Research project outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research project outline - Essay Example This report will outline the internationalization strategy and activities of Bentley in its efforts to enter and establish itself in China’s emerging economy, the market situation analysis, in addition to the firm’s expansion motives, strategic direction. Bentley’s internationalization trajectory Lately, Bentley has been engaged in a number of internationalization strategies including exportation, establishment of wholly owned subsidiaries, Greenfield ventures, and vertical integration across national frontiers; these global brand strategy aim to strengthen its position in the highly competitive automobile industry (Peng 2009, p.33). In formulating a most effective course of action, Bentley has evaluated several advanced technology options and decided to focus on improved efficiency and the use of alternative powertrain technology to reduce CO2 emissions while improving fuel economy. In this regard, Bentley’s environmental strategy addresses both the globa l issues of fuel security and global warming (Bentley 2008, p.7), thus cutting a niche for the socially responsible consumes who are keen in making environmentally sound investments. Bentley is also keen on improving efficiency by utilizing a range of technologies including engine revisions, improved transmission systems, drive train alterations, in addition to enhanced vehicle characteristics. Bentley has also explored the market of hybrid cars due to the advancement of hybrid technology thereby contributing greatly to the energy and CO2 emission savings when driving these cars especially in an urban environment. Besides the hybrid cars, Bentley also has explored the use of Hydrogen and Electricity, as an alternative automobile propulsion system; hydrogen and electric cars have a zero tailpipe CO2 emissions because Hydrogen burns cleanly and combustion is not necessary for electricity-powered cars. Largely, Bentley’s internationalization trajectory is based on economically v iable, ethical, and environmentally sound solutions in response to the global potential crisis over energy shortages and climate change. Bentley’s introduction of car models that are powered by renewable and sustainable energy sources is motivated by the firm’s commitment to reduce the environmental impact of its vehicles with the improvement of efficiency. Situation Analysis China is undoubtedly the second leading automobile producer and market by 2009 with annual sales that are slightly shy of 14 million cars, yet the market continues to expand at a rate of about 36.1% increase in annual sales by 2010 (APCO Worldwide 2010, p.3). The rapid growth of the Chinese automobile industry market is attributable to the rising domestic demand for vehicles because of the rising incomes, an emerging middle class, and supportive government policies in the industry (Xavier Richet and Joel 2008, p.450). The Chinese government has implemented special tax adjustments and subsidies for the purchase of cars, which are aimed to motivate buyers to go for hybrid electric vehicles or the purely electricity powered vehicles, in addition to normal models with a reduced engine displacement. Places such as Beijing in China have

How a new company deal with orgnizational behavior in a new country Essay

How a new company deal with orgnizational behavior in a new country - Essay Example nced by, or learnt from their superiors since an enabling organizational behavior can be achieved if leaders set a good example to employees, and practice ethical behavior towards everyone in the organization. Leaders need to be emphatic, and be considerate on how such as decision shall affect the total morale and attitudes of the organization as a whole (Bonin, 2012). In addition, the notion of leaders giving instructions or making ethical judgments, while they themselves do not apply it would create a negative impression on employees hence affect organizational behavior. Secondly, the author relates the influence of changing technology on organizational behavior, and organization as a whole. He argues that changes in technology create a competitive advantage for the organization, and if handled well it enables the organization to increase its bottom line. Moreover, when these changes are introduced to the organization they usually lead to the production of higher quality products and services. With this change in technology, employees work performance may be affected as they have to adapt to these changes. Changes in technology may affect the employees work performance negatively; in turn, increase work related stress among them. This stress levels affect them physically and mentally and if not handled well shall affect the work performance of employees, reduce job satisfaction and in the long run the overall organizational output (Bonin, 2012). The article provides a solution in handling this work related stress in the workplace that may be caused by technological change. It states that in order to create better organizational behavior among employees, organizations need to provide training to employees on the changes in technology to enable them adapt well. There is also need to provide information on literature on stress, and if possible provide counseling to employees to help reduce stress. In the case of a new company in a new country, it should consider

