge Tarmac which is a strong competitor in the market and has the range of average and attractive products for the customers being a leader and growing in the market is a great strategy as per the directional policy matrix. Source: http://strategycapstone.ning.com/page/directional-matrix Space Matrix It is one of the best methods for reverse engineering. There are four quadrants of this strategy that defines the nature of the strategy that needs to be made, the strategies can be Aggressive, Competitive, Defensive and Conservative, it depends on the customer of the organization that what kind of strategy the company should opt for (maxi-pedia.com, n.d.). An example of the matrix for the Lafarge Tarmac is given below. As said already that Lafarge Tarmac is a leading construction solution provider and that is why it is a dominating company and being aggressive is the finest option for the company. Source: http://www.maxi-pedia.com/SPACE+matrix+model+strategic+management+method Task 2 2.1 Organizational Audit for Lafarge Tarmac Benchmarking Audit Benchmarking is the process under which the business performance and processes of an organization is compared with the best practices in the industry or market used by the other companies (Doucet, 2010). Usually the  elements of the operations like time costs and quality of the organization is measured by this kind of auditing. Under the benchmarking auditing the comparison of the company’s processes is made with the best processes which exist in the market creating a high level of opportunity for the organization to grow up. For Lafarge Tarmac the benchmark auditing is a great auditing tool as they can learn about the new ways to give the solutions to the construction sector. However it must also be noticed that Lafarge Tarmac is already a leading company as a construction solution provider so there are not many things that are better than that of what is practiced in the company. SWOT Analysis SWOT is an abbreviation for four key factors of the organizations Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths of Lafarge Tarmac are their products serving as the key solutions for the construction sector in United Kingdom, cement and ready concrete cement is best examples of the products of Lafarge Tarmac. Weaknesses of the company comes forward when it comes to the new technologies and variety in products as the company is serving one of the best quality products in the country but sometimes the demand and requirement of the consumers is completely different from others. Opportunities for the Lafarge Tarmac are countless as under the construction sector there is constant improvement in the technology so as develop the construction sector and make work easier and safer. Threats for the Lafarge Tarmac are not very much as the company already has an advantage and a very strong position in the market. The only threat that the company faces is regarding the safety on the construction and competition from the other companies. Value Chain Analysis Value chain analysis model is a very useful tool to evaluate the maximum value for the customers. I order to do the value chain analysis first of all the activities of the Lafarge Tarmac needs to be analyzed and then the value for every step in the production should be evaluated as if it is at its maximum potential, and lastly when the managers gets sure of the fact that changes can be made it needs to be identified that whether these changes would be beneficial or not. The model of the Value Chain for Lafarge Tarmac  is given following, under which the primary functions and secondary functions for Lafarge Tarmac are given and after summing up all the values in Lafarge Tarmac the margin is added for the company and the final value is given to the customers. Inbound Logistics are the raw material for the Lafarge Tarmac which is tons of Limestone for cement production in addition to this many dozens of trucks are also required for transportation. The main operation of Lafarge Tarmac is production of cement which is made by following the production plan of the company. Outbound product of Lafarge Tarmac is cement which is very high in volume but at the same time the product is very sensitive too so the warehousing is done very efficiently by Lafarge Tarmac. Marketing and sales techniques of Lafarge Tarmac facilitates the transfer of the products produced in the company to the consumers. Service is the process in which the values of the product increases as Lafarge Tarmac makes products like cement and other construction material as per the specification of the customer and what matter is that the product is delivered in the same form and quality as required by the customer. Scenario Planning Scenario planning or scenario analysis is used by the organizations in order to make the long term plans for the business, it is a very difficult kind of auditing to be done for Lafarge tarmac as the construction sector in UK is changing rapidly and new technologies are being introduced and plans cannot be made for long run on the basis of the existing technology and materials. Strategic Positioning of Lafarge Tarmac There are many tools that can be used by the organization in order to evaluate the position of the existing strategy of the company, Ansoff matrix is one of the key tools for this purpose and that can be used very effectively in case of Lafarge Tarmac. As per the Ansoff Matrix there are four tasks that are to be carried out in the market (Reeves, 2014). First is Market Penetration which is done in order to increase the share of the company in the existing markets with the existing products, it has been done very effectively by Lafarge Tarmac as it has signed the deals with Holcim  Ltd a gigantic company in cement industry so as to be the largest cement producer of the world. Second part of the matrix is market development which is done in order to expand in the new markets with the existing products and services this has been done by Lafarge Tarmac since the beginning as the company was formed by Lafarge and American Anglo so as to be the construction solution provider in UK (lafar getarmac.com, 2014). Third part of the matrix consist of Product development which means the development of existing products by launching new products in the existing markets or by re-launching the product after making improvements Making of the readymade concrete and cement was a evolution of Lafarge Tarmac as a product development. The fourth and last quarter of the matrix is diversification which in simple terms can be defined as the combination of all the other three parts of Ansoff Matrix, as of Lafarge Tarmac no bigger diversification can be expected from a company which was formed in 2013 and which becomes the largest cement producer in 2014. 2.2 Environmental Audit for Lafarge Tarmac A business has to be maintained under many environments every part of the environment is important for the business in order to make sure that the business will run smoothly. PESTLE The term PESTLE is used to define the group of environments that makes impact on every business, the given is the pestle analysis of Lafarge Tarmac. Political Environment creates a very adequate impact as any new policy for the construction sector made by the government will make impact on the business of Lafarge Tarmac for example in case the government makes some new policy of taxation for the construction sector it will make a significant impact on the company (Doucet, 2010). Economic environment is also a very crucial part of the business as the economic condition of the UK will decide how much construction work is to be done and that will decide how much business UK can generate for the Lafarge Tarmac, for example during the period of recession not much work of construction is done but at the time of boom the construction demand reaches the heights of the sky. Social environment also plays a very important role in the business as the society is the factor for which the business operates there will not be any customer for the Lafarge Tarmac if they do not consider the social environment of UK. Society is the ultimate consumer for Lafarge Tarmac and the company has understood this fact very well that is why they have set up the issue of safety at their utmost priority. Technological environment is yet another important factor for the Lafarge Tarmac as the rapid change in technology in the construction sector makes it difficult for the organization to cope up however still the company has to manage in one way or another. Any new machine for the construction sector which can reduce the costs at the construction sites can prove out to be a game changer for Lafarge Tarmac. Legal environment is a very strict environment under which all the rules and regulations are given which needs to be followed by Lafarge Tarmac. In UK there are many rules and regulations as per the Acts which are necessary to be followed by Lafarge Tarmac for example rules of taxation and rules for the Accounting records. Environment is the last factor that affects business as being the part of the environment it is the responsibility of Lafarge Tarmac to save the environment and over the time the company has been doing this brilliantly. Lafarge Tarmac has a separate policy for the environment under which the company tries extremely hard to use the resources in such a manner that it doesn’t affect the environmen (OGC, 2007)t. Porter’s Five Forces Model As per the porter’s five forces model there are five forces that affect the business, same logic applies for the Lafarge Tarmac. First force is the threat of the competition by the new entrants, being the leader by example Lafarge Tarmac turned the construction sector in its favor so as to be the leading construction solution provider. The second force is the threat of competition from the existing companies; Lafarge Tarmac has achieved so much in so little time which is why the existing companies try to take advantage over company. Third force is the bargaining power of the customer under democracy customer is the king of the market and Lafarge Tarmac has constantly tried to keep up to the expectations of the customers (Mind Tools, n.d.). Fourth force is the bargaining power of the suppliers as it has already been discussed that Lafarge Tarmac is the ultimate solution provider which means that they needs regular supply of the materials in order to make their products which is possible only when they can maintain a healthy communication with the suppliers. Last and fifth force is rivalry,  Lafarge Tarmac was started in the year 2013 and in 2014 it become the leader as construction solution providers this has created the feeling of rivalry among those companies who are in the business for years and always wanted to be in the place where Lafarge Tarmac is today. 2.3 Stakeholders Analysis Stakeholders are the people who have the keen interest in the organizational activities. Broadly stakeholders are divided into four groups which also known as the Stake holder’s significance grid, same is shown below for Lafarge Tarmac (Mind Tools, n.d.). The name of the group and the standard strategies to be opted for them are given in the above matrix strategies (Schmeer, n.d.). Stakeholders mapping is yet another technique in order to manage the stakeholders under which the stakeholders are divided into groups and then the strategies are made for them it is similar to the Stakeholders significance grid as shown above. The given is the example of Stakeholder’s Mapping (Stakeholdermap.com, n.d.). Source: http://knowhownonprofit.org/campaigns/communications/effective-communications-1/stakeholdermap.jpg/image_preview Task 3 Growth is one important factor for the organizational survival, it is important for the organization to grow in one way or another whenever possible. Broadly there are many ways under which the organization can grow in the market. In this part of the assignment various limited and Substantive growth strategies for Lafarge Tarmac has been discussed which can be tried by the company as an alternative for its current strategy (Lafarge, 2014). In the final section of this part of assignment the very best strategy out of the discussed strategies will be suggested for Lafarge Tarmac to be adopted in future. 3.1 Alternate Strategies for limited growth, Substantive Growth or retrenchment for Lafarge Tarmac Cement is the basic necessity for the growth as every time a new building or other construction sites. Growth in the cement industry has also been constant in the past few years. However for the Lafarge Tarmac the growth is not only an opportunity  it is also a form of strategy. Some of the strategies for Lafarge tarmac are based on the limited growth some are for substantive growth while at the same time some are based on the retrenchment of the growth. Strategy for Limited Growth Growth is one of the key factors in evaluations of In a rapid changing environment of construction business instant growth can turn out to be a huge risk for the Lafarge Tarmac hence it is beneficial for the company to grow as per a limit and do not take high risks instantly. Lafarge Tarmac is a new company which came in the existence in 2013 and it is a huge success for the company that in 2014 it has signed a deal with a gigantic cement company in Switzerland to be the largest cement producer of the world (Sherman, 2014). However as an alternate strategy for the company it can try to be growing as per limit so that no financial burden comes on the organization. In case the company grows by limit it will also not be a problem of costs for the organization but what is more important than the costs is that after the five or six years the organization will have more money to grow instantly than their competitive organizations. As said already Lafarge Tarmac is a new company and do not have the enough experience to handle things on a large scale so it can be very complex for them to handle the business on a large scale however it will not be a problem for the company if they opt for the Limited growth Strategy (Dransfield et al., 2004). One plus point of the current strategy of growth adopted by the Lafarge Tarmac is that it has signed to be in ventures with the two giant companies in cement industry. Joint ventures are also a technique of the limited growth as under the joint ventures different organizations share their powers. The share of the company in the venture is decided on the basis of the mutual agreement of organizations (Reader, n.d.). Strategy for Substantive Growth Substantive growth is also a very successful way to grow in the market. Substantive growth can prove out to be very beneficial for Lafarge Tarmac as it can cover up many deficiencies of the company. If Lafarge Tarmac takes on the strategy for the substantive organization the company will be having more growth opportunities as compared to the other organizations in the  future. Lafarge Tarmac is a new company it is not beneficial for it at all to stand against the giant companies of the construction sector (Reader, n.d.). Rather it is beneficial for Lafarge Tarmac to grow substantively for few years and when the organization has enough experience to tackle any other name in the construction sector they can even try to go for the instant growth. Merging and acquiring the other companies are the most commonly practiced techniques of the substantive growth. Till now the company has not acquired any other company but the decision of the company to merge with the Holcim Ltd. has been the best growth for the company as Holcim is a giant in the cement industry and after forming Lafarge Holcim it will be completely in favor of Lafarge to gain the market advantage as Holcim is already on the heights of the success. But when these two organizations will merge a new and biggest producer of the cement will emerge. Retrenchment Strategy/ Disinvestment strategy Retrenchment generally means cutting up the processes in the organizations so that the organizations can become more stable financially but for the Lafarge Tarmac costs has never been the issue, however there is one more fact that can prove out to be interest worthy for Lafarge Tarmac as the company is currently involved in every product for the construction site like concrete, cement, bricks and all (WebFinance, Inc. , 2014). However if the company will cut loose some of its products it can focus more on the cement. Merging with Holcim will make the organization more focused on the cement than any other product produced by the organization. Alternative Strategies Expansion can be made for the growth of Lafarge Tarmac; Ansoff matrix provides the best model for the growth. Diversification is the key part of the matrix as when diversification is done the organization grows automatically. Integration is yet another strategy that can be used by Lafarge Tarmac as the organization already is producing multiple products for the construction sector it can add some more products or services to their existing list of products (OGC, 2007). For example Lafarge Tarmac is a producer of cement for which limestone is a key ingredient hence the company can also start to sell the limestone to the other companies who produce  cement. Strategic Alliance is the most advantageous strategy which is based on the mutual understanding of different organizations in sharing the resources. Licensing or franchising for the branches of the organization can also prove out to be a very effective growth strategy for Lafarge Tarmac. 3.2 Appropriate Future Strategy for Lafarge Strategy Lafarge Tarmac already is under a joint venture and it has signed up to be merged with the Holcim Ltd. hence the best option for the organization will be to diversify in the countries other than UK. Hence diversification would be the best option of growth for Lafarge Tarmac. By diversification Lafarge will not only grow but at the same time the company will also gain the competitive advantage over its competitors. Diversification strategy is best suitable option for Lafarge Tarmac as under this strategy the company will be able to continue with their existing decisions and not much will be required to be changed. The strategy of diversification is highly acceptable for company like Lafarge Tarmac which has been formed under JV of two big companies, who can take high risks (Turner, 2008). Resources has not been an issue for Lafarge Tarmac so far hence it s expected that addition resources after diversification can also be available easily, which means this strategy is highly feasible for the organization (Carttar, 2014). Task 4 4.1 Roles and responsibilities for Strategic Implementations Meaning of Strategy Implementations to the Business Operations Overall there are three basic influencers of the business operations in Lafarge Tarmac, i.e. Culture, System and Structure of Lafarge Tarmac. While implementing the strategy so as to achieve the desired objectives the values of organization can change completely. The impact of the strategy on business operations has been described using the table below. Strategy Implementation Business Operations (The impact on Strategy Implementation on the operations of Business) Culture Rather than the strategy the culture of the business make more impact on the strategies of Lafarge Tarmac. By implementing the strategy the goals of the company will become more unified and oriented on one common objective. Structure There are three factors that are affected by the strategic implementation, i.e. communication, decision making and coordination among the different teams in Lafarge Tarmac. The behavior of the employees in Lafarge Tarmac is also expected to be changed in a positive way for the organization which will increase the productivity of the company. Systems Different kind of systems can be made in Lafarge Tarmac using the new strategy. This will create the impact on the output of the organization, the behavior of the employees and integrating system of the company. The Strategy Practice Model Strategists Who? Activities What? Methodologies Which? Management Committee Process Determination Evaluation for the improvements during the controlling function of management Board of Directors Defining mission Statements After taking consideration of the market position of the organization and the overall performance of market Marketing Managers Environmental Analysis Using different methods of analysis like surveys and interviews Strategic Managers Evaluation of competitive Advantage Analyzing the market on the basis of the financial reports and comparing the same with that of the organization’s Any Volunteer from the management or the manager of the team who will be affected most due to the strategy Communicating the Strategic Plan Communication in a confident level with deep understanding of the concept of the strategy. 4.2 Resource requirement in order to implement the new strategy in Lafarge Tarmac Type of Resources required Access to/ Availability of Resources Constraints to the implementation Finance Availability of finance has never been the issue of problem for Lafarge Tarmac as it is formed under the venture of two big companies, further the own assets of the organization are double the value of its liabilities During the days of recession the finance do becomes problem for the organization. IN other case where if one organization incurs losses the other company do not wish to contribute the entire share for the company with only half share in profits. Human Resources Human Resources are appointed in Lafarge Tarmac from many different ways, like through the educational institutes or from the other job offers to the experienced people The lack of interest in the new generation for the construction sector. Physical Resources Infrastructure of the organization is a highly valuable asset for Lafarge tarmac, further the raw material for the products of the company is also available to the company easily. Variety of technologies creates confusion as what to be chosen for the company, further different quality of the raw material is also a constraint as sometime the desired quality of the limestone or other raw material is unavailable with the suppliers. Time for the reaction in the organization Lafarge Tarmac tries a lot of things with its management team so it might take some time for the final results to emerge up. Sometimes the organization keeps on waiting for a positive response but as so much is  going on in the organization the loss is not even noticed by the managers and time keeps on increasing. 4.3 Targets for achievements to monitor the strategy of Lafarge Tarmac Tools of Evaluation Theoretical Standpoint Targets to be evaluated Benchmarking Compare the performance of the organization with the performance of entire construction solution providers in the industry Whether there is any company performing better in the area of evaluation and if yes then finding out how? SWOT Analysis Analyzing the strengths, opportunities and weaknesses, threats for the Lafarge Tarmac. A strategy which increases the strengths of the company is said to be a good strategy while on the other hand if it increases the weaknesses or threats then it is not working well for the company Balanced Scorecard Evaluating the starting and ending position of the organization from the plan to the till date of evaluation and comparing the same with the targets. Whether the improvements has been satisfactory due to the new strategy and if not finding out the reasons for the same. Key Performance Indicators Evaluation of every process involved in the operations of Lafarge Tarmac Finding out the key process for the organization and improving the processes which are not working well for the company. Conclusion Lafarge Tarmac is one of the most successful organizations among the construction solution providers today. The company was formed in 2013 and within one year the company is on the edge of becoming the largest cement producer of the world. Under this assignment the strategic evaluation for Lafarge Tarmac has been done, including the strategic analysis of the company using various models, the current strategy has been evaluated and  alternate strategies has also been advised for the company. In the last segment of the assignment, different affects of the strategies are shown with the help of tables and the roles of the stakeholders are made clear, in the end the tools for evaluation of the strategy has also been discussed. Bibliography Carttar, P., 2014. Strategic Planning and Evaluation: Tools for Realizing Results. [Online] Available at: http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/strategic_planning_and_evaluation_tools_for_realizing_results [Accessed 14 November 2014]. Doucet, G., 2010. TOOLS FOR STRATEGIC EVALUATION: TOOLS AND METHODS THE COHERENCY ARCHITECT SHOULD APPLY. [Online] Available at: http://coherencyarchitect.com/2010/03/15/tools-for-strategic-evaluation-tools-and-methods-the-coherency-architect-should-apply/ [Accessed 14 November 2014]. Dransfield, R. et al., 2004. Business for Foundation Degrees and Higher Awards. Jordan Hill, OX: Harcourt Education Limited. James, R., n.d. How to do Strategic Planning: A Guide for Small and Diaspora NGOs. PEER LEARNING PROGRAMME. Lafarge, 2014. Strategy. [Online] Available at: http://www.lafarge.com/wps/portal/4_3_2-Strategie [Accessed 10 November 2014]. lafargetarmac.com, 2014. OUR COMPANY. [Online] Available at: http://www.lafargetarmac.com/about-us/ [Accessed 12 Novemb er 2014]. maxi-pedia.com, n.d. SPACE Matrix Strategic Management Method. [Online] Available at: http://www.maxi-pedia.com/SPACE+matrix+model+strategic+management+method [Accessed 14 November 2014]. McDermott, M., 2014. Directional Policy Matrix. [Online] Available at: http://strategycapstone.ning.com/page/directional-matrix [Accessed 15 November 2014]. Mind Tools, n.d. Porter’s Value Chain: Understanding How Value is Created Within Organizations. [Online] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_66.htm [Accessed 12 November 2014]. Mind Tools, n.d. Stakeholder Analysis: Winning Support for Your Projects. [Online] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_07.htm [Accessed 11 November 2014]. OGC, 2007. Managing Successful Programmes. TSO.