Science field trips | Teaching

Science field trips | Teaching Introduction For several years, many science concepts have been accepted and included into the curriculum, however more often than not these concepts are incorporated as a division of topics within a specific discipline. For example, specialty science courses like environmental biology, environmental chemistry, environmental physics, and environmental geology. Field trips to local spots of interest can be an educational and enlightening component of a science course. In spite of the complexity of arranging these and creating them into the course curriculum, they should be strongly measured. Plan field trips in advance so that the time is used efficiently. For example, if a visit to the local zoo is considered, give students some initial worksheets on animal behaviour while they are there. A visit to a local water resource, information about environment and flora and fauna should come first and follow the trip. Procedures for environment assessment are available from many sources, including the local department of natural resources, the local EPA office, or other professionals like the scenic rivers coordinator in your state. However the acceptance of science teachers on the use or the incorporation of science fieldtrips in the curriculum has been put in question. Some teachers are hesitant to conduct fieldtrips for various different reasons. Their attitude and behaviour towards this well accepted practice varies from training to a personal judge of their capacity. A study regarding the effect of training on urban science teachers perspective on the educational potential of science fieldtrips had been conceptualized to address the trend and its implication to the academe. Review of Literature The quality of learning that students acquire and the degree of experience that students have from their educational activities depend greatly on their teachers. The National Standards for Science Education has incorporated a detailed parameter for teachers and teacher preparation programs that will assist in advancing science literacy in their students. There are a very limited number of researches published that evaluates teachers opinions with regards to taking their students to natural environments such as museums to learn. The research proposes that teachers give importance to outside learning experiences but also report disincentives and significant institutional roadblocks that stand in their way. This review of studies and literatures will discuss how teachers are motivated by this other form of teaching environment and teaching mechanism. Insight from studies in the last thirty years as to what factors facilitate the learning experience for school field trips were discussed (Bitgood, 1989; Price Hein, 1991; Griffin, 1998). Falk and Dierking (1992) discuss perceptions that John Falk and associates have gained from their various studies involving field trips. They said that children begin a field trip with two programmes. The first programme is child-centered and focuses on what students imagine they will be doing: seeing exhibits; having fun travelling there; buying gift shop items; and having a day off from their normal school routine. The second programme communicates to the schools and museums expectations. These programmes are that they assume they will learn things and be meeting people who work at the museum. Field trips are undertaken with a particular reason. These purposes vary. Griffin (1998) did a study involving school excursions to museums in Sydney Australia, and found teachers stated disagreeing purposes for going on field trips. Some of the teachers viewed the field trip as a change of tempo for students and a social experience. Some teachers formulated learning oriented objectives pertaining to the curriculum presented to them. Griffin found that teachers explicit and implicit purposes may differ. There are teachers who wishes to incorporate social interaction and enrichment of previously discussed or presented topics therefore resolve the field trip in highly educated manner in which their knowledge and skills will be further enhanced. She suggests that teachers may react in this manner because they are uncomfortable with their capacity to manage their students in an unfamiliar environment. She feels that teachers are perhaps ignorant of, or unable to understand many of the pr inciples of learning in informal environments, such as learning through play and direct involvement with phenomena. In addition, she found that the teachers purpose for the field trip influences the students rationale for the visit. Therefore it can be said that students attitudes tend to mirror the teachers attitude (Griffin, 1998; Griffin Symington, 1980). Research studies by Gottfried (1980) and others support the idea that teachers view field trips as enrichment experiences (Gottfried, 1980; Brigham Robinson, 1992; Griffin, 1998). With this given analysis it presupposes that fieldtrips appeal to the educating world as means of escape to a usual habit or pattern. Sometimes it holds true that teachers are not sure of how to facilitate a learning environment outside the four corners of the classroom. As observed some may let the students wander off to the new environment without making any further information on what is seen and observed in the environment to where the educational fieldtrip is conducted. The author was quick to assume that teachers attitudes and motivation to adapt a science fieldtrip in the curriculum relies on their outlook of how they will perform or how prepared they are to facilitated and head the said trips. The accountability is overwhelming for teachers in the eyes of the author. In this case I presume that the author knows the essence or the importance of the teachers readiness to hold such responsibility in being motivated to include a science fieldtrip in their curriculum. Connections between Informal Science Sites and Schools In recent times, there has been a growing interest in the development of relationships between informal science sites and schools. This is conceptualized to the detection that informal education sites have the potential to offer more than a one-time field trip to teachers and students. According to Ramey-Gassert (1997), science fieldtrips has many potential benefits. These include improving motivation and attitudes, interactive participation, and fostering curiosity. In itself this may be reason enough for teachers to be interested in promoting connections between schools and informal education sites. In a sense, fieldtrips may encourage students to actively take part in the study. In fact the application of what is taught at school may be seen and experienced firsthand during fieldtrips. Having done so, teachers may use this to stir students curiosity and further encourage them to find means to improve or develop what they have seen. Technology is best taught if the application is seen and viewed by the students. Michie (1998) found that the environment of informal science learning, which incorporated features such as voluntary, unstructured, non-assessed, open-ended, and learner-centered (p. 248) led to heightened student interest. This open-ended learning experience can also have optimistic effects on how students feel about science learning. (Gottfried, 1980). While the most beneficial facet of informal science learning may be the often incalculable notions of appreciation and motivation for further learning, researchers have also reported gains in content knowledge by students (Gottfried, 1980; Fiso, 1982; Munley, 1991). The freedom to manipulate, operate and explore the learning environment makes learning highly conducive and interesting. This attitude may be encouraged to further stress a point or a concept. Teachers may utilize this to explore the students perception and opinion regarding a particular topic. Teachers may very well plan a curriculum under which interactive participation may be facilitated. Most importantly, informal science sites can offer teachers and students something which they often cannot experience in the formal classroom. Mullins (1998) illustrates the experience this way: it is precisely because informal science sites are informal learning settings, where attendance is voluntary. In an informal science sites, the visitor is at liberty to wander at will, taking in things that connect to previous knowledge and experience, and discovering new ideas with pleasure (p.42). The appeal of fieldtrips to students is not confound to it being compulsory and rigid. In fact as previously mentioned the idea that this environment is less strict and more open has its appeal to students more and more interesting. However, before teachers aspire to make schools more like an informal science sites, it is important to understand the inherent differences between schools and informal science sites. Despite doing a similar activity as with the classroom as students in an informal environment, there are important disparities between the assumptions that are made as the teaching/learning is taking place. Informal learning stands separately from school learning in that it is free-choice, non-sequential, self-paced, and voluntary. The formal education system was not designed in this way. Schools are designed to teach students so that they are equipped to function successfully in society. The learning requirements are set as standards that all students are expected to learn. The teaching and learning that most often occurs in schools involves obligatory learning in which learning is focused by a programmed set of requirements imposed externally by a forced authority (Falk, 2001). Unfortunately, as Falk and Dierking (1992) point out, learning has become tantamount with the words education and school where learning is perceived as primarily the attainment of new ideas, facts, or information, rather than the consolidation and slow, incremental growth of existing ideas and information (p. 98). Recognizing these disparities is vital to understanding how each approach and their associated fundamental assumptions are part of the whole learning experience for students and teachers. Instead of trying to make one institution be like the other, a suitable approach may be to recognize the strengths of both informal sciences sites and schools and to bring those resources together to better serve both teachers and students. Anderson (2004) points out that the informal and formal education communities are pursuing the same goal of educating the public even if it originates from different assumptions and inherent qualities. One way that informal science sites can contribute to this objective is by helping teachers to gain assurance in teaching science. Science teaching assurance, or science teaching self-efficacy, is an essential component of effective science teaching. Teacher effectiveness has been found to be one of the most important factors influencing teachers work (Bitgood, 1993; Lessow, 1990) and is an important factor in teacher motivation. Horizon Research, Inc. (2001a) reported that long-term association with an informal science sites can begin to shift a teachers confidence in science teaching. For example, one teacher in their study reports, This museum has done a lot for the individual teacher. I think many of us have undergone a long-term change in our teaching style, and are more confiden t and comfortable in a student-centered teaching approach (p.16). Price and Hein (1991) assures that gains in science assurance and enthusiasm by elementary school teachers after they were engaged in collaborative projects with an informal science sites. According to a national survey which appeared in 2001, only approximately 25 percent of elementary teachers feel they are well qualified to teach science (Horizon Research, 2001a). Furthermore, teachers will normally avoid situations where they qualm their ability to perform successfully. Improving elementary teachers science teaching confidence is therefore an imperative factor in the development of science education. As results of this recognition of the advantages of informal science learning, an increasing number of universities are collaborating with informal science sites in preparing their future teachers. Muse, et.al (1982) describes the many benefits includes the chance to work with children of different ages and backgrounds, the chance to work with other teachers, the chance to practice good science teaching and gain assurance, and the knowledge of science teaching resources. Across all of these partnerships, the specific strengths of the informal sites are acknowledgement and brought into the training of future teachers. As suggested by a university professor, in addition to the benefits of a unique kind of teaching and learning that occurs in informal environments, research also advocates teachers can benefit from the resources and programs offered by informal science sites. This can include interactive exhibits, educational materials and science equipment that many teachers and school districts cannot afford or do not have access to in school (Rennie, 1995). Teachers who not using Informal Science Horizon Research Inc. (2001a) established that there is nearly one informal science education institution for every 1,000 elementary school teachers in the United States. Yet these institutions serve only 10 percent of all U.S. teachers teaching science. While there has been a changing focus to heightened the numbers of these relationships with teachers, many teachers do not seem to be using museum resources in partnering ways where unambiguous links are made to classroom curricula and teachers return for additional assistance and partnership as needed throughout the school year. The literature on this subject revolves around the assumption that using informal science actually pertains to taking field trips. These studies do not openly concentrate on those teachers who continually use informal science sites in many different ways. Nonetheless, these studies show why teachers may not be as likely to take their students on field trips as other teachers. Explanations for why teachers are not taking field trips can be arranged into several categories. Logistics: transportation coordination and cost (Lessow, 1990; Michie, 1998; Price and Hein, 1991), safety concerns (Michie, 1998); and student misbehaviour and large class size (Fido and Gayford, 1982; Lessow, 1990; Price and Hein, 1991) External Support System: a lack of support from the government who see the field trip as a vacation (Michie, 1998; Mullins, 1998; Price and Hein, 1991); and a lack of support from other teachers who are uncomfortable with new experiences and getting out of the classroom (Michie, 1998; Mullins, 1998) Personal Motivation: such as fear of failure (Mullins, 1998), lack of energy and time (Lessow, 1990; Michie, 1998; Mullins, 1998; Price and Hein, 1991) low interest (Mullins, 1998); and lack of personal knowledge of and positive experiences with informal science sites (Fido and Gayford, 1982; Michie, 1998) Availability of Resources: inadequate choice of informal science sites (Michie, 1998) Orion (1993) points out that many of the complications involved in linking informal science institutions and the formal education system can be addressed to differences in size, orientation, and mission. Informal science sites tend to be smaller than school systems, are profit oriented and are mostly private. Ramey-Gasset (1996) asserts that these obvious differences can make associations very difficult to attain. While both classroom teachers and informal science sites educators have the similar Objectives of educating students, they approach it from very different outlooks. Schools