ISMIS Online Enrollment USC Cebu

University of San Carols, one of the oldest schools in the Philippines, has experienced a drastic change when it decided to adjust to the modern world run by technology. Manual and traditional enrollment meant students having to go to the campus early to get the schedule they desire to be enrolled in. Long lines of eager students barricading the offices didn't mean proper order in the enrollment system but this was slowly accepted by those who really wished to enroll.The drastic change came when students and faculty of the school decided to adapt to technology by creating a database system which loud allow students to check their grades, assessment, enrollment processes and even the library system from their own homes. With a stable internet connection, any student can connect to the school by entering their ID numbers and passwords.A question arises, though, as to why the proponents chose this topic when the database system called ‘Integrated School Management Information Syst em (ISMS)† received good reviews and is functioning fairly well. The reason is, â€Å"functioning fairly well† does not apply to every part of the system. The flaw comes out in the specific function called he â€Å"Online Enrollment. † The importance of this study is to figure out how ISMS users are satisfied with the performance of this database system.During enrollment season, Carolinians (students of the university) voice out issues about the ISMS not functioning and delaying their chances of getting good courses and practical time schedules. Students cite their sentiments through social networking sites which is why there is not much they can do about it. This study aims to find samples from the student population regarding their satisfaction/dissatisfaction on ISMS. Would they prefer the traditional lining-up-and-filling-up-forms type of enrollment?

Fiffteen by William Stafford

The poem Fifteen by William Stafford, describes the ideas of a young teenager and imaginations when he sees a motorcycle at the side of the rail, It tells us of how the main character gets familiar with adulthood and starts getting mature, it gives us changes. The author in his poem describes the ideas and temptations that a fifteen year old would have, and it gives us a message of how when you are blinded of your teenage dreams, at the same time to take and decide the correct paths and decisions. In the first stanza William Stafford stops realization. He describes a motorcycle below a bridge.The cycle is abandoned, â€Å"engine running as it lay on its side, ticking over slowly in the high grass. † To begin his poem Stafford gives us a location, â€Å"South of the Bridge on Seventeenth. † If one were to assume that we as people, traveled metaphorically in any direction I would think it to be north for example: â€Å"Up† for all different purposes. Staffordâ€⠄¢s character is south, not necessarily heading south, but he is south in relation to the bridge. Changes are like bridges, connections between one span of life and the next. Points where the road which below is much less stable, where there aren’t miles of solid ground below.Changes are things that you have to get over. And thinking that Stafford’s age which is fifteen years, like us all, we are heading north, then he’s in for a change a bridge in the future. The motorcycle in the other hand was found â€Å"back of the willows one summer day. † Willows are beautiful flowing trees, their branches fall down and hide their trunks veiling whatever may lie at their shape from all on the other side of their barrier. Stafford’s character finds the motorcycle beyond the barriers of the willows and so we can imagine him pulling aside the waterfall of green and revealing the pefrect machine.On the other hand everything about the scene finds of a hidden trut h discovered. The high grass, tall as if to hide the treasures that are within it, and the willows, and even the picture of calm, warm serenity that comes to mind with the idea of trees in the summer. But the boy finds the cycle unexpectedly, he did not know or even awaited it. In the second stanza it connects temptation and imagination. The cycle becomes his forbidden imagination, it has a â€Å"pulsing gleam†¦shiny flanks†¦demure headlights fringed where it lay;† it is arousing him. First with its beauty it’s pulsing and shiny.It’s elegant and bright as described in the second stanza . Then it’s interest, he â€Å"led it gently to the road and stood with that companion, ready and friendly. † It draws him in. And for the first part he’s taken with it. He â€Å"admired† it. He â€Å"stood† with it. He was young and he saw the beauty as something he wanted. He was a teenager after all chasing his dream. These moments a re him being a child this is him before the â€Å"good man† from later in the poem. You can tell he is taken with it from the way he â€Å"gently† leads it to the road, he is taking care of it.You are not gentle with things that you think are not needed or that you dislike. One does not describe these things either as having a â€Å"pulsing gleam. † Possibly freedom and perhaps bliss are shown in stanza three. The character is imagining himself on the open road. He’s picturing taking the motorcycle and riding away on it. It gives to speculation if he, being fifteen can even legally drive one, let alone that would then surely be considered stealing. Assuming that he’s not there appears the forbidden imagination again. It’s not legal, not okay, yet he wants it temptatiously.Though, as for freedom and excitement, he clearly states that there is a â€Å"forward feeling, a tremble. † For example a reader would take this to be excitement gr owing inside the main character. He is confident. He is happy and positive at least because he is â€Å"patting the handle,† and receiving a â€Å"confident opinion. † He is indulging or giving interest, a word used to express freedom to do something enjoyable. In the fourth stanza Stafford’s poem takes a different direction shall we say, a new character is introduced, the owner of the motorcycle.The grass which is mentioned earlier seems to be hiding more than just the cycle, but also its rider. This also shows a change in the nature of the boy, a decision being made. He thinks and â€Å"thinking†¦found the owner. † The boy in a rush pushes aside his temptation towards freedom and excitement. He chooses. He does not choose to ride away, though, rather to be mature and responsible. To think of more than just himself and locate whomever the bike had belonged. The owner, thrown from the bike in the crash.The rider is â€Å"just coming to,† or el se awakening from unconsciousness he must have got from his crash. He had â€Å"flipped over the rail. He had blood on his hand, was pale† This man is not in good shape. He just crashed his motorcycle and had blood on his hands. On the outside he is injured and broken needs help getting to his bike. Physically, he is weak while it seems that the main character being fifteen, is not. He is strong which is connected from the fact that they are young, full of life as fifteen year olds are. But the rider once at his bike, becomes strong once again, he â€Å"roared away. He is not magically healed , he is still bleeding from the crash, but he has the inside strength of a confident adult and he still gets on his bike and rides away. Before leaving the man calls the main character â€Å"a good man†. To sum it up, the main character begins as a fifteen year old with a change a bridge in his future, he is beginning to realize this. Then he becomes, in the fourth stanza,  "a good man. † Most importantly, a man. He started maturing, learning of getting older, most importantly! Stating in my conclusion that the boy, as he finds the cycle and then after moments of indecision, returns it begins his own road to adulthood.He goes from thought of the temptations of the machine to giving it back to its owner and watching him ride away. So I took myself as an example, because I am also a teenager who has his dream and goals and will be facing adulthood myself. It showed us a mature boy who fought of his temptations and teenage dreams, and choosing the correct path of adulthood. It gives a strong message of spirituality which does pushes us forward of following our dreams but at the same time taking the right decision, as shown with the main character.

Summery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

Summery - Essay Example This is because crime is not spread evenly across the maps. Therefore, the NIJs have to come up with a formula to map the crimes depending on the concentration of crimes (National Institute of Justice). However, different types of crime hot spots areas require different types of maps because each area has different types of crime. The report further explains the different types of crime theories, as well as, how they can be depicted on the maps. It further gives the techniques and methods used in understanding crime hot spots, as well as, spatial analysis tools that are used for identifying such hot spots. The report concludes by giving an approach to hot spot analysis. The most interesting thing about the report is that it informs the reader on how crime mapping can be used to understand patterns of recidivism and incarceration. This helps target programs and resources in evaluating crime reduction or prevention in reduction programs, as well as, understanding the causes of crime. The approach of crime mapping is important because it ensures that the NIJs understands the issues the crimes that are committed in every community and methods to go about how to resolve and reduce

Social issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social issue - Essay Example However, despite these gay movements, gay marriages are still banned in many states, and society still frowns at and hesitates to  accept this ‘deviant’ group. To deny the gay couples the chance to marry and enjoy the full benefits of marriage as accorded to heterosexual couples is unjustified and unjustifiable; in this regard, Gay marriages should be legalized in all the states in the US to allow gay couples to  get married without legal or societal restrictions whatsoever. The US constitution provides for equality and liberty with regards to matters pertaining to marriage and family life- these rights have elaborately been captured and protected in the constitution. To deny gay couples a right to exercise these same rights provided for in their own laws is totally discrimination, and it should not be encouraged. Gay couples deserve to enjoy the rights of freedom of choice with regards to their sexual orientations without discrimination. In addition to this, marriage is also one of the basic human rights, and thus, same sex or heterosexual marriage should be accorded to all, and sundry. Just as the interracial marriages, same sex marriages deserve protection, and should not be discriminated against denying same sex couples a right to marry is denying them their basic human right as provided for in the constitution. Allowing same sex marriages is bound to curb a lot more other social issues such as prostitution, infidelity, divorce and the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS studies have shown that such vices have been on the decline in many states that have legalized same sex marriages. For instance, the state of Massachusetts registered a 21% drop in divorce rates after legalizing gay marriages (â€Å"Should gay marriage be legal?†). In this regard, it is clear that instead of hurting heterosexual marriages as it is widely feared, gay marriages will in fact boost the marriage institution

Political Economy of Race, Class and Gender Thesis paper abstract Annotated Bibliography

Political Economy of Race, Class and Gender Thesis paper abstract - Annotated Bibliography Example This paper offers more insight into the mechanisms underlying the persistence of racial inequality in the labor market. This paper utilizes a data set of the structural features of Chicago in assessing the influence of three segregation configurations on the racial wage inequality in Chicago. The demographic, educational and employment features of Chicago City are drawn from the 1980 and 1990 decennial censuses, in addition to data from archives, published reports, and newspapers. The research findings indicate that residential segregation; in conjunction with minority concentration and immigration fully explain the wage gap between whites and blacks. These findings underscore the impact of residential segregation on the racial wage gaps between blacks and whites in the labor market. Blacks in high class do not evade the problems of residential segregation as their children attend same schools, have equal opportunities, and enjoy same dilapidated social amenities as low class blacks. The paper discusses the implications of residential segregation on the low wages of blacks. These results suggest that racial segregation continues to be a significant aspect for stratification in the American

The Smythe Family - Rupert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Smythe Family - Rupert - Essay Example From the family’s financial problems, it became extremely difficult for Rupert to adjust to the entire situation. Rupert’s situation can only be understood through highlighting factors anti-discriminatory practice and empowerment, psychological factors, health promotion and communication, multi-professional working and Sociology of health and illness. Anti-discriminatory practice and empowerment Rupert seems to be undergoing stigma and isolation in an attempt to deal with the family situation. Aymer & Okitikpi (2009) state that, feelings of stigma and isolation for extensive periods emanate from the fact that the individual has been through stress and depression. On the other hand, Parker & Penhale (2007) indicate that feelings of stigma and discrimination in society are the result of Rupert’s withdrawal symptoms from other persons in the society. It is justified to argue that Rupert is undergoing segregation from his friends of his former social class and findin g his way within another social class has proven to be an uphill task. Consequently, Rupert is developing issues with his social skills and perceives everything in society as negative. In response, Rupert cuts down on communication with his parents and is completely alienated from his family’s life. ... At the family level, Rupert feels that he is the ‘black sheep’ and leading a secret life; in his perception it is the best solution to his predicaments. Rupert should be empowered to go beyond his feelings of disappointment and act towards making his life better. Empowerment has been credited for its ability to direct individuals towards moving beyond their stressors to achieving their goals and objectives as supported by Jones (2004). Psychological factors Psychological factors are useful in the explaining of Rupert’s changed behavior. Durand & Barlow (2011) indicate that individuals are rational beings who have the ability to weigh options before embarking on any move. In addition, Shumake, Ockene & Riekert (2008) argue that it is almost obvious that individuals act in accordance with their own interests. The move by Rupert to alienate himself from his family is simply an irrational decision. Studies done by Salk (1914) on cognitive simplification process in dec ision making indicate, that most individuals are prone to error in making choices. In this case, it is vital that individuals weigh all options before making the final decision regarding dilemmatic situations. Salk also suggests that life is an error-making and an error-correcting process. Emotions, according to psychologists, play a great role in influencing an individual’s decision making. Schneider (2010) indicates that if a person is in a low mood, they tend to make unreasonable decisions that at most extreme circumstances can cost them their life. In this case, Rupert made has used poor judgment into making decisions that makes him more vulnerable than previously. He has in turn resulted into indulgence

HACCEP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HACCEP - Essay Example Use properly sanitized wash water (Chlorinated at least 0.1%) Food handlers must use properly sanitized mask, head gears, and gloves. All utensils must be properly sanitized with hot water. Monitor water chlorination level Monitor use of food handlers’ gears Monitor sanitization procedures ... Monitor use of food handlers' gears Monitor sanitization procedures Adjust chlorination level to desired concentration Require food handlers to use masks, caps, and gloves Require sanitization Step: Cooking Pathogen survival and growth Baking is at 180C for 45 minutes; Heating of liquid below 80C; Additional baking 180C for 5-10 minutes Check oven and heating temperatures using sanitized thermometers Record time and temperature settings Adjust to the desired temperature. If lower temperature is used extend time of cooking Discard if over-cooked Step: Holding Growth of pathogens Refrigerate not more than 10C Hold in chilled conditions up to 3 days Check temperature settings Record temperatures within storage duration If storage temp is higher than desired for extended period, Reheat in oven using reheating procedure. Discard after 3 reheating cycles. Step: Reheating Pathogen survival Heat in oven at 180 C for 5-10 minutes Maximum of 3 reheating is allowed Check temperature Record number of times of reheating Ensure right temperature and time Discard if not consumed after 3rd reheating Step: Serving Contamination Serve hot about 40 C Check serving temperature Reheat if product is cold or below 30