and informal science sites have not viewed themselves as equal partners; asserting that each feels that they are performing different things in terms of science education, and one does not necessarily complement the other. There is also a common view of informal science educators as pseudo-educators. Claiming that museum educators practice some of the best teaching in a community may not be entirely correct and may overestimate the teaching proficiency of these teachers (Munley, 1991, p. 14). While many informal science sites educators are superior teachers, many do not have the experience or training to serve as model teachers. For this truth, many school administrators and teachers may not view the informal community as a competent partner in science education. However, this may change. Creating standards for informal science educators has the impending to positively impact future partnership between the informal science community and schools. Factors Influencing Teachers to take Field Trips The focal point of this research is on teachers who use the resources of informal science on a regular basis. This subject appears to be focused on the actual field trip and not on using informal science resources in different ways and on a regular basis. There are numerous studies that address this concern of the factors influencing teachers to take field trips. Lessow (1990) surveyed 585 teachers on their use of informal science and used quantitative analysis to settle on the possible correlations between teacher quality and use of informal science. Some of his major findings were that teachers took more field trips when they had taken personal trips to a particular site felt that their students gained either cognitively or affectively. Lessow (1990) did not find that those teachers who assumed having a science related hobby, read science journals or attended more professional development took more field trips. And those teachers with more experience teaching also did not take more trips than other teachers. While this study had some interesting findings, it did not disclose the nature of these trips or teachers personal thoughts on taking them. While Lessow (1990) addressed the efficiency of the field trips, this was determined primarily through survey answers and focused around the use of pre-visit and post-visit activities. Therefore, ho w these teachers used these sites was not revealed. Michie (1998) interviewed 28 secondary science teachers in Australia to determine the influences on them to organize and conduct field trips. It was found that teachers who took field trips wanted to give students hands-on, real life experiences which they could not have in the classroom. He also said that while there was some perplexity on the usefulness of field trips, most teachers accepted the cognitive gains associated with the trips. There were some teachers who commented on the emotional values. In addition, six more experienced teachers elementary teacher to college professors were chosen for follow-up interviews. These expert teachers reported that they conducted field trips for three reasons. The first was because of the positive benefits they and their students receive in reference to the relationships that developed among students, between students and teachers, and between students and informal educators. Mullins (1998) reported that these relationships raised confidence , invigorated lives and enhanced their questioning and learning (Mullins, 1998, p. 165). The second reason these teachers chose to take these outdoor trips was that they acknowledged that their thinking on how learning takes place had changed after engaging in these environmentally based trips. They realized the worth of interactive learning and project-based learning where the students were involved in real-life projects. The third reason was simply because of the experiential benefits. They said that nature taught them how to teach; and that observing students attach with nature was their main purpose for having field trips. This study also reported that most of the experienced teachers all had positive field experiences as children. While the literature concerning the factors motivating teachers to take field trips is informative, there is the absence of a clear picture of teachers who choose to frequently use the resources of informal science. Further, at a time when the majority of elementary teachers do not feel well-equipped and credible to teach science and are teaching less science (Horizon Research, 2001a), hearing from those elementary teachers that do feel confident in their ability to teach science and incorporate informal science in their teaching can inform this issue. While many teachers will take their students on at least one field trip during the year, fewer will lead effective field trips where students gain both cognitively and affectively. Many teachers will use it as a form of leisure or will not amalgamate it into their curriculum (Lessow, 1990). Support for Using Informal Science Realizing how and why these teachers continually use informal science was the focal point of this study. And directly related to this is the support they receive for using informal science. An important result of this study is that the existence of support is indispensable to whether these teachers use the resources of informal science for the gain of their students. However, it is paramount that they have support. This can have significant effects on less experienced teachers. Mullins (1998) found that a teacher support system, either from peers or administrators, makes the distinction in whether a novice teacher chooses to pursue informal science opportunities. A large portion of the required assistance for using informal science is budget. This is especially the case for taking students on field trips which is the primary way in which these teachers and most other teachers tend to use informal science (Inverness Research Associates, 1995). The cost will be used for transportation and money for entrance fees. A school (or most often, the school district) allots a certain amount of field trips based on priorities and what can be afforded. These costs can be huge obstructions to teachers use of informal science. Teachers identified transportation costs as a major limiting factor to using informal science in studies by Lessow (1990) and Michie (1998). These two studies focused on teachers who did not necessarily use informal science on a regular basis. The teachers in those studies were accompanying their grade level on their allotted yearly field trips. The teachers do not directly refer to money as a limiting factor. Kaspar (1998), in his survey of administrators and teachers in regards to the use of informal science, also found that more experienced teachers did not list administrative tasks and logistics as obstacles. The teachers are experts at navigating these barriers. While funding is always important to their use of informal science, these teachers talk more about the basis of the funding. Based on the teachers stories, they are more concerned with the emotional support they receive from these sources. This importance of administrator support is reflected in Mullins (1998) study where a lack of support by the school administration was one of the most frequently mentioned obstacles to taking field trips. This is further supported in a statement made by an experienced teacher who uses informal science regularly in her teaching. Those teachers have to somehow have an administration that understands that a field trip is not just kids getting away from school; its not a play day. The administration has to understand that it is an extension of the classroom. Five hours on a field trip can be worth far more than five hours in the classroom. Administrations and school boards have to be able to see how field trips can positively impact grades and see that its okay to be different (Mullins, 1998, p. 134). Further, administrative support has been described as being extremely important to teachers ability to effectively teach science (Ramey-Gassert et al., 1996). District and state current policy on science education likely affects some teachers use of informal science. This is especially true for Betty, who expresses how the de-emphasis on science and focus on passing the state standardized tests has hindered her teaching of science and use of informal science. None of the other teachers expressed this same sort of frustration. Teaching at a school in a low-income area where passing the tests was of major concern was likely an important factor. While Greg also teaches in a high-poverty school, he is somewhat protected due to his district-approved and specially funded science-focused classroom. Without administrative support of some kind, even a highly motivated teacher will find it difficult to do the things he/she would like to do with students in science inside or outside of the clas sroom. Administrative support is narrated as a motivating factor in these teachers ability to use the resources of informal science although to different degrees among them. A teacher in a small school in a large district relies heavily on principal support, while another in a large school in a smaller district relies mainly on district level support. Administrative support is likely to be especially significant for teachers in low-income areas. Without district support of non-profit program, most teachers would have difficulty involving their class in such an extensive off-campus project with an informal science site. The success of that program has largely been due to the collaborative nature of its beginnings and the community encouragement it has received. While the fact that most teachers do not discuss it does not mean that it has not been an essential factor, it is a factor that they may have taken for granted. This is the case in the higher-income schools where there tends to be mo re parent support for these trips and projects especially in terms of funding. Parents, in turn, are able to financially support these projects and trips and since many mothers work at home, they can act as chaperones. Surprisingly, there is little in the discussions on the importance of parent support in teachers use of informal community resources. The studies of teachers use of informal science tend to focus more specifically on the field trip and not the teachers themselves (e.g. Lessow, 1991; Michie, 1998; Mullins, 1998). Further, those studies focus on either experienced science teachers from all levels of education (Mullins, 1998) or on more typical teachers on a grade level field trip (Lessow, 1991; Michie, 1998). Yet, parent support was found to be a significant authority on all of the teachers in this study. Teachers realize the significant role that parents play in making that possible. When parents are not able to pinch as much due to financial limitations or work schedules, those teachers rely more heavily on administrative and outside support and must try harder to provide informal science experiences for their students. Because the teachers in this study are often responsible for planning the field trips for their grade level, many of them express frustration at the negative attitudes of other teachers towards project involvement and science in general. On a finding supported by Michie (1998), it shows that teachers reported some resentment from other teachers if they took students on field trips. However, in Michies study, the students were in secondary school. The teachers protested because students were taken out of class or were late for another class. The teachers in this study are experienced, science-oriented, curious teachers. And unfortunately, they are not the standard in the mentoring profession. They are more like the teachers in Mullins (1998) study, even though those teachers were mostly secondary-level teachers and college professors. They were clearly passionate about teaching science. Mullins (1998) found that the more experienced teachers reported fear within the teacher to be the most significant obstacle to teachers implementing field trips. One teacher said, Its just not familiar. Teachers need someone because most of them are troubled by the idea that they are in fact clueless as to what may transpire during fieldtrips. Youre likely to do things the way youve always done them unless you have some good reason to do something differentlike if there is a real good program and someone suggests field trips and they take teachers out and then teachers say, Oh, thats not so hard, I can do this. Teachers want to; they just dont know what to do because we do so little of this in our teacher training programs (Mullins, 1998, p. 136). While the teachers in this study have ultimately been responsible for their choice to use informal science in their teaching, they are the first to admit that it has required plenty of support financial, logistical and emotional. All of these teachers claimed to require support to use informal science. It is not something they can easily do on their own. These teachers are excellent at navigating the barriers in terms of their use of informal science whether it is simply rallying parent support despite a lack of funds, holding bake sales, or finding ways to bring informal science into their classroom. And if these teachers, who are clearly exemplary science teachers, require support and encouragement, then it is likely that other teachers need even more encouragement in using informal science. As mentioned earlier, the average elementary teacher is likely to feel apprehensive about teaching science, and will lack the confidence needed to seek out informal science opportunities. The exceptional teachers in this study often found this on their own it was the emotional support that they needed in order to continue the pursuit of their science teaching goals. Based on my interpretations, providing more support for teachers in using informal science is a logical place to begin to focus energy so that more teachers are likely to look to these community resources. Highlights of the Teachers Attitudes towards Conducting Science Field Trips Field trips can be referred as one of the three ways through which science can be taught through formal classroom teaching, practical work and field trips. In the United States teachers tend to use the term field trip instead of excursion. There have been a number of challenges to define field trips. The definition used in most the researches is taken from Krepel and Duvall (1981): a trip arranged by the school and undertaken for educational purposes, in which the students go to places where the materials of instruction may be observed and studied directly in their functional setting: for example, a trip to a factory, a city waterworks, a library, a museum etc. (p. 7). The use of the term field work emphasizes some of the formal exercises which are conducted outside of the classroom, usually in biology and geology at senior high school and tertiary levels. These activities may be referred to be a subset of field trips or excursions. Much of the literature start off from museums and science centers, other noted venues such as zoos, aquariums, planetariums and field study or nature centers (see reviews such as Falk Dierking, 1992; Ramey-Gassert, Walberg Walberg, 1994; Rennie McClafferty, 1995, 1996). It often relates a range of effects on visitors, rather than students per se, Quantitative studies of the attitudes of teachers towards field trips were done and facilitated by Falk and Balling (1979), Fido and Gayford (1982) and Muse, Chiarelott and Davidman (1982). The researchers found that, in the opinion of teachers, the positive benefits derived from field trips were Ha

Masculinity and Advertising Essay -- Ads Advertising Marketing Gender

Masculinity and Advertising Picture this: There are three beach chairs on a beach and occupying each seat is a male college student. One guy has no shirt on and is wearing a hat. With a smile on his face, he looks to his right. The two guys sitting to his left are each reading a magazine. All three men seem to be enjoying the hot weather and the one looking to his right is enjoying a beer. Coming up on his right are three beautiful girls in bikinis. One girl is blonde, very well developed, and as she walks by you can see her breasts move back and forth with every step she takes. She smiles as she walks by, and by the expression on the guy's face he seems to be enjoying what he is seeing. Her two friends, who are brunettes, also have hourglass figures and smile at him as they walk by. The guy with the hat stares at them with a big smile. This guy then turns to his left and tells his friend, "It's your turn." His friend takes the beer that is offered to him, bangs it on the arm stand of the beach chair, and with this the girls rewind back to their starting positions. The music in the background plays again and the guy in the middle gets to enjoy the upcoming view. If you have not recognized this scene, it is a Miller Lite commercial that is typical of the ones shown during televised sporting events. In this paper I will analyze this commercial as well as others to reveal what the world of advertising on the Internet and on the tube set is all about. In a way, the advertising companies are prescribing certain roles of masculinity to men. These advertisers are suggesting that the men that are portrayed in their commercials or advertisement are the way men are or ought to be. I will explain why men should be aware of the issue... ...e use of half naked women walking around or the use of any alcohol. You can make it for T.V. or for a picture on a Web site. If you insist on making it a beer commercial you can have a dolphin swim up to the shore balancing a can of beer on its nose. I am not trying to persuade men to not watch the commercials or not go to the porn section, or go to the sports section of the web, but instead to view them in a different perspective. Men are portrayed as: having an identity crisis, unable to communicate with the opposite sex, and lastly a low level of language apprehension. Maybe even almost as cave man, we slam our beer down and the women go back to where they started. I'll be the first to admit that I enjoy looking at all types of women, whether they are clothed or half naked, but when I do my mouth is closed and when I open it, it's to carry on a conversation.