Methodology paper for PHD research, the proposal is ready but the Essay

Methodology paper for PHD research, the proposal is ready but the methodology needs to be amended - Essay Example As the Gulf countries traded with the world, they have gained both capital and expertise to go beyond the passive investments that have dominated the flow of capital in the region in the past. Legrenzi and Momani have pointed this out, arguing that the profits accumulated from the years of stable and high oil prices have enabled the GCC states to have a wider range of investment choices. (p20) A parallel development is the perception that BITs have or will create a special limb of international customary law. (Dolzer and Schreuer, 2008, p2) It has been argued for the most part that BITs have evolved to such an extent that they have their own unique regulatory laws within the wider scope of international commercial laws. (Dolzer and Schreuer, p2) This expectation led to the favorable attitude on BITs. Sornarajah, however, raised an interesting point warranting further exploration and research. According to him, the fact that there has been an increase in BITs for some time and no lega l standards has been established as yet should already demonstrate how these treaties have not been able to create the â€Å"customary principles of international law† for protecting the movement of foreign capital. ... Oil prices, for its part, has now become relatively impervious of late as the highly integrated international system become more and more strict in addition to how the world is scrambling to tap alternative energy sources. Therefore, the need for BIT regulation is underscored. Aside from intelligent investment decisions, the GCC member-states have used regulatory mechanisms to control international capital movement especially concerning the BITs in a bid to prevent and mitigate risks and threats. This paper will explore this theme. The aim is to outline the current capital movement landscape, identify the regulatory mechanisms that govern it (i.e. statutes, treaties, etc.) and assess their strengths, failures, points of opportunities and challenges. 2. SOURCES AND DATA ANALYSIS This research uses several approaches within the qualitative method of inquiry. The sources of the information, hence, are composed of both primary and secondary data, which will often be referenced in order t o outline specific cases and important statutes that govern BITs. These sources can include academic journals as well as other texts published on the subject (i.e. published dissertations and news reports), Internet sources in addition to data available from corporate websites among other documents released and published by organizations, individuals and documents from the GCC governments and their agencies. Relevant information from international organizations will also be used. In addition, this study will also conduct interviews on selected resource persons, which could be composed of legal luminaries, specializing in the GCC jurisprudence, investors, policymakers and other stakeholders that are authoritative in discussing the GCC BIT subject. The number of these resources would

Between Daedalus Flight and MIT Flight Essay Example for Free

Between Daedalus Flight and MIT Flight Essay The Fight of Daedalus and the Flight of MIT are one of the articles in which you can find many things to compare and contrast. They both have many similarities and also many differences, which also made both stories more interesting. But remember one thing both had the same goal and that was to get success in flying. Now first of all, I would like to tell you the analogous things that are in both articles. As I mention earlier that both had the same planning for taking off their flight and that called as Human Powered Flight, and unfortunately both flights were failed. The second things that were alike in both of the articles were they started from the same destination, and the area that they started from is near to Italy, called as Crete. Before started their destination, they already made preparation for themselves to takeoff, which would not let them cause any hardships (thats what they both thought). Finally the last thing that is corresponds to these both articles is that they both went to the Mediterranean Sea, and another that called their final destination in which they both got failed from their flight, but the way of failing in both of them was different from each other, which gave both articles an amazing story. As in the upper paragraph we talked about comparison in upper paragraph, which werent enough in both articles. But now there are much more differences between in these two articles than the similarities of these two  articles. One of the biggest differences between them was their purpose. Daedalus PURPOSE was to escape from King Minos because he disobeyed him, and on the other hand purpose of MIT was to invent profit from their invention. The other difference between these two of them was DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION. In Daedalus flight the education refers about how important is to listening others, as a result you would get failed like Icarus, the Daedalus son did. In the Flight of MIT the education prefers them to learn from their mistakes, in which they cause failed at their flight. One of the important differences between these two of them was THE FAILURE. In the Daedalus flight the failure was that, the Daedalus son Icarus flew too high to the altitude that cause him too hot that his wings of wax started melting, and by having this he had no longer stayed in the air, so he fell down and thats he called his end from which their flight got failed. In the MIT flight, the failure was the tail boom which was found broken in the end, and by having this problem, the MIT flight couldnt longer fly and it felt down just 30 meters away from its destination, so thats why it called as a failure. Now it is the last and most important difference between these both of the articles that is THE OUTCOME from these two different projects/articles. The outcome for the Daedalus flight was that, Daedalus escaped and survived, but his son no longer was with him, and in the MIT flight the airplane crashed, but the cyclist lived. But both of the projects/articles were failure and could nt able to fulfill their main goal. As a part of the conclusion I would just like to say that everything is not possible, if we want to make things possible then we need to work harder than before. Flight of Daedalus and Flight of MIT, both were just tried for human flying, but unfortunately they didnt able to get success for it. But still everything is possible and because of it we would need more time to get success at our goals.

Positive Discrimination and Gender Equality

Positive Discrimination and Gender Equality Positive discrimination is sometimes used to help enforce gender equality in the working place. Basic questions to be answered before analyzing the concept of positive discrimination deal with the necessity of action. What does the gender situation look like in the working place? Is there actually a need for action, for positive discrimination? Looking at employment statistics gives a direction in finding answers to such questions. Only 57.2% of the women aged 15-64 in the European Union were working 2006 while 71.6% of men were. The difference in unemployment was not so large with 9.0 % of women being unemployed compared to 7.6% of men in 2006. However, the share of part time workers in total employment shows significant differences. Of the working women 31.4 % worked only part time in 2007 while the male percentage was considerably lower with only 7.8 %. The pay gap between womens and mens earnings, another important factor to measure equality which indicates the difference in average gross hourly earnings as a percentage of mens average gross hourly earnings, was at 15 % in 2006 in the EU. All these figures show that a gender gap exists in working life. The qualitative aspect of employment illustrates the inequality even more obviously. Womens share among managers in enterprises and administrations in the European Union for example was only at 32.6 % in 2006 (all figures from the Commission of the European Communities 2008). These statistics show clearly that gender equality is by far not reached. In order to strengthen equality within the working place positive discrimination measures are introduced in different forms and places according to the legal framework. Whether such measures are indeed helpful tools in enforcing gender equality will be the main topic of this paper. In order to be as precise as possible the discussion will concentrate on the situation in Europe. The basic ideas and arguments however should be universally valid. After introducing the concept of positive action an illustrating example from Norway concerning gender quotas on company boards will be presented. Thereafter the general arguments in favor and against positive discrimination will be discussed before concluding with the legal limits of the concept within the European Union. 2. Positive Discrimination What is positive discrimination? First of all, when discussing positive discrimination, the terminology needs to be clarified. Within this discussion several terms sometimes used as synonyms sometimes used with a different meaning can be found. The most common of these terms are positive discrimination, positive action and affirmative action. As this paper will concentrate on the situation in Europe, the terms positive action and positive discrimination will be used only. Positive action is a common European synonym of affirmative action whereas the usage of positive discrimination implies that the targets of the actions receive special favors (Bacchi C.L. 1996: X). Positive action constitutes proactive programs redressing past and present discrimination of certain group members identified mostly by race and gender (Bacchi 1996: X). Sterba defines affirmative action, which is in this case a synonym for positive action, as a policy of favoring qualified women and minority candidates over qualified men or non-minority candidates with the immediate goals of outreach remedying discrimination, or achieving diversity, and the ultimate goals of attaining a colorblind (racially just) and a gender-free (sexually just) society (in Burns and Schapper 2008: 373). Although the concept is used for several discrimination features, this paper will discuss positive action in the context of gender only. Positive action can be applied in the private and the public sector. However, the latter one is more often addressed by legal regulations (Bacchi 1996: 16). We usually find two classifications of positive action: soft options that increase the possibility of promotion and recruitment for the underrepresented group, for example through training, and hard or strong options that target promotion and recruitment of the underrepresented gender, for example through quota requirements (Bacchi C.L. 1996: 16). This paper will concentrate on the latter form of positive action and refer to it as positive discrimination. Example: Gender quotas on company boards in Norway When looking at different positive discrimination measures in Europe, one regulation stands out: the legislation on representation of both sexes on company boards in Norway. The country has come up with a law forcing companies to constitute their boards in a way that both sexes are represented by at least 40%. This implies not only for state-owned companies but also for public limited companies listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, in other words, companies in the private sector (Norwegian Government Ministry of children, equality and social Inclusion 2005). As positive discrimination usually takes place in the public sector the Norwegian initiative is quite an astonishing regulation. Also the harsh enforcement is remarkable. If companies fail to fulfil the requirement of the 40% quota, they can actually be dissolved (Norwegian Government Ministry of children, equality and social Inclusion 2005). As for the reason for such a policy the Norwegian government argued that balanced representation is a question of democracy. Furthermore it stated that making use of all the resources in a country is necessary and that the Norwegian women are equally qualified as men. Ultimately, the government believed increased diversity in the board rooms to lead to higher successes of the companies (Norwegian Government Ministry of children, equality and social Inclusion 2005). Critics of the quota claimed that the owners should decide upon the recruitment and not a quota. Furthermore they emphasized that attitudes cannot be changed by legal enforcement. Also, they pointed at the risk of not finding enough qualified women (Criscione 2008). However, another reason for the objection was the danger of losing power. The Director of Norways Professional Boards Forum, Elin Hurvenes, stated The outrage was not only about opening boardroom doors to women it was about pushing men out the same doors (in Criscione 2008). When the law came into force in 2006 the affected companies had two years to adapt to the regulation without being penalized, until since 2008 they must comply with it (Norwegian Government Ministry of children, equality and social Inclusion 2005). And they do so, as no company was dissolved so far. While women on corporate boards made up only 6 % in 2002, they reached more than 40% by the beginning of 2009 due to the quota (Winsnes RÃ ¸dland 2009). Supporters of the initiative argue that the companies had no problems in finding enough qualified women. Furthermore they suggest that the recruitment process in general has become more systematically both for finding men and women (Lindstad 2009). A study undertaken by the Institute for Social Research in Oslo stated that there is no embarrassment among women because of to the quota. The women know they would not be on the company boards without legal enforcement but at the same time they know exactly they have the qualifications for i t (Lindstad 2009). Arguments for and against As seen with the Norwegian argumentation, supporters of positive discrimination believe that diversity adds to success and that using all human capital is vital (Norwegian Government Ministry of children, equality and social Inclusion 2005, Bekkemellem 2006). This view is supported by a study of the US non-profit organization Catalyst which found out that companies who have three or more women on the board perform better on profits and sales (Criscione 2008). Furthermore supporters argue that it is only fair and democratic to let women reach positions of power because they are equally qualified as men (Norwegian Government Ministry of children, equality and social Inclusion 2005, Lindstad 2009). Missing qualification is one of the main arguments of the opponents of positive discrimination. They believe that the economy suffers from favouring women who are not qualified enough (Burns and Schapper 2008: 372). Additionally they bring forward the argument that through positive discrimination gender plays a role again, the opposite of which is supposed to be the goal of gender equality. They argue that such measures are not fair and lawful as they create another form of discrimination based on gender (Burns and Schapper 2008: 372). This view is also manifested in the terminology of positive discrimination and the sometimes used term reverse discrimination (Burns and Schapper 2008: 372). Moreover the legitimacy of favouring the rights of a group, namely the women, at the expense of the right of an individual, namely a man, is questioned (Burns and Schapper 2008: 373). Some criticism argues that it is not fair to let individuals suffer for past discrimination that was committed by others (America 1986: 73). Opponents are also against quotas in the private sector, because they suggest that the owners of companies should decide whom to appoint and that legal enforcement cannot change attitudes (Criscione 2008). They point at the perception of women as well and suggest that positive discrimination might result in negative reactions from the potential or intended beneficiaries (Taylor-Carter, Doverspike and Alexander 1995: 285). This reaction was at least not the case in Norway. As mentioned above, women felt no embarrassment due to the quota (Lindstad 2009). Another reason for objecting positive discrimination is often forwarded by the supporters of it to emphasize that the criticism is not justified: only because men are not willing to give up their power positions they fight so aggressively against positive discrimination (Criscione 2008; Burns and Schapper 2008: 374). Furthermore, supporters question the fact that recruitment is really based on qualification when men are appointed (Burns and Schapper 2008: 377). Some see the reason for appointing mainly men in the fact that the employers are male as well. Thus, they tend to favour candidates that are like them and to avoid differences, which means appointing someone from the different sex (Burns and Schapper 2008: 377). If this thesis holds, positive discrimination could result in appointing women to higher posts naturally in the long run, because women are then already included in the decision-making process as well. A final argumentation is as simple as this statement by the former Minister of Children and Equality in Norway, Karita Bekkemellem: So why then regulate this policy area by a new law? Because we realized, that the wanted development in Norway did not go fast enough! We do not have the patience to wait another 100 years! (Bekkemellem 2006). In other words, supporters believe positive discrimination measures are better than waiting until balanced representation will naturally arise. Legal limits to positive discrimination No matter whether positive discrimination is indeed helpful or not, the concept needs legal enforcement in order to be a powerful tool. While Norway for example goes very far with implementing positive discrimination measures as could be seen in the example concerning equal representation in board rooms, the situation looks somewhat different for other countries within Europe. The usage of positive discrimination policies is at the same time supported and restricted by the legal framework of the European Union. The Council Directive 76/207/EEC of 9 February 1976 on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions states that there shall be no gender discrimination (The Council of the European Communities 1976). However, the directive contains an article that gives some room for positive action measures. Article 2.4 states: This Directive shall be without prejudice to mea sures to promote equal opportunity for men and women, in particular by removing existing inequalities which affect womens opportunities [] (The Council of the European Communities 1976). The judgement of the European Court of Justice in the case of Eckhard Kalanke, who was denied promotion because of favouring a woman who was equally qualified, shows limits to implementing such measures. The Court declared that a measure automatically favouring an equally qualified woman is illegal (The European Court of Justice 1995). Another case brought some clarification of what kind of actions are legal. In the case of Helmut Marschall a regulation was held lawful that suggested preferential treatment in the case of equal qualification unless reasons specific to an individual [male] candidate tilt the balance in his favour (European Court of Justice 1997). With such a savings clause, which indicates no automatic or unconditional favouring, positive discrimination is lawful. It can be derived that measures of positive discrimination within the European Union are allowed only with strong limitation. It is thus not reasonable to describe positive discrimination as a perfect tool to enforce gender equality. Positive discrimination cannot be forced upon. Regulations need to contain a savings clause and such a clause allows for avoiding the promotion and recruitment of women. 3. Conclusion In conclusion it needs to be affirmed that positive discrimination can help enforce a more gender balanced distribution in the areas where implemented as seen with the example from Norway. In such cases it helps to create the intended result. However, legal limits constrain the concept of positive discrimination. Within the European Union it is a tool that can be used only with equal qualifications of the candidates and a savings clause that leaves room to avoid positive discrimination. Therefore another aspect to be considered concerns the attitudes of society. Without changing them, positive discrimination constitutes only a tool to affect the result. Real gender equality where gender plays no role in appointments is not reached through it, as positive discrimination is another form of discrimination based on gender. Nevertheless, there might be other effects than just creating a result when considering the long run. By accustoming people to a balanced gender distribution, attitudes might be changed in the long run and furthermore the decision-making process might be influenced by women resulting in equal treatment. Whether positive discrimination is fair and beneficial depends on the personal point of view. Taking all the arguments and limits into account it can be concluded that positive discrimination is definitely not a perfect tool. It is the tool with the quickest results though and can thus be described as an adequate tool if the wish for balanced gender re presentation is judged to be more important than the objections against positive discrimination. However, discussing it we should not neglect the necessity of changing attitudes by strengthening the conscience for gender equality in public, for example through the media. Furthermore, the lighter forms of positive action like increasing training measures might be of importance as well (Rees 1992: 130). In the long run this could destroy the argument of women being not qualified enough. Additionally, the question of reconciliation of work and family life should play a major role in the discussion of gender equality and the efficiency of positive discrimination. Taking into consideration the constraints imposed by family life tasks and looking for options and measures to help overcome these could prove to be of great significance.