Accounting Seminar Notes

Chapter 6 Homework Solutions 6-16 Sales budget, service setting. 1. Rouse & Sons| 2011 Volume| At 2011Selling Prices| Expected 2012Change in Volume| Expected 2012 Volume| Radon Tests| 12,200| $290| +6%| 12,932| Lead Tests| 16,400| $240| -10%| 14,760| Rouse & Sons Sales Budget| For the Year Ended December 31, 2012| | Â  | Â  | Â  | | Selling Price| Units Sold| Total Revenues| Radon Tests| $290| 12,932| $3,750,280| Lead Tests| $240| 14,760| 3,542,400| | Â  | Â  | $7,292,680| 2. Rouse & Sons| 2011 Volume| Planned 2012 Selling Prices| Expected 2012 Change in Volume| Expected 2012 Volume| Radon Tests| 12,200| $290| +6%| 12,932|Lead Tests| 16,400| $230| -7%| 15,252| Rouse & Sons Sales Budget| For the Year Ended December 31, 2012| | Â  | Â  | Â  | | Selling Price| Units Sold| Total Revenues| Radon Tests| $290| 12,932| $3,750,280| Lead Tests| $230| 15,252| 3,507,960| | | | $7,258,240| Expected revenues at the new 2012 prices are $7,258,240, which is lower than the expected 2012 reven ues of $7,292,680 if the prices are unchanged. So, if the goal is to maximize sales revenue and if Jim Rouse’s forecasts are reliable, the company should not lower its price for a lead test in 2012. 6-17 Sales and production budget. Budgeted sales in units200,000Add target ending finished goods inventory 25,000 Total requirements 225,000 Deduct beginning finished goods inventory 15,000 Units to be produced 210,000 6-18Direct materials purchases budget. Direct materials to be used in production (bottles)2,500,000 Add target ending direct materials inventory (bottles) 80,000 Total requirements (bottles)2,580,000 Deduct beginning direct materials inventory (bottles) 50,000 Direct materials to be purchased (bottles)2,530,000 6-19 Budgeting material purchases. Production Budget: Finished Goods (units) Budgeted sales45,000 Add target ending finished goods inventory18,000Total requirements63,000 Deduct beginning finished goods inventory16,000 Units to be produced47,000 Direct Materi als Purchases Budget: Direct Materials (in gallons) Direct materials needed for production (47,000 3)141,000 Add target ending direct materials inventory50,000 Total requirements191,000 Deduct beginning direct materials inventory 60,000 Direct materials to be purchased 131,000 6-20Revenues and production budget. 1. | SellingPrice| UnitsSold| TotalRevenues| 12-ounce bottles| $0. 25| 4,800,000a| $1,200,000| 4-gallon units| 1. 50| 1,200,000b| 1,800,000| | | | $3,000,000| a 400,000 ? 12 months = 4,800,000 b 100,000 ? 2 months = 1,200,000 2. Budgeted unit sales (12-ounce bottles)4,800,000 Add target ending finished goods inventory 600,000 Total requirements5,400,000 Deduct beginning finished goods inventory 900,000 Units to be produced4,500,000 3. = 1,200,000 + 200,000 1,300,000 = 100,000 4-gallon units 6-21 Budgeting: direct material usage, manufacturing cost and gross margin. 1. Direct Material Usage Budget in Quantity and Dollars| | | | Â  | | Material| Â  | | Wool| Dye| Total| Phys ical Units Budget| | | | Direct materials required for| | | Â  | Blue Rugs (200,000 rugs ? 36 skeins and 0. 8 gal. )| 7,200,000 skeins | 160,000 gal. Â  | | | | Â  | Cost Budget| | | | Available from beginning direct materials inventory: (a) | | | Â  | Wool: 458,000 skeins| $ 961,800| | | Dye: 4,000 gallons| | $ 23,680| Â  | To be purchased this period: (b)| | | Â  | Wool: (7,200,000 – 458,000) skeins ? $2 per skein| 13,484,000 | | Â  | Dye: (160,000 – 4,000) gal. ? $6 per gal. | _________| 936,000| | Direct materials to be used this period: (a) + (b)| $14,445,800 | $ 959,680| $15,405,480| 2. = = $2. 55 per DMLH = = $12 per MH 3. Budgeted Unit Cost of Blue Rug| | | | | | Cost perUnit of Input| Input perUnit ofOutput| Total| Wool| $2| 36 skeins| $ 72. 0| Dye| 6| 0. 8 gal. | 4. 80| Direct manufacturing labor| 13| 62 hrs. | 806. 00| Dyeing overhead| 12| 7. 21 mach-hrs. | 86. 40| Weaving overhead| 2. 55| 62 DMLH| 158. 10| Total| | | $1127. 30| 10. 2 machine hour per skein36 skeins per rug = 7. 2 machine-hrs. per rug. 4. Revenue Budget| | | | Â  | | Units| Selling Price| Total Revenues| Blue Rugs| 200,000| $2,000| $400,000,000| Blue Rugs| 185,000 | $2,000| $370,000,000| 5a. Sales = 200,000 rugs| Cost of Goods Sold Budget| | | Â  | | From Schedule| Total| Beginning finished goods inventory| | $ 0| Direct materials used| $15,405,480| Â  |Direct manufacturing labor ($806 ? 200,000)| 161,200,000| Â  | Dyeing overhead ($86. 40 ? 200,000)| 17,280,000| Â  | Weaving overhead ($158. 10 ? 200,000)| 31,620,000| 225,505,480| Cost of goods available for sale| | 225,505,480 | Deduct ending finished goods inventory| | 0 | Cost of goods sold| | $225,505,480| | | Â  | 5b. Sales = 185,000 rugs| Cost of Goods Sold Budget| | | Â  | | From Schedule| Total| Beginning finished goods inventory| | $ 0| Direct materials used| $ 15,405,480| Â  |Direct manufacturing labor ($806 ? 200,000)| 161,200,000| Â  | Dyeing overhead ($86. 40 ? 200,000)| 17,280,000| Â  | W eaving overhead ($158. 10 ? 200,000)| 31,620,000| 225,505,480| Cost of goods available for sale| | 225,505,480 | Deduct ending finished goods inventory ($1,127. 30 ? 15,000)| | 16,909,500 | Cost of goods sold| | $208,595,980| 6. | 200,000 rugs sold| 185,000 rugs sold| Revenue| $400,000,000| $370,000,000| Less: Cost of goods sold| 225,505,480| 208,595,980| Gross margin| $ 174,494,520| $ 161,404,020|

Management Case Studies

Ans 1:- Rollerblade, the popular skate manufacturer based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Rollerblade has been one of the leading firms in the fast growing high performance roller skate marketplace. Rollerblade was in a bind. The product literally could not be shipped out the door. The managers found that workers were not able to ship products because, as a result of poor storage structures, they could not find the products. Once they were found, overcrowded aisles, in addition to other space constraints, still prevented efficient shipping because the workers could barely manage to get the products out the door. We were out of control because we didn’t know how to use space and didn’t have enough of it,† said Ian Ellis, director for facilities and safety. â€Å"Basically, there was no more useable space left in the warehouse, a severe backlog of customer orders, and picking errors were clearly in the unacceptable range,† added Ram Krishnan, Principal of NRM Syste ms, based in St. Paul, Minnesota. With retailers as their primary customers, the customer competitive imperatives that are being affected by Rollerblade’s inventory problems are mainly of services i. . delay in deliveries, as stated above they were facing problems in making deliveries on time, no shipment was reaching on time. These delays will effect a lot on their customers as the retailers want to sell them and if the products were delayed the retailers will also have to suffer in loosing their customers which will in deed result in backing off from the Rollerblade’s only. Rollerblades were lacking behind in technology so as to meet their customer demands they need to improve their technology. Ans 2:- JIT, or just in time, inventory is a inventory management strategy that is aimed at monitoring the inventory process in such a manner as to minimize the costs associated with inventory control and maintenance. To a great degree, a just-in-time inventory process relies on the efficient monitoring of the usage of materials in the production of goods and ordering replacement goods that arrive shortly before they are needed. This simple strategy helps to prevent incurring the costs associated with carrying large inventories of raw materials at any given point in time. For a product like Roller skates, a just in time inventory system might not be that useful as the problem with roller skates isn’t associated with production means whereas it is with the time of delivery. The problem arises after the product is manufactured and is dispatched for the delivery. The main problem with them was for the storage and then reallocating it as there was no systematic way of storage and finding it and sending it for the delivery on time. To solve this problem technology was required rather than just in time inventory system. Ans 3:-

Octaves and Decibels

Octaves and Decibels Octaves and Decibels Octaves and Decibels By Maeve Maddox A reader asks: Can you inform on the usage of . . . octave and decible?   I am of the opinion, that octave deals with human voice and decible deals with noise.   Both words, octave and decibel are terms of measurement. Octave derives from the Latin word for â€Å"eight† and decibel incorporates the Latin word for â€Å"ten.† The words can be used in various contexts. I’ll just address the uses suggested by the question. The words bel and decibel are units of measurement of sound intensity. A bel is A unit, equivalent to ten decibels used in the comparison of two levels of power in an electrical communication circuit. A decibel (db) is one tenth of a bel. â€Å"Bel† is a shortening of the name of inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922). A bel is A unit, equivalent to ten decibels, used in the comparison of two levels of power in an electrical communication circuit. An octave in the musical sense is an interval embracing eight notes of the diatonic scale. Think of the Do-re-me song in Sound of Music. Doe- a deer, a female deer Ray- a drop of golden sun Me- a name i call myself Far- a long long way to run Sew- a needle pulling thread La- a note to follow so Tea- a drink with jam and bread That will bring us back to do oh oh oh The normal speaking range of the human voice is about 20-50 decibels. Sounds that go above that range become annoying, for example a vacuum cleaner (70 db). Noise becomes painful at 120 db. Sounds above 132 db lead to permanent hearing damage and eardrum rupture. In answer to the question, decibel refers to sound, pleasant or unpleasant, whether it originates in the vocal cords or elsewhere. NOTE: Although both the OED and Merriam-Webster give db as the abbreviation for decibel, Ive been informed by a technical writer that the standard abbreviation is dB. Sources: Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Mosbys Medical Dictionary, Oxford English Dictionary Online Etymology Dictionary Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowHow to Punctuate Descriptions of ColorsWhat Is a Doctor?