College Admissions Essay: Why is Nothing Fascinating :: College Admissions Essays

I find the world a fascinating place, and I want to better understand many of its different facets. Something I continually ponder upon, though, is "nothing." The idea of "nothing," of not anything, completely enthralls me. In fact, I've chosen the topic for my Senior Project. In the counting sense, zero represents nothing. If there could be two, or five, or any number, but there are none, there are zero. Yet, on a complete number line, zero is something. Zero has a dot on the line just like all the other numbers. Last month, I had a discussion with my math teacher about the true mathematical representation of "nothing," the empty set, a numerical set without numbers, equations, variables, or anything at all in it. In strictly a numbers sense, I can fully grasp the concept. However, in a general sense I simply cannot fathom the idea of "not anything." I'm still baffled by something I read in a book as a child (I can't recall which one). In the book, nothingness was presented as the foundation of our universe. The author asked what else could possibly remain beyond the smallest of the small. It seems nothing else could. College Admissions Essay: Why is Nothing Fascinating :: College Admissions Essays I find the world a fascinating place, and I want to better understand many of its different facets. Something I continually ponder upon, though, is "nothing." The idea of "nothing," of not anything, completely enthralls me. In fact, I've chosen the topic for my Senior Project. In the counting sense, zero represents nothing. If there could be two, or five, or any number, but there are none, there are zero. Yet, on a complete number line, zero is something. Zero has a dot on the line just like all the other numbers. Last month, I had a discussion with my math teacher about the true mathematical representation of "nothing," the empty set, a numerical set without numbers, equations, variables, or anything at all in it. In strictly a numbers sense, I can fully grasp the concept. However, in a general sense I simply cannot fathom the idea of "not anything." I'm still baffled by something I read in a book as a child (I can't recall which one). In the book, nothingness was presented as the foundation of our universe. The author asked what else could possibly remain beyond the smallest of the small. It seems nothing else could.

The issues of the poet :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Issues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The question is: What do you think the grandmother meant when she said to the Misfit, â€Å"Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children!† Why do you think the Misfit killed her when she said that? Since the question is two parts, I’ll answer it in two parts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The grandmother said that the Misfit was one of her children in an attempt to console him into thinking that she was not someone that he wanted to kill. The reason that she says that has some symbolic underlying tones. She symbolizes Jesus, saving His flock from the perils of life, while the Misfit represents Lucifer, out to undermine the very fabric of our belief system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The devil, in most cases, is purely an anecdotal figure; there simply for us to gauge the deeds of the good against. In this case, we see that the devil, easily represented by an escape convict, showing all that could go wrong with a person. The convict, however, goes through all theses motions showing almost no emotion; as if he has no humanly response to any stressful situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Misfit killed the grandmother in a mute fit of rage. In his mind he was thinking, â€Å"How do she get tha gall ta say she’s my ma? She ain’t got no right ta do it.† He then promptly killed her for her indiscretions. This simple act is brought about by a complex set of circumstances. The need of the devil to immediately extinguish all resistance to his cause; control the little man and you shall control the masses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The fact that the Misfit killed the grandmother in cold blood is not true. The Misfit was full of inner emotion when he consummated the act, seemingly showing no outward signs of fear or nervousness.

Physician-Assisted Suicide :: Essays Papers

Physician-Assisted Suicide Every second of every day somebody in the world dies. Some of these deaths will be natural and others will be unexpected, such as accidents and murders. People with terminal illnesses may feel the desire to die before their natural time. Many will also seek the advice and even help from their health care providers in ending their lives. However, despite the pain and suffering these people may go through everyday, physician-assisted suicide should never need to occur. We now have the privilege of living in a time where technology can help considerably in the care of the terminally ill, therefore creating other options besides death for these patients. There are cures, vaccines, and a wide variety of pharmaceutical drugs to ease pain and symptoms resulting from certain illnesses. In the testimony of Charles F. Gomez before the Subcommittee on the Constitution regarding the legalization of physician-assisted suicide he states, "We now have it well within our technical means to alleviate, to palliate, to comfort, and to control the worst of symptoms among those of our fellow citizens who are terminally ill." He goes on to say, "..the question.before the country at large is whether we have the heart, the courage, and the will to make it so, or whether we will opt for expedience, and call it mercy." If a person performs his or her role as a physician correctly, there would never be a reason for physician-assisted suicide to occur. That is the opinion o f Dr. John Mark, a physician at the University of Arizona Medical Center. He feels that there are other means of treating a person with a terminal or painful illness. It is important for a patient to know of all the options that are before them, as well as a clearly defined goal during treatment. There are also ways to end a persons life who wishes to die without actively assisting a death. Dr. Mark feels that a physician can stop treating a patient and still make a patient comfortable while they await for death to take its natural course. Many other people in the health care profession are against aiding in a patients death. They feel that it is against the ethical code that comes with their titles and though, part of being a doctor may mean aiding in death, it is wrong to actively help a patient commit suicide.

Organizational Skills Essay

Organizational skills are vital when attempting to achieve goals, complete projects and build a career. The organizational process helps to attain goals, facilitate specialization and coordination, define formal relationship, avoid omissions, overlapping and duplication, as well as establish channel of communication. What exactly does it mean to be organized? Literally, organized can be defined as . In my opinion, being organized means you know where you’re currently at as well as knowing where you’re heading in the future. It can also mean that you have overcome the hindrances that keep you from doing all you need to do. It is an act, a state of mind with many actions taking place where a person is prepared for anything. But why is it important to be organized? Organization creates a calmness from everything being in order. It is relaxing and very beneficial when maintaining stress levels. Wasting time and creating tight time frames creates unhealthy, unnecessary stress. By being organized you can feel confident knowing the ‘what, when, where, who, whys and hows’ of and in your life. The task presented by F’Laker Travel required a number of organizational skills. To complete the task successfully, I was required to plan ahead, stay motivated, set up good support networks, avoid traps and find ways to overcome obstacles that may arise. Firstly, the project was broken down into manageable tasks and given a set amount of time to complete, thus creating a timeframe. This task allowed me to better understand my strengths. These included planning, making accurate interpretations of information and avoiding time wasters. We must continually set SMART goals for ourselves where we can establish timeframes and prioritise effectively using logs, schedules and plans as well as diaries and calendars. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. My first week was not satisfactory from any point of view. This forced me to obtain skills that I did not possess. I planned out my research stage as soon as possible, quickly forgetting that my life is not as flexible as most others. Due to my personal schedule being very cramped, there wasn’t much space for the task at hand. I have other commitments that I mistakenly prioritised above the task. The task itself helped me to understand how to plan effectively in the future and bring my full potential to the table. Overall, the deadlines I created were more fitting to someone with a minimalized schedule, but I know that with a little more effort, I can produce amazing results for this company in the future. With the planning of this stage I tried to use the documentation sheets, however they ended up either very messy (which does not go down well with me – I am a perfectionist) or lost. I resorted to a creating a new schedule, however, I forgot to combine it with my personal schedule. This brings me to my poor time management skills. The two schedules planned forced me to make hasty decisions. Priorities were tossed out the window and I chose what I thought would be more fun, which were consequently less beneficial, creating tight time frames that did not produce results. By choosing my personal commitments over work commitments, my motivation towards the task was lacking, but I will look towards changing that. Throughout this task, I lacked motivation. My motivational skills have never been fully developed but for this company, I am looking towards the future and willing to overcome this weakness. I know that motivation is a skill that will benefit my whole life, especially for those around me and with the opportunity presented, I can see myself expanding this company and its value. On a much better note the task that I was presented with helped me to realise that I can see between the lines of information. I can analyse and interpret important information for future clients to ensure that their journey is safe and memorable, and, more importantly, they remember F’Laker Travel was the company responsible for their adventure. With my accurate interpretations and in-depth research of information, F’Laker Travel can strive to become the best travel agency available worldwide. Procrastination is a huge issue in today’s society. We are constantly checking our media devices which take our attention from our objectives. Media does not play an important role in my life, therefore, procrastination is not a huge issue. This company needs someone who can avoid time wasters. I prefer to work on my toes, always. If I don’t have something to do or work on/towards, I will spend time finding something to do. If you look at my weekly schedule, you can see that it is very crammed and I am always doing something. Throughout this task, I was focused. It may not have been on the F’Laker Travel project, but I was consistently focused on my personal and other work tasks. Any form of media open to me is usually closed or turned off to avoid procrastination. My greatest strength of all is my ability to find and use resources. The promotion offered requires someone who can use a computer effectively, knowing how to fix and operate the machine when needed. Although this is not an organizational skill, it is a very important skill to have as a computer can and will effectively help to organize this company and its future. Overall, my performance throughout this task was not in any way, shape, or form satisfactory, however, this report positively reflects on my personal organizational skills and evaluates how they can effectively work towards expanding F’Laker Travel.