The Benefits of Mandating Physical Education in Schools Essays

The Benefits of Mandating Physical Education in Schools Essays The Benefits of Mandating Physical Education in Schools Essay The Benefits of Mandating Physical Education in Schools Essay Physical Education classes have always been a part of school systems all over the world. However, budget cuts, rising academic requirements, and ultimately, laziness, have put this essential course in Jeopardy. This has resulted In many parents, teachers, education officials, and most Importantly, students, speaking up and working to make physical education mandatory in schools across the nation because they believe that it has an abundance of positive outcomes. Physical Education promotes academic learning, teaches individuals to lead a healthy lifestyle, and is also proven to build self esteem, as well as character, in individuals. The aforementioned reasons should be more than enough to convince any skeptic of the importance of physical education. One of the most important benefits resulting from mandating physical education in schools is that it has the power to promote academic learning. Many studies have shown a direct connection between physical activities and good quality grades. For example, a study conducted by the Canadian Department of Health and Human Services states that In 201 1, 25 percent of teens who had taken part In physical education classes had achieved generally higher grades than those teens that did not take those classes. Additionally, it is proven that Physical activity increases blood flow and supports the brain to function more efficiently when dealing with academic work. Keeping this fact in mind, it would be much easier for children of all ages to succeed in classes such as Math, English or Science if they also had to take a Physical Education class. Also, in some cases, this physic al activity provides an energy release that helps kids from getting distracted and agitated when in the classroom. As we grow older, classes unfortunately get longer, which results in an accumulated amount of energy that students may find hard to release In a positive way. Gym classes provide an excellent option for students to release all that energy. The direct relation between good grades and participating In physical activity, making It easier for students to succeed In all kinds of subjects and providing an outlet for built up energy are all superb reasons as to why mandating Physical Education In schools promotes academic learning. Besides promoting academic learning, P. E classes also promote exercising, which leads to healthier bodies and lives. Mandating physical education will teach individuals about healthy living styles and also will take a preventive measure against diseases and illnesses. Regular physical activity, especially for growing bodies (children), is one of the most important measures, if not the most important measure, you can take for your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Heart Disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death in the united States. The article goes on to remark that Eating at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of physical activity a week can put you at a lower risk for these diseases. The author concludes the article with Regular physical actively can also lower your blood pressure and Improve your cholesterol levels. It Is also proven in numerous articles that physical activity plays a big role in helping to compulsory to attend physical education classes will inform studen ts about the aforesaid benefits, and these kids are more likely to go off and live healthier lives Han children that are not as informed. Another great bonus of authorizing physical education classes in schools is that students (particularly older students) are given the opportunity to improve their health and mood. Regular physical activity can help decrease your risk of depression and may even help with sleeping habits! Research has shown that doing muscle-strengthening activities such as aerobics, can give many mental health benefits, for instance, decreasing your risk of depression. In addition, physical activity can definitely increase your chances of living longer. Many tidies show that physical activity is able to reduce the risk of death caused by diseases such as heart disease and some cancers. A remarkable statistic conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is that People who are physically active for about 7 hours a week have a 40 percent lower risk of dying early than those who are active for less than 30 minutes a week. Not only will mandating physical education take a preventive measure against diseases and increase the chances of longer lives, it will also help build character in students. Last but not least, if physical education in schools becomes compulsory, students will certainly benefit from it because physical activity is proven to build self esteem and character in individuals. In gym classes at school, children are exposed to team sports and leadership early on in their lives. Children are more likely to continue being co-operative at a work place or take initiative in the real world n the future, if they were exposed to such traits at a younger age. Moreover, if physical education is made compulsory, it will result in the boost of self esteem in many students. Physical activity gives students of all ages sense of mastery; they will think l accomplished something! This will also encourage students to set and work towards goals, building character, initiative and determinacy. For example, a gym student may work towards setting a better time for the mile run. Each time this student runs the race and sheds an extra couple of seconds off their time, they will visually and physically see their improvement and feel great about how their hard work paid off and improved their performance. It is difficult for students to find and actually feel the same sense of accomplishment anywhere else in their lives. It would be abundantly beneficial if schools decided to make Physical Education necessary in schools. A progress in academic learning, preventing diseases and helping people live longer and healthier lives, and building self esteem and character in individuals are the aforementioned benefits of mandating physical education in schools. Now that some strong reasons as to why physical education should be made compulsory have been made, does laziness still seem like a superior reason to why Physical Education should not be made mandatory?

Analysis of Open and Closed Economies

Analysis of Open and Closed Economies Table of Contents (Jump to) TASK1 1.0 DEFINITION OF OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.2 COUNTRY WHO PRACTISE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.3 CONSUMPTION AMONG OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.4 INVESTMENT AMONG THE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.5 IMPORT AMONG THE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY TASK2 2.0 UTILIZE 2.1 WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 2.3 FOUR PRODUCTION FACTORS EFFICIENTLY AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 2.4 INTRODUCE NEW TECHNOLOGY AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 2.5 INVESTMENT IN NEWPLANT AND EQUIPMENT AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 2.6 ENSURE SUFFICIENT DEMAND AND SUPPLY FOR PRODUCTS AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 3.0 CONCULUSION 4.0 REFERENCES TASK1 1.0 DEFINITION OF OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY An open economy is an economy in which there are economic activities between domestic community and outside, e.g. people, including businesses, can trade in goods and services with other people and businesses in the international community, an d flow of funds as investment across the border. Trade can be in the form of managerial exchange, technology transfers, all kinds of goods and services. Although, there are certain exceptions that cannot be exchanged, like, railway services of a country cannot be traded with another to avail this service, a country has to produce its own. This contrasts with a closed economy in which international trade and finance cannot take place. The act of selling goods or services to a foreign country is called exporting. The act of buying goods or services from a foreign country is called importing. Together exporting and importing are collectively called international trade. There are a number of advantages for citizens of a country with an open economy. One primary advantage is that the citizen consumers have a much larger variety of goods and services from which to choose. Additionally, consumers have an opportunity to invest their savings outside of the country. In an open economy, a coun try’s spending in any given year need not to equal its output of goods and services. A country can spend more money than it produces by borrowing from abroad, or it can spend less than it produces and lend the difference to foreigners. There is no closed economy in today’s world. An economy in which no activity is conducted with outside economies. A closed economy is self-sufficient, meaning that no imports are brought in and no exports are sent out. The goal is to provide consumers with everything that they need from within the economy’s borders. A closed economy is the opposite of an open economy, in which a country will conduct trade with outside regions. 1.1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.2 COUNTRY WHO PRACTISE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY American countries in adopting open economy and free and other trade practices or the United States an open economy is the opposite of a managed economy. It is one that is characteristically market- oriented, with free market policies rather than government-imposed price controls. In an open economy industries tend to be privately owned rather than owned by the government. In the area of international trade an open economy is one whose policies promote free trade over protectionism .On the other hand, a managed or closed economy is characterized by protective tariffs, state-run or nationalized industries, extensive government regulations and price controls, and similar policies indicative of a government-controlled economy. In a managed economy the government typically intervenes to influence the production of goods and services. In an open economy, market forces are allowed to determine production levels. A completely open economy exists only in theory. For example, no country in the world allows unlimited free access to its markets. Most nations have fiscal and monetary policies that attempt to improve their economies. Many economies that are open in some respects may still h ave government owned, monopolistic industries. A country is considered to have an open economy, however, if its policies allow market forces to determine such matters as production and pricing.

Peer pressure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Peer pressure - Essay Example In most cases, a young person’s personal values  are altered  and shaped by his peer group so as to increase his  similarity  with the other group members. Peer groups are usually well established in most high schools, workplaces and members of the  group  exert pressure to the new members joining the group. Friendship among teenagers is one of the most  important  factors during development. Friendship gives them  secure  venue to discover their identity and experience a sense of belonging. It also cultivates their social skills  relevant  for their future success. On the contrary,  friendship  can  influence  them negatively or positively whereby they end up submitting to negative or positive peer  influence. Young people  become  influenced because of their self-image and self esteem. This serves as a  motive  for them to  identify  with groups that they  fit  or groups that will  accept  them. Those dimensions of the  self  that  are valued  by one’s own peer group become  very  outstanding  in each young person’s self-assessment.   Some peer pressure can be  good. This  is measured  by their outcome whereby positive  influence  of friends  is seen  to play  important  roles among the lives of peers. Positive peers  set  good  examples among themselves, and they tend  to become  good  role models for each other. They can influence each other on goal oriented activities such as working together in  school  work, discussing problems and personal issues together that can help one to make  good  decisions, listening to each other, offering  good  advice and developing a positive  culture  among others. Positive peer pressure can be used to encourage and promote social behavior, because as observed peers can have a  powerful  effect  on self-esteem. Well accepted children can  display  positive  academic skills, social behavior and even

POWER, POLITICS AND POLICY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

POWER, POLITICS AND POLICY - Essay Example By 1980s, the immigration policy of the United Kingdom had two spikes where there very serious controls to the entry as well as strict protection of the rights of minority groups. The two prongs had contradicting effects on the position of the immigrant communities as well as their children born in Britain. As a result, the decline in manufacturing caused difficulty in obtaining work permits for both unskilled and semi-skilled workers but easier for high skilled professional workers (Bauer, Lofstrom & Zimmermann 2001: Jones 1973). This means that the largest percentage of the immigrants was coming from America, who invaded the industries and the banking sector. Australia, New Zealand and South African citizens were entering the country by taking the advantage of family ties. People from the South Asian region such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were entering the country as medical practitioners (Spencer 2002). The riots that took place in the year 1981 mostly occurred on racial lines. In the city of Brixton, which was the spiritual home of the afro-Caribbean community living in Britain, the rioting youth were claiming that the police were targeting black people believing that they were going to stop crime in the streets. There were also similar riots in the cities of Midlands and Liverpool (Steiner, Alston & Goodman 1996). In 1987, the appearance of British politics changed after the election of four politicians who were not white. This was the first time for this to happen during the same general election. Campaigners suggest that for equal representation of all people means that the number on non-white members in the House of Commons should at least be fifty-five. New legislation against discrimination in the year 2000 came in response made about the manner the police handled the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence who was a black teenager. After the collapse of

Collective Bargaining and Pay Inequity in the Public Sector Essay

Collective Bargaining and Pay Inequity in the Public Sector - Essay Example In the United States at the moment majority of the states have passed legislations that permit workers to organise themselves and bargain collectively. This is because collective bargaining is a very important way through which employees can push for their rights considering the historical discrimination that has been witnessed in America’s public sector. The laws vary from state to state, for instance, only 12 states of all who have legalized collective recognise strikes are being legal. Those states not allowing strikes have outlined various processes for resolving issues in the workforce such as mediation and fact-finding. A good number of states use interest arbitration where neutral arbitrators listen to grievances raised, evaluate facts, and follow statutory criteria to come up with decisions as to the terms of collective bargaining agreements. Nonetheless, collective bargaining through unionisation has become a very popular practice in America and the world over. Unions represent members in many different ways which include and not limited to lobbying for favourable labor laws such as protection of employees from arbitrary discharge, educating and training members on their rights and most importantly negotiating compensation directly with employers on behalf of the membership. Collective bargaining agreements also address issues of discrimination in the work place based on gender, race and even class hence attempt to force employers apply the same standards to every individual. AFSCME for instance, which is mostly concerned with women has for the past few decades managed to lobby against pay inequity that is based on gender. One negative concern about trade unionism and collective bargaining agreements has been that they tend to indirectly further the inequality gap. In particularly comes about when covered employees are