Genetics Worksheet

Genetic Worksheet Misanna Gordon SCI 230 December 02, 2012 Mitzie Sowell Associate Program Material Genetics Worksheet Review the images below and answer the follow-up questions. Key: Male affected with cystic fibrosis Unaffected male female affected with cystic fibrosis unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing inheritance of cystic fibrosis A Key: Male affected with cystic fibrosis Unaffected male female affected with cystic fibrosis unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing inheritance of cystic fibrosis A Questions: . According to the pedigree, is cystic fibrosis inherited as a dominant or as a recessive traitKey: male with Huntington’s Disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s Disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing Inheritance of Huntington’s Disease Key: male with Huntington’s Disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s Disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing Inheritance of Huntington’s Disease ? Explain how you made your conclusion using evidence from the pedigree and the principles of genetics.Cystic Fibrosis is considered to be a recessive trait. If a person has only one of the Cystic Fibrosis gene and one of the non-Cystic Fibrosis genes, the person could be a carrier of the Cystic fibrosis gene without having the Cystic Fibrosis disease. Referring back to the mentioning of Mendel, which states that the traits may not show up in a person but still can be passed down to the other generation. Mendel also mentioned that the inheritance of each of the trait can be determined by the genes that can pass down unchanged.Therefore if the Cystic Fibrosis gene is not present, it can become present dependent on the ratio of the amount of genes when it passes down. 2. What would a Punnett square that shows how the son in generation IV (marked with an A) inherited cystic fibrosis look like? [A]a] A [AA] A a] a [Aa] aa] K ey: male with Huntington’s disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing inheritance of Huntington’s disease Key: male with Huntington’s disease unaffected male emale with Huntington’s disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing inheritance of Huntington’s disease B B Questions: 1. According to the pedigree, is Huntington’s disease inherited as a dominant or as a recessive traitKey: male with Huntington’s Disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s Disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing Inheritance of Huntington’s Disease Key: male with Huntington’s Disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s Disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV VPedigree showing Inheritance of Huntington’s Disease ? Explain how you made your conclusion using evidence from the pedigr ee and the principles of genetics. According to the pedigree, it is my belief that the Huntington’s disease is a recessive trait. My reason for the belief is that one of the family members at the beginning of the pedigree was affected by the disease. Also in the third generation, there was no family members affected as well. If the trait was dominant, more family members in the earlier stages of the pedigree would have been affected. 2.What would a Punnett square that shows how the first daughter in generation II (marked with a B) did not inherit Huntington’s disease look like? [B]b] [B]bb] 3. What is the role of chromosomes in the inheritance of genetic traits, such a cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease? The genetic traits are carried by the chromosomes. Within the normal cell, the chromosomes each have two parts which is the chromatids. There is also a reproductive cell which is made through the process called meiosis. The meiosis has only one chromatid f or each of the chromosomes. Genetics Worksheet Genetic Worksheet Misanna Gordon SCI 230 December 02, 2012 Mitzie Sowell Associate Program Material Genetics Worksheet Review the images below and answer the follow-up questions. Key: Male affected with cystic fibrosis Unaffected male female affected with cystic fibrosis unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing inheritance of cystic fibrosis A Key: Male affected with cystic fibrosis Unaffected male female affected with cystic fibrosis unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing inheritance of cystic fibrosis A Questions: . According to the pedigree, is cystic fibrosis inherited as a dominant or as a recessive traitKey: male with Huntington’s Disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s Disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing Inheritance of Huntington’s Disease Key: male with Huntington’s Disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s Disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing Inheritance of Huntington’s Disease ? Explain how you made your conclusion using evidence from the pedigree and the principles of genetics.Cystic Fibrosis is considered to be a recessive trait. If a person has only one of the Cystic Fibrosis gene and one of the non-Cystic Fibrosis genes, the person could be a carrier of the Cystic fibrosis gene without having the Cystic Fibrosis disease. Referring back to the mentioning of Mendel, which states that the traits may not show up in a person but still can be passed down to the other generation. Mendel also mentioned that the inheritance of each of the trait can be determined by the genes that can pass down unchanged.Therefore if the Cystic Fibrosis gene is not present, it can become present dependent on the ratio of the amount of genes when it passes down. 2. What would a Punnett square that shows how the son in generation IV (marked with an A) inherited cystic fibrosis look like? [A]a] A [AA] A a] a [Aa] aa] K ey: male with Huntington’s disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing inheritance of Huntington’s disease Key: male with Huntington’s disease unaffected male emale with Huntington’s disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing inheritance of Huntington’s disease B B Questions: 1. According to the pedigree, is Huntington’s disease inherited as a dominant or as a recessive traitKey: male with Huntington’s Disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s Disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV V Pedigree showing Inheritance of Huntington’s Disease Key: male with Huntington’s Disease unaffected male female with Huntington’s Disease unaffected female Generation I II III IV VPedigree showing Inheritance of Huntington’s Disease ? Explain how you made your conclusion using evidence from the pedigr ee and the principles of genetics. According to the pedigree, it is my belief that the Huntington’s disease is a recessive trait. My reason for the belief is that one of the family members at the beginning of the pedigree was affected by the disease. Also in the third generation, there was no family members affected as well. If the trait was dominant, more family members in the earlier stages of the pedigree would have been affected. 2.What would a Punnett square that shows how the first daughter in generation II (marked with a B) did not inherit Huntington’s disease look like? [B]b] [B]bb] 3. What is the role of chromosomes in the inheritance of genetic traits, such a cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease? The genetic traits are carried by the chromosomes. Within the normal cell, the chromosomes each have two parts which is the chromatids. There is also a reproductive cell which is made through the process called meiosis. The meiosis has only one chromatid f or each of the chromosomes.

Bad Home Life Essay

Children all over the world suffer everyday from bad home life, born with health problems, no shelter, abusive parents, not having enough food or water to have a good living. Majority of the children are robbed of their childhood. Everyone has heard about the problems in Africa mainly children dying of lack of food and clean water causing malnutriton. After researching more about what caught my eye was the problem in Uganda that has been going on for about twentyfive years and still happening today. It’s a very tragic and almost unbelievable story that this would happen in the lives of young children. Imagine the little kids you see on the playground at your nearby elementary school were running around with guns just shooting whatever got in their way. It’s basically an army led by Joseph Kony who was once a rebel of the army. Made up of thousands of children starting at five years old to adulthood. Majority of the children that have joined are dead now reaching a certain age. He was just not just a mass murderer but involved in many sex crimes as well. He starts by kidnapping the children from their homes the parents are killed in front of their children some the children are forced to shoot their parents. They are then forced to become apart of the army some disagree and are killed on the spot. Women are also captured to look after the young children that are captured they are also brutally raped some survive or killed, they become widowed too by the killing of their husbands. They also become responsible for feeding the children waking up early in the morning in search of food. The women become very restless and suffering due to the loss of their relatives and husbands. There is somewhat a change happening in Africa to help with this problem called the SOS Social Centre supports over 250 children and their mothers in the community who have been affected by the civil war with counseling, and medical, nutritional and educational support. Former soldiers of the army that have escaped also receive counseling. To think that these people and children do not have rights or health care that we here in America were born with is unbelievable. Many children in the SOS are orphans due to losing their parents, brother and sisters etc. , they have certain program for this called the Family Strengthening Program so there are less abandoned children. Today, chased beyond Uganda’s borders, Kony stalks the wildly remote jungles straddling the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and southern Sudan, eluding American backed efforts to end his demented war and save the children who suffer at his hand.

Dramatic Successes In Eradicating Small Pox Environmental Sciences Essay

Over the last 30 old ages the reversal in the worsening decease rate due to infective diseases has alarmed international wellness experts. Dramatic successes in eliminating little syphilis, commanding infantile paralysis and TB, and extinguishing vector-borne diseases such as xanthous febrility, dandy fever and malaria from many parts convinced most experts the epoch of infective diseases would shortly be over. Unfortunately this optimistic forecast was premature as a figure of diseases have dramatically reemerged. Tuberculosis, cholera, dandy fever, pestilence, Avian grippe and malaria have increased in incidence or geographic scope, as have new drug-resistant strains of bacteriums. In add-on freshly recognized diseases, such as AIDS, SARS, Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, Cryptosporidiosis, e.t.c. hold emerged. Dr. Mark Woolhouse and his co-workers at University of Edinburgh noted in the diary SCIENCE that â€Å" humanity is presently plagued by 1709 known pathogens ( from viruses and bacteriums to fungi, Protozoa and worms ) † . They concluded that 49 % of those are zoonotic and farther it was noted that zoonotic diseases are three times more likely to be emerging diseases than non-zoonotic diseases ( Cook, 2003 ) . The present planetary outgrowth of infective diseases is clearly associated with the societal and demographic alterations of the past 50 old ages, peculiarly urbanization and globalization, with the attendant spread of pathogens ( agents doing disease ) via septic worlds, hosts, vectors or trade goods. The alteration in the environment caused by human activities is besides evident in the transmutation of much of our landscape and transition of regional systems one time dominated by natural ecosystems. Factors include enlargement into urban or peri-urban home ground, deforestation, and the spread of intensive agriculture. The environment ‘s function in the outgrowth of diseases is evident in the connexions between the direct effects of human alterations to urban and rural landscapes and ecosystems, and the secondary effects on disease outgrowth factors. Developing irrigated agribusiness, for illustration, can make breeding evidences for mosquitoes, a vector for malaria. Likewise the unequal storm drainage and sewage systems frequently associated with rapid urbanization non merely increase the genteelness home ground for disease vectors but facilitate the spread of waterborne pathogens doing cholera and swamp fever. Overwhelming grounds points to human demographic alterations as the major direct and indirect factor lending to the addition in infective disease, with slightly different kineticss and mechanisms at work in urban and rural environments. In the first instance the increasing figure of people crowded into dense colonies has dramatically increased chances for nutrient, H2O, gnawer and vector-borne pathogens to â€Å" colonize † and prevail in human populations. Each pathogen has alone transmittal and adaptative features that determine a minimal population for endurance ( the threshold for rubeolas is about 250,000 people ) . Whether the threshold is 100,000 or a million the figure of big urban colonies and the mean colony size has been turning fast in recent decennaries. The figure of metropoliss of one million or larger was 76 in 1950, 522 in 1975, 1,122 in 2000, and is set to transcend 1,600 by 2015. This 20-fold addition translates to a approximately similar addition in planeta ry infective disease exposure due to this one factor entirely. This type of growing has indirect societal and environmental effects that contribute to multiplying the existent addition in population. Poverty, hapless life conditions, including deficiency of sanitation and substructure for waste-water and solid waste direction, increases chances for vector- borne diseases and others go throughing from animate beings to worlds. The geographic spread and enlargement into peri-urban countries of the mosquito Aedes albopictus, finely adapted for engendering in discarded plastic containers and used car tyres, is a good illustration of how a possible vector of viral diseases has taken advantage of environmental alteration. Lack of sanitation and waste H2O intervention, and industrialscale intensification of carnal production systems the universe over, contribute to alien species, and the proliferation and spread of H2O and food-borne pathogens. Increasingly frequent eruptions of infections are caused by these and other beings, many of which may eat alo ngside or quarry on wild mammals and birds as natural parasites. The taint of surface Waterss and spread of pathogens is farther promoted by the change of catchments and water partings attach toing urbanization, and intensive farming around metropoliss. Imparting watercourses, taking flora on the Bankss, and make fulling in wetland – all of which accompany unplanned urbanisation – extinguish the natural keeping and alimentary recycling systems, every bit good as barriers to come up run-off contaminated with enteric pathogens. Nutrient pollution taking to oxygen depletion in estuaries, lakes, watercourses and even stretches of ocean, such as the Gulf of Mexico, helps such pathogens survive excessively. In rural countries population and ingestion play a less direct function in lending to disease outgrowth, peculiarly as rural out-migration is fuelling the demographic detonation in metropoliss. It is more that urban countries are driving a sustained addition in the lumber trade, agribusiness, stock elevation and excavation, ensuing in bend in deforestation and alterations in land usage that are transforming rural landscapes and natural countries in ways that frequently facilitate the outgrowth of disease. Deforestation or even â€Å" patchy † re-afforestation leads to ecological alterations such as increased border home ground and local extinction of marauders that favour some disease vectors and reservoir species. Invasion of persons and colonies on natural ecosystems brings worlds into contact with known and fresh pathogens. The spread and intensification of farming consequences in the development of irrigation systems, ideal genteelness sites for mosquitoes and a home groun d for timeserving insects and gnawers that may be vectors or reservoirs for disease. Dams provide a favorable home ground for other vectors. Climate alteration represents a possible environmental factor impacting disease outgrowth. Shifts in the geographic scopes of hosts and vector, the consequence of increasing temperature on generative, development and mortality rates on hosts, vectors, and pathogens, and the effects of increased clime variableness on implosion therapy and drouths all have the possible to impact disease incidence and outgrowth positively or negatively. At present there is deficient grounds to bespeak what the net consequence will be one time climate alterations begin to hold a major affect on ecosystems. However, a dominant subject emerging from research on the ecology of infective disease is that accelerated and disconnected environmental alteration, whether natural or caused by worlds, may supply conditions conducive to pathogen outgrowth: pathogen version, host shift, and active or inactive or dispersion. The revival of infective diseases worldwide reflects our quick-fix outlook, with hapless development planning, a deficiency of political finding and institutional inactiveness. It is non the inevitable consequence of development, environmental alteration, or even incremental population growing. On the contrary much can be done to change by reversal the current tendency. Equally good as reconstructing the public wellness substructure for infective diseases, there is significant grounds and a turning figure of illustrations of how regional planning and development, including urbanization, agricultural enlargement, and the direction and preservation of woods and other ecosystems can understate and even cut down eruptions of infective disease every bit good as environmental harm. Basically we need an incorporate attack to pathogen control. This attack will affect engaging societal and economic development programmes, environmental and natural resource direction, with intercession based o n the fresh field of disease ecology and methods affecting community engagement ( Bruce and Gubler, 2004 ) .HUMAN AND EXOTIC SPECIES IMPACTSAdverse human impacts on biodiversity occur in really different ways, such as: habitat-destruction ; overharvesting ; climatic alteration ; environmental pollution ( air pollution, eutrophication, acid rain ) ; commercial trade of ( rare ) workss and animate beings ; debuts of species ; and familial technology.Habitat devastationDestruction of home grounds for al sort of intents, building of roads, canals, dikes and houses is likely the most of import threath to biodiversity. Illustrative are the side effects of some well-meaning international development undertakings. These are sometimes sponsored by international bureaus concerned with such personal businesss and sometimes by the foreign-assistance sections of single giver states. Normally the undertakings are intended to profit one section of the economic system of the recipient state ; but, because ecological advice by and large is non sought and because of the wide consequence of the proposed development on other resources or on the entire environment, the side effects of some of these activities frequently far outweigh any benefits that are derived. An illustration is the Aswan High Dam of Egypt, where the demand to increase the supply of H2O for irrigation and power was considered paramount. The environmental side effects, nevertheless, have been tremendous and include the spread of the disease bilharzia by snails that live in the irrigation channels, loss of land in the delta of the Nile River fro m eroding once the former deposit burden of the river was no longer available for land edifice, and a assortment of other effects. The duty of bureaus concerned with international development to seek the best environmental advice is now by and large accepted, but execution of this duty has been slow.OverharvestingOverharvesting, overcultivation or over-exploitation of natural resources is besides a large menace to biodiversity. This human activity refers to a rate of development or use that exceeds the cycling capacity of the natural resource. Classifying natural resources it has been traditional to separate between those that are renewable and those that are unrenewable. The former were considered to be the living resources — e.g. , woods, wildlife, and the similar — because of their ability to renew through reproduction. The latter were considered to be inanimate mineral or fuel resources, which, one time used, does non replace themselves. Because all natural resourc es in fact organize a continuum, from those that are most renewable in the short term to those that are least renewable, they do non readily impart themselves to a individual system of categorization. It is utile, hence, to analyze the assorted types of natural resources in relation to their cycling clip ; i.e. , the length of clip required to replace a given measure of a resource that has been utilized with an tantamount measure in a likewise utile signifier. From this point of position, renewable resources can be considered as those with short cycling times ( grass, lumber ) and unrenewable resources as those with really long cycling times ( coal, oil ) . Any resource can be unrenewable, nevertheless, if the demand and rate of use exceed its cycling capacity. Illustrative is the international development of life resources, peculiarly the tropical woods of the universe. These woods, which contain many 100s of species of trees turning in diverse mixtures, were spared from development in earlier decennaries because of their unavailability, the comparatively low value of most of the trees for lumber intents, and the limited universe demand. Heavily exploited for particular utilizations were a few species of high value, such as teak, coal black, sandalwood, mahogany, and other furniture forests. Most tropical woods were non greatly disturbed, nevertheless. This state of affairs has changed, and a broad assortment of forests antecedently considered worthless are used for mush, hardboard, and fibreboard or as cellulose for plastics production. With new machines and better transit, it has become profitable to take trees from antecedently remote countries and to transport logs, bolts, wood french friess, or other partly processed stuffs to foreign markets. Faced with a high demand for their wood merchandises, most developing states have been willing to subscribe over lumber rights to foreign companies, trusting thereby to increase their national incomes and to progress the general stuff public assistance of their people. Unfortunately, most of these lumbers contracts contain few or no commissariats for preservation. Forest industries that have first-class direction and preservation records in their place states behave otherwise in other lands. Great countries of tropical wood have been laid waste, dirts bared to erosion, and the wildlife within them destroyed. Because no Torahs are violated in either the exploited or the place state, there is no effectual damages. General international understandings regulating the preservation of such living resources would supply an reply to this job, but they are improbable to be implemented in clip to forestall the desolation of big countries of the tropical universe.Global Climatic Chan geClimate alteration is likely to hold considerable impacts on most or all ecosystems. The distribution forms of many species and communities are determined to a big portion by climatic parametric quantities, nevertheless, the responses to alterations in these parametric quantities are seldom simple.A At the simplest degree, altering forms of clime will alter the natural distribution bounds for species or communities. In the absence of barriers it may be possible for species or communities to migrate in response to altering conditions. Vegetation zones may travel towards higher latitudes or higher heights following displacements in mean temperatures. Motions will be more marked at higher latitudes where temperatures are expected to lift more than near the equator. In the mid-latitude parts ( 45 to 60 ° ) , for illustration, present temperature zones could switch by 150 A ­ 550 km.A In most instances natural or semisynthetic barriers will impact the natural motion of species or communities. Arctic tundra and alpine hayfields may go squeezed by the natural constellation of the landscape, while these and many other natural systems may be farther confined by human land-use forms. Many national Parkss and protected countries are now surrounded by urban and agricultural landscapes which will forestall the simple migration of species beyond their boundaries.A Rainfall and drouth will besides be of critical importance. Extreme implosion therapy will hold deductions for big countries, particularly riverine and valley ecosystems. Increasing drouth and desertification may happen in tropical and sub-tropical zones, and at least one theoretical account has predicted a drying out of big parts of the Amazon.A Ratess of alteration will besides be of import, and these will change at regional and even local degrees. The maximal rates of spread for some sedentary species, including big tree-species may be slower than the predicted rates of alteration in climatic conditions. In many instances farther complications will originate from the complexness of species interactions and differential sensitivenesss to altering conditions between species. Certain species may quickly accommodate to new conditions and may move in competition with others.A Changes in seasons are already being noticed in many temperate parts. Birdsong is being reported earlier and spring flowers are emerging when it was one time winter. In agricultural landscapes alterations in the length of turning seasons may better productiveness in mid-latitudes and increase the possible for cultivable harvests at high latitudes.A Negative impacts may include increased scopes of insect plagues and diseases, and failure of harvests in some parts from drouth or implosion therapy. On the comparatively narrow home grounds of the coastal borders, particularly where these are backed by countries of intense human usage, lifting sea degrees may take to the squashing out of of import coastal habitats.A Rising sea temperatures will farther impact the distribution and endurance of peculiar marine resources. Corals have already shown an highly high sensitiveness to minor additions in temperature, while other surveies have shown dramatic