CRIMINOLOGY Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CRIMINOLOGY - Research Paper Example The Asian and African states blame the USA, Australia and Europe for creating a single mother society by allowing unchecked and unrestrained sexual activities, extra marital relationships and gay marriages. The girls in Europe, USA and Australia, Mendle et al (2009) observe, become victims of rape, perversion and other environmental influences, and thus enter their sexual life at a very young age subsequently. However, the Gulf countries forget to examine the most perturbed state of affairs being observed in their own lands, where the people are exploited and raped secretly with the support of law enforcing agencies. Not only this that tracing of offenders is near to impossible in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but also registration of rape cases is really a hard nut to crack in the entire Arab region (Khalife, 2010). The paper has been supported with the conflict, labeling, feminist and nature theories of crime, which endorse various possibilities behind committing of offences a nd delinquencies by the individuals belonging to divergent ethno-racial cultures, communities and societies of the globe. The Victim’s Background: As stated-above, the victim of the heinous crime of male rape in the present study was a 15 years young French-Swiss adolescent, who had proceeded to Dubai on a recreational tour by second week of July 2007. While he was sitting at beach-side of this modern and affluent country with one of his friends, he was offered car lift by the three native motorists, so that both the boys could be dropped safe and sound at the hotel they stayed. The motorists, with the promise of leading them to their hotel, turned the car towards the desert; where they stopped the car at a desolated area, and asked Alex’s associate to stay outside the car till they inflicted brutal buggery upon the hapless youth. The three Dubai residents raped Alex viciously, and threatened him of grave consequences provided he disclosed the mishap before any authority in Dubai (ABC News, 2007). The poor victim was extremely harassed, heart-broken and frustrated; even then he disclosed all about the sad incident over p hone to her mother Veronique Robert, a well-known and influential journalist of France, who moved the foreign office to probe into the matter quickly in order to get the rapists arrested, tried and penalized without wasting of time. The Background of the Rapists: The biased, prejudiced and cruel law enforcing agencies of Dubai never let the identity of the vicious rapists disclosed before the press. Despite Dubai's status as the Arab world's paragon of modernity and wealth, its legal system remains a perilous gantlet when it comes to homosexuality and legal protection of foreigners (Live Leak, 2007). Thus, they stuck to their traditional atrocious behavior of declaring the rape mere a sexual activity took place with the free consent of a European teenager as passive partner in gay sex, while the three Dubai residents as active partners. In other words, they declared the heinous anal rape as a routine gay sex activity, which is a punishable crime on the part of both the boy and the r apists. Somehow, after the direct involvement of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the UAE leader Sheikh Zayid bin Sultan, the local police traced out the whereabouts of the rapists, and arrested them for identification parade at the police station. The brilliant Alex was successful

What Is Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What Is Morality - Essay Example ring of pension plans or their complete termination; reductions in health care benefits; and wage stagnation in spite of increased productivity† (Feldman, 2007). Indeed, it is through these ethical issues that a redefinition of the essence of business is important. Specifically, it is crucial to ask: (1) is the essence of business purely based on profitability and growth? And (2) should businesses be regarded as moral agents (and therefore be responsible for their actions)? While it is true that profit drives the business as it sustains business operations, it is not the sole determinant of profitability. Unfortunately, most businesses today solely focus on serving one type of stakeholder—their end consumers—that they fail to consider their other publics: employees, society, and the environment. In this regard, the implementation of the aforementioned ways to cut down costs may actually end up costly for the company, as these may lead to: (1) bad publicity affecting product loyalty; (2) lawsuits being filed to address improper employee treatment; and (3) investment withdrawals by image-sensitive shareholders. All of these examples reinforce the notion that ethical business practices can indeed translate to business profitability. However, it must be pointed out that viewing ethicality as a mere tool for profitability remains conceptually ambiguous, especially when attempting to shed light on their stark differences. This is why revisiting the essence of business is significant in order to glean insights on what the business is and how it should act. To begin, it must be made clear that a company is a ‘separate and self-determining’ entity since it is comprised of human beings who are completely capable of controlling the business—through culture creation, strategic business alignments, and operations planning—in order to achieve its goal of profitability. In this regard, any company is said to be free, and is therefore given its rights and

Fatherhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fatherhood - Essay Example .. The methodology for this study is to examine 'what makes a man a father' with reference to psychological, critical psychological and sociological perspectives. The literature search for psychological information regarding fathers, parenting and other topics that related to 'the nature of the claiming process for fathers' revealed a number of journal articles, books and articles in popular magazines like Psychology Today. Beaton, Doherty and Rueter (2003) conducted a detailed study designed to examine "family of origin processes and attitudes of expectant fathers" Methodology for the study included structural equation modeling and multiple regression analysis with a sample of 152 couples. The 'eco systemic model of fathering was tested and used to examine the 'relative strength of the modeling hypothesis and the compensation hypothesis for linking these constructs." The authors discovered that expectant fathers "who were either very close to their parents of very distant from their parents during childhood had more positive attitudes about father involvement." The authors of this study also note that "expectant fathers who believed their own fathers were competent in their paternal roles, had stronger attitudes about fatherhood. ... .." The eco-systemic model of how family of origin history and processes are associated with attitudes about father involvement previous to the birth of a man's first child were thoroughly examined in the new study along with reference to previous research of a similar nature. The authors point out that despite the fact scholars have been hypothesizing for decades that "family of origin processes are associated with future father involvement (work by Doherty, Kouneski and Erickson, 12998; Pleck, Charonoy and Levine, l985 and Pleck 1995 was cited in the article) little research has actually been done to test the hypothesis until they began to look at this particular issue. Beaton points out that "According to Doherty et al.'s (1998) eco-systemic model of father involvement, five interrelated factors determine responsible fathering: co-parenting relationship, mother factors, father factors, contextual factors and child factors. These factors interact with one another to determine how fathers will be involved with their children. These factors interact with one another to determine how fathers will be involved with their childrenIntergenerational processes from the past interact with current relational factors to determine father involvement" The new study by Beaton and colleagues (2003) was an investigation of "how these processes work" In keeping with traditional psychological models this study included an extensive literature review that clearly illustrates the serious and extensive efforts that have been undertaken in efforts to create a better understanding of the eco-system model in relation to our topic. "There have been two prominent conceptual models for understanding intergenerational influences on current family relationships: intergenerational

What Is Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What Is Morality - Essay Example ring of pension plans or their complete termination; reductions in health care benefits; and wage stagnation in spite of increased productivity† (Feldman, 2007). Indeed, it is through these ethical issues that a redefinition of the essence of business is important. Specifically, it is crucial to ask: (1) is the essence of business purely based on profitability and growth? And (2) should businesses be regarded as moral agents (and therefore be responsible for their actions)? While it is true that profit drives the business as it sustains business operations, it is not the sole determinant of profitability. Unfortunately, most businesses today solely focus on serving one type of stakeholder—their end consumers—that they fail to consider their other publics: employees, society, and the environment. In this regard, the implementation of the aforementioned ways to cut down costs may actually end up costly for the company, as these may lead to: (1) bad publicity affecting product loyalty; (2) lawsuits being filed to address improper employee treatment; and (3) investment withdrawals by image-sensitive shareholders. All of these examples reinforce the notion that ethical business practices can indeed translate to business profitability. However, it must be pointed out that viewing ethicality as a mere tool for profitability remains conceptually ambiguous, especially when attempting to shed light on their stark differences. This is why revisiting the essence of business is significant in order to glean insights on what the business is and how it should act. To begin, it must be made clear that a company is a ‘separate and self-determining’ entity since it is comprised of human beings who are completely capable of controlling the business—through culture creation, strategic business alignments, and operations planning—in order to achieve its goal of profitability. In this regard, any company is said to be free, and is therefore given its rights and

What Was Ironic About the Rebirth of Theatre in the Medieval Period Essay Example for Free

What Was Ironic About the Rebirth of Theatre in the Medieval Period Essay It is ironic that the Church, which caused theatres to be outlawed as the Roman Empire declined and then fell, was one of the primary means of keeping theatre alive through the Middle Ages. This resulted from the Churchs need to establish itself in the community a community still steeped in pagan ritual and superstition which manifested itself in seasonal festivals. The Church ultimately linked its own religious holidays with these seasonal festivals and began to use dramatic form to illustrate the stories underlying these holidays so as to reinforce their religious connotation and to better communicate the stories to an illiterate congregation. At first the parts played in these simple religious re-enactments of the nativity and adoration of the Magi were played by priests in the sanctuary of the church. However, as the repertoire of the Church grew to include the passion and crucifixion of Christ, the Church was confronted with the dilemma of how a priest should portray Herod. While division of opinion in the Church continued as to the worth of dramatic interpretations, the members of the congregation clearly enjoyed and were moved by them. The dramas continued to grow, moving out of the sanctuary and into the open air in front of the Church. Ultimately, the members of town guilds began to contribute to these dramas, which continued to grow more elaborate with time. Known as passion plays, miracle plays and morality plays, they continued their close connection with the Church and church holidays, but began to introduce elements of stock characters that were more contemporary in nature. With the growth of towns and the introduction of stable governments in Europe, the stage was set for the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Counter-Reformation and the secularization of theatre as it emerged from the influence of the Medieval Church. Ironically it was the church during the Medieval Times that was responsible for the rebirth of theatre. The church and the government at this time were one and the same. Not belonging to the church made you a social outcast. People were illiterate and church services were in Latin. The visual aid of a performance helped the people of the time to better understand the sermons. Mystery plays were based on bible stories such as the birth of Christ. Allegorical morality plays had story lines that were always about man and how he succumb to sin. During performances there were definite mansions (setting) for heaven and hell. The goal of morality plays was to show man what will happen if he continues to live in sin by sending him to hell, but if he changed his life and repent he will go to heaven. Everyman (author unknown) is the best known and one of the very few Medieval plays that survived. The rules for these performances were very strict and had to be approved by the clergy before performed in the church. Eventually the performances moved to outside areas of the church and later to a fixed stage (similar to a stage as we know it today) or a pageant wagon.