alterations in the distribution and endurance of the Pacific salmon in the late 1990s.A In add-on to doing a warming consequence, increased concentrations of atmospheric C dioxide are known increase rates of photosynthesis in many workss, every bit good as bettering H2O usage efficiency. In this manner the clime alterations may increase growing rates in some natural and agricultural communities.DesertificationAbout 3,6 billion of the universe ‘s 5.2 billion hectares of utile dryland for agribusiness has suffered eroding and dirt debasement. In more than 100 states, 1 billion of the 6 billion universe population is affected by desertification, coercing people to go forth their farms for occupations in the metropoliss. Desertification takes topographic point in dryland countries where the Earth is particularly delicate, where rainfall is nil and the clime harsh. The consequence is the devastation of surface soil followed by loss of the land ‘s ability to prolong harvests, farm animal or human activity. The economic impact is awful, with a loss of more than $ 40 billion per twelvemonth in agricultural goods and an addition in agricultural monetary values. Climatic alterations can trip the desertification procedure, but human activities often are the proximate cause. Overcultivation exhausts the dirt. Deforestation removes trees that hold the dirt to the land. Overgrazing of farm animal strips the land of grasses. Harmonizing to a UN survey, approximately 30 % of Earth ‘s land – including the 70 % of dryland – is affected by drouth. Every twenty-four hours, approximately 33,000 people starve to decease. Desertification create conditions that intensify wildfires and stirring air currents, adding to the enormous force per unit area to Earth ‘s most cherished resource, H2O, and, of class, the animate beings dependant on it. Harmonizing to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the universe lost about 30 % of its natural wealth between 1970 and 1995. Dust from comeuppances and drylands are blown into metropoliss around the universe. Dust from Africa reaches Europe through the Pasat air current, and even reaches US metropoliss. Dust atoms, which are less than 2,5 millionths of a meter in size, are inhaled, doing wellness jobs and have been shown to hike decease rates.Environmental pollutionEnvironmental pollution or pollution is the add-on of any substance ( foods ) or signifier of energy ( e.g. , heat, sound, radiation ) to the environment at a rate faster than the environment can suit it by scattering, dislocation, recycling, or storage in some harmless signifier. A pollutant demand non be harmful in itself. Carbon dioxide, for illustration, is a normal constituent of the ambiance and a byproduct of respiration that is found in all carnal tissues ; yet in a concentrated signifier it can kill animate beings. Human sewerage can be a utile fertiliser, but when concentrated excessively extremely it becomes a serious pollutant, endan gering wellness and doing the depletion of O in organic structures of H2O. By contrast, radiation in any measure is harmful to life, despite the fact that it occurs usually in the environment as alleged background radiation. Pollution has accompanied mankind of all time since groups of people foremost congregated and remained for a long clip in any one topographic point. Crude human colonies can be recognized by their pollutants — blast hills and rubble tonss. But pollution was non a serious job every bit long as there was adequate infinite available for each person or group. With the constitution of lasting human colonies by great Numberss of people, nevertheless, pollution became a job and has remained one of all time since. Cities of ancient times were frequently noxious topographic points, fouled by human wastes and dust. In the Middle Ages, insanitary urban conditions favoured the eruption of population-decimating epidemics. During the nineteenth century, H2O and air pollution and the accretion of solid wastes were mostly the jobs of merely a few big metropoliss. But, with the rise of advanced engineering and with the rapid spread of industrialisation and the attendant addition in human popul ations to unprecedented degrees, pollution has become a cosmopolitan job. Of all the pollutants released into the environment every twelvemonth by human activity, Persistent Organic Pollutants or POPs are among the most unsafe. They are extremely toxic, doing an array of inauspicious effects, notably decease, disease, and birth defects, among worlds and animate beings. Specific effects can include malignant neoplastic disease, allergic reactions and hypersensitivity, harm to the cardinal and peripheral nervous systems, generative upsets, and break of the immune system. These extremely stable compounds can last for old ages or decennaries before interrupting down. POPs released in one portion of the universe can, through a repeated and frequently seasonal procedure of vaporization, sedimentation, vaporization, sedimentation, be transported through the ambiance to parts far off from the original beginning. In add-on, POPs dressed ore in life beings through another procedure called bioaccumulation. Though non soluble in H2O, POPs are readily absorbed in fatty tissue, where concentrations can go magnified by up to 70,000 times the background degrees. Fish, predatory birds, mammals, and worlds are high up the nutrient concatenation and so absorb the greatest concentrations.Depletion of the Ozone LayerScientists besides fear that the ozonosphere ( or ozone bed of the ambiance ) is being depleted by the chemical action of CFCs emitted from aerosol tins and iceboxs and by pollutants from projectiles and supersonic aircraft. Depletion of the ozone bed, which absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, would hold serious effects on life beings on the Earth ‘s surface, including increasing frequence of skin malignant neoplastic disease among worlds.Acid RainAnother climatic consequence of pollution is acerb rain. The phenomenon occurs when sulfur dioxide and N oxides from the combustion of fossil fuels combine with H2O vapor in the ambiance. The ensuing precipitation is damaging to H2O, wood, and dirt resources. It is blamed for the disap pearing of fish from many lakes in the Adirondacks, for the widespread decease of woods in European mountains, and for damaging tree growing in the United States and Canada. Reports besides indicate that it can eat edifices and be risky to human wellness. Because the contaminations are carried long distances, the beginnings of acid rain are hard to nail and therefore hard to command. Acid rain has been reported in countries as far apart as Sweden and Canada. The drifting of pollutants doing acid rain across international boundaries has created dissensions between Canada and the United States and among European states over the causes and solutions of the precipitation. The international range of the job has led to the sign language of international understandings on the restriction of S and N oxide emanations.Eutrophication and OligotrophicationFreshwater ecosystems go through eutrophication or oligotrophication. Eutrophication is an aging procedure in the life rhythm of a lake, pool or decelerate traveling watercourse. When this occurs a batch of dead organic affair settees at the underside of the H2O. It all decomposes and signifiers an evergrowing bed of silt. This can take many thousand old ages to finish. The other aging procedure is known as oligotropication. This is a the entire antonym of eutrophication, it is alimentary hapless. Lakes face to basic sorts of environmental jobs which are: menaces to H2O quality and the impairment of shoreland. Pollution by industries, transportation and hapless agricultural patterns have led to toxic condition of the H2O. Besides changes in temperature lead to accelerated eutrophication. Eutrophication is an overload of different foods in the H2O which put an inordinate demand on the O content of the H2O, ensuing in the chemical-biological decease of a lake. Some of the universe ‘s major lakes presently suffer from such jobs. The effects of pollution on land ( and in H2O ) are to favor small-bodied, quickly reproducing beings that do non depend on complex nutrient webs. The procedure of simplification and poverty is now planetary and affects tellurian and aquatic communities likewise. It is the continuously spread outing consequence of chronic invasions on natural systems by human influences. The poverty threatens all life because it reduces consistently the capacity of the Earth to back up workss. The writers of Foods in European Ecosystems say natural lakes, unreal reservoirs, rivers, coastal Marine Waterss and tellurian ecosystems are all affected to changing grades of badness by alimentary surpluss. In most instances, the harm varies merely by geographic part. Many reservoirs functioning indispensable utilizations such as public H2O supplies and irrigation are among the most affected by eutrophication because they are, of necessity, located near to countries of intense human activity. The study says eutrophication is a major issue in still H2O environments but, even after decennaries of scientific research, there are really few monitoring programmes in being. In rivers, the most widespread pollutant in geographic footings is P, which consequences in the development of big measures of seasonal works growing, taking to other types of impact such as flustered O and pH rhythms, organic pollution and monolithic growing of toxic algae. The study besides confirms that extra ammonium is present in many rivers. Excessive degrees of nitrates, observed in many old surveies, represent a widespread debasement of river H2O and, locally, nitrate concentrations may forestall human utilizations of H2O. In coastal Marine Waterss, the frequence and geographic extent of eutrophication phenomena are increasing, even in marine countries antecedently believed to be unaffected. In tellurian ecosystems, alimentary impacts appear to be serious because of the uncertainness of recovery of the land-based systems, taking to losingss of species and ecosystems. The application of alimentary decrease policies is patchy, says the study. But the writers found it hard to measure the effectivity of these policies because of the general scarceness of informations refering primary causes, emanations and the position of ecosystems. All the necessary datasets are non available at European or national degree, and do non even exist at all in some states. It was merely possible to obtain a little fraction of the bing informations, and this fraction was deficient to bring forth a full appraisal.Commercial trade of works and animate being speciesCommercial trade of life animate beings and workss every bit good as in the merchandises derived from them is besides a terrible menace to biodiversity. Demands by affluent states for certain animate being and works merchandises create peculiarly terrible jobs in less flush states. The trade in endangered species of wildlife is exemplifying. The demand for pelts and teguments of rare carnal species is unnaturally created in the manner Centres of the universe. Monetary values paid by affluent people for these points in flush states exceed the lifetime income of most people in the states from which the leopards, crocodiles, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelams, and other wild species come. Poachers go to great lengths to obtain these animate beings wherever they can be found, including inside national Parkss and militias. Because effectual policing is virtually impossible, legal and illegal trade in wildlife Begin to overlap, and both become steadfastly established. Exporters of wild animate beings and their merchandises are the terminal links of profitable concern ironss that include far greater Numberss of huntsmans and trappers in distant countries. Furthermore, for each animate being or tegument that reaches a foreign market, many more are destroyed in hunting, caparison, and transporting.Introductions of non-native ( foreign ) speciesA major subscriber to depletion and extinction, 2nd merel y to habitat loss, is the debut of species into new environments. These transplanted signifiers are called exotics. Every debut of alien species that become established consequences in alterations to the having ecosystem. Unfortunately, most of the ascertained effects have been damaging and irreparable by displacing native species, and changing trophic degree construction. Introduced species frequently prey on many parts of an already established nutrient web or compete with autochthonal species for resources such as nutrient or infinite. Without any natural marauders, encroachers can endanger or even extinguish autochthonal species. They besides carry with them the menace of new diseases which can destruct vulnerable native dwellers. In some countries, native species are on the threshold of extinction due to the debut of an alien species. Speciess have sometimes invaded new home grounds of course ( e.g. when land Bridgess have become established ) but human geographic expedition and colonisation has dramatically increased the spread of alien species. Whenever adult male has settled far off from place, he has tried to present his familiar animate beings and workss. Many other species ( e.g. rats ) have been by chance transported around the universe. The first instances were from European adventurers, who frequently released caprine animals and hogs so that later colonisers had an abundant beginning of familiar carnal protein, and colonisers so brought more of the same. Some of our most abundant wild animate beings and workss, particularly those that do good in urban or disturbed countries, are introduced species that have become established. For illustration, the starling, cabbage-white butterfly, eucalyptus tree, mustard, many grasses, etc. Most insect and works plagues are alien species. It is estimated that at least 4,000 alien works and 2,300 alien animate being species are now established in the United States. Many exotics have black effects on native vegetations and zoologies. They frequently leave behind the factors that have evolved with them and that control their population and spread. In their new home ground there may be fewer marauders or diseases, so their populations grow out of control. Prey beings may non hold evolved defence mechanisms and native species may non vie successfully for infinite or nutrient, so are frequently pushed to extinction. Since alien species are self-perpetuating, they can hold permanency unmatched by other menaces to biodiversity including overuse and habitat loss. Exotics are a factor lending to the endangered or threatened position of 42 % of animate beings and workss on the U.S. endangered species list. The spread of exotics replaces healthy, diverse ecosystems with biologically impoverished, homogenous landscapes. For illustration, topographic points with a Mediterranean clime in southern Australia, the U.S. west seashore, Chile and South Africa antecedently had few works species in common ( although they did demo many illustrations of convergent development, taking to similar landscapes ) . They now portion 100s of weedy alien species, chiefly from the Mediterranean part.Familial technologyThe term familial technology ab initio meant any of a broad scope of techniques for the alteration or use of beings through the procedures of heredity and reproduction. As such, the term embraced both unreal choice and all the intercessions of biomedical techniques, among them unreal insemination, in vitro fertilisation ( e.g. , â€Å" test-tube † babes ) , sperm Bankss, cloning, and cistron use. But the term now denotes the narrower field of recombinant DNA engineering, or cistron clonin g, in which DNA molecules from two or more beginnings are combined either within cells or in vitro and are so inserted into host beings in which they are able to propagate. Genetic technology has advanced the apprehension of many theoretical and practical facets of cistron map and organisation. Through recombinant DNA techniques, bacteriums have been created that are capable of synthesising human insulin, human growing endocrine, alpha interferon, a hepatitis B vaccinum, and other medically utile substances. Plants may be genetically adjusted to enable them to repair N, and familial diseases can perchance be corrected by replacing â€Å" bad † cistrons with â€Å" normal † 1s. Nevertheless, particular concern has been focused on such accomplishments for fright that they might ensue in the debut of unfavorable and perchance unsafe traits into ( micro ) organisms that were antecedently free of them — e.g. , opposition to antibiotics, production of toxins, or a inclination to do disease ( De Valk, 2005 ) .