Problems Of Waste Disposal In Developing Countries Environmental Sciences Essay

Problems Of Waste Disposal In Developing Countries Environmental Sciences Essay J. Staniskis (2005), said the acceptance that waste is there, it will always be there cannot lead to waste management solution. We need to know the reasons of waste generation, the can we prevent it. This goes to mean, municipal waste is evident and something needs to be done about it if we need to save lives and protect the environment for the present and the future generation. The aim of this chapter therefore is to introduce the what is municipal waste management, it principles and concept that can be applied in order to improve or optimize waste management strategies in developing countries as well as the case study of this report. Also it will introduce the specific problems affecting efficient management of waste in developing countries. Most human activities generate waste and the manner in which these waste are handled, stored, collected and disposed of that poses risks to both the environment and human health. In fact where the concentrations of human activities are intense like in the urban areas, the needs for an appropriate solid waste management is imminent in order to foster healthy living conditions for the population. As a matter of fact, this ideology has been embraced by many governments with many municipalities trying to provide some basic services. In less developing countries, about 2/3 of most of the wastes generated are uncollected (World Resources Institute, et al., 1996, Achankeng, 2004, USAID 2009). Most of these uncollected wastes which are often mixed with animal and human excreta, are usually thrown in an indiscriminate manner in both the streets and drains which contribute to flooding, insect breeding, rodent vectors and the ultimate spread of diseases (Zerboc, 2003). Most municipal solid waste in Africa and other low-income countries when collected are dumped on land in a more or less uncontrolled way. As a result, this uncontrolled manner of dumping may cause serious adverse effects on both the environment in turn, affect human and animal health and as well as severe economic losses ( Zurbrà ¼gg 2002). Environmental degradation which come as a result of inadequate disposal of waste is expressed by, the contamination of surface and ground water via leachate, soil contamination through direct waste contact or leachate, air pollution by burning of wastes, spreading of diseases by different vector like birds, insects and rodent , or uncontrolled release of methane by anaerobi c decomposition of waste. The decomposition of organic materials produces methane which is capable of causing fire and explosion and this can contribute to serious global warming. For example in a Mexican city of Tampico in the Gulf of Mexico coast, there was fire which burned for over six months in an open dump (Medina, 2003). In some municipalities not served with waste collection facilities, the unusual way for waste reduction is applied by dumped managers and that is through a deliberate setting of periodic firs at the dumps so as to reduce the volume of the waste. This therefore creates space for the dumping of more waste and thus extends the life of the dumps areas. Africa itself produces thousands of tons of waste daily and in which case, most of the solid wastes ends up in open and wetlands which leads to ground water and surface contaminations (USAID, 2009). According to this report, solid waste generation rate for some cities in Africa estimated to be about 0.5 to 0.8 kilogram per person a day. As a matter of fact, comparing these figures with the 1-2 kg per person per day generated in developed countries according to USAID, the figure seems small comparatively but a difficult problem to manage in the context of most developing countries. This because, most cities in the developing countries are handicap or lack the resources to match the demand of services in terms of solid waste management and environmental sanitation (Medina 2002; Achankeng, 2004). In fact because of service insufficiency in cities of most developing countries, there has been an increase in the deterioration of most urban environment especially in the aspect of water and land pollution which is a source of risk to both human health and the environment. 2.1 OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT As earlier mentioned previously, municipal solid waste management is becoming a serious problem in cities of many developing countries (MSWM). This is because, most cities do not collect the totality of the waste generated and of course of the entire waste possibly collected; only a few fractions is disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner. However the whole objective of solid waste management is an ideal concept, that is, solid waste management is aimed to reduce the quantity of solid waste that are disposed off on land by recovery of materials and energy from solid waste (Medina 2002; Zurbrugg 2003; Achankeng 2004). This objective is very well acceptable and applicable all over the world and this is commonly backed by with principles (as will be seen below). Some of the principles of municipal solid waste management involve the application of the principle of sustainable development and principle of Integrated Solid Waste Management ISWM). Integrated solid waste management here refers to the application of suitable techniques, technologies and management programs that deals with waste of all types as well as waste from all sources so as to attain the ultimate goals of sustainable waste reduction and effective waste management which will help in better management of waste produced thereafter. 2.1.1 Sustainable waste reduction Of recent, it has been realized that, in order to attain a successful sustainable waste management, industries and society have to produce more goods and services with a lesser use of the worlds resources (using less materials and energy) and less pollution and waste. In most countries today, despite increase in production of goods, product changes have been introduce and put into use, i.e. applying the techniques of internal recycling of materials and on-site energy recovering which act as a way of solid waste minimization schemes. 2.1.2 Effective Solid Waste Management In an effective management perspective, the systems of solid waste management are needed to ensure an absolute human health safety. In fact, the whole system of effective solid waste management must ensure absolute protection of waste management workers and safety of the entire public health through diseases prevention as well as it must be sustainable in both environmentally and economically manners. By this notion, it means effective solid waste management must have the capacity to reduce in a sustainable way the environmental impacts of waste management and the cost of operation must be acceptable by the entire community. Entirely, an effective waste management system should encompass some options like: waste collection and transportation, resource recovering through separation, resource recovering through waste processing etc. 2.2 CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The issue of waste management has in recent years attracted global concern especially in relation to the environment (Staniskis, 2005). This has led to the creation of many organizations both from local, national to international with the aim to seek for means to develop a more resounding ways of handling, storing and disposing of solid waste in a sustainable and friendly manner (W. Kates et al. 2005). According to W.Kates et al. (2005) it is of recent that the of the need of sound waste management was integrated in the concept of sustainable development created by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) initiated by United Nations General Assembly in 1982, and named the Brundtland Commission in 1987. Following the aim of this commission, it realized that despite the effects of human activities on the environment, humanity still has the possibility to make their developments sustainable in a way that, it should meets the needs of the present without compromising th e ability of future generation to meet their own needs (WCED 1997). This actually, opens as a new way of rethinking as this doctrine was embraced by almost all countries in the world. Following the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the doctrine was endorsed and expanded as Agenda 21 which laid out the plan to tackle and overcome economic and ecological problems. Many countries embracing this doctrine have created and adopted supplementary laws to under-score the recommendations of Agenda 21 and Cameroon s not left out. To this effect, many developing countries like Cameroon his was followed by the development of a strategic framework for sustainable development that is, Cameroon created a national environmental management plan which was inculcated into chapter 1 in Article 13 in the law on the environment of 1996, as well as in Chapter 1V Article 45-53 which addresses all issues related to sustainable waste management in the country. According to UNESA (2002), sustainable development has foster and reshape ideologies environment, economy and society. However, today more emphasis on sustainability is focused on the aspect of sustainable development and environment protection, but in which case the broadness of this concept goes deeper than just environmental protection. In developing countries and Africa in particular, water scarcity, resource degradation, falling in the standard of living, species extinction, and tribal conflict which arises because of scrambling for resources are major problems related to environmental degradation. In what sense, if this situation is not handled in a responsible manner in a long while, it might cause serious environmental degradation on environment that can lead to total havoc on human life on earth (UNESA, 2002) 2.3 INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT (IWM): Municipal solid waste has become a serious issue to be worried of within developing countries. This is because most municipalities in the developing countries are handicap in financial and technologically in handling municipal waste management problems. The development of the concept of IWM came to experience as a means to address certain common issues with municipal waste especially in Low-income countries (LIC). Long time ago, the management of solid waste was practiced through collection, land disposal and incineration of household waste. Today, the situation has improved due to increasing awareness of the dangers of environmental degradation caused by human activities (Cole and Sinclair 2002). Apparently, studies have proven that, landfill and incineration solution to solid waste management are not enough to habdle the volumes of solid waste generated both communities and industries (J. Staniskis, 2005). It is imperative to comprehend that, in developed countries; the most suitab le and widely applicable approach for a sustainable environmental waste management is the Integrated Waste Management (Cole and Sinclair 2002). In this context, an integrated approach to waste management consist of hierarchy and coordinated set of action which according to Medina (2002), aim in reducing pollution, maximize recovery of reusable and recyclable materials so as to protect both the environment and human health. IWM systems follow general hierarchy of waste management, Fig, 2.1 Hierarchy of integrated waste management Source: African Development Bank (2002) In this way, it tries to conceive specific issues and needs of community and to develop some appropriate and integrated sets of solution in each context. Several solid waste management studies having bring forth the possibilities of certain approach capable to adapt in many developing countries situation. An overview of some possible solution via the concept of integrated waste management can illuminate the illustration above. 2.3.1 Waste Prevention/Source reduction Large and wide, it has been recognized and proven that waste minimization is by far the most feasible tool for resource efficiency and sustainable development. The fact that we acknowledge that waste is exist and will continue to be there, cannot solve the problem or better still leads to waste prevention. As is often said, it is better to prevent a disease than to cure it. Also, it is after the cause of a disease is known that it can be cured. In this like, according to J. Staniskis (2005), to better prevent waste, it is imperative to first of all know the source of it generation. It is only after identifying the it source of generation that certain prevention measures listed below can be applied. Application of more efficient production technologies to reduce waste Internal recycling of production waste Substitution of hazardous substances Reuse of products or part of products for the same purposes This method requires that, before household disposed off their waste, efficient waste management decision and policies must have been implemented. Through the application of waste prevention, a great deal of waste reduction can be achieved through the introduction of ideas like changing products which help to increase the advantages of pollution reduction and resources efficientcy (J. Staniskis, 2005; Zebroc, 2003) 2.3.2 Reuse Reuse in the context of waste hierarchy refers to recovery of products and use them again. This entail the reduction in the consumption of scarce raw materials thereby saving both water and energy, prevent waste generation as well as reducing pollution. This is quite evidence in most cities in the Less develop countries. For example in Cameroon, both soft drinks like Coka cola, sprite and Pamplemousse as well as mineral water (Tangui and Super Mont) are sole in plastic bottles. After consuming these brands, the consumers keep the plastic bottles for another purpose, e.g. re-sell the bottles to the retailers, also, refill the plastic bottles with drinkable water and later store in the refrigerator. As a matter of fact, this act as a source of income to some household who go around searching and picking these bottles in order to re-sell them to the shops or retailers. 2.3.3. Recycle Recycling of materials is an important aspect of reducing the amount of waste to be disposed off. This system of waste management is being well practiced in developed countries but to a lesser extend in developing countries due to their waste composition, making recycling ineffective in most developing countries. The notion of waste separation at source (household) is a common practice worldwide especially in low-income countries- waste separation is done with a lot of attention by waste pickers and scavengers who recover valuable items from this operation and sell to itinerant buyers e.g. plastic bottles, metals, old shoes, old clothes, papers (Snow, 2003) According to Zerboc (2003), a well organize and waste practice backed by local municipality can enhance safety of on workers health as well improving the income for waste pickers and collectors. Furthermore, waste recycling can be an important economic option for some cities in the developing countries which produces waste similar to cities in developed countries, but in cases where the local municipalities are unable to provide recycling facilities due to financial problems, partnership with other private recycling companies can be another better option (Sudhir et al. 1997) 2.3.4. Composting of waste Taking into consideration the composition of waste in most cities in developing countries, waste composting seems to be a more preferable option to management their waste (African Development Bank, 2002). According to Cointreau (1982), Achankeng (2004) Gordon (2005), most waste in developing countries can be reduced through composting. This is because; most of the wastes generated have higher composition of organic materials. Following their research, about 78-85% of compostable materials were realized in waste generated in some low-income countries like SriLanka. Achankeng (2004) in his research found out that, compostable materials in waste produced in the city of Bamenda in Cameroon stood at about 85%. According to African Development Bank (200), Gordon (2005), the practice of composting can offer the following advantages It helps in the reduction of the amount of waste It has the possibility of reducing landfill gas emission and also because, since it is process is natural, the help reduces environmental degradation Offer the advantage of recovering fertilizer and natural manure that can be used agricultural purposes. 2.3.5 Incineration According to Zurbrugg (2003) and J. Staniskis (2005), incineration is another important option of managing waste. It is a process where waste is being burnt under a controlled and monitored condition. Despite the fact that incineration has the capability of reducing waste to about 90%, this option is still difficult to fit in the context of developing countries due to the cost of constructing a solid waste incineration plant (Medina 2002). Ti construction, maintenance is very costly and cannot be handled by developing countries. Another serious problem of incineration in developing countries is the fact that, most waste consist of high amount of compostable materials and contain high moisture quantity which makes the functioning of incinerators inefficient. 2.3.6. Landfills This method is commonly practice in most developing countries. Sanitary land fill is designed to for final waste disposal. As a matter of fact, it is recognized as a better option of waste management than open dumping commonly practice in cities in developing countries. According to African Development Bank (2002), what makes sanitary landfill some how complex is the way it should be planned, what kind of administration should be associated to it and the amount of experts to be involve Sanitary Landfill has some advantages like reducing the risk of both environmental and human health associated to all kinds of wastes Reduce the absorption of methane underground Production of energy i.e. electricity through the burning of methane captured from landfill gas. The allocation of landfill requires the municipal government identify a convenient location so that it should be far away from human residences. Through the creation of sanitary landfill, it can generate job opportunities for citizens, also reduces pollution and conservation of natural resources. 2.4 PROBLEMS OF SOLID WASTE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 2.4.1 Urban Population growth The first serious problem related to solid waste management in developing countries s that of urban population growth. Most developing countries and Africa in particular, is witnessing fast urban growth because many people a commuting from the suburbs to the cities for better livelihood. This has led to a tremendous increase in the concentration of population in towns and cities (Nath 2003). According to facts from World Bank (2006), the world population has witnessed a tremendous rise since the beginning of 1990 with developing countries recording the fastest growth. The result of this rapid population growth has led to increase in waste generation in urban centers. According to African Development Banks (2002), the rapid population expansion has led to increase in the amount of waste generated in most urban centers in African thus, leading to excess waste over limited infrastructures. Also, rapid urban growth has led to the creation of informal pattern of settlements in cities of developing countries. This has resulted in the creation of slums, with housing and living conditions which are horrible. The pressure of ever-growing population on urban infrastructure in many cities overburdens the provision of urban services. Urban municipal governments are under intense pressure to meet the demand for basic services such as water, sanitation and solid waste management (Medina 2002). Most of the slums grow in an unplanned manner, and the local municipalities are ill prepared to provide basic facilities (like garbage collection) to the ever growing population. This causes garbage to be dumped in open spaces, leading to disastrous effect on the social, economic and environmental health of the area (Kuniyal et al. 1998, Medina 2002, Zerboc 2003); consequently this has resulted in financial and institutional constraints to manage the resulting solid wastes (Chakrabarti and Sarkhel 2003). Even those enjoying decent housing dump garbage in the open space, due to 2.4.2 Lack of finances and infrastructures In a developing country framework, though solid waste management accounts for 20 to 50 per cent of the municipal budget (Schà ¼beler 1996, Bartone 2000), the service is provided to only about 50 per cent of the urban population; actual collection only accounts for around 60 to 70 per cent of the refuse (Gerlagh et al 1999, Khawas 2003). For instance, Latin American countries were generating approximately 275,000 tones of solid waste per day in urban areas, necessitating a fleet of 30,000 trucks and 350,000 m3 of land a day to properly collect and dispose the waste (Chakrabarti and Sarkhel 2003). The insufficiency of services results in the deterioration of the urban environment in the form of water, air, and land pollution; which not only poses risks to human health but to the environment as well (Medina 2002). Another impact of the increasing population is the creation of a vicious cycle of pollution. Rise in population is not met by equal increase in infrastructural facilities, wh ich leads to increase in the filth and garbage. As filth gets accumulated, less and less number of inhabitants are willing to pay for the retrieval services leading to loss of revenue to the municipality and further deterioration of the quality of services rendered (Zerboc 2003). The impact of deteriorating services are directly felt, as there is visible increase in waste being dumped right besides the human habitats, which causes tremendous risk to both environment and human health. The present situation is expected to deteriorate even more due to rapid unchecked urbanization and growth in human population (Zurbrugg 2003). 2.4.3. Environmental problems The impacts of solid waste on environment is immense, from release of harmful green house gases (GHGs) to contamination of ground water, improper solid waste can wreck havoc on the environmental health. The most serious environmental problem in terms of solid wastes is the emission of GHGs. According to Thorneloe et al (2002), the waste management sector represents 4% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions and landfills contribute the largest anthropogenic source of methane, contributing 90% to the total GHGs release from the waste sector in the United States. Methane is a primary constituent of landfill gas (LFG) and a potent greenhouse gas when released to the atmosphere. LFG is created as a natural byproduct of decomposing organic matter, such as food and paper disposed of in these landfills and it consists of about 35-50 % methane (CH4) and 35-50 % carbon dioxide (CO2), and a 26 trace amount of non-methane organic compounds. Each day millions of tons of municipal solid waste are di sposed of in sanitary landfills and dump sites around the world. According to Methane to Markets Partnership, website (2004); globally, landfills are the third largest anthropogenic (human influenced) emission source, accounting for about 13 percent of global methane emissions or over 223 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE). The status of solid waste management system thus considerably influences the problems associated with climate change and global warming. 2.4.4 Health problems Serious public health problems arise due to uncollected solid waste and waste often leading to many infectious diseases including water borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Such incidence of diseases puts additional burden on the scanty health services available in resource poor developing countries. Insect and rodent vectors are attracted to the waste and one may recall that as many as 200,000 people had to flee after the outbreak of pneumonic plague in Surat in Western India (1994). The outbreak is attributed to the uncontrolled fermentation of wastes which created favorable conditions for the breeding and growth of rodents and insects that acted as vectors of diseases (Venkateshwaran 1994). A similar study by WHO (1995) observed in 1994 that 616960 cases of cholera resulting in 4389 deaths were reported in Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania (UNCEA 1996) which can be linked to the fact that in Northern Africa as much as 20 to 80 per cent of urban solid wastes are dump ed in open spaces (Chakrabarti and Sarkhel 2003). Contamination of ground water by disease causing organisms from water seeping through dumps is likely to include the viruses of hepatitis, poliomyelitis and gastroenteritis (Medina 2002); thus such water contamination may have long run health effects apart from dysentery and cholera. The U.S. Public Health Service identified 22 human diseases that are linked to improper solid waste management (Hanks, 1967 in Hoornweg et al., 1993). The most immediate health threat due to solid waste in developing countries is to the waste workers, rag pickers and scavengers. Waste workers and rag pickers in developing countries are seldom protected from direct contact and injury. The co-disposal of hazardous and medical wastes with municipal wastes poses serious health threat. Exhaust fumes from waste collection vehicles, dust stemming from disposal practices, and open burning of waste also contribute to overall health problems (Hoornweg et al 1993). The magnitude of the health problems due to solid waste in case of developing countries are particularly alarming where the proper collection and disposal of solid waste is impeded by paucity of funds and technological capacity. The areas, which are not serviced, are left with clogged sewers and litters which create serious health problems for the resident population (Khawas 2003). Crowding and unsanitary conditions are important amplifiers of the transmission of infectious diseases. Many infectious diseases thrive where there is a lack of water, and inadequate drainage, sanitation and solid waste removal (Mcmichael 2002). Conclusively, it can be realized that, the issue of waste management in developing countries and Africa in particular posses a lot of challenges which are burning issues to deal with. However, there are some advantages like creating jobs for jobless nationals which is an important advantage for developing countries as a result of good waste management. In more precise way, the whole literature scenario depicts that, much needs to be done by policy makers and municipalities in order to effectively management their waste. Policies enacted should be implemented with the involvement of both private stakeholders and the entire community. Waste management planning should be done in such a manner that, all stakeholders should have a say on the issue of waste as well as training programs can be made an important part of waste management planning. This is because; it will enable the entire community to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of waste management in the milieu.